The aim of this text is to present a critical overview of Hg research in the Amazon along the last 30 years, discussing some of the lessons learned and the unique challenges that the complex Amazonian environment can place to researchers working on mercury. The description provided here is based on our long-term research with mercury in this tropical rainforest environment and may be particularly relevant for those initiating mercury studies in the tropics.

During sea-ice melt in the Arctic, primary production by sympagic (sea-ice) algae can be exported efficiently to the seabed if sinking rates are rapid and activities of associated heterotrophic bacteria are limited. Salinity stress due to melting ice has been suggested to account for such low bacterial activity. We further tested this hypothesis by analyzing samples of sea ice and sinking particles collected from May 18 to June 29, 2016, in western Baffin Bay as part of the Green Edge project. We applied a method not previously used in polar regions—quantitative PCR coupled to the propidium monoazide DNA-binding method—to evaluate the viability of bacteria associated with sympagic and sinking algae. We also measured cis-trans isomerase activity, known to indicate rapid bacterial response to salinity stress in culture studies, as well as free fatty acids known to be produced by algae as bactericidal compounds. The viability of sympagic-associated bacteria was strong in May (only approximately 10% mortality of total bacteria) and weaker in June (average mortality of 43%; maximum of 75%), with instances of elevated mortality in sinking particle samples across the time series (up to 72%). Short-term stress reflected by cis-trans isomerase activity was observed only in samples of sinking particles collected early in the time series. Following snow melt, however, and saturating levels of photosynthetically active radiation in June, we observed enhanced ice-algal production of bactericidal compounds (free palmitoleic acid; up to 4.8 mg L –1 ). We thus suggest that protection of sinking sympagic material from bacterial degradation early in a melt season results from low bacterial activity due to salinity stress, while later in the season, algal production of bactericidal compounds induces bacterial mortality. A succession of bacterial stressors during Arctic ice melt helps to explain the efficient export of sea-ice algal material to the seabed.

Decisions about dams, like other environmental conflicts, involve complex trade-offs between different water uses with varying human and ecological impacts, have significant impacts on public resources, and involve many stakeholders with diverse and often conflicting interests. Given the many upcoming dam decisions in New England and across the United States, an improved understanding of public preferences about dam decisions is needed to steward resources in the public interest. This research asks (1) What does the public want to see happen with dams? and (2) How do public preferences regarding dam removal vary with demography and politics? We address these questions using data from three random sample statewide telephone polls conducted in New Hampshire over 2018 that asked people for their preferences concerning dam removal versus maintaining dams for specific benefits—property values, hydropower generation, industrial history, or recreation. Respondent age, education, gender, and political party were tested among the possible predictors. We find that majorities (52% or 54%) of respondents favor removing dams rather than keeping them for industrial history or property values, and a plurality (43%) favor removal over keeping them for recreation. A plurality (46%) prefer keeping dams, however, if they are used to generate hydropower. Respondent background characteristics and political identity affect these preferences in ways resembling those for many other environment-related issues: women, young or middle-aged individuals, and political liberals or moderates (Democrats or independents) more often support dam removal. Education, on the other hand, has no significant effects. The results quantify levels of general public support for dam removal in New England, illustrating the use of public opinion polling to complement input from public meetings and guide decisions. More broadly, they contribute a new topic to existing scholarship on the social bases of environmental concern.

