High beam headlamp use rates: Effects of rurality,proximity of other traffic,and roadway curvature

Objective: The few observational studies of the prevalence of high beam use indicate the rate of high beam use is about 25% when vehicles are isolated from other vehicles on unlit roads. Recent studies were limited to 2-lane rural roads and used measurement methods that likely overestimated use. The current study examined factors associated with the rate of high beam use of isolated vehicles on a variety of roadways in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area.

Methods: Twenty observation sites were categorized as urban, rural, or on a rural/urban boundary and selected to estimate the effects of street lighting, road curvature, and direction of travel relative to the city on high beam use. Sites were selected in pairs so that a majority of traffic passing one site also passed through the other. Measurement of high beams relied on video data recorded for 2 nights at each site, and the video data also were used to derive a precise measure of the proximity of other traffic. Nearly 3,200 isolated vehicles (10 s or longer from other vehicles) were observed, representing 1,500-plus vehicle pairs.

Results: Across the sample, 18% of the vehicles used high beams. Seventy-three percent of the 1,500-plus vehicle pairs used low beams at each paired site, whereas 9% used high beams at both sites. Vehicles at rural sites and sites at the boundaries of Ann Arbor were more likely to use high beams than vehicles at urban sites, but use in rural areas compared with rural/urban boundary areas did not vary significantly. Rates at all sites were much lower than expected, ranging from 0.9 to 52.9%. High beam use generally increased with greater time between subject vehicles and leading vehicles and vehicles in the opposing lane. There were mixed findings associated with street lighting, road curvature, and direction of travel relative to the city.

Conclusion: Maximizing visibility available to drivers from headlights includes addressing the substantial underuse of high beam headlamps. Advanced technologies such as high beam assist, which switches automatically between high and low beam headlamps depending on the presence of other traffic, can help to address this problem.     

高可视性警示服的安全防护作用及其标准分析

本文通过对高可视性警示服安全防护作用的理论分析,进一步论证了GB20653-2006《职业用高可视性警示服》中对高可视性警示服安全防护性能要求的科学性和重要性,为高可视性警示服的生产、使用、监督检验和规范化管理提供科学依据。     

2013年1月邯郸市严重霾天气的污染特征分析

利用河北工程大学大气环境监测站点的PM₁₀、PM_2.5、SO₂和NO_x在线监测数据,并结合能见度、湿度数据,对邯郸市2012年12月1日到2013年1月31日的大气污染状况进行分析,特别是2013年1月持续发生的霾天气,以探讨严重霾污染的过程特征.结果表明,2013年1月,SO₂与NO_x的平均浓度分别为225.3 μg·m^-3和217.8 μg·m^-3,PM₁₀和PM_2.5的平均浓度分别为328.5 μg·m^-3和229.4 μg·m^-3,均超过新颁布的环境空气质量标准,是2012年12月平均浓度的1.4~3.5倍.重污染过程分析结果显示,污染峰值附近几天内PM₁₀、PM_2.5的时均浓度变化无明显规律.累积阶段的PM_2.5/PM₁₀在0.42~0.52之间,峰值前后上升并超过0.70,扩散阶段PM_2.5/PM₁₀降到0.70以下,且呈波动式变化.当PM_2.5/PM₁₀小于0.40时,能见度基本位于2~18 km之间;当PM_2.5/PM₁₀在0.40~0.60之间时,能见度在0.7~8 km之间;当PM_2.5/PM₁₀大于0.60时,能见度分布于2 km以下.     

OPTICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF NEW ZEALAND RIVERS IN RELATION TO FLOW1

ABSTRACT: Six years (1989–1994) of data from New Zealand's National Rivers Water Quality Network were used to characterize the optical water quality regime of river waters as regards: visual clarity (black disc visibility), turbidity, and light-absorbing aquatic humic material (referred to as ‘yellow substance,’ measured as light absorption at 440 nm). Quantitative relationships between optical water quality variables and flow in rivers are well-described by power law expressions. Visual clarity usually decreases strongly with increasing flow in individual rivers. There is a strong, inverse relationship between turbidity and visibility, but, because of differences between sites, turbidity is not a good general predictor of visual clarity (the attribute of real interest) in rivers. Yellow substance tends to increase with increasing flow, probably because during rainstorms, soil water high in yellow-colored humic material, rather than rain water or ground water, dominates discharge. Therefore, rivers are typically clear and low in humic matter at low flow, and turbid and yellow-colored at high flow.     

