scholarly journals Soil Hydrology for a Sustainable Land Management: Theory and Practice

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Di Prima ◽  
Mirko Castellini ◽  
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino ◽  
Artemi Cerdà
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Sustainable Land Management ◽  
Soil Hydrology ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Earth’S System

Soil hydrology determines the water–soil–plant interactions in the Earth’s system, because porous medium acts as an interface within the atmosphere and lithosphere, regulates main processes such as runoff discharge, aquifer recharge, movement of water and solutes into the soil and, ultimately, the amount of water retained and available for plants growth. Soil hydrology can be strongly affected by land management. Therefore, investigations aimed at assessing the impact of land management changes on soil hydrology are necessary, especially with a view to optimize water resources. This Special Issue collects 12 original contributions addressing the state of the art of soil hydrology for sustainable land management. These contributions cover a wide range of topics including (i) effects of land-use change, (ii) water use efficiency, (iii) erosion risk, (iv) solute transport, and (v) new methods and devices for improved characterization of soil physical and hydraulic properties. They involve both field and laboratory experiments, as well as modelling studies. Also, different spatial scales, i.e., from the field- to regional-scales, as well as a wide range of geographic regions are also covered. The collection of these manuscripts presented in this Special Issue provides a relevant knowledge contribution for effective saving water resources and sustainable land management.

scholarly journals Groundwater–Surface Water Interactions: Recent Advances and Interdisciplinary Challenges

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg Lewandowski ◽  
Karin Meinikmann ◽  
Stefan Krause
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Drinking Water Resources ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Lack Of Knowledge

The interactions of groundwater with surface waters such as streams, lakes, wetlands, or oceans are relevant for a wide range of reasons—for example, drinking water resources may rely on hydrologic fluxes between groundwater and surface water. However, nutrients and pollutants can also be transported across the interface and experience transformation, enrichment, or retention along the flow paths and cause impacts on the interconnected receptor systems. To maintain drinking water resources and ecosystem health, a mechanistic understanding of the underlying processes controlling the spatial patterns and temporal dynamics of groundwater–surface water interactions is crucial. This Special Issue provides an overview of current research advances and innovative approaches in the broad field of groundwater–surface water interactions. The 20 research articles and 1 communication of this Special Issue cover a wide range of thematic scopes, scales, and experimental and modelling methods across different disciplines (hydrology, aquatic ecology, biogeochemistry, environmental pollution) collaborating in research on groundwater–surface water interactions. The collection of research papers in this Special Issue also allows the identification of current knowledge gaps and reveals the challenges in establishing standardized measurement, observation, and assessment approaches. With regards to its relevance for environmental and water management and protection, the impact of groundwater–surface water interactions is still not fully understood and is often underestimated, which is not only due to a lack of awareness but also a lack of knowledge and experience regarding appropriate measurement and analysis approaches. This lack of knowledge exchange from research into management practice suggests that more efforts are needed to disseminate scientific results and methods to practitioners and policy makers.

Insights on the relationship between total grazing pressure management and sustainable land management: key indicators to verify impacts

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 535 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Waters ◽  
S. E. McDonald ◽  
J. Reseigh ◽  
R. Grant ◽  
D. G. Burnside
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Grazing Intensity ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Environmental Stewardship ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Sustainable Land Management ◽  
Key Indicators ◽  
The Impact

Demonstrating sustainable land management (SLM) requires an understanding of the linkages between grazing management and environmental stewardship. Grazing management practices that incorporate strategic periods of rest are promoted internationally as best practice. However, spatial and temporal trends in unmanaged feral (goat) and native (kangaroo) populations in the southern Australian rangelands can result land managers having, at times, control over less than half the grazing pressure, precluding the ability to rest pastures. Few empirical studies have examined the impacts of total grazing pressure (TGP) on biodiversity and resource condition, while the inability to manage grazing intensity at critical times may result in negative impacts on ground cover, changes in pasture species composition, increased rates of soil loss and reduce the ability for soils to store carbon. The widespread adoption of TGP control through exclusion fencing in the southern Australian rangelands has created unprecedented opportunities to manage total grazing pressure, although there is little direct evidence that this infrastructure leads to more sustainable land management. Here we identify several key indicators that are either outcome- or activity-based that could serve as a basis for verification of the impacts of TGP management. Since TGP is the basic determinant of the impact of herbivory on vegetation it follows that the ability for rangeland pastoral management to demonstrate SLM and environmental stewardship will rely on using evidence-based indicators to support environmental social licence to operate.

scholarly journals ‘This country just hangs tight’: perspectives on managing land degradation and climate change in far west NSW

