Analysis of uncertainty consideration in environmental assessment: an empirical study of Canadian EA practice

Identifying and communicating uncertainty is core to effective environmental assessment (EA). This study evaluates the extent to which uncertainties are considered and addressed in Canadian EA practice. We reviewed the environmental protection plans, follow-up programs, and panel reports (where applicable) of 12 EAs between 1995 and 2012. The types of uncertainties and levels of disclosure varied greatly. When uncertainties were acknowledged, practitioners adopted five different approaches to address them. However, uncertainties were never discussed or addressed in depth. We found a lack of suitable terminology and consistency in how uncertainties are disclosed, reflecting the need for explicit guidance, and we present recommendations for improvement. Canadian Environmental Impact Statements are not as transparent with respect to uncertainties as they should be, and uncertainties in EA need to be better considered and communicated.     

石化装置安全仪表系统KooN表决结构的误跳车率定量分析

为了更准确量化安全仪表系统的误跳车率,基于联锁回路SIF中传感器、逻辑解算器、执行机构引发误跳车的不同失效机理和模型,考虑共因失效对误跳车率的影响,提出1种更符合实际并适用于异型KooN结构的新子系统误跳车率计算模型（STR of Non-identical Redundant System,SNRS）。针对SIF回路的误跳车率计算,建立了1种分析安全联锁SIF回路误跳车率（Reliability based Spurious Trip,RST）的计算框架。研究结果表明:以某聚丙烯装置第三反应器保护系统为例,将SNRS和RST方法与目前主流的多种计算方法进行数值计算对比,验证了方法的有效性,能够有效进行定量分析。     

基于尾涡强度的无人机与民机纵向安全间隔评估研究

为了解决无人机频频入侵机场净空,与民航客机发生危险接近的问题,以碰撞风险为量化指标,对无人机与民机需要保持的纵向安全间隔进行评估研究。分析民机尾涡流场对无人机运行的影响,利用Crow近场涡强度消散理论,得到实际尾迹影响区改进Reich碰撞模板,据此建立CNS/GPS性能环境下的纵向间隔评估模型,通过Matlab进行间隔值求解。研究结果表明:模型可以较为准确地反映民机起飞初始爬升阶段无人机尾随运行时导航性能和尾涡迹对所需最小间隔值的影响,并得到给定安全目标水平的计算结果。     

层状氧化物NaCo_2O_4热催化H_2O_2降解亚甲基蓝

采用固相烧结法制备了NaCo_2O_4催化剂,构建了NaCo_2O_4-H_2O_2热催化体系降解亚甲基蓝(MB)。XRD和SEM表征结果显示,合成的NaCo_2O_4催化剂具有良好的稳定性。NaCo_2O_4对H_2O_2具有良好的热催化性能,反应温度越高,反应速率常数k越大,该催化反应符合一级动力学方程。NaCo_2O_4-H_2O_2体系对MB具有较好的降解效果,在反应温度为50℃、NaCo_2O_4加入量为50 mg、MB溶液加入量为100 mL、MB初始质量浓度为30 mg/L、H_2O_2加入量为1.00 mL的最优条件下,反应340 min时,MB降解率达87.00%;催化剂重复使用三次,MB降解率仍可达85%以上;经捕获剂效果对比实验发现,催化反应体系中存在h~+、·OH等催化活性物种。     

MoS_2/Bi_2S_3异质结光催化剂的制备及其光催化性能

以五水硝酸铋为铋源、钼酸钠为钼源、硫脲为硫源,采用简单的一步水热法合成了MoS_2/Bi_2S_3异质结光催化剂,采用XRD,SEM,TEM,BET,UV-Vis DRS技术对其进行了表征。表征结果显示,MoS_2纳米片在Bi_2S_3微棒表面生长,增加了比表面积和活性位点,并形成异质结构,促进了光生载流子的迁移,抑制了电子-空穴对的再复合。实验结果表明:钼酸钠与五水硝酸铋的质量比为1∶2时制备的复合光催化剂性能最好,反应180min时对亚甲基蓝的去除率可达96.4%,明显高于MoS_2和Bi_2S_3,且具有较高的稳定性;该催化剂对罗丹明B、甲基橙和4-硝基苯酚的去除率分别为97.1%、93.1%和90.5%,表明其对污染物具有普适性。     

