Man-made Changes Research Articles

Ecological, economic and socio-cultural sustainability of different livelihood options and enterprises practised by pastoralists in Banni grasslands of Gujarat

The present study was conducted in Banni grasslands to estimate the sustainability of different livelihood options practiced by pastoralist households. The sustainability of livelihood options was measured using a scale consisting of ecological, economic and socio-cultural parameters with 6 indicators each. The primary data were collected from 280 households in 12 villages in Banni grasslands between 2014 and 2019. It was found that there were 11 distinct livelihood options practiced in Banni grasslands: Banni buffalo based pastoralism, goat and sheep rearing, Prosopis juliflora based charcoal production, honey collection, gum extraction, embroidery, leather work, labour, services, tourism and trade. The sustainability of buffalo rearing was found to be highest on ecological, economic and socio-cultural indicators. Migratory pastoralism has evolved over five centuries adapting to climatic and man-made changes, has deep socio-cultural heritage and employed 70% households at present while generating highest revenues to individual households and the Banni economy. The economic sustainability of charcoal production was higher than the goat and sheep rearing whereas the ecological and socio-cultural sustainability of the latter was higher. Charcoal production employed 80% households (as primary and secondary enterprise) whereas goat and sheep rearing employed merely 3% households indicating the economic significance of the former enterprise. It was evident that economic sustainability was the immediate goal of individual pastoralist households to attain income, food and nutritional security. Goat and sheep rearing could provide an alternative to charcoal production while being more sustainable. Charcoal production was an adaptation strategy for livelihood security. Control of P. juliflora will have positive implications on the ecology of Banni grasslands and livelihoods of pastoralists. The recognition of community grazing rights of Maldharis over Banni grasslands would further augment this shift. Similarly, handicrafts (embroidery and leather craft) and trade offer sustainable alternatives to charcoal production in the context of expanding tourism and market access.

Modelling the water dynamics of a tidal lagoon: The impact of human intervention in the Nador Lagoon (Morocco)

The Lagoon of Nador (Morocco) has been subject to relevant man-made changes in recent years, which consisted of closing the inlet and opening a new one, wider and deeper, with long lateral jetties. In this paper, we study some of the consequences of this modification, using a 3D hydrodynamic model that allows a comparison of the two configurations (old and new inlet). This would be not possible analysing only the observations and the approach we followed is a general method that can be applied wherever man-made or natural changes affect a coastal system. We have created two numerical grids, one with the old inlet and one with the new inlet, both covering the entire lagoon and a wide part of the coastal area. Using these two configurations, fully baroclinic simulations were run for one year. The results show a significant increase of the tidal amplitude and of the water circulation inside the lagoon, with a tidal prism four times larger. The change of the tidal asymmetry from positive to negative values (−0.7 in the inlet) causes a shift toward the ebb dominance, with implications for the mid-term morphological evolution. With the new inlet the water renewal time of the lagoon decreased from 57 to 15 days and the water temperature got warmer in winter (+1 °C) and colder in summer (−2 °C). As a consequence of this, the evaporation lowered and the salinity reduced by 0.8 PSU. The seasonal variability of the water renewal time shows that the tidal forcing, the baroclinic circulation and the wind contribute to the mixing processes. The mixing capacity of the lagoon (0.7) did not change because it is an intrinsic property of the lagoon morphology and of the atmospheric forcing. Finally, we found that the change of the water renewal time, with the new inlet, is higher than the change predicted, with the old inlet, under the RCP8.5 climate change scenario.

Surface representation impacts on turbulent heat fluxes in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model (v.4.1.3)

Abstract. The water and energy transfers at the interface between the Earth's surface and the atmosphere should be correctly simulated in numerical weather and climate models. This implies the need for a realistic and accurate representation of land cover (LC), including appropriate parameters for each vegetation type. In some cases, the lack of information and crude representation of the surface lead to errors in the simulation of soil and atmospheric variables. This work investigates the ability of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to simulate surface heat fluxes in a heterogeneous area of southern France using several possibilities for the surface representation. In the control experiments, we used the default LC database in WRF, which differed significantly from the actual LC. In addition, sub-grid variability was not taken into account since the model uses, by default, only the surface information from the dominant LC category in each pixel (dominant approach). To improve this surface simplification, we designed three new interconnected numerical experiments with three widely used land surface models (LSMs) in WRF. The first one consisted of using a more realistic and higher-resolution LC dataset over the area of analysis. The second experiment aimed at investigating the effect of using a mosaic approach; 30 m sub-grid surface information was used to calculate the final grid fluxes based on weighted averages from values obtained for each LC category. Finally, in the third experiment, we increased the model stomatal conductance for conifer forests due to the large flux errors associated with this vegetation type in some LSMs. The simulations were evaluated with gridded area-averaged fluxes calculated from five tower measurements obtained during the Boundary-Layer Late Afternoon and Sunset Turbulence (BLLAST) field campaign. The results from the experiments differed depending on the LSM and displayed a high dependency of the simulated fluxes on the specific LC definition within the grid cell, an effect that was enhanced with the dominant approach. The simulation of the fluxes improved using the more realistic LC dataset except for the LSMs that included extreme surface parameters for coniferous forest. The mosaic approach produced fluxes more similar to reality and served to particularly improve the latent heat flux simulation of each grid cell. Therefore, our findings stress the need to include an accurate surface representation in the model, including soil and vegetation sub-grid information with updated surface parameters for some vegetation types, as well as seasonal and man-made changes. This will improve the modelled heat fluxes and ultimately yield more realistic atmospheric processes in the model.

