System for decision analysis support on complex waste management issues

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shropshire, D.E.

1997-10-01

A software system called the Waste Flow Analysis has been developed and applied to complex environmental management processes for the United States Department of Energy (US DOE). The system can evaluate proposed methods of waste retrieval, treatment, storage, transportation, and disposal. Analysts can evaluate various scenarios to see the impacts to waste slows and schedules, costs, and health and safety risks. Decision analysis capabilities have been integrated into the system to help identify preferred alternatives based on a specific objectives may be to maximize the waste moved to final disposition during a given time period, minimize health risks, minimize costs,more » or combinations of objectives. The decision analysis capabilities can support evaluation of large and complex problems rapidly, and under conditions of variable uncertainty. The system is being used to evaluate environmental management strategies to safely disposition wastes in the next ten years and reduce the environmental legacy resulting from nuclear material production over the past forty years.« less

Decision Analysis for Environmental Problems

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental management problems are often complex and uncertain. A formal process with proper guidance is needed to understand the issues, identify sources of disagreement, and analyze the major uncertainties in environmental problems. This course will present a process that fo...

Nevada National Security Site Environmental Report 2016

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wills

This Nevada National Security Site Environmental Report (NNSSER) was prepared to satisfy DOE Order DOE O 231.1B, “Environment, Safety and Health Reporting.” Its purpose is to (1) report compliance status with environmental standards and requirements, (2) present results of environmental monitoring of radiological and nonradiological effluents, (3) report estimated radiological doses to the public from releases of radioactive material, (4) summarize environmental incidents of noncompliance and actions taken in response to them, (5) describe the National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) Environmental Management System and characterize its performance, and (6) highlight significant environmental programs and efforts. This NNSSERmore » summarizes data and compliance status for calendar year 2016 at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) and its two Nevada-based support facilities, the North Las Vegas Facility (NLVF) and the Remote Sensing Laboratory–Nellis (RSL-Nellis). It also addresses environmental restoration (ER) projects conducted at the Tonopah Test Range (TTR) and the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). NNSA/NFO directs the management and operation of the NNSS and six sites across the nation. In addition to the NNSA itself, the six sites include two in Nevada (NLVF and RSL-Nellis) and four in other states (RSL-Andrews in Maryland, Livermore Operations in California, Los Alamos Operations in New Mexico, and Special Technologies Laboratory in California). Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia National Laboratories are the principal organizations that sponsor and implement the nuclear weapons programs at the NNSS. National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec), is the current Management and Operating contractor accountable for the successful execution of work and ensuring that work is performed in compliance with environmental regulations. The six sites all provide support to enhance the NNSS as a location for its multiple missions. The three major NNSS missions include National Security/Defense, Environmental Management, and Nondefense. The major programs that support these missions are Stockpile Stewardship and Management, Nonproliferation and Counterterrorism, Nuclear Emergency Response, Strategic Partnership Projects, Environmental Restoration, Waste Management, Conservation and Renewable Energy, Other Research and Development, and Infrastructure. The major facilities that support the programs include the U1a Facility, Big Explosives Experimental Facility (BEEF), Device Assembly Facility, Dense Plasma Focus Facility, Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research Facility, Radiological/Nuclear Countermeasures Test and Evaluation Complex, Nonproliferation Test and Evaluation Complex (NPTEC), Radiological/Nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction Incident Exercise Site, the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC), and the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS).« less

The Huaihe Basin Water Resource and Water Quality Management Platform Implemented with a Spatio-Temporal Data Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Zhang, W.; Yan, C.

2012-07-01

Presently, planning and assessment in maintenance, renewal and decision-making for watershed hydrology, water resource management and water quality assessment are evolving toward complex, spatially explicit regional environmental assessments. These problems have to be addressed with object-oriented spatio-temporal data models that can restore, manage, query and visualize various historic and updated basic information concerning with watershed hydrology, water resource management and water quality as well as compute and evaluate the watershed environmental conditions so as to provide online forecasting to police-makers and relevant authorities for supporting decision-making. The extensive data requirements and the difficult task of building input parameter files, however, has long been an obstacle to use of such complex models timely and effectively by resource managers. Success depends on an integrated approach that brings together scientific, education and training advances made across many individual disciplines and modified to fit the needs of the individuals and groups who must write, implement, evaluate, and adjust their watershed management plans. The centre for Hydro-science Research, Nanjing University, in cooperation with the relevant watershed management authorities, has developed a WebGIS management platform to facilitate this complex process. Improve the management of watersheds over the Huaihe basin through the development, promotion and use of a web-based, user-friendly, geospatial watershed management data and decision support system (WMDDSS) involved many difficulties for the development of this complicated System. In terms of the spatial and temporal characteristics of historic and currently available information on meteorological, hydrological, geographical, environmental and other relevant disciplines, we designed an object-oriented spatiotemporal data model that combines spatial, attribute and temporal information to implement the management system. Using this system, we can update, query and analyze environmental information as well as manage historical data, and a visualization tool was provided to help the user interpret results so as to provide scientific support for decision-making. The utility of the system has been demonstrated its values by being used in watershed management and environmental assessments.

Remote Sensing of Soils for Environmental Assessment and Management.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeGloria, Stephen D.; Irons, James R.; West, Larry T.

2014-01-01

The next generation of imaging systems integrated with complex analytical methods will revolutionize the way we inventory and manage soil resources across a wide range of scientific disciplines and application domains. This special issue highlights those systems and methods for the direct benefit of environmental professionals and students who employ imaging and geospatial information for improved understanding, management, and monitoring of soil resources.

MANAGING ELECTRONIC DATA TRANSFER IN ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUPS

EPA Science Inventory

The use of computers and electronic information poses a complex problem for potential litigation in space law. The problem currently manifests itself in at least two ways. First, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforcement of Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compen...

Towards Understanding and Managing Sustainable Complex, Dynamic Environmental/Economic/Social Systems - The Evolving Role of the Natural Sciences

EPA Science Inventory

Historically the natural sciences have played a major role in informing environmental management decisions. However, review of landmark cases like Love Canal, NY and Times Beach, MO have shown that the value of natural science information in decision making can be overwhelmed by ...

Free and Open Source GIS Tools: Role and Relevance in the Environmental Assessment Community

EPA Science Inventory

The presence of an explicit geographical context in most environmental decisions can complicate assessment and selection of management options. These decisions typically involve numerous data sources, complex environmental and ecological processes and their associated models, ris...

Eco-efficiency analysis of an agricultural research complex.

PubMed

Reith, Charles C; Guidry, Michael J

2003-07-01

The Model Sustainable Agricultural Complex (MSAC) is a 600-acre experimental farm in south-central Louisiana, in the very southern reaches of the United States, approximately 40 km north of the Gulf of Mexico. The MSAC consists of many land uses and facilities, including a dairy, crawfish center, beef herd, sugarcane crop, and equestrian center, as well as numerous features and programs for research, education, and residence. The mission of the MSAC, which is operated by the Department of Renewable Resources at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, has been to accommodate research and education in production agriculture, while generating revenues through the delivery of food products into the local economy. In recent years, environmental conservation has been increasingly important at the MSAC. Best management practices (BMPs) were implemented to reduce soil loss and mitigate nonpoint source pollution. Research was initiated to quantify the effectiveness of these BMPs, and workshops were conducted to explain preliminary results to local farmers. However, environmental improvements at the MSAC had until 2000 been piecemeal, which may be said as well for agriculture overall. What is needed is a comprehensive integrated approach to analyzing and improving environmental performance, as is possible when implementing an environmental management system (EMS). This manuscript describes our efforts to integrate piecemeal environmental improvements into a farm-wide program of systematic improvement. This process began with a qualitative ranking of the MSAC's inputs and outputs, followed by a quantification of certain key parameters related to the consumption of resources and provision of services at the Complex. Certain measures related to the Complex's eco-efficiency were combined into a ratio that provides a useful target for management and continuous improvement. Eco-efficiency, which is defined as 'the efficiency with which receivables are converted into deliverables', is a good way to apply the lessons of industry to the agricultural sector, for instance, by monitoring and managing resource efficiency as an aspect in an EMS such as prescribed by ISO 14000. This will require disciplined recordkeeping and managed conservation, and will promote long-term environmental improvement.

Neil Snyder | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Photo of Neil Snyder Neil Snyder Manager III-Program Management Research Neil.Snyder@nrel.gov management. He has chiefly focused on developing complex systems and his specific expertise is leadership. As has acquired familiarity level expertise in many technical fields including environmental management

A user's guide to coping with estuarine management bureaucracy: An Estuarine Planning Support System (EPSS) tool.

PubMed

Lonsdale, Jemma; Nicholson, Rose; Weston, Keith; Elliott, Michael; Birchenough, Andrew; Sühring, Roxana

2018-02-01

Estuaries are amongst the most socio-economically and ecologically important environments however, due to competing and conflicting demands, management is often challenging with a complex legislative framework managed by multiple agencies. To facilitate the understanding of this legislative framework, we have developed a GISbased Estuarine Planning Support System tool. The tool integrates the requirements of the relevant legislation and provides a basis for assessing the current environmental state of an estuary as well as informing and assessing new plans to ensure a healthy estuarine state. The tool ensures that the information is easily accessible for regulators, managers, developers and the public. The tool is intended to be adaptable, but is assessed using the Humber Estuary, United Kingdom as a case study area. The successful application of the tool for complex socio-economic and environmental systems demonstrates that the tool can efficiently guide users through the complex requirements needed to support sustainable development. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decision Making Under Uncertainty and Complexity: A Model-Based Scenario Approach to Supporting Integrated Water Resources Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Gupta, H.; Wagener, T.; Stewart, S.; Mahmoud, M.; Hartmann, H.; Springer, E.

2007-12-01

Some of the most challenging issues facing contemporary water resources management are those typified by complex coupled human-environmental systems with poorly characterized uncertainties. In other words, major decisions regarding water resources have to be made in the face of substantial uncertainty and complexity. It has been suggested that integrated models can be used to coherently assemble information from a broad set of domains, and can therefore serve as an effective means for tackling the complexity of environmental systems. Further, well-conceived scenarios can effectively inform decision making, particularly when high complexity and poorly characterized uncertainties make the problem intractable via traditional uncertainty analysis methods. This presentation discusses the integrated modeling framework adopted by SAHRA, an NSF Science & Technology Center, to investigate stakeholder-driven water sustainability issues within the semi-arid southwestern US. The multi-disciplinary, multi-resolution modeling framework incorporates a formal scenario approach to analyze the impacts of plausible (albeit uncertain) alternative futures to support adaptive management of water resources systems. Some of the major challenges involved in, and lessons learned from, this effort will be discussed.

Environmental Management Science Program Workshop. Proceedings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

1998-07-01

The Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM), in partnership with the Office of Energy Research (ER), designed, developed, and implemented the Environmental Management Science Program as a basic research effort to fund the scientific and engineering understanding required to solve the most challenging technical problems facing the government's largest, most complex environmental cleanup program. The intent of the Environmental Management Science Program is to: (1) Provide scientific knowledge that will revolutionize technologies and cleanup approaches to significantly reduce future costs, schedules, and risks. (2) Bridge the gap between broad fundamental research that has wide-ranging applications such as thatmore » performed in the Department's Office of Energy Research and needs-driven applied technology development that is conducted in Environmental Management's Office of Science and Technology. (3) Focus the nation's science infrastructure on critical Department of Energy environmental problems. In an effort to share information regarding basic research efforts being funded by the Environmental Management Science Program and the Environmental Management/Energy Research Pilot Collaborative Research Program (Wolf-Broido Program), this CD includes summaries for each project. These project summaries, available in portable document format (PDF), were prepared in the spring of 1998 by the principal investigators and provide information about their most recent project activities and accomplishments.« less

Remediation management of complex sites using an adaptive site management approach.

PubMed

Price, John; Spreng, Carl; Hawley, Elisabeth L; Deeb, Rula

2017-12-15

Complex sites require a disproportionate amount of resources for environmental remediation and long timeframes to achieve remediation objectives, due to their complex geologic conditions, hydrogeologic conditions, geochemical conditions, contaminant-related conditions, large scale of contamination, and/or non-technical challenges. A recent team of state and federal environmental regulators, federal agency representatives, industry experts, community stakeholders, and academia worked together as an Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council (ITRC) team to compile resources and create new guidance on the remediation management of complex sites. This article summarizes the ITRC team's recommended process for addressing complex sites through an adaptive site management approach. The team provided guidance for site managers and other stakeholders to evaluate site complexities and determine site remediation potential, i.e., whether an adaptive site management approach is warranted. Adaptive site management was described as a comprehensive, flexible approach to iteratively evaluate and adjust the remedial strategy in response to remedy performance. Key aspects of adaptive site management were described, including tools for revising and updating the conceptual site model (CSM), the importance of setting interim objectives to define short-term milestones on the journey to achieving site objectives, establishing a performance model and metrics to evaluate progress towards meeting interim objectives, and comparing actual with predicted progress during scheduled periodic evaluations, and establishing decision criteria for when and how to adapt/modify/revise the remedial strategy in response to remedy performance. Key findings will be published in an ITRC Technical and Regulatory guidance document in 2017 and free training webinars will be conducted. More information is available at www.itrc-web.org. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

United States Department of Energy Environmental Restoration and Waste Management: Comment Response Document

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

IN 1989, Secretary of Energy James Watkins called for a fundamental change in the way US Department of Energy (DOE) meets its environmental responsibilities. Whereas DOE had long subordinated environmental concerns to the higher priority of weapons production, the Department's mission was restructured to place less emphasis on defense-related production and much greater emphasis on sound environmental management and restoration of its weapons complex. To carry out this new mission, the Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) was created. Secretary Watkins further stressed that DOE's new commitment to environmental values will be carried out under a new DOEmore » culture-one of openness, responsiveness, and accountability. The Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Five-Year Plan is the key planning document that embodies both the new DOE emphasis on environmental management and the Department's commitment to involving the public in its planning process. Updated annually, the Five-Year Plan guides EM's efforts to clean up DOE facilities and manage its waste -- its accomplishments, goals, and planned activities -- and reinforces DOE's commitment to the culture change by involving the general public in its development.« less

United States Department of Energy Environmental Restoration and Waste Management: Comment Response Document. Five-Year Plan, Fiscal Years 1993--1997

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

IN 1989, Secretary of Energy James Watkins called for a fundamental change in the way US Department of Energy (DOE) meets its environmental responsibilities. Whereas DOE had long subordinated environmental concerns to the higher priority of weapons production, the Department`s mission was restructured to place less emphasis on defense-related production and much greater emphasis on sound environmental management and restoration of its weapons complex. To carry out this new mission, the Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) was created. Secretary Watkins further stressed that DOE`s new commitment to environmental values will be carried out under a new DOEmore » culture-one of openness, responsiveness, and accountability. The Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Five-Year Plan is the key planning document that embodies both the new DOE emphasis on environmental management and the Department`s commitment to involving the public in its planning process. Updated annually, the Five-Year Plan guides EM`s efforts to clean up DOE facilities and manage its waste -- its accomplishments, goals, and planned activities -- and reinforces DOE`s commitment to the culture change by involving the general public in its development.« less

A model for managing edge effects in harvest scheduling using spatial optimization

Treesearch

Kai L. Ross; Sándor F. Tóth

2016-01-01

Actively managed forest stands can create new forest edges. If left unchecked over time and across space, forest operations such as clear-cuts can create complex networks of forest edges. Newly created edges alter the landscape and can affect many environmental factors. These altered environmental factors have a variety of impacts on forest growth and structure and can...

Public participation in environmental management in China: status quo and mode innovation.

PubMed

Chen, Mei; Qian, Xin; Zhang, Longjiang

2015-03-01

Public participation in environmental management is critically important in the development of a healthy environmental governance system. However, public participation has not been well institutionalized in China and the public's role in environmental management is limited. Chinese policy-makers and researchers currently face a dilemma wherein they must determine how to fully and effectively involve the public. This paper aims to contribute an innovative approach that can effectively engage the general public, allowing them to participate more in China's environmental management. In this paper, we first review the current status of environmental management and public participation in China. Based on China's political and socio-cultural-legal dynamics, an Environmental Community Consultative Group (ECCG) was developed to be an innovative means to engage community members. A pilot study of the ECCG was carried out in Yapu village of Changzhou City in Jiangsu Province. The evaluation of the process and outcome of the ECCG showed that the group's effectiveness and influence were significant; the ECCG model was a powerful means by which to promote public environmental awareness, improve public environmental behavior and facilitate public engagement in environmental management. But the ECCG is a small local group that may not function well regarding more complex issues covering a much larger area and has limited impact on environmental policy making. The ECCG experience offers the prospect of grassroots involvement in environmental protection for China's rural areas, while also laying the foundation for further research on community participation in environmental management.

Public Participation in Environmental Management in China: Status Quo and Mode Innovation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Mei; Qian, Xin; Zhang, Longjiang

2015-03-01

Public participation in environmental management is critically important in the development of a healthy environmental governance system. However, public participation has not been well institutionalized in China and the public's role in environmental management is limited. Chinese policy-makers and researchers currently face a dilemma wherein they must determine how to fully and effectively involve the public. This paper aims to contribute an innovative approach that can effectively engage the general public, allowing them to participate more in China's environmental management. In this paper, we first review the current status of environmental management and public participation in China. Based on China's political and socio-cultural-legal dynamics, an Environmental Community Consultative Group (ECCG) was developed to be an innovative means to engage community members. A pilot study of the ECCG was carried out in Yapu village of Changzhou City in Jiangsu Province. The evaluation of the process and outcome of the ECCG showed that the group's effectiveness and influence were significant; the ECCG model was a powerful means by which to promote public environmental awareness, improve public environmental behavior and facilitate public engagement in environmental management. But the ECCG is a small local group that may not function well regarding more complex issues covering a much larger area and has limited impact on environmental policy making. The ECCG experience offers the prospect of grassroots involvement in environmental protection for China's rural areas, while also laying the foundation for further research on community participation in environmental management.

Understanding the Data Complexity continuum to reduce data management costs and increase data usability through partnerships with the National Centers for Environmental Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mesick, S.; Weathers, K. W.

2017-12-01

Data complexity can be seen as a continuum from complex to simple. The term data complexity refers to data collections that are disorganized, poorly documented, and generally do not follow best data management practices. Complex data collections are challenging and expensive to manage. Simplified collections readily support automated archival processes, enhanced discovery and data access, as well as production of services that make data easier to reuse. In this session, NOAA NCEI scientific data stewards will discuss the data complexity continuum. This talk will explore data simplification concepts, methods, and tools that data managers can employ which may offer more control over data management costs and processes, while achieving policy goals for open data access and ready reuse. Topics will include guidance for data managers on best allocation of limited data management resources; models for partnering with NCEI to accomplish shared data management goals; and will demonstrate through case studies the benefits of investing in documentation, accessibility, and services to increase data value and return on investment.

Environmental factors and health information technology management strategy.

