O objetivo deste estudo foi compreender o efeito das mudanças no uso da terra na distribuição e transporte de carbono e nitrogênio, em rios de diferentes ordens nas bacias hidrográficas dos rios Jaguari e Camanducaia. O rio Jaguari tem o rio Camanduacia como um dos seus principais afluentes, e é um importante supridor do sistema de reservatórios \"Cantareira\", que abastece cerca de seis milhões de habitantes da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo, Brasil. Em cada sub-bacia, iniciou-se em janeiro de 2015 um estudo de um ano hidrológico, para monitoramento de parâmetros de qualidade da água, como pH, condutividade elétrica (CE), oxigênio dissolvido e porcentagem (OD), carbono orgânico e inorgânico dissolvido (DOC e DIC), nitrato (NO3-), amônio (NH4+), nitrito (NO2-), nitrogênio orgânico (NOD), nitrogênio total (TN), temperatura do ar e da água (T °C) e vazão (Q) para monitoramento do ambiente, além de taxa de respiração (TR), demanda bioquímica de oxigênio (DBO), excesso de CO2 (Excess-CO2), utilização aparente de oxigênio (AOU) para análise do metabolismo do rio, e &delta;13C e &delta;15N para o entendimento da origem do material orgânico particulado. Para isso, 19 estações de amostragem foram selecionadas ao longo dos canais do rio Camanducaia (8 estações) e Jaguari (11 estações), duas estações nos seus principais afluentes Mosquito e Camanducaia Mineiro, respectivamente, e outras duas estações em pequenos riachos nas áreas de cabeça do Jaguari e as bacias hidrográficas de Camanducaia. A exportação de elementos pela mesobacia do rio Jaguari foi avaliada pelos fluxos de carbono, nitrogênio e material particulado em suspensão fino e grosso. Não foi verificado características de anaerobiose nos rios Jaguari e Camanducaia, apesar de terem ocorrido eventos em que Excess-CO2 ultrapassou 250 &mu;M. Verificou-se a CE variando entre 15 e 156 &mu;S cm-1 no rio Jaguari, e de 27 a 175 &mu;S cm-1 no rio Camanducaia. Os pontos amostrais de áreas preservadas foram em média 5,8 e 3,7 vezes menores que os pontos a jusante no rio Jaguari e Camanducaia, respectivamente. A ACP reduziu as 9 variáveis relacionadas a variação espacial do carbono em 2 componentes, com alto nível de explicação (p<0,05), chamadas de qualidade de água (69,5%) e metabolismo do rio (16%). Os pontos a jusante dos rios foram altamente correlacionados entre si, e com as variáveis químicas (DOC, DIC e DBO) e número de habitantes. Para a dinâmica do nitrogênio relacionada ao uso da terra, covariáveis como CE, NOD, N-NH4+ TR e Q, apresentaram relação com os processos oxidativos e foram bons preditores para o nitrato. Ocorreu variação de N-NO3- de 3 a 139 &mu;M no rio Jaguari e entre 3 e 199 &mu;M no rio Camanducaia, obtendo correlação positiva com a CE (r=0,7), NOD (r=0,3) e inversa com o OD (r=-0,2). Assim, as diferentes zonas (cabeceira, trecho médio e jusante) da mesobacia do rio Jaguari influenciaram na distribuição de carbono e nitrogênio e essas estão associadas ao tipo de uso da terra, alterando a origem das fontes de N e C da matéria orgânica particulada. / The objective was to understand the effect of changes in land use on the distribution and transport of carbon and nitrogen in rivers of different orders in the Jaguari and Camanducaia river basins. The Jaguari River has the Camanduacia River as one of its main tributaries, and is an important supplier of the \"Cantareira\" reservoir system, which supplies about six million inhabitants of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, Brazil. In each medium-sized basin, a hydrological one-year study was initiated in January 2015 to monitor water quality parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (CE), dissolved oxygen and percentage (OD), organic and inorganic carbon dissolved (DOC; DIC), total nitrogen (TN), air and water temperature (T °C), and flow rate (Q) were determined by the inorganic organic matter (DOC and DIC), nitrate (NO3-), ammonium (NH4+), nitrite (BOD), excess of CO2 (Excess-CO2), apparent oxygen used (AOU) for the analysis of river metabolism, &delta;13C and &delta;15N to understand the origin of the particulate organic material. For this purpose, 19 sampling stations were selected along the channels of the Camanducaia River (8 stations) and Jaguari (11 stations), two stations in their main tributaries Mosquito and Camanducaia Mineiro, respectively, and two stations in small streams in the headwater of the Jaguari and Camanducaia watersheds. The exportation of elements by the Jaguari river basin was evaluated by the fluxes of carbon, nitrogen and particulate matter in fine and coarse. No anaerobic characteristics were observed in the Jaguari and Camanducaia rivers, although events occurred in which Excess-CO2 exceeded 250 &mu;M. CE varied from 15 to 156 &mu;S cm-1 in the Jaguari River and from 27 to 175 &mu;S cm-1 in the Camanducaia River. The sample points of preserved