Physical Sciences and Mathematics | Open Access Articles

A Framework For Characterising And Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Environmental Modelling, Serena H. Hamilton, Baihua Fu, Joseph H.A. Guillaume, Jennifer Badham, Sondoss Elsawah, Patricia Gober, Randall J. Hunt, Takuya Iwanaga, Anthony J. Jakeman, Daniel P. Ames, Allan Curtis, Mary C. Hill, Suzanne A. Pierce, Fateme Zare

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Environmental modelling is transitioning from the traditional paradigm that focuses on the model and its quantitative performance to a more holistic paradigm that recognises successful model-based outcomes are closely tied to undertaking modelling as a social process, not just as a technical procedure. This paper redefines evaluation as a multi-dimensional and multi-perspective concept, and proposes a more complete framework for identifying and measuring the effectiveness of modelling that serves the new paradigm. Under this framework, evaluation considers a broader set of success criteria, and emphasises the importance of contextual factors in determining the relevance and outcome of the criteria. These …

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Simulating Rewetting Events In Intermittent Rivers And Ephemeral Streams: A Global Analysis Of Leached Nutrients And Organic Matter, Oleksandra Shumilova, Dominik Zak, Thibault Datry, Daniel Von Schiller, Roland Corti, Arnaud Foulquier, Biel Obrador, Klement Tockner, Daniel C. Allan, Florian Altermatt, María Isabel Arce, Shai Arnon, Damien Banas, Andy Banegas‐Medina, Erin Beller, Melanie L. Blanchette, Juan F. Blanco‐Libreros, Joanna Blessing, Iola Gonçalves Boëchat, Kate Boersma, Michael T. Bogan, Núria Bonada, Nick R. Bond, Kate Brintrup, Andreas Bruder, Ryan Burrows, Tommaso Cancellario, Stephanie M. Carlson, Sophie Cauvy‐Fraunié, Núria Cid, Michael Danger, Bianca De Freitas Terra, Anna Maria De Girolamo, Ruben Del Campo, Fiona Dyer, Arturo Elosegi, Emile Faye, Catherine Febria, Ricardo Figueroa, Brian Four, Mark O. Gessner, Pierre Gnohossou, Rosa Gómez Cerezo, Lluís Gomez‐Gener, Manuel A.S. Graça, Simone Guareschi, Björn Gücker, Jason L. Hwan, Skhumbuzo Kubheka, Simone Daniela Langhans, Catherine Leigh, Chelsea J. Little, Stefan Lorenz, Jonathan Marshall, Angus Mcintosh, Clara Mendoza‐Lera, Elisabeth Irmgard Meyer, Marko Miliša, Musa C. Mlambo, Marcos Moleón, Peter Negus, Dev Niyogi, Athina Papatheodoulou, Isabel Pardo, Petr Paril, Vladimir Pešić, Pablo Rodriguez‐Lozano, Robert J. Rolls, Maria Mar Sanchez‐Montoya, Ana Savić, Alisha Steward, Rachel Stubbington, Amina Taleb, Ross Vander Vorste, Nathan Waltham, Annamaria Zoppini, Christiane Zarfl

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Climate change and human pressures are changing the global distribution and the extent of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES), which comprise half of the global river network area. IRES are characterized by periods of flow cessation, during which channel substrates accumulate and undergo physico‐chemical changes (preconditioning), and periods of flow resumption, when these substrates are rewetted and release pulses of dissolved nutrients and organic matter (OM). However, there are no estimates of the amounts and quality of leached substances, nor is there information on the underlying environmental constraints operating at the global scale. We experimentally simulated, under standard laboratory …

