scholarly journals A Framework for Multi-Dimensional Assessment of Wildfire Disturbance Severity from Remotely Sensed Ecosystem Functioning Attributes

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 780
Author(s):  
Bruno Marcos ◽  
João Gonçalves ◽  
Domingo Alcaraz-Segura ◽  
Mário Cunha ◽  
João P. Honrado
Keyword(s):  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Vegetation Water

Wildfire disturbances can cause modifications in different dimensions of ecosystem functioning, i.e., the flows of matter and energy. There is an increasing need for methods to assess such changes, as functional approaches offer advantages over those focused solely on structural or compositional attributes. In this regard, remote sensing can support indicators for estimating a wide variety of effects of fire on ecosystem functioning, beyond burn severity assessment. These indicators can be described using intra-annual metrics of quantity, seasonality, and timing, called Ecosystem Functioning Attributes (EFAs). Here, we propose a satellite-based framework to evaluate the impacts, at short to medium term (i.e., from the year of fire to the second year after), of wildfires on four dimensions of ecosystem functioning: (i) primary productivity, (ii) vegetation water content, (iii) albedo, and (iv) sensible heat. We illustrated our approach by comparing inter-annual anomalies in satellite-based EFAs in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, from 2000 to 2018. Random Forest models were used to assess the ability of EFAs to discriminate burned vs. unburned areas and to rank the predictive importance of EFAs. Together with effect sizes, this ranking was used to select a parsimonious set of indicators for analyzing the main effects of wildfire disturbances on ecosystem functioning, for both the whole study area (i.e., regional scale), as well as for four selected burned patches with different environmental conditions (i.e., local scale). With both high accuracies (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) > 0.98) and effect sizes (Cohen’s |d| > 0.8), we found important effects on all four dimensions, especially on primary productivity and sensible heat, with the best performance for quantity metrics. Different spatiotemporal patterns of wildfire severity across the selected burned patches for different dimensions further highlighted the importance of considering the multi-dimensional effects of wildfire disturbances on key aspects of ecosystem functioning at different timeframes, which allowed us to diagnose both abrupt and lagged effects. Finally, we discuss the applicability as well as the potential advantages of the proposed approach for more comprehensive assessments of fire severity.

The Default Network Distinguishes Construals of Proximal versus Distal Events

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 2945-2955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana I. Tamir ◽  
Jason P. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Neuroscience ◽  
Psychological Distance ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Retrosplenial Cortex ◽  
Default Network ◽  
Implicit Measure ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Neuroscience Research ◽  
Cognitive Theories ◽  
Different Dimensions

Humans enjoy a singular capacity to imagine events that differ from the “here-and-now.” Recent cognitive neuroscience research has linked such simulation processes to the brain's “default network.” However, extant cognitive theories suggest that perceivers reliably simulate only relatively proximal experiences—those that seem nearby, soon, likely to happen, or relevant to a close other. Here, we test these claims by examining spontaneous engagement of the default network while perceivers consider experiencing events from proximal and distal perspectives. Across manipulations of perspective in four dimensions, two regions of the default network—medial prefrontal cortex and retrosplenial cortex—were more active for proximal than distal events, supporting cognitive accounts that perceivers only richly simulate experiences that seem immediate and that perceivers represent different dimensions of distance similarly. Moreover, stable individual differences in default activity when thinking about distal events correlated with individual variability in an implicit measure of psychological distance, suggesting that perceivers naturally vary in their tendency to simulate far-off or unlikely experiences.

scholarly journals Assessment of model estimates of land-atmosphere CO<sub>2</sub> exchange across Northern Eurasia

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 4385-4405 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Rawlins ◽  
A. D. McGuire ◽  
J. S. Kimball ◽  
P. Dass ◽  
D. Lawrence ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Residence Time ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Northern Eurasia ◽  
Sink Strength ◽  
Vegetation Productivity ◽  
Co2 Sink