Satellite Observations of Strong Plasma Wave Emissions With Frequency Shifts Induced by an Engine Burn From the Cygnus Spacecraft

AbstractA new discovery was made using the radio receiver instrument on the Canadian enhanced polar outflow probe (e‐POP) showing that strong plasma wave emissions (SPWE) are seen near 17 kHz and 300 Hz. The frequency of these emissions are affected by small injections of neutral gas from the Cygnus spacecraft. The technique of using a 150 g/s thruster to change frequencies and intensities of plasma waves has provided evidence that a finite kz lower hybrid mode may the source of the SPWE waves. SPWE observations in space are a sensitive diagnostic tool to measure both natural and manmade changes in the earth's ion composition.

ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКАЯ ЦЕНА МИНЕРАЛЬНОГО СЫРЬЯ КАК ПОТЕНЦИАЛЬНЫЙ РЕГУЛЯТОР ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ ПАРАДИГМЫ НЕДРОПОЛЬЗОВАНИЯ ПРИ УСТОЙЧИВОМ РАЗВИТИИ

The rapid development of the ecological crisis, generated by the absolute antagonism between the techno-and biosphere against the background of the uncontested need to preserve the natural biota of the Earth as a guarantee of the survival of future generations, radically changes the public consciousness in the direction of ecologization of thinking in all spheres of human activity. In the field of complex development of subsurface resources, the aggravation of environmental problems is associated not only with the obvious discrepancy between the unlimited growth of needs and the limited resources of the lithosphere, but also with the complete absence of economically formulated motivations and biologically based incentives that compel the search for environmental technological solutions and the rejection of the formation of geoecology on the residual principle. The authors of the article published below propose a solution to these problems by applying a non-linear criterion for assessing the environmental consequences of man-made changes in the subsurface, taking into account the functional structure of the disturbed ecosystems.

Man-made changes in flora and vegetation: a sketch to a scientific portrait of Professor Herbert Sukopp

AbstractThe changes in plant cover have been the subject of regular geobotanical research for over 150 years. For several decades, one of the most outstanding researchers of this process has been Professor Herbert Sukopp from the Technische Universität Berlin. This paper discusses the main concepts and most important results of his empirical research. Based on the analysis of international scientific information database resources (Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar), the worldwide impact of Sukopp’s publications on the development of research in the field of anthropogenic changes in flora and vegetation was illustrated.

THE LAW OF INTERMITTENT EVOLUTION AND SELF-HEALING OF THE LIVING NATURE OF EARTH

The living nature of the Earth has an amazing property: its evolution is intermittent, it develops in separate stages, with the mass destruction of a large part of wildlife at the end of each stage, and with the subsequent selfhealing of almost all biodiversity for hundreds of thousands or millions of years. Self-healing was due to the presence of an information base - preserved wildlife. Several major natural mass extinctions of animals and plants are known, apparently related to volcanism, space influences, etc. After mass extinctions inevitably followed periods of biodiversity restoration. This development is in line with the author's concept of branching development. Therefore, the tree of evolution is multi-tiered, step-by-step. Extinctions served as natural filters, stopping the development of unpromising species, and supporting the emergence and development of promising species. But the coming period of man-made extinction is fundamentally different from the previous ones in that there used to be a base for biodiversity restoration - natural nature. For the first time, large man-made changes in the Earth's landscapes occurred in the last 150 - 200 years, during the scientific - technological revolution; they're in a good place ...in the components of landscapes ((e.g., the vital composition of air, water, extreme foresting, the limit of the development of nature, etc.).

