Impacts of Coagulation Pretreatment on MF Filtration and a Comparative Study of Different Membrane Module Types

Changes in the regulatory requirements and the forthcoming Disinfectant/Disinfection By-Products （D/DBP） Rule will require that drinking water treatment facilities be operated to achieve maximum removals of particles and disinfectant tolerant microorganisms as well as natural organic matter （NOM）. For drinking water production, the use of membrane filtration processes such as microfiltration and ultrafiltration （MF/UF） alone to satisfy the turbidity, particle and microorganism removal a requirement of the surface water treatment regulation （SWTR） is not enough. MF/UF treatment processes can achieve only nominal （10 percent） removal of disinfection by-products （DBP） precursors （James, et al., 1995）. On the other hand, too fast fouling can make the filtration processes more difficult to carry on. To solve these problems, many authors have been interested in installing coagulation pretreatment before membrane filtration to improve membrane performance. However, previous studies reported conflicting results. Some supported the effectiveness of coagulation pretreatment, while others contended that coagulation aggravated membrane performance. This research aims to identify the effects of coagulation pretreatment on membrane filtration through a pilot study using PVDF membrane in combination with analyzing the rationale of coagulation. Another objective of this research was to evaluate the different impacts on membrane performance of using different membrane modules （the submerged module and pressured module）. The results showed that coagulation pretreatment greatly improved the membrane performance, extending the filtration time as well as reducing the permeated organic level, and that the submerged module is much more efficient than the pressured module.     

Recent recovery of surface wind speed after decadal decrease: a focus on South Korea

Climate Dynamics - We investigate the multi-decadal variability of observed surface wind speed around South Korea. It is found that surface wind speed exhibits decreasing trend from mid-1950s until...     

Massive sedimentation of fine sediment with organic matter and enhanced benthic-pelagic coupling by an artificial dyke in semi-enclosed Chonsu Bay, Korea

To assess the impact of an artificial dyke in Chonsu Bay (CBD) on the organic carbon (C(org)) cycle, we measured excess (210)Pb activities, C(org) and nitrogen content in sediment cores. The C(org) oxidation rates (C(ox)) on the surface sediment and benthic nutrient fluxes were also quantified with an in situ benthic chamber. The higher excess (210)Pb inventory, C(org) and nitrogen in cores near the CBD indicated lateral transport and local, massive deposition of particulate matter due to tidal circulation altered by artificial dyke construction. The C(ox) in sediment near the CBD was about twice as high as that out of the bay, suggesting the importance of benthic remineralization of organic matter. The benthic fluxes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphate were four to six times higher than those outside the bay, corresponding to 141% and 131% respectively, of the requirements for primary production.     

Strategically Locating Wildlife Crossing Structures for Florida Panthers Using Maximal Covering Approaches

Crossing structures are an effective method for mitigating habitat fragmentation and reducing wildlife‐vehicle collisions, although high construction costs limit the number that can be implemented in practice. Therefore, optimizing the placement of crossing structures in road networks is suggested as a strategic conservation planning method. This research explores two approaches for using the maximal covering location problem (MCLP) to determine optimal sites to install new wildlife crossing structures. The first approach is based on records of traffic mortality, while the second uses animal tracking data for the species of interest. The objective of the first is to cover the maximum number of collision sites, given a specified number of proposed structures to build, while the second covers as many animal tracking locations as possible under a similar scenario. These two approaches were used to locate potential wildlife crossing structures for endangered Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) in Collier, Lee, and Hendry Counties, Florida, a population whose survival is threatened by excessive traffic mortality. Historical traffic mortality records and an extensive radio‐tracking dataset were used in the analyses. Although the two approaches largely select different sites for crossing structures, both models highlight key locations in the landscape where these structures can remedy traffic mortality and habitat fragmentation. These applications demonstrate how the MCLP can serve as a useful conservation planning tool when traffic mortality or animal tracking data are available to researchers.     

