Effect of system variables and particle size on physical characteristics of air sparging plumes

Air was injected through a well in a thin transparent tank filled with saturated glass beads to study how the size and air saturation of air sparging plumes are affected by particle size and gradation; operational parameters such as injection pressure, well depth, injection pressure pulsing; and well outlet configuration. V-shaped air plumes with an apex between 40° and 60° were obtained for all tests. The air pressure required to initiate sparging agreed closely with the sum of the air entry pressure and the hydrostatic pressure, with higher initiation pressures required in the fine and well-graded beads. Higher air flow rates and air saturations were obtained in coarser beads at a given pressure, and the variation in flow rate was consistent with estimated air permeabilities. Peak average air saturations were 28–56% for the coarse-medium beads, 10% for the well-graded beads, and 8% for the fine beads. Air saturation and the radius of influence increased modestly (<40%) as the normalized injection pressure exceeded 0.1. Radius of influence increased by approximately a factor of two as the well depth increased, but leveled off once the ratio of radius of influence to well depth reached 0.60–1.05. Pulsing of injection pressure had no effect on the initiation pressure, air flow rate, or air saturation, but increased the size of the air plume and the radius of influence slightly (<15%). Well outlet configuration had only a slight affect the radius of influence (<10%), air saturation (<10%), or air flow rate (<12%). Dye testing showed that water surrounding the air plume circulated during continuous and pulsed sparging. However, pulsed sparging resulted in greater and more defined circulation of water within and adjacent to the air plume, which should reduce mass transfer limitations during sparging.     

The role of the individual producer in driving land change: the case of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 1986–2006

The “neoliberal period” witnessed some of the largest forest clearing in Latin America, particularly in the relatively untouched eastern lowlands of sub-tropical Bolivia. This paper shows through the use of satellite imagery analysis that ~10,000 km² of forest were cleared during this time period (1986–2006) from an area of forest measuring ~55,000 km². It also shows through the use of semi-structured interviews that the role and the rationale of the individual producer was equally if not more important than structural adjustment policies and their accompanying effects in driving these changes. Producers decisions of how to use the land are influenced by their background and knowledge of production systems (“tradition”), physical and climatic factors, crops which require relatively little input and are easy to cultivate, soil and tillage factors, concerns over quantity of production, and government policies. The importance of this study lies in the fact that the factors which play an important role in land-use and land-cover change are complex and multivariable and include individual decisions of the producer which are sometimes external to the market and other outside influences. This study could possibly serve as an exemplar and a warning that conservationists and policy-makers should take heed of in the future. By focusing solely on macro-economic policies, we can often overlook the individual producer and their decision-making capacity to alter the landscape.     

Analyses of organic and inorganic contaminants in Salton Sea fish

Chemical contamination of fish from the Salton Sea, a quasi-marine lake in Southern California, could adversely impact millions of birds using the Pacific Flyway and thousands of humans using the lake for recreation. Bairdiella icistia (bairdiella), Cynoscion xanthulus (orangemouth corvina), and Oreochromis spp. (tilapia) were sampled from two river mouths and two nearshore areas of the Salton Sea. Muscle tissues were analyzed for a complete suite of 14 trace metals and 53 pesticides. Fish muscle tissues had concentrations of selenium ranging between 1.89 and 2.73 microg/g wet weight. 4,4'-DDE accounted for 94% of the total DDT metabolites. Total DDTs ranged between 17.1 and 239.0 and total PCBs between 2.5 and 18.6 ng/g wet weight. PCB congeners 132, 138, 153, 168, and 180 comprised over 50% of the total PCBs. Given the potential implementation of a commercial fishing at the Salton Sea in the future, the presence of persistent organic pollutants and selenium warrants further research into the effects of these mixtures on fish populations, and on wildlife and humans consuming fish.     

A reconstruction of the palaeohydrological conditions of a flood‐plain: a multi‐proxy study from the Grabia River valley mire,central Poland

This study investigated the Grabia River valley mire in central Poland to reconstruct its palaeoenvironmental conditions from the Younger Dryas to the present. We analysed sedimentological, biological and geochemical data from the palaeo‐oxbow lake and valley mire to identify the principal hydrological trends, especially episodes of high water level. During the Lateglacial and Holocene, the Grabia River had a meandering channel, and its hydraulic parameters and the channel dimensions changed in response to climatic oscillations and vegetation development. We identified phases of high flood intensity and high groundwater level that correlate with regional and supraregional climatic events. The frequency and timing of palaeohydroclimatic oscillations show strong similarities to records from other sites in Poland and the rest of Europe. We show that various analytical methods, namely, pollen, plant macrofossils, Cladocera, Chironomidae, sedimentological, geochemical and radiocarbon data, can be effective tools for reconstructing past hydroclimatic changes in palaeo‐oxbow lakes and investigating the effects of past climate changes on river environments. The high sensitivity of the biota, especially Cladocera, to changes in water level permits the reconstruction of palaeoecological changes, especially flood episodes that occurred in the river valley. In particular, the increase in the proportion of sediment‐associated Cladocera and pelagic taxa was closely correlated with floods. Through comparisons with the palaeobiological data, geochemical data allowed the identification of humid phases within the fen associated with a rising groundwater table, direct fluvial activity (floods) and alluvial deposition. We also discuss the limitations of palaeohydrological reconstructions based on these proxies, especially on fossil aquatic invertebrates.     

