Gold mining in Ghana's forest reserves: a report on the current debate

This paper examines the debate surrounding a recent decision made by the Ghanaian government to permit gold exploration – and potentially, mining – in 'protected' forest reserves. In 2001, four mining companies were awarded mineral exploration concessions in forested regions of the country, and have since put forward applications to mine for gold. Notwithstanding the sharp divide in opinion on the issue, the continued uncertainty surrounding the implications of the proposed activities makes further research on the ground imperative in the short term. Work aiming to elicit indigenous perspectives on the projects, as well as research that facilitates dialogue between and/or among stakeholder parties, should be prioritized.     

Canada's environmental farm plans: transatlantic perspectives on agri-environmental schemes

Evaluation of Ontario's Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) scheme, launched in 1993, provides an opportunity for comparisons with agri-environmental measures instituted in the European Union and other parts of North America. The EFP has a strong 'bottom-up' dimension in that it is farmers' organizations that have been central both to the scheme's instigation and to its ongoing management. This has affected the nature of the actions taken by individual farmers participating in the scheme. These actions are reviewed, especially in terms of the participants' attitudes towards stewardship of the land, environmental outcomes, cross-compliance measures, barriers to participation and the role of statutory regulation. Some contrasts are drawn with the greater 'top-down' controls exerted in several EU agri-environment schemes, with the latter's promotion of extensification and the changing role of farmers as 'producers of countryside' in a multi-functional agricultural system. The diffusion of EFP schemes throughout Canada is noted and is cited as confirming the maintenance of fundamentally different attitudes to the development of farm-based environmental actions compared with those adopted in the EU.     

Arsenic, antimony and other toxic elements in the drinking water of Eastern Thessaly in Greece and its possible effects on human health

Twenty-six groundwater samples were collected from the Eastern Thessaly region and analysed by ICP-ES for these elements: Al, As, P, Pb, Zn, Mn, Fe, Cr, Sb, Cu, Na, Br, Cl, Si, Mg, Ag, Be, Bi, Dy, Er, Eu, Au, Ge, Ho, In, Ir, Os, Pt, Re, Rh, Ru, Lu, Hf, Hg, Tm, Zr and Nb. The objectives of the study were to assess the level of water contamination with respect to the EC and the USEPA health-based drinking water criteria. The geology of the studied area includes schists, amphibolites, marbles of Palaeozoic age, ophiolites, limestones of Triassic and Cretaceous age, Neogene and Quaternary deposits. The element ranges for groundwater samples are: Al 7–56 μg l⁻¹, As 1–125 μg l⁻¹, Br 6–60 μg l⁻¹, Cl 500–25,000 μg l⁻¹, Cr 1–6 μg l⁻¹, Cu 1–15 μg l⁻¹, Fe 10–352 μg l⁻¹, Mg 2,940–40,100 μg l⁻¹, Mn 0–8 μg l⁻¹, Na 3,650–13,740 μg l⁻¹, P 20–48 μg l⁻¹, Pb 0–7 μg l⁻¹, Sb 0–21 μg l⁻¹, Si 3,310–13,240 μg l⁻¹ and Zn 7–994 μg l⁻¹. The results of groundwater analyses from the region of Eastern Thessaly showed elevated concentrations of As and Sb. Factor analysis explained 77.8% of the total variance of the data through five factors. Concentration of Br, Cl, Mg, Na and Si is directly related to the presence of saltwater in the aquifer, so grouping of these variables in factor 1 probably reflects the seawater intrusion. Al, As and Sb are known to form complexes in the environment, so grouping of these elements in factor 2 indicates their similar geochemical behaviour in the environment. The high negative loading of Mn in factor 2 indicates the presence of manganese oxides–hydroxides in the study area. Pb and Zn are associated together in sulphide mineralisation; so grouping of these elements in factor 3 reflects the sulphide mineralization paragenesis in the Melivoia area. P and Cu are associated together in phosphate fertilizers; so grouping of these variables in factor 4 could be related to agricultural practices. Cr, Fe, Mn and Mg are associated together in iron and manganese oxides–hydroxides and the weathering products of the olivine of the ultrabasic rocks; so grouping of these elements in factor 5 reflects the lithology of the area. There is a natural contamination of groundwaters with elevated concentrations of As and Sb due to the presence of the arsenopyrite and stibnite mineralisation in the Melivoia, Sotiritsa and Ano Polydendri areas. Contamination over the health-based drinking water guidelines given by EC and EPA has been investigated from nine sampling sites out of 26 of Eastern Thessaly region.     

