Risk management and integrated assessment

Integrated Assessment (IA) is the pursuit of a research program generated by the limitations of traditional forms of risk management. This claim can be justified by the following argument. Over the last decades, analysts and practitioners have brought to maturity a large array of tools for risk management. Most of them rely on combining judgments of utility with judgments of probability. This is the approach of the Rational Actor Paradigm (RAP). With many environmental problems, however, RAP‐based tools have run into considerable practical and theoretical difficulties. In response to these difficulties, a series of alternative approaches to practical risk management and to the theoretical understanding of risk have been elaborated. They try to embed the rational choices of individual actors studied by RAP into a broader framework of social rationality. This task can be approached by distinguishing situations where an actor holds unambiguous judgments of preference and probability from situations characterized by ambivalent judgments. RAP can handle the former, but not the latter. Problems whose management requires a combination of widely differing scientific disciplines are especially likely to involve ambivalent judgments of probability. The study of such problems constitutes the research program of integrated assessment. It involves three main tasks: developing IA models which can represent ambivalent expectations and evaluations, developing IA models which use such representations to study non‐marginal changes of social systems, and developing procedures of participatory IA which enable researchers to engage in an iterative exchange with various stakeholders. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Hydrogeochemical and Geophysical Investigation of the Istanbul Tuzla–Icmeler Spring Area for Environmental and Land Use Planning Purposes

The spring waters of Tuzla–Icmeler are on the Marmara Sea coast in Tuzla town of Istanbul city. The springs discharge a natural sodium chloride mineral water that consumed for ages for therapeutic purposes attributed to their chemical properties. Development of springs commenced during the Ottoman times and a surface collection structure was built at the discharge point of the main spring. Two deep wells were drilled to tap mineral water within the past decades. The bottled water of these springs is also sold for a couple of years and its consumption as a beverage is increasing. The geochemical properties of these springs were investigated by several researchers in the past. This study comprises geochemical and geophysical measurements performed between July 2001 and July 2002 in order to construct a conceptual hydrogeological model for environmental and land use planning purposes. The seasonal evaluation of Tuzla–Icmeler (mineral spring) shows that the chemical properties fluctuate from the beginning of summer until the beginning of winter. This indicates that the overdraft of water during the summer season causes the movement and mix of normal groundwater with the mineralized groundwater. As a result, mixing of less mineralized groundwater decreases the salinity of mineralized groundwater. Using the site-specific hydrogeological, geochemical and geophysical data, zones of protection areas were delineated in order to prevent a possible pollution access to the springs and surroundings from nearby dockyards, dwellings and vehicle traffic. For this purpose, a new land use plan was proposed using the existing settlement sustainability plans.     

荧光法生物气溶胶监测仪标准物质研制及校准方法研究

生物气溶胶监测仪是利用激光或紫外光诱导生物粒子发射荧光,从而实现对空气中的生物气溶胶进行监测的仪器。目前,国内尚无生物气溶胶监测仪校准用标准物质和评价方法。以聚苯乙烯微球为核,通过Friedel-Crafts酰基化反应,研制出能够自身受激发产生荧光的聚苯乙烯(PS-PB)微球。PS-PB微球粒径分布的相对标准偏差为1.3%,严格单分散。通过雾化法发尘,将PS-PB微球应用于生物气溶胶监测仪的校准,计数误差在±10%以内。用校准后的仪器检测白色念珠菌(Candida albicans)发生的生物气溶胶和商品化的荧光微球发生的气溶胶,计数误差均与PS-PB微球计数误差接近。研究结果表明,PS-PB微球可作为标准物质用于生物气溶胶监测仪器的校准,基于雾化发尘的静态箱法校准装置可用于生物气溶胶监测仪的评价。     

我国环境应急监测车的现状与发展趋势

根据国家对突发环境事件应急处置的要求,结合我国环境应急监测车的发展现状和存在问题,对环境应急监测车在环境事件应急指挥系统、应急监测仪器和设备、污染物扩散模拟系统、危险化学品应急处置专家库、现场视频无线传输和通讯系统、气象系统、监测车辅助系统、个体防护器材等方面的配置和研发提出建议。     

A Rapid Method for Assessing the Environmental Performance of Commercial Farms in the Pampas of Argentina

