After sixty-two years of U.S. military testing, the small Puerto Rican island of Vieques and its residents continue to fight against ongoing environmental and social effects of U.S. hegemony. Starting with the arrival of the Spanish, then with U.S. occupation and use of Vieques as a military stopover, Viequense residents are used to U.S. governmental presence on their land. Despite the military’s removal from Vieques in 2003, many local residents have a fundamental lack of trust for the U.S. government. Because of this lack of trust and transparency with U.S. governmental actions in the post- World War II period, residents of Vieques do not see any difference between the USFWS, the EPA, CH2M Hill, and the U.S. Navy. However, many acknowledge that the U.S. government’s involvement may be good for the island, so there is some ambivalence about the U.S. government’s continued presence on the island, its role in developing Vieques, and bettering its current economic situation. While the majority of local activists claim that naval activities negatively affected island life through contamination of land and surrounding waters, also resulting in a range of human health problems, others argue that the U.S. Navy should not be demonized, and the island’s role in conservation should be paramount. These differing views reflect two opposing frameworks: one fighting against a colonizer and U.S. hegemony, and the other promoting a primarily conservation-based framework meant to protect non-human residents.

Ce mémoire de thèse se place dans le contexte des applications de surveillance de l’environnement nécessitant des mesures régulières de caractéristiques biologiques ou géo-physiques. Il s’agit par exemple de mesurer la propagation de polluants dans les cours d’eau, de surveiller le développement de bactérie dans des eaux de baignade. Les réseaux de capteurs sans fils (RCsF) apparaissent comme des solutions économiques et fiables pour permettre l’automatisation de la collecte de telles données. Le bon fonctionnement de ces réseaux dépend de la qualité des transmissions radio, ce qui est particulièrement vrai dans des milieux où les conditions sont peu favorables à la propagation des ondes radio et où les liens peuvent donc se révéler intermittents. L’objectif de ce travail est de proposer une solution protocolaire efficace dans de telles conditions, dans le cas particulier d’un réseau de capteur déployé à la surface de l’eau. Le mémoire débute par la description d’une méthodologie, des mécanismes et d’une plate-forme destinée à explorer la qualité d’un lien radio situé à la surface de l’eau. Nous présentons différentes mesures qui ont été effectuées. Les solutions protocolaires que nous proposons prennent en compte le caractère évolutif de la topologie due à l’instabilité des liens radio afin d’améliorer l’efficacité de la collecte et de réduire la consommation énergétique des noeuds. Notre approche est basée sur la reconstruction périodique de la topologie, la communication entre les noeuds par rendez-vous définis par des fenêtres de transmissions, l’utilisation du multi-canal pour drainer les données et l’adaptation de la taille des fenêtres de transmission en fonction du trafic local. L’ensemble de ces propositions est validé par prototypage et par simulation sur NS-3. Les résultats montrent que notre solution est capable de collecter les données dans une topologie dynamique tout en réduisant à la fois le délai de collecte et la consommation énergétique. / This thesis takes place in the context of environmental monitoring applications requiring regular measurements of biological or geophysical characteristics. These applications include for instance the measuring of the spread of pollutants in rivers, monitoring of the development of bacteria in bathing waters, etc. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) provide cost-effective and reliable solutions to allow the automation of such data gathering. The good functioning of these networks depends on the quality of the radio transmissions, which is particularly true in environments where the conditions are not suitable for the propagation of radio waves and where the links may therefore be intermittent. The objective of this work is to propose an effective protocol solution under such conditions, in the particular case of a sensor network deployed on the water surface. The thesis begins with a description of the methodology, mechanisms and a platform for exploring the quality of a radio link displayed at the water surface. We present different measures that have been carried out. The protocol solutions we propose take into account the evolutionary nature of the topology due to the instability of the radio links in order to improve the efficiency of the data gathering and to reduce the energy consumption of the nodes. Our approach is based on the periodic reconstruction of the topology, the communication between nodes by appointments defined by transmission windows, the use of the multi-channel to drain the data and the adaptation of the transmission window size as a function of local traffic. All these propositions are validated by prototyping and simulation using NS-3. The results show that our solution is capable of collecting data in a dynamic topology while reducing both gathering time and energy consumption.

