Assessing the effects of pseudo-absences on predictive distribution model performance

Modelling species distributions with presence data from atlases, museum collections and databases is challenging. In this paper, we compare seven procedures to generate pseudo-absence data, which in turn are used to generate GLM-logistic regressed models when reliable absence data are not available. We use pseudo-absences selected randomly or by means of presence-only methods (ENFA and MDE) to model the distribution of a threatened endemic Iberian moth species (Graellsia isabelae). The results show that the pseudo-absence selection method greatly influences the percentage of explained variability, the scores of the accuracy measures and, most importantly, the degree of constraint in the distribution estimated. As we extract pseudo-absences from environmental regions further from the optimum established by presence data, the models generated obtain better accuracy scores, and over-prediction increases. When variables other than environmental ones influence the distribution of the species (i.e., non-equilibrium state) and precise information on absences is non-existent, the random selection of pseudo-absences or their selection from environmental localities similar to those of species presence data generates the most constrained predictive distribution maps, because pseudo-absences can be located within environmentally suitable areas. This study shows that if we do not have reliable absence data, the method of pseudo-absence selection strongly conditions the obtained model, generating different model predictions in the gradient between potential and realized distributions.     

Fate of metals contained in waste electrical and electronic equipment in a municipal waste treatment process

In Japan, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) that is not covered by the recycling laws are treated as municipal solid waste. A part of common metals are recovered during the treatment; however, other metals are rarely recovered and their destinations are not clear. This study investigated the distribution ratios and substance flows of 55 metals contained in WEEE during municipal waste treatment using shredding and separation techniques at a Japanese municipal waste treatment plant. The results revealed that more than half of Cu and most of Al contained in WEEE end up in landfills or dissipate under the current municipal waste treatment system. Among the other metals contained in WEEE, at least 70% of the mass was distributed to the small-grain fraction through the shredding and separation and is to be landfilled. Most kinds of metals were concentrated several fold in the small-grain fraction through the process and therefore the small-grain fraction may be a next target for recovery of metals in terms of both metal content and amount. Separate collection and pre-sorting of small digital products can work as effective way for reducing precious metals and less common metals to be landfilled to some extent; however, much of the total masses of those metals would still end up in landfills and it is also important to consider how to recover and utilize metals contained in other WEEE such as audio/video equipment.     

Comparison of three sequential extraction procedures for trace element partitioning in three contaminated Mediterranean soils

The sequential extraction procedures described by Tessier et al., McGrath and Cegarra, and Gimeno-García et al. were compared to investigate trace element (As, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn) partitioning patterns and extraction efficiency in three contaminated soils from Mediterranean regions of Spain. Soils were selected from Onda (Castellón) (S1), Aznalcóllar (Sevilla) (S2), and Silla (Valencia) (S3). S1 was a soil contaminated with Pb and Zn after dumping of wastes from the manufacture of ceramic tiles, S2 was polluted accidentally with a highly acid and As-concentrated sludge from mining activities, and S3 was a soil with a high Cr content from tannery sludge disposal. Trace element distribution in the soils—soluble, exchangeable, organically bound, precipitated with carbonates, bound to iron and manganese oxides, and precipitated with sulfides fractions—varied significantly according to the extraction procedure used. In addition, different extraction efficiencies were found for the three sequential extraction procedures compared. Finally, the trace elements studied showed different and specific distribution patterns between the various soil fractions examined.     

Design of Mass Exchange Network and Effluent Distribution System for effective water management

The environmental impact of industrial wastewater and higher cost of fresh water are the serious challenges faced by the process industries. It has led to the development of many new techniques to minimize fresh water consumption. Of the many approaches, which have been developed, the Water Source Diagram (WSD) is a flexible and dynamic alternative for the generation of different scenarios for the management of water networks with reduction in total consumption. In the present study WSD concept was coupled with water mains concept to mains simplify the piping network and reduce the cost. A new procedure was developed for integrating the effluent treatment processes to evolve Effluent Treatment Network. Example from literature having multi contaminants was considered. This simple procedure involving hand calculations will be a useful tool for process engineers to design water and effluent treatment networks. Also the WSD and ETN were combined to form an evolutionary WAMEN (Water Allocation and Mass Exchange Network) and the proposed WAMEN aims for minimum fresh water consumption.     

基于GIS的工业水污染调查研究——以滇池流域为例

污染源调查是在进行流域水污染控制与富营养化治理技术研究和《全国第一次污染源普查》基础上,根据调查年环境统计数据、环保局排污企业的申报登记、排污许可证发放以及重点企业抽样调查、监测数据等多源资料,对企业数量及污染排放情况进行校核,基于GIS空间分析技术,建立滇池流域工业企业污染源数据库。根据滇池流域工业产业结构、分布和污染现状调查,结合昆明市社会经济发展及工业布局相关规划,预测工业发展可能带来的环境污染,提出相应的产业结构布局和相关治理政策的建议意见,为滇池的水污染防治和昆明市的发展战略规划提供参考。     

Distribution of mercury and methylmercury in river water and sediment of typical manganese mining area

