bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Field Studies of the Effects of Cement Dust on the Growth and Yield of Olive Trees in Turkey
Authors: Sheikh Khalid Hamid , Öztürk Münir A. , Seçmen Ö. , Vardar Y. 
Published: August 2009

The effects of cement dust emissions from a cement factory on the growth and yield of trees in the adjacent Olive plantation were investigated. Some characteristics of the soils in the polluted and non-polluted areas of the plantation were studied.In the polluted area the cement dust had formed a crust ca 1 cm thick on the soil surface, and the leaves of Olive trees in this area were also covered with a cement crust. The amount of dust deposited on the leaves of the polluted trees was around 2.55 mg/sq. cm of leaf surface, but they did not show any visible symptoms of injury. However, as compared with a non-polluted tree, the polluted trees showed up to 50 and 55.6 per cent reduction in growth and fruit yield, respectively. Moreover, the length and width of the fruits of the polluted trees were, respectively, some 15 and 20 per cent shorter.As regards herbaceous plants, there were only 6 species growing in the polluted area and these were practically confined to the soil under the trees whereas there were 26 species growing virtually at random in the non-polluted area. The soil of the polluted area had a lower moisture-content, less organic matter, a lower water-holding capacity, and a markedly reduced content of calcium carbonate, than that of the non-polluted area, which, however, had a somewhat lower content of other salts.The marked reduction in the growth and yield of Olive trees in the polluted area may be explained in terms of the shading effect of the foliar cement crust as well as through the changes in soil characteristics that had been brought about by the cement factory effluents. Thus the uncontrolled emissions of a cement kiln can affect the growth of the adjacent vegetation through both the air and the soil.
Changing Trends in the Biosphere and in Biogeochemical Cycles
Authors: Kovda Viktor A. 
Published: August 2009

The examples discussed here show how closely connected are purely natural biogeochemical processes with the consequences of Man's impact on Nature in the present-day biosphere—especially if this impact takes the form of deforestation, largearea irrigation without drainage, or massive introduction into the biosphere of complex compounds utilized in industry, farming, and other branches of economy and life. Reconstruction of Man's economic activities on a planned scientific basis is becoming imperative now. We need implementation of the principles of science-based, waste-free technology, maximum reutilization and recycling of the rejects and by-products, and adoption of an extremely delicate approach to Nature and its links. Regular observations of the status of Nature (monitoring) at suitable biospheric stations are necessary. This means that a lot of various technological, field, and laboratory studies, with experiments and modelling, have to be done. They will help us to unravel further the mysteries of the biosphere-man system, and to use with greater effect all available mineral wealth, energy, soils, water, plants, and other natural resources. Then we shall better understand the aridization and other depletion phenomena with which we are confronted, and be able to devise methods of fighting them and of multiplying the productivity of land and water.Our environment and natural resources should be used and controlled in such a way as to maintain normal biospheric functions and efficiently prevent cases of functional disorganization of this complicated system. We must also try to reduce the possible negative after-effects of any disruptive processes in order to protect Man and his health and also Nature.We have to preserve the biosphere of our beautiful and unique planet Earth for ourselves and for future generations.
Establishing Spartina alterniflora Marsh in North Carolina
Authors: Seneca Ernest D. , Broome Stephen W. , Woodhouse William W. , Cammen Leon M. , Lyon Joseph T. 
Published: August 2009

Spartina alterniflora salt-marsh has been established from seed and transplants on dredged materials and sandy shorelines along the North Carolina coast. Transplants were more successful than seeding over a greater portion of the intertidal range and under more rigorous environmental conditions, but seeding was successful in the upper half of protected sites. Seeding at the rate of 100 viable seeds per square metre from April through May can result in complete vegetational coverage by the end of the first growing-season. At the end of the second growing-season, above-ground biomass accumulation from seeding approached that produced by transplants which had originally been planted on a 0.9-metre centre. Both above-ground and below-ground production of planted marsh compared well with values for these components in natural marshes. There were no differences in production by epiphytes between planted and natural S. alterniflora marsh at two different locations. Faunal production in the upper 13 cm of sediment was significantly less in planted than in natural marsh, and where marsh plants accumulated sediments, faunal numbers and biomass were less in planted than in unplanted areas. Sediment carbon content indicated that 4 to 25 years might be required for a newly-planted marsh to resemble a natural marsh.Based on our studies, the techniques developed to plant S. alterniflora on dredged material and along sandy shorelines can be employed to initiate new and functional salt-marsh where none existed previously. The length of time required for man-initiated marsh to resemble natural marsh depends upon how closely the new substrate resembles natural marsh in the type of sediment accumulated, in the elevation of the new substrate, in the natural sedimentation rate in the area, and in the relative maturity of the natural marsh system.
Planning and Management of Water Resources in the Ljubljana Region of Yugoslavia
Authors: Angotti Thomas R. 
Published: August 2009

