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1
Ahmad, Muhammad Nauman. "Air pollution impacts to agricultural crops." Thesis, University of York, 2010. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/1165/.
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Although air pollution levels are increasing, there is no knowledge of air pollution effects on agricultural crops in the Peshawar region of Pakistan. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of ozone (O3) and hydrogen fluoride (HF) on agricultural crops in Peshawar through a combination of field work and experiments. The mean monthly O3 concentration in Peshawar, measured using passive samplers, was between 25-30ppb in February and March, but increased to 35-55ppb in April and May; it fell to 15-20ppb in November/December. O3 injury was found on potato (black flecking), onion (leaf tipburn) and cotton (white stipples) in a survey in April/May, but was absent from many other crops. No O3 injury was found on any crops during a winter survey. O3 fumigation experiments on spinach (Beta vulgaris) and onion (Allium cepa) in open-top chambers in UK showed that high O3 concentrations can affect both species in terms of visible injury and growth. However, onion is at greater risk in the field as it is a summer crop and is likely to be exposed to high O3 concentrations, unlike spinach, which is grown in the winter season. An EDU experiment on spinach under field conditions in Peshawar showed no effect on growth during winter season. However, elemental contents of spinach were significantly reduced in EDU treated plants. The HF concentrations in Peshawar, measured using passive samplers were higher in summer than in winter in areas close to brick kiln fields. The mean summer concentration was 0.2μg HF m-3, with maximum of 0.3μg HF m-3 in May. HF was below detection limits of <0.1μg HF m-3 in November-December. Severe HF injuries to mango, apricot and plum leaves, in form of necrotic leaf margins and tipburn, were found near the brick kiln fields. Tomato, maize, wheat and sugarcane were found to be less sensitive, but also showed some HF injury. The fluoride content of fruit leaves, wheat grains and spinach was significantly higher in the brick kiln area than at control sites. There was no significant difference between the soil fluoride content of wheat fields in the brick kiln area and at control sites. Wheat grown at different NaF levels in alkaline soils similar to those in Peshawar, in a greenhouse experiment in the UK showed no effect of fluoride on growth. The degree of powdery mildew infestation increased with increased fluoride concentrations in the soil and ear emergence was also delayed in all treatments except the control. It was concluded that O3 and HF are significant pollutants in Peshawar, especially for summer crops. More detailed studies should be conducted to determine the magnitude of damage caused by these pollutants in the Peshawar region.
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Brown, Colin David. "Pesticide movement from agricultural land." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 1993. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.238925.
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Falconer, Katherine. "Environmental policy and the use of agricultural pesticides." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1997. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/271974.
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Ward, Neil. "Farming on the treadmill : agricultural change and pesticide pollution." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1994. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1349790/.
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The thesis examines the pollution of water by pesticides in Britain, an issue of public and political concern since the late 1980s as the results of extensive water monitoring, required under the EC's Drinking Water Directive have highlighted the spread and levels of contamination. The study explores the co-evolution of post-war agricultural policy and pesticide usage and examines how pesticide pollution of water has been constructed as a 'problem' and how this has been contested by different groups. Survey material from the Bedford Ouse catchment in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire is used to explain how farmers use pesticides, for what reasons, and with what understandings of the pollution risks their use brings. The questions to be addressed are: i) why, since the Second World War, have pesticides become such an important element of farming practice in Britain ? ii) how do farmers decide which chemicals to use and how to use them ? iii) how has pesticide pollution of water emerged as a 'problem' ? and iv) what are the implications for farming practices of regulations to tackle pesticide pollution ? Pollution is conceptualised as the outcome of a pollution production process' involving a network of actors, including farmers, advisors, scientists, pesticide manufacturers and regulatory agencies. Through an examination of farmers' actions in this context the thesis shows that, far from being the result of some natural technological progression, the increasing dependence upon pesticide technologies has been shaped and determined by broader social and political factors. The first part of the thesis explores the historical context for pesticide use in Britain, concentrating on the roles of agricultural policy and science and technology. In the second part, the actions of arable farmers are assessed through locally-based fieldwork conducted in 1991 in the catchment of the Bedford Ouse.
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Buck, Sharon Perkins. "Applying Probabilistic Risk Assessment to Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/36525.
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A probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) for the discharge of excessive nitrogen from nonpoint sources (NPSs) to a stream was performed for a small agricultural watershed in northern Virginia. Risk, by definition, is the product of the frequency of occurrence of an event and the consequences of that event. The purpose of this research was to determine the probability of occurrence of a nitrogen discharge event (i.e., frequency). The consequences of such a discharge event were not explicitly determined but were implicitly assumed to be negative in nature.
An event tree was developed to show the basic hydrologic processes at work in a small watershed. However, the event tree could not be used to discover the causes for nitrogen loss from the watershed. Therefore, a fault tree was developed for excessive nitrogen discharge in surface runoff on any day from agricultural sources. The development of the fault tree was found to be a useful exercise in understanding the intricate cause and effect relationships between agricultural practices and NPS pollution. Based on the results, the fault tree methodology might be used as an effective teaching or communication tool.
The fault tree was also evaluated quantitatively to determine a probability of occurrence for excessive nitrogen discharge to the stream on any day. Land use, fertilization, monitoring, and long-term weather records were used in conjunction with scientific judgment and expert opinion to establish the probabilities within the fault tree and to calculate the overall probability of nitrogen discharge to the stream on any day.
The results obtained from the fault tree calculations tend to underestimate the importance of cropland best management practices (BMPs) over the long term, because the fault tree was developed on a daily basis (i.e., every day in a year has the same probability of a discharge event occurring). A more accurate depiction of the NPS pollution control problem was achieved by assuming the occurrence of a runoff event. A second fault tree was presented for the discharge of excessive nitrogen to the stream during a runoff event. The quantitative assessment of the new fault tree showed more clearly the impact of BMPs on reducing the likelihood of nitrogen discharge. A 0.15 decrease in the probability of nitrogen discharge during a runoff event was calculated for the Owl Run watershed from 1987 to 1993 due to the effects of BMPs installed during that time period. A 0.20 decrease was calculated for an Owl Run subwatershed for the same time period. This subwatershed isolated two major dairy operations and the effects of the BMPs installed for those dairies.
Despite the success of the fault tree in mirroring changes within the watershed, the amount of data and time required to perform the quantitative assessment may limit its use in the NPS pollution control field. The basic nature of the fault tree technique also limits its usefulness in the field. One such limitation is that degrees of events cannot be expressed. For example, a BMP is either present or not present on a fault tree. There can be no indication of how effective the BMP is in preventing NPS pollution without substantially increasing the level of detail displayed by the tree. Another limitation is that the ultimate result of the fault tree calculations is a probability of occurrence. This value is not as easily understood as the output of NPS pollution computer models, for example, where the output has specific meaning and units (e.g., milligrams of nitrogen per liter of runoff). The qualitative fault tree, however, has the advantage over computer models when it comes to understanding the concepts behind the technique and being able to see the cause and effect relationships at work in the watershed. Laypersons can understand the fault tree more easily than the complex computer code and intricate equations of models.Master of Science
6
Salvato, M. "Performance of wetland systems in reducing agricultural nitrogen pollution." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Padova, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11577/3426572.
