Organochlorine pesticides and PCBs in fish from lakes of the Tibetan Plateau and the implications

High mountains may play significant roles in the global transport of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This work aims to investigate the levels, patterns and distribution of semi-volatile organoclorine pollutants and to improve the understanding of the long-range atmospheric transport and fate of contaminants on the Tibetan Plateau. A total of 60 fish samples were collected from eight lakes located between 2813 and 4718 m above sea level across the Plateau. Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were measured in fish muscle. The results showed that concentrations of DDT, HCH and HCB were comparable to or lower than those found in remote mountains of Europe, Canada and US, while PCB concentrations in fish were, on average, about 4-150 times lower on Tibet than at other mountain areas. The transport and fate of contaminants in the Plateau are significantly influenced by the unique climatological and meteorological conditions, particularly by the summer Indian monsoon and winter westerly jet stream.     

新型材料淀粉微球对Cu2＋、Cr3＋和Pb2＋的吸附机理研究

以可溶性淀粉为原料,在反相悬浮体系中合成N,N′-亚甲基双丙烯酰胺交联淀粉微球为载体,研究了新型吸附材料淀粉微球（cross-linked starch microsphere,CSMs）对Mn＋（Cu2＋、Cr3＋、Pb2＋）的静态吸附行为。利用扫描电镜、X射线衍射仪和红外光谱仪对微球及其吸附产物进行表征,分析讨论了3种金属原子结构,研究了吸附机理。结果表明：308K时,Cu2＋、Pb2＋和Cr3＋的饱和吸附量分别是2.43、0.30和0.27 mmol/g,CSMs对Cu2＋离子吸附能力最强,并且其通过物理吸附、配位吸附方式吸附Mn＋,并得出引起微球吸附能力大小可能与金属离子电荷、离子半径和外层电子排布的差异因素有关。     

秦皇岛地热能梯级利用状况与前景分析

在对秦皇岛地热能资源现状和开发利用调查的基础上,对秦皇岛地区的地热资源分布特征进行了分类,通过对相应的地热资源利用现状进行调查,掌握了地热能利用的现状以及存在的种种问题和不足。为了更加合理高效地利用地热能资源,进行开发利用前景分析,制定了地热能综合梯级利用的规划建议。     

电力行业的节能减排与低碳经济

中国能源结构以煤为主,火电行业是碳排放量的主体,面对低碳经济的发展模式,电力行业势必将成为CO2减排的主力军。目前,火电行业通过"上大压小"政策,实现结构减排;通过提高电力工业的烟气脱硫,实现工程减排;通过扩大清洁能源的比例,减少煤炭消耗总量,实现总量减排。使用清洁能源是实现碳减排的有效途径。指出了电力行业"节能减排"的现状和措施,分析了电力行业在"低碳经济"中所面临的新形势,并对低碳电力技术的研究与运用进行了展望,阐述了通过利用清洁能源促进碳减排的迫切性和必要性。     

Ambient TSP concentration and dustfall in major cities of China: Spatial distribution and temporal variability

Based on environmental monitoring data in 93 major cities and meteorological records at 398 weather stations in China from 1981 to 2007, total suspended particle (TSP) concentration, the intensity of dustfall, and sand and dust storm frequency (F_d) were analysed. During the past 27 years, the annual average TSP concentration (C_TSP) in 93 cities was 402 μg m^?3. Annual average C_TSP decreased from the north to the south and from inland to the coast areas with a peak value of 628.8 μg m^?3 in Lanzhou. In the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, annual average C_TSP was 628.7, 319.2, and 250.1 μg m^?3, respectively. Annual average intensity of dustfall (I_d) was 240.5 t km^?2 a^?1, decreased from northern to southern China and from inland to the coast areas with the maximum value of 717.2 t km^?2 a^?1 in Baotou. In the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, annual average I_d was 334.8, 220.9, 146 t km^?2 a^?1 respectively. Annual average I_d in the Loess Plateau region was commonly higher than 200 t km^?2 a^?1. The annual average F_d decreased from arid regions in northwestern China to humid areas in southeastern China with two sand and sand storm centers existing in Xinjiang Taklamakan Desert and western Inner Mongolia. The annual average F_d in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s was 16, 8, 6 days respectively, decreased steadily from 18 days in 1981–5 days in 2007. Annual average I_d had a positive linear relation to annual average C_TSP (R² = 0.96). Annual average F_d had a positive relation with annual average C_TSP (R² = 0.97) as well as annual average I_d (R² = 0.94). TSP was the chief pollutant influencing Air Pollution Index (API) in northern China in spring and winter seasons. Sand and dust storm might be a major factor affecting the temporal variability and spatial distribution of TSP and dustfall in China.     

