Dry deposition of nitrogen and sulfur to Ponderosa and Jeffrey pine in the San Bernardino national forest in Southern California

Little is known about the concentrations, deposition rates, and effects of nitrogenous and sulfurous compounds in photochemical smog in the San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF) in southern California. Dry deposition of NO(3)(-) and NH(4)(+) to foliage of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws.) and Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi Grev. & Balf.) was correlated (R = 0.83-0.88) with historical average hourly O(3) concentations at 10 sites across an O(3) gradient in the SBNF. Mean deposition fluxes of NO(3)(-) to ponderosa and Jeffrey pine branches were 0.82 nmol M(-2)s(-1) at Camp Paivika (CP), a high-pollution site, and 0.19 nmol m(-2) s(-1) at Camp Osceola (CAO), a low-pollution site. Deposition fluxes of NH(4)(+) were 0.32 nmol m(-2) s(-1) at CP and 0.17 nmol m(-2) s(-1) at CAO, while mean values for SO(4)(2-) were 0.03 at CP and 0.02 nmol m(-2) s(-1) at CAO. Deposition fluxes to paper and nylon filters were higher in most cases than fluxes to pine branches at the same site. The results of this study suggest that an atmospheric concentration and deposition gradient of N and S compounds occurs along with the west-east O(3) gradient in the SBNF. Annual stand-level dry deposition rates for S and N at CP and CAO were estimated. Further studies are needed to determine if high N deposition loads in the SBNF significantly affect plant/soil nutrient relations, tree health, and the response of ponderosa pine to ozone.     

Variation in the development of cadmium resistance in Daphnia magna straus; effect of temperature, nutrition, age and genotype

The extent to which responses to toxicants can be modified by the environment and genotype of Daphnia magna is important for interpreting the results from ecotoxicity tests. Variation in the development of cadmium resistance and its relevance for survivorship has been investigated in two genetically distinct clones of D. magna. Cadmium resistance was induced by pre-exposing daphnids to a sublethal concentration of a Cd/Zn mixture and thereafter cadmium tolerance was assessed in standard acute tests. The results showed that the ability to develop cadmium resistance is affected by temperature, but there is no consistent pattern for maternal nutrition. The age of the daphnids had no apparent effect on the development of cadmium resistance. Differences in the induction of cadmium resistance between clones were seen only under resource depression.     

Emergency centers in Israel: A small community organizes to cope with war related crises*

This paper focuses on community-wide emergencies caused by war-related events in Lebanon at the beginning of June 1982. Mobilization for the "Peace for Galilee" campaign began on Friday, 4th June. Overnight, families were disrupted, husbands and sons were in danger, and within 24 hours there were notifications of casualities and deaths. Families in crisis became a widespread phenomenon. In Herzlia, as in many other communities, a new service - the Emergency Center - emerged under the auspices of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the Municipality. The authors describe this process of getting organized, the populations served, how the Center was staffed, the role of citizen volunteers, and the types of interventions used to help vulnerable families as well as soldiers home on leave. Stress is placed on the unique type of short-term co-operation achieved between social workers of the local Department of Social Welfare, the staff of the Department of Community Services (especially its Volunteer Bureau), the local liason officer of the Israel Defence Force, the municipal government, and public-spirited volunteers. Mention is made of conditions which made possible the activation of such a service within hours, of the Center's capacity to serve all segments of the population, and of how it was deactivated within a few weeks when the emergency ended. On the basis of lessons learned from this experience, the paper ends with a number of specific recommendations. The authors hope that such innovative forms of crisis-intervention will become part of the helping technology widely available at the community level in future years.     

