CONCENTRATIONS OF POLLUTANTS IN AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF1

ABSTRACT. .Eighteen rural lakes in Lubbock County were sampled on a routine basis following runoff-producing rainfall for a period of approximately eighteen months to determine whether or not runoff from intensively farmed agricultural areas contained significant concentrations of nitrates, phosphates, herbicides, or insecticides. An additional fifteen lakes lying within a triangle bounded by the cities of Plainview, Canyon, and Hereford, Texas, were sampled one time during the summer of 1969 to provide additional data regarding the nature and extent of the potential problem in an area with a different soil type and a slightly different cropping pattern. Based on results of detailed analyses of approximately two hundred samples of water collected from the lakes and an equal number of sediment samples collected from the same lakes at the same time, it appears that the concentrations of all chemical pollutants in runoff from agricultural lands in the High Plains are well below the allowable concentrations for drinking water.     

艾比湖干涸湖底化学组成及盐尘的风运堆积

选择亚洲中部典型干涸尾闾湖——艾比湖干涸湖底及其下风向约200km的范围为研究区,并把研究区分为干涸湖底风蚀区和盐尘扩散堆积区两个子区.通过对两子区连续多年野外实地观测、采样分析、定点试验等手段,研究了干涸湖底表层沉积物的化学组成、湖底风蚀动态和盐尘的扩散堆积规律.结果表明,艾比湖干涸湖底不同地表形态(结晶盐壳、盐-淤泥-黏土壳、风蚀堆积壳)间可溶性盐含量差异显著,盐类混合物中以硫酸盐和氯化物为主,二者基本占全部可溶性盐的90%,碳酸盐含量甚微.春秋两季是湖底风蚀和盐碱尘暴的高发期,盐分堆积动态与风期变化一致,春、秋两季大风期,降尘中盐通量最高;冬、夏两季降尘中盐通量较低.干涸湖底下风向盐尘的堆积强度以精河为中心分别向西北和东北方向递减,盐尘在风运过程中表现出显著的分异规律,硫酸盐比氯化物具有更远距离的迁移能力.     

Capturing LiDAR‐Derived Hydrologic Spatial Parameters to Evaluate Playa Wetlands

The digital elevation model data from traditional stereo photogrammetric methods are inadequate in providing accurate vertical parameters to feed hydrologic models for low‐lying, extremely flat areas. High‐resolution light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data provide the robust capability of capturing small variations in low‐relief playa wetlands. The Rainwater Basin in south‐central Nebraska includes a complex of seasonally shallow playa wetlands that attract millions of migratory waterfowl every spring and fall. This research focuses on the development of a procedure with applicable protocols to produce LiDAR‐derived three‐dimensional wetland maps and to extract the critical surface parameters (i.e., watershed boundaries, flow direction, flow accumulation, and drainage lines) for playa wetlands. The topo‐hydrologic conditions of playa wetlands were evaluated at the watershed level. The results show that in the Rainwater Basin, 70.7% of the historic hydric soil footprints identified in the Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) database were not functioning as topographically depressional wetlands. This finding was confirmed by a recent five‐year Annual Habit Survey showing that 69.8% of the historic hydric soil footprints did not function during the spring migratory bird seasons between 2004 and 2009. The majority of playa wetlands' topographic conditions have been substantially changed and the SSURGO data cannot fully reflect current topographic reality in the Rainwater Basin.     

中亚咸海干涸湖床粉尘潜在扩散的时空变异分析

基于1969~2018年再分析气象资料,运用拉格朗日混合单粒子轨道（HYSPLIT）模型,计算了以咸海为中心未来7d的逐日气团轨迹,采用核密度分析法,绘制了5个层次（0~0.5,0.5~1,1~1.5,1.5~2,2~5km·agl）的气团轨迹密度图,分析了咸海干涸湖床粉尘扩散的时空变异.结果显示,粉尘潜在扩散具有季节分异.春、冬季粉尘扩散范围与密度最大,沿东北方向扩散比例分别占61%、35%,最远可达亚洲东部地区,其次是秋季;夏季粉尘扩散以0.5km为界限表现明显的高度差异.随着高度的增加,粉尘潜在扩散的密度逐渐降低.受地形与天气系统的影响,春、夏粉尘扩散呈现向东北,西南方向扩散趋势,秋、冬呈现沿东北方向扩散趋势.有利的天气条件下,咸海干涸湖床粉尘可远距离输送：在近源区沉降,影响乌兹别克斯坦及周边国家,在山区沉降,则可能加速天山雪冰融化.     

