A Metamodeling Approach for Integrated Assessment of Air Quality Policies

A method is proposed to build integrated models (also called Metamodels) aimed at quantifying the economic efficiency of air quality policies. This Metamodeling approach is based on the coupling of two complementary models, that operate at different scales in space and time, and which represent the economic and the physical and chemical processes, respectively. The joint consideration of the physico-chemical and techno-economic structure of the pollution control problems permits a comprehensive evaluation of air pollution abatement strategies. The motivating pollution control problems include urban-regional air quality management through efficient energy and traffic control policies. A pilot study, exploiting data collected in the Geneva canton (Switzerland), is used to demonstrate the potential of the approach.     

monitoring bioaccumulation of contaminants in the belted kingfisher (ceryle alcyon)

The belted kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon), acommon piscivore in the eastern United States, hasbecome a common endpoint in ecological riskassessments (ERA) because of their high consumptionof potentially contaminated aquatic prey. Whilebioaccumulation data and biosurveys may be used tosupport conclusions of ERAs for kingfishers, thereare currently no published data on contaminantconcentrations in kingfishers. Additionally,methods available for collecting biological samples(e.g., feathers, eggs, food debris, etc.) fromkingfisher burrows can be detrimental to thereproductive success of the birds. We present amethod for obtaining samples from burrows during orfollowing the nesting season. The method wasapplied to kingfisher burrows on the Oak RidgeReservation (ORR) in eastern Tennessee. Feathers,eggshells, and nestlings were collected from burrows and analyzed. In addition, carcasses ofthree adult kingfishers found dead on the ORR wereanalyzed. Metals and radionuclides were accumulatedby both juvenile and adult birds. Body burdens ofcadmium, lead, and cesium-137 in adult birds were belowlevels associated with toxicity. Concentrations of selenium and mercury were observed at potentiallytoxic levels. Contaminants in eggshells andnestling feathers indicate exposure, however, thereis insufficient information to evaluate thetoxicological significance of this contamination.National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed for the U.S. Department of Energy by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corp. under contract DE-AC05-96OR22464     

Methods for constructing and balancing ecosystem flux charts: new techniques and software

We describe a general computer program which employs novel techniques to analyze carbon (energy) and nutrient flows in complex food webs. The program uses estimates of metabolic/physiological parameters and ecosystem fluxes to simultaneously calculate the most likely balanced flux charts for carbon and a nutrient. We give an example of how the model can explore the theoretical issues involved with nutrient limitation and recycling.     

Environmental and sustainability indicators and the concept of situational indicators. A systems approach

Through a systems approach indicators are shown to have the nature of variables, adopting different values or states, while other associated terms allude to special meanings assigned to specific values of the indicators. Practical implications are discussed. The concept of situational indicators of sustainability is introduced, representing a non-numerical function of both “pressures” or “driving forces” and “state” variables. A cost-effective multi-tiered approach to situational indicators is proposed. The concept of situational indicators is shown to be a particular case of indicators of systems behavior. A general systems formulation of the problem of sustainability highlights the importance of indicators of systems behavior and the central role of models in their definition.     

Spatial properties of nutrient concentrations in the Baltic Sea

Using existing monitoring data, the present study attempts to characterize spatial patterns of surface water nutrients in the Baltic Sea. The analysis was made for two different spatial scales, differences between and within sub-basins.Non-parametric methods were chosen to reduce problems with the distributional properties of the data. By dividing the data into four seasons care was taken as to seasonality. To avoid bias due to different laboratory analysis, only data from Nordic countries were used, whose results did not apparently depart from each other. Bias due to different sampling frequency was another problem. This was reduced by using only the last observation in each season for every station and year.The results suggested differences in the nutrient concentrations between basins. The two northernmost basins (Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea) had lower phosphate concentrations and higher silicate concentrations compared to the rest of the Sea. Bothnian Bay and the Gulf of Finland had higher nitrate concentrations.The concentration structure within basins was studied using transects in both latitudinal and longitudinal direction. A gradient for phosphate and nitrate was found in the Gulf of Finland, with lower concentrations at the mouth. The Bothnian Sea showed lower concentrations in the middle of the basin compared to the coasts. The highest concentrations of phosphate were found close to the Finnish coast and for silicate the highest concentrations were located near the Swedish coast. It was not possible to study variation in the west-east direction within the Baltic proper, due to data shortage. For the transects in the north-south direction no differences were detected for nitrate and silicate. Phosphate gave one significant result during autumn for the transect in the eastern part of the Baltic proper.This study revealed several problems associated with the data available. Uneven sampling in space and time put severe constraints on the study. A better design of the monitoring program is suggested, where spatial properties are considered explicitly. Revision of the program in this direction is needed for reasonable calculation of total amounts and concentrations representative for a basin.     