The growing urgency of environmental concerns around the world highlights the need to equip rising scientists with high-impact leadership and communication skills in order to effectively engage in interdisciplinary problem-solving. However, opportunities for authentic interdisciplinary professional development training for student scientists are not extensively available within single-institution programs. This study evaluates the impact of the Monterey Area Research Institutions’ Network for Education (MARINE), a regional cross-campus professional development program aimed at preparing graduate students for interdisciplinary leadership positions in environmental problem-solving. An online survey was conducted to evaluate students’ perceptions of whether MARINE effectively enhanced leadership, improved collaborative relationships, and prepared students for interdisciplinary environmental problem-solving. Overall, MARINE participants emphasized practical skill development, exposure to careers outside of academia, and interinstitutional networking as the most valued outcomes of the cross-campus professional development program. Based on survey results and the demonstrated practices of MARINE, we recommend a set of 4 key design principles for institutions to consider when creating future cross-campus professional development programs: (1) a student-led governance framework to ensure that the program’s focus is centered on topics and issues that participants find most relevant, (2) event planning committees that engage the larger pool of graduate students from across the network in authentic leadership, (3) professional development opportunities focused on interactive forms of activity, and (4) an annual colloquium for students to apply their training in leadership and interdisciplinary communication. Greater application of these practices and principles in cross-campus programs may present new opportunities for preparing rising leaders to take an active role in interdisciplinary problem-solving.

The objective of this study is to quantify the impact of freshwater stratification on the vertical gradients of partial pressure of CO 2 ( p CO 2 ) and estimates of air-sea CO 2 exchange in Hudson Bay during peak sea-ice melt and river runoff. During the spring of 2018, we sampled water in Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait for dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, salinity, the oxygen stable isotope ratio in the water (δ 18 O), and other ancillary data. The coastal domain and regions close to the ice edge had significant vertical concentration gradients of p CO 2 across the top meters of the ocean due to the presence of a stratified fresh layer at the surface. The p CO 2 and salinity in the central (where sea-ice melt was significant) and the southeast (where river runoff and sea-ice melt were significant) side of the bay generally increased with depth, with average gradients of 4.5 μatm m –1 and 0.5 m –1 , respectively. Ignoring these gradients causes a significant error in calculating air-sea CO 2 fluxes, especially when using shipboard underway systems that measure p CO 2 at several meters below the sea surface. We found that the oceanic CO 2 sink in Hudson Bay is underestimated by approximately 50% if underway p CO 2 system measurements are used without correction. However, we observed that these gradients do not persist for more than 5 weeks following ice melt. We have derived a linear correction for underway p CO 2 measurements to account for freshwater stratification during periods of 1–5 weeks after ice breakup. Given the lack of measurements in stratified Arctic waters, our results provide a road map to better estimates of the important role of these regions in global carbon cycles.

Waterways in the Southern Hemisphere, including on the Australian continent, are facing increasing levels of mercury contamination due to industrialization, agricultural intensification, energy production, urbanization, and mining. Mercury contamination undermines the use of waterways as a source of potable water and also has a deleterious effect on aquatic organisms. When developing management strategies to reduce mercury levels in waterways, it is crucial to set appropriate targets for the mitigation of these contaminated waterways. These mitigation targets could be (1) trigger values or default guideline values provided by water and sediment quality guidelines or (2) background (pre-industrialization) levels of mercury in waterways or sediments. The aims of this study were to (1) quantify the differences between existing environmental guideline values for mercury in freshwater lakes and background mercury concentrations and (2) determine the key factors affecting the spatial differences in background mercury concentrations in freshwater lake systems in Australia. Mercury concentrations were measured in background sediments from 21 lakes in Australia. These data indicate that background mercury concentrations in lake sediments can vary significantly across the continent and are up to nine times lower than current sediment quality guidelines in Australia and New Zealand. This indicates that if waterway managers are aiming to restore systems to ‘pre-industrialization’ mercury levels, it is highly important to quantify the site-specific background mercury concentration. Organic matter and precipitation were the main factors correlating with background mercury concentrations in lake sediments. We also found that the geology of the lake catchment correlates to the background mercury concentration of lake sediments. The highest mercury background concentrations were found in lakes in igneous mafic intrusive regions and the lowest in areas underlain by regolith. Taking into account these findings, we provide a preliminary map of predicted background mercury sediment concentrations across Australia that could be used by waterway managers for determining management targets.