The generation of reliable updated information is critical to support the harmonization of socio-economic and environmental issues in a context of sustainable development. The agro-environmental assessment and management of agricultural systems often relies on indicators that are necessary to make sound decisions. This work aims to provide an approach to (a) assess the environmental performance of commercial farms in the Pampas of Argentina, and (b) propose a methodological framework to calculate environmental indicators that can rapidly be applied to practical farming. 120 commercial farms scattered across the Pampas were analyzed in this study during 2002 and 2003. Eleven basic indicators were identified and calculation methods described. Such indicators were fossil energy (FE) use, FE use efficiency, nitrogen (N) balance, phosphorus (P) balance, N contamination risk, P contamination risk, pesticide contamination risk, soil erosion risk, habitat intervention, changes in soil carbon stock, and balance of greenhouse gases. A model named Agro-Eco-Index was developed on a Microsoft-Excel support to incorporate on-farm collected data and facilitate the calculation of indicators by users. Different procedures were applied to validate the model and present the results to the users. Regression models (based on linear and non-linear models) were used to validate the comparative performance of the study farms across the Pampas. An environmental dashboard was provided to represent in a graphical way the behavior of farms. The method provides a tool to discriminate environmentally friendly farms from those that do not pay enough attention to environmental issues. Our procedure might be useful for implementing an ecological certification system to reward a good environmental behavior in society (e.g., through tax benefits) and generate a commercial advantage (e.g., through the allocation of green labels) for committed farmers.     

Tailoring groundwater quality monitoring to vulnerability: a GIS procedure for network design

Monitoring networks aiming to assess the state of groundwater quality and detect or predict changes could increase in efficiency when fitted to vulnerability and pollution risk assessment. The main purpose of this paper is to describe a methodology aiming at integrating aquifers vulnerability and actual levels of groundwater pollution in the monitoring network design. In this study carried out in a pilot area in central Italy, several factors such as hydrogeological setting, groundwater vulnerability, and natural and anthropogenic contamination levels were analyzed and used in designing a network tailored to the monitoring objectives, namely, surveying the evolution of groundwater quality relating to natural conditions as well as to polluting processes active in the area. Due to the absence of an aquifer vulnerability map for the whole area, a proxi evaluation of it was performed through a geographic information system (GIS) methodology, leading to the so called “susceptibility to groundwater quality degradation”. The latter was used as a basis for the network density assessment, while water points were ranked by several factors including discharge, actual contamination levels, maintenance conditions, and accessibility for periodical sampling in order to select the most appropriate to the network. Two different GIS procedures were implemented which combine vulnerability conditions and water points suitability, producing two slightly different networks of 50 monitoring points selected out of the 121 candidate wells and springs. The results are compared with a “manual” selection of the points. The applied GIS procedures resulted capable to select the requested number of water points from the initial set, evaluating the most confident ones and an appropriate density. Moreover, it is worth underlining that the second procedure (point distance analysis [PDA]) is technically faster and simpler to be performed than the first one (GRID?+?PDA).     

Probability-based classifications for spatially characterizing the water temperatures and discharge rates of hot springs in the Tatun Volcanic Region,Taiwan

Accurately classifying the spatial features of the water temperatures and discharge rates of hot springs is crucial for environmental resources use and management. This study spatially characterized classifications of the water temperatures and discharge rates of hot springs in the Tatun Volcanic Region of Northern Taiwan by using indicator kriging (IK). The water temperatures and discharge rates of the springs were first assigned to high, moderate, and low categories according to the two thresholds of the proposed spring classification criteria. IK was then used to model the occurrence probabilities of the water temperatures and discharge rates of the springs and probabilistically determine their categories. Finally, nine combinations were acquired from the probability-based classifications for the spatial features of the water temperatures and discharge rates of the springs. Moreover, various combinations of spring water features were examined according to seven subzones of spring use in the study region. The research results reveal that probability-based classifications using IK provide practicable insights related to propagating the uncertainty of classifications according to the spatial features of the water temperatures and discharge rates of the springs. The springs in the Beitou (BT), Xingyi Road (XYR), Zhongshanlou (ZSL), and Lengshuikeng (LSK) subzones are suitable for supplying tourism hotels with a sufficient quantity of spring water because they have high or moderate discharge rates. Furthermore, natural hot springs in riverbeds and valleys should be developed in the Dingbeitou (DBT), ZSL, Xiayoukeng (XYK), and Macao (MC) subzones because of low discharge rates and low or moderate water temperatures.     

Life cycle assessment as an analytical tool in strategic environmental assessment. Lessons learned from a case study on municipal energy planning in Sweden

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is explored as an analytical tool in strategic environmental assessment (SEA), illustrated by case where a previously developed SEA process was applied to municipal energy planning in Sweden. The process integrated decision-making tools for scenario planning, public participation and environmental assessment. This article describes the use of LCA for environmental assessment in this context, with focus on methodology and practical experiences. While LCA provides a systematic framework for the environmental assessment and a wider systems perspective than what is required in SEA, LCA cannot address all aspects of environmental impact required, and therefore needs to be complemented by other tools. The integration of LCA with tools for public participation and scenario planning posed certain methodological challenges, but provided an innovative approach to designing the scope of the environmental assessment and defining and assessing alternatives.     

