中国地区大气汞的干沉降速度

借助箱模式对汞的干沉降过程进行敏感性分析,并利用区域大气环境模式系统RegAEMS计算中国地区汞干沉降速度的时空分布特征。结果表明,森林下垫面下三类汞（气态零价汞、活性气态汞和颗粒态汞）的干沉降速度较大( 0.13、4.5和0.45 cm·s^-1),水体表面上的相对较小（0.0012,0.5和0.11 cm·s^-1）。敏感性分析发现,三类汞的干沉降速度随着近地层风速增加;降水或者地表湿度降低会导致零价汞和活性气态汞干沉降速度增加;雪盖厚度会减小气态零价汞的干沉降速度而增加活性气态汞的干沉降速度。三类汞的干沉降速度在区域上分布类似,东北以及南部地区最高,华东地区最小。季节变化上,气态零价汞、活性气态汞的干沉降速度在多数下垫面都夏季最大,冬季最小;颗粒态汞季节变化不明显。     

中国地区大气汞的数值模拟研究

结合中国地区的汞排放,利用引入大气汞化学反应机制和干沉降模型的区域大气环境模式系统(Regional Atmospheric Environment Model System,Reg AEMS),对中国地区大气汞化物浓度和干沉降通量的时空分布特征进行模拟研究。研究结果表明,中国地区年均气态零价汞Hg0、氧化汞Hg O、氢氧化汞Hg(OH)2、氯化汞Hg Cl2和颗粒态汞HgP的沉降量分布类似。除西部、西北部地区Hg0的浓度较低外(0.5 ng·m-3),其他地区均高于全球背景浓度。各类汞化物浓度的季节变化明显,8月最低,2、3月最高。一次汞源区附近汞浓度随高度递减,在离源较远的地区,高层汞浓度较高。气态零价汞的干沉降速度的季节变化最明显,其干沉降通量在夏季最高。模拟区域中气态零价汞、氧化汞和颗粒态汞的年干沉降量分别为163.9、7.43和32.2 t。     

燃煤烟气中汞形态分析的实验研究

在一维煤粉燃烧炉台架上采用EPA推荐的Ontario Hydro方法 ,测量了燃烧不同煤种排放的烟气中汞的形态分布情况 .结果表明 ,烟气中汞以颗粒态和气态汞的形式存在 .气态汞总量在 9— 2 3 μg·Nm- 3范围内 ,主要以单质汞的形式存在 ,占气态汞总量的 5 2 %—83 % ,而二价汞占 1 7%— 48% .飞灰中汞的浓度大大超过了底灰中汞的浓度 ,表明汞在飞灰中富集 ,在底灰中分散的行为     

大气汞氧化还原过程与机制的计算化学研究进展

大气中汞的氧化还原反应对于其全球生物地球化学循环起着极其重要的作用,它促进了汞在全球范围内的扩散.汞主要以气态元素汞的形态释放到大气中,并经历复杂的均相和非均相化学反应,被氧化为活性气态汞和颗粒态汞;同时,活性气态汞也可经过光致还原反应光解生成气态元素汞.计算化学是一种基于理论方法利用计算软件来对化学现象和本质进行解释...     

乌江流域水体中不同形态汞分布特征的初步研究

探讨了不同水文季节 (丰水期和枯水期 )乌江河水中汞的赋存形态及其在流域内的时空分布 ,结果表明 :乌江流域表层水体总汞的平均浓度分别为 :丰水期 65 9ng·l- 1 ,枯水期 1 6 6ng·l- 1 .乌江河水汞的主要形态为颗粒态 ,颗粒态汞占总汞的比例为丰水期84% ,枯水期 5 2 % .     

武汉市葛店地区汞污染及其分布特征

对武汉市葛店地区的土壤、水体及沉积物进行了系统取样、测试.结果表明:该地区表层和底层土壤中汞的平均含量分别为0.314mg·kg-1和0.181mg·kg-1,分别是区域土壤汞背景值的6倍和3.6倍,初步分析原因为污灌、大气汞的干、湿沉降和使用含汞农药;水体汞含量平均值为1606.77ng·1-1,远远超过了国家地表水环境质量标准(GHZB1-1999)中的Ⅲ类水质标准(≤100ng·1-1),且水体汞含量随距化工厂距离的增加而递减,形态分析表明,水体汞大部分以粒子态和溶解态存在,活性汞只占很小一部分;沉积物样品中汞的含量范围为2.450-8.630mg·kg-1,平均值4.677mg·kg-1,污染程度随距化工厂距离的增加而递减.     

贵州省务川汞矿区汞污染的初步研究

对贵州省务川汞矿区的大气、地表水和土壤中汞污染的调查表明,务川汞矿区大气汞浓度为7-40000 ng·m-3,超出正常大气汞浓度1-4个数量级.地表水总汞为43-2100 ng·l-1,远高于对照区(15-29 ng·l-1);活性汞、溶解态汞和颗粒态汞含量也显著高于对照区,颗粒态汞是地表水汞迁移的主要方式.土壤总汞含量为1.3-360 mg·kg-1,远高于对照区土壤总汞含量(O.22-0.39 mg·kg-1),土壤剖面汞含量的垂向递减反映了大气汞的沉降是土壤汞的重要来源之一;同一地点不同土地利用类型的土壤,一般为稻田总汞含量高于菜地和玉米地;土壤pH值和有机质影响着土壤中汞的迁移和富集.     

