The Monitoring of UK Sewage Sludge Disposal Sites

In recent years there has been an increase in the intensity and frequency of environmental monitoring surveys at UK sewage sludge disposal sites. These have been carried out by the regulatory authorities and by the licensees. in order to ensure maximum efficiency, a coordinated and harmonised programme of monitoring has been developed. the programme concentrates on sediment chemical and biological quality but also includes assessments of water and fish quality

In England and Wales the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is the regulatory authority and the Water Authorities are the licensees. the Ministry's first priority is the collection of samples for temporal trend analysis but in addition, infrequent surveys are made to check the status of the disposal site and surrounding areas. in the periods between status surveys, regular spatial surveys designed to define the area of impact are carried out by the Water Authorities.     

中国北方干燥地城市扩展过程对生态系统服务的影响——以呼和浩特-包头-鄂尔多斯城市群地区为例

理解中国北方干燥地城市扩展过程对生态系统服务的影响对提高干燥地人类福祉和实现区域可持续发展具有重要的意义。为此,论文以正在经历快速城市化的呼和浩特-包头-鄂尔多斯（呼包鄂）地区为例,从区域、城市和旗县3个尺度上揭示了该地区1990—2013年城市扩展过程对生态系统服务的影响。首先,量化了呼包鄂地区1990年的生境质量、粮食生产、肉类生产和碳储量4种关键生态系统服务。然后,分析了1990—2013年呼包鄂地区的城市扩展过程。最后,在区域、城市和旗县3个尺度上评价了呼包鄂地区1990—2013年城市扩展过程对生态系统服务的影响。结果显示,1990—2013年,呼包鄂地区经历了快速的城市扩展过程,城市用地面积从314.22 km²增加到692.10 km²,增长了1.2倍。区域城市扩展过程导致4种生态系统服务均明显下降。其中,粮食生产服务损失最严重,损失量达1.36×10⁴ t,约占1990年全区粮食生产总量的1%。边缘型和飞地型城市扩展对生态系统服务的影响最明显。1990—2013年,边缘型城市扩展导致的粮食生产、肉类生产和碳储量损失量占区域城市扩展过程中各项服务损失总量的比例均超过60%,飞地型城市扩展造成的肉类生产服务损失量大于区域城市扩展过程中该服务损失总量的1/3。边缘型和飞地型城市扩展过程导致的耕地和草地大量减少是造成生态系统服务快速下降的主要原因。因此,建议在呼包鄂地区的城市化进程中应提高城市用地利用率,控制边缘型和飞地型城市扩展,以减少城市扩展过程对生态系统服务的影响。     

Sensitivity analysis of North American bird population estimates

The Partners in Flight North American Landbird Conservation Plan provided estimates of population sizes for 448 landbird species using a multiplicative model. Input parameters in this calculation included the area of state × Bird Conservation Region polygons, area-specific mean Breeding Bird Survey counts circa 1995, and adjustment factors for the distance over which species may presumably be correctly counted, the assumed pairing of singing males with non-singing females, and variability in the propensity of birds to sing over the course of the survey day. I assessed the sensitivity of this population calculation to changes in the input parameters. I assessed both local and global sensitivity of the model to changes in the parameters with Monte Carlo one-at-a-time simulations and the Fourier amplitude sensitivity test (FAST). Monte Carlo simulations were an estimate of local model sensitivity whereas FAST estimated global model sensitivity, accommodating the potential shared variance between model parameters. Monte Carlo simulations suggested population estimates were 39% more sensitive to changes in the detection distance adjustment than to the other parameters; the other parameters were nearly equal in their contribution to model sensitivity. Conversely, FAST analysis determined that each of the input variables aside from the pair adjustment provided roughly equal contributions to variability in population estimates. The most efficient means for improving continental population estimates for birds surveyed by the Breeding Bird Survey will be through increased scrutiny of the species-specific distance detection and time-of-day adjustments and improved understanding in the spatial and temporal variability in the mean Breeding Bird Survey count.     

