Wetland economic valuation approaches and prospects in China

Ecosystem services valuation seeks to increase the social relevance of ecosystem characteristics, the underlying biological mechanisms that support services, by making the contribution of ecosystems to human well-being explicit. Economic valuation can help management by clarifying the full range of benefits and costs of proposed management actions. In the past two decades, economic valuation of wetland ecosystem services has become one of the most significant scientific priorities for wetland protection. In this paper, we provide an overview of ecosystem services, and summarize the main interdisciplinary approaches to measure and value wetland ecosystem services. We identified four main methodological gaps preventing progress on wetland valuation of ecosystem services in China, which are: 1) confusion on terminology like intermediate and final ecosystem services, 2) lack of ecological production functions to link ecosystem characteristics to final ecosystem services, 3) static valuation making it difficult to evaluate the trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services, and 4) lack of clear guidance on relating ecological compensation programs to conservation targets. Overcoming these gaps is important to inform wetland compensation mechanisms and conservation policies. We propose future research on wetland ecosystem services in China should be focused on: 1) defining final ecosystem services based on beneficiary preferences and underlying biophysical mechanisms, 2) establishing wetland monitoring programs at specific sites to collect data on final ecosystem service indicators and ecosystem characteristic metrics to create ecological production functions for economic valuation and rescaling techniques, and 3) incorporating wetland ecosystem service values into decision-making processes to inform wetland management.     

Helical probe tests in residual soils of the Appalachian Piedmont

Helical probe tests (HPT) are a quick and economical means for manual field testing of soils to depths of 1.5 m with readings taken at 0.15-m intervals in only 10 min. The equipment is lightweight (only 2 kg) and thus amenable to deploy on initial site reconnaissance explorations, shallow pavement projects, earth retention walls, and/or compaction of fills. Although suitable for use in a variety of geomaterials: sands, silts, clays, and mixed soils, the specific application to residual fine sandy silts and silty fine sands of the Appalachian Piedmont and Blue Ridge geologic provinces is shown here. Existing relationships for converting the measured HPT torque reading to equivalent cone penetration testing (CPT) tip resistances are reviewed, as well as other trends.     

Laboratory investigations of inert gas flow behaviors in compact sandstone

The seepage evolution behavior of compact rock is significant for the stability and safety of many engineering applications. In this research, both hydrostatic and triaxial compression tests were conducted on compact sandstone using an inert gas, namely argon. A triaxial compression test with a water permeability measurement was carried out to study the difference between the gas permeability and water permeability evolutions during the complete stress–strain process. Based on the experimental data, the hydrostatic stress-dependent gas permeability was discussed firstly. A second-order function was proposed to predict and explain the gas slippage effect. The mechanical properties and crack development of the sandstone samples were discussed to better understand the permeability evolution with crack growth during the complete stress–strain process. The results show that the gas permeability evolution can be divided into five stages according to the different crack growth stages. Then, the permeability changes in the crack closure stress \( \sigma_{\text{cc}} \), crack initiation stress \( \sigma_{\text{ci}} \), crack damage stress \( \sigma_{\text{cd}} \) and peak stress \( \sigma_{\text{p}} \) with confining pressures were analyzed. Finally, we found that the difference between the corrected gas permeability and water permeability can be attributed to the interaction between the water and sandstone grains.     

Dynamic Response to Seismic Waves at the Shallow Slope Supported by Bolts

In the soil slope supported by bolts, longitude waves instead of transverse waves, generated by earthquakes, first reach the slope surface. With the dynamic response of the P (pressure) wave along the anchorage structure, first, a theoretical study was conducted to investigate the propagation characteristics of the interference superposition, generated by the SV (shear-vertical) and the P waves. The SV wave was formed by the wave, originating from the bottom and reflected from the free surface of the slope, whereas the latter was the incident P wave, propagating in the slope. In addition, the structural measures, restraining the seismic wave, and the characteristics of the restraint effect at the free segment of the bolt were investigated. According to the wave-way difference between the incident P wave and the reflected SV wave, the minimum critical slope angle, influenced by the interference at the shallow slope, and the maximum influencing depth of the dynamic response, acting vertically to the slope surface, were obtained. The results indicate that the maximum influencing depth linearly correlated with the slope angle. Furthermore, based on the propagation characteristics of the P wave along the bolt, and the coupled relation between the wave length and the anchorage design parameters, the axial acceleration of the wave propagating along the bolt axis was obtained. Then, the theoretical length of the anti-seismic bolt, subjected to seismic waves, and the compensation force of the anchorage structure were obtained. Finally, a numerical study, based on FlAC3D, properly verified the theoretical conclusions.     

