Flooding is an important concern for the UK, as evidenced by the many extreme flooding events in the last decade. Improved flood risk intervention strategies are therefore highly desirable. The application of hydroinformatics tools, and optimisation algorithms in particular, which could provide guidance towards improved intervention strategies, is hindered by the necessity of performing flood modelling in the process of evaluating solutions. Flood modelling is a computationally demanding task; reducing its impact upon the optimisation process would therefore be a significant achievement and of considerable benefit to this research area. In this thesis sophisticated multi-objective optimisation algorithms have been utilised in combination with cutting-edge flood-risk assessment models to identify least-cost and most-benefit flood risk interventions that can be made on a drainage network. Software analysis and optimisation has improved the flood risk model performance. Additionally, artificial neural networks used as feature detectors have been employed as part of a novel development of an optimisation algorithm. This has alleviated the computational time-demands caused by using extremely complex models. The results from testing indicate that the developed algorithm with feature detectors outperforms (given limited computational resources available) a base multi-objective genetic algorithm. It does so in terms of both dominated hypervolume and a modified convergence metric, at each iteration. This indicates both that a shorter run of the algorithm produces a more optimal result than a similar length run of a chosen base algorithm, and also that a full run to complete convergence takes fewer iterations (and therefore less time) with the new algorithm.

L’augmentation du risque d’inondation fluviale ou de submersion littorale est déjà visible à travers des événements récents comme la tempête Xynthia et les inondations du Var qui ont causé des dizaines de morts en France. Ces événements dramatiques bien que d’ampleur limitée auraient justifié l’évacuation préventive des zones à fort risque, mais les conséquences pour la population seront bien plus importantes lorsque des agglomérations urbaines de plusieurs dizaines ou centaines de milliers d’habitants menaceront d’être partiellement ou totalement submergées par les flots. Cette possibilité est déjà d’actualité pour des grandes mégapoles mondiales comme Alexandrie et Bangkok, et menace en France des villes comme Tours, Paris ou Nice. De plus en plus conscientes de cette éventualité, les grandes villes côtières, estuariennes et fluviales de France, d’Europe et sur tous les continents vont être amenées à préparer des plans de secours et d’évacuation de masse pour faire face à des événements exceptionnels. L’élaboration de ces plans s’avère extrêmement complexe et délicate aussi bien pour des raisons techniques, organisationnelles, sociologiques et même politiques. La grande majorité des villes du monde soumises à un risque de catastrophe de grande ampleur ne disposent pas de ce type de plan et une recherche auprès de différentes sources montre qu’il existe peu ou pas d’outils opérationnels pour aider les responsables territoriaux à mettre en œuvre ces plans en phase de préparation et de gestion de crise. Nos travaux visent plus précisément à contribuer à l’élaboration d’une méthode d’aide à la décision d’évacuation s’appuyant sur les plans d’évacuations réalisés en phase de préparation. Nous proposons pour cela d’adapter les outils de la logique floue à un ensemble d’indicateurs de synthèse sélectionnés à partir d’une méthode de planification des évacuations développée par ailleurs au sein du laboratoire Avenues-GSU. Ces indicateurs retenus intègrent des données classiques sur le niveau d’aléa (prévision globale et niveaux d’eau locaux), la vulnérabilité du territoire et des habitants, mais aussi et c’est plus innovant sur la capacité des autorités et de la population à évacuer dans un cadre sécurisé. Le résultat final de cette méthode, appliquée à la dimension spatiale avec les logiciels MatLab et ArcGIS, est une carte de nécessité d’évacuation indiquant les zones les plus prioritaires à évacuer selon une analyse multicritères en logique floue. Elle a été expérimentée sur le site pilote de l’estuaire de la Gironde et la ville de Bordeaux, et les résultats théoriques comparés avec les inondations historiques de 1981 et 1999. On a également étudié un scénario 2 prospectif tenant compte du changement climatique et des conséquences d’une élévation du niveau de la mer de 1m au cours du 21ème siècle. Cette méthode et cet outil prototype devraient aider à termes les décideurs à mieux appréhender une situation complexe en phase de pré-alerte et à évaluer le besoin réel d’évacuation sur la base d’un ensemble limité mais représentatif d’indicateurs. La carte de nécessité d’évacuation représente une avancée qui prolonge et complète la cartographie officielle de la prévision inondation (vigicrue) et de ses conséquences en termes d’anticipation des impacts et de gestion de crise au niveau local. / The increasing risk of river flooding or coastal submersion is already visible through recent events