Integration of technologies and alternative sources of water and energy to promote the sustainability of urban landscapes

Recent research has highlighted the positive role of green areas in urban environments, providing numerous social, environmental and economic services, such as mitigation of the urban heat island effect, storm attenuation, increased water infiltration into the soil, reduction of noise and air pollution, among others. However, the maintenance of green areas may result in high consumption of water, reaching 50% of the total consumption in some municipalities, and energy, becoming a reason of concern. The present study aimed to integrate techniques and technologies that promote the automatic and efficient irrigation of urban landscapes, using alternative sources of energy and water, toward its sustainability. The conceptual unit was able to reduce in 64% the water consumed in irrigation. Rainwater met 69% of the demand and the photovoltaic system supplied all the energy required. The economic feasibility analysis showed that the conceptual unit is financially unfeasible, under the conditions of this study. However, with some interventions for reusing the surplus energy and water, and considering the higher fees charged by other cities, the investment became attractive. In this new scenario, the internal rate of return (15 years) was 27.3% and the discounted payback period was 4.9 years.     

基于复合生态系统理论的长沙湘江滨水区景观资源评价与优化

近年来，随着我国经济的飞速发展、社会经济的转型，以及人们环境意识的提高，滨水区开发已成为我国城市开发建设的热点。城市滨水区景观规划设计研究对于合理、充分利用城市滨水区景观资源，塑造特色鲜明的城市形象，提高城市生态环境质量，促进城市滨水区开发有着重要意义。从复合生态系统理论的角度，在湘江滨水区景观资源调查、景观资源分类的基础上，运用灰色聚类法对湘江滨水区景观资源进行定量评价，提出景观资源优化思路，探讨滨水区景观规划设计的途径。认为现代城市大规模滨水区更新改造和开发大背景下的城市滨水区景观规划设计，应尊重城市地域性特点、文化内涵和风土人情,并与传统的滨水活动有机结合，保护和突出城市历史格局和风貌特色。     

碳源及反硝化芽孢杆菌强化低C/N比景观水体的生物脱氮

实验探讨了添加碳源及投加反硝化细菌对低碳氮比景观水体生物脱氮的影响。结果表明,有机碳源及B.subtilis FS05均能显著促进实验水体的生物脱氮作用,实验水体在28℃静置72 h后,乙醇添加组的TN、氨氮、硝酸盐及亚硝酸盐的去除率分别达到了62.7%、67.0%、69.8%和29.4%,而同样条件下,B.subtilis FS05投加组的去除率分别达到了66.9%、73.4%、66.0%和82.2%。从水质变化趋势可以看出,投加B.subtilis FS05能在更短时间内完成生物脱氮过程,其中,硝酸盐和亚硝酸盐去除速率最快,分别仅需要18 h和12 h。     

雅砻江流域湿地景观格局变化分析

应用ArcGIS软件，对雅砻江流域湿地1986和2000年遥感数据进行解译、矢量化处理，用Apack软件进行湿地景观格局指数计算，研究了近15 a雅砻江流域景观空间格局特征及其变化。结果表明：（1）近15 a雅砻江流域湿地景观面积减少，减少量为49404 hm2，占2000年湿地总面积的0506%；（2）两个时期内湿地斑块密度保持不变，湿地景观的聚集度都很高，均在099以上，湿地景观集中分布，破碎化水平低；（3）雅砻江流域湿地景观的多样性指数水平和均匀度水平较低，而且两指数在两个个时期内没有发生太大的变化，且各类湿地景观比例差异相对较大，沼泽湿地景观控制的程度较高；（4）雅砻江流域的5类湿地景观分布质心基本上未发生变化，但总体格局分布质心向南偏移001°，再向西偏移023°，整体上向西南方向偏移了2532 km     

Using Multi-Scale Sampling and Spatial Cross-Correlation to Investigate Patterns of Plant Species Richness