Effects of Agricultural Cultivation on Demographics of Southern High Plains Amphibians

Abstract:  Anthropogenic disturbance of landscapes surrounding wetlands is considered a factor in local and global amphibian declines. Few data exist on the effects of agricultural cultivation of wetland watersheds on amphibians, and results from previous studies are contradictory. Our objective was to test the effects of general anthropogenic land use (cultivation vs. grassland) on the demographics of seven species and three age classes of amphibians in the Southern High Plains of Texas. We partially enclosed 16 playa wetlands (4 per land use per year) with drift fences and pitfall traps and monitored relative daily abundance and diversity from 16 May to 17 October 1999 and 19 April to 18 August 2000. In general, relative abundance (i.e., average daily capture) of New Mexico and plains spadefoots (  Spea multiplicata, S. bombifrons ) was greater at cropland than grassland playas; the abundance of other species and diversity of the amphibian assemblage was not affected by land use. Also, abundance generally was greater in 1999 than 2000 for metamorph spadefoots and barred tiger salamanders ( Ambystoma tigrinum mavortium ). Differences in spadefoot abundance between land-use types may have been related to low species-specific vagility, resulting in increased nestedness within disturbed landscapes and reduced abundance of a potential keystone intraguild predator in cropland playas. The yearly difference in amphibian abundance was likely related to annual precipitation, which influenced wetland hydroperiod. Agricultural cultivation surrounding wetlands is associated with the increased abundance of some amphibian species, but other demographic and fitness parameters—such as temporal demographics, body size, and diet diversity—may be negatively affected.     

西北干旱区柴窝堡湖干涸湖底粉尘潜在扩散特征

运用HYSPLIT模型,结合美国环境预报中心(NCEP)和大气研究中心(NCAR)2000~2013年的再分析气象资料,对柴窝堡盆地粉尘潜在扩散的时间和空间特征进行了研究.结果表明:柴窝堡湖干涸湖底粉尘潜在扩散范围具有明显的季节分异.春季粉尘潜在扩散范围和密度最大,覆盖我国大部分地区,最远可达朝鲜半岛部分地区,其次是秋季,夏季粉尘潜在扩散以1000m为界表明出明显的高度差异,冬季粉尘潜在扩散范围和密度均是最小的.随高度增加,不同季节气流可能携带粉尘密度均呈降低趋势.受地形影响,粉尘潜在扩散有两个主要通道,100m以下主要向西南方向扩散,而100m以上主要向东南方向扩散.柴窝堡盆地干涸湖底大量的粉尘在气流携带下可以长时间远距离输送,在近源区沉降,严重影响乌鲁木齐及其周边地区,并可能加速天山山区的雪冰消融.     

Using Fly Ash as a Marker to Quantify Culturally‐Accelerated Sediment Accumulation in Playa Wetlands

Wetlands in the Rainwater Basin in Nebraska are vulnerable to sediment accumulation from the surrounding watershed. Sediment accumulation has a negative impact on wetland quality by decreasing the depth and volume of water stored, and the plant community species composition and density growing in the wetland. The objective of this study was to determine the amount of sediment that has accumulated in five selected wetlands in the Rainwater Basin in Nebraska. Soil cores were taken at five or six locations along transects across each wetland. This study used the fly ash, which is generated by coal‐burning locomotives that were present generally in the late 1800s and early 1900s, as a marker to quantify the sediment deposition rates. The cores were divided into 5 cm sections and the soils were analyzed using a fly ash extraction and identification technique. Results indicate that the average depth of sediment ranged from 23.00 to 38.00 cm. The annual average depth of sediment accumulation ranged from 0.18 cm/yr to 0.29 cm/yr. The annual sediment accumulation rate from both wind erosion and water erosion in these five sampling wetlands was between 1.946 and 3.225 kg/m²/yr. The results of this research can be used to develop restoration plans for wetlands. The fly ash testing technology can also be applied to other areas with the railroads across the United States.     

Inorganic and organic contaminants in sediments from an urban playa and associated toxicity among Hyalella azteca

Playa wetlands are important components of the Southern High Plains (USA) landscape as they are the major aquatic surface feature. Chemical contaminants associated with playas have been documented, particularly for grassland and agricultural watersheds, but not for playas in urban settings. The objectives of this study were to determine concentrations of inorganic and organic contaminants in sediments from an urban playa within the I-20 Wildlife Preserve and Jenna Welch Nature Study Center in Midland, TX, and evaluate toxicity of these sediments to Hyalella azteca. Concentrations of most trace elements were below sediment quality guidelines with exceptions of lead, cadmium, and arsenic. Concentrations of organic contaminants, particularly PAHs, DDT, DDE, and malathion, were above sediment quality guidelines at various locations within the playa. Decreased survival was observed among H. azteca exposed to sediment from a single location when compared those exposed to reference sediments. This location also produced maximum observed concentrations for five of seven trace elements, potentially due to its location at the lowest elevation within the playa. This study documented concentrations of contaminants in sediments of an urban playa associated with past and present land uses in its urban setting, including those from automotive emissions and historical pesticide use.