Predicting quantiles of water quality from catchment characteristics

Water quality is often highly variable both in space and time, which poses challenges for modelling the more extreme concentrations. This study developed an alternative approach to predicting water quality quantiles at individual locations. We focused on river water quality data that were collected over 25 years, at 102 catchments across the State of Victoria, Australia. We analysed and modelled spatial patterns of the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles of the concentrations of sediments, nutrients and salt, with six common constituents: total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus (TP), filterable reactive phosphorus (FRP), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrate-nitrite (NO_x), and electrical conductivity (EC). To predict the spatial variation of each quantile for each constituent, we developed statistical regression models and exhaustively searched through 50 catchment characteristics to identify the best set of predictors for that quantile. The models predict the spatial variation in individual quantiles of TSS, TKN and EC well (66%–96% spatial variation explained), while those for TP, FRP and NO_x have lower performance (37%–73% spatial variation explained). The most common factors that influence the spatial variations of the different constituents and quantiles are: annual temperature, percentage of cropping land area in catchment and channel slope. The statistical models developed can be used to predict how low- and high-concentration quantiles change with landscape characteristics, and thus provide a useful tool for catchment managers to inform planning and policy making with changing climate and land use conditions.     

Managing land-use effects on Northland dune lakes: lessons from the past

The Northland region of New Zealand includes numerous high-value, macrophyte-dominated dune lakes. Recent water policy reforms offer limited guidance on managing for aquatic macrophytes. In addition, dune lake histories are poorly known as regular monitoring dates to 2005 AD. Here, ca. 4000 years of lake functional behaviour is reconstructed from sedimentary archives in two Northland dune lakes (Humuhumu and Rotokawau). Results demonstrated that macrophyte dominance is sensitive to catchment erosion and hydrological drawdown. Degradation of macrophyte communities occurred in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, earlier at Lake Humuhumu than Lake Rotokawau (post-1880 AD and post-1930 AD, respectively). In both lakes, increased erosional influx reduced macrophyte productivity, before later increases to wider trophic state (post-1970 AD). Lake-level decline is linked to increased nutrient loading at Lake Rotokawau but less so, Lake Humuhumu which is more strongly groundwater-fed. In Northland dune lakes, water-level reduction and erosional influx from land use have driven macrophyte degradation.     

The bivalve Lembulus bicuspidatus may enhance denitrification in shelf sediment at the Angola–Benguela Frontal Zone

We collected living individuals of the bivalve Lembulus bicuspidatus, which shows an unusual preference for the oxygen-deficient habitat found at the Angola–Benguela Frontal Zone of the southeastern Atlantic. With a series of incubation experiments with ¹⁵N-labelled nitrate as a tracer in combination with membrane-inlet mass spectrometry, we studied the potential contribution of L. bicuspidatus to nitrate reduction in the upper sediment layer. Our preliminary results suggest that L. bicuspidatus enhances nitrate reduction if the oxygen concentration is sufficiently low. The Lembulus-mediated nitrate reduction rate is then similar to the rate of microbial nitrate reduction in the surrounding sediment.     

