Survey of land degradation in New South Wales,Australia

A survey of land degradation was undertaken in New South Wales, Australia during 1987–1988. The aims of the survey were to assess the location, extent, and severity of ten forms of degradation and to present the data in map and statistical form. Sample points were located on a regular grid. The method was designed so that data could be acquired from aerial photographs, expert local knowledge, and limited field checking. Individual statewide maps were prepared for each form of degradation. Map data were shown in pixel form. Sheet and rill erosion and soil structure decline were confined mostly to lands used for cropping. Gully erosion was commonly found across the state, while mass movement was confined to steeper lands. There were three severe areas of dryland salinity; irrigation salinity was mapped in parts of the southern irrigation lands. Induced soil acidity was severe in some cropping and pasture lands. Absence of tree regrowth was a noticeable feature of lands used for cropping. The survey enabled community awareness of the problems of land degradation to be increased, in addition to assisting regional land managers in resource allocation. The survey also provided the basis for the future location of sites that could be used to monitor the trends in the status of land degradation.     

紫外光谱结合正交试验设计同时测定水中苯系物

利用正交试验设计,以光谱预处理、特征筛选及多元校正方法为考察因素,每个因素的4种不同方法为水平,确定了水中3种苯系物（苯酚、苯胺及苯甲酸）紫外光谱数据的最佳分析方法,从而建立了其定量校正模型。对于苯酚、苯胺及苯甲酸,其光谱预处理、特征筛选及多元校正分别采用一阶导数+无信息变量消除法（UVE）+偏最小二乘回归（PLSR）,Savitzky-Golay平滑+变量结合种群分析法（VCPA）+PLSR,Savitzky-Golay平滑+移动窗口偏最小二乘法（MWPLS）+PLSR。在独立测试集上3组分的预测误差均方根（RMSEP）分别为0.809 4、0.796 3和0.945 4。水样加标回收实验的回收率为97.79%~103.84%,相对标准偏差（RSD）小于3%。该方法可作为一种同时测定水中苯系物的简便有效方法。     

南山铁矿风场及扩散规律风洞模拟研究

以风洞模拟方式研究中性层结条件下南山铁矿凹山采场地域边界层风场特征,并以示踪气体扩散摸拟方法给出该地域大气扩散参数的实验结果。     

揭开武汉东湖蓝藻水华消失之谜

水华（亦称湖靛）是湖泊富营养化最恶劣的表征之一。武汉东湖７０年代至１９８４年间每年夏季出现蓝藻水华,１９８５年起突然消失,至今已有１４年没有重现,原因何在？通过三次设在湖里的围隔试验,证明鲢鳙的大量放养,是水华消失的决定性因素。     

Testing hypotheses about management to enhance habitat for feeding birds in a freshwater wetland

The level of water was manipulated in a freshwater wetland, with the aim of enhancing abundances of benthic animals and, ultimately, improving habitat for feeding birds (Japanese Snipe, Gallinago hardwickii). We tested whether these actions had the predicted and desired effects on benthic animals, by contrasting changes in two managed locations to one control location which was left unmanipulated. The number of taxa and abundances of chironomids decreased strongly and significantly in the manipulated locations, while the abundance of oligochaetes appeared to vary in a seasonal manner. Temporal variability of the structure and composition of assemblages was also increased in manipulated locations. Such effects have previously been suggested to indicate stress in benthic assemblages. Therefore, in contrast to what was predicted, managerial actions made benthic fauna less abundant and thus, less suitable as habitat for feeding birds. Several general lessons can be learned from these results. (1) Effects of managerial actions like these are difficult to predict a priori and can only be reliably evaluated with an experimental framework. (2) Because abundances of animals vary naturally, evaluations of managerial actions must include appropriate spatial replication. (3) Sampling at hierarchical temporal scales is important, because abundances of animals may vary in an unpredictable manner at short temporal scales and because changes in temporal variability may be a symptom of stress. (4) Combined use of uni- and multivariate techniques provides a comprehensive set of tools to assess the effects of restoration and creation of new habitats. Finally, these results emphasise the need for clear predictions about desired outcomes and specific experimental plans about how to test whether the desired results were achieved, before managerial actions are taken. Although this is often very difficult to achieve in real situations, it is necessary for practices of management to evolve on the basis of sound empirical experience.     

