Trying Not to Get Burned: Understanding Homeowners’ Wildfire Risk–Mitigation Behaviors

Three causes have been identified for the spiraling cost of wildfire suppression in the United States: climate change, fuel accumulation from past wildfire suppression, and development in fire-prone areas. Because little is likely to be performed to halt the effects of climate on wildfire risk, and because fuel-management budgets cannot keep pace with fuel accumulation let alone reverse it, changing the behaviors of existing and potential homeowners in fire-prone areas is the most promising approach to decreasing the cost of suppressing wildfires in the wildland–urban interface and increasing the odds of homes surviving wildfire events. Wildfire education efforts encourage homeowners to manage their property to decrease wildfire risk. Such programs may be more effective with a better understanding of the factors related to homeowners’ decisions to undertake wildfire risk–reduction actions. In this study, we measured whether homeowners had implemented 12 wildfire risk–mitigation measures in 2 Colorado Front Range counties. We found that wildfire information received from local volunteer fire departments and county wildfire specialists, as well as talking with neighbors about wildfire, were positively associated with higher levels of mitigation. Firsthand experience in the form of preparing for or undertaking an evacuation was also associated with a higher level of mitigation. Finally, homeowners who perceived higher levels of wildfire risk on their property had undertaken higher levels of wildfire-risk mitigation on their property.     

Conceptions of vulnerability in adaptation projects: a critical examination of the role of development aid agencies in Timor-Leste

It is widely acknowledged that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are particularly vulnerable to climate change and will continue to require external support to adapt to current and future impacts. The international development community plays an important role in supporting SIDS adapt to climatic changes, and calls for increased international commitment have been made. However, how the vulnerability of SIDS to climate change is being conceptualised and, subsequently, how adaptation programmes are conceived and designed by the international development community are yet to be critically explored. Using Timor-Leste as a case study, this study examines the conceptual trends underpinning 32 donor-led adaptation programmes implemented from 2010 to the present date. Results show that donor-led adaptation programmes continue to conceptualise climate change vulnerability as a biophysical issue rather than a consequence of the dynamic interactions between political, institutional, economic and social structures. Adaptation policy responses therefore have limited ability to target more nuanced and broader-scale structures affecting SIDS and may be falling short in their efforts to reduce the vulnerability of SIDS. We argue that it is critical that the international development community re-conceptualise its approach to vulnerability reduction in SIDS. We conclude by highlighting how the Paris Agreement, with its expanding understanding of vulnerability, can act as a useful instrument to promote such changes.     

To drink or grasp? How bullet ants (Paraponera clavata) differentiate between sugars and proteins in liquids

Flexibility in behavior can increase the likelihood that a forager may respond optimally in a fluctuating environment. Nevertheless, physiological or neuronal constraints may result in suboptimal responses to stimuli. We observed foraging workers of the giant tropical ant (also referred to as the “bullet ant”), Paraponera clavata, as they reacted to liquid solutions with varying concentrations of sugar and protein. We show that when protein/sucrose concentration is high, many bullet ants will often try to grasp at the droplet, rather than gather it by drinking. Because P. clavata actively hunt for prey, fixed action patterns and rapid responses to protein may be adaptively important, regardless of the medium in which it is presented. We conclude that, in P. clavata, food-handling decisions are made in response to the nutrient content of the food rather than the texture of the food. Further, we suggest that colonies that maintain a mixture of individuals with consistent fixed or flexible behavioral responses to food-handling decisions may be better adapted to fluctuating environmental conditions, and we propose future studies that could address this.     

Habitat evaluation using suitability index and habitat type diversity: a case study involving a shallow forest stream in central Taiwan

In recent years, the Taiwanese government has strongly promoted the concept of ecological engineering in the hope that doing so will encourage the maintenance of the ecosystem and its integrity. As a result, the riprap spur dike is one of the most commonly used measures for protecting stream banks. Traditionally, a spur dike is used at concave banks to prevent their scouring and/or to increase their stabilization. An additional benefit of deflector structures, like spur dikes, may be to increase the weighted usable area (WUA) for aquatic life survival during periods of increased flow (examples include typhoon, flood, etc.). A two-dimensional river habitat simulation program (River2D) coupled with a developed shallow water habitat type diversity module was used for the case study at a headwater stream in central Taiwan. The habitat suitability index for this study was established using substrate, depth, and velocity from field surveys for the fish family Cyprinidae by prepositioned area electrofisher. The ungauged flood conditions were calculated using digital elevation models within a watershed delineation and hydrological modeling system in accordance with local regulations. Simulated results indicate that the spur dikes currently in use on the stream in this study need be improved from a WUA point of view more effectively handle a flood event.     