In 2014, a satellite-based map of regional anomalies of atmospheric methane (CH 4 ) column retrievals singled out the fossil fuel rich San Juan Basin (SJB) as the biggest CH 4 regional anomaly (“hot spot”) in the United States. Over a 3-week period in April 2015, we conducted ground and airborne atmospheric measurements to investigate daily wind regimes and CH 4 emissions in this region of SW Colorado and NW New Mexico. The SJB, similar to other topographical basins with local sources, experienced elevated surface air pollution under low wind and surface temperature inversion at night and early morning. Survey drives in the basin identified multiple CH 4 and ethane (C 2 H 6 ) sources with distinct C 2 H 6 -to-CH 4 emission plume ratios for coal bed methane (CBM), natural gas, oil, and coal production operations. Air samples influenced by gas seepage from the Fruitland coal formation outcrop in La Plata County, CO, had enhanced CH 4 , with no C 2-5 light alkane enhancements. In situ fast-response data from seven basin survey flights, all with westerly winds, were used to map and attribute the detected C 2 H 6 and CH 4 emission plumes. C 2 H 6 -to-CH 4 plume enhancement correlation slopes increased from north to south, reflecting the composition of the natural gas and/or CBM extracted in different parts of the basin. Nearly 75% of the total detected CH 4 and 85% of the total detected C 2 H 6 hot spot were located in New Mexico. Emissions from CBM and natural gas operations contributed 66% to 75% of the CH 4 hot spot. Emissions from oil operations in New Mexico contributed 5% to 6% of the CH 4 hot spot and 8% to 14% of the C 2 H 6 hot spot. Seepage from the Fruitland coal outcrop in Colorado contributed at most 8% of the total detected CH 4 , while gas venting from the San Juan underground coal mine contributed <2%.

The ability of the ocean to continue to sustain human society depends on adequate protections of its ecosystem function and services. Despite the establishment of marine protected areas, formal protection of critical connectivity corridors to link habitats and thereby maintain necessary demographic transitions in marine species under threat is now rare. Such protections are critical to future resilience of food webs as climate and ocean change continues. Here, we focus on the Gulf of Mexico to support an integrative, holistic approach to marine and coastal habitat restoration, rehabilitation, and conservation in an ecosystem context following the extensive environmental and living resource injuries from the Deepwater Horizon oil well blowout. Critically important physical, chemical, and biological connectivity processes drive nutrient transport from the nearshore, mid-waters, and even deep ocean into coastal terrestrial habitats, enhancing primary production and terrestrial species populations. The emerging scientific understanding of the nature, habitat specificity, locations, and directions of transport in connectivity processes can help build natural ecosystem capital through protecting flows from land to sea and from the sea to multiple coastal habitats. We expose a dire need for a new conservation imperative, recognizing that oceanic and coastal protected areas established around the reliance of individual species on critical habitats are insufficient without also conserving relevant connectivity corridors that service ontogenetic migration pathways and ecosystem-support processes. Such connectivity must be explicitly understood, protected, and often actively enhanced through restoration intervention to ensure the success of various site-specific conservation actions and be continually modified in anticipation of and in response to multiple impacts of changing climate.

Public health measures implemented during the coronavirus pandemic have had significant global impacts on energy systems. Some changes may be ephemeral: as industries go back to work and supply chains relink once production resumes, energy use and emissions have and will continue to rebound. Some may be more durable, such as reductions in commuter and business travel and increases in teleworking. The crisis has exposed the persistent vulnerability of communities of color and those living in poverty, as well as highlighting weaknesses in just-in-time production systems and inequities of supply chains. The social and policy response to the societal impacts of the coronavirus crisis will affect energy systems and the environment in complex and dynamic ways over the long run. Strategic policy responses by nations, communities, organizations, and individuals could go a long way toward reshaping energy systems and impacts on communities and the environment. Here, we highlight themes for continued investigation and research into socioecological interactions between the Great Lockdown and pathways for recovery with a focus on energy systems and the environment.

