Gender and Hurricane Mitch: reconstructing subjectivities after disaster

Much of the gender and disaster literature calls for more gender-sensitive disaster relief and research by focusing on the ways in which women are more vulnerable in a disaster or on their unique capabilities as community leaders or natural resource managers, which are often overlooked or underutilised in emergency management strategies. As well as seeking to overcome the (strategic) essentialism that is part of these calls and debates, this paper pays closer attention to gender identity and subjectivity as these are constructed and reworked through the disaster process to highlight the complexities and contradictions associated with women's responses to a disaster. This focus, while crucial to gaining a deeper understanding of the gendered dimensions of disaster, also complicates attempts to create more gender-sensitive frameworks for disaster response. It draws on qualitative research conducted with a number of women in the wake of Hurricane Mitch (1998) in Nicaragua.     

Visibility Regulations

Experiments were conducted to investigate the appearance of contaminants in fluorocarbon-film bags which have been widely used as photochemical reactors and storage containers in air pollution research. Clean air stored in such bags was gradually contaminated by a wide range of heavy hydrocarbons (≥ C₅ ) as well as by nitrogen oxides. Warming a bag dramatically increased the contamination rate for hydrocarbons. The substances observed in the bags appear to have originated in the air outside the bags and appeared in the bags due to the permeability of the film. When a bag was stored in a controlled clean environment, the rate of contamination by hydrocarbons was dramatically reduced. Experiments in which high concentration mixtures of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides were stored in the bags likewise showed that some high molecular weight hydrocarbons as well as NO and NO₂ permeate through the bag walls. Decontamination of the bags can be accomplished by storing them in a clean environment.     

A risk assessment tool for contaminated sites in low-permeability fractured media

A risk assessment tool for contaminated sites in low-permeability fractured media is developed, based on simple transient and steady-state analytical solutions. The discrete fracture (DF) tool, which explicitly accounts for the transport along fractures, covers different source geometries and history (including secondary sources) and can be applied to a wide range of compounds. The tool successfully simulates published data from short duration column and field experiments. The use for risk assessment is illustrated by three typical risk assessment case studies, involving pesticides, chlorinated solvents, benzene and MTBE. The model is compared with field data and with results from a simpler approach based on an Equivalent Porous Media (EPM). Risk assessment conclusions of the DF and EPM approaches are very different due to the early breakthrough, long term tailing, and lower attenuation due to degradation associated with fractured media. While the DF tool simulates the field data, it is difficult to conclude that the DF model is superior to an EPM model because of a lack of long term monitoring data. However, better agreement with existing field data by the DF model using observed physical fracture parameters favors the use of this model over the EPM model for risk assessments.     

Methane oxidation in a crude oil contaminated aquifer: Delineation of aerobic reactions at the plume fringes

High resolution direct-push profiling over short vertical distances was used to investigate CH(4) attenuation in a petroleum contaminated aquifer near Bemidji, Minnesota. The contaminant plume was delineated using dissolved gases, redox sensitive components, major ions, carbon isotope ratios in CH(4) and CO(2), and the presence of methanotrophic bacteria. Sharp redox gradients were observed near the water table. Shifts in δ(13)C(CH4) from an average of -57.6‰ (±1.7‰) in the methanogenic zone to -39.6‰ (±8.7‰) at 105m downgradient, strongly suggest CH(4) attenuation through microbially mediated degradation. In the downgradient zone the aerobic/anaerobic transition is up to 0.5m below the water table suggesting that transport of O(2) across the water table is leading to aerobic degradation of CH(4) at this interface. Dissolved N(2) concentrations that exceeded those expected for water in equilibrium with the atmosphere indicated bubble entrapment followed by preferential stripping of O(2) through aerobic degradation of CH(4) or other hydrocarbons. Multivariate and cluster analysis were used to distinguish between areas of significant bubble entrapment and areas where other processes such as the infiltration of O(2) rich recharge water were important O(2) transport mechanisms.     

Impacts of two best management practices on Pb weathering and leachability in shooting range soils

This study investigated the impacts of two best management practices (BMPs) recommended by US Environmental Protection Agency on Pb weathering and leachability in shooting range soils. The two BMPs included replacing soil berm with sand berm and periodically removing bullets or shot from a berm. A column experiment corresponding to the first BMP was conducted by mixing the bullets with sand/soil, or placing bullets on the surface of sand/soil. After a 16–18-week incubation under high or low rainfall simulations, total Pb concentrations in sand were lower than that in soil. Total leachable Pb in sand (8.48 and 5.52 μg?kg^?1) was also lower than that in soil (60.0 and 30.4 μg?kg^?1) when bullets were mixed with sand/soil; however, they were comparable when bullets were placed on the sand/soil surface. These results indicate that lower Pb concentration in the sand than in soil may be attributed to reduced weathering of bullets. Mechanical removal of Pb bullets in the field transferred Pb from large to finer particles, increasing total Pb in the soil (<2 mm) from 2,170 to 5,000 mg?kg^?1. In contrast, mechanical removal of Pb shot effectively reduced the shot in the soil by 86–92 %. Thus, we concluded that, while replacing soil berm with sand berm can slow down Pb weathering, it may increase Pb leachability in the long term. Removal of Pb bullets and Pb shot can be effective, but caution needs to be exercised to minimize the adverse impacts, especially in pistol/rifle ranges because of increased total Pb content in the soil.     

