Tracking the anthropogenic drivers of ecological impacts

Despite the pivotal role human factors (anthropogenic drivers) are presumed to play in global environmental change, substantial uncertainties and contradictory conclusions about them continue. We attempt to further discipline the human factors issue by estimating the effects of two anthropogenic drivers, population and affluence, on a wide variety of global environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions, emissions of ozone depleting substances, and the ecological footprint. Population proportionately increases all types of impacts examined. Affluence typically increases impacts, but the specific effect depends on the type of impact. These findings refocus attention on population and material affluence as principal threats to sustainability and challenge predictions of an ameliorating effect of rising affluence on impacts.     

Determination of growth rate and yield of nitrifying bacteria by measuring carbon dioxide uptake rate.

Nitrifier growth parameters--the maximum growth rate (microAmax) and yield (YA)--were estimated by measuring the rate of carbon dioxide uptake and additional rates of oxygen uptake and ammonia (or nitrite) use. Batch tests in a combined titrimetric and offgas analyzer with enriched Nitrobacter and Nitrosomonas cultures and an activated sludge sample were performed. The measured microAmax values for the Nitrobacter and Nitrosomonas cultures were 0.67 +/- 0.03 day(-1) and 0.54 +/- 0.09 day(-1), while the YA values were 0.072 +/- 0.01 g volatile suspended solids (VSS) x g nitrogen (N)(-1) and 0.14 +/- 0.02 gVSS x gN(-1), respectively. For the activated sludge sample, microAmax was observed to increase with pH (microAmax = 0.72 x 3.3(pH-7.1)) over the range 6.8 to 7.1. All microAmax and YA values determined by this method were similar to those previously reported. Compared with other microAmax and YA estimation methods, this method allows for unique microAmax and YA estimations for given conditions from a single experiment.     

Large outdoor chamber experiments and computer simulations: (I) Secondary organic aerosol formation from the oxidation of a mixture of d-limonene and α-pinene

This work merges kinetic models for α-pinene and d-limonene which were individually developed to predict secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from these compounds. Three major changes in the d-limonene and α-pinene combined mechanism were made. First, radical–radical reactions were integrated so that radicals formed from both individual mechanisms all reacted with each other. Second, all SOA model species from both compounds were used to calculate semi-volatile partitioning for new semi-volatiles formed in the gas phase. Third particle phase reactions for particle phase α-pinene and d-limonene aldehydes, carboxylic acids, etc. were integrated. Experiments with mixtures of α-pinene and d-limonene, nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and diurnal natural sunlight were carried out in a dual 270 m³ outdoor Teflon film chamber located in Pittsboro, NC. The model closely simulated the behavior and timing for α-pinene, d-limonene, NO, NO₂, O₃ and SOA. Model sensitivities were tested with respect to effects of d-limonene/α-pinene ratios, initial hydrocarbon to NO_x (HC₀/NO_x) ratios, temperature, and light intensity. The results showed that SOA yield (Y_SOA) was very sensitive to initial d-limonene/α-pinene ratio and temperature. The model was also used to simulate remote atmospheric SOA conditions that hypothetically could result from diurnal emissions of α-pinene, d-limonene and NO_x. We observed that the volatility of the simulated SOA material on the aging aerosol decreased with time, and this was consistent with chamber observations. Of additional importance was that our simulation did not show a loss of SOA during the daytime and this was consistent with observed measurements.     

The contribution from shipping emissions to air quality and acid deposition in Europe

A global three-dimensional Lagrangian chemistry-transport model STOCHEM is used to describe the European regional acid deposition and ozone air quality impacts along the Atlantic Ocean seaboard of Europe, from the SO2, NOx, VOCs and CO emissions from international shipping under conditions appropriate to the year 2000. Model-derived total sulfur deposition from international shipping reaches over 200 mg S m(-2) yr(-1) over the southwestern approaches to the British Isles and Brittany. The contribution from international shipping to surface ozone concentrations during the summertime, peaks at about 6 ppb over Ireland, Brittany and Portugal. Shipping emissions act as an external influence on acid deposition and ozone air quality within Europe and may require control actions in the future if strict deposition and air quality targets are to be met.     

