scholarly journals A Case Study of the Effects of Management Interventions on the Phosphorus Dynamics at a Coastal, Eutrophic, Caribbean lagoon (Laguna Cartagena, Puerto Rico)

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 449
Author(s):  
Yashira Marie Sánchez Colón ◽  
Fred Charles Schaffner

Laguna Cartagena is a coastal, eutrophic, shallow lake and freshwater wetland in southwestern Puerto Rico, managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. This ecosystem has been impacted by phosphorus loading from adjacent agricultural areas since the 1950s, causing eutrophication and deteriorating wildlife habitats. Herein, we describe phosphorus input and export during September 2010–September 2011 (Phase One) and October 2013–November 2014 (Phase Two). These two phases bracket a period of intensified management interventions including excavation and removal of sediment and vegetation, draining, and burning during the summers of 2012 and 2013. Results indicate that Laguna Cartagena retains a phosphorus (sink) in its sediments, and exhibits nutrient-releasing events (source, mainly total phosphorus) to the lagoon water column, which are associated with rainfall and rising water levels. External factors including water level fluctuations and rainfall influenced phosphorus export during Phase One, but after management interventions (Phase Two), internal processes influenced sink/source dynamics, releasing elevated phosphorus concentrations to the water column. When exposed sediments were re-flooded, phosphorus concentrations to the water column increased, releasing elevated P concentrations downstream to an estuarine wetlands area and the Caribbean Sea. Herein we offer management recommendations to optimize wildlife habitat without elevating phosphorus concentrations.

Author(s):  
Krum Videnov ◽  
Vanya Stoykova

Monitoring water levels of lakes, streams, rivers and other water basins is of essential importance and is a popular measurement for a number of different industries and organisations. Remote water level monitoring helps to provide an early warning feature by sending advance alerts when the water level is increased (reaches a certain threshold). The purpose of this report is to present an affordable solution for measuring water levels in water sources using IoT and LPWAN. The assembled system enables recording of water level fluctuations in real time and storing the collected data on a remote database through LoRaWAN for further processing and analysis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 957-957
Author(s):  
N. M. T. Roodenrijs ◽  
A. Hamar ◽  
M. Kedves ◽  
G. Nagy ◽  
J. M. Van Laar ◽  
...  

Background:Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated according to European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations failing ≥2 biological or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) with a different mode of action who still have complaints which may be suggestive of active disease may be defined as suffering from ‘difficult-to-treat RA’. Management recommendations for RA focus predominantly on the earlier phases of the disease and specific recommendations for difficult-to-treat RA patients are currently lacking.1Objectives:To systematically summarise evidence in the literature on pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapeutic strategies for difficult-to-treat RA patients, informing the 2020 EULAR recommendations for the management of difficult-to-treat RA.Methods:A systematic literature review (SLR) was performed: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched up to December 2019. Relevant papers were selected and appraised.Results:Thirty articles were selected for therapeutic strategies in patients with limited DMARD options due to contraindications, 73 for patients in whom previous b/tsDMARDs were not effective (‘true refractory RA’), and 51 for patients with predominantly non-inflammatory complaints. For patients with limited DMARD options, limited evidence was found on effective DMARD options for patients with concomitant obesity, and on safe DMARD options for patients with concomitant hepatitis B and C. In patients who failed ≥2 bDMARDs, tocilizumab, tofacitinib, baricitinib, upadacitinib and filgotinib were found to be more effective than placebo, but evidence was insufficient to prioritise. In patients who failed ≥1 bDMARD, there was a tendency of non-tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) bDMARDs to be more effective than TNFi (Figure 1). Generally, b/tsDMARDs become less effective when patients failed more bDMARDs, this tendency was not clear for upadacitinib and filgotinib (Figure 2). In patients with predominantly non-inflammatory complaints (mainly function, pain and fatigue), exercise, education, psychological and self-management interventions were found to be of additional benefit.Conclusion:This SLR underscores the scarcity of evidence on the optimal treatment of difficult-to-treat RA patients. As difficult-to-treat RA is a newly defined disease state, all evidence is to an extent indirect. Several b/tsDMARDs were found to be effective in patients who failed ≥2 bDMARDs and generally effectiveness decreased with a higher number of failed bDMARDs. Additionally, a beneficial effect of non-pharmacological interventions was found on non-inflammatory complaints.References:[1] Smolen JSet al. Ann Rheum Dis2020. Epub ahead of print.Disclosure of Interests:Nadia M. T. Roodenrijs: None declared, Attila Hamar: None declared, Melinda Kedves: None declared, György Nagy: None declared, Jacob M. van Laar Grant/research support from: MSD, Genentech, Consultant of: MSD, Roche, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, BMS, Désirée van der Heijde Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Astellas, AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Cyxone, Daiichi, Eisai, Eli-Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Glaxo-Smith-Kline, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda, UCB Pharma; Director of Imaging Rheumatology BV, Paco Welsing: None declared


