Methods of quantifying a mass mortality event in freshwater wildlife within the river ecosystem.

This study introduces a comprehensive method for quantifying mass mortality events in freshwater wildlife, exemplified by the ecological disaster in the Odra River in 2022. Our approach integrates field observations, statistical analysis, and ecological assessment to measure the impact of such events on various aquatic species. Key steps include systematic counting of deceased organisms, assessing population declines, and evaluating the ecological repercussions of invasive species. Utilizing the R programming language, we developed a framework that is adaptable to similar ecological crises in different aquatic environments. This methodology facilitates a detailed understanding of the scale and implications of mass mortality events, thereby contributing to effective environmental management and conservation efforts. •The analysis and modeling methods of the disaster are presented in the R programming language.•Exclusively open-source software was used for the analysis.•The analysis includes detailed data on the disaster's impact on various species.

A dataset on quantifying a mass mortality event in freshwater wildlife within the Lower Odra River.

In response to the significant ecological disaster in the Odra River during the summer of 2022, a comprehensive data collection process was initiated to quantify the extent of mortality among aquatic species. The dataset focuses on the downstream section of the river, identified as the area with the highest accumulation of deceased organisms. The data collection involved systematic sampling and counting of dead organisms, including fish, bivalves , and aquatic snails. Special attention was given to specific species such as Unionidae mussels, Anodonta anatina, Sinanodonta woodiana, and Viviparus viviparus. Additionally, transects were designated for focused data collection on fish mortality. The dataset provides detailed mortality figures, biomass estimates, and percentage reductions for each species. This comprehensive dataset holds significant potential for reuse by researchers studying the effects of toxins on freshwater ecosystems, the impact of invasive species on native populations, and conservationists aiming to restore the affected areas.

Mental Well-Being in UK Higher Education During Covid-19: Do Students Trust Universities and the Government?

This paper draws upon the concept of recreancy to examine the mental well-being of university students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Briefly, recreancy is loss of societal trust that results when institutional actors can no longer be counted on to perform their responsibilities. Our study of mental well-being and recreancy focuses on the role of universities and government regulators within the education sector. We surveyed 600 UK students attending 161 different public higher education providers in October 2020 during a time when many UK students were isolated in their residences and engaged in online learning. We assessed student well-being using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (scored 7-35) and found the mean score to be 19.9 [95% confidence interval (CI) 19.6, 20.2]. This level of well-being indicates that a significant proportion of UK students face low levels of mental well-being. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis indicates that high recreancy-measured as a low trust in universities and the government-is associated with low levels of mental well-being across the student sample. While these findings are suggestive, they are also important and we suggest that government and university leaders should not only work to increase food and housing security during the Covid-19 pandemic, but also consider how to combat various sector trends that might intensify recreancy.

The mysterious mass death of marine organisms on the Kamchatka Peninsula: A consequence of a technogenic impact on the environment or a natural phenomenon?

The increased incidence of environmental disasters in recent years is a matter of serious concern. The reasons for the disaster on the Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia), which occurred in September 2020 and caused the mass death of marine organisms, have not yet been established. This is the first study of the environmental disaster on Kamchatka and should shed light on the possible impact of two main man-made factors associated with an oil spill and a rocket fuel spill. The traces of oil products found in marine organisms could not have led to their death, as they indicate old oil pollution, heavy metals concentrations did not exceed the average values for the studied objects. The propellant and its transformation products were not found in the samples. Thus, having excluding the two main technogenic factors of the death of marine organisms, we can conclude that it was probably caused by a natural phenomenon.

Environmental threats induced heavy ecological burdens on the coastal zone of the Bohai Sea, China.

The environment of the Bohai Sea is under enormous pressure because of rapid economic and urban development associated with increased population inhabiting the coastal zone. Environmental threats to the coastal ecosystem were analyzed using 2006-2017 statistical/monitoring data from the State Oceanic Administration, China. The results showed that harmful algal blooms occurred a total of 104 times during the period of 2006-2017, for a cumulative area of more than 21,275 km2. The main environmental threats came from offshore oil and gas production in the form of hydrocarbon pollution during extraction, as well as from urban wastewater and sewage. Oil pollution, mainly generated from spills, offshore oil platforms and large number of vessels/ports, was found to cause very severe negative impacts on the environment. Another threat is from excessive groundwater exploitation which has resulted in seawater intrusion and soil salinization occurrence in more than 90% of coastal areas around the Bohai Sea. The maximum distance of intrusion by seawater and soil salinization was more than 40 and 32 km inland, respectively. Contamination by terrestrial pollutants was identified as another threat affecting the environment quality of the Bohai Sea. Approximately 840,000 t of pollutants were carried into the sea by major rivers annually for 2010-2017. The standard discharge rate of terrestrial-source sewage outlets did not exceed 50%; however, only 13.12% of sea areas adjacent to sewage outlets (rivers) met the environmental quality requirements for functional marine areas. The results also showed the frequency of storm surges in the Bohai Sea which was 8.83 times per year and the resulting annual direct economic losses reached (RMB) 1.77 billion for 2006-2017. The results highlight the urgent need to implement an ecological management strategy to reduce the heavy ecological burdens in the coastal zone of the Bohai Sea.

Conservation paradox: Large-scale mining waste in protected areas in two global hotspots, southeastern Brazil.

Irreversible losses of natural areas and damage to ecosystem services are caused by large-scale mining. These effects are prominent in Minas Gerais, which is home to a mining industry with hundreds of tailings dams concentrated in global hotspots: the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest. We present an overview of the spatial overlap between protected areas (PAs), priority conservation areas (PCAs), tailings dams, and their influence areas. A total of 218 dams accumulated environmental costs and liability that are represented by 2.24 thousand million m3 of tailings and industrial waste. Most dams (≈ 70%) are located in PCAs, 45 dams in conservation units, 58 in their respective buffer zones, and 51 in special protection areas. We have identified an urgent need to implement adequate public policies to establish management and monitoring mechanisms in PAs and PCAs and to address a scenario of high potential for socioenvironmental damage associated with tailings dams.

Ecosystem-Based Tsunami Mitigation for Tropical Biodiversity Hotspots.

Inclusion of ecosystem-based approaches in the governmental masterplan for tsunami mitigation in Palu, Indonesia may make the city a rare case study for ecological disaster risk reduction in tropical biodiversity hotspots. Such case studies are a key pillar of the United Nations (UN) Sendai Framework to protect coastal societies globally.

The zoocenosis of the Aral Sea: six decades of fast-paced change.

During the last six decades, the water level of the Aral Sea, once one of the largest lakes in the world, has experienced a major human-driven regression followed by significant changes in salinity. These fast-paced alterations were initiated by the diversion of two rivers-the Amu Darya and Syr Darya-key players in the regulation of the water balance of the Aral Sea. Consequently, biological modifications took place leading to severe changes of the zoocenosis. This paper reviews the changes that have affected communities of fish and aquatic invertebrates in the Aral Sea since the 1950s. The reported alterations in biodiversity not only represent a natural response to a decrease in water level and a subsequent increase in salinity but also effects of non-native species introduction. The future prospects for invertebrates and fish in the Aral Sea, assuming that initiated restoration work is continued, are also discussed in this paper.