Modeling the impact of revegetation on regional water quality: A collective approach to manage the cumulative impacts of mining in the Bowen Basin,Australia

In this paper we quantify the additional water quality benefits that can be achieved through coordinated cumulative impact management. To do this we simulate coordinated and un-coordinated revegetation investments and compare their impact on achieving regional water quality goals. Our results show that coordination between multiple mining companies achieves additional benefits since prioritization is enabled across a broader range of investment opportunities. Additionally, when coordinated investment is permitted beyond the boundaries of coal mining leases, results show that additional benefits are greatly enhanced since these regions provide more rewarding investment opportunities. Results illustrate (a) how regional coordination may influence reputational benefits of investments, and (b) that coordination is beneficial when investment opportunities are unevenly distributed across the landscape. When additional benefits are achievable, we suggest that mining companies should develop collective investment projects with an understanding of how coordination influences project costs. Similarly, investment projects should be developed with an understanding of investment tradeoffs and how these may adversely impact on regional stakeholders and hence industry reputation. The mining industry has significant potential to contribute to regional wellbeing; however, land management policies must be flexible and promote incentives to enable companies to invest beyond compliance.     

The impact of duckweed growth on water quality in sub-tropical ponds

Field experiments on duckweeds, Lemna aequinoctialis, were carried out to determine the effect of plant characteristics on water-quality variables in ponds. In view of their rapid growth rates and ability to cover water surfaces very quickly, such studies are necessary, especially in sub-tropical countries, in order to develop viable management strategies. Morphological parameters like leaf length, leaf width, and root length of individual plants along with cover percent of Lemna were studied in each pond along with important water-quality parameters. The plant parameters were related to the studied water-quality variables using regression analysis. Equations showed that changes in root length and cover, both easily measurable growth responses of duckweeds, could be used to reflect changes in two important water-quality variables like DO and phosphorus (both total and soluble reactive) concentrations in pond waters and hence be used effectively for routine monitoring. This study also gives an indication that ponds with low cover of duckweeds could possibly be more effective for prediction purposes.     

Local and regional air quality impacts of airport operations

Summary This paper discusses the air quality impacts of airport operations. It considers a range of pollutants and identifies emission sources both within and surrounding airports as being important in contributing to the air quality experienced at an airport. These sources include aircraft operations, landside traffic, airside traffic and fuel-handling operations. The paper considers air quality impacts over the last 30 years and draws examples from a variety of European airports. The paper concludes with a forecast of likely changes in emission sources and strengths at airports over the next 15 years.Drs James Longhurst, Beth Conlan and David Raper are air quality scientists specializing in the study of airport impacts upon air quality. They are based in the Atmospheric Research and Information Centre of Manchester Metropolitan University.First submitted June 1994.     

Analyzing the cost effectiveness of Santiago, Chile's policy of using urban forests to improve air quality

Santiago, Chile has the distinction of having among the worst urban air pollution problems in Latin America. As part of an atmospheric pollution reduction plan, the Santiago Regional Metropolitan government defined an environmental policy goal of using urban forests to remove particulate matter less than 10 microm (PM(10)) in the Gran Santiago area. We used cost effectiveness, or the process of establishing costs and selecting least cost alternatives for obtaining a defined policy goal of PM(10) removal, to analyze this policy goal. For this study, we quantified PM(10) removal by Santiago's urban forests based on socioeconomic strata and using field and real-time pollution and climate data via a dry deposition urban forest effects model. Municipal urban forest management costs were estimated using management cost surveys and Chilean Ministry of Planning and Cooperation documents. Results indicate that managing municipal urban forests (trees, shrubs, and grass whose management is under the jurisdiction of Santiago's 36 municipalities) to remove PM(10) was a cost-effective policy for abating PM(10) based on criteria set by the World Bank. In addition, we compared the cost effectiveness of managing municipal urban forests and street trees to other control policies (e.g. alternative fuels) to abate PM(10) in Santiago and determined that municipal urban forest management efficiency was similar to these other air quality improvement measures.     

