Prospects for Conserving and Restoring the Properties and Ecological Functions of Arable Soils

Changes in the properties and ecological functions of soils under the effect of farming are considered. Evidence is provided that optimization of the structure of land inventory with regard to environmental conditions in a concrete region is a promising approach to the conservation and restoration of disturbed and degraded soils. A classification of soils with respect to their arability is proposed as a theoretical basis for reorganizing agricultural land use.     

Ethological Structure of Freshwater Benthic and Nektobenthic Communities and Its Changes under the Influence of Abiotic and Anthropogenic Factors

Classification of the mode of life and behavior of zoobenthic, nektobenthic, and neustonic organisms was used as a basis for elucidating the formation of ethological structure of their communities in small lakes and streams of northeastern Fennoscandia. It is shown that the general response of these communities to anthropogenic impact is manifested in the reduction of the number of ethological groups. The specific response to eutrophication and heat pollution involves a decrease in the relative biomass of clingers and burrowers and an increase in the biomass of sprawling–walking and wormy animals; the response to toxic pollution and acidification is manifested in the prevalence of sprawlers–walkers.     

Cytogenetic Damage of Human Somatic Cells and Weeping Birch Cells in Voronezh Districts with Different Levels of Anthropogenic Pollution

Cytogenetic parameters (the mitotic rate and the frequency of pathological mitoses) of the seed offspring of weeping birch (Betula pendula Roth.) and the frequency of micronuclei in the buccal epithelium of children living in several raions (districts) of the city of Voronezh differing in environmental conditions were studied. Judging from these parameters, the environmental situation was the worst in the Sovetskii raion. A correlation was found between the frequency of pathological mitoses in the roots of birch seedlings and the frequency of micronuclei in the buccal epithelial cells of children. This indicates that the cytogenetic monitoring data obtained in plants may be extrapolated to man.     

北京地区2003～2007年人类活动氮累积状况研究

人类活动引起的生态系统的氮输入和累积对区域环境特别是水环境有着潜在的重要影响.引入人类活动净氮累积的概念(net anthropogenic nitrogen accumulation,NANA),将NANA定义为人类活动氮的输入和输出之差,它是通过大气沉降、肥料应用、人类食物和动物饲料、氮固定和河流的累积这五项来计算...     

Millennial mercury records derived from ornithogenic sediment on Dongdao Island, South China Sea

Two ornithogenic sediment cores, which have a time span of 1000 years and are influenced by red-footed booby (Sula sula), were collected from Dongdao Islands, South China Sea. The determined mercury concentrations of the two cores show similar and substantial fluctuations during the past millennium, and the fluctuations are most likely caused by the changes in mercury level of the ocean environment and in anthropogenic Hg emission. For the past 500 years, the mercury concentration in the red-footed booby excrement has a striking association with global anthropogenic mercury emission. The mercury concentration increased rapidly after AD 1600 in corresponding to beginning of the unparalleled gold and silver mining in South Central America that left a large volume of anthropogenic mercury pollution. Since the Industrial Revolution, the mercury level has increased at a fast pace, very likely caused by modern coal combustion, chlor-alkali and oil refining industries. The comparison of mercury profiles from different places on earth suggested that anthropogenic mercury pollution after the Industrial Revolution is more severe in Northern Hemisphere than in Antarctica.     

Spreading the News on Carbon Capture and Storage: A State-Level Comparison of US Media

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has received abundant federal support in the USA as an energy technology to mitigate climate change, yet its position within the energy system remains uncertain. Because media play a significant role in shaping public conversations about science and technology, we analyzed media portrayal of CCS in newspapers from four strategically selected states. We grounded the analysis in Luhmann's theory of social functions, operationalized through the socio-political evaluation of energy deployment (SPEED) framework. Coverage emphasized economic, political/legal, and technical functions and focused on benefits, rather than risks of adoption. Although news coverage connected CCS with climate change, the connection was constrained by political/legal functions. Media responses to this constraint indicate how communication across multiple social functions may influence deployment of energy technologies.     

Using historical spy satellite photographs and recent remote sensing data to identify high-conservation-value forests

High-conservation-value forests (HCVFs) are critically important for biodiversity and ecosystem service provisioning, but they face many threats. Where systematic HCVF inventories are missing, such as in parts of Eastern Europe, these forests remain largely unacknowledged and therefore often unprotected. We devised a novel, transferable approach for detecting HCVFs based on integrating historical spy satellite images, contemporary remote sensing data (Landsat), and information on current potential anthropogenic pressures (e.g., road infrastructure, population density, demand for fire wood, terrain). We applied the method to the Romanian Carpathians, for which we mapped forest continuity (1955–2019), canopy structural complexity, and anthropogenic pressures. We identified 738,000 ha of HCVF. More than half of this area was identified as susceptible to current anthropogenic pressures and lacked formal protection. By providing a framework for broad-scale HCVF monitoring, our approach facilitates integration of HCVF into forest conservation and management. This is urgently needed to achieve the goals of the European Union's Biodiversity Strategy to maintain valuable forest ecosystems.     

长江中下游地区空气质量的数值模拟研究

根据2002年在ACE-Asia和TRACE-P试验中获得的亚洲区域的污染源排放资料,利用美国EPA最新发展的空气质量模式Models-3,分别模拟研究生物源和人为源排放于2002年7月2日08时至7月3日07时在长江中下游地区引起的O3、SO2、CO以及NOx浓度的变化规律和特征.结果显示,模式对污染物具有很好的模拟能力,无论是污染物浓度的日变化还是PBL层内垂直分布情况,都与已有结论和观测结果一致.     

珠江三角洲大气排放源清单与时空分配模型建立

收集整理2012年珠江三角洲地区(简称“珠江三角洲”)各种大气人为源及天然源基础活动数据,以排放因子法“自下而上”为主计算多污染物排放量,并建立本地化污染物空间分配方案及基于行业排污特征的时间分配谱,构建了具备时空分布属性的区域性网格化大气源排放清单.清单结果显示,2012年珠江三角洲SO2、NOx、CO、PM10、PM2.5、VOCs和NH3排放总量分别为55.2万t、102.9万t、349.2万t、95.2万t、38.5万t、153.9万t和17.7万t. 固定燃烧源是珠江三角洲SO2和NOx的最大排放贡献源,其中电厂和锅炉分别贡献了35.0%和41.8%的SO2排放,以及28.2%和16.2%的NOx排放;VOCs的最大贡献源是过程源,其中家具制造、石油精炼、油气码头排放量总和占比为52.4%;扬尘源是颗粒物的主要来源之一,对PM2.5的排放贡献达42.3%;NH3的主要排放源为畜禽养殖和化肥施用源,两者排放量占比分别为50.7%和26.8%.珠江三角洲大气污染物空间与时间分布结果显示,高排放污染源主要集中于“东莞-广州-佛山”一带,呈半环带状结构分布;白天时段(9:00~20:00)的排放强度明显高于夜晚时段(21:00~次日8:00);夏秋季节(4~10月)的排放强度略高于冬春季节(11月~次年3月).