POLYNOMIAL-BASED DISAGGREGATION OF HOURLY RAINFALL FOR CONTINUOUS HYDROLOGIC SIMULATION1

Hydrologic modeling of urban watersheds for designs and analyses of stormwater conveyance facilities can be performed in either an event-based or continuous fashion. Continuou simulation requires, among other things, the use of a time series of rainfall amounts. However, for urban drainage basins, which are typically small, the temporal resolution of the rainfall time series must be quite fine, and often on the order of 5 to 15 minutes. This poses a significant challenge because rainfall-gauging records are usually kept only for hourly or longer time steps. The time step sizes in stochastic rainfall generators are usually also too large for application to urban runoff modeling situations. Thus, there is a need for methods by which hourly rainfall amounts can be disaggregated to shorter time intervals. This paper presents and compares a number of approaches to this problem, which are based on the use of polynomial approximating functions. Results of these evaluations indicate that a desegregation method presented by Ormsbee (1989) is a relatively good performer when storm durations are short (2 hours), and that a quadratic spline-based approach is a good choice for longer-duration storms. Based on these results, the Ormsbee technique is recommended because it provides good performance, and can be applied easily to long time series of precipitation records. The quadratic spline-based approach is recommended as a close second choice because it performed the best most consistently, but remains more difficult to apply than the Ormsbee technique. Results of this study also indicate that, on average, all of the disaggregation methods evaluated introduce a severe negative bias into maximum rainfall intensities. This is cause for some well-justified concern, as the characteristics of runoff hydrographs are quite sensitive to maximum storm intensities. Thus, there is a need to continue the search for simple yet effective hourly rainfall disaggregation methods.     

No Meat,Less Meat,or Better Meat: Understanding NGO Messaging Choices Intended to Alter Meat Consumption in Light of Climate Change

This paper examines the factors shaping non-governmental organization (NGO) messaging decisions on how meat consumption should be altered in light of climate change. In particular, we sought to understand the relative absence of messages promoting meat-free diets and the decision of some NGOs to pair meat reduction messages with messages encouraging consumers to switch to meat from ruminant grass-fed animals. Interviews were conducted with 27 staff members from environmental, food-focused, and animal protection NGOs from the USA, Canada, and Sweden. While strategic considerations consistently led to the use of modest messages for meat reduction, NGO missions were also key to shaping the specifics of messaging goals. The relatively low personal comfort levels that some NGO staffers held toward meat-free diets also led to the use of more modest requests for meat reduction. Findings highlight the complex nature of the factors underlying the environmental communication messages of NGOs.     

Optimizing Bankfull Discharge and Hydraulic Geometry Relations for Streams in New York State1

Mulvihill, Christiane I. and Barry P. Baldigo, 2012. Optimizing Bankfull Discharge and Hydraulic Geometry Relations for Streams in New York State. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(3): 449-463. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2011.00623.x Abstract: This study analyzes how various data stratification schemes can be used to optimize the accuracy and utility of regional hydraulic geometry (HG) models of bankfull discharge, width, depth, and cross-sectional area for streams in New York. Topographic surveys and discharge records from 281 cross sections at 82 gaging stations with drainage areas of 0.52-396 square miles were used to create log-log regressions of region-based relations between bankfull HG metrics and drainage area. The success with which regional models distinguished unique bankfull discharge and HG patterns was assessed by comparing each regional model to those for all other regions and a pooled statewide model. Gages were also stratified (grouped) by mean annual runoff (MAR), Rosgen stream type, and water-surface slope to test if these models were better predictors of HG to drainage area relations. Bankfull discharge models for Regions 4 and 7 were outside the 95% confidence interval bands of the statewide model, and bankfull width, depth, and cross-sectional area models for Region 3 differed significantly (p < 0.05) from those of other regions. This study found that statewide relations between drainage area and HG were strongest when data were stratified by hydrologic region, but that co-variable models could yield more accurate HG estimates in some local regional curve applications.     

Spatial Distribution of Particulates from Sugar Cane Fires in Hawaii: Measurements and Calculations

Since cotton today is machine picked, the mere process of ginning creates a significant amount of trash and dust. A large cotton gin in Fresno operating at 23 bales per hour uses two rotating filters to control this material. Total emissions from the facility are in the order of 50 pounds per hour, or about one-half the emissions from a typical gin using cyclones as control equipment.     

