land use

Soil Chemical Quality Assessment of Some Land Uses In Imo State, Nigeria (Published)

This study was conducted in Imo State, Nigeria to assess the Chemical quantities of some land using soil management assessment framework (SMSF) techniques. Three land uses namely; the grass land, continuously croppedand forest land. Soil profile representations were established in each of the physiographic units and soil samples collected from the pedogenetic horizons for the analysis of some chemical properties. The chemical properties investigated were the soil pH.organiccarbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, the exchangeable cations of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium, cation exchange capacity and electrical conductivity. Analytical values obtained using the SMAF were combined into quantitative index based on the critical value of the soil properties. The results of this study showed that the grass land, continuously cropped and forest land were moderately acidic with mean pH values 5.43, 5.38, and 5.65. The organic matter contents were low in grass land and continuously cropped with mean values of 0.43 and 0.41 but moderate in the forest land with mean value of 0.82. Total K, available P and exchangeable K were low in grassland and continuously cropped with mean value of 0.96gkg^-1, 0.85gkg^-1 for N, 12.20mgkg-¹, and 12.14mgkg^-1 for P in grass land and continuously cropped respectively. The forest land had high sodium content with mean value of 0.74 and high electrical conductivity with a mean 4.91 dsm^-1. The results revealed high chemical quality of forest land and low to moderate qualities of the grass land and continuously cropped.

Keywords: Assessment, Imo State, land use, soil chemical quality

Atmospheric Aerosol Loading Over the Urban Canopy of Port Harcourt City, Nigeria (Published)

This study examined the concentration of aerosols (Total Suspended Particulates-TSP) as influenced by both landuse and meteorological parameters of wind speed, relative humidity, ambient temperature and rainfall in Port Harcourt city. Air quality and meteorological data were measured at twelve stations: two each from the industrial, high and low density residential, commercial, transportation and surrounding rural areas. Data were collected for seven weeks during wet, transition and dry seasons. Analysis of data was done using ANOVA and stepwise multiple regression techniques. Findings indicated that TSP concentration was highest in the industrial (71.9%), transportation (17.3%), Low Density Residential (LDR) (12.31%); rural (12.9%), and commercial (24%) landuse areas during the dry season. The high Density Residential (HDR) (13.98%) contributed the highest concentration of TSP during the transition period. At the high density residential areas, only air temperature (r= -0.288) during the wet season correlated inversely to the concentration of TSP; other meteorological parameters and their correlation values are rainfall (r=0.133), wind speed (r=0.409) and relative humidity (r=0.095) which correlated directly to TSP concentration. The coefficient of determination values showed that the meteorological variables, jointly accounted for 19.90% and 11.50% of the variation in the concentration of TSP during the wet and dry seasons respectively. Residents who are sensitive to the effects of TSP especially those with chronic obstructive pulmonary or cardiovascular disease must not be allowed to inhabit and spend longer hours in Woji, Nkpogu, Nchia, Aleto, Akpojo, Alesa, Ogonigba, Okrika main land, and Elelenwo communities which are sandwiched between the Trans-Amadi and Eleme industrial areas that are located down-wind of the city. Specific air pollution and environmental standards ought to be more stringent targeting sources like factories, incineration and vehicle emissions.

Keywords: Port Harcourt, Respiration Infections, TSPs, Urban Canopy, land use

Atmospheric Aerosol Loading over the Urban Canopy of Port Harcourt City and its implications for the incidence of obstructive pulmonary diseases (Published)

