Integrated modeling environment and a preliminary application on the Heihe River Basin, China

Environmental and water issues are essentially complex interdisciplinary problems. Multiple models from different disciplines are usually integrated to solve those problems. Integrated modeling environment is an effective technical approach to model integration. Although a number of modeling environments worldwide are available, they cannot meet current challenges faced. Their old-fashion designs and original development purposes constrain their possible applications to the domain of hydrologic or land surface modeling. One of the challenges is that we intend to link knowledge database or ontology system to the modeling environment in order to make the modeling support more intelligent and powerful. In this paper, we designed and implemented an integrated modeling environment (HIME) for hydrological and land surface modeling purpose in a much extendable, efficient and easy use manner. With such design, a physical process was implemented as a module, or component. A new model can be generated in an intuitive way by linking module icons together and establishing their relationships. Following an introduction to the overall architecture, the designs for module linkage and data transfer between modules are described in details. Using XML based meta-information, modules in either source codes or binary form can be utilized by the environment. As a demonstration, with the help of HIME, we replaced the evaporation module of TOPMODEL with the evapotranspiration module from the Noah land surface model which explicitly accounts for vegetation transpiration. This example showed the effectiveness and efficiency of the modeling environment on model integration.

Fractional Order Environmental and Economic Model Investigations Using Artificial Neural Network

The motive of these investigations is to provide the importance and significance of the fractional order(FO)derivatives in the nonlinear environmental and economic(NEE)model,i.e.,FO-NEE model.The dynamics of the NEE model achieves more precise by using the form of the FO derivative.The investigations through the non-integer and nonlinear mathematical form to define the FO-NEE model are also provided in this study.The composition of the FO-NEEmodel is classified into three classes,execution cost of control,system competence of industrial elements and a new diagnostics technical exclusion cost.The mathematical FO-NEE system is numerically studied by using the artificial neural networks(ANNs)along with the Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation method(ANNs-LMBM).Three different cases using the FO derivative have been examined to present the numerical performances of the FO-NEE model.The data is selected to solve the mathematical FO-NEE system is executed as 70%for training and 15%for both testing and certification.The exactness of the proposed ANNs-LMBM is observed through the comparison of the obtained and the Adams-Bashforth-Moulton database results.To ratify the aptitude,validity,constancy,exactness,and competence of the ANNs-LMBM,the numerical replications using the state transitions,regression,correlation,error histograms and mean square error are also described.

Research on the Theory of Governmental Environmental Regulatory Responsibility

In recent years,the environmental pollution caused by the rapid development of tourist attractions has increasingly become the focus of society,which has triggered scholars to think about the government's responsibility for environmental regulation,and has generated a variety of theories in the academic world.For example,the stakeholder theory extends corporate governance to the regulation of tourism scenic spots,and achieves the purpose of perfecting the environmental regulation of tourism scenic spots by continuously enriching the scope of stakeholders'subjects;the property rights theory analyzes the transaction costs generated by various economic activities in the regulation of tourism scenic spots from macro and micro perspectives,and the public goods theory clarifies the concept,types and characteristics of tourism scenic spots as public goods.Therefore,based on stakeholder theory,property rights theory and public goods theory,this paper explores and clarifies the content of the government's responsibility in the environmental regulation of tourism scenic spots,and tries to further enrich the theoretical results of the government's environmental regulation responsibility,in order to provide new ideas for the sustainable development of tourism scenic spots from the theoretical point of view.

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.

Ranking environmental projects model based on multicriteria decision-making and the weight sensitivity analysis

With the fast growth of Chinese economic, more and more capital will be invested in environmental projects. How to select the environmental investment projects （alternatives） for obtaining the best environmental quality and economic benefits is an important problem for the decision makers. The purpose of this paper is to develop a decision-making model to rank a finite number of alternatives with several and sometimes conflicting criteria. A model for ranking the projects of municipal sewage treatment plants is proposed by using exports＇ information and the data of the real projects. And, the ranking result is given based on the PROMETHEE method. Furthermore, by means of the concept of the weight stability intervals （WSI）, the sensitivity of the ranking results to the size of criteria values and the change of weights value of criteria are discussed. The result shows that some criteria, such as “proportion of benefit to project cost”, will influence the ranking result of alternatives very strong while others not. The influence are not only from the value of criterion but also from the changing the weight of criterion. So, some criteria such as “proportion of benefit to project cost” are key critera for ranking the projects. Decision makers must be cautious to them.

