Effects of tidal flat reclamation on sediment quality and hypoxia in Isahaya Bay

• 1. Ariake Bay, which is located in western Japan, has a large tidal range (>6 m) and a vast tidal flat (200 km²). In the early 1990s, the government‐managed Isahaya Reclamation Project began in the western part of Ariake Bay. A 16‐km² area of tidal flat in the inner part of Isahaya Bay was destroyed through reclamation and separated from the sea by a dyke, which created land and a freshwater reservoir.
• 2. Since the initiation of the project, fishery yields around Isahaya Bay have dramatically decreased. The objective of this study was to clarify the relationship between the work associated with the Isahaya Reclamation Project and the recent environmental deterioration in Ariake Bay, with references to present sediment thickness and organic matter content, and hypoxic water distributions in Isahaya Bay.
• 3. The organic matter load from the reservoir has increased since the initiation of the reclamation project and has been associated with a thick layer of fine sediment at the bottom of Isahaya Bay. The thickness of fine sediment and the total organic carbon content were higher in Isahaya Bay than in the freshwater reservoir.
• 4. Based on measurements in August 2001, hypoxic water spread widely in and around Isahaya Bay; the lowest dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration (0.53 mg L^?1) was observed just outside the dyke. An analysis based on a two‐layered box model using data obtained in August 2001 showed that the DO consumption rate in the bottom layer was high (0.61 mg O₂ L^?1 day^?1), and that 22–41% of the total organic carbon load needed to induce the hypoxic water was derived from the reclamation area.
• 5. Our findings strongly suggest that enclosed seas may suffer from eutrophic and hypoxic conditions because of their low seawater‐exchange rate. A comprehensive conservation programme and environmental assessment including physical and material transport processes in the system is needed to manage the environment of the enclosed sea.

Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Selection of taxa as indicators of river and freshwater wetland quality in the UK

• 1. To assess the efficacy of environmental management policies and practices, there is a progressive transition from monitoring of activities towards assessment of their outcomes for the environment.
• 2. Population trends of key taxonomic groups can serve as useful indicators of broader environmental integrity and health. Several necessary and desirable criteria for selecting meaningful and suitable indicators are discussed. The attributes of a range of taxa and survey methods used for their assessment are discussed with reference to these criteria.
• 3. Survey methods, data holdings and analytical methods for populations of wild birds at present provide a good basis for developing indicators of the quality of fresh waters at a landscape scale. Other taxa are not necessarily any less appropriate; however, survey design and data representativeness are often limiting factors to the use of other taxa for assessing geographic and temporal trends.
• 4. Taxonomic science and ecological monitoring are necessary for determining society' progress with sustainable development and for informing appropriate enhancements to policy and management practice, particularly so for fresh waters.

Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modeling the egg and larval transport pathways of the Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) in the East Antarctic region: New insights into successful transport connections

The Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) is an important fishery species widely distributed in the Southern Ocean, especially in areas covered by sea ice. Understanding fish distributions and life cycles, including the transport and survival of eggs and larvae, is essential for the assessment and sustainable management of the fishery. However, owing to difficulties with in situ winter observations, information on the early life stages of D. mawsoni is lacking. Here, we investigated the transport pathways of fish eggs and larvae through a particle tracking study, using satellite-derived ocean surface velocities in the East Antarctic region, which includes important D. mawsoni habitats and exploratory fisheries. Our results indicate that particles released from continental slopes are more likely to be successfully transported to suitable settlement grounds than those released from the BANZARE Bank (the southern region of the Kerguelen Plateau), which is situated further north and has been hypothesized to be a potential spawning ground for D. mawsoni. This study demonstrates successful source–settlement connections in relation to ocean recirculation and suggests important settlement regions for D. mawsoni larvae in the East Antarctic region.     

Restoring wetland biodiversity using research: Whole‐community facilitation by beaver as framework

• 1. Wetlands are declining worldwide, and there is a great need for their restoration and creation. One natural agent of wetland engineering is beavers, Castor spp., which have returned or are returning to many parts of their former range.
• 2. We initially studied the facilitative effect of the beaver Castor canadensis on a waterbird community consisting of three waders and four ducks in boreal wetlands in southern Finland. Both waterbird species diversity and abundance increased when beavers impounded a pond. Common teal Anas crecca and green sandpiper Tringa ochropus were the species showing the most positive numerical response, but the other five species also increased upon flooding.
• 3. This article evaluates how the results of the study have been used in management, both in theory and practice. The whole‐community facilitation concept has been taken up in numerous articles considering the restorative effects of beavers. It has also been used as ecological background when planning and executing man‐made wetland projects in Finland within both the public and the private sectors.
• 4. Our study and its publication in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems have set a foundation for further evidence‐based management of waterbird communities. As the results show, having beavers as wetland managers is a feasible tool for creating and restoring wetlands for waterbirds and other biota. Moreover, wetland restoration projects are becoming more popular endeavours, owing to an understanding of the diverse benefits of wetlands. Flooding by beavers is used as a model for managers when creating man‐made wetlands; for example, in urban areas where it is difficult to maintain beavers.

