A site-based approach to delivering rangeland ecosystem services

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Brown ◽  
Neil MacLeod
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Ecological Sites ◽  
Ecological Site ◽  
State And Transition Model ◽  
A Site

Rangeland ecosystems are capable of providing an array of ecosystem services important to the wellbeing of society. Some of these services (e.g. meat, fibre) are transported to markets and their quantity, quality and value are established via a set of widely accepted standards. Other services (e.g. climate mitigation, water quality, wildlife habitat) do not leave the land, but are, in fact, most valuable when they remain in situ. Determining their quantity, quality and value presents a challenge that must be met if there is to be a credible, accessible ecosystem services market for rangelands. In this paper we describe some of the ecosystem services that may be extracted from rangelands, discuss their unique ecological nature and relate those unique ecological properties to soil and vegetation attributes that can serve as a basis for measurement, both quality and quantity. We suggest the use of a soil/vegetation-based system in which similar climate, geomorphology and edaphic properties are grouped into ecological sites based on their response to disturbance. Within each ecological site, a unique state and transition model describes the dynamics of vegetation and soil surface properties, provides state indicators (vegetation structure, soil properties), predicts ecosystem services that may be derived at multiple scales, and organises information related to management to achieve ecosystem service objectives, including sustainability.

scholarly journals Development of Fragility Curves for Piping and Slope Stability of River Levees

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 738
Author(s):  
Nicola Rossi ◽  
Mario Bačić ◽  
Meho Saša Kovačević ◽  
Lovorka Librić
Keyword(s):  
Slope Stability ◽  
Fragility Curves ◽  
Safety Margin ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Flood Event ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Design Code ◽  
A Site ◽  
Insight Into

The design code Eurocode 7 relies on semi-probabilistic calculation procedures, through utilization of the soil parameters obtained by in situ and laboratory tests, or by the means of transformation models. To reach a prescribed safety margin, the inherent soil parameter variability is accounted for through the application of partial factors to either soil parameters directly or to the resistance. However, considering several sources of geotechnical uncertainty, including the inherent soil variability, measurement error and transformation uncertainty, full probabilistic analyses should be implemented to directly consider the site-specific variability. This paper presents the procedure of developing fragility curves for levee slope stability and piping as failure mechanisms that lead to larger breaches, where a direct influence of the flood event intensity on the probability of failure is calculated. A range of fragility curve sets is presented, considering the variability of levee material properties and varying durations of the flood event, thus providing crucial insight into the vulnerability of the levee exposed to rising water levels. The procedure is applied to the River Drava levee, a site which has shown a continuous trend of increased water levels in recent years.

scholarly journals Beijing Resident’s Preferences of Ecosystem Services of Urban Forests

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Han Zhi-Ying ◽  
Youn Yeo-Chang
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Urban Forestry ◽  
Urban Forests ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Quality Regulation ◽  
Water Provision ◽  
Air Quality Regulation

This paper aims to investigate the Beijing resident’s preferences over various options of urban forest management strategies. The literature investigation and expert Delphi method were conducted to classify the ecosystem services of urban forests into six categories: (1) fresh water provision, (2) noise reduction, (3) moderation of extreme events, (4) air quality regulation, (5) species diversity and wildlife habitat, and (6) recreation and spiritual experience. To elicit the relative preferences to ecosystem service (hereafter referred to as ES) of Beijing residents, we employed the choice experiment method. The data were collected by interviews with questionnaires conducted in October 2017, and a total of 483 valid questionnaires were analyzed. The subjects of this experiment were residents older than 19 years old who have lived in Beijing for more than 1 year and have visited any one of the urban forests located in Beijing more than once during 2016. The results were as follows: Firstly, the air quality regulation ES was considered as the most important service for Beijing residents in terms of their choices of urban forest. In addition, Beijing residents regarded the fresh water provision ES as the second most important ES. Beijing residents were willing to pay up to 1.84% of the average monthly income of Chinese households annually to expand urban forest ecosystems in order to improve air quality. Secondly, apartment owners were willing to pay more municipality tax for forest ESs than residents who did not own an apartment. Thirdly, residents were more willing to pay for urban forest ESs as their income increases. The results indicated that Beijing residents were willing to pay more tax in support of urban forestry for air quality improvement. This research suggests that urban environmental policy makers in Beijing should pay more attention to the regulation function of forests (especially improving air quality) when designing and managing urban forests.

