Improved computational model (AQUIFAS) for activated sludge, integrated fixed-film activated sludge, and moving-bed biofilm reactor systems, part III: analysis and verification

Research was undertaken to analyze and verify a model that can be applied to activated sludge, integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS), and moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) systems. The model embeds a biofilm model into a multicell activated sludge model. The advantage of such a model is that it eliminates the need to run separate computations for a plant being retrofitted from activated sludge to IFAS or MBBR. The biofilm flux rates for organics, nutrients, and biomass can be computed by two methods-a semi-empirical model of the biofilm that is relatively simpler, or a diffusional model of the biofilm that is computationally intensive. Biofilm support media can be incorporated to the anoxic and aerobic cells, but not the anaerobic cells. The model can be run for steady-state and dynamic simulations. The model was able to predict the changes in nitrification and denitrification at both pilot- and full-scale facilities. The semi-empirical and diffusional models of the biofilm were both used to evaluate the biofilm flux rates for media at different locations. The biofilm diffusional model was used to compute the biofilm thickness and growth, substrate concentrations, volatile suspended solids (VSS) concentration, and fraction of nitrifiers in each layer inside the biofilm. Following calibration, both models provided similar effluent results for reactor mixed liquor VSS and mixed liquor suspended solids and for the effluent organics, nitrogen forms, and phosphorus concentrations. While the semi-empirical model was quicker to run, the diffusional model provided additional information on biofilm thickness, quantity of growth in the biofilm, and substrate profiles inside the biofilm.     

Use of different signaling modalities to communicate status by dominant and subordinate Heermann’s kangaroo rats (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dipodomys heermanni</Emphasis>)

Dominance relationships in solitary species may be an important factor in the maintenance of long-term, stable relationships among territorial neighbors. We examined the mediation of intraspecific interactions in a solitary, territorial kangaroo rat, Dipodomys heermanni, and tested whether unfamiliar kangaroo rats establish a dominance hierarchy and then decrease aggression and increase communication (via footdrumming and sandbathing) after initial interactions and the establishment of a social structure. Results revealed that both dominance hierarchies and familiarization with particular individuals are likely to mediate social interactions. After only one pairing per dyad, an almost linear dominance hierarchy emerged, which became perfectly linear after a 90-min familiarization period. During the course of subsequent interactions between dyad partners, fighting decreased and non-agonistic communication increased. Dominant kangaroo rats sandbathed at higher rates than subordinates, possibly to deposit scent to advertise competitive ability, whereas subordinate kangaroo rats footdrummed from inside the burrow, which seemed to indicate an unwillingness to interact. We suggest the kangaroo rats use a conditional strategy when deciding to fight (be dominant) or withdraw (be subordinate) by employing different modes to communicate status and minimize the potential risk of injury during unnecessarily prolonged fights.     

Soil and Water Characteristics in Restored Canebrake and Forest Riparian Zones1

Andrews, Danielle M., Christopher D. Barton, Randall K. Kolka, Charles C. Rhoades, and Adam J. Dattilo, 2011. Soil and Water Characteristics in Restored Canebrake and Forest Riparian Zones. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(4):772‐784. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00555.x Abstract: The degradation of streams has been widespread in the United States. In Kentucky, for instance, almost all of its large streams have been impounded or channelized. A restoration project was initiated in a channelized section of Wilson Creek (Nelson Co., Kentucky) to return its predisturbance meandering configuration. A goal of the project was to restore the native riparian corridor with giant cane and bottomland forest species. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of giant cane in riparian restoration and to compare water quality and soil attributes between restored cane and forested communities. Comparison of data to replicated sites of similar size in undisturbed upstream areas (control) was also examined to evaluate restoration success. Vegetation establishment was initially hindered by frequent flooding in 2004, but mean survival was good after two growing seasons with rates of 80 and 61% for forest and cane plots, respectively. Results showed an improvement in stream water quality due to restoration activities. Significant differences between the cane and forested plots in shallow groundwater dissolved oxygen, NO₃^?‐N, NH₄⁺‐N, and Mn concentrations suggest that soil redox conditions were not similar between the two vegetation types. Retention and transformation of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) within the restored riparian system also differed by vegetation treatment; however, both communities appeared to be advancing toward conditions exhibited in the control section of Wilson Creek.     

Reductive Dechlorination of Tetrachloroethylene by Soil Sulfate-Reducing Microbes under Various Electron Donor Conditions

Biotransformation of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) by soil sulfate-reducing bacteria was investigated using acetate, lactate and methanol as electron donors. Results show that the effectiveness of biotransformation of PCE by soil sulfate-reducing bacterial is dependent upon the type of electron donor used.     

