Model-based analysis of urban settlement process in eco-sensitive area of developing country: a study with special reference to hills of an Indian city

Rapid and unplanned expansion of a city into its eco-sensitive areas like hills, wetlands, and forests is becoming a major concern, particularly in developing countries. Understanding the process and causes of such unplanned urban expansion is of paramount importance for framing sustainable urban development policies. This paper presents a modelling concept that relates urban settlement in such eco-sensitive areas with potential socio-economic, demographic and geographical factors. The model is applied to an Indian city Guwahati, which is experiencing serious environmental degradation due to unplanned urban settlement in its eco-sensitive hilly areas. While topographical and settlement data were derived using satellite data in GIS platform, all other necessary data were collected from relevant government organizations. On validation of the multi-linear regression model, the coefficient of determination and the root mean square error are obtained as 0.938 and 1.7, respectively. Model results show that geographical parameters are less influencing as compared to the other socio-economic and demographic factors. Sensitivity analysis of urban settlements in hills of Guwahati city carried out with respect to the considered factors reveals that land value and free space availability in the surrounding area of a hill are the most sensitive parameters. This indicates that city development plans should give more importance to outward spatial expansion in plain areas with regulated land value and zoning scheme to minimize unauthorized settlement in eco-sensitive hilly areas of Guwahati city.     

Multi-elemental EDXRF mapping of polluted soil from former horticultural land

The distribution of major and trace elements was systematically investigated by use of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) on a former horticultural soil. The purpose of the study was to combine mapping of soil element concentration levels with multivariate statistics for characterisation of soil metal pollution in relation to previous and present land use. A 1-ha study site was chosen from a former horticulture where a previous preliminary survey indicated increased concentration levels of toxic elements. The soil was sampled from the top 20 cm of the soil surface in a 10 x 10-m grid-like pattern covering the 1-ha study area. In addition, three soil profiles were studied. The elemental composition of the soil samples was investigated by EDXRF while the composition of aqueous soil extracts was determined by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF). Based on mapping and multivariate statistically analysis of the data obtained by EDXRF, most elements were found in almost constant concentration levels in the top soil throughout the investigated site. However, the contents of the toxic elements Zn, Cu, As, and Pb were found to vary significantly within the area. Hence, the samples with high accumulations of As also contained relatively high amounts of Zn, Cu, and Pb, which indicates that toxic-element-containing pesticides have been applied to the soil surface in the area of the former green houses at the study site. The Pb/As mass ratio in the soil indicates that PbHAsO3 was the preferential lead arsenate used for pest management at the investigated site, while Cu as Bordeaux liquid (CuSO4) and Zn were applied to minimize the leaf damaging effect from the former compounds. Calculations indicated that As annually was applied to the soil in the former greenhouses in doses up to 4 kg As/ha while Pb had been annually applied in doses up to 12 kg Pb/ha. The enrichment of Zn, Cu, As and Pb was greatest in the top 20 cm of the soil and no anthropogenic enrichment of these elements occurred below a depth of 50 cm, indicating that the toxic elements are rather immobile in this soil. The results of this investigation suggest that EDXRF used in combination with multivariate statistics is a strong tool for multi-element mapping of elemental contents, sources and mobility in the terrestrial environment.     

