Biological and Physical Attenuation of Endocrine Disruptors and Pharmaceuticals: Implications for Water Reuse

A select group of endocrine disrupters, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products was studied to determine the degree of biological attenuation in water reuse applications. Laboratory investigations involved both batch reactors using biologically active sand and continuous flow simulated aquifer storage and recovery experiments. All laboratory experiments were conducted using Colorado River water spiked with various target compounds at concentrations between 10 and 100 ng/L. Field studies were also conducted to determine the occurrence and attenuation of target compounds in water reuse applications. Two golf courses irrigated with reuse water were studied to determine if turf applications led to contamination of nearby ground water. A waste water treatment facility that uses rapid infiltration basins seasonally was also tested to determine the degree of attenuation of detectable target compounds along a subsurface flowpath. A qualitative structural activity relationship model was applied to the target compounds to predict the general rate of aerobic biological degradation. Significant attenuation of many target compounds was observed in both laboratory and field experiments. Conversely, several compounds displayed limited removal during these studies. Field experiments were limited to detectable compounds and various nonbiological removal or concentration effects that may impact data interpretations, which are discussed in this paper. The predictive model was found to be moderately accurate within the confines of the project scope.     

Submarine silicic volcanism of the Healy caldera,southern Kermadec arc (SW Pacific): I – volcanology and eruption mechanisms

The submarine Healy volcano (southern Kermadec arc), with a 2-2.5 km wide caldera, is pervasively mantled with highly vesicular silicic pumice within a water depth of 1,150-1,800 m. Pumices comprise type 1 white-light grey pumice with ⢾ mm vesicles and weak-moderate foliation, type 2 grey pumice with millimetre-scale laminae, flow banded foliation, including stretched vesicles ⣗ mm in length, and a minor finely vesicular type 3 pumice. All types are sparsely porphyritic, with undevitrified glassy groundmass (68-70% SiO₂), which is microlite and lithic free. Coexisting pyroxenes yield magma temperatures of ~950 °C. Pumice density is А.5 g cm^-3 and vesicularity is 78-83%. Vesicle size distributions for types 1 and 2 pumice, range from ~20 µm to >20 mm, with a strong power-law relation (with d=-2.5ǂ.4) for vesicles <1-2 mm. Larger vesicles have variable size modes. The vesicle size distribution and packing indicates rapid magma decompression and ascent. Consideration of the pressure dependent, solubility of H₂O at a magma temperature of 𙧶 °C and water content of Ж wt%, with pumice petrography and vesicle granulometry, strongly suggests a pyroclastic eruption. Reconstructions of the submarine edifice between water depths of 1,000 and 550 m constrain the ambient hydrostatic pressure to ~6-9 MPa. Pressures >~9 MPa will limit vesicularity to less than the observed 78-83%, whereas pressure <~6 MPa require a more shallower reconstruction of the edifice and larger-volume syn-eruptive collapse. Uniformly high vesicularity is interpreted as evidence of insulation within an eruption column comprising steam and hot pyroclasts. Most pyroclasts cool, condensing and ingesting water into steam-inflated vesicles, and then sink. Progression into pyroclastic mode would expand the eruption column, displace ambient water, reduce the hydrostatic load, and further promote vesiculation and fragmentation. Pyroclasts within the column would quench at these reduced pressures. We argue that Healy eruptions deeper than ~1,000 m cannot be pyroclastic. Volumes for the lower and upper bounds of edifice size are 2.36 and 3.58 km³, respectively, but do not account for intra-caldera pumice fill. These volumes are considered to be predominantly primary eruption output, as shown by a dearth of accessory lithics in all pumice, yielding (at an average 81% vesicularity) eruptive pumice volumes of between 10 and 15 km³. Some pyroclasts may have risen to the sea surface and be a correlative of the sea-rafted Loisels pumice; the latter occurs in some New Zealand Holocene beach sequences and has a estimated age of 590ᇤ calendar years.     

Environmental hazards of fluoride in volcanic ash: a case study from Ruapehu volcano, New Zealand

The vent-hosted hydrothermal system of Ruapehu volcano is normally covered by a c. 10 million m³ acidic crater lake where volcanic gases accumulate. Through analysis of eruption observations, granulometry, mineralogy and chemistry of volcanic ash from the 1995–1996 Ruapehu eruptions we report on the varying influences on environmental hazards associated with the deposits. All measured parameters are more dependent on the eruptive style than on distance from the vent. Early phreatic and phreatomagmatic eruption phases from crater lakes similar to that on Ruapehu are likely to contain the greatest concentrations of environmentally significant elements, especially sulphur and fluoride. These elements are contained within altered xenolithic material extracted from the hydrothermal system by steam explosions, as well as in residue hydrothermal fluids adsorbed on to particle surfaces. In particular, total F in the ash may be enriched by a factor of 6 relative to original magmatic contents, although immediately soluble F does not show such dramatic increases. Highly soluble NaF and CaSiF₆ phases, demonstrated to be the carriers of ‘available’ F in purely magmatic eruptive systems, are probably not dominant in the products of phreatomagmatic eruptions through hydrothermal systems. Instead, slowly soluble compounds such as CaF₂, AlF₃ and Ca₅(PO₄)₃F dominate. Fluoride in these phases is released over longer periods, where only one third is leached in a single 24-h water extraction. This implies that estimation of soluble F in such ashes based on a single leach leads to underestimation of the F impact, especially of a potential longer-term environmental hazard. In addition, a large proportion of the total F in the ash is apparently soluble in the digestive system of grazing animals. In the Ruapehu case this led to several thousand sheep deaths from fluorosis.     

Paleovegetation of marine isotope stages 4 and 3 in northern new zealand and the age of the widespread rotoehu tephra

Paleolake sediment, constrained by tephrochronology, from Onepoto basin volcanic crater in Auckland, Northern New Zealand (36° 48′S), provides one of the few uninterrupted records of paleovegetation for marine oxygen isotope stages (MIS) 4 and 3 (76,000–26,000 yr B.P.) in the region. This period was characterized by cool temperate conifer-hardwood forest that lacked some of the warmer taxa typical of the Holocene. The period 64,400–60,500 yr B.P. was marked by opening of forest canopy and expansion of small trees and shrubs, and correlates to the thermal minima of MIS 4. However, the landscape was never as open as the forest-shrubland mosaic of the MIS 2. The beginning of MIS 3 (60,500–50,500 yr B.P.) was marked by the dramatic expansion and then decline of conifer-hardwood forest dominated by Dacrydium cupressinum, a species that prefers wetter conditions. This forest was succeeded by the typically montane Nothofagus at 50,500 yr B.P., corresponding to a thermal decline. Thus, MIS 3 began with an abrupt change to moist cool conditions that lasted about 5000 yr, followed by gradual cooling and dryer conditions. This supports some interpretations from other parts of the southwest Pacific region, that MIS 3 was a period of increased precipitation. The widespread and stratigraphically important Rotoehu tephra, erupted from Okataina Volcanic Centre, has been variously dated at 45,000–65,000 yr B.P. At Onepoto, sedimentation rate and paleovegetation reconstruction imply an age of c. 44,300 yr B.P. The tephra provides a correlation horizon in the marine and terrestrial realms during a period (MIS 3) difficult to date by radiometric methods.     

Distal record of multi-sourced tephra in Onepoto Basin,Auckland, New Zealand: implications for volcanic chronology,frequency and hazards

We have documented 80 tephra beds dating from ca. 9.5 to >50 ka, contained within continuously deposited palaeolake sediments from Onepoto Basin, a volcanic explosion crater in Auckland, New Zealand. The known sources for distal (>190 km from vent) tephra include the rhyolitic Taupo Volcanic Centre (4) and Okataina Volcanic Centre (14), and the andesitic Taranaki volcano (40) and Tongariro Volcanic Centre (3). The record provides evidence for four new events between ca. 50 and 28 ka (Mangaone Subgroup) suggesting Okataina was more active than previously known. The tephra record also greatly extends the known northern dispersal of other Mangaone Subgroup tephra. Ten rhyolitic tephra pre-date the Rotoehu eruption (>ca. 50 ka), and some are chemically dissimilar to post-50 ka rhyolites. Some of these older tephra were produced by large-magnitude events; however, their source remains uncertain. Eight tephra from the local basaltic Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF) are also identified. Interpolation of sedimentation rates allow us to estimate the timing of 12 major explosive eruptions from Taranaki volcano in the 27.5-9.5-ka period. In addition, 28 older events are recognised. The tephra are trachytic to rhyolitic in composition. All have high K₂O contents (>3 wt%), and there are no temporal trends. This contrasts with the proximal lava record that shows a trend of increasing K₂O with time. By combining the Onepoto tephra record with that of the previously documented Pukaki crater, 15 AVF basaltic fall events are constrained at: 34.6, 30.9, 29.6, 29.6, 25.7, 25.2, 24.2, 23.8, 19.4, 19.4, 15.8 and 14.5 ka, and three pre-50 ka events. This provides some of the best age constraints for the AVF, and the only reliable data for hazard recurrence calculations. The minimum event frequency of both distal and local fall events can be estimated, and demonstrates the Auckland City region is frequently impacted by ash fall from many volcanoes.     

Geologic,geomorphic, and meteorological aspects of debris flows triggered by Hurricanes Frances and Ivan during September 2004 in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of Macon County,North Carolina (southeastern USA)

In September 2004, rain from the remnants of Hurricanes Frances and Ivan triggered at least 155 landslides in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. At least 33 debris flows occurred in Macon County, causing 5 deaths, destroying 16 homes, and damaging infrastructure. We mapped debris flows and debris deposits using a light-detecting and ranging digital elevation model, remote imagery and field studies integrated in a geographic information system. Evidence of past debris flows was found at all recent debris flow sites. Orographic rainfall enhancement along topographic escarpments influenced debris flow frequency at higher elevations. A possible trigger for the Wayah and fatal Peeks Creek debris flows was a spiral rain band within Ivan that moved across the area with short duration rainfall rates of 150–230 mm/h. Intersecting bedrock structures in polydeformed metamorphic rock influence the formation of catchments within structural–geomorphic domains where debris flows originate.     

