Managing Uncertainty in Runoff Estimation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Stormwater Calculator

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Stormwater Calculator (NSWC) simplifies the task of estimating runoff through a straightforward simulation process based on the EPA Stormwater Management Model. The NSWC accesses localized climate and soil hydrology data, and options to experiment with low‐impact development (LID) features for parcels up to 5 ha in size. We discuss how the NSWC treats the urban hydrologic cycle and focus on the estimation uncertainty in soil hydrology and its impact on runoff simulation by comparing field‐measured soil hydrologic data from 12 cities to corresponding NSWC estimates in three case studies. The default NSWC hydraulic conductivity is 10.1 mm/h, which underestimates conductivity measurements for New Orleans, Louisiana (95 ± 27 mm/h) and overestimates that for Omaha, Nebraska (3.0 ± 1.0 mm/h). Across all cities, the NSWC prediction, on average, underestimated hydraulic conductivity by 10.5 mm/h compared to corresponding measured values. In evaluating how LID interact with soil hydrology and runoff response, we found direct hydrologic interaction with pre‐existing soil shows high sensitivity in runoff prediction, whereas LID isolated from soils show less impact. Simulations with LID on higher permeability soils indicate that nearly all of pre‐LID runoff is treated; while features interacting with less‐permeable soils treat only 50%. We highlight the NSWC as a screening‐level tool for site runoff dynamics and its suitability in stormwater management.     

Water-Quality Performance of a Constructed Stormwater Wetland for All Flow Conditions1

Wadzuk, Bridget M., Matthew Rea, Gregg Woodruff, Kelly Flynn, and Robert G. Traver, 2010. Water-Quality Performance of a Constructed Stormwater Wetland for All Flow Conditions. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(2):385-394. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2009.00408.x Abstract: Results from a multiyear study demonstrate that a constructed stormwater wetland (CSW) improves urban stormwater runoff quality mitigating downstream impacts. Best management practices, such as CSWs, can comprehensively treat the various scales of stormwater runoff issues. Discrete sample analysis was used to investigate the CSW effect for storm events and base-flow periods on water-quality parameters [i.e., total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, total nitrogen, phosphorous (total and reactive), chloride, heavy metals (zinc, lead, and copper), and Escherichia coli]. The primary finding was that stormwater sediment load was removed through the CSW for all flow conditions during all seasons. The mechanisms responsible for the removal of suspended solids, including slower flow velocity, longer retention times, and vegetative contact, also reduced the mass of nutrients discharged downstream throughout the year. Exceedance probabilities were used to evaluate the expected pollutant reductions of nutrients and to incorporate the effect of natural flow variation on quality. Other findings included the observation that there was no significant difference in the performance of the CSW over two-year-long periods four years apart, indicating that a CSW is effective for an extended period.     

大规模采空区煤炭自燃与防治关键技术研究

本文通过对大规模采空区产生煤炭自燃的时间、空间以及采场变化规律的研究,指出了集中开采等特大型煤矿或采掘工作面中,当前面临煤炭自燃的主要矛盾和问题,并指出了煤炭自燃是通过微生菌群提纯进化低燃点可燃物,最终形成电子运动引起煤炭自燃。本文进一步揭示了煤炭自燃的本质,并对自然界中的氧气、氮气、水的来源进行了新的研究和解释,并通过对自然界的宏观和微观现象认识了解了不同温度的产生体,同时介绍了根据上述原理发明的多电子导电材料灭火剂在煤矿现场的使用效果。     

大型社会活动安全事故成因分析及预警组织模型构建

分析了我国大型社会活动安全事故的成因，研究了组织、环境、设备、人等因素在大型社会活动安全事故中的作用，得出了大型社会活动安全事故成因机理，在此基础上，介绍了大型社会活动安全事故预警模型的组织、监控系统，并规范了各组织的职责，最终设计了大型社会活动安全事故预警系统的工作流程。     

Detecting the signal of atmospheric N deposition in recent national-scale vegetation change across Britain

Model estimates of NO_y and NH_x deposition across Britain for 1996 (5 km square resolution) were applied as explanatory variables to account for national-scale, fine-grained changes in plant species composition between 1990 and 1998. Plant species data were recorded from up to 27 fixed plots located within a stratified random sample of 596 1 km². The response variable was a cover-weighted Ellenberg fertility score for each plot. Analyses were carried out separately for woodlands, semi-natural grasslands and heaths/bogs. Most of the variation in the botanical response variable occurred between plots within squares and so could not be explained by the model deposition data. NH_x deposition estimates accounted for significant, but small components of between 1 km² variation in the change in Ellenberg score in grasslands (5.6%) and heath/bogs (9.8%) but not woodlands. NO_y deposition estimates were not significantly associated with vegetation change. Linear models provided the best fit and the slope of the relationship was lower for heath/bogs than grasslands. Further signal attribution at sub-kilometre square scales requires the development of fine-grained models of N deposition that can be generalised across regional sampling domains.     