A Framework of Environmental Modelling and Information Sharing for Urban Air Pollution Control and Management

More effective environmental pollution control and management are needed due to the increasing environ-mental impacts from a range of human activities and the growing public demands for a better living environment. Urban air pollution is a serious environmental issue that poses adverse impacts on the health of people and the environment in most metropolitan areas. In this paper,we propose a geoinformatics augmented framework of environmental modelling and information sharing for supporting effective urban air pollution control and management. This framework is out-lined in terms of its key components and processes including: 1) an integrated,adaptive network of sensors for envi-ronmental monitoring; 2) a set of distributed,interoperable databases for data management; 3) a set of intelligent,robust algorithms and models for environmental modelling; 4) a set of flexible,efficient user interfaces for data access and in-formation sharing; and 5) a reliable,high capacity,high performance computing and communication infrastructure for integrating and supporting other framework components and processes.

Profiles and Source Apportionment of Nonmethane Volatile Organic Compounds in Winter and Summer in Xi’an, China, based on the Hybrid Environmental Receptor Model

Summer and winter campaigns for the chemical compositions and sources of nonmethane hydrocarbons(NMHCs)and oxygenated volatile organic compounds(OVOCs)were conducted in Xi’an.Data from 57 photochemical assessment monitoring stations for NMHCs and 20 OVOC species were analyzed.Significant seasonal differences were noted for total VOC(TVOC,NMHCs and OVOCs)concentrations and compositions.The campaign-average TVOC concentrations in winter(85.3±60.6 ppbv)were almost twice those in summer(47.2±31.6 ppbv).Alkanes and OVOCs were the most abundant category in winter and summer,respectively.NMHCs,but not OVOCs,had significantly higher levels on weekends than on weekdays.Total ozone formation potential was higher in summer than in winter(by 50%)because of the high concentrations of alkenes(particularly isoprene),high temperature,and high solar radiation levels in summer.The Hybrid Environmental Receptor Model(HERM)was used to conduct source apportionment for atmospheric TVOCs in winter and summer,with excellent accuracy.HERM demonstrated its suitability in a situation where only partial source profile data were available.The HERM results indicated significantly different seasonal source contributions to TVOCs in Xi’an.In particular,coal and biomass burning had contributions greater than half in winter(53.4%),whereas traffic sources were prevalent in summer(53.1%).This study’s results highlight the need for targeted and adjustable VOC control measures that account for seasonal differences in Xi’an;such measures should target not only the severe problem with VOC pollution but also the problem of consequent secondary pollution(e.g.,from ozone and secondary organic aerosols).

A stock assessment for Illex argentinus in Southwest Atlantic using an environmentally dependent surplus production model

The southern Patagonian stock（SPS） of Argentinian shortfin squid, Illex argentinus, is an economically important squid fishery in the Southwest Atlantic. Environmental conditions in the region play an important role in regulating the population dynamics of the I. argentinus population. This study develops an environmentally dependent surplus production（EDSP） model to evaluate the stock abundance of I. argentines during the period of 2000 to 2010. The environmental factors（favorable spawning habitat areas with sea surface temperature of 16–18°C） were assumed to be closely associated with carrying capacity（K） in the EDSP model. Deviance Information Criterion（DIC） values suggest that the estimated EDSP model with environmental factors fits the data better than a Schaefer surplus model without environmental factors under uniform and normal scenarios.The EDSP model estimated a maximum sustainable yield（MSY） from 351 600 t to 685 100 t and a biomass from 1 322 400 t to1 803 000 t. The fishing mortality coefficient of I. argentinus from 2000 to 2010 was smaller than the values of F（0.1） and F（MSY）. Furthermore, the time series biomass plot of I. argentinus from 2000 to 2010 shows that the biomass of I.argentinus and this fishery were in a good state and not presently experiencing overfishing. This study suggests that the environmental conditions of the habitat should be considered within squid stock assessment and management.

