Using visual assessment as a foundation for greenway planning in the St. Lawrence River Valley

The growth of the ‘greenway’ as a fundamental planning concept has provided guidance for many communities locally and around the world. In the St. Lawrence River Valley, the idea is providing a common physical and cultural reference for the management of landscapes in communities along a 100 mile international corridor. Over the past 10 years, the College of Environmental Science and Forestry of the State University of New York has worked with the St. Lawrence-Eastern Ontario Commission to examine the unique visual and scenic resources of the region as the foundation for establishing a greenway tracing the St. Lawrence River. Although the idea of a greenway in the St. Lawrence River Valley is not new or unusual, the inventory and assessment of visual or scenic linear resources as a foundation is a departure from typical practice, and an experiment in defensible and rational planning. As a major summer tourism destination, the region is well aware of the critical value of its scenic resources. In our effort to identify and assess various vital resources for planning, we found an indicator in the visual nature of the landscape—both as a resource in and of itself, and as a reflection of the underlying values held by local communities for natural and cultural resources. This paper describes, as a case study, the process used to identify and assess visual and scenic resources in the region, and the use of the resulting database to initiate delineation of the proposed greenway. A discussion of the rationale and significance of the method is presented, including comments on the direction and progress in the region today.     

Trends of phosphorus, nitrogen and chlorophyll a concentrations in Finnish rivers and lakes in 1975–2000

During recent decades the amounts of nutrients discharged to Finnish surface waters have markedly decreased. This has been achieved by considerable investments in water protection, which were made mainly to improve municipal and industrial wastewater purification. We investigated whether these water protection measures have decreased phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations in Finnish rivers and lakes. In addition, possible trends in chlorophyll a concentrations in lakes were studied. The data consisted of a total of over 68 000 monitoring results of 22 rivers and 173 lakes (or sub-basins of lakes) with different types of catchment areas. The study period covered the years 1975–2000 and the non-parametric Kendall Tau b and Seasonal Kendall tests were applied for detecting trends. Decreasing nutrient concentration trends were typical in many lakes and rivers earlier polluted by municipal and industrial wastewaters. Increasing nutrient concentration trends were common in smaller rivers and lakes receiving diffuse loading from agriculture. The results show that the investments directed towards wastewater purification have effectively improved the quality of Finnish inland waters. However, no clear effects of decreasing non-point loading were found. Thus, more effective measures should be directed towards decreasing non-point source loading.     

黄河三角洲饱和粉土层地震液化判别方法 及液化特征研究

 黄河三角洲地区存在大量的粉土层，在地震作用下可能出现液化破坏。根据不同的沉积历史选取4个典型研究区，通过现场标准贯入试验、静力触探试验和剪切波速测试等原位技术对黄河三角洲地区饱和粉土层的地震液化判别方法及其液化特征进行分析。结果表明，综合采用静力触探和标准贯入试验进行液化判别的方法结果较好；在黄河三角洲地区，地震液化破坏主要发生在埋深1～5 m的黏粒含量为10%～15%的饱和粉土层中，建议该地区粉土层的地震液化初判条件中考虑土层埋深的影响，同时对是否发生液化的临界黏粒含量百分率做适当调整。     

构建“深港双城”,成就大珠三角

香港回归祖国10余年来,经历了巨大的变迁,当前也面对一系列的挑战和机遇。本文回顾了深港合作的历程,通过对区域合作、跨界治理理论以及欧盟空间一体化实践的借鉴,总结深港两地在规划内容、规划过程、规划实施三个方面构建"深港双城"的路径,揭示城市规划作为空间策略,为实现大珠三角地区的区域合作与跨界治理提供了有效的协调机制,为"一国两制"背景下深港两地的共同发展与持续繁荣提供了重要保障。     

Water and Wastewater Minimization: the Aire and Calder Project

The reduction of the waste of raw materials at source using clean technologies, recycling, and good housekeeping has considerable benefits for both the environment and industry. A demonstration project on wastewater minimization was completed in 1995 in the Aire and Calder catchments of West Yorkshire. The findings indicated cost savings for eleven firms of over $3 million/annum and further opportunities which, when implemented, could realize another $1 million/annum. The reduction in the amount of wastewater discharged either to sewer or river was 27%, with a potential to increase to over 40%. The payback period for 63% of the waste minimization opportunities is less than one year and many involve only a small initial investment. Waste minimization when widely adopted has prospects for cutting industry's costs, reducing demand for water and reducing the volume of effluent produced.     

