Sustainable engineering education in the United States

Sustainable engineering is a conceptual and practical challenge to all engineering disciplines. Although the profession has experience with environmental dimensions of engineering activities that in some cases are quite deep, extending the existing body of practice to sustainable engineering by including social and cultural domains is a significant and non-trivial challenge. Nonetheless, progress is being made, as a recent study undertaken by the Center for Sustainable Engineering in the United States demonstrates.

Structure of small mammal communities in Moscow parks and public gardens

Data collected between 1987 and 2002 have been used to analyze the structure of small mammal communities in parks and public gardens of the city of Moscow. With regard to several ecological parameters, four categories of parks markedly differing in biotopic conditions have been distinguished. The least stable zoocenoses are formed in deteriorating parks. More favorable ecological conditions exist in public gardens and regular parks, where not only synanthropic but also hemisynanthropic rodents can be found. The fauna of small mammals in landscape parks is similar to that in forest cenoses, but this fauna in park forests better complies with the concept of forest community.     

三峡工程生态与环境监测系统的特点

长江三峡工程生态与环境监测系统是针对三峡工程可能引起的生态环境问题而建立的跨地区、跨部门、多学科、综合性和研究性的监测网络,自1996年建立以来,监测系统按照规定的监测指标体系和操作规范,对三峡生态环境进行全过程跟踪监测,取得了大量生态与环境数据及资料,为三峡生态与环境的监测与保护发挥了重要作用,为我国大型江河湖泊的综合性生态环境监测工作做出了积极探索和有益尝试。随着水库逐步转入正式运行期,三峡监测系统的监测重点也由为工程建设服务转向为工程运行服务阶段。通过对三峡工程监测系统发展至现阶段进行总结研究,梳理了三峡工程监测系统的特点、运行成效、示范意义等,最后指出了监测系统今后一个阶段内的发展方向     

上海城市地貌形变的生态环境效应及应对策略

地貌环境与城市化相互关系是城市自然地理学研究的核心,从城市地貌学角度分析了上海城市地貌特点和地貌形变过程,探讨了城市地貌形变与城市生态环境之间的关系,特别是城市地貌形变引起的一系列生态环境效应,如城市防汛压力增大、地面积水愈加严重、城市河流淤积加厚、城市植被生境趋于单一等。在此基础上提出了三大应对策略:(1)在黄浦江下游河口尽早修建挡潮闸;(2)沿黄浦江、苏州河修建生态防汛墙;(3)及时进行城市规划调整,在再城市化过程中合理规划城市水面率和城市蓝线宽度,依据地貌形变的强弱来增加负地形(河流、湖泊)的比例,使已经损失的地面标高得到一定的补偿。上海只有充分重视城市地貌特点才能走上安全、健康、持续的城市发展道路。     

推进循环经济的工业生态化企业模式研究初探--以水泥企业为例

本文分配的了国内外工业生态化的研究现状，阐述了企业层次工业生态化的内涵，从生产系统和管理体系两方面提出工业生态化企业模式，分别涉及采购、生产、销售、消费和企业文化、组织结构、管理机制等七方面要素，并以水泥企业为例进行生态化生产系统的论述。     

以底栖动物为指示物种对长江流域水生态进行评价

采用底栖动物作为指示物种对长江流域的水生态进行了调查研究和生态评价。在长江上游支流、中下游干流及沿江湖泊上选取36个代表性样点进行生态考察和底栖动物采样、鉴定和分析。采用Hilsenhoff生物指数和水化学分析对样点水质进行评价，对比分析了各样点底栖动物的结构组成及多样性。上游支流大部分样点水质清洁；中游干流及沿江湖泊水质受到轻度到中度污染；下游干流水质污染加重。底栖动物多样性在上游支流中最高，中游湖泊较高，干流中下游较低。总结得出了4种河床演变条件下的底栖动物群谱。上游支流河床稳定的河流底栖动物密度较大，物种丰富，多样性高；侵蚀下切的河流底栖动物密度、物种数和多样性较低；淤积抬升的河流底栖动物密度、物种数和多样性更低一些；河势散乱且河床运动剧烈的支流物种丰度和密度均很低甚至为零，生态条件差。     

青藏高原东缘三江流域生态功能区建设的措施与影响

三江流域生态环境极度脆弱,严重威胁着中下游地区的社会安全和经济发展。随着西部开发和生态建设的推进,尤其是本地区“香格里拉”旅游热潮的兴起,三江流域已经成为西部开发的重要地区。通过三江流域的生态环境功能区的界定和划分,科学制定研究区的生态环境建设目标,并进行生态环境质量的动态监测和退化过程的预警报,从而在宏观上实现生态环境质量动态管理;通过退化生态系统的恢复重建模式的研究,特别是功能区的建设示范,把目前的生态恢复工程提高到一个新的水平;为保护生物多样性资源,实现区域生态、经济、社会可持续发展提供理论支撑。     

