From the Levant to Gibraltar: A Regional Perspective for Marine Conservation in the Mediterranean Sea

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are critical to the well-being of threatened ecosystems and thus can be highly beneficial to humans, especially to those residing nearby. We explore the qualities of 117 MPAs in the Mediterranean basin and develop a taxonomy of their characteristics. We relate the spatial distribution of the MPAs to the various characteristics of the taxonomy (size, distance from shore, protection levels, management regimes, etc.) and to areas of high human impact and influence levels. To do this we use information on biogeographic regions and information from two different human influence models; one model developed for the marine environment and one covering the littoral terrestrial environment. Our analysis provides insights to planners and managers working in a regional capacity and trying to build MPA networks. Generally, current MPAs have not been established in high impact areas despite their being close to shores containing intense human activity. Decision-makers wishing to design and establish new MPAs may seek out areas of high cumulative human impacts (near the marine-terrestrial interface) or avoid them depending on marine conservation objectives, including the desire to vary types of MPAs within a network. Limitations of our analysis and methodology indicate areas for further research.     

Earth stewardship: Shaping a sustainable future through interacting policy and norm shifts

Transformation toward a sustainable future requires an earth stewardship approach to shift society from its current goal of increasing material wealth to a vision of sustaining built, natural, human, and social capital—equitably distributed across society, within and among nations. Widespread concern about earth’s current trajectory and support for actions that would foster more sustainable pathways suggests potential social tipping points in public demand for an earth stewardship vision. Here, we draw on empirical studies and theory to show that movement toward a stewardship vision can be facilitated by changes in either policy incentives or social norms. Our novel contribution is to point out that both norms and incentives must change and can do so interactively. This can be facilitated through leverage points and complementarities across policy areas, based on values, system design, and agency. Potential catalysts include novel democratic institutions and engagement of non-governmental actors, such as businesses, civic leaders, and social movements as agents for redistribution of power. Because no single intervention will transform the world, a key challenge is to align actions to be synergistic, persistent, and scalable.     

Applying parcel-specific land-use data for improved monitoring of semi-natural grassland in Denmark

A major obstacle to the conservation and management of semi-natural grassland (SNG) is the general lack of consistent and precise maps showing the extent and quality of this habitat type. SNG is related to, and influenced by, agricultural land use. Both intensive land use as well as a lack of extensive land use can reduce the extent and quality of SNG. For Denmark, this paper demonstrates how parcel-specific land-use data can be applied to detect localities with spatial convergences and conflicts between SNG and agricultural land use. Based on their respective influence on SNG, land use is aggregated into five major classes and spatially overlaid with existing nationally registered SNG. Results show that almost 11 % of all SNG is mapped either on cropped land or on rotational grassland, indicating a conflict between mapped SNG and land use. Thirty percent of SNG is mapped outside any agricultural land use, pointing to a lack of management. Fifty nine percent of SNG is mapped either on land receiving payments for grazing/mowing or on other land under extensive management, indicating a convergence between SNG and land use. Finally, 30 % of land receiving payments for grazing/mowing and 62 % of other land under extensive management does not contain any semi-natural habitat. Potential, as yet unmapped, SNG might exist in these localities. Based on these results it is argued that the application of parcel-specific land-use data could significantly improve monitoring of SNG.     

What Is the Potential Measurement Error in Occupational Exposure Studies?

ABSTRACT

This paper demonstrates statistical methods that estimate measurement error from available industrial hygiene data. Errors in measuring a continuous exposure variable may arise when all individuals in a work area are assigned the same exposure. An example is when the mean of exposure measurements obtained on a sample of individuals is assigned to all workers with similar jobs. This may lead to inaccurate point and interval estimates in exposure-response modeling. A method of simulating the distribution of true (i.e., unobserved) individual exposures is described in order to estimate the mean and variance of measurement error. The minimum variance unbiased estimator approximates the mean of lognormally distributed exposure measurements. The distribution of true individual exposures is approximated by the distribution of simulated estimates of mean exposure. The methodology is illustrated by exposure data from work areas manufacturing refractory ceramic fiber (RCF) and RCF products. Results show that exposure is slightly underestimated in work areas with between 25 and 113 exposure measurements; measurement error variance averages about 1.3% of the total variance.     

Changes in body size, abundance, and energy allocation in rockfish assemblages of the northeast Pacific.

Fish body size, a key driver of many aspects of fish population biology and ecology, is affected by fisheries that deplete the largest individuals. Rockfish (genus Sebastes) are a diverse group that has been heavily fished on the U.S. West Coast in recent decades. We examined trawl survey data from 1980 to 2001 to determine spatial and temporal trends in body size and density of 16 shelf rockfish species, including six that are considered overfished. Mean individual mass and maximum observed mass declined in the majority of species in one or more zoogeographic regions between central California and Washington. Density changes were far more variable in time and space, but in all regions, density declines were most often associated with large-bodied rockfish. We next estimated the impact of size and density changes on energy consumption and fecundity in a five-species rockfish assemblage that includes bocaccio (S. paucispinis), a large-bodied, overfished species. Indexes of both consumption and fecundity by the assemblage increased in the southern portion of the study area between 1980 and 2001 but decreased in the northern portion. Allocation of energy and reproductive potential within the assemblage shifted dramatically: relative to bocaccio, total energy consumption and fecundity indexes for the other four species increased by orders of magnitude from 1980 to 2001. These changes in community structure may affect the ability of bocaccio and other large rockfish species to recover from overfishing, especially in light of long-term declines in zooplankton production that may also be affecting rockfish size and production. Addressing these issues may require a regional, multispecies management approach.     

Migratory history of the Russian sturgeon Acipenser guldenstadti in the Caspian Sea, as revealed by pectoral fin spine Sr:Ca ratios

Ontogenic patterns of change in pectoral fin spine Sr:Ca ratios were examined in the Russian sturgeon Acipenser guldenstadti from the Caspian Sea. Pectoral fin spine Sr:Ca ratios of the sturgeon fluctuated strongly along the life history transect in accordance with the migration pattern from freshwater to sea (brackish) water habitats, i.e. all specimens exhibited a typical anadromous pattern in the ratio. Several specimens showed two transition points in pectoral fin spine Sr:Ca ratios from low ratios to high, indicating that those specimens had a flexible migration strategy in the ambient water, and could migrate downstream to the Caspian Sea multiple times after spawning.     

Solid chemosorbent for sampling sub-ppm levels of acrolein and glutaraldehyde in air

A personal air sampling method using Amberlite XAD-2 coated with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine has been developed for acrolein and glutaral dehyde. Acrolein in the 0.01 to 1.2 mg/m³ range or glutaraldehyde in the 0.03 to 3.5 mg/m³ range is easily analysed in a 5 1 air sample. Recoveries are high (80–100%), and samples stable at least for two weeks if stored in the dark until analysed.     

Sampling of epichlorohydrin and ethylene chlorohydrin in workroom air using Amberlite XAD-7 resin

Activated charcoal, Amberlite XAD-2 and Amberlite XAD-7 were evaluated for the adsorption of epichlorohydrin and ethylene chlorohydrin from air followed by desorption with solvent. Ethylene chlorohydrin was found to be unstable on activated charcoal in the presence of carbon disulfide. Recoveries from XAD-2 were low, and XAD-7 was found to be the best adsorbent for the sampling of these compounds from air.