Adsorption of the antiepileptic carbamazepine onto agricultural soils

Carbamazepine is an antiepileptic pharmaceutical which is commonly found in environmental matrices. It passes through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) almost completely unaffected and has been found to be highly persistent in the environment. The application of sludge in agricultural fields and the use of WWTP effluents for irrigation constitute a potential source of soil contamination. Consequently, the assessment of the interaction between carbamazepine and soils is of crucial importance to understand its fate in the environment. To monitor the sorption behavior of carbamazepine onto agricultural soils, batch equilibrium experiments were performed using soils subjected to distinct long-term fertilizations. In order to follow the adsorption experiments, an UV spectral deconvolution methodology was applied and the results compared with those from micellar electrokinetic chromatography. The results obtained by both methods did not present significant statistical differences at 95% confidence level. Therefore, it was proven that, in the context of adsorption studies, UV spectral deconvolution is a valid alternative to common chromatographic methods, with the major advantage of being a simple and fast procedure. The adsorption of carbamazepine onto the selected soils was satisfactorily described by the Freundlich model. The obtained Freundlich parameters (K(F)) (between 1.79 ± 0.07 and 4.8 ± 0.2 mg kg(-1) (mg L(-1))(-N)) indicate that the adsorption behavior of carbamazepine is dependent on the soil fertilization. Also, it is not extensively sorbed, indicating that carbamazepine present in soils can be a potential source of contamination of surface and ground waters through run-off and infiltration.     

Evaluating the impact of HIA on urban reconstruction decision-making. Who manages whose risks?

Practitioners and academic researchers increasingly look to evaluation of health impact assessment (HIA) to improve its practice, its efficiency and its legitimacy. Evaluation is also used to account to policy-makers, who express doubts that the benefits of HIA justify its costs. Until recently evaluation of HIA focused on instrument design and procedures but now the focus needs to shift to analysis of the interaction of HIA and decision-making. Multiple case studies have been applied to identify the conditions in which HIA produces the desired benefits. These studies used analytical concepts derived from the literature on evaluation, knowledge utilization, science of sociology and knowledge management.This paper describes a case study in which the strategic motives of the decision-makers affected the impact of an HIA. This HIA comprised of a quantitative environmental model ‘City & Environment’ that was used to assess environmental health impacts of an urban reconstruction plan in a Dutch city. The evaluation of the HIA shows that the decision to follow the recommendations of the HIA was part of a damage control strategy. The more HIA goals deviate from the policy problem and the less HIA is embedded in institutional procedures, then the more HIA impact will be subject to strategic decision-making behaviour. Appropriate cognitive and social strategies are needed to avoid ‘negative learning’ in those the HIA seeks to influence.     

Environmental and biological monitoring of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK)

This study was conducted to evaluate the usefulness of various biological parameters for monitoring of workers exposed to methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). Fifty male workers from a large magnetic videotape factory participated in this study. Personal air samples were collected using 3M organic vapor monitors and analysed for MEK by gas chromatography with flame ionisation detector (FID). 10 mL of urine; blood (1 mL) and exhaled air were also collected at the end of an 8-hour workshift. The headspace GC method was applied for measurement of urinary and blood MEK. MEK in expired air was analysed directly by using a GC/FID.The correlation coefficients (r) between environmental MEK and all other biological parameters measured show significant positive relationships. The r for environmental MEK and urine MEK was 0.84; for blood 0.73 and for breath 0.64. The correlation coefficients between blood and urine was 0.72; blood and breath was 0.88 and urine and breath 0.60. These findings suggest that measurements of unmetabolised MEK in blood, exhaled air and urine can be used for biological monitoring of MEK exposure. Nevertheless, laboratory methodological assessment is in favour of measuring urinary MEK as it is non-invasive and does not have to be analysed immediately after collection.     