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Effective Modeling For Integrated Water Resource Management: A Guide To Contextual Practices By Phases And Steps And Future Opportunities, Jennifer Badham, Sondoss Elsawah, Joseph H.A. Guillaume, Serena H. Hamilton, Randall J. Hunt, Anthony J. Jakeman, Suzanne A. Pierce, Valerie O. Snow, Meghna Babbar-Sebens, Baihua Fu, Patricia Gober, Mary C. Hill, Takuya Iwanaga, Daniel P. Loucks, Wendy S. Merritt, Scott D. Peckham, Amy K. Richmond, Fateme Zare, Daniel Ames, Gabriele Bammer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The effectiveness of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) modeling hinges on the quality of practices employed through the process, starting from early problem definition all the way through to using the model in a way that serves its intended purpose. The adoption and implementation of effective modeling practices need to be guided by a practical understanding of the variety of decisions that modelers make, and the information considered in making these choices. There is still limited documented knowledge on the modeling workflow, and the role of contextual factors in determining this workflow and which practices to employ. This paper attempts …

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Evaluation Of Incorporating Plastic Wastes Into Asphalt Materials For Road Construction In Ghana, Patricia Nana Ama Asare, Francis Atta Kuranchie, Eric Antwi Ofosu

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In improving the aesthetics of the environment, the management of plastic wastes cannot be left out of the picture. Among the numerous ways that plastic wastes are managed, incorporating them into plastic roads is another viable option. This study quantified plastic wastes generation in Sunyani Municipality in Ghana and investigated the optimum percentage of asphaltic materials that could be made of plastic wastes for road construction in Ghana. Plastic Wastes were obtained from social gatherings, residential areas and restaurants, there was dialogue with key persons in the plastic industry and various experiments were also conducted for plastic wastes utilization in …

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Synthesis Report: Defining Thresholds And Indicators Of Primary Producer Response To Dredging-Related Pressures: Report Of Theme 5 Prepared For The Dredging Science Node, Paul Lavery, Kathryn Mcmahon, John Statton, Mat Vanderklift, Simone Strydom, Gary Kendrick

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Seagrasses form a small component of a diverse group of organisms termed ‘benthic primary producers’. Benthic primary producers are organisms that grow on the sea-bed that obtain some or all of their energy needs from photosynthesis. This includes animals such as scleractinian corals and some sponges that host microscopic intercellular algae, coralline and turf algae, and the larger seaweeds such as the kelps and sargassum. Seagrasses are marine flowering plants, more closely related to land plants than seaweeds and algae. Seagrasses live mostly in soft sediments, and can be found from the shallow intertidal zone through to a depth of …

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Seagrass Soil Archives Reveal Centennial-Scale Metal Smelter Contamination While Acting As Natural Filters, Anna Lafratta, O Serrano, Pere Masque, Miguel Mateo, Milena Fernandes, Sam Gaylard, Paul Lavery

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The upper Spencer Gulf in South Australia hosts the world's largest single stream Pb-Zn smelter, which has caused environmental and health issues related to elevated metal concentrations in the surrounding environment. The area also has extensive seagrass meadows, occupying >4000 km². We reconstructed the fluxes of heavy metals over the last ~3000 years through a multi-parameter study of the soil archives formed by the seagrass Posidonia australis. Pb, Zn and Cd concentrations increased up to 9-fold following the onset of smelter operations in the 1880s, and the stable Pb isotopic signatures confirmed the smelter has been the main …

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The Future Of Blue Carbon Science, Peter Macreadie, Andrea Anton, John A. Raven, Nicola Beaumont, Rod M. Connolly, Daniel A. Friess, Jeffrey J. Kelleway, Hilary Kennedy, Tomohiro Kuwae, Paul Lavery, Catherine E. Lovelock, Dan A. Smale, Eugenia T. Apostolaki, Trishia B. Atwood, Jeff Baldock, Thomas S. Bianchi, Gail L. Chmura, Bradley D. Eyre, James W. Fourqurean, Jason M. Hall-Spencer, Mark Huxham, Iris E. Hendriks, Dorte Krause-Jensen, Dan Laffoley, Tiziana Luisetti, Nuria Marba, Pere Masque´, Karen J. Mcglathery, J. Patrick Megonigal, Daniel Murdiyaso, Bayden D. Russell, Rui Santos, Oscar Serrano, Brian R. Silliman, Kenta Watanabe, Carlos M. Duarte

