A GIS-based LVF model for semiquantitative assessment of groundwater pollution risk: A case study in Shenyang,NE China

Groundwater pollution risk assessment is a useful tool to prevent and control groundwater pollution, but its quantitative research is still relatively immature. In this study, a geographic information system based LVF model for a semiquantitative assessment of groundwater pollution risk is established, based on the groundwater pollution source load (L), groundwater vulnerability (V), and groundwater function value (F). Further, the pollution source load is characterized by seven specific pollution sources, the vulnerability is calculated by the modified DRASTIC method, and the groundwater function value is evaluated with the water quality and quantity. The model was used to assess the risk of shallow groundwater pollution in Shenyang city, Northeast China, with an area of 8,263 km². The results show that highest risk areas account for 16.3% of the study area and are mainly distributed in the east of the study area. High risk areas are significantly affected by a shallow buried depth of groundwater and many types of harmful pollutants from industrial, agricultural, and domestic pollution sources. The evaluation results reflect the risk of groundwater pollution in the Shenyang area, which is relevant to the management and sustainable use of groundwater resources in the area.     

A Pilot Application of Regional Scale Risk Assessment to the Forestry Management of the Upper Grande Ronde Watershed,Oregon

An issue in forestry management has been the integration of a variety of different information into a threat analysis or risk assessment. In this instance, regional scale risk assessment was applied to the Upper Grande Ronde watershed in eastern Oregon to examine the potential of risk assessment for use in the management of broad landscapes. The site was a focus of study for the U.S. Forest Service through the Interior Northwest Landscape Analysis System (INLAS) project. In the study, a range of stressors, habitats, and endpoints were identified from previous studies in the watershed, and endpoints were determined from meeting with the primary stakeholder, the U.S. Forest Service. These endpoints were focused around the historic range of variability (HRV) defined for the area. The relative risk model (RRM) incorporating a Monte Carlo analysis was used as the analysis tool. The risk model output showed the HRV fire regime was the endpoint most at risk. The results of this analysis were compared to the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest prioritization of watershed restoration analysis. The RRM demonstrated similar results but with a better accounting for uncertainty. From this trial the RRM has proven to be a potential management tool for forestry management.     

A Regional Multiple Stressor Risk Assessment of the Codorus Creek Watershed Applying the Relative Risk Model

The relative risk model (RRM) used in Port Valdez, AK, and in Oregon's Willamette/McKenzie Watershed was applied to the Codorus Creek Watershed in south central Pennsylvania. The assessment evaluated the relative risk model for its applicability for ranking ecological risks within the Codorus Creek Watershed. The Codorus Creek Watershed approach included ranking stressors and habitats for regions within the watershed. Geographical Information Systems were vital in compiling and comparing stressor and habitat spatial data from regions in the watershed. The risk of ecological impacts to degrade assessment endpoints were calculated and ranked by quantitatively determining the interactions of the stressors and habitats as defined in the conceptual site model. Uncertainty assessment was conducted and the impact upon the relative ranks and risk conclusions evaluated. To determine regional risks, risk management information was gathered identifying areas to be protected, areas of high stress, and areas where additional information is needed. The results supported the applicability of the RRM and suggested areas and stressors for restoration efforts in the Codorus Creek Watershed. Two critical sets of conclusions were drawn from the assessment. First, in the Codorus Creek Watershed, the most significant stressor is agriculture land use, the most significantly impacted endpoint is water quality, and the most vulnerable habitats are those for macroinvertebrates and warm-water fish. Second, this risk assessment demonstrates the feasibility of using the RRM for assessing risk from multiple stressors on habitats with multiple assessment endpoints in an eastern watershed.     

