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Archive for the ‘Themed Collections’ Category

Geoscience Themed Issue

26 Aug 2014

We are delighted to announce the publication of Issue 9, Volume 16 of Environmental Science Processes & Impacts, which is a themed issue dedicated to Geoscience, guest edited by Yu-ping Chin from The Ohio State University.

Geology, and especially the field of geochemistry, has become inextricably linked to the environmental sciences, and has evolved over the past few decades to view earth in a much more holistic fashion. The papers in this themed collection reflect the diversity of research problems that face earth scientists studying environmentally relevant processes today. They range from the nano- to macro-scale and tackle problems that face organic and inorganic geochemists alike.

This collection features a HOT Critical Review on the structural characterization of dissolved organic matter, by researchers from the USA, which received particularly high scored during peer review.

Click here to view the full geoscience themed issue – we hope you enjoy the collection

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Macronutrient Cycles Themed Issue

28 Jul 2014

Guest edited by the directorate of the NERC Macronutrient Cycles Programme, Professor Paul Whitehead (Director) and Dr Jill Crossman (Assistant Director), this themed issue focuses upon the key macronutrient cycles linking nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon. Disturbance of the interactions, or cycles, of these macronutrients has had significant environmental and economic implications including soil nutrient enrichment, eutrophication of surface waters, reduced air quality, and loss of drinking water quality. These issues pose a threat not just to biodiversity, but also to public water supplies and public health.

Within this themed issue are four HOT research papers, which received particularly high scores during peer review – click on the links to download the articles:

1. Carly Stevens and colleagues describe a nitrogen footprint tool for the UK, demonstrating that the UK footprint is smaller than that found in the USA but higher than that for the Netherlands and Germany.

2. Researchers from Lancaster University investigate cattle in-stream activity in order to further our understanding of cattle contribution to sediment load.

3. Researchers from Norway and Canada model phosphorus loading and algal blooms in an agricultural catchment-lake system under changing land-use and climate.

4. Our fourth HOT article focuses on phosphorus transport and assessment using a semi-distributed catchment model.

Click here to view the full macronutrient cycles themed issue – we hope you enjoy the collection

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2014 Emerging Investigators Issue

11 Jun 2014

Guest Editors David Cwiertny, Juana Maria Delgado-Saborit and Hee-Deung Park introduce the third edition of our emerging investigators issue.

Celebrating the best and brightest amongst early career environmental scientists around the world, this collection of reviews and papers demonstrates the talent, innovation and creative ideas that new researchers can bring. Read the profiles of the contributors to find out more about our young scientists, including their research objectives, inspirations and what environmental challenges they believe the future holds.

We have made the following HOT articles free* to access for a limited time only! We hope you enjoy reading this collection as much as we did.

Critical Reviews:

Energy positive domestic wastewater treatment: the roles of anaerobic and phototrophic technologies

B. D. Shoener, I. M. Bradley, R. D. Cusick and J. S. Guest
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00711A

Critical Review of electrochemical advanced oxidation processes for water treatment application

Brian P. Chaplin
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00679D

HOT Paper:

Association of nuisance filamentous algae Cladophora spp. with E. coli and Salmonella in public beach waters: impacts of UV protection on bacterial survival

Aubrey Beckinghausen, Alexia Martinez, David Blersch and Berat Z. Haznedaroglu

DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00659J

For the full collection, visit our 2014 Emerging Investigators Themed Issue platform.

*Access is free through a registered RSC account – click here to register

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Aquatic Photochemistry Themed Issue

21 May 2014

The field of aquatic photochemistry is diverse and strong, therefore our Editorial Board member, Kristopher McNeill presents a themed issue covering a range of topics and sub-disciplines within environmental science, representing current aquatic photochemical research.

Kristopher found the process of guest editing the aquatic photochemistry themed issue rewarding. ‘From the very start, I had an enthusiastic response to my call for papers and, when looking at the collection in its final form, I was extremely happy with the quality and breadth of the science that it reflected’ he says.

‘I was especially happy with the contributions of the young investigators; from whom I am sure we will be seeing a lot more in the future.’ Kristopher selected 2 critical reviews and a paper by young investigators who contributed to this collection and for a limited time only, these articles are free* to access. Click the following links to download the full articles.

Critical Reviews:

Photo-transformation of pharmaceutically active compounds in the aqueous environment: a review
Shuwen Yan and Weihua Song
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00502J

The role of indirect photochemical degradation in the environmental fate of pesticides: a review
Christina K. Remucal
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00549F

Paper:

Photometric hydroxyl radical scavenging analysis of standard natural organic matter isolates
J. E. Donham, E. J. Rosenfeldt and K. R. Wigginton
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00663H

Kristopher’s research paper on photochemically produced hydroxyl radical in artic surface water was included in this collection. We would like to thank him for guest editing this exciting issue; his paper will be free* to access until Friday 20^th June 2014.