A chronological assessment of Lake Okeechobee (Florida) sediments using multiple dating markers

Reconstructing recent limnological history often relies on lead-210 dating to accurately ascribe a chronology to a sediment profile. In Lake Okeechobee, Florida, a large, shallow subtropical lake that may experience severe mixing, multiple dating methods are required to confirm that conformable sedimentation has been preserved and that the assumptions of the ²¹⁰Pb method are satisfied. This study uses stratigraphic profiles of heavy metals, ¹³⁷Cs, PCBs and pollen as independent dating markers to validate the sediment chronology as determined by ²¹⁰Pb for three cores from the central mud zone of the lake. Unsupported ²¹⁰Pb and most dating markers show distinct concentration/depth profiles, suggesting that the sediments have not been severely mixed for at least the last 75 years. Onset and maximum activity of the radioisotope ¹³⁷Cs in the cores coincides with the ²¹⁰Pb-dated interval of 1945–1970. This agrees well with the known timing of atmospheric deposition of ¹³⁷Cs that resulted from above-ground nuclear testing during late 1940s until 1963. Sediment core profiles of atmospherically deposited metals such as Zn and Pb, which reflect regional increases during industrialization and decreases after regulation in the 1970s, exhibit expected concentration increases and peaks coinciding within 5–15 years of the predicted ²¹⁰Pb dates. Uranium, a contaminant in some phosphate fertilizers, shows large concentration increases at core depths dated to be about 1950 by ²¹⁰Pb, matching the intensification of agriculture after WWII. PCBs, which are expected to peak in the early 1970s, were measured in one core, and the observed peak corresponds to a ²¹⁰Pb date of about 1960. Pollen makers were unable to verify specific events, but increases in disturbance taxa and declines in native types correspond generally with the expected dates assigned by ²¹⁰Pb dating. Conformity between the ²¹⁰Pb defined dates and independent markers of < ±15 years confirm that Lake Okeechobee sediments do preserve a sequential and reliable stratigraphic history of the lake, useful for reconstructing past limnological conditions.     

Overview of integrative tools and methods in assessing ecological integrity in estuarine and coastal systems worldwide

In recent years, several sets of legislation worldwide (Oceans Act in USA, Australia or Canada; Water Framework Directive or Marine Strategy in Europe, National Water Act in South Africa, etc.) have been developed in order to address ecological quality or integrity, within estuarine and coastal systems. Most such legislation seeks to define quality in an integrative way, by using several biological elements, together with physico-chemical and pollution elements. Such an approach allows assessment of ecological status at the ecosystem level ('ecosystem approach' or 'holistic approach' methodologies), rather than at species level (e.g. mussel biomonitoring or Mussel Watch) or just at chemical level (i.e. quality objectives) alone. Increasing attention has been paid to the development of tools for different physico-chemical or biological (phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthos, algae, phanerogams, fishes) elements of the ecosystems. However, few methodologies integrate all the elements into a single evaluation of a water body. The need for such integrative tools to assess ecosystem quality is very important, both from a scientific and stakeholder point of view. Politicians and managers need information from simple and pragmatic, but scientifically sound methodologies, in order to show to society the evolution of a zone (estuary, coastal area, etc.), taking into account human pressures or recovery processes. These approaches include: (i) multidisciplinarity, inherent in the teams involved in their implementation; (ii) integration of biotic and abiotic factors; (iii) accurate and validated methods in determining ecological integrity; and (iv) adequate indicators to follow the evolution of the monitored ecosystems. While some countries increasingly use the establishment of marine parks to conserve marine biodiversity and ecological integrity, there is awareness (e.g. in Australia) that conservation and management of marine ecosystems cannot be restricted to Marine Protected Areas but must include areas outside such reserves. This contribution reviews the current situation of integrative ecological assessment worldwide, by presenting several examples from each of the continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America.     

Clumped isotope thermometry of carbonatites as an indicator of diagenetic alteration

We measure the clumped isotopic signature of carbonatites to assess the integrity of the clumped isotope paleothermometer over long timescales (10⁷-10⁹ years) and the susceptibility of the proxy to closed system re-equilibration of isotopes during burial diagenesis. We find pristine carbonatites that have primary oxygen isotope signatures, along with a Carrara marble standard, do not record clumped isotope signatures lighter than 0.31‰ suggesting atoms of carbon and oxygen freely exchange within the carbonate lattice at temperatures above 250-300 °C. There is no systematic trend in the clumped isotope signature of pristine carbonatites with age, although partial re-equilibration to lower temperatures can occur if a carbonatite has been exposed to burial temperatures for long periods of time. We conclude that the solid-state re-ordering of carbon and oxygen atoms is sufficiently slow to enable the use of clumped isotope paleothermometry on timescales of 10⁸ years, but that diagenetic resetting can still occur, even without bulk recrystallization. In addition to the carbonatite data, an inorganic calibration of the clumped isotope paleothermometer for low temperature carbonates (7.5-77 °C) is presented and highlights the need for further inter-lab standardization.     

Evaluation of a multi-model approach to estimate leaf wetness duration: an essential input for disease alert systems

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Disease alert systems (DAS) of the AgroClimate platform are intended to facilitate grower decision-making when planning fungicide applications. These DAS...