Devido à existência de variabilidade espacial nos fatores que afetam o desenvolvimento do algodoeiro, faz-se necessário investigar a hipótese de que existem diferenças na dose de máximo retorno econômico da aplicação de nitrogênio (N) em cobertura e de fitorreguladores em áreas de cultivo de algodão. Assim, esse trabalho teve como objetivo investigar o potencial da utilização de sensores ativos de dossel para detecção da variabilidade espacial do desenvolvimento das plantas e da nutrição nitrogenada existente em áreas de produção de algodão, bem como estabelecer estratégias de gestão da variabilidade com o uso de taxas variáveis na adubação nitrogenada de cobertura e na aplicação de fitorreguladores no algodoeiro. Foram conduzidos experimentos em áreas comerciais de cultivo do algodoeiro localizadas em Chapadão do Céu - GO nas safras 2012/2013 e 2013/2014 e em Campo Verde - MT na safra 2014/2015. Avaliou-se o desempenho de dois modelos de sensores ativos de dossel em predizer a altura de plantas e o acúmulo de biomassa e N no algodoeiro, considerando dois sistemas de produção (espaçamento convencional e adensado) e vários estádios de desenvolvimento da cultura. Foram instaladas parcelas para calibração das curvas de dose resposta do algodoeiro ao nitrogênio em cobertura em diferentes condições de desenvolvimento da cultura relacionadas a variações no solo ou no histórico de produtividades no interior do talhão. Com base nos resultados dos experimentos foram desenvolvidos e validados algoritmos para aplicação em taxas variáveis de N e fitorreguladores, adotando-se o conceito de experimentos em nível de fazenda, com o modelo estatístico considerando a condutividade elétrica do solo como uma covariável e uma matriz de variância-covariância espacial, que foi ajustada pelo método da máxima verossimilhança. O desempenho geral dos sensores foi satisfatório, sendo capazes de predizer a altura de plantas e o acúmulo de biomassa e N no algodoeiro com valores de R2 acima de 0,90. Observou-se interação significativa com o espaçamento das fileiras e a fase de desenvolvimento da cultura, com performance inferior em situações de pequena variabilidade na cultura ou de acúmulo de biomassa muito grande. A resposta do algodoeiro ao nitrogênio aplicado em cobertura variou de acordo com as condições de cultivo de cada experimento. Maiores respostas foram observadas em áreas de médio e baixo potencial produtivo, existindo talhões e partes de talhões em que a aplicação de N não proporcionou incremento de produtividade, enquanto que em outras áreas observou-se aumento de produtividade expresso por uma relação quadrática entre a dose aplicada e a produtividade. No talhão com as maiores diferenças, a dose de máximo retorno econômico foi de 0 kg ha-1 na região de alto potencial produtivo, 165 kg ha-1 na região de médio potencial produtivo e 280 kg ha-1 na região de baixo potencial produtivo. Na análise dos experimentos em nível de fazenda, o melhor ajuste foi obtido no modelo que considera a dependência espacial dos resíduos, evidenciando que em experimentos dessa dimensão não se deve assumir que os princípios da estatística clássica são sempre satisfeitos. Em três áreas não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre a aplicação do N em cobertura em taxa fixa ou usando os algoritmos para aplicação em taxa variável, devido à homogeneidade da área e da interferência de outros fatores. Em uma das áreas observou-se vantagem para a aplicação em taxas variáveis usando o algoritmo que recomenda aplicação de maiores doses de N nos locais em que as plantas apresentam menor desenvolvimento vegetativo, com produtividade cerca de 100 kg ha-1 que a aplicação em taxa fixa e cerca de 300 kg ha-1 superior à obtida com a aplicação em taxas variáveis usando o algoritmo que recomenda aplicação de maiores doses de N nos locais em que as plantas apresentam-se mais vigorosas. A aplicação de fitorreguladores em taxas variáveis não apresentou efeito significativo na produtividade de algodão em caroço, entretanto o volume consumido dos produtos foi em média 18% menor na aplicação em taxa variável, principalmente em função das áreas que não foram aplicadas por apresentarem desenvolvimento vegetativo reduzido. / Due to the existence of spatial variability in factors affecting cotton development, it is necessary to investigate the hypothesis that there are differences in the economic optimum fertilizer rates of top dressing nitrogen (N) and plant growth regulators (PGR) applications in cotton fields. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the potential of using active crop canopy sensors to detect the spatial variability of plant development and nitrogen nutrition in cotton fields and to establish strategies for managing spatial variability using variable rate technology to apply N and PGR in cotton. We conducted experiments in commercial cotton production fields located in the state of Goiás, in 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 seasons, and in the state of Mato Grosso, in 2014/2015 season. We evaluated the performance of two models of active crop canopy sensors to predict the height of plants and the accumulation of biomass and N in cotton, considering two production systems (conventional and narrow row spacing) and various growth stages. Within-field variations in the response curve to the increasing doses of nitrogen was evaluated under different crop development conditions related to variations in soil and historical yields. Based on the results of the experiments we developed and validated algorithms for variable rate application of N and PGR, using on-farm experiments. The statistical model considered the soil electrical conductivity as a covariate and a spatial variance-covariance matrix, which was adjusted by maximum likelihood. The overall performance of the sensors was satisfactory, predicting the height of plants and the accumulation of biomass and N in cotton with R2 values above 0.90. There was a significant interaction with the row spacing and the development stage of the crop, with lower performance in