The Use of Remote Sensing and GIS in the Sustainable Management of Tropical Coastal Ecosystems

The sustainable use and management of important tropical coastal ecosystems (mangrove forests, seagrass beds and coral reefs) cannot be done without understanding the direct and indirect impacts of man. The ecosystem's resilience and recovery capacity following such impacts must be determined. The efficacy of mitigation measures must also be considered. Remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) are excellent tools to use in such studies. This paper reviews the state of the art and application of these tools in tropical coastal zones, and illustrates their relevance in sustainable development. It highlights a selected number of remote sensing case-studies on land cover patterns, population structure and dynamics, and stand characteristics from South-East Asia, Africa and South-America, with a particular emphasis on mangroves. It further shows how remote sensing technology and other scientific tools can be integrated in long-term studies, both retrospective and predictive, in order to anticipate degradation and to take mitigating measures at an early stage. The paper also highlights the guidelines for sustainable management that can result from remote sensing and GIS studies, and identifies existent gaps and research priorities.There is a need for more comprehensive approaches that deal with new remote sensing technologies and analysis in a GIS-environment, and that integrate findings collected over longer periods with the aim of prediction. It is also imperative to collect and integrate data from different disciplines. These are essential in the spirit of sustainable development and management, particularly in developing countries, which are often more vulnerable to environmental degradation.     

Sustainable development conflict over freeway construction

Environmental disputes arise due to opposing views of various groups about their environmental concerns and their economic or developmental interests. Development and protection of the environment constitute two main contradictory objectives within the sustainable development paradigm, which are often in conflict. The decision support system, GMCR II, which implements the graph model for conflict resolution, is employed to model and analyze an environmental dispute arising over the construction of a new freeway between the Iranian capital, Tehran, and the city of Chalous located in the north of the country. This study demonstrates that the graph model for conflict resolution can be used as a methodology to promote a reasonable balance between economic development and environmental protection from a strategic viewpoint. In addition to systematically modelling the conflict by putting the existing information into proper perspective, it is shown how conflict analysis can be used for comparing alternative scenarios and predicting possible future outcomes. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

东北区域空气质量时空分布特征及重度污染成因分析

东北已成为我国又一个霾污染多发和重发区域.采用2013～2017年东北区域大气污染物地面监测数据、卫星数据和气象数据等信息,探讨了中国东北地区空气质量时空分布特征与重度污染成因.结果表明,"沈阳-长春-哈尔滨"带状城市群是全年污染最严重的区域,空气质量指数(AQI)的空间分布具有明显的季节性,冬季污染最严重,春季吉林省西部周围为椭圆形污染区,夏季和秋季大部分时间空气质量最佳.3个典型的霾污染时期是10月下旬和11月上旬(即秋末和初冬,时期一),12月下旬和1月(即冬季最冷的时候,时期二),及4月到5月中旬(即春季沙尘和农业耕作期).时期一,季节性作物残茬焚烧和冬季采暖用煤燃烧产生的PM_(2.5)强排放是极端霾事件发生的主要原因(AQI 300);时期二,在最严寒月份里,重度霾污染事件(200 AQI 300),主要由燃煤和汽车燃料消耗的PM_(2.5)排放量高,大气边界层较低,以及大气扩散性差等共同引起;时期三,春季PM_(10)浓度较高,主要是由内蒙古中部退化草原的风沙和吉林省西部裸地的区域性扬尘传输造成的.同时,当地农业耕作本身也释放PM_(10),并提升了裸土的人为源矿物尘的排放强度.     

基于静止卫星GOCI传感器的大气污染过程AOD监测

针对北京及周边地区2017年11月2~8日的一次污染过程,利用韩国静止卫星COMs1GOCI数据,对北京地区进行AOD监测.AOD反演采用时间序列迭代算法,根据地表反射率随时间慢变而大气气溶胶随时间快变的理论,采取最小值拟合的方式,获取气溶胶光学厚度数据.反演结果与地基AERONET监测结果具有很好的一致性,两者的相关系数R²大于0.89.AOD监测结果表明,GOCI传感器1次/h的监测频率,可以很好地展现北京地区大气污染过程的开始,发展及消散过程,可以展示出一天之内AOD的变化,为大气污染监测以及气候变化研究提供依据.     

