Vulnerability assessment of sea-level rise in Viti Levu, Fiji Islands

Fiji is expected to come under increasing pressure and risk from various threats resulting from climate change and sea-level rise (SLR). Fiji consists of 332 islands and thus has a predominant and large coastline. Viti Levu is the largest and most important of the islands, harboring Fiji’s capital city and most of the major towns concentrated around its coast. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the extent of possible sea-level rise using GIS, and to identify high-risk locations. Potential sea level rise was shown graphically as an output to determine where inundation or flooding would take place. This analysis allowed important areas facing risk to be highlighted for future action. Flooding/inundation can be classified into two kinds: ‘permanent inundation’, which is the result of sea-level rise with tide; and ‘temporary flooding’, also including occasional storm surge events. The inundated area was displayed under different projections and quantified. The results produced output maps showing the distribution of inundation/flooding around the island of Viti Levu as well as the extent of flooding. Six scenarios for sea-level rise were used (0.09, 0.18, 0.48, 0.50, 0.59, 0.88 m). Six scenarios for storm surge were used with return intervals of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 years. High risk and priority locations are identified as Fiji’s capital Suva, the major tourist center and arrival port of Nadi, and Fiji’s second city Lautoka. Future action, adaptation and response strategies in these identified locations must occur to reduce risk from climate change.     

Air Pollution and Heat Exposure Study in the Workplace in a Glass Manufacturing Unit in India

Air pollution in the workplace environment due to industrial operation have been found to cause serious occupational health hazard. Similarly, heat stress is still most neglected occupational hazard in the tropical and subtropical countries like India. The hot climate augments the heat exposure close to sources like furnaces. In this study an attempt is made to assess air pollution and heat exposure levels to workers in the workplace environment in glass manufacturing unit located in the State of Gujarat, India. Samples for workplace air quality were collected for SPM, SO₂, NO₂ and CO₂ at eight locations. Results of workplace air quality showed 8-hourly average concentrations of SPM: 165–9118 μg/m³, SO₂: 6–9 μg/m³ and NO₂: 5–42 μg/m³, which were below the threshold limit values of workplace environment. The level of CO₂ in workplace air of the plant was found to be in the range 827–2886 μg/m³, which was below TLV but much higher than the normal concentration for CO₂ in the air (585 mg/m³). Indoor heat exposure was studied near the furnace and at various locations in an industrial complex for glass manufacturing. The heat exposure parameters including the air temperature, the wet bulb temperature, and the globe parameters were measured. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), an indicator of heat, exceeded ACGIH TLVs limits most of the time at all the locations in workplace areas. The recommended duration of work and rest have also been estimated.     

温度对酚试剂分光光度法测定空气中甲醛的影响

GB/T 18204.26《公共场所空气中甲醛测定方法》中的酚试剂分光光度法,其方法原理是空气中甲醛与酚试剂反应生成嗪,嗪在酸性溶液中被高铁离子氧化形成蓝绿色化合物。根据颜色深浅,比色定量。两步反应在室温较低时作用不完全。吸光度随时间延长而逐渐加大。文章经过不同室温实验提出,在室温低于23℃时,两步反应应在恒温水浴43℃保温10min。室温达到23℃时可不必加热。     

方轧件在椭圆孔型中轧制温度场的三维有限元分析

应用MARC/autoforge有限元软件对方轧件在椭圆孔型中的轧制温度场进行了热力耦合模拟.研究了模拟过程中的传热边界条件,分析了轧制前和轧制过程中轧件中温度场的分布和变化规律.模拟计算结果和实验结果的比较说明二者基本是相符的.     

反应堆控制棒驱动机构电机温升试验研究

目的 研究电机在不同工况下的温升情况,完成电机散热能力评估,为电机散热优化和工程通风设计提供参考.方法 模拟驱动机构实际运行环境,在断风条件下进行自然散热温升试验,获取电机温升最大工作模式,并在该模式下进行2种风速条件下的通风试验,获取定子绕组的平衡温度.当定子绕组达到热平衡后,切断通风,进行断风试验,获取最大断风时间.结果 电机温升最大时,工作模式为三相通电,增大风速可降低定子外壁温度,提高定子绕组与定子外壁的温差.三相通电工况下,5 m/s和8 m/s风速下最大断风时间分别为15 min和22 min.结论 开展了电机温升试验研究,获得了典型工况下电机的温升状况,为电机散热优化和工程通风设计提供了参考.     

