Mercury, Methylmercury, and Selenium Concentrations in Eggs of Common Loons (Gavia immer) from Canada

Concentrations of Hg and Se were determined for a total of 125Common Loon (Gavia immer) eggs collected from lakes in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and NovaScotia, Canada between 1972 and 1997. Resulting data were compared to Hg and/or Se concentrations known or suspected tocause reproductive impairment in birds. Organic (methyl) Hg analyses were also performed on a subset of 24 loon eggs. Thirty-nine of 125 eggs had total Hg levels exceeding those (0.6 g g^-1 ww, or 2.5 g g^-1 dw)previously reported to be associated with reproductive impairment in common loons (Barr, 1986), and 9 of 125 eggshad Hg concentrations higher than the level associated withreproductive impairment in birds generally 1 g g^-1 ww; (Thompson, 1996). Selenium concentrations in loon egg samples were less than levels known to cause reproductiveimpairment in birds. A weak but significant positive correlation was observed between egg-Hg and -Se concentrations(r = 0.511, p < 0.05). On average, methylmercury accounted for about 87% of total Hg in 24 eggs analysed for both total and organic Hg. In this subset of eggs, the relationship between organic (methyl) Hg and Se was significant (r = 0.538, p = 0.007) while that found between inorganic Hg and Se in the same eggs was not significant (r = 0.353, p = 0.091). This relationship was unexpected and was contrary to relationships established for organic and inorganic Hg vs. Se in adult loon liver and kidney tissue (Scheuhammer et al., 1998b).     

基于超效率SBM的中国省际工业化石能源效率评价及影响因素分析

工业占据我国最大的化石能源终端消耗,评价中国工业化石能源效率对于提高我国工业化石能源效率和实现节能减排目标具有重要意义.本文运用包含非期望产出的超效率SBM模型评价中国30个省(直辖市、自治区)和三大区域(东部、中部、西部)2006—2011年间的工业化石能源效率,运用Tobit回归模型分析工业化石能源效率的影响因素,并给出各区域节能减排潜力.研究结果表明:北京、天津、上海等地区每年的工业化石能源效率指数均远远领先于其他省份;东部区域效率值以明显的优势高于中部和西部区域;西部区域的效率值比较平稳;中部区域内部各地区效率值比东部和西部区域集中.Tobit回归分析结果表明,地区GDP、经济结构、外商直接投资、工业新增固定投资和地理位置位于东部对地区工业化石能源效率有积极影响;产业结构和地理位置位于中部对地区工业化石能源效率有消极影响;地区人均GDP对地区工业化石能源效率没有显著性影响.东部地区油品和天然气节能潜力较大,中部地区煤炭节能潜力较大,西部地区煤炭和天然气节能潜力较大;中部和东部地区是工业CO2减排的重点.基于以上研究本文给出了3点建议提升工业能源效率.     

Fossil fuel divestment: implications for the future of sustainability discourse and action within higher education

This paper provides a critical overview and analysis of the student-led fossil fuel divestment (FFD) movement and its impact on sustainability discourse and actions within US higher education. Analysing higher education institutes’ (HEIs) divestment press releases and news reports shows how institutional alignment with cultures of sustainability and social justice efforts played key roles in HEIs’ decisions to divest from fossil fuels. Key stated reasons for rejection were: minimal or unknown impact of divestment, risk to the endowment, and fiduciary duty. Participant observation and interviews with protagonists reveal the intricate power structures and vested business interests that influence boardroom divestment decision-making. While some HEIs embrace transformative climate actions, we contend that higher education largely embraces a business-as-usual sustainability framework characterised by a reformist green-economy discourse and a reluctance to move beyond business-interest responses to climate politics. Nonetheless, the FFD movement is pushing HEIs to move from compliance-oriented sustainability behaviour towards a more proactive and highly politicised focus on HEIs’ stance in the modern fossil fuel economy. We offer conceptual approaches and practical directions for reorienting sustainability within HEIs to prioritise the intergenerational equity of its students and recognise climate change as a social justice issue. Fully integrating sustainability into the core business of HEIs requires leadership to address fundamental moral questions of both equity and responsibility for endowment investments. We contend that HEIs must re-evaluate their role in averting catastrophic climate change, and extend their influence in catalysing public climate discourse and actions through a broader range of external channels, approaches, and actors.     

