74 research outputs found
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Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Modeling Urban Growth
1. Urban growth [update under development] -- This document describes how we model urban growth
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Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Ecological Systems
Ecological systems [updated 3/7/2017] --This document provides a summary of our use of ecological systems as an organizational framework for portions of the model. Here, we briefly introduce the concept of ecological systems and the challenges of using them as an organizational framework, and then briefly outline four alternatives (that we considered) for their use in the model, including a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of each, and the final adopted alternative
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Designing Sustainable Landscapes: HUC6 Aquatic Cores and Buffers
The HUC6 aquatic cores and associated buffers represent some of the principal Designing Sustainable Landscapes (DSL) landscape conservation design (LCD) products for aquatic ecosystems and species, and they are best understood in the context of the full LCD process described in detail in the technical document on landscape design (McGarigal et al 2017). These products were initially developed for the Connecticut River watershed as part of the Connect the Connecticut project (www.connecttheconnecticut.org) — a collaborative partnership under the auspices of the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (NALCC), and subsequently developed for the entire Northeast region as part of the Nature\u27s Network project (www.naturesnetwork.org). HUC6 aquatic cores represent a combination of lotic core areas (river and stream) and lentic core areas (lake and pond) selected at the HUC6 scale (Fig. 1). In combination with the terrestrial cores, they spatially represent the ecological network designed to provide strategic guidance for conserving natural areas, and the fish, wildlife, and other components of biodiversity that they support within the Northeast.https://scholarworks.umass.edu/data/1053/thumbnail.jp
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Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Mean annual temperature, Growing season degree days, Heat index, Minimum winter temperature, and Maximum summer temperature settings variables
These five temperture variables are among several ecological settings variables that collectively characterize the biophysical setting of each 30 m cell at a given point in time (McGarigal et al 2017). The temperature regime strongly affects species composition, as well as rates of ecological processes such as nutrient cycling. We’ve chosen five variables to represent different aspects of temperature. All five variables have future versions that incorporate climate change via General Circulation Models (GCMs) (as described in the technical document on climate, McGarigal et al 2017).https://scholarworks.umass.edu/data/1013/thumbnail.jp
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Designing Sustainable Landscapes: The index of ecological impact
Includes five landscape change scenarios: 1) baseline 70-year (2010-2080) climate change and urban growth scenario without additional land protection; 2) same as #1 but with 25% more demand for new development; 3) same as #1 but with increased sprawl to the pattern of development; 4) same as #1 but with both 25% more demand for new development and increased sprawl; and 5) same as #1 but with additional terrestrial reserve areas (core areas) protected from development as established for Nature\u27s Network landscape design (www.naturesnetwork.org).https://scholarworks.umass.edu/data/1034/thumbnail.jp
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Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Northeast terrestrial ecosystem cores
Northeast terrestrial ecosystem cores is one of the principal Designing Sustainable Landscapes (DSL) landscape conservation design (LCD) products, and it is best understood in the context of the full LCD process described in detail in the technical document on landscape design (McGarigal et al 2017). This particular product was developed for the Nature\u27s Network project (www.naturesnetwork.org) — a collaborative partnership under the auspices of the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (NALCC). Northeast terrestrial ecosystem cores represents a set of terrestrial core areas derived using only ecosystem-based criteria (i.e., no species-specific criteria) and scaled to identify the highest valued places by ecosystem and geophysical setting within the Northeast region (Fig. 1). These core areas are intended to complement the HUC6-scaled terrestrial core areas and connectors (see terrestrial core area network document, McGarigal et al 2017) that were derived as the primary ecological network. These regional ecosystem-based cores help identify the best places for each unique ecosystem and geophysical setting within the entire Northeast region, whereas the HUC6-based cores help identify the best places within each HUC6 to ensure a well-distributed core area network across the region. Both of these products are designed to provide strategic guidance for conserving natural areas, and the fish, wildlife, and other components of biodiversity that they support within the Northeast.https://scholarworks.umass.edu/data/1050/thumbnail.jp
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Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Glossary
Glossary of key terms/concepts [updated 3/7/2017] -- This document provides a glossary of key terms and concepts as used in the DSL project and is intended to facilitate communication and understanding among users
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Designing Sustainable Landscapes: CaCO3 content settings variable
Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) content is one of several ecological settings variables that collectively characterize the biophysical setting of each 30 m cell at a given point in time (McGarigal et al 2017). CaCO3 buffers acidity in soil and water, increasing nutrient uptake by plants, and providing a ready source of calcium for organisms such as aquatic insects. CaCO3 content (Fig. 1), affects the composition of natural communities both directly and indirectly, such that areas with high calcium have increased species richness and support a number of unique species.https://scholarworks.umass.edu/data/1006/thumbnail.jp
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Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Modeling Connectivity
Connectivity [updated 3/7/2017] -- This document describes our local and regional connectivity assessment. Here, we define several connectivity concepts and how they are being used in the LCAD model, with particular attention to measurement of local and regional conductance, irreplaceability and vulnerability
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Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Northeast Aquatic Core Areas
Northeast aquatic cores is one of the principal Designing Sustainable Landscapes (DSL) landscape conservation design (LCD) products for aquatic ecosystems and species, and it is best understood in the context of the full LCD process described in detail in the technical document on landscape design (McGarigal et al 2017). This particular set of products was developed for the entire Northeast region as part of the Nature\u27s Network project (www.naturesnetwork.org) — a collaborative partnership under the auspices of the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (NALCC). Northeast aquatic cores represent a combination of lotic core areas (rivers and streams) and lentic core areas (lakes and ponds) selected at the Northeast regional scale to complement the lotic and lentic cores selected at the HUC6 scale (see aquatic cores document, McGarigal et al 2017) (Fig. 1).The HUC6 aquatic cores represent the primary LCD product for aquatic ecosystems; they were built to capture the best of each aquatic ecosystem in each HUC6 watershed in order to ensure a well-distributed network of aquatic cores across the region. However, the HUC6 scaling of the ecological integrity index (see IEI document, McGarigal et al 2017) from which the HUC6 cores were derived (see below) trades off some of the best areas of each aquatic ecosystem in the region for lower-valued areas in each HUC6 to achieve a more even distribution across the region for same total conserved area. The Northeast scaling of IEI forces the best areas of each ecosystem in the region to be included in the cores regardless of the final distribution.https://scholarworks.umass.edu/data/1054/thumbnail.jp
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