Acid generation upon thermal concentration of natural water: The critical water content and the effects of ionic composition

Thermal evaporation of a variety of simulated pore waters from the region of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, produced acidic liquids and gases during the final stages of evaporation. Several simulated pore waters were prepared and then thermally distilled in order to collect and analyze fractions of the evolved vapor. In some cases, distillates collected towards the end of the distillation were highly acidic; in other cases the pH of the distillate remained comparatively unchanged during the course of the distillation. The results suggest that the pH values of the later fractions are determined by the initial composition of the water. Acid production stems from the hydrolysis of magnesium ions, especially at near dryness. Near the end of the distillation, magnesium nitrate and magnesium chloride begin to lose water of hydration, greatly accelerating their thermal decomposition to form acid. Acid formation is promoted further when precipitated calcium carbonate is removed. Specifically, calcium chloride-rich pore waters containing moderate (10–20 ppm) levels of magnesium and nitrate and low levels of bicarbonate produced mixtures of nitric and hydrochloric acid, resulting in a precipitous drop in pH to values of 1 or lower after about 95% of the original volume was distilled. Waters with either low or moderate magnesium content coupled with high levels of bicarbonate produced slightly basic fractions (pH 7–9). If calcium was present in excess of bicarbonate, waters containing moderate levels of magnesium produced acid even in the presence of bicarbonate, due to the precipitation of calcium carbonate. Other salts such as halite and anhydrite promote the segregation of acidic vapors from residual basic solids. The concomitant release of wet acid gas has implications for the integrity of the alloys under consideration for containers at the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. Condensed acid gases at very low pH, especially mixtures of nitric and hydrochloric acid, are capable of corroding even alloys, such as nickel-based Alloy 22, which are considered to be corrosion-resistant under milder conditions.     

Measurement of gas-phase total peroxides at the summit of Mount Tai in China

Measurement of ambient gas-phase total peroxides was performed at the summit of Mount Tai (Mt. Tai, 1534 m above sea level) in central-eastern China during March 22–April 24 and June 16–July 20, 2007. The hourly averaged concentration of peroxides was 0.17 ppbv (± 0.16 ppbv, maximum: 1.28 ppbv) and 0.55 ppbv (± 0.67 ppbv, maximum: 3.55 ppbv) in the spring and summer campaigns, respectively. The average concentration of peroxides at Mt. Tai, which is in a heavily polluted region, was much lower than hydrogen peroxide measurements made at some rural mountain sites, suggesting that significant removal processes took place in this region. An examination of diurnal variation and a correlation analysis suggest that these removal processes could include chemical suppression of peroxide production due to the scavenging of peroxy and hydroxy radicals by high NO_x, wet removal by clouds/fogs rich in dissolved sulfur dioxide which reacts quickly with peroxides, and photolysis. These sinks competed with photochemical sources of peroxides, resulting in different mean concentrations and diurnal pattern of peroxides in the spring and summer. A principal component analysis was conducted to quantify the major processes that influenced the variation of peroxide concentrations. This analysis shows that in the spring photochemical production was an important source of peroxides, and the major sink was scavenging during upslope transport of polluted and humid air from the lower part of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) and wet removal by synoptic scale clouds. During the summer, highly polluted PBL air (with high NO_x) was often associated with very low peroxides due to the chemical suppression of HO₂ by high NO_x and wet-removal by clouds/fogs in this sulfur-rich atmosphere, especially during the daytime. Higher concentrations of peroxides, which often appeared at mid-nighttime, were mainly associated with subsidence of air masses containing relatively lower concentrations of NO_y.     

Optimal temporal scale for the correlation of AOD and ground measurements of PM2.5 in a real-time air quality estimation system

Aerosol optical depth (AOD), an indirect estimate of particulate matter using satellite observations, has shown great promise in improving estimates of PM_2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 μm) surface. Currently, few studies have been conducted to explore the optimal way to apply AOD data to improve the model accuracy of PM_2.5 in a real-time air quality system. We believe that two major aspects may be worthy of consideration in that area: 1) an approach that integrates satellite measurements with ground measurements in the estimates of pollutants and 2) identification of an optimal temporal scale to calculate the correlation of AOD and ground measurements. This paper is focused on the second aspect, identifying the optimal temporal scale to correlate AOD with PM_2.5. Five following different temporal scales were chosen to evaluate their impact on the model performance: 1) within the last 3 days, 2) within the last 10 days, 3) within the last 30 days, 4) within the last 90 days, and 5) the time period with the highest correlation in a year. The model performance is evaluated for its accuracy, bias, and errors based on the following selected statistics: the Mean Bias, the Normalized Mean Bias, the Root Mean Square Error, Normalized Mean Error, and the Index of Agreement. This research shows that the model with the temporal scale: within the last 30 days, displays the best model performance in a southern multi-state area centered in Mississippi using 2004 and 2005 data sets.     

Approximating the distribution of recreational visits from on-site survey data

While convenient and often used, on-site surveys are biased by the fact that users who visit the site more often are proportionately more likely to be sampled. This so-called avidity or size biased sampling results in over-estimating the visitation patterns of the average user. This analysis develops a rule of thumb method that may easily be applied by recreation site managers to visitation data collected on-site in order to infer behavior of the average user of the site. The key assumption that drives the derivation is that the visitation data of users is logarithmically distributed. To evaluate the methodology, we analyze several data sets of recreational users assuming that they reflect the populations of users and from these construct hypothetical on-site samples.     

