Journal articles on the topic 'Index of global environmental change'
To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Index of global environmental change.
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 journal articles for your research on the topic 'Index of global environmental change.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse journal articles on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Sol, Veronica M., Petronella E. M. Lammers, Harry Aiking, Joop de Boer, and Jan F. Feenstra. "Integrated environmental index for application in land-use zoning." Environmental Management 19, no. 3 (May 1995): 457–67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf02471986.
Full text
2
Milan, A., G. Gioli, and T. Afifi. "Migration and global environmental change: methodological lessons from mountain areas of the global South." Earth System Dynamics 6, no. 1 (June 22, 2015): 375–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/esd-6-375-2015.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. The relationship between migration and environmental and climatic changes is a crucial yet understudied factor influencing mountain livelihoods in the global South. These livelihoods are often characterized by high prevalence of family farming, widespread dependence on natural resources, and high sensitivity to climatic changes. Except for a limited number of empirical case studies, the literature on migration and global environmental change has not yet moved beyond case study results to address and explain global patterns and specificities of migration in mountain areas of the global South. After an introduction to the topic, the authors present a new synthesis of three field studies combining household surveys, participatory research approach (PRA) tools and key informant interviews in Pakistan, Peru, and Tanzania. This article suggests that the systematic use of transdisciplinary approaches, with a combination of quantitative and qualitative empirical methods, is the key to understanding global migration patterns in rural mountain areas of the global South. The results of our synthesis suggests that survey data should be triangulated with PRA results as well as secondary data in order to build household profiles connecting vulnerability (measured through a multidimensional index) with human mobility patterns. Such profiles can be conducive to better understand the feedback processes between livelihoods and mobility patterns both within each case study and across case studies, helping researchers to draw general lessons.
3
Milan, A., G. Gioli, and T. Afifi. "Migration and global environmental change: methodological lessons from mountain areas of the global South." Earth System Dynamics Discussions 5, no. 2 (December 10, 2014): 1711–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/esdd-5-1711-2014.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. The relationship between migration and environmental and climatic changes is a crucial yet understudied factor influencing mountain livelihoods in the global South. These livelihoods are often characterized by high prevalence of family farming, widespread dependence on natural resources and high sensitivity to climatic changes. Except for a limited number of empirical case studies, the literature on migration and global environmental change has not yet moved beyond case study results to address and explain global patterns and specificities of migration in mountain areas of the global South. After an introduction to the topic, the authors present their empirical approach combining household surveys, Participatory Research Approach (PRA) tools and key informant interviews through its application in three case studies in Pakistan, Peru and Tanzania. This article suggests that the systematic use of transdisciplinary approaches, with a combination of quantitative and qualitative empirical methods, is the key to understanding global migration patterns in rural mountain areas of the global South. In the future, survey data should be triangulated with PRA results as well as secondary data in order to build household profiles connecting vulnerability (measured through a multidimensional index) with human mobility patterns. Such profiles can be conducive to better understand the feedback processes between livelihoods and mobility patterns both within each case study and across case studies, helping researchers to draw general lessons.
4
Kulk, Gemma, Trevor Platt, James Dingle, Thomas Jackson, Bror F. Jönsson, Heather A. Bouman, Marcel Babin, et al. "Primary Production, an Index of Climate Change in the Ocean: Satellite-Based Estimates over Two Decades." Remote Sensing 12, no. 5 (March 3, 2020): 826. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs12050826.
Full textAbstract:
Primary production by marine phytoplankton is one of the largest fluxes of carbon on our planet. In the past few decades, considerable progress has been made in estimating global primary production at high spatial and temporal scales by combining in situ measurements of primary production with remote-sensing observations of phytoplankton biomass. One of the major challenges in this approach lies in the assignment of the appropriate model parameters that define the photosynthetic response of phytoplankton to the light field. In the present study, a global database of in situ measurements of photosynthesis versus irradiance (P-I) parameters and a 20-year record of climate quality satellite observations were used to assess global primary production and its variability with seasons and locations as well as between years. In addition, the sensitivity of the computed primary production to potential changes in the photosynthetic response of phytoplankton cells under changing environmental conditions was investigated. Global annual primary production varied from 38.8 to 42.1 Gt C yr − 1 over the period of 1998–2018. Inter-annual changes in global primary production did not follow a linear trend, and regional differences in the magnitude and direction of change in primary production were observed. Trends in primary production followed directly from changes in chlorophyll-a and were related to changes in the physico-chemical conditions of the water column due to inter-annual and multidecadal climate oscillations. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis in which P-I parameters were adjusted by ±1 standard deviation showed the importance of accurately assigning photosynthetic parameters in global and regional calculations of primary production. The assimilation number of the P-I curve showed strong relationships with environmental variables such as temperature and had a practically one-to-one relationship with the magnitude of change in primary production. In the future, such empirical relationships could potentially be used for a more dynamic assignment of photosynthetic rates in the estimation of global primary production. Relationships between the initial slope of the P-I curve and environmental variables were more elusive.
5
Chen, Han YH, Pavel V. Krestov, and Karel Klinka. "Trembling aspen site index in relation to environmental measures of site quality at two spatial scales." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 32, no. 1 (January 1, 2002): 112–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x01-179.
Full textAbstract:
To evaluate the variation in trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) productivity at a large geographic scale, we examined the relationships between site index and environmental factors from 142 even-aged, fully stocked stands located on a variety of sites across interior British Columbia. Site index was derived from stem analysis and the environmental measures included climate surrogates (latitude, longitude, and elevation), biogeoclimatic zone, slope aspect, actual soil moisture regime (SMR), and soil nutrient regime (SNR). The spatial gradients (latitude, longitude, and elevation), slopeaspect, SMR, and SNR affected aspen site index, but their relationships greatly varied with biogeoclimatic zone. At the provincial scale, these relationships were weaker than on the zonal scale. Among the models developed for predicting aspen site index, we recommend the zone-specific all-factor model for application, which explained 82% of the variation of site index and provided unbiased and precise predictions.
6
Nara, Hideharu, and Yohei Sawada. "Global Change in Terrestrial Ecosystem Detected by Fusion of Microwave and Optical Satellite Observations." Remote Sensing 13, no. 18 (September 19, 2021): 3756. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs13183756.
Full textAbstract:
The detection of global land change via satellite observation is a major challenge in improving the understanding of global environmental change. In this study, we develop a new vegetation index which can be used as a proxy for the fractions of tree canopy and short vegetation, based on the simple linear regression between microwave vegetation optical depth (VOD) and optical leaf area index (LAI). Although we use no high-resolution reference data, the newly developed vegetation index successfully detects global land change which has been reported by previous estimations based on high-resolution reference data. We find that the relationship between VOD and LAI is non-stationary and the temporal change in the VOD-LAI relationship is an important signal for detecting global change in the terrestrial ecosystem.
7
Escobar-Pemberthy, Natalia, and Maria Ivanova. "Implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements: Rationale and Design of the Environmental Conventions Index." Sustainability 12, no. 17 (August 31, 2020): 7098. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12177098.
Full textAbstract:
Global environmental conventions are created to address and resolve global environmental problems. Assessments of the achievement of specific environmental goals, however, indicate that there is room for progress and that improved collective action is required. Given the few existing studies that measure the implementation of international environmental law, it is important to expand existing analytical frameworks about international environmental agreements and their translation into national policies. This article explains the rationale and design of the Environmental Conventions Index, an implementation measurement tool we have developed at the Center for Governance and Sustainability at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The Index assesses the implementation of global environmental conventions in two clusters—conservation and pollution—showcasing the main trends for both countries and conventions. Using a mixed-method approach, we explain the development of this measurement tool as an instrument to inform policy changes at the national and global levels and present aggregate results of the analysis. As global environmental challenges in the conservation of natural resources and the persistence of pollutants become critical, assessment of countries’ performance on international environmental goals is essential. We offer an innovative method that provides academic analysis and policy input to improve implementation, and thus the effectiveness of these governance instruments in addressing global environmental challenges.
