The production and the usage of plastic material increases since the decade of 1950. Nowadays, the elevated production rate, the misusing and the waste turned plastic material in an urgent environmental and economic problem. One of the major environmental problems related to this issue is the contamination of marine environments by microplastics. These constitute plastic particles of size between 1 and 5 mm. Microplastics might occur by breaking of larger plastic pieces or as a manufactured product. The plastic pellets are among this second class, these are small plastic spherules (≥ 5 mm) used in the plastics industry as raw material for the production of manufactured products. It is hypothesized that plastic pellets reach the marine environment due to losses in port terminals or accidental and intentional releases by commercial ships. The present study evaluated the contamination of the coastal zone by microplastics in different spatial and temporal scales. This evaluation approached the dispersion of microplastics in coastal zones, and used the spatial distribution, the stranding and the accumulation of plastic pellets in sandy beaches as a proxy to disclose the behavior of the variation of microplastics in coastal zones. The results of the present paper reveal that microplastics vary both in small and large temporal and spatial scales. Therefore, the present paper brings new insights to the knowledge on microplastics pollution in coastal zones, which might give a new baseline to methodological approaches adopted in management and monitoring programs. / A produção e o consumo de plásticos vêm aumentando desde a década de 1950. Nos dias de hoje, a taxa elevada de produção, o mal-uso e o desperdício tornaram os plásticos em um problema ambiental e econômico urgente. Um dos principais problemas relacionados à esta questão é a poluição dos ambientes marinhos por microplásticos. Estes constituem partículas de plástico de tamanho que varia entre 1 e 5 mm. Microplásticos podem ocorrer em decorrência da quebra de pedaços de plásticos grandes ou podem ocorrer como um produto fabricado. Os grânulos de plástico estão nesta segunda categoria, estes são pequenas esférulas de plástico (≥ 5 mm) utilizadas como matéria prima para a produção de utensílios variados pela indústria dos plásticos. A hipótese é de que os grânulos de plástico cheguem ao ambiente marinho a partir de perdas em terminais portuários ou após liberações acidentais ou intencionais por embarcações comerciais. O presente estudo avaliou a contaminação da zona costeira por grânulos de plástico em diferentes escalas espaciais e temporais. Esta avaliação abordou a dispersão de microplásticos em regiões costeiras e utilizou a distribuição espacial o aporte e o acúmulo de grânulos de plástico como um modelo para desvendar o comportamento da variação de microplásticos em zonas costeiras. O presente estudo revelou que os microplásticos varia em escalas espaciais e temporais grandes e pequenas. Os resultados apresentados aqui podem conferir embasamento e questões metodológicas para serem adotadas em estratégias de monitoramento e gestão.

Large scale ecosystem restoration is an important societal issue because significant risks, costs, and benefits can accrue on large landscapes. It is important to understand baseline ecosystem conditions, existing condition, and to the extent possible estimate ecosystem response to alternative management scenarios. Incorporating ecosystem process and function into restoration planning and implementation will make ecosystem restoration projects sustainable. The Upper Mississippi River System is an excellent case study for such issues because it is an important, multiple-use ecosystem with significant ongoing investment in ecosystem, agri-system, and navigation system management. Large-scale geomorphology, hydrology, and land cover information was compared among presettlement, contemporary, and potential future reference conditions to examine ecosystem state and evaluate mechanisms responsible for ecosystem condition. The UMRS was scaled by physiographically similar characteristics into large floodplain reaches several hundred river miles in length, geomorphic reaches 50 to several hundred miles, and a mile-by-mile segmentation of the river floodplain extent. Ecologically relevant geomorphic classes were devised from existing data and evaluated by river reach to characterize presettlement geomorphology, and dams and levees were superimposed to reflect the altered hydrogeomorphology of the contemporary ecosystem. A pre- and post-impact Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration river stage analysis evaluated dam impacts, and pre-dam and post-dam aquatic habitat class distribution was compared. A floodplain inundation simulation analysis provided new information on the potential spatial distribution of frequent floods. Land cover data available for presettlement and modern reference periods were compared at several spatial scales. Multivariate analyses evaluated land cover characteristics among geomorphic reaches, as well as to assess the influence of hydrogeomorphic drivers on land cover for presettlement and contemporary reference periods. The objective of this research was to clearly delineate the divergence of environmental conditions among reference periods to evaluate which drivers need to be, and can be, altered to change ecosystem state. Hydrogeomorphic response to development indicates several restoration objectives that are appropriate system-wide and others that are best suited to specific river reaches. Similar data sources are available for much of the rest of the United States through the Public Land Survey and engineering surveys of any significant civil works projects.

