Effects of Urban Spatial Structure,Sociodemographics, and Climate on Residential Water Consumption in Hillsboro,Oregon1

House-Peters, Lily, Bethany Pratt, and Heejun Chang, 2010. Effects of Urban Spatial Structure, Sociodemographics, and Climate on Residential Water Consumption in Hillsboro, Oregon. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(3):461-472. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2009.00415.x Abstract: In the Portland metropolitan area, suburban growth in cities such as Hillsboro is projected to increase as people seek affordable housing near a burgeoning metropolis. The most significant determinants for increases in water demand are population growth, climate change, and the type of urban development that occurs. This study analyzes the spatial patterns of single family residential (SFR) water consumption in Hillsboro, Oregon, at the census block scale. The following research questions are addressed: (1) What are the significant determinants of SFR water consumption in Hillsboro, Oregon? (2) Is SFR water demand sensitive to drought conditions and interannual climate variation? (3) To what magnitude do particular census blocks react to drought conditions and interannual climate variation? Using ordinary least squares multiple regression and spatial regression methods, we found that base use, representing indoor water use, is dependent on household size and that seasonal use, representing external water use is dependent on both education level and the size of the property’s outdoor space. Spatial analysis techniques determined that although the water demand of the study area as a whole is not sensitive to drought conditions, certain individual census blocks do respond with a higher magnitude of water use. The most climate-sensitive census blocks tend to contain newer and larger homes, and have higher property values and more affluent and well-educated residents.     

An Objective Multiattribute Analysis Approach for Allocation of Scarce Irrigation Water Resources1

Zardari, Noor ul Hassan, Ian Cordery, and Ashish Sharma, 2010. An Objective Multiattribute Analysis Approach for Allocation of Scarce Irrigation Water Resources. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(2):412-428. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2009.00410.x Abstract: In this study, end user (farmer) and decision maker (water allocator) opinions were surveyed and a conjoint analysis (CA) based method was applied to the quantitative and qualitative data to assess the utility associated with each attribute that plays a role in forming the final thinking of the water users. The application of CA for estimating the utility for each attribute level is a novel approach, which helps provide a formal, objective basis for assigning relative scales for each attribute interval within a multiattribute decision-making model. The utilities (part-worths) obtained from the CA have a cardinal scale and were found to be comparable within and across the attributes. A farmers’ survey on five water allocation attributes was completed from 62 farmers and their opinions on the relative importance of attributes were elicited for a subarea of the Indus River Basin. The CA method was then applied to the survey data and the utilities for each attribute level were determined. This allowed, for instance, decisions to be made, which take account of the perceived value of the water and of the availability of local labor to work on the farm. Finally, these interval scales were used within the specification of the ELECTRE multiattribute decision-making method to provide a complete and objective ranking of nine irrigation districts so that the best decisions on water allocation could be made.     

基于事故树的三峡库区水体污染公共安全事件诱因分析

三峡库区蓄水后对长江水体自净能力的极大削弱,沿江聚集的各类生产、生活活动对长江水质的多渠道污染极易引发库区各类水体污染公共安全事件。结合对库区水体污染公共安全事件多维度诱发因素的调研结果,运用事故树的分析方法对三峡库区水体污染公共安全事件的逐级诱发过程进行分析。研究表明：存在13条诱发库区水体污染公共安全事件的路径以及3条防治水体污染公共安全事件的路径;在不考虑诱因发生概率的情况下,排污因素是诱发库区水体污染公共安全事件最重要、最根本的因素,促成库区水体自净能力下降的回水区变长,水流紊动减弱和水位抬升三方面因素是次重要的诱发因素。只有对不同的诱因施行不同的监测和控制策略,才能对库区水体污染公共安全事件开展有效预警、预控.     

SWOT Analysis and Challenges of Nile Basin Initiative：An Integrated Water Resource Management Perspective

River Nile is one of the longest transboundery rivers and it is shared and used by Burundi,Democratic Republic of Congo,Egypt,Ethiopia,Eritrea,Kenya,Rwanda,Sudan,Tanzania and Uganda.As of today,the Nile is a crucial resource for the economic development of the Nile Basin countries and a vital source of livelihood for 160 million inhabitants as well as 300 million people living in the 10 riparian countries.The Nile Basin Initiative(NBI) is one of the international cooperative river basin management program and regional partnership where all the Nile Basin countries except Eritrea unite to pursue long-term sustainable development,improved land use practices and management.This review therefore focused on the challenges not faced on NBI in terms of integrated use of the river and conducted analysis of strengths,weaknesses,opportunities and threats(SWOT) based on secondary data.The result of the review revealed that for decades,the Nile Basin people have been facing many complex environmental,social,economic and political challenges that have made it difficult for the proper management and sustainability of Nile water.The initiative provides training to develop skills in government ministries,non-governmental organizations and local communities in each country.It is also working to raise awareness of critical environmental issues by strengthening networks of environmental education practitioners;developing curriculum in the education sector.The challenges of NBI include the involvement and funding of World Bank,lack of sufficient staff,procedural and policies conflicts,lack of coordination and linkage with other regional institutions and lack of recognition as river basin organization.Considering the complex nature of the project,it is recommended that the NBI should come up with a strong multi-disciplinary monitoring and evaluation team to follow up all implemented projects.The NBI should carry out participatory land use planning in communities along the river basin.Moreover,livelihood analysis should be carried out especially in communities along the Nile to come up with poverty eradication projects which are socially acceptable,applicable,economically viable and affordable.     

