Modelling gas release event behaviour in hazardous waste tanks

Certain radioactive waste storage tanks at the United States Department of Energy Hanford facilities continuously generate gases as a result of radiolysis and chemical reactions. The congealed sludge in these tanks traps the gases beneath it and causes the level of the waste within the tanks to rise. The waste level continues to rise until the sludge loses its buoyancy and rolls over, changing places with fluid on top. During a rollover, the trapped gases are released, resulting in a sudden drop in the waste level. This is known as a gas release event (GRE). After a GRE, the waste re-congeals and gas again accumulates, leading to another GRE. We are interested in the time between consecutive GREs. Understanding the probabilistic behaviour of the time between consecutive GREs is important because the hydrogen and nitrous oxide gases released during a GRE are flammable and the ammonia that is released is a health risk. From a safety perspective, activity around such waste tanks should be halted when a GRE is imminent. With a credible probability model for the time between consecutive GREs, we can establish time windows in which waste tank research and maintenance activities can be safely performed. We discuss the application of non-linear time series models to this problem.     

Aspects of a zooplankton,phytoplankton, phosphorus system

In this paper a three-dimensional dynamical system which models the three-species system made up of phytoplankton, zooplankton and organic phosphorus nutrient in a lake environment is studied. The system is part of a more general limnological model for eutrophic lakes and impoundments which has been developed by Battelle Northwest Laboratories. It is shown that this system, henceforth referred to as Z-P-P, has a phase portrait comprised of a plane portrait embedded in the three-dimensional space R³ as an “attractor”.¹ Under a small perturbation of the nutrient equation it is shown that the system is essentially a classical Volterra-Lotka system embedded in a three-dimensional phase space R³.The system derived from Z-P-P by the addition of a term to the nutrient equation which represents the organic phosphorus contribution of dying phytoplankton is also considered. The equilibria of this system are studied and what can be deduced of the phase portrait is compared with that of the above systems. It is found that these phase portraits are qualitatively indifferent to the form of the growth rate functions for zooplankton and phytoplankton provided they are monotone increasing. Some discussion about the stability of these systems is included. Throughout this paper results are interpreted in limnological terms.     

Flimmerverschmelzungsfrequenz und Arbeitsbeanspruchung

The Science of Nature -     

Photodegradation of TCDD in soil containing organic solvents

Studies were conducted to understand 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) behaviour in the near surface zone in relation to the operating conditions: UV-intensity, temperature and exposure modes. Comparisons have been made between Oriel lamp exposure tests and sunlight exposure tests. Under Oriel lamp exposure, the convective transport of TCDD, which depends on operating temperature, was the limiting factor in the cleanup process. The product differences between Oriel exposure tests and sunlight exposure tests probably result from the difference of UV-intensities.     

Reproduction study of toxaphene in the rat

The purpose of the present study was to investigate in rats the reproductive effects of toxaphene, an insecticidal mixture which has been identified as a pollutant in the Great Lakes ecosystem. Groups of 30 female and 15 male weanling rats were given toxaphene in the diets at 0, 4.0, 20, 100 or 500 ppm in a 1 generation 2 litter reproduction study. Toxaphene treatment at the levels studied had no effects on the litter size, pup weight, fertility, or gestation and survival indices. Toxic effects in the parental rats included depressed weight gain, elevated serum cholesterol, and increased liver and kidney weight and hepatic microsomal enzyme activities. Most of these effects were associated only with 500 ppm toxaphene treatment. Treatment-related histological changes in the liver, thyroid and kidney of adult rats were observed at levels as low as 20 ppm. Based on the data presented, the no observable adverse effect dose of toxaphene was considered to be 4.0 ppm in the diet (0.29-0.38 mg/kg b.w./day depending on the amount of dietary intake).     

REST-Rossendorf expert system for surface and sorption thermodynamics

This paper presents a digitized version of a thermodynamic sorption database, implemented as a relational database with MS Access. It is mineral-specific and can therefore be used for additive models of complex solid phases such as rocks or soils. An integrated user interface helps users to access selected mineral and sorption data, to extract internally consistent data sets for sorption modeling, and to export them in formats suitable for other modeling software. Data records comprise mineral properties, specific surface area values, surface binding sites' characteristics, sorption ligand information, and surface complexation reactions. An extensive bibliography is included, providing links not only to the above listed data, but also to background information concerning surface complexation model theories, evidence for surface species, and sorption experimental techniques.     

Ecological responses to variation in seasonal snow cover

Seasonal snow is among the most important factors governing the ecology of many terrestrial ecosystems, but rising global temperatures are changing snow regimes and driving widespread declines in the depth and duration of snow cover. Loss of the insulating snow layer will fundamentally change the environment. Understanding how individuals, populations, and communities respond to different snow conditions is thus essential for predicting and managing future ecosystem change. We synthesized 365 studies that examined ecological responses to variation in winter snow conditions. This research encompasses a broad range of methods (experimental manipulations, measurement of natural snow gradients, and long-term monitoring), locations (35 countries), study organisms (plants, mammals, arthropods, birds, fish, lichen, and fungi), and response measures. Earlier snowmelt was consistently associated with advanced spring phenology in plants, mammals, and arthropods. Reduced snow depth often increased mortality or physical injury in plants, although there were few clear effects on animals. Neither snow depth nor snowmelt timing had clear or consistent directional effects on body size of animals or biomass of plants. However, because 96% of studies were from the northern hemisphere, the generality of these trends across ecosystems and localities is also unclear. We identified substantial research gaps for several taxonomic groups and response types; research on wintertime responses was notably scarce. Future research should prioritize examination of the mechanisms underlying responses to changing snow conditions and the consequences of those responses for seasonally snow-covered ecosystems.