Environmental Monitoring Commons^™

Is Degradation A Major Problem In Semi-Desert Environments Of The Gobi Region In Southern Mongolia?, Karsten Wesche, Vroni Retzer

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

This paper tests predictions derived from the non-equilibrium theory of rangeland science. Data were collected in livestock enclosures situated in the relatively moist desert steppes of the Gobi Gurvan Saykhan region of southern Mongolia from 2000 to 2003. Plant community composition and species’ richness in enclosures showed clear differences between years, but these were equally strong in ungrazed controls. Thus, changes were mainly attributed to differences in precipitation between years as opposed to grazing, as no significant effects thereof were detected. This was also confirmed by data on above-ground standing biomass. This changed tremendously over the years, with differences between …

National Water Quality Inventory: Report To Congress 2004 Reporting Cycle

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Table of Contents

Section Page

List of Figures.............................................................................................................................iv List of Tables...............................................................................................................................iv List of Acronyms..........................................................................................................................v Executive Summary..........................................................................................................................1

I. Background...................................................................................................................5

About the Water Quality Assessment and TMDL Information Database (ATTAINS)..........................................................................................................................5

Assessing Water Quality................................................................................................................................7

II. Findings.......................................................................................................................13 Rivers and Streams...........................................................................................................................13 Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs.......................................................................................................................16

Bays and Estuaries.........................................................................................................................20 Other Waters..............................................................................................................................23 Coastal Resources.......................................................................................................................23

Great Lakes.....................................................................................................................24 Wetlands..........................................................................................................................24

III. Probability Surveys of Water Quality.......................................................................26

National Coastal Assessment....................................................................................26

The Wadeable Streams Assessment.......................................................................27

Survey of the Nation’s Lakes.......................................................................................29

National Rivers and Streams Assessment.............................................................30

National Wetland Condition Assessment...............................................................30

State-Scale Statistical Surveys..................................................................................31

South Carolina..............................................................................................................32 Indiana............................................................................................................................33 Florida.............................................................................................................................34 IV. Future Reporting......................................................................................................36

V. References………………………………………………………………………….37

Radiocarbon Date List X: Baffin Bay, Baffin Island, Iceland, Labrador Sea, And The Northern North Atlantic, J.T. Andrews, J.P. Briner, D.C. Barber, I.S. Castaneda, T.A. Cooper, G. Dunhill, S. Hagen, M. Hald, F.R. Hall, E. James, A.E. Jennings, N. Koc, G.B Kristjansdottir, Sarah M. Principato, L.M. Smith, T. Vorren, N. Weiner, K. Williams

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Date List X contains an annotated listing of 213 radiocarbon dates determined on samples from marine and terrestrial environments. The marine samples were collected from the East Greenland, Iceland, Spitzbergen, and Norwegian margins, Baffin Bay, and Labrador Sea. The terrestrial samples were collected from Vestfirdir, Iceland and Baffin Island. The samples were submitted by INSTAAR and researchers affiliated with INSTAAR's Micropaleontology Laboratory under the direction of Dr.’s John T. Andrews and Anne E. Jennings. All of the dates from marine sediment cores were determined from either shells or foraminifera (both benthic and planktic). All dates were obtained by the Accelerator …

Seasonal Patterns Of Photosynthesis In Douglas Fir Seedlings During The Third And Fourth Year Of Exposure To Elevated Co2 And Temperature, James D. Lewis, Melissa S. Lucash, David M. Olszyk, David T. Tingey

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The interactive effects of elevated atmospheric CO₂ and temperature on seasonal patterns of photosynthesis in Douglas fir (Psuedotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seedlings were examined. Seedlings were grown in sunlit chambers controlled to track either ambient (~400 p.p.m.) CO₂ or ambient +200 p.p.m. CO₂, and either ambient temperature or ambient +4 °C. Light-saturated net photosynthetic rates were measured approximately monthly over a 21 month period. Elevated CO₂ increased net photosynthetic rates by an average of 21% across temperature treatments during both the 1996 hydrologic year, the third year of exposure, and the 1997 hydrologic year. Elevated …

