Analytical Errors in the Determination of Inorganic and Organic Phosphorus in Waters Based on Laboratory Experiences

Phosphorus has been closely associated with eutrophication, a growing ecological problem globally. Because bacterial and algae responds to organic and inorganic nutrients differently, developing an accurate analytical method for the determination of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) and dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) is critical for understanding eutrophication. This paper describes analytical variations observed in laboratory experiments for the determination of DIP and DOP. Several experimental parameters including phosphorus reagents’ temperature, water sample matrix, pH, and autoclave methods are investigated. With the optimization of the autoclave procedure, the recoveries of 8 model organic phosphorus compounds (i.e. adenosine-5-triphosphate di-sodium salt (ATP), phytic acid (PTA), sodium tripolyphosphate (STP), methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide (MPT), p-nitrophenyl phosphate magnesium salt (p-NPP), β-D-glucose-6-phosphate monosodium salt (G-6-P) and cocarboxylase (COCA)) are all well above 90% indicating significant analytical method improvement.

Adsorption characteristics of a novel ceramsite for heavy metal removal from stormwater runoff

Urban sediments have rapidly increased in recent years around the world,and their effective management has become an important problem.To remove heavy metals from stormwater runoff and use sediments as a resource,a novel ceramsite was developed using sewer pipe sediments(SPS),river bed sediments(RBS),urban water supply treatment sludge(WSTS),and wastewater treatment plant excess sludge(WWTS).The optimal composition was determined based on the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area and an orthogonal test design.The adsorption characteristics of the novel ceramsite for dissolved heavy metals(Cu^(2+)and Cd^(2+)) were investigated through adsorption isotherms and kinetic experiments at(25±1)℃.Both Cu^(2+) and Cd^(2+) were effectively removed by the novel ceramsite,and their equilibrium adsorption was 4.96 mg·g^(-1) and 3.84 mg·g^(-1),respectively.Langmuir isotherms and a pseudo-first-order kinetic equation described the adsorption process better than other techniques.Characterization analysis of the ceramsite composition before and after heavy metal adsorption showed that the Cu^(2+) and Cd^(2+) contents in the ceramsite increased after adsorption.The results revealed that adsorption is both a physical and chemical process,and that ceramsite can be used as a bioretention medium to remove heavy metals from stormwater runoff while simultaneously converting problematic urban sediments into a resource.

Simulation on the dynamics of forest area changes in Northeast China

There is plenty of forests in Northeast China which contributes a lot to the conservation of water and land resources, produces timber products, and provides habitats for a huge number of wild animals and plants. With changes of socio-economic factors as well as the geophysical conditions, there are dramatic changes on the spatial patterns of forest area. In this sense, it is of great significance to shed light on the dynamics of forest area changes to find the underlining reasons for shaping the changing patterns of forest area in Northeast China. To explore the dynamics of forest area change in Northeast China, an econometric model is developed which is composed of three equations identifying forestry production, conversion from open forest to closed forest and conversion from other land uses to closed forest so as to explore the impacts on the forest area changes from demographic, social, economic, location and geophysical factors. On this basis, we employ the Dynamics of Land System （DLS） model to simulate land-use conversions between forest area and non-forest cover and the land-use conversions within the sub-classes of forest area for the period 2000-2020 under business as usual scenario, environmental protection scenario and economic growth scenario. The simulation results show that forest area will expand continuously and there exist various kinds of changing patterns for the sub-classes of forest area, for example, closed forest will expand continuously and open forest and shrub will decrease a little bit, while area of other forest will keep intact. The research results provide meaningful decision-making information for conserving and exploiting the forest resources and makJng out the planning for forestry production Jn the Northeast China region.

Do Water Matrix and Particulate Buffering Capacity Affect the Rate and Extent of P Release?

