Household ecological footprinting using a new diary-based data-gathering approach

Although the household level is recognized as a potentially important area for the application of ecological footprint (EF) analysis, almost no work has been reported in the academic literature on EF analysis at this level. This paper describes the application of a new, diary-based data acquisition methodology used in a component approach to estimate the EF of a small number of households in Aberdeen, Scotland. Feedback from householders indicated that the diary proved useful in educating participants about their environmental impacts and made EF findings convincing. The methodology was, however, time consuming for both participants and researchers, and it is concluded that future household level applications of EF analysis might combine a simplified diary with other forms of data acquisition. Findings also suggest that the presentation of EF results alone is unlikely to promote more environmentally conscious attitudes amongst householders unless specific EF components are identified for the householder to act upon.     

Tolerance of calluna vulgaris and peatland plant communities to sulphuric acid deposition

Critical loads offer a unique way of evaluating impacts of acid deposition by quantifying environmental sensitivity. The critical loads of acidity for UK peat soils have been based upon an arbitrary reduction in pH of 0.2 units. This chemical shift needs to be better related to adverse effects on sensitive biological receptors. It is known that effective precipitation pH equates closely to soil solution pH, and the latter is directly linkable to biotic effects of pH change. On continuation of a long-term experiment assessing impacts of simulated acid rain on peat microcosms in a realistic outdoor environment, Calluna vulgaris continued to flourish at acid deposition loads well above the existing critical load. Calluna plants were harvested and analysed, and acid deposition treatments to the microcosms continued to allow natural vegetation to regenerate. A diverse mixture of moorland plants and bryophytes established at acidity treatments well above the existing critical load, and only a very high acid load resulted in no natural regeneration. A critical effective rain pH value of 3.6 is suggested as a basis for setting critical loads. At this pH, Calluna grows well, and a healthy diverse vegetation community re-establishes when harvested. It is suggested that the peat critical load should be set at the acid load that, at any specific site, would result in a mean effective precipitation pH of 3.6.     

Mercury and trace elements in cloud water and precipitation collected on Mt. Mansfield,Vermont

The lack of high quality measurements of Hg and trace elements in cloud and fog water led to the design of a new collector for clean sequential sampling of cloud and fog water. Cloud water was collected during nine non-precipitating cloud events on Mt. Mansfield, VT in the northeastern USA between August 1 and October 31, 1998. Sequential samples were collected during six of these events. Mercury cloud water concentrations ranged from 7.5 to 71.8 ng l(-1), with a mean of 24.8 ng l(-1). Liquid water content explained about 60% of the variability in Hg cloud concentrations. Highest Hg cloud water concentrations were found to be associated with transport from the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio River Valley, and lowest concentrations with transport from the north of Mt. Mansfield out of Canada. Twenty-nine event precipitation samples were collected during the ten-week cloud sampling period near the base of Mt. Mansfield as part of a long-term deposition study. The Hg concentrations of cloud water were similar to, but higher on average (median of 12.5 ng l(-1)) than Hg precipitation concentrations (median of 10.5 ng l(-1)). Cloud and precipitation samples were analyzed for fifteen trace elements including Mg, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb by ICP-MS. Mean concentrations were higher in cloud water than precipitation for elements with predominately anthropogenic, but not crustal origin in samples from the same source region. One possible explanation is greater in-cloud scavenging of crustal elements in precipitating than non-precipitating clouds, and greater below-cloud scavenging of crustal than anthropogenic aerosols.     

RISK ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY FOR KARST AQUIFERS: (2) SOLUTE-TRANSPORT MODELING

Ground-water flow and solute-transport simulation modeling are major components of most exposure and risk assessments of contaminated aquifers. Model simulations provide information on the spatial and temporal distributions of contaminants in subsurface media but are difficult to apply to karst aquifers in which conduit flow is important. Ground-water flow and solute transport in karst conduits typically display rapid-flow velocities, turbulent-flow regimes, concentrated pollutant-mass discharge, and exhibit open-channel or closed-conduit flow. Conventional ground-water models, dependent on the applicability of Darcy`s law, are inappropriate when applied to karst aquifers because of the (1) nonapplicability of Darcian-flow parameters, (2) typically nonlaminar flow regime, and (3) inability to locate the karst conduits through which most flow and contaminant transport occurs. Surface-water flow and solute-transport models conditioned on a set of parameters determined empirically from quantitative ground-water tracing studies may be effectively used to render fate-and-transport values of contaminants in karst conduits. Hydraulic-flow and geometric parameters developed in a companion paper were used in the surface-water model, TOXI5, to simulate hypothetical slug and continuous-source releases of ethylbenzene in a karst conduit. TOXI5 simulation results showed considerable improvement for predicted ethylbenzene-transport rates and concentrations over qualitative tracing and analytical ground-water model results. Ethylbenzene concentrations predicted by TOXI5 simulations were evaluated in exposure and risk assessment models.     

