Passive sampler for PM10-2.5 aerosol

This study investigates the use of a small passive sampler for aerosol particles to determine particulate matter (PM)10-2.5 concentrations in outdoor air. The passive sampler collects particles by gravity, diffusion, and convective diffusion onto a glass coverslip that is then examined with an optical microscope; digital images are processed with free software and the resultant PM10-2.5 concentrations determined. Both the samplers and the analyses are relatively inexpensive. Passive samplers were collocated with Federal Reference Method (FRM) samplers in Chapel Hill, NC; Phoenix, AZ; and Birmingham, AL; for periods from 5 to 15 days. Particles consisted primarily of inorganic dusts at some sites and a mix of industrial and inorganic materials at other sites. Measured concentrations ranged from < 10 microg/m3 to approximately 40 microg/m3. Overall, PM10-2.5 concentrations measured with the passive samplers were within approximately 1 standard deviation of concentrations measured with the FRM samplers. Concentrations determined with passive samplers depend on assumptions about particle density and shape factors and may also depend somewhat on local wind speed and turbulence; accurate values for these parameters may not be known. The degree of agreement between passive and FRM concentrations measured here suggests that passive measurements may not be overly dependent on accurate knowledge of these parameters.     

Temporal and Spatial Turbidity Patterns Over 30 Years in a Managed Forest of Western Washington1

Abstract: Forest practices have progressively changed over the last 30 years in the Pacific Northwest to address water quality concerns. There have been some assessments of these new management practices made at a site scale but very few studies have attempted to evaluate their efficacy at reducing cumulative sediment production at a watershed scale. Such an evaluation is difficult due to the spatial and temporal variability in sediment delivery and transport processes. Due to this inherent variability, detecting a response to management changes requires a long‐term data record. We utilized a water quality dataset collected over 30 years at four locations in the Deschutes River watershed (western Washington) to assess trends in turbidity and whether sediment control procedures implemented over this time period had any detectable influence. The sample sites ranged from small headwater streams (2.4 and 3.0 km²) to the mainstem of the Deschutes River (150 km²). Declining trends in turbidity were detected at all the permanently monitored sites. The mainstem Deschutes River site, which integrates sediment processes from the entire study watershed, showed dramatic declines in turbidity even with continued active forest management. For the small basins, logging and road construction occurred in the 1970s and 1980s and turbidity declined thereafter, achieving prelogging levels by 2000. There are no temporal trends in flow that could be responsible for the observed trends in turbidity. Our results suggest that increased attention to reducing sediment production from roads and minimizing the amount of road runoff reaching stream channels has been the primary cause of the declining turbidity levels observed in this study.     

Barriers to the enterprise culture: new firm formation in the merchant city area of glasgow

The paper reports the study of a group of twenty‐two new firm founders in the retail sector, in the Merchant City, an historic part of inner Glasgow that has recently undergone a miraculous revitalisation in a vein similar to that of the Docklands areas of London and Liverpool. The principal aim is to indicate how far the long term unemployed will be involved in this particular part of the enterprise culture, whether directly, or indirectly as a result of expanded employment opportunities. The results provide an upper limit of what we could expect this type of economic development to achieve in less attractive areas. The study provides a useful comparison to previous work concentrated on the manufacturing sector and suggests that the results from such work apply across sectors.     

Stream Temperature Patterns over 35 Years in a Managed Forest of Western Washington

Stream temperature changes as a result of forest practices have been a concern in the Pacific Northwest for several decades. As a result of this concern, stream protection requirements for forest lands were first adopted in the early 1970s and have become progressively more stringent. While there have been multiple studies examining the effects of stream protection buffers on water temperature, there are few studies examining temperature patterns over long periods on intensively managed forests. Water temperature in the upper Deschutes River watershed, Washington has been monitored since 1975 and represents one of the longest studies of water quality on managed forests in the Pacific Northwest. This data record, collected from basins of varying sizes, has enabled us to examine the combined effects of hydro‐climatic patterns and forest management on stream temperature. Effects of harvest conducted prior to buffer regulations were clearly identifiable and most pronounced on smaller streams. We were not able to detect any response on larger channels to more recent timber harvest where riparian buffers were required. This analysis also emphasizes that it is critical to account for changing climate when examining long‐term temperature patterns. We found that in many cases the temperature improvements associated with more stringent buffer requirements implemented over the last 35 years in the Deschutes watershed have been offset by warming climatic conditions.