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The thesis is about the performance of wetland systems in reducing agricultural nitrogen pollution. It takes into account two experiments at different scale: a 3200 m2 pilot surface wetland and a mesocosm trial.
In the first case the aim was to evaluate the performance of the wetland, located at the experimental farm of the University of Padova (Italy), in abating nitrogen coming from 5 ha of surrounding fields. Overall, for the entire period (2.5 years), the basin performed well in abating both nitrate and total nitrogen with a removal efficiency of about 90%.
The major quantity of removed nitrogen was stored in vegetation and soil and only 6% was estimated as being lost with denitrification.
In the mesocosm experiment the aim was to compare five different species in abating nitrogen coming from a reconstructed wastewater. The experimental setup consisted of plastic tanks, filled with gravel and vegetated with Carex elata All., Juncus effusus L., Typhoides arundinacea (L.) Moench var. picta, Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. and Typha latifolia L.. There was also a control without vegetation. A solution of increasing concentrations of NH4-N and NO3-N was applied to the tanks, over 31 cycles of differing lengths. At the end of each cycle exiting water was analysed to determine the two nitrogen forms. All water volumes entering and exiting the tanks were measured in order to evaluate evapotranspiration. At the end of the trials T. latifolia had removed 82% of the entering nitrogen, followed by T. arundinacea (76%), C. elata (75%), Ph. australis (72%) and J. effusus (64%). The control removed 45% of the entering nitrogen. The fate of the two forms of nitrogen differed as NH4-N disappeared almost completely and in short time in all the treatments while NO3-N showed different removal efficiency depending on season and considered species.
The major quantity of entering nitrogen was stored in plant tissues with different percentages depending on species. The calculated denitrification varied from 18% for J. effusus to 37% for T. arundinacea.Il lavoro è consistito nello studio dell’efficienza delle zone umide costruite nel ridurre l’azoto proveniente dall’inquinamento di origine agricola. La tesi prende in considerazione due prove sperimentali a diversa scala nel triennio 2007-2009: una zona umida a flusso superficiale di 3200 m2 e una prova a scala di mesocosmo. Nel primo caso l’obiettivo era di valutare l’efficienza della zona umida sita presso l’azienda agraria sperimentale dell’Università degli Studi di Padova, nell’abbattere azoto proveniente da 5 ha di circostante terreno coltivato. Alla fine del periodo considerato (2.5 anni) il bacino ha dimostrato di abbattere molto bene sia l’azoto nitrico che totale con efficienze di rimozione introno al 90%. La maggior parte dell’azoto in entrata è stata immagazzinata nel comprato suolo/vegetazione mentre la denitrificazione è stata stimata pari al 6%. Nella prova a scala di mesocosmo l’obiettivo era di comparare l’efficienza di rimozione dell’azoto di cinque diverse specie. L’impianto sperimentale era costituito da vasche in plastica riempite di ghiaia e vegetate con Carex elata All., Juncus effusus L., Typhoides arundinacea (L.) Moench var. picta, Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin., and Typha latifolia L.. Era presente anche un controllo non vegetato. Una soluzione con concentrazioni crescenti di NH4-N and NO3-N è stata applicata alle vasche effettuando 31 cicli di diversa durata. Alla fine di ogni ciclo l’acqua in uscita dalle vasche è stata analizzata per azoto nitrico e ammoniacale. I volumi di acqua in entrata e uscita sono stati misurati al fine di calcolare l’evapotraspirazione. Considerando tutti e tre gli anni di prova, Typha latifolia L. ha rimosso l’82% dell’azoto in entrata seguita da Typhoides arundinacea (L.) Moench (76%), var. picta, Carex elata All. (75%), Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin., (72%) e Juncus effusus L. (64%). Il controllo non vegetato ha rimosso invece il 45%. Azoto ammoniacale e nitrico hanno presentato diverse dinamiche di scomparsa. Il primo è stato abbattuto quasi completamente e in breve tempo in tutti i trattamenti, il secondo invece è stato rimosso in maniera diversa a seconda della stagione e della specie considerata. La maggior quantità di azoto in entrata è stata immagazzinata nei tessuti con percentuali diverse secondo le specie. La denitrificazione calcolata varia dal 18% in Juncus effusus L. al 37% in Typhoides arundinacea (L.) Moench var.picta.
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Dils, Rachael Miriam. "Phosphorus fractionation in hillslope hydrological pathways contributing to agricultural runoff." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.252323.
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Sweetman, Andrew J. "Organic contaminants in sewage sludges and their fate in agricultural soils." Thesis, Lancaster University, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.296973.
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Godun, Oleh Serhiyovich. "Generation of phosphorus bioavailability in runoff from a calcareous agricultural catchment." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.244141.
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Puvaneswaran, Pathmadevy. "Agricultural sources for lake pollution : soil erosion in Slapton Ley catchment." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 1990. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/10240/.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of soil erosion as a factor in lake pollution and in particular the transport of phosphorus from field soils to streams and lakes in association with mobile sediment. Four land uses were selected as representative of the Slapton Ley catchment area to investigate the levels of phosphorus in the soil. The surface soil samples from the selected land use areas were analysed to determine the water-soluble phosphorus level in solution and exchangeable phosphorus level in sediment. Twelve experimental plots were studied in order to assess the erosional effects of overland flow and thus to determine the level of phosphorus from different land uses which may be influencing the eutrophication of the lake. It was concluded that slope angle, vegetation cover, surficial soil properties, animal influence and agricultural practice are the main factors influencing sediment transportation by overland flow. Estimated results for the agricultural fields indicated that the actual phosphorus loss to the Ley is always greater in sediment than solution and actual phosphorus loss in sediment is greater in arable (root) and cereal than in grass. The point water samples (136) from 13 different sources were grouped. Mean value of phosphorus concentration from the point sources indicated that the agricultural land uses such as arable and cereal provide 2 times more exchangeable phosphorus attached to sediment than the other land uses whereas farm and sewage provided 5 times more soluble phosphorus in water than other sources. Phosphorus concentration during peak discharge was examined for the Cara catchment. The results indicated that the ratio of phosphorus concentration in suspended sediment to phosphorus concentration in water is 240: 0.3 and that there is a linear relationship between phosphorus in water and phosphorus in sediment during the peak discharge. Sediment phosphorus levels in the marsh area were also examined. The results indicated that the top layers of the marsh sediment particularly at the surface, have higher phosphorus concentration than the lower layers and that there are higher levels in sediment than in water. From these results the conclusion was drawn that the soluble phosphorus in water is at highest concentration in sewage works effluent. However this effluent contributes a small proportion of phosphorus load to the Ley compared with the arable (root), cereal and grass lands in the catchment. Agricultural sources, particularly arable sources such as root and cereal play an important role on soil erosion as a factor in lake pollution and in particular in the transport of phosphorus from field soils to streams and lakes in association with mobile sediment in the Slapton Ley catchment.
11
Kampas, Athanasios. "Policies to control agricultural externalities : the case of nitrate pollution." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.299637.
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Hoff, Margaret A. (Margaret Ann). "Control of agricultural nonpoint source pollution in Kranji Catchment, Singapore." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82712.
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Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2013.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 78-82).
