Transient Behaviour of Tropospheric Ozone Precursors in a Global 3-D CTM and Their Indirect Greenhouse Effects

The global three-dimensional Lagrangian chemistry-transport model STOCHEM has been used to follow the changes in the tropospheric distributions of the two major radiatively-active trace gases, methane and tropospheric ozone, following the emission of pulses of the short-lived tropospheric ozone precursor species, methane, carbon monoxide, NO_x and hydrogen. The radiative impacts of NO_x emissionswere dependent on the location chosen for the emission pulse, whether at the surface or in the upper troposphere or whether in the northern or southern hemispheres. Global warming potentials were derived for each of the short-lived tropospheric ozone precursor species by integrating the methane and tropospheric ozone responses over a 100 year time horizon. Indirect radiative forcing due to methane and tropospheric ozone changes appear to be significant for all of the tropospheric ozone precursor species studied. Whereas the radiative forcing from methane changes is likely to be dominated by methane emissions, that from tropospheric ozone changes is controlled by all the tropospheric ozone precursor gases, particularly NO_xemissions. The indirect radiative forcing impacts of tropospheric ozone changes may be large enough such that ozone precursors should be considered in the basket of trace gases through which policy-makers aim to combat global climate change.     

POPULATION CENSUS WITH THE AID OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS: AN EXPERIMENT IN THE CITY OF LEEDS

This study shows how aerial photographs can be of value in a population census. The census and the enumeration district maps were used initially to obtain population data and the housing stock was derived from the aerial photographs. From these the population densities were determined of a number of sample enumeration districts containing a single type of house. Another set of enumeration districts was selected and the housing stock again derived from the aerial photographs. By considering the type and quantity of housing stock and the population density of each housing type, the population figures were estimated for each enumeration district. The values of these population estimates were then compared with the values recorded in the census. The overall population estimate had an error of only 2%, but the estimates for some of the individual enumeration districts showed greater errors. These errors are assessed and analysed and some suggestions are made to improve the methodology used in this study.     

Elasticity of an upper mantle clinopyroxene

The ambient pressure elastic properties of a natural clinopyroxene (C2/c symmetry) from Kilbourne Hole, NM have been determined. In terms of end-members, diopside (CaMgSi₂O₆), hedenbergite (CaFeSi₂O₆), jadeite (NaAlSi₂O₆), cosmochlor (NaCrSi₂O₆), and Mg-Tschermak (MgAl(AlSi)O₆), its composition is Di₇₂He₉Jd₃Cr₃Ts₁₂. The analytic density, based on chemistry and cell parameters is 3.327 (0.003) g/cm³. The elastic constants [c₁₁, c₁₂, c₁₃, c₁₅, c₂₂, c₂₃, c₂₅, c₃₃, c₃₅, c₄₄, c₄₆, c₅₅, c₆₆] are [273.8 (0.9), 83.5 (1.3), 80.0 (1.1), 9.0 (0.6), 183.6 (0.9), 59.9 (1.6), 9.5 (1.0), 229.5 (0.9), 48.1 (0.6), 76.5 (0.9), 8.4 (0.8), 73.0 (0.4), 81.6 (1.0)] GPa where uncertainties are reported at the 95% confidence level. The aggregate (mean of Hashin-Strikman bounds) adiabatic bulk modulus is 117.2 (0.7) GPa, and the shear modulus is 72.2 (0.2) GPa. Although measured moduli are broadly consistent with trends in elasticity versus atomic volume, deviations from the systematics would produce significant (percent level) changes in calculated velocities for candidate mantle mineral assemblages. The compositional dependence of elasticity for several clinopyroxenes is explored on the basis of just the Di+He and Jd+Ts mole fractions. The bulk modulus lies within experimental uncertainties of the linear mixture of end-member properties while the shear modulus deviates by 3%. Received: 29 September 1997 / Revised, accepted: 4 March 1998     

Measurements of Reaction Coefficients of NO2 and HONO on Aerosol Particles

The reaction coefficients of nitrogen dioxide and nitrous acid with monodisperse sodium chloride and ammonium sulphate aerosols have been measured in a flow reactor at atmospheric pressure. These experiments were performed at relative humidities above and below the deliquescence points of both aerosols (r.h. 50 and 85%) at 279 K. The results for NO₂ afford a reaction coefficient in the range (2.8–10) × 10^-4 and for HONO, (2.8–4.6) × 10^-3. For both species, there appears to be an enhancement of the reaction coefficient on sodium chloride aerosol at 50% r.h. The results are compared with reaction coefficients determined by other experimental methods. A good agreement is found for both gases between this method and the coated denuder method previously developed in our research laboratories (Msibi et al., 1993) and with the majority of other published data for NO₂. In the case of HONO, our estimate of reaction coefficient is smaller than, or at the lower limits of the ranges reported by other published studies.     

Assessing damaged road verges as a suspended sediment source in the Hampshire Avon catchment,southern United Kingdom

Diffuse sediment pollution impairs water quality, exerts a key control on the transfer and fate of nutrients and contaminants and causes deleterious impacts on freshwater ecology. A variety of catchment sediment sources can contribute to such problems. Sediment control strategies and effective targeting of mitigation options therefore require robust quantitative information on the key sources of the sediment problem at catchment scale. Recent observations by Catchment Sensitive Farming Officers (CSFO's) in England have highlighted road verges damaged and eroded by passing vehicles, particularly large farm machinery, and livestock herd movement as visually important potential sources of local sediment problems. A study was therefore undertaken to assess the relative importance of damaged road verges as a suspended sediment source in three sub‐catchments of the Hampshire Avon drainage basin, southern UK. Road verge sediment contributions were apportioned in conjunction with those from agricultural topsoils and channel banks/subsurface sources. Time‐integrating isokinetic samplers were deployed to sample suspended sediment fluxes at the outlets of two control sub‐catchments drained by the Rivers Chitterne and Till selected to characterize areas with a low road network density and limited visual evidence of verge damage, as well as the River Sem sub‐catchment used to represent areas where road verge damage is more prevalent. The findings of a sediment source fingerprinting investigation based on a combination of intermittent sampling campaigns spanning the period 22/5/02–27/4/08 suggested that the respective overall mean relative sediment contributions from damaged road verges were 5 ± 3%, 4 ± 2% and 20 ± 2%. Relative inputs from damaged road verges for any specific sampling period in the River Sem sub‐catchment were as high as 33 ± 2%. Reconstruction of historical sources in the same sub‐catchment, based on the geochemical record stored in a floodplain depth profile, suggested that the significance of damaged road verges as a sediment source has increased over the past 15–20 years. The findings provide important information on damaged road verges as a primary source of suspended sediment and imply that catchment sediment control strategies and mitigation plans should consider such verges in addition to those agricultural and channel sources traditionally taken into account when attempting to reduce sediment pressures on aquatic resources. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.