Thesis (M.S.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Diss. Uppsala : Uppsala universitet, 2006.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 73 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-73).

Wetlands are considered to be one of the most valuable natural occurring forms of land cover in the world. Hydrologic regulation, carbon sequestration, and habitat provision for a wide assortment of flora and fauna are just a few of the benefits associated with wetlands. The implementation of satellite remote sensing has been demonstrated to be a reliable approach to monitoring wetlands over time. Unfortunately, a national wetland inventory does not exist for Canada at this time. This study employs a supervised classification method of Landsat satellite imagery between 1976 and 2008 within the Tunkwa watershed, southwest of Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. Images from 2005 and 2008 were repaired using a gap-filling technique due to do the failure of the scan-line corrector on the Landsat 7 satellite in 2003. Percentage pixel counts for wetlands were compared, and a diminishing trend was identified; approximately 4.8% of wetland coverage loss was recognized. The influence of the expansion of Highland Valley Copper and the forestry industry in the area may be the leading causes of wetland desiccation. This study expresses the feasibility of wetland monitoring using remote sensing and emphasizes the need for future work to compile a Canadian wetland inventory.

The hydrology of the Canadian Prairies has been well described in the scientific literature. 20th C observations show that snowmelt over frozen soils accounted for over 80% of the annual runoff, and streamflow hydrographs peaked in April and ceased in May due to a lack of runoff or groundwater contributions. Since then, the region has undergone rapid changes in land use and climate, both which affect streamflow generating processes. This study evaluates the detailed hydrological impact of regional changes to climate on an instrumented research catchment, the Smith Creek Research Basin (SCRB); an unregulated, wetland and agriculture dominated prairie catchment in south-eastern Saskatchewan. Wetlands have been drained for decades, reducing wetland extent by 58% and maximum storage volume by 79%, and increasing drainage channels lengths by 780%. Long term meteorological records show that there have been gradual changes to the climate: though there are no trends in annual precipitation amount, increasing temperatures since 1942 have brought on a gradual increase in the rainfall fraction of precipitation and an earlier snowmelt by two weeks. In the summer months, the number of multiple day rainfall events has increased by 5 events per year, which may make rainfall-runoff generation mechanisms more efficient. Streamflow records show that annual streamflow volume and runoff ratios have increased 14-fold and 12-fold, respectively since 1975, with major shifts in 1994 and 2010. Streamflow contributions from rainfall-runoff and mixed-runoff regimes increased substantially. Snowmelt runoff declined from 86% of annual discharge volume in the 1970’s to 47% recently while rainfall runoff increased from 7% to 34%. Annual peak discharge tripled over the period from 1975 to 2014, with a major shift in 1994, while the duration of flow doubled in length to 147 days after a changepoint in 1990. Recent flooding in the SCRB has produced abnormally large streamflow volumes, and flooding in June 2012 and 2014 was caused solely by rainfall, something never before recorded at the basin. Although the observed changes in climate and wetland drainage are substantial, it is unlikely that a single change can explain the dramatic shifts in the surface hydrology of the SCRB. Further investigation using process hydrology simulations is needed to help explain the observed regime changes.

