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     

Derivation of a household-level vulnerability index for empirically testing measures of adaptive capacity and vulnerability

Recent studies have projected significant climate change impacts in Africa. In order to understand what this means in terms of human well-being at local level, we need to understand how households can cope and adapt. This need has led many authors to argue for approaches to adaptation that are based on vulnerability analysis. Vulnerability is one of the key terms in the climate change literature, but little progress has been made in the field of its quantification. Typically, indicators are combined according to a weighing scheme, with the identification of indicators and the weighing schemes based on expert judgment rather than empirical evidence. In addition, most quantitative assessments are applied to countries or other administrative units, whereas managing climate risk has traditionally been the responsibility of households. We therefore focus on the adaptive capacity of households. We analyze the coping strategies and vulnerability to climatic stresses of agro-pastoralists in Mozambique and test the validity of a number of commonly used vulnerability indicators. We derive a household-level vulnerability index based on survey data. We find that only 9 out of 26 indicators tested exhibit a statistically significant relationship with households’ vulnerability. In total, they explain about one-third of the variation in vulnerability between households, confirming the need for more research on underlying determinants and processes of vulnerability. With inclusion of local knowledge, our study findings can be used for local targeting, priority setting and resource allocation. Complemented with studies analyzing climate change impacts and findings from country-level adaptive capacity studies, governmental policy can be informed.     

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.     

Public Perception as a Barrier to Introducing Wood in Rivers for Restoration Purposes

Reintroduction of wood in rivers for restoration purposes is now recognized in a positive way by scientists. Nevertheless, the perception of wood in riverscapes is strongly affected by the socio-cultural environment. This cultural influence might explain why wood reintroduction is accepted and promoted in some regions of the world but not in others, despite the demonstrated ecological benefits. From an extensive student perception survey, we show that most of the groups from nine countries in the world considered riverscapes with wood to be less aesthetic, more dangerous, and needing more improvement than riverscapes without wood. By contrast, this way of thinking was not observed in Germany, Sweden, and Oregon (USA), where the first instances of wood reintroduction occurred.     

Kinetic study of permanganate oxidation of tetrachloroethylene at a high pH under acidic conditions

Since carbon compounds are the main component of dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs), the end products of all in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) will include carbon dioxide. If the production rate of carbon dioxide exceeds the capacity of water to remove the carbon dioxide, degassing will occur. The uncontrolled carbon dioxide gas may change the flow patterns, remobilize the pooled DNAPL, transport DNAPL vapor, and reduce the relative permeability to the aqueous phase. Under high pH buffered conditions, most of the carbon dioxide will be dissolved in water. In this study, potassium permanganate oxidation of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) was conducted using a sodium carbonate buffered solution (1 g/L, pH = 10.6 ± 0.1) at three different temperatures (5, 10, and 20°C) and three potassium permanganate concentrations (0.2, 1, and 5 g/L). Extensive kinetic studies suggest that the overall oxidation is a second‐order reaction and pseudo‐first‐order with respect to PCE and potassium permanganate, respectively. The second‐order rate constant and the activation energy were 0.028 ± 0.001 M^?1s^?1 at 20°C and 43.9 ± 2.85 kJ/M, respectively. This study provides a base for further experimental and field studies on potassium permanganate oxidation of PCE under natural or artificial high pH buffered conditions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Soluble Mineral Content in Surficial Alluvium and Associated Mancos Shale1

ABSTRACT: The Mancos Shale area of the Upper Colorado River basin produces large quantities of solutes. In order to develop an understanding of the mechanism of salt production and to determine the source of salinity, a study of the soluble mineral content (SMC) of Mancos Shale and associated alluvium was undertaken. SMC is highly variable in alluvium and associated surficial Mancos Shale. However, lithomorphological units can be identified in terms of their SMC. Results from this study demonstrate that crusts are leached in deep alluvial fills and they contain somewhat less soluble minerals than underlying Mancos Shale on hillslopes. The crusts are saline, sometimes efflorescent, in shale bedrock channels or where channels abutt against the shale. SMC increases in alluvium with decrease in depth of alluvial fill, does not vary significantly with depth in deep of alluvial fills, and increases with depth in shallow ones.     

THE USE OF OVERWINTER DRAW DOWN FOR AQUATIC VEGETATION MANAGEMENT1

ABSTRACT: Overwinter draw down can be a useful technique for aquatic plant management. Its effectiveness depends largely on the susceptibility of nuisance species to draw down. A single overwinter draw down provided good control of aquatic plants in a flowage dominated by Potamogeton robbinsii Little additional control was gained by a second draw down the following winter. Rapid reinvasion of plants after draw down ceased dictates continued management. To avoid fish kills caused by low dissolved oxygen levels caution is advised when using overwinter draw down. The growth of Zizania aquatica was not negatively influenced by draw down. The influence on water quality of nutrient release from decaying vegetation and exposed bottom sediments was uncertain.