8
Henning, Jason G., and Thomas E. Burk. "Improving growth and yield estimates with a process model derived growth index." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 34, no. 6 (June 1, 2004): 1274–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x04-021.
Full textAbstract:
Forest managers have long made use of the regular and predictable nature of tree growth by using empirical growth and yield models to update forest inventories. Updated inventories support better decision making without requiring on the ground reassessment of the forest resource. Growth and yield model predictions can suffer from inaccuracies due to the influence of climate and environmental variability on the growth of trees. Researchers have been attempting to assess and predict the effect of this variation by developing mechanistic process models that often do not generate outputs applicable to inventory update. Here we create a growth index dependent on process model outputs to improve growth and yield estimates. Estimate accuracy was modestly improved over the basic growth and yield estimates and was comparable to previous efforts to account for environmental variability in growth and yield estimates. Using a process model we are nominally considering the entire environment, and by adjusting the growth and yield estimates external to both model types we have avoided difficulties involved with refitting or recreating either model. These are key differences from previous efforts to include environmental variability in growth and yield estimates.
9
Choi, Yongrok, Hyoungsuk Lee, and Jahira Debbarma. "Are Global Companies Better in Environmental Efficiency in India? Based on Metafrontier Malmquist CO2 Performance." Sustainability 12, no. 20 (October 12, 2020): 8359. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12208359.
Full textAbstract:
There is a rapid increase in inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) into developing countries such as India. Some researchers argue that FDI has a positive impact on sustainable development in terms of environmental efficiency and brings innovative green technology to the host country. In contrast, others claim that FDI brings considerable pollution to the host country, and their motive is only to yield profit. To address this issue, this paper analyzes environmental efficiency between FDI and domestic firms in India for seven years between 2012 and 2018. The research aims to evaluate the performance of FDI firms in terms of environmental efficiency in India after implementing certain policy regulations, nationally and globally. In this analysis, we use the non-radial metafrontier Malmquist CO2 performance index (NMMCPI) with three decomposition indices: efficiency change index, best practice gap index, and technological gap change index. Our empirical results indicate that domestic firms have performed well in terms of better catch-up and innovation performance. On the other hand, FDI firms only demonstrated higher technology leadership performance, indicating weaker catch-up performance and weaker innovation performance. From the results, we proposed that policymakers should harmonize between the FDI promotion and regulation in its sustainable performance because global companies are not sensitive to the local regulations, and not very proactive in implementing the global standard of eco-friendliness.
10
Seynave, Ingrid, Jean-Claude Gégout, Jean-Christophe Hervé, Jean-François Dhôte, Jacques Drapier, Éric Bruno, and Gérard Dumé. "Picea abiessite index prediction by environmental factors and understorey vegetation: a two-scale approach based on survey databases." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 35, no. 7 (July 1, 2005): 1669–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x05-088.
Full textAbstract:
Relationships between site index, environmental variables, and understorey vegetation were examined for Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) in the eastern part of France. The study area concerns all the native range of Norway spruce in France and the northeastern plains. The analysis is based on 2087 plots from the French National Forest Inventory database. The data measured on each plot cover topography, soil, geology, and vegetation. Additional environmental variables were estimated using two methods: climatic data estimated from a climatic model developed by Météo-France (AURELHY), and nutritional variables predicted from vegetation data and species indicator values. General linear model regression was used to predict site index as a function of environmental variables. The best model explains 64% of the site index variance and involves eight variables (elevation, mountain zone, topographic concavity, proportion of plot area occupied by rock outcrop, rock type, soil depth, pH, and C/N ratio). The two main results of this study are (i) the combination of large databases allowed the study of soilsite relationships and construction of a pertinent model, which covers a wide range of ecological conditions, and (ii) vegetation was found to be relevant to separate the effect of acidity from those of nitrogen nutrition on Norway spruce productivity.
11
Truong, Truong P., and Claudia Kemfert. "A Flexible Global Warming Index for Use in an Integrated Approach to Climate Change Assessment." Environmental Modeling & Assessment 13, no. 4 (July 24, 2007): 503–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10666-007-9114-6.
Full text
12
Yapıcıoğlu, Pelin, and Özlem Demir. "Environmental performances of the wastewater treatment plants: Green Index." International Journal of Global Warming 21, no. 1 (2020): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/ijgw.2020.107864.
Full text
13
Yapıcıoğlu, Pelin, and Özlem Demir. "Environmental performances of the wastewater treatment plants: Green Index." International Journal of Global Warming 21, no. 1 (2020): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/ijgw.2020.10030114.
Full text
14
KWAK, SEUNG-JUN, SEUNG-HOON YOO, and CHUL-OH SHIN. "A Multiattribute Index for Assessing Environmental Impacts of Regional Development Projects: A Case Study of Korea." Environmental Management 29, no. 2 (February 1, 2002): 301–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00267-001-0022-2.
Full text
15
Grove, Jean M., and Arthur Battagel. "Tax records from western Norway, as an index of Little Ice Age environmental and economic deterioration." Climatic Change 5, no. 3 (December 1990): 265–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf00140184.
Full text
16
Birkmann, Joern, Ali Jamshed, Joanna M. McMillan, Daniel Feldmeyer, Edmond Totin, William Solecki, Zelina Zaiton Ibrahim, et al. "Understanding human vulnerability to climate change: A global perspective on index validation for adaptation planning." Science of The Total Environment 803 (January 2022): 150065. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150065.
Full text
17
McNab, W. Henry. "A topographic index to quantify the effect of mesoscale landform on site productivity." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 23, no. 6 (June 1, 1993): 1100–1107. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x93-140.
Full textAbstract:
Landform is related to environmental factors that affect site productivity in mountainous areas. I devised a simple index of landform and tested this index as a predictor of site index in the Blue Ridge physiographic province. The landform index is the mean of eight slope gradients from plot center to skyline. A preliminary test indicated that the index was significantly associated with slope position and three classes of landform (ridge, slope, and cove). In a test with data from four locations, site index of yellow-poplar (Liriodendrontulipifera L.) was significantly correlated with landform index for each location (r = 0.45–0.65). Landform index and two other topographic variables together accounted for 31 percent of the variation in yellow-poplar site index throughout the Blue Ridge province. Landform index is a conveniently measured site variable that may be useful in various forestry-related applications, including multivariate analysis of the distribution and composition of forest vegetation.
18
Meylan, Sandrine, Donald B. Miles, and Jean Clobert. "Hormonally mediated maternal effects, individual strategy and global change." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 367, no. 1596 (June 19, 2012): 1647–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2012.0020.
Full textAbstract:
A challenge to ecologists and evolutionary biologists is predicting organismal responses to the anticipated changes to global ecosystems through climate change. Most evidence suggests that short-term global change may involve increasing occurrences of extreme events, therefore the immediate response of individuals will be determined by physiological capacities and life-history adaptations to cope with extreme environmental conditions. Here, we consider the role of hormones and maternal effects in determining the persistence of species in altered environments. Hormones, specifically steroids, are critical for patterning the behaviour and morphology of parents and their offspring. Hence, steroids have a pervasive influence on multiple aspects of the offspring phenotype over its lifespan. Stress hormones, e.g. glucocorticoids, modulate and perturb phenotypes both early in development and later into adulthood. Females exposed to abiotic stressors during reproduction may alter the phenotypes by manipulation of hormones to the embryos. Thus, hormone-mediated maternal effects, which generate phenotypic plasticity, may be one avenue for coping with global change. Variation in exposure to hormones during development influences both the propensity to disperse, which alters metapopulation dynamics, and population dynamics, by affecting either recruitment to the population or subsequent life-history characteristics of the offspring. We suggest that hormones may be an informative index to the potential for populations to adapt to changing environments.
