小城镇灾害易损性分析与评估

随着我国城镇化进程的加快 ,小城镇的防灾减灾问题逐步引起社会的关注 ,而小城镇易损度分析和评价是灾害危险性评价的重要组成部分 ,也是小城镇决策部门制定防灾减灾规划的重要依据 ;笔者在综合分析了小城镇的自然易损性、经济易损性及社会易损性的基础上 ,选取相应的灾害指标和社会经济指标 ,应用多级模糊综合评判方法 ,对小城镇的易损程度作出了评估 ,从而为小城镇制定相应防灾、减灾对策提供科学依据。     

An Ecological Integrity Index for Littoral Wetlands in Agricultural Catchments of Semiarid Mediterranean Regions

The main goal of the present study was to develop an ecological integrity index for littoral wetland management and conservation in semiarid Mediterranean areas that have been highly impacted by agriculture, including the selection of pressure and state indicators at landscape and wetlands scales that reflect the status, condition, and trends of wetlands ecosystems. We used a causality framework based on the relationship between pressure of anthropogenic activities and the ecological state of wetlands and their catchments, integrating environmental, biologic, economic, and social issues. From the application of 51 indicators in 7 littoral wetlands in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula, we selected 12 indicators (5 at catchment scale and 7 at wetland scale) to constitute the ecological integrity index proposed. The potential nitrogen export per area at catchment scale and the potential relative nitrogen export from the area surrounding the wetlands were the best pressure single predictors of state indicators with a causal relationship with environmental meaning. Wetlands in catchments with more agriculture had less ecological integrity than those in less impacted areas. A wide riparian zone in some wetlands acts as a buffer area, diminishing the effects of intensive agriculture. The index of ecological integrity developed here has a number of essential characteristics that make it a useful tool for ecosystem managers and decision-makers. The index can be used to (1) assess and control ecological integrity, (2) diagnose probable causes of ecological impairment, (3) establish criteria for protecting and restoring wetland ecosystems, and (4) integrate catchment management. Published online     

Assessment of older drivers: relationships among on-road errors, medical conditions and test outcome

PROBLEM: It is essential that driver licensing authorities have a valid and reliable system for evaluating older drivers' continuing competency; road tests are usually required as part of such a system. This study sought to find information about the nature of driving errors made during license review tests, and about relationships between error type and test outcome for older drivers. METHOD: Data from licensing authority files from 533 road tests during a 12-month period were analyzed; medical and other referral information was included. Average driver age was 76 years. Performance scores were generated for intersection negotiation, lane changing, low speed manoeuvres, positioning and speed control, safety margin, and car control. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis showed that test outcome was well predicted by a subset of driving performance scores; adding driver age to the model explained very little variance. Age alone was strongly associated with outcome. Relationships between referral information and test outcome are also reported. IMPACT: Results highlight several factors relevant to the development of more valid and reliable road tests for older drivers.     

The potential for combining indigenous and western knowledge in reducing vulnerability to environmental hazards in small island developing states

The benefits of indigenous knowledge within disaster risk reduction are gradually being acknowledged and identified. However, despite this acknowledgement there continues to be a gap in reaching the right people with the correct strategies for disaster risk reduction.This paper identifies the need for a specific framework identifying how indigenous and western knowledge may be combined to mitigate against the intrinsic effects of environmental processes and therefore reduce the vulnerability of rural indigenous communities in small island developing states (SIDS) to environmental hazards. This involves a review of the impacts of environmental processes and their intrinsic effects upon rural indigenous communities in SIDS and how indigenous knowledge has contributed to their coping capacity. The paper concludes that the vulnerability of indigenous communities in SIDS to environmental hazards can only be addressed through the utilisation of both indigenous and Western knowledge in a culturally compatible and sustainable manner.     

