Effects of acute γ-irradiation on community structure of the aquatic microbial microcosm

To characterise indirect effects of ionising radiation on aquatic microbial communities, effects of acute γ-irradiation were investigated in a microcosm consisting of populations of green algae (Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp.) and a blue-green alga (Tolypothrix sp.) as producer; a ciliate protozoan (Cyclidium glaucoma), rotifers (Lecane sp. and Philodina sp.) and an oligochaete (Aeolosoma hemprichi) as consumer; and more than four species of bacteria as decomposers. Population changes in the constituent organisms were observed over 160 days after irradiation. Prokaryotic community structure was also examined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rDNA. Principle response curve analysis revealed that the populations of the microcosm as a whole were not significantly affected at 100 Gy while they were adversely affected at 500-5000 Gy in a dose-dependent manner. However, some effects on each population, including each bacterial population detected by DGGE, did not depend on radiation doses, and some populations in the irradiated microcosm were larger than those of the control. These unexpected results are regarded as indirect effects through interspecies interactions, and possible mechanisms are proposed originating from population changes in other organisms co-existing in the microcosm. For example, some indirect effects on consumers and decomposers likely arose from interspecies competition within each trophic level. It is also likely that prey-predator relationships between producers and consumers caused some indirect effects on producers.     

Industrialization, Environment and Health： the Impacts of Industrial SO2 Emission on Public Health in China

In this paper, we construct a model in which the impact of pollution on health is exerted through both direct and indirect channels. The indirect channel is captured by a production function in which the principal health-improving factor, income growth, can be realized only in the cost of pollution increase. This model is then tested by the aggregated chronicle disease data in over 78 Chinese counties. Our results show, after attaining the threshold of 8 μ g/m^2, continuous increase in industrial SO2 emission density will lead the ratio of population suffering chronicle diseases, among which respiratory diseases occupy a significant proportion, to rise. However, owing to technological progress in pollution control activities, the needed SO2 emission to produce one unit of GDP diminishes with time. Therefore, the negative effect from pollution augmentation on public health seems to be recompensed more and more by the positive effect of economic growth.     

The Influence of Media Use on Environmental Engagement: A Political Socialization Approach

Current research suggests that the media play an important part in informing and engaging citizens in environmental issues. Building on these findings, this study adopts a political socialization approach to citizens' involvement in everyday-life pro-environmental behavior. Multivariate analysis of recent survey data from Swedish adolescents (N = 1148) demonstrates direct as well as indirect relationships between frequency of news media use, talk about environmental issues with parents and peers, and extent of pro-environmental behavior. The findings are consistent with the notion that news media use promotes behavior by raising awareness of environmental issues. The results are also discussed in terms of a citizen-communication framework according to which interpersonal communication translates environmental information gleaned from news sources to adolescents' everyday-life reality, thereby motivating pro-environmental behavior. Future directions for examining causal mechanisms in more detail are discussed.     

Direct and indirect effects of climate and fishing on changes in coastal ecosystem services: a historical perspective from the North Sea

Humanity depends on the marine environment for a range of vital ecosystem services, at global (e.g. climate regulation), regional (e.g. commercial fisheries) and local scales (e.g. coastal defence and recreation). At the same time, marine ecosystems have been exploited for centuries, and many systems today are under stress from multiple sources. Recent studies have shown how both climate change and fishing have caused long-term changes in the marine environment. However, there is still poor understanding of how these changes influence change in coastal ecosystem services. In this paper, an integrated modelling approach is used to assess how the final delivery of marine ecosystem services to coastal communities is influenced by the direct and indirect effects of changes in ecosystem processes brought about by climate and human impacts, using fisheries of the North Sea region as a case study. Partial least squares path analysis is used to explore the relationships between drivers of change, marine ecosystem processes and services (landings). A simple conceptual model with four variables—climate, fishing effort, ecosystem process and ecosystem services—is applied to the English North Sea using historic ecological, climatic and fisheries time series spanning 1924–2010 to identify the multiple pathways that might exist. As expected, direct and indirect links between fishing effort, ecosystem processes and service provision were significant. However, links between climate and ecosystem processes were weak. This paper highlights how path analysis can be used for analysing long-term temporal links between ecosystem processes and services following a simplified pathway.     

