scholarly journals Land degradation assessment for sustainable soil management

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 299-305
Author(s):  
Francesca Assennato ◽  
Marco Di Leginio ◽  
Marco D'Antona ◽  
Ines Marinosci ◽  
Luca Congedo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Degradation ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Land Productivity ◽  
Degraded Land ◽  
Sustainable Soil Management ◽  
Extreme Degree ◽  
Below Ground

Desertification is a complex phenomenon defined as the extreme degree of land degradation induced by human activities and climatic conditions. Climate change is accelerating and widening these areas. Previews analysis and studies assessed the vulnerability to desertification in Italy at national and regional level through a methodological approach based on integrating climate, soil, vegetation, and socio-economic data (ESA). The studies carried out by ISPRA aim to provide an update of the of land degradation assessment in Italy, based on Trends.Earth methodology and of the three UN-SDGs sub-indicators on Target 15.3.1 (land use/land cover, land productivity and soil organic carbon above and below ground status and trends), together with additional dimensions of land degradation considered crucial for national land characters. Final assessment of the percentage of degraded land is around 36% of national area. This exercise demonstrates the importance to consider a larger number of data and include information on other factors, such as climate, physical, chemical data. This integrated approach to the assessment of land degradation will allow to describe also of the loss of related ecosystem services.

scholarly journals An Integrated Approach Using Spatial Analysis to Study the Risk Factors for Leishmaniasis in Area of Recent Transmission

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Júlia Alves Menezes ◽  
Eduardo de Castro Ferreira ◽  
José Dilermando Andrade-Filho ◽  
Alessandra Mara de Sousa ◽  
Mayron Henrique Gomes Morais ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Analysis ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Sand Fly ◽  
Leishmania Braziliensis ◽  
Lutzomyia Longipalpis ◽  
Recent Transmission ◽  
Current Transmission ◽  
Canine Infection ◽  
The City

Some epidemiological aspects of leishmaniasis in the municipality of Formiga, Brazil, an important touristic site, were evaluated. Those included phlebotomine sand fly vectors, canine infection, and geoprocessing analysis for determining critical transmission areas. Sand flies (224 insects) belonging to ten different species were captured. The most captured species includedLutzomyia longipalpis(35.3%),Lutzomyia cortelezzii(33.5%), andLutzomyia whitmani(18.3%). A significant correlation between sand fly densities and climatic conditions was detected. Serological diagnosis (DPP and ELISA) was performed in 570 dogs indicating a prevalence of 5.8%. After sequencing the main species circulating in the area wereLeishmania infantumandLeishmania braziliensis. Spatial analysis demonstrated that vegetation and hydrography may be related to sand fly distribution and infected dogs. The municipality of Formiga has proven leishmaniasis vectors and infected dogs indicating the circulation of the parasite in the city. Correlation of those data with environmental and human cases has identified the critical areas for control interventions (south, northeast, and northwest). In conclusion, there is current transmission of visceral and canine human cases and the city is on the risk for the appearance of cutaneous cases.

Acoustic Performance of Louvred Facades for Brisbane Domestic Airport: An Integrated Approach

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Butera ◽  
Keith Hewett
Keyword(s):  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Transmission Loss ◽  
Internal Noise ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
External Noise ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Airport Terminals

Maximising cross ventilation is a low energy method of naturally ventilating and providing heating and cooling to deep plan spaces. Significant reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases can be achieved through minimising the use of mechanical systems in regions with climatic conditions that support the use of natural ventilation. Arup has provided input into the design of a louvered facade for the control of external noise for Brisbane Domestic Airport. A full scale prototype facade was constructed and noise transmission loss measurements were undertaken. The results indicate that significant noise reduction can be achieved to enable compliance with the internal noise limits for airport terminals, whilst using natural ventilation. The findings from this research will directly benefit building designers and innovators in the pursuit of achieving sustainable building design.

scholarly journals Methodological approach to assess tractor stability in normal operation in field using a commercial warning device

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2s) ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Rondelli ◽  
R. Martelli ◽  
C. Casazza ◽  
A. Guarnieri
Keyword(s):  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Normal Operation ◽  
Loss Of Stability ◽  
Soil Morphology ◽  
Complex Issue ◽  
Probable Loss ◽  
Protective Structures ◽  
Commercial Device ◽  
Warning Device

Since Roll-Over Protective Structures (ROPS) are mandatory on tractors, the number of fatalities caused in the event of an upset is definitely reduced. Nevertheless, fatal accidents caused by machine loss of stability are still of great concern. In fact, despite ROPS have reduced injury to agricultural operators, tractor stability is still a complex issue due to its high versatility in use, especially considering normal operations in field, when interactions with the environment such as soil morphology and climatic conditions are involved, as well as interactions with operator skills and experience. With the aim of collecting data on different variables influencing the dynamics of tractors in field, a commercial device that allows the continuous monitoring of working conditions and the active configuration of the machines was fitted on standard tractors in normal operation at the experimental farm of the Bologna University. The device consists of accelerometers, gyroscope, GSM/GPRS, GPS for geo-referencing and a transceiver for the automatic recognition of tractor-connected equipment. A microprocessor processes data and provides information, through a dedicated algorithm requiring data on the geometry of the tested tractor, on the level of risk for the operator in terms of probable loss of stability and suggests corrective measures to reduce the potential instability of the tractor.

scholarly journals Simulating soil organic C dynamics in managed grasslands under humid temperate climatic conditions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asma Jebari ◽  
Jorge Álvaro-Fuentes ◽  
Guillermo Pardo ◽  
María Almagro ◽  
Agustin del Prado
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Plant Residue ◽  
Plant Residues ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Natural Grasslands ◽  
Rothc Model ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Intensively Managed

