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We here reflect on two important articles on stratospheric ozone depletion written by P. J. Crutzen (1974) and P. J. Crutzen and D. H. Ehhalt (1977) in the early 1970s. These articles provide a clear description of the stratosphere and the most important chemical reactions involved in stratospheric ozone depletion. They present modeling results and provide recommendations for future research on stratospheric ozone depletion caused by chloro-fluoro-carbons, supersonic transport, nitrous oxide, and nuclear explosions. These two articles represent the beginning of a scientific era, which led to discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole and political action in the form of the Montreal Protocol and its amendments.

In order to explore a harmless and resource-based way to treat municipal solid waste (MSW) and paper sludge (PS), the co-pyrolysis MSW and PS was studied in this paper. Firstly, MSW and PS had the lower residue mass, and MSW had higher pyrolysis index under CO2 atmosphere, compared with the one under N2 atmosphere. Hence, the CO2 was used as the carrier gas in the following study. Secondly, under CO2 atmosphere, the co-pyrolysis of MSW and PS with and without MgO were researched. With the increasing of PS ratio, the pyrolysis performance of the blends decreased constantly. MgO act as catalyst could improve the pyrolysis characteristic index of the blends. However, MgO was an inorganic salt and it would affect the synergistic effect of MSW and PS. The curves of online evolutions of all the gas products and the functional groups had an obvious peak at around 500 ℃. The activation energy of the blends in the first step (

Atmospheric CO2and tropospheric O3are rising in many regions of the world. Little is known about how these two commonly co-occurring gases will affect reproductive fitness of important forest tree species. Here, we report on the long-term effects of CO3and O3for paper birch seedlings exposed for nearly their entire life history at the Aspen FACE (Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) site in Rhinelander, WI. Elevated CO2increased both male and female flower production, while elevated O3increased female flower production compared to trees in control rings. Interestingly, very little flowering has yet occurred in combined treatment. Elevated CO2had significant positive effect on birch catkin size, weight, and germination success rate (elevated CO2increased germination rate of birch by 110% compared to ambient CO2concentrations, decreased seedling mortality by 73%, increased seed weight by 17%, increased root length by 59%, and root-to-shoot ratio was significantly decreased, all at 3 weeks after germination), while the opposite was true of elevated O3(elevated O3decreased the germination rate of birch by 62%, decreased seed weight by 25%, and increased root length by 15%). Under elevated CO2, plant dry mass increased by 9 and 78% at the end of 3 and 14 weeks, respectively. Also, the root and shoot lengths, as well as the biomass of the seedlings, were increased for seeds produced under elevated CO2, while the reverse was true for seedlings from seeds produced under the elevated O3. Similar trends in treatment differences were observed in seed characteristics, germination, and seedling development for seeds collected in both 2004 and 2005. Our results suggest that elevated CO2and O3can dramatically affect flowering, seed production, and seed quality of paper birch, affecting reproductive fitness of this species.

Pollutant gases from industries and certain processes like welding, exhaust of internal combustion engines, use of explosives, use of nitric acid, etc., are the sources of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NO2 and N2O5) which become the part of atmosphere. The heterogeneous reactions of atmospheric aerosol convert these gases to sulphuric, nitrous, and nitric acids which precipitate as acid rain and thus severely affect human health. In this paper, the design of colorimetric paper-based microfluidic device is presented to detect and quantify nitrogen dioxide (NO2). In order to reduce the cost of device and ease of fabrication, wax printing for fabricating paper-based analytical device (µPAD) is proposed.

The critical comments to the publications by the authors ofthe present paper that were given in [10] (the publications deal with the possible effects of gravity field inhomogeneities in the atmosphere and ocean) are discussed. In the authors' opinion, some remarks are groundless. At the same time, the authors agree with one of the important remarks that the results of their paper concerning studies of the ocean disturbances are to be reconsidered.

