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Completed Projects |
Monitoring Projects |
The following projects received funding from the Environmental Research Program. To access the executive summaries
or the final research reports, click on the links below. Dates shown refer to when final reports were submitted.
Projecting Consequences of Altered Atmospheric Chemistry for Carbon Sequestration by Wisconsin’s Aspen Forests (January 2008)
Eric Kruger, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison; John Erickson, Department
of Agronomy, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL; Ed Jepsen, Bureau
of Air Management, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI; David Karnosky, School of Forest Resources
and Environmental Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
Wisconsin’s forests harbor the potential to sequester considerable amounts of the carbon emitted (as carbon dioxide)
through fossil fuel combustion, thereby helping to mitigate the effects of these emissions on atmospheric chemistry
and global climate. However, Wisconsin’s forests are also quite sensitive to levels of other polluting gases, such
as ozone (O3), which are increasing rapidly due transportation, industrial use of fossil fuels, and coal-fired generation,
and which tend to inhibit tree growth. This project uses the well-studied quaking aspen to investigate the balance
between the potential for Wisconsin forests to sequester substantially more carbon, and the possibility that increased
ozone production will seriously limit tree growth rates in the state.
Investigators used data from the Aspen Free-Air CO2 and O3 Enrichment Study (Aspen FACE) located on a USDA experimental
farm near Rhinelander, WI, and air quality data from the WDNR Air Management Program, to model and project impacts of
elevated levels of CO2 and O3 on carbon sequestration by Wisconsin aspen forests during the next century. They used a
state-of-the-art canopy process model to generate estimates of carbon sequestration in Wisconsin aspen forests under
an array of plausible air pollution scenarios. Among project findings, results showed that Wisconsin’s aspens could
potentially increase carbon sequestration capability by as much as 30 percent as CO2 emissions increase, but rising
levels of O3 during the same period of time could inhibit tree growth and cancel out this additional sequestration
capability.
Mercury in Selected Fish Species over Time (October 2007)
Candy S. Schrank, Environmental Toxicologist, Paul W. Rasmussen, Research Scientist, and Patrick A. Campfield, Fisheries Biologist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Fisheries Management
This two-year project assessed changes in mercury concentrations in selected fish species over time. The initial design was to monitor mercury concentrations in walleye and young yellow perch from two sets of lakes for a total of 50 lakes every 5 years. The resulting data plus historical data were analyzed to describe the relationship between mercury and length of fish, changes in mercury concentration over time, and investigate other factors known to affect mercury accumulation. Characteristics known to affect mercury accumulation include water chemistry, lake characteristics, fish growth rates, airborne mercury deposition, and other factors.
Researchers found that the current sampling strategy is adequate for detecting changes in mercury concentrations over time using walleye. They found that the temporal trends of mercury concentrations in walleye varied from north to south within Wisconsin. Northern lakes showed slight average decreases, central lakes showed no change, and southern lakes showed modest average increases in mercury concentration over the period from 1982 to 2005. Estimates of temporal trends in individual lakes were not quantified due to data limitations for individual lakes but deviate from the regional average trends quantified.
Among other findings, they established that walleye mercury concentrations and the mercury-fish length relationship vary greatly among lakes. They also found that concentrations vary by gender and season of collection. Mercury was lower in walleye females than in males of equal size. Mercury concentrations were highest in walleye captured in the spring and lowest in the fall.
This project also supported the collection, processing, and analysis of young yellow perch. Researchers were unable to draw a strong conclusion about their utility for detecting mercury trends in Wisconsin's lakes. However, based on these initial efforts they recommend additional study of this species.
Assessing the Ecological Risk of Mercury Exposure to Common Loons (June 2007)
Michael W. Meyer, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources;
Kevin P. Kenow, U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Geological Survey, and the University of Wisconsin collaborated on a research project designed to generate a scientifically defensible wildlife/mercury risk assessment model, focusing on the common loon, a species at risk to mercury exposure in Wisconsin. The model was needed to produce regulatory endpoints that will safeguard wildlife from the toxic effects of excess mercury exposure.
