Automatic river quality monitoring (ARQM) is potentially an important tool in water quality management for the National Rivers Authority (NRA) and similar organisations worldwide. The information produced by ARQM systems must be used in the most effective way and fully integrated with the manual monitoring effort. The status and development of ARQM systems in the freshwater and estuarine River Thames catchment are discussed and a practical appraisal of the design, operation and maintenance requirements given. Data capture, verification and presentation methods are developed and the use of ARQM data for real time management and subsequent analysis is advocated. Examples of data from the freshwater ARQM system are given which emphasise the variability of freshwater quality and the need for a comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of rivers before management decisions are made. The use of ARQM data for assessing the compliance of rivers with River Quality Objectives is examined. With respect to the tidal Thames, data processing methods to correct for the tidal movement of the waterbody are developed. ARQM data are used to highlight the principal factors affecting the water quality of the tidal Thames. The importance of the use of ARQM information in the effective management of the tidal Thames is discussed and operational examples demonstrate how it may be utilised as a basis for management decisions. The application of ARQM to the sub-tropical environment of the River Ganges, India, is investigated. An ARQM system has been designed and prototypes are operational. Extensive site surveys were carried out and the water quality status of the Ganges is discussed. Recommendations for the improvement and future development of ARQM systems are made. The use of ARQM information and its potential for improving the management of rivers is discussed.

This study compares the soils, floristic composition, phytosociological structure and history of seven Brazilian savannas in the Amazon basin: those at Alter do Chao, Amapa, Roraima and SE Humaita are islands in rain forest; and those at Chapada dos Parecis, Redencao, and Carolina are on the periphery (northern border) of the central Brazilian savannas (the so-called 'cerrado'). A total of 26 transects were sampled by the PCQ method (for trees with dbh greater than or equal to 5 cm) and additional tree species were recorded by 'wide patrolling'. A total of 101 species were recorded from the transects and another 43 species were recorded by 'wide patrolling'. Byrsonima crassifolia, B. coccolobifolia, Curatella americana, Salvertia convallariodora and Plathymenia reticulata occurred in most or all sites, but no species occurred in all transects. The number of species in the isolated savannas decreased with the distance from the central Brazilian core savanna area. Both cluster analysis (based on the S0rensen Similarity Index) and ordination (DCA), showed that the disjunct and non-isolated peripheral areas were in floristically distinct groups. Five surface soil samples (0 - 10 cm) were collected from each of the 26 transects. Two soil cores (up to 4 m depth), one located in the savanna and the other from the nearest forest present, were taken from each study site for carbon isotope analysis. All the sites had acidic soils (pH 4.5 - 5.2) and a wide range of concentrations of aluminium (0.12 - 1.49 meq 100g-1); most of the other soil properties varied significantly within study sites. An ordination (PCA) distinguished the soils from Amapa, Alter do Chao, Redencao and Roraima, but did not distinguish the disjunct sites from non-isolated peripheral ones. The soil delta 13C values of all the disjunct savannas indicated a vegetation change in the past from C3 to C4 plants, showing that forest (or at least a vegetation with few C4 plants) formely covered these sites. 14C dating indicated that the disjunct savannas are of relatively recent origin, e.g. Humaita was dated at about 2,000 years BP, and hence that they are not remnants of a more widespread Pleistocene savanna in the Amazon.

Freshwater ecosystems worldwide are being altered by multiple stressors. One of the most important stressors is biological invasion---the introduction of exotic species, which can contribute to the loss of native species. The effects of an introduced species are correlated with its abundance and typically vary across ecosystems, suggesting that its impact on native species is mediated by its environment, i.e. the physical habitat and the recipient community. However, there are few studies that explore the effects of environment on the interactions between exotic and native species. My thesis examines the influence of physical habitat variables and community interactions on the relative abundance of exotic and native freshwater crustaceans in the St. Lawrence River. / The Eurasian amphipod Echinogammarus ischnus invaded the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River system in the mid-1990s and has replaced the native North American Gammarus fasciatus as the dominant amphipod in littoral areas throughout Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia State University, 2008. / Title from file title page. Jeremy E. Diem, committee chair; Jeremy W. Crampton, John W. Matthews, committee members. Electronic text (84 p. : ill. (some col., maps (some col.)) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed Oct. 1, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-84).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1960. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 261-272).

Thesis (M.S.)--Indiana University, 2009. / Department of Earth Sciences, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Gabriel Filippelli, Kathy Licht, Pierre Jacinthe. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-77).

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1928. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 163-167).

M.Sc. (Zoology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This study investigates the morphologic approach to sediment transport analysis and applies it to the Vedder River, British Columbia. The approach is based on the assumption that changes in channel morphology indicate sediment transport in the river. Despite the connection between these phenomena, only a few studies have examined this relation. The procedures, assumptions and limitations of the morphologic approach are discussed. It is more straightforward to construct a sediment budget for bed material than for wash material, as bed material travels relatively small distances. The Vedder River is a cobble gravel river with dyked banks. Therefore it is a good location for a study of the morphologic approach as bed material can be distinguished easily from wash material. The results of this study are important as aggradation in Vedder River has resulted in major flooding problems. Cross-section survey data were used to estimate volume changes along the Vedder River for incorporation into sediment budgets for several periods over the last decade. The construction of a sediment budget requires knowledge of at least one transport rate or transfer distance. Although the zero downstream transport assumption used in this study was found to be incorrect, it was retained as there are no transport rate measurements. Furthermore, the transport assumption is probably within the error ranges of the sediment budgets. Most of the errors in the sediment budgets were attributed to uncertainty in volume change estimates. When volume change estimates were calculated for different sets of cross-sections, the values varied significantly. This indicates that there is bias in the results. It is difficult to evaluate the degree of bias without a knowledge of actual channel changes. It. was found that the uncertainty in the transport estimates at Vedder Crossing ranged from ±8% to ±25%. These values compare favourably with error analysis results of direct measurements in the Fraser River (see McLean and Church, 1989). An analysis was performed to evaluate the cross-section density that is necessary to obtain a reasonable representation of actual channel changes. The average distance between cross-sections should be relatively smaller in reaches which have large variability in channel change patterns. It was suggested that cross-section spacing in the Vedder River should average between 250 and 300 m. The sediment budget results provide valuable information about the patterns of channel change and the magnitude of flows responsible for large amounts of deposition in the Vedder River. It was found that significant aggradation occurs during exceptional flood events. Most of the material is deposited in the several kilometers immedatiately upstream of the Vedder Canal. The morphologic approach provides a good method for evaluating the sediment transport regime of a river. The usual management time-scale ranges from several years to decades, which is coincident with the time-scale of this approach. Furthermore, the total field effort is less than that required for direct measurements. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate