Spatial and temporal variations of water quality in Cao-E River of eastern China

Evaluation and analysis of water quality variations were performed with integrated consideration of water quality parameters, hydrological-meteorologic and anthropogenic factors in Cao-E River, Zhejiang Province of China. Cao-E River system has been polluted and the water quality of some reaches are inferior to Grade V according to National Surface Water Quality Standard of China （GB2002）. However, mainly polluted indices of each tributary and mainstream are different. Total nitrogen （TN） and total phosphorus （TP） in the water are the main polluted indices for mainstream that varies from 1.52 to 45.85 mg/L and 0.02 to 4.02 mg/L, respectively. TN is the main polluted indices for Sub-watershed Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅳ and Ⅴ（0.76 to 18.27 mg/L）. BOD5 （0.36 to 289.5 mg/L）, CODMn （0.47 to 78.86 mg/L）, TN （0.74 to 31.09 mg/L） and TP （0 to 3.75 mg/L） are the main polluted indices for Sub-watershed Ⅲ. There are tow pollution types along the river including nonpoint source pollution and point source pollution types. Remarkably temporal variations with a few spatial variations occur in nonpoint pollution type reaches （including mainstream, Sub-watershed Ⅰ and Ⅱ） that mainly drained by arable field and/or dispersive rural dwelling district, and the maximum pollutant concentration appears in flooding seasons. It implied that the runoff increases the pollutant concentration of the water in the nonpoint pollution type reaches. On the other hand, remarkably spatial variations occur in the point pollution type reaches （include Sub-watershed Ⅲ, Ⅳ and Ⅴ） and the maximum pollutant concentration appears in urban reaches. The runoff always decreases the pollutant concentration of the river water in the seriously polluted reaches that drained by industrial point sewage. But for the point pollution reaches resulted from centralized town domestic sewage pipeline and from frequent shipping and digging sands, rainfall always increased the concentration of pollutant （TN） in the river water too. Pollution controls were respectively suggested for these tow types according to different pollution causes.

Spatial and seasonal pattern of macrozoobenthic assemblages and the congruence in water quality bioassessment using different taxa in artificial Mingzhu Lake in Shanghai

The spatial and seasonal pattern of macrozoobenthic structure and its relationship with environmental factors were studied from July 2006 to April 2008 in Mingzhu Lake,Chongming Island,Shanghai at the Changjiang River mouth.The congruences in water quality bioassessment based on diversity and biotic indices and using different taxonomic categories were also explored to find the best assessment method of water quality for the lake.All major structural characteristics of macrozoobenthic community,including species composition,abundance,biomass and four biomass-based diversity indices(Shannon's diversity,Simpson's diversity,Pielou's evenness and Simpson's evenness index) fluctuated significantly in season but in space.The above four abundance-based diversity indices plus abundance-based Margalef's richness index did not display significant spatial variations;and significant seasonal differences were found in three indices only.Water temperature was the key environmental factor responsible for macrozoobenthic spatio-temporal distribution patterns.Water quality assessed by Shannon's index(H_a') and biological pollution index(BPI) rather than the other four biotic indices were consistent with those by trophic state index(TSI).Results from chironomids and oligochaetes did not always agree to those from the whole community when H_a' or Hilsenhoff biotic index was applied to bioassessment.Therefore,combining multiple indices and avoiding a single taxonomic category to assess water quality are strongly recommended and in Mingzhu Lake using a mixture of H_a' and BPI will ensure the most effective investigation of water quality.Our results also show that the main structural characteristics of macrozoobenthic communities in the small lake may display consistent spatial patterns.

Spatial quality evaluation for drinking water based on GIS and ant colony clustering algorithm

To develop a better approach for spatial evaluation of drinking water quality, an intelligent evaluation method integrating a geographical information system(GIS) and an ant colony clustering algorithm(ACCA) was used. Drinking water samples from 29 wells in Zhenping County, China, were collected and analyzed. 35 parameters on water quality were selected, such as chloride concentration, sulphate concentration, total hardness, nitrate concentration, fluoride concentration, turbidity, pH, chromium concentration, COD, bacterium amount, total coliforms and color. The best spatial interpolation methods for the 35 parameters were found and selected from all types of interpolation methods in GIS environment according to the minimum cross-validation errors. The ACCA was improved through three strategies, namely mixed distance function, average similitude degree and probability conversion functions. Then, the ACCA was carried out to obtain different water quality grades in the GIS environment. In the end, the result from the ACCA was compared with those from the competitive Hopfield neural network(CHNN) to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the ACCA according to three evaluation indexes, which are stochastic sampling method, pixel amount and convergence speed. It is shown that the spatial water quality grades obtained from the ACCA were more effective, accurate and intelligent than those obtained from the CHNN.

