Importance of set-aside for breeding birds of open farmland in Finland

The set-aside obligation under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) brought widespread benefits for wild farmland species. Shortly after it was abolished in 2008, the national political process in Finland replaced it with a targeted agri-environment scheme for environmental fallow. Though potentially highly valuable, the value of the current scheme for securing biodiversity is yet to be confirmed. This study evaluates the importance of set-asides established under CAP to all birds of open farmland based on national monitoring data from 2001 to 2006. The set-aside fields supported 25-40% more species and held 60-105% more pairs of birds typical of open farmland in comparison with cereal fields within a similar landscape setting. The estimated effect of set-aside presence in farmland on the studied bird species is large enough to trigger considerable changes in bird populations on the national scale. The relevance of the results to the novel agri-environment scheme is discussed.     

RECOTOX,a French initiative in ecotoxicology-toxicology to monitor,understand and mitigate the ecotoxicological impacts of pollutants in socioagroecosystems

RECOTOX is a cross-cutting initiative promoting an integrated research to respond to the challenges of monitoring, understanding, and mitigating environmental and health impacts of pesticides in agroecosystems. The added value of RECOTOX is to develop a common culture around spatial ecotoxicology including the whole chain of pressure-exposure-impact, while strengthening an integrated network of in natura specifically equipped sites. In particular, it promotes transversal approaches at relevant socioecological system scales, to capitalize knowledge, expertise, and ongoing research in ecotoxicology and, to a lesser extent, environmental toxicology. Thus, it will open existing research infrastructures in environmental sciences to research programs in ecotoxicology of pesticides.     

Environmental quality assessment of reservoirs impacted by Hg from chlor-alkali technologies: case study of a recovery

Mercury (Hg) pollution legacy of chlor-alkali plants will be an important issue in the next decades with the planned phase out of Hg-based electrodes by 2025 within the Minamata convention. In such a context, the present study aimed to examine the extent of Hg contamination in the reservoirs surrounding the Oltchim plant and to evaluate the possible improvement of the environmental quality since the closure of its chlor-alkali unit. This plant is the largest chlor-alkali plant in Romania, which partly switched to Hg-free technology in 1999 and definitely stopped the use of Hg electrolysis in May 2012. Total Hg (THg) and methylmercury (CH₃Hg) concentrations were found to decrease in the surface waters and sediments of the reservoirs receiving the effluents of the chlor-alkali platform since the closure of Hg units. Hence, calculated risk quotients (RQ) indicated no adverse effect of Hg for aquatic organisms from the ambient water exposure. RQ of Hg in sediments were mostly all higher than 1, showing important risks for benthic organisms. However, ecotoxicity testing of water and sediments suggest possible impact of other contaminants and their mixtures. Hg hotspots were found in soils around the platform with RQ values much higher than 1. Finally, THg and CH₃Hg concentrations in fish were below the food safety limit set by the WHO, which contrasts with previous measurements made in 2007 revealing that 92 % of the studied fish were of high risk of consumption. Discontinuing the use of Hg electrodes greatly improved the surrounding environment of chlor-alkali plants within the following years and led to the decrease environmental exposure to Hg through fish consumption. However, sediment and soil still remained highly contaminated and problematic for the river reservoir management. The results of this ecological risk assessment study have important implications for the evaluation of the benefits as well as limits of the Minamata Convention implementation.

     

A passive flux denuder for evaluating emissions of ammonia at a dairy farm

Passive samplers have been shown to be an inexpensive alternative to direct sampling. Diffusion denuders have been developed to measure the concentration of species such as ammonia (NH3), which is in equilibrium with particulate ammonium nitrate. Conventional denuder sampling has required active sampling that inherently requires air pumps and, therefore, electrical power. To estimate emissions of NH3 from a fugitive source would require an array of active samplers and meteorological measurements to estimate the flux. A recently developed fabric denuder was configured in an open tube to passively sample NH3 flux. Passive and active samplers were collocated at a dairy farm at the California State University, Fresno, Agricultural Research Facility. During this comparison study, NH3 flux measurements were made at the dairy farm lagoon before and after the lagoon underwent acidification. Comparisons were made of the flux measurements obtained directly from the passive flux denuder and those calculated from an active filter pack sampler and wind velocity. The results show significant correlation between the two methods, although a correction factor needed to be applied to directly compare the two techniques. This passive sampling approach significantly reduces the cost and complexity of sampling and has the potential to economically develop a larger inventory base for ambient NH3 emissions.     

