The EPA held hearings last week focusing on a proposed rule to implement numeric nutrient standards for Florida waters. The current statewide standard requires that “…in no case shall nutrient concentrations of a body of water be altered so as to cause an imbalance in natural populations of aquatic flora and fauna….”
Audubon of Florida argued that numeric nutrient standards must be implemented to eliminate subjective enforcement of the current standard. According to a post on the Audubon of Florida’s blog last week, in addition to numeric nutrient standards, “…specific changes in the way water is processed, land is used, crops are grown, and urban developments are designed will all be necessary to produce any results….”
The proposed new rule faces opposition from business interests, citing difficulties in meeting the new standards and the costs associated with implementation.
More information on EPA water quality standards for Florida lakes and flowing waters is available on their website.
Washington State Senate Passes Environmental Protection Legislation
On Friday, the Washington State Senate passed several pieces of environmental protection legislation, including SB6557, aimed at limiting the amount of dissolved copper from brake pads entering Puget Sound. It has been reported that more than 7 million tons of dissolved copper enters Puget Sound every year, causing harm to salmon and their habitat. Half of this total is said to originate from brake pads.
Senate Bill 6289, sponsored by Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, also passed a Senate vote on Friday, and will limit the amount of phosphorous contained in lawn fertilizers beginning in 2012. Phosphorous runoff into rivers and lakes is known to cause excessive algae and plant growth. Upon decomposition, algae and plants consume dissolved oxygen used by fish to breath. Algae blooms can also become toxic and cause skin irritation.
Of the roughly 28 million Americans suffering from hearing loss, 10 million can attribute their hearing loss to noise exposure. Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) can be caused by a single exposure to loud sound, as well as by exposure to sounds at various loudness levels over an extended period of time.
OSHA’s occupational noise exposure regulations provide that protection against noise exposure be implemented “whenever employee noise exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level (TWA) of 85 decibels….”
To calculate time-weighted average sound level exposure, OSHA provides the required method of computation on its website.
Visit SperDirect.com for a comparison chart of sound meter features.
Tiny Solar-Powered Sensor to Improve Air & Water Quality Monitoring
A team at the University of Michigan has developed a 9-cubic millimeter solar-powered sensor that could increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of environmental sensor networks that track air and water quality.
With an overall power consumption of less than one nanowatt (one-billionth of a watt), and dimensions that are 1,000 times smaller than its comparable commercial counterparts, the new sensor could also be utilized in medical applications, enabling less-invasive monitoring of eye and brain pressure, as well as tumors.
According to David Blaauw, an electrical and computer engineering professor at U-M, the sensor “can run nearly perpetually if periodically exposed to reasonable lighting conditions, even indoors.” In the body, U-M engineers say that kinetic energy from body movement or heat could replace light as a fuel source.
At Sper Scientific, We’re always amazed by the diversity of applications for our products. One very important product application is food safety, and one of our most popular food-safety product lines is our pH pens, which are used by sushi makers to ensure the safety of their rice.
The art of sushi making traces its origins back to 4th Century BC Southeast Asia, long before modern refrigeration or health codes. At that time, salted fish was wrapped in rice, and the natural fermentation properties of the rice helped to preserve it. When it was time to eat the fish, the rice was discarded.
Over time, this method of fish preservation spread to Japan, where the rice eventually became part of the meal. Instead of discarding the rice, the Japanese mixed it with vinegar and added vegetables and other dried, preserved foods.
Typically kept at room temperature for malleability, we now know that sushi rice has the potential to become a host for pathogens if not properly prepared. To protect against this, it is imperative that proper amounts of vinegar are added to maintain optimum acidity.
To ensure proper acidity levels are achieved, a pH meter should be used to test each batch of rice. A maximum pH reading of under 4.6 is generally considered safe.
Click Here to view our full line of PH meters.
If you’re looking for a unique gift this season that captures a bit of holiday magic, a Galileo thermometer might be what you’re after.
Based on a thermoscope invented by Galileo Galilei in the 15th Century, the Galileo Thermometer relies on the concept that as a liquid’s temperature changes, its buoyancy also changes.
The Galileo thermometer — a sealed, liquid-filled glass cylinder with weighted floats — takes advantage of these buoyancy changes to indicate the approximate ambient air temperature.
A Galileo thermometer’s floats, while beautifully color-filled, are functional temperature-reading devices.
Individually counterweighted, each float’s density varies slightly from the other. As the thermometer’s liquid temperature changes, so does its density, sending the higher density floats to the bottom.
The float next in line to sink, indicates the current temperature.
Below, is an image of a Sper Scientific Galileo Thermometer, available in a variety of sizes, in temperature scales of both Fahrenheit and Celsius.
Sper Scientific Galileo Thermometer
SingularityHub.com recently published an article titled “Swarm of Underwater Drones to Help Explore Ocean,” detailing a new $1 million underwater exploration initiative funded by the National Science Foundation.
Jules Jaffe of UC San Diego’s Scripps Institute will oversee the initiative, which will employ a fleet of custom-designed drones he calls Autonomous Underwater Explorers, or UAE. The drones are designed to measure a variety of parameters, including salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, chlorophyll levels and water turbudity.
Once deployed, the UAE may be used to monitor protected marine habitats, help retrieve black boxes from plane crash sites, or track oil spills.
If you’re an environmental scientist or have an interest in whales and sealife, the Science section of the ABC Austrailia website today published an article titled “Oceans Face Acid Test.”
The article provides a comprehensive overview of the “the other CO2 problem,” an apparent effect of increased atmospheric CO2 absorbed by the world’s oceans.
According to the article, dissolved CO2 reacts with ocean water to form carbonic acid, resulting in decreased ocean PH levels that may reduce the krill population, a tiny crustacean that make up the bulk of the humpback whale’s diet.
Other effects of ocean acidification include decreased underwater sound travel and ear-bone deformity in fish, which in turn affects underwater navigation, as well as reef depletion.
From time to time, we receive questions about how our infrared thermometers work. Typically, our response is limited to explaining proper instrument operation.
For those of you interested in a little more detail, I came across a an excellent, comprehensive article on the SensorTips.com website covering how infrared thermometry works, the difference between IR thermometers and IR detectors, field of view, and practical considerations when purchasing an infrared thermometer.
When measuring PH, it’s important to know that as the temperature of a solution changes, so does its PH reading. This is useful information in creating a ph-stable solution.
It’s even more important to know that as the temperature of a solution changes, the response or sensitivity of a PH meter’s electrode is affected, especially when measuring PH levels above or below 7.
For this reason, it’s necessary to manually compensate for the reduction in a PH meter’s sensitivity, or purchase a unit that features automatic temperature compensation when it’s necessary to obtain a precise PH measurement.
Here are two popular Sper Scientific PH meters, featuring both automatic and manual temperature compansation.
Large Display PH Pen with Automatic Temperature Compensation:
Large Display Pen Style pH Meter with Automatic Temperature Compensation
Water Quality Bench Top Meter:
Sper Scientific Water Quality Benchtop Meter