An integrative framework for sustainable supply chain management practices in the oil and gas industry

This paper proposes a framework for understanding the contextual factors of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices in the O&G industry. It is based on a literature review of studies related to SSCM of O&G topics. The review reveals that there is a lack of SSCM research specific to the industry. Present studies focus on individual stages of its supply chain and do not consider all dimensions of sustainable development, namely economic, environmental and social factors. In addition, existing frameworks lack important contextual aspects of the industry's business and organizational environment. To address these gaps, our research develops an overarching framework operationalizing the internal and external contextual factors of the O&G industry environment that can influence the outcome of its SSCM practices. The proposed framework is useful as a tool in the formulation and implementation of SSCM strategy that enables alignment of a company's internal capabilities with its external environment.     

Assessment of prenatal exposure to persistent organohalogen compounds from cord blood serum analysis in two Mediterranean populations (Valencia and Menorca)

Prenatal levels of organohalogen compounds (OHCs), including polybromodiphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes and DDTs, have been investigated in two different cohorts from the Spanish Mediterranean area, Valencia and Menorca, by analysis of cord blood serum. Comparison of the observed median concentrations to other cohorts shows low PBDE levels (2.8-6.5 ng g(-1) lipid) but high values of HCB (0.68 ng ml(-1), 260 ng g(-1) lipid) and PCBs (0.65 ng ml(-1), 240 ng g(-1) lipid) in the cohort of Menorca indicating that Mediterranean areas, and not only high latitude regions, may contain population groups highly exposed to some of these pollutants. Significant differences in the concentrations of these compounds have been found between the two cohorts. Differences in maternal population such as age or body mass index cannot explain this variation. One possible cause of variability is the seven year time period elapsed between the two cohort recruitments but the strong differences observed do not allow exclusion of local diet differences. Thus, the different average PCB congener distributions between the two cohorts suggest an influence from materials containing diverse PCB mixtures. The congener mixtures found in Menorca could reflect a diet contribution from some western Mediterranean fish species. These results provide baseline information on prenatal OHC background levels in the Mediterranean area.     

An abiotic typology and reference conditions for nutrients and chlorophyll-a in subtropical reservoirs (São Paulo State,Brazil)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The establishment of reference conditions and typology are two important steps in water resources management. The reference conditions enable the...     

Spatial Heterogeneity of Water Quality in a Highly Degraded Tropical Freshwater Ecosystem

Awareness of environmental heterogeneity in ecosystems is critical for management and conservation. We used the Xochimilco freshwater system to describe the relationship between heterogeneity and human activities. This tropical aquatic ecosystem south of Mexico City is comprised of a network of interconnected canals and lakes that are influenced by agricultural and urban activities. Environmental heterogeneity was characterized by spatially extensive surveys within four regions of Xochimilco during rainy and dry seasons over 2 years. These surveys revealed a heterogeneous system that was shallow (1.1 m, SD = 0.4 ), warm (17°C, SD = 2.9), well oxygenated (5.0 mg l⁻¹, SD = 3), turbid (45.7 NTU SD = 26.96), and extremely nutrient-rich (NO₃–N = 15.9 mg l⁻¹, SD=13.7; NH₄–N = 2.88 mg l⁻¹, SD = 4.24; and PO₄–P =  8.3 mg l⁻¹, SD = 2.4). Most of the variables were not significantly different between years, but did differ between seasons, suggesting a dynamic system within a span of a year but with a high resilience over longer periods of time. Maps were produced using interpolations to describe distributions of all variables. There was no correlation between individual variables and land use. Consequently, we searched for relationships using all variables together by generating a combined water quality index. Significant differences in the index were apparent among the four regions. Index values also differed within individual region and individual water bodies (e.g., within canals), indicating that Xochimilco has high local heterogeneity. Using this index on a map helped to relate water quality to human activities and provides a simple and clear tool for managers and policymakers.     

