Evaluation and Mitigation of Bird Hazards in Ex-Vaso de Texcoco: The Proposed Site of a New International Airport for Mexico City

If Mexico is to meet increasing demands for air travel, a new international airport for Mexico City must be constructed. At the request of the Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT), we evaluated Ex-Vaso de Texcoco (EVT), one of several sites considered for construction of the new airport, to determine if birds would pose an unacceptable risk to aircraft. Aerial (by helicopter) and ground surveys were conducted on 6 occasions during fall and winter from 1996-2002 to census birds and evaluate aquatic habitats at EVT and other locations in the Valley of Mexico. Total populations estimates for waterfowl and shorebirds using EVT ranged from 29,000 to 77,000 (mean = 48,300). The majority of birds observed (70%) were south of the Carretera Peñon Texcoco (CPT), the highway that bisects EVT. The wetlands north of the CPT contained about 3% of the ducks and 3% of the coots in the Mexican Highland\u27s wintering population. We concluded that an airport could be constructed in EVT north of the CPT without a significant bird-strike threat, provided habitats attractive to birds were not allowed within 3.2 km of the airport\u27s aircraft movement areas, and conditions were not created that would encourage birds to over-fly the airport or move into or through the airport\u27s approach/departure airspace. We recommended that wetland losses due to airport construction north of CPT should be off set by enhancing and expanding wetlands identified elsewhere in the Valley of Mexico to ensure no net loss of wetlands within the valley. Our investigation of bird issues was only one of numerous technical and economic studies conducted regarding the site selection and design of the new airport for Mexico City. Based on the conclusions of all these studies, of which birds were only one factor, an area in EVT north of CPT was selected in October 2001 as the site for the new airport. Our study demonstrated the importance of including the evaluation of bird hazards in the site-selection and design phases for any airport

WATERFOWL

The term waterfowl is properly applied only to ducks, geese, and swans. In North America, most waterfowl are migratory, flying long distances in the spring and fall between the summer breeding grounds and wintering areas. Waterfowl, as their name implies, are most often found near water. The food of individual waterfowl species ranges from fish to insects to plants in various combinations, depending on availability. Waterfowl are normally monogamous and solitary nesters. Goose problems in urban and suburban areas are primarily caused by giant Canada geese, which are probably the most adaptable of all waterfowl. In the United States, migratory birds, including most waterfowl, as well as their nests and eggs, are federally protected (50 CFR 10.12) by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) (16 USC)

Evaluation and Mitigation of Bird Hazards in Ex-Vaso de Texcoco: The Proposed Site of a New International Airport for Mexico City

If Mexico is to meet increasing demands for air travel, a new international airport for Mexico City must be constructed. At the request of the Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT), we evaluated Ex-Vaso de Texcoco (EVT), one of several sites considered for construction of the new airport, to determine if birds would pose an unacceptable risk to aircraft. Aerial (by helicopter) and ground surveys were conducted on 6 occasions during fall and winter from 1996-2002 to census birds and evaluate aquatic habitats at EVT and other locations in the Valley of Mexico. Total populations estimates for waterfowl and shorebirds using EVT ranged from 29,000 to 77,000 (mean = 48,300). The majority of birds observed (70%) were south of the Carretera Peñon Texcoco (CPT), the highway that bisects EVT. The wetlands north of the CPT contained about 3% of the ducks and 3% of the coots in the Mexican Highland\u27s wintering population. We concluded that an airport could be constructed in EVT north of the CPT without a significant bird-strike threat, provided habitats attractive to birds were not allowed within 3.2 km of the airport\u27s aircraft movement areas, and conditions were not created that would encourage birds to over-fly the airport or move into or through the airport\u27s approach/departure airspace. We recommended that wetland losses due to airport construction north of CPT should be off set by enhancing and expanding wetlands identified elsewhere in the Valley of Mexico to ensure no net loss of wetlands within the valley. Our investigation of bird issues was only one of numerous technical and economic studies conducted regarding the site selection and design of the new airport for Mexico City. Based on the conclusions of all these studies, of which birds were only one factor, an area in EVT north of CPT was selected in October 2001 as the site for the new airport. Our study demonstrated the importance of including the evaluation of bird hazards in the site-selection and design phases for any airport

Winter distribution and size structure of Antarctic krill \u3cem\u3eEuphausia superba\u3c/em\u3e populations in-shore along the West Antarctic Peninsula

Antarctic krill Euphausia superba are a key component of food webs in the maritime West Antarctic Peninsula, and their life history is tied to the seasonal cycles of sea ice and primary production in the region. Previous work has shown a general in-shore migration of krill in winter in this region; however, the very near-shore has not often been sampled as part of these surveys. We investigated distribution, abundance, and size structure of krill in 3 fjordic bays along the peninsula, and in the adjacent Gerlache Strait area using vertically stratified MOCNESS net tows and ADCP acoustic biomass estimates. Krill abundance was high within bays, with net estimated densities exceeding 60 krill m-3, while acoustic estimates were an order of magnitude higher. Krill within bays were larger than krill in the Gerlache Strait. Within bays, krill aggregations were observed near the seafloor during the day with aggregations extending to the sediment interface, and exhibited diel vertical migration higher into the water column at night. We suggest these high winter krill abundances within fjords are indicative of an active seasonal migration by krill in the peninsula region. Potential drivers for such a migration include reduced advective losses and costs, and availability of sediment food resources within fjords. Seasonally near-shore krill may also affect stock and recruitment assessments and may have implications for managing the krill fishery in this area

