Achieving attainable outcomes from good science in an untidy world: case studies in land and air pollution

While scientific understanding of environmental issues develops through careful observation, experiment and modelling, the application of such advances in the day to day world is much less clean and tidy. Merseyside in northwest England has an industrial heritage from the earliest days of the industrial revolution. Indeed, the chemical industry was borne here. Land contamination issues are rife, as are problems with air quality. Through the examination of one case study for each topic, the practicalities of applied science are explored. An integrated, multidisciplinary response to pollution needs more than a scientific risk assessment. The needs of the various groups (from public to government) involved in the situations must be considered, as well as wider, relevant contexts (from history to European legislation), before a truly integrated response can be generated. However, no such situation exists in isolation and the introduction of environmental investigations and the exploration of suitable, integrated responses will alter the situation in unexpected ways, which must be considered carefully and incorporated in a rolling fashion to enable solutions to continue to be applicable and relevant to the problem being faced. This integrated approach has been tested over many years in Merseyside and found to be a robust approach to ever-changing problems that are well described by the management term, “wicked problems”.     

Persistent pollutants and the patchiness of urban green areas as drivers of genetic richness in the epiphytic moss Leptodon smithii

We determined genetic variation and metal and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in Leptodon smithii moss collected in holm oak stands at cities, outskirts and remote areas of Campania and Tuscany（Italy） to investigate if anthropogenic pressure（pollutant emissions and land use change） affects moss genetic richness. In both regions, metal and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations reflected the trend urban 〉 outskirts 〉 remote areas, excepting Tuscany remote site. In both regions,the moss gene diversity increased from urban to remote areas. The findings suggest the extent and the fragmentation of urban green areas, as drivers of moss genetic richness.     

Transformation of a landfill covering amended with municipal waste compost, Perugia, Italy

This research deals with the transformation of an anthropomorphous landfill covering composed of a fill soil mixed with mechanically separated municipal waste compost. The study site was a municipal landfill near Perugia, Italy. Throughout the years, waste disposal in the landfill was performed by burial in horizontal layers, each one representing a yearly disposal. The external front of the landfill thus represented the yearly disposal over a 10-yr period starting in 1993. Temporal changes in the anthropomorphous soil over this period were studied by examining and describing soil profiles, and by collecting and analyzing soil samples from the 1993, 1994, 1997, and 2001 disposals. The samples were subjected to a series of physical, chemical, and biochemical analyses. The results obtained suggest that over a 10-yr period the top layer gained a pedological structure (subangular blocky and/or crumb) giving rise to an A horizon. Improved soil structure was confirmed by an increase in macroporosity, particularly for pores larger than 50 microm, measured by image analysis of soil thin sections. Total extractable carbon showed an increase in the content of humic substances, evidenced by parameters of humification. Enzymatic activities in the A and C1 horizons were also indicative of soil evolution and may serve as a valid indicator for monitoring the evolution of anthropogenic soils containing municipal waste compost.     

Current Controversies in Prenatal Diagnosis 1: Should MRI be performed on all fetuses with mild ventriculomegaly?

A ventricular diameter of 10 mm correlates with more than two standard deviations of the normal and hence is qualified as ventriculomegaly. The relevance of this is dependent on whether there are associated infectious, genetic, or structural problems. The chance for neurodevelopmental delay in isolated ventriculomegaly less than 15 mm is 7.9% (4.7-11.1), and less if it is unilateral. It can be further divided in mild (10-12) or moderate (13-15), though this is not widely accepted. As part of the workup, structural assessment today may include ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging, or both. Discussants agreed that the diagnostic performance of both methods is as good as the expertise with which the images are acquired and interpreted. Discussants agreed that when the initial neurosonogram is normal, the likelihood of finding significant findings on MRI is low. Nevertheless, some anomalies may only be picked up or better worked out by fetal MRI. In utero follow-up is advocated, as progression may indicate a poorer outcome, and some conditions are only obvious late in pregnancy. Most benefit for future patients is expected from appropriate training in prenatal neuroimaging.     