Gas transfer properties of wheat gluten (WG) coated paper and their ability to fulfil the requirements in eMAP of fresh parsley were studied. Permeation of gases through WG-paper was demonstrated to be RH-dependent and closely related to structural modification in the WG layer. Formation of micro-cracks was evidenced in dry conditions; but when increasing RH, plasticisation occurs within the protein layer and micro-fractures were reduced until disappearance. This reversible phenomenon allowed the WG-layer to recover its integrity at RH higher than 70%, and the WG character to be expressed in such conditions. When used at 20 degrees C and 80% RH as part of the packaging of parsley, modified atmosphere was created and a steady state of 11 kPa O-2 and 4.5 kPa CO2 was reached after 45 h. In such conditions, the overall quality of parsley leaves remained acceptable during 8 days, with only 28% loss of chlorophyll. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the difference in the ageing process for several thermally upgraded and non-upgraded papers in transformer oil was performed. We observed that the level of nitrogen in the papers is crucial for the resistance towards hydrolysis. One of the papers in the experiment did not fulfil the upgrade specification with respect to the nitrogen level (data sheet). For hydrolysis of wet oil impregnated samples in argon atmosphere the upgraded papers seem to degrade less than non-upgraded papers. The paper with highest level of nitrogen degrades less than those with lower levels. The Insuldur process seems to be the best way of thermally upgrading the paper (Upgrade 1) and this also gives the highest level of nitrogen. For one of the upgraded samples (Upgrade 2) the nitrogen disappears completely after startup and this paper behaves as non-upgraded for the highest temperature. Dry oil impregnated paper (0.2% water content) under argon atmosphere does not seem to be hydrolysed and ages at a very slow rate. In the case of oxidation of dry oil impregnated samples (0.2% water content) in air there are initially no significant difference between non-upgraded and upgraded papers. However, the upgraded papers seem to have an improved performance after the water production from ageing becomes significant. The oxidation activation energy for non-upgraded paper is lower compared to hydrolysis and for upgraded paper this difference is smaller.

Pyrolysis volatiles and the environmental impact of printing paper in an air atmosphere were investigated using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. CO2 and light-pollution products were found to be the major products from pyrolysis volatiles; furthermore, because oxygen participates in the chemical reaction, many of the pyrolysis volatiles emitted during the paper printing process were different from those formed under an N2 atmosphere. Although a small number of the volatiles were moderately toxic products, the concentrations of these volatiles were low. Heat-induced inkless eco-printing (HIEP) was found to take less time than the pyrolysis experiment in this paper and thus resulted in fewer pyrolysis volatiles. Thus, fewer pyrolysis volatiles will be emitted within the practical temperature range; in particular, no carcinogens were emitted in the pyrolysis temperature range of 250–700 °C. Therefore, HIEP was found to be an ecologically and environmentally preferable technology.

The treatment of museum exhibits, including books and archival documents, in an atmoshpere containing a high concentration of carbon dioxide is one of the techniques using a modified atmosphere for the fumigation of objects. The efficiency of this method for pest infestation is confirmed by its commercial application. Some companies (for example, RENTOKIL) have developed stationary and portable extermination equipment. The concentration of the carbon dioxide in a gas mixture is between 58-75 per cent, the temperature during the disinfecting procedure is kept within 19-30 degrees C, and the relative humidity is kept to 70 per cent. The efficiency of this prodecure as an effective technique against microorgnisms has not been studied fully. There is evidence of both positive and negative results. Specific data on the influence of a carbon dioxide enriched atmosphere on the physical and chemical properties is limited. In theory this treatment could be dangerous for paper because of the formation of carbonic acid from carbon dioxide and water. In order to decrease the possible destructive influence of this treatment used on textile museum objects, humidity in a chamber has been kept at no more than 50 per cent. According to the data of the German conservator Binker the fumigation of a wooden altarpiece in an atmosphere of carbon dioxide did not have any adverse affect on the material or colouring of the wooden sculpture. The purpose of our research was to investigate the influence of a modified, carbon dioxide-enriched atmosphere on the properties of paper.