Developing the interaction matrix technique as a tool assessing the impact of traffic on air quality

This paper develops a technique which can be used as a preliminary tool for assessing air quality related to urban traffic. It combines a Geographic Information System (GIS) with an interaction matrix-type methodology based on a system analysis approach. The matrix identifies and quantifies interactions between all selected variables involved in a system as well as their interaction with the system as a whole. This matrix is used to determine the weightings to apply to spatial datasets within a GIS to develop a pollution vulnerability map. The focus of the paper is to introduce and assess a more versatile coding of the interaction matrix with respect to previously used coding. A case study is presented in which the modified interaction methodology is applied to data for a busy urban location. The resulting vulnerability map, in terms of pollution vulnerable hot spots, was compared to a pollution map derived from an advanced dispersion model. The interaction matrix technique with GIS can be used as a tool complementary to sophisticated numerical modelling and has potential as an analytical tool to evaluate multidisciplinary systems.     

Direct and indirect benefits of improving river quality: quantifying benefits and a case study of the River Klang,Malaysia

This paper describes the potential benefits to be gained from improving the quality of urban rivers and evaluates the methods commonly used to quantify such benefits. The difficulties encountered in quantifying non-use benefits in developing countries are discussed with particular reference to the River Klang that drains the urban conurbation of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, where as in many other locations in developing countries the only potential benefits are the most difficult to justify, namely indirect and non-use benefits.     

The effects of agrochemicals on an aquatic ecosystem : A case study from the Krian River basin,Malaysia

Summary The existing environment of the Krian River basin in Malaysia is not in its natural form for it has been much developed into agricultural lands (105,000 ha). The growing demand for agricultural lands requires further reclamation of swampy forests, which will result in an increased use of fertilisers (estimated 10 percent increase, from 29,500 t to 32,500 t), weedicide, dalapon (estimated 6 percent increase, from 187,620 kg to 199,530 kg) and pesticides, BHC and thiodan/endosulfan (estimated 2 percent increase, from 312 kg to 318 kg).Contrary to belief, the concern over increased levels of nitrogenous fertilisers and pesticides concentrations used in the existing agricultural projects is unfounded. The agrochemicals contribute insignificant amounts of contaminants into the aqueous system. Deleterious deterioration of water quality in the waterways is not apparent. The rich assemblage of icthyofauna comprises 14 freshwater fish species, 21 saltwater-freshwater interface species, like the freshwater prawn and marine fishes that have acclimatised to freshwater conditions, and 28 coastal- marine water fish species, two brackish water penaeids and three molluscs of commercial value. However, if the water quality data are used in isolation to interpret the consequences of large- scale usage of agrochemicals, the conclusion is inadequate and may be misleading. The impact of the flow condition in fields, the localised long-term effects like the fate and spatial distribution on the surrounding media (water, sediments and exposed aquatic life), bio-accumulation and bio-magnification should be considered. Though of no acute toxicity to hardy icthyofauna in the Krian Rice Irrigation basin, lipophilic organochlorines pose health risks to consumers of contaminated fishery products from these Krian rice fields.Dr Siaw-Yang Yap and Dr Hean-Tatt Ong graduated at the University of Malaya (Malaysia) with degrees in Aquatic Ecology and Plant Physiology respectively. Both currently have been involved in water quality criteria and standards development for aquatic life and irrigation uses in Malaysia. They have also contributed to environmental impact assessment projects, commissioned by the Department of Environment, Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Malaysia, the Ministry of Agriculture, Malaysia, and others. Dr Yap is an appointed member of the Freshwater Fish Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission/IUCN; she is involved in the "To Maintain Biological Diversity" project, aiming at conservation of genetic diversity of the threatened freshwater fish habitats and species in Asia. Dr Yap is also the specialist for water quality criteria and standards derivation for Malaysia and ASEAN tropical marine environments.     

