Increases in Nitrate Concentrations in the River Frome (Dorset) Catchment Related to Changes in Land Use, Fertiliser Applications and Sewage Input

Nitrate concentrations and nitrate loads throughout the River Frome catchment (Dorset) are compared for the periods 1970-71 and 1984-86. Nitrate concentrations and loads have increased at every site, the increase in mean nitrate concentrations varying from 31% to 123%. These increases in nitrate concentrations are related to changes in land use and fertiliser applications and also to an increase in sewage effluent entering the river.     

At-sea activity patterns of breeding and nonbreeding white-chinned petrels <Emphasis Type="Italic">Procellaria aequinoctialis</Emphasis> from South Georgia

Despite the recent burgeoning in predator tracking studies, few report on seabird activity patterns, despite the potential to provide important insights into foraging ecology and distribution. In the first year-round study for any small petrel, we examined the activity patterns of the white-chinned petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis based on data from combination geolocator-immersion loggers deployed on adults at South Georgia. The petrels were highly nocturnal, flying for greater proportions of darkness than any large procellarid studied so far, except the light-mantled albatross Phoebetria palpebrata. Flight bout durations were short compared with other species, suggesting a dominant foraging mode of small-scale searching within large prey patches. When migrating, birds reduced the proportion of time on the water and increased flight bout duration. Activity patterns changed seasonally: birds flew least during the nonbreeding period, and most frequently during chick-rearing in order to meet higher energy demands associated with provisioning offspring. The degree of their response to moonlight was also stage dependent (greatest in nonbreeding, and weakest in incubating birds), a trait potentially shared by other nocturnal petrels which will have repercussions for feeding success and prey selection. For the white-chinned petrel, which is commonly caught in longline fisheries, these results can be used to identify periods when birds are most susceptible to bycatch, and therefore when use of mitigation and checking for compliance is critical.     

Atlantic storminess and historical sand drift in Western Europe: implications for future management of coastal dunes

Historical records of sand drift and dune-building along the coastline of Western Europe provide insights into the natural processes of sand dune accretion and both the impacts of, and human responses to, sand incursions. The analysis of documentary records, instrumental data and proxy records over the last 1,000 years indicates that this period, which included the Little Ice Age (AD 1570–1900), featured numerous episodes of sand drift and dune development driven by strong winds associated with Atlantic storms. It is estimated that sand drift affected over a quarter of a million hectares of coastal land in Western Europe. The widespread use of vegetation to stabilise coastal dune systems and prevent sand drift is documented across Europe from AD 1100 and by the start of the 20th century all of the larger coastal dune systems in Portugal, France, Britain and Denmark were comparatively inactive. Given that Atlantic storminess has remained more or less unchanged over the last 200 years, modern dune management strategies which consider dune devegetation, driven by an increasing focus on ‘naturalness’, may give rise to a recurrence of sand drift problems. Predictions of increased storm frequencies by the end of the 21st century, coupled with sea level rise and potential changes in sand supply will present further challenges for the more ‘dynamic’ dune management strategies.     

Testing the field of dreams hypothesis: functional responses to urbanization and restoration in stream ecosystems

As catchments become increasingly urban, the streams that drain them become increasingly degraded. Urban streams are typically characterized by high-magnitude storm flows, homogeneous habitats, disconnected riparian zones, and elevated nitrogen concentrations. To reverse the degradation of urban water quality, watershed managers and regulators are increasingly turning to stream restoration approaches. By reshaping the channel and reconnecting the surface waters with their riparian zone, practitioners intend to enhance the natural nutrient retention capacity of the restored stream ecosystem. Despite the exponential growth in stream restoration projects and expenditures, there has been no evaluation to date of the efficacy of urban stream restoration projects in enhancing nitrogen retention or in altering the underlying ecosystem metabolism that controls instream nitrogen consumption. In this study, we compared ecosystem metabolism and nitrate uptake kinetics in four stream restoration projects within urban watersheds to ecosystem functions measured in four unrestored urban stream segments and four streams draining minimally impacted forested watersheds in central North Carolina, U.S.A. All 12 sites were surveyed in June through August of 2006 and again in January through March of 2007. We anticipated that urban streams would have enhanced rates of ecosystem metabolism and nitrate uptake relative to forested streams due to the increases in nutrient loads and temperature associated with urbanization, and we predicted that restored streams would have further enhanced rates for these ecosystem functions by virtue of their increased habitat heterogeneity and water residence times. Contrary to our predictions we found that stream metabolism did not differ between stream types in either season and that nitrate uptake kinetics were not different between stream types in the winter. During the summer, restored stream reaches had substantially higher rates of nitrate uptake than unrestored or forested stream reaches; however, we found that variation in stream temperature and canopy cover explained 80% of the variation across streams in nitrate uptake. Because the riparian trees are removed during the first stage of natural channel design projects, the restored streams in this study had significantly less canopy cover and higher summer temperatures than the urban and forested streams with which they were compared.     

