GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM BASED NONPOINT POLLUTION MODELING1

ABSTRACT: The reauthorization of the Clean Water Act reemphasizes the need for regional scale monitoring and management of nonpoint pollution loads. The magnitude of the task will require that local governments and their consultants integrate information systems and modeling if they are to manage the massive data sets and conduct the array of simulations that will be needed to support the decision making processes. Interfacing geographic information systems (GIS) and nonpoint pollution modeling is a logical approach. The objective of the present study was to use the 37,000-acre area defined by the Kensington Quadrangle sheet in Montgomery County, Maryland, to show that GIS-supported nonpoint pollution modeling is practical and economically attractive. The purpose of the GIS is to estimate the spatial distribution of nonpoint nitrogen, phosphorous, zinc, lead, BOD, and sediment using a model developed by the Northern Virginia Planning District Commission. The system allows the user to change land uses in subareas to simulate the consequences of additional development or alternate management strategies. The tests show that in-house development of this type of special purpose GIS is a practical alternative to vendor supplied systems and that the required databases can be developed quite reasonably.     

STREAM TYPES IN THE DES MOINES RIVER BASIN1

Stream tributaries in the Des Moines River basin have been classified according to the glacial terrain through which they flow. Three stream types were categorized as follows: (1) streams that flow entirely on Wisconsin drift, (2) streams that flow entirely on Kansan drift, and (3) streams that have their headwaters located on new drift but have their lower reaches flowing on older drift. Selected channel and valley characteristics were measured and used to verify the stream type classification. Five variables were chosen for use in a multiple linear discriminatory analysis, which is a statistical technique developed for the purpose of classifying observations into one of several categories which have been predetermined. The streams in each group were verified with the exception of three anomalies based on the probability associated with the largest linear discriminant function. The rationale for the three anomalous streams is not easily determined. But, they are considered to be associated with pre-glacial drainage or at least pre-Wisconsin age drainage. Otherwise, the analysis shows that the major channels and valleys in the Des Moines River basin tend to reflect the glaciated upland surface.     

Measuring road traffic safety performance: monitoring trends in nonfatal injury

Traditional indicators used to monitor trends in nonfatal injury are influenced by a range of factors other than the incidence of injury. Indicators based on threat-to-life scales offer a means of addressing this problem. The aim of the research described in this article was to compare trends in the official indicators with trends in selected threat-to-life indicators. We compared indicators based on the New Injury Severity Score and the International Classification of Diseases-based Injury Severity Score with the official New Zealand indicators; namely, (1) reported injuries, (2) reported injuries per 10,000 vehicles, (3) reported injuries per 100,000 people, and (4) number hospitalized (discharges). All the official indicators suggest that there has been a substantive decline in nonfatal Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes (MVTCs) for the period 1988-2000, but a notable increase in 2001. The latter appear to be artifactual increases due to changes in patterns of data collection and do not reflect any real changes in incidence. Further support for this is provided by the results for the two threat-to-life indicators, which suggest that the decline observed for 1988-98 may have been attributable to a decline in the ascertainment or occurrence of minor injuries since those injuries, which represent a significant threat to life, have not declined to the same degree. Given the prominence of motor vehicle crashes as a cause of unnecessary morbidity, more thought needs to be given to deriving valid indicators for measuring trends in serious nonfatal injury.     

Fuzzy decision analysis for integrated environmental vulnerability assessment of the mid-Atlantic Region

A fuzzy decision analysis method for integrating ecological indicators was developed. This was a combination of a fuzzy ranking method and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The method was capable of ranking ecosystems in terms of environmental conditions and suggesting cumulative impacts across a large region. Using data on land cover, population, roads, streams, air pollution, and topography of the Mid-Atlantic region, we were able to point out areas that were in relatively poor condition and/or vulnerable to future deterioration. The method offered an easy and comprehensive way to combine the strengths of fuzzy set theory and the AHP for ecological assessment. Furthermore, the suggested method can serve as a building block for the evaluation of environmental policies.     

