The connection between water and human wellbeing is increasingly causing concern about the implications of water scarcity on poverty. The primary fear is that water scarcity may not only worsen poverty, but may also undermine efforts to alleviate poverty and food insecurity. A review of literature revealed that the relationship between water scarcity and poverty is a complex one, with water scarcity being both a cause and consequence of poverty. Furthermore, water scarcity is multidimensional, which makes it difficult to define, while it can also vary considerably, both temporally and spatially. Finally, the relationship between water scarcity and poverty is a difficult one to quantify. Within the context of water scarcity, indicators are viewed by many development analysts as appropriate tools for informing and orienting policy-making, for comparing situations and for measuring performance. However, simplistic traditional indicators cannot capture the complexity of the water-poverty link; hence a proliferation of more sophisticated indicators and indices since the early 1990s. The Water Poverty Index (WPI), one of these new indices, assesses water scarcity holistically. Water poverty derives from the conceptualisation of this index which relates dimensions of poverty to access to water for domestic and productive use. However, the WPI has not been applied extensively at meso-catchment scale, the scale at which water resources managers operate. In South Africa, the Thukela Catchment -in the province of KwaZulu-Natal presents a unique opportunity to assess the WPI at this scale. The Thukela is a diverse catchment with respect to physiography, climate and (by extension) natural vegetation, land use, demography, culture and economy. While parts of the catchment are suitable for intensive agricultural production and others are thriving economic centres, a large percentage of the population in the catchment lives in poverty in high risk ecosystems, with their vulnerability exacerbated by policies of the erstwhile apartheid government. Many rural communities, a high percentage of which occupy these naturally harsh areas, have low skills levels, with a high proportion of unemployed people, low or no income and low services delivery. Infrastructural development, which relates to municipal service delivery, is often made prohibitively expensive by the rugged terrain in which many people live. As in other catchments in South Africa, the Thukela is affected by policies and initiatives aimed at accomplishing the objectives of post-1994 legislation such as the South Africa Constitution and the National Water Act. The potential of the WPI to assess the impacts of these initiatives on human wellbeing and to inform decision .making in the Thukela catchment was investigated. An analysis of a 46 year long series of monthly summations of daily values of streamflows output by the ACRU agrohydrological simulation model has shown that the Thukela, in its entirety , is a water-rich catchment. The reliability of the streamflows, which has implications for communities who collect water directly from 1 streams, is high along main channels but can be considerably less along low order tributaries of the main streams. The flow reliability along the small tributaries is less in winter than in summer. A high percentage of the catchment's population, in addition to being poor and not having access to municipal services, live near, and rely on, the small tributaries for their water supplies. Admittedly, this analysis addresses only one dimension of water poverty, viz. physical water shortage. Nevertheless, the study revealed that despite the Thukela's being a water-rich catchment, many communities are still water stressed. A more holistic characterisation of the water scarcity situation in the Thukela catchment was achieved using the WPI. A review of possible information sources for computing the WPI in South Africa found that many monitoring programmes, information systems and databases are either in existence and are active, or being restructured, or are under different stages of development. If and when they are all fully functional , they should be able to support national assessments of the WPI at meso-scale without the need to collect additional information. A combination of information from some of the active databases and secondary data from other local studies was used to compute the WPI in the Thukela catchment. The assessment uncovered the following: • There is an apparent association between water poverty and socio-economic disadvantage in the Thukela catchment. • There was an improvement in the water poverty situation in most parts of the Thukela catchment between 1996 and 2001, although the degree of improvement varied from subcatchment to subcatchment. Climate change, if it manifests itself by higher temperatures and reduced rainfall, will most likely worsen water poverty throughout the Thukela catchment, with the subcatchments in which many of the poor communities are located being more likely to experience the most severe impacts as the coping capacities of those communities are already strained under current climatic conditions. The findings of this study illustrate the potential of WPI as a tool for informing decision making and policy evaluation at the meso-catchment scale at which many water-related decisions are made. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Researchers use natural phenomena in a number of disciplines to help explain human behavioral outcomes. Research regarding the potential effects of magnetic fields on animal and human behavior indicates that fields could influence outcomes of interest to social scientists. Tests so far have been limited in scope. This work is a preliminary evaluation of whether the earth’s magnetic field influences human behavior it examines the baseline relationship exhibited between geomagnetic readings and a host of social and political outcomes. The emphasis on breadth of topical coverage in these statistical trials, rather than on depth of development for any one model, means that evidence is only suggestive – but geomagnetic readings frequently covary with social and political variables in a fashion that seems inexplicable in the absence of a causal relationship. The pattern often holds up in more-elaborate statistical models. Analysis provides compelling evidence that geomagnetic variables furnish valuable information to models. Many researchers are already aware of potential causal mechanisms that link human behavior to geomagnetic levels and this evidence provides a compelling case for continuing to develop the line of research with in-depth, focused analysis.

