Intergenerational equity: The capital-environment trade-off

This paper examines the trade-off between capital accumulation and environmental quality that determines an intergenerationally equitable program according to the Rawls maximin criterion. This trade-off is explored by an analysis of regular maximin programs in the framework developed by Brock. This results in a constant utility path supported by competitive prices with government imposed effluent charges and environmental rentals. Sufficient conditions for a regular maximin path to satisfy a Hartwick rule in deciding on the combination of capital and environmental quality left to future generations are given.     

The relative role of age and experience in determining variation in body mass during the early breeding career of the Common Tern (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sterna hirundo</Emphasis>)

Body mass is a consistent individual trait that characterises the state of adult birds and mammals and is positively related with long-term reproductive success. However, whether and to what extent body mass changes over lifetime in long-lived birds is poorly studied. In this paper, we investigate how individual body mass varies with age. Furthermore, we try to separate possible effects of age and experience on body mass. This study was conducted in a Common Tern colony on the German Wadden Sea coast. Transponders allowed registration of individuals throughout the breeding season and consecutive years with an antenna system combined with electronic balances for recording individual body-mass changes within and between years. Individual body masses of males and females were measured during three stages of the breeding season: at arrival, during incubation and chick rearing when mass was lowest in both sexes. Individual-based longitudinal analyses clearly showed that body mass during arrival, incubation and chick rearing increased up to an age of 5 or 6 years. First-time breeders had lower body mass than experienced breeders. Experience had stronger effects on incubation mass than age. Recruiting age also affected body-mass development of breeders: Three-year-old recruits showed a stronger increase in mass with experience than 4-year-old recruits. We assume that increasing experience enables birds to cope better with the physiological challenge of reproduction. To explain the general phenomenon of higher body mass in older birds, our results support the constraint hypothesis rather than either the selection or restraint hypothesis.     

Combining demographic and count-based approaches to identify source-sink dynamics of a threatened seabird.

Identifying source-sink dynamics is of fundamental importance for conservation but is often limited by an inability to determine how immigration and emigration influence population processes. We demonstrate two ways to assess the role of immigration on population processes without directly observing individuals dispersing from one population to another and apply these methods to a population of Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) in California (USA). In the first method, the rate of immigration (i) is estimated by subtracting local recruitment (recruitment from within the population due to reproduction) estimated with demographic data from total recruitment (f; recruitment from within the population plus recruitment from other populations) estimated using temporal symmetry mark-recapture models developed by R. Pradel. The second method compares population growth rates estimated with temporal symmetry models (lambdaTS) and/or population growth rates estimated from counts of individuals over multiple sampling periods (lambdaC) with growth estimates from a stage-structured projection matrix model (lambdaM). Both lambdaTS and lambdaC incorporate all demographic processes affecting population change (birth, death, immigration, and emigration), whereas matrix models are usually constructed without incorporating immigration. Thus, if lambdaTS and lambdaC are > or = 1 and lambdaM < 1, the population is sustained by immigration and is considered to be a sink. Using the first method, recruitment estimated with temporal symmetry models was high (f= 0.182, SE = 0.058), the mean adult birth rate, as estimated using the ratio of juveniles to > or = 1 year old individuals (observed during ship-based surveys) was low (bA = 0.039, SE = 0.014), and immigration was 0.160 (SE = 0.057). Using the second method, murrelet numbers in central California were stable (lambdaC = 1.058, SE = 0.047; lambdaTS = 1.064, SE = 0.033), but were projected to decline 9.5% annually in the absence of immigration (lambdaM = 0.905, SE = 0.053). Our results suggest that Marbled Murrelets in central California represent a sink population that is stable but would decline in the absence of immigration from larger populations to the north. However, the extent to which modeled immigration is due to permanent recruitment or temporarily dispersing individuals that simply mask population declines is uncertain.     

CO2 Emission Trends in the Cement Industry: An International Comparison

We present an in-depth decompositionanalysis using physical indicators oftrends in Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the cementindustry in Brazil, China, South Korea andthe United States. Physical indicatorsallow a detailed analysis of intra-sectoraltrends, in contrast to the often usedmonetary indicators. We assess thecontribution of different factors affectingCO₂ emissions in the cement industry,including change in product mix, efficiencyof power generation, changes in fuel mixand changes in energy efficiency. Thedecomposition results show that in allexamined countries, increased productionwas the main contributor to the increase intotal CO₂ emissions. Energy-efficiencyimprovement is the most important factorthat led to the reduction of emissionintensities for all countries except Korea.For Korea, structural change in the productmix is the most important factorcontributing to the emission intensityreduction.     