Numerical simulation of tumor-induced angiogenesis influenced by the extra-cellular matrix mechanical environment

To investigate tumor-induced angiogenesis under the influence of the mechanical environments inside and outside the tumor, mathematical model of tumor angiogenesis was developed. In the model, extra-cellular matrix （ECM） was treated as a thin plane. The displacement of ECM is obtained from the force balance equation consisted of the ECs traction, the ECM visco-elastic forces and the exter- nal forces. Simulation results show that a layered capillary network is obtained with a well vascularized region at the periphery of the tumor. The present model can be used as a valid theoretical method in the basic researches in tumorinduced angiogenesis.

Summary of Environmental Impact Assessment for Mining Seafloor Massive Sulfides in Japan

JOGMEC （Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation） has conducted exploration and research in Japan＇s EEZ （exclusive economic zone） from fiscal year 2008, under contract by the METI （Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry）, for the commercialization of SMS （Seafloor Massive Sulfide）. As there is currently no commercial mining precedent of SMS, it is necessary to consider the potential impacts of mining on the surrounding environment, and to promote long term sustainable projects. In particular, due to the existence of specific chemosynthetic ecosystems and unique biological communities around the SMS area, both quantitative evaluations of potential environmental impacts and consequent environmental conservation strategies, are necessary in order to avoid and or minimize the potential detrimental effects to the ecosystem, as much as possible. The environmental research programs consist of baseline surveys, environmental impact modeling, and methodological concepts which will be applied to conserve biodiversity. In this paper, we will primarily provide an overview of the project conducted by JOGMEC during 2008-2012.

Study on the Emission Reduction Effect of Environmental Protection Tax—An Empirical Study Based on the Change of Pollution Charge Standard in China?

This paper reflects the actual effect of China’s environmental protection tax by empirically analyzing the environmental effect of the emission fee, in order to provide reference for China’s environmental tax reform. Based on the traditional environmental “Kuznets” model, the factor of environmental tax is added to verify the effect of environmental governance of environmental tax. The results show that: 1) the improvement of sulfur dioxide emission charge standard can effectively inhibit industrial sulfur dioxide emission, which verifies the existence of environmental effect of pollution levy policies. 2) The improvement of sewage charge standard has better inhibitory effect on sulfur dioxide emission per unit GDP than on sulfur dioxide emission. 3) There is regional heterogeneity in the “emission reduction” effect of sulfur dioxide emission charges in the eastern, central and western regions of China. Pollutants should be taxed differently according to regional differences. 4) Economic growth and sulfur dioxide emission show an inverted “U” shape, China is still in the stage before the inflection point of EKC. Economic growth still takes environmental damage as the cost, and the “emission reduction” effect of technological progress is not ideal, which reveals the urgency of increasing technological development in the field of green environmental protection under the current situation.

Simulation Environments: Challenges for Advancement

A brief review of the basic terminology on simulation, simulation life-cycle activities such as model-based activities, behavior-oriented activities, and quality assurance activities is given. Then, the challenges and opportunities for the advancement of the state-of-the-art in simulation environments are discussed under the following headings: modelling environments, simulation environments, mixed simulation environments, and comprehensive simulation environments.

Countermeasures for Solving the Environmental Problems and Accelerating the Model City Construction of Xi'an

Through careful study, it found that the key and difficult points of affecting and restricting Xi＇an to reach the model city construction standards in provincial and national levels were ＂urban air environment quality standards＂ and ＂water qualification rate of urban water environment function area＂. In order to tackle with the weak links, highlight the important points and focus on the difficult points to strengthen scientific and technological innovation, we actively explored new ideas and ways to resolve the dilemma in meeting the two standards of model city construction, and we managed to put forward the countermeasures to resolve the dilemma through innovating system and mechanism. ＂Place master system＂ should be carded out quickly to meet the ＂urban air environment quality standards＂, while ＂river master system＂ should be implemented as soon as possible to reach the ＂water qualification rate of urban water environment function area＂. The aim of this study was to enhance the qualification rates of the indicators for model city construction to make Xi＇an successfully pass the provincial and national assessment of model city construction through dealing with the weak links to accelerate the realization of becoming model environmental protection city.

