On Index System and Quantitative Assessment of Eco-cities： A Case Study on Urban Agglomeration of the Yangtze Delta

Urban agglomeration of the Yangtze Delta （UAYD）, one of the most developed regions of China, has witnessed an increasing prevalence in building ecological cities when the ecological cities are pursued by many modem cities, and great achievements have been made in this regard. It is inevitable, however, that certain problems exist during the construction of ecological city, which include but not limited to non-harmonious development of urban complex ecosystem, and the difficulty in quantifying eco-city construction or incomplete quantification in assessing the construction of present and future eco-city. Based on the analysis on social-economic conditions and regional conditions of the UAYD, this paper attempts to set up an index system of eco-cities combining with local characteristics, and to adopt the indices of eco-city, urban harmony, and eco-city colligate to evaluate the ecological level, urban harmonious development and eco-city construction of cities within the UAYD. Results indicate that among 15 cities in UAYD, Suzhou City ranks the highest in terms of eco-city construction, whereas Nantong ranks relatively lower; sustainable eco-city construction is possible only when cities are developed in every respect of harmony.     

Biological Activity in a Heavily Organohalogen-Contaminated River Sediment (8 pp)

Background, Aims and Scope Sediments of the Spittelwasser creek are highly polluted with organic compounds and heavy metals due to the discharge of untreated waste waters from the industrial region of Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany over the course of more than one century. However, relatively few data have been published about the chloroorganic contamination of the sediment. This paper reports on the content of different (chloro)organic compounds with special emphasis on polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F), and chlorobenzenes. Existing concepts for the remediation of Spittelwasser sediment include the investigation of natural attenuation processes, which largely depend on the presence of an intact microbial food web. In order to gain more insight in terms of biological activity, we analyzed the capacity of sediment microflora to degrade organic matter by measuring the activities of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes involved in the biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur. Furthermore, the detection of physiologically active bacteria in the sediment, particularly of those known for their capability to reductively dehalogenate organochlorine compounds, illustrates the potential for intrinsic bioremediation processes. Methods PCDD/F and chlorobenzenes were analyzed by gas chromatography(GC)/mass spectrometry and GC/flame ionization detection, respectively. The activities of hydrolytic enzymes were determined from freshly sampled sediment layers using 4-methylumbelliferyl (MUF) or 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin-conjugated model compounds and kinetic fluorescence measurements. Physiologically active bacteria from different sediment layers were microscopically visualized by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Specific bacteria were identified by 16S rRNA gene amplification and sequencing. Results and Discussion The PCDD/F congener profile was dominated by dibenzofurans. In addition, the presence of specific tetra and pentachlorinated dibenzofurans supported the assumption that extensive magnesium production was one possible source for the high contamination. A range of other chloroorganic compounds, including several isomers of chlorobenzenes, hexachlorocyclohexane and 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis (p-chloro-phenyl)ethane (DDT), was present in the sediment. Activities of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes showed a strong decrease in those sediment layers that were characterized by high contents of absorbable organic halogen (AOX), indicating disturbed organic matter decay. Interestingly, an abnormal increase of cellulolytic enzyme activities below the organochlorine-rich layers was observed, possibly caused by residual cellulose from discharges of sulfite pulping wastes. FISH revealed physiologically active bacteria in most sediment layers from the surface down to the depth of about 60 cm, including members of Desulfitobacterium (D.) and Sulfurospirillum. The presence of D. dehalogenans was confirmed by its partial 16S rRNA gene sequence. Conclusions Results of chemical sediment analyses demonstrated high loads of organochlorine compounds, particularly of PCDD/F. Several years after stopping the waste water discharge to Spittelwasser creek, this sediment remains a main source for pollution of the downstream river system by way of the ongoing mobilization of sediment during high floods. As indicated by our enzyme activity measurements, the decomposition potential for organic matter is low in organochlorine-rich sediment layers. In contrast, the comparably higher enzyme activities in less organochlorine-polluted sediment layers as well as the presence of physiologically active bacteria suggest a considerable potential for natural attenuation. Recommendations and Perspectives From our data we strongly recommend to explore the degradative capacity of sediment microorganisms and the limits for in situ activity towards specific sediment pollutants in more detail. This will give a sound basis for the integration of bioremediation approaches into general concepts to reduce the risk that permanently radiates from this highly contaminated sediment. Submission Editor: Dr. Henner Hollert (Henner.Hollert@urz.uniheidelberg.de)     

The use of ecological scales for indication of the current state of forest communities

A method for estimating the current state of plant communities based on the ecological amplitudes of constituent species is proposed. An original program, Fitoindikatsiya, has been developed to compute the indices of disturbance and homogeneity of plant communities from species ecological scale values. The current state of pine forests in the part of Novosibirsk oblast east of the Ob River has been analyzed; slightly, moderately, and severely disturbed zones have been distinguished.     