Abstract. A warming climate is altering land-atmosphere exchanges of carbon, with a potential for increased vegetation productivity as well as the mobilization of permafrost soil carbon stores. Here we investigate land-atmosphere carbon dioxide (CO2) cycling through analysis of net ecosystem productivity (NEP) and its component fluxes of gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) and soil carbon residence time, simulated by a set of land surface models (LSMs) over a region spanning the drainage basin of Northern Eurasia. The retrospective simulations cover the period 1960–2009 at 0.5° resolution, which is a scale common among many global carbon and climate model simulations. Model performance benchmarks were drawn from comparisons against both observed CO2 fluxes derived from site-based eddy covariance measurements as well as regional-scale GPP estimates based on satellite remote-sensing data. The site-based comparisons depict a tendency for overestimates in GPP and ER for several of the models, particularly at the two sites to the south. For several models the spatial pattern in GPP explains less than half the variance in the MODIS MOD17 GPP product. Across the models NEP increases by as little as 0.01 to as much as 0.79 g C m−2 yr−2, equivalent to 3 to 340 % of the respective model means, over the analysis period. For the multimodel average the increase is 135 % of the mean from the first to last 10 years of record (1960–1969 vs. 2000–2009), with a weakening CO2 sink over the latter decades. Vegetation net primary productivity increased by 8 to 30 % from the first to last 10 years, contributing to soil carbon storage gains. The range in regional mean NEP among the group is twice the multimodel mean, indicative of the uncertainty in CO2 sink strength. The models simulate that inputs to the soil carbon pool exceeded losses, resulting in a net soil carbon gain amid a decrease in residence time. Our analysis points to improvements in model elements controlling vegetation productivity and soil respiration as being needed for reducing uncertainty in land-atmosphere CO2 exchange. These advances will require collection of new field data on vegetation and soil dynamics, the development of benchmarking data sets from measurements and remote-sensing observations, and investments in future model development and intercomparison studies.

scholarly journals Large but decreasing effect of ozone on the European carbon sink

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (13) ◽  
pp. 4245-4269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca J. Oliver ◽  
Lina M. Mercado ◽  
Stephen Sitch ◽  
David Simpson ◽  
Belinda E. Medlyn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Stomatal Closure ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Background Concentrations ◽  
Tropospheric O3 ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The capacity of the terrestrial biosphere to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change is governed by the ability of vegetation to remove emissions of CO2 through photosynthesis. Tropospheric O3, a globally abundant and potent greenhouse gas, is, however, known to damage plants, causing reductions in primary productivity. Despite emission control policies across Europe, background concentrations of tropospheric O3 have risen significantly over the last decades due to hemispheric-scale increases in O3 and its precursors. Therefore, plants are exposed to increasing background concentrations, at levels currently causing chronic damage. Studying the impact of O3 on European vegetation at the regional scale is important for gaining greater understanding of the impact of O3 on the land carbon sink at large spatial scales. In this work we take a regional approach and update the JULES land surface model using new measurements specifically for European vegetation. Given the importance of stomatal conductance in determining the flux of O3 into plants, we implement an alternative stomatal closure parameterisation and account for diurnal variations in O3 concentration in our simulations. We conduct our analysis specifically for the European region to quantify the impact of the interactive effects of tropospheric O3 and CO2 on gross primary productivity (GPP) and land carbon storage across Europe. A factorial set of model experiments showed that tropospheric O3 can suppress terrestrial carbon uptake across Europe over the period 1901 to 2050. By 2050, simulated GPP was reduced by 4 to 9 % due to plant O3 damage and land carbon storage was reduced by 3 to 7 %. The combined physiological effects of elevated future CO2 (acting to reduce stomatal opening) and reductions in O3 concentrations resulted in reduced O3 damage in the future. This alleviation of O3 damage by CO2-induced stomatal closure was around 1 to 2 % for both land carbon and GPP, depending on plant sensitivity to O3. Reduced land carbon storage resulted from diminished soil carbon stocks consistent with the reduction in GPP. Regional variations are identified with larger impacts shown for temperate Europe (GPP reduced by 10 to 20 %) compared to boreal regions (GPP reduced by 2 to 8 %). These results highlight that O3 damage needs to be considered when predicting GPP and land carbon, and that the effects of O3 on plant physiology need to be considered in regional land carbon cycle assessments.

scholarly journals Public Sector Organizational Culture: Experience from Frontline Bureaucracies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Morshed Alom
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Public Sector Organization ◽  
Culture Dimensions ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Team Orientation ◽  
Health And Well Being

This chapter discusses the practice of organizational culture by the frontline bureaucrats in Bangladesh. Culture scholars argue that organizational culture—commonly defined as the beliefs, values, attitudes, and practices of the members of an organization—is a powerful force in determining the health and well-being of an organization. Scholars also suggest the existence of different dimensions of organizational culture. Although they do not agree in naming these dimensions, commonalities are found in their understanding. How organizational culture is practiced by the frontline bureaucrats in Bangladesh has not been studied much. A study was designed to know how the frontline public bureaucrats practice organizational culture and how they differ in their practices along their service lines. Four dimensions of organizational culture—power distance, uncertainty avoidance tendency, participation, and team orientation—were considered. The chosen culture dimensions impact the overall management of any public sector organization. Three hundred and twenty-six frontline public bureaucrats were studied using a survey questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics have been used for analyzing the collected data. Findings from independent samples t-tests revealed that the frontline bureaucrats significantly differ along their service lines in practicing the culture dimensions.