Human activity such as surface mining can have substantial impacts on the natural environment. Performing a Cumulative Hydrologic Impact Assessment (CHIA) of such impacts on surface water systems requires knowing the location and extent of these impacted streams. The Jurisdictional Determination (JD) of a stream’s protected status under the Clean Water Act (CWA) involves locating and classifying streams according to their flow regime: ephemeral, intermittent, or perennial. Due to their often remote locations and small size, taking a field inventory of headwater streams for surface mining permit applications or permit reviews is challenging. A means of estimating headwater stream location and extent, according to flow regime using publicly available spatial data, would assist in performing CHIAs and JDs. Using headwater point-of-origin data collected from Robinson Forest in eastern Kentucky along with data from three JDs obtained via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), headwater streams in the Appalachian Coal Belt were characterized according to a set of spatial parameters. These characteristics were extrapolated using GIS to delineate headwater streams over a larger area, and the results were compared to the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD).

CAPES / O acelerado crescimento da população e da industrialização, nos centros urbanos, ocasionam impactos negativos sobre os recursos hídricos, comprometendo, principalmente, a capacidade de proteção ambiental, no que tange a qualidade das bacias hidrográficas nas cidades. A bacia hidrográfica é um sistema ambiental complexo, resultante das inter-relações entre a sociedade e a natureza, e a atual situação dessas áreas são exemplos das pressões a que o meio ambiente está submetido. O uso das águas, no Estado do Paraná, é orientado pelos Planos de Bacias, enquanto que os Planos Diretores, procuram ordenar o uso do solo nos municípios. Esses dois planos se sobrepõem no trato da gestão de recursos hídricos. Dessa forma, este estudo se propõe a aplicar uma metodologia de Qualidade Ambiental Urbana – QAU, realizando adaptações, que foram aplicadas na Bacia do rio Barigui – Curitiba/PR, para analisar as inter-relações socioambientais e de infraestrutura. Os dados levantados para formar o banco de dados do QAU foram obtidos em diferentes instituições oficiais, que orientaram a adaptação dos indicadores da metodologia. A aplicação do QAU na Bacia Hidrográfica do rio Barigui, se deu por meio da divisão da bacia em cinco Unidades de Análise – UA, e na aplicação de indicadores de QAU em cada UA. Após a análise dos indicadores e agregação dos dados foi produzido o Índice de Qualidade Ambiental Urbana final – IQAU final. Todas as UA’s avaliadas apresentaram IQAU finais com qualidade satisfatória, porém os índices parciais refletem melhor a condição local. Os resultados obtidos por meio da metodologia da QAU, nesta pesquisa, foi comparada com os Planos da Bacia do Alto Iguaçu e Afluentes do Alto Ribeira e Diretor de Curitiba. O método QAU foi considerado adequado para servir de base na análise comparativa para o Plano de Bacia e o Plano Diretor. Desta forma, foi identificado que o primeiro considera a qualidade da água e a densidade demográfica, e o segundo, população, habitação, fatores econômicos, sociais, de segurança e mobilidade urbana. A comparação entre os dois Planos identificou a convergência na utilização e ocupação do solo e recursos hídricos, mas divergências no formato de agregação, o primeiro utiliza bacias e sub-bacias, e o segundo a unidade de agregação é a cidade. Os resultados da aplicação do QAU com as suas categorias de análise, variáveis e indicadores, na Bacia do rio Barigui, demonstrou o potencial desta metodologia para fazer as inter-relações necessárias visando uma orientação voltada a gestão de bacias hidrográficas urbanas. / The rapid population growth and industrialization in urban centers, has negative impacts on water resources, mainly compromising the ability of environmental protection, with respect to quality of river basins in the cities. The basin is a complex environmental system resulting from the interrelations between society and nature, and the current situation of these areas are examples of the pressures