Coastal resource planning system: Integrating evaluation of ecological integrity and ecosystem services valuation

Efficient and effective coastal management decisions rely on knowledge of the impact of human activities on ecosystem integrity, vulnerable species, and valued ecosystem services—collectively, human impact on environmental quality (EQ). Ecosystem-based management (EBM) is an emerging approach to address the dynamics and complexities of coupled social-ecological systems. EBM “is intended to directly address the long-term sustainable delivery of ecosystem services and the resilience of marine ecosystems to perturbations” (Rosenberg and Sandifer, 2009). The lack of a tool that integrates human choices with the ecological connections between contributing watersheds and nearshore areas, and that incorporates valuation of ecosystem services, is a critical missing piece needed for effective and efficient coastal management. To address the need for an integrative tool for evaluation of human impacts on ecosystems and their services, Battelle developed the EcoVal™ Environmental Quality Evaluation System. The EcoVal system is an updated (2009) version of the EQ Evaluation System for Water Resources developed by Battelle for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Dee et al., 1972). The Battelle EQ evaluation system has a thirty-year history of providing a standard approach to evaluate watershed EQ. This paper describes the conceptual approach and methodology of the updated EcoVal system and its potential application to coastal ecosystems. (PDF contains 4 pages

Educational Virtual Reality Visualisations of Heritage Sites.

This paper discusses the use of games engines to create virtual heritage applications. The use of 3D software for cultural or heritage applications is discussed with reference to the capabilities and potential of games engines. The contribution of students from Bournemouth University to the New Forest Heritage Mapping project through the creation of interactive virtual reality visualisations of historic landscapes is described. The creation and evaluation of three different applications representing three alternative interaction styles are discussed. The first does not indicate where information can be found, the second uses visible cues and the third implements an objective marker system

The Binary White Dwarf LHS 3236

The white dwarf LHS 3236 (WD1639+153) is shown to be a double-degenerate binary, with each component having a high mass. Astrometry at the U.S. Naval Observatory gives a parallax and distance of 30.86 +/- 0.25 pc and a tangential velocity of 98 km/s, and reveals binary orbital motion. The orbital parameters are determined from astrometry of the photocenter over more than three orbits of the 4.0-year period. High-resolution imaging at the Keck Observatory resolves the pair with a separation of 31 and 124 mas at two epochs. Optical and near-IR photometry give a set of possible binary components. Consistency of all data indicates that the binary is a pair of DA stars with temperatures near 8000 and 7400 K and with masses of 0.93 and 0.91 M_solar; also possible, is a DA primary and a helium DC secondary with temperatures near 8800 and 6000 K and with masses of 0.98 and 0.69 M_solar. In either case, the cooling ages of the stars are ~3 Gyr and the total ages are <4 Gyr. The combined mass of the binary (1.66--1.84 M_solar) is well above the Chandrasekhar limit; however, the timescale for coalescence is long.Comment: Accepted for the Astrophysical Journa

Irrigation Scheduling in the Oklahoma Panhandle: An Application of Stochasitc Efficiency and Optimal Control Analyses

The Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311

Status of the Boeing Dish Engine Critical Component Project

The Boeing Company's Dish Engine Critical Component (DECC) project started in April of 1998. It is a continuation of a solar energy program started by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) and United Stirling of Sweden in the mid 1980s. The overall objectives, schedule, and status of this project are presented in this paper. The hardware test configuration, hardware background, operation, and test plans are also discussed. A summary is given of the test data, which includes the daily power performance, generated energy, working-gas usage, mirror reflectivity, solar insolation, on-sun track time, generating time, and system availability. The system performance based upon the present test data is compared to test data from the 1984/88 McDonnell Douglas/United Stirling AB/Southem California Edison test program. The test data shows that the present power, energy, and mirror performance is comparable to when the hardware was first manufactured 14 years ago

Simulated Soil Water and Atmospheric Stress-Crop Yield Relationships for Economic Analysis

The Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311