The jurisdictional framework for municipal action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: Case studies from Canada, the USA and Germany

This paper addresses two questions: (1) Given a commitment at the national level to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, what tools are available to national-level governments to induce complimentary actions required at subnational levels? (2) In the absence of a serious commitment at national and regional levels to reduce GHG emissions, what is the scope for, and jurisdictional rights of, cities to undertake actions? In this context, federal, regional and municipal legislation relevant for GHG emissions is examined in Canada, the USA and Germany. Regarding the first question, different national governments find themselves in considerably different positions to implement climate initiatives at subnational levels, with the German government in the strongest position and the Canadian government in the weakest. The implications of this for a nation's willingness to adopt emission reduction targets could be serious. Regarding the second question, there are few significant differences among Canadian, US and German municipalities' jurisdictional capabilities (and limitations) to reduce GHG emissions. Though limited in their legal capacity, these municipalities demonstrate that through their own, often informal, initiatives they can reinforce and compliment the more formal, regulatory actions by senior-level governments, thereby paving the way for senior-level governments to deliver meaningful domestic emission reductions.     

Delayed onset of vocal recognition in Australian sea lion pups (Neophoca cinerea)

In pinnipeds, maternal care strategies and colony density may influence a species’ individual recognition system. We examined the onset of vocal recognition of mothers by Australian sea lion pups (Neophoca cinerea). At 2 months of age, pups responded significantly more to the calls of their own mothers than alien female calls demonstrating a finely tuned recognition system. However, newborn pups did not respond differentially to the calls of their mother from alien female calls suggesting that vocal recognition had not yet developed or is not yet expressed. These findings are in stark contrast to other otariid species where pups learn their mother’s voice before their first separation. Variance in colony density, pup movements, and natal site fidelity may have reduced selective pressures on call recognition in young sea lions, or alternatively, another sensory system may be used for recognition in the early stage of life.     

Value of protected areas to avian persistence across 20 years of climate and land-use change

Establishing protected areas, where human activities and land cover changes are restricted, is among the most widely used strategies for biodiversity conservation. This practice is based on the assumption that protected areas buffer species from processes that drive extinction. However, protected areas can maintain biodiversity in the face of climate change and subsequent shifts in distributions have been questioned. We evaluated the degree to which protected areas influenced colonization and extinction patterns of 97 avian species over 20 years in the northeastern United States. We fitted single-visit dynamic occupancy models to data from Breeding Bird Atlases to quantify the magnitude of the effect of drivers of local colonization and extinction (e.g., climate, land cover, and amount of protected area) in heterogeneous landscapes that varied in the amount of area under protection. Colonization and extinction probabilities improved as the amount of protected area increased, but these effects were conditional on landscape context and species characteristics. In this forest-dominated region, benefits of additional land protection were greatest when both forest cover in a grid square and amount of protected area in neighboring grid squares were low. Effects did not vary with species’ migratory habit or conservation status. Increasing the amounts of land protection benefitted the range margins species but not the core range species. The greatest improvements in colonization and extinction rates accrued for forest birds relative to open-habitat or generalist species. Overall, protected areas stemmed extinction more than they promoted colonization. Our results indicate that land protection remains a viable conservation strategy despite changing habitat and climate, as protected areas both reduce the risk of local extinction and facilitate movement into new areas. Our findings suggest conservation in the face of climate change favors creation of new protected areas over enlarging existing ones as the optimal strategy to reduce extinction and provide stepping stones for the greatest number of species.     

Risk factors for mortality during the 2002 landslides in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia

This study examines health effects resulting from landslides in Chuuk during Tropical Storm Chata'an in July 2002, and suggests strategies to prevent future mortality. In August 2002, we conducted a cross-sectional survey to identify risk factors for mortality during landslides, which included 52 survivors and 40 surrogates for 43 decedents to identify risk factors for death. Findings suggest that 1) females had a higher mortality rate from this event than males, and 2) children aged 5–14 years had a 10-fold increase in mortality when compared with annual mortality rates from all causes. Awareness of landslides occurring elsewhere and knowledge of natural warning signs were significantly associated with lower risks of death; being outside during landslides was not associated with reduced mortality. In Chuuk, improving communication systems during tropical storms and increasing knowledge of natural warnings can reduce the risk for mortality during landslides.     

