Evaluating Holistic Environmental Consequences of Brownfield Management Options Using Consequential Life Cycle Assessment for Different Perspectives

Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or underused sites whose reuse necessitates some sort of intervention. These sites are largely urban and are frequently contaminated. Brownfield management options can be associated with three types of environmental consequences: those resulting from changes in the site’s environmental quality (primary impacts); those resulting from the actual intervention stage (secondary impacts); and, if the vocation of the site changes, those resulting from effects on regional land use (tertiary impacts). Different stakeholders and decision-making contexts will place a different importance on each of these types of impacts. This article proposes a framework for comparing brownfield management options in regard to these three types of environmental impacts and for interpreting these results from different perspectives. The assessment framework is based on consequential life cycle assessment (LCA), which is shown to provide environmental information on the three types of impacts. The results for a case study are presented, where a “rehabilitation” option allowing residential redevelopment is compared to an “exposure minimization” option not resulting in the site being reused. Calculated primary and tertiary impacts are favorable to the rehabilitation option, whereas secondary impacts are favorable to the exposure minimization option. A ternary diagram presents the favorable option for different stereotypical perspectives. Tertiary impacts are much greater than secondary impacts, and consequently all perspectives that consider tertiary impacts favor rehabilitation. The perspective that considers primary and secondary impacts receives conflicting information. The ternary diagram, showing results for all perspectives, could possibly be useful for consensus-building among stakeholders.     

Can Warmwater Streams Be Rehabilitated Using Watershed-Scale Standard Erosion Control Measures Alone?

Degradation of warmwater streams in agricultural landscapes is a pervasive problem, and reports of restoration effectiveness based on monitoring data are rare. Described is the outcome of rehabilitation of two deeply incised, unstable sand-and-gravel-bed streams. Channel networks of both watersheds were treated using standard erosion control measures, and aquatic habitats within 1-km-long reaches of each stream were further treated by addition of instream structures and planting woody vegetation on banks (“habitat rehabilitation”). Fish and their habitats were sampled semiannually during 1–2 years before rehabilitation, 3–4 years after rehabilitation, and 10–11 years after rehabilitation. Reaches with only erosion control measures located upstream from the habitat measure reaches and in similar streams in adjacent watersheds were sampled concurrently. Sediment concentrations declined steeply throughout both watersheds, with means ≥40% lower during the post-rehabilitation period than before. Physical effects of habitat rehabilitation were persistent through time, with pool habitat availability much higher in rehabilitated reaches than elsewhere. Fish community structure responded with major shifts in relative species abundance: as pool habitats increased after rehabilitation, small-bodied generalists and opportunists declined as certain piscivores and larger-bodied species such as centrarchids and catostomids increased. Reaches without habitat rehabilitation were significantly shallower, and fish populations there were similar to the rehabilitated reaches prior to treatment. These findings are applicable to incised, warmwater streams draining agricultural watersheds similar to those we studied. Rehabilitation of warmwater stream ecosystems is possible with current knowledge, but a major shift in stream corridor management strategies will be needed to reverse ongoing degradation trends. Apparently, conventional channel erosion controls without instream habitat measures are ineffective tools for ecosystem restoration in incised, warmwater streams of the Southeastern U.S., even if applied at the watershed scale and accompanied by significant reductions in suspended sediment concentration.     

Deteriorated watersheds can be restored: A case study

A project in west-central Colorado demonstrated that a watershed dissected by a dense gully network can be stabilized and rehabilitated. Check dam systems, aided by improved vegetative cover through reduced cattle grazing and plantings, stabilized not only the structurally treated gullies, but also gullies within the network that were not structurally treated. Comparison with untreated gullies located outside of the project area, showed that the outside gullies widened three times as much as the structurally untreated inside gullies. Statistical analysis indicated that precipitation was normal during the treatment and evaluation period.Check dams decreased gully depth by accumulating sediment deposits. In turn, gully bank stabilization was hastened and alluvial aquifer volumes increased. This increase, plus higher infiltration rates as a result of denser vegetation, led to renewed perennial streamflow after 7 treatment years.Within 11 years after treatment, check dam systems and improved vegetation reduced sediment loads in the flows by more than 90 percent, providing a substantial benefit to farmlands and ponds downstream.From this work we are able to conclude that only part of a gully network requires structural treatment. The mainstem gully, and those tributaries controlling the local base levels of others, are the critical segments that should be structurally treated.     

ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF WATERSHED PROJECTS - AN OVERVIEW METHODOLOGY AND APPLICATION1

ABSTRACT: Deforestation and intensive land use on a global scale has resulted in watershed deterioration and threatened municipal and irrigation reservoirs. Watershed rehabilitation programs must allocate funds to priority projects. A tool for decisionmakers is presented which provides a four-step overview economic analysis by the integration of physical and biological considerations. The overview tool is applied to a current proposed watershed project in Morocco.     

向家坝工程扰动区植被恢复土壤质量评价

以向家坝工程扰动区6种植被恢复模式下的土壤为研究对象,综合考虑表征土壤物理、化学和生物特性的25个土壤指标,利用敏感性分析和最小数据集方法进行土壤质量综合评价.结果表明：基于敏感性分析和最小数据集的土壤质量综合评价模型均能有差别的反映不同植被恢复模式对土壤质量和功能的影响;加权算法下基于最小数据集所计算土壤质量综合评价指数（SQI-MWA）能更敏感的反映出植被恢复措施对土壤质量的影响;有机质、全磷和多酚氧化酶能更好反映土壤质量受不同植被恢复方式的影响差异,推荐作为反映向家坝工程扰动区土壤质量的最优指标组合;土壤质量表现为：植被混凝土样地>厚层基材样地>天然林样地>客土喷播样地>框格梁样地>弃渣地.     

京津冀城市扩张对植被和地表城市热岛的影响

基于MODIS-LST、EVI以及土地利用/覆盖数据,分析了2000~2015年京津冀13个城市生长季及不同季节城市扩张对植被（ΔEVI）和地表城市热岛影响的时间变化趋势以及二者之间的关系,结果表明,京津冀13个城市主城区生长季及不同季节的城市扩张对植被均存在消极影响（ΔEVI<0）,对夏季植被的影响最大（ΔEVI=-0.131）;白天和夜间的地表城市热岛强度（SUHII）最大值均出现在夏季,分别为2.594℃和1.859℃;不同季节的ΔEVI均值呈现显著下降趋势,其速率分别为-0.0038,-0.0033,-0.0045和-0.0018/a（P<0.01）;生长季、春季和夏季白天SUHII均呈显著增加趋势,速率分别为0.076,0.093和0.106℃/a（P<0.01）,不同季节夜间SUHII均呈显著增加的趋势,其增加速率分别为0.05,0.055,0.049,0.054和0.046℃/a;京津冀13个城市主城区的ΔEVI均值和SUHII均值呈显著负相关（P<0.01）,其相关系数介于-0.959~-0.592之间;白天SUHII与ΔEVI的相关性最高为生长季（r=-0.959）,夜间SUHII与ΔEVI的相关性最高为春季（r=-0.936）.     

