The Dual Model for Tourism Resource Productivity Improvement

For natural resource science, resource productivity studying is an important subject. But researches on tourism resource productivity are limited. The most significant influencing factor on tourism resource productivity is the potential market scale of tourist locations, and second most important influencing factor is the resource endowment. Regional urban population is significantly correlated with region tourist numbers, being the decisive factor of region potential tour market scale. In tourism development, the dual model should be adopted: on one hand to enhance tour spot attractiveness, on the other hand to cultivate the potential market by improving urbanization level and other means. In the situation of tourism development fever spreading, the dual model for improving tourism productivity helps to avoid the "Great Leap Forward" which means that too rapid tourism construction divorces from actual market demand.     

南水北调中线丹江口库区土地生产潜力估算

以土地生产潜力与承载力理论为基础,以南水北调中线工程主要淹没区和水源地——丹江口库区耕地为研究对象,在遥感影像、DEM、气象、土壤等数据支持下建立模型,利用潜力递减法估算丹江口库区的土地生产潜力,同时对土地资源人口承载力进行研究。估算结果表明:研究区不同作物、不同耕作制度下的最大生产潜力与现实生产力有很大差距,在现有粮食生产水平下,库区未淹没耕地的情况下,库区的人口承载力现状已经很差,当水位达到170 m后,库区人口承载力将进一步恶化。但是,研究区作物的现实生产力还有很大的提高余地,若在移民的前提下,深入挖掘土地生产潜力,因地制宜的选择合适的耕作制度,库区的土地承载力还可以有所提高。     

混凝一气浮控制三卤甲烷生成势的研究

研究了混凝一气浮工艺对不同分子量区间三卤甲烷生成势（trihalomethanes formation potential,THMFP）的去除效果及絮体形态对THMFP去除效果的影响。结果表明,混凝一气浮工艺以去除大分子量区间THMFP为主,对小分子量区间THMFP的去除效果较差。UV254值与THMFP值的线性相关系数为0．9449,UV254值可以较好地反映THMFP的含量。絮体的分形维数为1．17～1．2时,孔隙率较大,可增加絮体对THMFP的活性吸附空间,且絮体相对密度较小,可增强同向絮凝作用,增加絮体和THMFP的接触概率,有利于气浮对THMFP的去除。     

Environmental assessment of garden waste management in the Municipality of Aarhus, Denmark

An environmental assessment of six scenarios for handling of garden waste in the Municipality of Aarhus (Denmark) was performed from a life cycle perspective by means of the LCA-model EASEWASTE. In the first (baseline) scenario, the current garden waste management system based on windrow composting was assessed, while in the other five scenarios alternative solutions including incineration and home composting of fractions of the garden waste were evaluated. The environmental profile (normalised to Person Equivalent, PE) of the current garden waste management in Aarhus is in the order of −6 to 8 mPE Mg⁻¹ ww for the non-toxic categories and up to 100 mPE Mg⁻¹ ww for the toxic categories. The potential impacts on non-toxic categories are much smaller than what is found for other fractions of municipal solid waste. Incineration (up to 35% of the garden waste) and home composting (up to 18% of the garden waste) seem from an environmental point of view suitable for diverting waste away from the composting facility in order to increase its capacity. In particular the incineration of woody parts of the garden waste improved the environmental profile of the garden waste management significantly.     

Oxidative properties of ambient PM2.5 and elemental composition: Heterogeneous associations in 19 European cities

We assessed the extent to which constituents of PM_2.5 (transition metals, sodium, chloride) contribute to the ability to generate hydroxyl radicals (OH) in vitro in PM_2.5 sampled at 20 locations in 19 European centres participating in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey. PM_2.5 samples (n = 716) were collected on filters over one year and the oxidative activity of particle suspensions obtained from these filters was then assessed by measuring their ability to generate OH in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Associations between OH formation and the studied PM constituents were heterogeneous. The total explained variance ranged from 85% in Norwich to only 6% in Albacete. Among the 20 centres, 15 showed positive correlations between one or more of the measured transition metals (copper, iron, manganese, lead, vanadium and titanium) and OH formation. In 9 of 20 centres OH formation was negatively associated with chloride, and in 3 centres with sodium. Across 19 European cities, elements which explained the largest variations in OH formation were chloride, iron and sodium.     

