Integration of environmental education into university teaching

Conclusions The European Seminar on the Integration of Environmental Concepts in University Teaching was a meeting characterised by rich discussion, innovative ideas, hard work and interesting personal contacts. Its goals will only be fulfilled if its results and conclusions will lead to innovative action and better protection of the earth's resources. The output of this conference must be a starting point for further discussion and research. This short paper cannot reflect all thoughts and conclusions that emerged in Brussels. The proceedings will be published in December 1989 and will be available from the Department for Human Ecology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussel, Belgium.     

SOIL WATER CHARACTERISTICS OF TWO SOIL CATENAS IN ILLINOIS: IMPLICATIONS FOR IRRIGATION1

ABSTRACT: Soil water was monitored by neutron scattering in six soils, three each within two drainage catenas in east-central Illinois, over a 15-month time span. The prairie soils have formed in: (1) 76–152 cm of silt loam, eolian sediments (bess) over glacial till (Catlin-Flanagan-Drummer catena), and (2) bess greater than 152 cm in thickness (Tama-Ipava-Sable catena). We characterized the water content of these soils over the total time span and for wet and dry climatic subsets, as an aid to potential irrigation decisions. Soils of the thin bess, C-F-D catena dried out to lower water contents and had greater soil water variability than did the thick bess soils. Under wet conditions, soil water contents in the two catenas were quite similar. Alleviation of surface and subsurface drying via irrigation would thus be more advantageous to yields on the C-F-D soils than on the T-I-S soils.     

Subsoil TPH contamination in two oil pipeline pumping stations and one pipeline right-of-way in north Mexico

This investigation deals with the characterization carried out in zones around two pipeline pumping stations and one pipeline right-of-way in the north of Mexico. In particular those areas where contamination was evaluated: (a) south area of the separation ditch in the Avalos station, (b) the area between the separation ditch at the Avalos station, (c) km 194 + 420 of the Moctuzma station, and (d) km 286 + 900 in the Candelaria station. Results of this investigation showed that only four samples showed TPH values higher than the Mexican limit for 2004: AVA 1B, with 21,191 mg kg^?1; AVA 1C, with 9348 mg kg^?1; AVA 2B, with 13,970 mg kg^?1; and MOC 2A, with 4108 mg kg^?1.None of the sampled points showed the presence of PAHs at values higher than those found in the Mexican or American legislations. PAH were detected in the range of 0.0004 and 13.05 mg kg^?1.It is suggested to implement surfactant soil washing as a remediation technique for the approximately 600 m³ that need to be treated.     

A Framework for Responding to Coral Disease Outbreaks that Facilitates Adaptive Management

Predicted increases in coral disease outbreaks associated with climate change have implications for coral reef ecosystems and the people and industries that depend on them. It is critical that coral reef managers understand these implications and have the ability to assess and reduce risk, detect and contain outbreaks, and monitor and minimise impacts. Here, we present a coral disease response framework that has four core components: (1) an early warning system, (2) a tiered impact assessment program, (3) scaled management actions and (4) a communication plan. The early warning system combines predictive tools that monitor the risk of outbreaks of temperature-dependent coral diseases with in situ observations provided by a network of observers who regularly report on coral health and reef state. Verified reports of an increase in disease prevalence trigger a tiered response of more detailed impact assessment, targeted research and/or management actions. The response is scaled to the risk posed by the outbreak, which is a function of the severity and spatial extent of the impacts. We review potential management actions to mitigate coral disease impacts and facilitate recovery, considering emerging strategies unique to coral disease and more established strategies to support reef resilience. We also describe approaches to communicating about coral disease outbreaks that will address common misperceptions and raise awareness of the coral disease threat. By adopting this framework, managers and researchers can establish a community of practice and can develop response plans for the management of coral disease outbreaks based on local needs. The collaborations between managers and researchers we suggest will enable adaptive management of disease impacts following evaluating the cost-effectiveness of emerging response actions and incrementally improving our understanding of outbreak causation.     

Materials information systems for public policy making

The objective of an information system should be to provide the decision maker, at the time of his decision, with a full, acute, and accurate awareness of the varying consequences of his options. This article looks at the materials information systems used by the US government in its general relationship to such a goal. More importantly, it attempts to evaluate systematically the specific requirements that such systems should meet to satisfy such a goal.     

Paper mill residuals and compost effects on soil carbon and physical properties

Use of organic by-products as soil amendments in agricultural production exemplifies a strategy for converting wastes to resources. The overall objective of this research was to evaluate the short- and intermediate-term effects of repeatedly amending sandy soil with paper mill residuals (PMR) and composted PMR in a vegetable rotation in Wisconsin's Central Sands. Specifically, we investigated the effects of PMR and composted PMR on total soil C and related these to changes in water-holding capacity and plant-available water (PAW). Amendment effects on irrigation requirements were estimated with a simple soil water balance model. The experimental design was replicated five times as a randomized complete block with four organic amendments: raw PMR, PMR composted alone (PMRC), PMR composted with bark (PMRB), and peat applied at two rates and a non-amended control. All amended treatments significantly increased total soil C relative to the nonamended control following applications in 1998 and 1999. One year following the second serial amendment, all PMR treatments increased PAW by 5 to 45% relative to the control. There was a significant positive linear relationship between total soil C and PAW. All amended treatments reduced the average amount of irrigation water required for potato production by 4 to 30% and the number of irrigation events by 10 to 90%. There was a clear trend of greater reduction in irrigation requirements with more carbon added. The cumulative effects of repeated additions of PMRB suggest that certain composts might sustain elevated PAW and reduce irrigation requirements beyond one year.     

Nitrogen fertilizer form and associated nitrate leaching from cool-season lawn turf

Various N fertilizer sources are available for lawn turf. Few field studies, however, have determined the losses of nitrate (NO(3)-N) from lawns receiving different formulations of N fertilizers. The objectives of this study were to determine the differences in NO(3)-N leaching losses among various N fertilizer sources and to ascertain when losses were most likely to occur. The field experiment was set out in a completely random design on a turf typical of the lawns in southern New England. Treatments consisted of four fertilizer sources with fast- and slow-release N formulations: (i) ammonium nitrate (AN), (ii) polymer-coated sulfur-coated urea (PCSCU), (iii) organic product, and (iv) a nonfertilized control. The experiment was conducted across three years and fertilized to supply a total of 147 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1). Percolate was collected with zero-tension lysimeters. Flow-weighted NO(3)-N concentrations were 4.6, 0.57, 0.31, and 0.18 mg L(-1) for AN, PCSCU, organic, and the control, respectively. After correcting for control losses, average annual NO(3)-N leaching losses as a percentage of N applied were 16.8% for AN, 1.7% for PCSCU, and 0.6% for organic. Results indicate that NO(3)-N leaching losses from lawn turf in southern New England occur primarily during the late fall through the early spring. To reduce the threat of NO(3)-N leaching losses, lawn turf fertilizers should be formulated with a larger percentage of slow-release N than soluble N.