Modeling Stream Shade: Riparian Buffer Height and Density as Important as Buffer Width1

DeWalle, David R., 2010. Modeling Stream Shade: Riparian Buffer Height and Density as Important as Buffer Width. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(2):323-333. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00423.x Abstract: A theoretical model was developed to explore impacts of varying buffer zone characteristics on shading of small streams using a path-length form of Beer’s law to represent the transmission of direct beam solar radiation through vegetation. Impacts of varying buffer zone height, width, and radiation extinction coefficients (surrogate for buffer density) on shading were determined for E-W and N-S stream azimuths in infinitely long stream sections at 40°N on the summer solstice. Increases in buffer width produced little additional shading beyond buffer widths of 6-7 m for E-W streams due to shifts in solar beam pathway from the sides to the tops of the buffers. Buffers on the north bank of E-W streams produced 30% of daily shade, while the south-bank buffer produced 70% of total daily shade. For N-S streams an optimum buffer width was less-clearly defined, but a buffer width of about 18-20 m produced about 85-90% of total predicted shade. The model results supported past field studies showing buffer widths of 9-11 m were sufficient for stream temperature control. Regardless of stream azimuth, increases in buffer height and extinction coefficient (buffer density) were found to substantially increase shading up to the maximum tree height and stand density likely encountered in the field. Model results suggest that at least 80% shade on small streams up to 6-m wide can be achieved in mid-latitudes with relatively narrow 12-m wide buffers, regardless of stream azimuth, as long as buffers are tall (≈30 m) and dense (leaf area index ≈6). Although wide buffers may be preferred to provide other benefits, results suggest that increasing buffer widths beyond about 12 m will have a limited effect on stream shade at mid-latitudes and that greater emphasis should be placed on the creation of dense, tall buffers to maximize stream shading.     

三角帆蚌对北京富营养化河湖水体的滤水效率和放养方式研究

2009年9月,在北京市水利科学研究所实验基地采用室内实验方式,研究了三角帆蚌在北京富营养化水体中的滤水效率,对比水体上层和底层2种放养方式对水体净化效果差异。结果表明:三角帆蚌平均滤水率为(31.63±6.67)mL/(min.kg);上层放养方式对水体透明度改善效果显著,叶绿素a在48 h即显著降低,且维持在较低水平。三角帆蚌有利于富营养化水体净化,实际应用中应采用水体上层放养方式。     

Effects of cattle manure on erosion rates and runoff water pollution by faecal coliforms

The large quantities of slurry and manure that are produced annually in many areas in which cattle are raised could be an important source of organic matter and nutrients for agriculture. However, the benefits of waste recycling may be partially offset by the risk of water pollution associated with runoff from the fields to which slurry or manure has been applied. In this paper, the effects of cattle manure application on soil erosion rates and runoff and on surface water pollution by faecal coliforms are analysed. Rainfall simulations at a rate of 70 mm h(-1) were conducted in a sandy loam soil packed into soil flumes (2.5m long x 1m wide) at a bulk density of 1400 kg m(-3), with and without cattle slurry manure applied on the surface. For each simulation, sediment and runoff rates were analysed and in those simulations with applied slurry, presumptive faecal coliform (PFC) concentrations in the runoff were evaluated. The application of slurry on the soil surface appeared to have a protective effect on the soils, reducing soil detachment by up to 70% but increasing runoff volume by up to 30%. This practice implies an important source of pollution for surface waters especially if rainfall takes place within a short period after application. The concentrations of micro-organisms (presumptive faecal coliforms (PFCs)) found in water runoff ranged from 1.9 x 10(4) to 1.1 x 10(6) PFC 100mL(-1), depending on the initial concentration in the slurry, and they were particularly high during the first phases of the rainfall event. The result indicates a strong relationship between the faecal coliforms transported by runoff and the organic matter in the sediment.     

二叠-三叠纪生物绝灭事件的地球化学研究新进展

二叠-三叠纪生物绝灭事件在地史发展中有着重要作用,灭绝加速了物种的进化和更替。本文简要总结了近几年来全球地球化学、地质和古生物等学者关于P-T生物绝灭事件的研究,包括事件的测年研究进展和事件原因的种种学说,其中详细阐述了地外碰撞(小行星或彗星)、火山学说、缺氧学说以及海洋酸性化假设的研究进展,并对该绝灭事件研究意义进行了简单的分析和探讨。     

京津冀地区一次浮尘过程的车载激光雷达走航观测

利用双波长三通道激光雷达与车载激光雷达,针对2018年3月28日京津冀区域的浮尘天气过程,分别进行了定点垂直观测与车载走航观测,对这次浮尘天气中沙尘的源地、沙尘气溶胶的时空分布、沙尘的传输路径与传输方式进行了综合分析。位于北京的激光雷达监测到28日凌晨开始,沙尘气溶胶与近地面污染物混合,受沙尘影响近地面污染物浓度迅速升高。北京到沧州的车载激光雷达走航观测结果显示,沙尘气溶胶先向南传输到京津冀南部区域,随后向西南方向传输,同时观测到京津冀区域上空1. 5 km左右存在沙尘传输带。结果表明,使用车载激光雷达走航观测,结合定点垂直激光雷达与其他地面监测数据,能可靠地观测到沙尘过程中颗粒物的时空变化特征。     

The impact of state level behavioral regulations on traffic fatality rates

Introduction

A state by year panel is analyzed to simultaneously explore the statistical correlation between state level traffic fatality rates and state level behavioral regulations regarding teen licensing, seat belt use, and driving under the influence (DUI) in a model that also controls for other correlates.

