Using NOAA AVHRR data to assess flood damage in China

The article used two NOAA-14 Advanced Very High ResolutionRadiometer (AVHRR) datasets to assess flood damage in the middleand lower reaches of China's Changjiang River (Yangtze River) in 1998. As the AVHRR is an optical sensor, it cannot penetratethe clouds that frequently cover the land during the flood season, and this technology is greatly limited in flood monitoring. However the widely used normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) can be used to monitor flooding, sincewater has a much lower NDVI value than other surface features.Though many factors other than flooding (e.g. atmospheric conditions, different sun-target-satellite angles, and cloud) can change NDVI values, inundated areas can be distinguished fromother types of ground cover by changes in the NDVI value beforeand after the flood after eliminating the effects of other factors on NDVI. AVHRR data from 26 May and 22 August, 1998 wereselected to represent the ground conditions before and after flooding. After accurate geometric correction by collecting GCPs,and atmospheric and angular corrections by using the 6S code, NDVI values for both days and their differences were calculatedfor cloud-free pixels. The difference in the NDVI values betweenthese two times, together with the NDVI values and a land-use map, were used to identify inundated areas and to assess the arealost to the flood. The results show a total of 358 867 ha, with 207 556 ha of cultivated fields (paddy and non-irrigated field) inundated during the flood of 1998 in the middle and lower reaches of the Changjiang River Catchment; comparing with the reported total of 321 000 and 197 000 ha, respectively. The discrimination accuracy of this method was tested by comparing the results from two nearly simultaneous sets of remote-sensingdata (NOAA's AVHRR data from 10 September, 1998, and JERS-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from 11 September, 1998, with a lag of about 18.5 hr) over a representative flooded regionin the study area. The results showed that 67.26% of the total area identified as inundated using the NOAA data was also identified as inundated using the SAR data.     

Potential ammonia emission from flag leaves of paddy rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Koshihikari)

The present study aimed to investigate the potential ammonia (NH₃) emission from flag leaves of paddy rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Koshihikari). The study was conducted at a paddy field in central Japan that was designed as a free-air CO₂ enrichment (FACE) facility for paddy rice. A dynamic chamber method was used to measure the potential NH₃ emissions. The air concentrations of NH₃ at two heights (2 and 6 m from the ground surface) were measured using a filter-pack method, and the exchange fluxes of NH₃ of the whole paddy field were calculated using a gradient method. The flag leaves showed potential NH₃ emissions of 25-38 ng N cm⁻² h⁻¹ in the daytime from the heading to the maturity stages, and they showed potentials of approximately 22 ng N cm⁻² h⁻¹, even in the nighttime, at the heading and mid-ripening stages. The exchange fluxes of NH₃ of the whole paddy field in the daytime were net emissions of 0.9-3.9 g N ha⁻¹ h⁻¹ whereas the exchange fluxes of NH₃ in the nighttime were approximately zero.     

Performance and efficiency of removal of pharmaceutical compounds from hospital wastewater by lab-scale biological treatment system

The fate of pharmaceuticals after discharged from hospital into wastewater was clarified experimentally by using a new lab-scale conventional activated sludge (CAS) treatment reactor. The 43 target compounds belong to nine therapeutic classes (antivirals, antibacterials, anticancer drugs, psychotropics, antihypertensives, analgesic–antipyretics, contrast media, herbal medicines, and phytoestrogens) were selected with inclusion of 16 newly estimated compounds. The efficiency of the present reactor was estimated by comparing the reaction rate constant of the solid-water partition coefficients (log K_d) between liquid and solid samples and half-life during 48-h experiment obtained by using hospital effluents with those obtained by using STP wastewater. The results that no significant difference in removal efficiency was observed between both water samples (P?>?0.05) indicate high reliability of the present lab-scale reactor. The actual rates of removal when hospital effluent was applied varied widely (mean, 59?±?40%) independent of type of the pharmaceuticals. More than 90% of 17 compounds were removed after 8 h of treatment. However, the values for psychotropics (mean, 19?±?26%) and contrast media (mean, 24?±?17%) were generally low, indicating high stability. The log K_d values ranged from 1.3 to 4.8. Notably, clarithromycin, acridine, and glycitein could be removed in both liquid and solid phases. The dominant removal mechanisms were found to be different for individual pharmaceutical. These results suggest the effectiveness of introduction of the lab-scale biological treatment system for development of a new solution for discharge of pharmaceuticals from hospital.

