Sustainable Development in Small Island Developing States

This paper explores the status of sustainable development in small island developing states (SIDS), through the presentation of a case study on the Maldives, which is a typical small island developing state in the Central Indian Ocean. At the outset, a brief history of sustainable development as related to SIDS on the international agenda is outlined, starting from Rio to Barbados to Johannesburg. SIDS are expected to face many challenges and constraints in pursuing sustainable development due to their ecological fragility and economic vulnerability. It is the position of this paper that issues related to environmental vulnerability are of the greatest concern. A healthy environment is the basis of all life-support systems, including that of human well-being and socio-economic development. Priority environmental problems are: climate change and sea-level rise, threats to biodiversity, threats to freshwater resources, degradation of coastal environments, pollution, energy and tourism. Among these, climate change and its associated impacts are expected to pose the greatest threat to the environment and therefore to sustainable development. For small islands dependent on fragile marine ecosystems, in particular on coral reefs, for their livelihoods and living space, adverse effects of climate change such as increased frequency of extreme weather events and sea-level rise will exacerbate the challenges they already face. It is concluded that the paper path from Rio to Barbados to Johannesburg has made significant progress. However, much remains to be done at the practical level, particularly by the developed countries in terms of new and additional efforts at financial and technical assistance, to make sustainable development a reality for SIDS.     

On airborne nano/micro-sized wear particles released from low-metallic automotive brakes

The paper addresses the wear particles released from commercially available “low-metallic” automotive brake pads subjected to brake dynamometer tests. Particle size distribution was measured in situ and the generated particles were collected. The collected fractions and the original bulk material were analyzed using several chemical and microscopic techniques. The experiments demonstrated that airborne wear particles with sizes between 10 nm and 20 μm were released into the air. The numbers of nanoparticles (<100 nm) were by three orders of magnitude larger when compared to the microparticles. A significant release of nanoparticles was measured when the average temperature of the rotor reached 300 °C, the combustion initiation temperature of organics present in brakes. In contrast to particle size distribution data, the microscopic analysis revealed the presence of nanoparticles, mostly in the form of agglomerates, in all captured fractions. The majority of elements present in the bulk material were also detected in the ultra-fine fraction of the wear particles.     

Application of Index Procedures to Flood Frequency Analysis in Turkey1

Abstract: This study investigates the regional analysis of annual maximum flood series of 48 stream gauging stations in the basins of the West Mediterranean Region in Turkey. The region is divided into three homogeneous subregions according to both Student‐t test and Dalrymple homogeneity test. The regional relationships of mean annual flood per unit area‐drainage area and coefficient of skew‐coefficient of variation are obtained. Two statistically meaningful relationships of the mean flood per unit area‐drainage area and a unique relationship between skewness and variation coefficients exist. Results show that the index‐flood method may be applicable to each homogenous subregion to estimate flood quantiles in the study area.     

Selective metal leaching from technosols based on synthetic root exudate composition

This study focused on metal release from technosols induced by synthetic root exudate (SRE). The effect of SRE composition on metal release was studied using six technosols. This was done by treating the technosols with SRE solutions having varying concentrations of low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs), namely oxalic, citric, and malic acids. Consequently, the physico-chemical parameters (pH and electric conductivity), Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, and Cu release (by atomic absorption spectroscopy, AAS), chemical changes (by Fourier transform infrared, FT-IR), and organic parameters (by fluorescence) were investigated. Metal release showed to be dependent on the SRE composition and technosol characteristics. Citric acid selectively released Ca, Mg, Zn, and Cu from technosols in a concentration-dependent manner; oxalic acid showed a significant role in the release of Mg and Fe. Under relatively high LMWOA concentrations, particulate organo-mineral complexes precipitated. Additionally, technosol weathering was seen by the dissolution of humic substances and ferriallophanes, which in turn caused metal release. However, re-precipitation of these phases showed to re-sorb metals, thus underestimating the role of LMWOAs in metal release. Therefore, the selective metal leaching was highly dependent on the SRE composition and LMWOA concentrations on one hand, and on the mineral, organic, and organo-mineral components of the technosols on the other. The understanding of such processes is crucial for proposing and implementing environmental management strategies to reduce metal leaching or for the beneficial re-usage of metals (e.g., for agromining) from technosols.