Hydrochemical characteristics and genetic mechanism of porous sandstone geothermal water in northern Jinan, Shandong, China.

Porous sandstone geothermal water is an important geothermal resource, which is a low-carbon and clean resource, but lacks systematic research on a regional scale. The northern part of Jinan City is rich in geothermal resources, specifically porous sandstone thermal reservoirs. However, there is still incomplete research on the mechanism of geothermal genesis and the hydrochemical characteristics of geothermal water in porous sandstone. This study aims to address this gap by collecting 21 groundwater samples from northern Jinan and comparing their conventional ion and isotope characteristics to investigate the hydrochemical characteristics during the formation of geothermal water and uncover the genesis mechanism of porous sandstone geothermal water. The results indicate that the geothermal water is classified as Na-Cl type and Na-SO4-Cl type. The hydrochemical characteristics of geothermal water are primarily influenced by water-rock interaction and groundwater mixing. The water source primarily comes from the atmospheric precipitation in the Taiyi mountains, with an altitude of 910.75-1542.2 m.s.a.l.. The estimated temperature of the thermal reservoir ranges from 51 to 78 °C, and the depth of geothermal water circulation is estimated to be between 1316 and 2216 m. Based on the characteristics of the geothermal field, including the "cap rock, water source, heat source, reservoir, and channel," a conceptual model of the porous sandstone geothermal water flow system is proposed. This model offers novel insights into the genesis mechanism of geothermal water under similar geological conditions.

Epidemiological characteristics of heat stroke and association between heatwave and heat stroke in Jinan City, 2017—2022 / 环境与职业医学

Background In recent years, regional high-temperature weather in summer occurs frequently in China. Heat stroke is the most representative meteorological disease caused by high temperature. In order to improve monitoring, early warning, prevention, and control of heat stroke, it is of great significance to understand the epidemiological characteristics of heat stroke and the associated impact of heatwave. Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of heat stroke cases in Jinan City, and to explore the effects of heatwave exposure on heat stroke. Methods Case reports of heat stroke and daily data of meteorological factors in Jinan City from 2017 to 2022 were collected. We described the temporal, population, and regional distribution characteristics of heat stroke cases in Jinan City, and used a time-stratified case-crossover design combined with conditional logistic regression model to explore the effects of heatwave exposure on heat stroke under 12 heatwave definitions (different combinations of intensity and duration). The cut-off percentiles used for heatwave definitions were the 90th (P90), 95th (P95), 97.5th (P97.5), and 99th (P99) percentiles of daily mean temperature; the durations were ≥ 2 d, ≥ 3 d, and ≥ 4 d, respectively. Pi(k), where i is temperature threshold, and k is duration. For example, the definition of a heatwave was notated as P90(2), indicating that the daily mean temperature is ≥ P90 and lasts for ≥ 2 d. Alternatively, lag01 denotes the cumulative lag effect with a 1 d lag, and so on. Results A total of 1394 cases of heat stroke were reported in Jinan City from 2017 to 2022, including 581 mild cases and 813 severe cases, and 85 deaths were reported, with a cumulative fatality rate of 6.10%. The cases of heat stroke reported each year during the study period were concentrated from June to August and peaked in July (665 cases, 47.70%). The sex ratio of males to females in heat stroke cases was 2.02:1. A high incidence of heat stroke was in 50-89 years, with a smaller peak occurring in the age group of 50-59 years and a larger peak in the age group of 70-79 years, respectively. The high-incidence areas of heat stroke were distributed in the western part of Jinan City where city centers situated (Tianqiao District, 274 cases, 19.66%; Huaiyin District, 223 cases, 16.00%) and in the surrounding rural areas (Pingyin County, 254 cases, 18.22%). The effect of heatwave exposure on heat stroke was statistically significant during the study period. The largest effect estimates for the effect on heat stroke occurred under the heatwave definitions of P99(2), P97.5(3), and P97.5(4) at lag04, lag03, and lag04, where corresponding OR (95%CI) values were 9.27 (4.71, 14.24), 8.95 (6.17, 12.98), and 8.22 (4.91, 13.78), respectively. The exposure-response curve showed that the risk of heat stroke tended to increase with the increase of average daily temperature. Conclusion July is the key period for the occurrence of heat stroke among Jinan City residents, while male cases are predominant, more serious cases, age concentration in the 50-89 years. The occurrence of heatwave can further increase the risk of heat stroke with a significant lag effect.