东江流域突发水污染风险分区研究

东江流域突发水污染事故频发,对区域人群健康和生态安全造成严峻挑战。环境风险分区是环境风险管理的基础和有效工具。以2015年为基准年,基于环境统计数据、DEM数据、水质监测断面数据和基础地理数据,引入地理信息系统空间分析法、区域生长法,综合考虑了水系流向、水系级别及水质等因素,以1 km×1 km的网格为基本单元,对东江流域开展突发水污染风险分区。结果表明:(1)高风险区面积为696.7 km~2,占评估区总面积的1.99%;较高风险区面积为1458.4 km~2,占比4.17%;中风险区面积为2762.0 km~2,占比7.90%;低风险区面积为30031.7 km~2,占比85.93%;(2)从各子流域平均风险值来看,石马河流域风险最高,其次为淡水河流域、公庄水流域;(3)从沿东江干流两岸分布来看,高风险区面积沿东江上游至下游呈逐渐增加趋势,主要集中分布在龙川县、博罗县、东莞市、深圳市等地;从沿东江主要支流两岸分布来看,高风险区主要分布在惠州市、深圳市等地。研究结果可为东江流域生态环境管理提供理论支撑。     

2022年冬奥会崇礼赛区多重压力下生态风险评价

冬奥会这类重大体育赛事对举办城市的经济转型、城市功能升级、竞争力提升等方面具有助推效应,而其带来的生态影响也不容小觑。近年随着赛事规模的不断扩大和户外场馆的建设,冬奥会导致的生态风险愈加突出。然而,对于规模大、历时长的冬奥会复杂生态风险目前还缺乏定量评价方法。研究旨在探讨一种区域生态风险评价方法,即相对风险模型,并基于地理信息系统（GIS）定量评价冬奥会赛前准备阶段多重压力下的生态风险。选择2022年冬奥会崇礼赛区为案例区,构建压力-生境-终点三大要素组成的相对风险模型,将整个崇礼划为6个风险分区,辨识了冬奥会赛前阶段包括各种人类生产、建设活动和自然因素的11类压力（威胁）、6类生境和4个评价终点,并确定了压力和生境的分级标准。压力分级评价结果显示,道路和交通活动的得分最高,得分最低的是火灾。生境相对等级评价表明,河流栖息地的得分最高,得分最低的是湿地与景区滑雪场。从不同生态终点得分看,生物多样性的风险最高,娱乐休闲风险最低。总体区域风险评价表明,VI区四台嘴乡冬奥场馆核心区的风险得分最高,而风险最低的为III区,包括石嘴子乡和驿马图乡。最后,对相对风险评价的不确定性进行分析,并讨论其优缺点。总之,尽管存在不确定性,相对方法模型仍被认为是评估和优先考虑多个资产的多重压力风险的稳健方法,也是决策者确定管理行动优先级的有用筛选工具。研究证明了相对风险模型方法评估2022年冬奥会主办地风险的可行性,研究结果明确了崇礼区恢复工作的重点区域和压力,对冬奥会的可持续管理和地方发展具有重要参考价值。     

Ten Years of the Relative Risk Model and Regional Scale Ecological Risk Assessment

It has been 10 years since the publication of the relative risk model (RRM) for regional scale ecological risk assessment. The approach has since been used successfully for a variety of freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments in North America, South America, and Australia. During this period the types of stressors have been expanded to include more than contaminants. Invasive species, habitat loss, stream alteration and blockage, temperature, change in land use, and climate have been incorporated into the assessments. Major developments in the RRM have included the extensive use of geographical information systems, uncertainty analysis using Monte Carlo techniques, and its application to retrospective assessments to determine causation. The future uses of the RRM include assessments for forestry and conservation management, an increasing use in invasive species evaluation, and in sustainability. Developments in risk communication, the use of Bayesian approaches, and in uncertainty analyses are on the horizon.     

