Submitted by Liliane Ferreira (ljuvencia30@gmail.com) on 2018-05-23T12:15:12Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Sara Alves dos Santos - 2018.pdf: 7361072 bytes, checksum: c8222e95975a740e21f7c7a748bff29b (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2018-05-23T12:27:32Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Sara Alves dos Santos - 2018.pdf: 7361072 bytes, checksum: c8222e95975a740e21f7c7a748bff29b (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-23T12:27:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Sara Alves dos Santos - 2018.pdf: 7361072 bytes, checksum: c8222e95975a740e21f7c7a748bff29b (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The Brazilian Savannah (Cerrado) is the second Brazilian Biome in area of conservation units (CU), a protection strategy to face the intense conversion to land use. These units are benefited by national environment policies that have been promulgated in the last few decades. However, many of these CU do not receive suitable effort to enhance their effectiveness. At the same time, the pressure of land use conversion in their surroundings also affects their effectiveness. This research proposes evaluates the relationship of spatial structure and spatial distribution of Federal and State Conservation Units in the Brazilian Savannah to the conversion of changes in land use that occurred over the last five decades. As a main result a thematic mapping of time-space distribution of CU is proposed. To archive this objective, a quantitative analysis of temporal and spatial distribution of UC is carried out as well as the evaluation of the representativeness of each phytophysiognomy in the CU facing the land use conversion. The database applied were obtained from government agencies. The Results revealed that considerable part of the protected areas are located in places inappropriate for agribusiness, while so-called areas more "enjoyable" have already been converted. The distribution of UC in the Cerrado is not regular, some focus on certain areas, while in others there are big gaps. In General, the largest UC are located at least anthropic of Cerrado and have recent creation, from the Decade of 1980. The East portion, are older, are in better fitness, agricultural area larger and present significant conflict of use in your interior. Ten main UC-compartments are identified in the Cerrado, proving that time and space are important variables to understand the role played by conservation policies in the Brazilian Savannah. Protected areas constitute an alternative for conservation, however you must think your location and connection, so that they can ensure the maintenance of ecosystems and are in fact effective. / O Cerrado é o segundo bioma brasileiro em área de unidades de conservação (UC). A condição de conservação é estratégia de proteção para enfrentar a intensa conversão do uso da terra. Essas unidades são beneficiadas pelas políticas ambientais nacionais que foram promulgadas nas últimas décadas, no entanto, muitas dessas UC não recebem um esforço adequado para aumentar sua eficiência. Ao mesmo tempo, a pressão da conversão do uso da terra em seu entorno também afeta sua eficiência. A presente pesquisa propõe-se a avaliar a relação entre a estrutura e a distribuição espacial das unidades de conservação do Cerrado com as mudanças no uso da terra ocorridas nas últimas cinco décadas. Para atingir esse objetivo, fez-se uma análise quantitativa da distribuição temporal e espacial das UC, levando-se em conta aspectos físicos da paisagem, bem como a avaliação da representatividade de cada fitofisionomia nas UC frente à conversão do uso da terra. A base de dados utilizada foi obtida de diversas agências governamentais. Os resultados revelaram que parte considerável das áreas protegidas localiza-se em locais inadequados para o agronegócio, enquanto as chamadas áreas mais "agradáveis" já foram convertidas. A distribuição da UC no Cerrado não é regular, algumas se concentram em certas áreas, enquanto em outras há grandes lacunas. Em geral, as maiores UC estão situadas em porções menos antropizados do Cerrado e têm criação recente, a partir da década de 1980. As da porção leste, são mais antigas, apresentam melhor aptidão, área agrícola maior e apresentam significativo conflito de uso em seu interior. Dez principais compartimentos de UC foram identificados no Cerrado, provando que o tempo e o espaço são variáveis importantes para entender o papel desempenhado pelas políticas de conservação no Cerrado brasileiro. As áreas protegidas constituem uma alternativa para conservação, porém deve-se pensar sua localização e conexão, para que possam garantir a manutenção dos ecossistemas e sejam de fato eficazes.

