Modeling Connectivity of Non‐floodplain Wetlands: Insights,Approaches, and Recommendations

Representing hydrologic connectivity of non‐floodplain wetlands (NFWs) to downstream waters in process‐based models is an emerging challenge relevant to many research, regulatory, and management activities. We review four case studies that utilize process‐based models developed to simulate NFW hydrology. Models range from a simple, lumped parameter model to a highly complex, fully distributed model. Across case studies, we highlight appropriate application of each model, emphasizing spatial scale, computational demands, process representation, and model limitations. We end with a synthesis of recommended “best modeling practices” to guide model application. These recommendations include: (1) clearly articulate modeling objectives, and revisit and adjust those objectives regularly; (2) develop a conceptualization of NFW connectivity using qualitative observations, empirical data, and process‐based modeling; (3) select a model to represent NFW connectivity by balancing both modeling objectives and available resources; (4) use innovative techniques and data sources to validate and calibrate NFW connectivity simulations; and (5) clearly articulate the limits of the resulting NFW connectivity representation. Our review and synthesis of these case studies highlights modeling approaches that incorporate NFW connectivity, demonstrates tradeoffs in model selection, and ultimately provides actionable guidance for future model application and development.     

基于技术和水质相结合的排污许可限值核定技术研究

“十三五”期间,我国排污许可管理制度已基本建立;“十四五”时期,我国排污许可管理将逐步过渡到注重水质达标的管理阶段.为适应我国排污许可新的管理需求,研究了基于技术和水质相结合的排污许可限值核定技术.其中,基于技术的排放限值核定主要根据企业的行业属性和核定产能,结合环境影响评价批复的污染物排放额度,确定其排放浓度限值和排放总量限值;基于水质的排放限值核定需建立污染源与水质之间的响应关系,以地表水水质达标为目标,计算各污染源的最大允许排放量.最终的排污许可限值为基于技术的排污许可限值和基于水质的排污许可限值的最小值.以常州为例,从常州排污许可证核发重点行业选取了两家化工企业A和B,核算其基于技术的排放限值;采用水质模拟和污染物最大允许排放量分配技术,计算了污染物最大允许排放量,并分配到两家化工企业,作为基于水质的排放限值.结果表明:A化工企业COD_Cr和NH₃-N的最终排污许可限值分别为6.53和0.075 t/a,其中,COD_Cr的最终取值为基于水质的排放限值,NH₃-N基于技术和基于水质的排放取值相同;B化工企业COD_Cr和NH₃-N的最终排放限值分别为11.60和0.17 t/a,最终取值均为基于技术的排放限值.研究显示,基于水质的排许可限值受到企业自身和外部水环境容量的双重影响,应从严制定排污许可限值,既能达到企业行业排放标准和环境影响评价批复的要求,又能满足水环境质量达标的目标.      

C/N对SBR生物脱氮硝化过程微生物结构的动态影响

为揭示碳氮比（C/N）对硝化过程影响的机理本质,试验以人工模拟废水为研究对象,采用4组平行的SBR（R₀、R₅、R₁₀、R₁₅）反应器,基于16S rRNA基因-Illumina MiSeq高通量测序技术,考察了4种C/N（0、5、10、15）对硝化过程功能微生物组成和结构特征的影响.结果表明：4种C/N条件下,系统均获得了较好的去除氨氮（去除率>95%）和COD（去除率>90%）效果,TN也有不同程度的降低.此外,C/N会显著影响系统内微生物的多样性、种群结构和功能.R₀系统Chao1指数（922）、ACE指数（1232.4）、Shannon指数（6.76）和Simpson指数（0.96）均最大,故微生物多样性最丰富,而R₅的物种丰富度最低.在微生物门水平上,变形菌门（Proteobacteria）、拟杆菌门（Bacteroidetes）、蓝细菌门（Cyanobacteria）等9个相对丰度较高的门是重要的微生物门,其中变形菌门（Proteobacteria）约全部微生物的40.7%~65.2%,是4个系统中最优势的菌门.硝化过程的关键菌群亚硝化单胞菌科（Nitrosomonadaceae）及硝化螺旋菌属（Nitrospira）的相对丰度表现出随着C/N升高而急剧降低的趋势.基于LEfSe分析共获得了34组具有显著差异的微生物,从而得到了每种C/N条件下在微生物学分类水平上的菌群关键生物标记物.     

