Large-scale risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in shoreline sediments from Saudi Arabia: Environmental legacy after twelve years of the Gulf war oil spill

A large-scale assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the 1991 Gulf War oil spill was performed for 2002-2003 sediment samples (n = 1679) collected from habitats along the shoreline of Saudi Arabia. Benthic sediment toxicity was characterized using the Equilibrium Partitioning Sediment Benchmark Toxic Unit approach for 43 PAHs (ESBTU_FCV,43). Samples were assigned to risk categories according to ESBTU_FCV,43 values: no-risk (≤1), low (>1-≤2), low-medium (>2-≤3), medium (>3-≤5) and high-risk (>5). Sixty seven percent of samples had ESBTU_FCV,43 > 1 indicating potential adverse ecological effects. Sediments from the 0-30 cm layer from tidal flats, and the >30-<60 cm layer from heavily oiled halophytes and mangroves had high frequency of high-risk samples. No-risk samples were characterized by chrysene enrichment and depletion of lighter molecular weight PAHs, while high-risk samples showed little oil weathering and PAH patterns similar to 1993 samples. North of Safaniya sediments were not likely to pose adverse ecological effects contrary to sediments south of Tanaqib. Landscape and geomorphology has played a role on the distribution and persistence in sediments of oil from the Gulf War.     

Comments on current environmental events in Kuwait

This article describes and assesses the impact of oil spillage and oil well fires on Kuwait and its surroundings. The marine ecology of the Arabian Gulf is shown to be relatively resistant to damage from oil spillage. The risks of the contamination of thermal desalination plants by oil and oil products are assessed, and remedies are suggested. Air pollution from burning oil wells is described and its consequences are predicted. Editor’s note: Professor Hosny Khordagui worked as a research scientist at the Environmental and Earth Science Department of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990, led to the permanent loss of most of his data, research reports, and laboratory equipment, and Prof. Khordagui was constrained to live under the Iraqi occupation for a few weeks. His article “A Conceptual Approach to the Selection of a Control Measure for Residual Chlorine Discharge in Kuwait Bay” will appear in a forthcoming issue ofEnvironmental Management.     

桥梁实用延性抗震设计方法研究

针对铁路桥梁中应用广泛的单柱式桥墩 ,考虑多种跨度 ,多种墩高和多种场地及多种地震烈度的情况 ,在进行大量的桥墩结构线性和非线性弹塑性动力计算分析的基础上 ,通过对大量数据的统计分析 ,得到桥墩线弹性最大弯矩比和非线性位移延性比参数的变化规律 ,基于概率性的结构随机地震反应理论 ,建立了由线弹性动力分析结果来估算桥墩结构的位移延性响应的方法。     

桥梁抗震主动控制的稳定性研究

主动控制应用于实际结构 ,需要考虑其控制效果的稳定性问题 ,为此 ,分析了桥梁抗震主动控制中可能出现的计算模型误差和系统误差 ,并讨论了应用H2 控制和H∞ 控制两种算法的稳定性。理论分析和仿真计算表明 ,在频谱特性不同的地震激励下 ,H2 控制和H∞ 控制两种算法都可以取得满意的控制效果 ;对于计算模型误差 ,H2 控制和H∞ 控制两种算法的鲁棒性相当 ,控制效果稳定 ;对于系统误差 ,H∞ 控制算法比H2 控制算法鲁棒性强 ,在较大的误差下可以保持控制效果的稳定性     

新亚欧大陆桥新疆段易损性分析

从灾害频数、断道密度分析着手,选取与易损性评价指标;根据新亚欧大陆桥新疆段近４０年的灾害资料,在详尽分析各不同区段灾害密度,断道时间和断道次数密度的基础上,对各区一路的脆弱性和易损性强度进行评价,提出了新亚欧大陆桥新疆段的最易受损区段,并与全国平均水平进行了对比。     