冬季广州大气能见度影响因子分析

于2005年12月至2006年2月收集了华南所大气观测站大气能见度等7个气象因子及PM2.5浓度观测数据,分析了冬季广州大气能见度变化趋势及灰霾天气主要影响因子,并对能见度与主要影响因子进行相关性分析。结果发现:人为因素和气象条件对大气能见度的影响比较明显,当大气层结受到北方冷空气扰动后,能见度得到明显改善;1月份灰霾天气出现频率高达60.9%,灰霾天气下大气能见度与PM2.5浓度密切相关;大气能见度与PM2.5浓度、温度、相对湿度呈负相关性,与大气压呈正相关性;灰霾天气下大气能见度还与细颗粒物的粒径分布密切相关。     

Two methods to define and compute visual buffer strips in a forested environment

Several approaches can be used to define and construct visual buffer strips around proposed new facility sites in a forested environment. A visual buffer strip of a given value, defines a region around an object within which the probability of an unblocked view of all or portions of it by an observer are less than the buffer strip probability value. Two primary approaches are used to define visual buffer strips that take into account the size of the vegetative elements and their individual effects on visibility. Several variations and combinations of the approaches are possible. One approach defines a visual buffer strip based on the average probability of a clear view of points along the object by an observer; the other approach is based on the visibility of the feature as a whole. The computation and construction of visual buffer strips based on these two concepts are presented. Comparisons of the two approaches for specific feature shapes are also described.     

北仑区域大气中黑碳气溶胶特征研究

利用2012年－2014年在北仑城区的黒碳气溶胶及相关的能见度、SO2、NO2、CO、O3、PM1、PM2．5因子的监测结果,研究区域黒碳气溶胶的污染特征及与其他相关因子的关系等。结果表明,黒碳气溶胶随着浓度的不同组分会有所差异。另外,区域内的黒碳气溶胶的本底值为1.25μg／m3,在国内大城市中处于相对低位,但远高于全球本底值;黒碳气溶胶对消光的贡献为12．13％;与SO2等的相关性分析表明,其与PM2．5、PM 1、NO 2均为强正相关,与SO 2和CO均为中等强度正相关,而与O 3则显示了负的指数相关。     

亚青会期间南京地区气溶胶浓度变化及其与能见度的关系

为保障2014年青奥会空气质量和制定控制措施提供科学支持,利用2013年8月南京市气溶胶的观测资料,结合气象要素,分析了南京地区气溶胶浓度变化特征,并深入研究了气溶胶质量浓度与相对湿度对能见度的影响.结果表明,观测期间PM10和PM2.5质量浓度平均值分别为67.44μg·m-3和31.92μg·m-3,0.1~10μm粒径范围内的气溶胶粒子数浓度和体积浓度的平均值分别为2466.25 cm-3和19.89μm3·cm-3;对数正态分布(log-normal)拟合平均谱分布得到两个模态的中值粒径分别为0.19μm和1.12μm;局地源强是影响南京气溶胶浓度的重要因子;PM10和PM2.5质量浓度日变化略有差异,PM10浓度日变化主要受交通和边界层活动影响,PM2.5浓度日变化则主要受交通排放和光化学反应生成的二次污染物的影响;对能见度的统计分析表明,能见度随PM2.5浓度和相对湿度的增加而降低,当相对湿度小于70%时,PM2.5浓度对能见度的影响较大,当相对湿度大于70%时,相对湿度对能见度的影响较大.     

长江山区航道剖面能见度分析及局地影响因素初探

为了分析三峡航道不同区域能见度基本特征,比较不同垂直剖面、沿江距离对局地能见度的影响,基于中国气象局沿江、剖面布设的12个能见度监测点近3 a观测资料,对比分析了三峡航道涪陵、万州、宜昌3组区域12个监测点的能见度时空分布特征,并对能见度的局地差异做了初步讨论。结果表明：涪陵区雾情对航运安全影响最大,万州和宜昌区其次。涪陵区和万州区雾日的月际变化趋势一致,5、6月和11、12月为大雾高发时期。不同剖面能见度的日变化分析表明早晨至上午时间为大雾高发时段,午后至傍晚前为大雾低发时段。通过能见度与局地因子的关系模型验证,三峡航道能见度局地差异大部分源于监测点的海拔高度及可能的水体影响等,同组区域内,高海拔点、临近水域点平均能见度明显偏低,雾情频次也相对较高     

夏季珠江三角洲地区PM2.5化学组分特征及其对大气能见度的影响

于2010年夏季在珠三角主要城市广州、佛山、东莞、深圳、珠海以及广州郊区从化同步采集PM2.5样品,利用热光反射碳分析仪和离子色谱分别分析样品中有机碳/元素碳和水溶性离子浓度,并同步收集能见度和气象数据.在此基础上对珠三角主要城市大气PM2.5中主要化学成分的浓度水平和空间分布特征进行分析,并利用IMPROVE方程重建大气消光系数,探讨PM2.5的主要化学组分对大气能见度的影响.结果发现,观测期间珠三角地区PM2.5中的主要化学成分空间分布特征明显,广州、佛山和东莞浓度较高,珠海和深圳浓度较低.(NH4)2SO4、有机物(OM)、EC和NH4NO3对夏季珠三角大气消光系数贡献率分别为39%、31%、12%和13%.