Projected Changes in Extreme Event Indices for Alaska

As climate has warmed in recent decades, Alaska has experienced a variety of high-impact extreme events that include heat waves, wildfires, coastal storms and freezing rain. Because the warming is projected to continue, it is essential to consider future changes when planning adaptation actions and building resilience. In this study, we synthesize information on future changes in extreme events in Alaska from an ensemble of regional climate model simulations performed as part of Arctic-CORDEX (Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment). A set of 13 extreme event indices, based on those developed by the World Climate Research Programme’s Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI), are evaluated from the Arctic-CORDEX output for Alaska. Of the 13 indices, six pertain to temperature, five to total precipitation, one to wind and one to snow. The results for locations in seven different climate zones of Alaska include large increases (5˚C - 10˚C) in the temperature thresholds for the five hottest and coldest days of the year, and large increases in warm spell duration and decreases in cold spell duration. Changes in the cold day temperature threshold are generally larger than the changes in the hot day temperature threshold, consistent with the projections of a stronger warming in winter than in summer in Alaska yearly maximum 1-day and 5-day precipitation amounts as well as the yearly number of consecutive wet days are projected to increase at all locations. The indices for heavy snow days and high-wind days show mixed changes, although the results indicate increases in heavy snow days at the more northern locations and increases in windy days at coastal locations. The changes in the extreme event indices continue through 2100 under the higher-emission (RCP 8.5) emission scenario, while the changes generally stabilize under the lower-emission (RCP 4.5) scenario. .

Brackish Shrimp Farming in Northeastern Brazil: The Environmental and Socio-Economic Impacts and Sustainability

Despite the economic importance of farmed shrimp, a number of technical, environmental, economic and social problems have been widely reported in the international literature. This paper focuses on the environmental and socio-economic impacts of semi-intensive and intensive shrimp farming in the coastal region of Northeastern Brazil and the identification of options for sustainable production. In this Region, the total area dedicated to shrimp farming is approximately 18,500 ha, of which 5750 ha are located in Ceará State. The estuary of Jaguaribe river has the largest number of shrimp farms in the state of Ceará. Currently, the industry has 64 participating farms with a total area dedicated to shrimp farming of 2411.3 ha. In 2011, the total production was 13,110 tons of shrimp with an average yield of 6330 kg ha1.year-1 in a pond area of 2071.2 ha. This industry employs 2350 people that represent 23.2% of jobs generated in the two municipalities where the Jaguaribe river estuary is inserted. Compared with other countries, Brazil has reduced its exports due to high cost inputs for shrimp farming. However, the Brazilian shrimp industry has benefited from high domestic prices, despite the decreases in international price of shrimp. In 2011, the prices for size category ranged between U$ 4.67 - 6.04 for 80/100 (count of head-on shrimp), U$ 4.95 - 6.60 for 70/80 and U$ 5.

Ecological and Environmental Protection Requirements in China s Regional Coordinated Development Strategy in the New Era

Starting from the historical evolution of China s regional coordinated development policy and practice,three stages of"enlightenment stage","development stage"and"maturity stage",as well as the connotation,characteristics and content of implementing regional coordinated development strategy were analyzed.On this basis,from different aspects of industrial distribution,pollutant characteristics and regional environmental protection policy,the existing ecological and environmental protection problems in China s regional coordinated development in the new era were analyzed,and some suggestions for the next step were put forward.It is necessary to follow the"four ones"concept from the overall point of view,implement"three lines and one list"from the perspective of the width of the access red line,strengthen"joint prevention and control"from the perspective of the depth of regional regulation,deepen the"planning environmental impact assessment"from the perspective of the breadth of industrial distribution,and promote the"green-way model"from the perspective of ecological low carbon.

Intensities of human disturbance dictate the floral diversity in tropical forest:the case of a secondary forest in Benguet, Philippines

This study inventoried the floral diversity of a secondary forest in Tuba,Benguet,Philippines as affected by different intensities of human disturbance.This study is unique from other land use studies in Southeast Asia in having conventional farms as the most disturbed land use while other sites have oil palm plantations.A total of 267 species belonging to 222 genera and 78 families was documented.Results showed that the level of human disturbance is the major factor affecting the floral diversity while the effect of elevation is secondary.The level of human disturbance is significantly associated with species richness,species composition,dominant species and biodiversity indices.Greater human disturbance,as in the case of conventional farms,results in lower species richness,predominantly weed composition,dominant weed species and lower biodiversity indices.On the other hand,lesser human disturbance(as in the case of secondary forest)leads to higher species richness,greater native species composition,dominance of indigenous species,and higher diversity indices.The most disturbed land use experienced the greatest loss of species richness,change in floristic composition and vegetation structure,as well as a shift from native to alien-dominated plant communities.These results showed that the effect of land use change is not limited to species richness but also to species composition,dominant species and biodiversity indices.Locally,the study is an important baseline data for biodiversity conservation of the Marcos Highway Watershed Forest Reserve.

