Presentation Abstracts(Provisional List - More Abstracts Being Added)
5th International Conference on Environmental Informatics
August 1-3, 2006, Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA
Presentation AbstractsTeaching Sustainability by Teaching Sustainably: An Experiential Approach to Participatory Decisionmaking
in the Undergraduate College Curriculum
Alice L. Jones
Associate Professor of Geography, Eastern Kentucky University and
Director, Eastern Kentucky Environmental Research Institute
201 Roark Building Richmond, Ky 40475
alice.jones@eku.edu 859/622-1424 www.eri.eku.edu
The concept of open and active collaboration and participation by ordinary citizens in decisionmaking is a key cornerstone in the "sustainable development" or "sustainability" literature at the national and international scales. But where do policy-makers, developers, and ordinary citizens learn the communicative and participatory skills necessary to make these collaborative processes effective?
Over the past seven years, the author has taught a number of upper-division undergraduate courses with topics including environmental management, small town planning, land use decisionmaking, and community sustainability. Each of these classes included sustainability and smart growth as a subtopic or theme. As such, each was organized around a major class group project on the premise that the communicative and collaborative skills the students must develop in order to successfully complete the project are as essential to their understanding of smart growth and sustainability as are any of the core content concepts of the course. Through trial and error (plenty of both) the author has developed a structure for a project-based class with four main goals:
Two courses will be used to illustrate the application of the structure: "Small Town Planning in Regional Context"– a introductory graduate/advanced undergraduate geography seminar course focused on the issues of smaller communities that do not necessarily have the planning infrastructure in place that larger metropolitan areas enjoy, and "Sustainability in Appalachia", and upper-division open undergraduate elective that serves as a capstone course for Appalachian Studies minors, but also attracts a variety of students from disciplines as diverse as sociology, wildlife management, and public health.
An important aim of the presentation will be to demonstrate how sustainability concepts can be integrated in a variety of disciplines. Both of the course examples presented were open-enrollment upper division undergraduate courses that included students from a broad range of majors and interests including public health, natural resources, sociology, geography, government, and even literature. Because the emphasis is on the process and developing the participatory communication skills at the heart of sustainability at any level and any setting, the basic approach does not rely on any specialized knowledge or background among the students, and could be adapted to many disciplines.
Strong vs. Weak Sustainability: The Struggle for a Sustainable Campus
J. H. Dontje
Sustainability and Environmental Studies Program, Berea College, Berea, KY 40404
Abstract. The World Commission on Environment and Development's (WECD) 1987 report, "Our Common Future", brought sustainability clearly into the international dialogue on development. The ensuing discussion of sustainability distinguished between "strong" sustainability, with an emphasis on maintaining certain physical aspects of ecological systems intact, and "weak" sustainability, with an explicit acceptance that some of those assets can be transformed or converted to other forms while still maintaining sustainability. Using illustrative examples from Berea College's sustainability initiatives and the process by which they are being realized, the implications of strong and weak sustainability definitions for campus sustainability efforts are explored. An argument is made that explicit articulation of relative positions in regards to strong and weak sustainability will simplify and improve participative decision-making on sustainability issues.
Keywords: Sustainability, Campus, Energy, Master planning, Decision-making
Educating engineers as we entering the 21st century
Gashwin Saleno
Abstract: As the world population grows and standards of living improve, there will be increasing demand on the world's limited resources. Consequently, engineers of the future will be asked to utilize earth's resources efficiently, conserve energy, and to produce less waste; meanwhile, meeting increasing demand for products and services. To prepare for these challenges, engineers will need to understand the impact of their future decisions on the world ecosystem. More importantly, future engineers must be adapted at working closely with planners, decision makers, and the general public.
Engineering schools burden to generate sustainability correct engineers are high since generating disciplinary knowledgeable and skillful engineers are no longer the sole goal. As part of a larger cultural system, their role is also to teach, foster and develop the moral and ethical values required by society.
In this paper, key principles will be addressed to incorporate them as a part of engineering curriculum to breed new kind of engineers, as we entering the 21st century.
Integrating Sustainability in Apparel and Textiles Higher Education
Jin Su
Department of Consumer and Family Sciences, Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd. #11037, Bowling Green, KY 42101-1037, USA
Abstract. Apparel and textiles higher education is an interdisciplinary area which combines the study of every aspect related to textile and apparel industry. The comprehensive textile-apparel pipeline encompasses all of the production activities of the textile-apparel complex as well as the functions of distribution and retail operations to the end users/consumers. Therefore, textiles and apparel industry has tremendous power to control what people see, feel, and think about themselves, the environments, and the welfare of society. The study argues how apparel and textiles relate to sustainability. A framework is proposed that addresses how to integrate sustainability in core apparel and textile higher education curriculum. Strategies of teaching sustainability in apparel and textiles are discussed. The paper concludes that the interdisciplinary perspective of apparel and clothing higher education could play a key role in sustainability education, generate the new knowledge needed, and train the leaders and teachers of tomorrow, as well as communicate the knowledge to decision-makers and the public-at-large.
Keywords: Higher Education, Sustainability, Apparel and Textiles
The Bregenz Environmental Program: Lessons Learned About Sustainability
Dr. Terry Wilson, Director
Center for Math, Science and Environmental Education, 131 Jones-Jaggers Hall, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101, 270-745-4671, terry.wilson@wku.edu
Dr. Joseph Baust, Director
Center for Environmental Education, 321 Alexander Hall, Murray State University, Murray, KY 42071
joe.baust@coe.murraystate.edu
Abstract. The Center for Environmental Education at Murray State University, in partnership with the Kentucky Institute for International Studies, has been offering a program on sustainability in the countries of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland for 6 years.
In that period of time there have been more than 125 teachers, instructional leaders, environmental education center directors, and other decision makers who have had the opportunity to experience "sustainability" in three countries. This includes the directors of the university-based centers for environmental education at the other seven state institutions of higher education in Kentucky. The outcome of their participation has been instructional and procedural change in classrooms throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. For example schools have begun recycling programs, cross-disciplinary units of study have been created and implemented, water sampling and monitoring are occurring.
The Bregenz Environmental Program is one that provides numerous opportunities to visit important natural, cultural, and historical sites in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. These excursions provide participants with active, hands-on experiences to assist in assessment and comparisons of environmental education and the associated values, ethics, and responsible human actions that are a part of these cultures.
The program focuses on four pillars of sustainability that are specific to those created and adopted by the State of Voralberg in Austria. Economics, the environment, social, and global responsibility these four pillars that are interconnected. They are used as a means for communities, government, business, and education to problem solve and make decisions about projects and programs. In this way stakeholders who represent various constituents and portions of the sustainability model are present to come to a consensus on various projects that arise in communities. The idea is to have a interplay between citizens that results in a balance that reflects a stable grounding in economics, the environment, the social, and global responsibility.
Persons that have experienced "sustainability" in the Bregenz program and therefore understand the definition: "The ability to provide for the needs of the world's current population without damaging the ability of future generations to provide for themselves. When a process is sustainable, it can be carried out over and over without negative environmental effects or impossibly high costs to anyone involved." www.sustainabletable.org/intro/dictionary/ This panel presentation will include an overview of the Bregenz program, with visuals showing some the sustainable practices demonstrated during the program. Several former participants in the program will give their perceptions of the experiences and share some of the things that they are now doing in their classrooms and their communities as a result of this program.
Common Principles of Sustainability: Examples from Kentucky
Terry Wilson, Director, Center for Math, Science and Environmental Education
131 Jones-Jaggers Hall, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101
270/745-4671, terry.wilson@wku.edu
Nancy Givens, Instructional Coordinator, Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching
1906 College Heights Blvd. #11095, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101
270/745-6508, nancy.givens@wku.edu
Objectives:
The future of our society depends upon a variety of factors. To sustain the development of our culture, while ensuring that future generations will have the resources to solve the complex problems of tomorrow, our system of higher education needs to be refocused. As stated in the National Report Card on Environmental Performance and Sustainability in Higher Education, "To glimpse the future, there is no better vantage point than in the nation’s colleges and universities. With more than 14 million young people enrolled each year, the values instilled there set the course for succeeding generations not just in the United States, but all across the world. With roads, buildings, fleets of vehicles, labs, offices, residences and stadiums, colleges and universities are microcosms of society."
As such, they provide unique learning laboratories in which students may gain the knowledge, tools and practical experience necessary to strike the appropriate balance between human needs and sustaining the health of our environment. In the process, campuses can innovate and apply new practices and technologies that prevent pollution and waste, serving as models of a green future for other institutions. This roundtable discussion will involve the presentation of results of a survey administered to the Kentucky University Partnership in Environmental Education (KUPEE) about how sustainability principles are being put into action at those eight state universities. The results will be shared and will then provide a context for discussing and comparing sustainability initiatives in Kentucky with sustainability in higher education (SHE) declarations.1
1. Corcoran Peter and Wals, Arjen (Eds.), Higher Education and the Challenge of Sustainability: Problematics, Promise and Practice. Wright, Tarah, The Evolution of Sustainability Declarations in Higher Education, pp. 7-19, Kluwar Academic Publishers (2004).
Infusing Sustainable Development Concepts Into the Undergraduate Curriculum
Givens, Nancy L., Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching (nancy.givens@wku.edu) and Kuehn, Kenneth W., Department of Geography and Geology, Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd., #11095, Bowling Green, KY 42101
The 1987 report of the United Nations’ World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future, known as the Bruntland Report, identified guiding principles for modern sustainable development. It defined the concept as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." In 2002, wide recognition of the global crisis in sustainability led the U.N. to declare 2005–2014 as the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, with the overall goal to "integrate the values inherent in sustainable development into all aspects of learning to encourage changes in behavior that allow for a more sustainable and just society for all." Most recently, in its 2005 World Summit Outcome document, the U.N. reaffirmed its goal for sustainable development by committing to "undertaking concrete actions and measures at all levels and to enhancing international cooperation...(that) will also promote the integration of the three components of sustainable development – economic development, social development and environmental protection – as interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars."
