Correlations between heavy metals and organic carbon extracted by dry oxidation procedure in urban roadside soils

The organic fraction in soils has a significant influence on heavy metal transport. In this study, the organic carbon content was measured by dry oxidation procedure from 21 Xuzhou urban roadside soils to assess the relationships between the concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cr) and the amount of organic carbon. The anthropogenic heavy metals (e.g. Pb, Cu, Zn) were strongly correlated with organic carbon (denoted by C_org−c) extracted by dry oxidation while natural heavy metal (e.g. Cr) showed no correlation to the C_org−c. The anthropogenic heavy metals were also strongly correlated with the amount of the total carbon. These results show that the anthropogenic heavy metals are mainly enriched in the organic matter in the Xuzhou urban roadside soils.     

Drought and institutional adaptation in the Great Plains of Alberta and Saskatchewan, 1914–1939

Agriculture in the southern Great Plains of Canada has been particularly vulnerable to prolonged episodes of drought. Using climate data and a precipitation minus potential evapotranspiration index, the extent of the region’s exposure to drought is examined. Between 1914 and 1917, the Dry Belt was particularly vulnerable to drought, whereas after 1928, a much larger region known as the Palliser Triangle covering most of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan was much more exposed to drought. These droughts provoked major institutional adaptation, in particular the establishment of the Special Areas Board by the Government of Alberta, and the creation of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration by the Government of Canada. Both organizations have proved to be relatively permanent public adaptations to the natural hazard of drought in the region. Moreover, these earlier experiences with prolonged drought as well as institution-building may be of value in helping the residents of the Palliser Triangle adapt to predicted climate changes in the future as well as anticipate some of the barriers to effective institutional adaptation.     

An alternative approach to the structural motion analysis of wedge-beam offshore structures supporting a load

For convenience of dynamic analysis, some offshore structures such as fixed-type platforms are often modeled as the wedge beams supporting tip lumped masses. It is well-known that, due to the effect of the surrounding water, the natural frequencies of a beam in air (or dry beam) are different from those of the same beam immersed in water (or wet beam). However, if the natural frequencies and the associated mode shapes of a dry beam are calculated by taking account of the “added mass” for the immersed beam, then the last natural frequencies and mode shapes will be equal to the corresponding ones of the wet beam. Based on the last concept, the closed form solutions for natural frequencies and the associated mode shapes of the dry beam were determined first, then the partial differential equation of motion for the wet beam was transformed into a matrix equation by using the expansion theorem and the foregoing closed form solutions of free vibration responses for the dry beam. Solving the last matrix equation will give the required natural frequencies and the associated mode shapes of the wet beam. The formulation of this paper is available for the fully or partially immersed double tapered beams with either circular, square or rectangular cross-sections. The taper ratio for width and that for depth may be equal or unequal. The numerical results of this paper were compared with the existing results or the finite-element-method results and good agreement was achieved.     

厦门海沧海岸地区采石废弃地生态恢复研究

本文分析了厦门海沧海岸地区花岗岩资源开发利用现状和存在的问题，运用生态恢复理论讨论了矿山采石高难度地生态恢复技术途径和模式。     

林草复合经营模式养分动态关系

林草复合经营模式在目前的退耕还林工程中起着重要的作用，研究林草复合模式的林与草之间的营养元素关系，通过对不同林草养分的研究得出林木、草、土壤之间的养分动态关系，对矿质养分相互关系的研究为合理搭配林草提供重要依据，为退化山地生态系统的恢复和重建提供重要的模式。模式Ⅰ在退耕还林初期，土壤养分供给氮素虽未亏缺，但从三者问的消长关系看出：氮磷素供应并不富足，特别是水解性氮。土壤交换性钙供应不足，引起杉木与黑麦草对钙质竞争。而土壤全钙含量很高，钙质向交换性钙转化的速度缓慢。模式Ⅱ与模式Ⅰ得到相似结果，所以在这两种模式中应加强人为管理，在退耕初期应适当增施氮磷钙肥，辅以土壤结构改良，加速土壤养分向植物可利用态转化。模式Ⅲ牛鞭草的生物量极高，磷、钙索相对缺乏。由于牛鞭草被不断的采割用于牲畜的饲料，对该模式中必须进行一定养分的输入，以保持杂交竹与牛鞭草这一林草生态系统的养分平衡。     