Singapore's Kranji Reservoir is highly sensitive to nutrient and bacterial pollution, both of which can be directly traced to agricultural runoff. Water quality samples were collected along the main drainage channel in the Neo Tiew subcatchment, which drains to Kranji Reservoir, in an effort to determine the source and degree of agricultural nonpoint source pollution in the area. Grab samples collected from eight sampling locations along the reach of the drainage channel under wet- and dry-weather conditions were analyzed for nitrogen, phosphorus, and bacterial species, as well as total suspended solids. High nutrient and bacterial concentrations were observed at sampling locations in the upstream region of the subcatchment, with total nitrogen as high as 19.8 mg/L, total phosphorus as high as 2.12 mg/L, and a peak total coliform count over 1,000,000 MPN/100 mL. The peak concentration of most of the observed contaminants occurred directly downstream from an intensive row-cropping vegetable production operation. These observations indicate that this farming operation is a primary, though not sole, contributor to nonpoint source pollution in the area. A constructed free-water-surface treatment wetland was designed to treat runoff immediately downstream from the identified source. The designed wetland is projected to remove, depending on flow conditions, between 13 and 99% of influent total phosphorus, 51 to 99% of influent total nitrogen, greater than 99% of influent fecal coliform, and approximately 75% of influent total suspended solids. Agricultural management practices for mitigating runoff contamination are also recommended, including cyclic irrigation and crop rearrangement. It is evident that agricultural nonpoint source pollution is a significant water quality concern in the Neo Tiew subcatchment in particular and the Kranji catchment in general, but there are a number of promising and practical options to address this problem.
by Margaret A. Hoff.
M.Eng.
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Phillips, Spencer Rickert. "Evaluating agricultural pesticide use and risk for the Chesapeake Bay /." This resource online, 1990. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-03242009-040742/.
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Blanco-Canqui, Humberto. "Grass barrier and vegetative filter strip effectiveness in reducing runoff, sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus losses /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 2003. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p3115525.
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Brunsdon, Jennifer Lee. "The economic evaluation of the social costs of agricultural groundwater pollution." Thesis, Montana State University, 1989. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/1989/brunsdon/BrunsdonJ1989.pdf.
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There is overwhelming evidence that agricultural chemicals make a positive contribution to U.S. agricultural production. In order to determine the net benefit (cost) to society of agricultural chemicals, the social costs and benefits must be quantified and valued. One potential social cost of agricultural chemical use is the human health effects of chemically-contaminated groundwater. In this thesis a multidisciplinary framework, incorporating physical models and economic production models, is developed to value the health risks of polluted groundwater. This framework can also be used to determine the impacts of agricultural policy on groundwater quality. In the economic model, farmers jointly make input use, management and land use decisions. Land use decisions determine the environmental characteristics of the land in production. The farmer's economic production model is linked with an environmental damage model (such as a chemical fate and transport model) to determine the amount of groundwater pollution resulting from the use of agricultural chemicals on land with particular environmental characteristics. Toxicology and epidemiology studies are used to estimate the human health risks presented by groundwater contamination, and a contingent valuation method is used to place a value on those risks. The contingent valuation method uses survey techniques to elicit individuals' willingness to pay for a change in the level of groundwater contamination and the accompanying change in health risks. A case study is presented in order to evaluate the feasibility of linking the chemical fate and transport, economic, and human health models. Although the general physical models needed for this framework are currently available, most of these models are designed to be used by researchers within the respective discipline. Consequently, there are some important gaps in methods and data, including: (1) chemical fate and transport models that do not simulate chemical movement down to the groundwater zone, (2) lack of chemical-specific toxicity and epidemiologic data, and (3) lack of location-specific environmental data. This study illustrates the need for researchers to be aware of the implications and potential applications of their research, both within and outside their fields.
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Koo, Bhon Kyoung. "Agricultural non-point source nitrate pollution control by land use optimisation." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.268366.
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Gowda, Prasanna H. "An integrated spatial-process model to predict agricultural nonpoint source pollution." The Ohio State University, 1996. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1153354089.
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Halstead, John Michael. "Managing ground water contamination from agricultural nitrates." Diss., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/54787.
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Ground water contamination from agricultural nitrates poses potential adverse health effects to a large segment of the rural population of the United States. Contamination is especially prevalent in livestock intensive areas, which produce large quantities of animal waste with substantial nitrogen content.
In this study, potential management strategies for reducing nitrate contamination of ground water from agricultural sources were examined using an economic-physical model of a representative dairy farm in Rockingham County, Virginia. A mixed integer programming model with stochastic constraints on nitrate loading to ground water and silage production was used to simulate the impacts of various nitrate loading reduction strategies on estimated farm level net returns over variable costs. A survey of all dairy operations in the county was conducted to assist in specifying the mathematical programming model, identify current nutrient management and quality issues, and gauge farmers’ attitudes toward ground water quality and agricultural chemical use.
Results of the model indicate that substantial reductions in current nitrate loadings are possible with relatively minor impacts on farmers’ net returns through the use of currently practiced approaches of cost sharing for manure storage facility construction and nutrient management planning. Greater loading reductions are achievable through presently untried policies of land use restrictions, bans on purchase of commercial fertilizer, and imposition of standards on loadings to ground water. These reductions are achieved, however, at higher costs in terms of reduced net returns.
Study results indicate that a wide range of policy options exist for reducing nitrate loading to ground water; these reductions, while varying in cost, do not appear to come at the expense of eliminating the economic viability of the county dairy sector. Model results indicate that reductions in nitrate loading of 40 to 70 percent (on average) could be achieved with reductions in farmers’ net returns of one to 19 percent, respectively, when cost sharing for manure storage construction was provided. Explicit consideration was given to the annual variability in nitrate loading due to weather and other factors. The result was higher policy costs than when average loadings alone were considered.Ph. D.
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Davis, Peter Edward. "Simulated effects of agricultural management systems on potential nonpoint source loading of nitrate and pesticides." Thesis, This resource online, 1991. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-08142009-040338/.
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Yiridoe, Emmanuel Kobina. "Bio-economics of agricultural nonpoint source pollution control, nitrates in southwestern Ontario." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/nq24433.pdf.
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Wilson, Clevo. "Cost and policy implications of agricultural pollution, with special reference to pesticides." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/3725.
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Modem commercial agricultural practices involving chemical inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides have been associated with huge increases in food production never witnessed before, and in the case of cereal production (especially wheat) under Green Revolution technology, recorded spectacular growth. As statistics show, production and productivity have increased. However, the high chemical usage of fertilizers and pesticides used to bring about these increases in food production are not without problems. A visible parallel correlation between higher productivity, high artificial input use and environmental degradation and human health effects is evident in many countries where commercial agriculture is widespread. The high usage of these chemical inputs has caused numerous pollution problems impacting on human health, agricultural land, other production processes, wildlife and the environment in general. The private and external costs are very high. Such a production path is clearly unsustainable. This Ph.D. study lays its focus on estimating the private costs of illnesses arising from direct exposure to pesticides during handling and spraying by farmers on their farms in Sri Lanka. For this purpose three valuation techniques are used. They are the contingent valuation, cost of illness and the aversive behaviour approaches. Multiple regression analyses are also carried out to establish several relationships involving pesticide handling/spraying and direct exposure to pesticides. Policy implications of the regression analyses are then discussed. A health production model showing the relationships between the three approaches used for estimating the private costs of ill health and thereby inferring the willingness to pay for pollution control is presented. The theoretical background to agricultural pollution, drawing examples mostly from Asia, is also dealt within this thesis. Data for this Ph.D. study were obtained from a field survey carried out in the summer of 1996. During this survey, 227 subsistence farmers handling and spraying pesticides on a regular basis were interviewed to gather the necessary data. For the analysis of data, only 203 samples are used.