高分辨率监测下的漓江省里断面生物地球化学特征分析

为了获得漓江流域不同季节生物地球化学昼夜动态变化过程、影响因素与规律,分别于2016年10月30日～11月1日(秋季)和2017年9月14～16日(夏季)对漓江流域省里断面进行了为期48 h的高分辨率在线监测和高频率取样工作,研究水体电导率(EC)、水温(T)、pH以及Ca~(2+)、HCO_3~-、NO_3~-等离子含量和溶解无机碳同位素(δ~(13)C_(DIC))等水化学参数的昼夜变化规律,并分析其影响因素,同时评估水生植物对输入岩溶水生生态系统中溶解无机碳的固定量.结果表明:①省里断面水化学参数表现出显著的昼夜变化规律,T、pH、DO、SIC白天上升夜间下降,Ca~(2+)、HCO_3~-、EC、p(CO_2)白天降低夜晚上升且秋季昼夜变化幅度大于夏季.②SO_4~(2-)、NO_3~-、Cl~-、Na~+、K~+和Mg~(2+)等营养元素含量昼夜变化主要受水生植物代谢过程(同化作用)控制,呈现白天降低夜间升高的变化规律.同时,省里断面夏季营养元素昼夜变化幅度小于秋季.③省里断面溶解无机碳同位素(δ~(13)C_(DIC))主要受水生植物光合作用和呼吸作用控制,表现为白天偏重晚上偏轻的动态变化.受土壤根系和土壤微生物呼吸作用强度和河流水文要素季节变化的影响,夏季省里断面δ~(13)C_(DIC)总体上偏轻于秋季,两者的平均值分别为-10. 08‰和-8. 90‰.④通过计算,实验期间省里断面水生植物光合作用岩溶碳汇量日平均值为2. 12 mmol·L~(-1)和0. 94mmol·L~(-1),秋季比夏季具有更高的固碳效率.     

基于高空间分辨网格的郑州市城镇居民PM2.5暴露浓度与健康风险变化评估

近年来,我国以PM_2.5为特征污染物的复合型大气污染问题依然严峻,居民长期暴露在PM_2.5环境中会造成健康损伤,可以增加特定疾病过早死亡.郑州市PM_2.5浓度年均值远高于国家Ⅱ级标准,对居民健康造成了极为不利的影响.基于网络数据爬取建立的高空间分辨率人口密度网格,依据室外浓度监测数据和城镇居民源排放量,评估了包括室内和室外暴露的郑州市城镇居民的PM_2.5暴露水平,并采用综合暴露-反应模型量化了相应的健康风险,最后评估了不同削减措施与空气质量标准对降低城镇居民PM_2.5暴露浓度的贡献.结果表明,2017年和2019年郑州市城镇居民的时间加权PM_2.5暴露浓度年均值分别为74.06μg·m^-3和60.64μg·m^-3,下降了18.12%.其中室内暴露浓度占时间加权暴露浓度的质量分数分别为83.58%和83.01%,对时间加权暴露浓度下降的贡献率为84.06%. 2017年和2019年郑州市与PM_2.5     

Estimating emissions from crop residue open burning in China based on statistics and MODIS fire products

With the objective of reducing the large uncertainties in the estimations of emissions from crop residue open burning, an improved method for establishing emission inventories of crop residue open burning at a high spatial resolution of 0.25°× 0.25° and a temporal resolution of1 month was established based on the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer(MODIS) Thermal Anomalies/Fire Daily Level3 Global Product(MOD/MYD14A1). Agriculture mechanization ratios and regional crop-specific grain-to-straw ratios were introduced to improve the accuracy of related activity data. Locally observed emission factors were used to calculate the primary pollutant emissions. MODIS satellite data were modified by combining them with county-level agricultural statistical data, which reduced the influence of missing fire counts caused by their small size and cloud cover. The annual emissions of CO_2, CO, CH_4,nonmethane volatile organic compounds(NMVOCs), N_2O, NO_x, NH_3, SO_2, fine particles(PM2.5),organic carbon(OC), and black carbon(BC) were 150.40, 6.70, 0.51, 0.88, 0.01, 0.13, 0.07, 0.43,1.09, 0.34, and 0.06 Tg, respectively, in 2012. Crop residue open burning emissions displayed typical seasonal and spatial variation. The highest emission regions were the Yellow-Huai River and Yangtse-Huai River areas, and the monthly emissions were highest in June(37%).Uncertainties in the emission estimates, measured as 95% confidence intervals, range from a low of within ±126% for N_2O to a high of within ± 169% for NH_3.     