The San Andreas Fault stretches for over 800 miles through California. Along the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, areas in close proximity to the San Andreas Fault Zone may be subject to site amplification of ground motion caused by seismic activity via wave propagation through the subsurface. These seismic hazards are being addressed via the Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Faulting Zone Act and the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP). Shear wave velocity of the subsurface has served as a proxy for ground motion amplification and is therefore a useful parameter to help analyze and reduce seismic hazards. Low shear wave velocities of the subsurface have been known to correlate with higher amplitude ground motion. This study focuses on refraction microtremor analysis (ReMi) of the subsurface in Northern San Bernardino; more specifically, areas encompassing California State University San Bernardino, in close proximity to the San Andreas Fault. The technique will resolve shear wave velocity values for the top 30 meters (Vs30) of the subsurface. This depth of investigation has proven to be an effective means in determining subsurface conditions. ReMi profiles were situated 0.25 to 2.0 miles away from the San Andreas Fault, and in some instances, strategically positioned next to housing developments and structures. Phase velocity dispersion curves were generated by processing ReMi seismic data and subsequently inverted to attain average shear wave velocity profiles with depth. The geologic units in the study area consist of very young wash deposits, young alluvial fan deposits and Pelonist schist deposits. These geologic units may be an indicator to how seismic waves behave in subsurface lithology. To highlight differences in Vs30 values across the project area, a microzonation map was constructed.

Residents in urban areas depend on infrastructure systems to return to functionality quickly after disruptions from natural and man-made disasters to support their livelihood and well-being. This work seeks to improve the accuracy of infrastructure recovery time estimates by introducing mutually exclusive damage state modeling into the Graph Model for Operational Resilience (GMOR) and utilizing this capability for road recovery assessment in two case studies in the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia. The first case study also explores the recovery of water, wastewater, and power networks in the District, and demonstrates that power and road systems recover more slowly and are more variable in their recovery time than water distribution and wastewater collection systems. The second study specifically addresses important sections of road within the District and shows that intelligent prioritization of resource allocation for road repairs can improve recovery times by up to 37% compared to random ordering. / Graduate

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has become recognised as an improvement on the existing, limited system of project-based EIA. It aims to integrate environmental considerations into government policies, plans and programmes, and provides a basis for arriving at better-informed decisions at broader strategic levels. However, the compatibility of this new environmental planning tool with other planning systems such as transport, holds the key to successful integration of environmental concerns into existing planning approaches. This study investigates whether SEA can influence and integrate with transport planning and policy development processes through a survey of attitudes and opinions of planners on transport SEA in Taiwan. Transport planning has been criticised for considering too few alternatives, and for basing evaluations solely on technical and economic grounds. The emerging SEA seems theoretically feasible and potentially beneficial in allowing the integration of environmental concerns into strategic transport planning. Though many countries or regions have transport SEA provisions, practical transport SEA applications remain limited, mostly in Western developed countries with high environmental awareness. SEA applications are also limited in their strategies, focusing mainly on infrastructure-related projects. Moreover, most current transport SEA practices lack strategic focus and thus fail to fulfill SEA principles. This suggests that many planners are unfamiliar with the nature and techniques of SEA, and the conceptual impediments are still critical, which may result in significant barriers to transport SEA application. The EIA Act promulgated in 1994, together with its relevant provisions, have provided an applicable mechanism and a legal basis for SEA application in Taiwan, however, no transport SEA cases have been conducted. Many technical and non-technical barriers have been identified by the interviewees, indicating that most of the planners in Taiwan believe that transport SEA is conceptually and practically immature, and planners are not yet ready for it. The conceptual barriers seem more critical at this stage because practical barriers can only be identified and overcome when planners and decision-makers have a clear and proper concept of SEA. This narrowly-viewed application has limited the benefits of SEA, and has resulted in a rigid and incorrect idea that SEA was a passive impact-reducing mechanism; this may mislead the attitudes of planners to transport SEA. In fact, the emerging SEA is a re-engineered planning system framework that serves to remind planners that they are able to improve their efforts. It is a paradigm revolution, as the way in which planners think can make a vast difference. Thus, the potential for the emerging SEA concept to influence and integrate with transport planning and transport policy development processes depends not only on practical feasibility but also on a fundamental conceptual recognition of transport SEA. SEA could influence and integrate with transport planning and transport policy development processes if planners and decision-makers changed their ways of thinking. This study also found that a tiered and integrated transport SEA, embedded in the main transport planning process at different strategic levels, has great potential to embody the environmental and sustainable concerns in transport planning and decision-making. This finding is based on several contentions supported by the recent SEA studies showing that it should not be detached from the main planning process. SEA needs to be flexible in order to meet various policies, plans and programmes (PPP) demands, and it must be value-driven, not impact-oriented. A tiered, integrated transport SEA provides ways to overcome identified transport SEA application impediments. This two-in-one planning system is a simple solution which allows transport SEA to be conducted without involving complex legal processes. It improves institutional coordination and integrates not only with planning processes but also with values and resources.