The Inuit of Qikiqtaaluk (Baffin Island) have developed a deep respect for their natural environment and are able to report not only changes in weather, ice, and natural resources but also changes in their communities as a result of climate change. The objective of this study was to shed light on how the impacts of climate change are currently perceived in the communities of Kanngiqtugaapik, Pangniqtuuq, and Qikiqtarjuaq. In order to construct a shared knowledge base, we conducted qualitative video interviews and participated in a hunting camp with multigenerational and multigender Inuit hunters and fishers. First, Inuit continue to see the world in which they cohabit with other living things, particularly animals, as a world that they cannot control on their own—a world they must adapt to, passing learning from one generation to the next. Second, they report that changes in the ice have been among the major and most important transformations to have occurred in recent decades. Observations made by these local populations also indicate changes in hunted species, with fewer caribou and narwhal, more birds, insects, and fish, including from more southerly regions, and an uncertainty about polar bear populations. Seal hunting remains stable, and this meat is still the most popular and healthy food, physically and psychologically. Third, sociological and economic changes (e.g., lifestyle change, monetary economies, quotas), in addition to environmental changes (e.g., climate change, species change), have had a significant impact on food harvesting activities as well as food consumption in the region. A final perspective concerns the needs of the Qikiqtaaluk communities to further develop collaboration with scientists. This need for partnership is not only perceived as a scientific necessity but also recognized by Inuit as essential to their communities, with some local leaders ready to work toward a fruitful collaboration.

We are living in a new epoch—the Anthropocene, in which human activity is reshaping global biodiversity at an unprecedented rate. Increasing efforts are being made toward a better understanding of the associations between human activity and the geographic patterns in plant and animal communities. However, similar efforts are rarely applied to microbial communities. Here, we collected 472 forest soil samples across eastern China, and the bacterial and fungal communities in those samples were determined by high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer region, respectively. By compiling human impact variables as well as climate and soil variables, our goal was to elucidate the association between microbial richness and human activity when climate and soil variables are taken into account. We found that soil microbial richness was associated with human activity. Specifically, human population density was positively associated with the richness of bacteria, nitrifying bacteria and fungal plant pathogens, but it was negatively associated with the richness of cellulolytic bacteria and ectomycorrhizal fungi. Together, these results suggest that the associations between geographic variations of soil microbial richness and human activity still persist when climate and soil variables are taken into account and that these associations vary among different microbial taxonomic and functional groups.

Sharpnose sharks Rhizoprionodon lalandii and R. porosus are frequently captured in fishing activities in Brazil and are significantly consumed by humans, especially in southeastern Brazil. Both species lack population data and suffer intense fishing pressures and habitat degradation, consequently hindering adequate management and conservation actions. In this context, this study aimed to assess mercury (Hg) contamination in R. lalandii , and R. porosus sampled off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, addressing both animal health and public health risks. Sharks were obtained from two artisanal fishing colonies in southeastern Brazil (Copacabana and Recreio dos Bandeirantes), located on the coastal zone adjacent to Guanabara Bay, one of the most important, productive, and contaminated estuaries in Brazil, and a further three artisanal fishing colonies from the Região dos Lagos area (Saquarema, Cabo Frio and Rio das Ostras). Hg concentrations in liver, muscle, and brain in R. lalandii ( n = 24) and R. porosus ( n = 20) specimens were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. A gravid female measuring 112 cm from Copacabana is the first record for an individual of this size for R. lalandii . No correlation between length and muscle Hg concentrations was observed, and no differences between Hg concentrations for muscle or liver were found between male and female juveniles from either Cabo Frio or Rio das Ostras. No differences in Hg loads were observed herein for both assessed species. Low Hg bioaccumulation in juveniles and nongravid female muscle tissue was noted compared to significantly higher Hg concentrations in gravid females. Hg was detected in all embryos, indicating potential maternal offloading. As Hg thresholds for sharks in particular have not yet been established, whether the Hg concentrations detected in brain pose neurotoxic risks for these animals is not known. Public health concerns concerning adult R. lalandii consumption from Copacabana, however, are significant.