Effects of human footprint and biophysical factors on the body-size structure of fished marine species

Marine fisheries in coastal ecosystems in many areas of the world have historically removed large-bodied individuals, potentially impairing ecosystem functioning and the long-term sustainability of fish populations. Reporting on size-based indicators that link to food-web structure can contribute to ecosystem-based management, but the application of these indicators over large (cross-ecosystem) geographical scales has been limited to either fisheries-dependent catch data or diver-based methods restricted to shallow waters (<20 m) that can misrepresent the abundance of large-bodied fished species. We obtained data on the body-size structure of 82 recreationally or commercially targeted marine demersal teleosts from 2904 deployments of baited remote underwater stereo-video (stereo-BRUV). Sampling was at up to 50 m depth and covered approximately 10,000 km of the continental shelf of Australia. Seascape relief, water depth, and human gravity (i.e., a proxy of human impacts) were the strongest predictors of the probability of occurrence of large fishes and the abundance of fishes above the minimum legal size of capture. No-take marine reserves had a positive effect on the abundance of fishes above legal size, although the effect varied across species groups. In contrast, sublegal fishes were best predicted by gradients in sea surface temperature (mean and variance). In areas of low human impact, large fishes were about three times more likely to be encountered and fishes of legal size were approximately five times more abundant. For conspicuous species groups with contrasting habitat, environmental, and biogeographic affinities, abundance of legal-size fishes typically declined as human impact increased. Our large-scale quantitative analyses highlight the combined importance of seascape complexity, regions with low human footprint, and no-take marine reserves in protecting large-bodied fishes across a broad range of species and ecosystem configurations.     

Analysis of PFAAs in American alligators part 1: Concentrations in alligators harvested for consumption during South Carolina public hunts

Environmental contamination resulting from the production or release of harmful chemicals can lead to negative consequences for wildlife and human health. Perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAAs) were historically produced as protective coatings for many household items and currently persist in the environment, wildlife, and humans. PFAAs have been linked to immune suppression, endocrine disruption, and developmental toxicity in wildlife and laboratory studies. This study examines the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, as an important indicator of ecosystem contamination and a potential pathway for PFAA exposure in humans. Alligator meat harvested in the 2015 South Carolina (SC) public hunt season and prepared for human consumption was collected and analyzed for PFAAs to determine meat concentrations and relationships with animal body size (total length), sex, and location of harvest. Of the 15 PFAAs analyzed, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was found in all alligator meat samples and at the highest concentrations (median 6.73 ng/g). No relationship was found between PFAA concentrations and total length or sex. Concentrations of one or all compounds varied significantly across sampling locations, with alligators harvested in the Middle Coastal hunt unit having the highest PFOS concentrations (median 16.0 ng/g; p = 0.0001). Alligators harvested specifically from Berkley County, SC (located in the Middle Coastal hunt unit) had the highest PFOS concentrations and the greatest number of PFAAs detected (p < 0.0001). The site-specific nature of PFAA concentrations in alligator meat observed in this study suggests a source of PFAA contamination in Berkley County, SC.     

Model of stomatal ammonia compensation point (STAMP) in relation to the plant nitrogen and carbon metabolisms and environmental conditions

Agricultural crops can be either a source or a sink of ammonia (NH₃). Most NH₃ exchange models developed so far do not account for the plants nitrogen (N) metabolism and use prescribed compensation points. We present here a leaf-scale simplified NH₃ stomatal compensation point model related to the plants N and carbon (C) metabolisms, for C₃ plants. Five compartments are considered: xylem, cytoplasm, apoplasm, vacuole and sub-stomatal cavity. The main processes accounted for are the transport of ammonium (NH₄⁺), NH₃ and nitrate (NO₃⁻) between the different compartments, NH₄⁺ production through photorespiration and NO₃⁻ reduction, NH₄⁺ assimilation, chemical and thermodynamic equilibriums in all the compartments, and stomatal transfer of NH₃.The simulated compensation point is sensitive to paramaters related to the apoplastic compartment: pH, volume and active transport rate. Determining factors are leaf temperature, stomatal conductance and NH₄⁺ flux to the leaf. Atmospheric NH₃ concentration seem to have very little effect on the compensation point in conditions of high N fertilization. Comparison of model outputs to experimental results show that the model underestimates the NH₃ compensation point for high N fertilization and that a better parametrisation of sensitive parameters especially active trasport rate of NH₄⁺ may be required.     

