Sites In New York Research Articles

Observations of gas‐phase hydrogen peroxide at an elevated rural site in New York

Concurrent measurements of gas‐phase hydrogen peroxide and ozone, along with meteorological parameters, were made from July 1 to July 28, 1995, at Whiteface Mountain, a rural, high‐elevation site in the northeastern United States. H2O2 and O3 exhibited variability from day to day, with concentrations ranging from 0.15 to 5.15 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) (mean, 1.61±0.90 ppbv) and from 29 to 108 ppbv (mean, 50.2±14.6 ppbv), respectively. We present three case studies to elucidate the influence of atmospheric chemical and dynamical processes on the ambient concentrations of H2O2 and O3. Elevated levels of these two photochemical oxidants were observed during July 12–14, owing to an intense photochemical activity in the presence of a synoptic high‐pressure system centered over the northeast. Nocturnal maxima in H2O2 and O3 concentrations were observed and are thought to be due to mixing processes injecting air from aloft into the nocturnal boundary layer. While H2O2 showed a weak diurnal variation with a maximum concentration during daytime, O3 showed a weak reverse diurnal variation with nighttime concentrations higher than daytime. A strong positive correlation was observed between H2O2 and O3, suggesting that O3 serves as a source of hydroperoxy radicals (HO2), the precursor of H2O2. The concentration of HO2 in the atmosphere was estimated to be 23 parts per trillion by volume from the observed rate of production of hydrogen peroxide, which is in good agreement with the values reported based on direct measurements and modeling studies.

Assessment of soil calcium status in red spruce forests in the northeastern United States

Long-term changes in concentrations of available Ca in soils of red spruce forests have been documented, but remaining questions about the magnitude and regional extent of these changes have precluded an assessment of the current and future status of soil Ca. To address this problem, soil samples were collected in 1992-93 from 12 sites in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine to provide additional data necessary to synthesize all available research results on soil Ca in red spruce forests. Sites were chosen to encompass the range of environmental conditions experienced by red spruce. Concentrations of exchangeable Ca ranged from 2.13 to 21.6 cmolc kg 1 in the Oa horizon, and from 0.11 to 0.68 cmol c kg 1 in the upper 10 cm of the B horizon. These measurements expanded the range of exchangeable Ca reported in the literature for both horizons in northeastern red spruce forests. Exchangeable Ca was the largest Ca fraction in the forest floor at most sites (92% of acid-extractable Ca), but mineral Ca was the largest fraction at the three sites that also had the highest mineral-matter concentrations. The primary factor causing variability in Ca concentrations among sites was the mineralogy of parent material, but exchangeable concentrations in the B horizon of all sites were probably reduced by acidic deposition. Because the majority of Ca in the forest floor is in a readily leachable form, and Ca inputs to the forest floor from the mineral soil and atmospheric deposition have been decreasing in recent decades, the previously documented decreases in Ca concentrations in the forest floor over previous decades may extend into the future.

USING UNCENSORED TRACE‐LEVEL MEASUREMENTS TO DETECT TRENDS IN GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION1

ABSTRACT: Environmental decision making involving trace‐levels of contaminants can be complicated by censoring, the practice of reporting concentrations either as less than the limit of detection (LOD) or as not detected (ND) when a test result is less than the LOD. Censoring can result in data series that are difficult to meaningfully summarize, graph, and analyze through traditional statistical methods. In spite of the relatively large measurement errors associated with test results below the LOD, simple and meaningful analyses can be carried out that provide valuable information not available if data are censored. For example, an indication of increasing levels of contamination at the fringe of a plume can act as an early warning signal to trigger further study, an increased sampling frequency, or a higher level of remediation at the source. This paper involves the application of nonparametric trend analyses to uncensored trace‐level groundwater monitoring data collected between March 1991 and August 1994 on dissolved arsenic and chromium for seven wells at an industrial site in New York.

