Evaluation of the effects of acid precipitation in eastern Canada using the raison system

Evaluations have been made of the key chemical factors in the aquatic effects upon surface waters due to acidic precipitation in eastern Canada. The region of Canada east of the Manitoba/Ontario border was divided into 22 aggregates and assessments of inorganic and organic ion chemistry appraised relative to sulphate deposition rates and distributions. Aquatic sensitivity is largely dominated by the concentration, distribution and magnitude of SO _inf4 ^sup2- (sulphate) deposition and by the prevalent geology and derived soils found in each aggregate. The RAISON system provided an adaptable and highly flexible platform to evaluate interactively, multiple data sets of divergent characteristics. Attributes usually associated with geographical information systems are significantly augmented by quantitative numerical and stochastic capabilities that were used extensively in this study.     

Emissions of organic compounds and trace metals in fine particulate matter from motor vehicles: a tunnel study in Houston, Texas

Fine particulate matter (PM) samples collected in a highway tunnel in Houston, TX, were analyzed to quantify the concentrations of 14 n-alkanes, 12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and nine petroleum biomarkers, as well as 21 metals, with the ultimate aim of identifying appropriate tracers for diesel engines. First, an exploratory multivariate dimensionality reduction technique called principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to identify all potential candidates for tracers. Next, emission indices were calculated to interpret PCA results physically. Emission indices of n-heneicosane, n-docosane, n-tricosane, n-tetracosane, n-pentacosane, fluoranthene, and pyrene were correlated highly and increased strongly with percentage carbon present in the tunnel emanating from diesel vehicles. This suggests that these organic compounds are useful molecular markers to separate emissions from diesel and gasoline engines. Additionally, the results are the first quantification of the metal composition of PM with aerodynamic diameters smaller than 2.5 microm (PM2.5) emissions from mobile sources in Houston. PCA of trace metal concentrations followed by emission index calculations revealed that barium in fine airborne particles can be linked quantitatively to diesel engine emissions, demonstrating its role as an elemental tracer for heavy-duty trucks.     

基于GIS的气候变化对马铃薯生长的脆弱性评价

利用层次分析和专家打分法构建了气候变化对内蒙古马铃薯生产的脆弱性影响评价指标体系,运用脆弱性的定义及灾害风险的理论建立了马铃薯脆弱性综合指数评估模型,通过分析主产区的敏感性、适应性来评估脆弱性影响程度。结果表明:内蒙古马铃薯生产脆弱性分布呈中部高、东西部低的分布特点。以乌兰察布市中部、呼和浩特市南部、包头市南部及锡林郭勒盟西南部脆弱性为最高;呼伦贝尔市、兴安盟、通辽市及鄂尔多斯市南部脆弱性为最低;赤峰市大部、巴彦淖尔市及鄂尔多斯市北部为中等。针对主产区马铃薯生长脆弱性的成因,提出了应分别采取不同的应对措施。研究结果可为自治区马铃薯生产可持续发展提供科学依据。     

滇池流域蔬菜地土壤氮素分布与转移特征

选取滇池流域蔬菜设施保护地油麦菜（Lactuca sativa var.ramosa）种植区进行研究,分为高量组和低量组两个组别进行,每组分别设置9个施肥处理。试验结果表明：土壤总氮在各水平处理之间并没有规律性变化,在垂直梯度上（0-20、20-40、40-60cm）,土壤养分随深度增加而递减;高量组和低量组在生长期和成熟期,土壤总氮积累量和施氮量表现出了显著正向线性相关,相关系数R分别为0.9873、0.9901、0.9881和0.9880;适量施氮,土壤氮积累量表现出减少,而过量施氮则表现出了盈余;高量组氮损失量均大于低量组,且高量组在不同生育期的氮损失量与施氮量表现出极显著的线性正相关,相关系数R分别为0.9823、0.9719。高量组与低量组氮素损失率生长期均高于成熟期,而各处理之间未表现出明显的变化规律,最大损失率为39.79%,在适宜施肥量的处理中,损失率也达到了20%以上。     