PubMed

Menachemi, Nir; Shin, Dong Yeong; Ford, Eric W; Yu, Feliciano

2011-01-01

: Previous studies have provided theoretical and empirical evidence that environmental forces influence hospital strategy. : Rooted in resource dependence theory and the information uncertainty perspective, this study examined the relationship between environmental market characteristics and hospitals' selection of a health information technology (HIT) management strategy. : A cross-sectional design is used to analyze secondary data from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Analytics Database, and the Area Resource File. Univariate and multinomial logistic regression analyses are used. : Overall, 3,221 hospitals were studied, of which 60.9% pursed a single-vendor HIT management strategy, 28.9% pursued a best-of-suite strategy, and 10.2% used a best-of-breed strategy. Multivariate analyses controlling for hospital characteristics found that measures of environmental factors representing munificence, dynamism, and/or complexity were systematically associated with various hospital HIT management strategy use. Specifically, the number of generalist physicians per capita was positively associated with the single-vendor strategy (B = -5.64, p = .10). Hospitals in urban markets were more likely to pursue the best-of-suite strategy (B = 0.622, p < .001). Dynamism, measured as the number of managed care contracts for a given hospital, was negatively associated with the single-vendor strategy (B = 0.004, p = .049). Lastly, complexity, measured as market competition, was positively associated with the best-of-breed strategy (B = 0.623, p = .042). : By and large, environmental factors are associated with hospital HIT management strategies in mostly theoretically supported ways. Hospital leaders and policy makers interested in influencing the adoption of hospital HIT should consider how market conditions influence HIT management decisions as part of programs to promote meaningful use.

KSC-99pp0390

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-04-06

On the site of Launch Complex 34, key participants sign a Memorandum of Agreement, formalizing cooperative efforts of NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and federal agencies in ground-water cleanup initiatives. Seated from left to right are Timothy Oppelt, director, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Tom Heenan, assistant manager of environmental management, Savannah River Site, U.S. Department of Energy; Col. James Heald, Vice Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, U.S. Air Force; Gerald Boyd, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy; James Fiore, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Environmental Restoration, Department of Energy; Brig. Gen. Randall R. Starbuck, Commander 45th Space Wing, U.S. Air Force; Roy Bridges Jr., director of John F. Kennedy Space Center; Walter Kovalick Jr., Ph.D., director, Technology Innovation Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the agencies have formed a consortium and are participating in a comparative study of three innovative techniques to be used in cleaning a contaminated area of Launch Complex 34. The study will be used to help improve groundwater cleanup processes nationally

Using canonical correlation analysis to identify environmental attitude groups: Considerations for national forest planning in the southwestern U.S

Treesearch

Alejandro J. Prera; Kristine M. Grimsrud; Jennifer A. Thacher; Dan W. McCollum; Robert P. Berrens

2014-01-01

As public land management agencies pursue region-specific resource management plans, with meaningful consideration of public attitudes and values, there is a need to characterize the complex mix of environmental attitudes in a diverse population. The contribution of this investigation is to make use of a unique household, mail/ internet survey data set collected in...

A methodology to incorporate life cycle analysis and the triple bottom line mechanism for sustainable management of industrial enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ling; Lin, Li

2004-02-01

Since 1970"s, the environmental protection movement has challenged industries to increase their investment in Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing (ECM) techniques and management tools. Social considerations for global citizens and their descendants also motivated the examination on the complex issues of sustainable development beyond the immediate economic impact. Consequently, industrial enterprises have started to understand sustainable development in considering the Triple Bottom Line (TBL): economic prosperity, environmental quality and social justice. For the management, however, a lack of systematic ECM methodologies hinders their effort in planning, evaluating, reporting and auditing of sustainability. To address this critical need, this research develops a framework of a sustainable management system by incorporating a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of industrial operations with the TBL mechanism. A TBL metric system with seven sets of indices for the TBL elements and their complex relations is identified for the comprehensive evaluation of a company"s sustainability performance. Utilities of the TBL indices are estimated to represent the views of various stakeholders, including the company, investors, employees and the society at large. Costs of these indices are also captured to reflect the company"s effort in meeting the utilities. An optimization model is formulated to maximize the economic, environmental and social benefits by the company"s effort in developing sustainable strategies. To promote environmental and social consciousness, the methodology can significantly facilitate management decisions by its capabilities of including "non-business" values and external costs that the company has not contemplated before.

A CASE STUDY OF SOILS IN THE U.S.

EPA Science Inventory

Assessment of environmental condition is critical to wise management and policy decisions. However, for some concerns such as sustainability, it is difficult to assess environmental condition because it involves disparate social objectives and an understanding of complex ecologic...

HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS: A USEFUL EDUCATIONAL TOOL

EPA Science Inventory

An historical analysis that presents the ecological consequences of development can be a valuable educational tool for citizens, students, and environmental managers. In highly impacted areas, the cumulative impacts of multiple stressors can result in complex environmental condit...

Using canonical correlation analysis to identify environmental attitude groups: considerations for national forest planning in the southwestern U.S.

PubMed

Prera, Alejandro J; Grimsrud, Kristine M; Thacher, Jennifer A; McCollum, Dan W; Berrens, Robert P

2014-10-01

As public land management agencies pursue region-specific resource management plans, with meaningful consideration of public attitudes and values, there is a need to characterize the complex mix of environmental attitudes in a diverse population. The contribution of this investigation is to make use of a unique household, mail/internet survey data set collected in 2007 in the Southwestern United States (Region 3 of the U.S. Forest Service). With over 5,800 survey responses to a set of 25 Public Land Value statements, canonical correlation analysis is able to identify 7 statistically distinct environmental attitudinal groups. We also examine the effect of expected changes in regional demographics on overall environmental attitudes, which may help guide in the development of socially acceptable long-term forest management policies. Results show significant support for conservationist management policies and passive environmental values, as well as a greater role for stakeholder groups in generating consensus for current and future forest management policies.

System-focused environmental flow regime prescription, monitoring and adaptive management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hetherington, David; Lexartza Artza, Irantzu

2016-04-01

The definition of appropriate environmental flow regimes through hydropower schemes and water storage reservoirs is key part of mitigation. Insufficient (magnitude and variability) environmental flows can result in much environmental harm with negative impacts being encountered by morphological, ecological and societal systems. Conventionally, environmental flow regimes have been determined by using generic protocols and guidance such as the Tennant method of environmental flow estimation. It is generally accepted that such approaches to minimum environmental flow definition, although being a useful starting point, are not universally applicable across catchment typologies and climatic regions. Such approaches will not always produce conditions that would be associated with 'Good Ecological Status' under the Water framework Directive (or equivalent). Other similar approaches to minimum environmental flow estimation are used that are specific to geographies, yet still the associated guidance rarely thoroughly covers appropriate definition for healthy holistic systems across the flow regime. This paper draws on experience of system-focused environmental flow regime determination in the UK and the Georgian Caucasus Mountains, which allowed for a critical analysis of more conventional methods to be undertaken. The paper describes a recommended approach for determining appropriate environmental flow regimes based on analysis of the impacted geomorphological, ecological and societal systems in a way which is sensitive to the local holistic environment and associated complexities and interactions. The paper suggests that a strong understanding of the local geomorphology in key in predicting how flows will manifest habitat differently across the flow regime, and be spatially dynamic. Additionally, an understanding of the geomorphological system allows the flow of course and fine sediment to be factored into the initial suggested environmental flow regime. It is suggested that more peripheral influencing factors should be given serious consideration when developing environmental flow regimes. These factors could include the development of ice, non-fluvial geomorphic processes such as landslides, connectivity with groundwater and provision for local cottage industries. Even with a thorough appreciation of the holistic system, the value of detailed environmental monitoring and adaptive management plans cannot be underestimated as a means of further managing risk and uncertainty in complex systems. It is suggested that by taking a more holistic and system-focused approach to environmental flow definition, that environmental flow regimes can be tailored to the specificity and complexity of any given location. By improving the way that environmental flow regimes and associated physical mitigation are prescribed, monitored and managed it should be possible to develop more sustainable forms of energy production whilst minimising environmental harm as far as possible.

Managing Communications with Experts in Geographically Distributed Collaborative Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

agent architectures, and management of sensor-unmanned vehicle decision maker self organizing environments . Although CENETIX has its beginnings...understanding how everything in a complex system is interconnected. Additionally, environmental factors that impact the management of communications with...unrestricted warfare environment . In “Unconventional Insights for Managing Stakeholder Trust”, Pirson, et al. (2008) emphasizes the challenges of managing

Adaptive Management of Environmental Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, J. Angus; Watts, Robyn J.; Allan, Catherine; Conallin, John C.

2018-03-01

Adaptive management enables managers to work with complexity and uncertainty, and to respond to changing biophysical and social conditions. Amid considerable uncertainty over the benefits of environmental flows, governments are embracing adaptive management as a means to inform decision making. This Special Issue of Environmental Management presents examples of adaptive management of environmental flows and addresses claims that there are few examples of its successful implementation. It arose from a session at the 11th International Symposium on Ecohydraulics held in Australia, and is consequently dominated by papers from Australia. We classified the papers according to the involvement of researchers, managers and the local community in adaptive management. Five papers report on approaches developed by researchers, and one paper on a community-led program; these case studies currently have little impact on decision making. Six papers provide examples involving water managers and researchers, and two papers provide examples involving water managers and the local community. There are no papers where researchers, managers and local communities all contribute equally to adaptive management. Successful adaptive management of environmental flows occurs more often than is perceived. The final paper explores why successes are rarely reported, suggesting a lack of emphasis on reflection on management practices. One major challenge is to increase the documentation of successful adaptive management, so that benefits of learning extend beyond the project where it takes place. Finally, moving towards greater involvement of all stakeholders is critical if we are to realize the benefits of adaptive management for improving outcomes from environmental flows.

RISK COMMUNICATION AS A RISK MANAGEMENT TOOL: A RISK COMMUNICATION WORKBOOK

EPA Science Inventory

Communicating information about environmental risk to the people most affected by it is one of the major challenges faced by risk managers and community decision makers. Changing human behavior is a far more complex task than designing water retention systems or managing storm wa...

Application of WATERSHED ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT Methods to Watershed Management

EPA Science Inventory

Watersheds are frequently used to study and manage environmental resources because hydrologic boundaries define the flow of contaminants and other stressors. Ecological assessments of watersheds are complex because watersheds typically overlap multiple jurisdictional boundaries,...

Application of Watershed Ecological Risk Assessment Methods to Watershed Management

EPA Science Inventory

Watersheds are frequently used to study and manage environmental resources because hydrologic boundaries define the flow of contaminants and other stressors. Ecological assessments of watersheds are complex because watersheds typically overlap multiple jurisdictional boundaries,...

Public Input on Stream Monitoring in the Willamette Valley, Oregon

EPA Science Inventory

The goal of environmental monitoring is to track resource condition, and thereby support environmental knowledge and management. Judgments are inevitable during monitoring design regarding what resource features will be assessed. Constraining what to measure given a complex envir...

Public input on stream monitoring in the Willamette Valley, Oregon - ACES

EPA Science Inventory

The goal of environmental monitoring is to track resource condition, and thereby support environmental knowledge and management. Judgments are inevitable during monitoring design regarding what resource features will be assessed. Constraining what to measure given a complex envir...

What Do They Want to Know? Public Input on Stream Monitoring

EPA Science Inventory

The goal of environmental monitoring is to track resource condition, and thereby support environmental knowledge and management. Judgments are inevitable during monitoring design regarding what resource features will be assessed. Constraining what to measure in a complex environm...

Managing inherent complexity for sustainable walleye fisheries in Lake Erie

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roseman, Edward F.; Drouin, Richard; Gaden, Marc; Knight, Roger; Tyson, Jeff; Zhao, Yingming; Taylor, William W.; Lynch, Abigail J.; Léonard, Nancy J.

2012-01-01

In Lake Erie, Walleye (Sander vitreus vitreus) is king. The naturally occurring species is the foundation of commercial fishing operations on the Canadian side of the lake and is a much-prized sport fish on the American side. Management of Lake Erie walleye fisheries is complex and takes place in an inter-jurisdictional setting composed of resource agencies from the states of Michigan (MDNR), Ohio (ODNR), Pennsylvania (PFBC), and New York (NYDEC) and the province of Ontario (OMNR). The complexity of walleye management is exacerbated by interactions among environmental and ecological changes in Lake Erie, complex life-history characteristics of the species, public demand for walleye, and cultural/governance differences among managing groups and their respective constituents. Success of future management strategies will largely hinge upon our ability to understand these inherent complexities and to employ tactics that successfully accommodate stock productivity and human demand in a highly dynamic environment. In this report, we review the history of Lake Erie walleye management, outline the multi-jurisdictional process for international management of walleye, and discuss strategies to address challenges facing managers.

Panarchy use in environmental science for risk and resilience ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Environmental sciences have an important role in informing sustainable management of built environments by providing insights about the drivers and potentially negative impacts of global environmental change. Here, we discuss panarchy theory, a multi-scale hierarchical concept that accounts for the dynamism of complex socio-ecological systems, especially for those systems with strong cross-scale feedbacks. The idea of panarchy underlies much of system resilience, focusing on how systems respond to known and unknown threats. Panarchy theory can provide a framework for qualitative and quantitative research and application in the environmental sciences, which can in turn inform the ongoing efforts in socio-technical resilience thinking and adaptive and transformative approaches to management. The environmental sciences strive for understanding, mitigating and reversing the negative impacts of global environmental change, including chemical pollution, to maintain sustainability options for the future, and therefore play an important role for informing management.

KSC-99pp0392

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-04-06

Key participants in the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement, formalizing cooperative efforts of NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and federal agencies in ground-water cleanup initiatives, gather on top of the block house at Launch Complex 34. Motioning at right is Skip Chamberlain, program manager, Office of Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy. Others on the tour include Timothy Oppelt, director, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Tom Heenan, assistant manager of environmental management, Savannah River Site, U.S. Department of Energy; Col. James Heald, Vice Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, U.S. Air Force; Gerald Boyd, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy; James Fiore, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Environmental Restoration, Department of Energy; Brig. Gen. Randall R. Starbuck, Commander 45th Space Wing, U.S. Air Force; Roy Bridges Jr., director of John F. Kennedy Space Center; Walter Kovalick Jr., Ph.D., director, Technology Innovation Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the agencies have formed a consortium and are participating in a comparative study of three innovative techniques to be used in cleaning a contaminated area of Launch Complex 34. The study will be used to help improve groundwater cleanup processes nationally

Environmental projects. Volume 5, part 1: Study of subsurface contamination. Part 2: Guide to implement environmental compliance programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bengelsdorf, I.

1988-01-01

In support of the national goal for the preservation of the environment and the protection of human health and safety, NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex have adopted the position that their operating installations shall maintain a high level of compliance in regard to regulations concerning environmental hazards. An investigation carried out by Engineering Science, Inc. focused on possible underground contamination that may have resulted from leaks and/or spills from storage facilities at the Goldstone Communications Complex. It also involved the cleanup of a non-hazardous waste dumpsite at the Mojave Base Site at the Goldstone complex. The report also includes details of the management duties and responsibilities needed to maintain compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

Postgraduate Programmes on Environmental Water Resources Engineering and Management in Greek Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latinopoulos, Pericles; Angelidis, Panagiotis

2014-01-01

The management of complex water problems is nowadays being practised through new ways and approaches. Therefore, water engineers, planners and managers should be appropriately educated through modern undergraduate curricula and by well-designed postgraduate specialisation programmes. Within this framework, a study of the specific characteristics…

Managing health care organizations in an age of rapid change.

PubMed

Benjamin, S; al-Alaiwat, S

1998-03-01

Health care managers find their work increasingly difficult, due in part to rapid environmental change that plagues organizational life. Management practices and attitudes that may have been appropriate in previous eras are ineffective today. A study was conducted among managers in the Ministry of Health, State of Bahrain, seeking information about current trends in the macro or external environment that affect the Ministry of Health, as well as internal environmental pressures that may be similar or different. This article provides a clear picture of the context in which managers perform their work and offers recommendations for coping with change in dynamic, complex organizations.

Regional Geograhpic Network Partnerships Supporting Sustainable Landscapes - An Example: The North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative

EPA Science Inventory

Natural resource management agencies, conservation organizations and other stakeholders are facing increasingly complex environmental challenges that require coordinated management actions at regional and landscape levels. To address these challenges, integrated multi-disciplina...

Toward sustainable environmental quality: Identifying priority research questions for Latin America.

PubMed

Furley, Tatiana Heid; Brodeur, Julie; Silva de Assis, Helena C; Carriquiriborde, Pedro; Chagas, Katia R; Corrales, Jone; Denadai, Marina; Fuchs, Julio; Mascarenhas, Renata; Miglioranza, Karina Sb; Miguez Caramés, Diana Margarita; Navas, José Maria; Nugegoda, Dayanthi; Planes, Estela; Rodriguez-Jorquera, Ignacio Alejandro; Orozco-Medina, Martha; Boxall, Alistair Ba; Rudd, Murray A; Brooks, Bryan W

2018-05-01

The Global Horizon Scanning Project (GHSP) is an innovative initiative that aims to identify important global environmental quality research needs. Here we report 20 key research questions from Latin America (LA). Members of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) LA and other scientists from LA were asked to submit research questions that would represent priority needs to address in the region. One hundred questions were received, then partitioned among categories, examined, and some rearranged during a workshop in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Twenty priority research questions were subsequently identified. These research questions included developing, improving, and harmonizing across LA countries methods for 1) identifying contaminants and degradation products in complex matrices (including biota); 2) advancing prediction of contaminant risks and effects in ecosystems, addressing lab-to-field extrapolation challenges, and understanding complexities of multiple stressors (including chemicals and climate change); and 3) improving management and regulatory tools toward achieving sustainable development. Whereas environmental contaminants frequently identified in these key questions were pesticides, pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors or modulators, plastics, and nanomaterials, commonly identified environmental challenges were related to agriculture, urban effluents, solid wastes, pulp and paper mills, and natural extraction activities. Several interesting research topics included assessing and preventing pollution impacts on conservation protected areas, integrating environment and health assessments, and developing strategies for identification, substitution, and design of less hazardous chemicals (e.g., green chemistry). Finally, a recurrent research need included developing an understanding of differential sensitivity of regional species and ecosystems to environmental contaminants and other stressors. Addressing these critical questions will support development of long-term strategic research efforts to advance more sustainable environmental quality and protect public health and the environment in LA. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:344-357. © 2018 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC). © 2018 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Highly-Complex Environmentally-Realistic Mixtures: Challenges and Advances

EPA Science Inventory

The difficulties involved in design, conduct, analysis and interpretation of defmed mixtures experiments and use of the resulting data in risk assessment are now wellknown to the toxicology, risk assessment and risk management communities. The arena of highly-complex environment...

