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Urban Sites (urban + site)
Selected AbstractsComparison of frog assemblages between urban and non-urban habitats in the upper Blue Mountains of AustraliaFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2008ALAN LANE Summary 1. World wide, and in Australia, many frog populations have declined over the last two decades. The present study was undertaken to determine whether urbanization has affected frog diversity and abundance. 2. Five urban sites were paired with non-urban sites. Urban sites were in Katoomba and Blackheath, and were subject to physical environmental disturbance and impacted by storm water pollution due to urban runoff. Non-urban sites were in the Blue Mountains National Park and were effectively subject to no human impact. 3. Water quality at urban sites was typical of sites polluted with sewage, while non-urban sites exhibited water quality typical of ,pristine' natural bushland streams. 4. Six species were found at urban sites (Litoria peronii, Litoria dentata, Litoria verreauxii, Limnodynastes dumerilii, Limnodynastes peronii, Crinia signifera), with up to four species present at a site. Only one species (C. signifera) was recorded at non-urban sites, and frogs were absent from most non-urban sites. 5. The situation in non-urban sites mirrors the trend of decline observed in other montane regions. Surprisingly, frog abundance and diversity were higher in urban habitats, running counter to this trend. 6. We hypothesize that the salts, detergents and other chemicals in urban wastewaters provide frogs with a level of protection against disease, particularly chytridiomycosis. [source] Long-term corrosion-induced copper runoff from natural and artificial patina and its environmental impact,ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2006Sofia Bertling Abstract The overall objective of this paper is to present an extensive set of data for corrosion-induced copper dispersion and its environmental interaction with solid surfaces in the near vicinity of buildings. Copper dispersion is discussed in terms of total copper flows, copper speciation and bioavailability at the immediate release situation, and its changes during transport from source to recipient. Presented results are based on extensive field exposures (eight years) at an urban site, laboratory investigations of the runoff process, published field data, generated predictive site-specific runoff rate models, and reactivity investigations toward various natural and manmade surfaces, such as those in soil, limestone, and concrete. Emphasis is placed on the interaction of copper-containing runoff water with different soil systems through long-term laboratory column investigations. The fate of copper is discussed in terms of copper retention, copper chemical speciation, breakthrough capacities, and future mobilization based on changes in copper concentrations in the percolate water, computer modeling using the Windermere Humic Aqueous Model, and sequential extractions. The results illustrate that, for scenarios where copper comes in extensive contact with solid surfaces, such as soil and limestone, a large fraction of released copper is retained already in the immediate vicinity of the building. In all, both the total copper concentration in runoff water and its bioavailable part undergo a significant and rapid reduction. [source] PCA- and PMF-based methodology for air pollution sources identification and apportionmentENVIRONMETRICS, Issue 8 2009Marie Chavent Abstract Air pollution is a wide concern for human health and requires the development of air quality control strategies. In order to achieve this goal pollution sources have to be accurately identified and quantified. The case study presented in this paper is part of a scientific project initiated by the French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development. For the following study measurements of chemical composition data for particles have been conducted on a French urban site. The first step of the study consists in the identification of the sources profiles which is achieved through principal component analysis (PCA) completed by a rotation technique. Then the apportionment of the sources is evaluated with a receptor modeling using positive matrix factorization (PMF) as estimation method. Finally the joint use of these two statistical methods enables to characterize and apportion five different sources of fine particulate emission. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Ancient injury recidivism: an example from the Kerma period of ancient NubiaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Margaret Judd Abstract A topical trend in clinical research has been the study of repeat trauma, referred to by clinicians as "injury recidivism," which lends itself to the assessment of accumulated injuries among ancient people. The present investigation examined the healed injuries among two archaeological skeletal samples from the Kerma period (ca. 2500,1500 BC) of Sudanese Nubia. Both groups were known to have a high prevalence of multiple trauma,80% of 54 adults from the rural sites (O16 and P37) located near Dongola and 42% of 212 adults from the urban site of Kerma sustained nonfatal injuries. It was observed that a higher frequency of multi-injured adults displayed one or more violence-associated injury (cranial trauma, parry fracture). When all injuries were considered 38% of individuals with violence-related injuries had other traumatic lesions in contrast to 22% of individuals who experienced injuries associated with accidental falls (e.g., Colles', Smiths', Galeazzi, and paired forearm fractures), although this difference was not significant. When only the skulls and long bones were evaluated 81% of adults with multiple injuries to these major bones bore one or more violence-related injuries, while 60% of adults with single injuries sustained violence-related injuries. Most individuals with multiple injuries were male and less than 35 years of age; there was no significant difference in the frequency of violence- or accident-related multiple injury between the rural and urban communities. Although it cannot be established whether or not some of an individual's injuries were experienced during simultaneous or independent incidents, the pattern of multiple injury among these two ancient Nubian skeletal samples reflected the profile of injury recidivism observed by modern clinicians cross-culturally. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Linkages between household wealth, bushmeat and other animal protein consumption are not invariant: evidence from Rio Muni, Equatorial GuineaANIMAL CONSERVATION, Issue 6 2009J. E. Fa Abstract Bushmeat consumption is affected by household wealth. However, how household wealth impacts bushmeat eaten in different environmental and social settings (i.e. whether urban, rural, coastal or forest) is poorly understood. In this study, we sampled households in six contrasting localities in Rio Muni, Equatorial Guinea, in coastal (Bata, Cogo), central (Niefang, Evinayong) and eastern parts of the territory (Ebebiyin, Nsork). On average, 32.3 g of bushmeat per adult male equivalent per day were consumed, though this varied widely between sites and most households ate no bushmeat on the survey day. Fish was the most frequently recorded source of protein and in a coastal site, Cogo, significantly more fish was consumed than in the other localities. Overall, average protein consumption was correlated with household wealth, but the strength of this effect varied among sites. At the site where average wealth was highest (Bata, the most urban site), bushmeat was more expensive, and wealthier households ate more of it. Elsewhere bushmeat consumption was not associated with wealth, and the cost of bushmeat was a higher proportion of household wealth. In Bata, wealthier households reported consumption of more than one meat type (most frequently bushmeat and either domestic meat or fish), and diversity of dietary items also increased with wealth. In all sites, wealthier households ate less fish. We demonstrate distinct differences in relationships between urban versus rural areas, and between coastal versus inland sites. We therefore caution that general patterns of wealth,wild meat consumption must be evaluated taking account the circumstances of wild meat consumers. [source] Year-long measurements of C1,C3 halocarbons at an urban site and their relationship with meteorological parametersATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE LETTERS, Issue 2 2009M. A. H. Khan Abstract The mixing ratios of 11 C1,C3 halocarbons have been measured using a GC,twin-linked ECD system over the period from October 2004 to December 2005 at an urban site in Bristol, UK. Time series and seasonal variations of the halocarbons were analysed over the period to determine biogenic and anthropogenic sources and sinks. Correlations between the target halocarbons were also observed, suggesting common sources within the area. Wind rose plots for all halocarbons have been used to assist in the determination of halocarbons sources. Halocarbon concentrations are highest at low-wind speeds and decrease as wind speed increases, a few species (CCl4 and CH3Cl most notably) rise at very high-wind speeds suggesting release from the Bristol Channel. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Comparison of frog assemblages between urban and non-urban habitats in the upper Blue Mountains of AustraliaFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2008ALAN LANE Summary 1. World wide, and in Australia, many frog populations have declined over the last two decades. The present study was undertaken to determine whether urbanization has affected frog diversity and abundance. 2. Five urban sites were paired with non-urban sites. Urban sites were in Katoomba and Blackheath, and were subject to physical environmental disturbance and impacted by storm water pollution due to urban runoff. Non-urban sites were in the Blue Mountains National Park and were effectively subject to no human impact. 3. Water quality at urban sites was typical of sites polluted with sewage, while non-urban sites exhibited water quality typical of ,pristine' natural bushland streams. 4. Six species were found at urban sites (Litoria peronii, Litoria dentata, Litoria verreauxii, Limnodynastes dumerilii, Limnodynastes peronii, Crinia signifera), with up to four species present at a site. Only one species (C. signifera) was recorded at non-urban sites, and frogs were absent from most non-urban sites. 5. The situation in non-urban sites mirrors the trend of decline observed in other montane regions. Surprisingly, frog abundance and diversity were higher in urban habitats, running counter to this trend. 6. We hypothesize that the salts, detergents and other chemicals in urban wastewaters provide frogs with a level of protection against disease, particularly chytridiomycosis. [source] Habitat influences on urban avian assemblagesIBIS, Issue 1 2009KARL L. EVANS Urbanization is increasing across the globe and there is growing interest in urban ecology and a recognition that developed areas may be important for conservation. We review the factors influencing urban avian assemblages, focusing on habitat type and anthropogenic resource provision, and analyse data from a common bird monitoring scheme to assess some of these issues. The review suggests that (1) local factors are more important than regional ones in determining the species richness of urban avian assemblages, raising the potential for the management of urban sites to deliver conservation; (2) habitat fragmentation frequently influences urban avian assemblages, with the effects of patch size being greater than those of isolation, and (3) urban bird assemblages appear to respond positively to increasing the structural complexity, species richness of woody vegetation and supplementary feeding, and negatively to human disturbance. Data from Britain's Breeding Bird Survey, combined with habitat data obtained from aerial photographs, were used to assess a number of these issues at the resolution of 1-km squares. Green-space constituted 45% of these squares, and domestic gardens contributed 50% of this green-space, though their contribution to large continuous patches of green-space was negligible. There was no significant positive correlation between the densities of individual species in urban areas and surrounding rural areas. Rural