The aim of this study was to investigate the release of inorganic and organic phosphorus species from particles in rivers and estuaries during resuspension events such as storm, wind and tidal induced turbulence. To achieve this aim, laboratory beaker experiments were designed with autoanalyzer 3 (AA3). The study first investigates phosphorus equilibration in ultra-pure water (UHP) water, biotic river water and abiotic river water under short term and long term conditions. Then, three typical organic and inorganic phosphorus compounds were selected (orthophosphate, phytic acid (PTA) and β-D-glucose-6-phosphate monosodium salt (G-6-P)) to simulate the effect of addition input to river and estuaries in the time period of 150 h. The results show that in a turbulent river, dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) and dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) will reach equilibrium between the particulate matter and the water column within 24 h. Additional input of DIP or DOP to the river, has different effects to the river nutrients balance. The buffering capacity of the suspended particulate matter (SPM) plays an important role and behavior difference to the inorganic and various organic phosphorus compounds.

Characterization of humic acids extracted from the sediments of the various rivers and lakes in China

The humic acids (HAs) isolated from the sediments of the various rivers,lakes,and reservoirs in China were studied using elemental analyzer,fourier transform infrared (FT-IR),and CP/MAS 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.The results showed that the HAs were characterized by some common chemical and physicochemical properties,but they also pose some differences in the C-containing functional groups.The C/N,C/H,O/C,and O/H ratios differ widely for the various HAs,showing that the elemental comp...

Landscape Pattern Evolution Processes of Alpine Wetlands and Their Driving Factors in the Zoige Plateau of China

Zoige Plateau wetlands are located in the northeastern corner of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.The landscape pattern evolution processes in the Zoige Plateau and their driving factors were identified by analyzing the dynamic changes in landscape modification and conversion and their dynamic rates of alpine wetlands over the past four decades.The results showed that the landscape conversion between wetlands and non-wetlands mainly occurred during the period from 1966 to 1986.The marsh wetland area converted from lake and river wetlands was larger because of swamping compared to other wetland landscapes.Meanwhile,the larger area of marsh wetlands was also converted to lake wetlands more than other types of wetlands.The modification processes mainly occurred among natural wetland landscapes in the first three periods.Obvious conversions were observed between wetland and nonwetland landscapes(i.e.,forestland,grassland,and other landscapes) in the Zoige Plateau.These natural wetland landscapes such as river,lake and marsh wetlands showed a net loss over the past four decades,whereas artificial wetland landscapes(i.e.,paddy field and reservoir and pond wetlands) showed a net decrease.The annual dynamic rate of the whole wetland landscape was 0.72%,in which the annual dynamic rate of river wetlands was the highest,followed by lake wetlands,while marsh wetlands had the lowest dynamic rate.The integrated landscape dynamic rate showed a decreasing trend in the first three periods.The changes in wetland landscape patterns were comprehensively controlled by natural factors and human activities,especially human activities play an important role in changing wetland landscape patterns.

Effects of temperature and surfactants on naphthalene and phenanthrene sorption by soil

Adsorption experiments were carried out to investigate the sorption behaviors of naphthalene and phenanthrene in six different soils and to determine the effects of temperature, linear alkylbenzene sulfonate （LAS） and cetylrimethyl ammonium bromide （CTAB） on sorption. The results show that for a given sorbent phenanthrene exhibited greater nonlinear and stronger sorption than naphthalene. There was a strong negative correlation for the Koc values with organic carbon content （foc）. The increase of temperature was not favorable to sorption. Sorption decreased along with the increasing aqueous LAS concentration from 0 to 1000 mg/L. At low CTAB concentration （〈 100 mg/L）, the adsorption increased as CTAB hemimicelles formed on the soil surface. At high concentration, CTAB decreased the adsorption by occupying active hydrophobic adsorption sites and solubilization of naphthalene and phenanthrene.