Key NASA, USAF and federal officials sign a Memorandum of Agreement on groundwater cleanup

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Walter W. Kovalick Jr., Ph.D., director of Technology Innovation Office for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, addresses representatives from Kennedy Space Center, the 45th Space Wing, and various federal environmental agencies gathered to attend a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing, taking place at the site of Launch Complex 34. The MOA formalizes the cooperative efforts of the federal agencies in ground-water cleanup initiatives. NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the agencies have formed a consortium and are participating in a comparative study of three innovative techniques to be used in cleaning a contaminated area of Launch Complex 34. The study will be used to help improve groundwater cleanup processes nationally. Other attendees included Timothy Oppelt, director, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Tom Heenan, assistant manager of environmental management, Savannah River Site, U.S. Department of Energy; Col. James Heald, Vice Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, U.S. Air Force; Gerald Boyd, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy; James Fiore, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Environmental Restoration, Department of Energy; Brig. Gen. Randall R. Starbuck, Commander 45th Space Wing, U.S. Air Force; and Roy Bridges Jr., director of John F. Kennedy Space Center.

KSC-99pp0389

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-04-06

Walter W. Kovalick Jr., Ph.D., director of Technology Innovation Office for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, addresses representatives from Kennedy Space Center, the 45th Space Wing, and various federal environmental agencies gathered to attend a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing, taking place at the site of Launch Complex 34. The MOA formalizes the cooperative efforts of the federal agencies in ground-water cleanup initiatives. NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the agencies have formed a consortium and are participating in a comparative study of three innovative techniques to be used in cleaning a contaminated area of Launch Complex 34. The study will be used to help improve groundwater cleanup processes nationally. Other attendees included Timothy Oppelt, director, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Tom Heenan, assistant manager of environmental management, Savannah River Site, U.S. Department of Energy; Col. James Heald, Vice Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, U.S. Air Force; Gerald Boyd, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy; James Fiore, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Environmental Restoration, Department of Energy; Brig. Gen. Randall R. Starbuck, Commander 45th Space Wing, U.S. Air Force; and Roy Bridges Jr., director of John F. Kennedy Space Center

Alternative Endpoints and Approaches Selected for the Remediation of Contaminated Groundwater at Complex Sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deeb, R. A.; Hawley, E.

2011-12-01

This presentation will focus on findings, statistics, and case studies from a recently-completed report for the Department of Defense's Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) (Project ER-0832) on alternative endpoints and alternative remedial strategies for groundwater remediation under a variety of Federal and state cleanup programs, including technical impracticability (TI) and other Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirement (ARAR) waivers, state and local designations such as groundwater management zones, Alternate Concentration Limits (ACLs), use of monitored natural attenuation (MNA) over long timeframes, and more. The primary objective of the project was to provide environmental managers and regulators with tools, metrics, and information needed to evaluate alternative endpoints for groundwater remediation at complex sites. A statistical analysis of Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) sites receiving TI waivers will be presented as well as case studies of other types of alternative endpoints and alternative remedial strategies to illustrate the variety of approaches used at complex sites and the technical analyses used to predict and document cost, timeframe, and potential remedial effectiveness. Case studies provide examples of the flexible, site-specific, application of alternative endpoints and alternative remedial strategies that have been used in the past to manage and remediate groundwater contamination at complex sites. For example, at least 13 states consider some designation for groundwater containment in their corrective action policies, such as groundwater management zones, containment zones, and groundwater classification exemption areas. These designations typically indicate that groundwater contamination is present above permissible levels. Soil and groundwater within these zones are managed to protect human health and the environment. Lesson learned for the analyses conducted and the case studies evaluated allow for a more careful consideration of alternative, beneficial, and cost-effective cleanup objectives and metrics that can be achieved over the short-term (while eventually meeting long-term cleanup objectives or demonstrating the applicability of alternative endpoints), thus improving the site cleanup process at complex sites where appropriate.

Conditions for addressing environmental determinants of health behavior in intersectoral policy networks: A fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis.

PubMed

Peters, D T J M; Verweij, S; Grêaux, K; Stronks, K; Harting, J

2017-12-01

Improving health requires changes in the social, physical, economic and political determinants of health behavior. For the realization of policies that address these environmental determinants, intersectoral policy networks are considered necessary for the pooling of resources to implement different policy instruments. However, such network diversity may increase network complexity and therefore hamper network performance. Network complexity may be reduced by network management and the provision of financial resources. This study examined whether network diversity - amidst the other conditions - is indeed needed to address environmental determinants of health behavior. We included 25 intersectoral policy networks in Dutch municipalities aimed at reducing overweight, smoking, and alcohol/drugs abuse. For our fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis we used data from three web-based surveys among (a) project leaders regarding network diversity and size (n = 38); (b) project leaders and project partners regarding management (n = 278); and (c) implementation professionals regarding types of environmental determinants addressed (n = 137). Data on budgets were retrieved from project application forms. Contrary to their intentions, most policy networks typically addressed personal determinants. If the environment was addressed too, it was mostly the social environment. To address environmental determinants of health behavior, network diversity (>50% of the actors are non-public health) was necessary in networks that were either small (<16 actors) or had small budgets (<€183,172), when both were intensively managed. Irrespective of network diversity, environmental determinants also were addressed by small networks with large budgets, and by large networks with small budgets, when both provided network management. We conclude that network diversity is important - although not necessary - for resource pooling to address environmental determinants of health behavior, but only effective in the presence of network management. Our findings may support intersectoral policy networks in improving health behaviors by addressing a variety of environmental determinants. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peterson, Mark J; Efroymson, Rebecca Ann; Adams, Marshall

The long-term ecological recovery of an impaired stream in response to an industrial facility's pollution abatement actions and the implications of the biological monitoring effort to environmental management is the subject of this special issue of Environmental Management. This final article focuses on the synthesis of the biological monitoring program's components and methods, the efficacy of various biological monitoring techniques to environmental management, and the lessons learned from the program that might be applicable to the design and application of other programs. The focus of the 25-year program has been on East Fork Poplar Creek, an ecologically impaired stream inmore » Oak Ridge, Tennessee with varied and complex stressors from a Department of Energy facility in its headwaters. Major components of the long-term program included testing and monitoring of invertebrate and fish toxicity, bioindicators of fish health, fish contaminant accumulation, and instream communities (including periphyton, benthic macroinvertebrate, and fish). Key parallel components of the program include water chemistry sampling and data management. Multiple lines of evidence suggested positive ecological responses during three major pollution abatement periods. Based on this case study and the related literature, effective environmental management of impaired streams starts with program design that is consistent across space and time, but also adaptable to changing conditions. The biological monitoring approaches used for the program provided a strong basis for assessments of recovery from remedial actions, and the likely causes of impairment. This case study provides a unique application of multidisciplinary and quantitative techniques to address multiple and complex regulatory and programmatic goals, environmental stressors, and remedial actions.« less

Coastal Geographic Structures in Coastal-Marine Environmental Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baklanov, P. Ya.; Ganzei, K. S.; Ermoshin, V. V.

2018-01-01

It has been proposed to distinguish the coastal geographic structures consisting of a spatial combination of three interconnected and mutually conditioned parts (coastal-territorial, coastal, coastal-marine), which are interlinked with each other by the cumulative effect of real-energy flows. Distinguishing specific resource features of the coastal structures, by which they play a connecting role in the complex coastalmarine management, has been considered. The main integral resource feature of the coastal structures is their connecting functions, which form transitional parts mutually connecting the coastal-territorial and coastalmarine environmental management.

Key NASA, USAF and federal officials sign a Memorandum of Agreement on groundwater cleanup

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

On the site of Launch Complex 34, key participants sign a Memorandum of Agreement, formalizing cooperative efforts of NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and federal agencies in ground-water cleanup initiatives. Seated at the table, from left to right, are Timothy Oppelt, director, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Tom Heenan, assistant manager of environmental management, Savannah River Site, U.S. Department of Energy; Col. James Heald, Vice Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, U.S. Air Force; Gerald Boyd, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy; James Fiore, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Environmental Restoration, Department of Energy; Brig. Gen. Randall R. Starbuck, Commander 45th Space Wing, U.S. Air Force; Roy Bridges Jr., director of John F. Kennedy Space Center; Walter Kovalick Jr., Ph.D., director, Technology Innovation Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the agencies have formed a consortium and are participating in a comparative study of three innovative techniques to be used in cleaning a contaminated area of Launch Complex 34. The study will be used to help improve groundwater cleanup processes nationally.

Key NASA, USAF and federal officials sign a Memorandum of Agreement on groundwater cleanup

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

On the site of Launch Complex 34, key participants sign a Memorandum of Agreement, formalizing cooperative efforts of NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and federal agencies in ground-water cleanup initiatives. Seated from left to right are Timothy Oppelt, director, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Tom Heenan, assistant manager of environmental management, Savannah River Site, U.S. Department of Energy; Col. James Heald, Vice Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, U.S. Air Force; Gerald Boyd, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy; James Fiore, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Environmental Restoration, Department of Energy; Brig. Gen. Randall R. Starbuck, Commander 45th Space Wing, U.S. Air Force; Roy Bridges Jr., director of John F. Kennedy Space Center; Walter Kovalick Jr., Ph.D., director, Technology Innovation Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the agencies have formed a consortium and are participating in a comparative study of three innovative techniques to be used in cleaning a contaminated area of Launch Complex 34. The study will be used to help improve groundwater cleanup processes nationally.

KSC-99pp0391

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-04-06

On the site of Launch Complex 34, key participants sign a Memorandum of Agreement, formalizing cooperative efforts of NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and federal agencies in ground-water cleanup initiatives. Seated at the table, from left to right, are Timothy Oppelt, director, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Tom Heenan, assistant manager of environmental management, Savannah River Site, U.S. Department of Energy; Col. James Heald, Vice Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, U.S. Air Force; Gerald Boyd, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy; James Fiore, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Environmental Restoration, Department of Energy; Brig. Gen. Randall R. Starbuck, Commander 45th Space Wing, U.S. Air Force; Roy Bridges Jr., director of John F. Kennedy Space Center; Walter Kovalick Jr., Ph.D., director, Technology Innovation Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the agencies have formed a consortium and are participating in a comparative study of three innovative techniques to be used in cleaning a contaminated area of Launch Complex 34. The study will be used to help improve groundwater cleanup processes nationally

OPTIMAL CONTROL THEORY FOR SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

EPA Science Inventory

Sustainable management of the human and natural systems, taking into account their interactions, has become paramount. To achieve this complex multidisciplinary objective, systems theory based techniques prove useful. The proposed work is a step in that direction. Taking a food w...

The Importance of Training for Environmental Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furtado, Jose I.

1984-01-01

Discusses an appropriate framework for sustainable development in the Third World that concurrently addresses the efficient utilization and management of natural resources. Areas considered include: human dimension; sustainable development; complexity of inputs; kinds of training; indigenous scientific capability; transnational issues;…

Environmental Management

ScienceCinema

None

2018-01-16

Another key aspect of the NNSS mission is Environmental Management program, which addresses the environmental legacy from historic nuclear weapons related activities while also ensuring the health and safety of present day workers, the public, and the environment as current and future missions are completed. The Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management site receives low-level and mixed low-level waste from some 28 different generators from across the DOE complex in support of the legacy clean-up DOE Environmental Management project. Without this capability, the DOE would not be able to complete the clean up and proper disposition of these wastes. The program includes environmental protection, compliance, and monitoring of the air, water, plants, animals, and cultural resources at the NNSS. Investigation and implementation of appropriate corrective actions to address the contaminated ground water facilities and soils resulting from historic nuclear testing activities, the demolition of abandoned nuclear facilities, as well as installation of ground water wells to identify and monitor the extent of ground water contamination.

Report to Congress on the U.S. Department of Energy`s Environmental Management Science Program: Research funded and its linkages to environmental cleanup problems, and Environmental Management Science Program research award abstracts. Volume 2 of 3 -- Appendix B

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

The Department of Energy`s Environmental Management Science Program (EMSP) serves as a catalyst for the application of scientific discoveries to the development and deployment of technologies that will lead to reduction of the costs and risks associated with cleaning up the nation`s nuclear complex. Appendix B provides details about each of the 202 research awards funded by the EMSP. This information may prove useful to researchers who are attempting to address the Department`s environmental management challenges in their work, program managers who are planning, integrating, and prioritizing Environmental Management projects, and stakeholders and regulators who are interested in the Department`smore » environmental challenges. The research award information is organized by the state and institution in which the lead principal investigator is located. In many cases, the lead principal investigator is one of several investigators at a number of different institutions. In these cases, the lead investigator (major collaborator) at each of the additional institutions is listed. Each research award abstract is followed by a list of high cost projects that can potentially be impacted by the research results. High cost projects are Environmental Management projects that have total costs greater than $50 million from the year 2007 and beyond, based on the March 1998 Accelerating Cleanup: Paths to Closure Draft data, and have costs or quantities of material associated with an Environmental Management problem area. High cost projects which must remain active in the year 2007 and beyond to manage high risk are also identified. Descriptions of these potentially related high cost Environmental Management projects can be found in Appendix C. Additional projects in the same problem area as a research award can be located using the Index of High Cost Environmental Management Projects by Problem Area, at the end of Appendices B and C.« less

Diversity in Current Ecological Thinking: Implications for Environmental Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Susan A.; Wallington, Tabatha J.; Hobbs, Richard J.; Ehrlich, Paul R.; Holling, C. S.; Levin, Simon; Lindenmayer, David; Pahl-Wostl, Claudia; Possingham, Hugh; Turner, Monica G.; Westoby, Mark

2009-01-01

Current ecological thinking emphasizes that systems are complex, dynamic, and unpredictable across space and time. What is the diversity in interpretation of these ideas among today’s ecologists, and what does this mean for environmental management? This study used a Policy Delphi survey of ecologists to explore their perspectives on a number of current topics in ecology. The results showed general concurrence with nonequilibrium views. There was agreement that disturbance is a widespread, normal feature of ecosystems with historically contingent responses. The importance of recognizing multiple levels of organization and the role of functional diversity in environmental change were also widely acknowledged. Views differed regarding the predictability of successional development, whether “patchiness” is a useful concept, and the benefits of shifting the focus from species to ecosystem processes. Because of their centrality to environmental management, these different views warrant special attention from both managers and ecologists. Such divergence is particularly problematic given widespread concerns regarding the poor linkages between science (here, ecology) and environmental policy and management, which have been attributed to scientific uncertainty and a lack of consensus among scientists, both jeopardizing the transfer of science into management. Several suggestions to help managers deal with these differences are provided, especially the need to interpret broader theory in the context of place-based assessments. The uncertainty created by these differences requires a proactive approach to environmental management, including clearly identifying environmental objectives, careful experimental design, and effective monitoring.

OXIDATION OF CYCLOHEXANE WITH AIR CATALYZED BY A STERICALLY HINDERED IRON (II) COMPLEX

EPA Science Inventory

Oxidation of Cyclohexane with Air Catalyzed by a Sterically Hindered Iron(II) Complex.


Thomas M. Becker, Michael A. Gonzalez*

United States Environmental Protection Agency; National Risk Management Research Laboratory; Sustainable Technology Division; Clean Pr...

U.S. Department of Energy worker health risk evaluation methodology for assessing risks associated with environmental restoration and waste management

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blaylock, B.P.; Legg, J.; Travis, C.C.

1995-06-01

This document describes a worker health risk evaluation methodology for assessing risks associated with Environmental Restoration (ER) and Waste Management (WM). The methodology is appropriate for estimating worker risks across the Department of Energy (DOE) Complex at both programmatic and site-specific levels. This document supports the worker health risk methodology used to perform the human health risk assessment portion of the DOE Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) although it has applications beyond the PEIS, such as installation-wide worker risk assessments, screening-level assessments, and site-specific assessments.

Key NASA, USAF and federal officials sign a Memorandum of Agreement on groundwater cleanup

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Key participants in the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement, formalizing cooperative efforts of NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and federal agencies in ground-water cleanup initiatives, gather on top of the block house at Launch Complex 34. Motioning at right is Skip Chamberlain, program manager, Office of Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy. Others on the tour include Timothy Oppelt, director, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Tom Heenan, assistant manager of environmental management, Savannah River Site, U.S. Department of Energy; Col. James Heald, Vice Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, U.S. Air Force; Gerald Boyd, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy; James Fiore, acting deputy assistant secretary, Office of Environmental Restoration, Department of Energy; Brig. Gen. Randall R. Starbuck, Commander 45th Space Wing, U.S. Air Force; Roy Bridges Jr., director of John F. Kennedy Space Center; Walter Kovalick Jr., Ph.D., director, Technology Innovation Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the agencies have formed a consortium and are participating in a comparative study of three innovative techniques to be used in cleaning a contaminated area of Launch Complex 34. The study will be used to help improve groundwater cleanup processes nationally.

Governance of environmental risk: new approaches to managing stakeholder involvement.

PubMed

Benn, Suzanne; Dunphy, Dexter; Martin, Andrew

2009-04-01

Disputes concerning industrial legacies such as the disposal of toxic wastes illustrate changing pressures on corporations and governments. Business and governments are now confronted with managing the expectations of a society increasingly aware of the social and environmental impacts and risks associated with economic development and demanding more equitable distribution and democratic management of such risks. The closed managerialist decision-making of the powerful bureaucracies and corporations of the industrial era is informed by traditional management theory which cannot provide a framework for the adequate governance of these risks. Recent socio-political theories have conceptualised some key themes that must be addressed in a more fitting approach to governance. We identify more recent management and governance theory which addresses these themes and develop a process-based approach to governance of environmental disputes that allows for the evolving nature of stakeholder relations in a highly complex multiple stakeholder arena.

Decision Making/The Chesapeake Bay. An Interdisciplinary Environmental Education Curriculum Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maryland Univ., College Park. Science Teaching Center.

This multidisciplinary, self-contained curriculum unit focuses on the management of the Chesapeake Bay, a threatened and complex environmental system. Major unit goals include identifying and analyzing conflicting interests, issues, and public policies concerning the Bay, and determining their effects on people and the environment. The unit…

The premises and promises of trolls in Norwegian biodiversity preservation: on the boundaries between bureaucracy and science.

PubMed

Bay-Larsen, Ingrid

2012-05-01

This paper examines the perception and implementation of scientific knowledge among Norwegian environmental bureaucrats in the process of preserving biodiversity. Based on interviews with environmental officials and scientists, and document studies, the data reveal a mismatch between the ideal administrative world presented by environmental managers, and the empirical reality of biodiversity vulnerability and preservation. The environmental officials depict a process where their mandate is merely instrumental, where science provides objective descriptions of biodiversity value, and where the spheres of science, policy and administration are strictly separated. Instead of a transparent strategy for handling scientific ambiguities inherent in biodiversity value assessments (such as complexity and uncertainty), and administrative judgments, the paper argues that these boundary objects and areas are perceived as 'trolls' that are ignored and hidden by environmental officials. This strategy appears intuitive and guided by a linear decision making paradigm where boundary objects are considered illegitimate. As a solution to possible obstacles stemming from this institutional vacuum, the article finally discusses the potential of adapting or assimilating the trolls to better meet the challenges of biodiversity preservation. A viable first step might be cross-disciplinary characterisation of complexities and uncertainties of biodiversity assessments. This might help to articulate the binary ontology of value assessments and to better address the critical administrative, political and scientific intersections. These boundary areas must be re-institutionalised by environmental agencies, and cognizant strategies must be devised and implemented for making professional judgment and discretion. Finally, it may amount to a more honest stance on conservation, where the inherent complexities to biodiversity preservation may be managed as complexities, and not as trolls.

