Native Land Research Articles

The interplay of future solar energy, land cover change, and their projected impacts on natural lands and croplands in the US

Projections for deep decarbonization require large amounts of solar energy, which may compete with other land uses such as agriculture, urbanization, and conservation of natural lands. Existing capacity expansion models do not integrate land use land cover change (LULC) dynamics into projections. We explored the interaction between projected LULC, solar photovoltaic (PV) deployment, and solar impacts on natural lands and croplands by integrating projections of LULC with a model that can project future deployment of solar PV with high spatial resolution for the conterminous United States. We used scenarios of LULC projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emission Scenarios from 2010 to 2050 and two electricity grid scenarios to model future PV deployment and compared those results against a baseline that held 2010 land cover constant through 2050. Though solar PV's overall technical potential was minimally impacted by LULC scenarios, deployed PV varied by −16.5 to 11.6 % in 2050 from the baseline scenario. Total land requirements for projected PV were similar to other studies, but measures of PV impacts on natural systems depended on the underlying land change dynamics occurring in a scenario. The solar PV deployed through 2050 resulted in 1.1 %–2.4 % of croplands and 0.3 %–0.7 % of natural lands being converted to PV. However, the deepest understanding of PV impacts and interactions with land cover emerged when the complete net gains and losses from all land cover change dynamics, including PV, were integrated. For example, one of the four LULC projections allows for high solar development and a net gain in natural lands, even though PV drives a larger percentage of natural land conversion. This paper shows that integrating land cover change dynamics with energy expansion models generates new insights into trade offs between decarbonization, impacts of renewables, and ongoing land cover change.

Agrolandscape-ecological zoning of natural forage lands in Russian regions

Agrolandscape-ecological zoning of natural forage lands in Russian regions

Illusion in Architecture: An Alternative for Creating Virtual Environment to Support Efficient Site Utilization

Virtual materiality has become a reality due to technological advancements. This affects the evolution of architecture. Land utilization in residential designs is currently unrestricted. Humans still exploit natural land and food supplies to build homes. Conversely, houses that merely use the land for viewing rather than traversing it are an example of inefficient land usage. In architecture, virtual materiality plays a part in creating an artificial world. In order to minimize land consumption, an architectural strategy that may introduce virtual materiality into the real world is required. Illusion is one tactic. Tricks and deceit are given priority in the illusion technique. This program is intended for home users who want to replace their natural surroundings with an artificial one. By using this method, nature can improve without requiring interference from the original environment. Modeling experiments and qualitative research are used in the research methodology. Create suggested concepts by using an architectural methodology. Rendering models and sketches are the research outputs. The findings demonstrate that home design can make use of illusion as a representation of virtual materiality. Through the application of matter illusion techniques, manufactured environments can be made to resemble natural ones. Implementing the material illusion in a trapezoidal home. Screen technology is used to do this. The center of the design is where screen technology is used to display environmental content. big horizontal and vertical sides are necessary. However, this can be a substitute for the natural environment for residents, especially in dwelling design.

African food system and biodiversity mainly affected by urbanization via dietary shifts

The rapid urbanization in Africa profoundly affects local food and ecological systems. According to earlier research, urbanization may cause food production and biodiversity losses as agricultural or natural lands are absorbed by expanding cities. Land-use displacement effects may buffer agricultural production losses or may lead to additional biodiversity losses but are often overlooked. Moreover, impacts of dietary changes associated with urbanization are rarely considered. To address this, we combined spatially explicit projections of African urban area expansion with observed rice consumption shifts to inform a partial equilibrium model (the Global Biosphere Management Model). We demonstrate the importance of displacement effects to identify potential food production or biodiversity issues until 2050 and argue for their integration in land-use planning and policymaking across spatial scales. We identify that because of agricultural displacement, the impact of urban area expansion on food production losses is probably limited (<1%)—at the cost of additional losses of natural lands by 2050 (up to 2 Mt). We also show that considering dietary shifts associated with urbanization increases rice consumption, production (+8.0%), trade (up to +2 Mt of required import) and agricultural methane emissions (up to +12 MtCO2-equivalent yr–1), thereby underscoring the need for a systems approach in future sustainability studies.

