影响街区峡谷浓度扩散的因素

对街区峡谷内污染扩散规律的研究是城市空气质量预测的主要内容之一。应用现代流体力学数值模拟方法进行大量算例的计算和分析,研究了城市街区峡谷污染物二维扩散的规律。在分析二维街区峡谷内浓度扩散的规律时,发现对街区峡谷浓度扩散的两个影响因素,其中定量分析了湍流脉动对浓度扩散的影响,与层流时得到的浓度扩散进行了通量积分的比较;此外,定性分析了不同类型的街区峡谷对扩散的影响。     

街区交通污染物光化学反应及其自然通风稀释

随着城市化进程的加剧,汽车尾气在太阳辐射作用下发生光化学反应,生成的气态污染物NO_x会在街区中扩散造成环境污染,这也是光化学烟雾形成的重要环节.本文通过数值模拟的方法,将风洞实验对比验证典型高宽比1的街区峡谷模型计算的可靠性和准确性,再运用RNG k-ε湍流模型耦合NO_x化学反应模型进行数值计算,探究存在光化学反应下的气态污染物在城市六街区中的扩散迁移规律.结果发现,上游街区的光化学反应程度要大于下游街区,但是因为街区自身涡旋结构的流动以及自然通风的稀释作用会慢慢将生成气态污染物迁移到下游街区中,且气态污染物会在街区背风侧形成积聚达到一定的浓度后会沉积在整个街区中.     

不同结构形状的街道峡谷内污染物扩散

针对不同的城市街道峡谷结构形状,通过求解二维不可压缩N-S方程和K-ε湍流模型方程及污染物对流扩散方程,数值模拟了街道峡谷内的流场及机动车排放污染物浓度场,从而说明了街道峡谷的结构是影响街道峡谷内污染气体扩散的主要因素之一。     

机动车污染模拟和地理信息系统支持

机动车污染是城市大气污染物的重要来源，对街区机动车污染排放量的预测和排放模拟对了解城市街区环境污染状况有重要价值。文章中将ＣＡＲ模式的模拟计算和ＧＩＳ集成在一起，通过ＶｉｓｕａｌＢａｓｉｃ进行了一个样例开发，其中ＧＩＳ功能由ＭａｐＸ控件实现。     

街道峡谷内汽车排放污染物浓度分布的观测与数值模拟

在上海某典型街道峡谷内按一定的空间布点,在一定时段内同时对各布点进行采样并做一氧化碳浓度分析,同时记录车辆种类、车流量、气象条件等,分析街道峡谷内污染物浓度的分布.运用风向频率加权(WDFW)方法,结合大气流动和污染物扩散的CFD模型进行数值模拟计算.结果表明,数值模拟结果和现场观测结果较吻合,建筑物低的一侧污染物浓度远高于建筑物高的一侧污染物浓度,两侧的污染物浓度随着高度的增加而降低.     

土壤污染物运移轨迹模拟研究

研究土壤污染物的运移轨迹,可以掌握污染物在土壤中迁移的时空规律,为土壤环境质量评价及污染预测、污染防治提供科学的根据与途径,具有重要的理论和实际意义.本文以对流扩散传输理论为依据,建立了土壤环境下污染物运移的数学模型,然后基于COMSOL对几种特定初始及边界条件下的对流扩散问题进行数值模拟,计算了稳定连续、指数变化、瞬时释放三种典型污染源排放模型,并探讨模型中的一些因子对污染物浓度分布的影响,最后对污染物浓度分布的计算结果进行了相关分析.     

城市街道空气质量与道路绿化型式的关系

通过对街区中茂密行道树对空气污染物扩散的利弊进行理论分析的基础上，以CO为自然示踪气体，对西安市几个典型街道中的气态污染物浓度分布做了实测。实测结果指出，道路车流量的大小是行道树树冠的净化功能和对污染物扩散的阻碍作用所占权重的主要影响因素，行道树对污染物扩散的阻碍作用主要受控于树木郁闭度而非绿量，指出城市道路绿化不应盲目追求绿量的提高，并据此提出在街道绿化中应根据车流量的大小采取不同绿化方案的建议。     

建筑动力学作用对近地面短历时点源污染扩散的影响

利用一次示踪剂扩散外场实验获得的数据,对城市小区尺度模式USSM在模拟短历时点源方面的能力进行了验证,结果表明USSM能较为合理地描述城区短历时点源的扩散特征。利用USSM进行了3个案例的情景模拟分析,得出结论:1)街区内建筑群的平均高度越高,建筑群之间的流场越紊乱,并且越容易形成涡旋型环流,同时建筑群之间的风速会变得越来越小。除此之外,随着建筑群平均高度的增加,受建筑群影响风场出现扰动现象的范围越大。2)建筑群平均高度的增高会显著降低街区内的扩散能力,并且这种影响可能是非线性的,当街区由小高层建筑为主变为高层建筑为主时,污染物输送扩散效率会急剧下降。     

城市街道内机动车排放污染物NO对流扩散的特征

采用现场观测和数值模拟的方法研究了城市街道内机动车排放污染物中的NO扩散特征。结果表明:城市街道中机动车排放污染物的对流扩散取决于屋顶风向和风速,随着建筑物顶部气流速度的增大,街道内同样位置的污染物浓度相对减小;当风向垂直于街道轴线时,街道内同样位置的污染物浓度最大;同时街道内机动车排放的污染物浓度与车流量成正比关系,即机动车流量越大污染物浓度越高。     