Mangrove ecosystem services and the potential for carbon revenue programmes in Solomon Islands

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
KIMBERLEY WARREN-RHODES ◽  
ANNE-MAREE SCHWARZ ◽  
LINDA NG BOYLE ◽  
JOELLE ALBERT ◽  
STEPHEN SUTI AGALO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Solomon Islands ◽  
Mangrove Ecosystem ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Religious Denomination ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Potential Carbon

SUMMARYMangroves are an imperilled biome whose protection and restoration through payments for ecosystem services (PES) can contribute to improved livelihoods, climate mitigation and adaptation. Interviews with resource users in three Solomon Islands villages suggest a strong reliance upon mangrove goods for subsistence and cash, particularly for firewood, food and building materials. Village-derived economic data indicates a minimum annual subsistence value from mangroves of US$ 345–1501 per household. Fish and nursery habitat and storm protection were widely recognized and highly valued mangrove ecosystem services. All villagers agreed that mangroves were under threat, with firewood overharvesting considered the primary cause. Multivariate analyses revealed village affiliation and religious denomination as the most important factors determining the use and importance of mangrove goods. These factors, together with gender, affected users’ awareness of ecosystem services. The importance placed on mangrove services did not differ significantly by village, religious denomination, gender, age, income, education or occupation. Mangrove ecosystem surveys are useful as tools for raising community awareness and input prior to design of PES systems. Land tenure and marine property rights, and how this complexity may both complicate and facilitate potential carbon credit programmes in the Pacific, are discussed.

scholarly journals Serous Tubal Intraepithelial Carcinoma or Not? Metastases to Fallopian Tube Mucosa Can Masquerade as In Situ Lesions

2017 ◽  
Vol 141 (10) ◽  
pp. 1313-1315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reena Singh ◽  
Kathleen R. Cho
Keyword(s):  
Fallopian Tube ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
High Grade ◽  
Serous Tubal Intraepithelial Carcinoma ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Intraepithelial Carcinoma ◽  
A Site ◽  
Immunohistochemical Stains

Context.— Nonuterine high-grade serous carcinomas (HGSCs) are believed to arise most often from precursors in the fallopian tube referred to as serous tubal intraepithelial carcinomas (STICs). A designation of tubal origin has been suggested for all cases of nonuterine HGSC if a STIC is identified. Objective.— To highlight that many different types of nongynecologic and gynecologic carcinomas, including HGSC, can metastasize to the tubal mucosa and mimic de novo STIC. Data Sources.— A mini-review of several recently published studies that collectively examine STIC-like lesions of the fallopian tube. Conclusions.— The fallopian tube mucosa can be a site of metastasis from carcinomas arising elsewhere, and pathologists should exercise caution in diagnosing STIC without first considering the possibility of metastasis. Routinely used immunohistochemical stains can often be used to determine if a STIC-like lesion is tubal or nongynecologic in origin. In the context of uterine and nonuterine HGSC, STIC may represent a metastasis rather than the site of origin, particularly when widespread disease is present.

Measuring transient solute transport through the vadoze zone using time domain reflectometry

Soil Research ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 1359 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Vogeler ◽  
S. Green ◽  
A. Nadler ◽  
C. Duwig
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Solute Transport ◽  
Time Domain ◽  
Deterministic Model ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Time Domain Reflectometry ◽  
Richards Equation ◽  
Electrical Conductivities ◽  
Destructive Measurement

Time domain reflectometry (TDR) was used to monitor the transport of conservative tracers in the field under transient water flow in a controlled experiment under a kiwifruit vine. A mixed pulse of chloride and bromide was applied to the soil surface of a 16 m2 plot that had been isolated from the surrounding orchard soil. The movement of this solute pulse was monitored by TDR. A total of 63 TDR probes were installed into the plot for daily measurements of both the volumetric water content (θ) and the bulk soil electrical conductivity (σa). These TDR-measured σa were converted into pore water electrical conductivities (σw) and solute concentrations using various θ–σa–σw relationships that were established in the laboratory on repacked soil. The depth-wise field TDR measurements were compared with destructive measurement of the solute concentrations at the end of the experiment. These results were also compared with predictions using a deterministic model of water and solute transport based on Richards’ equation, and the convection–dispersion equation. TDR was found to give a good indication of the shape of the solute profile with depth, but the concentration of solute was under- or over-estimated by up to 50%, depending on the θ–σa–σw relationships used. Thus TDR can be used to monitor in situ transport of contaminants. However, only rough estimates of the electrical conductivity of the soil solution can so far be obtained by TDR.

