It’s All in the Numbers: Acreage Tallies and Environmental Program Evaluation

Increasingly, performance measurement is being used to hold federal agencies accountable, represent environmental progress, and evaluate the effectiveness of environmental programs. The need to track measurable outputs has created a tendency to present programmatic progress solely by quantifiable data, despite the inherent complexity of natural resource management. Wetlands and fire management programs are two specific environmental arenas that have come to overemphasize the tracking of acreage numbers to validate existing policy direction. In both of these arenas, we find the definition and categorization of "countable" acres to be inconsistent and unreliable. We explore this systemic flaw for both wetlands and fire programs and describe its implications for environmental policy and natural resource management more broadly. We conclude with recommendations for improved performance measurement in these arenas.     

呼和浩特市城区生活垃圾收运模式构想

通过对呼和浩特市城区生活垃圾产量、成分、收运模式现状的调查分析，预测生活垃圾产量，选择“十二五”期间适宜呼和浩特市的生活垃圾收运模式。     

Effect of Monitoring Technique on Quality of Conservation Science

Monitoring free‐ranging animals in their natural habitat is a keystone of ecosystem conservation and increasingly important in the context of current rates of loss of biological diversity. Data collected from individuals of endangered species inform conservation policies. Conservation professionals assume that these data are reliable—that the animals from whom data are collected are representative of the species in their physiology, ecology, and behavior and of the populations from which they are drawn. In the last few decades, there has been an enthusiastic adoption of invasive techniques for gathering ecological and conservation data. Although these can provide impressive quantities of data, and apparent insights into animal ranges and distributions, there is increasing evidence that these techniques can result in animal welfare problems, through the wide‐ranging physiological effects of acute and chronic stress and through direct or indirect injuries or compromised movement. Much less commonly, however, do conservation scientists consider the issue of how these effects may alter the behavior of individuals to the extent that the data they collect could be unreliable. The emerging literature on the immediate and longer‐term effects of capture and handling indicate it can no longer be assumed that a wild animal's survival of the process implies the safety of the procedure, that the procedure is ethical, or the scientific validity of the resulting data. I argue that conservation professionals should routinely assess study populations for negative effects of their monitoring techniques and adopt noninvasive approaches for best outcomes not only for the animals, but also for conservation science. Efecto de la Técnica de Monitoreo en la Calidad de la Ciencia de la Conservación     

我国固定源大气颗粒物监测技术的现状与改进建议

针对国内固定源大气颗粒物监测技术的现状及不足,通过对资料总结发现国内固定源排放颗粒物的监测技术现状中存在国标精度要求较低和技术细节不足等问题,并重点从分级采样和大气低浓度颗粒物检测方面深入剖析相关技术的不足与需求,并结合国内外的经验,从国标的修订与补充、分级采样技术体系的建立和低浓度大气颗粒物采样方法的改进等3个方面提出技术与设备方面的改进建议。     

基于Monte-Carlo方法的静电除尘器除尘效率

针对经典除尘效率未考虑诸多随机因素影响的问题,提出了基于Monte-Carlo方法的效率分析模型,并通过实验数据验证其可靠性。通过该模型分析了粒径大小、电场气流速度、电晕电压、两极间距、粒子浓度等因素对收尘效率的影响规律,结果表明:基于Monte-Carlo方法的仿真结果精度更高,能有效预测静电除尘器的收尘效率,对于改进静电除尘器设计具有一定的理论意义和实用价值。     

Effects of Fireplace Use on Forest Vegetation and Amount of Woody Debris in Suburban Forests in Northwestern Switzerland

Urban forests are popular recreation areas in Europe. Several of these temperate broad-leaved forests also have a high conservation value due to sustainable management over many centuries. Recreational activities, particularly the use of fireplaces, can cause extensive damage to soil, ground vegetation, shrubs, and trees. Firewood collection depletes woody debris, leading to a loss of habitat for specialized organisms. We examined the effects of fireplace use on forest vegetation and the amount of woody debris by comparing disturbed and control plots in suburban forests in northwestern Switzerland. At frequently used fireplaces, we found reduced species densities in the ground vegetation and shrub layer and changes in plant species composition due to human trampling within an area of 150–200 m². Picnicking and grilling also reduced the height and changed the age structure of shrubs and young trees. The amount of woody debris was lower in disturbed plots than in control plots. Pieces of wood with a diameter of 0.6–7.6 cm were preferentially collected by fireplace users. The reduction in woody debris volume extended up to a distance of 16 m from the fire ring, covering an area of 800 m² at each picnic site. In order to preserve the ecological integrity of urban forests and to maintain their attractiveness as important recreation areas, we suggest depositing logging residues to be used as firewood and to restrict visitor movements near picnic sites.     

Investigation of the hydrodynamic behavior of diatom aggregates using particle image velocimetry

The hydrodynamic behavior of diatom aggregates has a significant influence on the interactions and flocculation kinetics of algae. However, characterization of the hydrodynamics of diatoms and diatom aggregates in water is rather difficult. In this laboratory study, an advanced visualization technique in particle image velocimetry (PIV) was employed to investigate the hydrodynamic properties of settling diatom aggregates. The experiments were conducted in a settling column filled with a suspension of fluorescent polymeric beads as seed tracers. A laser light sheet was generated by the PIV setup to illuminate a thin vertical planar region in the settling column, while the motions of particles were recorded by a high speed charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. This technique was able to capture the trajectories of the tracers when a diatom aggregate settled through the tracer suspension. The PIV results indicated directly the curvilinear feature of the streamlines around diatom aggregates. The rectilinear collision model largely overestimated the collision areas of the settling particles. Algae aggregates appeared to be highly porous and fractal, which allowed streamlines to penetrate into the aggregate interior. The diatom aggregates have a fluid collection efficiency of 10%-40%. The permeable feature of aggregates can significantly enhance the collisions and flocculation between the aggregates and other small particles including algal cells in water.     

迁安市污水收集与处理效能定量评估

污水收集与处理效能直接影响合流制排水体制下的水安全和水环境,是海绵城市建设中需要解析评估的重要内容.以迁安市为例,建立覆盖"污染源—管网关键节点—污水处理厂"的监测网络,基于同步水量、水质监测结果,定量解析生活污水污染物排放系数和污水处理系统收集与处理效能,并定位问题管段具体位置和主要问题.结果表明:①合流制小区CODCr、NH3-N排放系数分别为43. 4、13. 3 g(人·d),分流制小区CODCr、NH3-N排放系数略高,分别为53. 1、14. 5 g(人·d).②受地下水、河水入渗的双重影响,生活污水从进入市政管网后污染物质量浓度大幅下降,保守估计下入渗率约为32. 5%,合流制管网截污干管至污水处理厂地下水、河水入渗量达到了14 471 m3d,分流制干管至污水处理厂地下水入渗量约为19 777 m3d.③污水处理厂进水水质指标均远小于设计进水水质,还存在C源不足、一部分比例的污水可生化性较差的特征,进水BOD5TN〔ρ(BOD5)ρ(TN)〕变化范围为0. 47～4. 32,平均值仅为1. 68.研究显示,地下水河水入渗严重降低污水收集处理效能,建议海绵城市建设中重视对于污水收集处理效能的摸底评估,并从污水处理系统设计和管网缺陷修复上大力整改.