Use Of Environmental Indicators Research Articles

Earth Observation and Geoinformatics to Monitoring the Environmental Status of Urban Streams Inextricably Linked to People's Mental Health.

The general condition of urban watercourses is inextricably linked to ecological balance and public health (physical and mental well-being). Given the vulnerability of these systems to climate change and human pollution, this work aims to demonstrate the effective use of environmental indicators to: a) rapidly assess soil and water conditions near urban streams and b) highlight the importance of geoinformatics and earth observation supported by ground-based techniques. There is a great need for new technology and methods for spatial and temporal monitoring and further quantification of environmental quality in urban streams and the land surrounding them to sensitize policymakers and the public to the environmental degradation of these exceptional habitats and to further protect people's mental health.

Use of environmental indicators to assess the state of forest ecosystems

The purpose of the study was to comprehensively analyse the effectiveness of environmental indicators in determining the state of forest ecosystems and their ability to reflect changes in the ecological balance. During the study, the influence of anthropogenic factors on biomass, soil acidity, and species diversity of forest ecosystems in the Sumy Oblast of Ukraine was evaluated. Field studies were conducted to determine the soil acidity, the biomass of plants and animals in anthropogenic and natural forest areas, followed by statistical analysis of the data. The degree of degradation of forest areas as a result of human activity was determined and the environmental consequences of these changes for natural systems were evaluated. The results showed that anthropogenically modified areas have reduced biomass (100 t/ha) and species diversity (20 plant species), increased soil acidity (pH 6.5-7) and high concentrations of nitrates and phosphates, compared to mixed forests, where biomass reaches 200 t/ha, species diversity – 50 species of flora, and soil acidity varies from moderately acidic to neutral (pH 5.5-6). These data confirmed the negative impact of human activity on ecosystems, in particular on biomass and soil acidity. It was established that environmental indicators allow forming a comprehensive picture of the state of ecosystems, which is necessary for making informed management decisions aimed at preserving and restoring ecosystems, and at effective management of natural resources. The results obtained demonstrated serious environmental problems as a result of anthropogenic impact on forest ecosystems. A decrease in biomass and species diversity, and an increase in soil acidity in anthropogenic zones indicate the need for urgent implementation of measures for the conservation and restoration of natural forests. The study will be useful in the context of long-term monitoring of ecosystems, which would allow a more detailed investigation of the dynamics of their changes

Determinants of Improving the Strategy of Sustainable Energy Management of Building Sustainable Value for Stakeholders—Experience of Organizations in Poland

The purpose of the research was to identify the factors determining the improvement of the sustainable energy management strategy in the process of building lasting value for stakeholders, identifying key activities supporting the process of improving the sustainable energy management strategy, and analyzing the degree of use of environmental indicators by organizations in Poland. In the research process, to achieve the assumed research goals, it was decided to use the following research methods: The “Delphic Method” and the CAWI method (Computer-Assisted Web Interview). The research was carried out on a sample of 102 organizations in Poland. The study identifies goals for the sustainable development of the organization, activities supporting the process of sustainable energy management, and indicators in the field of energy management. The key factors for the improvement of energy management strategies have been identified, including implementation of modern technologies, reduction of energy consumption, development of procedures, increase of employee awareness, and clearly defined goals in the field of energy management. The strategy of the organization’s future actions towards achieving sustainable development determines the process of creating value for stakeholders. Dialogue with stakeholders is one of the basic conditions for proper planning and implementation of the organization’s strategy and taking actions in the field of sustainable energy management. Effective energy management becomes a necessity. Organizations must take a number of steps to achieve maximum resource efficiency. This can only be achieved through a holistic approach to the process of formulating the goals of the organization, which is necessary in decision-making processes and in the approach to energy management. The Polish economy has been built on coal and other fossil fuels. So far, the majority of polish organizations have not cared about the natural environment and energy management, which is why the research on redefining their strategies is a novelty.

