Maximising the net social benefit of the construction of post‐disaster alternative housing projects

The widespread destruction that follows large‐scale natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, challenges the efficacy of traditional temporary housing methods in providing adequate solutions to housing needs. Recognising these housing challenges, the Congress of the United States allocated, in 2006, USD 400 million to the Department of Homeland Security to support Alternative Housing Pilot Programs, which are intended to explore the possibilities of providing permanent and affordable housing to displaced families instead of traditional temporary housing. This paper presents a new methodology and optimisation model to identify the optimal configurations of post‐shelter housing arrangements to maximise the overall net socioeconomic benefit. The model is capable of quantifying and optimising the impacts of substituting temporary housing with alternative housing on the social and economic welfare of displaced families as well as the required additional costs of doing so. An application example is presented to illustrate the use of the model and its capabilities.     

梁子湖近代沉积物重金属含量研究初探

通过对湖北省梁子湖高分辨率沉积物中重金属元素的研究,得到了梁子湖区近代环境污染的波动记录。对所测数据进行因子分析和聚类分析,得到影响沉积物中重金属含量和组成的物质来源,其中Cd、Ni、Fe主要反映了流域侵蚀作用控制的重金属分布;Zn、Pb、Mn、Co、Cu主要反映了人为污染(尤其是大气干湿沉降)对重金属含量变化规律的影响。据分析结果推测,深35-40cm处元素含量高峰值对应于19世纪末近代工业兴起．环境变化所致;20cm处高峰值对应于上世纪中叶以武汉钢铁公司为代表的现代工业污染留下的物质记录;10cm至表层金属含量逐渐增加,为改革开放以来城市和城镇工业的发展导致的大气污染物中重金属含量的急剧升高,该结果说明利用梁子湖区高分辨率金属沉积记录研究人类活动重大环境污染事件对环境的影响是切实可行的。     

Carbon taxation,OPEC and the end of oil

I develop a differential game between an oil cartel and an importer investing in research and development (R&D) to reduce the cost of a green substitute to oil. In equilibrium, the cartel is forced to deter the substitute, which thus imposes a price ceiling falling over time. Credible carbon taxes are below the Pigovian level, implying the importer cannot internalise the full pollution externality, much less capture resource rents. Without carbon pricing, the importer curtails long-run pollution using a costly R&D programme. Normatively, climate policy will be more expensive if relying on green R&D programmes only.     

Effects of connectivity and spatial resolution of analyses on conservation prioritization across large extents

The outcome of analyses that prioritize locations for conservation on the basis of distributions of species, land cover, or other elements is influenced by the spatial resolution of data used in the analyses. We explored the influence of data resolution on prioritization of Finnish forests with Zonation, a software program that ranks the priority of cells in a landscape for conservation. We used data on the distribution of different forest types that were aggregated to nine different resolutions ranging from 0.1 × 0.1 km to 25.6 × 25.6 km. We analyzed data at each resolution with two variants of Zonation that had different criteria for prioritization, with and without accounting for connectivity and with and without adjustment for the effect on the analysis of edges between areas at the project boundary and adjacent areas for which data do not exist. Spatial overlap of the 10% of cells ranked most highly when data were analyzed at different resolutions varied approximately from 15% to 60% and was greatest among analyses with similar resolutions. Inclusion of connectivity or edge adjustment changed the location of areas that were prioritized for conservation. Even though different locations received high priority for conservation in analyses with and without accounting for connectivity, accounting for connectivity did not reduce the representation of different forest types. Inclusion of connectivity influenced most the outcome of fine-resolution analyses because the connectivity extents that we based on dispersal distances of typical forest species were small. When we kept the area set aside for conservation constant, representation of the forest types increased as resolution increased. We do not think it is necessary to avoid use of high-resolution data in spatial conservation prioritization. Our results show that large extent, fine-resolution analyses are computationally feasible, and we suggest they can give more flexibility to implementation of well-connected reserve networks.     

中国铝元素物质流投入产出模型构建与分析

在构建全国铝物质流投入产出模型的基础上,对2001年,2004年,2005年和2007年全国铝损失的来源进行了解析. 结果表明:2001—2004年生产加工部门和消费部门来源于国内开采的铝损失所占比例分别从54.8%和47.6%升至64.4%和53.1%,全国铝损失率从32.5%增至42.4%;2004—2005年来源于国内开采的铝损失增幅迅速降至4.9%,2005—2007年保持在8.8%. 来源于国内开采的铝损失占铝损失总量的比例最大,2001年,2004年和2007年所占比例分别达到了34.1%,44.8%和36.3%,提示依然需要提高国内铝开采的利用效率和加工技术水平以减少铝损失总量. 2001年,2004年,2005年和2007年来源于国外进口的铝损失量占铝进口总量的比例分别为30.9%,39.1%,35.8%和33.3%,损失率变化不大,未来应增加再生铝的使用比例以降低铝的损失率.      

