Trends in Soil Erosion and Woody Shrub Encroachment in Ngqushwa District,Eastern Cape Province,South Africa

Woody shrub encroachment severely impacts on the hydrological and erosion response of rangelands and abandoned cultivated lands. These processes have been widely investigated at various spatial scales, using mostly field experimentation. The present study used remote sensing to investigate spatial and temporal patterns of soil erosion and encroachment by a woody shrub species, Pteronia incana, in a catchment in Ngqushwa district, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa between 1998 and 2008. The extreme categories of soil erosion and shrub encroachment were mapped with higher accuracy than the intermediate ones, particularly where lower spatial resolution data were used. The results showed that soil erosion in the worst category increased simultaneously with dense woody shrub encroachment on the hill slopes. This trend is related to the spatial patterning of woody shrub vegetation that increases bare soil patches—leading to runoff connectivity and concentration of overland flow. The major changes in soil erosion and shrub encroachment analysed during the 10-year period took place in the 5–9° slope category and on the concave slope form. Multi-temporal analyses, based on remote sensing, can extend our understanding of the dynamics of soil erosion and woody shrub encroachment. They may help benchmark the processes and assist in upscaling field studies.     

庐山野生木本观赏植物资源及其开发利用

庐山植物资源丰富.记述了庐山野生木本观赏植物的5个主要类别和4个观赏特性,充分认识和合理利用这些各具特色的野生木本观赏植物资源,在庐山生态旅游及城市建设中具有重要意义.     

黄山市蔷薇科野生木本观赏植物资源及其利用

安徽省黄山市蔷薇科野生木本观赏植物资源丰富,约有26属113种,其中悬钩子属25种,单属种9个,除具有观赏价值外,还具有药用价值、食用价值及其它用途,对黄山市蔷薇科野生木本观赏植物资源的综合开发利用和保护提出了建议。     

江西云山木本植物资源的区系地理分布

本文研究了云山木本植物资源的地理分布和区系特点,对合理利用和保护该地区植物资源提出了几项切实可行的措施。     

重庆银莲花属药用植物资源研究

经调查鉴定,重庆银莲花属药用植物有10种4变种。重点介绍了其医疗用途、地理分布、资源状况及其开发前景,为进一步开发利用我市丰富的银莲花属植物资源提供了科学依据。     

Water Supply and Stormwater Management Benefits of Residential Rainwater Harvesting in U.S. Cities

This article presents an analysis of the projected performance of urban residential rainwater harvesting systems in the United States (U.S.). The objectives are to quantify for 23 cities in seven climatic regions (1) water supply provided from rainwater harvested at a residential parcel and (2) stormwater runoff reduction from a residential drainage catchment. Water‐saving efficiency is determined using a water‐balance approach applied at a daily time step for a range of rainwater cistern sizes. The results show that performance is a function of cistern size and climatic pattern. A single rain barrel (190 l [50 gal]) installed at a residential parcel is able to provide approximately 50% water‐saving efficiency for the nonpotable indoor water demand scenario in cities of the East Coast, Southeast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest, but <30% water‐saving efficiency in cities of the Mountain West, Southwest, and most of California. Stormwater management benefits are quantified using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Storm Water Management Model. The results indicate that rainwater harvesting can reduce stormwater runoff volume up to 20% in semiarid regions, and less in regions receiving greater rainfall amounts for a long‐term simulation. Overall, the results suggest that U.S. cities and individual residents can benefit from implementing rainwater harvesting as a stormwater control measure and as an alternative source of water.     

重庆獐牙菜属药用植物资源及其开发利用

经调查鉴定，重庆獐牙菜属药用植物有9种，其中西南獐牙菜、北方獐牙菜为重庆分布新记录。重点介绍了它们的医疗用途、地理分布、资源现状及其开发前景，为正确鉴别使用，编制了其分种检索表。     

四川重楼属药用植物资源研究

经调查鉴定,四川重楼属药用植物有10种7变种,均在我省民间广泛应用。目前川产商品重楼原植物有3种6变种,除中国药典收载的华重楼和滇重楼外,其分布广、产量大的还有七叶一枝花、狭小重楼和短梗重楼等3种4变种。     

重庆华蓥山山脉菝葜属药用植物资源调查

经调查鉴定,重庆华蓥山山脉有菝葜属药用植物7种,其中菝葜、小叶菝葜、光叶菝葜分布最广.重点介绍了它们的医疗用途、地理分布、资源状况及其开发前景,为更好地开发利用华蓥山山脉菝葜属药用植物资源提供科学依据.     

