流域生态风险评价研究进展

流域生态风险评价是流域生态环境保护与管理的重要研究内容,与一般的区域生态风险评价相比,具有其独特的流域特征。在已有研究基础上,对流域生态风险评价进行了概念界定与特征分析,并按照风险源、生态受体、生态终点的分类标准对流域生态风险评价进行了类型划分,简要评述了流域生态风险评价的相关研究主题,并尝试构建反映流域时空尺度变化规律的生态风险评价概念模型。最后针对流域生态风险评价的研究现状,重点讨论了目前存在的不足及未来的研究趋向。     

洞庭湖流域区域生态风险评价

对于生态系统 ,灾害性事件的产生多为外界胁迫因素与系统内部生态结构不稳定性因素共同作用的结果 ,因此对流域生态风险进行评价时应充分考虑系统内部的生态结构与外界的胁迫性因素。目前国内外对于外界胁迫性因素的研究多集中在自然灾害 (如洪涝灾害 )以及外界污染物主要集中在重金属类的排入 ,而事实上 ,其他类型的污染物 ,如氮、磷等也将对生态系统产生一定的危害 ,由于这些污染物浓度在个别地区超标程度较高并可能对受体产生巨大的影响 ,因此将该类污染物作为一类重要因素纳入生态风险评价体系中是非常必要的 ,而由此得出的评价结果也更为系统和全面。以洞庭湖地区的东、南、西三部分作为研究区域 ,根据其特殊的背景 ,将工业污染、农业污染及血防污染作为其污染类风险源 ,引入由氮毒性污染指数、磷毒性污染指数、重金属类毒性污染指数共同构成的毒性污染指数与自然灾害指数和系统本身的生态指数 ,包括生物指数、多样性指数、物种重要性指数以及脆弱性指数完成了对洞庭湖流域的区域生态风险评价。     

Applicability of indicator monitoring to ecological risk assessment

Although ecological risk assessment (ERA) and environmental monitoring would seem to be potentially complimentary activities, they have been disjunct in practice. This is because of differences in goals and products. Environmental monitoring determines status and trends in indicators to determine whether the environment is improving. ERA estimates effects of stressors on endpoint attributes to support decision making. Indicators are, by definition, indicative of some unmeasured condition. Assessment endpoints are valued properties of the environment that are susceptible to stressors of concern. Indicators are justified by the logic of the monitoring program, which may be self-referential. Assessment endpoints are justified by their potential susceptibility and by environmental policies and public values. Indicators are often expressed in terms of indices or scores that obscure the actual condition of the environment. Because assessment endpoints must be clear to decision makers and the public, they require real units of actual environmental properties. Monitoring programs are peripherally concerned about causal relationships, while risk assessment is devoted to elucidating causal relationships. As a result, risk assessments may use the results of monitoring studies, but only after disaggregating the indicators to their components and choosing those that are appropriate. Monitoring programs could be more useful if they used a risk-based approach to address important problems rather than simply tracking indicators.     

Construction of a drainage channel at Inner Deep Bay, Hong Kong: mitigating ecological and landscape impact through an environmentally friendly design

In order to alleviate a flooding problem of the upper catchment area, it was proposed to construct a drainage channel across the fishponds of Inner Deep Bay which were considered as having high ecological value particularly for wetland birds. The potential loss of 34.6 ha of fishponds, which would be converted into the footprint of the drainage channel, was the major controversial issue of the environmental impact assessment study of the project even though an environmentally friendly design of the channel was proposed as a mitigation measure. Construction works were commenced in 1993 and completed in 1997. Post-construction monitoring of the drainage channel was conducted in 2001 and 2002 and its utilization by wetland birds was reported. The results indicated that the drainage channel with the unlined earth bottom and mangrove plantation provided a favorable habitat for wetland birds especially Ardeids and wintering ducks during low-tide periods. As the channel was connected to the estuary, its ecological function was similar to that of a tidal creek which promoted natural flushing and nutrient recycling. The exposed mudflat during low tide provided an important foraging habitat for wetland birds of the Inner Deep Bay area. The construction of the environmentally friendly drainage channel not only enhanced habitat diversity but also enriched the landscape element of the study area which used to be only fishponds in a homogeneous setting.     