U.S.K., S.T. “UKRAINE”, FC “KARPATY”, FC “RUH”: THE NAMES OF THE UKRAINIAN TEAMS IN THE 130-YEAR HISTORY OF LVIV FOOTBALL

The article examines the names of Lviv football teams over the 130-year history of football development in the city of Lviv. The subject of the analysis is the motivational base and peculiarities of creating the names of football clubs in Lviv. Sources of factual material – sports periodicals, archival materials, works of sports historians and information received from football experts. In the early days of Lviv football, Ukrainian teams chose names with a national and cultural component in their meaning, taking care to identify Ukrainian teams among clubs of other nations. In the 1920s and 1930s, teams had names with onyms and appellatives that indicated associations with the historical, geographical, and cultural realities of Great Ukraine to demonstrate the unity of the nation and Ukrainian ethnic lands. Some of the nominations contained connotations important to Ukrainians in Galicia, which indicates a careful selection of representative names for Ukrainian clubs in Lviv. In the Soviet period, the colonial influence on the naming system of Lviv football teams was manifested in the unification of club names in accordance with the established canon of naming and in the tendency to reflect Soviet realities and ideological symbols in the names. After the restoration of Ukrainian independence, the percentage of teams that chose to name lexemes with an ethnocultural component in the meaning increased noticeably. Individual clubs have retained the names of the totalitarian period. The consequence of the influence of the commercial factor on the naming of wives is an increase in the number of nominations that come from the names of sponsors of football teams. So, the names of Lviv football clubs arose as a result of onimization and transonymization as the main methods of lexical-semantic word formation. Football naming was influenced by various factors – national, totalitarian and commercial, the mixing of which was recorded at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries. Key words: names of Lviv football teams, motivation of names, onimization, transonymization.

Solar-enhanced lithium extraction with self-sustaining water recycling from salt-lake brines

Lithium is an emerging strategic resource for modern energy transformation toward electrification and decarbonization. However, current mainstream direct lithium extraction technology via adsorption suffers from sluggish kinetics and intensive water usage, especially in arid/semiarid and cold salt-lake regions (natural land brines). Herein, an efficient proof-of-concept integrated solar microevaporator system is developed to realize synergetic solar-enhanced lithium recovery and water footprint management from hypersaline salt-lake brines. The 98% solar energy harvesting efficiency of the solar microevaporator system, elevating its local temperature, greatly promotes the endothermic Li+ extraction process and solar steam generation. Benefiting from the photothermal effect, enhanced water flux, and enriched local Li+ supply in nanoconfined space, a double-enhanced Li+ recovery capacity was delivered (increase from 12.4 to 28.7 mg g-1) under one sun, and adsorption kinetics rate (saturated within 6 h) also reached twice of that at 280 K (salt-lake temperature). Additionally, the self-assembly rotation feature endows the microevaporator system with distinct self-cleaning desalination ability, achieving near 100% water recovery from hypersaline brines for further self-sufficient Li+ elution. Outdoor comprehensive solar-powered experiment verified the feasibility of basically stable lithium recovery ability (>8 mg g-1) directly from natural hypersaline salt-lake brines with self-sustaining water recycling for Li+ elution (440 m3 water recovery per ton Li2CO3). This work offers an integrated solution for sustainable lithium recovery with near zero water/carbon consumption toward carbon neutrality.

