scholarly journals Restoration actions in marine ecosystems: a global analysis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simonetta Fraschetti ◽  
Giuseppe Guarnieri ◽  
Loredana Papa ◽  
Chris McOwen ◽  
Nadia Papadopoulou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Project Duration ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Ecosystem Level

A review of 573 studies on active restoration actions in the marine environment, published in the last 25 years, was carried out at global scale. We assessed how, where, at which spatial and temporal scales and under which socio-ecological settings restoration studies have been carried out, from very shallow to deep sea habitats. Results show that restoration efforts across habitats are increasing, especially in seagrasses and coral reefs, but never approached at ecosystem level. Targets, methods, response variables and standards are still very heterogeneous. Of the factors considered in the review, habitat, human impact intensity, realm and methods of restoration were found to be good determinant of restoration success. Short project duration (one-two years), small restoration areas (< 1 ha), lack of controls and knowledge of baselines are still a limit for deriving generalities. Finally, restorations rarely consider future challenges linked to global change this impairing long-term success stories. Restoration science needs more robust approaches leading to the development of best practices (e.g. protocols, monitoring of the effects, reasons for failure) to be applied at spatial and temporal scales so as to answer to present and future disturbance regimes.

scholarly journals Restoration actions in marine ecosystems: a global analysis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simonetta Fraschetti ◽  
Giuseppe Guarnieri ◽  
Loredana Papa ◽  
Chris McOwen ◽  
Nadia Papadopoulou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Project Duration ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Ecosystem Level

A review of 573 studies on active restoration actions in the marine environment, published in the last 25 years, was carried out at global scale. We assessed how, where, at which spatial and temporal scales and under which socio-ecological settings restoration studies have been carried out, from very shallow to deep sea habitats. Results show that restoration efforts across habitats are increasing, especially in seagrasses and coral reefs, but never approached at ecosystem level. Targets, methods, response variables and standards are still very heterogeneous. Of the factors considered in the review, habitat, human impact intensity, realm and methods of restoration were found to be good determinant of restoration success. Short project duration (one-two years), small restoration areas (< 1 ha), lack of controls and knowledge of baselines are still a limit for deriving generalities. Finally, restorations rarely consider future challenges linked to global change this impairing long-term success stories. Restoration science needs more robust approaches leading to the development of best practices (e.g. protocols, monitoring of the effects, reasons for failure) to be applied at spatial and temporal scales so as to answer to present and future disturbance regimes.

scholarly journals The Importance of Multi-Scale Temporal and Spatial Management for Cemetery Trees in Malmö, Sweden

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Jessica M. Quinton ◽  
Johan Östberg ◽  
Peter N. Duinker
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Urban Forests ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Tree Management ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Age Class ◽  
Management Plans

Research Highlights: A large body of research highlighted the important contributions that urban forests make to cities and their inhabitants. However, our urban forests face threats from issues such as rapid urbanization, climate change, and the spread of pests and diseases. As such, proactive and effective management is necessary to ensure their long-term sustainability. Given the multiple spatial and temporal scales on which threats can arise, effective management needs to account for these scales and adjust accordingly. The degree to which this currently happens is unclear. Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the role of multi-scale management in urban forestry, using cemeteries in Malmö, Sweden as a case study. Cemeteries can provide extensive tree canopy but are not readily considered in urban forest management. We sought to determine (1) the threats to the current cemetery tree populations, (2) the extent of multi-scale cemetery tree management, (3) whether tree management plans promote multi-scale management, and (4) how cemetery tree management can be improved. Materials and Methods: Malmö cemetery tree inventories were analyzed with respect to size class and species diversity. Existing cemetery tree management plans were examined to determine the spatial and temporal scales of their recommendations. Interviews were conducted with cemetery managers to determine management priorities and actions. Results: We found that cemetery tree populations in Malmö suffer from a lack of age class and species diversity. Management tends to occur on short time scales and efforts focus mainly on addressing individual trees, although some consideration is given to large-scale species diversification. The management plans previously created for these cemetery trees make recommendations for age class and species diversification but are yet to be used extensively by cemetery managers. Conclusions: The long-term stability of Malmö’s cemetery tree populations is threatened by a lack of species and age diversity. Current management efforts emphasize addressing small-scale issues. Although there is a desire to improve species diversity, this can cause conflict with existing cultural values.

