Terroir combines the physical landscape of the vineyard with the grapevines and the methods and techniques used to produce wine from the grapes. This study used a GIS to identify the characteristics of the physical landscape in Pottawattamie, Mills, Montgomery, Fremont, and Page counties in southwestern Iowa. The components were combined in the GIS using a weighted linear index to identify areas suitable for vineyard development and to identify the general characteristics of the area. Vineyard owners were interviewed to help determine the weighting system to use in the GIS and to determine their perceptions of how the physical landscape impacts their vineyards, as well as to determine what grape varieties they plant in their vineyards and their decisions on making wine from these grapes. This information was collected to identify whether the vineyard owners had developed a sense of place for their vineyards and how this sense might aid them in the development of a terroir for their wines. The resulting perceptions about the individual wineries were then considered in conjunction with the results from the GIS modeling to understand how the physical landscape influences the concepts of sense of place and terroir in southwest Iowa. The physical landscape of southwest Iowa was fairly uniform, as were the grape varietals planted in the vineyards. This created a measure of similarity among the wineries, while individuality between wineries was then created by the wine-makers as they used different techniques to produce wine from the grapes. This allows each winery to develop a sense of place, yet be part of a larger sense of place that encompasses multiple wineries within the area.

The purpose of this thesis was to determine the criteria necessary for an analysis of site suitability for locating a marina at Bear Lake. Once criteria were defined and pertinent resource factors collected, a method to analyze the criteria was utilized to aid in the selection of the best site for locating this marina. Various methods to analyze site suitability were evaluated and the pros and cons of the chosen approach, a cluster analysis of existing resource transect data with hypothetical transect criteria, were discussed. Based on this study, no optimum sites were located at Bear Lake for a marina facility. However, it was concluded that transect number 3, near Garden City, is the most acceptable area for the development of a marina. It was also concluded that other areas of Bear Lake's shore zone are very sensitive and in order to protect the shore zone environment and water quality of Bear Lake, strict planning and development guidance needs to be generated and enforced for the Bear Lake shore zone.

The choice of a suitable site for any aquaculture practice is a critical decision to make since it has a large impact on the economic profitability of the venture, considering the fact that location defines the amount of capital needed, production costs, yield and access to market. The limited public and private sector support for small-scale aquaculture can be optimized if farms are zoned into areas with relatively similar performance and needs. Considering the high rate at which aquaculture is increasing globally and its consequent impact on the environment, it is projected that improvements will be made in the practices employed in aquaculture. As these improvements are made, there is the need for the review of the location of aquaculture infrastructure and services in order to increase the productivity of the sector. Also, aquaculture statistics such as location of farms and production estimates are fundamental to policy making and development planning at both national and global levels. Aquaculture statistics are however chronically scanty or unreliable in developing countries such as Ghana. Thus, the goal of this study was to show the relative suitability of areas in Ghana for aquaculture and identify the key variables to be considered in the development (including improvement of existing farms) of the aquaculture sector of the country. I used satellite imagery and GIS data in combination with field observations and questionnaires, to develop a map of the feasibility of pond aquaculture in Ghana and provide a reliable estimate of the number of ponds, their areas, productivity and aggregate production in the country. The main factors that have influenced the current distribution of pond aquaculture in Ghana are population density (indicating the availability of markets, input and labor) and proximity to stream and road networks. My results show a gross underestimation of the number of fish ponds in the country and smaller sizes of ponds than existing records suggest. The average water depth of ponds in Ghana is only half of the recommended depth which explained over 80% of the variation in productivity among farms. I estimated the contribution of ponds to domestic fish production to be two to three times what has been previously reported, but still well below the potential. The results of this study will be vital to current national and international efforts to improve aquaculture enterprises in Ghana. / Master of Science

Double-cropping of corn (Zea mays L.) for grain following the harvest of a small grain crop has been under evaluation in Virginia as an alternative cropping strategy (Brann and Pitman, 1997). To assess the potential constraints on late planted corn imposed by insects and diseases, double-cropped corn was evaluated in field experiments in Montgomery County, Virginia from 1998 to 2000. Factors included two near-isoline hybrids (NK4640 and NK4640Bt), insecticides at planting (tefluthrin in all years, 1998-2000; and imidacloprid in 1999 and 2000), and fungicide treatments (azoxystrobin or propiconazole). Response variables included yield, moisture at harvest, grain test weight, damage by European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis), damage by corn earworm (Heliothis zea), disease progress curves for gray leaf spot Cercospora zeae-maydis), and number of plants exhibiting virus symptoms. The Bt hybrid performed significantly better than the non-Bt hybrid for yield and test weight in double-cropped corn in 1998 and 2000, but not in 1999. A spatially referenced site suitability analysis was performed for full season and double-cropped corn in Virginia using weighted abiotic factors and constraints. Thornthwaite potential evapotranspiration (PET) and PET minus precipitation were used to identify areas of the state having a lower average moisture deficit during the silking months for double-cropped corn compared to full-season corn. It is concluded that double-cropped corn production is a viable option in Virginia where abiotic factors are not constraining, particularly growing season length and moisture availability during the sensitive stages of development. / Master of Science

