Calculation Of Critical Loads Research Articles

Assessing the potential for forest effects due to soil acidification in Maryland

Calculations with the PROFILE model indicates that present acid deposition will lead to soil solution BC/Al molar ratios in the forest soils of Maryland far below the limits used for calculation of critical loads in Europe. Weathering rates and molar soil solution BC/Al ratios were calculated using measured mineralogy and texture. It has been assumed that the laboratory experiments on tree seedling response to soil solution Al concentration is applicable to field conditions as applied in the PROFILE model and that the observed connection between growth and needle loss for Sweden is also valid for North America. The assumptions were utilized to estimate the potential for forest damage due to soil acidification in Maryland. The results for Maryland was used to speculate over the possibilities for adverse effects due to soil acidity in Northeastern United States. A preliminary comparison with Maryland and European results, suggests that the threat of soil acidification to forest health in the Northeastern United States may have been underestimated.

A palaeolimnological assessment of the impact of acid deposition on surface waters in North-West Scotland, a region of high sea-salt inputs

Recent critical loads assessments suggest that sensitive surface waters in the north-west of Scotland have acidified, whereas earlier surveys indicate little chemical or biological evidence of acidification. It has been suggested that regionally high sea-salt inputs are affecting either critical loads calculations or the susceptibility of surface waters to acidification. We use palaeolimnological techniques to test the hypothesis that the critical load exceedances in north-west Scotland are real. Pre-industrial and present day loch-water pH are inferred from diatom assemblages in sediment cores from 21 lochs in order to estimate recent pH change. The results indicate consistent post-1800 declines in loch-water pH, although the magnitude of this decline is small (<0.4 pH unit) and in most cases within the error of the technique. It is concluded that although slight acidification might have taken place, this has not been of sufficient magnitude to significantly effect most biological communities (e.g. higher plants, invertebrates and fish).

Calculation and mapping of critical loads of s, n and acidity on ecosystems of the Northern Asia

On the basis of modified simple steady state mass-balance equations, the critical loads for nutrient and acidifying nitrogen as well as for sulphur and acidity have been calculated for various ecosystems of northern Asia using simplified expert-modelling GIS and grid cells 150×150 km. The minimal values of critical loads of nitrogen, CL(N), ( 300eq/ha/yr) for ecosystems of chernozemic and chernozem-like soils in southern Siberia and the Far East. The minimal values of critical loads of sulphur, CL(S), as well as acidity were shown predominantly in the northern part of east Siberia and in the Kamchatka peninsula and the maximal ones for ecosystems having neutral and alcaline soils. The corresponding exceedances were indicated for many regions of the northern part of Asia with maximal values for regions of Ural mountains, frontery of Kazakhstan, Altai, lower Yenisei river flow, Far East, Sakhalin and South-Kurilean islands.

Critical loads mapping in Poland: Lessons learned

Since 1990 the Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas, acting as National Focal Center, is actively involved in an international research programme aimed at the calculation and mapping of critical loads of acidifying compounds. Following the methodological guidelines elaborated under the leadership of UN/ECE Task Force on Mapping and Coordination Center for Effects, national maps of critical loads and their exceedances for acidity, sulphur and nitrogen have been produced. These maps have already been utilized in derivation of European maps of critical loads of acidity and sulphur submitted to the UN/ECE LRTAP Convention as scientific input to the negotiations on the Second Sulphur Protocol. The lessons learned from the critical loads mapping exercise can be summarized as follow: the majority of Polish territory is covered with forest soils sensitive to acidification at an average Central European level; the exceedances of critical loads, estimated on the basis of national deposition data reveal the tune changes of ecological risks on the territory of Poland as a reflection of economic transition. The significant difference in the scale of those risks (measured by the percentage of the country territory with the maximum exceedances of critical loads) that appear in the period between 1987, representing the period of central planned economy and 1990, representing the early transition phase to a market economy, is particularly notable.

The calculation of base cation release from the chemical weathering of Scottish soils using the profile model

To investigate the weathering rates of different soil parent materials which occur in Scotland, a study has been undertaken in which detailed soil mineralogy has been used to calculate base cation release. To calculate base cation release, this data, and supplementary soil chemistry and physical attribute data, have provided the input to the PROFILE model. The model is a multi-layer, steady state, deterministic model in which the soil is represented by a series of mixed tank reactors, each of which has the mineralogical, physical and chemical attributes measured for individual soil horizons. The major parent materials from which Scottish soils have developed are glacial till, derived from acid to basic igneous rocks, schist and other metamorphic types, Lower Palaeozoic greywackes and shales, Old Red Sandstone sediments, Carboniferous sediments and Permo-Trias sediments. For each of the parent materials, three soil profiles were analysed and used with the PROFILE model. The base cation release rates, calculated for these parent materials in the top 50cm of the soil profile, varies between 0.2 and 3.2 keq/ha/yr, although, for a given parent material, the range was usually quite small. In general, these results compare very favourably with those suggested for the calculation of critical loads using an empirical approach proposed at Skokloster. In comparison with current rates of deposition, this suggests many of these soils are being acidified and that for many soil-plant combinations, the critical load may be exceeded.