The influence of use-related,environmental, and managerial factors on soil loss from recreational trails

Recreational uses of unsurfaced trails inevitably result in their degradation, with the type and extent of resource impact influenced by factors such as soil texture, topography, climate, trail design and maintenance, and type and amount of use. Of particular concern, the loss of soil through erosion is generally considered a significant and irreversible form of trail impact. This research investigated the influence of several use-related, environmental, and managerial factors on soil loss on recreational trails and roads at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, a unit of the U.S. National Park Service. Regression modeling revealed that trail position, trail slope alignment angle, grade, water drainage, and type of use are significant determinants of soil loss. The introduction of individual and groups of variables into a series of regression models provides improved understanding and insights regarding the relative influence of these variables, informing the selection of more effective trail management actions. Study results suggest that trail erosion can be minimized by avoiding “fall-line” alignments, steep grades, and valley-bottom alignments near streams, installing and maintaining adequate densities of tread drainage features, applying gravel to harden treads, and reducing horse and all-terrain vehicle use or restricting them to more resistant routes.     

Effect of typhoon on atmospheric particulates in autumn in central Taiwan

Previous studies have suggested that the ongoing global climate change will likely increase the intensity and frequency of extreme weather, such as typhoons. Since the beginning of global warming, it has become necessary to understand the influence of typhoons on air quality. Rare data, especially particulate measurements data could be used to establish the relationship between the air pollution and typhoons. One of main limiting factors is that most of the previous chemical analyses of particulates used a relatively long sampling time, which could dilute the temporal impact of particulate characteristics and their sources. This work, depending more time-resolved measurements, focus on the characteristics and sources of high particulate matter levels and the influence of typhoons and the Pacific high system. Depending on the measurements, two pollutant groups were clearly identified in this work. The first pollutant group was the emissions from neighboring riverbeds under the strong circulation of the typhoon in the driest season and characterized as high coarse particle concentrations with high mass fraction of Ca²⁺. The second pollutant group was characterized as the formation and transport of secondary particles with prevalent ions of NH₄⁺, NO₃^?, and SO₄^2? and occurred in the sea-land breeze circulation under the influence the Pacific high system.     

Vegetation and outdoor recess time at elementary schools: What are the connections?

Empirical and anecdotal evidence suggests that landscapes with more vegetation have a positive impact on children's focus, attention, and cognitive development. In school, children are able to regain focus, suppress impulses, and pay attention in class longer after exposure to natural settings. Because children spend much of their time in school, the amount and types of vegetation on school grounds may influence their development. Public elementary schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia (N = 988) were surveyed to examine correlations between school ground vegetation and outside recess. The number of trees on school grounds, the size of the school grounds, and the presence of sports fields were modestly correlated with greater outside recess time. These correlations support common sense because sports fields facilitate supervised play and larger school grounds provide space for sports fields and playgrounds and additional opportunities for free play. More trees on school grounds provide a welcoming environment for students and teachers, and encourage outside play. These results may help school personnel design and maintain school grounds that increase outdoor recess time.     

Gender differences in relation to wayfinding strategies, navigational support design, and wayfinding task difficulty

This study investigated user wayfinding navigational performance in terms of two navigational support designs (guide sign and you-are-here map, i.e., YAH), wayfinding strategies (egocentric/route and allocentric/survey), task difficulty (terrestrial/2D or weightless/3D), and gender differences. Eighty participants (40 males and 40 females) were recruited for the wayfinding experiment. The experimental results and statistical analysis indicated that, in the weightless VR scene, navigation time for the terrestrial/2D task type was significantly shorter than for the weightless/3D task type. The guide sign support was significantly more effective than YAH map support. Moreover, the interactions between support style and gender difference indicated that males exhibit better wayfinding performance than females, but that appropriate support can improve navigational performance and eliminate gender differences. In addition, the Way-Finding Strategy Scale result showed that the females were more likely to adopt the egocentric strategy while males were more likely to adopt the allocentric strategy, and that their scores were negatively correlated with navigational performance. Our results can be used to evaluate the interface designs of navigational support systems taking into consideration gender differences with respect to 3D VR games, including VR diving or flying navigational systems.     

Multi-criteria analysis via the VIKOR method for prioritizing land-use restraint strategies in the Tseng-Wen reservoir watershed

It is important to adopt proper water and soil conservation and land-use planning in a watershed for lowering adverse impacts on reservoir water quality. Although reservoir watersheds occupy a large amount of land in Taiwan, high population density has exerted development pressures on such land. Therefore, the priority ranking of land-use restrictions for the subdivisions with different degrees of environmental vulnerability is necessary in watershed management. Since there are several criteria for evaluating the potential environmental impact from the subdivisions, multi-criteria analysis was applied as a technique for solving these problems in this study. The VIKOR method was applied to determine the best feasible solution according to the selected criteria, including geographical and meteorological factors. The objective of this study was to establish the priority ranking of land-use restrictions in the Tseng-Wen reservoir wastershed in southern Taiwan. The results show that subdivisions close to the outlet or reservoir area should have the priority of land-use restrictions.     

Balancing environmental and industry sustainability: A case study of the US gold mining industry

Mandatory insurance requirements and/or mitigation fees (royalties) for mining companies may help reduce environmental risk exposure for the federal government. Mining is examined since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Toxic Release Inventory reveals that this sector produces more hazardous waste than any other industrial sector. Although uncommon, environmental expense can exceed hundreds of millions of dollars per development. Of particular concern is the potential for mines to become unfunded Superfund sites. Monte Carlo simulation of risk exposure is used to establish a plausible range of unfunded federal liabilities associated with cyanide-leach gold mining. A model is developed to assess these costs and their impact on both the federal budget and corporate profitability (i.e., industry sustainability), particularly if such costs are borne by offending firms.