SCALE AND TIME EFFECTS ON MATHEMATICAL MODELS FOR TRANSPORT IN THE ENVIRONMENT

The purpose of this paper is to analyse mathematical models used in environmental modelling. Following a brief survey of the development in modelling scale- and time-dependent dispersion processes in the environment, this paper compares three similarity solutions, one of which is a solution of the generalized Feller equation （GF） with fractal parameters, and the other two for the newly-developed generalized Fokker-Planck equation （GFP）. The three solutions are derived with parameters having physical significance. Data from field experiments are used to verify the solutions. The analyses indicate that the solutions of both GF and GFP represent the physically meaningful natural processes, and simulate the realistic shapes of tracer breakthrough curves.

Modelling Environmental Attitudes of the Users of Kilombero Valley Wetlands, Tanzania

Development policies have for a long time made it more profitable for people to degrade than to conserve environment. The adoption of these economic wide policies by Africa especially during colonial time and after independence has resulted into erosion of its communities’ conservation behaviour and attitude. Although many studies assess environmental attitudes, those focussing on African regions or countries using New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale are very limited. Such studies in the African context using NEP scale are very important, simply because many people depend on the environment for their livelihood, and in the process they destroy the world’s valued ecosystems including wetlands. This study is meant to fill in the gap using Kilombero valley wetlands in Tanzania as a case. The study used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to predict the behaviour of the users based on attitudes, environmental knowledge and awareness. The findings indicate that users of the Kilombero wetlands have a generally positive attitude towards the environment, despite a great degree of variability among the study participants. The study shows also that a certain level of environmental awareness is needed in order to increase people’s knowledge about environmental issues and change their environmental attitudes. The NEP scale does not fully fit into the Tanzanian context, thus suggesting that further research into the adaptation of the scale is needed.

Data Dependent Modeling of New Contamination Cases from Urban Historic Groundwater Records

Groundwater is the water located beneath the earth＇s surface in the soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. As one of the most important natural resources, groundwater is associated with the environment, public health, welfare, and long-term economic growth, which affects the daily activities of human beings. In modern urban areas, the primary contaminants of groundwater are artificial products, such as gasoline and diesel. To protect this important water resource, a series of efforts have been exerted, including enforcement and remedial actions. Each year, the TGPC （Texas Groundwater Protection Committee） in US publishes a ＂Joint Groundwater Monitoring and Contamination Report＂ to describe historic and new contamination cases in each county, which is an important data source for the design of prevention strategies. In this paper, a DDM （data dependent modeling） approach is proposed to predict county-level NCC （new contamination cases）. A case study with contamination information from Harris County in Texas was conducted to illustrate the modeling and prediction process with promising results. The one-step prediction error is 1.5%, while the two-step error is 12.1%. The established model can be used at the county-level, state-level, and even at the country-level. Besides, the prediction results could be a reference during decision-making processes.

Environmental input-output model and its analysis with a focus on the solid waste management sectors

An environmental input output model (EIOM) was introduced to the regional solid waste management sectors, which can reflect the direct and indirect relations between the environment and the regional economy development. Some details about how to use the EIOM was discussed. The EIOM was applied to the Changsha City in China. The example results indicate that much useful information related to the environment and the regional economy development can be gained from the solution of the EIOM. Thus, the EIOM can be used as a useful tool for the sustainable development planning including the solid waste management sectors.

Empirical research on drive mechanism of firms' environmental management

Firms’transformation from passive envrionmental management to active environmental management is thekey to solving environmental problems. This paper empirically studies the impact of environmental management incen-tives on environmental management through model construction. Based on the data and reality of China, we can build aconcept model of environmental management driving mechanism, and put forward theoretical hypothesis that can betested: take the 13 environmental management behaviors (EMBs) as substitute of the comprehensiveness, introducecounting variables, and use NB model, Possion Model and Ordered Probit model the regression analysis. The theory andmethods brought forward in this paper will provide references for firms in China to further implement voluntaryenvironmental management, and offer advises and countermeasures for leaders to implement environmental manage-ment effectively.