Spatial variability of sydney air quality by cumulative semivariogram

This paper establishes that an isotropic spatial correlation function in the form of a modified Bessel function of the second kind, first order, can be used to model the spatial variability of a pollution concentration field over a sufficiently long period of time in which the variability due to meteorological factors has been smoothed out. The corresponding cumulative semivariogram is derived and fitted by nonlinear least-squares to monthly averaged ozone data at 18 monitoring stations of the Sydney region. The good fit of the model indicates that the Sydney airshed has homogeneous and isotropic subregions whose radius of influence is about 17 km. The Bessel function form of the spatial correlation has a physical meaning as it is derived from the diffusion equation; hence, it is expected that the model can be used, in general, to represent the spatial variability of a smoothed homogeneous and isotropic concentration field.     

斜坡区和隆起区断裂密集带差异性及其对油气分布的控制作用

此文以霸县凹陷文安斜坡和饶阳凹陷留楚构造为研究对象,对比了斜坡区和隆起区断裂密集带的特征及其对不同构造部位油气分布的控制作用。在三维地震资料、钻井资料和已发现油气藏特征的基础上,利用断裂密集带识别方法和分类方案,识别出文安斜坡和留楚构造的断裂密集带,并对其进行了分类。对比两种构造部位断裂密集带发育的差异性及对油气分布的控制作用,认为隆起区(留楚构造)相对于斜坡区(文安斜坡)断裂密集带发育数量较少,规模大,斜坡区断裂密集带主要以顺向背形断裂密集带为主,而隆起区主要以屋脊背形断裂密集带为主,隆起区油气主要分布在顺向背形断裂密集带内,斜坡区主要分布在屋脊背形断裂密集带内部及靠近生烃中心的边部。     

Evaluation of Atriplex lines for selenium accumulation,salt tolerance and suitability for a key agricultural insect pest

Thirty Atriplex lines were examined for potential habitat improvement and phytoremediation of selenium (Se) contaminated sites. Studies were conducted to determine the biomass production, Se accumulation, and resistance of each line to the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, an agriculturally important insect. Plants were tested using three salinity treatments: (1) control, no Se; (2) NaCl and CaCl2 salts and 1 mg l(-1) Se (12.7 microM) added as sodium selenate; and (3) iso-osmotic to treatment 2 containing high concentrations of sulfate and I mg l(-1) Se added as sodium selenate. Insect bioassays measured survival, growth, and development. Atriplex patula. A. spongiosa 415862, A. hortensis, A. hortensis 379088 and A. hortensis 379092 were among the top biomass producers and Se accumulators, yet they exhibited significantly reduced insect growth, development, and survival. High background sulfate strongly reduced Se accumulation, suggesting that phytoremediation potential is greatest in saline areas having low to moderate sulfate levels. However, these lines grew well in high salinity soils, indicating possible use as a self-seeding cover crop to improve habitat. All plant lines grown in control and high sulfate salinity treatments are acceptable oviposition sites for S. exigua, indicating that these plants would help reduce populations of this key agricultural pest.     

Why are larger convict cichlid (Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum) fry sometimes adopted into broods of smaller fry?

Females of Elasmucha grisea defend their eggs and small nymphs against invertebrate predators. Females sometimes guard their clutches side by side on the same birch leaf. We studied benefits of this joint guarding both in the field and in the laboratory. We found that adjacent females had significantly larger clutches than solitary females. In the laboratory, we studied the effectiveness of joint versus single defence against ant (Formica uralensis) predators. We established female pairs from initially singly guarding females by cutting off pieces of leaves with egg clutches and pasting them beside another female guarding her clutch. In the control group the females with their clutches were similarly cut off but these clutches were placed on another leaf without any female. The birch twigs where females guarded their clutches were placed in cages in close proximity to laboratory ant nests. In the experimental treatment, two females guarded their clutches together and at the same nest there was another birch twig without a female. In the control treatment two twigs with one female on each were placed close to another ant nest. Two females defended their clutches significantly more successfully, losing fewer eggs than did the single females. This primitive form of female sociality in parent bugs resembles colonial nesting in birds, where communal defence is also important. However, to our knowledge this is the first experiment where the benefit of joint guarding has been tested directly by manipulating the size of the breeding group rather than by measuring the risk of predation in groups of different size.     