Divergence in sink contributions to population persistence

Population sinks present unique conservation challenges. The loss of individuals in sinks can compromise persistence; but conversely, sinks can improve viability by improving connectivity and facilitating the recolonization of vacant sources. To assess the contribution of sinks to regional population persistence of declining populations, we simulated source–sink dynamics for 3 very different endangered species: Black‐capped Vireos (Vireo atricapilla) at Fort Hood, Texas, Ord's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys ordii) in Alberta, and Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) in the northwestern United States. We used empirical data from these case studies to parameterize spatially explicit individual‐based models. We then used the models to quantify population abundance and persistence with and without long‐term sinks. The contributions of sink habitats varied widely. Sinks were detrimental, particularly when they functioned as strong sinks with few emigrants in declining populations (e.g., Alberta's Ord's kangaroo rat) and benign in robust populations (e.g., Black‐capped Vireos) when Brown‐headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism was controlled. Sinks, including ecological traps, were also crucial in delaying declines when there were few sources (e.g., in Black‐capped Vireo populations with no Cowbird control). Sink contributions were also nuanced. For example, sinks that supported large, variable populations were subject to greater extinction risk (e.g., Northern Spotted Owls). In each of our case studies, new context‐dependent sinks emerged, underscoring the dynamic nature of sources and sinks and the need for frequent re‐assessment. Our results imply that management actions based on assumptions that sink habitats are generally harmful or helpful risk undermining conservation efforts for declining populations.     

Facultative and obligate slave making in Formica ants

Here we show for the first time that the presumed facultative slave-making ant Formica subintegra does not activate outside its nest until July and August, when it raids slaves. A comparative behavioral study of seasonal and daily activities, retrieval of prey, and nest maintenance of F. subintegra, the obligate slavemaker Polyergus breviceps, and the facultative Formica subnuda, shows that the behavioral repertory of F. subintegra closely resembles that of P. breviceps and clearly differs from the repertory of F. subnuda. Unlike P. breviceps, F. subintegra has retained some nest-building activity which, owing to lack of competence, does not contribute to nest maintenance. We suggested earlier that F. subintegra is probably an obligate slavemaker, because it always has in its colonies a large proportion of slaves of the total workforce, whereas F. subnuda fares well even without slaves. This, coupled with no foraging in early summer and a raiding period later on, strongly suggests that F. subintegra is an obligate slave-making ant.     

Estimation of vinyl chloride emissions from gasholders and validation of in situ emission reduction methods

Gasholders consist of a floating bell in a tank filled with water. Water provides a seal between the enclosed gas and ambient air. Gasholder emissions come from the contaminated water seal exposed to ambient air and the wet bell wall. The study objectives were to define parameters influencing gasholder emissions, determine the quantities of vinyl chloride (VC) emitted, generate a correlation equation between parameters of influence and mass emissions, and evaluate the efficiency of emission reduction methods. The research project was carried out on a laboratory-scale representation of a gasholder. The classic two-phase resistance model was used successfully to generate a correlation equation, which can be used to calculate the gasholder water seal emissions. A strictly empirical model was generated to estimate the wet wall emissions. Two in situ reduction methods were evaluated with the laboratory installations: floating objects and an oil layer. Both methods showed significant emission reductions, but the oil layer was the most effective. To reduce emissions even further, it is recommended that the water level of the gasholder be set to the lowest achievable level, that a windshield be placed around the water seal perimeter, and that hydrophobic paint be used on the bell wall.     

Trace metal and stable isotope measurements (delta13C and delta15N) in the harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena relicta from the Black Sea

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (delta13C and delta15N) and trace metals (Cd, Zn, Cu, Fe, Se, and Hg) were analysed in the tissues of 46 harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena relicta) caught in fishing nets along the Ukrainian coasts between 1997 and 1998. Mean delta13C values differed significantly between male and female harbour porpoises suggesting a trophic segregation between sexes with a more coastal distribution for females at least during their gestation and nursing periods. Hepatic Hg was correlated to delta13C measurements, reflecting a different exposure linked to coastal vs offshore feeding habitats. A geographical comparison with existing data from other regions showed general low levels of Hg, Cd, Cu and Zn in the tissues of harbour porpoises from the Black Sea compared to other Atlantic and North Sea areas.     

Evaluating Consistency of Categorizing Biodiversity Management Status Relative to Land Stewardship in the Gap Analysis Program

The gap analysis process provides an overview of the distribution and conservation status of several components of biodiversity. Lands are categorized relative to management status, the degree to which an area is managed to maintain biodiversity. This study examines how various socio-politicalgroups interpret and apply the management status codes used to categorize land tracts in gap analysis. A key finding is the considerable variation among individuals in their application of the status codes. This shows a large degree of uncertainty about the land tracts and the status codes, and suggests the need to develop an objective and repeatable management categorization process.