Cancer risks from exposure to vehicular air pollution: a household level analysis of intra-ethnic heterogeneity in Miami,Florida     

Jayajit Chakraborty  Timothy W. Collins  Sara E. Grineski 《Urban geography》2017,38(1):112-136

Quantitative environmental justice (EJ) research has relied on aggregated data from census units to determine disproportionate hazard exposure. Additionally, variables typically used to analyze ethnic inequities in exposure (e.g., percent Hispanic) are too broad and assume a degree of homogeneity that may not exist, given the diversity of ethnic minority populations. We address these limitations through a study that utilizes primary household level survey data and cancer risk estimates from the National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) to analyze intra-ethnic inequities in exposure to vehicular air pollutants in the Miami metropolitan area, Florida. Our analysis disaggregates the Hispanic category based on five characteristics (language proficiency, U.S. citizenship, nativity, unemployment status, and national origin) and finds that risk burdens are significantly higher for Hispanic respondents who are foreign-born, unemployed, and of Cuban origin. Findings highlight the advantages of downscaling EJ analyses to the household level and considering intra-ethnic heterogeneity in EJ research and policy.  相似文献   

Mapping of groundwater prospective zones integrating remote sensing,geographic information systems and geophysical techniques in El-Qaà Plain area,Egypt     

Sara M. Abuzied  Hamed A. Alrefaee 《Hydrogeology Journal》2017,25(7):2067-2088

The geospatial mapping of groundwater prospective zones is essential to support the needs of local inhabitants and agricultural activities in arid regions such as El-Qaà area, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. The study aims to locate new wells that can serve to cope with water scarcity. The integration of remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) and geophysical techniques is a breakthrough for groundwater prospecting. Based on these techniques, several factors contributing to groundwater potential in El-Qaà Plain were determined. Geophysical data were supported by information derived from a digital elevation model, and from geologic, geomorphologic and hydrologic data, to reveal the promising sites. All the spatial data that represent the contributing factors were integrated and analyzed in a GIS framework to develop a groundwater prospective model. An appropriate weightage was specified to each factor based on its relative contribution towards groundwater potential, and the resulting map delineates the study area into five classes, from very poor to very good potential. The very good potential zones are located in the Quaternary deposits, with flat to gentle topography, dense lineaments and structurally controlled drainage channels. The groundwater potential map was tested against the distribution of groundwater wells and cultivated land. The integrated methodology provides a powerful tool to design a suitable groundwater management plan in arid regions.  相似文献   

Response surface-based robust geotechnical design of supported excavation – spreadsheet-based solution     

Sara Khoshnevisan  Lei Wang  C. Hsein Juang 《Georisk: Assessment and Management of Risk for Engineered Systems and Geohazards》2017,11(1):90-102

ABSTRACT

The robust geotechnical design (RGD) approach which involves optimization to obtain a design that is safe, cost-efficient, and robust in the face of uncertainties, can be computationally challenging for complex geotechnical structures. In this study, the RGD approach has become practical by introducing a response surface as a surrogate to finite element- or finite difference-based computer code that is used for analyzing the system, and developing a fast algorithm for the optimization process. For demonstration purposes, a real-world supported excavation project is designed using this modified RGD approach and it is compared with the one designed by a local expert.  相似文献   

Glacial and post-glacial sedimentary processes in the Irish Rockall Trough from an integrated acoustic analysis of near-seabed sediments     

Fabio Sacchetti  Sara Benetti  Rory Quinn  Colm Ó Cofaigh 《Geo-Marine Letters》2013,33(1):49-66

Near-seabed (<50 m) sediments were studied throughout the Irish sector of the Rockall Trough (ca. 123,000 km²) based on a combined analysis of shallow seismic (3.5 kHz) and multibeam swath data acquired by the Irish National Seabed Survey and reprocessed here at higher resolution. The detailed identification of seven acoustic facies served to classify the Rockall Trough into six main sedimentary provinces, incorporating the well-known Feni Drift, Donegal-Barra Fan and Rockall Bank mass flow. In the northern part of the study area, extensive mass transport deposits from both flanks of the trough are the dominant depositional features. Debris flow deposits formed by ice streaming of the British-Irish ice sheet characterise most of the Donegal-Barra Fan, whereas turbidite deposition occurs towards the toe of the fan. On the western margin of the trough, the post-glacial Rockall Bank mass flow deposit displays a rough topography with no acoustic penetration. Several failure scarps are visible on the flank of the bank where the mass flow originated, and pass downslope into large sediment lobes and smaller debris flow deposits. Smaller-scale mass transport deposits were also discovered close to some canyons indenting the eastern slope. High seismic penetration characterises the Feni contourite drift deposit, and precise mapping of its geographical extent shows that it is considerably wider than previously reported. The sediment waves that drape this drift are interpreted as predominantly relict features, and their varied geometry suggests a complex oceanographic regime. In the deeper part of the trough, the data reveal novel evidence of the widespread occurrence (about 12,000 km²) of distinct seismic and backscatter signatures indicating the possible presence of fluid escape structures within fine-grained sediments of mixed contouritic, hemipelagic and turbiditic origin. Sediment overloading and increased pore pressure resulting from extensive mass wasting to the north of the area is a likely cause of dewatering-rooted fluid migration towards the seabed, but further investigations are required to confirm the nature and origin of such fluids in the Rockall Trough.  相似文献   

Species loss in the brown world: are heterotrophic systems inherently stable?     

