In this paper we advocate a new initial allocation mechanism for a tradable pollution permit market. We outline a Permit Allocation Contest (PAC) that distributes permits to firms based on their rank relative to other firms. This ranking is achieved by ordering firms based on an observable ‘external action’ where the external action is an activity or characteristic of the firm that is independe...

We investigate the effects of atmospheric dispersion on observations of the Sun at the ever-higher spatial resolutions afforded by increased apertures and improved techniques. The problems induced by atmospheric refraction are particularly significant for solar physics because the Sun is often best observed at low elevations, and the effect of the image displacement is not merely a loss of effi...

Describe various geographical environments in terms of their atmospheric corrosivity Summarize the main factors causing atmospheric corrosion Explain how these factors are measured Examine how the safety introduced by the massive usage of deicing salts has modified the corrosivity of road environments Design a testing program to establish the corrosivity map of a given site or even a country re...

The objective of this thesis is to investigate the initial allocation of pollution permits in a dynamic tradeable market. Tradeable pollution permit markets are an increasingly common method of environmental regulation and it is apparent that future schemes may have a number of repeated compliance periods. It is important to consider how and to what extent the dynamic allocation of pollution pe...

Several mathematical tools have been developed in recent years to analyze new particle formation rates and to estimate nucleation rates and mechanisms at sub-3 nm sizes from atmospheric aerosol data. Here we evaluate these analysis tools using 1239 numerical nucleation events for which the nucleation mechanism and formation rates were known exactly. The accuracy of the estimates of particle for...

This entry examines the relationship between property rights and environmental protection. According to the ‘tragedy of the commons’ model, environmental pollution and resource depletion result from the inadequate specification of property rights in environmental goods. Two solutions typically are offered for averting the ‘tragedy’: (1) specify property rights (that is, privatize the commons) o...

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) produce large amounts of animal waste, which potentially pollutes air, soil and water and affects human health if not appropriately managed. This study uses meteorological and CAFO data and applies an air pollution dispersion model (CALPUFF) to estimate ammonia concentrations at locations downwind of hog CAFOs and to evaluate the disproportionate e...

The rotating-flow boundary layer is a special case of the more general threedimensional boundary layer in which the pressure gradient imposed by the outer flow (above the boundary layer) is not in the same direction as the outer flow. The rotating-flow boundary layer thus has motion that is transverse to the streamlines of the outer flow, that is, there is a secondary circulation to the primary...

We study the use of dispersion relations;modified to violate causality, as a tool to limit a fundamental acausal length. We find that unless the usual dispersion relations are found to be violated, acausal dispersion relations give no new information. This means that the only presently believable limit on an acausal length is given by dimensional analysis; since dispersion relations have been t...

In this paper, we discuss observations of temperature variability in the tidal portion of the San Joaquin River in California. The San Joaquin River makes up the southern portion of the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta, the eastern end of San Francisco Bay. Observations made in August 2004 and August 2005 show significant diurnal variations in temperature in response to surface heat exchange. Howev...