Tidal flushing time of marine fish culture zones in Hong Kong

Accurate determination of flushing time is crucial for maintaining sustainable production in fish culture zones(FCZs),as it represents the physical self-purification capability via tidal exchange with clean water in the outer sea.However,owing to the temporal and spatial complexity of the coastal flushing process,existing methods for determining flushing time may not be generally applicable.In this paper,a systematic method for determining the flushing time in FCZs is presented,in which bathymetry,runoff,tidal range and stratification are properly accounted for.We determine the flushing time via numerical tracer experiments,using robust 3D hydrodynamic and mass transport models.For FCZs located in sheltered and land-locked tidal inlets,the system boundary can be naturally defined at the connection with the open sea.For FCZs located in open waters,hydrodynamic tracking is first used to assess the extent of tidal excursion and thus delimit the initial boundary between clean water and polluted water.This general method is applied to all designated marine FCZs in Hong Kong for both the dry and wet seasons,including 20 sheltered FCZs(in semi-enclosed waters of Tolo Harbour,Mirs Bay,and Port Shelter) and 6 FCZs in open waters.Our results show that flushing time is the longest in inner Port Shelter(about 40 days in dry season),and the shortest for the FCZs in open waters(less than one week in dry season).In addition,the flushing time in dry season is commonly longer than that in wet season:20%~40% for most well-sheltered FCZs;2.6~4 times for the others.Our results indicate a positive correlation between the flushing time and distance to open boundary,supporting the view that the flushing time of a FCZ is closely related to its location.This study provides a solid basis for mariculture management such as the determination of carrying capacity of FCZs.     

Environmental Performance of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Companies in the Pearl River Delta Region (PRDR): a case study of Dongguan City

The environmental performance of foreign direct investment (FDI) companies in the Pearl River Delta Region (PRDR) is examined through a case study of Dongguan City. The influence of host governments, regional/international organisations and export markets is highlighted in the analysis of environmental management systems of the FDI companies. The majority of FDI companies in the region lack effective systems and measures for environmental management. The environmental governance of the host country, the environment-related legislation and policies of the main export markets, and the social responsibility of the company owners are major factors that influence the environmental performance of the FDI companies. A combination of the quality of host government decision making in relation to sustainable development and the high degree of social responsibility and environmental awareness of individual FDI companies is crucial not only to achieving better overall environmental performance but also to achieving better environmental quality in the PRDR.     

严重威胁可持续发展的土壤退化问题

土壤退化已成为严重的全球性环境问题之一，全球共有20亿hm 2的土壤资源受到土壤退化的影响，即全球农田、草场、森林与林地总面积大约22%的土壤发生了不同程度的退化。土壤侵蚀、化学退化、物理退化是全球范围内最主要的退化形式。土壤退化是人类活动诱导和加速的一种自然过程，其中最主要的人为驱动因素为农业土壤不适当的利用与管理、森林破坏以及过度放牧等。土壤退化的直接后果是导致土壤生产力的大幅度下降，在过去50年中，由于土壤退化而导致的全球农业产量下降幅度为11.9%～13.4%。此外，土壤退化还造成如河流与湖泊淤积、土壤有机碳储量变化、特殊生境消失以及生物多样性减少等其它环境与生态问题，对人类的生存与可持续发展形成极大威胁。因此，为了确保粮食安全与维护生态环境健康，全球在不同尺度、不同水平上防治土壤退化、修复与重建退化土壤，切实有效地实施土壤资源可持续利用战略已经成为公众关注的重要议题。     

Land subsidence caused by internal soil erosion owing to pumping confined aquifer groundwater during the deep foundation construction in Shanghai

Land subsidence is presented in many factors in different areas with urbanization. Internal soil erosion, owing to pumping confined groundwater during the deep foundation pit construction, has contributed to land subsidence. Four governing equations are presented to describe the process of internal soil erosion based on the mathematical–physical model. The finite element computation results, based on practical deep foundation pit engineering consisted of 8 layers of soil of Shanghai area, demonstrate that internal soil erosion will cause the increment of land subsidence and deformation and is related to the hydraulic gradient and the characters of the soils.     

