Study of small air ions concentrations versus asthma attacks in the region of Athens-Greece after the Chernobyl disaster

A consequence of the Chernobyl disaster was the isolated increase of small air ions for a limited time period over Athens-Greece. Taking advantage of this unique condition we studied the relation of log daily mean concentrations of small positive air ions, small negative air ions, NO2 and SO2 with the total daily number of asthma attacks attendances at the region's largest chest diseases hospital for 35 days following the disaster and during a same time period in the preceding four years. No correlation was found between air ionization and asthma attacks, though the study was of a rather short duration and several possible influencing factors such as aeroallergen concentrations were not taken into consideration.     

The action of air ions on bacteria. I. Protective and lethal effects on suspensions of Staphylococci in droplets

Techniques have been devised for studying quantitatively the effects of air ions on microorganisms suspended in small drops. In smog-contaminated atmospheres moderate concentrations of positive and negative air ions exerted a protective effect on staphylococci by delaying the drop in pH customarily observed and by diminishing the rate of evaporation. In clean air higher concentrations of positive and negative air ions accelerated the rate of death of staphylococci apparently by direct action on the cells and by increasing the rate of evaporation. Air ion action in these experiments did not involve cell agglutination or direct radiation from the radioactive isotopes employed.     

Growth and certain chemical constituents of tobacco plants exposed to air ions

Controlled experiments were performed in Faraday cages on the effects of positive and negative air ions on flue-cured tobacco plants. Continuous exposures for 15 days to air ions showed no significant differences in any plant growth characteristic between the treated and control plants. Standard errors in the measurement of the growth parameters for ion exposed plants were, however, consistently higher than those of control plants. Spatial variation in concentration gradients of air ions produced by corona discharge might have contributed to masking of the relatively small effects of air ions on biological organisms observed in previous experiments in this laboratory. No significant difference was observed between the experimental and control plants in nicotine, total alkaloid, and reducing sugar contents. Total nitrogen content was slightly higher for treated than control plants.     

鲁东沿海丘陵茶园防护林的小气候特征

近年来山东乳山茶业逐渐兴起, 但由于北方冬春季温度低和倒春寒频繁发生, 茶叶种植面积逐年减小。如何在低成本管理的基础上提高茶叶产量和品质, 成为乳山茶园管理的一大难题。以2007年春季采用水平梯田整地种植的茶园为试验区, 以梯田周围营造的4种网格(8 m × 80 m, 12 m × 80 m, 20 m × 80 m, 40 m × 80 m)茶园防护林为研究对象, 分别在2013年4月、8月和12月, 测定风速、空气温度、土壤温度、空气相对湿度及土壤相对湿度, 以纯茶园作为对照, 进行了小气候因子测定和分析。结果表明: (1) 4种防护林均能有效地降低茶园内风速, 调节气温、土壤温度和土壤相对湿度, 增加空气相对湿度, 为茶树生长提供适宜的生态环境; (2)由于区域水分通量和太阳辐射的季节变化, 4种防护林的小气候调节效应也表现出一定的季节性差异; (3)主成分分析结果表明, 4种茶园防护林中, 影响小气候因子的主要因素是气温和土壤温度, 其因子负荷量分别为-0.978和0.986, 但风速与气温呈极显著相关关系, 与土壤温度之间无显著线性关系, 因此, 风速也能间接地影响林内小气候; (4) 8 m × 80 m的防护林对小气候的总体调节效应优于其他3种防护林。     

Dynamic and complex microclimate responses to warming and grazing manipulations

Synthesis efforts that identify patterns of ecosystem response to a suite of warming manipulations can make important contributions to climate change science. However, cross‐study comparisons are impeded by the paucity of detailed analyses of how passive warming and other manipulations affect microclimate. Here we document the independent and combined effects of a common passive warming manipulation, open‐top chambers (OTCs), and a simulated widespread land use, clipping, on microclimate on the Tibetan Plateau. OTCs consistently elevated growing season averaged mean daily air temperature by 1.0–2.0°C, maximum daily air temperature by 2.1–7.3°C and the diurnal air temperature range by 1.9–6.5°C, with mixed effects on minimum daily air temperature, and mean daily soil temperature and moisture. These OTC effects on microclimate differ from reported effects of a common active warming method, infrared heating, which has more consistent effects on soil than on air temperature. There were significant interannual and intragrowing season differences in OTC effects on microclimate. For example, while OTCs had mixed effects on growing season averaged soil temperatures, OTCs consistently elevated soil temperature by approximately 1.0°C early in the growing season. Nonadditive interactions between OTCs and clipping were also present: OTCs in clipped plots generally elevated air and soil temperatures more than OTCs in nonclipped plots. Moreover, site factors dynamically interacted with microclimate and with the efficacy of the OTC manipulations. These findings highlight the need to understand differential microclimate effects between warming methods, within warming method across ecosystem sites, within warming method crossed with other treatments, and within sites over various timescales. Methods, sites and scales are potential explanatory variables and covariables in climate warming experiments. Consideration of this variability among and between experimental warming studies will lead to greater understanding and better prediction of ecosystem response to anthropogenic climate warming.     

