Atmospheric emissions from the deepwater Horizon spill constrain air-water partitioning, hydrocarbon fate, and leak rate

The fate of deepwater releases of gas and oil mixtures is initially determined by solubility and volatility of individual hydrocarbon species; these attributes determine partitioning between air and water. Quantifying this partitioning is necessary to constrain simulations of gas and oil transport, to predict marine bioavailability of different fractions of the gas-oil mixture, and to develop a comprehensive picture of the fate of leaked hydrocarbons in the marine environment. Analysis of airborne atmospheric data shows massive amounts (∼258,000 kg/day) of hydrocarbons evaporating promptly from the Deepwater Horizon spill; these data collected during two research flights constrain air-water partitioning, thus bioavailability and fate, of the leaked fluid. This analysis quantifies the fraction of surfacing hydrocarbons that dissolves in the water column (∼33% by mass), the fraction that does not dissolve, and the fraction that evaporates promptly after surfacing (∼14% by mass). We do not quantify the leaked fraction lacking a surface expression; therefore, calculation of atmospheric mass fluxes provides a lower limit to the total hydrocarbon leak rate of 32,600 to 47,700 barrels of fluid per day, depending on reservoir fluid composition information. This study demonstrates a new approach for rapid-response airborne assessment of future oil spills. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union

Source Contributions to Carbon Monoxide Concentrations During KORUS‐AQ Based on CAM‐chem Model Applications

We investigate regional sources contributing to CO during the Korea United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) campaign conducted over Korea (1 May to 10 June 2016) using 17 tagged CO simulations from the Community Atmosphere Model with chemistry (CAM-chem). The simulations use three spatial resolutions, three anthropogenic emission inventories, two meteorological fields, and nine emission scenarios. These simulations are evaluated against measurements from the DC-8 aircraft and Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT). Results show that simulations using bottom-up emissions are consistently lower (bias: -34 to -39%) and poorer performing (Taylor skill: 0.38-0.61) than simulations using alternative anthropogenic emissions (bias: -6 to -33%; Taylor skill: 0.48-0.86), particularly for enhanced Asian CO and volatile organic compound (VOC) emission scenarios, suggesting underestimation in modeled CO background and emissions in the region. The ranges of source contributions to modeled CO along DC-8 aircraft from Korea and southern (90 degrees E to 123 degrees E, 20 degrees N to 29 degrees N), middle (90 degrees E to 123 degrees E, 29 degrees N to 38.5 degrees N), and northern (90 degrees E to 131.5 degrees E, 38.5 degrees N to 45 degrees N) East Asia (EA) are 6-13%, similar to 5%, 16-28%, and 9-18%, respectively. CO emissions from middle and northern EA can reach Korea via transport within the boundary layer, whereas those from southern EA are transported to Korea mainly through the free troposphere. Emission contributions from middle EA dominate during continental outflow events (29-51%), while Korean emissions play an overall more important role for ground sites (up to 25-49%) and plumes within the boundary layer (up to 25-44%) in Korea. Finally, comparisons with four other source contribution approaches (FLEXPART 9.1 back trajectory calculations driven by Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) WRF inert tracer, China signature VOCs, and CO to CO2 enhancement ratios) show general consistency with CAM-chem.National Science Foundation (NSF); U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Observing System (EOS) Program; NCAR Advanced Study Program Postdoctoral Fellowship; Environment Research and Technology Development Fund of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan [2-1505, 2-1803]; National Science Foundation; NASA [NNX16AD96G, NNX16AE16G, NNX17AG39G]6 month embargo; published online: 1 February 2019This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Cancer therapy and cardiotoxicity: The need of serial Doppler echocardiography

