Reproduction of mallards following overwinter exposure to selenium

Forty pairs of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed 15 ppm selenium as selenomethionine for about 21 weeks during winter. Twenty pairs served as controls. At the end of 21 weeks, which coincided with the onset of the reproductive season, selenium treatment was ended. Four birds died while on selenium treatment. Treated females lost weight, and their egg-laying was delayed. Hatching success of some of the first eggs laid by selenium-treated females was lower than that of controls, and a few of these early eggs contained deformed embryos, but, after a period of about two weeks off the selenium-treated diet, reproductive success returned to a level comparable with that of controls. The return to normal reproductive success was the result of a corresponding decrease in selenium concentrations in eggs once selenium treatment ended.     

The Role of Ownership in Environmental Performance: Evidence from Coalbed Methane Development

One way coalbed methane production differs from traditional oil and gas extraction is in the large quantities of produced water. This water must be disposed of for production to occur. Surface discharge has proven to be a low-cost alternative; regulations are in place to protect surface water quality. This paper investigates the effects of alternative ownership regimes on regulatory compliance. A unique dataset linking coalbed methane wells in Wyoming to water disposal permit violations is used to explore differences in environmental performance across severed and unified minerals. Empirical analysis of these data suggest that ownership does impact environmental compliance behavior. Most violations occur on split estate. Federal split estate wells have more severe violations, though not necessarily more of them. Federal unified wells performed best, with fewer and less serious violations. Wells on private land have more, though not necessarily more severe, violations. These results suggest some room for policy proposals accounting for alternative ownership regimes.     

How to integrate information strategy planning with environmental management information systems—part I

Rational, cost-effective provision of mission-critical environmental management information remains elusive for almost all large enterprises. Even among the best performing companies—best performing from the perspectives of profitability, quality and/or environmental stewardship—environmental management information systems (EMIS) are usually comprised of dozens to hundreds of individual, isolated applications that require costly data capture, training, and maintenance. This article, the first of two, will discuss ways to coordinate information infrastructures with strategic goals and business processes.     

Second generation anticoagulant rodenticides in predatory birds: Probabilistic characterisation of toxic liver concentrations and implications for predatory bird populations in Canada

Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) are widely used to control rodent pests but exposure and poisonings occur in non-target species, such as birds of prey. Liver residues are often analysed to detect exposure in birds found dead but their use to assess toxicity of SGARs is problematic. We analysed published data on hepatic rodenticide residues and associated symptoms of anticoagulant poisoning from 270 birds of prey using logistic regression to estimate the probability of toxicosis associated with different liver SGAR residues. We also evaluated exposure to SGARs on a national level in Canada by analysing 196 livers from great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) and red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) found dead at locations across the country. Analysis of a broader sample of raptor species from Quebec also helped define the taxonomic breadth of contamination. Calculated probability curves suggest significant species differences in sensitivity to SGARs and significant likelihood of toxicosis below previously suggested concentrations of concern (<0.1mg/kg). Analysis of birds from Quebec showed that a broad range of raptor species are exposed to SGARs, indicating that generalised terrestrial food chains could be contaminated in the vicinity of the sampled areas. Of the two species for which we had samples from across Canada, great horned owls are exposed to SGARs to a greater extent than red-tailed hawks and the liver residue levels were also higher. Using our probability estimates of effect, we estimate that a minimum of 11% of the sampled great horned owl population is at risk of being directly killed by SGARs. This is the first time the potential mortality impact of SGARs on a raptor population has been estimated.     

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in breast milk of first-time Irish mothers: impact of the 2008 dioxin incident in Ireland

The 2008 dioxin incident in Ireland resulted in elevated concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Irish pork and pork products, due to the consumption of contaminated animal feed by pigs. In order to investigate any resulting impact on the Irish population, these contaminants were measured in pooled breast milk samples from 109 first-time mothers, collected in 2010. A comparison of the results with similar data from 2002 revealed generally lower concentrations of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in the 2010 samples, confirming the declining trend reported by many authors. Contaminant concentration levels for both 2002 and 2010 were generally slightly lower than those reported internationally, with a mean combined PCDD/F and PCB WHO-TEQ of 9.66 pg g⁻¹ fat, for an overall pooled sample of milk from 2010. An apparent slight increase in PCDFs was observed between 2002 and 2010 (from 2.73 pg WHO-TEQ g⁻¹ fat to 3.21 pg WHO-TEQ g⁻¹ fat), with the main contributory congener being 2,3,4,7,8-PentaCDF. While it cannot be totally discounted that the slight increase in 2,3,4,7,8-PentaCDF and in the overall PCDF WHO-TEQ in breast milk could be attributable to consumption of Irish pork during the 2008 incident, we consider that it is more likely that this was due to other factors, including the predominantly urban/industrial sampling locations for the 2010 samples, compared to 2002.     

