Hydro-geochemistry of groundwater and surface water in Dschang town(West Cameroon): Alkali and alkaline-earth elements ascertain lithological and anthropogenic constraints

This study focuses on the sources of alkali and alkaline-earth elements based on the geochemistry of groundwater and surface water in Dschang concerning environmental and anthropogenic constraints. A comprehensive set of 50 samples from groundwater and surface water were analyzed by ICPMS and processed by spatial interpolation in a GIS environment. The results highlight a geochemical anomaly at the center of the densely inhabited area subject to a profusion of open dumps discharges. This anomaly with the highest spatial contents of Be(Cs, Rb, Mg) suggests an anthropogenic source that demarcates with the lowest alkali and alkaline-earth elements on the peripheral area of Dschang. Other findings include lithological constraints with volcanic rocks being the main source compared to granitoid.The study points out good correlations between Be, Cs, Rb and Mg spatial distributions and physicochemical parameters of waters(K, EC, TDS), and inversely with the lowest p H. p H is established as the most functioning physico-chemical constraint of alkali and alkaline-earth mobility in Dschang. The p H lowest values within the geochemical anomaly also highlight the impact of human activities on water acidity, which later enhance elements mobility and enrichment. Despite low elements contents relative to WHO standards, our findings point out an example of anthropogenic impact on water geochemistry linked to solid waste pollution; it also demonstrates significant anthropogenic changes of environmental physicochemical parameters of prime importance in the mobility and distribution of elements in the study area.Similar assessments should be extended in major towns in Cameroon.     

Implications of Japan’s long term climate mitigation target and the relevance of uncertain nuclear policy

Achieving long-term climate mitigation goals in Japan faces several challenges, starting with the uncertain nuclear power policy after the 2011 earthquake, the uncertain availability and progress of energy technologies, as well as energy security concerns in light of a high dependency on fuel imports. The combined weight of these challenges needs to be clarified in terms of the energy system and macroeconomic impacts. We applied a general equilibrium energy economic model to assess these impacts on an 80% emission reduction target by 2050 considering several alternative scenarios for nuclear power deployment, technology availability, end use energy efficiency, and the price of fossil fuels. We found that achieving the mitigation target was feasible for all scenarios, with considerable reductions in total energy consumption (39%–50%), higher shares of low-carbon sources (43%–72% compared to 15%), and larger shares of electricity in the final energy supply (51%–58% compared to 42%). The economic impacts of limiting nuclear power by 2050 (3.5% GDP loss) were small compared to the lack of carbon capture and storage (CCS) (6.4% GDP loss). Mitigation scenarios led to an improvement in energy security indicators (trade dependency and diversity of primary energy sources) even in the absence of nuclear power. Moreover, preliminary analysis indicates that expanding the range of renewable energy resources can lower the macroeconomic impacts of the long term target considerably, and thus further in depth analysis is needed on this aspect.

Key policy insights

• For Japan, an emissions reduction target of 80% by 2050 is feasible without nuclear power or CCS.

• The macroeconomic impact of such a 2050 target was largest without CCS, and smallest without nuclear power.

• Energy security indicators improved in mitigation scenarios compared to the baseline.

     

城市居民对乡村旅游影响的感知研究——以上海、南京为例

乡村旅游的发展必然会对乡村经济、社会文化和环境产生影响.以2006年9-11月在上海、南京两城市所作的700份问卷调查资料为基础,利用SPSS和Excel软件,定量分析了城市居民对乡村旅游影响的感知.结果表明:城市居民对乡村旅游影响正面感知强于负面感知;可分为中立者(37.3%)、理性支持者(37.8%)和矛盾支持者(24.9%)3类,支持者多于中立者;人口学特征不同,其感知存在一定差异.     

3S技术在神农架滑雪场生态环境影响评价中的应用

神农架滑雪场位于国家级自然保护区的边缘地带。运用景观生态学原理和方法,采用3S技术,对滑雪场景观生态体系的结构和功能状况进行评价,通过景观多样性指数、景观聚集度指数等指标量化计算及比较分析,预测了项目建成后对所在区域生态完整性的影响程度及将造成的敏感生态问题。结果表明,评价区自然系统的生物量将减少430.26 t,平均净生产力降低为881.55 g/m2.a,项目建设不会改变林地的模地地位,其对生态环境质量仍有较强的调控能力。3S技术结合景观生态学方法将生态环境影响评价由定性评价转向定量预测,为建设项目生态影响评价研究作了有益的探索。     

