Research has shown that it is inadvisable to spray crops during either near-absolute calms or very windy conditions; therefore, we studied weather maps and reports of herbicide accidents to investigate the hypothesis that the strong positive correlation between largescale pressure gradient and wind-speed can be used to facilitate prediction of favourable spraying times in Oklahoma. We gave detailed study to the conditions of 10 May 1977, the date in that year when the most herbicide accidents were reported. Although a relatively large pressure gradient existed, there was only weak wind at the KTVY meteorologically instrumented tower (150 km distant from the area of the accidents). We also searched for a strong relationship between herbicide accidents and the pressure gradient through tabulations of daily gradients and accident reports. Only a slight tendency is shown for accidents to occur on days with larger gradients. Research and significant findings for this study were hampered by a lack of specificity and detail in accident reports.

This paper deals essentially with ecosystems, biomes, and habitats, of the Pacific realm, that are in need of restoration and conservation programmes for saving endangered vertebrates through the establishment of ‘ecological reserves’. Besides zoogeographic factors, the matter of conservation urgency is reflected in the criteria by taking into account the rate of vertebrate extinction in historic time and the number of vertebrate species and subspecies that are endangered or threatened with extinction in each area.

In this paper and its successor (Part 2), twenty-two zoogeographic subregions have been defined in the Pacific realm, to which have been added three others—namely the Australian, North American, and South American coasts of the Pacific Ocean. Table I shows the division of these zoogeographic subregions within each faunal region. The Oceanian or ‘Central’ region is here introduced as a particular faunal region comprising Hawaii, Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. This complex of islands cannot, in the Author's opinion, be conveniently grouped with any of the continental faunal regions, although it has clear affinities with near-by continents to the west.

This essay has sought to draw together some of the reasons behind the recent upsurge in interest in the systematic evaluation of scenic beauty. It has covered a wide range of disciplines, because of the multi-faceted nature of feelings about landscape. These feelings have been synthesized into four themes representing landscape as a non-renewable resource, as a recreational resource, as a spiritual resource, and finally as a historical resource. Undoubtedly many other equally valid reasons exist as to why the visual resource of the landscape should be recognized as an important consideration in land-use planning decisions.

Important colonies of seabirds occur on all eight islands comprising the Line group of the Republic of Kiribati, the former Gilbert Islands. The greatest density and diversity is reached on Christmas Island, the principal island of the group, with 18 regularly nesting species. Climatic factors and the extent of human activities in the past, however, have led to widely differing conditions prevailing on the different islands. Christmas (which came to prominence as a post-war atomic testing-base), Fanning, and Washington, Islands have permanent settlements; the five southern Line Islands are totally uninhabited.

Wildlife generally is threatened by introduced animals, especially cats, and additionally on inhabited islands by environmental changes and the direct impact of human disturbance. A Wildlife Conservation Unit, set up in 1977, administers five reserves on Christmas Island and is responsible for the islands of Malden, Starbuck, and Vostok, which are wildlife sanctuaries. Wildlife laws give protection to the Green Turtle and to 31 resident and regularly-occurring migratory species of birds. Naturalist-orientated tours to the Line Islands constitute a key development project which provides some optimism for the future.

Monitoring and evaluation of air quality in urban and industrial areas are essential for air quality management. For evaluating the composite air-quality in the concomitant presence of several pollutants in the atmosphere, many air quality indices have been developed. This paper presents two indices, the ‘composite air-quality index (I1)’ and ‘the standard-exceeding index of air pollution (I2)’ together with their respective sub-indices, for the pollutants monitored and for use in combination.

The first index, I1, is based on the annual average concentration measured in a year for each pollutant; it measures the overall composite air-quality. By relating the annual average concentration (Ci) of each pollutant to its hygienic standard (Si), as many (Ci/Si) values as the number of pollutant parameters monitored are found, whereupon I1 is computed as the geometric mean of the maximum and average of all (Ci/Si) values. A greater value of I1 means worse composite air-quality. It is simpler to compute than those more sophisticated ones in the literature, and holds the unique characteristic of considering, and yet not overemphasizing as formula (3) does (Nemerow, 1974), the maximum (Ci/Si) value.

The wastewater of Firdaus Tanneries, Muridke, Pakistan, was very highly saline and very highly sodic (water-quality class: C4-S4). It was being used for irrigating fields near the Tanneries but there was a piece of wasteland which, because of its elevation, could not receive this water. The vegetation of this wasteland and that of the irrigated field was studied.

The effects of wastewater application on characteristics of the soil were studied in the irrigation field and, for comparison, also in the wasteland soil. The soil samples were taken from the surface and from 5, 10, and 20 cm depths. Moisture content, water-stable aggregates, water-holding and cation-exchange capacities, amounts of organic matter, and exchangeable sodium, were greater in the irrigated field as compared with wasteland soil at each corresponding soil-depth. Electrical conductivity, pH, and the amounts of calcium, magnesium, soluble sodium, chlorides, sulphates, and the values of Sodium Adsorption Ratio and Exchangeable Sodium Percentage, were significantly higher in wasteland as compared with those in the irrigated field at each corresponding soil-depth. These values tended to decrease from the surface to 20 cm soil depth in each site.

Discussions on environmental implications of nuclear energy have so far been concentrated on radiological aspects: disposal of radioactive wastes, safety of nuclear power production, safe handling of plutonium, and problems associated with uranium mining. There are, however, several environmental issues associated with nuclear power production that are non-radiological in nature: thermal pollution and attendant effects on aquatic life, problems associated with land-use requirements, aesthetic considerations, habitat alterations, and atmospheric effects. These different non-radiological environmental implications of nuclear energy are reviewed.

The paper concludes that, while there are some environmental problems which exist at present, and a few more could emerge in the future, all these problems appear to be solvable with the present state of technological development. The extent of environmental degradation can be significantly reduced by appropriate design and planning.