Uptake and accumulation of antimicrobials,triclocarban and triclosan,by food crops in a hydroponic system

Commonly used in personal care products, triclocarban (TCC) and triclosan (TCS) are two chemicals with antimicrobial properties that have recently been recognized as environmental contaminants with the potential to adversely affect human health. The objective of the study described herein was to evaluate the potential of food crops to uptake TCC and TCS. Eleven food crops, grown in hydroponic nutrient media, were exposed to a mixture of 500 μg L^?1 TCC and TCS. After 4 weeks of exposure, roots accumulated 86–1,350 mg kg^?1 of antimicrobials and shoots had accumulated 0.33–5.35 mg kg^?1 of antimicrobials. Translocation from roots to shoots was less than 1.9 % for TCC and 3.7 % for TCS, with the greatest translocation for TCC observed for pepper, celery, and asparagus and for TCS observed for cabbage, broccoli, and asparagus. For edible tuber- or bulb-producing crops, the concentrations of both TCC and TCS were lower in the tubers than in the roots. Exposure calculations using national consumption data indicated that the average exposure to TCC and TCS from eating contaminated crops was substantially less than the exposure expected to cause adverse effects, but exceeded the predicted exposure from drinking water. Exposure to antimicrobials through food crops would be substantially reduced through limiting consumption of beets and onions.     

Evaluation of the SO2 and NOX offset ratio method to account for secondary PM2.5 formation

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state and local agencies have focused their efforts in assessing secondary fine particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm; PM_2.5) formation in prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) air dispersion modeling. The National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA) developed a method to account for secondary PM_2.5 formation by using sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) offset ratios. These ratios are used to estimate the secondary formation of sulfate and nitrate PM_2.5. These ratios were first introduced by the EPA for nonattainment areas in the Implementation of the New Source Review (NSR) Program for Particulate Matter Less than 2.5 Micrometers (PM_2.5), 73 FR 28321, to offset emission increases of direct PM_2.5 emissions with reductions of PM_2.5 precursors and vice versa. Some regulatory agencies such as the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) have developed area-specific offset ratios for SO₂ and NO_x based on Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) evaluations for air dispersion modeling analyses. The current study evaluates the effect on American Meteorological Society/Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model (AERMOD) predicted concentrations from the use of EPA and MPCA developed ratios. The study assesses the effect of these ratios on an electric generating utility (EGU), taconite mine, food processing plant, and a pulp and paper mill. The inputs used for these four scenarios are based on common stack parameters and emissions based on available data. The effect of background concentrations also evaluates these scenarios by presenting results based on uniform annual PM_2.5 background values. This evaluation study helps assess the viability of the offset ratio method developed by NACAA in estimating primary and secondary PM_2.5 concentrations. An alternative Tier 2 approach to combine modeled and monitored concentrations is also presented.

Implications:

On January 4, 2012, the EPA committed to engage in rulemaking to evaluate updates to the Guideline on Air Quality Models (Appendix W of 40 CFR 51) and, as appropriate, incorporate new analytical techniques or models for secondary PM_2.5. As a result, the National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA) developed a screening method involving offset ratios to account for secondary PM_2.5 formation. The use of this method is promising to evaluate total (direct and indirect) PM_2.5 impacts for permitting purposes. Therefore, the evaluation of this method is important to determine its viability for widespread use.     

Sampling Frequency Guidance for Ambient Air Toxics Monitoring

Abstract

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of designing a national network to monitor hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), also known as air toxics. The purposes of the expanded monitoring are to (1) characterize ambient concentrations in representative areas; (2) provide data to support and evaluate dispersion and receptor models; and (3) establish trends and evaluate the effectiveness of HAP emission reduction strategies. Existing air toxics data, in the form of an archive compiled by EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS), are used in this paper to examine the relationship between estimated annual average (AA) HAP concentrations and their associated variability. The goal is to assess the accuracy, or bias and precision, with which the AA can be estimated as a function of ambient concentration levels and sampling frequency. The results suggest that, for several air toxics, a sampling schedule of 1 in 3 days (1:3) or 1:6 days may be appropriate for meeting some of the general objectives of the national network, with the more intense sampling rate being recommended for areas expected to exhibit relatively high ambient levels.     

Soil-mediated prion transmission: is local soil-type a key determinant of prion disease incidence?

Prion diseases, including chronic wasting disease (CWD) and scrapie, can be transmitted via indirect environmental routes. Animals habitually ingest soil, and results from laboratory experiments demonstrate prions can bind to a wide range of soils and soil minerals, retain the ability to replicate, and remain infectious, indicating soil could serve as a reservoir for natural prion transmission and a potential prion exposure route for humans. Preliminary epidemiological modeling suggests soil texture may influence the incidence of prion disease. These results are supported by experimental work demonstrating variance in prion interactions with soil, including variance in prion soil adsorption and soil-bound prion replication with respect to soil type. Thus, local soil type may be a key determinant of prion incidence. Further experimental and epidemiological work is required to fully elucidate the dynamics of soil-mediated prion transmission, an effort that should lead to effective disease management and mitigation strategies.