that the environment is submitted. The use of water in the state of Paraná, is guided by the Basin Plans, while the Master Plans, seeking to order the use of land in the municipalities. These two planes overlap in dealing with water resources management. Thus, this study aims to implement an methodology Urban Environmental Quality - UEQ, making adjustments that were applied in the Bacia do rio Barigui - Curitiba / PR, to analyze the social, environmental and infrastructure interrelations. The data collected to form the UEQ database were obtained in different official institutions, which guided the adaptation of the methodology indicators. The application UEQ of the Bacia do rio Barigui, was through the basin of the division into five Environmental Units - EU, and applying UEQ indicators in each environmental unit. After the analysis of indicators and data aggregation Urban Environmental Quality Index – UEQI end was produced. All EU's assessed presented final UEQI with satisfactory quality, but the partial indexes better reflect local conditions. The results obtained by the UEQ methodology in this research was compared with the plans of the Alto Iguaçu Basin and Tributaries of the Upper Ribeira and Director of Curitiba. The UEQ method was considered appropriate to base the comparative analysis to the Basin Plan and the Master Plan. Thus, it was identified that the first consider the water quality and population density, and the second, population, housing, economic, social, security and urban mobility. The comparison between the two plans identified convergence in the use and occupation of land and water resources, but differences in aggregate format, the first use basins and sub-basins, and the second aggregation unit is the city. The results of the application of UEQ with their categories of analysis, variables and indicators in the Bacia do rio Barigui, demonstrated the potential of this methodology to make the necessary interrelations seeking an orientation managing urban watersheds.

O Brasil está entre os três maiores consumidores de agrotóxicos no mundo. Atualmente, não há no país nenhum índice agroambiental de uso de agrotóxicos capaz de refletir os seus impactos nos sistemas naturais. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo geral desenvolver uma metodologia para a criação de um índice destinado ao monitoramento do impacto do uso de agrotóxicos sobre o território paranaense. O estudo também considerou como objetivos específicos: i) propor o desenvolvimento do índice agroambiental para monitoramento do uso de agrotóxicos em bacias hidrográficas; ii) investigar a relação de indicadores que subsidiem o monitoramento de uso de agrotóxicos; iii) geoespacializar os dados na bacia em estudo por meio de mapas temáticos. A pesquisa propôs a criação de um índice baseado em três indicadores agroambientais: a) Indicador 1 - média da quantidade de quilos/litros de agrotóxicos por hectare por ano de área agricultável expresso no receituário agronômico dos produtos formulados receitados; b) Indicador 2 - potencial de periculosidade ambiental dos agrotóxicos e c) Indicador 3 - pluviosidade média anual de cada município para representar um maior ou menor grau de potencial de run-off. A pesquisa foi realizada em duas etapas: a etapa de cálculos e de produção cartográfica (mapas temáticos). Na etapa de cálculos, foi desenvolvida uma metodologia para tabular um grande conjunto de dados do Sistema de Monitoramento do Comércio e Uso de Agrotóxicos do Estado do Paraná - Siagro no intuito de subsidiar os indicadores. Na etapa cartográfica foram produzidos os mapas temáticos coropléticos no sentido de facilitar a visualização da informação geoespacializada. O estudo demonstrou ser possível utilizar o índice para elencar municípios prioritários para a gestão do risco agroambiental dentro de bacias hidrográficas, traduzindo uma grande quantidade de dados no recorte temporal estabelecido. Desta forma, possibilitou diminuir as aproximações na modelagem dos indicadores de uso de agrotóxicos utilizados atualmente no país. Concluiu-se que o índice pode ser utilizado para subsidiar a gestão do risco do uso de agrotóxicos não apenas para o uso em bacias hidrográficas, mas as outras áreas de estudo que tenham interesse nos impactos