scholarly journals A Multiscale Productivity Assessment of High Andean Peatlands across the Chilean Altiplano Using 31 Years of Landsat Imagery

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 2955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto O. Chávez ◽  
Duncan A. Christie ◽  
Matías Olea ◽  
Talia G. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Landsat Imagery ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Unique Type ◽  
Study Region ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Productivity Dynamics ◽  
Productivity Assessment

The high Andean peatlands, locally known as “bofedales”, are a unique type of wetland distributed across the high-elevation South American Altiplano plateau. This extensive peatland network stores significant amounts of carbon, regulates local and regional hydrological cycles, supports habitats for a variety of plant and animal species, and has provided critical water and forage resources for the livestock of the indigenous Aymara communities for thousands of years. Nevertheless, little is known about the productivity dynamics of the high Andean peatlands, particularly in the drier western Altiplano region bordering the Atacama desert. Here, we provide the first digital peatland inventory and multiscale productivity assessment for the entire western Altiplano (63,705 km2) using 31 years of Landsat data (about 9000 scenes) and a non-parametric approach for estimating phenological metrics. We identified 5665 peatland units, covering an area of 510 km2, and evaluated the spatiotemporal productivity patterns at the regional, peatland polygon, and individual pixel scales. The regional assessment shows that the peatland areas and peatlands with higher productivity are concentrated towards the northern part of our study region, which is consistent with the Altiplano north–south aridity gradient. Regional patterns further reveal that the last seven years (2011–2017) have been the most productive period over the past three decades. While individual pixels show contrasting patterns of reductions and gains in local productivity during the most recent time period, most of the study area has experienced increases in annual productivity, supporting the regional results. Our novel database can be used not only to explore future research questions related to the social, biological, and hydrological influences on peatland productivity patterns, but also to provide technical support for the sustainable development of livestock practices and conservation and water management policy in the Altiplano region.

scholarly journals Glacier melting and precipitation trends detected by surface area changes in Himalayan ponds

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1433-1448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franco Salerno ◽  
Sudeep Thakuri ◽  
Nicolas Guyennon ◽  
Gaetano Viviano ◽  
Gianni Tartari
Keyword(s):  
Surface Area ◽  
Landsat Imagery ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Glacier Shrinkage ◽  
Glacier Melt ◽  
Glacier Melting ◽  
Glacier Ice ◽  
Climatic Time Series

Abstract. Climatic time series for high-elevation Himalayan regions are decidedly scarce. Although glacier shrinkage is now sufficiently well described, the changes in precipitation and temperature at these elevations are less clear. This contribution shows that the surface area variations of unconnected glacial ponds, i.e. ponds not directly connected to glacier ice, but that may have a glacier located in their hydrological basin, can be considered as suitable proxies for detecting past changes in the main hydrological components of the water balance. On the south side of Mt Everest, glacier melt and precipitation have been found to be the main drivers of unconnected pond surface area changes (detected mainly with Landsat imagery). In general, unconnected ponds have decreased significantly by approximately 10 ± 5 % in terms of surface area over the last 50 years (1963–2013 period) in the study region. Here, an increase in precipitation occurred until the mid-1990s followed by a decrease until recent years. Until the 1990s, glacier melt was constant. An increase occurred in the early 2000s, while a declining trend in maximum temperature has caused a reduction in the glacier melt during recent years.

scholarly journals Variability of Cloudiness over Mountain Terrain in the Western United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1227-1245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Sumargo ◽  
Daniel R. Cayan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Empirical Orthogonal Functions ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Cloud Albedo

Abstract This study investigates the spatial and temporal variability of cloudiness across mountain zones in the western United States. Daily average cloud albedo is derived from a 19-yr series (1996–2014) of half-hourly Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) images. During springtime when incident radiation is active in driving snowmelt–runoff processes, the magnitude of daily cloud variations can exceed 50% of long-term averages. Even when aggregated over 3-month periods, cloud albedo varies by ±10% of long-term averages in many locations. Rotated empirical orthogonal functions (REOFs) of daily cloud albedo anomalies over high-elevation regions of the western conterminous United States identify distinct regional patterns, wherein the first five REOFs account for ~67% of the total variance. REOF1 is centered over Northern California and Oregon and is pronounced between November and March. REOF2 is centered over the interior northwest and is accentuated between March and July. Each of the REOF/rotated principal components (RPC) modes associates with anomalous large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns and one or more large-scale teleconnection indices (Arctic Oscillation, Niño-3.4, and Pacific–North American), which helps to explain why anomalous cloudiness patterns take on regional spatial scales and contain substantial variability over seasonal time scales.

