Towards a ''folk integrated assessment'' of climate change?

This paper questions the assumption that public participation in integrated assessment (IA) means finding (better) ways to make the public engage with IA. Following other studies about public perceptions of expert/scientific knowledge, it is unclear why the public should - or even want to - approach issues (such as climate change) from the epistemologically privileged expert-framed perspectives of IA. The objective of this paper is to reverse the order and re-centre the problematique of public participation and IA toward a public-centred perspective, toward a 'folk integrated assessment'. In order to undertake this task, illustrations of how groups of lay members of the public perceive and think about issues such as climate change are presented and analysed. They reveal the already existing, always context-dependent complexity, diversity, richness and ambiguity of lay knowledge and 'integration' skills.     

Towards an assessment of the influence of climate on wet acidic deposition in Europe

The EMEP precipitation composition network is used to examine relationships between non-marine SO4(2-), NO3-, NH4+, H+ concentrations and precipitation amount and a local zonal pressure index (an index of the atmospheric circulation). The pattern of the relationships changes across Europe with the zonal pressure gradient explaining more of the variance in ion concentrations in the west, and precipitation amount explaining relatively more of the variance in the east. There is some predictive capability for precipitation composition in the zonal pressure gradient for restricted regions in Europe; R2 values are up to 40% on a daily basis but in some seasons/months attain >60%. The zonal pressure gradient is an index which appears to include pertinent information on transport and wet removal. Preliminary analysis indicates that this approach can be useful in assessing the contributions of changing atmospheric circulation to time-trends of wet acidic deposition in an area stretching from the UK over the North Sea to Denmark. The zonal pressure gradient is known to have varied on time-scales of decades, and the simple index may be one appropriate approach to assessing future deposition patterns from future climate projections.     

Towards a sustainable food production: modelling the impacts of climate change on maize and soybean production in Ghana

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The Ghanaian economy relies heavily on maize and soybean production. The entire maize and soybean production system is low-tech, making it extremely...     

Towards a renewed research agenda in ecotoxicology

New concerns about biodiversity, ecosystem services and human health triggered several new regulations increasing the need for sound ecotoxicological risk assessment. The PEER network aims to share its view on the research issues that this challenges. PEER scientists call for an improved biologically relevant exposure assessment. They promote comprehensive effect assessment at several biological levels. Biological traits should be used for Environmental risk assessment (ERA) as promising tools to better understand relationships between structure and functioning of ecosystems. The use of modern high throughput methods could also enhance the amount of data for a better risk assessment. Improved models coping with multiple stressors or biological levels are necessary to answer for a more scientifically based risk assessment. Those methods must be embedded within life cycle analysis or economical models for efficient regulations. Joint research programmes involving humanities with ecological sciences should be developed for a sound risk management.     

Towards a green industry through cleaner production development

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The growth in global production and consumption rates has resulted in increased pollution generation by industrial companies. To this end, cleaner...     

Sustainable urban development: definition and reasons for a research programme

The concept of sustainable development is steadily approaching recognition, if not full disciplinary autonomy, becoming the focus of new theoretical and normative reflection. However, the same cannot be said of a more specific field of application of that same concept - the urban environment. In our opinion, this has been hindered until recently by some unresolved problems - of definition, methodology and epistemology - intrinsic in the more general concept, and also by some specificities of the urban case that have not been sufficiently borne in mind. This paper aims at directly facing these unresolved problems, and proposes a definition on which later empirical studies and new theoretical elaborations may be based. A city is, by nature, a manufact, an almost entirely artificial object, constructed for historical goals of socialisation, synergy, increase of knowledge and social wellbeing. A 'weak' concept of sustainability, which permits ample substitutability between production inputs and utility function inputs, is almost impossible to avoid. When considering the problem in its entirety, we must combine the socio-cultural, economic and environmental elements, which all go towards the construction of that complex set of relations we call city. Sustainable urban development may be defined as a process of synergetic integration and co-evolution among the great subsystems making up a city (economic, social, physical and environmental), which guarantees the local population a non-decreasing level of wellbeing in the long term, without compromising the possibilities of development of surrounding areas and contributing by this towards reducing the harmful effects of development on the biosphere.     