ANALYSIS ON THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION VARIATION CHARACTERISTIC OF URBAN HEAT ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND ITS MECHANISM——A Case Study of Hangzhou City

Urban heat environmental quality (UHEQ) is affected by the interacting of weather condition and underlying surface framework of urban area. In the last two decades, many researchers from domestic and overseas have studied many problems at the aspect of urban heat environment such as urban heat islands, urban air temperature and their relation with urban land cover, city population, air pollution etc. In the recent years, Hangzhou, acting as a center city of Zhejiang Province in China, its urbanization quantum and quantity have both changed greatly, in particular, representing as business affairs building, resident real property and all kinds of specialty market having arisen in built-up zone. Based on Landsat TM images data in 1991 and 1999, urban underlying surface temperature value and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were calculated using image interpreting and supervised classification technique by remote sensing software ERDAS image 8.4. The relation model between urban underlying surface temperature (UUST) and urban air temperature was setup according to the certain correlation pattern. Reference to the relational standard of assessing human comfort and other meteorology data of Hangzhou City in summer, the spatial distribution characteristic and the spatial variation degree of human comfort of heat environmental quality are estimated and mapped on a middle scale, that is, in six districts of Hangzhou City . Then the paper reveals the main characteristic of spatial variation from 1991 to 1999. Lastly, the change mechanism is analyzed and discussed from the viewpoint of city planning, construction and environmental protection.

Meiofaunal Community Spatial Distribution and Diversity as Indicators of Ecological Quality in the Bohai Sea, China

The Bohai Sea is a semi-enclosed marginal sea in the North West Pacific. Meiofauna samples were collected from 22 stations in the Bohai Sea to document the spatial distribution, structure, and diversity of the meiofaunal community and investigate the major factors influencing the community features. A total of 20 higher taxa of meiofauna were identified. The dominant group was Nematoda, accounting for 90.8% of the total meiofaunal abundance on average, followed by Copepoda, Bivalvia, Polychaeta, Kinorhyncha, and Ostracoda. Meiofaunal abundance ranged from 121 ± 89 ind(10 cm2)-1 to 3042 ± 1054 ind(10 cm2)-1. Diversity indices also varied among different stations, with a Margalef's richness index(d) of 1.1–3.1, Shannon-Wiener diversity index(H′) of 0.7–1.8, and Pielou's evenness index(J′) of 0.4– 0.8. Meiofaunal abundance and diversity indices were significantly lower in the areas of Bohai Bay and adjacent to Laizhou Bay. The correlation analysis showed that meiofaunal abundance and diversity indices are closely linked to variations in sediment silt-clay content, medium grain size(MDΦ), and chlorophyll-a concentrations. The ecological quality status of most stations can be ranked from poor to moderate based on meiofaunal richness. According to the value of nematode to copepod ratio(Ne:Co ratio), most stations are uncontaminated, except seven stations are slightly or moderately contaminated. Both meiofaunal richness and Ne:Co ratio indicate the poor ecological quality of three stations adjacent to Laizhou Bay. The efficiency of the meiofauna communities as environmental indicators will be tested in a greater area in the future studies.

Energy consumption,air quality,and air pollution spatial spillover effects:evidence from the Yangtze River Delta of China

Based on analysis of the theoretical impact of energy consumption on air quality,taking 20 heavily polluted cities in the Yangtze River Delta of China as the object,we construct a Spatial Dubin Model,and estimate the effect of energy consumption on air quality and the spatial spillover effects of air pollution.We come to the following conclusions:First,the regional air quality has significant spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity.Second,under three kinds of spatial associated mode,energy consumption has a negative impact on air quality,and the air pollution arising from energy consumption has a negative intra-regional spillover effect.The effect is strongest under the spatial distance weight matrix,followed by the economic distance,and the adjacent spatial weight matrix,which are−0.7926,−0.4547,and−0.4539,respectively.Third,in addition,under the adjacent space and economic distance space matrix,energy consumption has a significant negative effect on air quality,and the inter-regional spillover effects are−0.1513 and−2.5736,respectively.Meanwhile,considering spatial distance and economic development,the inter-regional spillover effect is much larger than is the intra-regional spillover effect.In general,the total spillover effect is at−0.6053 and−3.0284.

