Climate change adaptation practices of apple growers in Nagano, Japan

By an interview survey with apple growers in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, we found that their recognition of and reaction to climate change depends on their sales channels. Against rising air temperature, more farmers on direct sales (Type D farmers) than those on sales via the markets (Type M farmers) recognized the delay in fruit maturity as the effect of climate change, specifically temperature rise, (Type D: 62%, Type M: 15%). In response to the delay in maturity, Type D farmers simply delayed the harvest to full maturity by about 10 days than they did 20 years ago. On the other hand, Type M farmers recognized delayed reddening of the fruits as the most salient result of climate change (Type D: 8%, Type M: 46%), and took measures to accelerate the coloring by placing reflective materials on ground and/or picking off leaves around the fruits. The contrasting behaviors can be explained by the difference in the critical trait of the products. For Type M farmers, timing of the shipment is critical to avoid competition with shipments from other apple growing areas, and the good coloring is the prerequisite for the shipment. For Type D farmers, by contrast, full maturity is more important than coloring, since their contract with the customers hinges on the palatability of the fruits rather than the timing. This study has thus identified positioning of the farmers with the sales channel as a determinant in their adaptation behavior and vulnerability to climatic changes.     

Urban tinkering

Cities are currently experiencing serious, multifaceted impacts from global environmental change, especially climate change, and the degree to which they will need to cope with and adapt to such challenges will continue to increase. A complex systems approach inspired by evolutionary theory can inform strategies for policies and interventions to deal with growing urban vulnerabilities. Such an approach would guide the design of new (and redesign of existing) urban structures, while promoting innovative integration of grey, green and blue infrastructure in service of environmental and health objectives. Moreover, it would contribute to more flexible, effective policies for urban management and the use of urban space. Four decades ago, in a seminal paper in Science, the French evolutionary biologist and philosopher Francois Jacob noted that evolution differs significantly in its characteristic modes of action from processes that are designed and engineered de novo (Jacob in Science 196(4295):1161–1166, 1977). He labeled the evolutionary process “tinkering”, recognizing its foundation in the modification and molding of existing traits and forms, with occasional dramatic shifts in function in the context of changing conditions. This contrasts greatly with conventional engineering and design approaches that apply tailor-made materials and tools to achieve well-defined functions that are specified a priori. We here propose that urban tinkering is the application of evolutionary thinking to urban design, engineering, ecological restoration, management and governance. We define urban tinkering as:

A mode of operation, encompassing policy, planning and management processes, that seeks to transform the use of existing and design of new urban systems in ways that diversify their functions, anticipate new uses and enhance adaptability, to better meet the social, economic and ecological needs of cities under conditions of deep uncertainty about the future.

This approach has the potential to substantially complement and augment conventional urban development, replacing predictability, linearity and monofunctional design with anticipation of uncertainty and non-linearity and design for multiple, potentially shifting functions. Urban tinkering can function by promoting a diversity of small-scale urban experiments that, in aggregate, lead to large-scale often playful innovative solutions to the problems of sustainable development. Moreover, the tinkering approach is naturally suited to exploring multi-functional uses and approaches (e.g., bricolage) for new and existing urban structures and policies through collaborative engagement and analysis. It is thus well worth exploring as a means of delivering co-benefits for environment and human health and wellbeing. Indeed, urban tinkering has close ties to systems approaches, which often are recognized as critical to sustainable development. We believe this concept can help forge much-closer, much-needed ties among engineers, architects, evolutionary ecologists, health specialists, and numerous other urban stakeholders in developing innovative, widely beneficial solutions for society and contribute to successful implementation of SDG11 and the New Urban Agenda.

     

Assessing local-scale inclusive wealth: a case study of Sado Island,Japan

Present trends of urbanization are accompanied by increasing demographic and economic shrinkage of rural regions. In countries such as Japan, these rural regions trail behind metropolitan counterparts according to GDP, the conventional measure used to guide governmental policies. Yet, past research suggests that these regions may be undervalued. Further, the Inclusive Wealth Index (IWI), largely only used at the national level, may be able to capture aspects previously missed. As such, our study attempts to highlight the wealth of rural regions by comparing the inclusive wealth of Sado Island and Japan between 1990 and 2014. Minor methodological modifications were made according to data availability at the local level and to improve the accuracy of human capital estimations. Results captured the ongoing shrinkage of Sado and demonstrate the distinct potential of the IWI as a stock measure. Sado’s per capita wealth was about 10% lower than the national averages, but its natural capital was about threefold national averages. Supplementary estimations of the natural capital of fisheries and cultivated forests suggest that inclusion of additional factors in the evaluation would further increase the relative valuation of rural regions. We discuss implications of our estimations for wellbeing, and conclude with a critical appraisal of the IWI calculation towards policy implementation of the index.     

Time trend of hexabromocyclododecane in the breast milk of Japanese women

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a type of brominated flame retardant. We investigated the time trend of the stereoisomer-specific concentrations of HBCD (alpha, beta, and gamma) in breast milk samples of Japanese women by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The pooled milk lipid samples collected in 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1999, and from 2000 to 2006 were analysed. The concentration was below the detection limit in the samples collected between 1973 and 1983 and increased in those collected since 1988. Between 1988 and 2006, alpha-HBCD was detected in all 11 breast milk samples collected from 25 to 29-year-old Japanese women; gamma-HBCD, in 7; and beta-HBCD, in none of the samples. Time trend of summation operatorHBCD appeared to be related to that of the industrial HBCD consumption level in Japan.     