The Korea – United States Air Quality Study (May – June 2016) deployed instrumented aircraft and ground-based measurements to elucidate causes of poor air quality related to high ozone and aerosol concentrations in South Korea. This work synthesizes data pertaining to aerosols (specifically, particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters <2.5 micrometers, PM 2.5 ) and conditions leading to violations of South Korean air quality standards (24-hr mean PM 2.5 < 35 µg m –3 ). PM 2.5 variability from AirKorea monitors across South Korea is evaluated. Detailed data from the Seoul vicinity are used to interpret factors that contribute to elevated PM 2.5 . The interplay between meteorology and surface aerosols, contrasting synoptic-scale behavior vs. local influences, is presented. Transboundary transport from upwind sources, vertical mixing and containment of aerosols, and local production of secondary aerosols are discussed. Two meteorological periods are probed for drivers of elevated PM 2.5 . Clear, dry conditions, with limited transport (Stagnant period), promoted photochemical production of secondary organic aerosol from locally emitted precursors. Cloudy humid conditions fostered rapid heterogeneous secondary inorganic aerosol production from local and transported emissions (Transport/Haze period), likely driven by a positive feedback mechanism where water uptake by aerosols increased gas-to-particle partitioning that increased water uptake. Further, clouds reduced solar insolation, suppressing mixing, exacerbating PM 2.5 accumulation in a shallow boundary layer. The combination of factors contributing to enhanced PM 2.5 is challenging to model, complicating quantification of contributions to PM 2.5 from local versus upwind precursors and production. We recommend co-locating additional continuous measurements at a few AirKorea sites across South Korea to help resolve this and other outstanding questions: carbon monoxide/carbon dioxide (transboundary transport tracer), boundary layer height (surface PM 2.5 mixing depth), and aerosol composition with aerosol liquid water (meteorologically-dependent secondary production). These data would aid future research to refine emissions targets to further improve South Korean PM 2.5 air quality.

Terrestrial air-surface exchange of mercury (Hg) forms an important component of the global Hg cycle, with drivers varying across spatial and temporal scales. These drivers include substrate properties, atmospheric chemistry, and meteorological factors. Vegetation uptake represents the dominant pathway of atmospheric Hg deposition to terrestrial surfaces. This study investigated the drivers of net ecosystem exchange of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg 0 ) across multiple seasons in order to gain an understanding of the influence of vegetation and other environmental parameters on the Hg 0 air-surface exchange. Measurements were made continuously using a micrometeorological aerodynamic flux gradient method at a low-vegetated background site in south-eastern Australia, over 14 months. Mean Hg fluxes and atmospheric concentrations across the entire study period were 0.002 ng m –2 h –1 (SD ± 14.23 ng m 2 h –1 ) and 0.68 ng m –3 (SD ± 0.22 ng m –3 ), respectively. Variability was observed across seasons, with the highest average rate of emissions occurring in austral summer (December, January, February) (0.69 ng m –2 h –1 ) and the highest rate of deposition observed in autumn (March, April, May) (–0.50 ng m –2 h –1 ). Vegetation uptake dominated Hg flux during the winter and spring when meteorological conditions were cold and light levels were low. This is supported by CO 2 flux data, with a daytime winter mean of 0.80 µmol m –2 h –1 and a spring daytime mean of 1.54 µmol m –2 h –1 . Summer Hg fluxes were dominantly emission due to higher solar radiation and temperature. Climatic conditions at Oakdale allowed plant production to occur year-round, however the hot dry conditions observed in the warmer months increased evasion, allowing this site to be a small net source of Hg 0 to the atmosphere.

