Longitudinal analysis of bioaccumulative contaminants in freshwater fishes

The National Contaminant Biomonitoring Program (NCBP) was initiated in 1967 as a component of the National Pesticide Monitoring program. It consists of periodic collection of freshwater fish and other samples and the analysis of the concentrations of persistent environmental contaminants in these samples. For the analysis, the common approach has been to apply the mixed two-way ANOVA model to combined data. A main disadvantage of this method is that it cannot give a detailed temporal trend of the concentrations since the data are grouped. In this paper, we present an alternative approach that performs a longitudinal analysis of the information using random effects models. In the new approach, no grouping is needed and the data are treated as samples from continuous stochastic processes, which seems more appropriate than ANOVA for the problem.     

A spectral power analysis of driving behavior changes during the transition from nondistraction to distraction

Objective: This article investigated and compared frequency domain and time domain characteristics of drivers' behaviors before and after the start of distracted driving.

Method: Data from an existing naturalistic driving study were used. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) was applied for the frequency domain analysis to explore drivers' behavior pattern changes between nondistracted (prestarting of visual–manual task) and distracted (poststarting of visual–manual task) driving periods. Average relative spectral power in a low frequency range (0–0.5 Hz) and the standard deviation in a 10-s time window of vehicle control variables (i.e., lane offset, yaw rate, and acceleration) were calculated and further compared. Sensitivity analyses were also applied to examine the reliability of the time and frequency domain analyses.

Results: Results of the mixed model analyses from the time and frequency domain analyses all showed significant degradation in lateral control performance after engaging in visual–manual tasks while driving. Results of the sensitivity analyses suggested that the frequency domain analysis was less sensitive to the frequency bandwidth, whereas the time domain analysis was more sensitive to the time intervals selected for variation calculations. Different time interval selections can result in significantly different standard deviation values, whereas average spectral power analysis on yaw rate in both low and high frequency bandwidths showed consistent results, that higher variation values were observed during distracted driving when compared to nondistracted driving.

Conclusions: This study suggests that driver state detection needs to consider the behavior changes during the prestarting periods, instead of only focusing on periods with physical presence of distraction, such as cell phone use. Lateral control measures can be a better indicator of distraction detection than longitudinal controls. In addition, frequency domain analyses proved to be a more robust and consistent method in assessing driving performance compared to time domain analyses.     

Carbon sequestration via afforestation as a sustainable action to mitigate climate change in Western Iran

Climate change involves increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration which is driven by anthropogenic emissions. Afforestation, which is the establishment of forests on previously non‐forested lands, could be a suitable climate change mitigation strategy. The aim of this research is to evaluate the carbon sequestration capability of the Eucalyptus and Prosopis species in the Reza‐Abad afforestation park in western Iran. For this aim, three stands of any species were selected. For quantitative assessment, a transect was implemented at the length of 100 m. In trees located of transects, the general characteristics of species were measured. Also, for estimating the amount of litter, a sample plot has been measured at the center of the quadrate. These samples were taken from the afforested area, the control area inside the afforested area and another control area outside. In each stand, species were selected randomly and one‐eighth of the whole stand was taken for calculating the percentage of carbon and aerial biomass. Then the aboveground organs were weighted and after the transfer of different plant organs to the laboratory, the conversion factor of carbon sequestration of the plant organs was determined individually by combustion method. Also, soil samples were also collected from two depths of 0–15 and 15–30 cm in each of the cultivated and control parts. The results showed that there is a significant difference between the species and Prosopis has higher carbon sequestration than Eucalyptus. The carbon sequestration among different organs showed a significant difference, carbon sequestration was 19.24 t/ha for Eucalyptus and 18.43 t/ha for Prosopis. After an economic calculation, it was concluded that afforestation has a positive effect on the reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Hence, these results allow decision makers to change land use from desert area to forest, and planting the Prosopis species is more recommendable than Eucalyptus for afforestation in such areas which are economically profitable.     

Climate adaptation management and institutional erosion: insights from a major Canadian port

This paper performs an institutional analysis of the adaptation to climate change by ports, through a case study of the port of Vancouver, Canada. While previous literature has demonstrated the value of informal institutions for filling gaps left by formal institutions, the role of failed informal institutions has received less attention. Our analysis reveals how, in the case of an unprecedented challenge like climate adaptation, relying on informal institutions with less agency can actually erode the strength of existing institutions in a form of negative institutional plasticity. In this case, emerging polycentric governance was unsuccessful, unable to construct clearly demarcated responsibilities due to impedance by the path dependence of the current federalist system. The latter works well for traditional infrastructure investments with a closed pool of stakeholders, but not for ports where multiple scales of embeddedness, both horizontally and vertically, produce a collective action problem with no mechanism for resolution.     