like the storm Xynthia and the floods in the Var department, which caused several dozens of deaths in France. These catastrophic events, even if their extent remains relatively limited, would have justified a preventive evacuation of high risk prone areas. However, the consequences for the population would be much more serious when large cities of hundreds of thousands of people will be partially or totally threatened by floods. This possibility is already an actual danger for large megacities like Bangkok and Alexandria, and also threatens French cities like Tours, Paris or Nice. Being more and more aware of this possibility, big coastal, estuarine and river cities in France, in Europe and in all continents are incited to prepare emergency and mass evacuation plans in order to prevent and cope with exceptional events. The elaboration of these plans is extremely complex and difficult due to technical, organizational, sociological and even political aspects. The great majority of cities in the world prone to large scale disasters do not already have this kind of plan at their disposal. Moreover, the existing state of the art shows that there are few operational tools to help territorial managers implement these plans in the phases of preparation and crisis management. Our work aims to contribute to the development of a support method for the evacuation decision taken in a crisis management context. This method is partly based on the information included in the provisional evacuation plans produced in the preparation phase. To reach this objective, we propose to adapt the tools of the fuzzy logic approach and apply them to a set of synthesized indicators. These indicators or decision criteria have been first selected from a method of evacuation planning previously developed by the research team Avenues-GSU. These criteria integrate classic data on the hazard level (overall forecast level and local flood water levels), the vulnerability of the territory and population and, which is more innovative, some information about the ability of the organization to evacuate and the security or the risk of the evacuation itself. The final result of this method, applied to the spatial dimension with the Matlab and ArcGIS software, is a map of the necessity to evacuate. This map shows the areas with the highest priority to be evacuated according to a fuzzy multicriteria analysis. It has been tested 5 at the pilot site of the city of Bordeaux located upstream in the Gironde estuary, and the theoretical results were compared with historical floods of 1981 and 1999. A hypothetic flood scenario was also studied taking into account the potential climate change impact and the consequences of a 1 meter sea level rise during the 21st century. This method and prototype tool should help policymakers to better understand a complex situation in pre-alert phase and assess the real need for urban zones evacuation on the basis of a limited but representative set of criteria. The maps of the necessity to evacuate represents an innovative proposal which extend and complement the existing official maps of flood forecasting (vigicrue) and its implications in terms of local impacts and crisis management anticipation.

The aim of this thesis has been to reconstruct paleoenvironment, paleohydrology and paleoclimate in coastal southern Mozambique, with emphasis on tracing past flooding events on the lower Limpopo River floodplain. In order to extend flood chronologies beyond periods covered by instrumental data, sediments from lakes on the floodplain were studied (Lake Lungué, Coassane Oxbow, Lake Magandane and Lake Soane). Past sea-level variations and climate changes were deduced by analyzing sediments from coastal sites north of the floodplain area (Lake Chilau, Lake Nhauhache and Macassa Bay). To achieve the established objectives, a multi-proxy approach was applied on most of the retrieved sediment cores, involving analysis of mineral magnetic parameters, grain-size and organic carbon in combination with analysis of microfossils such as diatoms and/or phytoliths. Chronologies for the constructed time-series analysis were obtained by radiocarbon dating and age-depth modelling. The synthesized data from the sampled sites on the Limpopo River floodplain suggest that the area was affected by at least 16 flooding events of variable magnitudes during the studied period. These are dated to c. AD 940, 980, 1040, 1100, 1250, 1300, 1370, 1580, 1665, 1730, 1755, 1855, 1920, 1945, 1970 and 2000. In calibrated years BP these ages correspond to 1010, 970, 910, 850, 700, 650, 580, 370, 285, 220, 195, 95, 30, and 5 cal yrs BP. The two youngest are dated to 20 and 50 years AP (After Present being 1950). Proxy data further suggest that southern Africa was subject to two periods of sea-level highstands, at c. 5000–4200 BC (6950–6150 cal yrs BP) and AD 300–950 (1650–1000 cal yrs BP). The former represents the middle part of the postglacial climatic optimum. The wettest period in the Limpopo River floodplain was reported between AD 1360 and 1560 (590 and 390 cal yrs BP) in the Lake Lungué record, while Lake Chilau experienced wet conditions between AD 1200 and 1400 (750 and 550 cal yrs