Prioritizing urban marine habitats for conservation

Urban coastal wetlands and adjoining coves and embayments can provide habitat for significant numbers of waterbirds, despite being subject to high levels of stressors from human activities. Yet to date little emphasis has been placed on identifying these areas and prioritizing them for conservation. In this study I outline a three-step process to identify and prioritize local sites for conservation using waterbird abundance and diversity and an index of the risk to a site from marine development, and apply it to a series of urban coastal sites in two North Atlantic estuaries located in the northeast US. By combining waterbird abundance and species richness with the risk from marine development I generated a ranked list of sites with the highest listed sites having high bird diversity and low risk from development. From this list individual sites can be prioritized for conservation, and various protection scenarios can be evaluated and compared. For example, 7 of the top 10 ranked sites in Boston Harbor, combined with sites already protected under local, state, or federal statutes, represented over half of the total bird diversity in the Harbor. Similarly, in Narragansett Bay 6 of the top 10 sites when combined with sites already protected represent 48.8% of the Bay’s bird diversity. Formally protecting these sites, all of which are at relatively low risk from marine development, could result in the conservation of considerable waterbird habitat at low economic cost (i.e., from loss of development potential). Other ranking scenarios (by bird diversity alone, or by risk from marine development) were also evaluated and compared to the combined ranking. Identification of sites with high bird diversity and low risk from development could provide important information for local land acquisition groups and planning boards when considering options for the conservation of urban coastal habitats.     

Spatial analysis of traffic and risks in the coastal zone

Management of the coastal zone for the purposes of conservation and sustainability is a well-described concept in the literature. This paper describes the importance of modelling various forms of maritime traffic as an intrinsic element of this process. Effective use of GIS in this context implies extensive data acquisition and cleaning, vessel path simulation, traffic density maps, and incident (spills or accidents) distribution when applicable. Risks can be determined by evaluating detrimental occurrences relative to exposure levels. Effective visualization and quantitative analyses can then be fruitfully applied to various coastal zone management spheres, such as oceans use planning, emergency response planning, and marine protected area delineation.     

Environmental indicators GIS of the Catalan coast

This paper describes the environmental indicators GIS of the Catalan coast, Spain. The spatial data model is based on vector and raster layers with three main modules: the biodiversity, the general biophysical and the socioeconomic. Presently, the database has a number of pressure and impact indicators that have been used to model the components and structure of the system and are suggested to build ecological resilience. Special interest has been given to the analysis of functional groups of species that are relevant to the dynamics of the coastal system, and preliminary results are presented. This system constitutes a user-oriented analytical and monitoring tool for coastal zone managers and researchers. Although, the system is under development it is expected that resulting spatial indicators of environmental condition can be used to promote more sustainable coastal strategies and actions in the Catalan coast.     

华南地区水库消涨带生态重建的植物筛选

水库消涨带水旱交替、坡度陡、土壤贫瘠,适生植物的选择一直是其生态重建的难题.在对华南地区多类型水体消涨区调查的基础上,通过在多个水库消涨带进行植物栽植试验,根据各水库水位的变化定期观测试验植物对淹水的反应和适应性,测定试验植物半淹水、全淹水与末淹水状态下叶片的光合能力、SOD活性、POD活性、可溶性蛋白质含量、MDA含量、脯氨酸含量等指标,观测试验植物出露期间的耐旱耐瘠性,同时利用松子坑水库蓄水验收的机会对设计常水位以下6 m内的野生陆生植物进行耐淹性调查评价.结果表明,铺地黍(Panicum repens)长期在陆生岸坡上生长良好,在浅淹、半淹至接近全淹时正常生长,在全淹10个月以上退水后仍能成活;榕(Ficus sp.)持续淹水11个月以上(水深0.5～2.89 m波动)仍生长正常;赤桉(Eucalyptus camaldulensis)持续淹水13个月以上(水深0.8～6.71 m波动)仍生长正常;白千层(Melaleucaleucadendron)持续淹水4个月(淹水最深2m)仍长势良好、整齐.铺地黍、榕、赤桉、白干层耐淹耐旱耐瘠,是水库消涨带生境的适生植物.     

渤海湾海岸带生境退化诊断方法

海岸带是世界上生产力和生物多样性最高的生境类型之一. 海岸带生境退化诊断技术研究是保护生态系统和近海生物资源的现实需求,将为海岸带环境管理提供有力的技术支撑. 以渤海湾海岸带为研究区域,基于驱动力-压力-状态-影响-响应(DPSIR)框架模型,构建了渤海湾生境退化诊断的指标体系;采用层次分析法确定指标权重系数,对渤海湾海岸带生境退化进行了综合诊断和评价. 结果表明:相对于20世纪80年代,20多年来渤海湾海岸带的水质下降了1个等级,底质和滩涂栖息地下降了2个等级,入海物质对海岸带环境的压力提高了2个等级,海岸带生境的综合评价结果下降了1个等级.      

The effects of littoral zone vegetation on turbulent mixing in lakes

Micro-scale thermal profile data were acquired in four lakes in northwest England and southeast Australia that ranged from a small, sheltered pond with a surface area of about 1 ha to more open lakes with surface areas of several square kilometres. These lakes provided a range of topographic and climatic contexts, basin morphologies and dominant macrophyte species. The data were acquired using two SCAMP profilers, one deployed in the open water and the other mounted on a field traverse deployed within the vegetated littoral zone. From these profile data, turbulence parameters were calculated. The results show the variation in the influence of vegetation on turbulence in the four lakes, which depends on the combination of wind stress, solar radiative forcing and macrophyte mechanical properties. In the sheltered pond, the vegetation alters the light climate within the water, thus reducing stratification and allowing weak, thermally-driven mixing. In the larger lakes, however, the primary action of the vegetation is to prevent surface-generated TKE from penetrating the water column, although this effect becomes less important as the plant separation increases. A simple mechanistic model, calibrated against the field data, suggests that the macrophyte mechanical properties are most important in determining the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) profile. Increasing the number of turbulence-generating plants reduces the transport of surface-generated TKE into the deeper water, consistent with the field observations. The model suggests that solar forcing, as measured by the temperature gradient between the surface and bottom waters, is of less importance since the TKE profile is similar in runs with different gradients. Perhaps most surprisingly, the value of the surface-wind stress used in the model is not important, within the limitations of the model, as it does not change the TKE profile, except in a thin surface layer.     