Enhancing generic ecological model for short-term prediction of Southern North Sea algal dynamics with remote sensing images

Physically based numerical modelling follows from the basic understanding of the underlying mechanisms and is often represented by a set of (partial differential) equations. It is one of the main approaches in population dynamics modelling. The emphasis of the model introduced in this paper is on the simulation of short-term spatial and temporal dynamics of harmful algal bloom (HAB) events. Total suspended matter (TSM) concentration is one of the dominant factors for harmful algal bloom (HAB) prediction in North Sea. However, the modelling of suspended matter contains a high degree of uncertainty in this area. Therefore, this research aims to achieve a better estimation for the short-term prediction of harmful algal bloom development in both space and time by using spatially distributed TSM retrieved from remotely sensed images as physically based model inputs. In order to supply complete spatially covered datasets for the physically based model instrument: generic ecological model (GEM), this research retrieves TSM information from MERIS images by means of proper estimation techniques including biharmonic splines and self-learning cellular automata. A better estimation of HAB spatial pattern development is achieved by adding spatially distributed TSM data as inputs to original GEM model, and it proved that chlorophyll-a concentration in this area is very sensitive to TSM concentration.     

Characterization of Storm Flow Dynamics of Headwater Streams in the South Carolina Lower Coastal Plain1

Epps, Thomas H., Daniel R. Hitchcock, Anand D. Jayakaran, Drake R. Loflin, Thomas M. Williams, and Devendra M. Amatya, 2012. Characterization of Storm Flow Dynamics of Headwater Streams in the South Carolina Lower Coastal Plain. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 1‐14. DOI: 10.1111/jawr.12000 Abstract: Hydrologic monitoring was conducted in two first‐order lower coastal plain watersheds in South Carolina, United States, a region with increasing growth and land use change. Storm events over a three‐year period were analyzed for direct runoff coefficients (ROC) and the total storm response (TSR) as percent rainfall. ROC calculations utilized an empirical hydrograph separation method that partitioned total streamflow into sustained base flow and direct runoff components. ROC ratios ranged from 0 to 0.32 on the Upper Debidue Creek (UDC) watershed and 0 to 0.57 on Watershed 80 (WS80); TSR results ranged from 0 to 0.93 at UDC and 0.01 to 0.74 at WS80. Variability in event runoff generation was attributed to seasonal trends in water table elevation fluctuation as regulated by evapotranspiration. Groundwater elevation breakpoints for each watershed were identified based on antecedent water table elevation, streamflow, ROCs, and TSRs. These thresholds represent the groundwater elevation above which event runoff generation increased sharply in response to rainfall. For effective coastal land use decision making, baseline watershed hydrology must be understood to serve as a benchmark for management goals, based on both seasonal and event‐based surface and groundwater interactions.     

Reflecting ecological criteria in laws supporting the Baja to Bering Sea marine protected areas network case study

Canadian and US marine conservation law, and other related law, was analyzed to determine if it reflected ecological criteria needed to implement connectivity among marine protected areas of the northeast Pacific in the proposed trilateral Baja to Bering Sea (B2B) initiative. The analysis included both nations’ federal laws and those of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and British Columbia. While legal provisions exist already to implement marine protected areas for varying reasons, there is little capacity in most laws to create connectivity among them for conservation purposes. Only California's legislation contained explicit provisions for all the criteria. Other federal, state, and provincial laws, while containing provisions for species at risk and vulnerable habitats, generally lacked explicit provisions for the vital criteria, size of area, migratory patterns, and recruitment patterns. Implementation, future management, and protection of the proposed B2B marine network would be facilitated by amendment of both Canadian and US laws. Some of the ecological criteria are already implied implicitly or vaguely, but they need to be made explicit in the amended law. The legislative model of California could serve as a template for amending the laws of other jurisdictions in the B2B venture.     

Analyzing and quantitatively evaluating the organic matter source at different ecologic zones of tidal salt marsh,North Jiangsu Province, China

In order to explore the effect of different ecological zones and their above plants in the organic matter cycling of the whole tidal salt marsh, indicators such as total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), C/N ratio, δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N of surface, core sediments, and plants of tidal salt marshes in North Jiangsu Province are analyzed. Subsequently, distribution regularities of these measurement indicators are discussed, and the biogeochemistry processes between sediments and plants are also analyzed. Lastly, the organic matter sources of different ecologic zones in tidal salt marsh are evaluated, and the organic matter accumulations in different ecologic zones induced by their plants are also compared. These results indicate that TOC, TN, C/N ratio and δ¹³C showed obvious zonal distribution. The organic matter sources are dominated by marine input in the silt flat, artemisia schrenkiana flat, and the transition zone between silt and spartina alterniflora flat, and are controlled by terrigenous input in spartina alterniflora flat. Spartina alterniflora plays an important role in the accumulation of organic matter in the whole tidal salt marshes ecosystem. In the study area, the annually increased TOC, organic matter and TN in the spartina alterniflora, artemisia schrenkiana and reed flats reach 6,451, 12,043 and 536 t, respectively. The amount of TOC, organic matter and TN accumulated in the spartina alterniflora flat is more than that in other ecological zones, which shows that the spartina alterniflora flat exert a non-replaceable effect on the material cycle and exchange in the whole tidal salt marshes ecosystem. __________ Translated from Environmental Science, 2005, 26(6): 51–56 [译自: 环境科学]     

