The challenges of marine spatial planning in the Arctic: Results from the ACCESS programme

Marine spatial planning is increasingly used to manage the demands on marine areas, both spatially and temporally, where several different users may compete for resources or space, to ensure that development is as sustainable as possible. Diminishing sea-ice coverage in the Arctic will allow for potential increases in economic exploitation, and failure to plan for cross-sectoral management could have negative economic and environmental results. During the ACCESS programme, a marine spatial planning tool was developed for the Arctic, enabling the integrated study of human activities related to hydrocarbon exploitation, shipping and fisheries, and the possible environmental impacts, within the context of the next 30 years of climate change. In addition to areas under national jurisdiction, the Arctic Ocean contains a large area of high seas. Resources and ecosystems extend across political boundaries. We use three examples to highlight the need for transboundary planning and governance to be developed at a regional level.     

Evaluating consistency of stakeholder input into participatory GIS-based multiple criteria evaluation: a case study of ecotourism development in Kurdistan

Multiple criteria evaluation (MCE) is often used with GIS to identify suitable sites for multi-purpose development such as ecotourism. Typically, expert or stakeholder consultation is used to identify weights reflecting the relative importance of map layers representing different criteria. The objective of this study was to evaluate a new consultative approach to GIS-based MCE, using ecotourism development in Kurdistan, Iraq, as a case study. In an initial and follow-up consultation, stakeholders were asked not only to assess the relative importance of different map layers for ecotourism development, but also to identify specific sites suitable for ecotourism. Seventy-eight ecotourism destinations nominated by participants had significantly higher MCE scores than a set of 58 locations chosen without reference to stakeholders (t-test = 21.16; p < 0.001). The approach thus provides a straightforward means of assessing the consistency of stakeholder input into MCE and could be adapted for use in other site suitability assessments.     

Adoption of sustainable agriculture practices: Evidence from a semi-arid region of Ethiopia

In the wake of the resource constraints for external farm inputs faced by farmers in developing countries, sustainable agriculture practices that rely on renewable local or farm resources present desirable options for enhancing agriculture productivity. In this study, plot-level data from the semi-arid region of Ethiopia, Tigray are used to investigate the factors influencing farmers' decisions to adopt agriculture practices, with a particular focus on conservation tillage, compost and chemical fertilizer. A trivariate probit model is used to analyze the determinants of adoption of these practices. In addition, stochastic dominance analysis is used to compare the productivity impacts of compost with that of chemical fertilizer based on a six-year cross-sectional farm-level dataset. Our results indicate heterogeneity with regard to the factors that influence adoption decisions of the three practices and the importance of both plot and household characteristics on influencing adoption decisions. In particular, we found that household endowments and access to information, among other factors, impact the choice of sustainable farming practices significantly. Furthermore, the use of stochastic dominance analysis supported the contention that sustainable farming practices enhance productivity. They even proved to be superior to the use of chemical fertilizers — justifying the need to investigate factors that influence adoption of these practices and to use this knowledge to formulate policies that encourage adoption.     

Early wheezing phenotypes and severity of respiratory illness in very early childhood: Study on intrauterine exposure to fine particle matter

The main goal of the paper was to assess the pattern of risk factors having an impact on the onset of early wheezing phenotypes in the birth cohort of 468 two-year olds and to investigate the severity of respiratory illness in the two-year olds in relation to both wheezing phenotypes, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and personal PM_2.5 exposure over pregnancy period (fine particulate matter). The secondary goal of the paper was to assess possible association of early persistent wheezing with the length of the baby at birth. Pregnant women were recruited from ambulatory prenatal clinics in the first and second trimester of pregnancy. Only women 18–35 years of age, who claimed to be non-smokers, with singleton pregnancies, without illicit drug use and HIV infection, free from chronic diseases were eligible for the study. In the statistical analysis of respiratory health of children multinomial logistic regression and zero-inflated Poisson regression models were used. Approximately one third of the children in the study sample experienced wheezing in the first 2 years of life and in about two third of cases (67%) the symptom developed already in the first year of life. The early wheezing was easily reversible and in about 70% of infants with wheezing the symptom receded in the second year of life. The adjusted relative risk ratio (RRR) of persistent wheezing increased with maternal atopy (RRR = 3.05; 95%CI: 1.30–7.15), older siblings (RRR = 3.05; 95%CI: 1.67–5.58) and prenatal ETS exposure (RRR = 1.13; 95%CI: 1.04–1.23), but was inversely associated with the length of baby at birth (RRR = 0.88; 95%CI: 0.76–1.01). The adjusted incidence risk ratios (IRR) of coughing, difficult breathing, runny/stuffy nose and pharyngitis/tonsillitis in wheezers were much higher than that observed among non-wheezers and significantly depended on prenatal PM_2.5 exposure, older siblings and maternal atopy. The study shows a clear inverse association between maternal age or maternal education and respiratory illnesses and calls for more research efforts aiming at the explanation of factors hidden behind proxy measures of quality of maternal care of babies. The data support the hypothesis that burden of respiratory symptoms in early childhood and possibly in later life may be programmed already in prenatal period when the respiratory system is completing its growth and maturation.     