Projecting Risk into the Future: Failure of a Geologic Repository and the Sinking of the Titanic

2014 ◽  
Vol 1665 ◽  
pp. 15-21
Author(s):  
Rodney C. Ewing
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Atomic Scale ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Geologic Repository ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales

ABSTRACTThis year marks the 101st anniversary of the sinking of the “unsinkable” RMS Titanic. On April 15, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage from Southampton, UK, to New York City. There was no single cause for the loss of the Titanic, rather the improbable combination of errors in human design and decision combined with unforeseeable circumstance lead to the loss of over 1,500 lives. The failure appears to have occurred over a range of spatial and temporal scales – from the atomic-scale process of embrittlement of iron rivets to global-scale fluctuations in climate and ocean currents. Regardless of the specific combination of causes, this failure in design and practice led to impressive improvements in both. Disaster and tragedy are harsh teachers, but critical to improvement and progress.The important question for the nuclear waste management community is how do we learn and improve our waste management strategies in the absence of being able to fail. A geologic repository “operates” over a very distant time frame, and today’s scientists and engineers will never have the benefit of studying a failed system. In place of a failure that is followed by improvement and progress, we can only offer a general consensus on disposal strategies supported by a wide array of evidence and risk assessments. However, it may well be that consensus leads to complacency and compromise, both of which are harbingers of disaster. With this concern in mind, this is the time to review our fundamental approach, particularly the methodologies used in risk assessments that have us calculate risk out to one million years. The structure of standards and implementing regulations, as well as the standard-of-proof for compliance, should be reexamined in order to determine whether their requirements are scientifically possible or reasonable. The demonstration of compliance must not only be compelling, but must also be able to sustain scientific scrutiny and public inquiry. We should benefit from the sobering reality of how difficult it is to anticipate future failures even over a few decades. We should be humbled by the realization that for a geologic repository we are analyzing the performance, success vs. failure, over spatial and temporal scales that stretch over tens of kilometers and out to a hundreds of thousands of years.

scholarly journals The Homogocene: a research prospectus for the study of biotic homogenisation

NeoBiota ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 23-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian D. Olden ◽  
Lise Comte ◽  
Xingli Giam
Keyword(s):  
Global Change ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Significant Progress ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Conservation Implications ◽  
The World ◽  
Biotic Homogenisation ◽  
Long Term Preservation

In an era of global change, the process of biotic homogenisation by which regional biotas become more similar through time has attracted considerable attention from ecologists. Here, a retrospective look at the literature is taken and the question asked how comprehensive is the understanding of this global phenomenon? The goal is to identify potential areas for additional and future enquiries to advance this research frontier and best ensure the long-term preservation of biological diversity across the world. Six propositions are presented here to; (1) broaden our geographic and taxonomic understanding, (2) diversify the spatial and temporal scales of inquiry, (3) reconcile past and embrace new approaches to quantification, (4) improve our knowledge of the underlying drivers, (5) reveal the conservation implications and (6) forecast future homogenisation. It is argued that significant progress in the understanding of the causes, consequences and conservation implication of biotic homogenisation will come by integrating concepts and approaches from ecology, evolution and conservation across a hierarchy of spatial and temporal scales.

scholarly journals The PERSIANN Family of Global Satellite Precipitation Data: A Review and Evaluation of Products

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phu Nguyen ◽  
Mohammed Ombadi ◽  
Soroosh Sorooshian ◽  
Kuolin Hsu ◽  
Amir AghaKouchak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Scale ◽  
Precipitation Data ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Retrieval Algorithms ◽  
Precipitation Estimation ◽  
Climate Prediction Center

Abstract. Over the past two decades, Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN) products have been incorporated in a wide range of studies. Currently, PERSIANN offers several precipitation products based on different algorithms available at various spatial and temporal scales, namely, PERSIANN, PERSIANN-CCS and PERSIANN-CDR. The goal of this article is to first provide an overview of the available PERSIANN precipitation retrieval algorithms and their differences. Secondly, we offer an evaluation of the available operational products over the Contiguous United States at different spatial and temporal scales using Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Unified gauge-based analysis as a benchmark. Finally, the available products are intercompared at a quasi-global scale. Furthermore, we highlight strength and limitations of the PERSIANN products and briefly discuss the expected future developments.

