Quantifying the nitrogen retention capacity of natural wetlands in the large-scale drainage basin of the Baltic Sea

We estimate the nitrogen retention capacity of natural wetlands in the 1.7 million km² Baltic Sea drainage basin, using a wetland GIS data base. There are approximately 138,000 km² of wetlands (bogs and fens) in the Baltic Sea drainage basin, corresponding to 8% of the area. The input of nitrogen to natural wetlands from atmospheric deposition was estimated to 55,000–161,000 ton y¹. A map of the deposition of both wet and dry nitrogen is presented. The input from the human population was estimated to 255,000 ton y¹ in terms of excretory release in processed sewage water. There may also be leakage from forests and agricultural land into the wetlands. Due to lack of data on hydrology and topography, such potential nitrogen sources are not accounted for here. The capacity of the wetlands to retain the atmospheric deposition of nitrogen was estimated to 34,000–99,000 ton y¹. The potential retention by wetlands was estimated to 57,000–145,000 ton y¹ when the nitrogen input from the human population was added. If drained wetlands were to be restored and their area added to the present wetland area, the nitrogen retention capacity was estimated to increase to 196,000–261,000 ton y¹. Our results indicate that existing natural wetlands in the Baltic Sea drainage basin annually can retain an amount of nitrogen which corresponds to about 5–13% of annual total (natural and anthropogenic) nitrogen emissions entering the Baltic Sea. The ecosystem retention service performed by wetlands accounts for a substantial nitrogen removal, thereby reducing the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea.     

A model of arctic tundra vegetation derived from topographic gradients

We present a topographically-derived vegetation model (TVM) that predicts the landscape patterns of arctic vegetation types in the foothills of the Brooks Range in northern Alaska. In the Arctic there is a strong relationship between water and plant structure and function and TVM is based on the relationships between vegetation types and slope (tan ) and discharge (), two independent variables that can be easily derived from digital terrain data. Both slope and discharge relate to hydrological similarity within a landscape: slope determines the gravitational hydrological gradient and hence influences flow velocity, whereas discharge patterns are computed based on upslope area and quantify lateral flow amount. TVM was developed and parameterized based on vegetation data from a small 2.2 km² watershed and its application was tested in a larger 22km² region. For the watershed, TVM performed quite well, having a high spatial resolution and a goodness-of-fit ranging from 71–78%, depending on the functions used. For the larger region, the strength of the vegetation types predictions drops somewhat to between 56–59%. We discuss the various sources of error and limitations of the model for purposes of extrapolation.     

Soil saturation effects on forest dynamics: scaling across a southern boreal/northern hardwood landscape

Patch modeling can be used to scale-up processes to portray landscape-level dynamics. Via direct extrapolation, a heterogeneous landscape is divided into its constituent patches; dynamics are simulated on each representative patch and are weighted and aggregated to formulate the higher level response. Further extrapolation may be attained by coarsening the resolution of or lumping environmental data (e.g., climatic, edaphic, hydrologic, topographic) used to delimit a patch.Forest patterns at the southern boreal/northern hardwood transition zone are often defined by soil heterogeneity, determined primarily by the extent and duration of soil saturation. To determine how landscape-level dynamics predicted from direct extrapolation compare when coarsening soil parameters, we simulated forest dynamics for soil series representing a range of drainage classes from east- central Maine. Responses were aggregated according to the distribution of soil associations comprising a 600 ha area based on local- (1:12,000), county- (1:120,000) and state- (1:250,000) scale soil maps. At the patch level, simulated aboveground biomass accumulated more slowly in poorer draining soils. Different soil series yielded different communities comprised of species with various tolerances for soil saturation. When aggregated, removal of waterlogging caused a 20–60% increase in biomass accumulation during the first 50 years of simulation. However, this early successional increase and the maximum level of biomass accumulation over a 200 year period varied by as much as 40% depending on the geospatial data. This marked discrepancy suggests caution when extrapolating with forest patch models by coarsening parameters and demonstrates how rules used to rescale environmental data need to be evaluated for consistency.     

淮河流域(安徽段)主要湿地维管植物研究

淮河流域(安徽段)主要湖泊湿地维管植物有68科165属259种;科、属、种分别占全省维管植物科的30.2%、属的13.4%、种的7.1%。包含5种以上的11个较大科构成了淮河流域湿地植物的主体,其中禾本科和莎草科种类最多。区系分布区类型:蕨类植物主要有4种分布区类型,世界分布为主要类型;种子植物属有14种分布类型,其中温带分布类型占总属数的38.4%,该区湿地维管植物具有典型温带性质。湿地植物资源包括食品类,工业原料类,绿肥类,观赏类,环保类及种质资源类等。     

控制土壤含水量对蔬菜产量及露地菜田水分渗漏量的影响

【目的】通过揭示不同土壤含水量对蔬菜产量及蔬菜地土壤水分渗漏量的影响,为蔬菜生产中合理灌溉提供指导。【方法】通过3年田间试验,利用TDR连续监测土壤含水量,运用田间定位通量法计算土体水分渗漏量,分析不同水分处理下蔬菜产量和土体水分渗漏量之间的差异。【结果】传统水分处理下蔬菜地水分累积渗漏量为982mm,其中蔬菜生长期内累积渗漏量为748mm,占蔬菜生长期内供水量的36%;优化水分处理和充分水分处理下蔬菜地水分累积渗漏量230mm和468mm,其中蔬菜生长期内水分累积渗漏量分别144mm和293mm,占各处理下供水量的9%和17%。除2002年优化和充分水分处理下花椰菜产量高于传统水分处理下花椰菜产量并达到显著水平外,其余年份蔬菜产量并无显著差异。【结论】保持土壤含水量在蔬菜生长有效土壤含水量50%～80%的优化水分处理在蔬菜生产中有很大的推广价值。     

Variability in feeding ecology of a South American cichlid: a reason for successful invasion in mediterranean‐type rivers?