Spatial-temporal coupling between high-quality source rocks and reservoirs for tight sandstone oil and gas accumulations in the Songliao Basin, China

The spatial-temporal relationship between high-quality source rocks and reservoirs is a key factor when evaluating the formation,occurrence,and prospectivity of tight oil and gas reservoirs.In this study,we analyze the fundamental oil and gas accumulation processes occurring in the Songliao Basin,contrasting tight oil sand reservoirs in the south with tight gas sand reservoirs in the north.This is done using geochemical data,constant-rate and conventional mercury injection experiments,and fluid inclusion analyses.Our results demonstrate that as far as fluid mobility is concerned,the expulsion center coincides with the overpressure zone,and its boundary limits the occurrence of tight oil and gas accumulations.In addition,the lower permeability limit of high-quality reservoirs,controlled by pore-throat structures,is 0.1×10^-3μm^2 in the fourth member of the Lower Cretaceous Quantou Formation(K1q^4)in the southern Songliao Basin,and 0.05×10^-3μm^2 in the Lower Cretaceous Shahezi Formation(K1sh)in the northern Songliao Basin.Furthermore,the results indicate that the formation of tight oil and gas reservoirs requires the densification of reservoirs prior to the main phase of hydrocarbon expulsion from the source rocks.Reservoir“sweet spots”develop at the intersection of high-quality source rocks(with high pore pressure)and reservoirs(with high permeability).

Long-term temporal-spatial dynamics of marine coastal water quality in the Tolo Harbor,Hong Kong,China

The long-term temporal and spatial dynamics of marine coastal water quality in Tolo Harbor, Hong Kong were explored. The Harbor is divided into three zones represented as Harbor, Buffer, and Channel Subzones. The time range for the study covers the period from the 1970s to the 1990s. The selected indicators for the comprehensive assessment of water quality consist of physical, chemical and biological aspects, including suspended solids(SS), Secchi disk depth(SD), 5-day biochemical oxygen demand(BOD\-5), total nitrogen(TN), total phosphorus(TP), faecal coliform, chlorophyll-a(Chl-a), and the number of red tide occurrences. The results indicated the presence of obvious temporal and spatial trends with regard to changes in water quality. Spatially, water quality in the Channel Subzone is the best, while that in the Harbor Subzone is the worst. On a temporal basis, the average trend from bad to good was 1980s>1990s>1970s as indicated by most of the selected water quality indicators. Water quality during the late 1980s reached its worst level with the lowest SD, the highest BOD\-5, TN, TP, Chl-a concentrations, and the number of red tide occurrences. These long-term temporal-spatial water quality trends were also found in other studies of the Tolo Harbor. The large quantity of pollutants produced as a result of increasing population, industrial and commercial actives, and urbanization and industrialization trends in both Shatin and Tai Po seem to be primarily responsible for the changes in marine coastal water quality.

Spatial-temporal Analysis of Daily Air Quality Index in the Yangtze River Delta Region of China During 2014 and 2016

Urban air pollution is a prominent problem related to the urban development in China, especially in the densely populated urban agglomerations. Therefore, scientific examination of regional variation of air quality and its dominant factors is of great importance to regional environmental management. In contrast to traditional air pollution researches which only concentrate on a single year or a single pollutant, this paper analyses spatiotemporal patterns and determinants of air quality in disparate regions based on the air quality index(AQI) of the Yangtze River Delta region(YRD) of China from 2014 to 2016. Results show that the annual average value of the AQI in the YRD region decreases from 2014 to 2016 and exhibit a basic characteristic of ‘higher in winter, lower in summer and slightly high in spring and autumn'. The attainment rate of the AQI shows an apparently spatial stratified heterogeneity, Hefei metropolitan area and Nanjing metropolitan area keeping the worst air quality. The frequency of air pollution occurring in large regions was gradually decreasing during the study period. Drawing from entropy method analysis, industrialization and urbanization represented by per capita GDP and total energy consumption were the most important factors. Furthermore, population agglomeration is a factor that cannot be ignored especially in some mega-cities. Limited to data collection, more research is needed to gain insight into the spatiotemporal pattern and influence mechanism in the future.