Internal Temperature Of Douglas-Fir Buds Is Altered At Elevated Temperature, Martha E. Apple, Melissa S. Lucash, David M. Olszyk, David T. Tingey, Donald L. Phillips

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir) saplings were grown in sun-lit controlled environment chambers at ambient or elevated (4°C above ambient) temperature. We measured internal temperatures of vegetative buds with thermocouple probes and compared temperatures of normal buds and abnormal buds with loosened, rosetted outer scales in elevated temperature chambers. The abnormal buds had higher and earlier peak daily temperatures than normal buds. Elevated temperature may influence the internal temperature of buds and contribute to the development of abnormal, rosetted buds with loosened outer scales. Abnormal bud development may alter branching patterns and allometry of Douglas-fir trees subjected to climatic change.

Morphogenesis Of Douglas Fir Buds Is Altered At Elevated Temperature But Not At Elevated Co2, Martha E. Apple, Melissa S. Lucash, David M. Olszyk, David T. Tingey

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Global climatic change as expressed by increased CO₂ and temperature has the potential for dramatic effects on trees. To determine what its effects may be on Pacific Northwest forests, Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii ) seedlings were grown in sun-lit controlled environment chambers at ambient or elevated (+4°C above ambient) temperature, and at ambient or elevated (+200 ppm above ambient) CO₂. In 1995–1996 and 1996–1997, elevated CO₂ had no effect on vegetative bud morphology, while the following unusual morphological characteristics were found with greater frequency at elevated temperature than at ambient: rosetted buds with reflexed and loosened outer …

Climate Change And Nebraska

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The earth's climate is predicted to change because human activities are altering the chemical composition of the atmosphere through the buildup of greenhouse gases - primarily carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons. The heat-trapping property of these greenhouse gases is undisputed. Although there is uncertainty about exactly how and when the earth's climate will respond to enhanced concentrations of greenhouse gases, observations indicate that detectable changes are under way. There most likely will be increases in temperature and changes in precipitation, soil moisture, and sea level, which could have adverse effects on many ecological systems, as well as on …

Effects Of Spatial Resolution And Landscape Structure On Land Cover Characterization, Wenli Yang

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation addressed problems in scaling, problems that are among the main challenges in remote sensing. The principal objective of the research was to investigate the effects of changing spatial scale on the representation of land cover. A second objective was to determine the relationship between such effects, characteristics of landscape structure and scaling procedures. Four research issues related to spatial scaling were examined. They included: 1) the upscaling of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI); 2) the effects of spatial scale on indices of landscape structure; 3) the representation of land cover databases at different spatial scales; and 4) the …

Nearly Synchronous Climate Change In The Northern Hemisphere During The Last Glacial Termination, Larry V. Benson, James Burdett, Steve Lund, Michaele Kashgarian, Scott Mensing

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The climate of the North Atlantic region underwent a series of abrupt cold/warm oscillations when the ice sheets of the Northern Hemisphere retreated during the last glacial termination (17,700–11,500 years ago). Evidence for these oscillations, which are recorded in European terrestrial sediments as the Oldest Dryas/Bølling/ Older Dryas/Allerød/Younger Dryas vegetational sequence, has been found in Greenland ice cores. The geographical extent of many of these oscillations is not well known, but the last major cold event (the Younger Dryas) seems to have been global in extent. Here we present evidence of four major oscillations in the hydrological balance of the …

Environmental Changes In A Polluted Stream During Winter, Arden R. Gaufin, Clarence M. Tarzwell

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Year round studies of environmental conditions in Lytle Creek, a stream polluted with organic wastes, were initiated late in 1949, by the Biology Section of the Public Health Service's Environmental Health Center.2 Lytle Creek is a tributary of the Little Miami River which enters the Ohio River at Cincinnati. It is about 11 miles long, and has an average width and depth of 15 feet and 1 foot respectively, during normal summer flows. Widths range from 3 to 35 feet and depths from a few inches to a maximum of 6 feet. Surface runoff comprises the major portion of the …

Drought Profile: Haryana State In North India, K. Kailasa Nathan

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Haryana state is considered the breadbasket of India, along with the Punjab state. The effects of drought (and mitigation of those effects) are, therefore, of considerable importance for the state. This article considers the state’s drought profile through a study of six drought years in Haryana.

