Restoring the ecological integrity of a dryland river: Why low flows in the Barwon–Darling River must flow

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 218-228
Author(s):  
Martin Mallen‐Cooper ◽  
Brenton P Zampatti
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
Low Flows ◽  
Dryland River

DEVELOPMENT OF STREAMFLOW DROUGHT INDICES IN THE MORAVA RIVER BASIN

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ondrej Ledvinka ◽  
◽  
Pavel Coufal ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Kendall Test ◽  
Drought Indices ◽  
Drought Period ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Low Flows ◽  
Current Period ◽  
Catchment Size ◽  
Morava River ◽  
The Stability

The territory of Czechia currently suffers from a long-lasting drought period which has been a subject of many studies, including the hydrological ones. Previous works indicated that the basin of the Morava River, a left-hand tributary of the Danube, is very prone to the occurrence of dry spells. It also applies to the development of various hydrological time series that often show decreases in the amount of available water. The purpose of this contribution is to extend the results of studies performed earlier and, using the most updated daily time series of discharge, to look at the situation of the so-called streamflow drought within the basin. 46 water-gauging stations representing the rivers of diverse catchment size were selected where no or a very weak anthropogenic influences are expected and the stability and sensitivity of profiles allow for the proper measurement of low flows. The selected series had to cover the most current period 1981-2018 but they could be much longer, which was considered beneficial for the next determination of the development direction. Various series of drought indices were derived from the original discharge series. Specifically, 7-, 15- and 30-day low flows together with deficit volumes and their durations were tested for trends using the modifications of the Mann– Kendall test that account for short-term and long-term persistence. In order to better reflect the drivers of streamflow drought, the indices were considered for summer and winter seasons separately as well. The places with the situation critical to the future water resources management were highlighted where substantial changes in river regime occur probably due to climate factors. Finally, the current drought episode that started in 2014 was put into a wider context, making use of the information obtained by the analyses.

scholarly journals The Use of Citizen Science to Achieve Multivariate Management Goals on Public Lands

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 293
Author(s):  
Sara Souther ◽  
Vincent Randall ◽  
Nanebah Lyndon
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Public Land Management ◽  
Federal Land ◽  
Botanical Research ◽  
Federal Land Management

Federal land management agencies in the US are tasked with maintaining the ecological integrity of over 2 million km2 of land for myriad public uses. Citizen science, operating at the nexus of science, education, and outreach, offers unique benefits to address socio-ecological questions and problems, and thus may offer novel opportunities to support the complex mission of public land managers. Here, we use a case study of an iNaturalist program, the Tribal Nations Botanical Research Collaborative (TNBRC), to examine the use of citizen science programs in public land management. The TNBRC collected 2030 observations of 34 plant species across the project area, while offering learning opportunities for participants. Using occurrence data, we examined observational trends through time and identified five species with 50 or fewer digital observations to investigate as species of possible conservation concern. We compared predictive outcomes of habitat suitability models built using citizen science data and Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data. Models exhibited high agreement, identifying the same underlying predictors of species occurrence and, 95% of the time, identifying the same pixels as suitable habitat. Actions such as staff training on data use and interpretation could enhance integration of citizen science in Federal land management.

scholarly journals Sustainable AI: AI for sustainability and the sustainability of AI

AI and Ethics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimee van Wynsberghe
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Computing Power ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Sociotechnical System ◽  
Societal Values ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Definition Of

AbstractWhile there is a growing effort towards AI for Sustainability (e.g. towards the sustainable development goals) it is time to move beyond that and to address the sustainability of developing and using AI systems. In this paper I propose a definition of Sustainable AI; Sustainable AI is a movement to foster change in the entire lifecycle of AI products (i.e. idea generation, training, re-tuning, implementation, governance) towards greater ecological integrity and social justice. As such, Sustainable AI is focused on more than AI applications; rather, it addresses the whole sociotechnical system of AI. I have suggested here that Sustainable AI is not about how to sustain the development of AI per say but it is about how to develop AI that is compatible with sustaining environmental resources for current and future generations; economic models for societies; and societal values that are fundamental to a given society. I have articulated that the phrase Sustainable AI be understood as having two branches; AI for sustainability and sustainability of AI (e.g. reduction of carbon emissions and computing power). I propose that Sustainable AI take sustainable development at the core of its definition with three accompanying tensions between AI innovation and equitable resource distribution; inter and intra-generational justice; and, between environment, society, and economy. This paper is not meant to engage with each of the three pillars of sustainability (i.e. social, economic, environment), and as such the pillars of sustainable AI. Rather, this paper is meant to inspire the reader, the policy maker, the AI ethicist, the AI developer to connect with the environment—to remember that there are environmental costs to AI. Further, to direct funding towards sustainable methods of AI.

Estimating low flows for Coastal Plain watersheds

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Sheridan ◽  
R.G. Williams and D.D. Bosch
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Low Flows

A correlation between chytrid abundance and ecological integrity in New Jersey pine barrens waters

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 295-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karena DiLeo ◽  
Kimberly Donat ◽  
Amelia Min-Venditti ◽  
John Dighton
Keyword(s):  
New Jersey ◽  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
Pine Barrens

Conversion to pine: Changes in timing and magnitude of high and low flows

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 568-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuf Serengil ◽  
Wayne T. Swank ◽  
Mark S. Riedel ◽  
James M. Vose
Keyword(s):  
Low Flows
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