Identification,Abundance and Origin of Aliphatic Hydrocarbons in the Fine Atmospheric Particulate Matter of Athens,Greece

The organic chemical composition of the fine fraction of atmospheric particulate matter in Athens has been studied, in order to establish emission sources. The results of the analyses of the aliphatic fraction indicate that all samples contain n-alkanes ranging from C₁₄ to C₃₂, with C₂₅, C₂₆, C₂₇ and C₂₉ being the more abundant congeners. Fossil fuels biomarkers such as extended tricyclic terpanes (hopanes, steranes) and isoprenoid hydrocarbons (pristane, phytane) were observed in our samples on a daily basis. Source reconciliation was conducted using molecular diagnostic ratios (such as the carbon preference index – CPI). The mean CPI value (1.84) indicates the mixed origin of the Athenian fine particles. The notable presence of an unresolved complex mixture or “hump” of hydrocarbons in our gas chromatograms is indicative of petrogenic hydrocarbon inputs. An approximate measure of this kind of contamination is the ratio of the concentrations of unresolved components to the resolved n-alkanes and other major compounds (U:R). The high U:R value of 25.25 further confirmed the major contribution of fossil fuels. Yet, the percent contribution of leaf wax n-alkanes (25.15%) indicated the parallel contribution of biogenic sources. This work supports the conclusion that vehicular emissions were the major source of aliphatic organic compounds with a smaller contribution of biogenic n-alkanes during the study period in Athens.     

Perception of street vendors as ‘out of place’ urban elements at day time and night time

This study attempts to understand the public evaluation towards elements that exist within the temporal dynamics of the cities. In particular the study explores the extent to which street vendors in Jakarta are evaluated as ‘out of place’ elements at day time and night time. The findings suggest that the users' evaluation of street vendors as ‘out of place’ change from day time to night time. The change of users' evaluation also varies across different urban places. In particular the study suggests that the presence of street vendors seems to be less unacceptable (out of place) at night time. Such knowledge regarding the dynamic of ‘out of place’ evaluation becomes important in making the decision about temporary urban elements in the city.     

The relationship of place to substance use and perceptions of risk and safety in urban adolescents

Geographic and substance use data were collected from 301 urban adolescents to compare the perceived and observed risk and safety associated with their home and activity space locations (routine locations). The geographic characteristics of the neighborhood surrounding each location was summarized according to features theorized to be risky, such as criminal activity and alcohol sales, and features theorized to be safe, such as recreation centers and churches. Data on socioeconomic status, derived from U.S. Bureau of the Census data, were also used to characterize locations. Adolescents' homes were typically perceived as safe despite observed measures of risk such as density of crimes and proximity to alcohol outlets. This held for both substance users and non-users. Differences in geographic characteristics for safe and risky activity spaces were observed for both substance users and non-users, with non-users appearing to be more sensitive to the presence of risky characteristics in the environment than substance users. Results highlight the need and provide a methodology to collect fine-grained activity space data instead of relying only on home residence when attempting to represent place and health behaviors with urban youth.     

The change of European landscapes: human-nature relationships, public attitudes towards rewilding, and the implications for landscape management in Switzerland

The rewilding of landscapes is one of the most important and intensively discussed landscape changes occurring in Switzerland, as the need for agricultural and forest land is decreasing. To ensure that decisions concerning future landscape management will be supported by the public, it is crucial to take public opinion into account. Hence the present study aims to assess the public attitudes towards nature and "rewilding" processes. In order to analyze these attitudes, we sent a standardized questionnaire to 4000 randomly selected households throughout Switzerland. A cluster analysis led to a typology with four different types of human-nature relationship ("nature lovers", "nature sympathizers", "nature-connected users" and "nature controllers") that each characterize a particular attitude towards nature. These human-nature relationship types differ in their attitudes towards rewilding as well, allowing a rough classification of the sample into wilderness opponents (51.1%) and wilderness proponents (49.9%). However both groups agree with regard to their opinion concerning the rules and regulations that should apply in future wilderness areas. The parallels of the human-nature relationship typology of this survey with other typologies, and the implications for further research are discussed. We can conclude that, due to the differences concerning the attitudes towards wilderness between the human-nature relationship types, between the rural and urban dwellers, and between the language regions, a uniform strategy for the designation and management of wilderness areas in Switzerland is not possible. We recommend that, when managing landscape change, all stakeholders are included in a participatory process and we advise a thorough assessment of the attitudes of the involved persons towards nature and rewilding at the start of such processes. Such an assessment would facilitate the identification of well-defined target groups allowing specific interventions and management actions customized to the needs and characteristics of each of these groups. In addition we see the commonalities between wilderness opponents and wilderness proponents concerning the rules in wilderness areas as an ideal starting point for a successful participatory process.     

