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Table of Content

Volume 32 Issue 3
25 May 2016
Damages to Eco-Environment Caused by Mineral Resources Exploitation in West China and Supervisary Countermeasures.
LI Hai-dong, SHEN Wei-shou, BIAN Zheng-fu
2016, 32(3):  345-350.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.001
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West China is usually regarded as an important curtain safeguarding ecological security of the country. Large-scale exploitation of the mineral resources there has caused damages to the eco-environment of the region to a certain extent, which has become one of the most important factors restraining sustainable development of the regional economy and society. On the basis of the differentiation and analysis of concepts related to eco-environmental damage caused by mining, status quo of the mineral resources and characteristics of their exploitation in the twelve provinces, autonomous regions or metropolises in West China were elaborated and major eco-environmental damage problems, such as land destruction in mining areas, damage of ecological integrity, soil and water losses, land desertification, environmental pollution, etc., and their adverse impacts defined and discussed. A series of countermeasures were set forth for supervision of eco-environment in areas of mining activities, including (1) strictly implementing the existing policies related to eco-environment protection; (2) establishing a national eco-environmental supervision system; (3) developing a special program for damage monitoring, risk assessment, protection and restoration of the eco-environment in mining areas of West China; and (4) specifying- responsibilities of the local governments at various levels and enterprises involved in mining activities for damage of the eco-environment, in expectation of providing some valuable references for decision-making on strengthening protection and restoration of the eco-environment of the region.

Driving Factors of Land Degradation in Metal and Non-Metal Mining Areas.
LI Hai-dong, SHEN Wei-shou
2016, 32(3):  351-354.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.002
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Since the starting of the State Major Basic Sci-tech Research Program in 2014, in line with the technical program and the classification system developed for the investigation, eleven representative mining areas in Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi and Gansu have been investigated, and comparative analysis done of the metal and non-metal mining areas for differences in soil heavy metal pollution, land destruction and land use alteration. Results show that the metal mining areas are generally higher than the non-metal mining areas in soil heavy metal pollution, and mine excavation methods are an important factor of land destruction. Open-cast mining or open-cast/underground mining, on the whole, damages more land than underground mining does. 

Investigation and Assessment of Artificial Influencing Factors of Land Degradation in Shendong Coal Mining Area Based on ZY-3 Satellite Data.
YAO Wei-ling, YU Jiang-kuan, LU Yun-ge
2016, 32(3):  355-360.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.003
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Based on the ZY-3 satellite data related to the Shendong coal mining area, the matic remote sensing interpretation marks were established for artificial influencing factors of land degradation in the area, the factors monitored via remote sensing, a comprehensive intensity evaluation index system built up for the factors with the AHP method, and strength indices of the factors worked out with the comprehensive evaluation method. It turned out that land occupation by waste was the major form of land degradation caused by artificial influencing factors, and the influence of mining activities on land degradation in this area had reached the level of “strong”. To estimate quantity of the land resources occupied or to be occupied by waste and predict the trend of the land degradation as a result of development of the mining area, an algorithm was proposed for calculation of land occupation and damage rate in the coal mining area. The research shows that the ZY-3 satellite data are adequate to completely satisfy the requirements of the survey of land degradation caused by underground coal mining for high resolution satellite remote-sensing data, and it is essential to intensify orderly and effective management of coal mining and to monitor dynamics of the environment of the mining area via remote-sensing in order to stop the aggravating trend of the influence of the artificial factors on land degradation.

Factors of Land Degradation in Wuhai Mining Area Based on GIS.
HUANG Yuan-yuan, YAN Qing-wu, LEI Shao-gang, LI Jun-gang
2016, 32(3):  361-366.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.004
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In order to study characteristics and driving factors of the land degradation in mining areas quantitatively, remote sensing and GIS technology were used to characterize changes in land use in area and type in the Wuhai mining area, Inner Mongolia from 1990 to 2010. On such a basis, some economic, social and spatial factors were selected for exploration of factors driving changes in land use in the studied zone during the 2 different periods of 1990-2000 and 2000-2010. Results show that the changes in land use in the study area in the recent 20 years were manifested mainly in drastic decrease of grassland in area and rapid expansion of construction land and wasteland, which were used to be grassland and farmland, while land degradation was mainly in growth of sandy land and wasteland in area. Aanalysis using the Logistic regression model reveals that land degradation during the first period (1990-2000) was driven mainly by factors, like “distance to the nearest mining site”, “distance to the nearest village and town” and slope Ⅱ (5-15°), while during the second period (2000-2010) it was by factors like “distance to the nearest water source”, “elevation”, and “distance to the nearest road”.