The effect of urban quality improvements on economic activity

This paper is concerned with the link between urban quality improvements and economic activity. A key question is whether improvements in the urban environment which might be achieved, for instance, through pedestrianisation, will affect business location choices - for example, are office or retail businesses particularly keen to locate in more pleasant urban places? The paper outlines the current state of development of the literature with respect to the influence of urban quality on economic activity, and proposes a framework for forecasting economic impacts based on three communities of reference: customers, employees, and the businesses themselves. The results from original modelling of a case study area in Manchester, England are reported and suggest that the positive uplifts that may be expected from environmental improvement programmes may well be on a scale which is significant. The research is obviously important for the urban regeneration and renaissance agendas which posit attractive and well-designed environments as a way to create the right conditions for promoting economic growth.     

The impact of some specific air pollutants on agricultural productivity

Summary Unplanned discharges of atmospheric pollutants influenced by intense industrialisation, the population explosion and urbanisation result in injury and damage. The intensity and nature of the damage is a function of the concentration of the pollutant and the duration of exposure (dose). This has immediate (acute) and long (chronic) effects on the quantity and quality of agricultural products.Based on the properties of these pollutants, the resulting effects on the receptor may cause biochemical and physiological modifications at the cellular level as well as whole plant, animal and ecosystem alterations. These may cause significant changes in agricultural output.Mr E.M. Shaibu—Imodagbe is Vice—Principal and a lecturer at the Samaru College of Agriculture, of Ahmadu Bello University. He holds a Master's degree in Pollution and Environmental Control from the University of Manchester, UK, and his research special interests are in pollution damage and environmental quality.     

Managing the impact of climate change on the hydrology of the Gallocanta Basin,NE-Spain

The Gallocanta Basin represents an environment highly sensitive to climate change. Over the past 60 years, the Laguna de Gallocanta, an ephemeral lake situated in the closed Gallocanta basin, experienced a sequence of wet and dry phases. The lake and its surrounding wetlands are one of only a few bird sanctuaries left in NE-Spain for grey cranes on their annual migration from Scandinavia to northern Africa. Understanding the impact of climate change on basin hydrology is therefore of utmost importance for the appropriate management of the bird sanctuary. Changes in lake level are only weakly linked to annual rainfall, with reaction times between hours and months after rainfall. Both the total amount of rainfall over the reaction period, as well as individual extreme events, affect lake level. In this study the characteristics and frequencies of daily, event, monthly and bi-monthly rainfall over the past 60 years were analysed. The results revealed a clear link between increased frequencies of high magnitude rainfall and phases of water filling in the Laguna de Gallocanta. In the middle of the 20th century, the absolute amount of rainfall appears to have been more important for lake level, while more recently the frequency of high magnitude rainfall has emerged as the dominant variable.     

Water quality, sediment, and soil characteristics near Fargo-Moorhead urban areas as affected by major flooding of the Red River of the North

Spring flooding of the Red River of the North (RR) is common, but little information exits on how these flood events affect water and overbank sediment quality within an urban area. With the threat of the spring 2009 flood in the RR predicted to be the largest in recorded history and the concerns about the flooding of farmsteads, outbuildings, garages, and basements, the objectives of this study, which focused on Fargo, ND, and Moorhead, MN, were to assess floodwater quality and to determine the quantity and quality of overbank sediment deposited after floodwaters recede and the quality of soil underlying sediment deposits. 17β-Estradiol was detected in 9 of 24 water samples, with an average concentration of 0.61 ng L. Diesel-range organics were detected in 8 of 24 samples, with an average concentration of 80.0 μg L. The deposition of sediment across locations and transects ranged from 2 to 10 kg m, and the greatest mass deposition of chemicals was closest to the river channel. No gasoline-range organics were detected, but diesel-range organics were detected in 26 of the 27 overbank sediment samples (maximum concentration, 49.2 mg kg). All trace elements detected in the overbank sediments were within ranges for noncontaminated sites. Although flooding has economic, social, and environmental impacts, based on the results of this study, it does not appear that flooding in the RR in F-M led to decreased quality of water, sediment, or soil compared with normal river flows or resident soil.     

