Diante da contínua e crescente degradação das florestas e das dificuldades que a sociedade enfrenta no sentido de protegê-las e recuperá-las, este trabalho foi realizado com o intuito de contribuir para a valorização, proteção e implantação de árvores e florestas em propriedades rurais no município de Piracicaba/SP. Para tanto, efetuou-se uma pesquisa sobre a percepção que os produtores da Microbacia Tamandupá, tributária do Rio Corumbataí, possuem em relação ao elemento arbóreo e aos dispositivos de proteção ao mesmo, para que ao final, fossem propostas diretrizes para intervenções educacionais voltadas ao setor rural. Utilizando-se de contribuições conceituais e metodológicas advindas da educação, legislação e política ambiental, bem como das reflexões obtidas através de entrevistas com profissionais dessas áreas e da extensão rural, procurou-se construir um referencial teórico para analisar os dados de campo. Os resultados obtidos durante as entrevistas realizadas, foram analisados de forma qualitativa e quantitativa. Buscou-se também, realizar a estratificação dos dados, ou seja, a separação das respostas de acordo com características sócio-econômicas dos entrevistados para identificar padrões entre as mesmas. A intenção era avaliar o grau de percepção dos proprietários em relação ao elemento arbóreo e às leis, de modo a caracterizá-los de acordo com o grau de escolaridade, a idade, o tamanho das propriedades e o fato dos proprietários residirem ou não no campo. Não foi possível verificar grandes variações de respostas, que demonstrassem um pensamento comum para cada grupo, mas apontaram-se tendências que possibilitaram concluir, por exemplo, que os proprietários que residem no campo possuem maior identificação e afinidade em relação ao elemento arbóreo. Os dados obtidos contribuíram ainda, para a identificação de algumas frases bastante indicativas do pensamento, dos desejos e das opiniões dos agricultores, o que pode auxiliar na compreensão da realidade do setor e orientar trabalhos no sentido de instrumentalizar a tomada de decisões direcionadas à proteção ambiental. Conclui-se que o trato junto ao público alvo da presente pesquisa, é complexo e necessita de dedicação e continuidade. Deve-se sempre propiciar a participação dos mesmos em todas as etapas de trabalho, e observar métodos múltiplos de abordagem e intervenções. Outras formas de aproximação são também sugeridas, como por exemplo, as conversas informais, o contato via sindicato e a participação em eventos comuns aos produtores. Além disto, faz-se necessário o envolvimento de pessoas que podem influenciar na tomada de decisões (como caseiros, cônjuges, crianças, etc.). As intervenções educacionais devem contemplar procedimentos e conteúdos variados. Neste sentido, a promoção da sinergia entre educação, legislação e política, pode trazer grandes contribuições. A educação deve instigar o questionamento, o debate e as atitudes, enquanto que as leis podem representar a efetivação de acordos compactuados entre as pessoas e possibilitar o exercício da crítica, além de direcionar a criação de políticas efetivas de proteção ao meio ambiente. Sendo assim, vale ressaltar que a despeito das dificuldades existentes no processo de busca pela proteção e implementação do elemento arbóreo em propriedades rurais, existem perspectivas concretas de se reverter o quadro de degradação do ambiente que se observa na região e no mundo. / Due the continuum and increasing degradation of the forests and the difficulties that the society faces to protect and to recover them, this work was made to contribute for the valuation, protection and implantation of trees and forests in country properties of Piracicaba /SP. For in such a way, a research was effected on the perception that the producers of the Microbacia Tamandupá, of the River Corumbataí, have in relation to the arboreal element and the ways of protection, so that to the end, proposals lines of direction to educational interventions. Using of conceptual and methodological contributions from the education, legislation and ambient politics, as well as from the reflections gotten from interviews with professionals of these areas and of the agricultural extension, it was looked to construct a theoretical referential to analyze the field data. The results gotten during the interviews, had been analyzed in a qualitative and quantitative ways. One of the goals was to carry through the stratification of the data, or either, the separation of the results according to the sociological and economic characteristics of the interviewees, to identify standards among them. The idea was to evaluate the degree of perception of the owners in relation to the arboreal element and the laws, in order to characterize them according to the scholarship degree, the age, the size of the properties and the fact of the proprietors to inhabit or not in the field. It was not possible to verify great variations of answers, that demonstrated a common thought for each group, but had pointed trends that they make possible to conclude, for example, that the proprietors who inhabit in the field possess greater identification and affinity in relation to the arboreal element. Those data had still contributed, for the identification of some sufficiently indicative phrases of the thought, the desires and the opinions of the agriculturists, what can assist the understanding of the reality of the sector and guide works to the instrumentalization of taking decisions directed to the ambient protection. The treatment to the public of the present research, is complex and needs devotion and continuity. It must be propitiated the participation of same in all the stages of work, and always be observed multiple methods of boarding and interventions. Other forms of approach also are suggested, as for example, the informal colloquies, the contact through union and the participation in common events to the producers. Moreover, the involvement of people who can influence in the taking of decisions (as caretakers, partners, children, etc.) becomes necessary. The educational interventions must contemplate varied procedures and contents. In this direction, the promotion of the synergy between education, legislation and politics, can bring great contributions. The education must instigate the questioning, the debate and the attitudes, while the laws can represent the effectuation of agreements done between the people and make possible the exercise of the criticism, besides directing the creation of effective politics to protect the environment. In spite of the existing difficulties in the process of fetching the protection and implementation of the arboreal element in agricultural properties, there is a real perspective of reverting the picture of degradation of the environment that is seen in the region and in the world.

