Monitoring plastic ingestion by the northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis in the North Sea

The abundance of plastics in stomachs of northern fulmars from the North Sea is used in the OSPAR Ecological Quality Objective (EcoQO) for marine litter. The preliminary EcoQO defines acceptable ecological quality as the situation where no more than 10% of fulmars exceed a critical level of 0.1 g of plastic in the stomach. During 2003-2007, 95% of 1295 fulmars sampled in the North Sea had plastic in the stomach (on average 35 pieces weighing 0.31 g) and the critical level of 0.1 g of plastic was exceeded by 58% of birds, with regional variations ranging from 48 to 78%. Long term data for the Netherlands since the 1980s show a decrease of industrial, but an increase of user plastics, with shipping and fisheries as the main sources. The EcoQO is now also used as an indicator for Good Environmental Status in the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive.     

The use of environmental metabolomics to determine glyphosate level of exposure in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) seedlings

Metabolic profiling in plants can be used to differentiate between treatments and to search for biomarkers for exposure. A methodology for processing Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diode-Array-Detection data is devised. This methodology includes a scheme for selecting informative wavelengths, baseline removal, retention time alignment, selection of relevant retention times, and principal component analysis (PCA). Plant crude extracts from rapeseed seedling exposed to sublethal concentrations of glyphosate are used as a study case. Through this approach, plants exposed to concentrations down to 5 μM could be distinguished from the controls. The compounds responsible for this differentiation were partially identified and were different from those specific for high exposure samples, which suggests that two different responses to glyphosate are elicited in rapeseed depending on the level of exposure. The PCA loadings indicate that a combination of other metabolites could be more sensitive than the response of shikimate to detect glyphosate exposure.     

Transport modes and pathways of the strongly sorbing pesticides glyphosate and pendimethalin through structured drained soils

Leaching of the strongly sorbing pesticides glyphosate and pendimethalin was evaluated in an 8-month field study focussing on preferential flow and particle-facilitated transport, both of which may enhance the leaching of such pesticides in structured soils. Glyphosate mainly sorbs to mineral sorption sites, while pendimethalin mainly sorbs to organic sorption sites. The two pesticides were applied in equal dosage to a structured, tile-drained soil, and the concentration of the pesticides was then measured in drainage water sampled flow-proportionally.The leaching pattern of glyphosate resembled that of pendimethalin, suggesting that the leaching potential of pesticides sorbed to either the inorganic or organic soil fractions is high in structured soils. Both glyphosate and pendimethalin leached from the root zone, with the average concentration in the drainage water being 3.5 and 2.7 μg L⁻¹, respectively. Particle-facilitated transport (particles >0.24 μm) accounted for only a small proportion of the observed leaching (13-16% for glyphosate and 16-31% for pendimethalin). Drain-connected macropores located above or in the vicinity of the drains facilitated very rapid transport of pesticide to the drains. That the concentration of glyphosate and pendimethalin in the drainage water remained high (>0.1 μg L⁻¹) for up to 7 d after a precipitation event indicates that macropores between the drains connected to underlying fractures were able to transport strongly sorbing pesticides in the dissolved phase. Lateral transport of dissolved pesticide via such discontinuities implies that strongly sorbing pesticides such as glyphosate and pendimethalin could potentially be present in high concentrations (>0.1 μg L⁻¹) in both water originating from the drainage system and the shallow groundwater located at the depth of the drainage system.     

Use of a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry organic aerosol monitor for in-field detection of fine particulate organic compounds in source apportionment

A study was conducted on the Brigham Young University campus during January and February 2015 to identify winter-time sources of fine particulate material in Utah Valley, Utah. Fine particulate mass and components and related gas-phase species were all measured on an hourly averaged basis. Light scattering was also measured during the study. Included in the sampling was the first-time source apportionment application of a new monitoring instrument for the measurement of fine particulate organic marker compounds on an hourly averaged basis. Organic marker compounds measured included levoglucosan, dehydroabietic acid, stearic acid, pyrene, and anthracene. A total of 248 hourly averaged data sets were available for a positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis of sources of both primary and secondary fine particulate material. A total of nine factors were identified. The presence of wood smoke emissions was associated with levoglucosan, dehydroabietic acid, and pyrene markers. Fine particulate secondary nitrate, secondary organic material, and wood smoke accounted for 90% of the fine particulate material. Fine particle light scattering was dominated by sources associated with wood smoke and secondary ammonium nitrate with associated modeled fine particulate water.

