Effects of calibration on L-THIA GIS runoff and pollutant estimation

Urbanization can result in alteration of a watershed's hydrologic response and water quality. To simulate hydrologic and water quality impacts of land use changes, the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA) system has been used. The L-THIA system estimates pollutant loading based on direct runoff quantity and land use based pollutant coefficients. The accurate estimation of direct runoff is important in assessing water quality impacts of land use changes. An automated program was developed to calibrate the L-THIA model using the millions of curve number (CN) combinations associated with land uses and hydrologic soil groups. L-THIA calibration for the Little Eagle Creek (LEC) watershed near Indianapolis, Indiana was performed using land use data for 1991 and daily rainfall data for six months of 1991 (January 1-June 30) to minimize errors associated with use of different temporal land use data and rainfall data. For the calibration period, the Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient was 0.60 for estimated and observed direct runoff. The calibrated CN values were used for validation of the model for the same year (July 1-December 31), and the Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient was 0.60 for estimated and observed direct runoff. The Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient was 0.52 for January 1, 1991 to December 31, 1991 using uncalibrated CN values. As shown in this study, the use of better input parameters for the L-THIA model can improve accuracy. The effects on direct runoff and pollutant estimation of the calibrated CN values in the L-THIA model were investigated for the LEC. Following calibration, the estimated average annual direct runoff for the LEC watershed increased by 34%, total nitrogen by 24%, total phosphorus by 22%, and total lead by 43%. This study demonstrates that the L-THIA model should be calibrated and validated prior to application in a particular watershed to more accurately assess the effects of land use changes on hydrology and water quality.     

Ultrasound and enzyme assisted biodegradation of distillery wastewater

Irradiation with ultrasound (US) and use of an enzyme (E) as pretreatment techniques were carried out to treat a complex effluent (distillery wastewater). These two techniques have been used alone as well as in combination and the efficacy of these techniques was tested by subjecting the effluent to subsequent aerobic biological oxidation (AO). When used alone, US exposure for 30 min and 2 h yielded the best COD reduction during the aerobic oxidation step (US+AO). For the enzyme when used alone, a pH value of 4.8 (corresponding to the optimum pH of the enzyme), a dose of 50 U and a pretreatment time of 24 h yielded better COD removal efficiency as compared to untreated effluent (aerobic oxidation alone). When used in combination, ultrasound followed by enzymatic pretreatment (US+E+AO) yielded the best COD removal efficiencies during aerobic oxidation as compared to the other combinations tested for the treatment of the distillery wastewater. A 4-fold increase in the initial oxidation rate was observed over the untreated batch for the integrated technique (US+E+AO). On the basis of the variation in the values of the biokinetic parameters it can be concluded that the type of pretreatment scheme affects the subsequent rate of the aerobic oxidation significantly.     

Modelling the Distribution and Quality of Sand and Gravel Resources in 3D: a Case Study in the Thames Basin,UK

Three-dimensional (3D) models are often utilised to assess the presence of sand and gravel deposits. Expanding these models to provide a better indication of the suitability of the deposit as aggregate for use in construction would be advantageous. This, however, leads to statistical challenges. To be effective, models must be able to reflect the interdependencies between different criteria (e.g. depth to deposit, thickness of deposit, ratio of mineral to waste, proportion of ‘fines’) as well as the inherent uncertainty introduced because models are derived from a limited set of boreholes in a study region. Using legacy borehole data collected during a systematic survey of sand and gravel deposits in the UK, we have developed a 3D model for a 2400 km² region close to Reading, southern England. In developing the model, we have reassessed the borehole grading data to reflect modern extraction criteria and explored the most suitable statistical modelling technique. The additive log-ratio transform and the linear model of coregionalization have been applied, techniques that have been previously used to map soil texture classes in two dimensions, to assess the quality of sand and gravel deposits in the area. The application of these statistical techniques leads to a model which can be used to generate thousands of plausible realisations of the deposit which fully reflect the extent of model uncertainty. The approach offers potential to improve regional-scale mineral planning by providing an enhanced understanding of sand and gravel deposits and the extent to which they meet current extraction criteria.