典型深街谷内树木空间配置对行人呼吸高度处气流的影响

为揭示树木的不同空间配植方案对行人呼吸高度气流的影响,本文将树木视为均匀多孔介质,通过附加源项法从空气动力学角度用CFD模拟了H/W=2的典型深街谷几何内4种树木配植情景,实验表明,不同空间配置下树木对街谷内行人呼吸高度处局地气流的影响强弱在空间分布模式上差异悬殊：① 均匀种植的树木对街谷内行人呼吸高度的气流起到阻碍作用,不均匀种植则有效提升街谷的整体流速。4种空间配植方案下树木对气流的影响程度不同,阻碍作用从大到小的顺序为均匀间距8 m（Spa8m）>均匀间距6 m（Spa6m）>均匀间距20 m（Spa20m）>不均匀配植（Non-uniform）;对应的平均气流增强指标顺序为$\bar{D}_{spa8}$（-19.31%）<$\bar{D}_{spa6}$（-16.14%）<$\bar{D}_{spa20}$（-10.73%）<$\bar{D}_{non-uniform}$（1.25%）。② 对比不均匀和均匀的种植方案,不均匀植树的街谷内部行人呼吸高度的气流流速比其对照案例（均匀植树Spa8m方案）整体增强了106.49%。街谷中部不种树,在街谷两端配置树木并预留足够的自由空间的不均匀植树方案,能够让角涡渗入街谷中部,促使街谷内部的垂直漩涡和两端的水平角涡运动,增强湍流和垂直交换,有效减少了街道两端“风口效应”和街道中部“风影效应”的区域,改善了整个街谷行人呼吸平面的风环境。④ 合理空间配置的树木能够改善街谷内部的行人风环境。街谷内行人呼吸高度处的气流对局地条件很敏感,树木的局部配置（空间簇集、密度）将引起强烈的空间变化。在既有城市建筑布局条件下,如何通过谨慎的景观设计,利用树木等城市绿化措施有效地改善城市的行人风环境,缓解污染扩散、疾病传播等问题,本文的方法可提供一定的参考。     

深水铺管船托管架疲劳分析及动态监测点选取研究

作为S型铺管作业的关键性装备,托管架长期承受着交变载荷的作用,随着海洋开发向超深水发展,结构疲劳破坏问题不容忽视。采用疲劳谱分析的方法并结合线性累积损伤理论,对托管架结构频域下的变形进行了分析,计算了正常海况下和极端海况下托管架疲劳损伤度并对疲劳寿命进行了评估。研究发现托管架在正常海况下作业符合安全要求,在极端海况下局部结构会受到破坏。并从托管架结构安全监测角度,筛选了结构疲劳分析关键点位,为监测点位的选取提供了依据。     

Changes in hillslope hydrology in a perched,shallow soil system due to clearcutting and residual biomass removal

Sustainable fuels legislation and volatility in energy prices have put additional pressures on the forestry sector to intensify the harvesting of biomass for “advanced biofuel” production. To better understand how residual biomass removal after harvest affects forest hydrology in relatively low slope terrain, a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) study was conducted in the USDA Forest Service's Marcell Experimental Forest, Minnesota, USA. Hydrological measurements were made from 2010–2013 on a forested hillslope that was divided into three treatment blocks, where one block was harvested and residual biomass removed (Biomass Removed), the second was harvested and residual biomass left (Biomass Left), and the last block was left as an Unharvested Control. The pre-harvest period (2 years) was 2010–11 and post-harvest (2 years) was 2012–13. Water table elevation at the upslope and downslope position, subsurface runoff, and soil moisture were measured between May–November. Mixed effect statistical models were used to compare both the before-after and “control” treatment ratios (ratios between harvested hillslopes and the Unharvested Control hillslope). Subsurface runoff significantly increased (p < .05) at both harvested hillslopes but to a greater degree on the Biomass Left hillslope. Greater subsurface runoff volumes at both harvested hillslopes were driven by substantial increases during fall, with additional significant increases during summer on the Biomass Left hillslope. The hydrological connectivity, inferred from event runoff ratios, increased due to harvesting at both hillslopes but only significantly on the Biomass Left hillslope. The winter harvest minimized soil disturbance, resulting in no change to the effective hydraulic conductivity distribution with depth. Thus, the observed hydrological changes were driven by increased effective precipitation and decreased evapotranspiration, increasing the duration that both harvested hillslopes were hydrologically active. The harvesting of residual biomass appears to lessen hydrological connectivity relative to leaving residual biomass on the hillslope, potentially decreasing downstream hydrological impacts of similar forestry operations.     