Microclimatic Changes Induced by Ecological Restoration of Ponderosa Pine Forests in Northern Arizona

Restoration of ponderosa pine ecosystems results in altered stand structure, potentially affecting microclimatic conditions and habitat quality for forest organisms. This research focuses on microclimatic changes resulting from forest and landscape structural alterations caused by restoration treatments in southwestern ponderosa pine forests. Three microclimate variables—light intensity, air temperature, and vapor pressure deficit (VPD)—were monitored over two field seasons. Differences in microclimate between the treated forest and the surrounding untreated forest were measured, and microclimatic gradients across the structural edge between these two forest types were quantified. Restoration treatments increased sunlight penetration to the forest floor but did not significantly impact ambient air temperature or VPD. Mean values for air temperature and VPD did not differ significantly between treatments, although temperature and vapor pressure deficit did exhibit a trend in the morning; both variables were higher at the structural edge and in the treated forest during morning hours. Significant edge gradients were detected for air temperature and VPD in the morning and evening, increasing from the structural edge into the untreated forest. Our results show that microclimatic effects of these restoration treatments are generally modest, but the changes are more prominent at specific locations and during certain times of day. Because even modest changes in microclimate have the potential to impact a range of key ecological processes, microclimatic effects should be considered when forest restoration treatments at the landscape scale are being planned and implemented.     

Air ion effect on respiration and photosynthesis of barley andAntirrhinum majus

Stem height increases of 13% and 15% for barley and snapdragon respectively were observed for plants maintained in an atmosphere of high concentrations of negative air ions compared to control plants. Dry weights of the exposed plant species to negative ions increased by approximately 18% compared to untreated plants. The effects of positive air ions were insignificant. The rates of photosynthesis and respiration measurements on continuously exposed plants to negative air ions conformed to these observations.     

Scale-dependent relationships between landscape structure and microclimate

This paper examined the scale-dependent relationships between landscape structure (e.g., slope, elevation, and overstory canopy coverage) and microclimate (e.g., air and soil temperatures and soil moisture) at different spatial scales along a 10050 m transect in the Southeastern Missouri Ozarks, USA. The landscape structure and microclimate variables were measured every 10 m along the transect during the growing season, June to September, 1996. We used the simple correlation analysis and "moving window" technique (no overlap between two adjacent windows) to examine the correlation coefficients between landscape structure and microclimate variables at scales or window sizes from 10 m to 2000 m. Because the sample size decreased rapidly in the "moving window" method, we also used the standardized cross-variogram to investigate the relationships between landscape structure and microclimate variables at a larger range of scales from 10 m to 8000 m. We found that the relationships between landscape structure and microclimate were apparently scale-dependent along the transect, suggesting the interactions between landscape structure and microclimate were stronger at some scales than others. The landscape structure variables were poor in explaining the variation of each microclimate variable at fine scales (e.g., 10 m). The correlations between elevation and microclimate variables were, in general, significantly improved with the increase of scales, while the improvement was less significant for slope and canopy coverage. Of the landscape structure variables, elevation, in general, had a higher correlation with the microclimate variables than slope and overstory canopy coverage at most scales examined. Our results suggest that small scales (e.g., < 100 m) are not suitable to study the relationships/interactions between landscape structure and microclimate and larger scales (e.g., > 500 m) are more appropriate though the relationships vary at the larger scales. Both the simple correlation analysis and standardized cross-variogram analysis were effective and, in general, consistent in characterizing the scale-dependent relationships between landscape structure and microclimate. Meanwhile, the standardized cross-variogram had the advantage to examine the relationships at large scales over the correlation analysis because the sample size reduced rapidly in the correlation analysis.     

