A comparison of speciated atmospheric mercury at an urban center and an upwind rural location

Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), particulate mercury (PHg) and reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) were measured every other hour at a rural location in south central Wisconsin (Devil's Lake State Park, WI, USA) between April 2003 and March 2004, and at a predominantly downwind urban site in southeastern Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI, USA) between June 2004 and May 2005. Annual averages of GEM, PHg, and RGM at the urban site were statistically higher than those measured at the rural site. Pollution roses of GEM and reactive mercury (RM; sum of PHg and RGM) at the rural and urban sites revealed the influences of point source emissions in surrounding counties that were consistent with the US EPA 1999 National Emission Inventory and the 2003-2005 US EPA Toxics Release Inventory. Source-receptor relationships at both sites were studied by quantifying the impacts of point sources on mercury concentrations. Time series of GEM, PHg, and RGM concentrations were sorted into two categories; time periods dominated by impacts from point sources, and time periods dominated by mercury from non-point sources. The analysis revealed average point source contributions to GEM, PHg, and RGM concentration measurements to be significant over the year long studies. At the rural site, contributions to annual average concentrations were: GEM (2%; 0.04 ng m(-3)); and, RM (48%; 5.7 pg m(-3)). At the urban site, contributions to annual average concentrations were: GEM (33%; 0.81 ng m(-3)); and, RM (64%; 13.8 pg m(-3)).     

Response of Fish and Macroinvertebrate Bioassessment Indices to Water Chemistry in a Mined Appalachian Watershed

Multimetric indices based on fish and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages are commonly used to assess the biological integrity of aquatic ecosystems. However, their response to specific stressors is rarely known. We quantified the response of a fish-based index (Mid-Atlantic Highlands Index of Biotic Integrity, MAH-IBI) and a benthic invertebrate-based index (West Virginia Stream Condition Index, WV-SCI) to acid mine drainage (AMD)-related stressors in 46 stream sites within the Cheat River watershed, West Virginia. We also identified specific stressor concentrations at which biological impairment was always or never observed. Water chemistry was extremely variable among tributaries of the Cheat River, and the WV-SCI was highly responsive across a range of AMD stressor levels. Furthermore, impairment to macroinvertebrate communities was observed at relatively low stressor concentrations, especially when compared to state water quality standards. In contrast to the WV-SCI, we found that the MAH-IBI was significantly less responsive to local water quality conditions. Low fish diversity was observed in several streams that possessed relatively good water quality. This pattern was especially pronounced in highly degraded subwatersheds, suggesting that regional conditions may have a strong influence on fish assemblages in this system. Our results indicate that biomonitoring programs in mined watersheds should include both benthic invertebrates, which are consistent indicators of local conditions, and fishes, which may be indicators of regional conditions. In addition, remediation programs must address the full suite of chemical constituents in AMD and focus on improving linkages among streams within drainage networks to ensure recovery of invertebrate and fish assemblages. Future research should identify the precise chemical conditions necessary to maintain biological integrity in mined Appalachian watersheds.     

Simultaneous removal of ammonia and N-nitrosamine precursors from high ammonia water by zeolite and powdered activated carbon

When adding sufficient chlorine to achieve breakpoint chlorination to source water containing high concentration of ammonia during drinking water treatment, high concentrations of disinfection by-products(DBPs) may form. If N-nitrosamine precursors are present, highly toxic N-nitrosamines, primarily N-nitrosodimethylamine(NDMA), may also form. Removing their precursors before disinfection should be a more effective way to minimize these DBPs formation. In this study, zeolites and activated carbon were examined for ammonia and N-nitrosamine precursor removal when incorporated into drinking water treatment processes.The test results indicate that Mordenite zeolite can remove ammonia and five of seven N-nitrosamine precursors efficiently by single step adsorption test. The practical applicability was evaluated by simulation of typical drinking water treatment processes using six-gang stirring system. The Mordenite zeolite was applied at the steps of lime softening, alum coagulation, and alum coagulation with powdered activated carbon(PAC) sorption. While the lime softening process resulted in poor zeolite performance, alum coagulation did not impact ammonia and N-nitrosamine precursor removal. During alum coagulation, more than67% ammonia and 70%–100% N-nitrosamine precursors were removed by Mordenite zeolite(except 3-(dimethylaminomethyl)indole(DMAI) and 4-dimethylaminoantipyrine(DMAP)). PAC effectively removed DMAI and DMAP when added during alum coagulation. A combination of the zeolite and PAC selected efficiently removed ammonia and all tested seven N-nitrosamine precursors(dimethylamine(DMA), ethylmethylamine(EMA), diethylamine(DEA), dipropylamine(DPA), trimethylamine(TMA), DMAP, and DMAI) during the alum coagulation process.     

HYDROLOGIC BEHAVIOR OF VEGETATED ROOFS1

ABSTRACT: Control of stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces is an important national goal because of disruptions to downstream ecosystems, water users, and property owners caused by increased flows and degraded quality. One method for reducing stormwater is the use of vegetated (green) roofs, which efficiently detain and retain stormwater when compared to conventional (black) roofs. A paired green roof‐black roof test plot was constructed at the University of Georgia and monitored between November 2003 and November 2004 for the green roof's effectiveness in reducing stormwater flows. Stormwater mitigation performance was monitored for 31 precipitation events, which ranged in depth from 0.28 to 8.43 cm. Green roof precipitation retention decreased with precipitation depth; ranging from just under 90 percent for small storms (< 2.54 cm) to slightly less than 50 percent for larger storms (> 7.62 cm). Runoff from the green roof was delayed; average runoff lag times increased from 17.0 minutes for the black roof to 34.9 minutes for the green roof, an average increase of 17.9 minutes. Precipitation and runoff data were used to estimate the green roof curve number, CN = 86. This information can be used in hydrologic models for developing stormwater mitigation programs.     

