Physical environment, nutrient budget, and ecology of Lake Moana-nui, Tokoroa

This report is based on fortnightly monitoring data collected over a 14 month period from November 2000 to January 2002 and a survey of the lake bathymetry and vegetation distribution. The project also included a detailed investigation into the associations between macroinvertebrates and the native and exotic plants in the lake, and experiments evaluating the effects of the large populations of the water flea Simocephalus vetulus that the lake maintains on algal concentrations and therefore water clarity. The aim of this report is to present and discuss the results of the monitoring, surveys, and experiments in order to make recommendations for the future management and health of Lake Moana-nui

Land use, associated eel production, and abundance of fish and crayfish in streams in Waikato, New Zealand

The density and biomass of fish and crayfish, and the production of eels, was compared among streams in native forest, exotic forest, and pasture. Populations were estimated by multiple-pass electroshocking at 11 sites in hill-country streams in the Waikato region, North Island. Three sites were in native forest, four in exotic forest, and four in pasture. Length of stream sampled at each site was 46-94 m (41-246 m2 in area), and catchment areas up stream of the sites ranged from 0.44 to 2.01 km2. A total of 487 fish were caught. The species were longfinned and shortfinned eels, banded kokopu, Cran's and redfinned bullies, and common smelt. Eels were the most abundant fish in all three land-use types, and shortfinned eels were more abundant at pastoral sites (mean density 1.11 fish m-2) than longfinned eels (mean density 0.129 fish m-2). Banded kokopu were present only at forested sites. Mean fish densities were greater at pastoral sites (1.55 fish m-2) than under either native forest (0.130 fish m-2) or exotic forest (0.229 fish m-2). Mean fish biomass was also greater at pastoral sites (89.7 g m-2) than under native forest (12.8 g m-2) or exotic forest (19.3 g m-2). Longfinned eels made a greater contribution to the fish biomass at all sites than did shortfinned eels. Densities of crayfish were high (0.46-5.40 crayfish m-2), but were not significantly different between land-use types. Crayfish biomass ranged from 1.79 to 11.2 g m-2. Total eel production was greater at pastoral sites (mean 17.9 g m-2 year-1) than at forest sites (mean 2.39 g m-2 year-1)

Explaining the Allocation of Bilateral and Multilateral Environmental Aid to Developing Countries

In this paper we examine how international development assistance for environmental purposes is allocated to developing countries. In particular, we investigate whether there are patterned differences between environmental aid for international public goods projects versus environmental projects having more localized impacts. We empirically investigate these questions using project project level development assistance data.International Development,

Hydrothermal Ethanol Flames in Co-Flow Jets

Results on the autoignition and stabilization of ethanol hydrothermal flames in a Supercritical Water Oxidation (SCWO) reactor operating at constant pressure are reported. The flames are observed as luminous reaction zones occurring in supercritical water; i.e., water at conditions above its critical point (approximately 22 MPa and 374 C). A co-flow injector is used to inject fuel (inner flow), comprising an aqueous solution ranging from 20%-v to 50%-v ethanol, and air (annular flow) into a reactor filled with supercritical water at approximately 24.3 MPa and 425 C. Results show hydrothermal flames are autoignited and form diffusion flames which exhibit laminar and/or turbulent features depending upon flow conditions. Two orthogonal camera views are used; one providing a backlit shadowgraphic image of the co-flow jet and the other providing color images of the flame. In addition, spectroscopic measurements of flame emissions in the UV and visible spectrum are discussed

Retrodirective transponder feasibility experiment

Test program on feasibility of digital phase measuring subsystem of pulse-coherent retrodirective transponde

Southern Brazilian indigenous populations and the forest: towards an environmental history

Human societies and economies are inextricably linked to oceans and seas. Eight of the world’s ten largest cities lie adjacent to the ocean (UN Atlas of the Oceans, 2010) and about half of the world’s population lives within 200 km of a coast – a quarter within 100 km (IPCC, 2007). Oceans and seas provide a range of ecosystem services (including regulating, provisioning and cultural services) that enhance human well‐being in numerous ways (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2003, 2005; Hicks, 2011). To the extent that climate change affects ecosystems, it will affect fisheries (as discussed in the preceding chapters of this book) and, by extension, human well‐being. In this chapter, we focus on provisioning and cultural services associated with fisheries. Although important, the ocean’s regulating and supporting services, including the fixation of atmospheric carbon, are not further discussed here (for further details, see UNEP‐WCMC, 2011). We describe the numerous contributions of marine‐based ecosystems to human well‐being and the ways in which climate change and other confounding factors are likely to disrupt relationships between fishers, fisheries and fishing communities. Our three case‐studies: small‐scale, artisanal and subsistence‐based fisheries of the western Indian Ocean (WIO), fishing of cultural keystone species in the Torres Strait, and commercial fishing in Australia, serve to highlight the various changes to fisheries likely to be brought about by climate change in three markedly different contexts