Forging new links between environmental management,information systems,and business processes

This article is excerpted from Chapter 1 of Environmental Management Information Systems, which will be published by McGraw-Hill in 1994. A central theme of the book is that all successful implementations of environmental management information systems (EMIS) are based on the appropriate alignment of goals and procedures from three enterprise domains: business processes, environmental management, and information systems. Environmental managers (EM) and information systems (IS) professionals have each been guilty of seeing their functions as primary, domains of specialized scientific expertise inaccessible to outsiders. In fact, however, the enterprise is the customer for both domains; without successful business strategies and systems the enterprise does not require either EM or IS wizards. This article shows why and how essential it is that each of the three domains understands enough of the other two domains to structure good decisions.     

Effects of waterborne exposure to 4-nonylphenol on plasma sex steroid and vitellogenin concentrations in sexually mature male carp (Cyprinus carpio)

4-Nonylphenol (NP) has been shown to elicit estrogenic responses both in vivo and in vitro. The mechanism by which NP exerts estrogenic and other endocrine-modulating effects in vivo remains unclear, however. The goal of this study was to evaluate the ability of NP to elicit estrogenic responses through indirect mechanisms of action involving the modulation of endogenous steroid hormone concentrations. Sexually mature male common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were exposed to aqueous NP concentrations ranging from <0.05 to 5.4 microg NP/l for 28-31 d. Approximately 0.5-3.5 ppm of NP was detected in pooled plasma samples or tissue samples from the carp studied. NP exposure did not significantly increase plasma concentrations of 17beta-estradiol (E2), testosterone (T) or vitellogenin (VTG). Excluding outliers, plasma E2 concentrations ranged from <175 to 700 pg E2/ml. T concentrations ranged from 940 to 24,700 pg T/ml plasma. The greatest VTG concentration detected was 52 microg/ml. One-third of the plasma samples tested contained <1 microg VTG/ml. Overall, the results of this study did not support the hypothesis that exposure to waterborne NP can modulate concentrations of steroid hormones in the plasma of sexually mature male carp. The results did, however, raise a number of questions regarding the utility of estradiol equivalent (EEQ) estimates as a means of predicting in vivo effects of estrogenic substances. Furthermore, they provide information regarding the concentrations and variability of E2, T, and VTG in the plasma of sexually mature male carp, which may aid in design and interpretation of future studies.     

Application of a wind model for the El Paso-Juarez airshed

A time-dependent, 3-dimensional mesoscale model, version 5 (MM5), developed by the Penn State University and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, was applied to study the meteorology over complex terrain of the El Paso-Juarez area. MM5 meteorological output data were compared against experimental data from the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission on days of reported high ozone concentrations. Model runs were conducted for a 36-, 12-, 4-km grid arrangement. Results indicate that the dispersion of pollutants by wind plays a significant role on days of low peak ozone concentration.     

Women,politics and global management

The United Nations (UN) sponsored three decennial world population conferences over the period 1974-94. The first such conference was held in 1974 in Bucharest, Romania, at which the North and the South became polarized over the importance of demographics relative to other development concerns. Northern countries proposed vigorous family planning programs to control rapid population growth, while many Southern governments, led by China and India, argued instead that higher priority should be given to socioeconomic development and the more equitable distribution of resources between the North and South. After a decade of extremely rapid population growth, however, most Southern countries had adopted antinatalist policies by the second world population conference held in 1984 in Mexico City. While Southern countries had adopted the 1974 Northern view of world population growth, widespread political and religious conservatism in the US at the time of the second conference had the US delegation opposing abortion and being neutral on demographic factors. The US argued that private markets would solve many population problems and the US government even withdrew financial support to several international organizations, such as the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the UN Population Fund. The third decennial UN-sponsored world population conference, the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo, Egypt, however, succeeded in shifting concern about world demographics into a gender-sensitive, people-centered approach of sustainable human development and bringing sensitive and ideologically charged population issues into the public domain. It was also a landmark in the management of complex global problems such as population. The international consensus achieved in Cairo and summarized in a World Program of Action was truly a monumental achievement. The authors note the shift in rhetoric to concerns about women's status and reproductive health, the involvement of nongovernmental organizations, and the unfinished agenda of the World Program of Action.     

Ambient ozone effects on gas exchange and total non-structural carbohydrate levels in cutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata L.) growing in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Ozone-sensitive and -tolerant individuals of cutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata L.) were compared for their gas exchange characteristics and total non-structural carbohydrates at Purchase Knob, a high elevation site in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA. Photosynthesis and stomatal conductance decreased with increased foliar stipple. Sensitive plants had lower photosynthetic rates for all leaves, except the very youngest and oldest when compared to tolerant plants. Stomatal conductance decreased with increasing leaf age, but no ozone-sensitivity differences were found. Lower leaves had less starch than upper ones, while leaves on sensitive plants had less than those on tolerant plants. These results show that ambient levels of ozone in Great Smoky Mountains National Park can adversely affect gas exchange, water use efficiency and leaf starch content in sensitive coneflower plants. Persistence of sensitive genotypes in the Park may be due to physiological recovery in low ozone years.