可持续雨水管理与海绵城市构建的美国经验

随着中国经济的快速发展,越来越多的水环境问题开始涌现。海绵城市的提出正是立足于当下中国城市内涝及相关环境问题。基于此,本文简要分析了中国城市内涝的原因及海绵城市相关构建思路,重点阐述了美国可持续雨水管理经验与守护水资源上的实际做法,并给出了美国雨水管理实例,以期为中国海绵城市建设提供参考。     

重庆三峡库区重楼属药用植物资源调查

经调查鉴定,重庆三峡库区有重楼属药用植物6种9变种,其中以巫溪分布的种类最多,华重楼、七叶一枝花分布最广。重点介绍了它们的地理分布、资源状况及其开发前景,为更好地开发利用三峡库区重楼属药用植物资源提供科学依据。     

武汉市经济增长与环境污染水平关系研究

本文研究了武汉市经济增长与环境质量的演变轨迹,并以此评价了武汉市的环境保护政策。     

沿海城市经济与环境协调关系的时空演变分析

运用耦合协调模型和空间相关性模型研究了2006—2016年53个沿海城市的经济发展与生态环境协调关系的时空演变趋势、重心迁移、空间相关性。结果表明:我国沿海城市经济发展与生态环境的协调发展状况总体呈向好态势,但总体协调度不高,仍处于协调发展的初级阶段;协调度发展存在严重的空间不均衡性,且呈逐步扩大态势,高值区域主要分布在省会城市和计划单列市,而其他大部分城市仍处于失调状态;2006—2016年协调度重心均位于浙江省金华市,并逐步向西南方向迁移;全局Moran’s I指数和局部Moran散点图显示协调度在空间上呈现明显的正相关,空间集聚性较强。     

Assessing the Hydrologic and Water Quality Benefits of a Network of Stormwater Control Measures in a SE U.S. Piedmont Watershed

The hydrologic and water quality benefits of an existing engineered stormwater control measures (SCMs) network, along with the alternative stormwater control simulations, were assessed in the rapidly urbanizing Beaverdam Creek watershed located in SE U.S. Piedmont region through the use of distributed Model of Urban Stormwater Improvement Conceptualization stormwater model. When compared with predevelopment conditions, the postdevelopment watershed simulation without SCMs indicated a 2 times increase in total runoff volume, 3 times average increase in peak flow for 1.5‐3.2 cm 6‐h storm events, and 30 times, 12 times, and 3 times higher total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorous (TP), and total nitrogen (TN) loadings, respectively. The existing SCMs network, in comparison with the postdeveloped watershed without SCMs, reduced the average peak flow rates for 1.5‐3.2 cm 6‐h storm events by 70%, lowered the annual runoff volume by 3%, and lowered TSS, TP, TN annual loads by 57, 51, and 10%, respectively. A backyard rain garden simulation resulted in minimal additional reduction in TSS (1.6%), TP (0.4%), and TN (4%). Model simulations indicate that mandatory 85% TSS and 70% TP annual load reductions in comparison with the predevelopment levels would require the diversion of runoff from at least 70% of the contributing drainage areas runoff into additional offline bioretention basins.     

烟台市水环境污染与经济发展的关系研究

对烟台市2001～2017年水环境质量与经济发展的系列数据进行收集、整理及分析后,建立以环境库兹涅茨曲线(EKC)及其相关理论为基础的烟台市人均GDP与烟台市水环境污染指标的计量模型.对结果进行分析后发现:烟台市工业污水排放量对数值与人均GDP对数值间关系呈倒"N"形曲线,烟台市城乡居民生活污水排放量与人均GDP间关系...     

The Relationship Between Workers and Animals in the Pork Industry: A Shared Suffering

Animal production, especially pork production, is facing growing international criticism. The greatest concerns relate to the environment, the animals’ living conditions, and the occupational diseases. But human and animal conditions are rarely considered together. Yet the living conditions at work and the emotional bond that inevitably forms bring the farm workers and the animals to live very close, which leads to shared suffering. Suffering does spread from animals to human beings and can cause workers physical, mental, and also moral suffering, which is all the more harmful due to the fact that it is concealed. The conceptual tools used to conceal suffering (“animal welfare,” stress, pain) suggest that the industrial system can be improved, whereas for farmers it is by definition incompatible with animal husbandry.     

