Biomass and carbon budgeting of sustainable agroforestry systems as ecosystem service in Indian Himalayas

Adoption of agroforestry is paramount as a climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy. The assessment of plant biomass is crucial for understanding the vulnerability of biological systems to climate change. In the present study, agroforestry systems viz., agrisilviculture (AS), agrihorticulture (AH), agrihortisilviculture (AHS) and agrisilvihorticulture (ASH) were investigated for biomass production and carbon stock in vegetation as well as in soil in the Indian central Himalaya along the elevation i.e. E₁ (<1100 m), E₂ (1100–1400 m), E₃ (1400–1700 m), E₄ (1700–2000 m) and E₅ (>2000 m). Mean aboveground and belowground biomass were 73.9% and 26.1%, respectively, of total biomass (64.4 t ha^?1) in agroforestry systems. Fodder and/or timber trees accounted for 31% (in AHS) to 74% (in AS) of total biomass, while fruit trees accounted for 18% (in ASH) to 73% (in AH) of total biomass. The contribution of agriculture crops to total biomass fluctuated between 19% (in ASH) and 26% (in AH). Total vegetation biomass, soil carbon and total carbon density in agroforestry systems increased significantly along the elevation, with maximum biomass at elevation E₅ (32.0 t ha^?1, 64.7 t C ha^?1 and 96.7 t C ha^?1). Total biomass of vegetation among agroforestry systems differed significantly. Soil carbon stock was highest in AHS (59.5 t C ha^?1) and total carbon density (vegetation + soil) was highest in ASH (93.0 t C ha^?1). Thus, in Indian Himalayas, vegetation biomass, carbon stock, soil and total carbon (vegetation + soil) stock increased along the elevation.

Abbrviations: AG: aboveground; BG: belowground; WD: wood density; VOB: volume over bark; BEF: biomass expansion factor; AS: agrisilviculture; AH: agrihorticulture; ASH: agrisilvihorticulture; AHS: agrihortisilviculture; E: elevation; C: carbon; CO₂: carbon-di-oxide; IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; DBH: diameter at breast height; AGBD: aboveground biomass density; BGBD: belowground biomass density; GSVD: growing stock volume density     

电催化氧化降解大气中甲醛的研究

将有机废气通过高效微孔曝气转移到液相,采用活性碳纤维作为电极,研究不同鼓气速率和不同电压对处理效果的影响.结果表明,本方法适用于低浓度高气量有机废气的处理.在实验范围内,当曝气速率为20L·h-1,外加电压为5V的条件下,处理速率最稳定.     

TiO2/活性炭催化剂对4-CP的吸附和光催化活性

采用常压金属有机物化学气相沉积技术在活性炭表面沉积构成纳米TiO2催化剂,XRD分析表明,沉积在活性炭表面的TiO2为锐钛矿晶型.TEM分析表明负载量为8%(wt)时,TiO2颗粒的粒径为10-20nm;载体负载前后BET面积仅改变了6%,表明负载TiO2后对活性炭的结构影响不大.利用Langmuir-Hinshelwood动力学模型探讨了TiO2/活性炭催化剂对4-CP的吸附行为和光催化活性之间的关系,求出4-CP降解反应速率常数Kr,在紫外光照条件下催化剂对4-CP的吸附明显增强.     

森林土地利用变化及其对碳循环的影响

由于人口剧增，人类活动的影响不断加大，在过去100年全球土地利用／土地覆被发生了巨大的变化。最常见的土地利用变化是由森林转变为农业用地。森林砍伐使森林生态系统地上部生物量大大减少，砍伐后作农业用地，降低了植被生产力，减少了土壤有机质的输入，增强了腐殖质的矿化作用，有机质分解速率增加，有机碳贮量随之降低，从而影响到森林生态系统的碳循环，使大量碳元素释放到大气中，引起温室效应，导致全球变暖。另一个常见的土地利用变化是植树造林和森林恢复，这一过程可以增加森林生态系统的碳储量，从而减缓大气CO2体积分数的上升。     

Preferential incubation positions for different sized eggs and their influence on incubation period and hatching asynchrony in Snares crested (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Eudyptes robustus</Emphasis>) and yellow-eyed penguins (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Megadyptes antipodes</Emphasis>)

