Gas-particle partitioning of oxidized mercury (Hg) plays an important role in governing the speciation, transport and deposition of atmospheric Hg. Although studies on gas-particle partitioning of ...oxidized Hg have been conducted at some urban sites, comparable studies at remote mountain sites are still limited. This study analyzes multi-year (2014–2016) data of speciated atmospheric Hg concentrations from Lulin Atmospheric Background Station (LABS, 2862 m above sea level), Taiwan, to explore the factors that influence the gas-particle partitioning of atmospheric oxidized Hg. Mean concentrations (±S.D.) of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM), and particulate-bound mercury (PBM) were 1.54 ± 0.34 ng m−3, 14.5 ± 26.5 pg m−3, and 5.0 ± 12.0 pg m−3, respectively. In addition, our results indicated that the partitioning of Hg(II) toward particles was favored in the upper free troposphere and/or lower stratosphere. Both temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) were found to strongly affect the gas-particle partitioning of oxidized Hg. Significant negative correlations between the partitioning coefficient (Kp) and T were obtained for all seasons, but peaked in summer. When RH<30%, Kp decreased with increasing RH. However, Kp and RH were positively correlated when RH>30%. Two empirical Kp-T and Kp-T-RH regression equations: log(1/Kp) = 15.0 – 3887.6(1/T) and log(1/Kp) = 17.92 – 4390.0(1/T) – 0.016RH were developed for free tropospheric air downwind of continental East Asia, which could be implemented in a chemical transport model to improve our understanding of the Hg biogeochemical cycle.
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•Gas-particle partitioning of Hg(II) was characterized at a mountain site in East Asia.•Partitioning coefficient (Kp) correlated with temperature negatively.•Kp increased with increasing relative humidity (RH) when RH>30%.•However, Kp decreased with increasing RH when RH<30%.•Partitioning of Hg(II) toward particles was favored in the upper free troposphere.
Abstract
We use monthly birth data collected by the Human Fertility Database to analyze the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on birth trends until September 2022 in 38 higher‐income countries. We also ...present estimates of the monthly total fertility rate adjusted for seasonality. Our analysis reveals that the pandemic led to distinct swings in births and fertility rates. The initial pandemic shock was associated with a fall in births in most countries, with the sharpest drop in January 2021. Next, birth rates showed a short‐term recovery in March 2021, following the conceptions after the end of the first wave of the pandemic. Most countries reported a stable or slightly increasing number of births in the subsequent months, especially in autumn 2021. Yet another, quite unexpected, downturn in births started in January 2022, linked with the conceptions in spring 2021 when the pandemic measures were mostly eased out and vaccination was gaining momentum. Taken together and contrary to some initial expectations, the coronavirus pandemic did not bring a lasting “baby bust” in most of the analyzed countries. Especially the Nordic countries, the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States experienced an improvement in their birth dynamics in 2021 compared with the prepandemic period.
In the study of civil society and social movements, most cases are based in Western Europe and North America. This is the first edited book examining social movements in East Asia and it provides a ...direct contrast to books focused on Western social movements.
To better understand the subsurface behavior of subducting slabs and their relation to the tectonic evolution of the overriding plate, we conduct a full waveform inversion on a large data set to ...determine a high‐resolution seismic model, FWEA18 (Full Waveform inversion of East Asia in 2018), of the upper mantle beneath eastern Asia. FWEA18 reveals sharper, more intense high‐velocity slabs in the upper mantle under the southern Kuril, Japan, and Ryukyu arcs, than previous studies have found. The subducting Pacific plate is imaged as a roughly 100 km thick high‐velocity slab to near 550 km depth indicating relatively little deformation. Stagnation near 600 km depth is observed over horizontal distances of 600 km or less. The Pacific plate we image accounts for roughly 25 Myr of subduction with older slab likely located in the lower mantle. The Philippine plate, subducting beneath the Ryukyu Islands, has a clear termination at about 450 km depth. This may indicate a tearing event in the past or that less Philippine Sea plate has subducted than previously thought. We found a double‐layer high‐velocity anomaly above and below 660 km under the Yellow Sea and eastern coast of North China. This may correspond to parts of the Philippine Sea plate that detached in the past and Pacific plate that have intersected at depth or a complicated behavior of the Pacific plate at that depth. Slow cylindrical anomalies cross the entire upper mantle are imaged beneath major Holocene volcanoes, which are likely upwellings associated with the edges of deep slabs that are entering the lower mantle.
