Assigning money amounts to represent intrinsic value of precious eco-systems in developing countries

Conclusion  The need is urgent, if the ongoing rapid degradation of the remaining precious eco-systems of the developing countries are to be put under control while there is still time, for developing a procedure by which the real world intrinsic meaningfulness to people of precious eco-systems is recognized by assigning them monetary values to be considered in benefit/cost analyses. The procedures recommended by the U.S. Corps of Engineers and Resources of the Future for use in the USA seem to be much too complex for application in developing countries in the foreseeable future. Rather a very pragmatic approach is recommended based on actual experience in money outlays for such protection in USA projects, with the amounts modified to suit developing country conditions. Hopefully the IAAs (Multilateral Development Banks, Bilaterials, U.N. Agencies) will carry out the recommended R&D studies to produce a prescribed methodology recognized by economic, environmental, and political decision makers of both the IAAs and the DCs to be appropriate for use in planning and evaluating DC projects.     

Robust trend tests with application to toxicology

In most real data situations in the one-way design both the underlying distribution and the shape of the dose-response curve are a priori unknown. The power of a trend test strongly depends on both. However, tests which are routinely used to analyze toxicological assays must be robust. We use nonparametric tests with different scores—powerful for different distributions—and different contrasts—powerful for different shapes—and use the maximum of all test statistics as a new test statistic. Simulation results indicate that this maximum test, which is a nonparametric multiple contrast test, stabilizes the power for various shapes and distributions. The investigated tests are applied to the data of a toxicological assay.     

Size Distribution Studies with the Aerosol Spectrometer

It is shown how the Goetz Aerosol Spectrometer can be used to determine the particle size distribution of a specific component of a mixed atmospheric aerosol. The method requires no micrographic counting, but does require that sensitive quantitative chemical analysis methods be available for the compounds of interest. The accuracy of the method and the sensitivity limitations are briefly discussed.     

Lidar Observations of the Diurnal Behavior of the Cumberland Power Plant Plume

Mobile lidar observations were made downwind of TVA’s Cumberland (Tennessee) power plant as part of the STATE (Sulfur Transport and Transformation in the Environment) program. Vertical profiles of aerosol backscatter have been processed and displayed to show plume structure as an intensity-modulated TV presentation. Available meteorological data, especially the pilot balloon and radiosonde measurements collected during the STATE experiment, have been used to aid in the interpretation of the lidar display. The data show: ? Well defined nighttime plumes, which often tilt or display a layered structure in the shape of a “>”.

? Late morning convective breakup of the plume.

? Well mixed convective plumes during the day.

? Reformation of the layered nighttime plume during the late afternoon.

It appears that the nighttime plume behavior can be related qualitatively to the strong directional shear of the wind with height that often accompanies the stable nighttime atmosphere. The nighttime plume shapes frequently differ markedly from the oval shape one expects of a gaussian plume. Daytime plumes are in better conformance to the expected shape except when constricted by the surface or the top of the mixing layer     

Scientific Basis for the VOC Reactivity Issues Raised by Section 183(e) of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990

A methodology for determining regional ozone design values and the expected number of exceedances is described. The methodology was applied to data bases for one year or less from four U.S. urban areas: Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and St. Louis. The effects of reducing numbers of stations in a network were tested, and it was concluded that networks of nine or ten appropriately selected stations are adequate for estimating design values. Using the methodology described, the expected number of exceedances tends to be underestimated when using smaller networks; however, this appears to be an artifact of the conservative approach taken in developing the methodology.