Dose transfer of Bacillus thuringiensis from cabbage to the diamondback moth: A graphical simulator

Abstract

The application of agrichemicals is a highly inefficient process and one of the main causes of the environmental and health risks currently associated with pesticide usage. Efforts to mitigate this inefficiency have largely been unsuccessful, due principally to the poor understanding of the processes involved in the spray application of pesticides, from atomization to biological effect. A generalized model of the application system for pesticides from atomization to biological result is described in this overview. The model allows the investigation of the biological consequences of altering the application parameters for the bacterial insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis when used against the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella L.) with cabbage as the substrate. Parameters input into the model include the in‐flight droplet size frequency distribution of the spray cloud, spatial distribution of the deposit, spread and subsequent environmental degradation of the deposit, and behavioral and toxicological effects.

It is hoped that such a modelling approach can afford insights into the application process, and, through a better understanding of the inefficient but still highly effective hydraulic application systems used worldwide, reduce that inefficiency to tolerable levels.     

Nitrogen Oxides Emission Control Options for Coal-Fired Electric Utility Boilers

Abstract

Recent regulations have required reductions in emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) from electric utility boilers. To comply with these regulatory requirements, it is increasingly important to implement state-of-the-art NO_x control technologies on coal-fired utility boilers. This paper reviews NO_x control options for these boilers. It discusses the established commercial primary and secondary control technologies and examines what is being done to use them more effectively. Furthermore, the paper discusses recent developments in NO_x controls. The popular primary control technologies in use in the United States are low-NO_x burners and overfire air. Data reflect that average NO_x reductions for specific primary controls have ranged from 35% to 63% from 1995 emissions levels. The secondary NO_x control technologies applied on U.S. coal-fired utility boilers include reburning, selective noncatalytic reduction (SNCR), and selective catalytic reduction (SCR). Thirty-six U.S. coal-fired utility boilers have installed SNCR, and reported NO_x reductions achieved at these applications ranged from 15% to 66%. Recently, SCR has been installed at >150 U.S. coal-fired utility boilers. Data on the performance of 20 SCR systems operating in the United States with low-NO_x emissions reflect that in 2003, these units achieved NO_x emission rates between 0.04 and 0.07 lb/10⁶ Btu.     

The 2014 Walrus Haul Out: A Case Study of Selective Exposure to Environmental News Coverage

In this article we examine in real time the political selective exposure process involved when the public confronted the “walrus haul out” of October 2014, a news event attributed by some climate change researchers to the effects of the climate change-driven reduction of Arctic sea ice. Analyzing data assessing the amount of major TV and cable news network coverage of the haul out, and evaluating public opinion data collected from a rolling cross-sectional survey of US adults take at the time, we show that coverage of this event was not equitably distributed across news media news sources, that exposure to news source is related to the respondents’ ideological dispositions, and that exposure to coverage of the walrus haul out is related to ideology, the selectivity of political news habits, and climate change knowledge. We conclude with a discussion of the apparent inevitability of selective exposure to media coverage of climate change-related events and the implications for effective climate change communication.     

Trends in anecdotal fox sightings in Tasmania accounted for by psychological factors

There has been little evaluation of anecdotal sightings as a means to confirm new incursions of invasive species. This paper explores the potential for equivocal information communicated by the media to account for patterns of anecdotal reports. In 2001, it was widely reported that red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) had been deliberately released in the island state of Tasmania (Australia), although this claim was later revealed to be baseless. Regardless, by 2013 a total of 3153 anecdotal fox sightings had been reported by members of the public, which implied their distribution was wide. For each month in 2001–2003, we defined a monthly media index (MMI) of fox‐related media coverage, an index of their relative seasonal abundance (abundance), and a factor denoting claims of fox evidence (claimed evidence) regardless of its evidentiary quality. We fitted a generalized linear model with Poisson error for monthly totals of anecdotal sightings with factors of year and claimed evidence and covariates of MMI, abundance, and hours of darkness. The collective effect of psychological factors (MMI, claimed evidence, and year) relative to biophysical factors (photoperiod and abundance) was highly significant (χ² = 122.1, df = 6, p < 0.0001), whereas anticipated changes in abundance had no significant influence on reported sightings (p = 0.15). An annual index of fox media from 2001 to 2010 was strongly associated with the yearly tally of anecdotal sightings (p = 0.018). The odds ratio of sightings ranked as reliable by the fox eradication program in any year decreased exponentially at a rate of 0.00643 as the total number of sightings increased (p < 0.0001) and was indicative of an observer‐expectancy bias. Our results suggest anecdotal sightings are highly susceptible to cognitive biases and when used to qualify and quantify species presence can contribute to flawed risk assessments.     

A New Phosphorus Paradigm for the Baltic Proper

The external phosphorus (P) loading has been halved, but the P content in the water column and the area of anoxic bottoms in Baltic proper has increased during the last 30 years. This can be explained by a temporary internal source of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) that is turned on when the water above the bottom sediment becomes anoxic. A load-response model, explaining the evolution from 1980 to 2005, suggests that the average specific DIP flux from anoxic bottoms in the Baltic proper is about 2.3 g P m⁻² year⁻¹. This is commensurable with fluxes estimated in situ from anoxic bottoms in the open Baltic proper and from hydrographic data in the deep part of Bornholm Basin. Oxygenation of anoxic bottoms, natural or manmade, may quickly turn off the internal P source from anoxic bottoms. This new P-paradigm should have far-reaching implications for abatement of eutrophication in the Baltic proper.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-013-0441-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Developing sustainable practices to adapt to the impacts of climate change: a case study of agricultural systems in eastern England (UK)

