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  • Wallace Faber posted an update 1 year, 6 months ago

    5 with a significant negative correlation between nighttime averages of surface PM2.5 concentrations and cloud cover fractions. This reveals an important mechanism for the impact of surface radiation cooling modulated by cloud cover change on the nighttime accumulated increase in PM2.5. This finding extends our understanding of air pollutant accumulation at night with potential implications for atmospheric environment change.The mangroves are well known for their ecological services and livelihood support to humankind. The mangrove forest is experiencing extreme pressure due to anthropogenic activities, mainly the debris pollution posing great harm to the mangrove ecosystems. The abundance, sources, and composition of surficial and trapped debris items in the six contiguous mangrove regions of Mumbai were studied by the belt-transect and quadrats method. A total number of 3526 surficial debris items (368 kg) were collected from twenty belt transects. The estimated mean surficial debris was 8.8 ± 3.4 pieces/m2 with a weight of 920 ± 317 g/m2. The mean trapped debris was 35 ± 10 pieces/tree and 2514 ± 758 g/tree. Plastic (62.4%) includes carry bags and food wrappers mainly. Shoreline/recreational activity-based debris (38.9%) and other items (32.7%) contributed significantly to the total debris pollution. The study provides evidence that the mangrove ecosystem acts as a natural filter and trap for coastal water debris. The trapped debris is a potential risk to the mangroves due to the barrier created on the canopy surface for the incident solar radiation utilized for photosynthesis. By conducting the cleaning programs in the mangrove vegetation stretches, the ecological disturbances to the mangrove ecosystems can be minimized. Further, the regular removal of trapped debris will complement coastal pollution management. The data generated from this study will help the policymakers and resource managers about the effective control and management of debris pollution in the mangroves region.Once a key factor behind Vietnam’s successful Doi Moi (restoration) economic reforms, the rice-centered agriculture of the VMD is now confronted by the new pressure of climate change impacts, including the intensifying salinity intrusion (SI). The SI menace has partly triggered the delta-wide emergence of new adaptive livelihood models across the VMD, including the prawn rice rotational crop (PRRC) that is arguably the most prominent. Research on the SI-driving factors is rapidly increasing in numbers, yet little synthesis has been done. Likewise, several studies have investigated the economic benefits of PRRC; less emphasis has placed on environmental and societal aspects, hence the questionable sustainability. This study, therefore, contributes a composite literature review, targeting two SI-related aspects (i) key factors driving the intensification of SI in recent years across the Mekong Delta, and (ii) current understanding of the sustainability of PRRC. Results from the first review assignment highlighttransformative agricultural models in both Mekong Delta and other deltas worldwide.The effects of climate change on water discharge in rivers in cold climates were investigated. To quantify the impacts of air temperature rises on the promotion of snowmelt and associated acceleration of a rise in the level of a river, 10 rivers on Hokkaido, northwestern Japan were chosen. Available data of daily water discharge for more than half a century by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) were correlated with air temperatures observed at the 8 weather stations operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The analyses show that annual average air temperatures have risen at all 8 sites on Hokkaido for the period from 1954 to 2018. The trends for the 8 sites show a range from 0.119 °C/decade to 0.250 °C/decade with an average of 0.191 °C/decade. Annual snowfall has increased at Sutsu. The trend over the period from 1954 to 2018 was 45.2 cm/decade. Otherwise, annual snowfall has not changed significantly in the period (1954-2018). Accelerations of the rise in the level of the river induced by air temperature rises have been observed in the Teshio River, Ishikari River, Saru River, and Mu River. A delay in the rise in the level of the river caused by an increase in snowfall and the weak warming trend from January to April has been observed in the Shiribetsu River. Although air temperatures have risen year after year, a significant change in annual pattern of daily flow has not been observed in the Syokotsu River, Yubetsu River, Tokoro River, and Abashiri River located in eastern Hokkaido. This can be induced by the weak warming trends in April which may be due to the cold current of the sea of Okhotok.The ongoing Toilet Revolution in China offers an opportunity to improve sanitation in rural areas by introducing new approaches, such as urine source separation, that can contribute to achieving SDG6. However, few studies have systematically assessed the social acceptability of managing human excreta collected in new sanitation systems. Therefore, in this study we performed face-to-face interviews with 414 local residents from 13 villages across three provinces in western China, to analyze the current situation and attitudes to possible changes in the rural sanitation service chain. Metabolism inhibitor We found that the sanitation chain was predominantly pit latrine-based, with 86.2% of households surveyed collecting their excreta in a simple pit, 82% manually emptying their pits, and 80.2% reusing excreta in agriculture without adequate pre-treatment. A majority (72%) of the households had a generally positive attitude to production of human excreta-derived fertilizer, but only 24% agreed that urine and feces should be collected separately. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that three factors (level of education, number of permanent household residents, perceived social acceptability) significantly influenced respondents’ attitudes to reuse of excreta, although only perceived social acceptability had a high strength of association. Overall, our survey revealed that rural households often misuse toilet systems, fail to comply with government-specified sanitation guidelines, have low awareness of alternative solutions, and are over-reliant on the government to fix problems in the service chain. Thus while new sanitation technologies should be developed and implemented, information campaigns that encourage rural households to manage their excreta safely are also important.