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Alizadeh, Sanaz. "Use of biochar for reducing female sex hormonal pollution in agricultural areas." Thesis, McGill University, 2014. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=121578.
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Poultry and liquid swine manure are major sources of bioactive levels of natural steroidal sex hormones, including 17β-estradiol, estrone, testosterone and progesterone. Although several detailed studies have investigated the environmental pathways and ecotoxicology of high-toxicity-at-low-concentrations of sex hormones in soil and water media, there is a lack of knowledge with respect to the fate and transport of steroid hormones in the soil matrix and aquatic media. Three separate studies were performed with the objective of developing effective on-field remediation techniques in order to reduce the environmental and biological hormonal pollution from agricultural sources. In the first study, the sorption retention and desorption resistance of two types of biochars (fast and slow pyrolysis) for three female sex hormones (17β-estradiol, estrone, progesterone) was evaluated in batch equilibrium experiments. Slow-pyrolysis biochar demonstrated a stronger remediation capability than the fast-pyrolysis biochar in this study. In the second study, the retention potency of slow pyrolysis biochar was assessed as a topsoil amendment on the fate and transport of the three sex hormones in a sandy soil over a 45-day period where poultry and liquid swine manure were applied as fertilizer to outdoor lysimeters, irrigated with different levels of simulated rainfall. A significant difference (p<0.05) was observed between the spatial-temporal stratification of three hormones in lysimeteres with soil and soil-biochar treatments. The significant lower mass of hormones quantified at different depths of the soil profile and the measured concentration of all three hormones in collected leachate samples over time in the lysimeters amended with 1% slow pyrolysis biochar, potentially confirmed the hypothesis of this study, confirmed the highly effective retention capability of biochar as a soil-amendment for reducing manure-borne hormonal pollution in soil and water.Les lisiers de volaille et de porc sont les principales sources, à des niveaux bioactifs, d'hormones sexuelles stéroïdiennes naturelles tel le 17β-estradiol, l'estrone, la testostérone et la progestérone. Quoique plusieurs études détaillées aient enquêté sur les chaînes de pénétration dans l'environnement et l'écotoxicologie de haute-toxicité-à-faible-concentration des hormones sexuelles dans la matrice du sol et dans les milieux aquatiques, il demeure des lacunes en ce qui concerne le devenir et le transport des hormones stéroïdes dans ces milieux. Trois études distinctes furent réalisées ayant pour objectif de développer des techniques d'assainissement sur le terrain qui permettraient de réduire la pollution hormonale liée aux sources agricoles et ses effets néfastes sur l'environnement et les biotes. Dans la première expérience, la rétention par sorption et la résistance à la désorption de trois hormones sexuelles féminines (17β-estradiol, estrone, progestérone) en présence de deux types de biochars (pyrolyse lente ou rapide) fut évalué par lots d'échantillons sous conditions d'équilibre. Le biochar produit par pyrolyse lente démontra une plus grande capacité d'assainissement que celui produit par pyrolyse rapide. Dans une seconde étude, entreprise à l'extérieur en lysimètres, le potentiel de rétention d'un biochar produit par pyrolyse lente et servant comme amendement à la couche arable d'un sol sablonneux, fut évalué, sur une période de 45 jours, quant à son effet sur le sort et le transport des trois hormones sexuelles féminines. Chacun des lysimètres reçurent du lisier de volaille ou de porc comme engrais, et fut irrigué avec un niveaux particulier de précipitation simulée. Entre le sols ayant ou n'ayant pas reçu d'addition de biochar, une différence significative (p < 0.05) dans la stratification spatio-temporelle des trois hormones dans le sol fut évidente. Pour la duré de l'expérience, les teneurs des trois hormones à différentes profondeurs du profil du sol et dans le lixiviat furent sensiblement moins élevés dans les lysimètres dont le sol avait reçu un amendement de biochar à pyrolyse lente (à 1%), que ceux n'ayant pas reçu d'amendement. Ces résultats confirmèrent l'hypothèse de l'étude qui voudrait que le biochar utilisé comme amendement au sol confère une excellente capacité de rétention, dans le sol et dans l'eau, des polluants hormonaux provenant de lisiers.
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Veith, Tamie L. "Agricultural BMP Placement for Cost-effective Pollution Control at the Watershed Level." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/27247.
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The overall goal of this research was to increase, relative to targeting recommendations, the cost-effectiveness of pollution reduction measures within a watershed. The goal was met through development of an optimization procedure for best management practice (BMP) placement at the watershed level. The procedure combines an optimization component, written in the C++ language, with spatially variable nonpoint source (NPS) prediction and economic analysis components, written in the ArcView geographic information system scripting language. The procedure is modular in design, allowing modifications or enhancements to the components while maintaining the overall theory.
The optimization component uses a genetic algorithm to optimize a lexicographic multi-objective function of pollution reduction and cost increase. The procedure first maximizes pollution reduction to meet a specified goal, or maximum allowable load, and then minimizes cost increase. For the NPS component, a sediment delivery technique was developed and combined with the Universal Soil Loss Equation to predict average annual sediment yield at the watershed outlet. Although this evaluation considered only erosion, the NPS pollutant fitness score allows for evaluation of multiple pollutants, based on prioritization of each pollutant. The economic component considers farm-level public and private costs, accounting for crop productivity levels by soil and for enterprise budgets by field. The economic fitness score assigns higher fitness scores to scenarios in which costs decrease or are distributed more evenly across farms. Additionally, the economic score considers the amounts of cropland, hay, and pasture needed to meet feed and manure/poultry litter spreading requirements.
Application to two watersheds demonstrated that the procedure optimized BMP placement, locating scenarios more cost-effective than a targeting strategy solution. The optimization procedure identified solutions with lower costs than the targeting strategy solution for the same level of pollution reduction. The benefit to cost ratio, including use of the procedure and implementation of resulting solutions, was demonstrated to be greater for the optimization procedure than for the targeting strategy. The optimization procedure identifies multiple near optimal solutions. Additionally, the procedure creates and evaluates scenarios in a repeated fashion without requiring human interaction. Thus, more scenarios can be evaluated than are feasible to evaluate manually.Ph. D.
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Qiu, Zeyuan. "Integrated assessment of agricultural nonpoint source pollution in Goodwater Creek Watershed, Missouri /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 1996. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p9821344.
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Zoozi, Suha. "An evaluation of particulate phosphorus storage in an agricultural estuary." Thesis, University of Plymouth, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/2774.