大庆地区油田开发排水工程环境风险评价初探

利用定性分析的方法,对大庆地区永乐油田永5转油站地区不同设计排水方案进行环境风险因素识别和危害环境预测,在此基础上,运用模糊综合评价法,建立相应的环境风险模糊指数,确定危害环境系数,最后得出环境风险模糊评价指数,表征各方案风险相对大小,提出针对优选方案环境风险管理的措施。     

区域生态风险评价的关键问题与展望

区域生态风险评价具有多风险因子、多风险受体、多评价终点、强调不确定性因素以及空间异质性的特点,它与传统的生态风险评价在风险源、胁迫因子和评价尺度上具有明显区别。尝试建立了一个基于陆地生态系统的区域生态风险评价框架,同时针对目前区域生态风险评价的研究现状,指出不确定性分析、尺度外推难、评价指标不统一、评价标准不统一、风险因子筛选及优先排序、区域内污染物复合、水生过渡到陆生生态系统风险评价、特殊的人为因素等是目前区域生态风险评价存在的关键问题及难点所在,并提出解决这些问题可能所需的工具、手段和理论方法突破。最后指出区域生态风险观测与数据采集加工、区域生态风险指标体系的统一与整合、区域生态风险评价方法论、区域生态风险的空间分布特征与表达以及区域生态风险评价反馈与管理机制5个方面是区域生态风险评价未来的研究重点。     

铝的生态与健康风险研究进展

人为原因加快了铝进入环境的速度,也加剧了铝对生命组分的毒害作用与危害。本文从毒理生态学、分子生态学等不同角度分析了铝对环境的生态风险和对人类的健康风险,概述了有关铝生态风险与健康风险两个方面的最新研究进展,对控制、消除环境中铝毒的发生提出了展望。     

Decision-making processes in ecological risk assessment using copper pollution of Macquarie Harbour from Mt. Lyell, Tasmania, as a case study

Ecological risk assessment is increasingly being used to make decisions on the acceptability of industrial processes, as well as on the appropriate approach to take with remediation of contaminated sites. In this approach, the risks and costs must first be determined before decisions can be made. In principle, the procedure for undertaking an ecological risk assessment for a site with existing contamination is fairly straight forward. Probability distributions are obtained for the concentration of the contaminant of concern and for the biological and/or structural impacts likely to occur in the affected habitat. The degree of overlap between these distributions determines the risk from the contaminant to the habitat. With water-borne contamination, the level of assessment can vary from a simple comparison with water quality criteria, through site specific literature surveys, to laboratory and field studies depending on the importance of the environment, the concentration and perceived nature of the contaminant,the resources available, and the likely benefit from the process to be developed. However, a number of uncertainties make this process more difficult. These include the lack of a standard methodology, availability of appropriate data and agreed definitions of acceptable risk. Thus several arbitrary or considered decisions need to be made before and during such an assessment. This paper discusses the application of an ecological risk assessment of copper pollution in Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania, using data from long-term monitoring of waters and literature searches on lethal and sub-lethal effects of copper in marine and estuarine environments. This study is part of a much larger program established to determine best methods for the remediation of the Mt. Lyell copper mine site as well as the freshwater and marine habitats downstream. The results of the assessment indicated that there was at present a probability greater than0.9 of the occurrence of anodic stripping voltametry-labile copper water concentrations harmful to 5% of all species. For total dissolved copper the probability was higher than 0.98. The upper value of total dissolved copper in Macquarie Harbour that encompassed 90% of the probable concentrations would need to be reduced by a factor of approximately 30,without the inclusion of any additional application factors, to achieve (sub-lethal) protection for 95%of species. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

