The re-imagining of a framework for agricultural land use: A pathway for integrating agricultural practices into ecosystem services,planetary boundaries and sustainable development goals: This article belongs to Ambio’s 50th Anniversary Collection. Theme: Agricultural land use

This paper reflects on the legacy of the Ambio papers by Sombroek et al. (1993), Turner et al. (1994), and Brussaard et al. (1997) on the study of agricultural land use and its impacts on global carbon storage and nutrient dynamics. The papers were published at a time of transition in ecology that involved the integration of humans as components of ecosystems, the formulation of the ecosystem services, and emergence of sustainability science. The papers offered new frameworks to studying agricultural land use across multiple scales in a way that captured causality from interacting components of the system. Each paper argued for more comprehensive data sets; foreseeing the power of network-based science, the potential of molecular technologies to assess biodiversity, and advances in remote sensing. The papers have contributed both conceptual framings and methodological approaches to an ongoing movement to identify a pathway to study agricultural land use and environmental change that fit within the concepts of ecosystem services, planetary boundaries and sustainable development goals.     

The EU-project ERAPharm. Incentives for the further development of guidance documents?

- Triggered by the detection of a large variety of pharmaceuticals in surface waters, soils and groundwaters across the world (e.g. Halling- Sørensen et al. 1998, Daughton & Ternes 1999, Jones et al. 2001, Heberer 2002) and the widespread occurrence of endocrine active compounds and related effects in the environment (e.g. Purdom et al. 1994, Tyler et al. 1998, Vethaak et al. 2002), pharmaceuticals in the environment have become an issue for both the scientific and the public community. During the last few years, our understanding of the fate and effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment has progressed significantly. However, there are still a number of uncertainties concerning the effects of pharmaceuticals on the environment and the assessment of potential exposure (e.g. Hanisch et al. 2004, Salomon 2005). These uncertainties will be addressed by the EU-project ‘Environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals’ (ERAPharm). This project, a specific targeted research project, is carried out within the priority ‘Global change and ecosystems’ of the 6th framework programme of the European Union. ERAPharm has started on 1st October 2004; the project duration is three years.     

SAGA: a decision support system for air pollution management around a coal-fired power plant

Air quality models are currently feasible approaches to prevent air pollution episodes. From one of the first source-oriented modelling approaches for air pollution forecasting (Souto et al., 1994, 1996, 1998), a new decision support system for air quality management, SAGA, was developed to provide support to As Pontes Power Plant (APPP) staff. SAGA can provide air pollution forecasts and manage meteorological and air quality measurements. Power plant decisions are supported by the results of a non-hydrostatic meteorological model (ARPS, Xue et al., 2001) to produce Meteorological Forecasts (MFs), and to be coupled to different Lagrangian dispersion models.     

Detection of indoor PCB contamination by thermal desorption of dust. A rapid screening method?

Although PCB in caulking materials has been forbidden for many years in most of Europe, including Denmark, there has been continued interest to measure PCB levels in the air of contaminated buildings and blood of the occupants (Mengon and Schlatter 1993, Fromme et al. 1996, Ewers et al. 1998, Currado and Harrad 1998, Gabrio et al. 2000). The relatively low priority for investigations of this contamination is probably due to the small quantities inhaled compared to exposure via food, and the rapid metabolism of the most volatile congeners demonstrated by low concentrations of all congeners in the blood of exposed persons (Ewers et al. 1998, Gabrio et al. 2000). There is, however, evidence that PCB containing caulking materials have been used even during the '90s (Fromme et al. 1996). In Denmark, it is estimated that 75 t PCB is still in buildings (Organization of Sealant Branch's Manufacturers and Distributors 2000). During an investigation of dust from buildings with excessive microbial growth (including 35 rooms from 9 buildings), the analysis of semivolatile compounds by thermal desorption-GC/MS of samples from a single building surprisingly revealed large amounts of PCBs containing 3, 4 and 5 chlorine atoms, 10-20 times the amounts found in samples from other buildings. Extraction of the dust by SFE followed by GC/ECD analysis for 12 PCB congeners showed that there was approximately 20 times the total PCB concentrations in dust from the polluted building compared to the levels in the other buildings. Subsequent headspace analysis of caulking material from the polluted building revealed this to be the source. Shelf dust functions as a passive sampling medium and, thus, can be used as a screening method to detect PCB and other semivolatile pollution indoors.     

