Integrated coastal management: the challenge of transdisciplinarity

The Euroconference on Coastal Management Research held in San-Feliu de Guixols, Spain, in December 1997 brought together scientists from a great variety of disciplines in the natural and social sciences, in a search for modes of transdisciplinary cooperation in the context of integrated coastal management. During the conference the participants discussed which interactions among disciplines are required for different coastal issues. Discussion groups each focused on a particular type of coastal environment, characterized by a particular type and degree of development. The group discussions were inspired by background papers which were prepared for this purpose by invited speakers. A selection of these background papers were redrafted on the basis of the conference outcome, and are published in this issue of theJournal of Coastal Conservation. The reports of the discussion groups are published in a conference proceedings booklet issued by EMAPS (1998), the European Polar and Marine Sciences Secretariat. A synthesis of ideas on the challenge of transdisciplinarity, expressed during the discussion group sessions, is presented in this introduction. The statements reflect opinions or suggestions which received broad support from the participants; they should not be taken as proven knowledge.     

Methodological aspects of life cycle assessment of integrated solid waste management systems

Environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) developed rapidly during the 1990s and has reached a certain level of harmonisation and standardisation. LCA has mainly been developed for analysing material products, but can also be applied to services, e.g. treatment of a particular amount of solid waste. This paper discusses some methodological issues which come into focus when LCAs are applied to solid waste management systems. The following five issues are discussed. (1) Upstream and downstream system boundaries: where is the ‘cradle’ and where is the ‘grave’ in the analysed system? (2) Open-loop recycling allocation: besides taking care of a certain amount of solid waste, many treatment processes also provide additional functions, e.g. energy or materials which are recycled into other products. Two important questions which arise are if an allocation between the different functions should be made (and if so how), or if system boundaries should be expanded to include several functions. (3) Multi-input allocation: in waste treatment processes, different materials and products are usually mixed. In many applications there is a need to allocate environmental interventions from the treatment processes to the different input materials. The question is how this should be done. (4) Time: emissions from landfills will continue for a long time. An important issue to resolve is the length of time emissions from the landfill should be considered. (5) Life cycle impact assessment: are there any aspects of solid waste systems (e.g. the time horizon) that may require specific attention for the impact assessment element of an LCA? Although the discussion centres around LCA it is expected that many of these issues are also relevant for other types of systems analyses.     

雌激素受体作为壬基酚的主要作用靶点导致机体免疫毒性

雌激素作为一类重要的性腺类固醇化学信使,已经被证实能够直接调节机体免疫反应,因此,一些具有拟雌激素特性的环境内分泌干扰物(endocrine disruptors,EDs),会通过影响雌激素相关信号通路对免疫系统产生干扰作用。壬基酚(nonylphenol,NP)作为典型的环境内分泌干扰物,已有大量的文献报道其通过拟雌激素特性或干扰雌激素的合成、分泌、转运以及与靶点的结合,破坏机体生殖功能以及神经-免疫-内分泌系统,影响整体生理平衡与稳定。近年来,NP对免疫系统的干扰作用逐渐引起重视,研究发现,NP暴露会引起小鼠免疫器官及免疫细胞的发育异常,并且会导致新生小鼠肝毒性,肝脏细胞内炎性因子TNF-α、IL-1β分泌增加。除NP作为配体干扰雌激素信号通路外,尚未发现其他明确的分子机制解释NP造成的免疫毒性。本综述主要结合近年来相关的实验结果,总结了NP对免疫系统的潜在影响及其可能的分子机制。     

受体报告基因实验及其在维甲酸和维甲酸X受体干扰物监测中的应用

受体报告基因实验具有快速、经济、灵敏、方便等诸多优势,在高通量筛选类或抗雌雄激素等通过核受体起作用的环境内分泌干扰物方面得到了广泛的应用。环境中的维甲酸和维甲酸X受体干扰物如有机锡等有着类似的作用机制,研究者也开始采用受体报告基因实验的方法对该类污染物进行筛选与监测。本文综述了受体报告基因实验的技术方法,包括报告基因和宿主细胞的选择,并介绍了该方法在人工合成的维甲酸和维甲酸X受体干扰物筛选以及环境样品中该类污染监测中的应用。综述总结了应用受体报告基因实验检测环境内分泌干扰物研究中的不足并对该方法的未来发展进行了展望,希望为该方法在环境监测和评估中的应用提供新的思路。     

Evaluating the ability of habitat suitability models to predict species presences

Models predicting species spatial distribution are increasingly applied to wildlife management issues, emphasising the need for reliable methods to evaluate the accuracy of their predictions. As many available datasets (e.g. museums, herbariums, atlas) do not provide reliable information about species absences, several presence-only based analyses have been developed. However, methods to evaluate the accuracy of their predictions are few and have never been validated. The aim of this paper is to compare existing and new presence-only evaluators to usual presence/absence measures.     

