Targeted Sustainable Development: 15 Years of Government and Community Intervention on the St. Lawrence River

From 1988 to 2003, the St. Lawrence Action Plan, a Canada – Quebec cooperation agreement on the St. Lawrence River, helped to mobilize a still-growing number of stakeholders in the conservation and protection of this great river and generated tangible results in a number of areas of intervention. The successes enjoyed in the area of industrial, agricultural and urban clean-up, in protecting plant and animal species and their habitats, and in acquiring new knowledge on the state and trends of the ecosystem reflect the sustained efforts of government and non-government partners over the course of those 15 years. The committed involvement of local communities provides assurance of the sustainable development of this vast ecosystem.The Canadian Crown reserves the right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty free licence in and to any copyright.     

Ecosystem Responses to Extreme Natural Events: Impacts of Three Sequential Hurricanes in Fall 1999 on Sediment Quality and Condition of Benthic Fauna in the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina

A study was conducted in November 1999 to assess sediment quality and condition of benthic fauna in the Neuse River Estuary (NRE), North Carolina, USA, following the passage of three Atlantic hurricanes during the two months prior. Samples for analysis of macroinfauna (>0.5 mm sieve size), chemical contamination of sediments, and other abiotic environmental variables (salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, depth, sediment granulometry) were collected at 20 sites from the mouth of the Neuse River at Pamlico Sound to approximately 90 km upstream. Results were compared to those obtained from the same area in July 1998 using similar protocols. Depressed salinity, caused by extreme rainfall and associated high freshwater flow, persisted throughout much of the estuary, which had experienced periods of water-column stratification and hypoxia of underlying waters. Fifteen of the 20 sites, representing 299 km² (76% of the survey area), also showed signs of benthic stress based on a multi-metric benthic index of biotic integrity (B-IBI). Benthic impacts included reductions in the abundance, diversity, and numbers of species and shifts in taxonomic composition, with a notable increase in dominance of the opportunistic polychaete Mediomastus ambiseta as other former dominant species declined. There was no significant increase in the extent of chemical contamination compared to pre-hurricane conditions. Storm-related reductions in dissoved oxygen and salinity were the more likely causes of the observed benthic impacts, though it was not possible, based on these results, to separate storm effects from seasonal changes in the benthos and annual episodes of summer anoxia and hypoxia.     

PAHs Contamination in Bank Sediment of the Yamuna River, Delhi, India

This study was performed to elucidate the distribution, concentration trend and possible sources of PAHs in bank sediment of river Yamuna in Delhi, India. The levels of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed during pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons in the sediment fraction < 53 μm. Reference standards and internal standards were used for identification and quantification of PAHs by HPLC. The sum of 16 PAH compounds ranged from 4.50 to 23.53 μg/g with a mean concentration of 10.15 ± 4.32 μg/g (dry wt.). Among 5 sites studied, the site, Income Tax Office (ITO) was found to be the hotspot attaining highest concentration. Predominance of 2–4 ring PAHs suggests a relatively recent local sources of PAHs in the study area. Moreover, molecular indices based source apportionment also illustrates pyrogenic source fingerprint of PAHs. No significant temporal trend was observed.     

Modeling of non-point source pollution in a Mediterranean drainage basin

SWAT ver. 2000 was used to predict hydrographs, and sediment, nitrate and total phosphorus loadings from a 1349 km² mountainous/agricultural watershed in Northern Greece. The model was calibrated and verified using continuous meteorological data from eight stations within the drainage area, and runoff, sediment and nutrient concentrations measured at nine stations located within the main tributaries of the watershed, for the time period from May 1st, 1998 to January 31st, 2000. Model validation methodology and resulting input parameters appropriate for Mediterranean drainage basins are presented. Predicted by the model hydrographs, sedimentographs and pollutographs are plotted against observed values and show good agreement. Model performance is evaluated using the root mean square error computation and scattergrams of predicted versus observed data. The validated model is also used to test the effectiveness of three alternative cropping scenarios in reducing nutrient loadings from the agricultural part of the watershed. The study showed that this model, if properly validated, can be used effectively in testing management scenarios in Mediterranean drainage basins.     

