Life around the North Water ecosystem: Natural and social drivers of change over a millennium

The formation of the North Water in Smith Sound about 4500 years ago, as evidenced by the establishment of bird colonies and human presence, also initiated a long-term anthropogenic agent as part of this High Arctic ecosystem. Different epochs have influenced the human occupation in the area: immigration pulses from Canada and Alaska, trade with meteorite iron throughout the Arctic, introduction of new technologies by whalers and explorers, exploitation of resources by foreigners, political sequestration, export of fox and seal skins and later narwhal products, and recently fishing. Physical drivers in terms of weather and climate affecting the northern hemisphere also impact accessibility and productivity of the ecosystem, with cascading effects on social drivers, again acting back on the natural ecologies. Despite its apparent isolation, the ecosystem had and still has wide ranging spatial ramifications that extend beyond the High Arctic, and include human activity. The challenge is to determine what is internal and what is external to an ecosystem.     

Contaminant residues in seabird eggs from the Canadian Arctic. II. Spatial trends and evidence from stable isotopes for intercolony differences

Eggs of glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus), black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia) and black guillemots (Cepphus grylle) were collected from several sites throughout the Canadian Arctic. Samples were analyzed for organochlorines as well as mercury and selenium. Glaucous gulls breeding at sites in the High Arctic showed higher levels of organochlorine contamination than those in the western Low Arctic. This was likely due to dietary differences among colonies as suggested by stable isotope data, although different overwintering areas may also play a role. Levels of sigmaPCB, sigmaDDT, sigmaCHLOR, sigmaCBz and dieldrin were significantly lower in thick-billed murres from Prince Leopold Island in the High Arctic compared with colonies in the eastcrn Low Arctic. This difference was likely due to the combined effects of different atmospheric deposition patterns in the High and Low Arctic and different overwintering areas since murres from Prince Leopold Island may winter farther north than murres from the other colonies sampled. Eggs from colonies at higher latitudes generally contained higher concentrations of mercury. The trophic and dietary differences/similarities suggested by stable-nitrogen and carbon isotope data in this study were useful in explaining the spatial patterns of contaminant concentrations observed among colonies of seabirds such as the glaucous gull and the black-legged kittiwake where variation in latitudinal atmospheric deposition patterns and different overwintering grounds did not appear to be confounding factors.     

The impact of swidden decline on livelihoods and ecosystem services in Southeast Asia: A review of the evidence from 1990 to 2015

Global economic change and policy interventions are driving transitions from long-fallow swidden (LFS) systems to alternative land uses in Southeast Asia’s uplands. This study presents a systematic review of how these transitions impact upon livelihoods and ecosystem services in the region. Over 17 000 studies published between 1950 and 2015 were narrowed, based on relevance and quality, to 93 studies for further analysis. Our analysis of land-use transitions from swidden to intensified cropping systems showed several outcomes: more households had increased overall income, but these benefits came at significant cost such as reductions of customary practice, socio-economic wellbeing, livelihood options, and staple yields. Examining the effects of transitions on soil properties revealed negative impacts on soil organic carbon, cation-exchange capacity, and aboveground carbon. Taken together, the proximate and underlying drivers of the transitions from LFS to alternative land uses, especially intensified perennial and annual cash cropping, led to significant declines in pre-existing livelihood security and the ecosystem services supporting this security. Our results suggest that policies imposing land-use transitions on upland farmers so as to improve livelihoods and environments have been misguided; in the context of varied land uses, swidden agriculture can support livelihoods and ecosystem services that will help buffer the impacts of climate change in Southeast Asia.     

Carbon dioxide emissions,urbanization level,and industrial structure: empirical evidence from North China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This paper aims to examine the nexus among carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, urbanization level and industrial structure in North China over the period...     

