Mapping large areas of radioactively contaminated land with a self adapted, handheld, GPS coupled, scintillation detector

In Belgium, during several decennia, a phosphate plant discharged radium chloride containing waste water into two small rivers. One of those is part of a hydrographically very complex ecosystem with lots of small tributaries and hundreds of hectares of flooding zones. Hence, the river banks and large parts of these flooding zones have become contaminated with radium, heavy metals and chlorides. During a foot campaign, using a home made portable data logging system, consisting of a commercial 2.5 kg NaI detector, a computer mouse sized GPS, and a small pocket PC, the radioactive contamination of about 600 ha of sometimes very rough terrain was measured and mapped. The resulting very detailed radium contamination maps shed a whole new light on the water flow patterns of the ecosystem. The apparatus can also be used for efficiently guiding sampling campaigns for investigating other types of contamination. The ground maps are also compared to existing maps from helicopter measurements, evaluating strengths and weaknesses from both methods.     

Does need matter? Needs assessments and decision‐making among major humanitarian health agencies

Disasters of physical origin, including earthquakes, floods, landslides, tidal waves, tropical storms, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, have affected millions of people globally over the past 100 years. Proportionately, there is far greater likelihood of being affected by such disasters in low‐income countries than in high‐income countries. Furthermore, low‐income countries are in need of international assistance following disasters more often than high‐income countries. The funding of international humanitarian assistance has increased from USD 12.9 billion in 2006 to an estimated USD 16.7 billion in 2010. The majority of this funding is channelled through humanitarian agencies and is supposed to be distributed based on the need of those affected, as assessed using needs assessments. Such needs assessments may be used to inform decisions internally, to influence others, to justify response decisions, and to obtain funding. Little is known about the quality of needs assessments in practical applications. Consequently, this paper reports on and analyses the views of operational decision‐makers in major health‐related humanitarian agencies on needs assessments.     

Properties of Wheat-Gluten/Montmorillonite Nanocomposite Films Obtained by a Solvent-Free Extrusion Process

This is, to our knowledge, the first study of wheat-gluten-based nanocomposite films prepared by a solvent-free extrusion process. Wheat gluten/montmorillonite nanocomposite films were obtained in a single screw-extruder using urea as a combined denaturant and plasticizer. The oxygen permeability and water vapor transmission rate of the films decreased by respectively factors of 1.9 and 1.3 when 5 wt.% clay was added. At the same time, the stiffness increased by a factor of 1.5, without any critical loss of extensibility. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis indicated that the clay particles were layered mainly in the plane of the extruded film. It was possible to identify individual platelets/tactoids with FE-SEM and, together with findings from transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction, it was concluded that the clay existed as individual clay platelets, intercalated tactoids and agglomerates. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the thermal stability of the extrudates was improved by the addition of clay.     

Morphological adaptations to chronic hypoxia in deep-sea decapod crustaceans from hydrothermal vents and cold seeps

Animals inhabiting hydrothermal vents and cold seeps face conditions that are challenging for survival. In particular, these two habitats are characterized by chronic hypoxia, sometimes reaching complete anoxia. The characteristics of the scaphognathite and gills were studied in four species of shrimp and three species of crabs from hydrothermal vents and cold seeps, in order to highlight potential adaptations that could enhance oxygen acquisition in comparison with shallow-water relatives. All the vent and seep species studied here exhibit significantly larger scaphognathites, likely allowing more water to flow over their gills per stroke of this appendage. This is probably more energetically efficient that prolonged hyperventilation. In contrast to annelids, vent and seep decapods usually do not possess enlarged gills, a phenomenon likely due to the physical limitations imposed by the size of the gill chamber. In the vent shrimp Rimicaris exoculata and the vent crab Bythograea thermydron, however, there is a significantly higher specific gill surface area linked to a higher number of lamellae per gram of gill. Again in contrast to annelids, the diffusion distance through the gills is not strikingly different between the vent shrimp Alvinocaris komaii and the shallow-water species Palaemon spp. This may indicate that the epithelium and cuticle of the decapod gills are already optimized for oxygen uptake and that reducing the thickness of these compartments is not physically possible without affecting the physical integrity of the gills.     

Correction to: Status and trends of circumpolar peregrine falcon and gyrfalcon populations

While collating contributions and comments from 36 researchers, the coordinating authors accidentally omitted Dr. Suzanne Carrière from the list of contributing co-authors. Dr. Carrière’s data are described in Tables 1 and 3, Figure 2 and several places in the narrative. The new author list is thus updated in this article.     

Documenting lemming population change in the Arctic: Can we detect trends?