19
Bentzer, B. G., G. S. Foster, A. R. Hellberg, and A. C. Podzorski. "Trends in genetic and environmental parameters, genetic correlations, and response to indirect selection for 10-year volume in a Norway spruce clonal experiment." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 19, no. 7 (July 1, 1989): 897–903. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x89-136.
Full textAbstract:
Seventy-five clones of Norway spruce (Piceaabies (L.) Karst.) were tested for height, diameter, and volume at two locations in southern Sweden. Total height was measured at seven ages from age 1 to 10 years, whereas diameter at breast height was measured and volume index calculated only at age 10. Clone effects were consistently significant for all traits, whereas clone × location interaction effects only showed significance for diameter at breast height at age 10, volume index, and height at age 3. Location effects for height were small and error effects large, up to age 6. Between ages 7 and 10, location effects increased considerably, while error effects decreased correspondingly. Clone-mean heritability for height remained stable from years 3 to 10, but was slightly higher at age 1. Genetic correlations between traits were generally large, which made efficient selection for height possible as early as age 4. The correlated response in volume index at age 10, when selecting for height at age 4 or later, was exceptionally good, and it provided gain estimates in volume that were as large as or larger than estimates from direct selection for volume index at age 10.
20
GÜNAY,, Eylül KABAKÇI, and Nurdan YİĞEN. "ÇEVRESEL SORUNLARIN KÜRESEL Sİ YASETE ETKİ Sİ Nİ N GEZEGENSEL BASKILARA UYARLANMIŞ İ NSANİ GELİ ŞME ENDEKSİ EKSENİ NDE DEĞERLENDİ Rİ LMESİ." “Küresel siyaset: Türkiye’den bakış”, Spring,2021 (April 29, 2021): 68–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.30546/2616-4418.bitd.2021.68.
Full textAbstract:
The transformation that started with the concept of sustainability in today’s economic system, which is based on the faster growth of countries and a higher level of welfare, continues with the understanding of the seriousness of environmental problems. Countries that have high scores in the human development index (HDI) according to the planetary pressures-adjusted human development index (HDI) which are a relection of this change and started to be calculated in 2019, fall behind in the rankings when evaluated with the damage they cause to the planet, and this situation is expressed by the pressure these countries put on the planet. The main objective of this study is to examine the HDI scores of the countries for 2019 in comparison with the HDI scores and to interpret the changes in global politics that countries put on the planet. Keywords: Planetary Pressures–Adjusted Human Development Index, Human Development Index, CO2 Emissions, Environmental Problems, Global Politics.
21
McNab, W. Henry, and Tara L. Keyser. "A vegetative index of stand productivity based on tree inventory for predicting oak site index in the Central Hardwood Region." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 50, no. 8 (August 2020): 760–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2019-0412.
Full textAbstract:
Models for prediction of site index (SI) typically include only abiotic causal variables (e.g., soil) and lack biotic response variables (e.g., vegetation), which could exhibit greater sensitivity to important environmental factors affecting tree height growth. Our study objective was to evaluate Whittaker’s moisture condition index (MCI) (R.H. Whittaker. 1956. Ecol. Monogr. 26: 1–80) as a potential biotic variable for inclusion with conventional abiotic variables in oak (Quercus L.) SI prediction models. The MCI is the sum of relative abundances of inventoried plot tree species weighted by their moisture affinity classification. We compared regression parameters of conventional base models including only abiotic variables with exploratory models configured with abiotic variables and MCI for explaining variation of SI. The best abiotic model included only aspect. When MCI was included in the abiotic model, aspect became insignificant, resulting in a single-variable biotic model that accounted for increased SI variation. The MCI biotic model remained significant when tested with independent data from a distant location. The MCI is easily calculated using plot inventory data, and with further evaluation, it may be confirmed as a useful biotic variable in combination with abiotic soil and topographic variables for prediction of oak SI.
22
Dahlin, Kyla M., Donald Akanga, Danica L. Lombardozzi, David E. Reed, Gabriela Shirkey, Cheyenne Lei, Michael Abraha, and Jiquan Chen. "Challenging a Global Land Surface Model in a Local Socio-Environmental System." Land 9, no. 10 (October 21, 2020): 398. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land9100398.
Full textAbstract:
Land surface models (LSMs) predict how terrestrial fluxes of carbon, water, and energy change with abiotic drivers to inform the other components of Earth system models. Here, we focus on a single human-dominated watershed in southwestern Michigan, USA. We compare multiple processes in a commonly used LSM, the Community Land Model (CLM), to observational data at the single grid cell scale. For model inputs, we show correlations (Pearson’s R) ranging from 0.46 to 0.81 for annual temperature and precipitation, but a substantial mismatch between land cover distributions and their changes over time, with CLM correctly representing total agricultural area, but assuming large areas of natural grasslands where forests grow in reality. For CLM processes (outputs), seasonal changes in leaf area index (LAI; phenology) do not track satellite estimates well, and peak LAI in CLM is nearly double the satellite record (5.1 versus 2.8). Estimates of greenness and productivity, however, are more similar between CLM and observations. Summer soil moisture tracks in timing but not magnitude. Land surface reflectance (albedo) shows significant positive correlations in the winter, but not in the summer. Looking forward, key areas for model improvement include land cover distribution estimates, phenology algorithms, summertime radiative transfer modelling, and plant stress responses.
23
Fadel, Chris, and Khaled Tarabieh. "Development of an Industrial Environmental Index to Assess the Sustainability of Industrial Solvent-Based Processes." Resources 8, no. 2 (June 19, 2019): 115. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/resources8020115.
Full textAbstract:
In light of the constant increase in global temperatures, increasing risks associated with climate change, and stricter environmental policies, societies are at a crossroad where sound environmental decisions need to be taken. This is particularly applicable to the chemical industry where the sustainability of processes is all the more relevant to decision-making. This article supports the development of a holistic industrial environmental index (IEI) to assess the sustainability of industrial solvent-based processes. Several metrics are reviewed to individually assess particular aspects of the process in terms of materials, equipment, energy, environmental health and safety (EHS) considerations, and the product’s entire life cycle. The metrics are later used to support the development of an aggregate and holistic IEI using a composite indicator method. The developed methodology and framework can pave the way for environmentally sound decision-making in industries and spark the development of dedicated assessment indices similar to IEI that can be applied to a wide array of other industries.
24
Wu, Jinhui, and Shunlin Liang. "Assessing Terrestrial Ecosystem Resilience using Satellite Leaf Area Index." Remote Sensing 12, no. 4 (February 11, 2020): 595. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs12040595.
Full textAbstract:
Quantitative approaches to measuring and assessing terrestrial ecosystem resilience, which expresses the ability of an ecosystem to recover from disturbances without shifting to an alternative state or losing function and services, is critical and essential to forecasting how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to global change. However, global and continuous terrestrial resilience measurement is fraught with difficulty, and the corresponding attribution of resilience dynamics is lacking in the literature. In this study, we assessed global terrestrial ecosystem resilience based on the long time-series GLASS LAI product and GIMMS AVHRR LAI 3g product, and validated the results using drought and fire events as the main disturbance indicators. We also analyzed the spatial and temporal variations of global terrestrial ecosystem resilience and attributed their dynamics to climate change and environmental factors. The results showed that arid and semiarid areas exhibited low resilience. We found that evergreen broadleaf forest exhibited the highest resilience (mean resilience value (from GLASS LAI): 0.6). On a global scale, the increase of mean annual precipitation had a positive impact on terrestrial resilience enhancement, while we found no consistent relationships between mean annual temperature and terrestrial resilience. For terrestrial resilience dynamics, we observed three dramatic raises of disturbance frequency in 1989, 1995, and 2001, respectively, along with three significant drops in resilience correspondingly. Our study mapped continuous spatiotemporal variation and captured interannual variations in terrestrial ecosystem resilience. This study demonstrates that remote sensing data are effective for monitoring terrestrial resilience for global ecosystem assessment.