Abstract –  Ecological attributes behind the success of the South American cichlid Australoheros facetus in mediterranean-type rivers remain unclear. This study addresses this issue, by analysing its abundance and feeding patterns in the lower Guadiana drainage (Portugal), during the dry season of 2003. Despite slight spatial variations in abundance and individual size, A. facetus seemed well established in the Guadiana, Vascão and Ardila rivers. No seasonal or size-related changes in feeding intensity were found, but the diet changed across rivers, over time and throughout ontogeny. Feeding seemed highly generalist, with fish apparently reacting to both spatial and temporal changes in food supply and tending to use the most abundant and easily accessible food items. Overall prey breadth was broad relative to that of other native and non-native species. It is suggested that a generalist feeding strategy may play a significant role in the establishment of non-native fish in mediterranean-type rivers.     

Information technology and innovative drainage management practices for selenium load reduction from irrigated agriculture to provide stakeholder assurances and meet contaminant mass loading policy objectives

Many perceive the implementation of environmental regulatory policy, especially concerning non-point source pollution from irrigated agriculture, as being less efficient in the United States than in many other countries. This is partly a result of the stakeholder involvement process but is also a reflection of the inability to make effective use of Environmental Decision Support Systems (EDSS) to facilitate technical information exchange with stakeholders and to provide a forum for innovative ideas for controlling non-point source pollutant loading. This paper describes one of the success stories where a standardized Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methodology was modified to better suit regulation of a trace element in agricultural subsurface drainage and information technology was developed to help guide stakeholders, provide assurances to the public and encourage innovation while improving compliance with State water quality objectives. The geographic focus of the paper is the western San Joaquin Valley where, in 1985, evapo-concentration of selenium in agricultural subsurface drainage water, diverted into large ponds within a federal wildlife refuge, caused teratogenecity in waterfowl embryos and in other sensitive wildlife species. The fallout from this environmental disaster was a concerted attempt by State and Federal water agencies to regulate non-point source loads of the trace element selenium. The complexity of selenium hydrogeochemistry, the difficulty and expense of selenium concentration monitoring and political discord between agricultural and environmental interests created challenges to the regulation process. Innovative policy and institutional constructs, supported by environmental monitoring and the web-based data management and dissemination systems, provided essential decision support, created opportunities for adaptive management and ultimately contributed to project success. The paper provides a retrospective on the contentious planning process and offers suggestions as to how the technical and institutional issues could have been resolved faster through early adoption of some of the core principles of sound EDSS design.     

密云水库源区曹家路流域生态治理效果分析

北京市针对水源地治理问题提出了构筑"生态修复、生态治理、生态保护"三道水源防线的发展模式.通过2006年7月至2008年7月的实地野外试验,对北京市重要水源地密云水库源区曹家路流域的农业面源污染、有机物污染情况等进行了跟踪调查和研究.研究结果反应出北京市水源地水土保持及清洁小流域治理工程的效果明显,并给出了该水源地今后治理与发展的建议.     

Water-table management in lowland UK peat soils and its potential impact on CO2 emission

The rate of oxidation of peat soils is highly seasonal and varies with temperature and soil moisture content. Large variations in soil moisture content result in wet–dry cycles that can enhance peat degradation. Water‐table management plays a crucial role in controlling and damping the effect of these environmental factors. However, maintaining high ditch water levels in fields bounded by ditches does not guarantee a high field groundwater level. The effect of installing subsurface irrigation at different spacings on water table elevation was studied in a low‐lying peat grassland. The water table elevation data were compared against values predicted with a water balance model. In addition, greenhouse experiments were carried out on undisturbed soil core samples collected from the peat grassland as well as a low‐lying peatland under intensive arable faming to measure CO₂ evolution under different water regimes. The field data from the peat grassland suggest that sub‐irrigation spacing as low as 10 m is necessary during summer periods to maintain groundwater levels similar to those in the ditches. Over the same period of observation, the difference in water level between the ditches and the non‐irrigated fields is as high as 0.7 m. Modelled outputs are in good correlation with the field observations, and demonstrate that simple water balance models can provide an effective tool to study the effect of water management practices and potential changes in subsurface conditions, climate and land use on water‐table levels. The measurement of CO₂ emission from undisturbed peat soil columns shows that the rate of oxidation of soil organic matter from peat soils is highly seasonal and that drainage exacerbates the rate of peat mineralization.     

大口径埋地塑料排水管的应用前景

结合塑料排水管材的自身特点及目前这一管材在市政排水领域的应用现状，通过多年的工程实践，从国家相关的法律法规及经济技术比较等角度出发，笔者认为大口径埋地塑料排水管替代传统的钢筋混凝土排水管将成为市政工程管网建设中的新趋势。