do uso de agrotóxicos. / Brazil is among the three largest consumers of pesticides in the world. There is currently no agri-environment index for pesticides use in the country capable of reflecting its impacts on natural systems.The general objective of this research was to develop a methodology for the monitoring impact of pesticides use in agriculture on the Paraná State environment. The study also considers the specific objectives: i) to propose the the agro-environmental index for monitoring the use of pesticides in river basins; ii) to investigate the list of indicators that subsidize the monitoring of the use of pesticides; iii) to geospatial data in the basin under study through thematic maps. The research proposed the creation of an index based on three agri- environmental indicators: a) indicator 1 - average amount of kilos/liters of pesticides per hectare of arable area expressed in the agronomic prescription of formulated products; b) indicator 2 - potential environmental hazard of pesticides and c) indicator 3 - annual average rainfall of each municipality to represent a greater or lesser degree of run-off potential. The research was carried out in two stages: the calculations part and cartographic production (thematic maps). In the calculation part, a methodology was developed to tabulate a large dataset derived from Monitoring System of the Trade and Use of Pesticides in the State of Paraná - Siagro, to subsidize the indicators. In the cartographic part, the thematic maps were produced to facilitate the visualization of geospatial information. The study demonstrated that it is possible to use the index to list priority municipalities for agro-environmental risk management within a river basin, translating a large amount of data into the established biennium. In this way, the main contribution of this work is the proposal of error reduction method in the modeling of pesticides indicators of use currently in the country. It was concluded that the index can be used to subsidize the risk management of the use of pesticides not only for use in river basins, but other areas of study that have concern about the impacts of the use of pesticides.

A gestão de laboratório tornou-se essencial em razão da preocupação com a saúde e com o meio ambiente. Conhecer todos os processos e atividades desenvolvidas nessas unidades e adotar bons indicadores para avaliar o desempenho, facilitam o controle interno do laboratório. O uso combinado dos indicadores com as ferramentas de gestão como Gestão da Qualidade Total, Redesenho de Processos, Normas ISO, Pensamento Lean e Gestão do Erro, poderão propiciar uma melhora significativa na eficiência. Esse trabalho de Engenharia Biomédica, com linha de pesquisa em Engenharia Clínica e Gestão, tem como objetivo selecionar e avaliar indicadores que facilitem o controle interno de laboratórios e provoquem seu uso pelos tomadores de decisão e todos da Engenharia Clínica. O controle interno permite detectar desvios e realizar correções no desempenho das rotinas, prestando assim um serviço com confiabilidade nos resultados das pesquisas e laudo de testes e exames. A metodologia constou em selecionar um conjunto de indicadores a partir das rotinas utilizadas em laboratório clínico, por dispor de maior experiência e publicações na área de gestão. Este conjunto de indicadores foi aplicado em dois perfis de laboratórios: em um estrato, laboratórios que influenciam diretamente a saúde e em outro estrato, laboratórios que, o resultado de suas pesquisas possa alterar o meio ambiente e, dessa forma, impactar indiretamente a saúde humana. Sustentado em trabalhos da literatura especializada de autores conceituados, selecionou-se 30 indicadores contemplando uma Avaliação Prévia e as categorias de Indicadores de Liderança, de Responsabilidade Pública, de Planejamento Estratégico, de Operacionalização Estratégica e dos Grupos de Usuários. Os indicadores buscaram explorar a rotina das atividades e o envolvimento dos participantes e usuários na gestão de laboratórios universitários de Odontologia, Nutrição e Farmacologia (laboratórios com influência direta sobre a saúde) e laboratórios universitários de Veterinária, Agronomia e Zootecnia (laboratórios com influência indireta sobre a saúde). Para cada