Risks of sea level rise to disadvantaged communities in the United States

Climate change and sea level rise (SLR) pose risks to coastal communities around the world, but societal understanding of the distributional and equity implications of SLR impacts and adaptation actions remains limited. Here, we apply a new analytic tool to identify geographic areas in the contiguous United States that may be more likely to experience disproportionate impacts of SLR, and to determine if and where socially vulnerable populations would bear disproportionate costs of adaptation. We use the Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) to identify socially vulnerable coastal communities, and combine this with output from a SLR coastal property model that evaluates threats of inundation and the economic efficiency of adaptation approaches to respond to those threats. Results show that under the mid-SLR scenario (66.9 cm by 2100), approximately 1,630,000 people are potentially affected by SLR. Of these, 332,000 (～20%) are among the most socially vulnerable. The analysis also finds that areas of higher social vulnerability are much more likely to be abandoned than protected in response to SLR. This finding is particularly true in the Gulf region of the United States, where over 99% of the most socially vulnerable people live in areas unlikely to be protected from inundation, in stark contrast to the least socially vulnerable group, where only 8% live in areas unlikely to be protected. Our results demonstrate the importance of considering the equity and environmental justice implications of SLR in climate change policy analysis and coastal adaptation planning.     

Stakeholder engagement and knowledge exchange in environmental research

It is commonly put forward that effective uptake of research in policy or practice must be built upon a foundation of active knowledge exchange and stakeholder engagement during the research. However, what is often lacking is a systematic appreciation of the specific practices of knowledge exchange and their relative merits. The paper reports on a 2009 survey of 21 research projects within the UK Research Councils' Rural Economy and Land Use Programme regarding the involvement and perceived impact of over a thousand stakeholders in the research. The survey reveals that most stakeholders were involved as research subjects or as event participants. Large numbers were also engaged in the research process itself, including involvement in shaping the direction of research. Stakeholder engagement is perceived as bringing significant benefits to the process of knowledge production. A close relationship is found between mechanisms and approaches to knowledge exchange and the spread of benefits for researchers and stakeholders. Mutual benefits are gained from exchange of staff or where stakeholders are members of research advisory groups. Different stakeholder sectors are also associated with different patterns of engagement, which lead to contrasting impact patterns. Any efforts to alter knowledge exchange processes and outcomes must overcome these differing engagement tendencies. Overall, much greater attention should be given to early processes of knowledge exchange and stakeholder engagement within the lifetime of research projects.     

Relationships between lichen community composition and concentrations of NO2 and NH3

The relationship between different features of lichen communities in Quercus robur canopies and environmental variables, including concentrations of NO₂ and NH₃ was investigated. NO₂ concentration was the most significant variable, it was positively correlated with the proportion of lichen cover comprising nitrophytes and negatively correlated with total lichen cover. None of the lichen community features were correlated with NH₃ concentrations, which were relatively low across the site. Since nitrophytes and nitrophobes are likely to react in opposite directions to nitrogenous compounds, total lichen cover is not a suitable indicator for these pollutants. It is, therefore, suggested that the proportion of lichen cover comprising nitrophytes may be a suitable simple indicator of air quality, particularly in locations where the pollution climate is dominated by oxides of nitrogen.     

Establishing ozone flux–response relationships for winter wheat: Analysis of uncertainties based on data for UK and Polish genotypes

The work outlined in this paper had three objectives. The first was to explore the effects of ozone pollution on grain yield and quality of commercially-grown winter wheat cultivars. The second was to derive a stomatal ozone flux model for winter wheat and compare with those already developed for spring wheat. The third was to evaluate exposure- versus flux–response approaches from a risk assessment perspective, and explore the implications of genetic variation in modelled ozone flux.Fifteen winter wheat cultivars were grown in open-top chambers where they were exposed to four levels of ozone. During fumigation, stomatal conductance measurements were made over the lifespan of the flag leaf across a range of environmental conditions. Although significant intra-specific variation in ‘ozone sensitivity’ (in terms of impacts on yield) was identified, yield was inversely related (R² = 0.63, P < 0.001) to the accumulated hourly averaged ozone exposure above 40 ppb during daylight hours (AOT40) across the dataset. The adverse effect of ozone on yield was principally due to a decline in seed weight. Algorithms defining the influence of environmental variables on stomatal uptake were subtly different from those currently in use, based on data for spring wheat, to map ozone impacts on pan-European cereal yield. Considerable intra-specific variation in phenological effects was identified. This meant that an ‘average behaviour’ had to be derived which reduced the predictive capability of the derived stomatal flux model (R² = 0.49, P < 0.001, 15 cultivars included). Indeed, given the intra-specific variability encountered, the flux model that was derived from the full dataset was no better in predicting O₃ impacts on wheat yield than was the AOT40 index. The study highlights the need to use ozone risk assessment tools appropriate to specific vegetation types when modelling and mapping ozone impacts at the regional level.     

