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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™

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Sustainability

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

2014

Articles 1 - 8 of 8

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Climate-Smart Agriculture Global Research Agenda: Scientific Basis For Action, Kerri L. Steenwerth, Amanda K. Hodson, Arnold J. Bloom, Michael R. Carter, Andrea Cattaneo, Colin J. Chartres, Jerry L. Hatfield, Kevin Henry, Jan W. Hopmans, William R. Horwath, Bryan M. Jenkins, Ermias Kebreab, Rik Leemans, Leslie Lipper, Mark N. Lubell, Siwa Msangi, Ravi Prabhu, Matthew P. Reynolds, Samuel Sandoval Solis, William M. Sischo, Michael Springborn, Pablo Tittonell, Stephen M. Wheeler, Sonja J. Vermeulen, Eva K. Wollenberg, Lovell S. Jarvis, Louise E. Jackson Aug 2014

Climate-Smart Agriculture Global Research Agenda: Scientific Basis For Action, Kerri L. Steenwerth, Amanda K. Hodson, Arnold J. Bloom, Michael R. Carter, Andrea Cattaneo, Colin J. Chartres, Jerry L. Hatfield, Kevin Henry, Jan W. Hopmans, William R. Horwath, Bryan M. Jenkins, Ermias Kebreab, Rik Leemans, Leslie Lipper, Mark N. Lubell, Siwa Msangi, Ravi Prabhu, Matthew P. Reynolds, Samuel Sandoval Solis, William M. Sischo, Michael Springborn, Pablo Tittonell, Stephen M. Wheeler, Sonja J. Vermeulen, Eva K. Wollenberg, Lovell S. Jarvis, Louise E. Jackson

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Background: Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) addresses the challenge of meeting the growing demand for food, fibre and fuel, despite the changing climate and fewer opportunities for agricultural expansion on additional lands. CSA focuses on contributing to economic development, poverty reduction and food security; maintaining and enhancing the productivity and resilience of natural and agricultural ecosystem functions, thus building natural capital; and reducing trade-offs involved in meeting these goals. Current gaps in knowledge, work within CSA, and agendas for interdisciplinary research and science-based actions identified at the 2013 Global Science Conference on Climate-Smart Agriculture (Davis, CA, USA) are described here within three …

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New Perspectives In Ecosystem Services Science As Instruments To Understand Environmental Securities, Ferdinando Villa, Brian Voigt, Jon D. Erickson Apr 2014

New Perspectives In Ecosystem Services Science As Instruments To Understand Environmental Securities, Ferdinando Villa, Brian Voigt, Jon D. Erickson

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

As societal demand for food, water and other life-sustaining resources grows, the science of ecosystem services (ES) is seen as a promising tool to improve our understanding, and ultimately the management, of increasingly uncertain supplies of critical goods provided or supported by natural ecosystems. This promise, however, is tempered by a relatively primitive understanding of the complex systems supporting ES, which as a result are often quantified as static resources rather than as the dynamic expression of human-natural systems. This article attempts to pinpoint the minimum level of detail that ES science needs to achieve in order to usefully inform …

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A Methodology For Adaptable And Robust Ecosystem Services Assessment, Ferdinando Villa, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Brian Voigt, Gary W. Johnson, Rosimeiry Portela, Miroslav Honzák, David Batker Mar 2014

A Methodology For Adaptable And Robust Ecosystem Services Assessment, Ferdinando Villa, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Brian Voigt, Gary W. Johnson, Rosimeiry Portela, Miroslav Honzák, David Batker

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Ecosystem Services (ES) are an established conceptual framework for attributing value to the benefits that nature provides to humans. As the promise of robust ES-driven management is put to the test, shortcomings in our ability to accurately measure, map, and value ES have surfaced. On the research side, mainstream methods for ES assessment still fall short of addressing the complex, multi-scale biophysical and socioeconomic dynamics inherent in ES provision, flow, and use. On the practitioner side, application of methods remains onerous due to data and model parameterization requirements. Further, it is increasingly clear that the dominant "one model fits all" …

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Preliminary Effects Of Fertilization On Ecochemical Soil Condition In Mature Spruce Stands Experiencing Dieback In The Beskid Śla̧Ski And Żywiecki Mountains, Poland, Stanisław Małek, Kazimierz Januszek, William S. Keeton, Józef Barszcz, Marek Kroczek, Ewa Błońska, Tomasz Wanic Jan 2014

Preliminary Effects Of Fertilization On Ecochemical Soil Condition In Mature Spruce Stands Experiencing Dieback In The Beskid Śla̧Ski And Żywiecki Mountains, Poland, Stanisław Małek, Kazimierz Januszek, William S. Keeton, Józef Barszcz, Marek Kroczek, Ewa Błońska, Tomasz Wanic

