Does Including Soil Moisture Observations Improve Operational Streamflow Forecasts in Snow‐Dominated Watersheds?

Changing climate and growing water demand are increasing the need for robust streamflow forecasts. Historically, operational streamflow forecasts made by the Natural Resources Conservation Service have relied on precipitation and snow water equivalent observations from Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) sites. We investigate whether also including SNOTEL soil moisture observations improve April‐July streamflow volume forecast accuracy at 0, 1, 2, and 3‐month lead times at 12 watersheds in Utah and California. We found statistically significant improvement in 0 and 3‐month lead time accuracy in 8 of 12 watersheds and 10 of 12 watersheds for 1 and 2‐month lead times. Surprisingly, these improvements were insensitive to soil moisture metrics derived from soil physical properties. Forecasts were made with volumetric water content (VWC) averaged from October 1 to the forecast date. By including VWC at the 0‐month lead time the forecasts explained 7.3% more variability and increased the streamflow volume accuracy by 8.4% on average compared to standard forecasts that already explained an average 77% of the variability. At 1 to 3‐month lead times, the inclusion of soil moisture explained 12.3‐26.3% more variability than the standard forecast on average. Our findings indicate including soil moisture observations increased statistical streamflow forecast accuracy and thus, could potentially improve water supply reliability in regions affected by changing snowpacks.     

The Effect of Water Harvesting Techniques on Runoff,Sedimentation, and Soil Properties

This study addressed the hydrological processes of runoff and sedimentation, soil moisture content, and properties under the effect of different water harvesting techniques (treatments). The study was conducted at three sites, representing environmental condition gradients, located in the southern part of the West Bank. For each treatment, the study evaluated soil chemical and physical properties, soil moisture at 30 cm depth, surface runoff and sedimentation at each site. Results showed that runoff is reduced by 65–85% and sedimentation by 58–69% in stone terraces and semi-circle bunds compared to the control at the semi-humid site. In addition, stone terraces and contour ridges significantly reduced the amount of total runoff by 80% and 73%, respectively, at the arid site. Soil moisture content was significantly increased by water harvesting techniques compared to the control in all treatments at the three study sites. In addition, the difference between the control and the water harvesting structures were higher in the arid and semi-arid areas than in the semi-humid area. Soil and water conservation, via utilization of water harvesting structures, is an effective principle for reducing the negative impact of high runoff intensity and subsequently increasing soil moisture storage from rainfall. Jessour systems in the valley and stone terraces were effective in increasing soil moisture storage, prolonging the growing season for natural vegetation, and decreasing the amount of supplemental irrigation required for growing fruit trees.     

Profile of Methane Concentrations in Soil and Atmosphere in Alpine Steppe Ecosystem on Tibetan Plateau

The methane concentration profile from -1.5m depth in soil to 32m height in air was measured in alpine steppe located in the permafrost area. Methane concentrations showed widely variations both in air and in soil during the study period. The mean concentrations in atmosphere were all higher than those in soil, and the highest methane concentration was found in air at the height of 16m with the lowest concentration occurring at the depth of 1.5m in soil. The variations of atmospheric methane concentrations did not show any clear pattern both temporally and spatially, although they exhibited a more steadystable state than those in soil. During the seasonal variations, the methane concentrations at different depths in soil were significantly correlated （R^2〉0.6） with each other comparing to the weak correlations （R^2〈0.2） between the atmospheric concentra- tions at different heights. Mean methane concentrations in soil significantly decreased with depth. This was the compositive influence of the decreasing production rates and the increasing methane oxidation rates, which was caused by the descent soil moisture with depth. Although the methane concentrations at all depths varied widely during the growing season, they showed very distinct temporal variations in the non-growing season. It was indicated from the literatures that methane oxidation rates were positively correlated with soil temperature. The higher methane concentrations in soil during the winter were determined by the lower methane oxidation rates with decreasing soil temperatures, whereas methane production rates had no reaction to the lower temperature. Relations between methane contribution and other environmental factors were not discussed in this paper for lacking of data, which impulse us to carry out further and more detailed studies in this unique area.     

Sources and Framing of Fracking: A Content Analysis of Newspaper Coverage in North Carolina,New York,and Pennsylvania

Research across several decades has mapped the way complex environmental issues with complicated policy implications are often differentially framed within the media, public, and policy agendas with major implications for how they are understood, discussed, and decided. Building on this work, this this study compared news coverage of the debate over natural gas “fracking” in New York, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina between the period 2008 and 2013. Examining state newspapers, the analysis evaluated the types of sources used, the assertions of these sources, and how the issue of fracking was framed. From a general perspective, this study reveals how differences in framing of an environmental and scientific controversy can be attributed to the locally relevant sources used in reporting, as well as the political, economic, and social factors that might be unique to a state. Specific to the debate over natural gas “fracking,” this study adds to our understanding of how such state-based factors influence the portrayal of the issue in the news media.     

