Assessment on eco-environmental quality of the Yellow River Basin by considering desertification index

Desertification has had a significant impact on the ecological environment of the Yellow River Basin(YRB)in China.However,previous studies on the evaluation of the ecological environment quality(EEQ)in the YRB have paid limited attention to the indicator of desertification.It is of great significance to incorporate the desertification index into the spatiotemporal assessment of the EEQ in the YRB in order to protect the ecological environment in the region.In this study,based on multi-source remote sensing data from 91 cities in the YRB,this article proposes a desertification remote sensing ecological index(DRSEI)model,which builds upon the traditional Remote Sensing Ecological Index(RSEI)model,to analyze the spatiotemporal changes in the EEQ in the YRB from 2001 to 2021.Furthermore,using the geographic detector(GD),and geographically and temporally weighted regression(GTWR)model,the study assesses the impact of human and natural factors on the EEQ in the YRB.The research findings indicate that:(1)Compared to the traditional RSEI,the improved DRSEI shows a decreasing trend in the evaluation results of the EEQ.Among the 24 cities,the change in DRSEI exceeds 0.05 compared to RSEI,accounting for 26.37%of the YRB.The remaining 67 cities have changes within a range of less than 0.05,accounting for 73.63%of the YRB.(2)The results of the GD for individual and interactive effects reveal that rainfall and elevation have significant individual and interactive effects on the EEQ.Furthermore,after the interaction with natural factors,the explanatory power of human factors gradually increases over time.The spatial heterogeneity results of GTWR demonstrate that rainfall has a strong direct positive impact on the EEQ,accounting for 98.90%of the influence,while temperature exhibits a more pronounced direct inhibitory effect,accounting for 76.92%of the influence.Human activities have a strong negative impact on the EEQ and a weak positive impact.

Assessment and mapping of environmental quality in agricultural soils of Zhejiang Province, China

Heavy metal concentrations in agricultural soils of Zhejiang Province were monitored to indicate the status of heavy metal contamination and assess environmental quality of agricultural soils. A total of 908 soil samples were collected from 38 counties in Zbejiang Province and eight heavy metal （Cd, Cr, Pb, Hg, Cu, Zn, Ni and As） concentrations had been evaluated in agricultural soil. It was found 775 samples were unpolluted and 133 samples were slightly polluted and more respectively, that is approximately 14.65% agricultural soil samples had the heavy metal concentration above the threshold level in this province by means of Nemerow＇s synthetical pollution index method according to the second grade of Standards for Soil Environmental Quality of China （GB15618- 1995）. Contamination of Cd was the highest, followed by Ni, As and Zn were lower correspondingly. Moreover, Inverse Distance Weighted （IDW） interpolation method was used to make an assessment map of soil environmental quality based on the Nemerow＇s pollution index and the soil environmental quality was categorized into five grades. Moreover, ten indices were calculated as input parameters for principal component analysis （PCA） and the principal components （PCs） were created to compare environmental quality of different soils and regions. The results revealed that environmental quality of tea soils was better than that of paddy soils, vegetable soils and fruit soils. This study indicated that GIS combined with multivariate statistical approaches proved to be effective and powerful tool in the mapping of soil contamination distribution and the assessment of soil environmental quality on provincial scale, which is beneficial to environmental protection and management decision-making by local government.

Dynamic Assessment on Regional Eco-environmental Quality Using AHP-Statistics Model—A Case Study of Chaohu Lake Basin

An indicator system closely connected with eco-environment, in which indicator involves in such fields as society, economy, resources, environment and ecology, is first proposed for eco-environmental quality assessment. Then, a hierarchical model with four levels is established by virtue of these indicators and attributes. In the model, weights of indicators and attributes are determined by combining Delphi method with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and a statistic method is used to eliminate the influences arising from the differences in dimension and magnitude of indicators. On these grounds, an AHP-statistics model is provided for regional eco-environmental quality assessment. As a case, such AHP-statistics model is utilized in the dynamic analysis of regional eco-environmental assessment in Chaohu Lake basin. Study results show that natural environmental quality in the watershed was in the declining state while social environmental quality was in a markedly improved situation from 1996, and the synthetic eco-environmental quality was gradually and slowly improved under the common influences of both natural and social environmental factors. Example of application testified the capacities of above methodology to evaluate the real and dynamic state of regional eco-environmental quality.