Effects of climate change on surface-water photochemistry: a review

Information concerning the link between surface-water photochemistry and climate is presently very scarce as only a few studies have been dedicated to the subject. On the basis of the limited knowledge that is currently available, the present inferences can be made as follows: (1) Warming can cause enhanced leaching of ionic solutes from the catchments to surface waters, including cations and more biologically labile anions such as sulphate. Preferential sulphate biodegradation followed by removal as organic sulphides in sediment could increase alkalinity, favouring the generation of the carbonate radical, CO₃ ^·?. However, this phenomenon would be easily offset by fluctuations of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which is strongly anticorrelated with CO₃ ^·?. Therefore, obtaining insight into DOC evolution is a key issue in understanding the link between photochemistry and climate. (2) Climate change could exacerbate water scarcity in the dry season in some regions. Fluctuations in the water column could deeply alter photochemistry that is usually favoured in shallower waters. However, the way water is lost would strongly affect the prevailing photoinduced processes. Water outflow without important changes in solute concentration would mostly favour reactions induced by the hydroxyl and carbonate radicals (·OH and CO₃ ^·?). In contrast, evaporative concentration would enhance reactions mediated by singlet oxygen (¹O₂) and by the triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (³CDOM*). (3) In a warmer climate, the summer stratification period of lakes would last longer, thereby enhancing photochemical reactions in the epilimnion but at the same time keeping the hypolimnion water in the dark for longer periods.     

Towards a model of acidification effects on waterfowl in Eastern Canada

Data from 212 lakes in central Ontario were used to examine the relationship between presence of breeding waterfowl and loons and the following lake characteristics: pH, presence of fish, lake area, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total phosphorus (TP) concentration. In univariate analyses, the two fish-eating species preferred large, high pH lakes with fish, while insectivorous species showed little consistent pattern of lake association. Logistic regression analyses confirmed that large lake size and presence of fish were important determinants of presence of piscivores, though the residual effect of pH differed between the two species. Broods of three of the four insectivorous species avoided lakes with fish, and independently showed a positive response to pH. By calculating the probability that fish will be present on a lake of given area and pH, it is possible to estimate the net effect of pH change on these waterfowl. Relationships such as those presented here can, with some assumptions, be linked to models of lake acidification to estimate response of waterfowl to predicted changes in acidic deposition.     

Sensitivity of a forest ecosystem model to climate parametrization schemes

An analysis of the climate parametrization scheme adopted by conventional forest gap models revealed that most models assume a constant climate and are difficult to calibrate consistently. Tree growth showed unrealistically sensitive threshold effects along ecological gradients of temperature and precipitation. A new parametrization was compared with its predecessors in terms of the model's capability to predict realistic steady state species compositions at three test sites in the Alps. Applying the new model variant ForClim to some climate-change scenarios suggests that forest gap models are highly sensitive to climate pametrizations, regardless of the realism with which they simulate forests for the current climate. Moreover, the precision of climate scenarios based on General Circulation Models (GCM), for example, falls short of ForClim's sensitivity. Climate-dependent processes in forest gap models should be rehearsed before these models are used in impact studies of climatic change.     

Towards a control model for the highly cybernetic farming ecosystems

A dynamic model based on the linear systems theory is developed in designing a highly cybernetic farming strategy to efficiently manage residuals generated in farm ecosystems. A linear cybemetic model would be used to describe the dynamic behavior of resource flow in the farm ecosystem in which the state variables are resource quantities, and the control variables are residual quantities. The controlled process is defined as the controlled management strategy change. Cybemetic mechanism shows the application of residuals as control measures have determinate effects on the controlled process as along as the farming system is observable and controllable in the control sense. To illustrate the model algorithm the idea is applied to simulate the dynamic response of residual phosphorus concentrations in an integrated pig/corn farming system located in the south Taiwan region. General results show that the residual phosphorous concentration is influenced by farming activities which are controlled by a system of gross input and net output parameters. This paper demonstrates using input-output analysis technique that residuals generated in the farming system is the most important cybemetic variable,     

