Surface modelling of global terrestrial ecosystems under three climate change scenarios

A high accuracy and speed method (HASM) of surface modelling is developed to find a solution for error problem and to improve computation speed. A digital elevation model (DEM) is established on spatial resolution of 13.5 km × 13.5 km. Regression formulations among temperature, elevation and latitude are simulated in terms of data from 2766 weather observation stations scattered over the world by using the 13.5 km × 13.5 km DEM as auxiliary data. Three climate scenarios of HadCM3 are refined from spatial resolution of 405 km × 270 km to 13.5 km × 13.5 km in terms of the regression formulations. HASM is employed to simulate surfaces of mean annual bio-temperature, mean annual precipitation and potential evapotranspiration ratio during the periods from 1961 to 1990 (T₁), from 2010 to 2039 (T₂), from 2040 to 2069 (T₃), and from 2070 to 2099 (T₄) on spatial resolution of 13.5 km × 13.5 km. Three scenarios of terrestrial ecosystems on global level are finally developed on the basis of the simulated climate surfaces. The scenarios show that all polar/nival, subpolar/alpine and cold ecosystem types would continuously shrink and all tropical types, except tropical rain forest in scenario A1Fi, would expand because of the climate warming. Especially at least 80% of moist tundra and 22% of nival area might disappear in period T₄ comparing with the ones in the period T₁. Tropical thorn woodland might increase by more than 97%. Subpolar/alpine moist tundra would be the most sensitive ecosystem type because its area would have the rapidest decreasing rate and its mean center would shift the longest distance towards west. Subpolar/alpine moist tundra might be able to serve as an indicator of climatic change. In general, climate change would lead to a continuous reduction of ecological diversity.     

Microplastics pollution in Bangladesh: current scenario and future research perspective

ABSTRACT

Microplastics are emerging environmental pollutants that have gained tremendous scientific interest in recent years. These micropollutants are omnipresent both in the terrestrial and aquatic environments posing a deleterious threat to the ecosystem and biodiversity. So, it is important to develop a deep understanding of the environmental fate and potential adverse impacts of microplastics on the aquatic and terrestrial environments. By critically reviewing the previously published scientific literature, the present synthesis briefly outlines the characteristics, occurrence and potential toxic effects of microplastics on terrestrial and aquatic biota. The article also focuses on some innovative approaches for sustainable remediation of macroplastics as well as microplastics. Since the concept of microplastics pollution has yet in its infancy in Bangladesh, this synthesis provides an overview of the current scenario of microplastics pollution and some future research recommendations in the context of Bangladesh which might be helpful to the novice researchers of this field.     

A critical review of the emerging research on the detection and assessment of microplastics pollution in the coastal,marine, and urban Bangladesh

● Coastal and marine regions are the most studied for microplastic pollution. ● Tourism is a major cause of microplastic pollution in coastal regions. ● Sediments contain larger microplastics while fish ingest smaller microplastics. ● Inland lakes, rivers, and freshwater fish are impacted by microplastic pollution. ● Microplastics are found in edible salts, however, presence is less in refined salt. The research on the extent and effects of microplastics pollution in the Global South is only getting started. Bangladesh is a South Asian country with one of the fastest growing economies in the world, however, such exponential economic growth has also increased the pollution threats to its natural and urban environment. In this paper, we reviewed the recent primary research on the assessment of the extent of microplastics pollution in Bangladesh. From the online databases, we developed a compilation of emerging research articles that detected and quantified microplastics in different coastal, marine, and urban environments in Bangladesh. Most of the studies focused on the coastal environment (e.g., beach sediment) and marine fish, while limited data were available for the urban environment. We also discussed the relationship of the type of anthropogenic activities with the observed microplastic pollution. The Cox’s Bazar sea beach in south-east Bangladesh experienced microplastics pollution due to tourism activities, while fishing and other anthropogenic activities led to microplastics pollution in the Bay of Bengal. While microplastics larger than 1 mm were prevalent in the beach sediments, smaller microplastics with size below 0.5 mm were prevalent in marine fish samples. Moreover, the differences in microplastic abundance, size, shape, color, and polymer type found were depended on the sampling sites and relevant anthropogenic activities. It is imperative to identify major sources of microplastics pollution in both natural and urban environment, determine potential environmental and human health effects, and develop mitigating and prevention strategies for reducing microplastics pollution.     