外来植物的入侵机制及其生态风险评价

外来植物入侵已成为严重威胁生态系统健康发展的全球性问题,预防优于治理,对外来植物进行生态风险评价可有效地防御和降低入侵风险。本文基于生态风险评价理论,通过对外来植物入侵特性和过程的分析,探讨了外来植物入侵生态风险的评价方法。将评价程序分为风险源分析、风险受体评价、暴露与危害评价、风险综合评价和风险管理对策5部分,初步建立了风险源评价指标体系,以及度量生态损失和生态风险的指标和公式,进而得出外来植物入侵综合生态风险评价的方法。     

流域景观结构的城市化影响与生态风险评价

以南京市九乡河流域为研究区域,以2003、2009年两期遥感影像数据为基本信息,在构建生态风险指数的基础上,利用ARCGIS的空间分析功能,揭示了城市化对研究区景观结构的影响,生态风险的时空变化以及城市化与生态风险之间的关系。结果表明：2003-2009年,城市化过程使流域的景观结构发生较大变化,建设用地大幅增加,分离度降低,而耕地则大幅减少,耕地、水域、草地等景观类型的分离度、破碎度增加;流域生态风险程度从中度/低风险向中度/较高风险转变,生态风险有增加的趋势;生态风险的空间差异明显,生态风险较低的区域主要集中在流域南部青龙山一带,较高的区域主要集中在西北部地区,中度风险区集中在流域中部的平原农业区;城市化对生态风险的正效应明显,生态风险随着城市化水平的增加而升高。     

Initiating events,functional remediation,and assessment of risk to ecological resources

The United States faces a massive task to clean up legacy nuclear, chemical, and structural wastes remaining from the Cold War, and industrial and hazardous wastes, as well as the decommissioning and spent nuclear fuel removal of numerous commercial nuclear facilities nearing the end of useful life. Many sites are on or adjacent to open spaces or waterbodies of varying ecologic quality and utility. Assessing the risks to ecological resources is thus a challenging task that usually involves consideration of the direct risk to these receptors from the ongoing exposure to the contamination before remediation. Here we address impacts during and after remediation. Different remediation types and activities (digging and removal, containment/capping, decommissioning/demolition, pump and treat, in situ treatment), as well as transportation and ultimate disposition can have direct ecological effects including disruption, displacement and death to plants and animals on the remediation site and on surrounding areas. For each type of remediation, two aspects require consideration: the functional aspects of remediation (how many and what types of people, cars, trucks, hoses, heavy equipment, drilling rigs are on the remediation site), and initiating events that can interact with remediation causing harm to ecologic receptors. In this paper we 1) describe initiating events and functional remediation, 2) provide a conceptualization of interactions between them, and 3) examine the types of effects that result from natural and anthropogenic stressors due to the interactions between functional remediation and initiating events. Initiating events are low probability, high consequence events, including “natural” disasters (e.g. earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires) and anthropogenic (building collapses, structural failures) events, that start or cause a response in species or ecosystems. Functional remediation includes the elements of remediation that occur in combination under different remediation types. Interactions between the two may be overlooked when determining the factors to consider in developing bioindicators, assessment tools, and monitoring plans to protect human and ecological health. Each can exacerbate the ecological impacts of the other. We use the Hanford Site in Washington State as a case study, but the principles are broadly applicable.     

阿特拉津生态风险及其检测和修复技术研究进展

随着农药等化学品在农业生产上的广泛应用,它们所带来的生态与环境问题日益严重。在世界许多国家和地区的地表水和地下水中以及大气沉降物中检测出了阿特拉津的残留物,它对生态环境的影响具有全球性。阿特拉津在土壤中的持留期较长并具有生物蓄积性,对粮食和食品安全构成潜在威胁。动物试验结果表明,阿特拉津具有生物活性,因此深入研究阿特拉津的生态风险问题是当务之急。文中提出了有关阿拉津生态风险研究的一些观点。随着各种检测分析手段的发展,阿特拉津的检测技术日臻成熟,为研究阿特拉津生态风险创造了有利条件。阿特拉津的生物修复技术已被高度重视。     

