Ecosystem management to achieve ecological sustainability: The case of South Florida

The ecosystems of South Florida are unique in the world. The defining features of the natural Everglades (large spatial scale, temporal patterns of water storage and sheetflow, and low nutrient levels) historically allowed a mosaic of habitats with characteristic animals. Massive hydrological alterations have halved the Everglades, and ecological sustainability requires fundamental changes in management.The US Man and the Biosphere Human-Dominated Systems Directorate is conducting a case study of South Florida using ecosystem management as a framework for exploring options for mutually dependent sustainability of society and the environment. A new methodology was developed to specify sustainability goals, characterize human factors affecting the ecosystem, and conduct scenario/consequence analyses to examine ecological and societal implications. South Florida has sufficient water for urban, agricultural, and ecological needs, but most water drains to the sea through the system of canals; thus, the issue is not competition for resources but storage and management of water. The goal is to reestablish the natural system for water quantity, timing, and distribution over a sufficient area to restore the essence of the Everglades.The societal sustainability in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) is at risk because of soil degradation, vulnerability of sugar price supports, policies affecting Cuban sugar imports, and political/economic forces aligned against sugar production. One scenario suggested using the EAA for water storage while under private sugar production, thereby linking sustainability of the ecological system with societal sustainability. Further analyses are needed, but the US MAB project suggests achieving ecological sustainability consistent with societal sustainability may be feasible.     

TOPHAZOP: a knowledge-based software tool for conducting HAZOP in a rapid, efficient yet inexpensive manner

Hazard and operability (HAZOP) studies constitute an essential step in the risk analysis of any chemical process industry and involve systematic identification of every conceivable abnormal process deviation, its causes and abnormal consequences. These authors have recently proposed optHAZOP as an alternative procedure for conducting HAZOP studies in a shorter span of time than taken by conventional HAZOP procedure, with greater accuracy and effectiveness [Khan, F. I. and Abassi, S. A., optHAZOP. An effective and efficient technique for hazard identification and assessment Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 1997, 10, 191–204]. optHAZOP consists of several steps, the most crucial one requires use of a knowledge-based software tool which would significantly reduce the requirement of expert man-hours and speed up the work of the study team. TOPHAZOP (Tool for OPTmizing HAZOP) has been developed to fulfil this need.

The TOPHAZOP knowledge-base consists of two main branches: process-specific and general. The TOPHAZOP framework allows these two branches to interact during the analysis to address the process-specific aspects of HAZOP analysis while maintaining the generality of the system. The system is open-ended and modular in structure to make easy implementation and/or expansion of knowledge. The important features of TOPHAZOP and its performance on an industrial case study are described.     

某木材加工企业安全评价中的危险因素辨识

木材加工生产中危险有害因素较多,发生人员伤害事故的风险比较高. 用安全系统的理论和方法,以某木材加工企业生产过程为研究对象,通过危险有害因素辨识,对造成人员伤害的危险事件发生的可能性和导致伤害后果的严重程度进行了分析,为提出相应的安全对策措施提供了依据.     

风险"疫苗"——智能化安全管理体系

采用预防医学中疫苗的概念,用于预防安全科学的风险管理.选用液氯仓库为研究对象,开发风险"疫苗"--智能化安全管理体系,预防氯气泄漏、中毒、火灾、爆炸事故的发生.风险"疫苗"的制作过程采用计算机技术、通讯技术和网络技术,使预防系统风险的可靠性进一步提高.     

对替代方案编写中应考虑环境风险因素的几点建议

提出替代方案对于环境影响评价工作是非常重要的工作内容,但目前环评中的替代方案往往未考虑环境风险因素,对此本文论述了在替代方案编写过程中应考虑环境风险因素的必要性,并对如何将环境风险因素纳入替代方案的编写过程提出了相关建议.     

中国洪水灾害风险区划及其成因分析

洪水灾害风险区划是洪水风险管理的基本依据.长期以来,受数据收集以及分辨率的影响,中国一直缺乏可以指导相关部门进行洪水风险控制及洪水保险的洪灾风险区划.本文利用地理信息系统软件的空间分析模块,基于高分辨率（90m）的全国降雨、地形坡度、河流湖泊缓冲区、人均GDP、人口密度、道路密度和耕地密度等影响水灾发生的风险因子图,采用水灾成因分析法和经验系数法,得到洪水的潜在危险区和经济易损区,进而得到中国洪水灾害风险区划.在此基础上,采用逐步回归法,逐步剔除各影响因子后,对引发洪灾的主要外在驱动力进行了分析.     

大坝风险研究综述

大坝风险分析将有效地提高和加强大坝安全及管理水平.本文简要地介绍了大坝风险分析的基本理论、方法以及目前的一些研究现状,这些内容包括：大坝风险分析的框架结构、风险估计方法、用于大坝风险评估的三种常见方法、基于风险概念的大坝决策、设计与管理.在介绍过程中就相关问题提出了作者的一些认识和看法.     

四川德昌县典型泥石流灾害风险评价

四川德昌县虎皮弯沟、凉峰沟和凹米罗沟为凉山州安宁河一级支流茨达河的3条支沟，泥石流危险度依次为0．49，0．65和0．45，分别属于中度危险、高度危险和中度危险的泥石流沟；泥孑亍流易损度依次为0．79，0.82和0.81，分别属于高度易损、极高易损和极高易损的泥石流沟；泥石流风险度依次为0．39，0．53和0.37，均属于高风险泥石流沟，容易造成较大的泥石流灾害损失。2004年8月24日，因持续高强度降雨，导致3沟同时暴发泥石流，给当地社会经济和人民群众的生命财产造成丁巨大损失。建立了泥石流灾害损失评价方法，对这3场泥石流灾害损失进行了评价。针对此类严重灾害的高风险泥石流沟，提出了相应的整治建议，以减少和避免重大灾害的再次发生。     

昆明-楚雄-大理-丽江地区地震软风险区划实例

应用云南省昆明市、楚雄州、大理州、丽江市1900—2000年这100年内M≥5．0的地震记录资料，对该地区的地震灾害软风险区划进行了实例分析。结果表明，软风险区划图是以带有“层”结构的地图形式表述风险评估结果的，而“层”是根据可能性水平来划分的。因此，软风险区划图对分析结果的表述，不仅能对风险分析提供更多的信息，而且能提供风险值可信度的信息，从而使风险图“服务信息”丰富化。     

甘肃省农业生产风险因素分析

农业生产风险主要受耕地生产潜力、播种面积、抵御自然灾害的能力及政策保障能力等因素的影响。根据甘肃省粮食产量统计资料，在甘肃省粮食综合生产能力评价研究的基础上，讨论了各类风险因素对粮食生产和粮食安全的影响，提出加强农田水利建设，提高抵御自然灾害风险的能力应是提高全省粮食综合生产能力的重要策略。