Estimating offsets for avian displacement effects of anthropogenic impacts

Biodiversity offsetting, or compensatory mitigation, is increasingly being used in temperate grassland ecosystems to compensate for unavoidable environmental damage from anthropogenic developments such as transportation infrastructure, urbanization, and energy development. Pursuit of energy independence in the United States will expand domestic energy production. Concurrent with this increased growth is increased disruption to wildlife habitats, including avian displacement from suitable breeding habitat. Recent studies at energy-extraction and energy-generation facilities have provided evidence for behavioral avoidance and thus reduced use of habitat by breeding waterfowl and grassland birds in the vicinity of energy infrastructure. To quantify and compensate for this loss in value of avian breeding habitat, it is necessary to determine a biologically based currency so that the sufficiency of offsets in terms of biological equivalent value can be obtained. We describe a method for quantifying the amount of habitat needed to provide equivalent biological value for avifauna displaced by energy and transportation infrastructure, based on the ability to define five metrics: impact distance, impact area, pre-impact density, percent displacement, and offset density. We calculate percent displacement values for breeding waterfowl and grassland birds and demonstrate the applicability of our avian-impact offset method using examples for wind and oil infrastructure. We also apply our method to an example in which the biological value of the offset habitat is similar to the impacted habitat, based on similarity in habitat type (e.g., native prairie), geographical location, land use, and landscape composition, as well as to an example in which the biological value of the offset habitat is dissimilar to the impacted habitat. We provide a worksheet that informs potential users how to apply our method to their specific developments and a framework for developing decision-support tools aimed at achieving landscape-level conservation goals

Reaction mechanism of methanol dehydrodenation on sodium carbonate catalyst

The aim of this study is to identify the reaction mechanism of methanol dehydrogenation on sodium carbonate catalyst. Quantitative analyses of the products of methanol dehydrogenation on sodium carbonate catalyst at 963 K indicate that methane is formed in parallel with formaldehyde, while carbon monoxide is mainly produced from further decomposition of formaldehyde. In a specially designed fixed-bed reactor, more than half of the methanol conversion takes place in the post-catalytic space, where the selectivity for formaldehyde is in the same range as for the reaction in the catalyst bed. It is therefore suggested that free radicals produced on the catalyst surface play an important role in methanol dehydrogenation. Temperature-programmed desorption of methanol on sodium carbonate and transient isotope experiments show that a hydrogen species is strongly adsorbed on the catalyst, but carbon-containing species are weakly adsorbed. Temperature-programmed reaction experiments indicate that noncatalytic thermal decomposition of formaldehyde is more significant than the surface reaction at high temperatures. Based on these facts, it is proposed that chemisorbed methanol is dissociated on the catalyst surface into adsorbed hydrogen and a gas-phase . CH2OH radical. Recombination and desorption of the former is rate-determining, and the latter initiates a series of homogeneous reactions that result in the final reaction products. The proposed mechanism is useful for further improving the catalyst

Evaluation of the tratment of metal-EDTA complexes using Ti0{sub 2} photocatalysis

This study has demonstrated the feasibility of TiO{sub 2} photocatalysis to treat EDTA and several metal-EDTA complexes that can be found in industrial wastewaters. For the EDTA complexes of metals capable of photodeposition, such as Cu and Pb, certain reaction conditions were shown to facilitate the simultaneous complex degradation and photodeposition of these metals onto the catalyst. With metals that do not easily photodeposit, such as Ni and Cd, it is shown that the complex degradation is still facilitated, and can enhance other metals removal processes after photocatalytic treatment. Because the treatment of these metal-EDTA complexes typically requires special measures, there may exist situations where TiO{sub 2} photocatalysis could actually be the preferred method of treatment. However, its use should be compared economically to other more established advanced oxidation technologies. This necessity is demonstrated in the economic comparison to ozone treatment for EDTA degradation alone, where ozone treatment appears to be the clear choice in this application

Retention and entrainment effects: Experiments and theory for porous spheres settling in sharply stratified fluids

We present an experimental study of single porous spheres settling in a near two-layer ambient density fluid. Data are compared with a first-principle model based on diffusive processes. The model correctly predicts accelerations of the sphere but does not capture the retention time at the density transition quantitatively. Entrainment of lighter fluid through a shell encapsulating the sphere is included in this model empirically. With this parametrization, which exhibits a power law dependence on Reynolds numbers, retention times are accurately captured. Extrapolating from our experimental data, model predictions are presented

Water-Use Data in the United States: Challenges and Future Directions

In the United States, greater attention has been given to developing water supplies and quantifying available waters than determining who uses water, how much they withdraw and consume, and how and where water use occurs. As water supplies are stressed due to an increasingly variable climate, changing land-use, and growing water needs, greater consideration of the demand side of the water balance equation is essential. Data about the spatial and temporal aspects of water use for different purposes are now critical to long-term water supply planning and resource management. We detail the current state of water-use data, the major stakeholders involved in their collection and applications, and the challenges in obtaining high-quality nationally consistent data applicable to a range of scales and purposes. Opportunities to improve access, use, and sharing of water-use data are outlined. We cast a vision for a world-class national water-use data product that is accessible, timely, and spatially detailed. Our vision will leverage the strengths of existing local, state, and federal agencies to facilitate rapid and informed decision-making, modeling, and science for water resources. To inform future decision-making regarding water supplies and uses, we must coordinate efforts to substantially improve our capacity to collect, model, and disseminate water-use data