Effect of Mining on Ecological Degradation in Bayan Obo.
BAI Shu-ying, ZHU Qian-wen, SHEN Wei-shou, LI Hai-dong
2016, 32(3):  367-373.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.005
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Exploitation of mines serves as an important guarantee for the national economy and construction of national defense, however, it also brings about great damages to the local ecological environment. With the Bayan Obo mining area cited as object, data acquired through large volumes of field investigations, remote sensing data from Landsat TM, OLI, Quickbird and digital elevation map (DEM) of the region were analyzed with the neighborhood space analysis function of GIS and specific frequency analysis method for exploration of impacts of exploitation of the mine on ecological environment from the angles of land destruction, vegetation degradation and soil erosion. Results show that the situation of land alienation and destruction was very serious, and most of the alienated land used to be grassland; The closer to the mining area, the more serious the land destruction, and the worse the vegetation grew; In 1990-2014, the acreage of soil erosion did not change much, but the soil erosion within the radius of 500 m of the mining site has turned from mild to severe in degree. On the whole, the ecological environment of the Bayan Obo mining area displays a deteriorating trend, and the closer to the mining site the more  serious.

Variation of Vegetation Index in Coal Mining Areas in Guizhou Province and Its Affecting Factors.
LI Jun-gang,YAN Qing-wu, XIONG Ji-bing, HUANG Yuan-yuan
2016, 32(3):  374-378.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.006
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With the aid of remote sensing and spatial analysis technology and MODIS data, impacts of coal mining activities on vegetation of Guizhou Province were analyzed. Variations of the vegetation in the coal mining areas of the province were analyzed and characterized with the maximum value composition, average and the unary linear regression analysis methods, and influences of elevation, aspect, slope, soil, mean annual precipitation of years and mean annual temperature of years and annual coal output on the vegetation in the coal mining areas of the province were explored. Results show that the NDVIs of all the coal mining areas of the province were higher than 0.77, which means the vegetation in the mining areas was pretty good in growth, but still poorer than the province′s average. Among the mining areas, large-sized mining areas were obviously lower than medium- and -small-sized ones in NDVI; The NDVI of the province on the whole was on a rising trend. In a large proportion (79.22%) of the coal mining areas vegetation was improving, but still in a small portion (13.42%) it was degenerating;Among the seven factors affecting NDVI, coal output ranked third in the province as a whole, but fourth, fifth, and fifth in Zunyi, Bijie and Liupanshui, respectively. The main factors affecting the vegetation in the area were environmental factors like precipitation, soil and slope.

Status of Exploitation of Mineral Resources in East Tibet and Its Evaluation.
LU Yun-ge,LI Chun-lin,LIU Cai,WANG Hao
2016, 32(3):  379-382.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.007
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The survey of East Tibet via remote-sensing started in 2011 and completed in 2014 for status of the exploitation of mineral resources in the region, covering 13 key areas. For the first time, a complete all-factor dataset concerning mineral resource exploitation all over East Tibet has been established based on the domestic satellite data for comprehensive study and evaluation. Results show that the exploitation needs to be improved, it is still quite low in mineral resources exploitation program execution rate and ridden with illegal mining.  A total of seven counties, including Mozhugongka, Linzhou, Jiangda and some others were sorted into the category of high intensity in exploitation and high density in distribution of minings. All the findings in this study might serve as valuable references for making mineral resources exploitation programs in East Tibet and as scientific basis for decision-making in deploying focal areas for remote-sensing survey of mineral resources exploitation and its dynamics in the next five years.

Risk Assessment of Debris Flow Hazard in Settlement Points of Panxi Region, Sichuan Province.
BAI Shu-ying, YU Ye-ting,MO Ting,SHEN Wei-shou,SHI Jian-qiao
2016, 32(3):  383-388.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.008
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Risk assessment of debris flow hazard in settlement sites is the basis for accurately forecasting and predicting disasters and reckoning damages and losses. With the help of GIS, a total of 9 factors in the fields of geologic structure, topography, hydrometeorology and human activities were selected for use in analysis of  influencing factors and risk assessment of debris flow hazards in Panxi region, with the analytic hierarchy process, and the assessments were verified for the accuracy against conditions of the sites where actual debris flows occurred. Based on spatialization of the population data of Panxi region, potential risks of debris flow hazards in the settlement sites were analyzed. Results show that the distribution of the areas extremely high and high in risk is mainly affected by fault in the west of the region, and by river more than by fault in the middle and south of the region, and by the three factors of fault, slope and elevation, more than by river in the northwest and northeast of the region. In 84.10% of the areas rated to be extremely high, high and medium in risk in the risk assessment actual debris flow hazard did occur, affecting about 72.48% of the population. Areas extremely high in risk are generally distributed in the vicinity of a fault, areas high in risk are in the periphery of the former, areas moderate in risk areas are relatively far away from a fault, and areas low in risk are in the eastern and western parts of the study areas where no faults are found.

