Quantifying the impact of vegetation-based metrics on species persistence when choosing offsets for habitat destruction

Developers are often required by law to offset environmental impacts through targeted conservation actions. Most offset policies specify metrics for calculating offset requirements, usually by assessing vegetation condition. Despite widespread use, there is little evidence to support the effectiveness of vegetation-based metrics for ensuring biodiversity persistence. We compared long-term impacts of biodiversity offsetting based on area only; vegetation condition only; area × habitat suitability; and condition × habitat suitability in development and restoration simulations for the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. We simulated development and subsequent offsetting through restoration within a virtual landscape, linking simulations to population viability models for 3 species. Habitat gains did not ensure species persistence. No net loss was achieved when performance of offsetting was assessed in terms of amount of habitat restored, but not when outcomes were assessed in terms of persistence. Maintenance of persistence occurred more often when impacts were avoided, giving further support to better enforce the avoidance stage of the mitigation hierarchy. When development affected areas of high habitat quality for species, persistence could not be guaranteed. Therefore, species must be more explicitly accounted for in offsets, rather than just vegetation or habitat alone. Declines due to a failure to account directly for species population dynamics and connectivity overshadowed the benefits delivered by producing large areas of high-quality habitat. Our modeling framework showed that the benefits delivered by offsets are species specific and that simple vegetation-based metrics can give misguided impressions on how well biodiversity offsets achieve no net loss.     

Organochlorine residues in the avifauna of Tamil Nadu (Southeast coast of India)

Pollution due to persistent pesticides is not a regional but a global problem. Organochlorine pesticides are persistent chemicals, stored and accumulated in the tissues of a wide variety of invertebrates and vertebrates including marine species. In the present study the organochlorine residues HCHs, DDTs and PCBs were measured in different trophic groups of birds (scavengers, inland piscivores, coastal piscivores, insectivores, granivores and omnivores) collected from Tamil Nadu Coast, India. The residue accumulation as a function of sex did not depict distinct variation. However, females had lower residue levels than males in terms of their mean weight and feeding habits. A continuous monitoring programme is recommended to establish the studied organisms as indicator species.     

Measuring water resource use efficiency of the Dong Nai River Basin (Vietnam): an application of the two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA)

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The recent growth of agriculture, industry and urban areas in Vietnam requires a large amount of water consumption as a production factor. This paper...     

氨基改性生物炭负载纳米零价铁去除水中Cr(VI)

以聚乙烯亚胺（PEI）为功能单体,玉米秸秆生物炭为载体,制备了氨基改性生物炭负载型纳米零价铁（nZVI@PEI-HBC）,并利用扫描电镜（SEM）、红外光谱（FTIR）和X射线光电子能谱（XPS）等手段对材料进行了表征,分析了溶液pH、温度、材料投加量等因素对其去除Cr（VI）的影响及其去除机理.结果表明：在投加量为0.5 g·L^-1,温度为20℃,pH值为5,Cr（VI）初始浓度为20 mg·L^-1条件下,各材料对Cr（VI）的去除率大小为nZVI@PEI-HBC > nZVI > PEI-HBC > HBC.SEM显示nZVI颗粒较均匀地分散在生物炭表面,FTIR分析表明PEI改性后材料表面增加了氨基等重金属配位基团,这可能是nZVI@PEI-HBC去除Cr（VI）效果更好的原因.影响因素研究表明,材料具有较好稳定性,老化28 d后其Cr（VI）去除性能变化不大;酸性环境、升温、增大材料投加量均有利于nZVI@PEI-HBC对Cr（VI）的去除.机理研究发现,水中溶解氧加速了nZVI的腐蚀和Fe（II）的释放,促进Cr（VI）还原为Cr（III）,然后通过共沉淀作用和氨基等基团的吸附作用被去除.     

Aerosol optical properties under different pollution levels in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region of China

To clarify the aerosol hygroscopic growth and optical properties of the Pearl River Delta(PRD)region,integrated observations were conducted in Heshan City of Guangdong Province from October 19 to November 17,2014.The concentrations and chemical compositions of PM_(2.5),aerosol optical properties and meteorological parameters were measured.The mean value of PM_(2.5) increased from less than 35(excellent) to 35-75 μg/m~3(good) and then to greater than 75 μg/m~3(pollution),corresponding to mean PM_(2.5) values of 24.9,51.2,and 93.3 μg/m~3,respectively.The aerosol scattering hygroscopic growth factor(f(RH = 80%)) values were 2.0,2.12,and 2.18 for the excellent,good,and pollution levels,respectively.The atmospheric extinction coefficient(σext)and the absorption coefficient of aerosols(σ_(ap)) increased,and the single scattering albedo(SSA)decreased from the excellent to the pollution levels.For different air mass sources,under excellent and good levels,the land air mass from northern Heshan had lower f(RH) and σ_(sp) values.In addition,the mixed aerosol from the sea and coastal cities had lower f(RH) and showed that the local sources of coastal cities have higher scattering characteristics in pollution periods.     