Towards a control model for the highly cybernetic farming ecosystems

Abstract

A dynamic model based on the linear systems theory is developed in designing a highly cybernetic farming strategy to efficiently manage residuals generated in farm ecosystems. A linear cybernetic model would be used to describe the dynamic behavior of resource flow in the farm ecosystem in which the state variables are resource quantities, and the control variables are residual quantities. The controlled process is defined as the controlled management strategy change. Cybernetic mechanism shows the application of residuals as control measures have determinate effects on the controlled process as along as the farming system is observable and controllable in the control sense. To illustrate the model algorithm the idea is applied to simulate the dynamic response of residual phosphorus concentrations in an integrated pig/corn farming system located in the south Taiwan region. General results show that the residual phosphorous concentration is influenced by farming activities which are controlled by a system of gross input and net output parameters. This paper demonstrates using input‐output analysis technique that residuals generated in the farming system is the most important cybernetic variable, so that the proper management of residuals alone has the potential to maintain future productivity and sustainability.     

Towards a sustainable use of water resources: a whole-ecosystem approach using network analysis

The object of this paper is to investigate the sustainability of water use in human settlements. The water system of a small municipality in northern Italy is discussed as a case study. By measuring water exchanges between different sectors of activity within the municipal borders, and considering underground and surface waters as natural components of this system, a network of flows is built and successively investigated by network analysis, a tool that is comprised in the apparatus of ecosystem ecology. By calculating the reciprocal dependence of compartments, the amount of resource that is involved in cycling, the length of exchange pathways, and the organisation of flows, network analysis shows that the system does not use water in a sustainable manner and provides general criteria for improving sustainability. In this respect, options to improve sustainability are also discussed. The results of this study support the idea that the ecosystem approach can provide an interesting conceptual perspective in which sustainability issues can be framed, and that network analysis is a promising tool to handle these issues in practice.     

Time-varying energy consumption as a factor in urban climate

The thermal effects of urban energy consumption are investigated using a time-dependent, one-dimensional, numerical model. The surface energy balance includes a time-varying rate of anthropogenic heat addition from transportation, electric consumption, and space heating sources. Industrial input is treated as a constant. The contribution of each source to the urban temperature is determined for typical winter and typical summer days. Results indicate that transportation and electric usage accentuate the afternoon heat island and moderate the nocturnal heat island. Space heating in winter enhances the nocturnal heat island. Comparison of urban and rural simulations reveals two distinct types of urban heat islands, controlled by the combined effects of heat addition, moisture, and roughness. The moderating influence of increasing wind speed is also examined.     

Piggery: From environmental pollution to a climate change solution

Pig farms are a vital component of rural economies in Australia. However, disposal of effluent leads to many environmental problems. This case study of the Berrybank Farm piggery waste management system in Victoria estimates greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits from three different activities. Analysis reveals that the capturing and combusting of methane from piggery effluent could save between 4859 and 5840 tCO₂e yr^{? 1} of GHG emissions. Similarly, using methane for replacing fuels for electricity generation could save another 800 tCO₂e yr^{? 1}of GHGs. Likewise, by utilizing the biogas wastes to replace inorganic fertilizers there could be a further saving of 1193 to 1375 tCO₂e yr^{? 1} of GHG, depending on the type of fertilizers the waste replaces. Therefore, a well-managed piggery farm with 15,000 pigs could save 6,852 to 8,015 tCO₂e yr^{? 1}, which equates to the carbon sequestrated from 6,800 to 8,000 spotted gum trees (age = 35 year) in their above plus below-ground biomass. Implementation of similar project in suitable areas in Australia could have significant environmental and financial benefits.     

