Vegetation response to hydrologic and geomorphic factors in an arid region of the Baja California Peninsula

Remotely sensed imageries were used to analyze the response of desert vegetation to physiographic factors and accumulated precipitation in drier and wetter years within a region of >16,500 km² sampled with 5,000 random pixels of 30 m. Vegetation development was indexed by the annual maximum values for greenness (SAVI) and canopy water content (NDII). Precipitation was interpolated from the 0.25° grid of the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission satellite-based estimates, showing a regional average of ～55 mm in the wetter year. The vegetation indices were only weakly related to total precipitation, often in a negative sense. Terrain factors that most often affected the vegetation indices, in multiple regression models, were Topographic Wetness Index, elevation, and slope gradient; these often had different signs for SAVI and for NDII. Models for NDII on intrusive igneous rocks gave better results than on extrusive igneous rocks. The strongest patterns in vegetation development were the contrast among Pacific coast, Cordillera, and Gulf coast subregions and the generally stronger results for NDII than SAVI.     

Unintended Effects of Emphasizing the Role of Climate Change in Recent Natural Disasters

In 2017, the United States experienced a series of natural hazards (hurricanes, wildfires, and blizzards) that resulted in significant loss of life and property. Emphasizing the role of climate change in these events might offer an important tool for engagement, particularly with skeptical audiences. However, in a survey experiment (N?=?1504) involving three different natural hazards – hurricanes, wildfires, and blizzards – we find that emphasizing the role of climate change in these hazards produced unintended effects for climate change skeptics. In particular, skeptics experienced resistance to the news article, which associated with reduced perceived hazard severity. These backfiring effects likely serve as a defensive mechanism used by skeptics to maintain their prior views of climate change, illustrating the challenges faced in communicating climate change to skeptical audiences. These findings offer additional insight for those attempting to communicate climate-related risk information to skeptical audiences.     

The fate of chlorine and organic materials in swimming pools

The fate of organic nitrogen and carbon introduced into a swimming pool by pool users has been studied using a 2.2 m(3) model pool. The study made use of a body fluid analogue (BFA), containing the primary endogenous organic amino compounds, and a soiling analogue represented by humic acid (HA). The system was used to examine the effect of organic loading and organic carbon (OC) sources (i.e. amino or HA) on the levels and speciation of the key chlorinated disinfection by-products of trihalomethanes (THMs) and chloramines under operating conditions representative of those employed on a full-scale pool.Results revealed OC, chloramines and THMs to all attain steady-state levels after 200-500 h of operation, reflecting mineralisation of the dosed OC. Steady-state levels of OC were roughly linearly dependent on dose rate over the range of operational conditions investigated and, as with the chloramine levels recorded, were in reasonable agreement with those reported for full-scale pools. THM levels recorded were somewhat lower than those found in real pools, and were dependent on both on pH carbon source: the THM formation propensity for the soling analogue was around eight times than of the BFA. Of the assayed by-products, only nitrate was found to accumulate, accounting for 4-28% of the dosed amino nitrogen. Contrary to previous postulations based on the application of Henry's Law, only insignificant amounts of the volatile by-products were found to be lost to the atmosphere.     

Evaluating China's Slope Land Conversion Program as sustainable management in Tianquan and Wuqi Counties

Increased soil erosion on sloped land has become a significant environmental concern in China that has been attributed to human activities such as deforestation, over-cultivation, and over-grazing of livestock. In order to reduce soil erosion on sloped lands, the Chinese government has responded by implementing large-scale, ecological rehabilitation programs, including the "Grain for Green" reforestation project. This program involves financial incentives to transition farmers into other economic activities with the goal of reducing ecological pressures and degradation. Because of the scope and potential impacts from these programs, detailed research is needed to understand their social and ecological effects. This paper reports on research conducted in Tianquan County, Sichuan Province, and Wuqi County, Shaanxi Province, that evaluates the effects of the program upon local economies and household livelihood systems. The paper argues that the successful conversion of farmland under "Grain for Green" depends upon local government involvement, local economic development, and funding for local projects. Without economic development within rural economies, we conclude that farmers will remain dependent upon continued subsidy assistance to meet the policy's ambitious environmental restrictions, thereby undermining the program's long-term sustainability.     

Managing plant population spread: prediction and analysis using a simple model

Models can be used to direct the management of population spread for the control of invasives or to encourage species of conservation value. Analytical models are attractive because of their theoretical basis and limited data requirements, but there is concern that their simplicity may limit their practical utility. We address the applied use of simple models in a study of a declining annual herb, Rhinanthus minor. We parameterized a population-spread model using field data on demography and dispersal for four management systems: grazed only (GR), hay-cut once (H1), hay-cut twice (H2), and hay-cut with autumn grazing (HG). Within a replicated experiment we measured spread rates of introduced R. minor populations over eight years. The modeled and measured spread rates were very similar in terms of both patterns of management effects and absolute values, so that in both cases HG > H2, H1 > GR. The treatments affected both dispersal and demography (establishment and survival) and so we used decomposition approaches to analyze the major causes of differences in population spread. Increased dispersal under hay-cutting was more important than demographic changes and accounted for approximately 70% of the differences in spread rate between the hay-cut and grazed-only treatments. Furthermore, management effects on the tail of the dispersal curve were by far the most critical in governing spread. This study suggests that simple models can be used to inform practical conservation management, and we demonstrate straightforward uses of our model to predict the impacts of different management strategies. While simple models can give accurate projections, we emphasize that they must be parameterized with high-quality data gathered at the appropriate spatial scale.     