2,4-D mineralization in unsaturated and near-saturated surface soils of an undulating,cultivated Canadian prairie landscape

The herbicide 2,4-D [2,4-(dichlorophenoxy) acetic acid] is one of the most widely used pesticides in the Canadian prairies and is frequently detected as a ground and surface water contaminant. The objective of this paper was to determine the magnitude and extent of variation of 2,4-D mineralization in a cultivated undulating prairie landscape. Microcosm incubation experiments, using a 4 × 3 × 2 factorial experimental design (soil moisture, 4 levels: 60, 85, 110, 135% of field capacity; slope position, 3 levels: upper-, mid- and lower-slopes; soil depth, 2 levels: 0–5 and 5–15 cm), were used to assess 2,4-D mineralization. The first-order mineralization rate constant (k₁) varied from 0.03 to 0.22 day^{? 1}, while total 2,4-D mineralization varied from 31 to 52%. At near-saturated conditions (110 and 135% of field capacity), the onset of 2,4-D degradation was delayed in soil obtained from the upper- and mid-slopes but not in soils obtained from the lower-slope position. The k₁ and total 2,4-D mineralizationwas significantly influenced by all three factors and their interactions. The Freundlich sorption coefficient of 2,4-D ranged from 0.83 to 2.46 ug ^1–1/ng^{? 1} mL^1/n and was significantly influenced by variations in soil organic carbon content across slope positions. The infield variability of 2,4-D sorption and mineralization observed across slope positions in this undulating field was comparable in magnitude and extent to the regional variability of 2,4-D sorption and mineralization observed in surface soils across Manitoba. The large variability of 2,4-D mineralization and sorption at different slope positions in this cultivated undulating field suggests that landform segmentation models, which are used to delineate slope positions, are important considerations in pesticide fate studies.     

Reconstructions of Soil Moisture for the Upper Colorado River Basin Using Tree‐Ring Chronologies1

Anderson, SallyRose, Glenn Tootle, and Henri Grissino‐Mayer, 2012. Reconstructions of Soil Moisture for the Upper Colorado River Basin Using Tree‐Ring Chronologies. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(4): 849‐858. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2012.00651.x Abstract: Soil moisture is an important factor in the global hydrologic cycle, but existing reconstructions of historic soil moisture are limited. We used tree‐ring chronologies to reconstruct annual soil moisture in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB). Gridded soil moisture data were spatially regionalized using principal components analysis and k‐nearest neighbor techniques. We correlated moisture sensitive tree‐ring chronologies in and adjacent to the UCRB with regional soil moisture and tested the relationships for temporal stability. Chronologies that were positively correlated and stable for the calibration period were retained. We used stepwise linear regression to identify the best predictor combinations for each soil moisture region. The regressions explained 42‐78% of the variability in soil moisture data. We performed reconstructions for individual soil moisture grid cells to enhance understanding of the disparity in reconstructive skill across the regions. Reconstructions that used chronologies based on ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa) and pinyon pines (Pinus edulis) explained more variance in the datasets. Reconstructed soil moisture data was standardized and compared with standardized reconstructed streamflow and snow water equivalent data from the same region. Soil moisture and other hydrologic variables were highly correlated, indicating reconstructions of soil moisture in the UCRB using tree‐ring chronologies successfully represent hydrologic trends.     

烟气同时脱硫脱氮生物膜填料塔的适用外加碳源

实验分别考察了外加乙酸钠、葡萄糖、酒石酸钾钠、甲醇等4种低分子有机碳源对生物膜填料塔烟气同时脱硫脱氮效率的影响。结果表明,外加乙酸钠的脱氮效果最佳,对NOx的平均去除率为62.05%;外加葡萄糖、酒石酸钾钠、甲醇时的NOx平均去除率分别为51.03%、46.98%、58.71%。乙酸钠、酒石酸钾钠、甲醇均能使SO2的去除率达到100%,葡萄糖显著降低了SO2的去除率。乙酸钠是在生物膜填料塔烟气同时脱硫脱氮技术中适宜的外加碳源。     

碳氮磷比失调对污水生物脱氮除磷的影响

我国南方城市污水普遍存在低碳相对高氮磷特征,本文介绍了同时生物脱氮除磷的机理、对碳源的需求与竞争,以及一些针对此类污水生物脱氮除磷的改进工艺及其在实际运用中的效果,并对此类污水的处理方向进行了展望。     

接种Glomus versiforme对红三叶草利用有机磷的影响

以红三叶草为材料,利用三室隔网培养方法,研究接种菌根真菌Glmous versiforme对土壤有机磷及外加有机磷化合物植酸钠（Na-Phytate)、核糖核酸（RNA）和卵磷脂（Lecithin)的利用效率,植株生长7wk后收获测定植标干物重、含磷量和根系菌根侵染率,结果表明：接种菌根真菌能明显增加植株干物重、含磷量和吸磷总量,与各有机磷处理相比,无机磷（KH2PO4）处理生长效应最好,施用有机磷化合物各处理与CK相比均明显促进了植株生长,但不同有机磷处理之间没有显著差异,在植株吸磷量上,各接种处理均为相应CK处理的2倍以上,其中磷酸二氢钾处理吸磷量最高,菌根对照植物的根外菌丝虽然被限制在有限的空间内,但其吸磷量也达到不施磷的CK－M处理的2倍多,这说明由于菌根的形成植物能利用土壤因有的有机磷来满足自身生长的需要,表3参10     

北京市地下水污染源荷载影响评价

在阐述地下水污染源荷载影响基本概念的基础上,介绍了污染源荷载影响评价的3大要素:污染荷载等级、含水层敏感性及地下水价值,说明了评价体系、指标和方法及过程。根据主要污染源荷载分析,结合地下水环境现状,对北京市进行了分区,提出污染源管理措施。