Long-term land-cover/use change in a traditional farming landscape in Romania inferred from pollen data,historical maps and satellite images

Regional Environmental Change - Traditional farming landscapes in the temperate zone that have persisted for millennia can be exceptionally species-rich and are therefore key conservation targets....     

Estimation of internal radiation dose to the adult Asian population from the dietary intakes of two long-lived radionuclides

Daily dietary intakes of two naturally occurring long-lived radionuclides, 232Th and 238U, were estimated for the adult population living in a number of Asian countries, using highly sensitive analytical methods such as instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation analysis (INAA and RNAA), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The Asian countries that participated in the study were Bangladesh (BGD), China (CPR), India (IND), Japan (JPN), Pakistan (PAK), Philippines (PHI), Republic of Korea (ROK) and Vietnam (VIE). Altogether, these countries represent more than 50% of the world population. The median daily intakes of 232Th ranged between 0.6 and 14.4 mBq, the lowest being for Philippines and the highest for Bangladesh, and daily intakes of 238U ranged between 6.7 and 62.5 mBq, lowest and the highest being for India and China, respectively. The Asian median intakes were obtained as 4.2 mBq for 232Th and 12.7 mBq for 238U. Although the Asian intakes were lower than intakes of 12.3 mBq (3.0 ug) 232Th and 23.6 mBq (1.9 ug) 238U proposed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) for the ICRP Reference Man, they were comparable to the global intake values of 4.6 mBq 232Th and 15.6 mBq 238U proposed by the United Nation Scientific Commission on Effects of Radiation (UNSCEAR). The annual committed effective doses to Asian population from the dietary intake of 232Th and 238U were calculated to be 0.34 and 0.20 microSv, respectively, which are three orders of magnitude lower than the global average annual radiation dose of 2400 microSv to man from the natural radiation sources as proposed by UNSCEAR.     

Towards a long-term integrated monitoring programme in Europe: network design in theory and practice

Long-term integrated monitoring is an important approach forinvestigating, detecting and predicing the effects ofenvironmental changes. Currently, European freshwaters,glaciers, forests and other narural and semi-natural ecosystemsand habitats are monitored by a number of networks establishedby different organisations. However, many monitoring programmeshave a narrow focus (e.g. targeting individual ecosystems) andmost have different measurement protocols and sampling design.This has resulted in poor integration of ecosystem monitoring ata European level, leading to some overlapping of efforts and alack of harmonised data to inform policy decisions. The need fora consistent pan-European long-term integrated monitoring ofterrestrial systems programme is recognised in the scientificcommunity. However, the design of such a system can be problematic, not least because of the constraints imposed bythe need to make maximum use of existing sites and networks.Based on the outcomes of the NoLIMITS project (Networking ofLong-term Integrated Monitoring in Terrestrial Systems), thisarticle reviews issues that should be addressed in designing aprogramme based on existing monitoring sites and networks. Fourmajor design issues are considered: (i) users' requirements,(ii) the need to address multiple objectives, (iii) role ofexisting sites and (iv) operational aspects.     

Conservation resource allocation,small population resiliency,and the fallacy of conservation triage

Some conservation prioritization methods are based on the assumption that conservation needs overwhelm current resources and not all species can be conserved; therefore, a conservation triage scheme (i.e., when the system is overwhelmed, species should be divided into three groups based on likelihood of survival, and efforts should be focused on those species in the group with the best survival prospects and reduced or denied to those in the group with no survival prospects and to those in the group not needing special efforts for their conservation) is necessary to guide resource allocation. We argue that this decision-making strategy is not appropriate because resources are not as limited as often assumed, and it is not evident that there are species that cannot be conserved. Small population size alone, for example, does not doom a species to extinction; plants, reptiles, birds, and mammals offer examples. Although resources dedicated to conserving all threatened species are insufficient at present, the world's economic resources are vast, and greater resources could be dedicated toward species conservation. The political framework for species conservation has improved, with initiatives such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other international agreements, funding mechanisms such as The Global Environment Facility, and the rise of many nongovernmental organizations with nimble, rapid-response small grants programs. For a prioritization system to allow no extinctions, zero extinctions must be an explicit goal of the system. Extinction is not inevitable, and should not be acceptable. A goal of no human-induced extinctions is imperative given the irreversibility of species loss.     

Standardisation of Temperature Observed by Automatic Weather Stations

Daily mean, maximum and minimum surface airtemperature data were gathered from a network ofautomatic weather stations (AWS) within the Moor HouseNational Nature Reserve in northern England. Five AWSwere installed next to the official EnvironmentalChange Network weather station at Moor House. Datawere compared graphically and correction constantswere calculated to adjust data from each AWS to thestandard of the official station by optimising theconcordance correlation coefficient. Each correctedstation was re-located next to one of five in-situstations in and around the reserve, allowingcorrection of all temperature sensors to a commonstandard. The mean error associated with measureddaily mean, maximum and minimum temperature for eachsensor does not exceed ±0.2 K. The procedurequantifies a source of systematic measurement error,improving the identification of spatial temperaturedifferences between stations.     