Evidence for dissolved organic matter as the primary source and sink of photochemically produced hydroxyl radical in arctic surface waters
Sarah E. Page, J. Robert Logan, Rose M. Cory and Kristopher McNeill
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00596H

*Access is free until 20.06.14 through a registered RSC account – click here to register

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Passive Sampling Themed Issue

19 May 2014

Philipp Mayer, Frank Wania and Charles S. Wong introduce an Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts themed issue on passive sampling.

This themed collection showcases some of the latest developments in passive sampling research – which has now progressed well beyond measuring aqueous concentrations of legacy contaminants. The contributions in this collection contain a wide range of different passive sampling approaches which were applied to water, air, soil vapours, sediments and even fish tissue. Improved sampler designs and materials are being developed and tested, contributing to the increasing popularity of passive sampling. The apparent simplicity of passive sampling is at the core of its true potential and betrays a wealth of opportunity for future research and monitoring.

To celebrate this collection, the following articles are free* to access – for a limited time only!

A review of passive sampling systems for ambient air mercury measurements
Jiaoyan Huang, Seth N. Lyman, Jelena Stamenkovic Hartman and Mae Sexauer Gustin
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00501A

Application of passive sampling methods for measurement of Hg concentrations and deposition is useful for understanding source and trends.

Evaluation of DGT as a long-term water quality monitoring tool in natural waters; uranium as a case study
Geraldine S. C. Turner, Graham A. Mills, Michael J. Bowes, Jonathan L. Burnett, Sean Amos and Gary R. Fones
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00574G

DGT can be used as a long-term water quality environmental monitoring tool.

Field calibration of low density polyethylene passive samplers for gaseous POPs
Mohammed A. Khairy and Rainer Lohmann
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00493G

A field calibration study of low density polyethylene for measuring atmospheric concentrations of persistent organic pollutants was performed in East Providence (RI) USA.

*Access is free until 13.06.14 through a registered RSC account – click here to register

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Real time sampling of welding fumes

21 Jan 2013

Sampling from realistic scenarios often poses a problem, however Chang et al. have sampled fume particles from real time welding in order to gain more detailed information on the occupational hazards posed to welders.

One of the key mechanisms responsible for the cardiopulmonary effects welders may experience is oxidative stress. It was hypothesised that nanoparticles, resulting from the combustion during welding, would carry the greatest ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) burden for cells.

By sampling the air as welding was taking place and fractionating it into coarse (2.5–10 µm), fine (0.1–2.5 µm) and nano (<0.1 µm) the group were able to analyse for water-soluble metals, total elemental analysis (49 metals) and ROS using a bio-assay (rat alveolar macrophages).

By comparing the sampling results to the activities being carried out at the time, crucial information was gleaned as to how individual activities uniquely contributed to particulate exposure. In addition it was confirmed that the nano-sized particles had the highest ROS activity level, suggesting that mass dose may not be the most informative measure of the toxicity associated with these activities.

Anyone interested in air sampling, occupational health and exposure studies and designing experiments to incorporate real-life, real-time scenarios would find this HOT article of interest. It’s in Issue 1 and free to access for the next four weeks* and you can download it here:

Physicochemical and toxicological characteristics of welding fume derived particles generated from real time welding processes
Cali Chang, Philip Demokritou, Martin Shaferc and David Christiani
DOI: 10.1039/c2em30505d

*Free access to individuals is provided through an RSC Publishing personal account. Registration is quick, free and simple

Published on behalf of Sian Evans, Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts web science writer. Sian is a PhD student based in Bath, United Kingdom

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HOT article: zinc versus zinc oxide nanoparticle toxicity

11 Jan 2013

Zn and ZnO nanoparticles are used in plenty of consumer products, including disinfectants, so compiling information on their toxicity and impact in different environments is crucial to ensure safe usage.

Zikri Arslan at Jackson State University led a team of USA-based researchers to investigate the toxicity of Zn and ZnO nanoparticles in marine aquatic systems. Their study of brine shrimp larvae in sea water published in Issue 1 shows accumulation of the nanoparticles inside the guts and an inability of the shrimp to remove the accumulations.

The shrimp don’t appear to suffer any ill effects over 24 hours, but 96 hours after exposure their mortality rate escalated with the increasing accumulation of nanoparticles. This toxicity is associated with a triggering of oxidative stress.

The team showed that Zn nanoparticles are more toxic to shrimp than zinc oxide nanoparticles in the same conditions and this could be because zinc nanoparticles release more Zn²⁺ ions. Size is also a factor, with smaller nanoparticles being more toxic than larger ones.

