GIS‐Based Spatial Precipitation Estimation: A Comparison of Geostatistical Approaches1

Abstract: As one of the primary inputs that drive watershed dynamics, the estimation of spatial variability of precipitation has been shown to be crucial for accurate distributed hydrologic modeling. In this study, a Geographic Information System program, which incorporates Nearest Neighborhood (NN), Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW), Simple Kriging (SK), Ordinary Kriging (OK), Simple Kriging with Local Means (SKlm), and Kriging with External Drift (KED), was developed to facilitate automatic spatial precipitation estimation. Elevation and spatial coordinate information were used as auxiliary variables in SKlm and KED methods. The above spatial interpolation methods were applied in the Luohe watershed with an area of 5,239 km², which is located downstream of the Yellow River basin, for estimating 10 years’ (1991‐2000) daily spatial precipitation using 41 rain gauges. The results obtained in this study show that the spatial precipitation maps estimated by different interpolation methods have similar areal mean precipitation depth, but significantly different values of maximum precipitation, minimum precipitation, and coefficient of variation. The accuracy of the spatial precipitation estimated by different interpolation methods was evaluated using a correlation coefficient, Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiency, and relative mean absolute error. Compared with NN and IDW methods that are widely used in distributed hydrologic modeling systems, the geostatistical methods incorporated in this GIS program can provide more accurate spatial precipitation estimation. Overall, the SKlm_EL_X and KED_EL_X, which incorporate both elevation and spatial coordinate as auxiliary into SKlm and KED, respectively, obtained higher correlation coefficient and Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiency, and lower relative mean absolute error than other methods tested. The GIS program developed in this study can serve as an effective and efficient tool to implement advanced geostatistics methods that incorporate auxiliary information to improve spatial precipitation estimation for hydrologic models.     

Low dose effects and non-monotonic dose responses for endocrine active chemicals: Science to practice workshop: Workshop summary

A workshop was held in Berlin September 12–14th 2012 to assess the state of the science of the data supporting low dose effects and non-monotonic dose responses (“low dose hypothesis”) for chemicals with endocrine activity (endocrine disrupting chemicals or EDCs). This workshop consisted of lectures to present the current state of the science of EDC action and also the risk assessment process. These lectures were followed by breakout sessions to integrate scientists from various backgrounds to discuss in an open and unbiased manner the data supporting the “low dose hypothesis”. While no consensus was reached the robust discussions were helpful to inform both basic scientists and risk assessors on all the issues. There were a number of important ideas developed to help continue the discussion and improve communication over the next few years.     

基于GIS的广东省土壤资源信息系统构建研究

研究应用地理信息系统构建广东省土壤资源信息系统的总体模式,建立了土壤资源信息系统的基本功能构成;探索了土壤资源空间信息与文献资料的Internet网络化这一土壤研究新领域,并实现了土壤资源空间信息Internet网络化.     

Metals in biomass

Background, Aim and Scope

Metal ions generally share the ability/tendency of interacting with biological material by forming complexes, except possibly for the heavy alkali metals K, Rb and Cs. This is unrelated to the metals being either essential for sustaining life and its reproduction, apparently insignificant for biology, although perhaps undergoing bioconcentration or even being outright toxic, even at low admission levels. Yet, those different kinds of metal-biomass interactions should in some way depend on properties describing coordination chemistries of these very metals. Nevertheless, both ubiquitously essential metals and others sometimes used in biology should share these properties in numeric terms, since it can be anticipated that they will be distinguished from nonessential and/or toxic ones. These features noted above include bioconcentration, the involvement of metal ions such as Zn, Mg, Cu, Fe, etc. in biocatalysis as crucial components of metalloenzymes and the introduction of a certain set of essential metals common to (almost) all living beings (K, Mg, Mo, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn), which occurred probably very early in biological evolution by ‘natural selection of the chemical elements’ (more exactly speaking, of the metallomes).

Materials and Methods

The approach is semiempirical and consists of three consecutive steps: 1) derivation of a regression equation which links complex stability data of different complexes containing the same metal ion to electrochemical data pertinent to the (replaced) ligands, thus describing properties of metal ions in complexes, 2) a graphical representation of the properties-two typical numbers c and x for each metal ion-in some map across the c/x-space, which additionally contains information about biological functions of these metal ions, i.e. whether they are essential in general (e.g. Mg, Mn, Zn) or, for a few organisms of various kinds (e.g. Cd, V), not essential (e.g. rare earth element ions) or even generally highly toxic (Hg, U). It is hypothesized that, if coordination properties of metals control their biological ‘feasibility’ in some way, this should show up in the mappings (one each for mono and bidentate-bonding ligands). 3) eventually, the regression equation produced in step 1) is inverted to calculate complex stabilities pertinent to biological systems: 3a) complex stabilities are mapped for ligands delivered to soil (-water) by green plants (e.g. citrate, malate) and fungi and, compared to their unlike selectivities and demands of metal use (photosynthesis taking place or not), 3b) the evolution of the metallome during late chemical evolution is reconstructed.

Results

These maps show some ‘window of essentiality’, a small, contrived range/area of c and x parameters in which essential metal ions gather almost exclusively. c and x thus control the possibility of a metal ion becoming essential by their influencing details of metal-substrate or (in cases of catalytic activities) metal-product interactions. Exceptions are not known to be involved in biocatalysis anyhow.