The Role of Fictional Film Exposure and Narrative Engagement for Personal Norms,Guilt and Intentions to Protect The Climate

ABSTRACT

Using an integration of Norm Activation Theory, Value-Belief-Norm Theory and Narrative Persuasion, this study investigates the ability of an eco-dystopian science fiction film set in a world of excessive solar radiation to support intentions for pro-environmental behavior. Specifically, the influence of narrative engagement and explicit references to human responsibility for climate change are tested. A 2 (high vs. low narrative engagement) x?3 (human responsibility frame vs. temperature frame vs. no frame) plus control group (no film) experiment was conducted (n?=?257). Results show that compared to the control condition, the film had an indirect effect on behavioral intentions by raising the personal norm (a sense of personal obligation to act). The temperature change and human responsibility frames did not show any influence, while narrative engagement had an indirect effect on intentions by increasing guilt. The results are discussed with regard to their theoretical and practical implications.     

Industrialization,Environment and Health: the Impacts of Industrial SO2 Emission on Public Health in China

Abstract

In this paper, we construct a model in which the impact of pollution on health is exerted through both direct and indirect channels. The indirect channel is captured by a production function in which the principal health-improving factor, income growth, can be realized only in the cost of pollution increase. This model is then tested by the aggregated chronicle disease data in over 78 Chinese counties. Our results show, after attaining the threshold of 8 μg/m², continuous increase in industrial SO₂ emission density will lead the ratio of population suffering chronicle diseases, among which respiratory diseases occupy a significant proportion, to rise. However, owing to technological progress in pollution control activities, the needed SO₂ emission to produce one unit of GDP diminishes with time. Therefore, the negative effect from pollution augmentation on public health seems to be recompensed more and more by the positive effect of economic growth.     

基于系统动力学的城市洪涝韧性仿真研究 ——以南京市为例

城市是一个开放的、复杂的巨系统，洪涝灾害对该系统中的自然、基础设施、社会经济等要素产生直接或间接影响，理清洪涝灾害与城市系统的交互关系，并评估预测其应对洪涝灾害的韧性能力，有助于韧性城市的规划建设。通过分析洪涝灾害与城市系统要素间的反馈关系，构建了城市洪涝韧性仿真模型，并以南京市为例，设定了现状延续型、经济优先型、规划发展型、韧性发展型4种发展情景，模拟在4种情景下2009～2025年南京市洪涝韧性的动态变化。结果表明：（1）构建的城市洪涝韧性仿真模型能够反映洪涝灾害与城市系统要素间的交互关系，用于预测城市洪涝韧性变化；（2）城市系统中建成区绿化覆盖面积、雨水管网设计标准对城市洪涝韧性影响显著；（3）根据现有城市发展规划，南京市洪涝韧性将不断提升，且优于现状延续发展情景，但与世界典型韧性城市还有一定差距，建议南京市从城市绿化、雨水管网设计标准、经济结构、人口素质等方面提升其洪涝韧性能力。研究结果可为南京市及其它城市韧性城市发展规划制定提供理论与科学依据。     

Conservatism vs. conservationism: differential influences of social identities on beliefs about fracking

ABSTRACT

Although recent expansions in hydraulic fracking operations across the United States have led to greater news coverage and attention from the public, overall understanding remains fairly low. For some, relevant social identities, including environmental or political, may provide a short cut to becoming informed about fracking, or to determining what they believe about it and how that influences their positions on fracking policies. Social identity influence frameworks provide an approach to understanding the relationships between belief and identity, which this study investigates through its affiliational and attitudinal components. National survey data are used to model pathways from environmental and political identities to beliefs about risks associated with fracking. Environmental attitudes significantly predicted belief that fracking has health risks, and mediated a relationship from environmental group affiliation, but environmental information was not significant. Ideology had direct and indirect effects, through partisan media use, while partisanship had direct effects on beliefs about environmental risks.     