<p>Assessment of impacts on nature and reindeer husbandry by the considered mountain road between Borgafjäll and Saxnäs- Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institutes method for assessment of damage to heritage assets</p><p>There are plans regarding the building of a new road from Borgafjäll/Båtas to Saxnäs, and two road alternatives have been presented. The road has been localized to an area which is protected as a nature reserve and listed as a Nature 2000 area. This report aims to determine the effects on the Nature 2000 area and reindeer husbandry, and to be a source of knowledge for future environmental impact assessment in that project. In order to assess the impact on nature values and reindeer husbandry a method from the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) has been used. A literature review has been made to prescribe the effects and consequences. Interviews and geographical information system analysis compliments the report. Both alternatives are going to affect arctic birch forests and specially protected mires. Almost one fifth of the protected arctic birch forest in Gitsfjällets nature reserve will be affected by the alternatives. The distribution and reproduction of arctic fox and wolverine will also be complicated and inhibited. The alternatives are going to create a barrier and fragment the area for reindeer husbandry. This will disturb the reindeer’s mating and calving. On the basis of VTI’s method for the assessment of damage to heritage assets the conclusion is that both road alternatives will affect the nature value and reindeer husbandry negatively. The prerequisite to build the road depends on whether the community</p>

<p>The aim of this thesis is to analyse the legal notion of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in order to provide, on a scientific basis, increased understanding and knowledge of the different components of this legal notion and each component’s importance for the whole. The objective is to specify what EIA is at present and what it is intended to be. This thesis analyses the legal tool, shows what the rules are in a few selected countries and goes on to discuss how it could be developed in order best to fulfil its function of promoting sustainable development. The question asked throughout this thesis is how the EIA rules should be designed in terms of their content and construction in order to function as a legal tool to promote sustainable development.</p>