The effects of fabric air permeability and moisture absorption on clothing microclimate and subjective sensation in sedentary women at cyclic changes of ambient temperatures from 27 degrees C to 33 degrees C

The present paper aimed at learning the effects of two different levels of air permeability and moisture absorption on clothing microclimate and subjective sensation in sedentary women. Three kinds of clothing ensemble were investigated: 1) polyester clothing with low moisture absorption and low air permeability (A clothing); 2) polyester clothing with low moisture absorption and high air permeability (B clothing); and 3) cotton clothing with high moisture absorption and high air permeability (C clothing). After 20 min of dressing time, the room temperature and humidity began to rise from 27 degrees C and 50% rh to 33 degrees C and 70% rh over 20 min, and it was maintained for 30 min (Section I); it then began to fall to 27 degrees C and 50% rh over 20 min, and it was maintained there for 20 min (Section II). The subject sat quietly on a chair for 110 min. The main findings are summarized as follows: 1) The clothing surface temperature was significantly higher in C clothing than in B clothing during section I, but it was significantly higher in B clothing than in C clothing during section II. 2) Although the positive relationship between the microclimate humidity and forearm sweat rate was significantly confirmed in all three kinds of clothing, the microclimate humidity at the chest for the same sweat rate was lower in C clothing than in A and B clothing. These results were discussed in terms of thermal physiology.     

Behavioral monitoring of rats during exposure to air ions and DC electric fields

Air ions and direct current (DC) electric fields have been reported to exert subtle behavioral and biological effects on rodents and humans. These effects often appear inconsistent, yet there have been few attempts to resolve these inconsistencies by experimental replication. Rats exposed to negatively or positively charged air ions over a wide range of concentrations and exposure periods have been reported to show alterations in their level of locomotor activity. In this study, locomotor activity of Sprague-Dawley rats was quantified during exposure to either unipolar air ions and DC fields of the same polarity or DC fields alone. Both polarities were studied. Air ion concentrations were 5.0 X 10(3), DC fields were 3 kV/m, and exposures lasted 2, 18, or 66 h. In one experiment rats were exposed to DC fields of 12 kV/m. No exposure condition exerted any effect on locomotor activity or rearing behavior. In addition, no behavioral perturbations were observed after the onset of any of the exposure conditions, suggesting that the rats may have failed to detect the altered environment.     

Humidity, nectar and insect visits to flowers, with special reference to Crataegus, Tilia and Echium

Abstract. 1. This paper describes field observations on diel changes in the nectars of Crataegus, Tilia and Echium in relation to microclimate and insect visits.
2. Nectar concentration is highly correlated with ambient relative humidity, but the concentrative properties of the nectars differ from those of pure sugar solutions in ways that could be accounted for by microclimate or chemical effects.
3. The microclimate inside flowers may influence the rate of equilibration of nectar with the relative humidity of the air, or the equilibrium concentration itself.
4. The vapour pressure relationships of nectars may be influenced by the presence of components with low r/P values (that is, solutes in which solution show a relatively large lowering of vapour pressure, P , for a small change in refraction, r ). Such components might be released by micro-organisms in the nectar.
5. The quantity of sugar per flower depends on the relative rates of secretion and reabsorption, among other things. The flowers we studied showed evidence for morning and evening peaks of secretion, and in Crataegus substantial quantities of sugar were 'sequestered' around midday.
6. The pattern of visits by bumblebees to the flowers of Tilia and Echium can be related to the changing concentration of sugar in the nectar; caloric reward was probably not limiting for bumblebees visiting Tilia.     

Space charge drift from a +/- 400-kV direct current transmission line

The Minnesota Environmental Quality Board completed a 3-year study of the space charge plume outside the right of way of a bipolar (+/- 400 kV) direct current transmission line in rural west central Minnesota. The purpose of the study was to determine the levels of DC potential gradient and small airs ions in the downwind plume to which humans and animals may be exposed. Potential gradient measurements show that a space charge plume is detectable downwind at least 1600 m from the transmission line. Plume relaxation rates indicate that under certain conditions one could detect the plume at twice that distance or more. Net charge in the plume assumes the polarity of the downwind energized transmission line conductor. The bipolar DC line thus electrically bisects the land through which it passes; on one side of the line there is a net positive space charge, on the other side a net negative space charge. Electric charge in the plume resides on aerosols and small air ions. Polar conductivity data substantiate the fact that small air ions of one polarity in the plume are elevated while those of opposite polarity are suppressed compared to background concentrations found in the rural environment. The resulting charge imbalance persists downwind at least 1600 m, though the median small air ion concentrations of plume polarity have adjusted to within the background range by that time with perpendicular wind speed components between 1 and 6 m/sec.     