Modelling critical loads for the Solling spruce site

After an introduction to the historical development of the critical load concept, methods for calculating critical loads are presented. Besides empirical relationships three types of models are identified and evaluated: steady-state soil models, dynamic soil models and integrated forest-soil models. Critical load assessments are carried out with examples from each of the three types of models, using data from the Solling spruce site. The resulting critical loads of sulphur obtained with the dynamic and integrated models are close (within 30%) to the steady-state model calculations. For nitrogen, the spread in the model results is wider due to the very different criteria (soil solution chemistry vs. forest vitality) used for deriving the critical loads. This agreement lends confidence to the simplified critical load calculations carried out on a European scale. However, much work remains to be done, both in the modelling efforts and the data collection, before truly integrated forest-soil models can be used for assessing critical loads on a large regional scale.

Evaluation of estimation methods and base data uncertainties for critical loads of acid deposition in Japan

Simplified steady state mass balance model for critical load (CL) estimation was applied to a test area in Japan to evaluate applicability of the model. Three different criteria for acidification limits (1: [Al3+]<0.2 eq. m−3, 2: Al/BC<1.0 mol mol−1, 3:Al depletion criterion) were used. Mean values and spatial distribution patterns of CL values calculated by these criteria were extremely different from each other. The first criterion produced much higher CL than the second criterion in the Japanese condition with high annual precipitation. Improvements including definition of the criterion were considered necessary. As quantitative data of the base cation weathering rate (BCw) was lacking, the rate was specified based on surface geology and the soil type of each site. To evaluate uncertainty of BCw used for CL calculation, ion content and particle-size distribution were measured for the soils collected from the test area, and BCw was estimated with PROFILE model based on these measurements. It appeared that BCw estimates by surface geology were adequate as a mean value, but they had uncertainty of about 50% of the average values due to variability of ion contents within the same surface geology group.

Acid-base status of soils in groundwater discharge zones — relation to surface water acidification

Critical load calculations have suggested that groundwater at depth of 2 m in Sweden is very sensitive to acid load. As environmental isotope studies have shown that most of the runoff in streams has passed through the soil, there is a risk in the near future of accelerated acidification of surface waters. To assess the importance of the last soil horizon of contact before discharge, the upper 0–0.2m of soils in seven discharge zones were analysed for pools of base cations, acidity and base saturation. The sites were about 3–4 m 2 in size and selected from two catchments exposed to different levels of acid deposition. The soils in the seven sites had high concentrations of exchangeable base cations and consequently high base saturation. The high correlation ( r 2 = 0.74) between base saturation in the soils of the discharge zones and mean pH of the runoff waters suggested that the discharge zone is important for surface water acidification. The high pool of exchangeable base cations will buffer initially against the acid load. As the cation exchange capacity (meq dm −3) and base saturation were lower in the sites from the catchment receiving lower deposition, these streams may be more vulnerable to acidification in the near future. The high concentration of base cations in non-exchangeable fractions may also buffer against acidification as it is likely that some of these pools will become exchangeable with time.

Regional evaluation of mass element fluxes: Geomon network of small catchments

Monitoring of element flows and their mass balances in the natural unit of the biosphere represented by a small catchment appears to be the most suitable for the solution of complex problems such as the deterioration of environmental quality. Long-term collection of comparable biogeochemical data, which will enable the identification of environmental trends, is the main aim of the GEOMON network. One of the most important applications of these data will be the calculation of critical loads. The Czech Geological Survey possesses data from 44 catchments in the former Czechoslovakia. Qualitative and quantitative data on inputs in atmospheric deposition and outputs via surface runoff are available. Simple input-output mass balances yield estimates of total accumulation or loss of individual components. Some examples of interpretations of the GEOMON data, especially in connection with different bedrock types, will be given.

