Vitalizing effects of being outdoors and in nature

Five studies utilizing survey, experimental, and diary methods assessed the effects of being outdoors on subjective vitality. In Study 1, we used a vignette method to examine whether being outdoors was associated with vitality, above and beyond the influences of physical activity and social interactions. Study 2 explored the effects of being outdoors on vitality through an experimental design contrasting indoor and outdoor walks. In Study 3, participants were exposed to photographic scenes of either nature or buildings. Results showed that only the nature scenes enhanced subjective vitality. Studies 4 and 5 used a diary methodology to examine within-person variations in subjective energy as a function of being outdoors, again controlling for physical and social activity. Being outdoors was associated with greater vitality, a relation that was mediated by the presence of natural elements. Limitations of these studies are discussed, as well as their implications for research on energy and vitalization.     

Effects of economic growth on biodiversity in the United States

For many citizens and policymakers, the empirical relationship between economic growth and biodiversity conservation has not been sufficiently established for purposes of identifying the types of economic policies amenable to biodiversity conservation. Some think economic growth conflicts with biodiversity conservation; others think economic growth conduces biodiversity conservation. With panel data from 1997‐2011, encompassing US continental states, we developed a series of statistical models to investigate the relationships among species endangerment, human population, and economic growth as indicated by GDP and per capita GDP. Species endangerment is highly correlated with population and GDP, and per capita GDP is a significant regressor of species endangerment. Across US continental states, competitive exclusion of non‐human species occurs via human economic growth and population growth.     

Self-reported job burnout among female human service professionals

A sample of 135 female human service professionals completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Staff Burnout Scale for Health Professionals (SBS), along with measures of job satisfaction, role stress, self-esteem, alienation, and locus of control. Principal components factor analysis of this battery indicates considerable covariation of self-reported burnout with job dissatisfaction and perceived role stress, and moderate overlap with more general feelings of alienation and low self-esteem. Item factor analysis of the 22 MBI items resulted in two independent factors, one defined by the Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization items, the other by the Personal Accomplishment items. Item factoring of the SBS produced one large factor which was highly correlated with the MBI exhaustion-depersonalization factor. Implications of these findings for the construct validity of the MBI and SBS are discussed.     

Identification and field bioassays of the sex pheromone of the yellow-legged clearwing Synanthedon vespiformis (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae)

The yellow-legged clearwing (YLC) Synanthedon vespiformis (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) occurs in the Mediterranean and central Europe. It is polyphagous, boring into the woody parts of broadleaf species including forest trees as well as various Rosaceae species. S. vespiformis has been reported as an economically important pest causing severe injury to stone fruit plantations. Many attractants for sesiid species were discovered by random field screening using 2,13- and 3,13-octadecadienyl alcohols, acetates and aldehydes, including one for S. vespiformis; and about 20 sex pheromones of sesiids have been identified so far. In the present study we identified the natural composition of the sex pheromone of YLC laboratory reared females as a blend of E3,Z13- and Z3,Z13-octadecadienyl acetates, at a ratio of 4:1. We developed an efficient lure for monitoring the pest. Pheromone funnel traps with rubber septa, impregnated with 1 mg pheromone blend, efficiently captured males for 10 weeks. Suspension of Shin-Etsu^? ropes containing a 2:1 blend of E3,Z13-18:Ac and Z3,Z13-18:Ac at 13.74 mg/ha/h, resulted in shutdown of trap catches in the treated plots and closely situated neighboring plots indicating that mating disruption is feasible.     

A Novel Method to Capture and Analyze Flow in a Gross Pollutant Trap Using Image-Based Vector Visualization

A novel method is developed to capture and analyze several experimental flow regimes through a gross pollutant trap (GPT) with fully and partially blocked screens. Typical flow conditions and screen blockages are based on findings from field investigations that show a high content of organic matter in urban areas. Fluid motion of neutral buoyant particles is tracked using a high-speed camera and particle image velocimetry (PIV) software. The recorded fluid motion is visualized through an image-based, line integral convolution (LIC) algorithm, generally suitable for large computational fluid dynamics (CFD) datasets. The LIC method, a dense representation of streamlines, is found to be superior to the point-based flow visualization (e.g., hedgehog or arrow plots) in highlighting main flow features that are important for understanding litter capture and retention in the GPT. Detailed comparisons are made between the flow regimes, and the results are compared with CFD data previously obtained for fully blocked screens. The LIC technique is a useful tool for identifying flow structures in the GPT and areas that are subjected to abnormalities difficult to detect by conventional methods. The novel method is found to be useful both in the laboratory and in the field, with little preparation and cost. The enhancements and pitfalls of the LIC technique along with the experimentally captured flow field are presented and discussed.     