The use of environmental indicators in the characterization and definition of wetlands in the Eastern Amazon

Wetlands play a vital role in water quality, in addition to providing coastal stabilization and erosion control, aquifer recharge, they serve as important biological habitats, as nurseries for wildlife. The present study aimed to elaborate, based on environmental indicators, the characterization and classification of an estuarine fluvial plain in a humid area, considering a gradient of water bodies. The areas defined for the present study are located in the municipalities of Abaetetuba and Barcarena in Pará, which have an important and significant role, for the region and for the Amazon as a whole. The indicators used for characterization and classification, were altimetry, rainfall, hydrography and land use and coverage, and such information was processed in a GIS environment. Additionally, the Topographic Index of Wet Areas (ITU) was used, and the method of map reclassification was proposed in order to evaluate (altimetry, vegetation cover and precipitation) generating product through map algebra, defining areas with Potential Formation of Wet Areas ( PFAU). In general the region of the present study predominates low altimetric values ​​less than or equal to 15 meters, the rainfall for the annual accumulated, varied between 3594 mm to 4844 mm, land use and cover, presented configuration where the vegetation represents 56% . Approximately 46.54% of the area has a strong potential for the formation of wetlands, being directly linked to the topographic processes and the main drainages. It is possible to demonstrate that the adoption of vegetation cover, altimetry and rainfall categories, with their respective parameters, proved to be effective for zoning AU's in the region. It is proposed that, based on this work, methodological procedures can be applied, in an expanded way in the region or in other Amazonian areas in order to confirm or indicate the classification as an AU, for different uses.

Historical Analysis of EPI in Colombia (2006-2014): Challenges on Environmental Information

The use of environmental indicators has been established as a way of addressing different variables and objects of analysis, including the complexity of biodiversity and ecosystems along with human wellbeing. Since 2006, the Environmental Performance Index has been used, ranking countries according to status of various indicators. Colombia has been included in all evaluations with variable results in its ranking. We examine some aspects that vary through the years in terms of the index and the performance of Colombia in evaluations from 2006 to 2014, mostly because Colombia had excellent scores at the beginning of the index measure, but decrease notoriously in the last ones that have made. We found that the historical evaluation of the EPI had differences in its structure, with a greater reliability on international databases rather than national information, as well as a continuum change of the types of variables used for the indicators. On an international context, Colombia’s ranking variation reflects the differences in sources and accessibility of data. As useful as indexes might be to monitor and manage of resources, it is important to analyse each evaluation as much more than just the best and worst indicators, but rather to look at the sources, types of variables, ad context of each evaluation.

The Tianjin Eco-City model in the academic literature on urban sustainability

Recent intensive eco-city development in China has been accompanied by rising enthusiasm for environmental sustainability indicators. Whilst there are calls for the indicators to be standardised, and criticism of the difficulties in applying them, little effort has been made to understand their scientific rationale. This article employs a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to investigate the use of environmental indicators from the Tianjin Eco-City Key Performance Indicators by the international scientific community working on urban sustainability. The findings draw a clear picture of the place of Tianjin Eco-City's indicators in the international scientific literature. China's ecological problems are found to attract interest not only from domestic researchers but also researchers outside the country. The indicators are used not only for urban planning and management but also for a wide range of urban-related and non-urban-related purposes. The scientific rationale of the eleven indicators is specifically addressed, revealing a number of underlying questions about the Tianjin Eco-City indicators.

Setting the stage for a Shared Environmental Information System

There has been a significant increase in efforts to improve environmental data sharing practices in the past decade. One such initiative is the Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS), initiated by the European Commission in 2008, as part of a process to facilitate regular environmental assessments and State-of-the-Environment Reporting (SOER). Using SEIS as a case study example, this paper takes its departure from the 8th Environment for Europe (EFE) Ministerial conference to identify ongoing processes and challenges surrounding environmental data and information sharing. The paper relies on data obtained for the 2016 report on progress in establishing SEIS in support of regular reporting in the pan-European region. The article demonstrates a number of gaps with regards to the availability and accessibility of certain environmental datasets and indicators and highlights the suboptimal use of information, where comprehensive data flows and high-quality information is not being used adequately in support of policymaking or where there is selective use of environmental indicators. Against this background, questions arise as to whether applied models for data sharing can be implemented with equal success across different regions and countries that are characterized by heterogeneous and complex data practices and data flows. Most importantly, results from the SEIS progress report demonstrate the pressing need for a better understanding of environmental data types, data packaging and data flows across multiples contexts, epistemic cultures and policy making.