Untersuchungskonzept zur Charakterisierung toxischer Stoffe in belastetem Wasser

Zusammenfassung  Zur ?kotoxikologischen Beurteilung von belastetem Wasser werden h?ufig einfache Biotests eingesetzt. Nicht selten werden dabei toxische Effekte festgestellt. Es stellt sich dann die Frage nach den verantwortlichen Wasserinhalts-stoffen. Durch Festphasenextraktion (SPE) werden diese angereichert, gewonnen und dünnschichtchromatographisch unter Verwendung der automatisierten Mehrfachentwicklung aufgetrennt. Von der DC-Platte wird ein Streifen abgetrennt und darauf direkt die biologische Detektion mit Mikroorganismen (Bacillus subtilis, Leuchtbakterien) durchgeführt. Dadurch k?nnen toxische Banden erkannt werden, Auf dem DC-Plattenrest wird von der toxischen Bande mit einem DC-scanner ein UV-Spektrum aufgenommen, die entsprechende Bande herausgekratzt, der toxische Stoff eluiert und infrarotspektroskopisch untersucht. Durch Spektrenvergleich gelingt es meistens, den Stoff zu charakterisieren. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird am Beispiel eines Zitzengummieluates das Analysenkonzept vorgestelit. Es zeigte sich, dass dieser Gummiartikel einen Vulkanisationsbeschleuniger (2-Mercaptobenzothiazol) freisetzt. Online-Publikation am: 21.12.1999     

Certification of a long-term sampling system for PCDFs and PCDDs in the flue gas from industrial facilities

AMESA (adsorption method for sampling of dioxins) is a fully automatic system for long term monitoring of dioxin emissions from industrial processes based on the adsorption method. The system has been tested and undergoing a certification procedure according to the German guidelines for certification of systems for continuous monitoring of special substances. The certification covered parameters such as disposability of the system, reproducibility of the results and comparability of the sampling method with German and European standard methods. Furthermore break through, blanks and sample storability were investigated. The results prove that AMESA is a state of the art sampling system for continuous monitoring of dioxin/furan emissions.     

Absch?tzung der Quecksilberexposition

Zusammenfassung  Ein quecksilberkontaminierter Altstandort dient als Beispiel für eine umweltmedizinische Beurteilung der Belastung der im Umfeld wohnenden Personen durch Quecksilberimmissionen. Dabei wird die innere Exposition für sieben verschiedene Altersgruppen bezüglich der KontaktmedienBoden, Luft undNahrungsmittel anhand von konventionell festgelegten Szenarien abgesch?tzt und ein Vergleich mit den epidemiologischen Ergebnissen eines Humanmonitorings angestrebt. Die standortspezifisch und pfadspezifisch durchgeführte Expositionsabsch?tzung stützt sich auf cine Vielzahl von unterschiedlichen Probenehmern sowie auf über mehrere Jahre durchgeführte Konzentrationsmessungen in den aufnahmerelevanten Kompartimenten. Sowohl die Berechnungen als auch die epidemiologischen Untersuchungen zeigen eine leichte Erh?hung der Quecksilberexposition, gemessen an strengen Richtwerten.      

Calibration and testing of a dynamic flow-through chamber for field determination of methyl bromide volatilization flux

Accurate emission measurement of highly volatile chemicals such as methyl bromide (MeBr) is a crucial step in assessing their potential for environmental contamination. Use of flux chambers is a simple method for measuring emission rate under field conditions. To validate the applicability of a dynamic flow-through chamber for measuring MeBr emission, we provide a complete presentation of calibration and testing of the chamber. The calibration was made under a controlled system subject to ambient temperature changes. Two field experiments were conducted to test the chamber for measuring MeBr flux under conditions similar to commercial soil fumigation practices. In both the calibration and the two field experiments, the chamber provided accurate emission estimates. The maximum mass balance error was < 10% which is comparable to the micrometerological method. Because of its simplicity, we believe this dynamic flux chamber can be used reliably in quantifying the emission dynamics of highly volatile chemicals such as MeBr.