基于GIS的县域经济差异与协调发展研究——以陕北地区为例

改革开放以来,陕北地区经济有了突飞猛进的发展,尤其是矿产资源的开发创造了巨大的经济效益。但近几年来,县域经济发展水平的空间差异逐渐扩大,已成为制约该区域经济发展的一大障碍。选取了人均GDP、地均GDP、人均地方财政收入、人均社会消费品零售总额、城镇化水平、在岗职工平均工资和农民人均纯收入7项指标,采用ArcGIS的IDW法模拟和分析了陕北地区经济空间格局,再采用量图分析法将陕北地区25个县级行政区分为先进、中等和落后3种类型,从县域的角度进一步分析经济水平的空间差异,最后对缩小县域经济空间差异和实现县域经济协调发展提出几点建议。     

西部地区旅游业发展水平评价及发展对策

在2004—2007年旅游统计数据的基础上,运用主成分分析法对西部地区旅游业发展水平进行了综合评价。结果表明,尽管西部地区旅游资源优势明显,但旅游业发展的整体水平还较低,旅游资源优势尚未充分转化为经济优势,且各地区旅游业发展水平差异较大。基于上述分析,结合西部地区实际情况和旅游业的未来发展趋势,提出加快西部地区旅游业发展的对策和建议。     

城市总体规划环评指标体系的建立及其应用

本研究首先介绍了DPSIR模型构建的原理,接着以合肥市为对象,从驱动力、压力、状态、影响、响应5个方面来构建的共36个指标,并采用层次分析法对指标权重的确定和多级灰色关联分析对指标进行综合评价,得出评价结果。合肥市在2004~2005年处于较低可持续发展水平(0.3398、0.3876)、在2010年处于中等可持续发展水平(0.5369)、在2015年处于较高可持续发展水平(0.6016)、在2020年处于较高可持续发展水平(0.7847),该预测评价结果与合肥市城市可持续发展趋势相符。最后采用改进熵值法验证多级灰色关联综合分析结论,计算得出的结果表明,该两种方法评价结论基本相同。因此,本研究对城市总体规划环境影响评价的评价方法的建立与完善,有着较强的实践意义和参考价值。     

工业园区低碳发展模式评估与规划分析

通过对工业园区低碳发展模式的评估,分析其低碳发展的能源特征、经济特征与人力特征,并确定工业园区二氧化碳减排的潜力能源。基于能源-碳减排(EC)、经济-能源-碳减排(EEC)和人力-经济-能源-碳减排(HEEC)三种不同情景,在未来发展的一定规划期内,对工业园区具有二氧化碳减排潜力的能源进行规划分析,确定其年递减率,从而实现工业园区不同情景下的二氧化碳减排。通过实际案例研究,证明了评估与规划分析模型的可行性。     

3-Way pattern-recognition of PAHs from Galicia (NW Spain) seawater samples after the Prestige's wreck

In November 2002 the oil tanker ‘Prestige’ released 65 000 tons of a heavy fuel oil throughout the Galician coastline (NW Spain), causing extensive damage to marine life, natural resources and economic activities at Northern Portugal, Spain and SW France. To evaluate the impact of the oil spill on the aquatic system, 30 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including alkylated derivatives, were analyzed in seawater on five different sampling campaigns from 2002 to 2004. Sampling was made along the Galician continental shelf. In each station three samples were collected at three different depths (surface, mid-depth and bottom). Four different approaches for 3-way analyses (Catenated-PCA, Matrix-Augmented Principal Components Analysis, Parallel Factor Analysis and Procrustes rotation) have been used to asses the major sources of PAHs into the seawater. They revealed two main pollution patterns: one related to oil spillages and discharge of petroleum products, and another more associated with a diffuse anthropogenic origin.     

Bioanalytical characterisation of multiple endocrine- and dioxin-like activities in sediments from reference and impacted small rivers

A comprehensive evaluation of organic contamination was performed in sediments sampled in two reference and three impacted small streams where endocrine disruptive (ED) effects in fish have been evidenced. The approach combined quantitative chemical analyses of more than 50 ED chemicals (EDCs) and a battery of in vitro bioassays allowing the quantification of receptor-mediated activities, namely estrogen (ER), androgen (AR), dioxin (AhR) and pregnane X (PXR) receptors. At the most impacted sites, chemical analyses showed the presence of natural estrogens, organochlorine pesticides, parabens, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (16 PAHs), bisphenol A and alkylphenols, while synthetic steroids, myco-estrogens and phyto-estrogens were not detected. Determination of toxic-equivalent amounts showed that 28-96% of estrogenic activities in bioassays (0.2-6.3 ng/g 17β-estradiol equivalents) were explained by 17β-estradiol and estrone. PAHs were major contributors (20-60%) to the total dioxin-like activities. Interestingly, high PXR and (anti)AR activities were detected; however, the targeted analysed compounds could not explain the measured biological activities. This study highlighted the presence of multiple organic EDCs in French river sediments subjected to mixed diffuse pollution, and argues for the need to further identify AR and PXR active compounds in the aquatic environment.