Environmental and health risk assessment in abandoned mining area, Zlata Idka, Slovakia

The Zlata Idka village is a typical mountainous settlement. As a consequence of more than 500 years of mining activity, its environment has been extensively affected by pollution from potentially toxic elements. This paper presents the results of an environmental-geochemical and health research in the Zlata Idka village, Slovakia. Geochemical analysis indicates that arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) are enriched in soils, groundwater, surface water and stream sediments. The average As and Sb contents are 892 mg/kg and 818 mg/kg in soils, 195 mg/kg and 249 mg/kg in stream sediments, 0.028 mg/l and 0.021 mg/l in groundwater and 0.024 mg/l and 0.034 mg/l in surface water. Arsenic and Sb concentrations exceed upper permissible limits in locally grown vegetables. Within the epidemiological research the As and Sb contents in human tissues and fluids have been observed (blood, urine, nails and hair) in approximately one third of the village’s population (120 respondents). The average As and Sb concentrations were 16.3 μg/l and 3.8 μg/l in blood, 15.8 μg/l and 18.8 μg/l in urine, 3,179 μg/kg and 1,140 μg/kg in nails and 379 μg/kg and 357 μg/kg in hair. These concentrations are comparatively much higher than the average population. Health risk calculations for the ingestion of soil, water, and vegetables indicates a very high carcinogenic risk (>1/1,000) for as content in soil and water. The hazard quotient [HQ=average daily dose (ADD)/reference dose (RfD)] calculation method indicates a HQ>1 for groundwater As and Sb concentrations.     

Gated communities of the Moscow green belt: newly segregated landscapes and the suburban Russian environment

The transition from the Soviet to the post-Soviet period in and near Moscow manifested itself in increasing production of segregated space both in the urban core and suburban areas outside of the beltway to accommodate the preferences of the new Russian business and governmental elite. This paper focuses on the residential single-family housing inside old and new settlements, which are frequently gated. Approximately 260 of such suburban communities have been developed within 30 km of the beltway during the past few years, of which a majority have some form of exclusion mechanism in place, typically tall solid fences, gates, closed-circuit video surveillance and guarded entry checkpoints. The difference in exclusivity varies from the most exclusive older communities inside Moscow Serebryany Bor enclave and Rublevskoe highway mansions to less exclusive new developments along Novorizkhskoe and Dmitrovskoe highways. Despite high rates of construction, based on sociological surveys in 2003, only about 11% of Russia’s upper class claimed to live in such new “cottages,” with the rest owning condos and luxury apartments in the inner city or older detached homes in villages and small towns. Therefore, not all the needs have been accommodated and more development is certain to take place. The environmental impact of such developments is profound. Based on preliminary LANDSAT image analysis, almost 22% of suburban “green belt” forested land within 30 km zone has been converted to new construction from 1991 to 2001. New construction is now focusing on the remaining fragments of natural vegetation, which will likely lower air quality and water quality available for the city. Ironically, the new developments advertise themselves as “clean and green” with massive investments in unnatural landscaping (seeded lawns, exotic shrubs, river and lake shore “improvements”). This investment highlights the well-known paradox of development in which people move out of town to live near nature, while destroying the wild nature they come to enjoy. “We left city for the weekend It was raining, saw no stars There were fences everywhere Our chiefs behind the bars.” Gennady Shpalikov     

濮阳市地下水开采引起的环境地质问题及防治措施

濮阳市是新兴的石油化工基地,国家级卫生城市和园林城市,由于人口的增长、工农业的迅猛发展,地下水超量开采而引起的地面沉降、地裂缝等一系列环境地质问题,针对所出现的环境地质问题提出相应的防治措施.     

豫北平原浅层地下水资源可持续开发利用

豫北平原隶属黄河、海河两大流域,在平原区松散岩类中蕴藏着较丰富的地下水.随着工农业和城市化的发展,地下水资源的开发利用程度在逐步升高,合理地开发利用地下水资源的重要性日趋显著.主要论述了浅层含水岩组的特征、水动力条件、开发利用现状及与地下水开采相关的环境地质问题.分析了天然资源量的组成,说明了可采资源量的计算方法,指出有开采潜力区和超采区的分布.针对所存在的问题,提出了浅层地下水资源可持续开发利用的措施.     

