Simulation investigations on the marble deterioration by sulphur dioxide

This paper deals with investigations on corrosion of marble SO2. We have simulated oxidation of SO2 by photochemical process in the atmosphere. The experiments indicate that formation of SO3 aerosols is related to the concentration of SO2, the UV light intensity, the time of irradiation and the humidity of the air. The corrosion feature of surfaces of the marble and the depth profiles of sulphur were obtained by SEM (Scanning electron microscope), EDXA (Energy-dispersive X-ray analyzer) and SIMS (Secondary ion mass spectrometer). The results of experiments show the corrosive extent of marble depends on its compositions and microareas of marble, which contain lower silicon content can be easily corroded by SO2.     

Simultaneous Measurements of Atmospheric Pollutants and Visibility with a Long-Path DOAS System in Urban Areas

In this paper, the applicability of a Long-Path Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (LP-DOAS) system was checked for the feasibility of the simultaneous measurement of trace gases (such as O₃, NO₂, SO₂, and HCHO) and atmospheric visibility (light extinction by aerosols) in Asian urban areas. Field studies show that an LP-DOAS system can simultaneously measure the key pollutants (such as O₃, NO₂, SO₂, and HCHO) at detection limits in the ppb/sub-ppb range as well as the Mie extinction coefficient with an uncertainty of 0.1 km^–1 at time resolution of a few minutes. It is thus concluded that the use of LP-DOAS system is feasible for simultaneous measurement of gaseous pollutants as well as an atmospheric extinction coefficient which is tightly bound to fine particulate concentration.     

交通来源颗粒物粒径谱分布及其与能见度关系

对谭裕沟隧道内颗粒物的浓度谱进行了分析,研究了交通来源颗粒物的粒径浓度谱分布特征,并且探讨了不同粒径颗粒物对能见度的影响.结果表明,细粒子的污染比较严重,是影响能见度的主要因素.      

雾霾时车辆尾气排放对驾驶员能见度的影响

针对北京道路车辆尾气排放对雾霾时驾驶员道路能见度的影响问题,建立了雾霾时车辆尾气排放与驾驶员道路能见度关系模型。该模型以车辆为单元建立车辆尾气排放元胞,考虑了车辆尾气排放后的污染物物理和化学变化,并以车道中的尾气排放位置截面及截面单元、交叉口处的尾气排放位置区间为模型单元。为验证该模型,于2016年10月-2017年2月和2017年10月-2018年2月,在北京地区部分路网检测了驾驶员道路能见度等数据,并统计了各时段驾驶员道路能见度的分布情况。对建立的关系模型进行仿真,结果表明,该关系模型的仿真结果与实际检测数据的误差占比平均值小于4. 98%,验证了该关系模型用于描述北京市道路车辆尾气排放对雾霾时驾驶员道路能见度影响的有效性。     

Controversial sectors in banks’ sustainability reporting

Albeit indirectly, through its lending and investing, the financial sector can contribute substantially to achieve sustainable development. One of such practices concerns investment on or financing of entities that deal with environmentally or socially sensitive transactions (gambling, tobacco, alcohol, arms, etc.). Although there is a wealth of literature on banks’ CSR and its reporting, one can count on the fingers of one hand the studies mentioning explicitly these issue. What is more, this CSR practice gets treated only cursorily in these few studies. This study focuses on the communication of information on investment and financing of firms from controversial sectors in banks’ sustainability reports. We begin by examining whether financial institutions in our sample report having such policies or not. Then, we investigate what kind of policies are reported. In addition, this study seeks to capture the influence of national culture and firm-specific characteristics (type of property, listing status and multinationality) on the reporting of such issues. Ordinal regression analysis is used to analyse the relation of these factors with such reporting. Our findings suggest that the disclosure of information on policies regarding investment on and financing of firms from controversial sectors is not widespread, and the organizations reporting policies of total exclusion of some sectors or projects on ethical grounds are few. This study may encourage more detailed analyses of the type of CSR policies examined and of their impacts. It also may be of utility to banks by raising awareness about the need to consider these issues.     

长江三角洲地区霾判别方法的对比分析

为对比霾判别方法的差异,探讨霾观测标准的再完善性,文中从空间分布与单点时间序列两方面分别分析研究了4种霾判别方法的特征与适用性.选取中国长江三角洲地区1980~2009年38个地面观测站的气象资料,根据使用日均值的方法 1、2和使用14:00观测值的方法 3分别统计各站点的霾日,分析3种方法的异同.发现这些方法都能够反映出霾的长期变化趋势,但存在差异,这种差异随着年代际变化逐渐减小.由方法 1得到的霾日数最多,方法 3考虑了天气现象,比方法 1和2更合理.依据南京北郊2012年5月~2013年4月的逐时PM2.5浓度、相对湿度和能见度等资料,分析比较了方法 4(霾的观测和等级预报,QX/T 113-2010)与方法 1、2、3的不同.结果表明,由方法 3统计出的霾日少于其他方法,由方法 4统计出的霾日数介于方法 1与方法 3的结果;方法 3不能分辨出霾的严重程度,而其他方法能较好地分辨出霾的严重程度.     

华北火电厂脱硫对奥运期间区域空气质量的影响

采用MM5-CMAQ模式系统模拟研究了2006—2008年间华北火电厂脱硫工程实施对奥运期间区域空气质量的影响,并对比研究了脱硫前后华北地区二氧化硫(SO2)、硫酸盐气溶胶(ASO4)浓度及能见度的变化.结果表明,华北火电厂脱硫可有效削减区域SO2和ASO4浓度,在奥运气象条件下,脱硫促使京津冀、山东北部、山西东部、内蒙河套地区SO2浓度下降1~10 ppbv,而大部分地区ASO4浓度下降约1μg·m-3.北京是SO2浓度降低最明显的地区,其SO2浓度下降百分比超过50%;太行山脉沿线、泰山地区是ASO4浓度下降最明显的地区,浓度降低达2μg·m-3.火电厂脱硫同时促使北京、河北大部、山西北部及内蒙南部地区的能见度上升0.5 km以上.     

