Wadi Flash Floods

This open access book brings together research studies, developments, and application-related flash flood topics on wadi systems in arid regions. The major merit of this comprehensive book is its focus on research and technical papers as well as case study applications in different regions worldwide that cover many topics and answer several scientific questions. The book chapters comprehensively and significantly highlight different scientific research disciplines related to wadi flash floods, including climatology, hydrological models, new monitoring techniques, remote sensing techniques, field investigations, international collaboration projects, risk assessment and mitigation, sedimentation and sediment transport, and groundwater quality and quantity assessment and management. In this book, the contributing authors (engineers, researchers, and professionals) introduce their recent scientific findings to develop suitable, applicable, and innovative tools for forecasting, mitigation, and water management as well as society development under seven main research themes as follows: Part 1. Wadi Flash Flood Challenges and Strategies Part 2. Hydrometeorology and Climate Changes Part 3. Rainfall–Runoff Modeling and Approaches Part 4. Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation Part 5. Reservoir Sedimentation and Sediment Yield Part 6. Groundwater Management Part 7. Application and Case Studies The book includes selected high-quality papers from five series of the International Symposium on Flash Floods in Wadi Systems (ISFF) that were held in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020 in Japan, Egypt, Oman, Morocco, and Japan, respectively. These collections of chapters could provide valuable guidance and scientific content not only for academics, researchers, and students but also for decision-makers in the MENA region and worldwide

A hybrid model using data mining and multi-criteria decision-making methods for landslide risk mapping at Golestan Province, Iran

The accurate modeling of landslide risk is essential pre-requisite for the development of reliable landslide control and mitigation strategies. However, landslide risk depends on the poorly known environmental and socio-economic factors for regional patterns of landslide occurrence probability and vulnerability, which constitute still a matter of research. Here, a hybrid model is described that couples data mining and multi-criteria decision-making methods for hazard and vulnerability mapping and presents its application to landslide risk assessment in Golestan Province, Northeastern Iran. To this end, landslide probability is mapped using three state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) algorithms—Maximum Entropy, Support Vector Machine and Genetic Algorithm for Rule Set Production—and combine the results with Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process computations of vulnerability to obtain the landslide risk map. Based on obtained results, a discussion is presented on landslide probability as a function of the main relevant human-environmental conditioning factors in Golestan Province. In particular, from the response curves of the machine learning algorithms, it can be found that the probability p of landslide occurrence decreases nearly exponentially with the distance x to the next road, fault, or river. Specifically, the results indicated that p≈exp(−λx) where the length scale λ is about 0.0797 km−1 for road, 0.108 km−1 for fault, and 0.734 km−1 0.734 km−1 for river. Furthermore, according to the results, p follows, approximately, a lognormal function of elevation, while the equation p=p0−K(θ−θ0)2 fits well the dependence of landslide modeling on the slope-angle θ, with p0≈0.64,θ0≈25.6∘and|K|≈6.6×10−4. However, the highest predicted landslide risk levels in Golestan Province are located in the south and southwest areas surrounding Gorgan City, owing to the combined effect of dense local human occupation and strongly landslide-prone environmental conditions. Obtained results provide insights for quantitative modeling of landslide risk, as well as for priority planning in landslide risk management

Book of short Abstracts of the 11th International Symposium on Digital Earth

The Booklet is a collection of accepted short abstracts of the ISDE11 Symposium

Improving the detection and estimation of birds’ collision risk with energy infrastructure using new and emerging tracking technologies

The dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change require swift action to protect ecosystems and transition away from fossil fuels. Halting climate change will require global wind energy generation capacity to more than quadruple compared to 2021. Expanding renewable energy will also require significant investment in transmission power lines. European bird populations have declined by approximately 600 million individuals since 1980, it is vital that the clean energy expansion does not further exacerbate this. Migratory soaring birds are among the most susceptible to collision mortality associated with renewable energy infrastructure. Conservation of these species in the context of the expansion of renewable energy requires assessment of collision risks across the whole flyway. This thesis focuses on how data from new and emerging satellite tracking technologies can help better understand where and when birds are most at risk of collision. Analysing tracking data sets representing over 1,400 individual birds, identified collision risk hotspots within Europe and North Africa. Many of the hotspots identified were within migratory bottleneck regions where mitigation to reduce collision risks could have conservation benefits across the flyway. For both soaring and flapping species environmental variables such as thermal uplift were found to accurately predict how likely birds were to fly at heights where they risk collision with energy infrastructure. This research showed tracking data can inform estimates of sensitivity to collision risks for areas which are not, at present, well represented in the tracking data. Through testing a new low cost, light weight GPS-LoRa tracking technology my research helped fill data gaps and improve our understanding of the movement behaviour of birds in relation to energy infrastructure. The devices were found to be able to collect and transmit accurate, high frequency GNSS/GPS location information over long distances (up to 53km). Lab tests revealed their potential to help validate collision risk maps by remotely detecting when and where bird collisions occur. This thesis generated important information to support development of renewables while minimizing impacts on biodiversity

Environmental Management

Environmental Management - Pollution, Habitat, Ecology, and Sustainability includes sixteen chapters that discuss pressing environmental issues in diverse locations around the world. Chapters discuss methods, technologies, analyses, and actions that may enlighten and enable decision-makers and managers in their quests for control of environmental problems. The authors present the facts and the challenges behind the assorted issues and offer new perspectives for contending with natural, social, economic, and political aspects of management

BOOK OF ABSTRACTS: 1st EU/North-African Conference on Organic Agriculture (EU-NACOA) “Bridging the Gap, Empowering Organic Africa”

Ecological and Organic farming systems and food production are pertinent solutions reducing hunger, climate change mitigation and adaptation, increased biodiversity and its functional role in environmental friendly production. It intends to ensure fair conditions for all stakeholders of the food chain along with responsible consumption. FAO recently declared that organic farming can enhance food security, rural development, sustainable livelihoods and environmental integrity by building capacities of stakeholders in organic production, processing, certification and marketing worldwide. The revised EU regulation to be implemented in 2021 will affect the import of organic products from third parties, and there is a need to understand how and develop efficient ways for its success. However, it still a small sector, African Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) is gaining success through the Ecological and OA Initiative (EOA-I) as confirmed during the last African Organic Conference held in Sally-Dakar (Senegal) in November 2018. African organic stakeholders and decision makers along with scientists were unanimous that African governments, continental and regional institutions, development partners, donors and private sector investors, should provide more support to develop OA in Africa. The conference intends to boost the cooperation between organic stakeholders in Africa with many countries at multilateral level. Organic expertise will be strengthened for the benefit of all African countries. Objectives of the conference • Merge a critical mass of scientific capacity and skills from Europe and Africa, to deliver sustainable solutions by working at practical and theoretical level; • Bring together high profiled scientists from both continents to discuss issues about organic inputs, innovation, organic research funding, ethics and address recommendations to relevant certification and regulation bodies; • Address and confront African potentials to expand traditional organic agriculture in terms of genetic, agro-climatic and sociocultural diversity; • Strengthen the "Organic Alternatives for Africa" initiative and to facilitate the integration of OA into strategic policies and the agricultural development program • Discuss how OA in Africa can be further developed as a sustainable and reliable model to ensure food safety for all, in the framework of the AAA Initiative following the COP22 recommendations (Marrakesh, Morocco 2016) • Discuss the main question raised from the conference title: How can research contribute to bridge the current gap between Africa and Europe, with respect to organic agriculture