bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a process for releasing non‐real property under order doe 5400.5
Authors: Warren Stephen W. , Ranek Nancy L. , Hensley James
Published: February 2007

It is the policy of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to improve environmental quality and conserve natural and economic resources by, among other things, increasing the reuse and recycle of recoverable materials in order to minimize land disposal of wastes. Consistent with this policy, DOE's Office of Environmental Management believes it is important to pursue strategies for reusing and recycling the large and growing DOE inventory of recoverable non‐real property. However, responsible pursuit of such strategies requires careful prior consideration of the available alternatives, given the radiological character of much of the non‐real property to be released. Requirements applicable to considerations of this type are established by Order DOE 5400.5, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment. This article describes the development and content of a step‐by‐step process designed to provide confidence that radiological doses to the public from recycle or reuse of released non‐real property containing residual radioactive material meet applicable regulatory standards, are as low as reasonably achievable, and meet the requirements in Order DOE 5400.5 for release of such material. The full process, described in the Draft Handbook for Controlling Release for Reuse or Recycle of Non‐Real Property Containing Residual Radioactive Material (for interim use and comment), DOE‐HDBK‐xxxx‐97 (June 1997), is available for viewing and downloading at http://www.em.doe.gov/recyc.
Tooele: First CONUS chemical demilitarization facility gears up to meet operational requirements
Authors: Parker William H.
Published: February 2007

Amid growing concerns about weapons of mass destruction and the crisis with Iraq, the safe destruction of the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Conventions is a high national priority program. Environmental requirements loom large in the successful accomplishment of this critical task. This article discusses the environmental regulatory challenges that the Army and its contractor, EG&G, had to overcome to construct and begin operations at the Tooele Chemical Demilitarization Facility (TOCDF). The first challenge was to secure the necessary Clean Air Act (CAA) and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permits issued by the Utah Department of Solid and Hazardous Waste (DSHW). Another challenge was the DSHW requirement that all Class I Engineering Change Proposals (ECPs) were considered as permit changes requiring state approval. To date, this requirement resulted in 198 Class I permit modifications and the processing of more than 2,000 ECPs. Another challenge was the level of continuous regulatory and public oversight. Since TOCDF began operations, it has been subject to 42 inspections or reviews by various agencies with outside agency inspection teams on site during the first 23 weeks of 1997. The success of the Army and EG&G in reconciling environmental and treaty requirements at Tooele underscores the need for strong partnerships with state regulators and vigorous outreach efforts involving all relevant stakeholders at other chemical demilitarization facilities.
Interview with Rear Admiral Andrew A. Granuzzo
Authors: West Michael A.
Published: February 2007

In this exclusive interview with the Journal, Rear Admiral Granuzzo discusses a number of recent environmental controversies involving the Navy and his priorities for addressing current and emerging environmental challenges.
Institutional controls for future land use at active installation restoration program (IRP) sites
Authors: Hourcle Laurent R. , Guenther Norman H.
Published: February 2007

One of the strategies now in vogue in hazardous waste cleanup is basing remedial strategies on future land use. The initial thrust of CERCLA for permanent and complete remedies has given way, pushed by concepts like “brownfields” and base closure and reuse, to strategies often based on “institutional controls” that attempt to stabilize future land uses at a site based on residual risk. The heart of this concept is that instead of removing all wastes from a site, some wastes can safely remain so long as in the future the site is not used in such a way that the residual contamination poses an unacceptable risk to human health and the environment. “Institutional controls” is a term for land use management strategies that do not rely on engineering approaches to reduce risk, but rather seek to ensure that the site is not used in an inappropriate way in the future.

This article cautions that such a strategy has inherent residual risks that must be understood by those involved in implementing hazardous waste cleanups and those responsible for future uses of contaminated property. Simply put, institutional controls are only as good as the processes that are in place to ensure they are respected in the future. This presents particular problems for active duty installations because most of the protections commonly available to private sector sites are not useful at active installations. This article discusses an initiative by the Air Combat Command to develop a handbook on instituting and maintaining land restrictions. It will also discuss that effort in light of the April 21 EPA Region IV guidance on assuring Land Use Controls at Federal Facilities. This article is based on a paper and presentations given at the 1998 ACC Environmental Training Symposium.
Integration of risk assessments and removal actions to expedite the cercla remedial response process at a dod brac facility
Authors: Stone Paul R. , Hoke Bryan , Marcussen Claire , Shor Ann
Published: February 2007

