Pollutant loads from the drainage basin to the Venice Lagoon (Italy)

In order to assess the actual pollutant loads from the drainage basin, the twelve major tributaries of the Venice Lagoon were monitored and studied in the period 1998-2000 in the framework of the DRAIN project. A specific sampling scheme was designed to investigate the effects of the different regimes, including floods, in the transport of total and dissolved metals, nitrogen and phosphorous species as well as organic micropollutants. The loads were calculated from data collected during the year of 1999, since this year displayed a value close to the mean in terms of the distribution of total rainfall on the drainage basin. The annual values for the different pollutants are reported and discussed. A comparison with the estimates of previous investigations highlights the significant advancement provided by the DRAIN project results in the understanding of the drainage basin contribution to the pollution of the lagoon. Finally, the importance of flood events on the overall balance of materials and pollutants delivered to the lagoon is emphasized.     

Critical analysis of radiochemical methodologies for the assessment of sediment pollution and dynamics in the lagoon of Venice (Italy)

Aquatic sediments are the ultimate sink of wastes dispersed in freshwater and soil. They are therefore a useful tool for investigating polluted ecosystems. Lagoon environments are very difficult to study due to their unstable morphology. Under these circumstances, even an excellent environmental investigation of a restricted lagoon area would still be inadequate to appreciate the characteristics of the entire system. The Venice lagoon is a very complex ecosystem whose morphology is complicated further by extensive anthropic intervention. A good environmental representation of the area was obtained with a preliminary radiochemical survey of airborne radionuclides, a unique tool in evaluating the homogeneity of the entire sedimentary system. It must be stressed, however, that the significance of the data depends substantially on the use of qualified procedures. Based on this, a detailed study was carried out on selected homogeneous areas, reconstructing the inventories and fluxes of pollutants in the sediments. In this work the radiochemical approach to the environmental study of the Venice lagoon is examined.     

Environmental quality of transitional waters: the lagoon of Venice case study

The health status of European aquatic environments, including transitional waters such as coastal lagoons, is regulated by the Water Framework Directive (WFD), which requires the classification of the water bodies' environmental quality and the achievement of a good ecological status by 2015. In the Venice lagoon, a transitional water body located in the northeastern part of Italy, the achievement of a good ecological status is hampered by several anthropogenic and natural pressures, such as sediment and water chemical contamination, and sediment erosion. In order to evaluate the lagoon's environmental quality according to the WFD (i.e. 5 quality classes, from High to Bad), an integrated Weight-of-Evidence methodology was developed and applied to classify the quality of the lagoon water bodies, integrating biological, physico-chemical, chemical, ecotoxicological, and hydromorphological data (i.e. Lines of Evidence, LOE). The quality assessment was carried out in two lagoon habitat typologies (previously defined on the basis of morphological, sediment, and hydrodynamic characteristics) which were selected taking into account the ecological gradient from sea to land, and the differences in anthropogenic pressure and contamination levels. The LOE classification was carried out by using indicators scored by comparing site specific conditions to reference conditions measured in lagoon reference sites, or provided by local, national or European regulations (e.g. Environmental Quality Standards, EQS, for chemicals). Finally, the overall quality status for each water body was calculated by a probabilistic approach, i.e. by reporting the final result as the frequency distribution of quality classes. The developed procedure was applied by using data and information concerning selected LOE and collected from monitoring programs and research studies carried out in the last 15 years in the lagoon of Venice. A set of sampling stations characterized by spatially and temporally coherent information for each LOE was selected, and among these stations, potential reference sites for each water body typology were identified. The quality assessment highlighted that there are specific lagoon areas, especially those located near the industrially developed area, which are highly affected by anthropogenic activities, and that chemical contamination is one of the main pressures affecting ecological status (e.g. macro-benthonic biodiversity) in the Venice lagoon. The integrated quality assessment procedure that was developed provided a new tool supporting decision making, as well as lagoon assessment and management.     