BP), then returning to drier conditions that prevailed until c. AD 1600. In Lake Nhauhache, however, drier conditions prevailed from c. AD 1200–1700 (750–250 cal yrs BP), shifting towards wetter at c. AD 1900 (50 cal yrs BP). The deviating signals between records can partly be explained by Lake Lungué basin being located on the Limpopo River floodplain, responding to flooding events associated with precipitation upstream the drainage area. Therefore, wet and dry periods in floodplain lakes (e.g. Lake Lungué) are not expected to correlate with precipitation changes on a local scale, as indicated by e.g. Lake Nhauhache. This is supported by a relatively weak agreement between Lake Lungué record and other nearby records (outside the floodplain), but a better correlation with records from the upper catchment, where a more regional climate signal is provided of the southern African summer rainfall region. / Denna avhandling behandlar studier av paleomiljöer i södra Mozambique med fokus på översvämningshistorik i Limpopo-flodens nedre lopp. Tidsspannet är mitt- och sen-holocen och inkluderar även klimat och havsnivåvariationer. Följande analysmetoder har applicerats på ett flertal sedimentkärnor för att belysa ovanstående frågeställningar: mineralmagnetiska parameterar, kornstorlek, organiskt kol samt kiselmikrofossil (diatoméeter och fytoliter). Åldrar har bestämts med 14C-metoden.  Analyserna visar att mineralmagnetiska parametrar är lämpliga för att identifiera översvämningar, speciellt magnetisk susceptibilitet och SIRM. Dessa parametrar visar på ett sediments magnetiska kornstorlerkar och koncentrationen av finkorniga magnetiska mineral. Även kornstorleksanalyser fungerade som ett bra komplement till dessa metoder. Sammantaget har ett minimum av 16 översvämningar registrerats i Limpopo/flodens nedre lopp under de senaste 1100 åren. Särskilt stora översvämningar har daterats till AD 1250 (700 kal år BP), AD 1370 (580 kal år BP), AD 1580 (370 kal år BP), AD 1855 (95 kal år BP), AD 1920 (30 kal år BP), AD 1970 (20 kal år AP) och AD 2000 (50 kal år AP), där AP betyder ”after present”, vilket är 1950. Mindre kraftiga översvämningar har daterats till AD 940 (1010 kal år BP), AD 980 (970 kal år BP), AD 1040 (910 kal år BP), AD 1100 (850 kal år BP), AD 1300 (650 kal år BP), AD 1665 (285 kal år BP), AD 1730 (220 kal år BP), AD 1755 (195 kal år BP) och AD 1945 (5 kal år BP). Skriftliga källor visar på att åtminstone åtta översvämningar har ägt rum under de senaste 62 åren. Under samma period har denna undersökning registrerat två händelser, vilket indikerar att endast ett fåtal har registrerats med ovan nämnda metoder. Det är sannolikt att sedimentationsmönstret under en översvämning är komplicerat och inte heller likartad från gång till gång. Detta innebär att ett flertal sedimentkärnor behöver analyseras och dateras väl. Ytterligare en försvårande faktor är flodens mycket aktiva meandringsaktivitet. Analys av diatoméer har visats vara värdefulla när det gäller översvämningshistorik, klimatförändringar och havsytevariationer. Sedimenten i den något till flodslättens nedre lopp perifert belägna sjön Lungué indikerar fuktiga förhållanden mellan AD 1360 och 1560 (590 till 390 kal år BP). Kombinerade fytolit- och diatoméanalyser av sedimenten i sjön Chilau indikerar fuktiga förhållanden från AD 1200 till 1400 (750 till 550 kal år BP), varefter torrare förhållanden rådde till ca AD 1600 (350 kal år BP). Diatoméanalys av sedimenten i sjön Nhauhache indikerar generellt sett torrare förhållanden mellan AD 1200 och AD 1700 (750 till 250 kal år BP) då klimatet blev fuktigare. De fuktiga och torra förhållanden som dokumenterats i sjön Lungué och översvämningshistoriken korrelerar inte helt med lokala nederbördsförhållanden. Däremot stämmer erhållna data bättre med förhållanden i den övre delen av Limpopoflodens dräneringsområde. Även sjöar och fyllda meanderbågar på själva flodslätten verkar reagera tydligare på översvämningar orsakade av nederbörd i den övre delen av flodloppet. Undersökningen indikerar två faser av en förhöjd havsyta längs kusten i södra Mozambique. En äldre fas är daterad till ca 5000–4200 f.Kr. (6950–6150 kal år BP), vilken representerar den mellersta delen av det postglaciala värmeoptimet. Denna tolkning stöds även av andra undersökningar. En yngre fas har daterats till AD 300–950 (1650–1000 kal år BP), vilken korresponderar till en period med något förhöjda temperaturer i ett globalt perspektiv. / O presente projecto teve como objectivo a reconstrução do paleoambiente, paleohidrologia e paleoclima da costa Sul de Moçambique, com ênfase na identificação de vestígios de eventos de cheias que tenham, no passado, afectado a planície de inundação do Rio Limpopo, com vista a fazer a extensão das datações de cheias para o período anterior aos instrumentos de medição. Deste modo, foram estudados sedimentos recuperados através de testemunhos de sondagem em lagos dentro da planície de inundação (Lago Magandane, Lago Lungué, Lago Soane e o canal abandonado Coassane). As variações do nível do mar e mudanças climáticas do passado foram deduzidas a partir da análise de sedimentos de áreas costeiras a norte da planície de inundação (Lago