1780-1819年华北平原水旱灾害社会响应方式的转变

历史时期水旱灾害的社会响应典型案例重建是气候变化影响与适应研究的重要方向。选取1780-1819年间华北平原发生的4次典型水旱灾害(1785、1792、1813年旱灾及1801年水灾),基于清代档案资料和历史气候重建结果提取代用指标,对其灾情严重程度、政府救灾力度和灾民行为进行了量化描述和对比分析,发现:①4次灾害中赈济密度(赈灾物资数/成灾州县数)逐次下降,1813年旱灾中降至不足1785年旱灾的1/6,政府救灾力度遭到严重削弱;②灾民行为日益失控,从1792年旱灾和1801年水灾中的大规模跨区域迁徙,发展到1813年旱灾中大量加入盗匪和起义军,走向暴力。这一转变的发生,是在自然(气候突变、灾害增多)、社会(政府财政危机、人地矛盾激化)不利背景之下,政府与灾民的互动关系日趋消极的结果。     

An unusual high ozone event over the North and Northeast China during the record-breaking summer in 2018

Under the background of global warming, the summer temperature of the North and Northeast China (NNEC) has significantly increased since 2017, which was accompanied by the aggravated ozone (O₃) pollution. In 2018, the NNEC experienced a record-breaking summer of the past 40 years. Influenced by the abnormal high temperatures, a regional ozone event occurred on 2-3 August, over 63% of 79 selected cities in the NNEC were exposed to O₃ pollution, and the maximum value of MDA8 O₃ reached 268 μg/m³. Observations indicated that ozone concentrations agree well with the maximum temperature at 2 meters (MT2M) over NNEC with a correlation coefficient of 0.69. During the pollution episode, strong downdraft in the local high (35°N-42.5°N, 112.5°E-132.5°E; LH) over the NNEC created the favourable meteorological conditions for O₃ formation. By analyzing the horizontal wind and wave activity fluxes (WAFs) at 200 hPa, we found that the LH formation was resulted from the Rossby wave propagation from upstream along the mid-latitude Asian jet. The split polar vortex intrusion further strengthened the amplitude of the Rossby wave and reinforced the LH. Moreover, a secondary circulation between Typhoon Jongdari and the LH contributed to the enhanced LH with strong subsidence. On the other hand, the stratospheric intrusions under the deep subsidence also contributed to the enhanced surface O₃. In this study, the deep-seated meteorological dynamical mechanisms contributing to the abnormal high temperatures were investigated, which can lead to a better understanding of the regional O₃ pollution over NNEC under the global-warming background.     

农业合作生产对华北农牧交错区水资源存量和经济效益的影响

针对华北农牧交错区错季蔬菜生产对水资源消耗的争议,通过试验和调查研究相结合的方法,研究了农业“生产－消费”合作生产背景下区域发展错季蔬菜的耗水效果及其对农民收入、水资源存量的影响。结果表明,错季蔬菜生产田间耗水量为农区粮食作物的31.3%~93.3%,而水资源价值为农区粮食作物的4.2~10.7倍;与区域内粮油作物生产相比,错季蔬菜生产少耗水330~754m³/hm²,且其水资源价值为粮油作物的4.0~13.9倍。通过实施粮－菜交换的市场农业战略,区域能用0.175~0.196m³的水交易获得外区域1 m³的水资源,并且实现了研究区用0.93hm²的菜地解决发展错季蔬菜前需要6.9~13.8hm²耕地才能解决的粮食问题。调查表明,通过高效地输出水资源,区域农民收入仅蔬菜一项比全国同期农村人均收入高出了23%。故华北农牧交错区发展错季蔬菜生产是节约和扩大本区域的水资源存量,促进农村脱贫致富、自我发展的有效途径。