Environmentally adjusted productivity measurement: an Australian case study

This paper critically examines various methods for estimating productivity incorporating environmental effects for the Australian agricultural sector. The agricultural sector has been selected because of its strategic position in the economy of Australia. The findings of this study indicate that the application of environmentally adjusted productivity methods is a credible approach to measure productivity, in the context of sustainable development. Although the empirical findings of this research are case study specific, the results provide evidence supporting the adoption of these techniques to other sectors of the economy when measuring productivity and needing to be cognisant of sustainable development. The findings suggest that adjusting for the environmental impacts of soil erosion can result in higher or lower agricultural productivity depending on the assumptions we make regarding damage costs of erosion. It is argued in this paper that, for soil erosion in Australia, assumptions yielding higher productivity (i.e., upwardly adjusted) are justified. Finally, the findings of this study and the use of the methods presented point to important gaps in data availability. This gap needs to be addressed by policy makers if sustainable development objectives are to be credibly assessed using these techniques.     

基于FTA-Petri网的地铁火灾事故安全性研究

鉴于城市轨道交通安全的复杂性及重要性,应用FTA-Petri综合分析方法对城市轨道交通系统安全性进行分析并构建轨道交通系统火灾事故安全性模型。该模型具有FTA与Petri网方法的优点。在利用传统的FTA方法深入分析火灾事故原因的基础上,选择典型的火灾事故成因,利用Petri网方法动态模拟火灾事故发生的过程;借鉴已有的概率计算方法对所建立的火灾Petri网模型进行定量求解分析;最后,针对分析结果提出可行性方案。提出将FTA-Petri综合分析方法应用到城市轨道交通安全领域,在地铁火灾安全性定量分析方面作出了探索性的研究。     

A mathematical model for predicting thermal hazard data

A systematic procedure and mathematical model for predicting thermal behavior is proposed. This model has been verified by experimental data. The results show that the model will predict thermal hazard behavior precisely. A procedure for predicting thermal hazard data is also developed. Some examples of predicting real behavior are simulated.     

Rainfall Response of Degraded Soil Following Reforestation in the Copper Basin, Tennessee, USA

2 Copper Basin in southeastern Tennessee became the site of increasingly extensive and successful reforestation efforts. To determine the effectiveness of more than 50 years of reforestation efforts, we compared rainfall infiltration, sediment detachment, and soil organic matter of reforested sites to those properties of unvegetated sites and forested reference sites outside the basin. Results of 54 rainfall simulation experiments conducted in zones of the basin known to have been planted during different decades demonstrate that hydrologic recovery of soils in the Copper Basin lags significantly behind the establishment of tree cover and the protection offered by vegetation against soil erosion. Soils in new “forests” have significantly less organic matter and lower infiltration than forests more than 50 years old. The long-term persistence of low infiltration rates serves as a reminder that, at sites where the A and B soil horizons have been lost, restoration of the hydrologic function of a landscape requires decades, at least.     

Evaluation of soil erosion risk using Analytic Network Process and GIS: A case study from Spanish mountain olive plantations

The study presents an approach that combined objective information such as sampling or experimental data with subjective information such as expert opinions. This combined approach was based on the Analytic Network Process method. It was applied to evaluate soil erosion risk and overcomes one of the drawbacks of USLE/RUSLE soil erosion models, namely that they do not consider interactions among soil erosion factors. Another advantage of this method is that it can be used if there are insufficient experimental data. The lack of experimental data can be compensated for through the use of expert evaluations. As an example of the proposed approach, the risk of soil erosion was evaluated in olive groves in Southern Spain, showing the potential of the ANP method for modelling a complex physical process like soil erosion.     

