甘肃省城镇化质量测度

城镇化质量能全面反映城镇化进程,是城镇化进程的集中体现.在界定城镇化质量内涵的基础上,构建城镇化质量测度指标体系,利用熵权法对甘肃省87个县域2001-2012年的城镇化质量进行测度,以ArcGIS 9.3和Geo da为平台,分析城镇化质量的时间、空间演化格局特征并可视化表示.结果显示:甘肃省城镇化质量整体较低且差异明显,两极分化集聚现象是城镇化质量差异的主要原因;城镇化质量基本格局保持稳定,陇东地区个别县域城镇化质量提升较快;城镇化低质量不平衡发展态势愈演愈烈,城镇化质量空间格局由“三点三片”向“五点五片”扩展.     

河南省新型城镇化发展水平评价研究

为了综合测度新型城镇化发展水平,在分析新型城镇化内涵的基础上,运用熵值法构建了新型城镇化的三级评价指标体系,并采用2005-2012年数据对河南省新型城镇化综合发展程度、发展度、协调度和持续度进行了定量评价.结果表明,河南省新型城镇化发展态势良好,综合发展程度和发展度一直保持稳定的上升趋势;新型城镇化协调度总体上呈增长趋势,局部存在一定波动;持续度在研究期间内呈稳定态势.     

多尺度视角下的吉林省城市化地域格局研究

结合吉林省的案例,运用多元统计分析、引力模型、Kernel密度分析方法,从城市化地域综合发展水平、城市间相互作用网络、城市集聚区空间组织形态三个尺度探讨吉林省城市化地域格局问题。研究表明:①整个吉林省城市化空间呈现出较强的单极化发育特点。②受经济地域空间发育水平影响,中部地区城市化的空间发育水平高于东部地区,东部地区高于西部地区;产业结构发育水平较低和职能结构单一的城市,其城市化空间发育水平较低。③吉林省城镇体系集群化发育特征明显,形成了"一群三组群"的地域空间组织格局,省域城市空间分布具有"中东部偏密集、东西部较稀疏"的格局特征。     

陕西省城市化水平测度及时空演变分析

从人口、经济、土地和社会四个方面构建了综合评价指标体系,对2002年、2007年和2013年陕西省城市化水平进行了测度,从时空两个维度上进行了动态分析。时间上分析了综合城市化水平、子系统城市化水平和各市城市化水平的演变,空间上分析了综合城市化及其子系统的层级结构的演变,借助Arc GIS进行了可视化表达。结果表明:陕西省城市化进程加快,但整体水平偏低;城市化发展水平具有明显的区域差异特征;城市化层级结构之间的协调性不强;城市化空间分布格局各异。     

基于县域尺度的绿色化空间格局探究——以山东省为例

从经济、社会、生态三方面构建绿色化评价指标体系,利用Moran's I空间分析方法,对2015年山东省108个县域的绿色化空间格局进行探究分析。结果表明:山东省县域绿色化水平的空间分布差异较大,大致呈现由东部沿海向西部内陆递减的格局;绿色化水平为低、较低水平型的县域,经济绿色化水平与社会绿色化水平有待提高;绿色化水平为高、较高水平型的县域,生态绿色化水平有待提高;山东省县域绿色化水平空间分布呈现较强的正相关。     

资源型城市城镇化水平格局及驱动因素研究——以鄂尔多斯为例

资源型城市的城镇化水平快速提高与资源的开发利用关系密切。以鄂尔多斯市为例,应用空间相关性分析与回归分析法对2000—2013年鄂尔多斯市的城镇化空间格局进行研究。结果表明:鄂尔多斯市整体城镇化水平呈稳步增长趋势,2010年后城镇化水平有所回落,但降幅不大,各区旗城镇化水平差距不断缩小,独立旗县的空间集聚不显著,主要表现为"低—高"关系或"高—低"关系,相关性不显著;各区旗城镇发展的主要驱动力是第二产业和农村牧业经济,根据贡献率差异,前者对城镇发展的影响呈先增后减趋势,后者呈稳定增长趋势;依靠单一资源发展的城镇化水平不稳定,且波动性较大。基于此,提出从产业结构优化、区域经济协调发展、产城融合来实现鄂尔多斯可持续发展的对策建议。     

民族地区城乡一体化发展评价研究——以甘南藏族自治州为例

在总结国内城乡一体化定量研究的基础上,结合甘南藏族自治州实际概况,运用客观赋权法构建了一套能反映民族地区城乡一体化发展水平的评价指标体系,并利用统计数据对甘南州2010年城乡一体化发展水平进行了静态实证研究。结果显示,甘南藏族自治州城乡一体化发展水平地域差异显著,二元经济结构格局的空间分布在一定程度上决定了城乡一体化水平的空间格局,城乡一体化发展水平与城镇化水平基本吻合。根据甘南州的实际情况,从产业结构调整、空间结构优化、政策扶持与制度保障三方面提出了推进城乡一体化的实施措施。     