Buruli ulcer (BU) is an environmental bacterium caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. Modes of transmission and hosts of the disease remain unknown. The purposes of this study are to explore the environmental factors that are possibly explain the spatial distribution of BU, to predict BU cases by using the environmental factors, and to investigate the impact of land use and land cover change on the BU distribution. The study area covers the southwest portion of Ghana, 74 districts in 6 regions. The results show that the highest endemic areas occur in the center and expand to the southern portion of the study area. Statistically, the incidence rates of BU are positively correlated to the percentage of forest cover and inversely correlated to the percentages of grassland, soil, and urban areas in the study area. That is, forest is the most important environmental risk factor in this study. Model from zero-inflated Poisson regression is used in this paper to explain the impact of each land use and land cover type on the spatial distribution of BU. The results confirm that the changes of land use and land cover affect the spatial distribution of BU in the study area.

Spatial and temporal patterns of dissolved organic matter (DOM) were characterized using a combination of spectroluorometric measurements and multivariate analysis techniques. The study was conducted over a four-year (2012-2016) period in multiple watersheds located in the Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Plain Physiographic region of the southeast USA as well as in the Indo-Gangetic Plain of India. Surface water samples were collected from five major lakes in the Mississippi, an estuarine region in the southeastern Louisiana, and from the coastal region in the eastern Mississippi Sound in the USA, and a large river (Ganges River) in India. Absorption and fluorescence measurements were performed to generate absorption spectra and excitation-emission matrices (EEMs). Using parallel factor analyses (PARAFAC), EEM models were developed to characterize the biogeochemistry of DOM in three studies in this project. Principal component analysis and regression analyses of DOM data indicated that the northern Mississippi lakes were majorly influenced by agricultural land use, estuarine region was affected by natural DOM export from forests and wetlands, while the coastal waters were affected by a mix of anthropogenic and natural inputs of DOM. Spatial analyses indicated that DOM derived from watershed with increased wetland coverage was humic and aromatic while the DOM derived from agricultural watersheds was bioavailable. Temporal patterns of DOM in the estuary indicated the influence of hydrologic conditions and summer temperatures, and revealed strong seasonality in DOM evolution in the watershed. During high discharge periods (spring), aromatic and humic DOM was exported from the watershed while strong photochemical degradation during summer resulted bioavailable DOM. Comparison between two river systems, a highly urbanized large river and a small pristine river, indicated the influence of anthropogenic inputs of DOM in the large river system. DOM was bioavailable during summer due to anthropogenic activities in the large river system while it varied with hydrological connectivity in a small river system during summer and winter. In conclusion, this study has improved my understandings of the DOM properties, which are critical for a comprehensive assessment of biogeochemical processes undergoing in important water bodies on which our society is heavily dependent upon.

Deforestation of tropical forests is one of the most pressing environmental problems of the twenty-first century, leading to the loss of environmental services such as climate regulation and biodiversity. The expansion of the agricultural frontier by small landholder farmers continues to be one of the major drivers of land use change in the Amazon region. Much of the recent research in the Brazilian Amazon has been focused on modeling their behavior in order to prescribe policies that can curb current deforestation rates and promote more sustainable land use practices. The availability of more sophisticated remote sensing and economic modeling tools has led to the proliferation of agricultural household level models that attempt to explain land use change processes at the farm level. This dissertation tests the household life cycle theory in one of the oldest colonization fronts in the Brazilian Amazon: Rondônia, now a post-frontier. The study examines household and farm level changes over time for specific aspects of the frontier process that can be tested using the household life cycle theory. This study introduces important additions to the life cycle theory in order to consider the more dynamic and complex set of factors that characterize modern frontier processes. Specifically the study examines: (1) property fragmentation and expansion processes, (2) property ownership, turnover and change, and (3) land use change processes at the property level. These are linked to changes in the social and economic features of the smallholder farmer as it moves along its life cycle. The central hypothesis is that these changes in property and land use dynamics can be explained by the corresponding changes in the life cycle of the household as the frontier evolves over time into a post-frontier. It was found that the household life cycle theory did not adequately explain land use change processes over time. As the frontier evolved into the modern post-frontier, the labor and drudgery constraints associated with the initial frontier processes, as exemplified in the household life cycle theory, became less relevant. The Sauerian concept of cultural successions and the concept of scale from hierarchical ecology are used in order to explain the apparent inconsistencies found between the household life cycle theory and land use change processes over time and at different scales of analysis. The household life cycle theory is a useful theoretical framework from which to examine the effects of household level factors on land use; however, this must be embedded within concepts of time and scale that determine their differentiated impact and behavior. Existing plans to expand road infrastructure into the Amazon region will open-up previously inaccessible rainforest regions to agricultural frontier expansion at a scale unprecedented since the mid-eighties. Findings from this study reveal that policies based on household life cycle postulates will have limited impacts in reducing deforestation rates and promoting sustainable land use practices. Appropriate accounting of the social and environmental costs of future infrastructure development projects should consider associated frontier agricultural expansion costs to discourage further deforestation. / Ph. D.