在降雨量极少的条件下日本琵琶湖的环境因子的分布(英文)

琵琶湖是日本第一大淡水湖,20世纪60年代以来,由于经济的发展,湖水水质逐步变坏。1977年湖的北部出现赤潮,1983年湖的南部出现了湖泊富营养化的产物微囊藻。多年来,在深水区湖水温度分层情况下,叶绿素a或浮游植物主要分布在湖的表层(Tezuka,1984)。但在1994年夏季,降雨量极少的情况下,在深水区叶绿素a或浮游植物主要分布在温跃层附近,这种现象在琵琶湖是罕见的(Nakanishi,1995)。最近,琵琶湖北湖的藻类爆发显著增加了溶氧的消耗,导致了湖底层溶氧的减少。如果湖底层溶氧持续减少,底泥储存的磷就会释放到湖水中,从而加快湖泊富营养化的进程。本文分析了琵琶湖南北10个点1994年4月至1995年3月每月1次的常规观测资料,深入剖析了全湖物理化学参数的时空分布,不仅发现叶绿素的峰值在湖水温度分层时出现在温跃层的上部,而且湖底边界层同时出现了低溶氧和高浊度的现象。分析认为绿素a和溶氧、浊度的对应关系表明温跃层是一光合成活跃的区间。     

Pressures,trends, and impacts in coastal zones: Interactions between socioeconomic and natural systems

This paper assesses the status of coastal zones in the context of expected climate change and its related impacts, as well as current and future socioeconomic pressures and impacts. It is argued that external stresses and shocks relating to sea-level rise and other changes will tend to exacerbate existing environmental pressures and damage in coastal zones. Coastal zones are under increasing stress because of an interrelated set of planning failures including information, economic market, and policy intervention failures. Moves towards integrated coastal zone management are urgently required to guide the coevolution of natural and human systems. Overtly technocentric claims that assessments of vulnerability undertaken to date are overestimates of likely future damages from global warming are premature. While it is the case that forecasts of sea-level rise have been scaled down, much uncertainty remains over, for example, combined storm, sea surge, and other events. In any case, within the socioeconomic analyses of the problem, resource valuations have been at best only partial and have failed to incorporate sensitivity analysis in terms of the discount rates utilized. This would indicate an underestimation of potential damage costs. Overall, a precautionary approach is justified based on the need to act ahead of adequate information acquisition, economically efficient resource pricing and proactive coastal planning.     

A reflection on four impactful Ambio papers: The biotic perspective: This article belongs to Ambio’s 50th Anniversary Collection. Theme: Climate change impacts

Climate change represents one of the most pressing societal and scientific challenges of our time. While much of the current research on climate change focuses on future prediction, some of the strongest signals of warming can already be seen in Arctic and alpine areas, where temperatures are rising faster than the global average, and in the oceans, where the combination of rising temperatures and acidification due to increased CO₂ concentrations has had catastrophic consequences for sensitive marine organisms inhabiting coral reefs. The scientific papers highlighted as part of this anniversary issue represent some of the most impactful advances in our understanding of the consequences of anthropogenic climate change. Here, we reflect on the legacy of these papers from the biotic perspective.     

The double trade-off between adaptation and mitigation for sea level rise: an application of FUND

This paper studies the effects of adaptation and mitigation on the impacts of sea level rise. Without adaptation, the impact of sea level rise would be substantial, almost wiping out entire countries by 2100, although the globally aggregate effect is much smaller. Adaptation would reduce potential impacts by a factor 10–100. Adaptation would come at a minor cost compared to the damage avoided. As adaptation depends on socio-economic status, the rank order of most vulnerable countries is different than the rank order of most exposed countries. Because the momentum of sea level rise is so large, mitigation can reduce impacts only to a limited extent. Stabilising carbon dioxide concentrations at 550 ppm would cut impacts in 2100 by about 10%. However, the costs of emission reduction lower the avoided impacts by up to 25% (average 10%). This is partly due to the reduced availability of resources for adaptation, and partly due to the increased sensitivity to wetland loss by adaptation.

高温(70℃)玉米秸秆水解液产氢行为及群落结构

考察了高温条件下(70℃)牛粪堆肥、土壤、厌氧污泥、腐烂秸秆种接种物利用玉米秸秆水解液的产氢行为。结果表明:牛粪堆肥接种时达到最大的产气量(1355.7mL/L)和氢气产量(608.4mL/L),随后依次为腐烂秸秆、厌氧污泥和土壤。修改的Gompertz方程可以较好描述产氢量随时间变化趋势(R2>0.99)。牛粪堆肥接种时达到最大的产氢潜力(676.0mL/L),而土壤接种时的迟滞时间最小(9.8h)。DGGE图谱显示:不同接种物对应不同的微生物群落结构。Bacillus thermozeamaize,Enterobacter sp.JDM-19和Thermoanaerobacterium polysaccharolyticum strain,KMTHCJT和可能分别是牛粪堆肥,厌氧污泥和腐烂秸秆接种条件下的关键产氢微生物。