Large-scale fires and time trends of PCDDS/DFs in sediments

Drastic increases in PCDDs/DFs concentrations were identified in the uppermost layers of a sediment core sample taken from the coastal area of Kobe City. As large-scale fires caused by the Great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake were deemed to be a possible cause, we performed additional sampling of sediment cores and surface sediment samples, estimating the total amount of PCDDs/DFs released from fires and presuming the load to sediments by individual transport routes, such as air and water, using an air diffusion model to investigate the influence of fires. The total amount of PCDDs/DFs released from fires was estimated at 2000 g-total PCDDs/DFs, 22 g-TEQ. Increases in PCDDs/DFs generated in fires were principally transported through water rather than air. If 20% of the total PCDDs/DFs formed in fires had entered water, it would correspond to the entire increase of PCDDs/DFs concentration in sediment cores.     

Determination of pesticides and chronic test with Daphnia magna for rainwater samples

Pesticides contained in rainwater were investigated in June and July 2001 in Yokohama. Although there were few farms and rice paddies near the sampling point, insecticides (fenitrothion and dichlorvos) and fungicides (chlorothalonil and futhalide) were detected by GC-MS and GC-FPD analysis. The maximum concentrations of dichlorvos and fenitrothion were 0.22 microg/L and 0.15 microg/L, respectively. Chronic tests with Daphnia magna were then conducted on two rainwater samples. Test solutions for these chronic tests were prepared by solid-phase extraction. In the case of the rainwater sampled on 25 July, the survival rate of D. magna was 100% after 21 days and no differences were found between the control and sample with regard to the average total number of live offspring produced per parent animal. However, a similar test with rainwater sampled on 14-15 June showed a marked toxic effect, since all the test animals were dead within 2 days. It is concluded that rainwater containing pesticides is an important ecological factor for freshwater plankton.     

Experimental induction of gonadal maturation and spawning in the giant jellyfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nemopilema nomurai</Emphasis> (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae)

We studied the processes of gonadal maturation, spawning, fertilization and embryonic development of the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai, which has been blooming in recent years in the Sea of Japan. Healthy medusae actively swimming offshore had immature gonads, but damaged and ashore-drifted animals had relatively mature gonads. The animals maintained in a small net on the nearshore to mimic the drifted condition showed induced gonadal maturation by the increase in oocyte diameter and darkness in the matrix. A similar maturation process also occurred in isolated pieces of ovary incubated at the same temperature. Fully grown oocytes that probably stopped at the prophase of the first meiosis reinitiated maturation divisions in response to light exposure, and massive spawnings occurred 80–100 min after the exposure. The spawned oocytes were first released within the subgenital sinus, then transported peripherally and finally shed into the gastrovascular cavity. Maturation and spawning in male gonads were similar to those of females except that the male spawning occurred within 30 min after the light exposure and always preceded the female spawning. Hence, it was suggested that fertilization might take place in the female gastrovascular cavity by the sperm that came in from surrounding seawater by animals’ pumping activities after dawn. Having mechanical damages might promote fertilization success of this species in the Sea of Japan.     

牛肉生产及其资源与环境问题

以肉牛饲养为主的现代畜牧业,大多基于生态效率低下的浓厚饲料多给型生产方式,致使饲料用粮多,己占全球粮食总产量的４０％,同时引发相当严重的水土污染,并加剧全球温室效应。本文概论世界牛肉生产及相关资源与环境问题,分析相应环境影响评价方法,进而针对中国国情,探讨适合于中国可持续发展的牛肉生产系统。     

Estimation of contribution from non-point sources to perfluorinated surfactants in a river by using boron as a wastewater tracer

The contribution of non-point sources to perfluorinated surfactants (PFSs) in a river was evaluated by estimating their fluxes and by using boron (B) as a tracer. The utility of PFSs/B as an indicator for evaluating the impact of non-point sources was demonstrated. River water samples were collected from the Iruma River, upstream of the intake of drinking water treatment plants in Tokyo, during dry weather and wet weather, and 13 PFSs, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total nitrogen (TN), and B were analyzed. Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluoroheptanoate (PFHpA), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorononanoate (PFNA), perfluorodecanoate (PFDA), perfluoroundecanoate (PFUA), and perfluorododecanoate (PFDoDA) were detected on all sampling dates. The concentrations and fluxes of perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs, e.g. PFOA and PFNA) were higher during wet weather, but those of perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFASs, e.g. PFHxS and PFOS) were not. The wet/dry ratios of PFSs/B (ratios of PFSs/B during wet weather to those during dry weather) agreed well with those of PFS fluxes (ratios of PFS fluxes during wet weather to those during dry weather), indicating that PFSs/B is useful for evaluating the contribution from non-point sources to PFSs in rivers. The wet/dry ratios of PFOA and PFNA were higher than those of other PFSs, DOC, and TN, showing that non-point sources contributed greatly to PFOA and PFNA in the water. This is the first study to use B as a wastewater tracer to estimate the contribution of non-point sources to PFSs in a river.     

