Priorities for Improving the Scientific Foundation of Conservation Policy in North America

Abstract:  The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) can enhance conservation of biodiversity in North America by increasing its engagement in public policy. Toward this end, the North America Section of SCB is establishing partnerships with other professional organizations in order to speak more powerfully to decision makers and taking other actions—such as increasing interaction with chapters—geared to engage members more substantively in science-policy issues. Additionally, the section is developing a North American Biodiversity Blueprint, which spans the continental United States and Canada and is informed by natural and social science. This blueprint is intended to clarify the policy challenges for protecting continental biodiversity, to foster bilateral collaboration to resolve common problems, and to suggest rational alternative policies and practices that are more likely than current practices to sustain North America's natural heritage. Conservation scientists and practitioners can play a key role by drawing policy makers' attention to ultimate, as well as proximate, causes of biodiversity decline and to the ecological and economic consequences of not addressing these threats.     

How effective are River Basin Management Plans in reaching the nutrient load reduction targets?

Riverine nutrient loads are among the major causes of eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. This study applied the Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in three catchments flowing to the Baltic Sea, namely Vantaanjoki (Finland), Fyrisån (Sweden), and Słupia (Poland), to simulate the effectiveness of nutrient control measures included in the EU’s Water Framework Directive River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs). Moreover, we identified similar, coastal, middle-sized catchments to which conclusions from this study could be applicable. The first modelling scenario based on extrapolation of the existing trends affected the modelled nutrient loads by less than 5%. In the second scenario, measures included in RBMPs showed variable effectiveness, ranging from negligible for Słupia to 28% total P load reduction in Vantaanjoki. Adding spatially targeted measures to RBMPs (third scenario) would considerably improve their effectiveness in all three catchments for both total N and P, suggesting a need to adopt targeting more widely in the Baltic Sea countries.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01393-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Nitrogen fixation estimates for the Baltic Sea indicate high rates for the previously overlooked Bothnian Sea

Dense blooms of diazotrophic filamentous cyanobacteria are formed every summer in the Baltic Sea. We estimated their contribution to nitrogen fixation by combining two decades of cyanobacterial biovolume monitoring data with recently measured genera-specific nitrogen fixation rates. In the Bothnian Sea, estimated nitrogen fixation rates were 80 kt N year⁻¹, which has doubled during recent decades and now exceeds external loading from rivers and atmospheric deposition of 69 kt year⁻¹. The estimated contribution to the Baltic Proper was 399 kt N year⁻¹, which agrees well with previous estimates using other approaches and is greater than the external input of 374 kt N year⁻¹. Our approach can potentially be applied to continuously estimate nitrogen loads via nitrogen fixation. Those estimates are crucial for ecosystem adaptive management since internal nitrogen loading may counteract the positive effects of decreased external nutrient loading.     

南海北部大气气相多溴联苯醚的含量及来源

通过"实验三号"开放航次在南海北部采集了32个大气样品,用气相色谱/质谱联用仪分析了样品中的多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)同系物,并对其含量、组成特征、空间分布及主要来源进行了研究.结果表明,南海北部大气中7种PBDEs总浓度为0.07～35.9 pg.m-3,四溴(BDE-47)和五溴(BDE-99和-100)化合物为主要组成,分别约占PBDEs总量的51.5%和36.9%,显示工业五溴联苯醚的使用是其主要来源;中国东南沿海和菲律宾附近PBDEs浓度较高,南海靠近越南中部海域大气PBDEs含量较低.后推气流轨迹分析指出:我国东南沿海,特别是珠江三角洲,以及我国台湾和菲律宾等地区陆源污染物的外溢是引起南海北部地区PBDEs浓度较高的主要原因.     

华北平原玉米-小麦轮作农田N2O交换通量的研究

以华北地区冬小麦-夏玉米轮作农田为研究对象,运用静态箱法对正常施肥及正常施肥结合秸秆还田农田N2O交换通量进行了连续1 a对比研究.正常施肥及正常施肥结合秸秆还田样地N2O全年的累积排放量分别为7.61 kg.hm-2和12.6kg.hm-2,其中秸秆还田引起N2O排放明显增加主要发生在玉米生长季节.两种处理样地在玉米季N2O的排放量占全年累积排放的57%～86%,表明华北玉米-小麦轮作体系中N2O排放主要集中在玉米季.各次施肥后10 d内N2O的累积排放量约占全年总排放量的71%～88%,显然现有化肥极大促进了华北农田N2O排放.     