The Relationship Between Environmental Concern and Acceptability of Environmental Impacts among Visitors to Two U.S. National Park Settings

This study examined the relationship between environmental concern and ratings of acceptability of environmental impacts among visitors at two national park settings. Based on the concept of a social ecological paradigm shift, it was hypothesized that individuals with greater levels of environmental concern are less accepting of environmental impacts in national parks than individuals with lesser degrees of concern. Sample data came from Cape Lookout National Seashore (N=392) and Moores Creek National Battlefield (N=236), two national park units in the south-eastern U.S.A. Environmental concern was measured by the New Ecological Paradigm scale. Acceptability was measured by visitor responses to 25 items covering different types of environmental park impacts. Analysis of variance and Tukey's means comparison procedure were used to test for differences between groups defined by levels of environmental concern on impact acceptability. Significant relationships were found between environmental concern and 15 of the 25 specific impacts in the Cape Lookout sample and 13 significant relationships were found in the Moores Creek sample. However, the relationships between environmental concern and acceptability varied somewhat across the two samples. These findings suggested that individuals with greater environmental concern were less accepting (or tolerant) of certain types of park impacts, while individuals with lesser degrees of environmental concern were more accepting of certain park impacts. Differences across the study settings were attributed to the different orientations of park visitors between the two national park units and recency effects. While the data reported are preliminary, they should be informative for park management purposes, particularly in the determination of standards for park impacts.     

Relationship Between Tourism Development and Vegetated Landscapes in Luya Mountain Nature Reserve, Shanxi, China

The relationship between tourism development and vegetated landscapes is analyzed for the Luya Mountain Nature Reserve (LMNR), Shanxi, China, in this study. Indices such as Sensitive Level (SL), Landscape Importance Value (LIV), information index of biodiversity (H’), Shade-tolerant Species Proportion (SSP), and Tourism Influencing Index (TII) are used to characterize vegetated landscapes, the impact of tourism, and their relationship. Their relationship is studied by Two-Way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN) and Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA). TWINSPAN gives correct and rapid partition to the classification, and DCA ordination shows the changing tendency of all vegetation types based on tourism development. These results reflect the ecological relationship between tourism development and vegetated landscapes. In Luya Mountain Nature Reserve, most plant communities are in good or medium condition, which shows that these vegetated landscapes can support more tourism. However, the occurrence of the bad condition shows that there is a severe contradiction between tourism development and vegetated landscapes.     

The Impact of Different Grazing Periods in Dry Grasslands on the Expansive Grass <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arrhenatherum elatius</Emphasis> L. and on Woody Species

Dry grasslands are one of the most species rich and endangered types of vegetation in Europe. In the Czech Republic, dry grasslands are mainly of anthropogenic origin and were formed as a result of grazing after the clear-cutting of thermophilous oak woods. Gradual changes in the farming landscape throughout the 20th century, particularly in the 1960s, resulted in the abandonment of the relatively infertile habitats of dry grasslands. After abandonment, dry grasslands decline and degrade due to the gradual overgrowth of woody species and expansion of perennial tall grasses. In the year 2000, a grazing management program was introduced in the protected areas within the territory of Prague City to maintain the species diversity of dry grasslands. The responses of the expansive grass species, Arrhenatherum elatius L. and multiple woody species (especially, Prunus spinosa L.) to differences in grazing periods were monitored for over a decade. Grazing in spring through the end of June had the greatest impact on the reduction of A. elatius and woody species. Grazing in the height of summer through autumn did not reduce the cover of these plants, and may support the prosperity of both A. elatius and the woody species due to higher levels of nutrients.     

Predicting the Fate and Transport of E. coli in Two Texas River Basins Using a Spatially Referenced Regression Model1

Abstract: The two main rivers of southeast Texas: Guadalupe and San Antonio have shown high temporal increase in bacteria concentration during the last decade. The SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed (SPARROW) attributes model, developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has been applied to predict the fluxes and concentrations of contaminants in unmonitored streams and to identify the sources of these contaminants. This model identifies every reach as a basic network unit to distribute the sources, delivery, and attenuation factors. The model is data intensive and implements nonlinear regression to solve the parsimonious relations for describing various watershed processes. This study explored watershed and hydrological characteristics (land uses, precipitation, human and animal population, point sources, areal hydraulic load and drainage density, etc.) as the probable sources and delivery mechanisms of waterborne pathogens and their indicator (Escherichia coli [E. coli]) in the Guadalupe and San Antonio River basins. The effect of using various statistical indices for model selection on the final model’s ability to explain the various E. coli sources and transport processes was also analyzed.