Continuous integration in urban social-ecological systems science needs to allow for spacing co-existence: This article belongs to Ambio’s 50th Anniversary Collection. Theme: Urbanization

Urbanization brings benefits and burdens to both humans and nature. Cities are key systems for integrated social-ecological research and the interdisciplinary journal of Ambio has published ground-breaking contributions in this field. This reflection piece identifies and discusses integration of the human and natural spheres in urban social-ecological research using the following foundational papers as important milestones: Folke et al. (1997), Ernstson et al. (2010) and Andersson et al. (2014). These papers each take unique approaches that aim to uncover core properties—processes, structures, and actors—of urban systems and set them into mutual relationship. This piece will end with a forward-looking vision for the coming 50 years of urban sustainability and resilience study in Ambio.     

Study of bacterial activity in fabricated soils

Fabricated Soil (FS) is a natural mixture of decaying substrates rich in alumni silicate, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium sources. This substrate usually is used for landscape rehabilitation and is an excellent source and example of environmental remediation. The structure and function of the soil food web have been suggested as prime indicators of ecosystem health (Coleman et al., 1992; Coleman, 1985; Kalevitch et al., 2004a, 2004b). Measurement of disrupted soil processes and decreased bacterial or fungal activity, along with other parameters, can serve to indicate a problem long before the natural vegetation is lost or human health problems occur (Bongers, 1990; Kalevitch et al., 2003). Fabricated soils could be a solution to the problem of soil erosion.     

The emergence of land systems as the nexus for sustainability transformations: This article belongs to Ambio's 50th Anniversary Collection. Theme: Agriculture land use

This perspective recognizes the seminal Ambio articles of Sombroek et al. (1993), Turner et al. (1994) and Brussaard et al. (1997), identifying their individual and collective role in laying the ground work for a global change research agenda on land and its human use through increased understanding of terrestrial ecosystem dynamics and global change, and furthering nascent interdisciplinary efforts within the global change science community to better understand the ‘human driving forces’ of change. From these efforts, land system science, as a systemic science focused on complex socio-ecological interactions around land use and associated trade-offs and synergies, emerges as an ‘interdiscipline’ challenged to better understand land systems as the ‘meeting ground’ for multiple claims on land for biodiversity, carbon, livelihoods, food production among others, and support pathways to sustainability for people and nature.     

Relative humidity and temperature dependence of the ammonium nitrate dissociation constant

Expressions for predicting the temperature and relative humidity dependence of the NH₄NO₃ dissociation constant are derived from fundamental thermodynamic principles. The general trends predicted by the theory agree with the atmospheric data of Appel et al. (1979,1980), Pitts (1978,1979) and Tuazon et al. (1980).     

Mixed models for assessing correlation in the presence of replication

The need to assess correlation in settings where multiple measurements are available on each of the variables of interest often arises in environmental science. However, this topic is not covered in introductory statistics texts. Although several ad hoc approaches can be used, they can easily lead to invalid conclusions and to a difficult choice of an appropriate measure of the correlation. Lam et al. approached this problem by using maximum likelihood estimation in cases where the replicate measurements are linked over time, but the method requires specialized software. We reanalyze the data of Lam et al. using PROC MIXED in SAS and show how to obtain the parameter estimates of interest with just a few lines of code. We then extend Lam et al.'s method to settings where the replicate measurements are not linked. Analysis of the unlinked case is illustrated with data from a study designed to assess correlations between indoor and outdoor measurements of benzene concentration in the air.     

A comparison of models to estimate in-canopy photosynthetically active radiation and their influence on canopy stomatal resistance

The models for photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) used in a multi-layer canopy stomatal resistance (CSR) model developed by Baldocchi et al. (Atmospheric Environment 21 (1987) 91–101) and in a two-big-leaf CSR model developed by Hicks et al. (Water, Air and Soil Pollution 36 (1987) 311) are investigated in this study. The PAR received by shaded leaves in Baldocchi et al. (1987) is found to be larger than that predicted by a canopy radiative-transfer model developed by Norman (in: Barfield, Gerber, (Eds.), Modification of the Aerial Environment of Crops. ASAE Monograph No. 2. American Society for Agricultural. Engineering, St. Joseph, MI, 1979, p. 249) by as much as 50% even though the Baldocchi et al. (1987) model is indirectly based on Norman's model. This larger value of PAR results in turn in a smaller CSR by as much as 30% for canopies with larger leaf area indexes. A new formula to predict vertical profiles for PAR received by shaded leaves inside a canopy is suggested in the present study based on Norman (1979) and agrees well with the original model of Norman (1979). The simple treatment used in Hicks et al. (1987) for canopy-average PAR received by shaded leaves is found to diverge for canopies with leaf area indexes not close to two A new empirical formula for canopy-average PAR is then suggested for use in a two-big-leaf model, and it is shown that under most conditions the modified two-big-leaf CSR model can predict reasonable values when compared with the more complex multi-layer CSR model. Both the modified multi-layer CSR model and the modified two-big-leaf CSR model are also shown to predict reasonable dry deposition velocities for O₃ when compared to several sets of measurements.     