What Matters Most: Are Future Stream Temperatures More Sensitive to Changing Air Temperatures,Discharge, or Riparian Vegetation?

Simulations of stream temperatures showed a wide range of future thermal regimes under a warming climate — from 2.9°C warmer to 7.6°C cooler than current conditions — depending primarily on shade from riparian vegetation. We used the stream temperature model, Heat Source, to analyze a 37‐km study segment of the upper Middle Fork John Day River, located in northeast Oregon, USA. We developed alternative future scenarios based on downscaled projections from climate change models and the composition and structure of native riparian forests. We examined 36 scenarios combining future changes in air temperature (ΔT_air = 0°C, +2°C, and +4°C), stream discharge (ΔQ = ?30%, 0%, and +30%), and riparian vegetation (post‐wildfire with 7% shade, current vegetation with 19% shade, a young‐open forest with 34% shade, and a mature riparian forest with 79% effective shade). Shade from riparian vegetation had the largest influence on stream temperatures, changing the seven‐day average daily maximum temperature (7DADM) from +1°C to ?7°C. In comparison, the 7DADM increased by 1.4°C with a 4°C increase in air temperature and by 0.7°C with a 30% change in discharge. Many streams throughout the interior western United States have been altered in ways that have substantially reduced shade. The effect of restoring shade could result in future stream temperatures that are colder than today, even under a warmer climate with substantially lower late‐summer streamflow.     

Climatic Controls on Watershed Reference Evapotranspiration Varied during 1961–2012 in Southern China

Reference evapotranspiration (ET_o) is an important hydrometeorological term widely used in understanding and projecting the hydrological effects of future climate and land use change. We conducted a case study in the Qinhuai River Basin that is dominated by a humid subtropical climate and mixed land uses in southern China. Long‐term (1961–2012) meteorological data were used to estimate ET_o by the FAO‐56 Penman–Monteith model. The individual contribution from each meteorological variable to the trend of ET_o was quantified. We found basin‐wide annual ET_o decreased significantly (p < 0.05) by 3.82 mm/yr during 1961–1987, due to decreased wind speed, solar radiation, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and increased relative humidity (RH). However, due to the increased VPD and decreased RH, the ET_o increased significantly (p < 0.05) in spring, autumn, and annually at a rate of 2.55, 0.56, and 3.16 mm/yr during 1988–2012, respectively. The aerodynamic term was a dominant factor controlling ET_o variation in both two periods. We concluded the key climatic controls on ET_o have shifted as a result of global climate change during 1961–2012. The atmospheric demand, instead of air temperature alone, was a major control on ET_o. Models for accurately predicting ET_o and hydrological change under a changing climate must include VPD in the study region. The shifts of climatic control on the hydrological cycles should be considered in future water resource management in humid regions.     

Adaptive Management and Climate Change Adaptation: Two Mutually Beneficial Areas of Practice

Adaptive management (AM) is a rigorous approach to implementing, monitoring, and evaluating actions, so as to learn and adjust those actions. Existing AM projects are at risk from climate change, and current AM guidance does not provide adequate methods to deal with this risk. Climate change adaptation (CCA) is an approach to plan and implement actions to reduce risks from climate variability and climate change, and to exploit beneficial opportunities. AM projects could be made more resilient to extreme climate events by applying the principles and procedures of CCA. To test this idea, we analyze the effects of extreme climatic events on five existing AM projects focused on ecosystem restoration and species recovery, in the Russian, Trinity, Okanagan, Platte, and Missouri River Basins. We examine these five case studies together to generate insights on how integrating CCA principles and practices into their design and implementation could improve their sustainability, despite significant technical and institutional challenges, particularly at larger scales. Although climate change brings substantial risks to AM projects, it may also provide opportunities, including creating new habitats, increasing the ability to quickly test flow‐habitat hypotheses, stimulating improvements in watershed management and water conservation, expanding the use of real‐time tools for flow management, and catalyzing creative application of CCA principles and procedures.     

