Marshaling Adaptive Capacities within an Adaptive Management Framework to Enhance the Resiliency of Wastewater Systems

We assess adaptive capacity and adaptive management as measures of wastewater (WW) system resiliency using data from interviews with WW system managers (hereafter managers) impacted by past storms. Results suggest the most resilient WW systems are those with high adaptive capacities that employ an adaptive management approach to make ongoing adaptation investments over time. Greater amounts of generic adaptive capacities (i.e., skilled staff and good leadership) help smooth both day‐to‐day and emergency operations and provide a foundation for adaptive management. In turn, adaptive management helps managers both build more generic adaptive capacities, and develop and employ greater amounts and diversity of specific adaptive capacities (i.e., soft and/or hard adaptations) that are especially important for enhancing and sustaining resiliency. Adaptive management also enables managers to better understand their system's vulnerabilities, how those vulnerabilities change over time, and what specific actions may reduce those vulnerabilities. Finally, our work suggests WW system resilience critically depends on the capacities of the human systems for building resilience as much as or more so than relying only on physical infrastructure resilience. Our work contributes to filling an important gap in the literature by advancing our understanding of the human dimensions of infrastructure resilience and has practical implications for advancing resilience in the WW sector.     

Phytoavailability and Fractions of Iron and Manganese in Calcareous Soil Amended with Composted Urban Wastes

Little is known about the effects of applying composted urban wastes on the phytoavailability and distribution of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) among chemical fractions in soil. In order to study this concern several experiments in pots containing calcareous soil were carried out. The received treatments by adding separately two rates (20 and 80 Mg ha^?1) of municipal solid waste (MSW) compost and/or municipal solid waste and sewage sludge (MSW-SS) co-compost. The cropping sequence was a lettuce crop followed by a barley crop. It was observed that treatments amended with composted urban wastes tended to promote slight increases in lettuce yield compared to the control. The highest Fe levels in lettuce were found when higher rates of MSW-SS co-compost were applied; these values were significant compared to those obtained in the other treatments. In all cases, the application of organic materials increased the concentration and uptake of Mn in lettuce compared to the control; however, these increases were significant only when higher rates of MSW compost were applied. The organic amendments had beneficial delayed effects on barley yields, showing, in most cases, significant increases compared to the control. In this context, treatments with MSW compost were found to be more effective than the equivalent treatments amended with MSW-SS co-compost. Compared to the control, composted urban wastes increased Fe concentration in straw and rachis, and decreased Fe concentration in barley grain. Similarly, a decreased concentration of Mn in the dry matter of barley crop grown in soils treated with composted urban wastes was observed.     

煤矸石制备高附加值化工产品的研究现状

本文主要论述了煤炭资源开采过程中的废弃物—煤矸石的化工利用方法。以煤矸石为原料,将其加工成高附加值的化工产品是煤矸石综合利用的一个发展方向。     

Disaster threat: Preparedness and potential response of the lowest income quartile

For a community to manage hazards successfully, those who are responsible for planning and implementing responses to a disaster threat situation must understand the social and economic realities of populations at risk. A random sample survey of residents in the vicinity of a US Army chemical weapons storage depot in Alabama confirms that those in the lowest quartile of household income (i.e., less than US $25,000 in 1999) differ in important ways from the rest of the sample. Using economic status as a grouping variable resultedin identifying a concentration of individuals with special needs. This group differed significantly from the remainder of the sample as to demographic and attitudinal characteristics, hazard knowledge and concerns, emergency preparedness, and emergency decision-making and their likelihood of taking protective actions. Respondents in the lowest income quartile reported greater restrictions in physical abilities, fewer community contacts, a heightened concern about area hazards, and limited resources for taking preparedness and response actions.     

Chemical composition of water from roofs in Gdansk, Poland

This study deals with the assessment of roof runoff waters from the region of Gdansk collected during the winter season (2007/2008). The chemical analysis includes 16 chemical variables: major ions, PAHs and PCBs measured at 3 sampling sites for 6-14 rain events. Although the data set is of limited volume the statistical data treatment using self-organizing maps (SOM) reveals the main factors controlling roof runoff water quality even for a data set with small dimension. This effort for explanation of the identified factors by the possible emission sources of the urban environment and air-particulate formation seems to be very reliable. Additionally to the roof runoff water quality factors the rain events patterns are found: “background” group of events and groups formally named “PAHs”, “PCBs” and “air-borne particles” - dominated events. The SOM classification results give an opportunity to uncover the role of roof “impact” on the runoff waters.Rain runoff water quality is described by four latent factors and the “roof” impact is uncovered.     