situations of low variability or very large biomass accumulation. The cotton response to top dressing nitrogen varied according to growing conditions of each experiment. Major responses were observed in areas of medium and low yield potential. There were fields and plots within fields in which the application of N did not increased yields, while in other areas there was a quadratic relationship between the dose applied and yield. In the field with the biggest differences, the economic optimum fertilizer rates of top dressing N was 0, 165 and 280 kg ha-1 in the high, medium and low yield potential zones, respectively. In the analysis of on-farm experiments, the best fit was obtained in the model that considered the spatial dependence of the residues, showing that experiments of this size we should not assume that the principles of classical statistics are always satisfied. In three areas, there was no significant differences between the application of N in fixed rate or using the algorithms for variable rate application, due to the homogeneity of the areas and the interference of external factors. In one of the areas, there was an advantage for application at variable rates using the algorithm that recommends application of higher doses of N in places where the plants have low vegetative development. The yields were about 100 kg ha-1 higher than the application of a fixed rate and 300 kg ha-1 higher than that obtained with the application of variable rates using the algorithm that recommends applying higher doses of N in places where the plants were more vigorous. The variable rate application of PGR had no significant effect on cottonseed yield, however the amount of products used was on average 18% lower in the variable rate application, mainly due to the not applied areas.

Submitted by Neusa Fagundes (neusa.fagundes@unioeste.br) on 2017-09-06T19:04:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Franciléia_Silva2016.pdf: 2149526 bytes, checksum: ea47360bf858aa139e83502eba59b4e3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-06T19:04:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Franciléia_Silva2016.pdf: 2149526 bytes, checksum: ea47360bf858aa139e83502eba59b4e3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-15 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The importance of Brazil's agricultural activity boosts for researches that can be developed with different focuses such as the influence of soil properties on crops and spatial analysis of soil, in order to achieve a better management, with less environmental impact and increase crop yield as soybeans and maize. Besides yield, studies involving parameters such as quality are essential, since raw materials are seen as a possibility to be used in industry. Thus, this trial aimed at carrying out spatial analysis of quality parameters for soybean and maize (protein and oil content). The index of spatial dependence was calculated, while thematic maps were drawn. Further, analysis of spatial correlation among these parameters and attributes of soil was carried out as well as physical (soil penetration resistance) and chemical of soil (P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn MO, Al, pH, H+Al, SB, SMP e Sat. Al, texture (sand, silt and clay), altitude and yield were also recorded. This trial was carried out in two areas (A and B) cropped with soybeans (summer crop) and maize (winter maize) under no-tillage system. Among the studied attributes, K content was significantly correlated (positively) with soybean protein in both experimental areas (A and B) as well as in both studied agricultural years (2012/2013 and 2013/2014.). Clay and mechanical resistance to penetration at 20-30 cm depth showed negative correlation with soybean protein in area B in both agricultural years. Soybean protein and its oil were inversely correlated in both experimental areas: area A (2013/14) and area B in both years (2012/13 and 2013/14). The corn protein showed no spatial dependence. But the oil content presented moderate spatial dependence and showed an inverse correlation with productivity in both areas under study. / A importância da atividade agrícola do Brasil faz com que pesquisas sejam desenvolvidas com focos distintos como a influência dos atributos do solo nas culturas e análise espacial do solo, a fim de se realizar um manejo mais adequado, com menor impacto ambiental e aumentar a produtividade das culturas, dentre elas a soja e o milho. Além da produtividade, verifica-se a importância de estudos que envolvam parâmetros como a qualidade, tendo em vista a possibilidade de utilização da matéria prima para a indústria. Assim, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo realizar uma análise espacial dos parâmetros de qualidade (proteína e teor de óleo) de soja e milho. Calculou-se o índice de dependência espacial e elaboraram-se mapas temáticos. Buscou-se ainda realizar a análise de correlação espacial entre estes parâmetros e atributos físicos (resistência do solo à penetração) e químicos do solo (P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn MO, Al, pH, H+Al, SB, SMP e Sat. Al), textura (areia, silte e argila), altitude e com a produtividade. O experimento foi conduzido em duas áreas cultivadas (A e B) com soja (safra de verão) e milho (safrinha) sob sistema de plantio direto. Dentre os atributos estudados, o teor de K correlacionou de forma significativa (positiva) com a proteína de soja, nas duas áreas experimentais (A e B) e nos dois anos agrícolas estudados (2012/2013 e 2013/2014.). A argila e a resistência mecânica à penetração na profundidade (20-30 cm) apresentaram correlação negativa com a proteína de soja na área B nos dois anos agrícolas. A proteína de soja e o óleo de soja correlacionaram-se inversamente nas duas áreas experimentais: área A (2013/14) e na área B nos dois anos (2012/13 e 2013/14). Já o teor de proteína de milho não demonstrou dependência espacial. Já o teor de óleo apresentou dependência espacial moderada e apresentou correlação inversa com a produtividade nas duas áreas em estudo.