Exploring the relationship between seasonal variations of land surface temperature and urban morphological factors in complex urban areas.

The urban heat island effect is an increasingly serious problem in urban areas. Previous studies suggest that spatial variation in the urban land surface temperature (LST) is determined by interactions among urban morphological factors, but few studies have explored the main factors that affect the LST in different seasons in complex urban areas, especially at a fine scale. By considering the central Chinese city of Jinan as an example, we selected 19 parameters related to the architectural morphological factors, ecological basis factors, and humanistic factors and explored their effects on the LST in different seasons. A correlation model was used to identify the key factors and to analyze the main impact thresholds in different seasons. In the four seasons, the 19 factors all had significant correlations with LST. In particular, architectural morphological factors comprising the average building height and high building ratio had significant negative correlations with the LST in the four seasons. The architectural morphological factors comprising the floor area ratio, spatial concentration degree, building volume density, and urban surface pattern index comprising the mean nearest neighbor distance to green land, as well as humanistic factors comprising the point of interest density, nighttime light intensity, and human activity intensity of land surface had significant positive correlations with LST in the summer and autumn. Ecological basis factors made the main contributions to the LST in the spring, summer, and winter, whereas humanistic factors contributed the most in the autumn. The contributions of architectural morphological factors were relatively low in the four seasons. The dominant factors differed in each season but their thresholds had similar characteristics. The results obtained in this study deepen our understanding of the relationships between urban morphology and the urban heat island effect, and provide practical suggestions for improving the urban thermal environment through reasonable building planning and management.

Land Use Conflict Identification Coupled with Ecological Protection Priority in Jinan City, China.

Land use conflicts exacerbate soil erosion and reduce biodiversity, which is detrimental to sustainable development. Multiple methods such as multi-criteria evaluation and landscape pattern indexes can identify land use conflicts, but few studies conform to the concept of green development. The concept of green development gives priority to ecological protection and coordinates the relationship between production development, food production and ecological protection to achieve sustainable development. Taking Jinan City (China) as the study area, we identified the ecological source areas by evaluating the importance of ecosystem service functions and ecological sensitivity, then extracted and optimized the ecological corridor network (using the minimum cumulative resistance model and gravity model), and constructed the ecological security pattern. Spatial overlay analysis of cultivated land, construction land, and the ecological security pattern was performed to identify the types and intensity of land use conflicts. Spatially, we found that ecological land was in more serious conflict with cultivated land than construction land. Different types of land use conflicts have significant differences in spatial distribution. The key to land use conflict mediation in Jinan City is to balance food security with the improvements in the quality of the ecological environment. Hence, it is necessary to delineate the main functional zones and formulate tailored land use conflict mediation strategies in each zone. The method for land use conflict identification proposed here follows the principle of giving priority to ecological protection, providing a scientific reference for the utilization and protection of territorial space in other similar areas.

The Interactive Relationship between Street Centrality and Land Use Intensity-A Case Study of Jinan, China.

It is of great significance to study the interactive relationship between urban transportation and land use for promoting the healthy and sustainable development of cities. Taking Jinan, China, as an example, this study explored the interactive relationship between street centrality (SC) and land use intensity (LUI) in the main urban area of Jinan by using the spatial three-stage least squares method. The results showed that the closeness centrality showed an obvious "core-edge" pattern, which gradually decreased from the central urban area to the edge area. Both the betweenness centrality and the straightness centrality showed a multi-center structure. The commercial land intensity (CLUI) showed the characteristics of multi-core spatial distribution, while the residential land intensity (RLUI) and public service land intensity (PLUI) showed the characteristics of spatial distribution with the coexistence of large and small cores. There was an interactive relationship between SC and LUI. The closeness centrality and straightness centrality had positive effects on LUI, and LUI had a positive effect on closeness centrality and straightness centrality. The betweenness centrality had a negative impact on LUI, and LUI also had a negative impact on betweenness centrality. Moreover, good location factors and good traffic conditions were conducive to improving the closeness and straightness centrality of the regional traffic network. Good location factors, good traffic conditions and high population density were conducive to improving regional LUI.

