Empirical Evaluation of Ambient Ozone Interpolation Procedures to Support Exposure Models

ABSTRACT

An intercomparison study has been performed with six empirical ozone interpolation procedures to predict hourly concentrations in ambient air between monitoring stations. The objective of the study is to use monitoring network data to empirically identify an improved procedure to estimate ozone concentrations at subject exposure points. Four of the procedures in the study are currently used in human exposure models (nearest monitors daily mean and maximum, regression estimate used in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) pNEM, and inverse distance weighting), and two are being evaluated for this purpose (kriging in space and kriging in space and time). The study focused on spatial estimation during June 1-June 5, 1996, with relatively high observed ozone levels over Houston, Texas. The study evaluated these procedures at three types of locations with monitors of varying proximity. Results from the empirical evaluation indicate that kriging in space and time provides excellent estimates of ozone concentrations within a monitoring network, while the more often used techniques failed to capture observed pollutant concentrations. Improved estimation of pollutant concentrations within the region, and thus at subject locations, should result in improved exposure modeling.     

Mitigation of nutrient losses via surface runoff from rice cropping systems with alternate wetting and drying irrigation and site-specific nutrient management practices

Resource-conserving irrigation and fertilizer management practices have been developed for rice systems which may help address water quality concerns by reducing N and P losses via surface runoff. Field experiments under three treatments, i.e., farmers’ conventional practice (FCP), alternate wetting and drying (AWD), and AWD integrated with site-specific nutrient management (AWD + SSNM) were carried out during two rice seasons at two sites in the southwest Yangtze River delta region. Across site years, results indicated that under AWD irrigation (i.e., AWD and AWD + SSNM), water inputs were reduced by 13.4?~?27.5 % and surface runoff was reduced by 30.2?~?36.7 % compared to FCP. When AWD was implemented alone, total N and P loss masses via surface runoff were reduced by 23.3?~?30.4 % and 26.9?~?31.7 %, respectively, compared to FCP. However, nutrient concentrations of surface runoff did not decrease under AWD alone. Under AWD + SSNM, total N and P loss masses via surface runoff were reduced to a greater extent than AWD alone (39.4?~?47.6 % and 46.1?~?48.3 % compared to FCP, respectively), while fertilizer inputs and N surpluses significantly decreased and rice grain yields increased relative to FCP. Therefore, by more closely matching nutrient supply with crop demand and reducing both surface runoff and nutrient concentrations of surface runoff, our results demonstrate that integration of AWD and SSNM practices can mitigate N and P losses via surface runoff from rice fields while maintaining high yields.     

Political conservatism,religion, and environmental consumption in the United States

The role of political conservatism and religion in shaping attitudes toward environmental consumption in the US is examined. Previous research suggests that while there is a mixed relationship between religiosity (measured in various ways) and environmentalism, political conservatives are unlikely to support pro-environment measures. Using nationally representative survey data, mixed results are found regarding the relationship of religiosity and environmental consumption: religious attendance and religious identity are positively related to environmental consumption, while belief in an involved God and biblical literalism are negatively related. Increased levels of religiosity, however, mute the otherwise strong negative effect of political conservatism. This suggests, surprisingly, that Green marketers and activists are likely to face less conservative resistance to environmental consumption among religious Americans.     

Cadmium accumulation characteristics of the winter farmland weeds Cardamine hirsuta Linn. and Gnaphalium affine D. Don

In a preliminary study, we found that the cadmium (Cd) concentrations in shoots of the winter farmland weeds Cardamine hirsuta Linn. and Gnaphalium affine D. Don exceeded the critical value of a Cd-hyperaccumulator (100 mg kg^?1), indicating that these two farmland weeds might be Cd-hyperaccumulators. In this study, we grew these species in soil containing various concentrations of Cd to further evaluate their Cd accumulation characteristics. The biomasses of C. hirsuta and G. affine decreased with increasing Cd concentrations in the soil, while the root/shoot ratio and the Cd concentrations in shoot tissues increased. The Cd concentrations in shoots of C. hirsuta and G. affine reached 121.96 and 143.91 mg kg^?1, respectively, at the soil Cd concentration of 50 mg kg^?1. Both of these concentrations exceeded the critical value of a Cd-hyperaccumulator (100 mg kg^?1). The shoot bioconcentration factors of C. hirsuta and G. affine were greater than 1. The translocation factor of C. hirsuta was less than 1 and that of G. affine was greater than 1. These findings indicated that C. hirsuta is a Cd-accumulator and G. affine is Cd-hyperaccumulator. Both plants are distributed widely in the field, and they could be used to remediate Cd-contaminated farmland soil in winter.     

