Vulnerability and resilience to climate change in Sorsogon City,the Philippines: learning from an ordinary city?

Sorsogon City is a rapidly urbanising coastal area in the Philippines. Its location, combined with a rapidly changing and growing urban fabric, leaves it vulnerable to both incremental climate change and associated extreme weather events. In this paper, UN-HABITAT data are used to draw out the climate change vulnerabilities and policy responses in Sorsogon City. Vulnerability “hotspots” highlight the spatial intersection of socio-economic justice concerns, particularly in terms of vulnerability to increased cyclone activity. We discuss vulnerabilities of Sorsogon City and its citizens to climate change and measures undertaken through various social, environmental and technical systems and interventions to increase resilience. The paper also attempts to unpick the relationship between the neat, concise reported city and the complexities of urban life using the Sorsogon experiment to consider the limitations of such approaches to governing climate change. We group these under four headings: social simplification in the absence of data; over-governance (and under-representation); quick wins versus strategic investment; and stretching the ecological and vulnerability footprints of the city. The experience of Sorsogon City is then extended to reflect on issues of governance and planning in other Asian coastal cities.     

Diving characteristics of southern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes c. chrysocome) in the southwest Atlantic

The diving behaviour of southern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes c. chrysocome) was studied at two breeding sites in the Southwest Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Staten Island, Argentina. Incubating and brooding birds were equipped with time-depth recorders to monitor their foraging activities. Rockhopper penguins from Staten Island started their breeding season about 3 weeks earlier than their conspecifics from the Falkland Islands. The foraging area used by incubating males from the Falkland Islands comprised about 150,000 km² to the northeast of the breeding site and was characterised by shelf and slope waters, whereas the foraging area of incubating males from Staten Island comprised 350,000 km² of oceanic waters to the southeast of the breeding site. A number of dive parameters were measured and compared between the four study groups: Incubating males and brooding females from the Falkland Islands, and incubating males and females from Staten Island. In all study groups, dive depth correlated positively to light intensity, dive duration and vertical velocity. However, significant differences between various diving parameters of the study groups were noted, not only in terms of diving performance, but also as regards diving efficiency (DE). A principal component analysis (PCA) on 16 variables revealed that 75% of the variance could be explained by only two principal components: diving pattern (PC1) and diving effort (PC2). PC1 indicated that the birds from Staten Island, both males and females, dived deeper, covered a greater vertical distance per hour and had higher ascent rates, but spent less time underwater and at the bottom of a dive, and had a lower DE than conspecifics from the Falkland Islands. PC2, which included the percentage of foraging dives, the number of dives per hour, dive duration, bottom time and descent rate, differed significantly between incubating males from the Falkland Islands and the other three groups, which were all very similar. Overall, the diving behaviour was notably similar to that of conspecifics from the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The implications of the results in terms of intra-specific adaptations as well as potential threats from human activities are discussed.     

Intake of phthalates and di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate: results of the Integrated Exposure Assessment Survey based on duplicate diet samples and biomonitoring data

Phthalates are ubiquitous environmental chemicals with potential detrimental health effects. The purpose of our study was to quantify dietary intake of phthalates and of DEHA (Di-ethylhexyl adipate) using duplicate diet samples and to compare these data with the calculated data based on urinary levels of primary and secondary phthalate metabolites. 27 female and 23 male healthy subjects aged 14-60 years collected daily duplicate diet samples over 7 consecutive days. Overall, 11 phthalates were measured in the duplicates by GC/MS and LC/MS methods. Urinary levels of primary and secondary phthalate metabolites are also available. The median (95th percentile) daily intake via food was 2.4 (4.0) microg/kg b.w. (Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, DEHP), 0.3 (1.4) microg/kg b.w. (Di-n-butyl phthalate, DnBP), 0.6 (2.1) microg/kg b.w. (Di-isobutyl phthalate, DiBP) and 0.7 (2.2) microg/kg b.w. for DEHA. MEPH (Mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) was detectable only in minor concentrations in the samples, thus conversion of DEHP to MEHP and dietary intake of MEHP were negligible. When comparing back-calculated intake data of the DEHP metabolites with dietary DEHP intake from the day before significant correlations were observed for most of the metabolites. No correlation was found for DnBP and only a weak but significant correlation for DiBP. The median and 95th percentile daily dietary intake of all target analytes did not exceed the recommended tolerable daily intake. Our data indicated that food was the predominant intake source of DEHP, whilst other sources considerably contributed to the daily intake of DnBP and DiBP in an adult population.     

Is there a Relation Between Ecological Practices and Spirituality? The Case of Benedictine Monasteries

For decades there has been a controversial debate over how far religious faith communities are specifically engaged in ecological practices (EP). Therefore we studied four Austrian and two German Benedictine monasteries religious ethics and spirituality as a means of a driving force for initiating EP. We draw upon theories of organizational learning processes and capacity-building of sustainability to interpret our empirical findings. The majority of monasteries are highly engaged in EP, initiated either as an outcome of individual activities or through a specific mostly informally acting group, but rarely an organizationally or systematically integrated goal of the monasteries, or a focus of capacity building. Monasteries follow a technical and economic decision-making process in implementing EP. Spirituality plays a limited role in the initiation of EP. The environment of monasteries–acceptance or critique against ecological practices–influences the monasteries decisions. Institutionalization of ecological practices into the monasteries organizational structure is rare.     

