Groundwater-surface water interaction and its role on TCE groundwater plume attenuation

A field investigation of a TCE plume in a surficial sand aquifer shows that groundwater-surface water interactions strongly influence apparent plume attenuation. At the site, a former industrial facility in Connecticut, depth-discrete monitoring along three cross-sections (transects) perpendicular to groundwater flow shows a persistent VOC plume extending 700 m from the DNAPL source zone to a mid-size river. Maximum TCE concentrations along a transect 280 m from the source were in the 1000s of microg/L with minimal degradation products. Beyond this, the land surface drops abruptly to a lower terrace where a shallow pond and small streams occur. Two transects along the lower terrace, one midway between the facility and river just downgradient of the pond and one along the edge of the river, give the appearance that the plume has strongly attenuated. At the river, maximum TCE concentrations in the 10s of microg/L and similar levels of its degradation product cis-DCE show direct plume discharge from groundwater to the river is negligible. Although degradation plays a role in the strong plume attenuation, the major attenuation factor is partial groundwater plume discharge to surface water (i.e. the pond and small streams), where some mass loss occurs via water-air exchange. Groundwater and stream mass discharge estimates show that more than half of the plume mass discharge crossing the first transect, before surface water interactions occur, reaches the river directly via streamflow, although river concentrations were below detection due to dilution. This study shows that groundwater and surface water concentration measurements together provide greater confidence in identifying and quantifying natural attenuation processes at this site, rather than groundwater measurements alone.     

Uptake and clearance of diesel alkanes from sediments by the Great Barrier Reef gastropod Strombus luhuanus

Sediments from the reef flat at Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, were treated with known amounts of diesel and the uptake and clearance characteristics of the diesel n-alkanes by the gastropod Strombus luhuanus, in the field and aquaria, were measured. In each case, the uptake curve was unusual in that the concentration, expressed in terms of wet weight, reached a maxima within 24 h and then declined to relatively low levels. The maximum concentrations reached were below that in the sediments. Within the range investigated, the alkanes exhibited a substantial decline in the uptake rate-constant with increasing carbon number, tricosane exhibiting approximately 25% of the uptake rate-constant of dodecane. On the other hand, persistence, measured as the half-life, showed an increase with carbon number. Dodecane had a half life of 0.6 d and octadecane one of 2.2 d.     

Environmental Attitudes and Behavior of Primary and Secondary Students in Asian Cities: An Overview Strategy for Implementing an Eco-schools Programme

Environmental education is essential to the success of Agenda 21. Yet currently it is without focus and effectively side-lined. This paper presents the results of preliminary investigations on the environmental attitudes and knowledge of Indian and Filipino primary and secondary school students, and their readiness to engage in pro-environmental behavior that could involve some change in their personal lifestyle. For the most part, environmental education efforts are embedded mainly into various science subjects. The relationship between environmental education and environmental awareness is analyzed to examine whether schools' environmental education could contribute to the shaping of environmental attitudes. A strategy and accompanying methodology for establishing environmental education is supplied.     

空气污染与儿童肺功能指标的相关分析

采用两步回归法研究了中国4城市空气污染与儿童肺功能指标的相关关系.结果表明,PM_2.5、PM₁₀、TSP等与FEV₁、FEV₁/FVC的调整均值、FEV₁/FVC≤80%的异常率有显著的统计相关关系.说明空气中颗粒物污染是导致儿童小气道通气功能障碍的重要因素之一.研究中未发现SO₂、NO_X污染与儿童的肺功能指标有统计上的相关性.     

两步回归法研究空气污染与儿童呼吸病症率的关系

通过两步回归法对空气污染与儿童呼吸病症发生率之间的关系进行了研究.结果表明,颗粒物与大部分儿童呼吸病症发生率之间存在显著的正相关关系,SO₂与儿童感冒时气喘有着显著的正相关关联,NO_X与儿童未感冒时气喘有显著的正相关关联.两种回归方法的结果基本一致.其中的混合线性模型不但在城市间发现这些正相关关系,而且在城市内的城郊区之间也发现了正相关关联.本文还给出了暴露在各种空气污染物下儿童呼吸病症发生率的比数比(OR).     

Association patterns of spider monkeys: the influence of ecology and sex on social organization

Summary In this paper I consider how the costs and benefits of group living in spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) vary between troop members. The results suggest that ecological factors set an upper limit to the number of spider monkeys that can associate and still efficiently exploit the available resources. In addition, the needs of the individual appears to influence the type and size of the subgroup it chooses. Adult males band together, travel over a large area, and are frequently sighted near the community's boundary. In contrast, adult females spend more time solitary than males and have association patterns that are strongly influenced by the presence of a dependent infant. Females with dependent infants tend to travel in small subgroups or alone, avoid the boundaries of the community's home range, and exhibit a restricted pattern of use of their range. The results suggest that males may be attempting to locate females with which they can breed, while mothers attempt to protect their infants by avoiding conspecifics and potentially dangerous situations near territorial boundaries.     

Intratree vertical variation of fruit density and the nature of contest competition in frugivores

Recently, we demonstrated that the highest densities of fruit pulp are located in the uppermost zones of tree crowns. Since heterogeneous distributions of depletable food is theorized to foster contest competition, we tested three hypotheses involving rank differences among species of arboreal frugivores: (1) In the absence of competitors, species tend to feed in higher strata of tree crowns; (2) interspecific contest competition occurs through monopolization and usurpation of feeding sites in these higher strata; and (3) subordinate species decrease their feeding height and ingestion rate when dominants enter the food patch. To test these hypotheses, we observed chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), red-tailed monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius), blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis), and gray-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We found that: (1) all four primates fed preferentially in upper tree crowns when alone, (2) dominant species monopolized and aggressively usurped the upper crown when co-feeding with subordinates and the latter retreated below the middle of tree crowns, (3) in the presence of dominant species, subordinate species showed lower standardized feeding height and modified their food intake rates, while dominants were not affected by the subordinate species, (4) subordinates moved down at the arrival of and up at the departure of dominants, and (5) the presence of folivores in the tree did not affect the feeding height of a frugivore, even through folivores were socially dominant. Contrary to expectations, we found that red-tailed monkeys decreased their movements between successive fruits that they ate in the presence of blue monkeys compared to when they were feeding alone, perhaps to avoid disturbing dominants and attracting aggression or because they ingested more semi-ripe and green unripe fruits, i.e., more food of lower quality.