A General Equilibrium Model of Ecosystem Services in a River Basin

This study builds a general equilibrium model of ecosystem services, with sectors of the economy competing for use of the environment. The model recognizes that production processes in the real world require a combination of natural and human inputs, and understanding the value of these inputs and their competing uses is necessary when considering policies of resource conservation. We demonstrate the model with a numerical example of the Mississippi‐Atchafalaya river basin, in which grain production in the upper basin causes hypoxia that causes damages to the downstream fishing industry. We show that the size of damages is dependent on both environmental and economic shocks. While the potential damages to fishing are large, most of the damage occurs from economic forces rather than a more intensive use of nitrogen fertilizers. We show that these damages are exacerbated by increases in rainfall, which will likely get worse with climate change. We discuss welfare effects from a tax on nitrogen fertilizers and investments in riparian buffers. A 3% nitrogen tax would reduce the size of the hypoxic zone by 11% at a cost of 2% of Iowa's corn output. In comparison, riparian buffers are likely to be less costly and more popular politically.     

Estimation of Nonpoint Source Nitrate Concentrations in Indiana Rivers Based on Agricultural Drainage in the Watershed

Subsurface tile‐drained agricultural fields are known to be important contributors to nitrate in surface water in the Midwest, but the effect of these fields on nitrate at the watershed scale is difficult to quantify. Data for 25 watersheds monitored by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and located near a U.S. Geological Survey stream gage were used to investigate the relationship between flow‐weighted mean concentration (FWMC) of nitrate‐N and the subsurface tile‐drained area (DA) of the watershed. The tile DA was estimated from soil drainage class, land use, and slope. Nitrate loads from point sources were estimated based on reported flows of major permitted facilities with mean nitrate‐N concentrations from published sources. Linear regression models exhibited a statistically significant relationship between annual/monthly nonpoint source (NPS) nitrate‐N and DA percentage. The annual model explained 71% of the variation in FWMC of nitrate‐N. The annual and monthly models were tested in 10 additional watersheds, most with absolute errors within 1 mg/l in the predicted FWMC. These models can be used to estimate NPS nitrate for unmonitored watersheds in similar areas, especially for drained agricultural areas where model performance was strongest, and to predict the nitrate reduction when various tile drainage management techniques are employed.     

变电站与输电线路的电磁环境影响水平分析与测试评估——以部分220kV及110kV输变电设施为例

通过对220kV及110kV户内布置、户外布置方式的变电站,架空输电线路以及地下电缆线的工频电场强度、工频磁场强度的监测,分析比较了变电站及输电线路对环境的贡献水平以及衰减规律。结果表明输变电设施对环境的贡献值非常有限,且随与之距离的增加而明显衰减。     

SWAT模型在茫溪河流域非点源污染研究中的应用

本研究采用美国农业部农业研究所开发的SWAT模型(Soil and Water Assessment Tool)对茫溪河流域非点源污染进行了模拟研究,构建了适用于茫溪河流域的非点源污染模型,对流域的非点源污染进行了模拟和分析。模拟结果显示:茫溪河流域污染特征以非点源污染为主;东茫溪河水系的泥沙、氮、磷等负荷均大于西茫溪河水系;单位泥沙负荷最大的区域为流域东北部、东部和东南部一带的深丘地区,是茫溪河流域的主要泥沙输出区;氮、磷负荷最大的区域为茫溪河中下游一带的平坝、浅丘地区,是茫溪河流域的主要氮、磷输出区;研究区内泥沙、营养物质的输出具有很强的时间规律,有机氮、有机磷的输出在雨季(6月~9月)会出现高峰,因此雨季是流域内非点源污染源输出的重点时段。     

我国农业面源污染的控制与管理研究

主要通过我国污染源普查和2013年环境公报介绍了我国农业面源污染的现状,并从土壤侵蚀、农业化肥及农药、畜禽粪尿污染、农村生活污水和固体废弃物垃圾、大气干湿沉降、航运污染等方面介绍了我国污染源农业面源污染的成因,结合对土地利用方式、农业活动和田间管理、畜禽粪便及垃圾污染、社会经济因素等农业面源污染的影响因素的分析,分别从技术措施、法律措施和经济措施3方面入手提出了我国面源污染的控制和管理措施。     