In crested penguins (Eudyptes spp.), second-laid eggs typically hatch before first eggs. Amongst a variety of factors that have been considered as mechanisms underlying this reversal, has been the idea that crested penguins can adjust the degree of hatching asynchrony by manipulating egg positions (i.e. placing the smaller first egg in the supposedly thermally disadvantaged anterior position) during incubation (termed Preferential Incubation Hypothesis). We tested this in the Snares crested penguin (Eudyptes robustus) and the closely related, but synchronously-hatching, yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes). Snares crested penguins were more likely to place their first eggs, which are smaller than second eggs, in the anterior incubation position than were yellow-eyed penguins, which have a clutch of two similar-sized eggs. But when yellow-eyed penguins, a non-brood reducing species, were provided with an artificial size-dimorphic clutch, they also placed smaller eggs more frequently in the anterior position, suggesting that a general preference exists among penguins to place smaller eggs in the anterior position. Egg temperatures of small first eggs of Snares crested penguins were higher in the anterior than in the posterior position. Large first eggs in lesser size-dimorphic clutches experienced high temperature differences in relation to position, while small first eggs in greater size-dimorphic clutches were incubated at similar temperatures. In yellow-eyed penguins, large eggs within clutches generally had higher egg temperatures than small eggs. Incubation periods of second eggs declined with increasing egg size. Egg-size variation, rather than egg positioning behaviour, influenced hatching patterns in Snares crested penguins. In lesser size-dimorphic clutches, second eggs were more likely to hatch first while in greater size-dimorphic clutches, small first eggs were more likely to hatch at the same time or before the second eggs. This was similar in yellow-eyed penguins, where second eggs hatched earlier in clutches with large first eggs. Our data contradicts the Preferential Incubation Hypothesis and we conclude that this hypothesis is unlikely to explain the reversed hatching asynchrony in crested penguins.Communicated by C. Brown     

Pt/Mg-Ce-O catalyst for NO/H<Subscript>2</Subscript>/O<Subscript>2</Subscript> lean de-No<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> reaction

The NO/H₂/O₂ reaction was studied under oxidizing conditions in the 100-400 °C range over 0.1 wt% Pt supported on various metal oxides such as MgO, CeO₂, SiO₂, La₂O₃, CaO, Y₂O₃ and TiO₂. The Pt/MgO and Pt/CeO₂ catalysts showed good catalytic behaviours. Here, we find that the Pt/Mg-Ce-O catalyst, prepared from MgO and CeO₂ by the sol-gel method, is a very active and selective catalyst towards N₂ formation in the whole 100–400 °C range. This catalyst appears to be the most active, selective and stable one ever reported in the literature for the NO/H₂/O₂ reaction, even in the presence of 5%v H₂O or 20 ppmv of SO₂ in the feed stream.Selected article from the Regional Symposium on Chemistry and Environment, Krusevac, Serbia, June 2003, organised by Dr. Branimir Jovancicevic.     

一种控制粮食工厂溜管噪声的简易措施

溜管噪声产生的原因是物料颗粒与溜管壁及物料颗粒之间相互撞击的结果,提出了降低噪声的简单措施,在溜管中安装缓冲箱和降速板可取得较好的降噪效果。     

The effects on waste reduction and recycling rates when different components of the waste stream are counted

States differ in the components or solid waste management activities which they include when determining solid waste reduction and recycling rates. Thus, when attempting to draw comparisons among states, confusion arises in two ways: (1) use of two types of rates; and (2) use of different components or activities when calculating a given rate. This paper presents a mathematical basis for understanding the impacts on rate calculations when variations occur in the components and activities included in those calculations. Estimates of the incremental changes occurring in the rate calculations when incineration or selected components such as yard waste, construction and demolition wastes, and junked automobiles, are added to a base of municipal solid waste constituents are found using national data. Finally, the achieved rates reported by states counting different combinations are compared.     

重庆主城区大气总悬浮颗粒中有机碳和元素碳污染特征分析

在四个季节采样分析的基础上，本文报道了重庆市主城区江北区(商住区)和缙云山(清洁对照点)两个监测点总悬浮颗粒物质量浓度的空间分布和季节变化特征，同时利用热分解示差热导法元素分析仪测定了TSP中的OC和EC浓度，探讨了OC和EC含量并与北京相应功能区的TSP质量浓度及其OC和EC浓度进行了比较。结果表明：重庆市商住区和对照点TSP年均质量浓度均小于北京市商住区和对照点；重庆市商住区OC和EC年均质量浓度高于北京市商住区，北京市对照点OC和EC年均质量浓度高于重庆市对照点。两个城市的四个监测点OC／EC年均值均大于2．0，说明两城市城区二次污染比较严重。     

臭氧—活性炭组合工艺对饮用水中AOC的去除

研究了以O3/GAC为主的饮用水深度处理工艺对AOC去除效果 ,结果表明 :原水 (某江水 )AOC浓度为 6 1 9μg乙酸碳 /L ;生物陶粒滤池对AOC的去除率为 54% ;O3 +GAC对AOC的去除率为 83.8% ;加氯消毒后AOC浓度增加 1 .38倍 ;常规水处理工艺对AOC的去除率为 4 3.7% ,不能保证饮用水的生物稳定性