洞庭湖区洪涝灾害形成机理与生态减灾和流域管理对策

洞庭湖是承纳湘,资,沅,澧四水和蚕吐长江的洪道型调蓄湖泊。湖区发展过程中忽视了环境整治与生态建设,没有协调好人地,人湖关系,中上游干支流水土流失加剧,湖泊泥沙 与过度围湖垦殖,高水位地段农业布局与种植制度不合理等人为因素导致湖区调蓄能力下降,洪水位抬升且历时持久;垸高田低,外洪内涝交织,灾害频率上升,灾情增大,为抗御洪水,堤防越筑越高,出现了“水涨－堤高－水再涨－堤再高”的恶性循环现象,造成抬高洪     

Effects of residual hydrocarbons on the reed community after 10 years of oil extraction and the effectiveness of different biological indicators for the long-term risk assessments

The selection of certain indicators is critical to undertake ecological risk assessments of long-term oil pollution and other environmental changes. The indicators should be easily and routinely monitored, be sensitive to pollution, respond to pollution in a predictable manner, and match the spatial and temporal scales of investigations. To compare the effectiveness of indicators for the long-term risk assessments, this study investigated the multiple ecological effects of chronic oil pollution on the plant community dominated by reed (Phragmites australis). The physiology, growth and reproduction of reed, together with the composition and productivity of the reed community, were measured around oil wells that have operated for approximately 10 years in the Yellow River Delta, eastern China. The predictive power of each indicator was evaluated using the coefficients of determination (R²) of linear regression models established for each indicator and soil Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) concentration. The sensitivities of indicators were evaluated by comparing slopes of new established regression lines using standardized data. The top three indicators in terms of predictive power were leaf length, width and number, followed by the Shannon–Wiener index, Pielou evenness index and Simpson's diversity index. Community aboveground biomass, foliar projective coverage and species richness showed predictive power lower than those of the three diversity indexes, but higher than those of leaf net photosynthetic rate, reed height, aboveground biomass and vertical projective coverage of reed plants. Leaf transpiration, chlorophyll concentration and reed stem density showed no significant linear response to elevated soil TPH concentration. In terms of sensitivity, the top three biological indicators were Pielou evenness index, Simpson's diversity index and Shannon–Wiener index, followed by community vertical projective coverage, community aboveground biomass, and species richness. Leaf number, length and width were moderately sensitive, followed by reed coverage, aboveground biomass and height. The sensitivity of net photosynthetic rate was the lowest. The predictive power and sensitivities of indicators were compared in terms of their spatial and temporal scales. In conclusion, scale can be used to facilitate the selection of indicators, and the combination of different indicators may yield improved understanding of the various effects of elevated soil TPH concentration at the different biological levels.     

A novel quantitative ecological and microbial risk assessment methodology: theory and practice

Abstract

The environment is a complex system where humans, materials (e.g. pollutants), and ecological (e.g. plants, animals, microbes) and meteorological conditions interact with each other. The impact of humans potentially causes significant damage to either the environment (e.g. oil spills may pollute coastal ecosystems) or turns against humans themselves by favoring the growth of unwanted species (e.g. poor sanitation increases microbial populations that cause the risk of large numbers of humans falling ill). Thus, this paper presents a flexible method for quantifying either ecological risks (i.e. the percentage likelihood of adverse effects on the ecosystem due to its exposure to stressors such as chemicals, fishing, etc.) or microbial risks (i.e. the likelihood of negative effects in humans due to their exposure to microbial pathogens). The method uses population modeling to simulate future changes in the numbers of key-species (e.g. fish, corals, sharks, parasites), in various scenarios including the impacts of humans, adverse weather and risk management. Finally, risk is calculated as the probability of the quasi-extinction or quasi-explosion of key-species over time, and then is categorized so that the risks involved may be better communicated to decision-makers. Using the method is illustrated in three different real cases in Brazil.