Community participatory landscape classification and biodiversity assessment and monitoring of grazing lands in northern Kenya

In this study, we asked the Ariaal herders of northern Kenya to answer "why, what and how" they classified landscape, and assessed and monitored the biodiversity of 10 km(2) of grazing land. To answer the "why question" the herders classified grazing resources into 39 landscape patches grouped into six landscape types and classified soil as 'warm', 'intermediate' or 'cold' for the purpose of land use. For the "what question" the herders used soil conditions and vegetation characteristics to assess biodiversity. Plant species were described as 'increasers', 'decreasers' or 'stable'. The decreaser species were mostly grasses and forbs preferred for cattle and sheep grazing and the increasers were mostly woody species preferred by goats. The herders evaluated biodiversity in terms of key forage species and used absence or presence of the preferred species from individual landscapes for monitoring change in biodiversity. For the "how question" the herders used anthropogenic indicators concerned with livestock management for assessing landscape potential and suitability for grazing. The anthropogenic indicators were related to soils and biodiversity. The herders used plant species grazing preferences to determine the links between livestock production and biodiversity. By addressing these three questions, the study shows the value of incorporating the indigenous knowledge of herders into classification of landscape and assessment and monitoring of biodiversity in the grazing lands. We conclude that herder knowledge of biodiversity is related to the use as opposed to exclusive conservation practices. This type of knowledge is extremely valuable to conservation agencies for establishing a baseline for monitoring changes in biodiversity in the future.     

Long-term evaluation of coal fly ash and mine tailings co-placement: A site-specific study

This study presents the results of a laboratory investigation conducted to evaluate the efficiency of coal fly ash to control the formation of acid mine drainage (AMD) from mine waste. Site-specific materials, coal fly ash from Atikokan Thermal Generating Station and mine tailings from Musselwhite mine, were mixed at different proportions for the investigation of the drainage chemistry and the optimal mix using static testing (acid–base accounting) and kinetic (column) testing. The acid–base accounting (ABA) results indicated that the fly ash possessed strong alkaline (neutralization) potential (NP) and could be used in the management of reactive mine tailings, thus ensuring prevention of AMD in the long-term. Column tests conducted in the laboratory to further investigate long-term performance of fly ash in the neutralization and prevention of acid mine drainage from tailings similarly showed that mixing fly ash with mine tailings reduces dissolution of many heavy metals from tailings by providing alkalinity to the system. It was found that a fly ash to tailings mass ratio equal to or greater than 15% can effectively prevent AMD generation from Musselwhite mine tailings in the co-placement approach.     

Study on the hydrolysis/precipitation behavior of Keggin Al13 and Al30 polymers in polyaluminum solutions

