In this study a method is suggested to compare the net carbon dioxide (CO2) emission from the construction of concrete- and wood-framed buildings. The method is then applied to two buildings in Sweden
and Finland constructed with wood frames, compared with functionally equivalent buildings constructed with concrete frames.
Carbon accounting includes: emissions due to fossil fuel use in the production of building materials; the replacement of fossil
fuels by biomass residues from logging, wood processing, construction and demolition; carbon stock changes in forests and
buildings; and cement process reactions. The results show that wood-framed construction requires less energy, and emits less
CO2 to the atmosphere, than concrete-framed construction. The lifecycle emission difference between the wood- and concrete-framed
buildings ranges from 30 to 130 kg C per m2 of floor area. Hence, a net reduction of CO2 emission can be obtained by increasing the proportion of wood-based building materials, relative to concrete materials. The
benefits would be greatest if the biomass residues resulting from the production of the wood building materials were fully
used in energy supply systems. The carbon mitigation efficiency, expressed in terms of biomass used per unit of reduced carbon
emission, is considerably better if the wood is used to replace concrete building material than if the wood is used directly
as biofuel. 相似文献
Spatial and temporal patterns of predation on seeds of the seagrass Phyllospadix torreyi S. Watson were quantified at four sites near Santa Barbara, California, USA. Over a period of four flowering seasons during
1995 to 1998, monthly patterns of seed fall and intensity of seed predation were similar among sites, but were temporally
quite variable. Abundance of dispersed seeds varied greatly both among seasons and years. Within any one year, seeds were
present in the environment every month, but they peaked in abundance during the fall months following the annual flowering
period. Seeds were more abundant during the earlier years of the study. The intensity of predation steadily increased throughout
the study period, from a low of ≤10% seeds consumed during 1995 to ∼50% consumption by 1997, and it was not correlated with
abundance of seeds in the environment. Pre-dispersal seed loss also was estimated in two flowering seasons by counting the
numbers of seeds consumed prior to release from the plant, and was relatively low (<15%). No differences were detected among
the four study sites in patterns of pre-dispersal loss. Field surveys were done at two sites to identify potential seed predators.
Three of the most abundant species identified in these surveys were tested in the laboratory to determine size-specific patterns
of feeding activity and to assess which early life stages of P. torreyi (fruits within spadices, dehisced fruits, seedlings) were most vulnerable to predation. All three of the early life stages
were consumed. The crabs Pugettiaproducta (Randall) and Pachygrapsus crassipes Randall were much more voracious predators than the isopod Idotea resecata Stimpson.
Received: 8 June 1999 / Accepted: 2 February 2000 相似文献
Rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) and willow ptarmigan (L. lagopus) are Arctic birds with a circumpolar distribution but there is limited knowledge about their status and trends across their circumpolar distribution. Here, we compiled information from 90 ptarmigan study sites from 7 Arctic countries, where almost half of the sites are still monitored. Rock ptarmigan showed an overall negative trend on Iceland and Greenland, while Svalbard and Newfoundland had positive trends, and no significant trends in Alaska. For willow ptarmigan, there was a negative trend in mid-Sweden and eastern Russia, while northern Fennoscandia, North America and Newfoundland had no significant trends. Both species displayed some periods with population cycles (short 3–6 years and long 9–12 years), but cyclicity changed through time for both species. We propose that simple, cost-efficient systematic surveys that capture the main feature of ptarmigan population dynamics can form the basis for citizen science efforts in order to fill knowledge gaps for the many regions that lack systematic ptarmigan monitoring programs.
