Modeling Abundance Index Data from Anuran Calling Surveys

Abstract:  Evaluation of anuran populations is commonly based on calling surveys that report categorical abundance index data. I present a statistical model for abundance index data that are observations representing ordered abundance classes (e.g., none, some, many). The proposed model provides a formal treatment of detection probability, factors that affect detection, and variation in abundance. The model can be viewed as a generalization of that proposed by MacKenzie et al. (2002) for estimating site-occupancy rates in that it allows for more than two abundance classes. Because the abundance distribution is characterized by multiple abundance classes, it may be more sensitive to subtle changes in the underlying abundance that may go undetected with simple occupancy estimates under which sites are characterized merely as occupied or not. The method is most immediately applicable to surveys of anurans in which index data related to the intensity of calling activity are collected. I applied the proposed method to calling index data from the green frog (  Rana clamitans ) collected as part of the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program. The best model indicated considerable variation in detectability over time and in response to temperature. The resulting adjusted (for detectability) abundance-state distribution demonstrates the negative bias in abundance state obtained from simplistic summaries of calling index data that disregard these sources of variation in detectability.     

Environmental assessment and the academic environmentalist

This paper is concerned with the way in which academics who are drawn into the Environmental Assessment process use their skill, knowledge and understanding. It identifies shortcomings and pitfalls and stresses the importance of integrity and monitoring.     

A strategy for integrated monitoring

Administrative machinery has been set up to regulate and control most of the emissions that are known to have severe local consequences, such as the discharge of raw sewage into rivers and lakes and the smokestack emission of air pollutants. Now, the nature of environmental degradation is usually different. We are faced with pollutants and effects with more subtle cause-effect relationships, often characterized by larger geographic areas of interest and longer term potential damage; the potential risk is now more chronic than acute. Acid rain and climate change are good examples, in that they are associated with a variety of pollutants from a number of sources and damage to ecosystems occurs over many years. It is argued that monitoring programs should evolve to reflect the changing nature of the environmental problems they are addressing. It is now necessary to consider interactions among many pollutants, mixing among the various media, and potentially affecting many components of the ecosystem in both indirect and direct ways. Here, integrated monitoring and analysis is presented as a unifying strategy to bring together different measurement methodologies in different disciplines, addressing environmental questions of complexity beyond the scope of many existing activites that have a classical narrower focus. The underlying concept is of nested networks, each tier being composed of sites selected for specific purposes but arranged to maximize the number of common sites where more multidisciplinary questions can be addressed.     

Private land management for biodiversity conservation

As human influences fragment native communities and ecosystems, remaining land must be better managed to conserve many elements of biodiversity. Much of this land is privately held, yet traditional private land-use management practices often further diminish biodiversity by promoting favored or edge-adapted species. Today, private land stewards are increasingly aware of and concerned about biodiversity, but little guidance exists for them to make land-use decisions incorporating principles and knowledge from conservation biology. Consequently, most management strategies are highly subjective. This article addresses that problem by introducing current conservation wisdom to management and use of private lands. The result is a model program for developing land management plans, with the goal of maintaining viable populations and natural distributions of native species and communities from a landscape perspective. The program establishes a protocol for classifying sites according to the importance of their species, communities, and other elements to global and regional biodiversity. These site classifications are based on the management objectives necessary to maintain important elements. Once managers classify a site, the program provides management standards, general stewardship principles, examples of land management strategies, and basic monitoring and evaluation procedures.     

Three-dimensional field studies of thermal backwashing plumes

Using specially designed temperature profiling equipment, two surveys were conducted during thermal backwashing operations at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station to determine the spatial and temporal extent of temperature rises above ambient. Thermal backwashing is a process where biofouling is combated by a heat treatment procedure. Backwashing formed a thermal plume about 5- to 6-ft thick (1.5- to 1.8-m) in front of the intake screenwall. Maximum observed surface temperatures were 101.0°F (38.3°C), representing a rise (T) of about 43.4°F (24.1°C) above ambient. The frontal zone of the plume spread gradually seaward at about 0.2 kn. Its outer edge became thinner and rapidly cooled, presumably by advection and turbulent diffusion associated with currents from the reverse pumping and local changes from dissipation to the atmosphere. Along the intake shoreline, the plume was often less than 1 ft (0.3 m) thick. Most of the hot water was dissipated within several hundred feet of the intake with Ts of about 10.0 to 15.0°F (5.6 to 8.3°C) above ambient. Under the influence of 15 mph southwesterly winds during the second survey, some warmed water was apparently carried beyond the outer breakwaters into Cape Cod Bay. These surveys provided real-time data indicating that the backwashing operation caused a relatively thin thermal plume, which spread rapidly from the intake out across the study area and along the seaward breakwater. Within a few hours these backwash thermal plumes were completely dissipated.Formerly affiliated with Normandeau Associates, Inc., Bedford, New Hampshire.     