Risk Assessment of the Abandoned Jukjeon Metal Mine in South Korea Following the Korean Guidelines

Toxic metal contamination in the vicinity of Korean abandoned metal mines has been reported. A risk assessment for these metals was performed for the inhabitants in the area of the abandoned Jukjeon metal mine. Soil, groundwater, and crop samples were collected around the mine. After pretreatment of these samples, metal concentrations were measured and then a risk assessment was performed using the Korean soil-contamination risk assessment guidelines. Phytoaccumulation of metals in crops was observed in soybeans (As and Zn), red peppers (Zn), sweet potatoes (As and Zn), and cabbage (Cu), which had higher metal concentrations than soils in the area. The metal intake rate was highest for inhalation of soil. Cancer risk was highest from ingestion of As-contaminated crops. The sum of carcinogenic risks was 6.29 × 10^–3. The non-carcinogenic risk was highest for ingestion of As-contaminated crops (8.17). Most of the risks were attributable to As, Pb, and Hg contamination, therefore these three metals must be considered as the principal metals toxic to human health in the sampled area. In particular, the inhalation of metal-contaminated soil should be considered for risk assessment along with ingestion of water and crops in abandoned mine areas.     

Risk assessment of land ecology on a regional scale: Application of the relative risk model to the mining city of Daye,China

The ecological risk assessment of land ecosystems plays a vital role in land environment protection and management in China. To identify the ecological impairment in land ecosystems, risk assessment of regional land ecology was conducted in Daye, a traditional mining city in Central China, using the relative risk model (RRM). The study area was divided into six sub-regions; and the sources, stressors, habitats, and end points of the impairment were identified. A conceptual model was built to represent the ecological interactions among risk components. Results showed the following: (1) The traditional iron–coal mining sub-region and the mineral processing sub-region exhibited high risk. (2) Mining was the largest risk source, followed by solid waste piling and urbanization. (3) Disappearance of habitats was the greatest risk stressor, followed by the accumulation of pollutants and heavy metals. (4) Among the eight identified habitats, the lake habitat was the most likely to be affected. (5) Health threats, soil contamination, and landscape aesthetic dysfunctions appeared to be the end points under the largest risk pressure. Finally, Monte Carlo analysis was used to evaluate the effects of uncertainty on risk model predictions. Our assessment model was proven to be generally valid for regional land ecology risk assessment.     

Developing A Regional Ecological Risk Assessment: A Case Study of a Tasmanian Agricultural Catchment

A regional ecological risk assessment was conducted for the Mountain River catchment in Tasmania, Australia. The Relative Risk Model was used in conjunction with geographic information systems interpretations. Stakeholder values were used to develop assessment endpoints, and regional stressors and habitats were identified. The risk hypotheses expressed in the conceptual model were that agriculture and land clearing for rural residential are producing multiple stressors that have potential for contamination of local waterbodies, eutrophication, changes in hydrology, reduction in the habitat of native flora and fauna, reductions in populations of beneficial insects in agricultural production systems, increased weed competition in pastures, and loss of aesthetic value in residential areas. In the risk analysis the catchment was divided into risk regions based on topography and land use. Stressors were ranked on likelihood of occurrence, while habitats were ranked on percentage land area. Risk characterization showed risks to the maintenance of productive primary industries were highest across all risk regions, followed by maintenance of a good residential environment and maintenance of fish populations. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to show the variability in risk outcomes stemming from uncertainty about stressors and habitats. Outcomes from this assessment provide a basis for planning regional environmental monitoring programs.     

Conceptual Model Development for Invasive Species and a Regional Risk Assessment Case Study: The European Green Crab,Carcinus maenas,at Cherry Point,Washington, USA

The goal of this article was to generate a method of regional scale ecological risk assessment using an adaptation Relative Risk Model (RRM). As a case study we performed a quantitative, regional risk assessment of an invasive species, the European green crab (Carcinus maenas) at Cherry Point, Washington, USA. The conceptual model was modified from the RRM and incorporates the structure of the hierarchical patch dynamic paradigm. The ranks and filters were integrated to determine the relative contribution of each source of C. maenas to risk as well as the risk to selected biological endpoints, habitats and sub-regions for two source scenarios: (1) current conditions (2004) and (2) future conditions during an El Nino year. The results suggest that the habitat and endpoint with the greatest risk are the eelgrass habitat and the juvenile Dungeness crab, respectively. The Cherry Point subregion was identified as the area having the most risk in the first source scenario, while the Lummi Bay sub-region is most at risk during an El Nino event. The risk of impacts is substantially higher for all endpoints, habitats and sub-regions when El Nino–driven current dispersal is considered. The methodology applied in this case study can be modified and applied to determine the risk of introduction and impacts of other invasive species to the Strait of Georgia, Puget Sound, and other coastal areas.     

