PROGRAM FOR PROCESSING OF HISTORICAL LABORATORY DATA BASED ON FUZZY SET THEORY AS A TOOL FOR DECISION SUPPORT

A computer program(FEA)is presented for processing historical laboratory data.It performs on a list ofsample entries stored in a laboratory information management system.Using an algorithm which is basedon fuzzy set theory,FEA classifies the entries into a limited number of clusters called sample types.Theclassification is fully user-defined.The program transforms the historical data into a representation whichis more suitable for studying the performance of the laboratory or which can be used as preparation for asimulation project.     

The possible influences of the increasing anthropogenic emissions in India on tropospheric ozone and OH

A 3-D chemical transport model (OSLO CTM2) is used to investigate the influences of the increasing anthropogenic emission in India. The model is capable of reproducing the observational results of the INDOEX experiment and the measurements in summer over India well. The model results show that when NOx and CO emissions in India are doubled, ozone concentration increases, and global average OH decreases a little. Under the effects of the Indian summer monsoon, NOx and CO in India are efficiently transported into the middle and upper troposphere by the upward current and the convective activities so that the NOx, CO, and ozone in the middle and upper troposphere significantly increase with the increasing NOx and CO emissions. These increases extensively influence a part of Asia, Africa, and Europe, and persist from June to September.     

Influence of aquifer properties on phytoremediation effectiveness

Recent research has shown that planting deep-rooted trees, such as poplar, can take up and degrade important ground water pollutants such as trichloroethylene (TCE) as they transpire water from the capillary fringe of shallow contaminated aquifers. The effect of hydrogeologic factors on the minimum plantation area needed to prevent downgradient migration of contaminated ground water is not well known. Accordingly, the objective of this research was to identify the hydrogeologic parameters that control phytoremediation effectiveness. We used a numerical ground water flow model to evaluate the effect that natural variations in hydrogeologic parameters and growing season duration have on the minimum plantation area required for capture. We found that the plantation area that was needed to completely capture a ground water contamination plume was directly proportional to aquifer horizontal hydraulic conductivity, saturated thickness, and ground water gradient. The plantation area needed for capture increased nonlinearly with increasing plume width, aquifer anisotropy, and decreasing growing season duration. The plantation area needed for capture was generally insensitive to aquifer-specific yield and storativity. Steady-state simulations can be used to predict the plantation area needed for capture in many applications. A particularly important finding of this work is that evapotranspiration fluxes through plantations appropriately sized to contain the plume substantially exceeded the ground water flux through the plume itself.     

The permeability of the Elkhorn fault zone,South Park,Colorado

The purposes of this study are to use both field and modeling approaches to characterize the permeability of a fault and to assess the role of the fault on regional ground water flow. The study subject is the Elkhorn fault, a low-angle reverse fault that brings Precambrian crystalline rocks over the sediments of Colorado's South Park Basin. The fault is hypothesized to act as a low-permeability barrier to flow, restricting interaction between the crystalline aquifer and the basin sediments. To test this hypothesis and to better predict the permeability structure of the fault, we synthesized geologic data to create a geologic model of the fault, conducted aquifer tests to estimate the hydrogeologic properties of the fault zone, and used ground water modeling to test the influence of a range of hydraulic properties for the fault zone on ground water flow in the region. Our study suggests that the fault is a low-permeability feature. Estimated heads are best matched to observations by modeling the fault as a 10-foot-thick interval of low-permeability fault gouge. Steady-state flow models show that much of the flow in the study area is topographically driven near land surface. Flow rates decrease with depth in the aquifers. In the footwall, ground water moves updip in the Michigan-San Isabel syncline to discharge in the South Park Basin. In the hanging wall, ground water moves east to a regional ground water divide. Sensitivity analyses indicate that hydraulic heads are most sensitive to changes in hydraulic conductivity and recharge.     

Meso-scale testing and development of test procedures to maintain mass balance

The Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science (Texas A&M University––Corpus Christi) has conducted numerous petroleum experiments at the Shoreline Environmental Research Facility (Corpus Christi, Texas, USA). The meso-scale facility has multiple wave tanks, permitting some control in experimental design of the investigations, but allowing for real-world conditions. This paper outlines the evolution of a materials balance approach in conducting petroleum experiments at the facility. The first attempt at a materials balance was during a 1998 study on the fate/effects of dispersant use on crude oil. Both water column and beach sediment samples were collected. For the materials balance, the defined environmental compartments for oil accumulation were sediments, water column, and the water surface, while the discharge from the tanks was presumed to be the primary sink. The “lessons learned” included a need to quantify oil adhesion to the tank surfaces. This was resolved by adhering strips of the polymer tank lining to the tank sides that could be later removed and extracted for oil. Also, a protocol was needed to quantify any floating oil on the water surface. A water surface (oil slick) quantification protocol was developed, involving the use of solid-phase extraction disks. This protocol was first tested during a shoreline cleaner experiment, and later refined in subsequent dispersant effectiveness studies. The effectiveness tests were designed to simulate shallow embayments which created the need for additional adjustments in the tanks. Since dispersant efficacy is largely affected by hydrodynamics, it was necessary to scale the hydrodynamic conditions of the tanks to those expected in our prototype system (Corpus Christi Bay, Texas). The use of a scaled model permits the experiment to be reproduced and/or evaluated under different conditions. To minimize wave reflection in the tank, a parabolic wave dissipater was built. In terms of materials balance, this design reduced available surface area as a sink for oil adsorption.     