Universities in the U.S. and around the world are now committing themselves to taking action and are increasingly embracing their essential role in providing the leadership, knowledge, skills and tools necessary to create a sustainable future for all. As institutions of higher education struggle to keep pace with rapidly changing global trends, they are incorporating sustainable development concepts into teaching, research, policy-making, operations and outreach. Programs designed to infuse sustainable development concepts take various forms, but those that attempt a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach across the curriculum and operations (the "hidden curriculum") are likely to have greater efficacy. This type of reform fundamentally seeks to change the way students learn about and interact with the world. A comprehensive approach seeks to integrate the fragmented knowledge acquired from disparate disciplines into a holistic worldview that, ultimately, is practiced in the daily professional and civic lives of our graduates.
The common goal of such reform is to produce more purposeful graduates who lead challenging, meaningful lives of community engagement and global citizenship, who possess the essential skills to meet societal demands, and who engage in long-term strategic thinking and problem solving for a sustainable future. Western Kentucky University has a number of research centers, programs and outreach activities that incorporate concepts of sustainable development, but they have not adopted it as a unifying theme. This paper summarizes these on-going activities, presents the results of a survey of WKU faculty on knowledge, rating of importance and integration of sustainable development concepts and activities in classes, and offers a model for integrating sustainable development concepts across the curriculum, research, operations and outreach activities across the campus.
Sustainable engineering, a case study
Gashwin Saleno
Abstract. We live in progressively more complex world and we are at a critical stage at which humanity must make some serious choices about the future. The current model of living poses significant challenges when it comes to preserving energy, natural recourses, and the ecosystem. Ignoring this reality when educating future professionals, could have serious irreversible consequences. It is indisputable that our world is in desperate need for new breed of engineers, who have holistic approach to decision making that are guided by ethics and harmony and goes beyond their field of specialization. In this paper, an ultrasonic cleaning apparatus will be discussed as engineering case study for economic and sustainability benefits.
The Rise of Corporate Sustainability Reporting and its Impact on
Environmental Data Management
Patricia A. Hoyte* and James D. Johnson
Caiteur Group Climate Change Institute, Caiteur Group Inc.,
1 Greystone Walk Dr, Suite 1786, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M1K 5J3
Tel: 416-266-3535
*Corresponding author: E-mail: phoyte@caiteurgroup.com Tel: 416-266-3535 Ext 116
E-mail: jjohnson@caiteurgroup.com Tel: 416-266-3535 Ext 118
Abstract. The last five years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of corporations reporting environmental, health, safety, and social data on a voluntary basis. Leading companies now view corporate social responsibility and the environment, including climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions management, as important strategic issues for their business and so voluntarily include this information in their annual financial and non-financial reports. As practitioners we see that the guidelines provided by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Global Reporting Initiative and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative provide both an impetus for and a common platform from which companies can report their environmental and sustainability information. The investment community and the shareholder community have also put pressure on public corporations to voluntarily report environmental, social, and sustainability information along with their statutory audited annual financial reports.
This paper examines the impact of voluntary environmental reporting by corporations on the management of their environmental data, including the development and integration of their corporate GHG emissions inventory and emissions calculation processes. We also examine the challenges presented by the lack of environmental data integration from multiple reporting facilities within companies, the aggregation of the data, the treatment of non-financial data, and the inclusion of qualitative data. Where applicable we also evaluate the management of environmental data by major geography and major industry. A key area of research also examines the similarities and differences in the amount of environmental data management effort required by large GHG emitting companies such as heavy manufacturers and oil & gas companies compared to lower GHG emitting companies such as banks and service providers. Our research utilizes voluntary environmental emissions reporting data and information within the public corporation domain. We’ve excluded mandatory and/or regulatory GHG environmental reporting regimes, such as the international Kyoto Protocol or the proposed U.S. Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), since these regimes will not be implemented until 2008 – 2009 hence no data resides as yet within the public domain.
Pollution of the Caspian Sea Marine Environment Along the Iranian Coast
Abdolhossein Parizanganeh(1), V. Chris Lakhan(2), and Sajid R. Ahmad(2)
(1) Department of Geography, Zanjan University, PO Box 45195-313, Zanjan, Iran
(2) Department of Earth Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9B 3P4
Abstract. The nearshore marine environment of the Caspian Sea is a major repository for toxic metals originating from various natural and anthropogenic sources. The metals are not easily degraded or destroyed, and tend to accumulate in coastal soils and sediments. Since the persistent toxic metals pose serious health risks this research concentrated on investigating the concentrations and spatial distribution of metals in the nearshore sediments along the Iranian coast of the Caspian Sea.
Fourteen sampling sites, approximately 50 km apart, were selected from the nearly 700 km long Iranian coast. A standard Van Veen grab was used to obtain approximately 400 g of surficial sediments. To interpret the effects of grain size on metal concentrations, each of the 14 samples was sieved. Selection of three grain size fractions (0.355 mm, 0.212 mm, and 0.075 mm) from each sample plus fourteen bulk samples yielded a total of 56 samples for the analysis of metals. Each of the 56 samples was analyzed for the presence of 18 metals, these being Al, As, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Sb, V, and Zn. Laboratory analysis of the samples utilized the Cold Acetic protocol, followed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy.
Box and Whisker plots revealed differences in the contaminant levels of each of the samples. There were large spatial variations in the median concentrations of the heavy metals (Al, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn) at the various sampling sites. Concentrations exceeded recommended guidelines in several areas especially in the vicinity of the Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan borders. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that grain size of the sediments was not a major factor controlling the concentrations and spatial distributions of the heavy metals. The concentrations of heavy metals in the medium and coarse sediment fractions reflected loadings from anthropogenic sources located at, and in the vicinity of the sampling sites. In addition, the presence of heavy minerals or coarse fractions of terrigenous origin also contributed to the increase of metal concentrations in the medium and coarse sediment fractions. Since silt and clay fractions were negligible in the sieved sediments, the claim could be made from the findings of this research that it is necessary to consider all sediment sizes to understand loadings and concentrations of metal contaminants in the marine environment.
Keywords: Caspian Sea, discriminant analysis, heavy metals, Iran, marine environment, nearshore sediments
An Inexact Energy Systems Model for Energy Planning and Greenhouse Gases Mitigation under Uncertainty in a Community-Scale Level
Q. G. Lin and G. H. Huang
Environmental Systems Engineering Program – Faculty of Engineering, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
Fax: +1 306 585 4855, E-mail: qianguol@uregina.ca
Abstract. Climate change is a critical issue for the sustainability of human society, which is especially true in a community scale level. Climate change is primarily generated by the accumulation of anthrogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, which is closely related to energy use. Thus, the mitigation of GHG emissions has significant influences on energy-use sectors. Meanwhile, changing climate can affect the way of energy use which can further alter the amount of GHG emissions. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the relationships among energy-use planning and GHG mitigation under climate change. Though studies in this field have been conducted in global, national, and even provincial level, few studies were reported in community level whereas the importance of the contributions of communities in GHG emissions. Moreover, dealing with this issue is vital for the sustainability of community development.
In the past two decades, a number of energy-use planning models were developed and effectively applied to climate change impacts studies in global, national or provincial level. However, these models can not be downscaled to a community level. Most models are too aggregated to provide specific insight into the individual characteristics of an energy system in a community level. At the same time, they cannot effectively reflect the sensitivity of energy activities to climate change due to geographically distinct impacts of climate change and different residential and commercial energy consumption behavior by various sectors in a community. In addition, GHG mitigation policies (e.g. direct GHG reduction, GHG tax, and emission trading, etc) can affect the consumption of fossil-fuel based energy, which can further influence the GHG emissions. Such relations can complicate the modeling efforts of energy-use planning and GHG mitigation in a community level under climate change. Moreover, most previously studies cannot effectively quantify the inherent uncertainties in the entire system of energy-use and GHG mitigation. Thus, innovative methods need to be developed to tackle such problems in a community level.
In this respect, the objective of this study is to develop a decision support system for supporting energy-use planning and GHG mitigation under climate change in a community level. The objective entails: (a) to identify relationships between energy-use planning and GHG mitigation under climate change in a community level, (b) to quantify uncertainties in energy-use planning and GHG mitigation under changing climate by various mathematical techniques, and (c) to develop an integrated modeling system to support decision making in energy use and GHG mitigation in a community scale level.
Development of a Specific Quantitative Real-Time PCR Assay to Monitor Phytoplankton DNA in Mammoth Cave National Park
Rick Fowler and Christal Wade
WATERS Laboratory, Center for Water Resource Studies, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101
Abstract. Estimates of phytoplankton abundance are important parameters watched by stewards of water quality and freshwater ecology in rivers, streams, and reservoirs. WATERS Laboratory has developed a targeted phytoplankton assay using modern DNA technology to estimate the abundance of the predominant species of green algae in surface waters of Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA) in Kentucky. The phytoplankton community in the Green River in MACA has been shown to consist of 95% Chlorella sp. Chlorella 18S rRNA gene sequences were amplified and quantified using Real-Time PCR with primers specific for the family Chlorellaceae. Concentrations of Chlorella DNA in river water samples were measured by comparison to a standard curve generated by DNA extracted from live laboratory cultures of C. vulgaris. DNA isolated from other sources including bacteria, fungi, decapods, insects, and cave sediment, or even Chlamydomonas (genus belonging to a different family of green algae), produced no PCR products and thus did not interfere with the detection and quantification of Chlorella DNA. The quantity of Chlorella DNA measured by Real-Time PCR was correlated to the number of Chlorella cells per liter of sample by accumulating data from assays on aliquots of growing cultures in which the cells were counted under a microscope. The assay proved quantitative over more than four orders of magnitude with a method detection limit (MDL) of approximately 0.07 ppt Chlorella DNA, equivalent to approximately 23,000 cells/L. Presence or absence of Chlorella DNA could be demonstrated at concentrations ten to 100 times lower than the statistically calculated MDL. Chlorella was absent from cave water, known to contain high concentrations of microbial DNA.