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Berry ◽  
Graciela Metternicht ◽  
Alex Baumber
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Rangeland Management ◽  
Anthropogenic Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Land Management ◽  
Strong Basis ◽  
Context Specific

Discussions of land degradation often display a disconnect between global and local scales. Although global-scale discussions often focus on measuring and reversing land degradation through metrics and policy measures, local-scale discussions can highlight a diversity of viewpoints and the importance of local knowledge and context-specific strategies for sustainable land management. Similarly, although scientific studies clearly link anthropogenic climate change to land degradation as both cause and consequence, the connection may not be so clear for local rangelands communities due to the complex temporal and spatial scales of change and management in such environments. In research conducted in October 2015, we interviewed 18 stakeholders in the far west of New South Wales about their perspectives on sustainable land management. The results revealed highly variable views on what constitutes land degradation, its causes and appropriate responses. For the pastoral land managers, the most important sign of good land management was the maintenance of groundcover, through the management of total grazing pressure. Participants viewed overgrazing as a contributor to land degradation in some cases and they identified episodes of land degradation in the region. However, other more contentious factors were also highlighted, such as wind erosion, grazing by goats and kangaroos and the spread of undesired ‘invasive native scrub’ at the expense of more desirable pasture, and alternative views that these can offer productive benefits. Although few participants were concerned about anthropogenic climate change, many described their rangeland management styles as adaptive to the fluctuations of the climate, regardless of the reasons for these variations. Rather than focusing on whether landholders ‘believe in’ climate change or agree on common definitions or measurement approaches for land degradation, these results suggest that their culture of adaptation may provide a strong basis for coping with an uncertain future. The culture of adaption developed through managing land in a highly variable climate may help even if the specific conditions that landholders need to adapt to are unlike those experienced in living memory. Such an approach requires scientific and expert knowledge to be integrated alongside the context-specific knowledge, values and existing management strategies of local stakeholders.

Evaluation of the Impact of Horizontal Grid Spacing in Terra Incognita on Coupled Mesoscale–Microscale Simulations Using the WRF Framework

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 (3) ◽  
pp. 1007-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raj K. Rai ◽  
Larry K. Berg ◽  
Branko Kosović ◽  
Sue Ellen Haupt ◽  
Jeffrey D. Mirocha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Spectral Energy ◽  
Grid Spacing ◽  
Terra Incognita ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Microscale Simulations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Horizontal Grid

Abstract Coupled mesoscale–microscale simulations are required to provide time-varying weather-dependent inflow and forcing for large-eddy simulations under general flow conditions. Such coupling necessarily spans a wide range of spatial scales (i.e., ~10 m to ~10 km). Herein, we use simulations that involve multiple nested domains with horizontal grid spacings in the terra incognita (i.e., km) that may affect simulated conditions in both the outer and inner domains. We examine the impact on simulated wind speed and turbulence associated with forcing provided by a terrain with grid spacing in the terra incognita. We perform a suite of simulations that use combinations of varying horizontal grid spacings and turbulence parameterization/modeling using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model using a combination of planetary boundary layer (PBL) and large-eddy simulation subgrid-scale (LES-SGS) models. The results are analyzed in terms of spectral energy, turbulence kinetic energy, and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) energy. The results show that the output from the microscale domain depends on the type of turbulence model (e.g., PBL or LES-SGS model) used for a given horizontal grid spacing but is independent of the horizontal grid spacing and turbulence modeling of the parent domain. Simulation using a single domain produced less POD energy in the first few modes compared to a coupled simulation (one-way nesting) for similar horizontal grid spacing, which highlights that coupled simulations are required to accurately pass the mesoscale features into the microscale domain.

Canadian agricultural land-use and land management data for Kyoto reporting

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 431-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Huffman ◽  
R. Ogston ◽  
T. Fisette ◽  
B. Daneshfar ◽  
P-Y. Gasser, L. White ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Land Use And Management ◽  
National Analysis ◽  
The Impact

The land use and management data requirements for assessing, monitoring and reporting on the impact of agricultural production practices on the environment, especially in a country as large as Canada, are considerable. In view of the fact that environmental assessments are a relatively new phenomenon, data collection activities targeted toward these needs are not widespread. As a result, we find it necessary to acquire and integrate a variety of data sources with differing time lines, spatial scales and sampling frameworks. This paper uses our current activities with respect to Kyoto reporting as a focus to present and discuss the types of data required and the spatial analysis and integration procedures being developed to provide them. The essential data for this activity include the area of crop and land use types, land use changes since 1990, farm and land management practices and biomass production. The spatial framework selected for national analysis is the Soil Landscapes of Canada, and the primary existing data sources are the Census of Agriculture, sample-derived yield estimates and satellite-based land cover products. These are supplemented with detailed, multi-season, multi-year satellite image interpretations conducted at an ecologically and statistically stratified sample of sites across the country. The use of these data in preparing an account of greenhouse gas sources and sinks identified a number of gaps and problems, and a brief outline of future work designed to improve the data inputs is presented. Key words: Kyoto reporting, data integration, land use and management, greenhouse gases, carbon sequestration

scholarly journals Sustainable Energy Systems: Optimization and Efficiency

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4405 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Carlos de Oliveira Matias ◽  
Radu Godina ◽  
Edris Pouresmaeil
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Distributed Generation ◽  
Sustainable Energy ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
World Population ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sustainable Energy Systems ◽  
The Impact