A população de plantas é um dos fatores que impacta fortemente na produtividade da cultura do milho (Zea mays); justá-la localmente é uma das estratégias para gerenciar a variabilidade das lavouras e otimizar o uso de recursos do ambiente que não estão sob o controle do produtor rural, como o tipo de solo e a capacidade de retenção de água. O objetivo desse estudo foi investigar a produtividade de híbridos de milho submetidos à semeadura em taxas variáveis (STV) em unidades de gestão diferenciada (UGD). Foi utilizado o total de dez híbridos de milho testados em cinco níveis de populações de plantas a partir da população regularmente recomendada (60%, 80%, 100%, 120% e 140%). Foram conduzidos cinco experimentos em talhões comerciais entre os anos de 2012 e 2015, no Brasil, na região Centro-Oeste (Maracajú -MS), durante a segunda safra de verão (safrinha) e na região Sul (Piraí do Sul - PR), durante a safra de verão. A pesquisa foi dividida em duas etapas principais: (1) delimitação das UGD e (2) implantação dos experimentos em faixas variando híbridos e população de plantas ao longo das UGD. Foram utilizados mapas históricos de produtividade (MP), mapa de condutividade elétrica do solo (CE) e mapa de altitude como atributos que deram origem às UGD. Dois métodos distintos de agrupamentos foram analisados: o método de \"cluster\" por \"K-means\" e o método pela média normalizada. As análises das UGD foram realizadas com base na estatística descritiva. Os experimentos em faixas tiveram os dados de produtividade referentes aos híbridos, população e UGD submetidos às análises de variância pelo F-teste e ANOVA e análise de regressão em função dos níveis de população de plantas por área. Foi possível discriminar, através das UGD, diferentes níveis de produtividade, CE do solo e concentração de nutrientes (CE, pH, CTC Efetiva, Argila, Areia, V%, M.O, e K), indicando que os procedimentos utilizados nesse estudo para a definição de UGD foram eficientes. O método de formação de UGD pela média normalizada proporcionou maior homogeneidade interna das UGD comparativamente ao método de \"Cluster K-means\". A qualidade da distribuição longitudinal medida pelo espaçamento entre plantas (indicador da efetividade dos níveis de população) variou de 81% a 90% de espaçamentos aceitáveis entre os locais avaliados. A análise de variância foi significativa (P<0,05) para interação tripla entre híbridos, população de plantas e UGD assim com as regressões foram significativas e os melhores modelos tiveram ajuste quadrático para população e produtividade na área da região Centro-Oeste - MS. Nas áreas da região Sul os experimentos não foram significativos. A população de plantas ótima pode diferir em até 5743 pl ha-1 entre as diferentes UGD dentro de um mesmo talhão. Quanto menor a média de produtividade do talhão, mais restritiva é a faixa de população ótima. No entanto, não há uma recomendação simples a respeito da população de plantas ótima para cada UGD. / Plant population per unit area is one of the most important aspects under the farmer\'s control that can influence maize grain yield. As the availability of resources for the growth of plants (like water availability and soil attributes) are not uniform along the fields, and considering the unfeasibility to change the environment setting, plant population per area is a key aspect under the farmer\'s control to optimize the use of these resources. This study aims to carry a comprehensive study of the strategy of variable rate seeding (VRS) within zones of distinct resource availability (management zones - MZ). A seasonal experimental design was set consisting in selecting ten different hybrids and five ranks of plant populations starting with a local recommended seeding rate and offsetting it in 40% and 20% below and above this reference. Five field experiments were conducted in commercial fields from 2012 to 2015 in two regions with distinct growing seasons in Brazil. In the Midwest region (Maracaju - MS) where corn is grown as a secondary crop following soybean within one season, and in the Southern region (Piraí do Sul - PR) where corn is grown as primary crop during the summer season; both under rain fed and no-tillage system. This research was split into two main stages: (1) definition of management zones (MZ) within agricultural fields and (2) implementation of strip tests varying hybrids and plant populations across MZ. The attributes used to delineate MZ were soil electrical conductivity (EC), yield maps (YM) and elevation. Two methods were analyzed to delineate MZ: cluster K-means and standardized average. MZ were analyzed by descriptive statistics. On the experimental data gathered from each seasonexperiment, yield of the hybrids, plant density and MZ were submitted to analysis of variance by F-test, ANOVA and regression analysis. MZ were able to differentiate levels of yield, and soil properties (EC, pH, Effective CTC, clay, sand, V%, MO, and K), suggesting that the procedures to define MZ used in this study were efficient. The standardized average provides greater internal homogeneity of MZ compared with the Cluster K-means. The quality of regular spacing between plants (indicator of seed rate quality) was 90% to 81% at all locations. The analyses of variance were significant (P < 0.05) for triple interaction between hybrids, plant population, and for the MZ at the Midwest region. For fields studied in the South the tests were not significant. The optimal plant population at the Midwest region can vary by up to 5743 pl ha-1 across MZ within the same field. Lower yield averages have a narrow optimal plant population interval. However, there is no simple recommendation regarding the optimal plant population across MZ.

