Polynomial Surrogates for Open-Channel Flows in Random Steady State

Assessing epistemic uncertainties is considered as a milestone for improving numerical predictions of a dynamical system. In hydrodynamics, uncertainties in input parameters translate into uncertainties in simulated water levels through the shallow water equations. We investigate the ability of generalized polynomial chaos (gPC) surrogate to evaluate the probabilistic features of water level simulated by a 1-D hydraulic model (MASCARET) with the same accuracy as a classical Monte Carlo method but at a reduced computational cost. This study highlights that the water level probability density function and covariance matrix are better estimated with the polynomial surrogate model than with a Monte Carlo approach on the forward model given a limited budget of MASCARET evaluations. The gPC-surrogate performance is first assessed on an idealized channel with uniform geometry and then applied on the more realistic case of the Garonne River (France) for which a global sensitivity analysis using sparse least-angle regression was performed to reduce the size of the stochastic problem. For both cases, Galerkin projection approximation coupled to Gaussian quadrature that involves a limited number of forward model evaluations is compared with least-square regression for computing the coefficients when the surrogate is parameterized with respect to the local friction coefficient and the upstream discharge. The results showed that a gPC-surrogate with total polynomial degree equal to 6 requiring 49 forward model evaluations is sufficient to represent the water level distribution (in the sense of the \(\ell _2\) norm), the probability density function and the water level covariance matrix for further use in the framework of data assimilation. In locations where the flow dynamics is more complex due to bathymetry, a higher polynomial degree is needed to retrieve the water level distribution. The use of a surrogate is thus a promising strategy for uncertainty quantification studies in open-channel flows and should be extended to unsteady flows. It also paves the way toward cost-effective ensemble-based data assimilation for flood forecasting and water resource management.     

环境管理战略转型研究综述

由于经济社会的发展伴随的环境问题越来越复杂,资源相对不足、环境容量有限越来越突出,环境管理转型问题引起越来越多的国内外学者关注。所谓环境管理转型,是指环境管理思维、策略和方式的转变,是以环境质量为目标导向,从被动应对向主动防控的转变。本文通过文献梳理的方法,综述了国内外学术界对于环境管理战略进行的多角度探讨。通过综述发现,国外学者主要注重环境管理理论研究,如环境管理的模型研究和不同环境管理战略的研究,且国外学者在研究不同环境管理战略时,研究对象多为微观层面的企业组织;而我国学者的研究则主要集中在宏观层面,即从国家的角度来探讨环境管理战略如何完成转型,从而促进我国经济社会的良性发展。现有的国内外研究是环境管理战略相关理论发展和实践推行的重要基础,在环境管理战略研究领域,本文认为还有一些问题需要进一步研究:一是环境管理的转型不仅需要宏观层面的统筹、微观方面的变革,也需要从中观层面来推进,所以中观层面的环境管理研究同样具有重要的现实意义。二是环境管理的转型不仅需要法律手段的支撑、经济手段的配置,也需要公民环保意识的觉醒,所以关于公民环保意识层面的研究也需要加强。     

Household food waste: the implications of consumer choice in food from purchase to disposal

Food and food-related waste is a high priority in terms of waste minimisation in New Zealand. Over the summer of 2012–2013, a survey of 147 participants was conducted on a range of views and practices related to environmental challenges and understandings. The survey, undertaken in Palmerston North, New Zealand, captured a wide socio-demographic. This article focuses on respondents’ food practices from purchase, to plate, to disposal and the environmental implications of these practices. The survey data have allowed an enriched understanding of both individual and structural level challenges as well as incentives towards improving environmental practices in relation to household food waste minimisation. The results indicated that, in keeping with other research in this area, food waste increases according to the number of individuals in a household, and in particular the number of younger people. Also, while the majority of participants were at least “somewhat concerned” about their households’ environmental impact, over three quarters of participant households put food waste into their rubbish bin. Some solutions and directions to further progress research, policy, and practice in this area are offered, and include the need for more direct and personalised communication regarding waste minimisation, along with the provision of kerbside food waste collections. It is clear that individual- or household-level changes are important and must be supported systemically by both local body and state level legislation and initiatives, if there is to be any substantial decline in food waste going to landfill.     

Metal release from serpentine soils in Sri Lanka

Ultramafic rocks and their related soils (i.e., serpentine soils) are non-anthropogenic sources of metal contamination. Elevated concentrations of metals released from these soils into the surrounding areas and groundwater have ecological-, agricultural-, and human health-related consequences. Here we report the geochemistry of four different serpentine soil localities in Sri Lanka by coupling interpretations garnered from physicochemical properties and chemical extractions. Both Ni and Mn demonstrate appreciable release in water from the Ussangoda soils compared to the other three localities, with Ni and Mn metal release increasing with increasing ionic strengths at all sites. Sequential extraction experiments, utilized to identify “elemental pools,” indicate that Mn is mainly associated with oxides/(oxy)hydroxides, whereas Ni and Cr are bound in silicates and spinels. Nickel was the most bioavailable metal compared to Mn and Cr in all four soils, with the highest value observed in the Ussangoda soil at 168?±?6.40 mg kg^?1 via the 0.01-M CaCl₂ extraction. Although Mn is dominantly bound in oxides/(oxy)hydroxides, Mn is widely dispersed with concentrations reaching as high as 391 mg kg^?1 (Yudhaganawa) in the organic fraction and 49 mg kg^?1 (Ussangoda) in the exchangeable fraction. Despite Cr being primarily retained in the residual fraction, the second largest pool of Cr was in the organic matter fraction (693 mg kg^?1 in the Yudhaganawa soil). Overall, our results support that serpentine soils in Sri Lanka offer a highly labile source of metals to the critical zone.     