     

Dissipation,residues, and risk assessment of imidacloprid in Zizania latifolia and purple sweet potato under field conditions using LC-MS/MS

A shortened version of Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe method (QuEChERS) for determining the dissipation and residue of imidacloprid present in Zizania latifolia and purple sweet potato was established by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The average recoveries of imidacloprid in the two crops ranged from 82.12 to 113.79%, with relative standard deviation (RSD) of <7.32%. The dissipation dynamics of imidacloprid in Z. latifolia plants and purple sweet potato plants followed first-order kinetics, with half-lives of 3.2–5.5?days in each of sampling locations. The terminal imidacloprid residues in Z. latifolia and purple sweet potato at each of location were <0.005–0.120?mg kg^?1. According to the risk assessment results, both the acute dietary risk quotient and chronic dietary risk quotient values were <1, indicating that imidacloprid is unlikely to pose health risks to humans with normal recommended use. The present study may serve as a valuable reference for the safe and reasonable use of imidacloprid in Z. latifolia and purple sweet potato fields.     

Potential of microalgae as biopesticides to contribute to sustainable agriculture and environmental development

The loss of yields from agricultural production due to the presence of pests has been treated over the years with synthetic pesticides, but the use of these substances negatively affects the environment and presents health risks for consumers and animals. The development of agroecological systems using biopesticides represents a safe alternative that contributes to the reduction of agrochemical use and sustainable agriculture. Microalgae are able to biosynthesize a number of metabolites with potential biopesticidal action and can be considered potential biological agents for the control of harmful organisms to soils and plants. The present work aims to provide a critical perspective on the consequences of using synthetic pesticides, offering as an alternative the biopesticides obtained from microalgal biomass, which can be used together with the implementation of environmentally friendly agricultural systems.     

The Outcome of Northern Fur Seal Harvesting: The Results of Calibration of Mathematical Models Based on Observation Data (the Example of Tyulenii Island Population)

Tendencies in the dynamics of harvested northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) population on the Tyulenii Island have been analyzed in detail. The results show that retardation of reproduction (decrease in the numbers of pups) and decline in the survival of young females (up to 3 years of age) by the late 1980s resulted in a reduction of the total number of females and a significant increase in the proportion of older females. This tendency changed during the later observation period (after 1988–1989) due to increase in the survival of young females: the female population has gradually recovered, with the proportion of young females increasing at the expense of old females (aged over 10 years). The age composition of males has also changed: the proportion of young animals has decreased, while that of large mature males (bulls) has increased. Moreover, the number of bulls continues to increase and has already exceeded the level that formerly provided for the well-being of the population. This, a paradoxical situation has arisen: the numbers of females and bulls are increasing, whereas pup production remains at a low level.

     

储氢温度对加氢站泄漏爆炸事故的影响研究∗

通过降低氢气的温度,可以实现更高密度的氢气储存,进而有效提升存储及运输的效率。为探究储氢温度对加氢站泄漏爆炸事故的影响规律,利用FLACS 软件对加氢站内长管拖车在不同储氢温度条件下（50、100、200 与300 K）发生泄漏后的氢气扩散和爆炸事故进行分析。研究结果表明：随着储氢温度的降低,高压氢气射流撞击防爆墙后可燃气云达到稳定的时间、扩散范围和冻伤区域均逐渐增大,而最大爆炸超压和爆炸危险距离则呈现出先增大后减小的趋势;储氢温度为50 K 时的轻微冻伤距离比储氢温度100 K 和200 K 时分别增加了近1 倍和7 倍,严重冻伤距离也最大;储氢温度为100 K 时泄漏气云爆炸产生的超压峰值比常温氢气爆炸提高了近3 倍,危险区域也最大;储氢温度为200 K 时,达到爆炸超压峰值的时间最快,储氢温度为50 K 时最慢。     