Seasonality of cooling tower drift in vegetation at ORGDP

Cooling tower operation at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) requires the addition of a chromated corrosion inhibitor to the recirculating cooling water (RCW) system. Fluctuations in the RCW flow rates of the ORGDP cooling towers correlates with operational levels of the enrichment plant. Drift fraction is a function of the RCW flow rate, with variations in chromium deposition reflected in vegetation contamination. Fescue grass and litter were collected in the plant environs along a distance gradient, during different seasons, and analyzed for chromium. Foliar chromium concentrations were maximum (1390 μg/g) during the winter months, decreasing in spring and summer months (190 and 173 μg/g, respectively) at 13 m as the demand for cooling decreased with lower plant operations. In contrast, concentrations in litter increased with time, ranging from 894 μg/g at 13 m during the winter to 1890 and 2140 μg/g during the summer and fall months. The accumulation of chromium in the litter component was likely related to more exchange sites associated with increased litter biomass due to the seasonal senescence of foliage, whereas decreased accumulations on foliage reflected high mobility of the drift residue due to leaching and a short lifespan of individual leaves. In addition to operational considerations, the data illustrate the importance of seasonal considerations in the use of biological materials in a monitoring program.     

Germination and growth effects of hexavalent chromium in Orocol TL (a corrosion inhibitor) on Phaseolus vulgaris

This research was designed to address the potential for germination and growth effects in bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L. var. Bush Blue Lake) from hexavalent chromium in Orocol TL, a proprietary chromated, zinc-phosphate compound added to DOE cooling water systems for corrosion inhibition. Studies were conducted at low and high Orocol TL concentrations in the soil by adjusting soil pH and the percent of organic matter. Germination effects were determined for seeds germinated in soils adjusted to differing pH ranges (4–4.5, 5–5.5, and 6.5–7), levels of organic matter (1.8%, 3%, and 5%), and Orocol TL amendments (control of 0, 10, and 500 μg/g chromium). Growth responses (effects) were determined from plants cultured in the same soil treatment combinations as described for the germination study. High levels (500 μg/g) of hexavalent chromium in soil (as Orocol TL) affected germination and growth, while a high level of organic matter significantly reduced chromium toxicity on germination. At lower chromium concentrations there was significant uptake by all plant parts, with a corresponding reduction in biomass of leaves. Consequently, adjustments of soil pH from 4.0 to 7.0 appear to have no significant effect on chromium uptake in plants. Increasing the organic matter level to 5%, while decreasing the toxicity of high chromium levels to germinating seed, did not affect chromium uptake.     

Disasters and disabled persons: An examination of the safety needs of a neglected minority

Disasters do not affect everyone in the same way. Safety needs of the ten per cnet of the population who are disabled prior to disaster must be ascertained; contingency plans and preparations should be made to ensure that disabled persons. Consideration of the safety needs of disabled persons in disasters seems to have beenlargely neglected by emergency services and those voluntary and statutory organizations directly concerned with disablement.     

Monitoring of Aquatic Macrophytes for Detection of Long-term Change in River Systems

This paper presents details of the methodology developed by the United Kingdom's Environmental Change Network for the long-term monitoring of macrophytes in rivers and streams. The methodology is based on techniques first proposed by the Standing Committee of Analysts (1987) and later adapted by the National Rivers Authority (NRA) and Environment Agency, but differs in splitting the surveyed 100 m stretch of waterinto sections to provide an objective measure of the frequencyof occurrence of individual species in place of the moresubjective estimation of cover. A pilot study of the ECN methodology took place at five sitesin 1997. The results of this study, including a few practicaldifficulties in the application of the methodology, are presented and discussed. For all but one of the sites strongassociations were found between the number of species observedand the physical characteristics of the watercourse. The most important characteristics were degree of shading, substrate type, depth and clarity. The frequency of occurrence of individual species within sections of the watercourse was foundto be strongly related to the log of the overall estimates of cover. Because the use of sections, rather than a single overall coverestimate, enables variation in the pattern of vegetation over surveyed stretches to be detected and related to watercourse characteristics, the precision with which change can be detected is increased, and the possibility of determining the causes of change is thereby enhanced. Moreover the use of sections allows within-site variation to be calculated and hence the accuracy of estimated changes to be quantified.In general implementation of the ECN methodology was not found to be particularly onerous or difficult. As a result of the pilot study some changes in the ECN methodology have been made, primarily to reduce the workload so that sites can be surveyed comfortably in a single day.