Chilau, Lago Nhauhache e a Baía de Macassa). Para o alcance destes objectivos, os sedimentos dos testemunhos de sondagem recuperados foram submetidos a várias análises laboratoriais que incluem propriedades de minerais magnéticos, granulometria, teor de matéria orgânica e de microfósseis (diatomáceas e fitólitos). Para o estabelecimento do modelo cronológico foram usadas datações pelo método 14C feitas em matéria orgânica, assim como conchas de gastrópodes e bivalves. A combinação dos resultados obtidos para os pontos de amostragem localizados dentro da planície de inundação do Rio Limpopo, sugerem que esta área foi afectada por um mínimo de 16 eventos de cheias de variada magnitude nos últimos 1100 anos. As cheias de alta magnitude tiveram lugar nos anos 1250, 1370, 1580, 1855, 1920, 1970 e 2000. Por seu turno, as cheias de magnitude moderada ocorrerram nos anos 940, 980, 1040, 1100, 1300, 1665, 1730, 1755 e 1945.. Os anos a negrito são indicativos de eventos de cheias de alta magnitude. O número total de eventos identificados no presente estudo é um mínimo que poderá ter afectado a planície de inundação, tendo em consideração que fontes escritas reportam a ocorrência de pelo menos oito eventos nos últimos 62 anos, tendo o presente estudo revelado somente dois. Isto indica que apenas eventos de cheias intensos podem ser revelados pelos métodos aplicados nesta investigação. Adicionalmente, este estudo mostra a necessidade de aumentar o número de pontos de amostragem para permitir a identificação de mais eventos de cheias ocorridos no passado, devido à diferenciada resposta sedimentológica e geomagnética às cheias, a qual se encontra directamente relacionada à distância do rio meandrante. As análises de microfósseis de diatomáceas permitiram reconstruir o paleoclima e as influências do nível do mar nas áreas de estudo deste projecto. Os registros de diatomáceas do Lago Lungué indicam um período húmido entre AD 1360 e 1560. No Lago Chilau, dados de diatomáceas e fitólitos sugerem condições de humidade entre AD 1200 e 1400. Por seu turno, no Lago Nhauhache, condições de seca dominam entre AD 1200 e 1700. As condições de seca e humidade documentadas no Lago Lungué e os eventos de cheias revelados pelos sedimentos analisados da planície de inundação do Rio Limpopo não mostram total correlação com períodos de baixa e alta precipitação a nível local, mas apresentam boa correlação com evidências a montante na área de drenagem do Rio Limpopo. Em geral, lagos activos ou preenchidos por sedimentos mostrarão ser mais susceptíveis a cheias com origem a montante do que a nível local. As investigações conduzidas permitiram identificar dois períodos de alto nível do mar na região sul de Moçambique. A fase mais antiga teve lugar há cerca de 5000–4200 BC (6950–6150 anos do calendário BP), representando a fase mais recente do pós-glaciar climático óptimo (postglacial climatic optimum, PCA). A fase recente é datada de AD 300–950 (1650–1000 anos do calendário BP), correspondendo a um período de temperaturas relativamente altas a nível global. / Climate and Environmental Research

Awareness of extreme high tide flooding in coastal communities has been increasing in recent years, reflecting growing concern over accelerated sea level rise. As a low-lying, urban coastal community with high value real estate, Miami often tops the rankings of cities worldwide in terms of vulnerability to sea level rise. Understanding perceptions of these changes and how communities are dealing with the impacts reveals much about vulnerability to climate change and the challenges of adaptation. This empirical study uses an innovative mixed-methods approach that combines ethnographic observations of high tide flooding, qualitative interviews and analysis of tidal data to reveal coping strategies used by residents and businesses as well as perceptions of sea level rise and climate change, and to assess the relationship between measurable sea levels and perceptions of flooding. I conduct a case study of Miami Beach’s storm water master planning process which included sea level rise projections, one of the first in the nation to do so, that reveals the different and sometimes competing logics of planners, public officials, activists, residents and business interests with regards to climate change adaptation. By taking a deeply contextual account of hazards and adaptation efforts in a local area I demonstrate how this approach can be effective at shedding light on some of the challenges posed by anthropogenic climate change and accelerated rates of sea level rise. The findings highlight challenges for infrastructure planning in low-lying, urban coastal areas, and for individual risk assessment in the context of rapidly evolving discourse about the threat of sea level rise. Recognition of the trade-offs and limits of incremental adaptation strategies point to transformative approaches, at the same time highlighting equity concerns in adaptation governance and planning. This new impact assessment method contributes to the integration of social and physical science approaches to climate change, resulting in improved understanding of socio-ecological vulnerability to environmental change.

