Global Attention to Turkey Due to Desertification

Desertification has recognized as an environmental problem by many international organizations such as UN, NATO and FAO. Desertification in Turkey is generally caused by incorrect land use, excessive grazing, forest fires, urbanization, industry, genetic erosion, soil erosion, salinization, and uncontrolled wild type plants picking. Due to anthropogenic destruction of forest, steppe flora gradually became dominant in Anatolia. In terms of biodiversity, Turkey has a significant importance in Europe and Middle East. Nine thousands plant species naturally grown in Turkey, one third of them are endemic. Also, endemic species of vertebrates, thrive in the lakes and marshy areas. The studies of modelling simulation of vegetation on the effects of Mediterranean climate during the Roman Classical period by using vegetation history showed that, in 2000 years BP, Mediterranean countries were more humid than today. Turkey is a special place on the global concern in terms of desertification because of biodiversity, agricultural potential, high population, social and economical structure, topographical factors and strategic regional location. Communication among scientists, decision makers and international non-profit organizations must be improved.     

Using Insurance to Enhance Nitrogen Fertilizer Application to Reduce Nitrogen Losses to the Environment

The advantage of using insurance to help a farmer adopt a best nitrogen management plan (BNMP) that reduces the impact of agricultural production on the environment is analytically and empirically demonstrated. Using an expected value analysis, it is shown that an insurance program can be structured soas to reduce a farmer's cost of bearing the adoption risk associated with changing production practices and, thus, to improve the farmer's certainty equivalent net return thereby promoting the adoption of a BNMP. Using the adoption of growing-season only N fertilizer application in Iowa as a case study, it is illustrated how insurance may be used to promote the adoption of this practice to reduce N fertilizeruse. It is shown that it is possible for a farmer and an insurance company both to have an incentive to develop an insurance adoption program that will benefit both the farmer and the insurance company, increasing net social welfare and improving environmental quality in Iowa.     

Using Ion-Exchange Resins to Study Soil Response to Experimental Watershed Acidification

Ion-exchange resins (IER) offer alternative approaches to measuring ionic movement in soils that may have advantages over traditional approaches in some settings, but more information is needed to understand how IER compare with traditional methods of measurement in forested ecosystems. At the Bear Brook Watershed in Maine (BBWM), one of two paired, forested watersheds is treated bi-monthly with S and N (28.8 and 25.2kgha⁻¹yr⁻¹ of S and N, respectively). Both IER and ceramic cup tension lysimeters were used to study soil solution responses after ∼11 years of treatment. Results from both methods showed treatments resulted in the mobilization of base cations and Al, and higher SO₄—S and inorganic N in the treated watershed. Both methods indicated similar differences in results associated with forest type (hardwoods versus softwoods), a result of differences in litter quality and atmospheric aerosol interception capacity. The correlation between lysimeter and IER data for individual analytes varied greatly. Significant correlations were evident for Na (r=0.75), Al (r=0.65), Mn (r=0.61), Fe (r=0.57), Ca (r=0.49), K (r=0.41) and NO₃—N (r=0.59). No correlation was evident between IER and soil solution data for NH₄—N and Pb. Both IER and soil solution techniques suggested similar interpretations of biogeochemical behavior in the watershed.     

The contribution of drinking water to exposure to toxic substances in Canada

Factors influencing the contribution made by drinking water to an individual's exposure to chemical contaminants are reviewed. Deficiencies inherent in simple computational procedures (such as those which rely on the impact of average values to estimate the relative importance of air, food and water and other vehicles by which man is exposed to contaminants) are examined. An alternative approach is described in which a mathematical model incorporating a probabilistic approach is used to predict the distribution of the total exposure of a population. Values of the means and standard deviations for various quantities including contaminant concentrations and food and drinking water intake are used as inputs to the model. The model enables estimations to be made of the proportion of individuals whose exposure exceeds a certain critical value and the relative contribution each exposure pathway makes to the overall distribution of exposure; its versatility is illustrated utilizing data available for lead. The paper also includes a critical assessment of the value of various techniques employed for monitoring drinking water supplies in providing data suitable for exposure assessment and summarizes conclusions from a recent survey of Canadian drinking water consumption habits.     

