http://geoengineeringourclimate.com/2013/07/09/nitrogen-geoengineering-opinion-article/

NITROGEN GEOENGINEERING (OPINION ARTICLE)

"In the 1870s strategic control of the richest South American nitrate deposits were a principal cause of the “War of the Pacific” (also called the Saltpetre War) between Chile, Peru and Bolivia."

"Noting the ever-greater demand for wheat and the lack of new land on which to grow it, Sir William Crookes, a noted British chemist, used his 1898 presidential address to the British Association for the Advancement of Science to stress that it was “vital to the progress of civilized humanity” that chemists solve the problem by fixing nitrogen from the air into compounds that could be used as fertilizers and chemical feedstocks. If they failed there would be a planet-wide “catastrophe little short of starvation…and even the extinction of gunpowder!”[3] In 1908 Fritz Haber hit on a successful scheme; Carl Bosch made its use a practical industrial process, and Germany’s need for explosives in the First World War saw the process put into large-scale use.[4] By the 1920s the Haber-Bosch process was available to industries throughout the world and chemistry textbooks were congratulating themselves on having solved the “nitrogen problem”."

"It has been estimated that the explosives made possible by the Haber Bosch contributed directly to 150 million deaths over the twentieth century.[5] In the second half of the century, though, it made an even greater contribution to life than it had to death. Nitrogen-based fertilizers were the single greatest contributor to near tripling of crop yields in the decades after 1950. Today fertilizers produced by the Haber-Bosch process account for almost half of the nitrogen in human food; without them the population would not have been able to grow close to its present seven billion. By the time the population stabilizes somewhere around 10 billion, most of the nitrogen in those peoples muscle fibers, nerve cells and DNA will be coming from factories."

...

"There are other aspects of nitrogen geoengineering that climate geoengineers should be aware of. One is that it is deployed inefficiently. Most of the deliberately fixed nitrogen does not get into crops; Vaclav Smil estimates that the overall efficiency of the global food system seen this way is less than 15%.[6] The wasted nitrogen is not just a loss; it often does harm."

Scientists say fish kill expected on Gulf Coast for a few more days

http://www.kvue.com/news/state/214089171.html

Scientists say this fish kill may last a few more days, but has lessened.

This is the first incident of the summer.

Nualgi for Sewage Treatment - report on Reset

A Germany-based international ecological NGO named Reset posted an article about Nualgi on their blog - http://in.reset.org/blog/nualgi-%E2%80%93-saviour-sewage-water

Hyderabad Lakes

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/a-shot-at-a-clear-water-solution/article4764855.ece

A shot at a clear water solution

The GHMC, which has taken up a programme for the preservation of 128 lakes within its boundaries, has decided to take up an initiative to clean up at least 60 of these in the first phase, according to GHMC Commissioner M.T. Krishna Babu.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/the-hussainsaga-continues/article4763493.ece

The ‘Hussainsaga’ continues

The dredging of the Hussainsagar lake has been in progress for almost six months without there being any headway on the location of a dump yard for the dredged sediment finalising the site to dump the dredged sediment so far.

Hydroponics - Micronutrients and algal blooms

Hydroponics - Micronutrients and algal blooms

Micro nutrients and algae in Hydroponics -

http://www.maximumyield.com/inside-my-com/features-articles/item/635-troubleshooting-in-the-hydroponic-garden

However, iron, calcium and magnesium deficiencies on leaves and fruit occur even when there is more than a sufficient amount of these elements in a solution. 

.....

Most hydroponic growers come across algae sooner or later.

Donald Lester

http://www.maximumyield.com/inside-my-com/features-articles/item/703-understanding-phosphorous-acid-products

Phosphate fertilizers are used in large amounts in horticultural, agricultural and turf applications and they are often blamed for algae blooms in rivers and lakes (water carries phosphates and nitrogen fertilizers to these bodies of water). The rapidly growing algae blooms suck oxygen from the water, thus resulting in large fish kills

DISSOLVED OXYGEN—THE HIDDEN NECESSITY

http://www.maximumyield.com/inside-my-com/asktheexperts/item/180-dissolved-oxygen%E2%80%94the-hidden-necessity

DISSOLVED OXYGEN—THE HIDDEN NECESSITY

• June 2012 
• Written by  Eric Hopper 

Of all the amazing substances found on this Earth none are as precious and integral to biological life as water. Water, as we all know, is made up of oxygen and hydrogen atoms, but between the water molecules is a different form of oxygen: molecular oxygen. Molecular oxygen—more commonly known to gardeners as dissolved oxygen—is the oxygen used by aquatic creatures and the aerobic organisms living in and around a plant’s rhizosphere. Water quality evaluations performed for aquatic life applications rate water quality in relation to its dissolved oxygen content—the more dissolved oxygen, the better the water quality. This standard should be applied to water used for plants, too—especially plants in hydroponic systems.