Research Progress and Prospects for the Evolution Process and Treatment Technology of Urban Black and Smelly Water

Water is an important material resource for human survival,and with the increasing development of society,the amount of urban industrial wastewater and domestic sewage is gradually increasing.However,wastewater collection and treatment facilities lag behind,so that a large number of wastewater enters urban water,making urban water become gradually black and smelly.In order to provide a good living environment for human beings,a large number of scholars actively explore the treatment technology of black and smelly water.In this paper,the evolution process of black and smelly water was introduced firstly,and then the treatment technology of black and smelly water was summarized.Finally,the prospects for the development of the treatment technology were put forward.

中美草原区露天煤矿土地复垦技术对比案例研究

中国露天煤矿多处于生态环境脆弱区,煤炭开采不可避免导致矿区生态环境的进一步恶化,草原区露天煤矿土地复垦已成为焦点。以美国的北安特洛浦/罗切尔矿区和中国内蒙古某露天煤矿为代表,系统对比两国草原区露天煤矿土地复垦在地貌重塑、土壤重构、植被重建等过程中的主要技术措施。研究发现,中国较美国在露天煤矿土地复垦技术上存在一定差异,美国比较注重近似原始地形的地貌重塑、本土植物的调查与保护、土地复垦后期的监测管护。研究认为,中国在草原区露天煤矿土地复垦过程中应该注重地貌重塑的区域协调性、提倡本土植物的利用和种植、减少抚育管理工作量、强化土地复垦后期监管,以保障矿区土地可持续利用。

中美土地复垦质量控制标准对比研究---以草原露天矿区为例

在新时期国土空间生态修复背景下,对比中美两国土地复垦质量控制标准编制方式和内容差异,完善和优化我国土地复垦质量控制标准至关重要。本文以中国北方草原区与美国怀俄明州为例,系统对比了地貌重塑、土壤重构、植被重建、水文恢复标准的差异,揭示了我国相关标准的完善方向。结果与结论:①我国地貌重塑柔性表达不足,可更充分体现注重恢复采前地貌和景观协调并相应调整参数范围等;②土壤重构质量控制,可考虑根据矿种和复垦方向丰富土壤质量选择性指标;③我国植被重建质量控制局限于可测指标的定量数值,宜完善植被种类和重建时限标准,设定采前参照区并使用数理统计核验复垦质量;④根据采前信息增加水环境恢复的相关控制标准;⑤推动当前行业标准上升为国家标准。研究成果有助于变“末端控制”思维为全过程管理,变后端刚性指标阈值控制为参照采前基准信息,变注重生产能力为恢复生态功能,提升复垦质量管理全程化、科学化、精准化和普适化。

Surface coal mine permit application for successful reclamation, semi-arid shortgrass prairie （Wyoming, USA）

Approximately 40% of USA coal originates in an ecologically sensitive area of semi-arid shortgrass prairie in Wyoming. Before a surface coal mine can begin operation in the USA, it must secure a mining permit and comply with regulations and performance standards under the USA Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act （SMCRA）, other federal environmental acts, and state programs. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality （WDEQ）/Land Quality Division （LQD） administers Wyoming＇s coal regulatory program. The permit application and bonding process for the largest surface coal mine permit in the USA, North Antelope Rochelle Mine （NARM） located in short grassland prairie in the northeast Wyoming, is discussed. The permit application process begins with the collection of baseline environ- mental data that characterizes premining conditions of the permit area. The permit application includes adjudication information, baseline information, mine and operation plans, and reclamation plans. Fulfillment of permit commitments and requirements of rules and regulations are inspected monthly by the LQD＇ s representative in the field. Before a mine permit is issued, the mine operator must submit a reclamation bond to secure the performance of reclamation obligations that is later revised annually. In Wyoming, four reclamation bond release phases indicate the completion of various stages of the reclamatikon process. NARM＇s specific bond release verification cirteria, performance standards, and field verificatoins of bond release phases are discussed. The Bond Release Geodatabase （a GIS/GPS approach） was developed for this mine to monitor progress in meeting criteria and performance standards for incremental bond release. The Bond Release Geodatabase significantly reduces the time needed to track bond release progress, reach agreement between operator and regulator, and improve the state inspector＇s ability to assess reclamation adequacy and progress.

