Ranking ecosystem services delivered by trees in urban and rural areas

Policies and strategies for tree management and protection on a national, regional, and local level have not sufficiently considered differences between rural and urban areas. We used expert knowledge to compare rural and urban areas in a case study evaluating the relative importance of ecosystem services (ES) in policy development. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and focus group discussions were used to rank 17 ES, representing four classes of services: provisioning, regulating, habitat, and cultural. The results indicated that effective protection strategies, beyond simply increasing general tree cover, should consider specific benefits trees provide to local communities. We discuss the role of objective prioritization of ES delivered by trees in urban and rural areas and their consequences for decision-making processes.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-022-01722-2.     

Temperature modeling in activated sludge systems: a case study.

A model of temperature dynamics was developed as part of a general model of activated-sludge reactors. Transport of heat was described by the one-dimensional, advection-dispersion equation, with a source term based on a theoretical heat balance over the reactor. The model was compared to several reference models, including a tanks-in-series model and the dispersion model with heat components neglecting biochemical-energy inputs and other activated-sludge, heat-balance terms. All the models were tested under steady-state and dynamic conditions at a full-scale facility, the Rock Creek wastewater treatment plant in Hillsboro, Oregon, using meteorological data from a station located 16 km from the plant. The dispersion model and tanks-in-series model matched in situ temperature data with absolute-mean errors less than 0.1 degrees C. Neglecting biochemical-heat-energy inputs in the activated-sludge reactor underestimated temperatures by up to 0.5 degrees C. The biochemical-heat-energy inputs accounted for 30 to 40% of the total heat flux throughout the year.     

Simulation of reflected and scattered laser radiation for designing laser shields.

This paper presents a computer simulation of reflected and scattered laser radiation for calculating the angle of laser shields performed with the Laser Shield Solver computer program. The authors describe a method of calculating the shield angle for laser shields which protect workers against reflected and scattered laser radiation and which are made from different materials. The main assumptions of the program, which calculates and simulates reflected laser radiation from any material and which can be used for designing shield angles, are presented. Calculations are compared with measurements of reflected laser radiation. The results for one type of laser and different materials which interacted with a laser beam showed that the Laser Shield Solver was an appropriate tool for designing laser shields and its simulations of reflected laser radiation distribution have practical use.     

Particulate matter on foliage of Betula pendula,Quercus robur,and Tilia cordata : deposition and ecophysiology

Trees in urban and industrial areas significantly help to limit the amount of particulate matter (PM) suspended in the air, but PM has a negative impact on their life. The amount of PM gathered on leaves depends on quantity, size, and morphology of leaves and can also be increased by the presence of epicuticular waxes, in which PM can become stuck or immersed. In this study, we determined the ability of PM to accumulate on leaves in relation to the species of tree and PM source. We tested saplings of three common European tree species (Betula pendula, Quercus robur, and Tilia cordata) by experimentally polluting them with PM from different sources (cement, construction, and roadside PM), and then assessing the effects of PM on plant growth and ecophysiology. In all studied species, we have found two types of PM accumulation: a layer on the leaf surface and an in-wax layer. Results showed that the studied species accumulate PM on their leaf blade, reducing the efficiency of its photosynthetic apparatus, which in a broader sense can be considered a reduction in the plants’ normal functioning. Saplings of Q. robur suffered the least, whereas B. pendula (especially photosynthetic rate and conductivity) and T. cordata (especially increase in leader shoot length) exhibited greater negative effects. The foliage of B. pendula collected the most PM, followed by Q. robur, and then T. cordata, regardless of the dust’s source. All tested species showed a tendency for higher wax production when growing under PM pollution stress. We believe that, potentially, B. pendula best enhances the quality of the PM-contaminated environment; however, faster leaf fall, reduced productivity, and worse quality of wood should be considered in urban forest management.     

Principal component analysis of indicator PCB profiles in breast milk from Poland

Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to a data set containing the levels of indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in human milk of mothers living in the Wielkopolska region, Poland, in order to investigate the information captured in the PCB patterns and to elucidate the relationship between PCB concentrations in milk and donor characteristics. According to the obtained PCA results milk fat content was the most influential factor affecting the PCB levels in milk of the Wielkopolska cohort. The lifestyle data collected from the questionnaire completed by the donors appeared to have no influence on PCB concentrations in breast milk. The score plots revealed the PCB contents of milk were quite low and uniform with a few outliers, without discrimination observed either between the primipareous and secundipareous females or between donors from the urban and rural areas. Comparison of the PCB levels and profiles of human milk from the Wielkopolska region and from various European and Asian locations made by PCA reflected a generally low background exposure and indicated the possible reasons for the outlying of some samples. In order to enhance the chances of observing the relationship between donor habits and PCB levels in breast milk it was suggested that the questionnaire be redesigned to gather information about vegetable product consumption and indoor air exposure.     

Relevant parameters for assessing the environmental impact of some pyridinium, ammonium and pyrrolidinium based ionic liquids

Several physico-chemical properties relevant to determine the environmental impact of ionic liquids - aqueous solubility, octanol/water partition coefficient, chromatographically derived lipophilicity and infinite dilution diffusion coefficients in water - were measured in ionic liquids based on pyridinium, ammonium and pyrrolidinium cations with bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anions. The influence of the presence of hydroxyl or ester groups in the physico-chemical properties of these liquids was checked. It appeared that the presence of functional oxygenated moieties reduces the lipophilicity of ionic liquids and so decreases the risk of bioaccumulation in environment.