Evaluation of Soil Erosion of Liupanshui City Based on Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation(RUSLE).
YIN Lu, YAN Qing-wu, BIAN Zheng-fu
2016, 32(3):  389-396.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.009
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Mining mineral resources will easily lead to destruction of land resources and deterioration of eco-environment in mining areas. In order to explore effect of coal mining on soil erosion and evaluate the situation of soil erosion in Liupanshui, a major coal mining based city in Southwest Guizhou Province, based on related soil texture, terrain, meteorology, land cover and land use data, status quo and spatial distribution of soil erosion in the city was studied and characterized, with emphasis on distribution of soil erosion in the mining area using the RUSLE model and GIS spatial analysis method. Results show that the soil erosion in Liupanshui is mostly mild and moderate, with severe erosion distributed only in the east and south of Shuicheng County, the east of Liuzhi Special Zone and the central of Panxian County; that soil erosion mainly occurs in woodlands, meadows, dry lands, mining area and bare land where human disturbance is intense; that the mining area in the south of Liupanshui is quite severe in soil erosion as compared with others, but yet dominated with moderate erosion, mainly because mining activities triggers geological disasters which in turn lower the effect of soil erosion controlling factors; and that the situation of private-owned coal minings is much worse than that of state-owned ones. It is, therefore, important for private-owned coal minings to intensify protection and management of the land resources in the process of coal mining.

Wheat Root Exudation and Soil Nitrogen Transformations in Farmland Reclaimed From Coal Gangue
CHENG Lin-sen, CHENG Wei, BIAN Zheng-fu, LEI Shao-gang
2016, 32(3):  397-403.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.010
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To investigate fundamental mechanisms of coal gangue affecting winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) root exudation and nitrogen transformations, a field experiment was conducted on a tract of farmland reclaimed from coal gangue. Exudates from wheat roots, soil N transformation rate, and activities of two extracellular enzymes at various growth stages of the crop in the farmland were analyzed and determined. Results show that: (1) The existence of coal gangue significantly decreased root length, root biomass and root activity of the crop wheat throughout its growth season; (2) The existence of coal gangue decreased root exudation rate Ⅰ by 25.47%, 23.71% and 9.95%, respectively, and root exudation rate Ⅱ by 39.83%, 25.81% and 10.84%, respectively at the jointing stage, flowering stage and maturing stage, and root exudation rate Ⅲ decreased significantly by 23.71% at the jointing stage as compared with that of the crop in a control field. Root exudation rate Ⅲ(y) was found to be positively related to root activity(x) and the correlation could be fitted with the regression equation of y=0.012x-0.43, R2=0.874(P<0.05, n=30); (3) Coal gangue inhibited significantly N transformations and soil enzyme activities at all the growth stages, and the two were positively related to root exudation rate Ⅲ (P<0.05), which suggests that coal gangue decreases N transformation rate by inhibiting crop root exudation, thus reducing the supply of available N and then restraining growth of the crop.

Distribution of Heavy Metals in Soil of Fluorite Mining Area in Damao County, Inner Mongolia and Evaluation of Their Composite Pollution.
SI Wan-tong, LI Hai-dong, LIN Nai-feng, BAI Shu-ying, WANG Tao, JIN Hang, SHEN Wei-shou, ZHU Xiao-dong
2016, 32(3):  404-409.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.011
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The exploitation of fluorite mines has triggered a serous soil pollution problem in Damao County, Inner Mogolia. Soil samples were collected from mining areas, quarries, earth dumping sites, inside and outside of gangue dumping sites and pastures around the mining areas in the region for analysis of Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu, Cd, Zn, As, and Hg. Heavy metal pollution degrees of the soils were analyzed and assessed based on soil pollution factor, Nemero index, soil pollution load index, and potential ecological risk index. Results show that the soils in all these places have gone beyond the Grade Ⅲ criteria of the Standard of Soil Environmental Quality (GB 15618-1995), in pollution of Cu, Cd, Zn, and As. In terms of single-factor pollution, Cd is the most serious and the most extensively distributed one. Pollution risks exist mainly inside the gangue dumping sites and in areas around the gangue and earth dumping sites, with Cd, As and Hg being the major pollutants. The gangue dumpling sites are the priority areas for pollution prevention and control. As a whole, soil pollution is relatively concentrated in the mining areas, and does not have much influence on people in the living quarters.

Progresses in Study on Utilization of Crop Straw in Soilless Culture
FAN Ru-qin, LUO Jia, YAN Shao-hua, LU Xin, LIU Li-zhu, ZHANG Zhen-hua
2016, 32(3):  410-416.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.012
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Utilization of crop straw in soilless culture is a way to make full use of idle straw resources, to conserve valuable natural peat resources, and to reduce pollution of the atmosphere and the rural environment. Technical principles of the utilization of crop straw in soilless culture were elaborated, technical process of the production introduced, technical parameters and equipment of the production illustrated in detail, and focal points of the operation pinpointed. In the end, main problems that hinder development of the process and approaches to solutions of the problems were summarized, and prospects of the project discussed. The review was intended to provide some technical reference for utilization of crop straw in soilless culture and industrialization of the culture.