Cancer therapy has shown terrific progress leading to important reduction of morbidity and mortality of several kinds of cancer. The therapeutic management of oncologic patients includes combinations of drugs, radiation therapy and surgery. Many of these therapies produce adverse cardiovascular complications which may negatively affect both the quality of life and the prognosis. For several years the most common noninvasive method of monitoring cardiotoxicity has been represented by radionuclide ventriculography while other tests as effort EKG and stress myocardial perfusion imaging may detect ischemic complications, and 24-hour Holter monitoring unmask suspected arrhythmias. Also biomarkers such as troponine I and T and B-type natriuretic peptide may be useful for early detection of cardiotoxicity. Today, the widely used non-invasive method of monitoring cardiotoxicity of cancer therapy is, however, represented by Doppler-echocardiography which allows to identify the main forms of cardiac complications of cancer therapy: left ventricular (systolic and diastolic) dysfunction, valve heart disease, pericarditis and pericardial effusion, carotid artery lesions. Advanced ultrasound tools, as Integrated Backscatter and Tissue Doppler, but also simple ultrasound detection of "lung comet" on the anterior and lateral chest can be helpful for early, subclinical diagnosis of cardiac involvement. Serial Doppler echocardiographic evaluation has to be encouraged in the oncologic patients, before, during and even late after therapy completion. This is crucial when using anthracyclines, which have early but, most importantly, late, cumulative cardiac toxicity. The echocardiographic monitoring appears even indispensable after radiation therapy, whose detrimental effects may appear several years after the end of irradiation

Field testing of nutrient-balances of arable land on loamy soils

Available at Provincie ZeelandOp proefboerderij Rusthoeve te Colijnsplaat zijn van juni 1994 tot juli 1996 metingen uitgevoerd aan de emissie van meststoffen via de drainage van akkerbouw op zavelgrond. De vanggebieden van vier drainbuizen (1,32 ha) en van een kavelsloot (9,57 ha) zijn intensief en vrijwel continu bemeten, zowel wat betreft de hydrologie als de afvoer van chloride en nutriknten (N, P). Op basis van de meetreeks en langjarige registraties van teeltgegevens zijn water- en stofbalansen opgesteld. Uit de waterbalansen blijkt dat nauwelijks kwel optreedt. De afvoer van overtollig water vindt plaats via drainbuizen (75%) en rechtstreeks naar de kavelsloot (5%) en een kreek (20%). Oppervlakkige afstroming is niet waargenomen tijdens de proef. Preferent transport van water en stoffen kan plaatsvinden in de onverzadigde zone door de aanwezigheid van macro-porikn. Ongeveer 25% van het door de drainbuizen afgevoerde water heeft een verblijftijd in de bodem van minder dan een jaar, 45% minder dan 2 jaar, 65% minder dan 3 jaar, 80% minder dan 4 jaar en 20% meer dan 4 jaar. De concentratie van N-totaal varieert van minder dan 1 tot 29 mg.l-1 met een gemiddelde van 4 mg.l-1. De stikstof-concentraties in het slootwater varikren van 1 tot 27 mg.l-1 met een gemiddelde van ruim 6 mg.l-1 .De variatie in de tijd hangt vooral samen met de variatie in nitraat. De hoogste concentraties van stikstof in drain- en slootwater zijn gemeten in perioden van hoge afvoer van drainagewater. De totaal-fosfaatconcentratie in het drainwater varieert van 0.05 tot 1.22 mg.l-1 met een gemiddelde van 0.21 mg.l-1 . De concentraties in de sloot varikren van 0.03 tot 1.64 mg.l-1 met een gemiddelde van 0.31 mg.l-1.Measurements on the emission of nutrients by tile drainage of arable land with a loamy soil were executed at the Rusthoeve-farm in Colijnsplaat. The catchment areas of 4 tile drains (1.32 ha) and the receiving ditch (9.57 ha) were intensily and continuously monitored concerning the discharge of water, chloride and nutrients (N, P). Elaboration of two years of measurements and data on crops and fertilizer use resulted in water and solute balances. The water balances show that upward seepage is nearly absent and also that overland flow is only a marginal discharge component. Preferential flow of water and nutrients may occur through macropores in the topsoil. Roughly 25% of the water discharge via the tile drainage has resided less than 1 year in the soil, 45% less than 2 years, 65% less than 3 years, 80% less than 4 years and 20% more than 4 years. The concentrations of total-Nitrogen vary between less than 1 to 29 mg.l-1 being on the average 4 mg.l-1. Nitrogen-concentrations in ditch water vary between 1 and 27 mg.l-1 , having an average of 6 mg.l-1 , the variations corresponding largely to varying nitrate concentrations. The highest nitrogen concentrations in drain- and ditch water were measured during periods of high water discharge. Total-Phosphate concentrations in drainage water vary from 0.05 to 1.22 mg.l-1 with an average of 0.21 mg.l-1. Ditch concentrations vary between 0.03 and 1.64 mg.l-1 , being, on the average, 0.31 mg.l-1.VROM/DWL Provincie Zeeland Landbouw Universeit Wageninge