Evidence for a significant contribution of wood burning aerosols to PM2.5 during the winter season in Paris,France

Although particulate emissions from residential wood burning have become a subject of great scientific concern for a few years, data related to their impact on the air quality of large European urban centres are still missing. In the present study, we investigated the chemical and optical properties of fine (PM_2.5) carbonaceous aerosols in Paris during the 2005 winter season in order to track the presence of wood burning emissions in such a large city. The use of a seven wavelength Aethalometer allowed us to document shortwave light absorption by brown-carbon-containing organic aerosols of biomass burning origin. In particular, a well-marked diurnal pattern of the spectral dependence of light absorption, with maxima during the night, could be observed every day of the campaign and attributed to wood burning emissions. Relatively high absorption Ångstrom exponents and WSOC/OC ratios (respectively 1.25 and 0.35 on average for the period of study) also indicated the importance of biomass burning aerosols in the Paris atmosphere in winter. Finally, a rough estimate of the contribution of wood burning carbonaceous aerosols to PM_2.5 could be achieved. This contribution was found to be as high as 20 ± 10% on average at the Paris background site investigated here.     

Understanding Social Complexity Within the Wildland–Urban Interface: A New Species of Human Habitation?

The lack of knowledge regarding social diversity in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) or an in-depth understanding of the ways people living there interact to address common problems is concerning, perhaps even dangerous, given that community action is necessary for successful wildland fire preparedness and natural resource management activities. In this article, we lay out the knowledge and preliminary case study evidence needed to begin systematically documenting the differing levels and types of adaptive capacity WUI communities have for addressing collective problems such as wildland fire hazard. In order to achieve this end, we draw from two theoretical perspectives encompassing humans' interactions with their environment, including (1) Kenneth Wilkinson's interactional approach to community, (2) and certain elements of place literature. We also present case study research on wildfire protection planning in two drastically different California communities to illustrate how social diversity influences adaptive capacity to deal with hazards such as wildland fire. These perspectives promote an image of the WUI not as a monolithic entity but a complex mosaic of communities with different needs and existing capacities for wildland fire and natural resource management.     

Incorporating Habitat Mapping into Practical Koala Conservation on Private Lands

Abstract: Identifying and conserving faunal habitat on private lands has been conducted largely on a site-by-site basis as development proposals arise. We sought to map koala habitat at a scale suitable for use by a local planning authority so that habitat remnants could be protected and managed while remaining in private ownership. At this scale, the level of detail and accuracy needed by local planners required a new approach to mapping koala habitat. Two independent techniques, community and field surveys, were employed. We mailed a survey to every household in Coffs Harbour shire. Respondents told of 3309 koala sightings. We conducted a field survey, a plot-based scat (  fecal pellet) search, to determine which vegetation types and tree species were preferred by koalas. We surveyed 119 sites, which contained 42 different vegetation types. Of these, 37 (31%) had been used by koalas. The outcomes of the community and field surveys were combined to produce a distribution map of koala habitat. The most striking outcome has been the use of our results by the local government authority, Coffs Harbour City Council: planners have incorporated the koala habitat map into their local environmental plan. Our procedure offers a rigorous, repeatable, and publicly accessible method for identifying and mapping important habitat for the purposes of land-use planning, an essential procedure for conserving habitat outside the reserve system.     

Resource frontiers and agglomeration economies: The varied logics of transnational land-based investing in Southern and Eastern Africa

Actor-level data on large-scale commercial agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa are scarce. The peculiar choice of transnational investing in African land has, therefore, been subject to conjecture. Addressing this gap, we reconstructed the underlying logics of investment location choices in a Bayesian network, using firm- and actor-level interview and spatial data from 37 transnational agriculture and forestry investments across 121 sites in Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. We distinguish four investment locations across gradients of resource frontiers and agglomeration economies to derive the preferred locations of different investors with varied skillsets and market reach (i.e., track record). In contrast to newcomers, investors with extensive track records are more likely to expand the land use frontier, but they are also likely to survive the high transaction costs of the pre-commercial frontier. We highlight key comparative advantages of Southern and Eastern African frontiers and map the most probable categories of investment locations.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01682-z.     

