Spatial heterogeneity of the driving forces of cropland change in China

Along with the increasing problems of rapid popu-lation increase, resources scarcity and environment deterioration, the interaction between human devel-opment and natural environment changes, especially the Land-Use/Land-Cover, LUCC issue is becoming a frontier and hot field[1], in which investigation on the mechanisms of land use change is one of the three core issues. Deficient natural resources, in particular the shortage of cropland resource in China, are the important constraints to Ch…     

Spatial character of the gaseous and particulate state compound correlation of urban atmospheric pollution in winter and summer

The spatial/temporal variation information of atmospheric dynamic-chemical processes at observation site points of the "canopy" boundary of Beijing urban building ensemble and over urban area "surface", as well as the seasonal correlation structure of the gaseous and particulate states of urban atmospheric pollution (UAP) and its seasonal conversion feature at observation points are investigated, using the comprehensive observation data of the Beijing City Air Pollution Observation Experiment (BECAPEX) in winter and summer 2003 with a "point-surface" combined research approach. By using "one dimension spatial empirical orthogonal function (EOF)" principal component analysis (PCA) mode, the seasonal change of gaseous and particulate states of atmospheric aerosols and the association feature of pollutant species under the background of the complicated structure of urban boundary layer (UBL) are analyzed. The comprehensive analyses of the principal components of particle concentrations,gaseous pollutant species, and meteorological conditions reveal the seasonal changes of the complex constituent and structure features of the gaseous and particulate states of UAP to further trace the impact feature of urban aerosol pollution surface sources and the seasonal difference of the component structure of UAP. Research results suggest that in the temporal evolution of the gaseous and particulate states of winter/summer UAP, NOx, CO, and SO2 showed an "in-phase" evolution feature, however, O3 showed an "inverse-phase" relation with other species,all possessing distinctive dependent feature. On the whole, summer concentrations of gaseous pollutants CO, SO2, and NOx were obviously lower than winter ones, especially, the reduction in CO concentration was most distinctive, and ones in SO2 and NOx were next. However, the summer O3 concentration was more than twice winter one. Winter/summer differences in PM10and PM2.5 particle concentrations were relatively not obvious, which indicates that responses of PM10 and PM2.5 particle concentrations to the difference of winter/summer heating period emission sources are far less distinctive than those of NOx, SO2, and CO. The correlation feature of winter/summer gaseous and particulate states depicts that both PM10 and PM2.5 particles were significantly correlated with NOx, and their correlations with NOx are more significant than those with other pollutants. Through PCA, it is found that there was a distinctive difference in the principal component combination structure of winter/summer PM10 and PM2.5 particles: SO2 and NOx dominated in the principal component of winter PM10 and PM2.5 particles; while CO and NOx played the major role in the principal component of summer PM10 and PM2.5 particles. For winter/summer PM10 and PM2.5 particles, there might exist the gaseous and particulate states correlation structures of different "combinations" of such dependent pollutant species. Research results also uncover that the interaction processes of gaseous and particulate states were also related with the vertical structure of UBL, that is to say, the low value layer of UBL O3 concentration was associated with the collocation of atmospheric vertical structures of the low level inversion,inverse humidity, and small wind, which depicts summer boundary layer atmospheric character, i.e.the compound impact of the dependent factor "combination" of wind, temperature, and humidity elements and their collocation structure on the variations of different gaseous pollutant concentrations. Such a depth structure of the extremely low value of O3 concentration in the UBL accords with its "inverse-phase" relation with other gaseous pollutant species. The PCA of meteorological factors associated with PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations also reveals the sensitivity of PM10 and PM2.5 concentration to the combinatory feature of local meteorological conditions.     