Using ADMS models for Air Quality Assessment and Management in China

ADMS-Urban is the most widely used advanced dispersion model for urban areas, being used extensively in China and worldwide, providing a practical tool for assessing and managing urban air quality. In this paper we briefly describe the ADMS dispersion models and give an overview of their use in China. And it describes in more detail the use of ADMS-Urban in Fushun in Liaoning province and in Jinan in Shangdong province respectively, for studies of urban air quality. Finally the conclusions are presented.

Comparison between the Chinese EIA Guidelines for Air Dispersion Modelling and the Advanced Air Dispersion Model ADMS

This paper makes comparisons between Chinese Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Guidelines for Air dispersion modelling and the advanced air dispersion model ADMS. Since 2001 the ADMS model has been the first and only foreign model that has been approved by the Appraisal Center for Environment and Engineering (ACEE) to be used in EIA projects in China (http://www.china-eia. com/inden_content/rjrz/ rjrz_ADMS/htm). In the paper the following sections provide brief descriptions of the main features of the Chinese Guidelines for Air Dispersion (Section 2) and ADMS (Section 3); Section 4 provides a comparison of the two modelling methods for some simple cases and conclusions and discussion are given in Section 5.

Evaluation of Powdered Activated Carbon Treatment Process in Petrochemical Wastewater Purification

The powdered activated carbon treatment(PACT) process has been widely used in many industrial fields, however,very few PACT processes are built for petrochemical wastewater treatment in China. An industrial PACT unit launched in a petrochemical plant was introduced and evaluated from both the practice and mechanism study. Practically, the PACT process showed excellent capability in pollutants removal, shock resistance, toxicity tolerance, and the COD and ammoniumN in effluent of PACT unit assisted by PAC was equal to 15.5 mg/L and 0.7 mg/L lower than that without PAC addition,respectively. The wet oxidation regeneration unit was quite efficient in supplying regenerated PAC, and, however, the hard calcium sulphate scale and the high pollutant concentration solution needed to be carefully controlled. Moreover, although the carbon balance showed that the adsorption capability of regenerated PAC was negligible, the biological tests proved that the regenerated PAC increased microbe activity up to 17% more than pure activated sludge system, which was almost compatible with the fresh activated carbon.

The role of capital deepening in China's energy transition

This paper provides a theoretical model to explain the causality between China's energy transition and capital deepening found by the empirical study.We prove that in the equilibrium,China's energy transition is endogenously determined by capital deepening due to the homogeneity of electricity and the monopolistic competition features of China's electricity market.Price effect,which is the effect of change in relative factor price,will affect energy transition only if the policy intervenes electricity price in terms of the primary sources from which it is generated.We propose that investment can promote energy transition by stimulating capital deepening which is biased to clean energy development.In this regard,our paper provides a new way of thinking for other developing countries to design an effective energy transition policy.

Water Resources of Uganda: An Assessment and Review

Water resources of a country constitute one of its vital assets that significantly contribute to the socio-economic development and poverty eradication. However, this resource is unevenly distributed in both time and space. The major source of water for these resources is direct rainfall, which is recently experiencing variability that threatens the distribution of resources and water availability in Uganda. The annual rainfall received in Uganda varies from 500 mm to 2800 mm, with an average of 1180 mm received in two main seasons. The spatial distribution of rainfall has resulted into a network of great rivers and lakes that possess big potential for development. These resources are being developed and depleted at a fast rate, a situation that requires assessment to establish present status of water resources in the country. The paper reviews the characteristics, availability, demand and importance of present day water resources in Uganda as well as describing the various issues, challenges and management of water resources of the country.

Influence Factors of Phosphorus Removal by Chemical Method in Sewage Treatment System

[Objective] The research aimed to study influence factors of phosphorus removal by chemical method in sewage treatment system. [ Method] In different reaction systems, removal effect of the phosphorus in sewage by dosing lime and influence of the constraint factor were stud- ied. [ Result] Lime precipitation method treating high-concentration phosphorus wastewater could not only decline cost of phosphorus removal by chemical method, but also reach better treatment effect under suitable stirring and precipitation conditions by controlling alkalinity and pH. Phosphor- us content of chemical sludge after treatment could reach 9% -12%, with higher recyclable value. E Conclusion] Lime method treating phosphorus- rich sewage was more economic than low-concentration phosphorus sewage, and had very great potential for recycling phosphorus.

Research on Distribution of Electromagnetic Environment around Substations and Optimization Layout of On-line Monitoring

The characteristics and distribution law of electromagnetic environment around substations with different levels of voltage were studied,and the main influencing factors were discussed. Meanwhile,a scheme for locating monitoring points suitable for an on-line monitoring system of electromagnetic environment was proposed.

