Human and environmental risk ranking of onsite sewage disposal systems for Oahu

This study evaluated the human health and environmental risk posed by on-site sewage disposal systems (OSDS). Oahu, Hawaii, was chosen as the study area for this project to develop and implement the methodology that will be applied to other islands in the future. The specific objectives of this study were to: • Estimate the quantity and types of OSDS on Oahu; • Estimate the effluent load discharged to the environment by these systems; • Identify which individual critical receptors (drinking water sources, streams and near shore waters) are most impacted by OSDS; • Identify other factors contributing to potential risk of OSDS; • Develop a risk scoring scheme based on various factors to assist regulatory managers in prioritizing inspection efforts for OSDS; and • Assign a risk score to each OSDS.Safe Drinking Water Branch, Department of Health, State of Hawai

Lahaina groundwater tracer study -- Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

The studies presented in this report provide the positive establishment of hydrologic connections between the municipal wastewater injection from the LWRF and the nearshore region of the Kaanapali coast on the Island of Maui, Hawaii, and provide the results from the study’s principal objectives, which have been to: (1) implement a tracer dye study from the LWRF (Section 3), (2) conduct continuous monitoring for the emergence of the injected tracer dyes at the most probable points of emergence at nearshore sites within the coastal reaches of the LWRF (Section 2), (3) conduct an airborne infrared sea surface temperature mapping survey of coastal zone fronting the LWRF in an effort to detect cool and/or warm temperature anomalies that may be indicative of cool submarine groundwater discharge and warm wastewater effluent (Section 4), (4) complete radon and radium radiochemical surveys to detect the emergence points and flow rates of the naturally occurring submarine groundwater along the coastal zone (Section 5), (5) complete geochemical and stable isotopic analyses of LWRF effluent, upland well waters, terrestrial surface waters, marine waters, and submarine groundwater discharge in an effort to help partition the relative contribution of effluent waters to the ocean (Section 6), and (6) combine complete dye emergence breakthrough curves with which to develop groundwater models to determine the LWRFs effluent flow paths and rates of emergence to the coastal zone (Section 7).U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyDepartment of Health, State of HawaiiU.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Cente

A preliminary fishery quality index for Portuguese streams

There is a need to quantify the multivariate quality of a recreational fishery at the site scale to better communicate the relative quality among sites to the public and anglers. Borrowing on the general approach of multimetric indices of biotic integrity (IBIs), we developed fishery quality indices (FQIs) from species quality indices (SQIs) based on measures of fish abundance and size structure for northern and central Portuguese streams. Our FQIs showed regional patterns indicating a range in fishery quality. Higher coldwater FQI scores were mostly found in the northwestern (Minho and Lima), northeastern Douro, and northern Tagus basins. Higher warmwater FQI scores occurred in the eastern Tagus basin. The species that contributed the most to warmwater FQI scores were largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus, the cyprinid Luciobarbus bocagei, chubs Squalius carolitertii and S. pyrenaicus, and nases Pseudochondrostoma duriense and P. polylepis. The chubs, nases, and brown trout Salmo trutta contributed the most to coldwater FQI scores. As expected, our indices were correlated with river size and with disturbance at the catchment, segment, and site scales. Regression models for separate coldwater and warmwater FQIs were stronger than those for the individual SQIs and for an all-site FQI. The correlation was positive between the coldwater FQI and a coldwater IBI but negative between the warmwater FQI and warmwater IBIs. The proposed FQIs offer a quantitative approach for assessing relative fishery quality among sites and for making regional assessments given an appropriate study design. The component SQIs and SQI metrics of the FQIs can be disassociated to determine the population and species characteristics most affected by various environmental variables

SNAPSHOT USA 2019 : a coordinated national camera trap survey of the United States

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.With the accelerating pace of global change, it is imperative that we obtain rapid inventories of the status and distribution of wildlife for ecological inferences and conservation planning. To address this challenge, we launched the SNAPSHOT USA project, a collaborative survey of terrestrial wildlife populations using camera traps across the United States. For our first annual survey, we compiled data across all 50 states during a 14-week period (17 August - 24 November of 2019). We sampled wildlife at 1509 camera trap sites from 110 camera trap arrays covering 12 different ecoregions across four development zones. This effort resulted in 166,036 unique detections of 83 species of mammals and 17 species of birds. All images were processed through the Smithsonian's eMammal camera trap data repository and included an expert review phase to ensure taxonomic accuracy of data, resulting in each picture being reviewed at least twice. The results represent a timely and standardized camera trap survey of the USA. All of the 2019 survey data are made available herein. We are currently repeating surveys in fall 2020, opening up the opportunity to other institutions and cooperators to expand coverage of all the urban-wild gradients and ecophysiographic regions of the country. Future data will be available as the database is updated at eMammal.si.edu/snapshot-usa, as well as future data paper submissions. These data will be useful for local and macroecological research including the examination of community assembly, effects of environmental and anthropogenic landscape variables, effects of fragmentation and extinction debt dynamics, as well as species-specific population dynamics and conservation action plans. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this paper when using the data for publication.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape

Wildlife must adapt to human presence to survive in the Anthropocene, so it is critical to understand species responses to humans in different contexts. We used camera trapping as a lens to view mammal responses to changes in human activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 163 species sampled in 102 projects around the world, changes in the amount and timing of animal activity varied widely. Under higher human activity, mammals were less active in undeveloped areas but unexpectedly more active in developed areas while exhibiting greater nocturnality. Carnivores were most sensitive, showing the strongest decreases in activity and greatest increases in nocturnality. Wildlife managers must consider how habituation and uneven sensitivity across species may cause fundamental differences in human–wildlife interactions along gradients of human influence.Peer reviewe

Cause of Death and Predictors of All-Cause Mortality in Anticoagulated Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation : Data From ROCKET AF

M. Kaste on työryhmän ROCKET AF Steering Comm jäsen.Background-Atrial fibrillation is associated with higher mortality. Identification of causes of death and contemporary risk factors for all-cause mortality may guide interventions. Methods and Results-In the Rivaroxaban Once Daily Oral Direct Factor Xa Inhibition Compared with Vitamin K Antagonism for Prevention of Stroke and Embolism Trial in Atrial Fibrillation (ROCKET AF) study, patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation were randomized to rivaroxaban or dose-adjusted warfarin. Cox proportional hazards regression with backward elimination identified factors at randomization that were independently associated with all-cause mortality in the 14 171 participants in the intention-to-treat population. The median age was 73 years, and the mean CHADS(2) score was 3.5. Over 1.9 years of median follow-up, 1214 (8.6%) patients died. Kaplan-Meier mortality rates were 4.2% at 1 year and 8.9% at 2 years. The majority of classified deaths (1081) were cardiovascular (72%), whereas only 6% were nonhemorrhagic stroke or systemic embolism. No significant difference in all-cause mortality was observed between the rivaroxaban and warfarin arms (P=0.15). Heart failure (hazard ratio 1.51, 95% CI 1.33-1.70, P= 75 years (hazard ratio 1.69, 95% CI 1.51-1.90, P Conclusions-In a large population of patients anticoagulated for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, approximate to 7 in 10 deaths were cardiovascular, whereasPeer reviewe

Human and environmental risk ranking of onsite sewage disposal systems for the Hawaiian islands of Kauai, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii

Outside of the urban centers and major towns, residences and small businesses dispose of wastewater at the location where it is generated. This on-site disposal of wastewater gives rise to risks to human health and the environment. This study assessed the potential risk posed by on-site sewage disposal systems (OSDS) to human health and critical ecosystems on the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, and Molokai. To assess this risk, the number and locations of OSDS were estimated based on a search of wastewater and tax databases. The risk posed to critical ecosystems and human health was evaluated based on the volume and water quality characteristics of the effluent discharged and the proximity of OSDS to receiving ecosystems and potential points of human contact. Finally, a cumulative risk severity score was calculated to rank the relative risk posed by each OSDS. Project Goals and Methods The objectives of this study were to: 1. Estimate the quantity, location, and types of OSDS on the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, and Molokai; 2. Estimate the effluent load added to the environment by these systems; 3. Identify and map the factors influencing the risk posed by OSDS to the environment and to human health; 4. Evaluate the potential risk to the receptors of concern (ROC) that may be impacted by OSDS; 5. Develop a scoring system to map the severity and distribution of OSDS risk factors for each class of ROCs; and 6. Based on the ROC scoring results, compute an overall risk score to rank the severity of the risk posed by individual OSDS. The objectives are met by: • Completing an inventory to estimate the quantity, characteristics, and location of the OSDS (Section 3); • Modeling the impact to the groundwater from the effluent discharged from these OSDS (Section 4); • Using Geographical Information Systems to map the spatial distribution of the hydrologic parameters that affect the vulnerability of the human and environmental receptors to OSDS effluent contamination (Sections 4, 5, 6, and 7); and • Linking the OSDS locations to the OSDS risk factors to compute a relative risk-ranking score for each OSDS parcel. Data developed by this study can be used by planning and regulatory agencies to set policy regarding OSDS, identify areas most suitable for locating OSDS, and delineate those areas where the negative impact from OSDS effluent is most likely to occur. The information can also be used to develop a schedule for OSDS inspections by prioritizing systems based on relative risks.Safe Drinking Water Branch, Department of Health, State of Hawai