A Sampler for Measuring Deposited Fine Sediments in Streams1

Turner, Andy W., Jeff J. Hillis, and Charles F. Rabeni, 2012. A Sampler for Measuring Deposited Fine Sediments in Streams. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(2): 366‐378. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00618.x Abstract: Improvements and standardization of methodologies to quickly and accurately quantify deposited sediment in streams will allow advances in our understanding of biological effects of sedimentation. Most methods used to evaluate streambed conditions as part of biological monitoring or assessment programs are selected for ease of use, but can be subjective, inappropriate, and often of unknown accuracy. We developed a portable, light‐weight device to quantify deposited unconsolidated sediment (particles <2 mm) in wadeable streams. This deposited sediment sampler is a hand‐held unit that circumscribes an area of the streambed and through suction creates a force that suspends unconsolidated materials into a collector. Laboratory evaluations determined the efficiency (percent of available deposited sediment recovered) of the sampler to collect different sizes and concentrations of deposited sediment under differing streambed conditions, which allowed appropriate correction factors to be applied to each of four categories of streambed particle size. Field trials comparing our sampler to other methods commonly used by many state and federal agencies showed high comparability. The sampler can be constructed in just a few hours from inexpensive, easily obtained materials.     

Phosphorus losses through agricultural tile drainage in Nova Scotia, Canada

Tile drainage water from agricultural fields commonly exceeds environmental guidelines for phosphorus (P) in rivers and streams. The loss of P through artificial drainage is spatially and temporally variable, and is related to local factors. This study characterizes variability in total P (TP) and soluble reactive P (SRP) concentrations in weekly drainage samples from 39 agricultural fields in Nova Scotia, Canada, from April 2002 through December 2003. We examined connections between P concentrations and the factors: (i) soil texture; (ii) discharge flow rate; (iii) soil test P (STP); (iv) manure type; and (v) crop cover. Generally, variability between fields and samples was great, and fields with standard deviations exceeding the mean for TP, SRP, and flow rate were 71, 54, and 79%, respectively. It was evident that poultry and swine manure contributed to high STPs, and to constantly high TP concentrations with high proportions of SRP. Concentrations varied from week to week, and particularly in April, May, October, and November when the greatest TP, SRP, and flow rate averages were measured. Mean TP concentrations exceed the USEPA (1994) TP guideline of 0.10 mg L(-1) at 82% of the fields, and periodically concentrations more than 10 times, and occasionally more than 50 times higher than the guideline were found. The proportion of SRP in TP had a tendency to be higher when TP levels were high in coarse textured soils. In Nova Scotia, dairy manure is most often applied on permanent cover crops, which did not show as much P concentration variability as crop rotations. Daily or hourly observation of short-term increases in P concentrations related to the described factors would help to characterize the changes in P concentrations observed during frequent heavy drainage flow events.     

Lake eutrophication management modeling using dynamic programming

Lake eutrophication problems have received considerable attention in Taiwan, especially because they relate to the quality of drinking water. In this study, steady-state river water quality and lake eutrophication models are solved using dynamic programming algorithms to find the nutrient removal rates for eutrophication control during dry season. The kinetic cycle of chlorophyll-a, phosphorus and nitrogen for a complete-mixed lake is considered in the optimization framework. The Newton-iterative technique is adopted to solve the nonlinear equations for the steady-state lake eutrophication model. The optimization framework is applied to Cheng-Ching Lake in southern Taiwan. Several nutrient loading scenarios for eutrophication control are studied. Optimization results for nutrient removal rates and corresponding wastewater treatment capacities of each reach of the Kao-Ping River define the least cost approach to lake eutrophication control. A natural purification method, structural free water surface wetland, is also suggested to save more investment and improve river water quality at the same time.     

Development of bacteria and benthic total maximum daily loads: a case study, Linville Creek, Virginia

Two total maximum daily load (TMDL) studies were performed for Linville Creek in Rockingham County, Virginia, to address bacterial and benthic impairments. The TMDL program is an integrated watershed management approach required by the Clean Water Act. This paper describes the procedures used by the Center for TMDL and Watershed Studies at Virginia Tech to develop the Linville Creek TMDLs and discusses the key lessons learned from and the ramifications of the procedures used in these and other similar TMDL studies. The bacterial impairment TMDL was developed using the Hydrological Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF). Fecal coliform loads were estimated through an intensive source characterization process. The benthic impairment TMDL was developed using the Generalized Watershed Loading Function (GWLF) model and the reference watershed approach. The bacterial TMDL allocation scenario requires a 100% reduction in cattle manure direct-deposits to the stream, a 96% reduction in nonpoint-source loadings to the land surface, and a 95% reduction in wildlife direct-deposits to the stream. Sediment was identified as the primary benthic stressor. The TMDL allocation scenario for the benthic impairment requires an overall reduction of 12.3% of the existing sediment loads. Despite the many drawbacks associated with using watershed-scale models like HSPF and GWLF to develop TMDLs, the detailed watershed and pollutant-source characterization required to use these and similar models creates information that stakeholders need to select appropriate corrective measures to address the cause of the water quality impairment when implementing the TMDL.     

