The national incinerator testing and evaluation program two-stage incinerator combustion tests

In this paper the summary results of tests conducted at the P.E.I. energy-from-waste facility, a two-stage incinerator, are presented. Extensive data on refuse feed, ash, emissions and operating conditions will provide the most significant body of information yet available for energy from waste facilities.     

Degradation and sorption of metribuzin and primary metabolites in a sandy soil

Leaching to the ground water of metabolites from the herbicide metribuzin [4-amino-6-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-3-(methylthio)-1,2,4-triazin-5-one] has been measured in a Danish field experiment in concentrations exceeding the European Union threshold limit for pesticides at 0.1 microg/L. In the present work, degradation and sorption of metribuzin and the metabolites desamino-metribuzin (DA), diketo-metribuzin (DK), and desamino-diketo-metribuzin (DADK) were studied in a Danish sandy loam topsoil and subsoil from the field in question, using accelerated solvent extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. Fast dissipation of metribuzin and the metabolites was observed in the topsoil, with 50% disappearance within 30 to 40 d. A two-compartment model described degradation of metribuzin and DA, whereas that of DADK could be described using first-order kinetics. Part of the dissipation was probably due to incorporation into soil organic matter. Degradation in subsoil occurred very slowly, with extrapolated half-lives of more than one year. Sorption in the topsoil followed the order DA > metribuzin > DK > DADK. Subsoil sorption was considerably lower, and was hardly measurable for metribuzin and DK. Abiotic degradation was considerably higher in the topsoil than the subsoil, especially concerning the de-amination step, indicating that organic matter may be related to the degradation process. The present results confirm observations of metribuzin and transformation product leaching made in the field experiment and demonstrate the need for knowledge on primary metabolites when assessing the risk for pesticide leaching.     

APPLICATIONS OF A GIS FOR MODELING THE SENSITIVITY OF WATER RESOURCES TO ALTERATIONS IN CLIMATE IN THE GUNNISON RIVER BASIN,COLORADO1

ABSTRACT: The Gunnison River drains a mountainous basin in western Colorado, and is a large contributor of water to the Colorado River. As part of a study to assess water resource sensitivity to alterations in climate in the Gunnison River basin, climatic and hydrologic processes are being modeled. A geographic information system (GIS) is being used in this study as a link between data and modelers - serving as a common data base for project personnel with differing specialties, providing a means to investigate the effects of scale on model results, and providing a framework for the transfer of parameter values among models. Specific applications presented include: (1) developing elevation grids for a precipitation model from digital elevation model (DEM) point-elevation values, and visualizing the effects of grid resolution on model results; (2) using a GIS to facilitate the definition and parameterization of a distributed-parameters, watershed model in multiple basins; and (3) nesting atmospheric and hydrologic models to produce possible scenarios of climate change.     

Organic compounds and trace metals of anthropogenic origin in sediments from Montego Bay,Jamaica: assessment of sources and distribution pathways

Surface sediments throughout Montego Bay, Jamaica were collected in 1995 and analyzed for their trace metal and trace organic contaminant content. A variety of trace metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, coprostanol as well as chlorinated hydrocarbons such as pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls were detected and provide evidence for several anthropogenic inputs to the bay. Two main sources of these chemicals are the Montego River and the North Gully, the latter being more significant. Particle-associated pollutants were found to be distributed along the Montego River plume, as well as being transported by the prevailing water currents to the South-Western sections of the bay, probably through re-suspension of enriched fine sediments from the North Gully outfall area.     

Histological changes of the digestive epithelium in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Calanus finmarchicus</Emphasis>: an index for diapause?

Samples collected in the Irminger Basin during the Marine Productivity Programme (2001–2004) were used to study Calanus finmarchicus vertical distribution and histological changes of its mid-gut epithelium in relation to overwintering strategy. Previous studies have shown that cell composition of the glandular part of the mid-gut, size and abundance of B cells responsible for digestive enzyme secretion and thickness of the epithelium could be good indicators of individual physiological state. We used C. finmarchicus abundance, vertical distribution, lipid sac volume and mid-gut epithelium histological composition of individuals collected in contrasting hydrographic areas of the Irminger Basin and sampled at different seasons to understand C. finmarchicus life cycle in the Irminger Basin. Lipid sac volumes were significantly different between the seasons but neither between the hydographic areas nor the various depths of the water column. B cells concentrations and thickness of the epithelium have allowed us to distinguish a non-diapausing surface population (350 m) in the East Greenland Current while individuals at depth (1,250 m) were overwintering. This result is correlated by a bimodal vertical distribution of the CV in this biozone. In the other hydrographic areas, all CV were dormant, although surface individuals were not analysed in the Southern Irminger Current.     