The hydrolysis/precipitation behaviors of Al³⁺, Al₁₃ and Al₃₀ under conditions typical for flocculation in water treatment were investigated by studying the particulates' size development, charge characteristics, chemical species and speciation transformation of coagulant hydrolysis precipitates. The optimal pH conditions for hydrolysis precipitates formation for AlCl₃, PAC_Al13 and PAC_Al30 were 6.5–7.5, 8.5–9.5, and 7.5–9.5, respectively. The precipitates' formation rate increased with the increase in dosage, and the relative rates were AlCl₃ ? PAC_Al30 > PAC_Al13. The precipitates' size increased when the dosage increased from 50 μM to 200 μM, but it decreased when the dosage increased to 800 μM. The Zeta potential of coagulant hydrolysis precipitates decreased with the increase in pH for the three coagulants. The iso-electric points of the freshly formed precipitates for AlCl₃, PAC_Al13 and PAC_Al30 were 7.3, 9.6 and 9.2, respectively. The Zeta potentials of AlCl₃ hydrolysis precipitates were lower than those of PAC_Al13 and PAC_Al30 when pH > 5.0. The Zeta potential of PAC_Al30 hydrolysis precipitates was higher than that of PAC_Al13 at the acidic side, but lower at the alkaline side. The dosage had no obvious effect on the Zeta potential of hydrolysis precipitates under fixed pH conditions. The increase in Zeta potential with the increase in dosage under uncontrolled pH conditions was due to the pH depression caused by coagulant addition. Al–Ferron research indicated that the hydrolysis precipitates of AlCl₃ were composed of amorphous Al(OH)₃ precipitates, but those of PAC_Al13 and PAC_Al30 were composed of aggregates of Al₁₃ and Al₃₀, respectively. Al³⁺ was the most un-stable species in coagulants, and its hydrolysis was remarkably influenced by solution pH. Al₁₃ and Al₃₀ species were very stable, and solution pH and aging had little effect on the chemical species of their hydrolysis products. The research method involving coagulant hydrolysis precipitates based on Al–Ferron reaction kinetics was studied in detail. The Al species classification based on complex reaction kinetic of hydrolysis precipitates and Ferron reagent was different from that measured in a conventional coagulant assay using the Al–Ferron method. The chemical composition of Al_a, Al_b and Al_c depended on coagulant and solution pH. The Al_b measured in the current case was different from Keggin Al₁₃, and the high Al_b content in the AlCl₃ hydrolysis precipitates could not used as testimony that most of the Al³⁺ was converted to highly charged Al₁₃ species during AlCl₃ coagulation.     

长江中上游防护林体系森林植被碳贮量及固碳潜力估算

基于“八五”期间长江中上游流域各省的森林资源调查资料,结合经典的材积源生物量法估算了长江中上游防护林体系生物量碳密度和碳贮量,并根据不同树种生物量-生产力回归关系推算了该地区当前的固碳潜力。结果表明：长江中上游地区森林平均碳密度为2575 t/hm2;碳贮量为1 39459 Tg (1 Tg = 1012 g),其中林分（包括经济林）碳贮量为1 20430 Tg,灌木林为13437 Tg,竹林为5592 Tg,三者分别占总碳贮量的8636%、963%和401%。整个防护林体系森林植被的固碳潜力为36856 Tg/a。位于本区西部的四川盆地嘉陵江流域和西部高山峡谷区,其森林碳密度、碳贮量和固碳潜力较高,而东部地区的川鄂山地长江干流、鄱阳湖水系以及洞庭湖水系相对较低,因此,长江中上游森林碳密度、碳贮量和固碳潜力总体上呈现自西向东逐渐降低的趋势。     

Assessment Tools for Urban Catchments: Defining Observable Biological Potential1

Abstract: Urbanization represents a strong and increasingly more prevalent impact on stream quality worldwide. One of the characteristic effects of increased urbanization is a consistent decline in biological stream condition. The characterization of this biological degradation with increasing urbanization presents a number of advantages for the study and management of urban streams and catchments. In this paper, the limitation of biological condition with urbanization, called observed biological potential, is characterized. Using an urban intensity index and a biological index developed specifically for urban systems in the Baltimore, Maryland; Cleveland, Ohio; and San Jose, California regions, two principal techniques were compared (quantile regression and bin regression) to define observed biological potential along urban gradients. Quantile regression was selected as the preferable tool for describing observed biological potential given the consistency with which it can be applied and its statistical efficiency, however, bin quantile regression performed similarly. Having identified a numeric approximation of observed biological potential, two methods for identifying factors related to distance from potential as a way of identifying critical environmental factors affecting biological condition in urban areas were explored. The results of this work can be used for identifying benchmarks for urban stream biological condition, identifying limiting catchment characteristics, and prioritizing urban stream management efforts.