SUSTAINABILITY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL: MANAGEMENT TOOLS AND MUNICIPAL TAX INCENTIVE MODEL

The implementation of sustainable development may seem a simple concept when written on paper. However to carry-out long term actions put forward by the Agenda 21 (AG21) at the local level represents one of the main challenges as municipal governments in general do not have the capacity to effectively implement the process. Regional environmental assessment (REA) has shown to be effective in supporting decision-making not only to correct environmental problems due to past unsustainable social-economic developments but also help local governments to implement sustainable actions. However this requires long-term investments of AG21 plans and projects. The allocation of regular and consistent financial resources is one of the main ingredients for the sustainable development process. But traditional plans and projects financed by national and/or international funds may not be sustainable in the long-term because they become dependent on external funding. Research demonstrate that innovative economic instruments such as ecotaxes represent a feasible alternative to sponsor local sustainability because taxes are collected permanently by the government and could be invested in continuous actions. Ecotaxes experiences have provided important reference to structure a municipal incentive model (MIM) to sponsor AG21’s environmental plans and projects on a long-term (permanent) basis. However sustainable development cannot be solely through economic investments. A comprehensive municipal environmental management scheme (MEMS) has been established to support the incentive model. The scheme seeks not only to improve local institutional framework but also incentive continuous participation of local stakeholders at all levels of society. Participatory events and the provision of incentives (educational and financial) are key to motivate society to protect the environment and support actively the sustainable development process as emphasised in the RIO-92 Conference.     

DESIGN OF AN INDEX OF WATER QUALITY1

ABSTRACT: This paper describes the formulation of an Index of Water Quality to evaluate the level of pollution in fresh water. A Four-Round Delphi equation, using a panel of seven nationally recognized water scientists, was performed to ascertain the pollutants to be included in the index, the relationship between the quantity of these pollutants in the water and the resulting quality of the water, and the importance of each pollution variable to each water use as well as to overall pollution. A multiplicative index was used to bring the pollutants together into one system.     

新疆石化工业区颗粒物含水量和酸度对二次无机组分形成的影响

大气二次污染物是新疆独山子区大气污染物的重要组成部分,研究大气中二次组分的转化过程对区域大气污染治理有着重要意义.对新疆独山子区2015年9月至2016年7月采集到的样品进行水溶性组分分析.结果表明,水溶性无机离子(TWSIs)表现出与PM_(2.5)一致的季节变化,为冬季(67.86μg·m~(-3))秋季(13.77μg·m~(-3))春季(10.09μg·m~(-3))夏季(4.85μg·m~(-3));冬季二次无机离子(NH~+_4、SO~(2-)_4和NO~-_3)占TWSIs的98%;结合气溶胶热力学模型(E-AIM)探讨独山子区大气颗粒污染物中颗粒相含水量以及颗粒酸碱性;表明独山子区颗粒物呈酸性,年均原位pH为0.81,其中冬季样品的pH(2.93)值最高;颗粒含水季节变化为冬季(331.32μg·m~(-3))秋季(5.91μg·m~(-3))春季(5.46μg·m~(-3))夏季(1.62μg·m~(-3));年均氮氧化率(NOR)和硫氧化率(SOR)分别为0.13和0.47,表明区域污染物存在二次转化;进一步分析表明颗粒相中的硫酸盐质量浓度受到颗粒含水量和颗粒酸碱度的影响较为明显;高的颗粒相含水条件下区域硝酸盐的形成主要以非均相反应为主.     

长春秋季生物质燃烧对PM2.5中WSOC吸光性的影响

为探究长春秋季生物质燃烧对PM_(2.5)中水溶性有机碳(water-soluble organic carbon,WSOC)吸光性的影响,于2017年10～11月进行PM_(2.5)样品采集,对PM_(2.5)中碳质组分、糖类化合物和WSOC的光吸收特征参数进行分析.研究表明:长春秋季PM_(2.5)中WSOC、有机碳(organic carbon,OC)、元素碳(elemental carbon,EC)的平均浓度分别为(10.12±3.47)、(17.07±5.64)和(1.34±0.75)μg·m~(-3),二次有机碳(secondary organic carbon,SOC)对OC的平均贡献率为38.93%.长春秋季总糖浓度为(1 049.39±958.85)ng·m~(-3),其中作为生物质燃烧示踪剂的脱水糖含量(左旋葡聚糖、半乳聚糖和甘露聚糖)在总糖中占比为91.69%,糖类相关性分析结果显示生物质燃烧源为长春秋季大气中糖类物质的主要贡献源.糖类物质的相关性分析及3种脱水糖的特征比值研究显示,作为长春秋季大气主要污染源的生物质燃烧的类型是硬木和作物残渣的燃烧.长春秋季WSOC的光吸收波长指数(AAE)为5.75±1.06,单位质量吸收效率(MAE)为(1.23±0.28)m~2·g~(-1),表明生物质燃烧对WSOC吸光性具有重要影响.利用生物质燃烧特征源参数量化计算生物质燃烧对WSOC浓度的贡献达58.82%,对总WSOC光吸收的贡献达40.92%.     

郑州市春季大气污染过程VOCs特征、臭氧生成潜势及源解析

利用GC5000在线气相色谱仪于2018年4月15日～5月15日对郑州市城区环境大气挥发性有机物(VOCs)进行监测,开展其污染特征、臭氧生成潜势(OFP)和来源解析研究.结果表明,监测期间,郑州市春季VOCs平均体积分数为40.26×10~(-9),非污染日和污染日VOCs平均体积分数分别为35.82×10~(-9)和44.12×10~(-9),污染日相较非污染日增长23%;VOCs物种对OFP的贡献表现为烯烃芳香烃烷烃炔烃;源解析结果显示监测期间郑州市VOCs主要来源是LPG源(66.05%)、机动车源(47.39%)、工业溶剂源(37.51%)、燃烧源(37.80%)和植物排放源(11.25%),且污染日的LPG源和植物排放源的贡献率较非污染日增长22.92%和68.50%.