scholarly journals A protocol for an intercomparison of biodiversity and ecosystem services models using harmonized land-use and climate scenarios

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 4537-4562 ◽  
Author(s):  
HyeJin Kim ◽  
Isabel M. D. Rosa ◽  
Rob Alkemade ◽  
Paul Leadley ◽  
George Hurtt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Global Impacts

Abstract. To support the assessments of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the IPBES Expert Group on Scenarios and Models is carrying out an intercomparison of biodiversity and ecosystem services models using harmonized scenarios (BES-SIM). The goals of BES-SIM are (1) to project the global impacts of land-use and climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services (i.e., nature's contributions to people) over the coming decades, compared to the 20th century, using a set of common metrics at multiple scales, and (2) to identify model uncertainties and research gaps through the comparisons of projected biodiversity and ecosystem services across models. BES-SIM uses three scenarios combining specific Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs) and Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) – SSP1xRCP2.6, SSP3xRCP6.0, SSP5xRCP8.6 – to explore a wide range of land-use change and climate change futures. This paper describes the rationale for scenario selection, the process of harmonizing input data for land use, based on the second phase of the Land Use Harmonization Project (LUH2), and climate, the biodiversity and ecosystem services models used, the core simulations carried out, the harmonization of the model output metrics, and the treatment of uncertainty. The results of this collaborative modeling project will support the ongoing global assessment of IPBES, strengthen ties between IPBES and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios and modeling processes, advise the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on its development of a post-2020 strategic plans and conservation goals, and inform the development of a new generation of nature-centred scenarios.

scholarly journals Examination of soil parameters based on the evaluation of the spectroradiometric reflectance characteristics of the topsoil

2014 ◽  
pp. 75-80
Author(s):  
Károly Bakos ◽  
Attila Dobos ◽  
János Nagy
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Surface Reflectance ◽  
Imaging Spectrometer ◽  
Top Soil ◽  
Multiple Samples ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
Landscape Formation

In this article we are presenting the methodology applied to analyse and interpret the topsoil surface reflectance parameters of multiple samples collected in the Mugello valley area in northern Italy in October 2012. The main aim of the whole project was to discover geomorphological behaviour and situation of the area ino order to improve potential for correct dating of certain archaeological artefacts found in the nearby areas. One of the crucial problem researchers are facing in the area is the lack of understanding of the underlying geological and geomorphological processes that were describing and characterizing the area and that played important role not only in the current geography and landscape formation but also in the transportation of various sediments and artefacts. In this particular research the main aim is to examine the possibility of developing a quick way to assess low level properties of the soil using hand held spectrometer and rapid analysis of cross-section using in situ measurement techniques. In this work we collected over 2000 individual samples of topsoil surface reflectance properties that we organized into a spectral library. This library is then to be used to describe physical and chemical processes in the soil. To support the analysis results were compared to analysis results from different kind of assessments in the same area. Our results show a great potential of application of hand held imaging spectrometer in soil property analysis based on the top soil surface reflectance parameters.

scholarly journals Exploring the Utility of Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis for Assessing Ferrous Iron-Mediated Reduction of RDX in the Subsurface

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiran Tong ◽  
Matthew J. Berens ◽  
Bridget A. Ulrich ◽  
Jakov Bolotin ◽  
Jennifer H. Strehlau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Contamination ◽  
Ferrous Iron ◽  
Chemical Reduction ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Enrichment Factors ◽  
Isotope Enrichment ◽  
Compound Specific Isotope Analysis ◽  
A Site ◽  
Mediated Reduction

This work determines isotope enrichment factors for RDX during reduction by iron minerals. The values determined are used to assess the transformation of RDX at a site with groundwater contamination and in laboratory column reactors simulating in situ chemical reduction treatment.

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