Spatial heterogeneity in estuarine mud dynamics

The fate of mud in an estuary over an entire year was unravelled using complementary, independent, spatially explicit techniques. Sequential ERS-2 SAR and Envisat MERIS-FR data were used to derive synoptic changes in intertidal bottom mud and suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the top of the water column, respectively. These satellite data were combined with in situ measurements and with a high resolution three-dimensional cohesive sediment model, simulating mud transport, resuspension, settling and deposition under the influence of tides, wind, waves and freshwater discharge. The spatial distribution of both bottom mud and SPM as observed by in situ and satellite techniques was largely explained by modelled estuarine circulation, tidal and wind-induced variations in vertical mixing and horizontal advection. The three data sources also showed similar spring-neap and seasonal variations in SPM (all factor 1.5 to 2), but semi-diurnal tidal variations were underestimated by the model. Satellite data revealed that changes in intertidal bottom mud were spatially heterogeneous, but on average mud content doubled during summer, which was confirmed by in situ data. The model did not show such seasonal variation in bed sediment, suggesting that seasonal dynamics are not well explained by the physical factors presently implemented in the model, but may be largely attributed to other (internal) factors, including increased floc size in summer, temporal stabilisation of the sediment by microphytobenthos and a substantially lower roughness of the intertidal bed in summer as observed by the satellite. The effects of such factors on estuarine mud dynamics were evaluated.     

Spatial and temporal trend of sewage pollution indicated by coprostanol in Macao Estuary,southern China

Bottom sediments and a ²¹⁰Pb dated sedimentary core in Macao Estuary were quantitatively analyzed with GC-MS for coprostanol and other sterols. Higher coprostanol concentrations were detected at Port Interior and Lower Qianshan River, indicative of serious sewage pollution from densely populated Macao Island and Zhuhai City. However, very low concentrations of coprostanol were detected around Coloane Island as well as Port Exterior and Maliuzhou River except sites adjacent sewage outlets. Coprostanol pollution in Macao Estuary originates mainly from locally direct discharge of untreated wastewater. The concentrations of coprostanol in ZJ-9 were mainly in range of 150–280 ng/g with an average of 210 ng/g for more than 20 years from early 1970s to early 1990s. However, it increased obviously since 1993, and reached the highest in 1995–1996. However, a sharp decrease of coprostanol concentration from 470 to 31 ng/g after 1996 was observed corresponding to the first wastewater treatment plant in Taipa Island going into action.     

Demonstrating urban pollution using toxic metals of road dust and roadside soil in Chengdu,southwestern China

As one of the largest economical hubs in southwestern China, Chengdu is witnessing fast urbanization characterized by rapid urban sprawl, population growth, infrastructural construction, and motorization. However, this rapid urbanization may lead to environmental degradation, placing human health at risk. In this study, toxic metals in road dust and roadside soil are used as proxies to illustrate environmental changes of Chengdu. In August 2009, 133 dust and 132 soil samples were collected from the first, second and third ring roads, along which areas have urbanized for different times. By means of a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer, concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cu in the samples were determined. The results indicate that the concentrations and contamination levels of Pb, Zn and Cu in dust declined significantly from the first to the third ring roads, paralleling the decreasing trends in traffic and building densities from the first to the third ring roads. However, concentrations of the three elements in roadside soil were relatively stable among the roads. These data may suggest that the metals in road dust can be used as proxies to demonstrate environmental degradation during the urbanization of Chengdu, while concentrations of the metals in roadside soil are affected more by natural factors (e.g., background concentrations, precipitation, and distance to road) than by anthropogenic factors (e.g., traffic and building densities). Furthermore, compared to Pb concentrations measured in the 1990s, Pb concentrations in road dust have been reduced most likely owing to the exclusion of leaded petrol since 2000. Similar situations may be found in many other cities that are experiencing fast urbanization.     

Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of Lake Lugano sediment composition

The concentrations of eighteen elements (Al, C, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, N, Ni, P, Pb, S, Si, Ti, and Zn) in 76 sediment samples collected in Lake Lugano in 1973 and in 83 samples collected in 1985 were measured and used to draw distribution maps. The chemical compositions of sediments from the three lake subbasins were statistically compared, and used to describe the state of the lake at two time-points twelve years apart. The results obtained seem to be consistent with the available information about the recent evolution of Lake Lugano; both phosphorus and nitrogen are statistically higher in the 1985 samples than in those of 1973, confirming the reported tendency of the lake to evolve towards higher trophic conditions in this period of time. For both metals and mobile elements, the differences between the two sampling years and the literature data reflect fluctuations in the normal geochemical supply from the catchment basin, rather than significant contamination phenomena. However, elements like Ni, Cr, Zn, Pb and Cu tend to be more abundant in the most recent layers of the sediments, so further studies are needed to assess whether potentially hazardous conditions will evolve in the future.The work was performed at the EEC — Environment Institute, Joint Research Centre, I-21020 Ispra (Varese) Italy     

