A Global Model Tracking Water, Nitrogen, and Land Inputs and Virtual Transfers from Industrialized Meat Production and Trade

Rising populations and incomes throughout the world have boosted meat demand by over 75% in the last 20years, intensifying pressures on production systems and the natural resources to which they are linked. As a growing proportion of global meat production is traded, the environmental impacts of production become increasingly separated from where the meat is consumed. In this paper, we quantify the use of three important resources associated with industrial livestock production and trade—water, land, and nitrogen—using a country-specific model that combines trade, agronomic, biogeochemical, and hydrological data. Our model focuses on pigs and chickens, as these animals are raised predominantly in intensive systems using concentrated, compound feeds. The results describe the geographical patterns of environmental resource use due to meat production, trade, and consumption. We show that US feed, animal, and meat destined for export require almost as much nitrogen and land, and 20% more water, than products destined for domestic consumption. Model results also demonstrate that among various production factors, improvements in crop yields and animal feed conversion efficiencies result in the most significant reductions in environmental harm. By explicitly tracking the externalities of meat production, we hope to bolster suppliers’ accountability and provide better information to meat consumers.

Climate change, urban air problems and transport policy in the European Union

This paper surveys some recent studies on conventional air pollution and climate change in the transport sector in Europe. Fuel efficiency standards, car emission standards and transport pricing instruments are analysed from an economic perspective taking into account environmental and economic efficiency objectives. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Application of GIS in the study of mass transport of pollutants by Adyar and Cooum Rivers in Chennai, Tamilnadu

Residential, industrial, commercial, institutional and recreational activities discharge degradable and non-degradable wastes that reach the coastal water through rivers and cause coastal pollution. In the present study, mass transport of pollutants by Adyar and Cooum Rivers to the coastal water as a result of land-based discharges was estimated during low tide. The lowest and the highest flow recorded in Adyar varied from 514.59 to 2,585.08×10⁶ litres/day. Similarly, the flow in Cooum River fluctuated between 266.45 and 709.34×10⁶ litres/day. The present study revealed that the Adyar River transported 53.89–454.11 t/d of suspended solids, 0.06–19.64 t/d of ammonia, 15.95–123.24 t/d of nitrate and 0.4–17.86 t/d of phosphate, 0.004–0.09 kg/d of cadmium, 0.15–1.29 kg/d of lead and 3.03–17.58 kg/d of zinc to the coastal water owing to its high discharge. Similarly, the Cooum River transported 11.87–120.06 t/d of suspended solids, 0.08–58.7 t/d of ammonia, 6.11–29.25 t/d of nitrate and 0.66–10.73 t/d of phosphate, 0.003–0.021 kg/d of cadmium, 0.02–0.44 kg/d of lead and 1.36–3.87 kg/d of zinc. A higher concentration of suspended solids was noticed in post monsoon and summer months. An increase in the mass transport of ammonia, nitrate, phosphate in summer months (April and May) and an increase in the mass transport of cadmium, lead and zinc were observed in monsoon months (October–December) in both the rivers. Thus mass transport of pollutants study reveal that Cooum and Adyar Rivers in Chennai contribute to coastal pollution by transporting inorganic and trace metals significantly through land drainage.     

常州市臭氧污染传输路径和潜在源区

利用NCEP全球再分析资料和HYSPLIT4模式,计算了2013—2015年常州市臭氧(O_3)超标日的气流后向轨迹。结合聚类分析方法和常州市PM2.5、PM10、SO2、NO2、O_3数据,分析了O_3超标日不同类型气团来源对各污染物浓度的影响,并利用引入权重因子后的潜在污染源贡献函数分析了影响常州市O_3超标的潜在污染源区分布特征。结果表明:常州市O_3超标期间易受到东南和西南方向气流影响,其中从东海和黄海途经浙江东北部、上海、江苏南部等地的东南气流占比达50%以上。自内陆途经黄山-湖州-宜兴到常州的气流对应的O_3平均质量浓度最高,为116μg/m3。自山东经枣庄-宿迁-淮安-泰州-苏州-无锡到常州的气流对应的O_3平均质量浓度最低,为78μg/m3,但该气流对应的SO2和NO2平均值为各聚类中的最高。影响常州市O_3的潜在污染源区主要在常州周边200 km以内的区域,且集中在从南京至上海的长江下游沿线区域和杭州湾区域;其中太湖湖区为重点污染源源区之一。O_3超标日影响常州NO2的潜在污染源区主要集中在江苏南部、浙江东北部和上海3个区域,太湖周边的常州、无锡、苏州和湖州等几个临近城市为潜在的重点污染源区。与影响常州O_3的WPSCF高值区相比,影响NO2的高值区分布范围更大、距离更远。影响常州O_3的潜在污染源区分布,与长江三角洲地区人为源大气污染物的高排放区域较为一致,说明长江三角洲地区的O_3污染与本区域的人为源大气污染物排放有着极为密切的关联。     