Progress of Research on Genetic Diversity of Cyanophage Based on psbA Gene
LI Yue, LIU Ting-ting, LIU Li, XIA Xue-shan
2016, 32(3):  417-423.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.013
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Cyanophages, as a kind of peculiar viruses that infect specifically cyanobacteria, exists extensively in various aquatic environments. In water bodies where water eutrophication is severe, cyanobacterial bloom outbreaks frequently. So scientists pay much attention to the study on cyanophages as a potential biological factor in controlling cyanobacteria. Currently studies on cyanophages are focused mainly on how to isolate and purify cyanophages and what its physiological and biochemical properties are. Little has been done on its genetic diversity because no universal genetic markers are available for the study. Using the photosynthesis psbA gene that encodes key photosystem II proteins (D1) of cyanophages as target, recent advances in researches on cyanophage genetic diversity in maritime and fresh water environments were reviewed and distribution and variation of cyanophages in various natural environments analyzed. Meanwhile, some tips for problems in and prospects of the researches in this field are also discussed.

Effects of Landscape Pattern on Hydrological Processes in the Central Subtropical Hilly Agricultural Catchments
LIU Ji, LI Wei, WANG Yi, LI Qiao-yun, LI Yong, WU Jin-shui
2016, 32(3):  424-431.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.014
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Landscape is an important factor affecting catchment hydrological processes and water cycling. The study on how landscape affects hydrological processes in a catchment may provide some scientific basis for reasonable water resource management and utilization. A case study was conducted of a catchment, Jinjing catchment of Changsha County, Hunan Province, making use of the hydrological and meteorological data measured during 2010-2014 and the remote-sensing landuse maps of that period to analyze effects of the landscape pattern of the catchment on hydrological processes (i.e. river runoff and base flow), with the Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression models. Results show as follows:(1) volume of the river runoff in the catchment fluctuated drastically and seasonally, while that of the base flow did not vary so much with the season; (2) landscape pattern significantly influenced hydrological processes in the catchment, especially during the dry and normal period, when volume of the base flow was significantly and positively related to Shannon's diversity index, patch density, and edge density, but negatively to contag index, largest patch index, aggregation index, and cohesion index(P<0.05); and (3) river runoff coefficient and volume of the base flow in a year or during the dry and normal periods can be predicted from proportions of land use types and landscape patterns in area. Therefore, rational landscape planning of the catchment based on the prediction will help scientific management and reasonable utilization of the water resources in central subtropical hilly agricultural catchments.

Regional Characteristics of Carbon Emission Reducing Effect of Rural Household Biogas Project and Strategies for Future Development of the Project: A Case Study of Sichuan Province, China
TIAN Cong-shan, LI Ming, LI Yong, LIU Qin
2016, 32(3):  432-438.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.015
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In order to explore regional characteristics of the greenhouse gas emission reducing effects of the rural household biogas project, Sichuan Province was cited as a case for study. Based on farmer household surveys in five major agricultural zones of the province, carbon emission reducing effect of the household biogas project in each of the five agricultural zones was figured out. Results show that a household biogas digester could reduce 2.21-3.21 t·a-1 of carbon emission and 2.69 t·a-1 on average over the province. The effect varied sharply with the agricultural zone and the five zones followed an order of the mountainous areas around the Sichuan Basin(3.21 t·a-1) > the high mountains and the plateau in Northwest Sichuan(2.94 t·a-1) > the mountainous area of Southwest Sichuan(2.65 t·a-1) > the hilly area of the Sichuan Basin(2.42 t·a-1) > the Chengdu Plain(2.21 t·a-1). According to contribution of the biogas digesters to carbon emission reduction, the household biogas digesters in the study area can be sorted into two categories, namely, forest protection digesters and energy structure alteration digesters, of which the former was much higher in carbon emission reducing effect. In 2013, the use of biogas digesters changing the way of domestic waste treatment reduced carbon emission directly by 4.164 million tons, and indirectly by 14.936 million tons through protecting forests and altering energy structure, while increasing carbon emission by 3.307 million tons via leakage and combustion of methane, thus, making the total reduction of carbon emission up to 15.793 million tons. Aiming at the new problems and phenomena confronted in extension of the household biogas project, it is suggested that the emphasis of the extension should lean towards the mountainous areas around the Sichuan Basin and the high mountains and plateau area of Northwest Sichuan, and as for the hilly area and the Chengdu Plain of the Sichuan Basin, more attention should be paid to construction of the maintenance support system for household biogas digesters, and extrapolation of the moderate- and small-sized biogas digester project to new small-scaled animal-rearing farmers.

