COVERING BOTTOM SEDIMENTS AS A LAKE RESTORATION TECHNIQUE1

ABSTRACT: Sediment covering to control macrophytes and sediment nutrient release is reviewed. It is concluded that fly ash application to control sediment phosphorus release presents more dangers to the lake than benefits and should not be used. Polyethylene sheeting has not had long term effectiveness due to macrophyte regrowth on its surface. PVC-coated fiberglass screen is expensive but nontoxic and appears to give long term macrophyte control. Similar results may be obtained with spun-bonded polypropylene. Sand, clay, and sheeting to retard nutrient release have received insufficient attention.     

EFFECT OF pH ON PHOSPHORUS RELEASE DURING MACROPHYTE (ELEOCHARIS sp.) DECOMPOSITION1

ABSTRACT: Laboratory microcosms were used to evaluate the effect of pH on release of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) during aerobic decomposition of the aquatic macrophyte Eleocharis sp., which is common in oligotrophic Florida lakes. The total amount of SRP released during a 227-day incubation in the dark was independent of pH over the range 3.7 to 5.5, but initial rates of release were faster at the lowest pH. The results indicate that the low total phosphorus concentrations observed in many acidic lakes are not necessarily attributable to reduced rates of decomposition and nutrient mineralization at low pH, as some researchers have suggested.     

A COMPARISON OF SOME DYNAMIC,LINEAR AND POLICY ITERATION METHODS FOR RESERVOIR OPERATION1

Within the past few years, a number of papers have been published in which stochastic mathematical programming models, incorporating first order Markov chains, have been used to derive alternative sequential operating policies for a multiple purpose reservoir. This paper attempts to review and compare three such mathematical modeling and solution techniques, namely dynamic programming, policy iteration, and linear programming. It is assumed that the flows into the reservoir are serially correlated stochastic quantities. The design parameters are assumed fixed, i.e., the reservoir capacity and the storage and release targets, if any, are predetermined. The models are discrete since the continuous variables of time, volume, and flow are approximated by discrete units. The problem is to derive an optimal operating policy. Such a policy defines the reservoir release as a function of the current storage volume and inflow. The form of the solution and some of the advantages, limitations and computational efficiencies of each of the models and their algorithms are compared using a simplified numerical example.     

OPTIMAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT IN THE EXPANSION OF AN EXISTING WATER RESOURCES SYSTEMS1

The study of the optimal expansion of existing water resources systems is of continuing importance because of the rising demand and limited supply of water in many areas of the world, particularly in the southwestern part of the United States of America. This study is concerned with the investigation of the optimal expansion of a realistic water resources system to meet an increasing demand for municipal and industrial use, irrigation, energy, and recreation over a planning horizon of T years. A number of possible dam sites are available for the further regulation of river (canal) flows in the basin and/or the regulation of imported waters into the basin. To maximize, over the set of alternative projects, the sum of discounted present value of net earnings subject to the demands and various institutional, physical and budgetary limits, an optimization problem (Problem I) was formed as a 0-1 mixed integer programming problem and was decomposed into the set of all feasible combinations (Problem II). The economic return was determined for each combination (Problem III). Problem II was solved by a branch and bound procedure which selected each feasible combination of dams while the optimal return for each such combination (Problem III) was found by a network analysis code.     

Some Remarks About the Effect of Smoke from Charcoal Kilns on Soil Degradation

The charcoal kilns under study were situated in the Polish Western Carpathiens (Bieszczady). Aromatic hydrocarbon products of wood burning in the kilns were identified. The rate of decomposition of beech leaves was relatively high as environmental conditions enhanced decomposition. The intensity of soil metabolism is increasing during a long-term exposure to smoke, which is one of the indicators of anthropogenic disturbance resulting from organic factors.     

温度、曝气和沉积物对绿潮硬毛藻分解的影响

为了解绿潮优势种——硬毛藻在温度、曝气和沉积物作用下的分解过程及三因素的效应大小,通过室内模拟研究了不同环境条件下硬毛藻早期分解过程中生物量、分解速率及藻体磷释放率的变化,分析了不同环境因子对藻体分解影响的效应大小.结果表明,高温(20~30℃)和添加沉积物均能促进硬毛藻的腐烂分解及藻体磷素释放,其中,30℃条件下含沉积物处理的最大分解速率可达12.13%·d-1,14 d后藻体磷释放率为90%以上.曝气一方面可通过扰动加速藻体生物量的损失和分解速率,另一方面提供了好氧环境,抑制了藻体生物分解和磷素释放,因而其影响效应较低.研究表明,高温和添加沉积物均可加速丝状硬毛藻的分解和藻体磷素释放,夏季应及时清除水体中滋生和衰亡的藻体.     