areas were on average 5.8 and 3.7 times lower, than in the downstream points in the Jaguari and Camanducaia rivers, respectively. The ACP reduced the 9 variables related to the spatial variation of the carbon in 2 components, with a high level of explanation (p<0.05), called water quality (69.5%) and river metabolism (16%). The points downstream of the rivers were highly correlated with each other, and with the chemical variables (DOC, DIC and BOD) and number of inhabitants. For nitrogen dynamics related to land use, covariates such as EC, NOD, NH4+-N, TR and Q, were related to oxidative processes and were good predictors for nitrate. There was a variation of NO3- N between 3 and 139 &mu;M in the Jaguari River and 3 to 199 &mu;M in the Camanducaia River, obtaining a positive correlation with EC (r=0.7), NOD (r=0.3) and inverse OD (r=-0.2). Thus, the different zones (headwater, middle strecth and downstream) of the basin of the Jaguari River influenced the distribution of carbon and nitrogen and these are associated with the type of land use, changing the origin of N and C sources of particulate organic matter.

No description available.

Mais da metade da vegetação nativa no Brasil ocorrem em propriedades privadas, por isso a importância da compatibilização das atividades agropecuárias com a conservação dos recursos naturais. Os benefícios gerados pelos ecossistemas para os seres humanos são definidos como serviços ecossistêmicos, que podem ser pagos para incentivar a manutenção e restauração da vegetação nativa nas propriedades rurais, com os chamados programas de Pagamento por Serviços Ambientais (PSA). A metodologia proposta neste estudo proporciona um avanço no sentido do planejamento espacial da paisagem em propriedades privadas, a fim de aumentar o fornecimento de serviços ecossistêmicos, levando em conta a percepção dos tomadores de decisão no manejo do uso do solo, por meio de Análise de Decisão Multicritérios (MCDA). A metodologia foi testada na microbacia do córrego Cavalheiro, que é afetada pela fragmentação do habitat e conversão de terras para fins agrícolas. Os resultados mostraram que para os serviços ecossistêmicos hidrológicos, utilizados pelos programas de PSA brasileiros, deve existir uma ponderação entre a regulação do regime hidrológico com a consequente diminuição da vazão anual esperada devido ao incremento da área florestada. Em um dos cenários de uso e ocupação do solo, no qual se propôs a ocupação de 51,8 % da microbacia por vegetação nativa, houve uma diminuição de 81,25 % no escoamento superficial e de 32,2 % no escoamento de base. Entretanto, este aumento da cobertura vegetal provou ter a função de regulação hídrica, aumentando de 68 % para 87 % a contribuição da vazão de base no escoamento total da microbacia. Isso mostra que a decisão quanto ao tamanho das áreas de vegetação nativa deve ficar por conta das funções ecológicas mais exigentes, que para o caso da área de estudo mostrou ser o suporte à biodiversidade. O uso da ponderação dos critérios para a análise de decisão multicritério (MCDA) mostrou que os tomadores de decisão da microbacia estão interessados em novas formas de manejo de uso do solo, visando a regulação do regime hidrológico, aumento do suporte à biodiversidade e paisagens que tragam maior potencial às atividades de ecoturismo. Assim, os cenários com maiores áreas de vegetação nativa (cenários 6 e 8) foram classificados em primeiro lugar, uma vez que contribuíram de forma significativa com os serviços ecossistêmicos analisados. Portanto, a metodologia utilizada contribuiu com informações essenciais para a fase de diagnóstico e análise da elaboração de programas de Pagamento por Serviços Ambientais (PSA) para microbacias. / More than half of the native vegetation in Brazil occurs in private properties, this demonstrates the importance of the compatibilization of agricultural activities with the conservation of natural resources. The benefits generated by ecosystems for humans are defined as ecosystem services, which can be paid to encourage the maintenance and restoration of native vegetation on farms, with so-called Payment for Environmental Services (PES) programs. The methodology proposed in this study provides a step towards the spatial planning of the landscape in private properties, in order to increase the supply of ecosystem services, taking into account the perception of the decision makers in the land use management, through Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). The methodology was tested in the Cavalheiro stream microbasin, which is affected by habitat fragmentation and land conversion for agricultural purposes. The results showed that for hydrological ecosystem services, used by Brazilian PES programs, there should be a weighting between the regulation of the hydrological regime and the consequent decrease in the expected annual flow due to the increase of