Quantification of pesticide residues on plastic mulching films in typical farmlands of the North China

• Pesticide residuals on mulching film of Shandong, Tianjin and Hebei. • Detected 29 pesticides in soil and 30 in mulching film. • Pesticides on plastic films: 86.4‒22213.2 ng/g and in soil: 9.3‒535.3 ng/g. • Pesticides on plastic films 20 times higher than in soil. Plastic debris as new pollutants attracts much attention in the recent years. The plastic mulching films is one of the most important plastic debirs source in the environment. The aim of this work was to investigate the current status of pesticide residues on the plastic mulching films. Based on the QuEChERS method, multi-residue methods for detection of pesticide residues with gas chromatography tandem mass spectrum (GC-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrum (HPLC-MS) were developed for the analysis of the pesticides residues in plastic film and soil samples from Tianjin, Hebei and Shandong. The total concentrations of pesticide residues were in the range of 86.4‒22213.2 ng/g in plastic film debris, which was about 20 times higher than that in soil (9.3‒535.3 ng/g). Residual level of pesticides varied greatly in different samples. The historical usage and recent application of pesticides were the main sources for pesticide residues on plastic films and soil. In short, plastic mulching films could act as a sink for pesticides in farmland and the ubiquitous pesticide residues on plastic films should draw more attention.     

A hierarchical analysis of terrestrial ecosystem model Biome-BGC: Equilibrium analysis and model calibration

The increasing complexity of ecosystem models represents a major difficulty in tuning model parameters and analyzing simulated results. To address this problem, this study develops a hierarchical scheme that simplifies the Biome-BGC model into three functionally cascaded tiers and analyzes them sequentially. The first-tier model focuses on leaf-level ecophysiological processes; it simulates evapotranspiration and photosynthesis with prescribed leaf area index (LAI). The restriction on LAI is then lifted in the following two model tiers, which analyze how carbon and nitrogen is cycled at the whole-plant level (the second tier) and in all litter/soil pools (the third tier) to dynamically support the prescribed canopy. In particular, this study analyzes the steady state of these two model tiers by a set of equilibrium equations that are derived from Biome-BGC algorithms and are based on the principle of mass balance. Instead of spinning-up the model for thousands of climate years, these equations are able to estimate carbon/nitrogen stocks and fluxes of the target (steady-state) ecosystem directly from the results obtained by the first-tier model. The model hierarchy is examined with model experiments at four AmeriFlux sites. The results indicate that the proposed scheme can effectively calibrate Biome-BGC to simulate observed fluxes of evapotranspiration and photosynthesis; and the carbon/nitrogen stocks estimated by the equilibrium analysis approach are highly consistent with the results of model simulations. Therefore, the scheme developed in this study may serve as a practical guide to calibrate/analyze Biome-BGC; it also provides an efficient way to solve the problem of model spin-up, especially for applications over large regions. The same methodology may help analyze other similar ecosystem models as well.     

中国陆地植被生态系统生产有机物质价值遥感估算

可持续发展的战略要求推进生态资产研究,对生态系统生产有机物质功能价值的估算则是生态资产评估的重要组成部分。利用改进的CASA模型对中国陆地生态系统1995年NPP进行了估算,它与实测数据和国内其他研究成果的比较验证证明了该方法的可靠性;进而对1995年全国陆地生态系统生产有机物质的价值进行了估算,结果表明,1995年中国陆地生态系统净第一性生产力生产有机物质的总价值为1.902049×1012元.a-1,其空间分布是从东部向西北递减、由中部向东北和南部递增;从类型上看,常绿阔叶林的单位面积值最高,裸地和极稀疏植被的单位面积值最低。     

The impact of government incentives and penalties on willingness to recycle plastic waste: An evolutionary game theory perspective

• Punishments increase the participation probability of collectors and recyclers. • Policy-sponsored incentives make collectors and recyclers to participate earlier. • Recyclers are more sensitive to government punishments than collectors. Because governments have introduced policies involving incentives and penalties to promote the recycling of plastic waste, it is important to understand the impact of such incentives and penalties on the willingness of stakeholders to participate. In this study, government is included as a player, alongside waste collectors and recyclers, in a tripartite evolutionary game model of plastic waste recycling. The study explores the evolutionary equilibrium and performs a simulation analysis to elucidate the effect of government incentives and penalties on the willingness of other players to participate in recycling. Three conclusions are drawn from this research. First, an increase in incentives or in penalties increases the probability that collectors and recyclers will participate in the recycling process. Second, policy support incentives encourage collectors and recyclers to participate in plastic waste recycling earlier than subsidy incentives do. Finally, recyclers are more sensitive than collectors to government-imposed penalties.     

