Vegetation dynamics and climate change on the Loess Plateau,China: 1982–2011

Monitoring the dynamics of vegetation growth and its response to climate change is important to understand the mechanisms underlying ecosystem behaviors. This study investigated the relationship between vegetation growth and climate change during the growing seasons on the Loess Plateau in China by analyzing the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from the Land Long Term Data Record dataset from 1982 to 2011. Results showed that growing-season NDVI had increased at an annual rate of 0.0028, particularly in the semi-arid and semi-humid regions. By contrast, the NDVI first increased from 1982 to 1994 (0.0013 year^?1, P < 0.05) and then decreased from 1994 to 2011 (0.0016 year^?1, P < 0.05) in the arid region. Temperature had a positive effect on NDVI in most periods within and across seasons in the semi-humid region but had no significant effect in the arid region. Precipitation had a positive effect on NDVI in the arid region in summer and in the semi-arid region in autumn. Summer precipitation was important for autumn vegetation growth in the arid region, whereas summer temperature increased autumn vegetation growth in the semi-arid and semi-humid regions. Further analyses supported the lag-time effects of climate change on vegetation growth on the Loess Plateau. Precipitation shifts had 15- to 18-month time lag effects on vegetation growth in the three climate regions. Vegetation NDVI had a 17-month lag response to temperature in the semi-arid region. Human activities should not be neglected in analyzing the relationship between vegetation growth and climate change on the Loess Plateau.     

The key elements analysis of Guangdong & Shenzhen ETS & tips for China national ETS construction

The only joint effort area of provincial and municipal governments resides in Guangdong Province and Shenzhen City in China’s carbon emission trading system (ETS) pilots, which characterize the national carbon ETS plots. The present study on the operating experience from this area has important reference value for the national carbon ETS. Analysis and comparison of the key elements show many differences in coverage, total allowance, allowance allocation, and MRV mechanism between Guangdong and Shenzhen carbon ETS. The present study provides the following explanation: (1) the design characteristics of carbon ETS (e.g. coverage, total quotas, the allocation, and MRV mechanism) depend on the local geographical conditions and policy goals. The differences of economic structure in Guangdong Province and Shenzhen City result in different coverage, which then result in differences in other management elements. (2) The operating state of the carbon market is affected by overall design of carbon ETS: in the case of tighter total allowance, lower proportion of China Certified Emission Reductions, and harsher punishment, the carbon market is relatively active, which intends to produce carbon financial market. Based on deep analysis of operation characteristics of carbon ETS in Guangdong and Shenzhen, the present study suggests that (1) the allowance should be allocated freely at the beginning stage and then gradually transited to the voluntary paid auction; (2) the allowances assigned to companies shall be linked up with their energy-saving objectives; (3) the output fluctuations and economic influence on the allowance allocation should be properly handled to maintain the fairness and consistence of allowance allocation standards; (4) stable public expectation is one of the key elements to maintain the regular operation of carbon ETS; (5) constrained carbon emission behavior outside ETS can contribute to social justice; and (6) the improvement of professional skills of relevant personnel in the enterprise and independent third party can enhance carbon emissions data reliability.     

Detection of DDT and its metabolites in two estuaries of South China using a SPME-based device: First report of p,p′-DDMU in water column

A solid-phase microextration-based sampling method was employed to determine the concentrations of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) and its metabolites, 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDD), 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethene (DDE) and 1-chloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethene (DDMU), in two estuarine bays, Daya Bay and Hailing Bay, of South China. Six DDT components including p,p′-DDT, o,p′-DDD, p,p′-DDD, o,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDE, and p,p′-DDMU were detected in Hailing Bay, while only p,p′-DDD was found in Daya Bay. p,p′-DDD was the most abundant DDT component in both bays, sharply different from the previous finding in the water column of the Palos Verdes Shelf, California, USA that p,p′-DDE was prevalent. In addition, the occurrence of p,p′-DDMU (with a range of 0.047-0.21 ng/L in Hailing Bay) has not been reported around the globe, and its presence in our study region appeared to stem from dehydrochlorination of p,p′-DDD, favored under aerobic conditions, but further investigations are clearly needed to confirm the mechanism for generation of DDMU in estuarine environments.     

An observational study of the HONO–NO2 coupling at an urban site in Guangzhou City,South China

The temporal behavior of HONO and NO₂ was investigated at an urban site in Guangzhou city, China, by means of a DOAS system during the Pearl River Delta 2006 intensive campaign from 10 to 24 July 2006. Within the whole measurement period, unexpected high HONO mixing ratios up to 2 ppb were observed even during the day. A nocturnal maximum concentration of about 8.43 ± 0.4 ppb was detected on the night of 24 July 2006. Combining the data simultaneously observed by different instruments, the coupling of HONO–NO₂ and the possible formation sources of HONO are discussed. During the measurement period, concentration ratios of HONO to NO₂ ranged from (0.03 ± 0.1) to (0.37 ± 0.09), which is significantly higher than previously reported values (0.01–0.1). Surprisingly, in most cases a strong daytime correlation between HONO and NO₂ was found, contrary to previous observations in China. Aerosol was found to have a minor impact on HONO formation during the whole measurement period. Using a pseudo steady state approach for interpreting the nocturnal conversion of NO₂ to HONO suggests a non-negligible role of the relative humidity for the heterogeneous HONO formation from NO₂.     

