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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Palaeoecology: A Tool To Improve The Management Of Australian Estuaries, Krystyna M. Saunders, Kathryn H. Taffs Nov 2009

Palaeoecology: A Tool To Improve The Management Of Australian Estuaries, Krystyna M. Saunders, Kathryn H. Taffs

Dr Kathryn H Taffs

Addressing environmental problems in estuaries is a worldwide problem. Establishing benchmarks and targets for management is critical, whether the aim is conservation, restoration or ‘sustainable wise use’. Palaeoecological techniques have rapidly improved during the past decade, particularly with advances in methods that allow high resolution quantitative assessments of environmental change, allowing pre-impact conditions, the rate, extent and direction of change, and range of natural variability to be determined. Australian estuarine ecosystems are qualitatively different to the often more well-studied estuaries in North America and Europe, which means site-specific studies of Australian estuaries are needed to inform management. While a potentially …


Dinamica De Los Bosques De La Llanura Aluvial Inundable De La Amazonia Peruana: Efectos De Las Perturbaciones E Implicancias Para Su Manejo Y Conservacion, Gustav Nebel, Lars Peter Kvist, Jerome K. Vanclay, Hector Vidaurre Nov 2009

Dinamica De Los Bosques De La Llanura Aluvial Inundable De La Amazonia Peruana: Efectos De Las Perturbaciones E Implicancias Para Su Manejo Y Conservacion, Gustav Nebel, Lars Peter Kvist, Jerome K. Vanclay, Hector Vidaurre

Professor Jerome K Vanclay

Forest dynamics was studied from 1993 to 1997 for individuals > 10 cm DBH in nine one-hectare permanent sample plots. They were established in natural flood plain forests located on the lower Ucayali river in the Peruvian Amazon. After inventories of three plots in each of three forest types, a light and a heavy felling treatment were applied to each of two plots, while a third plot was kept untreated. Average annual stem mortality and recruitment rates in the untreated plots were among the highest observed in neotropical rain forests: mortality 2.20-3.16 %/year, recruitment 2.99-4.57 %/year. Dead individuals significantly deviated from …


Estructura Y Composición Florística Del Bosque De La Llanura Aluvial En La Amazonía Peruana: I. El Bosque Alto, Gustav Nebel, Lars Peter Kvist, Jerome K. Vanclay, Henning Christensen, Luis Freitas, Juan Ruiz Nov 2009

Estructura Y Composición Florística Del Bosque De La Llanura Aluvial En La Amazonía Peruana: I. El Bosque Alto, Gustav Nebel, Lars Peter Kvist, Jerome K. Vanclay, Henning Christensen, Luis Freitas, Juan Ruiz

Professor Jerome K Vanclay

Three peruvian flood plain forests adjacent to the Ucayali river were sampled using nine one hectare permanent sample plots in which stems exceeding 10 cm DBH were identified and measured. These plots have been measured 4 times during 1993- 1997, and provide the basis for the results reported here. Three plots were established in each of the three forest types high restinga, low restinga, and tahuampa, characterized in part by and annual inundation of 1, 2 and 4 months per year, respectively. Stem density varies from 446 to 601 per ha, and the basal area ranges between 20-29 m2/ha. A …


Estructura Y Composición Florística Del Bosque De La Llanura Aluvial Inundable De La Amazonía Peruana: Ii. El Sotobosque De La Restinga, Gustav Nebel, Jens Dragsted, Jerome K. Vanclay Nov 2009

Estructura Y Composición Florística Del Bosque De La Llanura Aluvial Inundable De La Amazonía Peruana: Ii. El Sotobosque De La Restinga, Gustav Nebel, Jens Dragsted, Jerome K. Vanclay

Professor Jerome K Vanclay

Structure and floristic composition of small trees and shrubs (1.5 m height to 10 cm DBH) are described in two flood plain forests of the lower Ucayali river, Peruvian Amazon. The forests are of high and low restinga type, on an annual average flooded around 1 and 2 months, respectively. The soils are nutrients rich entisolls, and the vegetation forms closed high canopy forests with presence of emergents. A total of 25 permanent sample plots covering 0.64 ha were established. They are nested within six quadratic one-hectare permanent sample plots where large individuals (>= 10 cm DBH) were inventoried. …