Long-term chemical and biological trends in Scottish streams and lochs

Between 1975 and 1985 several catchments in Scotland were established as reference sites to determine short-term (hours, days, weeks) and long-term (years, decades) changes in major physical, chemical and biological variables. The initial selection criteria included catchment size, land-use and deposition loading. Changes in fish status of lochs were determined by systematic netting while quantitative estimates of fish populations were made at stream sites. Egg survival and year class distribution assisted interpretation. Historical changes in pH based on stratigraphical changes in diatom assemblages are compared with recent measured changes which have occurred during the past 20 years when SO2 emissions declined. Significant chemical and biological trends due to changes in pollutant loading are best detected in sensitive lochs which are unmanaged and with low organic content and acid neutralising capacity (ANC) close to zero. Significant trends are less apparent in lochs with managed (forested) catchments. Many stream sites also reveal long-term improvements in pH, sulphate (SO4) Alkalinity (Alk) etc, but the significance of these trends is much less because of the greater inherent chemical variability. Stream sites close to ANC=0 provide the most wide-ranging evidence of ecological change, ie, increase in Alk, decrease in SO4 and increase in numbers of juvenile salmonids. Measured chemical changes are compared with predicted estimates, based on critical load calculations and problems in interpretation are discussed.

Regional monitoring of lake acidification in Finland

The primary objective of this monitoring is to detect long-term Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) induced changes in the water quality of small lakes, throughout Finland, with low conductivity. The monitored lakes (n=171, sampled every autumn since 1990 and in 1987) have a smaller watershed (usually headwater or seepage lakes), a larger lake/catchment ratio, and lower base cation concentrations, alkalinity and pH than Finnish lakes on average. The monitoring network provides background data for air pollution dose/response studies, critical load calculations and for the modelling of acidification scenarios. The declining sulphate deposition seems to be reflected in small headwater lakes all over southern and central Finland as a lowering of the sulphate concentration in the waters. Nitrate concentrations in these lakes have been typically low in the autumn. The base cation concentration is not generally declining, as it is in deposition in many areas. The sulphate concentration in lakes has declined more than base cations. Hydrologically, the recent years have been quite variable because of varying annual precipitation. The variation in alkalinity and pH in typical Finnish lakes is dependent on the content of humic material derived from catchments. The monitoring period is too short to reveal consistent trends in major ion chemistry. However, signs of improvement in recent years can be seen; in comparing 1993 to 1987, years with similar organic acidity and base cations, it seems that the sulphate decline in lakes monitored is compensated by a significant rise in both alkalinity and pH.

An investigation of the impact of afforestation on stream-water chemistry in the Loch Dee catchment, SW Scotland

The impact of conifer afforestation on stream-water chemistry was investigated in the acidified catchment of Loch Dee, SW Scotland. Long-term trends in stream-water chemistry were evaluated during a period of forest growth from age 6 to 17 years. A significant increase was observed for pH (0.2 units) and a significant decline for aluminium (0.05 mg litre −1), sulphate (1.2 mg litre −1) and nitrate (0.02 mg litre −1) concentrations. The long-term decrease in stream-water acidity was ascribed to the marked reductions in sulphur depositions during the 1970s and early 1980s. There was no evidence that this response had been attenuated by afforestation, the improvements in stream-water chemistry being of a similar magnitude to those recorded in nearby moorland lochs and exceeding that in an adjacent moorland-catchment stream. The lack of a clear forest acidification effect is consistent with deposition-model estimates which show the increased scavenging of occult and dry deposition by the growing forest to be small at this site (≤10%). Critical load calculations suggest that planned emission reductions will be sufficient to protect the catchment stream from further acidification by 2003. The additional deposition capture by the continued growth of the forest is predicted to delay this response by approximately 2 years.

Impact of land use and soil type on the contribution of sulphate to total sulphur in drainage waters from upland soils

Up to 50% of sulphur in soil solution leachate from a range of northern temperate soils is present in a non-sulphate organic form. This component must be accounted for in measurements of soil profile or catchment S budgets and the calculation of critical loads as S losses may be significantly underestimated. The effects of land use on the distribution and amounts of S in both solid and solution phases are complex. No single soil factor or simple combination of soil factors alone can explain the observed results. Thus C:S ratios and relative amounts of S leached in organic form probably depend not only upon soil chemical parameters, but also upon vegetation type, variations in atmospheric S deposition and soil management history. Understanding the significance of S leaching to longer-term soil and water change, especially for upland catchments, is further complicated by the need to take into account hydrological pathways. Biological transformations and selective sorption properties of topsoil compared with subsoil with regards to S i and S o are important considerations as water drains through the soil profile.

