Microbial diversity accumulates in a downstream direction in the Three Gorges Reservoir

Organic and inorganic materials migrate downstream and have important roles in regulating environmental health in the river networks. However, it remains unclear whether and how a mixture of materials (i.e., microbial species) from various upstream habitats contribute to microbial community coalescence upstream of a dam. Here we track the spatial variation in microbial abundance and diversity in the Three Gorges Reservoir based on quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing data. We further quantitatively assess the relative contributions of microbial species from mainstem, its tributaries, and the surrounding riverbank soils to the area immediately upstream of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD). We found an increase of microbial diversity and the convergent microbial distribution pattern in areas immediately upstream of TGD, suggesting this area become a new confluence for microbial diversity immigrating from upstream. Indeed, the number of shared species increased from upstream to TGD but unique species decreased, indicating immigration of various sources of microbial species overwhelms local environmental conditions in structuring microbial community close to TGD. By quantifying the sources of microbial species close to TGD, we found little contribution from soils as compared to tributaries, especially for sites closer to TGD, suggesting tributary microbes have greater influence on microbial diversity and environmental health in the Three Gorges Reservoir. Collectively, our results suggest that tracking microbial geographic origin and evaluating accumulating effects of microbial diversity shed light on the ecological processes in microbial communities and provide information for regulating aquatic ecological health.     

鄱阳湖水文干旱化发生的机制研究

近年来,鄱阳湖呈现显著的秋冬季干旱化趋势,对鄱阳湖水生态安全和湿地生态安全都产生了显著影响,引起广泛的社会关注。揭示鄱阳湖水文情势发生变化的原因,对鄱阳湖科学管理具有重要的意义。利用Landsat卫星系列遥感影像分析2000年以来鄱阳湖采砂基础上,结合长时间序列水文资料,分析鄱阳湖水文特征变化,探讨了鄱阳湖水文特征变化与采砂之间的关系。得到以下结论：（1）从采砂船数量、采砂规模和采砂方位等来看,数量和规模远超规划限额的规模,并且呈扩大趋势,采砂范围已经扩大到鄱阳湖最南端,并在生态敏感区出现,表现出滥采、盗采和超采的无序状态。（2）新世纪以来,鄱阳湖枯水期提前、特征低枯水位时间延长,入江河道的水面坡降呈减小趋势,但泄流出湖速率呈增加趋势。（3）长江三峡水库运行对中下游水位的影响,以及长江中下游含沙量降低造成清水侵蚀,河床下降削弱长江水对鄱阳湖泄流的顶托作用,也是鄱阳湖水文干旱化变化的潜在原因。（4）鄱阳湖采砂导致入江河道加深、加宽,是鄱阳湖秋冬季水文干旱化的原因之一。研究结果对于如何应对鄱阳湖秋冬季水文干旱化,开展鄱阳湖综合治理具有参考价值。     

Calculation of the unit emergy value of water in an Italian watershed

Emergy is a thermodynamics-based entity that enables the implementation of a holistic environmental accounting system. It contributes to identify and measure all the inputs (energy and matter) supporting a given system, expressed in a common unit, namely solar emergy joule (sej). The emergy per unit product (called unit emergy value, UEV), is a measure of the environmental cost of a given resource. It is specific of the system/process and gives information on the dynamics, components and functioning of it. This paper presents the emergy evaluation of water resources within the watershed of the river Sieve, located in the Province of Florence (Italy). Along the river, an artificial basin has been created by means of a dam to preserve water quantity and quality, and to protect the Florentine area from dangerous floods and inundations. Different UEVs of water can be identified along the course of the river, especially upstream and downstream of the dam. These values quantify both the environmental and human efforts made to ensure and regulate the presence of water at different points of the river. The UEV of water flowing in the river increases from 1.35 × 10⁵ sej/g upstream, to 5.80 × 10⁵ sej/g downstream of the dam, depending mainly on man-made infrastructure. Along the watershed, three different systems of extraction, purification and distribution of water have been chosen on the basis of their dimension, type and location. UEVs of water distributed and the emergy investment necessary to implement different water management strategies are presented. The value of water purified and distributed decreases from 2.00 × 10⁶ sej/g for the smallest plant in the mountainous area, to 1.72 × 10⁶ sej/g for the largest plant, in the city of Florence, depending on production efficiency.     

阿斯旺建坝后尼罗河三角洲泻湖重金属污染特征及其环境意义

本研究以尼罗河三角洲泻湖(Manzala、Burullus、Edku)为典型区域,利用6根浅孔并选取Al、Cd、Cr、Fe、Mn、Pb、Cu、Zn等主要重金属元素,探讨了自然和人类活动(建坝)共同作用下河口泻湖湿地环境重金属时空分布及污染来源。研究结果表明,1964年阿斯旺建坝和海岸保护工程实施后,泻湖地区逐渐演变为稳定而封闭的沉积环境。钻孔上层(10~15 cm)沉积物重金属富集现象反映了建坝后三角洲泻湖环境污染加重。重金属空间分布表现为平原东西部Manzala和Edku湖污染较重,而中部的Burullus湖污染较轻。相关性分析和富集系数(EF)变化进一步揭示Manzala湖特征污染元素为Pb、Cu、Zn和Cd,污染源主要来自开罗石油化工等产业废水;Burullus湖特征污染元素为Mn和Pb,应该与湖区附近农业废水的大量排放有关;Edku湖特征污染元素则为Mn、Pb和Zn,其重金属可能来自邻近的Abu-Qir湾带来的亚历山大工业废水。     