Ecological environmental quality evaluation and driving factor analysis of the Lijiang River Basin,based on Google Earth Engine

For regional ecological management,it is important to evaluate the quality of ecosystems and analyze the underlying causes of ecological changes.Using the Google Earth Engine(GEE)platform,the remote sensing ecological index(RSEI)was calculated for the Lijiang River Basin in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for 1991,2001,2011,and 2021.Spatial autocorrelation analysis was employed to investigate spatiotemporal variations in the ecological environmental quality of the Lijiang River Basin.Furthermore,geographic detectors were used to quantitatively analyze influencing factors and their interaction effects on ecological environmental quality.The results verified that:1)From 1991 to 2021,the ecological environmental quality of the Lijiang River Basin demonstrated significant improvement.The area with good and excellent ecological environmental quality in proportion increased by 19.69%(3406.57 km^(2)),while the area with fair and poor ecological environmental quality in proportion decreased by 10.76%(1860.36 km^(2)).2)Spatially,the ecological environmental quality of the Lijiang River Basin exhibited a pattern of low quality in the central region and high quality in the periphery.Specifically,poor ecological environmental quality characterized the Guilin urban area,Pingle County,and Lingchuan County.3)From 1991 to 2021,a significant positive spatial correlation was observed in ecological environmental quality of the Lijiang River Basin.Areas with high-high agglomeration were predominantly forests and grasslands,indicating good ecological environmental quality,whereas areas with low-low agglomeration were dominated by cultivated land and construction land,indicating poor ecological environmental quality.4)Annual average precipitation and temperature exerted the most significant influence on the ecological environmental quality of the basin,and their interactions with other factors had the great influence.This study aimed to enhance understanding of the evolution of the ecological environment in the Lijiang River Basin of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and provide scientific guidance for decision-making and management related to ecology in the region.

Multi-agent Blind Model and Its Application to Regional Eco-environmental Quality Assessment

Through denoting each expert as an agent and viewing a multiple criteria decision-making as a synthesis problem of aggregating experts＇ ratings, a multi-agent blind model （MABM） is developed for regional eco-environmental quality assessment. In this model, the ratings of the evaluated object under an index, given by expert group, are first utilized to construct a series of blind numbers. In general, each index will correspond to different blind numbers. On the basis of aggregating index weights, the rank score in the form of a blind number is obtained for the evaluated object. Then, by means of calculating expected value of the above blind number, its rank score is further converted into a crisp value. By way of comparing the expected value with classification standards, eco-environmental quality of the evaluated sample could he identified successfully in the end. As a case, the MABM is used to evaluate the eco-environmental quality of Chaohu Lake basin. Study result shows that the MABM is a useful model for regional eco-environmental quality assessment.

R/S method for evaluation of pollutant time series in environmental quality assessment

The significance of the fluctuation and randomness of the time series of each pollutant in environmental quality assessment is described for the first time in this paper. A comparative study was made of three different computing methods： the same starting point method, the striding averaging method, and the stagger phase averaging method. All of them can be used to calculate the Hurst index, which quantifies fluctuation and randomness. This study used real water quality data from Shazhu monitoring station on Taihu Lake in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. The results show that, of the three methods, the stagger phase averaging method is best for calculating the Hurst index of a pollutant time series from the perspective of statistical regularity.

