Introducing a streamlined life cycle assessment approach for evaluating sustainability in defense acquisitions

We introduce a methodological approach for conducting a streamlined life cycle assessment (SLCA) of defense systems. The approach is recommended for application in those cases where assessors are faced with alternative options for the design of a defense system and where quantitative data describing the system inputs are limited. Also, it is intended to be used to assist sustainability-minded decision makers, those who recognize the importance of sustaining resources while preventing adverse impacts to mission, human health, ecosystem health, air, water, and land. The approach includes defining the scope and boundaries of the system, and its alternatives, inventory data collection, impact assessment, and interpretation. Results from the SLCA can be used to compare performance of two or more alternatives in terms of impacts to these areas of concern. The unique features of this approach include the screening of system processes using the activity profile, collection of resource input data for the processes with the greatest potential for impacts, and application of scoring factors unique to the impact categories assessed. The approach is rigorous, systematic, and intended to promote informed acquisition decisions that consider principles of sustainable design. Future research activities will include the application of the methodological approach to acquisitions for defense and other industries.     

Sustainability and the post-modern city: some guidelines for urban planning and transport practice in an age of uncertainty

Summary Sustainability is one of the key concepts that is associated with post-modernism. The old world with its modernist assumptions was based on increasing consumption of fossil fuels and other resources, reducing the natural and the diverse to simple, American-style mass production, with a strong state-based, large-scale approach to providing infrastructure. That old way no longer works but no way forward is obviously apparent. This paper looks at how the uncertainties produced by post-modernism can be put to advantage in providing a more sustainable postmodern city. It is suggested that the key principles are recognizing values, maximizing diversity and crossing boundaries. These are developed into some guidelines for urban planning and transport practice.This paper was delivered at the Global Forum '94 Academic Conference, Manchester, UK.     

SUSTAINING LOCAL WATERSHED INITIATIVES: LESSONS FROM LANDCARE AND WATERSHED COUNCILS1

ABSTRACT: In the last decade, watershed groups (WG) established through government initiatives have become an important part of the natural resource management landscape in developed economies. In this paper, the authors reflect upon their research and experience with Landcare in Victoria, and to a lesser extent with Watershed Councils in Oregon, to identify the principles that appear fundamental to sustaining effective WG. In the first instance, these groups must be established at a local scale using social as well as biophysical boundaries. It is also critical that WG are embedded within a supportive institutional framework that identifies realistic roles for private landowners, local organizations such as WG, and regional planning bodies. Without broad stakeholder representation, the perceived benefits of participation are quickly forfeited. It is simply unrealistic to expect an effective network of WG to be sustained without substantial investment by government to provide for program management, group coordination, and cost sharing for on‐ground work. There must also be the commitment and skills within a program to establish processes that build trust and competency amongst citizens and agencies. These principles should also provide a foundation for the critical evaluation of WG programs.     

‘Enclosing country park land and the conservation of military heritage:’ an Ostromian interpretation of the fools’ paradise

British colonial military heritage structures in Hong Kong are in a state of ruin and government neglect. Urgent attention is required in the form of active management to avoid the loss of valuable heritage resources and the negative impact on the landscape and environment. This paper explores two possible alternatives – user participation and social entrepreneur participation – to achieve innovative solutions to rent dissipation of these structures situated in isolated areas within protected-area boundaries, with a focus on a specific case. Emphasis is placed on fostering public participation, involving the allocation of some property rights. Elinor Ostrom's diagnostic approach to common-pool resource problems is applied to both solutions to determine the conditions necessary to achieve the objectives. The discussions are informed by social entrepreneurship principles and a version of the Coase Theorem, the latter coinciding with Ostrom's view regarding the role of property rights in achieving sustainable outcomes.     

FLOODPLAIN ANALYSIS,SIMPLIFIED VS. COMPLEX METHODS: A CASE STUDY1

ABSTRACT: The accurate and reliable determination of floodplains, floodway boundaries, and flood water elevations are integral requirements of Flood Insurance Studies. These studies are intended to be used for determining the flood insurance rates. Therefore, the accuracy of the water surface profiles are important. To ensure the high degree of accuracy, the HUD Flood Insurance Administration has developed standards which must be met in the analysis of water surface profiles. A somewhat less accurate study is required for the preparation of Flood Emergency Plans. As part of the flood insurance studies of eight locations in the State of North Dakota, various flood hazard and floodplain information reports were reviewed. The hydrologic and hydraulic analyses, especially the computation of the 100-year water surface profiles, were completed using both simplified and complex hydraulic computation methods. Significant differences were found (1 to 3 feet) between the profiles computed by the SCS simplified method and those computed by HEC-2 computer program. However, the floodplain boundaries determined by both methods were found to be similar. Approximate methods are recommended for rapid determination of the floodplain, floodway boundaries, and inundation area mapping, while sophisticated computer programs (HEC-2) are recommended to be used for developing areas where the 100-year flood elevation has a significant impact on the cost of land development.     