Inversion of Climate Data of the Past 300 Years of a Region Typical of the Northern Daxing'anling Range
QU Hui-hui, ZHAO Hui-ying, GONG Li-juan
2016, 32(3):  439-444.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.016
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Inversion of historical climate data based on widths of tree-rings is an important foundation for the study on climate change and utilization of climatic resources. A climate reconstruction model was set up based on width of tree-rings of the trees in the Angelin forest farm and the Xinqing forest farm in the northern Daxing'anling Range and their correlations with the temperatures, precipitations and hours of sunshine around the neighboring weather stations, with significance levelbeing over 0.25 and average relative error being below 30%. Results show that among the factors studied in this project, temperature is the major one affecting width of tree-rings the most and hours of sunshine, the least in the region. Among the equations for climatic reconstruction, the equation based on temperature is the highest in significance level, while the equation based on hours of sunshine, the lowest. The simulation using factors, like hours of sunshine is generally lower than 10% in average relative error, while the one using factors, like temperature and precipitation, is lower than 30%. Within the designated scope of conditions, 11, 9 and 11 models are established, respectively, for reconstruction of temperature, precipitation and sunshine data of the region, respectively, and can be used to inverse the climate data of the years from 1707 (1706) to 1959 or from 1866 (1865) to 1959. Consequently, the climate data available for study of the region is greatly expanded to cover about 300 (or 150) years.

Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Ozone Pollution Over Yangtze River Delta Region.
LIU Zhi-jun, XIE Xiao-xun, XIE Min, WANG Ti-jian, ZHU Xin-sheng, OUYANG Yan, FENG Wen, ZHU Kuan-guang, SHU Lei
2016, 32(3):  445-450.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.017
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Based on the hourly ozone concentration data accumulated by the environmental monitoring stations in 16 cities during the period from June 27, 2013 to May 30, 2014, spatio-temporal distribution of ozone pollution over the Yangtze River Delta Region was analyzed and characterized. Results show that the annual mean O3 concentrations in coastal cities were all over 60 μg·m-3, much higher than those, being below 50 μg·m-3, in inland cities, and the distribution of NO2 was just opposite to that of O3 in pattern. O3 concentration in the region varied seasaonally, that is, high in summer, and low in winter, particularly in December. In summer, the over standard rate of O3 concentration was very high, going beyond 25% in 5 of the 16 cities, and in spring it was also high, particularly in Nanjing reaching over 20%. The daily variation of O3 concentration was a typical "single-peak" pattern, regardless seasons. The lowest value appeared at about 6 a.m. in summer, and an hour later in all the other seasons. The peak value appeared at about 3 p.m. in all the seasons. In summer the peak value might reach as high as 168 μg·m-3 while in winter the peak value was 85 μg·m-3.

Identification of Transportation Pathways and Sources of SO2 and NO2 in Tuanbowa, Tianjin
YAO Xiang-shu, WANG Lei
2016, 32(3):  451-457.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.018
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To characterize the air pollution relative to season and identify potential pollution sources in Tuanbowa of Tianjin, HYSPLIT model and meteorological data of global data assimilation system (GDAS) were used and the cluster method was applied to invert the tracks of airflows arriving at Tuanbowa of Tianjin during the period from December 2012 to November 2013, and the tracks were classified by season. Moreover, the daily monitoring data of NO2 and SO2 during the period were taken into account in analysis of effects of the airflow tracks on concentrations of pollutants in Tuanbowa of Tianjin relative to season. The potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis method and concentration-weighted trajectory (CWT) analysis method were applied to simulate contributions of the potential sources and CWT of NO2 and SO2 relative to season. Results show that airflows coming in from different directions had apparent different impacts on distribution of potential NO2 and SO2 sources. The airflow tracks corresponding to the daily mean highest values of NO2 and SO2 concentrations were concentrated mainly in winter and autumn. In winter, the daily highest concentration of NO2 and SO2 was 115 and 179 μg·m-3, respectively, with airflows coming mainly from northwest while in autumn, it was 81 and 116 μg·m-3, respectively, with airflows coming mainly from northwest and southeast. PSCF and CWT of NO2 and SO2 in Tuanbohu were distributed in a similar pattern, with the highest concentration of NO2 and SO2 appearing in the surroundings of Beijing and Tianjin and areas around the coal industries in Hebei Province, which demonstrate that they are the main potential source areas of the two main pollutants. Compared with the PSCT analysis method, the CWT method may be used to quantitatively simulate concentrations of the pollutants in the potential source area, and the potential source areas simulated with the CWT method are more concentrated than those with the PSCF method, regardless of season, which helps identify potential source areas more accurately.

