Possible Routes for Lead Accumulation in Feral Pigeons (Columba Livia)

This study examined possible routes for lead (Pb) accumulation in resident pigeons collected from rural, urban, and four industrial sites in Korea. The accumulation pattern of Pb was comparable to the study sites. The highest Pb concentration was found in the bone, followed by kidney, liver, and lung of pigeons. Highest Pb residues in bones were found in urban (Seoul), and two industrial complex areas (Busan and Ulsan), which were about 15 times higher than rural area (Duckjuk island), and followed by Ansan and Yochon industrial areas. Regional Pb variations in liver, kidney, and lung tissues were also similar pattern with the bone Pb difference. These findings indicate that Pb accumulation in tissues of pigeons may be affected by the Pb exposure in their respective habitats. Crop contents and gizzard materials were investigated as representing the ingested items. No difference of Pb concentration was observed in major foods (maize and/or wheat) of crop contents in the study sites except Busan, whereas variations of Pb levels in gizzard materials were indicative of a similar pattern with tissue Pb differences. The Pb concentration in tissues of pigeons did not correspond well to the atmospheric Pb levels. With regard to possible Pb sources, ingested items especially materials present in the gizzard are important sources for Pb contamination to pigeons because Pb-containing sources may be expected to present in roadside particles, dusts, paint chips and building flakes. However, air Pb value being low may not affect significant as the regional variations in tissues of pigeons.     

Seasonal Variation of Chemical Composition in Fine Particles at Gosan, Korea

PM_2.5 aerosol samples were collected at Gosan in Jeju Island during six intensive measurement periods between November 2001 and August 2003. In order to investigate the chemical composition of fine particles, major ion components, trace elements, and elemental and organic carbon were analyzed. Quite different seasonal characteristic in the chemical composition of fine particles was observed. The concentration of most secondary aerosol components showed a summer minimum and a winter maximum with higher correlation between them at Gosan. This fact clearly reveals the possibility of long-range transport of such pollutants in winter. On the other hand, OC and EC had the highest concentration and good correlation with ion components, such as K⁺, Ca²⁺ in fall. It means that biomass burning could significantly influence the ambient fine carbonaceous particulate in fall, which was primarily long-range transported.     

Book reviews

Common Property Economics: A General Theory and Land Use Applications

Glenn G. Stevenson

Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992, XIV + 256pp., £35

Controversial Issues in Environmental Policy: Science vs Economics vs Politics

Kent E. Portney

London, Sage, 1992, 181 pp. £22.00 hb., £10.95 pb.

Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment

E. Kula

London, Chapman & Hall, 1992, 287 pp., £40

Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming: Mitigation, Adaptation and the Science Base

Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy (US), Panel on Policy

Implications of Greenhouse Warming

Washington, DC, National Academy Press, 1992, xxiii + 918 pp., $89.95 hb.

Contemporary Rural Systems in Transition, Volume 1: Agriculture and Environment, Volume 2: Economy and Society

I. Bowler, C. Bryant & M.Nellis (Eds)

Wallingford, CAB International, 1992, 288 pp. + 336 pp., £35 + £40 (2 vols. £70) hb.

Third World Cities: Problems, Policies and Prospects

John Kasarda & Allan Parnell (Eds) London, Sage, 1993, 310 pp., £19.50 pb.

Pricing the European Environment

Stale Navrud (Ed)

Oxford, Oxford University Press/Scandinavian University Press, 1992, 288 pp., £30.00 hb.     

