PRECIPITATION CHANGES FROM 1956 TO 1996 ON THE WALNUT GULCH EXPERIMENTAL WATERSHED1

ABSTRACT: The climate of Southern Arizona is dominated by summer precipitation, which accounts for over 60 percent of the annual total. Summer and non‐summer precipitation data from the USDA‐ARS Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed are analyzed to identify trends in precipitation characteristics from 1956 to 1996. During this period, annual precipitation increased. The annual precipitation increase can be attributed to an increase in precipitation during non‐summer months, and is paralleled by an increase in the proportion of annual precipitation contributed during non‐summer months. This finding is consistent with previously reported increases in non‐summer precipitation in the southwestern United States. Detailed event data were analyzed to provide insight into the characteristics of precipitation events during this time period. Precipitation event data were characterized based on the number of events, event precipitation amount, 30‐minute event intensity, and event duration. The trend in non‐summer precipitation appears to be a result of increased event frequency since the number of events increased during nonsummer months, although the average amount per event, average event intensity, and average event duration did not. During the summer “monsoon” season, the frequency of recorded precipitation events increased but the average precipitation amount per event decreased. Knowledge of precipitation trends and the characteristics of events that make up a precipitation time series is a critical first step in understanding and managing water resources in semiarid ecosystems.     

Environmental regulatory compliance on army lands: A case study

A “finding of no significant impact” (FONSI) resulting from an environmental assessment (EA) was reported by the US Army in June 1986 for the construction and utilization of a multipurpose range complex (MPRC) at the Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii. There was little public response, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service and state agencies were consulted and had few comments concerning the results of the botanical surveys used in the assessment. Construction of the $24 million project was begun in 1988. Near the end of construction in 1989 a lawsuit was filed to halt construction because an environmental impact statement (EIS) had not been done for the project, and the plaintiff thought that significant damage had occurred to several unusual ecosystems. Judgment was against the plaintiff and construction continued. An appeal was filed with the 9th Circuit Court. As MPRC construction was nearly complete, and on advice of Department of Justice lawyers, the Department of Army agreed to settle out of court. The settlement in part called for: (1) the plaintiff to drop the appeal and allow construction to be completed as scheduled, and (2) the Department of Army to prepare an EIS for the operation of the MPRC. A subsequent botanical survey for the EIS discovered one endangered plant species, four category 1 candidate plant species (taxa with sufficient data to support listing as endangered or threatened), three category 2 candidate plant species (taxa with some evidence of vulnerability but insufficient data to support listing at this time), one category 3a species (presumably extinct taxa), and possibly three undescribed species growing within the MPRC boundary. The MPRC case study is an excellent example of why the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) must be modified to require in-depth and thorough environmental surveys.     

DISTRIBUTED DISCHARGE OF COOLING WATER ALONG DIRECTION OF STREAM FLOW1

ABSTRACT. A multiple-outfall system for cooling water disposal which is distributed along the direction of stream flow is analyzed. The results provide a simple method of preliminary design of a cooling water discharge outfall system and for a quick extimate of water quality of a polluted stream. It is shown that a properly designed distributed discharge system is capable of preventing serious pollution due to localized discharge of wastes and waste heat; however, the final design of the discharge system should take into account alternative schemes of waste heat disposal and their economic consequences.     

POTENTIALS FOR REUSE OF WASTEWATER IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS1

ABSTRACT There are several possible ways in which wastewater from municipalities may be reclaimed and reused so as to minimize the need for imported water in North Central Texas. The rationale for reuse is enhanced by the fact that new water quality requirements in the Trinity River system will necessitate a very high degree of treatment at municipal sewage plants, just for discharge to surface streams. The largest potential market for municipal effluent is the steam-electric power industry. Within the next decade the generating capacity for electric power in North Central Texas will have to be more than doubled to meet increasing demand. Adequate supplies of condenser cooling water for such expansion will be difficult to obtain and assure. New large power stations might advantageously be located adjacent to municipal wastewater treatment plants, to utilize effluent as make-up water for cooling towers. Experience elsewhere has shown that well-treated wastewater can be used for cooling tower make-up with a minimum of trouble, with a considerable saving in overall cost, and with conservation of pristine water for other uses.     

Integrated energy management strategy of powertrain and cooling system for PHEV

ABSTRACT

Energy management strategy (EMS) is crucial in improving the fuel economy of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Existing studies on EMS mostly manage powertrain and cooling system separately which cannot get the minimum total energy consumption. This paper aims to propose a novel EMS for a new type of dual-motor planetary-coupled PHEV, which considers cooling power demand and effect of temperature on fuel economy. Temperature-modified engine model, lithium-ion battery model, two motors, and cooling system models are established. Firstly, the separated EMS (S-EMS) is designed which manages powertrain and cooling system separately. Sequentially, after the analysis of thermal characteristics of the powertrain and cooling system, the thermal-based EMS (T-EMS) is then proposed to manage two systems coordinately. In T-EMS, cooling power demand and the charging/discharging energy of motors are calculated as equivalent fuel consumption and integrated into the object function. Besides, a fuzzy controller is also established to deicide the fuel-electricity equivalent factor with consideration of the effect of temperature and state of charge on powertrain efficiency. Finally, the hardware-in-loop experiment is carried out to validate the real-time effect of EMS under the New European Driving Cycle. The result shows that cooling power demand and temperature can significantly affect the fuel economy of the vehicle. T-EMS shows better performance in fuel economy than S-EMS. The equivalent fuel consumption of the cooling system of T-EMS decreases by 27% compared with that of S-EMS. The total equivalent fuel consumption over the entire trip of PHEV using T-EMS is reduced by 9.7%.     