焦作市大气污染时空分布特征及来源分析

焦作市是京津冀地区"2+26"通道城市之一.为研究焦作市大气污染特征,于2016年1月-2018年2月使用3个国控站点（马村区生态环境局、焦作市生态环境局和高新区政府）大气环境监测数据,以及2018年1月焦作市边界站PM_2.5及其化学组分（水溶性离子和碳组分）监测数据进行分析.结果显示:焦作市大气污染以PM_2.5污染为主,2017年ρ（NO₂）、ρ（PM_2.5）、ρ（PM₁₀）、ρ（CO）和ρ（SO₂）平均值分别为42.4 μg/m3、79.0 μg/m3、136.5 μg/m3、1.42 mg/m3和38.3 μg/m3,较2016年分别下降了10.5%、10.6%、11.2%、20.7%和37.6%.在时间分布上,大气污染物质量浓度日变化具有明显的季节性特征,春、夏两季ρ（NO₂）日变化较秋、冬两季呈更宽的"U型",ρ（SO₂）峰值出现在12:00左右,推测原因与夜间高架源排放有关;在空间分布上,本地一次污染排放可能主要来自市区工地扬尘、西南地区交通源和东部污染点源.观测期间,ρ（NO₃-）、ρ（NH₄+）和ρ（SO₄2-）较高,平均值分别为39.42、23.66和23.01 μg/m3,分别占水溶性离子质量浓度的41.8%、25.1%和24.4%,占ρ（PM_2.5）的27.4%、16.4%和16.0%.污染天的NOR（氮转化率）（0.35）和SOR（硫转化率）（0.43）明显高于清洁天的NOR（0.25）和SOR（0.18）,表明污染天NO₂和SO₂二次转化程度更高.SOR和NOR随相对湿度的增加而增加,表明相对湿度较高时有利于NO₂和SO₂的二次转化.污染天和清洁天ρ（SOC）（SOC为二次有机碳）估算值分别为19.79和3.51 μg/m3,分别占ρ（OC）的79.4%和54.9%,占ρ（PM_2.5）的9.8%和10.4%,表明焦作市SOC对OC有较大的贡献.PSCF（潜在源贡献因子法）结果表明,本地源是影响焦作市秋、冬两季PM_2.5的主要潜在源,太行山南麓区域输送也对其有一定贡献.研究显示,焦作市大气污染较严重,本地一次排放、二次转化和区域输送是焦作市PM_2.5的主要来源.      

近40年来长江干流水质变化研究

为掌握长江水质状况及其变化趋势,开展1981—2019年长江干流水质变化特征研究.系统总结了39年间长江干流地表水环境监测情况,以COD_Mn、NH₃-N和TP为研究因子,探讨了长江干流水环境质量变化规律;同时,选取有连续监测结果的断面,分析了长江上游、中游和下游不同断面近40年来的水质变化特征.结果表明:①1981—2019年,我国水环境监测迅速发展,长江干流水环境质量监测在监测点位、监测频次、监测项目和水环境质量等方面都发生了较大变化.②长江干流地表水水质总体相对较好,上游水质好于中下游,上游水体中ρ(COD_Mn)、ρ(NH₃-N)和ρ(TP)均低于中下游.③1981—2005年各江段ρ(COD_Mn)和ρ(NH₃-N)年均值变化特征不同,在2006年之后大体呈逐渐降低的变化趋势.④2006年以来,长江干流水质呈好转态势,水体中ρ(COD_Mn)、ρ(NH₃-N)和ρ(TP)均呈逐年下降趋势.⑤近年来,长江干流断面中TP的污染程度高于COD_Mn和NH₃-N,应引起重视.研究显示,政府的相关管理措施对长江干流水质改善具有正面推动作用,极大改善了长江流域总体水质,也促进了长江干流水质的进一步好转.      

1961—2017年青藏高原极端降水特征分析

基于青藏高原78个气象站点的逐日降水数据,采用百分位阈值法确定极端降水阈值,计算极端降水指数并分析其时空分布特征,以期为区域气候变化预测及防灾减灾对策的制定提供参考。结果表明：（1）1961—2017年青藏高原年降水量表现出上升趋势,上升速率为8.06 mm/10 a,多年平均降水量达472.36 mm。78个站点的年降水量倾向率最小值为-25.46 mm/10 a,最大值为43.02 mm/10 a,有15.38%的站点降水在下降,较为集中地分布在高原的东部和南部,其余84.62%的站点降水量在上升。（2）青藏高原各站点极端降水阈值的平均值为23.11 mm,取值范围为7.84~51.90 mm。高值中心出现在横断山区的贡山和木里,低值中心出现在柴达木盆地及昆仑山北翼区。（3）青藏高原各站点的极端降水量、极端降水日数和极端降水贡献率均表现出了明显的上升趋势,极端降水强度虽然也在上升但趋势并不明显,表明青藏高原极端降水量的上升并非是极端降水的强度引起的,而是由极端降水频次的上升引起的。柴达木盆地的极端降水量和极端降水日数虽然并没有表现出高值水平,但该地区的极端降水贡献率却表现出较高水平,表明该区域虽然降水量较少,但是降水往往以极端降水的形式产生。