空调冷却塔水与空气军团菌的PCR方法快速检测

应用 Enviro Amp PCR-反向杂交法(涉及 5S rRNA基因和 mip基因 )和半巢式 PCR(涉及 16S rRNA基因 )成功检测人工气溶胶化的军团菌 ,这些方法进一步用于检测空调系统冷却塔的水及由其产生的气溶胶中的军团菌 ,从空气样品中检测到军团菌属及嗜肺军团菌 .检测的冷却塔水样品 100%含军团菌属细菌 ,其中 41.6%含嗜肺军团菌 .2种方法相比 ,半巢式 PCR法更经济、方便 .     

Barriers,potentialities, and actions for implementation of sustainable energy procedures in Brazilian federal universities

Many universities around the world have served as active centers for research on climate change. However, there are several barriers to their activities, stemming from the nature of research, resources, and the structure of institutions. This document provides an overview of barriers, potential factors, and activities to develop and implement sustainable energy processes in public higher education institutions (HEIs) in Brazil. The research was conducted from March to April of 2018 with representatives of HEIs (rectors or prorectors of research). A total of 63 invitations to respond to the Survey‐monkey survey were emailed, and responses were received from 32 universities. The research concludes by proposing measures that can be taken to make the issue of climate change more present and effective in university research and teaching activities. This includes changes in research, information dissemination, and teaching approaches to better support actions to address climate change. In Brazil, there are many potentialities in terms of natural resources, but actions for implementation are still incipient. Further efforts and investment in research and development will be required.     

Temporal variability of atmospheric particulate matter and chemical composition during a growing season at an agricultural site in northeastern China

This study presents the observations of PM_(10) and PM_(2.5) concentrations at an agricultural site from April to October 2012 in Dehui city,China.Ambient air was sampled by filter-based samplers and online PM monitors.The filter samples were analyzed to determine the abundance of ionic/inorganic elements,organic carbon(OC) and elemental carbon(EC).The daily PM_(10) concentrations varied significantly over the monitoring period,with an average of168 ± 63(in the range of 52-277) μg/m~3 during the land preparation/planting period(26 April-15 June),85 ± 65(36-228) μg/m~3 during the growing season(16 June-25 September),and 207 ±88(103-310) μg/m~3 during the harvest period(26 September-31 October).PM_(2.5) accounted for44%,56%and 66%of atmospheric PM_(10) during these periods,respectively.The PM_(10) diurnal variation showed a distinct peak from 16:00 to 21:00(LST) during the growing and harvesting seasons,while a gradual increase throughout the daytime until 17:00 was observed during tilling season.Mineral dust elements(Al,Ca,Fe,and Mg) dominated the PM_(10) chemical composition during the tilling season;OC,NO_3~-,SO_4~(2-) and NH_4~+ during the growing season;and carbonaceous species(i.e.,OC and EC) during the harvesting season.Our results indicate that the soil particles emitted by farm tillage and organic matter released from straw burning are the two most significant sources of PM_(10) emissions contributing to the recurring high pollution events in this region.Therefore,development of agricultural PM inventories from soil tillage and straw burning is prioritized to support air quality modeling.     

中国环境行政执法能力建设现状调查与问题分析

环境行政执法能力建设正成为中国环境行政管理体制建设的一个重点.中国已建立起一个四级环境执法体系,最新成立的区域环境督查中心标志着中国环境行政执法体制建设又迈出了新的一步.对85个执法机构,162家企业就环境行政执法机构的人力投入、资金支持、技术保障、执法手段、执法产出、执法阻力、社会动员和企业激励8个方面进行了问卷和访谈形式的调查.从省、市、县三级执法角度全面分析了中国环境行政执法各方面存在的问题.研究认为,中国的环境行政执法总体而言已经建立起一个完备的框架,各地对环境执法日益重视,环境行政执法能力得到了提高;但是环境行政执法随着经济发展、公众环境意识的提高面临着越来越大的压力,承担的任务也更为繁重.为了应对挑战,环境法律、体制和各方面的投入以及执法理念都要进一步改进.