Windsor, Ontario exposure assessment study: design and methods validation of personal, indoor, and outdoor air pollution monitoring

The Windsor, Ontario Exposure Assessment Study evaluated the contribution of ambient air pollutants to personal and indoor exposures of adults and asthmatic children living in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In addition, the role of personal, indoor, and outdoor air pollution exposures upon asthmatic children's respiratory health was assessed. Several active and passive sampling methods were applied, or adapted, for personal, indoor, and outdoor residential monitoring of nitrogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter (PM; PM < or = 2.5 microm [PM2.5] and < or = 10 microm [PM10] in aerodynamic diameter), elemental carbon, ultrafine particles, ozone, air exchange rates, allergens in settled dust, and particulate-associated metals. Participants completed five consecutive days of monitoring during the winter and summer of 2005 and 2006. During 2006, in addition to undertaking the air pollution measurements, asthmatic children completed respiratory health measurements (including peak flow meter tests and exhaled breath condensate) and tracked respiratory symptoms in a diary. Extensive quality assurance and quality control steps were implemented, including the collocation of instruments at the National Air Pollution Surveillance site operated by Environment Canada and at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality site in Allen Park, Detroit, MI. During field sampling, duplicate and blank samples were also completed and these data are reported. In total, 50 adults and 51 asthmatic children were recruited to participate, resulting in 922 participant days of data. When comparing the methods used in the study with standard reference methods, field blanks were low and bias was acceptable, with most methods being within 20% of reference methods. Duplicates were typically within less than 10% of each other, indicating that study results can be used with confidence. This paper covers study design, recruitment, methodology, time activity diary, surveys, and quality assurance and control results for the different methods used.     

Degradation of bisphenol A using UV and UV/H2O2 processes

Bisphenol A (BPA; 4-[2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propan-2-yl]phenol) is a substance typically used in the plastic industry. It is used in the production of epoxy resins, polycarbonate, or fire retardants or as a stabilizer and an antioxidant in numerous types of plastics. Bisphenol A is introduced into the environment via municipal and industrial wastewater. Because of its hydrophobic properties, BPA has the potential for sorption on activated sludge during the biological wastewater treatment processes. This study investigated the degradation of BPA by means of UV-radiation and in the UV/H2O2 process with the presence and absence of hydrocarbonate ions (HCO3(-)) as hydroxyl radicals (OH*) scavengers. The calculated value of quantum yield was equal to 0.18, and the value of BPA rate constant with hydroxyl radicals was equal to 3.3 x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1).     

Remote sensing-based neural network mapping of tsunami damage in Aceh, Indonesia

In addition to the loss of human life, the tsunami event of 26 December 2004 caused extensive damage to coastal areas. The scale of the disaster was such that remote sensing may be the only way to determine its effects on the landscape. This paper presents the results of a neural network-based mapping of part of the region of Aceh, Sumatra. Before-and-after satellite imagery, combined with a novel neural network methodology, enabled a characterisation of landscape change. The neural network technique used a threshold of acceptance for identification, in combination with a bootstrapped identification method for identifying problem pixels. Map analysis allowed identification of urban areas that were inaccessible by road, and which aid agencies could therefore only reach by air or sea. The methods used provide a rapid and effective mapping ability and would be a useful tool for aid agencies, insurance underwriters and environmental monitoring.     

Soil vs. canopy seed storage and plant species coexistence in species-rich Australian shrublands

