Base cation depletion, eutrophication and acidification of species-rich grasslands in response to long-term simulated nitrogen deposition

Pollutant nitrogen deposition effects on soil and foliar element concentrations were investigated in acidic and limestone grasslands, located in one of the most nitrogen and acid rain polluted regions of the UK, using plots treated for 8-10years with 35-140kg Nha(-2)y(-1) as NH(4)NO(3). Historic data suggests both grasslands have acidified over the past 50years. Nitrogen deposition treatments caused the grassland soils to lose 23-35% of their total available bases (Ca, Mg, K, and Na) and they became acidified by 0.2-0.4 pH units. Aluminium, iron and manganese were mobilised and taken up by limestone grassland forbs and were translocated down the acid grassland soil. Mineral nitrogen availability increased in both grasslands and many species showed foliar N enrichment. This study provides the first definitive evidence that nitrogen deposition depletes base cations from grassland soils. The resulting acidification, metal mobilisation and eutrophication are implicated in driving floristic changes.     

Accounting for the Impact of Management Scenarios on Typha Domingensis (Cattail) in an Everglades Wetland

Environmental Management - The coupled regional simulation model, and the transport and reaction simulation engine were recently adapted to simulate ecology, specifically Typha domingensis...     

Coastwatch UK—a public participation survey

Education and public participation are recognized as important elements of coastal zone management. The current paper describes the Uk’s largest public participation survey concerned with coastal issues. Coastwatch UK involves thousands of volunteers in an annual survey of the coastline. The project has several aims—primarily to provide an insight into the major problems and threats to the coastline and, through the involvement of volunteers, to raise public awareness and aid environmental education at all levels.     

The impact of coastal flooding on conservation areas: A study of the Clyde Estuary, Scotland

This study examines the impact of flooding on land of high conservation value located along part of the southern shoreline of the River Clyde Estuary in western Scotland. This paper hypothesizes that, over the next 50 years, the frequency and extent of coastal flooding will increase due to the gradual effect of global warming and the consequent rise in sea-level and increase in storminess. It is argued that because of the great cost of constructing new flood defence systems it will not be possible to protect all land areas to an equal extent from flooding. A means of ranking different land use will be necessary so that society can make a rational judgement concerning which sections of coastline will be worth protecting. This study provides a methodology that combines an objective ranking of conservation areas using non-economic indicators with a GIS model of flood potential, and permits accurate forecasts of flood losses to conservation areas of different ecological value. The conservation case study used in this paper proposes the use of an ecological weighting value based on five ecological variables each of 10 categories. Tables and maps identify the sites that have been highlighted as consisting of the most ‘valuable’ conservation sites. The methodology makes extensive use of geographical information systems (GIS) to model the predicted areas of flooding and to calculate conservation weighting values of the land areas.     

Assessing multiple novel tracers to improve the understanding of the contribution of agricultural farm waste to diffuse water pollution

A study was undertaken on drained and undrained 1 ha grassland lysimeters to assess the effectiveness of multiple novel tracing techniques in understanding how agricultural slurry waste moves from land to water. Artificial fluorescent particles designed to mimic the size and density of organic slurry particles were found to move off the grassland via inter-flow (surface + lateral through-flow) and drain-flow. Where both pathways were present the drains carried the greater number of particles. The results of the natural fluorescence and δ13C of water samples were inconclusive. Natural fluorescence was higher from slurry-amended lysimeters than from zero-slurry lysimeters, however, a fluorescence decay experiment suggested that no slurry signal should be present given the time between slurry application and the onset of drainage. The δ13C values of >0.7 microm and <0.7 microm material in drainage were varied and unrelated to discharge. The mean value of >0.7 microm δ13C in water from the drain-flow pathways was higher from the lysimeter which had received naturally enriched maize slurry compared to the lysimeter which received grass slurry indicating a contribution of slurry-derived material. Values of <0.7 microm δ13C from the same pathway, however, produced counter intuitive trends and may indicate that different fractions of the slurry have different δ13C values.     

