The sound of one hand clapping: transparency without accountability

Does increasing government transparency in an authoritarian regime, absent electoral forms of accountability, change outcomes? The case of China, which has adopted a number of open governance and public information laws, is examined to see whether increased transparency by local environmental protection bureaus affects key environmental outcomes, specifically reductions in air and water pollution. Several unique environmental performance measurements, developed by the authors, are used to supplement standard government-reported measurements of environmental outcomes, and a widely used environmental transparency index (the PITI). By testing information that is newly supplied to the public, but already available to government, government and public monitoring are distinguished from one another, and the effect of public knowledge of government functions is tested. In the absence of a mechanism for the public to hold local government accountable, public transparency alone has no impact on outcomes other than information provision itself.     

Subjective modeling choices and the robustness of impact evaluations in conservation science

Arbitrary modeling choices are inevitable in scientific studies. Yet, few empirical studies in conservation science report the effects these arbitrary choices have on estimated results. I explored the effects of subjective modeling choices in the context of counterfactual impact evaluations. Over 5000 candidate models based on reasonable changes in the choice of statistical matching algorithms (e.g., genetic and nearest distance mahalanobis matching), the parametrization of these algorithms (e.g., number of matches), and the inclusion of specific covariates (e.g., distance to nearest city, slope, or rainfall) were valid for studying the effect of Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of the Congo on changes in tree cover loss and carbon storage over time. I randomly picked 2000 of the 5000 candidate models to determine how much and which subjective modeling choices affected the results the most. All valid models indicated that tree cover loss decreased and carbon storage increased in Virunga National Park from 2000 to 2019. Nonetheless, the order of magnitude of the estimates varied by a factor of 3 (from −4.78 to −13.12 percentage points decrease in tree cover loss and from 20 to 46 t Ce/ha for carbon storage). My results highlight that modeling choices, notably the choice of the matching algorithm, can have significant effects on point estimates and suggest that more structured robustness checks are a key step toward more credible findings in conservation science.     

我国湖泊富营养化效应区域差异性分析

通过分析我国湖泊富营养化相关指标的区域差异性,发现在相同营养物质条件下,浮游藻类生物量却有所差异,说明不同区域浮游藻类对营养物质总氮（TN）和总磷（TP）的利用效率存在显著的区域差异性.利用SPSS中的曲线估计功能,分析我国不同湖泊区域lg Chl-a分别与lg TN和lg TP的线性方程,通过比较线性方程的斜率分析不同湖泊区域浮游藻类对营养物质TN和TP的利用效率,蒙新高原、云贵高原、东北平原-山地、长江中下游平原及华北平原,lg Chl-a与lg TP线性方程的斜率由高到低依次为1.002、0.817、0.761、0.545、0.250.lg Chl-a与lg TN线性方程的斜率由高到低依次为1.401、1.058、0.447、0.239、0.099,分别为长江中下游平原、云贵高原、华北平原、东北平原-山地及蒙新高原.由此可见,东北平原-山地和蒙新高原TP对浮游藻类生长的影响大于TN,而在华北平原、长江中下游平原和云贵高原,TN对浮游藻类生长的影响大于TP.另一方面,通过分析浮游藻类生物量与水体透明度之间的相关性,阐明藻类生长繁殖对不同区域湖泊水体透明度影响的区域差异性,结果表明,湖泊中浮游藻类生长繁殖对水体透明度影响最大的是云贵高原,其次是东北平原-山地、蒙新高原和华北平原,长江中下游平原水体透明度与浮游藻类生物量之间没有显著相关性.     

USE OF A VIEWER BOX IN SECCIII DISK MEASUREMENTS1

We used a closed-ended viewer box in the measurement of Secchi depth and compared the results with simultaneous naked-eye measurements. We have shown that use of such a viewer box increases Secchi depth measurement by removing the interfering effects of water surface glare and glitter. A viewer box also increases between-observer precision. Measurements made both with and without the viewer box are slightly greater on the shady side of the boat than on the sunny side; the latter is the preferred side if Secchi data are to be related to other optical properties. As expected, the difference between viewer box and naked eye measurements increases with increasing wave height but not with increasing illuminance. Because of the lack of uniformity in the way Secchi depth is estimated, and the inherent optical problems with current Secchi depth procedures, an appeal is made for production of a standardized protocol for Secchi observations, including the use of a closed-ended viewer box on the sunny side of the boat.     

一种海水透明度测量新方法的研究与实现

随着海洋光学探测技术的不断发展,传统的海水透明度测量方法已无法满足当前对海洋环境参数全方位、多角度、动态实时测量的要求.文章依据海水透明度的光度学定义,提出了一种测量海水透明度的新方法,并基于常用的光学器件及测量仪器,设计了一套海水透明度的实时测量装置,介绍了测量装置的安装调节方法.理论分析和实验均表明,该测量装置可以有效实时测量海水透明度.     

陆源营养盐输入对青岛近岸海域DMS生物生产的影响

近海海域是全球DMS的重要排放源,同时近海海域,尤其是城市近岸海域是生态环境受人为干扰最为严重的区域.为了解人为活动对DMS生物生产的干扰,以青岛近岸海域为研究区域,在2001～2002年进行了不同季节的采样.发现该区域DMS存在季节变化,在生物量高的夏季,水体的DMS浓度也最高;高营养盐区域DMS/Chl a(单位叶绿素的DMS产量)低;低透明度区域DMS/Chl a也较低,且在长日照的夏季,透明度与DMS/Chl a有显著相关关系.     

印染废水的透视度与SS色度相关性研究

文章探讨了印染废水的透视度与SS、色度的相关性。分别对活性、分散、直接染料的染色液、模拟印花浆液进行研究,发现对分散染料残液及浆液无法用单纯的过滤来去除色度与SS,必须通过混凝、电解、生化等方法来解决。     

杞麓湖水体藻量和透明度变化分析

近几年监测表明，杞麓湖水体中藻量减少，透明度增加，说明藻量变化对透明度影响极大。藻类繁殖。水体色素增加，透明度降低；藻类死亡，色素分解，水体透明度递增。     

空气污染对城市太阳辐射影响的试验研究

对太阳辐射强度和空气污染浓度的观测分析表明:晴日太阳辐射的减弱与空气污染浓度密切相关。因此可以用太阳辐射强度的长期变化间接推断当地大气质量的长期变化。     

Closing the knowledge-action gap in conservation with open science

The knowledge-action gap in conservation science and practice occurs when research outputs do not result in actions to protect or restore biodiversity. Among the diverse and complex reasons for this gap, three barriers are fundamental: knowledge is often unavailable to practitioners and challenging to interpret or difficult to use or both. Problems of availability, interpretability, and useability are solvable with open science practices. We considered the benefits and challenges of three open science practices for use by conservation scientists and practitioners. First, open access publishing makes the scientific literature available to all. Second, open materials (detailed methods, data, code, and software) increase the transparency and use of research findings. Third, open education resources allow conservation scientists and practitioners to acquire the skills needed to use research outputs. The long-term adoption of open science practices would help researchers and practitioners achieve conservation goals more quickly and efficiently and reduce inequities in information sharing. However, short-term costs for individual researchers (insufficient institutional incentives to engage in open science and knowledge mobilization) remain a challenge. We caution against a passive approach to sharing that simply involves making information available. We advocate a proactive stance toward transparency, communication, collaboration, and capacity building that involves seeking out and engaging with potential users to maximize the environmental and societal impact of conservation science.