A importância do Estado de São Paulo (ESP) é notável no desenvolvimento do Brasil, seja no setor econômico ou energético, o que justifica o estudo do comportamento do clima nessa região. O conhecimento da variabilidade da precipitação é imprescindível na gestão de recursos hídricos e possui grande impacto na agricultura e geração de energia por meio de fontes hidrelétricas. Estudos anteriores apontaram efeitos não-lineares do El Niño-Oscilação Sul (ENOS) sobre a precipitação no ESP; entretanto, nenhum estudo específico acerca da influência da Oscilação interdecadal do Pacífico (ODP) nesta área foi ainda realizado, embora haja alguns impactos conhecidos na América do Sul. Deste modo, este trabalho estudou a relação entre anomalias de precipitação no ESP e a ODP, no período de 1901 a 2007, de forma a auxiliar as pesquisas na linha da previsão climática nessa região do Brasil. Na primeira etapa, foram descritos os regimes de precipitação tanto para a América do Sul como localmente, para o ESP, onde se destacaram fatores como a topografia e a influência do Oceano Atlântico. Posteriormente, foram calculados quantis anuais e mensais que permitiram classificar cada evento quanto ao total de precipitação. Regiões pluviometricamente homogêneas foram determinadas no ESP com base na climatologia e nos quantis de precipitação. Notou-se a relação construtiva entre eventos ENOS e as fases da ODP, com máximo durante o verão austral. Os sinais da ODP são percebidos em todo o ESP principalmente na primavera e no verão austrais. Uma análise complementar mostrou que as fases da Oscilação Multidecadal do Atlântico (AMO) também contribuem para a precipitação no ESP durante o verão e a primavera austrais no litoral, durante o verão no interior, e ao longo da primavera na região da Serra da Mantiqueira. Aparentemente, não há relação entre os eventos ENOS e a AMO. / São Paulo State (SPS) is remarkably important to the development of Brazil, economically or energetically, and this justifies climate studies on that region. Knowing rainfall variability is essential to water resources management and it has a great impact on agriculture an power production by hydroelectric power plants. Previous studies have detected non-linear effects of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on SPS rainfall however no specific work deals with PDO influence in this area besides some impacts on South America are known. Therefore this work has studied the relationship between rainfall anomalies in SPS and PDO from 1901 to 2007 to contribute to the climate forecasting improvement. First it was described the rainfall regime in South America, and locally in SPS where topography and the Atlantic Ocean influences were of special importance. Then annual and monthly quantiles were calculated to allow the classification of events according to rainfall totals. Rainfall homogeneous regions were established in SPS using climatology and quantiles. It was observed the constructive relationship between ENSO events and PDO phases, mainly on austral summer. PDO signals were noticed all over the SPS mostly on austral spring and summer. An additional analysis showed that Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) phases also contribute to SPS rainfall during austral summer and spring at the coast, only on summer at the country and during spring at the Mantiqueira Slopes. Apparently, there is no relation between ENSO events and AMO phases.