Method

By including measures of all three of these policies, the estimated policy effects should not be overstated due to underspecification bias. The panel includes the 48 contiguous U.S. states for the time period from 1999 through 2003. State fatality rates are measured as fatalities per million miles traveled. Measures of state policies regarding traffic safety related behavior are based on information gathered by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Estimates are calculated via a time fixed effects model that uses the double-log form to allow for interaction effects between the independent variables.

Results

Least squares estimates indicate that, on average, more restrictive graduated teen licensing and DUI policies significantly reduce traffic fatality rates, while stricter seat belt enforcement policies have a statistically insignificant negative impact on fatality rates.     

Determinants of bird conservation‐action implementation and associated population trends of threatened species

Conservation actions, such as habitat protection, attempt to halt the loss of threatened species and help their populations recover. The efficiency and the effectiveness of actions have been examined individually. However, conservation actions generally occur simultaneously, so the full suite of implemented conservation actions should be assessed. We used the conservation actions underway for all threatened and near‐threatened birds of the world (International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species) to assess which biological (related to taxonomy and ecology) and anthropogenic (related to geoeconomics) factors were associated with the implementation of different classes of conservation actions. We also assessed which conservation actions were associated with population increases in the species targeted. Extinction‐risk category was the strongest single predictor of the type of conservation actions implemented, followed by landmass type (continent, oceanic island, etc.) and generation length. Species targeted by invasive nonnative species control or eradication programs, ex situ conservation, international legislation, reintroduction, or education, and awareness‐raising activities were more likely to have increasing populations. These results illustrate the importance of developing a predictive science of conservation actions and the relative benefits of each class of implemented conservation action for threatened and near‐threatened birds worldwide.     

Connecting science,policy, and implementation for landscape‐scale habitat connectivity

We examined the links between the science and policy of habitat corridors to better understand how corridors can be implemented effectively. As a case study, we focused on a suite of landscape‐scale connectivity plans in tropical and subtropical Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, and Bhutan). The process of corridor designation may be more efficient if the scientific determination of optimal corridor locations and arrangement is synchronized in time with political buy‐in and establishment of policies to create corridors. Land tenure and the intactness of existing habitat in the region are also important to consider because optimal connectivity strategies may be very different if there are few, versus many, political jurisdictions (including commercial and traditional land tenures) and intact versus degraded habitat between patches. Novel financing mechanisms for corridors include bed taxes, payments for ecosystem services, and strategic forest certifications. Gaps in knowledge of effective corridor design include an understanding of how corridors, particularly those managed by local communities, can be protected from degradation and unsustainable hunting. There is a critical need for quantitative, data‐driven models that can be used to prioritize potential corridors or multicorridor networks based on their relative contributions to long‐term metacommunity persistence.     

Conservation threats and the phylogenetic utility of IUCN Red List rankings in Incilius toads

Phylogenetic analysis of extinction threat is an emerging tool in the field of conservation. However, there are problems with the methods and data as commonly used. Phylogenetic sampling usually extends to the level of family or genus, but International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) rankings are available only for individual species, and, although different species within a taxonomic group may have the same IUCN rank, the species may have been ranked as such for different reasons. Therefore, IUCN rank may not reflect evolutionary history and thus may not be appropriate for use in a phylogenetic context. To be used appropriately, threat‐risk data should reflect the cause of extinction threat rather than the IUCN threat ranking. In a case study of the toad genus Incilius, with phylogenetic sampling at the species level (so that the resolution of the phylogeny matches character data from the IUCN Red List), we analyzed causes of decline and IUCN threat rankings by calculating metrics of phylogenetic signal (such as Fritz and Purvis’ D). We also analyzed the extent to which cause of decline and threat ranking overlap by calculating phylogenetic correlation between these 2 types of character data. Incilius species varied greatly in both threat ranking and cause of decline; this variability would be lost at a coarser taxonomic resolution. We found far more phylogenetic signal, likely correlated with evolutionary history, for causes of decline than for IUCN threat ranking. Individual causes of decline and IUCN threat rankings were largely uncorrelated on the phylogeny. Our results demonstrate the importance of character selection and taxonomic resolution when extinction threat is analyzed in a phylogenetic context.     

Impacts of hunting on tropical forests in Southeast Asia

Although deforestation and forest degradation have long been considered the most significant threats to tropical biodiversity, across Southeast Asia (Northeast India, Indochina, Sundaland, Philippines) substantial areas of natural habitat have few wild animals (>1 kg), bar a few hunting‐tolerant species. To document hunting impacts on vertebrate populations regionally, we conducted an extensive literature review, including papers in local journals and reports of governmental and nongovernmental agencies. Evidence from multiple sites indicated animal populations declined precipitously across the region since approximately 1980, and many species are now extirpated from substantial portions of their former ranges. Hunting is by far the greatest immediate threat to the survival of most of the region's endangered vertebrates. Causes of recent overhunting include improved access to forests and markets, improved hunting technology, and escalating demand for wild meat, wildlife‐derived medicinal products, and wild animals as pets. Although hunters often take common species, such as pigs or rats, for their own consumption, they take rarer species opportunistically and sell surplus meat and commercially valuable products. There is also widespread targeted hunting of high‐value species. Consequently, as currently practiced, hunting cannot be considered sustainable anywhere in the region, and in most places enforcement of protected‐area and protected‐species legislation is weak. The international community's focus on cross‐border trade fails to address overexploitation of wildlife because hunting and the sale of wild meat is largely a local issue and most of the harvest is consumed in villages, rural towns, and nearby cities. In addition to improved enforcement, efforts to engage hunters and manage wildlife populations through sustainable hunting practices are urgently needed. Unless there is a step change in efforts to reduce wildlife exploitation to sustainable levels, the region will likely lose most of its iconic species, and many others besides, within the next few years.