油页岩综合利用对周围环境的影响——以抚顺矿区为例

世界能源日益减少的局面为油页岩的开发应用带来广阔的前景，但油页岩工业所带来的环境影响亦不容忽视。以抚顺油页岩为例，从油页岩综合利用和油页岩工业对环境的影响等方面系统讨论了在我国发展油页岩工业时，如何本着节约能源、保护环境、实现可持续发展的观念，利用现有先进技术，科学发展油页岩工业，降低生产过程中的固、液、气污染物对环境的危害。     

Mercury speciation and mobilization in contaminated soils of the Valle del Azogue Hg mine (SE,Spain)

Hg mobilization from contaminated soils and mine wastes was the source of environmental contamination in the Valle del Azogue mining area. We researched solid-phase speciation and aqueous mobility of Hg through Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron probe microanalysis analysis, solid-phase-Hg-thermo-desorption (SPTD) and laboratory column experiments. We found that in contaminated soils and mine wastes, the predominant Hg species was cinnabar (HgS), mainly formed from the weathering of Hg-rich pyrite, and metallic Hg (0) in the matrix, whereas in calcines and tailings the dominant species was metallic Hg (0). The mobilization of Hg in the aqueous phase seems to have originated from the dissolution of elemental Hg (0) present in soils and wastes, reaching concentrations of up to 67 μg l⁻¹, and showing a higher long-term environmental potential risk, in addition to atmospheric emissions.     

吸水剖面综合解释方法及应用

吉林油田同位素吸水剖面测井采用~(113)In同位素追踪技术,根据同位素追踪过程解释基本可以判断配水层段吸水情况。但是在注水井存在沾污、大孔道以及串槽等影响时,吸水面积确定比较困难。在同位素测井中增加井温、流量参数,通过多参数综合解释,不仅可以对沾污影响进行合理校正,确定准确的小层吸水量,而且能够正确判断各级封隔器、配水器的工作情况,在地层存在大孔道的情况下,确定地层的吸水面积。吸水剖面综合解释方法在吉林油田已普遍应用,见到明显的效果。     

区域大气环境质量灰关联评价方法探讨

针对区域中大气环境质量的特点，采用对数主成分分析方法获得各环境指标的权重及各监测点的横向排名，再用适宜的灰度关联方法进行了评价。整个过程在MATLAB6．5中实现，计算简便易行，与传统的综合指数法相比较，其评价结果更符合客观实际。     

Land-Parcel Land-Use History as a Key to Site Selection for Documenting Soil Contamination Risk： a Case Study from Australian Suburbia

In that orcharding in early-to-mid twentieth century southeastern Australia involved use of certain heavy metal and As compounds in regular pest-control spray procedures, some interest attaches to the possibility that these landparcels are underlain by soils with above-background Cu, Pb and As levels. Interpreta- tion of Land-cover changes allowed land parcels previously occupied by orchards to be identified in the 1950s through time-series air-photos. A comparison of soil analysis results referring to soil samples from control sites, and from land parcels formerly occupied by orchardists, shows that contamination （above-background） levels of cations in the pesticides can be found in the top 6 cm of former orchard soils. It is clear that digital spatial data handling and culturally-informed air photo interpretation has a place in soil contamination studies, land-use planning （with particular reference to re-development） and in administration of public health.     

论运城市地下水超采与保护策略

本文论述了2002年运城市地下水超采状况及其引起的环境地质等一系列问题.并遵循可持续发展的思想,提出了地下水资源保护的几点意见.     

水环境容量的影响因素及分析研究

本文采用流量级频率分析和统计分析方法,对黄河下游流量及泥沙含量对水环境容量的影响进行了研究分析.分析结果:河流在平滩流量时不仅输沙能力最大[8],而且输运污染物能力也最大,黄河下游水环境容量萎缩是平滩流量降低的必然结果.