Fuel characteristics and emissions from biomass burning and land-use change in Nigeria

Nigeria is one of the 13 low-latitude countries that have significant biomass burning activities. Biomass burning occurs in moist savanna, dry forests, and forest plantations. Fires in the forest zone are associated with slash-and-burn agriculture; the areal extent of burning is estimated to be 80% of the natural savanna. In forest plantations, close to 100% of litter is burned. Current estimates of emissions from land-use change are based on a 1976 national study and extrapolations from it. The following non-carbon dioxide (CO₂) trace gas emissions were calculated from savanna burning: methane (CH₄), 145 gigagrams (Gg); carbon monoxide (CO), 3831 Gg; nitrous oxide (N₂O), 2 Gg; and nitrogen oxides (NO_x), 49 Gg. Deforestation rates in forests and woodlands are 300 × 10³ ha (kilohectare, or kha) and 200 × kha per year, respectively. Trace gas emissions from deforestation were estimated to be 300 Gg CH₄, 2.4 Gg N₂O, and 24 Gg NO_x. CO₂ emissions from burning, decay of biomass, and long-term emissions from soil totaled 125 561 Gg. These estimates should be viewed as preliminary, because greenhouse gas emission inventories from burning, deforestation, and land-use change require two components: fuel load and emission factors. Fuel load is dependent on the areal extent of various land uses, and the biomass stocking and some of these data in Nigeria are highly uncertain.     

The efficacy of a limestone doser to mitigate stream acidification in a Maryland coastal plain stream: Implications for migratory fish species

The objective of this two-year study was to determine the efficacy of an automated limestone slurry doser to neutralize acidic pulses and improve water quality conditions for enhancing survival of early life stages of migratory fish species in a Maryland coastal plain stream. Implications for survival of early life stages of migratory fish species such as yellow perch (Perca flavescens), white perch (Morone americana), blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) and alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) are discussed based on the improved chemical conditions in the dosed area of the stream. Despite problems with overdosing in 1991 and failure of the stage transducer to work properly in 1992, the doser was generally effective in neutralizing acidic pulses (pH depressions) in the stream during three major rain events in both years. Chemical conditions (pH and inorganic monomeric aluminum) reported in the non-dosed area during major rainfall events were potentially stressful to both alewife and blueback herring although neither species was reported spawning in the stream during either year. Mitigating the potential impact of acidic conditions on early life stages of important migratory fish species was not sufficient to ensure spawning. It is therefore recommended that habitat improvement measures and well designed fish stocking programs be implemented concurrently with doser operations if the goal is to create optimum spawning conditions for migratory species.     

Application of multimedia exposure assessment to drinking water

A potentially important exposure route for humans is the ingestion of chemicals via drinking water. If comprehensive exposure assessments are to be completed for either existing or proposed new chemicals and cost effective control strategies developed, then a quantitative understanding of multimedia transport and fate of specific chemical pollutants must be achieved. Mathematical models provide a powerful framework into which quantitative relationships may be placed to provide guidance in reaching water quality goals. Existing, state-of-the-art media-specific toxic organic transport and fate models for atmospheric (DiDOT), land surface (NPS) and surface water processes (EXAMS) and potable water treatment (WTP) have been linked to demonstrate the technical feasibility of such an approach. Limited application and sensitivity testing of this linked modeling system has shown that the impact of various source loadings and control strategies on drinking water quality can be estimated.     

