Linnaeus’ study of Swedish swidden cultivation: Pioneering ethnographic work on the ‘economy of nature’

Carl Linnaeus’ work on the ‘economy of nature’ was a major early development in what became the modern field of ecology. This analysis suggests that a key subject of this work that has been ignored or misunderstood for 250 years is the rural livelihoods, especially swidden (or slash-and-burn) agriculture, which Linnaeus studied during his expeditions through rural Sweden. Rereading his reports in the light of modern work on swiddens, political ecology, and the history of science affords a new appreciation of Linnaeus’ insights into traditional systems of resource exploitation. The logic of nutrient cycling in swidden agriculture and its utilization of natural dynamics to serve human ends exemplify the principles of the ‘economy of nature’, and gave Linnaeus a philosophical basis for understanding and defending this system of agriculture as well as other rural resource use systems in Sweden. This analysis sheds new light on Linnaeus’ ethnographic work, his view of folk environmental knowledge, and his often derided identification with Sweden’s ethnic peoples.     

Does financial development mitigate the effects of climate variability on rice cultivation? Empirical evidence from agrarian economy

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study is the first attempt to examine the effects of changing climate and financial development on rice cultivation in the context of agrarian...     

Geological Characterization and Environmental Implications of the Placement of the Morelia Dump,Michoacán,Central Mexico

Abstract

The landfill of Morelia, the capital city of the state of Michoacán in central-western Mexico, is located 12 km west of the city and has operated since 1997 without a structure engineered and designed to control the generation in situ of biogas and leachates. A geological evaluation of the landfill site is presented in this paper. The results indicate that the site lacks ideal impermeable sub-surface strata. The subsurface strata consist of highly fractured basaltic lava flows (east-west fault and fracture system trend) and sand-size cineritic material with high permeability and porosity. Geochemical analysis of groundwater from Morelia’s municipal aquifer shows a high concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, As) exceeding the Mexican environmental regulations, along with the presence of some organic pollutants (phenols). Analyses of samples of the landfill’s permanent leachate ponds show very high concentrations of the same contaminants. Samples were taken from the leachate pond and from nearby water-wells during the rainy season (summer 1997) and the dry season (spring 1997, 1998, and 1999). In all cases, the concentration of contaminants registered exceeded the standards for drinking water of the World Health Organization (American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association, and Water Pollution Control Federation, 2000). Some metal contaminants could be leaching directly from the landfill.     

A PLP–LIF kinetic study of the atmospheric reactivity of a series of C4–C7 saturated and unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes with OH

Absolute rate coefficients for the reaction of OH radical with a series of saturated and unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes were measured with the pulsed laser photolysis/laser-induced fluorescence technique at room temperature and as a function of total pressure (p_T=100–400 Torr). No pressure dependence of the rate coefficients was observed. The weighted average values obtained, k_OH±2σ, in units of 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, were 2.88±0.26 for n-butanal, 2.48±0.24 for n-pentanal, 2.60±0.21 for n-hexanal, 2.96±0.23 for n-heptanal, 3.51±0.71 for crotonaldehyde, 2.35±0.32 for trans-2-pentenal, 2.95±0.45 for trans-2-hexenal and 2.45±0.30 for trans-2-heptenal, respectively. The results are compared with previous data when available and with the corresponding coefficients for the reactions with NO₃ and O₃. The dominant tropospheric chemical loss process for these aliphatic aldehydes is the daytime reaction with OH, except in the case of trans-2-heptenal where the estimated lifetime for the reaction with NO₃ radical is smaller than the corresponding value for the OH reaction.     

Studies of aerosol formation in power plant plumes—I. Growth laws for secondary aerosols in power plant plumes: Implications for chemical conversion mechanisms

Numerous field studies have shown that gas-to-particle conversion can be an important source of submicron secondary aerosol in power plant plumes. In this paper, aerosol size distribution data from several field studies have been analyzed to determine particle diameter growth rates by gas-to-particle conversion. The functional dependencies of these growth rates on particle diameter were then compared with theoretical models (i.e. growth laws) to infer possible chemical mechanisms of secondary aerosol formation. Based on this analysis it has been possible to infer the relative contributions of various postulated conversion mechanisms to the aerosol volume formation rate. It has been concluded that the chemical mechanisms of gas-to-particle conversion in power plant plumes depend upon ambient conditions. For the limited set of data analyzed in the paper, aerosol growth resulting from condensation of molecules formed by gas phase reactions was predominant in all cases. For plumes mixing into humid air (≥ 50%r.h.), however, heterogeneous reactions (e.g. oxidation of dissolved SO₂ in droplets) accounted for up to 20 % of the aerosol volume formation rate. It is likely that at higher humidities, droplet phase reactions would be still more important.     