Integration of technologies and alternative sources of water and energy to promote the sustainability of urban landscapes

Recent research has highlighted the positive role of green areas in urban environments, providing numerous social, environmental and economic services, such as mitigation of the urban heat island effect, storm attenuation, increased water infiltration into the soil, reduction of noise and air pollution, among others. However, the maintenance of green areas may result in high consumption of water, reaching 50% of the total consumption in some municipalities, and energy, becoming a reason of concern. The present study aimed to integrate techniques and technologies that promote the automatic and efficient irrigation of urban landscapes, using alternative sources of energy and water, toward its sustainability. The conceptual unit was able to reduce in 64% the water consumed in irrigation. Rainwater met 69% of the demand and the photovoltaic system supplied all the energy required. The economic feasibility analysis showed that the conceptual unit is financially unfeasible, under the conditions of this study. However, with some interventions for reusing the surplus energy and water, and considering the higher fees charged by other cities, the investment became attractive. In this new scenario, the internal rate of return (15 years) was 27.3% and the discounted payback period was 4.9 years.     

对定标用标准紫外辐射光源性能指标的探讨

紫外辐射是模拟环境条件测试的重要组成部分,对紫外辐射强度、剂量等的定标对于老化耐久实验数据的准确性和可靠性具有重要意义。本文通过实验手段对目前常见的定标用紫外标准光源的技术指标进行分析,同时对该类光源的性能指标未来的改进方向进行探讨,并提出了改进设计方案。     

苏南快速城镇化区域典型河道入河污染物调查分析与估算

针对快速城镇化区域产业快速发展、人口高度密集与排水设施建设滞后间的突出矛盾,以苏州官渎里区域的典型重污染河道——官渎花园内河为研究对象,在分析区域排污特征的基础上,系统总结点污染源、面污染源和内污染源在该类区域的具体表现形式和影响因素,对各类污染物入河量进行调查测算.根据测算结果,官渎花园内河的CODcr、NH3-N、TN和TP年入河量分别为222.54、11.16、16.63和2.56t·a-1.对各污染源贡献率的分析结果表明,工业污染和生活污染为主要污染源,其次为降雨径流污染.在上述测算分析的基础上,结合苏南快速城镇化区域发展特点,提出了若干河道污染控制的对策与建议.     

Echolocation call design and limits on prey size: a case study using the aerial-hawking bat Nyctalus leisleri

The echolocation calls used by Nyctalus leisleri during search phase in open air space are between 9 and 14 ms long, with the peak energy between 24 and 28 kHz. The pulses are shallowly frequency-modulated with or without an initial steep frequency-modulated component. The diet consists primarily of small flies (Diptera), including many chironomids (wingspan 9–12 mm) and yellow dung flies (Scatophaga; wingspan 24 mm), but also of some larger insects such as dung beetles (Coleoptera; Scarabaeoidea), caddis-flies (Trichoptera) and moths (Lepidoptera). The echo target strength of some prey items was measured. Contrary to models based on standard targets such as spheres or disks, the echo strength of real insects was found to be virtually independent of the emitted frequency within the 20–100 kHz frequency range. A model was used to calculate probable detection distances of the prey by the bat. Using narrow-band calls of 13.7 ± 2.7 ms duration, a bat would detect the two smallest size classes of insect at greatest range using calls of 20 kHz. The results may therefore explain why many species of large and medium sized aerial-hawking bats use low-frequency calls and still eat mostly relatively small insects. The data and model challenges the assumption that small prey are unavailable to bats using low-frequency calls.     

Radioactivity in the Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is, like the Mediterranean, a marginal sea, which with the Black Sea, were marine environments contaminated from the Chernobyl accident.

Radiocaesium and plutonium isotopes were studied in water, sediment and macroalgae in the Baltic Sea since 1982. the inventory of ¹³⁷Cs in the Baltic increased from 0.65 PBq to 5.85 PBq following the Chernobyl accident. the corresponding increase for ^{239 + 240}Pu was less significant and yielded 1.5 TBq to a total value of 16.5 TBq.

For plutonium, 98% is trapped in the sediment and the net-exchange of this element through the Baltic straits is very small (1 GBq/year), while for radiocaesium, 45% is in the water phase and there is a net-loss of 60 000 GBq annually into the adjacent water (Kattegatt).