Implications: The identification of sources and secondary formation pathways leading to observed levels of PM_2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynmaic diameter <2.5 μm) is important in making regulatory decisions on pollution control. The use of organic marker compounds in this assessment has proven useful; however, data obtained on a daily, or longer, sampling schedule limit the value of the information because diurnal changes associated with emissions and secondary aerosol formation cannot be identified. A new instrument, the gas chromtography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) organic aerosol monitor, allows for the determination on these compounds on an hourly averaged basis. The demonstrated potential value of hourly averaged data in a source apportionment analysis indicates that significant improvement in the data used for making regulatory decisions is possible.     

Transitions in high-Arctic vegetation growth patterns and ecosystem productivity tracked with automated cameras from 2000 to 2013

Climate-induced changes in vegetation phenology at northern latitudes are still poorly understood. Continued monitoring and research are therefore needed to improve the understanding of abiotic drivers. Here we used 14 years of time lapse imagery and climate data from high-Arctic Northeast Greenland to assess the seasonal response of a dwarf shrub heath, grassland, and fen, to inter-annual variation in snow-cover, soil moisture, and air and soil temperatures. A late snow melt and start of growing season is counterbalanced by a fast greenup and a tendency to higher peak greenness values. Snow water equivalents and soil moisture explained up to 77 % of growing season duration and senescence phase, highlighting that water availability is a prominent driver in the heath site, rather than temperatures. We found a significant advance in the start of spring by 10 days and in the end of fall by 11 days, resulting in an unchanged growing season length. Vegetation greenness, derived from the imagery, was correlated to primary productivity, showing that the imagery holds valuable information on vegetation productivity.     

CFD model simulation of dispersion from chlorine railcar releases in industrial and urban areas

To assist in emergency response decisions and planning in case of releases of pressurized liquefied chlorine from railroad tank cars in industrial sites and cities, the FLACS Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model has been used to simulate the transport and dispersion of the dense chlorine cloud. Two accident locations are studied: an actual railcar accident at an industrial site in Festus, MO, and a hypothetical railcar accident at a rail junction in the Chicago urban area. The results show that transport of a large dense gas release at ground level in an industrial site or large city could initially extend a hundred meters or more in the upwind and crosswind directions. The dense cloud may follow terrain drainage, such as river channels. Near the source, the obstacles tend to slow down the dense gas cloud and may constrain it and cause increased concentrations. Farther downwind, the obstacles may cause enhanced mixing and dilution once the cloud has grown larger. In some cases, significant amounts of cloud mass may become “trapped” in obstacle wakes for many minutes after the main cloud has passed. Although the CFD model can account for the details of the flow and dispersion much better than standard widely-used simple dense gas models, many similarities are found among the various models in their simulated variations with downwind distance of the maximum cloud centerline concentration.     

Toxicity of water and sediment from stormwater retarding basins to Hydra hexactinella

Hydra hexactinella was used to assess the toxicity of stormwater and sediment samples from three retarding basins in Melbourne, Australia, using an acute test, a sublethal test, and a pulse test. Stormwater from the Avoca St retarding basins resulted in a LC50 of 613 ml/L, NOEC and LOEC values of 50 ml/L and 100 ml/L, while the 7 h pulse exposure caused a significant increase in the mean population growth rate compared to the control. Water samples from the two other retarding basins were found non-toxic to H. hexactinella. This is the first study to employ sediment tests with Hydra spp. on stormwater sediments and a lower population growth rate was observed for organisms exposed to sediment from the Avoca St retarding basins. The behavioral study showed that H. hexactinella tended to avoid the sediment-water interface when exposed to sediment from all retarding basins, compared to the reference sediment. Further work is needed to determine the long-term effects of stormwater polluted sediments and acute effects due to organism exposure to short-term high concentrations during rain events.     