Multi-Disaster Integrated Risk Assessment in City Range-A Case Study of Jinan, China.

Urban multi-disaster integrated risk assessment is an important part of urban sustainable development and territorial spatial planning. Based on the results of integrated risk assessment, the scientific and effective performance of disaster prevention and reduction can be effectively improved. This study determines a multi-disaster integrated risk assessment system. The system evaluates the hazard level of disasters, the exposure level of disaster bearing bodies, the vulnerability level of disaster bearing bodies, and the urban resilience level, and determines the city's integrated risk level on this basis. Taking Jinan as an example, the risk, exposure, vulnerability, resilience, and integrated risk level of Jinan City were analyzed. The results show that the system reasonably analyzes the multi-disaster integrated risk level, and according to the assessment results, countermeasures for disaster prevention and suggestions for territorial spatial planning were put forward.

Atmospheric wet deposition of mercury in urban Jinan, eastern China: Speciation, scavenging process and potential sources.

Understanding the speciation and related influence factors of Hg in wet deposition is important to predict the fate and transport of mercury in the atmosphere. In this study, event-based samples of rainwater were collected for one year in Jinan, a northern city in eastern China. The volume-weighted mean concentration of total mercury (THg) in rainwater was 34.8 ng L-1, comparable to levels in some inland cities in China and were significantly higher than those in North America, Korea and Japan. Most of the Hg in rainwater was associated with particulates, accounted for 15.2-92.9% of THg with a mean of 66.9%, which might be attributed to the scavenging effects of high particulate-bound mercury concentrations in ambient air in urban Jinan. Dissolved mercury (DHg) accounted for 33.1% of THg, in which Hg(OH)2, HgClOH, HgCl2 and Hg(NH3)22+ are the dominant species based on the chemical equilibrium modeling simulations. THg concentrations in rainwater decreased as the rainfall amount increased owing to the dilution effect and 5 mm rainfall might be a threshold for the full wash-out capability of atmospheric Hg. For a continuous rain event, the proportion of DHg in THg could increase from 7.1% to 84.8% with the rainfall processing, especially for the species of HgClOH and HgCl2 under the influence of rainwater pH. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis suggested that the major sources of Hg in rainwater were combustion emissions, marine sources, industrial emissions, as well as complexation process, which contributed to 51.4%, 24.7%, 12.2%, and 11.7% of the THg, respectively. For the specific species, the main sources varied with different Hg species, in which combustion emissions contributed one third to one half of each species sum to particulate mercury (PHg), HgClOH, HgCl2, HgBrOH and HgBrCl followed by marine sources and industrial emissions. Cluster analysis of backward trajectories revealed that polluted air masses, transported from southeast Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu Provinces, as well as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, contributed to high Hg concentration in rainwater in Jinan.

Pro-Environmental Behavior: Examining the Role of Ecological Value Cognition, Environmental Attitude, and Place Attachment among Rural Farmers in China.

Studies on the factors that influence farmers' pro-environmental behavior could promote environmental management in rural areas. Jinan of China was selected as the case study area in this study. A structural equation model and multiple hierarchical regression analysis were applied to analyze the influence mechanism of ecological value cognition on pro-environmental behavior. Environmental attitudes were set as the mediating variable and place attachment was selected as the moderating variable. The results showed that (1) ecological value cognition exhibited a positive influence on pro-environmental behavior in both direct and indirect ways. The indirect influence was mediated by environmental attitude. (2) Place identity and place dependence showed a positive direct influence on pro-environmental behavior. (3) It is suggested that in order to improve pro-environmental behavior, enhancing ecological value cognition, cultivating farmers' positive environmental attitude, increasing farmers' place attachment, and releasing reward and punishment measures are good strategies. The findings in this study are important to the improvement of the rural ecological environment and the quality of life of farmers. Meanwhile, the findings shed light on the construction process of ecological civilization and the improvement of public welfare.

The Relationship between Environmental Awareness, Habitat Quality, and Community Residents' Pro-Environmental Behavior-Mediated Effects Model Analysis Based on Social Capital.

