Environmental characterization of the Outer Hebrides

Author(s):  
J. N. R. Jeffers

SynopsisPreliminary stratification of the Outer Hebrides provides a basis for new surveys, and can be developed from the information held in the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology's Terrestrial Environment Information System. Characterizations of the area by environmental variables at various scales indicate several distinctive stratifications with predictive capabilities and suggest possible topics for future survey and research.

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 1863
Author(s):  
Luciana Cristina de Carvalho Santa-Rosa ◽  
Sibelle Trevisan Disaró ◽  
Violeta Totah ◽  
Silvia Watanabe ◽  
Ana Tereza Bittencourt Guimarães

Living benthic foraminifera (>63 µm) were studied to characterize the continental slope of the Potiguar Basin (SW Atlantic). Foraminifers from the surface (0–2 cm), subsurface (2–5 cm), and integrated (0–5 cm) sediment layers were analyzed to verify their contribution to environmental characterization. It was also estimated if and which changes occur when the subsurface is added. Sampling stations were distributed in five transects in four isobaths (150, 400, 1000, and 2000 m). Sediment samples were fixed with 4% buffered formaldehyde and stained with Bengal rose. Were recorded 396 species in the surface layer, 228 in the subsurface, and 449 in integrating both layers. This study did not include tubular agglutinated species. The assemblages from 150 m isobath indicated the upper slope, from 400 m indicated the middle slope and the ones from the 2000 m indicated the lower slope. The surface layer’s assemblage at 1000 m isobath was more similar to the middle slope; in contrast, its subsurface layer´s assemblage had more similarity with the lower slope. Rarefaction curves, Permanova, and NMDS routines indicated a high resemblance between surface and integrated layers. Therefore, the first two centimeters were sufficient to characterize this region based on living benthic foraminifera.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 200-210
Author(s):  
Antônio Italcy de Oliveira Júnior ◽  
Luiz Alberto Ribeiro Mendonça ◽  
Sávio de Brito Fontenele ◽  
Adriana Oliveira Araújo ◽  
Maria Gorethe de Sousa Lima Brito

ABSTRACT Soil is a dynamic and complex system that requires a considerable number of samples for analysis and research purposes. Using multivariate statistical methods, favorable conditions can be created by analyzing the samples, i.e., structural reduction and simplification of the data. The objective of this study was to use multivariate statistical analysis, including factorial analysis (FA) and hierarchical groupings, for the environmental characterization of soils in semiarid regions, considering anthropic (land use and occupation) and topographic aspects (altitude, moisture, granulometry, PR, and organic-matter content). As a case study, the São José Hydrographic Microbasin, which is located in the Cariri region of Ceará, was considered. An FA was performed using the principal component method, with normalized varimax rotation. In hierarchical grouping analysis, the “farthest neighbor” method was used as the hierarchical criterion for grouping, with the measure of dissimilarity given by the “square Euclidean distance.” The FA indicated that two factors explain 75.76% of the total data variance. In the analysis of hierarchical groupings, the samples were agglomerated in three groups with similar characteristics: one with samples collected in an area of the preserved forest and two with samples collected in areas with more anthropized soils. This indicates that the statistical tool used showed sensitivity to distinguish the most conserved soils and soils with different levels of anthropization.


Author(s):  
Julio Manoel França da Silva ◽  
José Manoel Gonçalves Gândara

O geoturismo é um segmento da atividade turística em áreas naturais que visa à conservação, a divulgação e o uso sustentável de locais onde os aspectos geológicos, geomorfológicos e paleontológicos do meio físico se destacam por seus valores estéticos, científicos, didáticos, culturais ou econômicos. Buscando contribuir com métodos voltados a esse segmento do turismo, este trabalho objetivou analisar o potencial da cartografia digital na conservação, divulgação e uso sustentável de locais de interesse geológico-geomorfológico (geossítios) de Prudentópolis (PR), tendo como base revisão bibliográfica, trabalhos de campo e processamento de dados cartográficos digitais em Sistema de Informações Geográficas (SIG). Realizou-se caracterização de quatro geossítios, os quais estão inseridos geologicamente na Formação Teresina (Salto/Canyon do rio São João e Salto Barão do rio Branco/Vale do rio dos Patos) e na Formação Serra Geral (Salto São Francisco/Vale do rio São Francisco e Morro do Chapéu/Afloramento da Formação Botucatu). Os dados levantados foram disponibilizados em planos de informação e banco de dados georreferenciados no software de geoprocessamento Arcgis 9.3, o qual se revelou como um importante instrumento de elaboração de produtos cartográficos voltados à atividade geoturística. Geotechnology applied to conservation, disclosure and use of geoturistical attractive in Prudentópolis (PR, Brazil) ABSTRACT The geotourism is a segment of the touristic activity in natural areas which aims the conservation, the disclosure and the sustainable use of places where the geological, geomorpholocical and paleontological aspects of the physical environment stand out by their aesthetic, scientific, instructional, cultural or economic values. Aiming to contribute with methods directed to this tourism’s segment, this paper aimed to analyze the potential of digital mapping in conservation, disclosure and sustainable use of geological-geomorphological interesting places (geosites) in Prudentópolis (PR, Brazil), based on literature review, field works and digital cartographic data’s processing in Geographic Information System (GIS). The characterization of four geosites was verified, which are geologically inserted in Teresina Formation (Fall / São João River’s Canyon and Barão do Rio Branco Fall/ Patos’ River Valley) and in Serra Geral Formation (São Francisco Fall/ São Francisco River’s Valley and Chapéu’s Hill / Outbreak of Botucatu Formation). And the collected data were provided into information plans and georeferenced database in Arcgis 9.3 geoprocessing software, which has proved to be an important tool for developing cartographic products focused on geotourism activity. KEYWORDS: Geotourism; Natural Areas; Geotechnologies; Geoturistical Maps; Prudentópolis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 465-474
Author(s):  
Isaías Vicente-Cera ◽  
Asunción Acevedo-Merino ◽  
Juan Antonio López-Ramírez ◽  
Enrique Nebot

Geosciences ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 335 ◽  
Author(s):  
José-Manuel Sánchez-Martín ◽  
Juan-Ignacio Rengifo-Gallego ◽  
Luz-María Martín-Delgado

Geological heritage has become a tourist resource with huge potential in certain areas, which has given rise to a tourism category known as geotourism which has entered the generic framework of rural tourism. The main elements around which geotourism revolves are geoparks and geosites. However, despite the recognized role which is played by the latter as a tourist resource, there is a widespread lack of knowledge of the characteristics of the demand. This study aims to characterize the demand of the Villuercas–Jara–Ibores geopark in Spain based on information provided by surveys which has subsequently been processed by means of a Geographical Information System. The results obtained allow the differentiation of various types of profile of those providing the demand according to whether we consider visitors to the geopark as a whole or whether we separate tourists (visitors who spend the night in the geopark) from visitors (visitors who do not stay there). Among our main conclusions it should be emphasized that it is only possible to establish a difference between tourists and visitors if the main motivations are taken into account. It should also be stressed that the geopark operates as an internal tourist destination for those spending the night in other regions of Extremadura.


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