基于STIRPAT模型的城市建设用地结构差异对用地效率的影响研究——以四川省为例

利用信息熵模型和偏移—份额模型测度分析了四川省18个城市2002—2016年用地结构变化的时空特征。基于包含非期望产出的超效率SBM模型,测算分析了城市用地效率的变化规律;基于STIRPAT模型,构建了用地结构对用地效率影响的扩展模型,并分析了结构对效率的影响特征。结果表明:生活用地、生产用地、生态用地、公共设施用地、居住用地和绿地在城市建设用地结构中占额分配率的不同,对城市用地效率具有直接的影响作用。     

芜湖市城市边缘区环境质量分析及其评价

城市地域的扩展一般首先发生在城市边缘区,并给城市边缘区带来一定的环境压力.分析了1995-2000年的芜湖市城市环境监测数据和城市扩张及社会经济发展数据,利用模糊数学综合评价法对芜湖市城市边缘区环境质量进行评价.结果表明,芜湖市由于其有利的自然条件以及科技进步和管理优势,城市边缘区环境质量良好.     

芜湖市近30年耕地数量变化特征分析

利用1971～2002年的统计资料,通过计算递减率的方法分析了芜湖市近30年来耕地数量变化的时间过程及空间差异.根据1990～2001年的详细统计资料,从国家建设用地、乡村集体建设用地、农民个人建房三个方面阐述了耕地流失的方向,得出耕地流失的主要流向是建设用地占用,揭示了耕地流失的特征,并在此基础上提出了4点对策,从而为研究耕地数量变化的驱动因子,为芜湖市制定科学的耕地资源可持续发展计划提供依据.     

基于计量地理模型和区位熵的城市用地结构地域分异研究——以辽中南城市群为例

运用计量地理模型和区位熵方法分析辽中南城市群城市用地结构地域分异,为制定城市用地规划提供借鉴。研究表明:1总体而言,辽中南城市群城市用地集中化水平较高,城市间用地多样化水平差异较大;2从用地组合类型看,城市间用地组合类型数差异不大,介于3—5之间,居住用地、工业用地、道路交通设施用地是城市用地的主要组合类型;3区位意义上,工业用地、居住用地和道路交通设施用地区位意义显著,6个城市该类用地区位指数大于1,公共管理与公共服务设施用地、物流仓储用地、公共设施用地、绿地与广场用地区位意义一般,4个城市该类用地类区位指数大于1;商业服务业设施用地区位意义不显著,3个城市该类用地区位指数大于1。     

山东省城市用地规模分布研究

选取2002—2006年山东省48个城市建成区用地规模的资料,运用位序一规模法则分析了山东省城市建成区土地利用规模的变化,继而运用分形理论,阐释了位序—规模曲线。结果显示,山东省城市用地规模的均衡度趋向减小;城市用地规模的总量持续增加;城市体系整体发育,大城市发育快。根据曲线形态对城市用地规模进行分类,发现小城市的数量在逐渐减少,中等城市的数量在逐渐增加;首位城市济南市的用地规模尚有可观的发展潜力。     

安徽省中小型城市用地扩展研究——以滁州市为例

以滁州市1966年的地形图,1978年、1987年、1995年、2000年及2006年的遥感影像为数据源,提取滁州市6个时段的建成区面积对其用地扩展进行了研究。结果表明,滁州市建成区面积在1966-2006年间面积增加了7．84倍,扩展速度经历了先快后慢的过程;发展方向以东南方向为主,40年间城市中心向东、南方向分别迁移了1084m和1940m对揭示安徽省中小型城市用地的发展特征具有一定意义。     

基于GIS和DEA的城镇建设用地扩展经济效益评价——以重庆市南岸区为例CSSCI

以重庆市南岸区2000年、2004年、2007年、2010年、2014年的Landsat TM遥感影像作为数据源,在利用Arc GIS对城镇建设用地进行提取的基础上,运用象限分析法和扩展指数分析城镇建设用地在时空上的扩展特征;建立DEA模型,利用Mat LAB计算城镇建设用地扩展的经济效益;利用一元线性回归和DEA预测2026年南岸区城镇建设用地扩展的经济效益。结果表明:2000—2014年南岸区城镇建设用地面积在空间上扩展的大小关系是:西南>东北>正西>西北>正东>正南>正北>东南方向,期间面积增加1938.29hm2;2000年和2014年城镇建设用地经济效益有效,2004年、2007年和2010年城镇建设用地经济效益为无效,预测出2026年南岸区城镇建设用地经济效益有效。研究结果为南岸区和重庆市的可持续发展、城镇建设用地的合理扩展和经济效益的有效发展提供了理论基础。     