A Cromerian Complex stalagmite from the Mendip Hills,England

In order to provide a better chronological constraint on a British Middle Pleistocene interglacial, a large stalagmite boss from the Mendip Hills was selected for palaeoclimate data using pollen analysis. Dating analyses by thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS) of uranium–thorium ratios and by magnetostratigraphy constrain the age of the sample to 450–780 ka. The isotopic consistency of the TIMS analyses, plus the presence of luminescence laminations, suggest that the sample has been preserved under closed-system conditions. Pollen assemblages have been recovered from the speleothems, despite the fact that the pH of calcite deposition is usually greater than 7. Furthermore the evidence presented here indicates that the pollen was probably transported by the speleothem feedwater, rather than entering the cave aerially. The pollen record contained within the stalagmite is interpreted as early–mid-interglacial but does not have clear Cromerian affinity. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigating a time‐shift extended imaging condition in a Kirchhoff pre‐stack depth migration algorithm

Extracting true amplitude versus angle common image gathers is one of the key objectives in seismic processing and imaging. This is achievable to different degrees using different migration techniques (e.g., Kirchhoff, wavefield extrapolation, and reverse time migration techniques) and is a common tool in exploration, but the costs can vary depending on the selected migration algorithm and the desired accuracy. Here, we investigate the possibility of combining the local‐shift imaging condition, specifically the time‐shift extended imaging condition, for angle gathers with a Kirchhoff migration. The aims are not to replace the more accurate full‐wavefield migration but to offer a cheaper alternative where ray‐based methods are applicable and to use Kirchhoff time‐lag common image gathers to help bridge the gap between the traditional offset common image gathers and reverse time migration angle gathers; finally, given the higher level of summation inside the extended imaging migration, we wish to understand the impact on the amplitude versus angle response. The implementation of the time‐shift imaging condition along with the computational cost is discussed, and results of four different datasets are presented. The four example datasets, two synthetic, one land acquisition, and a marine dataset, have been migrated using a Kirchhoff offset method, a Kirchhoff time‐shift method, and, for comparison, a reverse time migration algorithm. The results show that the time‐shift imaging condition at zero time lag is equivalent to the full offset stack as expected. The output gathers are cleaner and more consistent in the time‐lag‐derived angle gathers, but the conversion from time lag to angle can be considered a post‐processing step. The main difference arises in the amplitude versus offset/angle distribution where the responses are different and dramatically so for the land data. The results from the synthetics and real data show that a Kirchhoff migration with an extended imaging condition is capable of generating subsurface angle gathers. The same disadvantages with a ray‐based approach will apply using the extended imaging condition relative to a wave equation angle gather solution. Nevertheless, using this approach allows one to explore the relationship between the velocity model and focusing of the reflected energy, to use the Radon transformation to remove noise and multiples, and to generate consistent products from a ray‐based migration and a full‐wave equation migration, which can then be interchanged depending on the process under study.     

Prediction of in-situ block size distributions with reference to armourstone for breakwaters

Understanding a quarry in terms of its potential for breakwater construction materials presents a special challenge for the engineering geologist. Unlike blasting in aggregates and mining operations, optimisation of the extraction process has a focus on the potential for production of large blocks for armourstone. These blocks weighing many tonnes are used for cover layers to resist wave action. The quarry-run is used for breakwater core. If the quarry has been developed as a source of materials dedicated to a breakwater construction project, the success of the project depends greatly on the blasting and production of rock sizes that are required and the avoidance of leaving a massive quantity of unused materials behind in the quarry after project completion. Prediction of in-situ block sizes such as from joint spacing data, provides the most critical input for the prediction of the blast pile block size distribution (BBSD), which in turn is a vital early design input if the constructed breakwater is to be economical as well as effective.This paper is part of a series of papers that introduces the coastal engineering motivation for this work on engineering geology, giving reasons why the prediction of the fragmentation curve of the blast products in a dedicated quarry is of such economic importance for breakwater projects. The first step towards blasted block size distribution (BBSD) prediction is the prediction of the in-situ block sized distribution (IBSD), the main subject of this paper. Drawing together research methods from the 1990s and the rock mechanics principles of discontinuity analysis, a practical step by step methodology for IBSD assessment that includes approaches that are not reliant on specialised computer software is presented. Continuing on the practical theme, a new extension of the volumetric joint count approach is suggested for IBSD prediction for the case when sparse borehole data is all that is available. A case study of IBSD assessment and the associated BBSD and blast assessment is presented from a Carboniferous limestone quarry. For clarity, details of blast design and yield curve prediction that are recommended for use in the context of armourstone production, have been presented in a companion paper. The Rosin-Rammler equation is used as an example form for the BBSD prediction of a dedicated quarry and the potential for breakwater project optimisation is illustrated. The final section sets out a method for directly comparing yield curves together with the demand for materials set by the breakwater design. On the same plot, sizes where there is a relative shortfall in production can be identified. The dependence of effective breakwater design on accurate quarry yield prediction and quarry blasting performance is discussed.