This project proceeded with additional work needed to validate predictions of the resulting toxicokinetic model, establish an accurate relationship between mercury intake and blood mercury exposure, collect additional tissue partitioning data, and gather supplemental information concerning the effect of mercury exposure on the immune function and physiology of loon chicks. The results of this work will be used to establish the level of mercury in fish that safeguards survival and health of loon chicks reared on lakes in Wisconsin.
The project found close agreement between modeled mercury exposure and measured blood mercury, which varied significantly with diet mercury and age. Researchers also determined the distribution and accumulation of mercury in tissues of common loon chicks maintained for up to 15 weeks on measured diets. Total mercury tissue concentrations were strongly and positively correlated with the amount of mercury delivered to individual chicks throughout the course of the experiment. To assess the relation between mercury exposure and suppressed immune function in loon chicks, researchers conducted a dose-response laboratory study, using skin and blood tests to measure T-lymphocyte and antibody-mediated immunity. Analysis indicated suppression of antibody production at one of the mercury dose levels.
Mercury Chemistry in Power Plant Plumes (January 2007)
Leonard Levin; Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Palo Alto, California
Recent field and pilot-scale results indicate that divalent mercury emitted from power plants may rapidly transform to elemental mercury within the power plant plumes. To establish the presence, direction, and rate of these reactions, it is necessary to measure power plant plumes relatively close to the stack exit, and compare mercury composition there with measured composition within the stack. By sampling plumes with instruments aboard a small aircraft, this project explored whether significant reduction or oxidation reactions occur to mercury emitted from coal-fired power plants, and what numerical redox rate should apply for extension to other sources and for modeling of power plant mercury plumes locally, regionally, and nationally.
Bioenergy in WI: Potential Supply of Forest Biomass & Its Relationship to Biodiversity (November 2006)
Cassandra J. Willyard and Susan M. Tikalsky; Resource Strategies, Inc., Madison.
Wisconsin's forests, one of state's most valuable natural resources, could serve as an abundant source of renewable energy. As fossil fuel prices escalate, biomass-derived energy is an increasingly attractive option because it is sustainable and home-grown. Sustainable forestry holds a promise to meet the state's biomass needs, while protecting the environment, especially biodiversity.
This project reviews the current state of the science on sustainable forestry as it relates to biomass production and its impact on biodiversity in Wisconsin. The report also explores the policy implications of implementing sustainable forestry for biomass production. This information will be of interest to utilities, landowners, environmental interest groups, regulators, and any of a growing group of forest product industry interests witnessing increased competition for forest resources.
Reduction in Mercury Loading: Timing and Magnitude of an Ecosystem Response (September 2006)
James P. Hurley, Christopher L. Babiarz, Shawn Chadwick; Environmental Chemistry and Technology Program, University of Wisconsin -- Madison.
Atmospheric transport, deposition, and reemission of Mercury (Hg) are key processes of its movement through our environment. Historically, it has been difficult to understand these processes because of our inability to differentiate between mercury that has been recently deposited from human generated (or anthropogenic) sources and mercury occurring naturally in place. In the Mercury Experiment to Assess Atmospheric Loading In Canada and the United States (METAALICUS), stable isotopes of Hg were applied to both the lake and watershed as a tool for identifying key processes that control the environmental fate of Hg. These isotopic techniques have provided the first direct evidence of a whole lake and whole watershed response to "new" atmospheric inputs of Hg. The study takes place at the Canadian Experimental Lakes Area (ELA), located just north of the Minnesota-Ontario border.
Two of the major goals of the project are to determine the fate and transport of the new Hg through the watershed (for example, how quickly the added Hg is transformed and bioaccumulated in fish), and to assess the watershed recovery time due to reductions in atmospheric Hg deposition. The specific goal of the work funded through the Environmental Research Program of Wisconsin Focus on Energy is to determine the timing and magnitude of the in-lake response. In particular, our work measures: (a) the speciation (chemical form), (b) partitioning (physical location), and (c) mobility (transport, transformation and bioaccumulation) of Hg within the lake - with special emphasis on the role of the sediment water interface as a removal mechanism for Hg.
INTERIM REPORT Biodiversity in Selected Natural Communities Related Climate Change (August 2006)
Craig Anderson, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Inventory
This is an interim project report, in PowerPoint format, delivered to the Association of State Wetlands Managers in August of 2006.