The Premises and Promises of Trolls in Norwegian Biodiversity Preservation. On the Boundaries Between Bureaucracy and Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bay-Larsen, Ingrid

2012-05-01

This paper examines the perception and implementation of scientific knowledge among Norwegian environmental bureaucrats in the process of preserving biodiversity. Based on interviews with environmental officials and scientists, and document studies, the data reveal a mismatch between the ideal administrative world presented by environmental managers, and the empirical reality of biodiversity vulnerability and preservation. The environmental officials depict a process where their mandate is merely instrumental, where science provides objective descriptions of biodiversity value, and where the spheres of science, policy and administration are strictly separated. Instead of a transparent strategy for handling scientific ambiguities inherent in biodiversity value assessments (such as complexity and uncertainty), and administrative judgments, the paper argues that these boundary objects and areas are perceived as `trolls' that are ignored and hidden by environmental officials. This strategy appears intuitive and guided by a linear decision making paradigm where boundary objects are considered illegitimate. As a solution to possible obstacles stemming from this institutional vacuum, the article finally discusses the potential of adapting or assimilating the trolls to better meet the challenges of biodiversity preservation. A viable first step might be cross-disciplinary characterisation of complexities and uncertainties of biodiversity assessments. This might help to articulate the binary ontology of value assessments and to better address the critical administrative, political and scientific intersections. These boundary areas must be re-institutionalised by environmental agencies, and cognizant strategies must be devised and implemented for making professional judgment and discretion. Finally, it may amount to a more honest stance on conservation, where the inherent complexities to biodiversity preservation may be managed as complexities, and not as trolls.

Panarchy use in environmental science for risk and resilience planning

USGS Publications Warehouse

Angeler, David G.; Allen, Craig R.; Garmestani, Ahjond S.; Gunderson, Lance H.; Linkov, Igor

2016-01-01

Environmental sciences have an important role in informing sustainable management of built environments by providing insights about the drivers and potentially negative impacts of global environmental change. Here, we discuss panarchy theory, a multi-scale hierarchical concept that accounts for the dynamism of complex socio-ecological systems, especially for those systems with strong cross-scale feedbacks. The idea of panarchy underlies much of system resilience, focusing on how systems respond to known and unknown threats. Panarchy theory can provide a framework for qualitative and quantitative research and application in the environmental sciences, which can in turn inform the ongoing efforts in socio-technical resilience thinking and adaptive and transformative approaches to management.

ETD QA CORE TEAM: AN ELOQUENT SOLUTION TO A COMPLEX PROBLEM

EPA Science Inventory

ETD QA CORE TEAM: AN ELOQUENT SOLUTION TO A COMPLEX PROBLEMThomas J. Hughes, QA and Records Manager, Experimental Toxicology Division (ETD), National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), ORD, U.S. EPA, RTP, NC 27709

ETD is the largest health divis...

Report of CEC Study Committee on Construction Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Consulting Engineers Council of the U.S., Washington, DC.

Changing times place new demands on those involved in the implementation of construction projects. Within a relatively few years, the size and complexity of projects has grown substantially. Environmental and other public and social considerations are increasingly significant. With growing complexity, the requirements for effective project…

MANAGEMENT OF DIFFUSE POLLUTION IN AGRICULTURAL WATERSHEDS: LESSONS FROM THE MINNESOTA RIVER BASIN. (R825290)

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract

The Minnesota River (Minnesota, USA) receives large non-point source pollutant loads. Complex interactions between agricultural, state agency, environmental groups, and issues of scale make watershed management difficult. Subdividing the basin's 12 major water...

ASCEM Data Brower (ASCEMDB) v0.8

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

ROMOSAN, ALEXANDRU

Data management tool designed for the Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management (ASCEM) framework. Distinguishing features of this gateway include: (1) handling of complex geometry data, (2) advance selection mechanism, (3) state of art rendering of spatiotemporal data records, and (4) seamless integration with a distributed workflow engine.

77 FR 19309 - Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Great Falls, MT; Comprehensive Conservation Plan...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-30

... protection, climate change, wetland health, water quality, hunting, wildlife observation, and environmental... Planning, 134 Union Boulevard, Suite 300, Lakewood, Colorado 80228; or by download from http://mountain... would not be expanded or changed. Habitat management within the refuge complex has been focused on...

An evaluation of a risk-based environmental regulation in Brazil: Limitations to risk management of hazardous installations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Naime, Andre, E-mail: andre.naime.ibama@gmail.com

The environmental regulation of hazardous projects with risk-based decision-making processes can lead to a deficient management of human exposure to technological hazards. Such an approach for regulation is criticized for simplifying the complexity of decisions involving the economic, social, and environmental aspects of the installation and operation of hazardous facilities in urban areas. Results of a Brazilian case study indicate that oil and gas transmission pipelines may represent a threat to diverse communities if the relationship between such linear projects and human populations is overlooked by regulatory bodies. Results also corroborate known challenges to the implementation of EIA processes andmore » outline limitations to an effective environmental and risk management. Two preliminary topics are discussed to strengthen similar regulatory practices. Firstly, an effective integration between social impact assessment and risk assessment in EIA processes to have a more comprehensive understanding of the social fabric. Secondly, the advancement of traditional management practices for hazardous installations to pursue a strong transition from assessment and evaluation to management and control and to promote an effective interaction between land-use planning and environmental regulation.« less

Climate change and occupational allergies: an overview on biological pollution, exposure and prevention.

PubMed

D'Ovidio, Maria Concetta; Annesi-Maesano, Isabella; D'Amato, Gennaro; Cecchi, Lorenzo

2016-01-01

Climate change, air pollution, temperature increase and other environmental variables are modifying air quality, contributing to the increase of prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases. Allergies are complex diseases characterized by multilevel interactions between individual susceptibility, response to immune modulation and environmental exposures to physical, chemical and biological agents. Occupational allergies introduce a further complexity to these relationships by adding occupational exposure to both the indoor and outdoor ones in the living environment. The aim of this paper is to overview climate-related allergy affecting environmental and occupational health, as literature data are scanty in this regard, and to suggest a management model of this risk based on a multidisciplinary approach, taking the case of biological pollution, with details on exposure and prevention. The management of climate-related occupational allergy should take into account preventive health strategies, environmental, public and occupational interventions, as well as to develop, implement, evaluate, and improve guidelines and standards protecting workers health under changing climatic conditions; new tools and strategies based on local conditions will have to be developed. Experimental studies and acquisition of environmental and personal data have to be matched to derive useful information for the scope of occupational health and safety.

Estimating multi-factor cumulative watershed effects on fish populations with an individual-based model

Treesearch

Bret C. Harvey; Steven F. Railsback

2007-01-01

While the concept of cumulative effects is prominent in legislation governing environmental management, the ability to estimate cumulative effects remains limited. One reason for this limitation is that important natural resources such as fish populations may exhibit complex responses to changes in environmental conditions, particularly to alteration of multiple...

SemantEco: a semantically powered modular architecture for integrating distributed environmental and ecological data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Patton, Evan W.; Seyed, Patrice; Wang, Ping; Fu, Linyun; Dein, F. Joshua; Bristol, R. Sky; McGuinness, Deborah L.

2014-01-01

We aim to inform the development of decision support tools for resource managers who need to examine large complex ecosystems and make recommendations in the face of many tradeoffs and conflicting drivers. We take a semantic technology approach, leveraging background ontologies and the growing body of linked open data. In previous work, we designed and implemented a semantically enabled environmental monitoring framework called SemantEco and used it to build a water quality portal named SemantAqua. Our previous system included foundational ontologies to support environmental regulation violations and relevant human health effects. In this work, we discuss SemantEco’s new architecture that supports modular extensions and makes it easier to support additional domains. Our enhanced framework includes foundational ontologies to support modeling of wildlife observation and wildlife health impacts, thereby enabling deeper and broader support for more holistically examining the effects of environmental pollution on ecosystems. We conclude with a discussion of how, through the application of semantic technologies, modular designs will make it easier for resource managers to bring in new sources of data to support more complex use cases.

An individual-based modeling approach to simulating recreation use in wilderness settings

Treesearch

Randy Gimblett; Terry Daniel; Michael J. Meitner

2000-01-01

Landscapes protect biological diversity and provide unique opportunities for human-nature interactions. Too often, these desirable settings suffer from extremely high visitation. Given the complexity of social, environmental and economic interactions, resource managers need tools that provide insights into the cause and effect relationships between management actions...

The middle manager role in energy company environmental efforts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischhoff, Maya E.

2005-12-01

This research examines the internal organizational processes determining corporate environmental action. Corporations have a tremendous environmental impact, yet relatively little is known about how employees within them view and work on these issues. The research focused on middle managers, a level of the company whose value is often questioned. Interviews were conducted with 70 middle managers at two energy companies (comprising utilities and unregulated businesses). Interviews examined the shape and significance of middle manager involvement in environmental issues, looking specifically at what issues middle managers deal with, what goals they pursue, and what approaches they use. The research finds middle managers' roles with respect to environmental issues to be far-reaching and complex. Much of their effort is focused on meeting regulatory requirements ("complying"). They are committed to compliance, in part for ethical reasons, but often find regulations frustrating and costly. Compliance is more challenging than commonly thought; it demands time, knowledge, and substantial creativity. In pursuing it, interviewees work with employees throughout the organization. This research shows middle managers interacting with those hierarchically above and below them in ways that greatly modify earlier portrayals of middle managers. Earlier portrayals often emphasized struggles for power within the organization. Here, middle managers work in ways best characterized as collaborative and supportive. Middle managers also have extensive involvement laterally within the company and with groups outside the company. These links have received modest attention in literature, yet are found to be terribly important. Middle managers' lateral efforts inside the company, often on teams, allow diverse expertise (e.g., from people in different functions) to be applied to environmental issues. Documenting middle managers' involvement externally, with governmental officials and sectors of the public, illuminates areas of very visible corporate impact. External interactions are also settings in which middle managers encounter alternative views about environmental issues. The study reveals the importance of middle managers in the challenge of environmental compliance. It provides knowledge that can be used by external entities seeking to connect with companies, and by companies seeking to address environmental issues better. It thus aids understanding of a critical societal challenge and opportunity.

The use of multi-criteria decision analysis to tackle waste management problems: a literature review.

PubMed

Achillas, Charisios; Moussiopoulos, Nicolas; Karagiannidis, Avraam; Banias, Georgias; Perkoulidis, George

2013-02-01

Problems in waste management have become more and more complex during recent decades. The increasing volumes of waste produced and social environmental consciousness present prominent drivers for environmental managers towards the achievement of a sustainable waste management scheme. However, in practice, there are many factors and influences - often mutually conflicting - criteria for finding solutions in real-life applications. This paper presents a review of the literature on multi-criteria decision aiding in waste management problems for all reported waste streams. Despite limitations, which are clearly stated, most of the work published in this field is reviewed. The present review aims to provide environmental managers and decision-makers with a thorough list of practical applications of the multi-criteria decision analysis techniques that are used to solve real-life waste management problems, as well as the criteria that are mostly employed in such applications according to the nature of the problem under study. Moreover, the paper explores the advantages and disadvantages of using multi-criteria decision analysis techniques in waste management problems in comparison to other available alternatives.

Integrative Governance of Environmental Water in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin: Evolving Challenges and Emerging Pathways.

PubMed

Bischoff-Mattson, Zachary; Lynch, Amanda H

2017-07-01

Integration, a widely promoted response to the multi-scale complexities of social-environmental sustainability, is diversely and sometimes poorly conceptualized. In this paper we explore integrative governance, which we define as an iterative and contextual process for negotiating and advancing the common interest. We ground this definition in a discussion of institutional factors conditioning integrative governance of environmental water in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin. The Murray-Darling Basin is an iconic system of social-ecological complexity, evocative of large-scale conservation challenges in other developed arid river basins. Our critical assessment of integrative governance practices in that context emerges through analysis of interviews with policy participants and documents pertaining to environmental water management in the tri-state area of southwestern New South Wales, northwestern Victoria, and the South Australian Riverland. We identify four linked challenges: (i) decision support for developing socially robust environmental water management goals, (ii) resource constraints on adaptive practice, (iii) inter-state differences in participatory decision-making and devolution of authority, and (iv) representative inclusion in decision-making. Our appraisal demonstrates these as pivotal challenges for integrative governance in the common interest. We conclude by offering a perspective on the potential for supporting integrative governance through the bridging capacity of Australia's Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder.

CALFED--An experiment in science and decisionmaking

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, Kimberly A.; Jacobs, Katharine L.; Luoma, Samuel N.

2003-01-01

The CALFED Bay-Delta Program faces a challenging assignment: to develop a collaborative state-federal management plan for the complex river system and involve multiple stakeholders (primarily municipal, agricultural, and environmental entities) whose interests frequently are in direct conflict. Although many resource-management issues involve multiple stakeholders and conflict is integral to their discussion, the CALFED experience is unique because of its shared state and federal roles, the magnitude and significance of stakeholder participation, and the complexity of the scientific issues involved.

Applications of genetic data to improve management and conservation of river fishes and their habitats

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scribner, Kim T.; Lowe, Winsor H.; Landguth, Erin L.; Luikart, Gordon; Infante, Dana M.; Whelan, Gary; Muhlfeld, Clint C.

2015-01-01

Environmental variation and landscape features affect ecological processes in fluvial systems; however, assessing effects at management-relevant temporal and spatial scales is challenging. Genetic data can be used with landscape models and traditional ecological assessment data to identify biodiversity hotspots, predict ecosystem responses to anthropogenic effects, and detect impairments to underlying processes. We show that by combining taxonomic, demographic, and genetic data of species in complex riverscapes, managers can better understand the spatial and temporal scales over which environmental processes and disturbance influence biodiversity. We describe how population genetic models using empirical or simulated genetic data quantify effects of environmental processes affecting species diversity and distribution. Our summary shows that aquatic assessment initiatives that use standardized data sets to direct management actions can benefit from integration of genetic data to improve the predictability of disturbance–response relationships of river fishes and their habitats over a broad range of spatial and temporal scales.

EPA Growing DASEES (Decision Analysis For A Sustainable Environment, Economy & Society) - To Aid In Making Decisions On Complex Environmental Issues

EPA Science Inventory

Having a framework and tools to help sort through complicated environmental issues in an objective way would be useful to communities and risk managers, and all the stakeholders affected by these issues. This is one need that DASEES (Decision Analysis for a Sustainable En...

An Environmental Management Model of Thermal Waters in Entre Ríos Province, Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pablo, Mársico Daniel; Luís, Díaz Eduardo; Ivana, Zecca; Oscar, Dallacosta; Antonio, Paz-González

2015-04-01

Deep exploratory drillings, i.e. those with more than 500 meters depth, have been performed in the Entre Ríos province, Argentina, in order to ascertain the presence of thermal water. Drilling began in 1994, and until now there have been 18 polls with very variable results in terms of mineralization, resource flow, and temperature. The aim of this study was to present a management model, which should allow operators of thermal complexes to further develop procedures for safeguarding the biodiversity of the ecosystems involved, both during exploration and exploitation activities. The environmental management Plan proposed is constituted by a set of technical procedures that are formulated and should be performed during the stages of exploration and exploitation of the resource, and consists of: environmental monitoring, environmental audit, public information and contingency programs. This Plan describes the measures and proposals aimed at protecting environmental quality in the area of influence of a thermal complex project, ensuring that its execution remains environmentally responsibly, and allowing implementation of specific actions to prevent or correct environmental impacts, as predicted in the evaluation of the Environmental Program. The audit of environmental impact includes and takes into account natural factors, such as water, soil, atmosphere, flora and fauna, and also cultural factors. The technical audit Plan was prepared in order to get a systematic structure and organization of the verification process, and also with regard to document the degree of implementation of the proposed mitigation measures. Finally, an environmental contingency program was implemented, and its objective was to consider the safeguarding of life and its natural environment. Thus, a guide has been developed with the main actions to be taken on a contingency, since forecast increases the efficiency of the response. The methodology developed here was adopted as the procedure required by the authority for the application and regulation of the hydro-geo-thermal resources of the province of Entre Ríos, and it is also useful for the control and protection of the resource.

Packaged Waste Treatment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

This Jacksonville, Florida, apartment complex has a wastewater treatment system which clears the water, removes harmful microorganisms and reduces solid residue to ash. It is a spinoff from spacecraft waste management and environmental control technology.

76 FR 79708 - Draft Environmental Impact Statement/General Management Plan, Golden Gate National Recreation...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-22

...). The Plan/DEIS evaluates four alternatives for updating the current approach to management in Golden.... In recognition of the complexity of the proposed plan alternatives, and with deference to interest... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service [NPS-PWR-PWRO-1108-8862; 2031-A038-409] Draft...

Using a Virtual National Park to Teach Workplace Skills in Conservation Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Jonathon Leigh

2011-01-01

Teaching conservation management means more than just learning about solving complex and difficult environmental issues. Such learning must also consider the likely administrative context that students will end up working in. This article outlines the development of a role-play that uses online technology to teach several administrative processes…

Effects of feral horse herds on plant communities across a precipitation gradient

Treesearch

Laura Baur

2016-01-01

Feral horse herds in the western United States are managed with the goal of maintaining "a thriving natural ecological balance" with their environment. Because rangeland ecology is complex and grazers such as horses can have different effects under different environmental conditions, more data are needed to better inform Appropriate Management Levels...

Making transboundary risks governable: reducing complexity, constructing spatial identity, and ascribing capabilities.

PubMed

Lidskog, Rolf; Uggla, Ylva; Soneryd, Linda

2011-03-01

Environmental problems that cross national borders are attracting increasing public and political attention; regulating them involves coordinating the goals and activities of various governments, which often presupposes simplifying and standardizing complex knowledge, and finding ways to manage uncertainty. This article explores how transboundary environmental problems are dealt with to render complex issues governable. By discussing oil pollution in the Baltic Sea and the gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, we elucidate how boundaries are negotiated to make issues governable. Three processes are found to be particularly relevant to how involved actors render complex issues governable: complexity reduction, construction of a spatial identity for an issue, and ascription of capabilities to new or old actor constellations. We conclude that such regulation is always provisional, implying that existing regulation is always open for negotiation and criticism.

Health, safety, and environmental risk assessment of steel production complex in central Iran using TOPSIS.

