Environmental decentralization,environmental public service,and public health: evidence from 289 cities in China

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Effective supply of environmental public services (EPS) is important to guarantee the mitigation of residential pollution exposure risk. This study analyzes...     

Using environmental and geographic data to optimize ex situ collections and preserve evolutionary potential

Maintenance of biodiversity through seed banks and botanical gardens, where the wealth of species’ genetic variation may be preserved ex situ, is a major goal of conservation. However, challenges can persist in optimizing ex situ collections if trade-offs exist among cost, effort, and conserving species evolutionary potential, particularly when genetic data are not available. We evaluated the genetic consequences of population preservation informed by geographic (isolation by distance [IBD]) and environmental (isolation by environment [IBE]) distance for ex situ collections for which population provenance is available. We used 19 genetic and genomic data sets from 15 plant species to assess the proportion of population genetic differentiation explained by geographic and environmental factors and to simulate ex situ collections prioritizing source populations based on pairwise geographic distance, environmental distance, or both. Specifically, we tested the impact prioritizing sampling based on these distances may have on the capture of neutral, functional, or putatively adaptive genetic diversity and differentiation. Individually, IBD and IBE explained limited population genetic differences across all 3 genetic marker classes (IBD, 10–16%; IBE, 1–5.5%). Together, they explained a substantial proportion of population genetic differences for functional (45%) and adaptive (71%) variation. Simulated ex situ collections revealed that inclusion of IBD, IBE, or both increased allelic diversity and genetic differentiation captured among populations, particularly for loci that may be important for adaptation. Thus, prioritizing population collections based on environmental and geographic distance data can optimize genetic variation captured ex situ. For the vast majority of plant species for which there is no genetic information, these data are invaluable to conservation because they can guide preservation of genetic variation needed to maintain evolutionary potential within collections.     

Identification of policies for a sustainable legal trade in rhinoceros horn based on population projection and socioeconomic models

Between 1990 and 2007, 15 southern white (Ceratotherium simum simum) and black (Diceros bicornis) rhinoceroses on average were killed illegally every year in South Africa. Since 2007 illegal killing of southern white rhinoceros for their horn has escalated to >950 individuals/year in 2013. We conducted an ecological–economic analysis to determine whether a legal trade in southern white rhinoceros horn could facilitate rhinoceros protection. Generalized linear models were used to examine the socioeconomic drivers of poaching, based on data collected from 1990 to 2013, and to project the total number of rhinoceroses likely to be illegally killed from 2014 to 2023. Rhinoceros population dynamics were then modeled under 8 different policy scenarios that could be implemented to control poaching. We also estimated the economic costs and benefits of each scenario under enhanced enforcement only and a legal trade in rhinoceros horn and used a decision support framework to rank the scenarios with the objective of maintaining the rhinoceros population above its current size while generating profit for local stakeholders. The southern white rhinoceros population was predicted to go extinct in the wild <20 years under present management. The optimal scenario to maintain the rhinoceros population above its current size was to provide a medium increase in antipoaching effort and to increase the monetary fine on conviction. Without legalizing the trade, implementing such a scenario would require covering costs equal to approximately $147,000,000/year. With a legal trade in rhinoceros horn, the conservation enterprise could potentially make a profit of $717,000,000/year. We believe the 35‐year‐old ban on rhinoceros horn products should not be lifted unless the money generated from trade is reinvested in improved protection of the rhinoceros population. Because current protection efforts seem to be failing, it is time to evaluate, discuss, and test alternatives to the present policy.     