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Σκοπός αυτής της έρευνας είναι η αξιολόγηση και ανάπτυξη εκπαιδευτικού υλικού Περιβαλλοντικής Εκπαίδευσης (Π.Ε.) με κύρια αντικείμενα: α) τη δυνατότητα συμβολής ενός εκπ/κού υλικού εστιασμένου θεματικά σε μια προστατευόμενη περιοχή στην προσέγγιση στόχων της Π.Ε. β) την αξιολόγηση χαρακτηριστικών και της χρησιμότητας του εκπ/κού υλικού και γ) πρόταση ανάπτυξης νέου για την προστατευόμενη περιοχή της Στροφιλιάς. Τη βάση της έρευνας απετέλεσε το εκπαιδευτικό υλικό «Υγρότοποι Μεσολογγίου: Ας τους γνωρίσουμε….», το οποίο έχουμε σχεδιάσει και αναπτύξει. Για τη συλλογή των δεδομένων της έρευνας αναπτύξαμε έγκυρα και αξιόπιστα εργαλεία. Για την εκτίμηση της συνεισφοράς του εκπαιδευτικού υλικού στην αλλαγή γνώσεων και στάσεων μαθητών δευτεροβάθμιας εκπ/σης διαφορετικών τάξεων και σχολείων σε προγράμματα Π.Ε. (εξυπηρετεί το αντικείμενο α και κατ’επέκταση το γ) οργανώσαμε και υλοποιήσαμε προγράμματα Π.Ε. με τη βοήθεια του εκπαιδευτικού υλικού. Χρησιμοποιήσαμε τον προπειραματικό (pre-test) - μεταπειραματικό (posttest) σχεδιασμό με ομάδα ελέγχου. Συνολικά, συμμετείχαν 254 μαθητές. Για την αξιολόγηση βασικών χαρακτηριστικών του εκπαιδευτικού υλικού και την εκτίμηση της αποτελεσματικότητάς του στην εκπαιδευτική διαδικασία οργανώσαμε και υλοποιήσαμε πρόγραμμα περιβαλλοντικής ενημέρωσης και ευαισθητοποίησης στο Πανεπιστήμιο της Πάτρας (εξυπηρετεί το αντικείμενο β και κατ’επέκταση το γ). Συνολικά, συμμετείχαν 601 μαθητές και 49 καθηγητές δευτεροβάθμιας εκπ/σης. Για την ανάπτυξη υλικού για την περιοχή της Στροφιλιάς διερευνήσαμε τις προϋπάρχουσες γνώσεις και στάσεις μαθητών της Αχαΐας για την προστατευόμενη περιοχή της Στροφιλιάς (εξυπηρετεί το αντικείμενο γ). Συνολικά, συμμετείχαν 747 μαθητές. Τελικά, με βάση τη διαδικασία ανάπτυξης και τα αποτελέσματα της αξιολόγησης του υλικού για το Μεσολόγγι διατυπώνουμε προτάσεις σχετικά με τις αρχές σχεδιασμού, τους στόχους και τη μεθοδολογία ανάπτυξης ενός εκπαιδευτικού υλικού ΠΕ για μια προστατευόμενη περιοχή. Αξιοποιώντας τα ανωτέρω, καταλήγουμε σε μια πρόταση ανάπτυξης εκπαιδευτικού υλικού για την προστατευόμενη περιοχή της Στροφιλιάς. Η έρευνά μας αυτή έρχεται να συμβάλλει σε θέματα σχεδιασμού, ανάπτυξης και αξιολόγησης εκπαιδευτικού υλικού Π.Ε. / The aim of this research is to assess and develop educational material for environmental education purposes with main objectives: a) the possibility of an educational material, focused to a specific protected area, to contribute to environmental education b) the assessment of features and utility of the educational material c) the proposition of developing a novel educational material for the protected area of Strofilia. The research was based on the educational material “Messolonghi wetlands: Let’s discover them…” that we created and developed. For the collection of data we developed valid and reliable tools. To assess the contribution of the educational material to the changes in knowledge and attitude of secondary education students of different grades and schools in environmental education programs (serves objective a and c) we organized and materialized environmental education projects with the aid of the educational material. We used a pre-test – post-test design with a control group. In total 254 students took part in the project. To assess the basic attributes of the educational material and to estimate its effectiveness on the educational process, we organized and materialized environmental information and sensitivization program in Patras University (serves objective b and c). In total 601 students and 49 secondary education teachers took part. To develop educational material for the Strofilia area, we researched the preexistent knowledge and attitude of students in Achaia about the Strofilia area (serves objective c). In total 747 students took part. Finally, based on the development procedure and the results of the material evaluation about Mesolongi we formulate propositions about the design principles, the objectives and the development procedure of an environmental education material for a protected area. Utilizing the above we arrive to a proposition for the development of an educational material for the protected area of Strofilia. This research contributes to design, development and evaluation issues of environmental education educational materials.

Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) produce aquaculture products on land with minimal discharge of waste products and minimal water loss. High costs associated with waste treatment for RAS have triggered the growth of integrated aquaculture systems (IAS) which incorporate macrophytes (aquatic plants) into the treatment train. The objective of this research was to examine a pilot scale inland marine IAS with three different methods for solids treatment: a sand filter followed by a plant bed, only a plant bed, and geotextile bags. Florida Pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) were grown along with Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), Black Needle Rush (Juncus romerianus), and Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle). Between May 2011 and April 2012, water quality was tested at seven points located throughout the IAS for total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium (NH4+), nitrate (NO3-), total phosphorus (TP), and orthophosphate (PO43-) concentrations every 4 to 6 weeks. Plant and soil samples were collected three times and analyzed for total nitrogen and total phosphorus. A statistically significant difference in the effluent concentrations for the three treatments was not found; however, due to the recombination of effluent from the solid treatments and the variability inherent in a pilot scale system it was difficult to isolate the individual efficiencies of each treatment. Therefore, on average the complete system achieved COD and TSS removal efficiency of 59% and 88%, respectively and TN and TP removal efficiency of 48% and 19%, respectively. Nutrient uptake by plants did not vary significantly between the plant beds. In general, the system provided sufficient nutrient removal for safe fish production, and the fish provided enough nutrients for ample plant growth.

Desert wetlands, in particular those slow moving bodies of water known as cienegas, are important sites for biodiversity in arid landscapes and serve as indicators of hydrological functioning on the landscape-level. One of the most extensive systems of cienegas, historical or extant, in southeastern Arizona lies along Cienega Creek, located southeast of Tucson, Arizona. Satellite imagery analysis is heavily utilized to determine landscape-level trends, but cienegas present a challenge to traditional analysis methods. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the classic measure of vegetation greenness, reacts counter-intuitively to open water and is affected by open ground, both common occurrences in cienega habitats. Additional remote sensing indices have been developed that balance sensitivity to these environmental elements. This research explores these remote sensing indices at Cienega Creek applying one topographic index to current elevation data and five spectral indices to Thematic Mapper imagery from 1984 to 2011. Temporal trends were identified for all spectral indices and all indices were compared for suitability in cienega habitats. Temporal trends were analyzed for spatial clustering and spatial trends identified. The Normalized Difference Infrared Index utilizing Landsat Thematic Mapper band 5 outperformed other indices at differentiating between cienega, riparian, and upland habitats and is more suitable than NDVI for analyzing cienega habitats in such circumstances.

Av naturvårdsskäl är det viktigt att förstå vilken betydelse area och ålder på anlagda våtmarker har för artsammansättningen av sjöfåglar. I Linköpings kommun har man sedan 2004 anlagt ett flertal våtmarker och dessa har lockat bland annat den rödlistade arten svarthakedopping, Podiceps auritus, i stor mängd. Våtmarker är viktiga för fågellivet av många olika anledningar. Bland annat kan fåglarna söka skydd mot predatorer, häcka där eller rasta på sin väg mot häckningsplatser. Tidigare studier har bland annat visat att det finns fler fåglar i större våtmarker och att våtmarkens ålder spelar roll för vilka fågelarter som går att finna där. Genom räkning av antal fågelindivider och vilka olika arter som finns i de olika våtmarkerna kunde vi se att både ålder och storlek på våtmarken hade betydelse för vilka fåglar som utnyttjade dessa. Ju större våtmark desto fler fågelindivider och olika arter fanns det där. Det visar sig också att fågellivet gynnades då det fanns flera våtmarker av olika storlek och ålder i området. Vi kunde även se att svarthakedoppingens täthet var störst i lite mindre våtmarker och ökade signifikant med ökande antal skrattmåsar i våtmarken. / From the perspective of preservation it is important to understand how waterfowl are influenced by wetlands created by humans. Since 2004 the municipality of Linköping has created several wetlands which, among others, have attracted the threatened species the Horned Grebe, Podiceps auritus. The Horned Grebe is listed on the Swedish Red List of Threatened Species. Wetlands are important for bird life for many reasons. Among other things, the birds use them to seek shelter from predators, breed there or rest on their way to the breeding sites. Previous studies have shown that there are more birds in larger wetlands, and that age of the wetland does matter for which birds can be found there. By counting the number of individuals of birds and also the different species in the wetlands we found that both age and size of the wetland are important for which birds that are attracted. It also appears that the birds thrive when there are several wetlands in the area, and of different size and age. We also found that the Horned Grebe preferred smaller wetlands and that their abundance increased with increasing numbers of Black-Headed Gulls.