SPATIO-TEMPORAL CHANGE OF DROUGHT DISASTER IN CHINA IN RECENT FIFTY YEARS

Foreword　Inglobalview ,droughtdisasterisregardedasthemostserioustypeofnaturaldisasterintheworld ,whichhascausedthewidestrangeofeffectsandthebiggesteconomiclosses .Se veredroughtsmainlyoccurinAfrica ,India ,China ,formerSovietUnion ,NorthAmerica ,andAustralia,accountingforalmosthalfofcountriesintheworld .Droughtdisasteroccursfre quentlyinChina ,withwiderangeofinfluence ,whichisthemostseriousmeteorologicaldisas ter ,causingeconomiclossesinagriculture .Fromthe 50’stothe 80’sinthe 2 0thcent…     

FRACTAL DIMENSION ANALYSIS APPLIED TO THE 7 DRAINAGE BASINS AND THE FLOOD IN CHINA

Foreword　Asoneofthethreegreatdiscoveriesin 1 970s ,thefractaltheoryhasbeenwidelyappliedinmanyfieldsconcerningthesciencesofnatureandthehumanities .Atpresent ,thefractaltheoryhasbeenappliedintherelatedanalysisofwatersystemordisaster .However ,thestud iesonnatureofrelationshipbetweenthewholewatersysteminChinaanddisasterfractalanaly sisarestillintheirinitialperiod .Thepaperpresentsafractaldimensionof 7drainagebasinsandthefloodinChinaaswellastheirpossiblerelations .Itishopedthatthepaperwouldbehe…     

指导环保事业发展的纲领性文件

在"十一五"即将起步之时,在全面建设小康社会的关键时期,国务院发布了<关于落实科学发展观加强环境保护的决定>(以下简称<决定>),这是深入贯彻十六届五中全会精神,落实科学发展观,构建社会主义和谐社会,指导我国经济、社会与环境协调发展的一份纲领性文件.深入学习贯彻<决定>,对于广泛调动全社会力量,加快推进环保事业发展,实现全面建设小康社会的宏伟目标将产生巨大的推动作用.     

联合起来共创更加舒适的职安条件

现在全球的职业种类正在改变,这些改变在职业安全健康(劳动保护)方面给我们提出了新的挑战。这些挑战要求我们找出新的解决方法,这一切都是因为全球经济一体化发展促使我们拥有共同的利益和需求。我们的解决方案必须充分考虑差别甚     

Estimating the Recreational-Use Value for Hiking in Bellenden Ker National Park, Australia

The recreational-use value of hiking in the Bellenden Ker National Park, Australia has been estimated using a zonal travel cost model. Multiple destination visitors have been accounted for by converting visitors’ own ordinal ranking of the various sites visited to numerical weights, using an expected-value approach. The value of hiking and camping in this national park was found to be $AUS 250,825 per year, or $AUS 144,45 per visitor per year, which is similar to findings from other studies valuing recreational benefits. The management of the park can use these estimates when considering the introduction of a system of user pays fees. In addition, they might be important when decisions need to be made about the allocation of resources for maintenance or upgrade of tracks and facilities.     

Methane oxidation in slurry storage surface crusts

Livestock manure is a significant source of atmospheric methane (CH4), especially during liquid storage. In liquid manure (slurry) storages a surface crust may form naturally, or an artificial surface crust can be established. We investigated whether there is a potential for CH4 oxidation in this environment. Surface crust materials were sampled from experimental storages with cattle slurry (with natural crust) or anaerobically digested cattle slurry (with straw layer) that had been stored with or without a wooden cover. Extracts of surface crust material were incubated with 5.6% CH4 in the headspace, and methanotrophic activity was demonstrated in all four treatments following a 4- to 10-d lag phase. Subsequent incubation of field-moist surface crust material with 350 microL L(-1) CH4 also showed CH4 oxidation, indicating a potential for CH4 removal under practical storage conditions. There was no CH4 oxidation activity during incubation of autoclaved samples. Methane oxidation rates were 0.1 to 0.5 mg kg(-1) organic matter (OM) h(-1), which is comparable with the activity in wetlands and rice paddies. Partial drying increased CH4 oxidation to 0.2 to 1.4 mg kg(-1) OM h(-1), probably as a result of improved diffusivity within the surface crust. Rewetting reversed the stimulation of methanotrophic activity in some treatments, but not in others, possibly due to a decline in CH4 production in anaerobic volumes, or to growth of methanotrophs during incubation. This study presents direct evidence for methanotrophic activity in slurry storages. Measures to ensure crust formation with or without a solid cover appear to be a cost-effective greenhouse gas mitigation option.