Climate and Climatological Variations in the Jornada Basin

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Wainright
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Extreme Rainfall Events ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Circulation Patterns ◽  
Jornada Basin ◽  
Instrumental Records

The purpose of this chapter is to review the climatic data for the Jornada Basin over the period for which instrumental records exist. Over this time period, up to 83 years in the case of the Jornada Experimental Range (JER), we can deduce both the long-term mean characteristics and variability on a range of different spatial and temporal scales. Short-term variability is seen in individual rainstorms. Longer-term patterns are controlled spatially by factors such as large-scale circulation patterns and basin and regional orography and temporally by the large-scale fluctuations in atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns. Variability can have significant impacts on the biogeography of a region (Neilson 1986) or its geomorphic processes (Cooke and Reeves 1976), which may set in motion a series of feedbacks, most important those referring to desertification (Schlesinger et al. 1990; Conley et al. 1992). Understanding the frequency and magnitude of such variability is therefore fundamental in explaining the observed landscape changes in areas such as the Jornada Basin. The patterns observed for different climatic variables within the available instrumental records for the Jornada Basin are defined in a hierarchical series of temporal scales, starting with the patterns that emerge from long-term average conditions and moving to seasonal and monthly, daily, and subdaily time scales. Two further analyses are made because of their potential importance to the hydrological and ecological characteristics of the basin, namely, the occurrence of extreme rainfall events and of longer-term changes. The effects of El Niño events in controlling the rainfall over decadal time scales will be addressed in particular. Spatial variability is an additional important concern, especially when characterizing dryland areas such as the Jornada Basin, where spatial variability tends to be high. The overall climate of the basin can be defined according to the Köppen classification as being cool and arid, belonging to the midlatitude desert zone (BWk). However, interannual variability is important, and occasionally, the annual conditions are more characteristic of the semiarid steppe (BSk) zone. The higher rainfall rates in the higher altitudes of the basin are also more characteristic of semiarid conditions.

Trade-offs of Participation in the Long-Term Ecological Research Program: Immediate and Long-Term Consequences

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence R. Walker ◽  
Michael R. Willig
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Ecological Research ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Long Term Ecological Research ◽  
Collaboration And Communication ◽  
Program Change

For those who may have skipped to this chapter and not read the 3 introductory chapters, the 36 essays, or the 4 evaluative chapters of this book, the answer to the burning question “Does participation in the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program change scientists?” is an unequivocal “Yes!” As Boyer and Brown (Chapter 41) point out, however, those changes are mostly in the realms of knowledge acquisition and behavior adoptions in the practice of science. Participation in the program did not appear to have a substantial effect on the development of attitudes. Could such changes have occurred outside of the LTER program? Schlesinger (Chapter 40) thinks so. He suggests that the LTER program provides “some structure and modest standardization to a set of common measurements” but that it has not substantially broadened or deepened the ecological sciences. Yet the effect of the LTER program on science, while a fascinating and often-addressed question, is not the focus of this book (see Willig and Walker, Chapter 1). Of course, to address how scientists change also involves understanding how they approach and conduct science. In addition, personal change occurs in a broad societal context. For example, the LTER program has coincided with and helped promote a transition in ecology from research done by one or a few investigators on a particular organism or process in a particular habitat to investigations involving multidisciplinary teams working together to test models about how ecosystem dynamics unfold across large spatial and temporal scales. However, going to “big programs” and “big data sets” does not mean losing a sense of place or being divorced from the natural history of particular organisms. Even as spatial and temporal scales increase, ecological research is ideally still “place aware” (Bestelmeyer, Chapter 19). Using the essays of this book as a rich source of information to address fundamental questions about the nature of scientists, we provide some final thoughts on how the LTER program has affected its participants, particularly on how they view time and space, collaboration, and communication. We end with reflections on the future of ecology and society, based on the views expressed in this book and on our own participation in the LTER program.

Proposed best practices for the integration of in situ observations and large scale analysis and forecast systems: case study of the phytoplankton blooming off a Tyrrhenian coastal site

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Salon ◽  
Riccardo Martellucci ◽  
Gianpiero Cossarini
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Coastal Ecosystems ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Tyrrhenian Sea ◽  
Phytoplankton Dynamics ◽  
Coastal Site ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
In Situ Observations

