非开挖技术的社会与环境可持续性

可持续发展是一门新兴的多学科范例,并在全球范围内受到广泛关注。可持续发展理念已成为一个确保未来人类繁荣的可行性保证。人们在抑制全球范围内建设工程对环境影响的方面有了紧迫性的意识,而这种意识促进人们去开发方法以量化这些影响。当提到可持续性时,目前分为三大类：社会的,环境的以及经济的,这三者之间的平衡对于创造稳定可持续环境的整体目标是关键的。很多学者已经研究过在安装地下设施时。不同的建设方法对经济与环境的影响,然而,很少有人会从社会可持续性的背景出发．．本文在社会和环境框架下讨论应用非开挖技术的可持续性,并与传统的开挖建设方法做对比．．在本文中,非开挖技术在采用绿色原则下安装新设备与恢复现有的基础设施方面显现出了优势。在露天建设时,多种施工设备的应用与采用非开挖方法相比,势必会引起更多的影响,而非开挖方法会减少地面扰动。     

地磁场长期变化或与全地幔对流有关

2012年7月29日,《Nature Geosci-ence》在线发表了题为"地磁场长期变化与全地幔对流过程之间的可能联系"(Possiblelinks between long-term geomagnetic varia-tions and whole-mantle convection proces-ses)的文章。以Biggin为首的国际研究小组在该文中指出,在数十至数百个百万年的时间尺度上,地磁场受地幔流体活动的影响,同时,频繁的地球磁场极性倒转也可能与地幔过程有关。     

用InSAR数据得到的鲜水河断裂西北段地震间滑动速率

鲜水河断裂是青藏高原东部边缘附近的高活动性走滑断层系统。我们使用多干涉图方法由ERS-1/2和欧洲环境卫星所获得的十年SAR数据来构建由于鲜水河西北段地震间应变积累而产生的视距形变速率图。该速率图显示了与断层有关的清晰的形变梯度,但是从地表断层迹线看稍向东偏移。通过使用蒙特-卡洛方法对InSAR速率图和GPS数据的共同反演,当锁定深度为3～6km时,以90%置信水平估算出滑动速率为9～12mm/a。此滑动速率与全新世断层滑动速率及历史地震相吻合。我们的结果也揭示不存在显著的跨断层拉伸。将来,上升和下降轨道得出的InSAR数据可能会进一步约束此断层的3D断层滑动速率。     

Sediment loads response to climate change:A preliminary study of eight large Chinese rivers

Climate change characterized by increasing temperature is able to affect precipitation regime and thus surface hydrology.However,the manner in which river sediment loads respond to climate change is not well understood,and related assessment regarding the effect of climate change on sediment loads is lacking.We present a quantitative estimate of changes in sediment loads(from 1.5 Gt yr^-1 pre-1990 to 0.6 Gt yr^-1 from 1991-2007) in response to climate change in eight large Chinese rivers.Over the past decades,precipitation change coupled with rising temperatures has played a significant role in influencing the sediment delivery dynamics,although human activities, such as reservoir construction,water diversion,sand mining and land cover change,are still the predominant forces. Lower precipitation coupled with rising temperatures has significantly reduced sediment loads delivered into the sea in semi-arid climates（4-61%）.In contrast,increasingly warmer and wetter climates in subtropical zones has yielded more sediment（0.4-11%）,although the increase was offset by human impact.Our results indicate that,compared with mechanical retention by reservoirs,water reduction caused by climate change or human withdrawals has contributed more sediment reduction for the rivers with abundant sediment supply but limited transport capacity（e.g.,the Huanghe）.Furthermore,our results indicate that every 1%change in precipitation has resulted in a 1.3%change in water discharge and a 2%change in sediment loads.In addition,every 1%change in water discharge caused by precipitation has led to a 1.6%change in sediment loads,but the same percentage of water discharge change caused largely by humans would only result in a 0.9%change in sediment loads.These figures can be used as a guideline for evaluating the responses of sediment loads to climate change in similar climate zones because future global warming will cause dramatic changes in water and sediment in river basins worldwide at rates previously unseen.     