In spite of a relatively pollution-free ground- and surface-water system in the Ljubljana region of Yugoslavia, large public investments are planned for waste-water treatment systems. This is due to a high level of public awareness of pollution dangers and to particular characteristics of the decentralized economic and political institutional framework of the Yugoslav self-management system. The decentralized framework leads to a trend towards parsimonious decisionmaking—that is, adoption of the simplest solutions to otherwise complex policy-problems.The new ‘water self-management communities’ in Slovenia may potentially become the instruments for regional basin-wide planning, but face four major existing problems: (1) the proliferation of local wastewater facilities throughout the region; (2) without consideration of their cost-effectiveness, the major policy goal is simply to provide sewers for 90% of the population, and not optimization of water-quality or investments; (3) the fragmentation of water management institutions hinders a comprehensive basinwide approach; and finally (4) the system of waterquality monitoring is not related to the planning process, while discharge standards and stream classifications are not based on utilization of in-stream assimilative capacity.Three alternative systems of waste-water treatment and disposal are considered: decentralization, regionalization, and the present trend towards local communal treatment facilities but with a centralized system. Even taking into account scale economies, regionalization is probably the most costly because of the low-density urban pattern in the region, and the last-mentioned trend should be the least costly in terms of short-run capital outlays. The study could have wide implications as an example.
Environmental Problems Associated with Arctic Development Especially in Alaska
Authors: West George C. 
Published: August 2009

Rapid development for the exploration and extraction of mineral and petroleum resources in the cold-dominated arctic tundra and subarctic taiga regions of the world has resulted in a series of unexpected potential impacts on the environment, wildlife, and human health and safety.Surface transportation, especially over low wet-tundra areas in summer, causes long-term changes in vegetation through reduction of insulation to the underlying permafrost. The number of passes over the same track, ground pressure of the vehicle, and speed of travel, affect the degree of degradation. For permanent roads, gravel removed from adjacent stream-beds or hillsides and laid directly on the tundra mat, has provided the most suitable road-bed. These roads, and the removal of gravel, however cause aesthetic and practical problems such as spreading of dust, impoundment of water, behavioural barricading of animals, alteration of river channels, and siltation of streams.Anadromous fishes constitute a major food resource; alteration of stream channels or siltation of rivers can affect their movement and reproductive success. Oil-spills in aquatic systems, especially in rivers, are harder to control and clean up than terrestrial ones. Recovery of ponds in which oil has been spilled takes several years. The oil-rich outer-continental shelves in the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering Seas, now under exploration for oil, are especially sensitive, as they are highly productive and contain unique populations of marine mammals and birds.Human habitation of the Arctic requires transport of food, fuel, and construction materials for lodging, and disposal of refuse and human wastes which, due to the permafrost-underlain vegetative mat, is difficult in arctic areas. Heating by fossil fuels results in ice-fogs in winter and accumulation of atmospheric pollutants at ground-level during thermal inversions at all seasons.Perhaps the greatest impact on arctic ecosystems is simply the increased intervention of the human population. Where native people were previously only sparsely settled or nomadic in the tundra, and on coasts where they tended to congregate, now the economic need for resources has resulted in increased pressure overall which will result in decreasing habitats for wildlife, destruction of wilderness areas, and increased access to humans for further exploration and recreation.
Reafforestation in the U. S. Pacific Northwest
Authors: Waring Richard H. 
Published: August 2009

The Pacific Northwest is economically dependent upon its forest resources, which at present represent about 30% of the nation's softwood supply. Predicted decreases in the available supply have encouraged more intensive forest management, and new methods of planting, harvesting, and transport, have been developed.Even with these improvements, problems exist in reducing erosion and accommodating other uses of forest lands and streams. With adequate planning and effort, however, most of these problems can be solved. But costs are high, and State laws controlling all forest practices are forcing Federal, State, and private, landowners to cooperate in planning for the future. Decisions that must soon be made should reflect an ecological understanding that could ensure the economic future of the Pacific Northwest.
Man's Impact on the Natural Environment of Peninsular Malaysia: Some Problems and Human Consequences
Authors: Aiken S. Robert , Moss Michael R. 
Published: August 2009