Indicador foram delineadas três opções de respostas que permitisse analisar a existência da prática, da rotina, sua intensidade e a visão do participante quanto à administração da unidade laboratorial. Os resultados foram analisados comparativa e proporcionalmente em três abordagens. Na primeira análise, cada opção de resposta de cada indicador foi comparada entre todos os laboratórios. Na segunda análise, cada opção de resposta de cada indicador foi comparada entre os dois estratos. E na terceira análise, foi comparado o percentual de cada opção entre todas as respostas. Estabelecido o limite de tolerância, pode-se identificar: os indicadores que atendem a expectativa, a qual estrato pertence e em que proporção. Da mesma forma pode-se identificar os indicadores com maior comprometimento na gestão e de quantos participantes espera-se o não atendimento do indicador. Com a metodologia proposta foi possível visualizar a realidade da unidade laboratorial, verificar a flexibilidade em estabelecer o limite de aceitação por prioridades e perceber que com o uso das ferramentas de gestão é possível, com pequenas intervenções, esperar grandes resultados. / Laboratory management has become essential due to health and enviroment concerns. Knowing all the processes and activities developed at the units and adopting good indicators to evaluate the performance, facilitates the internal control of the laboratories. The use of the indicators combined with management tools such as Total Quality Management, Process Redesign, ISO Standards, Lean Thinking and Error Management may provide a significant improvement at the efficiency. This Biomedical Engineering work, with Clinical Engineering and Management lines of research, aims at selecting and evaluating indicators that facilitate the internal control of the laboratories and induces its use by the decision makers and everyone in the Clinical Engineering. The internal control allows the detection of misapplications and corrections in the routine performance, thus providing a reliable work in the research results, tests and exams reports. The methodology consisted in selecting a set of indicators from the routines used in clinical laboratories because there is greater experience and publications at the management area. This set of indicators was applied to two laboratory profiles: laboratories that influence health directly and laboratories whose results of researches could affect the enviroment and, this way, impact indirectly on human heatlh. Sustained by works of the specialized literature by credible authors, 30 indicators were selected contemplating a Previous Evaluation and the categories of Leading Indicators, Public Responsability, Strategic Planning, Strategic Operationalization and User Group. The indicators tried to explore the activities routine and the involvement of the participants and users in the management of the Odontology, Nutrition and Pharmacology university laboratories (with a direct influence over health) and Veterinary, Agronomy and Zootechny university laboratories (with an indirect influence over health). To each indicator it was outlined three options of answers that allowed the analyses of the existence of the routine practice, its intensity and the participants’ vision concerning the management of the laboratory unit. The results were analyzed comparatively and proportionally into three approaches. In the first analysis, each answer option of each indicator was compared among all laboratories. In the second analysis, each answer option of each indicator was compared between the two strata. In the third analysis it was compared the percentage of each strata between all the answers. Being established the tolerance limit, it can be identified: the indicators that meet the expectations, to which strata it belongs and in what proportion. The indicator with major commitment in management and from how many participants no care of the indicator is expected can also be identified. With the proposed methodology it was possible to visualize the reality of the laboratory unit, verify the flexibility of establishing the limit of priorities acceptance and realize that with the use of the management tools it is possible to expect great results with small interventions.