桑沟湾溶解态汞的生物地球化学行为

作为一种毒性极强的重金属元素,汞在海洋中可以通过海洋生物的呼吸、摄食和吸附等过程被利用,并在沿食物链传递的过程中不断富集,最终危害人类的健康。利用冷原子荧光光度法(CV-AFS)对2011年4月、8月、10月和2012年1月桑沟湾溶解态无机汞(DIHg)和溶解态有机汞(DOHg)的含量进行了测定。结果表明,桑沟湾四个季节DIHg的浓度范围分别为52~865、131~359、31~134和22~119 pmol·L-1,DOHg的浓度范围分别为37~214、52~635、21~98和未检出~51 pmol·L-1。桑沟湾DIHg和DOHg具有相似的分布特征,均呈现出从近岸向外海逐渐降低的趋势,有明显的季节变化。桑沟湾DIHg和DOHg的周日变化与潮汐呈现出较好的负相关关系,且存在明显的昼夜差异。影响桑沟湾DIHg和DOHg分布的主要因素包括河流和地下水的输入、大气的干湿沉降、与黄海的交换、活性气态汞(Hg0)在海-气界面的交换、表层水体发生的光化学还原反应以及养殖生物的清除等。通过初步计算,桑沟湾溶解态汞(TDHg)的存留时间约为(1.27±0.53)年,远远低于大洋。根据美国国家环境保护局汞的质量标准和我国地表水环境质量标准,桑沟湾没有明显的汞污染。但海产品体内富集的汞可能会带来潜在的生态危机和食品安全问题,需要相关部门加以重视,确保桑沟湾养殖产业的平衡发展。     

陕西省潼关采金地区汞污染的初步研究

对采金地区水样、沉积物、土壤及部分水藻和苔藓的分析表明 :潼关采金地区已经受到严重的汞污染 .水体总汞浓度最高达 2 5 8 62 μg·l- 1 ,且水样中的汞以颗粒态为主 ,大都占 5 0 %以上 ,而活性汞和溶解态汞的平均浓度分别为 0 1 82± 0 2 4 2 μg·l- 1 和 0 72± 0 79μg·l- 1 ;沉积物中平均汞浓度为 34 98± 2 5 39μg·g- 1 ,最高达 1 1 96μg·g- 1 ;而土壤中汞的浓度最高也只有 1 9 5 0 μg·g- 1 .     

宁波市不同形态大气汞含量特征及来源分析

于2015年夏季(6—8月)和冬季(12月、2016年1—2月)利用汞形态分析仪(Tekran 1130/1135/2537B)对宁波市不同形态大气汞进行了连续监测,并对其含量特征和来源进行分析.结果表明,夏季气态单质汞(GEM)、颗粒态汞(PBM)及活性气态汞(RGM)浓度范围分别为1.51—4.88 ng·m~(-3)(均值2.50 ng·m~(-3))、10.95—646.90 pg·m~(-3)(均值155.49 pg·m~(-3))和8.64—316.68 pg·m~(-3)(均值88.22 pg·m~(-3));GEM含量主要受到大气长距离输送和气象条件的影响,PBM受交通影响较大,而RGM受到工业排放及气象条件的影响.冬季GEM、PBM及RGM浓度范围分别为1.73—5.33 ng·m~(-3)(均值2.89 ng·m~(-3))、133.87—1723.99 pg·m~(-3)(均值713.15 pg·m~(-3))和17.52—309.17 pg·m~(-3)(均值96.94 pg·m~(-3));GEM受长距离输送的影响,PBM除来自燃煤和交通外,还受到生物质燃烧和烟花爆竹排放的影响,而RGM的主要来源是工业排放.后向气团轨迹分析结果表明,我国北部为高浓度汞源,而海上气团携带汞含量较低.     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Threats to intact tropical peatlands and opportunities for their conservation

Large, intact areas of tropical peatland are highly threatened at a global scale by the expansion of commercial agriculture and other forms of economic development. Conserving peatlands on a landscape scale, with their hydrology intact, is of international conservation importance to preserve their distinctive biodiversity and ecosystem services and maintain their resilience to future environmental change. We explored threats to and opportunities for conserving remaining intact tropical peatlands; thus, we excluded peatlands of Indonesia and Malaysia, where extensive deforestation, drainage, and conversion to plantations means conservation in this region can protect only small fragments of the original ecosystem. We focused on a case study, the Pastaza‐Marañón Foreland Basin (PMFB) in Peru, which is among the largest known intact tropical peatland landscapes in the world and is representative of peatland vulnerability. Maintenance of the hydrological conditions critical for carbon storage and ecosystem function of peatlands is, in the PMFB, primarily threatened by expansion of commercial agriculture linked to new transport infrastructure that is facilitating access to remote areas. There remain opportunities in the PMFB and elsewhere to develop alternative, more sustainable land‐use practices. Although some of the peatlands in the PMFB fall within existing legally protected areas, this protection does not include the most carbon‐dense (domed pole forest) areas. New carbon‐based conservation instruments (e.g., REDD+, Green Climate Fund), developing markets for sustainable peatland products, transferring land title to local communities, and expanding protected areas offer pathways to increased protection for intact tropical peatlands in Amazonia and elsewhere, such as those in New Guinea and Central Africa which remain, for the moment, broadly beyond the frontier of commercial development.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.