the forested area. In one of the land use and occupation scenarios, in which 51.8% of the microbasin was occupied by native vegetation, there was a decrease of 81.25% in surface runoff and 32.2% decrease in base runoff. However, this increase in vegetation cover proved to have the function of water regulation, increasing the contribution of the base flow to the total runoff of the watershed from 68% to 87%. This shows that the decision on the size of native vegetation areas must be based on the most demanding ecological functions, which for the case of the study area has been shown to be the support for biodiversity. The use of criteria weighting for multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) has shown that microbasin decision makers are interested in new forms of land use management, aiming at regulating the hydrological regime, increasing support for biodiversity and landscapes that Bring greater potential to ecotourism activities. Thus, scenarios with larger areas of native vegetation (scenarios 6 and 8) were ranked first, since they contributed significantly to the ecosystem services analyzed. Therefore, the methodology used contributed with essential information for the diagnostic and analysis phase of the elaboration of Environmental Services Payment (PSA) programs for the Cavalheiro stream microbasin.

For this dissertation I studied groundwater and surface water interactions in the Kenai Lowlands, Alaska. In particular, I examine two important aspects of groundwater and surface water interactions: 1) Groundwater's influence on surface-water temperature; and 2) Groundwater's role in forming hydrologic flow paths that can connect uplands to streamside wetlands and streams. Chapter 2 investigates the controls on stream temperature in salmon-bearing headwater streams in two common hydrogeologic settings: 1) drainage-ways, which are low-gradient streams that flow through broad valleys; and 2) discharge-slopes, which are high gradient streams that flow through narrow valleys. The results from chapter 2 showed significant differences in stream temperatures between the two hydrogeologic settings. Observed stream temperatures were higher in drainage-way sites than in discharge-slope sites, and showed strong correlations as a continuous function with the calculated topographic metric flow-weighted slope. Additionally, modeling results indicated that the potential for groundwater discharge to moderate stream temperature is not equal between the two hydrogeologic settings, with groundwater having a greater moderating effect on stream temperature at the low gradient drainage-way sites. Chapter 3 examines the influence of groundwater on juvenile coho salmon winter habitat along the Anchor River. Two backwater habitats were selected from the larger set of 25 coho overwintering sites from a previous study for an in-depth hydrologic analysis. The results from chapter 3 showed that the type of groundwater discharge (i.e., focused versus diffuse groundwater discharge) can play an important role in determining habitat suitability in these backwater sites. During winter, focused discharge from a local groundwater seep maintained higher surface-water temperatures and higher concentrations of dissolved oxygen compared to the site with more diffuse groundwater discharge. Chapter 4 investigates the linkages along hydrologic flow paths among alder (Alnus spp.) stands, streamside wetlands, and headwater streams. Chapter 4 tested four related hypotheses: 1) groundwater nitrate concentrations are greater along flow paths with alder compared to flow paths without alder; 2) on hillslopes with alder, groundwater nitrate concentrations are highest when alder stands are located near the streamside wetlands at the base of the hillslope; 3) primary production of streamside wetland vegetation is N limited and wetlands are less N limited when alder stands are located nearby along flow paths; and 4) stream reaches at the base of flow paths with alder have higher nitrate concentrations than reaches at the base of flow paths without alder. The results from chapter 4 showed that groundwater nitrate concentrations were highest along flow paths with alder, however no difference was observed between flow paths with alder located near versus alder located further from streamside wetlands. Vegetation had a greater response to N fertilization in streamside wetlands that were connected to flow paths without alder and less when alder stands were near. Finally, higher nitrate concentrations were measured in streams at the base of flow paths with alder. The combined results of this dissertation showed that, in the Kenai Lowlands, groundwater and surface water interactions have a direct influence on the local ecology and that a fundamental understanding of the hydrology can aid in the successful management and protection of this unique and important ecosystem.

