Landscape Structure and Historical Processes Along Diked European Valleys: A Case Study of the Arc/Isère Confluence (Savoie, France)

/ The valleys of European piedmonts constitute changing narrow corridors within which water, matter, nutrients, energy, and species flow. The dispersion patterns of these flows have been significantly disturbed since the end of the 18th century. Thus, western European valleys have been changed into complex mosaics by implementation of socioeconomical programs. In order to define future actions allowing the preservation of this "ecocomplex" (Blandin and Lamotte 1988), it is necessary to gather precise information of the landscape dynamics. Hence, the study of the European river valleys must be based upon two major steps: (1)the analysis of the present landscape with suitable remote sensing techniques, allowing us to map the complex mosaic of narrow corridors; and (2) the analysis of temporal landscape development patterns since the first engineering works that have transformed the braided channel system. In this paper, the efficiency of the addition of two techniques is highlighted: (1) the "wavelet merging method" from multispectral and panchromatic SPOT images for the floodplain land-cover mapping, and (2) the historical reconstruction techniques from old maps and archive documents in order to analyze the cumulative impacts of engineering works on landscape diversity. To illustrate the method, a particularly complex case study is chosen: the Arc/Isere confluence (downstream from Albertville, Savoie, France). Remote sensing, field survey, and historical reconstruction allowed us to distinguish two types of spatial units: (1) the "functional sets" characterized by independent state factors (edaphic, hydrological, and topographic) and supporting a limited number of vegetation types (spontaneous or cultivated), and (2) the functional unit (= ecotope), which corresponds to a unique combination of vegetation type/functional set.KEY WORDS: Landscape ecology; Floodplains; Vegetation; Land use; Remote sensing; Historical reconstruction; Mapping; Merging methods; Human impacts; Alps; Isere river; France     

Food Security in Complex Emergencies: Enhancing Food System Resilience

This paper explores linkages between food security and crisis in different contexts, outlining the policy and institutional conditions needed to manage food security during a crisis and to rebuild the resilience of food systems in periods of relative peace. The paper reviews experiences over the past decade of countries in protracted crisis and draws lessons for national and international policy. It assesses the different alternatives on offer in fragile countries to address, for example, the disruption of institutional mechanisms and the decreasing level of support offered by international donors with respect to longer-term expectations. It proposes a Twin Track Approach to enhance food security resilience through specific policies for protracted crises that link immediate hunger relief interventions with a long-term strategy for sustainable growth. Finally, the article analyses policy options and the implications for both short- and longer-term responses vis-à-vis the three dimensions of food security: availability; access; and stability.     

Nitrate in groundwater: an isotopic multi-tracer approach

In spite of increasing efforts to reduce nitrogen inputs into groundwater from intensive agriculture, nitrate (NO3) remains one of the major pollutants of drinking-water resources worldwide. Determining the source(s) of NO3 contamination in groundwater is an important first step for improving groundwater quality by emission control, and it is with this aim that we investigated the viability of an isotopic multi-tracer approach (delta15N, delta11B, 87Sr/86Sr), in addition to conventional hydrogeologic analysis, in two small catchments of the Arguenon watershed (Brittany, France). The main anthropogenic sources (fertilizer, sewage effluent, and hog, cattle and poultry manure) were first characterized by their specific B, N and Sr isotope signatures, and compared to those observed in the ground- and surface waters. Chemical and isotopic evidence shows that both denitrification and mixing within the watershed have the effect of buffering NO3 contamination in the groundwater. Coupled delta11B, delta15N and 87Sr/86Sr results indicate that a large part of the NO3 contamination in the Arguenon watershed originates from the spreading of animal manure, with hog manure being a major contributor. Point sources, such as sewage effluents, contribute to the NO3 budget of the two watersheds.     

Determining floodplain sedimentation rates using Cs in a low fallout environment dominated by channel- and cultivation-derived sediment inputs, central Queensland, Australia

Fallout ¹³⁷Cs has been widely used to determine floodplain sedimentation rates in temperate environments, particularly in the northern hemisphere. Its application in low fallout, tropical environments in the southern hemisphere has been limited. In this study we assess the utility of ¹³⁷Cs for determining rates of floodplain sedimentation in a dry-tropical catchment in central Queensland, Australia. Floodplain and reference site cores were analysed in two centimetre increments, depth profiles were produced and total ¹³⁷Cs inventories calculated from the detailed profile data. Information on the rates of ¹³⁷Cs migration through local soils was obtained from the reference site soil cores. This data was used in an advection–diffusion model to account of ¹³⁷Cs mobility in floodplain sediment cores. This allowed sedimentation rates to be determined without the first year of detection for ¹³⁷Cs being known and without having to assume that ¹³⁷Cs remains immobile following deposition. Caesium-137 depth profiles in this environment are demonstrated to be an effective way of determining floodplain sedimentation rates. The total ¹³⁷Cs inventory approach was found to be less successful, with only one of the three sites analysed being in unequivocal agreement with the depth profile results. The input of sediment from catchment sources that have little, or no, ¹³⁷Cs attached results in true depositional sites having total inventories that are not significantly different from those of undisturbed reference sites.     

Thermal inactivation of Bacillus anthracis surrogate spores in a bench-scale enclosed landfill gas flare

A bench-scale landfill flare system was designed and built to test the potential for landfilled biological spores that migrate from the waste into the landfill gas to pass through the flare and exit into the environment as viable. The residence times and temperatures of the flare were characterized and compared to full-scale systems. Geobacillus stearothermophilus and Bacillus atrophaeus, nonpathogenic spores that may serve as surrogates for Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent for anthrax, were investigated to determine whether these organisms would be inactivated or remain viable after passing through a simulated landfill flare. High concentration spore solutions were aerosolized, dried, and sent through a bench-scale system to simulate the fate of biological weapon (BW)-grade spores in a landfill gas flare. Sampling was conducted downstream of the flare using a bioaerosol collection device containing sterile white mineral oil. The samples were cultured, incubated for seven days, and assessed for viability. Results showed that the bench-scale system exhibited good similarity to the real-world conditions of an enclosed standard combustor flare stack with a single orifice, forced-draft diffusion burner. All spores of G. stearothermophilus and B. atrophaeus were inactivated in the flare, indicating that spores that become re-entrained in landfill gas may not escape the landfill as viable, apparently becoming completely inactivated as they exit through a landfill flare.     

Effects of benzo(k)fluoranthene,a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon on DNA damage,lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress in marine gastropod Morula granulata

Benzo(k)fluoranthene [B(k)F] is one of the widespread priority pollutants of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that has been scarcely studied for exposure assessment. With studies reporting a high amount B(k)F in sediments and water samples around the world, it has become vital to study its effects on aquatic organisms. In this connection, this study is conducted to study the effect of different concentrations of B(k)F (1, 10, 25 and 50?µg/L) in marine gastropod Morula granulata exposed in vivo for 96?h. A concentration-dependent increase in percentage tail DNA (TDNA) as measured by comet assay was observed in snails exposed to B(k)F. Exposure concentrations above 1?µg/L B(k)F showed significant increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and lipid peroxidation value in snails. After 96?h, SOD activity was found to be doubled for 50?µg/L B(k)F in comparison to control. A significant increase in catalase and glutathione S-transferase activity was observed at all exposure conditions at the end of the exposure time. Our study showed that B(k)F induces oxidative stress in snails which further lead to genotoxic damage. To our knowledge, this is the first study on oxidative stress and genotoxic damage in gastropods exposed to B(k)F.     

A study of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in the atmosphere of Hong Kong

A total of 27 ambient air samples of were collected from six locations in Hong kong during the period of January-August, 2000 and analysed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs). In all sampling locations, higher concentrations of PCDDs/PCDFs, ranging from 0.03 to 0.43 pg I-TEQ/m3 were measured in winter months (January and March) than in the summer months (July and August) of concentrations at 0.018-0.025 pg I-TEQ/m3. These concentrations are similar to annual ranges reported earlier for two Hong Kong urban sites and other urban cities in Asia. Europe, and the United States. Despite significant seasonal variations in ambient air concentrations of PCDD/Fs (expressed in I-TEQ) were observed, the congener profiles of all the samples in this study period were similar, with OCDD, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD, OCDF and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF being the predominant species. However, the homologue profiles for the samples collected at the six locations of this study were found to display significantly different spatial and seasonal trends.     