Land managers need better techniques to assess exoticplant invasions. We used the cross-correlationstatistic, I _YZ, to test for the presence ofspatial cross-correlation between pair-wisecombinations of soil characteristics, topographicvariables, plant species richness, and cover ofvascular plants in a 754 ha study site in RockyMountain National Park, Colorado, U.S.A. Using 25 largeplots (1000 m²) in five vegetation types, 8 of 12variables showed significant spatial cross-correlationwith at least one other variable, while 6 of 12variables showed significant spatial auto-correlation. Elevation and slope showed significant spatialcross-correlation with all variables except percentcover of native and exotic species. Percent cover ofnative species had significant spatialcross-correlations with soil variables, but not withexotic species. This was probably because of thepatchy distributions of vegetation types in the studyarea. At a finer resolution, using data from ten1 m² subplots within each of the 1000 m² plots, allvariables showed significant spatial auto- andcross-correlation. Large-plot sampling was moreaffected by topographic factors than speciesdistribution patterns, while with finer resolutionsampling, the opposite was true. However, thestatistically and biologically significant spatialcorrelation of native and exotic species could only bedetected with finer resolution sampling. We foundexotic plant species invading areas with high nativeplant richness and cover, and in fertile soils high innitrogen, silt, and clay. Spatial auto- andcross-correlation statistics, along with theintegration of remotely sensed data and geographicinformation systems, are powerful new tools forevaluating the patterns and distribution of native andexotic plant species in relation to landscape structure.     

Assessing Landscape Condition Relative to Water Resources in the Western United States: A Strategic Approach

The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) is proposing an ambitious agenda to assess the status of streams and estuaries in a 12-State area of the western United States by the end of 2003. Additionally, EMAP is proposing to access landscape conditions as they relate to stream and estuary conditions across the west. The goal of this landscape project is to develop a landscape model that can be used to identify the relative risks of streams and estuaries to potential declines due to watershed-scale, landscape conditions across the west. To do so, requires an understanding of quantitative relationships between landscape composition and pattern metrics and parameters of stream and estuary conditions. This paper describes a strategic approach for evaluating the degree to which landscape composition and pattern influence stream and estuary condition, and the development and implementation of a spatially-distributed, landscape analysis approach.     

2,4-D Mineralization in soil profiles of a cultivated hummocky landscape in Manitoba,Canada

The objective of this study was to quantify 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) mineralization in soil profiles characteristic of hummocky, calcareous-soil landscapes in western Canada. Twenty-five soil cores (8 cm inner diameter, 50 to 125 cm length) were collected along a 360 m transect running west to east in an agricultural field and then segmented by soil-landscape position (upper slopes, mid slopes, lower slopes and depressions) and soil horizon (A, B, and C horizons). In the A horizon, 2,4-D mineralization commenced instantaneously and the mineralization rate followed first-order kinetics. In both the B and C horizons, 2,4-D mineralization only commenced after a lag period of typically 5 to 7 days and the mineralization rate was biphasic. In the A horizon, 2,4-D mineralization parameters including the first-order mineralization rate constant (k ₁), the growth-linked mineralization rate constant (k ₂) and total 2,4-D mineralization at the end of the experiment at 56 days, were most strongly correlated to parameters describing 2,4-D sorption by soil, but were also adequately correlated to soil organic carbon content, soil pH, and carbonate content. In both B and C horizons, there was no significant correlation between 2,4-D mineralization and 2,4-D sorption parameters, and the correlation between soil properties and 2,4-D mineralization parameters was very poor. The k ₁ significantly decreased in sequence of A horizon (0.113% day^?1) > B horizon (0.024% day^?1) = C horizon (0.026% day^?1) and in each soil horizon was greater than k ₂. Total 2,4-D mineralization at 56 days also significantly decreased in sequence of A horizon (42%) > B horizon (31%) = C horizon (27%). In the A horizon, slope position had little influence on k ₁ or k ₂, except that k ₁ was significantly greater in upper slopes (0.170% day^?1) than in lower slopes (0.080% day^?1). Neither k ₁ nor k ₂ was significantly influenced by slope position in the B or C horizons. Total 2,4-D mineralization at 56 days was not influenced by slope positions in any horizon. Our results suggest that, when predicting 2,4-D transport at the field scale, pesticide fate models should consider the strong differences in 2,4-D mineralization between surface and subsurface horizons. This suggests that 2,4-D mineralization is best predicted using a model that has the ability to describe a range of non-linear mineralization curves. We also conclude that the horizontal variations in 2,4-D mineralization at the field scale will be difficult to consider in predictions of 2,4-D transport at the field scale because, within each horizon, 2,4-D mineralization was highly variable across the twenty-five soil cores, and this variability was poorly correlated to soil properties or soil-landscape position.     