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (20) ◽  
pp. eabf1552
Author(s):  
Olivia M. Cheriton ◽  
Curt D. Storlazzi ◽  
Kurt J. Rosenberger ◽  
Clark E. Sherman ◽  
Wilford E. Schmidt

Hurricanes are extreme storms that affect coastal communities, but the linkages between hurricane forcing and ocean dynamics remain poorly understood. Here, we present full water column observations at unprecedented resolution from the southwest Puerto Rico insular shelf and slope during Hurricane María, representing a rare set of high-frequency, subsurface, oceanographic observations collected along an island margin during a hurricane. The shelf geometry and orientation relative to the storm acted to stabilize and strengthen stratification. This maintained elevated sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) throughout the storm and led to an estimated 65% greater potential hurricane intensity contribution at this site before eye passage. Coastal cooling did not occur until 11 hours after the eye passage. Our findings present a new framework for how hurricane interaction with insular island margins may generate baroclinic processes that maintain elevated SSTs, thus potentially providing increased energy for the storm.


2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarod Lyon ◽  
Ivor Stuart ◽  
David Ramsey ◽  
Justin O'Mahony

Off-channel habitats, such as wetlands and backwaters, are important for the productivity of river systems and for many species of native fish. This study aimed to investigate the fish community, timing and cues that stimulated movement to and from off-channel habitats in the highly regulated Lake Hume to Lake Mulwala reach of the Murray River, south-eastern Australia. In 2004–05, 193 712 fish were collected moving bi-directionally between a 50-km section of the Murray River and several off-channel habitats. Lateral fish movements approximated water level fluctuations. Generally as water levels rose, fish left the main river channel and moved into newly flooded off-channel habitats; there was bi-directional movement as water levels peaked; on falling levels fish moved back to the permanent riverine habitats. Fish previously classified as ‘wetland specialists’, such as carp gudgeons (Hypseleotris spp.), have a more flexible movement and life-history strategy including riverine habitation. The high degree of lateral movement indicates the importance of habitat connectivity for the small-bodied fish community. Wetlands adjacent to the Murray River are becoming increasingly regulated by small weirs and ensuring lateral fish movement will be important in maintaining riverine-wetland biodiversity.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 2651
Author(s):  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Liqiao Liang ◽  
Xiaomin Yuan ◽  
Sirui Yan ◽  
Miao Li ◽  
...  

Water level fluctuations play a critical role in regulating vegetation distribution, composition, cover and richness, which ultimately affect evapotranspiration. In this study, we first explore water level fluctuations and associated impacts on vegetation, after which we assess evapotranspiration (ET) under different water levels. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was used to estimate the fractional vegetation cover (Fv), while topography- and vegetation-based surface-energy partitioning algorithms (TVET model) and potential evaporation (Ev) were used to calculate ET and water evaporation (Ep). Results show that: (1) water levels were dramatically affected by the combined effect of ecological water transfer and climate change and exhibited significant decreasing trends with a slope of −0.011 m a−2; and (2) as predicted, there was a correlation between water level fluctuation at an annual scale with Phragmites australis (P. australis) cover and open-water area. Water levels also had a controlling effect on Fv values, an increase in annual water levels first increasing and then decreasing Fv. However, a negative correlation was found between Fv values and water levels during initial plant growth stages. (iii) ET, which varied under different water levels at an annual scale, showed different partition into transpiration from P. australis and evaporation from open-water area and soil with alterations between vegetation and open water. All findings indicated that water level fluctuations controlled biological and ecological processes, and their structural and functional characteristics. This study consequently recommends that specifically-focused ecological water regulations (e.g., duration, timing, frequency) should be enacted to maintain the integrity of wetland ecosystems for wetland restoration.