УЧАСТИЕ ЕСТЕСТВЕННОНАУЧНЫХ МУЗЕЕВ В РАЗВИТИИ КРАЕВЕДЧЕСКОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ В СРЕДНЕЙ ШКОЛЕ

The article discusses various forms of local history activities to be implemented in the interaction of natural science museums and secondary schools. The practical experience of employees of the Earth Science Museum of Lomonosov Moscow State University in the field of local history is described, namely: conducting a professional development program (Summer School), thematic classes with students, and consultations on the creation of educational expositions in school museums. A thematic plan of the section “Nature of the Native land” in a school museum is given. The prerequisites for successful cooperation between natural science museums and secondary schools in the joint implementation of local history activities are substantiated

Sectarianism Begets Diversity; A Study on the Sectoral Divides in Islam in the Middle East

Middle East is the native land of world’s well-known creeds and different faiths ruled the Arabian Peninsula in the ancient and modern history. Islam was born in the Middle East in the 6th century and soon it became the religious conviction of majority in the region. This study investigates the complex dynamics of sectarianism within Islam in the Middle East, analysing how these differences contribute to the cultural and intellectual diversity within the Muslim world. This study conducts a thorough examination of historical circumstances, socio-political influences, and religious beliefs to explore the beginnings and development of sectarian differences. It specifically examines how these divisions have affected regional stability, the construction of identity, and geopolitical interactions. The research explores the intricate nature of Sunni-Shia disputes and the rise of other sects, revealing the interplay between religious diversity and socioeconomic dynamics in the area. Ultimately, it asserts that comprehending these sectarian divisions is essential for cultivating mutual understanding and advancing peace within the diverse fabric of Islamic culture. There are more than 15 different sub sects in the Middle East and each camp plays a vital role in the politics of Middle East. Sectarian politics is an indispensable phenomenon in the Middle East.

The Potential Impact of Long-Term Copper Fungicide Sprays on Soil Health in Avocado Orchards

The long-term use of copper (Cu)-based fungicide sprays in orchards is associated with changes in soil Cu levels. However, there is a gap in knowledge regarding the potential accumulation of Cu in orchards and the associated impacts on the soil microbial structure. This study assessed the possibility of Cu accumulation in different avocado orchard farms and further evaluated the potential effect on soil microbial activities. Soil Cu levels were quantified in Tauranga and Northland, and three avocado orchards were analysed in each experimental location. All avocado farms in both sites received Cu-based fungicide sprays for over eight years. Soil samples were collected at a 0–20 cm depth from all six orchards. The soil total and bioavailable Cu, changes in soil chemical properties, microbial biomass, dehydrogenase activity, alkaline phosphatase activity, and acid phosphatase activity were measured. The results revealed that the total Cu and bioavailable Cu concentrations in Tauranga orchards were 81.3 and 0.32, 196.7 and 0.82, and 33.6 and 0.31 mg Cu kg−1 in Farms 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In Northland orchards, the total Cu and bioavailable Cu were 54.5 and 0.06, 18.4 and 0.77, and 46 and 0.34 mg Cu kg−1 in Farm 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Five out of six of the avocado orchard farms assessed in this study had total Cu concentrations greater than 30 mg Cu kg−1 reported in New Zealand native land. The magnitude of Cu accumulation was linked with soil pH and C content. No clear trend was observed between soil Cu concentrations and the soil microbial activity. Our study results demonstrated that the long-term use of Cu-based fungicide sprays can elevate Cu concentrations in orchard soils. Mitigation strategies need to be explored to abate the accumulation of Cu in orchard soils.

