Watershed Runoff and Sediment Transport Impacts from Management Decisions Using Integrated AnnAGNPS and CCHE1D Models

Mini-Symposium: Modeling Methodology for Agricultural Researc

Justiça climática e as estratégias de adaptação às mudanças climáticas no Brasil e em Portugal

Políticas, planos e estratégias de adaptação às mudanças climáticas têm ganhado agenda de governos em todo planeta e em diversas escalas. Estariam os atuais instrumentos endereçando a redução de desigualdades, justiça e demanda por direitos? A primeira parte da pesquisa analisa a produção científica no Brasil e em Portugal sobre justiça climática. A segunda parte discute como as estratégias e políticas atuais de adaptação nos dois países contêm componentes relacionados à justiça.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Estimating Speed and Direction of Small Dynamic Targets through Optical Satellite Imaging

Moving Target Indicators (MTI) are systems used to distinguish movement from stationary scenes and sometimes to derive the spatial attributes of these objects. These systems are currently used in many sectors such as traffic studies, border surveillance, and military applications. The proposed MTI reveals vehicles and their velocities using commercial imagery from a passive optical satellite-mounted sensor. With simple process of image differencing, the MTI can automatically recognize conveyances in motion (speed and direction) represented by polygons formed by a group of pixels from successive images. Micro-change detection with an existing commercial satellite requires special considerations of differences in spatial and spectral resolution between images. Complications involving the movement detection system such as vehicle overlap, vehicle clusters, and zones of low confidence are refined by adding error-reducing modules. This process is tested on a variety of vehicles, their concentrations, and environments, confirming the feasibility of utilizing an MTI with commercial optical satellite imagery for movement recognition and velocity estimation

Integrated Technology for Evaluation and Assessment of Multi-Scale Hydrological Systems in Managing Nonpoint Source Pollution

Conservation agencies need information to guide planning activities and allocation of limited mitigation resources at regional scales. Utilization of hydrological modeling tools at sub-watershed scales can adequately represent existing conditions, but information on a few discrete uncoordinated efforts cannot be scaled up to the entire region. Conversely, large scale modeling studies suffer from overgeneralization caused by needed lumping of information. In this study, a multiscale and standardized procedure was sought to characterize water and nonpoint source pollution spatiotemporal dynamics at basin-scale but through detailed field-scale analysis. The AnnAGNPS watershed pollution model was enhanced with new capabilities for simulation of large areas based on an Integrated Technology for Evaluation and Assessment of Multi-scale-hydrological Systems (ITEAMS) approach. Comparisons between the standard and proposed ITEAMS approach indicated no difference in streamflow and small underestimation of suspended sediments during high intensity rainfall events. The ITEAMS approach was applied to a basin with a total area of 3,268,691 ha which was discretized into 469,628 sub-catchments with an average size of 6.8 ha. The resulting 366 linked AnnAGNPS simulations were executed hierarchically generating estimates of water and suspended sediment yield and loads. This pilot study revealed the ITEAMS approach is a viable alternative for modeling and simulating large areas but at high spatiotemporal resolution

Exploring individual- to population-level impacts of disease on coral reef sponges: using spatial analysis to assess the fate, dynamics, and transmission of Aplysina Red Band Syndrome (ARBS).

Marine diseases are of increasing concern for coral reef ecosystems, but often their causes, dynamics and impacts are unknown. The current study investigated the epidemiology of Aplysina Red Band Syndrome (ARBS), a disease affecting the Caribbean sponge Aplysina cauliformis, at both the individual and population levels. The fates of marked healthy and ARBS-infected sponges were examined over the course of a year. Population-level impacts and transmission mechanisms of ARBS were investigated by monitoring two populations of A. cauliformis over a three year period using digital photography and diver-collected data, and analyzing these data with GIS techniques of spatial analysis. In this study, three commonly used spatial statistics (Ripley's K, Getis-Ord General G, and Moran's Index) were compared to each other and with direct measurements of individual interactions using join-counts, to determine the ideal method for investigating disease dynamics and transmission mechanisms in this system. During the study period, Hurricane Irene directly impacted these populations, providing an opportunity to assess potential storm effects on A. cauliformis and ARBS.Infection with ARBS caused increased loss of healthy sponge tissue over time and a higher likelihood of individual mortality. Hurricane Irene had a dramatic effect on A. cauliformis populations by greatly reducing sponge biomass on the reef, especially among diseased individuals. Spatial analysis showed that direct contact between A. cauliformis individuals was the likely transmission mechanism for ARBS within a population, evidenced by a significantly higher number of contact-joins between diseased sponges compared to random. Of the spatial statistics compared, the Moran's Index best represented true connections between diseased sponges in the survey area. This study showed that spatial analysis can be a powerful tool for investigating disease dynamics and transmission in a coral reef ecosystem

Climate justice and strategies to adapt to climate change in Brazil and Portugal

Policies, plans and strategies for adapting to climate change are now in the agenda of governments across the planet and at different scales. Are the current instruments addressing issues of justice, the reduction of inequality, and demands for rights? The first part of the research analyzes scientific production on climate justice in Brazil and Portugal. The second part discusses how current adaptation strategies and policies in both countries contain components related to justice.Políticas, planos e estratégias de adaptação às mudanças climáticas têm ganhado agenda de governos em todo planeta e em diversas escalas. Estariam os atuais instrumentos endereçando a redução de desigualdades, justiça e demanda por direitos? A primeira parte da pesquisa analisa a produção científica no Brasil e em Portugal sobre justiça climática. A segunda parte discute como as estratégias e políticas atuais de adaptação nos dois países contêm componentes relacionados à justiça