Assessing Societal Impacts When Planning Restoration of Large Alluvial Rivers: A Case Study of the Sacramento River Project, California

Studies have shown that ecological restoration projects are more likely to gain public support if they simultaneously increase important human services that natural resources provide to people. River restoration projects have the potential to influence many of the societal functions (e.g., flood control, water quality) that rivers provide, yet most projects fail to consider this in a comprehensive manner. Most river restoration projects also fail to take into account opportunities for revitalization of large-scale river processes, focusing instead on opportunities presented at individual parcels. In an effort to avoid these pitfalls while planning restoration of the Sacramento River, we conducted a set of coordinated studies to evaluate societal impacts of alternative restoration actions over a large geographic area. Our studies were designed to identify restoration actions that offer benefits to both society and the ecosystem and to meet the information needs of agency planning teams focusing on the area. We worked with local partners and public stakeholders to design and implement studies that assessed the effects of alternative restoration actions on flooding and erosion patterns, socioeconomics, cultural resources, and public access and recreation. We found that by explicitly and scientifically melding societal and ecosystem perspectives, it was possible to identify restoration actions that simultaneously improve both ecosystem health and the services (e.g., flood protection and recreation) that the Sacramento River and its floodplain provide to people. Further, we found that by directly engaging with local stakeholders to formulate, implement, and interpret the studies, we were able to develop a high level of trust that ultimately translated into widespread support for the project.     

Determination of the compositional change (1999–2006) in the pine forests of British Columbia due to mountain pine beetle infestation

The current mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) outbreak in British Columbia and Alberta is the largest recorded forest pest infestation in Canadian history. We integrate a spatial hierarchy of mountain pine beetle and forest health monitoring data, collected between 1999 and 2006, with provincial forest inventory data, and generate three information products representing 2006 forest conditions in British Columbia: cumulative percentage of pine infested by mountain pine beetle, percentage of pine uninfested, and the change in the percentage of pine on the landscape. All input data were formatted to a standardized spatial representation (1 ha minimum mapping unit), with preference given to the most detailed monitoring data available at a given location for characterizing mountain pine beetle infestation conditions. The presence or absence of mountain pine beetle attack was validated using field data (n?=?2054). The true positive rate for locations of red attack damage over all years was 92%. Classification of attack severity was validated using the Kruskal gamma statistic (γ?=?0.49). Error between the survey data and field data was explored using spatial autoregressive (SAR) models, which indicated that percentage pine and year of infestation were significant predictors of survey error at α?=?0.05. Through the integration of forest inventory and infestation survey data, the total area of pine infested is estimated to be between 2.89 and 4.14 million hectares. The generated outputs add value to existing monitoring data and provide information to support management and modeling applications.     

Field‐scale uranium (VI) bioimmobilization monitored by lipid biomarkers and 13C‐acetate incorporation

At the Old Rifle uranium mill‐tailing site in eastern Colorado, a test of subsurface amendment with acetate to stimulate the reductive immobilization of uranium was monitored by using lipid biomarker analysis and incorporation of ¹³C‐labeled acetate into lipid biomarkers. Both sediment and groundwater samples were analyzed. Within 7 days of acetate addition, groundwater microbial biomass increased by a factor of 5, and remained higher than control values in most samples for the 28 days sampled. At 29 days after the beginning of acetate amendment, 4 of 12 sediment samples had microbial biomass greater than the 95 percent confidence interval of controls. The mole percents of the phospholipid fatty acids 16:1ω7c and 16:1ω5c increased over control values upon acetate amendment, and incorporated high levels of ¹³C from labeled acetate in groundwater and sediment samples. 16:1ω7c is a biomarker for Geobacter, and evidence is provided that 16:1ω5c represents an unidentified iron‐reducing bacterium, probably a member of the Desulfobulbaceae. Biomarkers for organisms other than iron‐reducing bacteria, iso‐ and anteiso‐branched fatty acids and 18:1ω9c, decreased upon acetate amendment, and had their highest stable isotope incorporation at least 4 days after labeled acetate amendment ended, evidence for carbon‐sharing between iron‐reducers and other microorganisms. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Products and stability of phosphate reactions with lead under freeze-thaw cycling in simple systems

Orthophosphate fixation of metal contaminated soils in environments that undergo freeze-thaw cycles is understudied. Freeze-thaw cycling potentially influences the reaction rate, mineral chemical stability and physical breakdown of particles during fixation. This study determines what products form when phosphate (triple superphosphate [Ca(H₂PO₄)₂] or sodium phosphate [Na₃PO₄]) reacts with lead (PbSO₄ or PbCl₂) in simple chemical systems in vitro, and assesses potential changes in formation during freeze-thaw cycles. Systems were subjected to multiple freeze-thaw cycles from +10 °C to −20 °C and then analysed by X-ray diffractometry. Pyromorphite formed in all systems and was stable over multiple freeze-thaw cycles. Low temperature lead orthophosphate reaction efficiency varied according to both phosphate and lead source; the most time-efficient pyromorphite formation was observed when PbSO₄ and Na₃PO₄ were present together. These findings have implications for the manner in which metal contaminated materials in freezing ground can be treated with phosphate.     