Neuropsychologic Impairment in Early HIV Infection

To explore the functional significance of incident neuropsychologic impairment among initially asymptomatic subjects infected with human immunodeficiency virus. Prospective, observational cohort study of homosexual and bisexual men to examine the incidence of work disability related to the onset of neuropsychologic impairment. A university clinical and behavioral research site in New York City. Sample of 207 homosexual and bisexual men; 123 were seropositive and 84 were seronegative. PRINCIPAL OUTCOME MEASURES: Incident work disability in the course of 4.5 years of follow-up, with disability defined as a persistent (> or = 24 months) change in work hours (from 20 or more to less than 20 h/wk). Compared with seronegative control subjects (n = 72), the relative risk of work disability among initially asymptomatic seropositive men (n = 44) was 2.76 (95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 6.5), nearly a threefold increase. Proportional hazards models show that this increased risk is attributable to the development of major neuropsychologic impairment in a subset (eight of 44) of the initially asymptomatic men, which is significantly associated with incident work disability (6/8 [75%]). Adjusting for symptom status and CD4+ cell count at the time of disability did not eliminate the increased risk associated with neuropsychologic impairment. In this cohort, the increased risk of work disability among initially asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus-positive men was related to incident neuropsychologic impairment; such impairment predicted work disability independently of symptom status and CD4+ cell count over the follow-up period. Neuropsychologic impairment in the course of human immunodeficiency virus infection may indicate increased risk for poor outcomes over and above that associated with systemic disease.

203 ETIOLOGY OF STRAWBERRY BLACK ROOT ROT

Black root rot is a devastating, poorly understood disease complex affecting strawberries throughout the world, especially in perennial plantings. Field measurements at 54 sites in New York were made for 113 cultural and environmental variables, and root health was quantified. Root health was negatively associated with wet, compacted soils where plants were grown for several years on flat beds with terbacil herbicide. Pratylenchus penetrans numbers were associated with rotting rots, but not in all sites. Rhizoctonia fragariae and Pythium spp. were usually isolated where black root rot was present, but not always. When strawberry plants were grown in infested soil at warm temperatures (23C), R. fragariae was most commonly isolated, and when grown in the same soil at cool temperatures (5C), Pythium was found. Inoculation of sterile soil with Pythium and/or Rhizoctonia reduced root dry weights, but symptoms were not identical to those observed in the field. Various combinations of pathogenic fungi, nematodes, soil compaction, flooding, low light and terbacil failed to recreate field symptoms in the laboratory. Tolerance rankings of 20 cultivars were different at four field sites. These observations suggest that black root rot can have many causes, and that susceptibility may be stress induced under field conditions.

Aqueous phase photochemical formation of hydrogen peroxide in authentic cloud waters

Authentic cloud water samples absorb ultraviolet radiation and thereby initiate formation of peroxides (primarily hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)). This aqueous phase photoformation of H2O2 is a widespread phenomenon in the terrestrial troposphere; midday equinox‐normalized H2O2 photoformation rates ranged up to 3.0 μM/h for 36 different cloud water samples collected from sites in New York, North Carolina, Ontario, Virginia, and Washington. By comparison, previously published field studies have shown that over the eastern United States and Canada, approximately 100% of winter cloud water samples, 58–100% of spring and fall samples, and 3–7% of summer samples had peroxide concentrations less than 5 μM.. Previously published model estimates of aqueous phase H2O2 formation rates in cloud drops from gas‐to‐drop transfer of H2O2 and HO2• range from 1–10 μM/h for all but the most pristine regions of the troposphere. Based on a comparison of these published field and modeling results with the measured aqueous phase H2O2 photoformation rates reported here, we conclude that aqueous phase photochemistry is a significant and in some cases probably dominant source of H2O2 to tropospheric cloud drops. Theory predicts and experiments confirm that the initial rate of aqueous phase H2O2 photoformation is linearly dependent on solar actinic flux. The chromophores responsible for aqueous phase peroxide photoformation have not been identified, but there is evidence that organic chromophores are responsible for the H2O2 photoformation reported here.

