Uncovering impact factors of carbon emissions from transportation sector: evidence from China’s Yangtze River Delta Area

Transportation sector contributes a significant proportion to the overall carbon emission. This paper aims at measuring the impact factors of the transportation sector’s carbon emission in China’s Yangtze River Delta Area (YRDA) so that mitigation strategies on promoting low-carbon transportation can be raised. The partial least squares method and an extended STIRPAT (stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence, and technology) model were employed for quantifying the contributions of different impact factors that affect transportation carbon emission within the YRDA region for the period of 1995–2014. Results show that population size, GDP, civilian vehicle inventory, energy intensity, passenger transportation, freight turnover, and transport sector output are key factors inducing transportation carbon emission, while energy structure and transportation sector employees mitigate the overall transportation carbon emission. Such results provide valuable policy implications for preparing appropriate mitigation strategies, such as the optimization of energy structure, the development of energy efficient technologies, the improvement of public awareness, and the implementation of intelligent transportation management.

     

Spatial–temporal characteristics of haze and vertical distribution of aerosols over the Yangtze River Delta of China

Variation of haze events occurred in the Yangtze River Delta(YRD) of China, the characteristics of meteorological elements and the vertical distribution of aerosols during haze episodes were analyzed by utilizing data of ground observation, radiosonde and CALIPSO. The results illustrate that the frequency of haze events between 1981 and 2010 peaked in winter but bottomed out in summer and decreased from north to south in the YRD region, reaching at the lowest point in "low frequency center" — Shanghai. When haze happened, the most seriously affected area was 2–4 km above the ground and the concentrated range of total backscattering coefficient(TBC) that decreased with altitude was 0.8 × 10~(-3)–2.5 × 10~(-3) km~(-1)·sr~(-1). Particulate depolarization ratio(PDR) was less than 40%in a large part and 93% aerosols over the YRD area were regular particles, while the irregular ones concentrated on 2 km above the surface and the irregularity rose up but the diversity diminished when altitude increased. Color ratio(CR) was lower than 1.2 mostly at all altitudes and distributed asymmetrically above the ground. Nearly 80% aerosols under10 km were fine particles(CR 1.0) and 22.54% coarse particles(CR 1.0) clustered at 2–4 km. Large particles(CR 1.2) aggregated in lower troposphere massively yet relatively smaller ones gathered in middle and upper troposphere. In the YRD region, aerosols with more powerful capabilities were wider and less regular than the ones of Northwestern China.     

Effects of ground-level ozone (O_3) pollution on the yields of rice and winter wheat in the Yangtze River Delta

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＩｎＣｈｉｎａ ,ｗｉｔｈｔｈｅｒａｐｉｄｅｃｏｎｏｍｉｃｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔａｎｄｕｎｐｒｅｃｅｄｅｎｔｅｄｃｈａｎｇｅｓｉｎｌａｎｄｕｓｅ ,ａｒｔｉｆｉｃｉａｌｅｍｉｓｓｉｏｎｏｆＮＯｘａｎｄＶＯＣｓｈａｓｉｎｃｒｅａｓｅｄｓｉｇｎｉｆｉｃａｎｔｌｙｔｏｔｈｅｄｏｕｂｌｅｄｕｒｉｎｇｔｈｅｐａｓｔ 11ｙｅａｒｓａｎｄｒｅａｃｈｅｓｔｈｅｓａｍｅｌｅｖｅｌａｓＵＳＡａｎｄＥｕｒｏｐｅ(Ｅｌｌｉｏｔｔ,1997) .Ａｓａｒｅｓｕｌｔ,ｔｈｅｇｒｏｕｎｄ ｌｅｖｅｌＯ3ｃｏｎｃｅｎｔ…     

Air pollution characteristics and their relationship with emissions and meteorology in the Yangtze River Delta region during 2014–2016

With rapid economic growth and urbanization, the Yangtze River Delta(YRD) region in China has experienced serious air pollution challenges. In this study, we analyzed the air pollution characteristics and their relationship with emissions and meteorology in the YRD region during 2014–2016. In recent years, the concentrations of all air pollutants, except O_3,decreased. Spatially, the PM_(2.5), PM_(10), SO_2, and CO concentrations were higher in the northern YRD region, and NO_2 and O_3 were higher in the central YRD region. Based on the number of non-attainment days(i.e., days with air quality index greater than 100), PM_(2.5) was the largest contributor to air pollution in the YRD region, followed by O_3, PM_(10), and NO_2.However, particulate matter pollution has declined gradually, while O_3 pollution worsened.Meteorological conditions mainly influenced day-to-day variations in pollutant concentrations. PM_(2.5) concentration was inversely related to wind speed, while O_3 concentration was positively correlated with temperature and negatively correlated with relative humidity.The air quality improvement in recent years was mainly attributed to emission reductions.During 2014–2016, PM_(2.5), PM_(10), SO_2, NO_x, CO, NH_3, and volatile organic compound(VOC)emissions in the YRD region were reduced by 26.3%, 29.2%, 32.4%, 8.1%, 15.9%, 4.5%, and0.3%, respectively. Regional transport also contributed to the air pollution. During regional haze periods, pollutants from North China and East China aggravated the pollution in the YRD region. Our findings suggest that emission reduction and regional joint prevention and control helped to improve the air quality in the YRD region.     