SELECTED METHODS OF AQUIFER TEST ANALYSIS1

Changes in groundwater levels due to a well discharging at a constant rate are used with various formulas to determine hydraulic properties of aquifers and their confining bed and to detect the presence of aquifer boundaries. These formulas are generally solved by graphical methods.     

WETLAND BOUNDARIES IN THE NEW JERSEY PINELANDS: ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS AND DELINEATION1

Wetland protection regulations and guidelines often require the delineation of precise wetland boundaries on a case-by-case basis. In this study, conducted in the New Jersey Pinelands, an ecological characterization of vegetation composition, soil and hydrologic relationships along upland to wetland Pinus rigida - dominated transittions provided the basis for a multiparameter approach to wetland boundary delineation. The transitional data set was analyzed by direct gradient analysis, cluster analysis and ordination. It is concluded that vegetation composition can be a principal factor in delineating wetland boundaries along natural upland to wetland transitions. However, where distinct vegetation changes are not observed, a feature of our study sites, a multiparameter approach should be used.     

Effective Transboundary Aquifer Areas: An Approach for Transboundary Groundwater Management

The natural complexity, heterogeneity, and extent of transboundary aquifers around the world, have led to controversy over which method or criteria should be used to identify and delineate their boundaries. Currently, there is no standard methodology that aquifer‐sharing countries can use to delineate the area of a transboundary aquifer. In the case of Mexico and Texas, Mexico uses administrative boundaries, whereas Texas uses geological boundaries. This paper proposes a method for delineation and prioritization of aquifers (or aquifer areas) called effective transboundary aquifer areas (ETAAs), which uses a combination of physical criteria (geological boundaries, topography, and hydrography) and the location and density of active water wells in the borderland between Mexico and Texas. This method identifies the area of priority (productivity area) in the aquifer using pumping patterns or hot spots regardless of the aquifer’s surficial geological limits, therefore offering a more effective, local and practical management option at the transboundary level. Different geological features or pumping patterns will have different sizes and locations of ETAAs within the same aquifer. In West Texas, which is dominated by bolsons, the method produces limited options for ETAAs, whereas in South Texas in the easternmost border the identified ETAAs are more significant.     

Field boundaries in Great Britain: stock and change between 1984, 1990 and 1998

Field boundaries are man-made features found worldwide and their multiple functions in agricultural landscapes are now widely recognised. These landscape features have declined drastically in many developed countries as a result of agricultural intensification. In Great Britain, field boundaries are regarded as elements of particular significance in the countryside, both in term of extent and value, whether ecological, cultural, or aesthetic. The Countryside Surveys of Great Britain, a national ecological, surveillance programme initiated in the late 1970s, provides information about the change in extent and ecological condition of field boundaries. In this paper, we present the main results on field boundaries derived from the latest survey, Countryside Survey 2000. These include stock and change of boundaries for the 1990-1998 period as well as an update of the previously published 1984-1990 data. Special attention is given to the evolution of the length of hedges. Applicability of the Countryside Survey methodology to other monitoring programmes and further use of the data is discussed together with the potential ecological consequences of the changes described in the paper.     

The demarcation of arbitrary boundaries for coastal zone management: The Israeli case

Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) addresses the interconnections, complexities, and conflicts between many users of the coastal area with different goals. It requires setting managerial boundaries that capture many elements of human and natural systems. Experience teaches us that without a directed effort managerial rules and laws are not likely to coincide with the physical sensitivity of units that reflect different environmental characteristics of the coastal zone. Hence the aim of this study is to explore why coastal managerial boundaries are set arbitrarily and whether and how it is possible to address the problems this poses. We examine what influences the decisions of a new coastal management authority in Israel to determine how this body overcomes the limits of arbitrary boundary demarcation. The study found that real life management succeeded to both address areas outside the arbitrary boundaries and also to respect some of the different socio-economic needs and physical constraints of the coastal sub-units. Israel’s Coastal Environment Protection Law allows and, in fact, encourages the regulator to use discretion and to employ various criteria to balance development and conservation. This implies that policy makers are cognizant of a need to balance ecologically-sensitive boundaries that consider the homogeneity of the coast with politically feasible boundaries that are set arbitrarily.     