     

Research Progress on Application of Constructed Wetland in Wastewater Treatment in China

人工湿地是近几十年发展起来的一种污水生态处理技术,能将污水处理与水资源再利用有机地结合起来,在水体修复与生态建设方面发挥着重要作用。人工湿地自发展以来,以其独特的优势备受人们关注,并广泛应用于处理生活污水、工业废水及矿山废水等。文中综述了国内人工湿地的分类、组成、工艺组合、运行方式及去污机理等,简述了人工湿地处理污染水体技术在国内外的研究进展;并且针对我国人工湿地处理污染水体技术中存在的问题提出了相应的解决方法,建议将构建人工湿地处理系统建设标准体系、开展人工湿地系统稳定地去除氮、磷等营养元素的调控与强化技术,以及系统研究利用人工湿地特有的功能特性来改善和恢复生态环境等作为今后研究的重点。     

山东省沿海地区大豆生产变化特征及其发展趋势研究

对山东沿海地区6市29县1975~2010年的大豆品种、总产量和栽培面积进行调查和分析。结果表明,期间该地区大豆单产增加显著,栽培面积和总产量经历了先降低后增加再降低三个发展阶段,年际间的变幅大且整体表现出下降趋势。通过栽培品种统计发现,大豆大产量(总产量≥104t)栽培品种虽然数量较少,但其占总产量之比大,对推动山东省大豆产业发展以及丰富我国大豆种质资源具有重要的作用与意义。     

苏北沿海地区啤酒大麦施肥技术

苏北沿海地区具有啤酒大麦生长得天独厚的自然条件,其是全国优质啤酒大麦主产区之一。通过对啤酒大麦科学施肥原则的阐述,提出了当地优质啤酒大麦科学施肥的方法和技术要点。     

椒江口海域浮游动物群落季节变化特征

依据2010年4月、7月和11月对浙江鱼山渔场-椒江口近海海域的海洋调查资料,分析该海域浮游动物生物量、丰度、优势种和多样性指数等生态特征的季节变化及其与浮游植物丰度之间的关系。结果表明:浮游动物生物量、丰度、优势种和多样性指数均存在明显的季节变化,其中春季浮游动物生物量和丰度均是3个季节最高,丰度的高值区位于调查海域的南部,中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus)占绝对优势;夏季浮游动物生物量和丰度次之,丰度的高值区在大陈岛西南海域,以中华哲水蚤、太平洋纺锤水蚤(Acartia pacifica)、精致真刺水蚤(Euchaeta concinna)和海龙箭虫(Sagitta nagae)占优势;秋季浮游动物生物量和丰度最低,丰度分布较为均匀,以肥胖箭虫(Sagitta enflata)和双生水母(Diphyes chamissonis)占优势。浮游动物丰度调查结果与同时期浮游植物丰度的调查结果相比,3个季节浮游植物与浮游动物丰度的高值区并不一致,这是因为影响浮游植物丰度的主要因素是营养盐和光照,而浮游动物的分布主要是受水团和海流的影响。上述生态特性的季节变化规律与椒江口海域的季节性水团变化密切相关,春季以低温低盐性质的沿岸流为主,夏季受高温高盐性质的台湾暖流水影响,水团的转换使调查水域的营养盐、温度、盐度和透明度等发生变化,从而进一步影响到浮游动物的生态特征。     

上海临港新城滨海湿地生态系统修复示范设计

深入开展临港新城滨海湿地资源的可持续利用,旨在通过建立滨海湿地修复的"生态补偿"示范区,实践湿地修复营造关键技术,为上海滨海湿地可持续发展提供技术支撑和理论依据。     

拉萨河流域高寒湿地水质影响因子分析

西藏高寒湿地在生态平衡、生态建设和经济社会发展中发挥着重要作用。本文以西藏拉萨河流域内各个典型高寒湿地为研究对象,通过系统聚类法和综合污染指数法,对流域内各项水质指标进行综合分析和评价。结果表明:各个湿地的总N、Cu元素含量都超出了Ⅰ类水质标准;总P、Zn没有超标;Mn元素含量除了塘嘎郭湿地超标3倍外,其他均小于国家标准;Fe元素含量除了塘嘎郭湿地超标7倍外,其他均小于标准。总N、总P、pH值、Cu、Fe等因子对拉萨河流域内各个高寒湿地水质污染贡献最大。拉萨河水体有机污染较重,其余各个湿地有水体富营养化的趋势,同时流域内湿地独特的自然因素造成该流域内重金属污染偏高。对策建议包括应加大对城市污水的治理,加强流域内及周边矿藏资源的开发管理等。