Triple bottom line and sustainable performance measurement in industrial companies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a minimum set of indicators to be measured by industrial companies to represent the triple bottom line (TBL) approach. Design/methodology/approach The research is both descriptive and quantitative. Three hypotheses establish associations among the degrees of use of TBL indicators and their different degrees of use in firms. The authors used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to validate the scale and structural equation modelling to represent the final measurement model. The survey gathered 149 industrial companies. Findings The results pointed out that there are positive associations among the degree of use of environmental indicators and social indicators, economic, environmental and social indicators have different degrees of use in firms, a positive association between the degree of use of environmental and social indicators and the use of economic indicators was not confirmed. The findings suggest how to measure sustainable performance for industrial companies and highlight the differences in the degree of use for the three dimensions of TBL. Research limitations/implications The limitations refer to the non-probabilistic sample, applied in a specific context, industrial companies. Practical implications This set of indicators is intended to be used by industrial companies as a reliable instrument to sustainable performance assessment of the current stage of the TBL deployment and provide alternative approaches to address specific issues related to the environmental, social and economic sustainability. Social implications The results offer tangible results for measuring and reporting firm’s social and environmental performance. Originality/value This paper intends to offer an integrated and consistent way of measuring sustainability in industrial companies.

The use of ecological, fishing and environmental indicators in support of decision making in southern Benguela fisheries

Indicators have been recognised as a useful tool aiding the implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries in marine ecosystems. Studies, such as the IndiSeas project (www.indiseas.org), use a suite of indicators as a method of assessing the state and trends of several of the world's marine ecosystems. While it is well known that both fishing and climatic variability influence marine fisheries in the southern Benguela ecosystem there are currently few studies in support of fisheries management that make use of environmental indicators in order to include climatic impacts on marine fish populations. Trends in ecological, fishing and environmental indicators can be utilised in a way that allows an overall ecosystem trend to be determined, and can therefore be used to aid decision support within southern Benguela fisheries. In this study trends in indicators were determined using linear regressions across three time periods, Period 1: 1978–1993, Period 2: 1994–2003 and Period 3: 2004–2010. These time periods were selected based on the timing of regime shifts within the southern Benguela, including changes in upwelling, wind stress and temperature. Each ecological indicator received a score based on the direction and significance of the observed trend with respect to fishing. To account for the impacts of fishing and environmental drivers on ecological indicators, scores were adjusted by predetermined factors, depending on the extent and direction of trends in these indicators. Weightings were applied to correlated ecological indicators to account for their redundancy, and lessen their impact on overall ecosystem score. Mean weighted scores were then used to establish an overall ecosystem score for each time period. Ecosystem classification was determined as follows: 1–1.49=improving, 1.5–2.49=possibly improving, 2.5–3.49=no improvement or deterioration, 3.5–4.49=possible deterioration, 4.5–5=deteriorating. The ecosystem was observed to neither deteriorate nor improve across Period 1 or 2 (mean weighted scores: 2.75 and 2.56 respectively), however, during Period 3 a possible improvement was observed (mean weighted score: 1.99). This study shows that the sequential analysis of suites of ecological, fishing and environmental indicators can be used in order to determine ecosystem trends, accounting for both the impacts of fishing and the environment on ecosystem components.

Environmental indicators in effluent assessment of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) reared in raceway system through phosphorus and nitrogen.

