RUNOFF VOLUME ESTIMATION USING GIS TECHNIQUES1

ABSTRACT: Rainfall runoff of six watersheds was modeled via the Soil Conservation Service runoff curve number model in two ways: conventionally (manually) and via a geographic information system (GIS). Input data (elevation, soils, and landcover) were digital for the latter method. In contrast to previous studies, the GIS was ised for all phases of the modeling process, including watershed delineation and routing of runoff. A comparison between the two methods was consistent with results reported by others and indicates that the use of a GIS is an acceptable alternative to the conventional method for watersheds lacking relatively flat terrain. Given this limitation, the GIS method may prove advantageous over manual methods when study areas are large or numerous, runoff is modeled repetitively, alternative landcover scenarios are explored, or a digital database already exists for the study area.     

The psychological effects of false-positive results in prenatal screening for fetal abnormality: A prospective study

The purpose of the study was to describe the impact of false-positive results from initial maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MS-AFP) screening. The analyses compared two groups of women, those receiving a negative result (n = 346) and those receiving an initial positive result (n = 26), over four time points—prior to testing, immediately after testing, later in pregnancy, and in the post-partum period. Receiving an abnormal result was associated with high levels of anxiety which were reflected in increased worry about the baby's health and a more negative attitude towards the pregnancy and the baby. Women who had an initial abnormal result were offered a variety of further tests. Those women who went on to have amniocentesis were less worried about their baby's health in the third trimester and also less anxious post-partum than those who did not have amniocentesis. In view of the increasing number of screening tests available, it is necessary to establish whether and how these levels of distress can best be reduced.     

Temperature influences muscle differentiation and the relative timing of organogenesis in herring (Clupea harengus) larvae

Eggs from spring spawning stocks of herring (Clupea harengus L.) were fertilized and reared at either 5, 8 or 12°C in 1991 and 1992. The differentiation of myotomal muscle fibres was investigated in relation to the development of other organs and tissues using light and electron microscopy. The gut, notochord, eyes and haemocoel appeared at the same relative point in development between fertilization and hatching at all temperatures. In contrast, the formation of the spinal cord, pronephros, pectoral fin buds and muscle fibres was relatively retarded at 5°C compared with 8 and 12°C. Myogenesis in the presumptive inner muscle mass occurred after 12 to 16 d at 5°C, 7 to 10 d at 8°C and 3.5 to 6 d at 12°C. Myoblasts aligned in orderly rows running from myosept to myosept prior to fusion to form myotubes. Actin and myosin filaments were synthesised throughout the cytoplasm in associated with presumptive Z-lines at the periphery of myotubes and immature muscle fibres. Differentiation of the superficial and inner muscle fibres types of larvae occurred at around the same time. Following this initial period of myogenesis, the number of myotomal muscle fibres remained constant until after hatching, so that increases in muscle bulk in the late embryo were entirely due to fibre hypertrophy. At hatching, the number of superficial muscle fibres present in myotomes just posterior to the yolk-sac was significantly less at 5°C (108±12) than at either 8°C (132±10) or 12°C (140±10) (mean±SD, 12 fish/temperature). In contrast, there were around 280 inner muscle fibres/myotome, comprising 90% of the trunk cross-sectional area, at all three temperatures. Myofibrillargenesis occurred relatively slowly at low temperatures, so that the volume density of myofibrils in the inner muscle fibres of larvae at hatching was significantly less at 5°C (39.2±9.0) than at either 8°C (49.6±8.8) or 12°C (50.2±9.8) (mean ±SD, 20 fibres/temperature from total of 5 fish). Undifferentiated myoblasts remained at hatching to form a population of presumptive myosatellite cells. The number of presumptive myosatellite cells per mm² cross-sectional area of muscle fibre was more than two times higher at 8°C (1493±335) than at either 5°C (478±102) or 12°C (924±233) (mean±SD, 5 fish/temperature). The results suggest that temperature can influence the commitment of myoblasts to differentiation at a critical stage in embryogenesis, thereby providing a potential mechanism for influencing future growth characteristics. Correspondence to: I.A. Johnston at Gatty Marine Laboratory     

Cultivated cells from mid-trimester amniotic fluids. IV. Cell type identification via one and two-dimensional electrophoresis of clonal whole cell homogenates