Epa's Map Of Radon Zones Nebraska, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's, U.S. Geological Survey

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Sections 301 and 309 of the 1988 Indoor Radon Abatement Act (IRAA) direct EPA to identify areas of the United States that have the potential to produce elevated levels of radon. EPA, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Association of. American State Geologists (AASG) have worked closely over the past several years to produce a series of maps and documents which address these directives. The EPA Map of Radon Zones is a compilation of that work and fulfills the requirements of sections 307 and 309 of IRAA. The Map of Radon" Zones identifies, on a county-by-county basis, areas' of …

Epa's Map Of Radon Zones, Nebraska, Sharon W. White, Lisa Ratcliff, Kirk Maconaughey, R. Thomas Peake, Dave Rowson, Steve Page, Linda C. S. Gundersen, R. Randall Schumann, James K. Otton, Doug Owen, Russell Dubiel, Kendell Dickinson, Sandra L. Szarzi

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Sections 307 and 309 of the 1988 Indoor Radon Abatement Act (IRAA) direct EPA to identify areas of the United States that have the potential to produce elevated levels of radon. EPA, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Association of, American State Geologists (AASG) have worked closely over the past several years to produce a series of maps and documents which address these directives. The EPA Map of Radon Zones is a compilation of that work and fulfills the requirements of sections 307 and 309 of IRAA. The Map of Radon Zones identifies, on a county-by-county basis, areas of …

Threatened And Endanger Species Of Wetiands And Waterways In Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, And Nebraska, Ann Burruss

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Wetlands and waterways, including perennial and intermittent streams, creeks, and rivers, are habitats for many rare animal and plant species. Wetlands in many areas continue to decline in acreage and suffer adverse impacts from conversion and development. Waterways are also under pressure from channelization and leveeing.

This study has two major components. First, a series of databases was developed that includes animals and plant species that are wetland or waterway dependent and found in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, or Nebraska. The databases allow ready access to detailed information on each species and probable locations within each state. The plant and animal …

Alternative Usages Of Wetlands Other Than Conventional Farming In Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, And Nebraska, Ellen Leventhal, Hubert H. Humphrey

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Conversion of wetlands in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska into agricultural dry lands in the past several decades has occurred as a means to obtain profit from what landowners would otherwise consider unprofitable land. This activity has resulted in substantial losses of wetlands valued for their unique ability to mitigate flood and storm damage, control erosion, discharge and recharge groundwater, improve water quality, and support a wide diversity of fish, wildlife, and vegetation.

Utilizing fish, wildlife, and vegetation from wetlands for profit is a way for wetland owners to recognize the value their wetlands add to their property. Landowners then …

State Water Quality Standards Summary: Nebraska, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

This publication was prepared by Battelle under contract to the U,S. Environmental Protection Agency (Contract 68-03-3534). Secondary information sources were used to compile data presented in this document. Each State was given an opportunity to review and provide comments on a draft of this information document. In no event shall either the United States or Battelle have any responsibility or liability for any use, misuse, or reliance upon the information contained herein, nor does either warrant or otherwise represent in any way .the accuracy, adequacy, efficacy, or applicability of the contents hereof.

The reader should consult the water quality standards …

Epa Profile Of Environmental Quality Nebraska, Kathleen Q. Camin

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri, which make up EPA Region VII, are among the leading corn and wheat producing States in the Nation_ These States also produce a significant share of the soybean, grain sorghum, fat cattle, and finished hogs that are supplied to American and foreign markets.

