SATELLITE MICROWAVE OBSERVATIONS OF SOIL MOISTURE VARIATIONS1

ABSTRACT: Results from studies in the Illinois-Indiana and Texas-Oklahoma areas indicate that satellite microwave observations at the 1.55 cm wavelength are responsive to relative moisture variations in the near surface layer of the soil. Because significant vegetation cover absorbs the 1.55 cm microwave emission from the soil, the target area must be predominately bare soil or low density vegetation cover for meaningful measurements to result. The 25 km resolution of the satellite sensor limits application of the microwave techniques to large areas such as watersheds or agricultural districts rather than individual fields. In general, at 1.55 cm. there is an inverse relationship between microwave brightness temperature and changes in soil moisture levels (as indicated by antecedent rainfall) in agricultural regions before the planting of crops or during the early growing season when vegetation cover is sparse. Even early season observations should be of great value in deciding on the time and type of crop planting and for initial irrigation scheduling when the root zone is still in close proximity to the surface.     

AN EXAMINATION OF LAND USE - NUTRIENT EXPORT RELATIONSHIPS1

ABSTRACT: Lake and watershed management strategies and recent environmental legislation dictate that nonpoht nutrient sources associated with storm water runoff must be assessed. Accordingly, a nutrient flu assessment for phosphorus and nitrogen is conducted through an extensive literature review of nutrient export studies. These studies are reevaluated. The nutrient export coefficients are screened according to sampling design criteria and compiled according to land use. The ecological mechanisms within each land use influencing the magnitude of nutrient flux are also discussed     

乌鲁木齐市燃煤点源现状分析

对乌鲁木齐市燃煤点派数量、耗煤量、污染物的排放量以及在各功能区的分布分别进行了统计分析，对污染物的排放量在不同高度空间的分布也进行了统计分析，从而得出了确切的结论并提出了相应的建议。     

松华坝饮用水源区补偿政策探讨

根据昆明政府颁布的《昆明市松华坝水源保护区生产生活补助办法(试行)》要求,在系统探讨了松华坝水源保护区实施补助的重要性和必要性的基础上,分析了办法实行可能产生的效果,并针对性地提出实施建议。     

辽宁省典型城市道路尘PM2.5成分谱研究

为构建辽宁省典型城市道路尘源成分谱，分别采集了鞍山市和盘锦市道路尘样品，分析了其化学组分特征，用富集因子法和比值法分析了其主要来源，用分歧系数法分析了两个城市成分谱的相似度.结果表明：盘锦市和鞍山市道路尘PM_2.5中的化学组成以有机碳组分（OC）和地壳类元素（Al、Ca、Mg、Fe和K）为主.除Cu和V元素外，其余元素均表现为鞍山市的富集因子大于盘锦市.由比值法可得，盘锦市和鞍山市OC/EC分别为（13.20±6.26）和（3.94±0.63），均存在二次污染现象；NO₃^-/SO₄^2-的均值分别为（0.52±0.55）和（0.46±0.13），说明其道路尘PM_2.5受固定源影响更大.盘锦市与鞍山市道路尘成分谱分歧系数为0.354，说明两个源成分谱可能相似.     

FARMERS' ATTITUDES TOWARD NONPOINT POLLUTION CONTROL AND PARTICIPATION IN COST-SHARE PROGRAMS1

The success of government programs to control nonpoint source pollution depends upon attitudes toward those programs and the availability of technical and financial assistance. Applicants for the Rural Clean Water Program cost-share funding in Virginia possess different personal and operational characteristics than do nonapplicants. Factors associated with participation in the Rural Clean Water Program differed from those associated with the more traditional soil conservation programs. Discriminant analysis was used to differentiate between other farmers who may become applicants and nonapplicants. Farmers' attitudes toward various policy options for inducing implementation of nonpoint source management practices varied greatly. Farmers were most favorable to cost sharing, low-interest loans and tax credits, and least favorable to a soil loss tax. They were either very favorably or very unfavorably inclined toward cross-compliance between pollution control and other agricultural programs.     