Les barrages induisent un impact potentiellement important sur l'environnement et la société par la modification des écosystèmes, le déplacement des populations en amont et surtout par la présence d'un risque imposé aux populations situées à l'aval. Même si les ruptures de ces ouvrages ont une probabilité d'occurrence faible, la cause principale des accidents, à côté des submersions par des crues imprévues, a toujours été la rupture des fondations (ICOLD 1993) suite à des problèmes d'érosion, ou d'insuffisance de résistance au cisaillement le long des discontinuités rocheuses, des joints de levées ou de l'interface barrage-fondation. La fréquence de ruptures par défaut de résistance au cisaillement des discontinuités des fondations des barrages en béton est estimée à 21 % (ICOLD 1995). Les fondations rocheuses présentent souvent une variabilité verticale et horizontale des propriétés de résistance au cisaillement des discontinuités. Une variabilité verticale peut être matérialisée par une moyenne de la propriété de résistance qui varie en profondeur et dont la prise en compte réduit la variance de cette propriété de résistance. Aussi, la rupture des fondations rocheuses par défaut de résistance au cisaillement des discontinuités est un mécanisme qui mobilise les propriétés ponctuelles de résistance au cisaillement présentes sur cette discontinuité. La résistance au cisaillement mobilisée le long de cette discontinuité présente parfois une variance moins élevée que celle de la résistance ponctuelle au cisaillement (échelle de laboratoire). Ces phénomènes de variabilité spatiale ne sont pas pris en compte dans la justification du comportement en cisaillement des fondations ni dans les travaux de recherches publiées dans la littérature. L'objectif de la thèse est d'élaborer une démarche d'analyse de la variabilité spatiale de la résistance au cisaillement qui prend en compte cette réduction de la dispersion. Cette démarche a été élaborée dans le contexte de l'état de l'art actuel, avec la combinaison des impératifs suivants : 1. La démarche est basée sur une méthodologie expérimentale i)-alternative à l'essai de cisaillement direct (coûteux en temps et en argent) pouvant être relativement simple à mettre en œuvre ii)- qui permet de générer des données quantitatives de cisaillement suffisamment abondantes pour analyser la variabilité spatiale de la résistance au cisaillement. 2. Cette démarche a été mise en œuvre au contexte des outils numériques et des méthodes de justification de la résistance à l'effort tranchant d'une fondation rocheuse de barrage-poids. La méthodologie expérimentale définie dans la thèse a fait l'objet d'une validation par étude comparative avec 35 essais de cisaillement direct sur des joints à différents degrés de rugosité et d’altération, prélevés d'une fondation de barrage-poids en béton. Il a été développé une démarche d'analyse de la variabilité spatiale de la résistance au cisaillement des joints. Cette démarche repose sur l'utilisation des données géo référencées de paramètres de cisaillement caractérisant la même famille de discontinuité le long d'un forage vertical. Afin de valider la pertinence et l’applicabilité de cette démarche, nous l’avons implémentée dans un cas d'étude de fondation rocheuse de barrage. A l'aide d'un code de calcul numérique basé sur la méthode des éléments finis, une étude a permis d'illustrer la pertinence de l'analyse de la variabilité spatiale de la résistance au cisaillement des joints dans une étude de stabilité au glissement des fondations rocheuses de barrage. Les résultats montrent que la prise en compte de la variabilité spatiale des paramètres de cisaillement permet d'augmenter la marge de sécurité mesurée à travers une hausse du coefficient de sécurité et une baisse significative de la probabilité de défaillance. / Dams induce a potentially significant impact on the environment and society by changing ecosystems, by populations’ relocation upstream and especially by the presence of an imposed risk on populations located downstream. Although dam failures have a low probability, the main cause of accidents, near submersions by unexpected flood has been foundations failures (ICOLD 1993) due to problems of erosion, or insufficient shear strength along the rock discontinuities or the interface between dam and foundation. Among dam failures, 21% are related to lack of shear strength along the discontinuities of the foundations (ICOLD 1995). It is well known that rock, as soil, is a complex engineering material formed y natural process, which induces vertical and horizontal variability. Plus, the sliding process of a rock foundation discontinuity is a mechanism that mobilizes points shear properties of this discontinuity. The variability of shear properties averaged over the sheared discontinuities is less than that of their point shear properties. This is known as the average effect in spatial variability. These phenomena of spatial variability are not taken into account in the standards of stability analysis of dam foundations sliding or research work published in the literature. The aim of the thesis is to develop an analysis of the spatial variability of shear strength that takes into account the reduction of the variability by scaling up effect. This approach was developed in the context of the current state of the art. An experimental method, which aimed to investigate in a simple way the shear strength of joints, was suggested in the thesis and has been validated by comparative study with more than thirty direct shear tests on joints taken from a foundation of concrete gravity dam. It was developed a process to analyze the spatial variability of the shear strength of the joints using the input parameters of the model of Barton and Choubey (1977). This approach is based on the use of geo -referenced data on these parameters characterizing the family of discontinuity along a vertical borehole. To validate the relevance and applicability of this approach, we have implemented it in a case study of a rock dam foundation. Using finite element software, a study illustrates the relevance of the analysis of the spatial variability of the shear strength of the joints in the assessment of stability against rock dam foundations sliding. The results show that taking into account the spatial variability of shear parameters can increase the margin of safety measured through an increase in the safety factor and a significant decrease in the probability of failure.