Wastewater stabilization ponds (WSPs) are commonly used to treat municipal wastewater in Arctic Canada. The biological treatment in the WSPs is strongly influenced by climatic conditions. Currently, there is limited information about the removal of fecal and pathogenic bacteria during the short cool summer treatment season. With relevance to public health, the objectives of this paper were to determine if treatment in arctic WSPs resulted in the disinfection (i.e., removal of fecal indicator bacteria, Escherichia coli) and removal of selected human bacterial pathogens from the treated effluent. The treatment performance, with focus on microbial removal, was assessed for the one-cell WSP in Pond Inlet (Nunavut [NU]) and two-cell WSP in Clyde River (NU) over three consecutive (2012–2014) summer treatment seasons (late June-early September). The WSPs provided a primary disinfection treatment of the wastewater with a 2–3 Log removal of generic indicator E. coli. The bacterial pathogens Salmonella spp., pathogenic E. coli, and Listeria monocytogenes, but not Campylobacter spp. and Helicobacter pylori, were detected in the untreated and treated wastewater, indicating that human pathogens were not reliably removed. Seasonal and annual variations in temperature significantly (p < 0.05) affected the disinfection efficiency. Improved disinfection and pathogen removal was observed for the two-cell system in Clyde River as compared to the one-cell system in Pond Inlet. A quantitative microbial risk assessment should be performed to determine if the release of low levels of human pathogens into the arctic environment poses a human health risk. 相似文献
ABSTRACT Aerosol light absorption as black carbon (BC) was measured from November 19, 1995, to February 6, 1996, at a location 0.65 km downwind of the center of McMurdo Station on the Antarctic coast. The results show a bimo-dal frequency distribution of BC concentrations. Approximately 65% of the measurements were found in a mode at a low range of concentrations centered at ~20 ng/m3. These concentrations are higher than those found at other remote Antarctic locations and probably represent contamination from the station. The remaining measurements were in a high-concentration mode (BC ~300 ng/m3), indicating direct impact of local emissions from combustion activities at the station. High values of BC were associated with winds from the direction of the station, and the BC flux showed a clear directionality. Maximum BC concentrations occurred between 7:00 and 11:00 a.m. The "polluted" mode accounted for more than 80% of the BC frequency-weighted impact at this location. 相似文献
Abstract This paper presents an overview of a major, long-term program for tropospheric gas and aerosol research in the southeastern United States. Building on three existing ozone (O3)-focused research sites begun in mid-1992, the Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization Study (SEARCH) was initiated in mid-1998 as a 7-year observation and research program with a broader focus including aerosols and an expanded geographical coverage in the Southeast. The monitoring network comprises four urban-rural (or urban-suburban) site pairs at locations along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and inland, including two moderately sized and two major urban areas (Pensacola, FL; Gulfport, MS; Atlanta, GA; and Birmingham, AL). The sites are equipped with an extensive suite of instruments for measuring particulate matter (PM), gases relevant to secondary O3 and the production of secondary aerosol particles, and surface meteorology. The measurements taken to date have added substantially to the knowledge about the temporal behavior and geographic variability of tropospheric aerosols in the Southeast. Details are presented in four papers to follow. 相似文献
Background, aim and scope Each year, large quantities of pharmaceuticals are consumed worldwide for the treatment and prevention of human and animal
diseases. Although the drugs and the metabolites observed in the wastewaters and in the environment are present at concentrations
several orders of magnitude lower than the concentrations required to exert their effects in humans or animals, their long-term
impact on the environment is commonly not known. In this study, the occurrence of six antihistamines, which are used for the
relief of allergic reactions such as hay fever, was determined in sewage treatment plants wastewaters and in recipient river
waters.
Materials and methods The occurrence of the antihistamines cetirizine, acrivastine, fexofenadine, loratadine, desloratadine and ebastine in sewage
treatment plants wastewaters and in recipient river waters was studied. The analytical procedure consisted of solid-phase
extraction of the water samples followed by liquid chromatography separation and detection by a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer
in the multiple reaction mode.
Results Cetirizine, acrivastine and fexofenadine were detected in both influent and effluent wastewater samples at concentration levels
ranging from about 80 to 220 ng/L, while loratadine, desloratadine and ebastine could not be detected in any samples. During
sewage treatment, the concentration of the antihistamines dropped by an average of 16–36%. Furthermore, elevated concentrations
of antihistamines were observed in samples collected during the season of most intensive plant pollen production, i.e. in
May. In the river water samples, the relative pattern of occurrence of cetirizine, acrivastine and fexofenadine was similar
to that in the wastewater samples; although the concentration of the compounds was substantially lower (4–11 ng/L). The highest
concentrations of the studied drugs were observed near the discharging point of the sewage treatment plant.
Discussion The highest concentrations of antihistamines in STP wastewaters correlate with the outbreak of allergic reaction caused by
high amounts of plant pollens in the air. The analysis results of the river water samples show that the antihistamines are
carried far away from the effluent discharge points. They may account for a part of the mix of pharmaceuticals and of pharmaceutical
metabolites that occur downstream of STPs.
Conclusions Antihistamines are poorly degraded/eliminated under the biological treatment processes applied in the wastewater treatment
plants and, consequently, they are continuously being discharged along with other drugs to the aquatic environment.