Rainfall is a natural process, which has a high degree of variability in both space and time. Information on the spatial and temporal variability of rainfall plays an important role in the process of surface runoff generation. Hence it is important for a variety of applications in hydrology and water resources management. The spatial variability of rainfall can be substantial even for very small catchments and an important factor in the reliability of rainfall-runoff simulations. Catchments in urban areas usually are small, and the management problems often require the numerical simulation of catchment processes and hence the need to consider the spatial and temporal variability of rainfall. A need exists, therefore, to analyse the sensitivity of rainfall-runoff behaviour of catchment modelling systems (CMS) to imperfect knowledge of rainfall input, in order to judge whether or not they are reliable and robust, especially if they are to be used for operational purposes. Development of a methodology for identification of storm events according to the degree of heterogeneity in space and time and thence development of a detailed spatial and temporal rainfall model within a hydroinformatic environment utilising real-time data has been the focus of this project. The improvement in runoff prediction accuracy and hence the importance of the rainfall input model in runoff prediction is then demonstrated through the application of a CMS for differing variability of real storm events to catchments with differing orders of scale. The study identified both spatial and temporal semi-variograms, which were produced by plotting the semi-variance of gauge records in space and time against distance and time respectively. These semi-variograms were utilised in introducing estimators to measure the degree of heterogeneity of each individual storm events in their space and time scale. Also, the proposed estimators use ground based gauge records of the real storm events and do not rely on delicate meteorological interpretations. As the results of the investigation on the developed semi-variogram approach, real storm events were categorised as being High Spatial-High Temporal (HS-HT); High Spatial-Low Temporal; (HS-LT); Low Spatial-High Temporal (LS-HT); and Low Spatial-Low Temporal variability.A comparatively detailed rainfall distribution model in space and time was developed within the Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The enhanced rainfall representation in both space and time scale is made feasible in the study by the aid of the powerful spatial analytic capability of GIS. The basis of this rainfall model is an extension of the rainfall model developed by Luk and Ball (1998) through a temporal discretisation of the storm event. From this model, improved estimates of the spatially distributed with smaller time steps hyetographs suited for especially the urban catchments could be obtained. The importance of the detailed space-time rainfall model in improving the robustness of runoff prediction of CMS was investigated by comparing error parameters for predictions from CMS using alternate rainfall models, for various degrees of spatiotemporal heterogeneity events. Also it is appropriate to investigate whether the degree of this improvement to be dependent on the variability of the storm event which is assessed by the adopted semi-variogram approach. From the investigations made, it was found that the spline surface rainfall model, which considered the spatial and temporal variability of the rainfall in greater detail than the Thiessen rainfall model resulted in predicted hydrographs that more closely duplicated the recorded hydrograph for the same parameter set. The degree of this improvement in the predicted hydrograph was found to be dependent on the spatial and temporal variability of the storm event as measured by the proposed semi-variogram approach for assessing this feature of a storm event. The analysis is based on forty real events recorded from the Centennial Park Catchment (1.3km2) and the Upper Parramatta River Catchment (110km2) in Sydney, Australia. These two case study catchments were selected to ensure that catchment scale effects were incorporated in the conclusions developed during the study.