焚烧源二噁英的排放对周边土壤和植被污染的研究进展

经济的飞速发展和城市化进程的加快,带来了严重的生活垃圾负荷问题。垃圾焚烧技术因其具有减容化、无害化和资源化的优点,成为当今国际社会生活垃圾处理的主要技术之一。然而由于人们对于垃圾焚烧源可能产生的二噁英污染问题缺乏一个全面的认识,使得垃圾焚烧厂的建立遭到了民众的强烈反对,成为影响社会和谐稳定的因素;因此,需要对垃圾焚烧源二噁英的排放对周边土壤和植被的污染状况进行综述,对于解决老百姓对于垃圾焚烧二噁英污染的争议有巨大的现实意义。对近年来国内外学者在相关方面的研究进行了详细地综述,结果发现：国内已开展的研究仅限于二噁英对焚烧厂周边土壤的污染调查,而对于焚烧源二噁英对植被及农作物的污染的研究数据非常匮乏;而国外学者已开展的垃圾焚烧厂周边土壤和植被中二噁英污染的调查研究只是停留在二噁英在土壤和植被中总浓度的研究基础上,而对于不同二噁英同族物在焚烧厂附近土壤和植被中的分布特征和蓄积规律方面的研究比较缺乏,尤其是在其他污染源如废弃物的露天燃烧、交通等协同作用下,垃圾焚烧对二噁英污染贡献率的研究比较少,对于垃圾焚烧厂二噁英污染的控制没有起到直观的指导作用。本文指出今后的研究应加强对二噁英在焚烧厂周边土壤和植被中分布特征和蓄积规律研究,这对于焚烧源二噁英的污染防治以及对已被二噁英污染的土壤和植被的生态修复具有重要的意义。     

焚烧源挥发性重金属的排放对周边土壤和植被污染的研究进展

城市生活垃圾是一种成分复杂的混合废物,其中含有数量相当可观的重金属,采用焚烧法处理城市生活垃圾时,会有大量重金属因为高温而挥发进入烟气,一部分富集于焚烧飞灰中,而有少部分重金属因其挥发性较大而排放于大气中,最终随大气及雨水沉降而进入土壤和植被中,从而会对焚烧厂周边生态环境造成严重的危害。为了了解焚烧源挥发性重金属（汞（Hg）、镉（Cd）、铅（Pb）和砷（As））的排放对焚烧厂周边土壤和植被生态环境的污染状况,对近年来国内外学者在相关方面的研究状况进行了详细的文献综述,结果发现：国内学者对于焚烧源挥发性重金属的研究多限于焚烧中挥发性Hg对焚烧厂周边土壤的污染的调查研究,而对于焚烧源Cd、Pb、As对周边土壤和植被污染的调查研究相对较少;而国外学者已有的关于垃圾焚烧源重金属（Hg、Cd、Pb、As）对土壤和植被的污染研究只停留在重金属在土壤中的总的浓度和存在形态的研究,而对于挥发性重金属在焚烧源周边土壤和植被中的迁移转化规律方面的研究很缺乏,对于重金属污染物在土壤和植被中的蓄积及迁移转化规律研究较少。文章指出今后的研究应加强对挥发性重金属在焚烧厂周边土壤中的污染特征及其在土壤层以及植被中的蓄积总量和迁移转化机理的研究,这对于焚烧源挥发性重金属的污染防治以及对已被挥发性重金属污染的土壤和植被的生态修复具有重要的意义。     

Assessment of the erosion control function of forest ecosystems based on GIS: a case study in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park,China

Erosion control is one of the most important functions of forest ecosystems, and its accurate assessment is useful to illuminate the importance of forest ecosystem services for humans so as to rationally conserve forest resources. This paper examines Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, the first national forest park in China, to seek practical methods for assessment of the forest erosion control function using a geographical information system (GIS). The results show that the potential and actual amounts of soil erosion are 2.92 million ton and 0.14 million ton per year, respectively, in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. The total reduction in soil loss reaches 2.77 million ton per year with the existence of a forest ecosystem. The erosion control function of near mature, mature and over mature broadleaf forest is excellent, and natural forest conservation and natural restoration of the degraded forest ecosystem can provide the largest benefits in soil erosion control. Nearly all the near mature, mature and over-mature forest in the park is at the top and in steep mountain areas, and could be rationally cut and utilized by local communities, but extensive timber felling should be strictly prohibited.     