Pro-environmental behavior can promote the optimization of the living environment and sustainable social development. This paper constructs a theoretical analysis framework of "environmental consciousness, habitat environment-social capital- pro-environmental behavior". By using structural equation modeling and 1005 instances of microscopic research data, we analyzed the influence of environmental awareness and habitat environment on the pro-environmental behavior of community residents. The results of the analysis were combined with the Bootstrap method to verify the mediating role of social capital dimensions in the influence of environmental awareness and habitat quality on the pro-environmental behavior of community residents. The results show that: Firstly, environmental awareness, habitat quality, and social capital have positive effects on the pro-environmental behavior of community residents. Secondly, environmental awareness and habitat quality have positive effects on the five dimensions of social capital. Thirdly, among the five dimensions of social capital, four dimensions of social trust, social norms, sense of community belonging, and community voluntarism play a partially mediating role between environmental awareness, habitat quality, and pro-environmental behavior. This paper enriches the research on the influence of environmental awareness and habitat environment on pro-environmental behavior, reveals the mediating effect of each dimension of social capital, and broadens the horizon for the study of pro-environmental behavior. The results of the study can provide a reference for decision making to promote the implementation of pro-environmental behavior among community residents.

Leaving the Homestead: Examining the Role of Relative Deprivation, Social Trust, and Urban Integration among Rural Farmers in China.

Actively promoting the orderly and voluntary withdrawal of idle rural house bases and effectively activating "sleeping" land assets are considered important measures to accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, as well as promoting the integrated development of urban and rural areas. However, few studies have focused on the superimposed effects of negative psychological and social environmental factors on the willingness of farmers to withdraw from their homestead. Therefore, we conducted this study in order to clarify the logical ideas of rural home base withdrawal, analyze the factors that influence the decision of home base withdrawal behavior of interest subjects, and provide a scientific decision basis for promoting rural home base withdrawal and accelerating the process of transferring citizens of agricultural population in terms of policies, measures, and paths, so as to design and develop an incentive mechanism for home base withdrawal of citizens of agricultural transfer population. The results of the study show that: (1) the findings indicate that social deprivation, economic deprivation, and emotional deprivation all significantly and negatively affect farmers' willingness to withdraw from their homesteads; (2) social trust plays a mediating role between relative deprivation and farmer homestead withdrawal behavior; and (3) urban integration plays a moderating role between social and emotional deprivation and the social trust of farmers, but does not have a significant moderating role in the relationship between economic deprivation and social trust. Furthermore, it plays a moderating role between all deprivation factors (i.e., economic, social, and emotional deprivation) and farmer homestead withdrawal behavior. This study aims to provide useful guidance and policy suggestions for optimizing policies related to farmer homestead withdrawal behaviors, and for scientifically designing the homestead withdrawal mechanism and policy system.

Exploring built environment factors on e-bike travel behavior in urban China: A case study of Jinan.

E-bike, characterized as a low-carbon and health-beneficial active travel mode, is gradually becoming popular in China. Although built environment factors are considered to be key parameters that can facilitate or hinder active transportation, such as cycling or walking, few studies have explored the impact of built environment on e-bikes. To fill this gap, this study was the first to explore the relationship between e-bike usage and built environment factors based on population level travel survey in central Jinan, China. Both macro and micro levels of built environment were measured using multi-source data. We employed ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models to explore the aggregation patterns of e-bike trips. Besides, the local Moran's I was employed to classify the aggregation patterns of e-bike trips into four types. The results from OLS model showed that eye-level greenery, building floor area, road density and public service POI were positive significantly related to e-bike trips, while open sky index and NDVI had negative association with e-bike trips. The usage of GWR model provided more subtle results, which revealed significant spatial heterogeneity on the impacts of different built environment parameters. Road density and public service POI posed positive effects on e-bike travel while NDVI and open sky index were found mainly pose negative impacts on e-bike travel. Moreover, we found similar coefficient distribution patterns of eye-level greenery, building floor area and distance to bus stop. Therefore, tailored planning interventions and policies can be developed to facilitate e-bike travel and promote individual's health level.

Numerical simulation and protection of the dynamic change of Jinan karst spring based on coupling of seepage and conduit flow.