油污土壤生物修复实验研究

为了有效预防和治理因石油开采、运输等造成的土壤污染,对大庆地区油污土壤进行了生物修复的实验研究,通过室内盆栽模拟实验,对芦苇和香蒲根际土壤的石油类污染物总含量、石油烃类组分浓度、非烃组分浓度进行了测定。结果表明,芦苇和香蒲对石油类污染物具有比较明显的降解作用,可以使被污染土壤中的某些油污成分逐渐被选择性消耗。实验还可看出,芦苇和香蒲对石油类污染物中正构烷烃的降解能力高于非正构烃。总体看,芦苇对石油类污染物的降解能力强于香蒲,但芦苇对非正构烃的降解能力略逊于香蒲。     

西昌-攀枝花高速公路弃土场土壤侵蚀预报

为探讨高速公路施工期弃土场边坡的水土流失规律,对西昌—攀枝花高速公路一弃土场边坡进行了天然降雨条件下水土流失观测试验,结果表明,弃土场边坡的主要侵蚀形式是沟蚀,主要侵蚀因子是次降雨量和汇水平台宽度。最后提出了预测西昌—攀枝花高速公路弃土场边坡土壤侵蚀量的土壤侵蚀模型。     

Illinois redesigns its ambient water quality monitoring network

Illinois has been operating an ambient water quality network of almost 600 stations for several years. In 1977 changes in program emphasis toward intensive monitoring, the need for improved procedures and quality control in monitoring operations, and the desire to create a single data base of all Illinois State monitoring data, resulted in a redesign of the ambient monitoring program.A unique cooperative program between the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the US Geological Survey provides for their monitoring a portion of the network. The Survey provides flow data at most network stations as well as extensive manpower training, equipment, data processing, and program quality control. Informal agreements with other agencies have permitted a great reduction in the monitoring effort required by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.     

On the confluence of city living,energy saving behaviours and direct residential energy consumption

The purpose of this study is to shed light on the connection between income, dwelling type, tenure type and city living, in terms of both a household’s energy saving behaviours and direct residential energy consumption. This study employs data from the Household Energy Consumption Survey, Australia. Using a seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) system of equations the results reveal some key mechanisms which may allow householders to realise lower levels of energy consumption and hence lower carbon emissions. The results indicate that there are characteristics unique to living in a city that are linked to higher levels of direct residential energy consumption. On a number of measures (e.g. household income, tenure type and dwelling type), the results point to a lower likelihood of engaging in energy saving behaviours in cities. Also, depending on the number of energy saving behaviours, these actions have the potential to more than offset higher direct residential energy consumption of householders residing in separate houses. Coupled with these findings renters, a more vulnerable social group, are found to be significantly disadvantaged, suffering from a much lower adaptive capacity. Specifically, householders who rent their home are 77% less likely to have solar electricity. A result which may reflect differences in access to opportunity. Further, householders who rent are less likely to engage in energy saving actions. A finding which may reflect difference in ontological security and the greater psychological burden associated with undertaking energy saving behaviours (a barrier) borne by renters not shared with home owners.     

Public Willingness to Pay for Recovering and Downlisting Threatened and Endangered Marine Species

Abstract: Nonmarket valuation research has produced economic value estimates for a variety of threatened, endangered, and rare species around the world. Although over 40 value estimates exist, it is often difficult to compare values from different studies due to variations in study design, implementation, and modeling specifications. We conducted a stated‐preference choice experiment to estimate the value of recovering or downlisting 8 threatened and endangered marine species in the United States: loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica), upper Willamette River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), Puget Sound Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi), and smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata). In May 2009, we surveyed a random sample of U.S. households. We collected data from 8476 households and estimated willingness to pay for recovering and downlisting the 8 species from these data. Respondents were willing to pay for recovering and downlisting threatened and endangered marine taxa. Willingness‐to‐pay values ranged from $40/household for recovering Puget Sound Chinook salmon to $73/household for recovering the North Pacific right whale. Statistical comparisons among willingness‐to‐pay values suggest that some taxa are more economically valuable than others, which suggests that the U.S. public's willingness to pay for recovery may vary by species.