Changes of Biogenic Elements in Phragmites australis and Suaeda salsa from Salt Marshes in Yellow River Delta,China

Little information is available on biogenic elements(carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur) and the ecological stoichiometric characteristics of plants in coastal wetlands. To investigate the contents of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur of plants, and their ecological stoichiometric characteristics in the Yellow(Huanghe) River Delta, plant samples were collected from two typical salt marshes(Suaeda salsa and Phragmites australis wetlands) during the period of from August to October in 2007, and the ratios of C/N, C/P, N/P, C/N/P and C/N/P/S were calculated. Results showed that during the studying period, plant C, N and P were lower than the global average values, and plant N and P were lower than the China's average values. Leaf C and S in Suaeda salsa were significantly lower than those in Phragmites australis(P < 0.05), and leaf N and P in Suaeda salsa and Phragmites australis showed no significant differences(P > 0.05). Average C/N ratios were 23.75 in leaf, 73.36 in stem, 65.67 in root of Suaeda salsa, and 33.77 in leaf, 121.68 in stem, 97.13 in root of Phragmites australis. Average C/N ratios of Suaeda salsa and Phragmites australis were all great than 25, indicating the salt marsh in the Yellow River Delta is an N limitation system. Average C/P ratios were 276.78 in leaf, 709.28 in stem and 1031.32 in root of Suaeda salsa, and 536.94 in leaf, 768.13 in stem and 875.22 in root of Phragmites australis. The average N/P ratios of Suaeda salsa were 12.92 in leaf, 10.77 in stem and 10.91 in root, and the average N/P ratios of Phragmites australis were 16.40 in leaf, 7.40 in stem and 6.92 in root, indicating the Suaeda salsa wetlands were N limited and Phragmites australis wetlands were N limited in August and P limited in October in 2007. The average C/N, C/P and C/N/P ratios in Suaeda salsa and Pragmites australis were higher than the global average values, indicating the lower quality of organic matter provided by wetland plants in the Yellow River delta.

Effects of NO_x and VOCs from Five Emission Sources on Summer Surface O_3 over the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region

The impacts of emissions from industry,power plant,transportation,residential,and biogenic sources on daily maximum surface ozone （O3DM） over the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei （BTH） region in North China in the summer of 2007 were examined in a modeling study.The modeling system consisted of the Weather Research and Forecasting （WRF） model and the photochemical dispersion model,CAMx.The factor separation technique （FST） was used to quantify the effect of individual emission source types and the synergistic interactions among two or more types.Additionally,the effectiveness of emission reduction scenarios was explored.The industry,power plant,and transportation emission source types were found to be the most important in terms of their individual effects on O3DM.The key contributor to high surface O3 was power plant emissions,with a peak individual effect of 40 ppbv in the southwestern BTH area.The individual effect from the biogenic emission category was quite low.The synergistic effects from the combinations of each pair of anthropogenic emission types suppressed O3 formation,while the synergistic effects for combinations of three were favorable for O3 formation when the industrial and power plant emission source types coexisted.The quadruple synergistic effects were positive only with the combination of power plant,transportation,residential,and biogenic sources,while the quintuple synergistic effect showed only minor impacts on O3DM concentrations.A 30％ reduction in industrial and transportation sources produced the most effective impacts on O3 concentrations,with a maximum decrease of 20 ppbv.These results suggested that the synergistic impacts among emission source types should be considered when formulating emission control strategies for O3 reduction.

Methodology to determine regional water demand for instream flow and its application in the Yellow River Basin

In order to realistically reflect the difference between regional water demand for instream flow and river ecological water demand as well as to resolve the problem that water demand may be counted repeatedly, a concept of regional water demand for minimum instream flow have been developed. The concept was used in the process of determining river functions and calculating ecological water demand for a river. The Yellow River watershed was used to validate the calculation methodology for regional water demand. CaIculation results indicate that there are significant differences in water demands among the different regions. The regional water demand at the downstream of the Yellow River is the largest about 14.893 × 10^9 m^3/a. The regional water demand of upstream, Lanzhou-Hekou section is the smallest about -5.012 × 10^9 m^3/a. The total ecological water demand of the Yellow River Basin is 23.06 × 10^9 m^3/a, about the 39% of surface water resources of the water resources should not exceed 61% in the Yellow River Basin. Yellow River Basin. That means the maximum available surface The regional river ecological water demands at the Lower Section of the Yellow River and Longyangxia-Lanzhou Section exceed the surface water resources produced in its region and need to be supplemented from other regions through the water rational planning of watershed water resources. These results provides technical basis for rational plan of water resources of the Yellow River Basin.

