Elemental Carbon Concentration in the Air Around Tampa Bay,Florida, 1990-1991

Elemental carbon (EC) particles have been found in the lungs of dolphins. The question arose as to whether these particles originated over land or water. This project determined the amount of EC particulate found in terrestrial air. Portions of paniculate filters and associated data collected during the period from January 1990 through December 1991 were provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation. Using reflectance spectroscopy and laboratory-generated standards, atmospheric concentrations of EC and TSP were determined. This paper addresses the data from those counties which surround Tampa Bay.

In the spring of 1992, a television news station reported that researchers at Mote Marine Institute had found black carbon particulates in the lungs of dolphins (reported as “...dolphins with Black Lung Disease..."). The dolphins were found in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida.1 In discussions with a principal investigator of the dolphin study, the question arose as to whether these particulates came from urban or marine sources. No comprehensive investigation of soot concentrations in the air over Florida had been made. This study reports the elemental carbon (EC) content of urban particulate matter in the Tampa Bay region, where the affected dolphins were discovered between 1988 and 1990 (Sarasota County). This is the first step toward answering whether urban concentrations of EC were sufficient to contribute measurably to the EC found in the marine environment. Future efforts will address marine concentrations and sources of EC.

Elemental carbon, commonly termed “soot,” is a product of incomplete combustion. Common urban sources of EC in particulate matter include both mobile sources (diesel-powered buses, cars, and trucks) and point sources (incinerators, power plants and home heating units). The State of Florida operates environmental monitoring stations in selected municipalities around the state. At these stations, which were sited according to EPA requirements², Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) samples were collected using the accepted methods.³ These samples were suitable for EC analysis. Samples collected in the Tampa Bay region in 199b and 1991 were analyzed for EC content using reflectance spectroscopy. EC concentrations were calculated in micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m³).     

In situ experiment to determine advective-diffusive controls on solute transport in a clay-rich aquitard

Solute transport in clay-rich aquitards is characterized as molecular diffusion- or advection-dominated based on the Péclet number (P(e)). However, few field-based measurements of the coefficient of molecular diffusion (D(e)) exist, and none with a range of advection- or diffusion-dominated conditions in the same aquitard. In this long-term field experiment, standing water in a recovering well was spiked with deuterium ((2)H), then water-level recovery and δ(2)H values were monitored as the well returned to static conditions over 1054 days. After a second (2)H spike, water levels and δ(2)H values were monitored to day 1644 while under near static conditions. Modeling of the second spike was used to define the D(e) of (2)H as (3-4)× 10(-10)m(2)s(-1) for an accessible porosity of 0.31. Reservoir concentrations from the initial spike were modeled to define the transition from advection- to diffusion-dominated transport. This occurred after 200 days, consistent with a transition in P(e) from <1 to >1 when the length term is taken as the radial extent of the tracer plume (normalized concentration <0.05). This study verifies plume extent as the characteristic length term in the calculation of P(e) and demonstrates the transition from advection- to diffusion-dominated transport as the value of P(e) decreases below unity.     

Arsenic and thallium data in environmental samples: Fact or fiction?

Matrix effects may increasingly lead to erroneous environmental decisions as regulatory limits or risk‐based concentrations of concern for trace metals move lower toward the limits of analytical detection. A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Technical Standards Alert estimated that environmental data reported using inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP‐AES) has a false‐positive rate for thallium of 99.9 percent and for arsenic of 25 to 50 percent. Although this does not seem to be widely known in the environmental community, using three case studies, this article presents data in environmental samples that demonstrate severe matrix effects on the accuracy of arsenic and thallium results. Case Study 1 involves soil results with concentrations that approached or exceeded the applicable regulatory soil cleanup objectives of 13 mg/kg for arsenic and 2 mg/kg for thallium. Reanalysis using ICP coupled with a mass spectrometer (ICP‐MS) confirmed all thallium results were false positives and all arsenic results were biased high, concluding no action was required for soil remediation. Case Study 2 involves groundwater results for thallium at a Superfund site, where thallium was detected in groundwater up to 21.6 μ g/L using ICP‐AES. Reanalysis by ICP‐MS reported thallium as nondetect below the applicable regulatory level in all samples. ICP‐MS is usually a more definitive and accurate method of analysis compared to ICP‐AES; however, this is not always the case, as we demonstrate in Case Study 3, using data from groundwater samples at an industrial site. Through a weight‐of‐evidence approach, it is demonstrated that although method quality control results were acceptable, interferences in some groundwater samples caused biased high results for arsenic using ICP‐MS, which were significantly lower when reanalyzed using hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Causes of these interference effects and conclusions from the three case studies to obtain accurate metal data for site assessment, risk characterization, and remedy selection are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A Short-Term Air Quality Model for Sulfur Dioxide in Louisville,Kentucky

