Designing and Implementing a Network for Sensing Water Quality and Hydrology across Mountain to Urban Transitions

Water resources are increasingly impacted by growing human populations, land use, and climate changes, and complex interactions among biophysical processes. In an effort to better understand these factors in semiarid northern Utah, United States, we created a real‐time observatory consisting of sensors deployed at aquatic and terrestrial stations to monitor water quality, water inputs, and outputs along mountain to urban gradients. The Gradients Along Mountain to Urban Transitions (GAMUT) monitoring network spans three watersheds with similar climates and streams fed by mountain winter‐derived precipitation, but that differ in urbanization level, land use, and biophysical characteristics. The aquatic monitoring stations in the GAMUT network include sensors to measure chemical (dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, pH, nitrate, and dissolved organic matter), physical (stage, temperature, and turbidity), and biological components (chlorophyll‐a and phycocyanin). We present the logistics of designing, implementing, and maintaining the network; quality assurance and control of numerous, large datasets; and data acquisition, dissemination, and visualization. Data from GAMUT reveal spatial differences in water quality due to urbanization and built infrastructure; capture rapid temporal changes in water quality due to anthropogenic activity; and identify changes in biological structure, each of which are demonstrated via case study datasets.     

Enhancing consultation practices on Air Quality Management in local authorities

Schedule 11 of the Environment Act 1995 underpins the requirement for consultation on air quality issues. The ongoing air quality review and assessment process represents one of the largest locally based science policy and communication initiatives ever undertaken in the UK. This paper outlines the practice of consultation and communication for Air Quality Management (AQM) and reviews the interaction between Environmental Health professionals, as the leading actor in the AQM process and other stakeholders involved in air quality consultation, including the public. Results are presented from a widespread questionnaire survey of English local authorities. Data indicate that the majority of air quality consultation has been carried out with statutory consultees (by sending the review and assessment reports) and the public (via websites and leaflets) in the form of information dissemination.     

Impact of increased collection rates and the use of commingled collection systems on the quality of recovered paper. Part 1: increased collection rates

The recovery and utilization of recovered paper have increased over past decades all over the world due to economic, environmental, and social issues. However, it is well known that an extended recovered paper collection is detrimental to its quality, either by the exploitation of lower quality sources such as households, or the spreading of commingled systems instead of selective collection systems. The influence of these two factors was assessed by analyzing the quality of different recovered paper grades used as raw material in a mill located in Madrid (Spain) producing newsprint and light weight coated paper from recovered paper. Part 1 of the paper deals with the impact of increased collection rates on the quality of recovered paper and Part 2 with the use of commingled collection systems. Results of Part 1 show that increased collection rates have a large impact on the quality of the recovered paper. The quality, measured as total unusable material and moisture contents, had deteriorated very rapidly in only 4 years (2005–2008) as a consequence of increased collection rates. Collection rates increased in Spain from 58.5% to 68.6% during this period, resulting in more than 50% increase of total unusable material and 25% of moisture content. The downgrading of the quality of recovered paper is one of the major threats for extending the current limits of paper recycling. Therefore, future challenge is to increase its availability but maintaining its quality.     

能力验证是环境监测质量保证的重要环节

能力验证是近几年来开展的一项新的技术活动,是环境监测质量保证的重要环节.有组织、有计划的开展环境监测系统实验室的能力验证来确定实验室的能力并确保实验室维持较高的检测水平,也是保证环境监测数据具有科学性、准确性、可比性的必要措施.本文对此进行了论述.     

Model simulations of dissolved oxygen characteristics of Minnesota lakes: Past and future

A deterministic, one-dimensional, unsteady numerical model has been developed, tested, and applied to simulate mean daily dissolved oxygen (DO) characteristics in 27 lake classes in the state of Minnesota. Reaeration and photosynthesis are the oxygen sources, while respiration, sedimentary, and biochemical water column oxygen demand are the sinks of oxygen in the model. The lake classes are differentiated by surface area (A _s), maximum depth (H _max), and trophic status expressed as Secchi depth (Z _s). Because lake stratification is most important to lake oxygen dynamics, simulated DO characteristics are plotted in terms of a stratification parameterA _s/H _max ^0.25 and Secchi depthZ _s. Simulations provide DO profiles on a daily time scale. Specific DO characteristics of ecological and environmental interest are epilimnetic DO, hypolimnetic DO, DO gradient from surface to bottom, and DO minima and maxima. Specific results are as follows: Simulated mean daily and weekly DO values in the epilimnion of all lakes for both past and future climate scenarios are near saturation over the summer season. Hypolimnetic DO values depend strongly on lake morphometry, trophic status, and time throughout the summer season. Future climate conditions are specified as the historical records from 1955 to 1979, adjusted (monthly) by the 2 × CO₂ GISS model output to account for doubling of atmospheric CO₂. With this climate change, weekly averaged epilimnetic DO is projected to drop by less than 2 mg/liter, and will remain above 7 mg/liter throughout the open water season. The hypolimnetic DO reductions after climate change are on the order of 2–8 mg/liter. Periods of anoxia are longer by as much as 80 days. Those changes would alter water quality dynamics in lakes and have a profound effect on lake ecosystems including indigenous fishes. The results presented are useful for evaluating environmental management options.     