Sizing and Control Algorithms of a Hybrid Energy Storage System Based on Fuel Cells

Growing consciousness of the threat posed by man-made climate change has spurred government institutions, industry, and science to find clean fuels to power economic activity. Fuel cells powered by hydrogen are one of the steps in gaining clean energy. To improve the efficiency of the fuel cell, the hybrid solutions are required. This article shows a new approach to the design and control of a hybrid energy storage system for portable applications. The methodology allows us to optimize the desired physical parameters of the elements (weight or size) in order to withstand the connected load power demand. Such an approach allows us to minimize weight, which is essential in portable systems. The methodology was proven by building a technology demonstrator. The measurements of physical objects verified the electrical parameters received during simulation and allowed a lower weight of the system, compared to the system based only on Li-ion batteries.

Storm tide amplification and habitat changes due to urbanization of a lagoonal estuary

Abstract. In recent centuries, human activities have greatly modified the geomorphology of coastal regions. However, studies of historical and possible future changes in coastal flood extremes typically ignore the influence of geomorphic change. Here, we quantify the influence of 20th-century man-made changes to Jamaica Bay, New York City, on present-day storm tides. We develop and validate a hydrodynamic model for the 1870s based on detailed maps of bathymetry, seabed characteristics, topography, and tide observations for use alongside a present-day model. Predominantly through dredging, landfill, and inlet stabilization, the average water depth of the bay increased from 1.7 to 4.5 m, tidal surface area decreased from 92 to 72 km2, and the inlet minimum cross-sectional area expanded from 4800 to 8900 m2. Total (freshwater plus salt) marsh habitat area has declined from 61 to 15 km2 and intertidal unvegetated habitat area from 17 to 4.6 km2. A probabilistic flood hazard assessment with simulations of 144 storm events reveals that the landscape changes caused an increase of 0.28 m (12 %) in the 100-year storm tide, even larger than the influence of global sea level rise of about 0.23 m since the 1870s. Specific anthropogenic changes to estuary depth and area as well as inlet depth and width are shown through targeted modeling and dynamics-based considerations to be the most important drivers of increasing storm tides.

Comparative evaluation of powertrain concepts through an eco-impact optimization framework with real driving data

The assessment of the ecological impact of different powertrain concepts is of increasing relevance considering the enormous efforts necessary to limit the global warming effect due to the man-made climate change. Within this contribution, we adopt existing methods for the optimization of electric and hybrid electric powertrains using a vehicle simulation environment and derive a method to identify the ecological potential of different powertrain concepts for a set of technological parameters in the reference year 2030. By optimizing the parametrization for each powertrain concept and by adapting the respective operating behaviour specifically to minimize the ecological impact, a reliable and unbiased comparison is enabled. We use our optimization environment with the Real Ecological Impact as objective function to compare different powertrain concepts on driving profiles that are based on real driving data recorded in Germany. Despite the fact that all of the considered driving profiles contain trips of similar length, their respective optimized powertrain concepts are different. Plug-In Hybrid vehicles achieve the greatest potential for long-range capable vehicles and are least sensitive to different driving profiles.

Analysis of the Topography Change using the RAMMS Model and Numerical Modeling in the Korean East Sea Estuary

Choi, J.H.; Kin, S.D.; Jun, K.W.; Lee, H.J., and Tak, W.J., 2020. Analysis of the topography change using the RAMMS Model and numerical modeling in the Korean East Sea Estuary. In: Malvarez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 422–427. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Recently, erosion and sedimentation imbalances have occurred on many coastlines due to the complex effects of man-made environment changes and natural environment changes caused by climate change. Problems including coastal erosion, shoreline topography changes, and estuary blockages require comprehensive management of sediments including coastal sediments and those discharged from rivers and mountains in the hinterland. This study quantitatively investigated the streamflow of sediments generated from mountains and examined the effect of discharged sediments on coastlines and beaches. First, the sediments in rivers and beaches from mountain areas were investigated on-site using terrestrial LiDAR. High-precision topography data were constructed by generating Digital Elevation Model (DEM). To calculate the amount of sediment discharged from mountain areas quantitatively by using constructed topography data, simulations were performed with the RAMMS model, a type of sediment-water flow analysis model. By applying an erosion and sedimentation model, the effects on the beach topography along the coast were analyzed. It was confirmed through the RAMMS model that the sediment flowed into the river when a mountainous disaster, such as landslide or debris-flow, occurred. The sediment that flowed into the river induced coastline and beach topography changes. In terms of the beach topography on the East Coast of South Korea, the north side of the estuary beach showed a significant sedimentation tendency and the south side of the beach showed a gradual erosion tendency. Furthermore, significant changes in the coastline were observed as a river-mouth blockage occurred at the estuary due to sediments deposited from the mountains and rivers in the coastal area. It is expected that the results of this study will provide useful information when establishing plans for the preservation of coastal areas in the future.

