Speed or deliberation: a comparison of post‐disaster recovery in Japan,Turkey, and Chile

This paper compares recovery in the wake of three recent earthquakes: the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011; the Van earthquake in Turkey in October 2011; and the Maule earthquake in Chile in February 2010. The authors visited all three locations approximately 12–18 months after the incidents and interviewed earthquake specialists, disaster managers, urban planners, and local authorities. A key challenge to post‐disaster recovery planning is balancing speed and deliberation. While affected communities must rebuild as quickly as possible, they must also seek to maximise the opportunities for improvement that disasters provide. The three case studies bring this dilemma into stark relief, as recovery was respectively slow, fast, and just right in the aftermath of the events: the Government of Japan adopted a deliberate approach to recovery and reconstruction; speed was of the essence in Turkey; and an effective balance between speed and deliberation was achieved in Chile.     

Spatial and temporal variations in NO2 distributions over Beijing,China measured by imaging differential optical absorption spectroscopy

During the CAREBEIJING campaign in 2006, imaging differential optical absorption spectroscopy (I-DOAS) measurements were made from 08:00 to 16:00 on September 9 and 10 over Beijing, China. Detailed images of the near-surface NO₂ differential slant column density (DSCD) distribution over Beijing were obtained. Images with less than a 30-min temporal resolution showed both horizontal and vertical variations in NO₂ distributions. For DSCD to mixing ratio conversion, path length along the lines of I-DOAS lines of sight was estimated using the light-extinction coefficient and Ångstrom exponent data obtained by a transmissometer and a sunphotometer, respectively. Mixing ratios measured by an in-situ NO₂ analyzer were compared with those estimated by the I-DOAS instrument. The obtained temporal and spatial variations in NO₂ distributions measured by I-DOAS for the two days are interpreted with consideration of the locations of the major NO_x sources and local wind conditions. I-DOAS measurements have been applied in this study for estimating NO₂ distribution over an urban area with multiple and distributed emission sources. Results are obtained for estimated temporal and spatial NO₂ distributions over the urban atmosphere; demonstrating the capability of the I-DOAS technique. We discuss in this paper the use of I-DOAS measurements to estimate the NO₂ distribution over an urban area with multiple distributed emission sources.     

Nuclear crisis relocation: Issues for a host community-the case of Greenfield,Massachusetts, USA

US civil defense planning for nuclear attack since 1974 has emphasized the doctrine of crisis relocation. Under this doctrine, some 150 million people would evacuate from urban areas and other probable targets to rural host communities. The population of the latter would stay put to assist the relocatees. Local communities would be responsible for the welfare of up to ten times their normal population for an indefinite period of time.This study examined certain implications of crisis relocation for the town of Greenfield, Massachusetts, USA, a typical host community. Various assumptions were articulated regarding the timing of events, the season of year, weather, and social behavior. Assumptions were favorable to the success of crisis relocation. Nevertheless, Greenfield would face impossible burdens in attempting to provide fallout protection, water, food, medical care, and civil order. Additional pressures would arise from adjoining communities which are functionally dependent upon Greenfield for normal goods and services, but which would receive their own allotment of relocatees. Crisis relocation is not taken seriously in Greenfield and virtually no preparations have been made to implement it.     

A Strategy for the Evaluation of Sensory and Pulmonary Irritation Due to Chemical Emissions from Indoor Sources

Abstract

Sensory and pulmonary irritation are physiological responses to chemical exposure which result in characteristic, measurable changes in respiratory activity in mice. A standard method has been applied to the estimation of sensory irritation associated with a specific chemical exposure. This method has been correlated with human responses to these chemicals. Symptoms associated with chemical irritants are consistent with complaints due to problems with indoor air quality, which may include eye and upper respiratory tract irritation, headaches, and nausea. A stepwise strategy for assessing the contribution of indoor products to sensory and pulmonary irritation is discussed in the current paper. The strategy includes product emissions testing using dynamic environmental chambers, the selection of suspected irritants for respiratory irritation testing, respiratory irritation testing of individual compounds and representative mixtures using synthesized atmospheres, and the evaluation of test data to determine those compounds which may contribute to sensory and pulmonary irritation in humans. The current strategy is being applied to evaluate carpet system materials and their constituent chemicals.     

The phenology of phytoplankton blooms: Ecosystem indicators from remote sensing

Remote sensing offers many advantages in the development of ecosystem indicators for the pelagic zone of the ocean. Particularly suitable in this context are the indicators arising from time series that can be constructed from remotely sensed data. For example, using ocean-colour radiometry, the phenology of phytoplankton blooms can be assessed. Metrics defined in this way show promise as informative indicators for the entire pelagic ecosystem. A simple phytoplankton–substrate model, with forcing dependent on latitude and day number is used to explore the qualitative features of bloom phenology for comparison with the results observed in a suite of 10-year time series of chlorophyll concentration, as assessed by remote sensing, from the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. The model reveals features of the dynamics that might otherwise have been overlooked in evaluation of the observational data.     

