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Archive: February, 2022
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  • Use of a Portable Friction Tester on Snow and Ice Pavement

    Abstract: The objective of this project was to determine if portable friction testers could be used for friction measurements on compacted snow and ice surfaces. First, the effect of cold temperatures on the operation, consistency, and accuracy of commercially available portable pavement friction measuring tools was evaluated. Tests entailed a series of experiments in a controlled cold room environment. Two portable fixed slip continuous measurement devices and one deceleration spot measurement device were evaluated. The controlled temperature testing determined how ambient temperature and duration of exposure can affect results, but that with care, the devices could be operated in conditions as cold as ˗25°C. This was followed by using one of the devices on outdoor testing on snow, ice, and asphalt surfaces and compared the portable tester to the well-known SAAB vehicle runway friction tester. Results showed good agreement between the portable tester and the SAAB Friction tester, providing validation for the operational use of a portable tester on frozen surfaces.
  • Microbiome Perturbations During Domestication of the Green June Beetle (Cotinis nitida)

    Abstract: Animal-associated microbiomes are critical to the well-being and proper functioning of the animal host, but only limited studies have examined in-sect microbiomes across different developmental stages. These studies revealed large shifts in microbiome communities, often because of significant shifts in diet during insects’ life cycle. Establishing insect colonies as model laboratory organisms and understanding how to properly feed and care for animals with complex and dynamic life cycles requires improved data. This study examined laboratory-raised green June beetles (Cotinis nitida) captured from the field upon emergence from pupae. Starting with wild-caught adults, two generations of beetles were reared in the laboratory, ending with an entirely laboratory-raised generation of larvae. The study compared the microbiomes of each generation and the microbiomes of larvae to adults. This study suggests that a diet of commercial, washed fruit for adults and commercial, packaged, organic alfalfa meal for larvae resulted in depauperate gut microbiome communities. Fermentative yeasts were completely absent in the laboratory-raised adults, and major bacterial population shifts occurred from one generation to the next, coupled with high morbidity and mortality in the laboratory-raised generation. Providing laboratory-raised beetles fresh-collected fruit and the larvae field-harvested detritus may therefore vastly improve their health and survival.
  • Sampling Interplanetary Dust from Antarctic Air

    Abstract: We built a collector to filter interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) larger than 5 µm from the clean air at the Amundsen Scott South Pole station. Our sampling strategy used long duration, continuous dry filtering of near-surface air in place of short duration, high-speed impact collection on flags flown in the stratosphere. We filtered ~107 m3 of clean Antarctic air through 20 cm diameter, 3 µm filters coupled to a suction blower of modest power consumption (5–6 kW). Our collector ran continuously for 2 years and yielded 41 filters for analyses. Based on stratospheric concentrations, we predicted that each month’s collection would provide 300–900 IDPs for analysis. We identified 19 extraterrestrial (ET) particles on the 66 cm2 of filter examined, which represented ~0.5% of the exposed filter surfaces. The 11 ET particles larger than 5 µm yield about a fifth of the expected flux based on >5 µm stratospheric ET particle flux. Of the 19 ET particles identified, four were chondritic porous IDPs, seven were FeNiS beads, two were FeNi grains, and six were chondritic material with FeNiS components. Most were <10 µm in diameter and none were cluster particles. Additionally, a carbon-rich candidate particle was found to have a small 15N isotopic enrichment, supporting an ET origin. Many other candidate grains, including chondritic glasses and C-rich particles with Mg and Si and FeS grains, require further analysis to determine if they are ET. The vast majority of exposed filter surfaces remain to be examined.
  • Environmental Impact of Metals Resulting from Military Training Activities: A Review

    Abstract: The deposition of metals into the environment as a result of military training activities remains a longterm concern for Defense organizations across the globe. Of particular concern for deposition and potential mobilization are antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and tungsten (W), which are the focus of this review article. The fate, transport, and mobilization of these metals are complicated and depend on a variety of environmental factors that are often convoluted, heterogeneous, and site dependent. While there have been many studies investigating contaminant mobilization on military training lands there exists a lack of cohesiveness surrounding the current state of knowledge for these five metals. The focus of this review article is to compile the current knowledge of the fate, transport, and ultimate risks presented by metals associated with different military training activities particularly as a result of small arms training activities, artillery/mortar ranges, battleruns, rocket ranges, and grenade courts. From there, we discuss emerging research results and finish with suggestions of where future research efforts and training range designs could be focused toward further reducing the deposition, limiting the migration, and decreasing risks presented by metals in the environment. Additionally, information presented here may offer insights into Sb, As, Cu, Pb, and W in other environmental settings.
  • Approaches to Identify and Monitor for Potential Acid Sulfate Soils in an Ecological Restoration Context