Climate change and natural disasters: macroeconomic performance and distributional impacts

Commonly occurring natural events become natural disasters when they affect the population through death and injury, and/or through the destruction of natural and physical capital on which people rely for their livelihood and quality of life. Climate change plays a role in that it tends to increase the frequency and intensity of weather-related natural disasters. Additionally, climate change may put people at risk by influencing access to water, coastal flooding, disease and hunger, and leaving them with a more degraded environment, leading, in turn, to increased vulnerability. The purpose of this paper is to present a review and synthesis of the literature and case studies addressing differential impacts of climate change-related natural disasters on a society and its economy. Developed and developing countries show different vulnerabilities to natural disasters. Even within countries, impacts vary significantly across population and economic sectors. When losses from natural disasters are large, their cumulative effect can have notable macroeconomic impacts, which feed back to further pronounce existing income inequalities and lower income levels. Impacts tend to be most pronounced for women, the young and elderly, and people of ethnic or racial minorities.

Marine Habitat Classification for Ecosystem-Based Management: A Proposed Hierarchical Framework

Creating a habitat classification and mapping system for marine and coastal ecosystems is a daunting challenge due to the complex array of habitats that shift on various spatial and temporal scales. To meet this challenge, several countries have, or are developing, national classification systems and mapping protocols for marine habitats. To be effectively applied by scientists and managers it is essential that classification systems be comprehensive and incorporate pertinent physical, geological, biological, and anthropogenic habitat characteristics. Current systems tend to provide over-simplified conceptual structures that do not capture biological habitat complexity, marginalize anthropogenic features, and remain largely untested at finer scales. We propose a multi-scale hierarchical framework with a particular focus on finer scale habitat classification levels and conceptual schematics to guide habitat studies and management decisions. A case study using published data is included to compare the proposed framework with existing schemes. The example demonstrates how the proposed framework’s inclusion of user-defined variables, a combined top-down and bottom-up approach, and multi-scale hierarchical organization can facilitate examination of marine habitats and inform management decisions.     

Bioremediation of petroleum‐impacted soils from investigation‐derived wastes

Optimal conditions for bioremediation of investigation‐derived wastes from petroleum‐impacted soils (PIS) were determined through biotreatability experiments. The PIS was collected as extruded cores obtained during sample drilling. These samples were processed into workable media prior to treatment in bioreactors. Soil moisture content in the bioreactors was adjusted to 30 percent, 40 percent, 50 percent (control), and 60 percent, dry‐weight basis, and nutrient levels were adjusted by applying fertilizer, yielding carbon (C) to nitrogen (N) ratios of 20:1, 10:1, and 5:1, versus a control C:N ratio of 140:1. Temperature, pH, viable bacterial plate counts, contaminant degradation rate, and microbial respiration were monitored. Concentrations of three selected branched alkanes in the aviation fuel contaminant, measured by gas chromatography, decreased for most treatments. The greatest degradation occurred with a moisture content of 40 percent and C:N ratio of 5:1. Increased contaminant degradation was consistent with increased microbial activity measured by respiration. There was poorer correlation between contaminant degradation and viable plate counts, which suggests that respirometry is a better measure of activity of the microbial population responsible for contaminant degradation. General plate counts, which enumerate only a fraction of the total population, may not be a reliable quantitative indicator of the actual microorganism population that is responsible for degradation. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Tibouchina pulchra (Cham.) Cogn., a native Atlantic Forest species, as a bio-indicator of ozone: visible injury

Tibouchina pulchra saplings were exposed to carbon filtered air (CF), ambient non-filtered air (NF) and ambient non-filtered air+40 ppb ozone (NF+O3) 8 h per day during two months. The AOT40 values at the end of the experiment were 48, 910 and 12,895 ppb h(-1), respectively, for the three treatments. After 25 days of exposure (AOT40=3871 ppb h(-1)), interveinal red stippling appeared in plants in the NF+O3 chamber. In the NF chamber, symptoms were observed only after 60 days of exposure (AOT40=910 ppb h(-1)). After 60 days, injured leaves per plant corresponded to 19% in NF+O3 and 1% in the NF treatment; and the average leaf area injured was 7% within the NF+O3 and 0.2% within the NF treatment. The extent of leaf area injured (leaf injury index) was mostly explained by the accumulated exposure of ozone (r2=0.89; p<0.05).