不同降雨条件下植被对绿色屋顶径流调控效益影响

植被是绿色屋顶的重要组成部分,可通过截留雨水和蒸散耗水等过程影响绿色屋顶的径流调控效益.本文基于太阳花(Portulaca grandiflora)、佛甲草(Sedum lineare)、高羊茅(Festuca elata)和无植被等4种植被覆盖类型绿色屋顶2017年雨季26场降雨径流过程的监测数据,从径流和洪峰削减、产流和峰现时间延迟四方面定量分析植被在不同降雨条件下对绿色屋顶径流调控效益的影响.结果表明,绿色屋顶径流削减率与降雨量呈显著负相关(P 0. 01),降雨量10 mm时,绿色屋顶径流削减率等于或接近100%;降雨量超过30 mm,所有绿色屋顶的径流削减率降低到70%以下;当降雨量达到监测期内最大的81. 4 mm时,各绿色屋顶径流削减率都低于55%.植被覆盖类型对绿色屋顶径流调控效益的影响随降雨条件而改变,大雨条件下不同植被覆盖类型绿色屋顶的径流削减率差异最大,中雨和暴雨条件下次之,小雨条件下因各绿色屋顶几乎都不产流而无明显差异.在中雨、大雨和暴雨条件下,有植被覆盖绿色屋顶的径流削减率、洪峰削减率、产流和峰现时间延迟等4个指标都明显优于无植被覆盖的绿色屋顶.株高和单位面积地上生物量最高的太阳花绿色屋顶的径流调控效益优于佛甲草绿色屋顶.     

1987～2015年嘉陵江源区植被覆盖度时空变化特征

江河源头地区植被建设与生态保护意义重大。应用遥感技术分析植被覆盖状况近年来已渐成热点。本文以嘉陵江源头所在地陕西省宝鸡市凤县为研究区,基于1987年、2000年和2015年3期Landsat卫星遥感影像,提取归一化植被指数NDVI（Normalized Difference Vegetation Index）,采用像元二分模型,运用ENVI 5.3和ArcGIS10.4软件计算得到研究区植被覆盖度分布格局及动态变化。结果表明：（1）1987~2015年期间研究区植被以高覆盖区为主,高覆盖区面积增加了5.96%,呈上升趋势;（2）研究区植被退化面积占3.91%,基本不变的面积占85.36%,改善面积占10.73%,研究区植被改善面积多于退化面积,与退耕还林还草工程关系密切;（3）植被覆盖度随坡度和高程的增大呈先增加后降低的趋势;阴坡的植被覆盖度低于阳坡,但高于平地,坡向对植被覆盖的影响主要体现在温度上;（4）矿产资源开发对植被破坏的影响大于风力发电场建设,建议当地政府加强矿山生态环境修复力度。研究结果可服务于嘉陵江源区生态保护与流域管理。     

浙江拔茅破火山剥蚀程度的判别与古火山复原

形成于95－110Ma前的拔茅破火山至今已经历过明显的剥蚀、夷平和后期的构造改造。本义根据该破火山内岩相组合面貌、定位于其中的银矿成矿深度、围岩蚀变分带特征、成矿元素地球化学分带规律、矿脉中黄铁矿品体的标型特征、岩石剥蚀速率的估算等多种方法确定拔茅被火山已被剥离了约500m．属于一种小等偏低剥蚀程度的古火山。以此为依据，结合火山岩层序和岩相分布特征．对投茅破火山的形成过程及其原始形态进行了复原。此外．本文还根据东南沿海火山带的实际，将古火山分为浅剥蚀、中等剥蚀和深剥蚀三类，总结了判别不同剥蚀程度破火山的综合标志。     

Monitoring The Dynamics Of Coastal Vegetation In Southwestern Taiwan

This study analyzes the results of the first 5 years of long-term environmental monitoring of the dynamics of coastal vegetation communities in southwestern Taiwan. Seven permanent plots were established in major vegetation communities, including grassland, windbreak forest, and secondary succession forest. Results showed that species richness decreased yearly in grasslands but fluctuated moderately in the forest plots. A Jaccard similarity coefficient was used to evaluate the similarities of species composition between different monitoring years. Species composition changed rapidly in grassland sites, with the similarity coefficient dropping from 82 to 29% in 5 years. The similarity coefficient of vegetation in the compositehardwood forest dropped from 80 to 50%, indicating that at least half the species were the same as those in the beginning and that the composition of forest communities was more stable than that of grassland communities. Dominant species in the forest community changed gradually during the monitoring period. The original planting of Casuarina equisetifolia in windbreak forests decreased year by year in most of the plots, while Cerbera manghas and Ficus microcarpa became the dominant species. The trend of replacement of dominant species indicates that most of the vegetation communities are still in successional stages.