Changes in Vegetation Cover and Socio-Economic Transitions in a Coastal Lagoon (Kalametiya, Sri Lanka), As Observed by Teledetection and Ground Truthing, Can be Attributed to an Upstream Irrigation Scheme

According to some non-scholarly reports, Kalametiya lagoon (dry zone of southern Sri Lanka, formerly 8.9 km², now 7.5 km²) had been a moderately or high salinity water body and a very important centre of prawn fishery until the late 1960s. Most of the lagoon area had remained open water until then. An upstream irrigation project, the Udawalawa irrigation scheme, came into operation in 1967, increasing the freshwater inflow to the lagoon. The flora, fauna and water quality of the lagoon was reported to have changed since then.The lagoon now is a shallow coastal water body with low salinity water. More than 75% of the lagoon is covered by freshwater species or mangrove species characteristic for water with a low salinity: Eichhornia crassipes, Typha latifolia resp. Sonneratia caseolaris. There is actually no commercially important fishery in the lagoon.The present study was carried out to assess scientifically the said changes in the vegetation within a GIS, using aerial photographs taken in 1956 and 1994 and IRS IC, PAN+LISS III satellite images of 1997 in combination with ground surveys and information from a questionnaire-based survey.It appeared from this work that the aerial cover by Sonneratia caseolaris has increased by more than 30 times over the period from 1956 to the recent dates. Also, the lagoon area with open water has been drastically reduced during the same period as a result of spreading of freshwater and low salinity plant species. The results strongly suggest that the locally reported changes (fisheries decline, water salinity decrease) can be corroborated by the observed profound changes in plant cover and that upstream water works may have had strong impacts on this ecosystem, thus causing these changes.This study couples data obtained from retrospective aerial photograph series, from spaceborne imaging, from actual ground surveys and from questionnaires amongst elderly people to reconstruct decadal environmental change, thus attempting to fill the gap of lacking historical environmental data.     

Governing China’s Coal Challenge: Changing Public Policy,Debate and Advocacy

This paper examines the nexus of coal–government–society relations in present-day China using a governmentality approach to explore the interactions between policy change, “crisis” management and social action. It outlines the noticeable shift in government rationalities and communication regarding the coal industry in recent years. It then frames this shift within the broader context of government–society relations focusing on public debate regarding the calamitous nature of China’s air pollution and its filtering via the censorship apparatus of the Communist Party-state. Finally, it shows how problems relating to coal extraction and combustion have been taken up at the level of grass-roots protest and philanthropic advocacy. An examination of such activism illustrates the crucial role played by digital media networks in sparking debate on coal-related environmental and health crises, and in pushing an authoritarian government to change national coal and other policies in order to maintain social and political stability.     

汉水流域水环境安全管理对策探讨

汉水是长江中游北岸跨省级行政区的一级支流。汉水流域上游的丹江口水库为规划中的南水北调中线工程水源地 ;流域中下游工农业生产发达 ,人口密集。因此 ,汉水流域水环境安全问题备受人们关注。初步研究了汉水流域水环境安全管理问题 ,首先探讨流域水环境质量的时空变化特征 ,然后就流域水环境安全的主要点源和非点源压力因素进行了识别。结果表明 :在时间上 ,汉水流域水质总体上有逐年恶化的趋势 ,枯水期存在点源污染问题 ,丰水期存在点源和非点源污染问题 ;在空间上 ,上游干流个别江段和整个流域多数支流水质污染严重 ,丹江口水库水质良好 ,中下游干流水质时有污染现象 ;河南 -湖北省界水体存在水质污染问题。最后 ,根据汉水流域水环境质量特征及存在的问题 ,从流域水资源保护体制、法制建设、管理的理论与方法、监测和评价的内容与方法、流域水环境规划与科研、流域生态建设、行政区之间利益分配、现代高新技术的应用等方面提出了国家层次和流域层次的水环境安全管理对策     

