Correction to: Opportunities to reduce nutrient inputs to the Baltic Sea by improving manure use efficiency in agriculture

While progress has been made in reducing external nutrient inputs to the Baltic Sea, further actions are needed to meet the goals of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), especially for the Baltic Proper, Gulf of Finland, and Gulf of Riga sub-basins. We used the net anthropogenic nitrogen and phosphorus inputs (NANI and NAPI, respectively) nutrient accounting approach to construct three scenarios of reduced NANI-NAPI. Reductions assumed that manure nutrients were redistributed from areas with intense animal production to areas that focus on crop production and would otherwise import synthetic and mineral fertilizers. We also used the Simple as Necessary Baltic Long Term Large Scale (SANBALTS) model to compare eutrophication conditions for the scenarios to current and BSAP-target conditions. The scenarios suggest that reducing NANI-NAPI by redistributing manure nutrients, together with improving agronomic practices, could meet 54–82% of the N reductions targets (28–43 kt N reduction) and 38–64% P reduction targets (4–6.6 kt P reduction), depending on scenario. SANBALTS output showed that even partial fulfillment of nutrient reduction targets could have ameliorating effects on eutrophication conditions. Meeting BSAP targets will require addressing additional sources, such as sewage. A common approach to apportioning sources to external nutrients loads could enable further assessment of the feasibility of eutrophication management targets.

     

Between Active Seekers and Non-Users: Segments of Science-related Media Usage in Switzerland and Germany

ABSTRACT

Citizens’ attitudes toward science are related to their use of science-related information from various sources. Evidence is scarce regarding citizens’ individual media repertoires for staying informed about science as segmentation studies so far have primarily focused on scientific attitudes. In this paper, we explore audience segments regarding their science-related information behavior and whether such segments are comparable or vary between two countries with similar information environments. Based on two surveys in Switzerland and Germany, we identify national audience segments that differ in their science-related information repertoires, and analyze their sociodemographic characteristics and science-related attitudes. In both countries, we find very comparable information user segments ranging from those who inform themselves frequently about science (“Active Seekers”/“Science Consumers”) to those who hardly get in contact with any information about science and research (“Non-Users”). Those segments which get in contact with information about science frequently show generally more positive attitudes.     

Current and future solid waste management system in Northern Viet Nam with focus on Ha Noi: climate change effects and landfill management

The contribution investigates the solid waste management system in Ha Noi under consideration of the interrelation between climate change effects and landfill management by means of a cause-and-effect-analysis as well as water balances using the HELP 3.95 model and gas emission data, followed by a Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis. Even landfills are sources of methane (CH₄) emissions they are also impacted by climate change. The main effects on landfill sites are the change of climatic conditions, namely the regional water balance, extreme precipitation and storm events. The results of the water balance model results show that a geomembrane surface sealing can reduce the leachate formation significantly, a fact that is also valid for the climate change scenario with higher precipitation. The risk of flooding and erosion at the landfill sites increases, which will require a customized water management. In parallel landfill gas offers the opportunity for recovery of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) and the generation of renewable energy. Some further management options are wind turbines, photovoltaic systems or biomass for biogas conversion, which was grown on closed landfill sites. The inclusion of climate friendly management options of closed landfills in a “Good Landfill Aftercare Practice” is recommended.     

Land use influences macroinvertebrate community composition in boreal headwaters through altered stream conditions

Land use is known to alter the nature of land–water interactions, but the potential effects of widespread forest management on headwaters in boreal regions remain poorly understood. We evaluated the importance of catchment land use, land cover, and local stream variables for macroinvertebrate community and functional trait diversity in 18 boreal headwater streams. Variation in macroinvertebrate metrics was often best explained by in-stream variables, primarily water chemistry (e.g. pH). However, variation in stream variables was, in turn, significantly associated with catchment-scale forestry land use. More specifically, streams running through catchments that were dominated by young (11–50 years) forests had higher pH, greater organic matter standing stock, higher abundance of aquatic moss, and the highest macroinvertebrate diversity, compared to streams running through recently clear-cut and old forests. This indicates that catchment-scale forest management can modify in-stream habitat conditions with effects on stream macroinvertebrate communities and that characteristics of younger forests may promote conditions that benefit headwater biodiversity.     

Elemental mobility in sulfidic mine tailings reclaimed with paper mill by-products as sealing materials

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Sealing layers made of two alkaline paper mill by-products, fly ash and green liquor dregs, were placed on top of 50-year-old sulfide-containing...     