The importance of dissolved oxygen
Good-quality water that includes a high dissolved oxygen content is absolutely crucial to successful indoor horticulture. The most significant benefit of water with a high dissolved oxygen content is the stimulation of beneficial aerobic organisms. Most beneficial microorganisms living in and around a plant’s rhizosphere will only survive, thrive and reproduce in an oxygen-rich environment. Too little dissolved oxygen creates a compounded negative effect—as the beneficial organisms die out because of the lack of dissolved oxygen, the ideal conditions for anaerobic pathogenic organisms are also created. Almost every pathogenic disease related to the plant’s rhizosphere is anaerobic and can be avoided by providing sufficient levels of dissolved oxygen. Another benefit of highly oxygenated water is that dissolved oxygen regulates the availability of certain nutrients—for example, some studies have shown the number of nitrifying microbes increases with the level of dissolved oxygen. Without sufficient dissolved oxygen content, the nitrogen cycle in your soil can be compromised.

Physical factors that affect dissolved oxygen
There are two physical factors that affect dissolved oxygen content relative to indoor horticulture: temperature and salinity. Salinity is less crucial than temperature because by the time a medium or nutrient solution’s salinity level is high enough to affect dissolved oxygen content chances are good that the plant will have already shown signs of over-fertilization or toxic salinity. Temperature, however, is the most crucial and controllable factor associated with dissolved oxygen. Temperature inversely controls the solubility of oxygen in water—in other words, as temperature rises the dissolved oxygen content falls and as temperature decreases the potential dissolved oxygen content increases. If this wasn’t bad enough, the damage is intensified because this inverse relationship with oxygen and water is exponential—so when temperatures rise in your grow room, the dissolved oxygen content in your hydroponic system or grow medium exponentially decreases. This is the number one reason temperature control of the nutrient solution in a hydroponic nutrient reservoir is so crucial.

Temperature control for water
The first way to control the temperature of your water is to control the temperature of the room itself—soil containers, hydroponic systems, hydroponic reservoirs and anything else in the grow room will eventually take on the ambient temperature of the room. This is one of the reasons you see plants grown outdoors in 100°F heat that survive, even flourish, while indoor gardens that reach 100°F usually end up with severe casualties. The plants grown outdoors can withstand 100°F+ temperatures because their roots and the moisture around them are insulated by the ground. The dissolved oxygen and beneficial aerobic organisms in the soil are unharmed by the heat and continue to function, allowing the plant to continue growing. Now take a look at your indoor plants in the same kind of heat. Their roots are in some sort of soil container or hydroponic system, they are completely surrounded by the ambient air in the room and plants, roots, medium and all will eventually become the same temperature as the room—in this case, 100°F+. Once the water in the soil or hydroponic system gets that hot, the dissolved oxygen content is so low that beneficial aerobic organisms will die off and pathogenic anaerobic organisms will find favorable conditions to thrive and destroy your plants. A little-known fact in the indoor gardening industry is that the stress imposed on plants by high temperatures is usually the result of a decline in dissolved oxygen in the medium or hydroponic system—this harms beneficial microbes and in turn harms the plants. By implementing air conditioners, exhaust and intake fans and air cooled reflectors, however, an indoor horticulturalist can effectively control the ambient temperature—which will help to maintain sufficient dissolved oxygen in the medium or hydroponic solution.

Water chillers
Water chillers have become an increasingly popular tool for the hydroponic gardener. Any hydroponic system that is susceptible to heat from the environment or employs large submersible pumps should absolutely be equipped with a water chiller, which is essentially an air conditioner for water. These handy devices—available at virtually any hydroponics retailer in a variety of sizes—are particularly useful when a hydroponic gardener is also supplementing CO2. Optimal ambient temperatures for CO2 enrichment are higher than normal ambient temperatures, so water chillers allow growers to maintain cool temperatures in their hydroponic systems while increasing the room temperature to maximize CO2 absorption. Water chillers also help to battle the unwanted heat created by the large submersible pumps used in some hydroponic systems.

Aeration
Aeration is how a gardener replaces the dissolved oxygen that is used up naturally during a plant’s growing process—or more specifically, the oxygen used by microbes within the plant’s rhizosphere. Aeration of a nutrient solution—carried out by vigorous circulation or by an air pump connected to an air stone or diffuser—will help replace used dissolved oxygen. As water bubbles up or circulates it comes into contact with the surrounding air, allowing it to absorb some of the molecular oxygen from the atmosphere. Soil growers can amend their soil with perlite, pumice, coco coir or hydroton to create air pockets that will provide pathways for air to enter the medium.

