Effects of heavy metal pollution on farmland soils and crops: A case study of the Xiaoqinling Gold Belt,China

This paper focuses on the heavy metal enrichment and heavy metal pollution degree associated with mining activities in some crops and the soils of different parent materials in the Xiaoqinling Gold Belt. According to the geochemical analysis results of the soils observed in the gold belt, the soils are most highly enriched in Pb, followed by Cr, Cu, and Zn. Furthermore, they are relatively poor in Hg, Cd, and As. It is also shown that the heavy metals in all kinds of soils have the same geochemical characteristics in the gold belt. As for the crops (such as corn and wheat) in the gold belt, Zn and Cu are the most abundant elements, followed by Pb and Cr. Meanwhile, Hg, Cd, and As were found to have relatively low concentrations in the crops. The heavy metals in wheat and corn have the same geochemical characteristics in the gold belt in general. Compared to the aeolian loess soils and the crops therein, heavy metals are more enriched in diluvial and alluvial soils and the crops therein. As shown by relevant studies, the Hg, Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn pollution are mainly caused by mining activities. Corn and wheat in the gold belt have a high tendency of risk exposure to heavy metal pollution since they are mostly affected by mining activities and feature high background values of heavy metal concentrations. Furthermore, wheat is more liable to be enriched in heavy metals than corn is grown in all types of soils. The Hg pollution in soils leads to Hg accumulation, increasing the risk of Hg uptake in crops, and further affecting human health. This study will provide a scientific basis for the control and management of heavy metals in farmland soils of mining areas.     

The effect of varied dam release mechanisms and storage volume on downstream river thermal regimes

Temperature plays an essential role in the ecology and biology of aquatic ecosystems. The use of dams to store and subsequently re-regulate river flows can have a negative impact on the natural thermal regime of rivers, causing thermal pollution of downstream river ecosystems. Autonomous thermal loggers were used to measure temperature changes downstream of a large dam on the Macquarie River, in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin to quantify the effect of release mechanisms and dam storage volume on the downstream thermal regime. The magnitude of thermal pollution in the downstream river was affected by different release mechanisms, including bottom-level outlet releases, a thermal curtain (which draws water from above the hypolimnion), and spill-way release. Dam storage volume was linked to the magnitude of thermal pollution downstream; high storage volumes were related to severe thermal suppressions, with an approximate 10 °C difference occurring when water originated from high and low storage volumes. Downstream temperatures were 8 ̶ 10 °C higher when surface releases were used via a thermal curtain and the spillway to mitigate cold water pollution that frequently occurs in the river. Demonstrating the effectiveness of engineering and operational strategies used to mitigate cold water pollution highlight their potential contribution to fish conservation, threatened species recovery and environmental remediation of aquatic ecosystems.     

Application of advanced system identification technique to extract roll damping from model tests in order to accurately predict roll motions

In this paper our previously developed advanced system identification technique [1] has been applied to extract the frequency dependent roll damping from a series of model tests run in irregular (random) waves. It is shown that this methodology accurately models the roll damping which can then be used to produce accurate predictions of the ships roll motion. These roll motion predictions are not only more accurate than the potential flow predictions but more accurate than potential flow models corrected using either empirical prediction methods [2] and even those corrected using roll damping obtained from free decay sallying experiments. This methodology has the potential to significantly improve roll motion prediction during full scale at sea trails of vessels in order to dramatically improve safety of critical operations such as helicopter landing or ship to ship cargo transfer.     

The Baltic Sea environment and the European Union: Analysis of governance barriers

The EU enlargement brought the Baltic Sea into the sphere of EU environmental policymaking, making the sea, with the exception of Russia, an EU inland sea. Yet, the state of the Baltic Sea environment is deteriorating at an alarming pace. This paper describes the evolution of the EU governance of the Baltic Sea environment, focussing on governance barriers. The findings demonstrate how the choice of analytical lens influences the construction of governance barriers and the respective intervention strategies. Such understanding can help policy practitioners in their search for successful measures to improve the governance situation in the Baltic Sea region.     