The structure and host plant selection of an acridid community on
the edge between a desert- and an agro-ecosystem in Egypt
M. M. El-Shazly, W. M. El-Sayed Shahpa
Entomology department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza-12211- Egypt
Abstract. It is generally accepted that insects play a major role in both energy flow and the regulation of plant communities in terrestrial ecosystems. In the present work, a field study was conducted for three years, extended from June, 1999 to May, 2002, in the boundaries between cultivated lands and the natural ecosystem of the western desert at Abu-Rauwâsh district, Giza-Egypt. To assess the temporal structure and the host plant selection of the acridid community, a sampling area consisted of 100 transects, each one with 100 m length and 2 m width, was visited weekly for sampling grasshopper and plant specimens. At the community level, the study revealed that the most common grasshopper species were Acrida pellucida, Aiolopus thalassinus, (Acridinae); Acrotylus insubricus, Sphingonotus carinatus (Oedipodinae); Chrotogonus lugubris and Pyrgomorpha conica (Pyrgomorphinae). These species responded in different ways to the changes in environmental conditions. The extent of fluctuations in the relative abundance varied among them. Dominant degree test (D %) revealed that A. thalassinus was the most common acridid species, whereas S. carinatus was the least one. The six co-existing species acquired random distribution pattern as indicated by Taylor's coefficient of aggregation. Application of diversity indices revealed that species richness was fairly poor and fluctuated with time. The selection of the food plant by the six coexisting species was determined through the gut contents analysis technique. A total of 53 cultivated and wild plant species were found in fragmentary condition in the guts of different grasshopper species. Wild plants constituted the bulk (31 species) of the floral richness in the guts of the acridid species. The diet breadth (B) was determined for each acridid species. Kulczynski similarity index (KSI) and Grass-forb index (GFI) were applied to the obtained results. The possible impact of the grasshopper, as a selecting force, on the plants was discussed.
Keywords: Acridids, population dynamic, community, host-plant selection, desert- and agro-ecosystem.
Progress and Prospects for Environmental Education in Iran: A Loglinear Modeling Analysis
Abdolhossein Parizanganeh (1), V. Chris Lakhan (2), Hamid Jalalian (1), and Sajid R. Ahmad (2)
(1) Department of Geography, Zanjan University, PO Box 45195-313, Zanjan, Iran
(2) Department of Earth Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9B 3P4
Abstract. This research focused on the application of loglinear modeling techniques to identify the interactions and interrelationships underlying data on multiple factors influencing personal concern for the environment in Iran. Categorical survey data collected from face-to-face interviews with 723 Iranian citizens were summarized in a five-dimensional frequency table, cross-classifying the dependent variable, personal concern for the environment, with the independent variables, educational attainment, age, residential location, and gender. To select the most parsimonious model to be fitted to the data, partial and marginal association tests and backward elimination procedures were utilized. After fitting various loglinear models to the data it was decided, after examination of the significance levels, to accept the hierarchical loglinear model which included five 3-way effects.
The loglinear modeling results demonstrated that a combination of interacting factors, namely educational attainment, age, residential location and gender were responsible for influencing personal concern for the environment. While no single factor was dominant, parameter estimation of each of the effects, nevertheless, revealed that educational attainment could be ranked as the most prominent of the interacting factors. The significant interaction of educational attainment with the factors age, residential location and gender highlights the fact that highly educated Iranians of all ages and gender from both rural and urban areas have the greatest personal concern for the environment. With declines in educational attainment levels there were corresponding reductions in the percentage of respondents who were highly concerned for the environment. The finding that educational attainment has the strongest interaction with personal concern for the environment provides justification for Iranians to utilize education as the primary instrument to attain measurable progress in environmental protection and sustainable development. Since the results indicate that both men and women have almost similar personal concerns for the environment it becomes much easier to improve future prospects for full participation of all citizens to deal wisely and sustainably with environmental issues and problems.
Keywords: education, environmental concern, Iran, loglinear modeling, questionnaire survey
Site assessments for restoring riparian buffers in agricultural watersheds
Wenbao Liu, DongMei Chen, and Wanhong Yang
Abstract. Abstract Converting cropland margins along streams into vegetative buffers is a common strategy in restoring agricultural landscapes to improve water quality and wildlife habitat connectivity. Based on the principle of multiple attribute decision making (MADM), this paper developed a simple quantitative ranking method to prioritize sub-catchments in their restoration planning. The method was applied in an agricultural watershed of 146 km2 in the southern part of Ontario Province, Canada. The watershed was divided into 11 sub-catchments as decision units. In each sub-catchment, 4 buffer schemes with widths of 5m, 10m, 15m and 20m were considered. For each buffer scheme, four indicators (buffer areas, economic cost, water quality benefits and habitat benefits) were estimated using GIS, a farm economic model, a hydrologic model and an ecologic model. These indicators were further converted into three benefit-cost attributes: acreage per dollar, sediment abatement per dollar and habitat benefits per dollar. The three attributes were normalized using a linear normalization approach. The normalized attributes were then integrated using a simple additive weighting method to score and rank the 11 sub-catchments for prioritizing spatial restoration actions. The results were compared with the ones from other three scenarios based on the individual benefit-cost attributes. These alternatives of spatial restoration decisions provide practitioners with scientific references for riparian buffer restoration planning. *Corresponding author. Tel.:+1-613-5336000-75050; fax: +1-613-5336122. E-mail address: Liu_wenbao@yahoo.com (W. Liu).
Development of a process-based indicator of land use management for
urbanizing headwatersheds
G. Bennett(1), C.T. Nietch, Ph. D.(2), *, X. Wang, Ph. D.(1) and L. Rossman, Ph. D.(2)
(1) School of Planning, P.O. Box 210016, College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning,
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0016, USA
(2) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45220-2242 USA
* Corresponding author. Email: nietch.christopher@epa.gov
Abstract. A process-based indicator of land use and its relative degree of management may serve as a better criterion for stormwater effects on water quality in developing watersheds than simpler land-cover classification schemes. Here we describe the procedures used to develop such an indicator for headwatersheds within the 320,000-acre East Fork of the Little Miami River watershed, southwest Ohio, which is undergoing rapid urbanization. The headwatersheds of interest encompass 100 to 1400 acres, a spatial range that is normally lumped into broad land use categories in watershed runoff models. For these sites, we couple geographic information systems methods with hydrological simulation of combined natural stream and storm sewer networks using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Stormwater Management Model (SWMM). Our experience suggests that integrating appropriate landscape design properties into a hydrological model is no small task, but can be streamlined, provided that sufficient information about land cover; the length, distribution, and quality of the storm sewer network; and the location and design of individual stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) is available for the study headwatersheds. Moreover, this process-based effort results in SWMM output that may be used to describe the frequency of flow exceedance in headwater stream channels. In relation to stormwater management/stream protection guidelines, the model output forms a basis for ranking watersheds of varying size and with respect to probable level of impact. Also, the process-based approach allows for tracking how the history of landscape design has altered simulated hydrology at spatial scales larger than typical development projects (i.e., 10 acres or larger). Finally, this methodology facilitates establishing causal links between land use management and water quality in developing watersheds, helping to promote better Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) development and implementation.
Keywords. classification; hydrologic condition; streamflow; urbanization; headwater streams; stormwater runoff; Best Management Practices; watershed; land use management
Geoinformatics and Policy: the Upper Gulf of California, Mexico
John All
Western Kentucky University
Abstract. Policy questions regarding environmental issues must rely on science to provide accurate facts for decision-making. Geoinformatic tools including GIS and remote sensing can be integrated to provide regional-scale data products across time for use in strategic and management level policymaking. Several principles are discussed to ensure that geoinformatics data and analysis can effectively contribute to policy-making by clarifying issues and minimizing misinterpretation. A case study along the US – Mexico border elucidates these principles. Endangered species habitat in the Colorado River Delta and marine habitat in the upper Gulf of California, Mexico have been negatively impaired by water diversions on the Colorado River. Geoinformatics is used to examine the impacts of these diversions compared to other ecological stressors from 1989-2000. AVHRR satellite images of freshwater flows into the Gulf are compared to shrimp harvest and fishing fleet size during floods and drought on the Colorado River. The analysis indicates that increasing freshwater flow into the Gulf will have less of an impact upon shrimp population than will the more politically difficult step of addressing overfishing in the region.
Improving Conventional Subdivision Design by Incorporating Runoff Impact in Land Development Decisions
Kiran Kumar Avadhanula(1), Chandrima Pal(1) , Xinhao Wang(1), James Bonta(2), Steven Buchberger(3), and William Shuster(4)
(1) School of Planning, College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
(2)Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
(3)United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, North Appalachian Experimental Watershed, Coshocton OH
(4)United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati OH
Abstract. Conventional subdivision design normally leads to a high proportion of impervious surfaces from large lots, wide paved driveways and sometimes wider than required streets and aggravated storm water problems. There is an immediate need for the development of a sustainable, ecologically sound subdivision design approach in light of today’s increasingly endangered delicate environmental condition. This paper attempts to create a practically implementable, naturally sensitive method for minimizing runoff developing a subdivision design that is in essence is a "low impact development design". The aim of the exercise being the minimization of runoff volume and peak discharge rate from natural site conditions. This design methodology incorporates two improvements to conventional subdivision design: firstly it integrates runoff factors to land suitability analysis and secondly it assimilates the principles of open space development in land subdivision design.
This theoretical analysis is supplemented by the a case study of an experimental watershed located at the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed (Coshocton OH) making the best use of the available archival runoff, soils, and landscape data for the project under consideration. The study calculates and compares storm water runoff amounts under three different site conditions (undeveloped, conventionally developed and creatively developed) and statistically supports the hypothesis that the creative site design process is better suited than conventional design for minimizing the degree of runoff change from an undeveloped parcel of land. In addition, the study also compares the costs associated with the two design alternatives and an approach to economic viability analysis of the design. An integrated approach is also presented here using an interactive GIS decision support system - CommunityViz Scenario 360. The underlying aim of this research is to demonstrate that a creative design can minimize runoff and, at the same time, provide a social, economic and environmental quality that is comparable to conventional design.
Keywords: Runoff response, subdivision, design, suitability analysis, technical viability, costs, economic viability
Application of Super-paramagnetic Composite Particles Technology for the Reclamation of Heavy Metal from wastewater
Chen, Yi-Fu, Chin-Ying Tsai, Chia-Ching Chou and Fong-Ru Yang
Resource Recovery Department, Industrial Technology Research Institute, W200, Rm.303A, Bldg. 64, 195, Sec. 4, Chung Hsing Road, Chutung, Hsinchu, Taiwan 310, R.O.C.
Abstract. This investigation presents a novel technique for separating and recovering heavy metals using selective super-paramagnetic composite (SPMC) particles. Selective SPMC particles were synthesized in-situ by co-precipitation and free radical polymerization. The adsorption of three metallic ions, Au(III), Sn(IV) and In(III), by selective SPMC particles was evaluated.
The cost of the in-situ synthesis approach presented herein was low and the SPMC particles were stable. Experimental results demonstrate that SPMC particles exhibit excellent adsorption for Au(III) and Sn(III) ions. The adsorption capacity (Q) and adsorption ratio of Au(III) exceeded 245 mg g-1 and 99.8%, respectively, for a reaction time of 30 minutes. The SPMC particles can thus be utilized to recover gold compounds from wastewater derived from a printed circuit board (PCB) and a semiconductor process. The adsorption capacity and adsorption ratio of Sn(IV) exceed 620 mg g-1 and 99.9%, for a reaction time of 30 minutes. However, the affinity of SPMC particles for In(III) is poor. Therefore, the SPMC particles can also be used to separate tin and indium from the ITO extraction solution.
Keywords. Super-paramagnetic, in-situ, heavy metal
Exploring the Variability in Pollutant Concentrations using BASINS-HSPF and Probabilistic Modeling: Implications for Land Use Planning
Mitsova-Boneva, D. and Wang, X.
School of Planning, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0016
Abstract. The purpose of this study is to examine the use of Monte Carlo simulation method together with a deterministic water quality simulation model to investigate the variability of sediment loadings from various land uses in the East Fork Little Miami River watershed, Ohio. The study has two main objectives: first, to obtain estimates for suspended sediment yield from urban, agricultural and forest land, and second, to generate probability density and cumulative distribution functions for those estimates. As a result, we will know not only the range of possible parameter values but also the probability with which those values are likely to occur. In a larger context, this knowledge will be useful in approaching issues of uncertainty and variability in the modeling process. BASINS (Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Non-Point Sources), a modeling system developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), is used in the analysis to simulate suspended sediment yield. It provides a Window-based interface for the Hydrologic Simulation Program – Fortran (HSPF), which is applied to simulate stream flow and sediment loadings from different land use types in a watershed. The daily values for suspended sediment yield from various land uses generated by HSPF are then examined through stochastic modeling and probability density and cumulative distribution functions for the estimates are obtained with the Monte Carlo simulation technique. The statistical software SAS is used to run the random sampling and derive the probability distributions. A comparison of the outputs provides a basis for assessing the impacts of land development on water quality.
Keywords: BASINS, hydrologic response units, Monte Carlo simulation, sediment loads, streamflow, probability distribution
Modeling of chlorobenzene leaching from a landfill into a soil environment using particle filter approach
Shoou-Yuh Chang and Xiaopeng Li
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, North Carolina A&T State University,
Greensboro, North Carolina 27411
Abstract. With increased use and public awareness of landfill, there is much concern for the pollution potential of the landfill leachate. As leachate migrates away from a landfill, it may cause serious pollution to the groundwater aquifer as well as adjacent surface waters. Modeling the behavior of pollutants during the flow of leachate through soil is essential for predicting the fate of these pollutants and designing restoration strategies. In this paper, particle filter approach is introduced for estimation of chlorobenzene leachating from landfill into a soil environment. The discrete advection transport equation is used as deterministic model, in which the state vector denotes the concentration at discrete nodes. First, random Gaussian errors are added to the transport equation to become the state equation. Then, the particle filter recursive process is applied for that state space model. In each time step, random samples which represent the density of state vector are propagated through state equation and updated by observation data assimilation. The result shows that the filtered estimation from particle filter approach is in close agreement with the true value. Furthermore, the efficiency of particle filter approach is compared with the numerical method using root mean square error (RMSE). The RMSE value for numerical method was seven times larger than that for the particle filter approach.
Keywords: Landfill leachate, Particle filter, State space model, Subsurface transport model, State estimation
Prediction of leachate flow-rate in a MSW landfill site
using neural networks method
Shoou-Yuh Chang and Yi Wang
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University,
Greensboro, NC 27411
Abstract: When solid wastes are placed in a landfill site, the contaminants may percolate and migrate through surrounding soils by leaching and upon reaching adjacent ground water, contaminate it, and become a danger to human health and environment. Many studies have been carried out to control the leachate generation and simulate the leachate flow, such as the water balance method (WBM) and the Flow Investigation of Landfill Leachate (FILL) model. In this paper, an artificial neural networks (ANNs) model was presented to predict the leachate flow rate in a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill site.
The model development includes data pre-processing, model training, testing and validating. Then this model was optimized with an appropriate architecture of faster convergence with better accuracy. The necessary landfill design data needed to calculate the quantity of leachate were obtained from the US EPA’s Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) model, which is a versatile and world-wide accepted landfill design and modeling program. Four soil characteristic parameters, porosity, field capacity, wilting point and saturated hydraulic conductivity, in addition to the thickness of refuse layer were varied to generate the corresponding leachate flow rates. Using these pairs of input variables, the model was "trained" to produce a desired input/output relationship by back-propagation (BP) algorithm. With the above configurations, the proposed ANNs model was illustrated to be effective and efficient in leachate prediction. Sensitivity analysis among the five variable parameters was also discussed in this paper.
Keywords: Neural network; Prediction; Leachate; Landfill
Uncertainty Analysis In Environmental Modeling Using Monte Carlo Simulation
Shoou-Yuh Chang and Farouk Mollah Banna
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina 27411.
Abstract. Models are widely used to simulate environmental engineering problems. Multiple mathematical and computer-based models have been written to predict environmental phenomena such as landfill leachate flow, contaminants concentration in leachate, stream water BOD and DO concentrations. For these models, parameters are usually treated as constant values. However, observations made on field data show that most of these parameters vary in a random manner and should be treated as probability distributions. Monte Carlo simulation is a probabilistic tool that can be used to perform uncertainty analysis of models output. In Monte Carlo simulation, inputs are represented by probability distributions to better represent the variability of the parameters. In this project, the efficiency of this tool in environmental modeling will be demonstrated by several model examples with a focus on prediction uncertainty. The specific objective is to determine how these models accuracy can be improved by developing and analyzing their output probability distributions based on input variability. Probability distribution functions of input variables were generated based on field measurement data. These data of each parameter are used to fit a probability distribution by use of the Pearson’s Chi-square method. Monte Carlo analysis with the Matlab 6.5 ® program was used to generate the probability distribution of the output. The output was evaluated by Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The results indicate a relatively accurate prediction and a better representation of environmental model output.
Keywords: Uncertainty analysis; Monte Carlo simulation; Leachate; Landfill.
Resources-Oriented Principle and Sustainability: Theory and Application in China
L.-P. Zhang, W.-Q. Chen, Q.-H. Fang, P.-E. Wang, H.-S. Hong and F. Bristow
State Key Laboratory for Marine Environmental Science, Environmental Science Research Center, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
Abstract. It is widely believed that resource use conflicts are the main problems and obstacles in regional sustainable development. Most development models used by regional governments are demand-oriented approaches to determine regional socio-economic development objectives. Such approaches are short-sighted, and may cause conflicts and disputes in natural resource use. How to resolve resource use conflicts? The most recommended approach is integrated natural resource management (INRM). INRM, however, is only a conceptual framework that is difficult to effectively implement. We proposed a resource-oriented principle (ROP), and applied it in regional projects of environmental planning and management in China by using resource evaluation techniques from resource and environmental economics. The ROP calls for the optimization of resource utilization and resolves resource use conflicts. Case studies of ROP application were done. It showed that ROP is an effective way to avoid mistakes in the decision-making process, and guide regional development towards sustainability.
Keywords: resource-oriented principle, sustainable development, applications, China
Assessing Elevation Data Uncertainty in Non-point Source Pollution Modeling
Abstract. Many physically based watershed environmental models reply on the characterization of spatial variability. Uncertainties with spatial data input would propagate into model predictions. This work identifies approaches to characterizing and modeling elevation data uncertainty in the application of a non-point source (NPS) pollution model at the watershed scale. Data resolution and vertical accuracy are the two essential extents of elevation uncertainty for commonly used raster-based digital elevation models (DEM). Topographic parameters that represent the spatial variability dominating the watershed hydrology and soil transport are first examined regarding the impact of the DEM uncertainty on basic watershed hydrologic characteristics. The effects of the DEM resolution and accuracy on predictions of the non-point source model are assessed separately in a case watershed application with observed hydrologic, meteorological and water quality data. A comparative approach with different resolution of DEMs is used to evaluate grid size dependency of the model as the NPS modeling is performed on a few spatial scenarios. On the other hand, the uncertainty from vertical inaccuracy is examined using the Monte Carlo simulation approach. Statistical analysis on the outcomes from numerous randomly produced elevation realizations reveals how sensitive the model predications are to the vertical accuracy.
Spectral Enhancement and Automated Extraction from Kentucky’s NAIP
Imagery of Potential Sinkhole Features, Trigg County, Kentucky, USA--
Initial Investigations
J. S. Dinger,(1) D. P. Zourarakis, (2) and J. C. Currens (1)
(1) Kentucky Geological Survey, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA, 40506-0107
(2) Kentucky Division of Geographic Information,
Commonwealth Office of Technology-Division of Geographic Information
1025 Capital Center Dr. Suite 101 – Frankfort KY 40601, 502-573-1450
Abstract. In eastern USA, karst sinkholes are responsible for millions of dollars of damage to buildings, infrastructure, agribusiness, and land availability. Geophysical techniques have been employed to locate developing sinkholes that have not yet expressed themselves at land surface through cover collapse, but these techniques are expensive and time consuming.. This paper presents initial research into locating cover-collapse sinkholes through the use of aerial remote sensing. The summer of 2004, National Agricultural Imagery Program imagery, 1-m ground resolution, in 3 bands (visible, RGB), with 8 pixels per band is effective in highlighting circular features that appear to be related to sinkhole occurrence on two farm sites. In some instances, the features were sinkholes up to 5 m in depth. In other instances, the features did not represent existing sinkholes but potential sites of incipient cover collapse. Differences in agriculturally related vegetative cover at this time affected the efficiency of determining the extent of karst development. Surface geophysical techniques will be used to characterize the subsurface when cropping practices allow. The goal is to correlate imagery features to subsurface characteristics so that remotely sensed imagery can be used as a means of delineating potential cover-collapse sinkholes before they express themselves at the surface. Development of such a tool will provide a time- and cost-effective approach to land use planning and, therefore, substantially reduce damage done by cover collapse.
