Challenges to Introducing and Managing Disturbance Regimes for Holocarpha macradenia, an Endangered Annual Grassland Forb

Abstract:  Introducing rare plants to new sites for conservation to offset effects of habitat destruction requires detailed knowledge of habitat requirements, plant demography, and management needs. We conducted a factorial experiment replicated at three coastal prairie sites to test the effects of clipping frequency and litter accumulation on seed germination, seedling survival, reproduction, and seedling recruitment of introduced populations of the endangered, tall-stature, annual forb, Holocarpha macradenia (DC.) E. Greene. Clipping favored H. macradenia , primarily by enhancing seed germination and flower production. Litter accumulation had no effect on seed germination, even after 5 years of treatments. Seedling recruitment was highly site specific with large numbers of recruits recorded at only one of three sites. Although recruitment of seedlings was higher in clipped plots for 2–3 years, by 4–5 years after introduction very few seedlings survived to reproduction in any treatment. We attribute this result to a combination of poor habitat quality, small population size, and lack of a seed bank. We were unsuccessful in introducing this relatively well-studied species of concern to apparently suitable habitat at multiple sites in multiple years, which suggests that translocating rare plant populations to mitigate for habitat destruction is an expensive and highly uncertain endeavor.     

我国堰塞湖致因分析及灾害链构建研究*

为揭示我国堰塞湖形成机理,基于堰塞湖实际案例,依据灾害链式演变规律,构建我国堰塞湖灾害链模型;以灾害链模型中各因素为节点,各因素间作用关系为边,构建我国堰塞湖灾害链演化网络模型,利用Gephi软件实现灾害链演化网络可视化和拓扑参数计算,最终确定堰塞湖防治关键因素。结果表明:持续降雨作用于山地地貌,导致山体滑坡,该类堰塞湖致因在我国较为普遍,通过加大特定地区雨量与地质环境监测力度,可有效提高我国自然灾害防治水平。     

The potential to increase soil carbon stocks through reduced tillage or organic material additions in England and Wales: A case study

Results from the UK were reviewed to quantify the impact on climate change mitigation of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks as a result of (1) a change from conventional to less intensive tillage and (2) addition of organic materials including farm manures, digested biosolids, cereal straw, green manure and paper crumble. The average annual increase in SOC deriving from reduced tillage was 310 kg C ± 180 kg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Even this accumulation of C is unlikely to be achieved in the UK and northwest Europe because farmers practice rotational tillage. N₂O emissions may increase under reduced tillage, counteracting increases in SOC. Addition of biosolids increased SOC (in kg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ t⁻¹ dry solids added) by on average 60 ± 20 (farm manures), 180 ± 24 (digested biosolids), 50 ± 15 (cereal straw), 60 ± 10 (green compost) and an estimated 60 (paper crumble). SOC accumulation declines in long-term experiments (>50 yr) with farm manure applications as a new equilibrium is approached. Biosolids are typically already applied to soil, so increases in SOC cannot be regarded as mitigation. Large increases in SOC were deduced for paper crumble (>6 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) but outweighed by N₂O emissions deriving from additional fertiliser. Compost offers genuine potential for mitigation because application replaces disposal to landfill; it also decreases N₂O emission.     

京津冀及周边地区“2+26”城市结构性调整政策的CO2协同减排效益评估

《打赢蓝天保卫战三年行动计划》（"三年行动计划"）明确提出,产业结构调整、能源结构调整、交通结构调整和用地结构调整是大幅减少大气污染物和CO₂排放的重要抓手,这种协同效应非常明显,但在城市群层面还未被量化研究.为此,采用京津冀温室气体-空气污染物协同控制综合评估模型（GAINS-JJJ）,构建了2017年京津冀及周边地区"2+26"城市群基础排放清单,定量分析了"三年行动计划"的实施带来的CO₂和主要大气污染物的排放变化情况.结果表明,与2017年相比,2020年政策情景下"2+26"城市的CO₂、一次PM_2.5、SO₂、NO_x和NH₃的减排量分别为29.1 Mt （相当于2017年排放量的2%）、203.8（21%）、281.8（27%）、485.5（17%）和34.3 kt （3%）,排放量较大的城市或部门都实现了较为明显的减排.碳协同减排效益结果显示,产业结构调整的一系列重大举措（淘汰落后产能、工业锅炉升级改造和散乱污企业综合整治等）取得了良好的CO₂和大气污染物协同减排效应,而不同污染物中NO_x的碳协同减排效应最高.     