25
Brázdil, Rudolf, Gaston R. Demarée, Andrea Kiss, Petr Dobrovolný, Kateřina Chromá, Miroslav Trnka, Lukáš Dolák, et al. "The extreme drought of 1842 in Europe as described by both documentary data and instrumental measurements." Climate of the Past 15, no. 5 (October 17, 2019): 1861–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1861-2019.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. Extreme droughts are weather phenomena of considerable importance, involving significant environmental and societal impacts. While those that have occurred in the comparatively recent period of instrumental measurement are identified and dated on the basis of systematic, machine-standardized meteorological and hydrological observations, droughts that took place in the pre-instrumental period are usually described only through the medium of documentary evidence. The extreme drought of 1842 in Europe presents a case in which information from documentary data can be combined with systematic instrumental observations. Seasonal, gridded European precipitation totals are used herein to describe general DJF, MAM, and JJA precipitation patterns. Annual variations in monthly temperatures and precipitation at individual stations are expressed with respect to a 1961–1990 reference period, supplemented by calculation of selected drought indices (Standardized Precipitation Index, SPI; Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index, SPEI; and Palmer Z index). The mean circulation patterns during the driest months are elucidated by means of sea-level pressure (SLP) maps, the North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAOI), and the Central European Zonal Index (CEZI). Generally drier patterns in 1842 prevailed in January–February and at various intensities between April and August. The driest patterns in 1842 occurred in a broad zonal belt extending from France to eastern central Europe. A range of documentary data is used to describe the peculiarities of agricultural, hydrological, and socio-economic droughts, with particular attention to environmental and societal impacts and human responses to them. Although overall grain yields were not very strongly influenced, a particularly bad hay harvest, no aftermath (hay from a second cut), and low potato yields led to severe problems, especially for those who raised cattle. Finally, the 1842 drought is discussed in terms of long-term drought variability, European tree-ring-based scPDSI (self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index) reconstruction, and the broader context of societal impacts.
26
Rastogi, Anshu, Subhajit Bandopadhyay, Marcin Stróżecki, and Radosław Juszczak. "Monitoring the Impact of Environmental Manipulation on Peatland Surface by Simple Remote Sensing Indices." ITM Web of Conferences 23 (2018): 00030. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/itmconf/20182300030.
Full textAbstract:
The behaviour of nature depends on the different components of climates. Among these, temperature and rainfall are two of the most important components which are known to change plant productivity. Peatlands are among the most valuable ecosystems on the Earth, which is due to its high biodiversity, huge soil carbon storage, and its sensitivity to different environmental factors. With the rapid growth in industrialization, the climate change is becoming a big concern. Therefore, this work is focused on the behaviour of Sphagnum peatland in Poland, subjected to environment manipulation. Here it has been shown how a simple reflectance based technique can be used to assess the impact of climate change on peatland. The experimental setup consists of four plots with two kind of manipulations (control, warming, reduced precipitation, and a combination of warming and reduced precipitation). Reflectance data were measured twice in August 2017 under a clear sky. Vegetation indices (VIs) such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRv), MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index (MTCI), Green chlorophyll index (CIgreen), Simple Ration (SR), and Water Band Index (WBI) were calculated to trace the impact of environmental manipulation on the plant community. Leaf Area Index of vascular plants was also measured for the purpose to correlate it with different VIs. The observation predicts that the global warming of 1°C may cause a significant change in peatland behaviour which can be tracked and monitored by simple remote sensing indices.
27
Zhong, Lei, Zhongbo Su, Yaoming Ma, Mhd Suhyb Salama, and José A. Sobrino. "Accelerated Changes of Environmental Conditions on the Tibetan Plateau Caused by Climate Change." Journal of Climate 24, no. 24 (December 15, 2011): 6540–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jcli-d-10-05000.1.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract Variations of land surface parameters over the Tibetan Plateau have great importance on local energy and water cycles, the Asian monsoon, and climate change studies. In this paper, the NOAA/NASA Pathfinder Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Land (PAL) dataset is used to retrieve the land surface temperature (LST), the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and albedo, from 1982 to 2000. Simultaneously, meteorological parameters and land surface heat fluxes are acquired from the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA-40) dataset and the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS), respectively. Results show that from 1982 to 2000 both the LST and the surface air temperature increased on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The rate of increase of the LST was 0.26±0.16 K decade−1 and that of the surface air temperature was 0.29 ± 0.16 K decade−1, which exceeded the increase in the Northern Hemisphere (0.054 K decade−1). The plateau-wide annual mean precipitation increased at 2.54 mm decade−1, which indicates that the TP is becoming wetter. The 10-m wind speed decreased at about 0.05±0.03 m s−1 decade−1 from 1982 to 2000, which manifests a steady decline of the Asian monsoon wind. Due to the diminishing ground–air temperature gradient and subdued surface wind speed, the sensible heat flux showed a decline of 3.37 ± 2.19 W m−2 decade−1. The seasonal cycle of land surface parameters could clearly be linked to the patterns of the Asian monsoon. The spatial patterns of sensible heat flux, latent heat flux, and their variance could also be recognized.
28
Paulvannan Kanmani, Aiyshwariya, Renee Obringer, Benjamin Rachunok, and Roshanak Nateghi. "Assessing Global Environmental Sustainability Via an Unsupervised Clustering Framework." Sustainability 12, no. 2 (January 11, 2020): 563. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12020563.
Full textAbstract:
The importance of sustainable development has risen in recent years due to the significant number of people affected by lack of access to essential resources as well as the need to prepare for and adapt to intensifying climate change and rapid urbanization. Modeling frameworks capable of effectively assessing and tracking sustainability lie at the heart of creating effective policies to address these issues. Conventional frameworks, such as the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), that support such policies often involve ranking countries based on a weighted sum of a number of relevant environmental metrics. However, the selection and weighing processes are often biased. Moreover, the ranking process fails to provide policymakers with possible avenues to improve their country’s environmental sustainability. This study aimed to address these gaps by proposing a novel data-driven framework to assess the environmental sustainability of countries objectively by leveraging unsupervised learning theory. Specifically, this framework harnesses a clustering technique known as Self-Organized Maps to group countries based on their characteristic environmental performance metrics and track progression in terms of shifts within clusters over time. The results support the hypothesis that the inconsistencies in the EPI calculation can lead to misrepresentations of the relative sustainability of countries over time. The proposed framework, which does not rely on ranking or data transformations, enables countries to make more informed decisions by identifying effective and specific pathways towards improving their environmental sustainability.
