Some characteristics of plutonium distribution in the atmospheric air and plants in the zone surrounding the Mayak Production Association

The results of long-term studies on plutonium distribution in the atmospheric air and plants in the area surrounding the Mayak Production Association in the years 1976–1995 are summarized. Data are presented on the changes in plutonium concentration in the air overtime at some points located in the survey zone and the impact zone of the industrial enterprise as compared to those in the control region. In addition, data on the changes in air plutonium concentration depending on the season and direction of wind are presented; the ratios between plutonium concentrations in the air and the fallout are analyzed.Translated from Ekologiya, No. 1, 2005, pp. 20–25.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Chudin, Shcherbakova, Maslovskii, Kocheva, Iovlev, Denisenko, Demin, Mamin, Chebotina.     

基于条件模拟的污染场地土壤修复量的确定研究

针对一般空间插值方法的局限性,以某铁合金厂污染场地为例,利用基于地统计的条件模拟法对研究区待修复的范围及土方量进行评估,定量评价土壤修复量估算结果的不确定性所带来的风险大小,并引入传递函数量化决策结果与风险损失之间的关系,提出一种以风险损失最小化为原则的修复范围划定方法.同时,将结果与利用反距离权重法、径向基函数法和普通克里格法得到的评估结果进行对比分析.研究结果显示,利用条件模拟法可以得到超过修复目标的污染概率的空间分布,进而得到确定不同土壤修复量时所面对的风险大小.研究区大部分面积的土壤中Mn的超标概率在20%~70%,超标概率较高的区域集中在场区北部和西南部.如果分别将超标概率在30%和50%以上的区域作为修复范围,所面对的相对风险值将分别为4.1%和56.5%.此外,通过与传递函数相结合,利用条件模拟法可以得到基于风险损失的修复范围,按照本研究所设定的风险损失条件,得到风险损失最小的待修复土方量为32.4×104m3.该方法将有助于决策者从风险损失出发对污染场地修复范围进行合理划定.     

Sustainable Tourism Development Management of Local Cultural Landscapes

Nowa days, ecological and cultural tourism, especially those ancient villages and towns in China, have attracted an increasing number of tourists because of their unique cultural features. However, rapid development of tourism brings economic benefits, but results in a series of problems that threaten further tourism development and protection of ancient towns, such as over-commercialization and tourism urbanization. Taking Longmen ancient town as an example, this paper presented a sustainable way of preserving and developing resources of ancient villages and towns. First, identify cultural features and the extent of ancient villages and towns, and find the approach through which a cultural landscape zoning can be applied. Second, define a cooperative function area to release the pressure on core areas and protect their authentic cultures by extending tourism space. Third, balance tourism development with traditional industries to enhance the sustainability of community economies.     

Formation and Evolution of Ancient Lakes on South Coast Plain of Laizhou Bay

1INTRODUCTIONAncient lakes are lakes that once existed in history,butnow have died out.As a kind of land water and geomorphicconfiguration,the formation and evolution of ancientlakes were closely linked with the variance of geographicenvironment.The south coast plain of Laizhou Bay is aplain extending from the estuary of the Xiaoqing Riverin the west to the estuary of the Jiaolai River in the east.There were once some lakes on the plain in history,suchas Judian Lake,Qingshuibo Lake,an…     

Multispecies and Multiscale Conservation Planning: Setting Quantitative Targets for Red‐Listed Lichens on Ancient Oaks

Abstract: Species occurrence in a habitat patch depends on local habitat and the amount of that habitat in the wider landscape. We used predictions from empirical landscape studies to set quantitative conservation criteria and targets in a multispecies and multiscale conservation planning effort. We used regression analyses to compare species richness and occurrence of five red‐listed lichens on 50 ancient oaks (Quercus robur; 120–140 cm in diameter) with the density of ancient oaks in circles of varying radius from each individual oak. Species richness and the occurrence of three of the five species were best explained by increasing density of oaks within 0.5 km; one species was best explained by the density of oaks within 2 km, and another was best predicted by the density of oaks within 5 km. The minimum numbers of ancient oaks required for “successful conservation” was defined as the number of oaks required to obtain a predicted local occurrence of 50% for all species included or a predicted local occurrence of 80% for all species included. These numbers of oaks were calculated for two relevant landscape scales (1 km² and 13 km²) that corresponded to various species responses, in such a way that calculations also accounted for local number of oaks. Ten and seven of the 50 ancient oaks surveyed were situated in landscapes that already fulfilled criteria for successful conservation when the 50% and 80% criteria, respectively, were used to define the level of successful conservation. For cost‐efficient conservation, oak stands in the landscapes most suitable for successful conservation should be prioritized for conservation and management (e.g., grazing and planting of new oaks) at the expense of oak stands situated elsewhere.     