Rail ruminations for process safety improvement

Process safety practices have undergone multiple refinements over the past few decades, but major accidents continue to occur. Most organizations strive to improve performance by strengthening existing methods or by adopting new and/or different approaches. Central to these continual improvement efforts is the practice of applying lessons learned as a means to drive out potential risk exposures. Often, lessons learned may be transferred from other industries; indeed, high-performing organizations regularly benchmark practices outside of their immediate industry.In pursuit of continual process safety improvement, this paper examines risk management practices in the Rail Industry, and explores how methods intended for managing passenger and public rail safety may be transferred to drive continual improvement of process safety. Rail safety has its roots in engineered safety solutions; modern practices have additionally embraced the human aspects of safety performance. A selection of approaches for rail safety assessment and risk management are described in three areas considered fundamental to safety management: management of systems, management of technology, and management of human elements. In light of these examples, the authors provide views regarding how the field of process safety management may leverage the rail experience.     

The missing pieces for better future predictions in subarctic ecosystems: A Torneträsk case study

Arctic and subarctic ecosystems are experiencing substantial changes in hydrology, vegetation, permafrost conditions, and carbon cycling, in response to climatic change and other anthropogenic drivers, and these changes are likely to continue over this century. The total magnitude of these changes results from multiple interactions among these drivers. Field measurements can address the overall responses to different changing drivers, but are less capable of quantifying the interactions among them. Currently, a comprehensive assessment of the drivers of ecosystem changes, and the magnitude of their direct and indirect impacts on subarctic ecosystems, is missing. The Torneträsk area, in the Swedish subarctic, has an unrivalled history of environmental observation over 100 years, and is one of the most studied sites in the Arctic. In this study, we summarize and rank the drivers of ecosystem change in the Torneträsk area, and propose research priorities identified, by expert assessment, to improve predictions of ecosystem changes. The research priorities identified include understanding impacts on ecosystems brought on by altered frequency and intensity of winter warming events, evapotranspiration rates, rainfall, duration of snow cover and lake-ice, changed soil moisture, and droughts. This case study can help us understand the ongoing ecosystem changes occurring in the Torneträsk area, and contribute to improve predictions of future ecosystem changes at a larger scale. This understanding will provide the basis for the future mitigation and adaptation plans needed in a changing climate.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01381-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS): prenatal and autopsy findings

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) is a multisystem disorder characterized by somatic defects and mental retardation. Prenatal diagnosis of this severe condition is difficult in view of the non-specific ultrasound abnormalities. We report three cases with prenatally suspected CdLS based on the ultrasound findings as well as low PAPP-A detected on first trimester screening in one case, and the results of the autopsy and the NIPBL gene mutation analysis. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation of the concentration and isotopic composition of inputs and outputs of Pb in waters at an upland catchment in NE Scotland

As a consequence of the accumulation of anthropogenic Pb in upland catchments, there has been much recent concern about the potential mobilisation and transport of Pb from the soils to receiving waters and also the possible harmful effects that this might have on aquatic biota. This paper presents the findings of a two-year study of Pb behaviour in an organic-rich upland catchment at Glensaugh in NE Scotland. Pb inputs to the catchment were characterised by direct measurements of Pb concentration and (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratios in rain water and interception. Pb outputs from the catchment were calculated from measurements on stream water samples taken from the two main streams, the Cairn Burn and Birnie Burn. The relative contribution of Pb from groundwater and throughflow, under different flow conditions (base flow and high flow), to stream waters was investigated via analysis of springs sourced from groundwater and of waters flowing through the various soil horizons (S (surface), A, B, C, and D), respectively. The outcome of intensive sampling and analysis over the two-year time period was that, even with marked reduction in Pb inputs over the past two decades, the catchment was still acting as a net sink for the current atmospheric deposition. Although the Pb isotopic signature for stream water is very similar to that for the contemporaneous rain water ((206)Pb/(207)Pb approximately 1.15-1.16), only a small portion of the rain water is transferred directly to stream water. Instead, the Pb input is transferred to the stream waters mainly via groundwater and it was also confirmed that the latter had a similar Pb isotopic signature. From the Pb isotopic measurements on throughflow waters, however, Pb being removed via the streams contained some previously deposited Pb, i.e. mobilisation of a small portion of soil-derived anthropogenic Pb was occurring. These findings are important not only with respect to the source/sink status of the catchment but also for calculation of the extent of retention of the current atmospheric Pb inputs, which must take account of the release of previously deposited Pb from the catchment soils, a process occurring mainly under high flow conditions.