Chemistry and aerosols in the marine boundary layer: 1-D modelling of the three ACE-2 Lagrangian experiments

Three Lagrangian experiments were conducted during IGAC's second aerosol characterization experiment (ACE-2) in the area between Portugal, Tenerife and Madeira in June/July 1997. During each Lagrangian experiment, a boundary layer air mass was followed for about 30 h, and the temporal evolution of its chemical and aerosol composition was documented by a series of vertical profiles and horizontal box pattern flown by the Meteorological Research Flight research aircraft Hercules C130. The wealth of observational data that has been collected during these three Lagrangian experiments is the basis for the development and testing of a one-dimensional Lagrangian boundary layer model with coupled gas, aqueous, and aerosol phase chemistry. The focus of this paper is on current model limitations and strengths. We show that the model is able to represent the dynamical and chemical evolution of the marine boundary layer, in some cases requiring adjustments of the subsidence velocity and of the surface heat fluxes. Entrainment of a layer rich in ozone and carbon monoxide from a residual continental boundary layer into the marine boundary layer as well as in-cloud oxidation of sulphur dioxide by hydrogen peroxide are simulated, and coherent results are obtained, concerning the evolution of the small, presumably sulphate–ammonia aerosol mode.     

Acoustic ranging in poison frogs—it is not about signal amplitude alone

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology - Colony size is an important predictor of annual survival and reproduction in social insects. By tracking monthly forager turn over, we measured the...     

Integrated approach to PCE‐impacted site characterization,site management,and enhanced bioremediation

Tetrachloroethene (PCE)‐ and trichloroethene (TCE)‐impacted sites pose significant challenges even when site characterization activities indicate that biodegradation has occurred naturally. Although site‐specific, regulatory, and economic factors play roles in the remedy‐selection process, the application of molecular biological tools to the bioremediation field has streamlined the assessment of remedial alternatives and allowed for detailed evaluation of the chosen remedial technology. The case study described here was performed at a PCE‐impacted site at which reductive dechlorination of PCE and TCE had led to accumulation of cis‐dichlorethene (cis‐DCE) with concentrations ranging from approximately 10 to 100 mg/L. Bio‐Trap® samplers and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) enumeration of Dehalococcoides spp. were used to evaluate three remedial options: monitored natural attenuation, biostimulation with HRC®, and biostimulation with HRC‐S®. Dehalococcoides populations in HRC‐S‐amended Bio‐Traps deployed in impacted wells were on the order of 10³ to 10⁴ cells/bead but were below detection limits in most unamended and HRC‐amended Bio‐Traps. Thus the in situ Bio‐Trap study identified biostimulation with HRC‐S as the recommended approach, which was further evaluated with a pilot study. After the pilot HRC‐S injection, Dehalococcoides populations increased to 10⁶ to 10⁷ cells/bead, and concentrations of cis‐DCE and vinyl chloride decreased with concurrent ethene production. Based on these results, a full‐scale HRC‐S injection was designed and implemented at the site. As with the pilot study, full‐scale HRC‐S injection promoted growth of Dehalococcoides spp. and stimulated reductive dechlorination of the daughter products cis‐DCE and vinyl chloride. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A field colonization experiment with meiofauna and seagrass mimics: effect of time,distance and leaf surface area

From a conservation point of view, it is essential to know how fast an ecosystem can recover after physical disturbance. Meiofauna and especially harpacticoid copepods are abundant in seagrass beds and are therefore useful to study ecosystem recovery after disturbance. In the western Caribbean coast, a fragmented Thalassia testudinum seagrass bed was selected to conduct a colonization field experiment by means of plastic seagrass mimics. Meiofauna colonization, with special emphasis on harpacticoid copepods, was followed in relation to: (1) colonization time (2, 4, 6, 10, 14 and 21 days); (2) distance to source of colonizers (close and far series) and (3) leaf surface area to colonize (small, medium, large). Colonization was recorded after 2 days with average meiofauna densities of 480 ind/100 cm² (close) and 1350 ind/100 cm² (far) of leaf surface area, while on average 400 ind/100 cm² were collected from the natural seagrass plants. In this early phase, the meiofauna diversity was high, with on average 8 taxa. A longer period of colonization (21 days) showed an increased meiofaunal density and diversity (average density: 3220 ind/100 cm², 13 taxa). Increasing meiofauna colonization with time is probably related to the development of a biofilm making the leaf more attractive for meiofauna. The effect of distance was not so pronounced as that of time. Total absolute densities were highest in the far series (5 m away from natural seagrass patch), mainly because of nematode densities. Meiofauna diversity was lower in the far series than in the close series (at the border of the natural seagrass patch). A larger individual leaf surface area did not affect the overall meiofauna densities but had a significant positive effect on copepod densities. Larger surface areas promoted the presence of epiphytic copepod families such as Tegastidae and Dactylopusiidae. Overall, we found a rapid recovery of meiofauna in fragmented seagrass beds with primary colonizers (both nematodes and benthic opportunistic copepods) originating from the sediment and later colonizers as epiphytic copepods and their nauplii from the local seagrass regeneration pool.     