青岛市基础设施现状及主要自然灾害特征

概述了青岛市基础设施现状; 介绍了青岛市主要自然灾害（气象、地震） 特别是９０ 年代以来重要灾情, 并分析了特征; 最后给出了结论和建议。     

Use of Physical Sciences in Support of Environmental Management

Offshore drilling for oil and gas has been conducted since the early 1900s. Oil and gas under the seabed continue to be an important part of the energy resources of the United States. The need to balance the value of these resources against the potential for environmental damage is an important concern. This article explains why and how the Minerals Management Service (MMS) of the US Department of the Interior uses research in physical sciences to help fulfill its environmental goals, and it provides background information on the role of physical sciences in decision-making for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil, gas, and other minerals development. Established in the 1970s, the MMS Environmental Studies Program is a highly focused marine research program designed to provide the environmental information necessary for OCS energy and nonenergy minerals planning and development activities. The physical sciences research supported by MMS includes physical oceanography, oil-spill risk analyses, atmospheric sciences, and sand and gravel studies. Instead of giving a comprehensive review on physical sciences research in MMS, this article presents sample MMS studies and illustrates how these studies are utilized to support decision-making in environmental management.Published online Note: This version was published online in June 2005 with the cover date of August 2004.     

近断层强震速度脉冲效应及连续梁桥减隔震特性分析

应用非线性时程分析的方法 ,对于减、隔震连续桥梁在近场地震作用下的有效性和响应特性 ,作了深入的研究。通过有代表性的脉冲型近场强震记录时程分析 ,提出了用速度脉冲峰值及其周期之积来表示速度脉冲能量的方法 ,计算表明近场地震速度脉冲波能近似表征地震动破坏能力的大小 ,它和桥梁结构承受的地震响应大体成正比例关系。铅芯橡胶隔震支座在近场地震作用下仍然适用 ,但对于个别脉冲型强震记录效果不够明显 ,支座参数有必要进行优化。     

Potential environmental impact of dissolution of raw phosphate in sea water of the Gulf of Aqaba

Dissolution of raw phosphate (apatite) in sea water of the Gulf of Aqaba was investigated through lab incubation experiments. Three types from three different sources (Al-Hasa, Al-Abyad and Esh-Shydiya) have been used for these experiments. Impact of quantity, grain size, and source (type) of raw phosphate on dissolution rate were studied. Statistical analysis shows significant differences between the results obtained from comparing each two weights; as weight of apatite increased, dissolved inorganic phosphate-phosphorus (DIP) and fluoride in sea water solution increased. The differences between the dissolution rates of raw phosphate from the three sites were not significant while the differences between the different grain size fractions were significant. Dissolution rates were inversely related to particle size. Using a worst-case scenario, a conservative estimate of the maximum increase in DIP in seawater of the Gulf of Aqaba due to the apatite particles lost to the sea during ship loading resulted in DIP concentrations of 0.03 μM per year. As the residence time of the water in the Gulf of Aqaba is about one year, the DIP concentration will not increase by more than 0.03 μM under the estimated annual quantity of exported phosphate. Fluoride will not increase by more than 0.03 mg/l under the same conditions.     

A Modeling System to Assess Land Cover Land Use Change Effects on SAV Habitat in the Mobile Bay Estuary

Estuarine ecosystems are largely influenced by watersheds directly connected to them. In the Mobile Bay, Alabama watersheds we examined the effect of land cover and land use (LCLU) changes on discharge rate, water properties, and submerged aquatic vegetation, including freshwater macrophytes and seagrasses, throughout the estuary. LCLU scenarios from 1948, 1992, 2001, and 2030 were used to influence watershed and hydrodynamic models and evaluate the impact of LCLU change on shallow aquatic ecosystems. Overall, our modeling results found that LCLU changes increased freshwater flows into Mobile Bay altering temperature, salinity, and total suspended sediments (TSS). Increased urban land uses coupled with decreased agricultural/pasture lands reduced TSS in the water column. However, increased urbanization or agricultural/pasture land coupled with decreased forest land resulted in higher TSS concentrations. Higher sediment loads were usually strongly correlated with higher TSS levels, except in areas where a large extent of wetlands retained sediment discharged during rainfall events. The modeling results indicated improved water clarity in the shallow aquatic regions of Mississippi Sound and degraded water clarity in the Wolf Bay estuary. This integrated modeling approach will provide new knowledge and tools for coastal resource managers to manage shallow aquatic habitats that provide critical ecosystem services.