In view of the deaths arising from obstructive pulmonary diseases, this study examined the concentration of aerosols (Total Suspended Particulates-TSP) as influenced by both landuse and meteorological parameters of wind speed, relative humidity, ambient temperature and rainfall in Port Harcourt city. Air quality and meteorological data were measured at twelve stations: two each from the industrial, high and low density residential, commercial, transportation and surrounding rural areas. Data were collected for seven weeks during wet, transition and dry seasons. Analysis of data was done using ANOVA and stepwise multiple regression techniques. Findings indicated that TSP concentration was highest in the industrial (71.9%), transportation (17.3%), Low Density Residential (LDR) (12.31%); rural (12.9%), and commercial (24%) landuse areas during the dry season. The high Density Residential (HDR) (13.98%) contributed the highest concentration of TSP during the transition period. At the high density residential areas, only air temperature (r= -0.288) during the wet season correlated inversely to the concentration of TSP; other meteorological parameters and their correlation values are rainfall (r=0.133), wind speed (r=0.409) and relative humidity (r=0.095) which correlated directly to TSP concentration. The coefficient of determination values showed that the meteorological variables, jointly accounted for 19.90% and 11.50% of the variation in the concentration of TSP during the wet and dry seasons respectively. Residents who are sensitive to the effects of TSP especially those with chronic obstructive pulmonary or cardiovascular disease must not be allowed to inhabit and spend longer hours in Woji, Nkpogu, Nchia, Aleto, Akpojo, Alesa, Ogonigba, Okrika main land, and Elelenwo communities which are sandwiched between the Trans-Amadi and Eleme industrial areas that are located down-wind of the city. Specific air pollution and environmental standards ought to be more stringent targeting sources like factories, incineration and vehicle emissions

Keywords: Port Harcourt, Respiration Infections, TSPs, Urban Canopy, land use

SULPHATE SORPTIVITY IN RELATION TO LAND USE TYPES OF SOILS OF THE HUMID TROPICAL RAINFOREST, SOUTHEASTERN NIGERIA (Published)

Sorption phenomenon plays relevant role in the estimation of the solubility, availability, mobility and tendency of ion pollution of the environment. Sulphate sorptivity in relation to selected land use types of soils of the humid tropical rainforest, southeastern Nigeria was evaluated by equilibrating 2 g fine earth soil samples with 20 ml of 0.2 N ZnS04 containing graded (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg kg-1) concentrations of S in a 50 ml centrifuge tubes at 25oC for 2hrs. Sorption data was fitted and sorption parameters especially sorption maximum (b), affinity constant (k), maximum buffering capacity (MBC), distribution coefficient (kf), sorption intensity (n), native S (So), native sorbed S (kd) and equilibrium solution concentration (EPCo) calculated. Also thermodynamic parameters particularly the separation coefficient (KR), Gibbs free energy (ΔG0), enthalpy (ΔH0) and entropy (ΔS0) were determined. Equally the relationship between sorption parameters and soil properties were determined. The b, k, MBC, kf, n, So, kd and EPCo ranged from 10.64-20.75 and 11.49-17.04 mg kg-1, 1.11-5.07 and 0.33-6.46 L mg-1, 5.62-87.41 and 10.80-83.66 mg kg-1, 1.14-6.81 and 1.02-3.53 mg g-1, 0.28-4.51 and 0.38-1.20 mg g-1, 0.28-2.86 and 0.76-3.71L mg-1, 1.94-15.06 and 2.00-5.29 mg g-1 and 0.02-0.68 and 0.24-1.86 L mg-1in the top and sub soils respectively, with the former better than the later for all parameters except So and EPCo. Sulphate sorption capacity using the b decreased in the order fallow > cassava > rice > oil palm in the top and rice > fallow > cassava > oil palm in the sub soils. The KR, ΔG0, ΔH0 and ΔS0 ranged from 0.216-0.267 and 0.212-0.373, -4752.92- -324.63 and -3124- -49.06 J mol-1k-1, -68.76- -4.70 and -45.21- -0.71 J mol-1k-1 and 1.07-15.72 and 0.16-10.33 Jmol-1 k-1in the top and sub soils respectively. Sorption parameters correlated with selected soil properties especially sand, silt, clay, OM, pH, ECEC, N and P. In general, sulphate sorption process was favourable, spontaneous, exothermic and controlled by dissociative mechanism

Keywords: Humid Tropics And Rainforest, Sorptivity, Sulphate, land use