Tolerance of calluna vulgaris and peatland plant communities to sulphuric acid deposition

Critical loads offer a unique way of evaluating impacts of acid deposition by quantifying environmental sensitivity. The critical loads of acidity for UK peat soils have been based upon an arbitrary reduction in pH of 0.2 units. This chemical shift needs to be better related to adverse effects on sensitive biological receptors. It is known that effective precipitation pH equates closely to soil solution pH, and the latter is directly linkable to biotic effects of pH change. On continuation of a long-term experiment assessing impacts of simulated acid rain on peat microcosms in a realistic outdoor environment, Calluna vulgaris continued to flourish at acid deposition loads well above the existing critical load. Calluna plants were harvested and analysed, and acid deposition treatments to the microcosms continued to allow natural vegetation to regenerate. A diverse mixture of moorland plants and bryophytes established at acidity treatments well above the existing critical load, and only a very high acid load resulted in no natural regeneration. A critical effective rain pH value of 3.6 is suggested as a basis for setting critical loads. At this pH, Calluna grows well, and a healthy diverse vegetation community re-establishes when harvested. It is suggested that the peat critical load should be set at the acid load that, at any specific site, would result in a mean effective precipitation pH of 3.6.     

战略环境评价在环境与发展综合决策中的作用

建立环境与发展综合决策机制是加强宏观环境管理的着眼点和突破口，其中战略环境评价（SEA）是重要工具，回顾了SEA的概念及发展，从技术支持，运行框架和长远效益几方面论述了SEA所能发挥的核心作用。划分SEA的不同工作模式，阐述其综合决策特征，归纳SEA的成功因素，提出我国开展SEA的建议。     

Scale,context, and decision making in agricultural adaptation to climate variability and change

This work presents a framework for viewing agricultural adaptation, emphasizing the multiple spatial and temporal scales on which individuals and institutions process information on changes in their environment. The framework is offered as a means to gain perspective on the role of climate variability and change in agricultural adaptation, and developed for a case study of Australian agriculture. To study adaptation issues at the scale of individual farms we developed a simple modelling framework. The model highlights the decision making element of adaptation in light of uncertainty, and underscores the importance of decision information related to climate variability. Model results show that the assumption of perfect information for farmers systematically overpredicts adaptive performance. The results also suggest that farmers who make tactical planting decisions on the basis of historical climate information are outperformed by those who use even moderately successful seasonal forecast information. Analysis at continental scales highlights the prominent role of the decline in economic operating conditions on Australian agriculture. Examples from segments of the agricultural industry in Australia are given to illustrate the importance of appropriate scale attribution in adapting to environmental changes. In particular, adaptations oriented toward short time scale changes in the farming environment (droughts, market fluctuations) can be limited in their efficacy by constraints imposed by broad changes in the soil/water base and economic environment occuring over longer time scales. The case study also makes the point that adaptation must be defined in reference to some goal, which is ultimately a social and political exercise. Overall, this study highlights the importance of allowing more complexity (limited information, risk aversion, cross-scale interactions, mis-attribution of cause and effect, background context, identification of goals) in representing adaptation processes in climate change studies.     

蚌埠市环境监测信息管理系统的开发实例

使用环境监测信息管理系统可以提高环境监测站数据处理能力,帮助其实现规划目标,并利用其从全局出发辅助环境管理决策.目前一般采用生命周期法来进行开发,它的使用标志着一个组织的计算机应用程度,因此建立环境监测信息管理系统是大势所趋.MIS理论上应和监测站一同建立、发展.     

砷对蔬菜生长的影响和临界值的研究

本文研究了紫色土添加砷对蔬菜生长的影响与临界值,并采用灰色系统的关联度分析方法,使它们与土壤性度联系起来,结果表明:三种紫色土砷的临界值一般为:红紫泥> 灰棕紫泥>红棕紫泥.     

