Trends in sediment metal concentrations in the River Avoca, South-East Ireland

Variation in sediment metal concentrations in the River Avoca, which is severely polluted by acid mine drainage (AMD) discharged from the abandoned sulphur and copper mines in Avoca, is reported. A survey of surface and subsurface sediments was repeated after seven years during exceptionally low flow conditions in 2001. The present study found that the reference (up-stream) site used in the original 1994 study was itself impacted by AMD, showing sediment metal enrichment by AMD to be greater than originally thought. The new reference site contained elevated Pb (570 µg g^–1) in the subsurface sediment due to abandoned Pb-Zn mines 25 km further upstream. Concentrations of Cu (43 µg g^–1), Zn (349 µg g^–1) and Fe (4.0%) were normal for uncontaminated rivers. All the downstream sites showed sediment metal enrichment arising from the AMD (Cu and Zn p < 0.001; Fe p < 0.01). Subsurface concentrations of metals immediately below the mixing zone were Cu 904 µg g–1 (sd 335), Zn 723 µg g–1 (sd 93), Fe 6.3% (sd 1.5) and Pb 463 µg g^–1 (sd 279). Monthly variation in metal concentrations at sites was not significantly different (p > 0.05). Although surface sediment metal concentrations were more variable, they followed similar trends to subsurface sediment. There were no significant differences in the subsurface sediment concentrations for either Cu or Zn over the period 1994 and 2001 immediately below the mines, although at the lowest site Zn had decreased by 35% over the period (p < 0.01). However there was a significant (p < 0.01) decrease over the period in the Fe concentration at all the impacted sites. This corresponds to a reduction in Fe concentration in the AMD and indicates that some remediation has occurred in the river since 1994.     

渍害田地下排水技术与江汉平原农业综合开发

江汉平原是全国重点开发区域之一。本文由分析江汉平原的资源优势及其主要后备资源渍害中低产田入手,以科学试验资料为依据,从理论与实践的结合上,阐述了地下排水技术是改造渍害中低产田的治本措施,进而说明了该项技术的推广应用是江汉平原农业综合开发的主体和关键。     

SIMULATED RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SPECTRAL REFLECTANCE,THERMAL EMISSIONS,AND EVAPOTRANSPIRATION OF A SOYBEAN CANOPY1

ABSTRACT: A canopy reflectance model is incorporated into a routine for simulating water and energy flows in the soil-plant-atmosphere system. The reflectance model is structured tocalculate canopy albedo throughout each simulation period and to determine spectral reflectances at a specified time during the day. Spectral vegetation indices are then calculated from the reflectances and related to the evapotranspiration and thermal response of the canopy. The canopy reflectance model is also used to establish the photo-sytheticaily active radiation load at various depths in the canopy. Stomatal resistances are calculated using these radiation values and integrated to give the minimum canopy resistance. Actual canopy resistance is obtained by adjusting minimum canopy resistance for environmental stresses such as leaf water potential and leaf temperature. Using data for a soybean canopy, canopy evapotranspiration and temperatures are simulated for a range of leaf area index values and compared with the corresponding spectral vegetation indices. The resuits indicate that the normalized difference spectral index has an inverse linear relationship with canopy temperature, concurring with results obtained from satellite observations. The possibility of using a spectral vegetation index and thermal observations together to parameterize surface moisture availability for evapotranspiration is considered.     

SOIL-MOISTURE EFFECTS OF CONVERSION OF SAGEBRUSH COVER TO BUNCHGRASS COVER1

Precipitation, soil moisture, runoff, and vegetation were measured on two, 5- to 10-acre, big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) watersheds and two, equally small, beardless bluebunch wheatgrass (Agrophron inerme) watersheds that were converted from big sagebrush in 1967. The watersheds are located near Wolcott, Colorado, at an elevation of 7,200 feet, and are mantled with 2 to 3 feet of silty clay soils. Annual precipitation was about 13.5 inches; about 9 inches occurred as rain or snow from April through October and about 4.5 inches accumulated as a snowpack from November through March. Evapotranspiration was about 2 inches greater in 1968 and 1 inch greater in 1969 from the sagebrush watersheds than from the grass watersheds. With a mature stand of grass in 1970 and 1971 the differences in evapotranspiration were within the range of differences measured during the 3-year calibration period when all four watersheds were sagebrush. Water use was similar in the top 1 foot of soil but slightly more water was used by the grass in the 1- to 2-foot zone and more water being used by the sagebrush below 2 feet. Soil-water potential data indicated that only the big sagebrush used a small amount of water from the fractured shale at depths below 40 inches. Sagebrush used more water in August and September than the grass.     

REUSE OF AGRICULTURAL DRAINAGE WATERS: AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS1

ABSTRACT The profitability of reusing agricultural drainage water for crop production depends on the salt tolerance of the crop being grown the salt concentration of the drainage water, the cost of obtaining it and price of good water. In the this paper the economics of drainwater resue is examined for six crops in two areas of southern California. The results suggest that drainwater reuse is not profitable for the fruit and vegetable crops considered but is profitable for the field crops considered when the price of good water is relatively high and cost of obtaining the draingage water is low.     