Environmental impact of coal mining and coal seam gas production on surface water quality in the Sydney basin,Australia

The extraction of coal and coal seam gas (CSG) will generate produced water that, if not adequately treated, will pollute surface and groundwater systems. In Australia, the discharge of produced water from coal mining and related activities is regulated by the state environment agency through a pollution licence. This licence sets the discharge limits for a range of analytes to protect the environment into which the produced water is discharged. This study reports on the impact of produced water from coal mine activities located within or discharging into high conservation environments, such as National Parks, in the outer region of Sydney, Australia. The water samples upstream and downstream from the discharge points from six mines were taken, and 110 parameters were tested. The results were assessed against a water quality index (WQI) which accounts for pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, total dissolved solids, total phosphorus, nitrate nitrogen and E .coli. The water quality assessment based on the trace metal contents against various national maximum admissible concentration (MAC) and their corresponding environmental impacts was also included in the study which also established a base value of water quality for further study. The study revealed that impacted water downstream of the mine discharge points contained higher metal content than the upstream reference locations. In many cases, the downstream water was above the Australia and New Zealand Environment Conservation Council and international water quality guidelines for freshwater stream. The major outliers to the guidelines were aluminium (Al), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn). The WQI of surface water at and downstream of the discharge point was lower when compared to upstream or reference conditions in the majority of cases. Toxicology indices of metals present in industrial discharges were used as an additional tool to assess water quality, and the newly proposed environmental water quality index (EWQI) lead to better trend in the impact of coal and coal seam gas mining activities on surface water quality when compared to the upstream reference water samples. Metal content limits were based on the impact points assigned by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, USA. For environmental and health impact assessment, the approach used in this study can be applied as a model to provide a basis to assess the anthropogenic contribution from the industrial and mining activities on the environment.     

Monitoring and assessment of land use status by GIS

The objectives of this study were to assess land suitability andto monitor the spatial and temporal changes in land use types (LUTs)by using GIS. The study was conducted in an irrigated area of 920ha, located in the East Mediterranean region of Turkey. Archiveddata of LUTs were utilized. Data analysis was conducted by usingArcInfo and ArcView GIS softwares. The land characteristics werecompared with land requirements of present LUTs by taking intoaccount the land evaluation results. Three major soil series andtwelve different LUTs were identified. Corn and citrus were themost planted LUTs in the assessment period. Generated mapsdemonstrated how LUTs changed spatially and temporally. Most LUTswere clustered in certain areas indicating that farmer'sselection of LUTs was affected by their habits and neighbor'sbehavior. Land suitability assessment results indicated thatCanakci and Mursel soil series were found to be highly suitable forall LUTs while Arikli soil series was determined to be moderately suitablecitrus, vegetables and watermelon. Citrus plantationmaps overlaid on soil series maps demonstrated that the citrushas not been planted completely on suitable areas. Landsuitability assessment showed that citrus plantation in Arikliseries would result in 40% yield loss and 58% of land is notused at its potential.     

A new assessment method for urbanization environmental impact: urban environment entropy model and its application

The thermodynamic law is one of the most widely used scientific principles. The comparability between the environmental impact of urbanization and the thermodynamic entropy was systematically analyzed. Consequently, the concept "Urban Environment Entropy" was brought forward and the "Urban Environment Entropy" model was established for urbanization environmental impact assessment in this study. The model was then utilized in a case study for the assessment of river water quality in the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone. The results indicated that the assessing results of the model are consistent to that of the equalized synthetic pollution index method. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Urban Environment Entropy model has high reliability and can be applied widely in urbanization environmental assessment research using many different environmental parameters.     

Air Quality Survey Carried Out by Schoolchildren: An Innovative Tool for Urban Planning

An educational project on biological monitoring of air quality was launched in 2004 to involve about 650 young students (age 6 to 16) from 21 schools of nine municipalities in Tuscany (Central Italy) in active detection of the crucial pollutant ozone with indicator sensitive tobacco seedlings. Results implied the reading of 9,300 raw biological figures and were fortified by the data captured by six photometric analysers. Under the guidance of their teachers, the students had several opportunities to practice with many basic and applied study areas and were initiated into the scientific method in a simple and absorbing manner. Curiosity and involvement were widespread; a sort of emotional and responsible relationship was developed by several pupils. Though primarily an educational exercise, the survey introduced a research element and the regional picture of air pollution that emerged has increased our knowledge of the air quality situation in the area. Biological monitoring of air quality is a powerful tool to improve the awareness and involvement in key topics of environmental education. In addition, it represents a crucial element for improving the awareness of problems and implies the active participation of citizens in the assessment of several indicators of the state of the environment. Its potential as a robust implement in landscape and urban planning is noteworthy.     