Deriving sustainability measures using statistical data: A case study from the Eisenwurzen, Austria

Within the past two decades sustainability has become a key term in emphasizing and understanding relationships between economic progress and the protection of the environment. One key difficulty is in the definition of sustainability indicators based on information at different spatial and temporal scales. In this paper we formalize statistical models for the assessment of sustainability impact indicators using a public data source provided by the Austrian government. Our application example is the Eisenwurzen region in Austria, an old and famous mining area within the Alps. The total area covers 5.743 km² and includes 99 municipalities. In our study we define 15 impact indicators covering economic, social and environmental impacts. For each of the impact indicators we develop response functions using the available public data sources. The results suggest that the available data are an important source for deriving sustainable impact indicators within specific regions. The presented approach may serve as diagnostic tool to provide insights into the regional drivers for assessing sustainability indicators.     

Assessing health risk using regional mappings based on local perceptions: A comparative study of three different hazards

Usually risk assessment falls within the competence of “hard sciences” through environmental and epidemiological measurements, evaluations, and modeling. Even if these approaches bring accurate assessment and evaluation of environmental processes, the perception of local inhabitants is often excluded or at least relegated to second place. Evaluation of human vulnerabilities and capacities to face such hazards requires us to understand the perceptions of the population exposed. Three case studies (Lao, Tunisia, and Ecuador) are presented where we applied a perception-based regional mapping, a mapping tool based on local perceptions, for assessing the connection between land uses and health issues. A selection of the results collected on these three study areas show that the perception of local inhabitants provides a good spatial representation of the different contaminations observed locally, with a good consistency with external data. It also indicates for a certain number of cases that the contamination extends far beyond the simulated radius and impacts peripheral areas. Beyond the analysis of such a method (methodological bias, spatial representation bias, etc.), the objective is to combine our results with epidemiological measurement.     

An Index of Regional Sustainability: A GIS-based multiple criteria analysis decision support system for progressing sustainability

GIS (Geographical Information Systems) based decision support tools will be useful in helping guide regions to sustainability. These tools need to be simple but effective at identifying, for regional managers, areas most in need of initiatives to progress sustainability. Multiple criteria analysis (MCA) has been used as a decision support tool for a wide number of applications, as it provides a systematic framework for evaluating various options. It has the potential to be used as a tool for sustainability assessment, because it can bring together the sustainability criteria from all pillars, social, economic and environmental, to give an integrated assessment of sustainability. Furthermore, the use of GIS and MCA together is an emerging addition to conducting sustainability assessments.This paper further develops a sustainability assessment framework developed for the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority region of Victoria, Australia by providing a GIS-based decision support system for regional agencies. This tool uses multiple criteria analysis in a GIS framework to assess the sustainability of sub-catchments in the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment. The multiple criteria analysis based on economic, social and environmental indicators developed in previous stages of this project was used as the basis to build a model in ArcGIS^®. The GIS-based multiple criteria analysis, called An Index of Regional Sustainability Spatial Decision Support System (AIRS SDSS), produced maps showing sub-catchment sustainability, and environmental, social and economic condition. As a result, this tool is able to highlight those sub-catchments most in need of assistance with achieving sustainability. It will also be a valuable tool for evaluation and monitoring of strategies for sustainability. This paper shows the usefulness of GIS-based multiple criteria analysis to enhance the monitoring and evaluation of sustainability at the regional to sub-catchment scale.     

