Carbon nanotubes as sorbents in the analysis of pesticides

With increasing public concerns for agrochemicals and their potential movement in the ecosystem, very sensitive, selective and precise methods for the analysis of pesticides are needed. Because these substances are present usually at trace levels, the extraction and preconcentration steps are so far essential for their detection. Discoveries of novel nanomaterials with unique properties have significant impact on their use also in extraction techniques. This overview reports the recent application of carbon nanotubes in the analysis of pesticides. The largest numbers of reported applications of carbon nanotubes concern their role as a sorbent materials in solid-phase extraction and microextraction techniques.     

Application of Forensic Techniques for Age Dating and Source Identification in Environmental Litigation

A multitude of forensic techniques are available for age dating and source identification, including corrosion models for underground storage tanks, the commercial availability of a compound, chemical associations with discrete types of manufacturing processes, chemical profiling, proprietary additives, stable isotope analysis, degradation models, biomarkers and contaminant transport models. The selection and use of these techniques in environmental litigation must be thoroughly understood and applied to be effective as forensic evidence. When introduced as scientific evidence, the governing assumptions and quality of the data are critically evaluated and frequently successfully challenged. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of commonly used environmental forensic techniques and their possible applications so that a user can decide which technique or combination of methods is most appropriate for their case.     

桂西北河池地区耕地变化及其驱动力Logistic回归分析

桂西北河池地区土地退化严重，耕地少，区域农业发展受限。基于TM遥感图像、DEM等空间数据并结合社会经济统计数据，利用空间分析方法及Logistic回归分析模型，定量分析了1952～2006年桂西北河池地区11个县耕地的时空动态变化规律及其驱动机制。研究结果表明：1952～2006年河池地区耕地总量的变化经历了迅速增加-波动变化-迅速减少-缓慢减少的过程，空间上变化率不均衡，且近20多a间西部地区耕地减少迅速，其变化体现了国家政策的主导驱动作用；根据回归结果提取出7类影响耕地分布的主要解释变量，其中海拔和人口分布为耕地空间分布格局分异的关键影响因素，其次是坡度Ⅰ(0°～5°)、GDP、至主要公路距离、至主要河流距离和至主要城镇距离；不同县之间耕地变化驱动力的解释变量存在差异，且各县耕地分布概率对于海拔、坡度Ⅰ(0°～5°)、GDP这3类解释变量较敏感，而其他解释变量敏感程度较低；东部地区耕地分布的概率更大.     

基于GIS和RS的嵩山森林生态旅游环境变化分析

考虑景区内外管理政策的不同,以1980年和2006年的遥感影像为信息源,在GIS技术的支持下获取了嵩山森林生态旅游景区和景区缓冲区的生态环境变化信息,借助压力-状态-响应模型,建立了森林生态旅游的环境评价指标体系,对景区内外生态环境的动态变化进行了分析.结果表明:1)26年来景区和景区缓冲区的容量、农业化压力、交通压力和服务压力增大,多样性指数、破碎度指数均呈上升趋势;2)26年来景区缓冲区内的建筑用地、旅游服务用地、通往景区的道路用地的面积均呈上升趋势;3)26年来该景区内部分林地的覆盖率下降,裸岩面积增加,景区缓冲区内的林地面积增加,说明人们对环境的认识得到加强.     

Coastal landscape preference evaluation: A comparison among tourists in Greece

An evaluation of coastal landscape of pine forest in Greece by summer visitors of various nationalities was carried out. The visual preferences for a set of landscape, represented in photographs, expressed by these various nationality groups were compared. The subjects used in this research came from Greece, Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain, Austria, Yugoslavia, and Scandinavian countries. The findings show that there is an agreement over the basic preference, but, nevertheless, there are differences of opinion between the nationality groups that might be attributed to cultural influences and the effect of being familiar with their own environments. Since coastal landscape plays an important role in the tourist industry, these findings could be very useful to policy-making agencies.     

Assessing ecological risk on a regional scale

Society needs a quantitative and systematic way to estimate and compare the impacts of environmental problems that affect large geographic areas. This paper presents an approach for regional risk assessment that combines regional assessment methods and landscape ecology theory with an existing framework for ecological risk assessment. Risk assessment evaluates the effects of an environmental change on a valued natural resource and interprets the significance of those effects in light of the uncertainties identified in each component of the assessment process. Unique and important issues for regional risk assessment are emphasized; these include the definition of the disturbance scenario, the assessment boundary definition, and the spatial heterogeneity of the landscape. Although the research described in this article has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through Interagency Agreement Number DW89932112-01-2 to the U.S. Department of Energy, it has not been subjected to EPA review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of EPA and no official endorsement should be inferred.     

Planning and design of Berg-en-Dal,a new camp in Kruger National Park

The premise of this article is that the planning and design of new rest camps in conservation areas should be based on ecological principles in such a way that the plant ecology within the camp be an integral part and extension of the natural ecology of its immediate vicinity. This is desirable so that visitors to the camp will be provided not only with facilities for resting, eating, and sleeping, but also be able to enjoy and study the natural environment in a relaxed atmosphere. The Berg-en-Dal rest camp, which was established in Kruger National Park, was planned in such a way and designed according to the principles outlined by the authors in a companion article. The planning included six zones: a control zone, day visitor zone, overnight visitor zone, staff accommodation zone, recreation zone, and service zone. The point is stressed that plant species selected to be used as additional vegetation to those already growing in the camp were endemic to the nine landscape facets identified in the camp. The design allowed for separation of the various land-use zones in such a way that they would complement each other rather than be a hindrance to each other. The camp has been built according to the plans included in this article and has proved to be a great success. The conclusion is drawn that the planning principles are sound and should be used in the future for the planning and design of rest camps for conservation areas in South Africa.     

Productivity equation for reclaiming surface mines

This article addresses the development of an agricultural productivity equation for predicting new soil (neo-sol) plant growth potential in Clay County, Minnesota, USA. Soil factors examined in the study include percent organic matter, percent slope, percent rock fragments, hydraulic conductivity, electrical conductivity, pH, topographic position, available water-holding capacity, bulk density, and percent clay. Squared terms and two-factor interaction terms were also examined as possible regressors. A best equation was selected that had a multiple coefficient of determination of 0.7399 and has five significant regressors and intercept withP.0001. The regressors are hydraulic conductivity, percent slope squared, bulk density times percent rock fragments, electrical conductivity times percent rock fragments, and electrical conductivity times percent organic matter. The regressors predict soil suitability for a general crop model. The crops included in the model are wheat, oats, barley, soybeans, sugar beets, sunflowers, and grasses/legumes.     

Toward an applied phenomenology: The case of abandoned pier use in Hoboken,New Jersey,USA

This research demonstrates the contribution of phenomenological inquiry within the realm of geographic and environmental planning. The contention is that a focus on the wide range of individual meanings and values ascribed to landscapes, a marginalized element in many planning assessments, can bring out data to more substantively inform decision making, A case study of user meanings imparted to residual waterfront land in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, suggests that such property provides an array of amenities to residents. Most importantly, it expands the range of recreational activities, creates visual relief from the monotonous urban milieu, and provides scenic vistas to promote an awareness of the quality of life still possible in cities. The study concludes that planners can use phenomenology to generate data for more judicious decision making.