Carbon stocks across a chronosequence of thinned and unmanaged red pine (Pinus resinosa) stands

Forests function as a major global C sink, and forest management strategies that maximize C stocks offer one possible means of mitigating the impacts of increasing anthropogenic CO2 emissions. We studied the effects of thinning, a common management technique in many forest types, on age-related trends in C stocks using a chronosequence of thinned and unmanaged red pine (Pinus resinosa) stands ranging from 9 to 306 years old. Live tree C stocks increased with age to a maximum near the middle of the chronosequence in unmanaged stands, and increased across the entire chronosequence in thinned stands. C in live understory vegetation and C in the mineral soil each declined rapidly with age in young stands but changed relatively little in middle-aged to older stands regardless of management. Forest floor C stocks increased with age in unmanaged stands, but forest floor C decreased with age after the onset of thinning around age 40 in thinned stands. Deadwood C was highly variable, but decreased with age in thinned stands. Total ecosystem C increased with stand age until approaching an asymptote around age 150. The increase in total ecosystem C was paralleled by an age-related increase in total aboveground C, but relatively little change in total belowground C. Thinning had surprisingly little impact on total ecosystem C stocks, but it did modestly alter age-related trends in total ecosystem C allocation between aboveground and belowground pools. In addition to characterizing the subtle differences in C dynamics between thinned and unmanaged stands, these results suggest that C accrual in red pine stands continues well beyond the 60-100 year management rotations typical for this system. Management plans that incorporate longer rotations and thinning in some stands could play an important role in maximizing C stocks in red pine forests while meeting other objectives including timber extraction, biodiversity conservation, restoration, and fuel reduction goals.     

Prey selection by resident common bottlenose dolphins (tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida

Prey selection was investigated in wild, resident common bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, during the summer months in Sarasota Bay, Florida, USA. Stomach content analyses of 15 dolphins with extensive sighting histories and well-documented distributions were used to determine prey use. Prey availability was assessed by purse seine surveys. We compared the relative abundances of prey available to estimates of prey use at closely matching spatial and temporal scales. G-tests determined that dolphins in this study significantly selected for prey at the species, family, and soniferous/non-soniferous prey levels (G _adj  = 753.98–1,775.93, df = 1–21, p ≤ 0.01). While comprising only 6.3% of the total available prey, soniferous fishes accounted for 51.9% of the total prey consumed. Manly’s standardized forage ratios and 95% Bonferroni confidence intervals determined significant positive selection for soniferous prey and against non-soniferous prey (β^S = 0.9461 vs. β^NS = 0.0539). Dolphins selected against Gerridae, Clupeidae, and Sparidae (β ≤ 0.0014), as well as against all the species within those families (β ≤ 0.0190). It is likely that passive listening for soniferous prey provides an ecological or energetic advantage to cetaceans utilizing this specific foraging technique.     

Red-list status and extinction risk of the world's whales,dolphins, and porpoises

To understand the scope and scale of the loss of biodiversity, tools are required that can be applied in a standardized manner to all species globally, spanning realms from land to the open ocean. We used data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List to provide a synthesis of the conservation status and extinction risk of cetaceans. One in 4 cetacean species (26% of 92 species) was threatened with extinction (i.e., critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable) and 11% were near threatened. Ten percent of cetacean species were data deficient, and we predicted that 2–3 of these species may also be threatened. The proportion of threatened cetaceans has increased: 15% in 1991, 19% in 2008, and 26% in 2021. The assessed conservation status of 20% of species has worsened from 2008 to 2021, and only 3 moved into categories of lesser threat. Cetacean species with small geographic ranges were more likely to be listed as threatened than those with large ranges, and those that occur in freshwater (100% of species) and coastal (60% of species) habitats were under the greatest threat. Analysis of odontocete species distributions revealed a global hotspot of threatened small cetaceans in Southeast Asia, in an area encompassing the Coral Triangle and extending through nearshore waters of the Bay of Bengal, northern Australia, and Papua New Guinea and into the coastal waters of China. Improved management of fisheries to limit overfishing and reduce bycatch is urgently needed to avoid extinctions or further declines, especially in coastal areas of Asia, Africa, and South America.     

Florida, USA, Port Experience with Marpol Annex V

This study assesses the effectiveness of MARPOL Annex V regulations, hereafter referred to as the Annex, using observations of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) personnel stationed at major Florida ports. the study was initiated at the request of the 1IOPS Marine Debris Workshop Steering Committee* and was designed to focus on Gulf and Caribbean experiences gained since the Annex became effective.