Concentrations of heavy metals in urban soils of Talcahuano (Chile): a preliminary study

Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the top-(0–10 cm) and sub-surface (10–20 cm) soils of the Talcahuano urban area were measured. The main soil properties (organic matter, CaCO₃, pH, particle sizes) were determined for a network of representative sampling sites. The mean Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn contents in the urban topsoil samples from Talcahuano (37.8, 22.6, 35.2, 333 mg kg⁻¹, respectively) were compared with mean concentrations for other cities around the world. The results revealed higher concentrations of heavy metals in topsoil samples than in sub-surface samples. The samples from IS1, IS2, and IS3, located in the Talcahuano industrial park, had higher Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn contents than did samples from the other sites. This was probably due to local pollution by industrial (metallurgical) dust, although other diffuse pollution throughout the entire port region (shipyards, metallurgy, the dismantling of old ships), and contributions from the wind from adjacent industrial, storage, and vessel areas clearly played a role. Heavy metals were lowest in the sample taken on school grounds (SG).     

机动车不同速度下外噪声变化与衰减关系研究

通过在机动车测试场进行单辆机动车行驶状况的实验,研究机动车车型大小、行驶速度快慢与噪声量大小的关系,同时研究不同距离下机动车行驶外噪声的衰减规律。数据结果显示,测试条件下,噪声量随着速度提升而增加,呈线性关系或对数关系;相同速度下,大型车的噪声量比小型车的高8.1～11.0dB;在一定距离范围内,距离每增加3.5m,机动车噪声量将衰减2.2～3.0dB。     

Pedestrian distraction: The effects of road environment complexity and age on pedestrian’s visual attention and crossing behavior

Introduction: Little is known about how characteristics of the environment affect pedestrians’ road crossing behavior. Method: In this work, the effect of typical urban visual clutter created by objects and elements in the road proximity (e.g., billboards) on adults and children (aged 9–13) road crossing behavior was examined in a controlled laboratory environment, utilizing virtual reality scenarios projected on a large dome screen. Results: Divided into three levels of visual load, results showed that high visual load affected children’s and adults’ road crossing behavior and visual attention. The main effect on participants’ crossing decisions was seen in missed crossing opportunities. Children and adults missed more opportunities to cross the road when exposed to more cluttered road environments. An interaction with age was found in the dispersion of the visual attention measure. Children, 9–10 and 11–13 years old, had a wider spread of gazes across the scene when the environment was highly loaded—an effect not seen with adults. However, unexpectedly, no other indication of the deterring effect was found in the current study. Still, according to the results, it is reasonable to assume that busier road environments can be more hazardous to adult and child pedestrians. Practical Applications: In that context, it is important to further investigate the possible distracting effect of causal objects in the road environment on pedestrians, and especially children. This knowledge can help to create better safety guideline for children and assist urban planners in creating safer urban environments.     

Urban afforestation and infant health: Evidence from MillionTreesNYC

This paper examines the impact of urban afforestation on infant health outcomes by exploiting a quasi-experimental setting where one million new trees were planted in New York City (NYC), but not in counties surrounding NYC over the same time period. Using a near-universal birth record of NYC and surrounding counties over 2004–2015 and employing both the synthetic control method and a difference-in-differences model, we find that an approximately 20% increase in urban forest cover decreased prematurity and low birth weight among mothers in NYC by 2.1 and 0.24 percentage points, respectively, relative to similar mothers outside of NYC. The low birth weight finding is equivalent to getting a mother smoking two cigarettes a day during pregnancy to quit. An internal validity test suggests that changes in the composition of NYC mothers cannot explain the observed effects. Additionally, we find evidence that declines in PM_2.5 concentrations and increases in outdoor walks are potential causal mechanisms. Results suggest that urban afforestation may be able to complement existing policies aimed at improving infant health.     