三峡库区土壤中微量元素有效态含量及其特征

本文研究了微量元素在三峡库区土壤中的有效态含量以及丰缺程度，发生频率等特征，同时，初步探讨了有效态微量元素之间及其与土壤ｐＨ值，有机质含量的相关关系。     

Environmental Impacts of Brazil's Tucuruí Dam: Unlearned Lessons for Hydroelectric Development in Amazonia

Brazil's Tucuruí Dam provides valuable lessons for improving decision-making on major public works in Amazonia and elsewhere. Together with social impacts, which were reviewed in a companion paper, the project's environmental costs are substantial. Monetary costs include costs of construction and maintenance and opportunity costs of natural resources (such as timber) and of the money invested by the Brazilian government. Environmental costs include forest loss, leading to both loss of natural ecosystems and to greenhouse gas emissions. Aquatic ecosystems are heavily affected by the blockage of fish migration and by creation of anoxic environments. Decay of vegetation left in the reservoir creates anoxic water that can corrode turbines, as well as producing methane and providing conditions for methylation of mercury. Defoliants were considered for removing forest in the submergence area but plans were aborted amid a public controversy. Another controversy surrounded impacts of defoliants used to prevent regrowth along the transmission line. Mitigation measures included archaeological and faunal salvage and creation of a “gene bank” on an island in the reservoir. Decision-making in the case of Tucuruí was virtually uninfluenced by environmental studies, which were done concurrently with construction. The dam predates Brazil's 1986 requirement of an Environmental Impact Assessment. Despite limitations, research results provide valuable information for future dams. Extensive public-relations use of the research effort and of mitigation measures such as faunal salvage were evident. Decision-making was closely linked to the influence of construction firms, the military, and foreign financial interests in both the construction project and the use of the resulting electrical power (most of which is used for aluminum smelting). Social and environmental costs received virtually no consideration when decisions were made, an outcome facilitated by a curtain of secrecy surrounding many aspects of the project. Despite improvements in Brazil's system of environmental impact assessment since the Tucuruí reservoir was filled in 1984, many essential features of the decision-making system remain unchanged.     

Predicting the Thermal Effects of Dam Removal on the Klamath River

The Klamath River once supported large runs of anadromous salmonids. Water temperature associated with multiple mainstem hydropower facilities might be one of many factors responsible for depressing Klamath salmon stocks. We combined a water quantity model and a water quality model to predict how removing the series of dams below Upper Klamath Lake might affect water temperatures, and ultimately fish survival, in the spawning and rearing portions of the mainstem Klamath. We calibrated the water quantity and quality models and applied them for the hydrometeorological conditions during a 40-year postdam period. Then, we hypothetically removed the dams and their impoundments from the models and reestimated the rivers water temperatures. The principal thermal effect of dam and reservoir removal would be to restore the timing (phase) of the rivers seasonal thermal signature by shifting it approximately 18 days earlier in the year, resulting in river temperatures that more rapidly track ambient air temperatures. Such a shift would likely cool thermal habitat conditions for adult fall chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) during upstream migration and benefit mainstem spawning. By contrast, spring and early summer temperatures could be warmer without dams, potentially harming chinook rearing and outmigration in the mainstem. Dam removal might affect the rivers thermal regime during certain conditions for over 200 km of the mainstem.     

一种改进的模糊控制方法及其在大坝安全上的应用

大坝的安全运行状态影响因素多变且各因素之间关系错综复杂 ,而目前大坝普遍存在事故隐患以及对其安全所使用的监控方法的落后和效果的不良 ,笔者针对上述原因 ,给出了一种新的应用模糊理论的算法 ,将传统的模糊控制理论用神经网络优化后 ,能更加方便地应用于非线性系统建模 ,利用给出的新的学习规则 ,可以用竞争学习为训练样本的输入空间进行聚类 ,然后为其确定区域划分边界。将该法运用于水坝的安全管理上 ,将得到的训练网络用实际的历史记录数据验证。结果表明差距很小 ,证明了该方法的正确性 ,将其应用于大坝的安全监控和事故预测方面将会有很好的发展前景。     

Toward Policies and Decision-Making for Dam Removal

Dam removal has emerged as a critical issue in environmental management. Agencies responsible for dams face a drastic increase in the number of potential dam removals in the near future. Given limited resources, these agencies need to develop ways to decide which dams should be removed and in what order. The underlying science of dam removal is relatively undeveloped and most agencies faced with dam removal lack a coherent purpose for removing dams. These shortcomings can be overcome by the implementation of two policies by agencies faced with dam removal: (1) the development and adoption of a prioritization scheme for what constitutes an important dam removal, and (2) the establishment of minimum levels of analysis prior to decision-making about a dam removal. Federal and state agencies and the scientific community must encourage an initial experimental phase of dam removal during which only a few dams are removed, and these are studied intensively. This will allow for the development of the fundamental scientific understanding needed to support effective decision-making in the future and minimize the risk of disasters arising from poorly thought out dam removal decisions.     

Simulating the effects of Glen Canyon Dam releases on Grand Canyon river trips

The Shechter-Lucas wilderness use simulation model (WUSM) has been modified to quantify the effects of fluctuating Glen Canyon Dam releases on Grand Canyon river trips. The model now simulates changes in flow as predicted by the Streamflow Synthesis and Reservoir Regulation computer model for the Colorado River. This revised WUSM provides data on several flow-related effects, including delays at rapids, encounters with other parties, and the time available for visiting attraction sites. Nine flow alternatives are evaluated and compared. Analysis of these outputs provides useful information to the Bureau of Reclamation on how the operation of Glen Canyon Dam effects river trips through Grand Canyon National Park.