Le compartiment phytoplanctonique joue un rôle prépondérant dans les écosystèmes marins de par sa position comme principal producteur primaire et fixateur de carbone, mais aussi en raison de sa capacité de multiplication élevée, qui lui permet de réagir rapidement aux changements environnementaux et d'en faire un potentiel bio indicateur. La plupart des études antérieures ne se sont basées que sur des observations réalisées à basse fréquence, ou bien ne ciblant qu'une partie des groupes/espèces phytoplanctoniques entraînant une perte importante d'information sur la variabilité d'abondance et composition du phytoplancton. Cette thèse a été réalisée dans le cadre du projet européen transfrontalier DYMAPHY dont l'objectif principal visait à améliorer les connaissances et l'évaluation de la qualité des eaux marines de la Manche et de la Mer du Nord, à travers l'étude de l'ensemble du compartiment phytoplanctonique et ses paramètres complémentaires. Dans ce contexte, une approche à haute fréquence et/ou haute résolution spatiale, via l'utilisation de la cytométrie en flux semi-automatisée, a permis de mieux caractériser la variabilité spatiale et temporelle du phytoplancton en Manche Orientale. Pour cela on a utilisé 3 approches complémentaires dont les résultats principaux obtenus lors de ce travail de thèse sont les suivants : (i) une étude à haute fréquence, avec une analyse cytométrique toutes les 10 minutes, qui a permis de révéler une forte variabilité spatiale du phytoplancton, à une échelle régionale (Manche Orientale), dont l'assemblage communautaire n'était pas déterminé par l'hydrologie ; (ii) un suivi saisonnier de l'ensemble du spectre de taille des cellules phytoplanctoniques le long d'un gradient côte-large proche du détroit du Pas de Calais, qui a révélé, au-delà d'une certaine hétérogénéité spatiale, une forte variabilité temporelle permettant de définir les successions saisonnières et les principaux facteurs les régissant, à savoir la luminosité et la concentration en sels nutritifs ; (iii) un suivi de 3 ans sur un point fixe en eaux côtières, qui a permis de mettre en relation les traits de vie des groupes phytoplanctoniques avec l'environnement, afin de comprendre comment les communautés phytoplanctoniques s'assemblent en réponse à la variabilité environnementale. Les résultats ont montré une différenciation fonctionnelle liée à l'utilisation des ressources et des stratégies de croissance, associées à un gradient de ressources. Cette étude confirme notamment l'importance de "l'hypothèse du ratio de masse", qui prédit que les traits de vie de l'espèce la plus abondante au sein d'une communauté, seraient le moteur des processus les plus importants au sein d'un écosystème. / Phytoplankton micro-organisms play a key role in marine ecosystems as main primary producers, being responsible for most of carbon uptake, but also due to their fast division rates which allow them to effectively react to environmental changes and which make them potentially good bio-indicators. Most previous studies have based their observations on low frequency sampling, only considering one fraction of phytoplankton communities, resulting in a significant loss of information on the dynamics of phytoplankton abundance and diversity. This thesis was carried out in the frame of the European cross-border DYMAPHY project, which main objective was to improve the understanding and the evaluation of the quality of marine waters in the English Channel and the North Sea, through the study of the whole phytoplankton compartment and related environmental parameters. A high frequency and/or high resolution approach, through the use of semi-automated flow cytometry, allowed us to reduce this loss of information and to better characterize the phytoplankton spatial and temporal variability in coastal water of the eastern English Channel.Three approaches were applied, leading to the ollowing results : (i) A high frequency study, performing one analysis every 10 minutes, which revealed a strong phytoplankton variability at the regional scale, with community assemblages that were not governed by hydrology ; (ii) A seasonal monitoring of the whole phytoplankton size-spectrum, which revealed the seasonal successions and the main factors governing them : nutrient concentrations and the daily light level which structured the transition of most phytoplankton groups ; (iii) A three-year follow-up at a coastal station, which made it possible to relate the traits-based characterization of each functional phytoplankton group to the environmental conditions, in order to better understand phytoplankton community assembly in response to environmental variability. The results have revealed a functional differentiation mainly due to the use of resources and the growth strategies, both of them driven by a resource gradient. This study confirms the importance of the "mass ration hypothesis", which predicts that the dominant life traits of the most abundant species, would be the main driver of the key ecosystem processes.

<p>Saturated hydraulic conductivity (<em>K</em>_<em>s</em>) is among the most important soil properties that influence the partitioning of rainfall into surface and subsurface waters and is needed for understanding and modeling hydrologic processes at the field-scale. Field-scale variability of <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> is often represented as a lognormal random field, and its parameters are assessed either by making local- or point-scale measurements using instruments such as permeameters and infiltrometers or by calibrating probabilistic models with field-scale infiltration experiments under natural/artificial rainfall conditions. This research quantifies the uncertainty in the <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> random field when using observations from the above techniques and provides recommendations as to what constitutes a good experiment to assess the field-scale variability of <em>K</em>_<em>s</em>. Infiltration experiments with instruments sampling larger areas (or volumes) are typically expected to be more representative of field conditions than those sampling smaller ones; hence, the uncertainty arising from the field-scale natural rainfall-runoff experiments was evaluated first. A field-averaged infiltration model and Monte Carlo simulations were employed in a Bayesian framework to obtain the possible <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> random fields that would describe experimental observations over a field for a rainfall event. Results suggested the existence of numerous parameter combinations that could satisfy the