2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 888-901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Marciniak ◽  
Anna Szczucińska

The aim of this paper is to study diurnal fluctuations of the water level in streams draining headwaters and to identify the controlling factors. The fieldwork was carried out in the Gryżynka River catchment, western Poland. The water levels of three streams draining into the headwaters via a group of springs were monitored in the years 2011–2014. Changes in the water pressure and water temperature were recorded by automatic sensors – Schlumberger MiniDiver type. Simultaneously, Barodiver type sensors were used to record air temperature and atmospheric pressure, as it was necessary to adjust the data collected by the MiniDivers calculate the water level. The results showed that diurnal fluctuations in water level of the streams ranged from 2 to 4 cm (approximately 10% of total water depth) and were well correlated with the changes in evapotranspiration as well as air temperature. The observed water level fluctuations likely have resulted from processes occurring in the headwaters. Good correlation with atmospheric conditions indicates control by daily variations of the local climate. However, the relationship with water temperature suggests that fluctuations are also caused by changes in the temperature-dependent water viscosity and, consequently, by diurnal changes in the hydraulic conductivity of the hyporheic zone.


Author(s):  
Peeyush Gupta ◽  
Swati Goyal

Before an individual can evaluate wildlife habitat and make management recommendations, some basic concepts about habitat and its relationships to different wildlife species should be understood. In this chapter, some of the basic concepts will be described; mainly analyzing of habitat alterations, landscape analysis, networking and creation of corridor between protected areas, wildlife habitat suitability analysis using Remote Sensing & GIS. Since most of the contest will be based on these concepts. Like other natural resource fields, wildlife management is both an art and science that deals with complex interactions in the environment. This means that management includes art or judgment based on experience as well as sound factual information based on scientific studies.


Author(s):  
Peeyush Gupta ◽  
Swati Goyal

Before an individual can evaluate wildlife habitat and make management recommendations, some basic concepts about habitat and its relationships to different wildlife species should be understood. In this chapter, some of the basic concepts will be described; mainly analyzing of habitat alterations, landscape analysis, networking and creation of corridor between protected areas, wildlife habitat suitability analysis using Remote Sensing & GIS. Since most of the contest will be based on these concepts. Like other natural resource fields, wildlife management is both an art and science that deals with complex interactions in the environment. This means that management includes art or judgment based on experience as well as sound factual information based on scientific studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (11) ◽  
pp. 1836-1845
Author(s):  
K. Martin Perales ◽  
Catherine L. Hein ◽  
Noah R. Lottig ◽  
M. Jake Vander Zanden

Climate change is altering hydrologic regimes, with implications for lake water levels. While lakes within lake districts experience the same climate, lakes may exhibit differential climate vulnerability regarding water level response to drought. We took advantage of a recent drought (∼2005–2010) and estimated changes in lake area, water level, and shoreline position on 47 lakes in northern Wisconsin using high-resolution orthoimagery and hypsographic curves. We developed a model predicting water level response to drought to identify characteristics of the most vulnerable lakes in the region, which indicated that low-conductivity seepage lakes found high in the landscape, with little surrounding wetland and highly permeable soils, showed the greatest water level declines. To explore potential changes in the littoral zone, we estimated coarse woody habitat (CWH) loss during the drought and found that drainage lakes lost 0.8% CWH while seepage lakes were disproportionately impacted, with a mean loss of 40% CWH. Characterizing how lakes and lake districts respond to drought will further our understanding of how climate change may alter lake ecology via water level fluctuations.


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