It can be a real challenge to construct the ambient noise modeling among the harbors of very frequent shipping. Therefore, in these harbors, a great amount of resource has to be utilized for precisely control the ambient noise occurring parameters. In this study, the underwater measuring skill is adapted to collect the ambient noise raw data among the first harbor area of Kaohsiung Harbor and the sound intensity of various ships as well. Besides, the signal processing skill is also conducted for ship tracing experiment. The harbor ambient noise mainly comes from ships. Thus, the understanding of ship activity and their different sound intensity can be a great help to construct the ambient noise modeling. The results of this study indicate¡GShips outside the harbor create more low-frequency noise than those inside the harbor.Waves inside the harbor create more middle-frequency noise than those outside the harbor.In the harbor, those ships with onboard electricity create more noise and there is less noise around the wharfs without any ships. In the part of ship noise study, the intensity is usually correlated with ship types, displacement, ship speed, primary engine and auxiliary engine, etc. However, only two ship types, small and large ships, are categorized in this study. Small ships can be operated easily with the most power outcome, which can create the sound intensity of 155 to 165 dB in average. On the contrary, large ships are usually limited within their operating range and can not move with the most power outcome under the security consideration. Therefore, the sound intensity of large ships is measured between 169 to 177 dB. In the ship tracing experiment, operations are the basis for constructing the harbor ambient noise model.

Hoy en día, los ríos de regiones principalmente desarrolladas presentan un exceso de las emisiones de nutrientes debido al crecimiento de las actividades humanas en sus cuencas. Esto conlleva un estrés ecológico significativo. El aumento de las emisiones de nitrógeno (N) y fósforo (P) se debe principalmente al crecimiento económico, tecnológico y de la población entre otros. Para controlar estas emisiones, se están produciendo cambios legislativos acompañados de nuevas actitudes sociales. Un ejemplo en Europa, es la Directiva Marco del Agua (DMA), cuya implementación requiere de la realización de una Evaluación Ambiental Integrada (EAI) que permita ampliar el conocimiento para una mejor gestión de las fuentes de los nutrientes (N y P). La EAI resulta crucial para la gestión sostenible de los recursos hidrológicos y para mantener la calidad ecológica de los ecosistemas especialmente vulnerables, como son, en este caso, los de las zonas Mediterráneas.En este proyecto de tesis, se llevó a cabo una evaluación ambiental integrada e interdisciplinaria de los flujos de nutrientes de la cuenca del río Tordera, en Cataluña (Nordeste de España). Los periodos temporales evaluados son dos: primero, el que va desde inicios del año 1995 hasta inicios del año 2003, y el segundo consiste en tres escenarios de futuro para el año 2030. Los objetivos de la evaluación han sido los de estimar los flujos de nitrógeno y fósforo, analizar el sistema socioeconómico en relación a estos flujos, así como diseñar escenarios socio-económicos a través de un proceso participativo. En relación a este último, se han evaluado y cuantificado cambios potenciales en relación a los flujos de nutrientes correspondientes a cada escenario.A partir de un análisis social y el modelado de las fuentes puntuales y difusas de nutrientes (N y P), se ha podido describir las relaciones de los parámetros socioeconómicos que afectan los flujos de N y P y, consecuentemente, la calidad de las aguas. Las entrevistas llevadas a cabo permitieron identificar y entender las interacciones presentes y pasadas entre el sistema natural y social y llevar a