Sedimentation of cobalt-60 and caesium-137 released in Träven, a Baltic bay

The amounts of cobalt-60 and caesium-137 bound in the sediment in a bay off the Studsvik research station were determined. Of the cumulative released activity during 22 years, 19% of ⁶⁰Co and 1.8% of ¹³⁷Cs were found in the sediments within an area of 23 km². The rate of input through sedimentation and the loss rate through physical decay were of the same order in 1981 and were close to steady state for ⁶⁰Co while for ¹³⁷Cs they had only reached 30% of that level. The sedimentation coefficients calculated for the bay were 6·5 year⁻¹ for ⁶⁰Co and 0·49 year⁻¹ for ¹³⁷Cs, higher values than many published previously. Cobalt-60 seemed to precipitate close to the outlet and to migrate near the bottom as bed-load.     

Environmental changes in Sepetiba Bay,SE Brazil

Sepetiba Bay is an example of an aquatic environment that has been severely impacted by human occupation and industrial activities in its basin. Some 400 industries including metallurgical, petrochemical and pyrometallurgical smelters, which emitted pollutants to air, soil and water, were established in Sepetiba Basin during the past 30 years. Apart from these point sources, changes in land use have also resulted in a large remobilization of pollutant deposition on Sepetiba Bay Basin. Studies have pointed out significant changes in sedimentation rates, concentrations of inorganic pollutants (Zn, Cd, Pb and Hg) and more recently, eutrophication, pointing to this area as an example of an impacted coastal zone. Notwithstanding local sources, Sepetiba Bay also suffers environmental impacts caused by diversion of river waters from adjacent basins, with some 30% of the total Hg flux to Sepetiba Bay and a 10-fold increase in water and sediment fluxes resulting from this. Decreasing environmental quality compromises both the large biodiversity and the potential economic uses of Sepetiba Bay, including fisheries and tourism. Monitoring of heavy metal levels in organisms (algae, mollusks, crustaceans and oysters) often shows concentrations well above the limits allowed following Brazilian legislation for food quality. Historical evolution of these concentrations suggests a worsening of the situation. Failure to monitor the effect of land-based activities, including those from other basins artificially associated with Sepetiba Bay has resulted in poor scenario construction and proper management planning.     

Linking global drivers with local and regional change: a social-ecological system approach in Chilika Lagoon,Bay of Bengal

Global scale drivers such as international markets for shrimp can trigger large changes at local and regional scales. But there is also a poorly appreciated reverse process, operating from the bottom up, with potential for triggering changes at higher scales. Thus, effects of drivers can be seen as a two-way process in which global drivers and local and regional drivers can potentially impact each other. Here, we argue that not only can global drivers impact the sustainability of local and regional social-ecological systems, but sustainability at higher scales can also be impacted by changes at the scale of local and regional social-ecological systems. Using Chilika, a large lagoon on the Bay of Bengal, Odisha State in India as a case, we show that traditional small-scale capture fisheries supporting 150 fisher villages with some 400,000 people were marginalized by aquaculture development for tiger prawn and by state-driven hydrological interventions, with impacts on the ecology of the lagoon. These changes, in turn, contribute to global poverty and food insecurity, making it difficult for India to meet international targets such as millennium development goals. The marginalized fisherfolk become part of environmental justice and other social movements. With large parts of the lagoon converted into a virtual monoculture for the production of tiger prawn, changes in Chilika (a Ramsar site) contribute to wetland habitat loss at the global scale, and biodiversity losses, possibly including IUCN red-listed species.     

