Mechanisms of purple moor-grass (Molinia caerulea) encroachment in dry heathland ecosystems with chronic nitrogen inputs

We analysed growth strategies (biomass allocation, nutrient sequestration and allocation) of heather (Calluna vulgaris) and purple moor-grass (Molinia caerulea) seedlings in monocultures and mixtures in relation to N, P, and N + P fertilisation in a greenhouse experiment in order to simulate a heath’s pioneer phase under high airborne nitrogen (N) loads. N fertilisation increased the total biomass of both species in monocultures. In mixtures, M. caerulea sequestered about 65% of the N applied, while C. vulgaris suffered from N shortage (halving of the total biomass). Thus, in mixtures only M. caerulea will benefit from airborne N loads, and competition will become increasingly asymmetric with increasing N availability. Our results demonstrate that the heath’s pioneer phase is the crucial tipping point at which the competitive vigour of M. caerulea (high belowground allocation, efficient use of belowground resources, shortened reproductive cycles) induces a shift to dominance of grasses under increased N availability.     

Modeled Summer Background Concentration of Nutrients and Suspended Sediment in the Mid‐Continent (USA) Great Rivers1

Angradi, Ted R., David W. Bolgrien, Matt A. Starry, and Brian H. Hill, 2012. Modeled Summer Background Concentration of Nutrients and Suspended Sediment in the Mid‐Continent (USA) Great Rivers. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(5): 1054‐1070. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2012.00669.x Abstract: We used regression models to predict summer background concentration of total nitrogen (N), total phosphorus (P), and total suspended solids (TSS), in the mid‐continent great rivers: the Upper Mississippi, the Lower Missouri, and the Ohio. From multiple linear regressions of water quality indicators with land use and other stressor variables, we determined the concentration of the indicators when the predictor variables were all set to zero — the y‐intercept. Except for total P on the Upper Mississippi River, we could predict background concentration using regression models. Predicted background concentration of total N was about the same on the Upper Mississippi and Lower Missouri Rivers (430 μg l^?1), which was lower than percentile‐based values, but was similar to concentrations derived from the response of sestonic chlorophyll a to great river total N concentration. Background concentration of total P on the Lower Missouri (65 μg l^?1) was also lower than published and percentile‐based concentrations. Background TSS concentration was higher on the Lower Missouri (40 mg l^?1) than the other rivers. Background TSS concentration on the Upper Mississippi (16 mg l^?1) was below a threshold (30 mg l^?1) designed to protect aquatic vegetation. Our model‐predicted concentrations for the great rivers are an attempt to estimate background concentrations for water quality indicators independent from thresholds based on percentiles or derived from stressor‐response relationships.     

Development of categorical mapping for quantitative assessment of eutrophication

Spatial distribution of nutrient and phytoplankton variables is often illustrated using categorical mapping for each variable. However, the assessment of eutrophication cannot be derived from a single parameter since a synthesis of the environmental variables related to eutrophication is required. These shortcomings are further complicated since it is difficult to discriminate between distinct trophic states along natural environmental gradients. In the present work, a methodological procedure for quantitative assessment of eutrophication at a spatial scale was examined in the Gulf of Saronicos, Greece, based on a thematic map generated from the synthesis of four variables characterising eutrophication. The categorical map of each variable was developed using the Kriging interpolation method and four trophic levels were indicated (eutrophic, upper-mesotrophic, lower-mesotrophic and oligotrophic) based on nutrient and phytoplankton concentration scaling. Multi-criteria choice methods were applied to generate a final categorical map showing the four trophic levels in the area. This synthesis of categorical maps for assessing eutrophication at a spatial scale is proposed as a methodological procedure appropriate for coastal management studies.     

The Contribution of Marsh Zones to Water Quality in Dutch Shallow Lakes: A Modeling Study

Many lakes have experienced a transition from a clear into a turbid state without macrophyte growth due to eutrophication. There are several measures by which nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in the surface water can be reduced. We used the shallow lake model PCLake to evaluate the effects of three measures (reducing external nutrient loading, increasing relative marsh area, and increasing exchange rate between open water and marsh) on water quality improvement. Furthermore, the contribution of different retention processes was calculated. Settling and burial contributed more to nutrient retention than denitrification. The model runs for a typical shallow lake in The Netherlands showed that after increasing relative marsh area to 50%, total phosphorous (TP) concentration in the surface water was lower than the Maximum Admissible Risk (MAR, a Dutch government water quality standard) level, in contrast to total nitrogen (TN) concentration. The MAR levels could also be achieved by reducing N and P load. However, reduction of nutrient concentrations to MAR levels did not result in a clear lake state with submerged vegetation. Only a combination of a more drastic reduction of the present nutrient loading, in combination with a relatively large marsh cover (approximately 50%) would lead to such a clear state. We therefore concluded that littoral marsh areas can make a small but significant contribution to lake recovery.     