内江市大气细颗粒物化学组成及其消光特征

2012—2013年在内江市环境监测站楼顶采集了PM_(10)和PM_(2.5)样品,并分析了颗粒物中金属无机元素、水溶性离子和碳质组分的质量浓度,以研究颗粒物的污染水平及其消光特性.采样期间,内江市的PM_(10)和PM_(2.5)浓度分别为(116.3±54.7)μg·m~(-3)和(78.6±36.8)μg·m~(-3);颗粒物污染冬季较重,其次为秋季,春季和夏季污染水平相当.内江市PM_(2.5)中以二次无机离子(SNA,42.5%)和有机物(OM,35.0%)污染最为突出,其次为地壳元素(Soil,11.4%)、元素碳(EC,5.2%)和微量元素(Trace,0.3%).高相对湿度和细颗粒物浓度是导致内江灰霾频发的主要原因,10km能见度对应的PM_(2.5)浓度界值为72.2μg·m~(-3).采用IMPROVE模型计算,内江市PM_(2.5)的平均散射系数为(504.6±293.2)Mm-1,吸光系数平均为(41.0±20.6)Mm-1;PM_(2.5)中硫酸盐对消光系数贡献最大,占40.0%;其次为有机物和硝酸盐,贡献率分别是29.2%和15.3%;EC的贡献率为7.3%.PM_(2.5)质量浓度与散射系数呈现出较强的线性关系(r=0.88),通过回归方程得到PM_(2.5)的质量散射效率为4.2 m~2·g~(-1).     

水环境条件对三峡库区消落带狗牙根氮磷养分淹水浸泡释放的影响

三峡库区消落带会经历周期性的淹水-出露循环过程,消落带在出露期大量植物生长,淹水期植物体淹没腐解并释放氮磷养分,可能加剧三峡水库水环境压力.狗牙根[Cynodon dactylon(Linn.)Pers.]是三峡库区分布最广泛的优势植物之一.针对三峡水库水环境条件(温度、p H和光照)变化对狗牙根淹水条件下矿化分解及养分释放过程的影响进行了研究.结果表明,狗牙根淹水后,植物残体矿化分解,干重下降,全氮和全磷含量减少.狗牙根浸泡200 d后,25℃和15℃时总氮(TN)释放量分别为(2.66±0.29)g·kg~(-1)和(3.76±0.04)g·kg~(-1),总磷(TP)释放量分别为(0.79±0.03)g·kg~(-1)和(1.40±0.02)g·kg~(-1);上覆水p H为5.0、7.0、9.0时,TN释放量分别为(3.76±0.08)、(2.66±0.29)、(2.55±0.12)g·kg~(-1),TP的释放量分别为(1.53±0.04)、(0.79±0.03)、(1.70±0.07)g·kg~(-1);避光时上覆水TN和TP的释放量为(3.87±0.14)g·kg~(-1)和(1.78±0.08)g·kg~(-1).氮的释放以颗粒态氮(PN)为主,占80%以上,而颗粒态磷(PP)占比在50%左右.随三峡水环境条件变化,如温度降低,狗牙根的氮磷浸泡释放量增大;而酸、碱性水体较中性条件有利于氮磷释放;避光时狗牙根的氮磷释放得到促进.研究结果表明三峡水库冬季蓄水或污水排放导致的水环境变化将进一步促进消落带植物淹水分解及养分释放,从而可能加剧三峡库区水体富营养化.     

Trends and characteristics of animal-vehicle collisions in the United States

Introduction

Since 1990, fatal animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs) in the United States have more than doubled. This paper examines annual AVC trends in the United States over a 19-year period, seasonal and diurnal patterns of AVC risk, the geographic distribution of crash risk by state, and the association between posted speed limit and AVC crash risk in darkness.

Method

AVCs were compiled from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the General Estimates System (GES) for the years 1990-2008 to examine annual crash trends for fatal and nonfatal crashes. Seasonal trends for fatal AVCs were examined with the aggregated FARS dataset; seasonal trends for fatal and nonfatal AVCs were also examined by aggregating four years of Michigan crash data. State-by-state distributions of fatal AVCs were also described with the aggregated FARS dataset. Finally, the relationship between posted speed limit and the odds that a fatal or nonfatal AVC occurred in darkness were examined with logistic regressions using the aggregated FARS and Michigan datasets.

Results

Between 1990 and 2008, fatal AVCs increased by 104% and by 1.3 crashes per trillion vehicle miles travelled per year. Although not all AVCs involve deer, daily and seasonal AVC crash trends follow the general activity pattern of deer populations, consistent with prior reports. The odds that a fatal AVC occurred in darkness were also found to increase by 2.3% for each mile-per-hour increase in speed; a similar, albeit smaller, effect was also observed in the aggregated Michigan dataset, among nonfatal crashes.

Conclusion

AVCs represent a small but increasing share of crashes in the United States. Seasonal and daily variation in the pattern of AVCs seem to follow variation in deer exposure and ambient light level. Finally, the relative risk that a fatal and nonfatal AVC occurred in darkness is influenced by posted speed limit, suggesting that a driver's limited forward vision at night plays a role in AVCs, as it does in pedestrian collisions.

Impact on Industry

The association between speed limit and crash risk in darkness suggests that AVC risk might be reduced with countermeasures that improve a driver's forward view of the road.