Keywords: Remote sensing, Imagery, Karst, Sinkholes, Linear, Cover collapse, Spectral Enhancement, Feature Extraction
Integration of Remote Sensing and Environmental Modeling for Pollution Prevention in Citrus Industry
Ni-Bin Chang (1), Q, Du (2), and Srilakshmi Kanth R.(3)
(1) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
(2) Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mississippi State University, Mississippi, USA
(3) Department of Environmental Engineering, Texas A&M University- Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas, USA
Abstract: This paper aims at developing an airborne multispectral technique for identifying tree health problems in a citrus farm that can be combined with variable rate technology (VRT) for required pesticide application and environmental modeling for assessment of pollution prevention. Unsupervised linear unmixing method was applied to classify the image scenes and quantify the symptom severity for appropriate infection control. The PRZM-3 model was used to estimate environmental impacts that contribute to nonpoint source pollution with and without the application of multispectral remote sensing. Research findings using site specific environmental assessment clearly indicate that combination of remote sensing and VRT may result in benefit to the environment by reducing the nonpoint source pollution by 92.15% in the citrus farm. It ultimately demonstrates the potential of precision farming in the citrus industry, both in Texas and elsewhere, in the nexus of industrial ecology and sustainability.
Keywords: citrus farm, pesticide control, precision farming, remote sensing, environmental impact assessment, industrial ecology, sustainability
Kentucky's On-Line Bi-Temporal Land Cover Change and Image Comparison Tool: The Kentucky Landscape Census Portal (KLC)
Demetrio P. Zourarakis*(1), Andrew Brenner(2), Brian Noyle(3), Michael Palmer(4), Raj Singh(5), Sam A. Bacharach(6) and Gary R. Harp(7)
(1) PhD, Remote Sensing and GIS Analyst, Kentucky Division of Geographic Information, (DGI)
(2) PhD, General Manager, Sanborn
(3) Senior Software Developer, Sanborn
(4) Senior GIS/Remote Sensing Analyst, Sanborn
(5) PhD, Director, Interoperability Programs, Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC)
(6) Executive Director, Outreach and Community Adoption OGC
(7) Director, (DGI)
Commonwealth Office of Technology-Division of Geographic Information
1025 Capital Center Dr. Suite 101 – Frankfort KY 40601
Abstract. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has funded the three-year Kentucky Landscape Census (KLC) project to develop a web portal providing access to GIS data and remote sensing derived change detection functionality for user groups in selected counties within the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This project is designed to improve access to data and GIS functionality in a web-based or web-enabled environment according to agreed upon, open standards for data exchange and integration. The larger KLC mapping portal is being implemented within the DotNetNuke portal framework, which includes username/password based site security and user profile management features. User access to tools, data, and other system features is provided at run-time based upon which security group(s) the user is a member of. GIS layers are brought into the portal from diverse sources, significantly at the county level and from the Kentucky Geonet (http://kygeonet.ky.gov). With respect to the change detection tools, two epochs in Kentucky were selected, for which statewide Landsat and change detection data exist: early 90’s and early 2000’s. Other imagery, such as IKONOS will be made available for display. The user interface will allow: viewing of imagery and image products, querying and reporting change statistics. This novel tool is a significant step toward bringing remote sensing tools and data to a plethora of potential users: Kentucky's citizens, private sector planners, modelers and local and state government decision makers in particular.
Keywords: Land Cover, Change Detection, Open Geospatial Consortium, Interoperability, Kentucky Landscape Census, Web Mapping Portal, KYgeonet, Remote Sensing
Optimal Function Forms for Spatial Interpolation of Precipitation Data
Ramesh Teegavarapu, Mohammad Tufail, Lindell Ormsbee
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0281 USA
Abstract. Traditional inverse distance, exponential weighting functions, regression models, and stochastic interpolation techniques are generally used for spatial interpolation and estimation of missing precipitation data. Recently correlation and nearest neighbor based methods were proposed for estimation of missing precipitation data. These methods use distance, variance, correlation coefficients, pattern set in rainfall time series as measures of strength of correlation between observed precipitation measurements. These methods suffer from several limitations due to the mathematical functions or surrogate measures that may not always explain and model the strength of correlation. Use of the fixed functional set genetic algorithm (FFSGA) is proposed and is investigated in the current study to obtain functional forms for spatial interpolation of precipitation data. The functional forms obtained from this method are used for estimation of missing precipitation data at a rainfall gaging station based on data recorded at all other available gaging stations. Historical daily precipitation data obtained from 15 rain gaging stations from the state of Kentucky, USA, is used to test the functional forms and derive conclusions about the efficacy of the proposed FFGSA method in estimation of missing precipitation data.
Keywords: Spatial Interpolation, Distance Weighting Methods, Missing Precipitation, Genetic Algorithms, Functional Forms
Mapping of Pollutant Concentrations by Combining Satellite-based and Ground -based Measurements in Ontario, Canada
Jie Tian and DongMei Chen (1)
(1)Department of Geograhy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Abstract. This paper presents a study of examining the correlation between the air quality extracted from remote sensing and the ground measurements of Ontario province, Canada. The total ozone burden (TOB), mass concentration over land (MCL), and aerosol optical thickness (AOD) data extracted from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor in the Terra Satellite are compared with the ground-based ozone concentration (GOC) and the fine particular matter (PM2.5) data of 2003. The results show that AOD is most strongly related with coincident hourly PM2.5. It is noticed that AOD and PM2.5 are related far stronger in summer than in winter in which they are nearly independent. The correlation between MCL and PM2.5 appears very weak either in summer or in winter. TOB and coincident hourly GOC have shown their fairly strong correlation in day over both summer and winter. More particularly, the correlation is slightly stronger in summer than in winter. TOB and coincident hourly GOC seem independent at night over both summer and winter. It was found that the current number and locations of ground monitoring stations are not enough to catch the regional air quality changes. The air quality distribution obtained from satellite images has a much better correspondence with the regional morphology than those interpolated from ground measurements.
Keywords: air pollution, remote sensing, MODIS, ground-measurement, correlation
Microwave sensors for improved soil water measurements
Christopher E. Bassey
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101
chris.bassey@wku.edu
Abstract. Accurate determination of soil water content is important for monitoring biomass movement, biodegradation and landfill management. The widely-used time-domain reflectometry (TDR) technique utilizes sensors that provide limited results in saline soils. This is due to high attenuation and signal distortion. This work proposes the use of coplanar transmission line as sensors because of their structure, low attenuation and ability to retain stronger signals in saline media. The wave propagation characteristics of coplanar lines have been analyzed numerically using quasi-static design equations obtained by conformal mapping technique. Results suggest that coplanar sensors can extend the range of reliable soil water measurements when compared with conventional sensors. This work will facilitate the development of instrumentation for improved soil water determination.
Spatial distribution of seasonal evapotranspiration for irrigated sorghum using satellite-based energy balance model: a case study from Gezira scheme, Sudan M.A. Bashir1,* , T. Hata1, H. Tanakamaru(1), A. W. Abdelhadi(2) and A. Tada(3) (1)Dept. of Food Systems and Field Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kobe University, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan (2)Agricultural Research Corporation, PO Box 126, Wad Medani, Sudan (3)Faculty of Agriculture, Kobe University, Japan
Abstract. The availability of the actual water use from agricultural crops is considered as the key factor for irrigation water management, water resources planning, and water allocation. Traditionally, evapotranspiration (ET) has been estimated in the Gezira scheme by multiplying the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) by crop coefficient (kc) which is derived from the phenomenological crop stages. Recently, advanced developed energy balance models assist to estimate ET through remotely sensed data. In this study Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images were used to estimate spatial distribution of daily, monthly and seasonal ET for irrigated sorghum in the Gezira scheme, Sudan. The daily ET maps were also used to estimate kc over time and space. Results of remotely sensed based energy balance were compared with actual measurements conducted during 2004/05 season. The daily actual ET values estimated using the energy balance model during the satellite acquisition dates (Jul.30, Aug.29, Oct.16 and Nov.17) were 4.7, 5.5, 7.1 and 2.7 mm/day respectively, while the average
* Correspondence to M.A. Bashir (bashir70us@yahoo.com) seasonal evapotranspiration for irrigated sorghum estimated to be around 596 mm. The remotely estimated kc values in the initial, crop development, mid-season and late-season stages were 0.62, 0.85, 1.15, and 0.48 respectively. On the other hand the widely used tradition kc values during the pervious mention stages are 0.55, 0.94, 1.21 and 0.65 respectively. This research shows that remotely sensed measurements can help objectively analyzed the irrigation water requirement for different field crops on daily and seasonal time step as well as verifying and updating crop coefficient curves. The remotely sensed real-time data availability provides the system managers with information that not previously available.
The Kentucky Watershed Modeling Information Portal's User Needs Analysis, Data Matrix And Use Case
Karen L. Schaffer(1), Kenneth R. Odom(2),
Sam Bacharach(3), Demetrio P. Zourarakis(4), and Gary R. Harp(5), (6)
(1) Senior Environmental Scientist, (FMSM Engineers, Inc.)
