Integrity of Tailings Infrastructure and Information Management: A GIS-Based Conceptual Model

Managing the integrity of tailings infrastructure is an important aspect of handling mine tailings. Unfortunately, little research is directed towards its efficient modeling. This paper presents salient aspects of tailings management. It proposes an integrated geographic information systems (GIS)-based conceptual model for efficient handling of these aspects. The paper also discusses the various integrated modules and comments on the systematic implementation of the model to achieve desired results. The modules include: structural integrity management (SIM), release impact assessment (RIA), and hazardous risk assessment and control (HRAC).     

The hydrochemistry of groundwater in the Densu River Basin, Ghana

Hydrochemical analyses of groundwater samples were used to establish the hydrochemistry of groundwater in the Densu River Basin. The groundwater was weakly acidic, moderately mineralized, fresh to brackish with conductivity ranging from of 96.6 μS cm^???1 in the North to 10,070 μS cm^???1 in the South. Densu River basin have special economic significance, representing the countries greatest hydrostructure with freshwater. Chemical constituents are generally low in the North and high in the South. The order of relative abundance of major cations in the groundwater is Na^?+??> Ca^2?+??> Mg^2?+??> K^?+? while that of anions is Cl^????> HCO $_{3}^{-} >$ SO $_{4}^{2-} >$ NO $_{3}^{-}$ . Four main chemical water types were delineated in the Basin. These include Ca–Mg–HCO₃, Mg–Ca–Cl, Na–Cl, and mixed waters in which neither a particular cation nor anion dominates. Silicate weathering and ion exchange are probably the main processes through which major ions enter the groundwater system. Anthropogenic activities were found to have greatly impacted negatively on the quality of the groundwater.     

Fractionation of heavy metals and assessment of contamination of the sediments of Lake Titicaca

Chemical weathering is one of the major geochemical processes that control the mobilization of heavy metals. The present study provides the first report on heavy metal fractionation in sediments (8–156 m) of Lake Titicaca (3,820 m a.s.l.), which is shared by the Republic of Peru and the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Both contents of total Cu, Fe, Ni, Co, Mn, Cd, Pb, and Zn and also the fractionation of these heavy metals associated with four different fractions have been determined following the BCR scheme. The principal component analysis suggests that Co, Ni, and Cd can be attributed to natural sources related to the mineralized geological formations. Moreover, the sources of Cu, Fe, and Mn are effluents and wastes generated from mining activities, while Pb and Zn also suggest that their common source is associated to mining activities. According to the Risk Assessment Code, there is a moderate to high risk related to Zn, Pb, Cd, Mn, Co, and Ni mobilization and/or remobilization from the bottom sediment to the water column. Furthermore, the Geoaccumulation Index and the Enrichment Factor reveal that Zn, Pb, and Cd are enriched in the sediments. The results suggest that the effluents from various traditional mining waste sites in both countries are the main source of heavy metal contamination in the sediments of Lake Titicaca.     

Trends in land use and land cover change in the protected and communal areas of the Zambezi Region,Namibia

Land management decisions have extensively modified land use and land cover in the Zambezi Region. These decisions are influenced by land tenure classifications, legislation, and livelihoods. Land use and land cover change is an important indicator for quantifying the effectiveness of different land management strategies. However, there has been no evidence on whether protected or communal land tenure is more affected by land use and land cover changes in southern Africa and particularly Namibia. Our study attempted to fill this gap by analyzing the relationship between land use and land cover change and land tenure regimes stratified according to protected and communal area in the Zambezi Region. Multi-temporal Landsat TM and ETM+ imagery were used to determine the temporal dynamics of land use and land cover change from 1984 to 2010. The landscape showed distinctive modifications over the study period; broad trends include the increase in forest land after 1991. However, changes were not uniform across the study areas. Two landscape development stages were deduced: (1) 1984–1991 represented high deforestation and gradual increase in shrub land; (2) 1991–2000 and 2000–2010 represented lower deforestation and slower agropastoral expansion. The results further show clear patterns of the dynamics, magnitude, and direction of land use and land cover change by tenure regime. The study concluded that land tenure has a direct impact on land use and land cover, since it may restrict some activities carried out on the land in the Zambezi Region.     

Determination of ortho-phthalaldehyde in air and on surfaces

Three sampling and analytical methods have been developed and evaluated for ortho-phthalaldehyde (OPA): (1) an HPLC-UV method for OPA in air, (2) a fluorimetric method for OPA on surfaces, and (3) a colorimetric method for OPA on surfaces. (1) The air sampler contains 350 mg of silica gel coated with 1 mg of acidified 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH). Air sampling may be conducted at 0.03 to 1.0 L min(-1) for periods up to 8 h. Samples were eluted with ethyl acetate, and the eluents were allowed to stand for 72 h. Analysis was by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a UV detector set at 369 nm. An unusual phenomenon was the observation that the stability of the sample on a sampler at 3 degrees C tends to decrease as the total quantity of OPA collected on the sampler decreases. Elution of the samples within 24 h of air sampling is required. The detection limit (LOD) is approximately 0.02 microg of OPA per sample. OPA on surfaces may be collected with strips cut from a sheet of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA wipe). (2) In the surface wipe method with analysis by fluorescence measurement, the strips of PVA wipe were placed into dimethyl sulfoxide. An aliquot was treated with aqueous N-acetyl-l-cysteine and ethylenediamine. Analysis was performed with a portable fluorometer (excitation and emission wavelengths = 365 nm and 438 nm, respectively). The LOD is 0.2 microg per sample. (3) In the surface wipe method with visual colorimetric detection, the strips of PVA wipe were placed into 30 : 70 acetonitrile : water. An aliquot was treated with N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine in 0.1 m sulfuric acid. After color development, the LOD is approximately 48 microg per sample. These methods have been field tested in a hospital.     