Biotopic Variation and Phenogeography of Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas)

The phenetic structure of Dreissena polymorpha populations in different water bodies is considered. The phenotypes of shell pattern and sculpture are identified and described using a scheme based on elementary characters, or pattern elements. It is shown that the frequencies of phenes in mollusks from different biotopes of the cooling system of two thermal power plants differ significantly. The data on species phenogeography are reviewed.     

汽车工业中水回用于冷却水系统的研究

汽车生产过程中伴随着大量的自来水消耗与废水排放,因此,汽车工业具有较大的节能减排潜力.国内某汽车厂采用膜过滤技术对达标排放的废水进行深度处理,中水水质达到冷却水回用标准,作为补充水回用于循环冷却水系统.通过对中水水质的监控和冷却水系统的运行控制,保证中水回用实施效果.结果表明:中水回用后,循环冷却水满足系统运行条件,既节约了自来水的消耗又达到了减少污染物排放的目的,在汽车工业中具有一定的推广应用价值.     

电吸附水处理技术(EST)对污水悬浮物去除效果研究

为了研究电吸附水处理技术(EST)对污水悬浮物的去除效果,本文采用电吸附水处理技术对生活污水中悬浮物进行处理分析,结果表明电吸附水处理系统对悬浮物的去除效果较好,去除率达到74.07%,而电吸附模块本身对悬浮物去除率仅为14.29%,氯离子、进水中悬浮物的浓度及进水中的硬度值均对悬浮物去除效率没有影响。因此,电吸附水处理技术可作为污水处理的一种新型有效方法。     

Geographic range size and extinction risk assessment in nomadic species

Geographic range size is often conceptualized as a fixed attribute of a species and treated as such for the purposes of quantification of extinction risk; species occupying smaller geographic ranges are assumed to have a higher risk of extinction, all else being equal. However many species are mobile, and their movements range from relatively predictable to‐and‐fro migrations to complex irregular movements shown by nomadic species. These movements can lead to substantial temporary expansion and contraction of geographic ranges, potentially to levels which may pose an extinction risk. By linking occurrence data with environmental conditions at the time of observations of nomadic species, we modeled the dynamic distributions of 43 arid‐zone nomadic bird species across the Australian continent for each month over 11 years and calculated minimum range size and extent of fluctuation in geographic range size from these models. There was enormous variability in predicted spatial distribution over time; 10 species varied in estimated geographic range size by more than an order of magnitude, and 2 species varied by >2 orders of magnitude. During times of poor environmental conditions, several species not currently classified as globally threatened contracted their ranges to very small areas, despite their normally large geographic range size. This finding raises questions about the adequacy of conventional assessments of extinction risk based on static geographic range size (e.g., IUCN Red Listing). Climate change is predicted to affect the pattern of resource fluctuations across much of the southern hemisphere, where nomadism is the dominant form of animal movement, so it is critical we begin to understand the consequences of this for accurate threat assessment of nomadic species. Our approach provides a tool for discovering spatial dynamics in highly mobile species and can be used to unlock valuable information for improved extinction risk assessment and conservation planning.     

Quantitative Determination of Rarity of Freshwater Fishes and Implications for Imperiled‐Species Designations

Abstract: Conserving rare species and protecting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning depends on sound information on the nature of rarity. Rarity is multidimensional and has a variety of definitions, which presents the need for a quantitative classification scheme with which to categorize species as rare or common. We constructed such a classification for North American freshwater fishes to better describe rarity in fishes and provide researchers and managers with a tool to streamline conservation efforts. We used data on range extents, habitat specificities, and local population sizes of North American freshwater fishes and a variety of quantitative methods and statistical decision criteria, including quantile regression and a cost‐function algorithm to determine thresholds for categorizing a species as rare or common. Species fell into eight groups that conform to an established framework for rarity. Fishes listed by the American Fisheries Society (AFS) as endangered, threatened, or vulnerable were most often rare because their local population sizes were low, ranges were small, and they had specific habitat needs, in that order, whereas unlisted species were most often considered common on the basis of these three factors. Species with large ranges generally had few specific habitat needs, whereas those with small ranges tended to have narrow habitat specificities. We identified 30 species not designated as imperiled by AFS that were rare along all dimensions of rarity and may warrant further study or protection, and we found three designated species that were common along all dimensions and may require a review of their imperilment status. Our approach could be applied to other taxa to aid conservation decisions and serve as a useful tool for future revisions of listings of fish species.