TUGAI: An Integrated Simulation Tool for Ecological Assessment of Alternative Water Management Strategies in a Degraded River Delta

The development of ecologically sound water allocation strategies that account for the needs of riverine ecosystems is a pressing issue, especially in semiarid river basins. In the Aral Sea Basin, a search for strategies to mitigate ecological and socioeconomic deterioration has been in process since the early 1990s. The Geographic Information System–based simulation tool TUGAI has been developed to support the policy determination process by providing a simple, problem-oriented method to assess ecological effects of alternative water management strategies for the Amudarya River. It combines a multiobjective water allocation model with simple, spatially explicit statistical and rule-based models of landscape dynamics. Changes in environmental conditions are evaluated by a fuzzy habitat suitability index for Populus euphratica, which is the dominant species of the characteristic riverine Tugai forests. Water management scenarios can be developed by altering spatiotemporal water distribution in the delta area or the amount of water inflow into the delta. Outcomes of scenario analysis are qualitative comparisons of the ecological effects of different options for a time period of up to 28 years. The given approach utilizes different types of knowledge, from quantitative hydrological data to qualitative local expert knowledge. The main purpose of the tool is to integrate the knowledge in a comprehensive way to make it available for discussions on alternative policies in moderated workshops with stakeholders. In this article, the modules of the tool, their integration, and three hypothetical scenarios are presented. Based on the experience gained when developing the TUGAI tool, we propose that the general framework can be transferred to other areas where tradeoffs in water allocation between the environment and other water users are of major concern. The potential for a simulation tool to structure and inform a complex resource management situation by involving local experts and stakeholders in the development of possible future scenarios will become increasingly valuable for transparent and participatory resource management.     

Susceptibility indexing method for irrigation water management planning: applications to K. Menderes river basin, Turkey

A susceptibility indexing method was developed based on vulnerability and quality indices. The contamination susceptibility index (SI) at a given location was calculated by taking the product of the vulnerability index (VI) and the quality index (QI): SI = VI × QI. This method incorporates both hydrogeological and hydrochemical data for a comprehensive index mapping. The DRASTIC index methodology was used for the hydrogeological data evaluations. The quality index calculation procedure based on a water quality classification scheme was introduced to evaluate hydrochemical data. The suggested susceptibility indexing method was applied to the Küçük Menderes river basin located in western Turkey. The susceptibility index map shows both hydrogeological and hydrochemical data related to the contamination problem including areas that should be taken into consideration during water management planning. The index map indicates that the most susceptible groundwater is located along the river channel between Kiraz and Tire towns, in the Selçuk area and along the Fertek stream channel to the north of Torbal? town. The results indicate that the incorporation of both hydrogeological and hydrochemical datasets enables more realistic evaluations than those of an individual dataset to estimate the groundwater contamination susceptibility of an aquifer. The numerical procedure applied could be extended further by including other parameters such as retardation, potential contaminant sources, etc. that affect the water quality in a given basin.     

COALBED METHANE PRODUCT WATER CHEMISTRY IN THREE WYOMING WATERSHEDS1

ABSTRACT: The Powder River Basin in Wyoming has become one of the most active areas of coalbed methane (CBM) development in the western United States. Extraction of methane from coalbeds requires pumping of aquifer water, which is called product water. Two to ten extraction wells are manifolded into one discharge point and product water is released into nearby unlined holding ponds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemistry, salinity, and sodicity of CBM product water at discharge points and associated holding ponds as a function of watershed. The product water samples from the discharge points and associated holding ponds were collected from the Cheyenne River (CHR), Belle Fourche River (BFR), and Little Powder River (LPR) watersheds during the summers of 1999 and 2000. These samples were analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), alkalinity, sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), sulfate (SO₄^2‐), and chloride (C^1‐). From the chemical data, practical sodium adsorption ratio (SARp) and true sodium adsorption ratio (SARt) were calculated for the CBM discharge water and pond water. The pH, EC, TDS, alkalinity, Na, Ca, Mg, K, SARp, and SARt of CBM discharge water increased significantly moving north from the CHR watershed to the LPR watershed. CBM discharge water in associated holding ponds showed significant increases in EC, TDS, alkalinity, Na, K, SARp, and SARt moving north from the CHR to the LPR watershed. Within watersheds, the only significant change was an increase in pH from 7.21 to 8.26 between discharge points and holding ponds in the LPR watershed. However, the LPR and BFR exhibited larger changes in mean chemistry values in pH, salinity (EC, TDS), and sodicity (SAR) between CBM product water discharges and associated holding ponds than the CHR watershed. For instance, the mean EC and TDS of CBM product water in LPR increased from 1.93 to 2.09 dS/m, and froml,232 to 1,336 mg/L, respectively, between discharge and pond waters. The CHR exhibited no change in EC, TDS, Na, or SAR between discharge water and pond water. Also, while not statistically significant, mean alkalinity of CBM product water in BFR and LPR watersheds decreased from 9.81 to 8.01 meq/L and from 19.87 to 18.14 meq/L, respectively, between discharge and pond waters. The results of this study suggest that release of CBM product water onto the rangelands of BFR and LPR watersheds may precipitate calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in soils, which in turn may decrease infiltration and increase runoff and erosion. Thus, use of CBM product water for irrigation in LPR and BFR watersheds may require careful planning based on water pH, EC, alkalinity, Na, and SAR, as well as local soil physical and chemical properties.     