In an era of reduced budgets and public demand for greater efficiency in government environmental response actions, reduction of overhead expenses is of prime importance. For large U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) facilities undergoing Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), such as the Southeastern (SE) Area at Letterkenny Army Depot (LEAD) National Priorities List (NPL) site, costs to comply or demonstrate compliance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) regulations can be enormous, because LEAD is an installation with a diverse array of mission activities, each associated with unique environmental issues. Because such costs can greatly impact resources available for current and future mission activities, LEAD is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and their contractors to develop a focused and strategic plan to effectively comply with CERCLA regulations, while maintaining current and projected operations. To illustrate how the CERCLA process was accelerated, a case study on SE Operable Unit 4, the LEAD SE Offpost Stormwater Sewers and Drainageway Sediments, is presented.
Community involvement in the defense department installation restoration program
Authors: Bregman J. I.
Published: February 2007

As its major form of community involvement in its Installation Restoration Program (IRP), the Department of Defense (DOD) created Restoration Advisory Boards (RABs). These RABs serve the purpose of providing citizen input into DOD's cleanup approaches to abandoned hazardous waste situations at its various installations. At first, this approach applied only to installations slated for closure, but now it has been applied to all installations. This article covers such factors as the history of RABs, their mission and locations and the good and not‐so‐good results of their use. Recommendations are presented for possible improvements.
On‐line distance learning for the federal community
Authors: Winter David G.
Published: February 2007

As federal government agencies shift funding away from non‐core operations and activities, new approaches will be needed to accomplish those important, but underfunded, non‐core functions. One of those important functions is environmental training, certification, and record keeping. A new company called AdvanceONLINETM has developed an on‐line distance learning approach to environmental training that transfers many of the features relied on in the classroom to a virtual world. AdvanceONLINE's approach is gaining recognition and increased use within several agencies and commands, each with a different need for continuing education and training of its personnel. This article will review the key elements of distance learning, examine the AdvanceONLINE system, and consider applications within the federal community.
Estimating chemical releases from the Oklahoma city air logistics center industrial wastewater treatment facility
Authors: Hall Freddie E.
Published: February 2007

The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center is utilizing computer models to estimate emissions from the industrial wastewater treatment facility. As environmental monitoring and reporting requirements become more stringent, engineers will need to employ more sophisticated computer models capable of providing better predictions of chemical releases from industrial wastewater treatment processes. The air emission (WATER8) and air dispersion (ISC‐ST3) models are examples of two models that are being effectively employed in conjunction to improve the predictive capability of engineers, improve the reliability of releases to the environment, and improve the quantification of ambient air chemical concentrations surrounding industrial wastewater treatment processes.
An ecoregional context for natural resources management: A case study at nellis air force range, Nevada
Authors: Ripley J. Douglas , Moore James E. , Humke John W. , Leslie Michele
Published: February 2007

This article describes recent developments undertaken by the Air Force, working in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy, to implement ecosystem management at the three million acre Nellis Air Force Range, Nevada (NAFR). The principal focus of those efforts included holding a dialogue facilitated by the Keystone Center which examined long‐range natural resources management strategies for NAFR, the development and presentation of a biodiversity conservation course for military land managers, and the formation of an ecosystem assessment process to establish a scientific foundation for cooperative stewardship within the northeastern portion of the Mojave Desert Ecoregion.
Effective NEPA implementation: The facilitated approach
Authors: Lee Judith Landry , Russell Stephen
Published: February 2007

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) allows applicants, states, and contractors to prepare environmental assessments (EAs) and environmental impact statements (EISs). However, under all circumstances, the federal official is held fully accountable for the scope, objectivity, content, and accuracy of the NEPA analyses and documents prepared for the agency by others. The commonly used paradigm for contracting requires contractors to conduct the analyses and prepare the documents, with federal involvement primarily limited to review and comment of partially completed deliverables. This approach results in contractors fulfilling inherently governmental responsibilities and often causing conflict, frustration, higher costs, longer execution time, and alternatives which may not meet mission objectives.
Sustaining the mission through range environmental planning
Authors: Borthwick Jesse O. , Beshore Eric A.
Published: February 2007

Maintaining access to the Department of Defense's (DOD) airspace, land, and water ranges for military test and training is critical to national defense. Yet very few ranges have comprehensive planning programs in place to proactively address current and future mission needs. As a result the Air Force leadership announced “Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Initiatives” in 1995 that called for the development of comprehensive airspace and range plans to address both operational and environmental issues in order to maintain access to ranges and sustain readiness. Largely in response to these initiatives, the Air Force Development Test Center (AFDTC) at Eglin Air Force Base established a Range Environmental Planning Office in July 1995. This paper will introduce the range challenge, report on an innovative range planning partnership that has evolved over the last three years at Eglin, and address the importance of range planning to mission sustainability.
Address to the third annual joint service pollution prevention conference and exhibition
Authors: Vest Gary D.
Published: February 2007