PubMed

Jozi, S A; Majd, N Moradi

2014-10-01

This research was carried out with the aim of presenting an environmental management plan for steel production complex (SPC) in central Iran. Following precise identification of the plant activities as well as the study area, possible sources of environmental pollution and adverse impacts on the air quality, water, soil, biological environment, socioeconomic and cultural environment, and health and safety of the employees were determined considering the work processes of the steel complex. Afterwards, noise, wastewater, and air pollution sources were measured. Subsequently, factors polluting the steel complex were identified by TOPSIS and then prioritized using Excel Software. Based on the obtained results, the operation of the furnaces in hot rolling process with the score 1, effluent derived from hot rolling process with the score 0.565, nonprincipal disposal and dumping of waste at the plant enclosure with the score 0.335, walking beam process with the score 1.483 respectively allocated themselves the highest priority in terms of air, water, soil and noise pollution. In terms of habitats, land cover and socioeconomic and cultural environment, closeness to the forest area and the existence of four groups of wildlife with the score 1.106 and proximity of villages and residential areas to the plant with the score 3.771 respectively enjoyed the highest priorities while impressibility and occupational accidents with the score 2.725 and cutting and welding operations with score 2.134 had the highest priority among health and safety criteria. Finally, strategies for the control of pollution sources were identified and Training, Monitoring and environmental management plan of the SPC was prepared.

Managing the impact of gold panning activities within the context of integrated water resources management planning in the Lower Manyame Sub-Catchment, Zambezi Basin, Zimbabwe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zwane, Nonhlanhla; Love, David; Hoko, Zvikomborero; Shoko, Dennis

Riverbed alluvial gold panning activities are a cause for degradation of river channels and banks as well as water resources, particularly through accelerated erosion and siltation, in many areas of Zimbabwe. The lower Manyame sub-catchment located in the Northern part of the country is one such area. This study analysed the implications of cross-sectoral coordination of the management of panning and its impacts. This is within the context of conflicts of interests and responsibilities. A situational analysis of different stakeholders from sectors that included mining, environment, water, local government and water users who were located next to identified panning sites, as well as panners was carried out. Selected sites along the Dande River were observed to assess the environmental effects. The study determined that all stakeholder groups perceived siltation and river bank degradation as the most severe effect of panning on water resources, yet there were divergent views with regards to coordination of panning management. The Water Act of 1998 does not give enough power to management institutions including the Lower Manyame Sub-catchment Council to protect water resources from the impacts of panning, despite the fact that the activities affect the water resource base. The Mines and Minerals Act of 1996 remains the most powerful legislation, while mining sector activities adversely affect environmental resources. Furthermore, complexities were caused by differences in the definition of water resources management boundaries as compared to the overall environmental resources management boundaries according to the Environmental Management Act (EMA) of 2000, and by separate yet parallel water and environmental planning processes. Environmental sector institutions according to the EMA are well linked to local government functions and resource management is administrative, enhancing efficient coordination.

Fuels management in the southern Appalachian Mountains, hot continental division

Treesearch

Matthew J. Reilly; Thomas A. Waldrop; Joseph J. O’Brien

2012-01-01

The Southern Appalachian Mountains, Hot Continental Mountains Division, M220 (McNab and others 2007) are a topographically and biologically complex area with over 10 million ha of forested land, where complex environmental gradients have resulted in a great diversity of forest types. Abundant moisture and a long, warm growing season support high levels of productivity...

Analysing initial attack on wildland fires using stochastic simulation.

Treesearch

Jeremy S. Fried; J. Keith Gilless; James Spero

2006-01-01

Stochastic simulation models of initial attack on wildland fire can be designed to reflect the complexity of the environmental, administrative, and institutional context in which wildland fire protection agencies operate, but such complexity may come at the cost of a considerable investment in data acquisition and management. This cost may be well justified when it...

Environmental variability and indicators: a few observations

Treesearch

William F. Laudenslayer

1991-01-01

Abstract The environment of the earth is exceedingly complex and variable. Indicator species are used to reduce thaf complexity and variability to a level that can be more emily understood. In recent years, use of indicators has increased dramatically. For the Forest Service, as an example, regulations that interpret the National Forest Management Act require the use...

75 FR 7570 - Notice of Public Hearings for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Silver Strand...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-22

... Impact Statement for the Silver Strand Training Complex, San Diego, CA; Correction AGENCY: Department of... Impact Statement for the Silver Strand Training Complex, San Diego, CA. The document contained incorrect.... Kent Randall, SSTC EIS Project Manager, 1220 Pacific Highway, Building 1, 5th Floor, San Diego, CA...

Emerging themes in the ecology and management of North American forests

Treesearch

Terry L. Sharik; William Adair; Fred A. Baker; Michael Battaglia; Emily J. Comfort; Anthony W. D' Amato; Craig Delong; R. Justin DeRose; Mark J. Ducey; Mark Harmon; Louise Levy; Jesse A. Logan; Joseph O' Brien; Brian J. Palik; Scott D. Roberts; Paul C. Rogers; Douglas J. Shinneman; Thomas Spies; Sarah L. Taylor; Christopher Woodall; Andrew Youngblood

2010-01-01

Forests are extremely complex systems that respond to an overwhelming number of biological and environmental factors, which can act singularly and in concert with each other, as exemplified by Puettmann et al. [1]. The complexity of forest systems presents an enormous challenge for forest researchers who try to deepen their understanding of the structure and function...

Analytical Tools Interface for Landscape Assessments

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental management practices are trending away from simple, local-scale assessments toward complex, multiple-stressor regional assessments. Landscape ecology provides the theory behind these assessments while geographic information systems (GIS) supply the tools to implemen...

Toward sustainable environmental quality: Identifying priority research questions for Latin America

PubMed Central

Furley, Tatiana Heid; Brodeur, Julie; Silva de Assis, Helena C; Carriquiriborde, Pedro; Chagas, Katia R; Corrales, Jone; Denadai, Marina; Fuchs, Julio; Mascarenhas, Renata; Miglioranza, Karina SB; Miguez Caramés, Diana Margarita; Navas, José Maria; Nugegoda, Dayanthi; Planes, Estela; Rodriguez‐Jorquera, Ignacio Alejandro; Orozco‐Medina, Martha; Boxall, Alistair BA; Rudd, Murray A

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT The Global Horizon Scanning Project (GHSP) is an innovative initiative that aims to identify important global environmental quality research needs. Here we report 20 key research questions from Latin America (LA). Members of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) LA and other scientists from LA were asked to submit research questions that would represent priority needs to address in the region. One hundred questions were received, then partitioned among categories, examined, and some rearranged during a workshop in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Twenty priority research questions were subsequently identified. These research questions included developing, improving, and harmonizing across LA countries methods for 1) identifying contaminants and degradation products in complex matrices (including biota); 2) advancing prediction of contaminant risks and effects in ecosystems, addressing lab‐to‐field extrapolation challenges, and understanding complexities of multiple stressors (including chemicals and climate change); and 3) improving management and regulatory tools toward achieving sustainable development. Whereas environmental contaminants frequently identified in these key questions were pesticides, pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors or modulators, plastics, and nanomaterials, commonly identified environmental challenges were related to agriculture, urban effluents, solid wastes, pulp and paper mills, and natural extraction activities. Several interesting research topics included assessing and preventing pollution impacts on conservation protected areas, integrating environment and health assessments, and developing strategies for identification, substitution, and design of less hazardous chemicals (e.g., green chemistry). Finally, a recurrent research need included developing an understanding of differential sensitivity of regional species and ecosystems to environmental contaminants and other stressors. Addressing these critical questions will support development of long‐term strategic research efforts to advance more sustainable environmental quality and protect public health and the environment in LA. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:344–357. © 2018 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC) PMID:29469193

Benchmarking of Decision-Support Tools Used for Tiered Sustainable Remediation Appraisal.

PubMed

Smith, Jonathan W N; Kerrison, Gavin

2013-01-01

Sustainable remediation comprises soil and groundwater risk-management actions that are selected, designed, and operated to maximize net environmental, social, and economic benefit (while assuring protection of human health and safety). This paper describes a benchmarking exercise to comparatively assess potential differences in environmental management decision making resulting from application of different sustainability appraisal tools ranging from simple (qualitative) to more quantitative (multi-criteria and fully monetized cost-benefit analysis), as outlined in the SuRF-UK framework. The appraisal tools were used to rank remedial options for risk management of a subsurface petroleum release that occurred at a petrol filling station in central England. The remediation options were benchmarked using a consistent set of soil and groundwater data for each tier of sustainability appraisal. The ranking of remedial options was very similar in all three tiers, and an environmental management decision to select the most sustainable options at tier 1 would have been the same decision at tiers 2 and 3. The exercise showed that, for relatively simple remediation projects, a simple sustainability appraisal led to the same remediation option selection as more complex appraisal, and can be used to reliably inform environmental management decisions on other relatively simple land contamination projects.

Opportunities to utilize traditional phenological knowledge to support adaptive management of social-ecological systems vulnerable to changes in climate and fire regimes

Treesearch

Christopher A. Armatas; Tyron J. Venn; Brooke B. McBride; Alan E. Watson; Steve J. Carver

2016-01-01

The field of adaptive management has been embraced by researchers and managers in the United States as an approach to improve natural resource stewardship in the face of uncertainty and complex environmental problems. Integrating multiple knowledge sources and feedback mechanisms is an important step in this approach. Our objective is to contribute to the...

An Online Synchronous e-Dialogue Series on Nuclear Waste Management in Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dale, Ann; Newman, Lenore

2006-01-01

Online dialogues can meaningfully engage a diverse audience and provide a method to both educate and interest the public in complex environmental and social issues. This article discusses a series of e-dialogues conducted for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Canada in which the public engaged in discussions concerning the risk and…

Early decision framework for integrating sustainable risk management for complex remediation sites: Drivers, barriers, and performance metrics.

PubMed

Harclerode, Melissa A; Macbeth, Tamzen W; Miller, Michael E; Gurr, Christopher J; Myers, Teri S

2016-12-15

As the environmental remediation industry matures, remaining sites often have significant underlying technical challenges and financial constraints. More often than not, significant remediation efforts at these "complex" sites have not achieved stringent, promulgated cleanup goals. Decisions then have to be made about whether and how to commit additional resources towards achieving those goals, which are often not achievable nor required to protect receptors. Guidance on cleanup approaches focused on evaluating and managing site-specific conditions and risks, rather than uniformly meeting contaminant cleanup criteria in all media, is available to aid in this decision. Although these risk-based cleanup approaches, such as alternative endpoints and adaptive management strategies, have been developed, they are under-utilized due to environmental, socio-economic, and risk perception barriers. Also, these approaches are usually implemented late in the project life cycle after unsuccessful remedial attempts to achieve stringent cleanup criteria. In this article, we address these barriers by developing an early decision framework to identify if site characteristics support sustainable risk management, and develop performance metrics and tools to evaluate and implement successful risk-based cleanup approaches. In addition, we address uncertainty and risk perception challenges by aligning risk-based cleanup approaches with the concepts of risk management and sustainable remediation. This approach was developed in the context of lessons learned from implementing remediation at complex sites, but as a framework can, and should, be applied to all sites undergoing remediation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated negotiation in environmental resource management: Review and assessment.

PubMed

Eshragh, Faezeh; Pooyandeh, Majeed; Marceau, Danielle J

2015-10-01

Negotiation is an integral part of our daily life and plays an important role in resolving conflicts and facilitating human interactions. Automated negotiation, which aims at capturing the human negotiation process using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, is well-established in e-commerce, but its application in environmental resource management remains limited. This is due to the inherent uncertainties and complexity of environmental issues, along with the diversity of stakeholders' perspectives when dealing with these issues. The objective of this paper is to describe the main components of automated negotiation, review and compare machine learning techniques in automated negotiation, and provide a guideline for the selection of suitable methods in the particular context of stakeholders' negotiation over environmental resource issues. We advocate that automated negotiation can facilitate the involvement of stakeholders in the exploration of a plurality of solutions in order to reach a mutually satisfying agreement and contribute to informed decisions in environmental management along with the need for further studies to consolidate the potential of this modeling approach. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

77 FR 18242 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-27

..., 2012 [cir] EM Program Update [cir] Recognition of Departing Chairs [cir] EM SSAB Chairs' Round Robin... [cir] EM SSAB Chairs' Round Robin: Cross-Complex Issues Thursday, April 19, 2012 [cir] DOE Headquarters...

Coordinated management of combined sewer overflows by means of environmental decision support systems.

PubMed

Murla, Damian; Gutierrez, Oriol; Martinez, Montse; Suñer, David; Malgrat, Pere; Poch, Manel

2016-04-15

During heavy rainfall, the capacity of sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants may be surcharged producing uncontrolled wastewater discharges and a depletion of the environmental quality. Therefore there is a need of advanced management tools to tackle with these complex problems. In this paper an environmental decision support system (EDSS), based on the integration of mathematical modeling and knowledge-based systems, has been developed for the coordinated management of urban wastewater systems (UWS) to control and minimize uncontrolled wastewater spills. Effectiveness of the EDSS has been tested in a specially designed virtual UWS, including two sewers systems, two WWTP and one river subjected to typical Mediterranean rain conditions. Results show that sewer systems, retention tanks and wastewater treatment plants improve their performance under wet weather conditions and that EDSS can be very effective tools to improve the management and prevent the system from possible uncontrolled wastewater discharges. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Examination of Cultural Influences on Team Cognition and Information Sharing in Emergency Crisis Management Domains: A Mixed Methodological Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Endsley, Tristan Caroline

2016-01-01

The consequence for better understanding and facilitating teamwork during crisis and disaster response in the coming years is significant. It becomes clear that environmental and situational complexity requires a reliance on teams to carry out response efforts. Crises, regardless of the type of event, require complex decision-making and planning…

Environmental projects. Volume 6: Environmental assessment. New 34-meter antenna at Venus site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kushner, L.

1988-01-01

The Jet Propulsion Lab has proposed replacing the 26-meter antenna at the Venus Station of the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex with a new 34-meter antenna. An environmental impact assessment of this proposed change is presented. It is concluded that the proposed antenna and its operation would not result in significant adverse impacts to the physical or human environment. It will, however, be necessary to manage electromagnetic transmissions from the antenna in such a manner as to ensure safe operation.

Integrated Tools for American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Surveillance and Control: Intervention in an Endemic Area in Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

PubMed Central

Gouveia, Cheryl; de Oliveira, Rosely Magalhães; Zwetsch, Adriana; Motta-Silva, Daniel; Carvalho, Bruno Moreira; de Santana, Antônio Ferreira; Rangel, Elizabeth Ferreira

2012-01-01

American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is a focal disease whose surveillance and control require complex actions. The present study aimed to apply integrated tools related to entomological surveillance, environmental management, and health education practices in an ACL-endemic area in Rio de Janeiro city, RJ, Brazil. The distribution of the disease, the particular characteristics of the localities, and entomological data were used as additional information about ACL determinants. Environmental management actions were evaluated after health education practices. The frequency of ACL vectors Lutzomyia (N.) intermedia and L. migonei inside and outside houses varied according to environment characteristics, probably influenced by the way of life of the popular groups. In this kind of situation environmental management and community mobilization become essential, as they help both specialists and residents create strategies that can interfere in the dynamics of vector's population and the contact between man and vectors. PMID:22988458

A wellness software platform with smart wearable devices and the demonstration report for personal wellness management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Won-Seok; Son, Chang-Sik; Lee, Sangho; Choi, Rock-Hyun; Ha, Yeong-Mi

2017-07-01

In this paper, we introduce a wellness software platform, called WellnessHumanCare, is a semi-automatic wellness management software platform which has the functions of complex wellness data acquisition(mental, physical and environmental one) with smart wearable devices, complex wellness condition analysis, private-aware online/offline recommendation, real-time monitoring apps (Smartphone-based, Web-based) and so on and we has demonstrated a wellness management service with 79 participants (experimental group: 39, control group: 40) who has worked at experimental group (H Corp.) and control group (K Corp.), Korea and 3 months in order to show the efficiency of the WellnessHumanCare.

System dynamics model of taxi management in metropolises: Economic and environmental implications for Beijing.

PubMed

Wang, Hao; Zhang, Kai; Chen, Junhua; Wang, Zhifeng; Li, Guijun; Yang, Yuqi

2018-05-01

Taxis are an important component of urban passenger transport. Research on the daily dispatching of taxis and the utility of governmental management is important for the improvement of passenger travel, taxi driver income and environmental impacts. However, urban taxi management is a complex and dynamic system that is affected by many factors, and positive/negative feedback relationships and nonlinear interactions exist between each subsystem and variable. Therefore, conventional research methods can hardly depict its characteristics comprehensively. To bridge this gap, this paper develops a system dynamics model of urban taxi management, in which the empty-loaded rate and total demand are selected as key factors affecting taxi dispatching, and the impacts of taxi fares on driver income and travel demand are taken into account. After the validation of the model, taxi operations data derived from a prior analysis of origin-destination data of Beijing taxis are used as input for the model to simulate the taxi market in Beijing. Finally, economic and environmental implications are provided for the government to optimise policies on taxi management. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nevada National Security Site Environmental Report Summary 2016

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wills, Cathy

This document is a summary of the full 2016 Nevada National Security Site Environmental Report (NNSSER) prepared by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/ NFO). This summary provides an abbreviated and more readable version of the full NNSSER. NNSA/NFO prepares the NNSSER to provide the public an understanding of the environmental monitoring and compliance activities that are conducted on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) to protect the public and the environment from radiation hazards and from potential nonradiological impacts. It is a comprehensive report of environmental activities performed at the NNSS andmore » offsite facilities over the previous calendar year. The NNSS is currently the nation’s unique site for ongoing national security–related missions and high-risk operations. The NNSS is located about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The approximately 1,360-square-mile site is one of the largest restricted access areas in the United States. It is surrounded by federal installations with strictly controlled access as well as by lands that are open to public entry. In 2016, National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec), was the NNSS Management and Operations Contractor accountable for ensuring work was performed in compliance with environmental regulations. NNSS activities in 2016 continued to be diverse, with the primary goal to ensure that the existing U.S. stockpile of nuclear weapons remains safe and reliable. Other activities included weapons of mass destruction first responder training; the controlled release of hazardous material at the Nonproliferation Test and Evaluation Complex (NPTEC); remediation of legacy contamination sites; characterization of waste destined for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, New Mexico, or the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho; disposal of low-level and mixed low-level radioactive waste; and environmental research. Facilities and centers that support the National Security/Defense mission include the U1a Facility, Big Explosives Experimental Facility (BEEF), Device Assembly Facility (DAF), National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) located in the DAF, Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research (JASPER) Facility, Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) Facility located in the Los Alamos Technical Facility (LATF), and the Radiological/ Nuclear Countermeasures Test and Evaluation Complex (RNCTEC). Facilities that support the Environmental Management mission include the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) and the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS), which has been in cold standby since 2006.« less

Introduction to special issue on remote sensing for advanced forest inventory

Treesearch

Andrew T. Hudak; E. Louise Loudermilk; Joanne C. White

2016-01-01

Information needs associated with sustainable forest management are evolving rapidly as the forest sector works to satisfy an increasingly complex set of economic, environmental, and social policy goals. A barrier to the sustainable management of forests and the provision of ecosystem goods and services under these new pressures is a lack of up-to-date and detailed...

Understanding social complexity within the wildland urban interface: A new species of human habitation? Environmental Management

Treesearch

Travis B. Paveglio; Pamela J. Jakes; Matthew S. Carroll; Daniel R. Williams

2009-01-01

The lack of knowledge regarding social diversity in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) or an in-depth understanding of the ways people living there interact to address common problems is concerning, perhaps even dangerous, given that community action is necessary for successful wildland fire preparedness and natural resource management activities. In this article, we...

