A Simulation Study to Assess the Sensitivity of a Forest Health Monitoring Network to Outbreaks of Defoliating Insects

The sensitivity of the United States Forest Health Monitoring network to outbreaks of defoliating insects was examined by means of a simulation study. A model constructed specifically for the study was used to generate a wide variety of defoliation patterns in forested landscapes. Forest configuration was that of Minnesota, USA, as expressed by the GAP land cover classification. Combinations of model parameters were based on a Latin Hypercube sample. The relationship between the average number of plots defoliated and outbreak characteristics was then examined via multiple regression. Both theoretical and model results pointed to a strong, linear relationship between the average number of plots defoliated and outbreak size. Model results provided additional insight, suggesting a significant relationship between the average number of plots defoliated and other outbreak characteristics after outbreak size was taken into account.     

城市环境地球化学调查研究方法综述

总结了城市环境地球化学调查的技术路线,论述了城市环境地球化学解释的思路和方法,提出了城市环境地球化学调查研究的重点问题及研究方向,为开展城市环境调查和评价工作提供了有参考价值的研究线索。     

Using Relative Risk to Compare the Effects of Aquatic Stressors at a Regional Scale

The regional-scale importance of an aquatic stressor depends both on its regional extent (i.e., how widespread it is) and on the severity of its effects in ecosystems where it is found. Sample surveys, such as those developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP), are designed to estimate and compare the extents, throughout a large region, of elevated conditions for various aquatic stressors. In this article, we propose relative risk as a complementary measure of the severity of each stressor’s effect on a response variable that characterizes aquatic ecological condition. Specifically, relative risk measures the strength of association between stressor and response variables that can be classified as either “good” (i.e., reference) or “poor” (i.e., different from reference). We present formulae for estimating relative risk and its confidence interval, adapted for the unequal sample inclusion probabilities employed in EMAP surveys. For a recent EMAP survey of streams in five Mid-Atlantic states, we estimated the relative extents of eight stressors as well as their relative risks to aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages, with assemblage condition measured by an index of biotic integrity (IBI). For example, a measure of excess sedimentation had a relative risk of 1.60 for macroinvertebrate IBI, with the meaning that poor IBI conditions were 1.6 times more likely to be found in streams having poor conditions of sedimentation than in streams having good sedimentation conditions. We show how stressor extent and relative risk estimates, viewed together, offer a compact and comprehensive assessment of the relative importances of multiple stressors.     

Multi-stage sampling for large scale natural resources surveys: a case study of rice and waterfowl

Large-scale sample surveys to estimate abundance and distribution of organisms and their habitats are increasingly important in ecological studies. Multi-stage sampling (MSS) is especially suited to large-scale surveys because of the natural clustering of resources. To illustrate an application, we: (1) designed a stratified MSS to estimate late autumn abundance (kg/ha) of rice seeds in harvested fields as food for waterfowl wintering in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV); (2) investigated options for improving the MSS design; and (3) compared statistical and cost efficiency of MSS to simulated simple random sampling (SRS). During 2000-2002, we sampled 25-35 landowners per year, 1 or 2 fields per landowner per year, and measured seed mass in 10 soil cores collected within each field. Analysis of variance components and costs for each stage of the survey design indicated that collecting 10 soil cores per field was near the optimum of 11-15, whereas sampling >1 field per landowner provided few benefits because data from fields within landowners were highly correlated. Coefficients of variation (CV) of annual estimates of rice abundance ranged from 0.23 to 0.31 and were limited by variation among landowners and the number of landowners sampled. Design effects representing the statistical efficiency of MSS relative to SRS ranged from 3.2 to 9.0, and simulations indicated SRS would cost, on average, 1.4 times more than MSS because clustering of sample units in MSS decreased travel costs. We recommend MSS as a potential sampling strategy for large-scale natural resource surveys and specifically for future surveys of the availability of rice as food for waterfowl in the MAV and similar areas.     

公众灾害风险可接受性与避灾意愿的初探——以川渝地区旱灾风险为例

在综述前人研究的基础上,以川渝地区旱灾为例,通过实地调查与访谈,从公众可接受的旱灾损失与频率、假定旱灾风险情景下的避险意愿等角度,对公众旱灾风险可接受性进行了初步探讨。结果表明,公众合理可接受的旱灾损失与频率分别在26.5%~52.8%与32.0%~64.3%区间范围内;并以一般旱灾、严重旱灾风险情景为限制线,确定了公众合理可接受风险区域;随着灾害损失风险增加,公众规避风险投资意愿呈现出中间高两头低的趋势,当灾害损失达到约50%~70%时,公众避险投资意愿达到最高,意愿避险投资占可能损失的比重约为62%。鉴于川渝地区的旱灾形势,今后旱灾风险管理的关键,一是加强对旱灾的监测与预警预报;二是完善旱灾风险的常规化管理,发展高效灌溉农业,充分利用客水资源,完善提高现有农田水网建设;三是积极探索公众-企业-政府多方共同参与的高效风险管理模式。     