连片特困地区物流经济对城镇化的影响机制

为分析连片特困地区物流经济对城镇化的影响,从人口城镇化、土地城镇化、经济城镇化和社会城镇化四个方面构建城镇化水平评估体系,采用熵权法对连片特困地区的城镇化水平进行评估,构建物流经济发展水平评价体系,建立城镇化与物流经济的多重线性回归模型和空间耦合模型,并以滇西连片特困山区的56个县为例,深入分析连片特困地区物流经济对城镇化的影响机制。研究发现:(1)整体空间上,滇西边境山区的综合城镇化水平由中部的芒市、隆阳区、施甸县和祥云县等向外围逐渐降低,与研究区域的人口、土地和社会的城镇化空间分异特征大体吻合,经济城镇化水平呈现波动状态,由西北部向东南递减。(2)公路通车里程在人口城镇化发展中的作用显著;土地城镇化受到社会固定资产投资的影响,系数为0. 005;社会消费品零售总额与货物运输总量对社会城镇化的影响显著,系数分别为0. 008和0. 007,对社会城镇化有明显的正效应;货物运输总量在经济城镇化中的回归系数为0. 017,相关性较强。(3)滇西边境山区物流经济与城镇化的空间耦合程度整体处于较低水平,且区域差异显著,整体空间协调程度呈现中部高外围低的态势。     

山东省城镇化与产业结构变动关系研究

从时间和空间两个方面对山东省城镇化和产业结构的变动关系进行分析。时间上,利用SPSS软件对1978—2014年山东省城镇化与产业结构变动关系进行了相关分析,将改革开放以来两者的变动关系分为波动期、调整期和优化期三个阶段,并分析了各个时期两者的相关性,并探讨两者变动关系的形成原因;空间上,分析山东省的沿海和内陆地区以及17地市之间存在的差异。根据分析的主要结论提出城镇化和产业结构协调发展的对策建议。     

河南省新型城镇化发展水平空间格局研究

为了探索河南省新型城镇化发展水平在空间上的分布特征,选用18个城市的统计数据,构建新型城镇化发展水平的三级评价指标体系,并运用因子分析法和层次分析法对2013年河南省18个市的经济、社会、生态、科技及综合指标进行分析。结果表明,市域间新型城镇化发展空间分异特征极其明显,整体表现为"西北高、东南低"的态势。其中,经济发展指数表现出典型的"西北高、东南低、中部突出"的特征;社会发展指数则呈现典型的"众星拱月"特征;生态环境指数呈现两个高值中心和一片"C"字形低值中心;科技创新指数的高值与经济发展指数的高值空间布局相吻合,中部、北部和西部各有一个低值中心。     

Conversion of temperate forests into heaths: Role of ecosystem disturbance and ericaceous plants

Fire and logging in nutrient-poor temperate forests with certain ericaceous understory plants may convert the forests into heaths. The process of disturbance-induced heath formation is documented by using examples ofCalluna in western Europe,Kalmia in Newfoundland, andGaultheria (salal) in coastal British Columbia. In a cool, temperate climate, rapid vegetative growth ofCalluna, Kalmia, and salal following disturbance results in increasing organic accumulation (paludification), nutrient sequestration, soil acidification, and allelochemicals. These are thought to be the main reasons to conifer regeneration failure in disturbed habitats. If continuation in forest is a land-use objective, then temperate forests with an ericaceous understory should not be logged unless effective silvicultural methods are devised to control the ericaceous plants and restore forest regeneration. Preharvest vegetation control may be considered as an option. Failure to control the understory plants may lead to a long-term vegetation shift, from forest to heathland, particularly in nutrient-poor sites. Successful methods of controllingKalmia andGaultheria, however, have yet to be developed. While theKalmia- andGaultheria- dominated heathlands are undesirable in Canada and the Pacific Northwest, a wide range ofCalluna heathlands of western Europe are being conserved as natural and seminatural vegetation.     

