Perspectives on the landmark decision designating the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) as a threatened subspecies

Following an extensive legal battle challenging its original decision to not extend the protection of the Endangered Species Act to the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), the US Fish and Wildlife Service was ordered by the 9th District Court of Appeals to reassess the status of the owl. As a result of the revised analysis, the service proposed the northern spotted owl for threatened status throughout its range. Because of the complex biological issues involved and the perceived potential for economic disruption in timber-dependent communities of the Pacific Northwest, this proposal generated more controversy and interest than any previous one. In this article I discuss the rationale for the service’s decision, public involvement in the process, and the mechanisms now available to conserve the northern spotted owl and its habitat under the Endangered Species Act.     

THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A GIS-BASED CONTAMINANT SOURCE INVENTORY OVER THE SPOKANE AQUIFER,SPOKANE COUNTY WASHINGTON1

ABSTRACT: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) statutes require identification of all potential sources of contamination within a wellhead protection area. All wells over Spokane County's aquifer are included in one wellhead protection zone called the Aquifer Sensitive Area (ASA). A GIS-based Contaminant Source Inventory (CSI) was developed for the ASA. Datasets listing businesses and agencies within the ASA were imported into the GIS from state, county, city, and local agencies. These datasets were selected, joined, and sorted using GIS relational database capabilities into one ASA “business master file.” Map files were projected and transformed into common coordinates. Next, business sites within the master file were spatially related by address to the digital map files. Likely Critical Materials Users (CMU) were identified by sorting on selected standard Industrial Codes (SIC). Additional files of CMUs were imported into the Contaminant Source Inventory. GIS queries were performed to locate specific materials, quantities, and storage facilities, and to analyze CMU activity within selected buffer zones. This project demonstrated the usefulness of GIS technology in the development, management, maintenance, and analysis of vast quantities of data associated with a local wellhead protection pro. gram.     

利用修改的震级—频度关系研究扬—铜地震带的未来地震

本文对修改的震级-频度关系进行了全面的统计检验。结果表明,修改的震级-频度关系从整体上讲拟合精度是令人满意的,可用于预测。本文根据扬—铜带修改的震级-频度关系,以及极值方法的结果,预测扬—铜带未来可能发生一次6.5—6.8级地震。     

中国东部应力场与板块运动

随着空间观测技术发展,板块运动有可能从定性进入定量化研究.本文运用空间观测技术和大地测量采集的数据,探讨板块运动方向、速度对中国东部应力场构成的作用和影响.着重研究了该地区有代表性构造——郯庐深大断裂带的应力分布状态.结果表明,华北地块是受太平洋板块向北西西和欧亚板块向北东挤压,形成了最大水平压应力方向为北东东;华南地块最大水平压应力方向为北西西,它是由菲律宾板块向北西挤压和印度板块向北东推移影响引起的。同时,据初步研究认为,原区域应力场与震源应力场展布存在着较为明显的差异,故对预测地震,加强应力场演变过程研究是一项有意义和重要的工作.     

Stream corridor management in the Pacific Northwest: I. Determination of stream-corridor widths

King County, Washington is a part of the rapidly growing Pacific Northwest region. This growth has placed pressure on stream corridors. Past studies about regional stream corridors provide a rich source of information for environmental planners and managers. This article draws on existing literature and case studies to provide guidelines for determining optimal stream corridor widths in a watershed located in King County, Washington.     

MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL WATER SUPPLY IN CIUDAD JUAREZ,MEXICO1

Rapid industrialization and population growth in the north Mexican desert city of Ciudad Juarez are placing a serious strain on the city's municipal water resources. Water deliveries and service area have more than doubled over the past decade, and plans for additional expansion are presently being implemented. This expansion is already contributing to water table declines and salinity increases in the Mexican portion of the Heuco Bolson, the sole source of water for the city. Continued mining of the limited fresh water reserves should produce serious water supply problems in the near future. New estimates of future water consumption incorporated into a digital aquifer simulation model indicate that these problems may show up much sooner than was anticipated in previous investigations. The results of this study point to the need to accelerate the gathering of basic data on alternative water resources. The problems faced by Cd. Juarez are illustrative of the kinds of difficulties likely to confront other rapidly developing cities of the arid zone.     

SEASONAL PUMPING VARIATION EFFECTS ON WELLHEAD PROTECTION AREA DELINEATION1

ABSTRACT: Delineation of a welihead protection area (WHPA) is the key element in welihead protection programs for drinking water supplies. WHPAs are often delineated under idealized conditions using simple steady-state assumptions, which lead to an incorrect estimation of area and geometry. In this paper, we compare the results from a simple steady-state procedure commonly employed in WHPA delineation with a more complex transient approach that allows consideration of seasonal variation in pumping rates. We also introduce a transient procedure to delineate time-related capture zones using a numerical ground water flow and transport model. Welihead delineation is examined for two municipal wells in Tipton, Oklahoma, using a ten-year time-of-travel criterion. In the steady-state procedure, where we assumed constant pumping rates, we used GPTRAC, a semi-analytical model, and MOC, a numerical model. The capture zone delineated by GPTRAC is comparable in shape with the capture zone delineated by MOC but not in size due to the differences in solution schemes. In the transient procedure, we used MOC and considered the seasonal variation in pumping rates. The capture zones delineated in this procedure were larger than the capture zones delineated by the steady-state procedure using the same model. Further analysis showed that a higher drawdown was predicted in the transient procedure than in the steady-state procedure, which is the reason for larger capture zones.     

秦岭─黄淮平原交界带近五百年的旱涝研究

本文根据旱涝史料及现代观测资料，运用旱涝等级评定法和农田水分平衡法，对秦岭─黄淮平原交界带自１４７０～１９８０年逐年的旱涝状况进行了评定，重建了秦岭─黄淮平原交界带１４７０～１９８０年近５００ａ的旱涝等级序列，在此基础上讨论了旱涝发生的基本规律。运用山地─平原交界带气候边际效应的观点，探讨了山地─平原交界带气候边际效应与旱涝的关系．     

广西近年高温干旱气象灾害及对电力供求的影响

通过对广西2003~2005年高温、干旱天气气候事件及其对电力供求影响的分析发现:广西2003~2005年高温、干旱灾害强度偏强,频率增大;最高气温与最大电力负荷有明显的正相关关系,高温灾害天气造成电力负荷呈大幅度增加的趋势;季节性、持续性的干旱造成广西水电发电量呈负增长状态。由于电力负荷加大,水电发电量供应不足,使广西电力供求呈紧张的局面,2003~2005年出现了不同程度的拉闸限电现象。     

印染工业园废水集中处理的探讨

近年来，印染工业园在各地纷纷建立，大大促进了当地经济的发展。本文论述了当前印染工业园废水集中处理设计和运行过程中需要注意的问题，并提出了相应的对策，以期为相关工业园设计和研究提供参考。