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Knowledge of fine sediment delivery (both timing and loading) is fundamental to the assessment of non-point source pollution in estuarine environments. This study comprised three key components that led to the development of a fine sediment and particulate associated phosphorus budget in a typical agricultural estuary. Firstly, to explore catchment inputs, turbidity and flow were monitored continuously upstream of the freshwater/saline interface on the main stem channel of the south Devon River Avon, which drains a medium sized agricultural catchment (area 340 km2), in southwest UK. Thirty-five storms were studied in detail; and the hydrological and suspended sediment load response was observed to be highly variable. Suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) reached a maximum of 804 mg L-1 and sediment load varied from 3 to 227 t per hydrological event. Most sediment load was concentrated in winter months when competent flows occur frequently. Hydrological response was also variable in terms of lag, hydrograph shape and maximum discharge wherein the response to hydrological drivers was not consistent. Analysis of key storm parameters indicated that the hydrological response of the catchment was affected by the total amount of precipitation and antecedent rainfall history but the spatial pattern in rainfall across the catchment in relation to the spatial pattern of sediment sources was the key factor influencing total load. In the second component, examination of the sediment-associated phosphorus concentrations in the surface sediment in the Avon estuary was undertaken to evaluate spatial variation in concentration as influenced by the sediment storage dynamics of key geomorphological zones i.e. saltmarshes, intertidal flats and sandy shoals. Phosphorus concentrations ranged from 1524 to 68 mg kg-1 with higher concentrations found in saltmarsh. While there was no observed relationship between key sediment properties, particle size and total organic carbon within the different geomorphic units, a clear trend in particle size and particulate phosphorus concentration was observed longitudinally between mudflat zones linked to the sedimentation dynamics of the estuary. Furthermore, the relationship of particulate phosphorus concentration to organic matter content was modified by saltmarsh vegetation inputs to the sediment column. The final component of the work drew on evidence from a GIS and field-based survey to estimate (i) the total fine sediment and associated particulate phosphorus loading of the estuary and (ii), in conjunction with river flux data and literature evidence, the total fine sediment and PP storage and the annual sediment budget (inputs, storages and output) for the study estuary. The total amount of fine sediment stored in the estuary was ca. 99000 t which equated to 40 - 100 years of the annual sediment load of the river. Approximately 50% of all fine sediment that currently enters the estuary was estimated to be retained in storage supporting the important role of estuarine sediment sink zones in the attenuation of phosphorus. The total particulate phosphorus storage in estuary fine sediment was estimated to be 20 – 40 times the measured annual catchment particulate phosphorus input. Future changes in catchment sediment supply dynamics linked to catchment restoration programmes and soil conservation initiatives could destabilise estuarine sediment sinks and this has potentially important implications for future estuarine water quality. There is a need for further work on the potential bioavailability of estuarine sediment stored phosphorus.
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Meyer, Ben Anton. "An examination of pollution awareness and prevention in Montana secondary agricultural education programs." Thesis, Montana State University, 2007. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2007/meyer/MeyerB0807.pdf.
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Rees, Gwendolen Jayne. "Two analyses of costs of agricultural NPS pollution: Transactions costs of expanding nutrient trading to agricultural working lands and Impacts of TCs and differential BMP adoption rates on the cost of reducing agricultural NPS pollution in Virginia." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/52939.
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For over 30 years, federal and state governments have been engaged in a collective effort to improve the water quality and living resources in the Chesapeake Bay (CB), focusing particularly on reducing delivered nitrogen and phosphorus loads. However, achievement of water quality objectives remains elusive. In Virginia, agriculture represents the single largest source of nutrient loads to the Chesapeake Bay. Despite aggressive regulatory efforts in other nutrient source sectors, state authorities rely on educational programs and voluntary financial assistance programs to induce landowners to adopt best management practices (BMPs) that reduce agricultural nutrient loads. This study explores two economic aspects of efforts to reduce agricultural nonpoint source (NPS) pollution in the Virginia portion of the CB watershed.
Firstly, current and possible future transactions costs associated with specific aspects of agricultural NPS participation in water quality trading (WQT) programs are examined in Chapter 1. A case study approach is used to consider the possible cost consequences of expanding the use of NPS credits from agricultural 'working lands' BMPs in Virginia. Findings indicate that overall transactions costs for nutrient trades involving agricultural NPS in Virginia are currently relatively low, due to the type of activities being credited: simple land conversions. Based on best available evidence, the administrative transactions costs of creating credits on agricultural 'working lands' using management and structural BMPs will be 2 to 5 times more costly on a per project basis than for credits generated from land conversions. Compliance monitoring protocols were found to be a significant driver of costs for credits generated from working agricultural lands. These results suggest an important cost/risk tradeoff between verification cost and compliance certainty for program designers to consider.
The second study (Chapter 2) considers the economic cost of meeting pollution reduction targets for the Virginia portion of the CB Watershed. Existing cost models are based on simplifying behavioral assumptions about public transactions costs, conservation adoption rates, and implementation costs of agricultural BMPs. This study builds on the existing literature and uses the estimates of transactions costs from Chapter 1 together with information on producer BMP adoption rates to examine the implications of including transactions costs and differential BMP costs and adoption rates when estimating the minimum costs of achieving specified nutrient reduction goals in Virginia. The paper uses a cost-minimizing mathematical programming approach and models a number of different cost scenarios. Results indicate that inclusion of transactions costs substantially affects estimates of total costs of meeting nutrient reduction goals; on average total costs increased by 44 percent, but ranged between 19 and 81 percent depending on the scenario analyzed. Analysis of the modelled scenarios shows that those BMPs that account for the most implementation costs do not necessarily account for the most transactions costs (and vice versa). This suggests that transactions costs should be acknowledged to vary with the type of practices being implemented, rather than being approximated as either a fixed amount or a fixed proportion of implementation costs. In addition, the analysis highlights the disproportionate costs associated with achieving nutrient reductions via high-cost adopters, and suggests there may be a role for education or extension to assist landholders to lower opportunity costs of participating in conservation.Master of Science
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Lange, Jennifer Marie. "Engineering analysis of the air pollution regulatory process impacts on the agricultural industry." Thesis, Texas A&M University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/85899.
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The EPA press release dated February 23, 2004 states that the three Buckeye Egg Farm facilities had the potential to emit more than a combined total of 1850 tons per year of particulate matter (PM). This number was based on flowrate calculations that were three times higher than those measured as well as a failure to include particle size distributions in the emissions calculations. The annual PM emission for each facility was approximately 35 tons per year. The EPA was unjustified in requiring Buckeye Egg Farm to obtain Title V and PSD permits as the facilities could not have met the thresholds for these permits. Engineers need to be concerned with correctly measuring and calculating emission rates in order to enforce the current regulations. Consistency among regulators and regulations includes using the correct emission factors for regulatory permitting purposes. EPA has adopted AERMOD as the preferred dispersion model for regulatory use on the premise that it more accurately models the dispersion of pollutants near the surface of the Earth than ISCST3; therefore, it is inappropriate to use the same emission factor in both ISCST3 and AERMOD in an effort to equitably regulate PM sources. For cattle feedlots in Texas, the ISCST3 emission factor is 7 kg/1000 hd-day (16 lb/1000 hd-day) while the AERMOD emission factor is 5 kg/1000 hd-day (11 lb/1000 he-day). The EPA is considering implementing a crustal exclusion for the PM emitted by agricultural sources. Over the next five years, it will be critical to determine a definition of crustal particulate matter that researchers and regulators can agree upon. It will also be necessary to develop a standard procedure to determine the crustal mass fraction of particulate matter downwind from a source to use in the regulatory process. It is important to develop a procedure to determine the particulate matter mass fraction of crustal downwind from a source before the crustal exclusion can be implemented to ensure that the exclusion is being used correctly and consistently among all regulators. According to my findings, the mass fraction of crustal from cattle feedlot PM emissions in the Texas High Plains region is 52%.
