Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Intermountain plant community classification using Landsat TM and SPOT HRV data

Rangeland plant communities of the Intermountain West differ in their ecology and management requirements. Successful management of extensive areas at plant community-level resolution first requires an efficient, cost-effective means of plant community classification and mapping. We evaluated the influence of image acquisition date and satellite imaging system on the accuracy of plant community maps created from multispectral satellite imagery of Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed (RCEW) (234 km2) in southwestern Idaho. Maps delineating 6 native and 2 non-native Intermountain plant communities were created from Landsat 5 TM and SPOT 3 HRV data using a maximum likelihood classification procedure. Map accuracy was assessed using ground reference points. Maps created from satellite data acquired during dry-down (early August) had higher overall accuracy (average = 70.5%) than from data acquired during peak growth (early June) (average = 54.4%). Overall accuracy of maps generated by Landsat (average = 60.1%) and SPOT (average = 65.5%) were statistically similar. Given their broad spatial coverages (3,600 to 31,450 km2 scene(-1), respectively), moderate resolutions (20 to 30 m pixels, respectively), and potential to provide high classification accuracies, the SPOT 3 HRV and Landsat 5 TM satellite systems were well-suited for classifying plant communities in the Reynolds Creek Watershed and similar areas of the Intermountain West. Practical procedures for plant community classification and map accuracy assessment are presented for use by natural resource managers.The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202

Long-term water balance and conceptual model of a semi-arid mountainous catchment

Long-term water balance investigations are needed to better understand hydrologic systems, especially semi-arid mountainous catchments. These systems exhibit considerable interannual variability in precipitation as well as spatial variation in snow accumulation, soils, and vegetation. This study extended a previous 10-year water balance based on measurements and model simulations to 24 years for the Upper Sheep Creek (USC) catchment, a 26 ha, snow-fed, semi-arid rangeland headwater drainage within the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed in southwestern Idaho, USA. Additional analyses afforded by the additional years of data demonstrated that the variability between streamflow and annual precipitation (r2 = 0.54) could be explained by the timing of precipitation and antecedent moisture conditions. Winter–spring precipitation and soil moisture deficit at the beginning of the water year accounted for 83% of the variability in streamflow, which was almost as accurate as applying the more complex physically- based Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) numerical model (r2 = 0.85) over the three dominant land cover classes. A conceptual model was formulated based on field observations, numerical simulations and previous studies. Winter precipitation and spring snowmelt must first replenish the deficit within the soil water profile and ground water system before water is delivered to the stream. During this period, surface water and ground water are tightly coupled and their interaction is critical to streamflow generation. Shortly after snow ablation, however, water flux in the root zone becomes decoupled from the ground water system and subsequent precipitation does little to contribute to streamflow for the current year, but serves to offset ET and the soil moisture deficit at the beginning of the following year. This study demonstrates the merits of long-term catchment-scale research to improve our understanding of how climate and land cover interact to control hydrologic dynamics in complex mountainous terrain

Hydrologic response and recovery to prescribed fire and vegetation removal in a small rangeland catchment

Prescribed fire can be used to return wild lands to their natural fire cycle, control invasive weeds, and reduce fuel loads, but there are gaps in the understanding of post-disturbance responses of vegetation and hydrology. The impact of a prescribed fire and subsequent aspen cutting on evapotranspiration (ET) and streamflow was assessed for the Upper Sheep Creek catchment, a 26-ha headwater catchment dominated by low sagebrush, mountain big sagebrush, and aspen within the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed. The 2007 prescribed fire consumed 100% of the mountain big sagebrush and approximately 21% of the low sagebrush. The aspen, which were mostly untouched by the fire, were cut in the fall of 2008. Post-disturbance ET and vegetation recovery were related to the loss of rooting depth. ET recovered within 2 years on the low sagebrush area with limited rooting depth, while that on the deeper-rooted mountain big sagebrush area took 4 years to recover. ET from the aspen trees, which can sprout from existing roots, recovered within 2 years. The influence of vegetation disturbance on streamflow was assessed using both empirical time trend analysis and process-based modelling. Although both approaches suggested approximately a 20% increase in streamflow during the 6 years post-disturbance, results from the empirical time trend analysis were marginally significant (p = 0·055), while those from the process-based modelling were not statistically significant. Marginal streamflow response can be attributed to rapid post-disturbance recovery of the aspen where most of the streamflow originates

Dataset for Soil Properties Determined at the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed (RCEW), Idaho [Idaho State University Collections 2010-2016]

Soil physical properties, analytical measures and photographs were taken on soils within the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed (RCEW), which is an extensively monitored catchment within southwestern Idaho. Samples were collected over a full range of elevation (1187 to 2111 m), vegetation, lithology (granite, basalt, rhyolite, and colluvium), and climate that varies between mean annual temperature (MAT) precipitation (MAP) from 4.7 to 9.2 °C and 233 to 972 mm, respectively. Soils were collected from profiles by genetic horizons and predetermined depth down to ~1 m or mobile-immobile regolith interface. Here, we provide a spatially extensive soil dataset for 93 soil profiles and 560 sub-samples. We make available a complete soil dataset in conjunctions with the System for Earth Sample Registration (SESAR), where all samples have a unique International Geo Sample Number (IGSN)

Dataset for Lithology and Coarse Fraction Adjusted Bulk Density Estimates for Determining Total Organic Carbon Stocks in Dryland Soils

Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) have been developed to estimate soil bulk density (BDFF) using the relationships with soil organic carbon content (SOC) and particle size distribution. Current PTF’s implicitly assume that coarse fraction (CF) content and lithology do not influence BDFF. In this study, we examine the influence of CF content and lithology on BDFF estimates by developing PTF’s for total bulk density (BDT), which includes both fine and coarse fragments, using measured SOC in soils derived from felsic and mafic lithologies (148 felsic and 64 mafic, 212 total). Our results show that SOC is highly correlated with BDT in soils derived from felsic (r2 value of 0.79, p2 value of 0.84, p 2 mm), and we adjust BDT with soil pedon CF content to determine fine fraction bulk densities (BDFF-CFadj). A validation subset of 70 samples was used to compare our model against 23 published PTFs. When BDT is corrected for CF, which is highly variable vertically and horizontally within the watershed, we observe substantial improvements (average of 10.05 ± 4.89 %) in BDFF-CFadj estimation and associated errors compared to other PTFs. Findings from our study demonstrate that incorporation of CF and lithology into BDFF estimations can substantially improve BDFF and consequently soil carbon stock estimates

Dataset for Measured and Modelled Carbon (Net Ecosystem Exchange) and Water (Evapotranspiration) Data for Three Sagebrush Core Sites at Reynolds Creek Critical Zone Observatory

Chamber method was used to compare the ecosystem carbon and water flux among three sagebrush types present along an elevational gradient. Chamber data was also used to model seasonal carbon and water flux based on best environmental parameters. This modeled data was compared with eddy tower data