cabo un análisis de los actores sociales que contribuyen a la contaminación del agua. El empleo de un modelo de estimación de emisiones de nitrógeno y fósforo, MONERIS (Modelling Nutrient Emissions into River Systems) orientado para su aplicación a escala de cuenca, permitió la identificación de las fuentes de nutrientes y la cuantificación de sus emisiones para el periodo 1995-2002. Posteriormente, se diseñaron escenarios socio-económicos por medio de un proceso participativo.En el contexto de la Directiva Marco del Agua, este estudio puede ser considerado como un ejemplo del proceso requerido para la gestión sostenible de las fuentes antropogénicas de nutrientes en una cuenca hidrográfica. La integración de datos procedentes de las ciencias naturales y del análisis socioeconómico resulta fundamental para conseguir una información de mayor calidad y alcance que pueda contribuir a la toma de decisiones de los gestores y planificadores de cuencas en el planteamiento de las mejores opciones de gestión de las fuentes antropogénicas de N y P. / Rivers, particularly in developed regions, are under significant ecological stress as a consequence of the increasing development of human activities in their catchments. This is especially reflected in excess nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) emissions, which are the product of complex dynamic systems influenced by demographic, socioeconomic and technological factors among others. This situation has been addressed in Europe through specific legislation such as the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). Its application requires conducting an Integrated Environmental Assessment (IEA) for the management of nutrients in river basins. In Mediterranean regions, where the aquatic ecosystems are particularly vulnerable, an IEA is essential for the sustainable management of hydrological resources and to maintain the ecological quality of the ecosystem.In this thesis, using a Catalan river catchment as a case study (La Tordera, North-East of Spain), an integrated and interdisciplinary environmental assessment of nutrient flows was undertaken for the period from early 1990s to early 2000s, and the future, i.e., the 2030 horizon. This assessment involved not only the estimation of N and P fluxes, and the analysis of the socioeconomic system that interact with theses fluxes, but also the participatory development of future scenarios, their quantification and the evaluation of the potential changes in nutrient flows under each of these quantitative scenarios.By analysing the social system and point and diffuse sources of nutrients (N and P), the respective roles of socio-economic driving forces that affect N and P loads and hence water quality were recognised. Interviews were conducted to identify and understand the interactions and feedbacks between the natural and social system over the past and present time, and the analysis of the social actors that contribute to water contamination. The application of a nutrient emission model, MONERIS (Modelling Nutrient Emissions into River Systems), designed for river basin scale, enabled the identification of nutrient sources and quantification of their emissions during the period 1995-2002. This assessment was then followed by the development of narrative socioeconomic scenarios through a participatory process and their quantification.The study conducted can be viewed as an example of the process required for the sustainable management of the anthropogenic sources of nutrients in a river basin. By integrating findings of natural sciences and socioeconomic analysis, it is then possible to obtain information that can assist catchment managers and planners in evaluating optimal management strategies for the anthropogenic sources of N and P as required by the European Water Framework Directive for river basin management plans.

