An ecological economics approach to the management of a multi-purpose coastal wetland

Three interrelated management problems—eutrophication of multiple use shallow lakes, sea level rise and flood risk mitigation and tourism pressures—are analysed in the context of an internationally important wetland area, the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads in the UK. The ecological-economic research findings presented should provide essential information to underpin the regulatory and management process in this internationally important conservation area. The relevant authority somehow has to integrate the maintenance of public navigation rights, nature conservation, and tourism promotion in a highly dynamic ecosystems setting. Because of the stakeholder conflicts, potential and actual, a more inclusionary decision-making procedure is required, and is currently being implemented.     

A Microcosm Approach to the Detection of the Effects of Herbicide Spray Drift in Plant Communities

It is often difficult to measure and predict the impacts of toxic chemicals, such as herbicides, on natural communities. This is especially true under conditions of spray drift when the amount received by the organisms downwind from the sprayer may be at sub-lethal doses. Laboratory experiments are either artificial, or have not been generally carried out over long enough time periods, to be realistic. Field experiments are often difficult because of the high variability inherent in natural populations. Here an intermediate microcosm approach was used, where standardized artificial communities (eight dicotyledons with and without a grass) were tested. The artifical communities included species typical of British woodland margins, hedgerows and field margins; communities with a high conservation interest, yet potentially under threat from spray drift. The microcosms were placed downwind of a sprayer and exposed to one of the following herbicides: glyphosate, mecoprop and MCPA. This approach ensures that the communities were standardized at the start and have been exposed to realistic doses of herbicide. The experiments reported here were carried out for at least three years with exposures to herbicides repeated each year. The effects of differential herbicide exposure downwind of the sprayer were measured on species yield, flowering performance, seed production, seed viability and invasion by new species. Responses were extremely variable, but all species showed some effects in some years. Some patterns emerged. For example, one group of species appeared to be more successful near to the sprayer. This was particularly true of the grass when exposed to MCPA and mecoprop. The performance of most species was reduced under the sprayer, and there was a general recovery with increasing distance downwind. A few species showed increased performance in the intermediate downwind zone (2–4 m) and this may be due to a hormonal effect on growth processes, or an effect of reduced interference from other community members. Generally, there were few effects on seed production or seed viability. An important result was that most effects were confined within an 8 m zone, as there were few significant differences between plants exposed at 8 m and those untreated. Although damaging effects were found in the immediate downwind zone from the sprayer, the restriction of effects to 8 m suggests that a buffer zone of this size would be adequate to protect sensitive habitats from most deleterious impacts on community processes.     

LONGITUDINAL AND SEASONAL WATER CHEMISTRY VARIATIONS IN A NORTHERN APPALACHIAN STREAM1

ABSTRACT: Quaker Run, a fourth order stream located in southwestern New York State, exhibits a highly unusual chemical gradient along its upper reaches. Weekly water samples showed an increase in the mean annual pH from 5.07 to 7.01 along a stretch of only 2.2 km. Mean alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, nitrate-nitrite-nitrogen, silica, and conductivity also increased appreciably over this distance. The study area receives some of the most highly acidic atmospheric deposition in the United States. Minimal buffering of these acidic inputs in the extreme upper watershed, and an abrupt downstream increase in buffering associated with changes in soil type, apparently produce the observed streamwater chemistry gradient. In contrast, a comparison between 11 midstream, downstream, and tributary sites showed relatively little variation in streamwater chemistry. In addition to the pronounced longitudinal chemistry changes along the upper portion of the stream, pronounced temporal chemistry variations were also observed at all sampling sites. High flow during snowmelt and heavy rains produced more dilute, acidic conditions, while streamwater pH and dissolved base cations were generally highest during low flow. Much of this temporal variation in streamwater chemistry is attributed to seasonal variation in residence times of soil water.     

黄土高原人工油松林枯枝落叶截留动态研究

用定位观测的方法研究了人工油松林枯枝落叶的截流量及其截留的动态过程。结果表明,黄土高原人工油松林枯枝落叶的截流量年均为49.3mm,截留率为12.5%。枯枝落叶截留的动态过程受大气降水和环境因子的影响较大,也与其自身湿润程度有关。在次降水过程中,其截留的过程是当降水开始时,截留量增加迅速;降水持续到一定时间后,截流量的增量变小,达到最大值后,截流量在此处上下增减。枯枝落叶截留的动态过程可用直线和正弦函数的组合描述,且该函数能揭示枯枝落叶截留的生物学特性和环境因素对其过程的影响。该模型在计算森林水文及其水土保持效应评价中有广泛的应用前景。     

Water technology for specific water usage

BACKGROUND: Water is the basis for life and culture. In addition to the availability of water its quality has become a major issue in industrialized areas and in developing countries as well. Water usage has to be seen as part of the hydrological cycle. As a consequence water management has to be sustainable. The aim of the contribution is to give water usage oriented quality criteria and to focus on the technical means to achieve them. MAIN FEATURES: Water is used for many purposes, ranging from drinking and irrigation to a broad variety of technical processes. Most applications need specific hygienic, chemical and/or physical properties. RESULTS: To meet these demands separation and reaction principles are applied. The reuse of water and the application of water treatment with little or no waste and by-product formation is the way to go. Membrane separation and advanced oxidation including catalytic reactions are promising methods that apply natural processes in sustainable technical performance. Thus elimination of specific water constituents (e.g. salts and metals, microorganisms) and waste water cleaning (e.g. pollutants, nutrients and organic water) can be done efficiently. OUTLOOK: Learning from nature and helping nature with appropriate technology is a convincing strategy for sustainable water management.     

