The vulnerability of hydropower production in the Zambezi River Basin to the impacts of climate change and irrigation development

The Zambezi River Basin in southern Africa is relatively undeveloped from both a hydropower and irrigated agriculture perspective, despite the existence of the large Kariba and Cahora Bassa dams. Accelerating economic growth increases the potential for competition for water between hydropower and irrigated agriculture, and climate change will add additional stresses to this system. The objective of this study was to assess the vulnerability of major existing and planned new hydropower plants to changes in climate and upstream irrigation demand. Our results show that Kariba is highly vulnerable to a drying climate, potentially reducing average electricity generation by 12 %. Furthermore, the expansion of Kariba generating capacity is unlikely to deliver the expected increases in production even under a favourable climate. The planned Batoka Gorge plant may also not be able to reach the anticipated production levels from the original feasibility study. Cahora Bassa’s expansion is viable under a wetting climate, but its potential is less likely to be realised under a drying climate. The planned Mphanda Nkuwa plant can reach expected production levels under both climates if hydropower is given water allocation priority, but not if irrigation is prioritised, which is likely. For both Cahora Bassa and Mphanda Nkuwa, prioritising irrigation demand over hydropower could severely compromise these plants’ output. Therefore, while climate change is the most important overall driver of variation in hydropower potential, increased irrigation demand will also have a major negative impact on downstream plants in Mozambique. This implies that climate change and upstream development must be explicitly incorporated into both project and system expansion planning.     

中国环境镉接触人群低骨密度及肾功能不全的研究

25年前,Ambio曾载文提出应警惕环境镉污染引起的健康效应.1998年在中国进行了这方面的研究,评价了因食用大米而接触镉人群的前臂骨密度(BMD)和肾功能,发现尿镉(CdU)或血镉(CdB)高的绝经后妇女及血镉(CdB)高的男性,BMD均有所下降.在CdB或CdU与肾功能不全(视黄醇结合蛋白排泄增加)之间也发现了明显的、有统计学意义的剂量-效应关系及剂量-反应关系.第一次报道了日本以外的亚洲地区镉接触人群中存在骨不良效应.本文的意义在于阐明了亚洲的环境镉接触人群中仍存在着与肾和骨(镉的比较严重的有害效应)的联合效应,也讨论了一些欧洲镉接触人群的骨效应.     

Greenhouse gas mitigation and offset options for suckler cow farms: an economic comparison for the Swiss case

We assessed the economic suitability of 4 greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation options and one GHG offset option for an improvement of the GHG balance of a representative Swiss suckler cow farm housing 35 Livestock units and cultivating 25 ha grassland. GHG emissions per kilogram meat in the economic optimum differ between the production systems and range from 18 to 21.9 kg CO₂-eq./kg meat. Only GHG offset by agroforestry systems showed the potential to significantly reduce these emissions. Depending on the production system agroforestry systems could reduce net GHG emissions by 66% to 7.3 kg CO₂-eq./kg meat in the most intensive system and by 100% in the most extensive system. In this calculation a carbon sequestration rate of 8 t CO₂/ha/year was assumed. The potential of a combination of the addition of lipids to the diet, a cover of the slurry tank and the application of nitrification inhibitors only had the potential to reduce GHG emissions by 12% thereby marginal abatement costs are increasing much faster than for agroforestry systems. A reduction of the GHG emissions to 7.5 kg CO₂-eq./kg meat—possible with agroforestry only—raised costs between 0.03 CHF/kg meat and 0.38 CHF/kg meat depending on the production system and the state of the system before the reduction. If GHG emissions were reduced maximally average costs ranged between 0.37 CHF/kg meat, if agroforestry had the potential to reduce net GHG emissions to 0 kg CO₂-eq., to 1.17 CHF/kg meat if also other options had to be applied.     

A multi-process phytoremediation system for removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from contaminated soils

To improve phytoremediation processes, multiple techniques that comprise different aspects of contaminant removal from soils have been combined. Using creosote as a test contaminant, a multi-process phytoremediation system composed of physical (volatilization), photochemical (photooxidation) and microbial remediation, and phytoremediation (plant-assisted remediation) processes was developed. The techniques applied to realize these processes were land-farming (aeration and light exposure), introduction of contaminant degrading bacteria, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), and plant growth of contaminant-tolerant tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea). Over a 4-month period, the average efficiency of removal of 16 priority PAHs by the multi-process remediation system was twice that of land-farming, 50% more than bioremediation alone, and 45% more than phytoremediation by itself. Importantly, the multi-process system was capable of removing most of the highly hydrophobic, soil-bound PAHs from soil. The key elements for successful phytoremediation were the use of plant species that have the ability to proliferate in the presence of high levels of contaminants and strains of PGPR that increase plant tolerance to contaminants and accelerate plant growth in heavily contaminated soils. The synergistic use of these approaches resulted in rapid and massive biomass accumulation of plant tissue in contaminated soil, putatively providing more active metabolic processes, leading to more rapid and more complete removal of PAHs.     