Identifying the European Fossil Fuel Plumes in the Atmosphere Over the Northeast Atlantic Region Through Isotopic Observations and Numerical Modelling

As part of the Danish NEAREX project the origin and variability of anthropogenic atmospheric CO₂ over the Northeast Atlantic Region (NEAR) has been studied. The project consisted of a combination of experimental and modelling activities. Local volunteers operated CO₂ sampling stations, built at University of Copenhagen, for ¹⁴C analysis at four locations (East Denmark, Shetland Isles, Faroe Isles and Iceland). The samples were only collected during winter periods of south-easterly winds in an attempt to trace air enriched in fossil-fuel derived CO₂ due to combustion of fossil fuels within European countries. In order to study the transport and concentration fields over the region in detail, a three-dimensional Eulerian hemispheric air pollution model has been extended to include the main anthropogenic sources for atmospheric CO₂. During the project period (1998–2001) only a few episodes of transport from Central Europe towards NEAR arose, which makes the data set for the evaluation of the method sparse. The analysed samples indicate that the signal for fossil CO₂, as expected, is largest (up to 3.7±0.4% fossil CO₂) at the Danish location closest to the European emissions areas and much weaker (up to ∼1.5±0.6% fossil CO₂) at the most remote location. As the anthropogenic signal is weak in the clean atmosphere over NEAR these numbers will, however, be very sensitive to the assumed background ¹⁴CO₂ activity and the precision of the measurements. The model simulations include the interplay between the driving processes from the emission into the boundary layer and the following horizontal/vertical mixing and atmospheric transport and are used to analyse the meteorological conditions leading to the observed events of high fossil CO₂ over NEAR. This information about the history of the air masses is essential if an observed signal is to be utilised for identifying and quantifying sources for fossil CO₂.     

C/N ratio and fossil pigments in sediments ofsome Estonian lakes: an evidence of human impact andHolocene environmental change

The content of carbon (C), nitrogen(N), fossil carotenoids (TC) and chlorophyllderivatives (CD) in the sediments of five Estonianlakes was analysed. Historical records of man-inducedchanges on catchments were used for the interpretationof the obtained data. On the basis of the C/N ratiosit was estimated that the planktonic matter formed ca.25% (C/N ratio 24) to 90% (C/N ratio 8) of theorganic pool matter of lake sediments. In eutrophicLake Ruusmäe the fraction of the phytoplanktonproduced in lakes was highest, amounting toapproximately 80–95% of the deposited organic matter.Remarkable C/N changes were noted in the sedimentsfrom lakes Matsimäe and Viitna, where the contentof planktonic matter has increased during lastdecades, reflecting an increase in recreationalactivity around these lakes. The variations in pigmentconcentrations in the sediments of lakes Matsimäeand Ruusmäe could be explained by changes in theland-use that have altered the intensity of primaryproduction and conditions of TC and CD degradationbefore the final burial.     

Absorption of current use pesticides by snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) eggs in treated soil

Reptiles often breed within agricultural and urban environments that receive frequent pesticide use. Consequently, their eggs and thus developing embryos may be exposed to pesticides. Our objectives were to determine (i) if turtle eggs are capable of absorbing pesticides from treated soil, and (ii) if pesticide absorption rates can be predicted by their chemical and physical properties. Snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) eggs were incubated in soil that was treated with 10 pesticides (atrazine, simazine, metolachlor, azinphos-methyl, dimethoate, chlorpyrifos, carbaryl, endosulfan (I and II), captan, and chlorothalonil). There were two treatments, consisting of pesticides applied at application rate equivalents of 1.92 or 19.2 kg a.i/ha. Eggs were removed after one and eight days of exposure and analyzed for pesticides using gas chromatography coupled with a mass selective detector (GC-MSD) or high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Absorption of pesticides in eggs from soil increased with both magnitude and duration of exposure. Of the 10 pesticides, atrazine and metolachlor generally had the greatest absorption, while azinphos-methyl had the lowest. Chlorothalonil was below detection limits at both exposure rates. Our preliminary model suggests that pesticides having the highest absorption into eggs tended to have both low sorption to organic carbon or lipids, and high water solubility. For pesticides with high water solubility, high vapor pressure may also increase absorption. As our model is preliminary, confirmatory studies are needed to elucidate pesticide absorption in turtle eggs and the potential risk they may pose to embryonic development.     