“十三五”时期中国环境监管体制改革的形势、目标与若干建议

本文构建了包括监管的立法、组织体系、监管权力配置、监管工具与程序、问责机制、监管能力等要素在内的环境监管体制分析框架,从污染物排放趋势、国家制度建设等角度分析了"十三五"时期中国环境监管体制改革面临的挑战、目标和思路。"十三五"时期是中国生态文明建设的重要时期,完善环境监管制度是推进生态文明制度体系建设的重要内容。面对严重环境污染所带来的挑战,在此期间加快环境监管体制改革、提高环境监管有效性是切实实现治污减排的根本保证。完善环境监管体系、改进监管方式、创新监管手段是建立治污减排长效机制的基础和前提,也是完善环境治理体系的重要内容。按照市场经济条件下政府依法行政的要求,中国环境监管体制改革的目标,就是要按照合法性、独立性、透明性、可问责性、专业性和执法能力、可信性等原则建立和完善现代环境监管体制,为此必须从专门立法、组织结构、权力分配、问责机制、监管程序与工具、监管能力建设等各方面推进改革。本文提出了"十三五"时期环境监管体制改革的思路及若干建议,主要包括:加快修订环保法律法规,提高法律的可操作性,推进环境司法常态化、规范化和专门化,进一步提升环境监管法治化水平;从纵向、横向上优化环境监管组织结构,强化区域层级的监管与督查功能,强化中央层级环境监管机构对环境信息的获取能力;优化环境保护主管部门机构设置以及相关职能,建立并完善内部机构的协调机制;完善环境监管的内外部问责机制,把做实对监管者的监管机制作为优化环境监管体制的抓手;强化对监管工具的顶层设计,做实监管程序中关键环节,建立环境监管影响评估制度;加强环境监管能力建设,推进环境监管制度队伍职业化发展,保障各级环境监管机构具有充分履职的能力。环境监管体制的改革和完善,是国家治理体系和治理能力现代化的重要内容。     

太湖生态修复治理工程

太湖是我国第三大淡水湖泊,也是流域的重要水体。近年来,随着人口的增长,经济高速发展,人为社会经济活动影响,水资源系统受到很大冲击,水质变劣,湖体富营养过程加剧,生态环境受到明显损害,制约了流域社会经济的可持续发展。要实现流域水资源的可持续利用,必须加快水污染综合治理。除陆域实施严格的达标治理、河网水质调控、农业面源及生活污水治理外,太湖湖体生态修复和富营养化治理已为当务之急。目前应尽早实施：①太湖重污染区底泥的生态疏浚,减少底泥释放二次污染。②利用浮床陆生植物治理太湖典型富营养化水域,利用生物吸收、降解,继而富集营养盐,净化水质。③建立环湖湿地保护带。④恢复和重建湖滨带水生植被,实现长效生态管理和调控。⑤生态渔业工程,有效控制过度养殖,恢复湖泊生态良性循环。⑥藻类采集和资源化再利用。⑦强化流域管理。     

三峡库区非点源氮磷负荷研究

掌握非点源污染形成的机理和变化规律是控制和治理非点源污染的关键。三峡水库非点源污染物来源范围广,每年随上游来水输入库区的非点源污染物成为三峡入库非点源负荷的主要部分。为研究三峡入库非点源污染物负荷变化规律,以SLURP水文模型和输出系数法为基础,建立了长江重庆寸滩断面以上流域的非点源污染负荷模型,模型在模拟计算1996~2002年寸滩断面入库非点源TN年负荷和非点源TP年负荷时,除1998年非点源TP负荷计算误差高于50%外,其它各年非点源TN负荷和TP负荷计算误差基本上小于30%,具有较好的模拟计算效果。该模型的建立和应用将为流域的有关管理部门提供该流域非点源污染控制和治理的决策依据。     

从政企合作看中国企业环境监督员制度的完善

日益严峻的环境问题要求我国政府继续保持强大的环境管制压力.同时,充分调动企业自主环境管理的积极性也成为“十二五”期间管理性减排的核心任务之一.认真研究企业环境管理制度设计的方向和目标,实现政企环境合作已经成为当前环境管理制度创新的基本要求.现行企业环境监督员制度是我国借鉴日本经验试行的一项旨在提倡政企合作的环境政策工具.我国目前企业环境管理总体趋势是背向自组织环境管理的,强化面向企业内部环境管理的直接管制应当是当前和今后一段时间的总体趋势.由于我国企业自主环境管理面临着外部约束力不够、内部动力不足的困境,现行政企合作的制度目标应当直接定位为政府环境管制工具.基于这一定位,环境监督的对象企业应当由污染物息量和种类标准转为达标排放标准;职责范围应当根据企业规模进行差别设计,规模以上企业以推进政企环境信息沟通为主,中小企业应强化其监督功能,另设企业环境管理人员履行执行功能.     