硅基多孔材料的表征及其对SO2的吸附性能

为增强火山灰反应的强度,提高对SO₂的脱除性能,以粉煤灰为原料采用两步水热合成法制备硅基多孔材料,并对制备的材料进行表征.结果表明:硅基多孔材料整体呈无序形态,主要成分为水化硅酸钙和CaCO₃,属于无定型的非晶相物质;由C、O、Si、Na、Ca等元素构成,主要以SiO₃2-、CO₃2-的形式存在;呈蜂窝和玻璃纤维的网状结构,内部空隙发达,比表面积较大,且存在有大量的吸附水和结合水.利用固定床反应器测定了硅基多孔材料对SO₂的吸附性能,在入口ρ（SO₂）为1 200 mg/m3、吸附温度为50℃、SO₂含氧量为9%、粒度为200目（0.075 mm）的条件下,SO₂的吸附量可达24.87 mg/g,脱硫率可达100%,与钙基吸附剂相比吸附量提高了74%;将吸附SO₂后的硅基多孔材料在700℃下焙烧3 h,可以继续吸附SO₂,重复使用率可达72.24%.由于SO₂在脱除过程中存在一定的化学反应,含氧量的增加能够提高其对SO₂的吸附量.研究显示,硅基多孔材料脱除SO₂的过程是由物理吸附和化学反应相结合的结果,其中由于制备的硅基多孔材料具有较大的比表面积和较为丰富的孔结构,有利于物理吸附;同时,在两步法制备硅基多孔材料的过程中使火山灰反应得到增强也同样提高了SO₂与硅基多孔材料的化学反应,进而增强了化学吸附的效果.      

HRT对CO2-MBfR去除高SO42-废水中NO3--N的影响

针对含NO₃^--N与较高浓度SO₄^2-实际工业废水处理较难的问题,考察了不同水力停留时间（HRT）下连续运行的CO₂-氢基质膜生物膜反应器（CO₂-MBfR）处理模拟废水和实际工业废水的性能,结果表明,2种废水的出水NO₃^--N浓度均随着HRT的减小而增大,模拟废水中NO₃^--N的处理效果和电子通量分配比例均优于实际废水,但其电子通量分配的格局基本不变：NO₃^--N和SO₄^2-的电子通量分别在90.09%~97.49%和2.51%~9.91%左右.要实现实际废水总氮达到15mg/L的排放标准,需维持HRT不少于10.4h.     

Protection performance of bicycle helmets

IntroductionThe evaluation of head protection systems needs proper knowledge of the head impact conditions in terms of impact speed and angle, as well as a realistic estimation of brain tolerance limits. In current bicycle helmet test procedures, both of these aspects should be improved. Method: The present paper suggests a bicycle helmet evaluation methodology based on realistic impact conditions and consideration of tissue level brain injury risk, in addition to well known headform kinematic parameters. The method is then applied to a set of 32 existing helmets, leading to a total of 576 experimental impact tests followed by 576 numerical simulations of the brain response. Results: It is shown that the most critical impacts are the linear-lateral ones as well as the oblique impact leading to rotation around the vertical axis (ZRot), leading both to around 50% risks of moderate neurological injuries. Based on this test method, the study enables us to compare the protection capability of a given helmet and eventually to compare helmets via a dedicated rating system.     

