Baseline soil levels of PCDD/Fs established prior to the construction of municipal solid waste incinerators in China

In order to determine the baseline contamination by polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in different areas in China, prior to the construction of municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs), a total of 32 representative soil samples was collected near 16 incinerators and analyzed for their PCDD/F concentrations. The PCDD/F baseline concentrations in the soil samples ranged from 0.32 to 11.4 ng I-TEQ kg⁻¹ (dry matter), with average and median value of 2.73 and 2.24 ng I-TEQ kg⁻¹ (dry matter), respectively, and a span between maximum and minimum recorded value of 36. The PCDD homologues predominated in 26 out of 32 soil samples, with the ratio (PCDDs)/(PCDFs) ranging from 1.1 to 164; however in the other 6 samples, PCDF homologues were larger, with the same ratio varying from 0.04 to 0.8. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were used to examine PCDD/F amount and profile in these soil samples, and their possible associations with known emission sources: in this process 6 really distinct isomer fingerprints were identified. Background PCDD/F levels and profiles were comparable to those found in soils from China and other countries and indicate a rather low baseline PCDD/F contamination of soils. The present data provide the tools for future assessment of a possible impact of these MSWIs.     

Chemical composition of water conditioned by crowdedMoina macrocopa (Crustacea: Cladocera)

The chemical composition of water conditioned by colonies ofMoina macrocopa and involved in the regulation of their life cycle was analyzed in comparison with water samples from natural water bodies. Dechlorinated tap water was used as the control medium. The results showed that metabolism of crustaceans leads to an increase in the concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen in all forms, the appearance of protein and carbohydrate fractions, and changes in the composition of lipid fractions in the water conditioned by their colonies. The contents of all organic components are very low, which makes their identification difficult. Concentrations of substances identified in the conditioned water do not exceed those occurring in nature.     

Multi-Criteria and Multi-Perspective Analysis of Contaminated Land Management Methods

Errors in environmental resource management over the years have created pollution problems in some areas which are difficult to handle, regardless of the development of knowledge and technologies. This is particularly true in the case of soil pollution. The negative effects of persistent pollutants have been observed for a long time. For instance, lead and cadmium remain in the soil for centuries, during which time they are absorbed by plants and simultaneously cause secondary air pollution. The authors made an attempt to describe and assess the possible options of dealing with the problem of contaminated land in Katowice District. Considering the necessity of a multilateral approach, a pairwise comparison technique has been chosen as the most suitable to show the complexity of the problem. The different variants of actions aimed at preventing the pollutants from getting into the food chain were analyzed against a set of criteria, consisting of the following issues: time, cost, effectiveness, social acceptance, feasibility. The relative importance of actions were judged by the team of experts using the Saaty method. Also, a two-perspective assessment (the two different stakeholders), which involves considering the perspective of an owner of a piece of contaminated land and an ecologist has been performed. The results of comparative, multicriteria and multi-perspective assessment indicate the following:- the best method for contaminated agricultural land management is willful and controlled cultivation,- other recommended actions are deep ploughing and phytoremediation,- there is not much acceptance for the other methods.     

Application of fuzzy sets and cognitive maps to incorporate social science scenarios in integrated assessment modelsA case study of urbanization in Ujung Pandang, Indonesia

Decision–support systems in the field of integrated water management could benefit considerably from social science knowledge, as many environmental changes are human-induced. Unfortunately the adequate incorporation of qualitative social science concepts in a quantitative modeling framework is not straightforward. The applicability of fuzzy set theory and fuzzy cognitive maps for the integration of qualitative scenarios in a decision–support system was examined for the urbanization of the coastal city of Ujung Pandang, Indonesia. The results indicate that both techniques are useful tools for the design of integrated models based on a combination of concepts from the natural and social sciences. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effects of Native and Non‐Native Vertebrate Mutualists on Plants

Abstract: Extinctions can leave species without mutualist partners and thus potentially reduce their fitness. In cases where non‐native species function as mutualists, mutualism disruption associated with species’ extinction may be mitigated. To assess the effectiveness of mutualist species with different origins, we conducted a meta‐analysis in which we compared the effectiveness of pollination and seed‐dispersal functions of native and non‐native vertebrates. We used data from 40 studies in which a total of 34 non‐native vertebrate mutualists in 20 geographic locations were examined. For each plant species, opportunistic non‐native vertebrate pollinators were generally less effective mutualists than native pollinators. When native mutualists had been extirpated, however, plant seed set and seedling performance appeared elevated in the presence of non‐native mutualists, although non‐native mutualists had a negative overall effect on seed germination. These results suggest native mutualists may not be easily replaced. In some systems researchers propose taxon substitution or the deliberate introduction of non‐native vertebrate mutualists to reestablish mutualist functions such as pollination and seed dispersal and to rescue native species from extinction. Our results also suggest that in places where all native mutualists are extinct, careful taxon substitution may benefit native plants at some life stages.     

北京市土地利用分布与水质响应空间关系研究

以北京市16个水质监测断面和饮用水源地作为研究对象,利用2009—2010年16个水质监测自动站监测数据与2009年北京市土地利用数据,分析不同缓冲区内土地利用与过境水质之间的响应关系。研究结果表明,耕地产生的农业非点源污染对水质影响明显;在大尺度区域增加林地面积比例有利于改善水质;离水源近的农村居民用地对水质产生负面影响;工业建设用地对水质影响在较大尺度上更为显著。     

净水厂氯气泄漏的环境风险分析

以丹阳净水厂为例，选取大气非正常排放模式，预测了液氯钢瓶阀门泄漏及爆炸对周围环境和保护目标的影响，并模拟了钢瓶爆裂事故的后果，计算出事故发生时的初始警戒区半径，提出了相应的氯气泄漏防范措施。     

抗压实验法厌氧颗粒污泥机械强度的测定及影响因素分析

通过首先对厌氧颗粒污泥样品进行筛分,然后测定其机械强度,解决了实际操作过程中现有抗压实验法出现的精确度与重现性较差的问题。通过对不同来源厌氧颗粒污泥样品机械强度的测定、对比分析发现,厌氧颗粒污泥的机械强度大小与反应器的规模、反应器所采用水力负荷存在一定的正相关性,且与其主要金属元素（Ca、Fe和Mg）含量的大小存在着密切的关系。     

天津开发区供水系统地震反应分析

用天津开发区供水系统作为实例，研究了地震作用下该系统的震害，及震后供水功失效状态。实例研究表明，所采用的最新研制的供水系统地震反应分析软件（ＳＰＡＷＧＩＳ）是可靠的。同时还证明，该软件所基于的方法，包括震害预测专家系统及失效流分析等方法是正确的。     

高效液相色谱-原子荧光光谱联用分析土壤中形态砷

采用高效液相色谱(HPLC)-原子荧光光谱(AFS)联用技术分析土壤中亚砷酸盐[As(Ⅲ)]、二甲基砷(DMA)、一甲基砷(MMA)和砷酸盐[As(Ⅴ)]等4种形态砷,以磷酸为提取剂、抗坏血酸为还原剂,优化了水浴提取条件。As(Ⅲ)、DMA、MMA和As(Ⅴ)在7 min之内实现了完全分离,在1.00μg/L～100μg/L范围内线性良好,实验室检出限分别为0.25μg/L、0.36μg/L、0.39μg/L和0.51μg/L,土壤标准样品平行测定的RSD≤7.4%,加标回收率为79.5%～95.0%,提取率为74.6%～90.4%。