Soil erosion and significance for carbon fluxes in a mountainous Mediterranean-climate watershed.

In topographically complex terrains, downslope movement of soil organic carbon (OC) can influence local carbon balance. The primary purpose of the present analysis is to compare the magnitude of OC displacement by erosion with ecosystem metabolism in such a complex terrain. Does erosion matter in this ecosystem carbon balance? We have used the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) erosion model to estimate lateral fluxes of OC in a watershed in northwestern Mexico. The watershed (4900 km2) has an average slope of 10 degrees +/- 9 degrees (mean +/- SD); 45% is >10 degrees, and 3% is >30 degrees. Land cover is primarily shrublands (69%) and agricultural lands (22%). Estimated bulk soil erosion averages 1350 Mg x km(-2) x yr(-1). We estimate that there is insignificant erosion on slopes < 2 degrees and that 20% of the area can be considered depositional. Estimated OC erosion rates are 10 Mg x km(-2) x yr(-1) for areas steeper than 2 degrees. Over the entire area, erosion is approximately 50% higher on shrublands than on agricultural lands, but within slope classes, erosion rates are more rapid on agricultural areas. For the whole system, estimated OC erosion is approximately 2% of net primary production (NPP), increasing in high-slope areas to approximately 3% of NPP. Deposition of eroded OC in low-slope areas is approximately 10% of low-slope NPP. Soil OC movement from erosional slopes to alluvial fans alters the mosaic of OC metabolism and storage across the landscape.     

Variations in Newspaper Coverage on Water in the U.S. Intermountain West

Water is a salient issue in the Intermountain West of the United States (U.S.), with concerns ranging from water scarcity and drought to intermittent flooding and water quality risks. This paper investigates coverage of water issues across seven newspapers in the core of the U.S. Intermountain West region. Newspapers have the potential to set agendas and influence perceived salience of issues among consumers. The Intermountain West region shares common concerns about water supply and demand, climate change, and water quality. We investigate whether or not local daily newspaper coverage of water issues provides a more local or regional sensitivity. Findings from this exploratory study reveal differences in water coverage across local daily newspapers. The overall volume of water‐related articles differed across newspapers as did proportion of articles on specific water topics and connecting issues. Coverage of local issues was more dominant than might be expected given mass media trends, but water geography in articles extended across the U.S. and the world in every newspaper studied. Variations in newspaper coverage of water issues suggests more local nuance persists despite the experience of common water issues across the region.     

An application of economic choice experiments to a traditional land use—deer hunting and landscape change in the Scottish Highlands

Stalking (deer hunting) is an important land use and activity in the Scottish Highlands, and deer managers have traditionally maintained large numbers of female deer in order to supply a guaranteed number of stags for stalking. Unfortunately, grazing by large numbers of deer conflicts with environmental objectives that are seeking to improve upland habitats and increase the area of native Caledonian Pine forest. This study uses a multi-attribute choice experimental approach to quantify the various characteristics of the stalking experience to determine the value that amateur stalkers attach to the stag numbers, the landscape and other attibutes. Unlike previous applications of stated preference, a large proportion (one-third) of a full factorial design is used to present stalkers with different alternative stalking packages within a postal survey. The results indicate a way forward that could be agreeable to both deer managers and conservationists.     

Microclimate monitoring of indoor environments using piezoelectric quartz crystal humidity sensors

The aim of this paper is to describe indoor microclimate monitoring at two different locations, Sandham Memorial Chapel, in Hampshire, England, and the castle El Alcázar, in Segovia, Spain. Piezoelectric quartz crystal sensors with novel humidity sensitive poly(ethyleneimine) coatings and Pt resistance thermometers were used to measure the relative humidity (RH) and temperature gradients across one of the paintings of the British artist, Stanley Spencer, housed in Sandham Memorial Chapel. The measurement period extended from December 1997 to September 1998. Each coated crystal was set in its own housing from which temperature and RH measuring circuits were connected via a cable to the computer. The 9 month monitoring period incorporated the range in seasons from winter through to autumn. Between December and February the RH at the back of the painting was found to be lower than that at the front. In March and April the reverse was true. Additionally, there were large spikes in the data in some of the months for both RH and temperature, probably caused by direct sunlight falling on the sensors. At the second site monitoring was performed for a shorter period, from December 1997 to early January 1998. It served, however, to show that abrupt changes can occur in the microclimate surrounding the painting. These fluctuations can with time lead to alterations to the paint surface and result eventually in cracking and damage to the art work.     

Employee influence on decisions: An analysis

Attitude data from a national sample of 2300 working adults are reported. The data show that employees feel they should have more influence on a number of decisions. This feeling is stronger for decisions affecting how their job is done, than for matters of corporate policy and personnel decisions. However, it is in the policy and personnel areas that they perceive the greatest discrepancy between the amount of influence they presently have and the amount of influence they feel they should have. Older, better educated, and higher-paid respondents felt they should have more influence on all decisions. The implications of these findings for the Quality of Work Life movement were considered. The data suggest a favourable future climate for certain types of employee influence/Quality of Work Life projects.