Development of a ‘Matrix Scoring Technique’ to determine litter sources at a Bristol Channel beach

Litter at beaches can come from more than one source and determining the proportions to assign pollution to different sources is very complex. There is no widely accepted methodology at present that links litter items to their source. The aim of this study was to create a method of assigning a source to litter found on beaches of the Bristol Channel but which could equally be used on any beach. Various methods that attempt to establish the source of beach litter were evaluated; their strengths, weaknesses, applicability and reliability for use on Bristol Channel, UK beaches were considered. Elements of existing methods coupled with new ideas were utilized in the production of a ‘refined’ methodology: consequently a new method of assigning a source to beach litter was developed. The developed ‘Matrix Scoring Technique’ was applied to data collected at Minehead beach on the Bristol Channel, UK. Several numerical and nomenclature variations were used to produce a system that reflected the various sources and eliminated as much bias as possible. This cross-tabulated matrix scoring system can produce an insight into the contribution of different source groups to litter found on beaches. This novel approach requires further testing with emphasis on a control data set.     

滩海陆岸设施HAZOP分析的应用研究

介绍了将HAZOP(危险及可操作性分析)应用于滩海陆岸设施的研究,对滩海陆岸设施开展HAZOP分析普遍存在问题和适用性进行了探讨。     

AN APPLICATION OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH METHODS TO BEACH RENOURISHMENT PROJECTS1

ABSTRACT: Mathematical models have been widely used in business to minimize cost and maximize profit. In this paper such models are used to help determine the optimum strategy for a beach renourishment project including the initial and subsequent fill quantities and the length of a complete renourishment cycle. The importance of considering economic factors is emphasized, and the sensitivity of the optimal values to changes in the basic parameters of the models are discussed. The possible extensions and limitations of the models are considered.     

Population biology of the annual grassTriplasis purpurea in relation to distance from shore on Staten Island, New York

Four populations of the native annual grassTriplasis purpurea were surveyed on coastal beaches along the south shore of Staten Island, NY, to determine the potential of this species to colonize shoreline habitats mostly devoid of other vegetation. If the species can establish and maintain dense populations, it may have conservation value for urban beaches disturbed by human activities. For two populations, survivorship, growth, and reproduction were monitored at different distances from shore to determine the ability of this species to maintain viable populations. At three sites,T. purpurea occurred in >75% of all quadrats and the highest density was 1195 plants/m² at 74 m from shore in one recently disturbed site. Density generally increased with increasing distances from shore at low tide (from ca. 40 – 90 m). Plants showed the greatest growth and reproduction at close distances to shore (30 – 40 m); part of this effect was due to density in one population, but when density effects were removed statistically, there still remained a decline in growth and reproduction with increasing distance from shore. Improved vigor nearest to shore may be due to continual sand deposition. Survivorship showed a Type I pattern, with low mortality throughout the growing season. By colonizing newly-deposited and continually shifting sands,T. purpurea can contribute to the earliest stages of ecological succession along disturbed beaches in eastern North America and may be valuable to the development and management of urban coastal plant communities.     

Population biology of the annual grass Triplasis purpurea in relation to distance from shore on Staten Island, New York

Four populations of the native annual grassTriplasis purpurea were surveyed on coastal beaches along the south shore of Staten Island, NY, to determine the potential of this species to colonize shoreline habitats mostly devoid of other vegetation. If the species can establish and maintain dense populations, it may have conservation value for urban beaches disturbed by human activities. For two populations, survivorship, growth, and reproduction were monitored at different distances from shore to determine the ability of this species to maintain viable populations. At three sites,T. purpurea occurred in >75% of all quadrats and the highest density was 1195 plants/m² at 74 m from shore in one recently disturbed site. Density generally increased with increasing distances from shore at low tide (from ca. 40–90 m). Plants showed the greatest growth and reproduction at close distances to shore (30–40 m); part of this effect was due to density in one population, but when density effects were removed statistically, there still remained a decline in growth and reproduction with increasing distance from shore. Improved vigor nearest to shore may be due to continual sand deposition. Survivorship showed a Type I pattern, with low mortality throughout the growing season. By colonizing newly-deposited and continually shifting sands,T. purpurea can contribute to the earliest stages of ecological succession along disturbed beaches in eastern North America and may be valuable to the development and management of urban coastal plant communities.     