A Thermodynamics-Based Model on the Internal Erosion of Earth Structures

The present paper describes a model of internal erosion of earth structures, based on rigorous thermodynamic principles and the theory of porous media. A particular focus of this paper is concerned with the initial stage of internal erosion, when the pore volume forms a continuous network, without the formation of macroscopic cavities or channels. The continuum approach is applicable in this case. The soil skeleton saturated by a pore fluid is treated as the superposition of three continua in interaction, with independent velocity fields. The pore fluid itself consists of a mixture of water and eroded particles. The erosion kinetics is based on the shear stress developed at the solid–fluid interface. The applicability of the model is illustrated by numerical simulations based on the finite element method. These simulations show how the phenomenon of piping can progressively arise, and preferentially in regions where hydraulic gradients are critical. Effects of mechanical degradations due to internal erosion are at the same time demonstrated.     

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in combusted residues and soils from an open burning site of electronic wastes

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants due to their extensive use. Combusted residue from electronic waste (e-waste) combustion is one of the contamination sources because PBDEs may be deposited in the soil and transported to remote locations. The transport and deposition behaviors of PBDEs released from burning were evaluated by analyzing their concentrations and congener distributions. Total PBDE concentrations were detected in the range from 2379 to 6238 ng/g (dry weight) in the combusted residue samples collected from a large open burning site and from 247.4 to 1422.3 ng/g in soil samples collected from different locations close to the open burning site. BDE-209, 183, 153, 99, and 47 were detected in relative high concentrations in both combusted residue and soil samples. The interpretation of the PBDEs concentrations and congener patterns in the combusted residue and soil samples indicated that PBDEs contamination in soil might be a result of e-waste burning and transportation, and deposit of the combusted residue. The total PBDE concentrations decreased significantly with increasing distance from the burned site, suggesting that the combusted activities were the major source of PBDEs in the region and the transportation behavior of lower brominated congeners might not differ from that of higher brominated congeners for short distances.     

Ginkgo Huolinhensis sp.nov.from the Lower Cretaceous of Huolinhe Coal Field,Inner Mongolia,China

A new species,Ginkgo huolinhensis sp.nov.,with well-preserved cuticle from the Lower Cretaceous,Huolinhe Formation of Huolinhe Coal Field in Inner Mongolia,China,was studied morphologically and anatomi...     

Experimental studies of groundwater pipe flow network characteristics in gravelly soil slopes

Piping flow networks have often been identified in hydrogeological field studies of gravelly soil slopes in the southern part of China. The present experimental studies have shown that under long-term groundwater seepage, piping flow networks gradually develop in the slope. Factors affecting the development of flow pipe seepage network included the grain size distribution, the degree of soil compaction, and soil depth. Piping seepage networks favorably form if the content of the gravel was high, the soil cohesion was low, the degree of the soil compaction was low, or the soil depth was shallow. Due to the enhanced permeability associated with the presence of flow pipe seepage network in gravelly soil slopes, groundwater can be effectively drained away. This can beneficially prevent the rise of groundwater level in the slope during raining seasons, hence reducing pore water pressure along the potential failure surface and increasing slope stability. Once the flow pipe seepage network was disturbed or damaged, the water level in the upper portion of the slope experienced a great rise, hence reducing the slope stability. Therefore, slope toe excavation and excessive loading at the slope crest should be avoided for slopes with well-developed flow pipe seepage network in order to preserve it.     

Ecotourism planning using multiple criteria evaluation with GIS

Hong Kong as an international metropolis is well known for its vibrant urban life, which attracts millions of mass conventional tourists for shopping and business. Recently, ecotourism has flourished and attracts ecotourists who visit the ecological and cultural resources of the rural landscape, country parks and marine parks. Yan Chau Tong, also known as ‘Double Haven’, is remote from the urban centre, which helps preserve its natural flavour and cultural heritages such as Hakka walled villages. It is noted as an important site for developing ecotourist activities. A symbiosis of humans and nature cannot be achieved without a sound planning and zoning scheme. This paper investigates the use of IKONOS imagery and a geographic information system for rational planning of ecotourist activities and conservation measures. Through image classification of IKONOS and integrated with ecological data, essential habitats can be mapped and a spatial database is established. Suitable sites for recreational activities (including camping, heritage visiting, hiking and snorkelling) and important ecological habitats can both be identified using multiple criteria evaluation techniques. The use of a multiple objective land allocation model helps resolve conflict between recreation and conservation. Sites are generally identified as (a) those where conservation or recreation should receive the highest priority; (b) those that can be treated as additional recreation or conservation sites; and (c) conflict areas that can serve both purposes. The result can assist in planning land resources for ecotourism to satisfy both objectives and attain sustainability in the area.