Renewable energy, including offshore wind power, is expected to play a significant role in mitigating climate change and meeting a growing demand on electricity. Fiji, a Small Island Developing Nation in the South Pacific, needs large quantities of additional renewable energy to achieve its NDC goals and has good natural resources for offshore wind power. The purpose of the study is to analyse the technical potential for fixed and floating offshore wind power, identify the most suitable site (s), perform economic feasibility analysesfor different-sized offshore wind farms and determine possible emission reductions from offsetting electricity generation based on fossil fuels. The objectives are achieved through a literature study, interviews, a GIS-based multi-criteria site suitability analysis and feasibility calculations. In the study it was concluded that there is great potential for offshore wind power in Fiji. There are large areas with technical potential for fixed and floating offshore wind power and the most suitable sites, both located in the Bligh waters, have average wind speeds of 8.6 m/s and 8.5 m/s. The potential for offshore wind power was concluded to be large enough for Fiji’s needs, economically feasible and potentially competitive to invest in. The simple payback time would be approximately 13.5 years and the cost of electricity would be 0.13 USD/kWh, which is lower than the feed-in tariff for Fiji’s national grid at 0.15 USD/kWh. Different-sized offshore wind farms and its possible emission reductions could contribute with between 12-37% of Fiji’s NDC goal to reduce emissions from the energy sector by 30% compared to a business as usual scenario as well as contribute to have 99% renewable grid-connected electricity generation by 2030. However, during the study, it was concluded an implementation of offshore wind power in Fiji would require large investments, large capacities of energy storage, frequency regulating services and there are potential environmental and social impacts have to be taken into consideration. There is also a need for further research on how to cyclone-proof offshore wind farms in Fiji. / Förnybar energi, inklusive havsbaserad vindkraft, förväntas spela en avgörande roll för att minska klimatförändringarna och för att möta en ökande efterfrågan på elektricitet. Fiji, en liten önation i Stilla havet, behöver stora mängder ytterligare förnybar energi för att nå sina NDC mål och har bra naturresurser för havsbaserad vindkraft. Syftet med studien är att analysera den tekniska potentialen för fixerad och flytande havsbaserad vindkraft, identifiera de mest lämpliga platserna, utföra ekonomiska lönsamhetsanalyser för olika stora havsbaserade vindkraftsparker och avgöra möjliga utsläppsminskningar genom att avsätta elproduktion baserad på fossila bränslen. Målen uppfylls genom en litteraturstudie, intervjuer, GIS-baserad multikriterie platslämplighetsanalys och genomförbarhetsberäkningar. I studien drogs slutsatsen att det finns stor potential för havsbaserad vindkraft i Fiji. Det finns stora områden med teknisk potential för fixerad och flytande havsbaserad vindkraft och de mest lämpliga platserna, båda belägna i Bligh waters, har genomsnittliga vindhastigheter på 8.6 m/s och 8.5 m/s. Potentialen för havsbaserad vindkraft bedöms vara stor nof för Fijis behov, ekonomsikt genomförbart och potentiellt konkurrenskraftigt att investera i. Återbetalningstiden bedöms vara ungeför 13.5 år och elektricitetskostnaden 0.13 USD/kWh, vilket är lägre än inmatningstaxan till Fijis nationella elnät som är på 0.15 USD/kWh. De 12-37% av Fijis mål om att minska utsläppen från energisektorn med 30% jämfört med ett business as usual scenario liksom bidra till att ha 99% förnybar elnätsansluten elgeneration till 2030. Men, i studien drog också slutsatsen att en implementering av havsbaserad vindkraft i Fiji skulle kräva stora investeringar, stora mängder energilagring, frekvensreglerande tjänster och det finns potentiella miljömässiga och sociala effekter som måste tas i hänsyn. Det finns också behov av ytterligare forskning om hur man kan cyklon-säkra havsbaserade vindkraftsparker i Fiji.