The Effects of Environmental Conditions on Concentration and Emission of Ammonia in Chicken Farms during Summer Season

This paper presents a field study conducted in northwest Turkey and characterizes the NH₃ concentration and emission measured in summer season from three chicken farms. The influence of environmental conditions on NH₃ concentration and emission was also investigated in this study. Ammonia concentration, temperature, relative humidity and airflow rate were continuously recorded for four sequential days. The environmental conditions were measured using a multifunction temperature and humidity‐meter with a hot wire probe. Portable multiple gas detectors with electro‐chemical sensors were used to measure NH₃ concentration. The NH₃ emission rates for houses were calculated by multiplying simultaneously measured NH₃ concentrations and air flow rates. The average daily mean (ADM) house concentrations of house 1 (H1), house 2 (H2), and house 3 (H3) were measured as 4.43, 3.71, and 6.20 ppm, respectively. NH₃ concentration was inversely proportional to temperature (r = ?0.279), relative humidity (r = ?0.063) and airflow rate (r = ?0.554) for all monitored houses. The ADM house NH₃ emission was 135 g/(h house) for H1, 255 g/(h house) for H2, and 117 g/(h house) for H3. The combined average emission rate in this study (0.26 g/(d bird)) was lower than the emission rate measured in chicken farms in the USA. However, our results were comparable to rates calculated in European studies because house design, ventilation system and bird diet applied in Turkish chicken farms are very similar to those employed in European countries. The NH₃ emissions were significantly correlated to NH₃ concentrations (r = 0.45, p ≤ 0.001) and airflow rates (r = 0.97, p ≤ 0.001). A clear diurnal pattern was obtained for NH₃ concentrations rather than NH₃ emissions at the end of the study.     

The potential of historic rock avalanches and man-made structures as chlorine-36 production rate calibration sites

Samples from three medieval rock avalanches from the French (Le Claps, Mont Granier) and Austrian Alps (Dobratsch) and a man-made structure, i.e. the Stephansdom in Vienna, have been analysed for in-situ produced ³⁶Cl by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). All four sampling sites of independently known exposure duration turned out to be not appropriate as calibration sites for the determination of the ³⁶Cl-production rate from Ca. Indeed, the determination of short exposure ages for dating rock avalanches and man-made structures by ³⁶Cl is hindered dramatically by inheritance, especially for samples characterized by high ^natCl-concentrations. Generally, there are hints that the theoretical calculation of ³⁶Cl-production from epithermal and thermal neutron-capture on ³⁵Cl is highly underestimated in all existing models, thus, asking for particular precaution if working on high-Cl samples for any project. Hence, this work evidences that potential high inheritance, even for samples reasonably shielded before exhumation, has to be considered especially when dealing with recently exposed surfaces such as glacially polished rocks, alluvial terraces, fault scarps etc.     

Study on the correlativity of earthquakes impact on cities

Introduction With rapid development and advancement of economy and society, lots of city groups or city belts with ex-tra-large cities as their centers have been formed in China. The regions these city groups lie in usually have well-developed economy, dense population, and are regional politics and culture centers. Some groups lie in the regions with high level of earthquake activity, such as the Surrounding Capital City Group with the centers of Bei-jing and Tianjin. Once a large earthqua…     

SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF SLIP RATE DEFICIT ACROSS HAIYUAN-LIUPAN SHAN FAULT ZONE CONSTRAINED BY GPS DATA

