Organics in wheat and rye straw pulp bleaching and combined mill effluents (II) ecotoxicological screening

Potential environmental effects of the discharge of industrial wastewater from manufacturing of bleached straw pulp have been studied. Bleached neutral sulphite straw pulping results in discharges of both black cooking and spent bleaching liquors. Time proportional samples were taken from the combined bleaching effluent and the combined mill effluent, (i) Mutagenic activity of the two samples in an Ames’ test, and (ii) acute toxicity of the combined mill effluent sample towards the photosynthetic activity of natural marine phytoplankton from the receiving waters were determined. Also, acute toxicity was determined of the slowly biodegradable or persistent organics remaining after aerobic stabilization of the sample towards (ii) photosynthetic activity of natural phytoplankton, (iii) mussels (Mytilus edulis), (iv) eels (Anguilla anguilla) and, (v) crustacean (Nitocra spinipes); and furthermore, (vi) reproduction test of the crustacean and (vii) growth inhibition test of the marine diatom (Phaeodactylum tricornutum) were performed. Mutagenicity emission factors (MEF's) and toxicity emission factors (TEF's) were calculated to classify the effluents. Combined mill effluent sample showed a mutagenic activity per t₉₀ of one fourth the activity of a kraft pulp bleaching effluent, and the inhibition of the photosynthesis of natural phytoplankton was significant up to 2600 times dilution. After aerobic stabilization, inhibition was observed up to 400 times dilution. Other effects of the combined mill effluent sample were only significant below 40 times dilution. The bleaching effluent showed a mutagenic activity per t₉₀ comparable to kraft bleaching effluents. Other effects were only significant below 20 times dilution.     

Death in the octopus’ garden: fatal blue-lined octopus envenomations of adult green sea turtles

The blue-lined octopus Hapalochlaena fasciata contains the powerful neuromuscular blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX), which causes muscle weakness and respiratory failure. H. fasciata is regarded as one of the most venomous marine animals in the world, and multiple human fatalities have been attributed to the octopus. To date, there have been no recorded incidents of an envenomation of a wild animal. Here, we present a newly developed, multi-stage tandem mass spectrometry technique that provides unequivocal evidence for two cases of envenomation of two ~110 kg herbivorous green sea turtles by two tiny cryptic blue-lined octopuses (~4 cm body length). These cases of accidental ingestion provide evidence for the first time of the antipredator effect of TTX and highlight a previously unconsidered threat to turtles grazing within seagrass beds.     

How to address data privacy concerns when using social media data in conservation science

Social media data are being increasingly used in conservation science to study human–nature interactions. User-generated content, such as images, video, text, and audio, and the associated metadata can be used to assess such interactions. A number of social media platforms provide free access to user-generated social media content. However, similar to any research involving people, scientific investigations based on social media data require compliance with highest standards of data privacy and data protection, even when data are publicly available. Should social media data be misused, the risks to individual users' privacy and well-being can be substantial. We investigated the legal basis for using social media data while ensuring data subjects’ rights through a case study based on the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. The risks associated with using social media data in research include accidental and purposeful misidentification that has the potential to cause psychological or physical harm to an identified person. To collect, store, protect, share, and manage social media data in a way that prevents potential risks to users involved, one should minimize data, anonymize data, and follow strict data management procedure. Risk-based approaches, such as a data privacy impact assessment, can be used to identify and minimize privacy risks to social media users, to demonstrate accountability and to comply with data protection legislation. We recommend that conservation scientists carefully consider our recommendations in devising their research objectives so as to facilitate responsible use of social media data in conservation science research, for example, in conservation culturomics and investigations of illegal wildlife trade online.     

Mineralization of soil-aged isoproturon and isoproturon metabolites by Sphingomonas sp. strain SRS2

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of aging of the herbicide isoproturon and its metabolites monodesmethyl-isoproturon and 4-isopropyl-aniline in agricultural soil on their availability to the degrading bacterium Sphingomonas sp. strain SRS2. The 14C-ring-labeled isoproturon, monodesmethyl-isoproturon, and 4-isopropyl-aniline were added to sterilized soil and stored for 1, 49, 71, or 131 d before inoculation with strain SRS2. The availability of the compounds was estimated from the initial mineralization and the amount of 14CO2 recovered after 120 d of incubation. Aging in soil for 131 d reduced the initial mineralization of isoproturon and monodesmethyl-isoproturon and, in the case of isoproturon, also reduced the recovery of 14CO2. Initial mineralization and recovery of 14CO2 from aged 4-isopropyl-aniline were slightly reduced, but less 14CO2 was generally produced than with isoproturon or monodesmethyl-isoproturon. Thus, recovery of 14CO2 from 14C-isoproturon and 14C-monodesmethyl-isoproturon was 50.7 to 64.4% of the initially added 14C, while recovery from 14C-4-isopropyl-aniline was only 11.7 to 17.0%. Sorption measurements revealed similar Freundlich constants (K(f)) for isoproturon and monodesmethyl-isoproturon, whereas K(f) for 4-isopropyl-aniline was more than fivefold greater. The findings imply that in soil, partial degradation of isoproturon to 4-isopropyl-aniline may lead to reduced mineralization of the herbicide due to sorption of the aniline moiety.     

