CONTRIBUTION OF PRECIPITATION TO QUALITY OF URBAN STORM RUNOFF1

Precipitation and runoff samples were collected for 13 storms in a nonindustrial urban area in Central Pennsylvania between July 1980 and June 1981. Runoff was collected from tree surfaces, a residential roof and street, a shopping mall parking lot, a downtown business district alley, and a heavily traveled street. Analysis of the water samples showed 10 to 25 percent of the nitrogen, 25 percent of the sulfate, and less than 5 percent of the phosphorus, potassium, and calcium in water below a tree was deposited by the precipitation. The residential roof caused insignificant changes in water chemistry. The results for the four paved areas showed that all the nitrogen, and from 16 to 40 percent of the sulfate and 13, 4, and 2 percent of the phosphorus, potassium, and calcium, respectively, in runoff was deposited by the precipitation. Precipitation can also be an important source of sulfate and phosphorus in runoff. All of the surfaces raised the pH of the runoff, with the largest increases, from a pH of 4 to about 7, occurring in runoff from the paved areas. Precipitation and runoff chemistry was not related to antecedent conditions such as the length of the preceding dry period.     

Results from Three Field Tracer Experiments on the Neighbourhood Scale in the City of Birmingham UK

The physical processes governing flow and pollutantdispersion at the neighbourhood scale, a spatial scaleintermediate between the street scale and the city scale, is notwell understood. Furthermore, it is not clear whether a traditional approach using averaged characteristics such as theaerodynamic roughness length is sufficient to predict the concentration field at this scale. To investigate pollutant dispersion in a real urban area, three field experiments were designed within the UK-URGENT programme sponsored by NERC. Theexperiments were performed in the City of Birmingham using a finite duration release of inert, non-toxic and non-depositingtracers, vis. perfluoromethylcyclohexane (PMCH) and perfluoromethylcyclopentane (PMCP). Measurements were taken using air bag samplers placedin an arc at 3.5 km (first experiment) and 1 km (second andthird experiments) from the source; some trap samplers wereplaced outside the main arc in the outskirts of the city. Measurements were analysed in the laboratory using anovel gas-chromatography technique. Data so obtained werecompared with predictions from a simple steady-state modeland a time-dependent model. The concentration-time serieswere very asymmetrical with a sharp rise, a plateau followedby a relatively slow decrease and finally a long-livedplateau above (or possibly very slow decrease to) thebackground level.     

Deposition and Storage of Spheroidal Carbonaceous Fly-Ash Particles in European Mountain Lake Sediments and Catchment Soils

Spheroidal carbonaceous particles(SCPs) are produced only from high temperaturecombustion of fossil-fuels. In mountain lakesystems, they provide an unambiguous indicator ofatmospheric deposition. In order to comparedepositional fluxes of SCPs between mountainareas experiencing various pollutant regimes,intensive bulk deposition sampling was undertakenat five sites across Europe. Catchment soil coresand lake sediment cores were also taken at eachsite to compare SCP storage over the post-industrial period. Atmospheric, sediment and soilSCP data showed similar patterns. Highestcontamination was found in Scotland, Slovakia andSpain with the Austrian site intermediate and themid-Norwegian site least contaminated. A highproportion of accumulated SCPs were found to bestored in catchment soils at each site.Therefore, a significant increase in soilerosion, possibly as a result of future climatechange, could lead to the input of largequantities of catchment stored SCPs and, byimplication, other atmospherically depositedcontaminants to the lake ecosystem.     

Trends in the Water Chemistry of High Altitude Lakes in Europe

Here we present the chemical trends of seven high altitude lakes, analysed within the AL:PE and MOLAR Projects of the EU (1999) and selected on the basis of the availability of complete and reliable data for the period 1984–1999. The lakes are representative of the Scandinavian Alps, the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland, the Alps and the Pyrenees. Significant trends were identified for some indicators of acidification, for instance pH and alkalinity, but not all lakes reacted similarly to decreasing depositions of sulphate and base cations. Differences in lake response are discussed in relation to recent variations of atmospheric deposition chemistry and associated changes in climatic conditions. Beside individual variations of the studied lakes, depending, among other things, on altitude and morphology, catchment characteristics and climate trends play a major role for the reaction of high altitude lakes on changes in atmospheric depositions.     

METEOROLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS FOR AUTOMATED SATELLITES

Four satellites have been used in meteorology. They are TIROS, ESSA, Nimbus, and Applications Technology Satellite (ATS). The first three operate in the orbital altitudes of about 1000 to 1200 km while the fourth, ATS, is at geosynchronous altitude of 36,000 km. Cloud cover is being observed operationally from low orbit and experimentally from synchronous altitude. Wind velocity has been inferred from the frequent cloud cover pictures taken by ATS and satellite-balloon systems are being developed which will locate and track constant-density level balloons for determining wind flow. Spectrometers and radiometers operating in the electromagnetic spectral region from the ultraviolet to the microwave region are being developed to quantitatively measure temperature, water vapor, density, and wind profiles. These will furnish data for the development and testing of atmospheric models for numerical prediction. In addition, experiments are being developed to measure ozone and other constituents of the air, solar energy, surface conditions, heat balance and other atmospheric attributes which affect the structure and dynamics of the atmosphere.     