Screening of dioxin-like compounds in bio-composts and their materials: chemical analysis and fractionation-directed evaluation of AhR ligand activities using an in vitro bioassay

Application of the dioxin responsive-chemical activated luciferase gene expression (DR-CALUX) bioassay to three compost products (kitchen garbage compost, treated sludge compost, and poultry manure compost) and their organic waste materials was performed for the screening of dioxin-like compounds. Phased sample preparation was conducted for the bioassay to yield separate crude, acid-stable, and carbon column fractions. Chemical analyses were also conducted for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Their determined WHO-PCDD/PCDF/dl-PCB-TEQ values were compared to the DR-CALUX results expressed as CALUX-TEQ to ascertain their contributions to overall activity. Overall all three compost products were polluted to a low level by persistent PCDD/PCDF/dl-PCBs in a few pg/g WHO-TEQ concentration range. The organic crude fraction showed non-persistent CALUX-TEQ values 2-4 orders of magnitude higher than those of WHO-TEQ. For the acid-resistant fractions of all samples, persistent CALUX-TEQ values were 1-8-fold higher than WHO-PCDD/PCDF/dl-PCB-TEQ values. Both TEQs correlated well for this fraction, which confirms the availability of CALUX for estimation of the actual WHO-TEQ level of the samples using reflux method with 44% sulfuric acid/silica gel, although the compost and material samples examined in this study contained much lower levels of WHO-TEQ: less than 1 pg/g in almost all cases. Additional carbon column treatment enhanced the potency and efficacy of CALUX activity in the three compost samples, which showed 1.6-4.4 times higher values of CALUX-TEQ than those obtained for the acid-resistant fraction. Although further DR-CALUX data collection for compost samples will be necessary, DR-CALUX is useful as a rapid screening method for monitoring dioxin-like compounds in compost.     

Estimation of Vegetation Coverage in Semi-arid Sandy Land Based on Multivariate Statistical Modeling Using Remote Sensing Data

The estimation of vegetation coverage is essential in the monitoring and management of arid and semi-arid sandy lands. But how to estimate vegetation coverage and monitor the environmental change at global and regional scales still remains to be further studied. Here, combined with field vegetation survey, multispectral remote sensing data were used to estimate coverage based on theoretical statistical modeling. First, the remote sensing data were processed and several groups of spectral variables were selected/proposed and calculated, and then statistically correlated to measured vegetation coverage. Both the single- and multiple-variable-based models were established and further analyzed. Among all single-variable-based models, that is based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index showed the highest R (0.900) and R ² (0.810) as well as lowest standard estimate error (0.128024). Since the multiple-variable-based model using multiple stepwise regression analysis behaved much better, it was determined as the optimal model for local coverage estimation. Finally, the estimation was conducted based on the optimal model and the result was cross-validated. The coefficient of determination used for validation was 0.867 with a root-mean-squared error (RMSE) of 0.101. The large-scale estimation of vegetation coverage using statistical modeling based on remote sensing data can be helpful for the monitoring and controlling of desertification in arid and semi-arid regions. It could serve for regional ecological management which is of great significance.     

Distribution coefficients (K d) of stable iodine in estuarine and coastal regions, Japan, and their relationship to salinity and organic carbon in sediments

The sediment–water distribution coefficient, K _d, is one of the most important parameters in radionuclide assessment models. In this study, we determined K _ds of stable iodine (I) in estuarine and coastal regions. We studied 16 estuarine and coastal regions of Japan and obtained I data on water and sediments. Data on salinity, pH, dissolved organic carbon and dissolved oxygen in water, and organic carbon (OC) in sediments were also obtained as estuarine variables. Determined K _ds of I in the Sagami River estuary decreased along the salinity gradient (salinity range, 0.1–33.8), indicating that salinity is one of the important factors controlling the K _d values; however, when the K _d values were compared among all the estuaries, the difference between minimum and maximum K _d values varied by about two orders of magnitude in a narrow salinity range of 30.0–34.4. A significant correlation between K _d value and OC content in sediments was observed in all the stations with a salinity of ≥30 except for stations in the Ishikari and Onga River estuaries. The exceptions are probably due to different sources of the sediments, which are explained by the results of relatively low I/OC ratios in sediments in those two estuaries, compared to the other estuaries. Thus, OC in sediments as well as salinity may be responsible for the variation of K _ds of I in the estuarine and coastal regions.     

Strategy for separation and treatment of disaster waste: a manual for earthquake and tsunami disaster waste management in Japan

Shortly after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in eastern Japan, a Task Team for Disaster Waste Management and Reconstruction was established within the Japan Society of Material Cycles and Waste Management (JSMCWM). One of the major tasks undertaken by the team was to create a manual entitled, Strategies for Separation and Treatment of Disaster Waste. In this paper, this JSMCWM manual is introduced, followed by a review of existing guidelines for disaster waste management in various countries. We identify useful guidelines created by international agencies, national and local governments. The JSMCWM manual adds our new experiences, especially characterized by a huge scale of disaster and tsunami information, to the existing knowledge with an emphasis on separation and subsequent treatment options. It should be desirable to share our knowledge and experiences, not only domestically but also with other countries in the world, especially regions that could be affected by large earthquake and tsunami events.     

Challenges to the Future Development of Iran’s Protected Areas System

Since the 1950s, there has been a continuous increase in the number and coverage of protected areas (PAs) in Iran, and in total 253 PAs have been declared that cover 10.12?% of the country's area. This paper reviews literature addressing Iran's PAs, examines what is known about them, highlights the challenges and lessons learned, and identifies areas where more research is needed. The PA system in Iran is criticized because of (1) shortages of manpower, equipment, and financial resources; (2) de jure PAs that are often implemented as de facto reserves; (3) lack of national biodiversity indicators and objective monitoring processes; and (4) limited public participation and conflict between people over PAs. To improve, Iran's PAs system needs to be realistically supported by policies and planning instruments. In addition, the implementation of active management to restore habitat, increase education and awareness, shift practices towards the guidelines of international organizations, build capacity, and improve management and co-management by local communities needs to occur.