Seeking evidence of multidisciplinarity in environmental geochemistry and health: an analysis of arsenic in drinking water research

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - A multidisciplinary approach to research affords the opportunity of objectivity, creation of new knowledge and potentially a more generally acceptable...     

Deconstructing compassionate conservation

Compassionate conservation focuses on 4 tenets: first, do no harm; individuals matter; inclusivity of individual animals; and peaceful coexistence between humans and animals. Recently, compassionate conservation has been promoted as an alternative to conventional conservation philosophy. We believe examples presented by compassionate conservationists are deliberately or arbitrarily chosen to focus on mammals; inherently not compassionate; and offer ineffective conservation solutions. Compassionate conservation arbitrarily focuses on charismatic species, notably large predators and megaherbivores. The philosophy is not compassionate when it leaves invasive predators in the environment to cause harm to vastly more individuals of native species or uses the fear of harm by apex predators to terrorize mesopredators. Hindering the control of exotic species (megafauna, predators) in situ will not improve the conservation condition of the majority of biodiversity. The positions taken by so-called compassionate conservationists on particular species and on conservation actions could be extended to hinder other forms of conservation, including translocations, conservation fencing, and fertility control. Animal welfare is incredibly important to conservation, but ironically compassionate conservation does not offer the best welfare outcomes to animals and is often ineffective in achieving conservation goals. Consequently, compassionate conservation may threaten public and governmental support for conservation because of the limited understanding of conservation problems by the general public.     

Resilience metrics for cyber systems

As federal agencies and businesses rely more on cyber infrastructure, they are increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks that can cause damages disproportionate to the sophistication and cost to launch the attack. In response, regulatory authorities call for focusing attention on enhancing infrastructure resilience. For example, in the USA, President Obama issued an Executive Order and policy directives focusing on improving the resilience and security of cyber infrastructure to a wide range of cyber threats. Despite the national and international importance, resilience metrics to inform management decisions are still in the early stages of development. We apply the resilience matrix framework developed by Linkov et al. (Environ Sci Technol 47:10108–10110, 2013) to develop and organize effective resilience metrics for cyber systems. These metrics link national policy goals to specific system measures, such that resource allocation decisions can be translated into actionable interventions and investments. In this paper, a number of metrics have been identified and assessed using quantitative and qualitative measures found in the literature. We have proposed a generic approach and could integrate actual data, technical judgment, and literature-based measures to assess system resilience across physical, information, cognitive, and social domains.     

Disentangling the causes of protected‐species bycatch in gillnet fisheries

Gillnet fisheries are widely thought to pose a conservation threat to many populations of marine mammals, seabirds, and turtles. Gillnet fisheries also support a significant proportion of small‐scale fishing communities worldwide. Despite a large number of studies on protected‐species bycatch in recent decades, relatively few have examined the underlying causes of bycatch and fewer still have considered the issue from a multitaxon perspective. We used 3 bibliographic databases and one search engine to identify studies by year of publication and taxon. The majority of studies on the mechanisms of gillnet bycatch are not accessible through the mainstream published literature. Many are reported in technical papers, government reports, and university theses. We reviewed over 600 published and unpublished studies of bycatch in which causal or correlative factors were considered and identified therein 28 environmental, operational, technical, and behavioral factors that may be associated with high or low bycatch rates of the taxa. Of the factors considered, 11 were associated with potential bycatch reduction in 2 out of the 3 taxa, and 3 factors (water depth, mesh size, and net height) were associated with trends in bycatch rate for all 3 taxa. These findings provide a basis to guide further experimental work to test hypotheses about which factors most influence bycatch rates and to explore ways of managing fishing activities and improving gear design to minimize the incidental capture of species of conservation concern while ensuring the viability of the fisheries concerned.     

Bankfull Regional Curves for the Inner and Outer Bluegrass Regions of Kentucky1

Brockman, Ruth R., Carmen T. Agouridis, Stephen R. Workman, Lindell E. Ormsbee, and Alex W. Fogle, 2012. Bankfull Regional Curves for the Inner and Outer Bluegrass Regions of Kentucky. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(2): 391‐406. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00621.x Abstract: Bankfull regional curves that relate channel dimensions and discharge to watershed drainage area are useful tools for assisting in the correct identification of bankfull elevation and in stream restoration and reconstruction. This study assessed 28 stable streams located in two physiographic regions of Kentucky: the Inner Bluegrass and the Outer Bluegrass. Bankfull channel dimensions, discharge, and return period as well as average channel slope, median bed material size, sinuosity, Rosgen stream classification, and percent impervious area were determined. Significant relationships were found between drainage area and the bankfull characteristics of cross‐sectional area, width, mean depth, and discharge for both the Inner Bluegrass and Outer Bluegrass regions (α = 0.05). It was also found that the percent impervious area in a watershed had minimal effect on bankfull dimensions, which is attributed to the well‐vegetated nature of the streambanks, cohesive streambank materials, and bedrock control. No significant differences between any of the Inner Bluegrass and Outer Bluegrass regional curves were found (α = 0.05). Comparisons were made between the Inner Bluegrass and Outer Bluegrass curves and others developed in karst‐influenced areas in the Eastern United States. Although few significant differences were found between the regional curves for bankfull discharge and width, a number of the curves differed with regards to bankfull cross‐sectional area and mean depth.