The conventional gausslan plume equation for ground level concentrations was used to estimate hourly average sulfur dioxide concentrations at selected points in Louisville, KY, on specific days during 1973. Area emission sources were not included in the model since they are not substantial. The trajectory of the emissions from each continuous point source was calculated by a procedure that allowed for spatial variability in wind direction. All other meteorological parameters were held constant during each hour. The twenty-four individual hourly estimates at each location for a given day were arithmetically averaged yielding a daily mean. The model predictions were compared to actual measurements conducted by Jefferson County Air Pollution Control District personnel using the West-Gaeke sampling procedure. The sample correlation coefficient for all predictions was low, but after only about 30% of the predictions were eliminated on statistical grounds, the sample correlation coefficient was increased to 0.72. The statistical analysis appeared to discard a reasonable number of predictions on the basis of observed variability in the measured air quality.     

Investigating the role of smartness for sustainability: insights from the Smart Grid domain

Over the past decades, information and communication technologies (ICT) established themselves as the key force towards more effective and efficient usage of resources in our society, namely via better use of available information, automation, stakeholder involvement, and decision support. By analyzing recent advancements in knowledge offered by ICT, it is possible to identify their strong correlation with the principles, aims, and interests of sustainability science, which can be highly inspired by ICT-intensive domains. In this paper, we study the theoretical background on system thinking as an interpretative lens able to support better understanding of dimensions and dynamics involved in the domain of sustainability, and examine the role of ICT in advancing sustainability goals. Then, we analyze the domain of the Smart Grid as a prominent example of complex technological contribution in face of the challenges of sustainability, and present the insights from this domain, which are turned into sustainability guidelines for other domains, linking smartness, and sustainability in the light of systems thinking and Smart Grid experience. In summary, the core recommendation of this work is the employment of information technology to widen the scope of the sustainability “game” by sliding activities in time and space, and in engaging more “players” in the game, which is now made possible thanks to the advancement in ICT.     

Polychlorinated chemical residues in fish from major watersheds near the Great Lakes, 1979

Over 50 non-PCB polyhalogenated organic chemicals have been identified by GC/MS in fish from the Great Lakes and other major watersheds near the Great Lakes. p,p′-DDE, hexachlorobenzene, and components of tech-chlordane were the most frequently found chemicals. Also described are advances in sample preparation methodology which allow the identification of many frequently occuring unusual chemicals. Several chemicals not previously reported in environmental samples are identified.     

A CASE STUDY IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACT AMENDMENTS1

ABSTRACT: A general model of the policy implementation process is utilized to facilitate a discussion of the way Section 208 of PL 92-500 is being carried out on an areawide basis. A study of four “208 areas” in the “New York-Philadelphia corridor” highlights the operation of several variables used in the model. The varying political and socioeconomic conditions in geographic areas which have similar water quality problems are leading to the evolution of vastly different implementing structures, or institutional arrangements. The analysis suggests that these differences may have important implications for the success of the program in each of these areas. A major underlying theme is that such problems are characteristic of the 208 process nationwide and reflect general difficulties associated with managing water quality in a federal system.     

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS IN CORPS PLANNING1

ABSTRACT: Survey data from samples of two types of Corps of Engineers planning studies have been collected. The nature of significant environmental issues affecting the studies was ascertained. Information concerning District administrative practices and communication patterns and extraorganizational coordination procedures was also obtained. Statistical analysis examined the relationships between these practices and procedures and the consideration given environmental issues in plan formulation and modification decisions. Environmental issues receive greater consideration in plan formulation decisions where District policies encourage interdisciplinary planning and direct communication between planners and environmental interests. Plan modification decisions reflect environmental considerations to a greater degree where significant controversy exists and where reviewing agencies actively pursue environmental issues.     

Does juvenile helping enhance breeder reproductive success?

Summary Helping-at-the-nest has been studied in a number of avian species. In many cases helping appears to enhance the reproductive success of the breeders. Because assistance is often provided to kin, this help also indirectly affects the success of the helper. In our study we examined the ways in which juvenile moorhens (Gallinula chloropus) assist their parents. We also conducted a removal experiment to determine whether the help provided increases reproductive success independently of parental and territory quality. Juvenile moorhens assist their parents by feeding younger sibs and by territory and predator defense. However, the results of our removal experiment suggest that this help has little effect on reproductive success (Table 2). Thus the helping effect originally reported in this population may be confounded by parental and territory quality.