Managerial Culture and Work-related Values in India

1990 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 075-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joginder P. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Power Distance ◽  
Economic Sector ◽  
Employment Stability ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Replication Studies ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Managerial Culture ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Stress At Work ◽  
Work And Employment

Replication studies using Hofstede's Values Survey Module (VSM) show that scores on the four dimensions of culture tend to vary considerably for different samples. The present research studied the Indian managerial culture based upon a sample of 176 managers from 56 organizations and analysed variations in scores due to age, education and the nature of job, etc. The results show that considering the effective range of the scales, the Indian managers' scores are low on all four dimensions. Results also show that cultural scores tend to vary selectively with age, education, nature of job and economic sector. Variations in power distance were related to preferred and perceived style of the superior, in uncertainty avoidance to stress at work and employment stability, in individualism to the importance of cooperative colleagues and desirable area for living, and in masculinity to cooperative colleagues, and opportunities for earning and advancement. Finally, the results show that different dimensions have varying degrees of stability.

scholarly journals Use of the model of Inner Strength for analysing reflective interviews in a group of healthy middle-aged adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 205031211985681
Author(s):  
Berit Lundman ◽  
Anne Hammarström ◽  
Christina Ahlgren ◽  
Astrid Norberg
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Positive View ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Healthy Women ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Inner Strength ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

Objective: Inner Strength has been described as a human resource that promotes well-being linked to health. The aim of this study was to explore how Inner Strength and its four dimensions are manifested in interviews in a group of middle-aged healthy women and men. Methods: Retrospective reflective interviews with middle-aged healthy women (n = 5) and men (n = 4) selected from a population study were content analysed deductively. Results: The following themes and their constituents were found in the respective dimensions of the Model of Inner Strength. Firmness: having a drive to act, being purposeful, having trust in one’s competence, and having a positive view of life. Connectedness: being in community, receiving and giving support, and, receiving and giving care. Creativity: changing unsatisfactory life situations, seeing new opportunities, and realizing dreams. Stretchability: balancing between options, and extending oneself. Conclusions: Expressions that were interpreted as belonging to Inner Strength could be referred the different dimensions of Inner Strength. The Model of Inner Strength is suitable for analysing Inner Strength among middle-aged men and women. The findings indicate that Inner Strength can be identified in human beings’ narratives if asked for.

scholarly journals Net Primary Productivity of Pinus massoniana Dependence on Climate, Soil and Forest Characteristics

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Huang ◽  
Chunbo Huang ◽  
Mingjun Teng ◽  
Zhixiang Zhou ◽  
Pengcheng Wang
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Soil Nutrients ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Pinus Massoniana ◽  
Forest Productivity ◽  
Tree Component ◽  
Total Tree

Understanding the spatial variation of forest productivity and its driving factors on a large regional scale can help reveal the response mechanism of tree growth to climate change, and is an important prerequisite for efficient forest management and studying regional and global carbon cycles. Pinus massoniana Lamb. is a major planted tree species in southern China, playing an important role in the development of forestry due to its high economic and ecological benefits. Here, we establish a biomass database for P. massoniana, including stems, branches, leaves, roots, aboveground organs and total tree, by collecting the published literature, to increase our understanding of net primary productivity (NPP) geographical trends for each tree component and their influencing factors across the entire geographical distribution of the species in southern China. P. massoniana NPP ranges from 1.04 to 13.13 Mg·ha−1·year−1, with a mean value of 5.65 Mg·ha−1·year−1. The NPP of both tree components (i.e., stem, branch, leaf, root, aboveground organs, and total tree) show no clear relationships with longitude and elevation, but an inverse relationship with latitude (p < 0.01). Linear mixed-effects models (LMMs) are employed to analyze the effect of environmental factors and stand characteristics on P. massoniana NPP. LMM results reveal that the NPP of different tree components have different sensitivities to environmental and stand variables. Appropriate temperature and soil nutrients (particularly soil available phosphorus) are beneficial to biomass accumulation of this species. It is worth noting that the high temperature in July and August (HTWM) is a significant climate stressor across the species geographical distribution and is not restricted to marginal populations in the low latitude area. Temperature was a key environmental factor behind the inverse latitudinal trends of P. massoniana NPP, because it showed a higher sensitivity than other factors. In the context of climate warming and nitrogen (N) deposition, the inhibition effect caused by high temperatures and the lack or imbalance of soil nutrients, particularly soil phosphorus, should be paid more attention in the future. These findings advance our understanding about the factors influencing the productivity of each P. massoniana tree component across the full geographical distribution of the species, and are therefore valuable for forecasting climate-induced variation in forest productivity.

