Current status and trends of the environmental performance in European ports

This paper investigates the current status and trends over time in the environmental performance of European ports. The research is based on the provision of data from 79 European ports on issues related to their environmental management, environmental priorities and current environmental monitoring practices. This study updates previous environmental reviews, so that the trends over time are drawn. For instance, 90% of respondent ports stated that they have an environmental policy and 94% of ports have designated environmental personnel. The percentage of ports that have an Environmental Management System has increased by +33% in the last 9 years. Air quality, port waste and energy consumption emerged as the three major environmental priorities of the European port sector in 2013. The research also reveals the diversity amongst European ports in terms of size and physical surroundings. Some examples are presented on specific initiatives carried out by sector organisations about the Top-10 port priority issues. The future expectations of European ports on data collection and reporting are described.     

Faunal trends and sea-level changes: biogeographic patterns of Kimmeridgian ammonites on the Western European Shelf

The Kimmeridgian series of the northern Aquitaine margin is representative of the marine sedimentation on the Western European Shelf. It has been used to demonstrate a fundamental relationship between relative sea-level changes and the biogeographic dynamics of the Kimmeridgian ammonites. This synthesis, based on comparative sedimentological and paleobiogeographical studies, shows that the shelf was settled by submediterranean and/or subboreal ammonites during transgressive phases and maximum sea-level rises. Endemic lineages differentiated during the sea-level highstands and the beginning of lowstands. Correlative with the long-term sea-level rise, endemic elements have progressively taken a prominent role within the Kimmeridgian ammonite faunas of the shelf. The patterns of faunal changes have been deduced from studies of ammonite lineages from distinctive biogeographic origins: Rasenioides, Lithacosphinctes, Orthaspidocerasand Gravesia. Compared with subboreal ammonites, it seems that the submediterranean species were more tolerant of changing environments and adapted to new environments more easily. Therefore most of the endemic lineages which settled the Western European area originated in submediterranean faunas.     

北美自由贸易区和欧盟的环境政策：趋向,启示与对策

以北美自由贸易区和欧盟为代表的区域性经济集团已在经济利益与环境保护挂钩的制度性安排方面取得诸多进展，它们不同程度地在机构设置、协定条款、资金安排等方面强化了环境要求，并在国际环境公约的执行上表现出积极、灵活的特点。这一切都将为未来多边经济体系中环境问题的协商和解决开辟了新的途径， 也为我国在实施可持续发展过程中的环境制度化建设提供可鉴之处。     

多级土壤渗滤系统技术研究现状及发展

多级土壤渗滤系统(multi-soil-layer system,即MSL)作为一种新型人工土地处理系统.其特殊的模块结构能够很好地克服传统土壤渗滤系统存在的水力负荷低、氮磷去除效率低及易堵塞等缺陷.在日本和泰国的生活污水及河流污染的治理中得到了一定的推广应用.本文以相关研究为基础,从污染物去除效率及机理、设计参数优化两个方面,论述了MSL技术的发展历史及现状,同时对MSL技术的研究前景及发展方向作了简要展望.     

Gold mining in Australia: linking historical trends and environmental and resource sustainability

The mining of gold has been and continues to be an important aspect of Australian industry. Gold mining moved quickly from fossicking and alluvial sources in the 1850's to hard rock mining. This paper presents, arguably for the first time, a detailed historical compilation of Australian gold mining production data. This data is then analysed in the context of sustainability, focussing particularly on mineral resource sustainability and the broader aspects of environmental impacts now commonly reported by some mining companies in annual sustainability performance reports. The key trends which are demonstrated by the data include a long-term decline in ore grade, increased open cut mining, substantive increases in tailings and waste rock production, as well as showing the impact of new technologies and economics on available gold resources. The available environmental data on material and energy inputs to and pollutant emissions from gold production is also presented, showing a clear sensitivity to ore grade. In terms of sustainability, these relationships raise significant issues such as increasing greenhouse footprint per unit gold produced, potential impacts on energy and water consumption, as well as overall gold resource sustainability. The paper presents a unique case study of the resource and environmental sustainability of the Australian gold mining sector with major implications for sustainability policy and reporting.     