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products found in the Great Lakes above concentrations of environmental concern

The monitoring of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) has focused on the distribution in rivers and small lakes, but data regarding their occurrence and effects in large lake systems, such as the Great Lakes, are sparse. Wastewater treatment processes have not been optimized to remove influent PPCPs and are a major source of PPCPs in the environment. Furthermore, PPCPs are not currently regulated in wastewater effluent. In this experiment we evaluated the concentration, and corresponding risk, of PPCPs from a wastewater effluent source at varying distances in Lake Michigan. Fifty-four PPCPs and hormones were assessed on six different dates over a two-year period from surface water and sediment samples up to 3.2 km from a wastewater treatment plant and at two sites within a harbor. Thirty-two PPCPs were detected in Lake Michigan and 30 were detected in the sediment, with numerous PPCPs being detected up to 3.2 km away from the shoreline. The most frequently detected PPCPs in Lake Michigan were metformin, caffeine, sulfamethoxazole, and triclosan. To determine the ecological risk, the maximum measured environmental concentrations were compared to the predicted no-effect concentration and 14 PPCPs were found to be of medium or high ecological risk. The environmental risk of PPCPs in large lake systems, such as the Great Lakes, has been questioned due to high dilution; however, the concentrations found in this study, and their corresponding risk quotient, indicate a significant threat by PPCPs to the health of the Great Lakes, particularly near shore organisms.     

Enhanced ozonation of simulated dyestuff wastewater by microbubbles

The ozonation of synthetic wastewater containing azo dye, CI Reactive Black 5, was investigated using a microbubble generator and a conventional bubble contactor. The microbubble generator produced a milky and high intensity microbubble solution in which the bubbles had a mean diameter of less than 58 microm and a numerical density of more than 2.9 x 10(4) counts ml(-1) at a gas flow rate of less than 0.5 l min(-1). Compared with the bubble contactor, the total mass transfer coefficient was 1.8 times higher and the pseudo-first order rate constant was 3.2-3.6 times higher at the same initial dye concentration of 100 mg l(-1), 230 mg l(-1) and 530 mg l(-1) in the proposed microbubble system. The amount of total organic carbon removed per g of ozone consumed was about 1.3 times higher in the microbubble system than in the bubble contactor. The test using terephthalic acid as the chemical probe implied that more hydroxyl radicals were produced in the microbubble system, which contributed to the degradation of the dye molecules. The results suggested that in addition to the enhancement of mass transfer, microbubbles, which had higher inner pressure, could accelerate the formation of hydroxyl radicals and hence improve the oxidation of dye molecules.     

Transport and humification of dissolved organic matter within a semi-arid floodplain

In order to understand the transport and humification processes of dissolved organic matter(DOM) within sediments of a semi-arid floodplain at Rifle,Colorado,fluorescence excitation–emission matrix(EEM) spectroscopy,humification index(HIX) and specific UV absorbance(SUVA) at 254 nm were applied for characterizing depth and seasonal variations of DOM composition.Results revealed that late spring snowmelt leached relatively fresh DOM from plant residue and soil organic matter down into the deeper vadose zone(VZ).More humified DOM is preferentially adsorbed by upper VZ sediments,while non-or lesshumified DOM was transported into the deeper VZ.Interestingly,DOM at all depths undergoes rapid biological humification process evidenced by the products of microbial by-product-like(i.e.,tyrosine-like and tryptophan-like) matter in late spring and early summer,particularly in the deeper VZ,resulting in more humified DOM(e.g.,fulvic-acid-like and humic-acid-like substances) at the end of year.This indicates that DOM transport is dominated by spring snowmelt,and DOM humification is controlled by microbial degradation,with seasonal variations.It is expected that these relatively simple spectroscopic measurements(e.g.,EEM spectroscopy,HIX and SUVA) applied to depth-and temporally-distributed pore-water samples can provide useful insights into transport and humification of DOM in other subsurface environments as well.