Field perturbation experiments, an alternate approach to the assessment of human effects in terrestrial ecosystems
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) was initially interpreted as requiring full disclosure of the environmental impacts of a federal action. Because of the limitations of time, money, and manpower, this requirement that all impacts be considered has led to superficial analysis of many important impacts. Data collection has largely been limited to the enumeration of species because this information can be applied to the analysis of any problem. The President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has provided a solution to this problem by reinterpreting NEPA as requiring analysis of those impacts which have significant bearing on decision making. Because assessment resources can now be concentrated on a few critical issues, it should be possible to perform field perturbation experiments to provide direct evidence of the effects of a specific mixture of pollutants or physical disturbances on the specific mixture of pollutants or physical disturbances on the specific receiving ecosystem. Techniques are described for field simulation of gaseous and particulate air pollution, soil pollutants, disturbance of the earth's surface, and disturbance of wildlife. These techniques are discussed in terms of their realism, cost, and the restrictions which they place on the measurement of ecological parameters. Development and use of these field perturbation techniques should greatly improve the accuracy of predictive assessments and further our understanding of ecosystem processes.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- OSTI ID:
- 5505724
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-800319-1
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. US-USSR symposium on biosphere reserves, Flamingo, FL, USA, 8 Mar 1980
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
MAN
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
DISTURBANCES
ANIMALS
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
ECOSYSTEMS
LAWS
MAMMALS
POLLUTION
PRIMATES
RAIN
SOLS
VERTEBRATES
510200* - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
500200 - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)