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Eriksson, Niclas. "Adaption of the Agricultural Non-point Source Pollution Model to the Morsa Watershed." Thesis, Uppsala University, Department of Mathematics, 2003. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-121804.
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Oztas, Nur Banu. "Pesticide Pollution In Surface And Ground Water Of An Agricultural Area, Kumluca, Turkey." Phd thesis, METU, 2007. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12609445/index.pdf.
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Concentrations of 17 organochlorine and 14 organophosphorus pesticides were measured in 27 ground and 11 surface water samples collected from a heavily agricultural area, Kumluca, in spring and fall seasons of 2005. The samples were preconcentrated by Solid Phase Extraction. GC-ECD and GC-NPD systems were used for quantitative determination of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides respectively.
The quality check/quality assurance tests were performed by the analysis of field and laboratory blanks, standard reference materials, spiked control and sample matrices, surrogate standards, sampling and analysis replicates. It is observed that, sample matrix lowers average percent recoveries from 89% to 76%.
The uncertainties of measurements were calculated to determine major factors affecting the analysis results. It was observed that uncertainty arising from extraction procedure was generally the highest.
The most commonly observed pesticide was endosulfan (70%) and chlorpyriphos (53%) for organophosphorus and organochlorine pesticides. The highest average concentration was observed for heptachlor (26 ng/L) and fenamiphos (184 ng/L).
Generally pesticides were detected more often in surface waters, where the concentrations were also higher. The concentrations of organophosphorus pesticides in spring, and organochlorine pesticides in fall season were higher.
The high occurrences and detection of degradation products of chlorinated pesticides clearly indicate their intense use before 1980s. It is shown that, in Kumluca environment, degradation of these pesticides mostly occurs in surface waters.
It is observed that agricultural activities affect water quality in the region. The total concentration limit (500ng/L) was exceeded for 27% of surface and 14% of ground water samples, at least once in both seasons. The legal limit for a single pesticide (100ng/L) was exceeded by 32 % of surface, 24 % of ground water samples.
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Mouratiadou, Ioanna. "Assessing agricultural and nitrate pollution control policies with a bio-economic modelling approach." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/28673.
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Agricultural production and sustainable management of water resources are often in conflict. Focusing on the economy-agriculture-water resources links, two major policies are currently in place in the European Union: the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Within these two policies, we are dealing with two conflicting goals in relation to agriculture: to minimise the adverse impacts of the sector on the water environment, and to maximise its economic return. Nitrogen fertiliser use is a particularly sensitive issue, given that it is one of the most significant factors determining farm productivity and agricultural diffuse pollution, and its impact on crop yields and pollution losses is determined by complex processes controlled by both natural and man-made factors. Clearly, analysing and modelling such a system requires understanding of both natural and social sciences. This thesis analyses the problem of nitrate water pollution from agricultural sources, with a focus on arable cropping systems. The impact of agricultural and water management policies on farmers' decision making and the resultant economic and nitrate pollution effects are investigated. The Lunan Water catchment in Scotland was used as a case study to i) explore the water quality and economic effects of the 2003 CAP Reform and the CAP Health Check, ii) assess the cost-effectiveness of economic and managerial measures against nitrate pollution, and iii) evaluate the effectiveness of the methodology used. The above goals were achieved by using a bio-economic modelling approach, which combines bio-physical and mathematical programming modelling. The results indicate that the decoupling of subsidies under the CAP reform resulted in minor changes regarding land use and subsequently economic and water quality indicators. The abolition of set-aside under the CAP Health Check increased farm incomes through the substitution of set-aside by profitable winter cereal crops. Even though these changes resulted in increased fertiliser use, the results indicate that this does not necessarily imply increased nitrate leaching due to rotational effects associated to the nature of nitrate losses. An analysis of the relative cost-effectiveness of measures demonstrated that similar leaching reductions can be incentivised through a number of economic instruments, such as per unit taxes on nitrogen fertiliser inputs and nitrate leaching, per hectare nitrate leaching standards and nitrogen fertiliser quotas, and subsidies and cross-compliance measures aiming at the reduction of fertiliser intensity. Taxes impose considerable costs on farmers without resulting in significant nitrate leaching reductions. On the other hand, subsidies impose the costs of environmental protection on the rest of the society, while cross-compliance can deliver water quality improvements at a lower cost compared to taxes. Cross-compliance instruments can either be used for the enforcement of measures at the farm level, such as nitrogen quotas, or measures at the field level, such as crop and soil specific reductions in fertiliser inputs. Further, the results indicate that considerable leaching reductions through changes in inputs can only be achieved at a significant cost. Thus, farm infrastructure measures and training and education of farmers, could further assist in achieving water quality objectives. The bio-economic modelling methodology used provided a consistent framework for water policy assessment in the agricultural sector, as it allowed integrating agronomic, environmental and economic information in a single framework. This was achieved at three spatial scales: the field scale capturing agronomic and environmental diversity, the farm scale that offers a better representation of farmers' actual behaviour, and the catchment scale that allows consideration of the aggregate policy impacts. The thesis also demonstrates the complexity of the issues involved, and highlights the challenges to be overcome.
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Singh, Rajesh Kumar. "Identification of critical areas of non-point source pollution from flat agricultural watersheds." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/MQ37167.pdf.
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Williams, Bethany K. Semlitsch Raymond D. "A multi-scale investigation of ecologically relevant effects of agricultural runoff on amphibians." Diss., Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri--Columbia, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10355/6641.
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Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on Feb 25, 2010). The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Dissertation advisor: Dr. Raymond D. Semlitsch. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.
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Bumbudsanpharoke, Wimolpat. "Behaviours and attitudes in the management of nonpoint source pollution : Ping River Basin, Thailand." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/4741.
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Agricultural nonpoint source pollution is recognised as a major cause of water pollution. The characteristics of nonpoint source pollution suggest that an efficient approach should focus on a source control and hence land-use management. Recently, the concept of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) has been advanced as an efficient market-based approach to protect in-stream water quality, while simultaneously supporting agriculture. Farmers can be rewarded for the adoption of certain ‘Best Management Practices’ (BMPs) in farming systems. But little is known about the adoption of BMPs in the context of Thai agriculture. This thesis examines the adoption of twelve BMPs on citrus farms in the Ping river basin in northern Thailand. In the context of potential PES development, three studies were undertaken using frameworks from economics and psychology. The first study used a bottom-up engineering approach to estimate economic costs of twelve BMPs at the farm-scale. The total annualised costs, including installation, maintenance, and land opportunity costs of each BMP were compared. The results indicated that land opportunity cost was the largest proportion of total costs. These estimates provided a basis for discussion on how the farmers’ perception of cost may influence their stated adoption intention. The second study used the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), to investigate farmers’ intentions on adoption of twelve BMPs. A survey of 218 citrus farmers was undertaken in the application. Descriptive statistics and frequency of BMP selection were presented. The results showed that soil analysis was the most preferred BMP. A graphical analysis of other preferred measures suggested that these were not always consistent with the known cost information derived (above) and thus farmers’ perceived costs might not be the most important factor influencing adoption decisions. Further analysis based on TPB investigated other factors thought to be significant in farmers’ decision-making. Other potential external and psychological factors influencing adoption were investigated using a multinomial logistic model. The results indicated that the probability of adopting BMPs was associated with other psychological factors and external factors, rather than perceived costs. The significant psychological factors were farmers’ attitudes towards consumers and perception about farm returns, while the significant external factors were, for example, access to information and contribution of family labour to farm workload. The third study was based on the application of Q-Methodology, and aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of farmers’ perception towards BMPs. Seventy two participants were purposively selected from the 218 TPB observations. The results revealed four distinctive farmer groups holding different perceptions towards BMPs. The four groups were conservationist, traditionalist, disinterested, and risk-averse. These provided a specific segmentation to guide policy towards influencing attitudes and behaviours. The results suggested that farmers were not motivated solely by a profit maximisation goal. Overall, key findings from these three studies revealed some fundamental requirements for developing a water-related PES programme. These were: i) factors affecting eligibility to participate; ii) factors affecting desire to participate; and iii) factors affecting ability to participate. This information provided the basis for a set of recommendations addressing the development of the water-related PES programme in the Ping river basin.