The use of economic measures for water management in France

The aim of this paper is to show some aspects of the practical use of economic measures in the fight against water pollution in France. Twenty years ago, these economic measures were first implemented, and it may be interesting to draw some lessons from the experience. First, the paper presents the principles of water quality management in France established by the Law on Water of 16 December 1964. Second, some examples of factories and local communities facing the problem of fighting water pollution are discussed. Finally, general results and some reflections conclude the paper.     

Government expenditures on imported inputs and the goals of food self-sufficiency and food security in the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference

Food security and food self-sufficiency are important regional goals for the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC). In the long run, success in these areas would reduce the incidence of drought-related mass starvation and the epidemic of malnutrition and undernutrition that exists among some tribal groups. For food production to improve, the governments must commit themselves to increasing the access of peasant farmers to critical agricultural inputs. If they do not take proper action in this area of development planning, domestic food production is likely to stagnate or decline. This study is a broad examination of the relationship between government expenditures on imported inputs and the performance of the domestic food subsector. Because much data on government spending and agricultural production in Africa are unavailable, and those in published form are of suspect validity, the study is undertaken largely as a conceptual overview. The empirical analyses are conducted, therefore, largely to provide a staging ground for the conceptual arguments.     

Synthesis of cellulose-fatty acid esters for use as biodegradable plastics

Long-chain fatty acid carbohydrate esters (FACE) were synthesized by the acid chloride-pyridine reaction to different degrees of substitution (DS). The hydrolyzed soybean oil was used as the source of unsaturated fatty acids. High molecular weight FACE polymers are insoluble in common solvents, such as benzene, toluene, THF, etc., and are highly water resistant. However, FACE polymers of hydrolyzed cellulose (MW 180 kD) are soluble/swellable in toluene and can be cast into tough, flexible films. FACE polymer properties of tensile strength and clasticity vary with degree of substitution and polymer size.Paper presented at the Bio/Environmentally Degradable Polymer Society—Third National Meeting, June 6–8, 1994, Boston, Massachusetts.     

Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of tetrachloroethylene with permanganate

The kinetics, reaction pathways and product distribution of oxidation of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) by potassium permanganate (KMnO4) were studied in phosphate-buffered solutions under constant pH, isothermal, completely mixed and zero headspace conditions. Experimental results indicate that the reaction is first-order with respect to both PCE and KMnO4 and has an activation energy of 9.3+/-0.9 kcal/mol. The second-order rate constant at 20 degrees C is 0.035+/-0.004 M(-1) s(-1), and is independent of pH and ionic strength (I) over a range of pH 3-10 and I approximately 0-0.2 M, respectively. The PCE-KMnO4 reaction may proceed through further oxidation and/or hydrolysis reaction pathways, greatly influenced by the acidity of the solution, to yield CO2(g), oxalic acid, formic acid and glycolic acid. Under acidic conditions (e.g., pH 3), the further oxidation pathway will dominate and PCE tends to be directly mineralized into CO2 and chloride. Under neutral (e.g., pH 7) and alkaline conditions (e.g., pH 10), the hydroxylation pathway dominates the reaction and PCE is primarily transformed into oxalic acid prior to complete PCE mineralization. Moreover, all chlorine atoms in PCE are rapidly liberated during the reaction and the rate of chloride production is very close to the rate of PCE degradation.     

EFFECTS OF INITIAL ABSTRACTION AND URBANIZATION ON ESTIMATED RUNOFF USING CN TECHNOLOGY1

ABSTRACT: Few studies have been conducted to explore the effects of initial abstraction on estimated direct runoff despite the widespread use of the curve number (CN) method in many hydrologic models to estimate direct runoff. In this study, use of a 5 percent ratio of initial abstraction (I_a) to storage (S) to estimate daily direct runoff with modified CN values for a 5 percent I_a/S value was investigated using the Long‐Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L‐THIA) geographic information system (GIS). In addition, the effects on estimated runoff of altering the hydrologic soil group due to urbanization were investigated. The L‐THIA model was applied to the Indiana Little Eagle Creek watershed with 5 percent and 20 percent I_a/S values, considering hydrologic soil group alteration due to urbanization. The results indicate that uses of a 5 percent l_a/S and modified CN values and Hydrologic Soil Group D for urbanized areas in model runs can improve long term direct runoff prediction.