Vulnerability of Rehabilitated Agricultural Production Systems to Invasion by Nontarget Plant Species

Vast areas of arable land have been retired from crop production and “rehabilitated” to improved system states through landowner incentive programs in the United States (e.g., Conservation and Wetland Reserve Programs), as well as Europe (i.e., Agri-Environment Schemes). Our review of studies conducted on invasion of rehabilitated agricultural production systems by nontarget species elucidates several factors that may increase the vulnerability of these systems to invasion. These systems often exist in highly fragmented and agriculturally dominated landscapes, where propagule sources of target species for colonization may be limited, and are established under conditions where legacies of past disturbance persist and prevent target species from persisting. Furthermore, rehabilitation approaches often do not include or successfully attain all target species or historical ecological processes (e.g., hydrology, grazing, and/or fire cycles) key to resisting invasion. Uncertainty surrounds ways in which nontarget species may compromise long term goals of improving biodiversity and ecosystem services through rehabilitation efforts on former agricultural production lands. This review demonstrates that more studies are needed on the extent and ecological impacts of nontarget species as related to the goals of rehabilitation efforts to secure current and future environmental benefits arising from this widespread conservation practice.     

COMPARING SAMPLING SCHEMES FOR MONITORING POLLUTANT EXPORT FROM A DAIRY PASTURE1

ABSTRACT: Dairy cow pastures and feeding areas around barns can be a significant source of nonpoint source pollutants to nearby streams. To help document the significance of these sources, nutrient export in streamfiow from a 56.7-ha, mostly agricultural, watershed located in southwestern North Carolina was monitored from August 1994 to January 1996. Total nitrogen and phosphorus export rates from the upper, predominantly pasture, part of the watershed were 18.0 and 1.4 kg/ha/yr, respectively, as measured by weekly grab sampling and 18.7 and 4.9 kg/halyr, respectively, as measured from storm event monitoring. Nitrogen and phosphorus export rates for the area between the monitoring sites, which included overgrazed cow holding and feeding areas and farm buildings, were 376 and 86 kgfhalyr, respectively, for grab sampling and 351 and 160 kg/ha/yr, respectively, for storm event monitoring. To estimate the amount of reduction from nonpoint source controls necessary to effect a significant reduction in pollutant loading, statistical analyses of the load data were conducted. The analyses for the five pollutants monitored showed that total suspended solids would require the greatest reduction (34.6 percent for weekly grab and 33.6 percent for storm) in loading after the implementation of controls for statistical significance. Nitrate plus nitrite was found to require the least reduction (12.6 percent for weekly grab). Pollutant export rates computed from weekly grab samples and storm event samples used separately were compared to corresponding export rates computed from combining grab and storm event samples to assess the differences in monitoring schemes.     

WRF模式对污染天气下边界层高度的模拟研究

大气边界层高度是影响大气污染物浓度的重要因素之一,但数值模式中选择不同边界层参数化方案模拟的边界层高度有很大差异.利用WRF模式中5种边界层参数化方案及2006~2007年春、秋、冬3季河北香河地区激光雷达观测资料,对比分析了污染天气下,不同边界层方案对边界层高度的模拟效果,并分析了误差产生的可能原因.结果表明：5种参数化方案均能模拟出3季污染天气下边界层高度的变化特征,但各方案模拟的边界层高度与观测之间均存在较大误差.模拟的最大边界层高度月变化特征显示,秋冬季的模拟结果与观测值匹配较好,春季偏差较大;模拟的边界层高度日变化显示,均方根误差：春季 > 秋季 > 冬季,且误差在午后（14：00~18：00）更加明显;对该地区而言,非局地YSU方案能较好地模拟污染天气下的边界层高度;各参数化方案中边界层高度计算方法的不同及对大气廓线、湍流动能的模拟差异,可能是造成模拟边界层高度产生误差的主要原因.     