Chemistry of Selected High-Elevation Lakes in Seven National Parks in the Western United States

A chemical survey of 69 high-altitude lakes in seven national parks in the western United States was conducted during the fallof 1999; the lakes were previously sampled during the fall of 1985, as part of the Western Lake Survey. Lakes in parks in the Sierra/southern Cascades (Lassen Volcanic, Yosemite, Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks) and in the southern RockyMountains (Rocky Mountain National Park) were very dilute; medianspecific conductance ranged from 4.4 to 12.2 S cm^-1 andmedian alkalinity concentrations ranged from 32.2 to 72.9 eqL^-1. Specific conductances and alkalinity concentrations were substantially higher in lakes in the central and northernRocky Mountains parks (Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and GlacierNational Parks), probably due to the prevalence of more reactivebedrock types. Regional patterns in lake concentrations of NO₃ and SO₄ were similar to regional patterns in NO₃ and SO₄ concentrations in precipitation, suggestingthat the lakes are showing a response to atmospheric deposition.Concentrations of NO₃ were particularly high in Rocky Mountain National Park, where some ecosystems appear to be undergoing nitrogen saturation.     

Atmospheric Levels of Nitrogen Oxides at a Greek Oil Refinery Compared with the Urban Measurements in Athens

Oil refining is among the industrial activities that emit considerable amounts of air pollutants into the atmosphere. Nitrogen oxides are important air pollutants that are emitted by oil refineries as products of combustion processes. The ambient air concentrations of nitrogen oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) were monitored continuously at a site close to an oil refinery, near the city of Corinth in Greece, during autumn 1997 together with the main meteorological parameters. The contribution of the oil refinery to the measured atmospheric levels of nitrogen oxides was estimated. The ambient air concentration of nitrogen oxides in the area surrounding the oil refinery were generally lower than the ambient air concentrations in the urban area of Athens in Greece, and the NO₂ levels were always below the existing air quality standards. The influence of the refinery emitted NO_x in the photochemical production of ozone seems to be more important in terms of human and vegetation exposure given the high ozone backgrounds measured in the area.     

基于ERA-Interim资料分析青藏高原“湿池”变化特征

论文利用ERA-Interim(0.5°×0.5°,简称ERA)、NCEP/NCAR2(2.5°×2.5°,简称NCEP2)两种不同分辨率的再分析资料和探空观测资料,首先分析了夏季(7月)和冬季(1月)青藏高原(以下简称高原)上大气水汽含量大值区(简称"湿池")的区域分布特征,然后基于ERA资料分析了1979—2012年间高原"湿池"的一些变化特征,发现了一些新的事实。主要结果包括:在对流层中上层,高原上无论夏、冬季都有大气水汽含量的高值中心——高原"湿池"存在。夏季7月高原"湿池"强度最强,ERA资料除了在高原南部有自西到东的连续高湿中心带外,在高原西北部还有一个高湿中心;NCEP2资料仅在高原东南部和西南部有两个高湿中心。冬季1月,两种资料均只在高原东南部有高湿中心。总体上,ERA资料与探空观测资料的高湿中心区更为接近。7月,高原南部高湿中心在1990年代中期(1994—1996年)之后持续偏强,西北部中心强度有弱—强—弱—强交替变化特征;1月,高湿中心在1980年代末期开始持续偏强。高原南部高湿中心带在7月几乎是一个连续的区域,1996年以后这一特征更为明显,在1月则是分为东西两段的高湿中心带。     

阜新市空气监测点位优化的聚类分析

基于聚类分析法利用数据之间距离系数进行分类的原理,建立空气监测点位聚类分析优化模型,结合阜新市地形、气象及历史监测数据,进行阜新市空气监测点位布设优化应用,优化结果表明:距离相似水平取d=0.3时,环保局(B点)与人民公园(C点)监测点空气污染物浓度分布相似性最高,合并为1点,增设气象台监测点位作为清洁背景点,4个点位构成阜新市空气监测新网络;利用CALPUFF模型模拟对优化后监测点位进行相关性检验。检验结果表明:监测点位优化后SO2浓度与实测值相关系数为0.984,PM10相关系数为0.968,NO2相关系数为0.973。CALPUFF模型模拟值与实际监测值之间相关系数均大于0.75,表明优化后的阜新市空气监测点位具有客观环境代表性;监测点位优化与检验方法具有一定应用价值。