Problems and perspectives of sludge utilization in agriculture

Sewage sludge utilization in agriculture leads to several advantages through the recycling of nutrient and organic matter to the land.Inorganic nitrogen as NO₃⁻¹and NH₄⁺ becomes immediately available; organic nitrogen becomes available after mineralization, which depends on soil type and tends largely to diminish with time.The soluble forms of phosphorus are H₂P0₄⁻ and HPO₄²⁻ and the percentage P-utilization can easily be predicted from the amount extracted by ammonium chloride.Potassium concentration in sewage sludge is negligible, but crop requirements for it are high and often comparable to those for nitrogen.Organic matter mainly affects soil structure by increasing soil porosity, stability of aggregates and water retention; other properties affected by organic matter addition are pH and cation exchange capacity, which tend to increase.Negative effects due to heavy metals (toxic and phytotoxic) and pathogens can arise following sludge addition to soil. Epidemiological studies in the U.K. indicate that infections can arise, in particular from the presence of Taenia saginata and Salmonella.A recent survey in the European Economic Community (E.E.C.) revealed that nowadays 75% of sewage is treated and 40% of the residual sludges are used in agriculture (about 2 million t (2 M t) of dry solids year⁻¹), affording a saving in mineral fertilizers of about 206 000 M L It. year⁻¹ (£82AM; DM 295M; 100M FF). This economic advantage covers the cost of transport over a distance of 8 km and that of spreading the liquid sludge.This paper also compares the legislations of some countries concerning sewage sludge utilization in agriculture and shows that generally the countries with more experience in sludge utilization (France, Germany and the U.K.) permit disposal of higher concentrations of heavy metals.     

Mercury transformation processes in nature: Critical knowledge gaps and perspectives for moving forward

The transformation of mercury (Hg) in the environment plays a vital role in the cycling of Hg and its risk to the ecosystem and human health. Of particular importance are Hg oxidation/reduction and methylation/demethylation processes driven or mediated by the dynamics of light, microorganisms, and organic carbon, among others. Advances in understanding those Hg transformation processes determine our capacity of projecting and mitigating Hg risk. Here, we provide a critical analysis of major knowledge gaps in our understanding of Hg transformation in nature, with perspectives on approaches moving forward. Our analysis focuses on Hg transformation processes in the environment, as well as emerging methodology in exploring these processes. Future avenues for improving the understanding of Hg transformation processes to protect ecosystem and human health are also explored.     

Meteorologically adjusted ozone trends in urban areas: A probabilistic approach

A method has been developed that explicitly accounts for the effect of meteorological fluctuations on the annual distribution of ground-level ozone in urban areas. The model includes a trend component that adjusts the annual rate of change in ozone for concurrent impacts of meteorological conditions, including surface temperature and wind speed. The model was applied using available data from 43 urban areas throughout the U.S.A. where ozone levels frequently exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standard. The results suggest that meteorologically adjusted upper percentiles of the distribution of daily maximum 1-h ozone are decreasing in most urban areas over the period from 1981 to 1991. The median rate of change was −1.1% per year indicating that ozone levels have decreased approximately 11% over this time period. Trends estimated by ignoring the meteorological component appear to underestimate the rate of improvement in ozone primarily because of the uneven year-to-year distribution of meteorological conditions favorable to ozone.     

Current trends in safety testing and toxicological research

The paper reviews current concepts of toxicological evaluation of new drugs and other chemicals. Instead of completing a predetermined check-list toxicologists now consider the potential adverse effects of the substances under actual conditions of use. They then design experimental models which have a high probability to predict the toxic effects. Moreover, the enhanced susceptibilities of special risk populations is more and more taken into consideration.     

Groundwater dependent ecosystems. Part I: Hydroecological status and trends

Groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) include valuable ecosystems such as springs, wetlands, rivers, lakes and lagoons. The protection of these systems and services they provide is highlighted by international agreements, i.e. Ramsar convention on wetlands, and regional legislation, i.e. the European Water Framework Directive. Groundwater provides water, nutrients and a relatively stable temperature. However, the role of groundwater in surface ecosystems is not fully understood. The ecosystem can depend on groundwater directly or indirectly, and the reliance can be continuous, seasonal or occasional. This has implications for the vulnerability of ecosystems, as some may be easily affected by external pressure. Conceptual models and quantitative assessments of how groundwater interacts with the environment are needed. GDEs are also threatened by different land use activities and climate change. Hence, we need to understand how GDEs are affected by changes in groundwater quantity and quality, as severe groundwater changes have been observed in many regions. This study examines key aspects of GDEs (hydrogeology, geochemistry and biodiversity) in order to improve conceptual understanding of the role of groundwater in such ecosystems. The status and baseline of different types of GDEs are discussed, with particular emphasis on past evidence of environmental change and potential thresholds and threats in GDEs in various parts of Europe with different land use, climate and geology.     