As the northeast boundary of the Tibetan plateau, the Haiyuan-Liupan Shan fault zone has separated the intensely tectonic deformed Tibetan plateau from the stable blocks of Ordos and Alxa since Cenozoic era. It is an active fault with high seismic risk in the west of mainland China. Using geology and geodetic techniques, previous studies have obtained the long-term slip rate across the Haiyuan-Liupan Shan fault zone. However, the detailed locking result and slip rate deficit across this fault zone are scarce. After the 2008 Wenchuan M_S8.0 earthquake, the tectonic stress field of Longmen Shan Fault and its vicinity was changed, which suggests that the crustal movement and potential seismic risk of Haiyuan-Liupan Shan fault zone should be investigated necessarily. Utilizing GPS horizontal velocities observed before and after Wenchuan earthquake(1999~2007 and 2009~2014), the spatial and temporal distributions of locking and slip rate deficit across the Haiyuan-Liupan Shan fault zone are inferred. In our model, we assume that the crustal deformation is caused by block rotation, horizontal strain rate within block and locking on block-bounding faults. The inversion results suggest that the Haiyuan fault zone has a left-lateral strike-slip rate deficit, the northern section of Liupan Shan has a thrust dip-slip rate deficit, while the southern section has a normal dip-slip rate deficit. The locking depths of Maomao Shan and west section of Laohu Shan are 25km during two periods, and the maximum left-lateral slip rate deficit is 6mm/a. The locking depths of east section of Laohu Shan and Haiyuan segment are shallow, and creep slip dominates them presently, which indicates that these sections are in the postseismic relaxation process of the 1920 Haiyuan earthquake. The Liupan Shan Fault has a locking depth of 35km with a maximum dip-slip rate deficit of 2mm/a. After the Wenchuan earthquake, the high slip rate deficit across Liupan Shan Fault migrated from its middle to northern section, and the range decreased, while its southern section had a normal-slip rate deficit. Our results show that the Maomao Shan Fault and west section of Laohu Shan Fault could accumulate strain rapidly and these sections are within the Tianzhu seismic gap. Although the Liupan Shan Fault accumulates strain slowly, a long time has been passed since last large earthquake, and it has accumulated high strain energy possibly. Therefore, the potential seismic risks of these segments are significantly high compared to other segments along the Haiyuan-Liupan Shan fault zone.     

基于时间序列的InSAR相干性量级估计

本文提出了一种适用于InSAR数据处理的自适应相干性量级估计方法,该方法能够满足复信号随机平稳的假设前提,并兼顾运算效率与估计精度.此方法生成的相干图具有很好的分布特征,避免了影像空间分辨率的损失.提出的算法分为两个步骤:(1)根据地物后向散射特性,对时间序列SAR影像进行聚类分析,选择具有同分布的样本,保证SAR影像质地平稳条件;(2)对干涉图进行条纹频率估计,采用极大似然(ML)条纹频率估计方法去除系统相位引起的复信号非平稳性,并根据Cramer-Rao边界条件改善条纹频率的估计精度.以美国南加州洛杉矶地区的ENVISAT ASAR数据集为例,本文将新方法与现有方法进行了量化分析.结果表明,较传统方法而言,基于时间序列的相干性估计方法能够得到更可靠、精度更高、空间特征更鲜明的干涉相干图.     

Vertical profiles of fluid velocity and suspended sediment concentration in nearshore

Based on the power function of velocity and the friction velocity,a velocity profile is obtained.By solving the Schmidt’s diffusion equation,an equilibrium suspended sediment concentration profile is further deduced.The profiles of velocity and suspended sediment concentration agree well with the field data,and the profile of suspended sediment concentration avoids the unreasonableness of the classical Rouse profile such as a zero value at the water surface.According to these profiles,an expression which is easy to use for calculating the suspended sediment transport rate is derived.     

金沙江支流黑水河松新电站短须裂腹鱼（Schizothorax wangchiachii）过坝后上溯行为

鱼类过坝后的上溯行为对鱼类寻找适宜的产卵、索饵等功能性栖息地至关重要。现阶段我国大多数研究聚焦于鱼类上溯通过鱼道的游泳行为量化,而过坝后的上溯行为分析鲜有报道。本研究在金沙江下游支流黑水河松新坝址处利用PIT(passive integrated transponder)遥测技术对松新电站过鱼对象短须裂腹鱼(Schizothorax wangchiachii)过坝后的上溯行为开展监测,考虑监测过程中水文情势变化对过坝后上溯行为的影响,采用生存分析方法,构建了耦合多因素(流量、水温、河道涨落水率、昼夜节律、肥满度等)的Cox风险比例回归模型,利用AIC模型准则筛选出最优模型参数,识别了影响鱼类过坝后上溯成功率的关键因素。结果表明:(1)短须裂腹鱼在松新鱼道的上溯效果显著优于河道;(2)水温及河道涨落率是影响短须裂腹鱼过坝后上溯效果的关键因素;(3)水温与短须裂腹鱼过坝后河道上溯成功率呈负相关,当水温超过短须裂腹鱼最适温度后,河道上溯成功率随着温度的上升呈递减趋势;河道涨落水率与短须裂腹鱼过坝后河道上溯成功率呈正相关,其中涨水情势下短须裂腹鱼河道成功上溯的概率高于落水,河道上溯成功率随着涨...     