Implications of Rural–Urban Migration for Conservation of the Atlantic Forest and Urban Growth in Misiones,Argentina (1970–2030)

Global trends of increasing rural–urban migration and population urbanization could provide opportunities for nature conservation, particularly in regions where deforestation is driven by subsistence agriculture. We analyzed the role of rural population as a driver of deforestation and its contribution to urban population growth from 1970 to the present in the Atlantic Forest of Argentina, a global conservation priority. We created future land-use-cover scenarios based on human demographic parameters and the relationship between rural population and land-cover change between 1970 and 2006. In 2006, native forest covered 50% of the province, but by 2030 all scenarios predicted a decrease that ranged from 18 to 39% forest cover. Between 1970 and 2001, rural migrants represented 20% of urban population growth and are expected to represent less than 10% by 2030. This modeling approach shows how rural–urban migration and land-use planning can favor nature conservation with little impact on urban areas.     

Statistics of extreme values of air quality—a simulation study

Some of the existing National Ambient Air Quality Standards require the use of an extreme observed concentration in a year to determine compliance. Since observed extreme values tend to be not reliable, different statistical approaches for determining the extreme values have been used or suggested. However, none of these approaches properly take into account the effects of an underlying trend and the serial correlation of the air quality time series. By means of a time series simulation, these effects can be considered concurrently in estimating the extreme values.This paper reports the results of such a simulation for determining the statistics of the seven highest values (rank m = 1–7, m = 1 representing the highest value) using actual air quality data that contain both trends and autocorrelations. The result of this simulation shows that for a high-pollution season of 122 days, the commonly used asymptotic distributions overestimate the maximum (m = 1) values and underestimate their uncertainties. As one moves from m = 1 to m = 7, the over- and underestimations by the asymptotic distributions worsen (compared to the simulation result). These findings in logarithmic space are further enhanced when they are converted back to concentration space. The simulation using the oxidant data for Azusa, California further shows that the uncertainties associated with the estimates Of the extreme values are typically 20% of the values for m = 1 and 10% of the values for m = 7. Compared to the observed data, which is a single series for each year, the result based on the popular lognormal distribution consistently overpredicts the extreme values, by about 40% for the maximum values and about 20% for the seventh highest values.Our results illustrate the difficulty of estimating the extreme values of air quality time series with accuracy and confidence. However, the accuracy and confidence of the estimates improve as the rank moves away from the extreme. This result calls for the need for using a less extreme value in setting a sensible air quality standard. Of course, such a standard can be set without sacrificing its stringency.     

Cities of the future—bionic systems of new urban environment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The concepts of the cities we know nowadays, and which we are accustomed to, change at a very rapid pace. The philosophy of their design is also...     

Boiler Briquette Coal versus Raw Coal: Part II—Energy,Greenhouse Gas,and Air Quality Implications

ABSTRACT

The objective of this paper is to conduct an integrated analysis of the energy, greenhouse gas, and air quality impacts of a new type of boiler briquette coal (BB-coal) in contrast to those of the raw coal from which the BB-coal was formulated (R-coal). The analysis is based on the source emissions data and other relevant data collected in the present study and employs approaches including the construction of carbon, energy, and sulfur balances. The results show that replacing R-coal with BB-coal as the fuel for boilers such as the one tested would have multiple benefits, including a 37% increase in boiler thermal efficiency, a 25% reduction in fuel demand, a 26% reduction in CO₂ emission, a 17% reduction in CO emission, a 63% reduction in SO₂ emission, a 97% reduction in fly ash and fly ash carbon emission, a 22% reduction in PM_2.5 mass emission, and a 30% reduction in total emission of five toxic hazardous air pollutant (HAP) metals contained in PM₁₀. These benefits can be achieved with no changes in boiler hardware and with a relatively small amount of tradeoffs: a 30% increase in PM₁₀ mass emission and a 9–16% increase in fuel cost.     

Simulation of the daily average PM10 concentrations at Ta-Liao with Box–Jenkins time series models and multivariate analysis

Southern Taiwan has experienced severe PM₁₀ problems for over a decade. The present paper describes the establishment of a simulation model for the daily average PM₁₀ concentrations at Ta-Liao, southern Taiwan. The study used a regression with time series error models (RTSE models) (multivariate ARIMA time series model), including an explanatory variable resulting from principal component analyses to complete the PM₁₀ simulation. Factor 1 estimated from the factor analyses explained the variance of 44–49%, which indicated the important contribution from the neighbor-city PM₁₀ at Mei-Nung, Lin-Yuang, Zuoying, Chao-Chou, local ozone and NOx. Factor 1 can be interpreted with regional PM₁₀ plus photochemical reactions. To improve the predictability of extremely high PM₁₀, different results from the principal component analysis were introduced to the RTSE models. We constructed four kinds of RTSE models: RTSE model without PC, with PC4S (PM₁₀ at Mei-Nung, Lin-Yuang, Zuoying, and Chao-Chou), with PCTL (meteorological variables and co-pollutants at Ta-Liao), and with PCTL4S (the combination of the above two) and evaluated the statistics model performance. Ozone, dew point temperature, NOx, wind speed, wind directions, and the PC trigger were the significant variables in the RTSE models most of time. When the neighbor-city PM₁₀ was included in the PC trigger, the predictability was apparently improved. The closeness of fit with the inclusion of PC4S and PCTL4S was improved by reducing SEE from 0.117 to 0.092. Using the RTSE models with PC4S or PCTL4S, POD was improved by an increase of 33%, FAR was reduced 30%, and CSI was increased 39%, when simulating the daily average PM₁₀ > 150 μg m^?3. Evidently we need to survey source impacts prior to establishing a simulation model. Factor analysis is a useful method to investigate sources that contributed PM₁₀ to a target site prior to establishing a simulation model.     