The Action of Environmental Factors on Carbon Dioxide Efflux per Growing Season and Non-Growing Season

The intensity of carbon dioxide can vary depending on land management practices, temperature of the soil, and soil moisture. The soil CO2 efflux per non-growing season was 61% lower than per growing season. The CO2 efflux, averaged across data, tended to decrease in the following orders: grassland &gt; forest &gt; no-tillage &gt; reduced tillage &gt; conventional tillage (per non-growing season and measurement period) and grassland &gt; forest &gt; no-tillage &gt; conventional tillage &gt; reduced tillage (per growing season). Soil temperature averaged; in the natural land uses, it was 18% lower than in the anthropogenic land uses. Soil temperature averaged; in the non-growing season, it was 55% lower than under the growing season. The temperature (up to 25 °C) increased the soil CO2 efflux per measurement period. By increasing the temperature in the soil, the soil efflux decreased in natural land use under growing season, but in anthropogenic land use, it increased per measurement period. The volumetric water content averaged; in the non-growing season, it was 3% lower than under the growing season. The volumetric water content had a positive effect on CO2 efflux, but when the water content was higher than 15% in anthropogenic land use, and 20% in natural land use per growing season, the relationships were negative.

Aboriginal Self‐determination, Land Rights, and Recognition in the Whitlam Era: Laying Groundwork for Power Sharing and Representation

The Whitlam Labor government (1972–75) is remembered for ushering in a new era in Indigenous affairs, with the move to “self‐determination”, abandoning the longstanding insistence on “assimilation”. The new government intended to deploy the Commonwealth's new legislative power established in the 1967 constitutional referendum to bring in a range of reforms, responding to consistent demands from Indigenous leaders, activists, and supporters through the previous decade. Whitlam's campaign speech promised anti‐discrimination legislation, provisions to allow Aboriginal communities to incorporate, and legislation of a system of land tenure. The government faced considerable political obstacles, ultimately curbing the ambitious reform agenda. Nevertheless, these initial efforts to conceptualise representation, recognition, and compensation laid important foundations for the current public debate about “Voice, Treaty, Truth”, following the Uluru Statement from the Heart. This paper explores self‐determination through the path‐breaking work of the Woodward Aboriginal Land Rights Commission and the establishment of well‐resourced land councils as authoritative and legitimate representatives of Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory. The Whitlam government's willingness to experiment with power‐sharing in the sensitive area of land ownership provided a valuable prototype for genuine engagement with First Nations people today, as Australia contemplates the failure of the constitutional referendum around a Voice to parliament.

Historical and legal characteristics of the Act of Unity of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic and its state-building potential

The article is devoted to the study of the prerequisites and procedural aspects of the conclusion of the Act of Unity of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic on January 22, 1919, which was the culmination of centuries-old efforts of Ukrainians to unite their historical national lands within the boundaries of a single sovereign and independent state of Ukraine. The process of affirming the unity of the Ukrainian lands historically began with the search for support for the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic among the political elites of Trans-Dnieper Ukraine. The pre-accession agreement concluded between representatives of the Western Ukrainian political elite and the newly formed Directorate of the Ukrainian People’s Republic provided for the procedure for ratifying the union of the two parts of Ukraine. The aspirations of Western Ukrainian People’s Republic representatives regarding equal representation in the highest bodies of state administration, which they previously discussed with the Management, were not realized. In fact, the Directory recognizes the autonomous status of Western Ukrainian People’s Republic as one of the regions of Ukraine under the name Western Region of the Ukrainian People’s Republic. The management of the Directory was aware of the declarative nature of the connection. The paradigm of the historical perspective and parallels through the centuries brings us back to the need to constantly study the strengths and positive experiences of the past, study mistakes in order to avoid them in the future. The period of Ukrainian national development studied in the article went through many difficult trials, but this encouraged Ukrainians to raise national liberation ideas to a new level - awareness of the need for national and territorial unity. The leaders of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and Western Ukrainian People’s Republic failed to realize the positive aspirations that were laid down in their positive movement towards the unity of the state. The main drawback was that the main institutions of power of the Ukrainian People’s Republic remained formed according to the imperial model. There was a lack of professional and at the same time nationally conscious personnel. An important historical experience of the relationship between the two parts of Ukraine, which must be taken into account in the current conditions of Ukraine, is the development of a common national policy, the vector of which is national interests, sovereignty and protection of the independence and territorial integrity of the state.