Discussion

Effects of ligands secreted, e.g. from tree roots or agaric mycelia to the soil on the respective modes (selectivities) of metal bioconcentration can be calculated by the equation giving complex stability constants, with obvious ramifications for a thorough, systematic interpretation of biomonitoring data. Eventually, alterations of C, N and P-compounds during chemical evolution are investigated — which converted CH₄ or CO₂, N₂ and other non-ligands to amino acids, etc., for example, with the latter behaving as efficient chelating ligands: Did they cause metal ions to accumulate in what was going to become biological matter and was there a selectivity, a positive bias in favour of nowessential metals (see above) in this process? Though there was no complete selectivity of this kind, neither a RNA world in which early ribozymes effected most of biocatalysis, nor a paleoatmosphere containing substantial amounts of CO could have paved the way to the present biochemistry and metallomes.

Conclusions

This way of reasoning provides a causal account for abundance distributions described earlier in the Biological System of Elements (BSE; Markert 1994, Fränzle &; Markert 2000, 2002). There is a pronounced change from chemical evolution, where but few transformations depended on metal ion catalysis to biology.

Recommendations and Perspectives

The application of this numerical approach can be used for modified, weighted evaluation of biomonitoring analytical data, likewise for the prediction of bioconcentration hazards due to a manifold of metal ions, including organometallic ones. This is relevant in ecotoxicology and biomonitoring. In combining apoproteins or peptides synthesized from scratch for purposes of catalysing certain transformations, the map and numerical approaches might prove useful for the selection of central ions which are even more efficient than the ‘natural’ ones, like for Co²⁺ in many Zn enzymes.

     

Water protection against pollution

Science-policy integration is one of the many complex challenges that scientific and policy-making communities are facing. It involves knowledge sharing and exchanges among a wide range of disciplines and actors. In many instances, the lack of proper communication and of a coordination mechanism leads to research outputs not being used or simply known by policy-makers, and to policy research needs not being communicated to the scientific communities in a timely fashion. This paper discusses the integration of scientific and technological progress into the policy-making and implementation process, with emphasis on water policies. It highlights the need and complexity of developing a knowledge-based approach which would enable to lead to an operational science-policy interface linked to WISE (Water Information System for Europe), including the newly developed WISERTD webportal (). The views expressed in this paper are purely those of the author and do not in any circumstances reflect an official position of the European Commission.     

高速公路交通安全影响因素分析

在分析我国高速公路交通安全现状的基础上,运用事故因果连锁论的原理,从人、车、道路环境、管理这四个方面,建立了高速公路交通事故致因模型,对影响高速公路交通安全的因素进行了探讨.高速公路交通安全影响因素分析为探究高速公路交通事故的发生规律和提高高速公路交通系统的安全性、可靠性,以及交通事故控制策略的制定提供了决策参考.     

浅谈强化环境监测质量管理体系建设

针对新的历史条件下环境监测质量管理体系建设不断完善的实际需求,提出了完善监测技术体系、补充建立量值溯源基准体系、建立监测质量控制指标体系、提高环境监测人员技术能力和水平、有效运行环境监测质量体系、建立健全监测质量监督机制等6项提升环境监测质量管理水平的体系建设思路。     

山西省污染源自动监控系统的设计与实现

山西省重点污染源自动监控系统是集环境监测、监视和控制于一体的污染源自动监控系统,解决了传统污染源监控系统"只监不控"、"只监结果不监过程"的问题。介绍了该系统的组成、功能及技术特点,并于2010年3月通过该系统对超标排放企业远程监控的实施情况进行了分析。结果表明,该系统能够有效对监控企业进行实时监测,并对污染超标企业进行远程控制和警示,从而有效提高了环境监管水平和执法效率,加强了防止和应对突发性重大环境污染事故的能力。     

汽车修理养护企业挥发性有机物排放控制标准探讨

通过对汽车修理养护企业喷烤漆废气排放现状进行调查分析,指出中国目前适用于控制汽车修理养护企业废气排放的标准《大气污染物综合排放标准》(GB 16297-1996)在实际运用中存在的问题。依据《制定地方大气污染物排放标准的技术方法》(GB/T 3840-1991)《大气污染物综合排放标准详解》《工作场所有害因素职业接触限值化学有害因素》(GBZ 2.1-2007)《工业企业设计卫生标准》(TJ 36-1979)、美国环保局多介质环境模型等,用不同方法计算汽车修理养护企业排放的废气中几种挥发性有机物的排放浓度和排放速率限值,并对监测结果进行评价分析,提出编制汽车修理养护企业废气排放控制标准的建议。     

低浓度SO2和NOx自动监测系统性能评价方法

通过对7种废气自动监测系统的比较研究和现场测试,提出了非分散红外法、紫外差分法、紫外荧光法、化学发光法等多种SO2和NO x自动监测技术在低浓度范围实现准确定量监测的性能评价方法,定义了CEMS的系统检出限及其主要影响因素。建议采用系统检出限、线性误差等关键参数作为低浓度CEMS的性能评价方法,提出将全系统多点标准气体校准或加标回收率作为验收和质控监督的基本方法。