Environmental Management of Human Waste Disposal for Recreational Boating Activities

/ A methodology to estimate the number of pump-out facilities and dump stations required to service human waste disposal for recreational power boating activities in Pennsylvania during the 1994 boating season is described. Study results suggest that a total of 39 additional pump-out stations and 13 dump stations may be required on seven major waterbodies: The Three Rivers Area, Lake Erie/Presque Isle Bay, Raystown Lake, the Susquehanna River, the Delaware River, Lake Wallenpaupack, and the Kinzua Reservoir. Suggestions for improving the methodology are provided. KEY WORDS: Human waste; Recreation; Power boating; Waste facilities; Waste disposal; Pennsylvania     

Linking Nitrogen Export to Landscape Heterogeneity: The Role of Infrastructure and Storm Flows in a Mediterranean Urban System

Urban ecosystems are often sources of nonpoint source (NPS) nitrogen (N) pollution to aquatic ecosystems. However, N export from urban watersheds is highly variable. Examples of densely urbanized watersheds are not well studied, and these may have comparatively low export rates. Commonly used metrics of landscape heterogeneity may obscure our ability to discern relationships among landscape characteristics that can explain these lower export rates. We expected that differences not often captured by these metrics in the relative cover of vegetation, structures, and impervious surfaces would better explain observed variation in N export. We examined these relationships during storms in residential watersheds. Contrary to expectations, land cover did not directly predict variation in N or water export. Instead, N export was strongly linked to drainage infrastructure density. Our research highlights the role of fine‐scaled landscape attributes, mainly infrastructure, in explaining patterns of N export from densely urbanized watersheds. Changes to hydrologic flow paths by infrastructure explained more variation in N export than land cover. Our findings support further development of landscape ecological models of urban N export that focus on hydrologic modification by infrastructure rather than traditional landscape measures such as land use, as indicators for evaluating patterns of NPS nitrogen pollution in densely urbanized watersheds.     

Management and Limnology Interact to Drive Water Temperature Patterns in a Middle Rockies River‐Reservoir System

This study seeks to improve understanding of temperature patterns in reservoir outflows. We examined water temperatures in an irrigation storage reservoir, Island Park Reservoir, and its outflow, Henry’s Fork of the Snake River in eastern Idaho. Our objectives were to (1) quantify the extent to which daily temperature ranges in the reservoir outflow deviated from other reaches of the Henry’s Fork, and (2) test whether the reservoir’s net volume change during the summer — expressed as the volume of water remaining in the reservoir on September 1 — predicted mean summer temperature in the outflow. Two years of temperature data showed dampened diel temperature cycles in the reservoir outflow. Model selection with 17 years of climatic, hydrologic, and reservoir management variables found mean summer temperature in the outflow was best predicted by September 1 reservoir volume and average summer air temperature. Two years of weekly reservoir thermal profiles indicated large changes in reservoir volume eliminated cool hypolimnetic water and encouraged mixing, allowing warm epilimnetic water to be discharged into the outflow. Increases in future drought frequency and severity and increases in summer air temperatures could increase the frequency of occurrence of high mean summertime water temperatures in the outflow. Our study provides important information for local managers by quantifying influences on outflow temperatures and the downstream river ecosystem.     

Relationships between soil and runoff phosphorus in small Alberta watersheds

Field-scale relationships between soil test phosphorus (STP) and flow-weighted mean concentrations (FWMCs) of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) and total phosphorus (TP) in runoff are essential for modeling phosphorus losses, but are lacking. The objectives of this study were (i) to determine the relationships between soil phosphorus (STP and degree of phosphorus saturation (DPS)) and runoff phosphorus (TP and DRP) from field-sized catchments under spring snowmelt and summer rainfall conditions, and (ii) to determine whether a variety of depths and spatial representations of STP improved the prediction of phosphorus losses. Runoff was monitored from eight field-scale microwatersheds (2 to 248 ha) for 3 yr. Soil test phosphorus was determined for three layers (0 to 2.5 cm, 0 to 5 cm, and 0 to 15 cm) in spring and fall and the DPS was determined for the surface layer. Average STP (0 to 15 cm) ranged from 3 to 512 mg kg(-1), and DPS (0 to 2.5 cm) ranged from 5 to 91%. Seasonal FWMCs ranged from 0.01 to 7.4 mg L(-1) DRP and from 0.1 to 8.0 mg L(-1) TP. Strong linear relationships (r2=0.87 to 0.89) were found between the site mean STP and the FWMCs of DRP and TP. The relationships had similar extraction coefficients, intercepts, and predictive power among all three soil layers. Extraction coefficients (0.013 to 0.014) were similar to those reported for other Alberta studies, but were greater than those reported for rainfall simulation studies. The curvilinear DPS relationship showed similar predictive ability to STP. The field-scale STP relationships derived from natural conditions in this study should provide the basis for modeling phosphorus in Alberta.     