The water quality status of an Andean river basin was characterised and the pressures from anthropogenic activities were evaluated to enhance the available knowledge of the environment within an ecosystem in Peru. This investigation was conducted to assess the environmental status of the basin as a first step to introducing river management plans and specific water quality programmes. A continuous simulation model and an environmental monitoring program were developed, taking into account the European water framework directive (WFD) requirements. To prioritise the integrated water resources management (IWRM), an applied environmental model, the Soil and Water Assessment tool (SWAT) was used. The model was calibrated and validated for the Jequetepeque river basin using the SCE-UA algorithm and a relatively small amount of data (11 years). Five different cases of sub-basin discretisation were evaluated with and without a slope criterion. Very good hydrographs and statistics (NSE, RSR and PBIAS) were obtained for all cases. Environmental monitoring methods and tools for water quality evaluation were developed. The sources of contamination were identified and levels of contamination were quantified to evaluate pollution emissions. The degree of pollution by different substances, the associated risks, and the potential effects on aquatic life and human health were considered in the development of the tools and environmental monitoring methods. Water monitoring, sediment monitoring, and ecological monitoring, including a complementary effort to collect available data at the basin scale, were conducted in this study. The concentrations of trace elements were determined from the results of four water and sediment monitoring campaigns conducted between November 2008 and June 2010, and an ecological survey was evaluated. The results obtained from analysis of the water and sediment data indicated trace element pollution near mine sites, enabling us to quantify the impact of the mines on the Jequetepeque basin. Analysis of the water samples indicated that the most polluted water in the basin was located downstream from the Sipán SL Mine. The levels of Cr and As indicated adverse effects, whereas the levels of Al, Cd, Cu, Fe and Pb indicated significant effects on human health, mainly near the mining areas. Considering the lack of water facilities and trace element remediation in the region, special attention should be paid to regulatory policies and palliative countermeasures. Analysis of the sediment samples indicated that the most polluted sediment was located downstream from the Yanacocha Mine site and poses a significant threat to the environment in terms of Cd, Zn, Pb, and As pollution, regardless of the season. The sequential extraction analysis indicated higher mobility for Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Zn. Those trace elements are released to the water column depending on the environmental conditions. The kinetics of the most prevalent trace elements in the basin were also evaluated. A diffusion model and two first-order models were used successfully to describe the kinetic extraction of Cu, Pb, and Zn. These trace elements can be significant only under extremely acidic conditions (pH=1); this should be taken into account in the potential scenario of acid mine drainage. The Ecological Status of Andean Rivers protocol was used to assess the upper part of the Jequetepeque river basin. At all the reference sites, the water quality status was very good or good. Only the sites located near mines exhibited alterations in the water quality, confirming the trends observed in the water and sediment monitoring. This protocol, which is an easy-to-use and economical qualitative tool, has proven to be very useful in assessing significant trends in ecological pollution of the basin. / Estado de la calidad del agua fue caracterizado y las presiones de las actividades antropogénicas fueron evaluadas en una cuenca andina con el fin de promover y mejorar el conocimiento del medio ambiente dentro de un enfoque eco-sistémico en el Perú. Esta investigación fue desarrollada como un primer paso para introducir planes de gestión de programas, específicamente de calidad del agua. Para ello, un modelo de simulación continua y un programa de vigilancia ambiental se han desarrollado teniendo en cuenta las exigencias de la Directiva Marco del Agua (DMA). La dinámica de la cuenca se caracteriza por la Herramienta de Evaluación de Suelo y Agua (SWAT). Los resultados obtenidos a partir del agua y datos de sedimentos visualizan la contaminación de elementos traza cerca de las minas y cuantificar el impacto en la cuenca, principalmente para As, Cd, Cu, Pb y Zn. El estado ecológico reportado fue bueno o muy bueno para todas las muestras. Sin embargo, los puntos localizados cerca de las minas mostraron alteraciones con las mismas tendencias observadas en los monitoreos de agua y sedimento.

No description available.

Los bosques tropicales juegan un papel clave en la conservación de la biodiversidad, la regulación hidrológica, el clima regional y global, y son vitales para el sustento de sus habitantes. Sin embargo, la extensión actual y la intensidad de los cambios de usos del suelo y de cobertura en los bosques tropicales están propiciando su pérdida, fragmentación y degradación a un ritmo alarmante. Por lo tanto, comprender los factores subyacentes a la pérdida y al empobrecimiento de los bosques tropicales es un asunto de enorme importancia para que se puedan implementar políticas de conservación más eficaces. En esta tesis doctoral llevo a cabo un estudio de caso sobre las tierras ancestrales de indígenas Tsimane', una sociedad indígena de cazadores-recolectores y agricultores nativos de la Amazonía boliviana, con los objetivos principales de cartografiar, cuantificar y evaluar los efectos de diferentes factores sociales que