Distribution and possible source of trace elements in the sediment cores of a tropical macrotidal estuary and their ecotoxicological significance

The paper presents the first document regarding concentration, distribution and possible sources of selected trace elements (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cr, Co, Ni, Pb, Al, B and Ba) in core sediments (<63 micro particle size) from the lower stretch of Hugli (Ganges) estuary, northeast coast of Bay of Bengal by ICP-AES and EDXRF to evaluate geochemical processes influencing their distribution and possible environmental consequences. The levels of elements showed a wide range of variations in different core depths, in upper and lower intertidal zones as well as among three sampling stations. The most interesting feature of the study is the downward increase of concentrations of majority of the elements reaching overall maximum values at a depth of 20-28 cm in upper littoral zone of the site located in the extreme downstream stretch of the estuary. Values of organic carbon showed very strong positive correlations with most of the elements as revealed by correlation matrix (r) values. The interelemental relationship revealed the identical behavior of element during its transport in the estuarine environment. The overall variation in concentration can be attributed to differential discharge of untreated effluents originating from industrial, agricultural, and aquacultural sources as well as from domestic sewage along with the fishing and boating activities. The resulting compositional dataset was tested by principal component analyses and cluster analyses. Pollution load index (PLI) and index of Geoaccumulation (Igeo) revealed overall low values but the enrichment factors (EFs) for Pb were typically high for all the stations. The mean concentrations of Zn and to some extent Cu exceeded the Effects Range-Low (ER-L) values in the majority of the cases indicating that there may be some ecotoxicological risk to organisms living in sediments. The concentration of the trace elements reported in this work is useful as baselines for comparison in future sediment quality studies.     

TRMM和GPM卫星降水数据在中国三大流域的降尺度对比研究

以中国三大流域为研究区域,分别针对TRMM 3B43和GPM IMERG降水数据,构建基于归一化植被指数(NDVI)和数字高程模型(DEM)数据的地理加权回归(GWR)模型,以2014年夏季(6～8月)数据为例,得到了三大流域1 km分辨率的降尺度降水数据,并进一步通过气象站点数据对降尺度结果进行验证.研究表明:(1) GPM原始数据整体精度优于TRMM数据,两种数据在黄河流域的精度评价指标优于长江流域与珠江流域;(2)经降尺度计算,两种数据空间分辨率得到了显著提高,且表现出更多降水变化的细节与趋势,但精度指标对原始数据依赖性大,导致提升并不显著;(3)当联合使用NDVI及DEM作为GWR降尺度模型的辅助变量时,两种降尺度结果的差异值在长江流域与珠江流域的高海拔地区中更为显著;(4)黄河流域中,使用不同辅助变量下的降尺度结果在空间分布上总体相似.TRMM数据使用地形作为单独辅助变量的降尺度结果最佳,而GPM数据不同辅助变量下降尺度结果差异并不明显.     

基于AHP和DEA模型的农业生态效率评价——以无锡市为例

农业面源污染已成为我国重要环境污染源之一,但由于农业面源污染具有分散、面广、周期长、随机性等特点,在评价上存在较大难度。根据生态效率理论,结合农业生产的特点,建立了综合考虑经济效益和环境影响的农业生态效率评价指标体系,并以江苏省无锡市为例,选取该市1998~2008年农业生产和面源污染相关数据,运用偏好锥的数据包络分析模型（DEA）对其农业生态效率进行了评价分析。结果显示：1998~2008年,无锡市农业生态效率呈现先下降后上升的趋势,近三年累计上升幅度达22%。表明近年来无锡市农业面源污染治理成效显著,农业可持续发展水平显著提高。提出的农业生态效率评价体系和方法为进一步推进农业面源污染治理工作提供了依据