Recommendations and perspectives As a huge quantity and variety of drugs and their metabolites are continuously discharged to rivers and the sea, the compounds
should be considered as contaminants that may possess risks to the aquatic ecosystem. Further studies are urgently needed
on the environmental fate of the antihistamines and other pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment. These studies should
be concerned with the stability of the compounds, their transformation reactions and the identity of the transformation products,
the distribution of drugs and their uptake and effects in organisms. On the basis of these studies, the possible environmental
hazards of pharmaceuticals may be assessed. 相似文献
Background, aim, and scope The enzyme-linked receptor assay (ELRA) detects estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects at the molecular level of receptor
binding and is a useful tool for the integrative assessment of ecotoxicological potentials caused by hormonally active agents
(HAA) and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC). The main advantage of the ELRA is its high sample throughput and its robustness
against cytotoxicity and microbial contamination. After a methodological adaptation to salinity of the ELRA, according to
the first part of this study, which increased its salinity tolerance and sensitivity for 17-β-estradiol, the optimised ELRA
was used to investigate 13 native sediments characterised by different levels of salinity and chemical contamination. The
applicability of the ELRA for routine analysis in environmental assessment was evaluated. Salinity is often a critical factor
for bioassays in ecotoxicological sediment assessment. Therefore, salinity of the samples was additionally adjusted to different
levels to characterise its influence on elution and binding processes of receptor-binding substances.
Materials and methods The ELRA was carried out with the human estrogen receptor α (ER) in a 96-well microplate format using the experimental setup
known from the competitive immunoassay based on ligand–protein interaction. It is an important improvement that a physiologically
relevant receptor was used as a linking protein instead of an antibody. The microplates were coated with a 17-β-estradiol-BSA
conjugate, and dilution series of estradiol and of native sediment samples were added and incubated with the ER. After a washing
step, a biotinylated mouse anti-ER antibody was added to each well. Receptor binding to estradiol, agonistic and antagonistic
receptor binding, were determined by a streptavidin-POD-biotin complex with subsequent measurement of the peroxidase activity
at the wavelength of 450 nm using a commercial ELISA multiplate reader. The sediment elutriates and pore water samples of
sediments were tested in a dilution series to evaluate at which dilution step the receptor-binding potential ends. In the
elution process (see Section 2.1 to 2.2), a method was developed to adjust the salinity to the levels of the reference testings, which offers an appropriate option
to adjust the salinity in both directions. Statistical evaluation was made with a combination of the Mann–Whitney U test and the pT-method.
Results This part of the study characterised the environmental factor ‘salinity’ for prospective applications of the ELRA. Using reference
substances such as 17-β-estradiol, the ELRA showed sigmoid concentration-effect relations over a broad range from 0.05 μg/l
to 100 μg/l under physiological conditions. After methodological optimisation, both sensitivity and tolerance of the assay
against salinity could be significantly raised, and the ELRA became applicable under salinity conditions up to concentrations
of 20.5‰. The mean relative inter-test error (n = 3) was around 11% with reference substances and below 5% for single sediments elutriates in three replicates each. For
sediment testings, the pore water and different salinity-adjusted elutriates of 13 sediments were used. A clear differentiation
of the receptor-binding potential could be reached by application of the pT-method. Thereby, pT-values from one to six could
be assigned to the sediments, and the deviation caused by the different salinity conditions was one pT-value. The mean standard
deviation in the salinity adaptation procedure of the elutriates was below 5%.
Discussion Although the ELRA has already been used for assessments of wastewater, sludge and soil, its applicability for samples to different
salinity levels has not been investigated so far. Even if the ELRA is not as sensitive as the E-screen or the YES-assay, with
regard to reference substances like 17-β-estradiol, it is a very useful tool for pre-screening, because it is able to integrate
both estrogenic as well as anti-estrogenic receptor-binding effects. According to the results of sediment testing, and given
the integrative power to detect different directions of effects, the ELRA shows sufficient sensitivity and salinity tolerance
to discriminate receptor-binding potentials in environmental samples.
Conclusions The optimised ELRA assay is a fast, cost-effective, reliable and highly reproducible tool that can be used for high-throughput
screening in a microplate format in detecting both estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects. Additionally, the ELRA is robust
against microbial contaminations, and is not susceptible towards cytotoxic interferences like the common cell-culture methods.
The general applicability and sufficient sensitivity of the ELRA was shown in freshwater environments. Marine and brackish
samples can be measured up to salinity levels of 20.5‰.
Recommendations and perspectives In view of the proven sensitivity, functionality and the fastness of the ELRA, it is recommendable to standardise the test
method. At the moment, no adequate in vitro test procedure exists which is standardised to DIN or ISO levels. The E-screen
and the yeast estrogen/androgen screens (YES/YAS) sometimes underlie strong cytotoxic effects, as reported in the first part
of this study. Further development of an ELRA assay using human androgen receptors appears to be very promising to gain information
about androgenic and anti-androgenic effects, too. This would offer a possibility to use the ELRA as a fast and reliable pre-screening
tool for the detection of endocrine potentials, thus minimising time and cost-expensive animal experiments. 相似文献