Technical aid for hydraulics research in developing nations

Many water-related problems are shared by most of the developing countries and the industrialized nations could be in position of offering aid in such problems. Water scarcity and access to safe water, water pollution, severe storms and floods, droughts, waterborne diseases and landslides and mud floods are the most commonly shared problems among developing nations. These problems were discussed in a workshop organized as part of the Fifth International Symposium on Environmental Hydraulics in 2008. The discussion included identification of actors both in the developing and developed nations (vgr. local and national governments, NGOs, universities, foundations and private and public research institutions), aid modalities such as education, technology transfer, technology development and direct investment as well as restrictions and barriers in the form of political and legal issues, economic limitations, cultural differences and geographic distances. Recommendations about how developed nations could help developing countries are issued.     

Afghanistan: Environmental degradation in a fragile ecological setting

SUMMARY

Currently, only 6% of the 15% of land in Afghanistan is usable and, if all the refugees were to return, problems of land ownership and adequacy of available land are inevitable. Natural forests have been severely degraded. Due to the nature of the topography and the arid climate, vast areas are subject to soil erosion. Loss of vegetation and soil humus have created ever more arid conditions. Abandoning the lands, poor reclamation schemes, overgrazing and destruction of vegetation for fuelwood have all caused desertifkation. The biological productivity of pastures has also deteriorated. This reduced productivity has affected livestock and has caused dramatic changes to the patterns of wildlife populations. Soil salinization and waterlogged lands are common. Farmland and pastures have been contaminated by landmines. Heavy concentrations of air-borne particulates and considerable amounts of transboundary pollutants from the Aral Sea have been found. Use of chemicals and the machinery of war have damaged the ecosystems.

Collection of plants and animals is unregulated and has resulted in excessive removal or extermination of some species endemic to the Hindu Kush. Uprooting of some plants and dynamite fishing are increasing and a disturbing number of fauna and flora are endangered. Agriculture is traditional, and natural resources are not being used in a sustainable way. A sound environmental strategy needs to be formulated and adopted.     

Environmental fate and ecotoxicology of propanil: a review

The herbicide propanil, a synthetic anilide, was discovered in 1957 to control grasses and broad-leaf weeds in rice fields. It has been found to disrupt the electron transport chain by inhibiting the photosystem II, thus impacting plant growth. In the environment, photolysis represents a major degradation pathway, whereas volatilization is not a major route of dissipation from either water or moist soils. Propanil is rapidly degraded by microbes into the major degradation product 3,4-dichloroaniline. This degradation product has been highly detected in both groundwater and surface waters throughout the world. Propanil has been found to adversely impact many non-target organisms. It is toxic to some early life-stage aquatic organisms, in addition to being moderately toxic to the water flea (Ceriodaphnia dubia) and rainbow trout. In addition, it has been reported to pose a high acute and long-term risk to birds. In plants, growth rates are highly impacted; however, some plant species are becoming resistant to propanil.     

Environmental fate and ecotoxicology of paraquat: a California perspective

The herbicide paraquat belongs to the group of the bipyridylium salts. In California, it is used primarily for control of broad-leaved grasses in fruit orchards and plantations, as a cotton defoliant, and for inter-row control in many crop and non-crop areas. In plants, paraquat causes the formation of reactive radicals leading to cell membrane damage and ultimately rapid desiccation. Soil clay minerals have a greater influence on paraquat adsorption and inactivation compared with soil organic matter following an application. Degradation mechanisms include photolysis, chemical, and microbial degradation, but these processes are generally extremely slow. In California during 2000–2014, paraquat was used primarily for the cultivation of almonds, cotton, alfalfa, and grapes: median value for an application and annual mass applied statewide were 0.53 kg ion/ha and 280 Mg, respectively. Paraquat was undetected in groundwater as a non-point source pollutant. Detections in surface waters (0.42–3.6 μg/L) were <1%. In earthworms and other invertebrates there is limited paraquat accumulation as toxic effects are mitigated via soil inactivation. Paraquat is among the most embryotoxic contaminants for bird eggs, but not to adult; it causes toxic and teratogenic effects in amphibians, and toxic effects in honeybees, fish, and other aquatic species.     