A gestão de laboratório tornou-se essencial em razão da preocupação com a saúde e com o meio ambiente. Conhecer todos os processos e atividades desenvolvidas nessas unidades e adotar bons indicadores para avaliar o desempenho, facilitam o controle interno do laboratório. O uso combinado dos indicadores com as ferramentas de gestão como Gestão da Qualidade Total, Redesenho de Processos, Normas ISO, Pensamento Lean e Gestão do Erro, poderão propiciar uma melhora significativa na eficiência. Esse trabalho de Engenharia Biomédica, com linha de pesquisa em Engenharia Clínica e Gestão, tem como objetivo selecionar e avaliar indicadores que facilitem o controle interno de laboratórios e provoquem seu uso pelos tomadores de decisão e todos da Engenharia Clínica. O controle interno permite detectar desvios e realizar correções no desempenho das rotinas, prestando assim um serviço com confiabilidade nos resultados das pesquisas e laudo de testes e exames. A metodologia constou em selecionar um conjunto de indicadores a partir das rotinas utilizadas em laboratório clínico, por dispor de maior experiência e publicações na área de gestão. Este conjunto de indicadores foi aplicado em dois perfis de laboratórios: em um estrato, laboratórios que influenciam diretamente a saúde e em outro estrato, laboratórios que, o resultado de suas pesquisas possa alterar o meio ambiente e, dessa forma, impactar indiretamente a saúde humana. Sustentado em trabalhos da literatura especializada de autores conceituados, selecionou-se 30 indicadores contemplando uma Avaliação Prévia e as categorias de Indicadores de Liderança, de Responsabilidade Pública, de Planejamento Estratégico, de Operacionalização Estratégica e dos Grupos de Usuários. Os indicadores buscaram explorar a rotina das atividades e o envolvimento dos participantes e usuários na gestão de laboratórios universitários de Odontologia, Nutrição e Farmacologia (laboratórios com influência direta sobre a saúde) e laboratórios universitários de Veterinária, Agronomia e Zootecnia (laboratórios com influência indireta sobre a saúde). Para cada Indicador foram delineadas três opções de respostas que permitisse analisar a existência da prática, da rotina, sua intensidade e a visão do participante quanto à administração da unidade laboratorial. Os resultados foram analisados comparativa e proporcionalmente em três abordagens. Na primeira análise, cada opção de resposta de cada indicador foi comparada entre todos os laboratórios. Na segunda análise, cada opção de resposta de cada indicador foi comparada entre os dois estratos. E na terceira análise, foi comparado o percentual de cada opção entre todas as respostas. Estabelecido o limite de tolerância, pode-se identificar: os indicadores que atendem a expectativa, a qual estrato pertence e em que proporção. Da mesma forma pode-se identificar os indicadores com maior comprometimento na gestão e de quantos participantes espera-se o não atendimento do indicador. Com a metodologia proposta foi possível visualizar a realidade da unidade laboratorial, verificar a flexibilidade em estabelecer o limite de aceitação por prioridades e perceber que com o uso das ferramentas de gestão é possível, com pequenas intervenções, esperar grandes resultados. / Laboratory management has become essential due to health and enviroment concerns. Knowing all the processes and activities developed at the units and adopting good indicators to evaluate the performance, facilitates the internal control of the laboratories. The use of the indicators combined with management tools such as Total Quality Management, Process Redesign, ISO Standards, Lean Thinking and Error Management may provide a significant improvement at the efficiency. This Biomedical Engineering work, with Clinical Engineering and Management lines of research, aims at selecting and evaluating indicators that facilitate the internal control of the laboratories and induces its use by the decision makers and everyone in the Clinical Engineering. The internal control allows the detection of misapplications and corrections in the routine performance, thus providing a reliable work in the research results, tests and exams reports. The methodology consisted in selecting a set of indicators from the routines used in clinical laboratories because there is greater experience and publications at the management area. This set of indicators was applied to two laboratory profiles: laboratories that influence health directly and laboratories whose results of researches could affect the enviroment and, this way, impact indirectly on human heatlh. Sustained by works of the specialized literature by credible authors, 30 indicators were selected contemplating a Previous Evaluation and the categories of Leading Indicators, Public Responsability, Strategic Planning, Strategic Operationalization and User Group. The