Management of nutrient emissions of Axios River catchment: Their effect in the coastal zone of Thermaikos Gulf,Greece

The estimation of nutrient fluxes, the determination of spatial and temporal response and the understanding of biogeochemical changes in the past, present and future in the Axios River catchment, in Greece, as well as the impacts to the coastal zone of Thermaikos Gulf were accomplished by the use of harmonized watershed and coastal zone models. The mathematical model MONERIS was the watershed management model that was used to model the export loads of nutrients in Axios River. MONERIS was developed to estimate the nutrient inputs into river basins by point sources and various diffuse pathways. Watershed hydrologic and water quality data were collected and synthesized to develop input data sets for the simulation of Axios River catchment. The model was modified to better assess organic nitrogen export loads in Mediterranean watersheds. The results showed the importance of agricultural and livestock activities, concerning their nutrients emissions in the River. MONERIS was integrated with the coastal zone model WASP 6.0 to assess the impacts of the nutrient loads to the eutrophication status of the coastal zone. Several management scenarios were assessed. Management scenarios included measures for reduction in the emissions from the fertilizer plant of Veles, removal of phosphorous from the detergents in FYROM, treatment of urban wastes to EU Standards, reduction in N-fertilizer input, reduction in erosion and the green scenario that represented the maximum reduction scenario of all the measures together. The model simulations indicated that the coastal zone of Axios mouth will be eutrophic for nitrate (2.69–3.34 μM) and phosphate (0.2–0.68 μM) and upper mesotrophic for chlorophyll-a (0.74–1.45 μg/l) for the scenarios tested. The results suggest that the impact of the management scenarios will be largely negligible (no change in trophic status) for the Thermaikos Gulf sector nearby the Axios River due to additional sources such as the loads from Thessaloniki's waste water treatment plant which appear to affect the region to a greater extent. The integration of watershed and coastal zone models can be used to assess management scenarios in order to illustrate the significance of various land use practices to the eutrophication of the Gulf.     

珠江口广州海域COD与DO的分布特征及影响因素

于2003-2007年2月(冬季)、5月(春季)、8月(夏季)、10月(秋季)调查了广州海域16个站位的COD、DO以及其它理化因子的时空分布特征.调查期间,COD质量浓度范围为0.76～9.12 mg·L~(-1),平均值为2.83 mg·L~(-1);溶解氧质量浓度范围为1.98～9.79 mg·L~(-1),平均值为5.27 mg·L~(-1).结果表明,COD与DO的时空分布特征主要受生活污水排放,陆源排污,降雨量以及水动力状况等因素的影响.COD质量浓度在冬季和秋季较高,春季和夏季较低,而DO质量浓度则是冬季和春季高于秋季和夏季.空间分布上,COD质量浓度从湾内向湾外逐步递减,而DO变化趋势则相反,湾内站位在夏季出现缺氧区.相关性分析中,COD质最浓度与氮营养盐及Chl-a显著正相关,而DO则与COD、Chl-a、Ph以及石油烃显著负相关.COD与DO分布特征对于河口地区的赤潮及碳循环研究有一定研究价值.     

气候变暖对中国夏热冬冷地区居住建筑采暖降温年耗电量的影响

20世纪80年代中期以来的气候变暖,尤其是90年代中期以来的气候显著变暖带给社会经济发展的利与弊,一直以来受到广泛关注。气候变暖对于建筑耗能,尤其是对采暖和降温总耗能的影响很值得研究。论文以主要使用电能进行空间调节的中国夏热冬冷地区为对象,以《夏热冬冷地区居住建筑节能设计标准JCJ134-2001》中所规定的采暖、降温耗电量限值为依据,研究了气候变暖对该区居住建筑单位面积采暖年耗电量、降温年耗电量及采暖降温年耗电总量的影响。结果表明,1986年以来的气候变暖,尤其是1996年以来的气候显著变暖,理论上使夏热冬冷地区居住建筑单位面积采暖年耗电量降低;同时增加了相当一部分地区居住建筑单位面积降温年耗电量;除个别地区外,气候变暖理论上使中国夏热冬冷地区居住建筑单位面积采暖降温耗电总量普遍下降。     

保守性离子在包气带层状土中运移规律研究

为研究溶质在多层层状包气带土中运移规律,选取5种颗粒配比不同的土样填装成由粗及细和由细及粗两分层顺序相反的土柱,通过室内试验研究保守性Br-在两种不同结构层状土中基本运移规律。研究得出:当土体表层遭受浓度为200 g/L Na Br一次性污染,在15 mm/12 h降雨强度下,Br-在第1、2层土体浓度经历快速上升段、峰值段、下降段3个阶段变化,第3、4、5层土体浓度经历上升段、平稳下降段。试验结束时,Br-在由粗及细的土柱中分布较均匀,在由细及粗的土柱中集中在表层;溶质穿透整个土柱的时间,由粗及细结构比由细及粗结构提前96 h。结果表明,在截污性能和延缓溶质向地下水补给方面,由细及粗结构均要优于由粗及细的结构。