城市土地利用类型与PM2.5浓度相关性研究——以武汉市为例

随着我国工业化的不断发展,在我国的主要经济发展地区的雾霾天气不断爆发,使我国的大气环境日益恶化,严重影响了人们的日常生活和身体健康。PM2.5作为雾霾的重要组成成分,也日渐成为环境领域的研究热点问题。随着全球性变化研究领域逐渐加强了对土地利用与生态环境的相关研究,因此无论从法律和社会经济发展的角度,还是从生态资源保护与环境可持续发展的角度,土地利用与PM2.5的相关研究都显得相当重要。研究目的:分析武汉市各类用地类型与PM2.5浓度的相关性程度。研究方法:使用ENVI与ArcGIS对武汉市2013年MODIS气溶胶产品进行空间分析与插值处理,再应用SPSS将其与武汉市2013年10个观测点的PM2.5浓度数据作相关性分析,以证实MODIS气溶胶厚度与PM2.5浓度的相关性,并建立两者的线性回归方程,然后利用计算后的武汉市整体PM2.5浓度分布与各土地利用类型进行相关性研究。研究结果:武汉市PM2.5浓度有明显的空间分布特征,绿化面积比例与PM2.5浓度呈显著负相关,建设用地面积比例与PM2.5浓度呈显著正相关,未利用地面积比例虽然与PM2.5浓度呈正相关,但相关性较低,而耕地与水体对PM2.5浓度没有显著影响。研究结论:土地利用类型对武汉市PM2.5浓度的分布有显著的影响,其与搭载MODIS传感器的遥感卫星监测方式的结合能成为研究大范围特定区域PM2.5浓度空间格局的新方法,并且增加城市绿化面积,控制建设用地规模能有效减少PM2.5浓度。     

Rural settlement expansion and paddy soil loss across an ex-urbanizing watershed in eastern coastal China during market transition

Historically, paddy soils are the most valuable natural resources that produce about 90% of staple food in eastern coastal China. Dispersed patterns of rapid rural settlement expansion, or “exurban”, are recognized as key threats to the region’s food security through paddy soil loss. Analyzing the process of ex-urbanization and its impact has profound implications for the sustainable development of rural China. Based on official statistics and data derived from satellite images, dynamics of rural settlement expansion and paddy soil loss were outlined for Tiaoxi watershed during China’s market transition period (1994–2003). Particularly, rural settlements became more aggregated and total area expanded by 183% at an average rate of 12.3% per year for the whole watershed. Existing cores, open areas away from urban centers and areas near major transportation lines and river channels, observed the highest specialization in rural residential growth. Being closely associated with rural settlement in spatial distribution, open large paddy soil patches acted as another kind of center for rural settlement expansion within the landscape. Variations in rural settlement expansion were detected among different-tier counties, such as speed of rural settlement expansion, speed of build-ups growth per capita. These variations were closely related to social-economic development. The rapid rural settlement expansion led to a considerable loss of paddy soil, about 11% of the total amount for the whole watershed. Linear regression identified a significant relationship between paddy soil loss and rural settlement expansion. Given the social and ecological problems associated with paddy soil loss, we argue that innovative and effective planning policies as well as management programs that target at paddy soil protection should be developed and implemented in rural China. In particular, we suggest using watershed as an appropriate spatial unit for sustainable paddy soil management in this investigation.     

Optimizing Urban Spatial Structure of Lanzhou Based on Geographic Concentration Method of Industries

Geographic concentration of industries is the regionalized distribution of some industries in certain areas, which focuses on the ratio of a certain industry to the whole industries （He and Liu, 2006）. In this paper we explore the improved M function of geographic concentration that adds the parameter of the number of firms according to the definition of geographic concentration of industries. The spatial distribution of the main manufacturing industries of Lanzhou urban area is evaluated based on it. The results of the evaluation imply that the spatial distribution of the main manufacturing industries is more concentrated than that of others in Lanzhou and it can absorb lots of labor forces. But the incidence, competition ability and density of the distribution of enterprises are different for each single sector, and enterprises with different production features are located closely. And three main problems are discovered. Finally, three countermeasures are put forward： locating the industrial enterprises in urban areas in a proper way through planning and policies; adjusting the industrial structure of the inner city; strengthening the local rearrangement of the existing industrial concentration areas.     

Optimizing Urban Spatial Structure of Lanzhou Based on Geographic Concentration Method of Industries

Abstract

Geographic concentration of industries is the regionalized distribution of some industries in certain areas, which focuses on the ratio of a certain industry to the whole industries (He and Liu, 2006). In this paper we explore the improved M function of geographic concentration that adds the parameter of the number of firms according to the definition of geographic concentration of industries. The spatial distribution of the main manufacturing industries of Lanzhou urban area is evaluated based on it. The results of the evaluation imply that the spatial distribution of the main manufacturing industries is more concentrated than that of others in Lanzhou and it can absorb lots of labor forces. But the incidence, competition ability and density of the distribution of enterprises are different for each single sector, and enterprises with different production features are located closely. And three main problems are discovered. Finally, three countermeasures are put forward: locating the industrial enterprises in urban areas in a proper way through planning and policies; adjusting the industrial structure of the inner city; strengthening the local rearrangement of the existing industrial concentration areas.     

