成都市污染边界层高度的演变特征分析

基于2014年1月21日至2月5日成都市人民南路四段逐时PM_(2.5)质量浓度、大气能见度资料以及同期Mie散射激光雷达探测数据,遵循消光系数与细颗粒物质量浓度之间的关系,探讨污染边界层高度的演变特征。结果表明:污染时段内的污染边界层高度偏低,平均为221m;污染边界层高度与地面PM_(2.5)浓度的变化具有明显相关性,但污染边界层高度改变在前,地面PM_(2.5)浓度响应在后;污染边界层高度的日变化表现为单峰单谷型,峰值和谷值分别出现在08:00时和14:00时前后。     

联网激光雷达的观测性能综合平行比对

激光雷达以其高精度的探测能力在大气污染研究中得到了广泛应用。由于生产厂家和反演算法等的差异,激光雷达观测数据的质量参差不齐。笔者利用2013年11月和2014年3月2种不同型号激光雷达(高频激光雷达和微脉冲激光雷达) 532 nm波段的气溶胶消光系数和气溶胶自动观测网(AERONET)光学厚度数据,对2部雷达在不同空气质量下的观测性能进行综合对比。结果表明:2部雷达在不同空气质量条件下探测效果不同,空气质量为优和良时,2部雷达的消光系数比较一致,偏差主要在1 km以下;随着污染加剧,2部雷达在1 km以下的偏差先减小后增大,1 km以上的偏差随高度增大。与AERONET的光学厚度相比,高频激光雷达在轻度污染和严重污染时相对误差较小(3. 23%和26. 75%);微脉冲激光雷达在良和轻度污染时相对误差较小(40. 00%和25. 81%)。2部雷达设备的差异和重污染时不利的气象条件是影响雷达表现的重要原因。该研究作为全国激光雷达联网的前期工作,为全国激光雷达数据的综合应用提供了参考。     

典型木材燃料层流扩散火焰碳黑生成特性研究

为了对木材燃料层流扩散火焰碳黑生成特性进行研究,搭建了基于消光法原理的轴对称层流火焰碳黑浓度测量平台,选用马尾松针、柚木以及红橡木三种典型木材燃料粉碎成针状试样,并堆成直径3.5 cm堆垛,利用酒精引燃后可获得稳定的层流扩散火焰,同时通过电热丝辅助加热延长稳定燃烧。通过对三种典型木材燃料层流燃烧过程的质量损失和火焰碳黑浓度的测量和对比分析,结果显示三种燃料中马尾松针碳黑生成能力最大,这说明木材的碳黑生成能力可能与其碳元素和氧元素的含量有关。     

基于灰关联分析的天津市气溶胶消光特征研究

根据天津市秋季(2006年10月10日～20日)消光系数(bext)、PM2.5、SO2、NOX、NO2、O3质量浓度及相对湿度监测结果,利用灰色关联分析法分析大气消光系数同空气中的几种主要污染要素的相关性。结果表明,与消光系数有关的几种主要指标的灰关联度序为PM2.5NOXRHNO2O3,其中PM2.5与消光系数的灰关联系数达到0.905,远高于其他相关指标。同时对PM2.5和消光系数相关分析表明,监测期间天津市PM2.5质量消光系数为6.04m2/g。     

Human Influence and Classical Biogeographic Predictors of Rare Species Occurrence

Biogeographic theory predicts that rare species occur more often in larger, less‐isolated habitat patches and suggests that patch size and connectivity are positive predictors of patch quality for conservation. However, in areas substantially modified by humans, rare species may be relegated to the most isolated patches. We used data from plant surveys of 81 meadow patches in the Georgia Basin of Canada and the United States to show that presence of threatened and endangered plants was positively predicted for patches that were isolated on small islands surrounded by ocean and for patches that were isolated by surrounding forest. Neither patch size nor connectivity were positive predictors of rare species occurrence. Thus, in our study area, human influence, presumably due to disturbance or introduction of competitive non‐native species, appears to have overwhelmed classical predictors of rare species distribution, such that greater patch isolation appeared to favor presence of rare species. We suggest conservation planners consider the potential advantages of protecting geographically isolated patches in human‐modified landscapes because such patches may represent the only habitats in which rare species are likely to persist. Influencia Humana y Predictores Biogeográficos Clásicos de la Ocurrencia de Especies Raras     

Shifting Baselines and The Extinction of The Caribbean Monk Seal

The recent extnction of the Caribbean monk seal Monachus tropicalis has been considered an example of a human‐caused extinction in the marine environment, and this species was considered a driver of the changes that have occurred in the structure of Caribbean coral reef ecosystems since colonial times. I searched archaeological records, historical data, and geographic names (used as a proxy of the presence of seals) and evaluated the use and quality of these data to conclude that since prehistoric times the Caribbean monk seal was always rare and vulnerable to human predation. This finding supports the hypothesis that in AD 1500, the Caribbean monk seal persisted as a small fragmented population in which individuals were confined to small keys, banks, or isolated islands in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. This hypothesis is contrary to the assumption that the species was widespread and abundant historically. The theory that the main driver of monk seal extinction was harvesting for its oil for use in the sugar cane industry of Jamaica during the 18th century is based primarily on anecdotal information and is overemphasized in the literature. An analysis of reported human encounters with this species indicates monk seal harvest was an occasional activity, rather than an ongoing enterprise. Nevertheless, given the rarity of this species and its restricted distribution, even small levels of hunting or specimen collecting must have contributed to its extinction, which was confirmed in the mid‐20th century. Some sources had been overlooked or only partially reviewed, others misinterpreted, and a considerable amount of anecdotal information had been uncritically used. Critical examination of archaeological and historical records is required to infer accurate estimations of the historical abundance of a species. In reconstructing the past to address the shifting baseline syndrome, it is important to avoid selecting evidence to confirm modern prejudices. Puntos de Referencia Cambiantes y la Extinción de la Foca Monje Caribeña     