Excessive nutrient concentrations from a different point and non-point sources are the main cause of water impairment in the United States. Appropriate management practices, according to the source and quantity of pollutions, need to be implemented to control excessive nutrient influx in the water body. Various types of hydrological and water quality models with diverse function, capability and degree of complexity are employed to quantify watershed hydrologic processes and nutrient pollution. Multiple models can be applied to a watershed but the suitable model must be selected based on watershed type and simulation need. Two watershed-scale models, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and Hydrologic Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF) were chosen for this study to simulate runoff, sediment yield, and nutrient load from the Big Sunflower River Watershed (BSRW) of Mississippi. The objectives of this study are to access the nutrient sources within the watershed, determine the appropriate model to quantify them, develop and evaluate model considering spatial and temporal variations in input data, and evaluate the effectiveness of different Best Management Practices (BMPs) on surface runoff, sediment yield and nutrient load at watershed scale. This study has identified a potential source of nutrients in BSRW and provided a suitable BMP for its management. Similarly, the study found both SWAT and HSPF were efficient in the simulation of streamflow, sediment yield and nutrient load, where SWAT was more efficient during simulation streamflow and sediment yield. Likewise, the study established that both water-quantity and water-quality are sensitive to the change in LULC data layers and thus, seasonal LULC data applied to SWAT will better explain variation in hydrology and water quality as compared to the annual cropland data layer. Moreover, the study showed that well managed vegetative filter strip was very efficient in reducing sediment yield, TN, and TP at both field and watershed scale among different BMPs evaluated at field and watershed scale. This study will be beneficial in developing efficient nutrient management strategy at field and watershed scale, selecting appropriate model and input according to the need and type of watershed, and providing further research opportunities to the scientific community.

No description available.

The terrestrial ecosystem is an integral component of the Earth System. Constant atmosphere-biosphere exchanges of energy and material affect both the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere. While the general roles of terrestrial ecosystems in regulating ozone and particulate matter air pollution have long been acknowledged, our understanding at both individual process and system level are far from perfect. Also, new process-level discoveries about terrestrial atmosphere-biosphere exchanges are not timely incorporated in numerical models routinely used to study and forecast air quality. These hinder our ability to understand how air quality respond to environmental changes and variabilities. Chapter 1 of this dissertation provides a brief overview on these topics. In Chapter 2 of this dissertation (Wong et al., 2019), we conduct global long-term simulations of ozone dry deposition velocity with four different types of dry deposition parameterizations. We find that none of the tested parameterizations universally stands out in terms of matching observed ozone deposition velocity over different land cover types. Combining this with sensitivity simulations from a global 3-D atmospheric chemistry model (GEOS-Chem), we find that the choice of dry deposition parameterizations can affect the mean, trend and variability of simulated surface O3 level. In Chapter 3 of this dissertation (Wong et al., 2022), we analyze long-term ozone flux observation from three field sites to examine the effects of extreme heat and dryness on ozone deposition. We find that non-stomatal ozone uptake tends to increase during hot days, which either partially offsets or dominates over the reduction in stomatal ozone uptake anticipated by ecophysiological theory. While the response of ozone deposition to dryness is more varied, changes in non-stomatal deposition are usually important. Current dry deposition parameterizations often fail to capture such changes in non-stomatal ozone uptake, resulting in considerable potential error in simulated surface ozone level during hot and dry days. In Chapter 4 of this dissertation (Wong and Geddes, 2021), we conduct global GEOS-Chem numerical experiments with anthropogenic emission inventories and land surface remote sensing products to compare the effects land cover versus land management changes on O3 and fine particulate matter air quality over 1992 – 2014. We find that land cover has stronger effects on O3, while land management has stronger effects on fine particulate matter pollution. We also find that land management has significantly altered regional and global nitrogen deposition, and therefore the risk of critical load exceedance. Chapter 5 of this dissertation includes the concluding remarks and suggestions for future work. In addition, I outline and present the preliminary result from a project examining the future of soil reactive nitrogen emissions and their impacts on air quality.