Expansion of Evergreen Conifers to the Larch-Dominated Zone and Climatic Trends

The expansion of so-called evergreen conifers (EGCs), including Siberian stone pine, spruce, and fir, along the transect oriented from the boundary of the larch-dominated zone (LDZ; mixed forests of the Yenisei Ridge) to its center has been studied. The normalized dispersal coefficient calculated as K _i = (n _i – N _i )/(n _i + N _i ), where n _i and N _i are the relative numbers of the ith species in the undergrowth and the upper layer, respectively, serves as an indicator of the expansion. It has been found that the K _i values for EGCs (and birch) are higher than the K _i of larch even in the zone absolutely dominated by larch, where the relative numbers of EGCs in the upper layer is less than 1%. The EGC undergrowth has mainly been formed during the past 20–30 years, which is correlated with the trend of summer temperatures The spread of EGCs in the LDZ depends on the frequency of forest fires. The decrease in the time intervals between fires in the 20th century to 65 years (versus 100 years in the 19th century) may have prevented the expansion of competing species in the LDZ. The results obtained indicate that EGCs and birch penetrate into the zone traditionally dominated by larch, which is related to climatic changes during the past three decades. At the same time, tree stand density is increasing in the forest-tundra ecotone, and larch is spreading further into the tundra zone.__________Translated from Ekologiya, No. 3, 2005, pp. 186–193.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Kharuk, Dvinskaya, Ranson, Im.     

镇江老城区古运河沉积物氮及有机质垂向分布及污染评价

为揭示镇江老城区古运河沉积物中氮及有机质的垂向分布特征及污染状况,分别采集古运河老城区上游电力路桥(D)和下游南水桥(B)两个沉积物柱状样,分析其总氮(TN)、有机氮(Org-N)、氨氮(NH+4-N)、硝氮(NO-3-N)及有机质(O.M)含量、C/N比的垂向分布特征,并通过富集系数及污染物的综合评价,揭示古运河沉积物中污染物的演化规律和污染状况.结果表明:①D点TN、Org-N、NH+4-N、NO-3-N以及O.M的平均值分别为366.33 mg·kg-1、348.02 mg·kg-1、89.47 mg·kg-1、13.51 mg·kg-1、0.43%,B点则分别为940.23 mg·kg-1、893.22 mg·kg-1、169.48 mg·kg-1、15.19 mg·kg-1、0.76%,以上指标均表现为D0.05),表明以上两个采样点沉积物对营养元素的富集过程相似;④D和B两点沉积物TN与O.M均无显著性相关,判断以上两点沉积物TN可能主要来自于外源污染;⑤有机指数评价结果显示,D和B两点有机污染呈现出清洁状态,有机氮则在较清洁、尚清洁范围.     

北京市工业污染场地修复现状、问题及对策

工业企业搬迁遗留的大量污染场地,是城市土地开发的重要来源。我国污染场地修复工作起步较晚,污染场地风险管理与修复体系尚不健全。通过北京市污染场地案例调研,分析了北京市污染场地调查评估、修复以及监管概况,探讨北京市污染场地修复工作中目前存在的标准缺失、原位绿色修复技术缺乏和监管内容不完整等问题,并从技术标准支撑体系、绿色可持续修复理念和全过程监管框架等方面提出对策,以期为北京市污染场地管理与修复体系的建立提供参考。     

Assessing the impact of driverless haul trucks in Australian surface mining

Australia has been a leading mining nation and its mines continue to attract substantial investment due to its strong mineral endowment, mining tradition and high skills base. In recent years Australian mining companies have been facing higher labour costs, which need to be offset by other savings. Automating mine-site machinery offers one potential source of such savings.Underground mines pioneered automated technology largely for safety and mine accessibility reasons and to reduce operating costs. Yet these operations now represent a much smaller portion of the total ore tonnes mined due to the changing mining techniques meaning larger lower grade deposits are becoming economic. It appears the future of mine automation will be directed by surface mining as this maturing technology finds further applications above ground and in the next decade large scale open pit automation trials gain more momentum.This paper assesses the implications of introducing driverless haul trucks in a typical large remote Australian open-pit mine. Such automation will save employee and associated costs, increase operational productive hours and ultimately will reduce mine site workforce numbers. While there will be fewer jobs per mine, with reduced costs and higher productivity some previously uneconomic mines may again be profitable.The social implications of greater mine site automation are the reduction in population of remote mining towns and a decrease in the lower skilled labour requirements for the mining sector. There will be an increase in fly-in fly-out mining operations and companies will establish remote control centres for automated mines in larger cities. This may decrease overall labour requirements and so reduce employment in the sector; therefore, the government should be mindful of implementing policies that ensure a fair return on the economic rent of mineral leases.