LivestockPlus: Forages,sustainable intensification,and food security in the tropics

The increased use of grain-based feed for livestock during the last two decades has contributed, along with other factors, to a rise in grain prices that has reduced human food security. This circumstance argues for feeding more forages to livestock, particularly in the tropics where many livestock are reared on small farms. Efforts to accomplish this end, referred to as the ‘LivestockPlus’ approach, intensify in sustainable ways the management of grasses, shrubs, trees, and animals. By decoupling the human food and livestock feed systems, these efforts would increase the resilience of the global food system. Effective LivestockPlus approaches take one of two forms: (1) simple improvements such as new forage varieties and animal management practices that spread from farmer to farmer by word of mouth, or (2) complex sets of new practices that integrate forage production more closely into farms’ other agricultural activities and agro-ecologies.     

Uncertainties of forest area estimates caused by the minimum crown cover criterion

Defining “forest land” is a complex issue and has been discussed for decades. Today, a confusing multitude of definitions of forest land are in use making comparison of forest area figures difficult. But currently, comparability is receiving much attention when it comes to install market mechanisms for ecosystem services. Minimum crown cover is among the most frequently employed criteria of forest definitions. However, the size of the reference area on which the crown cover percent is to be measured is usually not defined. But how does a change of the size of the reference area affect the derived forest cover? In this study, we analyze the interactions of the crown cover threshold and the size of the reference area. We start with analyzing the interactions using a simple geometric model of the forest edge. Then, we extend the analysis by simulating artificial landscapes where we study how the interaction is affected by different degrees of forest fragmentation, crown cover proportion, and spatial resolution of the data source used. The simulation showed that large differences in forest cover (>50 %) may result for a fixed crown cover threshold value, just by changing the size of the reference area, where the magnitude of this effect is a function of the chosen threshold value and the spatial configuration of the crowns. As a consequence of the findings, we see an urgent need to complete forest definitions by defining a reference area in order to reduce uncertainties of forest cover estimates.     

On the use of dorsiventral reflectance asymmetry of hornbeam (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Carpinus betulus</Emphasis> L.) leaves in air pollution estimation

This study examines the role of dorsiventral leaf measurements in reflectance-based air quality estimation. The dorsiventral asymmetry is used to describe the difference between the upper (adaxial) and lower (abaxial) leaf side. Spectral characteristics of dorsiventral asymmetry and both adaxial and abaxial leaf reflectance are investigated for a typical dicotyledonous species Carpinus betulus used in an urban environment. The link with traffic-related air pollution is established and the potential for monitoring of air quality is evaluated. We conclude that dorsiventral reflectance asymmetry is a factor that should not be ignored in canopy measurements and modeling. On the other hand, the benefits of dorsiventral asymmetry indices as a tool for reflectance-based air quality seem limited.     

Statistically Extracted Fundamental Watershed Variables for Estimating the Loads of Total Nitrogen in Small Streams

Accurate estimation of total nitrogen loads is essential for evaluating conditions in the aquatic environment. Extrapolation of estimates beyond measured streams will greatly expand our understanding of total nitrogen loading to streams. Recursive partitioning and random forest regression were used to assess 85 geospatial, environmental, and watershed variables across 636 small (<585 km²) watersheds to determine which variables are fundamentally important to the estimation of annual loads of total nitrogen. Initial analysis led to the splitting of watersheds into three groups based on predominant land use (agricultural, developed, and undeveloped). Nitrogen application, agricultural and developed land area, and impervious or developed land in the 100-m stream buffer were commonly extracted variables by both recursive partitioning and random forest regression. A series of multiple linear regression equations utilizing the extracted variables were created and applied to the watersheds. As few as three variables explained as much as 76 % of the variability in total nitrogen loads for watersheds with predominantly agricultural land use. Catchment-scale national maps were generated to visualize the total nitrogen loads and yields across the USA. The estimates provided by these models can inform water managers and help identify areas where more in-depth monitoring may be beneficial.     

Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Potential: An Assessment of Models and Methods for the Power Sector

The success of the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions requires that there are scientifically sound and usable measurement methods for the emission baseline. Three different methods are investigated in the context of China’s electrical sector: simulation with dispatch analysis, decomposition analysis, and operating and build margin analysis. It is found that dispatch analysis is the best method available as it is able to consider important regional and temporal dimensions, while decomposition analysis can help quantify the potential effects of different energy and environment policy choices.     

An assessment of heavy metals loading in River Benue in the Makurdi Metropolitan Area in Central Nigeria

River Benue, the second largest river in Nigeria, serves as the major source of municipal water supplies for towns and villages along its course. Water samples from the river were collected at ten stations in the Makurdi metropolitan area (7°44^′ N, 8°32^′ E) in Benue State, Central Nigeria, for 12 months and analyzed for their heavy metals concentration, along with other water-quality parameters such as turbidity, pH, total dissolved solids and total solids. The results revealed that the mean concentrations of heavy metals in the river was in the following ascending order, Cd < Cu < Zn < Mn < Pb < Cr < Fe. The levels of most of the parameters determined, with the exception of Cd, Cr and Pb were, generally, within acceptable limits for drinking water. From the present study, it is concluded that the River Benue is only moderately contaminated with regard to heavy metals, in the Makurdi metropolitan area.     

Comparison of total mercury and methylmercury cycling at five sites using the small watershed approach

The small watershed approach is well-suited but underutilized in mercury research. We applied the small watershed approach to investigate total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) dynamics in streamwater at the five diverse forested headwater catchments of the US Geological Survey Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB) program. At all sites, baseflow THg was generally less than 1ng L(-1) and MeHg was less than 0.2ng L(-1). THg and MeHg concentrations increased with streamflow, so export was primarily episodic. At three sites, THg and MeHg concentration and export were dominated by the particulate fraction in association with POC at high flows, with maximum THg (MeHg) concentrations of 94 (2.56)ng L(-1) at Sleepers River, Vermont; 112 (0.75)ng L(-1) at Rio Icacos, Puerto Rico; and 55 (0.80)ng L(-1) at Panola Mt., Georgia. Filtered (<0.7microm) THg increased more modestly with flow in association with the hydrophobic acid fraction (HPOA) of DOC, with maximum filtered THg concentrations near 5ng L(-1) at both Sleepers and Icacos. At Andrews Creek, Colorado, THg export was also episodic but was dominated by filtered THg, as POC concentrations were low. MeHg typically tracked THg so that each site had a fairly constant MeHg/THg ratio, which ranged from near zero at Andrews to 15% at the low-relief, groundwater-dominated Allequash Creek, Wisconsin. Allequash was the only site with filtered MeHg consistently above detection, and the filtered fraction dominated both THg and MeHg. Relative to inputs in wet deposition, watershed retention of THg (minus any subsequent volatilization) was 96.6% at Allequash, 60% at Sleepers, and 83% at Andrews. Icacos had a net export of THg, possibly due to historic gold mining or frequent disturbance from landslides. Quantification and interpretation of Hg dynamics was facilitated by the small watershed approach with emphasis on event sampling.