Malaysia is one of the world's most successful ‘developing’ countries. As such it provides some excellent examples of rapidly changing man–environment relationships of a type that are soon to be expected in many other Third World nations.The examples selected for this paper have been chosen to show both the degree of Man's impact on the natural environment of Peninsular Malaysia and also the changing relationships between Man and his environment. These two themes are inextricably related. The case-studies used illustrate these themes on different areal scales.The impact of oil spillage from grounded supertankers using the Straits of Malacca and Singapore illustrates the international implications of a potentially widespread ecological disaster. The need for international control is stressed. In Malaysia, effluent from palm-oil processing mills is becoming an increasingly serious water-pollution problem in many of the Peninsula's rivers. Although the effects may be confined to individual drainage-basins, the results can be catastrophic to both aquatic and marine ecosystems and to the people who obtain their livelihood from them.Land development and forest clearance have resulted in the opening up of vast areas to new rural settlements, a process paralleled by rapid urbanization. The third case-study considers Man's changing relationship to his disease environment in both rural and urban areas from the point of view of man–mosquito relationships. Finally, as a local problem, the Batu Caves situation is taken to illustrate conflicting resource demands for a unique limestone habitat. The impact of industrial pollution on the local population is emphasized.These problems are finally considered from the point of view of the quality of life and human welfare in developing countries. It is argued that raising levels of human welfare through development without giving due consideration to environmental impact may be a self-defeating process. Local issues probably make the individual aware of this paradox. Perhaps only when the cumulative environmental and individual impact of human activities is appreciated at local, regional, and national, scales will effective legislative controls be introduced.
Conservation of Butterflies in Garden Habitats
Authors: Owen Denis F. 
Published: August 2009

Sixteen species of butterflies occur in a small suburban garden in Leicester, England. During a five-years' survey, 9,000 individuals were caught, marked, and released, and it is suggested that this astonishing total is evidence that English gardens support a vast and highly mobile community of butterflies.The contrived vegetational diversity of gardens provides an excellent environment for adult butterflies, but apart from Pieris rapae and Pieris brassicae, rather few seem to breed in gardens. One attractive species, Anthocharis cardamines, may have recently become adapted to breeding on Arabis albida, a common plant in rock-gardens. Suggestions are offered as to how gardens can be made attractive for butterflies.
The Conservation of Fitzroya cupressoides and Its Environment in Southern Chile
Authors: Veblen Thomas T. , Delmastro Roberto J. , Schlatter Juan E. 
Published: August 2009

The giant conifer, Fitzroya cupressoides (Mol.) Johnston, or Alerce (ah-laír-say), which is native to southern Chile and Argentina, has been intensively exploited for its durable wood since the European colonization of southern South America. Today, it persists only in relatively small stands mostly in very remote and inaccessible areas. While location in national parks provides most of the few remaining Alerce stands in Argentina with effective protection, Alerce continues to be exploited in Chile. Conservation of Chile's largest and longest-lived trees is complicated by inadequate ecological knowledge of Alerce, as well as by the socio-economic conflicts that are often associated with protection of rare but commercially valuable species.Following exploitation, Alerce regenerates extremely poorly, though for reasons which are still unknown. Possible explanations include (1) inadequate seed production or seedling establishment in all but unusually favourable years occurring at intervals of at least ten years, (2) deterioration of the soil due to the potent leaching effect of the coniferous litter, or (3) a directional change in the climate of southern Chile since the time of establishment of much of the once-extensive forests of Alerce.Historically, Alerce has played an important role in the economy of southern Chile since the late sixteenth century, and it continues to be commercially important. The great scientific and cultural importance of Alerce justifies giving it total protection with the status of a national monument.
Year-in-advance Forecasting of the Indian Monsoon Rainfall
Authors: Bryson Reid A. , Campbell William H. 
Published: August 2009

The paper starts out by discussing factors which influence the Indian monsoon rainfall—including Northern Hemispheric temperature changes, long-period soli–lunar tides, and the tidelike phenomena associated with the wobble of the Earth relative to its spin-axis. When the effects of these factors on precipitation are quantified and integrated into a thermodynamical–statistical model, long-range climatic forecasts can be made that are better than chance or than predicting ‘normal’ up to two or more years in advance.Climatic changes have had profound effects on the peoples of India through the controlling influence of the monsoon on Indian agriculture. We now have a technological tool, never before available, that might lessen the impact of variations of the monsoon by forecasting these variations one to two years in advance. The two-years-in-advance 1982 monsoon rainfall forecast for June and July, using the same station models that produced the excellent 1981 forecast, indicates that there is a two-to-one chance that the 1982 Indian monsoon rainfall will be less, in general, in June and July, than it was in 1981. The question which we wish to ask the reader is: How can this new technology be used? For example, how can this type of information be used for planning and policy-making in order to ensure less uncertainty about food supplies in the future than in the past?This region cannot depend upon the monsoon to bring plentiful rain every year, and, therefore, it is essential that we should continue to improve our forecasting capability and that others learn to make optimum use of these forecasts.
The Jonglei Canal—Needed Development or Potential Ecodisaster?
Authors: el Moghraby Asim I. 
Published: August 2009