河口滨岸悬浮颗粒物中多环芳烃分布与风险评价

通过收集长江口滨岸13个典型采样点上覆水中的悬浮颗粒物,分析了悬浮颗粒中多环芳烃(PAHs)的含量水平,探讨了PAHs的来源,并进行了生态风险评价。研究结果显示,EPA14种优控PAHs的总量在600~12 308 ng/g 之间,平均值为5 373 ng/g,其组成主要以3环和4环PAH为主。受附近陆源输入的影响,顾路采样点的PAHs含量最高,此外,临近城市排污、滨岸工业开发区及河道排污口的采样点PAHs含量也较高,如石洞口、金山、白茆、浏河口等。结合PAHs不同环数的相对丰度与同分异构体荧蒽/芘、芘/苯并［a］蒽比值,初步推断出人类油污染及矿物燃料的不完全燃烧是悬浮颗粒物中PAHs的主要来源。此外,参照有关环境质量标准,发现悬浮颗粒物中萘、菲、芴、蒽/苯并［b］荧蒽和苯并［k］荧蒽等化合物已经产生不同程度的生物影响效应。     

Biomonitoring of environmental pollution by thorium and uranium in selected regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Two former uranium mines and a uranium reprocessing factory in the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, may represent a risk of contaminating the surrounding areas by uranium and its daughter elements. One of the possible fingerprinting tools for studying the environmental contamination is using plant samples, collected in the surroundings of this city in 2007 and 2008. The distribution pattern of environmental pollution by uranium and thorium was evaluated by determining the thorium and uranium concentrations in plant samples (Artemisia austriaca) from the city of Aktau and comparing these results with those obtained for the same species of plants from an unpolluted area (town of Kurchatov). The determination of the uranium and thorium concentrations in different parts of A. austriaca plants collected from the analyzed areas demonstrated that the main contamination of the flora in areas surrounding the city of Aktau was due to dust transported by the wind from the uranium mines. The results obtained demonstrate that all the areas surrounding Aktau have a higher pollution level due to thorium and uranium than the control area (Kurchatov). A few “hot points” with high concentrations of uranium and thorium were found near the uranium reprocessing factory and the uranium mines.     

The geographic variation of silver in the black tuban snail, Tegula funebralis

The geographic variation of silver concentrations in the black turban snail, Tegula funebralis, along the California coastline indicates an anthropogenic influence. Relatively elevated levels of the metal occur in organisms adjacent to major wastewater outfalls compared to those from less populated areas. This parallels the distributions of silver concentrations in other molluscs within the area. It, therefore, substantiates the proposal that the pattern is primarily due to external factors, such as wastewater discharges, rather than intraspecific differences among the samples.     

Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons,phenols, and trace metals in selected soil profiles and plant bioindicators in the Holy Cross Mountains,south-central Poland

This report presents the results of PAH, phenol, and selected trace element (Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, S, and Zn) determinations on detailed soil profiles and associated plant bioindicators (including lichen Hypogymnia physodes, moss Hylocomium splendens, pine Pinus sylvetris) from the three most representative habitats in the Holy Cross Mts, south-central Poland. This study is only part of a larger ongoing environmental study that includes complex sulfur isotope and element determinations in three national parks in N, central and S parts of Poland. The highest concentrations of PAHs (1887 ppb) and numerous trace elements are found in the organic horizon-O and humic horizon-A of each soil type. Different plant species and their individual tissues reveal considerable variability in the concentration of PAHs, phenols and elements examined. Most of the H. physodes thalli also reveal higher concentrations of individual hydrocarbons and some elements (including S and Zn) than their host bark. The highest concentration levels of phenols (1217 ppb) are noted in the 1-year pine needles. Most of the PAHs and elements examined seem to be of anthropogenic origin. The only exception is the distribution pattern of elements in southwestern part of the study area, which is linked to the local bedrock geochemical anomaly. The results of this study indicate that the content of PAHs, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, S and Zn in the soils and plant bioindicators examined has not changed considerably since 1998.     