Characteristics of Transboundary Non-Point Source Agricultural Pollution in the Taihu Valley.
PENG Zhao-di, LI Sheng-sheng, LIU Zhuang, YANG Han-pei, LI Wei-xin, ZHUANG Wei, LI Wen-jing, HANG Xiao-shuai
2016, 32(3):  458-465.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.019
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To illustrate the transboundary non-point source agricultural pollution in the Taihu valley, first of all, COD, TN and TP loads in the pollution were figured out with an export coefficient model by calculating the loads separately in the three major contributors of the pollution, i.e. domestic sewage and household refuse from rural population, agricultural runoff and waste from livestock keeping, and temporal and spatial variations of the loads were characterized; Then, discharge intensities of the loads in various regions of the transboundary area were evaluated with the extremum method and the mean variance weighting method. Results show that during the years from 2010 to 2013, the COD, TN and TP loads on the whole were on a declining trend; during the four years, high COD load appeared in Huzhou and Jiaxing and high TN and TP loads in Suzhou, Huzhou and Jiaxing; livestock keeping was the main contributor of the three loads, explaining 80% of the total load. Evaluation of discharge intensity of the loads indicates that the comprehensive index of the non-point source agricultural pollution per unit GDP was 0.217 6, 0.240 2, 0.236 4 and 0.222 2, respectively, for the four years, which did not show any rule of variation, while the comprehensive index of the non-point source agricultural pollution per unit area was 0.407 8, 0.289 9, 0.289 2 and 0.281 6, which obviously followed a declined trend.

Spatio-Temporal Evolution of Livestock Manure Nutrient Load in Farmland on a County Scale: A Case Study of Anhui Province.
YAN Bo-jie, PAN Yu-chun, YAN Jing-jie
2016, 32(3):  466-472.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.020
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Nutrient load from livestock manure in farmlands feature apparent spatio-temporal variation. The study on effects of regional characteristics and distribution of the load means significantly to the study on environmental pollution caused by livestock breeding and sustainable development of livestock breeding. Based on the county-leveled 2004-2012 statistics of livestock breeding and area of farmlands in Anhui Province, spatial autocorrelation analysis was performed to explore spatial pattern and spatial evolution of N load from livestock manure in the farmland on the county scale in Anhui. Results show that nitrogen load from livestock manure in the farmland varied spatially and temporally with the county in the period of 2004-2012. The Global Moran's I index (0.24-0.37) shows that the nitrogen load had a significant positive relationship with space and potential dependence on space, which indicates that the nitrogen load had been in the development stage of relative agglomeration. The Getis-Ord Gi* index also shows that the hotspots of nitrogen load were mainly distributed in northern and southeast parts of Anhui Province, especially Jixi County in Xuanzhou City, which was always a hotspot region during the period. In addition, the counties including Shexian, Xiaoxian, Jingde, Dangshan and Lixin were several times sorted as hotspot regions. The findings of this study may serve as scientific basis for researches on decision-making on livestock manure disposal and environmental pollution control, and regional total amount control of livestock feeding.

Population Dynamics and Habitat Selection of Overwintering Red-Crowned Cranes in Coastal Wetland of Yancheng, Jiangsu Province
LIU Da-wei, ZHANG Ya-lan, SUN Yong, LÜ Shi-cheng, CHENG Hai, MU Shao-jie, LU Chang-hu
2016, 32(3):  473-477.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.021
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Of the red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) wintering in the coastal wetland of Yancheng, Jiangsu Province population size was investigated during 2006-2014 with the synchronously-investigate method, distributions in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2014, surveyed, separately, and habitat use and selection in 2006 and 2011 analyzed. Population of the wintering red-crowned cranes in the wetland decreased from 2006 to 2010, and the trend leveled off and then turned upward a little bit from 2010 to 2014. In terms of spatial distribution, the wintering red-crowned cranes tended to gather towards the core zone of the Yancheng National Nature Reserve. The cranes preferred to hatch and feed in shoals with reeds and wormwoods rather than salt fields, farmlands and fish ponds. It was found that dynamics of the population and habitat selection of the cranes was closely related to a number of factors, like land use, human activities and changes in habitat. In the light of the findings of the research, recommendations are made for conservation of the overwintering ground of red-crowned cranes.