Arsenic in freshwater ecosystems of the Bengal delta: status,sources and seasonal variability

The study aimed to examine the contamination status of arsenic (As) in excavated small water bodies, commonly known as ponds – the integral part of daily life in the arsenic-affected rural areas of West Bengal, India in comparison to the unaffected areas. The ponds of the contaminated area had higher levels of As: water 2–174 µg L^?1 (mean 31 ± 2 µg L^?1) and sediment 1.3–37.3 mg kg^?1 (mean 10.3 ± 0.4 mg kg^?1), than those from the unaffected area: water 1–8 µg L^?1 (mean 4 ± 0 µg L^?1) and sediment 1.4–5.3 mg kg^?1 (mean 3.0 ± 0.1 mg kg^?1). A moderate positive correlation was observed between the water and sediment arsenic content of the ponds of the arsenic-affected region (r = 0.688, n = 277, p < 0.0001). Contaminated ground water, either as direct input or through agricultural washings, was found to be the major contributor of arsenic pollution to these ecosystems. Seasonal variations were not prominent. This study emphasized the beneficial role of using the studied ecosystems over the highly contaminated ground water for various livelihood activities in the Gangetic delta region.     

平原典型垃圾焚烧厂周边土壤重金属分布特征及污染评价

随着固体废弃物的增加,垃圾焚烧逐步成为城市垃圾处理应用一个较为理想可行的选择。垃圾焚烧不仅可以回收能源,且相对其他处理方式其减量效果显著。垃圾焚烧厂排出的尾气中的某些特定重金属可以通过大气干湿沉降进入土壤。采用XRF 荧光光谱仪、岛津原子吸收分光光度计和测汞仪测定了杭嘉湖平原的嘉兴垃圾焚烧厂周边土壤重金属的含量,利用地统计学方法分析了该区域74个土壤样品中Cr、Mn、Cu、Pb、Fe五种重金属元素浓度的空间分布,并采用单因子指数法和内梅罗综合指数法对该地区土壤进行污染评价。结果表明：该垃圾焚烧厂周边表层土壤上述5种重金属平均含量依次为174.05、707.76、47.68、41.95、39057.89 mg·kg-1。表层富集因子分析表明表层土壤中Cu和Pb的含量受到人为影响。因子分析将5种重金属分成3类,并揭示了3类金属在该区域具有不同的空间分布特征,Cr、Mn、Fe以土壤地球化学作用（37.88%方差贡献）为主导影响因素,Cu、Pb分别以农药施用作用为主（22.06%）、垃圾焚烧源尾气排放（22.74%）为主导影响因素。污染评价结果表明该区域土壤重金属复合污染程度为轻度污染,最大污染贡献来自于Pb（单因子污染指数高达2.16）,厂区周边土壤中重金属存在累积效应,不容忽视。     

Comments on and implications of a steady-state in coastal marine ecosystems

Coastal ecosystems can be thought of as being established by a number of physico-geochemical drivers, e.g. geochemistry and bathymetry of the basins, climate, tidal and freshwater flows, natural and anthropogenic inputs of nutrients and toxins, all of which exert an influence on the resulting communities of organisms. Depending on the interactions among the major drivers, ecosystems may occur on both large and small scales and be basin-wide or within basins. For individual and separate ecosystems to exist with some permanence in time, e.g. reach a steady-state, they also have to be ‘defended’. Defences are mechanisms that counter changes to maintain the status quo. We argue, and present evidence to support the notion, that the defence mechanisms are inextricably tied to primary production and the biogeochemical cycling of organic matter and provide buffers that mitigate potentially adverse impacts by trace toxins. Colloid pumping, production of complexing ligands and sulfide formation are some of the mechanisms that control trace substances. Current methods for assessing ecosystems do not address the issue of steady-state, nor do they take account of defence activities, e.g. buffering. Therefore, they cannot assess the ‘robustness’ of ecosystems or their ability to resist change, for good or bad. Also, defence mechanisms may, for a time, mask future potentially serious impacts, suggesting that monitoring efforts with limited budgets should consider the measurement of the inputs into ecosystems as well as the immediate or short-term result of the inputs.     

Evaluating the effects of future climate change and elevated CO2 on the water use efficiency in terrestrial ecosystems of China

Water use efficiency (WUE) is an important variable used in climate change and hydrological studies in relation to how it links ecosystem carbon cycles and hydrological cycles together. However, obtaining reliable WUE results based on site-level flux data remains a great challenge when scaling up to larger regional zones. Biophysical, process-based ecosystem models are powerful tools to study WUE at large spatial and temporal scales. The Integrated BIosphere Simulator (IBIS) was used to evaluate the effects of climate change and elevated CO₂ concentrations on ecosystem-level WUE (defined as the ratio of gross primary production (GPP) to evapotranspiration (ET)) in relation to terrestrial ecosystems in China for 2009-2099. Climate scenario data (IPCC SRES A2 and SRES B1) generated from the Third Generation Coupled Global Climate Model (CGCM3) was used in the simulations. Seven simulations were implemented according to the assemblage of different elevated CO₂ concentrations scenarios and different climate change scenarios. Analysis suggests that (1) further elevated CO₂ concentrations will significantly enhance the WUE over China by the end of the twenty-first century, especially in forest areas; (2) effects of climate change on WUE will vary for different geographical regions in China with negative effects occurring primarily in southern regions and positive effects occurring primarily in high latitude and altitude regions (Tibetan Plateau); (3) WUE will maintain the current levels for 2009-2099 under the constant climate scenario (i.e. using mean climate condition of 1951-2006 and CO₂ concentrations of the 2008 level); and (4) WUE will decrease with the increase of water resource restriction (expressed as evaporation ratio) among different ecosystems.     