‘Emulsion locks’ for the containment of hydrocarbons during surfactant flushing

Reversible double water in oil in water (W/O/W) emulsions were developed to contain subsurface hydrocarbon spills during their remediation using surfactant flushing. Double emulsions were prepared by emulsifying CaCl₂ solutions in canola oil, and subsequently by emulsifying the W/O emulsions in aqueous sodium alginate solutions. The formation of double emulsions was confirmed with confocal and optical microscopy. The double emulsions reversed and gelled when mixed with the surfactants sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cocamidopropyl betaine (CPB). Gels can act as ‘emulsion locks’ to prevent spreading of the hydrocarbon plume from the areas treated with surfactant flushing, as shown in sand column tests. Shear rheology was used to quantify the viscoelastic moduli increase (gelation) upon mixing the double emulsion with SDS and CPB. SDS was more effective than CPB in gelling the double emulsions. CPB and SDS could adsorb at the interface between water and model hydrocarbons (toluene and motor oil), lowering the interfacial tension and rigidifying the interface (as shown with a Langmuir trough). Bottle tests and optical microscopy showed that SDS and CPB produced W/O and O/W emulsions, with either toluene or motor oil and water. The emulsification of motor oil and toluene in water with SDS and CPB facilitated their flow through sand columns and their recovery. Toluene recovery from sand columns was quantitated using Gas-Chromatography Mass-Spectroscopy (GC-MS). The data show that SDS and CPB can be used both for surfactant flushing and to trigger the gelation of ‘emulsion locks’. Ethanol also gelled the emulsions at 100 mL/L.     

融合法定制度与准入清单的生态环境分区管控制度研究——以湖北省宜昌市为例

针对宜昌市环境总体规划生态环境分区管控制度的不足,结合国家重点生态功能区产业准入负面清单、生态保护红线及"三线一单"制度,对宜昌市生态环境分区管控制度设计原则、适用范围及内容进行系统研究,提出"分区分级、遵循环境总规、高环境功能区高标准保护、法定制度优先于准入清单且不交叉执行、依法依规动态调整"的制度构建思路;研究了环境准入清单及负面清单的适用范围及设计思路。将以上方法应用于宜昌市中心城区环境控制性详细规划编制,建立法定制度与环境准入清单相结合的生态环境分区管控制度,有效解决了生态环境空间管控多要素、多层级、生态功能区空间重叠和交叉管理等难题,为深入推进生态环境保护空间规划制度积累了经验。     

环境水中西维因残留的检测方法

综述了酶传感器、酶联免疫传感器、液相色谱、荧光光谱和流动注射化学发光等方法在环境水西维因残留检测中的应用,对各种分析方法的工作原理作了简要介绍,并对其应用前景作了展望.     

Hydrolytic dynamics of pesticide N''-(2,4-dimethylphenyl) -N-methylformamidine in aquatic solution

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离子对烷基化法在2,4-D和2,4,5-T残留分析中的应用

有机阴离子可以和长碳链的季胺盐阳离子结合生成可溶于高介电常数有机溶剂的离子对.在此溶剂中,它可以和某些卤代烃发生复分解反应,生成季铵盐阳离子的卤化物及有机阴离子的相应烷基化物,故称离子对烷基化反应.此反应条件温和,转化率高,被广泛地应用于酸性及其它含活泼氢的有机化合物的烷基衍生物合成中.在这类有机物的分析中也得到应用.但尚未见应用于农药及其降解物残留分析中的报道. 2,4-D,2,4,5-T是典型的酸性有机农药,广泛用作农田除草剂.在二者的残留分析中,通常用CH_2N_2、BF_3CH_3OH、(CH_3)_2SO_4将它们烷基化,然后用气相色谱加以分析.近几年也有人用多卤素取代醇的BCl_3络合物或五氟苄基溴化物同Na_2CO_3作为