石墨相氮化碳协同UV-H_2O_2光催化降解亚甲基蓝

以三聚氰胺为前驱体,经热解—回流法制备了石墨相氮化碳(g-C3N4),采用XRD、FTIR、SEM、EDS、PL等技术对g-C_3N_4进行了表征。研究了g-C_3N_4在UV-H_2O_2体系中对废水中亚甲基蓝(MB)的光降解效果。实验结果表明,UV+g-C_3N_4催化剂+H_2O_2体系能协同降解MB,在初始MB质量浓度为20 mg/L、初始废水p H为5、废水体积为250 mL、g-C_3N_4加入量为0.10 g、H_2O_2浓度为0.4 mmol/L、反应温度为25℃的优化工艺条件下,紫外光照射70 min时MB脱色率达98.32%。g-C_3N_4催化剂具有较好的重复使用性能,使用5次后MB脱色率仍保持在95.10%。     

g-C_3N_4/C@Bi_2MoO_6复合光催化剂的制备及其光催化活性

通过水热合成法和液相沉积法制备g-C_3N_4/C@Bi_2MoO_6复合光催化剂,并采用X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜、氮气吸脱附、紫外-可见漫反射等技术对其进行表征。研究了可见光下g-C_3N_4/C@Bi_2MoO_6催化降解罗丹明B(Rh B)的影响因素,并对其光催化反应机理进行初步探讨。实验结果表明:g-C_3N_4掺杂量为60%(w)时g-C_3N_4/C@Bi_2MoO_6的光催化活性最高;在60%g-C_3N_4/C@Bi_2MoO_6的投加量为1.00 g/L、初始Rh B质量浓度为2.50 mg/L、可见光照射150 min的条件下,Rh B的降解率达到97.90%;在g-C_3N_4/C@Bi_2MoO_6光催化降解体系中,h~+和·O_2~-是主要活性物种。     

聚苯乙烯/CdS/TiO_2双壳层核壳纳米颗粒可见光催化降解甲基橙

采用溶胶-凝胶法,在聚苯乙烯(PS)/CdS核壳纳米颗粒表面包覆致密TiO_2层,制备出具有双壳层结构的PS/CdS/TiO_2纳米复合颗粒,考察了制备条件对材料结构的影响,并利用甲基橙溶液对其光催化性能进行了评价。SEM、TEM、XRD和FTIR分析结果表明,制得的微球单分散性良好,壳层包覆完整,厚度均匀。PS/CdS/TiO_2制备的适宜反应时间为12~18 h,适宜反应pH为7~9。PS/CdS/TiO_2较PS/CdS具有更为优异的可见光催化性能。     

Supporting Diverse Data Providers in the Open Water Data Initiative: Communicating Water Data Quality and Fitness of Use

Shared, trusted, timely data are essential elements for the cooperation needed to optimize economic, ecologic, and public safety concerns related to water. The Open Water Data Initiative (OWDI) will provide a fully scalable platform that can support a wide variety of data from many diverse providers. Many of these will be larger, well‐established, and trusted agencies with a history of providing well‐documented, standardized, and archive‐ready products. However, some potential partners may be smaller, distributed, and relatively unknown or untested as data providers. The data these partners will provide are valuable and can be used to fill in many data gaps, but can also be variable in quality or supplied in nonstandardized formats. They may also reflect the smaller partners' variable budgets and missions, be intermittent, or of unknown provenance. A challenge for the OWDI will be to convey the quality and the contextual “fitness” of data from providers other than the most trusted brands. This article reviews past and current methods for documenting data quality. Three case studies are provided that describe processes and pathways for effective data‐sharing and publication initiatives. They also illustrate how partners may work together to find a metadata reporting threshold that encourages participation while maintaining high data integrity. And lastly, potential governance is proposed that may assist smaller partners with short‐ and long‐term participation in the OWDI.     

Recent Changes in Stream Flashiness and Flooding,and Effects of Flood Management in North Carolina and Virginia

The southeastern United States has undergone anthropogenic changes in landscape structure, with the potential to increase (e.g., urbanization) and decrease (e.g., reservoir construction) stream flashiness and flooding. Assessment of the outcome of such change can provide insight into the efficacy of current strategies and policies to manage water resources. We (1) examined trends in precipitation, floods, and stream flashiness and (2) assessed the relative influence of land cover and flow‐regulating features (e.g., best management practices and artificial water bodies) on stream flashiness from 1991 to 2013. We found mean annual precipitation decreased, which coincided with decreasing trends in floods. In contrast, stream flashiness, overall, showed an increasing trend during the period of study. However, upon closer examination, 20 watersheds showed stable stream flashiness, whereas 5 increased and 6 decreased in flashiness. Urban watersheds were among those that increased or decreased in flashiness. Watersheds that increased in stream flashiness gained more urban cover, lost more forested cover and had fewer best management practices installed than urban watersheds that decreased in stream flashiness. We found best management practices are more effective than artificial water bodies in regulating flashy floods. Flashiness index is a valuable and straightforward metric to characterize changes in streamflow and help to assess the efficacy of management interventions.