Discusses an analysis of the relationship of soil temperatures at 3 depths to various climatic variables along a 200-kilometer transect in west-central Oklahoma. Reports that temperature readings increased from east to west. Concludes that temperature variations were explained by a combination of spatial, temporal, and biophysical factors. (SG)

A sample of five sites of recent urban renewal activity in Sandwell, West Midlands, U.K. formed the basis for an audit survey of the nature and degree of associated change in a broad set of physical, built, and infrastructure environmental parameters. Data were mostly derived from questionnaire surveys of professionals with specific environmental…

In spite of rapid progress achieved in the methodological research underlying environmental impact assessment (EIA), the problem of weighting various parameters has not yet been solved. This paper presents a new approach, fuzzy clustering analysis, which is illustrated with an EIA case study on Baoshan-Wusong District in Shanghai, China. (Author)

Describes methods of designing natural resource monitoring programs to provide indications of ecosystem health, define limits of normal variation, identify abnormal conditions, and suggest potential agent of abnormal change. (MDH)

Discusses Participatory Rural Appraisal, a research method that shifts the impetus for research in rural development from outside experts to rural people. Residents do their own investigations, share their knowledge, and own the outcomes. Rather than use standard questionnaires, information gathered is represented in visual form using maps,…

The field of research in environmental education has experienced several changes in orientation in its first 25 or so years. In the period of the 70s and 80s, the most visible approach to environmental education research was clearly applied science in nature. From the late 80s/early 90s there has been a period of intense debate about research in…

In this study, a freshwater flatworm was shown to be tolerant to a wide pH range and could survive in acidified water to approximately pH 3.6. The influence of other abiotic factors is explored. (CW)

Reported are the results of a survey on the influence of location of residence, source of water supply, family size, and storage strategies on water distribution, consumption, and pricing in Ibadan municipality, Nigeria. (CW)

Describes the Forest Science Data Bank that contains 2,400 data sets from over 350 existing ecological studies. Database features described include involvement of the scientific community; database documentation; data quality assurance; security; data access and retrieval; and data import/export flexibility. Appendices present the Quantitative…

Discusses the use of the human health risk assessment model as a basis for developing ecological risk assessment (ERA). For ERA, risk to individuals is less important than the survival of the population, with the exception of endangered species. Suggests that ERA take into account the relative reproductive value of the potentially impacted…

Describes some of the ancient geologic history of the Florida Keys from Key Largo to Key West including the effects of glaciers, sea level rise, reef distribution, spurs and grooves, backstepping and ecological zonation, growth rates and erosion. Predicts future changes in this area. (CW)

Presents aids to assist the design and monitoring of natural resource systems. Defines and describes hypergeometric systems; discusses monitoriing objectives and classifies monitoring programs. (MDH)

Discusses a technique for estimating sample size that does not require an a priori definition of desired precision. Presents five modifications that make the method easier to use and reduce the probability of estimating a larger sample size than necessary. The technique can guide the design of environmental sampling programs. (Contains 31…

Reviews research studies related to the monitoring of trace heavy metals in environmental samples such as plants, water, soils, and other natural resources in the city of Ibadan, Nigeria. Research results indicate a significant increase in toxic heavy metal levels has occurred, implying the need for environmental education. (Contains 31…

Provides a physical description of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), both in terms of their characteristic nature in the atmosphere and the processes which control their deposition. Contains a summary of the requirements for a full assessment of atmospheric SVOCs and their deposition. (LZ)