河西走廊石羊河下游地区盐碱土中放线菌多样性

为了解甘肃省河西走廊石羊河流域地区盐碱土中放线菌种群结构及多样性,采用非培养法对河西走廊石羊河下游流域的3种不同类型土样(原生盐碱土、次生盐碱土和农田土)的总DNA进行提取,用放线菌特异性引物对16S rRNA基因进行扩增,构建放线菌16S rRNA克隆文库.用HaeⅢ和HhaⅠ两种限制性内切酶对阳性克隆子进行16S rDNA扩增片段限制性内切酶分析(Amplifed Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis,ARDRA),提取酶切带型不同的菌液进行测序,构建其系统发育树并进行多样性指数分析.结果显示:原生盐碱土克隆文库中90个阳性克隆分归于20个OTUs,分属于微球菌科(Micrococcaceae)、中村氏菌科(Nakamurellaceae)、类诺卡氏菌科(Nocardioidaceae)、链霉菌科(Streptomycetaceae)、棒状杆菌科(Corynebacteriaceae)、诺卡氏菌科(Nocardiaceae)和未知类群;次生盐碱土克隆文库中98个阳性克隆分归于32个OTUs,分属于纤维素单胞菌科(Cellulomonadaceae)、微球菌科(Micrococcaceae)、地嗜皮菌科(Geodermatophilaceae)、类诺卡氏菌科(Nocardioidaceae)、小单孢菌科(Micromonosporaceae)、伪诺卡氏菌科(Pseudonocardiaceae)、链霉菌科(Streptomycetaceae)、链孢囊菌科(Streptosporangiaceae)、高温单孢菌科(Thermomonosporaceae)、动孢囊菌科(Kineosporiaceae)、糖霉菌科(Glycomycetaceae)和未知类群;农田土克隆文库中98个阳性克隆分归于10个OTUs,分属于微球菌科(Micrococcaceae)、博戈里亚湖菌科(Bogoriellaceae)、地嗜皮菌科(Geodermatophilaceae)、中村氏菌科(Nakamurellaceae)、类诺卡氏菌科(Nocardioidaceae)和未知类群.其中,微球菌亚目(Micrococcineae)是3种不同类型土壤中的优势类群.多样性指数和稀释性曲线分析结果显示,3种不同类型土壤中放线菌多样性为次生盐碱土>原生盐碱土>农田土.     

上海佘山国家森林公园空气负离子动态及其主要影响因子

以上海佘山国家森林公园为研究地,通过定点观测,对比分析了林内与空地的空气负离子在日变化和季节变化上的规律。研究结果表明:在一日内的上午、中午、下午3个时段,林内与空地的空气负离子浓度和安培空气离子评价系数(CI)值均无显著性差异;而在这3个时段,林内的空气负离子浓度和CI值均显著高于空地;季节上,林内与空地的负离子浓度、CI值以及空气清洁程度均为夏秋季大于春季大于冬季,林内和空地在夏秋两季负离子浓度和CI值都显著大于空地。同时林内的空气清洁程度在4个季节皆高于空地。通过多元回归分析得出,总悬浮颗粒物(TSP)是影响夏秋两季林内负离子浓度和CI值的主要影响因素;相对湿度是影响夏秋两季空地空气负离子浓度和CI值的主要影响因素。     

Navigating Institutional Challenges: Design to Enable Community Participation in Social Learning for Freshwater Planning

Social learning is a process suited to developing understanding and concerted action to tackle complex resource dilemmas, such as freshwater management. Research has begun to recognise that in practice social learning encounters a variety of institutional challenges from the shared habits and routines of stakeholders (organised by rules, norms and strategies) that are embedded in organisational structures and norms of professional behaviour. These institutional habits and routines influence the degree of willingness to engage with stakeholders, and expectations of behaviours in social learning processes. Considering this, there has been a call to understand how institutions influence social learning and emergent outcomes. We addresses this by presenting a heuristic for implementing social learning cognisant of institutional context to answer three questions: (i) How institutional influences impact implementation of social learning design; (ii) how implementation of social learning design modifies institutions influencing social learning; and (iii) how these changes in design and institutions together shape social learning outcomes? To answer these questions a freshwater planning exercise was designed, implemented and evaluated as a social learning process with community groups in two New Zealand catchments. Incorporating participatory reflection enabled the project team to modify social learning design to manage institutional influences hindering progress toward outcomes. Findings emphasise that social learning is underpinned by participants’ changing assumptions about what constitutes the institution of learning itself—from instruction to a dynamic, collective and emergent process. Reflecting on these assumptions also challenged participants’ expectations about their own and others’ behaviours and roles in freshwater planning.     

National contributions to global ecosystem values

Current conservation templates prioritize biogeographic regions with high intensity ecosystem values, such as exceptional species richness or threat. Intensity-based targets are an important consideration in global efforts, but they do not capture all available opportunities to conserve ecosystem values, including those that accrue in low intensity over large areas. We assess six globally-significant ecosystem values—intact wilderness, freshwater availability, productive marine environments, breeding habitat for migratory wildlife, soil carbon storage, and latitudinal potential for range shift in the face of climate change—to highlight opportunities for high-impact broadly-distributed contributions to global conservation. Nations can serve as a cohesive block of policy that can profoundly influence conservation outcomes. Contributions to global ecosystem values that exceed what is predicted by a nation's area alone, can give rise to countries with the capacity to act as ‘conservation superpowers’, such as Canada and Russia. For these conservation superpowers, a relatively small number of national policies can have environmental repercussions for the rest of the world.