上海隧桥工程海域生态系统健康的初步评价

随着上海经济的快速发展,一些大型海洋工程在上海海域纷纷兴建,造成了生境破碎化、生物多样性的破坏等一系列的生态损害。在分析海洋工程可能造成生态损害的同时,以上海长江口隧桥工程为例,选择2007年春季和秋季的2次生态调查数据进行研究。架桥阶段结束后,综合分析了春季与秋季的调查数据,发现各项指标均有偏向于不利的趋势。基于结构功能指标体系评价法,并利用层次分析法研究后得出上海长江口隧桥工程附近海域的综合健康指数分别为2043和2166。根据CHI≤3的情况下判断,该海域的生态健康状况属于不健康接近亚健康状态,表明河口生态系统自然属性发生明显改变,生物多样性及生态系统结构发生了一定程度的变化,主要生态服务功能出现退化或丧失。针对遭遇海洋工程破坏的生境,需要进行更多、更长时间的人工干预,并提出有效的生态保护和修复对策。     

以植被生物完整性评价梁子湖湖滨湿地生态系统健康

湖滨湿地植被是湖滨带生态系统的主要特征,以湖滨湿地植被为对象可评价湖滨带生态系统健康状况。通过对梁子湖湖滨湿地植被的详细调查,共鉴定出植物182种,隶属于52科128属,其中湿生植物147种,水生植物35种。水生植物中有20种挺水植物,6种浮叶植物和9种沉水植物。采用植被生物完整性(VIBI)方法评价梁子湖湖滨湿地生态系统健康,对21个备选指标进行筛选分析,建立了以挺水植物物种数、多年生植物物种数、外来物种百分比、香农多样性指数、植物区系质量指数FQAI、耐受性物种百分比、敏感性物种百分比为核心指标的评价体系,三分法对指标进行赋值,将梁子湖湖滨湿地划分为健康、良好、一般和较差4个等级。评价结果表明,梁子湖湖滨湿地22个调查位点中,处于健康状态的有3个位点,良好6个,共占总位点数的41%,一般和较差分别为7个和6个,共占59%。总体上看,东梁子湖和牛山湖湖滨湿地位点健康状况较好,而西梁子湖湖滨湿地差异性较大,山坡湖南部湖湾和前江大湖北部位点健康状况良好,张桥湖湖滨湿地健康状况一般,评价较差的6个位点集中在宁港湖周围和前江大湖南部沿岸。底质和人类活动如水位调控、围网养殖、放牧等是影响梁子湖湖滨湿地植被生物完整性的主要原因。     

基于水量分配方案的抚河流域最小控制需水量研究

鄱阳湖流域水资源丰富,在非汛期尤其是用水高峰期,存在供需水矛盾和河道外用水挤占河道内用水现象。基于水量分配方案,以控制断面为节点,考虑河道外需水,兼顾河道内生态环境需水,系统提出计算流域控制断面最小控制需水量方法。在此基础上,以抚河流域为例,把流域划分为12个控制断面,分别为沙子岭、黎川、南城、洪门、廖坊、石门、廖家湾、娄家村、马圩、焦石、柴埠口和李家渡,各断面的最小控制需水量分别为740、380、2873、1200、4981、261、5085、7168、050、10894、1556 和1030 m3/s。通过水文监测控制流域断面流量,为落实水量分配方案、保护流域水环境和维持河流生态系统健康提供保障。同时,以最小需水量并与实测流量比较,确定各用水区余缺水量,为实施流域非汛期水量调度提供依据     

西安市大气和水污染对人群健康损害的经济价值损失研究

环境污染对人群健康造成损害的经济价值评价一直是学术界讨论的热点．采用不同的价值评估方法-VPLL潜在寿命损失年法、VSL统计生命价值法、WTP支付意愿法对西安市1996—2003年的大气和水污染对人群健康造成的经济损失进行评价。结果表明：1996—2003年。西安市大气和水污染健康损失年平均为228792万-434237万元，占GDP的3．69％-7％。对居民健康有显着影响。     

Comparison of preservation values between Internet and interview survey modes: the case of Dokdo,South Korea

With the increase in employment of Internet surveys, there is a need to address how this survey mode affects inferences. Internet and interview modes are compared in estimating the preservation value of Dokdo, South Korea. Estimates of willingness to pay in the Internet survey are smaller than those in the interview survey. This may be attributable to the interview respondents being conscious of the presence of the interviewers, given the social importance of Dokdo to Koreans. Internet surveys may be effective in reducing overestimation of the willingness to pay in situations where potential social desirability is present.