太湖流域生态风险评价

随着城镇的急剧扩张和经济的快速增长,流域生态环境遭到极大冲击和破坏,致使生态系统出现资源退化、环境恶化与灾害风险加剧的趋势,生态环境面临前所未有的挑战.从复合生态系统入手,深入分析流域内各生态系统要素之间的相互作用与影响机制,综合考虑多风险源、多风险受体和生态终点共存情况下的风险大小,从风险源危险度、生境脆弱度及受体损失度三方面构建了流域生态风险评价技术体系,并选取太湖流域为实证区域,对太湖流域2000年、2008年两个时期生态风险的时空演化特征进行评价与分析.结果表明:太湖流域生态风险指数介于0.015-0.253之间,以中等和较低生态风险为主.至2008年,高、较高生态风险所占面积逐渐扩大,已由2000年的5.66％、13.42％增加至6.05％、18.42％,主要集中在流域北部的常州市区、江阴市大部分地区以及无锡市区.     

Uncertainty-based dynamic multimedia human health risk assessment for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a land oil exploitation area

With the increasing development of the petrochemical industry and the growing demand for oil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollutions in the environment, especially in petroleum exploitation areas, are caused by the discharge of waste from the petroleum extraction process into an environmental system. This study aims to develop a new health risk assessment approach based on interval dynamic multimedia fugacity (IDMF) model and uncertainty analysis that could analyze the human exposure risk level for PAH contamination. The developed IDM health risk assessment (IDMHRA) approach is applied to assess previous, current, and future risks at a case study site in Daqing, Heilongjiang, China, from 1985 to 2020 for model validation. The human health risk assessment results show that 11 PAHs (NAP, ANT, FLA, PYR, BaA, CHR, BbF, BkF, BaP, IPY, and DBA) in the study site require further remediation efforts in terms of their unacceptable non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk. The results of risk source analysis reveal that soil media is the main risk pathway as compared with other exposure pathways. It can be seen that remediation process for soil contamination in the study site is urgently demanded. The assessment results demonstrate that the developed IDMHRA approach provides an effective tool for decision-makers and environmental managers to make remediation decisions in contaminated sites.     

Quantitative Risk Assessment of Trichloroethylene for a Former Chemical Works in Shanghai,China

Assessment of the potential risks posed by chlorinated solvents in groundwater is the key to establish the extent of the contamination and derive achievable remedial targets should remediation deems necessary. This article first presents the application of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Risk Based Corrective Actions (RBCA) Guidance to quantitatively evaluate human health and environmental risk for a former chemical works in Shanghai, China. The observed maximum trichloroethylene (TCE) concentration in groundwater at the site reached 1220 mg/l that exceeded its solubility of 1070 mg/l at 10°C (Soil annual average temperature is 10°C in Shanghai). The maximum concentration for cis-1, 2-DCE (DCE) was also found to be elevated at 264 mg/l. A critical exposure pathway was considered to be indoor vapor intrusion of TCE into the buildings with excess lifetime cancer risk for children being 1.7 × 10^?3. This cancer risk exceeded regulatory limits of 1 × 10^?4 to 1 × 10^?6 for The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The calculated groundwater remedial targets for TCE and DCE are 7 mg/l and 904 mg/l, respectively, in order to protect child residents from inhalation of indoor vapors within the close proximity of the source area.     

Potential geographical distribution of Actinidia spp. and its predominant indices under climate change

Kiwifruit (Actinidia ssp.) is an economically and nutritionally important fruit crop with a remarkably high vitamin C content. Shaanxi Province, China, has the world's largest production base for kiwifruit; hence, it is necessary to accurately assess the potential geographic distribution of kiwifruit in this area for planting planning and government management. To perform this analysis, we selected three categories of environmental indices (climate, soil, and topographical) for a total of 18 ecological suitability assessment indices. Based on fuzzy mathematic theory, we built 18 membership functions to show the quantitative relationship between kiwifruit yield and these 18 assessment indices. Furthermore, an assessment model of kiwifruit suitability for cultivation was constructed using a combination of the weighted average method and GIS spatial analysis of the present land-use map of Shaanxi. The results show that 5860.1 km² (14.0%) of arable land and orchard can be demarcated as highly suitable for kiwifruit cultivation, 7868.9 km² (18.7%) suitable for rapeseed cultivation; 11,392.1 km² (27.1%) marginally suitable for rapeseed cultivation; and 16,892.5 km² (40.2%) as unsuitable for kiwifruit cultivation in this province. We provide a useful assessment system for ecological zoning of kiwifruit suitability and identify the highly suitable planting area of kiwifruit in Shaanxi Province. south Shannan and south Guanzhong. These results provide a reference tool for distribution rationalization and resource optimization of kiwifruit-planting areas.     

