Dans le but de mieux comprendre les processus régissant la pédogenèse des Technosols, un ancien bassin à boues sidérurgiques riches en métaux et recouvert par une forêt caducifoliée de milieu tempéré, a fait l'objet d'une caractérisation approfondie, à partir d'un profil de 2 m et en colonnes lysimétriques sous l'influence du climat et de la végétation. Le Technosol, qui s'est développé sur les boues, résulte de plusieurs étapes de pédogenèse localisées dans le temps et dans l'espace. Les principaux moteurs ont d'abord été les cycles de dessiccation-humectation et les changements de conditions physiques et chimiques associés, puis l'activité biologique, notamment en lien avec l'apport de matières organiques en surface et l'installation des racines. Le développement d'une végétation diversifiée malgré les fortes teneurs en métaux toxiques s'explique par la nature des constituants minéraux et les propriétés chimiques (pH alcalin, forte CEC) et physiques (forte porosité, forte capacité de rétention en eau) qui limitent jusqu'à présent la disponibilité des métaux. Le Technosol est le produit d'une combinaison de processus normalement rencontrés dans des sols naturels d'évolution pédogénétique différente (e.g. Andosols, sols carbonatés) en lien avec la diversité des matériaux parents technogéniques et le mélange original des constituants qui les compose. Cette concomitance de processus coexistant rarement dans la nature pourrait être une caractéristique génétique des Technosols formés sur des matériaux complexes et être appelée « technosolisation » / With the aim of better understanding pedogenetic processes occurring in Technosols, a former settling pond of iron industry containing metal-rich sludge and covered by a deciduous forest of temperate region was thoroughly characterized, from a 2-m profile and in lysimeter experiments under the influence of climate and vegetation. The Technosol developing on iron industry sludge resulted from several stages of pedogenesis with areas of more intense changes. Main pedogenesis drivers were, first, drying-wetting cycles and involved changes of physical and chemical conditions, then biological activity, especially related to organic matter input at the surface and root colonization. The development of diversified vegetation despite high contents of toxic metals can be explained by the nature of mineral constituents and chemical (alkaline pH, high CEC) and physical (high porosity, high water retention capacity) properties which have limited metal availability until now. The Technosol resulted from a combination of processes which occurred usually in natural soils with distinct pedogenetic evolution (e.g. Andosols, carbonated soils) due to the diversity of technogenic parental materials and the original mixture of constituents they contained. This simultaneity of processes coexisting rarely in natural environments could be a genetic particularity of Technosols formed on complex materials and could be called 'technosolization'

Urban runoff is generated by precipitation of rain and snowmelt on impervious surfaces.  The increasing demand of urbanization causes contaminants to accumulate on roads,  roofs and pathways. In turn, as runoff wash off these surfaces, contaminants such as heavy metals, particles and organic pollutants end up in the stormwater. Urban stormwater ponds improve water quality of runoff by facilitating contaminants in form of particles. To preserve the function of a stormwater pond accumulated sediment must periodically be removed.Therefore, upland disposal alternatives should be evaluated. This study examined stormwater sediment and outlet stormwater quality in seven and four ponds respectively in the vicinity of Halmstad. 7 heavy metals and 24 organic contaminants were analysed in both sediments and stormwater. Results showed metal and organic contaminant concentrations in stormwater pond discharge and sediment exceeding concentrations reported in guideline values. From the analysed heavy metals, Zn and Pb was considered the most critical contaminants. Heavier organic compounds were more frequently quantified than lighter ones, where 42 % of the analysed organic contaminants were quantified in at least one sample. Variability between inlets and outlets, between ponds and between sampling occasions was observed. The observed variability suggests that the contamination level is influenced by catchment area characteristics and activities. Significant correlation from Spearman’s rank correlation was found between the individual heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn), which suggest they originate from similar sources

Algal biofuels present a promising future alternative to petroleum based fuels. Water nutrient recycling is a key step to increase the sustainability of algae biofuel production facilities. This thesis discusses the process of nutrient and water recycling in high rate algae raceway ponds (HRAP) fed primary treated municipal wastewater. Research was conducted primarily at the San Luis Obispo Water Resource Reclamation Facility (SLOWRRF). Nine 30 m2, 0.3 m deep HRAP’s were operated continuously from June 1, 2013 to April 17, 2014. The ponds were arranged in three sets of triplicate ponds, with two pond sets run on 3-day hydraulic residence time (HRT), and the third on a 2-day HRT. The biomass productivity of the 2-day HRT and 3-day HRT were compared. The two sets of 3-day HRT ponds were run in series to determine the effect on productivity associated with recycling growth media without supplemental nutrient addition. The first pond in series was referred to as round 1 and the second as round 2. Due to solids accumulation in the 2-day HRT ponds in summer proper biomass productivity values could not be determined. 4-inch standpipes were determined to cause the solids accumulation when large flocs were present in ponds. As a possible solution to the solids accumulation issue, a ramped standpipe was designed and installed in one pond per triplicate set. In winter the 2-day HRT pond was roughly 37% more productive than the 3-day HRT. In summer the round 1 (3-day HRT) ponds were roughly 33% more productive than the round 2 (3-day HRT) ponds. In winter the round 1 (3-day HRT) ponds were roughly 19% more productive than the round 2 (3-day HRT) ponds. The type of standpipe (ramped or 4-inch) did not cause a significant amount of solids accumulation in either of the 3-day HRT ponds. The type of standpipe did make a difference in the 2-day HRT ponds. On average the 4-inch standpipe pond had 35% higher TSS than the ramped standpipe ponds. In addition to these field experiments, laboratory aerobic degradation experiments were conducted to determine the nutrient release of previously digested sludge in aerobic ponds. Pretreatment of algae sludge did not have a significant effect on nutrient release of previously anaerobically digested algae sludge in aerobic conditions. The maximum soluble nitrogen generated in the aeration reactors was between 56% for the treated sludge, and 66% for the untreated sludge.