A Reexamination of the Ozone Limiting Approach to Estimating Short-Term NO2 Concentrations

The partition and effective diffusion coefficients of formaldehyde were measured for three materials (conventional gypsum wallboard, “green” gypsum wallboard, and “green” carpet) under three relative humidity (RH) conditions (20%, 50%, and 70% RH). The “green” materials contained recycled materials and were friendly to environment. A dynamic dual-chamber test method was used. Results showed that a higher relative humidity led to a larger effective diffusion coefficient for two kinds of wallboards and carpet. The carpet was also found to be very permeable resulting in an effective diffusion coefficient at the same order of magnitude with the formaldehyde diffusion coefficient in air. The partition coefficient (K _ma) of formaldehyde in conventional wallboard was 1.52 times larger at 50% RH than at 20% RH, whereas it decreased slightly from 50% to 70% RH, presumably due to the combined effects of water solubility of formaldehyde and micro-pore blocking by condensed moisture at the high RH level. The partition coefficient of formaldehyde increased slightly with the increase of relative humidity in “green” wallboard and “green” carpet. At the same relative humidity level, the “green” wallboard had larger partition coefficient and effective diffusion coefficient than the conventional wallboard, presumably due to the micro-pore structure differences between the two materials. The data generated could be used to assess the sorption effects of formaldehyde on building materials and to evaluate its impact on the formaldehyde concentration in buildings.

Implications: Based on the results of this study, the sink effects of these commonly used materials (conventional and “green” gypsum wallboards, “green” carpet) on indoor formaldehyde concentration could be estimated. The effects of relative humidity on the diffusion and partition coefficients of formaldehyde were found to differ for materials and for different humidity levels, indicating the need for further investigation of the mechanisms through which humidity effects take place.     

Development of Models for Predicting the Distribution of Indoor Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations

Extensive data on residential indoor and outdoor NO₂ levels have been collected in a limited number of U.S. locations. To date, researchers have analyzed these data sets individually, but have not analyzed them in the aggregate. Results have not, therefore, been suitable for application in a nationwide exposure assessment. This paper presents an analysis of indoor and outdoor NO₂ field measurements from five U.S. metropolitan areas for homes with gas-fueled ranges and discusses potential applications of the results. Using linear regression analysis, the relationship between indoor NO₂ and various predictor variables was explored. Results indicated that ambient NO2 levels alone explain an estimated 37 percent of the variability in indoor NO₂ levels, that the relationship between indoor and outdoor NO₂ concentrations differs significantly from summer to winter months, and that homes with range pilot lights have indoor levels approximately 7 ppb greater than homes without pilot lights. A logistic regression model which predicts the distribution of indoor NO₂ levels based on ambient NO₂ concentrations was developed. Estimation and testing of the logistic model indicated good model performance. The model is particularly useful for addressing policy-oriented questions that involve the concept of "acceptable" threshold levels for human exposure to NO₂.     

Measurement of Organic Acids,Aldehydes, and Ketones in Residential Environments and Their Relation to Ozone

Abstract

Ozone and several polar volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including organic acids and carbonyls (aldehydes and ketones) were measured over an approximately 24 hour period in four residences during the winter of 1993 and in nine residences during the summer of 1993. All residences were in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area. The relation of the polar VOCs to the ozone concentration was examined. Indoor carbonyl concentrations were similar between the summer and winter, with the total mean winter concentration being 31.7 ppb and the total mean summer concentration being 36.6 ppb. However, the average air exchange rate was 0.9 hr^?1 during the winter and 2.6 hr^?1 during the summer. Therefore, the estimated carbonyl emission rates were significantly higher during the summer. Indoor organic acid concentrations were about twice as high during the summer as during the winter. For formic acid, the indoor winter mean was 9.8 ppb, and the summer indoor mean was 17.8 ppb. For acetic acid, the indoor winter mean was 15.5 ppb, and the summer indoor mean was 28.7 ppb. The concentrations of the polar VOCs were found to be significantly correlated with one another. Also, the emission rates of the polar VOCs were found to be correlated with both the environmental variables such as temperature and relative humidity and the ozone removal rate; however, it was difficult to apportion the relative effects of the environmental variables and the ozone removal.     

An expanded reaction kinetic model of the CuO surface-mediated formation of PCDD/F from pyrolysis of 2-chlorophenol

An expanded reaction kinetic model, including 17 surface reactions, is proposed to explain the yields of PCDD/F obtained in an experimental study of the reaction of 2-chlorophenol over a CuO/silica surface. The mechanism is loosely based on the gas-phase mechanism for PCDD/F formation widely discussed in the literature. The principal differences are the impact of chemisorption of 2-chlorophenols to metal oxides on radical formation and the steric hindrance of oxygen-centered radicals on the surface inhibiting radical-radical reaction pathways that lead to formation of dibenzo-p-dioxin (DD). Gas-phase molecule-surface-bound adsorbate reactions are the preferred route of DD formation, while radical-radical surface reactions are the main channel for dichloro-dibenzofuran (DCDF) formation. These results suggest that the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (LH) mechanism, involving radical-radical surface reactions, and the Eley-Rideal mechanism, involving a gas-phase molecule and surface-bound adsorbate, are responsible for PCDF and PCDD formation on surfaces, respectively. The calculated yields of DCDF and DD are in reasonable agreement with experimental results.