Visualizing the spatial water quality of Bentota, Sri Lanka in the presence of seawater intrusion

Seawater flows towards the inlands along with the rivers and canals, through the process of infiltration and leaks in the ground water characterized by high concentrations of soluble salts. High salinity concentrations can make groundwater unsuitable for public consumption and surface water unsuitable for irrigation and agricultural activities. This study envisages the fluctuations of ground and surface water quality of Bentota area in the presence of seawater intrusion. The temporal and spatial variations of eleven water parameters were monitored by collecting the water samples during one year period. Spatial distributions were assessed by applying the Inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation method in Arc GIS 10.5 software. Water quality is assessed on the integration of all parameters in terms of an index based on the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. The significant linear relationship between the considered parameters of surface water (SW) and groundwater (GW) were identified applying correlation analysis using SPSS software. All parameters of surface water were above the permissible limits of WHO standards. Surface water quality index values with respect to 60% of canals show very poor quality (>1 250) of surface water indicating their unsuitability for irrigation activities. Those surface water bodies indicated very highly saline conditions during dry months. The spatial distribution of ground water quality index with respect to the highest parameter values of each sampling location indicates that 52.2% of total land extent of Bentota Divisional Secretariat Division (DSD) has good quality of ground water which is suitable for drinking. Its 47.2% of total land extent has poor quality of ground water for drinking purpose and less than 0.5% of the area consists of excellent or very poor quality of ground water in each. This study helps to manage coastal aquifers by understanding the extreme water quality conditions and coastal salinity.

Spatial Strategy for Quality Labor in Rural Development——A Case Study of Jiangsu Province, China

This study examines the issue of high-quality labor in rural enterprises of China. It develops a spatial strategy which consists of two dimensions: geographical space and administrative space. Different combinations of these two dimensions form a variety of approaches such as local internalization, local externalization, regional/national inter- nalization, and regional/national externalization. In the local internalization approach, rural enterprises hire such high-quality labor and ask them to work on site, while in the local externalization approach, rural enterprises seek help from employees working in other local enterprises. In the regional/national internalization approach, rural enterprises set up research and development centers in big cities to take advantages of the high-quality labor pool there. Finally in the regional/national externalization approach, rural enterprises hire people from big cities on temporary contracts. Three approaches, hiring retired technical workers, shuttling between the rural site and country seats, and setting up R&D centers in big cities are demonstrated through cases in Zhangjiagang, a leading county-level city in the southern Jiangsu Province. It is argued that rural enterprises need to broaden their perspectives of administrative space and geographical space and think creatively to deal with the shortage of quality labor in rural settings.

Evolution and Simulation of Spatial-temporal Heterogeneities in Ecological Background Quality of Changsha City

By GIS and ENVI,TM/ETM remote sensing images of five districts(Yuelu District,Furong District,Yuhua District,Tianxin District and Kaifu District) in Changsha City center in 2005,2010 and 2015 were interpreted.Moreover,distribution chart for ecological background factors in 2020 was simulated by using CA-Markov module in IDRISI.Using principal component analysis,evaluation model for ecological background quality of the city was established.Via circle analysi s,GS+semi variance function analysis,hot spot area analysis and grey correlation analysis,integrated analysis and evaluation on spatial heterogeneity evolution of ecological background quality in research region were conducted.Results showed that firstly Changsha overall has formed ecological pattern of landscape island city,but ecological background started to show the evolution trend of high heterogeneity and fragmentation under the construction land expansion,and ecological background quality of the city declined from 0.300,6 to 0.257,1 during 2005-2020.Secondly,ecological background quality of Changsha City had typical circle and axial gradient structure,and "eco tone" had the most violent evolution.Thirdly,spatial structure of ecological background quality had region,time and direction heterogeneities,and spatial heterogeneity of region was the most important.Fourthly,hot spot area distribution of ecological background quality evolution showed the "frog jump" trend of gathering in marginal zone and diffusing to peripheral zone.Fifthly,in driving factors of ecological background quality,industrialization rate had the highest grey correlation degree(0.842,1),and grey absolute correlation degree between ecological background quality in Yuelu District and industrialization rate was the highest(0.603,1).

Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Water Quality and Nutrient Removal Efficiency of Restored Wetland： A Case Study in Fujin National Wetland Park, China

To investigate the spatio-temporal and compositional variation of selected water quality parameters and understand the puri- fying effects of wetland in Fujin National Wetland Park （FNWP）, China, the trophic level index （TLI）, paired samples t-test and correla- tion analysis were used for the statistical analysis of a set of 10 water quality parameters. The analyses were based on water samples collected from 22 stations in FNWP between 2014 and 2016. Results initially reveal that total nitrogen （TN） concentrations are above class V levels （2 mg/L）, total phosphorus （TP） concentrations are below class III levels （0.2 mg/L）, and that all other parameters fall within standard ranges. Highest values for TN, pH, and Chlorophyll-a were recorded in 2016, while the levels of chemical oxygen de- mand （CODMn） and biochemical oxygen demand （BODs） were lowest during this year. Similarly, TN values were highest between 2014 and 2016 while dissolved oxygen （DO） concentrations were lowest in the summer and TP concentrations were highest in the autumn. Significant variations were also found in Secchi depth （SD）, TN, CODMn （P 〈 0.01）, TP, and DO levels （P 〈 0.05） between the inlet and outlet of the park. High-to-low levels of TN, TP, and TDS were found in cattails, reeds, and open water （the opposite trend was seen in SD levels）. Tested wetland water had a light eutrophication status in most cases and TN and TP removal rates were between 7.54%-84.36% and 37.50%-70.83%, respectively. Data also show no significant annual changes in water quality within this wetland, although obvious affects from surrounding agricultural drainage were nevertheless recorded. Results reveal a high major nutrient removal efficiency （N and P）. The upper limits of these phenomena should be addressed in future research alongside a more efficient and scientific agricultural layout for the regions in and around the FNWP.

Beyond Video Quality:Evaluation of Spatial Presence in 360-Degree Videos

With the rapid development of immersive multimedia technologies,360-degree video services have quickly gained popularity and how to ensure sufficient spatial presence of end users when viewing 360-degree videos becomes a new challenge.In this regard,accurately acquiring users’sense of spatial presence is of fundamental importance for video service providers to improve their service quality.Unfortunately,there is no efficient evaluation model so far for measuring the sense of spatial presence for 360-degree videos.In this paper,we first design an assessment framework to clarify the influencing factors of spatial presence.Related parameters of 360-degree videos and headmounted display devices are both considered in this framework.Well-designed subjective experiments are then conducted to investigate the impact of various influencing factors on the sense of presence.Based on the subjective ratings,we propose a spatial presence assessment model that can be easily deployed in 360-degree video applications.To the best of our knowledge,this is the first attempt in literature to establish a quantitative spatial presence assessment model by using technical parameters that are easily extracted.Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model can reliably predict the sense of spatial presence.

Structural characteristics and influencing factors of spatial correlation network for regional high-quality development in China

On the basis of measuring the regional high-quality development in China from 2011 to 2020,this study uses gravity model to build spatial correlation network,and uses social network analysis method to analyze the structural characteristics and influencing factors of correlation network.The results are shown as follows.First,from 2011 to 2020,the level of regional high-quality development in China is rising gradually,and the discrete characteristics between regions are gradually obvious,showing a step-like distribution structure decreasing from east to west.Second,the network density of regional high-quality development is generally low and tends to decline,but it has strong stability and correlation strength.Third,the spatial correlation network has an obvious core-edge structure.Shanghai is always at the center of the network and plays a significant intermediary role,while Qinghai and Xinjiang are always at the edge of the network.Fourth,the regional high-quality development association network can be divided into four major sectors:main benefit,net benefit,net spillover,and broker,showing the spatial correlation characteristics of inter-plate contact and intra-plate agglomeration.Fifth,the level of economic development,the level of urbanization and geographical proximity have a significant impact on the formation of regional high-quality development correlation network.

Influence of Human Activity Intensity on Habitat Quality in Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park,China

Due to long-term human activity interference,the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park(HTRNP)of China has experienced ecological problems such as habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss,and with the expanding scope and intensity of human activity impact,the regional ecological security is facing serious challenges.A scientific assessment of the interrelationship between human activity intensity and habitat quality in the HTRNP is a prerequisite for achieving effective management of ecological disturbances caused by human activities and can also provide scientific strategies for the sustainable development of the region.Based on the land use change data in 2000,2010,and 2020,the spatial and temporal variations and the relationship between habitat quality(HQ)and human activity intensity(HAI)in the HTRNP were explored using the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs(InVEST)model.System dynamics and land use simulation models were also combined to conduct multi-scenario simulations of their relationships.The results showed that during 2000–2020,the habitat quality of the HTRNP improved,the intensity of human activities decreased each year,and there was a negative correlation between the two.Second,the system dynamic model could be well coupled with the land use simulation model by combining socio-economic and natural factors.The simulation scenarios of the coupling model showed that the harmonious development(HD)scenario is effective in curbing the increasing trend of human activity intensity and decreasing trend of habitat quality,with a weaker trade-off between the two compared with the baseline development(BD)and investment priority oriented(IPO)scenarios.To maintain the authenticity and integrity of the HTRNP,effective measures such as ecological corridor construction,ecological restoration,and the implementation of ecological compensation policies need to be strengthened.