A critical review of hydrological data collection for assessing preservation risk for urban waterlogged archaeology: A case study from the City of York, UK

Environmental change caused by urban development, possibly augmented by climate change, may result in accelerated decay of in situ archaeological resources. Damage may be related to changes in hydrological processes. Such archaeological resources have to be considered in environmental planning. In this paper we highlight the need for improved hydrological data from urban archaeological sites using the case study of the City of York, UK, arguably one of the most well studied and well preserved urban archaeological environments globally. We suggest that the quality of hydrological data collected during routine surveys and experimental work must be improved and standardised in order for us to produce reliable archaeological risk models for urban sites.     

关于城市垃圾出路的思考

本文通过对城市垃圾现象的关注,揭示出城市垃圾其实是一种宝贵的资源,并结合国内外的研究成果指出了城市垃圾资源化是解决城市垃圾出路的重要途径。最后,对由此衍生出的“垃圾产业”进行了展望,并指出城市垃圾处理产业必须从市场经济的大背景来考虑其发展战略,逐步使城市垃圾处理走向市场化、社会化。     

Implementing landscape fragmentation as an indicator in the Swiss Monitoring System Of Sustainable Development (Monet)

There is an increasing need and interest in including indicators of landscape fragmentation in monitoring systems of sustainable landscape management. Landscape fragmentation due to transportation infrastructure and urban development threatens human and environmental well-being by noise and pollution from traffic, reducing the size and viability of wildlife populations, facilitating the spread of invasive species, and impairing the scenic and recreational qualities of the landscape. This paper provides the rationale, method, and data for including landscape fragmentation in monitoring systems, using as an example the Swiss Monitoring System of Sustainable Development (Monet). We defined and compared four levels of fragmentation analysis, or fragmentation geometries (FGs), each based on different fragmenting elements, e.g., only anthropogenic, or combinations of anthropogenic and natural elements. As each FG has specific strengths and weaknesses, the most appropriate choice of FG depends on the context and objectives of a study. We present data on the current degree of landscape fragmentation for the five ecoregions and 26 cantons in Switzerland for all four FGs. Our results show that the degree of landscape fragmentation as quantified by the effective mesh size method is strongly supported by the postulates and indicator selection criteria of Monet, and we identify the most suitable FG focusing on the land area below 2100 m (e.g., excluding lakes) and allowing for an equitable comparison of fragmentation degrees among regions that differ in area covered by lakes and high mountains. For a more detailed analysis of landscape fragmentation in the context of environmental impact assessments and strategic environmental assessments, a combination of all four FGs may provide a more informative tool than any single FG.     

城市河涌污染治理技术的研究进展

随着经济的高速发展,大量污染物排放于城市河涌,导致城市河涌受到严重的污染。采取有效的技术措施治理河涌污染势在必行。结合近年来国内外河涌治理的研究成果,综述了河涌治理的主要技术的原理、特点、存在的问题,并指出目前各项技术的研究重点。     

Mass fluxes and spatial trends of xenobiotics in the waters of the city of Halle, Germany

The behaviour and the effects of xenobiotics including pharmaceuticals and fragrances in the environment are widely unknown. In order to improve our knowledge, field investigations and modelling approaches for the entire area of the city of Halle/Saale, Germany, were performed. The distribution of the concentration values and mass fluxes are exemplified using indicators such as Bisphenol A, t-Nonylphenol, Carbamacepine, Galaxolide, Tonalide, Gadolinium and isotopes. Concentrations at a magnitude of ng/L to microg/L were found ubiquitously in the ground and surface waters. Using the concentration values, the impact of the city concerning the indicators was not always evident. Only the assessment of the mass fluxes shows significant urban impacts along the city passage. The calculation of the mass fluxes shows increasing values for all investigated xenobiotics during the city passage; only Bisphenol A stagnates. A balance model of water and indicator mass fluxes was built up for the entire city area.     

Using trace element concentrations in Corbicula fluminea to identify potential sources of contamination in an urban river

We used the biomonitor, Corbicula fluminea, to investigate the contributions of trace elements associated with different point sources and land uses in a large river. Trace elements were analyzed in tissues of clams collected from 15 tributary streams draining five land use or point source types: agriculture, forest, urban, coal-fired power plant (CFPP), and wastewater (WWTP). Clams from forested catchments had elevated Hg concentrations, and concentrations of arsenic and selenium were highest (5.0+/-0.2 and 13.6+/-0.9 microg g(-1) dry mass (DM), respectively) in clams from CFPP sites. Cadmium concentrations were significantly higher in clams from urban and CFPP sites (4.1+/-0.2 and 3.6+/-0.9 microg g(-1) DM, respectively). Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) of tissue concentrations in clams clustered at CFPP and forest/agriculture sites at opposite ends of the ordination space, and the distribution of sites was driven by Cu, Zn, Cd, and Hg.