Speaking to the Third Annual Joint Service Pollution Prevention Conference at San Antonio, Texas, in August 1998, Mr. Vest defined the role of Department of Defense Environmental Security activities. First and foremost, he stressed that environmental security programs existed to serve the defense mission in three ways—(1) by protecting key military assets, (2) guaranteeing continued access to the land and air space to support realistic training, and (3) by adding value in facilitating sustainable military activities into the 21st Century. Mr. Vest then went on to discuss three key thrusts in Environmental Security programs—improved integration of environmental considerations within military activities, broadening domestic partnerships, and expanded international cooperation. He closed by setting forth the guiding principles of DOD Environmental Security programs and policies: “Do the right thing;” “Do it the right way;” and “Take care of our people”.
Enhancing pollution prevention (P2) projects with economic and compliance drivers
Authors: Thomas‐Cole Suzanne T.
Published: February 2007

Approval of Pollution Prevention (P2) projects for implementation requires that these projects have justification that can compete favorably with other productivity‐enhancing and mission‐focused projects. Many environmental projects never receive approval because they are not perceived to be cost‐effective, their impact on environmental compliance is often understated, or the data collected do not support the project favorably for implementation. For example, compliance with National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) requirements and mandated Air Force P2 goals are closely related; cost savings and favorable implementation can be realized when the project studies and compliance solutions take both issues into account. In addition, economic feasibility analyses must include costs for continuing environmental compliance, as well as hidden costs for future regulatory pressures, liabilities, and public relations. This article will present an approach that elevates compliance and cost issues as a way to enhance P2 solutions. True environmental costs, combined P2 and compliance objectives, and focused data collection allow projects to succeed. The outcome is reduced cost (both compliance costs and implementation capital and operating costs), simplified compliance, and reduced data management needs.
Development of a plasma energy pyrolysis system (PEPS) to treat complex military waste streams
Authors: Smith Ed , Zaghloul Hany , Vallone Joseph S.
Published: February 2007

The U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (USACERL) is involved in evaluating the capability of plasma technology for the destruction of hazardous components, verifying slag suitability for regular landfill disposal, identifying potential hazards associated with the process emissions, and developing qualified cost estimates for the future use of the process on large scale operations. The Plasma Energy Pyrolysis System (PEPS) project provides an environmental compliance technology to reduce the cost of treatment and disposal of hazardous and toxic waste streams resulting from production or deactivation of military weapon systems or from military operations.

Plasma arc technology applications enable the military to control and dispose of recalcitrant hazardous and toxic wastes regulated under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act amendments (RCRA), in addition to satisfying the increasingly stringent emission standards of the Clean Air Act (CAA) relevant to open burning/open detonation (OB/OD) practices within the military. A plasma arc processing unit can significantly reduce costs associated with conventional hazardous waste treatment technologies such as: sample characterization lead time, health and safety exposure risks to workers, and increased risks to the general public from accidents involving excavated and transported wastes. The development and field demonstration of plasma arc technology will provide a much‐needed capability for military hazardous waste processing and disposal on a flexible basis.
The national park service, intermountain region/environmental protection agency, region VIII, environmental partnership collaboration in wise stewardship
Authors: Schene Michael G. , Zanowick Marie B.
Published: February 2007

The National Park Service (NPS), Intermountain Region and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region VIII have entered into a partnership effort. The work of the Partnership is based on the shared value of environmental protection and wise stewardship. The NPS has articulated goals for achieving safe, unimpaired park environments by the year 2000. The strategy for accomplishing these goals included significant partnership work and this effort has been largely focused with EPA. This Partnership project was designed to provide the parks with the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the 2000 initiative, design and implement an integrated park environmental management program, and incorporate sustainable practices into park operations. The Partnership team developed an innovative mix of training, “tools,” and technical assistance to achieve these outcomes. The work of the Partnership has been successful and there are documented changes in the way that NPS now manages both solid and hazardous waste.
DOD and tribal partnerships: Developing a resource for consultation with the five civilized tribes
Authors: Whalley Lucy A.
Published: February 2007

Land managers on Department of Defense (DOD) installations are responsible for identifying Indian tribes affiliated with DOD lands and consulting with tribes about natural and cultural resources management and protection. This article discusses a current project, funded by the Legacy Resource Management Program, being conducted by the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory in partnership with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Committee of the Intertribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes that proposes to study tribal affiliation with DOD lands in the southeastern United States. The article argues that such studies are a necessary first step in laying the groundwork for meaningful consultation with Indian tribes.
Environmental justice, pollution prevention, and the military: The effects of community‐based environmental projects on base operations
Authors: Herren Leann C.
Published: February 2007

