Spectroscopic approaches for phosphorus speciation in soils and other environmental systems

In the past decades, environmental scientists have become increasingly involved in developing novel approaches for applying emerging spectroscopic techniques to complex environmental matrices. The objective of this review is to convey the most common chemical species of phosphorus reported for soils, sediments, model systems, and waste materials based on analyses by four spectroscopic techniques: X-ray absorption near-edge structure, nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Unique information is provided by each technique at a level of specificity that depends in part on matrix complexity. The X-ray absorption near-edge structure and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques reveal inorganic and organic P species in intact environmental matrices or in chemical extracts, whereas the Fourier transform infrared and Raman techniques can provide more specific bonding information about mineral or adsorbed P species in model analogs of matrix components. The most common P species in soils and sediments as indicated by spectroscopy are hydroxyapatite and octacalcium phosphate minerals, phosphate adsorbed on Fe- and Al-oxides, pyrophosphates and polyphosphates, phosphate mono- and di-esters, and phosphonates. Continued advancements in spectroscopic methods should improve speciation-based models of P mobilization and transformations in the environment.     

Antifouling strategies for marine and riverine sensors

Traditionally, water quality has been monitored by sampling and lab based analysis. However, there are disadvantages associated with this method, for example, deterioration of samples with time, limited sampling points, limited temporal monitoring. This has provided impetus for the development of sensors which can be deployed from remote locations over extended deployment periods. However, a major limitation of these systems is their vulnerability to biofouling. This review outlines the research that has been carried out on strategies for the protection of marine and riverine sensors against fouling.     

Health impact assessment research and practice: A place for paradigm positioning?

In this article, we provide a critical review of the place of paradigm in health impact assessment (HIA) research and practice. We contend that most HIA practitioners have given insufficient attention to paradigm positioning when developing and applying HIA methodologies and that some concerns about current HIA practice can be attributed to this. We review HIA literature to assess the extent and nature of attention given to paradigm positioning and these related concerns. We then respond to our critique by exploring the implications, opportunities and challenges of adopting a critical realist paradigm, which we believe has the potential to help HIA practitioners to develop HIA methodology in a way that addresses these issues.     

Stalked tunicates Boltenia ovifera form biogenic habitat in the rocky subtidal zone of Nova Scotia

The stalked tunicate Boltenia ovifera is widely distributed in the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans on rocky substrata at 10–300 m depth, although its ecological role in benthic communities is poorly understood. The distribution and abundance of B. ovifera were recorded at 10–100 m depth in towed-video transects in November 2011 and in June, July, and November 2012 off a wave-exposed headland near Halifax, Nova Scotia. Specimens also were collected at 30 m depth using SCUBA (44°26.88′N, 63°31.59′W) in September 2012. Areas dominated by B. ovifera had densities of 10–100 individuals m^?2 on rocky substrata at 30–60 m depth. These tunicate beds often were associated with sparse kelp (Agarum clathratum) and turf-forming red algae. A generalized additive model indicated that depth, substrate type, and benthic algal type were strong predictors of tunicate abundance. Twenty-two epibiotic species were found on specimens of B. ovifera, including juvenile conspecifics. Filter-feeding macroinvertebrates, including anemones and soft corals, were more abundant in areas with B. ovifera than in areas without these tunicates. Our findings suggest that beds of B. ovifera can act as biogenic habitat to enhance local species richness in the rocky subtidal zone of Nova Scotia.     

Fusing strategic risk and futures methods to inform long-term strategic planning: case of water utilities

Risks and futures methods have complementary strengths as tools for managing strategic decisions under uncertainty. When combined, these tools increase organisational competency to evaluate and manage long-term risks, improving the flexibility and agility of the organisation to deal with gross uncertainties. Here, we set out a framework to guide the assessment of strategic risks for long-term business planning, based on its application at Portugal’s largest water utility, Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres. Our approach extends strategic risk assessment by incorporating scenario planning—a futures approach used to help the utility move beyond single point forecast of risks to focus on critical dimensions of uncertainty that are fundamental to the resilience of corporate objectives and their vulnerability to external pressures. We demonstrate how we combine two complementary approaches—risk and futures—and use them to assess (i) how a set of baseline strategic risks for a water utility evolves under alternative futures, (ii) the aggregate corporate-level risk exposure, and (iii) the process and responses needed to manage multiple, interdependent strategic risks. The framework offers a corporate approach to evolving strategic risks and improves a utility’s (i) knowledge of uncertainties, (ii) ability to assess the impacts of external developments over long time horizons and the consequences of actions and (iii) degree of flexibility to adapt to possible future challenges. The framework supports risk managers in their long-term strategic planning, through the appraisal and management of multiple, interdependent long-term strategic risks and can be replicated in other organisational contexts to bridge operational and corporate perspectives of enterprise risk.

     

Access and Local Government Research: Methodological Reflections

This methodological paper draws on research from Australia to examine the question of gaining access to local governments in undertaking work on natural resource management. It is argued that a range of macro-level changes have impacted on the local government sector in Australia, and these changes have rendered access problematic for researchers. These changes include an expansion of local government roles, an increase in financial pressure within the sector, a proliferation of audit measures across local governments and a low level of respect amongst local government personnel for academics and academic work. The paper concludes by identifying the reasons why understanding access in qualitative research on local government and environmental sustainability is important.     

The influence of system complexity on bacterial transport in saturated porous media

A series of miscible-displacement column experiments were conducted under saturated flow conditions to systematically investigate the influence of physical and biological complexity on bacterial activity and fate in the presence and absence of a non-sorbing growth substrate, salicylate. Bacterial elution was monitored for three different systems; System I--a sterilized, inoculated, well-sorted sand, System II--a sterilized, inoculated, heterogeneous loamy sand (Hayhook), and System III--two different unsterilized loamy sands (Hayhook and Vinton) each with their associated indigenous microbial community. Results show that System I behaved ideally with respect to both cell and substrate transport, wherein: (1) growth occurred in response to substrate addition, (2) cell elution increased in response to the substrate pulse, and (3) breakthrough curves were reproducible for both substrate and cell elution. In contrast, System II showed ideal behavior with respect to substrate transport but showed variable behavior for cell transport. Further, there was no measurable growth in response to substrate addition and no increase in cell elution during the salicylate pulse. System III exhibited non-ideal behavior for both substrate and cell transport. Of particular interest is the fact that the indigenous communities of the two soils behaved differently. Specifically, for the Hayhook soil, an increased elution response was observed for the heterotrophic population while the salicylate-degrading community was preferentially retained in the column. In contrast for the Vinton soil, the substrate pulse did not elicit an elution response from either the heterotrophic or salicylate-degrading community from the culturable, indigenous Vinton microorganisms. For Systems II and III, the observed variability appears to be associated with the biological component of the system, since sterile controls were reproducible. This type of systematic study is critical for understanding cell and substrate transport behavior in complex, heterogeneous systems, and illustrates the potential uncertainty associated with measurements in such systems.