The objective of this study was to predict the dynamic change in the spring water level more precisely, to provide timely solutions for karst spring protection. Using the Jinan spring region as a case study, this study established a numerical model of a karst groundwater system, and optimized the mining layout. The calculated maximum extraction volume following the optimized exploitation layout was 0.69 m3/s, in order to ensure the continuous flow of spring water in the median water year. A coupled karst groundwater numerical model with dual structure was developed using the MODFLOW-Conduit Flow Process (CFP), which simulates and then precisely predicts changes in the water level of the karst springs. Here, the plane extension direction of the karst conduit was determined by a tracer test and correlation analysis of the spring water levels and groundwater levels of the observation wells. Meanwhile, the vertical location of the karst conduit was determined by layered monitoring of the groundwater temperature and conductivity. Based on this, a coupling model of seepage and conduit flow was created to simulate the dynamic change in the spring water level, and the dual-media coupling model improved the simulation accuracy of the spring water level. The current study confirmed that, compared to the porous media seepage model, the dual-media coupling model can simulate the groundwater level dynamic change more accurately in a heterogeneous karst aquifer in northern China. The coupling model was used to analyze the effect of supplementation and optimize mining, to ensure that spring water continues to flow during the dry season while supplying the mining demand.

[Ozone Formation and Key VOCs of a Continuous Summertime O3 Pollution Event in Ji'nan].

In the summer of 2019, field measurements of ozone (O3) and its precursors[volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)] were carried out at an urban site in Ji'nan. We found that the daily maximum 8-hour averages φ(O3) were (103.0±14.5)×10-9. The average φ(NOx) and φ(VOCs), which are ozone precursors, were (16.7±11.3)×10-9and (22.4±9.4)×10-9, respectively. The ·OH reactivity of VOCs was determined (9.6±3.8) s-1. Ji'nan suffered from serious O3 pollution. An observation-constrained chemical box model was deployed to evaluate in situ photochemical O3 production, which indicated that chemical reactions made positive contributions to O3 production rates between 07:00 and 19:00 LT, with the average hourly O3 production rate of 35.6×10-9 h-1. To evaluate the effectiveness of various ozone precursor control strategies in reducing ozone pollution, we combined the observation-based model (OBM) with the relative incremental reactivity (RIR) method. The key indicators that affect the local ozone production rate were identified. Ji'nan was under VOC-limited conditions and the key VOC precursors were alkenes. The O3 formation mechanism changed from the VOC-limited regime in the morning to the transitional regime in the afternoon. Correspondingly, the simulated local O3 production rate was increased from 18.3×10-9 h-1 to 29.6×10-9 h-1. To further explore the role of anthropogenic emissions in ozone pollution, we used the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model to identify the major sources contributing to VOCs. The major sources in Ji'nan were vehicular exhaust and gasoline evaporation, accounting for more than 50% of the observed VOCs. Therefore, constraints on vehicular emissions is the most effective strategy to control O3 pollution in Ji'nan.

Oral administration of Jinan Red Ginseng and licorice extract mixtures ameliorates nonalcoholic steatohepatitis by modulating lipogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the main chronic liver diseases. NASH is identified by lipid accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis. Jinan Red Ginseng (JRG) and licorice have been widely used because of their anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective effects. Hence, this study assessed JRG and licorice extract mixtures' effects on NASH progression. METHODS: Palmitic acid (PA) and the western diet (WD) plus, high glucose-fructose water were used to induce in vitro and in vivo NASH. Mice were orally administered with JRG-single (JRG-S) and JRG-mixtures (JRG-M; JRG-S + licorice) at 0, 50, 100, 200 or 400 mg/kg/day once a day during the last half-period of diet feeding. RESULTS: JRG-S and JRG-M reduced NASH-related pathologies in WD-fed mice. JRG-S and JRG-M consistently decreased the mRNA level of genes related with inflammation, fibrosis, and lipid metabolism. The treatment of JRG-S and JRG-M also diminished the SREBP-1c protein levels and the p-AMPK/AMPK ratio. The FAS protein levels were decreased by JRG-M treatment both in vivo and in vitro but not JRG-S. CONCLUSION: JRG-M effectively reduced lipogenesis by modulating AMPK downstream signaling. Our findings suggest that this mixture can be used as a prophylactic or therapeutic alternative for the remedy of NASH.

Complexity of the relationship between 2D/3D urban morphology and the land surface temperature: a multiscale perspective.