The global impact of ozone on agricultural crop yields under current and future air quality legislation

In this paper we evaluate the global impact of surface ozone on four types of agricultural crop. The study is based on modelled global hourly ozone fields for the year 2000 and 2030, using the global 1°×1° 2-way nested atmospheric chemical transport model (TM5). Projections for the year 2030 are based on the relatively optimistic “current legislation (CLE) scenario”, i.e. assuming that currently approved air quality legislation will be fully implemented by the year 2030, without a further development of new abatement policies. For both runs, the relative yield loss due to ozone damage is evaluated based on two different indices (accumulated concentration above a 40 ppbV threshold and seasonal mean daytime ozone concentration respectively) on a global, regional and national scale. The cumulative metric appears to be far less robust than the seasonal mean, while the seasonal mean shows satisfactory agreement with measurements in Europe, the US, China and Southern India and South-East Asia.Present day global relative yield losses are estimated to range between 7% and 12% for wheat, between 6% and 16% for soybean, between 3% and 4% for rice, and between 3% and 5% for maize (range resulting from different metrics used). Taking into account possible biases in our assessment, introduced through the global application of “western” crop exposure–response functions, and through model performance in reproducing ozone-exposure metrics, our estimates may be considered as being conservative.Under the 2030 CLE scenario, the global situation is expected to deteriorate mainly for wheat (additional 2–6% loss globally) and rice (additional 1–2% loss globally). India, for which no mitigation measures have been assumed by 2030, accounts for 50% of these global increase in crop yield loss. On a regional-scale, significant reductions in crop losses by CLE-2030 are only predicted in Europe (soybean) and China (wheat).Translating these assumed yield losses into total global economic damage for the four crops considered, using world market prices for the year 2000, we estimate an economic loss in the range $14–$26 billion. About 40% of this damage is occurring in China and India. Considering the recent upward trends in food prices, the ozone-induced damage to crops is expected to offset a significant portion of the GDP growth rate, especially in countries with an economy based on agricultural production.     

An In Situ Bioreactor for the Treatment of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Groundwater

Two pilot tests of an aerobic in situ bioreactor (ISBR) have been conducted at field sites contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. The two sites differed with respect to hydrocarbon concentrations. At one site, concentrations were low but persistent, and at the other site concentrations were high enough to be inhibitory to biodegradation. The ISBR unit is designed to enhance biodegradation of hydrocarbons by stimulating indigenous microorganisms. This approach builds on existing Bio‐Sep^® bead technology, which provides a matrix that can be rapidly colonized by the active members of the microbial community and serves to concentrate indigenous degraders. Oxygen and nutrients are delivered to the bioreactor to maintain conditions favorable for growth and reproduction, and contaminated groundwater is treated as it is circulated through the bed of Bio‐Sep^® beads. Groundwater moving through the system also transports degraders released from Bio‐Sep^® beads away from the bioreactor, potentially increasing biodegradation rates throughout the aquifer. Groundwater sampling, Bio‐Traps, and molecular biological tools were used to assess ISBR performance during the two pilot tests. Groundwater monitoring indicated that contaminant concentrations decreased at both sites, and the microbial data suggested that these decreases were due to degradation by indigenous microorganisms rather than dilution or dispersion mechanisms. Taken together, these lines of evidence showed that the ISBR system effectively increased the number and activity of indigenous microbial degraders and enhanced bioremediation at the test sites. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.