Urban ecosystem health assessment based on emergy and set pair analysis—A comparative study of typical Chinese cities

Regarding various energy and materials flowing in the urban ecosystem and the merit of emergy as an embodied energetic equivalent for integrated ecological economic evaluation, an evaluation framework of emergy-based urban ecosystem health indicators (UEHI_em) was established in view of five aspects including vigor, structure, resilience, ecosystem service function maintenance and environmental impact to depict the urban ecosystem health states. Further, set pair analysis (SPA) was employed to assess the urban ecosystem health level based on the UEHI_em, by which the approximate degree of real index set to the optimal one was defined and evaluated to describe the relative health state of the concerned urban ecosystems. Choosing twenty typical Chinese cities in 2005 as cases, we evaluated and compared their urban ecosystem health levels based on UEHI_em and SPA. The results showed that health levels of Xiamen, Qingdao, Shenzhen and Shanghai are pretty well, while those of Wuhan, Harbin, Yinchuan, Beijing and Urumchi are relatively weak. Moreover, the relative health levels were analyzed by SPA to discern the influences of the mentioned five aspects on the UEHI_em. It is concluded that emergy synthesis combined with SPA can serve as an effective relative-measure to compare different ecosystem health levels of urban ecosystems.     

Evaluation of urban metabolism based on emergy synthesis: A case study for Beijing (China)

Cities (“urban superorganisms”) exhibit metabolic processes. Disturbance of these processes results from the high throughput of the socioeconomic system as a result of the flow of resources between it and its surroundings. Based on systematic ecology and emergy synthesis, we developed an emergy-based indicator system for evaluating urban metabolic factors (flux, structures, intensity, efficiency, and density), and evaluated the status of Beijing's environment and economic development by diagramming, accounting for, and analyzing the material, energy, and monetary flows within Beijing's metabolic system using biophysically based ecological accounting. We also compared the results with those of four other Chinese cities (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Ningbo, and Baotou) and China as a whole to assess Beijing's development status. From 1990 to 2004, Beijing's metabolic flux, metabolic intensity, and metabolic density increased significantly. The city's metabolic processes depend excessively on nonrenewable resources, but the pressure on resources from outside of the city decreased continuously. The metabolic efficiency increased by around 12% annually throughout the study period. Beijing had a highest metabolic fluxes and density compared with the four other cities; its metabolic efficiency was lower, and its metabolic intensity was higher. Evaluating these metabolic indicators revealed weaknesses in the urban metabolic system, thereby helping planners to identify measures capable of sustaining these urban metabolic processes.     

村级养殖种植园区碳素物质流分析——以北京市平谷区西柏店村为例

将西柏店村畜禽养殖规模折合为1.5万头猪场当量污染负荷,并将整个园区生产工艺分为养殖、废弃物处理和种植3个阶段,不考虑隐藏流的情况下,以1年为系统边界,通过数据调查、已有资料研究和小区种植试验,采用物质流分析方法分析了西柏店村养殖种植园区在整个生产工艺的碳素流动,以期为村级养殖种植园区大力发展低碳经济提供新的方法和视角,为村级区域循环经济及可持续发展提供减少环境压力解决方案的科学依据。通过园区养殖种植过程的C素分析表明,养殖阶段年输入C素总量为112.52×10^4 kg,其中猪身总固碳量为40.04×10^4 kg,粪碳和尿碳总量为49.29×10^4 kg,以CO2形式代谢排出的C为23.19×10^4 kg。废弃物处理阶段输入的碳主要为粪碳和尿碳,其总量为49.29×10^4 kg,其中9.79×10^4 kg尿碳直接进入种植阶段,39.50×10^4 kg粪碳进入沼气站处理,沼气转化出的碳为11.02×10^4 kg,其中CH4为8.43×10^4 kg,CO2为2.59×10^4 kg,养殖污水中通过CH4排放再加上其他途径释放的碳约有23.66×10^4 kg,占粪碳量的59.89%。进入种植阶段的碳素主要为尿碳、沼渣和沼液的碳素,合计为14.61×10^4 kg,假设该村43 hm^2耕地能全部施用沼肥,不计其他作物种植,1季玉米种植土壤可库存有机碳为60.50×10^4 kg,为进入种植阶段碳素14.61×10^4 kg的4倍,还可增加植物有机碳27.31×10^4 kg。由C素流动分析可知,西柏店村具有可容纳该村养殖废弃物的环境容量,有较好实现养殖废弃物循环利用的条件,但需大力加强畜禽废弃物的管理和处理,提高园区养殖废弃物循环利用效率。     