Compensation for risks: host community benefits in siting locally unwanted facilities

This article analyzes the recent negotiations connected with siting 24 solid-waste landfills in Wisconsin. We examine the association between the type and amount of compensation paid to host communities by facility developers and the size of facilities, certain facility characteristics, the timing of negotiated agreements, the size of the host community, and the socioeconomic status of the host area. Our findings suggest that the level of compensation after adjusting for landfill capacity is positively associated with the percentage of total facility capacity dedicated to host community use, positively associated with the percentage of people of the host area who are in poverty, and larger for public facilities that accept municipal wastes. Other explanatory variables we examined, whose association with levels of compensation proved statistically insignificant, were facility size, facility status (new vs expansion), facility use (countyonly vs multicounty), timing of negotiation, host community size, and the host area education level, population density, and per capita income. We discuss the policy implications of our principal findings and future research questions in light of the persistent opposition surrounding the siting of solid-waste and other waste-management facilities.     

Training as a component of the consulting contract

Summary Expatriate consultants are employed in developing countries to perform assessments of the consequences to natural resources and the environment of projects for economic development. Eventually (and as soon as possible) the developing countries must be able to do their own assessments and provide continual guidance to economic planning and management. The presence of foreign experts offers an opportunity to transfer technology and skills during the course of consultancies. A training component can be added with appropriate additional compensation. Some of the barriers to successful training are identified and explored. Careful planning by lenders, host country governments, consultants and trainers will be necessary to realize this potential for building and strengthening indigenous capabilities to wisely exploit and sustain the renewable natural resource base. The following experts from developing countries contributed substantially to this report: W. D. Ailapperuma (Sri Lanka), Herman Haeruman (Indonesia), Noki Makap (Papua New Guinea), Somvonk Poshyananda (Thailand), Suh Junghyun (Korea) and Veronica Villavicencio (Philippines). Richard A. Carpenter M.A., Organic Chemistry, University of Missouri, 1949. Came to EAPI from the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council where he was executive director of the Commission on Natural Resources. Prior to establishing that office in 1972, was chief of the Environmental Policy Division of the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. Has contributed to the passage and implementation of legislation including the National Environmental Policy Act and has been responsible for a variety of studies interpreting and transferring technical information for decision-making. Began his career as a chemist and has obtained patents in the field. John A. Dixon Ph.D., Economics, Harvard University, 1977. B.A., Economics and Oriental Languages (Chinese), University of California at Berkeley, 1968. Previously worked for the Ford Foundation in Indonesia as agriculture programme economist where his main research interests were food policy analysis and natural resource management. At EAPI he is involved with environmental applications of benefit-cost analysis as well as economic aspects of the coal-fuel cycle.     

Relationship between organizational justice and employee work outcomes: a cross‐national study

This study examined the influence of organizational justice perceptions on employee work outcome relationships as moderated by individual differences that are influenced by societal culture. Power distance, but not country or individualism, moderated the relationships between perceived justice and satisfaction, performance, and absenteeism. The effects of perceived justice on these outcomes were stronger among individuals scoring lower on power distance index, and most of these study participants were in the U.S. (versus Hong Kong) sample. Limitations of the study and the implications of the findings for managing cross‐culturally are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Comparative Study on the Archives of Xanthine Oxidase and Aldehyde Oxidase in Different Fish Species from Two Rivers in the Western Niger-Delta

Glycaemia, a classical indicator of stress, xanthine oxidase and aldehyde oxidase which are involved in phase I detoxication were investigated in two different fish species from two rivers with different pollution levels in the Western Niger-Delta. Four sampling zones covering the entire lengths of Warri and Ethiope Rivers respectively were used in this study. For each species of fish five were obtained from a sampling zone in a river. Blood glucose was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in M. electricus from Warri River (82.13 +/- 5.50 mg cm(-3)) compared to the same species from Ethiope River (36.47 +/- 1.49 mg cm(-3)). With the same parameter a similar profile was observed for C. gariepinus; Warri River (56.92 +/- 10.31 mg cm(-3)); Ethiope River (37.65 +/- 0.90 mg cm(-3)) which was also significant (P < 0.01). The activity of xanthine oxidase in M. electricus from Warri River (255.80 +/- 41 it mol cm(-3)) was significantly higher (P < 0.001) compared to the value obtained for the same species (108 +/- 22.36 micro mol cm(-3)) from Ethiope River. Also the activity of xanthine oxidase in C. gariepinus from Warri River (197 +/- 34.65 micro mol cm(-3)) was significantly higher (P < 0.001) when matched with the value obtained for the same species (78.40 +/- 26.84 micro mol cm(-3)) from Ethiope River. That blood glucose level was related to xanthine oxidase activity in the two fish species from Warri River was supported by the high positive correlation between these two parameters (M. electricus. r = 1: C. gariepinus, r = 0.71). The activity of aldehyde oxidase in C. gariepinus from Warri River (143.80 +/- 28.45 micro mol cm(-3)) was significantly higher (P < 0.001) compared to the value obtained for the same species (61.20 +/- 15.21 micro mol cm(-3)) from Ethiope River. A similar profile in aldehyde oxidase activity observed for M. electricus; Warri River (130 +/- 28.39 micro mol cm(-3)); Ethiope River (89 +/- 19.70 micro mol cm(-3)) but an inferior statistical variation (P < 0.05) was obtained. The results obtained in this study indicate that the level of xanthine oxidase in M. electricus is a more specific marker and to a lesser extent its activity in C. gariepinus in monitoring environmental stress due to pollution.