水雾作用下气体爆炸火焰传播的实验研究

利用自行设计的全程透明的火焰加速管和水喷雾系统，对不同水雾条件下的气体火焰传播现象进行了实验研究。运用光电传感器与数字摄像技术分析了不同浓度的甲烷在不同水雾条件下的火焰传播速度、火焰阵面轨迹以及火焰结构特性，并通过对传播火焰反应区温度的测量，探讨了水雾抑制气体爆炸火焰传播的内在机理及所需的条件。实验结果表明：由于水雾作用于火焰反应区，降低了火焰反应区内的温度和气体燃烧速度，延长火焰阵面的预热区，减缓火焰阵面传热与传质的进行，从而使传播火焰得以抑制。水雾对气体爆炸火焰传播的抑制效果与水雾流量速度、雾区浓度以及火焰到达水雾区的火焰传播速度有关。     

Community support for wildfire mitigation at Peavine Métis Settlement,Alberta, Canada

This paper presents the findings of a study that explored public support for wildfire mitigation programmes implemented in Peavine Métis Settlement, an Indigenous community located in Alberta, Canada. Data were collected in a community-based study using interviews, focus groups and participant observation over a 4-year period. Results showed that support for the wildfire mitigation programme was influenced by local leadership, economics, community capacity and land and home ownership. The communal nature of land and home ownership on the settlement influenced support for wildfire mitigation that was conducted by the settlement at both the residential and community levels. Employment opportunities available in the community for settlement members for wildfire mitigation activities also increased support for the local wildfire mitigation programme. A local Aboriginal leader skilled in wildfire mitigation and existing community capacity was also seen as vital to settlement member support for the programme.     

Disaster management in the Caribbean: Perspectives on institutional capacity reform and development

This paper is a reflective contribution on the issues and processes that have influenced and informed the development and institutionalization of disaster management practice and policy in the Caribbean over the last two and a half decades. It takes the viewpoint of a ‘participant observer’ and seeks to not only describe the events and triggers but also to raise some key questions necessary to chart the way forward.     

地下厂房爆破开挖对混凝土吊车梁的影响研究

爆破荷载对锚固梁作用的研究是水电工程防灾减灾的一个热点问题。结合泰安蓄能电站地下厂房爆破开挖工程,应用有限元程序,建立了简化模型,把三维问题转换成二维平面问题,对爆破作用下的锚固梁的振动响应进行了模拟,得到速度场和应力分布场,指出了工程中应该注意的问题;用工程实测数据进行比较,证明了模拟结果的正确性。     

Influence of varying nutrient and pesticide mixtures on abatement efficiency using a vegetated free water surface constructed wetland mesocosm

The nutrient and pesticide abatement efficiency of varying mixtures was examined in a vegetated free water surface constructed wetland. Three different agricultural chemical pollutant mixture conditions were assessed: nutrients only (N and P); pesticides only (atrazine, S-metolachlor and permethrin); and a mixture of nutrients and pesticides. With nutrients only, 672 h nutrient mitigation of 77–91% total phosphorous (TP) and 74–98% total nitrogen (TN) was associated with distance from the injection point and rainfall, whereas with nutrient and pesticide mixtures, 672 h nutrient mitigation of 11–71% TP and 84–98% TN were associated with distance and time. With pesticides only, 672 h pesticide mitigation of 50–99% was associated with distance and time, whereas with nutrients and pesticide mixtures, 672 h pesticide mitigation of 48–99% was associated primarily with distance. Dissipation half-lives were 2–10 times greater for P and 1.5–5 times greater for N when pesticides were present. Pesticide dissipation half-lives showed no clear differences with or without nutrients. While vegetated free water surface constructed wetlands can be effective best management practice tools to trap and abate agricultural run-off during rainfall events, efficiencies can be affected by different types of complex pollutant mixtures and wetland design and implementation should accommodate varying efficiencies.     

Valuing floodplain protection and avoidance in a coastal watershed

Flood‐related losses in the United States are increasing despite large‐scale mitigation efforts. To offset the rising cost of floods, the US Congress passed legislation in 2014 that will augment insurance premiums to make the National Flood Insurance Program more actuarially sound. Consequently, there is interest in lowering flood‐related costs to the homeowner, both in terms of premiums and damage. This study addresses the issue by integrating premium savings and damages avoided based on several mitigation scenarios. Specifically, it examines how much policyholders within a watershed near Houston, Texas, could have saved between 1999 and 2009 had their communities introduced specific avoidance‐based mitigation activities. The results indicate that homeowners and communities can offset premium rises and a majority of the damage suffered through marginal expansions of such initiatives. However, the costs associated with their implementation could counter some of these savings, and hence they need to be considered in future work.