If you don't have Microsoft PowerPoint, you may be able to view the slides by using PowerPoint viewer, available for free download at:
Viewer download
Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Budgets for WI Forests and Forest Product Chains (August 2006)
Dr. Stith T. Gower; Dr. Douglas E. Ahl; Wisconsin Department of Forest Ecology and Management, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Carbon sequestration has the potential to assist in alleviating the rising levels of CO2 in the earth's atmosphere. Plants, trees and other vegetation can absorb and store excess carbon. In order to use this strategy, however, we need to know more about existing carbon levels in forested areas. This project simulates forest carbon budgets using a modified version of the ecosystem process model, BGC. The team incorporates cutting-edge forest ecosystem net CO2 exchange responses from results obtained by the Free Air CO2 Exchange (FACE) and forest ecosystem warming studies.
The study has a number of objectives. First, it quantifies the carbon content in forest vegetation, detritus, and mineral soil for forests in Wisconsin. It then models and evaluates the carbon budgets for three model forests, and conducts life cycle analyses of forest product chains to identify management and industrial processes that can be modified to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and/or increase carbon sequestration. Finally, it expands previous analyses to include all forests in Wisconsin, and incorporates ecophysiological elevated CO2 and warming mechanisms into an ecosystem process model and simulate forest C budgets and forest product chains for future environmental conditions.
Measuring Vertical Fluxes of Gaseous Elemental Mercury in Wisconsin (November 2005)
Mark K. Allen, William Adamski, David Grande, and Michael R. Olsen - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Increasing mercury concentrations in the environment have resulted in concern for fish- eating animals and humans. Fish consumption advisories for mercury are now common place. Most of the mercury in lakes and rivers originates in emissions to the air. Efforts to reduce the mercury in the environment will first require a better understanding of how mercury moves from the point of emission to the point of impact. The better we understand this the easier it will be to create models for predicting how mercury travels and collects. The computer models can then be used to test control strategies.
Most pollution monitoring has focused on measuring pollutants traveling horizontally with the prevailing winds, to find the compass direction of the pollution source. This new project looks at improving our knowledge of the vertical (up and down) movement of mercury, or mercury flux. Mercury flux is a measure of the net difference between the up and down mercury movement at the monitoring site. Among other results, the study has provided a good initial database of measurements of both mercury concentrations and three dimensional wind measurements.
INTERIM REPORT Use of yellow perch to determine mercury trends in lakes 1992-2003 (October 2005)
Candy Schrank and Paul Rasmussen - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
This interim report is preliminary to completion of the final research project titled Mercury in Selected Fish Species over Time, anticipated in 2007.
Lichen Bioaccumulation & Bioindicator Study near Alliant WPL Columbia Energy Ctr (October 2005)
Susan Will-Wolf, Dept of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Lichens are actually algae and fungi living together to form symbiotic communities. They are known worldwide as excellent indicators of air pollution effects. Tolerant lichens accumulate pollutants in their tissues and sensitive lichens decline with pollution, thus changing lichen community composition. Forest lichen communities are also studied to determine the general conditions in their ecosystem, which vary with the general environment and with the tree species composition of the forest.
For this project, researcher Susan Will-Wolf and DNR collaborator Martha Makholm returned to sites Will-Wolf studied in 1974 and 1978 where she had surveyed forest lichen communities to assess the impact of the Alliant Columbia coal-fired electric power generating facility built in 1975 near Portage, Wisconsin. In 2003, her team repeated the surveys to assess the long-term impact of the facility on these lichen communities.
Objectives for the new project included mathematical modeling of modern and historical concentrations of SO2 from the Alliant Columbia Facility pollution point source (DNR collaborator John Roth), measurement of lichen species presence and abundance in communities, and measurement of mercury, sulfur, and heavy metals concentrations in tissue of selected lichen species at most of those same sites. This project provided the opportunity to assess long-term impact of pollution from Columbia on nearby lichen communities, assess long-term changes at "background" sites farther from the facility, and evaluate biological responses in light of relative pollution levels indicated by modeling and lichen tissue element concentrations.
The team found that while effects of the Alliant Columbia Facility on lichens are detectable, most changes in lichen communities since the earlier studies appear to be linked to changes in the forests themselves rather than to pollution.