自动监测仪器检测方法规范化的研究

文章对进口自动监测仪器检测方法的规范化进行了初步的研究 ,提出了一系列仪器检测的规范化方法。以 NO-NO2 -NOX 分析仪和 PM1 0 采样仪为例进行具体说明 ,然后给出了规范化验收的一般步骤 ,并且专门设计出在进行仪器验收时所用的记录表格。该规范化方法不仅可用于监测仪器的验收工作 ,同时可用于其它分析仪器的常规化质检工作     

臭氧监测仪实验室校准及稳定性测试

以国内监测系统在用的臭氧校准仪为二级传递标准对臭氧监测仪开展了实验室校准,通过计算单次校准所得校准曲线的斜率和截距,符合中国相关标准中关于臭氧监测仪的校准指标:多点校准所得校准曲线的斜率为0.95~1.05,截距为-5~5 nmol/mol。进一步对2台臭氧监测仪进行了稳定性测试,12个月内臭氧监测仪的斜率变化为0.976 05~1.008 42,截距变化为-0.669 00~0.577 93 nmol/mol,臭氧监测仪的斜率、截距均符合臭氧监测仪校准指标的要求。稳定性测试表明,TF 49i型臭氧监测仪和EC 9810型臭氧监测仪经校准后均可用于实验室内臭氧标准传递比对工作。实验中臭氧监测仪更换臭氧涤除器、仪器零件后校准曲线的斜率均有明显变化,建议更换耗材后需采用高浓度臭氧对臭氧监测仪进行饱和并再次校准。     

Designing a graph-based approach to landscape ecological assessment of linear infrastructures

The development of major linear infrastructures contributes to landscape fragmentation and impacts natural habitats and biodiversity in various ways. To anticipate and minimize such impacts, landscape planning needs to be capable of effective strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and of supporting environmental impact assessment (EIA) decisions. To this end, species distribution models (SDMs) are an effective way of making predictive maps of the presence of a given species. In this paper, we propose to combine SDMs and graph-based representation of landscape networks to integrate the potential long-distance effect of infrastructures on species distribution. A diachronic approach, comparing distribution before and after the linear infrastructure is constructed, leads to the design of a species distribution assessment (SDA), taking into account population isolation. The SDA makes it possible (1) to estimate the local variation in probability of presence and (2) to characterize the impact of the infrastructure in terms of global variation in presence and of distance of disturbance. The method is illustrated by assessing the impact of the construction of a high-speed railway line on the distribution of several virtual species in Franche-Comté (France). The study shows the capacity of the SDA to characterize the impact of a linear infrastructure either as a research concern or as a spatial planning challenge. SDAs could be helpful in deciding among several scenarios for linear infrastructure routes or for the location of mitigation measures.     

Life Cycle Assessment to support the quantification of the environmental impacts of an event

In recent years, several tools have been used to define and quantify the environmental impacts associated with an event; however, a lack of uniform approaches for conducting environmental evaluations has been revealed. The aim of this paper is to evaluate whether the Life Cycle Assessment methodology, which is rarely applied to an event, can be an appropriate tool for calculating the environmental impacts associated with the assembly, disassembly, and use phase of an event analysing in particular the components and the displays used to establish the exhibits. The aim is also to include the issues reported by ISO 20121:2012 involving the interested parties that can be monitored but also affected by the event owner, namely the event organiser, the workforce and the supply chain.A small event held in Northern Italy was selected as the subject of the research. The results obtained show that the main contributors are energy consumption for lighting and heating and the use of aluminium materials, such as bars for supporting the spotlights, carpet and the electronic equipment. A sensitivity analysis for estimating the effects of the impact assessment method chosen has also been conducted and an uncertainty analysis has been performed using the Monte Carlo technique. This study highlighted the importance of the energy consumed by heating and lighting on the environmental implications, and indicated that the preparation and assembly should always be considered when quantifying the environmental profile of an event.     

Occurrence of selected pharmaceuticals in river water in Japan and assessment of their environmental risk

The existence of pharmaceuticals in the water environment is thought to be a potential problem for aquatic organisms. In this study, we conducted a nationwide survey to clarify the occurrence of 24 selected pharmaceuticals in major Japanese rivers and evaluated their environmental risk to aquatic organisms. We found a total of 22 substances in river waters at concentrations from several nanograms per liter to several micrograms per liter. We found the highest, which was 2.4 μg/L of caffeine, followed by 1.5 μg/L of crotamiton and 1.4 μg/L of sulpiride. We conducted an environmental risk assessment of the 22 pharmaceuticals detected in river water, for which predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) values for crustacea and algae had been obtained. The measured environmental concentration/PNEC values of four substances, caffeine, carbamazepine, clarithromycin, and ketoprofen, exceeded 0.1 with the maximum value of 9.0 for clarithromycin. As clarithromycin exhibits a high environmental risk to aquatic organisms, particular attention is required.