Waste form corrosion modeling: comparison with experimental results

Results of leaching experiments using active and inactively simulated HLW glass in concentrated NaCl solution are described. Measured solution concentrations of glass components, fission products and actinides are compared with computed data. The computed pH value corresponds with the findings from experiments with inactively simulated glass samples. Moreover, the concentrations of silica and strontium can be described adequately by reaction path modelling. The computed U concentration is explained by the precipitation of schoepite or Na2U2O7. The computed Am concentration significantly exceeds the measured data. This may be attributed to sorption processes on corrosion products of the glass, which are relevant also for lanthanide elements under the conditions of the experiments. This hypothesis is tested by solid solution approaches and by computing sorption of Am onto SiO2 precipitates.     

Nocturnal NO3 radical chemistry in Houston,TX

Radical chemistry in the nocturnal urban boundary layer is dominated by the nitrate radical, NO₃, which oxidizes hydrocarbons and, through the aerosol uptake of N₂O₅, indirectly influences the nitrogen budget. The impact of NO₃ chemistry on polluted atmospheres and urban air quality is, however, not well understood, due to a lack of observations and the strong impact of vertical stability of the boundary layer, which makes nocturnal chemistry highly altitude dependent.Here we present long-path DOAS observations of the vertical distribution of the key nocturnal species O₃, NO₂, and NO₃ during the TRAMP experiment in Summer 2006 in Houston, TX. Our observations confirm the altitude dependence of nocturnal chemistry, which is reflected in the concentration profiles of all trace gases at night. In contrast to other study locations, NO₃ chemistry in Houston is dominated by industrial emissions of alkenes, in particular of isoprene, isobutene, and sporadically 1,3-butadiene, which are responsible for more than 70% of the nocturnal NO₃ loss. The nocturnally averaged loss of NO_x in the lowest 300 m of the Houston atmosphere is ～0.9 ppb h^?1, with little day-to-day variability. A comparison with the daytime NO_x loss shows that NO₃ chemistry is responsible for 16–50% of the NO_x loss in a 24-h period in the lowest 300 m of the atmosphere. The importance of the NO₃ + isoprene/1,3-butadiene reactions implies the efficient formation of organic nitrates and secondary organic aerosol at night in Houston.     

The predictive power of the elimination of dioxin-like pollutants from pigs: an in vivo study

Pigs accidentally given feed contaminated by dioxin-like pollutants are a serious public health issue. We have examined whether pigs with limited exposure during early periods of fattening would be categorized as non-compliant with the EU limit at slaughtering when growth-dilution, excretion and metabolism effects are considered. Sixteen female and sixteen castrated male weaned pigs were divided into four groups (e.g. DG0, DG1, DG2 and DG3) in week 2 after birth. From weeks 3 to 13, groups DG1, DG2, and DG3 pigs were fed with a polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) mixture at dosages of 1, 10 and 100 ng-toxic equivalent (TEQ) per kg dry mass feed in capsules, respectively. From weeks 13 to 23, the animals were nourished with clear feed. Control group DG0 was always fed with clear feed. Subcutaneous fat samples were collected at weeks 13, 18 and 23 by biopsies. The pollutant residues were analyzed by high resolution gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry and quantified by a ¹³C-isotope dilution method. The results showed the following: (1) when slaughtered at week 23, the TEQ for DG1 pigs (0.66 ± 0.21 pg/g fat) was under the EU limit of 1 pg PCDD/F-TEQ/g fat; (2) PCDD/F congener-specific first-order elimination rates were linearly correlated with their toxicity equivalency factors (TEFs), and the rates were significantly dose-dependent for the more toxic congeners (TEF ≥ 0.1). Therefore, the pigs' exposure above the EU limit during the early fattening stage did not necessarily lead to their categorization as non-compliant pork; and the residual TEQ for pork can be predicted from early exposure concentrations based on the models established here.     

Temporal variation and spatial distribution of PAH in water of Three Gorges Reservoir during the complete impoundment period

Bioavailable concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in water of Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) using semipermeable membrane devices during the period of completely impounding water. ∑PAH concentrations in water of TGR in the period of completely impounding water were 15–381 ng?L^?1. ∑PAH concentrations increased from town or counties to big industrialized cities in TGR, indicating urbanization effects on PAH pollution in the water. Tributaries in TGR have a certain contribution of PAH pollution to the mainstream of Yangtze River and their pollution could not be neglected. An obvious decrease of PAH concentration was observed after 175-m water impounding in 2011 in TGR. Several factors may account for this decrease, including execution of comprehensive treatment and management measures in TGR, less rainfall in 2011, and sedimentation effect caused by the dam. Passive sampling method has been successfully applied in the investigation of trace PAH in water of TGR and proved to be a useful and efficient tool for the management and sustainable development of the big reservoir. The results of the study provide valuable information about PAH pollution in the whole reservoir including some tributaries, and the pollution status is dynamically related with human activities. Therefore, PAH could be used as a marker compound or indicator in the network monitoring system to surveil and trace the pollution status in TGR.