species richness declined with increasing latitude, but urban species richness was not correlated with latitude. This contrast contributes to slightly higher avian species richness in rural squares in Southern England than urban ones. Occupancy and abundance were strongly positively correlated in urban avian assemblages, and some indicator species of conservation concern occurred in few urban areas and at low densities. Such species will require conservation action to be precisely targeted within urban areas. Of the urban indicators of conservation concern, only the House Sparrow Passer domesticus and Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris were more abundant in urban than rural areas. Moreover, the densities of these two species were strongly and positively correlated, indicating that they may be limited by shared resources, such as nest-sites or supplementary food. There was little evidence that high densities of nest-predating corvids were associated with reduced densities of their prey species. Species richness and the densities of individual species frequently declined with an increasing number of buildings. Current trends for the densification of many British urban areas are thus likely to be detrimental for many bird species. [source] Pore-system characteristics of pavement seam materials of urban sitesJOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2006Thomas Nehls Abstract The original light-brown sandy seam filling of pavements in urban areas turns dark and changes its properties by the time due to various inputs of urban dust. Deposited Corg inputs do mostly not have natural characteristics but are man-made, e.g., diesel dust. Thus, properties of the seam material are not predictable from experiences with forest or agricultural soils. Semiperviously sealed urban areas are sites of contaminant deposition as well as groundwater recharge. For an assessment of the resulting groundwater-contamination risk in these areas, the properties of the seam material, which influences transport processes, must be known. The aim of this study was to investigate the pore-system build-up, which includes size distribution and fractal character in the seam material of urban sites. The investigated samples were taken from pavements adjacent to roads in Berlin and Warsaw. The micropore parameters (nanometer range) were characterized using water-vapor desorption isotherms, mesopore parameters (micrometer range) were estimated from mercury-intrusion porosimetry and macropore parameters (millimeter range) from water-retention curves. Particle density, dry bulk density, and particle-size distribution were measured using standard methods. Volumes of micro- and mesopores as well as particle densities and dry bulk densities correlated with Ctot contents. However, no such relation was found for macropore volumes. Compared to the original sandy seam filling, the altered seam material shows significantly higher Corg contents and higher amounts of micro- and mesopores. Therefore, the available water capacity increases by 0.05,0.11,m3,m,3, as compared to the original sandy seam filling. Compared to natural sandy soils having similar Corg contents, the seam material shows similar macropore volumes, but the volume of mesopores and micropores is a few times smaller. That is mainly because of the particulate character of the organic matter. [source] SOCIAL DYNAMICS ON THE NORTHERN FRONTIER OF ROMAN BRITAINOXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1 2005MIKE McCARTHY Summary. Despite much work on the frontier of Roman Britain, major questions concerned with society and settlement archaeology remain underinvestigated. Salient details of two major urban sites, Carlisle and Corbridge, both of which may shed further light on processes of settlement growth and decline, and which may ultimately contribute to a greater understanding of how the frontier worked, are summarized. At Carlisle, and probably also at Corbridge, settlement growth associated with forts was rapid and multi-tracked, but from the later second century AD changes took place associated, perhaps, with enhanced status and a growing sense of community. [source] The settlement patterns of north-eastern and south-eastern Arabia in late antiquityARABIAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND EPIGRAPHY, Issue 2 2009Michel Mouton The east Arabian settlements in antiquity were never large urban sites. However, they were the main centres of the communities that inhabited that area, interfacing between the nomadic and sedentary societies. A study of the distribution and characteristics of these sites reveals different, complementary functions. They were organized in local networks forming the essential structure of the settlement pattern and delineating the territories of communities having their own political identity. [source] Efficacy of bird-baited traps placed at different heights for collecting ornithophilic mosquitoes in eastern Queensland, AustraliaAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Cassie C Jansen Abstract To compare the efficacy of bird-baited traps with standard CO2 -baited Centers for Disease Control (CDC) light traps for collecting ornithophilic mosquito species, seven Latin square trials were conducted at six urban sites in Cairns and Brisbane, Australia. Traps were placed 1 m above ground level and 5,10 m according to tree canopy height. CO2 -baited CDC traps consistently collected more mosquitoes of all species than the bird-baited traps at all locations. In Brisbane, CO2 -baited CDC traps placed at ground level collected significantly more Culex annulirostris Skuse than those at canopy height during two trials, and more Aedes vigilax (Skuse) and Ae. procax (Skuse) during one trial each. Conversely, in Cairns, CO2 -baited CDC traps placed in the tree canopy collected significantly more Cx. squamosus (Taylor) during two trials, and significantly more Aedeomyia catasticta Knab and Cx. cubiculi Marks during one trial each. Consistently low yields of ornithophilic species including Cx. australicus Dobrotworsky & Drummond and Cx. quinquefasciatus Say in all traps tested suggests the need to employ alternative trapping measures to target these species in urban areas. [source] | ||||||||||||||||