THE ATMOSPHERIC WATER BALANCE AND THE HYDROLOGY OF LARGE RIVER BASINS1

The concept of using the atmospheric water balance technique in the study of the hydrology of large (greater than 10⁵km²) river basins is described. The atmospheric water balance technique consists of determining the spacial and time distributions and fluxes of water vapor through the atmospheric volume overlying the basin. The quantity precipitation minus evaporation at the earth's surface is determined as a residual of the computation. A review of the results of various experiments employing this technique is provided. The incorporation of the technique in a study of the hydrology of a large river basin is demonstrated by showing the results of a study of the hydrometeorology of the Upper Colorado River Basin. The example covers the study of eleven winter seasons, November through April, 1957–1968. The seasonal accumulation of water over the basin as determined by the atmospheric water balance is highly correlated with annual runoff. Correlation coefficient r = .8. The daily evaporation rate during dry days varies by a factor of two over the winter season, and is shown to be related to the incoming solar radiation intensity.     

Sustainable coasts? Perceptions of change and livelihood vulnerability in Nordland,Norway

ABSTRACT

Northern coastal regions are facing multiple challenges from accelerating global environmental and socioeconomic changes, such as ecosystem degradation, climate change, intensified resource extraction, land use change and declining populations. Based on interviews with 13 farmers, fishers and aquaculture employees from coastal Nordland, northern Norway, this study demonstrates how the local stakeholders’ perceptions of change and experiences of vulnerability are closely linked to their livelihood values and worldviews. What the informants consider a sustainable and meaningful way of coastal living does not coincide with national goals for sustainable, natural resource dependent development of the region. The article demonstrates the importance of attending to local values if policymakers and managers are to ensure successful local mobilisation, reduce vulnerability to ongoing and future processes of change, and ensure legitimacy and consistency in development goals of coastal zone management. Insights from this study are useful for local and regional decision makers with responsibility for natural resource policies and development efforts.     

Sensitivity analysis of mass balance receptor modeling: Methyl chloride as an indicator of wood smoke

The Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) approach to stability analysis of the Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) receptor model is extended to incorporate uncertainties in both source and ambient compositions. SVD is applied to determine the improved precision with which the impact of residential wood smoke can be estimated by including methyl chloride in a CMB analysis. Wood smoke impacts in Hillsboro and Medford, Oregon, are examined. The results indicate that including methyl chloride will dramatically improve the precision of estimating wood smoke impacts for Medford, while estimates for Hillsboro are changed to a much lesser extent. This result is reasonable since the Medford airshed includes many industrial sources of particulate matter with chemical compositions similar to residential wood smoke, while Hillsboro is predominantly a residential community. The precision improvements estimated by SVD are verified by CMB analysis of a series of ambient samples collected in Hillsboro. Finally, the applicability of SVD as a receptor model study design tool is discussed.     

Complying with Executive Order 13148 using the Enterprise Environmental Safety And Occupational Health Management Information System

All U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) facilities are required under Executive Order (EO) 13148, "Greening the Government through Leadership in Environmental Management," to establish quality-based environmental management systems (EMSs) that support environmental decision-making and verification of continuous environmental improvement by December 31, 2005. Compliance with EO 13148 as well as other federal, state, and local environmental regulations places a significant information management burden on DoD facilities. Cost-effective management of environmental data compels DoD facilities to establish robust database systems that not only address the complex and multifaceted environmental monitoring, record-keeping, and reporting requirements demanded by these rules but enable environmental management decision-makers to gauge improvements in environmental performance. The Enterprise Environmental Safety and Occupational Health Management Information System (EESOH-MIS) is a new electronic database developed by the U.S. Air Force to manage both the data needs associated with regulatory compliance programs across its facilities as well as the non-regulatory environmental information that supports installation business practices. The U.S. Air Force, which has adopted the Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology as the EMS standard that it will employ to address EO 13148 requirements.     