Metals in sediment/pore water in Chaohu Lake: Distribution, trends and flux

Nine metals, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, As, Cr, Zn, Fe, and Mn in sediment and pore water from 57 sampling sites in Chaohu Lake (Anhui Province, China) were analyzed for spatial distribution, temporal trends and diffuse flux in 2010. Metals in the surface sediment were generally the highest in the western lake center and Nanfei-Dianbu River estuary, with another higher area of As, Fe, and Mn occurring in the Qiyang River estuary. Metal contamination assessment using the New York sediment screening criteria showed that the sediment was severely contaminated in 44% of the area with Mn, 20% with Zn, 16% with Fe, 14% with As, and 6% with Cr and Ni. An increasing trend of toxic metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, As, Cr, Zn) and Mn with depth was shown in the western lake. Compared with metal content data from the sediment survey conducted in 1980s, the metal content of surface sediment in 2010 was 2.0 times that in the 1980s for Cr, Cu, Zn, and As in the western lake, and less than 1.5 times higher for most of the metals in the eastern lake. Among the metals, only Mn and As had a widespread positive diffuse flux from the pore water to overlying water across the whole lake. The estimated flux in the whole lake was on average 3.36 mg/(m². day) for Mn and 0.08 mg/(m². day) for As, which indicated a daily increase of 0.93 μg/L for Mn and 0.02 μg/L for As in surface water. The increasing concentration of metals in the sediment and the flux of metals from pore water to overlying water by diffusion and other physical processes should not be ignored for drinking-water sources.     

Corporate social responsibility in the mining industry: Exploring trends in social and environmental disclosure

In recent years, concerns about the sustainability and social responsibility (CSR) of businesses have become an increasingly high profile issue in many countries and industries, none more so than the mining industry. For mining, one outcome of the CSR agenda is the increasing need for individual companies to justify their existence and document their performance through the disclosure of social and environmental information. This paper explores recent trends in the reporting of such impacts and issues in the global mining industry. It offers a detailed review of the development of the media of social and environmental disclosure in the mining industry, and of the factors that drive the development of such disclosure. A temporal analysis of the recent trends in disclosure using a case study of the world's 10 largest mining companies is presented. Whilst there is evidence of increasing sophistication in the development of social and environmental disclosure, there is considerable variation in the maturity of reporting content and styles of these companies. The paper offers a simple classification of reporting companies, from ‘leaders’ to ‘laggards’. Stronger leadership and co-operation from the top reporting companies is necessary to support the laggards of the industry.     

中国经济系统物质流趋势成因分析

运用经济系统物质流分析方法,分析和识别了1990~2003 年我国物质流趋势及成因.结果表明,我国经济系统物质流表现为直接物质投入量、国内废物产生量与GDP 总体呈线性增长关系.近年来,资源生产率低位下降,资源循环利用率缓慢提升.造成上述趋势成因主要有:重化工发展阶段和“粗放型”发展模式,导致经济发展仍旧是资源消耗型发展模式;循环经济发展尚处在初级阶段,导致我国资源循环利用率低.     

森林对于降水的可能影响:几种分析方法所得结果的比较

森林对于降水的影响是一个在科学界持续百余年的复杂问题，关于这种影响的错误分析，可能会导致指导思想的混乱与行动上的失误。因此，对这一问题的研究极具理论价值与实践意义。论文从对比观测、统计分析和模拟分析3种不同的研究方法入手，对有代表性的文献进行归纳整理，试图就这一复杂问题进行判断，得出一些初步认识。结果表明，不同的研究手段所得出的结论往往差距很大，其中存在着很大的主观性；各种研究方法均存在着某些需要改进的地方。更加深入的研究，不仅应考虑低层大气的物理变化，还应考虑植被的生物学特征，如林草的生理特征和生态适应性及土壤水分平衡问题，特别是随着植被覆盖的变化，植被的水分消耗、土壤水分的动态以及区域水资源的可能变化，而这些问题在区域生态恢复与建设中可能具有更加重要的意义。     

Extinction and re-evolution of similar adaptive types (ecomorphs) in Cenozoic North American ungulates and carnivores reflect van der Hammen's cycles

Numerous patterns in periodicity (e.g., climate, extinction, and sedimentary cycles) and evolutionary change (e.g., chronofaunas and coordinated stasis) have been described based on aspects of the geologic record. Recently, convergent occurrences of faunal types or "repeating faunas" have received attention, but a highly specific, iterative pattern was first reported over 40 years ago. In the late 1950s, van der Hammen described climatic/floral cycles on the order of six million years based on a succession of A, B, and C pollen community types in South America. These A-B-C cycles are also seen in the replacement pattern of particular carnivore and ungulate adaptive types in Cenozoic North America as reported by Martin in the 1980s. For example, in the last 36 million years, there were four iterations of a sabertooth cat ecomorph independently evolving, dominating the niche through an A-B-C cycle, and then going extinct. Here we show further support for the existence of these cycles in the dominance turnover in hippo and dog ecomorphs in the North American Cenozoic. Shared patterns of extinction and re-evolution of adaptive types among plants and mammals across two continents suggest a global mechanism, which appears to be climatic change. Iterative climatic cycles of various scales may form a predictive framework for understanding fundamental patterns in the geologic record, such as radiations, extinction, rates of change, convergence, and sedimentary cycles.