A method for evaluating transport energy consumption in suburban areas

Urban sprawl is a major issue for sustainable development. It represents a significant contribution to energy consumption of a territory especially due to transportation requirements. However, transport energy consumption is rarely taken into account when the sustainability of suburban structures is studied. In this context, the paper presents a method to estimate transport energy consumption in residential suburban areas. The study aimed, on this basis, at highlighting the most efficient strategies needed to promote awareness and to give practical hints on how to reduce transport energy consumption linked to urban sprawl in existing and future suburban neighborhoods. The method uses data collected by using empirical surveys and GIS. An application of this method is presented concerning the comparison of four suburban districts located in Belgium to demonstrate the advantages of the approach. The influence of several parameters, such as distance to work places and services, use of public transport and performance of the vehicles, are then discussed to allow a range of different development situations to be explored. The results of the case studies highlight that traveled distances, and thus a good mix between activities at the living area scale, are of primordial importance for the energy performance, whereas means of transport used is only of little impact. Improving the performance of the vehicles and favoring home-work give also significant energy savings. The method can be used when planning new areas or retrofitting existing ones, as well as promoting more sustainable lifestyles regarding transport habits.     

A method for characterising natural and waste waters using plant seeds

Studies were conducted to describe a method for the characterisation of natural and waste waters using plant seed germination as a technique for toxicity testing. Maize seeds were found to be more sensitive to differences in water quality than cowpea seeds and also showed more consistency in results. Trials conducted using natural waters and effluents from gold mining and textile manufacturing operations are also reported.     

A Bayesian approach for incorporating uncertainty and data worth in environmental projects

A data worth model is presented for the analysis of alternative sampling schemes in a special project where decisions have to be made under uncertainty. This model is part of a comprehensive risk analysis algorthm with the acronym BUDA. The statistical framework in BUDA is Bayesian in nature and incorporates both parameter uncertainty and natural variability. In BUDA a project iterates among the analyst, the decision maker, and the field work. As part of the analysis, a data worth model calculates the value of a data campaign before the actual field work, thereby allowing the identification of an optimum data collection scheme. A goal function which depicts the objectives of a project is used to discriminate among different alternatives. A Latin hypercube sampling scheme is used to propagate parameter uncertainties to the goal function. In our example the uncertain parameters are the parameters which describe the geostatistical properties of saturated hydraulic conductivity in a Molasse environment. Our results indicated that failing to account for parameter uncertainty produces unrealistically optimistic results, while ignoring the spatial structure can lead to an inefficient use of the existing data.     

A dew point signaller for conservation of works of art

All works of art, from paintings, frescoes, sculptures, to monuments and buildings, are affected by diurnal and seasonal variations of the local microclimate, which induce interactions with the environmental atmosphere. Heat and vapour exchanges cause fluxes of heat and mass between the surface and the atmosphere, and may favour the agressivity of environmental pollutants. Condensation-evaporation cycles are recognized as being very important processes which adversely affect the life-time of the work of art. The need to control the microclimate or to stop condensation processes has been resolved by means of a dew-point signaller especially designed to overcome this problem. This paper discusses the characteristics of this device as well as the environmental philosophy which should be followed when conserving works of art.     

Use of space-filling curves to select sample locations in natural resource monitoring studies

The establishment of several large area monitoring networks over the past few decades has led to increased research into ways to spatially balance sample locations across the landscape. Many of these methods are well documented and have been used in the past with great success. In this paper, we present a method using geographic information systems (GIS) and fractals to create a sampling frame, superimpose a tessellation and draw a sample. We present a case study that illustrates the technique and compares results to those from other methods using data from Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota. Our method compares favorably with results from a popular plot selection method, Generalized Random Tessellation Stratified Design, and offers several additional advantages, including ease of implementation, intuitive appeal, and the ability to maintain spatial balance by adding new plots in the event of an inaccessible plot encountered in the field.     

An approach to partition the anthropogenic and natural components of heavy metal accumulations in roadside agricultural soil

This paper describes a new approach that allows us to partition the anthropogenic and natural contributions to heavy metal accumulations in roadside agricultural soils. This approach, combining trend analysis and multivariate statistical analysis, partitions total heavy metals into three components: anthropogenic, natural, and unexplained residual. The approach was applied in a case study in Yixing City, China, to determine the spatial distributions of heavy metal accumulations. The results show that anthropogenic components of Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cd account for 52.4%, 23.04%, 5.09%, and 10.9% of total content, respectively. Spatial distributions of anthropogenic components are characterized by decreasing accumulation with increasing distance from the road. Ranges of influence of traffic for Pb, Cu, and Cd are beyond 300 m, whereas the range of Zn is less than 200 m. The spatial distributions of the four elements?? natural components show relatively similar distribution patterns. Assessments of variable partition methods show that the predicted values of Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cd are consistent with their measured values. The anthropogenic components extracted from total contents of heavy metal will be useful for modeling heavy metal accumulations produced by human activities.     