Modeling the impacts of calcite precipitation on the epilimnion of an ultraoligotrophic, hard-water lake

A mass-balance model of calcite precipitation was developed to investigate the interactions of the varied processes governing the generation and fate of calcite in lakes. The model was used in conjunction with data to assess the evolution and impact of calcite precipitation for calcareous, ultraoligotrophic Torch Lake, Michigan (USA). This lake is an ideal setting for implementation of a baseline modeling study of calcite precipitation where the physical drivers could be evaluated without being dominated, as in many systems, by biological processes. The model provides a representation of calcite precipitation with particulate surface area changing over time, and demonstrates that it is possible for the change in water clarity to be explained by calcite precipitation employing standard optical models. Using the mass balance model to quantify the roles of the various chemical, biological and physical processes interacting in the lake's epilimnion, it was shown that the seasonal temperature rise and air-water CO₂ exchange drive calcite precipitation much more than primary production for this ultraoligotrophic system.     

Evaluating the Success of Conservation Actions in Safeguarding Tropical Forest Biodiversity

Abstract: We reviewed the evidence on the extent and efficacy of conservation of tropical forest biodiversity for each of the classes of conservation action defined by the new International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classification. Protected areas are the most tested conservation approach, and a number of studies show they are generally effective in slowing deforestation. There is some documentation of the extent of sustainable timber management in tropical forest, but little information on other landscape‐conservation tactics. The extent and effectiveness of ex situ species conservation is quite well known. Forty‐one tropical‐forest species now survive only in captivity. Other single‐species conservation actions are not as well documented. The potential of policy mechanisms, such as international conventions and provision of funds, to slow extinctions in tropical forests is considerable, but the effects of policy are difficult to measure. Finally, interventions to promote tropical conservation by supporting education and livelihoods, providing incentives, and furthering capacity building are all thought to be important, but their extent and effectiveness remain poorly known. For birds, the best studied taxon, the sum of such conservation actions has averted one‐fifth of the extinctions that would otherwise have occurred over the last century. Clearly, tropical forest conservation works, but more is needed, as is critical assessment of what works in what circumstances, if mass extinction is to be averted.     

Addressing Data Deficiency in Classifying Extinction Risk: a Case Study of a Radiation of Bignoniaceae from Madagascar

Abstract:  Of the roughly 12,000 known plant species in Madagascar, only 3% are found in the IUCN (World Conservation Union) Red List of Threatened Species. We assigned preliminary IUCN categories of threat to the species of a comparatively well-known tribe, Coleeae (Bignoniaceae), which comprises an endemic, species-rich radiation in Madagascar. Because the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria 3.1 discourage the use of the data-deficient category, we developed a novel method for differentiating between range-limited species and poorly sampled species. We used the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) gazetteer to determine where other collection efforts had taken place. We drew buffers around each Coleeae locality and determined how many times the surrounding area had been visited since the last sighting of the specimens by intersecting the buffers with all known botanical localities from the MBG gazetteer. We determined that at least 54% of the Coleeae species are threatened with extinction. Assignments of species to this category were often due to predicted future decline within their current area of occupancy and their lack of inclusion within the protected-area network (only 42% of species are known to occur in protected areas). Three species were presumed extinct, and an additional 12 have not been seen in decades. Among the species threatened with extinction, we "rescued" six of them from the data-deficient category by considering both the sample dates and localities of places where they occurred in relation to additional collections that took place in the immediate area. Due to their recent discovery, 15 species remained in the data-deficient category. If Coleeae is representative of the Malagasy flora, or at least of other endemic-radiated plant groups, then species loss in Madagascar may be even more extreme than is realized.     

Possible Extinction Vortex for a Population of Iberian Lynx on the Verge of Extirpation

Abstract: Theory suggests that demographic and genetic traits deteriorate (i.e., fitness and genetic diversity decrease) when populations become small, and that such deterioration could precipitate positive feedback loops called extinction vortices. We examined whether demographic attributes and genetic traits have changed over time in one of the 2 remaining small populations of the highly endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) in Doñana, Spain. From 1983 to 2008, we recorded nontraumatic mortality rates, litter size, offspring survival, age at territory acquisition, and sex ratio. We combined these demographic attributes with measures of inbreeding and genetic diversity at neutral loci (microsatellites) and genes subjected to selection (major histocompatibility complex). Data on demographic traits were obtained through capture and radio tracking, checking dens during breeding, track surveys, and camera trapping. For genetic analyses, we obtained blood or tissue samples from captured or necropsied individuals or from museum specimens. Over time a female‐biased sex ratio developed, age of territory acquisition decreased, mean litter size decreased, and rates of nontraumatic mortality increased, but there were no significant changes in overall mortality rates, standardized individual heterozygosity declined steadily, and allelic diversity of exon 2 of class II major histocompatibility complex DRB genes remained constant (2 allelic variants present in all individuals analyzed). Changes in sex ratio and age of territory acquisition may have resulted from demographic stochasticity, whereas changes in litter size and nontraumatic mortality may be related to observed increases in inbreeding. Concomitant deterioration of both demographic attributes and genetic traits is consistent with an extinction vortex. The co‐occurrence, with or without interaction, of demographic and genetic deterioration may explain the lack of success of conservation efforts with the Doñana population of Iberian lynx.