北京市春季沙尘暴天气大气气溶胶污染特征研究

采集并分析了北京市2次尘暴天气和非沙尘量时大气气溶胶的污染水平极高，这种情况在北京市只有发生沙尘暴时间可能出；地表扬尘对大气气溶胶的贡献显著，显示出沙尘暴时污染特征。     

Time-trend (1973-2000) of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Japanese mother's milk

The time-trend and recent concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Japanese mother's milk were investigated. The time-trend of 16 PBDEs (BDE-28, 37, 47, 66, 71, 75, 77, 85, 99, 100, 119, 153, 154, 138, 183, and 190) in pooled milk samples from mothers living in Osaka between 1973 and 2000 was analyzed. Additionally, PBDE concentrations in individual milk samples collected from 13 mothers living in Kanagawa and Okayama in 1999 were measured. The total concentration of all PBDE congeners (SigmaPBDEs) measured in the pooled samples increased during the period between 1973 (<0.01 ng/g lipid) and 1988 (1.64 ng/g lipid), and remained low afterwards while showing remarkable changes in PBDE congener profiles. The SigmaPBDEs in the 1999 individual milk samples were also low (0.56-3.97 ng/g lipid), except for a single sample (291 ng/g lipid). The source of this exposure could not be identified.     

Photodegradation of surfactants. XV: Formation of SO4 ions in the photooxidation of sulfur-containing surfactants

Three types of surfactants and related reference compounds containing sulfonate (-SO₃Na), sulfate (-OSO₃Na) or thioether carboxylate (-S-Cn-COOK) group were photodecomposed in an aqueous heterogeneous dispersion system. The photomineralization to SO₄²⁻ions was examined for the surfactants with different chemical structures. The photocatalytic activities of TiO₂ and ZnO were compared for the sulfonates of dodecylbenzene sulfonate (DBS) and polystyrene sulfonate (PSS), the sulfates of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and the potassium salts of S-dodecylthioglycol acid (TGA), S-dodecylthiopropionic acid (TPA) and S-dodecylthiomalic acid (TMA). ZnO catalyst exhibited higher activity in the formation of SO₄²⁻ion than TiO₂ catalyst.     

Influence of ozone, relative humidity, and flow rate on the deposition and oxidation of sulfur dioxide on yellow sand

To evaluate the influences of O₃, relative humidity (RH), and flow rate on the reaction between yellow sand and SO₂, the SO₂ deposition velocity and the oxidation state of sulfur were investigated by means of exposure experiments in a cylindrical flow reactor. Early in the reaction, the deposition velocity was not influenced by the RH or the presence of O₃; as the reaction progressed, however, the deposition velocity increased in the presence of O₃ and at high humidity. The oxidation of sulfur from S(IV) to S(VI) was also enhanced under these conditions. The amount of sulfur oxidation was positively correlated with the amount of deposited O₃. Furthermore, the SO₂ deposition velocity increased with increasing flow rate. However, changes in the flow rate had no noticeable effect on the amount of SO₂ oxidation.     

Seasonal characteristics of water-soluble organic carbon in atmospheric particles in the inland Kanto plain,Japan

An investigation of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in atmospheric particles was conducted as an index of the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from April 2005 to March 2006 at Maebashi and Akagi located in the inland Kanto plain in Japan. Fine (<2.1 μm) and coarse (2.1–11 μm) particles were collected by using an Andersen low-volume air sampler, and WSOC, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and ionic components were measured. The mean mass concentrations of the fine particles were 22.2 and 10.5 μg m^?3 at Maebashi and Akagi, respectively. The WSOC in fine particles accounted for a large proportion (83%) of total WSOC. The concentration of fine WSOC ranged from 1.2 to 3.5 μg-C m^?3 at Maebashi, rising from summer to fall. At Akagi, it rose from spring to summer, associated with the southerly wind from urban areas. The WSOC/OC ratio increased in summer at both sites, but the ratio at Akagi was higher, which we attributed to differences in primary emissions and secondary formation between the sites. The fine WSOC concentration was significantly positively correlated with concentrations of SO₄^2?, EC, and K⁺, and we inferred that WSOC was produced by photochemical reaction and caused by the combustion of both fuel and biomass. We estimated that SOA accounted for 11–30% of the fine particle mass concentration in this study, suggesting that SOA is a significant year-round component in fine particles.     

Detection of Dechlorane Plus and brominated flame retardants in marketed fish in Japan

Fish samples purchased from Japanese markets were analyzed for Dechlorane Plus (DP)(syn-, anti-), polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)(α, γ). Twenty fish were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for DP and PBDE, and using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for HBCD. DP was detected in 18 samples and ∑DP concentrations were <0.2-14.2 pg g⁻¹ wet wt. Among the DP isomers, anti-DP was the dominant residue observed in this study. PBDE was detected in all samples. Concentrations of ∑PBDE ranged from 2.2 to 878 pg g⁻¹ wet wt. HBCD was detected in 18 samples, and ∑HBCD concentrations were <0.02-21.9 ng g⁻¹ wet wt. In fish landed near the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan, we detected relatively high concentrations of DP, PBDE, and HBCD. These results indicate that the seawaters around East Asia are contaminated with flame retardants. This study demonstrates the presence of DP in fish marketed in Japan for the first time.