During the 1980’s millions of households in Bangladesh switched from drinking surface water to private groundwater wells to reduce their exposure to fecal microorganisms. Sadly, this switch to shallow groundwater resulted in the largest example of drinking water poisoning in history, with approximately 100 million people exposed to high concentrations of naturally occurring Arsenic in the groundwater. Spatial distribution of Arsenic in the shallow aquifers tends to be patchy, so the most economical mitigation option has been lateral switching from high Arsenic wells to nearby low Arsenic wells. The recently developed Arsenic flushing conceptual model, which explains the spatial distribution of Arsenic throughout the shallow aquifers in Bangladesh, suggests however, that low Arsenic zones are recharged via coarse-grained, rapid flow pathways and therefore represent a higher risk for waterborne pathogens. The objectives of this dissertation are to evaluate new methods for sampling and detection of waterborne pathogens, while also identifying sources of fecal contamination and transport pathway(s) to private wells emplaced within the shallow aquifers. It was demonstrated that private wells are broadly contaminated with E. coli, with prevalence ranging from 30 to 70%. The fact that E. coli was detected more frequently in private wells than sealed monitoring wells (p<0.05) suggests that well construction and/or daily pumping contribute to fecal contamination of the private wells. Using DNA-based molecular fecal source tracking, contamination was demonstrated to originate from human fecal waste. Unsanitary latrines, which spill effluent onto the open ground, were demonstrated to cause elevated levels of fecal bacteria in ponds, found in every village. These ponds were demonstrated to have an influence on concentrations of fecal bacteria to at least distances of 12m into the adjacent aquifer. In a culture where latrines, private wells and ponds are frequently clustered closely together, these findings suggest that improvements in the management of human fecal waste changes in placement and construction of private wells could substantially reduce exposure of people to fecal pathogens. Fecal contamination was found to be pervasive in low Arsenic, unconfined, shallow aquifers, and therefore gains from well switching to avoid Arsenic need to be balanced with the risk of consuming waterborne pathogens.

This study, conducted on August 12th and 13th, 2008 at Fort Riley, Kansas on a clay loam soil, evaluated the terrain impacts of four commonly used tracked and wheeled military vehicles: the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank, M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, M985 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck, and M113 Armored Personnel Carrier. Disturbed width and impact severity were assessed along 14 spirals subjected to a maximum of eight consecutive passes for a total of 696 impact points. Data indicate that multiple passes produce increased vegetative impacts, with multipass coefficients ranging from 0.98 to 4.44 (compared to the commonly accepted value of 2.00) depending on vehicle type and turn severity. The widely-used MPC of 2.00 fits the M985 HEMTT and M113 at sharp turns, with an MPC of 1.00 fitting the straight and intermediate turning conditions of these vehicles, as well as all turning conditions for the M998 HMMWV. For the M1A1, a MPC of 2.00 is suitable for straight paths, a MPC of 3.00 is suitable for intermediate turns, while sharp turns can be represented by a MPC of 4.00. The data suggests that MPCs should be adjusted depending on the vehicle type and according to the turning radius of the vehicle, as tracked vehicles were found to have a higher multipass coefficient than wheeled vehicles, with multipass coefficients increasing with vehicle weight and the sharpness of turns.

Beaver Creek, located in North Knox County, Tennessee, is on the Tennessee 303(d) list as an impaired stream that fails to meet its designated uses. Phosphorus (P) is one of the major pollutants of the stream. High P levels within surface water can lead to water quality problems including low dissolved oxygen, overgrowth of algae, and eutrophication. Two sources, pasture grazing areas and major municipal point sources, have been identified as important contributors of P to Beaver Creek. The objective of this study was to analyze the total P and Mehlich III extractable P concentrations of sediments in Beaver Creek and determine if a P signal could be identified in sediments collected along two stream reaches, less than 1500 m long, adjacent to a cattle farm and a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Eight sites were sampled within Beaver Creek, divided between two locations. At each sample location, four sample sites were selected. One site, the “control” was upstream of the P input. One, the “source,” was immediately downstream of the P input. Two additional sites, one within 200 m and the second within 400 m downstream of the source, were selected at each location. Nine sediment samples were collected at each sample site. Sediments were analyzed for total P (SW-3050B) and Mehlich III extractable P. ANOVA was run between the sites at each location and t-tests were completed to look for significant differences and a downstream signal. At the cattle farm, P concentrations of sediments at the downstream 2 site were significantly higher than sediment P concentrations at the three other sites. However, unexpectedly high results from the control sample site, combined with unexpectedly low results from the source sample site made it difficult to assess whether the cattle farm was affecting sediment P in Beaver Creek. At the WWTP, the sediment P near the outfall was significantly higher than sediment P at the control. Sediments at the downstream 1 site had significantly higher P concentrations than sediments at the other three sites, indicating that the WWTP may be affecting sediment P in Beaver Creek. This study supports the hypothesis that increased P concentrations could be attributable to P inputs from a WWTP. However, further study is needed about the effects that pastures have on sediment P concentrations within Beaver Creek.