华南红壤坡面侵蚀水动力学机制试验研究

华南红壤区是我国发生潜在水土流失危害的重点区域之一,红壤坡地的水土流失现象较为严重。华南红壤地区气候温暖,雨量丰沛,降雨特点通常表现为强度大、历时长,暴雨或大暴雨事件频发,因此暴雨驱动因子影响作用更为显著,研究探讨华南红壤坡面侵蚀过程及动力特征有着重要的现实意义。通过室内35场不同雨强（30、60、90、120、180、210、270 mm·h-1）、不同坡度（5°、10°、15°、20°、25°）的人工模拟降雨试验,研究了华南红壤侵蚀的水动力学机制。主要取得以下研究结果：（1）红壤坡面侵蚀水流的流态大部分均处于＂层流—缓流区＂,除平均流速随着模拟雨强的增加而增加外,其他水动力参数（坡面侵蚀水流的阻力、曼宁糙率、径流剪切力、以及水流功）均会受到雨强和坡度改变的影响,但是不呈现特定的函数关系,规律不明显;（2）从水动力学角度解析了红壤坡面水蚀过程,得出了相对水深和曼宁糙率系数两种水动力因子共同组成的复合水动力特征参数,可作为表征不同雨强及坡度下的坡面水蚀侵蚀产沙的特征水动力参数指标。     

Environmental economics: An evolutionary critique and a plea for pluralism

Environmental economics is a contradiction in terms. The contradiction is intuitive to the puzzled lay person inquiring about the nature of our subdiscipline. It is explicit to those who think of environmental systems in terms of complex, evolving interconnectedness and identify the economic model with the atomistic and mechanistic assumptions of classical mechanics. Within the subdiscipline, we try to resolve the contradiction by internalizing externalities, by matching market feedbacks with environmental relations. While acknowledging that insights can be drawn from the market view of environmental problems, I argue in this essay that (1) the contradiction is nerver resolved; (2) multiple, incongruous perspectives are all we have for understanding the interface between economic and environmental systems; and (3) environmental economics will thrive with a return to philosophical pluralism, to the open acceptance of the contradiction.     

Interagency Resource Teams: a Model for Collaborative Approaches to Environmental Education

Abstract: The Undergraduate Interagency Resource Teams at the White Mountain Research Station of the University of California were created in 1994 to support resource-agency mandates and academic research objectives by providing qualified students who can learn, apply, and improve research and agency monitoring protocols. Drawing from documented elements of other successful internship programs, we identified four basic components that we believe may enhance the potential success of the interns: (1) self-directed learning methodologies, (2) multidisciplinary approaches to science, (3) reflection on and documentation of intern learning, and (4) principles of a positive work environment, including teamwork, conflict resolution, and effective communication. During a 10-week summer session, the Interagency Resource Teams expose approximately 17 students to the professional worlds of natural resource agencies and research scientists. In this environment, we have also observed that the internship program not only exposes students to resource management careers but may also help bridge the gap between resource agency specialists and academic researchers.     

Environmental pollutants and type 2 diabetes: a review of human studies

The incidence of diabetes has increased dramatically in recent decades and become one of the leading health problems worldwide. Lifestyle and dietary changes alone cannot account for the dramatic rise of diabetes, while an increasing number of publications have reported the possible relationships between exposure to environmental pollutants and risk of diabetes. In the present review, our objective was to summarize the human studies on environmental pollutants, which includes persistent organic pollutants, pesticides (not on the Stockholm Convention list), bisphenol A, and phthalates, and the risk of diabetes. Currently published results suggest a positive relationship between certain persistent organic pollutants (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, hexachlorobenzene, and polychlorinated biphenyls) and bisphenol A exposure and risk of diabetes. For pyrethroids, organophosphates, carbamates, and phthalates, there are insufficient studies to reach conclusions and therefore more studies, especially prospective studies, are needed along with in vivo and in vitro studies to understand the underlying mechanisms.     

Environmental factors influencing the transmission of the coronavirus 2019: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The coronavirus 2019 pandemic, induced by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has strongly altered healthcare systems and...     

Environmental regulation and competitive performance: new evidence from a sectoral study

Economic theory provides different perspectives on the relationship between environmental regulation and company environmental and competitive performance. A frequently analysed issue refers to the impact of environmental regulation on company performance. Using qualitative data collected within the recently completed Environmental regulation and Market forces Providing Incentives for Resource Efficiency (EMPIRE) project, we analysed the relationship between environmental regulation and company competitiveness, operating in the building and construction (B&C) sector. Empirical evidence from the correlation analysis emphasises that environmental regulation can be an important driver of competitive performance improvements in relevant segments of the European B&C sector.     