Assessing the economy-wide effects of climate change adaptation options of land transport systems in Austria

Due to climate change, transport systems are expected to become increasingly stressed by extreme weather and gradual climatic changes, resulting in direct costs within the affected sectors as well as indirect costs from sectoral interlinkages. To reduce these costs, sector-specific climate change adaptation measures are needed, raising the question of the net benefits of adaptation at a macroeconomic level. However, despite their importance such assessments of impacts and adaptation at the macrolevel are scarce and coarse in their implementation. This paper contributes to fill this research gap by analyzing specific adaptation measures for the road and rail sectors in Austria using a computable general equilibrium model. The findings are as follows: First, direct impact costs more than double due to macroeconomic linkages. Hence, the indirect costs are found to be larger than the direct costs. Second, when analyzing adaptation measures for the road and rail sectors, without capturing any indirect effects, benefit–cost ratios imply a clear benefit only for the rail sector. However, when indirect effects via sectoral interlinkages are also captured, adaptation measures in both sectors, road and rail, clearly pay off. Climate change-induced GDP and welfare losses are reduced by 55 and 34% and lead to positive employment effects. Third, even at rather low damage reduction potentials, adaptation leads to a net benefit at the macroeconomic level.

     

Population collapses in the pre-modern period: case study of the Fuping County,Northwest China

The pre-modern history of population change in the Fuping County (Shaanxi Province, China) during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (AD 1368–1911) was reconstructed using historical sources. The Fuping County experienced two major population collapses, i.e. the late Ming Dynasty (1550–1640s) and the 1860–1880s. The first one was caused by the great AD 1556 earthquake and the extreme droughts and warfare in the 1630–1640s. The second one was caused by warfare and extreme droughts. As a whole, natural disasters, including extreme drought and great earthquake, were the key direct causes of population collapse, and climatic cooling would be a potential indirect cause. It is very interesting that population collapses occurred almost synchronously in the Fuping County and whole China, and the trends of population change were also very similar. Climate–population relationship in China would be valid at finer geographic level, and climatic cooling could be a potential indirect cause of population collapse.     

西南山地景观破碎化与城镇化及社会经济发展水平的关系研究——以重庆市渝北区为例

城市化进程中的景观破碎问题越来越受到人们的关注,景观破碎度作为衡量城市发展合理性的定量化指标,其应用越来越广泛。在重庆市渝北区,选取4个能够代表景观破碎化的指数,采用移动窗口法、梯度分析法、相关性分析及回归分析法,对景观破碎化空间格局和内部水平差异进行了研究,分析了景观破碎格局下的城镇化特征及其与社会经济发展水平之间的关系。结果表明：渝北区建设用地和林地的景观破碎化程度明显低于其他乡镇低海拔单元,距离城市中心越远,景观破碎化程度越高,在城市边缘达到峰值后开始下降。人口密度是景观破碎化程度的直接影响因素,经济的发展对景观破碎化程度又产生间接影响。研究有助于揭示西南山地地区内部空间格局的演变特征,为该类地区生物多样性保护、绿地廊道维护和生态文明城市建设提供理论依据     

Value of Ecosystem Services in Conventional and Organic Rice Paddies： A Case Study in Wannian, Jiangxi, China

In the current study,the ecosystem services(ES)of conventional and organic rice paddies in Wannian,Jiangxi Province,China are investigated.First,the ES at the field level under organic and conventional paddies were investigated.Total economic value of ES in organic rice paddies was 30093.08yuan RMB/ha per year and that of conventional rice paddies was22 793.31 yuan RMB/ha per year.The total indirect value of ES was 14 813.7 yuan RMB/ha per year in organic rice paddies and12 424.56 yuan RMB/ha per year in conventional ones.There were significant differences between organic and conventional rice paddies for the economic values.Then,this economic information was used to extrapolate and to calculate the total and indirect value of ES from rice paddies in Wangnian.The total and indirect economic values of ES from conventional rice paddies in Wannian were6791 million and 3702 million yuan RMB per year respectively,and the total and indirect economic values of ES from organic rice paddies in Wannian were 1311 million and 646 million yuan RMB per year.If half the area had being converted to organic farming in Wannian,the total and indirect economic values of ES from conventional rice paddies were 3397 million and 1851 million yuan RMB per year,and the total and indirect economic values of ES from organic rice paddies were 5794 million and 2852 million yuan RMB per year.Finally,the total economic value of ES in rice paddies in Wannian was demonstrated through geographic information system techniques.     