Bird Poisonings with Cyclodienes in Suburbia: Links to Historic Use on Turf

Although use of cyclodiene organochlorine insecticides were restricted during the 1970's, avian mortality associated with them persists. From 1986 through 1990, we documented 122 cases of avian mortality caused by poisoning with chlordane and/or dieldrin in urban and suburban sites in New York, Maryland, and New Jersey. Eleven species of songbirds and 9 species of raptors were represented in these diagnoses. In a summer survey of songbird mortality in suburban neighborhoods, poisoning with cyclodienes accounted for 17% of the mortality. Composite samples of surface soils (top 5 cm) from lawns (20-50 lawns/composite) in 7 residential areas where poisoned birds were found contained 0.55-9.85 ppm total cyclodienes (dry basis)

Degree and Scale of Terrestrial Acidification and Amphibian Community Structure

Censuses of forest floor amphibian assemblages at 17 sites in New York revealed that amphibian density and species richness were lower in more acidic habitats. At least three species of salamanders have field distributions that suggest an avoidance of acidic conditions. A gradient of humus and mineral soil pH exists with relatively high (H*)s in the forest interior and lower (H+)s near streams and seepage areas. Small scale maps of humus and mineral soil (H+) reveal much spatial heterogeneity in a beech forest and little in coniferous forests. The dominant modes of soil pH for New York and for sites around the globe are in the aluminum and iron buffering ranges, where these elements dominate soil chemistry. We hypothesize that high concentrations of aluminum and/or iron, in soil solutions at low pHs, reduce sodium available for uptake by amphibians, and together with increased sodium efflux on low pH substrates result in a toxic disruption of sodium balance. Future experiments must determine if artificially reduced humus and/or mineral soil pH reduce amphibian density and species richness.

A flexible model for quantitative comparisons of nitrogen mineralization patterns

Patterns of N mineralization vary widely between ecosystems, making intra- and interexperimental comparisons difficult at best. A flexible model, the Richards model, is suggested as a way of making comparisons. By changing its shape parameter, a flexible model can fit multiple mechanistic models, including first-order and logistic models. The scale-independent shape parameter (m) is a continuous variable that can be statistically analyzed to determine changes or differences in patterns. The model was tested with (1) simulations based on other mechanistic models; and with N mineralization data on soils from (2) urban and rural sites in New York; (3) forest soils in Alberta, Canada; and (4) arid and semiarid soils in Morocco. In all examples, the model was capable of fitting the data nearly as well as other specific models. With data based on the m values, soils in Morocco and organic horizons of coniferous forests in Alberta showed the same range in N mineralization patterns, although the soils varied in the amount of mineralizable N by an order of magnitude and time to reach maximum mineral N production by two-fold.

Nest-Site Selection of American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) in Salt Marshes

Nest-Site Selection of American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) in Salt Marshes

Control of volatile organic compound emissions at a landfill site in New York: A community perspective

This paper presents a case study of a Long Island. New York, landfill where methane and VOC gases were migrating off-site. The municipally owned and operated Port Washington Landfill located adjacent to residential housing was opened in 1974 and was placed on the U.S. EPA Superfund (rehabilitation) list in 1982 because of odour complaints. Community concerns have focused on combustible gases, odour control, and exposure to trace contaminants. A comprehensive data base and corrective action program was initiated to determine: (1) the extent of off-site volatile organic compounds (VOC) migration; (2) measures to control migration and emissions; and (3) impacts on VOC concentrations under residential areas. Full data reports and monthly interpretations have been provided to the citizenry. Results to date indicate that start-up and operation of the extraction system have significantly reduced off-site VOC concentrations.