Assessing inter-laboratory comparability and limits of determination for the analysis of cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes in whole Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes (cVMS) are high volume production chemicals used in a wide range of industrial and consumer products. Three cVMS compounds (D4, D5, and D6) have and are undergoing environmental risk evaluations in several countries and have been proposed for legal regulation in Canada. As interest in monitoring concentrations of these chemicals in the environment increase, there is a need to evaluate the analytical procedures for cVMS in biological matrices in order to assess the quality of data produced. The purpose of this study was to determine laboratory testing performance for measuring residues of D4, D5, and D6 in a standard set of fish homogenate samples and to estimate limits of determination for each substance. The samples sent to each laboratory consisted of homogenized whole body tissues of hatchery raised rainbow trout which were fed food fortified with D4, D5, and D6 (dosed) and trout that were fed standard food rations (control). The participants analyzed each sample using their analytical method of choice using their own standards and procedures for quantification and quality control. With a few exceptions, participating laboratories generated comparable results for D4, D5, and D6 in both the dosed and control samples having z-scores between 2 and −2. Method detection limits for the whole fish matrix were on average 2.4 ng g⁻¹ ww for D4, 2.3 ng g⁻¹ ww for D5, and 1.8 ng g⁻¹ ww for D6.     

Defending the scientific integrity of conservation‐policy processes

Government agencies faced with politically controversial decisions often discount or ignore scientific information, whether from agency staff or nongovernmental scientists. Recent developments in scientific integrity (the ability to perform, use, communicate, and publish science free from censorship or political interference) in Canada, Australia, and the United States demonstrate a similar trajectory. A perceived increase in scientific‐integrity abuses provokes concerted pressure by the scientific community, leading to efforts to improve scientific‐integrity protections under a new administration. However, protections are often inconsistently applied and are at risk of reversal under administrations publicly hostile to evidence‐based policy. We compared recent challenges to scientific integrity to determine what aspects of scientific input into conservation policy are most at risk of political distortion and what can be done to strengthen safeguards against such abuses. To ensure the integrity of outbound communications from government scientists to the public, we suggest governments strengthen scientific integrity policies, include scientists’ right to speak freely in collective‐bargaining agreements, guarantee public access to scientific information, and strengthen agency culture supporting scientific integrity. To ensure the transparency and integrity with which information from nongovernmental scientists (e.g., submitted comments or formal policy reviews) informs the policy process, we suggest governments broaden the scope of independent reviews, ensure greater diversity of expert input and transparency regarding conflicts of interest, require a substantive response to input from agencies, and engage proactively with scientific societies. For their part, scientists and scientific societies have a responsibility to engage with the public to affirm that science is a crucial resource for developing evidence‐based policy and regulations in the public interest.     

A view from the periphery

The author describes his background and relationship to the behavioral geography revolution at Clark. Key events included the independent invention of ‘turf maps’, the Place Perception Project of Blaut, Stea and McCleary, and the synergy of an exceptional cluster of faculty and students. The influence of the revolution on the author's own research has resulted in a radical redirection of effort toward applied research on children's environmental behavior, geographic learning, and participatory design methods in particular.     

An investigation into pay valence and performance in a pay-for-performance field setting

Inconsistent findings have been reported in the few studies investigating the relationship between the perceived value of pay and incentive performance. One hundred and seventy-eight female incentive employees with a nine-week, non-judgmental performance measure responded to a developed valence of pay scale. This measure used items assessing the perceived ability of pay to address employee needs. Three factor-scales were found within these items. Support for the hypothesized positive relationship between pay valence and incentive performance was found, dependent on which of the three scales was used. These findings provide initial insight into the means by which pay, with its ability to address different needs, might provide differential employee motivation and performance levels. This study and future research issues are discussed.     

Book reviews

URBANIZATION AND COMMUNITY BUILDING IN MODERN NORWAY

J. S. Tortenson, M. F. Metcalfe, T. F. Rasmussen

Urbana Press, Oslo 1985. 312 pp., figs and tables.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY

R. Riddell

Gower, 1985. £18.50

REVIEW OF SERVICE INDUSTRIES: A GEOGRAPHICAL APPRAISAL

P. W. Daniels

Methuen, 1985. £27.50.

ARABIC‐ISLAMIC CITIES: BUILDING AND PLANNING PRINCIPLES

Besim Selim Hakim

KPI Ltd., London, 1986. pp. 192. £46 (h/b)

FIFTY YEARS OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Sheila Harvey and Stephen Rettig

The Landscape Press, 1985. £12.50

CAPABILITY BROWN AND THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ENGLISH LANDSCAPE

Roger Turner

Weidenfeld & Nicholson. £16.95.