Prediction of the concentration of chlorophyll-α for Liuhai urban lakes in Beijing City

The weekly water quality monitor data of Liuhai lakes between April 2003 and November 2004 in Beijing City were used as an example to build an artificial neural networks （ANN） model and a multi-varieties regression model respectively for predicting the fresh water algae bloom. The different predicted abilities of the two methods in Liuhai lakes were compared. A principle analysis method was first used to select the input variables of the models to avoid the phenomenon of collinearity in the data. The results showed that the input variables for the artificial neural networks were T, TP, transparency（SD）, DO, chlorophyll-a （Chl-a）,pH and the output variable was Chl-a. A three layer Levenberg-Marguardt feed forward leaming algorithm in ANN was used to model the eutrophication process of Liuhai lakes. 20 nodes in hidden layer and 1 node of output for the ANN model had been optimized by trial and error method. A sensitivity analysis of the input variables was performed to evaluate their relative significance in determining the predicted values. The correlation coefficient between predicted value and observed value in all data and in test data were 0.717 and 0.816 respectively in the artificial neural networks. The stepwise regression method was used to simulate the linear relation between Chl-a and temperature, of which the correlation coefficient was 0.213. By comparing the results of the two models, it was found that neural network models were able to simulate non-linear behavior in the water eutrophication process of Liuhai lakes reasonably and could successfully estimate some extreme values from calibration and test data sets.

Estimation of Land Production and Its Response to Cultivated Land Conversion in North China Plain

Food safety and its related influencing factors in China are the hot research topics currently,and cultivated land conversion is one of the significant factors influencing food safety in China.Taking the North China Plain as the study area,this paper examines the changes of cultivated land area using satellite images,estimates land productivity from 1985 to 2005 using the model of Estimation System for Land Productivity(ESLP),and analyzes the impact of cultivated land conversion on the land production.Compared with the grain yield data from statistical yearbooks,the results indicate that ESLP model is an effective tool for estimating land productivity.Land productivity in the North China Plain showed a slight decreasing trend from 1985 to 2005,spatially,increased from the north to the south gradu-ally,and the net changes varied in different areas.Cultivated land area recorded a marginal decrease of 8.0 × 105 ha,mainly converted to other land uses.Cultivated land conversion had more significant negative impacts on land produc-tion than land productivity did.Land production decreased by about 6.48 × 106 t caused by cultivated land conversion between 1985 and 2005,accounting for 91.9% of the total land production reduction.Although the land productivity increased in Anhui and Jiangsu provinces,it can not offset the overall adverse effects caused by cultivated land con-version.Therefore,there are significant meanings to control the cultivated land conversion and improve the land pro-ductivity for ensuring the land production in the North China Plain.

Effect of Hydrological Connectivity on Soil Carbon Storage in the Yellow River Delta Wetlands of China

Hydrological connectivity has significant effects on the functions of estuarine wetland ecosystem.This study aimed to examine the dynamics of hydrological connectivity and its impact on soil carbon pool in the Yellow River Delta,China.We calculated the hydrological connectivity based on the hydraulic resistance and graph theory,and measured soil total carbon and organic carbon under four different hydrological connectivity gradients(Ⅰ0‒0.03,Ⅱ0.03‒0.06,Ⅲ0.06‒0.12,Ⅳ0.12‒0.39).The results showed that hydrological connectivity increased in the north shore of the Yellow River and the south tidal flat from 2007 to 2018,which concentrated in the mainstream of the Yellow River and the tidal creek.High hydrological connectivity was maintained in the wetland restoration area.The soil total carbon storage and organic carbon storage significantly increased with increasing hydrological connectivity fromⅠtoⅢgradient and decreased inⅣgradient.The highest soil total carbon storage of 0‒30 cm depth was 5172.34 g/m^(2),and organic carbon storage 2764.31 g/m^(2)inⅢgradient.The hydrological connectivity changed with temporal and spatial change during 2007‒2018 and had a noticeable impact on soil carbon storage in the Yellow River Delta.The results indicated that appropriate hydrological connectivity,i.e.0.08,could effectively promote soil carbon storage.