Land use impact on soil quality in eastern Himalayan region of India

Quantitative assessment of soil quality is required to determine the sustainability of land uses in terms of environmental quality and plant productivity. Our objective was to identify the most appropriate soil quality indicators and to evaluate the impact of six most prevalent land use types (natural forestland, cultivated lowland, cultivated upland terrace, shifting cultivation, plantation land, and grassland) on soil quality in eastern Himalayan region of India. We collected 120 soil samples (20 cm depth) and analyzed them for 29 physical, chemical, and biological soil attributes. For selection of soil quality indicators, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the measured attributes, which provided four principal components (PC) with eigenvalues >1 and explaining at least 5 % of the variance in dataset. The four PCs together explained 92.6 % of the total variance. Based on rotated factor loadings of soil attributes, selected indicators were: soil organic carbon (SOC) from PC-1, exchangeable Al from PC-2, silt content from PC-3, and available P and Mn from PC-4. Indicators were transformed into scores (linear scoring method) and soil quality index (SQI) was determined, on a scale of 0–1, using the weighting factors obtained from PCA. SQI rating was the highest for the least-disturbed sites, i.e., natural forestland (0.93) and grassland (0.87), and the lowest for the most intensively cultivated site, i.e., cultivated upland terrace (0.44). Ratings for the other land uses were shifting cultivation (0.60)?>?cultivated low land (0.57)?>?plantation land (0.54). Overall contribution (in percent) of the indicators in determination of SQI was in the order: SOC (58 %)?>?exch. Al (17.1 %)?>?available P (8.9 %)?>?available Mn (8.2 %)?>?silt content (7.8 %). Results of this study suggest SOC and exch. Al as the two most powerful indicators of soil quality in study area. Thus, organic C and soil acidity management holds the key to improve soil quality under many exploitatively cultivated land use systems in eastern Himalayan region of India.     

Verification of a source-oriented externally mixed air quality model during a severe photochemical smog episode

The CIT/UCD three-dimensional source-oriented externally mixed air quality model is tested during a severe photochemical smog episode (Los Angeles, 7–9 September 1993) using two different chemical mechanisms that describe the formation of ozone and secondary reaction products. The first chemical mechanism is the secondary organic aerosol mechanism (SOAM) that is based on SAPRC90 with extensions to describe the formation of condensable organic products. The second chemical mechanism is the caltech atmospheric chemistry mechanism (CACM) that is based on SAPRC99 with more detailed treatment of organic oxidation products.The predicted ozone concentrations from the CIT/UCD/SOAM and the CIT/UCD/CACM models agree well with the observations made at most monitoring sites with a mean normalized error of approximately 0.4–0.5. Good agreement is generally found between the predicted and measured NO_x concentrations except during morning rush hours of 6–10 am when NO_x concentrations are under-predicted at most locations. Total VOC concentrations predicted by the two chemical mechanisms agree reasonably well with the observations at three of the four sites where measurements were made. Gas-phase concentrations of phenolic compounds and benzaldehyde predicted by the UCD/CIT/CACM model are higher than the measured concentrations whereas the predicted concentrations of other aromatic compounds approximately agree with the measured values.The fine airborne particulate matter mass concentrations (PM_2.5) predicted by the UCD/CIT/SOAM and UCD/CIT/CACM models are slightly greater than the observed values during evening hours and lower than observed values during morning rush hours. The evening over-predictions are driven by an excess of nitrate, ammonium ion and sulfate. The UCD/CIT/CACM model predicts higher nighttime concentrations of gaseous precursors leading to the formation of particulate nitrate than the UCD/CIT/SOAM model. Elemental carbon and total organic mass are under-predicted by both models during morning rush hour periods. When this latter finding is combined with the NO_x under-predictions that occur at the same time, it suggests a systematic bias in the diesel engine emissions inventory. The mass of particulate total organic carbon is under-predicted by both the UCD/CIT/SOAM and UCD/CIT/CACM models during afternoon hours. Elemental carbon concentrations generally agree with the observations at this time. Both the UCD/CIT/SOAM and UCD/CIT/CACM models predict low concentrations of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) (<3.5 μg m⁻³) indicating that both models could be missing SOA formation pathways. The representation of the aerosol as an internal mixture vs. a source-oriented external mixture did not significantly affect the predicted concentrations during the current study.     

不同水分管理模式联合叶面喷施硅肥对水稻Cd累积的影响

在某重度Cd污染稻田(Cd含量2.83 mg·kg~(-1))开展8种水分管理措施联合叶面喷施硅肥的大田试验,研究不同处理对水稻生长及各部位Cd累积的影响.结果表明:①8种水分管理措施联合叶面喷施硅肥处理对水稻株高和分蘖数没有明显影响,但各处理均增加了水稻糙米生物量,增幅为1.7%～25.0%,其中成熟期淹水+叶面喷施硅肥处理(CY)下糙米生物量达到最高.②常规水分管理+叶面喷施硅肥处理(Si)对土壤Cd两种提取态含量无明显影响,而其他处理降低土壤交换态Cd含量7.8%～42.6%,降低土壤TCLP提取态Cd含量20.0%～40.8%.③常规水分管理+叶面喷施硅肥处理(Si)能降低水稻各部位Cd含量,糙米Cd含量下降了19.0%;其他处理显著降低了水稻各部位中Cd含量,其中仅成熟期湿润+叶面喷施硅肥处理(CS)降低糙米Cd含量降幅最大,降低了44.0%,其次为间歇淹水湿润+叶面喷施硅肥处理(JX)和仅灌浆期湿润+叶面喷施硅肥处理(GS),分别降低36.4%和31.8%.④在中重度Cd污染稻田建议采用仅成熟期湿润+叶面喷施硅肥处理(CS)和间歇淹水湿润+叶面喷施硅肥处理(JX),在不影响水稻产量的同时又显著降低糙米Cd含量.     

