Demonstration of Microfiltration Technology

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in cooperation with E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company, Inc. (DuPont) and the Oberlin Filter Company (Oberlin), undertook a field demonstration project to evaluate microfiltration technology for removal of zinc and suspended solids from wastewater. The microfiltration system utilized DuPont's Tyvek T-980 membrane filter media in conjunction with the Oberlin automatic pressure filter. The project was undertaken at the Palmerton Zinc Superfund site in April 1990 to verify the ability of the technology to remove dissolved zinc from the site's shallow groundwater. Pretreatment of the groundwater with lime for pH adjustment to precipitate dissolved zinc and other metals was included as part of the technology demonstration program. Analysis of the treated filtrate indicated that the system removed precipitated zinc and other suspended solids at an efficiency greater than 99.9 percent. The filter cake produced during the study passed both the Extraction Procedure (EP) Toxicity and the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) tests.     

Species composition of the international shark fin trade assessed through a retail‐market survey in Hong Kong

The shark fin trade is a major driver of shark exploitation in fisheries all over the world, most of which are not managed on a species‐specific basis. Species‐specific trade information highlights taxa of particular concern and can be used to assess the efficacy of management measures and anticipate emerging threats. The species composition of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, one of the world's largest fin trading hubs, was partially assessed in 1999–2001. We randomly selected and genetically identified fin trimmings (n = 4800), produced during fin processing, from the retail market of Hong Kong in 2014–2015 to assess contemporary species composition of the fin trade. We used nonparametric species estimators to determine that at least 76 species of sharks, batoids, and chimaeras supplied the fin trade and a Bayesian model to determine their relative proportion in the market. The diversity of traded species suggests species substitution could mask depletion of vulnerable species; one‐third of identified species are threatened with extinction. The Bayesian model suggested that 8 species each comprised >1% of the fin trimmings (34.1–64.2% for blue [Prionace glauca], 0.2–1.2% for bull [Carcharhinus leucas] and shortfin mako [Isurus oxyrinchus]); thus, trade was skewed to a few globally distributed species. Several other coastal sharks, batoids, and chimaeras are in the trade but poorly managed. Fewer than 10 of the species we modeled have sustainably managed fisheries anywhere in their range, and the most common species in trade, the blue shark, was not among them. Our study and approach serve as a baseline to track changes in composition of species in the fin trade over time to better understand patterns of exploitation and assess the effects of emerging management actions for these animals.     

COMPARING THE IMPAIRMENT PROFILES OF OLDER DRIVERS AND NON-DRIVERS: TOWARD THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FITNESS-TO-DRIVE MODEL

The purpose of this research effort was to compare older driver and non-driver functional impairment profiles across some 60 assessment metrics in an initial effort to contribute to the development of fitness-to-drive assessment models. Of the metrics evaluated, 21 showed statistically significant differences, almost all favoring the drivers. Also, it was shown that a logistic regression model comprised of five of the assessment scores could completely and accurately separate the two groups. The results of this study imply that older drivers are far less functionally impaired than non-drivers of similar ages, and that a parsimonious model can accurately assign individuals to either group. With such models, any driver classified or diagnosed as a non-driver would be a strong candidate for further investigation and intervention.     

Retention of chromium (VI) on a macroporous char following ChemChar gasification and successive leaching with water and acids.

A granular macroporous char, triple-reverse-burn (TRB) char, was loaded with 23.40 mg Cr/g TRB char from an aqueous solution, and the retained metal was leached by water, 0.66 M nitric acid, concentrated nitric acid, and concentrated hydrochloric acid before and after treatment by a reductive thermal gasification process (ChemChar process developed by ChemChar Research, Inc., Columbia, Missouri). The chromium leachate was analyzed by flame atomic adsorption. Reverse- and forward-mode gasifications were performed on the metal-laden char. With the exception of a 10% mass loss of carbon, the reverse mode gasification process does not change the physical characteristics of the granular char, but does increase the retention of the chromium from 16.7 to 24.2%, depending on the leachant. The forward mode gasification process produces a vitrified (or glasslike) ash residue. There was an 11.6 to 13.1% increase in the retention of the chromium by the slag and ash when compared to the nongasified chromium-loaded TRB char. Chromium (VI) was effectively removed from solution by TRB char and found to be retained to a higher degree on the char after a reductive thermal treatment.     