Use of real-time sensors to characterise human exposures to combustion related pollutants

Concentrations of black carbon and nitrogen dioxide have been collected concurrently using a MicrAeth AE-51 and an Aeroqual GSS NO(2) sensor. Forty five sampling events with a duration spanning between 16 and 22 hours have collected 10,800 5 min data in Birmingham (UK) from July to October 2011. The high temporal resolution database allowed identification of peak exposures and which activities contributed the most to these peaks, such as cooking and commuting. Personal exposure concentrations for non-occupationally exposed subjects ranged between 0.01 and 50 μg m(-3) for BC with average values of 1.3 ± 2.2 μg m(-3) (AM ± SD). Nitrogen dioxide exposure concentrations were in the range 相似文献   

Using Mussel Isotope Ratios to Assess Anthropogenic Nitrogen Inputs to Freshwater Ecosystems

Stable nitrogen isotope ratios (¹⁵N) of freshwater mussels from a series of lakes and ponds wererelated to watershed land use characteristics to assess their utility in determining the source ofnitrogen inputs to inland water bodies. Nitrogen isotope ratiosmeasured in freshwater musselsfrom 19 lakes and ponds in Rhode Island, U.S.A., ranged from4.9–12.6 and were found tosignificantly correlate with the fraction of residential development in 100 and 200 m bufferzones around the ponds. Mussel ¹⁵N values in 12 of the 19 ponds also showed significantcorrelation with average dissolved nitrate concentrations, which ranged from 23–327 g L^-1.These observations, in light of previous studies which link elevated¹⁵N values of nitrogenderived from septic wastewater with those seen in biota, suggest that mussel isotope ratios mayreflect nitrogen source in freshwater ecosystems. We followed aniterative approach usingmultiple regression analysis to assess the relationship between mussel¹⁵N and the land usecategories fraction residential development, fraction feedlotagriculture, fraction row-cropagriculture, and fraction natural vegetation in 100 and 200 m bufferzones and pond watersheds.From this we developed a simple regression model to predict mussel¹⁵N from the fraction ofresidential development in the 200 m buffer zone around the pond.Subsequent testing with datafrom 16 additional sites in the same ecoregion led us to refine themodel by incorporating thefraction of natural vegetation. The overall average absolute differencebetween measured andpredicted ¹⁵N values using the two-parameter model was 1.6. Potential sources of error inthe model include differences in the scale and categorization ofland-use data used to generate andtest the model, differences in physical characteristics, such asretention time and range ofresidential development, and exclusion of sources of enrichednitrogen such as runoff from feedlot operations or increased nitrogen loading from inefficient or failed septic systems.     

遗传毒性试验在污染源优先控制中的筛选应用

通过对南京市重点源工业废水的遗传毒性试验．毒理学资料分析以及同步理化测试数据的比较分析，提出了可以用遗传毒性试验筛选优先控制污染源的观点。     

A simple method to identify areas of environmental risk due to manure application

The management of swine manure is becoming an important environmental issue in Chile. One option for the final disposal of manure is to use it as a biofertilizer, but this practice could impact the surrounding environment. To assess the potential environmental impacts of the use of swine manure as a biofertilizer, we propose a method to identify zones of environmental risk through indices. The method considers two processes: nutrient runoff and solute leaching, and uses available information about soils, crops and management practices (irrigation, fertilization, and rotation). We applied the method to qualitatively assess the environmental risk associated with the use of swine manure as a biofertilizer in an 8,000-pig farm located in Central Chile. Results showed that the farm has a moderate environmental risk, but some specific locations have high environmental risks, especially those associated with impacts on areas surrounding water resources. This information could assist the definition of better farm-level management practices, as well as the preservation of riparian vegetation acting as buffer strips. The main advantage of our approach is that it combines qualitative and quantitative information, including particular situations or field features based on expert knowledge. The method is flexible, simple, and can be easily extended or adapted to other processes.     

