Mortality in the pheasant Phasianus colchicus during the breeding season

Summary Mortality of wild radio-tagged pheasants was analysed over six breeding seasons (1984–1987 and 1989–1990) in the Revinge area in southernmost Sweden. The aim of the study was to compare morphology and behaviour of birds found dead with those that survived the breeding season (from the first week of April to 30 June). The pheasants were kept over winter in an outdoor enclosure, equipped with radio transmitters, and released during the first week of April. In all, 49 females and 43 males were found dead and the average breeding-season mortality was 25% in males and 26% in females (not including birds that disappeared). The main predators were goshawk Accipiter gentilis and red fox Vulpes vulpes. Mortality among males peaked in late April whereas female mortality was highest in late May. Measurements of morphology included: length of tail, tarsus and wing, body mass and for males, spur length. The only morphological trait that differed between survivors and non-survivors was spur length in males; survivors had longer spurs. This difference was only found when allometric effects of age and body size on spur length were controlled for. Attractiveness and spacing behaviour of non-surviving males were recorded by telemetry from release until the last day of life, and compared with the average performance of survivors in that year. Non-surviving males moved shorter distances between days but did not differ from survivors in calling activity and attractiveness. Calling activity was higher in males that died early in the season compared to those dying late in the season. No differences were found between surviving and non-surviving females.     

Evaluation of VOC emission measurement methods for paint spray booths

Interest in regulations to control solvent emissions from automotive painting systems is increasing, especially in ozone nonattainment areas. Therefore, an accurate measurement method for VOC emissions from paint spray booths used in the automotive industry is needed to ascertain the efficiency of the spray booth capture and the total emissions. This paper presents the results of a laboratory study evaluating potential VOC sampling and analytical methods used in estimating paint spray booth emissions, and discusses these results relative to other published data. Eight test methods were selected for evaluation. The accuracy of each sampling and analytical method was determined using test atmospheres of known concentration and composition that closely matched the actual exhaust air from paint spray booths. The solvent mixture to generate the test atmospheres contained a large proportion of polar, oxygenated hydrocarbons such as ketones and alcohols. A series of identical tests was performed for each sampling/analytical method with each test atmosphere to assess the precision of the methods. The study identified significant differences among the test methods in terms of accuracy, precision, cost, and complexity.     

Decreased emission of nitrous oxide from delivery wards—case study in Sweden

The very potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N₂O) is widely used as a mild anaesthetic for mothers in delivery work in Sweden. As a part of the Stockholm County Council environmental program it was decided in 2002 that the emissions should be drastically reduced. Different ways were theoretically evaluated, and catalytic splitting to nitrogen and oxygen gas (N₂ and O₂) was chosen for a demonstration installation. A Japanese commercial unit for treatment of mixed anaesthetic gases (Anesclean® from Showa Denko K.K.) was thoroughly modified and installed at the Karolinska University Hospital at Huddinge in Stockholm in 2004. The destruction of N₂O was optimised and studied for 2 years. Data from both collection and destruction are given in the article. Of the collected N₂O more than 95% was split to N₂ and O₂ in the very stable system. The overall emission decrease was mainly dependent on the share that could be collected in the specific exhaustion system as compared to the normal room ventilation. Life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) were used to evaluate the actual environmental value and economical cost for the process. Important factors are pointed out.     

Statistical matching for conservation science

The awareness of the need for robust impact evaluations in conservation is growing and statistical matching techniques are increasingly being used to assess the impacts of conservation interventions. Used appropriately matching approaches are powerful tools, but they also pose potential pitfalls. We outlined important considerations and best practice when using matching in conservation science. We identified 3 steps in a matching analysis. First, develop a clear theory of change to inform selection of treatment and controls and that accounts for real-world complexities and potential spillover effects. Second, select the appropriate covariates and matching approach. Third, assess the quality of the matching by carrying out a series of checks. The second and third steps can be repeated and should be finalized before outcomes are explored. Future conservation impact evaluations could be improved by increased planning of evaluations alongside the intervention, better integration of qualitative methods, considering spillover effects at larger spatial scales, and more publication of preanalysis plans. Implementing these improvements will require more serious engagement of conservation scientists, practitioners, and funders to mainstream robust impact evaluations into conservation. We hope this article will improve the quality of evaluations and help direct future research to continue to improve the approaches on offer.     