Life cycle assessment and environmental improvement of residential and drinking water supply systems in Hanoi,Vietnam

In many Asian cities the public water supply is characterised by low pressure, frequent interruptions and occasional contamination. Hence, private households have to store water and increase pressure individually to ensure an uninterrupted supply at sufficient pressure and water for drinking has to be boiled or supplied separately in bottles. In this study the present water supply system in Hanoi and a number of modification options were analysed from an environmental point of view through life cycle assessment (LCA) in order to identify the most sustainable solutions for future water supply. It was found that the boiling of water for drinking was the largest source of impacts in the present system. Impacts could be reduced significantly if the public supply network was improved and private pumping and storage could be avoided and if the water could be used directly for drinking. It was also found that impacts could be reduced if consumers used bottled water for drinking instead of boiling tap water. Finally, it was demonstrated that even if drinking water cannot be supplied directly through the public network, a reliable public water supply at high pressure is environmentally advantageous. Sensitivity analyses revealed that the conclusions of this study are likely to be applicable to other cities with similar water supply systems.     

Comprehensive urban planning and management at multiple scales based on ecological principles: a case study in Beijing,China

SUMMARY

Rapid urbanisation and serious environmental problems have led people worldwide to realise the significance of urban planning and management towards a sustainable environment. Beijing was used as a case study to develop a framework and strategies for sustainable development using ecological principles. At the regional level, Beijing-Tianjin agglomeration and Hebei Province are considered together. At the Beijing administrative level, some important measures are put forward for revision of the Beijing Urban Master Plan. At the Beijing plain level, the future spatial structure of Beijing city and the relationship between settlements, green space and transportation are considered, and three basic development patterns are proposed. At the inner district level, the ecological corridor system is suggested, based on ecosystem services. At the selected area level, a comprehensive strategy and key measures for conservation and renewal of old Beijing city core are provided. Once strategies for Beijing urban development are implemented step-by-step, a vision for future development can be achieved. This paper provides considerations for improvement of urban planning and management in China and other countries.     

Ecological network and emergy analysis of urban metabolic systems: Model development,and a case study of four Chinese cities

Analysis of the structure and function of urban metabolic systems is an important goal of urban research. We used network pathways and network utility analysis to analyze the basic network structure of the urban metabolic system and the complex ecological relationships within the system, providing a new way to perform such research. Using four Chinese cities as examples, we developed an ecological network model of the urban metabolic system. By using network pathway analysis, we studied the changing relationships between metabolic length and the number of metabolic pathways, and between metabolic length and reachability. Based on the distribution of the number of metabolic pathways, we describe the basic structure and intercompartment relationships of the system. By using the sign distribution in the network utility matrix, we determined the ecological relationships and degree of mutualism between the compartments of the system. The basic components of the system consisted of the internal environment, the external environment, and the agricultural, industrial, and domestic sectors. With increasing metabolic length, the ecological relationships among the components of the system became more diverse, and the numbers of metabolic paths and their reachability improved. Although the basic network structure of the four cities was identical, the mutualism index differed. Beijing's mutualism index was superior to that of Shanghai, and much higher than those of Tianjin and Chongqing. By analyzing the structure and function of the urban metabolic system, we provide suggestions for optimizing the structure and adjusting the relationships, and propose methods for the application of ecological network analysis in future urban system research.     

天津公园土壤重金属污染评价及其空间分析

随着城市化和工业化进程的加快,我国城市及其周边目前已遭受到明显的重金属污染,本文着重研究了天津17个主要公园土壤重金属的污染特征。2007年10月采集公园土壤样品,利用ICP-MS分析土壤重金属的含量。研究结果表明：Cu、Zn、Ni、Cr、Cd和Pb的平均质量分数分别为36.57mg·kg-1,116.56mg·kg-1,30.15mg·kg-1,51.04mg·kg-1,0.25mg·kg-1和31.62mg·kg-1。以天津市土壤背景值为评价标准,天津公园土壤重金属污染属于中度污染和轻微生态风险。重金属主要污染因子为Cd,其次是Pb、Zn和Cu。天津中环线以内区域公园土壤重金属污染较中外环线之间相比较重。不同行政区划区域公园土壤重金属污染从综合污染指数来看,由重到轻的顺序为：红桥区〉河北区〉河东区〉南开区〉河西区〉和平区〉北辰区;从潜在生态指数评价来看,由重到轻的顺序为：红桥区〉河北区〉河东区〉南开区〉河西区〉北辰区〉和平区。     

Calculation of the minimum ecological water requirement of an urban river system and its deployment: A case study in Beijing central region