Reproductive consequences of maternal care patterns during estrus among free-ranging rhesus monkeys

Summary We examined the hypothesis that among free-ranging rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), maternal care patterns during estrus influence chances of conception independently of variation in the timing of the postpartum resumption of mating. We observed 24 multiparous mothers and their infants before and during the 1990 mating season. When mothers resumed mating, they abruptly sought less contact with their infants. Infants responded by increasing the rates with which they emitted distress calls and attempted to make nipple contact. High levels of maternal rejection and low levels of maternal nipple contact initiation during the mother's first estrus were associated with low suckling frequencies and high chances of conception. Although demanding infants had some success in gaining access to the nipples of reluctant mothers during estrus, mothers' chances of conception were unrelated to measures of infant demand or distress calling. Individual differences in maternal behavior regulating access to the nipple during estrus were unrelated to those shown previously. During estrus, mothers appeared to regulate nipple contact according to their infant's age and perhaps other factors related to its vulnerability. Correspondence to: C.M. Berman     

A TEST OF SEVERAL EVAPORATION EQUATIONS FOR WATER TEMPERATURE SIMULATIONS IN LAKES1

ABSTRACT: Evaporative heat loss is an essential component of any heat budget used for the modeling of lake water temperatures. Seven evaporative heat loss equations were tested in a year-round, physically-based temperature and dissolved oxygen model for lakes. Deciding which equation to choose for use in the year-round model was based on the goodness of fit of the simulated vs. measured surface temperatures, which were taken at a depth of 1 m below the water surface. An equation which includes free and forced convection components and which was previously used for cooling ponds gave the best fit between temperature simulations and measurements.     

Northern hemisphere concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide since 1800: Results from the Mt. Logan and 20D ice cores

Concentrations of CH₄ and N₂O have been determined in bubbles extracted from the Mt. Logan (Yukon) and 20D (south Greenland) ice cores. The enclosure dates of the trapped gas samples range from 1802 to 1960; thus these data help to document the anthropogenic increases of these two greenhouse gases in the Northen Hemisphere atmosphere. In general, the new data are in accord with previous ice core studies showing accelerating increases in concentration of both gases since 1900. The Mt. Logan records appear to be the first for any trace gases from alpine glacial ice. The present data set is too sparse to be conclusive, but suggests generally higher CH₄ concentrations over south Greenland than Mt. Logan, particularly for the 1850 - 1900 period.     

Single-step nested multiplex PCR to differentiate between various bivalve larvae

A nested multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay has been developed that allows the discrimination between six bivalve larvae common to Danish coastal waters (Cerastoderma edule, Macoma balthica, Mytilus edulis, Spisula subtruncata, Ensis americanus and members of the order Myoida). This assay involves the simultaneous use of a pair of general universally targeted 18S rRNA gene primers, five specific 18S rRNA gene targeted oligonucleotide primers internal (nested) to the universal primer pair and one species-specific primer that is not nested (Mya). The specificity of each primer was evaluated in silico, empirically, and verified further by sequencing of amplification products from single larvae collected from plankton samples. Identification of individually isolated bivalve larvae from plankton samples was based on the size of the PCR product produced by the specific primers after visualisation by agarose gel electrophoresis. Preliminary studies indicated that this method was suitable for use with freshly collected and preserved larvae, and is therefore suitable for field application.Communicated by M. Kühl, Helsingør     

Changes in the activity budgets of yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus) during sexual consortships

Summary The energetic cost of guarding estrous females has been assumed to be a potentially major factor in limiting the duration of male consortships in a number of polygamous species. This issue has been examined in the present study by assessing changes in the usual activity budgets of 13 male and 20 female yellow baboons which occurred during their consortships.The percent of time adult males spent feeding was strongly related to their agonistic rank: Higher-ranking males fed proportionately more than lower-ranking males while not in consort, and they showed a relatively greater decrease in feeding time during consortships.The proportion of time females spent feeding was related to their agonistic rank and (to a lesser degree) to their parity. Higher-ranking females fed more than lower-ranking females outside of consortships, and showed a relatively greater decrease in time spent feeding while in consort. Nulliparous females tended to feed more than parous females while not in consort; during consortships, the feeding time of nulliparous females decreased, while that of parous females increased slightly.The activity of male and female consort partners was most coordinated during the fertile cycle stage of the female partner, and least coordinated once the female had passed the fertile stage.Although reductions in feeding time during consortships were generally much more pronounced in males than in females, neither males nor females appeared to attain the undisturbed optimal feeding level for their sex while in consort.