Effects of sulfide exposure history and hemolymph thiosulfate on oxygen-consumption rates and regulation in the hydrothermal vent crab Bythograea thermydron

The hydrothermal vent crab Bythograea thermydron is exposed to high environmental concentrations of sulfide and low levels of oxygen for extended periods of time. It has previously been shown that hydrogen sulfide is oxidized to the relatively non-toxic thiosulfate (S₂O ₃ ^2– ), which accumulates in the hemolymph. Hemolymph thiosulfate levels in freshly captured crabs vary significantly among crabs from different hydrothermal vent sites as well as between crabs from different microhabitats within the same site. Hemolymph thiosulfate concentrations were not significantly different between crabs captured at the same site 6 mo apart. Hemolymph thiosulfate concentrations ranged from 66 mol 1^–1 in a crab captured at a site with relatively low sulfide venting, to 3206 mol 1^–1 in an individual that was netted from an active smoker vent with much higher sulfide exposure. The differences in hemolymph thiosulfate between sites and the stability of hemolymph thiosulfate in crabs captured at the same site at different times suggest that sulfide exposure is significantly different between sites and that this exposure may not vary significantly over the course of a few months. B. thermydron experimentally exposed to sulfide had high levels of thiosulfate in their hemolymph and increased abilities to regulate oxygen consumption in conditions of low oxygen. This enhancement of regulatory abilities suggests that the previously demonstrated increased hemocyaninoxygen (Hc–O₂) affinity due to elevated thiosulfate may be adaptive in vivo. Average oxygen-consumption rates were much higher in crabs experimentally exposed to sulfide than in unexposed crabs. Crabs injected with isosmotic thiosulfate did not have increased oxygen-consumption rates as did the sulfide-exposed individuals, but did show a similar reduction in P _c (the critical partial pressure of oxygen at which crabs can no longer regulate oxygen consumption). This suggests that it is the sulfide exposure and/or detoxification rather than the elimination of thiosulfate that causes the increase in metabolic rate. Thiosulfate diffuses into dead crabs and into live crabs exposed to 15 mmol S₂O ₃ ^2- l^–1, indicating substantial permeability, and yet live crabs are able to eliminate thiosulfate when incubated in sea water containing 1.5 mmol S₂O ₃ ^2- l^–1, suggesting a process that has an active component.     

Association between the mollusc bivalve Loripes lucinalis and a Chlamydia-like organism,with comments on its pathogenic impact,life cycle and possible mode of transmission

Loripes lucinalis is a littoral bivalve which has already been confirmed to harbour endo-cellular sulfur-oxidizing bacteria within its gills. Examination of the digestive gland of L. lucinalis collected from the Moulin Blanc Beach in the Bay of Brest (Brittany, France) revealed the existence of an additional association involving a Chlamydia-like organism. Three different forms of Chlamydia-like bacteria were observed: reticulate rod-shaped cells, electron-dense cells and enlarged cells. The reticulate rod-shaped cells and the electron-dense bodies are thought to represent the germinal initial body and infectious form of the bacteria, respectively. The enlarged cells were always associated with what are believed to be spherical or icosahedral phages. Initial infestation seems to occur by phagocytosis at the apical pole of the digestive cells of the tubule and duct epithelia. Within the host cell, the bacteria undergo binary fission and budding, forming an inclusion which gradually fills up the cell. Inclusions are generally between 15 and 30 m in size, and > 85% of all individuals examined possessed inclusion bodies. The level of infestation varied between individuals, some being heavily colonized, but did not seem to be related to season. Histological and ultrastructural observations suggest that, once developed, the colony has three possible fates: (1) the cells will degenerate due to phage infection; (2) colony overcrowding will occur, causing the development of electron-dense bodies that will be released into the lumen; (3) the entire membrane-bound inclusion will be released into the lumen and subsequently into the pallial cavity. Inclusions within the pallial cavity may be ingested by the host or may even be phagocytized by bacteriocyte cells of the gill. It is proposed that this association could be a form of symbiosis and that L. lucinalis may, therefore, be a rare example of an organism adapted to harbour two very different symbioses.