G蛋白偶联雌激素受体1介导的环境雌激素效应研究进展

环境雌激素进入生物体后,可通过多种方式介导发挥类似内源雌激素的作用,干扰生物体的正常功能,进而对生物体产生毒害作用。其中,基因组方式介导的雌激素效应主要通过与细胞核内的雌激素受体(如ERα和ERβ)结合;而非基因组方式介导的雌激素效应则主要通过与膜雌激素受体结合从而发挥作用。近年来对G蛋白偶联雌激素受体1(GPER1)的研究表明,该受体是区别于雌激素核受体的膜雌激素受体,可单独介导雌激素诱发的非基因组方式雌激素效应,然而目前对其介导的雌激素效应机制研究并不完善。综上,本文结合近年来对GPER1的研究进展,从该受体的发现、特性以及其介导的雌激素效应和相关通路进行了综述。     

杭州市灰霾与非灰霾日不同粒径大气颗粒物来源解析

在2011年典型灰霾和非灰霾天气下,采集了杭州市不同粒径的大气颗粒物样品,测定并分析各粒径段颗粒物的质量浓度及其化学成分;同时采集并分析了主要污染源排放的颗粒物样品,通过CMB(化学质量平衡)模型进行源解析. 结果表明:灰霾天气下,二次粒子是杭州市各粒径段颗粒物的首要贡献源,其对≤1.1、>1.1~3.3、>3.3~5.8和>5.8~10μm粒径段的颗粒物贡献率分别为60.4%、62.2%、54.8%和46.5%. 在一次排放源中,机动车尾气是≤1.1和>1.1~3.3μm粒径段颗粒物的重要来源,贡献率分别为13.8%和12.2%;城市扬尘是>3.3~5.8μm粒径段颗粒物的重要来源,贡献率达到16.0%;而建筑施工尘是>5.8~10μm粒径段颗粒物的重要来源,贡献率为14.2%. 非灰霾天气下,随着颗粒物粒径的增加,二次粒子的贡献率显著下降,对≤1.1μm粒径段颗粒物的贡献率为42.7%,而对>5.8~10μm粒径段颗粒物的贡献率仅为15.5%;机动车是各粒径段颗粒物的重要贡献源,贡献率均在20%以上;煤烟尘是≤3.3μm细粒径段颗粒物的重要贡献源类,贡献率为22.0%;城市扬尘是>3.3~5.8μm粒径段颗粒物的重要来源,贡献率为18.3%;建筑施工尘依然是>5.8~10μm粒径段颗粒物的重要来源,贡献率为21.4%.      

Phast validation of discharge and atmospheric dispersion for pressurised carbon dioxide releases

The consequence modelling package Phast examines the progress of a potential incident from the initial release to the far-field dispersion including the modelling of rainout and subsequent vaporisation. The original Phast discharge and dispersion models allow the released substance to occur only in the vapour and liquid phases. The latest versions of Phast include extended models which also allow for the occurrence of fluid to solid transition for carbon dioxide (CO₂) releases.As part of two projects funded by BP and Shell (made publicly available via CO2PIPETRANS JIP), experimental work on CO₂ releases was carried out at the Spadeadam site (UK) by GL Noble Denton. These experiments included both high-pressure steady-state and time-varying cold releases (liquid storage) and high-pressure time-varying supercritical hot releases (vapour storage). The CO₂ was stored in a vessel with attached pipework. At the end of the pipework a nozzle was attached, where the nozzle diameter was varied.This paper discusses the validation of Phast against the above experiments. The flow rate was predicted accurately by the Phast discharge models (within 10%; considered within the accuracy at which the BP experimental data were measured), and the concentrations were found to be predicted accurately (well within a factor of two) by the Phast dispersion model (UDM). This validation was carried out with no fitting whatsoever of the Phast extended discharge and dispersion models.     

Validation of discharge and atmospheric dispersion for unpressurised and pressurised carbon dioxide releases

This paper discusses the validation of discharge and subsequent atmospheric dispersion for both unpressurised and pressurised carbon dioxide releases using the consequence modelling package Phast.The paper first summarises the validation of the Phast dispersion model (UDM) for unpressurised releases. This includes heavy gas dispersion from either a ground-level line source (McQuaid wind-tunnel experiments) or an area source (Kit-Fox field experiments). For the McQuaid experiments minor modifications of the UDM were made to support line sources. For the Kit Fox experiments steady-state and 20-s finite-duration releases were simulated for both neutral and stable conditions. Most accurate predictions of the concentrations for finite duration releases were obtained using the UDM Finite Duration Correction method.Using experiments funded by BP and Shell and made available via DNV's CO2PIPETRANS JIP, the paper secondly summarises the validation of the Phast discharge and dispersion models for pressurised CO₂ releases. This modelling accounted for the possible presence of the solid CO₂ phase following expansion to atmospheric pressure. These experiments included both high-pressure steady-state and time-varying cold releases (liquid storage) and high-pressure time-varying supercritical hot releases. Both the flow rate and the concentrations were found to be predicted accurately.The above validation was carried out with no fitting whatsoever of the Phast extended discharge and dispersion models.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments held in experimental mesocosms

Sediment was collected from three locations along a pollution gradient in Narragansett Bay and transplanted to controlled mesocosms. Total hydrocarbons and eleven individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in these sediments over a period of 394 days. Total hydrocarbon concentrations increased in the “relatively uncontaminated”; (Rhode Island Sound) sediment that was held in the mesocosms, but did not change in the two other sediments. The concentrations of four PAHs: naphthalene, 2‐methyl naphthalene, 1‐methyl naphthalene and biphenyl, decreased in the “contaminated”; (Providence River) sediment during the experiment and the calculated half‐lives for these compounds were 287, 353, 321 and 333 days, respectively.