海口市臭氧污染特征

基于2013—2015年海口市4个空气质量自动监测站点数据,结合气象资料,分析了海口市O_3的污染特征。结果表明:海口市O_3总体优良,优良天数比例为99.4%,污染天数均为轻度污染;在良和污染天数中,O_3作为首要污染物的天数占40%,超过其他5项污染物占比。海口市10月O_3浓度最高。O_3月均浓度与温度呈负相关关系,同时与风向有密切关系:5—8月气温较高,以南风为主,O_3浓度较低;1月北风频率较高,易受外来污染传输作用,O_3浓度相对较高。O_3超标日以东北风为主,日变化并未呈现单峰型特征,12:00—22:00时段O_3浓度在10%范围内小幅变化。台风外围型和北方冷高压底部型是造成海口市O_3超标的2类典型天气形势。     

粤北地区一次臭氧污染过程分析及数值模拟

2020年7月1日,粤北地区出现了一次O₃污染过程,其中韶关市录得全省最高值162μg·m^-3.本文利用常规观测资料以及再分析资料对影响此次韶关地区O₃污染过程的主要气象场特征进行分析,结果表明：6月28日—7月2日天气形势总体处于静稳状态,地面受到均压场控制,同时副热带高压较强,脊线位于韶关上空,导致中高层有下沉气流,抑制了垂直方向污染物的扩散.6月28—30日(污染积累阶段),风速较大,韶关在外来输送和污染扩散条件的共同作用下,O₃浓度上升但未超标.7月1日(污染持续阶段),韶关和清远两地风速减小,污染扩散条件不利;同时气温有所上升,光化学反应作用增强,有利于O₃浓度攀升;同时广州和佛山两地的风向从偏南风转为偏北风,韶关市维持偏南风,主导风向的差异是全省只有韶关O₃超标的主要原因.7月2日(污染消散阶段),O₃外来传输及本地生成作用减弱,全省O₃浓度下降.进一步利用HYSPLIT后向轨迹以及WRF-CMAQ空...     

Uptake of cadmium into cells in culture∗

Cadmium has been recognized as pollutant of the environment for many years and numerous studies on its toxic effects have been carried out. Little, however, is known about its metabolic behaviour e.g. why the metal is accumulated so extremely rapidly into the organs of men and animals. Since the study of the individual metabolic steps is very difficult in vivo cell cultures may be used to obtain first indications of what happens in the whole animal.

We used CHO cells in monolayer culture to study the conditions under which the uptake of cadmium occurs. From serumfree medium the metal is accumulated rapidly in the cells. The uptake is inhibited very strongly by the presence of serum or albumin. Accumulation occurs against a concentration gradient and is dependent on the incubation temperature. Below 10°C no cadmium uptake is seen. Several substances which are known to affect cell metabolism have been used to influence cadmium accumulation. Neither inhibitors of energy production nor microtubule or microfilament disruptors showed any substantial effect. In contrast SH‐group blocking agents markedly reduced cadmium uptake.

The results show that cadmium uptake does not occur by passive diffusion but by some active mechanism.     

Interacting Effects of Translocation,Artificial Propagation,and Environmental Conditions on the Marine Survival of Chinook Salmon from the Columbia River,Washington, U.S.A.

Abstract: Captive rearing and translocation are often used concurrently for species conservation, yet the effects of these practices can interact and lead to unintended outcomes that may undermine species’ recovery efforts. Controls in translocation or artificial‐propagation programs are uncommon; thus, there have been few studies on the interacting effects of these actions and environmental conditions on survival. The Columbia River basin, which drains 668,000 km² of the western United States and Canada, has an extensive network of hydroelectric and other dams, which impede and slow migration of anadromous Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and can increase mortality rates. To mitigate for hydrosystem‐induced mortality during juvenile downriver migration, tens of millions of hatchery fish are released each year and a subset of wild‐ and hatchery‐origin juveniles are translocated downstream beyond the hydropower system. We considered how the results of these practices interact with marine environmental conditions to affect the marine survival of Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha). We analyzed data from more than 1 million individually tagged fish from 1998 through 2006 to evaluate the probability of an individual fish returning as an adult relative to its rearing (hatchery vs. wild) and translocation histories (translocated vs. in‐river migrating fish that traveled downriver through the hydropower system) and a suite of environmental variables. Except during select periods of very low river flow, marine survival of wild translocated fish was approximately two‐thirds less than survival of wild in‐river migrating fish. For hatchery fish, however, survival was roughly two times higher for translocated fish than for in‐river migrants. Competition and predator aggregation negatively affected marine survival, and the magnitude of survival depended on rearing and translocation histories and biological and physical conditions encountered during their first few weeks of residence in the ocean. Our results highlight the importance of considering the interacting effects of translocation, artificial propagation, and environmental variables on the long‐term viability of species.     

APPLICATION OF ENHANCED ANNEALING TO GROUND WATER REMEDIATION DESIGN1

ABSTRACT: A methodology for ground water remediation design has been developed that interfaces ground water simulation models with an enhanced annealing optimizer. The ground water flow and transport simulators provide the ability to consider site‐specific contamination and geohydrologic conditions directly in the assessment of alternative remediation system designs. The optimizer facilitates analysis of tradeoffs between technical, environmental, regulatory, and financial risks for alternative design and operation scenarios. A ground water management model using an optimization method referred to as “enhanced annealing” (simulated annealing enhanced to include “directional search” and “memory” mechanisms) has been developed and successfully applied to an actual restoration problem. The demonstration site is the contaminated unconfined aquifer referred to as N‐Springs located at Han‐ford, Washington. Results of the demonstration show the potential for improving groundwater restoration system performance while reducing overall system cost.