In their recent paper, Grandin et al. (2014) claim to have developed a novel approach, principally a ray tracing method, to analyze radio sounding data from occulted spacecraft signals by planetary atmospheres without the usual assumptions of the radio occultation inversion method of a stratified, layered, symmetric atmosphere. They apply their " new approach" to observations of the Mars Express Radio Science (MaRS) experiment and compare their resulting temperature, neutral number density and electron density profiles with those from MaRS, claiming that there is good agreement with the observations. The fact is, however, that there are serious disagreements in the most important altitude ranges. Their temperature profile shows a 30 K shift or a 300σ (1σ standard deviation = 0.1 K for the MaRS profile near the surface) difference towards warmer temperatures at the surface when compared with MaRS while the MaRS profile is in best agreement with the profile from the Mars Climate Data Base V5.0 (MCD V5.0). Their full temperature profile from the surface to 250 km altitude deviates significantly from the MCD V5.0 profile. Their ionospheric electron density profile is considerably different from that derived from the MaRs observations. Although Grandin et al. (2014) claim to derive the neutral number density and temperature profiles above 200 km, including the asymptotic exosphere temperature, it is simply not possible to derive this information from what is essentially noise.

International audience; The global warming of Earth's near-surface, air and oceans in recent decades is a direct consequence of anthropogenic emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere such as CO2, CH4, N2O and CFCs. The CO2 emissions contribute approximately 60% to this climate change. This study investigates experimentally the aqueous carbonation mechanisms of an alkaline paper mill waste containing about 55 wt% portlandite (Ca(OH)2) as a possible mineralogical CO2 sequestration process. The overall carbonation reaction includes the following steps: (1) Ca release from portlandite dissolution, (2) CO2 dissolution in water and (3) CaCO3 precipitation. This CO2 sequestration mechanism was supported by geochemical modelling of final solutions using PHREEQC software, and observations by scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction of final reaction products. According to the experimental protocol, the system proposed would favour the total capture of approx. 218 kg of CO2 into stable calcite/ton of paper waste, independently of initial CO2 pressure. The final product from the carbonation process is a calcite (ca. 100 wt%)-water dispersion. Indeed, the total captured CO2 mineralized as calcite could be stored in degraded soils or even used for diverse industrial applications. This result demonstrates the possibility of using the alkaline liquid–solid waste for CO2 mitigation and reduction of greenhouse effect gases into the atmosphere.

Relating to real contact area against plane smooth surface, effects of the measuring conditions on paper friction, surrounding atmosphere and applied pressure, were examined. An optical interference method using a scanning laser microscope was adopted to measure the real contact area against a plane smooth surface. The estimated contact area of paper is around 1% of nominal area for common papers. The increase in the contact area with increasing relative humidity is considered as a cause of the increase in the friction coefficient with an increase in relative humidity. The contact area of paper generally increased in a ratio of two-thirds power of the apparent pressure over a wide range of pressure. It suggested that contact of paper was generally elastic and this fact was one reason describing the decrease in the coefficient with increasing apparent pressure. However the decrease in the coefficient is little and the frictional behavior of paper can not be fully described by the contact area against a smooth surface.

Friction of commercial papers under dry, moderate and humid atmospheres was examined, comparing with those of cellulose film and aluminum foil. The friction coefficient between different papers generally gave their intermediate value. The coefficient between equal cellulosic materials including paper increased with humidity, while that of aluminum against aluminum was constant irrespective of surrounding humidity. However the surface wetting with a slight amount of water on aluminum caused rapid increase in the coefficient. The capillary force may cause this phenomenon, and the sharp increase of friction between cellulose films in humid atmosphere was similar to that observed with aluminum foils which were wetted with a slight amount of water. These suggest that the capillary force by a slight amount of water may raise frictional force of cellulosic materials including paper at high humidity.