subyacen a las tendencias recientes en el cambio de la cubierta forestal y los niveles de conservación biológica y cultural. En concreto, dedico el primer capítulo de investigación a elaborar un enfoque eficaz para mapear con precisión clases generales de usos del suelo/cobertura, que incluyen tanto los bosques en regeneración como los maduros, como base para la evaluación de las tendencias en el cambio de la cubierta forestal y del grado de conservación forestal. En el segundo capítulo de investigación evalúo el efecto de diferentes sistemas de tenencia de la tierra en el cambio de la cubierta forestal, mientras que en el tercero investigo el papel potencial del conocimiento ecológico tradicional indígena en la conservación de los bosques maduros, en un momento en que el conocimiento se está perdiendo debido a un proceso de aculturación rápida. Aunque la tenencia de la tierra y el cambio cultural pueden ser factores subyacentes a los cambios en la cobertura forestal, y por tanto determinantes de su grado de conservación, hasta la fecha sus efectos no han sido adecuadamente examinados, por lo que esta tesis doctoral tiene como objetivo contribuir a la escasa investigación existente sobre estos temas. Los Tsimane' constituyen un excelente caso de estudio para lograr los objetivos de esta tesis porque sus asentamientos están dispersos en diferentes sistemas de tenencia de la tierra, y porque muestran la mayor variación entre los nativos amazónicos bolivianos con respecto a la integración del mercado, lo que también se refleja en una gran variación en cuanto a conocimientos ecológicos tradicionales y aculturación. Además, debido a que han sido ampliamente estudiados en los últimos 15 años y a que hay estudios históricos acerca de ellos, puedo recurrir a los datos y resultados existentes para interpretar mejor mis resultados. Mis resultados contribuyen a mejorar los métodos existentes para mapear y cuantificar los cambios de usos del suelo y de cubiertas en paisajes tropicales heterogéneos, lo cual es difícil y sin embargo fundamental para mejorar las estimaciones de carbono en bosques, las evaluaciones sobre biodiversidad, la gestión de los recursos naturales, y la planificación territorial. Además, uso un enfoque novedoso para integrar y analizar los datos derivados de las imágenes de satélite con datos obtenidos encuestas sociales, lo cual continúa siendo una tarea complicada en la ciencia del cambio de usos del suelo y de cubiertas. A nivel teórico, mis resultados proporcionan nuevos conocimientos sobre los efectos de la tenencia de la tierra y el conocimiento indígena en la conservación de los bosques tropicales, que son factores todavía poco conocidos tanto en la cuenca del Amazonas como otros lugares. Mis resultados tienen implicaciones importantes para las políticas públicas para el desarrollo socioeconómico y la conservación del medio ambiente en la Amazonía y doy algunas recomendaciones en materia de políticas públicas, desde una perspectiva de conservación biocultural. Por ejemplo, mis resultados sobre los efectos de la tenencia de la tierra sobre los cambios en la cubierta forestal demuestran que los territorios indígenas puede ser tan eficaces como las áreas protegidas para la conservación forestal, lo que sugiere los beneficios de ampliar el número y/o tamaño de los territorios indígenas, y la necesidad de fortalecer la gobernanza indígena. Los resultados también muestran que las concesiones madereras pueden ser muy eficaces para prevenir los bosques de la deforestación, y que algún incentivo de conservación es necesario en terrenos privados para reducir sus altos niveles (y crecientes) de la deforestación y la degradación forestal. En cuanto al papel del conocimiento ecológico tradicional de los pueblos indígenas en la conservación forestal, mis resultados muestran que los niveles de ambos están significativamente asociados, y que existe entre ellos una superposición espacial muy importante, algo que no había sido evaluado con rigor a escala local, y que puede sugerir la existencia de un conexión funcional entre la diversidad cultural y biológica. Este hallazgo implica que las políticas de conservación forestal deben buscar también la protección del conocimiento indígena, lo cual tiene importantes implicaciones para los derechos indígenas sobre la tierra y los recursos naturales. / Tropical forests play a key role in biodiversity conservation, hydrological regulation, regional and global climate, and are vital to support the livelihoods of their dwellers. Nevertheless, the current extent and intensity of land use/cover change in tropical forests is driving their loss, fragmentation, and degradation at alarming rates. Therefore, it is a matter of the utmost importance to understand the underlying driving forces of loss and impoverishment of tropical forests so that more effective conservation policies can be enacted. In this PhD thesis I carry out a case study on the ancestral lands of Tsimane' Amerindians, an indigenous society of hunter-gatherers and farmers native to the Bolivian Amazon, with the primary goals of mapping, quantifying and assessing the effects of different social factors underlying recent trends in forest cover change and levels of biological and cultural conservation. Specifically, I devote the first research chapter to devise an efficient remote sensing classification approach to accurately map broad land cover classes, including both early-growth and old-growth forests, as a basis for the assessments of trends in forest cover change and of forest conservation. In the second research chapter I assess the effects of different land tenure systems on forest cover change, while in the third one I evaluate the potential role of indigenous traditional ecological knowledge in old-growth forest conservation at a time such knowledge is being lost due to a rapid acculturation process. Although land