scholarly journals The Moderating Role of Intellectual Capital between Relationship of Bank Specific Factors and Credit Risk of Islamic Banks

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 79-87
Author(s):  
Muhammad Nawaz ◽  
Alias Mat Nor ◽  
Habibah Tolos
Keyword(s):  
Credit Risk ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose-The Objective of this study is to investigate the moderating role of Intellectual Capital between the relationship of Bank internal factor and Credit Risk in Islamic banks of Pakistan. Design/Methodology-Panel data are obtained from annual reports of 4 Islamic banks of Pakistan from the period 2006 to 2017. These are analyzed using hierarchical regression techniques, via Eviews 9 software. Findings-The results showed that intellectual capital significantly moderates the relationship of bank internal variable and credit risk in Islamic banks in Pakistan. Practical Implications-The study found that Intellectual Capital is a very important driver for credit risk. The investment in Intellectual Capital may lower the credit risk which will further help in the growth and sustainability of the bank and hence the growth in the economy. The results of the study will be useful for bank management, policy maker, and regulator and academia for future research.

Two-Sided Markets and Social Media

2013 ◽  
pp. 197-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojing Lu ◽  
Ronald E. Goldsmith ◽  
Margherita Pagani
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Unique Type ◽  
Specific Product ◽  
Intent To Use ◽  
Incentive Strategies ◽  
Product Domains ◽  
Reward Programs ◽  
Social Rewards ◽  
Two Sided Markets

This chapter introduces the concept of “two-sided” markets and shows how they comprise a unique type of social media that facilitates the development of social networks oriented toward specific product domains (e.g., restaurants), specific brands (e.g., Starbucks), or common consumer concerns (e.g., Yelp.com). Not only do two-sided-markets constitute a unique type of Website, they can be integrated with or linked to other social media, thereby enriching the value of both the two-sided market and its partner(s). Because a two-sided market increases in value for all three parties that constitute it (consumers, the platform, and vendors) as the number of both vendors and consumer participants grows, platform managers are eager to use incentive strategies to encourage consumers to increase their active use of the site. Among these incentive strategies are various reward programs that stimulate use by rewarding consumers who add content, post reviews, comment on others’ reviews, and more. Part of this chapter describes two online experiments that demonstrate that two types of common reward programs, monetary and social rewards (Heyman & Ariely, 2004), are effective in stimulating consumer intent to use the site more actively than without a reward. Finally, we make several suggestions for integrating two-sided markets into other social media, and we propose several avenues for future research into this topic that should increase our understanding of how consumers behave in two-sided markets and how platform managers can both enhance active use and use the information derived from this use.

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence from the Longitudinal Parenting Across Cultures Project

2021 ◽  
pp. 89-112
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Lansford ◽  
W. Andrew Rothenberg ◽  
Sombat Tapanya ◽  
Liliana Maria Uribe Tirado ◽  
Saengduean Yotanyamaneewong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Longitudinal Data ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Health And Well Being

This chapter uses evidence from the Parenting Across Cultures (PAC) project to illustrate ways in which longitudinal data can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs.) The chapter begins by providing an overview of the research questions that have guided the international PAC as well as a description of the participants, procedures, and measures. Next, empirical findings from PAC are summarized to illustrate implications for six specific SDGs related to child and adolescent development in relation to education, poverty, gender, mental health, and well-being. Then the chapter describes how longitudinal data offer advantages over cross-sectional data in operationalizing SDG targets and implementing the SDGs. Finally, limitations, future research directions, and conclusions are provided.