The phosphorus and nitrogen discharge via effluent of intensive trout farming system was quantified through the use of environmental indicators. The nutrient loads, the mass balance, the estimated amount of nutrients in feed and the amount of nutrients converted in fish biomass were calculated based on the concentrations of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) in the feed and in the water. Of the offered feed, 24.75 kg were available as P and 99.00 kg as N, of these, 9.32 kg P (38%) and 29.12 kg N (25%) were converted into fish biomass and 15.43 kg P (62%) and 69.88 kg N (75%) were exported via effluent. The loads and the mass balance show the excessive discharge of nutrients via effluent, corroborated by the feed conversion ratio (2.12:1) due to the low efficiency of feed utilization, therefore, it is proposed the use of this zootechnical parameter as environmental indicator. In addition, feed management practices are not adequate, highlighting the low frequency of feeding during the day, excessive amount and low quality of feed offered. These results demonstrate the need for adequate feed management and the need for careful monitoring of effluent.

Modeling the Effects of Interactions between Environmental Variables on the State of an Environmental Issue: The Case of the Morelos State in Mexico

An important use of environmental indicators is oriented to know their individual impact on the whole environment quality. Nevertheless, most of the important causes of environment affecta- tions are derived from multiple interactions between indicators which correspond more specifi- cally to the environmental reality. The affectations derived from interactions should be analyzed and interpreted through numerical expressions representing a relevant challenge for developers of environmental indicators. To cope with the analysis and interpretation problem, we propose in this work a methodology in two senses: in a bottom-up sense a directed graph is built representing interactions between environmental indicators as behavioral relations, which exert an effect on the state of an environmental issue of a site over time (10 years); in a top-down sense to assist us- ers in the analysis and interpretation of interactions through a computer interface that provides users with the capacity of knowing how and what relational behaviors between indicators are af- fecting, the most or the least, the performance of the environmental issue being studied. This me- thodology was applied to the analysis an interpretation of interactions between environmental variables that affect the state of an environmental quality issue related with the State of Morelos in Mexico. The results showed the adequate expressivity of a directed graph to represent interac- tions allowed to verify the coherence of the numerical values associated with their behaviors dur- ing a period of time and with their effects on the environmental issue under study. * Corresponding author.

Influence of process operating parameters on CO2 emissions in continuous industrial plants

There is a growing awareness of the need for environmental protection, and in this context, the control of CO2 emissions is particularly important. The use of environmental indicators to measure process efficiency can help to reduce the impact and pollution generated in manufacturing processes.This article features a case study that analyzes the influence of the main operating parameters of the paper production process (specifically the drying section) in CO2 emissions. The plant was selected on the basis of its current low levels of CO2 emissions, which are lower than established by the European Commission product benchmark for the type of paper produced. Based on the information gathered by factory quality control system, a general linear regression and an experiment were designed (orthogonal arrays of Taguchi). Through a multi-factorial analysis of variance for the indicator ‘ton CO2/ton Paper’ the study reveals that the surface density and outside temperature have significant influence on the process and on CO2 emissions and can be set a value to minimize CO2 emissions and maximize production in the facility bottleneck. Thus, CO2 emissions can be a good indicator of the operating status of the drying section. The study identified new lines of study, with which can be achieved the overall target of reducing energy consumption and CO2 air pollution associated with paper manufacturing process.

Las comunidades de nematodos como indicadores ambientales

<p class="Pa9">El uso de indicadores ambientales que permitan describir el estado de un ecosistema y las presiones a las que está sometido, así como indicar los avances logrados con las prácticas de mitigación establecidas son temas de interés en la actualidad.</p> <p class="Pa9">Entre los organismos que han sido estudiados por su potencial como indicadores ambientales se encuentran los nemátodos. Estos animales son cos­mopolitas y juegan un papel importante en todos los ecosistemas; además, la comunidad de nemátodos cambia de forma predecible con las perturbaciones del ambiente. Estos cambios están correlacionados con indicadores del funcionamiento del ecosistema. Aunque existen taxones indicadores de condiciones en particular, también se han desarrollado índices que permiten describir la diversidad, la estructura de la comunidad y la sucesión ecológica. También se han creado modelos indicadores de las vías metabólicas en el ecosistema del suelo.</p> Estos índices y modelos se basan en las diferentes estrategias de supervivencia que tienen los taxones de nematodos, ya sean colonizadores o persisten­tes. Los colonizadores se consideran oportunistas de ambientes enriquecidos y los persistentes son indicadores de sistemas no perturbados. Por otro lado, con el desarrollo de modernas técnicas de secuenciación se espera poder evaluar la diversidad biológica de manera más eficiente, logrando utili­zar a los nemátodos en programas de monitoreo ambiental a nivel nacional e internacional.