The minimum ecological water requirements of an urban river system and water deployment are key elements in integrated water resources planning and urban ecological construction. Based on a review of ecological water requirement calculation methods and considering the different ecological functions of an urban river system, the ecological function method was used in this paper to calculate the components of the ecological water requirements of an urban river. An envelope curve-based method was proposed for assessing the minimum ecological water requirements of an urban river system. Water resources deployment strategies designed to meet the minimum ecological water requirements were described. Then, the minimum ecological water requirements of the urban river system in Beijing central region, selected as a case study, were investigated. The key parameters for assessing the minimum ecological water requirement in the Beijing urban river system were determined. Based on the ecological objectives and the current status of the different urban river systems within the Beijing central region, the minimum ecological water requirements were calculated. Different types of water sources, including rainwater, upstream water, and reclaimed water, were deployed to meet the ecological water requirements for the urban river system in the Beijing central region.     

Impacts of de-icing salt pollution on urban road greenspace: a case study of Beijing

De-icing salt contamination of urban soil and greenspace has been a common issue of concern in many countries for years. In the 2009/2010 winter, Beijing experienced a contamination accident resulting from the overuse of deicing salt, reported as almost 30000 tons, which severely damaged urban vegetation alongside roadways. The methods of sampling and rating for both soil contamination and response of the plant populations were developed to rapidly assess this emergency environmental event. Results showed that the shrubs were more severely damaged than the arbors in terms of both degree and extent, as almost all of the surveyed shrubs were severely damaged from the salt contamination, while only about 1/4 of the recorded arbors were rated as ＂severely injured＂ according to the integral plant injury index. The rating of the injury level showed that the trees like Pinus bungeana, Sophora japonica, and the shrubs like Euonymus japonicus, Sabina vulgaris showed less tolerance to de-icing salt pollution. The patterns of vegetation damage demonstrated that the ever-green shrubs alongside roads and the deciduous arbors in the center of roads were most vulnerable to the salt damage.     

Urban ecological security assessment and forecasting,based on a cellular automata model: A case study of Guangzhou,China

Forecasting changes in urban ecological security could be important for the maintenance or improvement of the urban ecological environment. However, there are few references in this field and no landmark research work has been reported, particularly quantitative research. A forecasting model for ecological security based on cellular automata (CA) was developed using preliminary spatial data from an ecological security assessment of Guangzhou conducted previously (1990–2005). The model was constrained using transformation rules based upon proposed planning for 2010–2020. A simulation accuracy of 72.09% was acquired. Using a one-bit assessment grid for 2005 as the starting state for the simulation, the model was used to forecast ecological security for 2020. This revealed that although the ecological security status would be improved relative to current trends, there would still be an overall decline in ecological security over the next 15 years. Even if new urban plans were implemented, landscape pattern analysis suggested a more scattered and homogenous distribution in the urban landscape of Guangzhou and significant variation in landscape characteristics among districts. This suggests that further measures must be adopted to reverse the current trends in Guangzhou's ecological security. The model highlights the need to make ecological protection an integral part of urban planning. This study demonstrates the potential of CA models for forecasting ecological security. Such models could make an important contribution to decision-making for regional governors and to the development of urban planning incorporating assessment and prediction of ecological security.     

Selection and integration of environmental impacts in the Danish transport infrastructure assessment process

Transport projects have numerous consequences for the environment, society and economy, and thus an EU Directive has stated a number of impacts that need to be assessed prior to any major intervention. This paper is set in a Danish context where the EU requirements have been adopted in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulation along with national requirements. In recent years, however, the EIAs have been criticised for an inconsistent inclusion of impacts and unclear assessment process. A selection of EIAs is for this reason reviewed and compared to the EU Directive and corresponding works in Sweden and the UK to identify potential opportunities for improvements. From the literature study, an overview table with all potential relevant impacts for transport projects is set up to assist the EIA process. For the sake of simplicity and transparency, the impacts selected from this table should, however, be further reduced in number to ensure that only the most important impacts are included in the process. To further increase simplicity and transparency in the EIA process, a novel framework for assessing different types of impacts is proposed. In this framework, a comprehensive decision support tool involving stakeholders is in focus. The framework is supplemented with a procedure for generating objectives and presenting results in an appropriate way to the many stakeholders involved. The impacts overview table and the assessment techniques are applied to a case study to illustrate the process, and finally, conclusions and perspectives for future work within the field are set out.     