On étudie une zone de la Cordillère de la Costa au sud du Chili (41°15'S-41°00'S), habitée par l'ethnie Mapuche. Là, il y a encore des précieuses forêts tempérées, qui ont une haute priorité de conservation au plan mondial. Mais, il est constaté, un processus continu de transformation lié à l'extraction de bois de chauffe, l'élevage extensif, la perturbation de l'habitat du conifère Fitzroya cupressoides, et le déploiement des plantations forestières. Sur la base d'une classification multi-temporelle d'images satellite, une modélisation spatio-temporelle a été mise en œuvre pour comprendre et anticiper la dynamique de la détérioration de la forêt. L'analyse rétrospective révèle qu'entre 1976 et 2008, la forêt a été réduite 12400 ha, soit un taux de déforestation 0,25% par an. 20 modèles de déforestation sont calibrés, 4 d'entre eux sont sélectionnés pour construire des scénarios prospectifs. La simulation prévoit que la diminution de forêt entre 2008 et 2040 pourrait atteindre 13000 ha. Deux autres modèles mis en œuvre simulent l'évolution de la qualité de l'habitat de F. cupressoides. Les scénarios prévoient une augmentation de la surface détériorée ; l’extrapolation à partir de la période d’apprentissage 2001-2008 pendant laquelle la plus grande part de terres indigènes a été légalisée, par rapport à la période précédente à 2001, prédit une augmentation plus significative de la surface détériorée. On fournit un outil pour amplifier la gestion territoriale des systèmes environnementaux toujours non incorporée dans la planification chilienne. Enfin, la thèse met également d'intéressantes comparaisons entre modèles qui diffèrent par rapport aux paramètres de calibration. / SAn area of the Cordillera de la Costa is studied in southern Chile (41°15'S - 41°00'S), inhabited by ethnic Mapuche. There are still valuable temperate forests that have high conservation priority worldwide. But it is found, a continuous process of transformation related to the extraction of firewood, ranching, disruption of habitat conifer Fitzroya cupressoides, and deployment of forest plantations. Based on a multi-temporal satellite images classification, a spatial-temporal modeling was implemented to understand and predict the dynamics of the deterioration of the forest. Retrospective analysis revealed that between 1976 and 2008, the forest has been reduced 12,400 ha, a deforestation rate of 0.25% per annum. 20 models of deforestation are calibrated, 4 of them are selected to construct scenarios. The simulation predicted that reductions of forest between 2008 and 2040 could reach 13,000 ha. Two other models implemented simulate changes in habitat quality F. cupressoides. Scenarios predict an increase in the damaged surface; extrapolating from the learning period 2001-2008 during which the largest share of indigenous lands was legalized, compared with the previous period to 2001, predicts a significant increase in the damaged surface. In this way, it provides a tool to enhance the local management of environmental systems still not incorporated into the Chilean planning. Finally, the thesis also makes interesting comparisons between models that differ with respect to the calibration parameters.