Confirmed cases of malaria in Brazil between 2011 and 2015

Malaria is a worldwide disease that causes a high number of deaths. It is caused by the bite of the Anopholes mosquito infected by the parasitic protozoan of the genus Plasmodium. The purpose of this article is to show the numbers of confirmed cases of malaria in Brazil, regarding the years of confirmation, the age group and the notification region, between the years 2011 to 2015. Data taken from the SUS IT department, DATASUS and from articles. There was a decline in the number of the period cited, people between the age group of 20 to 39 years, followed by the group between 49 and 59 years, the largest number of cases occurred with male people, the largest number of cases occurred with people of white race followed by browns, the highest number of cases per schooling is unknown where schooling is known, the highest numbers are with people from complete high school, followed by people with complete higher education, most cases occurred in an urban area , the southeastern region has the highest number of confirmed cases of malaria in the period, the highest number of cases occurred in the state of Rondônia. It is concluded that campaigns had an influence on society and collaborated with the reduction of the number of communicable diseases like malaria. Men work in areas with a higher risk of contamination and in places of vector proliferation, so they are more exposed to areas of mosquito proliferation and contagion. In Brazil the majority of the population is recognized as being white and brown, respectively, so the numbers show these ethnicities as the most infected. The mosquito seems to proliferate more easily in places where there have been man-made changes. The urban environment, as it is an extremely modified place, causes a greater number of cases due to the greater availability of breeding sites. It is believed that for this reason the southeastern region has a greater number of cases and because it is also one of the regions of the country that has suffered the most changes by man. The opening of highways and the increase in settlements facilitate contact between mosquitoes and humans. The state of Rondônia has a large number of settlements and deforestation to accommodate progress.

Geomorphology of the urban area of Palermo (Italy)

ABSTRACT The results of a geomorphological study carried out in the urban area of Palermo are summarized in a thematic map. Field survey, analysis of aerial photographs and topographic maps, consultation of historical documents and maps, stratigraphic and topographic reconstruction from numerous wells and subsoil data, and bibliographic search were performed, in order to display the geomorphological changes produced by man over time in a densely populated area and to define the Anthropocene of the study area. Palermo town rises along large marine terrace surfaces cut by small river valleys and bordered by wide degraded and abandoned coastal cliffs. Over the last 2700 years, this area was affected by remarkable man-made changes to topographic surface and underground, exposing large areas of the city to hydraulic, sinkhole, and landslide risks, and increasing the levels of seismic susceptibility. In light of these results, the produced map is useful for urban planning studies.

An Integrated Hydrologic and Hydraulic Flood Modeling Study for a Medium-Sized Ungauged Urban Catchment Area: A Case Study of Tiruchirappalli City Using HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS

Floods are a natural calamity that causes loss of human life and destruction of property. They are caused by riverine, coastal and storm surges, cyclones, and tsunami waves. The primary causes of urban floods are an unusual rise in quantum of rainfall, extreme man-made changes in land-use–land-cover patterns, and consequent detrimental hydrological impacts. There are different methods available for flood estimation like rational formulae and empirical methods for approximate estimation of flood peak discharge, but they cannot be applied widely, and their application is confined to a particular region. The current study first discusses the causes of urban floods and then assesses the appropriate flood modeling methods that can be effectively used for urban catchments. Flood modeling methods deployed internationally and nationally in major- and medium-sized cities are discussed, and the research gap is identified. The advantages and demerits of each method are analyzed, and the parameters involved are also identified. An integrated modeling approach is chosen for this case study. In India, only coastal megacities have been considered for flood modeling studies thus far. There have been no research studies conducted on medium-sized urban catchment areas using an integrated modeling approach. Therefore, the present article reviews all the features of a novel integrated flood modeling approach which can be adopted for a medium-sized dendritic pattern ungauged urban catchment area.

The Stars Just up the Street by Sue Soltis

Reviewed by: The Stars Just up the Street by Sue Soltis Deborah Stevenson, Editor Soltis, Sue The Stars Just up the Street; illus. by Christine Davenier. Candlewick, 2020 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-7636-9834-8 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad 5-8 yrs Mabel loves looking at the stars from her window, and she's intrigued when her grandfather tells her about seeing thousands of stars in the sky in his youth. The girl realizes that light from people's windows and porches might be what's impeding her view, and she embarks on a mission, first going door to door to requesting that people turn their lights off, then asking the mayor to turn off streetlights. Eventually the town gets on board, and every new moon they celebrate by gathering on the hillside to view the newly visible stars. Light pollution is an unusual subject for picture books, and the focus on a small area of change and immediately kid-noticeable result aims the book effectively at young viewers. Unfortunately, it's a fairly facile approach that minimizes both the challenges of and possibilities for a dark-sky program and puts an artificially high bar for success, and there's no additional information provided about light pollution or the dark-sky movement. Davenier's loose-lined, informal ink illustrations are friendly and literally illuminating, with pools of yellow light spilling over the streets and creeping along the horizon. While there's a better book on the topic waiting to be written, this could still be an eye-opening introduction for youngsters to thoughtful pushback against a big manmade change. Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Multi-Scale Hydrologic Sensitivity to Climatic and Anthropogenic Changes in Northern Morocco