Spatial-temporal distribution of soil moisture in the vadose zone is an important aspect of the hydrological cycle that plays a fundamental role in water resources management, including modeling of water flow and mass transport. The vadose zone is a critical transfer and storage compartment, which controls the partitioning of energy and mass linked to surface runoff, evapotranspiration and infiltration. This dissertation focuses on integrating hydraulic characterization methods with remote sensing technologies to estimate the soil moisture distribution by modeling the spatial coverage of soil moisture in the horizontal and vertical dimensions with high temporal resolution. The methodology consists of using satellite images with an ultrafine 3-m resolution to estimate soil surface moisture content that is used as a top boundary condition in the hydrologic model, SWAP, to simulate transport of water in the vadose zone. To demonstrate the methodology, herein developed, a number of model simulations were performed to forecast a range of possible moisture distributions in the Everglades National Park (ENP) vadose zone. Intensive field and laboratory experiments were necessary to prepare an area of interest (AOI) and characterize the soils, and a framework was developed on ArcGIS platform for organizing and processing of data applying a simple sequential data approach, in conjunction with SWAP. An error difference of 3.6% was achieved when comparing radar backscatter coefficient (σ0) to surface Volumetric Water Content (VWC); this result was superior to the 6.1% obtained by Piles during a 2009 NASA SPAM campaign. A registration error (RMSE) of 4% was obtained between model and observations. These results confirmed the potential use of SWAP to simulate transport of water in the vadose zone of the ENP. Future work in the ENP must incorporate the use of preferential flow given the great impact of macropore on water and solute transport through the vadose zone. Among other recommendations, there is a need to develop procedures for measuring the ENP peat shrinkage characteristics due to changes in moisture content in support of the enhanced modeling of soil moisture distribution.

The occurrences of cyanotoxin and organic contaminants threaten drinking water sources and are a serious human health and environmental concern. The control of these problematic contaminants and the remediation of the associated contaminants are critical for ensuring safe drinking water to significant populations. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have received considerable attention as a potential water treatment for various pollutants. In this dissertation, advanced oxidative degradation of four problematic water toxic contaminants (CYN, iopamidol, 4-methylcyclohexane methanol and propylene glycol phenyl ether) were studied to develop the fundamental understanding required to assess AOPs as a potential water treatment process. UV and visible light activated (VLA) TiO2 photocatalysis using nitrogen and fluorine-TiO2 (NF-TiO2), phosphorus and fluorine-TiO2 (PF-TiO2) and sulfur-TiO2 (S-TiO2) were employed for degradation of 6-hydroxymethyl uracil (6-HOMU), a model compound for the potent cyanotoxin cylindrospermopsin (CYN). NF-TiO2 exhibits the most photoactive, followed by marginally active PF-TiO2 and inactive S-TiO2 under visible light irradiation. Our results indicate that O2-• plays an important role in VLA TiO2 photocatalysis. Fe (VI), an environmentally friendly oxidant, was employed for the degradation of CYN and 6-HOMU over a range of pH (7 ~ 9.5). The second order rate constants for the reaction of Fe (VI) with CYN decrease from 38.83 ± 0.07 M-1s-1 at pH 7 to 5.02 ± 0.04 M-1s-1 at pH 9.5. Fe (VI) mediated reactions primarily occur via oxidation of the uracil ring in CYN. ELISA results demonstrate that Fe (VI) oxidation process leads to a significant decrease in the bioactivity of CYN as a function of treatment time. Fe (III)-oxalate/H2O2 process was employed for the remediation of iopamidol, a model for ICM, to determine the formation rates and steady concentrations of •OH and O2-• under UV and visible light irradiation. Reduction by CO2-• and oxidation by •OH contribute to the degradation pathways. Pulse and gamma radiolysis of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) and propylene glycol phenyl ether (PPh) were studied to determine the bimolecular rate constants and reaction pathways. •OH addition to ortho and para positions in PPh are the predominant reaction pathways; H-abstraction are the primary reaction mechanisms for ∙OH mediated oxidation of MCHM

This thesis research employs a multi-pronged analysis approach to contribute to the existing knowledge regarding land use and water quality in southern Miami Dade County. Nutrient concentrations for TP, NOx-N, and NH3-N were evaluated for water quality monitoring stations across seven canals for two time periods: 1990-2003 and 2009-2014. Overall, the sites did not surpass the mandated TP threshold but a number of sites exceeded the NOx-N and NH3-N criteria set by multiple government agencies. Statistical tests demonstrated that the sites had differing distributions, not sharing similar median concentrations. Land use classifications were derived for the area interest for the years 1994 and 2013. Regression models relating land use classifications to nutrient concentrations at various spatial scales provided mixed results. Lastly, a trend analysis for nutrient concentrations at the stations for 1990-2003 and 2009-2014 demonstrated that there were either no trends or a decreasing trend at most sites.

