Modeling steady-state methanogenic degradation of phenols in groundwater

Field and microcosm observations of methanogenic phenolic compound degradation indicate that Monod kinetics governs the substrate disappearance but overestimates the observed biomass. In this paper we present modeling results from an ongoing multidisciplinary study of methanogenic biodegradation of phenolic compounds in a sand and gravel aquifer contaminated by chemicals and wastes used in wood treatment. Field disappearance rates of four phenols match those determined in batch microcosm studies previously performed by E.M. Godsy and coworkers. The degradation process appears to be at steady-state because even after a sustained influx over several decades, the contaminants still are disappearing in transport downgradient. The existence of a steady-state degradation profile of each substrate together with a low biomass density in the aquifer indicate that the bacteria population is exhibiting no net growth. This may be due to the oligotrophic nature of the biomass population in which utilization and growth are approximately independent of concentration for most of the concentration range. Thus a constant growth rate should exist over much of the contaminated area which may in turn be balanced by an unusually high decay or maintenance rate due to hostile conditions or predation.     

The empirical modeling of an ecosystem

The authors have endeavored to create a verified a-posteriori model of a planktonic ecosystem. Verification of an empirically derived set of first-order, quadratic differential equations proved elusive due to the sensitivity of the model system to changes in initial conditions. Efforts to verify a similarly derived set of linear differential equations were more encouraging, yielding reasonable behavior for half of the ten ecosystem compartments modeled. The well-behaved species models gave indications as to the rate-controlling process in the ecosystem.     

The effects of corona electrode geometry on the operational characteristics of an ESP

Experiments were run in a pilot scale electrostatic precipitator (ESP) to determine the effects of corona wire-to-wire spacing on the operating conditions. Tests were run, using a reentrained low sulfur fly ash at both hot- and cold-side conditions. The effects of varying wire-to-wire spacing were determined. Results are given which show that varying wire spacing at cold-side conditions has little operational effect on the ESP while improved efficiency can be obtained at hot-side (low resistivity) conditions by reducing wire spacing. The increased efficiency results from a higher average operating voltage. The effects of back ionization are clearly demonstrated by a set of experiments in which dust was selectively removed from the wires or plate. These tests show that the lower operating voltage caused by back ionization is a combined effect of high resistivity dust on both the wires and plate.     

FRAGILE ESTUARINE SYSTEMS–ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS1

Studies of fish species and populations indicate a high degree of fragility for estuarine ecosystems. Slight stresses tend to disrupt energy flow systems and lead to lower levels of biological productivity, shortened food chains and poorer diversity of species. For individual species low-level stresses tend to suppress metabolism and growth processes. Minor stresses can also substantially reduce populations. Stress processes are quantifiable and amenable to mathematical modeling.     

Environmental Persistence of Chemicals

- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/espr2006.01.008 Background The hazard criterion of persistence as it applies to chemicals in the environment is reviewed and discussed. This quantity can not be measured directly in the environment, thus it must be estimated using models that synthesise information on chemical half-lives and partitioning properties, the nature of the environment and how the chemical is released into the environment. Main Features It is suggested that the preferred criterion is the average residence time of the chemical in the environment, i.e. conceptually the sum of the life-times of all molecules (attributable only to losses by degrading reactions) divided by the number of molecules. If all chemical fate processes are first order, this persistence is independent of the quantity of chemical introduced and whether introduction is steady- or unsteady-state in nature. It is shown that in a multimedia environment persistence is affected not only by degradation kinetics, but also by mode-of-entry and partitioning. For screening level purposes a Level II equilibrium model may be adequate but a Level III model is generally preferable for estimating the average persistence. If a distribution of persistences is required a dynamic Level IV model must be used. Discussion The implications for regulating chemicals on the basis of persistence are discussed. Conclusion It is concluded that the preferred strategy is to use Level II, III, and IV models and that the use of only degradation kinetics or media-specific half-lives can be misleading and uneconomical.     

Application of ‘Landsat’ data to resource management

Over the past few years, a great deal of interest has been focused on the use of remote sensing for resource management. This paper examines one of the most useful systems — Landsat. Included in this paper is a discussion of this remote-sensing technology, its application and its future as a tool for resources planning and management.     

The use of measurable coefficients in process formulations—zooplankton grazing

This paper redefines a construct previously used to model phytoplankton—zooplankton interactions in such a way as to permit the use of measurable quantities as contruct coefficients. The new construct can use unaltered values of the half-saturation constant for zooplankton grazing on total available food (k_s) and the minimum food concentration necessary to stimulate effective feeding (BMIN) reported in the literature. Typical values for these coefficients are 0.1–15 and 0.016–0.19, respectively.     

Foraging in the seed-harvester ant genus Pogonomyrmex: are energy costs important?

Energy intake and expenditure on natural foraging trips were estimated for the seed-harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex maricopa and P. rugosus. During seed collection, P. maricopa foraged individually, whereas P. rugosus employed a trunk-trail foraging system. Energy gain per trip and per minute were not significantly different between species. There was also no interspecific difference in energy cost per trip, but energy cost per minute was lower for P. maricopa foragers because they spent on average 7 min longer searching for a load on each trip. Including both unsuccessful and successful foraging trips, average energy gain per trip was more than 100 times the energy cost per trip for both species. Based on this result, we suggest that time cost incurred during individual foraging trips is much more important than energy cost in terms of maximizing net resource intake over time. In addition, because energy costs are so small relative to gains, we propose that energy costs associated with foraging may be safely ignored in future tests of foraging theory with seed-harvesting ant species.     

Habitat edge, land management, and rates of brood parasitism in tallgrass prairie.

Bird populations in North America's grasslands have declined sharply in recent decades. These declines are traceable, in large part, to habitat loss, but management of tallgrass prairie also has an impact. An indirect source of decline potentially associated with management is brood parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater), which has had substantial negative impacts on many passerine hosts. Using a novel application of regression trees, we analyzed an extensive five-year set of nest data to test how management of tallgrass prairie affected rates of brood parasitism. We examined seven landscape features that may have been associated with parasitism: presence of edge, burning, or grazing, and distance of the nest from woody vegetation, water, roads, or fences. All five grassland passerines that we included in the analyses exhibited evidence of an edge effect: the Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), Henslow's Sparrow (A. henslowii), Dickcissel (Spiza americana), Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), and Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna). The edge was represented by narrow strips of woody vegetation occurring along roadsides cut through tallgrass prairie. The sparrows avoided nesting along these woody edges, whereas the other three species experienced significantly higher (1.9-5.3x) rates of parasitism along edges than in prairie. The edge effect could be related directly to increase in parasitism rate with decreased distance from woody vegetation. After accounting for edge effect in these three species, we found evidence for significantly higher (2.5-10.5x) rates of parasitism in grazed plots, particularly those burned in spring to increase forage, than in undisturbed prairie. Regression tree analysis proved to be an important tool for hierarchically parsing various landscape features that affect parasitism rates. We conclude that, on the Great Plains, rates of brood parasitism are strongly associated with relatively recent road cuts, in that edge effects manifest themselves through the presence of trees, a novel habitat component in much of the tallgrass prairie. Grazing is also a key associate of increased parasitism. Areas managed with prescribed fire, used frequently to increase forage for grazing cattle, may experience higher rates of brood parasitism. Regardless, removing trees and shrubs along roadsides and refraining from planting them along new roads may benefit grassland birds.