The environmental justice movement has focused attention on the need to more actively ensure equitable environmental protection for all and to empower those most often disenfranchised from the decision‐making process—t he poor and people of color. In South Carolina, this effort is centered out of the Community Based Environmental Protection (CBEP) project in Charleston County. The city of North Charleston, with a resident population of 73,000, is characterized by the presence of the Charleston Naval Complex, the Naval Weapons Station, and the Charleston Air Force Base. With the national spotlight on Charleston County CBEP as an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Model Program, military installations are being pulled into the community efforts to address environmental justice concerns. The environmental compliance and conditions at bases are no longer just between the installation and the state regulatory agencies. Instead, community groups like the one in Charleston are forming to empower neighborhoods to improve environmental, health, and safety conditions.
Integrating the sikes act improvement amendments (SAIA) and NEPA on military installations
Authors: Omans Jim
Published: February 2007

The Sikes Act Improvement Admendments (SAIA) were passed as part of the fiscal year (FY) 1998 National Defense Authorization Act. The Sikes Act initially authorized the general public to hunt and fish on military installations. The Act was reauthorized to encompass all aspects of natural resources, but natural resources management was discretionary. While a requirement existed to prepare natural resources plans, there was no requirement to implement these plans.

The SAIA changed that by requiring “the Secretary of each military department [to] prepare and implement an Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) for each military installation in the United States under the jurisdiction of the Secretary.” This change is significant in that it directs, for the first time, installation commanders to implement natural resources management plans on lands under their control. The mandatory nature of the INRMP preparation and implementation also triggers the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Partnering with nondefense stakeholders to improve environmental policy and explosives safety standards for munitions—A case study
Authors: Cornelius Kenneth A. , Puder Markus G. , Sims Ed , McFerrin Dan
Published: February 2007

The authors describe how effective partnering among Department of Defense (DOD) representatives, state and tribal agencies, and stakeholders from environmental advocacy groups and the public at large can improve DOD policies and standards, and simultaneously further environmental protection goals. The process of shaping the Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board (DDESB) standards and the DOD's Final Munitions Rule Implementation Policy serves as a case study for the benefits of mutual openness, knowledge, and trust among regulators, the regulated community, and other interested parties. For DOD, this approach also reflects a continuing trend away from the old culture of closed doors and sovereign immunity carve‐outs to a new era of open dialogue and improved environmental stewardship.
Groundwater—the key to compliance
Authors: Henderson James L. , Pilatzke Richard
Published: February 2007

Military installations procure, store and utilize large volumes of fuels and hazardous materials and possess facilities that can potentially cause contamination of groundwater ranging from firing ranges to landfills. Knowledge of the physical system around an installation is essential in dealing with the surrounding communities. A good groundwater monitoring program can defuse public opposition before it can raise issues and is also helpful in establishing a good working relationship with regulatory agencies. This article discusses the background, nature, and scope future of efforts at Fort Carson, Colorado, to monitor groundwater to identify and address environmental requirements.
Remediation of perchlorate contamination at NWIRP McGregor, Texas
Authors: Hare Judithanne P.
Published: February 2007

Identification of a new contaminant is rare. When low levels of the highly soluble perchlorate (C104) cation were implicated in thyroid disorders, the Navy focused its cleanup effort at the former weapons plant at McGregor, Texas, on identification of sources, fate and transport, and application of heretofore unknown treatment technology to solve the problem while keeping a concerned public totally involved and informed. Since this article was written, extensive strides have been made in in‐situ anaerobic bioremediation of perchlorate, which should replace ex‐situ treatment as the probable final solution.
Endocrine disruptor chemicals as a rising compliance issue
Authors: Jarrett Robert E.
Published: February 2007

Certain classes of chemicals foreign to the human body can interfere with endocrine hormonal systems. Hormones are the master controllers of biochemical processes. A wide range of pathological conditions can ensue at all stages of life. Research has shown these or similar chemicals to be increasing in natural and man‐made environments. Some research indicates that wildlife is exhibiting the destructive effects of hormone disruption caused by man‐made chemicals. The claim is made that human health is already being adversely affected. Many information gaps exist. Major research and screening programs are under way around the world that could well lead to banning or curtailed use for many heavily used chemicals. Makers and users of chemicals can avoid the embarrassing surprises experienced with previous new environmental issues and control programs by joining in the ongoing issue‐framing scientific, legislative, and regulatory processes.
Sustaining DOD ranges: A national environmental challenge
Authors: Borthwick Jesse O. , Beshore Eric A.
Published: February 2007