Moving from reactive to proactive development planning to conserve Indigenous community and biodiversity values

There is increased awareness of the need to balance multiple societal values in land use and development planning. Best practice has promoted the use of landscape-level conservation planning and application of the ‘mitigation hierarchy’, which focuses on avoiding, minimizing or compensating for impacts of development projects. However, environmental impact assessments (EIA) typically focus in a reactive way on single project footprints with an emphasis on environmental values and specifically biodiversity. This separation may miss opportunities to jointly plan for and manage impacts to both environmental and social values. Integrated approaches may have particular benefit in northern Australia, where Indigenous people have native title to as much as 60% of the land area and cultural values are closely linked with natural values. Here, we present a novel framework for integrating biodiversity and cultural values to facilitate use in EIA processes, using the Nyikina Mangala Native Title Determination Area in the Kimberley, Western Australia, as a case study. We demonstrate 1) how social and cultural values can be organized and analyzed spatially to support mitigation planning, 2) how social, cultural, and biodiversity values may reinforce each other to deliver better conservation outcomes and minimize conflict, and 3) how this information, in the hands of Indigenous communities, provides capacity to proactively assess development proposals and negotiate mitigation measures to conserve social, cultural, and biodiversity values following the mitigation hierarchy. Based on values defined through a Healthy Country Planning process, we developed spatial datasets to represent cultural/heritage sites, freshwater features, common native animals and plants represented by biophysical habitat types, and legally-protected threatened and migratory species represented by potential habitat models. Both cultural/heritage sites and threatened species habitat show a strong thematic and spatial link with freshwater features, particularly the Fitzroy River wetlands. We outline some of the challenges and opportunities of this process and its implications for the Northern Australia development agenda.     

公布空气质量报告 市民更加关注环境

南京市环境监测中心站在全国率先开展空气质量周报，之后又开展了空气质量日报，向市民公布空气质量状况，使环境监测成果走向社会，服务于百姓，增强了全社会的环境保护意识，提高了市民关心环境，保护环境的自觉性，并推动了空气污染防治工作，促进了环境监测工作，体现了     

Using Temporal Coherence to Determine the Response to Climate Change in Boreal Shield Lakes

Climate change is expected to have important impacts on aquatic ecosystems. On the Boreal Shield, mean annual air temperatures are expected to increase 2 to 4°C over the next 50 years. An important challenge is to predict how changes in climate and climate variability will impact natural systems so that sustainable management policies can be implemented. To predict responses to complex ecosystem changes associated with climate change, we used long-term biotic databases to evaluate how important elements of the biota in Boreal Shield lakes have responded to past fluctuations in climate. Our long-term records span a two decade period where there have been unusually cold years and unusually warm years. We used coherence analyses to test for regionally operating controls on climate, water temperature, pH, and plankton richness and abundance in three regions across Ontario: the Experimental Lakes Area, Sudbury, and Dorset. Inter-annual variation in air temperature was similar among regions, but there was a weak relationship among regions for precipitation. While air temperature was closely related to lake surface temperatures in each of the regions, there were weak relationships between lake surface temperature and richness or abundance of the plankton. However, inter-annual changes in lake chemistry (i.e., pH) were correlated with some biotic variables. In some lakes in Sudbury and Dorset, pH was dependent on extreme events. For example, El Nino related droughts resulted in acidification pulses in some lakes that influenced phytoplankton and zooplankton richness. These results suggest that there can be strong heterogeneity in lake ecosystem responses within and across regions.     

Introduction to the Special Issue

Introduction

Introduction to the Special Issue     

Institutional barriers to environmental information

Several barriers impede the free flow of environmental information in the government's hands to the public. The most important of these are the compartmentalization of environmental information among several departments, the manipulation of information to protect vested bureaucratic or political interests and, lastly, the withholding of information. The media's ineffective coverage of environmental issues and the small number of well-funded environmental groups constitute two additional institutional barriers to the broader dissemination of environmental information. Solutions proposed to reduce these barriers include the creation of an independent Commissioner on the environment reporting publicly to Parliament about the government's performance and the development of a widely-available system of indicators to inform the public about changes in environmental quality.     