    Purpose: Potential acid sulfate soils include materials with the capacity to generate acidity under certain environmental conditions. As such, these soils can pose challenges to ecological restoration projects occurring in wetlands and nearshore environments. To provide guidance for ecosystem restoration practitioners, the following technical note describes acid sulfate soil formation and distribution and then describes techniques for identifying and monitoring acid sulfate soil conditions prior to and following implementation of restoration activities. Finally, this technical note outlines a number of tools and recently published resources to help avoid unintended consequences of acid sulfate soil disturbance and achieve ecological restoration objectives.
  • Walter Marine and Atlantic Reefmaker Wave Attenuator: Wave Transmission Testing Results

    Abstract: As part of a testing service agreement with Walter Marine and Atlantic Reefmaker, a 1:5.2 physical model of the Reefmaker Wave Attenuator was constructed and tested by the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center to evaluate its influence on wave attenuation. The tested prototype wave periods ranged from 2.5 to 8 sec with prototype wave heights between 1 ft and 6.5 ft. The Reefmaker Wave Attenuator included orthogonal and square designs and was tested under a variety of configurations including a suspended configuration, a bed-mounted configuration, and a rotated configuration. Testing demonstrated that depending on configurations and wavelength, the wave transmission coefficients ranged from 0.29 to 0.70. The most improvement, however, was demonstrated when testing the square unit designs with transmission coefficients, kt, below 0.51. The smallest kt of 0.29 occurred during square unit testing, which consisted of eight bed-mounted, square Ecosystem disks plus a base unit (24.05 in. freeboard) and with a wave period of 3.0 sec and height of 0.84 ft. Of all 134 tests performed, including the suspended case, the average transmission through the structure was 58%.
  • Vessel Speed Analysis before and after Dredging near Missouri River Mile 282 in November 2020

    Abstract: The purpose of this Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) is to present information on vessel traffic before, during, and after a dredging event around river mile 282 of the Missouri River in November 2020 along with contextual information about tonnage and commodities that utilize this navigation project.
  • Detection Limits of Trinitrotoluene and Ammonium Nitrate in Soil by Raman Spectroscopy

    Abstract: The detection limit of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and ammonium nitrate (AN) in mixtures of Ottawa sand (OS) was studied using a Raman microscope applying conventional calibration curves, Pearson correlation coefficients, and two-sample t-tests. By constructing calibration curves, the conventionally defined detection limits were estimated to be 1.9 ± 0.4% by mass in OS and 1.9 ± 0.3% by mass in OS for TNT and AN. Both TNT and AN were detectable in concentrations as low as 1% by mass when Pearson correlation coefficients were used to compare averaged spectra to a library containing spectra from a range of soil types. AN was detectable in concentrations as low as 1% by mass when a test sample of spectra was compared to the same library using two-sample t-tests. TNT was not detectable at a concentration of 1% by mass when using two-sample t-tests.
  • A Comparison of Handheld Field Chemical Sensors for Soil Characterization with a Focus on LIBS

    Abstract: Commercially available handheld chemical analyzers for forensic applications have been available for over a decade. Portable systems from multiple vendors can perform X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and recently laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Together, we have been exploring the development and potential applications of a multisensor system consisting of XRF, Raman, and LIBS for environmental characterization with a focus on soils from military ranges. Handheld sensors offer the potential to substantially increase sample throughput through the elimination of transport of samples back to the laboratory and labor-intensive sample preparation procedures. Further, these technologies have the capability for extremely rapid analysis, on the order of tens of seconds or less. We have compared and evaluated results from the analysis of several hundred soil samples using conventional laboratory bench top inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) for metals evaluation and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Raman spectroscopy for detection and characterization of energetic materials against handheld XRF, LIBS, and Raman analyzers. The soil samples contained antimony, copper, lead, tungsten, and zinc as well as energetic compounds such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), hexahydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), nitroglycerine (NG), and dinitrotoluene isomers (DNT). Precision, accuracy, and sensitivity of the handheld field sensor technologies were compared against conventional laboratory instrumentation to determine their suitability for field characterization leading to decisional outcomes.
  • VI Preferential Pathways of a Large Government Building

    Abstract: Trichloroethylene (TCE) releases from leaks and spills next to a large government building occurred over several decades with the most recent event occurring 20 years ago. In response to a perceived conventional vapor intrusion (VI) issue a sub-slab depressurization system (SSDS) was installed 6 years ago. The SSDS is operating within design limits and has achieved building TCE vapor concentration reductions. However, subsequent periodic TCE vapor spikes based on daily HAPSITE™ measurements indicate additional source(s). Two rounds of smoke tests conducted in 2017 and 2018 involved introduction of smoke into a sanitary sewer and storm drain manholes located on effluent lines coming from the building until smoke was observed exiting system vents on the roof. Smoke testing revealed many leaks in both the storm sewer and sanitary sewer systems within the building. Sleuthing of the VI source term using a portable HAPSITE™ indicate elevated vapor TCE levels correspond with observed smoke emanation from utility lines. Sleuthing activities also found building roof materials explain some of the elevated TCE levels on the 2nd floor. Installation of an external blower in the roof truss space has greatly reduced TCE levels. Preferential VI pathways and unexpected source terms may be overlooked mechanisms as compared to conventional VI.