The effects of air ions on brain levels of serotonin in mice

Mice were maintained in a controlled pollutant-free microenvironment and were exposed for 12, 24, 48 and 72 hr to 3 different concentrations of small positive or negative air ions: 2–4 × 10³ ions/cm³, 3–4 × 10⁴ ions/cm³ or 3.5–5 × 10⁵ ions/cm³. Spectrophotofluorometric assays of brain serotonin levels of air ion-treated mice showed statistically significant differences as early as 12 hours from those of mice kept in untreated pollutant-free air. Essentially no deviation from control values were observed at 24 and 48 hours. After 72 hours of exposure sharp decreases took place in all groups with the single exception of the animals exposed to 3–4 × 10⁴ positive ions/cm³. The hypothesis that alterations in mood and affect associated with certain meteorological conditions, e.g. winds such as the foehn, sirocco, etc. might depend upon air ion-induced changes in brain levels of serotonin was examined in the light of recent advances in neurophysiology and neuropharmacology.     

Microclimate species distribution models estimate lower levels of climate-related habitat loss for salamanders

Species distribution models (SDMs) largely rely on free-air temperatures at coarse spatial resolutions to predict habitat suitability, potentially overlooking important microhabitat. Integrating microclimate data into SDMs may improve predictions of organismal responses to climate change and support targeting of conservation assets at biologically relevant scales, especially for small, dispersal-limited species vulnerable to climate-change-induced range loss. We integrated microclimate data that account for the buffering effects of forest vegetation into SDMs at a very high spatial resolution (3 m²) for three plethodontid salamander species in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina and Tennessee). Microclimate SDMs were used to characterize potential changes to future plethodontid habitat, including habitat suitability and habitat spatial patterns. Additionally, we evaluated spatial discrepancies between predictions of habitat suitability developed with microclimate and coarse-resolution, free-air climate data. Microclimate SDMs indicated substantial losses to plethodontid ranges and highly suitable habitat by mid-century, but at much more conservative levels than coarse-resolution models. Coarse-resolution SDMs generally estimated higher mid-century losses to plethodontid habitat compared to microclimate models and consistently undervalued areas containing highly suitable microhabitat. Furthermore, microclimate SDMs revealed potential areas of future gain in highly suitable habitat within current species’ ranges, which may serve as climatic microrefugia. Taken together, this study highlights the need to develop microclimate SDMs that account for vegetation and its biophysical effects on near-surface temperatures. As microclimate datasets become increasingly available across the world, their integration into correlative and mechanistic SDMs will be imperative for accurately estimating organismal responses to climate change and helping environmental managers tasked with spatially prioritizing conservation assets.     

海岸带不同复合农林业系统的小气候特征

对海岸带银杏（Ginkgo biloba Linn.)－农作物在种复合经营模式（A.4年生叶用银杏＋农作物;B.6年生果用银杏＋4年生叶用银杏＋农作物;C.6年生材用银杏＋农作物）进行了小气候的同步测定和因子分析。结果表明：太阳辐射的吸收率、空气相对湿度、防风效应都随模式内植被的立体空间层次增加而增加,而气温、地温的日较差和水面蒸发量却随之降低。各模式中影响小气候的主导因子主要是植被结构层次和地表温度,其因子负荷量分别为－0.971和0.9997。三种模式中,果用银杏－叶用银可－农作物复合模式具有更适宜而又稳定的小气候特征。     

Dispositif d'aero—ionisation artificielle permettant des traitements ioniques variés

An apparatus is described for the exposure of rats to air ions in experimental work. Air ions are produced by high voltages of positive or negative polarity according to the requirements. Several devices protect animals against ozone and other undesirable molecules formed by high voltages and reduce the electric field to a natural value. Only the smallest ions are dispatched to the animals. The treatment chamber is also the ionization measuring gauge. The measured air ion concentration is identical with the one that reaches the animals. Possible concentrations are in the range from 50,000 to 750,000 ions/ml, with better than 5% precision. Simultaneous treatment of 10 rats for over one hour is possible.     