Clones of cultivated amniotic fluid cells that have distinct morphologic and growth characteristics (F, AF and E-type) were examined by one-dimensional SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and by two-dimensional electrophoresis employing isoelectric focusing and SDS-PAGE (IEF-PAGE). No qualitative differences in band pattern were observed in SDS-PAGE between the various amniotic fluid cell types, but consistent quantitative differences in the ratios of four bands of presumed filamentous proteins provided good distinction between amniotic fluid cells and postnatal skin fibroblast-like cells. By adding separation on the basis of electrical charge to that of molecular size (IEF-PAGE), we observed reproducible qualitative differences in the protein spot patterns between F and both AF and E-type amniotic fluid cells. At least eight discrete proteins appear not to be synthesized by prenatal F-type cells in comparison with their isogenic AF and E counterparts under identical culture conditions. The two-dimensional electrophoretic patterns thus confirm that F and AF amniotic cells, in spite of their morphologic and growth kinetic similarities, are developmentally distinct cell types that retain their differentiated states in culture.     

Forest fires and environmental haze in Southeast Asia: using the 'stakeholder' approach to assign costs and responsibilities.

The 'seasonal haze' problem is one which afflicts large parts of Southeast Asia in years of drought. The major cause is forest, bush and field fires in the states of Kalimantan and Sumatra in Indonesia, and to a lesser extent in Sabah, Sarawak, and other parts of Malaysia. Almost all of these fires now seem preventable, since they are intentionally set to clear land for cultivation. Theoretically, the government authorities at central, provincial and local levels in these countries should be responsible for controlling activities in their territory. In practice, however, air pollution control through regulatory policies and practices is extraordinarily difficult to implement and maintain in a situation of this kind in developing countries, especially at a time of crippling economic setbacks. Moreover, the establishment of legal liability, through an international tribunal or otherwise, hardly seems a politically feasible course of action for the government of an affluent 'victim state' such as Singapore. Faith in the usual solutions--science, regulation, law and diplomacy--is weakened by one's sense of current realities. The purpose of this paper is to review the issues and suggested responses, the cost implications of each, the responsibilities as well as entitlements that might apply to the various stakeholders, and the special role of Singapore as an affluent 'victim state'. We also discuss the incentive mechanisms that would be needed to manage forest fires.     

Post-settlement energy reserves in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Panulirus cygnus</Emphasis>: experimental effects of starvation on survival and nutritional condition

Post-settlement survival success in rock (spiny) lobsters is likely to be influenced by the nutritional condition of the non-feeding pueruli at settlement. Consequently, we predict that survival shortly after settlement depends on food resources being replenished rapidly. In the present study the length of the starvation period on survival in post-puerulus juveniles of the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus was investigated using laboratory experiments. All experimental pueruli were collected from Seven Mile Beach, Western Australia, using sandwich puerulus collectors. Total lipid, lipid class, fatty acid, total protein and total glycogen analyses were conducted on fed and starved post-puerulus juvenile lobsters, from moult into the first juvenile stage to 30 days post-moult. From a total of 165 samples used in this study, 15 post-puerulus juveniles were sampled initially and five post-puerulus juveniles sampled every 5 days thereafter for biochemical analysis. Post-puerulus juveniles survived up to 34 days of starvation. The maximal starvation time for post-puerulus juveniles from which recovery was observed is estimated to be in excess of 22 days. Lipids, in particular phospholipids, are shown to be the most important source of energy catabolised during the starvation period, with greater than 62% reduction in total lipid at day 30. Proteins were also catabolised during starvation, but to a much lesser extent than lipid, decreasing by 34% in total content at day 25. Carbohydrates were present always as a minor constituent, however their content did not change significantly during starvation. Our results suggest that the pueruli collected in December 2004 were generally in sufficiently good condition to survive further starvation after settlement; nutritional levels of the post-puerulus juveniles were enhanced compared to those observed in previous studies. We suggest that the high levels of energy reserves in rock lobster post-pueruli may provide an adaptive advantage to aid the transition from pelagic to benthic living by minimising stress and the consequences of failing to locate immediately suitable food resources.     