Requisite Sustainable Development Contemplating Buildings

2022 ◽  
pp. 269-288
Author(s):  
Parul Bhyan ◽  
Bhavna Shrivastava ◽  
Nand Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Future Generation ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Environment Sustainability

Sustainable development is a requisite for future generation, as increasing urbanization, destruction of natural resources by anthropic activities, degrading ecosystems for the sake of present economic development at cost of environmental exploitation are increasing by each passing day on earth. The goal of this chapter is to provide meaningful insights for policy-makers and decision-makers towards sustainable development in the construction industry. This study is first-of-its-kind study focusing on the Sustainable Developments Goals and sustainability dimensions and their criteria and indicators in one compilation through literature study. The study concludes that there is a need to integrate the construction industry into the Sustainable Development Goals and their targets to test the built environment sustainability and there is a need to develop the most adequate frameworks for commencing the topic. Two possible frameworks suggested for future research recommendation needed for the Indian context to enhance sustainability within construction industry are based on LCSA and MCDM analysis.

scholarly journals Current Understanding of the Driving Mechanisms for Spatiotemporal Variations of Atmospheric Speciated Mercury: A Critical Review

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiting Mao ◽  
Irene Cheng ◽  
Leiming Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Free Troposphere ◽  
Spatiotemporal Variations ◽  
Driving Mechanisms ◽  
Diurnal Patterns

Abstract. Understanding of spatial and temporal variations of atmospheric speciated mercury can advance our knowledge of mercury cycling in various environments. This review summarized spatiotemporal variations of total gaseous mercury or gaseous elemental mercury (TGM/GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM), and particulate-bound mercury (PBM) in various environments including oceans, continents, high elevation, the free troposphere, and low to high latitudes. In the marine boundary layer (MBL), the oxidation of GEM was generally thought to drive the diurnal and seasonal variations of TGM/GEM and GOM in most oceanic regions, leading to lower GEM and higher GOM from noon to afternoon and higher GEM during winter and higher GOM during spring-summer. At continental sites, the driving mechanisms of TGM/GEM diurnal patterns included surface and local emissions, boundary layer dynamics, GEM oxidation, and mountain-valley winds at high elevation sites. Oxidation of GEM and entrainment of GOM from the free troposphere influenced the diurnal patterns of GOM at continental sites. No pronounced diurnal variation was found for Tekran measured PBM at MBL and continental sites. Seasonal variations in TGM/GEM at continental sites were attributed to increased winter combustion, increased surface emissions during summer, and monsoons in Asia. GEM oxidation, free tropospheric transport, anthropogenic emissions, and wet deposition appeared to affect the seasonal pattern of GOM at continental sites. Since measurements were predominantly in the northern hemisphere (NH), increased PBM at continental sites during winter was primarily due to local/regional coal combustion and wood burning emissions. Long-term TGM measurements from the MBL and continental sites indicated an overall declining trend consistent with those of anthropogenic and natural emissions and potentially redox chemistry. The latitudinal gradient in TGM/GEM showed an increase from the southern to northern hemisphere due largely to the vast majority of Hg emissions in the NH. This gradient was insignificant during summer probably as a result of weaker meridional mixing. Aircraft measurements indicated no significant GEM gradient with altitude over the field campaign regions; however depletion of GEM was observed in air masses under stratospheric influence. Remaining questions and issues related to factors potentially contributing to the observed spatiotemporal variations were identified, and recommendations for future research needs were provided.

scholarly journals Research on Sustainable Development in an Alpine Pastoral Area Based on Equilibrium Analysis Between the Grassland Yield, Livestock Carrying Capacity, and Animal Husbandry Population

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 4659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiping Zhang ◽  
Linbo Zhang ◽  
Xiaona Liu ◽  
Qing Qiao
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Quantitative Relationship ◽  
Equilibrium Analysis ◽  
Population Pressure ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
The Sustainable Development