Connecting Research to Combating Desertification

With and without the encouragement of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and its Committee on Science and Technology, scientific research has been undertaken throughout the drylands with the expectation of contributing to combating desertification. Little of this research has been applied in developing countries for its identified purpose. The main reason for this is the limited translation of scientific research into an accessible format for application by development agencies or rural communities.     

Radioactivities related to coal mining

Natural radioactivity concentrations due to the coal mining in Gabal El-Maghara, North Sinai, Egypt, were determined using gamma-ray spectroscopy. Coal, water and soil samples were investigated in this study. The (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K activity concentrations in coal before extraction were 18.5 +/- 0.5, 29.5 +/- 1.2 and 149.0 +/- 8.4 Bq kg(-1), respectively. These concentrations were reduced to 18-22% after extraction due to the clay removal of the coal ore. The activity contents of the water and soil samples collected from the surrounding area did not show any evidence of enhancement due to the mining activities. Absorbed dose rate and effective dose equivalent in the mine environment were 29.4 nGy h(-1) and 128.0 microSv a(-1), respectively. The measured activity concentrations in the mine environment and the surrounding areas (5 km away from the mine) are similar to that found in other regions in North and South Sinai. Based on the measurements of gamma-ray emitting radionuclides, the mine activity does not lead to any enhancement in the local area nor represents any human risk.     

Occupational exposure to antimony compounds

The toxicology of antimony and its compounds is known from three sources: its medicinal use over centuries, studies of process workers in more recent times, and more recent still, studies of its presence in modern city environments and in domestic environments. Gross exposure to antimony compounds over long periods, usually the sulfide (SbS3) or the oxide (Sb2O3) has occurred in antimony miners and in antimony process workers. There have been relatively few of these, and few studies of possible symptoms have been made. Antimony sulfide imported from, at different times, China, South Africa, and South America was processed in the North-East of England from about 1870 to 2003. The process workers in North-East England have been studied at different times, notably by Sir Thomas Oliver in 1933, and by the Newcastle upon Tyne University Department of Occupational Medicine on later occasions. Studies which have been made of the working environment, and in particular of the risk of lung cancer in process workers, have underlined the high levels of exposure to antimony compounds and to other toxic materials. However, the working conditions in antimony processing have improved markedly over the last 30 years, and the workforce had been much reduced in numbers following automation of the process. Prior to the cessation of the industry in the UK it had become a 'white coat' operation with relatively few people exposed to high concentrations of antimony. Antimony, which is normally present in domestic environments, has also been studied as a possible cause of cot death syndrome (SIDS) but extensive investigations have not confirmed this. The full importance of environmental antimony has still to be determined, and evidence of specific effects has not yet been presented.     

An Analytical Solution to Model Aquaculture Wetlands Subject to Intermittent Loading and Variable Initial Concentrations

Constructed wetlands are increasingly being used to treat intermittent releases of wastewaters from aquaculture ponds. Most constructed wetland design protocols are based on steady-state releases and as such are incapable of characterizing transient pollutant distribution arising from intermittent releases. Given the seasonal nature of aquaculture operations, the constructed wetland has to be developed using water from other nearby sources (termed as fill water in this study). In some instances, the pollutant concentrations in the fill water are noted to be greater than that measured in the aquaculture ponds. Also, the pollutants in the wetland may exhibit spatial variability due to geochemical interactions with wetland soils. These effects cannot be captured with existing steady-state design schemes. A mathematical model based on the tanks-in-series conceptualization is developed to overcome the aforementioned limitations. An analytical solution for multiple intermittent releases and spatially varying initial concentrations is obtained using Laplace transform and superposition techniques. The utility of the developed model is illustrated using an example based after a constructed wetland at the Loma Alta Shrimp Aquaculture Facility (LASAF) in South Texas. The developed model captures the extremely nonlinear relationship between the maximum discharge concentration and the hydraulic residence time. For the conditions assumed in this study, the extent of mixing is not of major concern when the spacing between the loadings is greater than 0.75 times the hydraulic residence time (HRT). Model results also suggest that the wetland should be oriented in a manner such that the internal geochemical production of the pollutant, if any, is near the inlet.