Passage time, viability, and germination of seeds ingested by foxes

Seed passage through the gut of vertebrates is critical for endozoochorus seed dispersal because it may influence seed viability and germination capacity. Foxes are important fruit-eaters and presumed seed dispersers in the Chaco ecoregion. We experimentally assessed the seed passage time (SPT) and its effect on seed viability and germination in two fox species (Pseudalopex gymnocercus and Cerdocyon thous) that occur in the Chaco. Passage time was measured using both artificial seeds of three sizes and wild seeds of four native fleshy-fruit species commonly consumed by foxes (Ziziphus mistol, Acacia aroma, Celtis tala, and Syagrus romanzoffiana). The average SPT was 6.8 h for the Pampa fox and 7.7 h for the crab-eating fox. Passage time did not differ either among seeds of different sizes or between fox species. Passage through digestive tract of both fox species did not affect seed survival, whereas germination rate was slightly improved. Our data suggest that both fox species are legitimate seed dispersers of the four species studied, having a positive effect on both germination rate and dispersal distance from the parent plant.     

Construction techniques for the Taklamakan Desert Highway: research on the construction materials and the results of field tests

After conducting many laboratory and field experiments, several key technical issues related to the construction of China’s Taklamakan Desert Highway have been satisfactorily resolved. In particular, considerable progress has been made on the dry compaction of a sand sub-base, road design parameters, the creation of a structure that combines a sub-grade and asphalt pavement, analysis of the stability of a sand sub-base strengthened with geotextiles, and on the development of a complete set of construction techniques. The achievements of this research were successfully applied for the first time in the Taklamakan Desert, where the environmental conditions are extremely harsh. The results suggest that the construction of this highway was economical and that the simple construction methods produced a reliable highway. The resulting highway is believed to be the world’s first long-distance graded highway running through a huge desert with migrating dunes.     

Elemental particle size distributions. Measured and estimated dry deposition in Sfax region (Tunisia)

Mass size distribution of the crustal elements (Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Si, Ti), anthropogenic elements (Zn, Mn, Cr, Cu, K, P, Pb) and sea elements (Na, Cl) were obtained from measurements carried out with an inertial cascade impactor in Sfax. A fitting procedure by data inversion was applied to those data. This procedure yields accurate size distributions of aerosols in the diameter range 0.1–25 μm in two different sites. In a coastal industrial site, the mass distribution of the aerosol showed a bimodal structure; and in urban area, the lower particle mode cannot be observed. The elemental dry deposition flux was calculated as a function of particle size. The element flux size distribution increased rapidly with particle size. The modelling results indicate that the majority of the crustal and anthropogenic elements flux (>90%) was due to particles larger than 3 μm in diameter.     

Impact of oasis establishment on underground environment in salinized sandy lands

The salinized sandy lands are the important reclaimable reserve wastelands in thesouth area of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. But it is necessary that the eco-logical environment of the area is not destroyed by action of oasis development. The main factor tohinder oasis development is land salinization. Rational oasis establishment rebuilds wastelandswith lower productivity and utilization efficiency for the growth of agriculture, forestry, and stock raising. The results of surveying sub-soil environment of Aimugaike. Awati oasis in Hotian County ofthe Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region show that the underground water and soil environment arenot deteriorated under the rational management and administration, which could be coordinatedfor obtaining economic and environmental benefit. During the oasis establishment period from1997 to 1999, the plowland area has reached 166.7 hm2, and the seed cotton yield per unit areahas reached 2250 kg @ hm-2, the area of timber forest and active sand break forest has reached 20hm2, the area of fruit trees is 71.5 hm2; and the soil moisture has decreased from 22.07% to18.12%. In the first year of oasis establishment, the soil type has changed salt soil into light saltsoil, in the second year the soil has been out of salt harm; and the content of soil organic matter intopsoil has increased obviously.