Water Research Institute Research Articles

Toray establishes water treatment R&D centre at NEWRI in Singapore

Toray Industries Inc of Tokyo, Japan, has established a laboratory at Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) based in Singapore. It has been set up to conduct research into water treatment technology.

Impact of a coastal dump in a tropical lagoon on trace metal concentrations in surrounding marine biota: A case study from Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)

Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific, University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam 96923, USA b School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia Division of Environmental Quality, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Saipan, MP 96950, USA Coastal Resources Management Office, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Saipan, MP 96950, USA The objective of BASELINE is to publish short communications on different aspects of pollution of the marine environment. Only those papers which clearly identify the quality of the data will be considered for publication. Contributors to Baseline should refer to ‘Baseline—The New Format and Content’ (Mar. Pollut. Bull. 42, 703–704).

Effects of arbuscular mycorrhiza, soil sterilization, and soil compaction on wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) nutrients uptake

The stress of soil compaction, because of using agricultural machinery, may provide conditions such as limiting nutrient uptake, not suitable for plant growth. Here we hypothesized that using arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM, plant symbiotic fungi), as a biological method, may overcome the stress of soil compaction on wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) growth by enhancing nutrient uptake. Soil surface layer of the Experimental Research Field of Soil and Water Research Institute in Karaj, Iran, was sieved, sterilized, and compacted at 10 kg pots in two experiments. At seeding wheat seeds were inoculated with different species of Glomus fungi with different origins. Shoot nutrient uptake of N, P, K, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu was determined. Soil sterilization significantly increased the nutrient uptake of mycorrhizal wheat even at the highest level of compaction. Even under compacted conditions, increased P uptake, due to AM inoculation had an important role to alleviate the stress. This novel finding may indicate the important role of AM to overcome the stress of soil compaction on wheat nutrient uptake, the independency of AM origin on their functionality, and the great importance of managing soil biological communities in agricultural systems.

Estimation of climate change impact on water resources by using Bilan water balance model

Modelling of water balance under changed climate conditions has been carried out by T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute in Prague for basins in the Czech Republic since 1990. The studies presently use climate change scenarios derived from simulations by regional climate models. Climate change scenarios are reflected in meteorological time-series for given catchment and subsequently used for simulation of water cycle components by using Bilan water balance model. Results of Bilan model simulations for input meteorological series not affected and affected by climate change scenarios give information for assessing the climate change impacts on output series of the model. The results of the studies generally show that annual runoff could largely decrease. The increased winter temperature could cause an increase in winter flows and a decrease in snow storage, and consequently, spring and summer outflows will decrease significantly, even to their current minimum values. The groundwater storage and base flow could also be highly reduced. The described method has been used in a number of research projects and operational applications. Its typical application is aimed at assessing possible impacts of climate change on surface water resources, whose availability can subsequently be analysed by using water management models of the individual basins. The Bilan model, particularly in combination with Modflow model, can also suitably be used for simulation and assessments of groundwater resources.

Isolation and characterization of ACC deaminase-producing fluorescent pseudomonads, to alleviate salinity stress on canola ( Brassica napus L.) growth

Salinity stress is of great importance in arid and semi-arid areas of the world due to its impact in reducing crop yield. Under salinity stress, the amount of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC), a precursor for ethylene production in plants, increases. Here, we conducted research under the hypothesis that isolated ACC deaminase-producing Pseudomonas fluorescens and Pseudomonas putida can alleviate the stressful effects of salinity on canola (Brassica napus L.) growth. The experiments were conducted in the Soil and Water Research Institute, Tehran, Iran. Seven experimental stages were conducted to isolate and characterize ACC deaminase-producing Pseudomonas fluorescens strains and to determine factors enhancing their growth and, consequently, their effects on the germination of canola seeds. Under salinity stress, in 14% of the isolates, ACC deaminase activity was observed, indicating that they were able to utilize ACC as the sole N-source. Bacterial strains differed in their ability to synthesize auxin and hydrogen cyanide compounds, as well as in their ACC deaminase activity. Under salinity stress, the rate of germinating seeds inoculated with the strains of ACC deaminase-producing Pseudomonas fluorescens and Pseudomonas putida, and seedling growth was significantly higher. These results indicate the significance of soil biological activities, including the activities of plant growth-promoting bacteria, in the alleviation of soil stresses such as salinity on plant growth.

English

A GIS-based decision support system was developed to aid in restoration planning by integrating various chemical and ecological modeling components that the West Virginia Water Research Institute has developed over the past five years. Using the popular GIS platform of ArcMap, computer code was written in Visual Basic .Net environment to develop an extension for GIS to visually illustrate remediation and alternative outcomes. Building upon the existing 1:24,000 segment level or reachshed delineation of watersheds for all of WV and a network model to examine pass through issues, the user is able to compare treatment options and locations for building spatially explicit AMD restoration plans. The advantage of the system is its straightforward mass-balance water quality model and logical decision alternative matrix with costs and ecological benefits. It is possible to visually iterate and illustrate outcomes downstream of various treatment/restoration scenarios. The result is a spatially explicit cumulative watershed modeling framework for quantifying stream conditions at multiple scales.

Questions about the American Academy of Microbiology Report on Clean Water

The National Water Research Institute's January 9, 2008 Newsletter carried a reference to the report American Academy of Microbiology report “Clean Water: What Is Acceptable Microbial Risk?” (http://www.asm.org/ASM/files/ccLibraryFiles/Filename/000000003520/Clean%20Water%20Small.pdf). I looked this report over and noted some areas that lead to questions. I would appreciate some considered response to the following. I saw nothing on the issues related to transferring antibiotic (antimicrobial) resistance, although there was some discussion of virulence transfer. Thus at least there is the opening to discuss genetic transfer a bit further. I sit on a WERF/EPA panel looking at risk assessments and that group also is thin on looking at the issue of resistance. Both Joan Rose and Amy Pruden sit on this panel. Both note deficiencies in current water quality standards.

Landform classification from a digital elevation model and satellite imagery

The Iranian Soil and Water Research Institute has been involved in mapping the soils of Iran and classifying landforms for the last 60 years. However, the accuracy of traditional landform maps is very low (about 55%). To date, aerial photographs and topographic maps have been used for landform classification studies. The principal objective of this research is to propose a quantitative approach for landform classification based on a 10-m resolution digital elevation model (DEM) and some use of an Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) image. In order to extract and identify the various landforms, slope, elevation range, and stream network pattern were used as basic identifying parameters. These are extractable from a DEM. Further, ASTER images were required to identify the general outline shape of a landform type and the presence or absence of gravel. This study encompassed a relatively large watershed of 451 183 ha with a total elevation difference of 2445 m and a variety of landforms from flat River Alluvial Plains to steep mountains. Classification accuracy ranged from 91.8 to 99.6% with an average of 96.7% based upon extensive ground-truthing. Since similar digital and ASTER image information is available for Iran, an accurate landform map can now be produced for the whole country. The main advantages of this approach are accuracy, lower demands on time and funds for field work and ready availability of required data for many regions of the world.

Using arbuscular mycorrhiza to alleviate the stress of soil compaction on wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) growth

Since large areas of agricultural fields in the world become compacted every year, much effort has been made to reduce the adverse effects of soil compaction on plant growth. Mechanical methods to control soil compaction may be laborious and expensive; however, biological methods such as using arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) may be more useful, economically and environmentally. The objectives of this study were: (1) to evaluate the effects of soil compaction on wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) growth, and (2) to evaluate if using AM of different origin can reduce the stressful effects of soil compaction on wheat growth. Unsterilized and sterilized soils, different levels of compaction and three species of arbuscular mycorrhiza were applied in four replicates. The experiments were conducted in the Soil and Water Research Institute, Karaj, Iran. Soil physical and chemical properties were determined. The AM increased wheat growth in both soils at different levels of soil compaction in both experiments. For root, shoot ( P=0.1) and grain ( P=0.05) dry weights increases were significant. AM enhanced root growth more than shoot growth under compaction (AM resulted in significant increase in root/shoot ratios, P=0.1). Due to its unique characteristics, AM may reduce the stressful effects of soil compaction on wheat growth, though its effectiveness may decrease with increasing compaction.

Flow Characteristics in a Rotating Circular Flume

Increased construction activity and associated receiving water concerns in the Greater Toronto Area has prompted this study to advance our knowledge on cohesive sediment transport processes in rivers and lake environments. Flow characteristics in a rotating circular flume at the National Water Research Institute (NWRI), Burlington, Ontario were studied using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. The objective of this study was to use a CFD model to predict the complex 3D turbulent flow characteristics, including the tangential flow velocity distribution, turbulent secondary flow circulation patterns, and the bed shear stress distributions. The numerical model was calibrated using experimental data collected using a Laser Doppler Anemometer for velocity profiles and measurements obtained by a Preston tube for bed shear stress distributions. Tangential velocity profiles and bed shear velocity distributions across the rotating circular flume were used to evaluate the accuracy of the model predictions. When compared with experimental smooth bed shear stress data, the model performed reasonably well for the range of flume speeds examined. The calibrated CFD model was then used for simulating a series of 210 scenarios using varying ring operating speeds over a range of flow depths and bed roughness heights. The numerical simulation results were then used to study the complex 3D turbulent flow conditions in the circular flume at NWRI, including velocity profiles, turbulence characteristics of flow and bed shear stress distributions.

Cadmium uptake rates in freshly hatched zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae in the presence of two dissolved organic matter (DOM) isolates

Cadmium uptake rates in freshly hatched zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae in the presence of two dissolved organic matter (DOM) isolates By T. Meinelt, B. K. Burnison, M. Pietrock, E. Zwirnmann, A. Wienke and C. E. W. Steinberg Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany; Environment Canada, National Water Research Institute, Burlington, Ontario, Canada; Environment Canada, Fluvial Ecosystem Research Section, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Medical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Informatics, Halle, Germany; Institute of Biology, Freshwater and Stress Ecology, Humboldt-University at Berlin, Arboretum, Berlin, Germany

Flow Characteristics in a Rotating Circular Flume

Increased construction activity and associated receiving water concerns in the Greater Toronto Area has prompted this study to advance our knowledge on cohesive sediment transport processes in rivers and lake environments. Flow characteristics in a rotating circular flume at the National Water Research Institute (NWRI), Burlington, Ontario were studied using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. The objective of this study was to use a CFD model to predict the complex 3D turbulent flow characteristics, including the tangential flow velocity distribution, turbulent secondary flow circulation patterns, and the bed shear stress distributions. The numerical model was calibrated using experimental data collected using a Laser Doppler Anemometer for velocity profiles and measurements obtained by a Preston tube for bed shear stress distributions. Tangential velocity profiles and bed shear velocity distributions across the rotating circular flume were used to evaluate the accuracy of the model predictions. When compared with experimental smooth bed shear stress data, the model performed reasonably well for the range of flume speeds examined. The calibrated CFD model was then used for simulating a series of 210 scenarios using varying ring operating speeds over a range of flow depths and bed roughness heights. The numerical simulation results were then used to study the complex 3D turbulent flow conditions in the circular flume at NWRI, including velocity profiles, turbulence characteristics of flow and bed shear stress distributions.

Erratum to “Fate of organochlorine contaminants in arctic and subarctic lakes estimated by mass balance modelling” [Science of the Total Environment 342 (2005) 245–259

a Environmental Chemistry Research Group, Department of Geography, University of Toronto, 100 St. George St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G3 b Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3E5 c Freshwater Institute, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N6 d National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, P.O. Box 5050, Burlington, Ontario, Canada L7R 4A6

Establishment of spatial data infrastructure within the environmental sector in Slovak Republic