     

Characterization of Activated Carbon Fiber Filters for Pressure Drop,Submicrometer Particulate Collection,and Mercury Capture

ABSTRACT

The use of activated carbon fiber (ACF) filters for the capture of particulate matter and elemental Hg is demonstrated. The pressure drop and particle collection efficiency characteristics of the ACF filters were established at two different face velocities and for two different aerosols: spherical NaCl and combustion-generated silica particles. The clean ACF filter specific resistance was 153 kg m^-2 sec^-1. The experimental specific resistance for cake filtration was 1.6 × 10⁶ sec^-1 and 2.4 × 10⁵ sec^-1 for 0.5- and 1.5-μm mass median diameter particles, respectively. The resistance factor R was approximately 2, similar to that for the high-efficiency particulate air filters. There was a discrepancy in the measured particle collection efficiencies and those predicted by theory. The use of the ACF filter for elemental Hg capture was illustrated, and the breakthrough characteristic was established. The capacity of the ACF filter for Hg capture was similar to other powdered activated carbons.     

Effects of field-applied composted cattle manure and chemical fertilizer on ammonia and particulate ammonium exchanges at an upland field

The present study aimed to investigate the NH₃ volatilization loss from field-applied compost and chemical fertilizer and evaluate the atmosphere–land exchange of NH₃ and particulate NH₄⁺ (pNH₄) at an upland field with volcanic ash soil (Andosol) in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Two-step basal fertilization was conducted on the bare soil surface. First, a moderately fermented compost of cattle manure was applied by surface incorporation (mixing depth, 0–15 cm) at a rate of 117 kg N ha⁻¹ as total nitrogen (T-N) corresponding to 9.9 kg N ha⁻¹ as ammoniacal nitrogen (NH₄–N). Twelve days later, a chemical fertilizer containing 10% (w/w) of NH₄–N as a mixture of ammonium sulfate and ammonium phosphates was applied by row placement (cover depth, 3 cm) at a rate of 100 kg N ha⁻¹ as NH₄–N. The study period was divided into the first-half, beginning after the compost application (CCM period), and the second-half, beginning after the chemical fertilizer application (CF period). The mean air concentrations of NH₃ and pNH₄ (1.5 m height) were 7.6 and 3.0 μg N m⁻³, respectively, in the CCM period; the values were 3.7 and 3.9 μg N m⁻³, respectively, in the CF period. The composition ratios of NH₃ to the sum of NH₃ and pNH₄ (1.5 m height) were 72% and 49% in the CCM and CF periods, respectively. The NH₃ volatilization loss from the compost was 0.8% of the applied T-N (or 9.3% of the applied NH₄–N) and that from the chemical fertilizer was near zero. Excluding the period immediately after the compost application, the upland field acted as a net sink for NH₃ and pNH₄.     

Nitrogen footprints: Regional realities and options to reduce nitrogen loss to the environment

Ambio - Nitrogen (N) management presents a sustainability dilemma: N is strongly linked to energy and food production, but excess reactive N causes environmental pollution. The N footprint is an...     

Measuring Water Storage Fluctuations in Lake Dongting, China, by Topex/Poseidon Satellite Altimetry

Although satellite radar altimetry was developed and optimized for open oceans, it has been used to monitor variations in the level of inland water-bodies such as lakes and rivers. Here, for the first time, we have further used the altimetry-derived variation of water level for estimating the fluctuation of water storage as an addition to the present in situ water storage estimation systems to be used in remote areas and in emergency situation such as in the events flooding monitoring and for studying the effect of climate change. Lake Dongting, the second largest lake in China, influenced frequently by flooding, was, therefore, chosen to demonstrate the potential of the technique. By using the concept of an “assumed reference point”, we converted Topex/Poseidon satellite altimetry data on water level variations in Lake Dongting to “water level” data. The “water level” time-series data and in situ water storage were used to establish a rating curve. From the rating curve, we converted data on “water level” derived from seven years (1993–1999) of Topex/Poseidon data to actual water storage in Lake Dongting. The result reveals that the seasonal and annual fluctuations of water storage occurred during the 1990s with a more frequent flooding at the late 1990s' especially the flooding in whole catchment level in 1998 and 1999. The study supports the usefulness of satellite altimetry for dense and continuous monitoring of the temporal variations in water dynamic in moderate to large lakes.     

陆地水循环和气候变化的影响

陆地水循环及其对气候变化的响应对农业和自然生态系统而言都是很重要的课题.本研究通过在基准气候条件和2个全球大气环流模型模拟的气候变化情景下运行一个宏观尺度的水分平衡模型,评价陆地水循环及其对气候变化的响应.结果表明2021～2030年间,由于气候变化,世界范围内水需求将普遍增加.在西亚、阿拉伯半岛、非洲北部和南部、澳大利亚的东北部、北美洲的西南部和南美洲的中部,水缺乏将加剧.在南亚,表面径流将显著增加,而在南美北部将显著减少.这些变化将对区域环境和社会经济产生重要影响.