南方冰冻雨雪灾害年的环流及气象要素异常的统计分析

利用NCEP/NCAR的2.5°×2.5°格点的逐日再分析资料,通过分析我国南方19个冰冻雨雪灾害年的36个冰冻雨雪天气个例的环流形势,总结了发生冰冻雨雪天气的4种天气类型:北脊南槽型、乌山脊型、横槽南支型和高纬低涡型,后两种天气类型持续时间长、影响范围广,极易造成南方严重的持续冰冻雨雪灾害;进一步分析南方持续冰雪天气的物理量场和要素场特征,结果表明,对流层低层850~700 hPa辐合中心较垂直上升速度中心提前1~2 d出现,预示低温雨雪增强;冻雨严重年份在700 hPa维持大于0℃的融化层,南支槽前的西南急流为雨雪天气提供了水汽和热量输送,这种配置利于冻雨天气的发展和维持。天气类型的建立及气象要素的统计有利于为南方冰雪灾害天气预测预警服务。     

Use of watershed characteristics to select control streams for estimating effects of metal mining wastes on extensively disturbed streams

Impacts of sediments and heavy metals on the biota of streams in the copper-mining district of southwestern Montana were examined by comparing aquatic communities of impacted streams with those of control streams. Control streams were chosen through the use of a technique that identifies similar streams based on similarities in their watershed characteristics. Significant differences between impacted and control sites existed for surface substrate, riparian vegetation, and the number of macroinvertebrate taxa. These results revealed that: (a) chemical and physical habitats at the impacted sites were disrupted, (b) the presence of trout was an inadequate measure of ecological integrity for these sites, and (c) watershed classification based on a combination of mapped terrestrial characteristics provided a reasonable method to select control sites where potential control sites upstream and downstream were unsuitable.     

浙江2001—2016年露天生物质燃烧排放污染物时空格局

生物质露天燃烧排放烟气颗粒物对大气环境、生态系统和人类健康有重要影响. 该研究基于MODIS - MCD64A1数据提取2001—2016年浙江省森林、灌丛、草地火灾面积和作物秸秆火点数据,结合植被类型、生物质密度和燃烧效率,运用排放因子法,估算16年间浙江区域露天生物质燃烧排放污染物总量. 结果表明,2001—2016年浙江区域露天生物质燃烧总量为58.78 mt,其中乔木、灌木、草本、水稻、小麦、玉米、豆类和油菜燃烧总量分别为202.18 kt、10.43 kt、300.10 t、46.66 mt、1.94 mt、2.45 mt、3.45 mt和4.06 mt. 森林和秸秆火次数分别为1783次和23257次,森林火灾多集中在浙江南部区域,秸秆火多集中在浙江北部区域. 森林和草地火灾次数主要集中在3月和10月,作物秸秆火点主要集中在5、7和8月份,占全年75%以上. 各污染物CO₂、CO、NO_x、VOCs、PM_2.5、TC、OC和EC排放总量分别为667.20、26.40、1.13、4.92、5.12、2.85、2.59和0.23 mt. 该研究揭示了浙江地区生物质露天燃烧排放污染物的时空变化,为深入揭示生物质燃烧对区域环境影响提供数据支持.