Reflections on 40 years of Disasters, 1977–2017

This reflection, based on a keynote address to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Disasters on 14 September 2017, begins by considering some of the prevailing assumptions that existed at the time of the journal's creation. Next is a summary of significant milestones during the past 40 years, covering major global trends, changing disaster impacts, and key developments in disaster risk management. Contrasting approaches in the first and fourth decade of the journal's history are then followed by examples of changes in terminology in the disaster field as an indication of shifting values. The paper goes on to explore the context of 2017, with observations of problem areas such as the loss of knowledge, failures to tackle the root causes of disasters, shortfalls in international assistance, and some negative attitudes. It closes by evaluating some current positive occurrences, including a reduction in casualties, sharing of experience, technological advances, and dramatic improvements in disaster warning.     

Agroecosystem energy transitions: exploring the energy-land nexus in the course of industrialization

Regional Environmental Change -     

Key considerations and challenges in the application of social-network research for environmental decision making

Attempts to better understand the social context in which conservation and environmental decisions are made has led to increased interest in human social networks. To improve the use of social-network analysis in conservation, we reviewed recent studies in the literature in which such methods were applied. In our review, we looked for problems in research design and analysis that limit the utility of network analysis. Nineteen of 55 articles published from January 2016 to June 2019 exhibited at least 1 of the following problems: application of analytical methods inadequate or sensitive to incomplete network data; application of statistical approaches that ignore dependency in the network; or lack of connection between the theoretical base, research question, and choice of analytical techniques. By drawing attention to these specific areas of concern and highlighting research frontiers and challenges, including causality, network dynamics, and new approaches, we responded to calls for increasing the rigorous application of social science in conservation.     

Environmental Accumulation of Airborne Fluorides in Romania

The nature and extent of pollution from an aluminium smelter and a fertiliser factory in Romania were studied. These are large industrial complexes, and both types of industry are known to release fluorides into the atmosphere. In grass samples collected from around the aluminium smelter, the maximum fluoride levels were found to be 4023mgkg^–1 and 162mgkg^–1 in unwashed and washed grass samples respectively, and 89mgkg^–1 in soils. For the fertiliser factory, the maximum levels in washed grasses were found to be 207mgkg^–1, and 11mgkg^–1 in the soils. In both locations, these maximum values were obtained in samples collected from within 200m of the factory limits, and compare with regional background levels of less than 10mgkg^–1 for grasses and 2mgkg^–1 for soils. The high fluoride levels of fluoride in the grasses are sufficient to give cause for concern for the effects that these could have on the local population and on grazing animals.     

Acoustically mediated neighbor recognition in the North American bullfrog,Rana catesbeiana

Summary Playback experiments were conducted to determine whether territorial male bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) were capable of discriminating between advertisement calls of neighbors and strangers. Territorial males adjacent to subject males were removed and replaced with a speaker which broadcast calls of a stranger or the removed male. Ten of 11 males responded more strongly to calls of strangers than to calls of neighbors. When advertisement calls of neighbors were broadcast to subject males from positions within the removed neighbor's territory and from positions opposite the subject male, all 9 males tested responded more strongly to calls of a neighbor broadcast from a new position than to playbacks of the same call broadcast within the removed neighbor's territory. Because male bullfrogs recognize familiar calls and associate these calls with a particular direction or location, these data provide the first evidence for acoustically mediated neighbor recognition in frogs.     

Uptake and depuration of organic contaminants by blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) exposed to environmentally contaminated sediment

Experiments were designed to expose blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) to contaminated sediment collected from Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA in 1982. Measurements were taken to allow comparisons of the uptake and depuration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In addition, concentration factors in the mussels were calculated separately against the dissolved and particulate phase concentrations and the results from the exposure and control systems were compared. Both PAHs and PCBs were rapidly accumulated by the mussels exposed to the contaminated sediment. After the mussels were transferred to control seawater, individual PAHs were depurated with half-lives ranging from 12 to 30 d. Individual PCBs showed depuration half-lives which ranged from 16 to 46 d. Concentration factors in the mussels calculated against the particulate phase concentrations were very different in the exposure and control systems. Concentration factors calculated using only the dissolved phase concentrations (bioconcentration factors) showed excellent agreement in the two systems, possibly an indication that the dissolved phase was the direct source of the contaminants accumulated by the mussels. The bioconcentration factors for PCBs were higher than those of PAHs when compounds with similar n-octanol/water partition coefficients were compared.     

The influence of pH and household plumbing on water lead concentration

The water lead concentrations measured in the homes of children who were part of the Edinburgh Lead study are related to the characteristics of the water supply and the household plumbing. At the time of the study one of the City of Edinburgh's two water supplies was lime treated to reduce plumbosolvency but in the second supply this treatment had not yet become effective. This allows us to estimate the extent to which this type of water treatment reduces water lead concentrations, in houses with lead plumbing, to comply with existing and proposed limits for lead in water. The kitchen cold water was supplied from a lead storage tank in 69 (15%) of the houses. These houses had the highest lead concentrations and water treTo whom correrspondence should be addressed.     

A seasonal study of arsenic in groundwater,Snohomish County,Washington, USA

A series of arsenic poisonings near Granite Falls in Snohomish County, Washington, were identified during 1985–87. An initial investigation revealed the source of arsenic exposure to be high levels of arsenic in well water. A large number of wells in eastern Snohomish County were tested, residents were interviewed and sources of contamination, both natural and man-made, were investigated. More than 70 private drinking-water wells were found to contain elevated levels of arsenic . One well contained 33 mg As L^–1. The finding of elevated arsenic levels in a previously approved drinking-water well for a restaurant, plus suggestions of symptoms consistent with arsenic poisoning among people with wells with no detectable arsenic, raised concern over possible temporal variation in arsenic levels. To evaluate this temporal variation, a 12-month study of arsenic in groundwater was conducted in selected wells near Granite Falls. The 12-month study of 26 wells, conducted between February 1988 and January 1989, found arsenic levels for individual wells to vary from one to 19 fold over time. Because of this variability, four out of the eight wells with arsenic levels close to the Maximum Contamination Level (MCL) of 0.050 mg As L^–1 would have been considered safe on the basis of a single sample, but would have exceeded the MCL at another time of the year.In areas with a high occurrence of arsenic contaminated drinking water, approval of well water prior to the sale of a house or issuance of a building permit which is based on a single arsenic test may result in later findings of unacceptable drinking water. When the arsenic is near the MCL, it may be prudent to follow well-water arsenic concentrations over time to assure that the arsenic level remains within acceptable bounds. If lower arsenic standards are adopted for drinking water, the issue of temporal variation around the standard will become a matter of more widespread concern.To whom correspondence should be addressed. The contents of this paper do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the US Environmental Protection Agency.