Discharge Measurement Using Portable Dilution Gauging Flowmeters

This paper suggests that the relative salt (sodium chloride) dilution method should be more widely used for the routine measurement of stream discharge, and has been written to increase awareness of the technique among flow-gauging practitioners. Recent improvements in instrumentation have increased accuracy and simplified practical application, making the method better suited (in many circumstances) than the more widely used alternatives. The paper (a) reports on a field study to evaluate the performance of a portable dilution-gauging flowmeter, and (b) considers the environmental issues which are associated with the method. The review reveals that the use of salt (in the quantities typically required) is unlikely to have any significant ecological impact, and argues that environmental concerns are founded upon little scientific basis.     

Some Hydrogeological Peculiar to Various Types of Problems Small Islands

There are many problems associated with the investigation of small island hydrogeology, including (i) the availability of data and the distribution of both spatial and temporal data sets, (ii) the dynamics of the groundwater to sea-water interface and the shape of the so-called groundwater lens, and (iii) the difficulties of evaluating recharge to groundwater and of calculating the volume of groundwater discharge to the sea. These issues are compounded by (a) the ratio of coast to area in small islands, (b) the problems of extreme topography, and (c) the identification of baseflow to rivers and streams. A simple classification of island types assists in evaluating hydro-geological regimes, and the importance of groundwater in an island context cannot be over-emphasised.     

Optimization of Sampling Resources

T his paper reports on an investigation into the efficient routing of sample collection in the Lincoln Division of Anglian Water. Samples have to be collected from more than 600 sample points across three functions and at frequencies ranging from daily to once in two years. The organization of this activity is clearly complex.
As a result of the review carried out using manual methods, the additional 15 000 water samples which are required annually are now being collected with no increase in staff resources. The scale of the effort required for this review prevents it from being repeated except at infrequent intervals; yet without frequent reviews the efficiency of routes is eroded as the required pattern of samples changes. A computer system is therefore being developed, offering the prospect of halting the drift away from efficiency and the speedy evaluation of alternative strategies.     

The Use of Chemicals in Agriculture

This paper examines the use of agrochemicals in modern agriculture and horticulture. It begins by reflecting on the uncertainties of agricultural and horticultural production prior to the use of synthetic chemicals, then discusses the improved quantity and quality of output which is possible using agrochemicals. The social, environmental and agricultural hazards attendant upon chemical use are also considered. Provided that proper safeguards are observed, the use of agrochemicals is a sine qua non for the majority of farmers and growers in the UK.     

Inter-Basin Water Transfers and Drought Management in the Kielder/Derwent System

During the dry years between 1989 and 1994, inter-basin water transfers from the Kielder system augmented flows in the River Derwent, and these flows substituted compensation releases from Derwent reservoir to retain storage for supply and recreational purposes.
The paper discusses the use of the Kielder transfers together with their impact upon (a) flow regime, (b) water quality, and (c) instream ecology of the River Derwent. Also, implications of the increasing use of water transfers in the UK are critically evaluated from the perspective of sustainability.     

Identification of new epidemiological molecular markers by comparative proteomics of serogroup A meningococcal isolates from three pandemic waves

We previously described the first reference map for the proteome of one strain of serogroup A Neisseria meningitidis (MenA), a major cause of epidemic meningitis in humans. As a preliminary finding, in that work we noted that 2‐DE protein maps of closely related MenA isolates from different epidemics spreads could be easily compared to detect minor differences and that 2‐DE phenotypes attributable to the well‐known epidemiological marker tbpB agreed with the genoclouds model of MenA epidemiological variation during pandemic waves. We explored here the possibility that an extended comparative study of 2‐DE maps of isolates representative of the nine genoclouds described by Achtman and collaborators could be used to discriminate between strains otherwise undistinguishable. We showed the example of 14 proteins with different 2‐DE spot patterns in different genoclouds that could be considered as putative tracers for alike‐strains discrimination. We introduce the novel concept that comparative proteomics can be useful in identifying new epidemiological markers for N. meningitidis.     

Effect of uncertainties on substructure coupling: Modelling and reduction strategies

Different strategies for modelling and reducing the effect of uncertainties on the dynamic behaviour of coupled structures are discussed in this paper. In assembled structures, each component satisfies specifications about material properties and dimensional tolerances. Variability of design specifications within the tolerance field may affect the dynamic behaviour of the assembled structure more than that of any individual component substructure. Among modelling strategies, non-predictive techniques such as post-processing of data from a set of randomly assembled structures and analysis of sensitivities to uncertain variables are considered. However, emphasis is placed on a less trivial yet simple strategy such as the use of design of experiments to fit a regression model. Different reduction strategies are considered according to whether small design changes (even revised tolerance allocation) are still possible or not. In the latter case, selective assembly is extended to problems where the performance requirement is not the clearance between two parts, but a prescribed dynamic behaviour.     

The Use of Different Conveyance Calculations for Modelling Flows in a Compact Compound Channel

Flow measurements have been taken for steady and unsteady flows on a reach of a river having a compact compound channel. The 'single channel', 'divided channel' and 'lateral' distribution methods have been used to calculate conveyances for use in a one-dimensional unsteady flow model of the reach. Comparisons with measured flows show that the divided channel method and the lateral distribution method both underestimate floodplain flow depths. The lateral distribution method gives the closest accuracy in the relative depth range 0.15 ≤ Yr < 0.40. For large flow depths the single channel method becomes more accurate and slightly over-estimates flow depths.
The accuracy of unit width discharge distributions, calculated from the lateral distribution method are assessed by comparison with observed distributions for overbank flows.     

The Fate of Heavy Metals in Pilot-Plant Scale Upflow Sludge-Blanket Clarifiers

T he R emoval of heavy metals and aluminium residuals during upflow sludge-blanket clarification was investigated using a pilot-plant system. Pilot units treating predosed raw water on site were assessed for sludge-blanket formation and stabilization, and were found to produce clarified water of a comparable quality to the main works units after the start-up and stabilization periods were complete. The heavy metals Cr, Fe, Mn, and Ni were the only heavy metals detectable at the investigation site and these occurred at concentrations well below guidelines values for potable abstraction and supply.
Mean removals of Fe, Mn, Cr, and Ni were about 98, 89, 51, and 30 per cent respectively, during steady-state operation, and Fe, Mn, and Cr all displayed reduced removals during transient changes in surface load, whereas Ni removal appeared to be relatively independent. Aluminium residuals derived from the dosed alum coagulant also showed decreases in removal from about 83 per cent during steady-state operation to between 40 and 50 per cent during transient experiments.