NEAR‐STREAM LANDUSE EFFECTS ON STREAMWATER NUTRIENT DISTRIBUTION IN AN URBANIZING WATERSHED1

ABSTRACT: We investigated spatial and temporal relationships among surface and subsurface watershed attributes and stream nutrient concentrations in urbanizing Johnson Creek watershed in northern Oregon. We sampled stream water at eight urban and five nonurban locations from March 1998 through December 1999. We sampled eight wells distributed over the two primary aquifers in the watershed. Using a Geographic Information System (GIS), percentages of landuse attributes within a radius of 30, 91, and 152 m from each sample site were quantified. We analyzed relationships between (1) nutrient concentrations and percentage cover of different landuse attributes, and (2) nutrient concentrations and underlying hydrologic units. We did not find a significant relationship between ground water chemistry and stream water chemistry. We found elevated levels of phosphorus (P) concentrations correlated with urban landuse, while higher nitrogen (N) concentrations were correlated with nonurban (primarily agricultural) landuse. We concluded that elevated levels of N in nonurban areas of Johnson Creek watershed were associated with agricultural practices. We further concluded that urban development factors such as increases in storm drains, dry wells, and impermeable surfaces may be responsible for higher input of P to the stream in urbanizing areas of the Johnson Creek watershed.     

自动监测数据管理及网络查询系统的设计与应用

文章介绍了环境空气质量日报及水质自动监测周报数据管理软件和基于web方式查询系统的总体设计及应用。以Microsoft Visual Basic6．0为开发平台，结合Access2000数据库平台设计开发了数据管理软件。运用ASP网络编程技术，实现了环境自动监测数据的网络查询和共享。经过在本机服务器系统实际应用效果较好，将其移植到真正的web服务器上即可实现开放式网络查询功能。     

湖北省土地资源遥感调查与评价

根据1999年TM影像解译了湖北省土地利用现状，然后以土地利用现状图为基础，采用地理信息系统技术，结合湖北省的实际情况，选择土壤、地形、坡度等评价因子，对湖北省土地资源进行了适宜性评价，简要地将全省土地资源划分为九等。评价结果表明：湖北省水热条件好，土地适宜性广，宜农林牧业同时利用的土地广泛分布；但是该省的基本农田面积小，土地垦殖率高，低产田面积大，后备耕地资源严重不足；土地利用结构与土地资源的供给条件、利用要求不相适宜，利用效益末得到充分发挥。     

资源所在地的利益补偿机制初探——以油气田资源开发为例

油气资源作为战略性资源,关系到经济发展、社会稳定、国家安全和全面建设小康社会目标的顺利实现。资源所在地为国家建设输出了大量的能源,本地的经济发展却依然处于落后状况,导致目前资源所在地出现了种种矛盾和冲突。究其原因,主要是缺乏对资源所在地的利益补偿机制所致。以油气田资源开发的利益分配现状为例,指出目前的利益分配中主要存在资源所在地税收分配收益少、开发带来的生态污染补偿缺失、油气田项目征地补偿过低、资源开发没有促进资源所在地的经济发展等问题,从福利经济学、公共政策管理的相关理论提出了构建利益补偿机制的理论依据,并在此基础上提出了收益向资源所在地倾斜、实行生态补偿、创新征地补偿方式和资源就地转化的政策建议。     

转制社区环保管理中存在的问题及对策——以广州市黄埔区为例

转制社区作为城市化过渡阶段的新生儿,其环保管理工作任重道远。该研究以广州市黄埔区作为对象,发现当前转制社区环保管理工作中普遍存在着居民环保意识不强、环保设备缺乏、管理部门职权不明确、执法力度不够和社区干部素质偏低等问题,针对此类问题,深入思考其原因及提出提高人口和社区干部素质、加大环保资金投入、社区自治等解决对策,,从而有利于改善人居环境,建立和谐社区。并且对今后转制社区中的环保管理工作提供参考。     

环境监测站实验室有机废液的管理与处理

环境监测站实验室有机废液污染是不容忽视的问题。介绍了有机废液的定义、分类收集和储存原则。提出了回收利用与无害化处理结合,实验室内部处理和委托资质单位处理结合的有机废液管理和处理方式,并简单列举了几种简单易行的用于实验室处理有机废液的方法,供相关环境监测实验室借鉴。加强实验室有机废液管理和处理,是保障环境安全的重要举措。     

The resource curse revisited and revised: A tale of paradoxes and red herrings

We critically evaluate the empirical basis for the so-called resource curse and find that, despite the topic's popularity in economics and political science research, this apparent paradox may be a red herring. The most commonly used measure of “resource abundance” can be more usefully interpreted as a proxy for “resource dependence”—endogenous to underlying structural factors. In multiple estimations that combine resource abundance and dependence, institutional, and constitutional variables, we find that (i) resource abundance, constitutions, and institutions determine resource dependence, (ii) resource dependence does not affect growth, and (iii) resource abundance positively affects growth and institutional quality.