Advanced Computational Framework for Environmental Management ZEM, Version 1.x

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vesselinov, Velimir V.; O'Malley, Daniel; Pandey, Sachin

2016-11-04

Typically environmental management problems require analysis of large and complex data sets originating from concurrent data streams with different data collection frequencies and pedigree. These big data sets require on-the-fly integration into a series of models with different complexity for various types of model analyses where the data are applied as soft and hard model constraints. This is needed to provide fast iterative model analyses based on the latest available data to guide decision-making. Furthermore, the data and model are associated with uncertainties. The uncertainties are probabilistic (e.g. measurement errors) and non-probabilistic (unknowns, e.g. alternative conceptual models characterizing site conditions).more » To address all of these issues, we have developed an integrated framework for real-time data and model analyses for environmental decision-making called ZEM. The framework allows for seamless and on-the-fly integration of data and modeling results for robust and scientifically-defensible decision-making applying advanced decision analyses tools such as Bayesian- Information-Gap Decision Theory (BIG-DT). The framework also includes advanced methods for optimization that are capable of dealing with a large number of unknown model parameters, and surrogate (reduced order) modeling capabilities based on support vector regression techniques. The framework is coded in Julia, a state-of-the-art high-performance programing language (http://julialang.org). The ZEM framework is open-source and can be applied to any environmental management site. The framework will be open-source and released under GPL V3 license.« less

Applying comprehensive environmental assessment to research planning for multiwalled carbon nanotubes: Refinements to inform future stakeholder engagement.

PubMed

Powers, Christina M; Grieger, Khara; Meacham, Connie A; Gooding, Meredith Lassiter; Gift, Jeffrey S; Lehmann, Geniece M; Hendren, Christine O; Davis, J Michael; Burgoon, Lyle

2016-01-01

Risk assessments and risk management efforts to protect human health and the environment can benefit from early, coordinated research planning by researchers, risk assessors, and risk managers. However, approaches for engaging these and other stakeholders in research planning have not received much attention in the environmental scientific literature. The Comprehensive Environmental Assessment (CEA) approach under development by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is a means to manage complex information and input from diverse stakeholder perspectives on research planning that will ultimately support environmental and human health decision making. The objectives of this article are to 1) describe the outcomes of applying lessons learned from previous CEA applications to planning research on engineered nanomaterial, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and 2) discuss new insights and refinements for future efforts to engage stakeholders in research planning for risk assessment and risk management of environmental issues. Although framed in terms of MWCNTs, this discussion is intended to enhance research planning to support assessments for other environmental issues as well. Key insights for research planning include the potential benefits of 1) ensuring that participants have research, risk assessment, and risk management expertise in addition to diverse disciplinary backgrounds; 2) including an early scoping step before rounds of formal ratings; 3) using a familiar numeric scale (e.g., US dollars) versus ordinal rating scales of "importance"; 4) applying virtual communication tools to supplement face-to-face interaction between participants; and 5) refining criteria to guide development of specific, actionable research questions. © 2015 SETAC.

Environmental and socio-economic methodologies and solutions towards integrated water resources management.

PubMed

Friesen, Jan; Rodriguez Sinobas, Leonor; Foglia, Laura; Ludwig, Ralf

2017-03-01

Semi-arid regions are facing the challenge of managing water resources under conditions of increasing scarcity and drought. These are recently pressured by the impact of climate change favoring the shifting from using surface water to groundwater without taking sustainability issues into account. Likewise, water scarcity raises the competition for water among users, increasing the risk of social conflicts, as the availability of fresh water in sufficient quality and quantity is already one of the major factors limiting socio-economic development. In terms of hydrology, semi-arid regions are characterized by very complex hydro- and hydrogeological systems. The complexity of the water cycle contrasts strongly with the poor data availability, (1) which limits the number of analysis techniques and methods available to researchers, (2) limits the accuracy of models and predictions, and (3) consequently challenges the capabilities to develop appropriate management measures to mitigate or adapt the environment to scarcity and drought conditions. Integrated water resources management is a holistic approach to focus on both environmental as well as on socio-economic factors influencing water availability and supply. The management approaches and solutions adopted, e.g. in form of decision support for specific water resources systems, are often highly specific for individual case studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improving Environmental Management on Small-scale Farms: Perspectives of Extension Educators and Horse Farm Operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rebecca, Perry-Hill; Linda, Prokopy

2015-01-01

Although the number of small-scale farms is increasing in North America and Europe, few studies have been conducted to better understand environmental management in this sector. We investigate this issue by examining environmental management on horse farms from both the perspective of the "expert" extension educator and horse farm operator. We conducted a Delphi survey and follow-up interviews with extension educators in Indiana and Kentucky. We also conducted interviews and farm assessments with 15 horse farm operators in the two states. Our results suggest a disconnection between the perceptions of extension educators and horse farm operators. Extension educators believed that operators of small horse farms are unfamiliar with conservation practices and their environmental benefits and they found it difficult to target outreach to this audience. In the interviews with horse farm operators, we found that the majority were somewhat familiar with conservation practices like rotational grazing, soil testing, heavy use area protection, and manure composting. It was not common, however, for practices to be implemented to generally recognized standards. The horse farm respondents perceived these practices as interrelated parts of a system of farm management that has developed over time to best deal with the physical features of the property, needs of the horses, and available resources. Because conservation practices must be incorporated into a complex farm management system, traditional models of extension (i.e., diffusion of innovations) may be inappropriate for promoting better environmental management on horse farms.

Improving environmental management on small-scale farms: perspectives of extension educators and horse farm operators.

PubMed

Rebecca, Perry-Hill; Linda, Prokopy

2015-01-01

Although the number of small-scale farms is increasing in North America and Europe, few studies have been conducted to better understand environmental management in this sector. We investigate this issue by examining environmental management on horse farms from both the perspective of the "expert" extension educator and horse farm operator. We conducted a Delphi survey and follow-up interviews with extension educators in Indiana and Kentucky. We also conducted interviews and farm assessments with 15 horse farm operators in the two states. Our results suggest a disconnection between the perceptions of extension educators and horse farm operators. Extension educators believed that operators of small horse farms are unfamiliar with conservation practices and their environmental benefits and they found it difficult to target outreach to this audience. In the interviews with horse farm operators, we found that the majority were somewhat familiar with conservation practices like rotational grazing, soil testing, heavy use area protection, and manure composting. It was not common, however, for practices to be implemented to generally recognized standards. The horse farm respondents perceived these practices as interrelated parts of a system of farm management that has developed over time to best deal with the physical features of the property, needs of the horses, and available resources. Because conservation practices must be incorporated into a complex farm management system, traditional models of extension (i.e., diffusion of innovations) may be inappropriate for promoting better environmental management on horse farms.

Waste is a Terrible Thing to Mind: Perspectives on the Cleanup of the United States Nuclear Weapons Complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodde, David

1997-03-01

For the 50 years of the Cold War, the United States nuclear arsenal was the cornerstone of our national security. These weapons were designed, manufactured, and armed with fissionable materials in an industrial complex that, at its peak, included about 16 major facilities and vast tracts of land in Nevada, Idaho, Washington, and South Carolina. Included among these are such well-known sites as the Savannah River Plant, the Hanford, Oak Ridge, and the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. The Cold War, that "long twilight struggle" in the evocative phrase of John Kennedy, left little time and few resources for understanding and managing the environmental consequences of nuclear weapons production. At the same time, perceptions of the special nature of the atom led to a concentration of governance in the Atomic Energy Commission and the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. Thus, external feedback for the managers of the complex was heavily filtered. But the imperatives of the Cold War have waned, and our understanding of the implications for the environment and the health and safety of workers has grown. By 1995 the Department of Energy (DoE) had spent about 23 billion in identifying and characterizing its waste, managing it, and assessing the actions needed to clean up the 120 sites in 36 states. Yet the majority of the task appeared ahead. Estimates made in 1995 suggested a total cost ranging from 200-350 billion and a time to complete of 75 years. If these were true, the cleanup of the weapons complex would become the largest civil works project in the history of humankind. Over the past year or so, the DoE program has shifted its focus from studies to actual cleanup. A strategic plan has been proposed that would accomplish most of the needed work over ten years at a cost of about $85 billion. At the same time, the Department is proposing to transfer oversight to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the states. This Invited Symposium will address this cleanup from the perspective of contemporary issues, rather than the mistakes of the past. Dr. David Bodde, currently Co-Chair of the Environmental Management Advisory Board, which advises the DoE on technical and policy issues pertaining to the cleanup, will chair the Symposium. Dr. Frank Parker, Distinguished Professor of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering at Vanderbilt University, will provide a general description of these problems and issues, including cultural and historical factors, a technical description of the wastes, and what is physically required for resolution. The Honorable Alvin Alm, Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management, will describe the current strategy for solving the problem, how this differs from approaches used in the past, what can realistically be accomplished and when and at what cost. Mr. Thomas Winston of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, will present the perspective of the affected localities. And Dr. Charles Powers, Executive Director of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, will speak to the current role and future prospects for risk analysis in improving the allocation of resources for cleanup.

Environmental risk factors and their role in the management of atopic dermatitis

PubMed Central

Kantor, Robert; Silverberg, Jonathan I.

2016-01-01

Introduction The etiology of atopic dermatitis (AD) is multifactorial with interaction between genetics, immune and environmental factors. Areas covered We review the role of prenatal exposures, irritants and pruritogens, pathogens, climate factors, including temperature, humidity, ultraviolet radiation, outdoor and indoor air pollutants, tobacco smoke exposure, water hardness, urban vs. rural living, diet, breastfeeding, probiotics and prebiotics on AD. Expert commentary The increased global prevalence of AD cannot be attributed to genetics alone, suggesting that evolving environmental exposures may trigger and/or flare disease in predisposed individuals. There is a complex interplay between different environmental factors, including individual use of personal care products and exposure to climate, pollution, food and other exogenous factors. Understanding these complex risk factors is crucial to developing targeted interventions to prevent the disease in millions. Moreover, patients require counseling on optimal regimens for minimization of exposure to irritants and pruritogens and other harmful exposures. PMID:27417220

Environmental risk factors and their role in the management of atopic dermatitis.

PubMed

Kantor, Robert; Silverberg, Jonathan I

2017-01-01

The etiology of atopic dermatitis (AD) is multifactorial with interaction between genetics, immune and environmental factors. Areas covered: We review the role of prenatal exposures, irritants and pruritogens, pathogens, climate factors, including temperature, humidity, ultraviolet radiation, outdoor and indoor air pollutants, tobacco smoke exposure, water hardness, urban vs. rural living, diet, breastfeeding, probiotics and prebiotics on AD. Expert commentary: The increased global prevalence of AD cannot be attributed to genetics alone, suggesting that evolving environmental exposures may trigger and/or flare disease in predisposed individuals. There is a complex interplay between different environmental factors, including individual use of personal care products and exposure to climate, pollution, food and other exogenous factors. Understanding these complex risk factors is crucial to developing targeted interventions to prevent the disease in millions. Moreover, patients require counseling on optimal regimens for minimization of exposure to irritants and pruritogens and other harmful exposures.

Challenges of space medical operations and life sciences management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haddad, S. G.

1992-01-01

The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has been the premier launch and landing site for America's space program since the early 1960s. Visitors are cognizant of space vehicles, processing facilities and launch pads which are treasured national resources. However, most are unaware of the unique organization which supports launch and landing activities and manages the center's occupational medicine, environmental health, ecological and environmental monitoring functions, as well as human and plant research programs. Management of this multifaceted organization can be complex because funding its different functions comes from a number of sources. Additionally the diverse disciplines of personnel present a special challenge in maintaining professional competencies while assuring efficiency in cyclical operations. This article explains the organization's structure and reviews some of its accomplishments.

THE ROLE OF INDICATORS IN HEALTH AND ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT

EPA Science Inventory

Assessment of risk to public health or environmental resources requires competent characterization of stressors and the corresponding effects on organisms, populations, and communities. Because of the complexity of most stressor-response relationships, it is impossible to complet...

Analysis of Factors Influencing Building Refurbishment Project Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishak, Nurfadzillah; Aswad Ibrahim, Fazdliel; Azizi Azizan, Muhammad

2018-03-01

Presently, the refurbishment approach becomes favourable as it creates opportunities to incorporate sustainable value with other building improvement. In this regard, this approach needs to be implemented due to the issues on overwhelming ratio of existing building to new construction, which also can contribute to the environmental problem. Refurbishment principles imply to minimize the environmental impact and upgrading the performance of an existing building to meet new requirements. In theoretically, building project's performance has a direct bearing on related to its potential for project success. However, in refurbishment building projects, the criteria for measure are become wider because the projects are a complex and multi-dimensional which encompassing many factors which reflect to the nature of works. Therefore, this impetus could be achieve by examine the direct empirical relationship between critical success factors (CSFs) and complexity factors (CFs) during managing the project in relation to delivering success on project performance. The research findings will be expected as the basis of future research in establish appropriate framework that provides information on managing refurbishment building projects and enhancing the project management competency for a better-built environment.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bennett, D.A.

The hazardous waste cleanup program under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund) is delegated to the ten Regions of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and has, to date, identified more than 33,000 sites for consideration. The size and complexity of the program places great demands on those who would provide information to achieve national consistency in application of risk assessment while meeting site-specific needs for risk management and risk communication.

Test Area C-74 Complex Final Range Environmental Assessment at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-21

LAWS, REGULATIONS, AND POLICIES ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ACHP Advisory Council on Historic Preservation ACM asbestos -containing materials...agencies must comply. Air Armament Center Plan 32-3; January 2004; Asbestos Management Plan; This plan establishes procedures for the Eglin AFB...facility asbestos management program. It contains the policies and procedures used in controlling the health hazards created by asbestos containing

EMDS 3.0: A modeling framework for coping with complexity in environmental assessment and planning.

Treesearch

K.M. Reynolds

2006-01-01

EMDS 3.0 is implemented as an ArcMap® extension and integrates the logic engine of NetWeaver® to perform landscape evaluations, and the decision modeling engine of Criterium DecisionPlus® for evaluating management priorities. Key features of the system's evaluation component include abilities to (1) reason about large, abstract, multifaceted ecosystem management...

Effects of environmental complexity and temporary captivity on foraging behavior of wild-caught meadow voles.

PubMed

Kozuch, Amaranta E; McPhee, M Elsbeth

2014-01-01

Increased housing of wild nonhuman animals in captivity for conservation, research, and rehabilitation has revealed the importance of systematically analyzing effects of the captive environment on behavior. This study focused on the effects of complexity and time held in captivity on foraging behaviors of wild-caught, adult meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Forty-six individuals captured from a meadow outside Oshkosh, WI, were assigned to 1 of 4 captive treatment groups: simple/<50 days (SS), simple/>50 days, complex/<50 days, and complex/>50 days. Number of dish visits, proportion foraging, and frequency of nonforaging behaviors recorded during a 15-min foraging trial were measured for all subjects. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U Tests were conducted to analyze 4 different comparisons within this behavioral data. Overall, neither time in captivity or environmental complexity affected nonforaging behaviors. In contrast, foraging behaviors did change with treatment: Voles were less active at food dishes and visited control dishes more in treatment group SS than in the other treatment groups. In addition, sex-related differences in foraging behaviors were maintained when voles were exposed to environmental complexity. This article includes options for wildlife managers to adapt captive environments to meet the welfare and behavioral needs of translocated wild nonhuman mammals.

Lessons Learned from the 200 West Pump and Treatment Facility Construction Project at the US DOE Hanford Site - A Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-Certified Facility - 13113

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dorr, Kent A.; Freeman-Pollard, Jhivaun R.; Ostrom, Michael J.

CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) designed, constructed, commissioned, and began operation of the largest groundwater pump and treatment facility in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) nationwide complex. This one-of-a-kind groundwater pump and treatment facility, located at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation Site (Hanford Site) in Washington State, was built to an accelerated schedule with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. There were many contractual, technical, configuration management, quality, safety, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) challenges associated with the design, procurement, construction, and commissioning of this $95 million, 52,000 ft groundwater pump and treatment facility tomore » meet DOE's mission objective of treating contaminated groundwater at the Hanford Site with a new facility by June 28, 2012. The project team's successful integration of the project's core values and green energy technology throughout design, procurement, construction, and start-up of this complex, first-of-its-kind Bio Process facility resulted in successful achievement of DOE's mission objective, as well as attainment of LEED GOLD certification (Figure 1), which makes this Bio Process facility the first non-administrative building in the DOE Office of Environmental Management complex to earn such an award. (authors)« less

Interval-parameter chance-constraint programming model for end-of-life vehicles management under rigorous environmental regulations.

PubMed

Simic, Vladimir

2016-06-01

As the number of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) is estimated to increase to 79.3 million units per year by 2020 (e.g., 40 million units were generated in 2010), there is strong motivation to effectively manage this fast-growing waste flow. Intensive work on management of ELVs is necessary in order to more successfully tackle this important environmental challenge. This paper proposes an interval-parameter chance-constraint programming model for end-of-life vehicles management under rigorous environmental regulations. The proposed model can incorporate various uncertainty information in the modeling process. The complex relationships between different ELV management sub-systems are successfully addressed. Particularly, the formulated model can help identify optimal patterns of procurement from multiple sources of ELV supply, production and inventory planning in multiple vehicle recycling factories, and allocation of sorted material flows to multiple final destinations under rigorous environmental regulations. A case study is conducted in order to demonstrate the potentials and applicability of the proposed model. Various constraint-violation probability levels are examined in detail. Influences of parameter uncertainty on model solutions are thoroughly investigated. Useful solutions for the management of ELVs are obtained under different probabilities of violating system constraints. The formulated model is able to tackle a hard, uncertainty existing ELV management problem. The presented model has advantages in providing bases for determining long-term ELV management plans with desired compromises between economic efficiency of vehicle recycling system and system-reliability considerations. The results are helpful for supporting generation and improvement of ELV management plans. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Role of the Environmental Management Site Specific Advisory Board under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, With Emphasis on the Northern New Mexico Citizens' Advisory Board - 12482

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Santistevan, Menice B.