Alternating Copolymers and Alternative Device Geometries for Organic Photovoltaics

Bathymetry, the underwater topography, is a fundamental property of oceans, seas, and lakes. As such it is important for a wide range of applications, like physical oceanography, marine geology, geophysics and biology or the administration of marine resources. The exact requirements users may have regarding bathymetric data are, however, unclear. Here, the results of a questionnaire survey and a literature review are presented, concerning the use of Baltic Sea bathymetric data in research and for societal needs. It is demonstrated that there is a great need for detailed bathymetric data. Despite the abundance of high-quality bathymetric data that are produced for safety of navigation purposes, the digital bathymetric models publicly available to date cannot satisfy this need. Our study shows that DBMs based on data collected for safety of navigation could substantially improve the base data for administrative decision making as well as the possibilities for marine research in the Baltic Sea.     

Environmental Monitoring and Research in the Abisko Area—An Overview

This article gives an overview of the studies on the environment surrounding the Abisko Scientific Research Station in Swedish Lapland. The long-term monitoring of the Station on processes related to the climate, and to the physical, biotic, and chemical environmental conditions is particularly addressed. Some variables are recorded since more than 100 years. The obtained data in combination with results from short-term studies and manipulation experiments are important to understand past and future conditions of the ecosystems. This has practical applications for the planning of tourism, transports, reindeer herding, and for societal purposes.     

Temporal change estimation of mercury concentrations in northern pike (Esox lucius L.) in Swedish lakes

Adequate temporal trend analysis of mercury (Hg) in freshwater ecosystems is critical to evaluate if actions from the human society have affected Hg concentrations ([Hg]) in fresh water biota. This study examined temporal change in [Hg] in Northern pike (Esox lucius L.) in Swedish freshwater lakes between 1994 and 2006. To achieve this were lake-specific, multiple-linear-regression models used to estimate pike [Hg], including indicator variables representing time and fish weight and their interactions. This approach permitted estimation of the direction and magnitude of temporal changes in 25 lakes selected from the Swedish national database on Hg in freshwater biota. A significant increase was found in 36% of the studied lakes with an average increase in pike [Hg] of 3.7 ± 6.7% per year that was found to be positively correlated with total organic carbon. For lakes with a significant temporal change the dataset was based on a mean of 30 fish, while for lakes with no temporal change it was based on a mean of 13 fish.     

Characterization of dioxin-like contamination in soil and sediments from the ��hot spot�� area of petrochemical plant in Pancevo (Serbia)

Purpose

Combinatorial bio/chemical approach was applied to investigate dioxin-like contamination of soil and sediment at the petrochemical and organochlorine plant in Pancevo, Serbia, after the destruction of manufacturing facilities that occurred in the spring of 1999 and subsequent remediation actions.

Materials and methods

Soil samples were analyzed for indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by gas chromatography/electron capture detection (GC/ECD). Prioritized soil sample and sediment samples from the waste water channel were analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) by high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). Microethoxyresorufin o-deethylase (Micro-EROD) and H4IIE?Cluciferase bioassays were used for monitoring of dioxin-like compounds (DLC) and for better characterization of dioxin-like activity of soil samples.