29
Weng, Huayan, Yongchao Gao, Xinyi Su, Xiaodong Yang, Fangyan Cheng, Renfeng Ma, Yanju Liu, Wen Zhang, and Liwen Zheng. "Spatial-Temporal Changes and Driving Force Analysis of Green Space in Coastal Cities of Southeast China over the Past 20 Years." Land 10, no. 5 (May 19, 2021): 537. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land10050537.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this study is to reveal the spatial-temporal change and driving factors of green space in coastal cities of southeast China over the past 20 years. A supervised classification method combining support vector machines (SVMs) and visual interpretation was used to extract the green space from Landsat TM/OLI imageries from 2000–2020. The landscape pattern index was used to calculate geospatial information of green space and analyze their spatial-temporal changes. The hierarchical partitioning analysis was then used to determine the influences of anthropogenic and geographic environmental factors on the spatial-temporal changes in green space. The results indicated that the total area of green space remained constant over the past 20 years in coastal cities of southeast China (1% reduction). The spatial change of green space mainly occurred in the area near the ocean and the southern region. 41.37% of forest land was transferred from cultivated land, while 44.56%, 41.83%, 43.20%, 46.31%, 41.98% and 40.20% of shrub land, sparse woodland, other woodland, high-coverage grassland, moderate-coverage grassland and low-coverage grassland were transferred from forest land. The number of patches, patch density, edge density, landscape shape index and Shannon’s diversity index increased from 2000–2015, and then decreased to the minimum in 2020, while largest patch index continued to decline from 2000–2020. The contribution of anthropogenic factors (0.53–0.61) on the spatial-temporal changes of green space continually increased over the past 20 years, which was also higher than geographical environment factors (0.39–0.41). Our study provides a new perspective to distinguish the impact of anthropogenic activities and geographical environmental factors on the change of green space area, thereby providing a theoretical support for the construction and ecological management of green space.
30
Wang, Haijun, Peihao Peng, Xiangdong Kong, Tingbin Zhang, and Guihua Yi. "Vegetation dynamic analysis based on multisource remote sensing data in the east margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China." PeerJ 7 (December 13, 2019): e8223. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8223.
Full textAbstract:
This study focuses on the vegetation dynamic caused by global environmental change in the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (EMQTP). The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) is one of the most sensitive areas responding to global environmental change, particularly global climate change, and has been recognized as a hotspot for coupled studies on changes in global terrestrial ecosystems and global climates. An important component of terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation dynamic has become a key issue in global environmental change, and numerous case studies have been conducted on vegetation dynamic trends using multi-source data and multi-scale methods across different study periods. The EMQTP is regarded as a transitional area located between the QTP and the Sichuan basin, and has special geographical and climatic conditions. Although this area is ecologically fragile and sensitive to climate change, few studies about vegetation dynamics have been carried out in this area. Thus, in this study, we used long-term series datasets of GIMMS 3g NDVI and VGT/PROBA-V NDVI to analyze the vegetation dynamics and phenological changes from 1982 to 2018. Validation was performed based on Landsat NDVI and Vegetation Index & Phenology (VIP) data. The results reveal that the year 1998 was a vital turning point in the start of growing season (SGS) in vegetation ecosystems. Before this turning point, the SGS had an average slope of 9.2 days/decade, and after, the average slope was 3.9 days/decade. The length of growing season (LGS) was slightly prolonged between 1982 to 2015. Additionally, the largest national alpine wetland grassland experienced significant vegetation degradation; in autumn, the degraded area accounted for 63.4%. Vegetation degradation had also appeared in the arid valleys of the Yalong River and the Jinsha River. Through validation analysis, we found that the main causes of vegetation degradation are the natural degradation of wetland grassland and human activities, specifically agricultural development and residential area expansion.
31
Ukrainetz, Nicholas K., and Gregory A. O’Neill. "An analysis of sensitivities contributing measurement error to Resistograph values." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 40, no. 4 (April 2010): 806–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x10-019.
Full textAbstract:
As a hand-held, portable tool capable of assessing wood density of standing trees quickly and inexpensively, the Resistograph holds considerable potential application for evaluating forest genetics field tests. However, phenotypic correlations between Resistograph density index values and values from conventional wood density assessment techniques are weak. In an effort to investigate the extent to which environmental, operator, or instrument factors may affect density index values, we evaluated the sensitivity of Resistograph measurements to seven experimental factors. Drill bit flexion (a measure of operator steadiness), moisture content of wood, and air temperature significantly affected Resistograph density index values, while the influence of knots is minimized at a vertical distance of 3 cm. Battery type, sharpness of the drill bit (at least up to 350 uses), and battery charge (at least up to 310 uses with a 12 V motorcycle battery) had no significant effect on density index. By ensuring that the operator remains steady while drilling, sampling only live trees, only when air temperatures are above freezing, and by drilling at least 3 cm vertical distance from knots, measurement error should be minimized. Three measurements per tree are required to estimate density index to within 3 units 19 times out of 20.
32
Zhang, Zhongdian, Mingbin Huang, and Yongkun Zhang. "Vertical distribution of fine-root area in relation to stand age and environmental factors in black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) forests of the Chinese Loess Plateau." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 48, no. 10 (October 2018): 1148–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2018-0149.
Full textAbstract:
To examine the spatiotemporal characteristics of the distribution of fine-root area and its relationship with stand age and environmental factors in black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) on the Chinese Loess Plateau, black locust stands were selected at four sites along a precipitation gradient. Four stands of different ages and a transect along the hillslope were also selected at one of the sites. With increasing stand age, fine-root area at the tree level increased exponentially, and the rooting pattern tended to be deeper for trees up to 15 years old and then shallower thereafter. The temporal changes of fine-root distribution could be quantified using stand age and soil nutrients. At the hillslope scale, fine-root area index (FRAI) was lower while the rooting pattern was deeper in the middle slope than in the upper and lower slopes, and the fine-root distribution could be quantified using elevation and soil properties. At the regional scale, FRAI decreased substantially while exhibiting similar rooting patterns with decreasing soil water and nutrient availability along the precipitation gradient. Humidity index represented the regional environmental variation and could be used to quantify FRAI. These findings will be helpful for improving quantification of fine roots and enhancing the accuracy of ecohydrological models.
33
Xu, Hang, Zhiqiang Zhang, Jiquan Chen, Mengxun Zhu, and Manchun Kang. "Cloudiness regulates gross primary productivity of a poplar plantation under different environmental conditions." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 47, no. 5 (May 2017): 648–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2016-0413.
Full textAbstract:
Cloud cover regulates the gross primary productivity (GPP) of forest ecosystems by changing the radiation component and other environmental factors. In this study, we used an open-path eddy covariance system and microclimate sensors installed over a poplar plantation in northern China to measure the carbon exchange and climate variables during the mid-growing seasons (June to August) in 2014 and 2015. The results indicated that the GPP of the plantation peaked when the clearness index (CI) was between 0.45 and 0.65, at which point diffuse photosynthetically active radiation (PARdif) had reached its maximum. Cloudy skies increased the maximum ecosystem photosynthetic capacity (Pmax) by 28% compared with clear skies. PARdif and soil moisture were the most and the least crucial drivers for photosynthetic productivity of the plantation under cloudy skies, respectively. The ecosystem photosynthetic potential was higher under lower vapor pressure deficit (VPD < 1.5 kPa), lower air temperature (Ta < 30 °C), and nonstressed conditions (REW > 0.4) for cloudy skies due to effects of Ta and VPD on stoma. Overall, our research highlighted the importance of cloud-induced radiation component change and environmental variation in quantifying the GPP of forest ecosystems.
34
Chen, Han YH, Karel Klinka, and Richard D. Kabzems. "Site index, site quality, and foliar nutrients of trembling aspen: relationships and predictions." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 28, no. 12 (December 1, 1998): 1743–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x98-154.
Full textAbstract:
To examine the relationships between trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) productivity, environmental attributes, and foliar nutrients and to make accurate predictions of trembling aspen productivity, we sampled 60 naturally established, fire-originated, and even-aged trembling aspen stands in northern British Columbia. Trembling aspen site index significantly varied with latitude, elevation, aspect, slope position, edatopes, some forest floor and mineral soil physical and chemical properties, and concentrations of some foliar nutrients. To predict site index, we developed multiple linear regression models using climatic variables, topographic properties, edatopes, soil physical and chemical properties, or foliar nutrients as predictors. Model accountability for variation of site index differed in decreasing order from soil model, climatic model, forest floor model, foliar nutrient model, edatope model, topographic model, to mineral soil model. Examined by the test data set, all models were unbiased, but they had different levels of precision in prediction in decreasing order from edatope model, soil model, forest floor model, mineral soil model, foliar nutrient model, climatic model, to topographic model. The soil and foliar nutrients models may provide insight into ecosystem processes, but the models using climatic variables and topographic properties or edatopes as predictors are recommended for predicting trembling aspen site index.
35
Hulme, M., R. Marsh, and PD Jones. "Global changes in a humidity index between 1931-60 and 1961-90." Climate Research 2 (1992): 1–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/cr002001.
Full text
36
Ru, Shaofeng, Jiaqi Liu, Tonghui Wang, and Guo Wei. "Provincial Quality of Economic Growth: Measurements and Influencing Factors for China." Sustainability 12, no. 4 (February 12, 2020): 1354. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12041354.
Full textAbstract:
An extended total factor productivity method is developed for measuring the quality of economic growth (QEG). Specifically, criteria for judging the QEG are first elaborated using endogenous economic growth theory, and subsequently, an assessment index system for evaluating QEG is constructed. In this system, the production factors primarily include labor, material capital, education, medical and health, environmental resource, and social security, while the output indexes comprise the gross domestic product (GDP), employment rate, income gap, and environmental pollution. In the empirical study, the directional distance function and Global Malmquist-Luenberger index are implemented to examine the QEG in China from 2000 to 2016 by provinces, regions, and factor decomposition, respectively. The global scale technological change and global pure technological change are the main sources for improving the QEG. The results also reveal a considerable widespread inefficiency and uneven development of the QEG. In general, from the eastern to western to central regions, the QEG becomes noticeably lower; The investment level is not only a driving force for economic growth, but also a source for boosting the QEG. These findings will provide a reference for China in adjusting relevant investments, ameliorating environmental conditions, and accomplishing the unity of quantity, quality, and efficiency in economic growth.
37
Li, Yang, Yaochen Qin, Liqun Ma, and Ziwu Pan. "Climate change: vegetation and phenological phase dynamics." International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management 12, no. 4 (July 6, 2020): 495–509. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijccsm-06-2019-0037.
Full textAbstract:
Purpose The ecological environment of the Loess Plateau, China, is extremely fragile under the context of global warming. Over the past two decades, the vegetation of the Loess Plateau has undergone great changes. This paper aims to clarify the response mechanisms of vegetation to climate change, to provide support for the restoration and environmental treatment of vegetation on the Loess Plateau. Design/methodology/approach The Savitsky–Golay (S-G) filtering algorithm was used to reconstruct time series of moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) 13A2 data. Combined with trend analysis and partial correlation analysis, the influence of climate change on the phenology and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) during the growing season was described. Findings The S-G filtering algorithm is suitable for EVI reconstruction of the Loess Plateau. The date of start of growing season was found to gradually later along the Southeast–Northwest direction, whereas the date of the end of the growing season showed the opposite pattern and the length of the growing season gradually shortened. Vegetation EVI values decreased gradually from Southeast to Northwest. Vegetation changed significantly and showed clear differentiation according to different topographic factors. Vegetation correlated positively with precipitation from April to July and with temperature from August to November. Originality/value This study provides technical support for ecological environmental assessment, restoration of regional vegetation coverage and environmental governance of the Loess Plateau over the past two decades. It also provides theoretical support for the prediction model of vegetation phenology changes based on remote sensing data.
38
Ottosen, Mathias, Stephen G. Mackenzie, Michael Wallace, and Ilias Kyriazakis. "A method to estimate the environmental impacts from genetic change in pig production systems." International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 25, no. 3 (November 14, 2019): 523–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11367-019-01686-8.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract Purpose The environmental impacts (EIs) of the global pig production sector are expected to increase with increasing global pork demand. Although the pig breeding industry has made significant progress over the last decades in reducing its EI, previous work has been unable to differentiate between the improvements made through management improvements from those caused by genetic change. Our study investigates the effect of altering genetic components of individual traits on the EI of pig systems. Methods An LCA model, with a functional unit of 1 kg live weight pig, was built simulating an intensive pig production system; inputs of feed and outputs of manure were adjusted according to genetic performance traits. Feed intake was simulated with an animal energy requirement model. A correlation matrix of the genetic variance and correlations of traits was pooled from data on commercial pig populations in the literature. Three sensitivity analyses were applied: one-at-a-time sensitivity analysis (OAT) used the genetic standard deviations, clusters-of-traits sensitivity analysis (COT) used the genetic standard deviations and clustering based on correlations, and the sensitivity index (SI) applied the full correlation matrix. Five EI categories were considered: global warming potential, terrestrial acidification potential, freshwater eutrophication potential, land use, and fossil resource scarcity. Results and discussion The different EI categories showed similar behaviour for each trait in the sensitivity analyses. OAT showed up to 18% change in EI relative to baseline for energy maintenance and around 3% change in EI relative to baseline for most other traits. COT grouped traits into a grower/finisher cluster (up to 17% change relative to baseline), a reproductive cluster (up to 7% change relative to baseline), and a sow robustness cluster (up to 2% change relative to baseline), all clusters including negative correlations between traits. By including genetic correlations, the SI went from being influenced by maintenance, and finisher and gilt growth rate into solely being dominated by maintenancen and protein-to-lipid ratio responsible for above 0.8 and 0.35 of the variance in EI respectively. Conclusions We developed a novel methodology for evaluating EIs of changes in correlated genetic traits in pigs. We found it was essential to include correlations in the sensitivity analysis, since the local and global sensitivity analyses were not affected to the same extend by the same traits. Further, we found that finisher growth rate, body protein-to-lipid ratio, and energy maintenance could be important in reducing EI, but mortalities and sow robustness had little effect.
39
Nourelbait, Majda, Ali Rhoujjati, Abdelfattah Benkaddour, Matthieu Carré, Frederique Eynaud, Philippe Martinez, and Rachid Cheddadi. "Climate change and ecosystems dynamics over the last 6000 years in the Middle Atlas, Morocco." Climate of the Past 12, no. 4 (April 21, 2016): 1029–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1029-2016.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. The present study aims at reconstructing past climate changes and their environmental impacts on plant ecosystems during the last 6000 years in the Middle Atlas, Morocco. Mean January temperature (Tjan), annual precipitation (Pann), winter (Pw) and summer (Ps) precipitation, and a seasonal index (SI) have all been quantified from a fossil pollen record. Several bio- and geo-chemical elements have also been analysed to evaluate the links between past climate, landscape, and ecosystem changes. Over the last 6000 years, climate has changed within a low temperature and precipitation range with a trend of aridity and warming towards the present. Tjan has varied within a ca. 2 °C range, and Pann within less than 100 mm yr−1. The long-term changes reconstructed in our record between 6 ka cal BP and today are consistent with the aridity trend observed in the Mediterranean basin. Despite the overall limited range of climate fluctuation, we observe major changes in the ecosystem composition, the carbon isotopic contents of organic matter (δ13C), the total organic carbon and nitrogen amount, and the carbon to nitrogen ratio (C / N) after ca. 3750 cal BP. The main ecosystem changes correspond to a noticeable transition in the conifer forest between the Atlas cedar, which expanded after 3750 cal BP, and the pine forest. These vegetation changes impacted the sedimentation type and its composition in the lake. Between 5500 and 5000 cal BP, we observe an abrupt change in all proxies which is coherent with a decrease in Tjan without a significant change in the overall amount of precipitation.
40
Foster, G. Sam, Robert K. Campbell, and W. Thomas Adams. "Clonal selection prospects in western hemlock combining rooting traits with juvenile height growth." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 15, no. 3 (June 1, 1985): 488–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x85-080.