Air pollutants and health outcomes: Assessment of confounding by influenza

We assessed confounding of associations between short-term effects of air pollution and health outcomes by influenza using Hong Kong mortality and hospitalization data for 1996–2002.Three measures of influenza were defined: (i) intensity: weekly proportion of positive influenza viruses, (ii) epidemic: weekly number of positive influenza viruses ≥4% of the annual number for ≥2 consecutive weeks, and (iii) predominance: an epidemic period with co-circulation of respiratory syncytial virus <2% of the annual positive isolates for ≥2 consecutive weeks. We examined effects of influenza on associations between nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm (PM₁₀) and ozone (O₃) and health outcomes including all natural causes mortality, cardiorespiratory mortality and hospitalization. Generalized additive Poisson regression model with natural cubic splines was fitted to control for time-varying covariates to estimate air pollution health effects. Confounding with influenza was assessed using an absolute difference of >0.1% between unadjusted and adjusted excess risks (ER%).Without adjustment, pollutants were associated with positive ER% for all health outcomes except asthma and stroke hospitalization with SO₂ and stroke hospitalization with O₃. Following adjustment, changes in ER% for all pollutants were <0.1% for all natural causes mortality, but >0.1% for mortality from stroke with NO₂ and SO₂, cardiac or heart disease with NO₂, PM₁₀ and O₃, lower respiratory infections with NO₂ and O₃ and mortality from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with all pollutants. Changes >0.1% were seen for acute respiratory disease hospitalization with NO₂, SO₂ and O₃ and acute lower respiratory infections hospitalization with PM₁₀. Generally, influenza does not confound the observed associations of air pollutants with all natural causes mortality and cardiovascular hospitalization, but for some pollutants and subgroups of cardiorespiratory mortality and respiratory hospitalization there was evidence to suggest confounding by influenza.     

Using Si depletion in aerosol to identify the sources of crustal dust in two Chinese megacities

Depletion of Si in transported dust has been recognized for many years. It can be used to distinguish between transported and local dust in cities, although it rarely has been. Here we use the variations of the Si/Al ratio in 15 months of continuous PM_2.5 samples at Beijing (northern China) and Chongqing (southwestern China) to reveal the seasonal patterns of their dust sources. For both cities, peaks of concentration for Si and Al in PM_2.5 corresponded with minima of Si/Al, and could often be linked to pulsed air flow from deserts to the northwest. With significant depletion (up to 80%) and homogeneous distribution at urban and rural sites, Si/Al showed a clear seasonal evolution, which decreased from spring to summer, increased from fall to winter, and collapsed during Chinese Spring Festival, indicating the dominance of transported dust, local fugitive dust and firework influence, respectively. The low ratios implied that desert dust is a common source during spring at Chongqing, whereas its presence during cold season at Beijing was also more frequent than expected. Failing to recognize the depletion of Si may lead to an overestimate of desert dust by 15%–65% when using the average abundance of Al in crust (6%–8%), as in previous studies. The difference in Si/Al ratio between local and transported dust implies that >60% of the dust at Beijing came from outside the city during the springs of 2004–2006. This result can help resolve the contradictory findings on this topic that have been presented earlier.     