沿海滩涂垦殖对土壤氮总转化速率的影响分析

滩涂湿地在吸收、转化和滞留氮、磷等营养元素方面具有重要功能。选取江苏东部沿海典型滩涂区,分别对垦殖时间为0、3、6、17、30、60 a的沿海滩涂进行采样,对相应的土壤氮总转化速率指标进行实验测定。结果表明,滩涂垦殖后,表征氮素活化过程的指标,如总矿化率、总硝化率、净矿化率和净硝化率等有所增加,而有利于氮固持的铵态氮同化率指标无显著变化,硝态氮同化率指标变慢;围垦期限超过30 a后,各氮总转化速率指标渐趋稳定。相关性分析表明,净矿化率、总矿化率、铵态氮同化率、净硝化率、总硝化率与围垦年限呈显著正相关(p<0.01),相关性系数分别为0.966、0.929、0.819、0.800、0.798;硝态氮同化率与围垦年限呈显著负相关(p<0.01),相关性系数为-0.685;除铵态氮外,全氮、硝态氮、pH值、有机碳均与各氮总转化速率指标呈显著相关关系(p<0.01)。滩涂垦殖后土壤理化性质指标的改变带来土壤氮总转化速率的变化,一定程度上破坏了土壤氮生态系统平衡。     

青岛南海岸海水浴场的旅游环境质量评价

通过分析比较青岛市南海岸各海水浴场的旅游环境条件存在的问题，对浴场的旅游环境质量进行了评价，其中石老人海水浴场的旅游环境质量最高，环境条件最好，本文还对南海岸海水浴场治理和管理提出了建议。     

盐城海涂环境质量的调查分析

调查发现，盐城海涂环境的污染物主要是工业废水中的化学需氧量，氨氮和硫化物。射阳和东台两地区是主要的污染区域。     

洞庭湖洲滩地年淹水天数和面积变化

研究了洞庭湖洲滩地年淹水天数和面积变化。利用洞庭湖代表性水文站1952~2000年的逐日水位资料,分析了洞庭湖洲滩地的多年平均淹水时间（天数）。结合20世纪70年代和90年代不同水位时相卫星图像的解译数据,通过插入法和相关分析,得出了20世纪70和90年代不同淹水天数的洲滩地面积。结果表明,区内不同区域变化各异,东洞庭湖不同淹水天数的洲滩地均减少,南洞庭湖中位的洲滩地增加,但高位和低位洲滩地减少,西洞庭湖不同淹水天数的洲滩地均增加。表明东洞庭湖在70~90年代发生了逆向演替,南洞庭湖以正向演替为主,西洞庭湖发生了正向演替。为此,提出中低位洲滩地不宜发展杨树,获、芦生产的重点应该逐步地由东洞庭湖向西、南洞庭湖转移。     

Effects of river sediment addition to the beach microbial communities

During the processes of claiming land from the sea, river sediments are used to fill and transform the sea area along the margin of islands and lands into new lands. These activities would probably affect microbial ecosystems of the beach sediment. However, little is known about these effects. In this study, a simulation test was conducted to evaluate these effects. Pyrosequencing technique was employed to assess the effects of river sediment addition to the beach bacterial communities. The used river sediments were collected from different rivers. The results indicated that river sediment addition greatly impacted microbial ecosystems of the beach and caused a clear shift in the beach bacterial community composition. These processes remarkably increased toxic metals and decreased the bacterial diversity in the beach sediment, mainly including the phyla of Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Spirochaetes. River sediment addition caused an increase in potentially pathogenic bacterial genera of the beach sediment. Bacterial phylotype richness in the beach without river sediment addition was higher than that in the beach with river sediment input. There were significant differences in bacterial communities between beach sediments with and without river sediment addition, and the most dominant classes were Gammaproteobacteria and Flavobacteria.