Climate change and coastal vulnerability assessment: scenarios for integrated assessment

Coastal vulnerability assessments still focus mainly on sea-level rise, with less attention paid to other dimensions of climate change. The influence of non-climatic environmental change or socio-economic change is even less considered, and is often completely ignored. Given that the profound coastal changes of the twentieth century are likely to continue through the twenty-first century, this is a major omission, which may overstate the importance of climate change, and may also miss significant interactions of climate change with other non-climate drivers. To better support climate and coastal management policy development, more integrated assessments of climatic change in coastal areas are required, including the significant non-climatic changes. This paper explores the development of relevant climate and non-climate drivers, with an emphasis on the non-climate drivers. While these issues are applicable within any scenario framework, our ideas are illustrated using the widely used SRES scenarios, with both impacts and adaptation being considered. Importantly, scenario development is a process, and the assumptions that are made about future conditions concerning the coast need to be explicit, transparent and open to scientific debate concerning their realism and likelihood. These issues are generic across other sectors.

Fate and transport of chlormequat in subsurface environments

Background, aim and scope  

Chlormequat (Cq) is a plant growth regulator used throughout the world. Despite indications of possible effects of Cq on mammalian health and fertility, little is known about its fate and transport in subsurface environments. The aim of this study was to determine the fate of Cq in three Danish subsurface environments, in particular with respect to retardation of Cq in the A and B horizons and the risk of leaching to the aquatic environment. The study combines laboratory fate studies of Cq sorption and dissipation with field scale monitoring of the concentration of Cq in the subsurface environment, including artificial drains.     

Uptake and translocation of organophosphates and other emerging contaminants in food and forage crops

Emerging contaminants in wastewater and sewage sludge spread on agricultural soil can be transferred to the human food web directly by uptake into food crops or indirectly following uptake into forage crops. This study determined uptake and translocation of the organophosphates tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP) (log K _ow 2.59), triethyl-chloro-phosphate (TCEP) (log K _ow 1.44), tributyl phosphate (TBP) (log K _ow 4.0), the insect repellent N,N-diethyl toluamide (DEET) (log K _ow 2.18) and the plasticiser N-butyl benzenesulfonamide (NBBS) (log K _ow 2.31) in barley, wheat, oilseed rape, meadow fescue and four cultivars of carrot. All species were grown in pots of agricultural soil, freshly amended contaminants in the range of 0.6–1.0 mg/kg dry weight, in the greenhouse. The bioconcentration factors for root (RCF), leaf (LCF) and seed (SCF) were calculated as plant concentration in root, leaf or seed over measured initial soil concentration, both in dry weight. The chlorinated flame retardants (TCEP and TCPP) displayed the highest bioconcentration factors for leaf and seed but did not show the same pattern for all crop species tested. For TCEP, which has been phased out due to toxicity but is still found in sewage sludge and wastewater, LCF was 3.9 in meadow fescue and 42.3 in carrot. For TCPP, which has replaced TCEP in many products and also occurs in higher residual levels in sewage sludge and wastewater, LCF was high for meadow fescue and carrot (25.9 and 17.5, respectively). For the four cultivars of carrot tested, the RCF range for TCPP and TCEP was 10–20 and 1.7–4.6, respectively. TCPP was detected in all three types of seeds tested (SCF, 0.015–0.110). Despite that DEET and NBBS have log K _ow in same range as TCPP and TCEP, generally lower bioconcentration factors were measured. Based on the high translocation of TCPP and TCEP to leaves, especially TCPP, into meadow fescue (a forage crop for livestock animals), ongoing risk assessments should be conducted to investigate the potential effects of these compounds in the food web.