experimental observations over a single rainfall event, and high variability of these combinations among different events, thereby providing insights regarding the identifiable space of <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> distributions from individual rainfall experiments. The non-unique parameter combinations from multiple rainfall events were subsequently consolidated using an information-theoretic measure, which provided a realistic estimate of our ability to quantify the spatial variability of <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> in natural fields using rainfall-runoff experiments. </p> <p>  </p> <p>With the resolving ability from rainfall-runoff experiments constrained due to experimental limitations, the <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> estimates from in-situ point infiltration devices could provide additional information in conjunction with the rainfall-runoff experiments. With this hypothesis, the role of three in-situ point infiltration devices --- the double-ring infiltrometer, CSIRO version of tension permeameter, and Guelph constant-head permeameter --- was then evaluated in characterizing the field-scale variability of <em>K</em>_<em>s</em>. Results suggested that <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> estimates from none of the instruments could individually represent the field conditions due to the presence of measurement and structural errors besides any sampling biases; hence any naive efforts at assimilating their data (e.g., data pooling, instrument-specific transforms, etc.) and augmenting with field-scale rainfall-runoff observations as informative prior distributions would not be fruitful. In the absence of benchmarks establishing the true <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> field, it is also impossible to quantify these errors; therefore, a posterior coarsening method was used to alleviate their impact when estimating the field-scale variability of <em>K</em>_<em>s</em>. </p> <p>  </p> <p>Finally, the impact of censored moments on the maximum likelihood (ML) estimates of the <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> distribution parameters was studied. Results highlighted the rainfall event's ability to only be able to resolve a fraction of the <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> field, and that the time and duration of peak rainfall intensity play a role in resolving the <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> field, besides the peak rainfall intensity. The reliability of the ML estimates is a function of the fraction of the <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> field resolved by the rainfall event, until a limit when the estimates start to overfit the calibration data. Rainfall-runoff experiments for which the ML estimates resolve 30--80 % of the <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> distribution are likely to be good calibration events. </p>

Among other sources of uncertainties in hydrologic modeling, spatial rainfall variability, channel hydraulic variability, and model parameter uncertainty were evaluated. The Monte Carlo and Harr methods were used to assess 90% certainty bounds on simulated flows. The lumped watershed model, Hydrologic Simulation Program FORTRAN ? HSPF, was used to simulate streamflow at the outlet of the Luxapallila Creek watershed in Mississippi and Alabama. Analysis of parameter uncertainty propagation on streamflow simulations from 12 HSPF parameters was accomplished using 5,000 Monte Carlo random samples and 24 Harr selected points for each selected parameter. Spatial rainfall variability propagation on simulated flows was studied using six random grid point sets of Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) rainfall data (i.e., 109, 86, 58, 29, 6, and 2 grid points) from the baseline scenario (115 NEXRAD grid points). Uncertainty in channel hydraulic properties was assessed comparing the baseline scenario (USGS FTABLE) versus the EPA RF1 FTABLE scenario. The difference between the baseline scenario and the remaining scenarios in this study was evaluated using two criteria: the percentage of observed flows within the HSPF 90% certainty bounds (Reliability) and the width of the HSPF 90% certainty bounds (Sharpness). Daily observed streamflow data were clustered into three groups to assess the model performance by each class: below normal, normal, and above normal flows. The parameter uncertainty propagation results revealed that the higher the model Sharpness the lower the model Reliability. The model Sharpness and Reliability results using 2 NEXRAD grid points were markedly different from those results using the remaining NEXRAD data sets. The hydraulic property variability of the main channel affected storm event paths at the watershed outlet, especially the time to peak flow and recessing limbs of storm events. The comparison showed that Harr?s method could be an appropriate initial indicator of parameter uncertainty propagation on streamflow simulations, in particular for hydrology models with several parameters. Parameter uncertainty was still more important than those sources of uncertainty accomplished in this study because all of the median relative errors of model Reliability and Sharpness were lower than +/- 100%.

Post-mining land use potentials are greatly influenced by mine soil properties. I analyzed and classified coal mine soils in SW VA and mineral sands mine soils in SE VA to aid development of appropriate post-mining land use interpretations. For coal mine soils, long-term pedogenesis was assessed in sandstone (SS) and/or siltstone (SiS) spoils with and without surface amendments. For mineral sands mined lands, I evaluated their spatial variability with respect to underlying relic mining influences and rowcrop productivity. Coal mine subsoils densified as root-limiting layers formed that were not observed initially and all soils had weak pedogenic development (^Bw; cambic horizons), particularly SS derived soils. Initial rock spoil type strongly influenced coal mine soils over time (i.e., SS had coarser textures and lower subsoil pH vs. SiS). However, most soil chemical properties (e.g., pH, EC, CEC) became similar in ^A horizons over time. Fe-oxides increased, and extractable-P decreased with weathering, raising concerns for long-term P-availability. Organic amendments applied to rock spoil surfaces sustained higher total-N (sawdust and biosolids) and extractable P (biosolids). Soil carbon sequestration rates did not differ among rock types or amendments (0.16 to 0.28 Mg ha yr-1). Further, mineral sands mine soils