The brighter side of e-waste—a rich secondary source of metal

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This article details the electronic waste (e-waste) generation, their composition, health, and environment hazards, and legal rules for disposal as...     

Evidence of the water-cage effect on the photolysis of NO3− and FeOH2+. Implications of this effect and of H2O2 surface accumulation on photochemistry at the air–water interface of atmospheric droplets

Experiments are conducted to determine the effect of a cage of water molecules on the photolysis quantum yields of nitrate, FeOH²⁺, and H₂O₂. Results suggest that the quantum yields of nitrate and FeOH²⁺ are decreased by the recombination of photo-fragments ( OH +  NO₂ and Fe²⁺ +  OH, respectively) before they leave the surrounding cage of water molecules. However, no evidence is found for an enhanced quantum yield for H₂O₂. Therefore, the photolysis of nitrate and FeOH²⁺ could be enhanced if the cage of the solvent molecules is incomplete, as is the case at the air–water interface of atmospheric droplets. The photolysis rate constant distribution within nitrate, FeOH²⁺, and H₂O₂ aerosols is calculated by combining the expected quantum yield data in the bulk and at the interface with Mie theory calculations of light intensity. The photolysis rate constant of nitrate and FeOH²⁺ would be significantly higher at the surface than in the bulk if quantum yields are enhanced at the surface. In the case of H₂O₂, the photolysis rate constant would be enhanced by surface accumulation. The results concerning the expected rates of photolysis of these photoactive species are applied to the assessment of the reaction between benzene and OH in the presence of OH scavengers in an atmospherically relevant scenario. For a droplet of 1 μm radius, a large fraction of the total OH-benzene reaction (15% for H₂O₂, 20% for nitrate, and 35% for FeOH²⁺) would occur in the surface layer, which accounts for just 0.15% of the droplet volume.     

Environmental hazard — Assessment of chemicals and products

Part III: The Limits to Single Compound Assessment The principles and basic assumptions of single compound assessment are briefly reviewed. Limitations to this approach are shown, especially with regard to complex mixtures of similar substances, substitution products, and complicated (final) products containing chemicals and materials produced by the chemical industry. A new thinking in product lines and life cycles is emerging, leading to new assessment methods. In some cases, substitution has not improved the environmental performance of products, since very similar chemicals were used as substitutes.     

Wet deposition monitoring—Effect of sampling period

A comparison between weekly and event samples has been undertaken to assess the differences introduced by different sampling periods.The data analyzed cover the period 18 March 1981-28 June 1983.The weekly samples yielded lower concentrations and deposition values for all ions analyzed. The differences were significant at the 99.9 per cent confidence level.     

Mycoremediation of hydrocarbons with basidiomycetes—a review

ABSTRACT

The literature on hydrocarbon remediation with basidiomycetes was reviewed. Two ecological groups are considered for bioremediation, the saprotrophic basidiomycetes (white-rot and brown-rot fungi) and the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycetes. A remarkable capacity of basidiomycetes for in vitro degradation of simple and recalcitrant hydrocarbons, such as PAH, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), halogenated HC, aromatic HC and phenols, explosives and dyes was reported for many species. However, there is a need for more studies on the practical feasibility of field applications with basidiomycetes.     

Mitigation of odor causing emissions—Bench-scale investigation

Emissions of malodors are considered to be the greatest threat to the compost industry. In work presented here, several simple odor mitigation alternatives were investigated for their effectiveness in preventing the release of common odorants, such as terpenes, ammonia, and reduced sulfur compounds. The mitigation methods studied included the use of a blanket of finished compost, compost amendment mixed within the feedstock, odor neutralizing agents (ONAs), and oxygen release compounds (ORCs). Among the mitigation alternatives investigated in this study, the use of finished compost as a blanket and finished compost as an amendment yielded the most conclusive and significant results. Both of these alternatives yielded a substantial emission reduction for terpenes, ammonia, and reduced sulfur compounds. The application of finished compost blanket resulted in up to 95% reduction of terpene and 25% reduction of ammonia emissions. Blending the feedstock with finished compost also provided substantial reduction of terpene emissions ranging from 73.6 to 93.1% at the 24% blending ratio, and up to 85% ammonia reduction a the 35% blending ratio. Use of finished compost also provided 75% lower reduced sulfur compound emissions at the 12% blending ratio. Misting and application of odor neutralizing agents did not result in any consistent reduction in emissions for any of the odorous compounds tested.

Implications The odor emissions from composting are often considered to be the biggest threat to composting facilities. Because most facilities cannot afford enclosures and contained composting vessels, there is a need to inexpensively and effectively control the odor emissions from composting facilities. The findings of this research can lead the way for efforts to control odor easily and cost effectively. In fact, the application of a compost blanket for odor control is already gaining acceptance by the composting industry.