广州城市生态环境变化

对广州城市生态环境因子的大气，水，固体废弃物和噪声污染状况近十年数据结合广州城市发展，分析其环境污染变化特征，结果表明，广州市大气环境污染已由煤烟型向石油型转变;环境中有机污染严重，主要表现为氨氮，BOD5，砷化物和汞化物污染，固体垃圾产出量逐年增加，声环境在逐步好转。     

Resampling methods for estimating dispersion indices in random and adaptive designs

In many surveys in environmental and natural phenomena the aim is to evaluate the heterogeneity, and the skewness of the distribution of the number point-objects in the study area opportunely partitioned in sub-regions. For this purpose, in this paper the estimation of dispersion indices is considered by using simple random sampling and adaptive sampling with initial simple random sampling selected with replacement or without replacement. The jackknife and the bootstrap procedures are proposed in both cases for reducing bias. Finally, both a simulation study and a case study on biological population referred to a Oidium tuckeri contamination in a growing vineyard is performed to assess the accuracy of the proposed estimators.     

气体扩散电极制备及其对苯酚降解效果的研究

以质量比9∶1的活性炭和乙炔黑制备气体扩散电极,着重研究电流密度、pH值、曝气量等因素对H2O2产生量的影响.结果表明:pH值在较大范围内均适用;电流密度控制在50～75 mA/cm2,曝气量确定为5 L/min时,反应产生H2O2较多.另外,利用该气体扩散电极做阴极,石墨电极做阳极,以Na2SO4为电解质,研究了电解时间、电流密度、pH值、初始苯酚浓度、曝气量等因素对苯酚降解效果的影响.结果表明:在电流密度为75 mA/cm2、曝气量为5 L/min、初始pH=3的条件下,当苯酚的初始浓度为80 mg/L时,1 h后其去除率达77%.     

重庆市大气污染对锌材料腐蚀的经济损失分析

简要介绍了材料大气腐蚀经济损失的估算方法,并以2002年为基准年,选择了重庆市主城中心的6个功能区作为代表性区域,运用腐蚀破坏剂量响应函数和使用寿命计算公式对锌材料的腐蚀经济损失进行了定量估算.结果表明,由大气污染腐蚀破坏锌材料造成的年直接经济损失约为4061.7万元,约为同期GDP的0.1%.其中,干沉降对经济损失总量的贡献率在71%～99%之间,均值为92%.     

世界煤炭资源流动的时空格局及成因分析

基于1990-2016年的统计数据,采用场理论研究世界煤炭资源流动的时空格局变化及其成因,揭示近30年来世界煤炭资源的流动状态及其演变过程。研究结果显示：（1）2016年世界煤炭的输出总量达12.25亿t,比1990年增加了10.13亿t,年均增长6.98%,其中澳大利亚、印尼和俄罗斯等是主要的煤炭输出国,印度、日本、中国和韩国是主要的煤炭输入国;（2）以场理论的位势、流场分布、流动迹线角度分析,世界煤炭资源的流动以北美洲、中南美洲和非洲为源流场,以欧洲及欧亚大陆、中东和亚太为汇流场,在澳大利亚—东亚、印尼—东亚/印度之间形成主要运输航线;（3）资源空间分布、供需匹配程度、空间距离、市场因素和国家政策等是煤炭资源流动的主要动因。研究发现：虽然中国煤炭储量丰富,但是煤炭消费数量庞大,仅可维持72年,必须重视煤炭的进口和储备工作。该研究对于中国科学制定产业政策具有重要价值。     

Simulation of pesticide runoff at Rosemaund Farm (UK) using the SoilFug model

A validation exercise of the SoilFug model using field runoff data from Rosemaund Farm (UK) is described. A comparison has been made of modelled and measured concentrations of several pesticides in surface water and soil during and after specific rain events following application. The field experiments were designed to obtain data on rainfall, outflows of water, pesticide application rates and concentrations in soil and water. The results were satisfactory for the undissociated pesticides (atrazine, carbofuran, dimethoate, isoproturon, lindane, simazine and trifluralin), whose concentrations in water were mostly predicted within an order of magnitude of measured data. The results for the dissociated pesticides (dichlorprop, MCPA, mecoprop) were less satisfactory, giving generally much higher predicted concentrations in water. The use of the SoilFug model is suggested for the calculation of predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) in water, since it generally produces acceptable results from a relatively small set of input data, most of which is generally available.