(2) PhD, PE, Surface Water Specialist, (USGS Kentucky Water Science Center)
(3) Executive Director, Outreach and Comm. Adoption, (Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc., OGC)
(4) PhD, Remote Sensing/GIS Analyst, Kentucky Division of Geographic Information
(5) Director, Kentucky Division of Geographic Information
(6) 1025 Capital Center Drive, Suite 101,
Frankfort, KY 40601, 502-573-1450
Abstract. The Kentucky Watershed Modeling Portal (KWMIP) is a multi-entity project to develop an Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) compliant portal designed to deliver internet-based, live watershed data retrieval for modeling and other analyses. Project partners include the KY Division of Geographic Information, KY Division of Water, USGS Kentucky Water Science Center and the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc.) The portal will utilize Kentucky’s rich geospatial data served by the KY Division of Geographic Information, including recent land use and land cover available from the Kentucky Landscape Snapshot (KLS) project. KWMIP will clip, format, and re-project data for input to a supported, user-selected model. The Kentucky Climate Data Generator will provide temperature and precipitation data from a spatial regression model of NCDC climate station data. The Climate Data Generator will be available through KWMIP. A Technical Advisory Group of academics, government agencies, consulting firms and non-profits are advising the Project Partners regarding important watershed models, data and portal functionality. KWMIP's goal is to provide a one-stop digital, geospatial data portal for individuals performing watershed modeling (with models supported by KWMIP) over the geography of Kentucky using datasets from their domicile and in their native formats.
Keywords: Watershed modeling, Geospatial, data portal, Kentucky Landscape Snapshot, Kentucky Landscape Census
GIS-based Hierarchy Process for the Suitability Analysis of Nuclear Waste
Disposal Site
Laura Xinglai Huang(1), Grant Sheng(2) and Lei Wang(3)
(1) Department of Earth and Space Science, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3J 1P3
(2) Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3J 1P3
(3) Department of Geography, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3J 1P3
Abstract. In Canada, the burial of radioactive wastes from nuclear power generation in an underground facility is considered the appropriate long term solution for nuclear waste management. It is crucial to evaluate the characteristics of a set of potential sites for building facilities to safely store or dispose high-level nuclear waste.
This paper presents a geographic information system (GIS) based hierarchical approach for site suitability assessment in the Canadian Shield of Ontario. A large volume of multi-source data including those describing hydrogeologic, geologic, and environmental characteristics are pre-processed, stored and analyzed in a geospatial database. The hierarchical process consists of locating, screening and evaluating potential sites in three stages. In the first stage, the entire province of Ontario is screened to locate suitable and unsuitable areas based on inclusionary and exclusionary criteria associated with water bodies, town centers and protected areas on a large scale. At the second stage, potential suitable areas identified from the first stage are classified into recharge, discharge and midpoint areas combining with digital elevation model at medium scale. At the third stage, the recharge areas, which are the most suitable for situating a nuclear waste disposal site (compared to discharge and midpoint areas), are further divided into parcels with different suitability values based on further inclusionary and exclusionary criteria for site selection. Potential sites for nuclear waste disposal are characterized and evaluated utilizing a suitability index based on selected factors and constrains, including land use, ground slope, geology, distance to water bodies, distance to major roads, distance to town centers, and parcel size. An Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is applied to quantify the relative significance of each factor before determining potential suitable sites.
Keywords. analytic hierarchy process, geographic information system, radioactive waste disposal, site suitability assessment
The strategy to optimize the water recycle in LCD plants
Chih-Wei Hsu, Chieh-Yao Tsai, Cheng-Nan Chang and Allen C. Chao
Abstract. Some hi-tec industries, e.g. TFT-LCD manufacturing, require a larger quantity of water than traditional industries. In Taiwan, the current water price is relatively low; TFT-LCD industries enjoy the competitive edge that may be partly contributed by the availability of less-expensive water. Since the water resources are becoming scarce in Taiwan due to rapid economical and industrial developments, future water price is expected to rise rapidly. How the TFT-LCD industry responds to more costly processing water in order to keep the products competitive is a pressing issue that needs to be resolved. The industry uses the water in different processes that require water of varying degrees of quality, e.g. from tap water to ultra-pure water. Hence, there is much room for improving the whole plant water use efficiency. The objective of this research is to study the optimal water usage strategy without impairing the manufacturing processes or violating the effluent discharge standards. The information collected on a TFT-LCD in southern Taiwan as bases for calculating the total water cost for various water recycle and reuse ratios. After treatment in a conventional wastewater treatment plant, the processing wastewater can be reused as cooling water. The results obtained show that the tendency of cost increase for treating more wastewater is similar to those published in literature. The wastewater treatment plant effluent recycled water must be further treated in a more costly advanced water treatment system to be reused as processing water. The cost analysis results show that the total cost for treating the recycled water is very at the extremely low level of water recycle rate. With increasing recycle rate, the total treatment cost decreases. When the water recycle rate reaches an optimum level, the total cost becomes the lowest; it then increases versus the water recycle rate with the water recycle rate above this optimum recycle rate. For the LCD plant selected for this study, the optimum water recycle rate is 50%. However, this plant is implementing a 70.5% water recycle rate because of managerial considerations but at a loss of NT$ 22.7 million (US$0.758 million) annually. Hence, the best strategy to recycle is recycle water in the LCD plant is to implement the optimum water recycle that will yield the most cost-effective result. This requires the inclusion of water recycle as an integrated part of the whole LCD plant design so that water recycle ratio based on legal and managerial considerations match the recycle ration based on cost-effectiveness considerations.
Keywords: TFT-LCD industry, water recycle, optimal water usage strategy
Emission Factors Development for the Control of Lead and other Metals during Bridge Paint Removal
Emmanuel A. Iyiegbuniwe(1), Lorraine M. Conroy(2), and Peter A. Scheff(2)
(1)Western Kentucky University, Department of Public Health, College of Health and Human Services, Bowling Green, KY
(2)University of Illinois at Chicago, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Chicago, IL
Abstract. A large number of bridges in the United States are in deteriorating condition and need repainting. Repainting requires the initial removal of old lead-based paint from affected bridges and other steel structures. A number of studies have documented increased risk of exposures and potential environmental pollution of surrounding areas during bridge paint removal. This study was conducted to evaluate emission rates and emission factors for lead, cadmium, chromium, and iron during abrasive blasting and power tooling operations on two bridges in the Midwestern United States. Emission factors modeling is useful in controlling process emissions through engineering controls since the results depend largely on process variables and therefore allows for the extrapolation of emissions from one process to another related process. Area samples were collected on 37-mm cellulose ester filters inside the bridge containments for the two construction activities. Lead concentrations ranged from 8038 to 22,990 µg/m3 (15,530 µg/m3 average) for abrasive blasting, and from 4.1 to 350 µg/m3 (82.04 µg/m3 average) for power tooling. Concentrations of iron ranged from 223,240 to 291,960 µg/m3 (250,330 µg/m3 average) for abrasive blasting, and from 6.83 to 675 µg/m3 (126 µg/m3 average) for power tooling. In comparison, cadmium and chromium concentrations were much lower than those reported for lead and iron. Inside containment average emission rates were 107, 0.01, 1.27, and 1,725 mg/s for lead, cadmium, chromium, and iron respectively, for abrasive blasting. The average emission rates for power tooling were 2.45, 0.029, 0.01, and 3.78 µg/s in the same order. The average emission factors for abrasive blasting were 34,000, 2.92, 350, and 515,840 mg/m2 for lead, cadmium, chromium, and iron, respectively. Analysis for power tooling using total airborne emissions generated inside the containment yielded 10.1, 0.12, 0.01, and 15.5 mg/m2 for lead, cadmium, chromium, and iron respectively. The total component mass on the surface of the bridge during abrasive blasting was 8,090 g for lead, 0.70 g for cadmium, 83.3 g for chromium, and 122,800 g for iron while the total mass of contaminant collected was 803 g for lead, 0.46 g for cadmium, 3.25 g for chromium, and 196.3 g for iron during power tooling. The average containment efficiencies for lead and iron measured during abrasive blasting were 91% and 95%, respectively. The average collector efficiency for the vacuum extractor obtained for the individual metals during power tooling was above 99.9%. The emission factors determined in this study are necessary to effectively design a general ventilation system or choose appropriate respiratory protection. Although several studies have documented high lead exposures during construction activities, only a few of them have calculated emission rates and emission factors. Additionally, most studies have focused on lead exposure, while this study presents area concentrations, emission rates, and emission factors for other metals of public health concern. In conclusion, power tooling was shown to be a better environmental engineering design than abrasive blasting, for the control of exposures to chemical hazards in this group of construction workers.
Applications of Simulation-Optimization Methods in Environmental Policy
Planning Under Uncertainty
J.S. Yeomans (1)*
(1) * Operations Management & Info. Systems, Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3. Canada
Abstract. Environmental policy formulation can prove especially complicated, since in general, system components contain considerable degrees of uncertainty. However, simulation-optimization (SO) techniques can be adapted to model a wide variety of problem types in which system components are stochastic. In this paper, it is shown how multiple environmental policy alternatives meeting required system criteria, or modelling-to-generate-alternatives (MGA), can be quickly and efficiently created using SO. The efficacy of this MGA approach is illustrated using two case studies. Furthermore, since SO techniques can be adapted to problems in which many system components are stochastic, the practicality of this approach can be extended into many other operational and strategic planning applications containing significant sources of uncertainty.
Keywords: Environmental decision making under uncertainty, simulation-optimization, planning & strategy, modelling to generate alternatives
Development and Application of an Artificial Neural Network Model to Forecast Ground-water Flooding Events
Brent E. Huntsman* and Daniel J. Wagel, Terran Corporation
4080 Executive Drive, Beavercreek, OH 45430-1067
behuntsman@terrancorp.com
Office Phone: 937-320-3601, Office FAX: 937-320-3620
* Corresponding Author
Abstract. Fluctuations of groundwater levels in glacial-fluvial derived aquifers are highly dependent upon recharge, particularly from river or stream channel leakance and precipitation infiltration. Temporal changes in recharge together with the heterogeneity of the aquifer and existing groundwater use create complex interactions between these variables. To address the non-linear nature of the correlations between parameters that effect groundwater levels, an artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed to simulate and forecast water level changes. The neural network model built to evaluate this relationship utilized long-term river discharge measurements, groundwater elevations, precipitation and temperature records for a portion of the Great Miami River buried valley aquifer in Dayton, Ohio. All data for the initial model were compiled from published online databases and required parsing or averaging to standardize the measurement periods. Using the hydrologic records for the previous twenty years, groundwater levels were simulated, on average, within a few percent of actual measurement values. Based upon river stage, precipitation, temperature and antecedent groundwater levels, the ANN model forecasts are used to predict ground-water flooding events. Depending upon the projected magnitude of these events, dewatering systems may be activated to prevent or minimize the flooding of subsurface structures in the downtown Dayton area.