River basins provide essential services for both humans and ecosystems. Understanding the connections between ecosystems and society and their function has been at the heart of resilience studies and has become an increasing important endeavor in research and practice. In this dissertation, I define basin resilience as a river basin system's capacity to absorb, manage, and adapt to biophysical, social-economic, and political changes (or stressors) while still maintaining its essential structure, feedbacks, and functional integrity. I address the question of resilience, scale, and development in the Mekong and Columbia River Basins. This dissertation answers the following questions: 1) is systems theory an appropriate model to evaluate basin resilience, 2) is the Mekong Basin resilient, 3) are the Mekong and Columbia River Basins resilient across multiple scales, 4) can conflict management and collaborative learning enhance resilience, 5) can a resilience framework be used for basin comparisons, and 6) what lessons can the Mekong basin take from rapid development in the Columbia basin? In Chapter 2, I create and apply a social-ecological systems (SES) model of the Mekong River Basin to assess resilience at sub-basin (provincial), watershed (national), and basin (regional) scales. Feedbacks, thresholds, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity are determined and used as inputs into an overall basin resilience assessment. Drawing upon field work done in the Mekong Basin, Chapter 3 uses Conflict Management and Collaborative Learning processes to address resilience weaknesses across multiple scales in the Mekong Basin. Chapter 4 uses the basin resilience framework to compare the Mekong and Columbia Basins against physical characteristics, development rate, conflict and cooperation, and institutional responses to development projects. In this dissertation I find the Mekong has medium-low basin resilience and that scale is a critical determinant in basin resilience assessments. I find that in this study, vulnerability is inversely proportional to resilience, and low resilience at one scale, for example fisheries in the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia, decreases resilience for the entire basin. I find that Cambodia and Lao PDR are the least resilience and Thailand the most resilient countries in the Mekong Basin ��� Thailand more resilient in some sectors than the Mekong River Commission (MRC). I find that the MRC's conflict management strategy is hampered by a restrictive mandate and weakness in capacity building at tributary and national scales but that Collaborative Learning processes are effective in enhancing resilience at the sub-basin scale. Finally, I demonstrate through the basin comparison that the Mekong has a highly resilient biophysical system and traditionally a resilient institutional system however, the proposed rate of development is unsustainable with trends indicating a significant erosion of resilience. I find the Columbia Basin lacking resilience in fishing, hydropower, and water quality ��� sectors mitigating the effects of development in the Columbia Basin, manifesting as overall negative trends in cooperation. However, the Columbia shows signs of increasing cooperation due recent inclusion of Tribal Nations in water management. Flexible and inclusive institutional responses to water resource development challenges, in the Mekong to rapid development on the mainstream and in the Columbia to negotiations over renewal of the Columbia River Treaty, are key determinants to whether or not each basin can halt the current negative trends and strengthen basin resilience to face the challenges now and those coming in the future. / Graduation date: 2013

Current research indicates that the expansion of western juniper can inhibit soil water retention, storage and prolonged releases from watersheds. This phenomenon is of great importance in eastern Oregon, as western juniper is encroaching into sagebrush/grass communities with a correlated reduction in herbaceous ground cover, resulting in reduced infiltration rates and increased soil loss. A paired watershed study for the purpose of monitoring water quality/quantity as affected by western juniper in the Camp Creek drainage, a tributary to the Crooked River, was established in 1994. Monitoring methods consisted of annual and semiannual measurements of hillslope soil movement, channel morphology, including total cross-sectional area, scour and deposition, channel discharge, depth to groundwater, and precipitation. Channel discharge was established using a 3,0 H-flume with a pressure transducer and stilling well and data logger. Changes in channel morphology were determined using 25 permanent, channel cross-section plots per watershed. Hillslope erosion processes were determined using 12 transects of 3 sediment stakes per watershed, located within gullies of subwatersheds. Data showed the two study areas to be well correlated with regards to soil movement, both within the main channels and in the subwatersheds (hillslopes). Some of the geomorphometric properties are similar (not statistically different) and differences in other parameters can be explained. Channel discharge appears to be significantly different in intensity, frequency, and duration of flow. These differences in surface discharge may be explained as further data collection of subsurface flow analysis in conjunction with sampling of springs located in each watershed are conducted. / Graduation date: 2005