Sustainable natural resource management and environmental assessment in the Salt Lake (Tuz Golu) Specially Protected Area

The Salt Lake Specially Protected Area is a unique ecosystem for both agricultural activities and natural life in Turkey. In the present study, an attempt was made to develop a conceptual land use strategy and methodology, taking into account ecological factors for regional development in the Salt Lake Specially Protected Area. A detailed Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis was done to create a comprehensive database including land use, land suitability, and environmental factors (soil, climate, water quality, fertilizing status, and heavy metal and pesticide pollution). The results of the land suitability survey for agricultural use showed that, while 62.6% of the study area soils were classified as best and relatively good, about 15% were classified as problematic and restricted lands, only 22.2% of the study area soils were not suitable for agricultural uses. However, this is not enough to derive maximum benefit with minimum degradation. Therefore, environmental factors and ecological conditions were combined to support this aim and to protect the ecosystem. Excessive irrigation practices, fertilizer and pesticide application, and incorrect management practices all accelerate salinization and degradation. In addition to this, it was found that a multi-layer GIS analysis made it easy to develop a framework for optimum land use and could increase the production yield preserving the environmental conditions. Finally, alternative management and crop patterns were undertaken to sustain this unique ecosystem, considering water, soil, climate, land use characteristics, and to provide guidance for planners or decision makers.     

Participatory monitoring and evaluation to aid investment in natural resource manager capacity at a range of scales

Natural resource (NR) outcomes at catchment scale rely heavily on the adoption of sustainable practices by private NR managers because they control the bulk of the NR assets. Public funds are invested in capacity building of private landholders to encourage adoption of more sustainable natural resource management (NRM) practices. However, prioritisation of NRM funding programmes has often been top–down with limited understanding of the multiple dimensions of landholder capacity leading to a failure to address the underlying capacity constraints of local communities. We argue that well-designed participatory monitoring and evaluation of landholder capacity can provide a mechanism to codify the tacit knowledge of landholders about the social–ecological systems in which they are embedded. This process enables tacit knowledge to be used by regional NRM bodies and government agencies to guide NRM investment in the Australian state of New South Wales. This paper details the collective actions to remove constraints to improved NRM that were identified by discrete groups of landholders through this process. The actions spanned geographical and temporal scales, and responsibility for them ranged across levels of governance.     

A statistical F test for the natural attenuation of contaminants in groundwater

Natural attenuation (NA) is a catchall explanation for the overall decay and slowed movement of the contaminants in the subsurface. One direct support to NA is to demonstrate that contaminant concentrations from monitoring wells located near the source are decreasing over time. The decrease is summarily expressed in terms of an apparent half-life that is determinedfrom the line best fitting the observed log-transformed concentration data and time. This simple (time-only) decay modelassumes other factors are invariant, and so is flawed when complicating factors – such as a fluctuating water table – are present. A history of the water-table fluctuation can track changes in important NA factors like recharge, groundwater flow direction and velocity, as well as other non-NA factors like volume of water in and purged from the well before a sample is collected. When the trend in the concentrations is better associated with the water table rising or falling, any conclusionabout degradation rate may be premature. We develop simple regressions to predict contaminant concentration (c) by two line models: one involving time (c c(t)), and another involving groundwater elevation (c c(z)). We develop a third model that includesboth factors (c c(t, z)). Using an F-test to compare the fits to the models, we determine which modelis statistically better in explaining the observed concentrations. We applied the test to sites where benzene degradation rates had previously been estimated. The F-testcan be used to determine the suitability of applying non-parametric statistics, like the Mann-Kendall, to the concentration data, because the result from the F-test canindicate instability of the contaminant plume that may bemasked when the water table fluctuates.     

Proposals for the conservation of nature in urban Singapore

The benefits of conserving nature in urban environments have proved to be a significant factor in improving the quality of life for residents of major cities throughout the world. In Singapore there are still many potential areas in which conservation management techniques would support sufficient natural habitat and attract a wide diversity of wildlife.This paper attempts to establish the criteria for selecting such areas, to identify the numerous human needs to be satisfied and to describe several case study examples.     