Regional estimation of base recharge to ground water using water balance and a base-flow index

Naturally occurring long-term mean annual base recharge to ground water in Nebraska was estimated with the help of a water-balance approach and an objective automated technique for base-flow separation involving minimal parameter-optimization requirements. Base recharge is equal to total recharge minus the amount of evapotranspiration coming directly from ground water. The estimation of evapotranspiration in the water-balance equation avoids the need to specify a contributing drainage area for ground water, which in certain cases may be considerably different from the drainage area for surface runoff. Evapotranspiration was calculated by the WREVAP model at the Solar and Meteorological Surface Observation Network (SAMSON) sites. Long-term mean annual base recharge was derived by determining the product of estimated long-term mean annual runoff (the difference between precipitation and evapotranspiration) and the base-flow index (BFI). The BFI was calculated from discharge data obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey's gauging stations in Nebraska. Mapping was achieved by using geographic information systems (GIS) and geostatistics. This approach is best suited for regional-scale applications. It does not require complex hydrogeologic modeling nor detailed knowledge of soil characteristics, vegetation cover, or land-use practices. Long-term mean annual base recharge rates in excess of 110 mm/year resulted in the extreme eastern part of Nebraska. The western portion of the state expressed rates of only 15 to 20 mm annually, while the Sandhills region of north-central Nebraska was estimated to receive twice as much base recharge (40 to 50 mm/year) as areas south of it.     

A description of how metal pollution occurs in the Tinto-Odiel rias (Huelva-Spain) through the application of cluster analysis

In the last few decades, the study of space-time distribution and variations of heavy metals in estuaries has been extensively studied as an environmental indicator. In the case described here, the combination of acid water from mines, industrial effluents and sea water plays a determining role in the evolutionary process of the chemical makeup of the water in the estuary of the Tinto and Odiel Rivers, located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.Based on the statistical treatment of the data from the analysis of the water samples from this system, which has been affected by processes of industrial and mining pollution, the 16 variables analyzed can be grouped into two large families. Each family presents high, positive Pearson r values that suggest common origins (fluvial or sea) for the pollutants present in the water analyzed and allow their subsequent contrast through cluster analysis.     

Comparison of heat and bromide as ground water tracers near streams

Heat and bromide were compared as tracers for examining stream/ground water exchanges along the middle reaches of the Santa Clara River, California, during a 10-hour surface water sodium bromide injection test. Three cross sections that comprise six shallow (<1 m) piezometers were installed at the upper, middle, and lower sections of a 17 km long study reach, to monitor temperatures and bromide concentrations in the shallow ground water beneath the stream. A heat and ground water transport simulation model and a closely related solute and ground water transport simulation model were matched up for comparison of simulated and observed temperatures and bromide concentrations in the streambed. Vertical, one-dimensional simulations of sediment temperature were fitted to observed temperature results, to yield apparent streambed hydraulic conductivities in each cross section. The temperature-based hydraulic conductivities were assigned to a solute and ground water transport model to predict sediment bromide concentrations, during the sodium bromide injection test. Vertical, one-dimensional simulations of bromide concentrations in the sediments yielded a good match to the observed bromide concentrations, without adjustment of any model parameters except solute dispersivities. This indicates that, for the spatial and temporal scales examined on the Santa Clara River, the use of heat and bromide as tracers provide comparable information with respect to apparent hydraulic conductivities and fluxes for sediments near streams. In other settings, caution should be used due to differences in the nature of conservative (bromide) versus nonconservative (heat) tracers, particularly when preferential flowpaths are present.     

The status of the ecological environment and a proposed protection strategy in Sanya Bay,Hainan Island,China

Sanya Bay encompasses a high diversity of natural habitats, ranging from coral reefs, rocky and sandy shores and mudflats to mangroves. Seasonal physicochemical and biological investigations were conducted from 1998 to 1999 and again in April 2000. Water-related environmental quality in Sanya Bay is in good condition. The levels of dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and heavy metals are within the first class of National Seawater Quality Standards for China. Annual mean values of chlorophyll a of 0.93 mg m(-3) and phytoplankton primary productivity of 440.8 mgC m(-2)d(-1), respectively, were found in the waters, both of which show a significant correlation with inorganic nitrogen. A mean new productivity of 144.6 mgC m(-2) d(-1) was recorded in summer. Sanya Bay is rich in natural resources and biodiversity with 235 species of phytoplankton and 129 species of zooplankton identified in the survey. The annual mean abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton were 1564 x 10 cells m(-3) and 121 individuals m(-3), respectively, with an annual mean zooplankton biomass of 129 mg m(-3). A total of 243 species of fish were sampled in the survey including many of high economic value. Three hundred and eighty-four species of benthos in 121 families were found by mud sampling and trawling. The average biomass of benthic organisms was 11.55 gm(-2), with a density of 31 individuals m(-2). Molluscs were the dominant group, followed by crustaceans; coelenterates exhibited the lowest biomass. One hundred and twenty-six species from 48 families of intertidal organisms were collected by frame sampling, with a mean annual biomass of 644.7 gm(-2) and average density of 816 individuals m(-2). The highest biomass of 1673.5 gm(-2) was collected in a coral reef region, while the highest density of 1219 individuals m(-2) occurred in a mangrove region. The coastline is characterized by coral reefs that accounts for 30% of the total coastline length in the bay, so coral reefs are a key ecosystem that are important for maintaining the regional marine resources and biodiversity. We need to pay much more attention to such diverse marine resources to maintain the integrity and function of these coastal ecosystems.