Oxygen additives
There are numerous oxygen booster additives available at your local hydroponics retailer that can help improve the dissolved oxygen content of your nutrient solution. Make sure you read the bottle carefully; some of these oxidizers are designed for cleaning hydroponic systems (with plants removed!) and should not be added to a regular feeding program. Another good choice for oxygen supplementation is hydrogen peroxide or H2O2. Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most common ways to boost dissolved oxygen content in your nutrient solution, but it is also one of the additives most argued about in the hydroponic community. Here’s my rationale: hydrogen peroxide occurs naturally in rain water and has played an integral role in plant and microbial evolution since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, many growers tend to over-apply hydrogen peroxide, which is counterproductive—high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide will create an oxidization effect, which actually kills beneficial organisms. As long as the hydrogen peroxide is well diluted and used in moderation, though, I see no harm in using it as a dissolved oxygen booster.
Of all the factors that determine success for an indoor horticulturalist, none are as elusive as the dissolved oxygen molecule—its significance is out of all proportion to its physical size and any gardener who has battled root rot or experienced diminished yields due to excessive heat will vouch for its importance. Dissolved oxygen supports the healthy lifecycle of the beneficial microbes, which are the hidden pillars of a garden’s success. By implementing temperature control, aggressive aeration and the supplementation of oxygen-boosting additives, indoor growers can maintain high populations of beneficial microbes, avoid potential problems and maintain optimal conditions in their gardens.

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2013/04/05/Russia-seeks-Baltic-pollution-partnerships/UPI-56841365134700/

Energy Resources

Russia seeks Baltic pollution partnerships

Russia's push to create public-private partnerships as a way to help clean up the polluted Baltic Sea is the focus of an environmental summit this week in St. Petersburg.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, April 5 (UPI) -- Russia's push to create public-private partnerships as a way to help clean up the polluted Baltic Sea is the focus of an environmental summit in St. Petersburg.

The meeting, to be attended by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and premiers from 10 other Baltic and northern European nations, is being called in part to strengthen international cooperation on tackling the chronic environmental woes of the Baltic, which is plagued by nitrates and phosphates from waste run-off.

The nutrients, contained in fertilizers and sewage, enter the sea from large "spot" sources such as wastewater treatment facilities and also from diffuse sources, such as scattered farm fields.

Environmentalists say the pollution is causing the "eutrophication" of the Baltic Sea, though which algae blooms deplete oxygen from the water, triggering fish die-offs and creating a 25,000-square-mile-wide "dead zone" the size of Latvia.

A 2007 action plan developed by the Helsinki Commission of nine Baltic Sea nations has achieved a 40 percent reduction in direct nitrogen and phosphorus discharges as well as a 40 percent decrease in airborne nitrogen emissions.

Some 200 Baltic Sea anti-pollution commitments have been at previous summits, including 11 by sovereign states.

But to achieve its stated objective of eliminating the Baltic's algae blooms, direct phosphorous and nitrogen inputs must be cut by a further 42 percent.

Nitrate-reduction targets adopted under the Helsinki Commission agreement cover the Baltic proper, the Gulf of Finland and Bornholm Basin. Targets have been set for oxygen "debt," which is a measure of a lack of oxygen caused by eutrophication. The ultimate aim is to reach a level of oxygen debt that was prevalent in the 1950s to 1970s.

Russia, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, has indicated it will use the prime ministerial conference to promote its top priority of establishing international public-private partnerships to tackle environmental challenges.

A release from the Russian delegation, headed by Igor Vdovin, board chairman of the National Agency for Direct Investment, said they will be focused on building such partnerships for environmental projects in two pilot regions -- Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg/Leningrad Oblast.

The Russians said they will be also be seeking to create a "common space" for public-private partnerships in the Baltic Sea region as well as a regional investment fund among the 11 Baltic Sea states attending the event as well as the European Commission.

Finland, which launched the environmental summit process in 2010 and takes over the Council of the Baltic Sea States presidency this year, says it's aiming to speed up the implementation of the Helsinki Commission's clean-up action plan.

Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen and Minister of the Environment Ville Niinisto were both set to travel to St. Petersburg, the government said Tuesday.

Katainen in November called for closer links between the Baltic Sea countries to combat maritime pollution at an address in Jyvaskyla, the Finnish daily Keskisuomalainen reported.

"The question is to save the Baltic Sea," he said, calling it the biggest challenge facing the surrounding nations. "For it to achieve good ecological status will require closer cooperation and, above all, the cutting down of (nutrient) load factors."

Niinisto, meanwhile will also be present at the Russian-hosted public private partnership forum, the governing National Coalition Party reported in its Verkkouutiset.fi online magazine.