水培试验下水稻Pb吸收累积关键生育期

水稻不同生育期对Pb的吸收累积差异明显.本研究通过水培试验,分别在水稻不同生育期(分蘖期、拔节期、孕穗期、灌浆期、蜡熟期和成熟期)和全生育期添加0.5 mg·L~(-1)的外源Pb,以全生育期不添加外源Pb作为对照,研究水稻不同生育期Pb吸收累积的影响,明确水稻吸收累积Pb的关键生育时期及对水稻植株和糙米Pb累积的贡献.结果表明:①单一生育期Pb胁迫处理时,水稻株高和分蘖数差异不明显,而全生育期Pb胁迫处理下水稻株高和生物量均受到明显抑制;②水稻成熟后不同部位的Pb含量差异表现为:根系茎节1其他茎节根基茎茎叶穗轴谷壳糙米;不同生育期处理下糙米Pb含量范围为0.1～1.2 mg·kg~(-1),其顺序为:孕穗期Pb胁迫拔节期Pb胁迫分蘖期Pb胁迫灌浆期Pb胁迫成熟期Pb胁迫蜡熟期Pb胁迫;③水稻植株Pb累积量相对贡献率在水稻生殖生长时期(灌浆期、蜡熟期和成熟期)较大,而水稻地上部位Pb累积量相对贡献率在水稻营养生长时期(分蘖期、拔节期和孕穗期)较大;④孕穗期是糙米Pb积累的关键生育期,对糙米Pb累积的相对贡献率为43.3%,其次是拔节期和分蘖期处理,相对贡献率分别为24.4%和21.3%;⑤建议在水稻孕穗期适度采用淹水灌溉、施加改良剂或叶面阻控等技术措施,以降低糙米Pb累积,实现Pb污染稻田安全利用.     

外源磷对镉胁迫下水稻生长及镉累积转运的影响

本研究通过水稻（黄华占）水培试验,在不同镉（Cd）浓度胁迫条件下,施加10.0~45.0 mg ·L^-1外源磷（NaH₂PO₄）,研究磷（P）对水稻植株Cd累积与转运的影响.结果表明：①随外源P浓度增加,水稻各部位生物量及光合色素（叶绿素a、叶绿素b和类胡萝卜素）浓度均逐渐升高;②施加外源P使水稻的茎、叶、谷壳和糙米中Cd含量逐渐增加,水培溶液中Cd浓度为0.1 mg ·L^-1和0.2 mg ·L^-1胁迫下,糙米Cd含量分别增加了2.8%~22.8%和40.9%~61.8%;③施加外源P使水稻植株Cd累积量增加,水培溶液中Cd浓度为0.1 mg ·L^-1和0.2 mg ·L^-1胁迫下,Cd累积量范围分别从395.1 μg ·株^-1和639.6 μg ·株^-1增加到542.6 μg ·株^-1和1082.0 μg ·株^-1;④水稻根系P/Cd质量比随外源P施加量增加而增大,茎、叶、谷壳和糙米P/Cd质量比则呈下降趋势;增加外源P浓度使水稻根到茎（TF_根-茎）和茎到叶（TF_茎-叶）的Cd转运系数增加.水稻各部位中P和Cd表现出一定的协同作用,外源P促进了根系中Cd向地上部位转运,增加了糙米Cd含量.     

Fe-Al改性硅藻土的制备及其对土壤Cd污染固定化效果

为了提高硅藻土对土壤镉污染的原位固定化效果,采用羟基Fe-Al对硅藻土进行改性,通过土壤培养实验研究了Fe/Al摩尔比、OH/cation摩尔比、陈化时间、(Fe+Al)/硅藻土比、反应温度、老化时间对土壤镉污染固定化效果的影响,同时采用扫描电镜(SEM)和傅里叶红外光谱(FTIR)分析了改性前后硅藻土理化特征的变化.结果表明,改性硅藻土最佳制备工艺条件为Fe/Al摩尔比1∶8、OH/cation摩尔比2.0~2.2、陈化时间2 d、(Fe+Al)/硅藻土比10 mmol·g-1、反应温度60℃、老化时间2 d.改性硅藻土显著降低了土壤中可交换态镉的含量,硅藻土改性前后对交换态Cd含量的降低率由11.83%提升到39.52%.SEM与FTIR分析表明,通过改性增加了硅藻土的比表面积和Si—O—H基团,并且羟基铁铝被成功置入硅藻壳体内部,形成了有效柱体,增大了孔道间距,增强了硅藻土的表面活性.因此,羟基铁铝改性能有效地促进硅藻土对土壤镉的固定效果.提供的改性方法和实验结果,为硅藻土固定土壤重金属提供了新的技术手段和理论依据.