Ecological Offsetting in China's Coastal Wetlands: Existing Challenges and Strategies for Future Improvement

Land-use changes in coastal wetlands have led to a worldwide degradation of marine coastal ecosystems and a loss of the ecological services they provide. Ecological offsetting is a popular strategy and an effective mitigation measure for ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed and is critical for habitats where natural recovery is hindered. However, the current understanding of the theory and practice of ecological offsetting for coastal wetlands is extremely limited in many developing countries. We conducted a review of ecological offsetting for coastal wetlands projects and studies in China in 1979–2017 to explore the application and limitations of ecological offsetting theory. It was found that China's coastal ecological offsetting regime has recently entered a rapidly developing stage, with an increasing number of different types of offsetting projects conducted, but theoretical research lags behind practical applications. Considerable governmental, social, technological and ethical challenges remain to resolve. Coastal ecological offsetting schemes have been inconsistent in meeting conservation objectives or preventing net losses because of the challenges of ensuring they are fully consistent in practice(mainly in-kind offsets) and theory(mainly out-of-kind offsets). Ecological offsetting projects were primarily implemented by government, developers, and non-profit organizations. The available funding of coastal ecological offsetting projects is insufficient, which makes ecological offsetting a risky operation. Therefore, we propose strategies for improvement that integrate the consideration of theoretical and practical challenges in the offsetting process, while providing a scientific basis and directional guidance for the future practice of biodiversity conservation and environmental management.

Impacts of Coastal Reclamation on Natural Wetlands in Large River Deltas in China

Little information is available on the impacts of coastal reclamation on wetland loss in large-river deltas at a regional scale.Using remote sensing data of coastal wetland and reclamation in four deltas in China from 1978 to 2014, we tracked their continuous area changes in four periods: 1978–1990, 1990–2000, 2000–2008, and 2008–2014. The areal relation between wetland loss and reclamation was quantified and used to identify coastal reclamation mode intensity coupled with another three indicators: reclamation rate,accretion rate and land-use intensity of coastal reclamation. The results showed that coastal reclamation driven by economic development reduced, or even reverse the original growth of delta which was determined by the offset between wetland acceleration rate and wetland loss rate. Generally, the area of reclamation showed a positive linear correlation with the area of wetland loss. The findings imply that human activities should control reclamation rate and intensity to alleviate total wetland loss and maintain wetland ’net gain’.Inappropriate coastal reclamation modes can magnify total wetland loss;therefore, coastal reclamation with a slow increment rate and low impervious surface percent is of great importance for sustainable development in future coastal management.

Rare earth element content in the SPM of Daliao river system and its comparison with that in the sediments, loess and soils in China

Content and distribution patterns of rare earth dements （REEs） in the suspended particulate material （SPM） of Daliao River system were investigated and compared with those in the fiver and sea sediments, loess, and soils of China. Twenty-seven samples of SPM were taken in Daliao River system and digested with various acids followed by ICP-MS analysis for REEs and ICP-OES analysis for Al, Fe, Mn, Ti, Mg, Ca, Na, and K, to measure the total concentrations of these elements. Results indicated that the spatial change in the content of REEs was great, with the coefficient of variance （CV） from 84% to 105%, while the contents of REEs were significantly correlated with each other. Chondrite-normalized patterns of REEs were characterized by higher enrichment of light REEs than heavy REEs, and a depletion of Eu in the SPM was generally found. The positive anomaly of Eu in the SPM of Xi River was due to anthropogenic source in Shenyang City. Furthermore, chondfite- and upper continent crust-normalized patterns of REEs in the SPM of Daliao River system, sediments of Yangtze River and Yellow River, sediments of Yellow Sea, East Sea, South Sea of China, and loess and soil of China, were very similar to one another. These demonstrated that the weathering and sedimentary processes resulted in constant REE distribution not only in the typical sedimentary rocks, but also in the modem riverine particle, sea sediments, loess, and soils.

