Dry deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and its influence on surface soil contamination in Tianjin, China

ISCLT3 dispersion model was applied to calculate the flux of dry deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Tianjin, China based on a high resolution emission inventory. Field observations of dry deposition at 22 sampling sites were used for model validation. The mean deposition flux densities (and standard deviation) of 15 PAHs were 4.62 +/- 2.99 mu g m(-2) d(-1) and 2.75 +/- 1.78 mg m(-2) d(-1) in the heating and the non-heating seasons, respectively, with a time-weighted annual mean of 3.37 +/- 1.81 mu g m(-2) d(-1) (based on the durations of the heating and non-heating seasons). High fluxes occurred in the urbanized areas as well as near two coke and gasification facilities. It was revealed that PAH concentrations in surface soil were correlated significantly with both dry deposition and soil organic matter content. Accordingly, a linear regression model was developed for predicting surface soil PAH concentration based on deposition flux density and soil organic matter content.National Basic Research Program [2007CB407303]; National Science Foundation of China [40730737, 140710019001

A two-stage inexact-stochastic programming model for planning carbon dioxide emission trading under uncertainty

In this study, a two-stage inexact-stochastic programming (TISP) method is developed for planning carbon dioxide (CO2) emission trading under uncertainty. The developed TISP incorporates techniques of interval-parameter programming (IPP) and two-stage stochastic programming (TSP) within a general optimization framework. The TISP can not only tackle uncertainties expressed as probabilistic distributions and discrete intervals, but also provide an effective linkage between the pre-regulated greenhouse gas (GHG) management policies and the associated economic implications. The developed method is applied to a case study of energy systems and CO2 emission trading planning under uncertainty. The results indicate that reasonable solutions have been generated. They can be used for generating decision alternatives and thus help decision makers identify desired GHG abatement policies under various economic and system-reliability constraints. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

LURR's Twenty Years and Its Perspective

Seismogenic process is a nonlinear and irreversible one, so that the response to loading of a seismogenic zone is different from the unloading one. This difference reflects quantitatively the process of an earthquake preparation. A physics-based new parameter-Load/Unload Response Ratio (LURR) was proposed to measure quantitatively the proximity to a strong earthquake and then used to be an earthquake predictor. In the present paper, a brief history of LURR is recalled; inspection of real earthquake cases, numerical simulations and laboratory studies of LURR, prediction efforts in terms of LURR, probability problem of LURR and its prospect are also expatiated

Sub-inertial characteristics of the surface flow field over the shelf of the central Mid-Atlantic Bight

Observations of surface velocity data from August 2002 to February 2004 were collected by a series of four long-range high-frequency (HF) radars along the coast of New Jersey. The shelf observations of the central Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) were compared to historical observations of surface flow characteristics in the area. The time-averaged spatial mean velocity of 4 cm/s in the down-shelf along-shelf direction and 3 cm/s in the offshore across-shelf direction compared very well to historical surface measurements in the study region. However, as the spatial resolution of the data set revealed, this simple measure masked significant spatial variations in the overall and seasonal mean flow structures. Three regions-the south bank of the Hudson Shelf Valley, the southern New Jersey inner shelf (LEO-15) region, and the region offshore of the Delaware Baymouth (southwest corner) - had mean flows that favor offshore transport of surface water. In terms of temporal variability, maps of the principle axes showed that the across-shelf (minor) axis contribution was not in significant in the surface layer ranging from 0.3 to 0.9 of along-shelf (major) axis and that there were seasonal differences in orientation and ellipticity. Analysis of the spatial changes in the temporal and spatial correlation scales over the shelf showed that shelf position, in addition to site separation, contributed to the differences in these properties. Furthermore, observations over the Hudson Shelf Valley region suggested that this was a region of transition in which the orientation of along- and across-shelf components begin to change. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Comparison of net ecosystem carbon exchange estimation in a mixed temperate forest using field eddy covariance and MODIS data

Quantification of net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEE) between the atmosphere and vegetation is of great importance for regional and global studies of carbon balance. The eddy covariance technique can quantify carbon budgets and the effects of environmental controls for many forest types across the continent but it only provides integrated CO2 flux measurements within tower footprints and need to be scaled up to large areas in combination with remote sensing observations. In this study we compare a multiple-linear regression (MR) model which relates enhanced vegetation index and land surface temperature derived from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS), and photosynthetically active radiation with the site-level NEE, for estimating carbon flux exchange between the ecosystem and the environment at the deciduous-dominated Harvard Forest to three other methods proposed in the literature. Six years (2001-2006) of eddy covariance and MODIS data are used and results show that the MR model has the best performance for both training (20012004, R-2 = 0.84, RMSE = 1.33 g Cm-2 day(-1)) and validation (2005-2006, R-2 = 0.76, RMSE = 1.54 g Cm-2 day(-1)) datasets comparing to the other ones. It provides the potential to estimate carbon flux exchange across different ecosystems at various time intervals for scaling up plot-level NEE of CO2 to large spatial areas

Experimental Study of the Earthquake Recurrence Period and the Trend of Post-Seismic Development

In order to study the earthquake recurrence and the characteristics of earthquake series, rupture tests of rock samples and plexiglass samples were made. On rock samples, a number of acoustic emission (AE) and strain measuring points were deployed; the load was one side direct shear. The variation characteristics of AE and strain at different detecting points around the extra large fracture were observed and studied. On plexiglass samples, a series of inclined cracks were prefabricated by a small-scale compressive testing machine. The samples were then loaded on a shockproof platen, when the samples were loaded, the stress intensity factor (SIF) was determined by the laser interferometric technique and shadow optical method of caustics. The fracture conditions such as material toughness around the extra large fracture were also studied. From those experimental results and the theory of fracture mechanics, the earthquake recurrence period and the trend of post-seismic development were studied