Impact and cost of measures to reduce nutrient emissions from wastewater and storm water treatment in the German Elbe river basin

As a leading nutrient emitter, wastewater infrastructure harbors significant technical potentials to reduce the water-polluting emissions of phosphorus and nitrogen into the Elbe river basin. From the viewpoint of the central infrastructure, the effluent threshold value of urban wastewater treatment plants could be lowered further by advanced use of denitrification and membrane filtration, and storm water overflows of wastewater and contaminated rainwater from sewers could be treated in retention soil filters. In addition, small-scale wastewater treatment plants, infiltration and reducing or unsealing impervious surfaces could be used as decentralized elements of wastewater or storm water treatment. It can be shown that if the most advanced measures were applied in all wastewater-relevant areas, up to 60% of the phosphorus and 37% of the nitrogen emissions could be avoided. Alongside central wastewater treatment plants, small-scale treatment plants prove to be the most effective and cost-efficient option. To achieve an ecologically acceptable state of the Elbe, however, it may be necessary to employ more costly measures as well.     

Barriers to plantation activities in different agro-ecological zones of Southern India

This paper analyses environmental and socio-economic barriers for plantation activities on local and regional level and investigates the potential for carbon finance to stimulate the increased rates of forest plantation on wasteland, i.e., degraded lands, in southern India. Building on multidisciplinary field work and results from the model GCOMAP, the aim is to (1) identify and characterize the barriers to plantation activities in four agro-ecological zones in the state of Karnataka and (2) investigate what would be required to overcome these barriers and enhance the plantation rate and productivity. The results show that a rehabilitation of the wasteland based on plantation activities is not only possible but also anticipated by the local population and would lead to positive environmental and socio-economic effects at a local level. However, in many cases, the establishment of plantation activities is hindered by a lack of financial resources, low land productivity and water scarcity. Based on the model used and the results from the field work, it can be concluded that certified emission reductions such as carbon credits or other compensatory systems may help to overcome the financial barrier; however, the price needs to be significantly increased if these measures are to have any large-scale impact.     

Anthropogenic impacts on suspended sediment load in the Upper Yangtze river

Climate change and human disturbance drive catchment erosion and increase riverine sediment load sensitively in small and medium-sized watersheds. This is not always true in large basins, where aggregation and buffering effects have dampen the ability to determine the driving forces of sedimentation. Even though there are significant responses to sedimentation in large river basins, it is difficult to get a precise quantitative assessment of specific drivers. This paper develops a methodology to identify driving forces that change suspended sediment load in the Upper Yangtze river. Annual runoff and sediment load data from 1954 to 2005 at the Yichang gauging station in the Upper Yangtze basin, daily precipitation data from 60 meteorological stations, and survey data on reservoir sediment were collected for the study. Sediment load/rainfall erosivity (S/R), is a new proxy indicator introduced to reflect human activities. Since the mid-1980s, S/R in the Upper Yangtze has dramatically declined from 0.21 to 0.03 (×10¹⁰ t ha h MJ⁻¹ mm⁻¹), indicating that human activity has played a key role in the decline of the suspended sediment load. Before the mid-1980s, a higher average S/R is attributed to large-scale deforestation and land reclamation. A significant sediment decrease occurred from 1959 to 1961 during an extreme drought condition, and an increase in sedimentation in 1998 coincided with an extreme flood event, which was well recorded in the S/R curve. This indicates that the S/R proxy is able to distinguish anthropogenic from climate impacts on suspended sediment load, but is not necessarily indicatory in extreme climate events. In addition, typical drivers of riverine sediment load variation including soil conservation projects, reservoirs construction, and land use/cover change are discussed.     

