Watershed Regressions for Pesticides (warp) Models for Predicting Atrazine Concentrations in Corn Belt Streams1

Stone, Wesley W. and Robert J. Gilliom, 2012. Watershed Regressions for Pesticides (WARP) Models for Predicting Atrazine Concentrations in Corn Belt Streams. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(5): 970‐986. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2012.00661.x Abstract: Watershed Regressions for Pesticides (WARP) models, previously developed for atrazine at the national scale, are improved for application to the United States (U.S.) Corn Belt region by developing region‐specific models that include watershed characteristics that are influential in predicting atrazine concentration statistics within the Corn Belt. WARP models for the Corn Belt (WARP‐CB) were developed for annual maximum moving‐average (14‐, 21‐, 30‐, 60‐, and 90‐day durations) and annual 95th‐percentile atrazine concentrations in streams of the Corn Belt region. The WARP‐CB models accounted for 53 to 62% of the variability in the various concentration statistics among the model‐development sites. Model predictions were within a factor of 5 of the observed concentration statistic for over 90% of the model‐development sites. The WARP‐CB residuals and uncertainty are lower than those of the National WARP model for the same sites. Although atrazine‐use intensity is the most important explanatory variable in the National WARP models, it is not a significant variable in the WARP‐CB models. The WARP‐CB models provide improved predictions for Corn Belt streams draining watersheds with atrazine‐use intensities of 17 kg/km² of watershed area or greater.     

Arctic Tipping Points: Governance in Turbulent Times

Interacting forces of climate change and globalization are transforming the Arctic. Triggered by a non-linear shift in sea ice, this transformation has unleashed mounting interest in opportunities to exploit the region’s natural resources as well as growing concern about environmental, economic, and political issues associated with such efforts. This article addresses the implications of this transformation for governance, identifies limitations of existing arrangements, and explores changes needed to meet new demands. It advocates the development of an Arctic regime complex featuring flexibility across issues and adaptability over time along with an enhanced role for the Arctic Council both in conducting policy-relevant assessments and in promoting synergy in interactions among the elements of the emerging Arctic regime complex. The emphasis throughout is on maximizing the fit between the socioecological features of the Arctic and the character of the governance arrangements needed to steer the Arctic toward a sustainable future.     

Historical change of mercury pollution in remote Yongle archipelago, South China Sea

We collected three ornithogenic coral sand sedimentary profiles from Jinyin Island, Jinqing Island and Guangjin Island of Yongle archipelago, South China Sea and reconstructed the deposition flux of anthropogenic Hg over the past 700 years in the study area. On the whole, the anthropogenic Hg flux is relatively low; it remained at a low level before the Industrial Revolution with a small peak at about 1450-1550 AD, which may record the enhanced metallurgy activity in Ming Dynasty of China. During the 20th century, the deposition flux of anthropogenic Hg increased rapidly, but two troughs occurred during the periods around 1940s and 1970s, corresponding to the economic depression caused by World War II, Civil War in China (1945-1949), and the Culture Revolution (1966-1976) in China. Since the 1970s the deposition flux of anthropogenic Hg has been persistently increasing, apparently the result of fast economic development in East and Southeast Asia countries around South China Sea.     

Bioindication of volatile elements emission by the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle (North Patagonia) volcanic event in 2011

The emission of volatile pollutants from the volcanic eruption of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle complex (North Patagonia Andean Range) that started in June 4th, 2011, was investigated by bioindication means with the epyphytic fruticose lichen Usnea sp. The elemental composition of pooled samples made up with 10 lichen thalli were analysed by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis. Eleven sampling sites were selected within the impacted region at different distance from the volcanic source. Five sites were selected as they were already sampled in a previous study prior to the eruption. Two other new sampling sites were selected from outside the impacted zone to provide non-impacted baseline sites.The elements associated with the lichen incorporation of particulate matter (PM) of geological origin were identified by linear correlation with a geochemical tracer (Sm concentrations). The elements associated with PM uptake were Ce, Eu, Fe, Hf, La, Lu, Na, Nd, Sb, Sc, Se, Ta, Tb, Th, U, and Yb. Arsenic and Cs concentrations showed contributions exceeding the PM fraction in sites near the volcanic centre, also higher than the baseline concentrations, which could be associated with permanent emissions from the geothermal system of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle complex. The lichen concentrations of Ba, Ca, Co, Hg, K, Rb, Sr, and Zn were not associated with the PM, not showing higher concentrations in the sites nearby the volcanic source or respect to the baseline values either. Therefore, there is no indication of the emission of volatile forms of these elements in the lichen records. The lichen records only identified Br volatile emissions associated with the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle complex eruption in 2011.     

