Water Management Decision Making in the Face of Multiple Forms of Uncertainty and Risk

In the Wasatch Range Metropolitan Area of Northern Utah, water management decision makers confront multiple forms of uncertainty and risk. Adapting to these uncertainties and risks is critical for maintaining the long‐term sustainability of the region's water supply. This study draws on interview data to assess the major challenges climatic and social changes pose to Utah's water future, as well as potential solutions. The study identifies the water management adaptation decision‐making space shaped by the interacting institutional, social, economic, political, and biophysical processes that enable and constrain sustainable water management. The study finds water managers and other water actors see challenges related to reallocating water, including equitable water transfers and stakeholder cooperation, addressing population growth, and locating additional water supplies, as more problematic than the challenges posed by climate change. Furthermore, there is significant disagreement between water actors over how to best adapt to both climatic and social changes. This study concludes with a discussion of the path dependencies that present challenges to adaptive water management decision making, as well as opportunities for the pursuit of a new water management paradigm based on soft‐path solutions. Such knowledge is useful for understanding the institutional and social adaptations needed for water management to successfully address future uncertainties and risks.     

Assessment of Presence of Heavy Metals and Other Pollution Burden Parameters and Their Effect on Water Quality in Benin City,Edo State

An assessment of the heavy metal content and biological pollution burden of an abattoir dumpsite, an automobile carwash, the Ikpoba River, and a private water borehole located near the abattoir dumpsite was conducted in Benin City in Southern Nigeria, during the rainy and dry seasons. The water samples’ pH was lower than the permissible values, with the river water displaying color and possessing a slight odor. Iron concentrations exceeded the permissible limits for drinking water at all four of the sampling stations in the study area, although not in samples collected from the control station, station 5, a public water borehole that is located some distance away. Lead values were higher than drinking water standards in the samples collected from stations 1 through 4, with some exceptions during the rainy season. Copper, nickel, arsenic, chromium, and aluminum were detected in three out of the four sampling stations located within the study area. However, these metals were detected at levels that were within regulatory limits. The detection of three metals (iron, lead, and zinc) within the study area at levels exceeding drinking water limits suggested that a complete cycle of movement of pollutants into the sampling stations had occurred. Significant biological presences were also detected, as the Ikpoba River water had a standard plate count (SPC) of 130 most probable number (MPN) and a 22 MPN presumptive coliform count (PCC) or 22 MPN. However, Escherichia coli (E. coli) confirmatory tests recorded less than 2 MPN in both seasons. The study has shown that the quality of water in the river may be compromised by effluent discharges from the dumpsite and the carwash channel. Therefore, this situation requires more stringent enforcement of local environmental laws and maintenance of safe distances between domestic and industrial waste sources and domestic or private water wells.     

Factors Affecting Flood Disasters in Small Island Developing States and Potential Adaptation Measures: The Case of Funchal City,Portugal

This work highlights the evolution of flood disasters and their impacts upon environmental and socioeconomic aspects both worldwide and in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in particular. For our research, we reviewed the stress factors affecting flood disasters and performed surveys of two focus groups in Funchal municipality on Madeira Island (Portugal). Our research identifies the main causes of the serious impacts that flash floods can have on Funchal city. These include:

• The occupation of floodplain areas,
• Canalization of water courses,
• Erosion and transport of soil from upstream hillslopes due to deforestation, and
• Intensive precipitation of long duration.

     

Benchmarking Optical/Thermal Satellite Imagery for Estimating Evapotranspiration and Soil Moisture in Decision Support Tools

Generally, one expects evapotranspiration (ET) maps derived from optical/thermal Landsat and MODIS satellite imagery to improve decision support tools and lead to superior decisions regarding water resources management. However, there is lack of supportive evidence to accept or reject this expectation. We “benchmark” three existing hydrologic decision support tools with the following benchmarks: annual ET for the ET Toolbox developed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, predicted rainfall‐runoff hydrographs for the Gridded Surface/Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis model developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the average annual groundwater recharge for the Distributed Parameter Watershed Model used by Daniel B. Stephens & Associates. The conclusion of this benchmark study is that the use of NASA/USGS optical/thermal satellite imagery can considerably improve hydrologic decision support tools compared to their traditional implementations. The benefits of improved decision making, resulting from more accurate results of hydrologic support systems using optical/thermal satellite imagery, should substantially exceed the costs for acquiring such imagery and implementing the remote sensing algorithms. In fact, the value of reduced error in estimating average annual groundwater recharge in the San Gabriel Mountains, California alone, in terms of value of water, may be as large as $1 billion, more than sufficient to pay for one new Landsat satellite.     