DRY AND WET WEATHER FLOW NUTRIENT LOADS FROM A LOS ANGELES WATERSHED1

Effective watershed management requires an accurate assessment of the pollutant loads from the associated point and nonpoint sources. The importance of wet weather flow (WWF) pollutant loads is well known, but in semi‐arid regions where urbanization is significant the pollutant load in dry weather flow (DWF) may also be important. This research compares the relative contributions of potential contaminants discharged in DWF and WWF from the Ballona Creek Watershed in Los Angeles, California. Models to predict DWF and WWF loads of total suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrate‐nitrogen, nitrite‐nitrogen, ammonia‐nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and total phosphorus from the Ballona Creek Watershed for six water years dating from 1991 to 1996 were developed. The contaminants studied were selected based on data availability and their potential importance in the degradation of Ballona Creek and Santa Monica Bay beneficial uses. Wet weather flow was found to contribute approximately 75 percent to 90 percent of the total annual flow volume discharged by the Ballona Creek Watershed. Pollutant loads are also predominantly due to WWF, but during the dry season, DWF is a more significant contributor. Wet weather flow accounts for 67 to 98 percent of the annual load of the constituents studied. During the dry season, however, the portion attributable to DWF increases to greater than 40 percent for all constituents except biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids. When individual catchments within the watershed are considered, the DWF pollutant load from the largest catchment is similar to the WWF pollutant load in two other major catchments. This research indicates WWF is the most significant source of nonpoint source pollution load on an annual basis, but management of the effects of the nonpoint source pollutant load should consider the seasonal importance of DWF.     

Soybean production and conversion of tropical forest in the Brazilian Amazon: the case of Vilhena, Rondônia

The recent rise in Brazilian soybean production has generated concern among the environmental community and some authors that natural tropical environments of the Amazon Basin are being converted to soybean fields. Proponents of soybean production counter that soybeans represent a viable agricultural commodity for the region; environmental concern is unwarranted, because new soybean fields are replacing already deforested or otherwise transformed lands. Both arguments have been made without comprehensive study and measure of land-use/land-cover (LULC) in areas undergoing expansion of soybean production. This case study, conducted in the municipality of Vilhena, Rond?nia, Brazil, in the southwestern Amazon Basin, uses remote sensing to evaluate the LULC accompanying this municipality's large growth in soybean production from 1996 to 2001. Forests are being converted for soybean production, but most of the production increase appears attributable to slight expansion of already existing fields, conversion of already deforested land, and higher yields.     

A Rapid Response Survey to Characterize the Impacts of the 2017 High Water Event on Lake Ontario

In the spring and summer of 2017, communities along the Lake Ontario shoreline suffered from the worst flood event on record. In late May, daily water levels reached their highest point in over 100 years, and flooding continued throughout much of the summer as lake levels slowly declined, with inundation and erosion significantly impacting shoreline homes and businesses. In this work, we present results from a rapid response online survey of property owners along the New York Lake Ontario shoreline to quantify the perceived flood impacts of the 2017 extended high water event. The survey focused on the degree and spatial distribution of inundation and erosion; the duration and drivers of inundation; the associated damages to different property features, with an emphasis on shoreline protection; and the degree of disruption to business and other activities and services. Photographic documentation of inundation extent and property damage also was provided by survey respondents. We demonstrate the potential utility of this dataset by characterizing key features of inundation and erosion impacts across the shoreline, and by using classification and regression trees to explore the predictability of inundation and erosion based on property characteristics. This work is part of a larger effort to develop models of inundation and erosion that can support flood impact assessments across the shoreline and help communities better prepare for future extended high water events.     

Serial patterns of biodiversity change in corals across shallow reef flats in Ko Phuket,Thailand, due to the effects of local (sedimentation) and regional (climatic) perturbations

A 17-year monitoring programme of reef flats at Ko Phuket, Thailand afforded an opportunity to evaluate both univariate and multivariate measures of environmental stress in an assessment of change on coral reef ecosystems. The sites at Ko Phuket suffered the effects of dredging in 1986-1987 and then anomalously low sea levels in 1997-1998 as a result of climate-related events in the Indian Ocean. Univariate measures of species diversity and taxonomic distinctness ((*) increased across the reef flat, reflecting the greater effects of physical stresses on the inner reef flats (compared with outer reef flats) at all sites, with more congeneric species present on the inner reef and more confamilial species on the outer reef. Multivariate measures showed a clear breakdown in seriation patterns at all sites during the dredging in 1987 and in 1998, as a result of earlier negative sea-level anomalies. Recovery from environmental disturbances was obvious within 12 months in each case. The domination of the reefs by massive coral species, which are physiologically adapted to intertidal living and which display partial rather than total colony mortality, may be a factor contributing to the apparent resilience of the reef flats together with continued recruitment and survival of juvenile corals during adverse environmental conditions. Elevated sea temperatures and extensive bleaching of corals in 1991, 1995, and 1998 had no effect upon coral community measures, with many corals recovering their zooxanthellae numbers within 3-5 months of the bleaching events.