Infant health impacts of freshwater algal blooms: Evidence from an invasive species natural experiment

Economists are increasingly interested in causally interpretable estimates of environmental health externalities, particularly on infant health. This paper focuses on a specific case by investigating microcystin, a toxin produced by freshwater blue-green algal blooms. We exploit a natural experiment caused by a zebra mussel die-off in a large lake located in the state of Michigan, USA to identify changes in microcystin-related infant outcomes surrounding the lake. Using both the synthetic control method and a difference-in-differences strategy, we find that instances of low birth weight around the lake fell by 1.4 percentage points after lake water quality improved. Along the intensive margin, birth weight and length of gestation increased by 17.1 g and 0.47 weeks, respectively. Improvements to low birth weight result in $768,500 in average annual hospitalization cost savings. Many robustness and falsification tests are performed including using both annual and monthly data and accounting for possible weather confounders and seasonality. Results suggest that microcystin can affect infant health at levels below current water advisory guidelines.     

Kinetics of Aerobic Polymer Degradation in Soil by Means of the ASTM D 5988-96 Standard Method

The standard test method ASTM D 5988-96 for determining the degree and rate of aerobic biodegradation of plastic materials in contact with soil was applied to poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and poly(-caprolactone). The method proved to be reliable and supplied reproducible measurements of CO₂ production, provided potassium (instead of barium) hydroxide was used as a trapping solution. The trends of CO₂ evolution, as a function of time, observed for the degradation of polymer powders in soil are similar to those predicted by simple first order kinetics in solution. The experimental data are described by a Michaelis–Menten type model, which accounts for the heterogeneity of the polymer-soil system. The kinetic equation deduced predicts the degradation rate to the proportional to the exposed polymer surface area.     

基于碳氮稳定同位素组成分析的孔石莼对氨氮的吸收

氨氮(NH4-N)是水体中能被藻类直接吸收利用的无机氮。利用稳定同位素技术研究了不同浓度下孔石莼(Ulvapertusa)对NH4-N的吸收,藻类体内δ15N、δ13C的变化。结果显示:试验初始阶段,孔石莼大量吸收水体中的14NH4-N、12CO2用于自身组织的合成,导致水体中氨氮浓度、δ15N和δ13C急剧下降,约在5～25 h,这一阶段水体中氨氮浓度变化很小,藻体15N缓慢降低,达到平缓期;约在25 h后,氨氮浓度缓慢下降,海水中的底物浓度很低,水体中14NH4-N几乎被吸收殆尽,孔石莼开始大幅吸收15NH4-N,δ15N上升。δ13C在4 h后呈现无规律波动。     

不同岩溶环境条件下岩溶地下水中δ~(13)C_(DIC)特征

岩溶地下水的δ13 CDIC值主要是受土壤碳库和碳酸盐岩碳库的δ13 C所制约。本研究选取两个气候条件完全不同的南方广西桂林、北方山西汾阳为对比研究对象,通过取样测试分析两个地区岩溶地下水的δ13 CDIC值,发现北方汾阳岩溶地下水的δ13 CDIC范围为-7.53‰～-12.25‰,平均为-9.84‰;南方桂林岩溶泉水的δ13 CDIC范围为-9.22‰～-15.99‰,平均为-13.06‰;北方岩溶水比南方偏重3.22‰。结合两个地区所处的气候环境条件分析,北方暖温带干旱半干旱大陆性季风区,C4植被发育,C3/C4比例低,土壤碳库的δ13 C重;南方亚热带湿润季风区C3植被发育,C3/C4比例高,土壤碳库的δ13 C轻。因此气候条件不同引起生态条件的差异而造成南北方地下水δ13 CDIC的不同。这为利用同位素方法研究地下水对气候条件变化的响应提供了理论依据。     

Effectiveness of China's National Forest Protection Program and nature reserves

There is profound interest in knowing the degree to which China's institutions are capable of protecting its natural forests and biodiversity in the face of economic and political change. China's 2 most important forest‐protection policies are its National Forest Protection Program (NFPP) and its national‐level nature reserves (NNRs). The NFPP was implemented in 2000 in response to deforestation‐caused flooding. We undertook the first national, quantitative assessment of the NFPP and NNRs to examine whether the NFPP achieved its deforestation‐reduction target and whether the NNRs deter deforestation altogether. We used MODIS data to estimate forest cover and loss across mainland China (2000–2010). We also assembled the first‐ever polygon dataset for China's forested NNRs (n = 237, 74,030 km² in 2000) and used both conventional and covariate‐matching approaches to compare deforestation rates inside and outside NNRs (2000–2010). In 2000, 1.765 million km² or 18.7% of mainland China was forested (12.3% with canopy cover of ≥70%)) or woodland (6.4% with canopy cover <70% and tree plus shrub cover ≥40%). By 2010, 480,203 km² of forest and woodland had been lost, an annual deforestation rate of 2.7%. Forest‐only loss was 127,473 km² (1.05% annually). In the NFPP provinces, the forest‐only loss rate was 0.62%, which was 3.3 times lower than in the non‐NFPP provinces. Moreover, the Landsat data suggest that these loss rates are overestimates due to large MODIS pixel size. Thus, China appears to have achieved, and even exceeded, its target of reducing deforestation to 1.1% annually in the NFPP provinces. About two‐thirds of China's NNRs were effective in protecting forest cover (prevented loss 4073 km² unmatched approach; 3148 km² matched approach), and within‐NNR deforestation rates were higher in provinces with higher overall deforestation. Our results indicate that China's existing institutions can protect domestic forest cover.     

新疆“十三五”城市空气质量评价分析

“十三五”是新疆经济、社会和环境发展的关键期.基于2015-2020年新疆14个城市空气质量年平均数据,采用三年滑动平均方法对新疆“十三五”空气质量进行评价分析.结果 表明:全区空气质量优劣依次是北疆＞东疆＞南疆,其中乌鲁木齐市三年滑动年均优良天数比例呈逐年上升趋势,而和田市与之相反,呈下降趋势,且三年滑动年均下降率达...     

混凝体系中水解铝盐的再稳现象的研究

基于铝水解聚合形态产生再稳现象的反应机制,对Al13的再稳现象的成因、影响铝水解形态吸附再稳发生的因素进行了分析,同时从理论上对胶粒表面浓度与凝聚剂剂量、体系随pH变化对混凝效果的影响、颗粒物的扩散传质速率进行了研究．结果表明：再稳现象的产生与凝聚剂剂量与胶体颗粒物表面浓度的相对比值、混凝体系的pH和流体的扩散输送状况有关．尤其是低颗粒物表面浓度下的混凝最易出现再稳．图3,参12．