The fire-prone shrublands of southwestern Australia are renowned for their high plant species diversity and prominence of canopy seed storage (serotiny). We compared species richness, abundance, and life history attributes for soil and canopy seed banks in relation to extant vegetation among four sites with different substrate conditions and high species turnover (50-80%) to identify whether this unusual community-level organization of seed storage might contribute to maintenance of high species richness. Soil seed bank (SSB) densities were low to moderate (233-1435 seeds/m2) compared with densities for other Mediterranean-type vegetation and were lowest for sites with highest canopy seed bank (CSB) species richness and lowest nutrient availability, but not richness or abundance of resprouters. Annuals were infrequent in the lowest nutrient sites, but there was no evidence that small SSB size was due to low seed inputs or a trade-off between seed production/storage and seed size in response to low nutrient availability. Sorensen's similarity between SSB and extant vegetation was 26-43% but increased to 54-57% when the CSB was included, representing levels higher than reported for most other ecosystems. Resprouting species were well represented in both the SSB and CSB, and there was no evidence for lower seed production in resprouters than in non-sprouters overall. The SSB and CSB held no species in common and were characterized by markedly different seed dispersal attributes, with winged or small seeds in the CSB and seeds dispersed by ants, birds, and wind (though none with wings) in the SSB. There was no evidence of spatial differentiation in the distribution of seeds of SSB species between vegetated and open microsites that might facilitate species coexistence, but most woody non-sprouters showed aggregation at scales of 1-2 m, implying limited seed dispersal. High similarity between overall seed bank (SSB + CSB) and extant species composition, high number of resprouting species, and seed dispersal processes before (SSB) and after fire (CSB) leading to differential spatial aggregation of post-fire recruits from the two seed bank types may buffer species composition against rapid change and provide a mechanism for maintaining species coexistence at the local scale.     

A meta-BACI approach for evaluating management intervention on chronic wasting disease in mule deer.

Advances in acquiring and analyzing the spatial attributes of data have greatly enhanced the potential utility of wildlife disease surveillance data for addressing problems of ecological or economic importance. We present an approach for using wildlife disease surveillance data to identify areas for (or of) intervention, to spatially delineate paired treatment and control areas, and then to analyze these nonrandomly selected sites in a meta-analysis framework via before-after-control impact (BACI) estimates of effect size. We apply these methods to evaluate the effectiveness of attempts to reduce chronic wasting disease (CWD) prevalence through intensive localized culling of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in north-central Colorado, USA. Areas where surveillance data revealed high prevalence or case clusters were targeted by state wildlife management agency personnel for focal scale (on average <17 km2) culling, primarily via agency sharpshooters. Each area of sustained culling that we could also identify as unique by cluster analysis was considered a potential treatment area. Treatment areas, along with spatially paired control areas that we constructed post hoc in a case-control design (collectively called "management evaluation sites"), were then delineated using home range estimators. Using meta-BACI analysis of CWD prevalence data for all management evaluation sites, the mean effect size (change of prevalence on treatment areas minus change in prevalence on their paired control areas) was 0.03 (SE = 0.03); mean effect size on treatment areas was not greater than on paired control areas. Excluding cull samples from prevalence estimates or allowing for an equal or greater two-year lag in system responses to management did not change this outcome. We concluded that management benefits were not evident, although whether this represented true ineffectiveness or was a result of lack of data or insufficient duration of treatment could not be discerned. Based on our observations, we offer recommendations for designing a management experiment with 80% power to detect a 0.10 drop in prevalence over a 6-12-year period.     

TROPHIC STATE EVALUATION FOR SELECTED LAKES IN GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK1

ABSTRACT: Increased visitation at Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) has raised concerns about impacts on surface water in the park. The purposes of this study are to perform a benchmark trophic state survey for comparison to future evaluations and to identify possible areas of concern. Four watershed regions based on geographic and geologic features were delineated for study. Six Alpine lakes, six Moraine lakes, three Valley lakes, and two Colter Bay lakes are evaluated. Lakes were sampled for total phosphorus (TP), chlorophyll‐a, and transparency. The water quality, as defined by trophic state, in the park is generally good. Oligotrophic to mesotrophic conditions were found in the Alpine and Moraine lakes and mesotrophic to eutrophic conditions were found in the Colter Bay and Valley lakes. High inflow TP concentrations in the park's northeast side may be due to the presence of natural geologic phosphate from the Phosphoria Formation.     

A guide to qualitative attribution methods for evaluation in conservation

Knowledge of what conservation interventions improve biodiversity outcomes, and in which circumstances, is imperative. Experimental and quasi-experimental methods are increasingly used to establish causal inference and build the evidence base on the effectiveness of interventions, but their ability to provide insight into how and under what conditions an intervention should be implemented to improve biodiversity outcomes faces limitations. A suite of attribution methods that leverage qualitative methods for causal inference is available but underutilized in conversation impact evaluation. This article provides a guide to 5 such qualitative attribution methods: contribution analysis, process tracing, realist evaluation, qualitative comparative analysis, and most significant change. It defines and introduces each method and then illustrates how they could be applied through a case study of community conservancies in Namibia. This guide provides examples of how qualitative attribution methods can advance knowledge of what works, in which contexts, and why in biodiversity conservation.     