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Yang, Yali. "Evaluating agricultural non-point source pollution using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool, SWAT." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp01/MQ30044.pdf.
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Golembeski, Robert C. "Agricultural practices and nitrate pollution in ground water in the Central Valley of Chile /." Electronic version (PDF), 2004. http://dl.uncw.edu/etd/2004/golembeskir/robertgolembeski.pdf.
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Harman, Michael B. "Preferential flow and phosphorus translocation in benchmark soils of West Virginia." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 2008. https://eidr.wvu.edu/etd/documentdata.eTD?documentid=5758.
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Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2008.Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 124 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.
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Cowell, Sarah J. "Environmental life cycle assessment of agricultural systems : integration into decision-making." Thesis, University of Surrey, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.265649.
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Montague, David Joel. "Managing agricultural contamination of ground water: the institutional framework." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/43408.
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Shamblin, Michael D. "Evaluating runoff water quality and ammonia volatilization in three turkey litter application methods." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 2002. http://etd.wvu.edu/templates/showETD.cfm?recnum=2668.
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Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2002.Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 59 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 43-45).
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Bastien, Charlotte. "Pesticide levels in agricultural drainage systems in Quebec." Thesis, McGill University, 1991. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=60528.
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A study was conducted to measure pesticide concentrations from two tile-drained potato fields in Saint-Leonard d'Aston, Quebec. Soil and water samples were analysed for the pesticides metribuzin, fenvalerate and aldicarb in 1989, and for metribuzin and phorate in 1990.Metribuzin concentrations up to 3.47 $ mu$g/l were detected in the tile drain water. Surface runoff samples had metribuzin concentrations up to 47.086 $ mu$g/l. Aldicarb was not detected in any of the water samples. Fenvalerate was detected in surface runoff at a level of 0.05 $ mu$g/l during the 1989 growing season. Phorate was not detected in subsurface drain water in the 1990 growing season.
Pesticide levels were higher in the surface soil layer (0-5 cm), than at 25 cm depth. Fenvalerate was detected at a level of 0.013 $ mu$g/g in the surface (0-5 cm) soil samples. Phorate concentrations of up to 0.020 $ mu$g/g were detected in soil samples. Aldicarb was not detected in the soil samples. Metribuzin was found mostly in the soil surface layer with concentrations of up to 0.23 $ mu$g/g during the 1990 growing season.
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Walker, Sharyl E. "A model for predicting bacteria concentrations in runoff from agricultural lands." Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/53195.
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Runoff from agricultural lands carrying microorganisms from livestock manure can contaminate the food and water supplies of both animals and humans. Planning and design of animal waste best management practices (BMPs) thus becomes more important as livestock populations become more concentrated. A computer model is proposed to predict the effects of animal waste BMPs on the bacteria concentration of runoff from agricultural lands. The model uses Monte Carlo simulation to combine the deterministic relationships resulting from previous modeling efforts with statistical knowledge concerning rainfall events and temperature variation. Model output is in the form of monthly maximum and minimum log bacteria concentrations of runoff resulting from a storm assumed to occur immediately after manure is applied to the land. The effects of implementing such BMPs as waste storage, filter strips, and incorporation of manure into the soil can be compared. Data and information collected from the Owl Run watershed in Fauquier County, Virginia is used to demonstrate the model applicability and potential.
Long-term manure storage is determined to be the most appropriate practice for reducing bacteria concentrations for the study site. Incorporation of manure is as effective as long-term storage, but requires additional labor. Buffer strips significantly reduce bacteria concentrations, but not as effectively as long-term storage or incorporation. Additional efforts are needed to investigate the most influential variables and to make the temperature simulation submodel more computationally efficient. Once BMPs have been implemented on the study site, more data should be collected to test the accuracy of the model.Master of Science
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Yates, Charlotte. "Comparison of two constructed wetland substrates for reducing phosphorus and nitrogen pollution in agricultural runoff." Thesis, McGill University, 2008. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=22028.
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Phosphorus and nitrogen present in runoff from agricultural land is a primary freshwater pollution source in southern Quebec. The focus of this study was to optimize a constructed wetland for use as a best management practice and the specific aim was to determine if substrate type influences its phosphorus and nitrogen reduction capabilities. The pilot-scale constructed wetland site was located 3 km north of McGill's Macdonald campus in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada. Three tank replicates filled with sandy clay loam soil, and three with a sandy soil were planted with cattails (Typha latifolia L.) and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinaceae L.). From July to September 2007, the tanks were flooded continuously with an artificial runoff wastewater, containing 10 mg N L-1 as nitrate 0.3 mg P L-1 as orthophosphate. Results show that there was no significant difference in P removal between the two soil types and both retained approximately 41%. The sandy clay loam soil outperformed the sandy soil in N removal, with 63% and 40% retained respectively.Le phosphore et l'azote présents dans les eaux de ruissellement provenant de terres agricoles constituent la source prédominent de pollution des eaux douces dans la partie méridionale du Québec. La présente étude visait à optimiser un marais artificiel en temps que pratique de gestion optimale, et, en particulier, à déterminer si le genre de substrat sous-jacent influence la capacité du marais à réduire phosphore et d'azote dans les eaux. Une série de marais artificiels construits à l'échelle pilote furent situés 3 km au nord du campus Macdonald de l'université McGill, à Sainte Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada. Des quenouilles (Typha latifolia L.) et de l'alpiste roseau (Phalaris arundinacea L.) furent plantés dans trois répétitions-réservoirs sous-tendus par un loam sablo-argileux, ainsi que dans trois autres sous-tendus par un sol sableux. De juillet à septembre 2007, les réservoirs furent inondés avec des eaux d'écoulement artificiels, contenant 10 mg N L-1 sous forme de nitrates et 0.3 mg P L-1 sous forme d'orthophosphate. Aucune différence significative ne fut notée entre les deux types de sol quant à l'élimination du P, les deux ayant retenu environ 41% de celui-ci. Quant à l'élimination de l'azote, le loam sablo-argileux surclassa le sol sableux, retenant 63% de l'azote, comparé à 40%.
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Mutingwende, Nhamo. "Identification of agricultural and industrial pollutants in the Kat River, Eastern Cape and their effect on agricultural products found along the river banks." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1020242.