Rare earth elements in the Rhine River, Germany: first case of anthropogenic lanthanum as a dissolved microcontaminant in the hydrosphere

The distribution of dissolved rare earth elements (REE) in the Rhine River, Germany, shows the anthropogenic gadolinium (Gd) microcontamination that is commonly observed in rivers in densely populated countries with a highly evolved health care system. However, the Rhine River also carries anomalously high concentrations of lanthanum (La), which produce very large positive La anomalies in normalized REE distribution patterns. These positive La anomalies first occur north of the City of Worms and then decrease in size downstream, but are still significant approximately 400 km downstream, close to the German-Dutch border. The strong La enrichment is of anthropogenic origin and can be traced back to effluent from a production plant for fluid catalytic cracking catalysts at Rhine river-km 447.4. This effluent is characterized by extremely high dissolved total REE and La concentrations of up to 52 mg/kg and 49 mg/kg, respectively. Such La concentrations are well-above those at which ecotoxicological effects have been observed. The Rhine River is the first case observed to date, where a river's dissolved REE inventory is affected and even dominated by anthropogenic La. Our results suggest that almost 1.5t of anthropogenic dissolved La is exported via the Rhine River into the North Sea per year. This reveals that the growing industrial use of REE (and other formerly "exotic" elements) results in their increasing release into the environment, and highlights the urgent need to determine their geogenic background concentrations in terrestrial surface waters.     

Source apportionment of fine carbonaceous particles by positive matrix factorization at Gosan background site in East Asia

Fine particle (aerodynamic diameter <2.5 microm) samples were collected during six intensive measurement periods from November 2001 to August 2003 at Gosan, Jeju Island, Korea, which is one of the representative background sites in East Asia. Chemical composition of these aerosol samples including major ion components, trace elements, organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC), and particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed to study the impact of long-range transport of anthropogenic aerosol. Aerosol chemical composition data were then analyzed using the positive matrix factorization (PMF) technique in order to identify the possible sources and estimate their contribution to particulate matter mass. Fourteen sources were then resolved including soil dust, fresh sea salt, transformed natural source, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, secondary organic carbon, diesel vehicle, gasoline vehicle, fuel oil combustion, biomass burning, coal combustion, municipal incineration, metallurgical emission source, and volcanic emission. The PMF analysis results of source contributions showed that the natural sources including soil dust, fresh and aged sea salt, and volcanic emission contributed to about 20% of the measured PM(2.5) mass. Other primary anthropogenic sources such as diesel and gasoline vehicle, coal and fuel oil combustion, biomass burning, municipal incineration, metallurgical source contributed about 34% of PM(2.5) mass. Especially, the secondary aerosol mainly involved with sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and organic carbon contributed to about 39% of the PM(2.5) mass.     

基于耕作半径分析的县域农村居民点空间布局优化——以安徽省埇桥区为例

分析了安徽省埇桥区农村居民点与耕地的空间邻接特征和数量结构关系,通过“均等”和“耕聚比”的方法分别求算耕作半径并构造缓冲区,得出两种耕作压力系数的分布,对其进行比较并提出了农村居民点布局优化策略。结果表明：耕地是皖北平原地区影响农村居民点布局的主要因子,基于各乡（镇）统计的耕地与农村居民点面积存在较好的线性相关;基于“耕聚比”的计算模型较好地解决了农村居民点规模因素对耕作半径计算造成的影响;基于“耕聚比”的方法计算的耕作压力分布在评价耕地与农村居民点的分布合理性上更为实用;耕作压力系数分布对农村居民点合理布局具有一定的指导意义,布局调整中应将压力系数高的地区的拆旧和压力系数低的地区的建新相挂钩     

Total fluoride in Guangdong soil profiles, China: spatial distribution and vertical variation

