Blowing Smoke in Yellowstone: Air Quality Impacts of Oversnow Motorized Recreation in the Park

Snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park has been shown to impact air quality, with implications for the safety and welfare of Park staff and other Park resource values. Localized impacts have been documented at several high-use sites in the Park, but the broader spatial variability of snowmobile emissions and air quality was not understood. Measurements of 87 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were made for ambient air sampled across the Park and West Yellowstone, Montana, during 2 days of the 2002–2003 winter use season, 1 year before the implementation of a new snowmobile policy. The data were compared with similar data from pristine West Coast sites at similar latitudes. Backward trajectories of local air masses, alkyl nitrate-parent alkane ratios, and atmospheric soundings were used to identify the VOC sources and assess their impact. Different oversnow vehicle types used in the Park were sampled to determine their relative influence on air mass pollutant composition. VOCs were of local origin and demonstrated strong spatiotemporal variability that is primarily influenced by levels of snowmobile traffic on given road segments at different times of day. High levels of snowmobile traffic in and around West Yellowstone produced consistently high levels of benzene, toluene, and carbon monoxide.     

类比法在圆明园防渗工程环评中的应用

生态系统以其复杂性、需长期监测的特点成为环境影响评价中的难点。文章采用了类比法,以圆明园防渗铺膜工程的生态影响评价为例,选取了铺膜1年的圆明园26#湖,铺膜3年的北京植物园湖,铺膜10年的中央党校湖,清淤未铺膜的颐和园昆明湖和未清淤未铺膜的密云水库作为类比对象,对水生生态系统中的底栖动物、浮游藻类、浮游动物和水生维管植物进行了类比,为圆明园防渗工程的生态影响评价和预测提供了有力的依据。实践证明,合理的类比法应用可以快速有效地对工程项目的生态影响进行评价。     

我国旅游景区经营模式的构想

本文以旅游景区的经营模式为研究核心,从现有国内外旅游景区组织结构分析入手,构建了适合我国国情和旅游景区可持续发展要求的两种经营模式：一种是国有国营的次国家公园模式,另一种是完全企业化经营,并且提出了两种模式运作的保障条件。     

夏季海淀公园内PM2.5浓度水平梯度分布规律

于2014年夏季,通过观测海淀公园不同区域沿道路不同宽度处PM2.5浓度,研究PM2.5浓度日变化规律、水平梯度分布规律、净化效益及其影响因素。结果表明,海淀公园内PM2.5浓度日变化规律呈白天低晚上高的趋势,09：00-15：00时PM2.5浓度达到国家标准Ⅱ类功能区浓度质量要求,05：00时PM2.5浓度最高。不同观测区域一定宽度范围内出现PM2.5浓度积聚,之后开始下降。总体上,海淀公园在13：00时对PM2.5浓度净化效益最显著,09：00时净化效益最差。环城高速路区域与城市主干道区域165 m以上宽度处、城市次干道区域60 m以上宽度处为正净化效益,并维持正净化效益。海淀公园内PM2.5浓度与气象因子之间相关关系表明,PM2.5浓度与平均温度、相对湿度呈显著相关,与其他气象因素没有显著相关性。     

旅游踩踏对土壤微生物生物量碳、氮、磷的影响

为了探明旅游活动对张家界国家森林公园土壤微生物活性及多样性的影响,保护土壤生态平衡及合理开发自然保护区提供理论依据,进行了旅游踩踏对土壤微生物生物量碳、氮、磷的影响研究.结果表明,在所设的3个试验区中,0～5cm土壤层的微生物生物量碳、磷受到旅游踩踏的影响最严重,5～15cm土壤层的微生物生物量碳、磷受到旅游踩踏的影响较严重,而15～25cm土壤层的微生物生物量碳、磷受到旅游踩踏的影响最轻,旅游踩踏对所设3个试验区中3个层次土壤的微生物生物量碳、磷的影响均达到了显著水平(p＜0.05).从旅游踩踏对3个土壤层的微生物生物量氮的影响程度来看,0～5cm土壤层的微生物生物量氮受到的影响最严重,5～15cm土壤层的微生物生物量氮受到的影响较严重,而15～25cm土壤层的微生物生物量氮受到的影响最轻,背景区与缓冲区15～25cm土壤层的微生物生物量氮差异没有达到显著水平.说明张家界国家森林公园土壤微生物遭到了旅游踩踏的破坏,抵御外界干扰的能力已受到了旅游踩踏的破坏.     