Conditions for effective removal of pyrene from an artificially contaminated soil using Pseudomonas aeruginosa 57SJ rhamnolipids

The efficacy of a new rhamnolipid biosurfactants mixture to enhance the removal of pyrene from a soil artificially contaminated was investigated. The molar solubilization ratio (MSR) and the partition coefficient between the micelles and water (log K(m)) were found to be 7.5 x 10(-3) and 5.7, respectively. From soil column studies, the pyrene removal increased linearly with the concentration of the injected biosurfactants solution above the effective critical micellar concentration (0.4 g L(-1)). Flushing with a 5.0 g L(-1) biosurfactants solution increased the pyrene concentration in the effluent by 178 times. At high biosurfactants' concentrations (2.5 and 5.0 g L(-1)), the cumulative pyrene recovery reached 70%. This pyrene remobilization takes place independently of the soil organic carbon solubilization. This study provides a combination of batch and column experiments in order to find the conditions for effective soil remediation using a new rhamnolipids mixture.     

Pigeon homing: the effect of a clock-shift is often smaller than predicted

This analysis is based on 103 releases with 6-h clock-shifted pigeons of various ages and experiences. Resetting the internal clock normally leads to a significant change in initial orientation; however, in half of the cases, the induced deflections are significantly smaller than predicted by the sun compass hypothesis. The relative size of the deflections decreases with increasing age and experience (Fig. 3). Only young pigeons with limited experience respond as expected, while old birds show deflections which are, on the average, only slightly more than half of the predicted size, except at extremely familiar sites (Table 2). There is no difference between fast and slow shifts (Fig. 4). It is not possible to clearly specify under what circumstances smaller deflections occur; previous clock-shifts (Fig. 5), familiarity with the release site (Table 4) and duration of the shifting procedure (Table 5) do not seem to be the reasons. Clock-shifting also tends to decrease the vector lengths and has a marked effect on homing performance (Table 7). Nevertheless, considerable numbers of clock-shifted birds return on the day of release before their internal clock has begun to be reset back to normal. The general role of the sun compass in bird orientation is considered and theoretical implications of our findings are discussed in view of the map and compass-model and the possibility that an alternative, non-time-compensating compass is used in parallel with the sun compass.     

Patterns in species composition of rocky shore communities in sub-arctic fjords of eastern Iceland

Quantitative data on plants and animals from 20 transects of the eulittoral zone in 8 fjords of sub-arctic east Iceland were analysed by a number of classification and ordination techniques. Field work was carried out during two periods of spring tides in June and July 1987. The study was restricted to gently sloping stable bedrock, but transects were otherwise randomly chosen. Species composition was strongly influenced by the relative position of the transects along the length of the fjords. Species richness increased from heads towards mouths. Increased temperature fluctuations towards inner parts of fjords are suggested as an explanation for these patterns, while salinity is unlikely to be a critical factor. The analyses also indicate that degree of exposure, as measured both by a physically derived index and by a simple biological index, is an important factor in structuring these eulittoral communities, although affecting species richness only slightly, if at all. Classification of transects results in a number of community types which, however, are not well defined. A classification based on the presence/absence of three canopy-forming fucoids yields groups of transects differing in species composition and in degree of exposure. The rocky eulittoral communities of the fjords of eastern Iceland resemble those of northern Norway, but differ in that several key species of the latter communities are missing, probably largely due to the isolation of Iceland.     

Designing Forest Taxes with Varying Government Preferences and Budget Targets

A model of forest policy design is constructed to examine how government preferences affect the choice of forest taxes. Government preferences are modelled by assuming that the government faces a binding revenue constraint and cares about the provision of public goods from forests. The equilibrium is second best given the imposition of the revenue constraint on the government's decision making. Our results show that a revenue-constrained government will make different choices than a government that does not face revenue constraints. This has important implications for the choice of property and harvest taxes, as well as Pigouvian forest taxes.     

Preliminary Measurements of Turbulence and Environmental Parameters in a Sub-Tropical Estuary of Eastern Australia

In natural systems, mixing is driven by turbulence, but current knowledge is limited in estuarine zones where predictions of contaminant dispersion are often inaccurate. A series of detailed field studies was conducted in a small sub-tropical creek in eastern Australia. Hydrodynamic, physio-chemical and ecological measurements were conducted simultaneously to assess the complexity of the estuarine zone, notably the interactions between turbulence and environment. The measurements were typically performed at high frequency over a tidal cycle. The results provide an original data set to complement long-term monitoring and a basis for a more detailed study of mixing in sub-tropical systems. Unlike many long-term observations, velocity and water quality scalars were measured herein with sufficient spatial and temporal resolutions to determine quantities of interest in the study of turbulence, while ecological indicators were sampled systematically and simultaneously. In particular the results yielded contrasted outcomes, and the finding impacts on the selection process for key water quality indicators.