Temperature niche composition change inside and outside protected areas under climate warming

Conservation of biodiversity relies heavily on protected areas but their role and effectiveness under a warming climate is still debated. We estimated the climate-driven changes in the temperature niche compositions of bird communities inside and outside protected areas in southern Canada. We hypothesized that communities inside protected areas include a higher proportion of cold-dwelling species than communities outside protected areas. We also hypothesized that communities shift to warm-dwelling species more slowly inside protected areas than outside. To study community changes, we used large-scale and long-term (1997–2019) data from the Breeding Bird Survey of Canada. To describe the temperature niche compositions of bird communities, we calculated the community temperature index (CTI) annually for each community inside and outside protected areas. Generally, warm-dwelling species dominated communities with high CTI values. We modeled temporal changes in CTI as a function of protection status with linear mixed-effect models. We also determined which species contributed most to the temporal changes in CTI with a jackknife approach. As anticipated, CTI was lower inside protected areas than outside. However, contrary to our expectation, CTI increased faster over time inside than outside protected areas and warm-dwelling species contributed most to CTI change inside protected areas. These results highlight the ubiquitous impacts of climate warming. Currently, protected areas can aid cold-dwelling species by providing habitat, but as the climate warms, the communities’ temperature compositions inside protected areas quickly begin to resemble those outside protected areas, suggesting that protected areas delay the impacts of climate warming on cold-dwelling species.     

The treatment performance of different subsoils in Ireland receiving on-site wastewater effluent

Current Irish guidelines require a comprehensive site assessment of a percolation area for wastewater disposal before planning permission is granted for dwellings in rural areas. For a site to be deemed suitable, the subsoil must have a percolation value equivalent to a field saturated hydraulic conductivity in the range 0.08 to 4.2 m d(-1) using a falling head percolation test. A minimum of 1.2 m of unsaturated subsoil must also exist below the invert of the percolation area receiving effluent from a septic tank (or 0.6 m for secondary treated effluent). During a 2-yr period, the three-dimensional performance of four percolation areas treating domestic wastewater was monitored. At each site samples were taken at 0, 10, and 20 m along each of the four percolation trenches at depths of 0.3, 0.6, and 1.0 m below each trench to ascertain the attenuation effects of the unsaturated subsoil. The two sites with septic tanks installed performed at least as well as the other two sites with secondary treatment systems installed and appeared to discharge a better quality effluent in terms of nutrient load. An average of 2.1 and 6.8 g total N d(-1) remained after passing through 1-m depth of subsoil beneath the trenches receiving septic tank effluent compared with 12.7 and 16.7 g total N d(-1) on the sites receiving secondary effluent. The research also indicates that the septic tank effluent was of an equivalent quality to the secondary treated effluent in terms of indicator bacteria (E. coli) after percolating through 0.6-m depth of unsaturated subsoil.     

Dioxin- and POP-contaminated sites—contemporary and future relevance and challenges

