Composting may be a viable on-farm option for disposal of cattle carcasses. This study investigated greenhouse gas emissions during co-composting of calf mortalities with manure. Windrows were constructed that contained manure + straw (control compost [CK]) or manure + straw + calf mortalities (CM) using two technologies: a tractor-mounted front-end loader or a shredder bucket. Composting lasted 289 d. The windrows were turned twice (on Days 72 and 190), using the same technology used in their creation. Turning technology had no effect on greenhouse gas emissions or the properties of the final compost. The CO2 (75.2 g d(-1) m(-2)), CH4 (2.503 g d(-1) m(-2)), and N2O (0.370 g d(-1) m(-2)) emissions were higher (p < 0.05) in CM than in CK (25.7, 0.094, and 0.076 g d(-1) m(-2) for CO2, CH4, and N2O, respectively), which reflected differences in materials used to construct the compost windrows and therefore their total C and total N contents. The final CM compost had higher (p < 0.05) total N, total C, and mineral N content (NO3*+ NO2* + NH4+) than did CK compost and therefore has greater agronomic value as a fertilizer. 相似文献
Sampling of a population is frequently required to understand trends and patterns in natural resource management because financial
and time constraints preclude a complete census. A rigorous probability-based survey design specifies where to sample so that
inferences from the sample apply to the entire population. Probability survey designs should be used in natural resource and
environmental management situations because they provide the mathematical foundation for statistical inference. Development
of long-term monitoring designs demand survey designs that achieve statistical rigor and are efficient but remain flexible
to inevitable logistical or practical constraints during field data collection. Here we describe an approach to probability-based
survey design, called the Reversed Randomized Quadrant-Recursive Raster, based on the concept of spatially balanced sampling
and implemented in a geographic information system. This provides environmental managers a practical tool to generate flexible
and efficient survey designs for natural resource applications. Factors commonly used to modify sampling intensity, such as
categories, gradients, or accessibility, can be readily incorporated into the spatially balanced sample design. 相似文献
The National Park Service (NPS) is increasingly focusing on alternative transportation systems in national parks to address
environmental and social problems arising from a historical reliance on personal automobiles as the primary means of visitor
access. Despite the potential advantages, alternative transportation may require a reorientation in the way that Americans
have experienced national parks since the advent of auto-tourism in the early twentieth century. Little research exists, however,
on visitor perspectives towards alternative transportation or the rationale underlying their perspectives. It remains unclear
how transportation systems affect visitors’ experiences of the park landscape or the factors influencing their travel behavior
in the parks. This report presents an interpretive study of visitor perspectives toward transportation management in the Yosemite
Valley area of Yosemite National Park, California. Qualitative analysis of 160 semi-structured interviews identified individual
psychological factors as well as situational influences that affect visitors’ behavior and perspectives. Individual psychological
factors include perceived freedom, environmental values and beliefs, prior experience with Yosemite National Park and other
national parks, prior experience with alternative transportation in national parks, and sensitivity to subjective perceptions
of crowding. Situational factors included convenience, access, and flexibility of travel modes, as well as type of visit,
type of group, and park use level. Interpretive communication designed to encourage voluntary visitor use of alternative transportation
should focus on these psychological and situational factors. Although challenges remain, the results of this study suggest
approaches for shaping the way Americans visit and experience their national parks to encourage environmental sustainability. 相似文献
Despite the reported benefits of conservation agriculture (CA), its wider up-scaling in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has remained fairly limited. This paper shows how a newly developed qualitative expert assessment approach for CA adoption (QAToCA) was applied to determine its adoption potential in SSA. CA adoption potential is not a predictor of observed adoption rates. Instead, our aim was to systematically check relevant factors that may be influencing its adoption. QAToCA delivers an assessment of how suitable conditions “and thus the likelihood for CA adoption” are. Results show that the high CA adoption potentials exhibited by the Malawi and Zambia case relate mostly to positive institutional factors. On the other hand, the low adoption potential of the Zimbabwe case, in spite of observed higher estimates, is attributed mainly to unstable and less secured market conditions for CA. In the case of Southern Burkina Faso, the potential for CA adoption is determined to be high, and this assessment deviates from lower observed figures. This is attributed mainly to strong competition of CA and livestock for residues in this region. Lastly, the high adoption potential found in Northern Burkina Faso is explained mainly by the fact that farmers here have no alternative other than to adopt the locally adapted CA system—Zaï farming. Results of this assessment should help promoters of CA in the given regions to reflect on their activities and to eventually adjust or redesign them based on a more explicit understanding of where problems and opportunities are found. 相似文献
Two experiments examined clinical validation's ability to increase examination of a persuasive message and increase long-term recycling. In Experiment 1, validating (acknowledging) recycling's inconvenience decreased criticism of the persuasive message, supporting validation's ability to reduce reactance and open the reader to new ideas. Validation did not improve attitudes towards the sign's author, removing liking for the communicator as an alternate explanation for attitude change. In Experiment 2, different recycling signs were created from a 2(no validation/validation) by 2(weak/strong arguments) factorial design, and placed in university buildings. The validation weak sign increased recycling more than the validation strong sign, especially after the signs were removed. We suggest that validation induced people to scrutinize the weak message and use their existing pro-recycling attitudes to “creatively elaborate” it. Discussion emphasizes clinical validation and the Elaboration Likelihood Model as theoretical tools, as well as the potential for thought provoking signs to have long-term effects. 相似文献
In this paper the authors raise some important questions about the extent to which planning is fostering an environment susceptible to flooding. They argue that severe UK flooding incidents in recent years should result in the government re-examining the planning system to ensure relevancy and effectiveness in dealing with such problems in the future. They identify where the current policy and practice weaknesses lie in planning to limit both flood source and flood impact areas and suggest ways in which the government and the profession could take remedial steps to increase local and regional sustainability. 相似文献
The observed composition of visibility-reducing aerosols in the Grand Canyon region is summarized in climatological terms. Observations are from SCENES, a measurement program extending from 1984 to 1989. Results are presented as average mass balances stratified by various factors.Aerosols were found to exhibit substantial seasonal variation, but little systematic diurnal variation. Crustal material was a dynamic component, and peaked during springtime. Aerosol composition, but not total concentration, depended strongly on ambient relative humidity, with crustal material augmented at low humidities and sulfates augmented at high humidities. Total fine-particle concentrations correlated strongly with light scattering, as expected; however, little association between chemical composition and light scattering was observed. 相似文献