Over the last 30 years, the Department of Defense's (DOD's) Environmental Program has evolved through three distinct phases: planning, cleanup, and compliance. Increased concerns by regulators and the public over environmental and safety issues have recently brought increased attention to munitions and range management. Munitions management and western land withdrawals have been the DOD's range focus for the last five years in order to meet congressional mandates. Munitions management emphasis has yielded such direction as the Military Munitions Rule, DOD Directives 4715.11 “Environmental and Explosive Safety Management on Department of Defense Active and Inactive Ranges,” AF Instruction 13–212, and the developing Munitions Action Plan (MAP) and draft Range Rule. While munitions safety and environmental impact on our ranges are very important, they are only the most publicized of the numerous interrelated range challenges, such as noise and encroachment. DOD rangeland withdrawals have introduced new range management requirements. Numerous DOD ranges have come under attack with some actually being shut down. Attempts to establish new ranges have faced stiff opposition resulting in significant changes, decreased capabilities, and greatly increased costs. New weapon systems are being developed with increased range and autonomy that drive the need for expanded range capabilities. These events all highlight the fundamental role comprehensive range planning must fill to support sustainable ranges within DOD. This article proposes an overarching companion document to the draft MAP: a Range and Airspace Action Plan (RAAP). Three keys to the RAAP comprehensive sustainable range planning are presented: defining ranges comprehensively, documenting current range environmental impacts through National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and comprehensive planning for a sustainable future.
Military training ranges as a source of environmental contamination
Authors: Cook David S. , Spillman Eric
Published: February 2007

With land use becoming an ever more pressing issue for the Department of Defense (DOD), the possibility of environmental contamination from normal training operations must be addressed. This article examines the potential for contamination from the propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics (PEP) associated with military training; includes a synopsis of some of the studies conducted to date; touches on the fate and transport of PEPs; and discusses the DOD approach to investigating the potential for contamination from normal training. While DOD is attempting to proactively address potential problems, one thing has become clear: better communication, both internal and external to DOD, is a must.
Achieving integrated life‐cycle hazardous material management within the U.S. army Europe and seventh army
Authors: Werle Christopher P. , Preston Kurt T. , Lafalce Dawn S.
Published: February 2007

High cost and potential liabilities associated with hazardous material (HM) use and resulting hazardous waste (HW) generation remain a concern within the Army in Europe. Numerous efforts are ongoing to improve operations and reduce the risk associated with HM/HW management. One such effort, an investigation initiated by Headquarters, U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) examines the benefit to be gained by integrating traditional “pharmacy” business practices in the existing supply system rather than building a parallel system for HM/HW management. With expertise from the Logistics Management Institute (LMI), USAREUR examined its logistics system, the inherent life‐cycle management processes, and its ability to support proven HM/HW management and environmental pollution prevention (P2) principles. The goal was to blueprint the current system and examine the potential for building improved HM/HW management into the Army logistics system rather than graft management schemes external to the logistic system for HW/HM management.
Electrochemical treatment and minimization of defense‐related wastes
Authors: Pillay Gautam , Billingsley Steven R. , Balkey James J.
Published: February 2007

The U.S. Departments of Energy (DOE) and Defense (DOD) generate hazardous wastes as a result of routine operations. Waste types range from solvents, fuels, lubricants, and sludges to streams containing mixtures of these and other inorganic and organic compounds, along with potentially radioactive materials. Many of these compounds are amenable to treatment by electrochemical processes that destroy hazardous organic contaminants in aqueous streams at ambient temperatures and pressure. It is also possible to separate the radioactive components of these wastes from solution using electrochemical processes.

In this article, we discuss the environmental factors and issues associated with electrochemical waste treatment processes. We summarize the federal regulations that compel government agencies to conduct environmental management activities. Applications of electrochemical processes to waste treatment and waste minimization at DOE and DOD sites are presented, and issues associated with acceptance of these processes are addressed.
Making NEPA more effective and economical for the new millennium
Authors: Hansen Roger P. , Wolff Theodore A.
Published: February 2007

This article focuses on a ten‐element strategy for “streamlining” the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process in order to achieve the Act's objectives while easing the considerable burden on agencies, the public, and the judicial system. In other words, this article proposes a strategy for making NEPA work better and cost less. How these ten elements are timed and implemented is critical to any successful streamlining.