Eco-environmental Quality Evaluation of Manasi River Basin in Recent 30 Years

Taking the Technical Specifications of Eco-environmental Quality Assessment enacted by the State Environmental Protection Administration in 2006 as the conceptual framework model and improving some indices and weights in the regulation,the eco-environmental assessment index system for Manas River Basin was established,and the eco-environmental quality index (EQI) of this basin from 1976 to 2005 was assessed based on the related data.The results indicated that the ecological quality index increased to 48.26 from 34.44 during 1976-2005.The biologic abundance index,vegetation coverage index and land deterioration index decreased,while there was an increase in water reticulation density index,environmental quality index and pollution load index,so the improvement and deterioration of the ecological environment coexisted in the basin.On the whole,the poor state of the basin ecological environment had turned into a general state,and the eco-environmental quality was developed towards favorable circle.The results also showed that the improved calculating method of EQI accorded with the actual situation of the research area.

ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTIVE ENERGY RETROFIT STRATEGIES AND RELATED IMPACT ON INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY A case study of an elementary school in the State of Maryland

1.0.INTRODUCTION In the United States,K-12 school buildings spend more than$8 billion each year on energy-more than they spend on computers and textbooks combined[1].Most occupied older buildings demonstrate poor operational performance-for instance,more than 30 percent of schools were built before 1960,and 53 percent of public schools need to spend money on repairs,renovations,and modernization to ensure that the schools’onsite buildings are in good overall condition.And among public schools with permanent buildings,the environmental factors in the permanent buildings have been rated as unsatisfactory or very unsatisfactory in 5 to 17 percent of them[2].Indoor environment quality(IEQ)is one of the core issues addressed in the majority of sustainable building certification and design guidelines.Children spend a significant amount of time indoors in a school environment.And poor IEA can lead to sickness and absenteeism from school and eventually cause a decrease in student performance[3].Different building types and their IEQ characteristics can be partly attributed to building age and construction materials.[4]Improving the energy performance of school buildings could result in the direct benefit of reduced utility costs and improving the indoor quality could improve the students’learning environment.Research also suggests that aging school facilities and inefficient equipment have a detrimental effect on academic performance that can be reversed when schools are upgraded.[5]Several studies have linked better lighting,thermal comfort,and air quality to higher test scores.[6,7,8]Another benefit of improving the energy efficiency of education buildings is the potential increase in market value through recognition of green building practice and labeling,such as that of a LEED or net zero energy building.In addition,because of their educational function,high-performance or energy-efficient buildings are particularly valuable for institution clients and local government.More and more high-performance buildings,net zero energy buildings,and positive energy buildings serve as living laboratories for educational purposes.Currently,educational/institutional buildings represent the largest portion of NZE(net zero energy)projects.Educational buildings comprise 36 percent of net zero buildings according to a 2014 National New Building Institute report.Of the 58 net zero energy educational buildings,32 are used for kindergarten through grade 12(K-12),21 for higher education,and 5 for general education.[9]Finally,because educational buildings account for the third largest amount of building floor space in the United States,super energy-efficient educational buildings could provide other societal and economic benefits beyond the direct energy cost savings for three reasons:1)educational buildings offer high visibility that can influence community members and the next generation of citizens,2)success stories of the use of public funds that returns lower operating costs and healthier student learning environments provide documentation that can be used by others,and 3)this sector offers national and regional forums and associations to facilitate the transfer of best design and operational practices.

A Comparative Analysis of Environmental Quality Assessment Methods for Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils

Four assessment methods （two pollution indexes and two fuzzy mathematical models） were employed to investigate the environmental quality of four soils around a ferroalloy plant in Nanjing City. Environmental quality was assessed as class Ⅳ （moderately polluted） for each soil with single-factor index method, and was identified to be classes Ⅳ, Ⅲ （slightly polluted）, Ⅲ, and Ⅲ for soils A, B, C, and D, respectively, with the comprehensive index model. In comparison with the single-factor index method, the comprehensive index model concerned both dominant parameter and average contribution of all factors to the integrated environmental quality. Using the two fuzzy mathematical methods （single-factor deciding and weighted average models）, the environmental risks were determined to be classes Ⅳ, Ⅲ, Ⅱ （clean）, and Ⅱ for soils A, B, C, and D, respectively. However, divergence of the membership degree to each pollution class still occurred between the two methods. In fuzzy mathematical methods, membership functions were used to describe the limits between different pollution degrees, and different weights were allocated for the factors according to pollution contribution. Introduction of membership degree and weight of each factor to fuzzy mathematical models made the methods more reasonable in the field of environmental risk assessment.

