Fingerprinting Global Climate Change and Forest Management Within Rhizosphere Carbon and Nutrient Cycling Processes

As one of the two Principal Subject Editors for ESPR Subject Area 1 'Terrestrial Ecology and Biology / Soil and Sediments: Toxicology-related Subjects' (see pp 287-293), the senior author and his colleague, Dr Chen, present an example of sub-category 4 'Environmental studies of pesticides, air pollution, and management strategies for forestry and plant ecosystems'. Thereby, they inform the ESPR community about the new Australian research project concerning the fingerprints of global climate change (GCC) and forest management on rhizosphere carbon and nutrient cycling and, subsequently, present an overview on the GCC and forest management fingerprints.     

Risks posed by climate change to the delivery of Water Framework Directive objectives in the UK

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) is novel because it integrates water quality, water resources, physical habitat and, to some extent, flooding for all surface and groundwaters and takes forward river basin management. However, the WFD does not explicitly mention risks posed by climate change to the achievement of its environmental objectives. This is despite the fact that the time scale for the implementation process and achieving particular objectives extends into the 2020s, when climate models project changes in average temperature and precipitation. This paper begins by reviewing the latest UK climate change scenarios and the wider policy and science context of the WFD. We then examine the potential risks of climate change to key phases of the River Basin Management Process that underpin the WFD (such as characterisation of river basins and their water bodies, risk assessments to identify pressures and impacts, programmes of measures (POMs) options appraisal, monitoring and modelling, policy and management activities). Despite these risks the WFD could link new policy and participative mechanisms (being established for the River Basin Management Plans) to the emerging framework of national and regional climate change adaptation policy. The risks are identified with a view to informing policy opportunities, objective setting, adaptation strategies and the research agenda. Key knowledge gaps have already been identified during the implementation of the WFD, such as the links between hydromorphology and ecosystem status, but the overarching importance of linking climate change to these considerations needs to be highlighted. The next generation of (probabilistic) climate change scenarios will present new opportunities and challenges for risk analysis and policy-making.     

The environmental impact of industrialization in East Asia and strategies toward sustainable development

The East Asian economy has been growing fast in recent years, and environmental stresses are building up rapidly. Transboundary air pollution, water shortages, drinking water contamination, freshwater and marine pollution, deforestation, climatic disasters, and other environmental problems are becoming serious threats to the well-being of people in this densely populated region. The ESI (environmental sustainability index) reported by the World Economic Forum in 2005 is a good indicator of the environmental status of the region; most East Asian countries ranked at the bottom. East Asia is not moving toward a sustainable society, and the environment will not sustain the current rate of economic development for long. The traditional culture of East Asia used to be sustainable, so we can learn much from our traditions. Land use should be planned from an ecological point of view so as to best preserve the land’s productivity and stability. There should be definite goals as to where and how much to preserve the three important ecological bases: forests, coastal wetlands and agricultural farms. The forest is the base for the terrestrial ecosystem, including flood control, water resources, and climate; the coastal wetland is the base for the marine ecosystem; farmland is the base for producing food. Within these defined goals, limits should be set on how much land can be utilized for activities like urban development, manufacturing, and recreation. Limits on the pollution load resulting from such activities should be set so as not to irreversibly damage the environment. Economic development should be planned to allow the use of energy and resources only after satisfying these constraints.

How developing countries can engage in GHG reduction: a case study for China

It has been clearly recognized that future global climate change will limit the possibilities for sustainable development in China. To minimize these negative effects, as a practical strategy, we suggest that the Chinese government engage in international cooperation as a key contributor in the prevention of global warming. This suggestion results from numerical estimations of China’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission trends accompanied with economic growth up to 2100. The results show that China’s gross domestic product (GDP), measured in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), may overtake the sum of the GDPs of the United States and Canada in 2020. It is predicted that GDP per capita may reach US$20,000 and $80,000 in 2050 and 2100, respectively; meanwhile, CO₂ emissions in China will increase from 6.6 billion tons (in carbon equivalent units) in 1990 to 54.6 billion tons in 2100. This means that the global peak concentration of GHG cannot be practically reduced without significant contributions from China. For international cooperation in mitigating global climate change, we introduce a new option, “per-capita emission restricted by assigned amount,” as an accounting rule for GHG reduction. This baseline classifies global CO₂ reduction actions into three categories: compulsory reduction, self-imposed reduction, and voluntary reduction. We suggest that China contribute to world CO₂ reduction according to the following timetable: voluntary reduction until 2012, self-imposed reduction until 2020, and compulsory reduction from 2020. The simulation results also indicate that China can benefit from this strategy in terms of improvements in its domestic economy and environment, for instance, by reducing fossil fuel consumption and the emission of pollutants.

