Evaluating anthropogenic N inputs to diverse lake basins: A case study of three Chinese lakes

The environmental degradation of lakes in China has become increasingly serious over the last 30 years and eutrophication resulting from enhanced nutrient inputs is considered a top threat. In this study, a quasi-mass balance method, net anthropogenic N inputs (NANI), was introduced to assess the human influence on N input into three typical Chinese lake basins. The resultant NANI exceeded 10 000 kg N km⁻² year⁻¹ for all three basins, and mineral fertilizers were generally the largest sources. However, rapid urbanization and shrinking agricultural production capability may significantly increase N inputs from food and feed imports. Higher percentages of NANI were observed to be exported at urban river outlets, suggesting the acceleration of NANI transfer to rivers by urbanization. Over the last decade, the N inputs have declined in the basins dominated by the fertilizer use but have increased in the basins dominated by the food and feed import. In the foreseeable future, urban areas may arise as new hotspots for nitrogen in China while fertilizer use may decline in importance in areas of high population density.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-015-0638-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Rotary Kiln Incineration II. Laboratory-Scale Desorption and Kiln-Simulator Studies—Solids

With landfill costs increasing and regulations on landfilling becoming more stringent, alternatives to conventional hazardous waste treatment strategies are becoming more desirable. Incineration Is presently a permanent, proven solution for the disposal of most organic contaminants, but also a costly one, especially in the case of solids which require some auxiliary fuel. The goal of this research is to develop an understanding of the phenomena associated with the evolution of contaminants from solids In the primary combustor of an Incineration system. A four-fold approach is being used. First, a bench-scale particle characterization reactor was developed to study the transport phenomena on a particle basis, where the controlling processes are mainly intraparticle. Second, a bed-characterization reactor was built to examine the controlling transport phenomena within a bed of particles, where the processes are primarily interparticle. The results of these studies can be applied to any primary combustor. A pilot-scale rotary kiln was developed to study the evolution of contaminants from solids within a realistic temperature and rotation environment. Finally, in situ measurements are being obtained from a full-scale rotary-kiln.

This paper describes results obtained in a study using a commercial sorbent contaminated with toluene. The data are from the particle-characterization reactor and the rotary-kiln simulator. The results show that the method of contamination and charge size do not have a large effect on desorption, while temperature and contaminant concentration are important parameters In the evolution of contaminants in a rotary kiln.     

Application of Forensic Techniques for Age Dating and Source Identification in Environmental Litigation

A multitude of forensic techniques are available for age dating and source identification, including corrosion models for underground storage tanks, the commercial availability of a compound, chemical associations with discrete types of manufacturing processes, chemical profiling, proprietary additives, stable isotope analysis, degradation models, biomarkers and contaminant transport models. The selection and use of these techniques in environmental litigation must be thoroughly understood and applied to be effective as forensic evidence. When introduced as scientific evidence, the governing assumptions and quality of the data are critically evaluated and frequently successfully challenged. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of commonly used environmental forensic techniques and their possible applications so that a user can decide which technique or combination of methods is most appropriate for their case.     

The relations between natural and civic place attachment and pro-environmental behavior

The relation between place attachment and pro-environmental behavior is unclear. Studies have reported that place attachment is associated both with more and less pro-environmental behavior. To help clarify this, we distinguished two dimensions of place attachment: civic and natural, and explored their respective influences on pro-environmental behavior. A community sample of residents (N = 104) from two proximate towns with different environmental reputations reported the strength of their civic and natural place attachment, their performance of various pro-environmental behaviors, and a number of sociodemographic characteristics. Regression analyses revealed that natural, but not civic place attachment predicted pro-environmental behavior when controlling for the town, length of residence, gender, education and age. This demonstrates that research and theory on place attachment should consider its civic and natural dimensions independently.     

The Everchanging Air Pollution Control Market

While the United States is the largest single market for air pollution control equipment, it constitutes only about one-third of the total world market. This overview explores the legislative, economic, and technological factors that affect those markets.     

Agroforest’s growing role in reducing carbon losses from Jambi (Sumatra), Indonesia

This paper examines the size and intensity of changes among five land categories during the two time intervals in a region of Indonesia that is pioneering negotiations concerning reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). Maps at 1973, 1993, and 2005 indicate that land-cover change is accelerating, while carbon loss is decelerating in Jambi Province, Sumatra. Land dynamics have shifted from Forest loss during 1973–1993 to Agroforest loss during 1993–2005. Forest losses account for most reductions in aboveground carbon during the both time intervals, but Agroforest plays an increasingly important role in carbon reductions during the more recent interval. These results provide motivation for future REDD policies to count carbon changes associated with all influential land categories, such as Agroforests.     

Potential impacts of climate change on agricultural land use suitability of the Hungarian counties

Central and Eastern European countries are a hotspot area when analyzing the impacts of climate change on agricultural and environmental sectors. This paper conducts a socio-economic evaluation of climate risks on crop production in Hungary, using panel data models. The region has a special location in the Carpathian basin, where the spatial distribution of precipitation varies highly from humid conditions in the western part to semiarid conditions in eastern Hungary. Under current conditions, crop systems are mainly rainfed, and water licences are massively underexploited. However, water stress projected by climate change scenarios could completely change this situation. In the near future (2021–2050), most of the crops examined could have better climatic conditions, while at the end of the century (2071–2100), lower yields are expected. Adaptation strategies must be based on an integrated evaluation which links economic and climatic aspects, and since the results show important differences in the case of individual systems, it is clear that the response has to be crop and region specific.     

Dioxins and furans in emissions from medical waste incinerators

Dioxins and furans were detected in emissions from eight medical waste incinerators tested in California. Total uncontrolled emissions ranged from 363 to 11, 811 nanograms per dry standard cubic meter. The most effective of three wet scrubbers achieved an emissions control efficiency of 95 percent for total PCDD and PCDF. A baghouse was less than 30 percent efficient in removing PCDD and PCDF from the incinerator emissions.