WHOOPING CRANE AND SANDHILL CRANE MONITORING AT FIVE WIND ENERGY FACILITIES

Biologists have expressed concern that individuals of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population of the federally endangered whooping crane (Grus americana), numbering about 300, may be injured or killed by wind turbines during migration. To help address this concern and curtail (stop) turbine operations when whooping cranes approached turbines, we monitored the area around 5 wind energy facilities in North and South Dakota during spring and fall migration for whooping cranes and sandhill cranes (G. canadensis). Observers monitored cranes for 3 years at each facility from 2009 to 2013 (1,305 total days of monitoring), recording 14 unique observations for a total of 45 whooping cranes for which curtailment occurred during portions of 9 days. Observers also searched for dead cranes at the base of every turbine each day of monitoring. This resulted in approximately 92,022 cumulative individual inspections, during which no dead or injured cranes were detected. Based on our results and monitoring efforts at other wind energy facilities in the migration corridor, no whooping crane fatalities have been documented. Although migrating cranes use areas near turbines, they do not appear to be overly susceptible to collisions with wind turbines

PLATTE RIVER COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT AND PROPOSED PROGRAM: EFFORTS TO PROTECT, RESTORE, AND MANAGE HABITAT FOR WHOOPING CRANES, LEAST TERNS, AND PIPING PLOVERS

On 1 July 1997 the states of Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado and the U.S. Department of the Interior signed the Cooperative Agreement for Platte River Research and Other Efforts Relating to Endangered Species Habitats Along the Central Platte River, Nebraska (Cooperative Agreement). In the Cooperative Agreement, the four parties set forth a Proposed Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (Program). The proposed incremental Program uses adaptive management to provide benefits to whooping cranes (Grus americana), least terns (Sterna albifrons), and piping plovers (Charadrius melodus). The proposed Program will also test the assumption that it is possible to improve pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) habitat in the lower Platte River by managing flows in the central Platte River. The Program includes certain land and water activities to be conducted during the first 13-year increment. One of the objectives of the proposed Program is to benefit the species by reducing shortages to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service target flows by an average of 130,000-150,000 acre-feet of water annually as measured at Grand Island, Nebraska. The other objective of the proposed Program is to protect and restore 10,000 acres of habitat in the first increment and ultimately 29,000 acres of habitat from willing sellers/lessors in central Nebraska as least tern, piping plover, and whooping crane habitat. The proposed Program envisions protecting the habitat in complexes that ideally provide roosting, loafing, and foraging habitat for migrating whooping cranes as well as reproductive habitat for least terns and piping plovers. Since signing of the Cooperative Agreement, delegates from the three states, federal government, water users, environmentalists, and other interested parties have been working to develop the means by which the water and land will be provided, protected, and managed. Monitoring and research will be used to evaluate management activities of the Program and to determine the Program\u27s benefits to the species

WHOOPING CRANE MIGRATIONAL HABITAT USE OF THE PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA, 2001-2006

The Platte River Endangered Species Partnership monitored whooping crane (Grus americana) habitat use along the Platte River between Chapman and Lexington, Nebraska during 11 migration seasons from 2001 to 2006. Daily aerial surveys took place in the morning from 21 March to 29 April in the spring and from 9 October to 10 November in the fall. Decoy detection trials were conducted during each of the 11 survey seasons to calculate actual sample inclusion probabilities for crane groups detected during monitoring flights. The detectability model found significant differences in detectability among strata (upland or channel), contractor, and altitude of the plane. All crane groups observed in the study area were monitored for habitat use and geomorphic profiles were measured at channel use locations. The HECRAS model was used to estimate the water surface differential between the time river profiles were measured and the time of crane group use. The estimated differential was used to adjust flow-dependent characteristics. Resource selection habitat models documented significant selection for areas with large proportions of open water, wetted channel and agriculture, and wetted channels with large unobstructed widths

