The impact of sewage irrigation on the uptake of mercury in corn plants (Zea mays) from suburban Beijing

The impact of sewage irrigation on the uptake and translocation of mercury (Hg) in corn plants (Zea mays) was investigated. Corn plants were harvested the same day from two nearby fields in suburban Beijing, one irrigated historically with sewage effluent, and one irrigated solely with groundwater. Hg content was analyzed in the soil, roots and stems, while percent moisture and soil organic content were analyzed in the soil samples. The concentration of Hg in the soil and roots, and the soil organic content were not significantly different between the two fields, despite the historic practice of sewage irrigation. Hg content in roots was positively correlated with soil Hg concentration (r=0.95, n=6). The transfer coefficients between roots and stems were significantly higher in the control site (control: 2.06, sewage-irrigated: 0.44, p<0.05), indicating that the barrier effect of the roots was not consistent between the two fields.     

Diffusion of PAH and PCB from contaminated sediments with and without mineral capping; measurement and modelling

A novel laboratory microcosm test was developed to measure the diffusion of native PAHs and PCBs from sediments in the presence and absence of a capping layer. Diffusive flux of 15 PAHs and 7 PCBs from uncapped sediment from Oslo harbour was 3.8+/-0.9 microg m(-2)d(-1) and 0.010+/-0.003 microg m(-2)d(-1), respectively. The flux from sediments capped with 1cm mineral cap (crushed limestone or crushed gneiss (0-2mm)), observed during the first 410 d, was 3.5-7.3% of the flux from uncapped sediments. By measuring freely dissolved pore water concentrations of 10 PAHs the flux in the microcosm was modelled with steady state and transient diffusion models. The measured flux from uncapped sediment was 27-290% of modelled steady state flux. Good agreement was also found between the measured flux of pyrene from capped sediment and the flux modelled with the transient model when fitting only with the distribution coefficients for pyrene between the cap material and water (Kd_pyr). Fitted Kd_pyr, (210 and 23 l kg(-1) for limestone and gneiss, respectively) was in the same order of magnitude as K(d) calculated from organic carbon content in the cap materials (68 and 14 l kg(-1) respectively). Calculation of the efficiency of a hypothetical cap with 10 cm diffusion path shows that the increased diffusion path length alone can yield a flux reduction >99% through a strong increase in the stagnant diffusive boundary layer from <1 to 100mm.     

陕西省雷电灾害易损性分析、评估及易损度区划

根据2002～2007年陕西省10个市的雷暴日和雷电灾害统计资料,结合陕西各市的经济和人口密度特征,提出了雷暴日数、雷电灾害频度、生命易损模数及经济易损模数作为各市雷电灾害易损性评估指标,并在此基础上,给出了陕西各市雷电灾害易损度评估结构.采用四级分区法对上述雷电灾害易损性评估指标进行了分级,并赋予各等级如下定值:极高级为1.0、高级为0.8、中级为0.5、低级为0.2.将陕西省10市按照四个雷电灾害易损性评估指标的所属等级获取相应等级值,将各市四个评估指标的等级值累加得到平均值作为雷电灾害易损性评估的评价指数,并利用上述四级分区法形成陕西省雷电灾害易损度区划.     

地震救灾过渡安置点避雷针的布设选点及安装要求

"5.12"汶川8级大地震波及范围很大,给陕西省部分地方造成了不小的损失.灾后,汉中、宝鸡的地震救灾过渡安置点由于缺乏防雷电保护,打雷时有遭受雷电灾害的可能,亟需要对其采取防雷电保护措施.对救灾过渡安置点采用独立避雷针进行防护,该措施安全可靠、简便易行,就成为首选,其布设选点要科学、规范,可使其效益最大化,避雷针的制作和安装应符合技术标准要求,做到牢固可靠,在施工中要因地制宜.综合考虑,始终把安全和牢靠放在首位.     

陕西省2000年天气气候异常变化与自然灾害

分析陕西省2000年天气气候变化发现,隆冬降雪明显增多,春旱异常严重,秋霖明显,沙尘暴天气明显增加,这是多年来未曾见到的现象。异常的天气气候使得多种自然灾害并发。     

Research on the alternatives in a strategic environmental assessment based on the extension theory

The main purpose of a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is to facilitate the early consideration of potential environmental impacts in decision-making processes. SEA alternative identification is a core issue within the SEA framework. However, the current methods of SEA alternative formulation and selection are constrained by the limited setting range and lack of scientific evaluation. Thus, the current paper attempts to provide a new methodology based on the extension theory to identify a range of alternatives and screen the best one. Extension planning is applied to formulate a set of alternatives that satisfy the reasonable interests of the stakeholders. Extension priority evaluation is used to assess and optimize the alternatives and present a scientific methodology for the SEA alternative study. Thereafter, the urban traffic plan of Dalian City is used as an example to demonstrate the feasibility of the new method. The traffic planning scheme and the environmental protection scheme are organically combined based on the extension theory, and the reliability and practicality of this approach are examined.     

Chemical dynamics of the Sava riverine system

Presented here is a study of the geochemical dynamics of the entire River Sava watershed, a major tributary of the River Danube which has not previously been investigated. The sampling was performed at 33 selected locations along the main channel of the stream and at its largest tributaries during three sampling seasons (fall 2005, spring 2006 and fall 2006), going from headwater locations to the mouth near the confluence with the Danube. Almost 80% of the solutes are derived from carbonate mineral weathering and represent over 50% of specific HCO(3)(-) flux normalized to unit basin area at the mouth of the Danube. Statistical analysis indicates that agricultural and industrial sources contribute significantly to increased Na(+), K(+), Cl(-), SO(4)(2-) and NO(3)(-) concentrations in tributary waters. Different processes control the water chemistry along the course of the Sava's drainage-the upper reaches are largely regulated by contributions from carbonate mineral weathering, the middle reaches are influenced by agricultural activity and biological processes related to eutrophication, while the lower reaches tend to have more pronounced parameters related to the industrial processing along with leakages from municipal sanitary systems of these higher population density areas.     

A new approach to spatial source apportionment of haze pollution in large scale and its application in China

Long-lasting expansion of haze pollution in China has already presented a stern challenge to regional joint prevention and control. There is an urgent need to enlarge and reconstruct the coverage of joint prevention and control of air pollution in key area. Air quality models can identify and quantify the regional contribution of haze pollution and its key components with the help of numerical simulation, but it is difficult to be applied to larger spatial scale due to the complexity of model parameters. The time series analysis can recognize the existence of spatial interaction of haze pollution between cities, but it has not yet been used to further identify the spatial sources of haze pollution in large scale. Using econometric framework of time series analysis, this paper developed a new approach to perform spatial source apportionment. We applied this approach to calculate the contribution from spatial sources of haze pollution in China, using the monitoring data of particulate matter (PM_2.5) across 161 Chinese cities. This approach overcame the limitation of numerical simulation that the model complexity increases at excess with the expansion of sample range, and could effectively deal with severe large-scale haze episodes.