Control of Volatile Organic Compound Emissions At a Landfill Site in New York: a Community Perspective

This paper presents a case study of a Long Island, New York, landfill where methane and VOC gases were migrating off-site. The municipally owned and operated Port Washington Landfill located adjacent to residential housing was opened in 1974 and was placed on the U.S. EPA Superfund (rehabilitation) list in 1982 because of odour complaints. Community concerns have focused on combustible gases, odour control, and exposure to trace contaminants. A comprehensive data base and corrective action program was initiated to determine: (1) the extent of off-site volatile organic compounds (VOC) migration; (2) measures to control migration and emissions; and (3) impacts on VOC concentrations under residential areas. Full data reports and monthly interpretations have been provided to the citizenry. Results to date indicate that start-up and operation of the extraction system have significantly reduced off-site VOC concentrations.

Formula omitted] Ratio: A signature for local coal-fired power plants

Eastern and midwestern U.S. coals have high Fe and low Mg concentrations relative to terrestrial crust, yielding Fe/Mg ratios of 30 ±14 and 53 ±40 (mean ± standard deviation) for these coals, respectively. Coal fly ash from the burning of these coals has similar ratios. The Fe/Mg ratios in emissions from coal-fired power plants should therefore be at least six-fold higher than the global crustal average of 2.4 and should be useful as a signature for emissions from coal combustion. The validity of this signature was determined by a comparative study at four sites in New York: Oneonta and Sugar Hill, both in close proximity to coal-fired power plants ( ~ 20–30 km), and Schoharie and Whiteface Mountain, both relatively distant from coal-fired power plants (> 100 km). High Fe/Mg ratios, up to 19, were observed only at Oneonto and Sugar Hill. Samples obtained at SCH and WFM bore a crustal character, with mean Fe/Mg ratios of 3.9 and 3.5. The Fe/Mg ratio thus holds promise as a signature for local coal-fired power plants.

The Pesticide Root Zone Model (PRZM): A procedure for evaluating pesticide leaching threats to groundwater

A continuous simulation model that considers interactions of pesticides in surface runoff (in water and on eroded sediment), advection in percolating water, molecular diffusion, dispersion, uptake by plants, sorption to soil, and biological and chemical degradation is described. The model was partially performance tested for aldicarb using data from field sites in New York, Florida, and Wisconsin. The model was successfully tested with observed data at the sites using selected values for 1st-order degradation rate constants and sorption coefficients. The model was successfully calibrated to the observed data at the New York site using selected values for 1st-order degradation rate constants and sorption coefficients. Calibrated parameter values were within the reported range of measured values, suggesting the model effectively simulates relevant processes affecting the pesticide's movement. An example of model application for a hypothetical pesticide applied to wheat in Nebraska is provided.

Seasonal structuring of a north temperature ant community

Ant nest were mapped in both time and space at two sites in New York over two consecutive years. Dispersion patterns, identity of nearest neighbor, and migration frequencies were also determined for three time points in 1981. Examination of nest distributions showed important seasonal variation with respect to spacing pattern and identity of nearest neighbors. Data pooled over an entire year suggested aggregation of nests with nonrandon species associations, yet these inferences were statistically significant only in early spring. Distances between neighboring colonies were low in early spring, high in mid-summer, and lower by late summer. Changes in ant nest distribution were mediated by colony migrations occuring throughout the season of activity. Although different species varied in their propensity to move, fluidity of community structure was a result common to all ant species studied.

Emissions of nitrous oxide from soils

Potential changes in the concentration of nitrous oxide (N2O) in the atmosphere have sparked considerable interest because of the proposed role of N2O in regulating stratospheric ozone levels, and in contributing to the atmospheric greenhouse effect. A substantial portion of the atmospheric N2O is thought to result from microbial transformations of inorganic forms of nitrogen in soils; N2O is an intermediate in denitrification (reduction of NO−3 to N2) and is formed during nitrification (oxidation of NH+4 to NO−3) in soils, although the mechanism is unclear. Several models have predicted that input of nitrogen into cropland, either from commercial fertilizers or N-fixing leguminous crops, could sufficiently increase emissions of N2O from soils to deplete stratospheric ozone levels1–3 and raise average world temperatures4. We report here N2O emissions from mineral and organic soil sites in New York and from organic soil sites in the Florida Everglades Agricultural Area.