Linking the EU emissions trading scheme: economic implications of allowance allocation and global carbon constraints

We investigate the role of domestic allowance allocation and global emissions constraints for the carbon-market impacts of linking the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) internationally. Employing a quantitative simulation model of the global carbon market, we find that the economic benefits from connecting the European ETS to emerging non-EU schemes strongly depend on the regional allowance allocation of the linking participants: In a world of moderate carbon constraints, an economically efficient regional allowance allocation induces a much stronger fall in total compliance costs than a sub-optimal (i.e. too high) domestic allocation of emissions permits. However, a more efficient (i.e. stricter) allocation shifts abatement efforts and compliance costs to energy-intensive industries which are covered by the domestic ETS. We further find that committing to ambitious global emissions reduction targets (compatible with stabilizing CO₂ concentrations at 450 ppm) induces much stronger regional abatement efforts and substantially higher compliance costs for the abating regions. In such an ambitious climate policy regime, an efficient domestic allocation of allowances is even more important from an economic perspective: Here, linking emissions trading schemes diminishes the associated compliance costs on the largest scale.

Foresty offsets in emissions trading systems: a link between systems?

An important aspect in the linking of different emissions trading schemes is the degree to which these systems allow (or ban) external offset project categories. The EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) currently allows the use of credits from energy and industry projects developed under the Kyoto Protocol’s Joint Implementation (JI) and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) but excludes the use of carbon credits from forestry projects for compliance in the EU ETS. Forestry credits generated by the CDM have a limited lifetime and expire at the end of a project’s crediting period, or earlier if the carbon stock for which the credits have been issued ceases to exist. According to the recently adopted amendment of the EU ETS Directive forestry credits will remain to be excluded until 2020. The present article reviews how the New South Wales Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme (Australia), the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (US) and the voluntary scheme of the Chicago Climate Exchange integrate forestry offsets into the respective system and how they deal with the risk of losing stored and credited biomass. By comparing the results of different scenarios this article shows how differences in the treatment of forestry offsets could impact the efforts to link various emission trading systems in future.

Verifiable and non-verifiable anonymous mechanisms for regulating a polluting monopolist

Optimal regulation of a polluting natural monopolist must correct for both external damages and market power to achieve a social optimum. Existing non-Bayesian regulatory methods require knowledge of the demand function, while Bayesian schemes require knowledge of the underlying cost distribution. We introduce mechanisms adapted to use less information. Our Price-based Subsidy (PS) mechanisms give the firm a transfer that matches or approximates the incremental surplus generated each period. The regulator need not observe the abatement activity or know the demand, cost, or damage functions of the firm. All of the mechanisms induce the firm to price at marginal social cost, either immediately or asymptotically.     

Reflections on network governance in Africa's forestry sector

International forestry governance is an integral part of the global policy debates on how to prevent deforestation, illicit extraction, and unsustainable timber practices. Africa is an important producer of timber, yet the region is beset by a lack of capacity and other governance challenges in the management of its forestry sector. We employ a network governance analysis to examine the extent to which the evolution and operation of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and la Commission des Forêts d'Afrique Centrale (COMIFAC) have addressed governance challenges. We assess the strengths and weaknesses of these two leading examples of international forestry governance by introducing recent evidence and insights from Africa. We conclude with a policy‐relevant discussion of how the FSC and COMIFAC might enhance authority, legitimacy, and effectiveness and improve forestry governance in Africa and other parts of the world.     

四川盆地一次污染过程的WRF模式参数化方案最优配置

精准的气象场是空气质量模型的基础,本文对中尺度气象模式WRF(The Weather Research and Forecasting)中微物理过程方案、陆面过程方案、行星边界层方案以及积云参数化方案进行组合,设计了24组参数化方案,对2014年5月初四川盆地内一次空气重污染过程中的气象场进行了模拟,将模拟输出的10 m风速、2 m温度、2 m相对湿度、水汽混合比廓线及位温廓线与研究区内14个气象站及1个探空站的实测数据进行对比.结果表明,Mellor-Yamada-Janjic(MYJ)边界层方案能更好的模拟出盆地内风速的变化趋势,而Yonsei University(YSU)边界层方案模拟的2 m相对湿度效果更优.第16组参数化方案(由WRF Single-Moment 3-class(WSM3)方案,热扩散(SLAB)方案、Mellor-Yamada-Janjic(MYJ)方案及Grell-Devenyi(GD)方案组合)能够较好地模拟盆地近地面风场的水平分布及风速的日变化规律,模拟的温度日变化规律更贴合实际情况,同时能够模拟出边界层内水汽混合比及位温的垂直分布特征,对边界层内逆温层和混合层的模拟也更加贴近实际,尽管该方案对2m相对湿度的模拟并不是最好,但基本能够模拟出四川盆地气象要素的变化特征,因此认为第16组参数化方案(WSM3,SLAB,MYJ及GD)适用于模拟此次重污染过程的气象场.