黄河三角洲及珠江三角洲生态足迹分析

利用遥感解译数据,分析了解珠江三角洲及黄河三角洲自然资本的供需状况,通过分析两大三角洲地区的生态足迹,探讨在经济发展程度不同的情况下,人类对生态环境的影响程度。并借鉴珠江三角洲经济发展过程中出现的问题,对黄河三角洲今后发展可能出现的问题提出预防措施,以减少对资源的不合理需求,提出正确的功能定位,制定正确的发展方向。研究结果表明,(1)黄河三角洲和珠江三角洲的生态足迹需求均高于全国0.8hm2/人的平均水平,珠江三角洲地区生态足迹需求为1.5403hm2/人;黄河三角洲地区生态足迹需求为1.3514hm2/人。(2)化石燃料的供需状况是影响两大三角洲地区生态赤字的关键因素,珠江三角洲地区对化石燃料的需求占总生态足迹需求的72.67%,位居全国第一位;黄河三角洲地区对化石燃料的需求占总生态足迹需求的49.85%。(3)珠江三角洲除林地尚有少量生态盈余外,其他生态足迹需求均存在明显的生态赤字。受城市化及工业化进程的影响,黄河三角洲化石燃料用地和耕地资源已出现生态赤字。(4)与西方一些发达国家相比,两大三角洲的生态足迹均呈现“低需求,低供给”的特点。     

River water quality management model using genetic algorithm

Conventional mathematical programming methods, such as linear programming, non linear programming, dynamic programming and integer programming have been used to solve the cost optimization problem for regional wastewater treatment systems. In this study, a river water quality management model was developed through the integration of a genetic algorithm (GA). This model was applied to a river system contaminated by three determined discharge sources to achieve the water quality goals and wastewater treatment cost optimization in the river basin. The genetic algorithm solution, described the treatment plant efficiency, such that the cost of wastewater treatment for the entire river basin is minimized while the water quality constraints in each reach are satisfied. This study showed that genetic algorithm can be applied for river water quality modeling studies as an alternative to the present methods.     

Colonization of the Southern Patagonia Ocean by Exotic Chinook Salmon

Abstract:  Anadromous salmonids have been particularly successful at establishing wild populations in southern Patagonia, in contrast to their limited success elsewhere outside their native ranges. The most recent such discovery is a spawning population of Chinook salmon in the Santa Cruz River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean from Argentina. We used mitochondrial DNA analysis to discriminate between alternative potential sources of this population and were able to discard in situ introductions of fish imported directly from California in the early twentieth century. Our results showed that the fish most likely came from Puget Sound, Washington, imported into southern Chile for salmon-ranching experiments in the 1980s. This finding provides concrete evidence of colonization of Atlantic rivers from Pacific locations. The southern Pacific and Atlantic oceans provide a favorable marine environment for the success of invading salmon. In particular, the waters associated with fjords, southern channels, and the inshore portion of the Patagonian shelf provide a rather bounded, continuous waterway for exotic anadromous salmonids, rich in diverse forage species.     

长江河口水体有机污染物现状分析

对枯水期和丰水期长江河口区5个断面不同深度水样进行检测,共检出有机物200余种,其中定量检出的有机物达53种,有36种属美国EPA控制的有毒有机化合物,列入中国环境优先控制污染物黑名单的有16种.枯水期N-二甲基亚硝胺含量较高,最高值约为1.2 mg·L-1.丰水期2,4-二硝基酚、邻苯二甲酸二丁基苯基酯含量较高,最高值分别约为1.3和1.0 mg·L-1.底层水中有机污染物浓度高于表层和中层.     

基于开发需求的安徽沿江地区生态经济分区

从压力、状态和人类响应3个方面,构建了生态经济分区指标体系,结合经济开发需求的评价结果,以县(市、城区)为基本评价单元,利用主成分分析与系统聚类的方法,根据自上而下的专家定性评估,遵循空间邻近性原则,将安徽沿江地区划分为7个生态经济类型,即:合肥污染防治与城镇生态优化区、巢滁湖泊湿地保护与平原生态农业区、马芜铜宣工业污染防治与城镇生态优化区、宣南生态农业与水土保持区、安庆平原农业与湿地生态保护区、池州森林保育与生态农业区以及皖西水源保护与森林保育区.     

闽江流域畜禽粪便的污染负荷及其环境风险评价

从闽江流域畜禽养殖业现状分析入手,根据作物所需畜禽粪尿肥的最大量,估算流域各县市的畜禽污染物产生量和农田畜禽粪便负荷量,对各县市畜禽养殖粪便污染进行潜在的环境风险评价.结果表明:闽江流域大多数集约化养殖场集中分布于中上游,并有向下游扩散的趋势;流域农田畜禽粪便负荷量平均达22.95 t·hm-2·a-1;整个流域的畜禽污染已对环境产生风险,尤其是富屯溪、沙溪流域更为突出.