The Double Benefit of Eating Fewer Animal Products

Scientists around the world have been studying how the food we eat impacts the planet. The demand for animal products, especially meat and milk, creates a lot of greenhouse gas emissions that heat our world. In rich countries, people often eat more animal-based foods than needed, which can be bad for people’s health. So, eating more plants can reduce climate change while also making our bodies healthier. Eating more plants would also save huge areas of land, which is another benefit for the climate. This is because 75–80% of all the world’s farming land is used to produce animal products. If we ate more plants, we could give this land back to nature or make new nature parks that would draw greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. More natural land would also mean more plants and animals could make their homes in these parks, and humans would have more places to play and explore.

Sustainability implications of the EU's bioeconomy transition along global supply chains

The EU has set ambiguous targets for the development of a bioeconomy (BE) that not only ensures sufficient production of high-quality foods but also contributes to decarbonization, green jobs and reducing import dependency through biofuels and bio-based chemical products. However, the various and complex interrelations between the BE, the natural environment as well as wider economy and society risk that the EU's targets might indirectly compromise achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) globally. Here, we assess the impacts of the EU's BE on the achievement of a broad range of SDG indicators using the hybrid econometric input-output model that covers 64 countries plus a region rest of world with 36 industries and 28 agricultural production sectors each. We compare the impacts of the EU's BE across three different scenarios based on SSP2 combined with corresponding IEA and FAO scenarios describing different futures of population and GDP growth, climate policy and structural changes in the energy and agriculture sector. Our results show that, especially without further measures focusing on the circular use of biomass, the EU's BE is likely not contributing to a general improvement in SDG indicators. Instead, there are major trade-offs between various SDGs. Firstly, between the goals of climate change mitigation, on the one hand, and preservation of ecosystems through the protection of natural land, especially forests, and water bodies on the other. The second major trade-off is between the EU's goals of fostering the economic competitiveness and lowering the import dependency of fossil energy and food security especially in low income countries outside Europe.

Variability of soil organic carbon and nutrient content across land uses and agriculturally induced land use changes in the forest-savanna transition zone of Cameroon

Data expressing the effects of land use change on soil attributes is still very scarce in Cameroon as in most of Africa. In this regard, this study aimed to assess soil organic carbon (OC), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) content across land uses and agricultural-induced land use changes in the forest-savanna transition zone of Cameroon. Nine land uses were identified in the study area showing five directions of land use changes namely the change from the native forest to cocoa agroforestry, native savannah to cocoa agroforestry, native savannah to cropland, savannah fallow to cropland, and transition zone fallow to cropland. The soil was sampled at 0–10 cm (upper layer) and 10–30 cm (lower layer) depths in three replicates for each land use and analyzed for physicochemical properties. There were significant differences across the land uses for OC (p < 0.02), N (p < 0.01), C/N (p < 0.01), pH (p < 0.02), soil organic carbon stocks (SOCS) (p < 0.01), and soil nitrogen stocks (SNS) (p < 0.01), with a relatively higher magnitude in the upper soil layer. Higher magnitudes of OC (26.1 to 22.5 g kg−1), N (2.5 to 1.6 g kg−1), SOCS (32.1 to 27.8 Mg ha−1), and SNS (2.9 to1.9 Mg ha−1) were observed in native lands and cocoa agroforestry with the highest in the native forest and the forest-based cocoa agroforestry. Meanwhile, the effect of land use change on soil properties was mainly significant in the change from native savannah to croplands at p < 0.05 for OC, N, SOCS, and SNS, and p < 0.02 for P. Therefore, agroforestry is an alternative to enhance the ecological resilience of lands affected by land use changes.

Soil mycobiomes in native European aspen forests and hybrid aspen plantations have a similar fungal richness but different compositions, mainly driven by edaphic and floristic factors.

