MUNICIPAL RESPONSES TO VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN WISCONSIN GROUND WATER1

ABSTRACT: Contamination of ground water supplies with volatile organic compounds is a new and significant problem. Municipalities and their community water systems are often the first to discover ground water contamination because of the monitoring programs they are required to carry out. When contamination exceeds standards, some action is required. The responses of Wisconsin municipalities to volatile organic compounds that exceed standards in their ground water sources is described. Actions to protect human health are prompt, but the survey results indicate plumes of contaminated ground water are usually not treated. They may continue to migrate and contaminate other private and public wells.     

林(竹)草不同植被恢复模式下的土壤物理特性

利用建立生态定位观测场,对华西雨屏区洪雅县低山区退耕还林中的桦木+扁穗牛鞭草、苦竹+扁穗牛鞭草、纯扁穗牛鞭草和撑绿杂交竹＋扁穗牛鞭草4种林（竹）草植被类型进行定位观测,研究不同植被恢复类型对土壤物理特性的改良。试验结果表明：林（竹）草不同植被类型植被恢复5年后,土壤0～40 cm土层的砂粒和粗粉粒百分含量均有一定的下降,在一定程度上逆转了原坡耕地土壤继续“粗化”的趋势;4种植被恢复类型土壤0～40 cm土层的物理性粘粒含量与农耕地相比均有一定提高,在一定程度上增强了固持土壤养分的能力,以苦竹＋扁穗牛鞭草改良效果最好;与农耕地相比,4种植被恢复类型土壤0～40 cm土层土壤容重有增有减,以苦竹＋扁穗牛鞭草和撑绿杂交竹＋扁穗牛鞭草植被恢复类型改良效果相对较优;虽然除纯牛鞭草地外其它3种植被恢复类型土壤0～40 cm的总孔隙度与农耕地相比都有一定程度的增加,但土壤总孔隙度都偏小,非毛管孔隙/毛管孔隙值也不合理。可见土壤结构的改良并非退耕后植被恢复短期内就能实现的,还需长时间的植被保护、合理的经营。〖     

重庆长江广阳岛生态修复设计与实践探索

广阳岛的生态修复设计以"长江风景眼,重庆生态岛"为价值追求,聚焦"生态"和"风景".生态修复设计围绕"摸清本底、自然恢复、生态修复、增加生物多样性"四个核心方面展开,通过运用土壤改良技术、海绵理水技术和生态疏田技术等生态修复技术提升生态修复科技内涵,使生态修复后的广阳岛以生态为魂、以风景为象.一期按照四种模式完成生态修...     

Structure and activity of thermophilic methanogenic microbial communities exposed to quaternary ammonium sanitizer

Food processing facilities often use antimicrobial quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) sanitizers to maintain cleanliness. These QACs can end up in wastewaters used as feedstock for anaerobic digestion. The aim of this study was to measure the effect of QAC contamination on biogas production and structure of microbial communities in thermophilic digester sludge. Methane production and biogas quality data were analyzed in batch anaerobic digesters containing QAC at 0, 15, 50, 100 and 150 mg/L. Increasing sanitizer concentration in the bioreactors negatively impacted methane production rate and biogas quality. Microbial community composition data was obtained through 16S rRNA gene sequencing from the QAC-contaminated sludges. Sequencing data showed no significant restructuring of the bacterial communities. However, significant restructuring was observed within the archaeal communities as QAC concentration increased. Further studies to confirm these effects on a larger scale and with a longer retention time are necessary.     

三峡库区森林植被恢复与可持续经营研究

系统的野外调查数据和历史资料分析结果表明,三峡库区森林植被在空间上发展不均匀,无明显垂直分带,且分布分散,人为干扰严重。目前,在70多个植被类型中,森林类型占25个,江岸两侧海拔800 m以下地区森林已经很少。森林类型中,马尾松、柏木林的分布面积最大,并在许多疏林中成为主要树种,主要是飞播或人工种植。库区大于25°的坡耕地占耕地面积的17.5％。库区薪炭林仅能满足农村用能总需求量的10.78％。不合理的土地利用方式和对森林的不合理砍伐导致脆弱的土壤系统和森林生态系统的严重退化、生产力下降和严重的水土流失。库区土壤年侵蚀量达到2.9亿t。三峡工程建设和移民安置对库区森林生态系统的压力和影响将是长期的。调查结果同时表明,库区植物生物多样性丰富,植物种类在5 032种以上,而且乡土树种多。分析认为,只要抓住三峡工程建设的契机,紧密结合国家天然林保护和退耕还林工程建设,充分利用良好的生物学基础,科学地封山育林,分带逐步恢复,同时,因地制宜,退耕还林,发展森林能源,建设多目标复合和多种模式并存的林业经营体系,发展经济,就能从根本上改善森林经营环境,实现森林恢复,形成合理布局的水库森林防护系统,促进三峡库区生态环境建设和可持续发展。     

Management plan for an alkali sink and its endangered plantCordylanthus palmatus

Cordylanthus palmatus is a hemiparasitic annual of the family Scrophulareacae. It is on both the federal and state lists of endangered species. Only four widely separated populations remain, all of them in alkali sinks, where the plant thrives in saline-sodic soils. The largest population is at Springtown, Alameda County, California. This article reports on efforts to develop a management plan for both the plant and the alkali sink ecosystem. The plan is based on: (1) characterization of hydrology, soils and geomorphology of the site; (2) characterization of the land use impacts to the site; (3) analysis of plant distribution in relation to gradients of elevation and soil chemistry; (4) studies on water potential and water stress inCordylanthus palmatus and associated species. On the basis of this plan, both the State of California and private groups are cooperating to create, restore, and manage a preserve in the Springtown Alkali Sink.     