基于GIS和DEA的城镇建设用地扩展经济效益评价——以重庆市南岸区为例

以重庆市南岸区2000年、2004年、2007年、2010年、2014年的Landsat TM遥感影像作为数据源,在利用Arc GIS对城镇建设用地进行提取的基础上,运用象限分析法和扩展指数分析城镇建设用地在时空上的扩展特征;建立DEA模型,利用Mat LAB计算城镇建设用地扩展的经济效益;利用一元线性回归和DEA预测2026年南岸区城镇建设用地扩展的经济效益。结果表明:2000—2014年南岸区城镇建设用地面积在空间上扩展的大小关系是:西南东北正西西北正东正南正北东南方向,期间面积增加1938.29hm2;2000年和2014年城镇建设用地经济效益有效,2004年、2007年和2010年城镇建设用地经济效益为无效,预测出2026年南岸区城镇建设用地经济效益有效。研究结果为南岸区和重庆市的可持续发展、城镇建设用地的合理扩展和经济效益的有效发展提供了理论基础。     

快速城镇化背景下迅速扩张型城市空间演化时空特征及驱动力机制——以合肥市为例

利用合肥市1997年、2001年、2005年、2009年、2013年和2017年遥感数据源,提取相应年份的城市建成区扩展信息,从扩展速度、扩展强度、紧凑度、分形维数、城市建成区扩展弹性指数和空间重心转移等方面对城市空间演化时空特征进行分析,选取14个指标构建主成分模型,结合城市发展背景,研究城市空间演化驱动力机制,同时利用多元回归模型预测合肥市未来建成区面积。结果表明:合肥市城市扩展速度与强度均保持较快增长,城市整体向外部不断扩张,重心向东南方向转移,但城市空间扩张与人口处于不协调的发展模式;经济、人口、交通和政策为城市空间演化主要驱动力;合肥市建成区面积保持较快增长,迅速扩张型城市未来空间扩展模式应以多中心扩展模式为主,进行以轴向发展为主的多中心城市结构的转变,同时注重城市空间的内涵式更新。     

城乡交错带土地利用研究——以芜湖市为例

城乡交错带是城市扩展和农村发展的前沿,也是统筹城乡关系的重点地区。选择芜湖市城乡交错带为研究区域,利用2004年土地利用数据分析了芜湖市城乡交错带地域土地利用的现状和存在的主要问题及其原因,探讨了2006年辖区调整后该地域土地利用的对策与措施。     

Conversion of temperate forests into heaths: Role of ecosystem disturbance and ericaceous plants

Fire and logging in nutrient-poor temperate forests with certain ericaceous understory plants may convert the forests into heaths. The process of disturbance-induced heath formation is documented by using examples ofCalluna in western Europe,Kalmia in Newfoundland, andGaultheria (salal) in coastal British Columbia. In a cool, temperate climate, rapid vegetative growth ofCalluna, Kalmia, and salal following disturbance results in increasing organic accumulation (paludification), nutrient sequestration, soil acidification, and allelochemicals. These are thought to be the main reasons to conifer regeneration failure in disturbed habitats. If continuation in forest is a land-use objective, then temperate forests with an ericaceous understory should not be logged unless effective silvicultural methods are devised to control the ericaceous plants and restore forest regeneration. Preharvest vegetation control may be considered as an option. Failure to control the understory plants may lead to a long-term vegetation shift, from forest to heathland, particularly in nutrient-poor sites. Successful methods of controllingKalmia andGaultheria, however, have yet to be developed. While theKalmia- andGaultheria- dominated heathlands are undesirable in Canada and the Pacific Northwest, a wide range ofCalluna heathlands of western Europe are being conserved as natural and seminatural vegetation.     