WHOOPING CRANE AND SANDHILL CRANE MONITORING AT FIVE WIND ENERGY FACILITIES

Biologists have expressed concern that individuals of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population of the federally endangered whooping crane (Grus americana), numbering about 300, may be injured or killed by wind turbines during migration. To help address this concern and curtail (stop) turbine operations when whooping cranes approached turbines, we monitored the area around 5 wind energy facilities in North and South Dakota during spring and fall migration for whooping cranes and sandhill cranes (G. canadensis). Observers monitored cranes for 3 years at each facility from 2009 to 2013 (1,305 total days of monitoring), recording 14 unique observations for a total of 45 whooping cranes for which curtailment occurred during portions of 9 days. Observers also searched for dead cranes at the base of every turbine each day of monitoring. This resulted in approximately 92,022 cumulative individual inspections, during which no dead or injured cranes were detected. Based on our results and monitoring efforts at other wind energy facilities in the migration corridor, no whooping crane fatalities have been documented. Although migrating cranes use areas near turbines, they do not appear to be overly susceptible to collisions with wind turbines

Body Mass Index and Sexual Dysfunction in Males and Females in a Population Study

The association of obesity with sexual dysfunctions is complex and far from clear. Most former studies consisted of small samples and did not control several possible confounding factors

Modelagem Sísmica via métodos das diferenças finitas: caso da bacia do Amazonas Seismic Modeling by finites difference method: case of Amazon basin

Este trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar os resultados da modelagem sísmica em meios com fortes descontinuidades de propriedades físicas, com ênfase na existência de difrações e múltiplas reflexões, tendo a Bacia do Amazonas como referência à modelagem. As condições de estabilidade e de fronteiras utilizadas no cálculo do campo de ondas sísmicas foram analisadas numericamente pelo método das diferenças finitas, visando melhor compreensão e controle da interpretação de dados sísmicos. A geologia da Bacia do Amazonas é constituída por rochas sedimentares depositadas desde o Ordoviciano até o Recente que atingem espessuras da ordem de 5 km. Os corpos de diabásio, presentes entre os sedimentos paleozóicos, estão dispostos na forma de soleiras, alcançam espessuras de centenas de metros e perfazem um volume total de aproximadamente 90000 Km³. A ocorrência de tais estruturas é responsável pela existência de reflexões múltiplas durante a propagação da onda sísmica o que impossibilita melhor interpretação dos horizontes refletores que se encontram abaixo destas soleiras. Para representar situações geológicas desse tipo foram usados um modelo (sintético) acústico de velocidades e um código computacional elaborado via método das diferenças finitas com aproximação de quarta ordem no espaço e no tempo da equação da onda. A aplicação dos métodos de diferenças finitas para o estudo de propagação de ondas sísmicas melhorou a compreensão sobre a propagação em meios onde existem heterogeneidades significativas, tendo como resultado boa resolução na interpretação dos eventos de reflexão sísmica em áreas de interesse. Como resultado dos experimentos numéricos realizados em meio de geologia complexa, foi observada a influência significativa das reflexões múltiplas devido à camada de alta velocidade, isto provocou maior perda de energia e dificultou a interpretação dos alvos. Por esta razão recomenda-se a integração de dados de superfície com os de poço, com o objetivo de obter melhor imagem dos alvos abaixo das soleiras de diabásio.<br>This paper discusses the seismic modeling in medium with strong discontinuities in its physical properties. The approach takes in consideration the existences diffractions and multiple reflections in the analyzed medium, which, at that case, is the Amazon Basin. The stability and boundary conditions of modeling were analyzed by the method of the finite differences. Sedimentary rocks deposited since the Ordovician to the present, reaching depth up to 5 Km. The bodies of diabasic between the paleozoic sediments are layers reaching thickness of hundred meters, which add to 90.000 km3, form the geology of the Amazon Basin. The occurrence of these structures is responsible for multiple reflections during the propagation of the seismic waves, which become impossible a better imaging of horizons located bellow the layers. The representation this geological situation was performed an (synthetic) acoustic velocity model. The numerical discretization scheme is based in a fourth order approximation of the acoustic wave equation in space and time The understanding of the wave propagation heterogeneous medium has improved for the application of the finite difference method. The method achieves a good resolution in the interpretation of seismic reflection events. The numerical results discusses in this paper have allowed to observed the influence of the multiple reflection in a high velocity layer. It increase a loss of energy and difficult the interpretation of the target. For this reason the integration of surface data with the well data is recommended, with the objective to get one better image of the targets below of the diabasic layer