Fungi in fabricated soils

Fabricated soil (FS) is usually used for landscape rehabilitation, and is an excellent example of environmental remediation. These soils were used to revitalise damaged and eroded soils caused by acid mine drainage, a common site in Western Pennsylvania. The ratio of bacterial and fungal microbiota contributes to the health, fertility and sustainability of the soil. The structure and function of the soils foodweb have been suggested for numerous times as a prime indicator of ecosystem health (Bongers, 1990; Coleman et al., 1992; Kalevitch et al., 2003). The measurement of disrupted soil processes, decreased bacterial or fungal activity or decreased fungal or bacterial biomass can indicate a problem long before the natural vegetation is lost (Bongers, 1990). After the exposure of FS to the natural habitat, we evaluated the bacterial and fungal activity in soil as this is an important indicator of soil health. Details on bacterial presence and specifics in application of FS are described in previous publications (Kalevitch et al., 2003, 2004a, 2004b). In this paper, we will concentrate on the role of fungal biomass in FS.     

Design approaches for a cycling adsorbent/photocatalyst system for indoor air purification: formaldehyde example

A kinetic model for a cycling adsorbent/photocatalyst combination for formaldehyde removal in indoor air (Chin et al. J. Catalysis 2006, 237, 29-37) was previously developed in our lab, demonstrating agreement with lab-scale batch operation data of other researchers (Shiraishi et al. Chem. Engineer. Sci. 2003, 58, 929-934). Model parameters evaluated included adsorption equilibrium and rate constants for the adsorbent (activated carbon) honeycomb rotor, and catalytic rate constant for pseudo-first-order formaldehyde destruction in the titanium dioxide photoreactor. This paper explores design consequences for this novel system. In particular, the batch parameter values are used to model both adsorbent and photocatalyst behavior for continuous operation in typical residential home challenges. Design variables, including realistic make-up air fraction, adsorbent honeycomb rotation speed, and formaldehyde source emission rate, are considered to evaluate the ability of the system to achieve World Health Organization pollutant guidelines. In all circumstances, the size of the required rotating adsorbent bed and photoreactor for single-stage operation and the resultant formaldehyde concentration in the home are calculated. The ability of how well such a system might be accommodated within the typical dimensions of commercial ventilation ducts is also considered.     

Charge density of total organic carbon in Finnish lakes

Ion balance calculations were used to estimate the charge density of total organic carbon (TOC) and for calibrating the model of Oliver et al. (1983) for Finnish lakes. The database consisted of samples collected in the autumn of 1987 from 955 randomly selected lakes covering the whole country. Organic anion concentrations were estimated as the difference between Sigma cations and Sigma inorganic anions. The charge density of TOC was estimated by dividing the organic anion concentration by TOC. The median charge density was 7.5 microeq (mg TOC)(-1). In lakes with pH values lower than 4.5 the average charge density was 5.2 microeq (mg TOC)(-1) and it increased to 10.3 microeq (mg TOC)(-1) in lakes with pH higher than or equal to 7.0. The calibrated model explained 79% of the observed variability in organic anion concentration. The value for the total amount of acidic functional groups per mol organic carbon in the model of Oliver et al. (1983) was slightly higher compared to the Finnish calibration. At pH values higher than 4.4 the Finnish calibration gives lower organic anion concentrations compared to the model of Oliver et al. (1983).     

A model for tropospheric multiphase chemistry: application to one cloudy event during the CIME experiment

A multiphase box model for a remote environment of the troposphere has been developed with an explicit chemistry for both gas and aqueous phase. The model applied to a set of measurements performed by Voisin et al. (2000) during the European CIME experiment for a cloud event on 13th December 1997 at the top of the Puy de Dôme (France). The results of the simulation are compared to the measurements in order to follow the evolution of the ambient chemical composition as a function of the pH and of the varying water content. After verifying that the model retrieves the main features observed in the behavior of species in the cloud droplets, a detailed analysis of the simulated chemical regime is performed. It essentially discusses the sources and sinks of radical in aqueous phase, the relative importance of the oxidation pathways of volatile organic compounds by the main radicals and the conversion of S(IV) into S(VI) which seems to be influenced by the presence of peroxonitric acid, HNO₄, in aqueous phase in the environmental conditions that are considered with low H₂O₂. These numerical results are then compared with the theoretical study from Herrmann et al. (2000), who proposed a slightly different mechanism, including C2 chemistry and transition metal chemistry whereas they neglect some reaction pathways, such as the one involving OHCH₂O₂ radical. This double confrontation between model results and both real experimental data and numerical results from Herrmann et al. (1999c) underlines limitations of such modeling approach that does not include any dynamical or microphysical coupling but also demonstrates its capability to identify the main oxidants or reactants in aqueous phase in real environmental conditions more realistic than a purely theoretical approach. The originality of this study resides in the explicit and exhaustive ways the chemical reactions are treated in aqueous phase and in a first attempt to compare such a detailed chemical scheme to real environmental conditions.     

