Potential Application of Adsorptive Media to Enhance Phosphorus Uptake in Stormwater Basins and Wetlands at Lake Tahoe : literature review. Report to the University of California Davis Tahoe Research Group

Phosphorus removal by wetlands and basins in Lake Tahoe may be improved through designing these systems to filter storm water through media having higher phosphorus removal capabilities than local parent material. Substrates rich in iron, aluminum and calcium oftentimes have enhanced phosphorus removal. These substrates can be naturally occurring, byproducts of industrial or water treatment processes, or engineered. Phosphorus removal fundamentally occurs through chemical adsorption and/or precipitation and much of the phosphorus can be irreversibly bound. In addition to these standard media, other engineered substrates are available to enhance P removal. One such substrate is locally available in Reno and uses lanthanum coated diatomaceous earth for arsenate removal. This material, which has a high positive surface charge, can also irreversibly remove phosphorus. Physical factors also affect P removal. Specifically, specific surface area and particle shape affect filtration capacity, contact area between water and the surface area, and likelihood of clogging and blinding. A number of substrates have been shown to effectively remove P in case studies. Based upon these studies, promising substrates include WTRs, blast furnace slag, steel furnace slag, OPC, calcite, marble Utelite and other LWAs, zeolite and shale. However, other nonperformance factors such as environmental considerations, application logistics, costs, and potential for cementification narrow the list of possible media for application at Tahoe. Industrial byproducts such as slags risk possible leaching of heavy metals and this potential cannot be easily predicted. Fly ash and other fine particle substrates would be more difficult to apply because they would need to be blended, making them less desirable and more costly to apply than larger diameter media. High transportation costs rule out non-local products. Finally, amorphous calcium products will eventually cementify reducing their effectiveness in filtration systems. Based upon these considerations, bauxite, LWAs and expanded shales/clays, iron-rich sands, activated alumina, marble and dolomite, and natural and lanthanum activated diatomaceous earth are the products most likely to be tested for application at Tahoe. These materials are typically iron, calcium or aluminum based; many have a high specific surface area; and all have low transportation costs. (PDF contains 21 pages)

The contribution of fish intake, aquaculture, and small-scale fisheries to improving nutrition security: a literature review

Much of fish consumed by the poor are caught by household members and traded in local markets. These fish are rarely or poorly included in national statistics, and it is therefore difficult to estimate precisely the real contribution of fish to the rural poor households. This report is the first global overview of the role played by fish in improving nutrition. Fish consumption patterns of the poor, the nutritional value of fish, and small-scale fisheries and aquaculture activities are considered. It also highlights the gap in knowledge where more research is needed.

Forensic Fisheries Science: Literature Review and Research Suggestions

Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in litigation against the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA. Litigation may affect personnel throughout the agency, including scientists, whose work is often directly or indirectly influenced by complex legal requirements, but who may not be in a position to comment or engage in public dialogue. It may be helpful for scientists and other agency personnel to join the ongoing discussion in the legal community regarding the interface of science and law. This paper provides a starting point with a selected introduction to relevant legal literature in this area. It uses the phrase “forensic fisheries science” to describe the application of science to legal requirements in the fishery management context. It concludes with suggestions for future research that could assist NMFS scientists as they grapple with the challenge of using science to help the agency meet its complex legal requirements. Forensic: belonging to, used in, or suitable to courts of judicature or to public discussion and debate; argumentative, rhetorical; relating to or dealing with the application of scientific knowledge to legal problems (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary )

Mersey Estuary baseline survey. Analysis of macroinfaunal samples, literature review and database production

This is the Mersey Estuary baseline survey: Analysis of macroinfaunal samples, literature review and database production report produced by the Environment Agency North West in 2002. This report presents an ecological review of the Mersey estuary along with an extensive bibliography of the available environmental literature for this system. The central objective of this programme has been to provide the information necessary to support the Environment Agency's review of existing and future consents (for discharges, abstractions etc) in the Mersey estuary. This review of consents was required because the Mersey had been designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the EC Birds Directive. Therefore under Regulation 50 of the Conservation, the Environment Agency was responsible for reviewing any extant consent, or future applications, which may directly or indirectly, affected this SPA.

Literature review for a resource characterization of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge

Through research aimed at understanding the coastal environment, surveys designed to help manage the resource, and national programs to monitor environmental condition, we see a picture of a dynamic ecosystem that is Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge (CRNWR). Currently, there are efforts underway to protect threatened species; monitor fish populations; and quantify the biological, physical, and chemical characteristics of this environment. The potential impacts to this system are just now being understood as ecological responses to human modification are observed and explained. As a starting point, this document compiles existing information about Cape Romain NWR in five topic areas and addresses the potential impacts to the Refuge. This review is intended to serve as a stepping stone to developing a research agenda in support of management of the Refuge. There are various sources of information on which to build a framework for monitoring conditions and detecting change to this environment. For instance, information on basic ecological function in estuarine environments has evolved over several decades. Long-term surveys of Southeast fisheries exist, as well as shellfish and sediment contaminants data from estuaries. Environmental monitoring and biological surveys at the Refuge continue. Recently, studies that examine the impacts to similar coastal habitats have been undertaken. This document puts past studies and ongoing work in context for Refuge managers and researchers. This report recommends that the next phase of this resource characterization focus on: • compiling relevant tabular and spatial data, as identified here, into a Geographic Information System (GIS) framework • assessing the abundance and diversity of fisheries utilizing CRNWR • delineating additional data layers, such as intertidal habitats and subtidal clam beds, from low-level aerial photography, hard copy maps, and other sources • continued inventories of plant and animal species dependent on the Refuge • monitoring physical and chemical environmental parameters using the methodology employed at National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) and other coastal sites, where appropriate • further definition of the potential risks to the Refuge and preparing responses to likely impacts.

Lake Nasser fisheries: literature review and situation analysis

This study sought to improve the baseline knowledge of the fisheries of Lake Nasser and to make recommendations for the improved management of the fisheries, including stock assessment. This review draws heavily from the most recent reviews of Lake Nasserr and its fisheries, including van Zwieten et al. (2011), Habib et al. (2014) and Habib (2015). It is supplemented with findings from the field study described in the final technical report, Lake Nasser fisheries: Recommendations for management, including monitoring and stock assessment (Halls 2015).