Imposed and inherent scales in cellular automata models of habitat

Both observational and modelling studies of the natural environment are characterised by their ‘grain’ and ‘extent’, the smallest and largest scales represented in time and space. These are imposed scales that should be chosen to ensure that the natural scales of the system are captured in the study. A simple cellular automata model of habitat represents only the presence or absence of vegetation, with global and local interactions described by four empirical parameters. Such a model can be formulated as a nonlinear Markov equation for the habitat probability. The equation produces inherent space and time scales that may be considered as transition scales or the scales for recovery from disturbance. However, if the resolution of the model is changed, the empirical parameters must be changed to preserve the properties of the system. Further, changes in the spatial resolution lead to different interpretations of the spatial structure. In particular, as the resolution is reduced, the apparent dominance of one habitat type over the other increases. The model provides an ability to compare both field and model investigations conducted at different resolutions in time and space.     

Criteria for equitable allocations: the heart of international water conflict

At the heart of most international water conflicts is the question of 'equitable' allocations, criteria for which are vague and often contradictory. However, application of an equitable water-sharing agreement along the volatile waterways of the globe is a prerequisite to hydropolitical stability. This article explores the question of equity measures for water-sharing agreements in the context of global hydropolitics and is divided into three parts. The Introduction provides a brief summary of the general principles of equitable allocations. The second part of the paper describes the practice of water resources allocations as exemplified in the Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database - a computerized database of 149 treaties relating to international water resources compiled at Oregon State University; 49 of these treaties delineate specific water allocations. The third and fourth parts of the article contrast the principles and practice of water equity. It is noticeable how rarely the general principles are explicitly invoked, particularly the extreme principles of absolute sovereignty or absolute riverain integrity. Most treaties favor existing uses, and/or guarantees to downstream riparians. It is interesting that, while many international water negotiations begin with differing legal interpretations of rights, they often shift to a needs-based criteria for water allocations. Mostly, one is struck by the creativity of the negotiators in addressing specific language to each very specific local setting and concerns.     

Precision Measurements from Very-Large Scale Aerial Digital Imagery

Managers need measurements and resource managers need the length/width of a variety of items including that of animals, logs, streams, plant canopies, man-made objects, riparian habitat, vegetation patches and other things important in resource monitoring and land inspection. These types of measurements can now be easily and accurately obtained from very large scale aerial (VLSA) imagery having spatial resolutions as fine as 1 millimeter per pixel by using the three new software programs described here. VLSA images have small fields of view and are used for intermittent sampling across extensive landscapes. Pixel-coverage among images is influenced by small changes in airplane altitude above ground level (AGL) and orientation relative to the ground, as well as by changes in topography. These factors affect the object-to-camera distance used for image-resolution calculations. ‘ImageMeasurement’ offers a user-friendly interface for accounting for pixel-coverage variation among images by utilizing a database. ‘LaserLOG’ records and displays airplane altitude AGL measured from a high frequency laser rangefinder, and displays the vertical velocity. ‘Merge’ sorts through large amounts of data generated by LaserLOG and matches precise airplane altitudes with camera trigger times for input to the ImageMeasurement database. We discuss application of these tools, including error estimates. We found measurements from aerial images (collection resolution: 5–26 mm/pixel as projected on the ground) using ImageMeasurement, LaserLOG, and Merge, were accurate to centimeters with an error less than 10%. We recommend these software packages as a means for expanding the utility of aerial image data.     

高分辨率遥感影像在土壤环境质量监测点位布设中的应用

在土壤环境质量监测点位布设工作中,利用高分辨率遥感影像等数据和资料,可以增强点位布设结果的规范性和合理性。基于环境保护部和中国环境监测总站下发的土壤环境质量监测点位布设技术方案,分别介绍了基础点位、风险点位和背景点位的总体布设方式和布设要求,以及高分辨率遥感影像在各类点位理论布设中的具体应用方法。     

高分辨电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定地下水中稀土元素

采用高分辨电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定地下水中14种稀土元素,并选择Rh作内标,可消除测定中的质谱干扰和非质谱干扰,使方法在0μg/L~100μg/L范围内线性良好。方法检出限为0.002μg/L~0.005μg/L,实际水样的加标回收率为80.0%~117%,RSD为2.1%~3.8%。