基于聚类分析的我国各地化石能源足迹与经济发展定量研究

利用改进后的化石能源足迹公式计算了2000—2009年我国30个地区的人均化石能源足迹,并分别对2000年和2009年中国各地区的数据进行聚类分析,发现我国地区人均化石能源足迹由无明显地域特征转变为东部高于中西部,经济发达地区高于欠发达地区,且能源使用效率和经济发展水平间联系逐渐加强。通过对不同类别代表性地区人均化石能源足迹的分析判断,以北京、上海和广东为代表的发达地区化石能源消耗增长开始趋于缓和甚至出现小幅下降。     

Detailed analysis of polybrominated biphenyl congeners in bird eggs from Norway

Individual eggs of six species of birds from Norway representing different food chains were analysed for residues of polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs). In all species, the residue pattern was dominated by hexaBBs. The dominating congeners were PBB 153, PBB 154, and PBB 155. Whereas PBB 153 is present in technical hexabromobiphenyl, PBB 154 and PBB 155 are formed by the reductive debromination of decabromobiphenyl. This was evidenced by the detection of several heptaBBs and octaBBs all of which are typical degradation intermediates of PBB 209. Hepta- and octaBBs were more than one order of magnitude less abundant than the hexaBBs. The second most prevailing homologue group was pentaBBs. The most relevant pentabrominated isomers were PBB 99 and PBB 101. Concentrations of the three hexaBBs - PBB 153, PBB 154, and PBB 155 - amounted to 1.3-13 ng/g wet weight or 3-23% of the contamination with polybrominated diphenyl ethers.     

Against Oversimplifying the Issues on Relocating Turtle Eggs

Translocating sea turtle eggs at risk from high tides to safer places is one of the most widely undertaken conservation measures on behalf of these species. Recent research work has shown that individual female turtles differ in their nest-site preferences. If more of the nests saved by translocation come from turtles with tendencies to lay near the water, might this perhaps interfere with natural selection? This possibility adds to the controversy already surrounding relocation of turtle nests.     

北京市冬季大气化石源CO_2典型日变化的~(14)C示踪研究

城市作为化石源CO_2(CO_(2_(ff)))排放的热点区域.获得其大气CO_(2_(ff))浓度的日变化特征对于深刻理解城市地区CO_(2_(ff))的时空变化规律,进而制定合理的节能减排政策至关重要。本研究通过AMS-~(14)C技术,示踪了北京市冬季一个典型日变化事件中大气(CO_(2_(ff)))的变化过程,并探讨了其影响因素。本次日变化事件中大气δ~(13)CO_2的值为(-13.9±0.8)%。(-14.8‰—-12.7‰),△~(14)CO_2的值为(-151.6±51.3)‰((-214.2±2.9)‰-(-82.3±3.0)‰),CO_(2_(ff))浓度为104.4±44.0μL·L~(-1)(168.6±2.7-52.1±3.2μL·L~(-1)。CO_(2_(ff))浓度具有较大的曰变化,夜晚CO_(2_(ff))浓度明显高于白天,主要是由于夜间大气混合层高度较低、供暖消耗更多的化石燃料以及在东南风条件下因北京不利的扩散条件而使CO_(2_(ff))聚积。此外,在早晚高峰期间,观察到由于交通流量增加引起的较高CO_(2_(ff))浓度。同期PM_(2.5)浓度相似的日变化过程进一步验证了本次CO_(2_(ff))观测结果的可靠性。