Michael J. Rubbo  Lisa K. Belden  Sara I. Storrs-Mendez  Jonathan J. Cole  Joseph M. Kiesecker 《Aquatic Sciences - Research Across Boundaries》2012,74(3):397-404

Determining the effects of species loss on ecosystems has received considerable attention given the current threats many ecosystems are facing. A significant body of research has yielded many insights to this question, but this work has been limited by a focus on ecosystems where primary production plays a significant role in energy transfer. As many ecosystems rely on energy sources that are not derived from in situ production, there is a need to better understand how species loss will affect ecosystems of varying trophic states. To examine the effects of species loss on an ecosystem that is not reliant on in situ primary production, we manipulated the larval amphibian community of temporary forest ponds. These ponds are heterotrophic systems that rely on allochthonous inputs of detritus as a basal energy source. The larvae of two amphibian species that are prone to local extinction, wood frogs (Lithobates sylvatica) and spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum), were removed from ponds and net ecosystem production was monitored. We found no effects of the removal of these top consumers on ecosystem functioning or on lower trophic groups (i.e., zooplankton, algae, bacteria). While amphibians can influence food web dynamics in other systems, their influence on system processes in temporary forest ponds appears to be limited. We hypothesize that the lack of any effects is due to the microbial degradation of detritus ??swamping?? the system, providing more than enough energy to maintain the food web, and/or due to omnivory dampening species interactions. These data indicate that the functioning of heterotrophic systems may be inherently stable due to internal dynamics that minimize interaction strengths among trophic groups.  相似文献   

Tracing seafloor methane emissions with benthic foraminifera: Results from the Ana submarine landslide (Eivissa Channel,Western Mediterranean Sea)     

Giuliana Panieri  Angelo Camerlenghi  Isabel Cacho  Cristina Sanchez Cervera  Miquel Canals  Sara Lafuerza  Gemma Herrera 《Marine Geology》2012

The hypothesis that benthic foraminifera are useful proxies of local methane emissions from the seafloor has been verified on sediment core KS16 from the headwall of the Ana submarine landslide in the Eivissa Channel, Western Mediterranean Sea. The core MS312 from a nearby location with no known methane emissions is utilised as control. The core was analysed for biostratigraphy, benthic foraminiferal assemblages, Hyalinea balthica and Uvigerina peregrina carbon and oxygen stable isotope composition, and sedimentary structures. The upper part of the core records post-landslide deglacial and Holocene normal marine hemipelagic sediments with highly abundant benthic foraminifera species that are typical of outer neritic to upper bathyal environment. In this interval, the δ¹³C composition of benthic foraminifera indicates normal marine environment analogous to those found in the control core. Below the sedimentary hiatus caused by the emplacement of the slide, the foraminiferal assemblages are characterised by lower density and higher Shannon Index. Markedly negative δ¹³C shifts in benthic foraminifera are attributed to the release of methane through the seabed. The mean values of the ¹³C anomaly in U. peregrina are ? 0.951 ± 0.208 in the pre-landslide sediments, and ? 0.269 ± 0.152 in post-slide reworked sediments deposited immediately above the hiatus. The δ¹³C anomaly in Hyalinea balthica is ? 2.497 ± 0.080 and ? 2.153 ± 0.087, respectively. To discard the diagenetic effects on the δ¹³C anomaly, which could have been induced by Ca–Mg replacement and authigenic carbonate overgrowth on foraminifera tests, a benthic foraminifera subsample has been treated following an oxidative and reductive cleaning protocol. The cleaning has resulted, only in some cases, in a slight reduction of the anomaly by 0.95% for δ¹³C and < 0.80% for δ¹⁸O. Therefore, the first conclusion is that the diagenetic alteration is minor and it does not alter significantly the overall carbon isotopic anomaly in the core. Consequently, the pre-landslide sediments have been subject to pervasive methane emissions during a time interval of several thousand years. Methane emissions continued during and immediately after the occurrence of Ana Slide at about 61.5 ka. Subsequently, methane emissions decreased and definitely ceased during the last deglaciation and the Holocene.  相似文献   

Analysis of patterns of vertical and temporal distribution of phytoplankton using multifactorial analysis: Acidic Lake Caviahue, Patagonia, Argentina     