Possible influence of cell walls upon ion concentrations at plasma membrane surfaces. Toward a comprehensive view of cell-surface electrical effects upon ion uptake, intoxication, and amelioration

Plant uptake of ions, intoxication by ions, and the alleviation of intoxication by other ions often correlate poorly with ion concentrations in the rooting medium. By contrast, uptake, intoxication, and alleviation correlate well with ion concentrations at the plasma membrane (PM) surface computed as though the PM were bathed directly in the rooting medium with no effect from the cell wall (CW). According to two separate lines of analysis, a close association of CWs and PMs results in a slight increase in cation concentrations and a slight decrease in anion concentrations at the PM surface compared with concentrations when the CW is separated or has no effect. Although slightly different, the ion concentrations at the PM surface computed with and without close association with the CW are highly correlated. Altogether, the CW would appear to have a small effect upon ion uptake by the PM or upon intoxication or alleviation of intoxication originating at the PM surface. These analyses have been enabled by the recent evaluation of parameters required for the electrostatic models (Gouy-Chapman-Stern and Donnan-plus-binding) used to compute electrical potentials and ion concentrations in CWs and at PM surfaces.     

Effects of pasture and forest microclimatic conditions on the foraging activity of leaf-cutting ants

The fragmentation and transformation of land cover modify the microclimate of ecosystems. These changes have the potential to modify the foraging activity of animals, but few studies have examined this topic. In this study, we investigated whether and how the foraging activity of the leaf-cutter ant Atta cephalotes is modified by microclimatic variations due to land cover change from forest to pasture. We characterized the microclimate of each habitat and identified alterations in foraging behavior in response to relative humidity (RH), air temperature, and surface temperature along ant foraging trails by synchronously assessing foraging activity (number of ants per 5 min including incoming laden and unladen and outgoing ants) and microclimatic variables (air temperature, RH, and maximum and minimum surface temperature along the foraging trail). There were climatic differences between habitats during the day but not throughout the night, and A. cephalotes was found to have a high tolerance for foraging under severe microclimatic changes. This species can forage at surface temperatures between 17 and 45°C, air temperatures between 20 and 36°C, and an RH between 40% and 100%. We found a positive effect of temperature on the foraging activity of A. cephalotes in the pasture, where the species displayed thermophilic behavior and the ability to forage across a wide range of temperatures and RH. These results provide a mechanism to partially explain why A. cephalotes becomes highly prolific as anthropogenic disturbances increase and why it has turned into a key player of human-modified neotropical landscapes.     

Predicting microscale shifts in the distribution of the butterfly Plebejus argus at the northern edge of its range

Species are often observed to occur in restricted patches of particularly warm microclimate at their high latitude/altitude geographic range margin. In these areas, global warming is expected to cause small‐scale expansion of the occupied area, but most previous studies of range expansion have used very coarse scale data. Using high resolution microclimate models together with detailed field surveys, we tested whether the butterfly Plebejus argus, occurring on limestone grassland in north Wales, was responding as might be expected due to climate change in the last 30–40 yr. The abundance of adult Plebejus argus at 100 m resolution in 2011 was strongly affected by elevation and near‐ground temperatures in May. A statistical model including microclimate, fitted to 2011 data, was successful (67% correct) at hindcasting the occurrence of Plebejus argus in 1983 when the average May air temperature was 1.4°C cooler. However, the model was less accurate at hindcasting occurrences in 1972 (50% correct). Given the distribution of micro‐sites in this landscape, we predict that further warming of approximately 1°C would make the majority of sites highly microclimatically suitable for this species. There are a growing number of long‐term studies of range change, and investigations into the mechanisms driving them, but still surprisingly few that explicitly make and test predictions with independent data. Our tests are a valuable example of how accurate predictions of distribution change can be, but also of the inevitable uncertainties. Improved understanding of how well models predict will be very important to plan robust climate change adaptation measures.     

Site factors controlling epiphytic lichen abundance in northern coniferous forests

Epiphytic lichens are an important part of the vegetation of northern coniferous forests of Eurasia and North America. Much progress has been made during recent decades at disentangling relevant site factors, which control the diversity and distribution of epiphytic lichens in boreal and oroboreal forests. The present paper aims at summarizing the present state of knowledge. Relevant site factors include the microclimate, nutrient supply, structural diversity and, if applicable, air pollution. The continuity of site conditions decides over the presence of species with dispersal limitations. The effects of fire on epiphytic lichens are largely unstudied, although fire is an important ecological factor in boreal forests.