The Link Between the Exceedance of Acidity Critical Loads for Freshwaters,Current Chemical Status and Biological Damage: A Re-Interpretation

Critical loads have for several years been employed bypolicymakers to aid in the development of strategies for aciddeposition abatement. They provide an effects-based approachwhereby an acid deposition flux greater than the critical load(known as critical load exceedance) implies that long-termharmful effects on a selected target organism will occur.Implicit in this approach are two assumptions: first, theexceedance of a critical load will harm the target organism,and second, the severity of biological impact is related to themagnitude of exceedance. However, static models give noindication of when the predicted damage might occur. One suchmodel, the Steady-State Water Chemistry (SSWC) model, employs aseries of empirical relationships to derive the pre-industrial,baseline leaching rate of base cations from measured waterchemistry using the so-called `F-factor'. The SSWC model setsthe critical load relative to pre-industrial base cationleaching (a permanent buffer of acid deposition) and a selectedacid neutralizing capacity (ANC) value which corresponds with aknown likelihood of damage to a biological target organism.Here we interpret the meaning of critical load exceedance as aprediction of steady-state ANC, and explore the relationshipbetween exceedance of the critical load and current chemistry. We demonstrate that a critical loadexceedance with the SSWC model does not necessarily indicatethat the critical chemical threshold (zero ANC) has alreadybeen crossed, and there may be no correlation betweenexceedance and biological status. A reformulation of the SSWCmodel is proposed which provides a direct link between currentdeposition and current chemical conditions, and is thereforemore likely to indicate current biological damage. Thereformulation illustrates the discrepancy between currentchemical status and that predicted by the SSWC model atsteady-state, which is a function of the `F-factor'.     

A Novel Method for Mapping Critical Loads Across a River Network: Application to the River Dart,Southwest England

To date, estimates of freshwater critical loads have beenbased on a single sample site within a given area, in theUK the `most sensitive' surface water in each 10 km gridsquare. The critical loads obtained are thus highlydependent on the sites chosen, and at a relatively coarsespatial resolution. To produce a higher resolutioncritical load assessment, the PEARLS (Prediction ofAcidification and Recovery on a Landscape Scale)procedure has been used to estimate critical loads acrossa large (248 km²), partially acid-sensitivecatchment in Southwest England. PEARLS utilises availablesoils and land-use databases, and sampled streamchemistry data, to derive characteristic runoffcompositions for a set of landscape types. Mixingequations are then used to calculate runoff chemistry,and subsequently critical loads, throughout the streamnetwork. Results show major spatial variability, withcritical loads lowest in streams draining peat-moorlandheadwaters, and generally increasing downstream asagricultural land contributes an increasing proportion ofrunoff. The 5th percentile freshwater critical loadfor the catchment is estimated at 0.29 keq H⁺ ha^-1yr^-1,and critical loads are exceeded for around 40% of totalstream length. The PEARLS methodology provides a novelopportunity to assess the spatial variability infreshwater critical loads, and to provide estimates ofexceedance at whole catchment scale. It has potentialapplication in the assessment of surface watersensitivity to acidification across wider areas in the UKand elsewhere.     

EVALUATION OF COASTAL PLAIN CONSERVATION BUFFERS USING THE RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT MODEL1

ABSTRACT: Riparian buffers are increasingly important as watershed management tools and are cost‐shared by programs such as Conservation Reserve that are part of the USDA Conservation Buffer Initiative. Riparian buffers as narrow as 4.6m (15ft) are eligible for cost‐share by USDA. The Riparian Ecosystem Management Model (REMM) provides a tool to judge water quality improvement by buffers and to set design criteria for nutrient and sediment load reduction. REMM was used for a Coastal Plain site to simulate 14 different buffers ranging from 4.6 m to 51.8 m (15 to 170 ft) with three different types of vegetation (hardwood trees, pine trees, and perennial grass) with two water and nutrient loads. The load cases were low sediment/low nutrient‐typical of a well managed agricultural field and low sediment/high nutrient‐typical of liquid manure application to perennial forage crops. Simulations showed that the minimum width buffer (4.6 m) was inadequate for control of nutrients under either load case. The minimum width buffer that is eligible for cost share assistance on a field with known water quality problems (10.7 m, 35 ft) was projected to achieve at least 50 percent reduction of N, P, and sediment in the load cases simulated.     

Microbial safety control of compost material with cow dung by heat treatment

Various kinds of pathogenic bacteria derived from the intestinal tract of animals exist in compost material like cow dung.In order to sterilize the pathogenic bacteria completely in compost material,the cow dung was put into a heat treatment machine in pilot plan, and harmless condition in short time was examined.The results indicated,pathogenic indicator bacteria such as coliform bacteria, fecal coliform,Escherichia coli and salmonella were all 10~6 cfu/g dw at the beginning,died rapidly when cow dung temperature rose to above 50℃,and not detected at 54-68℃for 6-24 h heat treatment.Coliform bacteria and salmonella in heated cow dung were not detected by re-growth culture and enrichment culture examination.Moreover,it was hardly influenced on the fermentation ability of composting microbe,organic decomposition bacteria.During heat treatment,the mesophile decreased rapidly and the thermophile stabilized or increased,and the most of composting microbe were bacillus in cow dung by fluorescence microscope,this indicated that bacillus was dominator and composting microbe in composting process.     