Economic and environmental performance of electricity production in Finland: A multicriteria assessment framework

Meeting environmental, economic, and societal targets in energy policy is complex and requires a multicriteria assessment framework capable of exploring trade-offs among alternative energy options. In this study, we integrated economic analysis and biophysical accounting methods to investigate the performance of electricity production in Finland at plant and national level. Economic and environmental costs of electricity generation technologies were assessed by evaluating economic features (direct monetary production cost), direct and indirect use of fossil fuels (GER cost), environmental impact (CO₂ emissions), and global environmental support (emergy cost). Three scenarios for Finland's energy future in 2025 and 2050 were also drawn and compared with the reference year 2008. Accounting for an emission permit of 25 €/t CO₂, the production costs calculated for CHP, gas, coal, and peat power plants resulted in 42, 67, 68, and 74 €/MWh, respectively. For wind and nuclear power a production cost of 63 and 35 €/MWh were calculated. The sensitivity analysis confirmed wind power's competitiveness when the price of emission permits overcomes 20 €/t CO₂. Hydro, wind, and nuclear power were characterized by a minor dependence on fossil fuels, showing a GER cost of 0.04, 0.13, and 0.26 J/J_e, and a value of direct and indirect CO₂ emissions of 0.01, 0.04, and 0.07 t CO₂/MWh. Instead, peat, coal, gas, and CHP plants showed a GER cost of 4.18, 4.00, 2.78, and 2.33 J/J_e. At national level, a major economic and environmental load was given by CHP and nuclear power while hydro power showed a minor load in spite of its large production. The scenario analysis raised technological and environmental concerns due to the massive increase of nuclear power and wood biomass exploitation. In conclusion, we addressed the need to further develop an energy policy for Finland's energy future based on a diversified energy mix oriented to the sustainable exploitation of local, renewable, and environmentally friendly energy sources.     

A simulation framework for water allocation to meet the environmental requirements of urban rivers: model development and a case study for the Liming River in Daqing City,China

In this paper, we describe the development of a simulation framework for allocating water from different sources to meet the environmental flows of an urban river. The model permits the development of a rational balance in the utilization of storm water, reclaimed water from wastewater treatment plants, and freshwater from reservoirs with consideration of the limited capacities of different water resources. It is designed to permit the full utilization of unconventional water sources for the restoration of river water quality by increasing river flow and improving water quality. To demonstrate practical use of the model, a case study is presented in which the model was used to simulate the environmental water allocation for the Liming River in Daqing City, China, based on the three water sources mentioned above. The results demonstrate that the model provides an effective approach for helping managers allocate water to satisfy the river’s environmental water requirements.     

Origin and assessment of groundwater pollution and associated health risk: a case study in an industrial park,northwest China

Groundwater quality which relates closely to human health has become as important as its quantity due to the demand for safe water. In the present study, an entropy-weighted fuzzy water quality index (WQI) has been proposed for performing groundwater quality assessment in and around an industrial park, northwest China, where domestic water requirements are solely met by groundwater. The human health risk was assessed with the model recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, the sources of major ions and main contaminants were also analyzed. The study shows that groundwater in the study area has been contaminated conjunctively by natural processes and industrial and agricultural activities. Nitrate, manganese (Mn), fluoride, total dissolved solids, total hardness and sulfate are major contaminants influencing groundwater quality. Nitrate and heavy metals such as Mn are mainly affected by human agricultural activities and industrial production, while other contaminants are mainly originated from mineral weathering and water–rock interactions. The results of water quality assessment suggest that half of the groundwater samples collected are of medium quality thus require pretreatment before human consumption. The mean health risk caused by the consumption of contaminated groundwater in the area is 8.42 × 10^?5 per year which surpasses the maximum acceptable level (5 × 10^?5 per year) recommended by the International Commission on Radiologic Protection. The entropy-weighted fuzzy WQI proposed in this study can not only assign proper weights to parameters but also treat uncertainties associated with water quality classification. This study will be of interest to international environmentalists and hydrogeologists. It will also be useful in regional groundwater management and protection.     