Inventory of Interbasin Transfers in the United States

Interbasin transfers (IBTs) are man‐made transfers of water that cross basin boundaries. These transfers are used to distribute water resources according to supply and demand. The objectives of this work were to quantify the number of IBTs that exist in the United States (U.S.) and to examine the distribution of IBTs and potential causes associated with any observed clustering of IBTs. Defining “basin” was important to enable determination of which transfers qualify as “interbasin.” A variety of definitions are employed by states, with no federal definition. The most recent national studies of IBTs were conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 1985 and 1986 using USGS Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) definitions of basins. To build a 2016 inventory of IBTs in the U.S., and to identify where they most commonly occur, the USGS National Hydrography Database (NHD) was utilized in conjunction with the Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD). Transfers across HUC6 basin boundaries were considered interbasin. Geographical information analysis with the NHD and WBD databases revealed that there are a total of 2,161 man‐made waterways crossing HUC6 basin boundaries in the U.S. IBTs are somewhat concentrated: Florida, Texas, and North Carolina account for over 50% of the total identified IBTs. For some states, identified IBTs are locally clustered. Analysis of these clusters suggests a variety of reasons that IBTs have been built, including population, drainage, and agricultural factors.     

Effective Planning and Implementation of Ecological Rehabilitation Projects: A Case Study of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada)

The literature guides environmental planning and, specifically, how to use ecological rehabilitation projects to achieve long-term planning goals and landscape-scale environmental sustainability. There is, however, a perceived gap between principles in the literature and the use of them by practitioners involved in smaller-scale ecological rehabilitation projects. Using interviews with practitioners involved in 11 projects within the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, we tested whether practitioners used five principles for effective planning and implementation of ecological rehabilitation that we derived from the literature. These five principles were: establishing political and ecological context, using ecologically appropriate objectives and practices, using comparative multidisciplinary and cross-scale approaches, using adaptive planning and implementation, and establishing good communication within and external to projects. Few projects followed all five principles, and practitioners indicated that they used three more project-specific principles: obtaining political/social support, promoting projects and changing attitudes about projects, and securing sufficient and persistent funding to maintain a project's life. While the literature emphasizes that ecological rehabilitation is only effective if projects are coordinated on a watershed basis, most practitioners focused solely on the goals of their specific project. The gap between literature and practice may arise because most practitioners are new to the field of ecological rehabilitation and still are focused on the methods involved. Time pressures force practitioners to obviate the literature and get projects started quickly, lest support evaporate. Complicating these difficulties is decreased support from federal and provincial governments for large-scale environmental planning. It is unclear whether ecological rehabilitation projects in Waterloo Region (at least) will ever become effective at promoting landscape-scale ecological goals or remain smaller-scale stop-gaps.     

Topographic, bioclimatic, and vegetation characteristics of three ecoregion classification systems in North America: comparisons along continent-wide transects

Ecoregion classification systems are increasingly used for policy and management decisions, particularly among conservation and natural resource managers. A number of ecoregion classification systems are currently available, with each system defining ecoregions using different classification methods and different types of data. As a result, each classification system describes a unique set of ecoregions. To help potential users choose the most appropriate ecoregion system for their particular application, we used three latitudinal transects across North America to compare the boundaries and environmental characteristics of three ecoregion classification systems [Küchler, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and Bailey]. A variety of variables were used to evaluate the three systems, including woody plant species richness, normalized difference in vegetation index (NDVI), and bioclimatic variables (e.g., mean temperature of the coldest month) along each transect. Our results are dominated by geographic patterns in temperature, which are generally aligned north-south, and in moisture, which are generally aligned east-west. In the west, the dramatic changes in physiography, climate, and vegetation impose stronger controls on ecoregion boundaries than in the east. The Küchler system has the greatest number of ecoregions on all three transects, but does not necessarily have the highest degree of internal consistency within its ecoregions with regard to the bioclimatic and species richness data. In general, the WWF system appears to track climatic and floristic variables the best of the three systems, but not in all regions on all transects.     

