scholarly journals Presence of DNA from Chlamydia-like organisms in the nasal cavities of grey seal pups (Halichoerus grypus) and three different substrates present in a breeding colony

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark P. Dagleish ◽  
Allen F. Flockhart ◽  
Johanna L. Baily ◽  
Ailsa J. Hall ◽  
T. Ian Simpson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Grey Seal ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Human Waste ◽  
Marine Food Webs ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Nasal Swabs ◽  
Human Habitation ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Background Chlamydia-like organisms (CLO) have been found to be present in many environmental niches, including human sewage and agricultural run-off, as well as in a number of aquatic species worldwide. Therefore, monitoring their presence in sentinel wildlife species may be useful in assessing the wider health of marine food webs in response to habitat loss, pollution and disease. We used nasal swabs from live (n = 42) and dead (n = 50) pre-weaned grey seal pups and samples of differing natal substrates (n = 8) from an off-shore island devoid of livestock and permanent human habitation to determine if CLO DNA is present in these mammals and to identify possible sources. Results We recovered CLO DNA from 32/92 (34.7%) nasal swabs from both live (n = 17) and dead (n = 15) seal pups that clustered most closely with currently recognised species belonging to three chlamydial families: Parachlamydiaceae (n = 22), Rhabdochlamydiaceae (n = 6), and Simkaniaceae (n = 3). All DNA positive sediment samples (n = 7) clustered with the Rhabdochlamydiaceae. No difference was found in rates of recovery of CLO DNA in live versus dead pups suggesting the organisms are commensal but their potential as opportunistic secondary pathogens could not be determined. Conclusion This is the first report of CLO DNA being found in marine mammals. This identification warrants further investigation in other seal populations around the coast of the UK and in other areas of the world to determine if this finding is unique or more common than shown by this data. Further investigation would also be warranted to determine if they are present as purely commensal organisms or whether they could also be opportunistic pathogens in seals, as well as to investigate possible sources of origin, including whether they originated as a result of anthropogenic impacts, including human waste and agricultural run-off.

Antimony and arsenic distribution and impacts at a derelict antimony mine in Scotland 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenka Mbadugha ◽  
Duncan Cowper ◽  
Sapar Dossanov ◽  
Graeme Paton
Keyword(s):  
Water Samples ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Environmental Standards ◽  
Arsenic Distribution ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Ore Processing ◽  
Regulatory Limits ◽  
Derelict Mine ◽  
Historic Mining ◽  
The Uk

<p>Mining activities are acknowledged to introduce contaminants into localised environments and cause wider spread diffuse pollution. The concentration, distribution and fate of arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) were studied at the former metalliferous Louisa Mine at Glendinning, Scotland. The associated deposit is one of very few able to produce Sb in the UK and was mined for three brief periods between 1793 and 1922.  </p><p>The remnants of the mine consist of the ore processing area and two spoils. Soils withing these zones as well as around the mine were sampled and complemented by water samples from the adjacent stream, the Glennshanna Burn. All samples were subsequently analysed to map the distribution of contamination and identify pollution sources. The maximum concentrations of As and Sb, 15490 and 1504.2 mg kg<sup>−1</sup> respectively, were determined in soils associated with the ore processing area and spoil heaps. Anthropogenic activities also redistributed As and Sb within these mine zones and altered their relative ratios. The fractions of dissolved As and Sb in soils were < 1 and < 5% of total soil content, respectively, confirming findings of previous studies that As and Sb are relatively immobile. Yet, the concentrations of As and Sb released by soils exceeded regulatory limits.</p><p>Concentrations of As and Sb in surface water in the immediate vicinity of the mine were impacted by a gully discharge, but rapidly diluted. While the concentrations affected by the run-off waters did not exceed EU environmental standards for freshwater, the concentrations of As and Sb sharply increased to 11.43 ± 3.43 and 9.28 ± 0.59 μg l<sup>−1</sup>, respectively, approximately 100 m downstream of the mine site. The unaltered As to Sb ratios in water samples suggested a geogenic source of contamination.</p><p>While there is a justifiable concern about the soil pollution caused by the historic mining in the studied area, the Glenshanna Burn is affected more by indigenous geochemical processes than the derelict mine.</p>

scholarly journals Does predation by grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) affect Bothnian Sea herring stock estimates?

