scholarly journals Rapid Assessment of Seabed Habitats Around Pitcairn Island in Aid of Activity Management During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simeon Archer-Rand ◽  
Paul Whomersley ◽  
Joey O’Connor ◽  
Abbie Dosell
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
Island States ◽  
Rapid Assessment Method ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Earth Observation Data

The global COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has forced small island states to make rapid changes to the way they manage their marine estates following changes in global shipping practices and access which are essential for the supply of food items and island’s infrastructure. Following the closure of the border of neighboring French Polynesia, changes had to be made to the Pitcairn Islands’ sole supply vessel route, which resulted in the vessel requiring to set anchor on arrival at the island to conserve fuel. Considering this change and to ensure the continued protection of vulnerable coral habitats the local government has had to make swift decisions to identify anchoring zones that minimize seabed disturbance. Data collected in January 2020, just prior to the pandemic, were assessed using a rapid assessment method and combined with earth observation data to create the first shallow water (<∼20 m) habitat map of this island. The results show the distribution of vulnerable coral communities and other habitats, achieving an accuracy of 68% compared with previously collected datasets making the results the best available evidence for management purposes. Although the seabed data were not originally collected for this analysis, having both video and stills imagery aligned with global positioning meant a rapid assessment method could be easily applied to the data. The assessment technique used has resulted in the first reliable habitat distribution maps to be produced in a management critical timeframe, providing managers with the evidence they required to make informed decisions relating to the protection and conservation of Pitcairn’s pristine, marine habitats during these unprecedented times.

scholarly journals Rapid Assessment Method of Flood Damage Using Spatial-Statistical Models

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Abdul Hamid Mar Iman ◽  
Edlic Sathiamurthy
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Damage Assessment ◽  
Flood Hazard ◽  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Flood Damage ◽  
The State ◽  
Property Damage ◽  
Rapid Assessment Method ◽  
Spatial Approach

Attention to damage assessment is always a priority especially in cases of natural disaster. The state of Kelantan is known to be one of a few Malaysian states with noticeable natural disaster, in particular, flood. In December 2014, an extraordinary magnitude of flood – nicknamed as yellow flood – struck the state causing hundreds of million ringgit of damage to properties. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a spatial approach to estimating property damage incurred by flood. By selecting a badly affected area, GIS was used to map geo-referenced flood-hit location in Kuala Krai, Kelantan. Flood hazard was modelled and superimposed on estimated property damage. GIS spatial technique was then employed to estimate the flood damage incurred. This study, however, did not make a complete damage assessment of the properties but rather focusing on the methodology of damage assessment to show how it can be implemented. In conclusion, GIS spatial technique can generally be used to provide flood damage rapid assessment method.

Indicators of herbivorous fish biomass in community-based marine management areas in Fiji

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Albert ◽  
Alifereti Tawake ◽  
Ron Vave ◽  
Paul Fisher ◽  
Alistair Grinham
Keyword(s):  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
Ecological Indicators ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Marine Management ◽  
Rapid Assessment Method ◽  
Marine Areas

There has been a resurgence in community-based management of coral reef resources in the developing world over the last two decades. However, many of the threats to reef ecosystems are increasing at a rate beyond local knowledge acquisition. Consequently, there is a continuing need for management tools and monitoring to support community-based approaches. Using algal, fish and reef indicators we provide a rapid assessment method of herbivorous fishes in Locally Managed Marine Areas in Fiji. The algal indicator technique provided a time-integrated assessment of the process of herbivory within Locally Managed Marine Areas and could be used by untrained community members to quantify management responses. Generally, reefs with higher herbivore biomass had a diverse low biomass of algae typical of healthy reefs. Reefs with fewer herbivores had a higher biomass of turf or leathery algae typical of degraded reefs. These results show that simple ecological indicators can be a useful addition to the existing local knowledge that underpins community-based management.

