Human-Induced Material Flow through the Environment

1. Human-Induced Material Flow through the Environment Carol Timson

2. Overview • Biogeochemical Systems • Mass Balance • Ecosystem • Closed Loop • Anthroposystem • Open System • Material Flow Transfer Matrices • Track flow of contaminants throughout the World • 4 Environmental Spheres - all spheres are interdependent • Biosphere-pump • Atmosphere-transporter • Lithosphere-storage compartment • Hydrosphere-transporter (rivers) & storage (oceans)

3. mout min Internal Change Biogeochemical Systems • The study of how living systems influence, and are controlled by, the geology and chemistry of the earth • Fundamental principles to analyze flow of materials through air, land, and water • Mass balance - describes the state of a system NET CHANGE = INPUT + OUTPUT + INTERNAL CHANGE

4. Ecosystem • The sun is the energy source • Plants use the sun to produce food • Animals are the consumers • The decomposers (recyclers) are the fungi and bacteria. The ecosystem is capable of recycling most of the waste products is produces. http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchangel/current/lectures/kling/ecosystem/ecosystem.html

5. Antroposystem Open Loop System • Fossil Fuels are the energy for the system • Producers include manufacturing and farming • Consumers are humans • Decomposing (recycling) is very minor • Includes recycling of material and wastewater treatment by-products are disposed into the physical environment

6. Material Flow • Humans and biota are responsible for redistribution of chemicals on Earth. • In an ecosystem much of the material is transferred directly from the producers to the recyclers, this is not the case in the anthroposystem as it would be pointless to produce material and immediately recycle it.

7. Matter is transferred from producer to consumer. The transfer is a one-to-many relationship that can be quantified by the transfer matrix. In case of fuel producers (mining) and consumers (combustion), the transfer is described by the surface transfer matrix sij Pollution is transferred from the consumer (emitter) to the environmental receptor (pollutant is emitted) i = producer j = consumer k = receptor Material Flow Transfer Matrices

8. Four Environmental SpheresMaterials in the environment are distributed in 4 environmental compartments, materials flow between and within each compartment. Changes in the compartments occur if the flow of the materials is disturbed. Mercury tends to accumulate in the lithosphere and parts of the biosphere • Biosphere • The pump, allows matter to flow through nature • thin shell of organic matter on the earth’s surface • Atmosphere • Transport-conveyor compartment • Large capability for redistributing matter • Lithosphere • solid shell of inorganic material at the earth’s surface • Hydrosphere • can be seen as two compartments: rivers are transporters and oceans are storage

9. Mercury Intro ????????????? http://capita.wustl.edu/capita/capitareports/Mercury/_Toc12781822

10. Mercury traveling through the Spheres • Released by anthropogenic sources into • land • air • soil • Mercury in Atmosphere mixes with cloud water and is deposited on the land and in water sources • On land it is stored in the soil and also deposited into water sources from runoff • Mercury is re-emitted into the atmosphere from the ocean through evasion

11. Mercury Transport • Approximately one third of total mercury emissions are thought to cycle from oceans to the atmosphere and back again to the ocean. • The reservoir holding time is approximately 6 months to 2 years • Hg(0) emitted transforms to Hg(II) in cloud water. • Hg(0) has an average residence time in the atmosphere of about 1 year. • Hg(II) is deposited by dry or wet deposition process. • Atmospheric residence time of hours to months www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpglt3/reports/volume3.pdf

12. Approach Multi-Scale: National, Florida, Southern Florida • National Mercury Flow • Mercury from mining • Mercury in fuels

13. Concentration of mercury in coalci Mi=ciPi cappalachian=0.20 cinterior=0.10 cgulfcoast=0.22 crockymountains=0.09 cgreatplains=0.12 http://capita.wustl.edu/capita/capitareports/Mercury/_Toc12781822

14. Mercury Mobilization through Coal Mi=ciPi Pi [millions Mg/yr] Estimated for 1999 Pappalachian=446 Pinterior=122 Pgulfcoast=61 Prockymountain=365 Pgreatplains=4 http://capita.wustl.edu/capita/capitareports/Mercury/_Toc12781822

15. Matrix Example Mi -mercury contaminant that is mobilized by each producer ci-concentration of the contaminant mercury in coal Pi-raw coal production rate sij-transfer of coal mercury from producer to consumer Uij-amount of mercury originating at the producer and used at the consumer. Mi=ciPi Uij=sijMi

16. Mercury Emission • In 1999 the amount of mercury mobilized from coal was 144 Mg http://capita.wustl.edu/capita/capitareports/Mercury/_Toc12781822

17. Mercury • Mercury in the soil is also taken up by plants and these plants are consumed by animals. • Mercury can get into freshwater systems through direct deposition, runoff, or through groundwater flow in the upper soil layers • Mercury in water is ingested by water animals also. • From 1930-2000 about 7000 Mg mercury has been taken from it geochemical reservoir and distributed into the environment. www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpglt3/reports/volume3.pdf

18. Conclusion • Material flow in the environment should be modeled after the ecosystem. • Ecosystem makes use of all material • The anthroposystem differs from the ecosystem in the fact that they do not recycle as much • The amount of a pollutant released can be tracked through the environmental spheres by using a material flow transfer matrix • Mercury accumulates in the lithosphere and biosphere, disturbing the flow through the environmental compartments.