Taproot™ technology: Tree coring for fast,noninvasive plume delineations

In efforts to evaluate the use of plants as a forensic tool for delineating contaminated soil and groundwater, a laboratory experiment and a field sampling effort were undertaken. Site assessments are often costly and inaccurate, requiring multiple mobilizations to hone in on source areas and getting accurate estimates of contaminant extent and distribution. As these extensive site delineations take place, valuable time and resources are lost. The findings of this study show that plants can be used as a tool to evaluate a variety of subsurface contaminants, either in the vadose zone or in the saturated zone. In the first field application of Taproot? Technology, a large, heavily forested site was sampled in one day and the contamination on‐site was more accurately delineated than had been generated at the site in over a decade, with more than 26 wells installed. New source zones were detected on the site, and the presence of new waste depositions was uncovered for the first time showing the great value of tree coring as a contaminant detection tool. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

MICP技术加固岩石节理的力学机理试验研究∗

微生物诱导碳酸盐沉淀(MICP)是近年国内外兴起的一种微生物岩土技术,即利用微生物新陈代谢的矿化作用诱导产生碳酸盐沉淀,在土体抗液化、堤坝加固等领域得到广泛实验和应用,相较传统边坡加固手段,其绿色环保的特点更符合可持续发展理念。为探究MICP技术在完全分离的岩石节理试件中的胶结效果,通过一种可采用流体分阶段胶结岩石节理面的实验装置,实现MICP胶结液对岩石节理试件的胶结,在不同法向应力下探究其抗剪强度。结果表明:(1)MICP技术对岩石节理具有一定胶结作用;(2)随剪切位移的增加,MICP胶结实验组与无充填对照组的剪切强度维持一致,即二者抗剪残余应力基本相等;(3)胶结养护7 d的抗剪强度可达无充填对照组的85%。     

华东区域PM2.5变化背景下浙江省人口经济暴露水平评估

利用1998~2012年卫星反演的细颗粒物(PM_(2.5))全球高精度产品数据集,精细化地给出了华东地区PM_(2.5)时空分布与变化特征,并分析了此背景下浙江省PM_(2.5)的人口经济暴露水平.结果表明1998~2012年期间,浙江省区域平均PM_(2.5)浓度整体变化呈现出先增加、后下降的特征,拐点出现在2007~2009年前后,与华东区域大背景的变化趋势一致.1998~2000年华东南部与山东东部的年平均PM_(2.5)浓度基本保持在50μg·m~(-3)以下,其余地区大多在50~75μg·m~(-3)左右,华东地区和浙江省PM_(2.5)浓度超过35μg·m~(-3)的地区分别占到51.8%和21.1%.1998~2009年PM_(2.5)浓度上升趋势非常明显,华东地区的平均变化趋势为2.58μg·(m~3·a)~(-1),浙江省的上升趋势较华东区域慢,为1.43μg·(m~3·a)~(-1).2007~2009年PM_(2.5)浓度达到最大,华东和浙江省超过35μg·m~(-3)的地区分别占到82.1%和65.9%.此后PM_(2.5)浓度呈现出下降的变化趋势,华东地区和浙江省的平均变化趋势分别为-1.75μg·(m~3·a)~(-1)和-1.58μg·(m~3·a)~(-1),PM_(2.5)浓度超过35μg·m~(-3)的地区比例均有所下降,说明政府颁布的一系列节能减排方针政策可能对华东地区的空气质量改善起到了一定的成效.2010年浙江地区PM_(2.5)暴露水平超过35μg·m~(-3)的人口比例和GDP比例分别为74.0%和70.8%,其中38.1%的人口生活的环境和38.9%的GDP产生的环境PM_(2.5)浓度年平均值在50μg·m~(-3)以上.     

An ecological framework for contextualizing carnivore–livestock conflict

Carnivore predation on livestock is a complex management and policy challenge, yet it is also intrinsically an ecological interaction between predators and prey. Human–wildlife interactions occur in socioecological systems in which human and environmental processes are closely linked. However, underlying human–wildlife conflict and key to unpacking its complexity are concrete and identifiable ecological mechanisms that lead to predation events. To better understand how ecological theory accords with interactions between wild predators and domestic prey, we developed a framework to describe ecological drivers of predation on livestock. We based this framework on foundational ecological theory and current research on interactions between predators and domestic prey. We used this framework to examine ecological mechanisms (e.g., density-mediated effects, behaviorally mediated effects, and optimal foraging theory) through which specific management interventions operate, and we analyzed the ecological determinants of failure and success of management interventions in 3 case studies: snow leopards (Panthera uncia), wolves (Canis lupus), and cougars (Puma concolor). The varied, context-dependent successes and failures of the management interventions in these case studies demonstrated the utility of using an ecological framework to ground research and management of carnivore–livestock conflict. Mitigation of human–wildlife conflict appears to require an understanding of how fundamental ecological theories work within domestic predator–prey systems.     

Na型粉末树脂回收废水中低浓度氨氮

为探究Na型粉末树脂回收废水中低浓度氨氮的可行性,分别采用静态摇瓶与动态树脂柱方法进行实验研究。结果表明：预处理仅使粉末树脂吸附氨氮的能力降低了5%;在中性与酸性条件下,Na型粉末树脂对低浓度氨氮去除率均可达到99%;每增加2 g·L⁻¹树脂投加量,氨氮去除率会提高20%,但吸附容量下降2.85 mg·g⁻¹;钙镁离子的存在会降低Na型粉末树脂对氨氮的吸附容量,最大降低量为3.5 mg·g⁻¹;由于钾离子与氨氮为同价离子,其影响不显著。Na型粉末树脂对氨氮的吸附符合Langmuir吸附等温线,吸附过程符合准二级动力学。根据实验结果,Na型粉末树脂静态运行方式适用于低浓度氨氮的回收,但动态运行方式下粉末树脂达到吸附饱和时间更短,因此,需要对运行方式进一步研究。