Short-term Variations In Concentrations Research Articles

Variations in the concentrations of macro- and trace elements in two grasses and in the rhizosphere soil during a day

The aim of the research was to study short-term variations in concentrations of 17 elements in two widely distributed natural plant species (couch grass and plantain) and in the rhizosphere soil of the plants. The plant and soil samples were collected in a field from a small site over a daytime. In the course of the day, the variations of the total amounts of C, N, and H in the rhizosphere soil were rather marked and different for the soils taken from roots of plantain and couch grass. The concentrations of some other elements in the rhizosphere soil of the plants varied in a similar way. The short-term variations of element concentrations in roots and leaves of the plants were also rather large. In many cases, a decrease of element concentration in roots correlated with an increase of its concentration in leaves. Although couch grass and plantain were collected simultaneously and from the same site, mean concentrations of many elements in the two plant species were statistically significantly different. This may be result of the fact that the plants belong to different clades. The differences between concentrations of most part of elements in roots and leaves of the plants were also statistically significant. The concentrations of many trace elements were higher in roots than in leaves, while the concentrations of essential plant nutrients were often higher in leaves compared to roots. The distribution of elements between different plant parts were not the same in couch grass and plantain.

The predictable influence of soil temperature and barometric pressure changes on vapor intrusion

Intrusion of volatile organic compounds in the gas phase has impacted many buildings in many different locations. Various building and environmental factors such as buoyancy of heated air and changes in barometric pressure can influence indoor air concentrations due to vapor intrusion in these buildings resulting in seasonal and daily variability. One environmental factor that previous research has not adequately addressed is soil temperature. In this study we present two northern region study sites where the seasonal trends in indoor air VOC concentrations positively correlate with soil temperature, and short-term (days) variations are associated with barometric pressure changes. We present simple and multivariate linear relationships of indoor air concentrations as a function of soil temperature and barometric pressure. Results from this study show that small changes in soil temperature can result in relatively large changes in indoor air VOC concentrations where the gas phase VOCs are sourced from non-aqueous phase liquids contained in the soil. We use the results from this study to show that a five degree Celsius increase in soil temperature, a variation in soil temperature that is possible in many climatic regions, results in a two-fold increase in indoor air VOC concentrations. Additionally, analysis provides insight into how building ventilation, diffusion, and the relative rate of soil-gas flow across the slab both from the subsurface into the building and from the building into the subsurface impact short term variations in concentrations. With these results we are able to provide monitoring recommendations for practitioners.

Quantitative assessment of upstream source influences on total gaseous mercury observations in Ontario, Canada

Abstract. Hourly total gaseous mercury (TGM) concentrations at three monitoring sites (receptors) in Ontario were predicted for four selected periods at different seasons in 2002 using the Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT) model, which transports Lagrangian air parcels backward in time from the receptors to provide linkages to the source region in the upwind area. The STILT model was modified to deal with Hg deposition and high stack Hg emissions. The model-predicted Hg concentrations were compared with observations at three monitoring sites. Estimates of transport errors (uncertainties in simulated concentrations due to errors in wind fields) are also provided that suggest such errors can reach approximately 10% of simulated concentrations. Results from a CMAQ chemical transport model (CTM) simulation in which the same emission and meteorology inputs were used are also reported. The comparisons show that STILT-predicted Hg concentrations usually agree better with observations than CMAQ except for a subset of cases that are subject to biases in the coarsely resolved boundary conditions. In these comparisons STILT captures high frequency concentration variations better than the Eulerian CTM, likely due to its ability to account for the sub-grid scale position of the receptor site and to minimize numerical diffusion. Thus it is particularly valuable for the interpretation of plumes (short-term concentration variations) that require the use of finer mesh sizes or controls on numerical diffusion in Eulerian models. We report quantitative assessments of the relative importance of different upstream sources for the selected episodes, based on emission fluxes and STILT footprints. The STILT simulations indicate that natural sources (which include re-emission from historical anthropogenic activities) contribute much more than current-day anthropogenic emissions to the Hg concentrations observed at the three sites.

Multivariate statistical analysis of nutrients and trace elements in plants and soil from northwestern Russia

Results are summarized of several field and greenhouse experiments designed to estimate differences in the ability of some plant species to take up from soil essential nutrients and various trace elements and transfer them from roots to upper plant parts. Instrumental neutron activation analysis was used to determine concentrations of 22 elements in plant and soil samples. Correlation and principal component analysis were applied for interpreting a large volume of experimental results. In many cases there was no statistically significant positive correlation between element concentrations in soil and concentrations of these elements in plants. Moreover, relationships between elements were often different in soil and in different plant parts, thereby suggesting quite different element behaviours in soil and in plants. Our experimental results and data published in the literature revealed that macro- and trace element concentrations might serve as a specific indicator of plant taxonomy, thus allowing for differentiation of the plants in accordance with concentrations of certain elements in roots or in leaves. Short-term variations in concentrations of elements typical for different plant species and factors affecting these variations indicated that diurnal dynamics of plant element concentrations were regular and species-specific.

Modelling the long-range transport of <sup>222</sup>Rn to subantarctic and antarctic areas

The long-range advection of 222 Rn over the Indian Ocean has been studied using a three-dimensional coarse-grid (8° × 10°) transport model of the global troposphere based on the meteorological fields of the GWE period (December 1978–November 1979). A uniform continental source of 222 Rn and a weak, wind-speed dependent oceanic source of 222 Rn has been prescribed in the simulations. Model predictions are compared to observations of the 222 Rn concentration at three Indian Ocean islands and one station located at the Antarctic coast. The advection of continental 222 Rn to these observing sites, each being several thousand kilometers away from major landmasses, requires several days and provides a unique opportunity for the validation of the transport model on time scales ranging from a few days to the seasonal cycle induced by seasonally changing transport patterns. The model is able to simulate several features of the time series observed in the Indian Ocean; however, it fails to correctly predict the seasonal cycle and the short-term concentration variations at the Antarctic coast. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0889.1990.00010.x