Monitoring and Assessment of Current Situation of Environmental Quality in Yueqing Bay

Based on the monitoring results of environmental quality in Yueqing Bay during 2007-2014,the current situation of environmental quality in the bay was analyzed and assessed. The results show that pH,DO,CODMn,petroleum,and heavy metals( Cu,Pb,Zn,Cd,Hg,As and Cr)in the seawater of Yueqing Bay did not exceed the second class standard of Seawater Quality Standard( GB 3097-1997),but inorganic nitrogen and reactive phosphate in the seawater of Yueqing Bay exceeded the second class standard seriously,and the water quality of the bay was in an eutrophic state; the standard index of evaluation factors of sediment quality was smaller than 1,meeting the demands of sediment quality for environmental protection.

Analysis and Evaluation of Heavy Metal Environmental Quality of Irrigation Water in Vegetable Farmlands of Shandong Province

[Objective] The aim was to evaluate heavy metal environmental quality of irrigation water in vegetable farmlands of Shandong Province. [Method] Heavy metal contents including Hg,Cd,As,Cr (+6),Pb,Cu and Zn in irrigation water of main vegetable farmlands of Shandong Province were investigated by randomly sampling,and the environmental quality conditions of these heavy metals were evaluated by methods of single quality index and complex quality index. [Result] The results showed that the average contents of heavy metals in irrigation water of Shouguang,Laiyang,Jinxiang and Zhangqiu were all far lower than the limit values prescribed by 'Farmland Environmental Quality Evaluation Standards for Edible Agricultural Products' (HJ332-2006),and no heavy metal was found beyond the limit value in every sample. The single quality indices of the 7 elements in the studied 4 places were all lower than 0.5. The comprehensive quality index of the seven elements was 0.317 8 in Shouguang,0.320 4 in Laiyang,0.232 6 in Jinxiang,and 0.260 7 in Zhangqiu. The environmental quality of irrigation water in the studied four places were all set at the first class. [Conclusion] The environmental quality of irrigation water in the 4 places belonged to clean level and were fit for the plantation of no pollution vegetables.

Atmospheric Environmental Quality Assessment RBF Model Based on the MATLAB

A new method-RBF model is found to assess the atmospheric quality by use of the PREMNMX function in MATLAB to pretreat the original data and the RAND function to construct enough training samples, checking samples and outputs of their targets through linear interpolation between grades of the atmospheric quality evaluation standard. A favorable assessment result is achieved by applying this method to assess atmospheric environmental quality in a city, which shows this new method is meaningful in improving the precision and scientificity of atmospheric environmental quality assessment.

Establishing environmental background values of selected trace elements and environmental quality assessment of fi negrained sediments in the Jiaozhou Bay catchment,China

With the development of economy,the impact of human activities on ecological environment is increasing,and environmental protection work is important.Trace elements(Co,Ni,Cu,Pb,Zn,Cd,Cr,and Sc)in surface fi ne-grained sediment samples from the Jiaozhou Bay catchment were selected to evaluate their 2015 environmental background values and the environmental quality.Using statistical analysis,the environmental background values(ranges)of Sc,Co,Ni,Cu,Pb,Zn,Cd,and Cr were calculated,being 13.1(10.8-15.4),12.4(8.6-16.2),32.0(22.9-41.2),29.6(13.5-64.9),24.1(13.0-44.6),77.6(38.5-156.5),0.07(0.02-0.20),and 82.5(66.5-104.0)mg/kg,respectively.The enrichment factor,contamination factor,and pollution load index were used to evaluate the pollution status of the Jiaozhou Bay catchment.The environmental background values of most elements are higher than those of the upper continental crust and lower than those of global shale.At present,the pollution in the eastern Jiaozhou Bay is much higher than that in the western part.The results shall be helpful for future management for trace element pollution monitoring in the Jiaozhou Bay catchment.