Comprehensive evaluation of water quality parameters in Tianjin Dagu Dainage Canal

In this paper, some indices of sulfide, organic carbon, oil and heavy metals （copper, lead, zinc, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and chromium） in the sediments from Dagu Dainage Canal at the Bohai Bay during four seasons in 2012 - 2013 are selected, and Water Quality Pollution Index （API） is applied to evaluate water quality indices, aiming for the systematic evaluation of the water quality of Dagu Dainage Canal. The results showed that four stations of D3, D6, D7and D9 for S2 had the type Ⅱand Ⅲ of water; others had the type Ⅰ ; the total level of TOC, TPH, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Hg, As and Cr were type Ⅰ, Ⅳ, Ⅱ, Ⅴ, Ⅱ, Ⅴ, Ⅲ, Vand Ⅴ. Water Quality Pollution Index （API） was 3.28, which illustrated Dagu Dainage Canal was in the state of contamination and the degree of pollution exceeded the standard functional areas.

ArcSDE与Oracle10i Spatial数据转换

提出了以Shape文件作为中间格式,研究并实现了基于ArcCatalog软件和Shp2sdo工具的数据转换。该方法通过修改转换过程中的控制文件,修正错误数据,保证了数据质量。在开发应用程序项目中,该转换方法简单易用,改进了原有的转换方法,并成功在项目开发中得到应用。

Probabilistic Automatic Outlier Detection for Surface Air Quality Measurements from the China National Environmental Monitoring Network

Although quality assurance and quality control procedures are routinely applied in most air quality networks, outliers can still occur due to instrument malfunctions, the influence of harsh environments and the limitation of measuring methods. Such outliers pose challenges for data-powered applications such as data assimilation, statistical analysis of pollution characteristics and ensemble forecasting. Here, a fully automatic outlier detection method was developed based on the probability of residuals, which are the discrepancies between the observed and the estimated concentration values. The estimation can be conducted using filtering—or regressions when appropriate—to discriminate four types of outliers characterized by temporal and spatial inconsistency, instrument-induced low variances, periodic calibration exceptions, and less PM_(10) than PM_(2.5) in concentration observations, respectively. This probabilistic method was applied to detect all four types of outliers in hourly surface measurements of six pollutants(PM_(2.5), PM_(10),SO_2,NO_2,CO and O_3) from 1436 stations of the China National Environmental Monitoring Network during 2014-16. Among the measurements, 0.65%-5.68% are marked as outliers. with PM_(10) and CO more prone to outliers. Our method successfully identifies a trend of decreasing outliers from 2014 to 2016,which corresponds to known improvements in the quality assurance and quality control procedures of the China National Environmental Monitoring Network. The outliers can have a significant impact on the annual mean concentrations of PM_(2.5),with differences exceeding 10 μg m^(-3) at 66 sites.

Spatial analysis and evaluation of a coal deposit by coupling AHP & GIS techniques

Nowadays,the evaluation of coal deposits becomes crucial,due to many uncontrollable factors,which affect the energy sector.A comparative evaluation of coal deposits is essential for their hierarchical classification regarding their sustainable exploitation,when compared to other coal deposits or competitive fuels,which may be used as alternative solutions for electricity generation.In this paper,a method for spatial analysis and evaluation of a lignite deposit is proposed,by creating four spatial key indicators via GIS analysis,which are then aggregated by applying a weighted linear combination.The analytical hierarchy process is applied to estimate the relative weights of the indicators,in order to perform a weighted cartographic overlay.Through the synthesis of the indicators,an overall,total spatial quality indicator is calculated.The weighted analysis was shown to be more effective compared to the unweighted one,because it can provide more reliable results regarding the exploitation of the examined lignite deposit.The implementation of GIS-based analytical hierarchy process in spatial analysis and evaluation of lignite deposits,in terms of sustainable exploitation,demonstrates that this method can be extensively applied for evaluating the economic potential of mineral deposits.