河长制背景下流域协同治理问题探讨——基于共容利益理论

河长制是中国水环境治理的重大创新实践,其明确的责任、针对性的治理模式有效实现了水环境质量的大步提升.然而,以行政区划为基础的河长制与流域整体性治理之间依然存在着操作上的缝隙亟待解决.以流域水污染为典型对象,从共容利益的角度,讨论了上、下游河长协同治理的利益博弈结构,明确影响上、下游合作的因素,进而提出河长制背景下促进流...     

沱江流域综合整治规划

本文首先在描述了沱江流域的水质问题，沱江干流的几个主要水质指标与１０年前相比呈继续恶化的趋势，于流的水污染仍未得到控制，工业点源污染和流域非点源是造成流域水污染的主要原因，沱江流域水环境潜在问题陆生生态恶化和水资源贫乏两大难题，文章提出了工业污染源控制，修建城市污水厂，增加枯水流量和提高森林覆盖率等综合防治措施。     

Hydroclimatology of the Mississippi River Basin

Model estimated monthly water balance (WB) components (i.e., potential evapotranspiration, actual evapotranspiration, and runoff [R]) for 848 United States (U.S.) Geological Survey 8‐digit hydrologic units located in the Mississippi River Basin (MRB) are used to examine the temporal and spatial variability of the MRB WB for water years 1901 through 2014. Results indicate the MRB can be divided into nine subregions with similar temporal variability in R. The WB analyses indicated ~79% of total water‐year MRB runoff is generated by four of the nine subregions and most of the R in the basin is derived from surplus (S) water during the months of December through May. Furthermore, the analyses showed temporal variability in S is largely controlled by the occurrence of negative atmospheric pressure anomalies over the western U.S. and positive atmospheric pressure anomalies over the eastern U.S. coast. This combination of atmospheric pressure anomalies results in an anomalous flow of moist air from the Gulf of Mexico into the MRB. In the context of paleo‐climate reconstructions of the Palmer Drought Severity Index, since about 1900 the MRB has experienced wetter conditions than were experienced during the previous 500 years.     

流域比较视角的钱塘江与黑河流域水资源问题及对策研究——基于水足迹核算分析

产品贸易及水权交易使得水资源问题"跨流域化",不再单纯是流域内部管理问题。本文从流域比较视角出发,在区分蓝、绿、灰三种水足迹的基础上,应用水足迹模型,测算了两流域典型地区的水足迹,进行流域水资源问题对比分析,并分析了经济发展模式对流域水资源可持续性的影响。结果发现,杭州市经济用水中灰色水足迹占总量的90%,而张掖市经济用水中绿色水足迹占总量的60.8%,说明钱塘江流域水资源问题在于质,而黑河流域水资源问题在于量;经济发展模式中的产业结构、水资源开发效率、工业化路径等影响流域水资源可持续利用,同时基于GDP导向的流域间的水资源逆向配置,更加剧了流域水资源矛盾。最后根据流域对比结果提出治理措施,从而形成流域间协作的良性循环。     

The impact of small farm reservoirs on urban water supplies in Botswana

In eastern Botswana there are many small farm reservoirs within the catchments of the major water supply reservoirs, and there is increasing demand for more small reservoirs. The increasing development of farm reservoirs has an impact on the availability of water from the major reservoirs, which supply urban and industrial users, and this creates a conflict between the needs of the rural water users and the urban and industrial users. This paper describes a model which has been developed to allow the effects of the existing small reservoirs and the possible impacts of future proposed ones on the water resources of the major reservoirs to be quantified. The model provides a planning tool, enabling guidelines for future small reservoir development to be determined. The model is a general one which could also be calibrated and applied in other areas with a broadly similar climate. The results of a series of model runs indicate the rate of decline of runoff and yield from the major reservoirs as the total capacity of small reservoirs within the catchment increases. It also shows how this decline is affected by secondary factors such as the relative location of the small reservoirs within the catchment, the typical size of small reservoirs and the type of use to which they are put. The results clearly indicate the adverse effect which uncontrolled development of farm reservoirs would have on the water supplies from the major reservoirs. By quantifying these effects, planners have some of the necessary information to determine the optimum balance between development of small-scale rural water supplies and large-scale urban supplies .     