风险地图—环境风险管理的有效新工具

中国不断发生的重大环境突发事故使得环境风险管理提上了政府的议事日程,建立有效和实用的环境风险管理体系势在必行。近年来,风险地图已成为环境风险管理中迅速崛起的新领域。风险地图不但可以探讨污染物效应的空间特征,而且可作为风险可视化的重要工具。通过调研和分析大量文献,在描述了环境风险地图的功能、重要的风险地图类型基础上,以一个城市为例展示了风险图制作流程,最后,对环境风险地图在中国的应用和发展提出了建议。     

Tracking Chinese newspaper coverage of elephant ivory through topic modeling

Mass media worldwide has contributed to increasing awareness of the illegal wildlife trade and its significant impact on wildlife conservation. We used mass media coverage as a proxy for macro-level public opinion to analyze the media framing of elephant ivory in 6394 Chinese newspaper articles published from 2000 to 2021 and thus determine the effects of wildlife policies on public opinion. We focused on 2 events: the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) approval of China as a trading partner in the purchase and import of ivory stockpiles from Africa in July 2008 and the Chinese government's announcement of a domestic ivory ban in December 2016. Using latent Dirichlet allocation topic modeling, we identified 8 topics about elephant ivory and grouped them into 3 frames: ivory arts and culture, ivory crimes, and elephant conservation. Over the last 2 decades, topics related to ivory crimes remained the most prevalent in news articles. Topics about ivory arts and culture showed a significant shift in media salience before and after the 2 events (from 0.44 to 0.19 and from 0.08 to 0.15, respectively, p < 0.05), whereas the other 2 frames did not change significantly. Contrary to popular belief, our results indicated that Chinese macro-level public opinion on ivory had become more negative following the CITES approval of ivory importation and less negative after the ivory ban announcement, at least for certain periods. The relationship between mass media, public opinion, and wildlife trade policies is complex and requires further examination of the sociopolitical dynamics that influence media narratives. Our results showed the value of topic modeling in monitoring and assessing media representations of wildlife issues in the era of big data. Conservationists should remain vigilant of mass media coverage and collaborate with media practitioners to produce comprehensive narratives on wildlife issues if resources permit.     

Physical modeling of the feedbacks between a patch of flexible Reed Canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea), wake hydraulics,and downstream deposition

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - Reed Canarygrass (RCG) is an aggressive invader in aquatic ecosystems that swiftly modifies the environment, resulting in biodiversity loss and reduced flood...     

Development of contemporary Eastern Pacific coral reefs

An overview of oceanographic conditions prevailing in the tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean suggests that the entire region is environmentally marginal for coral-reef development. The principal features of this environment are a strong, permanent, shallow thermocline and an annual north-south migration of the Intertropical Convergence resulting in wet and dry seasons. Along tropical Eastern Pacific continental margins structural coral reefs are best developed in the Gulf of Chiriquí off western Panamá. These reefs are relatively small, with reef formation taking place at a maximum depth of roughly 10 m. All of the reefs are judged to have formed since sea level approached its present height some 5,000 years ago. A study of the physical environment in the Gulf of Chiriquí revealed the following. Seasonal differences in surface temperatures were small but significant (P0.01), with the dry-season median (Md) of 28.9°C higher than the rainy season one of 28.0°C. At all times, surface-water temperatures were within the range considered optimal for coral growth. There were also significant (P<0.05) seasonal differences in the depths of the 25°, 20°, and 18°C isotherms. The first was shallowest (Md=18.5 m) during the rainy season due to vertical mixing, while the latter two were shallowest (Mds=31.5 and 33.0 m, respectively) during the dry season due to a generalized shoaling of the thermocline. All three isotherms are closely associated with the thermocline and showed remarkable variability in depth, most likely connected with internal waves. Salinities were reduced down to depths greater than 20 m and for distances of more than 50 km from the coast. Seasonal differences were slight (0.7% S) but statistically significant (P<0.01). Turbidity during the rainy season reduces the amount of light reaching the bottom at 10 m depth roughly by a factor of three compared to the dry season. Even the dry season amount is only about one half as much as would be expected to reach the same depth on the seaward reef of a Westen Pacific atoll. These conditions of cool water a short distance below the surface, reduced salinities, and high seasonal turbidity combine to make the region a poor one for coral-reef formation. The history of the Eastern Pacific coral fauna is traced from the Cretaceous to the Holocene. The present fauna is of Indo-Western Pacific origin, having become established following (1) the final closure of the connections between the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific (Pliocene), (2) movement of the northern Line Islands by sea-floor spreading into the path of the North Pacific Equatorial Countercurrent (Pliocene), and (3) the loss of all Eastern Pacific hermatypes during the Pleistocene.