农业气象灾害影响评估和防御技术研究进展

为解决我国16亿人口的食物安全问题,最根本的措施是进行一次新的农业科技革命,依靠科技创新使农业生产力水平实现质的飞跃,开展农业气象灾害的影响评估和防御技术研究,提高其技术水平,便是一项必不可少的措施之一。为此,通过对农业气象灾害影响评估的分析,找出其相应防御技术和措施。     

辽东湾葵花岛构造区浅层气分布特征、成因探讨及工程影响

揭示了葵花岛构造区浅层气规模小、埋藏浅、分布散、压力低、储层松散等分布特点,根据沉积环境和地质特征,推测浅层气为生物甲烷气,但并不完全排除是热生甲烷次生气藏的可能性,探讨了浅层气潜在的工程危害并提出相应防治措施,为今后海洋工程建设提供科学依据。     

商丘近40 a蒸发量变化特征及原因分析

利用商丘1961-2000年小型蒸发皿蒸发量资料,分析了商丘蒸发量的变化趋势及引起蒸发量变化的因子,结果表明,商丘年、季和月蒸发量均存在明显的下降趋势,影响蒸发量变化的因子主要有风速、日照、相对湿度、水汽压等.     

Momentum and gravity effects during the constant velocity water entry of wedge-shaped sections

Computational fluid dynamics analysis was used to investigate the added mass momentum, flow momentum and gravity effects during the constant velocity water entry of wedge-shaped sections with deadrise angles from 5° to 45°. It is shown that the added mass continues to increase for a time after chine immersion and that added mass can be estimated in terms of a constant added mass coefficient and an effective wetted width. A momentum theory is presented in which the water entry force is explained as the sum of the rate of change of added mass momentum, which becomes zero at immersion to chine depth ratios greater than about three, and the rate of change of flow momentum, which continues at deep immersions. The effect of gravity on the water entry force is given as the hydrostatic force together with the force necessary to create the potential energy in the water pile up. Hydrodynamic forces are not significantly changed by the effect of gravity on the flow fields.     

The effects of beach nourishment on the sandy-beach amphipod Exoediceros fossor: impact and recovery in Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia

Beach nourishment is increasingly being implemented to address problems of erosion. However, the ecological consequences of nourishment are poorly understood, especially in Australia. In Botany Bay, sand was piped from an intertidal borrow area at Elephant's Trunk to nourish the nearby eroding beach at Towra Point. The effects on an intertidal exoedicerotid amphipod, Exoediceros fossor (Stimpson, 1856), were examined using a beyond-BACI (Before–After, Control–Impact) sampling design. Sampling was conducted before and after engineering operations at sites within the borrow and nourishment locations and multiple control locations. Hypotheses concerning impact and recovery were tested using asymmetrical ANOVAs and two-tailed F-tests. These examined the effects on abundance and spatial variability, respectively. The impact of the engineering operations on abundance was very large at both borrow and nourishment locations. However, recovery started within several weeks and, using space × time interactions as a criterion, appeared to be complete within a year. This conclusion is made cautiously because of low statistical power and because other criteria for recovery suggest that it was not complete at some sites. As beach erosion is likely to increase in severity with rising sea levels and greater storm surges associated with climate change, management authorities will need a better understanding of the ecological effects of beach nourishment.     

Response of Nereis diversicolor population (Polychaeta,Nereididae) to the pollution impact – Authie and Seine estuaries (France)

A survey within the French National Programme of Ecotoxicology was carried out in 2002, 2003 and 2004 to study the response of Nereis diversicolor populations (Polychaeta, Nereididae) to the impact of pollution in the Authie estuary (non-contaminated site) and in the Seine estuary (contaminated site). In the period studied, the density varied from 672 ind. m⁻² to 3584 ind. m⁻² in the Authie estuary and from 80 ind. m⁻² to 920 ind. m⁻² in the Seine estuary. Biomass varied from 3.94 g m⁻² (dry weight) in February 2004 to 38.0 g m⁻² in August 2003 in the Authie estuary and from 3.4 g m⁻² in February 2002 to 0.6 g m⁻² in February 2004 in the Seine estuary. Density and biomass of the populations of N. diversicolor were consistently lower in the Seine estuary than in the Authie estuary. Size frequency histograms permit the analysis of the cohorts as well as the elaboration of the growth curves. For the individuals from the Authie estuary, the relation between dry weight (DW) and length L3 (prostomium, peristomium and chaetiger 1) was DW = 4.2205 L3^2.9832. For those from the Seine estuary, the relation between dry weight and L3 was DW = 0.4697e^1.7209L3. The individuals of N. diversicolor should belong to eight cohorts in Authie estuary (two cohorts each year) instead of six cohorts for those from the Seine estuary. These differences can be attributed to the effect of pollution on the population of N. diversicolor.