Improvement of the activity of anaerobic sludge by low-intensity ultrasound

This paper aims to study the enhancement effect of low-intensity ultrasound on anaerobic sludge activity and the efficiency of anaerobic wastewater treatment. Dehydrogenate activity (DHA) and the content of coenzyme F(420) were detected to indicate the change of activity of anaerobic sludge induced by ultrasound at 35 kHz. Single-factor and multiple-factor optimization experiments showed that the optimal ultrasonic intensity and irradiation period were 0.2 W/cm(2) and 10 min, respectively, and the biological activity was enhanced dramatically under the optimal condition. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency was increased by ultrasonic treatment and the COD in the effluent was 30% lower than that of the control (without exposure). The hypothetical mechanism of biological activity enhancement by ultrasound was also discussed according to the results.     

Octanol–air partition coefficients of polybrominated biphenyls

The octanol–air partition coefficients (K_OA) for PBB15, PBB26, PBB31, PBB49, PBB103 and PBB153 were determined as a function of temperature using a gas chromatographic retention time technique with 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis (4-chlorophenyl) ethane (p,p′-DDT) as a reference substance. The internal energies of phase change from octanol to air (Δ_OAU) were calculated for the six compounds and were in the range from 74 to 116 kJ mol⁻¹. Simple regression equations of log K_OA versus relative retention times (RRTs) on gas chromatography (GC), and log K_OA versus molecular connectivity indexes (MCI) were obtained, for which the correlation coefficients (r²) were greater than 0.985 at 283.15 K and 298.15 K. Thus the K_OA values of the remaining PBBs can be predicted by using their RRTs and MCI according to these relationships.     

Important role of reaction field in photodegradation of deca-bromodiphenyl ether: Theoretical and experimental investigations of solvent effects

Photolysis of deca-bromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) was investigated in tetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, isopropanol, acetone, ethanol, methanol, acetonitrile and dimethylsulfoxide. Noticeable differences of the photolytic rates and quantum yields were found in the diverse solvents. Different to the previous deductions, hydrogen donating efficiency and electron donating efficiency of solvents were not the decisive factors for the photolytic rate in this study, which was proved by the fast photolysis of BDE-209 in CCl₄, a solvent without hydrogen and difficult to donate electrons. Besides hydrogen addition process, intermolecular polymerization might occur during the photolysis. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation was performed to understand the molecular properties of BDE-209 in different solvents. The lowest singlet vertical excitation energy (E_ex) and the average formal charge on Br () of BDE-209, reflecting the difficulty for the excitation of BDE-209 and for the departing of Br atom, respectively, were changed by the reaction fields formed by the different solvents. E_ex and linearly correlated with the photolytic activity (log k). This study is helpful to better understand the photolytic behavior of BDE-209 in different media.     

Perfluorosulfonates and perfluorocarboxylates in snow and rain in Dalian,China

Samples of precipitation events (snow and rain) in Dalian, a typical coastal town in China, were analyzed for perfluorosulfonates (PFSAs) and perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs) to investigate atmospheric contamination by these compounds. In the snow event on December 16, 2006, samples were collected from 21 different sites and in another 6 precipitation events, samples were collected from a single location. Four PFSAs (C4, C6, C8, C10) and seven PFCAs (C6–12) were analyzed. Among the homologues, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) concentrations were the highest with a geometric mean (GM) of 145 ng/L (n = 21) during the snow event on December 16, 2006, followed by perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) with a GM of 24.7 ng/L (n = 21). Concentrations of perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) and perfluoroheptanoate (PFHpA) were more than two orders of magnitude lower than that of PFOS. Other PFSAs and PFCAs were found to be below the limit of detection in all the samples. In other 6 precipitation events, PFSAs and PFCAs were detected approximately in the same order of magnitude in both snow and rain. The results indicate that wet deposition may be a potential transport mechanism of perfluorinated chemicals in the environment.     

北京市春季大气颗粒物污染特性研究

为研究北京市春季大气颗粒物污染特性,2008年3月至2008年5月,对北京市西三环大气颗粒物进行采样分析.测定了总悬浮颗粒物(TSP)与可吸入颗粒物(PM10)的日平均质量浓度,使用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察大气颗粒物的微观形貌,并通过X射线能谱仪(EDX)对样品中的元素组成进行分析.结果表明,TSP和PM10日平均质量浓度以初春最高,春天次之,春夏交际最低;PM10/TSP以春夏交际最高,初春次之,春天最低;大气颗粒物形态有规则和不规则2类,以不规则形态居多,同时发现花粉颗粒存在.EDX分析表明,大气颗粒物所附着的重金属中Pb所占的质量分散最高,并且集中吸附在细粒子颗粒物上.     

土壤中零价铁还原3-氯硝基苯的作用

利用零价铁在常温常压下对土壤中的3-氯硝基苯的还原,对反应物和产物随时间的变化及反应的各个影响因素进行了研究。实验结果表明,零价铁能够有效地将3-氯硝基苯还原为3-氯苯胺,反应过程中没有检测到脱氯产物。其反应速率随铁粉用量、反应体系含水量的增加以及反应温度的升高而升高,随土壤初始pH值的升高而降低。在土壤中3-氯硝基苯含量约为2.5×10^-6 mol/g,铁粉使用量为25 mg/g,反应体系中含水量为0.75 mL/g,pH值为6.8时,在恒温生化培养箱(25±1)℃反应5 h后,3-氯硝基苯的还原率达到92.75％。