Video footage from drones for Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry – A practical and rapid assessment method for large wood accumulations in rivers?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Spreitzer ◽  
Isabella Schalko ◽  
Robert M. Boes ◽  
Volker Weitbrecht
Keyword(s):  
Structure From Motion ◽  
Estimation Error ◽  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Large Wood ◽  
Video Footage ◽  
Rapid Assessment Method ◽  
Complex Dimensions ◽  
Reliable Assessment

<p>Large wood (LW) and logjams are common and important elements in rivers, yet knowledge about composition, volume and porosity of wooden structures in streams is still limited. Most studies apply a rectangular approach (manually measuring a rough bounding-box of the logjam) to estimate LW accumulation volume and porosity. However, this method cannot capture the complex dimensions of LW accumulations and may introduce an additional human-made estimation error. Furthermore, there is a risk of accidents involved when obtaining manual measurements on logjams in the field. Drones represent a powerful tool in geosciences, yet their potential has not been fully exploited to date. The application of non-intrusive quantification methods is widely available in geosciences and recently also increasing for research related to LW in rivers. Recent studies demonstrated that drone imagery and Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry provide true replicates of prototype logjams in form of 3D-models. In the present study we used video footage of a LW accumulation, obtained via standard drone (DJI Phantom 4 Pro+), to evaluate its potential for a rapid assessment of geometric measures (e.g. length, width, height, volume) of the LW accumulation. The gained results from the 4k drone video footage (4,096 x 2,160 pixels) were scaled solely from the obtained video georeferencing data and verified with a properly scaled 3D-accumulation-model that has been generated from high resolution drone imagery (5,472 x 3,648 pixels). We are interested in the level of detail and accuracy, that can be obtained from georeferenced drone footage, and aim to introduce a practical and more reliable assessment method as a state-of-the-art alternative to the traditionally applied rectangular approach. Our study may be of interest for river managers and engineers to rapidly and safely assess LW accumulation volume and porosity in the field.</p>

Existing Embankment Structures Vulnerability: A Rapid Assessment Method

2015 ◽  
pp. 847-851
Author(s):  
Fedele Cuculo ◽  
Alberto di Ludovico ◽  
Annunziata di Niro ◽  
Maria Pina Izzo ◽  
Maria Eugenia Mobbili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Rapid Assessment Method

scholarly journals The Missing Metric: An Evaluation of Fungal Importance in Wetland Assessments

Wetlands ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 825-838
Author(s):  
Aaron Onufrak ◽  
Megan A. Rúa ◽  
Katie Hossler
Keyword(s):  
Physicochemical Properties ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Fungal Community ◽  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Soil Physicochemical Properties ◽  
Fungal Community Composition ◽  
Rapid Assessment Method ◽  
Wetland Quality

AbstractTo preserve wetland ecosystem function, federal and state agencies have developed assessment procedures to better manage remaining wetland areas. Currently, wetland assessments do not consider microorganisms when determining wetland quality. This is notable, because fungi are often the primary decomposers of organic material and thus important players in nutrient cycling. The objective of this study is to quantify how wetland quality, as measured using the Ohio Rapid Assessment Method (ORAM), relates to fungal community composition. We sampled soils from six depressional emergent marshes in Ohio belonging to each of the three ORAM quality categories, assessed soil physicochemical properties, and recovered fungal DNA. We then determined if wetland quality as expressed by the ORAM reflects soil health. Our results indicate that ORAM scoring methodology significantly explains differences in fungal community composition between wetlands. We also found that soil physicochemical properties not currently included in the ORAM are strong drivers of fungal community composition, particularly bulk density, pH, soil organic matter, and soil moisture. Overall, our results suggest fungal community composition reflects wetland quality as assessed by the ORAM, and that the ORAM and potentially other wetland assessments could better capture the soil environment by including easily measured soil physicochemical properties.

Validation of a wetland Rapid Assessment Method: Use of EPA’s level 1-2-3 framework for method testing and refinement

Wetlands ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 648-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric D. Stein ◽  
A. Elizabeth Fetscher ◽  
Ross P. Clark ◽  
Adam Wiskind ◽  
J. Letitia Grenier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Rapid Assessment Method ◽  
Level 1
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