Past and future impacts of land-use changes on ecosystem services in Austria

Environmental and socio-economic developments induce land-use changes with potentially negative impacts on human well-being. To counteract undesired developments, a profound understanding of the complex relationships between drivers, land use, and ecosystem services is needed. Yet, national studies examining extended time periods are still rare. Based on the Special Report on land use, land management and climate change by the Austrian Panel on Climate Change (APCC), we use the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to (1) identify the main drivers of land-use change, (2) describe past and future land-use changes in Austria between 1950 and 2100, (3) report related impacts on ecosystem services, and (4) discuss management responses. Our findings indicate that socio-economic drivers (e.g., economic growth, political systems, and technological developments) have influenced past land-use changes the most. The intensification of agricultural land use and urban sprawl have primarily led to declining ecosystem services in the lowlands. In mountain regions, the abandonment of mountain grassland has prompted a shift from provisioning to regulating services. However, simulations indicate that accelerating climate change will surpass socio-economic drivers in significance towards the end of this century, particularly in intensively used agricultural areas. Although climate change-induced impacts on ecosystem services remain uncertain, it can be expected that the range of land-use management options will be restricted in the future. Consequently, policymaking should prioritize the development of integrated land-use planning to safeguard ecosystem services, accounting for future environmental and socio-economic uncertainties

Internet threats to hindu authority: Puja-ordering websites and the kalighat temple

10.1163/156853110X517818Asian Journal of Social Science384636-656AJSS

Predictors of life satisfaction in a large representative sample from Italy

Life Satisfaction is a key indicator of subjective well-being and represents its cognitive component, measuring individuals’ judgment of their own lives. The aim of this study is to analyze the predictors of Life Satisfaction in a large Italian representative sample. To this end, we consider sociodemographic characteristics and other variables identified in the literature as central to Life Satisfaction. These variables are satisfaction with standards of living, household income satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and social support. Cross-sectional. The data were extracted from the Gallup World Poll which has collected nationally representative samples from Italy since 2005. The total number of participants was 14,039 individuals aged 15 and above (58.3% females, Mage = 48.74, SDage = 16.43). The results show that women score significantly lower than men on Life Satisfaction and that Life Satisfaction declines with age. Furthermore, satisfaction with standards of living is the strongest predictor of Life Satisfaction. Household income satisfaction, positive affect, social support, and negative affect, respectively, follow. Present findings demonstrate that researchers and policy-makers need to pay attention to a wide range of economic and psycho-social factors in order to understand and improve Life Satisfaction in Italy

Deuterium excess in precipitation of Alpine regions - moisture recycling.

The paper evaluates long-term seasonal variations of the deuterium excess (d-excess = delta(2)H - 8. delta(18)O) in precipitation of stations located north and south of the main ridge of the Austrian Alps. It demonstrates that sub-cloud evaporation during precipitation and continental moisture recycling are local, respectively, regional processes controlling these variations. In general, sub-cloud evaporation decreases and moisture recycling increases the d-excess. Therefore, evaluation of d-excess variations in terms of moisture recycling, the main aim of this paper, includes determination of the effect of sub-cloud evaporation. Since sub-cloud evaporation is governed by saturation deficit and distance between cloud base and the ground, its effect on the d-excess is expected to be lower at mountain than at lowland/valley stations. To determine quantitatively this difference, we examined long-term seasonal d-excess variations measured at three selected mountain and adjoining valley stations. The altitude differences between mountain and valley stations ranged from 470 to 1665 m. Adapting the 'falling water drop' model by Stewart [J. Geophys. Res., 80(9), 1133-1146 (1975).], we estimated that the long-term average of sub-cloud evaporation at the selected mountain stations (altitudes between about 1600 and 2250 m.a.s.l.) is less than 1 % of the precipitation and causes a decrease of the d-excess of less than 2 per thousand. For the selected valley stations, the corresponding evaporated fraction is at maximum 7 % and the difference in d-excess ranges up to 8 per thousand. The estimated d-excess differences have been used to correct the measured long-term d-excess values at the selected stations. Finally, the corresponding fraction of water vapour has been estimated that recycled by evaporation of surface water including soil water from the ground. For the two mountain stations Patscherkofel and Feuerkogel, which are located north of the main ridge of the Alps, the maximum seasonal change of the corrected d-excess (July/August) has been estimated to be between 5 and 6 per thousand, and the corresponding recycled fraction between 2.5-3 % of the local precipitation. It has been found that the estimated recycled fractions are in good agreement with values derived from other approaches