Adsorption removal of phosphate from aqueous solution by active red mud

Red mud is the waste of alumina industry and has high TiO_2 and Fe_2O_3 content which are active components for the adsorption of anion pollutants.In this study,the uptake of phosphate by red mud activated by heat treatment and acid-heat treatment was investigated. The factors influencing the adsorption were also investigated.The result showed that the red mud sample treated using acid-heat method at 80℃with 0.25 mol/L HC1 for 2 h achieved the highest phosphate removal.For the heat-activated red mud,the sample heated at 700℃for 2 h preformed better than the other heat treatment.Phosphate removal by the activated red mud was significantly pH dependent,and pH 7 was the optimal pH for phosphate removal.The adsorption fits Langmuir isotherm model well and the maximum adsorption capacities of the acid-heat activated red mud and the heat activated samples were 202.9 mgP/g and 155.2 mgP/g,respectively.     

A new type of Stirling heat engine

This is a new technique for operating a Stirling heat engine. Theoretically, its thermal efficiency should be greater than 100%. However, it does not violate the first and second laws of thermodynamics; it is not a perpetual motion engine, because the atmospheric pressure can be utilized as the external energy source, which no other existing heat engines can do. This means that the new type of heat engine can offer an immediate and concrete solution to the many energy and climate challenges that we are facing; therefore the reliability and significance of this new type of Stirling heat engine is self-evident.     

铁岭市生态环境现状及保护对策

通过对铁岭市生态环境的现状调查和分析，总结了铁岭市生态环境存在的问题及其成因，提出了生态环境保护的对策。     

建筑供暖节能与改善环境

提高供暖技术,减少供暖能耗对节约能源与改善建筑热环境起着重要作用,本文阐述了目前我国供暖技术及耗能现状,提出在改善居住热环境前提下,面向21世纪供暖技术发展对策。     

TRANSPORT AND DISTRIBUTION OF NUTRIENTS IN THE LOXAHATCHEE RIVER ESTUARY,SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA, 1979–811

ABSTRACT: Concentrations of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total organic carbon in the Loxahatchee River estuary decreased with increasing salinity in a manner indicating that mixing and dilution of freshwater by seawater was the primary process controlling the down-stream concentrations of nutrients. Most of the nutrients in the surface freshwater inflows entered the estuary from five major tributaries; however, about 10 percent of the total nitrogen and 32 percent of the total phosphorus were from urban stormwater runoff. The input of nutrients was highly seasonal and storm related. During a 61-day period of above average rainfall that included Tropical Storm Dennis, the major tributaries discharged 2.7 metric tons of total phosphorus, 75 metric tons of total nitrogen, and 1,000 metric tons of organic carbon to the estuary. This period accounted for more than half of the total nutrient load from the major tributaries during the 1981 water year (October 1, 1980, through September 30, 1981). Inorganic phosphorus and nitrogen increased relative to total phosphorus and nitrogen during storm runoff. Nutrient yield from the basin, expressed as grams per square meter of basin area, was relatively low. However, because the basin area (544 square kilometers) is large compared with the volume of the estuary, the basin might be expected to contribute significantly to estuarine enrichment were it not for tidal flushing. Approximately 60 percent of the total volume of the estuary is flushed on each tide. Because the estuary is well flushed, it probably has a large tolerance for nutrient loading.     

STORM WATER RUNOFF QUALITY FROM THREE LAND-USE AREAS IN SOUTH FLORIDA1

ABSTRACT: Storm water runoff studies of three small basins (20, 40, and 58 acres) in the Fort Lauderdale area of Florida were conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1974–78. The basins were homogeneously developed with land uses being: commercial, single family residential, and high traffic volume highway. Synchronized data were collected for rainfall, storm water discharge, storm water quality, and bulk precipitation (rainfall plus dry fallout) quality. Analysis of the storm water discharge data showed that most runoff was from impervious areas hydraulically connected to drain inlets. Regression analyses of the storm water discharge and water quality data indicated that storm loads from the single family residential area correlated strongly with peak discharge and length of antecedent dry periods. Storm loads from the highway area correlated strongly with rainfall and less strongly with peak discharge and antecedent dry periods. Storm loads from the commercial area correlated strongly with peak discharge and rainfall, and less strongly with antecedent dry periods. On a unit area basis, the single family residential area yielded the largest loads of nitrogen, phosphorus, and dissolved solids. The commercial area yielded the largest loads of lead, zinc, and chemical oxygen demand. Yields of carbon were about the same for the three areas. Constituent loadings derived directly from the atmosphere were estimated on the basis of bulk precipitation samples and compared with storm runoff loads from the highway and commercial areas.