环塔里木盆地绿洲城市发展与水环境质量协调度

解决好新疆环塔里木盆地绿洲城市发展与水环境质量之间的关系，对"一带一路"倡议顺利实施及新疆社会稳定具有十分重要的作用。基于2004-2017年环塔里木盆地绿洲城市发展与水环境变化状况，构建城市发展与水环境质量的综合评价模型及二者的协调度模型，以探讨环塔里木盆地绿洲城市发展、水环境质量变化及二者的协调关系。结果表明：2004-2017年，（1）环塔里木盆地绿洲城市发展综合指数呈现出逐年稳定上升的趋势，经济发展和城镇空间规模扩大是环塔里木盆地绿洲城市发展的主要形式；（2）环塔里木盆地绿洲城市的水环境质量综合指数呈现出逐年降低的趋势，水环境质量形势严峻；（3）环塔里木盆地绿洲城市发展-水环境质量系统的协调度呈现倒U型的稳定发展趋势，但总体上两者的协调度较低，城市发展和水环境质量之间的矛盾日益突出。     

贵州夜郎湖表层水体地球化学昼夜变化及其影响因素

为探究岩溶水库水文地球化学行为过程,对贵州普定夜郎湖表层水体进行了为期3 d的高分辨率昼夜监测。结果表明：1）多变的天气和水文条件叠加导致水体离子指标昼夜变化不显著,规律性较差。而水温、DO、pH值、SpC、SIc、pCO₂等常规理化指标受水温变化和生物作用表现出明显的昼夜波动。2）利用亨利常数和主成分分析,得到温度变化、生物作用、人类活动、水库的蓄水与放水对夜郎湖水库水文地球化学特征变化的贡献率分别为21.66%、17.28%、14.08%和10.22%,说明作用于水库水文地球化学行为的因子具有多元性。3）δ ¹⁸O表现出与DO一致的波动趋势,即白天上升,晚上下降,反映在短时间尺度上,氢氧稳定同位素变化受控于生物过程（主要是呼吸作用过程）;而对比水库水体和大气降水的d-excess（d值）发现,水库水体的d值（8.21‰）显著偏低于当地大气降水的d值（9.64‰）,说明在长时间尺度上,主要受蒸发效应引起的不平衡分馏影响。     

生物土壤结皮对风沙土和黄绵土膨胀特性的影响

作为重要的土壤物理性质，膨胀性在影响土壤导水性、持水性、抗蚀性以及土壤结构的形成和发育等方面发挥着重要作用。为了探讨生物土壤结皮（BSCs）土壤的膨胀特性及其主要影响因素，针对黄土高原风沙土和黄绵土两种典型土壤，利用膨胀仪测定并比较了有、无藓结皮及其在不同因素（初始含水量、干湿循环、冻融循环、温度）下膨胀率的差异，分析了BSCs对土壤膨胀性的影响及其与环境因素和BSCs性质的关系。结果显示：风沙土上藓结皮的膨胀率为1.93%，较无结皮增加了8.65倍；而黄绵土上藓结皮的膨胀率为2.05%，与无结皮相比降低了76.68%。藓结皮的生物量和厚度与其膨胀率在风沙土上均呈线性正相关关系（P < 0.05），在黄绵土上分别呈二次函数（P=0.02）和线性正相关关系（P=0.02）。初始含水量同时影响了土壤最大膨胀率和稳定膨胀时间，影响程度风沙土远大于黄绵土（包括藓结皮和无结皮）；干湿循环次数对无结皮土壤膨胀率的影响程度大于藓结皮土壤，其中风沙土和黄绵土上无结皮的膨胀率分别是50.00%~620.00%和-2.28%~10.81%，而两种土壤上藓结皮的膨胀率分别是-5.70%~10.88%和-10.24%~-21.46%；冻融循环下4种土壤的膨胀率均有不同程度的降低，降幅为0~18.54%。黄绵土无结皮的膨胀率受温度影响程度较大，50℃下黄绵土无结皮的膨胀率分别是25℃和35℃下的1.17倍和1.21倍。BSCs显著地改变了风沙土和黄绵土表层的膨胀性，其影响的程度和方向取决于土壤类型。同时，BSCs的膨胀性受含水量、温度、干湿以及冻融循环等关键因素影响。