The “data-rich but information-poor” syndrome in water quality monitoring

Water quality monitoring conducted routinely over time at fixed sites has been a part of most water quality management efforts for many years. It has been assumed that such monitoring plays a major role in management. However, the lack of routine data analysis, and reporting of information derived from such analysis, points up the fact that the exact nature of the role of routine, fixed-station monitoring is poorly defined.There is a need to very clearly define this role in the design of such systems if routine monitoring is to efficiently and effectively meet the information expectations placed on it. Design of routine monitoring systems will therefore have to consider not only the where, what, and when of sampling, but also why. A framework for including the why of monitoring in the design process is proposed and experience with using the framework in New Zealand is discussed.     

The guild concept applied to management of bird populations

Alternative ways to apply the guild concept to wildlife management are evaluated here. I reject the idea that indicator species can be selected for each bird guild to reduce costs of environmental assessment and monitoring. Promise is seen, however, in the option of using whole guilds to indicate the capability of habitat zones to support populations of wildlife species. It may be adequate for most management purposes to delineate guilds only for species that use an environment for breeding, because transients and winter residents probably use the same zones of the habitat in the same ways. Potential guilds are identified by cells of a two-dimensional matrix, the axes identifying primary feeding and nesting zones. Some questions may be answered with guilds as delineated by all cells in the matrix. Alternatively, larger guilds can be formed by grouping all species in each column or row of the matrix to identify, for example, all species that depend on tree canopies for foraging, or tree boles for nesting. One can also consider separately the resident breeders, migrant breeders, and winter residents to obtain insights into whether observed changes in numbers of birds in a guild are a result of conditions locally or elsewhere. I conclude that the guild concept probably has a place in wildlife management, but much testing must be done before it is widely applied.     

水污染源在线设备比对监测问题与解决方案——以长沙市在线监测系统为例

总结了长沙市7年来水污染源在线监测系统开展比对监测工作的情况,对氨氮、p H、重金属比对监测存在的问题进行了剖析,分析了在线监测仪器比对不合格的原因以及目前在线监测仪器部分项目缺乏误差标准等亟待解决的问题,研究出各因子误差的合理区间,提出了切实可行的解决方案:氨氮应该按照检测浓度高低确定误差范围;p H质控样不应使用相对误差,建议采用±0.3 p H的绝对误差;重金属实际水样浓度小于一定量时,用接近水样浓度的低浓度质控样替代。     

Post-trip safety interventions: State-of-the-art,challenges, and practical implications

Introduction: Currently, risky driving behaviour is a major contributor to road crashes and as a result, wide array of tools have been developed in order to record and improve driving behaviour. Within that group of tools, interventions have been indicated to significantly enhance driving behaviour and road safety. This study critically reviews monitoring technologies that provide post-trip interventions, such as retrospective visual feedback, gamification, rewards or penalties, in order to inform an appropriate driver mentoring strategy delivered after each trip. Method: The work presented here is part of the European Commission H2020 i-DREAMS project. The reviewed platform characteristics were obtained through commercially available solutions as well as a comprehensive literature search in popular scientific databases, such as Scopus and Google Scholar. Focus was given on state-of-the-art-technologies for post-trip interventions utilized in four different transport modes (i.e. car, truck, bus and rail) associated with risk prevention and mitigation. Results: The synthesized results revealed that smartphone applications and web-based platforms are the most accepted, frequently and easiest to use tools in cars, buses and trucks across all papers considered, while limited evidence of post-trip interventions in -rail was found. The majority of smartphone applications detected mobile phone use and harsh events and provided individual performance scores, while in-vehicle systems provided delayed visual reports through a web-based platform. Conclusions: Gamification and appropriate rewards appeared to be effective solutions, as it was found that they keep drivers motivated in improving their driving skills, but it was clear that these cannot be performed in isolation and a combination with other strategies (i.e. driver coaching and support) might be beneficial. Nevertheless, as there is no holistic and cross-modal post-trip intervention solution developed in real-world environments, challenges associated with post-trip feedback provision and suggestions on practical implementation are also provided.     

建设项目环保设施竣工验收监测中的几个问题

对建设项目环境保护设施竣工验收监测工作中遇到的问题进行了探讨。提出竣工验收监测的具体内容和时间的确定,既要着眼于项目验收,更要考虑到加强环境保护的实际需要;竣工验收监测应强化标准在污染控制中的重要作用;竣工验收监测中,效率监测应考虑结果的可比性以及在竣工验收监测中应落实污染总量控制的意见。