A happiness Kuznets curve? Using model-based cluster analysis to group countries based on happiness,development, income,and carbon emissions

This exploratory study uses model-based cluster analysis to group sixty-one countries based on statistical similarities in terms of happiness, development, income, and carbon emissions. Model-based cluster analysis is appropriate for an initial identification of a pattern that is worthy of further investigation. A key finding is that there may be a Kuznets curve for happiness. The Kuznets curve graphs the proposition that, as an economy develops, economic inequality first increases and then decreases. Similarly, the authors find that clusters of countries at the extremes of the lowest and highest average levels of development and income have the highest self-reported levels of happiness. Clusters of countries in the middle of the development and income spectrum have the comparatively lowest average levels of happiness. Further, carbon emissions are not perfectly associated with happiness. For example, between two clusters with the highest average levels of development, income, and happiness there is a 43 % difference in carbon emissions. A highly developed cluster has roughly the same mean carbon emissions as a cluster with 83 % less income, and the least developed cluster has 93 % of the happiness as the most developed cluster yet 86 % less carbon emissions. Despite limitations of both data and methodology, the overall pattern—that there may be a happiness Kuznets curve and that development, income, and carbon emissions are not associated lockstep with happiness—contributes to the literature on decoupling development from growth in emissions.     

SoilTrEC: a global initiative on critical zone research and integration

Soil is a complex natural resource that is considered non-renewable in policy frameworks, and it plays a key role in maintaining a variety of ecosystem services (ES) and life-sustaining material cycles within the Earth's Critical Zone (CZ). However, currently, the ability of soil to deliver these services is being drastically reduced in many locations, and global loss of soil ecosystem services is estimated to increase each year as a result of many different threats, such as erosion and soil carbon loss. The European Union Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection alerts policy makers of the need to protect soil and proposes measures to mitigate soil degradation. In this context, the European Commission-funded research project on Soil Transformations in European Catchments (SoilTrEC) aims to quantify the processes that deliver soil ecosystem services in the Earth's Critical Zone and to quantify the impacts of environmental change on key soil functions. This is achieved by integrating the research results into decision-support tools and applying methods of economic valuation to soil ecosystem services. In this paper, we provide an overview of the SoilTrEC project, its organization, partnerships and implementation.     

Design And Performance Characteristics of High-Velocity,High-Efficiency Air Cleaning Precipitators

This paper presents an evaluation of four gaussian (GM, HIWAY, AIRPOL-4, CALINE-2), and three numerical (DANARD, MROAD 2, ROADS) models with the tracer gas data collected in the General Motors experiment. Various statistical techniques are employed to quantify the predictive capability of each of the above models. In general, the three numerical models performed rather poorly compared to the gaussian models. For this data set, the model with the best performance in accurately predicting the measured concentrations was the GM model followed in order by AIRPOL-4, HIWAY, CALINE-2, DANARD, MR0AD2, and ROADS. Although the GM model provides by far a better simulation than any of the models tested here, it is skewed toward underprediction. As a screening tool for regulatory purposes, however, HIWAY model would be useful since this model has the highest percentage in the category of overprediction if the concentration data in the range of 50th percentile through 100th percentile are included in the analysis. The present version of the HIWAY model for stable and parallel wind-road conditions warrants modifications to improve its predictive capability. Current studies indicate that the modified HIWAY model can be used with greater confidence by the regulatory agencies.     

An Analysis of Regional Haze Using Tracers of Opportunity

A two-year record of hourly concentrations of halocarbon tracers (methylchloroform and perchloroethylene) and hourly averages of particle light scattering (B_sp) has been analyzed In an effort to understand the sources of haze In the U.S. southwestern deserts and mountains. Measurements were taken on top of Spirit Mountain in southern Nevada. In conjunction with photographs used to interpret visual quality, haze episodes at Spirit Mountain were usually coincident with elevated concentrations of tracers originating from urban sources. Haze obscured an 88-km-distant mountain 17 percent of the total observation time. Of those Incidents, 69 percent were associated with long-range transport of haze from the Los Angeles Basin.