A simple model accounting for the uptake,transport, and deposition of wind‐eroded mineral particles in the hyperarid coastal Atacama Desert of northern Chile

As previously observed in marine sediments collected downwind of African or South American continental sources, recent studies of sediment cores collected at the bottom of Mejillones Bay in north Chile (23°S) show a laminated structure in which the amount of particles of aeolian origin and their size create significant differences between the layers. This suggests inter‐annual to inter‐decadal variations in the strength of the local southerly winds responsible for (1) the erosion of the adjacent hyperarid surface of the Mejillones Pampa, and (2) the subsequent transport of the eroded particles towards the bay. A simple model accounting for the vertical uptake, transport, and deposition of the particles initially set into motion by wind at the surface of the pampa is proposed. This model, which could be adapted to other locations, assumes that the initial rate of (vertical) uptake is proportional to the (horizontal) saltation flux quantified by means of White's equation, that particles are lifted to a height (H), increasing with the magnitude of turbulence, and that sedimentation progressively removes the coarsest particles from the air column as it moves towards the bay. In this model, the proportionality constant (A) linking the vertical flux of particles with the horizontal flux, and the injection height (H) control the magnitude and size distribution of the deposition flux in the bay. Their values are determined using the wind speed measured over the pampa and the size distribution of particles collected in sediment traps deployed in the bay as constraints. After calibration, the model is used to assess the sensitivity of the deposition flux to the wind intensity variations. The possibility of performing such quantitative studies is necessary for interpreting precisely the variability of the aeolian material in the sediment cores collected at the bottom of Mejillones Bay. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Potential wind erosion rate response to climate and land‐use changes in the watershed of the Ningxia–Inner Mongolia reach of the Yellow River,China, 1986–2013

Climate and land‐use changes could strongly affect wind erosion and in turn cause a series of environmental problems. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess potential wind erosion rate (PWER) response to climate and land‐use changes in the watershed of the Ningxia–Inner Mongolia Reach of the Yellow River (NIMRYR), China. The watershed of NIMRYR suffers from serious wind erosion hazards, and over recent decades, wind erosion intensity and distribution has changed, following climate and land‐use changes. To understand these processes in the NIMRYR watershed, the Integrated Wind Erosion Modelling System (IWEMS) and the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ) were used to calculate the PWER under different climate conditions and land‐use scenarios, and to assess the influences of climate and land‐use changes on the PWER. The results show the PWER in the whole watershed had a significant declining trend from 1986 to 2013. The results of the relationship among PWER, climate change, and land‐use changes showed that climate change was the dominant control on the PWER change in this watershed. Compared to the period 1986–1995, the average PWER decreased 23.32% and 64.98% as a result of climate change in the periods 1996–2005 and 2006–2013, respectively. In contrast with climate change, the effects of land‐use changes on the average PWER were much lower, and represented a change in PWER of less than 3.3% across the whole watershed. The study method we used could provide some valuable reference for wind erosion modelling, and the research results should help climate and land‐use researchers to develop strategies to reduce wind erosion. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Piping dynamics in mid‐altitude mountains under a temperate climate: Bieszczady Mountains,eastern Carpathians

Piping has been recognized as an important geomorphic, soil erosion and hydrologic process. It seems that it is far more widespread than it has often been supposed. However, our knowledge about piping dynamics and its quantification currently relies on a limited number of data for mainly loess‐derived areas and marl badlands. Therefore, this research aimed to recognize piping dynamics in mid‐altitude mountains under a temperate climate, where piping occurs in Cambisols, not previously considered as piping‐prone soils. It has been expressed by the estimation of erosion rates due to piping and elongation of pipes in the Bere?nica Wy?na catchment in the Bieszczady Mountains, eastern Carpathians (305 ha, 188 collapsed pipes). The research was based on the monitoring of selected piping systems (1971–1974, 2013–2016). Changes in soil loss vary significantly between different years (up to 27.36 t ha^?1 yr^?1), as well as between the mean short‐term erosion rate (up to 13.10 t ha^?1 yr^?1), and the long‐term (45 years) mean of 1.34 t ha^?1 yr^?1. The elongation of pipes also differs, from no changes to 36 m during one year. The mean total soil loss is 48.8 t ha^?1 in plots, whereas in the whole studied catchment it is 2.0 t ha^?1. Hence, piping is both spatially and temporally dependent. The magnitude of piping in the study area is at least three orders of magnitude higher than surface erosion rates (i.e. sheet and rill erosion) under similar land use (grasslands), and it is comparable to the magnitude of surface soil erosion on arable lands. It means that piping constitutes a significant environmental problem and, wherever it occurs, it is an important, or even the main, sediment source. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.