Regional Response To A Statewide Renewable Energy Standard: Status And Trends Of Wind Energy Development In West Michigan, Erik Edward Nordman Nov 2009

Regional Response To A Statewide Renewable Energy Standard: Status And Trends Of Wind Energy Development In West Michigan, Erik Edward Nordman

Erik Edward Nordman

This project used integrated assessment to explore and analyze regional response to Michigan’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS). The RPS required electric providers to generate ten-percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2015. Wind was identified as a primary source of renewable energy, and much of the state’s wind resources are concentrated in the West Michigan coastal zone. About 28 percent of the state’s planned wind generation capacity is located in the four-county study area. Local governments vary in their current regulations for siting utility-scale wind farms, as well as in their attitudes toward them. The region has significant offshore …


Responses Of Plants In Polar Regions To Uvb Exposure : A Meta-Analysis, K. K. Newsham, Sharon A. Robinson Nov 2009

Responses Of Plants In Polar Regions To Uvb Exposure : A Meta-Analysis, K. K. Newsham, Sharon A. Robinson

Sharon Robinson

We report a meta-analysis of data from 34 field studies into the effects of UV-B radiation on Arctic and Antarctic bryophytes and angiosperms. The studies measured plant responses to decreases in UV-B radiation under screens, natural fluctuations in UV-B irradiance, or increases in UV-B radiation applied from fluorescent UV lamps. Exposure to UV-B radiation was found to increase the concentrations of UV-B absorbing compounds in leaves or thalli by 7% and 25% (expressed on a mass or area basis, respectively). UV-B exposure also reduced aboveground biomass and plant height by 15% and 10%, respectively, and increased DNA damage by 90%. …


Green Buildings: An Asset Manager's Dream Or Nightmare?, Linda Too Oct 2009

Green Buildings: An Asset Manager's Dream Or Nightmare?, Linda Too

Linda Too

The mounting evidence on climate change has thrust the sustainability issue to the forefront of many political agendas. Current research has provided many business cases for sustainable design and construction. While commercial green buildings have been the mainstay, the green phenomenon has also spread to educational facilities. This paper provides a case study of the new Mirvac School of Sustainable Development Building at Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia. With its extensive green features, it is applying to be the first six-star rated green educational building in Australia. To this end, the management of green buildings will be a challenge for …


Gauging The Impact Of Journals, Jerome K. Vanclay Oct 2009

Gauging The Impact Of Journals, Jerome K. Vanclay

Professor Jerome K Vanclay

Many stakeholders, including authors, editors, librarians and funding agencies, have an interest in reliable assessments of journal impact, but the provision of this service has long been dominated by a single service, the Journal Impact Factor (JIF; Garfield, 1955) provided by the ISI and Thomson Scientific. Despite several limitations (Hecht et al., 1998; Moed et al., 1999; van Leeuwen et al., 1999; Saha et al., 2003; Dong et al., 2005; Moed, 2005; Dellavalle et al., 2007), the JIF continues to be the dominant indicator of journal performance. Recently, Hirsch’s h-index (Hirsch, 2005; Bornmann and Daniel, 2007) has been suggested as …


Indicator Groups And Faunal Richness, Jerome K. Vanclay Oct 2009

Indicator Groups And Faunal Richness, Jerome K. Vanclay

Professor Jerome K Vanclay

Species richness is a popular indicator of ecosystem vitality, but is difficult to assess. Many natural resource managers seek an efficient bioindicator, but the link between candidate indicators and the richness of other taxononic groups remains elusive. A series of faunal surveys in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve in Cameroon suggest that it may be possible to devise faunal bioindicators. The species richness of birds, of butterflies and of termites is significantly correlated with total faunal richness across eight species groups, suggesting that these groups may have potential as bioindicators, alone or in combination. Although expensive, further research is warranted because …