珠江三角洲城市水系统的可持续性评价

环境可持续性评价是规划建设可持续城市水系统的基础。为此，运用基于社会水循环的城市水系统环境可持续性评价方法，遴选了一组测评城市水系统环境可持续性的指标体系，并应用其对珠江三角洲地区城市水系统的环境可持续性进行了系统评价。结果表明：污(废)水处理率处于脆弱等级，提高污(废)水处理率应是珠江三角洲地区各城市维护其水系统环境可持续性的工作重心。     

草原人居环境保护与发展三元论 ——以新疆伊犁河谷为例

坚守"山水林田湖草是一个生命共同体"的理念,聚焦伊犁河谷草原人居环境背景资源、活动方式、规划建设的三元一体,将草原人居环境作为三元互动、不断成长的生命体,尝试寻找一种构建荒野、乡村、城市共存融合的草原人居环境保护与发展模式。以客观规律为依据,以主观需求为准绳,寻找及保留草原人居环境演化中相对稳定不变的基因,构建草原人居环境CVA三力评价体系,建立草原人居环境发展CVA量化模型,以求指导草原人居环境未来的保护与发展。推行这种模式不仅可为中国西部地区提供生态安全保障,也将使伊犁河谷成为多种人居环境生命共同体的典范。     

黄河淤泥承重砖砌体结构抗弯性能的试验研究

对黄河淤泥承重多孔砖砌体沿齿缝截面抗弯性能进行了测试,对试件的破坏过程、破坏特征和破坏形式进行了总结,为黄河淤泥承重多孔砖砌体进一步的研究和替代黏土砖推广使用奠定基础。     

受硝基苯污染松花江原水的应急处理工艺研究

针对受硝基苯污染的松花江原水,通过小试和生产性试验研究了粉末活性炭吸附协同高锰酸盐复合药剂（PPC）强化复合铝铁（PAF）混凝工艺对硝基苯的去除效果.小试结果表明,粉末活性炭（PAC）对硝基苯的吸附遵循一级反应动力学模型,达到吸附平衡大约需40 min,在硝基苯的平衡浓度为5.0μg/L时,PAC对其吸附容量大约为2 mg/g.根据试验结果,将PAC的投加点选在松花江饮用水源地,投加量为40 mg/L;当PPC的投量为0.3～0.5 mg/L时有明显的强化混凝效果.生产性试验的结果表明,当原水硝基苯浓度为25.9～66.2μg/L时,经PAC在取水管道中吸附约2 h后,进厂水的硝基苯浓度稳定在2μg/L以下,滤后水的硝基苯浓度＜1μg/L,滤后水的浊度在1 NTU左右。PAC预吸附协同PPC强化PAF混凝是控制受污染松花江水中硝基苯的一种有效应急工艺。     

HYDRAULICS, WATER QUALITY AND VEGETATION CHARACTERISTICS OF GROUNDWATER-FED OPEN DITCHES

A novel peatland management strategy to utilise the high nutrient-retention potential of degenerated peatlands has been implemented in Northern Germany. The effect of raised water levels and extensive land-use management on hydraulic properties, water quality and vegetation characteristics of heavily vegetated and groundwater-fed open ditches, was investigated at the River Elder Valley - a nationally important wetland case study. A better understanding of the effect of vegetation on the temporal flow patterns and the hydraulic retention times is of high scientific interest, especially for improving nutrient standards in lowland rivers. Within-ditch vegetation and other hydraulic obstructions, including accumulated silt and organic debris, increase the hydraulic retention time and lead to an improvement of the water quality along the open ditch. Lower parts of the open ditches were flooded by the River Elder, due to the absence of a mowing scheme during late summer