Modeling Runoff Response to Land Cover and Rainfall Spatial Variability in Semi-Arid Watersheds

Hydrologic response is an integrated indicator of watershed condition, and significant changes in land cover may affect the overall health and function of a watershed. This paper describes a procedure for evaluating the effects of land cover change and rainfall spatial variability on watershed response. Two hydrologic models were applied on a small semi-arid watershed; one model is event-based with a one-minute time step (KINEROS), and the second is a continuous model with a daily time step (SWAT). The inputs to the models were derived from Geographic Information System (GIS) theme layers of USGS digital elevation models, the State Soil Geographic Database (STATSGO) and the Landsat-based North American Landscape Characterization classification (NALC) in conjunction with available literature and look up tables. Rainfall data from a network of 10 raingauges and historical stream flow data were used to calibrate runoff depth using the continuous hydrologic model from 1966 to 1974. No calibration was carried out for the event-based model, in which six storms from the same period were used in the calculation of runoff depth and peak runoff. The assumption on which much of this study is based is that land cover change and rainfall spatial variability affect the rainfall-runoff relationships on the watershed. To validate this assumption, simulations were carried out wherein the entire watershed was transformed from the 1972 NALC land cover, which consisted of a mixture of desertscrub and grassland, to a single uniform land cover type such as riparian, forest, oak woodland, mesquite woodland, desertscrub, grassland, urban, agriculture, and barren. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using widely available data sets for parameterizing hydrologic simulation models. The simulation results show that both models were able to characterize the runoff response of the watershed due to changes of land cover.     

Heavy metals in two fish species (Carangoidel malabaricus and Belone stronglurus) from Pulicat Lake, North of Chennai, Southeast Coast of India

We present the results from a detailed study based on five metals (Cr, Cd, Zn, Pb and Fe) measured in four organs (gills, liver, intestine and muscle) of two fish species (Carangoidel malabaricus and Belone stronglurus) from Pulicat Lake in southeast coast of India. The results show marked differences between the two species and organs as well as significant variations within the five analyzed metals. Although the metal concentrations measured in fish muscle are low, high levels of Pb and Fe were observed in the liver and gills of the two fish species. The concentrations of heavy metals in edible parts (muscle) of fish were within the permissible levels and are safe for the human consumption.     

Estimation of required monitoring time for obtaining validation data in enclosed spaces

Methods for estimating airborne contaminant concentrations at specific locations within enclosed spaces, such as mathematical models and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), often are validated against directly measured concentrations. However, concentration variation with time introduces uncertainty into the measured concentration. Failure to determine monitoring time requirements can lead to errors in quantifying representative concentrations, which are likely to be attributed to errors in the method being validated. In the current study, to obtain the representative concentrations at multiple locations with a direct reading instrument, we used the standard deviation ratio (SDR) method to determine the required minimum monitoring time within a specified precision limit. To demonstrate the use of the SDR approach in constructing precision confidence intervals, tracer gas concentrations at nine sampling locations in an experimental room were measured to obtain population parameters. Three flow rates of 0.9, 3.3 and 5.5 m(3) min(-1) were employed and contaminant concentrations were measured using a photoionization analyser. Monitoring time requirements varied substantially with location within the room and were strongly dependent upon the flow rate of air through the room. The proposed method would be very useful for industrial hygienists and indoor air researchers who sometimes need to obtain several hundred measured concentrations for validation purposes or to perform tests under repeatable conditions in enclosed spaces. This study also showed that the proposed method can be used to devise efficient indoor monitoring strategies.     

Indoor/ambient residential air toxics results in rural western Montana

Indoor and ambient concentrations of 21 volatile organic compounds (including 14 hazardous air pollutants) were measured in the homes of nearly 80 western Montana (Missoula) high school students as part of the 'Air Toxics Under the Big Sky' program during the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 school years. Target analytes were measured using low flow air sampling pumps and sorbent tubes, with analysis of the exposed samples by thermal desorption/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD/GC/MS). The results reported here present the findings of the first indoor/ambient air toxics monitoring program conducted in a semi-rural valley location located in the Northern Rocky Mountain/Western Montana region. Of all of the air toxics quantified in this study, toluene was found to be the most abundant compound in both the indoor and ambient environments during each of the two school years. Indoor log-transformed mean concentrations were found to be higher when compared with ambient log-transformed mean concentrations at P < 0.001 for the majority of the compounds, supporting the results of previous studies conducted in urban areas. For the air toxics consistently measured throughout this program, concentrations were approximately six times higher inside the student's homes compared to those simultaneously measured directly outside their homes. For the majority of the compounds, there were no significant correlations between indoor and ambient concentrations.     

Environmental estrogenic effects and gonadal development in wild goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Serum vitellogenin (VTG) contents of wild goldfish (Carassius auratus) were investigated as a sensitive biomarker for artificial estrogenic compounds in aquatic environments. Goldfish was sampled from a pristine area, a river situated 5 km downstream from a sewage treatment works (STW), and also from the Young-San River in Korea. The female yolk precursor protein VTG was not detected when gonadosomatic index (GSI) was less than 0.85%, while VTG levels of >10 microg/ml were found in males whose GSI was less than 1.53%. In male goldfish sampled from STW and the Young-San River, the higher VTG corresponded to lower GSI. This study suggested a trend that gonad development was connected to VTG levels in both sexes, and the application of GSI and histological analysis provide an attractive possibility that it could be included in the panel of markers used for estrogenic activity investigation of aquatic environments.     