The Nile is the major source of water for irrigation in northern Sudan and Egypt. The need for water is most acute during the dry season, which coincides with the period of low-flow of the Nile. Consequently, intensive studies have been made, since 1904, on the hydrology of the Nile and its control, while dams have been built on the Blue Nile, the White Nile, and the River Nile (i.e. after the confluence of the Blue Nile and White Nile at Khartoum). The concept of storage in the equatorial lakes was also entertained, before the decision was taken on the current excavation of the Jonglei Canal to by-pass the ‘Sudd’ swamps.A vast literature is available on the hydrology and hydrobiology of the Nile. Nevertheless the present manuscript is seemingly the first attempt to present unpublished notes with a compilation of the published literature. I have also attempted to outline the existing Jonglei Canal Project, which is often confused with earlier-suggested projects.I advocate that the need for water and the present state of knowledge justify undertaking ‘Phase One’ of the Project, but not ‘Phase Two’. A future paper (now in preparation) will deal in detail with claims that the excavation of the Canal will have drastic ecological repercussions, and will affect the way of life of the local Nilotic tribes.
Off-road Motorcycle Effects on a Desert Soil
Authors: Webb Robert H. 
Published: August 2009

The effects of controlled motorcycle traffic on a Mojave Desert soil in California were studied in order to describe soil compaction quantitatively. Four experimental trails, representing 1, 10, 100, and 200, passes each with an off-road motorcycle were established in a loamy sand at 6.2% by weight moisture content. Penetration resistance, density, infiltration rate, and response to rainfall, were measured for the undisturbed soil and for the experimental trails immediately after the conclusion of the impact, and soil cores were measured in the laboratory to determine pore-size distributions. The soil density was remeasured again one year after the impact, to determine the amount of recovery.Immediately after motorcycle use, the average density of the soil in the 0 to 60 mm depth increased from an average of 1.53 metric tons/cubic metre in the undisturbed soil to 1.77 t/m3in the 200 pass trail, and the average density in all the trails could be expressed empirically as a logarithmic function of the number of motorcycle passes. The soil penetration resistance profile for the 200-passes-trail showed that the maximum compaction occurred between 30 and 60 mm depth, and that changes in penetration resistance could be measured to a depth of 0.21 to 0.25 m. The infiltration rate after 2 hours decreased from an average of 98 mm/hr in the undisturbed soil to 29 mm/hr in the 200 pass trail.The undisturbed soil infiltrated artificial rainfall up to an intensity of 46 mm/hr before surface ponding occurred in the 100- and 200-passes-trails at intensities greater than 25 mm/hr. Decreases in the soil-pore volume were greatest in pores with effective radii greater than 150 μm, with incremental decreases occurring in pores with radii between 150 and 4.5 μm; the total volumes of smaller pores were similar in the compacted and undisturbed soils. One year after the impact, the density of the soil at a depth of 0–30 mm had decreased significantly in the 10-, 100-, and 200-passes-trails but the densities at 30–60 mm depth remained unchanged.
The Desertification of Central Otago, New Zealand
Authors: Mather Alexander S. 
Published: August 2009

The utilization of tussock grasslands in the semi-arid and sub-humid tussock grasslands of Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand, by European sheep farmers, began during the 1850s. Many of the sheep farmers and their hired shepherds migrated from the Scottish Highlands, and brought with them the management practices with which they were familiar. The extensive sheep farms or ‘runs’ were rented on government-owned land, and the graziers did not enjoy long-term security of tenure; nor did they receive compensation for any improvements which they might have undertaken during their occupancy.The combination of frequent burning of the vegetation and overgrazing soon resulted in a perceptible decrease in vegetation cover, such that land deterioration accelerated in the 1870s and 1880s when a rabbit pest irrupted. No effective action was taken to deal with the problem of land deterioration, and by the early part of the twentieth century parts of Central Otago were described as man-made desert. The tussock grassland had given way to almost bare soil interspersed with patches of Scabweed (Raoulia lutescens), and accelerated soil erosion resulted in slope-wash and gullying. Remedial action was delayed by the outbreak of the First World War, but a major Commission of Inquiry at the end of the war concluded that unsuitable forms of land tenure had contributed significantly to the desertification and land deterioration.Eventually, changes in land tenure were introduced, providing for security of tenure, entitlement to compensation for land improvements, and controls on husbandry and stocking levels.