Soil Environmental Quality Evaluation for Wasteland of Coalmine Tailing Polluted by Heavy Metals in Mingshan of Guangdong

ln order to appraise scientifical y the heavy metal contamination in waste-land of coalmine tailing in Mingshan of Guangdong, the 5 soil samples in wasteland of coalmine tailing were col ected in November 2010 to March 2011. The 7 heavy metals content in the contaminated soil was measured by atomic absorption spec-trophotometry. The results showed the pH of the wasteland soil ranged from 2.87 to 6.16, and the soil was relatively infertile. The soil was mainly pol uted by Cd and Mn. The Cd content in wasteland soil ranged from 0.759 mg/kg to 3.109 mg/kg with an average content of 2.052 mg/kg, which was much higher than the standard content. The Mn content ranged from 387.057 to 488.660 mg/kg with an average content of 421.215 mg/kg, which was much higher than the standard content. The Nemerow integrated pol ution indexes showed the sample 1, sample 4 and sample 5 were of heavy pol ution, and sample 2 and sample 3 were of moderate pol ution.

Soil Geochemical Background Value and Environmental Quality Assessment in Jinan City

[Objectives]This study was conducted to accurately assess soil and environmental quality in Jinan City. [Methods] Based on the multipurpose regional geochemical survey data of 1∶250 000 in Shandong Province, the differences between the soil geochemical background values of 54 indexes in Jinan City and the soil in the whole province and the comprehensive geochemical class of soil quality were studied. [Results] The contents of C and Cao in Jinan soil was significantly higher than the background values of Shandong Province. The Cd, Cr, Cu, F, Ni, Sn, MgO, Cao and Na_(2)O contents and pH value were higher than the abundance of the A soil layer in China, but the nutrient index contents of Se, I and OrgC were lower than the national background values. The surface soil quality in the study area was generally good, with the sum of superior, good and medium accounting for 99.76% of the total area of the study area. The distribution area of poor soil was the least, accounting for only 0.24%, and it was scattered near industrial and mining enterprises in the urban area of Jinan City, Laiwu District, Gangcheng District and Zhangqiu District, which was closely related to human activities. [Conclusions] This study has practical guiding significance for improving land use efficiency.

Impact of Urbanization on Shanghai's Soil Environmental Quality

Heavy metal contents in the soils in the Baoshan District of Shanghai were monitored to evaluate the risk of soil environmental quality degradation due to rapid urbanization and to reveal the ways of heavy metal accumulation in soil during rapid urban sprawl. It was found that the soils in this district were commonly contaminated by Pb, Zn and Cd. Evaluated with a geo-accumulation index (Igeo), the rate of Pb contamination in soils was 100% with 59% of these graded as moderate-severe or severe; Zn contamination reached 59% with 6% graded as moderate-severe or severe; and Cd contamination was over 50%, with one site graded as moderate-severe and another severe-extremely severe. Metal contamination of soils around the Shanghai metropolis was mainly attributed to traffic, industrial production, wastewater irrigation and improper disposal of solid wastes. Because of continuing urbanization, the cultivated land around the metropolis should be comprehensively planned and carefully managed. Also the soil environmental quality of vegetable production bases in this area should be monitored regularly, with vegetables to be grown selected according to the degrees and types of soil contamination.