Developing Effective Decision Support for the Application of “Gentle” Remediation Options: The GREENLAND Project

Gentle remediation options (GRO) are risk management strategies/technologies that result in a net gain (or at least no gross reduction) in soil function as well as risk management. They encompass a number of technologies, including the use of plant (phyto‐), fungi (myco‐), and/or bacteria‐based methods, with or without chemical soil additives or amendments, for reducing contaminant transfer to local receptors by in situ stabilization, or extraction, transformation, or degradation of contaminants. Despite offering strong benefits in terms of risk management, deployment costs, and sustainability for a range of site problems, the application of GRO as practical on‐site remedial solutions is still in its relative infancy, particularly for metal(loid)‐contaminated sites. A key barrier to wider adoption of GRO relates to general uncertainties and lack of stakeholder confidence in (and indeed knowledge of) the feasibility or reliability of GRO as practical risk management solutions. The GREENLAND project has therefore developed a simple and transparent decision support framework for promoting the appropriate use of gentle remediation options and encouraging participation of stakeholders, supplemented by a set of specific design aids for use when GRO appear to be a viable option. The framework is presented as a three phased model or Decision Support Tool (DST), in the form of a Microsoft Excel‐based workbook, designed to inform decision‐making and options appraisal during the selection of remedial approaches for contaminated sites. The DST acts as a simple decision support and stakeholder engagement tool for the application of GRO, providing a context for GRO application (particularly where soft end‐use of remediated land is envisaged), quick reference tables (including an economic cost calculator), and supporting information and technical guidance drawing on practical examples of effective GRO application at trace metal(loid) contaminated sites across Europe. This article introduces the decision support framework. ©2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

山东崂山生物多样性及保护对策

根据多年来对青岛崂山生物资源的调查和文献资料,研究了崂山生物多样性的特点,分析了其在山东生物多样性保护中的地位,提出了崂山生物多样性保护对策和建议.研究表明:崂山生物多样性具有物种丰富度高、密度大,特有种、重点保护物种多,植物成分复杂,生态系统类型多样,古树名木众多,遗传多样性丰富的特点,崂山是山东乃至全国生物多样性保护的“关键区“之一.     

耐盐苯酚降解菌Staphylococcus sp.的分离及降解特性

从巴丹吉林沙漠盐湖表层沉积物中筛选到一株高效耐盐苯酚降解菌CL.测定了菌株CL的生理生化指标、16S rRNA基因序列,通过动力学模型探究了该菌株的生长和苯酚降解特性,同时考察了固定化对其耐受及降解苯酚能力的影响.结果表明,菌株CL属于葡萄球菌属(Staphylococcus sp.),在温度30℃、pH 7.0—8.0、盐度0—10%和苯酚浓度100—200 mg·L~(-1)条件下,该菌株能高效降解苯酚,其降解率均在85%以上.菌株CL对不同浓度苯酚的降解符合Haldane模型,其最大比降解速率和抑制常数分别为0.32 h~(-1)和351.70 mg·L~(-1),同时该菌株在不同盐度下对苯酚的降解符合Ghose and Tyagi模型.固定化可以明显增加菌株CL对苯酚的降解和耐受能力.菌株CL在高盐环境下能够高效降解苯酚,具有生物处理高盐含酚废水的潜力.     

液氮泡沫发生器内流动特性研究

低温液氮与泡沫混合液直接接触产生氮气泡沫是一种新型的掺混形式,利用液氮高汽化比的特点,搭建液氮泡沫可视化实验装置,进行氮气-水两相流及液氮泡沫流动特性的研究。结果表明,液氮相变产生大量氮气,其与泡沫液混合产生泡沫,温度有所回升,最终趋于泡沫混合液温度;管路沿程压降较小;液氮射流破碎及流动过程可分为6个区域:低温液氮区、向上循环翻滚区、滞留区、泡沫与泡沫混合液混合区、致密泡沫区、泡沫混合液区。流体向下游流动过程中持续发泡;为防止管路结冰,需合理控制泡沫混合液与液氮流量。     

不同装煤方式和炭化室高度的焦炉周边环境空气总悬浮颗粒物碳组分特征

研究了山西省4座典型焦炉周边环境空气中总悬浮颗粒物(TSP)碳组分特征,分析了不同装煤方式和炭化室高度对其的影响。结果表明:(1)焦炉周边环境空气中TSP质量浓度为711.95～2 938.41μg/m3,其中有机碳(OC)、元素碳(EC)的质量浓度分别为189.45～595.90、285.38～806.71μg/m3,总碳占TSP的质量分数为44.81%～67.45%;捣固焦炉周边的TSP及其碳组分浓度高于顶装焦炉,炭化室高度越高的焦炉周边环境空气中TSP及其碳组分浓度越低。(2)4座焦炉周边环境空气TSP中OC和EC质量比为0.66～1.04,说明焦炉周边环境空气中碳组分以一次污染为主。(3)4座焦炉周边环境空气TSP中碳组分的分歧系数为0.092～0.490,均小于0.5,总体来说装煤方式和炭化室高度都对焦炉周边环境空气TSP中碳组分的分布有一定影响,特别是装煤方式和炭化室高度都不同的焦炉周边环境空气TSP中碳组分差异较大。     

TiO_2对几种农药在土壤中光降解的催化作用

以太阳光为光源,研究了TiO2添加量、土壤厚度对毒死蜱、苯线磷、克百威、多菌灵在土壤中光催化降解的影响,并分析了毒死蜱、苯线磷初始浓度对其光催化降解的影响。结果表明,这4种农药的光降解均符合准一级动力学方程,随着TiO2添加量从0mg/kg增加到200mg/kg,光催化降解一级动力学常数逐渐增加。这4种农药在不同厚度含有TiO2的土壤中的光催化降解率不同;在土壤厚度较大的情况下,相应的半衰期也较长;在土壤中添加毒死蜱、苯线磷浓度相对较低的情况下,其对应的光催化降解较快。