城市大气环境监测优化布点模糊优选模型及应用实例

文章根据城市大气环境监测优化布点的模糊性,提出了一种模糊环境条件下的模糊聚类与模糊识别理论模型,并且在山东省肥城等市成功应用。结合统计方法确定出的大气监测优化点位,不但具有代表性和整体性,而且具有较高的分辨率,能快速准确地、最大范围地反映出该区域的环境空气质量状况、大气污染扩散规律、污染源分布特点、污染气象及地理位置特征,为环境管理和政府决策提供可靠依据。     

从上海市凤眼莲的生活史特征与繁殖策略探讨其控制对策

凤眼莲是上海地区水体中危害最严重的外来人侵种之一。通过对上海地区凤眼莲种群的连续监测，探究其生活史特征及其繁殖策略，结果表明，1）每年3～5月为凤眼莲的萌芽阶段，7月下旬为凤眼莲爆发起始时期，8～12月为凤眼莲爆发的高峰期，12月下旬凤眼莲开始枯萎死亡。但其腋芽能够存活越冬，是来年凤眼莲爆发的种源。2）上海地区凤眼莲主要以无性繁殖为主。导致该结果的内因是凤眼莲具有高的克隆生长潜力，外因是上海市水体富营养化严重。3）河道内其它水生植物的广泛分布是凤眼莲固着生长的主要机制，这些植物主要为：喜旱莲子草、菰、芦苇、牛筋草和千金子等。有鉴于此，根据上海市凤眼莲的生活史特征和繁殖策略，提出其综合防治对策为：1）最佳的打捞时期为12月至翌年6月，以去处种源为目标；2）清理河道内及堤岸上的水生杂草；3）开展生物防治的研究；4）加强与周边省份的协调合作。     

Ecological network analysis of an urban energy metabolic system: Model development, and a case study of four Chinese cities

Urban metabolism research faces difficulties defining ecological trophic levels and analyzing relationships among the metabolic system's energy components. Here, we propose a new way to perform such research. By integrating throughflow analysis with ecological network utility analysis, we used network flows to analyze the metabolic system's network structure and the ecological relationships within the system. We developed an ecological network model for the system, and used four Chinese cities as examples of how this approach provides insights into the flows within the system at both high and low levels of detail. Using the weight distribution in the network flow matrix, we determined the structure of the urban energy metabolic system and the trophic levels; using the sign distribution in the network utility matrix, we determined the relationships between each pair of the system's compartments and their degrees of mutualism. The model uses compartments based on 17 sectors (energy exploitation; coal-fired power; heat supply; washed coal; coking; oil refinery; gas generation; coal products; agricultural; industrial; construction; communication, storage, and postal service; wholesale, retail, accommodation, and catering; household; other consuming; recovery; and energy stocks). Analyzing the structure and functioning of the urban energy metabolic system revealed ways to optimize its structure by adjusting the relationships among compartments, thereby demonstrating how ecological network analysis can be used in future urban system research.     

A method to determine the protection zone of chemical industrial park considering air quality,health risk and environmental risk: a case study

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - In China, chemical enterprises are required to cluster into a large number of chemical industrial parks (CIPs), which increase risks and threats to the...     

城市生态环境演变趋势的集对分析预测研究——以武汉市为例

自然生态环境是城市社会经济健康发展的重要物质基础,生态足迹作为生态环境承载状态测度的指标,受到社会、经济、人口等多种因素的影响,表现出时空动态性和不确定性等特征,集对分析(SPA)为不确定性问题的建模提出一条新的思路。在对1988—2004年武汉市生态足迹及其社会经济影响因子时间序列分析的基础上,通过构建的集对分析动态模型,对武汉市2005—2020年总生态足迹发展趋势进行了预测。研究结果表明,2005—2020年总生态足迹将由1810.925万hm2增长到2873.857万hm2,呈现出低于GDP和生态效率增长速率的趋势,但生态环境将进一步恶化,对此就武汉市生态系统的发展提出了对策与建议。最后,指出SPA动态模型为城市生态系统预测研究提供了一种可行的解决方案。     

干旱区生态安全问题及其评价原理——以新疆为例

普遍的生态敏感性和整体的生态退化趋势,使干旱区成为社会适应和经济适度极端脆弱区,其生态安全问题的典型性和突出性,为完善区域生态安全评价理论体系提供了理想靶区。根据生态安全评价的一般原理和目标,通过剖析新疆绿洲区生态安全问题的驱动、压力和响应机理,主要利用地带性共扼和非地带性耦合分析方法,从哲学观和生态系统、景观生态、土地类型及其稳定性格局层面,初步构建了干旱区生态安全评价的基本原理,得出确保有效的生态需水和生态水位,协调水生态及水安全功能,是干旱区生态安全评价的基础;基于生态承载和再生恢复禀赋的合理、适度利用优势资源,是绿洲开发的生态安全保障;维护天然绿洲和荒漠的“生态标本”价值,引导土地利用的生态化转向,是绿洲生态安全评价的客观依据;通过系统的生态规划和景观设计,保持异质景观的竞争性统一和生态圈层结构的动态稳定性,是干旱区生态安全评价的核心内容。