indicators tried to explore the activities routine and the involvement of the participants and users in the management of the Odontology, Nutrition and Pharmacology university laboratories (with a direct influence over health) and Veterinary, Agronomy and Zootechny university laboratories (with an indirect influence over health). To each indicator it was outlined three options of answers that allowed the analyses of the existence of the routine practice, its intensity and the participants’ vision concerning the management of the laboratory unit. The results were analyzed comparatively and proportionally into three approaches. In the first analysis, each answer option of each indicator was compared among all laboratories. In the second analysis, each answer option of each indicator was compared between the two strata. In the third analysis it was compared the percentage of each strata between all the answers. Being established the tolerance limit, it can be identified: the indicators that meet the expectations, to which strata it belongs and in what proportion. The indicator with major commitment in management and from how many participants no care of the indicator is expected can also be identified. With the proposed methodology it was possible to visualize the reality of the laboratory unit, verify the flexibility of establishing the limit of priorities acceptance and realize that with the use of the management tools it is possible to expect great results with small interventions.

Des changements de croissance ont été documentés pour le XXe siècle dans de nombreuses régions en Europe. Cependant une évaluation exhaustive des changements de productivité, à une large échelle géographique, avec une analyse de leur hétérogénéité spatiale et de la diversité interspécifique de la réponse fait encore défaut. L'objectif de cette thèse est d'évaluer les changements récents de la productivité forestière aux échelles nationale, régionale et locale en France, et de rechercher leurs causes environnementales, à partir d'une approche de modélisation statistique de l'accroissement en surface terrière du peuplement (∆G) et d'indicateurs environnementaux. Nous avons utilisé les données de l'inventaire forestier national français pour 8 espèces dont la niche écologique et la distribution diffèrent (Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Quercus petraea, Quercus pubescens, Picea abies, Abies alba, Pinus sylvestris and Pinus halepensis), observées en peuplements purs et réguliers. Nous présentons les facteurs ayant un effet sur la productivité des différentes espèces à l'échelle nationale, ainsi que des cartes de productivité suggérant que l'aire de distribution des espèces n'est pas toujours limitée par les conditions environnementales. Entre 1980 et 2005, nous observons des tendances positives, modales ou non significatives de la productivité pour toutes les espèces à l'exception des deux espèces méditerranéennes dont la productivité a diminué, soulignant ainsi la variabilité interspécifique de ces changements. Nous observons également de fortes variations spatiales des changements de productivité, autant dans leur intensité que dans leur signe, aux échelles régionale et intra-régionale. Ces résultats remettent en question la pertinence d'une évaluation moyenne à large échelle et soulignent le caractère contextuel des estimations. Nous mettons en évidence le rôle du réchauffement climatique récent dans les tendances observées. Ce travail fournit une évaluation plurispécifique et multi-échelle de la réaction de la productivité des espèces arborées à un environnement changeant. Nous avons souligné le caractère spécifique des changements de productivité et leur caractère contextuel, du fait de différences dans l'autécologie des espèces et de variations spatiales des facteurs limitants. Une étude approfondie de l'effet des facteurs environnementaux et de leurs interactions complexes est nécessaire pour la prédiction de la productivité future des espèces. / Growth trends have been reported in many regions of Europe over the twentieth century. However, an integrated assessment of productivity changes, including focus on a wide geographical scale, analysis of spatial heterogeneity, and the inter-specific diversity of growth responses is still lacking. The aim of this Ph.D work was to assess recent changes in forest productivity on a national, regional and local scale in France, and to investigate their potential environmental causes, based on statistical modeling approaches of stand basal area increment (BAI), and environmental indicators. We used the French NFI data for 8 species of contrasted ecological niches and distributions (Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Quercus petraea, Quercus pubescens, Picea abies, Abies alba, Pinus sylvestris and Pinus halepensis), taken in pure and even-aged