Optimizing the removal of small fish passage barriers

Removing small artificial barriers that hinder upstream migrations of fish is a major problem in riparian habitat restoration. Because of budgetary limitations, it is necessary to prioritize barrier removal and repair decisions. These have usually been based on scoring and ranking procedures, which, although simple to use, can be very inefficient in terms of increasing the amount of accessible instream habitat. We develop a novel decision-making approach, based on integer programming techniques, which optimizes repair and removal decisions. Results show based on real datasets of barrier culverts located in Washington State that scoring and ranking is over 25% below the optimum on average and a full 100% below in the worst case, producing no net habitat gain whatsoever. This is compared to a dynamic programming method that was able to find optimal solutions in less than a second, even for problems with up to several hundred variables, and a heuristic method, which found solutions with less than a 1% average optimality gap in even less time.     

A study of the distribution of lead, cadmium and copper between water and kaolin, bentonite and a river sediment

Experiments were carried out to monitor the equilibrium distribution of lead, cadmium and copper between an aqueous phase modelling natural water and a solid phase modelling natural sediment, under varying conditions. The aqueous phase was analysed using ETAAS and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV), whereas XRD and FTIR were used to study the solid phase. Sorption isotherms at constant pH were measured. Conditional distribution constants were calculated as functions of the pH, the time of equilibration and the amount of solid material. The results obtained stress the need for standardization of the approaches to the study of water-sediment interactions in order to be able to evaluate and compare the extensive data from field measurements and to predict these interactions.     

Improvement of the BCR three step sequential extraction procedure prior to the certification of new sediment and soil reference materials

The Standards, Measurements and Testing Programme (formerly BCR) of the European Commission proposed a three-step sequential extraction procedure for sediment analysis, following extensive expert consultations and two interlaboratory studies. This scheme was recently used to certify the extractable trace element contents of a sediment reference material (CRM 601). Although this procedure offers a means to ensure the comparability of data in this field, some difficulties concerning the interlaboratory reproducibility still remain, and a new project is currently being conducted to determine the causes of poor reproducibility in the extraction scheme. The final objective of the project is the certification of new sediment and soil reference materials for their extractable contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. This paper presents the results of a small-scale interlaboratory study, which aimed to test a revised version of the extraction schemes by comparing the original and the modified protocols using the CRM 601 sample. This work offers an improvement to the BCR sequential extraction procedure through intercomparison exercises. This improved procedure will allow the obtaining of CRMs to validate analytical data in the analysis of soils and sediments, and it will also facilitate comparability of data in the European Union.     

Assessment of Metal Contamination in Doñana National Park (Spain) using Crayfish (Procamburus Clarkii)

Water quality assessment in the Aznalcollar area was attempted using multivariate methods based on heavy metal concentrations in red swamp crayfish (Procamburus clarkii). Trace levels of four heavy metals, copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), were detected in crayfish from eleven different stations. Principal component analysis (PCA) highlighted a gradient of contamination between the sampling stations. Cluster analysis (CA) distinguished three groups of stations. Discriminant analysis also differentiated three groups. The group centroids of the first discriminant function were used to devise an index that varies according to the source of the crayfish. These standardized values are proposed for use as a water quality index. The ability of this index to successfully predict environmental quality was proved with random samples.     

Migration of pollutants in groundwater: I. reduction of numerical dispersion by conformal mapping

The partial differential equations governing the migration of adsorbable pollutants undergoing 2-dimensional flow in saturated aquifers are presented. The analytical solution of these equations is rarely possible, and the use of mesh or grid techniques for numerical integration leads to so-called numerical dispersion, excessive dispersion which is an artifact associated with the numerical method. We discuss here the use of conformal mapping techniques to develop coordinate systems in which numerical dispersion transverse to the direction of flow is eliminated. Some simple illustrations are presented.     

Declines in organochlorines in eggs of red-breasted mergansers from Lake Michigan, 1977–1978 versus 1990

From 1977–1978 to 1990, concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and most organochlorine pesticides declined in eggs of red-breasted mergansers (Mergus serrator) nesting on islands in northwestern Lake Michigan. Total PCBs decreased 60% (from 21 ppm in 1977–1978 to 8.5 ppm in 1990) and p,p-DDE decreased 66% (from 6.5 to 2.2 ppm). Dieldrin decreased only 16% (from 0.82 to 0.69 ppm). In 1990, 79.1% of incubated eggs hatched, which was not significantly different from the 83.5% that hatched in 1977–1978.The U.S. Government right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty free licence in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

安大略基拉尼公园及实验湖泊区浮游生物群落对酸化的响应及其恢复过程

人们普遍推测控制SO2排放可以促进加拿大、美国和欧洲的酸化淡水湖泊的恢复.本文研究了1998～2000年间靠近安大略省基拉尼公园的22个湖泊(pH值范围4.5～7.7)的浮游生物群落变化,将结果与安大略省西北的实验湖泊区(ELA)人工酸化(pH值从6.7降至4.5)又恢复(pH升至6.0)的南302号湖的数据进行了对比,以评价酸化后的恢复效果.根据历史记录,基拉尼地区数个湖泊的pH值由先前酸化的5.0～5.5反弹到6.0.浮游生物量与pH不相关,但其物种的丰富度与pH值间呈显著相关.将所得到的物种多样性数据与历史数据加以组合,可观察到其中6个湖泊中的恢复轨迹.相关分析表明:pH值得到提高后,其中几个湖泊的浮游生物群落开始向中性环境中的典型群落转化.     

让我们积极应对气候变化

气候确实在发生变化。以往人们随意地认为这与温室效应气体排放量的增加有关，现在这种观点已得到充分证实。自1991年以来．已出现了自有记录以来全球气温最高的十个年份．而在上个世纪，温度上升7约0.6摄氏度。在同一期间内，全球的海平面上升了约20厘米．部分原因是陆地上冰层融化．海洋自身发生热膨胀。许多山峰上的冰盖正在消失．最近几十年来，夏秋季节北冰洋的冰层厚     

Inaction levels for the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta (hym.: formicidae): A predator of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis (col.: curculionidae)

The density of red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), necessary to limit boll weevil abundance, Anthonomus grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), below the action level was determined. An inaction level of 0.4 fire ants per shake bucket sample (i.e., four ants per 10 plant terminals) will provide boll weevil control approximately 90% of the time. A dynamic inaction level is also provided. Total mortality of boll weevil developmental stages including eggs through teneral adults averaged 97.9%. Of 100 boll weevil eggs deposited in cotton squares (flower buds), an average of two adults survive of which about half are female. Thus, the net replacement rate per generation (R_o is 1.0 which, in this case, indicates a stable boll weevil population.