Site Index Equation For Smallholder Plantations Of Gmelina Arborea In Leyte Province, The Philippines, Jerome K. Vanclay, Jack Baynes, Edwin Cedamon Oct 2009

Site Index Equation For Smallholder Plantations Of Gmelina Arborea In Leyte Province, The Philippines, Jerome K. Vanclay, Jack Baynes, Edwin Cedamon

Professor Jerome K Vanclay

The equation SiteIndex = Height × Log(IndexYear+0.5) / Log(Age+0.5) is suggested as a robust way to classify site index of small private Gmelina arborea plantations in Leyte province in the Philippines. Estimates of site index from this equation correlate well with other indicators of site productivity, including the observed mean annual volume increment and soil depth. An alternative equation based on slope and soil depth offers an indication of potential site productivity on unforested sites where no crop trees are present.


Managing Water Use From Forest Plantations, Jerome K. Vanclay Oct 2009

Managing Water Use From Forest Plantations, Jerome K. Vanclay

Professor Jerome K Vanclay

Tree plantations have developed a reputation for excessive water use, with age commonly used as an explanatory variable to predict water loss – but many factors have the potential to affect plantation water use, and few of these alternatives have been considered. Changes in forest cover may be correlated with other environmental changes that may affect precipitation, transpiration, and runoff, indicating that more thorough investigation is required in both field and simulation studies. Several factors influencing water use by plantations are amenable to management control, so there is scope to design and manage forest plantations deliberately for water use efficiency. …


Partnerships For Community Building And Governance In Master Planned Communities: A Study Of Varsity Lakes At Gold Coast, Bhishna Bajracharya, George Earl, Shahed Khan Aug 2009

Partnerships For Community Building And Governance In Master Planned Communities: A Study Of Varsity Lakes At Gold Coast, Bhishna Bajracharya, George Earl, Shahed Khan

Bhishna Bajracharya

The development and management of master planned communities (MPCs) involve achieving the twin goals of building a sense of community and creating a distinctive place identity. The roles of private, public and community sectors in realising these goals of MPCs have been evolving over time with the increasing role of developers in provision of services with the local government playing a regulatory/facilitative role and community calling for greater engagement and local control. The major objective of the paper is to critically examine the nature and outcomes of collaboration between developers, local/state governments and existing/emerging community groups in the development of …


Reconstructing Fire Histories: Methods, Interpretation And Common On-Ground Across Fire History Research In Australia, Jeffrey Parr, Geoffrey Kerr, J Arthur, Keith Bolton, Geraldine Jacobsen, Kathryn Taffs Jul 2009

Reconstructing Fire Histories: Methods, Interpretation And Common On-Ground Across Fire History Research In Australia, Jeffrey Parr, Geoffrey Kerr, J Arthur, Keith Bolton, Geraldine Jacobsen, Kathryn Taffs

Jeffrey Parr

No abstract provided.


The Biscayne Aquifer Of Southeastern Florida, Kevin Cunningham, Lee J. Florea Jun 2009

The Biscayne Aquifer Of Southeastern Florida, Kevin Cunningham, Lee J. Florea

Lee J Florea, PhD, P.G.

In southeastern Florida, locally delineated, small, poorly explored caves and subtle karst are characteristic of the limestone that composes the unconfined Biscayne aquifer – one of the most permeable aquifers in the world. The main units of the Biscayne aquifer are the Fort Thompson Formation and Miami Limestone, both characterized by eogenetic karst.


Natural Hazards Education In Australian Schools: How Can We Make It More Effective?, Neil Dufty Apr 2009

Natural Hazards Education In Australian Schools: How Can We Make It More Effective?, Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.