The Correlation between Light Scattering and Mass Concentration of Tobacco Smoke

Reports by others^1,2 have pointed to tobacco smoke as a significant source of air pollution in indoor spaces. Studies by Charlson, et al., ³ Kretzschmar,⁴ and Eccleston, et al. ⁵ have yielded mass concentration-light scattering correlations for several natural aerosols. This note presents a value for the mass concentration/ light scattering ratio for tobacco smoke. This ratio provides a means of assessing air quality in indoor spaces using an instrument with a fairly short (?1 min) time constant.     

On the nonlinear effects of energy consumption,economic growth,and tourism on carbon footprints in the USA

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The present paper implements the quantile autoregressive lagged (QARDL) approach of Cho et al. (2015) and the Granger causality in quantiles tests of...     

17th ICCE Satellite Event University Education in Environmental Sciences

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Recently, nearly 500 study programmes related to environmental disciplines were detected in Europe (Lammel et al, Environ Sci Pollut Res 21:7211-7218...     

Design Approaches for a Cycling Adsorbent/Photocatalyst System for Indoor Air Purification: Formaldehyde Example

Abstract

A kinetic model for a cycling adsorbent/photocatalyst combination for formaldehyde removal in indoor air (Chin et al. J. Catalysis 2006, 237, 29-37) was previously developed in our lab, demonstrating agreement with lab-scale batch operation data of other researchers (Shiraishi et al. Chem. Engineer. Sci. 2003, 58, 929-934). Model parameters evaluated included adsorption equilibrium and rate constants for the adsorbent (activated carbon) honeycomb rotor, and catalytic rate constant for pseudo-first-order formaldehyde destruction in the titanium dioxide photoreactor. This paper explores design consequences for this novel system. In particular, the batch parameter values are used to model both adsorbent and photocatalyst behavior for continuous operation in typical residential home challenges. Design variables, including realistic make-up air fraction, adsorbent honeycomb rotation speed, and formaldehyde source emission rate, are considered to evaluate the ability of the system to achieve World Health Organization pollutant guidelines. In all circumstances, the size of the required rotating adsorbent bed and photoreactor for single-stage operation and the resultant formaldehyde concentration in the home are calculated. The ability of how well such a system might be accommodated within the typical dimensions of commercial ventilation ducts is also considered.     

Simulation of the tropospheric distribution of carbon monoxide during the 1984 MAPS experiment

A global, three-dimensional tropospheric chemistry model was used to perform simulations of the tropospheric distribution of carbon monoxide (CO) coinciding with NASA's Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites (MAPS) experiment which took place during 5–13 October 1984. Archived meteorological data for September and October, 1984, were obtained from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting and used to drive the offline chemical transport model simulations. Base-case CO emissions were generated by applying emission factors to compiled inventories for related or co-emitted trace species. Simulation results from September and October have been compared with a recent re-release of the 1984 MAPS data and with in situ correlative data taken during the MAPS mission. Because of unrealistically large spatial variability in N₂O mixing ratios measured concurrently by MAPS, model results were also compared with an adjusted CO data set generated by assuming that errors in N₂O measured mixing ratios were correlated with errors in the MAPS CO data. These comparisons, in conjunction with simulations probing model sensitivities, led to the conclusion that biomass burning CO emissions from central and southern Africa may have been larger during September and October, 1984, than our initial best estimate based on the CO₂ emissions data of Hao et al. (1990. Fire in the Tropical Biota; Ecosystem Processes and Global Challenges. Springer, Berlin, pp. 440–462; 1994. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 8, 495–503). This result is in disagreement with recent estimates of biomass burning emissions from Africa (Scholes et al., 1996, Journal of Geophysical Research 101, 23677–23682) which are smaller than previously thought for emissions from this region. Although unknown model deficiencies cannot be conclusively ruled out, model sensitivity studies indicate that increased CO emissions from central and southern Africa offer the best explanation for reducing observed differences between model results and MAPS data for this time period. Our results, in combination with a disparity in recent CO emission estimates from this region (Scholes et al., 1996; Hao et al., 1996, Journal of Geophysical Research 101, 23577–23584), and in light of recent indications of highly variable biomass burning activities from the tropical western Pacific (Folkins et al., 1997, Journal of Geophysical Research 102, 13291–13299), seem to suggest that biomass burning emissions exhibit significant year-to-year variability. This large variability of emissions sources makes the accurate simulation of specific time periods very difficult and suggests that biomass burning trace species inventories may have to be developed specifically for each simulated time period, employing satellite-derived information on fire coverage and flame intensity.