The Impact of Conifer Harvesting on Stream Water Quality: A Case Study in Mid-Wales

A 12-year record of water quality data for runoff from a spruce forested hillslope with podzolic soils shows the impacts of conifer harvesting and replanting in relation to nitrate generation and its influence on surface water acidification. With felling, nitrate increases from a background of 18 Eq/l to about 50 Eq/l after 1 to 2 years and then declines to background levels over the next 1 to 2 years and to lower concentrations thereafter. This change is mirrored by an acidification process as manifest by a change in Gran alkalinity, acid neutralization capacity (ANC) and aluminium concentrations as well as pH. For example, Gran alkalinity and ANC, which start at negative concentrations prior to felling (about –20 and –50 Eq/l, respectively), become more negative (–30 and –100 Eq/l, respectively) at high nitrate concentrations. Correspondingly, pH decreases from about 4.7 to 4.5 and aluminium concentrations increase from about 14 to 16 M. Subsequently, the acidification is reversed as nitrate concentrations decline and after five years post-felling the system has higher pH, Gran alkalinity and ANC together with lower aluminium concentrations than even before the felling took place (the post-felling values are about 4.9, -15 Eq/l, –20 Eq/l and 7 M/l, respectively).Other determinands show clear changes over time. For example, there is a marked increase in sodium and chloride prior to and around the time of felling (200 to 300 and 230 to 400 Eq/l, respectively), with a subsequent decline in concentration to pre-felling and to lower values of around 160 and 170 Eq/l, respectively, thereafter. This change is probably associated with abnormally high inputs of sea-salts from the atmosphere during the first quarter of the year of felling, and dilution thereafter, rather than a direct consequence of the felling activity itself: this change in sea salt loading has had an impact on stream acidity. Dissolved organic carbon and iron also change with concentrations increasing over time (60 to 200 and 1.0 to 1.5 M/l, respectively) and this mirrors a general pattern observed across the Plynlimon catchments irrespective of whether or not there has been felling activity.The implications of the findings are discussed in relations to environmental management and hydrochemical processes.     

Hatching asynchrony and survival of insurance offspring in an obligate brood reducing species,the American white pelican

American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) lay two eggs but typically rear only one young owing to siblicidal brood reduction affecting the later-hatched, or B-chick. When the A-offspring fails at an early age, the B-chick may survive as a replacement (insurance) offspring. Using a combination of nests with natural and artificially manipulated hatching asynchrony, I examined the hypothesis that hatching asynchrony in this species is adaptively tuned to permit B-chicks to survive during the time they are most likely to be needed as replacements, with brood reduction following when they become redundant. Hatching asynchrony over the natural range of 0–4 days significantly increased within-brood mass differentials and reduced B-chick lifespan. Full synchrony had a marginally negative effect on A-chick mass. Greater asynchrony did not significantly affect the number of days B-chicks survived after hatching of the A-chick, owing to a corresponding extension of time B-offspring were protected from harassment while still within the egg. This resulted in a high probability (> 0.8) of B-chicks surviving through the initial period (5–7 days) of maximum early A-chick loss. Redundant B-chicks were subject to heavy brood reduction, with both chicks likely to have survived at only one each of 94 natural and 84 manipulated (0, 2, and 4 days asynchrony) nests. Hatching asynchrony in American white pelicans, in combination with a rapid development of senior chick siblicidal competence, appears to result in a time course of brood reduction appropriate for an effective insurance reproductive strategy. Received: 2 February 1996 /Accepted after revision: 18 May 1996     

MANAGING UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS: A GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPROACH1

ABSTRACT: Fuels contained in underground storage tanks (USTs) are a major source of soil and ground water contamination. Effective management of the problem at the urban level is difficult due to a large number of tanks and a vast array of factors (e.g., tank characteristics, geology) that determine environmental hazards. The problem is compounded by frequent abandonment and reuse of service stations, which makes it difficult to track the status of underground tanks. Geographic information systems (GIS) are ideally suited to organizing location and attribute data for variables that are pertinent to the UST management problem. A GIS-based UST management system was developed and applied to 136 current and former gasoline service stations in Denton, Texas. The system is effective for tank inventory and can be applied in a proactive fashion to identify potentially problematic facilities. In the event of a leak or spill, the management system can support the implementation of reactive measures to mitigate subsurface contamination. Potential beneficiaries of such a system include planning departments, environmental regulatory agencies, emergency management officials, lending institutions, gasoline distributors, and oil companies.     