O estudo avaliou a influência das árvores urbanas na manutenção da qualidade do ar e na melhoria da saúde pública, na cidade de São Paulo/SP. Para isso, essa dissertação apresenta três artigos, sendo o primeiro um artigo de revisão sistemática da literatura científica dos últimos 10 anos, contendo pesquisas que envolvem ao menos dois dos três temas: florestas urbanas, poluição do ar e saúde pública, de forma integrada. O segundo trabalho demonstra como a distribuição do solo urbano e as árvores urbanas, levantadas através de um Inventário Florestal, influenciam na qualidade do ar. O terceiro artigo discute o processo de urbanização e como o uso e ocupação do solo podem influenciar nos casos de Câncer de pulmão em idosos. As pricipais conclusões observadas são que as publicações da área vêm crescendo com o passar dos anos em revistas consideradas de alta qualidade científica, porém há uma carência de estudos que englobem os três grandes temas de forma integrada; Copa arbórea/arbustiva e Relvado podem ser utilizados como ferramentas eficientes na gestão pública, no combate à poluição por Material Particulado de 10μm; áreas abertas de relvado, como praças, campos e jardins, assim como a presença de árvores, podem ser considerados como fatores que favorecem a saúde da população de idosos paulistanos, e são encontradas quando mais distantes do centro da cidade. / The study evaluated the influence of urban trees in maintaining air quality and improving public health in São Paulo. For this, this dissertation presents three articles, the first one is a systematic review of the scientific literature of the last 10 years, containing research involving at least two of the three themes: urban forests, air pollution and public health, in an integrated way. The second work demonstrates how the distribution of land use and urban trees, raised through a Forest Inventory, influence the quality of the air. The third article discusses the process of urbanization and how land use and land cover can influence the cases of lung cancer in old people. The main conclusions observed are that the publications have been growing over the years in journals considered of high scientific quality, but there is a lack of studies that encompass the three major matters in an integrated way; Arboreal / Shrub Cup and Grass can be used as efficient tools in the public management, in reduction of pollution by particulate matter of 10μm; Open areas such as squares, fields and gardens, as well as the presence of trees, can be considered as factors that favor the health of the elderly population of São Paulo, and these environments are found when further away from the city center.

Changing land cover from prairie grasslands to intensive, primarily cereal agriculture, over the North American Great Plains since the mid-19th century, has had a hydrological and climatological impact on that ecosystem (Pielke, Sr., et al., 2011). Agriculture has introduced timed harvest seasons, irrigation, and C3 photosynthesizing crops with poorer water efficiency than the grasses it replaced. All of these changes have been linked to exacerbated drought conditions and warmer temperatures; however, few studies have quantified this relationship at the continental scale. In order to evaluate the change imposed by this shift in land use and land cover, the observation based 20th Century Reanalysis Project (20CR) was used to quantify the climatological differences in temperature and humidity between areas of natural prairie and agriculture over the 20th century. An additional analysis used the Observation Minus Reanalysis (OMR) technique to isolate the surface climate signal found in the 20CR. We find indications that changing land cover had an impact on climate. However, using observation based data returned no evidence of a statistically significant change due to the small land use and land cover change (LULCC) signal within the larger climate noise. Therefore, an idealised modelling experiment was undertaken using the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) AM2-LM2 atmosphere-land model to remove these other influences. This experiment compared the results of two model simulations: one where the entirety of the prairie was preserved as grassland (GRASS), and another where the entire prairies had been converted into an agricultural area (AGRIC). Relative to GRASS, the AGRIC simulation has reduced surface albedo and root zone depth, and increased roughness length over the prairies, which collectively cause a significant summer drying. This occurs when the shallower rooting zone limited potential evapotranspiration (PET) forcing the additional energy created by turbulent mixing and a lower surface albedo to warm the air, surpassing PET and reaching drier conditions faster. While not conclusive, the results presented in this thesis represent a step towards filling the gaps in understanding land-atmosphere interactions and connecting LULCC to climate.