The water vulnerability of metro and megacities: An investigation of structural determinants

Urban areas are becoming increasingly subject to and vulnerable to water‐related natural disasters. Urban areas are a kind of socio‐ecological system wherein the human development dynamics co‐evolve with the natural dynamics. Most of the literature is focused on the impact of natural disasters on human development; we evaluate the impacts of human development on natural disasters and present an analysis of this phenomenon in the context of megacities. The approach is exploratory and begins with the construction of a database on the 595 existing megacities in the world. Multifactor analysis is then used to determine the main characteristics of these megacities. Finally, three structural components (maturity, anthropization and centrality) are identified and then correlated with data on water‐related hazards, distinguishing groups of cities according to their structure and factors of vulnerability to water‐related risks.     

The global partnership for sustainable development

This paper examines whether foreign aid, together with other economic, social and environmental factors, contributes to sustainable development. It starts with an illustrative theoretical growth model where foreign aid promotes sustainable development by protecting the environment. Using factor analysis and newly developed estimation methods for a dynamic panel data model with endogenous regressors, the empirical section of the paper finds evidence that foreign aid has had a significantly positive influence on sustainable development in aid recipient countries. This effect is very likely to go through channels related to growth and resources as well as a technology channel with respect to energy intensity. This research has important implications for a post‐2015 development framework on international collective action with regard to a sustainable future.     

The evolution of socio-ecological systems: changing palm species management in the Colombian Amazon as an indicator of ecological and institutional change

We investigate natural resource governance in three indigenous communities in the Colombian Amazon. We base our analysis on an evolutionary governance model in which governance dimensions emerge as relevant through time. The less accessible of the communities represents earlier steps in governance evolution, while the more physically accessible is more integrated into the western scene. We observe how increased physical accessibility in a community brings in western governance models which hybridize with more traditional ones, influencing the couplings between the social and ecological systems. We zoom in on changing management of three commonly used palm species and illustrate how detailed studies of natural resource management contribute to understanding governance evolution. By comparing governance evolutions we were able to gain insights and improve our understanding on how natural resource management changes in communities transiting into western ways of living. In doing so we recognized points of rigidity and flexibility which might influence the social ecological systems capacity to adapt to changing conditions.     

基于MODIS GPP/NPP数据的三江源地区草地生态系统碳储量及碳汇量时空变化研究

陆地生态系统碳循环研究是全球变化与地球科学研究领域的前沿与热点问题,准确地评估陆地生态系统碳储量和碳汇量是估算未来大气 CO2浓度,预测气候变化及其对陆地生态系统影响的关键。已有相关研究多集中于对区域生态系统碳储量和碳汇量的量的估算,而缺乏针对时间尺度上的变化过程的分析,以及对变化特征空间差异性的分析。本研究基于MODIS NPP数据,结合土地利用数据及土壤有机碳密度分布数据,对三江源地区2000─2010年草地生态系统碳储量时空变化特征进行了分析,同时,基于MODIS GPP数据及China FLUX和America FLUX数据,建立草地生态系统呼吸估算模型,对其碳汇量的时空变化特征进行了分析,以期明确该地区的碳储存能力及其变化过程,为该区域草地生态系统保护和管理提供科学依据。研究结果表明：（1）三江源地区草地生态系统总碳储量为53.38×108 t,平均碳密度为14.94 kg·m-2（以C计）。土壤和植被碳储量分别为53.07×108 t和0.31×108 t,平均碳密度分别为14.85 kg·m-2和86.77 g·m-2。（2）近10多年来,三江源地区草地生态系统多年平均碳汇量为0.4×108 t,单位面积平均碳汇量为86.80 g·m-2·a-1（以C计）,表明该地区草地生态体统是一个碳汇。（3）2000年以来,三江源地区草地生态系统总碳储量及总碳汇量均呈波动增加趋势,碳汇功能有所增强。（4）三江源地区草地生态系统碳储量及碳汇量的空间分布格局及其变化趋势的空间分布均呈现明显的空间差异性。（5）MODIS GPP/NPP数据能够支撑较大尺度草地生态系统碳储量及碳汇量格局与变化趋势分析,较传统方法更为便捷高效。     

