Is Oil-Well Produced Water Effective in Abating Road Dust?

Energy development in the Bakken and Three Forks formations of the USA has led to an increase in fugitive dust from unpaved roads. A dust abatement alternative that has been considered in this region is oil-well produced waters. The objectives of this study were to compare dust loading at sites abated with produced water to non-abated control sites and to determine if the elemental constituents in released dust are different compared to control roads. Three previously untreated unpaved roads were selected, and passive dust collectors were placed at 10, 20, 40, and 60 m from the road on the downwind side of the dominant prevailing wind in each mile section. Eighty-four days post-application, two sections treated with produced waters failed to reduce dust when compared to the controls. Dust elemental changes were found on two of the three roads. Elements that were found to have differences included Mo, Mn, Fe, As, Au, and Hg. Overall results indicated that oil-well produced water is not effective at controlling road dust. Results of this study are important to road managers who are contemplating the usage of produced waters to reduce dusts from unpaved roads.     

A Capture–Recapture Model with Double-Marking,Live and Dead Encounters,and Heterogeneity of Reporting Due to Auxiliary Mark Loss

Capture–recapture (CR) models assume marked individuals remain at risk of capture, which may not be true if individuals lose their mark or emigrate definitively from the study area. Using a double-marking protocol, with a main and auxiliary mark, and both live encounters and dead recoveries at a large scale, partially frees CR models from this assumption. However, the auxiliary mark may fall off and its presence is often not mentioned when dead individuals are reported. We propose a new model to deal with heterogeneity of detection and uncertainty of the presence of an auxiliary mark in a multi-event framework. Our general model, based on a double-marking protocol, uses information from physical captures/recaptures, distant observations and main mark recoveries from dead animals. We applied our model to a 13-year data set of a harvested species, the Greater Snow Goose. We obtained seasonal survival estimates for adults of both sexes. Survival estimates differed between models where the presence of the auxiliary mark upon recovery was ignored versus those where the presence was accounted for. In the multi-event framework, seasonal survival estimates are no longer biased because the heterogeneity due to the presence of an auxiliary mark is accounted for in the estimation of recovery rates.     

Investigation of Soil Concentrations of Persistent Organic Pollutants, Trace Elements, and Anions Due to Iron–Steel Plant Emissions in an Industrial Region in Turkey

The spatial distribution of several air pollutants emitted from iron–steel industries in Hatay-Iskenderun industrial region in Turkey was investigated by measuring their concentrations in soil. Collected soil samples (n?=?20) were analyzed for persistent organic pollutants (POPs; i.e., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and polychlorinated naphthalenes), anions, and trace elements. Generally, all measured POP concentrations and marker trace elements for iron–steel industry (Zn, Pb, and Cu) were high relative to those reported previously for rural and urban areas around the world, and they were comparable to those measured recently in a similar industrial region (Aliaga, Izmir, Turkey). For all investigated POPs, elements, and anions, the highest concentrations were measured at points located north of the iron–steel industries where their emissions are transported by the prevailing southerly winds. The spatial distribution and levels of POPs, elemental, and anionic concentrations indicated that the iron–steel plants in Hatay-Iskenderun region are important sources for these pollutants. Statistically significant relationships between several organic and inorganic pollutants further confirmed that they are emitted by common sources (iron–steel plants).     

SE—Structures and Environment: Measurement and Analysis of Dust Spatial Distribution in a Mechanically Ventilated Pig Building

Dust has been implicated as a major contributor to the increased incidence of respiratory disorders among pig workers. Unlike gaseous contaminants, dust is not uniformly distributed within pig buildings. Dust spatial distribution is an important variable in the understanding of dust transportation and the implementation of appropriate control strategies. There is a lack of data on dust spatial distribution in livestock confinement buildings because of a lack of adequate sampling techniques. In this project, a multi-point sampler was used to measure the dust spatial distribution in a mechanically ventilated pig building. Experimental results show that there was a high variation in the dust spatial distribution within the mechanically ventilated pig building. Ventilation rate and diurnal change of weather affect the dust spatial distribution. It was shown that dust source control such as oil sprinkling at regular frequencies was an effective measure to control the dust levels. Room air cleaning such as dedusters can be used to reduce dust concentration and change dust spatial distribution.     

Notes to Authors

A detailed information for contributors to PEDOSPHERE is available upon your request and may also be found at hti;p://pedosphere.issas.ac.cn and in at least one issue of PEDOSPHERE each year. Please consult carefully the lay-out of one of the latest issues of PEDOSPHERE and pay special attention to the following notes:     

Notes to Authors

A detailed information for contributors to PEDOSPHERE is available upon your request and may also be found at http：//pedosphere.issas.ac.cn and in at least one issue of PEDOSPHERE each year. Please consult carefully the lay-out of one of the latest issues of PEDOSPHERE and pay special attention to the following notes.     

Notes to Authors

A detailed information for contributors to PEDOSPHERE is available upon your request and may also befound in at least one issue of PEDOSPHERE each year. Please consult carefully the lay-out of one of the latest issuesof PEDOSPHERE and pay special attention to the following notes:GeneralPEDOSPHERE publishes original research findings on soil science. Critical reviews are also considered. Contri-butions must be written in English and should have been neither published nor submitted for publication elsewhere.     

Notes to Authors

A detailed information for contributors to PEDOSPHERE is available upon your request and may also be found at http：//pedosphere.issas.ac.cn and in at least one issue of PEDOSPHERE each year. Please consult carefully the lay-out of one of the latest issues of PEDOSPHERE and pay special attention to the following notes：     

Notes to Authors

A detailed information for contributors to PEDOSPHERE is available upon your request and may also be found at http：//pedosphere.issas.ac.cn and in at least one issue of PEDOSPHERE each year. Please consult carefully the lay-out of one of the latest issues of PEDOSPHERE and pay special attention to the following notes：