Environmental Indicators of Metal Pollution and Emission: An Experiment for the Instrumental Analysis Laboratory

This experiment enlightens students on the use of environmental indicators and inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP–AES) and demonstrates the ability of these monitoring tools to measure metal deposition in environmental samples (both as a result of lab-simulated and real events). In this two-part study, the initial experiment is designed to simulate the metal pollutants that originate from sparklers (small-scale fireworks). Two environmental indicators, surface water and Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), are exposed to a lit sparkler in a closed container. The Spanish moss is subsequently microwave digested, and both samples are analyzed for 16 elements by ICP–AES. In part two, the metal content is analyzed in real samples taken from the environment (topsoil and surface water) surrounding the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch pads before and after a shuttle launch. Students learn several fundamental concepts including atomic spectroscopy, biomonitoring, microwave digestion, mat...

End-of-life and waste management in life cycle assessment—Zurich, 6 December 2011

IntroductionWaste management is a key component in society's strategy to mitigate the adverse effects of its economic activities. Through its comprehensive system approach, life cycle assessment (LCA) is frequently put forward as a powerful tool for the assessment of waste management activities. However, many methodological challenges regarding the environmental assessment of waste treatment systems still remain, and consensus is still far from being reached in areas like the definition of (temporal) system boundaries, life cycle inventory generation, selection and use of environmental indicators, and interpretation and communication of the LCA results.Summary of the topics presented in DF-46The 46th Swiss Discussion Forum on Life Cycle Assessment (DF-46) consisted of three sessions. The first session tried to address policy making and implications for sustainable waste management of consumer products, e.g., information and communication technology, and food packaging. The second session focused on recent methodological developments in LCA for end-of-life treatment (EoL) activities and waste management assessment. The third session was dedicated to E-waste treatment and scarce metal recovery processes. DF-46 closed with short presentations on decision support in the areas of coprocessing, food waste, and after-treatment technologies for municipal waste incineration residues.ConclusionsThe main conclusions drawn from DF-46 are: (a) the option of waste prevention, despite its prominent position in the so-called waste hierarchy, is rarely considered in LCAs on waste and EoL management, (b) although a general problem in many other applications of LCA, the differences in scope definitions and time perspectives, the use of proxies or data of poor quality, allocation, or system expansion procedures, and weighting in the impact assessment are prominent issues in LCAs of waste and EoL management and thus have to be minimized and inventory data must be as transparent as possible, (c) life cycle inventory formats have to be adapted to be able to account for new materials, such as nanoparticles and scarce metals in LCA, (d) the selection of environmental indicators requires clear guidance on their appropriate use and open communication. The selection of a set of complementary indicators is of particular importance in order to avoid that the adverse effects on the environment are merely shifted between impact categories, and (e) useful LCA tools for the environmental assessment of waste management options are currently developed to meet the evolving demands and expectations for support in decision making related to waste and EoL management today and in the future. The presentations from DF-46 are available for download (www.lcaforum.ch).

Great Lakes environmental indicators and state of the environment reporting: use, needs, and limitations

Perceptions and use of environmental indicators and state of environment (SOE) reports by local governments and conservation authorities within the Ontario portion of the Great Lakes and St Lawrence basin were examined through a web-based survey and follow-up telephone interviews. Indicator and SOE reporting use are described, as well as information needs and limitations and challenges in using indicators and SOE reports to formulate environmental policy. Information exchange among different levels of governance is also explored. The State of the Great Lakes environmental indicators and SOE reports, developed by the governments of Canada and the United States, were used as a case study.