Results

Bioanalytical results indicated high dioxin-like activity in one localized soil sample, while the chemical analysis confirmed the presence of large quantities of DLC: 3.0?×?10⁵ ng/g d.w. of seven-key PCBs, 8.2 ng/g d.w. of PCDD/Fs, and 3.0?×?10⁵ ng/g d.w. of planar and mono-ortho PCBs. In the sediment, contaminant concentrations were in the range 2?C8 ng/g d.w. of PCDD/Fs and 9?C20 ng/g d.w. of PCBs.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the utility of combined application of bioassays and instrumental analysis, especially for developing and transition country which do not have capacity of the expensive instrumental analysis. The results indicate the high contamination of soil in the area of petrochemical plant, and PCDD/Fs contamination of the sediment from the waste water channel originating from the ethylene dichloride production.     

Role of sea-ice biota in nutrient and organic material cycles in the northern Baltic Sea

This paper compiles biological and chemical sea-ice data from three areas of the Baltic Sea: the Bothnian Bay (Hailuoto, Finland), the Bothnian Sea (Norrby, Sweden), and the Gulf of Finland (Tv?rminne, Finland). The data consist mainly of field measurements and experiments conducted during the BIREME project from 2003 to 2006, supplemented with relevant published data. Our main focus was to analyze whether the biological activity in Baltic Sea sea-ice shows clear regional variability. Sea-ice in the Bothnian Bay has low chlorophyll a concentrations, and the bacterial turnover rates are low. However, we have sampled mainly land-fast level first-year sea-ice and apparently missed the most active biological system, which may reside in deformed ice (such as ice ridges). Our limited data set shows high concentrations of algae in keel blocks and keel block interstitial water under the consolidated layer of the pressure ridges in the northernmost part of the Baltic Sea. In land-fast level sea-ice in the Bothnian Sea and the Gulf of Finland, the lowermost layer appears to be the center of biological activity, though elevated biomasses can also be found occasionally in the top and interior parts of the ice. Ice algae are light limited during periods of snow cover, and phosphate is generally the limiting nutrient for ice bottom algae. Bacterial growth is evidently controlled by the production of labile dissolved organic matter by algae because low growth rates were recorded in the Bothnian Bay with high concentrations of allochthonous dissolved organic matter. Bacterial communities in the Bothnian Sea and the Gulf of Finland show high turnover rates, and activities comparable with those of open water communities during plankton blooms, which implies that sea-ice bacterial communities have high capacity to process matter during the winter period.     

Levels of chlorinated compounds (CPs, PCPPs, PCDEs, PCDFs and PCDDs) in soils at contaminated sawmill sites in Sweden

Soil samples from five contaminated sawmill sites in Sweden were characterized with respect to chlorophenols (CP), chlorinated phenoxy phenols (PCPP, hydroxylated chlorinated diphenyl ethers), chlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDE), chlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) and chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD). The composition of chlorinated compounds in the soil samples was compared to the composition of two preservatives commonly used in the Scandinavian wood impregnation industry: the 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol preservative called Ky-5 and the pentachlorophenol preservative Dowicide G. The levels of CPs in the soil samples ranged from 0.1 to 4500 mgkg-1 d.w., PCPPs from <0.15 to 940 mgkg-1 d.w., PCDEs from <38 to 6800 microgkg-1 d.w., PCDFs from 7.4 to 18000 microgkg-1 d.w. and PCDDs from 9.9 to 35000 microgkg-1 d.w. The resulting WHO-TEQ of PCDD/Fs in the soil samples ranged from 0.14 to 3000 microgkg-1 d.w. Despite a wide range of concentrations the congener compositions were similar within tetrachlorophenate and pentachlorophenate contaminated soils respectively. The contamination at each sawmill site may be linked to the use of either a tetrachlorphenol preservative, e.g. Ky-5, or a pentachlorophenol preservative, e.g. Dowicide G. Best-fit calculations were used to compare the chlorinated phenol contents of the preservatives to those of the soil samples. This revealed a positive correlation between the hydrophobicity (logKow) of contaminants and the ratio of their levels in soil to preservatives. The relative abundance of the chlorinated compounds varied greatly between the five sites studied, suggesting that their transport parameters differ substantially.