were limited by densic contacts and short-range variability of important properties (texture) appeared related to underlying relic mining features (pits and berms). Yields in reclaimed soils were more variable than in adjacent undisturbed farmland, but mean yields were only slightly reduced for soybean in 2020. Coloration and Fe-oxide spectral indices had weak to moderate negative correlations with yield. Berm positions supported better soybean growth (three out of five sites), while pit positions were redder/darker (one out of five sites). Current Soil Taxonomy conveys anthropogenic origins at the family (e.g., spolic) and subgroup (e.g., Anthroportic) levels. Existing taxa and proposed Artesols order criteria both acknowledge effective soil depth x compaction limitations (Anthrodensic subgroup), but Artesols more effectively recognizes pedogenesis (Inceptic subgroup) and acknowledges mine soils at the highest level. The biggest management limitation for both mine soil types is root-limiting compaction; thus, future efforts should focus on defining depth ranges and taxonomic interpretations for densic contacts. / Doctor of Philosophy / Surface mining results in drastic disturbances to the original soil, land, and water features. Actual impacts vary due to local site conditions and methods used for mineral extraction and reclamation. Advancing reclamation science requires an understanding of the resulting mine soil properties and how they vary spatially and develop over time. This research program involved two very different mining scenarios and resultant mine soil types in Virginia that were both evaluated in terms of soil properties, taxonomic placements, and land use interpretations. First, I assessed Appalachian coal mine soils in southwestern Virginia following 34 years of soil development in sandstone (SS) and/or siltstone (SiS) derived overburden with and without surface amendments. Over time, rocky mine spoils transformed into weakly developed soil profiles, commonly with four to five total distinct layers (horizons), along with apparent "self-compacted" layers at depth. SS soils were coarser textured with somewhat better subsoil structure, while SiS soils were finer textured and had higher subsoil pH. However, many chemical properties were similar in the soil surface. Organic amendments and topsoil return imparted only subtle differences over time. A secondary objective was to assess mineral sands mine soils, which originate from recombined Coastal Plain sediments. Due to the nature of their wet deposition during final reclamation, these mine soils exhibited high variability across local landforms. Soil profiles over former berm positions were composed mostly of sandier materials, while pit positions had more variable materials and features. Reclaimed rowcrop yields were moderately correlated with bare soil remotely sensed variables. Soils in pit positions were redder in color due to higher clay. While yields were variable, especially in drier years, berms appeared to support better soybean growth, but results were inconsistent across fields. For both mine soil types, root-limiting compaction is their biggest impediment to productive use. Forestry is the predominant post-mining land use on former coal mines, while rowcrop production is becoming more common on former minerals sands mines. Since these two different post-mining environments present unique challenges for correctly interpreting their post-disturbance land-uses, it is important to convey their special properties (e.g., densic contacts) and limitations in their classification.

[pt] Freqüentemente as análises de estabilidade de taludes são feitas por métodos determinísticos, nos quais é obtido um Fator de Segurança (FS). Estes métodos não quantificam as incertezas existentes nas variáveis de entrada (parâmetros de resistência) na análise. Tampouco mostram detalhes sobre qual variável afeta mais o resultado. Os métodos probabilísticos permitem superar estes problemas. A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo comparar dois métodos probabilísticos geralmente utilizados (Estimativas Pontuais e Segundo Momento). Três projetos utilizados comumente na geotecnia são analisados: barragem de rejeitos, talude de solo e aterro sobre argila mole.Um aspecto importante na análise probabilística é a quantificação adequada do desvio padrão. É sabido que as propriedades dos solos mostram uma correlação no espaço, pelo que o desvio padrão calculado por métodos clássicos da estatística é superestimado em comparação ao valor real no campo. El-Ramly (2001) desenvolveu uma metodologia para o cálculo da probabilidade de ruptura considerando a correlação espacial das propriedades do solo. Esta metodologia é de difícil aplicação prática. Serão, portanto, avaliadas na presente pesquisa as técnicas geralmente usadas de probabilidade e estabilidade de taludes, juntamente com um fator de correção proposto por Vanmarcke (1977a). Estas técnicas de probabilidade de estabilidade de taludes são factíveis de serem utilizadas junto com este fator de correção. Verificou-se que o Método de Segundo Momento é de mais fácil utilização, e portanto adequado para emprego em projetos geotécnicos. / [en] The analysis of slope stability is often determined by deterministic methods, in which a Factor of Security (FS) is obtained. These methods do not quantify the uncertainty in the input variables (strength parameters). Neither these methods show details which variable affects mostly the outcome results. The probabilistic methods allow overcoming these restrictions. This study aims at comparing two probabilistic methods of general use (Point Estimates and First Order Second Moment). Three projects commonly used in geotechnical engineering are analyzed: tailings dam, slope soil and embankment on soft clay. An important aspect of the probabilistic analysis is the proper quantification of the standard deviation. It is known that the soil properties show a correlation in space, so the standard deviation, calculated by traditional methods of statistics, is overestimated when compared to the real field value. El-Ramly (2001) developed a methodology for calculating the probability of failure considering the spatial correlation of the soil properties. This methodology is difficult to apply in practice. The present study will therefore evaluate the techniques generally used in probability of failure of slopes. These probability techniques applied to slope stability can be used together with a correction factor proposed by Vanmarcke (1977b). The Second Moment Method was found to be easier to use, and therefore more suitable for geotechnical projects.