Critical loads of sulfur and nitrogen for lakes I: Model description and estimation of uncertainty

Presently considerable effort is devoted to the development of methods for estimating critical loads of acidic deposition. In this paper a steady-state mass balance model for lakes is presented, allowing the simultaneous calculation of critical loads of acidifying S and N deposition and their exceedance. Special emphasis is given to the derivation of model inputs and parameters and the quantification of their uncertainties. The inclusion of rate-limited processes in the model leads to the dependence of the critical loads not only on catchment properties but also on the loading to the ecosystem. As a consequence, critical load values have to be re-calculated whenever deposition patterns change. The methods presented in this study are used in an accompanying paper to derive regional distributions of critical loads of S and N for lakes in Finland and to quantify their uncertainties.

An introduction to critical loads

The critical loads approach to emission controls of gaseous pollutants is a concept with a short but eventful history. Despite difficulties with definitions and agreed values, its acceptance within the UN-ECE Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution has provided the impetus for developing methods to put critical loads to a practical use—the revision of the UNECE emission protocols for sulphur and nitrogen. Methodologies first focus upon quantifying a pollutant threshold at which harmful effects occur on particular sensitive receptors (usually biological species). This threshold is known as the critical load for deposited pollutants, and as the critical level for gaseous pollutants acting on receptors. To calculate a critical load, biological effects are usually ‘translated’ to critical chemical values, e.g. harmful eeffects on fish ‘translate’ to alkalinity or aluminium concentrations in water; thus, critical load calculations may be based upon the chemistry of a system. Such calculations may be performed using simple, steady-state models, whilst the use of more complex, dynamic models provides an insight into the past and future trends. Maps of critical loads can be drawn using calculated values, and maps of pollutant deposition data will then show geographical areas where critical loads are exceeded. Spatial emission-deposition models can identify sources contributing to areas of excess loads and quantify necessary emission reductions. Optimization procedures applied to such models can derive abatement strategies related to economic costs and critical load effects. The critical load calculations may also be used to underpin the setting of target loads; these are pollutant loads, determined by political agreement, which take account of social, economic and political considerations.

Critical loads for Finnish lakes: Comparison of three steady-state models

Three simple steady-state water-chemistry models are used to calculate critical loads of sulfur for lakes in Finland. Because of the high concentrations of organic matter in Finnish lakes, the influence of organic anions on the calculation of critical loads has been given special attention. The first two methods are well known ion-balance methods which have been used in many previous lake-acidification studies. The third method, developed for this study, includes the numerical solution of equilibrium equations for organic anions, inorganic carbon species and inorganic monomeric aluminum. The original pH and aluminum concentration of the lakes are estimated with this model, and a method to estimate the original acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) by simulating a Gran-titration is also tested on the lake data. Uncertainty in the predictions is estimated by varying the most critical model parameters.

Calculation of critical fire load from cables close to an unprotected steel column

Calculation of critical fire load from cables close to an unprotected steel column

A New Matrix Method for Solving Buckling and Free Vibration Problems of Circular Arches with Variable Rigidity

ABSTRACT ABSTRACT This paper proposes a new matrix method for calculation of critical loads and natural frequencies of circular arches with variable cross section and arbitrary forms of applied load distribution. A difference from other matrix methods is that the coefficient determinant of the corresponding characteristic equation can be reduced to one of third-order, no matter how many elements are discretized in calculation. The essential reason for the important advantage is introduction of correlation matrices associated with discrete nodes into the analysis. The method is applicable to elastic arches of arbitrary geometry.

Elastic Critical Loads on Multistory Rigid Frames

A direct matrix method for the calculation of the elastic critical loads on rigid frames is presented. The effect of the secondary axial forces in columns is readily included. The procedure leads to a linear eigenvalue problem where the smallest root from a product matrix represents the critical load. The computational aspects of the method are considered, and the analysis is reduced to the setting up of two main matrixes. The first matrix is directly evaluated from the geometrical and loading properties, and the second is the linear elastic stiffness matrix under a fictitious system of transverse forces. Economy in the setting up of the stiffness matrix is achieved by treating individual columns as substructures. The method is applied to three example frames, and the numerical results are compared with those obtained from stability-function solutions.

Collapse by ponding of shells

The problem of stability of shells of positive Gaussian curvature subjected to a concentrated load, internal or external pressure and an accumulating ponding fluid in the depression caused by the load is the subject of this paper. Critical values of the load are calculated by a so called “geometrical method”, using variational Lagrangian principles. The shape of the shell is assumed to be nearly isometrical to the initial shape and its bending rigidity is taken into account. Simple relations for the critical load are obtained and the results presented in graphical form. The expressions and diagrams presented facilitate calculation of critical loads and describe the behaviour of the shell undergoing very large deflections.