The substitution of hazardous substances with safer alternatives is being driven by policy pressures and business demands. As a result, scientific techniques for chemical alternatives assessment (CAA) have been established and communities of practice are emerging. Interest in safer chemical substitution is widely shared throughout a range of stakeholder groups across science, industry, public policy, and advocacy. Yet there is an unmet need for intentionally designed public information infrastructure to support the highly knowledge-intensive nature of CAA. We report here on the process of developing the Chemical Hazard Data Commons, an experimental project intended to support a diverse community of practitioners by providing publicly accessible chemical hazard data and tools for understanding it. In an arena where market forces and regulatory regimes have largely failed to generate the necessary knowledge, this project represents a novel application of a commons-based approach emphasizing building shared intellectual and technical capacity for CAA. The Data Commons—now a part of the related Pharos Project—includes an online portal providing simultaneous access to many different sources of information and enabling effective interactions with it. Foremost among these interactions are search and retrieval of hazard information about chemical substances, uniform display of the most relevant information, and the ability to automatically screen substances against consistent and transparent hazard-based criteria. We describe the motivation for the project and report on the principles and key considerations that guided its design as a participatory information infrastructure. We present our approach to organizing chemical information; the process of community engagement and planning; and how we constructed the system to provide functional tools. We discuss the outcomes of the project and highlight important challenges—such as fostering active participation and planning for long-term governance. With this article, we hope to inform future efforts for the collaborative development of knowledge resources for chemical alternatives assessment.

Sea-ice algae are an important source of primary production in polar regions, yet we have limited understanding of their responses to the seasonal cycling of temperature and salinity. Using a targeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approach, we found that axenic cultures of the Antarctic sea-ice diatom, Nitzschia lecointei , displayed large differences in their metabolomes when grown in a matrix of conditions that included temperatures of –1 and 4°C, and salinities of 32 and 41, despite relatively small changes in growth rate. Temperature exerted a greater effect than salinity on cellular metabolite pool sizes, though the N- or S-containing compatible solutes, 2, 3-dihydroxypropane-1-sulfonate (DHPS), glycine betaine (GBT), dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), and proline responded strongly to both temperature and salinity, suggesting complexity in their control. We saw the largest (> 4-fold) response to salinity for proline. DHPS, a rarely studied but potential compatible solute, had the highest intracellular concentrations among all compatible solutes of ~85 mM. When comparing the culture findings to natural Arctic sea-ice diatom communities, we found extensive overlap in metabolite profiles, highlighting the relevance of culture-based studies to probe environmental questions. Large changes in sea-ice diatom metabolomes and compatible solutes over a seasonal cycle could be significant components of biogeochemical cycling within sea ice.

The decreasing cost and increasing availability of new technologies capable of improving household energy efficiency, generating and storing renewable energy, and decarbonizing major end use appliances have begun to significantly transform many residential communities across the U.S. Despite these positive developments however, the degree to which disadvantaged communities (DACs) have been able to participate in and benefit from these transformations remains far from equal. Using historical time series data at the zipcode level within Los Angeles County, we document the scale and extent to which DACs continue to be left behind. These data show per-capita levels of electricity and natural gas consumption within DACs that are, on average, about half of those seen within their more affluent counterparts. We argue that the magnitude of these differences reflect a fundamental departure in the use of energy from purposes of sufficiency to those of excess. We introduce a set of forecasts that show the extent to which current inequities in per-capita energy consumption, rates of vehicle electrification, and adoption of rooftop solar PV are likely to persist under the status quo. In conclusion, we suggest that the redistributive investment of public funds for the purpose of accelerating DAC participation in energy system transformations constitutes a socially optimal investment strategy – one which reflects the dramatically higher marginal utility of units of energy consumed at levels of sufficiency rather than excess.