Geochemical characteristics of rare earth elements in Wuhan section of the Yangtze River

ＧｅｏｃｈｅｍｉｃａｌｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｉｓｔｉｃｓｏｆｒａｒｅｅａｒｔｈｅｌｅｍｅｎｔｓｉｎＷｕｈａｎｓｅｃｔｉｏｎｏｆｔｈｅＹａｎｇｔｚｅＲｉｖｅｒＷａｎｇＬｉｊｕｎ；ＺｈａｎｇＳｈｅｎ；ＺｈａｎｇＣｈａｏｓｈｅｎｇ（ＩｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅｏｆＧｅｏ...     

Adsorption and desorption of Cu(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ) in paddy soils cultivated for various years in the subtropical China

The adsorption and desorption of Cu(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ) on upland red soil,and paddy soils which were originated from the upland soil and cultivated for 8,15,35 and 85 years,were investigated using the batch method.The study showed that the organic matter content and cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the soils are important factors controlling the adsorption and desorption of Cu(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ).The 15-Year paddy soil had the highest adsorption capacity for Pb(Ⅱ),followed by the 35-Year paddy soil.Both the 35-Year paddy soil and 15-Year paddy soil adsorbed more Cu(Ⅱ) than the upland soil and other paddy soils.The 15-Year paddy soils exhibited the highest desorption percentage for both Cu(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ).These results are consistent with the trend for the CEC of the soils tested.The high soil CEC contributes not only to the adsorption of Cu(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ) but also to the electrostatic adsorption of the two heavy metals by the soils.Lower desorption percentages for Cu(Ⅱ) (36.7% to 42.2%) and Pb(Ⅱ) (50.4% to 57.9%) were observed for the 85-Year paddy soil.The highest content of organic matter in the soil was responsible for the low desorption percentages for the two metals because the formation of the complexes between the organic matter and the metals could increase the stability of the heavy metals in the soils.     

Chlorobenzenes in waterweeds from the Xijiang River （Guangdong section） of the Pearl River

The Xijiang River is the major source of water for about 4.5 millions of urban population and 28.7 millions of rural population. The water quality is very important for the health of the rural population. The concentration and distribution of chlorobenzenes (CBs) in both water and waterweeds collected from 4 stations in the Xijiang River (Gangdong section) of the Pearl River in April and November were determined. The result showed that nearly every congener of CBs was detected. The total contents of CBs (∑CBs) in the river water ranged from 111.1 to 360.0 ng/L in April and from 151.9 to 481.7 ng/L in November, respectively. The pollution level of CBs in the water in April was higher than that in November. The contents of ∑ CBs in waterweeds ranged from 13.53×102 μg/g to 38.27×102μg/g dry weight (dw). There was no significant difference between April and November in waterweeds. The distribution of CBs in roots, caulis, and leaves of Vallisneria spiralis L. showed different patterns. The leaves mainly contained low-molecular-weight CBs(DCBs), whereas the roots accumulated more PCBs and HCBs. The average lgBCFlip (bioconcentration factor) of CBs ranged from 0.64 to 3.57 in the waterweeds. The spatial distribution character of CBs in the Xijiang River was: Fengkai County ＜ Yunan County ＜Yun'an County ＜ Gaoyao County according to the ∑CBs, and the pollution deteriorated from the upstream to the downstream of the Xijiang River. Further analysis demonstrated that the discharge of waste containing CBs may be the main source of CBs pollution in the Xijiang River.     

N_2O emissions from forest and grassland soils in northern China

Ｎ２ＯｅｍｉｓｉｏｎｓｆｒｏｍｆｏｒｅｓｔａｎｄｇｒａｓｌａｎｄｓｏｉｌｓｉｎｎｏｒｔｈｅｒｎＣｈｉｎａＬｉｕＹｅ，ＭｕＹｕｊｉｎｇ，ＹａｎｇＷｅｎｘｉａｎｇＲｅｓｅａｒｃｈＣｅｎｔｅｒｆｏｒＥｃｏＥｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔａｌＳｃｉｅｎｃｅｓ，Ｃｈ...     