Full textAbstract:
Variation in 1st-year height (HT) of western hemlock (Tsugaheterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) rooted cuttings was partitioned into environmental and genetic components. C effects, a unique type of environmental effect, was highly significant and made up 8% of the total variation. Much of the variation (21%) resulted from genetic control of HT, producing a broad-sense heritability of 0.81. As reported in a previous paper, initial rooting ability of the rooted cuttings affected the 1st-year height growth of the trees. Genetic correlations between HT and the five rooting traits ranged from 0.37 to 0.59. Using a selection index (assuming 33% selection intensity) containing both HT and a rooting trait (VOL) would result in gains of 8–10% for HT and 20–34% for VOL, depending on relative economic weights for the two traits.
41
Zhang, Chenjia, Yiping Fang, Xiujuan Chen, and Tian Congshan. "Bibliometric Analysis of Trends in Global Sustainable Livelihood Research." Sustainability 11, no. 4 (February 21, 2019): 1150. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11041150.
Full textAbstract:
The concept of sustainable livelihoods (SL) is one of the most important subjects of sustainable development, and is an important long-term goal for poverty alleviation. There has been growing interest in the nature and practical application of SL in recent decades. This paper applies bibliometric analysis to collect and analyze data on sustainable livelihoods from the expanded Science Citation index (SCIE) and the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). Bibliometric maps can assist greatly in visualizing and summarizing large volumes of data and in studying scientific outputs. The findings offer insights into research trends pertaining to SL, such as these: (1) In recent decades there has been an increase in both the number of papers on SL and their scientific influence. (2) The most active journals are Sustainability, Ecology and Society, Land Use Policy, and International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology. (3) SL papers are distributed mainly in the fields of Environmental Sciences, Environmental Studies, Ecology, Planning & Development, and Green & Sustainable Science & Technology. (4) The USA and UK are leaders in SL research as measured by both the quantity and quality of SL publications. Some developing countries, notably India and China, have seen an increase in SL publications in recent years. (5) Wageningen University in Netherlands, the Chinese Academy of Science, and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), headquartered in Indonesia, have had a major influence in the field of international SL research. (6) International cooperation has a positive effect on the growth of SL research, suggesting that there is a need for strengthening cooperation among countries, international institutions, and individuals. (7) Major areas of SL research (“hot topics”) are theoretical research on the SL concept; ecosystem conservation; poverty reduction in the poverty-stricken areas; the impact of climate change on livelihoods; and linkages between SL-related policies and institutional change.
42
Nathwani, Jatin, Niels Lind, Ortwin Renn, and Hans Joachim Schellnhuber. "Balancing Health, Economy and Climate Risk in a Multi-Crisis." Energies 14, no. 14 (July 6, 2021): 4067. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en14144067.
Full textAbstract:
In the presence of a global pandemic (COVID-19), the relentless pressure on global decision-makers is to ensure a balancing of health (reduce mortality impacts), economic goals (income for livelihood sustenance), and environmental sustainability (stabilize GHG emissions long term). The global energy supply system is a dominant contributor to the GHG burden and deeply embedded in the economy with its current share of 85%, use of fossil fuels has remained unchanged over 3 decades. A unique approach is presented to harmonizing the goals of human safety, economic development, and climate risk, respectively, through an operational tool that provides clear guidance to decision-makers in support of policy interventions for decarbonization. Improving climate change performance as an integral part of meeting human development goals allows the achievement of a country’s environmental, social, and economic well-being to be tracked and monitored. A primary contribution of this paper is to allow a transparent accounting of national performance highlighting the goals of enhancing human safety in concert with mitigation of climate risks. A measure of a country’s overall performance, combined as the Development and Climate Change Performance Index (DCI), is derived from two standardized indexes, the development index H and the Climate Change Performance Index CCPI. Data are analyzed for 55 countries comprising 65 percent of the world’s population. Through active management and monitoring, the proposed DCI can illustrate national performance to highlight a country’s current standing, rates of improvement over time, and a historical profile of progress of nations by bringing climate risk mitigation and economic well-being into better alignment.
43
Montes, Fernando, and Alicia Ledo. "Incorporating environmental and geographical information in forest data analysis: a new fitting approach for universal kriging." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 40, no. 9 (September 2010): 1852–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x10-131.
Full textAbstract:
Universal kriging gives the optimal linear model to incorporate auxiliary information in data analysis in the presence of spatial dependence of observations if the underlying variogram is known. However, in practice, the variogram is typically unknown and its estimation constitutes one of the major problems in universal kriging theory. In this paper, a new method is proposed to estimate the variogram and the mean function in universal kriging based on the relationship between the second moments of the variable Z(s) and the auxiliary variables. The performance of the proposed method is analysed in three case studies: the prediction of site index in an Italian stone pine ( Pinus pinea L.) forest, the estimation of growing stock in a Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) stand, and the assessment of the environmental factors involved in the distribution of a Meliosma species in a tropical montane cloud forest. The results show that the proposed method performs as well as the maximum likelihood and least squares methods in terms of unbiasedness and precision of the kriging predictor and prediction error variance estimation. The proposed method allows the spatial variability linked to environmental and geographical factors to be identified in the analysis of data from forest ecosystems.
44
Wagner, Robert G., and S. R. Radosevich. "Interspecific competition and other factors influencing the performance of Douglas-fir saplings in the Oregon Coast Range." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 21, no. 6 (June 1, 1991): 829–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x91-116.
Full textAbstract:
Regression models describing total height, stem diameter, stem volume index, and crown volume index of individual 4- to 9-year-old saplings of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) were developed from a retrospective analysis of two site-preparation experiments. The models, which accounted for between 64 and 73% of the variation in individual tree size, integrate environmental and morphological factors that can influence the performance of Douglas-fir saplings into one set of equations. Interspecific competition and amount of animal damage were negatively correlated with tree size. Tree age, 1st-year height, and the use of prescribed burning were positively correlated with tree size. When factors were held constant, trees were largest on steep southeast slopes. The models indicated that tree age, competing vegetation, animal damage, and initial seedling size had a dominant influence on the performance of Douglas-fir saplings, while prescribed burning and topography were of relatively minor importance.
45
Powers, Robert F., and Phillip E. Reynolds. "Ten-year responses of ponderosa pine plantations to repeated vegetation and nutrient control along an environmental gradient." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 29, no. 7 (August 1, 1999): 1027–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x99-104.
Full textAbstract:
Factorial combinations of vegetation, nutrient, and insect control treatments were applied repeatedly to three contrasting California plantations of Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws. Ten-year findings show that potential productivity is far greater than previously believed. Stem volume gains were linked directly with increases in crown volume. Insect problems were negligible. Vegetation control increased tree growth profoundly on xeric sites but less so on the most mesic. Where soil was both droughty and infertile, growth responses traced primarily to improved soil moisture availability and secondarily to better nutrition. The most fertile site also was droughty, and trees responded only to improved moisture availability. Water was less limiting on the most productive site. There, both fertilizers and herbicides triggered similar, substantive growth increases. Drought from both plant competition and climate reduced stomatal conductance, xylem water potential, and net assimilation rates. Assimilation rates increased linearly with site index, but treatment differences were not apparent once drought had peaked. Fertilization improved water-use efficiency where water stress was not extreme. Advantages in water availability to pines from vegetation control will dissipate as tree crowns close and transpiration rises.
46
Czech, Katarzyna, and Michał Wielechowski. "Is the Alternative Energy Sector COVID-19 Resistant? Comparison with the Conventional Energy Sector: Markov-Switching Model Analysis of Stock Market Indices of Energy Companies." Energies 14, no. 4 (February 13, 2021): 988. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en14040988.