This thesis describes environmental data collection and transmission from the field to a server using Wi-Fi. Also discussed are components, radio wave propagation, received power calculations, and throughput tests. Measured receive power resulted close to calculated and simulated values. Throughput tests resulted satisfactory. The thesis provides detailed systematic procedures for Wi-Fi radio link setup and techniques to optimize the quality of a radio link.

Moore besitzen weltweit eine große Bedeutung für den Natur- und Klimaschutz. Sie dienen als Lebensraum für eine Vielzahl an Pflanzen- und Tierarten sowie als Kohlenstoffsenken. Aufgrund intensiver land- und forstwirtschaftlicher Nutzung weist die Mehrheit der Moorgebiete jedoch hochgradige Schäden auf, durch welche sie in ihrer Funktionalität beeinträchtigt werden. Um die charakteristischen Biotopeigenschaften wiederherzustellen, laufen derzeit zahlreiche Moorschutzprogramme, unter anderem in der deutsch-tschechischen Grenzregion im Osterzgebirge. Damit die Auswirkungen der durchgeführten Schutz- und Renaturierungsmaßnahmen auf die Vegetationsstruktur verfolgt und kontrolliert werden können, erfolgt in dieser Region regelmäßig eine stereoskopische Luftbildinterpretation der Moorflächen. Derartige manuelle Auswertungen sind jedoch mit einem hohen Arbeitsaufwand verbunden, weswegen eine Automatisierung der Prozesse angestrebt wird. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein Verfahren präsentiert, mit welchem die Vegetationsstrukturen der Moore bei Satzung teilautomatisch klassifiziert werden können. Unter Verwendung von digitalen Luftbildern und einem digitalen Geländemodell lassen sich verschiedene Gras-, Baum- und Bodenarten voneinander trennen und lokalisieren. Für die Unterscheidung der einzelnen Klassen werden sowohl pixel- als auch objektbasierte Merkmale in die Datenanalyse einbezogen. Aufnahmen der Satelliten WorldView-2 und Sentinel-2A wurden ebenfalls auf ihr Auswertepotential hin untersucht, allerdings ohne zufriedenstellende Ergebnisse. Die Automatisierung von Monitoring-Prozessen für Moorschutzgebiete ermöglicht eine Objektivierung des Analyseverfahrens und stellt eine zeit- und kostengünstige Alternative zur stereoskopischen Bildinterpretation dar. / Moorlands are of worldwide importance for nature and climate protection. They serve as a habitat for a variety of plant and animal species, as well as carbon sinks. Most of the moorlands show significant damage from intense agricultural and silvicultural use, affecting the functionality of many. Currently, several moorland protection programs are running to restore the habitats’ characteristic features, such as that in the Czech-German border region in The Eastern Ore Mountains. Using stereoscopic image interpretation, the moorlands in this region are regularly monitored to observe the influence of executed protection and renaturation measures on the local vegetation structures. However, such manual evaluations require high labor costs. Therefore, the automation of this process is sought. The master thesis at hand presents a procedure enabling the semi-automatic classification of vegetation structures in the moorlands nearby Satzung, Germany. Different grass, tree and soil types can be distinguished and localized using digital aerial imagery and a digital terrain model. For the distinction between different object classes, pixel- and object-based features are taken into consideration. Satellite images acquired by WorldView-2 and Sentinel-2A were also tested for their classification suitability, but without satisfactory results. The automation of monitoring processes for protected moorlands facilitates the externalization of the data analysis and represents a time- and cost-efficient alternative to stereoscopic image interpretations.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the water quality of the micro-basin of Córrego da Areia Branca, through analysis of hydrologic (temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity and clarity) and analysis of the benthic community of macroinvertebrates. Samplings were carried out at each fifth day in three distinctive sites of the micro-basin, from September 2005 to January 2006. The macroinvertebrates were identified at maximum level of family. It was carried out analysis of diversity and similarity to compare communities and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of biotic and hydrologic factors. Seven families were found: Chironomidae, Tipulidae, Simuliidae, Psychodidae, Glossiphoniidae, Tubificidae and Lymnaeidae. The family Chironomidae was the most abundant in the three sites sampled. The origin (Site 1) showed the best water quality compared as the other sites due to riparian vegetation around. The Site 