Significant Surface-Water Connectivity of Geographically Isolated Wetlands

We evaluated the current literature, coupled with our collective research expertise, on surface-water connectivity of wetlands considered to be geographically isolated (sensu Tiner Wetlands 23:494–516, 2003a) to critically assess the scientific foundation of grouping wetlands based on the singular condition of being surrounded by uplands. The most recent research on wetlands considered to be geographically isolated shows the difficulties in grouping an ecological resource that does not reliably indicate lack of surface water connectivity in order to meet legal, regulatory, or scientific needs. Additionally, the practice of identifying geographically isolated wetlands based on distance from a stream can result in gross overestimates of the number of wetlands lacking ecologically important surface-water connections. Our findings do not support use of the overly simplistic label of geographically isolated wetlands . Wetlands surrounded by uplands vary in function and surface water connections based on wetland landscape setting, context, climate, and geographic region and should be evaluated as such. We found that the geographically isolated grouping does not reflect our understanding of the hydrologic variability of these wetlands and hence does not benefit conservation of the Nation’s diverse wetland resources. Therefore, we strongly discourage use of categorizations that provide overly simplistic views of surface water connectivity of wetlands fully embedded in upland landscapes

Polarization Possibilities of Small Spin-Orbit Interaction in Strained-Superlattice Photocathodes

Strained-superlattice photocathodes based on InGaP/GaAs were investigated. The photocathode performance is found highly dependent on the superlattice parameters. The electron confinement energy in superlattice appears important

Connecting the Dots: Responses of Coastal Ecosystems to Changing Nutrient Concentrations

Empirical relationships between phytoplankton biomass and nutrient concentrations established across a wide range of different ecosystems constitute fundamental quantitative tools for predicting effects of nutrient management plans. Nutrient management plans based on such relationships, mostly established over trends of increasing rather than decreasing nutrient concentrations, assume full reversibility of coastal eutrophication. Monitoring data from 28 ecosystems located in four well-studied regions were analyzed to study the generality of chlorophyll a versus nutrient relationships and their applicability for ecosystem management. We demonstrate significant differences across regions as well as between specific coastal ecosystems within regions in the response of chlorophyll a to changing nitrogen concentrations. We also show that the chlorophyll a versus nitrogen relationships over time constitute convoluted trajectories rather than simple unique relationships. The ratio of chlorophyll a to total nitrogen almost doubled over the last 30-40 years across all regions. The uniformity of these trends, or shifting baselines, suggest they may result from large-scale changes, possibly associated with global climate change and increasing human stress on coastal ecosystems. Ecosystem management must, therefore, develop adaptation strategies to face shifting baselines and maintain ecosystem services at a sustainable level rather than striving to restore an ecosystem state of the past. © 2011 American Chemical Society.This research is a contribution to the Thresholds Integrated Project (contract FP6-003933-2) and WISER (contract FP7-226273), funded by the European Commission.Peer Reviewe

Acute Pain and a Motivational Pathway in Adult Rats: Influence of Early Life Pain Experience

The importance of neonatal experience upon behaviour in later life is increasingly recognised. The overlap between pain and reward pathways led us to hypothesise that neonatal pain experience influences reward-related pathways and behaviours in adulthood

The development and pilot testing of a rapid assessment tool to improve local public health system capacity in Australia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To operate effectively the public health system requires infrastructure and the capacity to act. Public health's ability to attract funding for infrastructure and capacity development would be enhanced if it was able to demonstrate what level of capacity was required to ensure a high performing system. Australia's public health activities are undertaken within a complex organizational framework that involves three levels of government and a diverse range of other organizations. The question of appropriate levels of infrastructure and capacity is critical at each level. Comparatively little is known about infrastructure and capacity at the local level.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In-depth interviews were conducted with senior managers in two Australian states with different frameworks for health administration. They were asked to reflect on the critical components of infrastructure and capacity required at the local level. The interviews were analyzed to identify the major themes. Workshops with public health experts explored this data further. The information generated was used to develop a tool, designed to be used by groups of organizations within discrete geographical locations to assess local public health capacity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Local actors in these two different systems pointed to similar areas for inclusion for the development of an instrument to map public health capacity at the local level. The tool asks respondents to consider resources, programs and the cultural environment within their organization. It also asks about the policy environment - recognizing that the broader environment within which organizations operate impacts on their capacity to act. Pilot testing of the tool pointed to some of the challenges involved in such an exercise, particularly if the tool were to be adopted as policy.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This research indicates that it is possible to develop a tool for the systematic assessment of public health capacity at the local level. Piloting the tool revealed some concerns amongst participants, particularly about how the tool would be used. However there was also recognition that the areas covered by the tool were those considered relevant.</p