Natural and human-induced impacts on water resources across the globe continue to negatively impact water resources. Characterizing the hydrologic sensitivity to climatic and anthropogenic changes is problematic given the lack of monitoring networks and global-scale model uncertainties. This study presents an integrated methodology combining satellite remote sensing (e.g., GRACE, TRMM), hydrologic modeling (e.g., SWAT), and climate projections (IPCC AR5), to evaluate the impact of climatic and man-made changes on groundwater and surface water resources. The approach was carried out on two scales: regional (Morocco) and watershed (Souss Basin, Morocco) to capture the recent climatic changes in precipitation and total water storage, examine current and projected impacts on total water resources (surface and groundwater), and investigate the link between climate change and groundwater resources. Simulated (1979–2014) potential renewable groundwater resources obtained from SWAT are ~4.3 × 108 m3/yr. GRACE data (2002–2016) indicates a decline in total water storage anomaly of ~0.019m/yr., while precipitation remains relatively constant through the same time period (2002–2016), suggesting human interactions as the major underlying cause of depleting groundwater reserves. Results highlight the need for further conservation of diminishing groundwater resources and a more complete understanding of the links and impacts of climate change on groundwater resources.

News - Briefing. The Graphic: Man-made climate change

In various areas and regions in the world, we see the impact of global warming. With the help of open-source satellite images, E&T can show the effects of man-made climate change.

Hydro-geodynamic and geodynamic processes in the platform territories of hydrocarbon production

This paper presents hydro-geodynamics and geodynamics of the Southern Cis-Urals region. It focuses on geodynamics and seismicity induced by hydrocarbon production by summarizing the published case studies. Natural and man-made changes in bowels of the Earth are usually accompanied by tectonic movements and deformations of earth's surface, which is one of the important factors determining environmental changes and requiring mandatory consideration in engineering-geological surveys and exploitation of deposits. The influence of anthropogenic factors on the geodynamic state of platform areas is considered by the example of Orenburg oil and gas condensate field. The analysis and comparison seismic events with geologic and tectonic structure, natural and technologically impaired hydrodynamics.

MODELLING THE EFFECTS OF A TIDAL LAGOON ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF SWANSEA BAY, WALES, UK

The Severn Estuary (west coast of UK) is a highly dynamic environment and thus understanding of sediment transport under both natural and man-made changes is vital to the sustainable use of the coastal area in this region. The area is likely to be the site of the world’s first tidal energy lagoon. The construction and operation of the lagoon will result in some localised changes to hydrodynamic processes, leading to some potential changes in sediment transport and depositional processes at identified receptors within Swansea Bay (Fairley et al., 2014, Fairley et al., 2016, TLSB, 2016). There are some concerns about the possible impacts on the Site of Special Scientific Interest – SSSI (Blackpill and Crymlyn Burrows) and Kenfig Special Area of Conservation – SAC (not shown on figure), located Southeast of the tidal lagoon. A three dimensional hydrodynamics model (DELFT3D) of the Swansea bay area has been set up to investigate the sediment transport dynamics within Swansea Bay and longer term hydrodynamics of bedform features in the area. This project will underpin improved environmental understanding and coastal management in the Swansea Bay region because the models produced will also provide input data for other projects reliant on tide, wave and sediment transport information in the area.

IMPACTS OF CHANNEL DEEPENING ON SEDIMENT TRANSPORT MECHANISMS IN A MESOTIDAL ESTUARY

Carefully assessing the environmental impacts of human interventions in estuaries on sediment transport and morphodynamics has become increasingly important due to the high ecological importance of these systems. Man-made changes are typically quantified with numerical sediment transport models. However, setting up these models and more importantly interpreting their results requires a profound knowledge of the natural system and present-day transport processes. This contribution focusses on the mechanisms of sediment transport in a mesotidal estuary and discusses possible impacts of a channel deepening on those mechanisms and their expected impact on long-term changes on sediment transport. The processes are described on the basis of field data and simulations.