As the demand for freshwater resources increases due to increasing human populations, degradation of available resources, and climatic changes it will become increasingly important to understand the factors that impact the physicochemical characteristics of surface water resources over space and time. This study assessed a headwater stream over the course of a year in the San Bernardino National Forest that serves as both surface and groundwater resources for the Santa Ana River Watershed region, the largest and most populated watershed in Southern California. Streams were monitored bi-weekly during dry periods and weekly during wet periods from April 2018 through April 2019 for dissolved oxygen (DO), flow rate, temperature, conductivity, turbidity, pH, nitrate (NO3-), and ammonium (NH4+) with additional lab assessments for total dissolved solids (TDS), E. Coli (EC), and total coliform (TC). Findings illustrated that across the study sites NO3-, NH4+, and TDS exceeded federal and regional water quality standards for a majority of the sampling events (>60 percent). Additionally, NO3-, DO, and flow rates were elevated in the wet season, while conductivity, NH4+, TDS, pH, TC, and EC were elevated during the dry season.

In rain-fed farming systems, a poor harvest can have broad and overwhelming effects on affected households. Smallholder farmers have to ensure that they have adequate food from one harvest to the other and enough inputs for the next farming season. Households consume more just after the harvest and the consumption levels decline as they move away from the harvest season. The study identified the ex-ante and ex-post adjustment mechanisms to seasonal food and input requirements. Special consideration was given to determine whether the probability of using a given adjustment mechanism to seasonality is the same in good, normal, poor and very poor years and whether household wealth has an influence on the use of adjustment mechanisms. Attention was also given to determining whether agricultural production and household wealth are reflected in observed seasonality in consumption. The study used cross-sectional data from 225 randomly selected households. The study relied on non-parametric methods of data analysis because the required dependent variables could not meet the parametric assumptions. The analysis showed that the probabilities of using some ex-ante and ex-post adjustment mechanisms for both food and input requirements by the non-poor households are not the same in good, normal, poor and very poor years. However, the poor households’ probability of using any of the identified ex-post adjustment mechanisms to seasonal input requirements is the same in all the years. The study established that household wealth affects the use of ex-ante and ex-post adjustment mechanisms to seasonal input requirements and ex-post adjustment mechanisms to seasonal food requirements after good, normal, poor and very poor harvests. The study further revealed that agricultural production is reflected in household seasonal consumption. However, the study failed to find a relationship between consumption and agricultural production in the post-harvest season after good and normal harvests. The study also showed that household wealth is reflected in food consumption in all the seasons of normal, poor and very poor years. However, no relationship was found between food consumption and household wealth in the post-harvest and rainy seasons after good harvests. The study further revealed that there is always a seasonal fall in consumption levels among households of all wealth strata despite the use of adjustment mechanisms. The situation worsens as we move from the good years towards the very poor years. The study suggests that the use of one size fits all type of interventions to minimise the seasonality problem cannot adequately achieve the required results for all households. It is important to know the way households from each wealth stratum respond to the seasonality problem and why they respond in such a way. Programmes that encourage strategic planning, agricultural production and wealth creation are necessary to reduce the seasonality problem. Furthermore, mechanisms which ensure that the benefits from government interventions reach the poor households are necessary. / Dissertation (MSc Agric)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

In 2010, the largest oil spill in U.S history occurred off the coast of Louisiana from April 20th to September 19th, when the well was declared officially sealed by the U.S Coast Guard, after releasing more than 4.4 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) (McNutt et al., 2012). This spill was unique because it occurred in deep water approximately 1500 m below the ocean surface. Virtually nothing is known about the effects of oil spills on marine life in the deep sea, and there are limited data on mesopelagic and bathypelagic animals in the GOM before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWHOS). The study presented here focuses on one of the most abundant and diverse groups of pelagic decapod crustaceans in the GOM – the family Oplophoridae and also includes one species from the family Pandalidae. Past studies on pelagic decapod crustaceans have been limited on both spatial and temporal scales. This study is unique because 1) it covers a large temporal range with data collected in 2011 and from 2015-2017, allowing for a more in-depth look at crustacean assemblage patterns, 2) it allows analysis of seasonality in reproduction, about which little is known for any deep-sea species, and 3) it assesses the potential effects of the Loop Current on species distribution and abundances, about which little is known. This information is important in understanding how the DWHOS may have affected the GOM ecosystem because pelagic decapod crustacean are intermediate components of the food web, and are in turn preyed upon by higher trophic levels. Unfortunately, there were little data on the mesopelagic ecosystem from this region before the spill, with the exception of a site in the eastern GOM (Standard Station, Hopkins et al., 1989; Hopkins et al., 1994). Therefore, these data, which incorporate samples taken one, five, six and seven years after the DWHOS, were analyzed with respect to year and season to determine if any trends were present. Results indicate that both biomass and abundance were significantly higher in 2011, than in subsequent years, indicating that the ecosystem has been declining since 2011. These two parameters were also lower in Loop Current water when compared to Common Water at all depths up to 1200 m, indicating that the Loop Current does have effects on deeper waters. The information obtained from this thesis will also act as a reference state for future studies in the GOM to monitor changes, or lack thereof, in the assemblage of deep-sea oplophorid and pandalid crustaceans.