Urban morphology is a crucial contributor to urban heat island (UHI) effects. However, few studies have explored the complex effect of 2D/3D urban morphology on UHIs from a multiscale perspective. In this study, we chose the central area of Jinan city, which is commonly known as the "furnace," as the case study area. The 2D/3D urban morphology indexes-building coverage ratio (BCR) (for assessing the 2D building density), building volume density (BVD) (for assessing the 3D building density), and frontal area index (FAI) (for assessing 3D ventilation conditions) were calculated and derived to investigate the complexity of the relationship between 2D/3D urban morphology and the land surface temperature (LST) at different scales using the maximum information coefficient (MIC) and geographically weighted regression (GWR). The results indicated that (1) these 2D/3D urban morphology indexes are essential factors that are responsible for LST variation, and BCR is the most important urban morphology index affecting LST, followed by BVD and FAI. Importantly, the relationship between the BCR, BVD, FAI, and LST was an inverse U-shaped curve. (2) The relationship between 2D/3D urban morphology and LST variation showed a significant scale effect. With increased grid size, the correlation between the BCR, BVD, and FAI and the LST strengthened, "inflection point" of inverse U-shaped curve significantly declined, and their explanation rate of the LST first increased and then decreased, with a maximum value at the 700 m scale. Additionally, the FAI exerted a stronger negative effect, while the BCR and BVD generally had stronger positive effects on the LST as the grid size increased. This study extends our scientific understanding of the complex effect of urban morphology on the LST and is of great practical significance for multiscale urban thermal environment regulation.

Environmental effects of prohibiting urban fireworks and firecrackers in Jinan, China.

Eight national air quality monitoring stations were selected to examine the environmental effects of prohibiting fireworks and firecrackers since January 1, 2018, in Jinan, China, by using an air quality index (AQI) on three time scales. In 2014-2018, the average annual AQI decreased year on year, but a downward trend in 2018 was only found by applying a Daniel trend test. The change in monthly data for 2016-2018 followed a "W" pattern. The overall AQI value was lower on New Year's Eve than during Spring Festival, and the 2-day AQI in 2018 was lower than that in 2017. The GIS analysis method was used for spatial visualization. The AQI in the built-up part of Jinan was high in the west and low in the east on New Year's Eve and Spring Festival of 2017, being lowest in the Development Zone. The AQI spatial distribution was high in the city core but low in its periphery; in 2018, the high-AQI center appeared near the Provincial Seed Warehouse on New Year's Eve and Spring Festival. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between AQI and pollutants. Six pollutants were found to be positively correlated with the AQI. PM2.5 and PM10 had the strongest correlations on New Year's Eve and Spring Festival, for which the correlations of SO2, CO, and NO2 were significantly weaker in 2018 than in 2017.

Source apportionment of PM2.5 and visibility in Jinan, China.

Atmospheric extinction is impacted by the chemical composition of particles. To better understand the chemical composition of PM2.5 (particles with diameters of less than 2.5 µm) and its relationship with extinction, one-month sampling campaigns were carried out in four different seasons from 2013 to 2014 in Jinan, China. The seasonal average concentrations of PM2.5 were 120.9 (autumn), 156.6 (winter), 102.5 (spring), and 111.8 µg/m3 (summer). The reconstructed PM2.5 chemical composition showed that sulfate, nitrate, chlorine salt, organic matter (OM), mineral dust, elemental carbon (EC) and others accounted for 25%, 14%, 2%, 24%, 22%, 3% and 10%, respectively. The relationship between the chemical composition of PM2.5 and visibility was reconstructed by the IMPROVE method, and ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, OM and EC dominated the visibility. Seven main sources were resolved for PM2.5, including secondary particles, coal combustion, biomass burning, industry, motor vehicle exhaust, soil dust and cooking, which accounted for 37%, 21%, 13%, 13%, 12%, 3% and 1%, respectively. The contributions of different sources to visibility were similar to those to PM2.5. With increasing severity of air pollution, the contributions of secondary particles and coal combustion increased, while the contribution of motor vehicle exhaust decreased. The results showed that coal combustion and biomass burning were still the main sources of air pollution in Jinan.

A pilot study of organophosphate esters in surface soils collected from Jinan City, China: implications for risk assessments.