Lemmings are a key component of tundra food webs and changes in their dynamics can affect the whole ecosystem. We present a comprehensive overview of lemming monitoring and research activities, and assess recent trends in lemming abundance across the circumpolar Arctic. Since 2000, lemmings have been monitored at 49 sites of which 38 are still active. The sites were not evenly distributed with notably Russia and high Arctic Canada underrepresented. Abundance was monitored at all sites, but methods and levels of precision varied greatly. Other important attributes such as health, genetic diversity and potential drivers of population change, were often not monitored. There was no evidence that lemming populations were decreasing in general, although a negative trend was detected for low arctic populations sympatric with voles. To keep the pace of arctic change, we recommend maintaining long-term programmes while harmonizing methods, improving spatial coverage and integrating an ecosystem perspective.     

Keeping pace with forestry: Multi-scale conservation in a changing production forest matrix

The multi-scale approach to conserving forest biodiversity has been used in Sweden since the 1980s, a period defined by increased reserve area and conservation actions within production forests. However, two thousand forest-associated species remain on Sweden’s red-list, and Sweden’s 2020 goals for sustainable forests are not being met. We argue that ongoing changes in the production forest matrix require more consideration, and that multi-scale conservation must be adapted to, and integrated with, production forest development. To make this case, we summarize trends in habitat provision by Sweden’s protected and production forests, and the variety of ways silviculture can affect biodiversity. We discuss how different forestry trajectories affect the type and extent of conservation approaches needed to secure biodiversity, and suggest leverage points for aiding the adoption of diversified silviculture. Sweden’s long-term experience with multi-scale conservation and intensive forestry provides insights for other countries trying to conserve species within production landscapes.

     

Radiosynthesis of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS), including solubility, partition and adhesion studies

Here, we describe for the first time the synthesis of [³⁵S] PFOS and [³⁵S] PFBS with sulfur-35 enriched sulfur dioxide as the radiolabelled reagent, resulting in 2.5 and 2.3 mCi of product, respectively. Basic information concerning the physicochemical properties of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are still limited. Hence, we utilized these radiolabelled perfluoroalkanesulfonates (PFSAs), as well as carbon-14 labelled perfluorooctanoic acid ([¹⁴C] PFOA) to determine some basic characteristics of physiological and experimental significance.The solubility of PFOS in buffered aqueous solutions at pH 7.4 was found to be severely reduced in the presence of potassium and sodium ions, which, however, did not reduce the solubility of PFOA or PFBS. PFOS was found to adhere to a small extent to polypropylene and polystyrene, whereas no such adhesion of PFOA or PFBS was detected. The extents of adhesion of PFOS and PFOA to glass were found to be 20% and 10%, respectively. For the first time, the partition coefficients for PFOS, PFBS and PFOA between n-octanol and water were determined experimentally, to be −0.7, −0.3, and 1.4, respectively, reflecting the difference in the amphiphilic natures of these molecules.     

Fog as a Fresh-Water Resource: Overview and Perspectives

The collection of fog water is a simple and sustainable technology to obtain fresh water for afforestation, gardening, and as a drinking water source for human and animal consumption. In regions where fresh water is sparse and fog frequently occurs, it is feasible to set up a passive mesh system for fog water collection. The mesh is directly exposed to the atmosphere, and the foggy air is pushed through the mesh by the wind. Fog droplets are deposited on the mesh, combine to form larger droplets, and run down passing into a storage tank. Fog water collection rates vary dramatically from site to site but yearly averages from 3 to 10 l m⁻² of mesh per day are typical of operational projects. The scope of this article is to review fog collection projects worldwide, to analyze factors of success, and to evaluate the prospects of this technology.     

The Anthropocene: From Global Change to Planetary Stewardship

Over the past century, the total material wealth of humanity has been enhanced. However, in the twenty-first century, we face scarcity in critical resources, the degradation of ecosystem services, and the erosion of the planet's capability to absorb our wastes. Equity issues remain stubbornly difficult to solve. This situation is novel in its speed, its global scale and its threat to the resilience of the Earth System. The advent of the Anthropence, the time interval in which human activities now rival global geophysical processes, suggests that we need to fundamentally alter our relationship with the planet we inhabit. Many approaches could be adopted, ranging from geoengineering solutions that purposefully manipulate parts of the Earth System to becoming active stewards of our own life support system. The Anthropocene is a reminder that the Holocene, during which complex human societies have developed, has been a stable, accommodating environment and is the only state of the Earth System that we know for sure can support contemporary society. The need to achieve effective planetary stewardship is urgent. As we go further into the Anthropocene, we risk driving the Earth System onto a trajectory toward more hostile states from which we cannot easily return.