Les politiques de gestion des risques appellent à favoriser la prévention et à développer une « une culture du risque » dans les zones exposées afin d'éviter l'écueil de l'oubli, pointé du doigt après une catastrophe. L'objet de cette thèse fut de questionner cette possibilité en investiguant comment on habite, au quotidien, un milieu exposé aux inondations. Forte d'un travail ethnographique, et en particulier d'une « observation habitante discrète », la thèse questionne ce qui circule à propos des inondations, comment des habitants s'emparent de la question et organisent leurs pratiques en fonction des risques. Le terrain d'étude, Lattes, ville prisée du Sud-est de la France qui a connue une explosion démographique récente, est rendue attractive par de nombreux atouts. Ce cas d'étude permet de comprendre les mécanismes - collectivement construits - de mise en invisibilité du danger. La mise en visibilité des mesures de protection par les politiques locaux et l'effet confortant du partage normatif encouragent la normalisation de la confiance en la protection. Dans l'interaction, les énoncés se formulant sans cesse dans le souci de leur acceptabilité, dédramatiser est plus confortable que de dramatiser : les énoncés de relativisation du risque circulent davantage que ceux ouvrant sur l'horizon du danger. Par ailleurs, la logique sécuritaire qui se développe vient contredire la prévention aux inondations. Surtout, ni les liens entre les habitants ni les liens des habitants au milieu ne fournissent le socle suffisant à l'élaboration collective que nécessite le déploiement d'une « culture du risque ». / Risk management policies promote prevention and call to develop a "risk culture" in hazardous areas to avoid the phenomenon of forgetting about risk , that can be found after a disaster. This thesis has sought to question this possibility by investigating how we live, in everyday life, in flood-prone areas. Through an ethnographic piece of work, in particular a "discreet resident observation", the thesis questions what circulates about flooding between inhabitants and how they organize their practices in relation to the risk. The field study, Lattes, is an upper middle-class suburban neighbourhood located in the south east of France (Mediterranean coast). It was built on wetlands and therefore remains vulnerable to flash floods. This case study provides insight into the mechanisms - built collectively - from "invisible danger" implementation. The increased visibility of the protection made by local policies and the comforting effect of normative sharing provided a normalization of the trust in the protection. Through the interactions, statements are continually developed in the interests of their acceptability. Thus, it is more comfortable to "de-dramatize" than to dramatize: statements of relativism circulate more than the ones that open on the horizon of danger. Moreover, the current development of a "logic of safety" for urban risks reduction contradicts the prevention of flooding. Above all, neither the links between inhabitants nor the links with their living environment provide a sufficient collective development base for a "risk culture" deployment.