Data monitoring is a prerequisite for the occurrence of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in the soil environment in light of their potential toxicity, bioaccumulation, and environmental persistence. In this study, we determined the concentrations and profiles of OPEs in surface soils collected from Jinan City, East China. The soil concentrations of ΣOPE (sum of all OPEs) were in the range of 2.55-581 ng/g dry weight (dw), with an average value of 106 ng/g dw. Industrial soils (mean: 433 ng/g dw) had significantly higher levels of ΣOPE compared with those in urban (42.1 ng/g dw) and farmland soils (7.89 ng/g dw) (p < 0.01), suggesting that industrial activity is an important source of OPEs to ambient soil environment. Tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP), triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), and tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) were the most abundant OPEs in industrial soils, contributing 30%, 25%, and 20% of ΣOPE, respectively. Principal component analysis revealed that TCIPP, TPHP, and TBOEP in soils derived from respective industrial activities. As compared with other cities within China, the surface soil of Jinan City was mildly contaminated by OPEs, and its human exposure and eco-toxicological risks were found to be negligible. Our study provides current contamination status of OPEs in soils across the multiple functional regions of Jinan, which could be used to support the authorities to make relevant regulations.

Atmospheric mercury in an eastern Chinese metropolis (Jinan).

Urban emissions are a major contributor to atmospheric Hg budgets. Continuous measurements of total gaseous mercury (TGM) and particulate-bound mercury (PHg) in PM2.5 were conducted from October 2015 to July 2016 in a metropolis, Jinan, in eastern China. Average TGM and PHg concentrations were 4.91 ± 3.66 ng m-3 and 451.9 ± 433.4 pg m-3, respectively, in the entire study period. During the winter heating period (HP), mean concentrations of TGM and PHg were 5.79 ng m-3 and 598.7 pg m-3, respectively, twice higher than those during the non-heating periods (NHPs). During the HP, TGM exhibited a distinct diurnal pattern with a peak in the morning and a minimum in the afternoon on less polluted days but a singular peak at midday on heavily polluted days. The diurnal variation of TGM during the NHPs was predominantly influenced by the variation in boundary layer height while during the HP by anthropogenic emissions. The ratio of PHg/PM2.5 in Jinan was one to two orders of magnitude larger than those elsewhere worldwide and those in soil and coal, which suggested the high enrichment of PHg in PM2.5 in Jinan. Correlation and principle component analysis results suggested that PHg and TGM had common combustion sources during the HP, whereas PHg resulted mainly from biomass burning and meteorological variations during the NHPs. High Hg concentrations in Jinan were mostly caused by emissions from coal-fired power plants, especially for those situated east of the sampling site. In addition, TGM and PHg concentrations significantly increased during haze and fog episodes, but decreased during a dust episode due possibly to strong ventilation conditions combined with partitioning of Hg between adsorption to PM2.5 and coarse dust particles.

Research on recognition and protection of ecological security patterns based on circuit theory: a case study of Jinan City.

Accelerated urbanization and population growth have resulted in the loss of ecological land and biodiversity, accompanied by the degradation of ecosystem services. Identifying and improving existing ecological security patterns are of great significance for maintaining the sustainable development of cities. In this study, Jinan, the capital of China's Shandong Province, was used as a case study area. Based on three ecosystem services, namely, soil conservation, water conservation and carbon fixation, ecological sources were determined. Furthermore, a resistance surface was constructed based on biodiversity. On these bases, the circuit theory concept of random walks was applied to simulate ecosystem processes in a heterogeneous landscape and identify ecological corridors, pinch points and barriers. A total of 25 ecological sources, 48 ecological corridors and 19 pinch points were identified, and restoration areas were delimited to three levels. These elements together constituted the ecological security patterns. Specifically, the ecological sources were mainly distributed in southern Jinan and were covered mostly with forest land. The ecological corridors were located mainly in the eastern and southwestern plains below the southern mountainous areas and were covered mostly with cropland. Furthermore, the eastern corridors were much longer than the southwestern corridors. Pinch points were distributed mostly along rivers or around large-scale construction land. Barriers were distributed mainly in Zhangqiu District and northern Licheng District. Based on these findings, hierarchical restoration areas were delimited. Differentiated development contradictions in restoration areas were discussed, and corresponding ecological protection measures were proposed. An ecological security optimization pattern of "one center, two wings, and two belts" was finally proposed to provide planning strategies for decision-makers.