Sustainable development integration in Greek schools of engineering: current situation,experiences and actions

In this paper, a comprehensive study regarding the assessment of sustainable development (SD) integration in Greek schools of engineering is presented. More specifically, the undergraduate and graduate curricula and websites of all schools of engineering in Greece were examined to identify SD-related content and actions. Moreover, a simple guide for embedding SD into engineering schools was established, based on the experiences of successful implementation and strategies from highly recognised technical universities worldwide, to benchmark the Greek experience and to propose indicative measures for incorporating SD teaching in Greek universities. Results indicated that changing the curriculum is not the only way to efficiently incorporate SD in universities, whereas there are gaps concerning the integration of sustainability principles and tools in Greek engineering universities. Furthermore, the initial steps of incorporating SD-related actions at an engineering department are presented and analysed indicating some characteristic key factors affecting the efficient incorporation of SD tools in engineering courses.     

Guidelines for Riparian Vegetative Shade Restoration Based Upon a Theoretical Shaded‐Stream Model1

Abstract: Guidelines for riparian vegetative shade restoration were developed using a theoretical model of total daily radiation received by a shaded stream. The model assumed stream shading by nontransmitting, vertical or overhanging, solid vegetation planes in infinitely long reaches. Radiation components considered in the model were direct beam shortwave on the stream centerline, diffuse atmospheric shortwave, shortwave reflected by vegetation, atmospheric longwave, and longwave emitted by vegetation. Potential or extraterrestrial shortwave irradiation theory was used to compute beam shortwave radiation received at the stream centerline, and view factor theory was used to compute diffuse radiation exchange among stream, vegetation, and atmospheric planes. Model shade effects under clear skies were dominated by reductions in receipt of direct beam shortwave radiation. Model shade effects with cloudy skies were dominated by the “view factor effect” or the decreases in diffuse shortwave and longwave radiation from the atmosphere balanced against increases in longwave radiation from vegetation. Model shade effects on shortwave radiation reflected by vegetation were found to be negligible. The model was used to determine the vegetation height (H) to stream width (W) ratios needed to achieve 50, 75, and 90 % shade restoration for mid‐latitude conditions on clear and cloudy days. Ratios of vegetation height to stream width, for dense nontransmitting vegetation, generally ranged from 1.4 to 2.3 for 75% shade restoration at a mid‐latitude site (40°N). The model was used to show H/W needed for E‐W vs. N‐S stream azimuths, varying stream latitudes between 30° and 50°N, channels with overhanging vegetation, channels undergoing width changes, as well as the limits to shade restoration on very wide channels.     

Effects of Artificial Roosts for Frugivorous Bats on Seed Dispersal in a Neotropical Forest Pasture Mosaic

Abstract:  In the Neotropics ongoing deforestation is producing open and heavily fragmented landscapes dominated by agriculture, mostly plantations and cattle pastures. After some time agriculture often becomes uneconomical and land is abandoned. Subsequent habitat regeneration may be slow because seed inputs are restricted by a lack of incentives—such as suitable roost sites—for seed dispersers to enter deforested areas. Increasing environmental awareness has fostered growing efforts to promote reforestation. Practical and cost-efficient methods for kick-starting forest regeneration are, however, lacking. We investigated whether artificial bat roosts for frugivorous bat species can attract these key seed dispersers to deforested areas, thereby increasing seed rain. We installed artificial bat roosts in a forest-pasture mosaic in the Costa Rican Atlantic lowlands and monitored bat colonization and seed dispersal. Colonization occurred within a few weeks of installation, and 10 species of bats occupied the artificial roosts. Five species of frugivorous or nectarivorous bats colonized artificial roosts permanently in both primary habitat and in deforested areas, in numbers similar to those found in natural roosts. Seed input around artificial roosts increased significantly. Sixty-nine different seed types, mostly of early-successional plant species, were transported by bats to artificial roosts in disturbed habitats. The installation of artificial bat roosts thus successfully attracted frugivorous bats and increased seed inputs into degraded sites. This method is likely to speed up early-vegetation succession, which in turn will attract additional seed dispersers, such as birds, and provide a microhabitat for seeds of mid- and late-successional plants. As well as supporting natural forest regeneration and bat conservation, this cost-efficient method can also increase environmental awareness among landowners.