AN APPLICATION RUNOFF MODEL STRATEGY FOR UNGAGED WATERSHEDS1

ABSTRACT: Mathematical models for predicting watershed surface flow responses are available, most of which are elaborate nonlinear numerical surface and channel flow models linked with infiltration models. Such models may be used to make predictions for ungaged areas, assuming an acceptable fitting of the model to the topography and roughness of the real system. For some application purposes, these models are impractical because of their complexity and expensive computer solutions. A procedure is developed that uses a complex model of an ungaged area to derive a simpler parametric nonlinear system model for repetitious simulation with input sequences. The predicted flow outputs are obtained with the simpler model at significant savings of money and time. The procedures for constructing a complex kinematic model of a 40 acre (161,880 m²) reference watershed and deriving the simpler system model are outlined. The results of predictions from both models are compared with a selected set of measured events, all having essentially the same initial conditions. Peak discharges ranged from 3 to 118 ft³/sec (0.085 to 3.34 m³/sec), which includes the largest event of record. The inherent limitations of lumped systems models are demonstrated, including the bias caused by their inability to model infiltration losses after rainfall ceases. Computer costs and times for the models were compared. The derived simple model has a cost advantage when repeated use of a model is required. Such an applications hydrologic model has an engineering tradeoff of reduced accuracy, and lumping bias, but is more economical for certain design purposes.     

Using Paleo Reconstructions to Improve Streamflow Forecast Lead Time in the Western United States

In water stressed regions, water managers are exploring new horizons that would help in long‐range streamflow forecasts. Oceanic‐atmospheric oscillations have been shown to influence streamflow variability. In this study, long‐lead time streamflow forecasts are made using a multiclass kernel‐based data‐driven support vector machine (SVM) model. The extended streamflow records based on tree ring reconstructions were used to provide a longer time series data. Reconstructed data were used from 1658 to 1952 and the instrumental record was used from 1953 to 2007. Reconstructions for oceanic‐atmospheric oscillations included the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, and North Atlantic Oscillation. Streamflow forecasts using all four oscillations were made with one‐year to five‐year lead times for 21 gages in the western United States. This is the first study that uses both instrumental and reconstructed data of oscillations in SVM model to improve streamflow forecast lead time. SVM model was able to provide “satisfactory” to “very good” forecasts with one‐ to five‐year lead time for the selected gages. The use of all the oscillation indices helped in achieving better predictability compared to using individual oscillations. The SVM modeling results are better when compared with multiple linear regression model forecasts. The findings are statistical in nature and are expected to be useful for long‐term water resources planning and management.     

Urban ecological systems: scientific foundations and a decade of progress

Urban ecological studies, including focus on cities, suburbs, and exurbs, while having deep roots in the early to mid 20th century, have burgeoned in the last several decades. We use the state factor approach to highlight the role of important aspects of climate, substrate, organisms, relief, and time in differentiating urban from non-urban areas, and for determining heterogeneity within spatially extensive metropolitan areas. In addition to reviewing key findings relevant to each state factor, we note the emergence of tentative "urban syndromes" concerning soils, streams, wildlife and plants, and homogenization of certain ecosystem functions, such as soil organic carbon dynamics. We note the utility of the ecosystem approach, the human ecosystem framework, and watersheds as integrative tools to tie information about multiple state factors together. The organismal component of urban complexes includes the social organization of the human population, and we review key modes by which human populations within urban areas are differentiated, and how such differentiation affects environmentally relevant actions. Emerging syntheses in land change science and ecological urban design are also summarized. The multifaceted frameworks and the growing urban knowledge base do however identify some pressing research needs.     

Neighbourhood characteristics and urban gardens in the Toledo metropolitan area: staffing and voluntarism,food production,infrastructure, and sustainability practices

Urban gardens are important sources of sustenance for communities with limited access to food. Hence, this study focuses on food production in gardens in the Toledo metropolitan area in Northwest Ohio. We administered surveys to 150 garden managers from November 2014 to February 2015 in our attempt to better understand how neighbourhood racial composition and poverty levels are related to staffing and voluntarism, food production and distribution, the development of infrastructure, and the adoption of sustainability practices in urban gardens. The results from 30 gardens are presented in this paper. We used Geographic Information Systems to map the gardens and overlay the map with 2010 census data so that we could conduct demographic analyses of the neighbourhoods in which the gardens were located. Though the gardens were small – two acres or less – up to 46 varieties of food were grown in a single garden. Gardens also operated on small budgets. Food from the gardens was gifted or shared with friends, family, and neighbourhood residents. Gardens in predominantly minority neighbourhoods tended to have fewer institutional partners, less garden infrastructure, and had adopted fewer sustainable practices than gardens in predominantly White neighbourhoods. Nonetheless, residents of predominantly minority and high-poverty neighbourhoods participated in garden activities and influenced garden operations. Volunteering and staffing were racialised and gendered.     