Renewable energy sources: conflicts and opportunities in a changing landscape

Regional Environmental Change - Replacement of conventional energy sources with renewables such as solar panels and wind turbines requires adequate land. Impact assessments should be conducted to...     

Metagovernance and policy forum outputs in Swiss environmental politics

Policy forums are lightly institutionalized and stable forms of governance networks that include administrative authorities, interest groups, and scientists. They are said to produce different types of outputs, from simple actor coordination to position papers and implementation documents, but their productivity has also been questioned. Metagovernance strategies can improve the capability of policy forums to produce outputs. To determine how different metagovernance strategies influence the capability of forums to produce joint position papers, 29 policy forums in the Swiss environmental sector are compared through a qualitative comparative analysis. Results indicate that metagovernance strategies such as state actors as forum members or majority decision rules need to be combined with small forum size or low actor heterogeneity. Furthermore, forum foundation by the state complicates the production of position papers.     

Convergence in carbon dioxide emissions and the role of growth and institutions: a parametric and non-parametric analysis

Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - This paper examines convergence of per capita carbon dioxide (CO2) emission for a panel of 124 countries taking into account the impact of economic...     

An attempt to assess the relevance of flood events—biomarker response of rainbow trout exposed to resuspended natural sediments in an annular flume

There is a consensus within the scientific community that sediments act as a long-term sink for a variety of organic and inorganic pollutants, which, however, can re-enter the water column upon resuspension of deposited material under certain hydraulic conditions such as flood events. Within the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive, it is important to understand the potential short- and long-term impact of suspended particulate matter (SPM)-associated contaminants on aquatic organisms as well as the related uptake mechanisms for a sound risk assessment. To elucidate the effects of sediment-bound organic pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were exposed to three resuspended natural sediments with different contamination levels. Physicochemical parameters including dissolved oxygen concentration, pH and temperature, total PAH concentration in sediments and SPM as well as different biomarkers of exposure in fish (7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity, biliary PAH metabolites, micronuclei, and lipid peroxidation) were measured following seven days of exposure within an annular flume, a device to assess erosion and deposition processes of cohesive sediment. Concentrations of PAHs in SPM remained constant and represented the different contamination levels in the un-suspended sediments. Significant differences in bile metabolite concentrations as well as in 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase induction compared to control experiments (untreated animals and animals that were exposed in the annular flume without sediment) were observed for all exposure scenarios. The ratio between 1-hydroxypyrene in bile from fish exposed to the three different contamination levels was 1.0:3.6:10.7 and correlated well with (1) the ratio of pyrene concentrations in corresponding sediments which was 1.0:3.1:12.7 and (2) with the ratio of particle-bound pyrene in SPM which was 1.0:2.7:11.7. In contrast, hepatic lipid peroxidation and micronuclei formation represented the different contamination levels less conclusive. The results of this study clearly demonstrate that firmly bound PAH from aged sediments can become bioaccessible upon resuspension under flood-like conditions and are readily absorbed by aquatic organisms such as rainbow trout. Associated short-term effects were clearly documented and possible adverse long-term impacts due to genotoxicity are likely to follow.     

Environmental effects of soil contamination by shale fuel oils

Estonia is currently one of the leading producers of shale oils in the world. Increased production, transportation and use of shale oils entail risks of environmental contamination. This paper studies the behaviour of two shale fuel oils (SFOs)—‘VKG D’ and ‘VKG sweet’—in different soil matrices under natural climatic conditions. Dynamics of SFOs’ hydrocarbons (C10–C40), 16 PAHs, and a number of soil heterotrophic bacteria in oil-spiked soils was investigated during the long-term (1 year) outdoor experiment. In parallel, toxicity of aqueous leachates of oil-spiked soils to aquatic organisms (crustaceans Daphnia magna and Thamnocephalus platyurus and marine bacteria Vibrio fischeri) and terrestrial plants (Sinapis alba and Hordeum vulgare) was evaluated. Our data showed that in temperate climate conditions, the degradation of SFOs in the oil-contaminated soils was very slow: after 1 year of treatment, the decrease of total hydrocarbons’ content in the soil did not exceed 25 %. In spite of the comparable chemical composition of the two studied SFOs, the VKG sweet posed higher hazard to the environment than the heavier fraction (VKG D) due to its higher mobility in the soil as well as higher toxicity to aquatic and terrestrial species. Our study demonstrated that the correlation between chemical parameters (such as total hydrocarbons or total PAHs) widely used for the evaluation of the soil pollution levels and corresponding toxicity to aquatic and terrestrial organisms was weak.