24 h diffusive sampling of toxic VOCs in air onto Carbopack X solid adsorbent followed by thermal desorption/GC/MS analysis-laboratory studies

Diffusive sampling of a mixture of 42 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in humidified, purified air onto the solid adsorbent Carbopack X was evaluated under controlled laboratory conditions. The evaluation included variations in sample air temperature, relative humidity and ozone concentration. Linearity of samples with loading was examined both for a constant concentration with time varied up to 24 h and for different concentrations over 24 h. Reverse diffusion and its increase with accumulation of sample were determined for all compounds. Tubes were examined for blank levels, change of blanks with storage time, and variability of blanks. Method detection limits were determined based on seven replicate samples. Based on this evaluation, 27 VOCs were selected for quantitative monitoring in the concentration range from approximately 0.1 to 4 ppbv. Comparison results of active and diffusive samples taken over 24 h and under the same simulated ambient conditions at a constant 2 ppbv were interpreted to estimate the effective diffusive sampling rates (ml min(-1)) and their uncertainties and to calculate the corresponding diffusive uptake rates (ng ppmv(-1) min(-1)).     

Book reviews

Cost Benefit Analysis of Environmental Change

Per‐Olov Johansson

Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1993, 232 pp., £13.95

Computerised Environmental Modelling: A Practical Introduction using Excel

J. Hardisty, D. M. Taylor & S. E. Metcalfe

Chichester, Wiley, 1993, 204 pp., £14.95

Keeping Pace with Science and Engineering: Case Studies in Environmental Regulation

Washington DC, US National Academy of Engineering, 1993

World Without End: Economics, Environment and Sustainable Development

D. W. Pearce & J. J. Warford

Oxford University Press, New York, 1993, 440 pp., £35.95     

Neonatal lung function following mid-trimester amniocentesis

Three hundred and fifty-four women who underwent midtrimester genetic amniocentesis were matched for age, parity, indication, and smoking history, with an equivalent number of women who had declined the procedure, for the purpose of comparing the neonatal respiratory status of their offspring. There was no evidence that the infants exposed to genetic amniocentesis were compromised.     

英国塘鹅蛋中多氯联苯同类物的时空变化趋势

1977～1998年间,在苏格兰西部的艾尔萨克雷格对收集到的塘鹅蛋中的多氯联苯(PCB)同类物进行了回顾性分析.对一些年份所收集的塘鹅蛋中每年选择8～10个对其PCB同类物浓度范围分别进行了分析.所有的同类物在几年之内浓度都降在低,但不同的同类物降解速率不同.     

Maternal sex chromosome mosaicism diagnosed by amniocentesis and percutaneous umbilical cord sampling

We present a remarkable chain of events in which percutaneous umbilical cord sampling was performed in an attempt to clarify a situation of possible fetal sex chromosome mosaicism in an amniotic fluid culture and led to the discovery that the mother herself had a 45,X/46,XX/ 47.XXX chromosome constitution. This may have simply represented the chance concurrence of pseudo-mosaicism in the amniotic fluid culture of a woman with an abnormal sex chromosome constitution, but it is also possible that the 45,X colony was maternal in origin. Although clearly a most unusual circumstance, the possibility should be kept in mind when termination of a pregnancy is being considered because of apparent mosaicism in a prenatal diagnostic study.     

Self-fertilisation in Celleporella hyalina

The accumulation of parasites in a fish host is modelled as a function of the total amount of prey consumed. The accumulated parasite load is then expressed as a function of fish length so that the asymptotic growth, L , of any population of commonly infected fish can be estimated. Estimates of L are obtained for orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus), albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) and the New Zealand southern arrow squid (Nototodarus sloanii).