藻毒素在传统净水工艺中的去除特性

通过模拟试验及水厂实测数据，考察了传统制水工艺对微囊藻毒素的去除规律，结果表明：富营养化原水预氮化会导致藻细胞内的毒素释于水中，混凝沉淀通过去除藻类而去除细胞内藻毒素，但对细胞外的溶解性藻毒素无去除作用，过滤与氯消毒可去除部分细胞外藻毒素，对细胞内藻毒素的去除作用较弱，传统制水工艺不能保证出水藻毒素达标，必须采取预处理和深度处理措施。     

森林生态系统的水文调节功能及生态学机制研究进展

森林水文调节功能是森林所实现的重要服务功能之一,可是由于森林资源被无节制的开采利用,导致人们不断遭受森林破环所带来的洪旱灾害。因此关于森林生态水文功能研究已成为生态学和水文学的研究重点之一。近年来,国内外对森林水文调节过程及其生态学机制进行了广泛深入的研究,所以文章从森林的水文过程出发,对林冠截留、树干流、凋落物层截留、林地水分涵养和蒸发蒸腾及其影响因子的国内外研究现状进行了归纳分析,研究认为林地各冠层均能够截留降雨,降低雨水动能,从而减少地表径流的产生和对地表的冲击;凋落物层能蓄留水分、抑制蒸散、减缓地表径流;而树干流改变降雨水平空间格局,影响水分入渗以及土壤水源涵养。森林结构复杂,明显改变了降雨分配过程,而森林水文过程及调节功能又受到森林结构的制约,因此定量定性探讨森林生态系统的结构、过程与水文调节功能之间关系,是未来森林生态水文功能研究的重点。     

中国环境中氮循环的动态模式

对中国960万km~2范围内氮的生物地球化学循环作了初步探讨。该工作建立在对大气、土、生物及水圈界面氮的流通量的研究基础上,以数学方式模拟氮的生物地球化学循环规律,并预测各圈中氮的库存量和流通量的变化趋势。经过验证,模式的收敛性、稳定性及可信度均是好的。     

Spatial analysis of plant detritus processing in a Mediterranean river type: the case of the River Tirso Basin,Sardinia, Italy

The river continuum concept represents the most general framework addressing the spatial variation of both structure and function in river ecosystems.In the Mediterranean ecoregion,summer drought events and dams constitute the main sources of local disturbance to the structure and functioning of river ecosystems occurring in the river basin.In this study,we analysed patterns of spatial variation of detritus processing in a 7th order river of the Mediterranean ecoregion(River Tirso,Sardinia0Italy)and in three 4th order sub-basins which were exposed to different summer drought pressures.The study was carried out on phragmites australis and Alnus glutionsa leaf detritus at 31 field sites in seasonal field experiment Detritus processing rates were higher for Alnus glutionsa than for Phragmites australis plant detritus.Processing rates of Alnus glutionsa leaves varied among seasons and study sites from 0.006d^-1 to 0.189d^-1 and those of Phragmites australis leaves ranged from 0.0008d^-1 to 0.102d^-1,with the lowest values occurring at sites exposed to summer drought.Seasons and sites accounted for a significant proportion of such variability.Alder detritus decay rates generally decreased with increasing stream order,while reed detritus decay rates generallyincreased on the same spatial gradient.Summer drought events affected these spatial patterns of variation by influencing significantly the decay rates of both plant detritus.The comparisons among and within sub-basins showed strong negative influence of summer drought on detritus processing rates.Similarly,in the entire River Tirso basin decay rates were always lower at disturbed than at undisturbed sites for each stream order;decay rates of reed detritus remained lower at those sites even after the end of the disturbance events,while alder decay rates recovered rapidly from the summer drought perturbations.The different recovery of the processing rates of the two leaves could also explain the different patterns of spatial variation observed between the two leaves.     

中国农业土壤N2O排放量估算

采用针对农业土壤痕量气体排放估算开发的、基于N2O的产生、传输和消耗机理的反硝化分解模型(DNDC模型),在建立的有关中国气候、农业土壤和农业生产的分县数据库基础上,估计了我国目前农业土壤N2O的排放量,并分析了气候变化和农业耕作措施对全国N2O排放的影响.结果表明,中国农田土壤的N2O排放总量为0.31(0.18-0.44)Tg(N)·a-1,化肥使用量的变化对N2O排放量的影响最大.