Design of aquifer remediation systems: (1) describing hydraulic structure and NAPL architecture using tracers

Aquifer heterogeneity (structure) and NAPL distribution (architecture) are described based on tracer data. An inverse modelling approach that estimates the hydraulic structure and NAPL architecture based on a Lagrangian stochastic model where the hydraulic structure is described by one or more populations of lognormally distributed travel times and the NAPL architecture is selected from eight possible assumed distributions. Optimization of the model parameters for each tested realization is based on the minimization of the sum of the square residuals between the log of measured tracer data and model predictions for the same temporal observation. For a given NAPL architecture the error is reduced with each added population. Model selection was based on a fitness which penalized models for increasing complexity. The technique is demonstrated under a range of hydrologic and contaminant settings using data from three small field-scale tracer tests: the first implementation at an LNAPL site using a line-drive flow pattern, the second at a DNAPL site with an inverted five-spot flow pattern, and the third at the same DNAPL site using a vertical circulation flow pattern. The Lagrangian model was capable of accurately duplicating experimentally derived tracer breakthrough curves, with a correlation coefficient of 0.97 or better. Furthermore, the model estimate of the NAPL volume is similar to the estimates based on moment analysis of field data.     

Characterization of carbonaceous combustion residues: II. Nonpolar organic compounds

Aromatic and aliphatic fractions of black carbon (BC) solvent extracts were examined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to determine how differences in broad chemical and physical features are correlated with the load, composition, "extractability" and bioavailability of organic compounds. Diesel soot, urban dust and chimney soot had concentrations of n-alkanes >20 microg/g and of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)>8 microg/g. These high levels of solvent-extractable compounds were interpreted as resulting from combustion at temperatures below optimum values for BC formation. PAH concentrations normalized to the amount of soot carbon in chimney soot were close to values for diesel soot. However, the high proportion of polar amorphous organic matter in chimney soot suggests a higher bioavailability for associated PAHs. Carbon black, vegetation fire residues, and straw and wood charcoals had only residual concentrations of n-alkanes (<9 microg/g) and PAHs (<0.2 microg/g). PAH distributions were mostly unspecific, while the overall signature of the aliphatic fraction varied with BC origin. Molecular markers among plant-derived BC included steroid and sesquiterpenoid hydrocarbons. Molecular fingerprints suggest that compounds associated with fossil BC might be more refractory than those associated with plant-derived BC.     

Environmental contamination and developmental abnormalities in eggs and hatchlings of the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina serpentina) from the Great Lakes-St Lawrence River basin (1989-1991)

During 1989-1991, we assessed developmental abnormalities in embryos and hatchlings from eggs of the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina serpentina). Eggs were collected and artificially incubated from eight sites in Ontario, Canada and Akwesasne/New York, USA. In eggs from the same clutches we measured 20 organochlorine pesticides, 48 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) congeners including 6 non-ortho PCBs, 8 polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), 14 polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and total mercury. We found a significant increase in abnormal development with increasing polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbon exposure in eggs, particularly PCDD and PCDF concentrations. In contrast, the risk of abnormality was not significantly higher as toxic equivalent concentrations increased in eggs. We also found significant 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase and Cytochrome P4501A responses in livers of hatchling turtles from Lake Ontario relative to hatchlings from a clean, inland site whereas we did not find any evidence of porphyria in the hatchlings from either site.     

Volatile organic inputs from an ocean outfall near Barceloneta,Puerto Rico

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) discharged from an ocean outfall near Barceloneta, Puerto Rico were found to be present at significant levels (μg/L) in a large area of the Atlantic Ocean north of Puerto Rico. The VOCs in the waste treatment plant effluent, which receives mainly industrial wastes, consisted predominantly of a series of straight and highly branched alkanes between n-C₁₄ and n-C₁₈.     

Of Small Streams and Great Lakes: Integrating Tributaries to Understand the Ecology and Biogeochemistry of Lake Superior

Lake Superior receives inputs from approximately 2,800 tributaries that provide nutrients and dissolved organic matter (DOM) to the nearshore zone of this oligotrophic lake. Here, we review the magnitude and timing of tributary export and plume formation in Lake Superior, how these patterns and interactions may shift with global change, and how emerging technologies can be used to better characterize tributary–lake linkages. Peak tributary export occurs during snowmelt‐driven spring freshets, with additional pulses during rain‐driven storms. Instream processing and transformation of nitrogen, phosphorus, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) can be rapid but varies seasonally in magnitude. Tributary plumes with elevated DOC concentration, higher turbidity, and distinct DOM character can be detected in the nearshore during times of high runoff, but plumes can be quickly transported and diluted by in‐lake currents and mixing. Understanding the variability in size and load of these tributary plumes, how they are transported within the lake, and how long they persist may be best addressed with environmental sensors and remote sensing using autonomous and unmanned vehicles. The connections between Lake Superior and its tributaries are vulnerable to climate change, and understanding and predicting future changes to these valuable freshwater resources will require a nuanced and detailed consideration of tributary inputs and interactions in time and space.     

Quantifying the relative irreplaceability of important bird and biodiversity areas

World governments have committed to increase the global protected areas coverage by 2020, but the effectiveness of this commitment for protecting biodiversity depends on where new protected areas are located. Threshold‐ and complementarity‐based approaches have been independently used to identify important sites for biodiversity. We brought together these approaches by performing a complementarity‐based analysis of irreplaceability in important bird and biodiversity areas (IBAs), which are sites identified using a threshold‐based approach. We determined whether irreplaceability values are higher inside than outside IBAs and whether any observed difference depends on known characteristics of the IBAs. We focused on 3 regions with comprehensive IBA inventories and bird distribution atlases: Australia, southern Africa, and Europe. Irreplaceability values were significantly higher inside than outside IBAs, although differences were much smaller in Europe than elsewhere. Higher irreplaceability values in IBAs were associated with the presence and number of restricted‐range species; number of criteria under which the site was identified; and mean geographic range size of the species for which the site was identified (trigger species). In addition, IBAs were characterized by higher irreplaceability values when using proportional species representation targets, rather than fixed targets. There were broadly comparable results when measuring irreplaceability for trigger species and when considering all bird species, which indicates a good surrogacy effect of the former. Recently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has convened a consultation to consolidate global standards for the identification of key biodiversity areas (KBAs), building from existing approaches such as IBAs. Our results informed this consultation, and in particular a proposed irreplaceability criterion that will allow the new KBA standard to draw on the strengths of both threshold‐ and complementarity‐based approaches.     

Estimating tree bole volume using artificial neural network models for four species in Turkey

Tree bole volumes of 89 Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), 96 Brutian pine (Pinus brutia Ten.), 107 Cilicica fir (Abies cilicica Carr.) and 67 Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) trees were estimated using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models. Neural networks offer a number of advantages including the ability to implicitly detect complex nonlinear relationships between input and output variables, which is very helpful in tree volume modeling. Two different neural network architectures were used and produced the Back propagation (BPANN) and the Cascade Correlation (CCANN) Artificial Neural Network models. In addition, tree bole volume estimates were compared to other established tree bole volume estimation techniques including the centroid method, taper equations, and existing standard volume tables. An overview of the features of ANNs and traditional methods is presented and the advantages and limitations of each one of them are discussed. For validation purposes, actual volumes were determined by aggregating the volumes of measured short sections (average 1 meter) of the tree bole using Smalian's formula. The results reported in this research suggest that the selected cascade correlation artificial neural network (CCANN) models are reliable for estimating the tree bole volume of the four examined tree species since they gave unbiased results and were superior to almost all methods in terms of error (%) expressed as the mean of the percentage errors.