Assessing anthropogenic impact on Mediterranean sand dunes from aerial digital photography

The Mediterranean region plays host to ca. 33% of the world’s tourism industry. This population of visitors (ca. 147 million in 1990) inevitably exerts an enormous impact on the natural resources of this coastal zone. In May 1997, a new generation Aerial Digital Photographic System [ADPS] configured with a Kodak Digital Science 460 CIR digital camera was used to acquire colour infrared digital photographs of the sand dune systems along the Mediterranean coast of France, from Le Barcares to St-Cyprien-Plage. These have been used to assess the condition of the dunes along this coast. A series of simple analytical techniques to identify and measure features indicative of public pressure using image processing software has been devised. The dune manager with basic computer skills can analyse such indicators as path length, vegetation cover (and conversely the extent of bare sand) to enable monitoring of the performance of their dune systems under particular management regimes. These photographs have been compared with similar digital photographs of dune sites in SW France to allow a comparison of dune degradation in a region with a different population pressure and climate regime. Dune systems sampled from the Mediterranean coastal zone showed more evidence of anthropogenically induced change than those sampled in SW France.     

Alligators, contaminants and steroid hormones.

Steroids are essential for successful reproduction in all vertebrate species. Over the last several decades, extensive research has indicated that exposure to various environmental pollutants can disrupt steroidogenesis and steroid signaling. Although steroidogenesis is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, it is also modified by various paracrine and autocrine factors. Furthermore, the classical two-cell model of steroidogenesis in the developing ovarian follicle, involving the granulosa and theca cells in mammals, may not be universal. Instead, birds and probably reptiles use the two thecal compartments (theca interna and theca externa) as sites of steroid production. We have documented that embryonic or juvenile exposure to a complex mixture of contaminants from agricultural and storm water runoff leads to altered steroid hormone profiles in American alligators. Our observations suggest that alterations in plasma steroid hormone concentrations are due in part to altered gene expression, modified hepatic biotransformation and altered gonadal steroidogenesis. Future studies must examine the interplay between endocrine and paracrine regulation in the development and expression of gonadal steroidogenesis in individuals exposed to endocrine disrupting contaminants at various life stages if we are to fully understand potential detrimental outcomes.     

Showering in Flint, MI: Is there a DBP problem?

Lead contamination in the City of Flint, MI has been well documented over the past two years, with lead levels above the EPA Action Level until summer 2016. This resulted from an ill-fated decision to switch from Detroit water (Lake Huron) with corrosion control, to Flint River water without corrosion control. Although lead levels are now closer to normal, reports of skin rashes have sparked questions surrounding tap water in some Flint homes. This study investigated the presence of contaminants, including disinfection by-products (DBPs), in the hot tap water used for showering in the homes of residents in Flint. Extensive quantitative analysis of 61 regulated and priority unregulated DBPs was conducted in Flint hot and cold tap water, along with the analysis of 50 volatile organic compounds and a nontarget comprehensive, broadscreen analysis, to identify a possible source for the reported skin rashes. For comparison, chlorinated hot and cold waters from three other cities were also sampled, including Detroit, which also uses Lake Huron as its source water. Results showed that hot water samples generally contained elevated levels of regulated and priority unregulated DBPs compared to cold water samples, but trihalomethanes were still within regulatory limits. Overall, hot shower water from Flint was similar to waters sampled from the three other cities and did not have unusually high levels of DBPs or other organic chemicals that could be responsible for the skin rashes observed by residents. It is possible that an inorganic chemical or microbial contaminant may be responsible.     

Preventing falls among seniors: the way forward

There is a growing body of research about the etiology and prevention of falls. However, the persistently high incidence of falls among seniors calls for renewed efforts to develop, test, implement, and scale-up fall prevention strategies for older adults. This paper considers advances in the field and describes three priority areas for generating research and translating knowledge on fall prevention. Clinical practice guidelines, systems change approaches and environmental risk factors are discussed. Recommendations include transcending our health sector view of the fall prevention problem, supporting comparative research on system-oriented approaches to fall prevention, and examining ways to sustain and scale-up fall prevention efforts.     

Evidence for a three-way trade-off between nitrogen and phosphorus competitive abilities and cell size in phytoplankton

Trade-offs among functional traits are essential for explaining community structure and species coexistence. While two-way trade-offs have been investigated in many systems, higher-dimensional trade-offs remain largely hypothetical. Here we demonstrate a three-way trade-off between cell size and competitive abilities for nitrogen and phosphorus in marine and freshwater phytoplankton. At a given cell size, competitive abilities for N and P are negatively correlated, but as cell size increases, competitive ability decreases for both nutrients. The relative importance of the two trade-off axes appears to be environment dependent, suggesting different selective pressures: freshwater phytoplankton separate more along the N vs. P competition axis, and marine phytoplankton separate more along the nutrient competition vs. cell size axis. Our results demonstrate the multidimensional nature of key trade-offs among traits and suggest that such trade-offs may drive species interactions and structure ecological communities.