Semicontinuous PM2.5 sulfate and nitrate measurements at an urban and a rural location in New York: PMTACS-NY summer 2001 and 2002 campaigns

Several collocated semicontinuous instruments measuring particulate matter with particle sizes < or =2.5 microm (PM2.5) sulfate (SO4(2-)) and nitrate (NO3-) were intercompared during two intensive field campaigns as part of the PM2.5 Technology Assessment and Characterization Study. The summer 2001 urban campaign in Queens, NY, and the summer 2002 rural campaign in upstate New York (Whiteface Mountain) hosted an operation of an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer, Ambient Particulate Sulfate and Nitrate Monitors, a Continuous Ambient Sulfate Monitor, and a Particle-Into-Liquid Sampler with Ion Chromatographs (PILS-IC). These instruments provided near real-time particulate SO4(2-) and NO3- mass concentration data, allowing the study of particulate SO4(2-)/NO3- diurnal patterns and detection of short-term events. Typical particulate SO4(2-) concentrations were comparable at both sites (ranging from 0 to 20 microg/m3), while ambient urban particulate NO3- concentrations ranged from 0 to 11 microg/m3 and rural NO3- concentration was typically less than 1 microg/m3. Results of the intercomparisons of the semicontinuous measurements are presented, as are results of the comparisons between the semicontinuous and time-integrated filter-based measurements. The comparisons at both sites, in most cases, indicated similar performance characteristics. In addition, charge balance calculations, based on major soluble ionic components of atmospheric aerosol from the PILS-IC and the filter measurements, indicated slightly acidic aerosol at both locations.     

运用规划手段改善城市环境

工业化国家和发展中国家的城市规划，都在变得越来越具有综合性，把城市生活的各种要素如经济发展、交通、娱乐和能源消费等等的环境功能结为一体 .多目标城市管理的目的是将政府在提高环境质量、社会公正和经济繁荣等方面所做的每一项努力而取得的积极成果能够最大限度地产生综合效应 .实现某一狭窄政策领域的一个目标而忽视决策的其它影响，从长远来看现在不再是可接受的，尽管曾经认为是好的规划 .     

Persistent organochlorine pesticides in internal organs of coypu,Myocastor coypus

A highly selective and sensitive method based on gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) to identify and quantify persistent organochlorine pesticides, (18 compounds including primary compounds and metabolites), in animal internal organs (kidneys, liver, and brain) has been developed. Tandem mass spectrometric conditions were individually optimized for each target compound in Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode to obtain maximum sensitivity. Prior to instrumental analysis, a sample preparation method based on matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) followed by acidic digestion with sulfuric acid to reduce matrix co-extractives was employed. Analyses of real samples were carried out on coypus (Myocastor coypus) from the autumn slaughter of 19 animals. In the analyzed samples, three of the target compounds, namely DDE-pp′ (DDT metabolite), HCB and lindane, were detected. Their concentration levels fell in the ranges of 0.003–0.007, 0.003–0.025, and 0.003–0.021 mg kg^?1 (0.005, 0.010, and 0.010 mg kg^?1 on average) in the case of DDE-pp′, HCB and lindane, respectively. Although low quantities of organochlorine pesticides do not pose an immediate danger to consumers' health, they should be of public health concern considering long-term, low-dose exposure.     

Beyond the material grave: Life Cycle Impact Assessment of leaching from secondary materials in road and earth constructions

In industrialized countries, large amounts of mineral wastes are produced. They are re-used in various ways, particularly in road and earth constructions, substituting primary resources such as gravel. However, they may also contain pollutants, such as heavy metals, which may be leached to the groundwater. The toxic impacts of these emissions are so far often neglected within Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) of products or waste treatment services and thus, potentially large environmental impacts are currently missed. This study aims at closing this gap by assessing the ecotoxic impacts of heavy metal leaching from industrial mineral wastes in road and earth constructions. The flows of metals such as Sb, As, Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, V and Zn originating from three typical constructions to the environment are quantified, their fate in the environment is assessed and potential ecotoxic effects evaluated. For our reference country, Germany, the industrial wastes that are applied as Granular Secondary Construction Material (GSCM) carry more than 45,000 t of diverse heavy metals per year. Depending on the material quality and construction type applied, up to 150 t of heavy metals may leach to the environment within the first 100 years after construction. Heavy metal retardation in subsoil can potentially reduce the fate to groundwater by up to 100%. One major challenge of integrating leaching from constructions into macro-scale LCA frameworks is the high variability in micro-scale technical and geographical factors, such as material qualities, construction types and soil types. In our work, we consider a broad range of parameter values in the modeling of leaching and fate. This allows distinguishing between the impacts of various road constructions, as well as sites with different soil properties. The findings of this study promote the quantitative consideration of environmental impacts of long-term leaching in Life Cycle Assessment, complementing site-specific risk assessment, for the design of waste management strategies, particularly in the construction sector.     