A multiresidue method for the analysis of phenols and nitrophenols in the atmosphere

A method using GC-MS and derivatization with N-(t-butyldimethylsilyl)-N-methyltrifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA) was developed for the analysis of 20 phenolic compounds in atmospheric samples (gas and particles). Air sampling was carried out using a Hi-Vol sampler with glass fibre filter and XAD-2 resin at a flow rate of 60 m(3) h(-1). The particle and gas phases were collected separately over a period of 4 h. Samples were Soxhlet extracted, evaporated to dryness under nitrogen and refilled with acetonitrile. 100 microl of these extracts were derivatized with 100 microl of MTBSTFA at 80 degrees C for 1 h under strong stirring. Phenolic compounds were injected into a GC-MS in splitless mode and quantified as their TBDMS derivatives in the SIM mode. Mass spectral analysis of the derivatives of the 20 compounds studied indicates that the spectra are highly specific showing an ion at [M - 57]+ which is useful for structure confirmation or analysis at low levels using selected ion monitoring. Quantification limits varied between 5 microg l(-1) and 10 microg l(-1) which correspond to 20 pg m(-3) and 40 pg m(-3) for 250 m(3) of air sampled. This method was successfully applied to atmospheric samples.     

A proposed coast-wide reference monitoring system for evaluating wetland restoration trajectories in Louisiana

Wetland restoration efforts conducted in Louisiana under the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act require monitoring the effectiveness of individual projects as well as monitoring the cumulative effects of all projects in restoring, creating, enhancing, and protecting the coastal landscape. The effectiveness of the traditional paired-reference monitoring approach in Louisiana has been limited because of difficulty in finding comparable reference sites. A multiple reference approach is proposed that uses aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling. This approach includes a suite of sites that encompass the range of ecological condition for each stratum, with projects placed on a continuum of conditions found for that stratum. Trajectories in reference sites through time are then compared with project trajectories through time. Plant community zonation complicated selection of indicators, strata, and sample size. The approach proposed could serve as a model for evaluating wetland ecosystems.     

Method for evaluating non-economic effects of air pollution

The basic premise underlying the approach presented in the paper is the assumption that humans are unique beings that can evaluate. The environment is described as a system of resources satisfying human needs. The assessment of the effects of environmental pollution derives from the fact that there is, or will be, non-satisfaction of needs resulting from a reduction in environmental resources.     

A simple method for the extraction of mutagens from airborne particles

Organic materials were extracted with acetone from filters of airborne particles by soaking, shaking, soxhletion, and sonication. These extracts were tested with and without S9 for mutagenicity using Ames assay and arabinose-resistant assay of Salmonella typhimurium. Among the extraction methods, soaking extract had the highest mutagenic activity followed by sonication, shaking, and soxhletion in both the assays. With the samples studied, it was concluded that soaking with acetone for 1/2 hr is the simplest and an efficient procedure for the extraction of mutagens from airborne particles.Results of cooperative investigation of NIOSH and West Virginia Agricultural and Forstry Experimental Station. Published with the approval of the Director of the West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station as Scientific Paper No. 1822.     

Forest dynamics modelling under natural fire cycles: A tool to define natural mosaic diversity for forest management

In natural boreal forests, disturbances such as fire and variation in surficial deposits create a mosaic of forest stands with different species composition and age. At the landscape level, this variety of stands can be considered as the natural mosaic diversity. In this paper, we describe a model that can be used to estimate the natural diversity level of landscapes. We sampled 624 stands for tree species composition and surficial deposits in eight stand-age classes corresponding to eight fire episodes in the region of Lake Duparquet, Abitibi, Québec at the southern fringe of the Boreal Forest. For six surficial deposit types, stand composition data were used to define equations for vegetation changes with time for a chronosequence of 230 years for four forest types. Using Van Wagner's (1978) model of age class distribution of stands, the proportion of each forest type for several lengths of fire cycle were defined. Finally, for real landscapes (ecological districts) of the ecological region of the Basses-Terres d'Amos, the proportion of forest types were weighted by the proportion of each surficial deposit type using ecological map information. Examples of the possible uses of the model for management purposes, such as biodiversity conservation and comparisons of different landscapes in terms of diversity and sensitivity to fire regime changes, are discussed.