Soil CO2 fluxes from direct seeding rice fields under two tillage practices in central China

Agricultural practices affect the production and emission of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from paddy soils. It is crucial to understand the effects of tillage and N fertilization on soil CO₂ flux and its influencing factors for a better comprehension of carbon dynamics in subtropical paddy ecosystems. A 2-yr field study was conducted to assess the effects of tillage (conventional tillage [CT] and no-tillage [NT]) and N fertilization (0 and 210 kg N ha^?1) on soil CO₂ fluxes during the 2008 and 2009 rice growing seasons in central China. Treatments were established following a split-plot design of a randomized complete block with tillage practices as the main plot and N fertilizer level as the split-plot treatment. The soil CO₂ fluxes were measured 24 times in 2008 and 17 times in 2009. N fertilization did not affect soil CO₂ emissions while tillage affected soil CO₂ emissions, where NT had similar soil CO₂ emissions to CT in 2008, but in 2009, NT significantly increased soil CO₂ emissions. Cumulative CO₂ emissions were 2079–2245 kg CO₂–C ha^?1 from NT treatments, and 2084–2141 kg CO₂–C ha^?1 from CT treatments in 2008, and were 1257–1401 kg CO₂–C ha^?1 from NT treatments, and 1003–1034 kg CO₂–C ha^?1 from CT treatments in 2009, respectively. Cumulative CO₂ emissions were significantly related to aboveground biomass and soil organic C. Before drainage of paddy fields, soil CO₂ fluxes were significantly related to soil temperature with correlation coefficients (R) of 0.67–0.87 in 2008 and 0.69–0.85 in 2009; moreover, the Q₁₀ values ranged from 1.28 to 1.55 and from 2.10 to 5.21 in 2009, respectively. Our results suggested that NT rice production system appeared to be ineffective in decreasing carbon emission, which suggested that CO₂ emissions from integrated rice-based system should be taken into account to assess effects of tillage.     

Simulating chemistry–aerosol–cloud–radiation–climate feedbacks over the continental U.S. using the online-coupled Weather Research Forecasting Model with chemistry (WRF/Chem)

The chemistry–aerosol–cloud–radiation–climate feedbacks are simulated using WRF/Chem over the continental U.S. in January and July 2001. Aerosols can reduce incoming solar radiation by up to ?9% in January and ?16% in July and 2-m temperatures by up to 0.16 °C in January and 0.37 °C in July over most of the continental U.S. The NO₂ photolysis rates decrease in July by up to ?8% over the central and eastern U.S. where aerosol concentrations are high but increase by up to 7% over the western U.S. in July and up to 13% over the entire domain in January. Planetary boundary layer (PBL) height reduces by up to ?23% in January and ?24% in July. Temperatures and wind speeds in July in big cities such as Atlanta and New York City reduce at/near surface but increase at higher altitudes. The changes in PBL height, temperatures, and wind speed indicate a more stable atmospheric stability of the PBL and further exacerbate air pollution over areas where air pollution is already severe. Aerosols can increase cloud optical depths in big cities in July, and can lead to 500–5000 cm^?3 cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) at a supersaturation of 1% over most land areas and 10–500 cm^?3 CCN over ocean in both months with higher values over most areas in July than in January, particularly in the eastern U.S. The total column cloud droplet number concentrations are up to 4.9 × 10⁶ cm^?2 in January and up to 11.8 × 10⁶ cm^?2 in July, with higher values over regions with high CCN concentrations and sufficient cloud coverage. Aerosols can reduce daily precipitation by up to 1.1 mm day^?1 in January and 19.4 mm day^?1 in July thus the wet removal rates over most of the land areas due to the formation of small CCNs, but they can increase precipitation over regions with the formation of large/giant CCN. These results indicate potential importance of the aerosol feedbacks and an urgent need for their accurate representations in current atmospheric models to reduce uncertainties associated with climate change predictions.