The Emergence of Black Carbon as a Super-Sorbent in Environmental Chemistry: The End of Octanol?

The distribution of aromatic contaminants between environmental solids and water solution reflects both absorption by the organic matrix (organic carbon, OC) and adsorption to black carbon (BC). In many instances, adsorption to BC dominates the interaction between aromatic contaminants and environmental solids. This holds especially true for the pyrogenically produced PAHs and PCDD/Fs, but also for the industrially produced PCBs and PCNs. In the future, research will need to surface-normalize the adsorption onto BC surfaces. One of the key questions to be addressed is the relative distribution and availability of contaminants associated with OC and BC fractions in environmental solids.     

Remembering the Ultimate Goal of Environmental Protection: Including Protection of Impoverished Citizens in China’s Environmental Policy

The life of impoverished people can be damaged by adverse environmental conditions, but these people can also be harmed by environmental conservation programs, particularly when the guiding policy ignores their needs. To improve the social and economic effectiveness of environmental protection, governments must understand that the ultimate goal of environmental protection is to improve human livelihoods, not just restore vegetation. The elimination of poverty by the development of sustainable, long-term enterprises is a precondition for successful ecological restoration.     

Environmental pollution of China to foreign investors: detrimental or beneficial?

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study investigates the dynamic linkage among foreign direct investment, energy consumption, and environmental pollution of China spanning from...     

Remote Sensing Tools Assist in Environmental Forensics:Part II—Digital Tools

This is the second part of a two-part discussion, in which we will provide an overview of the use of GIS and GPS in environmental analysis and enforcement. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) describes a system which manages, analyses and displays geographic information. Environmental applications include analysis of source, extent and transport of contaminants, nonpoint runoff modeling, flood control, and emergency response support. The ability to examine spatial relationships between environmental observations and other mapped and historical information, and to communicate these relationships to others, makes GIS valuable in environmental forensics. The US Environmental Protection Agency currently requires the inclusion of locational information with all other environmental data that is collected. Geographic Information Systems is a complex tool that requires careful planning and design to be successfully implemented. Choices in hardware, software and data development must be based on evaluation of project objectives, analytical requirements, data availability and data development considerations. Data sets must be evaluated and documented with metadata. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based system which provides highly accurate, three-dimensional position information anywhere on the earth’s surface. Using portable radio receivers, field analysts can easily record the positions of spill sites, sampling locations and other environmental features. Spatial accuracy of GPS ranges from 20–30 m (single receiver) to 1–5 m (differential GPS) for navigation-grade instruments, and down to millimeter level accuracy for geodetic units. Global Position Systems can be used not only to capture spatial information into a GIS system, but also to evaluate and quantify the spatial accuracy of existing digital map data, and to provide control points for existing aerial photographs and other remotely-sensed data.     

Organic Farming and Soil Carbon Sequestration: What Do We Really Know About the Benefits?

Organic farming is believed to improve soil fertility by enhancing soil organic matter (SOM) contents. An important co-benefit would be the sequestration of carbon from atmospheric CO₂. Such a positive effect has been suggested based on data from field experiments though many studies were not designed to address the issue of carbon sequestration. The aim of our study was to examine published data in order to identify possible flaws such as missing a proper baseline, carbon mass measurements, or lack of a clear distinction between conventional and organic farming practices, thereby attributing effects of specific practices to organic farming, which are not uniquely organic. A total of 68 data sets were analyzed from 32 peer-reviewed publications aiming to compare conventional with organic farming. The analysis revealed that after conversion, soil C content (SOC) in organic systems increased annually by 2.2% on average, whereas in conventional systems SOC did not change significantly. The majority of publications reported SOC concentrations rather than amounts thus neglecting possible changes in soil bulk density. 34 out of 68 data sets missed a true control with well-defined starting conditions. In 37 out of 50 cases, the amount of organic fertilizer in the organic system exceeded that applied in the compared conventional system, and in half of the cases crop rotations differed between systems. In the few studies where crop rotation and organic fertilization were comparable in both systems no consistent difference in SOC was found. From this data analysis, we conclude that the claim for beneficial effects of organic farming on SOC is premature and that reported advantages of organic farming for SOC are largely determined by higher and often disproportionate application of organic fertilizer compared to conventional farming.     