SEDIMENT DEPOSITION ESTIMATION FROM CESIUM-137 MEASUREMENTS1

ABSTRACT The movement of fallout ¹³⁷Cs carried by soil particles was studied as an indicator of erosion and sedimentation in the Allerton watersheds and 4-H Memorial Lake located near Monticello, Illinois. Sediment deposition was greater in the waterway draining from watershed IB than in the waterway from watershed IA. At the average rate of 2.3 cm/yr of sediment deposition in the lake (from 1954 to 1979), there will be a loss of over 2 meters of water depth in the next century. However, there appears to be a decreasing rate of sediment deposition in the 4-H Memorial Lake as a result of improved conservation practices on the watersheds and the increased effectiveness of vegetated waterways and buffers for retaining sediment.     

Tapping the leakages: Methane losses, mitigation options and policy issues for Russian long distance gas transmission pipelines

The Russian natural gas industry is the world's largest producer and transporter of natural gas. This paper aims to characterize the methane emissions from Russian natural gas transmission operations, to explain projects to reduce these emissions, and to characterize the role of emissions reduction within the context of current GHG policy. It draws on the most recent independent measurements at all parts of the Russian long distance transport system made by the Wuppertal Institute in 2003 and combines these results with the findings from the US Natural Gas STAR Program on GHG mitigation options and economics.With this background the paper concludes that the methane emissions from the Russian natural gas long distance network are approximately 0.6% of the natural gas delivered. Mitigating these emissions can create new revenue streams for the operator in the form of reduced costs, increased gas throughput and sales, and earned carbon credits. Specific emissions sources that have cost-effective mitigation solutions are also opportunities for outside investment for the Joint Implementation Kyoto Protocol flexibility mechanism or other carbon markets.     

Effects of workplace thermal conditions on safe work behavior

The effect of workplace thermal conditions on worker safety has not previously been adequately investigated, due in part to the difficulty of defining a suitable safety performance measure. This report describes a study conducted in two industrial plants to determine if a correlation exists between the safety-related behavior of workers and workplace thermal conditions. Both heat exposure measurements and behavioral observations were taken over a 14-month period, for a total of over 17,000 observations. The results indicate that temperatures below and above those typically preferred by most people have a significantly detrimental effect on the safety-related behavior of workers. This is demonstrated by an index based on the ratio of observed unsafe behaviors to the total number of observed behaviors. The relationship between this index of unsafe behavior and the ambient temperature formed a U-shaped curve. The minimum unsafe behavior index occurred within the zone of preferred temperature (approximately 17°C to 23°C, WBGT). Other factors such as metabolic workload and time during the shift also had significant effects on worker safety-related behavior.     

A COMPARISON OF THREE METHODS FOR MEASURING RECENT RATES OF SEDIMENT ACCUMULATION1

ABSTRACT: The determination of sediment accumulation rates is important in understanding how these materials are affecting lakes and reservoirs ecosystems. In this study three methods were used to estimate sediment accumulation rates in the impounded backwater lakes behind Lock and Dam Nos. 8 and 9 on the upper Mississippi River. The three methods were: 1) a “spud” survey, 2) a survey of bottom contours, and 3) the use of fallout cesium-137. The field use of these three methods of determining sediment accumulation and the potential errors and merits involved in each method are discussed. The results from the field study in backwater areas along the upper Mississippi River showed the survey of bottom contour method gave the lowest rate of sediment deposition and the ¹³⁷Cs method gave the highest rates. Sediment accumulation rates from 0 to 7.8 cm per year were measured in the study area. All three methods are useful and have unique characteristics for determining rates and patterns of sediment accumulation. Thus the choice of a method to be used in a sediment survey is dependent on the type of information needed and the time available.     

FORECASTING SNOW AND RAIN FOR THE NEW YORK CITY AREA USING THE METHOD OF ORDERED STATISTICS1

The occurrence of rain and snow for New York City is examined in relation to atmospheric parameters at three levels for four first order weather bureau stations. An objective forecasting guide is developed using order statistic properties. Incorporating surface and upper level data, the guide is a highly accurate forecast tool.     

Implementation of two new resource management information systems in Australia

This paper describes the development and implementation ofPREPLAN, A Pristine Environment Planning Language and Simulator, for two conservation areas in Australia, Kosciusko National Park (New South Wales) and Tutanning Nature Reserve (Western Australia).PREPLAN was derived from the North American gradient modeling systems and theForest Planning Language and Simulator (FORPLAN), but includes unique characteristics not previously available.PREPLAN includes an integrated resource management data base, modules for predicting site-specific vegetation, fuels, animals, fire behavior, and fire effects, and an English language instruction set.PREPLAN was developed specifically to provide available information and understanding of ecosystems to managers in a readily accessible and usable form, and to provide the motivation to conduct additional required research projects. An evaluation of the system's advantages and limitations is presented, and the way the utilization of such systems is improving natural area decision making throughout Australia is discussed.