The cultivation of short-rotation tree species on non-forest land is increasing due to the growing demand for woody biomass for the future bioeconomy and to mitigate climate change impacts. However, forest plantations are often seen as a trade-off between climate benefits and low biodiversity. The diversity and composition of soil fungal biota in plantations of hybrid aspen, one of the most planted tree species for short-rotation forestry in Northern Europe, are poorly studied. The goal of this study was to obtain baseline knowledge about the soil fungal biota and the edaphic, floristic and management factors that drive fungal richness and communities in 18-year-old hybrid aspen plantations on former agricultural soils and compare the fungal biota with those of European aspen stands on native forest land in a 130-year chronosequence. Sites were categorized as hybrid aspen (17-18-year-old plantations) and native aspen stands of three age classes (8-29, 30-55, and 65-131-year-old stands). High-throughput sequencing was applied to soil samples to investigate fungal diversity and assemblages. Native aspen forests showed a higher ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungal OTU richness than plantations, regardless of forest age. Short-distance type EcM genera dominated in both plantations and forests. The richness of saprotrophic fungi was similar between native forest and plantation sites and was highest in the middle-aged class (30-55-year-old stands) in the native aspen stands. The fungal communities of native forests and plantations were significantly different. Community composition varied more, and the natural forest sites were more diverse than the relatively homogeneous plantations. Soil pH was the best explanatory variable to describe soil fungal communities in hybrid aspen stands. Soil fungal community composition did not show any clear patterns between the age classes of native aspen stands. We conclude that edaphic factors are more important in describing fungal communities in both native aspen forest sites and hybrid aspen plantation sites than forest thinning, age, or former land use for plantations. Although first-generation hybrid aspen plantations and native forests are similar in overall fungal diversity, their taxonomic and functional composition is strikingly different. Therefore, hybrid aspen plantations can be used to reduce felling pressure on native forests; however, our knowledge is still insufficient to conclude that plantations could replace native aspen forests from the soil biodiversity perspective.

Socio Economic Factors Contributing to Riparian Ecosystem Degradation along Kaiti River in Makueni County

The degradation of riparian ecosystems threatens the livelihoods of communities that depend on these socio-ecological systems (SES) for their well-being. This is because; riparian ecosystems provide ecosystem services like fodder, timber, soil development, water regulation and habitat for wildlife. The riparian ecosystem in Kenya's Eastern Semi-Arid Region is one of the affected zones and information is required to understand the causes therein. This case study focussed on the Kaiti River in Makueni County to analyse the socio-economic factors leading to its riparian degradation. Data was collected between September 2018 to March 2019 using questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and photographs. To analyse the data, SPSS version 26 interface with regression and correlation analysis was used to analyse the causes of riparian ecosystem degradation along the river. Crop farming was found to be a leading cause of degradation (R-Square =0.849, F (1, 99) =9.4495, p-value=0.0003&lt;0.05) showing that farming accounts for 84.9% of the variations in degradation of River Kaiti riparian ecosystem. A calculated beta value implied that a unit raise in crop farming would lead to a rise in the degradation of the River Kaiti riparian ecosystem by 0.782 (p-value=0.001&lt;0.05). The results of the study also revealed that livestock farming (R-Square =0.615, β=0.211, p-value =0.002≤0.05), lack of riparian conservation awareness (R-Square =0.573, β=-0.757, p-value= 0.002&lt;0.05) and Commercial sand harvesting R-Square=0.659, β=0.205, p value=0.000&lt;0.05) significantly contribute to River Kaiti riparian ecosystem degradation. Other causes significantly contributing to degradation (R-Square =0.520, β=0.212, p-value=0.001≤0.05,) were poor natural resource governance, poverty, poor infrastructure, climate change and land use changes. The study concludes that awareness creation and control of human activity in the Kaiti riparian zone would significantly reduce riparian ecosystem degradation. A multi-stakeholder approach whereby the community takes centre stage in monitoring and implementing riparian conservation measures is recommended.