Environmental PCBs in Guánica Bay,Puerto Rico: implications for community health

Guánica Bay, located in southwestern Puerto Rico, has suffered oil spills and other pollution discharges since the 1960s. Previous research showed elevated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in coral reef and sediment. This research examined PCB concentrations in sediment and fish. Sediment and fish sampling in the bay was facilitated by community members. This study identified the second highest reported PCB level (129,300 ng/g) in sediment in the USA. Fish samples also showed elevated concentrations (1623 to 3768 ng/g), which were higher than the thresholds of safe levels of PCBs in fish for human consumption. The alarmingly high concentration of PCBs calls for proactive community engagement to bring awareness about contamination of the bay and more extensive sampling to test for the concentration of PCBs in seafood and the people of Guánica. This study also underscores the value of the involvement of local communities during sampling design aimed at identifying hot spots of contaminants.     

Who avoids being involved in personal carbon trading? An investigation based on the urban residents in eastern China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Personal carbon trading scheme has been pulled into the public eye with the increasing urgency of downstream carbon emission reduction, and its...     

Trends in groundwater research development in the South and Southeast Asian Countries: a 50-year bibliometric analysis (1970–2020)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Groundwater plays a pivotal role in sustaining the water needs of the population of South and Southeast Asia. However, long-term overexploitation and...     

long Term Goals for Environmental Control— What’s Desirable and Possible in the Year 2000?

A panel discussion looking forward to the environment in the year 2000, was arranged by Lionel V. Baldwin, Program Chairman for APCA’s 67th Annual Meeting. To provide a lofty introduction of the subject he reached into outer space for a moderator—Captain Walter M. Schirra, one of the original astronaut team.     

Environmental benefit of clean energy consumption: can BRICS economies achieve environmental sustainability through human capital?

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This paper scrutinizes the asymmetric impact of education and education expenditure on clean energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the BRICS...     

Klima?nderungen: M?gliche Ursachen in Vergangenheit und Zukunft

In this overview two definitions of climate are presented, from the meteorological point of view and from the climate system’s point of view. The origin of climate change is discussed, i.e., externally forced variability and free, or internal variability that is caused without external trigger by internal instabilities of the system. Both, forced and free variability can appear as periodic, randomly quasi-periodic, and abrupt climate change. Finally, various possibilities of climate forecast are considered.

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Klima?nderungen: M?gliche Ursachen in Vergangenheit und Zukunft

Zusammenfassung  In diesem übersichtsartikel werden zwei Klimadefinitionen, die meteorologische und die systemanalytische, vorgestellt. Verschiedene Ursachen für Klima?nderungen werden vergleichend diskutiert: die extern angetriebene Klimavariabilit?t und die ohne ?u?eren Ansto?, aufgrund von internen Instabilit?ten im System ausgel?ste, freie oder interne Klimavariabilit?t. Sowohl die angetriebene als auch die freie Klimavariabilit?t kann sich durch periodische, zuf?llig periodische und abrupte Klima?nderungen bemerkbar machen. Abschlie?end werden die verschiedenen M?glichkeiten der Klimavorhersage betrachtet.

Professor Dr. Martin Claussen ist amtierender Direktor des Potsdam-Instituts für Klimafolgenforschung und Vorsitzender der Deutschen Meteorologischen Gesellschaft (Amtsperiode 2003–2005). Sein aktuelles Forschungsgebiet umfasst die Klimasystemmodellierung einschlie?lich der Pal?oklimamodellierung, wobei die Wechselwirkung zwischen dem physikalischen Klimasystem und der Biosph?re im Vordergrund der Forschung steht. Professor Claussen ist ausgebildeter Meteorologe und lehrt zurzeit Klimaphysik an der Universit?t Potsdam.     

National Park Development in China: Conservation or Commercialization?

The rapid development of parks and ecotourism in China has attracted worldwide attention, not only for the beauty of the landscape that the parks are protecting but also for their abundant and often unique biodiversity. However, in some areas, the development of ecotourism has actually led to the degradation of local ecological, economic, and social systems. Using National Forest Parks for demonstration, this article analyzes the current political, institutional, legal, environmental, and economic issues concerning National Parks in China, and examines their potential future development. Although the intention of National Park systems in China is to raise environmental quality, and to protect biodiversity and social livelihoods, their success has varied. Future success will be measured by their capacity to reduce poverty, to promote long-term rehabilitation of wildlife habitats, and to simultaneously protect Chinese culture and biodiversity.     

Environmental cost of sustainable development and climate change: can SAARC shift some liability with renewable energy and efficiency?

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Sustainable development holds the key not to resolve the problems every nation is facing these days but also for long-lasting effects. In the current...