脉冲电晕放电降解水溶液中甲苯实验研究

采用针-板式脉冲电晕反应器对水溶液中甲苯的去除效果进行了实验研究.反应器为Φ90 mm×50 mm圆筒结构,反应器顶部均匀布有不锈钢针放电正极,反应器底部装有板接地电极.反应器上部空间为气体.放电针头与液面的距离为18 mm.实验结果表明水溶液中甲苯的去除率随脉冲峰值电压升高而增大;实验发现在气相为氩气氛围下甲苯的去除效果要好于在氮气和空气氛围下.放置一段时间达到气液平衡后再进行电晕放电,有利于提高甲苯的去除效率.对反应后的水溶液进行测定,检测到有苯甲醛等有机物生成,在水面上方的气体中检测到了CO和CO2的生成.     

Adaptation of microbial communities to multiple stressors associated with litter decomposition of Pterocarya stenoptera

To understand the further impacts of multiple stressors in freshwater, we investigated the effects of heavy metal(HM, Cu and Zn) and nutrient enrichments(nitrogen and phosphorus, NP) on microbial decomposition of Pterocarya stenoptera litter and the associated extracellular enzyme activities and microbial biomass with microcosms. Results showed that the decomposition rates were slower in the polluted stream waters than those in the unpolluted ones, which corresponded to lower microbial biomass and integrated enzyme activities of cellulose and β-glucosidase. The decomposition rates were accelerated at low HM level, which was associated with the stimulated enzyme activities of hydrolytic enzymes or was stimulated by both NP levels in polluted stream waters. In particular, the hydrolase enzyme activities of microbial communities in polluted stream waters were stimulated by low HM level, suggesting that low HM level-stimulated litter decomposition may be due to the increased enzymatic activities. When microbial communities were exposed to HM and NP simultaneously, the inhibitory effect(in unpolluted stream waters) or the stimulated effect(in polluted stream waters) of low HM concentration was enhanced and attenuated, respectively, which suggests that the NP antagonistic effect against HM toxicity on litter decomposition may contribute to the litterassociated extracellular enzyme activities. These results suggest that the co-occurrence of HM and NP may have antagonistic effects on stream ecosystem functioning.     

针铁矿对硫酸盐还原菌分解铅矾的影响

铅矾(PbSO_4)是工业生产中释放进入环境的重要含Pb物相,具有潜在的环境风险.采用硫酸盐还原菌(SRB)在厌氧条件下将重金属沉淀形成低溶度积的硫化物是有效固定重金属的方法之一.本研究重点考察了SRB作用下铅矾的转化过程及针铁矿对铅矾分解的影响.结果表明,反应体系中溶液p H和ORP均有所降低;SO_4~(2-)在SRB生长停滞期上升,随后保持稳定;酸可挥发性S浓度随SRB的生长逐渐升高,并最后保持稳定;实验结束后铅矾大部分转化为白铅矿(PbCO_3)和方铅矿.对结果的分析表明,在SRB作用下,铅矾分解转化的机制为:首先转化为白铅矿,其次硫酸盐被还原产生S~(2-),进一步促进铅矾的分解和白铅矿的形成,最后S~(2-)同溶液及新生白铅矿中的Pb~(2+)反应生成溶度积更低的方铅矿;针铁矿的主要作用为:固定溶液中的S~(2-),降低铅矾SRB分解的环境污染风险;通过作为SRB生长的电子受体和降低S~(2-)的生物毒害作用,提高体系中SRB的生物活性.     

Phytotoxicity of four herbicides on Ceratophyllum demersum, Vallisneria natans and Elodea nuttallii

The physiological effects of 4 herbicides (butachlor, quinclorac, bensulfuron-methyl and atrazine) on 3 submerged macrophytes (Ceratophyllum demersum, Vallisneria natans and Elodea nuttallii) were tested in laboratory conditions. The variables of the relative growth rate and the photosynthetic pigments content showed that all of the tested herbicides affected the growth of the plants obviously. The abnormal growth of the plants was observed in most treatment groups, even at the lowest concentration (0.0001 mg/L). Except for the C. demersum treated with quinclorac at 0.005 and 0.01 mg/L, the relative growth rates of the plants were inhibited significantly (p < 0.05). Statistical analysis of Chl-a content was carried out with both the t-test and one-way ANOVA to determine the difference between the treatment groups and control. The results showed that Chl-a contents of the plants in all treatment groups were affected by herbicides significantly, except for the C. demersum treated with bensulfuron-methyl at 0.0005 mg/L. The decrease content in Chl-a was positively correlated to the dosage of the herbicides in most treatment groups. It was suggested that herbicides in water body might potentially affect the growth of aquatic macrophytes. Since the Chl-a content of submerged macrophytes responded to the stress of herbicides sensitively and directly, it could be used as biomaker in environmental monitoring or in the ecological risk assessment of herbicide contamination.