The Significance of the North Water Polynya to Arctic Top Predators

The North Water polynya (~76°N to 79°N and 70°W to 80°W) is known to be an important habitat for several species of marine mammals and sea birds. For millennia, it has provided the basis for subsistence hunting and human presence in the northernmost part of Baffin Bay. The abundance of air-breathing top predators also represents a potential source of nutrient cycling that maintains primary production. In this study, aerial surveys conducted in 2009 and 2010 were used for the first time to map the distribution and estimate the abundance of top predators during spring in the North Water. Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) were not detected north of 77°20′N but were found along the coast of West Greenland and offshore in the middle of the North Water with an abundance estimated at 2245 (95 % CI 1811–2783). Narwhals (Monodon monoceros) were widely distributed on the eastern side of the North Water with an estimate of abundance of 7726 (3761–15 870). Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) were found across the North Water over both shallow and deep (>500 m) water with an estimated abundance of 1499 (1077–2087). Bearded (Erignathus barbatus) and ringed seals (Phoca hispida) used the large floes of ice in the southeastern part of the North Water for hauling out. Most polar bears (Ursus maritimus) were detected in the southern part of the polynya. The abundances of bearded and ringed seals were 6016 (3322–10 893) and 9529 (5460–16 632), respectively, and that of polar bears was 60 (12–292). Three sea bird species were distributed along the Greenland coast (eiders, Somateria spp.), in leads and cracks close to the Greenland coast (little auks, Alle alle) or widely in open water (thick-billed guillemots, Uria lomvia).     

Water environments: anthropogenic pressures and ecosystem changes in the Atlantic drainage basins of Brazil

Densely occupied drainage basins and coastal zones in developing countries that are facing economic growth are likely to suffer from moderate to severe environmental impacts regarding different issues. The catchment basins draining towards the Atlantic coast from northeastern to southern Brazil include a wide range of climatic zones and diverse ecosystems. Within its borders lies the Atlantic rain forest, significant extensions of semiarid thorn forests (caatinga), vast tree and scrub woodlands (cerrado) and most of the 6670 km of the Brazilian coast and its marine ecosystems. In recent decades, human activities have increasingly advanced over these natural resources. Littoralization has imposed a burden on coastal habitats and communities. Most of the native vegetation of the cerrado and caatinga was removed and only 7% of the original Atlantic rainforest still exists. Estuaries, bays and coastal lagoons have been irreversibly damaged. Land uses, damming and water diversion have become the major driving forces for habitat loss and aquatic ecosystem modification. Regardless of the contrast between the drought-affected northeastern Brazil and the much more prosperous and industrialized southeastern/southern Brazil, the impacts on habitat and communities were found equally severe in both cases. Attempts to halt environmental degradation have not been effective. Instead of focusing on natural resources separately, it is suggested that more integrated environmental policies that focus on aquatic ecosystems integrity are introduced.     

Assessment of total concentrations of heavy metals in industrial sludges from the North of Vietnam and their potential impact on the ecosystem

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Industrial sludges from wastewater treatment plants of industrial parks and a drinking water treatment plant in northern Vietnam were investigated in...     

Recent sedimentary history of anthropogenic impacts on the Culiacan River Estuary,northwestern Mexico: geochemical evidence from organic matter and nutrients

210Pb geochronology and sediment profiles of carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen were used to study time dependent changes in nutrients fluxes to Culiacan River Estuary. Results indicate that the release of urban sewage and agriculture wastes transported through Culiacan River has produced historically increased carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen fluxes to the study area. C:N:P elemental ratios showed that increments in the nutrients input begins simultaneously for C, N and P in 1948 with the clearing of the catchment for agriculture; although excess of nutrients input increased most importantly around the 1970s to roughly follow the rapidly growing population of Culiacan City. C/N ratios, delta13C and delta15N suggested that nutrient enrichment is mostly influenced by sewage delivered through Culiacan River.     

南水北调东线徐州段尾水回用与导流方案

研究了利用现有部分水利、灌溉系统对其截流、蓄水功能，规划构筑区域尾水的回用和导流工程的总体方案，对该工程的建设规模和投资概算进行了测算，分析了该工程建设的环境经济效益和技术、经济可行性。     

The province-managing-county reform and green innovation of enterprises: evidence from the quasi-natural experiment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Based on the database of green patents of China’s A-share listed enterprises from 2001 to 2018, this paper identifies the impact of the...     