Although the States in Region VII can best be characterized as rural, 65 percent of their nearly 12 million people live in urban areas. In Nebraska, metropolitan areas such as Omaha 4 have environmental problems resulting from major industrial operations, municipal services, transportation, and energy production. Metropolitan areas, however, do not have …

Distribution Of Phytoplankton In Nebraska Lakes, F. A. Morris, M. K. Morris, W. D. Taylor, L. R. Williams, S. C. Hern, V. W. Lambou

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Protection of the environment requires effective regulatory actions which are based on ssound technical and scientific information. This information must include the quantitative description and linking of pollutant sources, transport mechanisms, interactions, and resulting effects on man and his environment. Because of the complexities involved, assessment of specific pollutants in the environment requires a total systems approach which transcends the media of air, water, and land. The Environmental Monitoring and Support Laboratory-Las Vegas contributes to the formation and enhancement of a sound monitoring data base for exposure assessment through programs designed to:

• develop and optimize systems and strategies for monitoring …

Distribution Of Phytoplankton In Nebraska Lakes, F. A. Morris, M. M. Morris, W. D. Taylor, L. R. Williams, S. C. Hern, V. W. Lambou

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The National Eutrophication Survey was initiated in 1972 in response to an Administration commitment to investigate the nationwide threat of accelerated eutrophication to freshwater lakes and reservoirs. The Survey was designed to develop, in conjunction with State environmental agencies, information on nutrient sources, concentrations, and impact on selected freshwater lakes as a basis for formulating comprehensive and coordinated national, regional, and State management practices relating to point source discharge reduction and nonpoint source pollution abatement in lake watershed.

The Survey collected physical, chemical, and biological data from 815 lakes and reservoirs throughout the contiguous United States. To date, the Survey …

Handbook Of Remote Sensing Imagery Of Connecticut, Daniel L. Civco, William C. Kennard, Michael Wm. Lefor

Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station

No abstract provided.

Beef Cattle Feedlot Runoff And Control In Eastern Nebraska, L. P. Schram, Lynn R. Shuyler

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

This study was initiated to determine operational characteristics of runoff control facility components for beef cattle feedlots.

A runoff control facility was designed and constructed for a 3,000 head capacity feedlot in eastern Nebraska. Components of the runoff control facility included debris basins inside the pen and outside the pen, a holding pond, and a disposal system.

Results indicated that design volumes for the debris basins and holding ponds were effective in controlling runoff from the lots caused by snowmelt and rainfall for climatic conditions within eastern Nebraska. Characteristics of runoff transported solids from this large lot compared favorably with …

Pollution Abatement From Cattle Feedlots In Northeastern Colorado And Nebraska, L. K. Porter, F. G. Viets Jr., T. M. Mccalla, L. F. Elliott, F. A. Norstadt, H. R. Duke, N. P. Swanson, L. N. Mielke, G. L. Hutchinson., A. R. Mosier, G. E. Schuman, Lynn R. Shuyler, C. E. Evans

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Climatic factors, feedlot runoff, and organic material in the runoff were evaluated in experimental and commercial feedlots. The effects of slope, stocking rates, terraces, basins, and holding ponds were evaluated to obtain the best controls for containing runoff. In eastern Nebraska, 70 cm annual precipitation produces 23 cm of runoff; whereas, in northeastern Colorado, 37 cm annual precipitation gives only 5.5 cm of runoff. Large applications of runoff liquid, up to 91 cmon grass-Ladino and 76 cm on corn, in Nebraska did not decrease yields; however, in northeastern Colorado, the concentrated high-salt runoff required dilution before direct application to crops. …

Chronic Toxicity Of A Copper, Cadmium And Zinc Mixture To The Fathead Minnow (Pimephales Promelas Rafinesque), John G. Eaton

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Fathead minnows were exposed to a series or concentrations of a copper, cadmium and zinc mixture during a 12.5 month chronic test in water of 200 mg 1^-1 total hardness. The metal concentrations in the mixture were selected on the basis of results obtained during previous chronic exposures to each of the metals individually in the same water. Strict summation of the chronic toxicities of the metals was not indicated when they were tested in combination. Toxic effects of the mixture attributable to copper appeared to be increased, but that attributable to cadmium was reduced. The effects thought to …

Captan Toxicity To Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas), Bluegills (Lepomis Macrochirus), And Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis), Roger O. Hermanutz, Leonard H. Mueller, Kenneth D. Kempfert