Some operative applications of remote sensing

Among the methods of applied geophysics, remote sensing plays a major and an ancillary role, at the same time. The major role deals with the acquisition and processing of data with the aim of describing the properties of the surfaces and their subsurface mass. The ancillary one consists in furnishing indications to address specific geophysical surveys. The paper presents some operative applications of remote sensing by stations fixed on ground and by airborne surveys: monitoring the biogas vents and evaluating their flow in waste disposal sites, analyzing the stability of rocky walls, studying the moisture content of soils for the most general purposes and in particular to contribute to archaeological prospecting. Single and multitemporal collection of data are taken into consideration to describe polarizing properties of the surfaces and to define the heat capacity in the thermal infrared domain and the presence of luminescent phenomena in the visible range. The use of environmental indicators, like vegetation, is also discussed with the aim of revealing through superficial seepages the pattern of underlying mass.

The ecology of visual landscapes: Exploring the conceptual common ground of visual and ecological landscape indicators

Abstract This paper explores the conceptual common ground between visual and ecological landscape indicators. Indicators can be used to summarise complex information about landscape functions and the ability to extract a common set of indicators for analysing different landscape functions may provide valuable support for multiple-use planning. The development of landscape ecological indicators has been a very active research field that has resulted in a wide range of landscape metrics and composite indices with a strong conceptual base in landscape ecological principles. For the visual aspects of landscapes, however, this conceptual base is often missing and thus hindering progress in the development of indicators. This paper presents the results of an analysis of the correspondence between ecological indicators and visual indicators in order to explore whether there is common ground in both concept and operation. The conceptual level is presented for both ecological and visual indicators, as it is the concepts that define their aim and scope. We feel that transparency over this issue is crucial to the development and use of environmental indicators. The approach identified a candidate set of indicators that capture important aspects of both ecological and visual quality. The strength of the approach is that it forces us to focus on the identification of what we wish to indicate by means of landscape theory and assessment that are relevant to a specific landscape context. We believe that the approach presented here forms the basis for development of new methods for understanding the impact of landscape change in a management and planning context.

The state of environmental performance evaluation in the public sector: the case of the Portuguese defence sector

The environmental performance evaluation (EPE) of organizations is becoming an autonomous management tool. The main goal of this research was to assess the state of EPE practice in the Portuguese defence sector, as a particular part of public services. A questionnaire survey was conducted involving all Portuguese military units that have a person in charge of environmental issues. The questionnaire was designed to assess: (i) the importance and drivers of EPE; (ii) the ISO 14031 knowledge and implementation; (iii) the knowledge and use of environmental indicators; (iv) the optimal format for indicators; and (v) the advantages and drawbacks of using environmental indicators. Despite various initiatives driving environmental practices in public organizations, most of that experience is only centred on an environmental management system, and EPE is quite a new issue. Nevertheless, general environmental performance evaluation is a growing reality and one in which Portuguese military units are taking an increasing interest. Overall respondents agree on the importance of measuring and communicating environmental performance related to their main missions and activities. The main drivers for EPE in military units are the prevention of health risks and compliance with regulations. However, to date, ISO 14031 and environmental performance indicators are almost unknown in the respondent military units. Among the three military branches, the Navy revealed the worst environmental performance evaluation knowledge, awareness and practice.

Cultural contextualization of indicators of human-environment interaction: the case of the Kola mining network

This article addresses the important but overlooked socio-cultural dimension of sustainability indicators. We use cultural theory to assess indicators of human-environment interaction in different cultural contexts in a case study of a mining-industrial complex in the Kola Peninsula, North-West Russia. The analysis yields results with implications on two levels. First, the article contributes to indicator theory by illustrating with the use of cultural theory how the choice of indicators on one hand and their value range on the other shape and are shaped by culture. Second, with its analysis of the long-term use of environmental indicators, the article contributes to the development of trans-national environmental policy in the North. The analysis contradicts the widely-held notion that Russia has moved from a hierarchic directly into an individualistic culture. We illustrate how between these two domains, an egalitarian cultural storyline has played an important role in the shaping of environmental indicators in the Kola Peninsula. We conclude that the presence of the three cultural storylines in different time periods should be taken into account in the environmental policy that the international community is currently promoting in North-West Russia.