厦门市空气污染的空间分布及其与影响因素空间相关性分析

基于空间信息技术、克里格插值与空间相关矩阵,研究厦门市SO2、NO2、PM10和PM2.5污染浓度空间分布特征。通过提取人口密度、道路面积比重、建设用地比重、地表温度及植被指数等空气污染影响因素的空间分布数据,划分研究区为生态区、居住区与工业区,定量评价了污染物浓度与影响因素的空间相关性,并识别出各污染物的主要影响因素。结果表明:污染浓度分布总体上呈现出工业区-居住区-生态区递减的空间特征,其主要受工业排放和机动车排放的影响;SO2与除地表温度外的其他影响因数均有较强空间相关性,PM10和PM2.主要与道路面积比重、建设用地比重具有较强相关性,NO2则与道路面积比重的相关性最强,污染浓度与影响因数空间相关性呈现出工业区-居住区-生态区递增趋势;与按照行政区的划分相比,工业区、居住区、生态区的划分显得更为合理。     

Persistence and dissipation of flubendiamide and its risk assessment on gherkin (Cucumis anguria L.)

A supervised open field trial was conducted to evaluate the dissipation pattern and risk assessment of flubendiamide in gherkin fruits following foliar application of Fame 480 SC at 60 and 120 g a.i.?ha^?1. Samples of gherkin fruits were drawn at different time intervals and quantified by HPLC-DAD. The maximum initial deposits of flubendiamide on gherkin were found to be 0.79 and 1.52 mg kg^?1, respectively, at recommended and double the recommended doses. The dissipation pattern of flubendiamide followed a first-order kinetics with half-lives of 1.87 to 2.16 days at 60 and 120 g a.i.?ha^?1, respectively. The limit of quantification of flubendiamide and desiodo flubendiamide was observed to be 0.01 mg kg^?1 for gherkin fruit and soil substrates. Theoretical maximum residue contribution (TMRC) for flubendiamide was calculated and found to be well below the maximum permissible intake (MPI) on gherkin fruits. Thus, the application of flubendiamide at the recommended dose on gherkin fruits presents no human health risks and safe to consumers.     

Trends in environmental education for biodiversity conservation in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is internationally recognized for its abundant biodiversity and being a leader in the promotion of education strategies for biodiversity conservation. We interviewed staff from 16 institutions developing key environmental communication, education, and participation projects for biodiversity conservation in the country. Through content analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis and Chi-square tests, we examined the characteristics of the projects carried out by these institutions and developed a typology of four categories derived from six variables: primary audience, content, project purpose, location, scale, and facility. Then, we designed a conceptual model describing the integration of conservation and economic development in the educational projects. We found two key approaches related to this integration: vision of nature protection which aims to inform audiences of ecological concepts and focuses on schoolchildren and vision of sustainability which engages adult audiences and is management-oriented. Education for community-based environmental management may serve as a good example of educational projects which integrate conservation and economic development, implementing a vision of sustainability.     

Effects of fomesafen on soil enzyme activity,microbial population,and bacterial community composition

Fomesafen is a diphenyl ether herbicide that has an important role in the removal of broadleaf weeds in bean and fruit tree fields. However, very little information is known about the effects of this herbicide on soil microbial community structure and activities. In the present study, laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the effects of different concentrations of fomesafen (0, 10, 100, and 500 μg/kg) on microbial community structure and activities during an exposure period of 60 days, using soil enzyme assays, plate counting, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The results of enzymatic activity experiments showed that fomesafen had different stimulating effects on the activities of acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and dehydrogenase, with dehydrogenase being most sensitive to fomesafen. On the tenth day, urease activity was inhibited significantly after treatment of different concentrations of fomesafen; this inhibiting effect then gradually disappeared and returned to the control level after 30 days. Plate counting experiments indicated that the number of bacteria and actinomycetes increased in fomesafen-spiked soil relative to the control after 30 days of incubation, while fungal number decreased significantly after only 10 days. The DGGE results revealed that the bacterial community varied in response to the addition of fomesafen, and the intensity of these six bands was greater on day 10. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses indicated that the six excised DGGE bands were closely related to Emticicia, Bacillus, and uncultured bacteria. After 10 days, the bacterial community exhibited no obvious change compared with the control. Throughout the experiment, we concluded that 0–500 μg/kg of fomesafen could not produce significant toxic effects on soil microbial community structure and activities.     

Economic dispatch of power system containing wind power and photovoltaic considering carbon trading and spare capacity variation

The drying up of the fossil energy sources and the damage from unchecked carbon emissions demand the development of low carbon economy, which promotes the development of new energy sources, such as wind power and photovoltaic. However, the direct connections of wind/photovoltaic power into power grid bring great impacts on power systems, thus affecting the security and stability of power system operations, which challenges the power system dispatching. In despite of many methods for power system dispatch, lack of the models, for power system containing wind power and photovoltaic considering carbon trading and spare capacity variation (PSCWPCCTSCV), restricts the further optimal operations of power systems. This paper studies the economic dispatch modeling problem of power system containing wind power and photovoltaic, establishes the model of economic dispatch of PSCWPCCTSCV. On this basis, adaptive immune genetic algorithm is applied to conduct the economic operation optimization, which can provide the optimal carbon trading price and the optimal power distribution coefficient. Finally, simulations based on the newly proposed models are made to illustrate the economic dispatch of PSCWPCCTSCV. The results show that optimization with the proposed model can not only weaken the volatility of the new energy effectively, but also reduce carbon emissions and reduce power generation costs.