Stochastic Transfer Function Model and Neural Networks to Estimate Soil Moisture1

Abstract: A practical methodology is proposed to estimate the three‐dimensional variability of soil moisture based on a stochastic transfer function model, which is an approximation of the Richard’s equation. Satellite, radar and in situ observations are the major sources of information to develop a model that represents the dynamic water content in the soil. The soil‐moisture observations were collected from 17 stations located in Puerto Rico (PR), and a sequential quadratic programming algorithm was used to estimate the parameters of the transfer function (TF) at each station. Soil texture information, terrain elevation, vegetation index, surface temperature, and accumulated rainfall for every grid cell were input into a self‐organized artificial neural network to identify similarities on terrain spatial variability and to determine the TF that best resembles the properties of a particular grid point. Soil moisture observed at 20 cm depth, soil texture, and cumulative rainfall were also used to train a feedforward artificial neural network to estimate soil moisture at 5, 10, 50, and 100 cm depth. A validation procedure was implemented to measure the horizontal and vertical estimation accuracy of soil moisture. Validation results from spatial and temporal variation of volumetric water content (vwc) showed that the proposed algorithm estimated soil moisture with a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 2.31% vwc, and the vertical profile shows a RMSE of 2.50% vwc. The algorithm estimates soil moisture in an hourly basis at 1 km spatial resolution, and up to 1 m depth, and was successfully applied under PR climate conditions.     

Reducing Fertilizer‐Nitrogen Losses from Rowcrop Landscapes: Insights and Implications from a Spatially Explicit Watershed Model

We present conceptual and quantitative models that predict changes in fertilizer‐derived nitrogen delivery from rowcrop landscapes caused by agricultural conservation efforts implemented to reduce nutrient inputs and transport and increase nutrient retention in the landscape. To evaluate the relative importance of changes in the sources, transport, and sinks of fertilizer‐derived nitrogen across a region, we use the spatially explicit SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes watershed model to map the distribution, at the small watershed scale within the Upper Mississippi‐Ohio River Basin (UMORB), of: (1) fertilizer inputs; (2) nutrient attenuation during delivery of those inputs to the UMORB outlet; and (3) nitrogen export from the UMORB outlet. Comparing these spatial distributions suggests that the amount of fertilizer input and degree of nutrient attenuation are both important in determining the extent of nitrogen export. From a management perspective, this means that agricultural conservation efforts to reduce nitrogen export would benefit by: (1) expanding their focus to include activities that restore and enhance nutrient processing in these highly altered landscapes; and (2) targeting specific types of best management practices to watersheds where they will be most valuable. Doing so successfully may result in a shift in current approaches to conservation planning, outreach, and funding.     

Influence of Riparian Seepage Zones on Nitrate Variability in Two Agricultural Headwater Streams

Riparian seeps have been recognized for their contributions to stream flow in headwater catchments, but there is limited data on how seeps affect stream water quality. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of seeps on the variability of stream NO₃‐N concentrations in FD36 and RS, two agricultural catchments in Pennsylvania. Stream samples were collected at 10‐m intervals over reaches of 550 (FD36) and 490 m (RS) on 21 occasions between April 2009 and January 2012. Semi‐variogram analysis was used to quantify longitudinal patterns in stream NO₃‐N concentration. Seep water was collected at 14 sites in FD36 and 7 in RS, but the number of flowing seeps depended on antecedent conditions. Seep NO₃‐N concentrations were variable (0.1‐29.5 mg/l) and were often greater downslope of cropped fields compared to other land uses. During base flow, longitudinal variability in stream NO₃‐N concentrations increased as the number of flowing seeps increased. The influence of seeps on the variability of stream NO₃‐N concentrations was less during storm flow compared to the variability of base flow NO₃‐N concentrations. However, 24 h after a storm in FD36, an increase in the number of flowing seeps and decreasing streamflow resulted in the greatest longitudinal variability in stream NO₃‐N concentrations recorded. Results indicate seeps are important areas of NO₃‐N delivery to streams where targeted adoption of mitigation measures may substantially improve stream water quality.     

Seeking,Thinking, Acting: Understanding Suburban Resident Perceptions and Behaviors Related to Stream Quality

Theories in risk, psychology, and communication suggest aiming to inform the public about basic ecological facts may not be enough to influence knowledge of risks or behaviors to mitigate water quality risks. The risk information‐seeking and processing model and the theory of planned behavior suggest several additional variables that are likely to influence risk‐mitigating behaviors. We used data from a survey of watershed residents in Ohio to explore a model of behavioral intentions to positively impact stream health. Residents' informational norms, or the perceived pressure to know about local stream health, strongly predicted their information‐seeking behaviors. Active‐seeking behaviors predicted positive attitudes toward behaviors impacting stream health, which predicted intentions to positively impact stream health. Implications for outreach include couching communication in terms of risk found important to the local community, here wildlife were seen as negatively influenced by water quality, as opposed to plain reports typically provided by utility companies. Increasing social pressure to feel informed by emphasizing the existing knowledge of stream ecology among residents could change the norm for the less informed. A low response rate limits the generalizability of findings here, but leveraging these findings in outreach efforts could prove more successful in engaging the public to improve stream health and support policies to improve stream health.