ROOT BIOMASS IN RELATION TO CHANNEL MORPHOLOGY OF HEADWATER STREAMS1

ABSTRACT: Intact riparian zones are the product of an incredibly complex multitude of linkages between the geomorphic, hydrologic, and biotiè features of the ecosystem. Land‐use activities that sever or alter these linkages result in ecosystem degradation. We examined the relationship between riparian vegetation and channel morphology by sampling species composition and herbaceous root biomass in incised (down‐cut and widened) versus unincised (intact) sections of unconstrained reaches in three headwater streams in northeastern Oregon. Incision resulted in a compositional shift from wetland‐obligate plant species to those adapted to drier environments. Root biomass was approximately two times greater in unincised sections than incised sections and decreased with depth more rapidly in incised sections than in unincised sections. Total root biomass ranged from 2,153 g m^‐2 to 4,759 g m^‐2 in unincised sections and from 1,107 g m^‐2 to 2,215 g m^‐2 in incised sections. In unincised sections less than 50 percent of the total root biomass was found in the top 10 cm, with approximately 20 percent in successive 10‐cm depth increments. In contrast, incised sections had greater than 60 percent of the total root biomass in the top 10 cm, approximately 15 percent in the 10 to 20 cm depth, less than 15 percent in the 20 to 30 cm depth, and less than 10 percent in the 30 to 40 cm depth. This distribution of root biomass suggests a positive feedback between vegetation and channel incision: as incision progresses, there is a loss of hydrologic connectivity, which causes a shift to a drier vegetation assemblage and decreased root structure, resulting in a reduced erosive resistance capacity in the lower zone of the streambank, thereby allowing further incision and widening.     

公路建设中水土流失影响及防治措施

公路建设中造成的水土流失越来越严重，水土流失范围呈线状，常常跨越多个流域和地貌类型，因此影响范围较广，且在公路的不同部位水土流失的程度不同，影响期限不同。在实际调查的基础上分析公路建设中水土流失的原因，并提出计算方法及一般性防护措施。     

我国沙尘暴灾害述评及减灾对策

综合了有关沙尘暴研究的主要成果 ,对沙尘暴的危害方式与影响 ,沙尘暴的空间分布与发展趋势 ,沙尘暴的成因和沙尘物质来源及人为因素影响 ,沙尘暴的运移路径等分别进行评述 ,在此基础上综合提出了沙尘暴减灾的 6大宏观对策。     

云南省矿产资源开发利用中的主要环境问题

云南省矿产资源丰富，随着矿产资源开发规模的增大，所引起的环境污染、环境资源破坏和矿山地质灾害日益突出。环境污染多出现在岩溶地区，以水污染为主；环境资源的破坏以露采区最为严重，对土地资源、植被、地貌景观有较大的影响，甚至对地质灾害的发生都有深刻影响；矿山地质灾害的发生，地质地貌背景是诱发的潜在因素，不合理的开采方法是诱发的主导因素，降雨和水文条件是激发灾难发生的直接原因。云南矿产资源开发中最常见的地质灾害主要有滑坡、泥石流和地面塌陷、地裂缝等，所造成的危害和损失也比较突出。不同类型的地质灾害在使用露天开采和地下开采不同采矿方法的矿山发生的频率和强度也不尽相同。采用实例来阐述矿产资源开发过程中所引发的主要环境问题，对云南矿山地质灾害的现状进行分析。     

长江中下游地区旱涝急转的阈值诊断及危险性评估

选择与长江中下游地区夏季旱涝异常有关的15项大气环流指数作为自变量,以旱涝急转指数为因变量,采用非线性非参数的分类与回归树方法(CART)预测旱涝急转成灾的危险性等级。CART不仅能够提取出主要致灾因子,同时可以诊断不同影响阈值条件下,旱涝异常的类型及危险性等级。研究结果显示,夏季和春季北极涛动指数、春季亚洲径向环流指数,以及春季亚洲区极涡面积指数4项指标是旱涝突变成灾的主要影响因子,对旱涝急转成灾的危险程度具有很好的表征作用。当夏季北极涛动指数大于1.11时,更容易发生涝转旱事件(危险性等级为1级),而当夏季北极涛动指数小于或等于1.11,同时春季北极涛动指数大于或等于-1.11时,更容易发生旱转涝事件(危险性等级为6级),其他危险性等级的条件也可从模型中直接判读出来。采用2011~2013年的实测数据和模型预测结果进行对比,两者非常接近,验证了模型的可靠性。采用的CART方法为长江中下游地区旱涝急转致灾的等级预测提供了一种新的思路。