Interflow in semiarid environments: An overlooked process in risk assessment

Risk assessment, both human and ecological, embodies fundamental assumptions about hydrological processes, especially how they affect the movement of contaminants in the environment. The lateral movement of water through the soil, or interflow, is frequently a component of risk assessments for humid environments, but not of those for semiarid environments. Our research has shown that, contrary to what was previously thought, interflow can be important in semiarid landscapes and is, therefore, an essential consideration for risk assessment in these regions. To illustrate and assess the effect of interflow on estimates of risk, we (1) developed a simple conceptual model to describe the role that interflow may have in the redistribution of surface and near‐surface contamination, and (2) used RESRAD, an exposure model for assessing radionuclide doses to humans, to evaluate the effectiveness of landfill covers in mitigating doses of three contaminants (³H, ²³⁸U, and ²³⁹/²⁴⁰Pu) at a site in northern New Mexico at which interflow is known to be occurring. Only those calculations of the model that took interflow into account yielded the result that the radionuclides would contaminate groundwater‐underscoring the potential importance of interflow as a mechanism for the transport of contaminants. We conclude that failure to take interflow into account can render risk assessments inaccurate and remediation ineffective. Further, our work demonstrates that a general understanding of hydrological processes is essential for accurate risk assessment, ecological as well as human.     

Groundwater nitrogen pollution and assessment of its health risks: a case study of a typical village in rural-urban continuum, China

Protecting groundwater from nitrogen contamination is an important public-health concern and a major national environmental issue in China. In this study, we monitored water quality in 29 wells from 2009 to 2010 in a village in Shanghai city, whick belong to typical rural-urban continuum in China. The total N and NO(3)-N exhibited seasonal changes, and there were large fluctuations in NH(4)-N in residential areas, but without significant seasonal patterns. NO(2)-N in the water was not stable, but was present at high levels. Total N and NO(3)-N were significantly lower in residential areas than in agricultural areas. The groundwater quality in most wells belonged to Class III and IV in the Chinese water standard, which defines water that is unsuitable for human consumption. Our health risk assessments showed that NO(3)-N posed the greatest carcinogenic risk, with risk values ranging from 19×10(-6) to 80×10(-6), which accounted for more than 90% of the total risk in the study area.     

Hydrogeochemical evolution and risk assessment of human health in a riverbank filtration site,northeastern China

Intensive agriculture and industrial activities have resulted in contamination in rivers and groundwater quality, which threatens human health. In this study, we used comprehensive physiochemical indicators to assess the quality of groundwater used for drinking and irrigation in addition to the potential risks to local residents in a riverbank filtration site. Human health risks through drinking water intake and dermal contact were also estimated. Moreover, we analyzed the spatial distribution regularities of health risk values in a riverbank filtration site. The assessment results revealed that NH₄–N, NO₂–N, F^?, Mn, and As are main contaminants affecting groundwater quality and that 62% of the total samples is suitable for a variety of purposes. All groundwater in the study area is suitable for irrigation based on the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), Na percentage (%Na), and U.S. Salinity Laboratory (USSL) and Wilcox diagrams. The health risk assessment suggests that residents in the study area are at high health risk, and women and children face higher risk than men in both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. The spatial distribution regularities of health risk values suggest that the human health risk value of each groundwater sample is different in the study area and has certain regularity. Therefore, effective measurements must be taken to address the groundwater contamination and to reduce the human health risks.