Combined use of rapid bioassessment protocols and sediment quality triad to assess stream quality

Physical, chemical and biological conditions at five stations on a small southeastern stream were evaluated using the Rapid Bioassessment Protocols (RBP) and the Sediment Quality Triad (SQT) to assess potential biological impacts of a municipal wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) on downstream resources. Physical habitat, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish assemblages were impaired at Stations 1 and 2 (upstream of the WWTF), suggesting that the degraded physical habitat was adversely impacting the fish and benthic populations. The SQT also demonstrated that Stations 1 and 2 were degraded, but the factors responsible for the impaired conditions were attributed to the elevated concentrations of polycylclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals (Mn, Pb) in the sediments. The source of contaminants to the upper reaches of the stream appears to be storm-water runoff from the city center. Increased discharge and stabilized base flow contributed by the WWTF appeared to benefit the physically-altered stream system. Although the two assessment procedures demonstrated biological impairment at the upstream stations, the environmental factors identified as being responsible for the impairment were different: the RBP provided insight into contributions associated with the physical habitat and the SQT contributed information on contaminants and sediment quality. Both procedures are important in the identification of physical and chemical factors responsible for environmental impairment and together they provide information critical to the development of appropriate management options for mitigation.     

Lessons in logistics from Somalia

By February 1981 the refugee relief operation in Somalia was close to breakdown. The Governor of Somalia and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) contracted the agency CARE to manage the logistics of the operation. By August 1981 over 99 % of food received at Mogadishu was reaching the camps. Here we describe this apparent success, and attempt to diagnose the contributing factors. Chief among these are dynamic leadership, 'systems' management, adaptability of personnel, the use of professional Indian food monitors in the camps, and the support given by the Government. The chief qualification on the success of the operation has been the continued dependency on expatriate expertise.
General conclusions are offered relating to the management of logistics in relief operations. The most important conclusion is that there is a prime need for logistics to be centralized in a single organization at the start of major emergencies. We point to the current inadequacy in an international relief system which fails to ensure this, and suggest that a new or existing part of the United Nations family be given a 'brief for in-country logistics' to become a UN Emergency Logistics Office.     

The Relative Influences of Primary and Secondary Particulates to Urban Air Quality in the United Kingdom

This study uses a combination of data from U.K. monitoringstations and from modelling undertaken with the U.K.Meteorological Office's NAME Model to investigate therelative influences of primary and secondary particulateson total PM₁₀ levels at sites in the United Kingdom. Co-located PM₁₀ and sulphate aerosol measurementsindicate that sulphate has a disproportionately largeinfluence on the variation of PM₁₀ levels incomparison to its contribution to their total mass.Comparisons of measured PM₁₀ at urban centre, roadsideand rural sites suggest that local primary sources havevery little influence on daily mean levels. NAME has beenused to model both primary particles and sulphate aerosolfrom sources across the whole of Europe. The discrepanciesbetween modelled and observed PM₁₀ suggest that coarseparticles, such as windblown dust and resuspended roaddust,may comprise a very large, if not dominant, proportion ofobserved PM₁₀ levels. The apparently minor role ofprimary particles (especially locally-sourced ones) raisesa number of issues regarding the suitability of current U.K.and European legislation to addressing the particle problem.     

Using persuasive messages to encourage voluntary hearing protection among coal miners

INTRODUCTION: This longitudinal field study was designed to encourage Appalachian coal miners in West Virginia and Pennsylvania to engage in hearing-protection behaviors. METHOD: Participants were mailed postcards that featured either a positive, negative, or neutral message on the outside of the postcard and a message encouraging hearing protection behaviors on the inside. The first posttest measurement of the effectiveness of the persuasive messages was conducted about a week after the postcards were mailed. The delayed posttest measurement was conducted six weeks later. RESULTS: Responses from 307 coal miners revealed that the positive or neutral messages generated significantly more self-reported hearing protection behaviors than the negative message. Identical results were obtained in a delayed posttest assessment of miners' self-reported hearing protection behaviors. The positive message was also more effective than either the neutral or negative message in preventing defensive mechanisms from emerging over time. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Positive and neutral messages were convincingly more successful than negative messages in facilitating self-reported hearing protection behaviors among coal miners. Similarly, the positive messages kept defensive processes at bay.