东海大气气溶胶中二元羧酸的分布特征及来源

大气气溶胶中的二元羧酸因其在全球气候变化中的潜在作用而受到广泛关注.利用2011年5月12日-6月6日在东海采集的气溶胶样品,分析其中水溶性二元羧酸及常量离子浓度,探讨东海气溶胶中二元羧酸的时空分布特征及来源.结果显示东海大气气溶胶中乙二酸、丙二酸和丁二酸的浓度分别为26.0～1475.5 ng·m-3、0.1 ～61.4 ng·m-3和0.1～132.4 ng·m-3,乙二酸在这3种二元羧酸中的贡献最大,为88.3％.东海气溶胶中二元羧酸浓度的昼夜变化不显著.空间分布整体呈现近海高、远海低的趋势.气团的来源和迁移路径以及气象因素影响气溶胶中二元羧酸的分布,气团来自污染较重的陆源时气溶胶中二元羧酸的浓度较高,气团来自清洁的海洋源时,二元羧酸的浓度则较低;阴雾天气时气溶胶中二元羧酸浓度相对较高,降雨发生时二元羧酸的浓度较低.二元羧酸与常量离子的相关性分析表明,自然源和人为源释放的挥发性有机物质在液相中氧化生成二元羧酸是东海大气气溶胶中二元羧酸的主要源,而汽车尾气和生物质燃烧的一次排放、海洋源以及碱性粗颗粒吸收气体二元羧酸不是主要源.液相中乙醛酸氧化形成的乙二酸和长链二元羧酸氧化形成的乙二酸对东海气溶胶中乙二酸的贡献分别为41％和59％.     

基于遥感监测的黄海绿潮漂移路径及分布面积特征分析

本文利用2008～2012年的多源卫星遥感序列图像,动态监测各年绿潮发生的漂移路径、影响海域面积,得到各年绿潮漂移趋势、分布面积和最大分布面积出现时间。根据监测结果,划分出影响绿潮漂移路径的关键区域,并分析了2008、2009和2010年关键区域内各年绿潮漂移方向和面积变化情况。     

北运河下游典型河网区水体中氮磷分布与富营养化评价

选择北运河下游典型河网区(闸坝多、水流慢和湖库化)为研究对象,通过为期1 a的水质监控,阐述了河网区氮、磷的时空变化特征,并利用对数型幂函数普适指数公式对其水体营养状态进行了评价.结果表明,河网区水体中TN平均质量浓度为12.50 mg.L-1(NH4+-N占67.41%),TP为1.45 mg.L-1(SRP占80.81%).河网区水体中氮、磷的时空分布特征明显,TN和NO 3--N质量浓度随季节变化特征趋于一致,NH 4+-N稍有不同;TP和SRP质量浓度随季节变化特征基本一致.从河网区进水带至出水带,水体中氮、磷质量浓度均呈逐渐下降趋势,其中TN、NH4+-N和NO3--N平均质量浓度分别从19.30、13.22和2.19mg.L-1降至7.98、4.45和1.50 mg.L-1;TP和SRP分别从1.95和1.59 mg.L-1降至1.11和0.91 mg.L-1.富营养化评价综合指数表明,河网区水体在时空尺度上均处于"极富"营养状态.     

冬季黄东海颗粒有机碳的时空分布特征

根据2007年1～2月对黄东海大面调查的资料,分析研究了黄东海颗粒有机碳(POC)的时空分布特征。结果表明,冬季黄东海POC的浓度范围是2.49～1 658.96μg/L,平均浓度为125.88μg/L。在垂直方向上,POC由上而下随着水深的增加浓度逐渐降低,到底层后浓度又升高。在平面分布上,POC整体上呈现西部近岸浓度较高、东部离岸浓度较低的特点;POC的高值区集中在浙江近岸海区,特别是浙江舟山群岛南部近海,POC浓度非常高,这是受陆源输入和沉积物再悬浮的共同作用。在周日变化上,受潮汐作用和海区生物活动的影响,东海陆架中部海域除底层以外,其它各层POC在午后、傍晚、凌晨出现浓度的高峰值,而西南海域,除了底层外,其它各层均表现出全日周期变化。     

喹诺酮类抗生素在莱州湾及主要入海河流中的含量和分布特征

采用固相萃取、高效液相色谱/串联质谱法(HPLC-MS/MS)分析了莱州湾及主要入海河流水体中的5种典型喹诺酮类抗生素药物的含量,并对其来源进行了初步探讨。结果显示,人兽共用的诺氟沙星、环丙沙星和依诺沙星在河水中广泛存在,具有80%以上的检出率和较高的含量(99～120 ng/L)。同时它们在海水中亦具有很高检出率(>88%),但含量(31～62 ng/L)明显低于河流中含量,表明河流输入是莱州湾抗生素污染的一个重要来源。不同喹诺酮药物在河水与海水中的稀释比相差较大,可能存在河流之外的其它污染源或药物间迁移转化特征存在差异。河流之间化合物组成差异较大,反应出污染类型的差异。虞河、堤河中环丙沙星和诺氟沙星比重较大(>75%)可能受养殖业的影响较重,而小清河、白浪河中依诺沙星和诺氟沙星比重较大(>78%)则可能受生活污水的影响更大。