Evaluation of streambed hydraulic conductivity heterogeneity in an urban watershed

It has long been understood that streambed hydraulic conductivity plays an important role in surface-subsurface solute exchange. Using a portable falling head permeameter in situ, we estimated the horizontal hydraulic conductivity, K, of the near-surface streambed sediments at a total of 85 locations encompassing two depth intervals: 7.5–10 and 10–12.5 cm. The measurements were conducted in an 80 m reach of Indian Creek, a small urban stream in Philadelphia, PA, USA. We found that the ln K data within each sediment layer were Gaussian, but the combined data set was not. The results indicated that while the mean hydraulic conductivity decreased with depth, horizontal heterogeneity (e.g. the variance) increased with depth. This strong contrast between layers suggests that they should be treated as separated entities in modeling studies. Variogram analyses across the stream suggested symmetry with respect to the thalweg in the upper layer and fractality in the lower layer. The variograms along the streams suggested that the K data are random.     

湖泊沉积物-水界面氧气交换速率的测定及影响因素

水流启动-停止法可有效获取体积式氧气交换速率(O2(f)).且该速率与沉积物柱样培养法获得的总氧气交换速率(TOE)之间具显著相关性;与由一维溶解氧剖面计算获得的氧气在扩散界面层中的扩散速率和氧气在沉积物中的扩散速率相比,O2(t)与TOE不仅能代表氧气扩散速率,而且还包括沉积物中生物呼吸以及生物扰动引起的界面氧气交换速率信息.此外,通过比较太湖及南四湖多位点不同沉积物性质条件下界面氧气交换速率,结果表明界面氧气交换速率在空间尺度上的差异性,除与生物因素有关外,还与沉积物有机物质含量显著相关.     

Assessment of economic losses from marine pollution: an introduction to economic principles and methods

This paper introduces economic concepts and theory pertaining to public policy issues and concerns about pollution in marine environments. Many of these concepts and theories are unfamiliar to individuals and professionals outside the field of economics, such as biologists, ecologists, environmental lawyers, and even public policymakers. Yet many of these individuals observe economics in action, often for the first time, within a public policy arena. Exposure and a better understanding of the concepts and ideas in economics that are particularly relevant for public policies can help to achieve efficiencies in the form of better designed policies, and help to bridge communications gaps across other professions and the economics profession.     

Marine pollution research in China

Dr. Addison of the Marine Ecology Laboratory at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, recently spent 3 weeks in the People's Republic of China, as a member of a Canadian delegation touring marine research facilities. His impressions of Chinese activities in the field of marine pollution follow.     

Water pollution effect on population health in an industrial northern region

The pollution of water sources and drinking water in some towns and settlements of the Kola North by metals, wastewaters, and aerial effluents of mining-and-metallurgical industry is characterized. Statistical data on population morbidity are given. Relationships were found to exist between water quality indices and heavy metal accumulation in kidney and liver of postmortem-examined patients, and the results of their histological, clinical, and postmortem examination are given. The results of comprehensive studies are used to assess the effect of drinking water pollution on the population health in the region.     

环境磁学在城市环境污染监测中的应用和进展

环境磁学是一门介于地球科学、环境科学和磁学之间的边缘科学，已广泛应用于很多领域.本文在简述了环境磁学参数和不同环境中磁性矿物变迁和演化过程的基础上,介绍了环境磁学在城市环境污染的不同方面所取得的进展,探讨了环境磁学在土壤污染和大气等城市环境污染研究中的不足,提出了环境磁学在城市环境污染研究领域的发展趋势.     