面向未来的企业可持续发展必由之路:生态效益

介绍工业生态学中生态效益的基本概念、核心思想和企业向生态效益型发展的必要性和必然性 ,分析了推行生态效益管理的关键和难点 ,并提出我国企业推行生态效益的对策建议。     

塔里木河下游胡杨对输水的生态响应

对塔里木河下游不同离河距离成过熟胡杨和输水后更新胡杨胸径、地径、树高、冠幅、枯枝比以及优势胡杨百分比的调查表明:随离河距离增加(地下水埋深增加),胡杨(大树)枯枝比增加,优势胡杨百分比降低;胸径、树高、冠幅随离河距离增加,增减规律不明显。输水后萌蘖更新胡杨的树高、冠幅和地径均随离河距离增加而降低。以上调查指标确定胡杨输水后恢复等级,离河50~300 m胡杨整体恢复"优",离河300~500 m胡杨恢复"良",离河500~1 050m胡杨恢复"中",离河1 050~1 500 m胡杨对输水响应微弱,整体恢复"差"。胡杨具明显的随离河距离增加恢复等级降低的梯度响应特征,生态输水促进了河畔带胡杨的恢复,水是制约塔里木河下游胡杨生长与恢复的关键因子。     

A GIS Model of Subsurface Water Potential for Aquatic Resource Inventory,Assessment, and Environmental Management

Biological, chemical, and physical attributes of aquatic ecosystems are often strongly influenced by groundwater sources. Nonetheless, widespread access to predictions of subsurface contributions to rivers, lakes, and wetlands at a scale useful to environmental managers is generally lacking. In this paper, we describe a neighborhood analysis approach for estimating topographic constraints on spatial patterns of recharge and discharge and discuss how this index has proven useful in research, management, and conservation contexts. The Michigan Rivers Inventory subsurface flux model (MRI-DARCY) used digital elevation and hydraulic conductivity inferred from mapped surficial geology to estimate spatial patterns of hydraulic potential. Model predictions were calculated in units of specific discharge (meters per day) for a 30-m²-cell raster map and interpreted as an index of potential subsurface water flux (shallow groundwater and event through-flow). The model was evaluated by comparison with measurements of groundwater-related attributes at watershed, stream segment, and local spatial scales throughout Lower Michigan (USA). Map-based predictions using MRI-DARCY accounted for 85% of the observed variation in base flow from 128 USGS gauges, 69% of the observed variation in discharge accrual from 48 river segments, and 29% of the residual variation in local groundwater flux from 33 locations as measured by hyporheic temperature profiles after factoring out the effects of climate. Although it does not incorporate any information about the actual water table surface, by quantifying spatial variation of key constraints on groundwater-related attributes, the model provides strata for more intensive study, as well as a useful spatial tool for regional and local conservation planning, fisheries management, wetland characterization, and stream assessment.     

Spatial cost–benefit analysis of blue restoration and factors driving net benefits globally

Marine coastal ecosystems, commonly referred to as blue ecosystems, provide valuable services to society but are under increasing threat worldwide due to a variety of drivers, including eutrophication, development, land-use change, land reclamation, and climate change. Ecological restoration is sometimes necessary to facilitate recovery in coastal ecosystems. Blue restoration (i.e., in marine coastal systems) is a developing field, and projects to date have been small scale and expensive, leading to the perception that restoration may not be economically viable. We conducted a global cost–benefit analysis to determine the net benefits of restoring coral reef, mangrove, saltmarsh, and seagrass ecosystems, where the benefit is defined as the monetary value of ecosystem services. We estimated costs from published restoration case studies and used an adjusted-value-transfer method to assign benefit values to these case studies. Benefit values were estimated as the monetary value provided by ecosystem services of the restored habitats. Benefits outweighed costs (i.e., there were positive net benefits) for restoration of all blue ecosystems. Mean benefit:cost ratios for ecosystem restoration were eight to 10 times higher than prior studies of coral reef and seagrass restoration, most likely due to the more recent lower cost estimates we used. Among ecosystems, saltmarsh had the greatest net benefits followed by mangrove; coral reef and seagrass ecosystems had lower net benefits. In general, restoration in nations with middle incomes had higher (eight times higher in coral reefs and 40 times higher in mangroves) net benefits than those with high incomes. Within an ecosystem type, net benefit varied with restoration technique (coral reef and saltmarsh), ecosystem service produced (mangrove and saltmarsh), and project duration (seagrass). These results challenge the perceptions of the low economic viability of blue restoration and should encourage further targeted investment in this field.