Population-Based Methylmercury Exposure Assessment (August 2005)
Lynda Knobeloch, Research and Toxicology Supervisor;
Henry Anderson, Chief Medical Officer; Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, Division of Public Health, Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health.
Fishing is a popular pastime in Wisconsin and many people enjoy eating the fish they catch in lakes and rivers around the state. However, eating large amounts of fish could mean ingesting high levels of mercury, a heavy metal that can affect the nervous system. The Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services works with the Department of Natural Resources to develop the fish consumption guidelines for locally-caught fish. These Departments continue to refine their knowledge of how much fish people eat and how often they do so. This new study was designed to evaluate fish consumption patterns and mercury body burdens among a representative cross section of Wisconsin's adult population.
Dr. Knobeloch's study identifies subpopulations in Wisconsin that consume fish several times a week and populations that had elevated levels of mercury in their bodies. More than 2,000 volunteers completed questionnaires and provided hair samples for analysis. Comparison of hair mercury levels with the types and quantities of fish they consumed provides important information on dietary exposure to methylmercury. Hair mercury and fish consumption data from this study provide a baseline for future mercury exposure assessments.
Toxicity of Secondary Coal Combustion Emissions in Wisconsin (July 2005)
Dr.Annette Rohr, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI);
Dr. Petros Koutrakis, Harvard School of Public Health;
Dr. John Godleski, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health
An important form of pollution is particulate matter suspended in the air. "Fine particulate matter" (PM2.5) is the category of particles smaller than 2.5 microns that is of particular concern for certain health and environmental reasons. Fine particulate matter is a complex mixture of materials from a number of emissions sources. Some PM is "primary", emitted directly by traffic, industrial operations, and other sources. "Secondary" particles form through complex reactions between certain gaseous pollutants with other substances in the atmosphere.
Dr. Rohr's project expands our knowledge of particulate sources and components responsible for adverse health effects, specifically as these relate to the type of coal burned by power plants in Wisconsin. The project involves exposing laboratory rats via inhalation to atmospherically transformed power plant and mobile source emissions to help determine the relative toxicity of these PM sources.
This project is important because it evaluates secondary particles from coal-fired power plants. Past studies of coal combustion-derived PM have focused on examining the toxicity of primary PM emissions. However, the installation of control measures on power plants in the United States has resulted in a dramatic decrease in emissions of this material. This research examines the toxicity of the secondary particles that form downwind of power plants from the oxidation of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), and provides insight into the effects of atmospheric conditions on the formation and toxicity of secondary particles by simulating different atmospheric conditions.
The research uses a novel and innovative experimental design. Project researchers needed to develop new experimental techniques for this study in order to be certain they were recreating real-life atmospheric conditions as closely as possible. This involved development of reaction chambers in which "aging" of emissions was carried out.
This project is part of a larger research effort, TERESA (Toxicological Evaluation of Realistic Emissions of Source Aerosols). TERESA includes fieldwork and assessment of health effects at three power plants in different parts of the country that burn different types of coal. A second component of the project will assess the toxicity of mobile source emissions (traffic emissions), and will be funded from other sources (Harvard-EPA Particulate Matter Research Center).
Mercury in Power Plant Combustion Products (June 2005)
Ken Ladwig, Research Manager, Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, California
Efforts to develop environmentally friendly practices in one media can sometimes conflict with environmental protection of another media, seemingly reducing the positive impact of both. Federal and state initiatives to reduce mercury in power plant emissions were designed to benefit air quality and reduce deposition of mercury to lakes and streams, but an unintended consequence may be increased potential for environmental impacts at fly ash landfills. In addition, these controls might make recycling of coal-combustion products (CCPs) less acceptable, sending a considerably greater amount of material back to the landfill.
Theoretically, mercury collected by more stringent air emissions controls before it left the stack would end up accumulating in the fly ash left from combustion of the coal for electricity generation. Would this additional mercury content make the ash unsafe to recycle in concrete and road building materials? Would it leach out to pollute the soil and ground water? Would the mercury interact with other pollutants in the ash making it more volatile?