A Socio-Ecological Assessment Aiming at Improved Forest Resource Management and Sustainable Ecotourism Development in the Mangroves of Tanbi Wetland National Park, The Gambia, West Africa

Although mangroves dominated by Avicennia germinans and Rhizophora mangle are extending over 6000 ha in the Tanbi Wetland National Park (TWNP) (The Gambia), their importance for local populations (both peri-urban and urban) is not well documented. For the first time, this study evaluates the different mangrove resources in and around Banjul (i.e., timber, non-timber, edible, and ethnomedicinal products) and their utilization patterns, including the possibility of ecotourism development. The questionnaire-based results have indicated that more than 80% of peri-urban population rely on mangroves for timber and non-timber products and consider them as very important for their livelihoods. However, at the same time, urban households demonstrate limited knowledge on mangrove species and their ecological/economic benefits. Among others, fishing (including the oyster—Crassostrea cf. gasar collection) and tourism are the major income-generating activities found in the TWNP. The age-old practices of agriculture in some parts of the TWNP are due to scarcity of land available for agriculture, increased family size, and alternative sources of income. The recent focus on ecotourism (i.e., boardwalk construction inside the mangroves near Banjul city) received a positive response from the local stakeholders (i.e., users, government, and non-government organizations), with their appropriate roles in sharing the revenue, rights, and responsibilities of this project. Though the guidelines for conservation and management of the TWNP seem to be compatible, the harmony between local people and sustainable resource utilization should be ascertained.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-012-0248-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Characteristics of animal-related motor vehicle crashes in select National Park Service units—United States, 1990–2013

Objectives: Nationally, animal–motor vehicle crashes (AVCs) account for 4.4% of all types of motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). AVCs are a safety risk for drivers and animals and many National Park Service (NPS) units (e.g., national park, national monument, or national parkway) have known AVC risk factors, including rural locations and substantial animal densities. We sought to describe conditions and circumstances involving AVCs to guide traffic and wildlife management for prevention of AVCs in select NPS units.

Methods: We conducted an analysis using NPS law enforcement MVC data. An MVC is a collision involving an in-transit motor vehicle that occurred or began on a public roadway. An AVC is characterized as a collision between a motor vehicle and an animal. A non-AVC is a crash between a motor vehicle and any object other than an animal or noncollision event (e.g., rollover crash). The final data for analysis included 54,068 records from 51 NPS units during 1990–2013. Counts and proportions were calculated for categorical variables and medians and ranges were calculated for continuous variables. We used Pearson’s chi-square to compare circumstances of AVCs and non-AVCs. Data were compiled at the park regional level; NPS parks are assigned to 1 of 7 regions based on the park’s location.

Results: AVCs accounted for 10.4% (5,643 of 54,068) of all MVCs from 51 NPS units. The Northeast (2,021 of 5,643; 35.8%) and Intermountain (1,180 of 5,643; 20.9%) regions had the largest percentage of the total AVC burden. November was the peak month for AVCs across all regions (881 of 5,643; 15.6%); however, seasonality varied by park geographic regions. The highest counts of AVCs were reported during fall for the National Capital, Northeast/Southeast, and Northeast regions; winter for the Southeast region; and summer for Intermountain and Pacific West regions.

Conclusions: AVCs represent a public health and wildlife safety concern for NPS units. AVCs in select NPS units were approximately 2-fold higher than the national percentage for AVCs. The peak season for AVCs varied by NPS region. Knowledge of region-specific seasonality patterns for AVCs can help NPS staff develop mitigation strategies for use primarily during peak AVC months. Improving AVC data collection might provide NPS with a more complete understanding of risk factors and seasonal trends for specific NPS units. By collecting information concerning the animal species hit, park managers can better understand the impacts of AVC to wildlife population health.     

综合类工业园环境系统动力学仿真与调控

综合类工业园由不同行业企业组成,比单一行业类工业园在经济发展和污染排放方面具有更高的多样性与复杂性。徐州经济开发区是以装备制造业、光伏产业、医药食品电子等行业组成的综合类工业园,以徐州经济开发区为例,将系统动力学应用于工业园的管理与调控研究。针对园区的人口、经济、环境三大子系统,识别内在联系做出因果反馈图,在此基础上构造综合类生态工业园的系统动力学模型。通过仿真预测园区未来的产业发展趋势,最后设计经济型、环保型、协调发展型三种方案,通过系统仿真,对徐州经济开发区的管理和建设提出建议。     

Using Satellite Imagery to Assess Large-Scale Habitat Characteristics of Adirondack Park, New York, USA

Satellite imagery is a useful tool for large-scale habitat analysis; however, its limitations need to be tested. We tested these limitations by varying the methods of a habitat evaluation for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Adirondack Park, New York, USA, utilizing harvest data to create and validate the assessment models. We used two classified images, one with a large minimum mapping unit but high accuracy and one with no minimum mapping unit but slightly lower accuracy, to test the sensitivity of the evaluation to these differences. We tested the utility of two methods of assessment, habitat suitability index modeling, and pattern recognition modeling. We varied the scale at which the models were applied by using five separate sizes of analysis windows. Results showed that the presence of a large minimum mapping unit eliminates important details of the habitat. Window size is relatively unimportant if the data are averaged to a large resolution (i.e., township), but if the data are used at the smaller resolution, then the window size is an important consideration. In the Adirondacks, the proportion of hardwood and softwood in an area is most important to the spatial dynamics of deer populations. The low occurrence of open area in all parts of the park either limits the effect of this cover type on the population or limits our ability to detect the effect. The arrangement and interspersion of cover types were not significant to deer populations.