I.B.P. studies on montane grassland and moorlands

1976 ◽  
Vol 274 (934) ◽  
pp. 295-314 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Secondary Production ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Dwarf Shrub ◽  
South Georgia ◽  
Blanket Bog ◽  
Herbivore Consumption

The aim of the grassland and moorland studies was to measure primary and secondary production and to describe the main pathways of dry matter and nutrients within these ecosystems. The strategy was to make detailed studies on two main sites (Snowdonia and Moor House N.N.R. in the northern Pennines) with a limited number of supporting studies. The examination of the few sites in the U.K. must be seen as part of a series of sites within the International Grassland and Tundra Biomes. They are thus replicates and the series allows examination of trends in productivity related to environmental conditions. The Bi-Polar Botanical Project, with sites in Greenland and South Georgia, supported by the U.K., is part of the international series. The Snowdonia project covered a range of sites but concentrated on a sheep-grazed Agrostis-Festuca sward at 460 m. At Moor House attention focused on blanket bog sites dominated by Calluna, Eriophorum and Sphagnum at about 600 m with supporting studies on dwarf shrub communities ranging from 1100 m in the Cairngorm Mountains to 60 m in Dorset. Comparisons are made of three estimates of primary productivity, of herbivore consumption with production, and decomposer populations with process rates. These results are briefly reviewed in the context of the international range of sites; they allow us to distinguish broad patterns of ecosystem functioning.

The Principle of "Effectiveness" in the Recent Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights: Its Different Dimensions and Its Consistency with Public International Law – No Need for the Concept of Treaty Sui Generis

2010 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Rietiker
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
International Law ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
European Convention ◽  
Vienna Convention ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
European Court ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
International Legal System ◽  
Teleological Interpretation

AbstractThe recent past has shown an ever-growing fragmentation of the international legal system where lawyers and judges are facing more and more the phenomenon of the same legal question being discussed in different fora. This is particularly the case in the field of human rights that entails the dispersal of responsibilities for interpretation of numerous instruments among various different judicial and quasi-judicial bodies, of both universal and regional nature. In order to secure coherence and legal certainty in the system, it is important to respect a set of principles and rules of general international law, in particular Articles 31–33 of the 1969 Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties (VCLT). The first goal of this article is to analyse whether the Court applies the rules of the VCLT to the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Secondly, assuming that the VCLT fully applies, it will be analysed whether Article 31(1) VCLT is flexible enough to allow nevertheless some leeway for the development of specificities, especially as a result of the particular nature of the ECHR. Thirdly, it will be shown that the Court has indeed developed a set of specific methods of interpretation, aiming to render the rights enshrined in the ECHR effective. From the author's point of view, they can all be regarded as sub-forms (or partial aspects) of the teleological interpretation. He distinguishes between four dimensions of the principle of "effectiveness".

The Effects of Corpus Use on Second Language Vocabulary Learning: A Multilevel Meta-analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 721-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hansol Lee ◽  
Mark Warschauer ◽  
Jang Ho Lee
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

Abstract This study investigates the effects of corpus use on second language (L2) vocabulary learning as well as the influence of moderators on effectiveness. Based on 29 studies representing 38 unique samples, all of which met several criteria for inclusion (e.g. with control groups), we found an overall positive medium-sized effect of corpus use on L2 vocabulary learning for both short-term (77 posttest effect sizes; Hedges’ g = 0.74, SE = 0.09, p < .001) and long-term periods (34 follow-up effect sizes; Hedges’ g = 0.64, SE = 0.17, p < .001). Furthermore, large variation in adjusted mean effect sizes across moderators was revealed. Above all, for the different dimensions of L2 vocabulary knowledge, in-depth knowledge (i.e. referential meanings as well as syntactic features of vocabulary) was associated with a large effect size. Moreover, the results revealed that learners’ L2 proficiency and several features of corpus use (i.e. interaction types, corpus types, training, and duration) influence the magnitude of the effectiveness of corpus use in improving L2 vocabulary learning.

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