基于AHP法的大盘山国家级自然保护区生态质量评价研究

大盘山保护区是目前中国唯一以野生药用植物种质资源及其生境为核心保护对象的国家级自然保护区.根据保护区类型和自然保护区生态评价指标体系,以生物多样性保护、景观生态改善、科研教育价值、生态旅游价值作为准则层,选择多样性、稀有性、脆弱性、自然性、典型性、面积适宜性、人类干扰作为评价层指标,运用层次分析法(AHP)进行保护区自然生态评价.评价结果:综合评价指数达0.778 4,说明大盘山保护区目前整体生态质量较好,保护价值较高,属于优先保护区域.     

Evaluating betterment projects

In the past decade Australia has experienced a series of large‐scale, severe natural disasters including catastrophic bushfires, widespread and repeated flooding, and intense storms and cyclones. There appears to be a prima facie case for rebuilding damaged infrastructure to a more disaster resilient (that is, to ‘betterment’) standard. The purpose of this paper is to develop and illustrate a consistent and readily applied method for advancing proposals for the betterment of essential public assets, which can be used by governments at all levels to determine the net benefits of such proposals. Case study results demonstrate that betterment investments have the potential to deliver a positive economic return across a range of asset types and regions. Results, however, are highly sensitive to underlying assumptions; in particular the probability of the natural disaster affecting the infrastructure in the absence of betterment.     

Integrated disaster relief logistics: a stepping stone towards viable civil–military networks?

The twenty‐first century has seen a significant rise in all forms of disasters and this has resulted in military and humanitarian organisations becoming more frequently engaged in the provision of support to those affected. Achieving an efficient and effective logistic preparation and response is one of the key elements in mitigating the impact of such events, but the establishment of mechanisms to deliver an appropriately integrated civil–military approach remains elusive. Not least because of the high percentage of assistance budgets spent on logistics, this area is considered to represent fertile ground for developing improved processes and understanding. In practice, the demands placed on civilian and military logisticians are broadly similar, as is the solution space. Speaking a common language and using common concepts, it is argued, therefore, that the logistic profession should be in the vanguard of the development of an improved civil–military interface.     

河流多生境自然塑造技术在北运河流域再生水河道修复中的应用研究

遵循"基于自然的解决方案(Natural based solution)"理念,本研究开发了由渗滤型边滩、生态跌水和近自然河溪构成的河流多生境自然塑造技术及系统,并在北运河流域的再生水河道台头沟实施了工程应用与示范.结果表明,该技术与系统具有良好的水质净化效果,对氨氮、总氮、总磷和化学需氧量的平均削减率分别为62.15...     

It’s All in the Numbers: Acreage Tallies and Environmental Program Evaluation

Increasingly, performance measurement is being used to hold federal agencies accountable, represent environmental progress, and evaluate the effectiveness of environmental programs. The need to track measurable outputs has created a tendency to present programmatic progress solely by quantifiable data, despite the inherent complexity of natural resource management. Wetlands and fire management programs are two specific environmental arenas that have come to overemphasize the tracking of acreage numbers to validate existing policy direction. In both of these arenas, we find the definition and categorization of "countable" acres to be inconsistent and unreliable. We explore this systemic flaw for both wetlands and fire programs and describe its implications for environmental policy and natural resource management more broadly. We conclude with recommendations for improved performance measurement in these arenas.     

车用高分子材料不同地区户外曝晒试验相关性研究

目的将3种高分子材料以及3种车用外饰材料分别投放在中国海南琼海和美国佛罗里达州2种典型湿热环境中进行户外曝晒试验,研究气候相似的2种地区的试验相关性。方法通过测试相同时间间隔下不同材料在2处试验场曝晒过程中的黄变程度,表征材料的老化现象。采用斯皮尔曼等级相关系数的统计方法,研究材料在2个地区相同时间节点的试验结果的相关性,并利用时间同轴的作图方法比较2个地区严酷度的差异。结果琼海与佛罗里达州2个地区在各个时间节点的相关系数接近于1,且在材料黄变方面呈现一定比例关系。结论琼海和佛罗里达州2个地区的试验结果呈现出较好的相关性,且严酷度比值约为琼海︰佛罗里达=1︰1.19。