Life quality improvement depends on our willingness to develop and on the accessibility of relevant and high quality information influencing our decisions. Spatial information plays an important role in this improvement process, because it allows information to be integrated from a variety of disciplines for various uses and users. Within the environmental sector of Slovakia we see that there is a great demand for the use of and access to spatial information. On the other hand, we are still facing problems connected with incompatibility, low accessibility, data gaps, duplicity of collection, insufficient access to metadata, varying standards and a low level of coordination. Fortunately things are getting better and the establishment of the spatial data infrastructure (SDI) defined by INSPIRE can bring solutions for these kind of problems. Therefore the team of the Department of Informatics at the Slovak Environmental Agency (SEA) with mutual cooperation of GIS specialists from other governmental institutions managed under the Ministry of the Environment (MoE) of the Slovak Republic (namely the Geological Survey of the Slovak Republic, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, the Slovak Water Management Enterprise, the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic, the Water Research Institute and the Slovak Caves Administration, the Slovak Museum of Nature Protection and Speleology) decided to develop a distributed geographically oriented system, which brings a new approach to the collection, administration, dissemination and publishing of spatial information. The old way of complicated mutual exchange among heterogeneous environments and platforms and difficult access for various users was going to be replaced by a new approach based on the principle of interoperability and standards.

DEVELOPMENT OF SOIL/GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM FROM AVAILABLE NON – REGISTERED HARD COPY MAPS IN EGYPT

The Soil, Water, and Environment Research Institute(SWERI), Agricultural ResearchCenter, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation inEgypt has acquired large data sets for soil characteristics, soilclassification, and soil suitability for agricultural purposes.Such data have been collected for large areas of Egypt inhardcopy format with various scales ranging from 1: 50000 to 1:250000 over a long period of time.Unfortunately, these valuable soil maps have been developedin hard copy maps that did not contain any information regardingdatum, map projection, or coordinate system. Some of these soilmaps contain few topographic features background (River Nile,shore line, few canals or drains).Others do not contain any topographic features at all and shareonly an overlap area with other maps, preventing the usage ofsuch huge valuable data.A new approach has been adopted to transform the soil mapsand data into a usable geo-reference format utilizing GIS tools.All soil maps are scanned and transformed to raster format.Topographic data sets with scales 1: 50000 and 1: 250000 sharingthe same coverage of soil maps have been digitized andtransformed to a comprehensive topographic GIS database, whichare then used for raster soil maps geo-referencing.Then the on screen digitizing process is performed to develop a soil GIS database for large area of Egypt, including various soilparameters and characteristics. On this basis, the available mapsand soil data could be collected in one data set, allowing forcomprehensive soil investigation analysis and planning as well asestablishing a base reference for change detection throughoutvarious decades utilizing available remote sensing satellite imagesand soil data at SWERI in the future research.

Linking Water Science to Policy: Results from a Series of National Workshops on Water

To ensure science better informs the decision-making process, researchers and policy/program managers need to understand and respect each other's way of working, culture and operational timelines. However, there is little practical guidance on how this should be done and even less documented experience with specific mechanisms that better link these two groups. The published literature on information transfer has largely emphasized the dissemination of standard packages of information to ill-defined constituencies whose needs for scientific information are not well understood. Environment Canada's National Water Research Institute, on behalf of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, led a series of "Linking Water Science to Policy Workshops" as one such mechanism by which recent science could be delivered to practitioners, and practitioners could identify their research needs to scientists and research managers. There is a pressing need to explore and share experiences using creative mechanisms for sustained dialogue and networking between scientists and policy and program managers. The lessons learned from the workshop series and the need for science to continually inform the decision-making process has particular relevance for Canada's Ecosystem Initiatives given their integrated, place-based focus on long-term restoration and protection, and the challenge of continually changing ecosystems.