Guidance for performing footprint analyses and life‐cycle assessments for the remediation industry

The US Sustainable Remediation Forum (SURF) proposes a nine‐step process for conducting and documenting a footprint analysis and life‐cycle assessment (LCA) for remediation projects. This guidance is designed to assist remediation practitioners in evaluating the impacts resulting from potential remediation activities so that preventable impacts can be mitigated. Each of the nine steps is flexible and scalable to a full range of remediation projects and to the tools used by remediation practitioners for quantifying environmental metrics. Two fictional case studies are presented to demonstrate how the guidance can be implemented for a range of evaluations and tools. Case‐study findings show that greater insight into a study is achieved when the nine steps are followed and additional opportunities are provided to minimize remediation project footprints and create improved sustainable remediation solutions. This guidance promotes a consistent and repeatable process in which all pertinent information is provided in a transparent manner to allow stakeholders to comprehend the intricacies and tradeoffs inherent in a footprint analysis or LCA. For these reasons, SURF recommends that this guidance be used when a footprint analysis or LCA is completed for a remediation project. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Patterns of houses and habitat loss from 1937 to 1999 in northern Wisconsin, USA.

Rural America is witnessing widespread housing development, which is to the detriment of the environment. It has been suggested to cluster houses so that their disturbance zones overlap and thus cause less habitat loss than is the case for dispersed development. Clustering houses makes intuitive sense, but few empirical studies have quantified the spatial pattern of houses in real landscapes, assessed changes in their patterns over time, and quantified the resulting habitat loss. We addressed three basic questions: (1) What are the spatial patterns of houses and how do they change over time; (2) How much habitat is lost due to houses, and how is this affected by spatial pattern of houses; and (3) What type of habitat is most affected by housing development. We mapped 27 419 houses from aerial photos for five time periods in 17 townships in northern Wisconsin and calculated the terrestrial land area remaining after buffering each house using 100- and 500-m disturbance zones. The number of houses increased by 353% between 1937 and 1999. Ripley's K test showed that houses were significantly clustered at all time periods and at all scales. Due to the clustering, the rate at which habitat was lost (176% and 55% for 100- and 500-m buffers, respectively) was substantially lower than housing growth rates, and most land area was undisturbed (95% and 61% for 100-m and 500-m buffers, respectively). Houses were strongly clustered within 100 m of lakes. Habitat loss was lowest in wetlands but reached up to 60% in deciduous forests. Our results are encouraging in that clustered development is common in northern Wisconsin, and habitat loss is thus limited. However, the concentration of development along lakeshores causes concern, because these may be critical habitats for many species. Conservation goals can only be met if policies promote clustered development and simultaneously steer development away from sensitive ecosystems.     

Reproductive energetics of two species of dorid nudibranchs with planktotrophic and lecithotrophic larval strategies

Onchidoris muricata (Müller) and Adalaria proxima (Alder and Hancock) are sympatric, potentially competing species of dorid nudibranchs, which preferentially graze the cheilostome polyzoan Electra pilosa (L.). O. muricata is small and lays small eggs which hatch as poorly-developed planktotrophic veliger larvae. A. proxima is larger and reproduces by means of larger eggs which hatch, as well-developed lecithotrophic larvae, that can metamorphose within approximately 24 h of release. A. proxima larvae can feed in the plankton, but do not require extrinsic nutrition to undergo complete development. Both species spawn in February–april, and have a strictly annual life-cycle. Comparisons of the calorific content of spawn have shown that A. proxima apportions a greater number of calories to reproduction, but that O. muricata makes a greater relative effort. A. proxima shown considerable individual variability in reproductive effort, which fails to correlate with, body size or rate of spawning. A more deterministic situation applies to O. muricata, because body size and fecundity follow an allometric relationship. It appears that there is a threshold of absolute energy required to support the lecithotrophic larval strategy in nudibranchs, and that this is not attained by the smaller species, O. muricata. A. proxima thus appears to have both reproductive strategies open to it, and to have adopted lecithotrophy in order to offset the unpredictability of energy available for reproduction.Communicated by J. M. Mauchline, Oban     

Genetic structure of leopard shark (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triakis semifasciata</Emphasis>) populations in California waters

The leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) is an important predator in coastal marine ecosystems of California, targeted by recreational and commercial fishermen and of specific interest in fisheries management. From October 2003 to August 2006, 169 leopard sharks were collected from the coast of California (between 40.750°N and 32.678°N) and analyzed for mitochondrial and nuclear genetic structure. Analyses of mtDNA control region sequences revealed relatively low levels of genetic variation (five haplotypes, average pairwise divergence π = 0.0067). In contrast, leopard sharks were highly polymorphic for inter simple sequence repeats (ISSRs), which characterize a broad range of the nuclear genome. The null hypothesis of panmixia in California waters was rejected for both genetic markers, and ISSRs displayed a statistically significant pattern of isolation by distance (IBD) across the species range (P = 0.002). A variety of analyses showed that divergence is most pronounced in the northernmost population of Humboldt Bay. Natal philopatry in T. semifasciata was tested using Siegel-Tukey tests on data partitioned by breeding site status, and sex-specific philopatry was tested by comparing IBD plots between sexes. Although there was some evidence for natal philopatry in leopard sharks (P = 0.038), and population divergence may be related to the proximity of breeding sites (P = 0.064), we found no support for sex-specific philopatry. In addition to identifying a novel set of highly variable genetic markers for use in shark population studies, these results may be used to better inform management decisions for leopard sharks in California.