Temporal trends of organochlorines and mercury in seabird eggs from the Canadian Arctic, 1975-2003

Organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, total mercury and selenium were measured in eggs of thick-billed murres, northern fulmars and black-legged kittiwakes collected from Prince Leopold Island in the Canadian High Arctic between 1975 and 2003. The primary organochlorines found were SigmaPCB, p,p'-DDE, oxychlordane, and hexachlorobenzene (HCB). Most of organochlorines analyzed showed either significant declines or no significant change between 1975 and 2003 in all three species. However, significant increases were observed for SigmaHCH in the kittiwakes and fulmars, and beta-HCH in the murres and fulmars. Mercury increased significantly in eggs of murres and fulmars, whereas mercury in the kittiwakes did not change significantly over the study period. Statistical analyses included stable-nitrogen isotope ratios (delta(15)N) to control for any variation in trophic level over time. Although the contaminant concentrations reported in this study are below published threshold values, mercury and beta-HCH concentrations continue to increase suggesting that continued monitoring is warranted.     

The impact of economic complexity on carbon emissions: evidence from France

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This paper reanalyzes the determinants of the CO2 emissions in France. For this purpose, it considers the unit root test with two structural breaks...     

The impact of human capital and bio-capacity on the environmental quality: evidence from G20 countries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study investigates the effects of human capital, bio-capacity, energy use, and economic growth on the ecological footprint of G20 countries for...     

The environmental impact of industrialization and foreign direct investment: empirical evidence from Asia-Pacific region

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Environmental degradation has been the main distress in recent years due to the drastic effect of climate change. To determine the gone thorough...     

The synergistic and trade-off effects of economic-environmental-health improvement in agriculture sector: evidence from China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Typical non-parametric frontier analysis based on material balance principle (MBP) is superior for measuring agricultural economic-environmental...     

Polycentric agglomeration and haze pollution: evidence from China

Polycentric agglomeration has gradually become a salient feature of rapid growth in urbanization in China. Using province-level balanced panel data over the period 2000–18, we examine the impact of polycentric agglomeration on haze pollution and its mechanism of action. The results show that the impact of polycentric agglomeration on haze pollution exhibits a significant inverted U-shaped feature. Nevertheless, except for a few provinces where polycentric agglomeration exceeds the turning point, the degree of polycentric concentration in most provinces lies to the left of the turning point. Further, a mediating effect model illustrates that industrial structure rationalization and technological progress are effective paths through which polycentric agglomeration affects haze pollution. Finally, we demonstrate that the effect of polycentric agglomeration on haze pollution is influenced by transportation and communication infrastructure; improved transportation and communication infrastructure contributes to the haze control effect of polycentric agglomeration.

     

Trends of TCDD and related compounds in the Great Lakes: The Lake Ontario ecosystem

The Laurentian Great Lakes represent 20 percent of the surface fresh water of the world. They are unique because of their long flushing times (in excess of 175 years for Lake Superior), their relatively short mixing times and their consequent propensity to accumulate persistent chemicals and respond very slowly to decreased chemical loadings. Lake Ontario, as the last lake in the system, receives the drainage from the other four Great Lakes in addition to significant chemical contributions from within its drainage basin particularly from its main tributary, the Niagara River.

This paper evaluates environmental levels of TCOD and related compounds within the Lake Ontario ecosystem by considering temporal trends, the application of mass loading principles for large lake ecosystems and the examination of a holistic ecosystem perspective on exposure routes.     

Estimating the energy consumption function: evidence from across the globe

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The motivation for the current study stem from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) such as access to clean (SDG-7) and...     

Interactions of climate,socio-economics,and global mercury pollution in the North Water

Despite the remoteness of the North Water, Northwest Greenland, the local Inughuit population is affected by global anthropogenic pollution and climate change. Using a cross-disciplinary approach combining Mercury (Hg) analysis, catch information, and historical and anthropological perspectives, this article elucidates how the traditional diet is compromised by Hg pollution originating from lower latitudes. In a new approach we here show how the Inughuits in Avanersuaq are subject to high Hg exposure from the hunted traditional food, consisting of mainly marine seabirds and mammals. Violation of the provisional tolerably yearly intake of Hg, on average by a factor of 11 (range 7–15) over the last 20 years as well as the provisional tolerably monthly intake by a factor of 6 (range 2–16), raises health concerns. The surplus of Selenium (Se) in wildlife tissues including narwhals showed Se:Hg molar ratios of 1.5, 2.3, and 16.7 in muscle, liver, and mattak, respectively, likely to provide some protection against the high Hg exposure.