Aspects and prospects of algal carbon capture and sequestration in ecosystems: a review

Long-term storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other forms of carbon in non-atmospheric reservoirs is called carbon sequestration. Selective anthropogenic enrichment of the atmospheric carbon pool is causing dire environmental problems, thereby necessitating remediation by mitigation. Algae possess efficient carbon concentrating mechanisms and consequently high photosynthetic rates which make them suitable candidates for biosequestration of CO₂. Globally, nearly half of the atmospheric oxygen is generated by algal photosynthesis despite the fact that algae account for less than 1% of photosynthetic biomass. In water bodies, algae are responsible for creating the ‘biological pump’ that transports carbon from the upper sunlit waters to the depth below. A diverse array of photoautotrophs ranging from prokaryotic cyanobacteria to eukaryotic algae such as Chlorophytes, and even protists like euglenoids, contribute to this ‘biological pump’. It operates in a variety of aquatic ecosystems ranging from small freshwater ponds to the oceans where it has been most extensively studied. Two separate but intricately linked processes constitute this ‘biological pump’, viz. the ‘organic carbon pump’ and the ‘calcium carbonate pump’. The present review discusses the natural CO₂ sequestration processes carried out by algae and cyanobacteria in their native ecosystems.     

Effect of mercuric chloride on terrestrial slug Semperula maculata and histopathology of reproductive organs: a comprehensive study

Since the last few decades, terrestrial diversity is found to be under stress due to the contamination by various chemicals and gases of aquatic and agricultural media. The bioaccumulation of these compounds at certain concentrations in different tissues produces histopathological changes leading to behavioral changes in target animals. This study focused on terrestrial molluscan slug, Semperula maculata, against lethal concentrations of mercury chloride (HgCl₂). Bioaccumulation of Hg was highest in ovotestis, while lowest in the molluscan penis. Histopathological changes were observed in the cellular arrangement of reproductive organs. Alterations in the penis and the dart gland included dilated unicellular, multicellular glands, and muscular dystrophy, dilated peripheral glandular cells, respectively; dilation being maximal in the prostate gland. Ovotestis showed depleted number of gametocytes. Vacoulized pre-vitellogenic oocytes with early vitellogenic oocytes were noted under light microscopy. Mercury produced toxicity on secretory functions and lowered the rate of reproduction in animals. Evidence indicates that Hg produced gamete degeneration, impacted reproductive capacity and survival of this species in the ecosystem.     

Use of biomarkers in zooplankton for assessment of the 'health status' of marine and brackish environments: a short overview

The biomarker approach has been used for 25 years to study the environmental quality of marine, brackish and freshwater ecosystems. Biomarkers may indicate health status and can be applied to organisms of all zoological phyla by destructive or non destructive methods. For 5 years we have been using this approach in zooplankton to detect ecotoxicological alterations at low levels of the food chain due to contaminants. Here we review our approach to validate and apply biomarker techniques in zooplankton. We discuss advantages, limitations, some results and future research. We indicate that biomarkers in zooplankton can be used as new indices of trophic status and ecological integrity of Italian marine coastal and lagoon environments, to be included among the tools specified by Italian law D.Lgs. 152/2006.     

It takes more than a village: the challenges of co-management in Uganda's fishery and forestry sectors

Decentralisation policies in least developed countries have emerged in response to failed centralised natural resource governance programmes because high-value natural resources are distributed unequally, with central governments often reaping more than local-level users. Current natural resource governance institutions have been created to remedy the problems that central governments formerly posed. Here, we argue that Uganda's forestry and fishery resources are biologically diverse and thus amenable to current decentralised management programmes, provided that there is compromise between market values and local cultural and subsistence values and uses. We observe, however, Uganda's current institutional arrangement favours the former over the latter and determine that successful natural resource decentralisation requires strengthening local-level natural resource institutions with increased fiscal flow, enforcement, monitoring and judicial powers. A strong and reliable partnership between local-level resource users and the central government is necessary for this to occur.