Beyond water data: benefits to volunteers and to local water from a citizen science program

Survey results of citizen science water data collection volunteers are presented, indicating personal benefits (e.g., being in nature, helping local water quality), and suggesting potential long-term benefits of improved watershed health (e.g., behavior change). These results can inform citizen science program development and contribute to watershed planners’ understanding of the broad benefits of such programs. We suggest that respondents’ positive feelings toward the watershed's major river and desire to learn about science and nature are place-specific elements that watershed and citizen science program managers could utilize in program development. Moreover, we explore the potential of social diffusion and behavior change and suggest the need for further research in these areas. We conclude that citizen science has potential not just as a means to collect large amounts of data (cheaply), but as a means to engage citizens to make environmentally friendly decisions.     

The influence of field-scale heterogeneity on the infiltration and entrapment of dense nonaqueous phase liquids in saturated formations

Numerical simulations are used for the systematic exploration of the migration and entrapment of dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) in heterogeneous formations. Ensembles of realizations of random, spatially correlated permeability fields are generated and employed in model simulations of a spill event. Statistical techniques are then used to quantify the sensitivity of model predictions to input parameters, thereby identifying the parameters or processes that may be of primary importance in the determination of organic liquid distributions in heterogeneous systems. Results of the study indicate that the most critical factors in modeling organic entrapment include the spill release rate, reliable estimates of the mean, variance, and vertical correlation scale of the formation permeability, and an accurate representation of the correlation between the capillary pressure–saturation function and the permeability. In contrast, the hydraulic gradient and cross-correlation of residual saturations with permeabilities are found to have only minor influence on organic liquid distributions in such heterogeneous formations.     

Importance of conserving large and old trees to continuity of tree-related microhabitats

Protecting structural features, such as tree-related microhabitats (TreMs), is a cost-effective tool crucial for biodiversity conservation applicable to large forested landscapes. Although the development of TreMs is influenced by tree diameter, species, and vitality, the relationships between tree age and TreM profile remain poorly understood. Using a tree-ring-based approach and a large data set of 8038 trees, we modeled the effects of tree age, diameter, and site characteristics on TreM richness and occurrence across some of the most intact primary temperate forests in Europe, including mixed beech and spruce forests. We observed an overall increase in TreM richness on old and large trees in both forest types. The occurrence of specific TreM groups was variably related to tree age and diameter, but some TreM groups (e.g., epiphytes) had a stronger positive relationship with tree species and elevation. Although many TreM groups were positively associated with tree age and diameter, only two TreM groups in spruce stands reacted exclusively to tree age (insect galleries and exposed sapwood) without responding to diameter. Thus, the retention of trees for conservation purposes based on tree diameter appears to be a generally feasible approach with a rather low risk of underrepresentation of TreMs. Because greater tree age and diameter positively affected TreM development, placing a greater emphasis on conserving large trees and allowing them to reach older ages, for example, through the establishment of conservation reserves, would better maintain the continuity of TreM resource and associated biodiversity. However, this approach may be difficult due to the widespread intensification of forest management and global climate change.     

The efficiency of using non-culpable crash-claim involvements from insurance data as a means of estimating travel exposure for road user sub-groups

Introduction

Induced exposure has a long history of development and usage in traffic safety research but a major question has always concerned the extent to which the accumulation of culpable and non-culpable involvements can be considered independent.

Method

Culpability assessments of 32,630 vehicles' crash-claim involvements adjudicated by insurance adjusters were matched with vehicle odometer readings taken at emission testing using consistent identification of vehicles and principal operators over a 5-year period.

Result

It was found that the accumulation of culpable crash involvements was not entirely independent of that for non-culpable involvements. However, the rate of non-culpable involvements was determined to be an acceptable surrogate for travel exposure rate where sample sizes were large.

Discussion

The relationship between the rate of non-culpable involvements and the rate of travel exposure for data subsets when both were normalized by the overall sample rates was reminiscent of an accident-volume curve for roadway locations in traffic engineering theory. This suggested that only a portion of non-culpable involvements actually related directly to travel and this lead to a correction factor that could be applied.

Impact on Industry

While lack of independence of involvement rates may be problematic for a direct risk ratio application, it does not invalidate the use of non-culpable involvements to predict travel. For insurers that have a need to estimate travel amounts for different driver/vehicle groups as part of the insurance rating purposes, this can be a useful application.     

Work values: Development of a new three-dimensional structure based on confirmatory smallest space analysis

We tested the psychological structure of the work values ratings of 119,167 Canadian workers using confirmatory smallest space analysis (SSA). Contrary to our hypotheses, the SSA did not support a two-dimensional radex structure, but suggested a three-dimensional cylindrex structure composed of three facets: (a) A modality facet comprised of four types of work values (cognitive, instrumental, social, and prestige) forming angular sectors of a circle; (b) a growth-orientation facet with growth-related work aspects located closest to the center of the circle and context-related work aspects located in the peripheral ring; and (c) a level of focus facet that divided the overall cylindrical structure into three separate vertical levels (individual, job/organizational, and societal). The findings extend the theory of work values by providing a richer typology of work values and a more complete picture of the complex structure of their inter-relations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.