Le fractionnement supercritique est un procédé prometteur avec un potentiel d’application encore peu exploité à grande échelle. Les travaux expérimentaux et la discussion théorique qui font l’objet de cette thèse ont pour objectif d’apporter des outils fiables permettant d’effectuer la mise en œuvre d’un procédé de fractionnement supercritique à l’échelle industrielle, en abordant le changement d’échelle et la modélisation du procédé. La première partie du travail porte sur le fractionnement de mélanges éthanol-eau en utilisant du dioxyde de carbone supercritique à 333 K et 10 MPa, sur des unités de fractionnement à échelle du laboratoire, pilote et industrielle, avec des diamètres de colonne respectivement de 19, 58 et 126 mm. Les compositions des produits obtenues, ainsi que les prédictions d’un modèle d’étages d’équilibres, montrent une bonne concordance. Le phénomène d’engorgement est discuté suite à son observation. Une corrélation permettant d’estimer la capacité d’engorgement d’une colonne garnie à contre-courant sous pression est proposée, après avoir exprimé l’ensemble des données répertoriées dans la littérature sous forme adimensionnelle. Les possibles sources de déviations observées sont également discutées afin de proposer des perspectives à ce travail. Enfin, le traitement de mélanges complexes est abordé par la mise en œuvre et la modélisation du fractionnement supercritique d’éthyl esters issus d’huiles de poisson, sous des conditions de 14.5 MPa et 333 K, en variant le rapport solvant sur charge entre 21,8 et 143. Un modèle simplifié est développé afin de représenter l’influence du taux d’extraction sur la composition de l’extrait et du raffinat. / Supercritical fractionation is a promising process with a great potential but with little current large-scale applications. The experimental work and theoretical discussion in this dissertation aim providing tools for the implementation of an industrial-scale supercritical fractionation process by covering aspects such as scale-up and process modeling. In order to do so, three principal axes are discussed. Firstly, the fractionation of ethanol-water mixtures by supercritical carbon dioxide at 333 K and 10 MPa was studied using fractionation units at laboratory, pilot and industrial scale with column diameters of 19, 58 and 126 mm, respectively. The extract and raffinate compositions obtained show good agreement between different scales and with the predictions of an equilibrium-stage model. The flooding phenomenon is also discussed after being detected under certain conditions. A correlation to estimate the flooding capacity of a countercurrent column at high pressure conditions is proposed following a dimensionless representation of the available experimental results presented in the literature. The possible sources for deviations found are also discussed in order to propose future works. Then, the treatment of complex mixtures is tackled by modeling and supercritical fractionation of fatty acid ethyl esters derived from fish oil under 14.5 MPa and 333 K, varying the solvent-to-feed ratio between 21.8 and 143. A simplified model derived from the group method is developed to represent the influence of the extract yield on the composition of the extract and raffinate.

The total annual forage production of tropical grasslands in the Brazilian Central area is expected to increase, however, some studies also predict a higher variability of forage production between and within years. In the future, maintenance of many pastures áreas will probably depend on the use of technology and increased productivity, seeking a competitive advantage concerning other activities, or even on its relocation to marginal áreas where forage grasses will be more suitable to abiotic factors. The water stress, both by flooding and drought, may reduce the production and survival of grasses. The objective was to identify the strategies that some genotypes of Paspalum and Urochloa genus use to cope with the flooding and/or water deficiency in the soil. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted: 1 - morphological and physiological characteristics, survival rate and recovery index in five genotypes of Paspalum sp. (BRS Guará, BGP 289, BGP 293, BGP 402 and BGP 397) and U. brizantha cv. Marandu were evaluated under three water conditions (flooded, drought and control); 2 - dehydration tolerance and dehydration avoidance of three cultivars of Urochoa (\'Marandu\', \'BRS Paiaguás\' and \'Basilisk\') and a cultivar Mediterranean Dactylis glomerata L. cv. Medly. In experiment 1, the genotypes of Paspalum sp., especially BGP 289, BGP 402, BGP 397 and cv. Marandu previously submitted water déficit, presented high tiller survival rates after rehydration. The cv. Marandu and BGP 289 access were not tolerant to flooding, presenting a low tiller survival rate and root recovery index. The BGP 293 access was not resistant to flooding, but it was able to survive periods up to 28 days under water depth. The accesses of Paspalum BRS Guará, BGP 402 and BGP 397 presented resistance mechanisms and survival to flooding, related to a high concentration of chlorophyll in the leaf, leaf biomass, and root recovery and tiller survival after a recovery period under water regular condition. In experiment 2, the distinction of cultivars was in accordance with the resource-use strategy. Cultivars of Urochloa were less tolerant to dehydration than cv. Medly. But the most productive Urochloa cultivars (Marandu and Basilisk) further delayed dehydration due to high investment in the root system, and consequently were less dehydration tolerant, with less survival rates under severe drought. The cv. BRS Paiaguás was less productive under regular irrigation than