Statistical evaluation of data from multi-laboratory testing of a measurement method intended to indicate the presence of dust resulting from the collapse of the World Trade Center

In this paper we describe a statistical analysis of the inter-laboratory data summarized in Rosati et al. (2008) to assess the performance of an analytical method to detect the presence of dust from the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) on September 11, 2001. The focus of the inter-lab study was the measurement of the concentration of slag wool fibers in dust which was considered to be an indicator of WTC dust. Eight labs were provided with two blinded samples each of three batches of dust that varied in slag wool concentration. Analysis of the data revealed that three of labs, which did not meet measurement quality objectives set forth prior to the experimental work, were statistically distinguishable from the five labs that did meet the quality objectives. The five labs, as a group, demonstrated better measurement capability although their ability to distinguish between the batches was somewhat mixed. This work provides important insights for the planning and implementation of future studies involving examination of dust samples for physical contaminants. This work demonstrates (a) the importance of controlling the amount of dust analyzed, (b) the need to take additional replicates to improve count estimates, and (c) the need to address issues related to the execution of the analytical methodology to ensure all labs meet the measurement quality objectives.     

Old distribution procedure of both water and matter fluxes in floodplains of western Europe: Impact on present vegetation

In France and the United States it has been shown that strong linkages exist between vegetation and alluvial landforms within homogeneous river stretches characterized by geomorphological processes, flood duration, flood magnitude, flood frequency, and sediment size. Furthermore, perturbations induced by man (such as embankments and damming) have been shown to have an effect on both succession and plant distribution patterns. Yet, in numerous cases it is not possible to find either the communities or the plants whose presence might be predicted by reference to the river section characteristics (such as straight, braided, anastomosed, or meandering channels) or by reference to perturbation effects well known in piedmont valleys (such as variations of the water-table depth, variations of magnitude, and frequency and duration of floods). Unexpected species, new communities, and even new successional sequences are often observed. The presence of new alluvial forms explains these differences. An “artificial” substratum generated by an old human perturbation (limited in the time) has been established in the past; consequently, the natural distribution patterns of water and matter flows have been disturbed. Archive research has enabled a classification of abandoned systems that were commonly used during the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries on European floodplains. Several case studies were chosen in order to illustrate and explain the importance of stream corridor history. The example of the Isère River valley, downstream from Albertville, is chosen to highlight the heterogeneity of the vegetation mosaïc pattern outside the dikes. The historical reconstruction explains the role of the additional disturbances that cause deviation from the system evolution patterns.     

Gene expression changes in blood RNA after swimming in a chlorinated pool

Exposure to disinfection by-products(DBP) such as trihalomethanes(THM) in swimming pools has been linked to adverse health effects in humans, but their biological mechanisms are unclear. We evaluated short-term changes in blood gene expression of adult recreational swimmers after swimming in a chlorinated pool. Volunteers swam 40 min in an indoor chlorinated pool. Blood samples were drawn and four THM(chloroform,bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane and bromoform) were measured in exhaled breath before and after swimming. Intensity of physical activity was measured as metabolic equivalents(METs). Gene expression in whole blood m RNA was evaluated using Illumina Human HT-12v3 Expression-Bead Chip. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate the relationship between gene expression changes and THM exposure. Thirty-seven before-after pairs were analyzed. The median increase from baseline to after swimming were: 0.7 to 2.3 for MET, and 1.4 to 7.1 μg/m~3 for exhaled total THM(sum of the four THM).Exhaled THM increased on average 0.94 μg/m~3 per 1 MET. While 1643 probes were differentially expressed post-exposure. Of them, 189 were also associated with exhaled levels of individual/total THM or MET after False Discovery Rate. The observed associations with the exhaled THM were low to moderate(Log-fold change range:-0.17 to 0.15). In conclusion, we identified short-term gene expression changes associated with swimming in a pool that were minor in magnitude and their biological meaning was unspecific. The high collinearity between exhaled THM levels and intensity of physical activity precluded mutually adjusted models with both covariates. These exploratory results should be validated in future studies.