Estimates of emissions of SO2, NOx, HCl and NH3 from a densely populated region of the UK

Estimates of emissions of SO2, NOx, HCl and NH3 have been made for a densely populated region of the UK, the North-West of England, using data on power generation, incinerator plant capacity, fuel usage and animal and human population statistics. The spatial distributions of SO2 and NOx emissions are quite different, reflecting their different source strengths. The emissions from motor vehicles make up 52% of the NOx emissions from the North-West of England, whilst those from fossil-fuel-fired power stations make up 20%. The emissions of fossil-fuel-fired power stations make up 58% of SO2 emissions from the North-West. A large fossil-fuel-fired power station is the largest known point source for emissions of SO2, NOx and HCl. The largest contribution to NH3 emissions in the North-West is from cattle. Humans may contribute some NH3 to overall emissions but there is considerable uncertainty as to how much is emitted and what fraction of this is deposited within buildings. The uncertainties in the methodologies used are high-lighted and, where possible, recommendations are made as to how future emissions estimates might be improved. Potential reductions in emissions of SO2, NOx and HCl are discussed under basic scenarios of planned power station closures in the area and the compliance of the electricity generation industry with the European Community Directive on Large Combustion Plants.     

Book reviews

The Economics of Art and Culture: An American Perspective

James Heilbrun & Charles M. Gray

New York, Cambridge University Press, 1993, 378 pp., £14.95 pb

Building Cities that Work

Edmund Fowler

Montreal & Kingston, McGill‐Queen's University Press, 1992, 315 pp.

Interactive Decision Making: The Graph Model for Conflict Resolution

Liping Fang, Keith W. Hipel & D. Marc Kilgour

New York, Wiley, 1993, 221 pp., £49.50

The Politics of Nature: Explorations in Green Political Theory

Andrew Dobson & Paul Lucardie (Eds)

London, Routledge, 1993, 240 pp. + xv, £37.50

Urban Transport in Asia: An Operational Agenda for the 1990s, World Bank

Technical Paper No. 224

Peter Midgley

Washington, DC, The World Bank, 1994, 98 pp.

Landscape Ecology: Theory and Application, 2nd edition

Zev Naveh & Arthur Lieberman

New York, Springer‐Verlag, £34.50     

开拓江苏环保的新天地——记第三届中华环境奖获得者史振华

面对环保工作蓬勃发展的新形势，他锐意进取，在环境保护的机制、体制、制度等方面矢志创新；面对环保工作长期性、复杂性和艰巨性的严峻现实，他百折不挠，开拓出环境保护的一片艳阳天；面对广大群众对改善环境的热切期盼，他执政为民，千方百计解决老百姓身边的热点难点问题；身居环保厅长的高位，他廉洁自律，在广大干部职工中树立起了“率先垂范”的榜样。[编者按]     

Impact of land-use types on nitrate concentration and δN in unconfined groundwater in rural areas of Korea

An understanding of the long-term changes in the nitrate contamination pattern of unconfined groundwater is critical to conservation of drinking water in rural areas supporting mixed land-use activities such as cropping, livestock farming, and residence. To examine the effect of different land-use activities on nitrate contamination, groundwater samples were collected monthly for 3 years (1997–1999) from 12 wells in rural areas with different land-use activities and analyzed for the concentrations and N isotopic ratios (δ¹⁵N) of nitrate. The characteristics of nitrate contamination clearly differed with land-use activities. The percentages of samples that had a nitrate concentration exceeding the national standard for drinking water (10 mg N L⁻¹) were 0, 23, 43, and 67% for the uncontaminated natural area, cropping area, cropping-livestock farming complex area, and residential area, respectively. The range of δ¹⁵N values was between +1.4 and +4.5‰ for groundwater nitrate from the uncontaminated natural area. In the cropping area, the δ¹⁵N values were slightly different with the type of fertilizer applied to fields in the vicinity of the well, and the values ranged between +8.7 and +14.4‰ for the compost-applied area and between +4.5 and +8.5‰ for the area where urea was applied with compost. The δ¹⁵N values of the cropping-livestock farming complex area ranged from +1.0 to +17.7‰, probably resulting from mixed contamination sources (inorganic fertilizer and livestock manure). The well located closest to the livestock feedlot had relatively higher δ¹⁵N values, with a range between +8.7 and +17.6‰. In the residential area, a higher δ¹⁵N (most frequently above +10‰) of nitrate suggested that the major source of contamination was effluent from leaky septic tanks. Our data showed that unconfined groundwater is susceptible to land-use activities above the aquifers, and the impacts of the activities could be more precisely inferred from long-term data on the concentration and δ¹⁵N of nitrate. By determining the impacts, more effective (specific to contamination sources) measures for preventing groundwater quality could be implemented.     