Luminex detection of fecal indicators in river samples, marine recreational water, and beach sand

Research to understand and remediate coastal pollution is moving toward a multitiered approach in which traditional enumeration of fecal indicators is accompanied by molecular analysis of a variety of targets. Technology that rapidly detects multiple microbial contaminants would benefit from such an approach. The Luminex 100 system is a suspension array that assays multiple analytes rapidly in a single well of a microtiter plate. The ability of the system to simultaneously detect multiple fecal indicating bacteria in environmental samples was tested. Primer/probe sets were designed to simultaneously detect the following fecal indicators: the Bacteroides fragilis group, Enterococcus spp., Escherichia coli and Shigella spp., Bacteroides distasonis, and Ent. faecalis. Specificity and sensitivity of the Luminex probes was tested against laboratory cultures. In addition, sequencing, culture plate testing, and specificity testing with environmental isolates were steps taken to validate the function of the assay with environmental samples. Luminex response to cultures and to environmental samples was consistent with sequencing results, suggesting that the technology has the potential to simultaneously detect multiple targets for coastal water quality applications, particularly as progress is made to efficiently extract DNA from water and sediment matrices.     

Isomer specific determination of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in small cetaceans from the South China Sea--Levels and temporal variation

A diastereoisomer (alpha, beta, and gamma) specific analytical method for measuring hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) was developed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). The method developed was applied to analyze blubber of small cetaceans to divulge the distribution and temporal variation of HBCDs in the Asian marine environment. HBCDs were detected in all the blubber samples of finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) collected from the South China Sea during 1990-2001. Concentrations of HBCDs were higher in humpback dolphins (31-380 ng/g lipid) than in finless porpoises (4.7-55 ng/g lipid), which can be attributed to habitat differences. Average concentrations of alpha-HBCD in finless porpoises increased from 9.5 ng/g lipid in 1990 to 35 ng/g lipid in 2000/01. alpha-HBCD was predominant among the three isomers with some exceptions in finless porpoises collected in 1990. This is the first report on HBCDs contamination in marine mammals from Southeast Asia.     

Ship board testing of a deoxygenation ballast water treatment

A ship board trial of a deoxygenation method for treating ballast water was carried out during a voyage from Southampton (United Kingdom) to Manzanillo (Panama). A nutrient solution added to two ballast tanks encouraged bacterial growth, resulting in a gradual change to an anoxic environment. Samples were taken from two treated tanks and two untreated tanks to assess changes in the abundance and viability of zooplankton, phytoplankton and bacteria. The work was carried out before the International Maritime Organization (IMO) standard was agreed so only a broad indication of whether the results achieved the standard was given. For the zooplankton, the standard would have been achieved within 5 or 7 days but the phytoplankton results were inconclusive. The biological efficacy was the result of the combination of several factors, including the treatment, pump damage and an increase in the water temperature during the voyage.     

Effects of chemical dispersants and mineral fines on crude oil dispersion in a wave tank under breaking waves

The interaction of chemical dispersants and suspended sediments with crude oil influences the fate and transport of oil spills in coastal waters. A wave tank study was conducted to investigate the effects of chemical dispersants and mineral fines on the dispersion of oil and the formation of oil-mineral-aggregates (OMAs) in natural seawater. Results of ultraviolet spectrofluorometry and gas chromatography flame ionized detection analysis indicated that dispersants and mineral fines, alone and in combination, enhanced the dispersion of oil into the water column. Measurements taken with a laser in situ scattering and transmissometer (LISST-100X) showed that the presence of mineral fines increased the total concentration of the suspended particles from 4 to 10microl l(-1), whereas the presence of dispersants decreased the particle size (mass mean diameter) of OMAs from 50 to 10microm. Observation with an epifluorescence microscope indicated that the presence of dispersants, mineral fines, or both in combination significantly increased the number of particles dispersed into the water.