Using Paleo Reconstructions to Improve Streamflow Forecast Lead Time in the Western United States

In water stressed regions, water managers are exploring new horizons that would help in long‐range streamflow forecasts. Oceanic‐atmospheric oscillations have been shown to influence streamflow variability. In this study, long‐lead time streamflow forecasts are made using a multiclass kernel‐based data‐driven support vector machine (SVM) model. The extended streamflow records based on tree ring reconstructions were used to provide a longer time series data. Reconstructed data were used from 1658 to 1952 and the instrumental record was used from 1953 to 2007. Reconstructions for oceanic‐atmospheric oscillations included the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, and North Atlantic Oscillation. Streamflow forecasts using all four oscillations were made with one‐year to five‐year lead times for 21 gages in the western United States. This is the first study that uses both instrumental and reconstructed data of oscillations in SVM model to improve streamflow forecast lead time. SVM model was able to provide “satisfactory” to “very good” forecasts with one‐ to five‐year lead time for the selected gages. The use of all the oscillation indices helped in achieving better predictability compared to using individual oscillations. The SVM modeling results are better when compared with multiple linear regression model forecasts. The findings are statistical in nature and are expected to be useful for long‐term water resources planning and management.     

Urban ecological systems: scientific foundations and a decade of progress

Urban ecological studies, including focus on cities, suburbs, and exurbs, while having deep roots in the early to mid 20th century, have burgeoned in the last several decades. We use the state factor approach to highlight the role of important aspects of climate, substrate, organisms, relief, and time in differentiating urban from non-urban areas, and for determining heterogeneity within spatially extensive metropolitan areas. In addition to reviewing key findings relevant to each state factor, we note the emergence of tentative "urban syndromes" concerning soils, streams, wildlife and plants, and homogenization of certain ecosystem functions, such as soil organic carbon dynamics. We note the utility of the ecosystem approach, the human ecosystem framework, and watersheds as integrative tools to tie information about multiple state factors together. The organismal component of urban complexes includes the social organization of the human population, and we review key modes by which human populations within urban areas are differentiated, and how such differentiation affects environmentally relevant actions. Emerging syntheses in land change science and ecological urban design are also summarized. The multifaceted frameworks and the growing urban knowledge base do however identify some pressing research needs.     

Neighbourhood characteristics and urban gardens in the Toledo metropolitan area: staffing and voluntarism,food production,infrastructure, and sustainability practices

Urban gardens are important sources of sustenance for communities with limited access to food. Hence, this study focuses on food production in gardens in the Toledo metropolitan area in Northwest Ohio. We administered surveys to 150 garden managers from November 2014 to February 2015 in our attempt to better understand how neighbourhood racial composition and poverty levels are related to staffing and voluntarism, food production and distribution, the development of infrastructure, and the adoption of sustainability practices in urban gardens. The results from 30 gardens are presented in this paper. We used Geographic Information Systems to map the gardens and overlay the map with 2010 census data so that we could conduct demographic analyses of the neighbourhoods in which the gardens were located. Though the gardens were small – two acres or less – up to 46 varieties of food were grown in a single garden. Gardens also operated on small budgets. Food from the gardens was gifted or shared with friends, family, and neighbourhood residents. Gardens in predominantly minority neighbourhoods tended to have fewer institutional partners, less garden infrastructure, and had adopted fewer sustainable practices than gardens in predominantly White neighbourhoods. Nonetheless, residents of predominantly minority and high-poverty neighbourhoods participated in garden activities and influenced garden operations. Volunteering and staffing were racialised and gendered.     

Predicting deer-vehicle collisions in an urban area

Collisions with deer and other large animals are increasing, and the resulting economic costs and risks to public safety have made mitigation measures a priority for both city and wildlife managers. We created landscape models to describe and predict deer-vehicle collision (DVCs) within the City of Edmonton, Alberta. Models based on roadside characteristics revealed that DVCs occurred frequently where roadside vegetation was both denser and more diverse, and that DVCs were more likely to occur when the groomed width of roadside right-of-ways was smaller. No DVCs occurred where the width of the vegetation-free or manicured roadside buffer was greater than 40 m. Landscape-based models showed that DVCs were more likely in more heterogeneous landscapes where road densities were lower and speed limits were higher, and where non-forested vegetation such as farmland was in closer proximity to larger tracts of forest. These models can help wildlife and transportation managers to identify locations of high collision frequency for mitigation. Modifying certain landscape and roadside habitats can be an effective way to reduce deer-vehicle collisions.     

BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS AND BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ESTUARINE/COASTAL POLLUTION1

ABSTRACT: Sustained interest in and concern about the health status of the aquatic environment has resulted in extensive research focused on (1) effects of pollution on survival, growth, and reproduction of resource species at all life stages; (2) diseases of fish and shellfish, as they may be related to pollution and as they may serve as indicators of environmental stress; and (3) contaminant body burdens in fish and shellfish - their effects on the aquatic animals and their potential effects on humans. Effects, lethal and sublethal, of pollutants on life history stages of fish and shellfish have been documented, as have impacts on local stocks in badly degraded habitats, but as yet there has been no adequate quantitative demonstration of effects on entire aquatic species - probably because of the difficulty in sorting out relative effects of the many environmental factors that influence abundance. Sublethal effects, especially those that result in disease, have been examined intensively, and some diseases and disease syndromes have been associated statistically with pollution. Other pollution indicators (biochemical, physiological, genetic, behavioral, and ecological) have also received some attention, as have body burdens of contaminants in aquatic species. Research, especially that conducted during the past decade, has done much to clarify the many pathways and toxic effects of contaminants on aquatic animals, and has also helped to identify mechanisms for survival of fish and shellfish in the presence of environmental changes caused by human activities.     

Journalists' views of advertiser pressures on agricultural news

All major journalism ethical codes explicitly state that journalists should protect editorial copy from undue influence by outside sources. However, much of the previous research on agricultural information has concentrated on what information various media communicate (gatekeeping studies) or communication's role in increasing innovation adoption (diffusion studies). Few studies have concentrated specifically on organizational and structural constraints that might adversely affect agricultural journalists' ethical standards; those that have, focus largely on farm magazines. A study of newspaper reporters who cover agricultural news found that the most pressing ethical concern is the effect of advertiser (agri-business) pressure on editorial copy, and that their concerns in general parallel those of farm magazine writers and editors. The majority reported being in situations in which they might be exposed to advertiser pressure, including pressures to change or withhold editorial copy. Large minorities suggested that advertising pressures affect the overall environment in which agricultural journalists work, and more than one in ten said they allow advertiser pressures to influence editorial decisions. The newspaper reporters who cover agricultural beats showed slightly more resistance to advertiser pressure than did farm magazine editors in a parallel study.     

Definition Procedures Have Little Effect on Performance of Environmental Classifications of Streams and Rivers

Mapped environmental classifications are defined using various procedures, but there has been little evaluation of the differences in their ability to discriminate variation in independent ecological characteristics. We tested the performance of environmental classifications of the streams and rivers of France that had been defined from the same environmental data using geographic regionalization and numerical classification of individual river valley segments. Test data comprised invertebrate assemblages, water chemistry, and hydrological indexes obtained from sites throughout France. Classification performance was measured by analysis of similarity (ANOSIM). Geometric regions defined by a regular grid and without regard to environmental variables and a posteriori classifications based on clustering the test datasets defined lower and upper bounds of performance for a given number of classes. Differences in classification performances were generally small. The ANOSIM statistics for the a posteriori classifications were around twice that of all environmental classifications, including geometrically defined regions. The hydro-ecoregions performed slightly better for the invertebrate data and the network classification performed slightly better for the chemistry and hydrological data. Our results indicate that environmental classifications that are defined using different procedures can be comparable in terms of their ability to discriminate variation of ecological characteristics and that alleged differences in performance arising from different classification procedures can be small relative to unexplained variation. We conclude that definition procedures might have little effect on the performance of large-scale environmental classifications and decisions over which procedures to use should be based primarily on pragmatic considerations.     

MANGANESE CYCLE IN IMPOUNDMENT WATER

Manganese entering impounded water will undergo a cyclic transformation. Oxidation precipitates manganese from top waters. At the bottom of the lake, biological activity will render manganese soluble by both intracellular as well as extracellular activity. The study was made to demonstrate that biological reduction and transformation, organometallic complexation, together with the presence of carbon dioxide and the lowering of pH all have some effect on the solubility of manganese. Dissolved manganese may be brought back to top waters during the lake overturn and therefore deteriorates the water quality.     

Provincial development plans in Zimbabwe: an analysis of their content,structure and methodology

Zimbabwean provincial plans were instituted to help in the achievement of the national goal of the creation of an egalitarian, socialist and integrated society. The national goal itself was adopted as an antithesis to the dualist society characterised by spatial, economic, social, politican and technological inequalities that Zimbabwe inherited from colonialism. This meant that provincial plans had to play both a functional (or growth allocating/distribution) and a territorial (or redistribution) role.

This paper reviews their role in achieving the national goal by examining their functions, content, structure and methodology. The paper concludes that because of their nature, provincial plans are not suitable tools for the achievement of the national goal.