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 1448-1456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Gårdmark ◽  
Örjan Östman ◽  
Anders Nielsen ◽  
Karl Lundström ◽  
Olle Karlsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Halichoerus Grypus ◽  
Grey Seal ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Standard Assessment ◽  
Abundance Estimates ◽  
Stock Biomass ◽  
Key Species ◽  
Spawning Stock ◽  
Bothnian Sea

Abstract Gårdmark, A., Östman, Ö., Nielsen, A., Lundström K., Karlsson O., Pönni, J., and Aho, T. 2012. Does predation by grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) affect Bothnian Sea herring stock estimates? – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: . Mortality of small pelagic fish due to marine mammals is generally considered to be low compared with other sources of mortality. With recent recoveries of marine mammal predators worldwide, this may no longer hold. The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) population in the Bothnian Sea has increased fivefold since 1985. Its main prey, herring (Clupea harrengus), is a key species for fisheries in the region. Yet, current stock assessments assume constant natural mortality, leading to a risk of biased stock estimates with increasing predation and misleading analyses of herring population dynamics. We estimated grey seal predation from diet data and reanalysed herring spawning stock biomass (SSB) during 1973–2009. Accounting for predation increased the herring SSB 16% (maximum 19%), but this was within the confidence intervals when ignoring predation. Although mortality in older individuals was inflated when accounting for seal predation, this did not change the conclusions about drivers of herring dynamics. Accounting for grey seal predation is important for abundance estimates of old herring, but currently not for SSB estimates, given the great uncertainties in the standard assessment. The grey seal impact on Bothnian Sea herring will need to be reassessed if stock age composition, grey seal feeding preferences, or total stock development change.

Accelerated erosion of arable soils in the United Kingdom by rainfall and run-off

1979 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Harrison Reed
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Arable Soils ◽  
Contributory Factors ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Run Off ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
The Uk

On more than six hundred sites in the UK West Midlands, where water erosion was recorded by the writer during the years 1967–76, soil compaction and down-slope cultivation lines were identified as major contributory factors in over 95% of cases. Such cultivations should be avoided where possible, susceptible soils should not be left fallow longer than necessary, and field operations should be kept to the minimum when the upper layers of the soil are too moist.

scholarly journals The postmonsoon carbon biogeochemistry of estuaries under different levels of anthropogenic impacts

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manab Kumar Dutta ◽  
Sanjeev Kumar ◽  
Rupa Mukherjee ◽  
Prasun Sanyal ◽  
Sandip Mukhopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
River System ◽  
Phytoplankton Production ◽  
Estuarine System ◽  
Phytoplankton Productivity ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Carbon Biogeochemistry ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
The Sundarbans

Abstract. The different aspects of carbon biogeochemistry were studied during the postmonsoon at the Hooghly-Sundarbans estuarine system, a part of the Ganga-Brahmaputra river system located in the northeastern India. The study focused on understanding the differences in carbon biogeochemistry of estuaries undergoing different levels of anthropogenic stress by investigating anthropogenically influenced Hooghly estuary and mangrove-dominated estuaries of the Sundarbans. The salinity of well oxygenated (%DO: 91–104 %) estuaries of the Sundarbans varied over a narrow range (12.74–16.69) during postmonsoon relative to the Hooghly (0.04–10.37). Phytoplankton productivity and carbonate precipitation and/or dissolution were dominant processes controlling DIC dynamics in different parts of the Hooghly, whereas signal for mangrove derived DIC removal was observed in the Sundarbans. Influence of groundwater on estuarine DIC biogeochemistry was also observed in both the estuaries with relatively higher influence at the Hooghly than Sundarbans. In both estuarine systems, DOC behaved non-conservatively with ~ 40 % higher DOC level in the Hooghly compared to the Sundarbans. No significant evidence of phytoplankton production on DOC level was found in these estuaries, however signal of DOC input through pore-water exchange at the Sundarbans was observed. Relatively lower δ13CPOC at the Hooghly compared to the Sundarbans suggest relatively higher terrestrial influence at the Hooghly with a possibility of in situ biogeochemical modifications of POC at the Sundarbans. The freshwater run-off coupled with in situ aerobic OC mineralization controlled estuarine pCO2 level at the Hooghly, whereas the same was principally exogenous for the Sundarbans. The entire Hooghly-Sundarbans system acted as source of CO2 to the regional atmosphere with ~ 17 times higher emission from the Hooghly compared to Sundarbans. The present study clearly establishes the dominance of anthropogenically influenced estuary over relatively pristine mangrove dominated one in the regional greenhouse gas budget and climate change perspective.