Quantifying carbon dioxide and methane emissions and carbon dynamics from flooded boreal forest soil

The boreal forest is subject to natural and anthropogenic disturbances, but the production of greenhouse gases as a result of flooding for hydroelectric power generation has received little attention. It was hypothesized that flooded soil would result in greater CO(2) and CH(4) emissions and carbon (C) fractionation compared with non-flooded soil. To evaluate this hypothesis, soil C and nitrogen (N) dynamics, CO(2) and CH(4) mean production rates, and (13)C fractionation in laboratory incubations at 14 and 21 degrees C under non-flooded and flooded conditions and its effect on labile and recalcitrant C sources were determined. A ferro-humic Podzol was collected at three different sites at the Experimental Lakes Area, Canada, with a high (19,834 g C m(-2)), medium (18,066 g C m(-2)), and low (11,060 g C m(-2)) soil organic C (SOC) stock. Soil organic C and total N stocks (g m(-2)) and concentrations (g kg(-1)) were significantly different (p < 0.05) among soil horizons within each of the three sites. Stable isotope analysis showed a significant enrichment in delta(13)C and delta(15)N with depth and an enrichment in delta(13)C and delta(15)N with decreasing SOC and N concentration. The mean CO(2) and CH(4) production rates were greatest in soil horizons with the highest SOC stock and were significantly higher at 21 degrees C and in flooded treatments. The delta(13)C of the evolved CO(2) (delta(13)C-CO(2)) became significantly enriched with time during decomposition, and the greatest degree of fractionation occurred in the organic Litter, Fungal, and Humic forest soil horizons and in soil with a high SOC stock compared with the mineral horizon and soil with a lower SOC stock. The delta(13)C-CO(2) was significantly depleted in flooded treatments compared with non-flooded treatments.     

SNOW: NATURE'S RESERVOIR1

ABSTRACT: Snow, one of Nature's greatest reservoirs, supplies most of the usable water in the Western United States. Reliable predictions of the quantity and timing of the release of this water are used in making management decisions involving irrigation, stock water and municipal water supplies, hydro-power generation, recreation, navigation, and pollution control Practically oriented research is vital for the proper development and management of this resource. In southwestern Idaho, the Northwest Watershed Research Center, ARS, USDA, is conducting intensive investigations for assessing snow Volumes, snow water content, and snow-melt over a watershed. Application of these research findings will result in better development and management of the water stored as snow in Nature's reservoir.     

安大略基拉尼公园及实验湖泊区浮游生物群落对酸化的响应及其恢复过程

人们普遍推测控制SO2排放可以促进加拿大、美国和欧洲的酸化淡水湖泊的恢复.本文研究了1998～2000年间靠近安大略省基拉尼公园的22个湖泊(pH值范围4.5～7.7)的浮游生物群落变化,将结果与安大略省西北的实验湖泊区(ELA)人工酸化(pH值从6.7降至4.5)又恢复(pH升至6.0)的南302号湖的数据进行了对比,以评价酸化后的恢复效果.根据历史记录,基拉尼地区数个湖泊的pH值由先前酸化的5.0～5.5反弹到6.0.浮游生物量与pH不相关,但其物种的丰富度与pH值间呈显著相关.将所得到的物种多样性数据与历史数据加以组合,可观察到其中6个湖泊中的恢复轨迹.相关分析表明:pH值得到提高后,其中几个湖泊的浮游生物群落开始向中性环境中的典型群落转化.     

1982-2006年新疆山地-绿洲-荒漠系统植被覆盖变化时空特征

植被覆盖变化在新疆山地-绿洲-荒漠系统(MODS)共存、平衡演变机制中扮演着重要角色。基于1982-2006年GIMMS/NDVI数据,提取新疆地区年最大植被覆盖指数(fvc),针对新疆MODS的基本格局,通过先地理分区再因海拔而异讨论,划分出山地、绿洲、荒漠子系统,对比分析不同分区不同子系统下fvc变化趋势、变率、变幅、变异性等时空动态特征。结果表明:新疆植被覆盖总体呈显著上升趋势,可分为1982-1995年的剧烈波动期和1996-2006年的相对平稳期,不同分区和子系统差异显著;在变幅和变异性上,东、南疆地区>北疆、伊犁地区,荒漠>山地>绿洲,植被覆盖度低的地区>植被覆盖度高的地区;显著改善的地区位于绿洲内部、绿洲的周边地区及部分山地,显著退化的地区大多位于东、南疆的荒漠区;不同植被覆盖度下植被覆盖变化具有不同特征,植被覆盖度低的地区,植被退化趋势明显,植被覆盖度高的地区,植被改善趋势明显。