Laboratory and Field Assessment of Arsenic Testing Field Kits in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India

High concentrations of arsenic in ground waters in West Bengal and Bangladeshhave become a major cause for concern in recent years. Given the enormity and the severity of the problemof arsenic poisoning, a task of evaluating the commercially available arsenic detection field kits for their capabilities was undertaken. In the light of the findings, generic specificationswere recommended which could form the basis forindigenous manufacture of these kits in the arsenic affected countries. This article presents the results of the laboratory and fieldevaluation conducted in Bangladesh and West Bengalof five arsenic testing field kits. The salient features of the kits, their merits and limitationshave been brought out. Based on the criteria of kitdesign, quality of chemicals used, colourcomparator charts, detection range, time required for analysis, cost etc., a comparative ranking ofthe kits has been made to facilitate the choice of the kit to meet specific requirements.     

Monitoring Air Quality in Mountains: Designing an Effective Network

A quantitatively robust yet parsimonious air-quality monitoring network in mountainous regions requires special attention to relevant spatial and temporal scales of measurement and inference. The design of monitoring networks should focus on the objectives required by public agencies, namely: 1) determine if some threshold has been exceeded (e.g., for regulatory purposes), and 2) identify spatial patterns and temporal trends (e.g., to protect natural resources). A short-term, multi-scale assessment to quantify spatial variability in air quality is a valuable asset in designing a network, in conjunction with an evaluation of existing data and simulation-model output. A recent assessment in Washington state (USA) quantified spatial variability in tropospheric ozone distribution ranging from a single watershed to the western third of the state. Spatial and temporal coherence in ozone exposure modified by predictable elevational relationships ( 1.3 ppbv ozone per 100 m elevation gain) extends from urban areas to the crest of the Cascade Range. This suggests that a sparse network of permanent analyzers is sufficient at all spatial scales, with the option of periodic intensive measurements to validate network design. It is imperative that agencies cooperate in the design of monitoring networks in mountainous regions to optimize data collection and financial efficiencies.     

青铜峡铝厂氟污染对广武乡玉米影响的调查分析

监测了青铜峡铝厂东南方向４．５ｋｍ的广武乡玉米叶，得知含氟量为４３．９４－１６６．１ｍｇ／ｋｇ，对照样品树新林场玉米叶的含氟均值为１３．１５ｍｇ／ｋｇ，广武乡的玉米受到了严重的氟污染，农作物减产严重。     

Desert Water Harvesting to Benefit Wildlife: A Simple, Cheap, And Durable Sub-Surface Water Harvester for Remote Locations

A sub-surface desert water harvester was constructed in the sagebrush steppe habitat of south-central Idaho, U.S.A. The desert water harvester utilizes a buried micro-catchment and three buried storage tanks to augment water for wildlife during the dry season. In this region, mean annual precipitation (MAP) ranges between about 150–250 mm (6″–10″), 70% of which falls during the cold season, November to May. Mid-summer through early autumn, June through October, is the dry portion of the year. During this period, the sub-surface water harvester provides supplemental water for wildlife for 30–90 days, depending upon the precipitation that year. The desert water harvester is constructed with commonly available, “over the counter” materials. The micro-catchment is made of a square-shaped, 20 mL. “PERMALON” polyethylene pond liner (approximately 22.9 m × 22.9 m = 523 m²) buried at a depth of about 60 cm. A PVC pipe connects the harvester with two storage tanks and a drinking trough. The total capacity of the water harvester is about 4777 L (1262 U.S. gallons) which includes three underground storage tanks, a trough and pipes. The drinking trough is refined with an access ramp for birds and small animals. The technology is simple, cheap, and durable and can be adapted to other uses, e.g. drip irrigation, short-term water for small livestock, poultry farming etc. The desert water harvester can be used to concentrate and collect water from precipitation and run-off in semi-arid and arid regions. Water harvested in such a relatively small area will not impact the ground water table but it should help to grow small areas of crops or vegetables to aid villagers in self-sufficiency.     

