太湖流域水污染对太湖水质的影响分析

从太湖地区(苏州、无锡、常州、杭州、嘉兴和湖州)的污染物排放量、水质监测结果，以及工农业发展、人口变化、人民生活水平的提高、东太湖萎缩，底泥中营养物的变化和湖泊生态系统失衡的特点入手，分析了太湖流域水污染现状。结果表明，工业废水排放量高于城镇生活废水排放量；太湖湖体、环湖河流水质与省、市边界断面主要超标项目分别为：总磷、总氮和氨氮；水体水质演变是由工农业迅速发展、人口过度增加、污染防治措施相对滞后，以及太湖水生态系统失衡等原因造成的。     

近15年科尔沁沙地及其周围地区土地利用变化分析

利用2期土地利用图形数据对科尔沁沙地及其周围地区的土地利用变化进行分析发现:1985～2000年该地区耕地增加15.34%,林地增加2.48%,草地减少6.28%,水域减少7.72%,城乡工矿居民用地增加1.99%,未利用地减少4.04%;其中草地向耕地转化的面积最大,为4932.00km²,占全区土地利用变化总面积的63.85%,转化的空间分布呈现出向科尔沁沙地边沿及其外围扩展的态势。经相关分析及文献调研得知,人口增长和经济发展是研究地区耕地增加、进而导致系列土地利用变化的根本原因;此外,土地开发和生态环境保护等宏观政策也是影响区域土地利用变的重要人文驱动力。     

水中天然有机物的臭氧强化光催化降解研究

研究了饮用水源中大分子天然有机物（NOM）的臭氧强化光催化降解,考察了臭氧投加量、反应时间和HCO3^-浓度对NOM降解速率的影响;分析了臭氧强化光催化过程中NOM相对分子质量的变化,并比较不同相对分子质量大小NOM的降解速率.研究结果表明,臭氧强化光催化比单独臭氧氧化、光催化能更有效地降解NOM,同时增加臭氧投加量和反应时间才能有效提高臭氧强化光催化对TOC的去除率,而单独增加臭氧投加量可显著提高生物可降解性;HCO3^-显著降低光催化的降解效果,臭氧强化光催化能有效地减弱HCO3^-的不利影响;臭氧强化光催化过程中大分子NOM分解为小分子,SUVA值迅速下降,且相对分子质量越大矿化速度越快.     

黑龙江省大气边界层不同高度风速变化

利用黑龙江省1961—2010 年哈尔滨、嫩江、齐齐哈尔、伊春4 个气象站探空和地面风速资料,分析了边界层内不同高度风速的气候学特征和时间变化趋势,获得以下结论:①黑龙江省边界层内不同高度年平均风速随高度增加而增大,10 m到300 m风速垂直递增率最大;风速在年内具有明显的季节性特征,各高度都是春季最大,近地面层冬季风速最小,其余高度夏季风速最小。②1961—2010 年,近地面10 m高度平均风速1970 年代最大,其后各年代风速逐渐减小,2000 年代风速最小;300、600、900 m高度,平均风速1980 年代最大,从1980 年代到2000 年代逐渐减小,300 m高度平均风速最小出现在1960 年代,600 m和900m最小出现在1970 年代。③1961—2010 年,近地面10 m高度平均风速呈明显减弱趋势,递减率为0.162 m/(s·10 a),递减趋势主要发生在1970 年代以后,但300、600 和900 m高度平均风速变化均不显著。④黑龙江省近地面风速变化趋势可能主要与观测环境改变和城市化等非自然因素影响有关,上层的风速变化则主要受大尺度大气环流变化的影响。     

水环境背景元素的时间差异变化规律

研究化学元素在枯、丰、平三个水季悬浮态、可溶态、沉积态的含量变化。以黄梨树水文站作为动态观测点,三年观测得出水化学要素、重金属元素及稀有、稀土元素变化最大的是丰水季;悬浮体相当于枯水季的２５０倍;悬浮态和可溶态元素含量（原水）同样形成丰水季＞平水季＞枯水季的趋势;而可溶态元素含量（过滤水）各个水期无大的变化差异。沉积物在三个水季中元素含量变化差异也较小,但有机质相反,含量出现枯水季＞平水季＞丰水季这样的规律。     

Identifying key needs for the integration of social–ecological outcomes in arctic wildlife monitoring

