Data Sharing – a Case of Shared Databases and Community Use of On-Line GIS Support Systems

Data management is becoming increasingly simple and complex at the same time. The challenge is to effectively use the increasing number of tools available to manage increasing amounts of environmental information for purposes of data capture, analysis, display, sharing and storage. Government is no longer the main collector and provider of data. Community groups possess vast amounts of data collected through daily work of monitoring the environment in their local community. The chief concerns are data access, sharing, integrity and comparability. The capacity of groups to sustain data management is the key to making the sharing possible. The Southeast Environmental Association has been working with Environment Canada to develop a community, on-line database that will be linked to other geo-spatial data sets to allow instant access to geo-referenced data.     

The effect of visitors’ pressure on the spatial variability of sandy soil in an urban parks in Tel Aviv

The effect of visitors' pressure on the spatial variability of soil properties was investigated in three open green areas in Tel Aviv. Six types of micro-environments were chosen: under oak and pine tree canopy with low (OL and PL) and high (OH and PH) visitors' pressure; herbaceous area without visitors' pressure (HE); and resting area under high visitors' pressure (RA). For each micro-environment soil samples were collected from the upper 0-5 cm depth for organic matter content and moisture determination. Before sampling, soil surface compaction and litter biomass were measured. Soil properties were affected by visitors' pressure and by the type of micro-environment. Soil organic matter content and soil moisture proved significantly higher under oak trees at low visitors' pressure. Average litter biomass significantly decreased with increasing visitors' pressure in the tree micro-environments. Average penetration depth decreased significantly with increased visitors' pressure in all micro-environments. In all the cases where averages significantly decreased, variance significantly decreased too, but the coefficient of variations increased. This means that variances changed slower than averages. Changes in averages were accompanied by a change of data population structure, which indicated more soil spatial homogeneity under high visitors' pressure. The data from different intervals of data population of soil properties demonstrated the different sensitivity to visitors' pressure.     

Occurrence and distribution of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers in vegetation samples from a contaminated area

The occurrence and distribution of four major hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers (alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-) were studied in vegetation samples of a highly contaminated area close to a small-scale industrial belt in Lucknow (North India). Eight species of plants were collected at different points of the contaminated area and different parts of the plants were separated in order to study the difference in uptake and accumulation. The samples were extracted by matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) extraction and finally determined by a gas-chromatograph equipped with (63)Ni electron capture detector (ECD). HCH isomers were present in almost all samples and the concentration of total HCH in the plant sample analyzed varied between 13 and 44 mg kg(-1), being the main isomer of beta-HCH (8-22 mg kg(-1)). Lindane (gamma-HCH) was present in all samples (1-9 mg kg(-1)). Solanum torvum Sw., and Erianthus munja shows the highest and lowest capacity for accumulation of HCH, respectively with a significant difference at p<0.01 level. The highest concentration of HCH residue in root samples indicates the most likely mechanism of HCH accumulation in these plants was sorption of soil HCH on roots. Solanum torvum Sw., and Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal could accumulate considerable levels of HCH isomers (44 and 34 mg kg(-1), respectively). The results reflect the importance of plants in monitoring purposes and their potential for phytoremediation of HCH contaminated soils.     

Nitrogen Content of Letharia vulpina Tissue from Forests of the Sierra Nevada, California: Geographic Patterns and Relationships to Ammonia Estimates and Climate

Nitrogen (N) pollution is a growing concern in forests of the greater Sierra Nevada, which lie downwind of the highly populated and agricultural Central Valley. Nitrogen content of Letharia vulpina tissue was analyzed from 38 sites using total Kjeldahl analysis to provide a preliminary assessment of N deposition patterns. Collections were co-located with plots where epiphytic macrolichen communities are used for estimating ammonia (NH₃) deposition. Tissue N ranged from 0.6% to 2.11% with the highest values occurring in the southwestern Sierra Nevada (range: 1.38 to 2.11). Tissue N at 17 plots was elevated, as defined by a threshold concentration of 1.03%. Stepwise regression was used to determine the best predictors of tissue N from among a variety of environmental variables. The best model consisted only of longitude (r ² = 0.64), which was reflected in the geographic distribution of tissue values: the southwestern Sierra Nevada, the high Sierras near the Tahoe Basin, and the Modoc Plateau, are three apparent N hotspots arranged along the tilted north–south axis of the study area. Withholding longitude and latitude, the best regression model suggested that NH₃ estimates and annual number of wetdays interactively affect N accumulation (r ² = 0.61; % N ∼ NH₃ + wetdays + (NH₃ × wetdays)). We did not expect perfect correspondence between tissue values and NH₃ estimates since other N pollutants also accumulate in the lichen thallus. Additionally, other factors potentially affecting N content, such as growth rate and leaching, were not given full account.     

Effects of filtration and pH perturbation on freshwater organic matter fluorescence

Fluorescence of organic matter from six contrasting freshwaters was analysed after filtration (1.2 microm and 0.2 microm filter sizes) and pH perturbation (+/-2 pH units from ambient conditions). Two fluorophores were compared in detail: tryptophan-like fluorescence, whose filtration and pH characteristics are relatively poorly understood, and humic-like fluorescence, which is better characterised. Although there was some variability in both fluorophores, the tryptophan-like fluorescence showed the most significant decrease in fluorescence intensity between raw and 1.2 microm filter samples, and a much smaller decrease between 1.2 and 0.2 microm, demonstrating a significant source associated with particulate material as well as a significant <0.2 microm fraction. In contrast, humic-like fluorescence shows little change with filtration, suggesting that the majority of this fluorescence is associated with truly dissolved material. The pH perturbation experiments demonstrate that tryptophan-like fluorescence is less impacted by pH than with filter fraction. For humic-like fluorescence, pH effects are weak and are not as consistent as those reported in the literature for extracted humic substances. pH perturbation of the freshwaters shows a wide range of sample specific pH responses, significantly more variable than that observed in experiments using extracted humic substances and tryptophan standards, demonstrating the natural variability of freshwater dissolved organic matter.     

Arctic Climate Impacts: Environmental Injustice in Canada and the United States

The current and projected future physical impacts of climate change are most extreme in the northern latitudes. The indigenous peoples in the North American arctic and sub-arctic rely on the availability of natural resources in mixed subsistence economies for nutritional and cultural survival and thus experience disproportionate burdens with respect to our changing climate. Arctic climate impacts exemplify how global phenomena and activities can significantly affect people locally in remote regions. These impacts are largely consistent throughout the region, irrespective of national boarders; however, indigenous peoples in Canada are better positioned than those in the United States to shape policy in a way that would ensure their adaptation to climate change. Political and industrial activity on national and global scales can have significant environmental, social and cultural repercussions on the local scale in remote areas. Remedies for environmental injustice will thus require strong cross-scale political and institutional linkages.     

Standardising and mapping open-source information for crisis regions: the case of post-conflict Iraq

Painting an accurate picture of the situation on the ground in countries in crisis is vital for the efficiency of humanitarian aid and reconstruction agencies. This study describes a method for standardising and mapping the plethora of open-source information. The test site for the study is post-conflict Iraq. Important information on aid distribution, reconstruction and security in Iraq can be derived from the reports of humanitarian aid agencies and the media, before being formatted, inserted into a database and mapped. The product is a visual, cartographic structure of otherwise random information, showing which organisations are working in the country, which thematic and geographic areas are being prioritized in the field, and which areas most frequently experience security events. This type of mapping not only highlights the overall working environment within different parts of the country, but it may also serve as a decision-making tool for donors and humanitarian aid agencies planning to deploy personnel.