Industrial pollution,spatial stigma and economic decline: the case of Asopos river basin through the lens of local small business owners

This paper explores the notion of environmentally induced spatial stigma through an analysis of data from interviews across public attitudes to pollution within the Asopos river basin in central Greece. The area has a 40 year plus history of legal and illicit industrial waste disposal and public debate on the associated environmental degradation. The study focuses on the perceptions and beliefs of a sector of the community likely to be directly and negatively affected by stigma, that is small business owners in the tourism and hospitality sector. The qualitative analysis explores awareness and viewpoints on environmental degradation and water quality within the local context, implications for the local economy and the individual's own enterprise, views on industrial environmental management as well as corporate responsibility and future prospects for the environmental problems of Asopos. Findings reveal a noticeable variation in views on industrial pollution and ecosystem deterioration among the respondents, but overall a strong environmentally induced stigmatization of the area. They also uncover an information asymmetry and lack of credible commitment by government bodies and industry members in disclosing accurate information, a situation likely to increase speculation and uncertainty within the community. The paper concludes by addressing implications of the findings to policy-making and managerial considerations, along with future research perspectives which aim to increase considerations of sustainability aspects for local development.     

Levels of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in the critically endangered Iberian lynx and other sympatric carnivores in Spain

Accumulation of organochlorine compounds is well studied in aquatic food chains whereas little information is available from terrestrial food chains. This study presents data of organochlorine levels in tissue and plasma samples of 15 critically endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) and other 55 wild carnivores belonging to five species from three natural areas of Spain (Doñana National Park, Sierra Morena and Lozoya River) and explores their relationship with species diet. The Iberian lynx, with a diet based on the consumption of rabbit, had lower PCB levels (geometric means, plasma: <0.01 ng mL⁻¹, liver: 0.4 ng g⁻¹ wet weight, fat: 87 ng g⁻¹ lipid weight) than other carnivores with more anthropic and opportunistic foraging behavior, such as the red fox (Vulpes vulpes; plasma: 1.11 ng mL⁻¹, liver: 459 ng g⁻¹, fat: 1984 ng g⁻¹), or with diets including reptiles at higher proportion, such as the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon; plasma: 7.15 ng mL⁻¹, liver: 216 ng g⁻¹, fat: 540 ng g⁻¹), or the common genet (Genetta genetta; liver: 466 ng g⁻¹, fat: 3854 ng g⁻¹). Chlorinated pesticides showed interspecific variations similar to PCBs. Organochlorine levels have declined since the 80s in carnivores from Doñana National Park, but PCB levels are still of concern in Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra; liver: 3873-5426 ng g⁻¹) from the industrialized region of Madrid.     

Experimental Characterization of Atmospheric Diffusion in Complex Terrain with Land-Sea Interactions

The body of information presented in this paper is directed to scientists working in atmospheric dispersion research and model development. Two years of field measurements in the coastal area of Bilbao in northern Spain show that the diffusion behavior in this complex terrain can be classified into several well defined patterns, which correspond to certain meteorological conditions. The approach taken has been the systematic use of SO₂ remote sensors (COSPEC) and ground level monitors in moving platforms which are used to follow and document the flow of the air mass. Results to date show that complex reentry cycles can occur and that synoptically different flows may be indistinguishable by wind sensors at ground level (affected by channeling), and yet result in totally different observed pollution levels by a fixed monitoring network (affected by topographical effects). These results are being used to parameterize the cause-effect relationships and guide the modeling efforts in this area of complex terrain.     

An Ecological Integrity Index for Littoral Wetlands in Agricultural Catchments of Semiarid Mediterranean Regions

The main goal of the present study was to develop an ecological integrity index for littoral wetland management and conservation in semiarid Mediterranean areas that have been highly impacted by agriculture, including the selection of pressure and state indicators at landscape and wetlands scales that reflect the status, condition, and trends of wetlands ecosystems. We used a causality framework based on the relationship between pressure of anthropogenic activities and the ecological state of wetlands and their catchments, integrating environmental, biologic, economic, and social issues. From the application of 51 indicators in 7 littoral wetlands in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula, we selected 12 indicators (5 at catchment scale and 7 at wetland scale) to constitute the ecological integrity index proposed. The potential nitrogen export per area at catchment scale and the potential relative nitrogen export from the area surrounding the wetlands were the best pressure single predictors of state indicators with a causal relationship with environmental meaning. Wetlands in catchments with more agriculture had less ecological integrity than those in less impacted areas. A wide riparian zone in some wetlands acts as a buffer area, diminishing the effects of intensive agriculture. The index of ecological integrity developed here has a number of essential characteristics that make it a useful tool for ecosystem managers and decision-makers. The index can be used to (1) assess and control ecological integrity, (2) diagnose probable causes of ecological impairment, (3) establish criteria for protecting and restoring wetland ecosystems, and (4) integrate catchment management. Published online     

Conditional outcomes of facilitation by a habitat-modifying subtidal bivalve

Facilitation by habitat modifiers is common in ecological communities, but the potential for temporal and spatial variations in environmental conditions to modify the outcome of these interactions and influence the strength of feedbacks is poorly understood. Suspension-feeding bivalves are important habitat modifiers that can facilitate surrounding communities by providing refuge from predation and changing boundary flows and through the production of organically enriched biodeposits. However, numerous studies have highlighted the problem of finding generalizable patterns. We tested the strength and generality of the relationship between the large suspension-feeding bivalve Atrina zelandica and surrounding macrofauna and hypothesized that facilitation by Atrina is conditional and modulated by site-specific suspended sediment concentration (SSC), which influences the quantity and quality of biodeposit production. We found temporally consistent patterns of higher rates of biodeposition and increased abundance and species richness in close proximity to Atrina under low SSC conditions. Facilitation strength decreased with increasing SSC, suggesting that the facilitation effect of Atrina is reduced and reversed along this environmental stress gradient.     