Sorbents with high efficiency for CO2 capture based on amines-supported carbon for biogas upgrading

Sorbents for CO_2 capture have been prepared by wet impregnation of a commercial active carbon(Ketjen-black, Akzo Nobel) with two CO_2-philic compounds, polyethylenimine(PEI)and tetraethylenepentamine(TEPA), respectively. The effects of amine amount(from 10 to70 wt.%), CO_2 concentration in the feed, sorption temperature and gas hourly space velocity on the CO_2 capture performance have been investigated. The sorption capacity has been evaluated using the breakthrough method, with a fixed bed reactor equipped with on line gas chromatograph. The samples have been characterized by N_2 adsorption–desorption,scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray(SEM/EDX). A promising CO_2 sorption capacity of 6.90 mmol/gsorbenthas been obtained with 70 wt.% of supported TEPA at 70℃ under a stream containing 80 vol% of CO_2. Sorption tests, carried out with simulated biogas compositions(CH_4/CO_2mixtures), have revealed an appreciable CO_2 separation selectivity; stable performance was maintained for 20 adsorption–desorption cycles.     

Generation of Priority Research Questions to Inform Conservation Policy and Management at a National Level

Abstract: Integrating knowledge from across the natural and social sciences is necessary to effectively address societal tradeoffs between human use of biological diversity and its preservation. Collaborative processes can change the ways decision makers think about scientific evidence, enhance levels of mutual trust and credibility, and advance the conservation policy discourse. Canada has responsibility for a large fraction of some major ecosystems, such as boreal forests, Arctic tundra, wetlands, and temperate and Arctic oceans. Stressors to biological diversity within these ecosystems arise from activities of the country's resource‐based economy, as well as external drivers of environmental change. Effective management is complicated by incongruence between ecological and political boundaries and conflicting perspectives on social and economic goals. Many knowledge gaps about stressors and their management might be reduced through targeted, timely research. We identify 40 questions that, if addressed or answered, would advance research that has a high probability of supporting development of effective policies and management strategies for species, ecosystems, and ecological processes in Canada. A total of 396 candidate questions drawn from natural and social science disciplines were contributed by individuals with diverse organizational affiliations. These were collaboratively winnowed to 40 by our team of collaborators. The questions emphasize understanding ecosystems, the effects and mitigation of climate change, coordinating governance and management efforts across multiple jurisdictions, and examining relations between conservation policy and the social and economic well‐being of Aboriginal peoples. The questions we identified provide potential links between evidence from the conservation sciences and formulation of policies for conservation and resource management. Our collaborative process of communication and engagement between scientists and decision makers for generating and prioritizing research questions at a national level could be a model for similar efforts beyond Canada.     

Living at the Edge: Local versus Positional Factors in the Long‐Term Population Dynamics of an Endangered Orchid

Abstract: Populations at the margin of geographic ranges of distribution have been considered more vulnerable than central ones, but recent reviews have caste doubt on this generalization. We examined the reproductive and demographic performance of a rare Euroasiatic orchid (Cypripedium calceolus) at its southwesterly range limit and compared our findings with those of previous studies of nine central populations at the center of the orchid's range. We sought to test the central‐marginal model and to evaluate factors involved in long‐term performance of forest Eurosiberian species with peripheral populations in southern European mountains. We characterized (structure, temporal fluctuations, herbivory, reproductive success, and recruitment at different habitats) four Pyrenean populations of C. calceolus of different sizes (5–3500 ramets) and monitored three of them for up to 13 years. Two quantitative stochastic models (count data and matrix models) were used to assess population trends and viability and the effect of herbivory. Contrary to expectations, and despite the negative effect of sporadic events of herbivory, the peripheral populations we studied (except the smallest one) performed similarly or better than populations occurring in central part of the species’ range in terms of reproductive success and population growth rates. Landscape changes over the last 50 years suggest that natural reforestation could be involved in the success of this plant at its southern limit. Forest expansion in the mountain regions of southern Europe may provide new opportunities for plants with geographic distributions centered mainly at higher latitudes and give some hope for their recovery in future scenarios dominated by biodiversity loss.