Equilibrium of the grassland yield, livestock carrying capacity, and animal husbandry population is the key factor that influences the ecological environment and sustainable development in pastoral areas. It is of great importance to define the animal husbandry pressure and carrying capacity of an animal husbandry population for grassland management policy-making and the sustainable development of animal husbandry. As one of the areas with the most sensitive and vulnerable ecosystem in China, the Three-River Headwaters Region is an ecological barrier for the environmental security and regional sustainable development of Southeast Asian nations. It is of great significance to define the livestock carrying capacity and population pressure in the area. This research estimates the net primary productivity (NPP) of vegetation in the Three-River Headwaters Region using Carnegie-Ames-Stanford approach (CASA) model, estimates the grass yield on the basis of NPP data, and then estimates the reasonable livestock carrying capacity according to the grass yield. Meanwhile, combined with herdsmen investigation data, it establishes a quantitative relationship between the proper livestock carrying capacity and reasonable animal husbandry population. In addition, the spatial distribution of an overloading animal husbandry population is analyzed through spatial interpolation, which can provide theoretical support for the establishment of scientific ecological immigration policy and the sustainable development of local animal husbandry. The results show that (1) the total grass yield of the grassland in the Three-River Headwaters Region is 13.96 million tons, and the average grass yield is 529.87 kg/hm2, whilst the spatial distribution presents a decreasing trend from the east and southeast to the west and northwest; (2) the reasonable livestock carrying capacity is 14.03 million sheep units (hereinafter referred as “SU”), and the average livestock carrying capacity is 55.14 SU/km2; and (3) the reasonable animal husbandry population carrying capacity is 512,500 people, while the actual amount is 645,300, with 132,800 people beyond the carrying capacity, especially in Xinghai, Tongde, Zekog, Yushu, Nangqen, and Chindu County.

Unravelling the encumbrances in the low-cost housing computerised open registration system in Malaysia's major cities

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Ebekozien ◽  
Abdul-Rashid Abdul-Aziz ◽  
Mastura Jaafar
Keyword(s):  
State Government ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Registration System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Allocation Process ◽  
Low Cost Housing

PurposeMalaysia's open registration system (ORS) scheme, which began in 1997, was established as part of prevention mechanism by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government to plug the leakage in the low-cost housing (LCH) allocation process. After two decades, ineligible persons still secure LCH to the detriment of the Malaysian low-income earners (LIEs) house-buyers/rentals. This paper explored the LCH computerised ORS for LIEs and proffered policy solutions to improve the scheme.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected via unexplored exploratory sequential mixed methods approach that engaged 25 well-informed participants and the ‘quantilised findings’, validated by the Malaysian LCH policymakers.FindingsThis paper found that there is weak compliance to computerised ORS, which is pronounced in states with relaxed eligibility clearance. Also, it was found that under-declaration of income evident in states where there is relaxed verification and lack of data sharing between states and with federal governments, among others, are the root cause of weak compliance to computerised ORS.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is limited to unravelling the encumbrances in the low-cost housing computerised open registration system in Malaysia's major cities. Future research is needed to use relevant information to access the level of enforcement of the computerised open registration system across the states of Malaysia.Practical implicationsThis paper recommended that LCH computerised ORS should be devoid of party favouritism, state government should establish functional LCH computerised ORS, and the state and federal governments, should embrace cooperative federalism. Also, applicants should be subjected to the Central Credit Reference Information System check, and culprits should be referred to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. This paper provides salutary lessons on how to improve the scheme with a view to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals regarding housing in 2030.Originality/valueThis paper demonstrates that the low-cost housing computerised open registration system in Malaysia is yet to be implemented across the states.

scholarly journals Progress and Prospects of Tourism Climate Research in China

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 701
Author(s):  
Linsheng Zhong ◽  
Dongjun Chen
Keyword(s):  
Research Process ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Climate Research ◽  
Tourism Climatology ◽  
Content System ◽  
Tourism Climate ◽  
The Impact

Tourism climate research is of great significance to the tourism industry because tourism is closely linked to climate. Based on an analysis of related core papers, this paper reviews the research progress on tourism climate in China in terms of research method, research process, and research topic. Research on tourism climate in China started later than similar research in some Western countries and the topics mainly focused on tourism climate resources, climate comfort for tourism, the impact of climate on tourists’ behavior and emotion, climate and tourism seasonality, climate change and tourism development, etc. To provide scientific support for the sustainable development of China’s tourism industry, we propose the following for future research, based on our review of the literature: (1) strengthening the theoretical study of tourism climatology, (2) constructing and improving the research content system, and (3) enriching relevant research in climate-sensitive areas.

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