Potential carbon sequestration in China’s forests

Forests are believed to be a major sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. There are 158.94 million hectares (Mha) of forests in China, accounting for 16.5% of its land area. These extensive forests may play a vital role in the global carbon (C) cycle as well as making a large contribution to the country’s economic and environmental well-being. Currently there is a trend towards increased development in the forests. Hence, accounting for the role and potential of the forests in the global carbon budget is very important.In this paper, we attempt to estimate the carbon emissions and sequestration by Chinese forests in 1990 and make projections for the following 60 years based on three scenarios, i.e. “baseline”, “trend” and “planning”. A computer model F-CARBON 1.0, which takes into account the different biomass density and growth rates for the forests in different age classes, the life time for biomass oxidation and decomposition, and the change in soil carbon between harvesting and reforestation, was developed by the authors and used to make the calculations and projections. Climate change is not modelled in this exercise.We calculate that forests in China annually accumulate 118.1 Mt C in growth of trees and 18.4 Mt in forest soils, and release 38.9 Mt, resulting in a net sequestration of 97.6 Mt C, corresponding to 16.8% of the national CO₂ emissions in 1990. From 1990 to 2050, soil carbon accumulation was projected to increase slightly while carbon emissions increases by 73, 77 and 84%, and net carbon sequestration increases by −21, 52 and 90% for baseline, trend and planning scenarios, respectively. Carbon sequestration by China’s forests under the planning scenario in 2000, 2010, 2030 and 2050 is approximately 20, 48, 111 and 142% higher than projected by the baseline scenario, and 8, 18, 34 and 26% higher than by the trend scenario, respectively. Over 9 Gt C is projected to accumulate in China’s forests from 1990 to 2050 under the planning scenario, and this is 73 and 23% larger than projected for the baseline and trend scenarios, respectively. During the period 2008–2012, Chinese forests are likely to have a net uptake of 667, 565 and 452 Mt C, respectively, for the planning, trend and baseline scenarios. We conclude that China’s forests have a large potential for carbon sequestration through forest development. Sensitivity analysis showed that the biggest uncertainty in the projection by the F-CARBON model came from the release coefficient of soil carbon between periods after harvesting and before reforestation.     

Determination of hexabromocyclododecanes in sediments from the Haihe River in China by an optimized HPLC–MS–MS method

Hexabromocyclododecanes(HBCDs),a new type of persistent organic pollutants widely used as brominated flame retardants,have attracted wide attention due to their increasing level and toxicity. A method based on high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry(HPLC–MS–MS)in electrospray ionization mode has been developed by optimization of various parameters,which effectively improved the separation degree and responsive intensity of α-,β-and γ-HBCD isomers. The concentrations and distribution profiles of three HBCD isomers were investigated in sediments from the Haihe River in China.It was observed that the concentrations of HBCDs varied in the range of 0.4–58.82 ng/g,showing a decreasing trend along the flow direction,possibly due to attenuation and biodegradation along the flow direction of the Haihe River. The distribution profile of α-,β-,γ-HBCD was 7.91%–88.6%,0–91.47%,and 0.62%–42.83%,respectively. Interestingly,α-HBCD dominated in most sample sites. This was different from the distribution profile in commercial industrial products,which might be attributed to the inter-transformation and different degradation rates of the three HBCD isomers. The potential ecological risk of HBCDs in sediment was characterized under the two-tiered procedure of the European Medicines Evaluation Agency for environmental risk assessment. Although the HBCDs in the selected section of the Haihe River presented "no risk" in the sediment compartment,its risk in sediment cannot be neglected since sediment is one of the important sinks and reservoirs of pollutants.     

Occurrence and congeners specific of poiychlorinated biphenyls in agricultural soils from Southern Jiangsu, China

A total of 198 agricultural soil samples were collected from Zhangjiagang and Changshu in Southern Jiangsu for analysis of 13 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in order to assess the levels of pollution, sources, area distribution, and potential risk for the environment. All methods were rigorously tested and an adequate quality control was ensured. Only one site had no PCBs residues, and the highest total PCBs concentration in the surface soils was 32.83 ng/g. The average concentration in all the soil samples was 4.13 ng/g, signaling low-level pollution. Tetra-, penta-, and hexa-chlorinated biphenyls were dominant species in soil samples, accounting for more than 75% ofΣPCBs in the soil samples. PCB118 was the most abundant congener in all the samples. The PCB118 was about 20% ofΣPCBs. The soil organic matter content showed only a weak correlation with the levels of all PCB congeners, in which a better correlation was noted for the more volatile lighter PCB congeners than for the heavier homologues. To a certain extent, the sources and land use seemed to influence the levels of PCBs.     