Life cycle assessment of energy from waste via anaerobic digestion: A UK case study

Particularly in the UK, there is potential for use of large-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) plants to treat food waste, possibly along with other organic wastes, to produce biogas. This paper presents the results of a life cycle assessment to compare the environmental impacts of AD with energy and organic fertiliser production against two alternative approaches: incineration with energy production by CHP and landfill with electricity production. In particular the paper investigates the dependency of the results on some specific assumptions and key process parameters. The input Life Cycle Inventory data are specific to the Greater London area, UK. Anaerobic digestion emerges as the best treatment option in terms of total CO₂ and total SO₂ saved, when energy and organic fertiliser substitute non-renewable electricity, heat and inorganic fertiliser. For photochemical ozone and nutrient enrichment potentials, AD is the second option while incineration is shown to be the most environmentally friendly solution. The robustness of the model is investigated with a sensitivity analysis. The most critical assumption concerns the quantity and quality of the energy substituted by the biogas production. Two key issues affect the development and deployment of future anaerobic digestion plants: maximising the electricity produced by the CHP unit fuelled by biogas and to defining the future energy scenario in which the plant will be embedded.     

城市规划中的环境保护对策思考

结合实际,对城市规划中的环境保护措施进行研究,首先阐述城市规划的原则要求,其次在论述城市建设与环境保护内容的基础上,总结当前城市规划中环境保护的问题现状,最后,对提升城市规划环境保护的措施分析,可以给相关领域的研究者提供参考。     

What is left behind when the lights go off? Comparing the abundance and composition of litter in urban areas with different intensity of nightlife use in Mar del Plata,Argentina

Nightlife activities represents an important source of urban litter; the latter often being left behind or abandoned in public places and streets. Mar del Plata is a very important city on the Atlantic coast of Argentina and is the main tourism destination in the South Atlantic region of South America. However, few studies on urban litter related to nightlife activities have been conducted in the area. Here we assessed (i) the abundance and composition of litter, and (ii) the spatial and temporal variations of its abundance, diversity, richness and evenness in urbanized areas with different intensity of nightlife activities from April 2008 to March 2009. An overall of 13,503 items were counted. Around 92% of the total litter was comprised by cigarette butts, papers and plastics. We found significant spatial differences in the abundance of litter between sampling sites, with the greatest amounts of litter at the Alem site followed by the Hipólito site (both with an intensive nightlife activity) compared with the Chauvin site (a quiet high-income neighborhood). The composition of litter of the Alem and the Hipólito sites was relatively similar and both sites differ with respect to the Chauvin site. Cigarette butts, papers, and plastics were the items that contributed most to the dissimilarity between sampling sites. The diversity of litter was the single community parameter that significantly differed from the other seasons. We discussed the potential effect of nightlife activities on the amounts and quality of urban litter in the city of Mar del Plata.     

垃圾焚烧厂渗滤液处理工程中常见问题探讨

结合在渗滤液处理设计上的经验,对垃圾焚烧厂渗滤液处理工程中出现的一些问题进行分析和探讨,希望本文能起到抛砖引玉的作用。     

上海乔木林分碳储量比较分析研究

基于全国第七次（2004年-2009年）森林资源清样调查资料,并参考上海市2011年森林植被遥感数据,运用线性相关和双曲线相关的换算因子连续函数法,对上海8种主要乔木林分碳储量进行估算,并分析了不同龄组和地域分布的乔木林分碳储量。结果表明,两种方法的估值差别较大,但均是樟树、幼龄林和市区乔木林分碳储量贡献比较大。     

中国超大城市不透水面扩张对对流层NO2柱浓度的影响

基于Aura卫星的臭氧检测仪(OMI)数据及Landsat卫星影像,分别分析了中国7座超大城市2005—2017年的对流层NO_2柱浓度(TroNO_2浓度)时空变化规律和不透水面扩张模式,并探讨了二者之间的联系,结果表明:①7座城市总体表现为TroNO_2浓度先升高后降低、高值区域先扩大后收缩甚至消失的趋势.变化存在显著的周期性,冬季浓度远高于夏季.②各城市不透水面面积分别扩张至120%～200%,扩张模式多表现为由中心向四周辐射式扩张,不透水面的空间分布和扩张趋势与TroNO_2浓度高度相关.③各城市市辖区TroNO_2浓度与不透水面覆盖率(ISC)呈高度正相关,二者冷热点空间分布规律一致,松散型、紧凑型、密集型、高度密集型市辖区的TroNO_2浓度均值依次增加,发生不透水面扩张的区域标准化TroNO_2指数呈上升趋势.④自然条件、经济产业结构、机动车尾气排放、重大赛会的举办及相关政策等因素均与TroNO_2浓度密切相关.