Evaluating Efficacy of Field-Generated Electrochemical Oxidants on Disinfection of Fomites Using Bacteriophage MS2 and Mouse Norovirus MNV-1 as Pathogenic Virus Surrogates

Surface disinfection, as part of environmental hygiene practices, is an efficient barrier to gastroenteritis transmission. However, surface disinfectants may be difficult to obtain in remote, resource-limited, or disaster relief settings. Electrochemical oxidants (ECO) are chlorine-based disinfectants that can be generated using battery power to electrolyze brine (NaCl) solutions. Electrolysis generates a mixed-oxidant solution that contains both chlorine (HOCl, OCl^?) and reactive oxygen species (e.g., ·OH, O₃, H₂O₂, and ·O_2?) capable of inactivating pathogens. One onsite generator of ECO is the Smart Electrochlorinator 200 (SE-200, Cascade Designs, Inc.). In a laboratory study, we assessed ECO surface disinfection efficacy for two gastrointestinal virus surrogates: bacteriophage MS2 and murine norovirus MNV-1. We quantified both infectivity and nucleic acid inactivation using culture-dependent and independent assays. At free available chlorine concentrations of 2,500 ppm and a contact time of 30 s, ECO inactivation of infective MS2 bacteriophage exceeded 7 log₁₀ compared to MNV-1 disinfection of approximately 2 log₁₀. Genomic RNA inactivation was less than infective virus inactivation: MS2 RNA inactivation was approximately 5 log₁₀ compared to MNV-1 RNA inactivation of approximately 1.5 log₁₀. The results are similar to inactivation efficacy of household bleach when used at similar free available chlorine concentrations. Our work demonstrates the potential of ECO solutions, generated onsite, to be used for surface disinfection.     

Bearing Witness? Polar Bears as Icons for Climate Change Communication in National Geographic

This article investigates how polar bears were established as icons of climate change in the popular science magazine National Geographic. In a multistep process, anthropomorphized depictions first established polar bears as subjects of identification. Then, polar bears were visually connected to the endangered Arctic. Finally, they emerged as ambassadors of a threatened ecosystem and icons of climate change. I highlight the wider political contexts of this process of iconization and the semiotic and cultural resources on which it draws, showing what kind of climate change communication the polar bear icon enables or inhibits. The icon lends itself to being deployed in visual communication strategies creating personal concern and public awareness for climate change. At the same time, the icon fosters an individualized, emotionalized, and localized account of climate change but does not make its wider causes visible.     

Interaction of soil pH and phosphorus efficacy: Long-term effects of P fertilizer and lime applications on wheat,barley, and sugar beet

Phosphorus (P), a plant macronutrient, must be adequately supplied for crop growth. In Germany, many soils are high in plant-available P; specifically in arable farming, P fertilizer application has been reduced or even omitted in the last decade. Therefore, it is important to understand how long these soils can support sustainable crop production, and what concentrations of soil P are required for it. We analyzed a 36-year long-term field experiment regarding the effects of different P application and liming rates on plant growth and soil P concentrations with a crop rotation of sugar beet, wheat, and barley. Sugar beet reacted to low soil P and low soil pH levels more sensitively than wheat, which was not significantly affected by the long-term omitted P application. All three crop species showed adequate growth at soil P levels lower than the currently recommended levels, if low soil pH was optimized by liming. The increase in efficacy of soil and fertilizer P by reduced P application rates therefore requires the adaptation of the soil pH to a soil type-specific optimal level.     

Multi-year hourly PM2.5 carbon measurements in New York: Diurnal,day of week and seasonal patterns

Multi-year hourly measurements of PM_2.5 elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) from a site in the South Bronx, New York were used to examine diurnal, day of week and seasonal patterns. The hourly carbon measurements also provided temporally resolved information on sporadic EC spikes observed predominantly in winter. Furthermore, hourly EC and OC data were used to provide information on secondary organic aerosol formation. Average monthly EC concentrations ranged from 0.5 to 1.4 μg m^?3 with peak hourly values of several μg m^?3 typically observed from November to March. Mean EC concentrations were lower on weekends (approximately 27% lower on Saturday and 38% lower on Sunday) than on weekdays (Monday to Friday). The weekday/weekend difference was more pronounced during summer months and less noticeable during winter. Throughout the year EC exhibited a similar diurnal pattern to NO_x showing a pronounced peak during the morning commute period (7–10 AM EST). These patterns suggest that EC was impacted by local mobile emissions and in addition by emissions from space heating sources during winter months. Although EC was highly correlated with black carbon (BC) there was a pronounced seasonal BC/EC gradient with summer BC concentrations approximately a factor of 2 higher than EC. Average monthly OC concentrations ranged from 1.0 to 4.1 μg m^?3 with maximum hourly concentrations of 7–11 μg m^?3 predominantly in summer or winter months. OC concentrations generally correlated with PM_2.5 total mass and aerosol sulfate and with NO_x during winter months. OC showed no particular day of week pattern. The OC diurnal pattern was typically different than EC except in winter when OC tracked EC and NO_x indicating local primary emissions contributed significantly to OC during winter at the urban location. On average secondary organic aerosol was estimated to account for 40–50% of OC during winter and up to 63–73% during summer months.     

An Examination of the Intra-SMSA Distribution of Carbon Monoxide Exposure

Although fixed-site monitoring data have been used to estimate the spatial pattern of human exposure, the intra-urban distribution of actual exposure has not been documented. This paper used the data collected during the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) field investigation of personal exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) to investigate the nature of the distribution of CO with respect to residential location In the Washington, D.C. SMSA. Dot-distribution maps and analysis of variance were used to document the spatial pattern of individual-level in-home CO concentrations. The results show sampled individuals living in the SMSA center are exposed to statistically significantly higher levels of CO than are those living in the suburbs. The most important Implications of this work are for exposure modeling. Further investigation is needed to determine whether incorporation of a geographic component will improve exposure prediction.