N20 emissions from forest and grassland soils in northern China

Nitrous oxide(N₂O)is a major trace gas in the atmosphere．It plays an important rote in global warming and zone depleting．In this paper，we set up a install to determine the N₂O emission flux from forest and grassland soil．We observed an interesting phenomenon：in our sampling sites，the soil always acts as a source of N₂O，but sometimes it acts as a sink when the temperature is lower than 15℃．     

Interrelationship of age and diet in Romania’s oldest human burial

In 1968, excavations in the Climente II cave in the Iron Gates gorge of the River Danube in southwest Romania unearthed the skeleton of an adult male. The burial was assumed to be of Late Pleistocene age because of the presence of Late Upper Palaeolithic (LUP) artefacts in the cave. However, there was no strong supporting stratigraphic evidence, and the body position is reminiscent of Early Neolithic burial practice in the region. Here, we report the results of radiocarbon and stable isotope analyses of the Climente II skeleton, which show that the skeleton dates to the Bølling–Allerød Interstadial ~14,500 cal BP. This is several millennia older than any previously dated human remains from the Iron Gates region and confirms its status as the oldest known burial from Romania. The stable isotope results indicate a diet with an emphasis on aquatic resources, contrary to the commonly held view that the LUP inhabitants of the Iron Gates subsisted mainly by hunting large land mammals.     

Mixed surfactant washing of petroleum contaminants from the soils and sediments in the unsaturated zone

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＩｎｒｅｃｅｎｔｙｅａｒｓ,ｒｅｍｅｄｉａｔｉｏｎｏｆｐｅｔｒｏｌｅｕｍｃｏｎｔａｍｉｎａｔｅｄｇｒｏｕｎｄｗａｔｅｒａｎｄｓｏｉｌｈａｓａｔｔｒａｃｔｅｄｍｕｃｈａｔｔｅｎｔｉｏｎｏｆｓｃｉｅｎｔｉｓｔｓｉｎｖａｒｉｏｕｓｃ?..     

Spatial variability of organochlorine pesticides （DDTs and HCHs） in surface soils from the alluvial region of Beijing, China

The spatial variability in the concentrations of 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT) in surface soils was studied on the basis of the analysis of 131 soil samples collected from the surface layer (0-20 cm depth) of the alluvial region of Beijing, China. The concentrations of total HCHs (including α-, β-, γ-, and δ-isomers) and total DDTs (i ncluding p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDE, and o,p'-DDT) in the surface soils tested were in the range from nondetectable to 31.72 μg/kg dry soil, with a mean value of 0.91, and from nondetectable to 5910.83 μg/kg dry soil, with a mean value of 32.13,respectively. It was observed that concentrations of HCHs in all soil samples and concentrations of DDTs in 112 soil samples were much lower than the first grade (50 μg/kg) permitted in "Environment quality standard for soils in China (GB15618-1995)". This suggests that the pollution due to organochlorine pesticides was generally not significant in the farmland soils in the Beijing alluvial region. In this study, the spatial distribution and trend of HCHs and DDTs were analyzed using Geostatistical Analyst and GS (513).Spatial distribution indicated how these pesticides had been applied in the past. Trend analysis showed that the concentrations of HCHs,DDTs, and their related metabolites followed an obvious distribution trend in the surface soils from the alluvial region of Beijing.     

Seasonal bioconcentration of heavy metals in Onchidium struma （Gastropoda： Pulmonata） from Chongming Island, the Yangtze Estuary, China

The seasonal concentration changes of selected heavy metal Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn in five tissues of marine gastropod Onchidium struma were studied in the Chongming Island, the Yangtze Estuary on July 2006, September 2006, and November 2006, April 2007, respectively. The results demonstrated that the bioconcentration factor of Cu (biomass/water) in all selected tissues was about 104 magnitudes, Fe and Cd were 103, Zn was 102, and Mn, Pb, and Cr were 101. Hepatopancreas was proven to be the dominant storage tissue of Cr, Cu, Mn, and Zn, whereas Fe and Pb were mainly stored in muscle and digenetic gland, and Cd was stored in vitelline gland and albumen gland. Additionally, it was found that Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn were concentrated significantly by O. struma (whole-body) in summer or autumn, and Cd, Cr, and Pb increased slightly in spring and winter. Furthermore, the bioconcentration of Cr was nearly 2-fold higher and Zn was 1.6-fold higher in the water compared with the Water Quality Standard for Fisheries. With view of excessive amount of Pb, Cd, and Cu according to seafood standard, the consumption of O. struma might have the risk of health hazard.     