This master´s thesis deals with the possibility of restoration of lake or pond ceased to exist and its influence on surrounding landscape. The author focusses on the restoration of particular pond and possibilities of it´s use and economical evaluation of the project.

Re-creation and building new small freshwater habitats belong among the important management activities within the Protected Landscape Area Kokořínsko - Máchův kraj (Czech Republic) for almost two decades. These pools keep the water within the landscape and serve as the habitats for vulnerable species of amphibians and invertebrates, which I have studied within this thesis. Most studies focusing on studying metacommunities of small water bodies have been based on the data from one or two seasons, and thus completely neglect the development of composition of these metacommunities over longer periods of time. This thesis builds on previous research on the species composition of small ponds in the Kokořínsko Protected Landscape Area, which had been done in 2005 and 2006. In 2009 and 2017, sampling in the same ponds continued. I investigated the influence of spatial and environmental variables of individual ponds on the species composition of ostracods, copepods and molluscs in specific years and how has the representation of individual species changed among those years. With one exception, I have not observed any new incoming species of copepods and ostracods since 2006; the number of species had in fact decreased. In the case of molluscs, there was a significant exchange of species between individual...

Artificial ponds are excellent for the study of phytoplankton ecology. They permit repeatable initial conditions and sufficient replication of independent experimental units in complex experiments to test hypotheses about the control of structure and function in natural communities. There were 20 experimental ponds constructed in Kokoř nsko Protected Landscape Area, from which samples were taken and analyzed. This study was part of the EU BIOPOOL. During the first two years after the filling of the ponds the colonization and the seasonal development of phytoplankton communities in the ponds were examined. The phytoplankton species composition was determined, then species richness and relative abundance of individual taxa were quantified. Species composition data were compared with the environmental parameters measured (temperature, oxygen concentration, pH, transparency, conductivity, depth, chlorophyll-a concentration, and zooplankton). In the spring 2007, the ponds were periodic, and followed a similar trend over time (February- April). There were dominated by the following taxonomic groups: Dinophyta, Chrysophyta, Cryptophyta, and Euglenophyta. After installing foil on the bottom of the ponds, the ponds were of permanent character. In terms of environmental parameters, the individual ponds...

No description available.

Today a good deal is known about the general nature and flora of vernal pools. Nevertheless, there is very limited information or actual documentation in the scientific literature. Vernal pools need to be studied more extensively. and they still offer unlimited opportunities for such research (Holland and Griggs 1976). The purpose of this investigation was to enumerate and compare the vascular plant species occurring at three vernal pools in the San Joaquin Valley of California.

No description available.

The vadose zone plays an important role in managing stormwater. Predicting the water balance and water movement is crucial in ground water remediation to keep water suitable for use. To aid in understanding soils ability to transmit and store water, soil and hydraulic properties were analyzed for soils in Marion County, Florida, and potential soil amendments. Soil and hydraulic properties were examined for two soil amendments and for the soils in Marion County, Florida, at the South Oak and the Hunter's Trace locations. The hydraulic properties measured were the soil moisture retention curve (SMRC) and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks). The soil properties measured were the particle-size distribution (PSD) and the specific gravity. From these, the bulk density and porosity were calculated. The SMRC corresponds to the water holding capacities, while the Ks corresponds to the soils ability to transmit water. Both are dependent on the soil properties. The SMRC for the soil amendments and native soils were developed in the laboratory using a Tempe Cell apparatus. In addition, the SMRC was measured in the field at the Hunter's Trace location with time domain reflectometry (TDR) and tensiometer equipment at three depths of 1-ft, 2-ft, and 3-ft over approximate a two month period. The SMRC obtained in the laboratory was compared to two analytical models, Brooks and Corey and van Genuchten, and to the field data. There is a strong correlation between the laboratory, analytical, and field SMRC for both South Oak and Hunter's Trace. In addition, there is a strong correlation between the laboratory SMRC and analytical models for the soil amendments. The Arya and Paris (AP) model, a pedotransfer function, was examined for its accuracy in predicting the SMRC for the soils at South Oak and Hunter's Trace, in addition to the soil amendments. Measuring the SMRC in the lab is a time consuming process; therefore, inferring the SMRC from textural and structural soil properties which are easier measured characteristics would be advantageous.