other Urochloa cultivars, but under drought conditions it is closer to the cv. Medly, being highly dehydration tolerant, and presenting high survival rates under severe drought and dehydration avoidance strategies with roots elongation along the soil profile during the drought period. There are differences in responses to other deficit and flooding between and within the Paspalum and Urochloa genus morphophysiological traits used in this study are relevant for the understanding of the mechanisms and discrimination among genotypes. / A partir de predições de futuros impactos climáticos, é esperado um aumento na produção anual total de forragem tropical, contudo estudos também predizem aumento da variação da produção entre e dentro dos anos. Diante desses cenários, é imprescindível buscar vantagens competitivas e o conhecimento do grau de tolerância a estresse abióticos de gramíneas tropicais. O estresses hídrico, tanto por excesso quanto por deficiência, pode reduzir a produção e a sobrevivência da planta forrageira. Assim, objetivou-se identificar as estratégias que alguns genótipos do gênero Paspalum e Urochloa utilizam para lidar com o encharcamento e/ou com a deficiência hídrica no solo. Foram conduzidos dois experimentos em casa-de-vegetação: 1 - avaliou-se características morfofisiológicas, taxa de sobrevivência e índice de recuperação em cinco genótipos de Paspalum sp. (BRS Guará, BGP 289, BGP 293, BGP 402 e BGP 397) e U. brizantha cv. Marandu sob três condições hídricas (alagado, déficit e controle), em vasos pequenos; 2 - mensurou-se em pequenos vasos a tolerância a desidratação e em longos tubos o atraso a desidratação de três cultivares de Urochoa (\'Marandu\', \'BRS Paiaguás\' e \'Basilisk\') e uma cultivar mediterrânea de Dactylis glomerata L. cv. Medly, submetidos a condições sem limitação hídrica e posteriormente sob seca prolongada. Sob déficit hídrico, os genótipos de Paspalum sp., especialmente o BGP 289, o BGP 402 e o BGP 397, e a cv. Marandu, apresentaram altas taxas de sobrevivência de perfilhos após reidratação. A cv. Marandu e o acesso BGP 289 não são tolerantes ao alagamento, apresentaram baixas taxas de sobrevivência e de recuperação radicular. O acesso BGP 293 não é resistente ao alagamento, porém é capaz de sobreviver a períodos de até 28 dias sob lâmina d\'água. Os acessos de Paspalum BRS Guará, BGP 402 e BGP 397 apresentam mecanismos de resistência e sobrevivência ao alagamento, relacionados à alta concentração de clorofila na folha, de biomassa de folhas, e de recuperação radicular e sobrevivência de perfilhos após período de recuperação sob condição hídrica regular. No experimento 2, a distinção dos cultivares foi de acordo com a estratégia de uso dos recursos. Cultivares de Urochloa são menos tolerantes a desidratação que a cv. Medly. Mas as cultivares de Urochloa mais produtivas (Marandu e Basilisk) atrasaram mais a desidratação, devido ao alto investimento no sistema radicular, e consequentemente foram menos tolerantes a desidratação, com memores taxas de sobrevivência sob seca severa. A cv. BRS Paiaguás é menos produtiva sob irrigação regular em comparação as outras cultivares de Urochloa, mas sob seca aproximou-se mais da cv. Medly, mostrando-se altamente tolerante a desidratação, com altas taxas de sobrevivência sob seca severa, além de apresentar estratégia de atraso a desidratação com o alongamento de raízes ao longo do perfil do solo durante a seca. Existem diferenças entre e dentro de espécies dos gêneros Paspalum e Urochloa em relação as respostas sob duas formas de estresse hídrico. As caraterísticas morfofisiológicas utilizadas neste estudo auxiliaram na compreensão dos mecanismos de resposta ao estresse hídrico e na discriminação dos genótipos.

The industrial area Larsfrid-Vilhelmsfält in Halmstad will be transformed into a residential-, service- and educational area. Heavy cloudbursts in the future are more than today's stormwater- and sewer pipes can handle. There is a possibility to supplement the drainage system with blue-green solutions for planned management, retention and storage of stormwater from daily rain and pluvial flooding. The solutions also do other ecosystem services as reducing heat and support biodiversity and their multifunctionality make them suitable on valuable land. This work has studied opportunities for blue-green solutions, especially green roofs, permeable surfaces and multifunctional spaces in Larsfrid-Vilhelmsfält. The study questions have been How can Halmstad municipality work with blue-green solutions as a resource in Larsfrid-Vilhelmsfält? and Is it possible to point out spaces in the Larsfrid-Vilhelmsfält area for blue-green stormwater management? The method consists of a literature study, questions to municipal officials, study of downpour maps and visual inspections. The first study question has been answered trough advantages and disadvantages according to different blue-green solutions, different laws, the planning process, costs and benefits and examples from Malmö and Göteborg amongst others. The second question has been answered trough suggestions of blue-green solutions pointed out on an image of Larsfrid-Vilhelmsfält. The image is created from a map overlay of an orthophoto and information from a downpour map, information from aerial photos from Internet and visual inspections on site. The municipality of Halmstad has a chance to start early with sustainable urban drainage systems in Larsfrid-Vilhelmsfält. There are ways to calculate costs and maintenance. It is easier and more inexpensive to construct blue-green solutions before the area is finished, than after. Without it, it will be much more expensive to take care of the suffering and the physical costs caused by pluvial flooding.