Fundamental characteristics of input waste of small MSW incinerators in Korea

Waste incineration in a small incinerator is a simple and convenient way of treating waste discharged from small areas or from large facilities and buildings such as business centers, marketplaces, factories, and military units. Despite their ostensible advantages, however, many small incinerators frequently suffer from serious problems, e.g., unsystematic waste feeding, unstable combustion, deficient air pollution control devices, and consequently, environmental pollution. To obtain a better understanding of the characterization of wastes in small incinerators, we investigated a series of fundamental characteristics, i.e., physical composition, bulk density, proximate and ultimate analysis, potential energy content, and so on. The main waste components in small incinerators were identified as paper and plastic; the proportion of food waste was less than that in large incinerators. Especially, a low ratio of food waste had a strong influence on other waste characteristics, e.g., lower moisture content and bulk density, and higher potential energy. On the other hand, in contrast with that of HCl, there was no distinguishable linear relationship between Cl content in waste and PCDD/DF concentration in combustion gas.     

Effects of oyster shell on soil chemical and biological properties and cabbage productivity as a liming materials

Oyster shell, a byproduct of shellfish-farming in Korea and containing a high amount of CaCO(3), has a high potential to be used as a liming material in agriculture. However, the agricultural utilization of oyster shell is limited due to its high concentration NaCl. The oyster-shell meal collected had a low concentration of water soluble NaCl (mean 2.7 g kg(-1)), which might be a result of stacking the material for 6 months in the open field. It has a very similar liming potential with calcium carbonate, with 3.4 and 3.8 Mg ha(-1) for silt loam (SiL, pH 6.2) and sandy loam (SL, pH 5.8) to bring the soil pH to 6.5, respectively. To determine the effect of crushed oyster-shell meal on improving soil chemical and biological properties and crop plant productivity, oyster-shell meal was applied at rates of 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 Mg ha(-1) before transplanting Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L.) in the two soils mentioned above. Soil pH was significantly increased to 6.9 and 7.4 by 16 Mg ha(-1) shell meal application (4 times higher level than the recommendation) in SiL and SL, respectively, at harvesting stage. The effect of liming was found higher in SL compared to SiL soil, probably due to the different buffering capacity of the two soils. The concentration of NaCl and EC value of soils were found slightly increased with shell meal applications, but no salt damage was observed. Oyster-shell meal application increased soil organic matter, available P, and exchangeable cations concentrations. The improved soil pH and nutrient status significantly increased the microbial biomass C and N concentrations and stimulated soil enzyme activities. With the exception of acid phosphomonoesterase (PMEase) activity, which decreased with increasing soil pH in SL but slightly increased in SiL, the activities of urease and alkali PMEase increased markedly with increasing soil pH by shell meal application. The improved soil chemical and biological properties resulted in increased crop productivity. The highest yield in Chinese cabbage was achieved following the application of 8 Mg ha(-1) oyster-shell meal. Conclusively, crushed oyster shell could be used as an alternative liming material to restore the soil chemical and microbial properties in upland soil and to increase crop productivity.     

Rhamnolipid morphology and phenanthrene solubility at different pH values

The effect of pH and rhamnolipids on the solubility of phenanthrene was investigated in a sand-water system. Batch phenanthrene solubilization experiments in this system showed that the highest phenanthrene solubility occurred at pH 5 in the presence of 240 and 150 mg L(-1) rhamnolipids. As the pH was increased from 5 to 7, the apparent solubility of phenanthrene decreased and then stabilized from pH 7 to 8. At pH 4, a dramatic decrease in phenanthrene solubility was observed. This result is in contrast to previous findings obtained in an aqueous system without soil particles. To investigate the reason for this decrease, the critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) were measured in the presence or absence of sand particles, and the maximum amount of sorbed biosurfactant at each pH was calculated based on the differences of the two CMC values. More rhamnolipid molecules were lost by the sorption into sand particles at pH 4 than at other pH values; this explains the dramatic decrease of solubility at pH 4 in the sand-water system. To confirm the explanation for the different solubilizing capacity that results from the structural change of biosurfactant aggregate, cryo-transmission electron microscopy was used. Micrographs showed that the rhamnolipid morphology changed from large lamellar sheets, to vesicle, and then to micelle as the pH increased. The large and multilamellar vesicles at pH 5 were considered to be the most effective structure for the solubilization of phenanthrene.     

Identification of pollution of Tapeng Lagoon from neighbouring rivers using multivariate statistical method

This work investigated water samples collected from Tapeng Lagoon and three neighbouring rivers (the Kaoping River, Tungkang River and Lingbeng River) in Taiwan, Republic of China. Canonical discriminant analysis was applied to identify the source of pollution in neighbouring rivers outside Tapeng Lagoon. The two constructed discriminant functions showed a marked contribution to all discriminant variables, and the total nitrogen, algae, dissolved oxygen and total phosphate were combined as the nutrient effect factor. The recognition capacities of the two discriminant functions were 95.6% and 4.4%, respectively. The water quality in the Kaoping River most strongly controlled the water quality in Tapeng Lagoon. Disassembling the oyster frames and fishery boxes had improved the water quality markedly. The methodology and results provide useful information concerning watershed management and may be applicable to other basins with similar properties that are experiencing similar coastal environmental issues.