Carbon/nitrogen ratio as a major factor for predicting the effects of organic wastes on soil bacterial communities assessed by DNA-based molecular techniques

Background, aim, and scope  

Current Australian legislation permits the beneficial application of grease trap waste (GTW) to agricultural soil, viewing it as a beneficial source of organic matter and soil conditioner containing no/low amounts of metals or pathogenic organisms. However, little is known about the influence of GTW on soil bacterial community. A field experiment was established at Menangle in south western Sydney in Australia to quantitatively assess the impacts of different types (GTW CO and GTW CL) and amounts of GTW application on the soil bacterial community and diversity. Furthermore, a municipal solid waste (MSW) compost was simultaneously examined to compare against the other organic wastes. Knowledge about the shifts in microbial community structure and diversity following the applications of organic wastes could help to evaluate the ecological consequences on the soil and thus to develop sound regulatory guidelines for the beneficial reuse of organic wastes in agricultural lands.     

Theoretical versus observed gas-particle partitioning of carbonyl emissions from motor vehicles

A state-of-the-science thermodynamic model describing gas-particle absorption processes was used to predict the gas-particle partitioning of mixtures of approximately 60 carbonyl compounds emitted from low-emission gasoline-powered vehicles, three-way catalyst gasoline-powered vehicles, heavy-duty diesel vehicles under the idle-creep condition (HDDV idle), and heavy-duty diesel vehicles under the five-mode test (HDDV 5-mode). Exhaust was diluted by a factor of 120-580 with a residence time of approximately 43 sec. The predicted equilibrium absorption partitioning coefficients differed from the measured partitioning coefficients by several orders of magnitude. Time scales to reach equilibrium in the dilution sampling system were close to the actual residence time during the HDDV 5-mode test and much longer than the actual residence time during the other vehicle tests. It appears that insufficient residence time in the sampling system cannot uniformly explain the failure of the absorption mechanism to explain the measured partitioning. Other gas-particle partitioning mechanisms (e.g., heterogeneous reactions, capillary adsorption) beyond the simple absorption theory are needed to explain the discrepancy between calculated carbonyl partitioning coefficients and observed partitioning. Both of these alternative partitioning mechanisms imply great challenges for the measurement and modeling of semi-volatile primary organic aerosol (POA) species from motor vehicles. Furthermore, as emitted particle concentrations from newer vehicles approach atmospheric background levels, dilution sampling systems must fundamentally change their approach so that they use realistic particle concentrations in the dilution air to approximately represent real-world conditions. Samples collected with particle-free dilution air yielding total particulate matter concentrations below typical ambient concentrations will not provide a realistic picture of partitioning for semi-volatile compounds.     

The seasonal cycles and photochemistry of C2–C5 alkanes at Mace Head

Continuous in-situ measurements of NMHCs at Mace Head, Ireland during two full annual cycles from January 2005 to January 2007 were used to investigate NMHC emission sources and transport including dilution and photochemical oxidation. The Mace Head research station is ideally located to sample a wide range of air masses including polluted European transport, clean North Atlantic and Arctic air masses and the ultra-clean, Southern Atlantic air masses. The variety in air mass sampling is used to investigate interaction of emissions, transport, dilution and photochemistry. Variability of long-lived hydrocarbon ratios is used to assess and estimate typical transport times from emission source to the Mace Head receptor. Seasonality in the ratios of isomeric alkane pairs (for butane and pentanes) are used to assess the effects of atmospheric transport and photochemical ageing. Finally, the natural logarithms of NMHC ratios are used to assess photochemical oxidation.     

High and low value fish chains in the Mekong Delta: challenges for livelihoods and governance

This paper investigates the structure, function and wealth distribution within the Pangasius hypophthalmus and Henicorhynchus spp./Labiobarbus spp. value chains in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The analysis is driven by key questions relating to the form and function of value chains, their contribution to the livelihoods of farmers and fishers, the effectiveness of government policy and the potential for value chain governance mechanisms, such as contracts and certification, to steer towards sustainable production. The results indicate that actors in the high value Pangasius hypopthalmus export chain have a higher potential income, but face considerably higher economic vulnerability from global markets. Alternatively, Henichorhychus/Labiobarbus spp. fishers are severely constrained in their ability to negotiate higher prices for their fish but appear to be less vulnerable to economic and environmental change. The paper concludes that for value chain governance to improve the livelihoods of fishers and farmers in both high and low value chains, new arrangements are needed that better accommodate customary institutions and informal market relations.     

Science with Society in the Anthropocene

Interdisciplinary scientific knowledge is necessary but not sufficient when it comes to addressing sustainable transformations, as science increasingly has to deal with normative and value-related issues. A systems perspective on coupled human–environmental systems (HES) helps to address the inherent complexities. Additionally, a thorough interaction between science and society (i.e., transdisciplinarity = TD) is necessary, as sustainable transitions are sometimes contested and can cause conflicts. In order to navigate complexities regarding the delicate interaction of scientific research with societal decisions these processes must proceed in a structured and functional way. We thus propose HES-based TD processes to provide a basis for reorganizing science in coming decades.     

Editor's perspective‐‐‐Shale gas development: Environmental issues and opportunities

Many professionals in the environmental industry have questioned whether the rapid expansion in shale gas development, particularly in the Marcellus Shale Play, is providing business opportunities. While gas production is a routine practice, the development of shale gas requires a process (fracturing, or, more commonly, “fracing'') that uses chemicals and is far more intrusive to the subsurface environment than traditional gas production. In this Editor's Perspective, we evaluate the environmental issues surrounding shale gas development, with a specific focus on the Marcellus Shale Play because it is currently the most active play in the United States, from both the drilling and political perspectives. In addition, we examine where the business opportunities are likely to be for environmental professionals relative to shale gas development. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A new hypothesis concerning the nature of small pelagic fish clusters: An individual-based modelling study of Sardinella aurita dynamics off West Africa

Coastal populations of small pelagic fish display nested aggregation levels. Above the level of the school structure, clusters are observed the nature of which has not been definitively determined. We hypothesized that these clusters corresponded to a materialisation of the microcohorts originating from successive spawnings of fish populations in their vital domain.A candidate individual-based model was developed to investigate this hypothesis. This model is based on pattern-oriented modelling of a concrete documented case: the dynamics of the round sardinella (Sardinella aurita) population living off the West African coasts and subject to environmental fluctuations caused by seasonal upwelling. The simulated agents were round sardinella microcohorts situated and moving in a discretised physical environment. The combined effects of environmental forcing (temperature, wind, retention) and inner biological dynamics (reproduction, growth and mortality, competition) condition the dynamics of this population.The modelled behaviour generated realistic dynamic patterns (population distribution, spawning zones, periods and plasticity, biomass fluctuations), which were obtained simultaneously and successfully compared with observations. The steady-state number of microcohorts obtained after simulation convergence was similar to the number of clusters observed in situ in this area for this population.The realism and diversity of the patterns simultaneously simulated suggested the cluster-microcohort equivalence hypothesis as a candidate framework accounting for the origin of the clusters observed in situ. Within this preliminary exploration, we discuss the consistency of the hypothesis and the accuracy of the model. If the correspondence between clusters and microcohorts proves to be real, it may be transient and progressively modified by other environmental factors. If stable over time, as simulated in the model, the number of observed clusters should be related to the number of spawning events in the species’ lifetime.