Sara G. Beamud  Mónica M. Diaz  Nora B. Baccalá 《Limnologica》2010,40(2):140-147

Most existing studies on the algal communities of acid lakes are based on environments that have been caused by anthropogenic disturbances. Such lakes have a different origin compared to the natural acidic lakes and could be expected to differ also in the mechanisms controlling phytoplankton and trophic status. Planktonic community in Lake Caviahue is somewhat diverse in spite of the low pH of the water. Algae have a distinctive vertical distribution: the values of phytoplankton biomass remain constant throughout the water column and at times were highest in the upper end of the hypolimnion, forming a maximum or a layer of chlorophyll a at depth. The goal of this work was to investigate the factors influencing the seasonal and vertical distribution of phytoplankton. The lake was sampled between the years 2004 and 2006. Physical, chemical and biological parameters at different depths throughout the water column were determined. The interrelationships between environmental variables at different sampling dates were analyzed using an integration of multivariate matrices, multiple factor analysis, to analyze any joint partnerships in the samples. We found that phytoplankton biomass is dominated by Keratococcus rhaphidioides. With regard to zooplankton, we found a single species of rotifers (Philodina sp.). The two arms of the lake and the depths have different behaviours showing differences in the arms' conductivity, dissolved oxygen and pH. The more superficial layers were characterized by high values of phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass, organic and inorganic carbon, dissolved oxygen and pH. The deeper layers showed high values of chlorophyll a, ammonium and phosphorus (dissolved and particulate). From the multivariate analysis the relationships of the each algal species with pH, as a possible indicator of the degree of “acidophilia”, could be extracted.  相似文献   

Key concepts in development geography by Rob Potter,Dennis Conway,Ruth Evans and Sally Lloyd‐Evans,Sage Publications Ltd., London. 2012. 278 pp. ISBN 978‐0‐85702‐585‐2.     

Sara Kindon 《New Zealand geographer》2013,69(2):168-169

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Total mercury in terrestrial systems (air-soil-plant-water) at the mining region of San Joaquín,Queretaro, Mexico     

Sergio Martínez-Trinidad  Gilberto Hernández Silva  Juventino Martínez Reyes  Gregorio Solorio Munguía  Sara Solís Valdez  Martha Elena Ramírez Islas  Rocío García Martínez 《Geofísica Internacional》2013,52(1):43-58

Deficient management of cinnabar mining left the San Joaquín region with high concentrations of mercury in its soils (2.4 – 4164 mg kg^-1). Numerous cinnabar mines have contributed to the dispersion of mercury into agricultural (0.5 –314 mg kg^-1) and forest (0.2 – 69 mg kg^-1) soils. Sediments are a natural means of transportation for mercury, causing its spreading, especially in areas near mine entrances (0.6 – 687 mg kg^-1). The nearness of maize crops to mines favors mercury accumulation in the different plant structures, such as roots, stems, leaves, and grain (0.04 – 8.2 mg kg^-1); these being related to mercury volatilization and accumulation in soils. Mercury vapor present in the settlements could indicate a constant volatilization from lands and soils (22 – 153 ng m^-3). The mercury levels found in the soils, in maize grain, and in the air resulted greater than the standards reported by the Official Mexican Norm (NOM) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Mercury in rainwater is due mainly to the presence of suspended atmospheric particles, later deposited on the surface (1.5 – 339 μg |^-1). Mercury dissolution was found in the drinking water (10 – 170 ng |^-1), with concentrations below those established by the NOM and the WHO. The contamination existing in the San Joaquín region does not reach the levels of the world’s greatest mercury producers: Almaden (Spain) and Idrija (Slovenia). It is, however, like that found in other important second degree world producers such as Guizhou (China). The population of San Joaquín, as well as its surrounding environment, are constantly exposed to mercury contamination, thus making a long term monitoring necessary to determine its effects, especially to people.  相似文献   

Planning for growth in a natural resource boomtown: challenges for urban planners in Fort McMurray,Alberta     

Sara Beth Keough 《Urban geography》2013,34(8):1169-1196

Between 2000 and 2010, the population of the city of Fort McMurray, Alberta increased by 80%, mainly due to the expansion of oil extraction projects and subsidiary industries. Population growth of this magnitude has significant consequences for city planning. While Fort McMurray struggles to keep up with enormous numbers of in-migrants, the cost of living in the city has skyrocketed. Using interviews with city planners and field experience in the city, in this paper I examine the current challenges faced by urban planners in Fort McMurray against the backdrop of global economic decision-making, corporate influence, and commodity dynamics. While the recession of 2008 gave city planners some breathing room, they still struggle with gathering accurate census information and predicting population growth, providing affordable housing, and balancing short-range planning with their long-term goals. Attempts by city planners to address these challenges could provide a contemporary model for urban planning in rapidly growing, resource-dependent communities.  相似文献