太湖生态修复治理工程

太湖是我国第三大淡水湖泊 ,也是流域的重要水体。近年来 ,随着人口的增长 ,经济高速发展 ,人为社会经济活动影响 ,水资源系统受到很大冲击 ,水质变劣 ,湖体营养过程加剧 ,生态环境受到明显损害 ,制约了流域社会经济的可持续发展。要实现流域水资源的可持续利用 ,必须加快水污染综合治理。除陆域实施严格的达标治理、河网水质调控 ,农业面源及生活污水治理外 ,太湖湖体生态修复和富营养化治理已为当务之急。目前应尽早实施 :①太湖重污染区底泥的生态疏浚 ,减少底泥释放二次污染。②利用浮床陆生植物治理太湖典型富营养化水域 ,利用生物吸收、降解 ,继而富集营养盐 ,净化水质。③建立环湖湿地保护带。④恢复和重建湖滨带水生植被 ,实现长效生态管理和调控。⑤生态渔业工程 ,有效控制过度养殖 ,恢复湖泊生态良性循环。⑥藻类采集和资源化再利用。⑦强化流域     

Integrated measures for preservation, restoration and improvement of the environmental conditions of the Lagoon Olho d'Agua basin

The Lagoon Olho d'Agua in Pernambuco State, Northeast Brazil has received increasing environmental concern due to significant stress from pollution in the catchment. The existing environmental problems are the result of great pressure from a broad range of human activities, especially in the last 10 years. Serious pollution exists mainly from some industrial and urban activities, which increased intensively after the eighties. There is a strong social and economical pressure for housing and construction near the lagoon, due to the available land nearby beaches and estuarine zone, and recently by growing tourism activities. Uncontrolled land use by low-income communities and the pressure for construction by developers have led to landfilling and to deterioration of water quality in the lagoon catchment. Improvement of the environmental conditions in the catchment needs integrated measures. Guidelines and some specific actions involving several institutions have been established and refer to sanitation and urban infrastructure as the main priorities. A main target is the construction of low-cost sewage system with smaller and decentralised treatment plants.     

Integrated measures for preservation, restoration and improvement of the environmental conditions of the Lagoon Olho d'Água basin

The Lagoon Olho d'Água in Pernambuco State, Northeast Brazil has received increasing environmental concern due to significant stress from pollution in the catchment. The existing environmental problems are the result of great pressure from a broad range of human activities, especially in the last 10 years. Serious pollution exists mainly from some industrial and urban activities, which increased intensively after the eighties. There is a strong social and economical pressure for housing and construction near the lagoon, due to the available land nearby beaches and estuarine zone, and recently by growing tourism activities. Uncontrolled land use by low-income communities and the pressure for construction by developers have led to landfilling and to deterioration of water quality in the lagoon catchment. Improvement of the environmental conditions in the catchment needs integrated measures. Guidelines and some specific actions involving several institutions have been established and refer to sanitation and urban infrastructure as the main priorities. A main target is the construction of low-cost sewage system with smaller and decentralised treatment plants.     