Manejo del Riesgo por Fauna Silvestre en Aeropuertos

La Administración Federal de Aviación de los Estados Unidos de América (FAA, por sus siglas en inglés), en cooperación con el Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos de América, el Servicio de Inspección Fitozoosanitaria de los Estados Unidos de América y los Servicios de Fauna Silvestre de los Estados Unidos de América, produjeron este manual. La primera edición fue publicada en diciembre de 1999. Los Departamentos de Transportación y Agricultura de los Estados Unidos de América prohíben la discriminación en todos sus programas y actividades en base a raza, color, origen nacional, género, religión, edad, discapacidad, inclinación política, orientación sexual, estatus familiar o marital (no todas las bases de prohibición aplican a todos los programas). Aquellas personas con limitaciones en sus habilidades que requieran medios alternativos para la comunicación de información sobre dichos programas (Braille, gran tipografía, audio, etc.) deberán contactar a la dependencia apropiada

DEFINING AND REDUCING WILDLIFE HAZARDS TO AVIATION IN THE USA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC), through an interagency agreement with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), conducts a national research program to define and reduce bird and other wildlife hazards to aircraft. The goal is to provide the FAA and airports nationwide with a scientific foundation for policies and recommendations related to wildlife and aviation safety. Research tasks conducted by NWRC under the agreement include: 1) investigations of habitat management and land-use practices on and near airports to reduce bird activity; 2) development and evaluation of bird repellent and frightening methods for airports; 3) management and analysis of the National Wildlife Strike Database for civil aviation; and 4) development of publications, including a manual on wildlife hazard management, for use by airport operators nationwide. The research, coordinated by NWRC’s Sandusky, Ohio Field Station, has resulted in over 100 scientific publications since 1992. Recent highlights include 1) development of a wildlife strike database for civil aviation with about 28,000 strike reports, 1990-1999; 2) publication of a report, based on analyses of data in the bird strike database, which indicated wildlife collisions with aircraft cost U.S. civil aviation over $300 million/year, 1990-1998; 3) partnership with private industry to develop chemical repellents for use against Canada geese on airports; 4) development of management program at JFK International Airport, New York, that resulted in a 90% reduction in gull-aircraft collisions; and 5) publication of a comprehensive manual for airport personnel entitled “Wildlife Hazard Management at Airports”

Agnostic Pathway/Gene Set Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Data Identifies Associations for Pancreatic Cancer

Background Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identify associations of individual single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with cancer risk but usually only explain a fraction of the inherited variability. Pathway analysis of genetic variants is a powerful tool to identify networks of susceptibility genes. Methods We conducted a large agnostic pathway-based meta-analysis of GWAS data using the summary-based adaptive rank truncated product method to identify gene sets and pathways associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in 9040 cases and 12 496 controls. We performed expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis and functional annotation of the top SNPs in genes contributing to the top associated pathways and gene sets. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results We identified 14 pathways and gene sets associated with PDAC at a false discovery rate of less than 0.05. After Bonferroni correction (P Conclusion Our agnostic pathway and gene set analysis integrated with functional annotation and eQTL analysis provides insight into genes and pathways that may be biologically relevant for risk of PDAC, including those not previously identified.Peer reviewe

Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies five new susceptibility loci for pancreatic cancer.

In 2020, 146,063 deaths due to pancreatic cancer are estimated to occur in Europe and the United States combined. To identify common susceptibility alleles, we performed the largest pancreatic cancer GWAS to date, including 9040 patients and 12,496 controls of European ancestry from the Pancreatic Cancer Cohort Consortium (PanScan) and the Pancreatic Cancer Case-Control Consortium (PanC4). Here, we find significant evidence of a novel association at rs78417682 (7p12/TNS3, P = 4.35 × 10-8). Replication of 10 promising signals in up to 2737 patients and 4752 controls from the PANcreatic Disease ReseArch (PANDoRA) consortium yields new genome-wide significant loci: rs13303010 at 1p36.33 (NOC2L, P = 8.36 × 10-14), rs2941471 at 8q21.11 (HNF4G, P = 6.60 × 10-10), rs4795218 at 17q12 (HNF1B, P = 1.32 × 10-8), and rs1517037 at 18q21.32 (GRP, P = 3.28 × 10-8). rs78417682 is not statistically significantly associated with pancreatic cancer in PANDoRA. Expression quantitative trait locus analysis in three independent pancreatic data sets provides molecular support of NOC2L as a pancreatic cancer susceptibility gene