Mapping the global value and distribution of coral reef tourism

Global coral reef related tourism is one of the most significant examples of nature-based tourism from a single ecosystem. Coral reefs attract foreign and domestic visitors and generate revenues, including foreign exchange earnings, in over 100 countries and territories. Understanding the full value of coral reefs to tourism, and the spatial distribution of these values, provides an important incentive for sustainable reef management. In the current work, global data from multiple sources, including social media and crowd-sourced datasets, were used to estimate and map two distinct components of reef value. The first component is local “reef-adjacent” value, an overarching term used to capture a range of indirect benefits from coral reefs, including provision of sandy beaches, sheltered water, food, and attractive views. The second component is “on-reef” value, directly associated with in-water activities such diving and snorkelling. Tourism values were estimated as a proportion of the total visits and spending by coastal tourists within 30 km of reefs (excluding urban areas). Reef-adjacent values were set as a fixed proportion of 10% of this expenditure. On-reef values were based on the relative abundance of dive-shops and underwater photos in different countries and territories. Maps of value assigned to specific coral reef locations show considerable spatial variability across distances of just a few kilometres. Some 30% of the world's reefs are of value in the tourism sector, with a total value estimated at nearly US$36 billion, or over 9% of all coastal tourism value in the world's coral reef countries.     

Declining Arctic Ocean oil and gas developments: Opportunities to improve governance and environmental pollution control

There has been global interest in the exploitation of rich hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic for decades. However, recent low oil prices, a low carbon economy climate agenda, and technical challenges of Arctic oil extraction have curbed interest in these Arctic resources. Despite a recent reluctance to explore and develop an offshore Arctic drilling industry, a resurgence in oil and gas prices could spark renewed interests that could pose unacceptable risks of pollution from oil spills. These risks are further compounded by complex governance and sovereignty issues between circumpolar nations. This paper (i) compares cycles of Arctic hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation activity with global energy prices; (ii) outlines current pollution abatement techniques under pan-Arctic national regulations to identify potential gaps; (iii) describes current international frameworks for Arctic governance to highlight how problems could arise if offshore oil drilling returns to the Arctic and associated spills migrate to international waters; and (iv) provides policy recommendations to aid both national and international policy-makers regarding pollution abatement methods for future Arctic drilling.     

海洋油气开发工程环境影响评价特点浅析

相比陆上油气开发工程和其他海洋工程而言,海洋油气开发工程有其自身的特点,海洋油气开发工程环境影响评价应关注的内容与其他工程有所不同。文章通过分析海洋油气开发工程的特点以及对环境影响的特点,提出海洋油气开发工程环境影响评价要点,即包括施工期悬浮泥沙及钻井液钻屑排放对海洋生态环境的影响、运营期含油生产水排放对海洋生态环境的影响、工程建设对海洋环境敏感目标的影响、溢油事故环境风险分析、污染防治及生态保护措施,并针对目前海洋油气开发工程环境影响评价存在的问题提出改进建议。     

辽宁海洋生态系统恶化的经济学阐释

文章在辨析和定义海洋生态系统概念的基础上,分析辽宁海洋生态系统的恶化态势,主要体现在过度捕捞导致的海洋生物资源衰退,陆源污染、养殖污染和油类污染导致的海洋水体环境污染以及填海造地和海岸侵蚀等导致的海岸生态系统弱化。进而,从公地悲剧理论、环境库兹涅茨理论、外部性理论和产权理论4个维度做出具体的经济学阐释,阐明海洋生态系统恶化态势与经济开发行为之间的关系。     

牵引式滑坡推力计算方法研究

三峡工程运行期间引发大量库区滑坡地质灾害,由于库区水位及降雨等联合影响,使得牵引式滑坡在库区滑坡中占有相当的比例。通过对库区牵引式滑坡形成机制研究,根据变形破坏模式,把牵引式滑坡分为牵引区（初始滑动区）和被牵引区,分析牵引式滑坡在演化过程中牵引区滑体与被牵引区滑体之间的相互依存关系,针对其相互作用力学特征建立合理的物理和数学力学计算模型,初步推导牵引式滑坡推力计算公式,为抗滑桩设计提供合理的设计推力。以三峡库区朱家店牵引式滑坡为例,在确定被牵引区滑体对牵引区滑体存在推力作用情况下,通过推力计算表明,推导出的公式计算得到牵引区滑体的设计推力比单独计算牵引区滑体设计推力更大,相比将牵引区滑体和被牵引区滑体视为整体计算设计推力更小,说明此方法计算的推力用于抗滑结构设计可以达到既安全又经济的效果,为牵引式滑坡治理设计提供新的思路。