典型重化工园区产能增加对城市O3浓度影响

重化工园区产能增加将加大园区挥发性有机物(VOCs)排放总量,进而影响本地及周边城市O₃浓度.珠三角实施的“VOCs倍量替代”政策可在城市层面有效抵消重化工园区VOCs排放量上升的不利影响,还可进一步降低城市VOCs排放总量,实现区域O₃浓度下降.以惠州市某大型重化工园区为例,编制2018—2020年重化工园区产能增加以及实施“VOCs倍量替代”政策的污染物排放清单,基于WRF-CMAQ模拟体系,定量分析多种情景下园区在基准年(2017年)7—10月气象条件下对惠州市及周边城市O₃影响程度.研究表明,重化工园区增产而增加VOCs排放4101.96 t,“VOCs倍量替代”综合减排余量7298.97 t;“VOCs倍量替代”政策可有效解决重化工园区增产对O₃浓度的不利影响,其中7月最为显著,主导东南风下风向的深圳市及惠州市大亚湾管委会站点O₃浓度降幅最大,分别为3.9μg·m^-3(下降率2.97%)和7μg·m^-3(下降率4.95%);...     

Air pollution associated with cognitive decline by the mediating effects of sleep cycle disruption and changes in brain structure in adults

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The effects of air pollution on sleep and dementia remain unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of air pollution on...     

Simultaneous capture of metal, sulfur and chlorine by sorbents during fluidized bed incineration

Metal capture experiments were carried out in an atmospheric fluidized bed incinerator to investigate the effect of sulfur and chlorine on metal capture efficiency and the potential for simultaneous capture of metal, sulfur and chlorine by sorbents. In addition to experimental investigation, the effect of sulfur and chlorine on the metal capture process was also theoretically investigated through performing equilibrium calculations based on the minimization of system free energy. The observed results have indicated that, in general, the existence of sulfur and chlorine enhances the efficiency of metal capture especially at low to medium combustion temperatures. The capture mechanisms appear to include particulate scrubbing and chemisorption depending on the type of sorbents. Among the three sorbents tested, calcined limestone is capable of capturing all the three air pollutants simultaneously. The results also indicate that a mixture of the three sorbents, in general, captures more metals than a single sorbent during the process. In addition, the existence of sulfur and chlorine apparently enhances the metal capture process.     

北京市凉水河表层沉积物中砷含量及其赋存形态

选择北京市典型的非常规水源补给城市河流(凉水河)为研究对象,采用王水水浴消解法和BCR三步提取法分析了表层沉积物中砷含量及其形态,并利用富集系数法、风险评估指数法和沉积物重金属质量基准法对表层沉积物中砷进行评价.结果表明,凉水河表层沉积物中总砷含量范围是2.18~22.5 mg·kg~(-1),均值为6.01 mg·kg~(-1),多数样点低于北京市土壤中砷的背景值;沉积物中砷主要以残渣态(B4态)存在,平均含量为3.93 mg·kg~(-1);沉积物中各形态砷所占的平均比例顺序为:残渣态(B4态)可还原态(B2态)可氧化态(B3态)弱酸可溶解态(B1态),其中生物有效态砷占总砷的平均比例为39.61%.富集系数法分析结果显示凉水河表层沉积物中砷基本未出现富集;风险评估指数法分析结果显示凉水河60%的采样点表层沉积物中砷含量呈中度风险,40%的采样点呈低风险;沉积物重金属质量基准法分析结果显示凉水河55%的采样点表层沉积物中砷含量低于阈值效应水平(TEL),40%的采样点处于可能效应水平(PEL)和阈值效应水平(TEL)之间.