tenure and cultural change may underlie tropical forest cover change and thus forest conservation, to date their effects have not been adequately examined, and this PhD thesis aims to contribute to previous research on such topics. The Tsimane' constitute an excellent case study to accomplish the goals of this thesis because their settlements are currently scattered across different land tenure systems, and because they display the largest variation amongst native Bolivian Amazonians regarding market integration, which also reflects on a great variation regarding traditional ecological knowledge and acculturation. Also, because they have been extensively studied in the last 15 years and there are historical studies about them, so I can draw on previous data and results to better interpret my findings. My results contribute to improving methods for mapping and quantifying land use/cover change in tropical heterogeneous landscapes, which is challenging and nevertheless critical to enhance carbon mapping, biodiversity assessments, natural resource management, and territorial planning. In addition, I use a novel approach to integrate and analyze data derived from remote sensing imagery with data obtained from social surveys, which remains a challenging task in land change science. At a theoretical level, my findings provide new insights into the effects of land tenure and indigenous knowledge on tropical forest conservation, which are factors still poorly understood in the Amazon basin and elsewhere. My results have significant implications for public policies aimed at socioeconomic development and environmental conservation in the Amazon and I give some policy recommendations drawn from a biocultural conservation perspective. For instance, my results on the effects of land tenure on forest cover change show that indigenous territories may be as effective as protected areas for forest conservation, which suggests the benefits of expanding the number and/or size of indigenous territories and the need of strengthening indigenous governance. Results also show that logging concessions may be very effective to prevent forest from clear-cutting, and that conservation incentives are needed in private lands to curtail their high and increasing levels of deforestation and forest degradation. As regards the role of indigenous traditional ecological knowledge in forest conservation, I find both their levels are significantly associated, and that there is a very significant spatial overlap, something that had not been assessed at the local scale, and that suggests the existence of a functional connection between both cultural and biological diversity. This finding implies that forest conservation policies should proceed hand in hand with the protection of indigenous knowledge, which has important implications for indigenous rights to land and natural resources management.

Una Declaración Ambiental de Producto (DAP) es un tipo de ecoetiqueta que ofrece información cuantitativa neutra, basada en la metodología del Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV), sobre los impactos ambientales que ocasiona un producto a lo largo de su ciclo de vida. La DAP puede ser utilizada tanto por los fabricantes para mejorar sus productos, como por los compradores para hacer una selección informada de los mismos. Este potencial de la DAP para estimar la producción y consumo de productos ambientalmente más correctos, ha hecho que desde finales de los años 90 esté presente en diferentes políticas europeas, que hayan proliferado en todo el mundo programas para su desarrollo (especialmente en el sector de la construcción) y que organizaciones como ISO y CEN hayan y continúen trabajando intensamente en su normalización. Con el objetivo de averiguar si tanto la información declarada como el proceso de obtención de una DAP tienen un efecto positivo en el medio ambiente, se ha evaluado su estado de desarrollo, se ha ganado conocimiento práctico sobre su elaboración, se ha analizado su efectividad y, finalmente, se han identificado medidas para potenciar sus efectos positivos. A pesar de que no ha sido posible medir el efecto ambiental real que puede atribuirse exclusivamente a una DAP, el análisis de resultados intermedios y efectos indirectos relativos a fabricantes y compradores, permite concluir que efectivamente las DAP pueden ser útiles para reducir la huella ambiental de los productos. / An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a type of ecolabel which offers neutral quantitative information, based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, about the environmental impact generated by a product throughout its life cycle. EPDs can be used either by producers in order to improve their products, or by consumers to help them to make informed purchase decisions. Due to its potential to foster the production and consumption of environmentally friendlier products, EPDs have been present in different European policies since the 90s, different ecolabelling programs have been developed worldwide (especially in the construction sector), and organisations such as ISO and CEN have been intensively working on the standardisation of EPDs. In order to find out if both the declared information and the EPD development process itself have a positive effect on the environment, the following tasks have been undertaken: evaluation of EPD’s current stage of development; gaining of practical knowledge about its preparation; assessment of its effectiveness and suggestion of measures to enhance its positive effects. Despite it not having been possible to measure the real environmental effect which could solely be attributed to EPDs, the assessment of intermediate results and indirect effects related to producers and professional purchasers, lead to the conclusion that EPDs are indeed useful in reducing the environmental footprint of products.