DETERMINATION OF CROP PRODUCTION LOSS DUE TO INADEQUATE DRAINAGE IN A LARGE WATERSHED1

ABSTRACT Results of a field survey designed to assess the extent of crop production losses due to inadequate drainage in a large watershed of Iowa is presented. Information on the current status of drainage of the watershed, located in the Des Moines River basin, was collected through personal interviews with 256 farmers from 60 legal drainage districts. The results of the survey indicate that 95 percent of the area in upper Des Moines River basin has inadequate district mains or main outlet drains currently having a design capacity of ≤ 0.64 cm/day drainage coefficient. Outlet capacity of 1.27 cm/day d.c. would be required for full production. Inadequate drainage in the watershed is currently responsible for crop yield reduction equal to about one-third of the maximum yield potential for average weather conditions.     

DEVELOPMENT OF PREDICTION EQUATIONS FOR A PHREATIC AQUIFER IN RESPONSE TO INFILTRATION: DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS1

ABSTRACT: The need for a quick means to predict the subsurface flow into a stream caused the authors to take a different approach to the problem. Dimensional analysis was applied to deduce a functional relationship between the dependent and independent variables. This paper lays the ground work for the development of prediction equations for a phreatic aquifer in response to infiltration.     

GROUND WATER SEEPAGE IN LAKE WASHINGTON AND THE UPPER ST. JOHNS RIVER BASIN,FLORIDA1

Direct ground water seepage measurements were made in Lake Washington, Florida, to determine the importance of seepage as a water and chloride source to the lake and upper St. Johns River. Over 200 seepage measurements were made in the lake and adjoining canals from July through December 1978. Results indicated that seepage into the shore areas of Lake Washington was an insignificant water source to the lake, representing 0.6 percent of the inputs, and was nearly balanced by ground water recharge in the midlake region. Drainage canals entering Lake Washington, however, exhibited high average seepage rates (17.7 L/m²-day), over eight times the lake average (2.01 L/M²-day). Discharge from the St. Johns River was the dominant factor in the water budget of Lake Washington and represented approximately 88 percent of the inputs during the study year. Although inputs from the drainage canals represented only 6.6 percent of the St. Johns River annual discharge, these canals represented 20.4 percent of the annual St. Johns River chloride loading and 62.1 percent of the river chloride loading during the five driest months of 1978. Evidence from this study indicates that rising levels of chloride in the river in recent years are largely attributable to ground water seepage in channelized areas, particularly in the headwaters. These chloride inputs assume greater importance during low water/low flow periods.     

Scatterscore: A Reconnaissance Method To Evaluate Changes In Water Quality

Water quality data collected in periodic monitoring programs are often difficult to evaluate, especially if the number of parameters is large, the sampling schedule varies, and values are of different orders of magnitude. The Scatterscore Water Quality Evaluation was developed to yield a quantitative score, based on all measured variables in periodic water quality reports, indicating positive, negative or random change. This new methodology calculates a reconnaissance score based on the differences between up-gradient (control) versus down-gradient (treatment) water quality data sets. All parameters measured over a period of time at two or more sampling points are compared. The relationship between the ranges of measured values and the ratio of the medians for each parameter produces a data point that falls into one of four sections on a scattergram. The number and average values of positive, negative and random change points is used to calculate a Scatterscore that indicates the magnitude and direction of overall change in water quality. The Scatterscore Water Quality Evaluation, a reconnaissance method to track general changes, has been applied to 20 sites at which coal utilization by-products (CUB) were used to control acid mine drainage (AMD).     

嗜酸性氧化亚铁硫杆菌介导的次生铁矿物形成的影响因素分析

酸性矿山废水(AMD)具有酸度高并含有大量可溶性Fe、硫酸根及重(类)金属的特点,采用生物矿化法促使AMD中Fe向羟基硫酸铁次生矿物转变,对AMD后期石灰中和减少氢氧化铁和废石膏的产生,提高中和效率具有实际意义.本研究模拟AMD,考察了初始pH、Fe~(2+)浓度、Fe/Na摩尔比对嗜酸性氧化亚铁硫杆菌(Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans)体系中Fe~(2+)氧化率、总Fe沉淀率、次生铁矿物矿相的影响.结果表明,高浓度Na~+会抑制A.ferrooxidans的氧化能力,当Na~+浓度在A.ferrooxidans耐受范围内时,其不影响Fe~(2+)氧化及总Fe沉淀去除效果,表现在160、80、20 mmol·L~(-1)的Fe~(2+)分别在72、48、48 h内被完全氧化,培养至终点时平均总Fe沉淀率分别为20.04%、16.43%、0.99%.此外,在Fe~(2+)浓度为160mmol·L~(-1)体系中,当Fe/Na摩尔比为1.0、2.0时,pH为2.0~2.6时获得次生铁矿物均为纯净施氏矿物.而当Fe/Na摩尔比降至0.5时,次生铁矿物的合成途径开始向黄钠铁矾转移,且其特征衍射峰随着Na~+浓度提高而愈加显著.本研究结果可为生物合成次生铁矿物工艺的优化及其在AMD治理领域的有效应用提供必要的参数支撑.