Photolysis of nitroaromatics in aquatic systems. I. 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene

Photolysis of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) occurs rapidly in pure and natural waters irradiated with sunlight, with half-lives of less than a half-hour in some natural waters. Experiments to study the TNT photolysis products and to obtain evidence for complexation of TNT with natural substances are discussed.     

Assessment of tin and butyltin species in estuarine superficial sediments from Gipuzkoa,Spain

Ten superficial sediments from river estuaries of Gipuzkoa (North Spain) were collected and analyzed for nine metals (including tin, Sn) and butyltin compounds (monobutyltin, MBT; dibutyltin, DBT; tributyltin, TBT). Total metal concentration in the fine fraction (<63 micrometer) of the sediment was determined in aqua regia--hydrofluoric acid extracts by atomic absorption spectrometry. The butyltin species (BTs) were firstly extracted from the sediments with hydrochloric acid-methanol mixture. After derivatization with sodium tetraethyl borate, the organotin compounds were extracted by solid phase microextraction (SPME) in headspace mode. A fiber coated with 100 micrometer poly(dimethylsiloxane) was used for SPME. The organotin species were analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection. Analysis of the certified reference sediment (PACS-2) shown the suitability of the procedures for determination of metal contents and DBT-TBT species in contaminated sediments. Factorial analysis was used to examine the main sources of metals. Three factors represented more than 89% of the total variance of the metal system, and the Sn was related with Cu-Zn-Pb suggesting the same pollution source. The BTs concentrations in the area were high (TBT ranged from 0.05 to 5.48 mg Sn kg(-1)). The percentage of total butyltin species ( summation operator BTs) respect to the total Sn amount was higher than 4% in all the sediments, showing in the Bidasoa river estuary a remarkable value higher than 20%. Hence, the studied estuarine sediments reflect a pollution that is related with historical industrial and fishing activities of the area.     

Efficiency of white lupin in the removal of mercury from contaminated soils： Soil and hydroponic experiments

This study examined the ability of the white lupin to remove mercury (Hg) from a hydroponic system (Hg concentrations 0, 1.25, 2.5, 5 and 10 μmol/L) and from soil in pots and lysimeters (total Hg concentration (19.2 ± 1.9) mg/kg availability 0.07%, and (28.9 ± 0.4) mg/kg availability 0.09%, respectively), and investigated the accumulation and distribution of Hg in different parts of the plant. White lupin roots efficiently took up Hg, but its translocation to the harvestable parts of the plant was low. The Hg concentration in the seeds posed no risk to human health according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, but the shoots should not be used as fodder for livestock, at least when unmixed with other fodder crops. The accumulation of Hg in the hydroponically-grown plants was linear over the concentration range tested. The amount of Hg retained in the roots, relative to the shoots, was almost constant irrespective of Hg dose (90%). In the soil experiments, Hg accumulation increased with exposure time and was the greater in the lysimeter than in the pot experiments. Although Hg removal was the greater in the hydroponic system, revealing the potential of the white lupin to extract Hg, bioaccumulation was the greatest in the lysimeter-grown plants; the latter system more likely reflects the true behaviour of white lupin in the field when Hg availability is a factor that limits Hg removal. The present results suggest that the white lupin could be used in long-term soil reclamation strategies that include the goal of profitable land use in Hg-polluted areas.     

Temporal and Spatial Variations in Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations Across an Urban Landscape: Cambridge, UK

The acquisition of a comprehensive air quality dataset for a small city environment is described for use in statistical modelling of dispersion processes and micro-scale assessment of polluted zones. The dataset is based on a nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube survey for Cambridge where up to 80 roadside and background sites have been monitored continuously over two years, using a two week exposure period. Site categories are defined by their function within the urban landscape. Spatial and temporal features of the data set are explained in terms of urban location, street geometry, meteorology and traffic behaviour. The highest levels of NO2 are found in central canyon streets which are narrow with enclosing architecture and slow-moving traffic. In contrast lower levels are found for the wider, more open radial routes where traffic is free-flowing. The influence of street geometry on NO2 levels for central streets is demonstrated, where canyon sections adjacent to open sections having the same traffic flow record higher concentrations. Whilst all roadside sites are affected by a photochemical pollution 'episode', the greater potential for elevated NO2 concentrations within the canyon sections is significant. The close proximity of low background levels of NO2 to roadside 'hot-spots' is important for public exposure assessment. The variation in background levels across the urban landscape is very small and unrelated to location; whether central, suburban or outer city. Seasonal variation, not seen in roadside data, is clearly apparent in background data with a winter maximum and summer minimum.