Visualization and localization of bromotoluene distribution in Hedera helix using NanoSIMS

Some plants are known as indoor air purifiers. A large number of studies report kinetic purification results for an extensive panel of plants, i.e. the pollutant concentration (volatile organic compounds, as known as VOC, most of the time) is continuously monitored by gas chromatography. However, only a few papers describe the mechanisms involved in such processes. This study deals with the use of secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging as an efficient tool to locate atmospheric pollutant as bromotoluene within the Hedera helix plant (leaf, roots) and the substrate on which it was previously grown. Hedera helix plants have been placed in a pollution chamber with control of the exposure parameters. Plant and soil samples excised were transferred into a fixative solution of glutaraldehyde and paraformaldehyde for a few days, were dehydrated using ethanol and were embedded with resin. Cross sections were made from the pale brown solids obtained. Then, a device using a cathodic pulverization device capable of depositing a few nanometers of gold atoms over the sample was used to make the surface electronically conductive for the NanoSIMS. Hence, polluted and unpolluted samples of Hedera helix and substrates were obtained following a careful procedure that allowed for the discrimination between polluted and nonpolluted ones. Nanoscale spatial resolution was an invaluable tool (NanoSIMS) to achieve this, and proved that VOCs, such as bromotoluene, were actually trapped by plants such as Hedera helix.     

Multi-step approach for comparing the local air pollution contributions of conventional and innovative MSW thermo-chemical treatments

In the sector of municipal solid waste management the debate on the performances of conventional and novel thermo-chemical technologies is still relevant. When a plant must be constructed, decision makers often select a technology prior to analyzing the local environmental impact of the available options, as this type of study is generally developed when the design of the plant has been carried out. Additionally, in the literature there is a lack of comparative analyses of the contributions to local air pollution from different technologies. The present study offers a multi-step approach, based on pollutant emission factors and atmospheric dilution coefficients, for a local comparative analysis. With this approach it is possible to check if some assumptions related to the advantages of the novel thermochemical technologies, in terms of local direct impact on air quality, can be applied to municipal solid waste treatment. The selected processes concern combustion, gasification and pyrolysis, alone or in combination. The pollutants considered are both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic. A case study is presented concerning the location of a plant in an alpine region and its contribution to the local air pollution. Results show that differences among technologies are less than expected. Performances of each technology are discussed in details.     

沸石渗滤床在城市初期雨水径流污染控制的应用研究

根据城市初期雨水径流的污染负荷初始冲刷效应以及主要污染物COD和N/P与SS成线性相关性的污染特点,对初期雨水的主要污染物COD和N/P开展了控制技术研究。以示范工程为基础,研究城市初期雨水径流污染控制的强化处理技术即沸石渗滤床技术,运行结果表明,对NH3-N、TP、COD都有较好的去除效果,其中对NH3-N的去除效果较为明显,进水氨氮浓度在2～5 mg/L,出水都能达到地表IV类水标准(NH3-N≤0.5 mg/L)。     

西安市城市主干道路面径流初期冲刷效应

以西安市城市主干道南二环太白路高架桥为路面径流采样区域,采用人工等时间间隔采样方法,在桥梁排水立管对2010年9—11月的3场径流事件进行全程采样,测试径流过程SS、COD、溶解性COD、NH3-N、Pb、溶解性Pb、Zn和溶解性Zn的浓度变化,研究路面径流的初期冲刷效应及其影响因素。结果表明,西安市城市主干道路面径流污染严重,降雨数小时后的末期径流仍具有较高的污染水平;径流过程污染物浓度变化规律与其赋存形态有关,SS、COD、Pb等以颗粒态为主的污染物的浓度随雨强变化剧烈波动,NH3-N、溶解态COD、溶解态Zn等以溶解态为主的污染物浓度变化受雨强影响较小,随径流过程呈逐渐减小趋势;路面径流初期冲刷现象并非普遍存在,与污染物的赋存状态和场次降雨特征密切相关,溶解态污染物易于出现初期冲刷现象,颗粒态污染物是否出现初期冲刷与场次降雨特征有关;测试的3场径流事件初期30%的径流携带的SS、COD、溶解性COD、NH3-N、Pb、Zn和溶解性Zn的负荷占场次径流总负荷的比例分别为21.8%～50.0%、25.5%～49.3%、36.3%～52.6%、52.6%～66.7%、26.8%～45.0%、27.2%～63.4%和36.2%～62.6%,表明仅对初期径流进行治理无法实现对西安市路面径流污染的有效控制。     

基于GCM_CB模型的土壤重金属污染评价

灰色聚类法已经运用于土壤重金属污染评价中,然而此法在确定聚类权重时仅考虑重金属浓度,忽略了衡量重金属毒性强弱的重要指标生物毒性指数。为了更客观和准确地反映土壤重金属的污染程度,将生物毒性指数引入到聚类指标权重中,构建GCM_CB(grey clustering method_concentration and biotoxicity)土壤重金属污染评价模型。通过对华东某地区的10个区域土壤重金属污染进行分析评价,并与常用评价方法对比研究,表明:其多数样点的评价结果基本一致,但针对样品4和样品9中的元素Hg,因其强毒性,使得评价等级由I级定为II级,从而提高了评价方法的灵敏度,更加符合该区域的实际土壤污染情况。     

湘江株洲段丰水期镉污染负荷总量测算及分配

以2010年8月湘江干流株洲段代表性断面水质与底泥监测资料以及其他资料为基础,采用WASP7模型模拟该江段丰水期镉浓度,并进行镉污染负荷测算与分配。研究结果表明,WASP7模型较好地重现了镉浓度的变化规律,8月份该河段上游镉入流量2 446.33 kg,下游出流量3 076.44 kg,区间增量630.12 kg,其中点源负荷量241.67 kg,占38.4%,面源负荷量304.49 kg,占48.3%,内源负荷量为83.96 kg,占13.3%。