Alteration in Rhizosphere Soil Properties of Afforested <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhamnus lycioides</Emphasis> Seedlings in Short-Term Response to Mycorrhizal Inoculation with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Glomus intraradices</Emphasis> and Organic Amendment

The reestablisment of autochthonous plant species is an essential strategy for recovering degraded areas under semiarid conditions. A field experiment was carried out to assess the short-term effect of two reafforestation methods involving mycorrhizal inoculation and compost addition on soil quality parameters and Rhamnus lycioides seedling growth. The nutrient content (NPK) and enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase, urease, protease-BAA, acid phosphatase and β-glucosidase) increased and bulk density decreased in the rhizosphere soil with the organic amendment. Biomass C of rhizosphere soil increased by at least 240% with respect to the control soil after mycorrhizal inoculation and the combination of compost addition + mycorrhizal inoculation. Both mycorrhizal inoculation and composted organic residue addition increased R. lycioides seedling growth in the same proportion. In the short term, we conclude that the application of both reafforestation methods not only enhances the establishment of R. lycioides seedlings, but also improves soil quality.     

Regional Variations in the Implementation of the Local Air Quality Management Process within Great Britain

The UK National Air Quality Strategy has required local authorities to review and assess air quality in their area of jurisdiction and determine locations in their areas where concentrations of specific air quality pollutants are predicted to exceed national air quality objectives in the future. Statutory air quality management areas (AQMAs) are designated where air quality is predicted to be above specified objective concentrations by specific target dates, and statutory air quality action plans will be necessary to improve the local air quality within these areas. Over 124 local authorities in England (including London), Wales and Scotland anticipate declaring AQMAs following the conclusion of the statutory air quality review and assessment process. However, other influences are being exerted on the local air quality management process and AQMA decision-making processes. Such influences include regional and sub- regional collaborative working between local authorities and government agencies and wider political decision-making processes. Some regions of Great Britain (encompassing England (including London), Scotland and Wales) anticipate many AQMA designations, whilst other regions are not anticipating any such designations despite apparently similar air quality circumstances. Evidence for regional or sub-regional variations in the locations of anticipated AQMAs are examined through an evaluation of the outcomes of the scientific review and assessment process undertaken by local authorities declaring AQMAs, and through a local authority survey to identify influences on decision-making processes at a level above that of the local authority. Regional variation is reported in the type of pollutant causing AQMAs to be declared, in the numbers of AQMAs in regions and in the spatial distribution of AQMAs across Great Britain.     

Impoundment Productivity in the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field, Alaska: Implications for Waterbirds

a ), and nutrient availability (phosphorus and nitrogen). High variability in these limnological characteristics, particularly among impoundments, obscured potential differences between impoundments and ponds. No significant differences were found in chlorophyll or nutrient concentrations, and in only two cases were there differences in invertebrate production: gastropods were significantly more abundant in impoundments than in ponds in June, and trichopterans were significantly more abundant in impoundments than in ponds in July. For comparisons within impoundments and ponds, there were significant differences in invertebrate abundance between habitats and between wetland types. For example, plecopterans, trichopterans, and gastropods (all taxa combined) were consistently more abundant in shallow–Arctophila impoundments and ponds than in shallow–Carex impoundments and ponds. Thus, ponds and impoundments may differ significantly in invertebrate production, but we lack information on the amount of different habitat types (i.e., center versus emergent vegetation, Carex versus Arctophila) used by these taxa within each water body type. It is a reasonable speculation, based on results of this study, that impoundments and ponds may have similar value as feeding habitat for invertebrate-eating waterbirds. Thus the presence of impoundments may be consistent with waterbird management goals on the Arctic Coastal Plain.     

VEGETATION INFLUENCE ON SMALL STREAM SILTATION1

ABSTRACT: A meandering stream channel was simulated in the Hydraulics Laboratory at Colorado State University and a series of tests was conducted using four types of vegetation to evaluate the potential effects of vegetation on sediment deposition and retention in a stream channel. The data collected included average flow velocity, flow depth, length of vegetation, density of vegetation, cross-sectional area of the vegetative stem, wetted perimeter of the vegetative stem, and injection and flushing time. The findings indicated that the vegetation could retain from 30 to 70 percent of the deposited sediments. The ability of vegetation to entrap and retain sediment is related to the length and cross-sectional area of the vegetation. The variables describing the flow and the vegetative properties were combined to form a predictive parameter, the sedimentation factor (S_d) that can be compared with the amount of sediment entrapped by vegetation in a stream system. A relation was developed correlating vegetation length to sediment retention after flushing for flexibility and rigid vegetation.     