Abstract. Temperate grasslands are of paramount importance in terms of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. Globally, research on SOC dynamics has largely focused on forests, croplands and natural grasslands, while intensively managed grasslands has received much less attention. In this regard, we aimed to improve the prediction of SOC dynamics in managed grasslands under humid temperate regions. In order to do so, we modified and recalibrated the SOC model RothC, originally developed to model the turnover of SOC in arable topsoils, which requires limited amount of readily available input data. The modifications proposed for the RothC are: (1) water content up to saturation conditions in the soil water function of RothC to fit the humid temperate climatic conditions, (2) entry pools that account for particularity of exogenous organic matter (EOM) applied (e.g., ruminant excreta), (3) annual variation in the carbon inputs derived from plant residues considering both above- and below-ground plant residue and rhizodeposits components as well as their quality, and (4) the livestock treading effect (i.e., poaching damage) as a common problem in humid areas with higher annual precipitation. In the paper, we describe the basis of these modifications, carry out a simple sensitivity analysis and validate predictions against data from existing field experiments from four sites in Europe. Model performance showed that modified RothC reasonably captures well the different modifications. However, the model seems to be more sensitive to soil moisture and plant residues modifications than to the other modifications. The applied changes in RothC model could be appropriate to simulate both farm and regional SOC dynamics from managed grassland-based systems under humid temperate conditions.

scholarly journals Multi-Temporal Landsat8 Satellite Data Based Crops and Other Land Use Spatial Estimation in Okara District of Pakistan

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrar ul Hassan Akhtar ◽  
Athar Hussain ◽  
Kashif Javed ◽  
Hammad Ghazanfar
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Kappa Statistics ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Land Utilization ◽  
Cropping Patterns

Developing countries like Pakistan is among those where lack of adoption to science and technology advancement is a major constraint for Satellite Remote Sensing use in crops and land use land cover digital information generation. Exponential rise in country population, increased food demand, limiting natural resources coupled with migration of rural community to urban areas had further led to skewed official statistics. This study is an attempt to demonstrate the possible use of freely available satellite data like Landsat8 under complex cropping system of Okara district of Punjab, Pakistan. An Integrated approach has been developed for the satellite data based crops and land use/cover spatial area estimation. The resultant quality was found above 96% with Kappa statistics of 0.95. Land utilization statistics provided detail information about cropping patterns as well as land use land cover status. Rice was recorded as most dominating crop in term of cultivation area of around 0.165 million ha followed by autumn maize 0.074 million ha, Fallow crop fields 0.067 million ha and Sorghum 0.047 million ha. Other minor crops observed were potato, fodder and cotton being cultivated on less than 0.010 million ha. Population settlements were observed over an area of around 0.081 million ha of land. 

scholarly journals Urban Ensembles: An integrated approach to design in steep, urban landscapes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Myren Burnett
Keyword(s):  
Architectural Design ◽  
Landscape Architecture ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Urban Site ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Final Design ◽  
Urban Terrain

<p>Urban Ensembles explores the way in which landscape and architecture can be employed together within the design of a steep, urban site. Lyttelton is a small port town on the border of Christchurch, settled in the foothills of a harbour formed by a major volcanic eruption. This rugged setting, with steeply sloping urban terrain, presents an interesting challenge when designing an urban development. The site was badly damaged in a series of earthquakes in 2010-2011, and many of the town’s oldest buildings, heritage structures dating back to the colonial settlement era, were destroyed. This has left a void in the heart of Lyttelton, and caused the loss of much of the tourism business that the town relies upon for its income. This thesis takes a methodological approach to the design of landscape architecture on such a challenging site. A range of techniques are explored, drawing from both landscape and architecture to explore the roles that each discipline plays in the design of urban spaces. The frequent imbalance between disciplines is addressed both through the literature review and design method, as this landscape architecture thesis draws on architectural design as a tool for generating spaces which fall somewhere in between the two ideals of interior and exterior. The final design proposal is an alternative rebuild plan for the central business area to the south of London St, and also addresses the relationships between that site and the surrounding context, both urban and environmental. The aim of this design is to create a series of interconnected spaces which have a strong relationship to the surrounding harbour setting, and also to facilitate development of the pedestrian spaces throughout the block and encouraging the development of activity at the street level, through the interface between buildings and landscape.</p>

scholarly journals DYNAMIC OF LAND DEGRADATION NEUTRALITY BASELINE INDCATORS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Dusko Mukaetov Mukaetov ◽  
Ivan Blinkov ◽  
Hristina Poposka
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Land Productivity ◽  
Status And Trends ◽  
Global Data Sets ◽  
Global Data

Land degradation neutrality (LDN) is defined as a "state whereby the amount and quality of land resources nec-essary to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security remain stable or increase within specified temporal and spatial scales and ecosystems". The baseline is expressed as the initial (t0) estimated value of each of the three indicators, used as proxies of land-based natural capital and the ecosystem services that flow from that land base: land cover/land use change, land productivity status and trends, soil organic carbon status and trends. The baseline of LDN was calculated with estimation of the average values across the 10 years baseline period of the following indica-tors: Land Cover/Land Cover change (LC/LCC), Land Productivity Dynamics (LPD) and Soil Organic Carbon (SOC). Three tier approaches for computation of the selected indicators were used: Tier 1: Global/regional Earth observation, geospatial information and modelling; Tier 2: National statistics (only for LC/LCC) and Tier 3: Field survey. Most sig-nificant changes in LC for the period 2000/2012 are in the categories of Forest land and Shrubs/grasslands. According the global data sets used for analysis of LPD, the total affected area with depletion of Land productivity for the period 2000/2010 is identified on a only 2.35 % of the country territory. The available global data sets gives a model SOC lev-els for the period 2000/2010. According these data, the total loss of SOC in our country is estimated on 3951 t.

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