Site 38CH1693 is a coastal site located in Charleston County, South Carolina. Thom’s Creek ceramics place the site in the Late Archaic/Early Woodland Period and radiocarbon dating corroborates this, placing the features present between 3650 and 3950 BP. Faunal analysis was undertaken to assess seasonality in order to understand the occupations that occurred at the site. Faunal seasonality, botanical seasonality, and sedentariness indicators are used to determine the sedentariness of the site. The presence of certain marine fish species is one of the most important seasonality indicators used. It is determined from the available evidence that at least one short-duration, year-round occupation is represented by the materials recovered at 38CH1693. Site 38CH1693 does not fit into the current Late Archaic settlement pattern models for the coast, calling for a reevaluation of these settlement pattern models and the sedentary sites within them.

Haiku is the shortest form of poetry in the world. Through its usage of seasonal words, anchored in cultural imagery, haiku manages to convey deep and profound meanings to the reader. It is also these seasonal words which places the haiku in a time and a place. Each seasonal word is attached to its seasons and the essence of that season. An autumnal word such as ‘apple’ thus has to carry its own associations as well as the essence of its season. How this is implemented heavily depends on the poet and their preferred style. This paper has examined how Shiki Masaoka and a group of likeminded traditionalist haiku poets has used ‘apple’ to express autumn-ness in their poetry. By looking at the structural aspects as well as the contextual implications this paper has found that even a simple word such as ‘apple’ can greatly benefit the sense of season in a haiku.

No description available.

The Bachman’s sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis) is a ground-dwelling, pine-obligate species experiencing range-wide population declines due to land development and fire exclusion. We explored the effects of fire seasonality on wintering Bachman’s sparrow abundance in Southern Mississippi from 2021-2022. We used generalized linear mixed models to investigate differences in sparrow abundance and vegetation characteristics following dormant and growing season fire. We explored the effects of growing season fire on breeding territory vegetation characteristics. Our results indicate that burn type (dormant vs. growing season), native grass groundcover, and shrubs over 1m were the most significant predictors for wintering Bachman’s sparrow abundance. Additionally, native grass groundcover increased in growing season breeding territories post-fire while grass standing crop and shrubs over 1m decreased. We recommend a combination of dormant and growing season fire when feasible to promote a matrix of conditions suitable for Bachman’s sparrows throughout their life cycle in the Southeastern United States.

Little is known about black fly pest species in Mississippi, other than research from the 1930s. A better understanding of the pest species that occur in Mississippi is important for human and animal health. My research focused on what species of black flies occur in Mississippi, their seasonality and distribution, and a detailed systematic survey of the primary pest species. Lastly, I attempted to quantify nuisance effects and economic impacts of black flies on people, backyard poultry, and livestock. I examined scientific literature and records of black flies occurring in the southeastern U.S., and particularly Mississippi. This search revealed several unpublished manuscripts by Dr. George H. Bradley on the biology, ecology, and control of black flies in the Mississippi Delta during the 1930s. These publications were curated and made available to the scientific community. I identified and compiled an annotated list of larval, pupal, and adult stages of black flies occurring in Mississippi, derived from specimens housed in the Mississippi State University Entomological Museum (MEM). These specimens had been collected over several decades by a variety of entomologists, students, and the public. In addition, I included data from thousands of black flies collected during this project. To assess seasonality and relative abundance of the primary pest black fly species in Mississippi, I systematically collected adult black fly specimens for two years, documenting species present, seasonality, adult emergence patterns, and associated meteorological conditions. These ten sites were selected based on Dr. George Bradley's extensive work and complaints from local county extension agents, veterinarians, and municipal public works personnel. For economic, human, and animal health impacts of black flies, I employed a four-tiered approach: 1) a survey of lay and medical literature for reports of human health problems from black fly bites, 2) a query of city and county public works personnel concerning black fly nuisance effects, 3) an analysis of statewide hospital outpatient International Classification of Diseases-9 (ICD-9) discharge data and lastly, 4) a statewide survey of backyard poultry owners to ascertain animal health and monetary impacts from black flies.

No description available.

The island of Gotland, one of the most popular summer destinations in the Baltic Sea region, has the vision to become northern Europe's most sustainable and attractive destination by 2027. Therefore, all-year-round tourism is encouraged by the municipality and the Tourism Association to reach this goal. Food tourism is introduced as one of the main strategies due to its high potential to be used as a competitive advantage to attract visitors in the low season and enhance regional development all-year-round. Therefore, this research aims to explore local stakeholders’ perceptions of developing food tourism as a new season on Gotland and understand its contribution to the regional sustainable development’s goal. Qualitative methods were used for the data collection which are ethnographical study and semi-structured interviews among different stakeholders in food tourism on Gotland. The results represent that Gotland has a high potential to develop food tourism as a new season to attract a new group of travelers. The establishment of food tourism in a new season can contribute to the sustainable regional development in terms of social, economic, and environmental sustainability. However, Gotland must overcome its challenges of providing primary facilities to accommodate tourists and residents, developing a long-term food tourism collaboration, and create efficient tourism plans to avoid the negative impacts of mass tourism.