Water input requirements of the rapidly shrinking Dead Sea

The deepest point on Earth, the Dead Sea level, has been dropping alarmingly since 1978 by 0.7 m/a on average due to the accelerating water consumption in the Jordan catchment and stood in 2008 at 420 m below sea level. In this study, a terrain model of the surface area and water volume of the Dead Sea was developed from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data using ArcGIS. The model shows that the lake shrinks on average by 4 km²/a in area and by 0.47 km³/a in volume, amounting to a cumulative loss of 14 km³ in the last 30 years. The receding level leaves almost annually erosional terraces, recorded here for the first time by Differential Global Positioning System field surveys. The terrace altitudes were correlated among the different profiles and dated to specific years of the lake level regression, illustrating the tight correlation between the morphology of the terrace sequence and the receding lake level. Our volume-level model described here and previous work on groundwater inflow suggest that the projected Dead Sea–Red Sea channel or the Mediterranean–Dead Sea channel must have a carrying capacity of >0.9 km³/a in order to slowly re-fill the lake to its former level and to create a sustainable system of electricity generation and freshwater production by desalinization. Moreover, such a channel will maintain tourism and potash industry on both sides of the Dead Sea and reduce the natural hazard caused by the recession.     

Amine reclaiming technologies in post-combustion carbon dioxide capture

Amine scrubbing is the most developed technology for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture. Degradation of amine solvents due to the presence of high levels of oxygen and other impurities in flue gas causes increasing costs and deterioration in long term performance, and therefore purification of the solvents is needed to overcome these problems. This review presents the reclaiming of amine solvents used for post combustion CO₂ capture (PCC). Thermal reclaiming, ion exchange, and electrodialysis, although principally developed for sour gas sweetening, have also been tested for CO₂ capture from flue gas. The three technologies all have their strengths and weaknesses, and further development is needed to reduce energy usage and costs. An expected future trend for amine reclamation is to focus on process integration of the current reclaiming technologies into the PCC process in order to drive down costs.     

Success of collaboration for sustainable agriculture: a case study meta-analysis

Environment, Development and Sustainability - More and better collaboration between farmers and other stakeholders has repeatedly been identified as a key strategy for sustainable agriculture....     

The history of seabird colonies and the North Water ecosystem: Contributions from palaeoecological and archaeological evidence

The North Water (NOW) polynya is one of the most productive marine areas of the Arctic and an important breeding area for millions of seabirds. There is, however, little information on the dynamics of the polynya or the bird populations over the long term. Here, we used sediment archives from a lake and peat deposits along the Greenland coast of the NOW polynya to track long-term patterns in the dynamics of the seabird populations. Radiocarbon dates show that the thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) and the common eider (Somateria mollissima) have been present for at least 5500 cal. years. The first recorded arrival of the little auk (Alle alle) was around 4400 cal. years bp at Annikitsoq, with arrival at Qeqertaq (Salve Ø) colony dated to 3600 cal. years bp. Concentrations of cadmium and phosphorus (both abundant in little auk guano) in the lake and peat cores suggest that there was a period of large variation in bird numbers between 2500 and 1500 cal. years bp. The little auk arrival times show a strong accord with past periods of colder climate and with some aspects of human settlement in the area.     

Accumulation dynamics and cellular locations of Pb, Zn and Cd in resident and transplanted Flavocetraria nivalis lichens near a former Pb–Zn mine

Accumulation dynamics and cellular locations of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) were studied in Flavocetraria nivalis lichens near the former Black Angel Pb–Zn Mine in West Greenland. Natural resident thalli were collected from four dust-contaminated sites near the mine. In addition, thalli were taken from an uncontaminated reference site and transplanted to the contaminated sites followed by a collection 1 year after. Total thalli metal contents were determined, and thalli were subjected to a sequential extraction procedure. After 1 year of transplantation, total Pb thalli contents were significantly elevated compared with initial concentrations at all sites (for Zn and Cd contents only at the two sites closest to the mine). However, transplanted thalli contained significantly less Pb (26?±?12 %), Zn (64?±?13 %) and Cd (34?±?7 %) compared with resident thalli from these sites. Results from the sequential extraction procedure showed marked differences among Pb, Zn and Cd in the extracellular, intracellular and residual fraction. The lower total metal concentrations in transplanted compared with resident thalli at the contaminated sites were mostly due to a larger metal content bound in the residual fraction in resident thalli. In contrast, the metal content bound in the extracellular fraction were not significantly different in transplanted and resident thalli. The results indicate that extracellular-bound Pb, Zn and Cd in F. nivalis can be used as a proxy for recent (annual) atmospheric metal deposition whereas the large residual metal fraction in resident lichens indicate an accumulation of metal-containing particles in the thalli over time that includes several years of uptake.     

Effects of Altered Offshore Food Webs on Coastal Ecosystems Emphasize the Need for Cross-Ecosystem Management

By mainly targeting larger predatory fish, commercial fisheries have indirectly promoted rapid increases in densities of their prey; smaller predatory fish like sprat, stickleback and gobies. This process, known as mesopredator release, has effectively transformed many marine offshore basins into mesopredator-dominated ecosystems. In this article, we discuss recent indications of trophic cascades on the Atlantic and Baltic coasts of Sweden, where increased abundances of mesopredatory fish are linked to increased nearshore production and biomass of ephemeral algae. Based on synthesis of monitoring data, we suggest that offshore exploitation of larger predatory fish has contributed to the increase in mesopredator fish also along the coasts, with indirect negative effects on important benthic habitats and coastal water quality. The results emphasize the need to rebuild offshore and coastal populations of larger predatory fish to levels where they regain their control over lower trophic levels and important links between offshore and coastal systems are restored.