scholarly journals MONITORING SEABIRDS AND MARINE MAMMALS BY GEOREFERENCED AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

2016 ◽  
Vol XLI-B8 ◽  
pp. 689-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Kemper ◽  
A. Weidauer ◽  
T. Coppack
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Relative Size ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
Spatial Coverage ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Mandatory Requirement

The assessment of anthropogenic impacts on the marine environment is challenged by the accessibility, accuracy and validity of biogeographical information. Offshore wind farm projects require large-scale ecological surveys before, during and after construction, in order to assess potential effects on the distribution and abundance of protected species. The robustness of site-specific population estimates depends largely on the extent and design of spatial coverage and the accuracy of the applied census technique. Standard environmental assessment studies in Germany have so far included aerial visual surveys to evaluate potential impacts of offshore wind farms on seabirds and marine mammals. However, low flight altitudes, necessary for the visual classification of species, disturb sensitive bird species and also hold significant safety risks for the observers. Thus, aerial surveys based on high-resolution digital imagery, which can be carried out at higher (safer) flight altitudes (beyond the rotor-swept zone of the wind turbines) have become a mandatory requirement, technically solving the problem of distant-related observation bias. A purpose-assembled imagery system including medium-format cameras in conjunction with a dedicated geo-positioning platform delivers series of orthogonal digital images that meet the current technical requirements of authorities for surveying marine wildlife at a comparatively low cost. At a flight altitude of 425 m, a focal length of 110 mm, implemented forward motion compensation (FMC) and exposure times ranging between 1/1600 and 1/1000 s, the twin-camera system generates high quality 16 bit RGB images with a ground sampling distance (GSD) of 2 cm and an image footprint of 155 x 410 m. The image files are readily transferrable to a GIS environment for further editing, taking overlapping image areas and areas affected by glare into account. The imagery can be routinely screened by the human eye guided by purpose-programmed software to distinguish biological from non-biological signals. Each detected seabird or marine mammal signal is identified to species level or assigned to a species group and automatically saved into a geo-database for subsequent quality assurance, geo-statistical analyses and data export to third-party users. The relative size of a detected object can be accurately measured which provides key information for species-identification. During the development and testing of this system until 2015, more than 40 surveys have produced around 500.000 digital aerial images, of which some were taken in specially protected areas (SPA) of the Baltic Sea and thus include a wide range of relevant species. Here, we present the technical principles of this comparatively new survey approach and discuss the key methodological challenges related to optimizing survey design and workflow in view of the pending regulatory requirements for effective environmental impact assessments.

scholarly journals Re-Focusing Human Relationship with Environment: Development of TOPHI Model and Expedition towards Sustainable Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (VII) ◽  
pp. 2555-2568
Author(s):  
Dr. Satabdi Roy Choudhury
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Industrial Chemicals ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Technological Intervention ◽  
Human Need ◽  
People First ◽  
The Uk

The above maxim makes it evident that human and environment are very closely related and an important part of each other. As human need to interact with environment to obtain our food, water, fuel, medicine, building materials and many others things, thus, protecting the environment is essential to our health, quality of life and ultimately for survival. Humans have been interacting with the environment since, people first walked the earth. Humans have been cutting down forests to clear land to grow crops and building residents. Later on, with introduction of industrialization during 18th century in the UK and slowly spreading in Europe and America and then across the world. Such industrialization indicates technological intervention in organizations related to agriculture, animal husbandry and agriculture related industries. Much of massive production stated taking place and subsequently, the production of wastes as sewage, agricultural run-off, industrial chemicals etc. also started which leads to pollution. Aim of the Study: The present paper proposes the TOPHI Model to draw a holistic picture of relationship between human and environment. The model focuses upon how each parameter are related itself to human existence with mother nature. The model also tries to provide both positive and negative perspective of these relationship. Finally, the paper also tries to lighten the pathway of sustainable development describing its need for ensure better future. The paper not only provide a comprehensive framework covering all the possible elements of nature and human but also hopes to serve as a base for future study.

scholarly journals Modelling the abundance of grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) along the Norwegian coast