Multiscale effects and drivers of landscape heterogeneity for water-related ecosystem services in urban agglomerations

Understanding the multiscale impacts and drivers of urban agglomeration landscape patterns for ecosystem services (ESs), especially water-related ecosystem services (WESs), is essential for the development of regional ecological management. However, the multiscale impacts and driving mechanisms of urban agglomeration landscape patterns for ESs have not been adequately explained. In this study, multivariate data were employed, and the InVEST model, trend test method, coupled GeoDetector and geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) method were utilized to comprehensively explore the spatial and temporal changes in landscape patterns and WESs in the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration (PRDUA) at various grid and administrative scales from 1990 to 2020 and to determine the driving mechanisms affecting WESs. The results indicated that the variation characteristics of landscape patterns and WESs in the PRDUA were consistent, forming a binary spatial structure of core and peripheral areas in an inverted “U” shape around the estuary of the Pearl River. The relationship between landscape patterns and WESs weakened with the increase of scale, and the correlation coefficient decreased by approximately 0.10 from 5 km to 10 km grid scale. Additionally, precipitation (PRE) was the main factor controlling WESs changes in the PRDUA, explaining more than 50% of the changes in WESs, and the regression coefficients ranged from 0.0825 to 0.1584. Changes in WESs were the result of the combined effects of natural factors, including PRE, landscape pattern, elevation, slope, and socioeconomic factors, such as population and gross domestic product (GDP). Overall, these findings could contribute to optimizing regional landscape patterns and fostering sustainable development of the ecological environment in urban agglomerations.     

Economic development,urban expansion,and sustainable development in Shanghai

Studies of urbanization effects in Chinese cities from the aspect of the coupled development of economy and environment are rare due to data limitations. This paper studied Shanghai’s fast urban expansion and examined the dynamic relationship between economic growth and environment consequences at the district level. We extracted data on urban built-up area and land surface temperature from remote sensing images. We analyzed the patterns of urban expansion and land use change and explained the dynamic relationship between economic development and environment conditions. We attributed the uneven economic development and environmental change in districts of Shanghai to four main institutional factors: (1) the role of the government, (2) the multi-level urban planning system, (3) land market reform, and (4) the economic restructuring.     

Spatial heterogeneity and temporal stability of throughfall under individual Quercus brantii trees

Spatio‐temporal patterns of throughfall (TF) have often been studied under forest canopies. Few reports, however, have been made on small‐scale TF variability in deciduous forest stands. In the present research, the spatial heterogeneity and temporal stability of TF under five individual persian oak trees (Quercus brantii var. Persica) was quantified. The research site was in the Zagros forests in western Iran, where mean annual precipitation and temperature are equal to 587.2 mm and 16.9 °C, respectively. Data from 23 rainfall events were aggregated to assess the spatial correlation of TF. Variograms for TF beneath two of the five trees reached a stable sill at the range of 5–6 m. The redistribution of TF within the canopy was highly variable in time, attributable to seasonal variation in canopy foliation and meteorological factors. As the length of the sampling period increased, the spatial variability of TF decreased and the temporal stability of the TF pattern increased. Time stability plots of TF normalized with respect to mean and variance showed a moderate general persistence for all individual trees. We conclude that single trees modify the spatial distribution of TF reaching the forest floors. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial distribution of water mass pollution characteristics in the Barents Sea

Digital databases on 444 stations were used to carry out statistical analysis of regularities in the spatial distribution of Barents Sea water pollution. The analysis was focused on the concentrations in water of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and toxic organic compounds: hexachlorocyclohexanes, hexachlorobenzene, chlordans, DDT, polychlorbiphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and normal paraffins. The statistical analysis of data on pollutants was carried out along two major directions in their distribution: the vertical—in the surface and bottom water layers; and the horizontal—over water masses. Reliable differences were identified in the pollution level of different water masses of the Barents Sea. The frontal zone was found to concentrate pollution.     

改革开放以来太湖流域工业企业布局演变

太湖流域快速工业化进程加剧了对该地区资源环境的扰动,不合理的工业布局是其重要原因.本文采用经济普查企业点位分布数据,运用空间分析与有序Probit模型等方法,定量分析改革开放以来,太湖流域工业企业空间分布的格局演变及其区位选择的驱动机理,并重点考察太湖环境保护对企业区位行为的影响.结果表明,在2007年太湖水危机事件以前,上海以及太湖北部的苏锡常地区一直是该流域工业企业的主要集聚区域,但随着时间的推移呈现分散化趋势,尤其以内资为主的小型污染企业呈现向宜兴等流域上游地区扩散是导致水危机暴发的一个重要原因.而工业企业环境保护意识淡薄和地方环境监管缺位是造成企业不合理分布的重要因素.