The strategy elements discussed in this paper, in no particular order of priority, are as follows: (1) integrate the NEPA process with other environmental compliance and review procedures; (2) accelerate the decision time for determining the appropriate level of NEPA documentation; (3) conduct early and thorough internal environmental impact statement (EIS) (or environmental assessment [EA]) scoping before public scoping or other public participation begins; (4) organize and implement public scoping processes that are more participatory than confrontational; (5) maintain an up‐to‐date compendium of environmental “baseline” information; (6) prepare more comprehensive, broad‐scope “umbrella” EISs that can be used effectively for tiering; (7) encourage preparation of annotated outlines with detailed guidance that serve as a “road map” for preparation of each EIS or EA; (8) decrease the length and complexity of highly technical portions of NEPA documents; (9) increase and systematize NEPA compliance outreach, training, and organizational support; and (10) work diligently to influence the preparation of better organized, shorter, and more readable NEPA documents.
The U.S. Air force embraces ecosystem management through a landscape assessment in the front range of the rocky mountains
Authors: Armstrong John , McDermott James R. , Ripley J. Douglas
Published: February 2007

Through a cooperative partnership of several government agencies, conservation organizations, and interested private citizens, the Air Force Academy is working in cooperation with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program to complete a landscape analysis of a portion of the Colorado Front Range. The project area includes the Monument Creek Watershed, comprising all Air Force Academy lands and surrounding lands of the Rampart Range, from the confluence of Monument Creek at Fountain Creek north to the Palmer Divide and from the Rampart Range Road east to the Monument Creek watershed boundary. Desired future conditions as well as management strategies to achieve them will be developed through this collaborative partnership planning process. When completed in 2001, the results of this project will represent an important contribution to Air Force and Department of Defense continuing efforts to implement ecosystem‐based natural and cultural resources management strategies on military lands.
The beach ridges at Santa, Peru: El Niño, uplift, and prehistory
Authors: Sandweiss Daniel H.
Published: February 2007

Recent work on the beach ridges at Santa, Peru (9° s latitude) upholds an earlier hypothesis, based on sedimentary evidence, that the ridges were formed by massive sediment pulses during rains associated with major incursions of the warm water El Niño countercurrent. The ridges can therefore be used to date major El Niño events. The alternate hypothesis for the Santa ridge origin cited minor sequential uplift as the causal factor; this hypothesis has been disproven, though one previously unreported uplift event at about 4200 years B.P. has been identified at Santa. In general, landscape alteration processes such as El Niño floods and tectonic uplift affect human populations, and accurate chronologies of these events are necessary to interpret the archaeological record. Geoarchaeological research offers the key to constructing landscape alteration chronologies, which are also of use to geologists for studies of earthquake prediction, sedimentation processes, and paleoclimatology.
El Niño flood deposits at Batán Grande, northern Peru
Authors: Craig Alan K. , Shimada Izumi
Published: February 2007

Recent construction of a 10 × 3 irrigation canal across the Batán Grande–Poma archaeological complex of northern Peru provided an opportunity for inspection of soil profiles and detailed sampling along a five km transect bisecting an important concentration of ceremonial structures built during the past 3000+ years. From laboratory analysis of 80 soil samples we conclude no long‐term irrigation agriculture was practiced in this area and it was unimportant as a resource base. Stratigraphic studies indicate few sediments survive from the 1925 El Niño event, but a massive bed attributable to prehistoric slack‐water flood sediments has been identified and can be bracketed between ca. A. D. 650–1000 by associated diagnostic funerary ceramics. Other flood deposits representing the same or different events are described, but we conclude intervalley correlations will be difficult until more precise dating methods are available.
Florisbad—New investigations at a middle stone age Hominid Site in South Africa
Authors: Kuman Kathleen , Clarke R. J.
Published: February 2007

First results of renewed excavations at the Middle Stone Age spring site of Florisbad are reported. Seven meters of deposits dating possibly from the later mid‐Pleistocene to the mid‐Holocene contain several cultural phases and record alternating periods of increased spring flow versus more stabilized conditions. The archaic Homo sapiens cranium discovered in 1932 and the Florisian Land Mammal Age fauna retrieved from the springs are argued to derive from the earliest deposits, estimated to be ca. 100,000–200,000 years old. In an Upper Pleistocene layer beyond the range of Carbon‐14 dating, a Middle Stone Age occupation floor has been excavated. This we interpret as a multiple‐occupation kill, butchery, or scavenging site. The presence of a hearth, of chipping debris under 10 mm in size, and the limited displacement of artifacts which have been refitted as conjoining pieces demonstrate a minimally disturbed, primary context site.
Prehistoric shore environments, shellfish availability, and shellfish gathering at Franchthi, Greece
Authors: Shackleton J. C. , Van Andel Tj. H.
Published: February 2007

People who exploit marine resources choose among them according to technological, economic, and social considerations. Prehistoric selectivity in their exploitation has often been postulated, but can be established only by comparing the archaeological record with an estimate of the kinds and quantities available in the environments of the time. Only then can those factors be considered that might have influenced their choice, a subject which is the domain of the archaeologist.

In Franchthi Cave, a thick Upper Paleolithic through Neolithic sequence (ca. 23,000–5000 yrs B.P.) of occupational deposits has been excavated. As might be expected at a site now only a few meters from the sea, this sequence has yielded ample evidence for the use of marine resources, though only from ca. 11,000 B.P. onward. Moreover, the marine molluscan record exhibits drastic changes in composition over time, implying either major variation in availability or selective collecting.