An extensive network of gummed paper collectors was used during the 1950s for routine monitoring of radioactive fallout from weapons testing. The experiments reported in this paper were designed to examine the collection efficiency of gummed paper for wet deposition of several types of soluble and insoluble radioactive contaminants under conditions similar to those found during natural rainstorms. The collection efficiencies for each substance were determined over a range of rainfall amounts and at two separate rainfall intensities. The collection efficiency of the gummed paper is highest for large insoluble particles and lowest for soluble ionic substances. The values for 7Be and 131I ranged from about 0.30 (30%) at 2.5 mm of rain to 0.04-0.06 (4%-6%) at 20 mm of rain. These values were negatively correlated with the amount of rain and were unaffected by rain intensity. This suggests that the collection efficiency of either ion is simply a matter of rapid saturation and runoff. Neither rain amount nor rain intensity has much effect on the collection efficiency of large insoluble particles. These particles seem to settle readily onto the surface of the gummed paper from which they are not easily removed by additional rain. Analysis of the collection efficiencies of the gummed paper included the activity of both the gummed paper and the standing water on the paper. A large portion of the activity for the ionic substances was found in the standing water. There was less activity by insoluble particles in standing water. This indicates that for estimates of deposition of soluble substances, considerable bias could be introduced into the results if the standing water is discarded prior to analysis.

In the boreal forests of Alaska, recent changes in climate have influenced the exchange of trace gases, water, and energy between these forests and the atmosphere. These changes in the structure and function of boreal forests can then feed back to impact regional and global climates. In this manuscript, we examine the type and magnitude of the climate feedbacks from boreal forests in Alaska. Research generally suggests that the net effect of a warming climate is a positive regional feedback to warming. Currently, the primary positive climate feedbacks are likely related to decreases in surface albedo due to decreases in snow cover. Fewer negative feedbacks have been identified, and they may not be large enough to counterbalance the large positive feedbacks. These positive feedbacks are most pronounced at the regional scale and reduce the resilience of the boreal vegetation – climate system by amplifying the rate of regional warming. Given the recent warming in this region, the large variety of associated mechanisms that can alter terrestrial ecosystems and influence the climate system, and a reduction in the boreal forest resilience, there is a strong need to continue to quantify and evaluate the feedback pathways.

Pears (Pyrus communis `d'Anjou') were packed in six commercial paper wraps (dry; 3% oil; 3% oil with copper and ethoxyquin; 6% oil; 6% oil with ethoxyquin; 9% oil). After packing, the pears were placed in three different controlled atmosphere (CA) storage conditions in commercial CA rooms: 1) 1.5% oxygen (O) and 1% carbon dioxide (CO2); 2) 1.5% O2 and 3% CO2; 3) 1.5% O2 and 1% CO2 for 60 days, 4% O2 for 60 more days and finally 6% O2 for an additional 90 days. Pears were stored in CA for 120 and 210 days, with or without an additional 30 days in regular atmosphere (RA) storage to simulate shipping and handling. Objective quality evaluations were conducted after each storage period and sensory evaluations after 210 days of storage. Paper type influenced both the peel and flesh color of pears before and after ripening, but did not influence firmness, soluble solids or acid content. Subjective ratings of appearance and disorder incidence were unacceptable for pears stored in a variable atmosphere wrapped in dry or paper containing 3% oil. The disorder black speck was present only in pears wrapped in paper with 6% oil and stored in an atmosphere of 1.5% O2 and 1% CO2. Pears stored in an atmosphere of 1.5% O2 and 3% CO2 received acceptable subjective scores regardless of paper type.

Proton Induced X-ray Emission, PIXE is a very well established analytical method. This technique of analysis can equally be applied both in vacuum, internal PIXE, and in atmosphere, external PIXE. External PIXE has been applied to material analysis in Van de Graaff laboratory at AEOI using filters and funny filters. Advantages of using these filters have been studied when analysing ancient written documents such as envelopes, inks, and newspapers. This technique clearly demonstrated the differences between new and old inks and papers. More data is needed to show other features of this technique.