stands. We identified the main factors influencing tree species productivity on a national scale, and produced productivity maps suggesting that species distribution ranges are not always limited by environmental conditions. Between 1980 and 2005, the productivity trends reported were positive, modal or non-significant for all species, except the two Mediterranean species for which productivity decreased, highlighting inter-specific differences in these changes. We observed strong variations of productivity changes, both in intensity and sign, on a regional and intra-regional scale. These results question the relevance of wide-scale average assessments and highlight their context-dependence. The role of recent climatic warming in featuring the BAI trends was highlighted. This work provides an enriched scale- and species-dependent assessment of tree species reaction to a changing environment. We emphasized the species- and context dependence of productivity changes, due to differences in species autecology and spatial variations in the limiting factors. Further focus on the effect of environmental factors and their complex interactions is needed for the prediction of species future productivity.

On the way towards a more biobased economy, the sustainable use of global wood resources remains a challenge as several trade-offs arise, e.g., from an increased energetic use of wood, an increased use of innovative but probably less recyclable wood composites, or from the need to conserve other forest ecosystem services. The aim of this study is to identify existing environmental indicators and methods for an evaluation of the sustainability of wood products in consideration of all life cycle stages, site-dependent aspects and later use in corporate decision-making. We chose a systematic literature review to answer the research questions explicitly and comprehensively. Qualitative content analysis was used to code indicators and scientific methods according to the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) framework. The sample (N = 118) is characterized by a high number of life cycle assessment (LCA) case studies. In 51% of all studies, the study authors use a combination of different methods. A total of 78 indicators and 20 site-dependent aspects could be identified in the sample. The study findings represent a first step towards a holistic environmental assessment of wood products.

An extensive laboratory test program was conducted to analyze and compare the cation exchange processes in three different varieties of sodium bentonite (Na-B) geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) over increased conditioning durations up to 32 days and investigate the effects of temperature, solution strength, and applied stress. The goal of this test program was to establish whether the variables of temperature, solution strength, and applied stress improved or degraded the engineering properties of GCLs in laboratory testing and municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill applications. The GCLs were conditioned in liquids of increasing ionic strength, using deionized water and 2, 50, and 200 mM CaCl2 solutions to represent control, pore water, mild MSW leachate, and harsh MSW leachate. Conditioning periods were 1 to 32 days. Tests were conducted at 5°C, 20°C, 40°C, and 60°C and at 0 kPa, 30 kPa, and 500 kPa to represent stresses experienced by the cover and bottom liner. These variables were selected to represent geoenvironmental conditions observed in MSW landfill systems. Cation exchange processes in the bentonite component of the GCL were quantified by measuring the bound cation (BC) concentrations and cation exchange capacities (CEC) of the specimens and by conducting index testing to determine the dimensional measurements, final moisture content, and swell index of the conditioned bentonite. The temperature, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, sodium and calcium concentrations of the conditioning fluids were measured periodically for all specimens and the sodium concentration was measured for all specimens tested at applied stress. Temperature, solution strength, and applied vertical stress all affected the cation exchange processes in the bentonite component of GCLs. Increasing temperature, increased solution strength and decreased applied vertical stress were observed to increase cation exchange processes. The results of this study can be applied to quality assurance evaluations of in-service GCLs. In addition, the observation of the study indicates that GCLs used in cover liner systems for MSW landfills may be susceptible to high rates of cation exchange due to low overburden stresses and high surface temperatures. GCLs used in bottom liner may experience inhibited cation exchange rates as a result of high vertical stresses and relative lower temperatures.