城市给水网系统的故障风险评价决策技术

最小割集方法是评价网络系统可靠性和风险的一种有效方法，基于最小割集理论在城市复杂给水网系统中的推广应用，建立了城市给水网系统的故障风险计算评价决策模型，并通过自行编制的程序，进行了相关的实例分析。结果表明，基于最小割集方法的城市供水管网故障风险评价决策技术是科学、合理、有效的，具有很好的推广价值。     

事故和安全舰艇指挥员的心理素质对比研究

对有过不同程度操舰事故经历的舰艇指挥员和无事故经历的舰艇指挥员的心理素质测评比较研究 ,为舰艇指挥员心理素质的选拔和培训提供依据。根据研究要求选择了 4 2名被试者 ,并对其进行实验测评研究。结果表明 ,实验组在颜色视觉、立体视觉、注意分配能力、简单反应时间、复杂反应时间、速度预期反应等的能力水平都比控制组低 ,同时在结果的图表中 ,还注意到二组被试者在各个反应时指标中的临界值。对比研究的 6个项目指标 ,在一定程度上可以认为是舰艇指挥员心理品质指标中的重要组成部分 ,其临界值可以为更好地选拔合格舰艇指挥员的心理素质提供科学依据。     

A multi-objective optimisation approach to water management

The management of river basins is complex especially when decisions about environmental flows are considered in addition to those concerning urban and agricultural water demand. The solution to these complex decision problems requires the use of mathematical techniques that are formulated to take into account conflicting objectives. Many optimization models exist for water management systems but there is a knowledge gap in linking bio-economic objectives with the optimum use of all water resources under conflicting demands. The efficient operation and management of a network of nodes comprising storages, canals, river reaches and irrigation districts under environmental flow constraints is challenging. Minimization of risks associated with agricultural production requires accounting for uncertainty involved with climate, environmental policy and markets. Markets and economic criteria determine what crops farmers would like to grow with subsequent effect on water resources and the environment. Due to conflicts between multiple goal requirements and the competing water demands of different sectors, a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework was developed to analyze production targets under physical, biological, economic and environmental constraints. This approach is described by analyzing the conflicts that may arise between profitability, variable costs of production and pumping of groundwater for a hypothetical irrigation area.     

How farmers develop local ecological knowledge for on-farm tree management: The perspectives of some farming communities of Ghana

Scientific insights into what it means to manage on-farm trees by local farmers, is an essential step towards documenting local ecological knowledge for sustainable landscape management. A study was therefore conducted in the Kumawu Forest District in the Ashanti Region of Ghana to assess how farmers conceptualise on-farm tree management and develop local knowledge for it. Using a case study approach, data were collected through informal interviews and focus group discussions with 120 farmers drawn from 15 communities who were involved in the management of three cropping systems; cocoa, maize and cassava-cocoyam-plantain mix. It was observed that the farmers regard on-farm tree management as a continuous process which occurs in three phases of the farming cycle; land preparation, crop cultivation and fallow management. For each of the three phases, farmers are guided by specific principles that ensure enough light penetration in-between tree crowns in the land preparation phase, suitable spacing between trees and crops in the crop cultivation phase and adequate tree regeneration in the fallow phase. The decisions made during the selection of tree species, spacing of trees adjudged suitable for any particular cropping system and recruitment of saplings prior to the fallow phase of farming constitute tree management. Farmers develop tree management knowledge by studying the physical characteristics of species, matching them to ecological functions they could perform and how they are likely to respond to treatments meant to control or enhance their development. Species are then subjected to trial and recommended or otherwise.     

Review of LCA studies of solid waste management systems – Part II: Methodological guidance for a better practice

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is increasingly used in waste management to identify strategies that prevent or minimise negative impacts on ecosystems, human health or natural resources. However, the quality of the provided support to decision- and policy-makers is strongly dependent on a proper conduct of the LCA. How has LCA been applied until now? Are there any inconsistencies in the past practice? To answer these questions, we draw on a critical review of 222 published LCA studies of solid waste management systems. We analyse the past practice against the ISO standard requirements and the ILCD Handbook guidelines for each major step within the goal definition, scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation phases of the methodology. Results show that malpractices exist in several aspects of the LCA with large differences across studies. Examples are a frequent neglect of the goal definition, a frequent lack of transparency and precision in the definition of the scope of the study, e.g. an unclear delimitation of the system boundaries, a truncated impact coverage, difficulties in capturing influential local specificities such as representative waste compositions into the inventory, and a frequent lack of essential sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. Many of these aspects are important for the reliability of the results. For each of them, we therefore provide detailed recommendations to practitioners of waste management LCAs.