In Katrina’s Wake

Hurricane Katrina has been called the most devastating natural environmental calamity in U.S. history. Visitors to the scene say the destruction is worse than anyone can imagine. Scientists also say that some perceived health threats have been overblown and others understated. Months after Katrina roared into the Gulf Coast, the environmental health implications of the storm are still being assessed. Katrina presented residents of the Gulf Coast with a bewildering array of environmental health hazards. Aside from standing floodwater, hazards included a lack of potable water, sewage treatment, and electricity; chemical spills; swarms of insects (with anecodotal accounts of vermin and hungry domestic dogs); food contamination; disrupted transportation; mountains of debris; buildings damaged and destroyed; rampant mold growth; tainted fish and shellfish populations; and many potential sources of hazardous waste. Some impacts, such as deaths from drowning and injuries from cleaning up debris, have been relatively easy to determine. Others, such as post-traumatic stress disorder from the loss of homes and loved ones, may never be fully quantified. In the weeks following the storm, federal agencies such as the NIEHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as state environmental and public health agencies, sent scientists to the region to begin assessing the environmental and human health impact of the disaster. Much of what they found was presented on October 20 at a meeting of the National Academies Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine (commonly known as the EHSRT), supported by the NIEHS, the CDC, the EPA, Exxon-Mobile Corporation, the American Chemistry Council, and the Brita Water Research Institute. Still more information continues to emerge today. And much simply remains to be seen.

Humic Substances: Molecular Details and Applications in Land and Water Conservation Edited by Elham A Ghabbour (Northeastern University, Boston and Soil, Water and Environmental Research Institute, Alexandria, Egypt) and Geoffrey Davies (Northeastern University). Taylor and Francis, Inc.: New York. 2005. xviii + 268 pp. $119.95. ISBN 1-59169-031-5.

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVBook ReviewNEXTHumic Substances: Molecular Details and Applications in Land and Water Conservation Edited by Elham A Ghabbour (Northeastern University, Boston and Soil, Water and Environmental Research Institute, Alexandria, Egypt) and Geoffrey Davies (Northeastern University). Taylor and Francis, Inc.: New York. 2005. xviii + 268 pp. $119.95. ISBN 1-59169-031-5.Cite this: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 45, 15989–15990Publication Date (Web):September 29, 2005Publication History Published online29 September 2005Published inissue 1 November 2005https://doi.org/10.1021/ja059787pCopyright © 2005 American Chemical SocietyRIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views112Altmetric-Citations-LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit Read OnlinePDF (32 KB) Get e-AlertsSUBJECTS:Aggregation,Materials,Soils,Sorption,Water Get e-Alerts

Characterizing Riverine Biofilms using Scanning Transmission X-ray and Transmission Electron Microscopies

* Electron Microscopy Facility, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8N 3Z5, Canada. ** National Water Research Institute, PO Box 5050, 867 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, Canada. *** Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M1, Canada. ****National Water Research Institute, 11 Innovation Blvd., Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5, Canada. ***** Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA, 94720 ******Department of Applied Microbiology and Food Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.

Operational optimisation of ICP—octopole collision/reaction cell—MS for applications to ultratrace selenium total and speciation determination

This paper describes the optimisation of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICPMS) equipped with collision/reaction cell (C/RC) technology for selenium analysis at ultratrace level. Gas flow rates for helium and hydrogen were carefully optimised using experimental design methodology in order to efficiently remove interferences (ArAr+ dimer) while keeping maximum sensitivity on 80Se. A mixture of both gases with 0.5 ml min−1 of He and 3.8 ml min−1 of H2 was selected as the best compromise. Voltage of the different ionic lenses disposed around the C/RC, allowing a better focalisation of the ion beam and kinetic energy discrimination, was also investigated and retained values were: −14 V for quadrupole bias, −13 V for octopole bias, −20 V for cell entrance, −20 V for cell exit and –45 V for plate bias. Detection limits in total analysis are close to 30 ng (Se) l−1 which represents a three times improvement to the ones obtained without C/RC. These conditions were tested with HPLC coupling for speciation of selenite (SeIV), selenate (SeVI), selenomethionine (SeMet) and selenocystine (SeCyst). Depending on selenium species, the detection limits achieved in C/RC mode monitoring 80Se are in the range 70–180 ng (Se) l−1 which represents a 2 times improvement in comparison with 82Se monitoring in standard mode. Accuracy of the method was tested by analysing spiked water and certified reference material (Rain water, TM-Rain95, National water research institute, Canada).