Many resource management controversies indicate disagreement about the possible intended and unintended effects of management actions on ecosystems. Researchers have documented a variety of negative effects on specific ecosystems, e. g. the degradation of salmonid habitat due to mass wasting (Hagans et al. 1986). While the effects of some management actions are reversible, others change systems capacities and are therefore irreversible, e.g. the poisoning of Kesterson Wildlife Refuge with selenium due to agricultural practices (Schuler 1987). The difference between reversible and irreversible management effects is often a matter of scale. Management actions that are out of concordance with the properties of a system have the potential to irreversibly change a system if applied over large spatial and temporal scales. Using the method of contextual watershed classification (Warren 1979) the concordance of forest management with the properties of the Yaquina drainage (an Oregon coastal watershed of 220 sq. mi. size) and its environmental class (the North-central Coast Range) are evaluated. For this purpose, the watershed and its environment are classified according to five components: climate, substrate, biota, water, and culture. Properties are selected that are rather invariant and general, and therefore reflect the potential capacities of system and environment. The climatic, geologic, geomorphic, and hydrologic characteristics are compared to trophic relationships and life history traits of selected tree species in an attempt to understand the biophysical relationships in the forest environment that dominates the watershed. It is found that commonly applied harvest regimes are out of concordance with the biophysical environment and thus have the potential to lead to resource loss. Alternative management practices that would be more concordant with resource properties are proposed. The influence of dominant world views (namely mechanism, realism, rationalism, individualism, utilitarianism, and elitism) on the forest planning process and on the opinions of community leaders is evaluated. It is found that forest management practices, although they are out of concordance with the biophysical environment, are in concordance with the larger cultural environment and the perceptions and opinions of local community leaders. Hence, adopting new practices that are more concordant with the biophysical environment will be difficult. The major hindrance is located in the economic sphere. Concerns relating to the economical sphere are discussed and a probable route to more concordant resource use is proposed. / Graduation date: 1989

A constructed wetland receiving pasture runoff from a dairy in Tillamook, OR was monitored during the winter of 1997-98 in order to estimate coliform treatment efficiency during winter high flow periods. Monitoring occurred during four sampling periods, each lasting 2 to 4 days. Samples were taken every two hours from the inlet and outlet of each of two parallel wetland cells and analyzed for fecal coliform using the standard membrane filtration technique. Flow into the wetland cells was measured using a chart recorder. Dye tests were conducted for each cell during each sampling period in order to estimate residence time, active cell volume, and qualitatively evaluate the flow regime. Removal was calculated by comparing inlet samples with outlet samples offset by the residence time. This residence time offset method was an attempt to compensate for the changing flows and loads common to storm driven non-point pollution sources. Coliform concentrations and flow rates of the dairy pasture runoff varied widely. Concentrations ranged from 10�� cfu/100mL to more than 10��� cfu/100mL. The highest concentrations typically coincided with the first storm flow peak following manure application. The constructed wetland in this study was able to reduce coliform concentrations in dairy pasture runoff by more than an order of magnitude (98%) during winter storm events. Removals observed during a lower flow period in the fall were significantly lower (78%). A statistical examination of literature data in an attempt to determine the influence of commonly reported parameters on coliform removal had mixed results. Regression modeling suggested that the parameters that most influence coliform removal in wetlands are hydraulic overflow rate (HOR) and inlet coliform concentration. The importance of HOR would appear to suggest that an area-dependent process, such as settling, is the dominant removal mechanism in most wetlands. However, since most wetlands have some form of pretreatment to remove settleable material, it is unlikely that coliform is significantly removed by settling. A theortical examination of coliform removal mechanisms in constructed wetlands suggests that filtration, die-off, and solar ultraviolet disinfection are more likely removal processes. / Graduation date: 1999

Stakeholder participation has become a valuable tool for agencies in the field of environmental planning. The potential benefits, for both agencies and individuals, of involving stakeholders in the planning process have been widely recognized and well documented. However, the success of participatory initiatives depends on the extent to which local stakeholders are interested in, and capable of, becoming involved in the process. Thus, the outcomes for each process vary as planning issues are dependent on their local context. This study aimed to evaluative the characteristics of successful stakeholder in planning. Specifically, it strived to obtain an understanding of successful stakeholder engagement through developing and integrating an evaluative framework based on the literature with the motivations and perceptions of agencies representatives and local stakeholders. In order to achieve these goals, the evaluative framework was applied to a case study of the Tiffany Creek subwatershed in Hamilton, Ontario. The case study revealed that determining and incorporating the opinions of agencies and stakeholders toward a participatory process can shed light on the characteristics of successful stakeholder participation in a given region. The characteristics of successful stakeholder participation and the integration of agency and stakeholders viewpoints into the planning process are discussed and recommendations to improve participatory processes in environmental planning are provided.