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 1436-1447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tor Arne Øigård ◽  
Anne Kirstine Frie ◽  
Kjell Tormod Nilssen ◽  
Mike Osborne Hammill
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Halichoerus Grypus ◽  
Grey Seal ◽  
Norwegian Coast ◽  
Structured Population ◽  
Population Dynamics Model ◽  
Level Model ◽  
Age Structured ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Øigård, T. A., Frie, A. K., Nilssen, K. T., and Hammill, M. O. 2012. Modelling the abundance of grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) along the Norwegian coast. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: . An age-structured population dynamics model of the Norwegian grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) population has been developed. The model is of a Bayesian character in the sense that priors for various parameters were used. Model runs indicated an increase in the abundance of the total Norwegian grey seal population during the last 30 years, suggesting a total of 8740 (95% confidence interval: 7320–10 170) animals in 2011. A total catch of 707 (95% confidence interval: 532–882) grey seals would maintain the population size at the 2011 level. Model runs suggest that current catch levels will likely result in a reduction in the population size in Sør-Trøndelag and Nord-Trøndelag counties, and an increase in the population size in Rogaland, Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark counties. The model runs assumed that 80% of the seals taken in Rogaland came from the UK and that 50 and 55% of the catches in Troms and Finnmark, respectively, were immigrants from Russia.

scholarly journals Pinnipeds, people and photo identification: the implications of grey seal movements for effective management of the species

2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 1221-1230
Author(s):  
Sue Sayer ◽  
Rebecca Allen ◽  
Lucy A. Hawkes ◽  
Kate Hockley ◽  
Dan Jarvis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Scale ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Grey Seal ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Annual Life Cycle ◽  
Photo Identification ◽  
North East ◽  
Mobile Species ◽  
The Uk

AbstractGrey seals (Halichoerus grypus) of the North-east Atlantic are protected at designated European Marine Sites (Special Areas of Conservation, SACs) typically during their reproductive periods and in the UK at Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). As a mobile marine species, grey seals spend other parts of their annual life cycle in non-designated habitat. There is limited information on individual grey seal movements in south-west England. Citizen science photo identification (PID) revealed the movements of 477 grey seals at a regional scale (54 haul-outs up to 230 km apart) for over a decade. Reconstructed movements showed considerable individual variability. Four SACs were linked to up to 18 non-designated sites and two SSSIs in Cornwall were linked to a maximum of 41 non-designated sites. Observations support the value of existing SSSIs at both the well-connected West and North Cornwall sites. Thirteen Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) were visited by grey seals from four SACs and two SSSIs in Cornwall. As a mobile species, grey seals could be included in English MPA management plans. The application of functional linkage from SACs and SSSIs, informed by the movements evidenced in this research, could aid management efforts. This analysis reveals grey seal movements occur across a complex network of interconnected designated and non-designated sites that need to be managed holistically for this species for which the UK has a special responsibility.

scholarly journals An Acoustic Sensor for Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Screen Condition Monitoring in a Drainage Infrastructure

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 404
Author(s):  
Chan H. See ◽  
Kirill V. Horoshenkov ◽  
M. Tareq Bin Ali ◽  
Simon J. Tait
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Acoustic Sensor ◽  
Combined Sewer Overflow ◽  
Regulatory Requirement ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Combined Sewer ◽  
Sewer Overflow ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Screen Condition

Combined sewer overflow structures (CSO) play an important role in sewer networks. When the local capacity of a sewer system is exceeded during intense rainfall events, they act as a “safety valve” and discharge excess rainfall run-off and wastewater directly to a natural receiving water body, thus preventing widespread urban flooding. There is a regulatory requirement that solids in CSO spills must be small and their amount strictly controlled. Therefore, a vast majority of CSOs in the UK contain screens. This paper presents the results of a feasibility study of using low-cost, low-energy acoustic sensors to remotely assess the condition of CSO screens to move to cost-effective reactive maintenance visits. In situ trials were carried out in several CSOs to evaluate the performance of the acoustic sensor under realistic screen and flow conditions. The results demonstrate that the system is robust within ±2.5% to work successfully in a live CSO environment. The observed changes in the screen condition resulted in 8–39% changes in the values of the coefficient in the proposed acoustic model. These changes are detectable and consistent with observed screen and hydraulic data. This study suggested that acoustic-based sensing can effectively monitor the CSO screen blockage conditions and hence reduce the risk of non-compliant CSO spills.

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