Heavy Metal Content in Vegetable and Its Health Risk as Affected by Mining Activities in Nandan County
LU Su-fen, SONG Bo, FU Feng-yan, YU Yuan-yuan, ZHU Nan, ZHONG Xue-mei
2016, 32(3):  478-485.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.022
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In order to evaluate health risk of the exposure of typical local inhabitants of Nandan to heavy metals via consumption of vegetable, impacts of mining activities on content of heavy metals in soil and vegetable in Dachang, Chehe, and Changlao and in Liuzhai as check were investigated. Through a consecutive 3-day household diet survey, the data of vegetable consumption rate were obtained. And at the same time, soil samples from 37 vegetable fields and 166 vegetable samples were collected for analysis of contents of As, Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn and Sb. In addition, the potential health risk of the exposure of local people to heavy metals via consumption of the vegetable was assessed using the pollution index method and the data of intake of heavy metals. Results show that in terms of concentration of heavy metals in the soils and vegetables, the four sites followed a decreasing order of Dachang > Chehe > Zhanglao > Liuzhai; the vegetables produced in mining-affected areas had about 5.60%, 71.1% and 32.3% exceeding the criteria for As, Pb and Cd set, respectively, in the national standard for food safety while the vegetable produced in Liuzhai had 57.1% and 37.5%, exceeding the criteria for Pb and Cd, respectively; the adult inhabitants in Dachang and Chehe took in much more As, Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn and Sb via consumption of vegetables than those in Liuzhai did daily. The target hazard quotients (THQ) of As, Pb, Cd and Sb in vegetable were all higher than that of Cu and Zn in the four areas, and the target cancer risk (TR) of As in vegetable to individual human health reached 10.64×10-5 and 10.20×10-5a-1, respectively, in Dachang and Chehe, significantly higher than the criteria set in the standard (i.e. 10-6-10-4) of United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the standard (i.e. 5×10-5) of International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), which indicates that Pb and Cd are the major heavy metal elements posing health risks to health of the inhabitants in the mining area and that the inhabitants in mining concentrated areas are facing severe risks of exposure to heavy metals.

Heavy Metal Enrichment and Bioaccumulation Characteristics of Boehmeria nivea, a Dominant Species of Plant Growing in Dexing Mining Area of Jiangxi Province.
JIAN Min-fei, YANG Ye-ping, YU Hou-ping, YE Jia-min, JIN Cong
2016, 32(3):  486-491.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.023
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A study was conducted to investigate contents of three main heavy metal elements, cadmium, lead and copper, in ramie (Boehmeria nivea)and its associated soils in the Dexing Copper Mining of Jiangxi Province. Samples of soils and ramie were collected from 8 sampling sites typical of the mining area for analysis. Results show that the soil of the area has been severely polluted with Cu and slightly with Cd, but not Pb, which was found still within the range of soil background values of Jiangxi Province. In the soils around the 8 sampling sites, the mean content of Cd, Pb and Cu was 0.51, 9.36 and 1 058.21 mg·kg-1, respectively. In most of the sampling sites, the content of heavy metals was the lowest in ramie leaves and the highest in ramie roots, and the difference between the highest and lowest was drastic, reaching a few dozen times. In terms of bioaccumulation coefficient and transfer coefficient in the ramie, the content of heavy metals displayed an order of Cd>Pb> Cu. The heavy metals varied sharply in bioaccumulation coefficient and transfer coefficient in ramie. The highest bioaccumulation coefficient and the highest transfer coefficient of Cd was 1.42 and 0.54, of Pb 0.63 and 0.53, of Cu 0.08 and 0.37, respectively. Of the eight sampling sites, the mean biomass of ramie shoot was 1.41 t·hm-2, and the highest reached to 2.18 t·hm-2. The mean bioaccumulation of Cd, Pb and Cu in the ramie was 0.2, 1.1 and 24 g·hm-2, respectively. All the findings indicate that ramie is quite tolerant to Cu and Cd and can be grown as pioneer plant in mining areas for control of heavy metals pollution and phytoremediation of the ecology in the area.

Residue of Cu in Medium of Composted Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) on Growth of Vegetable in Soilless Culture and Food Safety.
LU Xin, LUO Jia, YAN Shao-hua, FAN Ru-qin, LIU Li-zhu, ZHANG Zhen-hua
2016, 32(3):  492-499.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.024
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To harvest and compost water hyacinth and then use it as a component of the medium in soilless culture is a novel train of thought to turn waste into resource. However, as the wastewater from aquacultural farms generally contains heavy metal pollutants, like Cu, and so does the plant growing in the wastewater, it is necessity to assess impacts of the culture media contain in composted water hyacinth on growth and food safety of the vegetable in soilless culture. Results show that in media with Cu varying in the range of 0-600 mg·kg-1 growth of radish and water spinach were not significantly affected, and Cu concentrations in the edible parts of the two vegetables were within the safety limits (10.0 mg·kg-1) set in the National Standard for Food Safety of China, but a relatively higher Cu concentration, about 15 mg·kg-1, in roots of the water spinach was detected. The concentration of Cu was significantly lower in the edible parts of radish (0.2-1.6 mg·kg-1) than in those of water spinach (0.5-4 mg·kg-1). The content of Cu in the plants was found to be significantly related to the content of exchangeable Cu in the growing media. So it is much safer to plant radish than water spinach in soilless culture using composted water hyacinth in the medium. It is, therefore, essential to consider not only content and availability of Cu in the soilless culture medium, but also species of the vegetable to plant and characteristics of their biological Cu absorption in assessing potential risk of heavy metal pollution of the culture medium to food safety.