全新世青藏高原东部西南季风的演变

本研究报道一组新的西南季风代用指标,即泥炭中单一种属植物———木里苔草残体纤维素和泥炭混合植物残体纤维素的δ13C时间序列,所记录的青藏高原东部全新世气候变化。两记录表明,该区全新世的下限年龄约11200aBP(14C年龄约9900aBP);从约11200aBP起该区迅速进入湿暖的全新世阶段,季风活动迅速增强;在约10800～5500aBP期间,季风总体保持在强盛状态,但其间有4次突然减弱,气候变干冷;约从5500aBP起季风活动在波动中逐渐减弱,其中有4次减弱最明显。所有这8次气候的突然变化都与北大西洋浮冰事件一一对应。这种密切的相关关系表明,西南季风强度的波动可能是对全球变化,特别是对海洋热盐环流引起的地球南北方气候波动的所谓"跷跷板效应"的响应。     

都市农业生态系统中污水资源化利用

文章介绍了都市农业生态系统中的污水处理工艺和资源化利用方案,并对回用过程中的水质状况进行了连续监测与分析,结果表明,主要污染物CODCr、BOD5、浊度、TN的去除率均达到90%以上。再生水完全可以满足系统内农业灌溉的要求,每年可减少50%的地下水开采量,且提供了良好的景观资源。蟹岛生态度假村以生活污水处理为中心的水资源循环利用方式,为污水资源化利用工程作了有益的尝试并取得了良好的效果。     

三峡库区陆生植物迁地保存初报

三峡植物物种多样性保护,重点在珍稀濒危植物,但对建群种和有实用价值的种也进行收集保存。7年来试验站保存三峡库区植物200余种,迁移成活率93%,有8种未成功。（1）到2002年已有30余种植物正常开花结实（其中木本植物24种）,可以选择繁殖试验,以达到保存的目的;（2）选择了8种植物,进行生长观测,在人为控制下,生长速度满意;（3）进行了部份种类的扦插繁殖和孢子繁殖,获得了相关结果;（4）少数种类收集遇到极大困难,需要继续努力。三峡库区生物多样性研究与保护,存在一些问题与困难,如漏项问题、库区物种问题、外来种问题、隔离对生物多样性的影响问题、生物多样性的功能问题等需要进一步研讨,从而使库区物种得以保存,环境得以优化,生物资源得到持续利用。     

Bridge building within the province of proactivity

The research questions posed in this study highlight the importance of valuing proactivity in both prompting an individual to engage in proactive behavior and encouraging the expression of that behavior. We integrate a variety of constructs from the proactivity literature to gain a deeper understanding of proactive behavior as it relates to proactive motivation and supervisory performance evaluations. First, we draw upon self‐determination theory, expectancy–value theory, and the recent integration of the proactive motivation literature to hypothesize that proactive behavior is predicted by the interaction of “can do” and “reason to” proactive motivational states. Second, on the basis of performance theory, we hypothesize that the relationship between proactive behavior and performance depends upon the extent to which the supervisor values proactivity. Specifically, we argue that supervisors with proactive personalities are more likely to value and reward subordinate proactive behavior than passive supervisors. Results provide support for both of our hypotheses. Interestingly, results show that proactive behavior did not result in negative consequences but rather that there was a cost (i.e., lower performance rating) for not taking charge for employees with proactive supervisors. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

云南个旧多金属矿区农田土壤-作物系统重金属污染现状——以乍甸镇为例

对云南个旧市乍甸镇农田土壤和农作物重金属污染现状进行了野外调查及评价。结果表明:农田土壤Pb、Zn、Cu、Cd、As质量比均超出GB 15618—1995《土壤环境质量标准》二级标准,Hg未检出,该地区农田呈现以As、Cd为主多种重金属复合污染。Pb、Zn、Cu、Cd、As土壤有效态质量比与土壤全量呈极显著正相关(p<0.01)。农作物中Cu、As质量比与土壤有效态Cu、As质量比无显著相关,Zn质量比与土壤有效态Zn呈极显著负相关(p<0.01),Cd、Pb质量比与土壤有效态Cd、Pb呈显著正相关(p<0.05)。89%的农作物As超标,油菜籽(Brassica napusL.)As质量比最高,均值达(23.04±14.33)mg/kg(鲜重,下同)。Pb超标率达72%,油菜籽Pb质量比最高,平均为(5.55±2.53)mg/kg。Zn、Cd超标率均为11.11%,超标最严重的油菜籽Zn质量比为(46.65±13.61)mg/kg,Cd质量比为(0.24±0.10)mg/kg。Cu超标率为5.55%,油菜籽Cu质量比最高,达(16.02±2.75)mg/kg。油菜籽对As、Pb、Zn、Cu、Cd的转移系数(农作物可食部分重金属质量比(鲜重)与土壤重金属质量比的比值)远高于其他作物。农作物对Pb、Zn、Cd、As的转移顺序依次为果实类、叶菜类、根茎类,对Cu的转移顺序为果实类、根茎类、叶菜类。农作物以As、Pb污染为主,总体属重度污染。聚类分析得出:油菜籽、青蒜(Allium ampeloprasumL.)和生菜(Lactuca sativaL.var.ramosaHort.)重金属污染严重,不适合在该地区继续种植和食用。     

Urban development and landscape change in the Yangtze River Delta region in China

The impact of large-scale urban development on land resources has long been debated by urban planners and designers. This study investigated the extent to which different urban characteristics are associated with land-cover change. The Yangtze River Delta region in China, forming one of the largest sprawling urban landscapes among the regions around the world, was chosen for the study area. Spatial analysis and multiple regression methods were applied to empirically investigate the pattern of resource sites lost to urban development in the area between the 1950s and 2017. The results showed that contrary to the widespread notion that large-sized cities are predominantly responsible for a region’s environmental degradation, city size was not a significant factor in determining the rate of resource loss. Large-sized cities gained their populations with far lesser impacts on land than small-sized cities and towns if normalized to the same number of populations. One explanation for the diminishing effect of city size on land-cover change relates to the degree of spatial dispersion of urban development and local differences in social valuation of diversified lands by cities.