For effective monitoring in social–ecological systems to meet needs for biodiversity, science, and humans, desired outcomes must be clearly defined and routes from direct to derived outcomes understood. The Arctic is undergoing rapid climatic, ecological, social, and economic changes and requires effective wildlife monitoring to meet diverse stakeholder needs. To identify stakeholder priorities concerning desired outcomes of arctic wildlife monitoring, we conducted in-depth interviews with 29 arctic scientists, policy and decision makers, and representatives of indigenous organizations and nongovernmental organizations. Using qualitative content analysis, we identified and defined desired outcomes and documented links between outcomes. Using network analysis, we investigated the structure of perceived links between desired outcomes. We identified 18 desired outcomes from monitoring and classified them as either driven by monitoring information, monitoring process, or a combination of both. Highly cited outcomes were make decisions, conserve, detect change, disseminate, and secure food. These reflect key foci of arctic monitoring. Infrequently cited outcomes (e.g., govern) were emerging themes. Three modules comprised our outcome network. The modularity highlighted the low strength of perceived links between outcomes that were primarily information driven or more derived (e.g., detect change, make decisions, conserve, or secure food) and outcomes that were primarily process driven or more derived (e.g., cooperate, learn, educate). The outcomes expand monitoring community and disseminate created connections between these modules. Key desired outcomes are widely applicable to social–ecological systems within and outside the Arctic, particularly those with wildlife subsistence economies. Attributes and motivations associated with outcomes can guide development of integrated monitoring goals for biodiversity conservation and human needs. Our results demonstrated the disconnect between information- and process-driven goals and how expansion of the monitoring community and improved integration of monitoring stakeholders will help connect information- and process-derived outcomes for effective ecosystem stewardship.     

Performance of a large-scale greenhouse solar dryer integrated with phase change material thermal storage system for drying of chili

ABSTRACT

Large-scale greenhouse solar dryers have been used for drying various products and this type of dryer is usually equipped with LPG burner as auxiliary heater, which creates more operating cost. To overcome this problem, phase change material (PCM) thermal storage was proposed to substitute for the LPG burner. In this work, the performance of a large-scale greenhouse solar dryer integrated with a PCM as a latent heat storage for drying of chili was investigated. Experimental studies were conducted to compare the performance of this dryer with that of another large-scale greenhouse solar dryer without the PCM thermal storage and open sun drying. Chili with an initial moisture content of 74.7% (w.b.) was dried to a final moisture content of 10.0% (w.b.) in 2.5 days, 3.5 days, and 11 days using the solar dryer integrated with the PCM thermal storage, the solar dryer without the PCM thermal storage and the open sun drying, respectively. The performance of the solar dryer integrated with the PCM thermal storage was also evaluated using exergy analysis. The exergy efficiency of the drying room of the solar dryer integrated with the PCM thermal storage and the solar dryer without the PCM thermal storage for drying of chili was found to be 13.1% and 11.4%, respectively and the thermal storage helps to dry chili during adverse weather conditions. The results of exergy analysis implied that the exergy losses from the dryer with the PCM should be reduced.     

Extinction rate of discovered and undiscovered plants in Singapore

Extinction is a key issue in the assessment of global biodiversity. However, many extinction rate measures do not account for species that went extinct before they could be discovered. The highly developed island city–state of Singapore has one of the best-documented tropical floras in the world. This allowed us to estimate the total rate of floristic extinctions in Singapore since 1822 after accounting for sampling effort and crypto extinctions by collating herbaria records. Our database comprised 34,224 specimens from 2076 native species, of which 464 species (22%) were considered nationally extinct. We assumed that undiscovered species had the same annual per-species extinction rates as discovered species and that no undiscovered species remained extant. With classical and Bayesian algorithms, we estimated that 304 (95% confidence interval, 213–414) and 412 (95% credible interval, 313–534) additional species went extinct before they could be discovered, respectively; corresponding total extinction rate estimates were 32% and 35% (range 30–38%). We detected violations of our 2 assumptions that could cause our extinction estimates, particularly the absolute numbers, to be biased downward. Thus, our estimates should be treated as lower bounds. Our results illustrate the possible magnitudes of plant extirpations that can be expected in the tropics as development continues.     

Linking permit markets multilaterally

We formally study the determinants, magnitude and distribution of efficiency gains generated in multilateral linkages between permit markets. We provide two novel decomposition results for these gains, characterize individual preferences over linking groups and show that our results are largely unaltered with strategic domestic emissions cap selection or when banking and borrowing are allowed. Using the Paris Agreement pledges and power sector emissions data of five countries which all use or considered using both emissions trading and linking, we quantify the efficiency gains. We find that the computed gains can be sizable and are split roughly equally between effort and risk sharing.     

The Impact of Global NGOs on Japanese Press Coverage of Climate Negotiations: An Analysis of the New “Background Media Strategy”

This article assesses the success of WWF Japan’s “Background Media Strategy” in influencing Japanese mainstream news outlets’ coverage of climate change negotiations. WWF Japan adopted this “Background Media Strategy” after the Bali COP in 2007; instead of lobbying, it aims to build journalists’ expertise. This article examines its success after seven years through three research approaches: the analysis of participant lists; two surveys (conducted in 2009 and 2015); and a content analysis of climate change articles that appeared in four large mainstream newspapers between April and July 2015. Based on these different data, the author concludes that the new media strategy was successful: Japanese journalists increasingly rely on information provided by WWF Japan and less on information provided by the government and industry. This experiment suggests that a new relationship between global NGOs and the media can improve environmental communications—an approach that could help advocacy groups around the world.