For the detail, have a read of the whole article in Issue 1. Issue 1 is a themed issue on anthropogenic nanoparticles in the environment, which is free to access!*

Comparative evaluation of impact of Zn and ZnO nanoparticles on brine shrimp (Artemia salina) larvae: effects of particle size and solubility on toxicity
Mehmet Ates, James Daniels, Zikri Arslan, Ibrahim O. Farah and Hilsamar Félix Rivera
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30540B

*Free access to individuals is provided through an RSC Publishing personal account. Registration is quick, free and simple

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JEM Emerging Investigators 2012

02 Jul 2012

Our latest issue is dedicated to Emerging Investigators – highlighting the research of the best and brightest young minds in environmental science and engineering. This is the third year we have produced an issue dedicated to new researchers to the field, and we are delighted that 2010 Emerging Investigators David Cwiertny and Tamar Kohn guest edited this issue with us.

David Cwiertny and Tamar Kohn discuss the unique nature of the young environmental science field in their editorial and the challenges facing new researchers, from marketing work to funding agencies to communicating science to the public.

The issue contains plenty of HOT research, including fluvial transport of arsenic, groundwater contamination at an ex-uranium mine, Cr VI formation during chlorination of drinking water, interactions of organic matter and gold nanoparticles, effect of water treatment on antibiotic resistance and improving the measurement accuracy for water-soluble composition of PM_2.5.

View the rest of the issue here

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Issue 2 now online – including a collection of articles from AIRMON 2011

06 Feb 2012

Welcome to our second issue of the year, which includes a collection of articles from AIRMON 2011 – the Symposium on Modern Principles of Air Monitoring and Biomonitoring held in Norway last June. Professor Yngvar Thomassen introduces papers in the issue which cover topics from bioaerosol exposure in the workplace to beryllium exposure, to interlaboratory studies to understand method performance in trace element determination.

The images on the cover both have an aerosol theme, the first highlighting the article from Nils Petter Skaugset et al. presented at AIRMON 2011 on the exposure of aluminium production workers to beryllium,

Occupational exposure to beryllium in primary aluminium production
Nils Petter Skaugset, Dag G. Ellingsen, Kari Dahl, Ivar Martinsen, Lars Jordbekken, Per Arne Drabløs and Yngvar Thomassen
DOI: 10.1039/C1EM10539F

The second is from Subbarao V. Ravva et al. on the sampling and influence of environmental conditions on airborne bacteria:

Bacterial communities in urban aerosols collected with wetted-wall cyclonic samplers and seasonal fluctuations of live and culturable airborne bacteria
Subbarao V. Ravva, Bradley J. Hernlem, Chester Z. Sarreal and Robert E. Mandrell
DOI: 10.1039/C1EM10753D

The issue also includes our regular Environmental Digest from Mike Sharpe, collating the latest environmental news including the Durban talks, a new directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment and the EU ban on phosphate detergents.

Other hot papers in this issue:

Interlaboratory evaluation of trace element determination in workplace air filter samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
Kevin Ashley, Stanley A. Shulman, Michael J. Brisson and Alan M. Howe
DOI: 10.1039/C1EM10695C

Occurrence and fate of androgens, estrogens, glucocorticoids and progestagens in two different types of municipal wastewater treatment plants
Shan Liu, Guang-Guo Ying, Jian-Liang Zhao, Li-Jun Zhou, Bin Yang, Zhi-Feng Chen and Hua-Jie Lai
DOI: 10.1039/C1EM10783F

Enantioselective aquatic toxicity of current chiral pesticides
Quan Zhang, Cui Wang, Xiaofeng Zhang, Daqing Jin, Changjiang Huang and Meirong Zhao
DOI: 10.1039/C1EM10687B

View the issue

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Meet our Editorial Board: Wunmi Sadik

17 Jan 2012

Wunmi Sadik is Professor of Chemistry & Director, Center for Advanced Sensors & Environmental Systems, at State University of New York at Binghamton (SUNY-Binghamton). Her research areas include interfacial molecular recognition processes, sensors, and new measurement approaches and their application to solving problems in biological systems, energy and the environment. Professor Sadik was the Guest Editor for our Environmental Nanotechnology themed issue in 2011.

Her expertise covers the “Emerging Contaminants and Nanotechnology” area of our scope and you may also be interested in some of her recent articles:

Sensors as tools for quantitation, nanotoxicity and nanomonitoring assessment of engineered nanomaterials
O. A. Sadik, A. L. Zhou, S. Kikandi, N. Du, Q. Wang and K. Varner
DOI: 10.1039/B912860C

Foreword: JEM Spotlight: Environmental monitoring of airborne nanoparticles
Omowunmi (Wunmi) A. Sadik
DOI: 10.1039/B917248N

Environmental nanotechnology
Wunmi Sadik
Editorial From themed issue Environmental Nanotechnology

And her thoughts on the future of environmental nanotechnology? “The last decade has witnessed an explosion of interest in the science and technology of engineered nanomaterials. Research and development in the next decade will focus on the overall sustainability of nanotechnology including the need to develop standardized nanomaterials, characterization parameters, metrological tools and protocols for a better understanding of the interactions of nanomaterials with biological and environmental systems.”

View the profiles for the rest of the Editorial Board here.

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