Effects of detailed soil spatial information on watershed modeling across different model scales

Hydro-ecological modelers often use spatial variation of soil information derived from conventional soil surveys in simulation of hydro-ecological processes over watersheds at mesoscale (10–100 km²). Conventional soil surveys are not designed to provide the same level of spatial detail as terrain and vegetation inputs derived from digital terrain analysis and remote sensing techniques. Soil property layers derived from conventional soil surveys are often incompatible with detailed terrain and remotely sensed data due to their difference in scales. The objective of this research is to examine the effect of scale incompatibility between soil information and the detailed digital terrain data and remotely sensed information by comparing simulations of watershed processes based on the conventional soil map and those simulations based on detailed soil information across different simulation scales. The detailed soil spatial information was derived using a GIS (geographical information system), expert knowledge, and fuzzy logic based predictive mapping approach (Soil Land Inference Model, SoLIM). The Regional Hydro-Ecological Simulation System (RHESSys) is used to simulate two watershed processes: net photosynthesis and stream flow. The difference between simulation based on the conventional soil map and that based on the detailed predictive soil map at a given simulation scale is perceived to be the effect of scale incompatibility between conventional soil data and the rest of the (more detailed) data layers at that scale. Two modeling approaches were taken in this study: the lumped parameter approach and the distributed parameter approach. The results over two small watersheds indicate that the effect does not necessarily always increase or decrease as the simulation scale becomes finer or coarser. For a given watershed there seems to be a fixed scale at which the effect is consistently low for the simulated processes with both the lumped parameter approach and the distributed parameter approach.     

A multidisciplinary multi-scale framework for assessing vulnerabilities to global change

Terrestrial ecosystems provide a number of vital services for people and society, such as food, fibre, water resources, carbon sequestration, and recreation. The future capability of ecosystems to provide these services is determined by changes in socio-economic factors, land use, atmospheric composition, and climate. Most impact assessments do not quantify the vulnerability of ecosystems and ecosystem services under such environmental change. They cannot answer important policy-relevant questions such as 'Which are the main regions or sectors that are most vulnerable to global change?’ 'How do the vulnerabilities of two regions compare?’ 'Which scenario is the least harmful for a sector?’This paper describes a new approach to vulnerability assessment developed by the Advanced Terrestrial Ecosystem Analysis and Modelling (ATEAM) project. Different ecosystem models, covering biodiversity, agriculture, forestry, hydrology, and carbon sequestration are fed with the same Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios based on the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES). Each model gives insights into specific ecosystems, as in traditional impact assessments. Moreover, by integrating the results in a vulnerability assessment, the policy-relevant questions listed above can also be addressed. A statistically derived European environmental stratification forms a key element in the vulnerability assessment. By linking it to other quantitative environmental stratifications, comparisons can be made using data from different assessments and spatial scales.     

平凉地区对流风暴地闪活动与环境层结因子相关性分析

利用1997年和1998年6－8月间在甘肃平凉地区的3站闪电定位系统所取得的地闪资料与当天早晨探空资料进行了初步的统计分析。分析结果，对流风暴中地闪活动与环境层结因子之间有较好的相关性，不稳定度、余额不稳定度5℃处的环境温度、温度层结中（中层）平均相对湿度是影响对流风暴中地闪活动的重要因子，对流风暴的地闪活动可通过这些因子进行预报。     

长江三角洲环境地质调查评价GIS管理系统建设初探

长江三角洲是一个人口稠密、经济高度发达的地区 ,该区地质结构复杂、环境地质条件十分脆弱 ,长期以来因过量开采地下水 ,形成大面积区域性水位降落漏斗 ,诱发了相当严重的地面沉降、地裂缝等地质灾害 ,给当地经济可持续发展带来严重威胁。本文从开展长江三角洲环境地质调查评价的现实意义出发 ,探讨了长江三角洲环境地质调查评价GIS管理系统的系统目标、开发模式以及实现步骤 ,概括介绍了系统所应具有的功能 ,为长江三角洲项目信息系统建设提出了一条可行性思路。     

闽江福州河段环境工程地质问题的评价研究

江河环境工程地质问题是环境工程地质学研究的重要课题。江河沿岸环境地质条件是影响和决定沿江城市环境质量的重要背景 ;是控制和影响沿江河岸城市的环境容量和质量的重要因素。本文以闽江下游福州河段为例 ,概要评述了闽江福州河段的水动力条件和流水地质作用类型、强度等状况 ;分析研究了该河段的流水地质作用和地貌环境变化动态及其与沿江河岸人类各种工程建设活动的互相作用的特征和规律。对促进和提高沿江河岸人地系统和谐协调平衡发展水平 ,正确规划、预测和评价沿江河岸各类工程建设发展的经济和社会效益及其前景 ,都具有重要意义.     

苍山5.2级地震异常群体时空演化特征

在对 1 995年山东省苍山 5 2级地震异常筛选的基础上 ,分析了异常群体阶段性演化过程。结果表明 ,震前 1 0a左右震中周围出现小震小区域综合断层面解主压应力P轴偏转 (约 3 0°) ,震前 7a左右震中附近 3～ 4级地震增强集中及应变释放加速 ;震前 4a左右转为异常平静 ;震前 1a左右震中外围开始出现形变类前兆异常 ,前兆异常台站比和异常台项比约达 6%及 4%左右 ,异常比例偏少 ;震前约半年起 ,以震中附近地震波速比异常出现为起点 ,相继出现各类前兆异常 6条 ,短期前兆异常台站比和异常台项比分别约达 2 5 %和 1 7%左右 ,显示孕震进入短期阶段 ,但临震异常不明显。对由此获得的 5级地震预测启示进行了讨论。