Organic contamination in the Great Wall bay,Antarctica in austral summer

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Prioritising catchment management projects to improve marine water quality

Runoff from human land-uses is one of the most significant threats to some coastal marine environments. Initiatives to reduce that runoff usually set runoff reduction targets but do not give guidance on how to prioritize the different options that exist to achieve them. This paper demonstrates an easy to interpret economic framework to prioritise investment for conservation projects that aim to reduce pollution of marine ecosystems caused by runoff from agricultural land-uses. We demonstrate how to apply this framework using data on project cost, benefit and feasibility with a subset of projects that have been funded to reduce runoff from subcatchments adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef. Our analysis provides a graphical overview of the cost-effectiveness of the investment options, enables transparent planning for different budgets, assesses the existence of trends in the cost-effectiveness of different categories, and can test if the results are robust under uncertainty in one or more of the parameters. The framework provided solutions that were up to 4 times more efficient than when omitting information on cost or benefit. The presented framework can be used as a benchmark for evaluating results from a range of prioritisation processes against the best possible conservation outcomes.     

Reproductive strategy and singing activity: blue tit and great tit compared

The costs and benefits of bird song are likely to vary among species, and different singing patterns may reflect differences in reproductive strategies. We compared temporal patterns of singing activity in two songbird species, the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) and the great tit (Parus major). The two species live side by side year round, and they have similar breeding ecology and similar rates of extra-pair paternity. However, they differ in two aspects of reproductive strategy that may have an influence on song output: blue tits are facultatively polygynous and have a fairly short breeding season with almost no second broods, whereas great tits are socially monogamous but more commonly raise second broods. We found that great tit males continued singing at high levels during the egg-laying and incubation periods, while monogamously paired blue tit males strongly reduced singing activity after the first days of egg-laying by their female. Since males of both species sang much more intensely shortly before sunrise than after sunrise, at midday or in the evening, this difference was most conspicuous at dawn. No differences in singing activity were found within species when testing for male age. We suggest that in contrast to blue tits, great tit males continued singing after egg-laying to defend the territory and to encourage the female for a possible second brood.     

The health effects and ecological significance of chlorine residuals in water

During the past several years, chlorine residuals and chlorinated organic compounds in drinking waters and aquatic environments have become a significant topic of study for scientists concerned about the quality of life in aquatic ecosystems as well as general public health. The effects of direct toxicity and/or carcinogenicity to human and aquatic life are the focal points for this concern.The effects of chloramines and chlorinated organic compounds present in the water distribution system after chlorination treatments are reviewed. Also discussed are the effects of chlorinated discharges from municipal secondary treatment plants and power plants on human health and aquatic life. The toxic significance of environmental chemicals are described.     

天水地震台流体异常与汶川8.0级地震关系探讨

通过对天水台（包括子台）2008年流体资料分析,在汶川8.0地震前天水流体资料短临异常明显,同震效应突出。模拟水氡观测震前1～3月开始出现异常,5个测点基本同步变化,其特征表现为测值迅速下降,然后出现转折,在上升过程中发生地震。数字化水温资料则出现同震效应,表现为水温测值大幅下降或上升,然后在几小时内恢复。数字化水位资料出现了震后效应,表现为测值持续下降,逐渐放缓下降速率,并保持低值未恢复到原来状态。通过总结分析天水台流体资料异常,对天水台及邻区的地震趋势判断是有益的。     

北美国家的湿地恢复及对中国太湖恢复的启示

以美国旧金山海湾带和加拿大安大略省沼泽湿地生态恢复为例,探讨了其成功经验,并指出了我国太湖恢复建设主要存在五个方面问题：理论技术体系相对滞后;恢复工程实施系统性缺乏;投融资方式单一化;恢复管理体系不完善;公众参与力度薄弱。据此提出相关建议,力求探索完善我国太湖生态恢复的有效路径。     

Assessing environmental factors in red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) growth in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA: From conceptual model, envirogram, to simulation model

This study provides a method for assessing a multiplicity of environmental factors in red spruce growth in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) of Southeastern USA. Direct and indirect factors in the annual growth increment are first organized into a schematic input-output envirogram (ARIRS), and this information is then used to construct a simulation model (ARIM). The envirogram represents a structured conceptualization of most environmental factors involved in growth, as developed from relevant literature. This interdisciplinary synthesis distinguishes direct vs. indirect factors in growth and takes account of the systems ecology concept that indirect factors may be as important as or more important than direct ones in regulating growth. The ARIRS envirogram summarizes hierarchically organized, within- and cross-scale, local-to-global interactions, and its construction makes it obvious that growth is influenced by many cross-scale spatiotemporal interactions. More research on genecology is still needed to clarify the role of phenotypic plasticity and adaptive capacity in nutrient cycling, global change, and human disturbance.     

南极长城站夏季海雾预报的初步研究

基于南极长城站的气象观测(1985-2006年)和NCEP(National Centers for Environmental Prediction)的再分析数据,分析了该地区海雾的天气气候特征、海雾与气象要素的关系以及有利于海雾发生的3种典型天气形势,并据此初步建立了长城站夏季海雾预报系统。后报试验表明,该系统对长城站夏季海雾的预报效果较好。     

固定化细菌胞壁多糖吸附铜、锌和镍最佳包埋条件的确定

以聚乙烯醇和海藻酸钠为包埋刺,将细菌胞壁多糖进行包埋固定后,以吸附铜、锌和镍的能力为考察指标,从机械强度、传质性和耐酸性等方面综合考虑确定了固定化小球最佳配方。按照此最佳配方进行吸附能力验证实验,结果发现,该固定化小球对铜、锌和镍的吸附量分别达到0．9571mg／g、0．7843mg／g和0．4548mg／g,且机械强度、传质性和耐酸性都较好。     

Managing mercury in the great lakes: an analytical review of abatement policies

Mercury, a toxic metal known to have several deleterious affects on human health, has been one of the principal contaminants of concern in the Great Lakes basin. There are numerous anthropogenic sources of mercury to the Great Lakes area. Combustion of coal, smelting of non ferrous metals, and incineration of municipal and medical waste are major sources of mercury emissions in the region. In addition to North American anthropogenic emissions, global atmospheric emissions also significantly contribute to the deposition of mercury in the Great Lakes basin. Both the USA and Canada have agreed to reduce human exposure to mercury in the Great Lakes basin and have significantly curtailed mercury load to this region through individual and joint efforts. However, many important mercury sources, such as coal-fired power plants, still exist in the vicinity of the Great Lakes. More serious actions to drastically reduce mercury sources by employing alternative energy sources, restricting mercury trade and banning various mercury containing consumer products, such as dental amalgam are as essential as cleaning up the historical deposits of mercury in the basin. A strong political will and mass momentum are crucial for efficient mercury management. International cooperation is equally important. In the present paper, we have analyzed existing policies in respective jurisdictions to reduce mercury concentration in the Great Lakes environment. A brief review of the sources, occurrence in the Great Lakes, and the health effects of mercury is also included.