Full textAbstract:
The outbreak and rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the global financial markets, including the energy sector. Alternative energy belongs to the economy’s key sectors concerning environmental issues and seems to be a full-fledged alternative for fossil-based conventional energy. This paper aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the stock market indices related to the alternative and conventional energy sector. We use daily data on the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Global Alternative Energy Index, the MSCI All Country World Index (ACWI) Energy Index, and self-developed Average-49 COVID-19 New Cases Index and Average-49 Stringency Index. The research covers the period January–October 2020. The average level of the MSCI Global Alternative Energy Index in COVID-19 year was more than a quarter higher than in 2019 while the MSCI ACWI Energy fell almost one-third in the same period. Based on the Markov-switching model, we show that both the MSCI Global Alternative Energy and the MSCI ACWI Energy are not significantly affected by the epidemic status. The analysed indices decline as the government anti-COVID-19 policy becomes more stringent, but the relationship is statistically significant only in the high-volatility regime. In comparison to the conventional energy index, we reveal that the alternative energy index stays most of its time in the low-volatility regime without being adversely and significantly affected by the COVID-19 related indicators. Our study shows that the alternative energy sector, represented by the MSCI Global Alternative Energy Index, seems to be more resistant to COVID-19 than the conventional energy sector. It might imply that the novel coronavirus pandemic has not depreciated but emphasised the growing concern about climate change and environmental pollution.
47
Imran, Areeba Binte, Samia Ahmed, Waqar Ahmed, Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman, Arif Iqbal, Naveed Ahmad, and Irfan Ullah. "Integration of Sentinel-2 Derived Spectral Indices and In-situ Forest Inventory to Predict Forest Biomass." Pakistan Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research Series A: Physical Sciences 64, no. 2 (July 5, 2021): 119–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.52763/pjsir.phys.sci.64.2.2021.119.130.
Full textAbstract:
Forest biomass estimation is the central part of sustainable forest management to assess carbon stocks and carbon emissions from forest ecosystem. Sentinel-2 is state-of-art sensor with refined spatial and recurrent temporal resolution data. The present study explored the potential of Sentinel-2 derived vegetation indices for above ground biomass prediction using four regression models (linear, exponential, power and logarithmic). Sentinel-2 indices includes Global environmental monitoring index, transformed normalized difference vegetation index, normalized difference water index, normalized difference infrared index and red-edge normalized difference vegetation index. The performances of Sentinel-2 indices were assessed by simple single variable (index) based regression for GEMI, TNDVI, NDII, NDWI and RENDVI versus AGB values. Further, stepwise linear regression was also developed in which used all indices entered into stepwise selection and the best index was selected in the final model. Results showed that linear model of all indices performance best compared to the rest three models and R2 values 0.12, 0.39, 0.46, 0.44 and 0.37 for Global environmental monitoring index, transformed normalized. Vegetation index, normalized difference water index, infrared index and red-edge vegetation index, respectively. Normalized difference water index was considered the best index among five computed indices in simple linear as well as in stepwise linear regression, whereas rest of the indices were removed because they were not significant under the stepwise criteria. Further, the accuracy of normalized difference water index model was determined by root mean square error and final prediction model has 28.27 t/ha error for both simple linear and stepwise linear regression. Therefore, normalized difference water index was selected for biomass mapping and resultant biomass showed up to 339 t/ha in the study area. The resultant biomass map also showed consistency with global datasets which include global forest canopy height and global forest tree cover change maps. The study suggest that Sentinel-2 product has great potential to estimate above ground biomass with accuracy and can be used for large scale mapping in combination with national forest inventory for carbon emission accounting.
48
Wang, Yue, Valerie M. LeMay, and Thomas G. Baker. "Modelling and prediction of dominant height and site index of Eucalyptus globulus plantations using a nonlinear mixed-effects model approach." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 37, no. 8 (August 2007): 1390–403. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x06-282.
Full textAbstract:
A nonlinear mixed-effects model approach was used to model dominant height and site index for Eucalyptus globulus Labill. plantations in southeastern Australia. Mixed effects were considered initially for all three parameters of a modified Chapman–Richards model. Inclusion of random effects improved fitting and accounted for the within-plot heteroscedasticity. To correct for within-plot autocorrelation, a power autocorrelation model allowing for irregular intervals for remeasurements was found to be most appropriate. Additional fertilizer application at age 1 year and a number of environmental variables were related to the fixed-effects parameters, but these were not statistically significant, whereas mean annual rainfall and average daily maximum temperature in July (winter) greatly reduced the residual variability among plots. The resulting nonlinear mixed-effects model combines dominant height and site index prediction into a single model and predicts polymorphic height growth rates on different sites. The model can be used to predict population-mean dominant heights and site indices for different growing conditions of E. globulus plantations using existing information of annual rainfall and daily maximum temperature. When prior measures of dominant heights at several ages are available for a plot, specific random effects can be estimated and localized predictions of dominant height or site index can be obtained.
49
Ghanavati, Ezatollah, Majid Shah-Hosseini, and Nick Marriner. "Analysis of the Makran Coastline of Iran’s Vulnerability to Global Sea-Level Rise." Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 9, no. 8 (August 18, 2021): 891. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jmse9080891.
Full textAbstract:
The SE coast of Iran is of great economic and environmental importance. Global climate change affects this coastline through sea level rise (SLR), compounded by a decrease in sediment budgets in coastal areas. This study developed a Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) for the SE coast of Iran using satellite, instrumental and field data. Eight risk variables were defined: coastal slope, regional coastal elevation, mean tidal range, mean significant wave height, rate of relative sea-level change, rate of shoreline change, environmental sensitivity and socio-economic sensitivity. The coast was divided into 27 segments based on geomorphic, environmental and socioeconomic traits. Coastal segments were categorized based on their vulnerability to each risk factor using a CVI. The resulting maps highlighted the vulnerability of each coastal segment to SLR. Approximately 50% of the coast is comprised of mostly rocky shores, which are less vulnerable to SLR. Approximately 33% of the coastal length, including sandy beaches, tidal flats and mangrove forests, were determined to be highly vulnerable to SLR. Approximately 12% of the coastline was determined to be moderately vulnerable. Population centers and infrastructure were ranked as highly-to-moderately vulnerable to SLR. This study highlighted the high vulnerability of low-lying areas, such as lagoons and mangroves, in the western part of the Iranian coast of Makran. Proper coastal management and mitigation plans are essential in the future to protect coastal societies and environments.
50
Nelson, C. Dana, and Carl A. Mohn. "Genetic variance of early height growth and expected gains from selection in a Minnesota population of black spruce." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 21, no. 1 (January 1, 1991): 11–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x91-002.
Full textAbstract:
A genetic improvement project for black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) was initiated in Minnesota in 1974, with an objective of improving the inherent growth rate of the local population. This study reports some field results from the initial phase of the project. Study objectives were to (i) estimate genetic and environmental variance components of early (age 10 years) tree height, (ii) estimate expected genetic gains from various selection methods in three seedling seed orchards and a clonal seed orchard, and (iii) evaluate the effect that these selection methods have on inbreeding levels in the rogued seedling orchards. Additive genetic variance accounted for 15 to 22% of the phenotypic variance in three wind-pollinated family tests and 10% of the phenotypic variance across the tests. Expected gains from combined-index (family and individual) selection in the family test - seed orchards (selection of 22 to 27%) ranged from 4.6 to 6.1%. Family + within-family selection and individual selection were 18 and 32% less efficient, respectively. Index selection resulted in the highest estimated levels of inbreeding in the rogued orchards. However, the largest difference between the various selection methods resulted in a difference in the average inbreeding coefficient of less than 0.15%. Based on this small difference, index selection could be used in roguing similarly designed seedling seed orchards with minimal risk of elevated inbreeding levels.