劳动力老龄化对农户粮食绿色生产行为的影响研究——基于长江流域六省农户的调查

基于2017年对四川省、湖北省、湖南省、江西省、安徽省、江苏省等6个长江流域粮食主产省份1 027户农户的调查数据,利用结构方程模型(SEM)以及自助抽样(Bootstrapping)方法,对劳动力老龄化影响农户粮食绿色生产行为的作用机制及其效应进行了实证检验。结果表明:(1)劳动力老龄化通过削弱吸收能力的机制抑制了农户粮食绿色生产行为,其中介效应显著为负(路径系数为-0.126)。(2)劳动力老龄化通过要素替代与决策依赖机制显著促进了农户的粮食绿色生产行为,且这种积极影响超过了吸收能力机制的不利影响,使得劳动力老龄化对农户粮食绿色生产行为影响的总间接效应为正(0.176)。(3)总体而言,劳动力老龄化对农户粮食绿色生产行为具有显著的不利影响,因为其直接效应显著为负(-0.328),且大于间接效应。据此,研究认为劳动力老龄化对于粮食生产绿色转型而言不仅是挑战,同时也存在机遇。     

土地开发对城市经济增长的作用机制和传导路径——基于结构方程模型的实证检验

已有文献对土地开发、土地收入与城市经济增长间的关系进行了大量探讨,但未能揭示土地开发对城市经济增长的作用机制和传导路径,尤其是没有区分土地开发对城市经济增长的直接和间接影响,直接影响主要是土地开发收入用于城市基础设施建设带来的投资效应,间接影响包括土地开发收入通过改善城市基础设施和公共服务、增强对产业和人口的吸引力对城市经济增长的促进作用。本文构建了反映土地收入对城市经济增长的作用机制和传导路径的结构方程模型,利用285个城市2000—2010年以及2011—2013年的差分数据进行了实证检验。结果表明:土地开发收入显著促进了城市经济增长。2000—2010年间,土地出让收入每增长1个标准单位,城区GDP将增长3.09标准单位,其中土地开发收入的直接影响为0.35标准单位,间接影响为2.74标准单位。土地开发通过改善城市基础设施和公共服务、增强对产业集聚和常住人口吸引力的间接效应远大于用于城市基础设施建设投资的直接效应,在间接效应中,吸引产业集聚的影响大于吸引常住人口的影响。不同类型城市土地开发收入对城市GDP的直接影响和间接影响的程度不同。     

Geomorphometric study of the spatial organization of forest ecosystems

The use of an extended set of basic characteristics of the terrain topography for studying the spatial variation of a forest ecosystem has shown that it is significantly related to the terrain topography. The relationships with the topographic attributes determining the local hydrological and thermal conditions in the ecosystem has been paid special attention. Maps of ecosystem characteristics based on the observed relationships with topography have been calculated and drawn.     

Testing of the European Union exposure-response relationships and annoyance equivalents model for annoyance due to transportation noises: The need of revised exposure-response relationships and annoyance equivalents model

An in situ survey was performed in 8 French cities in 2012 to study the annoyance due to combined transportation noises. As the European Commission recommends to use the exposure–response relationships suggested by Miedema and Oudshoorn [Environmental Health Perspective, 2001] to predict annoyance due to single transportation noise, these exposure–response relationships were tested using the annoyance due to each transportation noise measured during the French survey. These relationships only enabled a good prediction in terms of the percentages of people highly annoyed by road traffic noise. For the percentages of people annoyed and a little annoyed by road traffic noise, the quality of prediction is weak. For aircraft and railway noises, prediction of annoyance is not satisfactory either. As a consequence, the annoyance equivalents model of Miedema [The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2004], based on these exposure-response relationships did not enable a good prediction of annoyance due to combined transportation noises. Local exposure-response relationships were derived, following the whole computation suggested by Miedema and Oudshoorn [Environmental Health Perspective, 2001]. They led to a better calculation of annoyance due to each transportation noise in the French cities. A new version of the annoyance equivalents model was proposed using these new exposure-response relationships. This model enabled a better prediction of the total annoyance due to the combined transportation noises. These results encourage therefore to improve the annoyance prediction for noise in isolation with local or revised exposure-response relationships, which will also contribute to improve annoyance modeling for combined noises. With this aim in mind, a methodology is proposed to consider noise sensitivity in exposure-response relationships and in the annoyance equivalents model. The results showed that taking into account such variable did not enable to enhance both exposure-response relationships and the annoyance equivalents model.     