Assessing the impact of urbanization on regional net primary productivity in Jiangyin County, China

Urbanization is one of the most important aspects of global change. The process of urbanization has a significant impact on the terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycle. The Yangtze Delta region has one of the highest rates of urbanization in China. In this study, carried out in Jiangyin County as a representative region within the Yangtze Delta, land use and land cover changes were estimated using Landsat TM and ETM+ imagery. With these satellite data and the BEPS process model (Boreal Ecosystem Productivity Simulator), the impacts of urbanization on regional net primary productivity (NPP) and annual net primary production were assessed for 1991 and 2002. Landsat-based land cover maps in 1991 and 2002 showed that urban development encroached large areas of cropland and forest. Expansion of residential areas and reduction of vegetated areas were the major forms of land transformation in Jiangyin County during this period. Mean NPP of the total area decreased from 818 to 699 gCm(-2)yr(-1) during the period of 1991 to 2002. NPP of cropland was only reduced by 2.7% while forest NPP was reduced by 9.3%. Regional annual primary production decreased from 808 GgC in 1991 to 691 GgC in 2002, a reduction of 14.5%. Land cover changes reduced regional NPP directly, and the increasing intensity and frequency of human-induced disturbance in the urbanized areas could be the main reason for the decrease in forest NPP.     

The Impact of Dynamic Environmental Flow Releases on Hydropower Production in the Zambezi River Basin

Incorporation of environmental flow releases from reservoirs has proven to be challenging due to fear of losses to existing water uses. Moreover environmental flow requirements (EFR) have not often been operationalized. This study compares the possibility of implementing dynamic EFR based on natural flows lagged against an upstream unregulated gauging point with static EFR. It simulates different scenarios with a high flow release in the wet season and analyses its impacts on hydropower production. This method accounts fully for the natural variability of environmental flows, implying less pressure on existing water uses during relatively dry years. Joint operation of two cascading dams vs. individual operation for EFR was also explored. These approaches were tested for the Zambezi River basin in Southern Africa using a water resources model, WAFLEX. Historic data on reservoir water levels, releases and power generation of the hydropower schemes were synthesized. Combining these yielded a validated series of monthly flow data for a 28 year period (1982‐2010). The results show that Kariba and Cahora Bassa reservoirs face a reduction in power produced when they would annually release an environmental flow. However, the dynamic EFR method entails smaller hydropower losses. Joint environmental flow operations will reduce overall basin power production more than if Cahora Bassa alone would release an environmental flow. However, such joint operation would be more beneficial to the ecosystem.     

The Water‐Year Water Balance of the Colorado River Basin

Model‐estimated monthly water balance components (i.e., potential evapotranspiration, actual evapotranspiration, and runoff (R)) for 146 United States (U.S.) Geological Survey 8‐digit hydrologic units located in the Colorado River Basin (CRB) are used to examine the temporal and spatial variability of the CRB water balance for water years 1901 through 2014 (a water year is the period from October 1 of one year through September 30 of the following year). Results indicate that the CRB can be divided into six subregions with similar temporal variability in monthly R. The water balance analyses indicated that approximately 75% of total water‐year R is generated by just one CRB subregion and that most of the R in the basin is derived from surplus (S) water generated during the months of October through April. Furthermore, the analyses show that temporal variability in S is largely controlled by the occurrence of negative atmospheric pressure anomalies over the northwestern conterminous U.S. (CONUS) and positive atmospheric pressure anomalies over the southeastern CONUS. This combination of atmospheric pressure anomalies results in an anomalous flow of moist air from the North Pacific Ocean into the CRB, particularly the Upper CRB. Additionally, the occurrence of extreme dry and wet periods in the CRB appears to be related to variability of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.