WATERSHED SCALE MODELING OF CRITICAL SOURCE AREAS OF RUNOFF GENERATION AND PHOSPHORUS TRANSPORT1

ABSTRACT: A curve number based model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), and a physically based model, Soil Moisture Distribution and Routing (SMDR), were applied in a headwater watershed in Pennsylvania to identify runoff generation areas, as runoff areas have been shown to be critical for phosphorus management. SWAT performed better than SMDR in simulating daily streamflows over the four‐year simulation period (Nash‐Sutcliffe coefficient: SWAT, 0.62; SMDR, 0.33). Both models varied streamflow simulations seasonally as precipitation and watershed conditions varied. However, levels of agreement between simulated and observed flows were not consistent over seasons. SMDR, a variable source area based model, needs further improvement in model formulations to simulate large peak flows as observed. SWAT simulations matched the majority of observed peak flow events. SMDR overpredicted annual flow volumes, while SWAT underpredicted the same. Neither model routes runoff over the landscape to water bodies, which is critical to surface transport of phosphorus. SMDR representation of the watershed as grids may allow targeted management of phosphorus sources. SWAT representation of fields as hydrologic response units (HRUs) does not allow such targeted management.     

Seismic response mitigation of chemical plant components by passive control techniques

This paper deals with the applicability of seismic passive control in major-hazard chemical installations. The objective is to show numerically and experimentally the applicability of Passive Control Techniques (PCT) in industrial plants. Consequently, the main components of a process plant are classified and collected into a limited number of classes; for each class, the main damages caused by past earthquakes are described and the most vulnerable components are identified. A synthesis of the effects of earthquakes on the different typologies of process components is also presented and the most suitable innovative seismic protection systems, in particular passive control techniques (PCT), are acknowledged. Finally, the effectiveness of PCT in reducing the seismic response of process plant components is proved by three representative case studies: a base isolated above-ground storage tank, a distillation column connected by elastoplastic dampers to the adjacent service frame and an application of non-conventional Tuned Mass Dampers to a support frame.     

Heterogeneity of Hydrologic Response in Urban Watersheds1

Meierdiercks, Katherine L., James A. Smith, Mary Lynn Baeck, and Andrew J. Miller, 2010. Heterogeneity of Hydrologic Response in Urban Watersheds. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(6):1221–1237. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00487.x Abstract: The changing patterns of streamflow associated with urbanization are examined through analyses of discharge and rainfall records for the study watersheds of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES). Analyses utilize a decade (1999-2008) of observations from a dense U.S. Geological Survey stream gaging network and Hydro-NEXRAD radar rainfall fields. The principal study watershed of the BES is Gwynns Falls (171 km²). Focus is given to two Gwynns Falls basins with contrasting patterns and histories of development, Dead Run and Upper Gwynns Falls. The sharp contrasts in streamflow properties between the basins reflect the differences in urban development prior to implementation of stormwater management regulations (much of Dead Run) and development for which stormwater management is an integral part of the hydrologic system (Upper Gwynns Falls). The mean annual runoff in Dead Run (558 mm) is 35% larger than that of Upper Gwynns Falls; larger contrasts in runoff properties typify the “warm season” and are linked to storm event hydrologic response. Spatial heterogeneities in storm event response are reflected in seasonal and diurnal properties of streamflow. Analyses of storm event response are presented for June 2006, during which monthly rainfall over the BES region ranged from less than 150 to more than 500 mm. Baisman Run, the BES forest reference watershed, and Moores Run, a highly urbanized watershed in Baltimore City, provide “end-member” representations of urban impacts on streamflow.     

基于FY2C卫星数据的藏北高原降水估算研究

如何确切的掌握降水的时空分布,对区域气候、水文和生态应用等至关重要。以藏北高原典型区为研究区,在大量地面实况降水观测数据与对长时间序列FY 2C 影像光谱特征和云图特征分析的基础上,获取卫星降水模拟参数特征集以刻画云降水的发生与发展过程,选用最值归一化方法对不同量纲云图特征参数进行归一化处理。构建基于三层前向型反向传播神经网络的卫星降水估算模型,用于该地域降水估算,并采用多指标体系分析模型的降水模拟精度。结果表明：静止气象卫星红外波段能较精确地揭示云的降水机理,较高时间分辨率遥感图像可以监测云图的变化细节,并获取能够反映云图降水特征的降水模拟参数;人工神经网络能较好地刻画该地域卫星降水特征的非线性规律;三层前向型反向传播神经网络卫星降水估算模型的估算结果与雨量计实测值间的相关性可以达到0.57。模型估算结果系统性的低估偏小,预示着对该地域弱降水强度将有较好的指示性     

秦皇岛地区干旱趋势分析及人工增雨条件

通过分析秦皇岛地区水资源及人均占有率、气候干旱化之现状及秦皇岛地区降水的特点,发现秦皇岛降水有明显日变化特征（凌晨1～2时和傍晚17～18时降水量较大）。从化学制剂的选择、碘化银成核环境确定、积云增雨的高度判断三个方面提出了人工增雨作业条件,在作业实践中取得了良好效果。