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There is growing concern that commonly used Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) and pesticides are entering and contaminating drinking water supplies. The use of targeted quantitation of PPCP has been well established but there is an emerging trend to also screen for and identify unexpected environmental pollutants. Chemicals like pesticides hormones and antibiotics are especially of interest because of proven endocrine disrupting effects and a possible development of bacterial resistance. Powerful screening methods are required to detect and quantify the presence of these compounds in our environment. PPCP encompass a wide range of pollutants, including Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDC), pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, drugs of abuse, x-ray contrast agents and drinking water disinfection by-products to name a few. In order to properly assess the effects of these compounds on our environment, it is necessary to accurately monitor their presence. The diversity of chemical properties of these compounds makes method development challenging. LC/MS/MS is able to analyse polar, semi-volatile, and thermally labile compounds covering a wide molecular weight range. The new AB SCIEX TripleTOF™5600 LC/MS/MS was used to profile environmental samples for unexpected pollutants, to identify and characterise the chemical composition and structure of the pollutants, and to quantify (based on intensity) the concentration in collected water samples. Liquid Chromatography coupled to tandem Mass Spectrometry (LCMS/ MS) is able to analyse polar, semi-volatile, and thermally labile compounds covering a wide molecular weight range, such as pesticides, antibiotics, drugs of abuse, x-ray contrast agents, drinking water disinfection by-products etc. More recently there is a growing interest from environmental researchers to also screen for and identify non-targeted compounds in environmental samples, including metabolites and degradates, but also completely unexpected pollutants. The new AB SCIEX TripleTOF™5600 LC/MS/MS system is capable of performing highly sensitive and fast MS scanning experiments to search for unknown molecular ions while also performing selective and characteristic MS/MS scanning for further compound identification and, therefore, is the instrument of choice for this challenging task. General unknown screening workflows do not use a target analyte list and compound detection is not based on any prior knowledge, including retention times and information on possible molecular and fragment ions. Therefore, acquired chromatograms are very rich in information and can easily contain thousands of ions from both any compounds present in the sample as well as from the sample matrix itself. Thus, powerful software tools are needed to explore such data to identify the unexpected compound. Water samples were collected both upstream and downstream of two WWTPs (Seymour and Fort Beaufort) and were directly injected on the AB SCIEX TripleTOF™5600 LC/MS/MS after being filtered. 15 sample points along the Kat River, ranging from a point as close to the source as possible to a point just before it joins the Great Fish River were used. The samples collected from the source were used as the control in each of the experiments, the assumption being the closer you get to the source, the less contaminated the water would be for the analysis of pesticides. Points were selected where the Kat River crosses the R67 or on farms where the river was accessible using farm roads. Samples were collected from October 2013 to November 2014.The Peak view software and Analyst software were used in the analysis of PPCPs. The XIC Manager allows you to manage large lists of compounds and perform automatic extracted ion chromatogram (XIC) calculations and review results operations. The results were displayed in the chromatogram pane and the XIC table (see results). The results reported here in this thesis indicate that there is contamination in the Kat River water due to both pesticides and PPCPs. The results also indicate that the food products are also contaminated and hence both the Kat River agricultural produce and its water need to be closely monitored for both pesticide and PPCPs contaminants. Further studies to investigate the quantitative levels of pesticides and PPCPs in the Kat river water to determine if the concentration levels of the detected pesticides are below the reported Maximum Residues Limits will be explored in the future.
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Wei, Xiaochen. "Biodiversity Survey and Surface Flow Constructed Wetland Design to Help Control Agricultural Non-point Source Pollution in Poyang Lake Basin, China." The Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1385989072.
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Kaliakatsou, Evridiki. "Explaining and Measuring the Impacts of Tropospheric Ozone Pollution on British Agricultural Production and Productivity Growth." Thesis, Imperial College London, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.490597.
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This thesis consists of seven main sections. It starts with the description of the problem which is the tropospheric ozone pollution and its harmful effects on agriculture. Then are described the aims and the objectives ofthe study and how it is going to contribute in the current state ofknowledge. The chapter which follows it is dedicated to the scientific explanation of the problem mainly focusing on ozone formation and its hazards followed by an analytical and critical review of the past literature on the subject concentration on its defects and gaps. The third section describes the sources and the form of trial plot, farm and ozone data along with summary statistics. In this section are also explained the interpolation techniques which were used to develop the ozone maps for Great Britain for the period for which this study is carried out. Section four describes and explains the different econometric and statistical techniques such as panel data techniques, fixed and random effects, error components etc which are used in the following sections to derive the results The next two sections are presenting and interpreting the results from the winter wheat trial plot yields and farms. First are reported all the trial plot results. How ozone is affecting the yields and how the different varieties respond to it. Also explains how the effect changes through time. Then are reported the results from t~.e farm level study. Fanus which produce different types of products are used to measure the effect of ozone on annual production functions, followed by the effect for the entire period and then on the effect oI,1 productivity and efficiency ofthe farms. The last section compares the results from trial plots and farms and it makes suggestions on how these findings could help in future policy making
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Shiplee, Brian Armin. "The bioregional management of the Connecticut River Basin : a case study of agricultural nonpoint source pollution." Thesis, University of Wolverhampton, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/2436/96286.
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Malone, Sarah J. "Agricultural nonpoint source pollution management : water quality impacts of Balm Road Treatment Marsh, Hillsborough County, Florida." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2009. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0003211.
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Heilman, Philip. "A Decision Support System for selecting economic incentives to control nonpoint source pollution from agricultural lands." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/187172.
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The Southwest Watershed Research Center of the Agricultural Research Service has developed a Prototype Decision Support System (PDSS) which ranks alternative management systems on an individual field based on the returns to the farmer and the quantities of agricultural pollutants leaving the field. A method has been developed which complements the PDSS by extending the analysis to the whole farm, to consider whole farm resource availability as well as aversion to variations in returns and resource availabilities. The method can be used to determine whether or not farmers have the economic incentives needed to induce the adoption of the highly ranked management systems, and if not, the magnitude of the economic incentives needed can be estimated. The method requires the definition of a representative farm, simulating the alternative management systems which are expected to address the major resource problems for which there are insufficient data, scoring those practices with the PDSS, and using an optimization model to determine the set of management systems which is both feasible and maximizes the area weighted score for the farm. This solution represents the socially preferred set of management systems when offsite effects are taken into account. A similar optimization model with a symmetric quadratic formulation is solved to determine the set of management systems a risk averse, profit maximizing farmer would prefer. By comparing the two solutions, the possibility of promoting management systems which can both improve farm income and reduce offsite damage can be determined. The cost to the farmer of adopting the management systems for their offsite benefits can also be estimated. An example for a 243 hectare farm from the deep loess hills in western Iowa was examined to consider farm income, sediment yield, nitrogen and atrazine emissions. The preferred management system from both the farmer's and society's points of view included a corn soybean rotation, no till tillage, and atrazine. Depending on the importance of controlling nitrogen emissions to the decision maker, the cost to the farmer (the required economic incentive) for limiting nitrogen loading to the desired level could reach $10/ha.
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Phillips, Spencer R. "Evaluating agricultural pesticide use and risk for the Chesapeake Bay." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/41774.
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