The role of halogen species in the troposphere

While the role of reactive halogen species (e.g. Cl, Br) in the destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer is well known, their role in the troposphere was investigated only since their destructive effect on boundary layer ozone after polar sunrise became obvious. During these 'Polar Tropospheric Ozone Hole' events O(3) is completely destroyed in the lowest approximately 1000 m of the atmosphere on areas of several million square kilometres. Up to now it was assumed that these events were confined to the polar regions during springtime. However, during the last few years significant amounts of BrO and Cl-atoms were also found outside the Arctic and Antarctic boundary layer. Recently even higher BrO mixing ratios (up to 176 ppt) were detected by optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) in the Dead Sea basin during summer. In addition, evidence is accumulating that BrO (at levels around 1-2 ppt) is also occurring in the free troposphere at all latitudes.In contrast to the stratosphere, where halogens are released from species, which are very long lived in the troposphere, likely sources of boundary layer Br and Cl are autocatalytic oxidation of sea salt halides (the 'Bromine Explosion'), while precursors of free tropospheric BrO and coastal IO probably are short-lived organo-halogen species. At the levels suggested by the available measurements reactive halogen species have a profound effect on tropospheric chemistry: In the polar boundary layer during 'halogen events' ozone is usually completely lost within hours or days. In the free troposphere the effective O(3)-losses due to halogens could be comparable to the known photochemical O(3) destruction. Further interesting consequences include the increase of OH levels and (at low NO(X)) the decrease of the HO(2)/OH ratio in the free troposphere.     

Trisomy 8 mosaicism in chorionic villus sampling: Case report and counselling issues

We report an unusual case involving chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and trisomy 8 mosaicism. CVS showed a normal direct preparation while the culture showed mosaicism for trisomy 8. Subsequent amniocentesis revealed only normal chromosomes. A peripheral blood culture after birth revealed low-level trisomy 8 mosaicism. The patient appeared phenotypically and developmentally normal at 30 months of age. We conclude that prenatal counselling for similar cases needs to include the rare but real possibility that chromosome mosaicism detected prenatally may be found postnatally with largely unknown consequences. Secondly, low-level chromosomal mosaicism may be more common than previously recognized. Thirdly, very low-level trisomy 8 mosaicism may be compatible with a normal phenotype but long-term follow-up is required. And lastly, the use of fetal blood sampling is questionable in these cases because the phenotype may not be accurately predicted. Further studies of such cases are needed to address these important and unanswered issues, including the potential implication of mosaicism on academic performance and cognitive functioning.     

Biodiversity Conservation in a Changing Climate: A Review of Threats and Implications for Conservation Planning in Myanmar

High levels of species richness and endemism make Myanmar a regional priority for conservation. However, decades of economic and political sanctions have resulted in low conservation investment to effectively tackle threats to biodiversity. Recent sweeping political reforms have placed Myanmar on the fast track to economic development—the expectation is increased economic investments focused on the exploitation of the country’s rich, and relatively intact, natural resources. Within a context of weak regulatory capacity and inadequate environmental safeguards, rapid economic development is likely to have far-reaching negative implications for already threatened biodiversity and natural-resource-dependent human communities. Climate change will further exacerbate prevailing threats given Myanmar’s high exposure and vulnerability. The aim of this review is to examine the implications of increased economic growth and a changing climate within the larger context of biodiversity conservation in Myanmar. We summarize conservation challenges, assess direct climatological impacts on biodiversity and conclude with recommendations for long-term adaptation approaches for biodiversity conservation.     

Conservation genomics of the endangered Burmese roofed turtle

The Burmese roofed turtle (Batagur trivittata) is one of the world's most endangered turtles. Only one wild population remains in Myanmar. There are thought to be 12 breeding turtles in the wild. Conservation efforts for the species have raised >700 captive turtles since 2002, predominantly from eggs collected in the wild. We collected tissue samples from 445 individuals (approximately 40% of the turtles’ remaining global population), applied double‐digest restriction‐site associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD‐Seq), and obtained approximately 1500 unlinked genome‐wide single nucleotide polymorphisms. Individuals fell into 5 distinct genetic clusters, 4 of which represented full‐sib families. We inferred a low effective population size (≤10 individuals) but did not detect signs of severe inbreeding, possibly because the population bottleneck occurred recently. Two groups of 30 individuals from the captive pool that were the most genetically diverse were reintroduced to the wild, leading to an increase in the number of fertile eggs (n = 27) in the wild. Another 25 individuals, selected based on the same criteria, were transferred to the Singapore Zoo as an assurance colony. Our study demonstrates that the research‐to‐application gap in conservation can be bridged through application of cutting‐edge genomic methods.