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The toxic effects of capt an on survival, growth, and reproduction of fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) and on survival of bluegiIIs (Lepomis macrochirus) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were determined in a flow-through system. In a 45-week exposure of fathead minnows, survival and growth were adversely affected at 39.5 μLg/Iiter. Adverse effects on spawning were suspected but not statisticaIly demonstrated at 39.5 and 16.5 μLg/Iiter. The maximum acceptable toxicant concentration (MATC), based on survival and growth, lies between 39.5 and 16.5 μLg/liter. The lethal threshold concentration (LTC) derived from acute exposures was 64 μLg/liter, …

Chronic Effect Of Low Ph On Fathead Minnow Survival, Growth And Reproduction, Donald I. Mount

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas Rafinesque) were continuously exposed to reduced pH levels of 4.5, 5.2, 5.9, 6.6 and 7.5 (control) during a 13-month, one-generation test. Survival was not affected, even at the lowest pH tested. Fish behavior was abnormal, and fish were deformed at pH 4.5 and 5.2. Egg production and egg hatchability were reduced at pH 5.9 and lower, and all eggs were abnormal. A pH of 6.6 was marginal for vital life functions, but safe for continuous exposure. Free carbon dioxide, liberated by the addition of sulfuric acid to reduce the pH, may have had an unknown …

Eutrophication Factors In North Central Florida Lakes, H. D. Putnam, Patrick L. Brezonik, Earl E. Shannon

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

A small Florida lake has been receiving a regimen of nutrient addition equivalent to 500 mg/m³-yr N and 43 mg/m³-yr P since 1967. Data has been accumulated through 1969. The effect on the lacustrine ecosystem of various biogenes includes production by primary producers, species diversity of plankton and certain production estimates at the secondary trophic level using natural populations of planktivorous fish. Plankton production using isotopic carbon is ca. 58 grms/m²-yr; Species diversity is slowly changing to a mixed chlorophycean and yellow-green. Biomass of benthic green filamentous types has increased slightly. Nutrient addition has …

An Argument For The Open Ocean Siting Of Coastal Thermal Electric Plants, Clarence M. Tarzwell

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

A great deal of research is yet to be done before we will definitely know all the effects of thermal electric generating plants. It is evident, however, that the chlorination of the intake water is definitely lethal to a high percentage of planktonic and other organisms; that thermal shock is detrimental to some of the more sensitive forms; that the continued exposure to high temperatures after thermal shock is lethal to many forms, especially the zooplankton; that the screening and turbulence in such plants is lethal to larval fishes and several invertebrates, and that immense amounts of waters are put …

Final Report Emission Inventory For The State Of Nebraska, The Ibm Corporation Federal Systems Division, Environmental Protection Agency

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The following report represents the results of the work performed under BOA 68-02-0043, Task Order Number 1 from The Environmental Protection Agency, Air Pollution Control Office. A note of thanks is due to Mr. E. J. Lillis and D. Dunbar of the EPA Project Office and Mr. Peter Culver, the EPA Project Engineer for their assistance and excellent cooperation during the study. A note of special thanks is due to Mr. Gene Robinson of the Nebraska Division of Air Pollution Control without whose efforts successful completion of this task would not have been possible.

Real Property Owned. By The Federal Government In The' State Of Nebraska, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

This inventory report Is a summary compilation of the major facilities of real property owned by the Federal Government in this state. The installations are listed alphabetically by the city in which they are located and the listing includes a brief description of the installation, the agency which operates the facility, the GSA inventory number, the GSA location code, the total floor area of all the buildings and a size classification code. The operating agency and Installation descriptions are those reported to the General Services Administration as of June 30, 1970. Installations with a total floor area less than 1,500 …

Bioassay Procedures For Oil And Oil Dispersant Toxicity Evaluation, Gilles Laroche, Ronald Eisler, Clarence M. Tarzwell

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Hazards to marine and estuarine fauna associated with offshore drilling of oil and with transport of large quantities of oils via tankers are numerous and understandable. At present, there is a growing body of evidence on adverse effects to these organisms of crude oil (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) and chemical oil counteracting agents or dispersants (5) (6) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17). These effects are well summarized by Smith (18) and by Carthy and Arthur (19).

Comparatively few workers have studied the influence of oil-dispersant mixtures of marine life. Studies by …