Regional-scale variation in the distribution and abundance of farming damselfishes on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Territorial damselfishes that manipulate (“farm”) the algae in their territories can have a marked effect on benthic community structure and may influence coral recovery following disturbances. Despite the numerical dominance of farming species on many reefs, the importance of their grazing activities is often overlooked, with most studies only examining their roles over restricted spatial and temporal scales. We used the results of field surveys covering 9.5° of latitude of the Great Barrier Reef to describe the distribution, abundance and temporal dynamics of farmer communities. Redundancy analysis revealed unique subregional assemblages of farming species that were shaped by the combined effects of shelf position and, to a lesser extent, by latitude. These spatial patterns were largely stable through time, except when major disturbances altered the benthic community. Such disturbances affected the functional guilds of farmers in different ways. Since different guilds of farmers modify benthic community structure and affect survival of juvenile corals in different ways, these results have important implications for coral recovery following disturbances.     

Collaborative assessment of California spiny lobster population and fishery responses to a marine reserve network

Assessments of the conservation and fisheries effects of marine reserves typically focus on single reserves where sampling occurs over narrow spatiotemporal scales. A strategy for broadening the collection and interpretation of data is collaborative fisheries research (CFR). Here we report results of a CFR program formed in part to test whether reserves at the Santa Barbara Channel Islands, USA, influenced lobster size and trap yield, and whether abundance changes in reserves led to spillover that influenced trap yield and effort distribution near reserve borders. Industry training of scientists allowed us to sample reserves with fishery relevant metrics that we compared with pre-reserve fishing records, a concurrent port sampling program, fishery effort patterns, the local ecological knowledge (LEK) of fishermen, and fishery-independent visual surveys of lobster abundance. After six years of reserve protection, there was a four- to eightfold increase in trap yield, a 5-10% increase in the mean size (carapace length) of legal sized lobsters, and larger size structure of lobsters trapped inside vs. outside of three replicate reserves. Patterns in trap data were corroborated by visual scuba surveys that indicated a four- to sixfold increase in lobster density inside reserves. Population increases within reserves did not lead to increased trap yields or effort concentrations (fishing the line) immediately outside reserve borders. The absence of these catch and effort trends, which are indicative of spillover, may be due to moderate total mortality (Z = 0.59 for legal sized lobsters outside reserves), which was estimated from analysis of growth and length frequency data collected as part of our CFR program. Spillover at the Channel Islands reserves may be occurring but at levels that are insufficient to influence the fishery dynamics that we measured. Future increases in fishing effort (outside reserves) and lobster biomass (inside reserves) are likely and may lead to increased spillover, and CFR provides an ideal platform for continued assessment of fishery-reserve interactions.     

Finite area smoothing with generalized distance splines

Most conventional spatial smoothers smooth with respect to the Euclidean distance between observations, even though this distance may not be a meaningful measure of spatial proximity, especially when boundary features are present. When domains have complicated boundaries leakage (the inappropriate linking of parts of the domain which are separated by physical barriers) can occur. To overcome this problem, we develop a method of smoothing with respect to generalized distances, such as within domain distances. We obtain the generalized distances between our points and then use multidimensional scaling to find a configuration of our observations in a Euclidean space of 2 or more dimensions, such that the Euclidian distances between points in that space closely approximate the generalized distances between the points. Smoothing is performed over this new point configuration, using a conventional smoother. To mitigate the problems associated with smoothing in high dimensions we use a generalization of thin plate spline smoothers proposed by Duchon (Constructive theory of functions of several variables, pp 85–100, 1977). This general method for smoothing with respect to generalized distances improves on the performance of previous within-domain distance spatial smoothers, and often provides a more natural model than the soap film approach of Wood et al. (J R Stat Soc Ser B Stat Methodol 70(5):931–955, 2008). The smoothers are of the linear basis with quadratic penalty type easily incorporated into a range of statistical models.