A marine geophysical study supplemented by an examination of present shore environments in the area has permitted the reconstruction of the changing coastal environments since ca. 20,000 B.P., thus providing an estimate of the probably available shellfish resources. Comparison with the molluscan assemblages found in the cave demonstrates that only during the latest Paleolithic and most of the Neolithic were the collected shellfish reasonably representative of what should have been available in the area. At other times the inhabitants made highly specialized, seemingly idiosyncratic choices from the spectrum of available species.
Composition and origin of material in pre‐columbian pottery, San Salvador Island, Bahamas
Authors: Mann C. John
Published: February 2007

Thin‐section analysis and X‐ray diffraction analysis indicates that pre‐Columbian Indian pottery of San Salvador Island, Bahamas is composed of angular fragments of invertebrate shells bound by clay and quartz. The source of the clay and quartz apparently was soil formed from dust accumulating over thousands of years by atmospheric deposition of material transported from North Africa. No evidence of biogenic siliceous material is found in pottery sherds native to the island. An atmospheric origin for the clay and quartz is supported strongly by clay/quartz ratios and quartz particle sizes in atmospheric dust presently being transported from North Africa compared to a soil (paleosol?) sample from Pigeon Creek Indian Site, San Salvador Island.
An approach to the use of packaged statistical programs for cluster, classification, and discriminant analysis of trace element data
Authors: Vitali Vanda , Franklin Ursula M.
Published: February 2007

The purpose of this paper is to present an approach to be taken when using packaged statistical programs for the evaluation of multivariate data, in particular those programs designed for clustering, classification, and discrimination purposes. A systematic step‐by‐step approach is outlined starting with those steps which should be conducted in order to assure that the assumptions underlying the statistical analyses are satisfied. The use of various methods and computational options in cluster, classification, and discriminant analysis is then discussed. Finally the need for an assessment of the results in view of the overall knowledge of the problem is pointed out.
Late quaternary environmental history of the southern Levant
Authors: Goldberg Paul
Published: February 2007

The Late Quaternary history of northern Sinai and the western Negev is inferred from a number of stratigraphic sequences rich in prehistoric and archaeologic remains. Exposures are abundant along the wadi courses which drain the highlands westward to the Mediterranean. Earliest deposition is represented by coarse, well rounded gravels containing Middle Paleolithic artifacts and is dated to ca. 90,000 to 70,000 B.P. These are overlain by finer grained sands, silts, and clays, ultimately of eolian origin, but re‐deposited by low energy stream flows under marshy conditions. These containin situUpper Paleolithic (ca. 40,000 to 22,000 B.P.) and Epi‐Paleolithic (ca. 15,000 to 12,000 B.P.) sites; commonly an erosional phase (ca. 22,000 to 15,000 years ago) separates the two groups of industries. In areas closer to the coast, temporally equivalent deposits are predominantly sandy, reflecting their proximity to the source in western and northern Sinai. The Holocene is generally characterized by downcutting but deposition of fluviatile and eolian silts is well documented during the Chalcolithic (ca. 6,000 B.P.). The last depositional event is the accumulation of 3–4 m of fluviatile silts containing Byzantine artifacts and radiocarbon dated between ca. 1750–600 B.P.). Whereas most of the sequences can be explained in climatic terms, the Byzantine or “Historical Fill” may have an anthropogenic origin.
Rates of fluvial sedimentation: Implications for archaeological variability
Authors: Ferring C. Reid
Published: February 2007

Rates of fluvial sedimentation exhibit spatial and temporal variability that is important with respect to the study of prehistoric archaeological sites. Sedimentation rates within fluvial basins vary in response to internal dynamics, geomorphic controls, and external factors including climate and tectonics. Fluvial rates of sedimentation may be estimated using sedimentary, pedogenic, biogenic, and radiometric evidence. Holocene rates of sedimentation vary by three orders of magnitude, as shown by radiometric data from numerous localities in North America. Sedimentation rates define rates of matrix accumulation in archaeological sites. These act as controls on site construction and site modification. Artifact densities, spatial patterning, and preservation are all conditioned by rates of matrix accumulation. These dimensions of prehistoric sites are critical to the evaluation of variability within and between archaeological sites and to the study of past settlement/subsistence systems.
New evidence from the southeastern U.S. for eustatic components in the late Holocene Sea levels
Authors: Colquhoun Donald J. , Brooks Mark J.
Published: February 2007