Safer burial grounds for radioactive wastes

To help stem any leakage of radioactive wastes, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Department of the Interior, has embarked on an expanded program to study the hydrology and geology of the nation's present and proposed radioactive waste disposal sites. Despite recent reports by waste managers of underground leakage of radioactive wastes at burial sites, USGS scientists believe that safe burial grounds for solid radioactive wastes can be established but only if strict hydrogeologic criteria are rigorously applied in the selection of all new sites and if proper attention is given to inventory and classification of the waste to be buried. The USGS has been working with the Energy Research and Development Administration (formerly the Atomic Energy Commission) for more than 30 years on geology and water supply of atomic energy reservations and on research related to the disposal of high‐level liquid radioactive wastes in geologic formations, but the USGS role in solid radioactive waste disposal has been limited to reacting to problems as they were recognized by the agencies responsible for the regulation and development of nuclear energy.In 1975, Congress instructed the USGS to establish hydrogeologic criteria within 5 years for the selection of future sites for the disposal of solid radioactive wastes. In compliance with these instructions the USGS launched comprehensive field investigations in cooperation with responsible state agencies at state‐owned commercial burial sites in New York, South Carolina, and Kentucky. Similar studies that will include at least 5 years of data collection are planned in Illinois, Nevada, and Washington. These studies should have wide application because they will provide data on what has happened to radioactive wastes in six different hydrogeologic environments.

Corn in the culture of the mohawk iroquois

The Mohawk Iroquois developed a culture similar to that of other Iroquois tribes and probably quite like that of many other woodland Indian tribes in its dependence upon corn (Zea Mays L.). Since I have assisted in the excavation of one of the three known Mohawk village sites in New York (Garoga site in Ephratah), I have become particularly interested in the great role which corn played in the culture of these pre-contact cultures. Although their enemies gave them the name Mohawk, which means "maneaters," these Indians might more appropriately have been called "corn-eaters." All of their activities revolved around the planting, care, harvesting, and storing of the grain. That corn was the focal point of the Mohawk culture is substantiated by both archeological evidence and by accounts of explorers and of the Indians themselves. The acquisition of cornl by the Mohawks is as uncertain as is the origin of the whole Iroquois family. Apparently the Mohawks were one of the "Laurentian" Iroquois (1); this group split from the main body of Iroquois in the Great Lakes region after the Iroquois had moved up from the south or southwest. The Mohawks and other Laurentian Iroquois (e.g., Hurons) moved further north than the rest, into what is now the Province of Quebec. The Mohawks settled there; and when Cartier explored the St. Lawrence in 1535, he discovered the thriving Mohawk village of Hochelaga on an island in the St. Lawrence River. Since this village was "encompassed by cornfields" (2), the Indians had, by this time, acquired corn. How they acquired it is uncertain, although a clue is offered by an old Seneca chief who told an interviewer that the Seneca Iroquois, "in their ancient wars with the southern Indians brought back . . . various kinds of corn . . . which they found growing in the southern

Color television in medical education: a report on "telecolor clinics".

Between Oct. 21, 1953, and June 2, 1954, the American Cancer Society, in conjunction with the Columbia Broadcasting System, presented Telecolor Clinics, a series of 30 one hour, closed circuit, network color television programs for physicians. The first 15 programs emanated from a studio in the Francis Delafield Hospital of the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, and the remaining 15 from a studio in the Memorial Center for Cancer and Allied Diseases, New York. The programs were televised simultaneously to a network of specific receiving sites in New York; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Boston; Toledo, Ohio; Detroit; and Dearborn, Mich. A projector television receiver with a screen measuring 4 1/2 by 6 ft. was installed in an auditorium at each receiving point (fig. 1). These screens can accommodate an audience of about 400 persons. Each program concerned some phase of cancer, with emphasis placed on the importance of early diagnosis and prompt