Investigating Road Ice Formation Mechanisms Using Road Weather Information System (RWIS) Observations

Ice formation on roads leads to a higher incidence of accidents and increases winter de-icing/anti-icing costs. This study analyzed 3 years (2019–2021) of Road Weather Information System (RWIS) sub-hourly measurements collected by the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) to understand the first-order factors of road ice formation and its mechanisms. First, road ice is formed only when the road pavement surface temperature is equal to or below the freezing point (i.e., 32 °F (i.e., 0 °C)), while the corresponding 2 m air temperature could be above 32 °F. Nevertheless, when the road pavement was below 32 °F ice often did not form on the roads. Therefore, one challenge is to know under what conditions road ice forms. Second, the pavement surface temperature is critical for road ice formation. The clear road (i.e., with no ice or snow) surface pavement temperature is generally warmer than the air temperature during both day and night. This feature is different from a natural land surface, where the land skin temperature is lower than the air temperature on cloud-free nights due to radiative cooling. Third, subsurface temperature, measured using a RWIS subsurface sensor below a road surface, did not vary as much as the pavement temperature and, thus, may not be a good index for road ice formation. Fourth, urban heat island effects lead to black ice formation more frequently than roads located in other regions. Fifth, evaporative cooling from the water surface near a road segment further reduces the outlying air temperature, a mechanism that increases heat loss for bridges or lake-side roads in addition to radiative cooling. Additionally, mechanical lifting via mountains and hills is also an efficient mechanism that makes the air condense and, consequently, form ice on the roads. Forecasting road ice formation is in high demand for road safety. These observed features may help to develop a road ice physical model consisting of functions of hyper-local weather conditions, local domain knowledge, the road texture, and geographical environment.

Evaluation of historical data on persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals in Lake Baikal: Implications for accumulation in marine environments

Lake Baikal, the largest freshwater lake by volume, provides drinking water and aquatic food supplies to over 2.5 million people. However, the lake has been contaminated with recalcitrant pollutants released from surrounding industrial complexes, agriculture, and natural lands, thereby increasing the risk of their bioaccumulation in fish and seals. Yet, a collective analysis of historical concentration data and their bioaccumulation potential as well as what factors drive their accumulation in fish or seals remains largely unknown. We analyzed concentration data from 42 studies collected between 1985 and 2019 in water, sediment, fish, and seals of Lake Baikal. Heavy metals had the highest concentrations in water and biota followed closely by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorines. Among organochlorines, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) showed the highest levels in water, surpassing hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) concentrations, particularly after normalizing to solubility. While naphthalene and phenanthrene exhibited the highest average concentrations among polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), their relative concentrations significantly decreased upon solubility normalization. The analysis confirmed that bioconcentration and biomagnification of organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, PAHs, and heavy metals depend primarily on source strength to drive their concentration in water and secondarily on their chemical characteristics as evidenced by the higher concentrations of low-solubility PCBs and high molecular weight PAHs in water and sediment. The differential biomagnification patterns of Cu, Hg, and Zn compared to Pb are attributed to their distinct sources and bioavailability, with Cu, Hg, and Zn showing more pronounced biomagnification due to prolonged industrial release, in contrast to the declining Pb levels. Dibenzo-p-dioxins were detected in sediment and seals, but not in water or fish compartments. These data highlight the importance of addressing even low concentrations of organic and inorganic pollutants and the need for more consistent and frequent monitoring to ensure the future usability of this and other similar essential natural resources.

Hardesty (Jared Ross) – Black Lives, Native Lands, White Worlds. A History of Slavery in New England. – Amherst/Boston, University of Massachusetts Press, 2019. XX + 176 p. Index. Illustrations.

Hardesty (Jared Ross) – Black Lives, Native Lands, White Worlds. A History of Slavery in New England. – Amherst/Boston, University of Massachusetts Press, 2019. XX + 176 p. Index. Illustrations.