The effect of taconite tailings on primary productivity in the Silver Bay area of Western Lake Superior

Considerable concern has arisen over the possibility that the discharge of taconite tailings into Lake Superior could affect algal primary productivity. In 1972, primary productivity studies utilizing the carbon-14 technique were run in the Silver Bay area. Samples were collected and analyzed on a weekly basis for a three month period that included a five week plant shutdown period. Resultant productivity data indicate that there is no apparent relationship between primary productivity and the discharge of taconite tailings. Productivity trends in the Silver Bay area tend to conform to the known seasonal behavior of phytoplankton in western Lake Superior.     

Dynamics of the TIT FOR TAT strategy during predator inspection in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

Summary One well-known solution to the iterated Prisoner's Dilemma is the TIT FOR TAT strategy. This strategy has three characteristics associated with it. TIT FOR TAT is nice (cooperates on the first move of a game), retaliatory (plays defect against an individual that defected on the prior move), and forgiving (cooperates with an individual which has defected in the past but cooperates in the present). Predator inspection behavior in guppies (Poecilia reticulata) was examined in order to determine whether guppies displayed these three characteristics. Results indicate that while it can be quite difficult to translate the abstract concepts of niceness, retaliation, and forgiveness into measurable behaviors, the data support the hypothesis that guppies display the three characteristics associated with the TIT FOR TAT strategy.The selfish herd and dilution effect are discussed as possible alternative explanations for the observed behavior. These hypotheses alone were insufficient to explain the results.     

Comparison of PM2.5 and PM10 in A Suburban Area in Korea During April, 2003

Airborne particulate matter (PM) concentrations were measured in Iksan, a suburban area in South Korea during April, 2003. PM_2.5 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm) and PM₁₀ (particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm) samples were collected, and the chemical characteristics of particles were examined for diurnal patterns, yellow dust/rainfall influences, and scavenging effects. Average concentrations of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ mass measured were 37.3 ± 16.2 μg m⁻³ and 60.8 ± 29.5 μg m⁻³, respectively. The sum of ionic chemical species concentrations for PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ was 16.9 ± 7.3 and 23.1 ± 10.1 μg/m³, respectively. A significant reduction in PM mass concentrations during rainfall days was observed for coarse mode (PM_{2.5 − 10}) particles, but less reduction was found for fine (PM_2.5) mass concentration. SO₄ ²⁻, NH₄ ⁺, and K⁺ predominated in fine particulate mode, NO₃ ⁻ and Cl⁻ predominated in fine particle mode and coarse particle mode, but Na⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺ mostly existed in coarse mode. The high concentration of ammonium due to local emissions and long-range transport neutralized sulfate and nitrate to ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate, which were major forms of airborne PM in Iksan. Average mass concentrations of PM₁₀ in daytime and at night were 57.6 and 70.0 μg m⁻³, and those of PM_2.5 were 35.4 and 42.5 μg m⁻³, respectively. NO₃ ⁻ and Cl⁻ in both PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were about double at night than in the daytime, while the rest of the chemical species were equal or a little higher at night than in the daytime. The results suggest the formation of ammonium nitrate and chloride when high ammonia concentration and low air temperature are allowed. Backward air trajectory analyses showed that air masses arriving at the site during yellow dust period were transported from arid Chinese regions, which resulted in high concentrations of airborne PM mass concentrations. In the meantime, air mass trajectories during a rainfall period were mostly from the Pacific Ocean or the East China Sea, along with a relatively low PM concentration.