建筑火灾风险评价体系的建立与应用探讨

探讨基于安全系统工程思想的建筑火灾风险评价指标体系的建立方法,并在该基础上,通过专家打分和层次分析法,计算得出各指标因子的权重值。根据有关标准和规范,对各评价指标因子进行等级划分,并设计出建筑火灾风险综合分值评分表,为厘定火灾保险费率提供依据。笔者的研究成果为完善建筑火灾风险评价方法、制定财产保险火灾风险评价标准等提供了科学依据。     

Impacts of agri-environmental policy on land use and nitrogen leaching in Finland

Agri-environmental policies are challenging to be evaluated since they are often implemented in combination with other policies and regulations affecting agriculture. Also input and output markets affect agriculture. We provide impact assessment of agri-environmental scheme implemented in Finland 2007–2013 based on integrated economic and hydrological modelling and counterfactual scenarios. Development of crop specific fertilisation and land use changes, simulated using a multi-regional economic sector model, is included in a nutrient leaching model implemented in a typical agricultural region. Our results on agricultural production, land use, and nitrogen leaching show that the agri-environmental policy successfully mitigates nutrient leaching in intensive production regions but some mitigation potential is lost in less intensive regions.     

An approach to optimise nutrient management in environmental sanitation systems despite limited data

The material flow analysis method can be used to assess the impact of environmental sanitation systems on resource consumption and environmental pollution. However, given the limited access to reliable data, application of this data-intensive method in developing countries may be difficult. This paper presents an approach allowing to develop material flow models despite limited data availability. Application of an iterative procedure is of key importance: model parameter values should first be assessed on the basis of a literature review and by eliciting expert judgement. If model outputs are not plausible, sensitive input parameters should be reassessed more accurately. Moreover, model parameters can be expressed as probability distributions and variable uncertainty estimated by using Monte Carlo simulation. The impact of environmental sanitation systems on the phosphorus load discharged into surface water in Hanoi, Vietnam, is simulated by applying the proposed approach.     

Elimination of Methanol and Ethanol by Biofiltration: An Experimental Study

This study presents the experimental results obtained during long-term operation of two biofilters treating two alcohols: methanol and ethanol. The biofilters used for this purpose were previously packed with a compost material made from tobacco processing residues. The alcohols concentrations tested lay between 0.40 and 3.20 g/m³ for methanol, and 0.55 and 5.05 g/m³ for ethanol. The empty bed residence time in each biofilter was 60 s. Biofilter inlet loads of less than 190 and 300 g/m³/h for the methanol and ethanol additions respectively, were thereafter evaluated. In addition, the concentrations of nutrient nitrogen were also varied, from 0.1 to 2.0 g-N/l and from 0.3 to 11.3 g-N/l for the ethanol and the methanol, respectively. The results thus obtained have made it possible to select the optimal nitrogen concentrations which, for the cases examined, turn out to be 0.3 g-N/l and between 2 and 3.8 g-N/l for the ethanol and methanol substrates, respectively. The maximum elimination capacities obtained in this study were 82 and 150 g/m³/h, respectively for the methanol and ethanol cases. It was therefore concluded that, for a readily biodegradable compound such as ethanol, the nitrogen requirement is substantially lower than that needed for the methanol degradation, the latter appearing to be more difficult to degrade biologically under similar operating conditions. The production rate of the co-product carbon dioxide during methanol and ethanol biofiltration was also investigated. Also, a good correlation was found to exist between the temperature and the conversion achieved in the biofilter.     

Nitrogen deposition increases the acquisition of phosphorus and potassium by heather Calluna vulgaris

Increased plant productivity due to nitrogen pollution increases the strength of the global carbon sink, but is implicated in plant diversity loss. However, modelling and experimental studies have suggested that these effects are constrained by availability of other nutrients. In a survey of element concentrations in Calluna vulgaris across an N deposition gradient in the UK, shoot concentrations of N and more surprisingly phosphorus and potassium were positively correlated with N deposition; tissue N/P ratio even decreased with N deposition. Elevated P and K concentrations possibly resulted from improved acquisition due to additional enzyme production or mycorrhizal activity. Heather occurs on organic soils where nutrient limitations are likely due to availability constraints rather than small stocks. However, if this effect extends to other plant and soil types, effects of N deposition on C sinks and plant competition may not be as constrained by availability of other nutrients as previously proposed.     

内排压脚与边坡稳定性的关系

为了研究边坡角及边坡形状与边坡稳定性的关系,采用有限元软件ANSYS模拟了不同边坡角对应的稳定系数,以及不同平盘宽度和压脚高度所形成的等储备强度边坡的稳定系数。模拟中假设材料符合相关联的理想弹塑性本构关系,强度准则符合Drucker-Prager准则,用计算收敛性作为边坡稳定性的准则,用强度折减法得出边坡的稳定系数。为了形成等储备强度边坡,由下到上分步骤进行压脚。先在平面边坡最下台阶压脚,这样提高了边坡稳定系数,在边坡进入临界状态时,最下两台阶的塑性状态相同,则压脚停止;再在最下两台阶同时压脚,在边坡进入临界状态时,最下3个台阶的塑性状态相同,则压脚停止;以此类推,在最下边n个台阶同时压脚,在边坡进入临界状态时,压到与第n+1个台阶的塑性状态相同为止。结果表明,边坡总是从坡脚开始形成塑性区,在重力加载过程中,塑性区以弧形条带向坡顶扩展,形成滑带。最有效的内排压脚是从最下台阶开始形成等储备强度边坡的压脚。