基于投入产出模型的区域洪涝灾害间接经济损失评估

重大自然灾害的恢复重建的时间长短与灾害造成的间接经济损失大小直接相关,因而影响灾害造成的总损失。因此评估灾害的间接经济损失是灾后制定减灾政策的重要内容。投入产出模型是灾害经济影响评估应用最为广泛的模型,基于区域投入产出模型,结合湖南省经济状况和救灾政策,以月为时间间隔,模拟了1998年湖南省经济在洪涝灾害后的恢复情况,并用建筑业灾后恢复数据进行了比较验证。模拟结果表明在洪涝灾害中湖南省的间接经济损失为17846亿元,占直接经济损失的39%。不同部门灾后恢复模拟结果有利于制定减灾战略、优化救灾和重建资源的分配,最大限度地减少灾害对经济系统的冲击。尽管该模拟结果还存在一定的不确定性,结果表明投入产出模型在模拟灾害间接损失影响及恢复重建期的预估上能够发挥很好的作用     

An overview of the effect of organic matter on soil-radiocaesium interaction: implications in root uptake

This paper aims to give an overview of the effect of organic matter on soil-radiocaesium interaction and its implications on soil-to-plant transfer. Studies carried out after the Chernobyl accident have shown that high 137CS soil-to-plant transfer persists in organic soils over years. In most of these soils, the specific sites in clays control radiocaesium adsorption, organic compounds having an indirect effect. Only in organic soils with more than 95% of organic matter content and negligible clay content does adsorption occur mostly on non-specific sites. After a contamination event, two main factors account for the high transfer: the low solid-liquid distribution coefficient, which is due to the low clay content and high NH4+ concentration in the soil solution, and the low K+ availability, which enhances root uptake. The estimation of the reversibly adsorbed fraction, by means of desorption protocols, agrees with the former conclusions, since it cannot be correlated with the organic matter content and shows the lack of specificity of the adsorption in the organic phase. Moreover, the time-dependent pattern of the exchangeable fraction is related to soil-plant transfer dynamics.     

Theoretically exploring direct and indirect chemical effects across ecological and exposure scenarios using mechanistic fate and effects modelling

Predicting ecosystem response to chemicals is a complex problem in ecotoxicology and a challenge for risk assessors. The variables potentially influencing chemical fate and exposure define the exposure scenario while the variables determining effects at the ecosystem level define the ecological scenario. In absence of any empirical data, the objective of this paper is to present simulations by a fugacity-based fate model and a differential equation-based ecosystem model to theoretically explore how direct and indirect effects on invertebrate shallow pond communities vary with changing ecological and exposure scenarios. These simulations suggest that direct and indirect effects are larger in mesotrophic systems than in oligotrophic systems. In both trophic states, interaction strength (quantified using grazing rates) was suggested a more important driver for the size and recovery from direct and indirect effects than immigration rate. In general, weak interactions led to smaller direct and indirect effects. For chemicals targeting mesozooplankton only, indirect effects were common in (simple) food-chains but rare in (complex) food-webs. For chemicals directly affecting microzooplankton, the dominant zooplankton group in the modelled community, indirect effects occurred both in food-chains and food-webs. We conclude that the choice of the ecological and exposure scenarios in ecotoxicological modelling efforts needs to be justified because of its influence on the prevalence and magnitude of the predicted effects. Overall, more work needs to be done to empirically test the theoretical expectations formulated here.     

Modeling human exposures to air pollution control (APC) residues released from landfills in England and Wales

Human exposures to air pollution control (APC) residues released from 6 landfills were modeled and assessed. Following a qualitative risk characterisation, direct and indirect exposures were quantified. Site-specific air dispersion modeling was conducted for PM(10), PCDDs/PCDFs, Pb, Cd, As and Cr(VI) concentrations at the closest residential points of exposure for 4 landfill sites accepting, in total, 75% w/w of the APC residues disposed of in 2000-2001 (UK). Inhalation risks, assessed by reference to air quality standards at residential exposure points, were assessed as insignificant. Preliminary modeling suggested that indirect exposures from PCDDs/PCDFs at the 95th percentile level for the site where APC deposition rates were highest could potentially exceed the tolerable daily soil intake (TDSI) but this warrants further study given the model limitations. These results offer an initial screen of the significance of potential risks from APC disposal, which is of value in addressing concerns about the uncertainty of potential risks to human health from bulk APC disposal at strategic locations.