BACKGROUND, AIM AND SCOPE: Once they have been generated, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and other persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can persist in soils and sediments and in waste repositories for periods extending from decades to centuries. In 1994, the US EPA concluded that contaminated sites and other reservoirs are likely to become the major source of contemporary pollution problems with these substances. With this in mind, this article is the first in a new series in ESPR under the title 'Case Studies on Dioxin and POP Contaminated Sites--Contemporary and Future Relevance and Challenges', which will address this important issue. The series will document various experiences from sites contaminated with PCDD/F and other POPs. This article provides an overview of the content of the articles comprising the series. In addition, it provides a review of the subject in its own right and identifies the key issues arising from dioxin/POP-contaminated sites. Additionally, it highlights the important conclusions that can be drawn from these examples. The key aim of this article and of the series as a whole is to provide a comprehensive overview of the types of PCDD/F contaminated sites that exist as a result of historical activities. It details the various processes whereby these sites became contaminated and attempts to evaluate their contemporary relevance as sources of PCDD/Fs and other POPs. It also details the various strategies used to assess these historical legacies of contamination and the concepts developed, or which are under development, to effect their remediation. MAIN FEATURES: Special sessions on 'Contaminated sites--Cases, remediation, risk and policy' were held at the DIOXIN conferences in 2006 and 2007, and this theme will be continued at DIOXIN 2008 to be held in Birmingham. Selected cases from the approximately 70 contributions made to these sessions, together with some additional invited case studies are outlined together with the key issues they raise. By evaluating these cases and adding details of experiences published in the current literature, an overview will be given of the different features and challenges of dioxin and POP-contaminated sites. RESULTS: This article provides a systematic categorisation of types of PCDD/F and POP-contaminated sites. These are categorised according to the chemical or manufacturing process, which generated the PCDD/Fs or POPs and also includes the use and disposal aspects of the product life cycle in question. The highest historical PCDD/F and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination burdens have arisen as a result of the production of chlorine and of chlorinated organic chemicals. In particular, the production of chlorinated pesticides, PCBs and the related contaminated waste streams are identified being responsible for historical releases of toxic equivalents (TEQs) at a scale of many tonnes. Along with such releases, major PCDD/F contaminated sites have been created through the application or improper disposal of contaminated pesticides, PCBs and other organochlorine chemicals, as well through the recycling of wastes and their attempted destruction. In some extreme examples, PCDD/F contaminated sites have also resulted from thermal processes such as waste incinerators, secondary metal industries or from the recycling or deposition of specific waste (e.g. electronic waste or car shredder wastes), which often contain chlorinated or brominated organic chemicals. The examples of PCDD/F and dioxin-like PCB contamination of fish in European rivers or the impact of contaminated sites upon fishing grounds and upon other food resources demonstrate the relevance of these historical problems to current and future human generations. Many of the recent food contamination problems that have emerged in Europe and elsewhere demonstrate how PCDD/F and dioxin like PCBs from historical sources can directly contaminate human and animal feedstuffs and indeed highlight their considerable contemporary relevance in this respect. Accordingly, some key experiences and lessons learnt regarding the production, use, disposal and remediation of POPs from the contaminated sites are summarised. DISCUSSION: An important criterion for evaluating the significance and risks of PCDD/Fs and other POPs at contaminated sites is their present or future potential for mobility. This, in turn, determines to a large degree their propensity for off-site transport and environmental accessibility. The detailed evaluation of contaminated site cases reveals different site-specific factors, which influence the varied pathways through which poor water-soluble POPs can be mobilised. Co-contaminants with greater water solubility are also typically present at such sites. Hence, pumping of groundwater (pump and treat) is often required in addition to attempting to physically secure a site. At an increasing number of contaminated sites, securing measures are failing after relatively short time spans compared to the time horizon, which applies to persistent organic pollutant contamination. Due to the immense costs and challenges associated with remediation of contaminated sites 'monitored natural attenuation' is increasingly gaining purchase as a conceptual remediation approach. However, these concepts may well prove limited in their practical application to contaminated sites containing persistent organic pollutants and other key pollutants like heavy metals. CONCLUSIONS: It is inevitable, therefore, that dioxin/POP-contaminated sites will remain of contemporary and future relevance. They will continue to represent an environmental issue for future generations to address. The securing and/or remediation of dioxin/POP-contaminated sites is very costly, generally in the order of tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. Secured landfills and secured production sites need to be considered as constructions not made for 'eternity' but built for a finite time scale. Accordingly, they will need to be controlled, supervised and potentially repaired/renewed. Furthermore, the leachates and groundwater impacted by these sites will require ongoing monitoring and potential further remediation. These activities result in high maintenance costs, which are accrued for decades or centuries and should, therefore, be compared to the fully sustainable option of complete remediation. The contaminated site case studies highlight that, while extensive policies and established funds for remediation exist in most of the industrialised western countries, even these relatively well-regulated and wealthy countries face significant challenges in the implementation of a remediation strategy. This highlights the fact that ultimately only the prevention of contaminated sites represents a sustainable solution for the future and that the Polluter Pays Principle needs to be applied in a comprehensive way to current problems and those which may emerge in the future. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: With the continuing shift of industrial activities in developing and transition economies, which often have poor regulation (and weak self-regulation of industries), additional global challenges regarding POPs and other contaminated sites may be expected. In this respect, a comprehensive application of the "polluter pays principle" in these countries will also be a key to facilitate the clean-up of contaminated areas and the prevention of future contaminated sites. The threats and challenges of contaminated sites and the high costs of securing/remediating the problems highlight the need for a comprehensive approach based upon integrated pollution prevention and control. If applied to all polluting (and potentially polluting) industrial sectors around the globe, such an approach will prove to be both the cheapest and most sustainable way to underpin the development of industries in developing and transition economies.