Land-cover changes in and around a National Park in a mountain landscape in the Pyrenees

The current state of Mediterranean mountain areas has been driven by two main factors: intense traditional human activity and the dynamics of the ecosystem itself. In this study, we examine land-cover changes in a National Park in the Pyrenees mountains (NE Iberian Peninsula), which was designated a protected area 55 years ago. First, we have analyzed spatio-temporal changes in land-cover pattern and forest dynamics from 1957 to 2005. During this period, land-cover dynamics consisted of two main processes: (i) expansion of the forest area and (ii) increasing cover of forests already present in 1957. To analyze the role of the conservation level of the park, we have also compared the results obtained within the park with those of unprotected, peripheral areas. In the two areas with different protection level, dense forests increased throughout the period because of the reduction in forestry activities. The peripheral area showed a higher rate of forest-cover change from 1957 to 2005 compared to the National Park. This higher increase in forest cover in the peripheral area could be related to a higher proportion in the National Park of screes and rocky areas and to the decline and transformation of forest activities in these peripheral, lower elevation areas.     

Mercury consumption and contamination of environment in gold mining in China

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物化——生化两级处理工艺处理粘胶纤维生产废水

介绍粘胶纤维生产废水的来源、水质特点及物化--生化两级处理工艺。给出了主要构筑物的技术参数及实际工程运行效果，并对该工艺存在的问题进行了讨论。     

海水中90Sr测量的国际比对研究

为了检验并提高海水人工放射性核素90Sr的分析水平,本研究利用二\（2-乙基己基）磷酸（HDEHP）萃取-β计数法参与2016年国际原子能机构（IAEA）组织的海水90Sr活度分析国际比对活动,测量结果与IAEA给定的参考值一致。国际比对活动证明本方法测定海水样品中90Sr的结果可靠,且具有较低的检出限（0.14 Bq/m3）。本方法是目前中华人民共和国环保部标准HJ815-2016的重要补充,同时为今后海水90Sr的国家标准的建立打下基础,以满足我国滨海核电快速发展背景下的海水90Sr分析需求。     

基于高精度清单的京津冀机动车控污政策研究

为研究京津冀机动车污染控制政策对CO、HC、NO_x、PM_2.5、PM₁₀等污染物的减排效果,建立了2014年高精度机动车排放清单,选取过去已经实施,未来规划实施及优化/劣化后的若干政策,设置4类共13种政策情景,与实际清单基准情景进行对比,识别各政策情景的排放变化,并对其中由政府给予补贴的政策进行成本收益核算.结果显示,淘汰低排放标准机动车带来的污染减排效果最好,在天津和河北对CO和HC的排放削减分别为53.19%,49.75%和51.28%,50.87%,达半数及以上;升级机动车发动机和燃油标准也能显著削减排放,在天津和河北对PM_2.5、PM₁₀的削减分别为17.01%,17.00%和21.95%,21.93%.政府补贴政策存在明显边际效应特征,排放标准高,重污染车少的北京单位成本的减排收益明显低于天津和河北,.河北和天津在考虑成本因素的基础上,应当逐步采纳北京的高标准减排政策;北京则可在一定条件下,将一部分低效的政府补贴通过合理方式转移支付给天津和河北,以提高政府投入的减排效率.     

华北引黄灌区粮食产量与农业土壤资源质量时空分布特征

明确作物产量和土壤养分时空变异可以更好地掌握农田生产力和土壤质量情况,对农业资源合理配置以及提高生产力可持续性有着非常重要的意义。利用华北平原引黄灌区下游农田作物产量数据和耕地质量监测数据,对华北平原引黄灌区下游作物产量的演变以及有机质和养分的空间分布进行分析,阐明该地区作物产量、土壤养分的空间分布特征。结果表明：灌区的农田生产力水平存在显著的空间和时空差异。20世纪80年代末以来,农田生产力水平整体呈上升趋势,冬小麦高产田分布在黄河下游北岸中部地区的齐河县和下游南岸三个县,范围是6084.0~6861.0 kg/hm²,夏玉米产量空间分布整体上呈现出中间高两端低的特征,其中齐河县的产量最高,为7524.0 kg/hm²。灌区农田土壤有机质、氮、磷、钾养分具有明显的时空分布差异,有机质和速效钾含量最高的德州市分别为16.30 g/kg和202.40 mg/kg,全氮含量最高的淄博市为1.17 g/kg,有效磷含量最高的泰安市为34.56 mg/kg。研究表明,灌区的生产力水平一直不断在提升,仍有很大的增长空间。掌握养分分布特征和土壤肥力的空间差异来制定合理的施肥措施,可为今后该地区实现精准农业和高产稳产提供科学依据。