Piggery: from environmental pollution to a climate change solution

Pig farms are a vital component of rural economies in Australia. However, disposal of effluent leads to many environmental problems. This case study of the Berrybank Farm piggery waste management system in Victoria estimates greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits from three different activities. Analysis reveals that the capturing and combusting of methane from piggery effluent could save between 4859 and 5840 tCO2e yr(-1) of GHG emissions. Similarly, using methane for replacing fuels for electricity generation could save another 800 tCO2e yr(-1)of GHGs. Likewise, by utilizing the biogas wastes to replace inorganic fertilizers there could be a further saving of 1193 to 1375 tCO2e yr(-1) of GHG, depending on the type of fertilizers the waste replaces. Therefore, a well-managed piggery farm with 15,000 pigs could save 6,852 to 8,015 tCO2e yr(-1), which equates to the carbon sequestrated from 6,800 to 8,000 spotted gum trees (age=35 year) in their above plus below-ground biomass. Implementation of similar project in suitable areas in Australia could have significant environmental and financial benefits.     

Bioenergy research under climate change: a bibliometric analysis from a country perspective

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Development of bioenergy will be a key component for meeting increasing energy demands while mitigating global warming. With the intent of identifying...     

Towards the selection of a produced water enrichment for biological gas hydrate inhibitors

Economic concerns associated with the recovery of non-conventional hydrocarbon reserves include unexpected ice as well as ice-like gas hydrate formation. Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) inhibit ice growth, and experiments with fish, plant, and insect AFPs have shown promise of effective gas hydrate inhibition in lab-scale experiments. If produced on an industrial scale, AFPs could provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to kinetic inhibitors, but a large-scale production of these AFPs is not currently feasible. We believe that these difficulties could be surmounted by the production of microbial AFPs, but to date, only a few such proteins have been identified and purified, and none of these are associated with hydrocarbon reserves. Here, we have used ice-affinity and freeze-thaw stress to select microbes derived from oil and gas formation water, or produced water, as a source of anaerobic microbial communities. Ice-affinity successfully incorporated anaerobic bacteria under aerobic conditions, and the mixed culture had ice-associating properties. Under these conditions, ice-affinity selection does not result in cultivatable isolates, but similar, cultivable microbes were obtained following freeze-thaw selection under anaerobic conditions. Since these mixed cultures inhibited the growth of ice crystals, they also have the potential to inhibit hydrate growth. Overall, freeze-thaw selection provides a promising first step towards the isolation of microbes capable of the inhibition of ice and gas hydrate growth, for possible application for energy exploration and recovery at high-latitudes and in-deep, cold waters.     

Analysis of the air pollution climate at a central urban background site

Measurements of air pollutants from a background site in central London are analysed. These comprise hourly data for CO, NO, NO₂, O₃, SO₂ and PM₁₀ from 1996 to 2008 and particle number count from 2001 to 2008. The data are analysed in terms of long-term trends, annual, weekly and diurnal cycles, and autocorrelation and cross-correlation functions. CO, NO and NO₂ show a typical traffic-associated pattern with two daily peaks and lesser concentrations at the weekend. Particle number count and PM₁₀ show a similar cycle, but with smaller amplitude. Ozone has an annual cycle with a maximum in May, influenced by the spring maximum in background ozone, but the diurnal and weekly cycles are dominated by losses through reaction with nitric oxide. Particle number count shows a minimum corresponding with maximum air temperatures in August, whereas the CO, NO NO₂ and SO₂ show a minimum in June/July. There is a lower particle count to NO_x ratio at the background site compared to a central London kerbside site (Marylebone Road) and a seasonal pattern in particle count to NO_x and PM₁₀ ratios consistent with loss of nanoparticles by evaporation during atmospheric transport. Sulphur dioxide peaks in the morning in summer, but at midday in winter consistent with emissions from elevated sources mixing down from aloft as the diurnal mixed layer deepens. Implications for epidemiological studies of air quality and health are discussed. Sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide show clear downward trends over the measurement period, PM₁₀ declines initially before levels stabilised, and ozone concentrations increased.