The goal of this project was to establish mercury concentrations in field leachates at CCP sites in Wisconsin, evaluate mercury leaching in the presence of ammonia from NOx control technologies, and develop laboratory data on volatilization of mercury from fly ash samples. Laboratory studies suggest that ammonia from NOx controls and enhanced mercury capture with powdered activated carbon will not significantly increase the mercury release from fly ash.
Analysis of Fin Clips: Eval as a Non-lethal Method for Monitoring Mercury in Fish (February 2005)
Kristofer R. Rolfhus, Mark B. Sandheinrich and James G. Weiner, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, River Studies
Existing approaches for monitoring mercury content in sport fishes involve the dissection of sampled fish and the subsequent analysis of axial muscle tissue or edible filets. The purpose of this new study was to determine if an alternative, non-lethal, non-invasive sampling technique would yield accurate results. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse River Studies Center examined whether analysis of methylmercury in a pelvic fin clip is a suitable substitute for the determination of total mercury content in filets.
The researchers evaluated and compared fin and filet tissue from northern pike and walleye, two popular game fish. They collected samples from 16 lakes in northern Wisconsin and northern Minnesota. Linear regression was used to determine the relation between concentrations of mercury in pelvic fins and filets. The slopes of the regression equations were compared to determine if the relations were constant among lakes and fish species, and to evaluate the utility of pelvic fins in the determination of total mercury content in resident sport fish.
Findings indicate the fin clip technique is potentially useful for identifying lakes where fish are close to the advisory guideline. Fin clip analysis is a promising technique, particularly for testing endangered species and for making mercury monitoring in fish populations easier and more economical.
Ecological Effects of Fragmentation Related to Transmission Line Rights-of-way
A Review of the State of the Science Susan Tikalsky, Resource Strategies, Inc.
What do we know about the effect of transmission lines on the ecology of the local environment, particularly in Wisconsin? For the past fifty years, scientists have been exploring this topic and have produced a significant body of research. Now, Susan Tikalsky has synthesized this existing work into a summary that establishes relationships to current issues in Wisconsin, highlights the limitations of the research and offers recommendations for further research. Additionally, Ms. Tikalsky has complemented her summary with a critical analysis from interviews with scientists involved in current research.
Much of the existing research on the environmental impact of transmission lines focuses on the issue of habitat fragmentation from right-of-way (ROW) corridors. These long, narrow corridors through the landscape "fragment" the wildlife habitat. This fragmentation may limit some species' freedom of movement and isolate them while expanding the territory for other species.
"Understanding Transmission Lines in the Environment" is a comprehensive account of the "state of the science" of ecosystem fragmentation, its effects on species diversity and invasive species, particularly in the Midwest, and how this fragmentation relates to transmission-line ROWs. The report also outlines issues needing further research. This report is a critical resource for all parties involved with routing activities, and is a valuable resource for policy makers, scientists and interested citizens as Wisconsin addresses the growing need for more transmission capability.
Quantifying Carbon Storage in Wisconsin Forests (April 2004)
Principal Investigator: Jerald Schnoor, Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research
Addressing climate change is a challenge that will call on many disciplines. The Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER) at the University of Iowa has completed a project funded by the Environmental Research Program that adds an important tool to the battle against climate change. This project marries geographic information systems (GIS) technology with techniques from soil and forestry science to provide important information for climate policy.
CGRER has developed a method for quantifying the carbon stored in Wisconsin's 16 million acres of forested land. This method uses data collected by the USDA and the Wisconsin DNR to produce an estimate of carbon stored in forest soils and biomass. CGRER found that around 288 million metric tons of carbon are stored in Wisconsin forest soils, and that about 700,000 metric tons of carbon are taken up by these soils every year. Forest biomass - leaves and tree trunks - store about 350 million metric tons of carbon and add around 4 million metric tons to this total yearly. Combined, this equals about 13 percent of the greenhouse gas emitted by Wisconsin utilities each year.
Why does this matter? Strategies to address climate change will not only include techniques to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases but also those that increase the use of natural mechanisms to store carbon. The CGRER model helps to make better estimates of the role that forest management can play in reducing the effects of climate change. And, having developed and tested the model for Wisconsin, it can be rapidly and inexpensively adapted to other forest environments.
This model improves our ability to estimate the carbon storage capacity of forests, and will be of interest to anyone concerned with climate change or forestry management policy.