&lt;p&gt;The coastal systems are among the most dynamic natural systems, being extreme complex zones in which chemical, physical and biological processes interact at different spatial and temporal scales. A holistic approach, based on the integration of multiple monitoring tools for data collection (i.e. satellite imagery, numerical models and in situ observations), may provide different information about coastal ecosystems, at different spatial and temporal scales. Of course, none of these tools is perfect, being each characterized by intrinsic errors and therefore specific uncertainty, the latter also considered as an important subject of investigation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this context, our goal is to understand the spatial and temporal distribution of phytoplanktonic biomass in coastal waters in order to evaluate the phytoplankton dynamics in a polluted coastal area located in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea. Long-term high-resolution observations (weekly sampling from 2015 to 2017) of phytoplankton biomass at a coastal site from the C-CEMS observing system (central Tyrrhenian Sea offshore Civitavecchia) are presented, discussed and integrated with the analysis data provided by the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Services (CMEMS) for the Mediterranean Sea, generated by the MedBFM model system, and with satellite observations (from CMEMS Ocean Colour database). The focus of this work is twofold: on one side, to analyse the phytoplankton bloom dynamics of the Civitavecchia coastal ecosystem by adopting a multi-platform approach which integrates CMEMS products and C-CEMS in situ data, on the other side, to propose best practices to integrate multi-platform data streams that may be adopted also in other similar contexts of coastal ecosystems.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The analysis of the time series of phytoplankton provided by in situ, satellite and model data show the typical dynamics of temperate climate, characterized by spring and autumn blooms, together with a significant interannual variability. The EOF analysis has shown consistency among multi-platform datasets. Notwithstanding the incongruences, specifically related to the chlorophyll model outputs, which underestimate the in situ and satellite data and that may be related to some representativeness error (i.e. river nutrient inputs based on climatological information and grid resolution), the intercomparison is beneficial to provide information at different temporal and spatial scales of the phytoplankton dynamics.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals The PERSIANN family of global satellite precipitation data: a review and evaluation of products

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 5801-5816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phu Nguyen ◽  
Mohammed Ombadi ◽  
Soroosh Sorooshian ◽  
Kuolin Hsu ◽  
Amir AghaKouchak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Scale ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Retrieval Algorithms ◽  
Precipitation Estimation ◽  
Daily Scale ◽  
Climate Prediction Center

Abstract. Over the past 2 decades, a wide range of studies have incorporated Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN) products. Currently, PERSIANN offers several precipitation products based on different algorithms available at various spatial and temporal scales, namely PERSIANN, PERSIANN-CCS, and PERSIANN-CDR. The goal of this article is to first provide an overview of the available PERSIANN precipitation retrieval algorithms and their differences. Secondly, we offer an evaluation of the available operational products over the contiguous US (CONUS) at different spatial and temporal scales using Climate Prediction Center (CPC) unified gauge-based analysis as a benchmark. Due to limitations of the baseline dataset (CPC), daily scale is the finest temporal scale used for the evaluation over CONUS. Additionally, we provide a comparison of the available products at a quasi-global scale. Finally, we highlight the strengths and limitations of the PERSIANN products and briefly discuss expected future developments.

Managing the herbage utilisation and intake by cattle grazing rangelands

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 397 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Oltjen ◽  
S. A. Gunter
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Models ◽  
Net Primary Production ◽  
Cattle Grazing ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Ecological Services ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
Herbage Intake

Rangelands throughout the world provide clean water, fix solar energy in plants, sequester carbon, and offer recreational opportunities, with other ecosystem goods and services, including food from wild and domestic herbivores. Grazing rangelands with cattle requires constant management to balance the economic sustainability of the farm with other ecological services that rangelands provide. The challenges in management arise from the diversity of the rangeland forage resources at extremely large spatial and temporal scales. To be able to predict the performance of cattle grazing in extensive rangeland environments, estimating herbage intake is paramount because it quantifies energy intake and performance. Nutrient demand is the major driver of herbage intake, and characteristics of the sward and terrain of the landscape dictate how this demand is met. System models that integrate changes in weather patterns and herbage over long periods of time will allow farmers and scientist to monitor changes in herbage mass and utilisation. Dynamic models that include herbage growth components sensitive to weather patterns and animal demands are needed to predict how long-term changes in beef herd management will affect performance and range condition. Vegetation indexes captured across biomes with satellites can accurately quantify the dynamics of aboveground net primary production and changes in nutritional value with confidence. The computer software, PCRANCH, is a program for simulating cow–calf herd dynamics over long periods of time. The models within the PCRANCH software can simulate herbage growth and animal utilisation at large spatial and temporal scales needed for rangeland management and allow ranchers to evaluate the impacts of management on other ecological services. Knowing the long-term impact of management changes on swards enable ranchers to anticipate the ecological and economic benefits of improvements or demonstrate a protection of current ecological services.

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