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

In recent years, there has been the phenomena of spruce dieback in Europe. Significant areas of spruce low mortality now cover both sides of the Polish southern border. We evaluated ecochemical parameters influencing the heavy dieback occurring in mature spruce stands in the Polish Carpathian Mountains. Dolomite, magnesite and serpentinite fertilizers were applied to experimental plots located in 100-year-old stands in the autumn of 2008. The experimental plots were located in the mid-elevational forest zone (900-950 m) on two nappes of the flysch Carpathians: Magura (Ujsoły Forest District) and Silesian (Wisła Forest District). The saturation of the studied soils demonstrates …

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Considering Vermont's Future In A Changing Climate: The First Vermont Climate Assessment, Gillian L. Galford, Ann Hoogenboom, Sam Carlson, Sarah Ford, Julie Nash, Elizabeth Palchak, Sarah Pears, Kristen Underwood, Daniel V. Baker Jan 2014

Considering Vermont's Future In A Changing Climate: The First Vermont Climate Assessment, Gillian L. Galford, Ann Hoogenboom, Sam Carlson, Sarah Ford, Julie Nash, Elizabeth Palchak, Sarah Pears, Kristen Underwood, Daniel V. Baker

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

The Vermont Climate Assessment (VCA) paints a vivid picture of a changing climate in Vermont and calls for immediate strategic planning to sustain the social, economic and environmental fabric of our state. The VCA is the first state-scale climate assessment in the country and speaks directly to the impacts of climate change as they pertain to our rural towns, cities and communities, including impacts on Vermont tourism and recreation, agriculture, natural resources and energy.

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Governing Agriculture-Forest Landscapes To Achieve Climate Change Mitigation, Arun Agrawal, E. Wollenberg, L. Persha Jan 2014

Governing Agriculture-Forest Landscapes To Achieve Climate Change Mitigation, Arun Agrawal, E. Wollenberg, L. Persha

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

This introduction to the special section on "Governing Agriculture-Forest Landscapes to Achieve Climate Change Mitigation" reviews external interventions to improve forest conditions and reduce deforestation, and by extension, influence carbon storage in agriculture-forest landscapes. The review is based on a careful survey of 123 cases of project-based and policy interventions to influence land use and forest cover outcomes. We propose that outcomes of interventions can be explained in terms of rights, incentives, and technologies related to land use and apply this framework to examine 12 types of interventions in agriculture-forest landscapes. The analysis of the identified 123 cases raises concerns …

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The Forest Has A Story: Cultural Ecosystem Services In Kona, Hawai‘I, Rachelle K. Gould, Nicole M. Ardoin, Ulalia Woodside, Terre Satterfield, Neil Hannahs, Gretchen C. Daily Jan 2014

The Forest Has A Story: Cultural Ecosystem Services In Kona, Hawai‘I, Rachelle K. Gould, Nicole M. Ardoin, Ulalia Woodside, Terre Satterfield, Neil Hannahs, Gretchen C. Daily

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Understanding cultural dimensions of human/environment relationships is now widely seen as key to effective management, yet characterizing these dimensions remains a challenge. We report on an approach for considering the nonmaterial values associated with ecosystems, i.e., cultural ecosystem services. We applied the approach in Kona, Hawai‘i, using 30 semistructured interviews and 205 in-person surveys, striving to balance pragmatism and depth. We found spirituality, heritage, and identity-related values to be particularly salient, with expression of some of these values varying among respondents by ethnicity and duration of residence in Hawai‘i. Although people of various backgrounds reported strong spirituality and heritage-related values, …

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Whales As Marine Ecosystem Engineers, Joe Roman, James A. Estes, Lyne Morissette, Craig Smith, Daniel Costa, James Mccarthy, J. B. Nation, Stephen Nicol, Andrew Pershing, Victor Smetacek Jan 2014

Whales As Marine Ecosystem Engineers, Joe Roman, James A. Estes, Lyne Morissette, Craig Smith, Daniel Costa, James Mccarthy, J. B. Nation, Stephen Nicol, Andrew Pershing, Victor Smetacek

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Baleen and sperm whales, known collectively as the great whales, include the largest animals in the history of life on Earth. With high metabolic demands and large populations, whales probably had a strong influence on marine ecosystems before the advent of industrial whaling: as consumers of fish and invertebrates; as prey to other large-bodied predators; as reservoirs of and vertical and horizontal vectors for nutrients; and as detrital sources of energy and habitat in the deep sea. The decline in great whale numbers, estimated to be at least 66% and perhaps as high as 90%, has likely altered the structure …

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