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<p>Eutrophication due to phosphorus (P) enrichment continues to be a primary water quality concern affecting freshwater and marine estuaries around the world. Excessive anthropogenic P inputs, driven by the need to meet the rising food and energy demands of a growing and increasingly urbanized population, have resulted in the buildup of P creating legacy (historical) P pools in agricultural landscapes. There is growing evidence that remobilization of accumulated legacy P can interfere with conservation efforts aimed at curbing eutrophication and improving water quality. Less is known about the magnitude and effects of these legacy P pools on dissolved reactive P (DRP) losses in tile-drained systems. This dissertation consists of three separate inquiries into how legacy P may affect DRP losses in tile drains. In the first inquiry, we examined the possibility of developing a suitable pedo-transfer function (pedoTF) for estimating P sorption capacity (PSC). Subsequent PSC-based indices (Phosphorus Saturation Ratio (PSR) and Soil Phosphorus Storage Capacity (SPSC)) were evaluated using daily water quality data from an in-field laboratory. The pedoTF derived from soil aluminum and organic matter accurately predicted PSC (R² = 0.60). Segmented-line models fit between PSR and soluble P (SP) concentrations in both desorption assays (R² = 0.69) and drainflows (R² = 0.66) revealed apparent PSR thresholds in close agreement at 0.21 and 0.24, respectively. Linear relationships were observed between negative SPSC values and increasing SP concentrations (R² = 0.52 and R² =0.53 respectively), and positive SPSC values were associated with very low SP concentrations in both desorption assays and drainflows. Zero SPSC was suggested as a possible environmental threshold. Thus, PSC-based indices determined using a pedoTF could estimate the potential for SP loss in tile drains. Also, both index thresholds coincided with the critical soil test P level for agronomic P sufficiency (22 mg kg^-1 Mehlich 3 P) suggesting that the agronomic threshold could serve as an environmental P threshold. In the second inquiry, PSC- based indices in addition to other site characteristics present in a P index (PI), were used as inputs in the development of a multi-layer feed-forward artificial neural network (MLF-ANN). The MLF-ANN was trained, tested, and validated to evaluate its performance in predicting SP loss in tile drains. Garson’s algorithm was used to determine the weight of each site characteristic. To assess the performance of ANN-generated weights, empirical data from an in-field laboratory was used to evaluate the performance of an unweighted PI (PI_NO), a PI weighted using Lemunyon and Gilbert weights (PI_LG), and an ANN-weighted PI (PI_ANN) in estimating SP losses in tile effluent. The MLF-ANN provided reliable predictions of SP concentrations in tile effluent (R² = 0.99; RMSE = 0.0024). Soil test P, inorganic fertilizer application rate (FPR), SPSC, PSR, and organic P fertilizer application rate (OPR), with weights of 0.279, 0.233, 0.231, 0.097, and 0.084, respectively, were identified as the top five site characteristics with the highest weights explaining SP loss in tile discharge. These results highlighted the great contribution of both contemporary and legacy P sources to SP concentrations in tile discharge. Also, PI_ANNwas the only PI with a significant exponential relationship with measured annual SP concentrations (R²= 0.60; p < 0.001). These findings demonstrated that MLF-ANNs coupled with Garson’s algorithm, can accurately quantify weights for individual site characteristics and develop PIs with a strong correlation with measured SP in tile discharge. Finally, in the third inquiry, we compared DRP loads and flow-weighted mean DRP (FDRP) concentrations in P source and P sink soils and evaluated the predominant DRP concentration – discharge (C-Q) behavior in these soils on a daily and event scale. At the daily scale, C-Q patterns were linked to the soil P status whereby a chemostatic and dilution behavior was observed for P source and P sink soils, respectively. At the event scale, C-Q patterns were linked to soil P status, flow path connectivity, and mixing of event water, matrix water, and rising shallow groundwater. The predominant anti-clockwise rotational pattern observed on P source soils suggested that, as the discharge event progressed, contributions from P poor waters including matrix and shallow groundwater resulted in lower DRP concentrations on the rising limb compared to the falling limb. However, the variable flushing and dilution behavior observed on the rising limb suggested that, in addition to discharge and soil P status, rapid exchanges between P pools, the magnitude of discharge events (Q), and the relative number of days to discharge peak (D_rel) also regulated DRP delivery. On the other hand, the predominant non-hysteretic C-Q behavior in P sink soils suggest that DRP loss from these soils can be discounted. Our collective results highlight the need for nutrient and conservation practices focused on P drawdown, P sequestration, and P supply close to the crop needs, which will likely be required to convert P sources to sinks and to avoid the conversion of P sinks to sources. </p>