A total of 260 soil profiles were reported to investigate the fluoride distribution and vertical variation in Guangdong province. The soil fluoride contents followed an approximately lognormal distribution. Although the soil fluoride geometric mean concentration of 407 mg/kg is lower than that of China, its content varied from 87 to 2860 mg/kg. An upper baseline concentration of 688 mg/kg was estimated for surface soils. In A-, B-, and C-horizon soil fluoride spatial distribution presented similar patterns that high fluoride concentration mainly located in limestone, purple shale, and sandshale areas, indicated that soil fluoride spatial distribution was primarily dependent on the regional bedrock properties rather than anthropogenic inputs. From A- to C- horizon soil fluoride geometric mean concentration had an increasing tendency of 407, 448, and 465 mg/kg. This vertical variation was the result of the intensive eluviation under the subtropical hydrothermal condition, and had closely related with soil properties, such as lower organic matters and clay content variations. Moreover, the soil degradation and erosion was also an important pathway of soil fluoride movement, as a result the soil fluoride exported into surface and groundwaters would reach about 4.1x10(4) t year-1 in the study area.     

Levels of elements in the surficial estuarine sediments of the Hugli River, northeast India and their environmental implications

The present paper is the first document of a detailed geochemical and mineralogical study of muddy to sandy mud estuarine sediments of the Hugli River collected from five different sites along its course in the coastal areas of West Bengal, northeast India. The present work attempts to establish the status of distribution and environmental implications of 52 elements in the surficial estuarine sediments and their possible sources of derivation. The level of both metallic and non-metallic elements shows a wide range of variation all along the course of the estuary and can be attributed to their differential derivation from the source rocks and differential discharge of untreated effluents originating from industrial, agricultural, aquacultural as well as domestic sewage. The element contents, particularly the heavy metal content in the sediments, are the lowest in the upstream part of the estuary at Diamond Harbor, whereas, these are slightly higher in the intermediate stretch of the estuary at Haldia to highest in the mouth of estuary at Gangasagar. These changes indicate that the metals that are carried from upstream find their ultimate depositional sink at the delta mouth near Gangasagar, where almost all the elements showed elevated values. The majority of the elements have their highest concentrations at Canning, a site within the tidal channel network of the Hugli-Matla drainage basin away from the direct influence of the Hugli River. This site is severely contaminated with huge organic load from domestic sewage, aquaculture, intensive trawling activities and agricultural runoff. Moreover, the site suffers from heavy siltation load causing an almost moribund condition of Matla River at this point. Equi-dimensional quartzo-feldspathic mineral grains are consistent components in the siliciclastic composition of the sediments and their sizes at each station are controlled by respective hydrodynamic conditions. Various flaky minerals (mica, chlorite, hornblende) are also present but show inconsistent patterns of distribution. These flaky minerals remain in suspension for a long time and do not follow the usual law of settling of particles depending on the hydrodynamic regime prevailing in the area. Presented data will serve as a baseline against which future anthropogenic effects may be assessed. A comprehensive account of heavy metal content in sediments from different coastal regions of peninsular India has also been presented for purpose of comparison.     

上海城区典型臭氧浓度偏低年的成因分析

利用2006~2010年上海徐家汇、崇明、宝山、金山和浦东5个监测站的臭氧资料,分析了上海地区不同功能区臭氧的浓度特征及年际变化特征。结果表明：2006年上海地区臭氧平均浓度是这5 a的最低值,以徐家汇和浦东两个站臭氧浓度年际差异最为明显。2006年各站春末和夏季的臭氧浓度明显低于其他年份,而秋冬季臭氧浓度却差别不大。以徐家汇地区为例的综合分析表明,天气状况、日照时数、温度和风速等气象要素不是造成2006年上海城区臭氧浓度偏低的原因,臭氧前体物（VOCs和NOx）才是造成这种现象的主要原因。2006年4~8月NOx和VOCs浓度明显偏低,典型臭氧日变化情况下2006年VOCs/NOx比值较小,平均值为1.22,比2007、2008年低了近65%,而O3的生产率也分别减少了65%和59%。OZIPR模式的结果也表明较低的VOCs浓度以及VOCs/NOx比值,是导致2006年上海城区臭氧浓度偏低的主要原因     