ITERATIVE EVALUATION OF A LAKE WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM1

ABSTRACT: Local governments often face environmental problems that cross political boundaries. The onus for solution usually falls on the moat severely affected jurisdiction, others do nothing until impacted. Resolution of these problems requires cooperation across political boundaries which means that local governments must be persuaded first that there is a problem, and second that action is required to solve it. This paper presents a method to supply low cost, credible information that can be used to achieve consensus on problem solution. A case study of a lake water quality management problem is described. Formative evaluation techniques was adapted to provide a minimum of evidence which was then used to persuade less impacted local jurisdictions to cooperate in the problem solution.     

FLOOD INUNDATION IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES FROM AIRCRAFT AND SATELLITE IMAGERY1

ABSTRACT: Panchromatic black and white, color, and color infrared photographs and thermal infrared imagery are compared for a capability to show flood boundaries. In open agricultural and urban areas, these boundaries are easily delineated on all types of am. Boundaries are more difficult to see in wooded areas. In March, hardwood trees are dormant, but black and white photographs and color photographs show only the tops of these trees. Color infrared photographs in January and March have a distinctive color or tone in inundated woods; the limit of this tone is the flood boundary. Daytime thermal infrared imagery in March shows that inundated woods are cooler than dry land but warmer than open water. After about April 1, both color infrared photography and thermal infrared imagery show only the top of the tree canopy and do not reflect underlying flood water. Inundated areas can be delineated easily on ERTS satellite imagery from December through March. On imagery from May 4–5, 1973, however, most inundation boundaries had to be drawn as dashed lines; the tree canopy obscures flood waters in wooded areas. Despite this problem, the results of mapping flood boundaries on May imagery are believed to be reasonable for the scale of the imagery.     

Quantifying Tradeoffs Associated with Hydrologic Environmental Flow Methods

Freshwater management requires balancing and tradingoff multiple objectives, many of which may be competing. Ecological needs for freshwater are often described in terms of environmental flow recommendations (e.g., minimum flows), and there are many techniques for developing these recommendations, which range from hydrologic rules to multidisciplinary analyses supported by large teams of subject matter experts. Although hydrologic rules are well acknowledged as overly simplified, these techniques remain the state‐of‐the‐practice in many locations. This article seeks to add complexity to the application of these techniques by studying the emergent properties of hydrologic environmental flow methodologies. Two hydrologic rules are applied: minimum flow criteria and sustainability boundaries. Objectives and metrics associated with withdrawal rate and similarity to natural flow regimes are used to tradeoff economic and environmental needs, respectively, over a range of flow thresholds and value judgments. A case study of hypothetical water withdrawals on the Middle Oconee River near Athens, Georgia is applied to demonstrate these techniques. For this case study, sustainability boundaries emerge as preferable relative to both environmental and economic outcomes. Methods applied here provide a mechanism for examining the role of stakeholder values and tradeoffs in application of hydrologic rules for environmental flows.     

A FINITE ELEMENT MODEL OF CONTAMINANT MOVEMENT IN GROUNDWATER1

ABSTRACT. Transient, two-dimensional solutions are developed which describe the movement and distribution of a conservative substance in a stream-aquifer system. The solutions are obtained by solving sequentially the groundwater flow and mass transport equations. A variational approach in conjunction with the finite element method is used to solve the groundwater flow equation. Galerkin's approach coupled with the finite element method is used to solve the mass transport equation. Linear approximated triangular elements and a centered scheme of numerical integration are employed to calculate the hydraulic head distribution and the concentration of solute in the flow region. The linear approximation used to define the concentration function within each element is not appropriate for cases involving steep concentration gradients. For such cases, higher order approximations are necessary to assure the continuity of gradients across interelemental boundaries. Numerical examples that illustrate the applicability of the model are presented.     

The team solution for effective project management

In their new book The TeamNet Factor: Bringing the Power of Boundary Crossing into the Heart of Your Business, authors Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps claim that businesses that form teamnets—networks of teams that cross conventional boundaries—will be winners in the twenty-first century global economy. From the smallest to the largest companies, businesses are climbing over their own walls. Customers, competitors, and even people in different industries traverse their traditional limits to work together. When business teams cross boundaries, benefits accrue. Whether three-person shops or multinationals, these companies can achieve something that by themselves would be impossible. By definition, teamnets are on a mission for mutual benefit. Large firms in many industries are using internal teamnets to bridge barriers inside their companies and external teamnets to bridge boundaries with suppliers, customers, and competitors. The following excerpt presents insightful ideas and techniques for quality professionals on how to implement more effective project management through teams.