The weight of scientific evidence suggests that human activities are noticeably influencing the world's climate. However, the effects of global climate change will be unevenly spread, due to local variations in vulnerability and adaptive capacity. Using downscaled projections of future UK climates over the next 50 years, this paper investigates the impacts of, and possible responses to, climate change in one small area in eastern England, selected as a test-bed for sustainable agriculture. It shows that local agricultural systems are vulnerable to changes in the climate. At present, however, these considerations have a limited effect on agricultural operations, which are mainly driven by short-term events and 'non-climate' policies, such as agricultural price support. The capacity of agricultural systems to adapt successfully to climate change will be determined by the ability of producers to integrate climate change into their planning strategies with a view to ultimately ensuring sustainable agricultural practices in the long term. Electronic Publication     

Community knowledge networks: an action-orientated approach to energy research

The Climate Change Act 2008 commits the UK to reducing carbon emissions by 80% of 1990 levels by 2050. With household emissions constituting more than a quarter of current total energy use in the UK, energy practices in the home have taken on increased policy attention. In this paper, we argue that the UK government's approach is founded upon a variant of methodological individualism that assumes that providing greater energy information to individuals will effect behaviour change in relation to energy use. Such an approach is potentially limited in its effectiveness and does not afford appropriate recognition to all those affected by energy policy. In contrast to this approach, we set out an alternative perspective, a community knowledge networks approach to energy and justice which recognises the contexts and relationships in which people live and use energy. Such an approach emphasises situated knowledge and practices in order to gain a greater understanding of how individuals and communities use energy, but, importantly, offers a means for affording greater recognitional justice to different social groups.     

Status of Aquatic Bioassessment in U.S. EPA Region IX

U.S. EPA Region IX is supporting bioassessment programs in Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada using biocriteria program and Regional Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (R-EMAP) resources. These programs are designed to improve the state, tribal and regional ability to determine the status of water quality. Biocriteria program funds were used to coordinate with Arizona, California and Hawaii which resulted in these states establishing reference conditions and in developing biological indices. U.S. EPA Region IX has initiated R-EMAP projects in California and Nevada. These U.S. EPA Region IX sponsored programs have provided an opportunity to interact with the States and provide them with technical and management support. In Arizona, several projects are being conducted to develop the State's bioassessment program. These include the development of a rotational random monitoring program; a regional reference approach for macroinvertebrate bioassessments; ecoregion approach to testing and adoption of an alternate regional classification system; and development of warm-water and cold-water indices of biological integrity. The indices are projected to be used in the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) 2000 water quality assessment report. In California, an Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) has been developed for the Russian River Watershed using resources from U.S. EPA's Non-point Source (NPS) Program grants. A regional IBI is under development for certain water bodies in the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. Resources from the U.S. EPA Biocriteria program are being used to support the California Aquatic Bioassessment Workgroup (CABW) in conjunction with the California Department of Fish & Game (CDFG), and to support the Hawaii Department of Health (DoH) Bioassessment Program to refine biological metrics. In Nevada, R-EMAP resources are being used to create a baseline of aquatic information for the Humboldt River watershed. U.S. EPA Region IX is presently working with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) to establish a Nevada Aquatic Bioassessment Workgroup. Future R-EMAP studies will occur in the Calleguas Creek watershed in Southern California, and in the Muddy and Virgin River watersheds in southern Nevada, and the Walker River watershed in eastern California and west-central Nevada.     

Cyanidation of mercury-rich tailings in artisanal and small-scale gold mining: identifying strategies to manage environmental risks in Southern Ecuador

In many countries, such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Venezuela and Zimbabwe, amalgamated tailings are leached with cyanide to recover remaining gold. This paper describes a recently completed study conducted at seven gold processing centers in Portovelo-Zaruma, Southern Ecuador, which involved consultation with local miners. The objective of the study was to understand the behaviour of mercury (with a focus on mercury loss) in artisanal gold mining operations through the evaluation of two cyanidation processes (Merrill-Crowe and Carbon-in-pulp), using a participatory approach. In order to assess the kinetics of mercury dissolution in cyanide, a bottle roll test was conducted in the laboratory. In the Merrill-Crowe cyanidation process, an average of 24.2% of metallic mercury was determined to be trapped at the bottom of the agitation tanks; 33.1% of mercury is lost in association with solid material and 11.7% is lost in solution. Approximately 31.0% of mercury in solution is sent to the zinc precipitation cells from which 27.8% is precipitated on the zinc shavings, with 3.23% remaining in solution. The mercury precipitated on to the zinc is lost to the atmosphere when the shavings are burned at 900 °C. In the Carbon-in-pulp (CIP) leaching system, 11.2% of the mercury is lost with the solid tailings; 31.6% of the mercury is associated with fine particles in suspension and 50.8% is likely dissolved. About 2.68% is trapped at the bottom of the tank and 3.72% is absorbed by the activated carbon. The bottle roll test revealed that mercury dissolution is directly proportional to cyanide concentration. At 10 g/ton of cyanide, approximately 42% of mercury was leached, whereas all gold was solubilized. During this study, miners recognized the risk associated with the cyanidation of mercury-rich tailings, and were aware of how much mercury is discharged to local streams and to the atmosphere. The active participation of miners in this study has led to the strengthening of their knowledge and awareness of mercury contamination, and has enhanced their understanding of the nature of the problem, as well as the weaknesses and strengths of the system they operate.