Extracting globally representative trend information from lower tropospheric ozone observations is extremely difficult due to the highly variable distribution and interannual variability of ozone, and the ongoing shift of ozone precursor emissions from high latitudes to low latitudes. Here we report surface ozone trends at 27 globally distributed remote locations (20 in the Northern Hemisphere, 7 in the Southern Hemisphere), focusing on continuous time series that extend from the present back to at least 1995. While these sites are only representative of less than 25% of the global surface area, this analysis provides a range of regional long-term ozone trends for the evaluation of global chemistry-climate models. Trends are based on monthly mean ozone anomalies, and all sites have at least 20 years of data, which improves the likelihood that a robust trend value is due to changes in ozone precursor emissions and/or forced climate change rather than naturally occurring climate variability. Since 1995, the Northern Hemisphere sites are nearly evenly split between positive and negative ozone trends, while 5 of 7 Southern Hemisphere sites have positive trends. Positive trends are in the range of 0.5–2 ppbv decade –1 , with ozone increasing at Mauna Loa by roughly 50% since the late 1950s. Two high elevation Alpine sites, discussed by previous assessments, exhibit decreasing ozone trends in contrast to the positive trend observed by IAGOS commercial aircraft in the European lower free-troposphere. The Alpine sites frequently sample polluted European boundary layer air, especially in summer, and can only be representative of lower free tropospheric ozone if the data are carefully filtered to avoid boundary layer air. The highly variable ozone trends at these 27 surface sites are not necessarily indicative of free tropospheric trends, which have been overwhelmingly positive since the mid-1990s, as shown by recent studies of ozonesonde and aircraft observations.

Even though decisions taken today about managing ecosystem services are likely to have an effect on future generations’ well-being, decision making is based largely on current generations’ values, including altruistic concern for posterity. Deliberative forms of citizen engagement can provide a methodological framework for incorporating sustainability considerations in the valuation task and for understanding the reasoning behind peoples’ choices. This paper uses a deliberative form of citizen engagement to better understand the temporal dimensions of social values by incorporating into the valuation task two plausible future scenarios and assigning to the participants the role of trustees for future generations. In particular, we employed the deliberative multicriteria evaluation (DMCE) method with eleven groups in which a total of 67 participants assessed the relative importance of ten ecosystem services in the Upper Merrimack River watershed in New Hampshire. Our results suggest that a deliberative form of citizen engagement provides the appropriate space for incorporating intergenerational concerns into decision making. Participants set environmental targets by prioritizing the satisfaction of basic human needs, securing human and environmental health, and avoiding the loss of ecosystem services that cannot be substituted and may lead to irreversible future losses. This finding suggests that when preferences are socially constructed, then ethical values underpin valuations, making it possible to integrate ecosystem service tradeoffs into environmental decisions in a manner that respects the environmental rights of future generations.

Oceanographic research is a multidisciplinary endeavor that involves the acquisition of an increasing amount of in-situ and remotely sensed data. A large and growing number of studies and data repositories are now available on-line. However, manually integrating different datasets is a tedious and grueling process leading to a rising need for automated integration tools. A key challenge in oceanographic data integration is to map between data sources that have no common schema and that were collected, processed, and analyzed using different methodologies. Concurrently, artificial agents are becoming increasingly adept at extracting knowledge from text and using domain ontologies to integrate and align data. Here, we deconstruct the process of ocean science data integration, providing a detailed description of its three phases: discover, merge, and evaluate/correct. In addition, we identify the key missing tools and underutilized information sources currently limiting the automation of the integration process. The efforts to address these limitations should focus on (i) development of artificial intelligence-based tools for assisting ocean scientists in aligning their schema with existing ontologies when organizing their measurements in datasets; (ii) extension and refinement of conceptual coverage of – and conceptual alignment between – existing ontologies, to better fit the diverse and multidisciplinary nature of ocean science; (iii) creation of ocean-science-specific entity resolution benchmarks to accelerate the development of tools utilizing ocean science terminology and nomenclature; (iv) creation of ocean-science-specific schema matching and mapping benchmarks to accelerate the development of matching and mapping tools utilizing semantics encoded in existing vocabularies and ontologies; (v) annotation of datasets, and development of tools and benchmarks for the extraction and categorization of data quality and preprocessing descriptions from scientific text; and (vi) creation of large-scale word embeddings trained upon ocean science literature to accelerate the development of information extraction and matching tools based on artificial intelligence.