Practical Application of Technology Combining Ozonation With Hydrodynamic Cavitation to Algae Removal From Water.
WU Zhi-lin, WANG Wei-min, LI Wei-xin, ZHAO Yi, TANG Chuan-dong, Giancarlo CRAVOTTO
2016, 32(3):  500-506.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.025
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Based on laboratory research and pilot experiments, an industrial water treatment system combining ozonation with hydrodynamic cavitation has been developed to remove algae from eutrophicated waterbodies. A comparative study was performed to compare the technologies of "complex cavitation/ozone", "extrusion cavitation/ozone", "suction cavitation/ozone", "ozonation alone" and "orifice plate aperture" in water treatment efficiency, relative to chlorophyll a, UV254, COD and NH3-N contents and turbidity in treated water. Meanwhile, comparison was done between "complex cavitation/ozone" and "ozone alone" in some economic and technological indices, such as ozone utilization rate and net purification rate per unit of ozone and energy consumed. Results show that the technology of "complex cavitation/ozone" reached 44.5% and 88.9% in chlorophyll removal rate and 0.89 and 1.78 kW·h·m-3in per unit energy consumption, respectively, during the period of stable discharge, when operated at 10 or 5 m3·h-1. Moreover, the indices of turbidity, UV254 and COD all dropped significantly. The two technologies were also found better than the others in the other economic and technical indices. Therefore, it is concluded that the "hydrodynamic cavitation/ozone" system can be applied to quick and effective elimination of algae and chlorophyll, suppression of algal blooms, and reduction of ecological damage and economic losses that may be caused by algal blooms and dead algae.

Effect of Composite-Medium Bio-filter Treating Wastewater “Farm Household Tourism”
NIE Xin-jun, SUN Yan-ping, ZHONG Liang, SONG Ying, LUO An-cheng
2016, 32(3):  507-511.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.026
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In recent years, "farm household tourism" has become a business that has been developing rapidly and concomitantly causing significant increase in wastewater discharge, thus polluting the surrounding environment more and more in extent and posing an urgent problem that calls for solution in rural environment protection in some regions. As the farmer households sponsoring "farm household tourism" are scattered spatially, and vary sharply in wastewater production, it is hard to address this problem effectively with the conventional methods available. The authors have designed and tested a series of "composite-medium bio-filter(CMB)" systems, different in composition of medium, in laboratory for a continuous period of 114 days to investigate technical feasibility and effects of the CNB systems treating this kind of wastewater. Results show that when the wastewater was 2 000-4 500, 15-60 and 6-12 mg·L-1, in concentration of COD, TN and TP, respectively, on average the CMB systems could remove COD by over 90%, TN by over 80% and TP by over 70%. Mass balance analysis indicates that their NH4+ removal depended mainly on nitrification/denitrification, which was enhanced by the filling of zeolite adsorbing NH4+, while TP removal did on adsorption by the media. The addition of bamboo granules into the medium of the filter could not only stabilize the removal rate of COD and enhance that of TP, but also reduce cost. The test indicates that the CMB, easy to manage and free from any need of energy, is a promising technique for treating the wastewater from farm household tourism.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Crop Straw Resources in the Yellow River Delta: A Case Study of Dongying
WU Cong-wen, CHEN Xiao-bing, SHAN Jing-jing, YIN Chun-yan, YUAN Ling, ZHANG Li-bin
2016, 32(3):  512-516.  doi:10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.03.027
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Based on the data contained in the Dongying Statistical Yearbook (2004-2013) and Shandong Statistical Yearbook (2014), yields, densities and spatio-temporal distributions of crop straw resources in Dongying were analyzed and in addition, a grey prediction model (GM) was established to predict changes in the crop straw resources in future. Results show that during the period from 2004 to 2013, Dongying produced on average 147.51×104 t of crop straw every year, and the yields fluctuated aong a rising trend; in Dongying City, crop straw resources were distributed mostly, about 53.61%, in Guangrao County, followed by Lijin County, Kenli County, Dongying District and Hekou District; the resources were composed mainly of corn stalk, wheat straw and cotton stalk, but varied slightly from county (district) to county (district) proportion; and a gradually rising trend from the north to the south of Dongying was observed in density and per capita quantity of straw resources. In the end, crop straw production in Dongying City for the next 10 years was predicted with the GM (1, 1) model, with results indicating that the yield of crop straw will keep on rising steadily and may reach up to 154.611×104 t in 2020.