The world population is growing at a very high rate, which also entails a massive increase in energy consumption, and also, therefore, in its production, which is gradually and steadily increasing. Energy and the environment are essential to achieving sustainable development, and constitute a fundamental part of human activity. If we consider energy efficiency as the use of an appliance, process or installation for which we try to produce more energy, but with less energy consumption than the average for these appliances, processes or installations, then achieving a higher energy efficiency is imperative. Energy efficiency is a cornerstone policy on the road to stopping climate change and to achieving sustainable societies, along with the development of renewable energy and an environmentally friendly transport policy. In this Special Issue, 11 selected and peer-reviewed articles have been contributed, on a wide range of topics under the umbrella of sustainable energy systems. The published articles encompass distinct areas of interest. One area addresses distributed generation, which addresses such topics as the optimal planning of distributed generation, protection of blind areas in distribution networks, multi-objective optimization in distributed generation, energy management of virtual power plants in distributed generation, and the impact of demand-response programs on a home microgrid, as well as concentrating solar power into a highly renewable, penetrated power system. The second section of the Special Issue addresses a wide range of topics, from parametric studies of 2 MW gas engines or data centers, to combustion characteristics of a non-premixed oxy-flame, to new techniques of PV Tracking, to applications of nanofluids in the thermal performance enhancement of parabolic trough solar collectors.

scholarly journals Introduction

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. v
Author(s):  
Brian Whalen
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Strategic Partnership ◽  
Official Journal ◽  
Annual Conference ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Education Abroad ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

The articles in this volume of Frontiers examine a wide range of issues and topics in education abroad on both theoretical and practical levels. From explorations of the meaning of global citizenship and the cultural, physical and virtual contexts of study abroad to examinations of language acquisition and the impact of study abroad on careers, this volume adds valuable information and insights to our understanding.  Frontiers depends on the support of many institutions and individuals. Sponsoring institutions make is possible to publish Frontiers independently, thereby keeping the price low for the subscribers. The editorial board and the many volunteers who serve as manuscript reviews contribute their time and expertise and help determine the content of the journal. Their anonymous judgments of articles in a double-blind review process are one of the keys to producing high-quality content.  Since 2002, Frontiers has been the official journal of the Forum on Education Abroad. Recently the strategic partnership between Frontiers and the Forum was updated so that Forum members will continue to receive complimentary subscriptions to Frontiers. Frontiers and the Forum share the goal of promoting and disseminating research that enlightens our understanding of education abroad. Research results inform us about the impact and effectiveness of education abroad programs so that the field can work to improve them to benefit students.  As part of this partnership, the next volume of Frontiers, a Special Issue on “Study Abroad and the City,” will debut at the Forum’s Annual Conference in Boston, MA, April 6-8, 2011. The theme of the conference is “Making the Connection: Praxis and Theory in Education Abroad,” and a number of authors of the Frontiers Special Issue will lead sessions that use their articles as springboards for discussions.  Brian Whalen, Editor  Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad 

scholarly journals The Men and the Boys, Twenty Years On

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Victoria Cann ◽  
Sebastián Madrid ◽  
Kopano Ratele ◽  
Anna Tarrant ◽  
Michael R.M. Ward ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Twentieth Anniversary ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Interdisciplinary Journal ◽  
Research Studies

Following the launch of our first special issue in December 2020 (Cann et al. 2020) we are delighted to publish this second, linked issue. As evidence of the impact and dominance of Raewyn Connell’s ideas and their influence on the field, we received so many high-quality abstracts in response to our call for papers that we decided to create two collections. This second special issue of Boyhood Studies, An Interdisciplinary Journal, celebrates the twentieth anniversary of Raewyn Connell’s landmark text, The Men and the Boys (2000), and hosts a wide range of international and interdisciplinary authors to highlight the continued global relevance of the book and Connell’s work more widely. This issue continues this work by showcasing an impressive array of empirical research studies and reflection pieces by emerging and leading scholars that are guided by the original themes in The Men and the Boys.

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