Assessing gait changes in firefighters due to fatigue and protective clothing

Each year, roughly 11,000 firefighters are injured as a result of slips, trips and falls, which account for over 25% of all fireground injuries. Wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) can increase risk of fall-related injuries due to its weight, restrictiveness, and increased heat stress. Modification of PPE may serve to mitigate firefighter injuries related to loss of balance and falls. We examined the effects of choosing ‘enhanced’ protective clothing (lightweight, breathable, and less restrictive compared to typical firefighting PPE) and simulated firefighting tasks (18-min bout over four activities) on subsequent gait performance. To assess the effect of wearing protective clothing and firefighting activity, seven gait parameters and three movement errors were assessed during level and obstacle-crossing walking tasks. Forty-four firefighters wore one of two types of PPE (‘Standard’, ‘Enhanced’) during three testing conditions (baseline in station uniform, pre-firefighting activity in PPE, and post-firefighting activity in PPE). The effect of donning any PPE was found to significantly impair gait performance. Fatigue may impact effective mobility since more movement errors were observed during post-activity than pre-activity assessments. Although the Enhanced PPE did not lead to any significant differences in gait parameters compared to Standard PPE, participants in Enhanced PPE made twice as many movement errors, potentially attributed to lack of familiarity with the gear. These results suggest that wearing firefighting PPE and heat-stress induced fatigue are associated with reduced gait performance and increased risk for tripping over obstacles.     

Nonfatal bathroom injuries among persons aged ≥15 years--United States, 2008

Problem

Information about where nonfatal unintentional injuries occur is limited, but bathrooms commonly are believed to be a hazardous location.

Methods

Data from a nationally representative sample of hospital emergency departments (ED) was used to quantify and characterize nonfatal unintentional bathroom injuries among people aged ≥ 15 years.

Results

In 2008, an estimated 234,094 nonfatal bathroom injuries were treated in EDs. Most injuries (81.1%) were caused by falls and 37.3% of injuries occurred when bathing, showering, or getting out of the tub or shower. Both injury and hospitalization rates increased with age.

Summary

These results suggest that bathrooms tend to be most hazardous for persons in the oldest age groups.

Impact on Industry

Bathroom injuries among all household members might be reduced by increasing awareness about potentially hazardous activities in the bathroom combined with simple environmental changes such as adding grab bars inside and outside the tub or shower.     

Spatial and temporal trends of selected trace elements in liver tissue from polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from Alaska, Canada and Greenland

Spatial trends and comparative changes in time of selected trace elements were studied in liver tissue from polar bears from ten different subpopulation locations in Alaska, Canadian Arctic and East Greenland. For nine of the trace elements (As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mn, Pb, Rb, Se and Zn) spatial trends were investigated in 136 specimens sampled during 2005-2008 from bears from these ten subpopulations. Concentrations of Hg, Se and As were highest in the (northern and southern) Beaufort Sea area and lowest in (western and southern) Hudson Bay area and Chukchi/Bering Sea. In contrast, concentrations of Cd showed an increasing trend from east to west. Minor or no spatial trends were observed for Cu, Mn, Rb and Zn. Spatial trends were in agreement with previous studies, possibly explained by natural phenomena. To assess temporal changes of Cd, Hg, Se and Zn concentrations during the last decades, we compared our results to previously published data. These time comparisons suggested recent Hg increase in East Greenland polar bears. This may be related to Hg emissions and/or climate-induced changes in Hg cycles or changes in the polar bear food web related to global warming. Also, Hg:Se molar ratio has increased in East Greenland polar bears, which suggests there may be an increased risk for Hg(2+)-mediated toxicity. Since the underlying reasons for spatial trends or changes in time of trace elements in the Arctic are still largely unknown, future studies should focus on the role of changing climate and trace metal emissions on geographical and temporal trends of trace elements.