中国大都市区域的城乡协调发展研究 --以浙江省宁波市为例

工业化与城市化是伴生的,工业化对城市化有促进作用,工业化的发展阶段不同,城市的规模和结构也不一样,城乡关系也会因为工业化的演进而演变。随着城市的扩张,城乡之间的关系将从二元结构向城乡转型直至城乡融合阶段演变。在不同的阶段,要素流在城乡之间呈现不同的流向,对城乡的发展也起着不同的作用,同时还会影响到产业的地域分布。本文从处于工业化中期阶段的宁波市特殊的区位和区域环境出发,分析了宁波市的城乡发展格局,指出宁波市城乡之间存在着分工不明确、产业竞争严重等问题,尤其是平面化的城镇体系严重影响其中心城市功能的发挥。针对存在的问题,文中提出将宁波市建设成为长三角最大的后勤中心、提升中心城区的功能和产业结构、农村城镇之间实行网络化发展、以及用工业化理念来经营农业等对策和措施。     

苏南经济快速发展区土壤有效态镉含量影响因素及分布特征

研究了农田土壤有效态镉含量的影响因素及分布特征。结果表明：① 土壤有效态Cd含量总体较高,平均值为0.092 mg/kg,最大值高达0.354 mg/kg,且土壤Cd的平均活化率高达53%,Cd是该区主要的重金属污染物之一;②土壤表层有效态Cd含量与全Cd含量呈极显著正相关,回归分析表明该区农田土壤有效态Cd含量主要受全Cd含量的影响;③在不同经济功能区,有效态Cd和土壤Cd的活化率均以化工区为高,在不同地貌区,二者均以中部平原区最高,中部平原区Cd的活化率显著高于北部洼区;④在土壤剖面上,土壤有效态Cd含量和土壤Cd的活化率均以表层为高,表明土壤Cd的环境风险主要集中在表层20 cm。     

Particle size distribution and its elemental composition in the ambient air of Delhi

This study examines the chemical composition of PM10, the thoracic fraction of the atmospheric particulate matter. An eight-stage Anderson impactor is used to separate the PM10 from other fractions with different aerodynamic behaviour at three different area representative sites in Delhi from February to May 1998. PM10 particulate are subdivided into two fractions, coarse (> 2.1-10 microns) and fine (< 2.1 microns). The concentrations of major heavy metals such as Pb, Zn, Cd, Ni, and Fe are determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The average concentration of coarse fraction of PM10 is found to be 68.3 +/- 17 micrograms/m3 while the fine fraction of PM10 is 71.3 +/- 15 micrograms/m3 for Delhi. Metal concentration (except Fe) in fine fraction exceeds by a factor of up to 6, as compared to that in the coarse fraction. In order to identify the major sources of fine and coarse fraction of PM10, principle component analysis (PCA) was undertaken and three major sources were identified, namely vehicular emissions, industrial emission, and soil resuspension.     

川西南山区聚落宜居性的空间差异分析

结合山区实际情况,建立山区聚落宜居性评价指标体系。利用山区聚落宜居性评价模型对川西南山区26个区县进行系统评价,计算出川西南山区聚落宜居性指数。在此基础上通过ESDA分析和相关性分析,研究川西南山区聚落宜居性的空间差异,结果表明:（1）川西南山区聚落宜居性存在正的相关性,表现出很强的空间集聚特征;（2）在空间格局上,川西南山区聚落宜居性呈现东南-西北两极分化格局,并且以西昌、攀枝花、石棉为3个核心呈核心-边缘梯级结构模式特点;（3）H H空间关联模式集中连片分布在安宁河谷一带,L L空间关联模式集中连片分布于大小凉山一带,西昌、石棉呈现H L空间关联模式;（4）川西南山区聚落宜居性与自然环境宜居度、经济宜居度、社会宜居度均具有极显著的相关性