PLANNITG INDIANA'S WATER INFRASTRUCTURE FROM A COMPETITIVE PERSPECTIVE1

ABSTRACT: Indiana has embarked on a program to assess the condition of its infrastructure and to plan for its future. The perspective of this planning differs from the traditional “master plan” approach — instead, the focus is on competitiveness for economic development. The initial work on the water and sewerage competitiveness of the infrastructure includes: (1) a comparative analysis of the water resources and infrastructure of Indiana and its industrial midwestern neighbors; (2) a technology scan to identify possible technological opportunities that may be important for Indiana; and (3) a set of recommendations for future planning. This work is preliminary in nature but should serve as a starting point for continued strategic planning over the next decade for positioning of Indiana's water and sewerage infrastructure as a key element in the economic growth equation.     

A Review of Range Production and Management Extension Activities in Kenya

The paper presents an overview of the development of range management extension activities in Kenya. The status quo of range management activities is discussed with particular reference to extension infrastructure, scope of extension interventions and mechanisms of dissemination of these innovations. On the basis of the nature of available innovations and efficiency of dissemination mechanisms, the paper emphasizes the need for future institutional reforms to facilitate successful application of technological interventions, validation of the Kenyan innovation Diffusion Model and enhancement of the social acceptability of technological interventions. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

三江平原气候变暖的进一步认识:最高和最低气温的变化

利用三江平原17个站1951-2000年的平均最高、最低气温和气温日较差资料，采用线性倾向估计和几种突变检测方法，定量研究了最高、最低气温和气温日较差变化趋势的空间分布，比较了最高、最低气温变化特征的差异性。结合前期的相关研究结果，对研究区20世纪70年代中期以来的三江平原气候变暖过程和成因有了进一步的认识。1975—2000年的变暖时期主要由两个阶段构成：1975—1987年为第一阶段，以夜间升温为主要特征，相对应的是气温日较差明显减小，超过一定面积的湿地开垦是该阶段气候变暖的主要驱动力之一；1987-2000年为第二阶段，以白天和夜间同时升温且幅度相当，气温日较差没有明显的变化趋势为特点，这一阶段的升温是对全球气候变暖同步的区域响应。     

Elevated Levels of Cadmium and Zinc in Paddy Soils and Elevated Levels of Cadmium in Rice Grain Downstream of a Zinc Mineralized Area in Thailand: Implications for Public Health

Prolonged consumption of rice containing elevated cadmium (Cd) levels is a significant health issue particularly in subsistence communities that are dependent on rice produced on-farm. This situation is further exacerbated in areas of known non-ferrous mineralization adjacent to rice-based agricultural systems where the opportunity for contamination of rice and its eventual entry into the food chain is high. In the current study, an assessment of the degree of soil Cd and Zn contamination and associated rice grain Cd contamination downstream of an actively mined zone of Zn mineralization in western Thailand was undertaken. Total soil Cd and Zn concentrations in the rice-based agricultural system investigated ranged from 0.5 to 284 mg kg⁻¹ and 100 to 8036 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. Further, the results indicate that the contamination is associated with suspended sediment transported to fields via the irrigation supply. Consequently, the spatial distribution of Cd and Zn is directly related to a field’s proximity to primary outlets from in-field irrigation channels and inter-field irrigation flows with 60–100% of the Cd and Zn loading associated with the first three fields in irrigation sequence. Rice grain Cd concentrations in the 524 fields sampled, ranged from 0.05 to 7.7 mg kg⁻¹. Over 90% of the rice grain samples collected contained Cd at concentrations exceeding the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC) draft Maximum Permissible Level for rice grain of 0.2 mg Cd kg⁻¹. In addition, as a function of demographic group, estimated Weekly Intake (WI) values ranged from 20 to 82 μg Cd per kg Body. This poses a significant public health risk to local communities. The results of this study suggest that an irrigation sequence-based field classification technique in combination with strategic soil and rice grain sampling and the estimation of WI values via rice intake alone may be a useful decision support tool to rapidly evaluate potential public health risks in irrigated rice-based agricultural systems receiving Cd contaminated irrigation water. In addition, the proposed technique will facilitate the cost effective strategic targeting of detailed epidemiological studies thus focusing resources to specific ‘high risk’ areas.     

MODELING WATER UTILIZATION IN LARGE-SCALE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS: A QUALITATiVE RESPONSE APPROACH1

ABSTRACT: Given limited available data and the present state of knowledge on the social aspects of irrigation, there is a need to develop new quantitative methods to measure water management performance in large-scale systems. A qualitative response framework is adapted to formulate a dynamic logit model of weekly field water adequacy and quantify indirectly farmer water utilization. Model parameters are estimated in a weighted least-squares regression using four seasons of data from a Philippine canal system. Estimated coefficients and independent model forecasts indicate greater effective use of rainfall than irrigation in sustaining high levels of water adequacy during the rainy season. Irrigation utilization is two times higher in the dry season, while system location has a much smaller but still significant impact. Utilization rates for both rain and irrigation showed considerable responsiveness to the prevailing scarcity of water. The qualitative response approach is well suited to the aggregated data available for large-scale systems, and allows advances in modeling dynamic water management behavior. Formal evaluation of the model will require further empirical applications.