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The term Blue Carbon (BC) was first coined a decade ago to describe the disproportionately large contribution of coastal vegetated ecosystems to global carbon sequestration. The role of BC in climate change mitigation and adaptation has now reached international prominence. To help prioritise future research, we assembled leading experts in the field to agree upon the top-ten pending questions in BC science. Understanding how climate change affects carbon accumulation in mature BC ecosystems and during their restoration was a high priority. Controversial questions included the role of carbonate and macroalgae in BC cycling, and the degree to which greenhouse gases …

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Biodiversity Offsets In Eia: Getting The Timing Right, Marlene De Witt, Jenny Pope, Francois Retief, Alan Bond, Angus Morrison-Saunders, Carli Steenkamp

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Major developments can result in significant impacts on biodiversity, which the mandated process of environmental impact assessment (EIA) aims to mitigate. There has been a recent move towards the application of biodiversity offsets as a last-resort, compensatory measure when options at the earlier stages in the mitigation hierarchy of avoidance, minimisation and restoration have been exhausted. Guidance on biodiversity offset planning available in different jurisdictions, however, demonstrates a lack of consensus about when biodiversity offsets should be formally introduced into the EIA process, and previous research has highlighted the perceived risks associated with commencing detailed offset planning too early as …

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Understanding Visitor Expectations For Responsible Tourism In An Iconic National Park: Differences Between Local And International Visitors, Angus Morrison-Saunders, Michael Hughes, Jenny Pope, Anneli Douglas, Jan-Albert Wessels

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

A survey on expectations for responsible tourism was administered to 201 visitors to the iconic Kruger National Park, comprising 55% South African nationals and 45% international tourists. Using Likert-scale questions, respondents were invited to indicate the level of importance they attached to 38 aspects of responsible tourism. Space was also provided for open comments. Conservation of biodiversity and geological features were rated very highly by both groups while aspects related to the local community, though considered important overall, were ranked lowest overall, with international tourists rating this category as more important than South Africans. Aspects related to traffic and access …

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Climate Change And Occupational Heat Stress Risks And Adaptation Strategies Of Mining Workers: Perspectives Of Supervisors And Other Stakeholders In Ghana, Victor Fannam Nunfam, Eddie Van Etten, Jacques Oosthuizen, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante, Kwasi Frimpong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Increasing air temperatures as a result of climate change are worsening the impact of heat exposure on working populations, including mining workers, who are at risk of suffering heat-related illnesses, injury and death. However, inadequate awareness of climate change-related occupational heat stress risks and adaptation strategies have been shown to render occupational heat stress management ineffective. A concurrent mixed-methods approach was used to assess the perceptions of climate change and occupational heat stress risks and adaptation strategies of mining workers among supervisory personnel and other stakeholders in Ghana. Questionnaires and interviews were used to elicit data from 19 respondents. Data …

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Evaluation Of Incorporating Plastic Wastes Into Asphalt Materials For Road Construction In Ghana, Patricia Nana Ama Asare, Francis Atta Kuranchie, Eric Antwi Ofosu

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Synthesis Report: Defining Thresholds And Indicators Of Primary Producer Response To Dredging-Related Pressures: Report Of Theme 5 Prepared For The Dredging Science Node, Paul Lavery, Kathryn Mcmahon, John Statton, Mat Vanderklift, Simone Strydom, Gary Kendrick

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Seagrass Soil Archives Reveal Centennial-Scale Metal Smelter Contamination While Acting As Natural Filters, Anna Lafratta, O Serrano, Pere Masque, Miguel Mateo, Milena Fernandes, Sam Gaylard, Paul Lavery

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Biodiversity Offsets In Eia: Getting The Timing Right, Marlene De Witt, Jenny Pope, Francois Retief, Alan Bond, Angus Morrison-Saunders, Carli Steenkamp

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Understanding Visitor Expectations For Responsible Tourism In An Iconic National Park: Differences Between Local And International Visitors, Angus Morrison-Saunders, Michael Hughes, Jenny Pope, Anneli Douglas, Jan-Albert Wessels

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Climate Change And Occupational Heat Stress Risks And Adaptation Strategies Of Mining Workers: Perspectives Of Supervisors And Other Stakeholders In Ghana, Victor Fannam Nunfam, Eddie Van Etten, Jacques Oosthuizen, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante, Kwasi Frimpong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021