Size-assortative pairing across three developmental stages in the Zeus bug, Phoreticovelia disparata

The mechanisms underlying size-assortative pairing have received considerable attention. Typically, pairing is assumed to occur at, or just prior to, the adult phase of the life cycle. However, in many invertebrates, males commence associations with juvenile females who are more than a single moult away from sexual maturity. These species are ideal to explore the importance of reproductive and survival benefits as mechanisms driving size-assortative pairing. In the Zeus bug, Phoreticovelia disparata, adult males are found riding on juvenile (fourth and fifth instar) and adult females—a behaviour that is costly for females but has survival benefits for males. Using a combination of field collections and laboratory manipulations, we show that pairing is size-assortative both within and between female age classes and that riding males are smaller than non-riding males. In a series of mating trials, we revealed that males attempt to ride any female but that their riding success is dependent on female age. We also provide the first direct evidence of female resistance to male riding attempts in P. disparata. We propose that size-assortative pairing arises through adaptations that have evolved to minimise the potential costs of sexual conflict. We suggest that the selective pressure on males to maximise survival benefits is sufficiently high that it outweighs the reproductive benefits of discriminating against fourth instar females. Finally, given that female resistance is under direct selection in juvenile females, it is likely to be the main form of selective pressure for adult females.     

Zur Entwicklung einer Prüfstrategie auf sexual-endokrine Wirksamkeit einer chemischen Substanz bei Fischen

Ohne Zusammenfassung Hintergrundinformation Umweltbundesamt (2007). Abschlussbericht des Forschungsprojektes „Charakterisierung endokrin vermittelter Wirkungen in Fischen: Relevante Parameter für die Entwicklung einer neuen OECD-Testmethode und in der Anwendung in der gesetzlichen Umweltrisikobewertung“ im Auftrag des Umweltbundesamtes (F?rderkennzeichen 206 67 470). Online erh?ltlich unter     

Report: New guidelines for characterization of municipal solid waste: the Portuguese case

This report proposes a new set of guidelines for the characterization of municipal solid waste. It is based on an analysis of reference methodologies, used internationally, and a case study of Valorsul (a company that handles recovery and treatment of solid waste in the North Lisbon Metropolitan Area). In particular, the suggested guidelines present a new definition of the waste to be analysed, change the sampling unit and establish statistical standards for the results obtained. In these new guidelines, the sampling level is the waste collection vehicle and contamination and moisture are taken into consideration. Finally, focus is on the quality of the resulting data, which is essential for comparability of data between countries. These new guidelines may also be applicable outside Portugal because the methodology includes, besides municipal mixed waste, separately collected fractions of municipal waste. They are a response to the need for information concerning Portugal (e.g. Eurostat or OECD inquiries) and follow European Union municipal solid waste management policies (e.g. packaging waste recovery and recycling targets and the reduction of biodegradable waste going to landfill).     

Clean development mechanism: an incentive for waste management projects?

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was introduced by the Kyoto Protocol to provide a financial incentive to establish project activities in developing countries for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also fostering sustainable development. This article shows that waste management project activities play an important role in achieving the aims of the CDM. It describes how these activities have to prove additionality, how the emission reductions must be calculated and monitored in order to be eligible and in order to lead to Certified Emission Reductions (CERs). The article further provides an analysis about the various challenges that are involved in applying the CDM scheme to waste management project activities, which require a new specific set of technical skills and regulatory standards.     

Attitudes Toward Wilderness Study Areas: A Survey of Six Southeastern Utah Counties

Southeastern Utah is a region of world-renowned red-rock sandstone formations, large tracts of federal public land, rural communities centered on agriculture and extractive industries, and is often at the epicenter of environmental protection efforts in the western United States. Environmental groups have proposed formal Wilderness designations for much of the regions public land—proposals that have been actively fought by rural community leaders who do not want large areas locked-up from traditional livelihood and recreational uses. The debate over wilderness designation in the region has been characterized in the media as one that is particularly contentious and polarizing. A survey of southeastern Utah residents was conducted in order to better understand this conflict. The survey focused on attitudes toward wilderness designation and management. We found that residents of southeastern Utah have negative attitudes towards the designation and management of Wilderness Study Areas. We propose that these attitudes should be carefully considered and engaged in future policy and management decisions. We suggest that negative opinions expressed by residents of southeastern Utah are not directed primarily at the concept of environmental protection but rather at the strong perception that these programs and initiatives have been carried out in a heavy-handed manner and dominated by outside influences that have overwhelmed local voices.