The seasonal distribution of heavy metals in Mussel sample from Yalova in the Marmara Sea, 2008�C2009

Concentration of the some heavy metals (Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn) Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis from Yalova (Marmara Sea) were investigated seasonally. The mean concentrations of Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn in the soft tissues were 4.08 ± 0.67, 5.54 ± 0.59, 156.72 ± 20.18, 3.71 ± 1.14, 2.92 ± 0.51 and 106.23 ± 5.66 mg kg(?-1) dry weights, respectively. There were no significant differences between the metal concentrations among the seasons (P > 0.05). The mean Pb and Zn concentrations were higher than the acceptable limit proposed by International Turkish standards.     

Investigating household preferences for kerbside recycling services in London: a choice experiment approach

Recent developments in national and European Union waste management policy have prompted considerable interest in alternative waste management programs, such as recycling, which could divert a portion of the municipal solid waste stream from landfills. This paper examines household preferences for kerbside recycling services and uses a stated preference choice experiment method to estimate households' valuation of such services. Using a sample of 188 households in the London area, the empirical analysis yields estimates of the willingness to pay for the number of 'dry' materials collected, the collection of compost, textile collection and the frequency of collection.     

Estimating the value of improved wastewater treatment: The case of River Ganga,India

In this paper we employ a stated preference environmental valuation technique, namely the choice experiment method, to estimate local public’s willingness to pay (WTP) for improvements in the capacity and technology of a sewage treatment plant (STP) in Chandernagore municipality, located on the banks of the River Ganga in India. A pilot choice experiment study is administered to 150 randomly selected Chandernagore residents and the data are analysed using the conditional logit model with interactions. The results reveal that residents of this municipality are willing to pay significant amounts in terms of higher monthly municipality taxes to ensure the full capacity of the STP is used for primary treatment and the technology is upgraded to enable secondary treatment. Overall, the results reported in this paper support increased investments to improve the capacity and technology of STPs to reduce water pollution, and hence environmental and health risks that are currently threatening the sustainability of the economic, cultural and religious values this sacred river generates.     

Forecasting precious metal price movements using trader positions

In the early 2000s, the precious metal markets entered into a new phase where a steady rise of prices had been observed until the October 2008 crash. Given the size and importance of precious metal market, as well as the hedging capacity of precious metals due to their low correlation with equity markets (Draper et al., 2006), the question we want to arise is whether trader positions predict the direction of gold, platinum, and silver spot price movements. The forecasting content of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Commitment of Traders report for platinum, silver and gold prices using trader positions is investigated in a VAR framework. Granger causality tests are conducted to determine whether a relation between trader positions and market prices exists. An examination of the extreme trader positions on price movements is also conducted. The results indicate that market return is a significant parameter in explaining trader’s positions for all trader types in each of the precious metal markets under consideration after the beginning of 2000s where we detect a structural break for each of the market under study. Commercial traders are found to be negative feedback traders, that is, they sell when the prices increase in the market. On the other hand, in line with the previous literature, a positive correlation between returns and positions held by non-commercial and non-reporting traders is found. However, trader’s net positions do not lead market returns in general. There is some evidence on the forecasting ability of extreme trader positions on market returns.     

Comparison of three sequential extraction procedures for partitioning of heavy metals in car park dusts

The aim of this study was to elucidate the amount of metal released at each step by using different extractants in three sequential extraction schemes for the partitioning of metal contents of car park deposited dust samples. For this purpose, three different sequential extraction procedures (SEP) were employed for the metal fractionation in car park dust samples collected from the campus of Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey. While two of the sequential extraction procedures contain five steps the other, namely the BCR sequential extraction scheme, has three steps. The first two methods fractionate metals to be exchangeable, bound to carbonates, bound to Mn oxides, bound to Fe oxides and bound to organic matter, and the BCR protocol fractionates the metals as acid soluble and exchangeable, reducible, and oxidisable. Determination of the metals Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn was performed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The results obtained by the three methods were compared and showed that the amount of metal released at each step of the leaching procedure depended both on the type of reagents used and the sequence in which they were applied. The most mobile elements were Cd, Pb and Zn which are metals potentially toxic to the environment and are also known to originate from traffic. The calculated enrichment factors for Cd and Pb were substantially high (73.5-187 and 18.4-27.5, respectively) and somewhat lower for Zn (5.1-6.8). These results confirm that they are important metal pollutants for car parks. Detection limits and recoveries were found in the range of 0.01-1.39 microg ml(-1) and 68-126%, respectively, for the metals studied and the three sequential extraction procedures.     

Integrating Wetland Management into Sustainable Water Resources Allocation: The Case of Akrotiri Wetland in Cyprus

This paper employs a contingent valuation (CV) study to estimate the value of the economic benefits generated by the Akrotiri wetland in Cyprus. It aims to show how CV estimation results can inform efficient, effective and sustainable wetland conservation policies, as required by the European Union's Water Framework Directive, and to suggest economic instruments that can facilitate the implementation of such policies. The results indicate that the design of these instruments require the capturing of both the use and non-use values generated by wetland services and functions.     

Using choice experiments to design wetland management programmes: The case of Severn Estuary Wetland,UK

This paper reports the results of a pilot valuation study, which was undertaken to investigate whether the public located around the Severn Estuary derive positive economic values from its sustainable management. One hundred members of the public took part in a choice experiment, the results of which indicate that overall the public derives positive and significant values from sustainable management of this wetland, however, there is some preference heterogeneity. The findings demonstrate that the choice experiment method is a promising tool, which can aid the design of socially optimal policies for sustainable management of the Severn Estuary, with possible implications for other similar wetlands in the UK.