Identifying suitable habitats of three ungulates in Arjinshan National Nature Reserve,China

Arjinshan National Nature Reserve(ANNR) is one of 3 refuges of the endemic ungulates Tibetan wild ass(Equus kiang),Chiru(Pantholops hodgsonii) and wild yak(Bos mutus) that are endangered by natural and anthropogenic factors in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP).Identifying habitat suitability is critical for species protection management.We used a GIS-based niche model to delimit and classify habitat suitability using an integrated assessment system,which included 9 biotic and abiotic factors.We divided the research area into 4 habitat types for these ungulates:(1) high suitability habitat;(2) moderate suitability habitat;(3) low suitability habitat;and(4) unsuitable area.Results suggested that chiru have the most areas of high and moderate suitability habitats while Tibetan wild ass had the largest areas of low suitability habitat and unsuitable area.Wild yak had the largest area of moderate and low suitability habitat,but high suitability habitats for wild yak were smaller than those of other 2 ungulates.There was overlap of high-quality habitat for the three kinds of ungulates in the vicinity of Kardun inspection station,which could be regarded as the core area for the coexistence and conservation of these endangered ungulate populations.

Modeling the Warming Impact of Urban Land Expansion on Hot Weather Using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model: A Case Study of Beijing, China

The impacts of three periods of urban land expansion during 1990–2010 on near-surface air temperature in summer in Beijing were simulated in this study, and then the interrelation between heat waves and urban warming was assessed. We ran the sensitivity tests using the mesoscale Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with a single urban canopy model,as well as high-resolution land cover data. The warming area expanded approximately at the same scale as the urban land expansion. The average regional warming induced by urban expansion increased but the warming speed declined slightly during 2000–2010. The smallest warming occurred at noon and then increased gradually in the afternoon before peaking at around 2000 LST—the time of sunset. In the daytime, urban warming was primarily caused by the decrease in latent heat flux at the urban surface. Urbanization led to more ground heat flux during the day and then more release at night, which resulted in nocturnal warming. Urban warming at night was higher than that in the day, although the nighttime increment in sensible heat flux was smaller. This was because the shallower planetary boundary layer at night reduced the release efficiency of near-surface heat. The simulated results also suggested that heat waves or high temperature weather enhanced urban warming intensity at night. Heat waves caused more heat to be stored in the surface during the day, greater heat released at night, and thus higher nighttime warming. Our results demonstrate a positive feedback effect between urban warming and heat waves in urban areas.

Suitable Weir Heights to Improve the Provision of Environmental Flows in Urban Rivers

Many studies have been conducted on environmental flow(e-flow)assessment and supply,but e-flow shortages remain common in many urban rivers.In addition to known reasons such as ever-increasing competition among water users and inadequate execution of designed e-flow supply plans,we propose that designing weir heights without explicitly considering e-flows is another major cause of this problem.In this paper,we suggest that the measures for satisfying e-flows be extended from the water supply stage to the river channel design stage.We establish a new weir height determination framework that would more effectively satisfy the required e-flows.The new framework differs from previous frameworks,in which flood control and water retention are the major concerns and the flow during floods is set as the inflow.In the new framework,e-flow provision and flow velocity maintenance are added concerns and the actual flows for e-flow supply are set as the inflow.As a case study of the new framework’s effectiveness,we applied it to the Shiwuli River,a typical channelized urban river in Hefei,China.The old framework specified too-high weir height to meet the e-flow requirements,whereas the new framework offered more reasonable heights that improved e-flow provision.