Characterization of spatial and temporal variation of suspended sediments in the Yellow and East China Seas using satellite ocean color data

Total suspended sediment (TSS) data concentrations are retrieved from two sets of satellite ocean color data (the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard Aqua and the Korean Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI)) using an existing regional model to characterize spatial and temporal variation of TSS in the Yellow and East China Seas. MODIS-derived TSS maps show that TSS concentrations are, in general, high along the Korean and Chinese coasts including the Bohai Sea and the Yangtz River estuary, and lower in the middle of the Yellow Sea and the southeastern area of the East China Sea. The monthly average of 10-year MODIS data reveals that TSS values are highest during winter (January to February) and lowest in summer (July to August). Short-term TSS concentrations retrieved from GOCI data showed the dominant influence of semi-diurnal tidal changes on sediment dynamics through temporal (hourly) and spatial distribution in coastal zones of the Yellow sea. The results presented here demonstrate that the satellite-derived TSS products can be utilized as an application tool for future studies on long- and short-term sediment dynamics of turbid coastal waters. In particular, GOCI observations provide unique important capabilities to characterize and quantify the water properties at high temporal (hourly) and spatial (0.5 km) resolutions in the turbid coastal waters of the Yellow Sea and its vicinities.     

A bootstrap based space–time surveillance model with an application to crime occurrences

This study proposes a bootstrap-based space–time surveillance model. Designed to find emerging hotspots in near-real time, the bootstrap based model is characterized by its use of past occurrence information and bootstrap permutations. Many existing space–time surveillance methods, using population at risk data to generate expected values, have resulting hotspots bounded by administrative area units and are of limited use for near-real time applications because of the population data needed. However, this study generates expected values for local hotspots from past occurrences rather than population at risk. Also, bootstrap permutations of previous occurrences are used for significant tests. Consequently, the bootstrap-based model, without the requirement of population at risk data, (1) is free from administrative area restriction, (2) enables more frequent surveillance for continuously updated registry database, and (3) is readily applicable to criminology and epidemiology surveillance. The bootstrap-based model performs better for space–time surveillance than the space–time scan statistic. This is shown by means of simulations and an application to residential crime occurrences in Columbus, OH, year 2000.     

A GNSS interference identification using an adaptive cascading IIR notch filter

A low-complexity time-domain approach for global navigation satellite systems is proposed to detect and identify single-tone, multi-tone, swept continuous wave interference (CWI) and band-limited white Gaussian noise (BLWN). An adaptive notch filter and adaptive cascading filter structure are employed to identify the type of interference signals. The number of the cascading stages is selected by comparing the total power in receiver bandpass, and after, passing the adaptive notch filter. For this reason, the proposed filter structure is more efficient in identifying and mitigating interference signals than the conventional filter structure. In addition, the automatic gain control gain is used to detect the existence of continuous wave interference. The performance of the interference detection and identification method is evaluated for the cases of GPS signal in the presence of single-tone, multi-tone, swept CWI and BLWN.     

Near real-time high-resolution airborne camera,AEROCam, for precision agriculture

Precision agriculture often relies on high-resolution imagery to delineate the variability within a field. Airborne Environmental Research Observational Camera (AEROCam) was designed to meet the needs of agriculture producers, ranchers, and researchers, who require high-resolution imagery in a near real-time environment for rapid decision support. AEROCam was developed and operated through a unique collaboration between several departments at the University of North Dakota, including the Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium (UMAC), the School of Engineering and Mines, and flight operations at the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. AEROCam consists of a Redlake MS4100 area-scan multi-spectral digital camera that features a 1920 × 1080 CCD array (7.4-μm detector) with 8-bit quantization. When operated at ～2 km above ground level, multispectral images with four bands in the visible and near infrared have a ground sample distance of 1 m with a horizontal extent of just over 1.6 km. Depending on the applications, flying at different altitudes can adjust the spatial resolution from 0.25 to 2 m. Rigorous spectral and radiometric calibrations allow AEROCam to be used in a variety of applications, qualitative and quantitative. Equipped with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) system, the images acquired can be geo-referenced automatically and delivered to end users near real time through our Digital Northern Great Plains system (DNGP). The images are also available to zone mapping application for precision farming (ZoneMAP), an online decision support tool for creating management zones from remote sensing imagery and data from other sources. Operational since 2004, AEROCam has flown over 250 sorties and delivered over 150,000 images to the users in the Northern Great Plains region, resulting in numerous applications in precision agriculture and resource management.