TOPHAZOP: a knowledge-based software tool for conducting HAZOP in a rapid, efficient yet inexpensive manner

Hazard and operability (HAZOP) studies constitute an essential step in the risk analysis of any chemical process industry and involve systematic identification of every conceivable abnormal process deviation, its causes and abnormal consequences. These authors have recently proposed optHAZOP as an alternative procedure for conducting HAZOP studies in a shorter span of time than taken by conventional HAZOP procedure, with greater accuracy and effectiveness [Khan, F. I. and Abassi, S. A., optHAZOP. An effective and efficient technique for hazard identification and assessment Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 1997, 10, 191–204]. optHAZOP consists of several steps, the most crucial one requires use of a knowledge-based software tool which would significantly reduce the requirement of expert man-hours and speed up the work of the study team. TOPHAZOP (Tool for OPTmizing HAZOP) has been developed to fulfil this need.

The TOPHAZOP knowledge-base consists of two main branches: process-specific and general. The TOPHAZOP framework allows these two branches to interact during the analysis to address the process-specific aspects of HAZOP analysis while maintaining the generality of the system. The system is open-ended and modular in structure to make easy implementation and/or expansion of knowledge. The important features of TOPHAZOP and its performance on an industrial case study are described.     

Development of Layered Sediment Structure and its Effects on Pore Water Transport and Hyporheic Exchange

Hyporheic exchange is known to provide an important control on nutrient and contaminant fluxes across the stream-subsurface interface. Similar processes also mediate interfacial transport in other permeable sediments. Recent research has focused on understanding the mechanics of these exchange processes and improving estimation of exchange rates in natural systems. While the structure of sediment beds obviously influences pore water flow rates and patterns, little is known about the interplay of typical sedimentary structures, hyporheic exchange, and other transport processes in fluvial/alluvial sediments. Here we discuss several processes that contribute to local-scale sediment heterogeneity and present results that illustrate the interaction of overlying flow conditions, the development of sediment structure, pore water transport, and stream-subsurface exchange. Layered structures are shown to develop at several scales within sediment beds. Surface sampling is used to analyze the development of an armor layer in a sand-and-gravel bed, while innovative synchrotron-based X-ray microtomography is used to observe patterns of grain sorting within sand bedforms. We show that layered bed structures involving coarsening of the bed surface increase interfacial solute flux but produce an effective anisotropy that favors horizontal pore water transport while limiting vertical penetration.     

Modelling nitrogen fluxes at the landscape scale

The distribution and impacts of different nitrogen pollutants are inextricably linked. To understand the problem fully, the interactions between the different pollutants need to be taken into account. This is particularly important when it comes to abatement techniques, since measures to reduce emissions of one nitrogen pollutant can often lead to an increase in another. This project represents a step towards greater understanding of these issues by linking together new and existing nitrogen flux models into a larger framework. The modelling framework has been constructed and some of the nitrogen flows between fields, farms and the atmosphere have been modelled for a UK study area for typical farm management scenarios.     

Measurements of PCB Fluxes into the Atmosphere from a Site Receiving Stabilized Dredged Material

A 50 ha known contaminated site in Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S.A. is permitted to receive up to 3 × 10⁶ m³ of sediment dredged from navigation channels in the New York/New Jersey Harbor. Much of the sediment is expected to contain low to moderate concentrations of industrial and agricultural chemicals, including Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). The dredged material brought to the site is stabilized with cement and then placed as a capping and grading layer. The flux of PCBs from drying stabilized dredged material has been estimated from measurements of PCB air concentrations at two heights above the ground along with micrometeorological observations. A statistically significant gradient in PCB concentrations has been consistently measured in the first 3 m above the ground. Observed PCB fluxes were highest over freshly placed stabilized dredged sediment and decreased as it cured. The highest flux observed in this study was 7214 ng/m²/h, but during subsequent sampling intervals at the same site, the flux estimates decreased by an order of magnitude over a 5-day interval.     

Application of the operating window concept to remediation‐option selection

An Erratum has been published for this article in Remediation 14(4) 2004, 141. The selection of remediation options for the management of unacceptable risks at contaminated sites is hindered by insufficient information on their performance under different site conditions. Therefore, there is a need to define “operating windows” for individual remediation options to summarize their performance under a variety of site conditions. The concept of the “operating window” has been applied as both a performance optimization tool and decision support tool in a number of different industries. Remediation‐option operating windows could be used as decision support tools during the “options appraisal” stage of the Model Procedures (CLR 11), proposed by the Environment Agency (EA) for England and Wales, to enhance the identification of “feasible remediation options” for “relevant pollutant linkages.” The development of remediation‐option operating windows involves: 1) the determination of relationships between site conditions (“critical variables”) and option performance parameters (e.g., contaminant degradation or removal rates) and 2) the identification of upper‐ and lower‐limit values (“operational limits”) for these variables that define the ranges of site conditions over which option performance is likely to be sufficient (the “operating window”) and insufficient (the “operating wall”) for managing risk. Some research has used case study data to determine relationships between critical variables and subsurface natural attenuation (NA) process rates. Despite the various challenges associated with the approach, these studies suggest that available case study data can be used to develop operating windows for monitored natural attenuation (MNA) and, indeed, other remediation options. It is envisaged that the development of remediation‐option operating windows will encourage the application of more innovative remediation options as opposed to excavation and disposal to landfill and/or on‐site containment, which remain the most commonly employed options in many countries. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.