N2O emissions from agricultural soils in the North China Plain:the effect of chemical nitrogen fertilizer and organic manure

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＮｉｔｒｏｕｓｏｘｉｄｅ (Ｎ2 Ｏ)ｉｓａｖｅｒｙｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔｇｒｅｅｎｈｏｕｓｅｇａｓｉｎｔｈｅａｔｍｏｓｐｈｅｒｅ.ＩｎｔｅｒｅｓｔｉｎｔｈｅｉｎｃｒｅａｓｅｏｆａｔｍｏｓｐｈｅｒｉｃＮ2 ＯｈａｓｂｅｅｎｒｅｃｅｎｔｌｙｓｔｉｍｕｌａｔｅｄｂｙｔｈｅｕｎｄｅｒｓｔａｎｄｉｎｇｔｈａｔＮ2 Ｏｇａｓｐｌａｙｓａｎｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔｒｏｌｅｉｎｔｈｅｃｈｅｍｉｓｔｒｙａｎｄｏｚｏｎｅｌａｙｅｒｄｅｓｔｒｕｃｔｉｏｎｏｆｔｈｅｓｔｒａｔｏｓｐｈｅｒｅ.Ｔｈｅｒａｄｉａｔｉｖ…     

An evaluation of mercury emissions from the chlor-alkali industry in China

1　ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＴｈｅｃｈｌｏｒｉｎｅ ａｌｋａｌｉｉｎｄｕｓｔｒｙｉｓｏｎｅｏｆｔｈｅｓｕｂｓｔａｎｔｉａｌｐａｒｔｓｏｆｔｈｅｃｈｅｍｉｃａｌｉｎｄｕｓｔｒｙ .Ｎｏｗ ,ｔｈｒｅｅｔｙｐｅｓｏｆｅｌｅｃｔｒｏｌｙｔｉｃｃｅｌｌｓａｒｅｕｓｅｄｔｏｐｒｏｄｕｃｅｃｈｌｏｒｉｎｅｇａｓａｎｄｃａｕｓｔｉｃｓｏｄａ:ｔｈｅＨｇｃｅｌｌ,ｔｈｅｄｉａｐｈｒａｇｍｃｅｌｌ,ａｎｄｔｈｅｍｅｍｂｒａｎｅｃｅｌｌ.Ｃｈｉｎａｉｓｕｓｉｎｇｔｈｅｄｉａｐｈｒａｇｍｃｅｌｌａｓｔｈｅｍａｉｎｔｙｐｅ.Ｎａ…     

Modeling of air quality with a modified two-dimensional Eulerian model： A case study in the Pearl River Delta （PRD） region of China

A modified two-dimensional Eulerian air quality model was used to simulate both the gaseous and particulate pollutant concentrations during October 21-24, 2004 in the Pearl River Delta （PRD） region, China. The most significant improvement to the model is the added capability to predict the secondary organic aerosols （SOA） concentrations because of the inclusion of the SOA formation chemistry. The meteorological input data were prepared using the CALMET meteorological model. The concentrations of aerosol-bound species such as NO3^-, NH4^＋, SO4^2-, and SOA were calculated in the fine particle size range （〈2.5 μm）. The results of the two-dimensional model were compared to the measurements at the ground level during the PRD Intensive Monitoring Campaign （IMC）. Overall, there were good agreements between the measured and modeled concentrations of inorganic aerosol components and O3. Both the measured and the modeled results indicated that the maximum hourly O3 concentrations exceeded the China National Air Quality Standard. The predicted 24-h average SOA concentrations were in reasonable agreement with those predicted by the method of minimum OC/EC ratio.     

Trace metals distribution in synodontis membranaceus,sediments,Asystasia Gangetica and Platostoma Africanium from Ofuafor River around Delta Glass Factory in Ughelli North Local Government Area,Delta

The trace metals analysis in synodontis membranaceus(head and tail),bottom sediments,Asystasia Gangetica and Platostoma Africanium were carried out using atomic absorption spectrometer of model Perkin Elmer 3110.Metals analysed were copper,nickel,mangenese,chromium,iron lead and cobalt.These metals were detected in the above samples.Vegetation samples concentration in copper,manganese,chromium,iron and cobalt were higher than those obtained in bottom sediments.The tail part of the fish contents of trace metals were also higher than those of the head.The results obtained in this work exceeded the results of water analysis carried out by Omoregha on the same river.Metals such as copper,nickel,manganese and chromium were below detection limit in the water from the same river.The bioaccumulation of these trace metals in these samples were traced to activities of Delta Glass Factory.