The System Architecture for Tracking Individuals (SAFTI) is an indoor person location tracking system designed for use in the field of pervasive computing. SAFTI provides location tracking in environments where cameras are too privacy invasive, where tracking devices are too costly, insecure or inconvenient, and where usability is a high priority. While many location tracking systems satisfy each of these constraints individually, SAFTI satisfies all three constraints simultaneously. Upon entering and exiting SAFTI buildings, users submit identification credentials. Once inside the building, using SAFTI is effortless - simply passing through doorways is sufficient for supplying SAFTI with the information it needs to perform location tracking. An integral part of SAFTI is the Weakly Identifying System for Doorway Monitoring (WISDOM). These instrumented doorways contain a variety of infrared, ultrasonic and pressure sensors that detect the direction of passage and measure each user's body size and shape. We quantify the measurement and identification accuracy of WISDOM by analyzing data collected from a user study containing 530 passes through a WISDOM prototype from 10 different subjects. We combine the results from WISDOM with large publicly available anthropometric databases to evaluate how accurately SAFTI performs location tracking with respect to building size, density of occupants, and matching algorithm used. / Dissertation

Ambient noise generated by surface random processes is the primary contribution to the noise-field energy in the intermediate frequency band, and thus is important in many applications of underwater sound. In this study, the noise field is analyzed with respect to the effects of random source spectrum, waveguide structure of the water column, and seabed stratification upon the noise-field intensity as well as spatial correlation. Based upon a noise-generation model due to continuous random sources, incorporating several analytical models for seabed stratification, a formulation may then be derived to facilitate the numerical implementation. Many results shall be generated and analyzed. In this study considers the noise field generated by surface random processes in an oceanic environment with a sediment layer possessing a continuously varying density and sound-speed profile. This model closely resembles the oceanic waveguide environment and therefore enables the simulation of surface noise generation. Many results of the noise field were generated, including the noise intensity distribution, vertical and horizontal correlations. It is demonstrated that the noise intensity may be affected by the stratification mainly through the continuous spectrum, in that the continuous spectrum is equally important as the normal modes in the present analysis. Moreover, the results for the correlations show that the noise field in the horizontal direction becomes more coherent when the noise sources are more correlated, while in the vertical direction, the results tend to reverse. The horizontal correlations of the noise field due to surface random sources with non-isotropic power spectrum, such as nonisotropic Gaussian and Pierson-Moskowitz, were generated and analyzed.

Kaohsiung is a densely populated harbor city, in which the density of motor vehicles is also high. Since the temperature and sunlight is also relatively high in Southern Taiwan, tending to transform ambient volatile organic compounds to ozone thus causes high ozone events. This study measured the concentrations of 63 hydrocarbon (HC) species from C2 to C15 simultaneously at the Nan-Chie and Hsiung-Kong sites in Kaohsiung city during the morning (07-10), the afternoon (13-16), and the evening (18-21) periods on three successive days in winter 2004. Results show that the most abundant species of Kaohsiung¡¦s air is toluene (43.01-60.95 £gg/m3), followed by i-pentane, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, benzene, n-butane, propane, and acetylene, in the range 9.55-16.93 £gg/m3, while the concentrations of halocarbons is 0.17-4.12 £gg/m3. Alkanes (44.7-45.9%) represent the largest proportion of the total HC, followed by aromatics (35.4-36.8%), alkenes (10.5-10.9%) and halocarbons (3.6-3.9 %). The OFP (ozone formation potential) of HC species were evaluated based on the MIR (maximum incremental reactivity). Results show that aromatics (45.9-54.3%) represent the largest proportion of the OFP, followed by alkenes (17.7-37.5%), and alkanes (16.5-23.6%). The results from the factor analyses show the major sources of ambient HC in Kaohsiung city are the vehicle exhausts, industrial processes, solvent evaporations, combustion exhausts, and petrochemical processes.