Wastewater Treatment Using Sunlight and Titanium Dioxide Nanocrystals
(1)Wenbing Li, (1)Leslie P. Van Hoose, (2)Andrew Ernest, (1)Tingying Zeng*
(1)Department of Chemistry, (2)Ogden College of Science and Engineering, Western Kentucky
University, 1906 College Heights Blvd., Bowling Green, KY 42101
*tingying.zeng@wku.edu
Titanium dioxide is a wide bandgap semiconductor material. It is cheap, non-toxic, harvesting sunlight in the ultraviolet range. Upon the absorption of sunlight, photon-induced electrons and holes are created, and transported to its nanoparticle surface. Substances, such as organic pollutants in wastewater can be decomposed to CO2 and other small non-toxic mineral species once they interact with the electrons or holes due to the redox reactions. This is called photodegradation. Our research demonstrated the feasibility to effectively photodecompose organic pieces in resident wastewater using titanium dioxide anatase nanocrystals.
Biological control of insect pests in Egypt:
history and current status
El-Sebaey I.I.A.
Plant protection Institute, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
Abstract. The role of natural enemies in the regulation of prey or host populations is of interest to both population and applied ecologists. Analysis of the accumulated information on biological control and integrated pest management programs in a local environment provides a solid ground for the augmentation of naturl enemies and the management of agro-ecosystems; through designing crop systems with vegetational attributes that enhance reproduction, survival and efficiency of natural enemies. Therefore, this paper presents an overview on the biological control of insect pests in Egypt form different perspectives. The following topics will be discussed: 1-Insect pest control in Egypt by chemical pesticides. 2- Envioronmental, public health, economic and social hazards occurred in Egypt as a result of the extensive use of chemical pesticides. 3- A review of the most significant publications dealing with augmentation, mass rearing and release of native parastitoids, predators and entomophagous pathogens in various agro-ecosystems in Egypt. 4- The paper presents a list of the native and imported parasitoids, predators and pathogents that has been used in biological control programs and projects in Egypt. 5-Ecological information on entomophagous insect which have been imported and succeeded to colonize various habitats in Egypt, including the history of importation of the natural enemies and their impacts on endogenous parasitoids, and predators. 6- The history, present status and expected future of biological control of insect pests in Egypt. 7-Finally, the paper gives a brief discussion on the achievements and expected outcomes of a current project; sponsored by the ministry of Agriculture and started at 1996, on the evaluation of a native heteropterous predator , Coranus africana El-Sebaey , as a bio-controlling agent of some major insect pests attacking economic crops in Egypt. This part includes: i-Mass reaing techniques. ii-Release techniques. iii- Suppression of pest populations by the predator iv- Quantity and quality of the yield with respect to the coasts of biological control processes.
Keywords: Egypt Biological control-Reduviidae-Coranus africana El-Sebaey-Food consumption. Mass rearing-Release.
Modeling urban expansion in Beijing using cellular automata and system dynamic models
Authors: Chunyang He(1), (2), Norio Okada(2), Qiaofeng Zhang(3), Peijun Shi1
(1) College of Resources Science & Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
(2) Research Center for Disaster Reduction Systems, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011 Japan
(3)Department of Geosciences, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, USA 42071 Email: robin.zhang@murraystate.edu
Abstract. Spatially explicit urban expansion models that can effectively trace the urban development in the past and predict the possible expansion scenarios in the future are indispensable for examining the related urban planning policies and supporting the planning of safe and secure cities and regions. This paper demonstrates a new Urban Expansion Scenario (UES) model by coupling one "bottom-up" Cellular Automata (CA)-based model and one "top-down" System Dynamics (SD)-based model. The UES model contributes to the need for planning-based visualization and decision-support tools due to its capability to spatially and explicitly model the urban expansion patterns in the near future under the different "what-if" scenarios of urban land demands and land use planning policies. By implementing the UES model in Beijing, the city to host the 2008 Olympic Games, the urban evolution from 1994 to 2004 was simulated and the urban expansion scenarios from 2004 to 2020 were predicted. Water shortage is becoming a main constraint to Beijing’s sustainable development. The results suggest that a dilemma of the continuous urban expansion versus limited water resources and environment deterioration exists after its steady population increase and fast economic development for over 20 years. Dealing with such dilemma remains a challenge for the local government.
Application of Streeter-and-Phelps Equation to the Aquatic Environment Management – A Case Study Based on Water Quality Monitoring Data of Keelung River, Taiwan
C. Fan and Wei-Shen Wang
Department of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Mingchi University of Technology, 84 Gung-Juan Rd, Taishan, Taipei County, Taiwan, 243
Abstract. The purpose of this study, based on the water quality monitoring data of dissolved oxygen (DO) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) as well as the pollution sources information in the Keelung River, is to justify the parameters of oxygen degradation constant (k1) and reaeration constant (k2) in the Streeter-and-Phelps equation, and, with the resulting parameters being applied again to this equation, to simulate the water quality for various hypothetical situations, in order to establish the best management practices among the sewage pumping stations with best water quality of Keelung River. According to the calculated river pollution index (RPI) using water quality monitoring data of 2004, more than 50% of this river is considered moderately or seriously polluted. In the down stream section of Keelung River, the average concentrations of DO and BOD were reported among 1.5 ppm and 6.5 ppm, respectively. From this study, the average constant value of k1 was 0.16 day-1, the k2 was calculated based on the velocity and depth of the river. Additionally, the operation of the 8 sewage pumping stations at their full capacities might increase the DO concentration by 40%, and the BOD concentration might be decreased by 50% based on the calculated results using the Streeter-and-Phelps equation. In all the tested operation modes for these sewage pumping stations, the mode 5 operation, full operation for the 4 stations in the downstream and no operation for the 4 stations in the upstream, may provide the cost-effective operation to improve the water quality of Keelung River.
Keywords: Streeter-and-Phelps equation, Water Quality, Water Quality Modeling, DO, BOD
Nonlinear Dynamics Detection in Ecological Systems
J. H. Dontje
Sustainability and Environmental Studies Program, Berea College, Berea, KY 40404
Abstract. While the fact that ecological systems often exhibit nonlinear dynamics is well-established, discrimination of those dynamics in data is can be obscured by limited data, variable conditions (nonstationarity), and measurement noise. In this study, a four-compartment nutrient web model that demonstrates non-linear dynamics was used to test a deterministic versus stochastic (DVS) algorithm that has been shown to discriminate between true nonlinear dynamics and dynamics produced solely by stochastic processes. Focusing on situations typical to ecological data sets--limited data record and driving forces that are cyclical but variable in the short and long-term (e.g. solar radiation that varies daily due to atmospheric conditions but also across seasons)--the limits of the DVS algorithm were explored. The DVS algorithm demonstrated potential to detect nonlinear dynamics in short (N=450) time series and the ability to accommodate seasonal-type variations.
Keywords: Ecological models, Nutrient, web models, Nonlinear, Nonlinear forecasting, Nonlinear detection, Nonlinear time series, Dynamic noise.
Drought Induced Dissolved Oxygen Dynamics of an Effluent Dominated Stream
Entering a Reservoir Backwater and Implications for
Environmental Compliance
(1)R.D. Taylor, (2)K.L. Dickson, and (1)V. Golla
(1)Western Kentucky University, Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Science, 1906
College Heights Blvd., Bowling Green, KY 42104
(2)University of North Texas, Institute for Applied Sciences, P.O. Box 310559, Denton, TX 76203
Corresponding author: ritchie.taylor@wku.edu
Abstract. Compliance with dissolved oxygen standards is the basic means for assessing wastewater treatment plant discharges of oxygen demanding wastes. Methods often consist of collecting water quality samples at or near the critical low flow condition during the summer season, such as the 7-day average flow with a 10-year recurrence interval (7Q10), and developing a water quality model set that adequately represents the empirical data. In the analysis of effluent dominated streams entering reservoirs, the critical event may be defined not only by stream flow conditions but receiving water characteristics, such as the location of the transition zone from stream to reservoir dynamics. This zone is often the stated location for compliance with water quality standards. Drought induced changes in reservoir storage can change the longitudinal extent of stream transition zones. Fluctuating reservoir levels cause concurrent variations in stratified backwater conditions and dissolved oxygen values. By assessing the variability in daily dissolved oxygen values the boundaries of the stream/reservoir transition zone can be identified. The determination of the transition zone is critical to accurately assess compliance with dissolved oxygen water quality standards. Daily variations in dissolved oxygen are used to model the location of the transition zone for water quality compliance, as compared to drought induced reservoir fluctuations. Results indicate that site specific water quality measurements are needed to accurately define environmental compliance monitoring locations in effluent dominated streams entering reservoirs.
Keywords: Wastewater, Dissolved oxygen, Water quality, Effluent, Drought, Effluent dominated stream, Reservoir, Environmental compliance, NPDES
Impact of pesticidal applications on the abundance of
Saissetia oleae (Olivier) (Homoptera: coccidae) and its
natural enemy, Metaphycus lounsburyi (Howard)
(Hymenoptera : encyrtidae), in an Orchard agroecosystem
Mohamed M. El-Shazly *; Aziza O. Hassan* Salah M. El-Imeray**
and Nadia A. Ali **
* Entomology Department-Faculty of Science – Cairo University – Giza – Egypt.