Using benthic macrofauna to assess environmental quality of four intertidal mudflats in Hong Kong and Shenzhen Coast

Intertidal zone is a significant wetland between land and ocean. It plays an important rolein maintaining local ecological balance. Both Mai Po and Futian intertidal mudflats are located in Shenzhen Bay and are important 'refueling' point along the East Asian/Australian flyway of migratory birds. The environmental quality of Mai Po and Futian mudflats have aroused great concern due to rapid economic developments in Hong Kong and Shenzhen in recent decades. Macroinfauna of Mai Po and Futian mudflats was investigated in December 2000 and the faunal data were used to assess their environmental quality. Two other mudflats, namely Ma Wan Typhoon Shelter (a more disturbed area) and Luk Keng intertidal mudflat (a place with relatively less human disturbance), were also sampled for macroinfauna and used as reference mudflats. Shannon - Weaver species diversity index (Isd), biotic coefficient (Cb) and macrofaunal pollution index (Imp) of the macrofauna community on four intertidal mudflats were used to determine their environmental quality. The results showed that Luk Keng intertidal mudflat was unpolluted, Mai Po and Futian mudflats were slightly polluted, and Ma Wan was moderately polluted. The pollution in Ma Wan Typhoon Shelter mainly came from various types of rubbish and fishing boats that disturbed the sediment, while pollution sources in Mai Po and Futian mudflats were discharges of industrial water, municipal sewage and from nearby rivers.

Impact of Electronic Wastes Recycling on Environmental Quality

Objective To evaluate the environmental quality of Guiyu, Guangdong impacted by the electronic waste recycling industry. Methods The surface water, ground water and sediment samples taken separately from two sites that recycle E-wastes and other rubbish relevant to the E-waste recycling, and an agricultural area, were analyzed, and the data were used to evaluate the impact of E-waste recycling on the environmental quality of Guiyu based on environmental quality standards in China. Results The concentrations of lead and iron in the surface water samples significantly different in the three locations. The maximum value of lead in the first site was 8 times higher than the threshold of environmental quality standards for surface water. The concentration of iron in polluted sample was 22 times that of the background sample. Manganese and iron also showed a significant difference in ground water samples between the three sites. The amount of iron was 22 times that of the threshold of the quality standard for ground water, and 120 times that of the background sample. Moreover, the results of all the eight heavy metals showed significant differences among the sediment samples. The concentrations of copper, cadmium, nickel, and lead in the polluted samples were above the median benchmarks of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration （NOAA）. The copper concentration of 2670 mg/kg was 10 times that of the median benchmark. Conclusion E-waste recycling has led to the severe pollution Guiyu.

Relationship Between Economic Growth and Water Environmental Quality of Anshan City in Northeast China

Based on the decomposition model of environmental quality and univariate regression model,the relationships of industrial wastewater drainage with economic scale,economic structure,and technological level in Anshan,a mining city in Northeast China,were studied. The results showed that,due to scale effect,the drainage of three important industrial wastewater pollutants(COD,NH3-N and petroleum) increased 8505t,671t and 384t,respectively,and due to structure effect,those pollutants drainage increased 3996t,174t and 120t from 2001 to 2006. While due to technological effect,the drainage of COD,NH3-N and petroleum reduced 4452t,458t and 331t,and due to cross effect,those pollutants drainage reduced 7270t,575t and 476t simultaneously. Meantime,the relationships between household consumption structure and domestic sewage discharge were analyzed,and domestic sewage discharges in different income levels were also compared. The results showed that,the domestic sewage discharges would increase 376t with 1000 yuan(RMB) increased in the traffic and communication consumption,and they would be 344t,219t,428t,1873t,respectively,in housing consumption,food consumption,medical consumption,miscellaneous commodity consumption. The proportion of domestic sewage discharge increased for high income residents significantly,but reduced for lower income residents. The industrial wastewater pollutants drainage tends to be reduced by technical progress,while domestic sewage discharge will be a more important factor for urban water environment quality.