Changes in Holocene sea level through time have been attributed to eustatic, isostatic, and neotectonic processes. Eustatic changes imply global expression through linkage in world climate, or changes in ocean water or basin volume, while isostatic adjustment and neotectonic distortion involve regional or local geophysical parameters which must be ascertained. A Holocene sea level curve is being developed for the southeastern United States through a study of marsh stratigraphy and archaeologic sites located in marsh and interriverine areas. The curve is evaluated in light of intensive investigations of regional and local tectonic elements. Both major and some minor trends in sea level change are shown to include significant eustatic components.
reconstruction of the holocene coastline of mesopotamia
Authors: Cooke Gary A.
Published: February 2007

At the end of the last glacial period, a major marine transgression inundated the head of the Persian Gulf to a position as much as 400 km inland from the present shoreline. After 6000 B.P., the Shatt al‐Arab delta prograded southward to its current position. These events had a profound impact on our knowledge of early human occupation and the development of civilization in the Tigris‐Euphrates valley. The former settlements of people living on the pre‐6000 B.P. coastal plains are today either under the waters of the Gulf or under sediments of the lower alluvial plain.
Provenance of sand temper in Hohokam Ceramics, Arizona
Authors: Lombard James P.
Published: February 2007

Sand temper compositions of regionally distinct Hohokam pottery sherds were determined by detailed point counts using sedimentary petrographic methods. Different temper compositions from different sites were compared with maps of sand composition zones within the geographic range of the pottery in order to establish the probable provenance of each sherd. A number of probable instances of intraregional pottery exchange were identified. The larger number of sand sources in undecorated vs. decorated pottery at each site suggests that undecorated pottery was made in more places than decorated vessels, and may have been traded differently as well. Petrographic analysis of temper is a useful method for studying exchange of homogeneous pottery in geologically diverse areas, and for investigating prehistoric Hohokam interaction in the Tucson and Red Rock Basins on a scale not possible with traditional archaeological techniques.
Growth increment and stable isotope analysis of marine bivalves: Implications for the geoarchaeological record of El Niño
Authors: Rollins Harold B. , Sandweiss Daniel H. , Brand Uwe , Rollins Judith C.
Published: February 2007

The 1982–1983 El Niño event afforded the opportunity to develop criteria for the recognition of ancient El Niños using mollusks from archaeological sites along coastal South America. A combination of growth increment and stable isotope analyses indicated that elevated sea surface temperatures during large scale El Niños leave a record decodable from the growth patterns of selected bivalve shells. The intertidal venerid Chione subrugosa displayed a pronounced break in the valve margin profile following the 1982‐1983 event but provided an inconsistent stable isotope pattern. The subtidal carditid Trachycardium procerum, on the other hand, preserved a discernible and diagnostic growth interruption as well as an expected trend in stable isotope indicators of salinity and temperature change.

We conclude that some of the major culturally disruptive El Niño events can be recognized in the geoarchaeological record by these techniques, especially if ancillary information, such as faunal distribution patterns, are also considered. Perhaps the most serious constraint upon application of this approach involves microstratigraphic resolution of shell midden deposits. Stratigraphic sampling of midden material should be accompanied, if possible, by sampling of proximal natural strata. The chances of discovery of major El Niño perturbations in the geoarchaeological record of shell middens is enhanced by the catastrophic nature of such events and by the indication that major El Niños have a high probability of being closely spaced in time.
Sidescan sonar applications in limnoarchaeology
Authors: Duck Robert W. , McManus John
Published: February 2007

Sidescan sonar, a well known marine geophysical exploration technique, widely utilized in maritime archaeology, has great potential as a reconnaissance tool in limnoarchaeological surveys. Its application in the identification of manmade structures on the floor of a flooded valley (Glenfarg Reservoir, Scotland) and the location of nearshore settlements (crannogs) in a natural water body (Loch Tay, Scotland) are described and discussed. It is suggested that sidescan sonar is a more efficient method of underwater archaeological reconnaissance than diver surveys.
Paleoenvironment and the archaeological record at the L'Anse Aux Meadows Site, Newfoundland
Authors: Davis A. M. , McAndrews J. H. , Wallace B. L.
Published: February 2007

Archaeological evidence from the marine terrace and fen at the site indicates brief episodic occupation for over 5000 years. Five cultural episodes have been identified, although the site is renowned for its Norse settlement.

A fen on the site has provided both artifacts and fossil pollen. Although the pollen spectra are dominated by disturbance taxa, they indicate little or no human impact. Both the archaeological data and the pollen spectra are consistent with brief episodes of occupancy. Relationships between regional environmental changes and the human response are indistinct, although a cool interval after 2500 B.P. coincides with a 1000 year hiatus in occupation.

For the Norse period, the pollen record is compatible with the view that L'Anse aux Meadows was a small, short‐lived way station.