Achieving attainable outcomes from good science in an untidy world: case studies in land and air pollution

While scientific understanding of environmental issues develops through careful observation, experiment and modelling, the application of such advances in the day to day world is much less clean and tidy. Merseyside in northwest England has an industrial heritage from the earliest days of the industrial revolution. Indeed, the chemical industry was borne here. Land contamination issues are rife, as are problems with air quality. Through the examination of one case study for each topic, the practicalities of applied science are explored. An integrated, multidisciplinary response to pollution needs more than a scientific risk assessment. The needs of the various groups (from public to government) involved in the situations must be considered, as well as wider, relevant contexts (from history to European legislation), before a truly integrated response can be generated. However, no such situation exists in isolation and the introduction of environmental investigations and the exploration of suitable, integrated responses will alter the situation in unexpected ways, which must be considered carefully and incorporated in a rolling fashion to enable solutions to continue to be applicable and relevant to the problem being faced. This integrated approach has been tested over many years in Merseyside and found to be a robust approach to ever-changing problems that are well described by the management term, “wicked problems”.     

城市污泥对不同质地土壤保水效果研究

利用城市污泥滞水性强的特性可开发污泥作为保水剂的新功能。通过土培实验,在砂土、壤土和粘土中加入不同质量的污泥,研究污泥对不同质地土壤的保水效果。结果表明:在充分供水条件下,添加污泥能显著提高3种质地土壤的持水能力,土壤中添加20%的污泥后,砂土、粘土和壤土初始含水率分别增加11.2%、8.7%和8.8%;在3种质地土壤中添加污泥均可增大土壤的保水性,使水分蒸发减慢,且污泥添加量越多,土壤含水率越大;土壤累积失水量主要受到土壤中含水量的影响,也和不同质地土壤自身的蒸发量有关;在150 g土壤中添加10 g污泥,对砂土保水性提高不大,对壤土保水性提高最大,随着添加污泥量的增多,污泥对砂土的保水效果提高最明显。研究表明:开发污泥做为保水剂是可行的,这为污泥的资源化利用提供了新的途径,也为复合保水剂的研制提供了新的廉价材料,对于污泥治理及农业节水都有重要意义。     

消耗臭氧层物质(ODS)管理研究

自从人类发现南极上空臭氧层空洞以来,国际社会和各国政府为保护臭氧层,加速淘汰消耗臭氧层物质(简称ODS)做了不懈努力.自1989年《蒙特利尔议定书》生效至今,已经召开了25次缔约方大会,超过191个国家和地区加入了该议定书.中国于1991年加入该议定书后,积极履约,进行了大量关于ODS淘汰工作,当前还在进行加强地方消耗臭氧层物质淘汰履约能力建设二期项目工作,加快提升中国的ODS物质淘汰工作进度.     

The assessment of environmentally sensitive forest road construction in Calabrian pine forest areas of Turkey

Forest road construction by bulldozers in Calabrian Pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) forests on mountainous terrain of Turkey causes considerable damage to the environment and the forest standing alongside the road. This situation obliges a study of environmentally sound road construction in Turkey. This study was carried out in 4 sample sites of Antalya Forest Directorate in steep (34-50% gradient) and very steep terrain (51-70% gradient) conditions with bulldozer and excavator machine and direct damages to forest during road construction was determined, including forest area losses and damages to downhill trees in mountainous areas. It was determined that in steep terrain when excavators were used, less forest area (22.16%) was destroyed compared to bulldozers and 26.54% less area in very steep terrain. The proportion of damage on trees where bulldozer worked was nearly twofold higher than excavator was used. The results of this research show that the environmentally sensitive techniques applied for the road construction projects are considerably superior to the traditional use of bulldozers on steep slopes. The environmentally sound forest road construction by use of excavator must be considered an appropriate and reliable solution for mountainous terrain where areas of sensitive forest ecosystems are to be opened up.     

Size-assortative pairing across three developmental stages in the Zeus bug, Phoreticovelia disparata

The mechanisms underlying size-assortative pairing have received considerable attention. Typically, pairing is assumed to occur at, or just prior to, the adult phase of the life cycle. However, in many invertebrates, males commence associations with juvenile females who are more than a single moult away from sexual maturity. These species are ideal to explore the importance of reproductive and survival benefits as mechanisms driving size-assortative pairing. In the Zeus bug, Phoreticovelia disparata, adult males are found riding on juvenile (fourth and fifth instar) and adult females—a behaviour that is costly for females but has survival benefits for males. Using a combination of field collections and laboratory manipulations, we show that pairing is size-assortative both within and between female age classes and that riding males are smaller than non-riding males. In a series of mating trials, we revealed that males attempt to ride any female but that their riding success is dependent on female age. We also provide the first direct evidence of female resistance to male riding attempts in P. disparata. We propose that size-assortative pairing arises through adaptations that have evolved to minimise the potential costs of sexual conflict. We suggest that the selective pressure on males to maximise survival benefits is sufficiently high that it outweighs the reproductive benefits of discriminating against fourth instar females. Finally, given that female resistance is under direct selection in juvenile females, it is likely to be the main form of selective pressure for adult females.     

Zur Entwicklung einer Prüfstrategie auf sexual-endokrine Wirksamkeit einer chemischen Substanz bei Fischen

Ohne Zusammenfassung Hintergrundinformation Umweltbundesamt (2007). Abschlussbericht des Forschungsprojektes „Charakterisierung endokrin vermittelter Wirkungen in Fischen: Relevante Parameter für die Entwicklung einer neuen OECD-Testmethode und in der Anwendung in der gesetzlichen Umweltrisikobewertung“ im Auftrag des Umweltbundesamtes (F?rderkennzeichen 206 67 470). Online erh?ltlich unter     

Report: New guidelines for characterization of municipal solid waste: the Portuguese case

This report proposes a new set of guidelines for the characterization of municipal solid waste. It is based on an analysis of reference methodologies, used internationally, and a case study of Valorsul (a company that handles recovery and treatment of solid waste in the North Lisbon Metropolitan Area). In particular, the suggested guidelines present a new definition of the waste to be analysed, change the sampling unit and establish statistical standards for the results obtained. In these new guidelines, the sampling level is the waste collection vehicle and contamination and moisture are taken into consideration. Finally, focus is on the quality of the resulting data, which is essential for comparability of data between countries. These new guidelines may also be applicable outside Portugal because the methodology includes, besides municipal mixed waste, separately collected fractions of municipal waste. They are a response to the need for information concerning Portugal (e.g. Eurostat or OECD inquiries) and follow European Union municipal solid waste management policies (e.g. packaging waste recovery and recycling targets and the reduction of biodegradable waste going to landfill).