‘Natural’ disaster? A retrospect into the causes of the late-2004 typhoon disaster in Eastern Luzon, Philippines

Between 14 November and 4 December 2004, four successive tropical depressions and typhoons lashed the Eastern coast of Luzon in the Philippines. Heavy rainfall triggered massive landslides and devastating flash floods, which brought tremendous damage and killed more than 1600 people. Immediately after the disaster, there was a media and political consensus to incrimate ‘extraordinary’ natural phenomena and widespread deforestation as responsible for the catastrophe. We argue that the tragedy that befell the municipalities of General Nakar, Infanta and Real, among other devastated areas, is enmeshed in a deeper tangle of causal factors that are political, socio-economic and demographic in nature. These factors include unmanaged population growth, difficult access to land and resources, corruption within the government, and power of the elite.     

Suburbanization and drought: A mixed methods vulnerability assessment in rainy Massachusetts

This paper presents evidence that water restrictions in suburbanizing eastern Massachusetts towns are becoming more common, controlling for climate. We then assess the relationship between these suburban droughts and residential development. Focusing on the suburbs of Boston, seven towns independent of the Boston water supply system were selected to represent differing levels of sprawl-style growth. Water restrictions are becoming more frequent in all of the towns studied, and models demonstrate that restrictions are increasing in duration, independent of climate. Interviews suggest that residential development is playing a central role in this increasing sensitivity to suburban drought, though other factors are also important. Long-term planning and integration of land-use planning and water management emerged as two key paths for attenuating the impacts of development.     

Disaster safety nets for developing countries: Extending public–private partnerships

In developed countries, public–private partnerships involving insurance companies and governments often provide security against the human and economic losses of disasters. These partnerships, however, are neither available nor affordable in most highly exposed developing countries. In this paper we examine recent innovations in financial risk management that extend traditional public–private partnerships to include NGOs, international financial institutions and other donors. Importantly, these partnerships provide secure financial arrangements to low-income communities before disasters strike and thus relieve the uncertainty and anxiety of depending on ad hoc post-disaster aid for recovery and even survival. We examine three examples of extended partnerships: the Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool; the Andhra Pradesh microinsurance program and an index-based weather derivative for farmers facing drought in Malawi.     

TOPSIS法在大气环境质量评价中的应用

应用多目标决策中的TOPSIS法(即逼近于理想解的排序方法)对湖南长沙等十城市的大气环境质量进行评价,并与欧几里德贴近度法和上海指数法相比较,认为该评价方法对比较多个城市(或多个监测点,下同)的大气环境质量的优劣,比欧几里德贴近度法和上海指数法均优越.     

盲样考核浓度预判及稀释方法——以原子荧光法测定水中砷为例

以原子荧光法测定水中砷为例,探讨了实验室盲样考核浓度预判及稀释方法.分析了3个砷盲样考核实例,归纳了“直接稀释法”“系列稀释法”“最大稀释法”3种方法,分别适用于盲样浓度范围窄、适中、宽3种情况,检测人员可根据考核机构给定的浓度范围合理选用.     

Monitoring and Assessment of Persistent Organochlorine Residues in Sediments from the Daliaohe River Watershed, Northeast of China

Surface sediment samples from 12 sites of the three selected rivers in Daliaohe River watershed (Hunhe River, Taizihe River and Daliaohe River) were analyzed with the objective of establishing sources and hazard of the organochlorinae pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) in surface sediments. The total concentrations of OCPs varied from 3.06 to 23.24 ng g⁻¹. ∑HCH (α-HCH, β-HCH, δ-HCH, γ-HCH), ∑DDT (p, p′-DDE, p, p′-DDD, o, p′-DDT, p, p′-DDT) and ∑Cyclodiene (Heptachlor, Aldrin, Heptachlor epoxide, Dieldrin, Endrin) ranged from 1.86 to 21.48, 0.5 to 2.81 and 0.56 to 1.53 ng g⁻¹, respectively. Results of OCPs also illustrate that the most dominant pollutants among the OCPs was ∑HCH, and γ-HCH was the most dominant isomer in HCH, which was evidence of recent input of lindane. It possibly came from the runoff of polluted soils and long-scale transportation. Total PCB concentrations ranged between 1.88 and 16.88 ng g⁻¹. The peak concentrations of PCBs were found in sediments from station T5 and D3, which are in the vicinity of industrial areas and ferry, respectively. These data show a moderate level of OCPs and PCBs contaminations compared to that in other countries.