Key Points
High‐resolution 3‐D full waveform inversion for P‐velocities and S‐velocities reveals sharper and more intense mantle structures beneath East Asia
Subducting Pacific and Philippine Sea plates show little deformation until 550 km depth where the slabs stagnate and thicken
Narrow cylindrical slow anomalies beneath major Holocene volcanoes are rooted adjacent to where deep slabs enter the lower mantle
This study used a water volume-based sampling method in combination with an active fog collector (modified Caltech design) to collect fog water samples during three intensive operation periods at two ...mountainous study sites in Taiwan. The new setup employed a sample-volume controlled system that dosed the fog water into 10 ml aliquots, which were then collected with a commercial laboratory auto-sampler. We collected fog water samples about 10 times more frequently (median sampling period 3 minutes and 45 seconds) than with traditional sampling schemes. Notably, up to over 200 samples were collected within a single fog event lasting 13 hours. The results showed that the intra-event variabilities of pH (up to over 2 units), conductivity (range almost 1000 μS cm–1), and ion concentrations were generally higher than the inter-event variability. The variabilities exhibited particularly fast changes during phases of fog onset and dissolution; in contrast, the centers of the passing clouds at our mountain research sites were rather homogeneous. Overall, our new method showed a marked improvement in sampling speed over traditional methods.
Background: Recognizing the scarcity of data on caffeine consumption among university students in Malaysia, this study was designed to first characterize the habitual caffeine intake within this ...group. This study further investigated the potential association between these caffeine consumption patterns and sleep quality and mental health status. Methodology: The study employed an online self-administered questionnaire to assess habitual caffeine intake from various products. Sleep quality and mental health were evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), respectively. Results: 78% of the respondents consumed caffeinated products daily within the safe level recommended by the European Food Safety Authority (£400mg/day). Only 2.6% of the students consumed caffeine exceeding the recommended limit. The median total daily caffeine intake was 100mg/day. Most students had poor sleep quality (77.3%), with 43.5%, 49.5%, and 33.0% reporting varying levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. Odds ratio calculations revealed respondents consuming less than or more than 400 mg/day of caffeine did not show significantly different odds of poor sleep quality, depression, anxiety, or stress compared to non-consumers. Conclusions: This study highlights the need for further localized research on caffeine's effects among Malaysian university students regarding caffeine consumption, sleep, and mental health.
Worldwide, wildlife poaching results in significant losses to biodiversity, especially for species that are most vulnerable and at risk of extinction. While studies that assess the impact of poaching ...have been conducted, there is limited work that evaluates strategies to reduce poaching pressure, and their subsequent effects on wildlife.
We develop a model to predict the effectiveness of a unique community‐led anti‐poaching patrol programme for conserving local wildlife in a biodiversity hotspot in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Our model scenarios are based on local villagers’ proposals to undertake anti‐poaching patrols. To deal with limited data availability in this region, we develop a flexible modelling framework that can incorporate a range of data sources, including expert opinion. The model can be readily altered by the user if additional data becomes available.
The results predict that, without intervention, 14 out of the 19 endangered species investigated are likely to be poached to local extinction over the next 10 years. Implementing anti‐poaching patrols is predicted to protect individual animals and species in the area, although with diminishing marginal benefits as patrol‐efforts increase.
Synthesis and applications. We present the first model developed in the Southeast Asia region to examine the effectiveness of community anti‐poaching patrols on protecting wildlife populations. This work is directly linked to an innovative Payments for Environmental Services programme where villagers are being paid for community‐led anti‐poaching patrols. Our model results demonstrate how different patrolling strategies can help to protect vulnerable species, and are being used to determine the payment levels for different patrolling schemes.
We present the first model developed in the Southeast Asia region to examine the effectiveness of community anti‐poaching patrols on protecting wildlife populations. This work is directly linked to an innovative Payments for Environmental Services programme where villagers are being paid for community‐led anti‐poaching patrols. Our model results demonstrate how different patrolling strategies can help to protect vulnerable species, and are being used to determine the payment levels for different patrolling schemes.
To date, the damsel bug Alloeorhynchus reinhardi Kerzhner & Günther, 1999 (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Nabidae, Prostemmatinae, Prostemmatini) has been reported from China and Korea. We report ...from Japan for the first time A. reinhardi, which represents the second member of the genus in the country. This species inhabits the ground surface of grasslands in Kyushu.
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