Modeling The Status And Threats To The Philippine Eagle In The Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor, Vicente Calag, Sean Fitzgerald, James Hafner, Jayson Ibanez, Alicia Johnson, Don Sluter Dec 2008

Modeling The Status And Threats To The Philippine Eagle In The Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor, Vicente Calag, Sean Fitzgerald, James Hafner, Jayson Ibanez, Alicia Johnson, Don Sluter

James A Hafner

The Philippines is among the most endemic-rich areas for all global biodiversity hotspots. Conserving that biodiversity presents multi-scaled challenges including the critical need for habitat and species level documentation as a basis for identifying conservation targets. This paper contributes to that need by describing the use of A Composite Bio-geographic Analysis (CBA) model to model the dynamics and inter-relationships between species distribution, nest, habitat and land use change, population distribution and access to the PA and to synthesize and evaluate data on the status and threats to the Philippine Eagle Pithecophaga jefferyi in the Mt. Hamiguitan Protected Area, one of …


Fundamentals For Using Geographic Information Science To Measure The Effectiveness Of Land Conservation Projects, Robert G. Pontius Jr., Shaily Menon, Joseph Duncan, Shalini Gupta Dec 2008

Fundamentals For Using Geographic Information Science To Measure The Effectiveness Of Land Conservation Projects, Robert G. Pontius Jr., Shaily Menon, Joseph Duncan, Shalini Gupta

Shaily Menon

Some humans spend a tremendous amount of effort to change landscapes from a “natural” state to a “developed” state for a variety of desirable economic uses, such as urban, agriculture, transportation, and mining. Others spend a tremendous amount of effort to prevent such development in order to conserve the landscapes for a variety of important environmental uses, such as biodiversity maintenance, carbon storage, water filtration, and landslide prevention. It would be efficient in theory if a society were to focus its development efforts at locations that give the largest economic utility per area developed, and to focus its conservation efforts …


Suchy System Oczyszczania Spalin Ze Spalania Odpadów Niebezpiecznych – Ocena Skuteczności Usuwania Substancji Gazowych I Możliwości Spełniania Standardów Emisyjnych, Robert Oleniacz Dec 2008

Suchy System Oczyszczania Spalin Ze Spalania Odpadów Niebezpiecznych – Ocena Skuteczności Usuwania Substancji Gazowych I Możliwości Spełniania Standardów Emisyjnych, Robert Oleniacz

Robert Oleniacz

The research object was a medical waste incineration plant with a flue-gas treatment system based on dry sorption agent injection to combustion gases before a high-efficiency particulate collector. A combustion system was consisted with the fluidized bed reactor (starved air gasifier) and the secondary combustion chamber. As the dry absorbent was used a mixture of high reactive hydrated lime and activated carbon. Activated carbon content in the mixture was 5-10 % by mass. The absorbent was injected in the minimal recommended amount (4-5 kg/h). Applied collector was a ceramic filter with total filtration area of 120 m2 and guaranteed outlet …


The Development Of Humans – A Study Including Languages, Cultures, Religions And Genetics, Dr. Erik Dahlquist, Dr. Allan Dahlquist Dec 2008

The Development Of Humans – A Study Including Languages, Cultures, Religions And Genetics, Dr. Erik Dahlquist, Dr. Allan Dahlquist

Dr. Erik Dahlquist

The book covers the development of culture, religion, language and genetics of the human population since prehistory. Four main cultures have spread around the globe: 1) Monosyllabic language people with ancestor cult 2) Austroasiatic people with sun worshipping and megalit graves. Counting with 20 as the base 3) Uralic speaking people with kings from the sky, and strong city states. Moon and mother godess. Don´t differentiate between male and female, he and she. 4) Inflectual language speaking people with sky gods and cattles. Indoeuropeans. Often endings differentiating he and she. Shows how original cultures are refelected in todays society.


May 2009 East Coast Low Flood Warning Community Feedback Report, Neil Dufty Dec 2008

May 2009 East Coast Low Flood Warning Community Feedback Report, Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.


Diamond Theory Collections. A Collection Of Papers And Fragments Towards Diamond Theory 2007-2009, Rudolf Kaehr Dec 2008

Diamond Theory Collections. A Collection Of Papers And Fragments Towards Diamond Theory 2007-2009, Rudolf Kaehr

Rudolf Kaehr

No abstract provided.