Manganese (Mn) ores contain substantial concentrations of mercury (Hg), and mining and smelting of Mn ores can bring Hg into the surrounding aquatic environment through atmospheric deposition, leaching of electrolytic Mn residue and Mn gangue dump. However, limited is known that how these processes influence the environmental behaviors of Hg in waterbody. Therefore, the seasonal distribution and existing form of Hg in water and sediment in one Mn ore area in Xiushan County, Chongqing were investigated. Our results showed that the mean Hg and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in water (n=35) were 5.8 ± 4.6 ng/L and 0.22 ± 0.14 ng/L, respectively. The mean Hg concentrations in retained riverbed and fluvial bank sediment (n=35) were 0.74 ± 0.26 mg/kg and 0.63 ± 0.27 mg/kg, respectively (the mean MeHg concentrations were 0.64 ± 0.40 µg/kg and 0.51 ± 0.30 µg/kg, respectively). It indicated that the mining and smelting of Mn ores were the main sources of anthropogenic Hg, and Mn may inhibit Hg methylation in rivers in Mn ore areas. Mercury in the bound to iron/ Mn (Fe/Mn) oxides of low crystallinity fraction (Hg-OX) accounted for 4.01% and 5.25% of the total Hg concentrations in the retained riverbed and fluvial bank sediment, respectively. The amount of Hg bound to Fe/Mn oxides in sediment increased significantly due to the manganese mining activities in the investigated area. Therefore, it could be hypothesized that high Hg concentrations in river sediment in Mn mining areas are closely related to high Mn concentration in sediment.     

微塑料及卤代有机污染物在洞庭湖的赋存研究进展

洞庭湖是中国第二大淡水湖,其生态价值十分重要。目前洞庭湖新污染物相关研究比较缺乏,也没有系统的综述进行归纳总结。微塑料和卤代有机污染物是近年来备受关注的新污染物,搜集历年研究成果,对这2类污染物在洞庭湖的污染水平、分布方式、污染来源进行归纳总结：洞庭湖微塑料污染水平在世界范围内处于中等,其主要来源包括上游输入、居民日常生活、农业生产及工业生产,湖泊各区域微塑料污染水平差异明显。卤代有机污染物在洞庭湖的浓度呈现随时间推移而降低的趋势,目前整体生态风险较低,但生物累积效应仍然值得警惕。在未来研究中应当关注河流与湖泊之间的相互影响,探究微塑料和卤代有机污染物对洞庭湖区生物造成的生物毒性,建立科学完善的监测方法并结合湖区具体情况对污染防治措施及污染物处理技术开展研究。     

Maximum entropy modeling of species geographic distributions

The availability of detailed environmental data, together with inexpensive and powerful computers, has fueled a rapid increase in predictive modeling of species environmental requirements and geographic distributions. For some species, detailed presence/absence occurrence data are available, allowing the use of a variety of standard statistical techniques. However, absence data are not available for most species. In this paper, we introduce the use of the maximum entropy method (Maxent) for modeling species geographic distributions with presence-only data. Maxent is a general-purpose machine learning method with a simple and precise mathematical formulation, and it has a number of aspects that make it well-suited for species distribution modeling. In order to investigate the efficacy of the method, here we perform a continental-scale case study using two Neotropical mammals: a lowland species of sloth, Bradypus variegatus, and a small montane murid rodent, Microryzomys minutus. We compared Maxent predictions with those of a commonly used presence-only modeling method, the Genetic Algorithm for Rule-Set Prediction (GARP). We made predictions on 10 random subsets of the occurrence records for both species, and then used the remaining localities for testing. Both algorithms provided reasonable estimates of the species’ range, far superior to the shaded outline maps available in field guides. All models were significantly better than random in both binomial tests of omission and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was almost always higher for Maxent, indicating better discrimination of suitable versus unsuitable areas for the species. The Maxent modeling approach can be used in its present form for many applications with presence-only datasets, and merits further research and development.     

Dissolved organic matter effects on the performance of a barrier to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon transport by groundwater

In order to contain the movement of organic contaminants in groundwater, a subsurface sorption barrier consisting of sand or clay minerals coated with a cationic surfactant has been proposed. The effectiveness of such a sorption barrier might be affected by the presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the groundwater. To study the impact of DOM on barrier performance, a series of batch experiments were performed by measuring naphthalene and phenanthrene sorption onto sand coated with cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and bentonite coated with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMA) in the presence of various concentrations of DOM. The overall soil-water distribution coefficient (K*) of naphthalene and phenanthrene onto CPC-coated sand decreased with increasing DOM concentration, whereas the K* of the compounds onto HDTMA-coated bentonite slightly increased with increasing DOM concentration. To describe the overall distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the systems, a competitive multiphase sorption (CMS) model was developed and compared with an overall mechanistic sorption (OMS) model. The modeling studies showed that while the OMS model did not explain the CPC-coated sand experimental results, a model that included competitive sorption between DOM and PAH did. The experimental results and the modeling study indicated that there was no apparent competition between DOM and PAH in the HDTMA-coated bentonite system, and indicated that in groundwater systems with high DOM, a barrier using HDTMA-coated bentonite might be more effective.     

第二松花江中下游水体中苯系物含量及分布特征

本次研究采用气质联用仪分析第二松花江中下游江段底泥和水中苯、甲苯、乙苯和二甲苯的含量,并对其分布特征和成因进行了讨论。研究发现,水中苯系物含量均远低于我国地表水环境质量标准和美国国家一级饮用水标准的限值。与国内其他水体相比,第二松花江江水中苯系物含量水平较低。底泥中苯系物含量显著高于水中,市区江段水和底泥中苯系物含量普遍高于非市区江段。