**Plant protection Research Institute – Dokki – Giza – Egypt.
Abstract. Considerable efforts have been made in Egypt to increase orchard stands including apricot, Prunus americana L. (Rosaceae). A common and one of the most serious pests of apricot in Egypt is the soft black scale, Saissetia oleae (Olivier) (Homoptera: Coccidae). Metaphycus lounsburyi (Howard) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is a primary parasitoid on S. oleae in apricot agroecosystems in many localities in Egypt. In the present work, we tested the hypothesis of pesticide selectivity by monitoring the population changes of the pest and its parasitoid before and after field application of the recommend doses from the organophosphorous pesticide, sumithion; the insect growth regulator, admiral and three mineral oils. The experimental apricot orchard chosen for the present work is located in Toukh, Qalubia Governorate, which lies approximately 35 Km to the North of Cairo, Egypt. Studies of seasonal abundance of the soft black scale, and its parasitoid natural enemy were carried out using 30-35 years old apricot trees, spread 6 x 7 meter. The highest population of S. oleae on apricot trees during the two successive years (1999/2000 and 2000/2001) occurred early in July. There were two generations of S. oleae per year on apricot trees throughout the two years of study. The first generation occurred through autumn and winter while the second generation occurred through spring and summer. For M. lounsburyi , the recorded results revealed that during the first year of study (1999/2000), The parasitoid had the lowest 2 population level during June, July and August. Then the population increased gradually reaching a small peak in December. In February, the population of the parasitoid reached its maximum peak. Similarly, during the second year (2000/2001), the peak of parasitization was attained between December and March. The population began to increase early in December recording the first small peak. The highest peak was recorded in February. Field application of pesticides indicated that the mean reduction percentages of S. oleae population were 62.58, 79.18, 75.85, 77.80, 84.64 and 74.72 for Admiral, Admiral + Super Royal oil mixture, KZ oil, Sumithion, Sumithion + Super Mox oil mixture, and Super Mox oil, respectively. Pesticide application has also lead to severe reduction in the parasitoid population where The mean reduction percentages were 58.01, 75.00, 45.77, 83.67, 77.71 and 66.24 % for Admiral, Admiral + Super Royal oil mixture, KZ oil, Sumithion, Sumithion + Super Mox oil; mixture and Super Mox oil; respectively. It was concluded that the tested insecticide, insect growth regulator and mineral oils were not generally safe for the natural enemy.
Keywords: Orchard agroecosystem – Insecticides – Parasitoids – Saissetia oleae – Metaphycus lounsburyi.
Estimation of Environmental Cost Incurred by Pesticide Application
in Coastal Agricultural Region and Management Measures
Weiqi CHEN(1), Luoping ZHANG(1), and Xiaofeng HOU(2)
(1) State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science / Environmental Science Research Center
Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P. R. China
(2) Environmental Monitor Station, Zhuhai, 519000, P. R. China
Abstract. Pesticide pollution in coastal agricultural region was discussed with the new perspective and analytical ideals of environmental economics. Tong’an District which borders on Tong’an Bay, in Xiamen was chosen as the study area. The environmental costs incurred by applying pesticides in Tong’an District from July 1999 to June 2000 were evaluated by the analytical approaches of environmental economics combined with the Equilibrium Criterion (EQC) model, Soil Fugacity (Soilfug) model and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The result indicated that the ratio of environmental costs to the private costs was more than 0.80. Based on the results of the environmental cost analysis and the Soilfug model operation, the Linear Programming (LP) model was then applied to find the optimal cultivation structure of main crops, allowing for the maximum economic gain while restricting negative externalities in pesticide application. The issue about using pesticide product taxes to control pesticide pollution was also discussed.
Keywords: Coastal agricultural region, Pesticide, Environmental cost, Management measure
Drought Induced Dissolved Oxygen Dynamics of an Effluent Dominated Stream Entering a Reservoir Backwater and Implications for Environmental Compliance
R.D. Taylor, K.L. Dickson, and V. Golla
Western Kentucky University, Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Science, 1906 College Heights Blvd., Bowling Green, KY 42104
University of North Texas, Institute for Applied Sciences, P.O. Box 310559, Denton, TX 76203
Corresponding author: ritchie.taylor@wku.edu
Abstract. Compliance with dissolved oxygen standards is the basic means for assessing wastewater treatment plant discharges of oxygen demanding wastes. Methods often consist of collecting water quality samples at or near the critical low flow condition during the summer season, such as the 7-day average flow with a 10-year recurrence interval (7Q10), and developing a water quality model set that adequately represents the empirical data. In the analysis of effluent dominated streams entering reservoirs, the critical event may be defined not only by stream flow conditions but receiving water characteristics, such as the location of the transition zone from stream to reservoir dynamics. This zone is often the stated location for compliance with water quality standards. Drought induced changes in reservoir storage can change the longitudinal extent of stream transition zones. Fluctuating reservoir levels cause concurrent variations in stratified backwater conditions and dissolved oxygen values. By assessing the variability in daily dissolved oxygen values the boundaries of the stream/reservoir transition zone can be identified. The determination of the transition zone is critical to accurately assess compliance with dissolved oxygen water quality standards. Daily variations in dissolved oxygen are used to model the location of the transition zone for water quality compliance, as compared to drought induced reservoir fluctuations. Results indicate that site specific water quality measurements are needed to accurately define environmental compliance monitoring locations in effluent dominated streams entering reservoirs.
Keywords: Wastewater, Dissolved oxygen, Water quality, Effluent, Drought, Effluent dominated stream, Reservoir, Environmental compliance, NPDES
Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the Pesticide Workgroup – A Cooperative Action
Abstract. In June 1999, the Department of Agriculture Office for Consumer and Environmental Protection, Technical Support Branch and several state and federal agencies, in conjunction with universities, ag groups and Syngenta formed a water quality workgroup with the aim of reducing atrazine levels in local water supply systems.
The Workgroup was composed of the Department of Agriculture, the Division of Water, the Division of Conservation, the Corn Growers’ Association, the Agri-Business Association of Kentucky, the Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation, the Kentucky Rural Water Association, USGS, NRCS, and Western Kentucky University, and later, the University of Kentucky Extension Office, along with other branches of state government concerned with water quality.
The Workgroup made Best Management Practice (BMP) recommendations and reviewed crop production, pesticide sales and water monitoring data. Cost shares were provided through the local District Conservationists (DCs) who worked with local producers on alternative pesticide use, pesticide application rates, and development of standards for setbacks and buffers.
The group met three times in the first six months of 1999, studying water sample data. The samples were collected at local water supply intakes by Syngenta, under a Stewardship Water Quality Program. Members of the Workgroup met with local DCs, farmers, pesticide dealers and city and county officials. WKU started sampling the same sources for comparison. Education, through the distribution of the Atrazine BMP Guideline, was one of the first steps, along with discussions of atrazine use. In one water system, a local newspaper published a series of articles on atrazine levels in drinking water.
Within the first year the Workgroup’s efforts resulted in the reduction of atrazine levels in the first two water systems. Over the next few years the Workgroup expanded atrazine and total chlorotriazine monitoring to five community water systems. This effort helped lay the foundation for the atrazine Interim Reregistration Eligibility Decision (IRED) and a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Syngenta and the EPA. Recently Syngenta has started looking at simazine under an IRED.
Over the past five years, the Technical Support Branch has expanded monitoring and educational efforts with three 319 Nonpoint Source Projects. These projects have had some success in lowering pesticide levels through BMP Education Classrooms and Demonstration Sites. Two of the 319 Projects were designed to suggest and develop BMP and to design a computer model to apply to the local geology to reduce runoff. Also, the Department of Agriculture along with WKU and UK has taken part in monitoring selected areas of the state based on terrain and pesticide sales and use. One of the more interesting monitoring efforts has been the Atrazine Rough River Project.
Some of the important facts and information from these cooperative efforts are:
Geographical Information System Contributions in Disaster Management
Jason Wolfe
710 West Main Street, Suite 108, Louisville, KY 40202
jwolfe@sdimaps.com
Abstract. From January to October 2005, approximately 97,490 people died because of disasters around the world. Natural disasters accounted for 88,117 of these deaths with damages costing over 155 billion dollars. With the population growing and society living in more areas, disasters are becoming a common challenge throughout the world. It is understood that early warning systems and education are essential to decrease the casualties and financial burden of disasters. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) has been established as a method in achieving both by assisting people in organizing, analyzing, displaying and verifying data that help all phases of disaster management. There are four (4) phases of disaster management, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. GIS has been proven to reduce all negative aspects of a disaster in each phase by cautioning the general public and providing valuable impact, reaction and preventative information to the appropriate authorities. Therefore, using GIS has proven to decrease the amount of damage and to save civilian lives. Officials use GIS to create maps that are needed before any relief effort is attempted. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in addition to analyzing data generate maps to support the relief efforts of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state governments. The Hurricane Debris Model (HDM), developed by Spatial Data Integrations (SDI) for the United States Army Corps of Engineers demonstrates how a GIS application can assist in all phases of disaster management. This application and others like it are constantly being developed or updated to provide additional and more accurate information to not only the decision-makers but also the general public. A GIS application can provide information that ranges from general to very detailed. It may already exist or need to be created. The choices are there, it is just important that the decision makers and the general public are made aware of GIS, how it can benefit disaster management, and how to obtain a GIS that best supports the relief efforts in disasters.
Reduction in Trihalomethane Formation Potential through Air Oxidation
R. S. Pirkle (1), J.D. Jack (1), and P.A. Bukaveckas (2)
(1) University of Louisville, Center for Environmental Science, Biology Department, 139 Life Sciences Building, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
(2) Department of Biology, Center for Environmental Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1000 W. Cary St., Richmond, VA, 23284, USA
Abstract. Trihalomethanes (THMs) are disinfection byproducts that have come under increasing scrutiny during the past 10 years due to a tightening of regulations by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Current methods for reducing THM precursors in drinking water involve strong oxidizers (i.e. ozone and various forms of permanganate) which pose a number of safety issues for plant operators and for the general public. In a bench-scale experiment, we assessed the efficacy of a weaker oxidizing agent, bubbled air, in the reduction of THMFP. Hypolimnotic samples taken from two drinking water reservoirs in central Kentucky (USA) and finished drinking water from the water plant were used in this experiment. Results indicate that THMFP in finished water was reduced by 20 – 50% following air oxidation while source water samples showed inconsistent and non-significant results. These results indicate that air oxidation may help reduce the formation of THMs in the distribution system by removing precursors but would not be an effective strategy for reducing THMFP in source waters.
Keywords: Trihalomethane, THM, THMFP, Disinfection Byproducts, Water Quality