高等学校应以精神文明建设为先导落实育人目标

以精神文明建设为先导落实育人目标,是贯彻高校教育方针的重要方面。本文从抓好队伍和校园文化建设为切入点,提出了拓宽育人渠道、改进育人方法和强化素质教育的建议。     

Designating Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) in the UK Implications for Securing UK Air Quality Objectives

Across the United Kingdom, the majority of local authoritieshave now completed their first phase of local air qualityreview and assessment work, as required under the AirQuality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and NorthernIreland (DETR, 2000a). Emerging from this first phasework is an anticipated suite of over 110 Air QualityManagement Areas (AQMAs). These areas are identifiedlocations where one or more of the national air qualityobjectives are predicted to exceed by specific target dates,and their spatial extent and shape is emerging as highlyvariable. Local authorities are guided to use a variety ofscientific tools to underpin the scientific assessments, anda consideration of uncertainty in both the tools used andsubsequent delineation of AQMAs is likely to affect theemerging management areas significantly. With subsidiarity underpinning the process of local air qualitymanagement (LAQM), local decision-making is anticipated toinfluence the outcome of the LAQM process in its entirety,with the declaration of AQMAs necessitating the preparationand implementation of air quality action plans. UKexperience of the effective management of local air quality,through the designation of AQMAs, demonstrates a valuableframework for other European countries developing mechanismsto manage air quality locally.     

THE OPTIMAL TIME TO START THE OPERATION OF A DESALTING PLANT IN ISRAEL1

The study contains the methodology of finding the optimal time to start the operation of a desalting plant or any other non conventional source of water for agricultural use in Israel. The essence of the methodology is the moving equilibrium price and quantity of agricultural products. The market of agricultural products is represented by a single demand curve and a supply curve which is derived from the agricultural sector production function. Both the demand for and the supply of agricultural products functions are shifting over time. The marginal value product of water is the critical value that determines the optimal time of a desalting plant. The study is static in the sense that dynamic aspects per se are not dealt with-e.g. learning by doing of building and operating desalting plants. The empirical results although used for illustrative purposes can be used as reference points for other detailed and more ‘exact’ studies on water desalination.     

A MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR OPTIMUM DESIGN AND CONTROL OF METROPOLITAN WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS1

ABSTRACT: A comprehensive mathematical model (Urban Wastewater Management Model) has been developed to continuously simulate time-varying wastewater flows and qualities in complex metropolitan combined sewerage systems. The model serves three functions: (1) assessment of existing or planned system performance in relation to other wastewater discharges in either a metropolitan or river basin area; (2) determination of the optium operation or automatic control of existing or planned systems during rainstorms; and (3) determination of the most economically feasible combination of design alternatives for improving or expanding existing systems to meet specified performance criteria. The model provides an efficient engineering tool for evaluating and controlling pollutant discharges from combined sewerage systems (including treatment plants) to receiving waters, while considering the time and spacial variations of rainfall and dry-weather flows and qualities as well as economic constraints.     

Illinois redesigns its ambient water quality monitoring network

Illinois has been operating an ambient water quality network of almost 600 stations for several years. In 1977 changes in program emphasis toward intensive monitoring, the need for improved procedures and quality control in monitoring operations, and the desire to create a single data base of all Illinois State monitoring data, resulted in a redesign of the ambient monitoring program.A unique cooperative program between the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the US Geological Survey provides for their monitoring a portion of the network. The Survey provides flow data at most network stations as well as extensive manpower training, equipment, data processing, and program quality control. Informal agreements with other agencies have permitted a great reduction in the monitoring effort required by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.