京津冀地区钢铁行业高时空分辨率排放清单方法研究

针对目前京津冀地区钢铁行业大气污染物排放量基数不清,排放清单缺失的现状,以钢铁行业调研、企业在线监测、污染源调查等数据为基础,综合考虑钢铁行业具体工艺设备、环保措施、产能等信息,按照自下而上的方法建立了一套高时空分辨率排放清单.经计算,2012年京津冀地区钢铁企业排放SO2为47.16万t,NOx为37.22万t,烟粉尘为34.15万t,其中烧结和高炉工艺为京津冀钢铁行业污染物的主要来源;从空间分布来看,唐山、邯郸两地区集中了整个京津冀地区一半以上的钢铁企业,其污染物排放量占到了整个区域钢铁企业排放总量的一半以上.     

Soft intervention technology as a tool for integrated coastal zone management

After introducing soft defence techniques as an alternative to hard defence techniques, the need is emphasized to consider the coastal area as an integral system. By recalling the main driving factors for coastal management: conflict resolution, resilience and sustainability, we logically arrive at the concepts of ecological engineering and ecotechnology, which are increasingly acknowledged as possible solutions to achieve sustainable use of coastal space as a resource. In this context, we refer to the principles of self design and of ecosystem conservation. In order to deal with real situations we are in need of fundamental ‘tools’ for the application of the soft intervention technology approach. We therefore introduce the concept of physiographic units and develop an initial elaboration for a coastal stretch and for coastal wetlands. The latter deserve more attention because of the already established practices of ecotechnology, at least as far as water and soil quality are concerned, but certainly also concerning morphology, especially in the future. We conclude by briefly discussing how activities undertaken in two research projects currently being conducted under the framework of the Marine Science and Technology Program of the Commission of the European Communities are expected to contribute to the concepts introduced here.     

Examination of model predictions at different horizontal grid resolutions

While fluctuations in meteorological and air quality variables occur on a continuum of spatial scales, the horizontal grid spacing of coupled meteorological and photochemical models sets a lower limit on the spatial scales that they can resolve. However, both computational costs and data requirements increase significantly with increasing grid resolution. Therefore, it is important to examine, for any given application, whether the expected benefit of increased grid resolution justifies the extra costs. In this study, we examine temperature and ozone observations and model predictions for three high ozone episodes that occurred over the northeastern United States during the summer of 1995. In the first set of simulations, the meteorological model RAMS4a was run with three two-way nested grids of 108/36/12 km grid spacing covering the United States and the photochemical model UAM-V was run with two grids of 36/12 km grid spacing covering the eastern United States. In the second set of simulations, RAMS4a was run with four two-way nested grids of 108/36/12/4 km grid spacing and UAM-V was run with three grids of 36/12/4 km grid spacing with the finest resolution covering the northeastern United States. Our analysis focuses on the comparison of model predictions for the finest grid domain of the simulations, namely, the region overlapping the 12 km and 4 km domains. A comparison of 12 km versus 4 km fields shows that the increased grid resolution leads to finer texture in the model predictions; however, comparisons of model predictions with observations do not reveal the expected improvement in the predictions. While high-resolution modeling has scientific merit and potential uses, the currently available monitoring networks, in conjunction with the scarceness of highly resolved spatial input data and the limitations of model formulation, do not allow confirmation of the expected superiority of the high-resolution model predictions.The U.S. Governments right to retain a non-exclusive royalty-free licence in and to any copyright is acknowledged.