Growth and development rates of Calanus finmarchicus nauplii during a diatom spring bloom

Growth and development rates were determined for nauplii of Calanus finmarchicus (Gunnerus) in the near-shore waters of a western Norwegian fjord from in situ mesocosm incubations. The major food source for the nauplii was diatoms, but Phaeocystis sp., dinoflagellates and ciliates were also part of the diet. At local temperatures ranging from 4.8 to 5.2 °C the cumulative median development time from hatching to Nauplius VI was 19 d. The time taken to molt to the next naupliar stage was approximately constant (3 d) from Stages IV to VI, but Stage III needed the longest development time (5 d). The instantaneous growth rate in terms of body carbon was negative from hatching to Nauplius Stage II, but as high as 0.25 to 0.30 d⁻¹ from Stage III to V. Enhancement of food resources by nutrient addition led to no significant change in specific growth rates. Additionally, the cohorts from different nutrient regimes showed almost equal development time, size and body carbon within stages. Length–weight relationships of nauplii from the two different food resources were: W _{low resources} = 4.17 × 10⁻⁶ × L ^2.03 (r ² = 0.84) and W _{high resources} = 4.29 × 10⁻⁶ × L ^2.05 (r ² = 0.92), where weight (W) is in micrograms of C and body length (L) in micrometers. The natural body morphology of naupliar stages I to VI is illustrated with digital images, including the final molt from Nauplius VI to Copepodid Stage I. In general, development of the nauplii was faster than that of the copepodids of C. finmarchicus, and structural growth was exponential from naupliar stages III to VI. This study validates our earlier results that nauplii of C. finmarchicus can obtain high growth and nearly maximal developmental rates at relatively low food levels (∼50 μg C l⁻¹), suggesting that nauplii exhibit far less dependence on food supply than copepodids. Received: 30 July 1999 / Accepted: 7 March 2000     

Relative Costs and Benefits of a Continuous and a Periodic Forest Inventory in Minnesota

We show that the Annual Forest Inventory System (AFIS) being developed by the USDA Forest Service and tested in the state of Minnesota is no more costly than the periodic Minnesota forest inventory (12 year measurement cycle). Since very useful results could be generated with AFIS every 4 years in addition to the results from the periodic survey, a continuous inventory would be cost effective. Periodic surveys yield more precise estimates within the first few years of the full survey but afterwards the annual survey would be more precise. Where the changeover in precision occurs still needs to be determined. This cost-neutral advantage of AFIS is quite important to note since the USFS has decided to go to annualized inventories such as AFIS this year.     

Teil I: Stoffstromanalysen landwirtschaftlicher Produktionsverfahren

When discussing strategies for realising an environmental friendly agricultural production, there are methods for quantifying environmental effects which do not originate in agricultural contexts. For instance, the methodology of Life Cycle Assessment is mainly developed from analyses of industrial production lines and products. Substance flow analyses in agriculture contain a complete analysis of agriculturally caused substance and energy flows, to which certain environmental effects are assigned, and also an assessment of these effects. For the provision of production means, balancing agricultural production procedures includes the extraction of energy sources and mineral resources from their reservoirs. The growth phase of the crops regarded (cereals, sugar beet, rape) is described depending on the nutrients nitrogen, phophor, potassium and calcium. The nitrogen flux within the system plant-soil-atmosphere is recorded referring to its temporal dynamic. In the framework of this study, selected environmental effects of agricultural production procedures of winter wheat are calculated regarding different conditions of locations and are supplemented by declining scenario simulations. Essential features of the structure of the substance flow net, which is implemented for the calculation and which can be used completely or as for single modules for further studies, are explained. Basing on selected categories of effectiveness, ecological optimisation potentials of varying agricultural provision of production means and procedures are estimated within the whole context of provision. Thereby, the effects of a reduced employment of fertilisers, of a change as for the kind of fertiliser and of the region of origin of the N-fertiliser, as well as variations concerning mechanical work in the fields are outlined for the cultivation of winter wheat.