经济手段防治白色污染的博弈分析

经济手段在环境管理中的作用及涉及到政府与各利益关系人之间的博弈过程。本文就政府与一次性餐具生产者，销售者之间的博弈关系，分析如何应用经济手段使其在防治“白色污染”中发挥更好的作用。     

新疆河流洪水水污染分析

洪水期间的水污染主要来源于面源。其特点是污染物的浓度高、负荷量大。给工业、渔业和人民生活都会带来不同程度的危害。悬浮物是洪水过程中的主要面污染产物，同时还作为载体吸附和携带大量的有机物、无机盐、重金属类和微生物进入水体，致使河流水质下降。在研究洪水灾害的同时。不应忽略洪水期间的水污染问题。     

阿图什市空气质量变化趋势分析

分析了阿图什市“八五”至“九五”期间空气质量监测数据不同年度、不同季节及不同污染因子的动态变化趋势．结合当地能源结构、气候特征、城市环境综合发展水平，指出影响阿图什市空气质量的主要因素，为防治和减轻阿图什市的空气污染提供了科学依据。     

乌鲁木齐市餐饮业油烟污染的调查及防治初探

通过对乌鲁木齐市20家餐饮业油烟污染的调查分析，结果表明，乌鲁木齐市餐饮业油烟污染严重，并提出了防治措施。     

How and why is Aquatic Quality Changing at Nahanni National Park Reserve, nwt, Canada?

Nahanni National Park Reserve is located at southwestern NWT-Yukon border. One of the first UNESCO World Heritage sites, Nahanni lies within Taiga Cordillera and Taiga Shield Ecozones. Base and precious metal mining occurred upstream of Nahanni prior to park establishment. Nahanni waters, sediments, fish, and caribou have naturally elevated metals levels. Baseline water, sediment and fish tissue quality data were collected and analyzed throughout Nahanni during 1988–91 and 1992–97. These two programs characterized how aquatic quality variables are naturally varying in space and time, affected by geology, stream flow, seasonality, and extreme meteorological and geological events. Possible anthropogenic causes of aquatic quality change were examined. Measured values were compared to existing Guidelines and site-specific objectives were established.     

Economic development and environmental protection: an ecological economics perspective

This paper argues on both theoretical and empirical grounds that, beyond a certain point, there is an unavoidable conflictbetween economic development (generally taken to mean 'materialeconomic growth') and environmental protection. Think for a moment of natural forests, grasslands, marine estuaries, salt marshes, and coral reefs; and of arable soils, aquifers, mineraldeposits, petroleum, and coal. These are all forms of 'natural capital' that represent highly-ordered self-producing ecosystemsor rich accumulations of energy/matter with high use potential (low entropy). Now contemplate despoiled landscapes, eroding farmlands, depleted fisheries, anthropogenic greenhouse gases,acid rain, poisonous mine tailings and toxic synthetic compounds.These all represent disordered systems or degraded forms of energy and matter with little use potential (high entropy). The main thing connecting these two states is human economic activity. Ecological economics interprets the environment-economyrelationship in terms of the second law of thermodynamics. The second law sees economic activity as a dissipative process. Fromthis perspective, the production of economic goods andservices invariably requires the consumption of available energy and matter. To grow and develop, the economynecessarily 'feeds' on sources of high-quality energy/matter first produced by nature. This tends to disorder and homogenizethe ecosphere, The ascendance of humankind has consistently been accompanied by an accelerating rate of ecological degradation, particularly biodiversity loss, the simplificationof natural systems and pollution. In short, contemporary political rhetoric to the contrary, the prevailing growth-oriented global development paradigm is fundamentally incompatible with long-term ecological and social sustainability. Unsustainability is not a technical nor economic problem as usually conceived, but rather a state of systemic incompatibilitybetween a economy that is a fully-contained, growing, dependent sub-system of a non-growing ecosphere. Potential solutions fly inthe face of contemporary development trends and cultural values.