2, located at 500m from the origin, had decreased water quality, however, showed the highest diversity. The worst water quality was observed in Site 3 which had near zero dissolved oxygen coupled with the high conductivity values (average 537,2 S/cm). In such site, the taxons Chironomus, Psychodidae and Tipulidae were the most abundant. Conductivity and water clarity were the principal factors determining the low diversity of macroinvertebrates in the micro-basin. The findings of this study can be used as a baseline for further environmental monitoring for the future recovery of the Córrego da Areia Branca micro-basin. / Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a qualidade da água da microbacia do Córrego da Areia Branca por meio de análises de variáveis hidrológicas (temperatura, oxigênio dissolvido, pH, condutividade e transparência) e da composição da comunidade de macroinvertebrados bentônicos. Amostragens foram realizadas quinzenalmente no período de setembro de 2005 a janeiro de 2006 em três trechos distintos da microbacia, incluindo a nascente. Os macroinvetebrados foram identificados ao nível máximo de família. Foram efetuadas análises de diversidade e eqüidade para comparar as comunidades e Análise de Componentes Principais com os fatores bióticos e abióticos. Sete famílias foram amostradas: Chironomidae, Tipulidae, Simuliidae, Psychodidae, Glossiphoniidae, Tubificidae e Lymnaeidae. A família Chironomidae foi dominante nos três pontos de amostragens. A nascente apresentou melhor qualidade da água em relação aos outros dois trechos por apresentar vegetação ripária em seu entorno. O ponto 2, localizado a 500m a da nascente apresentou reduzida qualidade da água, entretanto, mostrou maior diversidade. O ponto 3 apresentou pior qualidade da água, com valores de OD próximos de 0 e condutividade média de 537,2 S/cm. Neste trecho, os táxons Chironomus, Psychodidae e Tipulidae foram os mais abundantes. A condutividade e a transparência da água foram os principais fatores determinando a baixa diversidade na microbacia. Os resultados deste estudo poderão servir como base para futuro monitoramento ambiental visando a recuperação da microbacia do Córrego da Areia Branca.

Submitted by Ricardo Cedraz Duque Moliterno (ricardo.moliterno@uefs.br) on 2016-03-09T00:16:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Euclides_PPGM_2016.pdf: 8675089 bytes, checksum: 11d6d78776ee49a83a1ddb81459fe3f1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-09T00:16:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Euclides_PPGM_2016.pdf: 8675089 bytes, checksum: 11d6d78776ee49a83a1ddb81459fe3f1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-22 / The expansion of the urban area in the city of Matola in Mozambique has been significant in recent decades and it has happened in an unstructured way. This occupation contributes to the destruction of both the ecological and environmental structure of the city. One of the strategies to minimize these effects is to consider the legislation, concerning the urban land use and the preservation / conservation of vegetation, as well as the preparation of the Environmental Zoning. The main objective was, to propose an Environmental Zoning based on the analysis of urban sprawl and its impact on the environment, the distribution of vegetation over a period of 17 years (1997-2014) and the legislation to contribute with elements that inform and enable the development of urban and environmental planning in the municipality of Matola. Three satellite images from TM / Landsat 5 and OLI / Landsat 8 orbital sensor, SRTM data, population data and digital database of the city/country were utilized as input data. It was employed visual interpretation, images segmentations digital classification and geoprocessing technics. Results, indicated that urban area increased about 180.964m2, corresponding to 254.91% between 1997 and 2014. The area of vegetation cover reduced to 118.74m2 (52.62%) in 17 years. The Vegetation Cover Index (VCI) for total mapped area, reduced from, 61.25% in 1997, to 39.65% in 2007 and 29.02% in 2014. However, the detailed study of the VCI to different neighborhoods of Matola, showed a very uneven spatial distribution. The Environmental Zoning proposed, was made by integrating several information?s plans (thematic maps) and features five zones, namely: (i) Total Conservation Zone; (ii) Sustainable Use Conservation Zone; (iii) Expansion Urban Zone; (iv) Environmental Control Zone and (v) Recovery Zone. Has also proposed the creation of three protected areas located in the Total Conservation Zone: (i) Integral Natural Reserve, (ii) Natural Monument and (iii) Permanent Protection Green Area. This research will be important to municipal management and will serve as a