Effects of urban street trees on human thermal comfort and physiological indices: a case study in Changchun city, China

Planting trees along urban streets is one of the most important strategies to improve the urban thermal environment.However,the net impacts of urban street trees on human thermal comfort and physiological parameters are still less clear.On three similar east-west orientated streets with different degrees of tree cover-low(13%),medium(35%),and high(75%),urban microclimatic parameters and human physiological indices for six male students were simultaneously measured on three cloudless days in summer 2018.The results show that the differences in tree cover were predominant in influencing urban thermal environment and comfort.The street with the highest tree cover had significantly lower physiological equivalent temperature(PET) and more comfortable than the other two streets.The frequency of strong heat stress(PET> 35℃) was 64%,11 %,and 0%,respectively,for streets with low,medium,and high tree cover.For the six male university students,human physiological indices varied greatly across the three streets with different tree cover.Systolic blood pressure,diastolic blood pressure,and pulse rate increased with decreasing tree cover.The results also suggest that urban thermal environment and comfort had considerable impact on human physiological parameters.Our study provides reasons for urban planners to plant trees along streets to improve the thermal environment and promote urban sustainability.

Impact of nanomaterials on plants:What other implications do they have?

The use of nanomaterials has spread and has been applied in different industries,including agriculture.Here,the possibilities presented by NMs are very varied,from the biostimulation of favorable responses,or the control of pests and diseases,to the monitoring of characteristics of interest with the use of nanosensors.Particularly the biostimulation of agricultural crops with the use of nanomaterials is very relevant,since from this process stress tolerance,higher content of biocompounds,etc.,can be induced.Although the positive impacts on crops are clear,there is not enough information to determine the long-term impacts,both on ecosystems and on human health.

Study on Regulating Effects of "Aquatic Environment Protection Oriented Fishery" on Water Environment of Qiaodun Reservoir

In order to evaluate the regulating effect of ＂ aquatic environment protection oriented fishery＂ on aquatic ecosystem,the water quality,plankton community structure,biomass,diversity index,eutrophication index and ecosystem maturity evaluated with Ecopath model were compared from 2010 to 2012 in Qiaodun Reservoir of Zhejiang Province. It was indicated that the water quality had been improved obviously. The water transparency maximally increased by 130%,while TP,TN and CODCrwere reduced. The density and biomass of the plankton were decreased,so was the ratio of Cynobacteria in phytoplankton community. The Shannon-Weaver index was increased; the trophic level was decreased; the ecosystem maturity was improved. By all accounts,the ＂ aquatic environment protection oriented fishery＂ had positive effects on maintaining the balance of reservoir ecosystem and ensuring the safety of drinking water.

Microwave assisted digestion followed by ICP-MS for determination of trace metals in atmospheric and lake ecosystem

The study of trace metals in the atmosphere and lake water is important due to their critical effects on humans, aquatic animals and the geochemical balance of ecosystems. The objective of this study was to investigate the concentration of trace metals in atmospheric and lake water samples during the rainy season （before and after precipitation） between November and December 2015. Typical methods of sample preparation for trace metal determination such as cloud point extraction, solid phase extraction and dispersive liquid- liquid micro-extraction are time-consuming and difficult to perform; therefore, there is a crucial need for development of more effective sample preparation procedure. A convection microwave assisted digestion procedure for extraction of trace metals was developed for use prior to inductively couple plasma-mass spectrometric determination. The result showed that metals like zinc （133.50-419.30 μg/m3） and aluminum （53.58-378.93 μg/m3） had higher concentrations in atmospheric samples as compared to lake samples before precipitation. On the other hand, the concentrations of zinc, aluminum, chromium and arsenic were significantly higher in lake samples after precipitation and lower in atmospheric samples. The relationship between physicochemical parameters （pH and turbidity） and heavy metal concentrations was investigated as well. Furthermore, enrichment factor analysis indicated that anthropogenic sources such as soil dust, biomass burning and fuel combustion influenced the metal concentrations in the atmosphere.

The net ecosystem services value in China's Mainland

Protection of the ecological environment is an effective strategy for maintaining ecosystem health,improving provision of ecosystem services,and increasing human well-being.However,traditional calculations of the value of ecosystem services(VES)provide weak guidance because they ignore the costs of these services,leading to economically inefficient strategies.To understand the difference between VES and the net ecosystem services value(NES,after subtracting costs from VES)and to improve evaluations of ecosystem services,we estimated NES for China's Mainland(including farmland,grassland,forest,and wetland).NES totaled 10.0×10~3RMB ha^(-1)yr^(-1)in 2014,which is only 35.1%of the corresponding VES.Grassland NES was–0.7×10~3RMB ha^(-1)yr^(-1),in contrast with a positive grassland VES.NES of farmland,grassland,forest,and wetland in2014 totaled 7.2×10^(12)RMB,accounting for 27.0%of China’s GNP.Recent Chinese planning based on VES emphasizes forest conservation and ignores the conservation of other important ecosystems,such as grassland,leading to a continuing loss of China’s natural capital.Due to regional differences in economic conditions,resource endowments,and geographical characteristics,VES and NES differ among regions.To maximize the ecological benefits from conservation,it is necessary to account for these differences by comparing strategies based on NES,thereby choosing projects that maximize both economic and ecological benefits.To maintain the ecological balance,ecological restoration and socioeconomic activities should account for the costs of providing ecosystem services.This is essential to minimize the costs and maximize the benefits of projects.