Economic transition and environmental sustainability: effects of economic restructuring on air pollution in the Russian Federation

Economic liberalization in former socialist countries may have various implications for their environmental sustainability. Positive effects of this process are potentially associated with improved efficiency, investments into cleaner technologies, responsiveness to environmentally aware markets, and ending subsidies to heavy industries. On the other hand, market liberalization may result in weaker environmental controls, economic instabilities distracting attention from environmental issues, and increasing orientation towards profit-making leading to more intensive exploitation of natural resources. In addition, trade liberalization may result in shifts towards more pollution and resource-intensive industries. This article seeks to quantify effects of economic restructuring in Russia on air pollution from productive economic sectors in the 1990s. Air pollution in Russia had significantly declined in 1991-1999, however, this decline was largely due to economic decline, as the overall pollution intensity of the economy had decreased only slightly. The factors that affected the pollution intensity are: (1) a decrease in the combined share of industrial and transport activities in the economy and (2) changing pollution intensities of the industrial and transport sectors. The pollution intensity of the Russian industry had remained relatively stable during the 1990s. This was the result of the two opposite and mutually canceling trends: (a) increasing shares of pollution-intensive branches such as metal smelting and oil production vs. less pollution intensive manufacturing and (b) decline in pollution intensities within the industrial branches. The article proposes a methodology by which the contribution of both factors to the overall pollution intensity of the industrial sector can be quantified. The pollution intensity of the Russian transport sector appears to have declined in the first half of the 1990s and increased in the second half. The most recent trend can be explained by a rising proportion of private motorcars used for transportation of people and goods instead of traditional rail and other public transport. The findings of the paper demonstrate that shifts towards more pollution-, resource- and energy-intensive industries as a result of economic liberalization emerges as a significant negative factor of the process of economic transition threatening sustainability of emerging market economies. A research agenda to further investigate these impacts is proposed.     

Aiding multi-level decision-making processes for climate change mitigation and adaptation

Progress towards climate change aware regional sustainable development is affected by actions at multiple spatial scales and governance levels and equally impacts actions at these scales. Many authors and policy practitioners consider therefore that decisions over policy, mitigation strategies and capacity for adaptation to climate change require construction and coordination over multiple levels of governance to arrive at acceptable local, regional and global management strategies. However, how such processes of coordination and decision-aiding can occur and be maintained and improved over time is a major challenge in need of investigation. We take on this challenge by proposing research-supported methods of aiding multi-level decision-making processes in this context. Four example regionally focussed multi-level case studies from diverse socio-political contexts are outlined—estuarine management in Australia’s Lower Hawkesbury, flood and drought management in Bulgaria’s Upper Iskar Basin, climate policy integration in Spain’s Comunidad Valenciana and food security in Bangladesh’s Faridpur District—from which insights are drawn. Our discussion focuses on exploring these insights including: (1) the possible advantages of informal research-supported processes and specifically those that provide individual arenas of participation for different levels of stakeholders; (2) the complexity of organisation processes required for aiding multi-level decision-making processes; and (3) to what extent progress towards integrated regional policies for climate change aware sustainable development can be achieved through research-supported processes. We finish with a speculative section that provides ideas and directions for future research.     

Ion-Radical Conversions in Main or Side Chains of Nitrogen-Containing Polymers in Nitrogen Dioxide Atmosphere

Mechanism of nitrogen dioxide interaction with polymers containing amide and imide groups in the main or side chains of macromolecules (polycaproamide, polyvinylpyrrolidone, poly-m-phenylene isophthalamide and polypyromellitimide) is considered. The initiators of conversions of polymers of the given classes are not monoradicals of nitrogen dioxide rather than its equilibrium dimers in the form of nitrosyl nitrate. In primary oxidizing reaction of an electron transfer from donor groups of macromolecules to nitrosyl nitrate, radical cations, nitric oxide and nitrate anion are formed, which in the subsequent reactions give products of nitration and nitrosation. These products are precursors of stable acylalkylaminoxyl, acylarylaminoxyl, iminoxyl macroradicals. The specific interactions of nitrogen dioxide dimers with functional groups of macromolecules determine features of the mechanism of ion-radical conversions of the polymers and the composition of radical and molecular products. The direct detection of radical cations has been realized by ESR method for confirmation of the ion-radical initiation concept using model reaction of nitrogen dioxide with triphenylamine.     

Chloromuconolactone dehalogenase ClcF of actinobacteria

This work investigated the distribution of the clcF gene in actinobacteria isolated from different ecotopes. The gene encodes chloromuconolactone dehalogenase (CMLD) ClcF, the enzyme found to date in only one representative of Gram‐positive bacteria, Rhodococcus opacus 1CP, adapted to 2‐chlorophenol (2CP). Using primers specific to the clcF gene, from the DNA matrix of rhodococcal strains closely related to species Rhodococcus wratislaviensis (P1, P12, P13, P20, G10, KT112, KT723, BO1) we obtained PCR products whose nucleotide sequences were 100% identical to that of the clcF gene from strain R. opacus 1CP. CMLDs isolated from the biomass of strains Rhodococcus spp. G10 and P1 grown on 2CP did not differ by their subunit molecular mass deduced from the known amino acid sequence of the clcF gene from the ClcF of strain R. opacus 1CP. Matrix‐assisted laser dissociation/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry showed the presence of a peak with m/z 11,194–11,196 Da both in whole cells and in protein solutions with a ClcF activity. Thus, we have first time shown the distribution of ClcF among actinobacteria isolated from geographically distant habitats.