天津城市热岛及其对污染物扩散影响的数值模拟

城市热岛直接影响城市风场结构和污染物扩散路径,以能量平衡模式得到的地面温度作为下边界条件、中尺度气象模式MM5作初始场和侧边界条件,建立了天津市500 m的细网格城市边界层模式并用其研究天津市秋季热岛及其对污染物扩散的影响.结果表明,模式可以较好地模拟城市热岛现象,地面温度日变化规律及近地层的温度廓线与实际观测值较一致,能够反映夜间出现的逆温.模式成功地再现了城市温度场和流场的三维结构,结果表明17:00时热岛强度在地面最强,到300m存在个别的弱热岛中心,500m高度城郊不存在温度差异;地面高温中心有一个弱的辐合中心,直接影响污染物在城区的扩散,模拟的污染物浓度在地面较低,150～300 m高度最大.该研究结果可为了解天津地区局地气候的形成、污染物的扩散及城市规划提供参考和帮助.     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

Achieving Open Access to Conservation Science

Conservation science is a crisis discipline in which the results of scientific enquiry must be made available quickly to those implementing management. We assessed the extent to which scientific research published since the year 2000 in 20 conservation science journals is publicly available. Of the 19,207 papers published, 1,667 (8.68%) are freely downloadable from an official repository. Moreover, only 938 papers (4.88%) meet the standard definition of open access in which material can be freely reused providing attribution to the authors is given. This compares poorly with a comparable set of 20 evolutionary biology journals, where 31.93% of papers are freely downloadable and 7.49% are open access. Seventeen of the 20 conservation journals offer an open access option, but fewer than 5% of the papers are available through open access. The cost of accessing the full body of conservation science runs into tens of thousands of dollars per year for institutional subscribers, and many conservation practitioners cannot access pay‐per‐view science through their workplace. However, important initiatives such as Research4Life are making science available to organizations in developing countries. We urge authors of conservation science to pay for open access on a per‐article basis or to choose publication in open access journals, taking care to ensure the license allows reuse for any purpose providing attribution is given. Currently, it would cost $51 million to make all conservation science published since 2000 freely available by paying the open access fees currently levied to authors. Publishers of conservation journals might consider more cost effective models for open access and conservation‐oriented organizations running journals could consider a broader range of options for open access to nonmembers such as sponsorship of open access via membership fees. Obtención de Acceso Abierto a la Ciencia de la Conservación     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.     

Comparison of the insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact aromatic plants onAcanthoscelides obtectus,a bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans

Summary Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is one of the most damaging pests of kidney beans,Phaseolus vulgaris L. worldwide. However, aromatic plants from the families Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae can protect kidney beans by direct or delayed insecticidal effect, through increased adult mortality and inhibition of beetle reproduction (both oviposition and adult emergence). The efficiency of hydrodistillated and intact plants fromThymus vulgaris andT. serpyllum, Mentha piperata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Satureia hortensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Laurus nobilis, Origanum vulgare, andCymbopogon nardus was compared. For both extracts,Origanum vulgare had the best effect. The insecticidal effect was induced by more than the essential oils because no significant difference was noticed between distilled and intact plants extract. Inhibition of reproduction was particularly important. These results suggest that lipidic as well as non lipidic, allelochemicals, such as phenolics, or non-protein amino-acids, or flavonoids may be involved in the toxicity of aromatic plants to this beetle.     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

Some polyphagous Homoptera gain protection from their natural enemies by feeding on the toxic plantsSpartium junceum andErythrina corallodendrum (Leguminosae)

Summary Interactions were studied among alkaloid-containing legumes (Erythrina corallodendrum andSpartium junceum) and non-toxic plants (Citrus sinensis, Cucurbita moschata andEuphorbia tirucalli), several polyphagous homopterans,Aphis craccivora (Aphididae),Icerya purchasi, I. aegyptiaca (Margarodidae),Lepidosaphes ulmi (Diaspididae) andPlanococcus citri (Pseudococcidae), and some major natural enemies of these homopterans. Significant reductions in survival due to negative effects of alkaloid containing as compared with non-alkaloidal plants were recorded for the predatorsRodolia cardinalis andChilocorus bipustulatus, but not forCryptolaemus montrouzieri (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae),Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) andSympherobius sanctus (Neuroptera: Sympherobiidae). The development time of the larvae or pupae ofR. cardinalis, C. carnea andS. sanctus was longer on the toxic plants than on the non-toxic ones. The percentage of parasitism ofA. craccivora collected from the non-alkaloidal plantsVicia palaestina andMelilotus albus was much higher than that onS. junceum. The parasitoid complexes ofA. craccivora differed between both plant groups. The nutritive value of honeydew ofI. purchasi andA. craccivora, as expressed by the life span ofEncyrtus infelix (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) adults, was also investigated. Life spans were significantly longer when the wasps fed on honeydew produced on non-alkaloidal plants (C. sinensis andPittosporum tobira) than on alkaloid containing plants whenI. purchasi — but notA. craccivora — was the producer. It is suggested that the chemical defense ofE. corallodendrum andS. junceum is exploited by polyphagous phytophages to reduce predation. In nature, population growth and density of four of the investigated homopterans are conspicuously high when they developed on the alkaloid containing plant species, and very low on non-alkaloid plants. The efficiency of their natural enemies may be reduced by sequestration of alkaloids (or other toxic plant compounds) or their transfer into excreted honeydew. Therefore it is assumed that a generalist phytophagous homopteran may be protected from its natural enemies, although at different rates of efficiency, if it can safely sequester the host allelochemical when it develops on toxic species within its host range.