小冰期时中国南方地区降水模式的差异研究

小冰期是过去一千年中全球气候变化的重要事件之一。关于小冰期时中国季风区和西风影响区气候变化的对比研究众多,但是缺乏中国南方地区降水模式时空差异的研究,难以了解中国南方地区降水变化规律。为了系统地了解小冰期时中国南方地区降水的复杂性,本文将中国南方地区划分为东南—华南沿海地区、中部地区以及西南地区三个区域,总共选取了19条高分辨率的古气候记录进行对比研究,主要有以下几点认识:(1)相对于中世纪暖期而言,小冰期期间中国南方东南—华南沿海地区的气候偏湿,这可能与雨带在中国南方的滞留时间延长和沿海地区受台风的影响增强有关。(2)中国中部地区秦岭南麓和神农架高山林区在小冰期时期主要呈"冷湿"的模式,差异在于秦岭南麓区域主要在小冰期中后期偏湿,这与中部其他区域偏"冷干"的模式不同。这种区域差异可能是由于地形地势和大气环流的复杂性导致。(3)中国西南地区受印度夏季风和东亚夏季风的共同影响,且该区域地形复杂,其气候变化在小冰期时期存在更加明显的空间差异,没有呈现出比较一致的降水模式。与小冰期期间的降水变化不同的是,近30年东南—华南沿海地区除了台湾和雷州半岛,其他区域降水明显减少,可能受气温和人类活动等因素的影响。通过结合高分辨率的古气候记录,我们系统分析了中国南方小冰期的干湿模式在时空上的差异及其可能的影响因子,这对于认识小冰期时中国南方不同区域降水的复杂性及未来旱涝灾害的防控具有一定意义。     

改革开放以来广东省区域差异的发展变化

本文主要研究改革开放以来广东省区域差异发展变化的趋势及特点。在确定了研究的方法,采用的指标后,文章从三个方面,及全省区域差异的总体状况;省内各区之间的差异;省内各区内部的差异,分析了广东省1980—1990年区域差异的发展变化。研究表明自改革开放以来广东省的区域差异迅速扩大,且主要体现在珠江三角洲与全省其余各地差异的扩大;虽然在改革开放的初期三角洲内部的差异就比较明显,但1980年以来三角洲呈现出很强的均衡发展的特点;区域差异发展的特点与广东改革开放以来实行的一系列政策有明显的因果关系。最后,文章探讨了缩小广东省区域差异的措施。     

A Preliminary Study on Dust Grains in the Stratosphere

Collected by means of a high-altitude scientific balloon and a self-made automatic sample collector,a total of 276 dust grains were selected for the study of shape,grain size and optical property.Some of the grains were examined by X-ray diffraction and electrom microprobe techniques,The stratospheric dust grains can be classified as 6 types:cosmic dusts,cosmic dusts(?),microtektite,natural pollutants,artificial pollutants and the unknown substances.The different types of dust grains have different characters and distinguishing symbols.Widespread in the space of the solar system,cosmic dusts are the initial substances of the solar system and ,to some degree,have recorded a great wealth of information on the early history of the solar system.So they have become one of the important objects in the field of cosmochemistry at present time,Since the 1960‘s,scholars of many countries have collected cosmic dusts both in the space near the earth(using rock ets,space probes and space shuttles)and in the stratosphere (using high-altitude balloons or U-2air planes).According to the shape(the scanning electron microimage),element composition(the energy-dispersive X-ray spectrum)and optical properties of dust grains,the substances in the stratosphere can be classified as 5 types:cosmic dusts,alumina spheroids,terrestrial artificial pollutants,terrestrial natural pollutants and unknown substances(CDPET,1982).     

核爆炸玻璃、撞击玻璃和玻璃陨石源岩

本文根据核爆炸岩石熔融玻璃的地球化学研究结果,与超速陨石撞击坑的熔岩进行比较,获得在远离热力学平衡条件下,各种玻璃和熔岩在化学成分上分布十分均匀的重要结论。岩石玻璃和熔岩是由基岩各组成岩石按一定比例混合熔融形成的。它们的主量元素和痕量元素丰度受基岩元素背景值制约。文中根据熔体和靶岩的化学成分,计算了熔岩各组成岩石的百分比。玻璃陨石是地壳岩石受撞击熔融形成的。同一撒布区的玻璃陨石化学成分相近,说明起源于同一源坑;而玻璃陨石化学成分的不同,则说明母岩组成分量的差异。因此,文中通过模拟计算,得出各玻璃陨石的组成源岩。澳大利亚撒布区的玻璃陨石,Al₂O₃,K₂O 和Na₂O 与 SiO₂及 K₂O/Na₂O 比值不完全相同,说明澳大利亚撒布区存在着几个不同的源岩和源坑,至少有印支、爪哇、菲律宾和澳大利亚四个相应撞击坑。     

云南东部震旦系—寒武系界线地层的相变与横向对比

1980—1982年间,我们在研究滇东震旦系与寒武系之间界线时,曾将晚震旦世至早寒武世过渡地层渔户村组由下至上划分为旧城段、白岩哨段、小歪头山段、中谊村段及大海段,筇竹寺组分为八道湾段和玉案山段等岩石地层单元(罗惠麟等,1982)。经过近10年的实践,证明这一划分基本合理,并为云南省地矿局区调队及第一地质大队广泛采用。由于八道湾段与新疆乌鲁木齐附近的侏罗系八道湾组重名,罗惠麟等(1990)建议改称为石     

电子探针快速自动定量矿石中矿物的方法研究

利用电子探针、能谱仪、扫描电镜和计算机等一整套仪器,对组成矿石样品中有用矿物的含量进行定量统计。既能准确识别矿物又能精确统计各矿物在矿样中的面积百分含量(面积法)。