水体污染物为导向的流域环境审计模式

日益严峻的环境问题表明,环境行政部门的单一管理模式已难以适应环境监管的需要,独立的第三方监督已成为必要.环境审计实务中多采用以项目为导向,以资金审计为重点的审计模式,难以适应逐步向绩效审计发展的环境审计的需要.本文分析了水体污染区域性、复杂性和累积性等特点,将其与审计理论相结合,构建了以流域主要污染物或特征污染物为导向的审计模式,探讨了以水体污染物迁移特点为基础的流域环境审计范围和重点区域的划分方法,建立了专家评价法、文献调查法、实地监测法等导向污染物调查方法,根据水体污染累积性的特点,从环境治理项目、生态恢复效果等层次确立了审计对象,按政策制度、项目管理、专业技术等层面确定了审计内容,给出了周期性审计、周期内跟踪审计等适合水体环境审计要求的审计方式,并结合太湖流域进行了较为系统的分析,为水环境审计的深入开展提供一定的指导.     

基于水足迹的流域生态补偿标准模型研究

流域水资源是一种公共物品,其系统的整体性以及资源外部性等特征要求各相关区域应共同承担环境保护.如何衡量各区域水资源开发利用与环保投入的关系,建立合理的生态补偿标准模型,已成为流域管理研究领域普遍关注的问题.本文运用水足迹理论和方法,界定流域水足迹内涵,通过反映流域沿岸各区域水生态服务耗费情况判断分析水生态系统安全状态,提出流域生态补偿标准计量流程及不同情况下的流域生态补偿标准测算模型,从而客观、准确地量化流域生态补偿额度,为管理者正确分析和解决流域各区域间利益冲突提供科学的决策依据与支持.同时本文以碧流河为案例,收集并分析了2002-2006年间碧流河沿岸各行政区水足迹和环保投入情况,理清各区域生态系统状态及相互关系,计算补偿标准,进而验证模型的可行性.     

鄱阳湖水流运动与污染物迁移路径的粒子示踪研究

湖泊水流运动和污染物的迁移路径对湖泊水质起着关键作用。采用水动力和粒子示踪耦合模型,并结合野外粒子示踪实验来调查鄱阳湖洪水季节空间水流运动和污染物迁移路径。模拟结果显示,流域五河点源入湖污染物和湖区空间面源分布污染物均会沿着不同方向迅速进入湖泊主河道,在快速水流推动下逐渐向北部湖区迁移,但部分污染物因东北部湖湾区存在顺时针方向环流而发生长时间滞留和富集。野外粒子示踪实验同样表明,东北部湖湾区污染物迁移路径随着该湖区水流运动表现得复杂多变,除了可以明显观察到顺时针方向的污染物运动,还可以发现污染物向湖岸边界和湖汊迁移,最终滞留在东北部湖湾区,而康山湖区污染物在快速水流推动下主要沿主河道向西北主湖区迁移,未发现污染物进入东北部湖湾区的迹象。鄱阳湖洪水季节水流运动和污染物迁移路径具有枯水期水流-污染物传输特性。模拟得出鄱阳湖洪水期的平均换水周期约89 d,表明其可能需要近3个月时间才能彻底完成一次换水。研究成果可为大型通江湖泊"江湖关系变化"研究提供参考,对保护"一湖清水"、保障长江中下游水环境安全具有重要现实意义。     

滇池福保湾底栖硅藻的时空分布

为了揭示入湖河流的污染负荷对滇池福保湾沿岸带底栖硅藻群落的影响，在不同季节采集研究了该湖湾6个样点的底栖硅藻样品，分析其群落结构的物种组成、细胞密度和多样性指数等。研究发现：东部沿岸区在调查期间的大多数月份是极小曲壳藻（Achnanthes minutissima）占绝对或主要优势，其相对丰富度最高可达79.5%；在1~7月份，西部沿岸区的优势种类主要是异极藻属（Gomphonema〖WTBZ〗 spp.），污染最为严重的河口区是耐污性的具柄双眉藻〖WTBX〗（Amphora pediculus）和两栖菱形藻（Nitzschia amphibia）占优势，而在调查的中后期，极小曲壳藻逐渐发展为这两区的优势种类。同时发现底栖硅藻密度随着与河口间距离的增加而逐渐升高。以上结果表明入湖河流的污染负荷对受纳湖湾底栖硅藻的密度和时空变化有较大影响。