Predicting deer-vehicle collisions in an urban area

Collisions with deer and other large animals are increasing, and the resulting economic costs and risks to public safety have made mitigation measures a priority for both city and wildlife managers. We created landscape models to describe and predict deer-vehicle collision (DVCs) within the City of Edmonton, Alberta. Models based on roadside characteristics revealed that DVCs occurred frequently where roadside vegetation was both denser and more diverse, and that DVCs were more likely to occur when the groomed width of roadside right-of-ways was smaller. No DVCs occurred where the width of the vegetation-free or manicured roadside buffer was greater than 40 m. Landscape-based models showed that DVCs were more likely in more heterogeneous landscapes where road densities were lower and speed limits were higher, and where non-forested vegetation such as farmland was in closer proximity to larger tracts of forest. These models can help wildlife and transportation managers to identify locations of high collision frequency for mitigation. Modifying certain landscape and roadside habitats can be an effective way to reduce deer-vehicle collisions.     

MANGANESE CYCLE IN IMPOUNDMENT WATER

Manganese entering impounded water will undergo a cyclic transformation. Oxidation precipitates manganese from top waters. At the bottom of the lake, biological activity will render manganese soluble by both intracellular as well as extracellular activity. The study was made to demonstrate that biological reduction and transformation, organometallic complexation, together with the presence of carbon dioxide and the lowering of pH all have some effect on the solubility of manganese. Dissolved manganese may be brought back to top waters during the lake overturn and therefore deteriorates the water quality.     

Biodiversity and biotechnology

The maintenance of biodiversity is urged from many quarters and on grounds ranging from aesthetic considerations to its usefulness, particularly for biotechnology. But regardless of the grounds for preserving biodiversity, writers are generally in agreement that it should be preserved. But, in examining the various references biodiversity, such as species diversity, genetic diversity, and habitat diversity, it is apparent that we cannot aim to preserve biodiversityas such, since there are a number of conflicts in any such undertaking. In preserving one aspect of biodiversity, we damage another aspect. Five arguments which attempt to ground our moral concern for biodiversity are reviewed and critiqued, not only for their consistency but also for their power to move us to action. The final section of the paper shows how conflicts in the values of personal and environmental health can impair ethical action and especially policy formation.An earlier version of this paper was read at the conference on Agriculture, Food, and Human Values: Tradition and Change, Orlando, Florida, October 7–9, 1987.     

Sources and Transport of Phosphorus to Rivers in California and Adjacent States,U.S., as Determined by SPARROW Modeling

The SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression on Watershed attributes) model was used to simulate annual phosphorus loads and concentrations in unmonitored stream reaches in California, U.S., and portions of Nevada and Oregon. The model was calibrated using de‐trended streamflow and phosphorus concentration data at 80 locations. The model explained 91% of the variability in loads and 51% of the variability in yields for a base year of 2002. Point sources, geological background, and cultivated land were significant sources. Variables used to explain delivery of phosphorus from land to water were precipitation and soil clay content. Aquatic loss of phosphorus was significant in streams of all sizes, with the greatest decay predicted in small‐ and intermediate‐sized streams. Geological sources, including volcanic rocks and shales, were the principal control on concentrations and loads in many regions. Some localized formations such as the Monterey shale of southern California are important sources of phosphorus and may contribute to elevated stream concentrations. Many of the larger point source facilities were located in downstream areas, near the ocean, and do not affect inland streams except for a few locations. Large areas of cultivated land result in phosphorus load increases, but do not necessarily increase the loads above those of geological background in some cases because of local hydrology, which limits the potential of phosphorus transport from land to streams.     

Surface applied water treatment residuals affect bioavailable phosphorus losses in Florida sands

Water treatment residuals (WTR) can reduce runoff P loss and surface co-application of P-sources and WTR is a practical way of land applying the residuals. In a rainfall simulation study, we evaluated the effects of surface co-applied P-sources and an Al-WTR on runoff and leacheate bioavailable P (BAP) losses from a Florida sand. Four P-sources, namely poultry manure, Boca Raton biosolids (high water-soluble P), Pompano biosolids (moderate water-soluble P), and triple super phosphate (TSP) were surface applied at 56 and 224kgPha(-1) (by weight) to represent low and high soil P loads typical of P- and N-based amendments rates. The treatments further received surface applied WTR at 0 or 10gWTRkg(-1) soil. BAP loss masses were greater in leachate (16.4-536mg) than in runoff (0.91-46mg), but were reduced in runoff and leachate by surface applied WTR. Masses of total BAP lost in the presence of surface applied WTR were less than approximately 75% of BAP losses in the absence of WTR. Total BAP losses from each of the organic sources applied at N-based rates were not greater than P loss from TSP applied at a P-based rate. The BAP loss at the N-based rate of moderate water-soluble P-source (Pompano biosolids) was not greater than BAP losses at the P-based rates of other organic sources tested. The hazards of excess P from applying organic P-sources at N-based rates are not greater than observed at P-based rates of mineral fertilizer. Results suggest that management of the environmental P hazards associated with N-based rates of organic materials in Florida sands is possible by either applying P-sources with WTR or using a moderate water-soluble P-source.