Air Resource Management in the Chicago Metropolitan Area

This paper discusses the approach used by the City of Chicago to encourage the implementation of an air resource management program in the metropolitan area. It explores the many facets that were helpful in designing and implementing the City of Chicago’s Five-Year Air Resource Management Program and the progress to date. Also highlighted is the social geography of the metropolitan area and the relationship of population growth and rapid industrial expansion to the area’s air pollution problem. Existing control programs in the Chicago Metropolitan Area are reviewed and are used to document the various elements essential for the success of an air resource management program. These include the Chicago Program, the Cook County Program, the State of Illinois Program and the Interstate Program between Illinois and Indiana. The authors devote considerable discussion to the methodology used to develop an air resource management program, including selection of goals, design of organization, technical development, definition of sources and effects, systems approach, and long- and short-range objectives. The importance of a public information and education program and its relationship to various segments of community leadership are also covered in this paper     

Connectivity of wood thrush breeding,wintering, and migration sites based on range‐wide tracking

Many migratory animals are experiencing rapid population declines, but migration data with the geographic scope and resolution to quantify the complex network of movements between breeding and nonbreeding regions are often lacking. Determining the most frequently used migration routes and nonbreeding regions for a species is critical for understanding population dynamics and making effective conservation decisions. We tracked the migration of individual Wood Thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) (n = 102) from across their range with light‐level geolocators and, for the first time, quantified migration routes and wintering regions for distinct breeding populations. We identified regional and species‐level migratory connectivity networks for this declining songbird by combining our tracking results with range‐wide breeding abundance estimates and forest cover data. More than 50% of the species occupied the eastern wintering range (Honduras to Costa Rica), a region that includes only one‐third of all wintering habitat and that is undergoing intensive deforestation. We estimated that half of all Wood Thrushes in North America migrate south through Florida in fall, whereas in spring approximately 73% funnel northward through a narrow span along the central U.S. Gulf Coast (88–93°W). Identifying migratory networks is a critical step for conservation of songbirds and we demonstrated with Wood Thrushes how it can highlight conservation hotspots for regional populations and species as a whole. Conectividad de Sitios de Reproducción, Invierno y Migración del Zorzal con Base en Rastreo de Cobertura Amplia     

GEOMORPHIC ANALOGIES FOR ASSESSING PROBABLE CHANNEL RESPONSE TO DAM REMOVAL1

ABSTRACT: There is a pressing need for tools to predict the rates, magnitudes, and mechanisms by which sediment is removed from a reservoir following dam removal, as well as for tools to predict where this sediment will be deposited downstream and how it will impact downstream channel morphology. In the absence of adequate empirical data, a good initial approach is to examine the impacts of dam removal within the context of the geomorphic analogies of channel evolution models and sediment waves. Channel changes at two dam breaching sites in Wisconsin involved a succession of channel forms and processes consistent with an existing channel evolution model. Sediment transported downstream after removal of other dams suggests that reservoir sediment may be translated downstream either as a distinct wave or gradually eroded away. More extensive data collection on existing dam removals is warranted before undertaking the removal of a large number of dams. However, if removal is to proceed based on current knowledge, then geomorphic analogies can be used as the foundation for sediment management and stabilization schemes.     

HARVESTING AS A CONTROL FOR AQUATIC PLANTS1

Studies of the effects of harvesting on hydrophytes in Lake Mendota, Wisconsin indicate that one harvest reduced growth by at least 50%, two harvests reduced it by 75% and three harvests virtually eliminated plant material for the year. The studies also indicated that harvesting one year reduced the biomass the following year, especially in deep water. Three harvests during the previous year were most effective in controlling biomass the second year.