Development Model of Rural Complex against the Backdrop of Rural Revitalization Strategy: A Case Study of "Baixianggu" in Jing’an County

Rural complex is a new type of rural revitalization and development model,and fully mastering the concept and connotation of this model is of great significance to the construction of rural complex in our country.This paper makes an all-round research and discussion on the basic situation,development advantages,model characteristics and existing problems of the rural complex development model of Baixianggu in Jing’an County,and puts forward the corresponding optimization path in view of the existing problems of Baixianggu project,in order to provide scientific and objective reference basis for the construction of national rural complex.

Response of the Thermal Conductivity as a Function of Water Content of a Burnt Mediterranean Loam Soil

The purpose of this research is to explore the variability on the soil thermal conductivity -?- after a prescribe fire, and to assess the effects of the ashes on the heat transfer once it’s were incorporated into the soil matrix. Sampling plot was located in the Montgrí Massif (NE of Spain). A set of 42 soil samples between surface and 5 cm depth was collected before and after the fire. To characterize the soil chemical and physical variables were analyzed. To determine the variability on the soil λ a dry-out curve per scenario (before and after fire) was determined. SoilRho ? method based on ASTM D-5334-08 which was validated by LabFerrer was used. Soil thermal conductivity has shown changes in their values. Indeed, in all moisture scenarios the values of soil λ decreased after soil was burnt. The critical point in the relationshipθ(λ) for the soil after fire which always was stronger than soil before to be burnt. Soil with “white” ashes showed a high thermal conductivity. An X-Ray diffractometry analysis allowed to clarify and to verify these results. To sum up, we could say that thermal conductivity presents changes when the scenario changes, i.e. before and after to be burnt. On the other hand, the volume of ashes incorporated on the soil increased the differences between no burnt and burnt soil, showing even some improvements on the heat transfer when water content started to govern the process.

Land Cover Dynamics in the Kirisia Forest Ecosystem, Samburu County, Kenya

The study characterized the status and trend of land cover transformation in Kirisia forest ecosystem between 1973 and 2015 using remote sensing and GIS. The dominant land cover types consisted of indigenous forest followed by shrub land and bush land. The findings showed a major increase in the built environment by 55.4% and an overall reduction in forest cover by 21.3%. Up to 83.9 km2 of the original indigenous forest was lost between 1973 and 1986 due to severe fires. Thereafter, 23.7 km2 of the remaining indigenous forest was lost between 1986 and 2000 mainly through charcoal burning, illegal timber logging and livestock forage harvesting. A slight recovery occurred between 2000 and 2015 with a 5% increase in indigenous forest cover mostly through natural succession by shrub land and bush land in the burnt forest areas especially following the 1998 El Nino period. The land cover change in the forest ecosystem was not exceptional in Kenya but mirrors similar changes that have been documented in other valued dry land watershed ecosystems in the country including the national water towers. The continued loss of forest cover is likely to affect the water recharge capacity in the watershed thereby creating severe water scarcity for the people in Mararal town as well as nearly 142,954 other individuals in the Kirisia region. Appropriate interventions are therefore needed to mitigate the negative land cover change in Kirisia forest and restore its hydrological functions and water recharge capacity.

Sustainable reclamation practices for a large surface coal mine in shortgrass prairie,semiarid environment(Wyoming,USA):case study

Sustainable reclamation practices for large surface coal mines in USA semiarid environment contribute to the quality of the environmental on a long term basis where environmental resources are protected for future generation.Land,after reclamation,must be suitable for the previous use of greatest economic or social values to the community area.In the semiarid climate of USA,non-developed land is mainly utilized for crops,grazing,and wildlife.Completion of various stages of the reclamation processes includes verifcation and approval of reclamation criteria and performance standards created by state agencies.The sustainable reclamation practices were investigated at the USA’s largest surface coal mine of the semiarid environment in Wyoming.These practices include building post-mining topography to the approximate original contour and reestablish a stable hydrologic system to drain surface water.All available spoil material is backflled and graded to achieve the post-mining topography which closely resembles the pre-mining topography.No overburden material or other coal waste material is left in stockpiles at the mine.Detailed planning until the end of mining,the knowledge of available volumes of suitable backfll material and soil is necessary for sustainable management practices.Diverse and permanent vegetation capable of stabilizing soil surfaces and capable of self-regeneration is established.Sustainable management of the reclamation efort is achieved by enforcement processes developed by the state and federal agencies.Monthly inspections of mining and reclamation operations and reviews of annual reports submitted by the operator help determine if the reclamation processes are occurring according to the permit plan.

Seagull Lake,Western Eyre Peninsula,South Australia:A Saline Lake to Benefit from Climate Change? Ⅱ. Hydrology and Plants

Seagull Lake is an unusual saline lake,having a marine spring connected to a large continental ecosystem.With climate change the balance between marine,meteoric and groundwater inputs to,and evaporitic and groundwater