basis for preparing the next general and partial urbanization plans and Matola Master Plan 2019/2020, achieving the objectives of the Environmental Strategy for Sustainable Development of Mozambique (2007 - 2017) and the objectives of Agenda 2030 of the UN. / A expans?o da macha urbana no Munic?pio da Matola em Mo?ambique tem sido significante nas ?ltimas d?cadas e ? feita de forma n?o estruturada. Esta forma de ocupa??o do espa?o contribui para a destrui??o da sua estrutura ecol?gica e ambiental. Uma das estrat?gias para minimizar esses efeitos ? levar em considera??o a legisla??o, concernente ? ocupa??o do solo urbano e ? preserva??o/conserva??o da cobertura vegetal, assim como a elabora??o do Zoneamento Ambiental. A pesquisa tem como objetivo elaborar uma proposta de Zoneamento Ambiental a partir da an?lise da expans?o urbana, da distribui??o da cobertura vegetal em um per?odo de 17 anos (1997 - 2014) e da legisla??o, de forma a contribuir com elementos que informem ou possibilitem a elabora??o dos planejamentos urbano e ambiental do Munic?pio da Matola. Foram usadas tr?s imagens dos sensores orbitais TM/Landsat 5 e OLI/Landsat 8, dados SRTM, dados populacionais e a base de dados cartogr?fica digital do Munic?pio/Pa?s. Empregaram-se t?cnicas de interpreta??o visual, de segmenta??o, de classifica??o de imagens e de geoprocessamento. Dos resultados, a ?rea urbana aumentou cerca de 180,964m2, o que corresponde a 254,91% em rela??o ao ano de 1997. A ?rea da cobertura vegetal reduziu 118,74m2 (52,62%) em 17 anos. Verificou-se redu??o do ?ndice de Cobertura Vegetal (ICV) da totalidade na ?rea mapeada ao longo do tempo, sendo 61,25% em 1997, 39,65% em 2007 e 29,02% em 2014. No entanto, o estudo detalhado do ICV tendo como recorte espacial os bairros, mostrou distribui??o espacial bastante desigual. O Zoneamento Ambiental proposto, foi elaborado a partir da integra??o de diferentes planos de informa??o (mapas tem?ticos) e apresenta cinco zonas: (i) Zona de Conserva??o Total; (ii) Zona de Conserva??o de Uso Sustent?vel; (iii) Zona de Expans?o Urbana; (iv) Zona de Controle Ambiental e (v) Zona de Recupera??o. Foi tamb?m proposto a cria??o de tr?s Unidades de Conserva??o localizadas na Zona de Conserva??o Total: (i) Reserva Natural Integral, (ii) Monumento Natural e (iii) ?rea Verde de Prote??o Permanente. O trabalho ser? de grande valia para a gest?o municipal e servir? de base para, a elabora??o dos pr?ximos planos gerais e parciais de urbaniza??o e o Plano de Estrutura Urbana da Cidade da Matola de 2019/2020, alcan?ar os objetivos da Estrat?gia Ambiental para o Desenvolvimento Sustent?vel de Mo?ambique (2007 - 2017) e os objetivos da Agenda 2030 da ONU.

La presente tesis propone el análisis, diseño e implementación de un sistema web que permita detectar y predecir posibles impactos en la calidad de aire y del agua, teniendo como alcance las comunidades comprendidas en el área de influencia de la unidad minera. La calidad de los componentes ambientales mencionados será determinada según la normativa nacional peruana. Este trabajo toma como referencia los procesos que actualmente están siendo empleados tanto para el monitoreo de calidad del aire como para el monitoreo de agua, los cuales consisten en abastecer de datos acerca de las características fisicoquímicas de ciertos componentes ambientales en su estado natural. Bajo esta premisa, la propuesta solución de este proyecto plantea la mejora del proceso “Monitoreo y control ambiental” que va desde la planificación para la obtención de datos hasta la identificación de tecnologías adecuadas que permitan el acceso a dicha información. En la presente tesis el proceso “Monitoreo y control ambiental” se encontrará en el proyecto con el nombre “Monitoreo y control”. / The current thesis presents an analysis, design and implementation of a web system which will allows to detect and predict possible impacts on air and water quality on the communities within the area of influence of the mining unit. Air and water quality will be determined according to Peruvian’s national regulations. This work takes as reference the processes that are currently being used on site, for both air quality monitoring and water quality monitoring, which objective is to provide representative data about the physicochemical characteristics of environmental components in their natural state. Under this concept, the solution of this project proposes the “Environmental Monitoring and Control” process improvement, this process includes all activities starting on data collection planning up to appropriate technologies identification that will allow to stakeholders access to information. In this document the "Environmental monitoring and control" process will be named as "Monitoring and control". / Tesis