DSS-OSM: An Integrated Decision Support System for Offshore Oil Spill Management

The marine ecosystem, human health and social economy are always severely impacted once an offshore oil spill event has occurred. Thus, the management of oil spills is of importance but is difficult due to constraints from a number of dynamic and interactive processes under uncertain conditions. An integrated decision support system is significantly helpful for offshore oil spill management, but it is yet to be developed. Therefore, this study aims at developing an integrated decision support system for supporting offshore oil spill management (DSS-OSM). The DSS-OSM was developed with the integration of a Monte Carlo simulation, artificial neural network and simulation-optimization coupling approach to provide timely and effective decision support to offshore oil spill vulnerability analysis, response technology screening and response devices/equipment allocation. In addition, the uncertainties and their interactions were also analyzed throughout the modeling of the DSS-OSM. Finally, an offshore oil spill management case study was conducted on the south coast of Newfoundland, Canada, demonstrating the feasibility of the developed DSS-OSM.

A Conceptual Socio-Hydrogeological Model Applied to Sustainable Water Management. Case Study of the Valdivia River Basin, Southwestern Ecuador

The scientific community has a growing interest in understanding the interaction of the human-water system in water resource models. In Santa Elena (Ecuador), Valdivia, San Pedro, Sinchal, Barcelona and Carrizal communities are located in a semi-arid area, making the water supply a critical problem for local communities. In addition to the climatic conditions of the sector, the main problem is the weak participation in the integral management of the groundwater resource by the stakeholders involved. Specifically, there is evidence of a lack of ancestral-technical knowledge in management strategies and the fact that the demand for water for agriculture, tourism, and their basic needs exceed the sustainable supply capacity. The present study assesses the natural and anthropic conditions of the middle and lower basin of the Valdivia river through a socio-hydrogeological conceptual model of the river-aquifer system to develop productive activities in an environment of sustainability. The study methodology consists of four phases: i) river basin data analysis, ii) hydrogeological studies, iii) application of the Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis, and iv) conceptual model of the river-aquifer system. The results show that the socio-hydrogeological model of the Valdivia River basin has four systems: hydrogeological, ecological, economic, and social. In addition, the research detected problems present in the systems, such as droughts due to the influence of natural phenomena, aquifer overexploitation, lack of aquifer sustainability techniques, weak management and control of water resources, contamination of water sources and a lack of support from government agencies. The systems identified allow JAAPR-Valdivia to manage strategies to solve the problems detected in search of the sustainability of water resources.

Importance of Official Geodata in Disaster Risk Management—Case Study of Croatia

Disaster risk management (DRM) has always been important, but nowadays, with the increasing number of disasters due to climate changes, it is becoming even more so. Every phase of DRM is heavily reliant on geodata. First of all, each disaster occurs at a specific location, and this location contains geodata, which can be used in DRM, e.g., cadastral data, GNSS data, aerial images, topographic data, elevation data, etc. Geodata are important for making faster and more accurate decisions in disaster situations. It is possible to collect these geodata from many different sources, e.g., the public sector, private sector and citizens. Nevertheless, official geodata coming from competent authorities should be the most accurate and reliable. In this paper, we investigate the importance of official geodata in DRM on several examples from recent disasters in Croatia. Official geodata produced by the Croatian State Geodetic Administration (SGA) were used in managing disasters such as floods, forest fires, earthquakes and war. Our research findings show that DRM is an area in which National Mapping and Cadastral Authorities (NMCAs) should focus more on collecting and sharing geodata and provide more dynamic and innovative products. In these challenging times, more and more geodata are becoming available from different sources, besides official ones. With this plethora of geodata, in order to be relevant and competitive, NMCAs must change their business models and offer more attractive and useful services in order to satisfy the increasing user needs and demands. This paper shows that the SGA in Croatia is on the path towards achieving this goal.

Relocation of habituated black bears in the Klamath Mountains of California: an adaptive management case study

Black bear (Ursus americanus) populations in California have increased in abundance and distribution despite rising trends in the urban encroachment of wildlands. As human-black bear conflicts increase, opportunities to study the relocation of black bears in an adaptive management setting are important for improving the management of this highprofile species. Habituated black bears, some tamed and made tractable through human-controlled food conditioning, were relocated to a remote region of the Klamath Mountains to analyze home range use, survival, return rates, and mortality. Relocated black bears with known outcomes demonstrated an 80% return rate, with 55% not surviving beyond five months. Female bears established home ranges significantly larger than males, and may suggest an enhanced maternal instinct in search of similar nutritional conditions prior to relocation. This study showed that the relocation of food-conditioned black bears resulted in high return rates, poor survival, and risk to public safety.