2012-07-01

The Environmental Management Site Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB) is comprised of eight Citizens' Advisory Boards, chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) by the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management for the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE). The purpose of the EM SSAB is to provide the DOE with recommendations regarding Environmental Management issues from legacy waste produced at major sites across the DOE Complex. The Northern New Mexico Citizens' Advisory Board (NNMCAB) is the site specific advisory board to the DOE on issues of environmental monitoring, remediation, waste management and long-term stewardship at Los Alamos National Laboratorymore » (LANL). The other boards are located at: Hanford, Idaho, Nevada, Paducah, Portsmouth, Oak Ridge and Savannah River. Using broad citizen outreach and input, the SSAB provides an official mechanism for the citizenry at each of these sites to monitor current activities affecting the region and also to have input into the prioritization of future activities. 'The mission of the EM SSAB is to more directly involve stakeholders in EM Planning and decision-making processes for the nuclear weapons complex cleanup. DOE has various means of involving the public in its planning and decision-making processes; the EM SSAB is only one component of EM's public participation program, and is not intended to be an exclusive means of public participation. It is the policy of DOE and EM to conduct it programs in an open and responsive manner, thereby encouraging and providing the opportunity for public participation in its planning and decision-making processes. EM SSAB members are appointed to a two year term and may serve up to three terms. During this time, members are able to hear many presentation from subject matter experts, attend several site tours at their site and across the DOE complex and are able to express their concerns and give input to the prioritization of clean up at each site. It is an excellent education and it is hoped that these members will go out to their communities, friends and family and discuss these issues in an informed manner. Many times our citizens rely only on newspaper articles or the Internet, which are sometimes replete with fear and misinformation. The more stakeholders are able to be truly informed, the more accurate the discourse will be at each of the DOE sites. (author)« less

Social-ecological resilience and law

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garmestani, Ahjond S.; Allen, Craig R.

2014-01-01

Environmental law envisions ecological systems as existing in an equilibrium state, reinforcing a rigid legal framework unable to absorb rapid environmental changes and innovations in sustainability. For the past four decades, “resilience theory,” which embraces uncertainty and nonlinear dynamics in complex adaptive systems, has provided a robust, invaluable foundation for sound environmental management. Reforming American law to incorporate this knowledge is the key to sustainability. This volume features top legal and resilience scholars speaking on resilience theory and its legal applications to climate change, biodiversity, national parks, and water law.

Report to Congress on the U.S. Department of Energy`s Environmental Management Science Program: Research funded and its linkages to environmental cleanup problems, and high out-year cost environmental management project descriptions. Volume 3 of 3 -- Appendix C

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1998-04-01

The Department of Energy`s Environmental Management Science Program (EMSP) serves as a catalyst for the application of scientific discoveries to the development and deployment of technologies that will lead to reduction of the costs and risks associated with cleaning up the nation`s nuclear complex. Appendix C provides details about each of the Department`s 82 high cost projects and lists the EMSP research awards with potential to impact each of these projects. The high cost projects listed are those having costs greater than $50 million in constant 1998 dollars from the year 2007 and beyond, based on the March 1998 Acceleratingmore » Cleanup: Paths to Closure Draft data, and having costs of quantities of material associated with an environmental management problem area. The high cost project information is grouped by operations office and organized by site and project code. Each operations office section begins with a list of research needs associated with that operations office. Potentially related research awards are listed by problem area in the Index of Research Awards by Environmental Management Problem Area, which can be found at the end of appendices B and C. For projects that address high risks to the public, workers, or the environment, refer also the Health/Ecology/Risk problem area awards. Research needs are programmatic or technical challenges that may benefit from knowledge gained through basic research.« less

Use of Participatory Systems Dynamics Modelling to Generate User-Friendly Decision Support Systems for the Design of Management Policies for Complex Human-Environmental Systems: A Case Study from the Varied Socio-environmental Landscape of Guatemala

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malard, J. J.; Baig, A. I.; Carrera, J.; Mellini, L.; Pineda, P.; Monterroso, O.; Melgar-Quiñonez, H.; Adamowski, J. F.; Halbe, J.; Monardes, H.; Gálvez, J.

2014-12-01

The design of effective management policies for socioenvironmental systems requires the development of comprehensive, yet sufficiently simple, decision support systems (DSS) for policy makers. Guatemala is a particularly complex case, combining an enormous diversity of climates, geographies, and agroecosystems within a very small geographical scale. Although food insecurity levels are very high, indicating a generally inadequate management of the varied agroecosystems of the country, different regions have shown vastly different trends in food insecurity over the past decade, including between regions with similar geophysical and climatic characteristics and/or governmental programmes (e.g., agricultural support). These observations suggest two important points: firstly, that not merely environmental conditions but rather socio-environmental interactions play a crucial role in the successful management of human-environmental systems, and, secondly, that differences in the geophysical and climatic environments between the diverse regions significantly impact the success or failure of policies. This research uses participatory systems dynamic modelling (SDM) to build a DSS that allows local decision-makers to (1) determine the impact of current and potential policies on agroecosystem management and food security, and (2) design sustainable and resilient policies for the future. The use of participatory SDM offers several benefits, including the active involvement of the end recipients in the development of the model, greatly increasing its acceptability; the integration of physical (e.g., precipitation, crop yield) and social components in one model; adequacy for modelling long-term trends in response to particular policy decisions; and the inclusion of local stakeholder knowledge on system structure and trends through the participatory process. Preliminary results suggest that there is a set of common variables explaining the generally high levels of food insecurity in Guatemala (e.g., agricultural productivity), while others (e.g., land dynamics and access to water resources) are restricted to certain regions and have a relatively important weight in determining the success or failure of policies in these regions.

Environmental Assessment for Vandenberg Gate Complex Construction, Dorm Construction and Demolition at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

MA January 2015 3 There are no existing underground stormwater drains in the area of the new Vandenberg Gate Complex. The addition of... stormwater management systems that utilize the pervious landscape, vegetative filtration, sediment removal, infiltration via bioswales, deep sump...Airmen Dormitory construction, a base-wide stormwater standard requires redevelopment projects to reduce stormwater rate and volume by 10% over the

Interactive effects among ecosystem services and management practices on crop production: pollination in coffee agroforestry systems.

PubMed

Boreux, Virginie; Kushalappa, Cheppudira G; Vaast, Philippe; Ghazoul, Jaboury

2013-05-21

Crop productivity is improved by ecosystem services, including pollination, but this should be set in the context of trade-offs among multiple management practices. We investigated the impact of pollination services on coffee production, considering variation in fertilization, irrigation, shade cover, and environmental variables such as rainfall (which stimulates coffee flowering across all plantations), soil pH, and nitrogen availability. After accounting for management interventions, bee abundance improved coffee production (number of berries harvested). Some management interventions, such as irrigation, used once to trigger asynchronous flowering, dramatically increased bee abundance at coffee trees. Others, such as the extent and type of tree cover, revealed interacting effects on pollination and, ultimately, crop production. The effects of management interventions, notably irrigation and addition of lime, had, however, far more substantial positive effects on coffee production than tree cover. These results suggest that pollination services matter, but managing the asynchrony of flowering was a more effective tool for securing good pollination than maintaining high shade tree densities as pollinator habitat. Complex interactions across farm and landscape scales, including both management practices and environmental conditions, shape pollination outcomes. Effective production systems therefore require the integrated consideration of management practices in the context of the surrounding habitat structure. This paper points toward a more strategic use of ecosystem services in agricultural systems, where ecosystem services are shaped by the coupling of management interventions and environmental variables.

Recent Developments in the Application of Fisher Information to Sustainable Environmental Management

EPA Science Inventory

Assessing sustainability in human and natural systems is often hampered by complex dynamics, timescales, and inherent linkages among the observable properties. Although many indicators have been identified that help classify trends indicating movement toward and away from sustain...

The use of GIS to support sustainable management of vineyards in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

PubMed

Arnaudova, Zh; Bileva, T

2011-01-01

Vine is a traditional branch of plant growing in Bulgaria. The exact location of the vine culture is a specific complex of environmental factors influencing its development, such as climate, soil, landscape and traditions of the region. GIS is a platform to better manage, evaluate and present spatial data in a useful visual form. It's improves the decision-making by combining data with accurate location and management the vineyards. In the present survey were studied and analyzed the factors in choosing an appropriate location for the cultivation of vine varieties in selected regions of Plovdiv. Climatic and soil characteristics, topography and environmental factors as well as presence of virus vector nematodes from family Longidoridae in creating the vines through GIS spatial analysis are taken into account.

Comprehensive Environmental Assessment: A Meta-Assessment Approach

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

With growing calls for changes in the field of risk assessment, improved systematic approaches for addressing environmental issues with greater transparency and stakeholder engagement are needed to ensure sustainable trade-offs. Here we describe the comprehensive environmental assessment (CEA) approach as a holistic way to manage complex information and to structure input from diverse stakeholder perspectives to support environmental decision-making for the near- and long-term. We further note how CEA builds upon and incorporates other available tools and approaches, describe its current application at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and point out how it could be extended in evaluating a major issue such as the sustainability of biofuels. PMID:22889372

Hanford Site Environmental Safety and Health Fiscal Year 2001 Budget-Risk management summary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

REEP, I.E.

1999-05-12

The Hanford Site Environment, Safety and Health (ES&H) Budget-Risk Management Summary report is prepared to support the annual request to sites in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Complex by DOE, Headquarters. The request requires sites to provide supplementary crosscutting information related to ES&H activities and the ES&H resources that support these activities. The report includes the following: (1) A summary status of fiscal year (FY) 1999 ES&H performance and ES&H execution commitments; (2)Status and plans of Hanford Site Office of Environmental Management (EM) cleanup activities; (3) Safety and health (S&H) risk management issues and compliance vulnerabilities of FY 2001more » Target Case and Below Target Case funding of EM cleanup activities; (4) S&H resource planning and crosscutting information for FY 1999 to 2001; and (5) Description of indirect-funded S&H activities.« less

Environmental Risk Assessment System for Phosphogypsum Tailing Dams

PubMed Central

Sun, Xin; Tang, Xiaolong; Yi, Honghong; Li, Kai; Zhou, Lianbi; Xu, Xianmang

2013-01-01

This paper may be of particular interest to the readers as it provides a new environmental risk assessment system for phosphogypsum tailing dams. In this paper, we studied the phosphogypsum tailing dams which include characteristics of the pollution source, environmental risk characteristics and evaluation requirements to identify the applicable environmental risk assessment methods. Two analytical methods, that is, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy logic, were used to handle the complexity of the environmental and nonquantitative data. Using our assessment method, different risk factors can be ranked according to their contributions to the environmental risk, thereby allowing the calculation of their relative priorities during decision making. Thus, environmental decision-makers can use this approach to develop alternative management strategies for proposed, ongoing, and completed PG tailing dams. PMID:24382947

Environmental risk assessment system for phosphogypsum tailing dams.

PubMed

Sun, Xin; Ning, Ping; Tang, Xiaolong; Yi, Honghong; Li, Kai; Zhou, Lianbi; Xu, Xianmang

2013-01-01

This paper may be of particular interest to the readers as it provides a new environmental risk assessment system for phosphogypsum tailing dams. In this paper, we studied the phosphogypsum tailing dams which include characteristics of the pollution source, environmental risk characteristics and evaluation requirements to identify the applicable environmental risk assessment methods. Two analytical methods, that is, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy logic, were used to handle the complexity of the environmental and nonquantitative data. Using our assessment method, different risk factors can be ranked according to their contributions to the environmental risk, thereby allowing the calculation of their relative priorities during decision making. Thus, environmental decision-makers can use this approach to develop alternative management strategies for proposed, ongoing, and completed PG tailing dams.

Assessing and managing multiple risks in a changing world ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Roskilde University (Denmark) hosted a November 2015 workshop, Environmental Risk—Assessing and Managing Multiple Risks in a Changing World. This Focus article presents the consensus recommendations of 30 attendees from 9 countries regarding implementation of a common currency (ecosystem services) for holistic environmental risk assessment and management; improvements to risk assessment and management in a complex, human-modified, and changing world; appropriate development of protection goals in a 2-stage process; dealing with societal issues; risk-management information needs; conducting risk assessment of risk management; and development of adaptive and flexible regulatory systems. The authors encourage both cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to address their 10 recommendations: 1) adopt ecosystem services as a common currency for risk assessment and management; 2) consider cumulative stressors (chemical and nonchemical) and determine which dominate to best manage and restore ecosystem services; 3) fully integrate risk managers and communities of interest into the risk-assessment process; 4) fully integrate risk assessors and communities of interest into the risk-management process; 5) consider socioeconomics and increased transparency in both risk assessment and risk management; 6) recognize the ethical rights of humans and ecosystems to an adequate level of protection; 7) determine relevant reference conditions and the proper ecological c

Assessing and Managing Multiple Risks in a Changing World ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Roskilde University hosted a November 2015 workshop on “Environmental Risk – Assessing and Managing Multiple Risks in a Changing World”. Thirty attendees from 9 countries developed consensus recommendations regarding: implementation of a common currency (ecosystem services) for holistic environmental risk assessment and management; improvements to risk assessment and management in a complex, human-modified, and changing world; appropriate development of protection goals in a 2-stage process involving both universal and site-, region-, or problem-specific protection goals; addressing societal issues; risk management information needs; conducting risk assessment of risk management; and development of adaptive and flexible regulatory systems. We encourage both cross- and inter-disciplinary approaches to address 10 recommendations: 1) adopt ecosystem services as a common currency for risk assessment and management; 2) consider cumulative stressors (chemical and non-chemical) and determine which dominate to best manage and restore ecosystem services; 3) fully integrate risk managers and communities of interest into the risk assessment process; 4) fully integrate risk assessors and communities of interest into the risk management process; 5) consider socio-economics and increase transparency in both risk assessment and risk management; 6) recognize the ethical rights of humans and ecosystems to an adequate level of protection; 7) determine relevant reference con

System Dynamics Modeling of Transboundary Systems: The Bear River Basin Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gerald Sehlke; Jake Jacobson

2005-09-01

System dynamics is a computer-aided approach to evaluating the interrelationships of different components and activities within complex systems. Recently, system dynamics models have been developed in areas such as policy design, biological and medical modeling, energy and the environmental analysis, and in various other areas in the natural and social sciences. The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, a multi-purpose national laboratory managed by the Department of Energy, has developed a systems dynamics model in order to evaluate its utility for modeling large complex hydrological systems. We modeled the Bear River Basin, a transboundary basin that includes portions of Idaho,more » Utah and Wyoming. We found that system dynamics modeling is very useful for integrating surface water and groundwater data and for simulating the interactions between these sources within a given basin. In addition, we also found system dynamics modeling is useful for integrating complex hydrologic data with other information (e.g., policy, regulatory and management criteria) to produce a decision support system. Such decision support systems can allow managers and stakeholders to better visualize the key hydrologic elements and management constraints in the basin, which enables them to better understand the system via the simulation of multiple “what-if” scenarios. Although system dynamics models can be developed to conduct traditional hydraulic/hydrologic surface water or groundwater modeling, we believe that their strength lies in their ability to quickly evaluate trends and cause–effect relationships in large-scale hydrological systems; for integrating disparate data; for incorporating output from traditional hydraulic/hydrologic models; and for integration of interdisciplinary data, information and criteria to support better management decisions.« less

System Dynamics Modeling of Transboundary Systems: the Bear River Basin Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gerald Sehlke; Jacob J. Jacobson

2005-09-01

System dynamics is a computer-aided approach to evaluating the interrelationships of different components and activities within complex systems. Recently, system dynamics models have been developed in areas such as policy design, biological and medical modeling, energy and the environmental analysis, and in various other areas in the natural and social sciences. The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, a multi-purpose national laboratory managed by the Department of Energy, has developed a systems dynamics model in order to evaluate its utility for modeling large complex hydrological systems. We modeled the Bear River Basin, a transboundary basin that includes portions of Idaho,more » Utah and Wyoming. We found that system dynamics modeling is very useful for integrating surface water and ground water data and for simulating the interactions between these sources within a given basin. In addition, we also found system dynamics modeling is useful for integrating complex hydrologic data with other information (e.g., policy, regulatory and management criteria) to produce a decision support system. Such decision support systems can allow managers and stakeholders to better visualize the key hydrologic elements and management constraints in the basin, which enables them to better understand the system via the simulation of multiple “what-if” scenarios. Although system dynamics models can be developed to conduct traditional hydraulic/hydrologic surface water or ground water modeling, we believe that their strength lies in their ability to quickly evaluate trends and cause–effect relationships in large-scale hydrological systems; for integrating disparate data; for incorporating output from traditional hydraulic/hydrologic models; and for integration of interdisciplinary data, information and criteria to support better management decisions.« less

Utility of a thermal-based two-source energy balance model for estimating surface fluxes over complex landscapes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Many landscapes are comprised of a variety of vegetation types with different canopy structure, rooting depth, physiological characteristics, including response to environmental stressors, etc. Even in agricultural regions, different management practices, including crop rotations, irrigation schedu...

Promoting habitat complexity in second-growth forests.

Treesearch

Annette Bristol; Andrew B. Carey

2002-01-01

The following management tools can help meet multiple values—environmental, economic, and aesthetic—when used collectively and according to a well-devised plan.Cavity Tree CreationCoarse Woody Debris AugmentationUnderplantingConservation of Biological legaciesVariable-Density ThinningExtended...

Prototype smart phone application to report water quality conditions.

EPA Science Inventory

The EPA Pathfinder Innovation Project has identified that environmental managers are typically limited in their time and ability to use and handle satellite remote sensing data due to the file size and complexity in the data structures. Therefore this project developed the Mobil...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dorr, Kent A.; Ostrom, Michael J.; Freeman-Pollard, Jhivaun R.

CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) designed, constructed, commissioned, and began operation of the largest groundwater pump and treatment facility in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) nationwide complex. This one-of-a-kind groundwater pump and treatment facility, located at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation Site (Hanford Site) in Washington State, was built to an accelerated schedule with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. There were many contractual, technical, configuration management, quality, safety, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) challenges associated with the design, procurement, construction, and commissioning of this $95 million, 52,000 ft groundwater pump and treatment facility tomore » meet DOE’s mission objective of treating contaminated groundwater at the Hanford Site with a new facility by June 28, 2012. The project team’s successful integration of the project’s core values and green energy technology throughout design, procurement, construction, and start-up of this complex, first-of-its-kind Bio Process facility resulted in successful achievement of DOE’s mission objective, as well as attainment of LEED GOLD certification, which makes this Bio Process facility the first non-administrative building in the DOE Office of Environmental Management complex to earn such an award.« less

Environmental, Disaster and Crisis Management Strategies: Interdisciplinarity and Synergy in Postgraduate Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lekkas, Efthymis; Andreadakis, Emmanouil; Nomikou, Paraskevi; Antoniou, Varvara; Kapourani, Eleni; Papaspyropoulos, Konstantinos

2017-04-01

Environmental issues, disasters and crises have been showing an increasing complexity and interconnections in every level and aspect, thus requiring a holistic approach from simple problem solving to emergency management. Recent challenges include geographical and affected population escalation, complex or cascading disasters and interconnection of regional conflicts to transboundary social, political and environmental impact. One of the issues concerning the traditional management is competition or even antagonism between organizations, services and disciplines, from science to operations. In this context, a postgraduate program answering to these issues was designed in Greece, applying multidisciplinarity, crossdisciplinarity and interdisiplinarity, from teaching staff and tutors, to students, objects and fields of knowledge and research. The program offers a curriculum of lessons and disciplines integrating science, humanities, legislation, institutions and operations. Geosciences carry an inherent interdisciplinarity culture and a long tradition in the research of environment and disasters, along with their familiarity with the complexity of such issues. That is why the program "Environmental, Disaster and Crisis Management Strategies" was organized by the Department of Geology and Geoenvironment of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, but involves social scientists, emergency operators, medical scientists etc. The program aims at the diffusion of basic principles and tools of all related disciplines and develops a common ground and a communication language with the least barriers, and the building of trust and understanding between all parties involved. The curriculum is designed so that professionals of all disciplines and industries are able to attend without interrupting their other activities, while pursuing their personal scientific and professional educational goals and interests through selection of lessons and thesis subject. As a result, admitted students come, in a large percentage, from services and authorities involved in environmental, disaster and crisis management issues (for example fire service, police, armed forces, ministries, local administration etc) apart from graduate students continuing their studies. An added value of the program has been observed the development of a critical mass of personnel of these organizations and young scientists with increased connectivity, extending from simple acquaintance to cooperation and trust and synergy development of the services themselves. This is a promising condition for a more effective risk and emergency management in a context of ethical and responsible practices. The curriculum comprises live or online lectures, asynchronous education with exercises and essay writing, seminars on tools such as related GIS and SPSS applications, and applied field exercises on both scientific and emergency management subjects. The program completed the second year of function, and was upgraded after internal and external evaluation, to adjust to new fields, ideas and challenges and include students' suggestions. More than one hundred students have graduated so far, and another 350 are currently attending. The program, which originally available in Greek, is going to be available in English starting September 2017, and is open for applications, and presented at: http://www.edcm.edu.gr

Implementation of Environmental Flows for Intermittent River Systems: Adaptive Management and Stakeholder Participation Facilitate Implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conallin, John; Wilson, Emma; Campbell, Josh

2018-03-01

Anthropogenic pressure on freshwater ecosystems is increasing, and often leading to unacceptable social-ecological outcomes. This is even more prevalent in intermittent river systems where many are already heavily modified, or human encroachment is increasing. Although adaptive management approaches have the potential to aid in providing the framework to consider the complexities of intermittent river systems and improve utility within the management of these systems, success has been variable. This paper looks at the application of an adaptive management pilot project within an environmental flows program in an intermittent stream (Tuppal Creek) in the Murray Darling Basin, Australia. The program focused on stakeholder involvement, participatory decision-making, and simple monitoring as the basis of an adaptive management approach. The approach found that by building trust and ownership through concentrating on inclusiveness and transparency, partnerships between government agencies and landholders were developed. This facilitated a willingness to accept greater risks and unintended consequences allowing implementation to occur.

A thematic review of life cycle assessment (LCA) applied to pig production

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McAuliffe, Graham A., E-mail: g.a.mcauliffe@umail.ucc.ie; School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork; Chapman, Deborah V.

Commercial livestock production is known to have significant impacts on the environment. Pig production is a complex system which involves the production of animal feed, transportation, animal rearing and waste management. One tool for assessing the environmental performance of such complex systems is life cycle assessment (LCA). LCA has been applied to pig production considerably to date. This paper provides a chronological review of state-of-the-art pig production LCAs under three themes: feed production; entire-system livestock rearing; and waste management. The study considers how LCA applications have addressed technological improvements in animal husbandry, and highlights methodological limitations, particularly related to cross-studymore » comparisons. Recent research demonstrates crude protein reduction in feed and anaerobic treatment of pig excreta resulting in bioenergy production are the key targets for environmental performance improvements related to pig production. - Highlights: • An extensive review of LCA applied to pig production is provided chronologically over the past decade. • Individual studies have been categorised into feed, whole-system pig production and waste management themes. • We consider how LCAs have addressed state-of-the-art pig husbandry. • We offer a discussion on key findings, limitations and future research.« less

Environmental Impact Analysis Process. Volume 3. Preliminary Final Environmental Impact Statement Construction and Operation of Space Launch Complex 7

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-10-23

817) 824-5606. Reelfoot Lake Water Level believes that the proposed timber EIS No. 890197. Final, USA. UT, Tooele Management Plan. Implementation...2: Incidenial lake erit The potential need for an incidental take permit is discussed in Section 4.4.1, Regional Environment. Comment No. 3...and Crow Indian Tribes. Yellowstone, E02, Lake Catamount ResortAvailability Big Horn and Rosebud Counties, MT, Construction. Special Use Permit

Spatial management of fisheries in the mediterranean sea: problematic issues and a few success stories.

PubMed

Pipitone, Carlo; Badalamenti, Fabio; Vega Fernández, Tomás; D'Anna, Giovanni

2014-01-01

Fishing has been important in the Mediterranean region for many centuries and still has a central role in its economic importance and cultural heritage. A multitude of fishery-oriented marine managed areas have been implemented under a highly complex political and legislative framework to protect fishery resources and sensitive habitats from high impact uses. However, a review of the literature revealed that few data are available to support their effectiveness, except for a few studies on fishery reserves and marine reserves. In these cases, fish biomass has increased and some evidence of ecological and socioeconomic benefits has been documented. The environmental and geopolitical complexity of the Mediterranean region as well as the dominant top-down management approaches, constitute the weakest points in the spatial management of fisheries at regional level. A coordinating role of all national and supranational bodies present in the area is desirable in the near future.

If two heads are better than one, why do I have bruises on my forehead? Managing the group process.

PubMed

Miner, F C

1991-01-01

Managers are using groups more frequently for solving complex organizational problems because of numerous organizational and environmental factors. Yet, many managers see group decision-making meetings as more of a problem than a solution. This article discusses situations where groups should and should not be used and recommends specific skills a leader can use to improve the effectiveness of group decision making. Emphasis is placed on managing the group process to achieve a satisfactory outcome. An exercise to test the validity of the suggestions is provided.

ANALYTICAL TOOL INTERFACE FOR LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENTS (ATIILA): AN ARCVIEW EXTENSION FOR THE ANALYSIS OF LANDSCAPE PATTERNS, COMPOSITION, AND STRUCTURE

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental management practices are trending away from simple, local- scale assessments toward complex, multiple-stressor regional assessments. Landscape ecology provides the theory behind these assessments while geographic information systems (GIS) supply the tools to impleme...

FLOOD MANAGEMENT: A CASE STUDY TO LINK SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

EPA Science Inventory

Human living standards are inextricably linked through the economy to the integrity of the natural resources from which they are derived. The complex trade-offs needed to shape sustainable living standards will require a much greater ability to predict the consequences of public...

DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE OF COVER SYSTEMS FOR HAZARDOUS WASTE: AN ENGINEERING GUIDANCE DOCUMENT

EPA Science Inventory

Engineering for cover over solid hazardous waste addresses complex interactions among many technical, environmental, and economical factors. The document emphasizes the special characteristics of solid waste management as they bear on the cover system while at the same time stres...

Finding the Maine Story in Hugh Cumbersome National Monitoring Datasets

EPA Science Inventory

What’s a manager, analyst, or concerned citizen to do with the complex datasets generated by State and Federal monitoring efforts? Is it possible to use such information to address Maine’s environmental issues without having a degree in informatics and statistics? This presentati...

Continuous evapotranspiration monitoring and water stress at watershed scale in a Mediterranean oak savanna

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The regular monitoring of the evapotranspiration rates and their links with vegetation conditions and soil moisture may support management and hydrological planning leading to reduce the economic and environmental vulnerability of complex water-controlled Mediterranean ecosystems. In this work, the ...

Managing Knowledge to Save the Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bundy, McGeorge

Discussed are the ways in which modern data analysis can increase understanding of complex interrelationships in natural and manmade systems, thus enhancing the rationality of decision-making. Examples are given of predictions made from economic and ecological models. The need for international cooperation on environmental questions is discussed…

SWMM 5 - A Case Study of Model Re-Development

EPA Science Inventory

By the turn of the 21st century the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) already had a 30-year history of extensive use throughout the world for analyzing complex hydrologic, hydraulic, and water quality problems related to urban draina...

The Integrated Farm System Model: A Tool for Whole Farm Nutrient Management Analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

With tighter profit margins and increasing environmental constraints, strategic planning of farm production systems is becoming both more important and more difficult. This is especially true for integrated crop and animal production systems. Animal production is complex with a number of interacting...

Optimizing water resources management in large river basins with integrated surface water-groundwater modeling: A surrogate-based approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Bin; Zheng, Yi; Wu, Xin; Tian, Yong; Han, Feng; Liu, Jie; Zheng, Chunmiao

2015-04-01

Integrated surface water-groundwater modeling can provide a comprehensive and coherent understanding on basin-scale water cycle, but its high computational cost has impeded its application in real-world management. This study developed a new surrogate-based approach, SOIM (Surrogate-based Optimization for Integrated surface water-groundwater Modeling), to incorporate the integrated modeling into water management optimization. Its applicability and advantages were evaluated and validated through an optimization research on the conjunctive use of surface water (SW) and groundwater (GW) for irrigation in a semiarid region in northwest China. GSFLOW, an integrated SW-GW model developed by USGS, was employed. The study results show that, due to the strong and complicated SW-GW interactions, basin-scale water saving could be achieved by spatially optimizing the ratios of groundwater use in different irrigation districts. The water-saving potential essentially stems from the reduction of nonbeneficial evapotranspiration from the aqueduct system and shallow groundwater, and its magnitude largely depends on both water management schemes and hydrological conditions. Important implications for water resources management in general include: first, environmental flow regulation needs to take into account interannual variation of hydrological conditions, as well as spatial complexity of SW-GW interactions; and second, to resolve water use conflicts between upper stream and lower stream, a system approach is highly desired to reflect ecological, economic, and social concerns in water management decisions. Overall, this study highlights that surrogate-based approaches like SOIM represent a promising solution to filling the gap between complex environmental modeling and real-world management decision-making.

Environmental Assessment for Pond Target at the South Range of the Utah Test and Training Range

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-11-01

Christenson, 1988 , Shallow Ground Water and Related Hazards in Utah) Mr. Marcus Blood, the Hill AFB Natural Resources Manager, has reported a shallow...Christenson, 1988 , Shallow Ground Water and Related Hazards in Utah) Mr. Marcus Blood, the Hill AFB Natural Resources Manager, has reported a shallow...Complex Cultural Resource Inventory, Wendover Air Force Range, Tooele County, Utah, March 1999. Cronquist , A ., Holmgren, A.H., Holmgren, N.H

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holzemer, Michael J.; Hart, Edward

Hazardous Waste Management Act/Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Storage and Treatment Permit Reapplication for the Idaho National Laboratory Materials and Fuels Complex Hazardous Waste Management Act/Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Partial Permit, PER-116. This Permit Reapplication is required by the PER-116 Permit Conditions I.G. and I.H., and must be submitted to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality in accordance with IDAPA 58.01.05.012 [40 CFR §§ 270.10 and 270.13 through 270.29].

A Distributed Value of Information (VoI)-Based Approach for Mission-Adaptive Context-Aware Information Management and Presentation

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-16

metrics involve regulating automation of complex systems , such as aircraft .12 Additionally, adaptive management of content in user interfaces has also...both the user and environmental context would aid in deciding how to present the information to the Warfighter. The prototype system currently...positioning system , and rate sensors can provide user - specific context to disambiguate physiologic data. The consumer “quantified self” market has driven

A laboratory information management system for the analysis of tritium (3H) in environmental waters.

PubMed

Belachew, Dagnachew Legesse; Terzer-Wassmuth, Stefan; Wassenaar, Leonard I; Klaus, Philipp M; Copia, Lorenzo; Araguás, Luis J Araguás; Aggarwal, Pradeep

2018-07-01

Accurate and precise measurements of low levels of tritium ( 3 H) in environmental waters are difficult to attain due to complex steps of sample preparation, electrolytic enrichment, liquid scintillation decay counting, and extensive data processing. We present a Microsoft Access™ relational database application, TRIMS (Tritium Information Management System) to assist with sample and data processing of tritium analysis by managing the processes from sample registration and analysis to reporting and archiving. A complete uncertainty propagation algorithm ensures tritium results are reported with robust uncertainty metrics. TRIMS will help to increase laboratory productivity and improve the accuracy and precision of 3 H assays. The software supports several enrichment protocols and LSC counter types. TRIMS is available for download at no cost from the IAEA at www.iaea.org/water. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental Projects. Volume 8: Modifications of wastewater evaporation ponds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC), located in the Mojave Desert about 45 miles north of Barstow, California, and about 160 miles northeast of Pasadena, is part of NASA's Deep Space Network, one of the world's largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications and radio navigation networks. The Goldstone Complex is managed, technically directed, and operated for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. Activities at the GDSCC are carried out in support of seven parabolic dish antennas. These activities may give rise to environmental hazards: use of hazardous chemicals, asbestos, and underground storage tanks as well as the generation of hazardous wastes and the disposal of wastewater. Federal, state, and local laws governing the management of hazardous substances, asbestos, underground storage tanks and wastewater disposal have become so complex there is a need to devise specific programs to comply with the many regulations that implement these laws. In support of the national goal of the preservation of the environment and the protection of human health and safety, NASA, JPL, and the GDSCC have adopted a position that their operating installations shall maintain a high level of compliance with these laws. One of the environmental problems at the GDSCC involved four active, operational, wastewater evaporation ponds designed to receive and evaporate sewage effluent from upstream septic tank systems. One pair of active wastewater evaporation ponds is located at Echo Site, while another operational pair is at Mars Site.

Towards a virtual observatory for ecosystem services and poverty alleviation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buytaert, W.; Baez, S.; Cuesta, F.; Veliz Rosas, C.

2010-12-01

Over the last decades, near real-time environmental observation, technical advances in computer power and cyber-infrastructure, and the development of environmental software algorithms have increased dramatically. The integration of these evolutions, which is commonly referred to as the establishment of a virtual observatory, is one of the major challenges of the next decade for environmental sciences. Worldwide, many coordinated activities are ongoing to make this integration a reality. However, far less attention is paid to the question of how these developments can benefit environmental services management in a poverty alleviation context. Such projects are typically faced with issues of large predictive uncertainties, limited resources, limited local scientific capacity. At the same time, the complexity of the socio-economic contexts requires a very strong bottom-up oriented and interdisciplinary approach to environmental data collection and processing. In this study, we present three natural resources management cases in the Andes and the Amazon basin, and investigate how "virtual observatory" technology can improve ecosystem management. Each of these case studies present scientific challenges in terms of model coupling, real-time data assimilation and visualisation for management purposes. The first project deals with water resources management in the Peruvian Andes. Using a rainfall-runoff model, novel visualisations are used to give farmers insight in the water production and regulation capacity of their catchments, which can then be linked to land management practices such as conservation agriculture, wetland protection and grazing density control. In a project in the Amazonian floodplains, optimal allocation of the nesting availability and quality of the giant freshwater turtle are determined using a combined hydraulic model and weather forecasts. Finally, in the rainforest of the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, Ecuador, biodiversity models are used to quantify the impacts of hunting and logging on community composition and wildlife populations.

Environmental Behavior's Dirty Secret: The Prevalence of Waste Management in Discussions of Environmental Concern and Action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gould, Rachelle K.; Ardoin, Nicole M.; Biggar, Matt; Cravens, Amanda E.; Wojcik, Deb

2016-08-01

Humankind and the planet face many thorny environmentally related challenges that require a range of responses, including changing behaviors related to transportation, eating habits, purchasing, and myriad other aspects of life. Using data from a 1201-person survey and 14 Community Listening Sessions (CLSs), we explore people's perceptions of and actions taken to protect the environment. Our data indicate a striking prevalence of waste management-related actions. Survey respondents described actions and concerns related to trash, recycling, and composting as the most common environmental behaviors; similarly, participants in CLSs discussed waste-related topics, for which we did not prompt, as frequently as those topics for which we specifically prompted. Explanations for this prevalence emerging from the data include (1) the nature of waste-related behaviors (concrete, supported by infrastructure, simple, compatible with lifestyle); (2) norms and social dynamics (family interactions, feelings of belonging/participation, government policy); and (3) internal psychological processes (internalized norms and environmental concern). We also found that many waste-related discussions were relatively superficial, focusing on immediate waste-related issues (e.g., litter or recycling) rather than larger issues such as consumption. Our results may provide insight into future efforts to encourage pro-environmental behavior. Given that most pro-environmental behavior involves tasks more complex and lifestyle-changing than those related to simple aspects of waste management, we suggest focusing on the latter two intertwined categories that our data suggest are important: encouraging social dynamics and related development of norms concerning environmental behavior (category 2), and fostering internalized norms and environmental concern (category 3).

Environmental Behavior's Dirty Secret: The Prevalence of Waste Management in Discussions of Environmental Concern and Action.

PubMed

Gould, Rachelle K; Ardoin, Nicole M; Biggar, Matt; Cravens, Amanda E; Wojcik, Deb

2016-08-01

Humankind and the planet face many thorny environmentally related challenges that require a range of responses, including changing behaviors related to transportation, eating habits, purchasing, and myriad other aspects of life. Using data from a 1201-person survey and 14 Community Listening Sessions (CLSs), we explore people's perceptions of and actions taken to protect the environment. Our data indicate a striking prevalence of waste management-related actions. Survey respondents described actions and concerns related to trash, recycling, and composting as the most common environmental behaviors; similarly, participants in CLSs discussed waste-related topics, for which we did not prompt, as frequently as those topics for which we specifically prompted. Explanations for this prevalence emerging from the data include (1) the nature of waste-related behaviors (concrete, supported by infrastructure, simple, compatible with lifestyle); (2) norms and social dynamics (family interactions, feelings of belonging/participation, government policy); and (3) internal psychological processes (internalized norms and environmental concern). We also found that many waste-related discussions were relatively superficial, focusing on immediate waste-related issues (e.g., litter or recycling) rather than larger issues such as consumption. Our results may provide insight into future efforts to encourage pro-environmental behavior. Given that most pro-environmental behavior involves tasks more complex and lifestyle-changing than those related to simple aspects of waste management, we suggest focusing on the latter two intertwined categories that our data suggest are important: encouraging social dynamics and related development of norms concerning environmental behavior (category 2), and fostering internalized norms and environmental concern (category 3).

Participatory approaches to understanding practices of flood management across borders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bracken, L. J.; Forrester, J.; Oughton, E. A.; Cinderby, S.; Donaldson, A.; Anness, L.; Passmore, D.

2012-04-01

The aim of this paper is to outline and present initial results from a study designed to identify principles of and practices for adaptive co-management strategies for resilience to flooding in borderlands using participatory methods. Borderlands are the complex and sometimes undefined spaces existing at the interface of different territories and draws attention towards messy connections and disconnections (Strathern 2004; Sassen 2006). For this project the borderlands concerned are those between professional and lay knowledge, between responsible agencies, and between one nation and another. Research was focused on the River Tweed catchment, located on the Scottish-English border. This catchment is subject to complex environmental designations and rural development regimes that make integrated management of the whole catchment difficult. A multi-method approach was developed using semi-structured interviews, Q methodology and participatory GIS in order to capture wide ranging practices for managing flooding, the judgements behind these practices and to 'scale up' participation in the study. Professionals and local experts were involved in the research. The methodology generated a useful set of options for flood management, with research outputs easily understood by key management organisations and the wider public alike. There was a wide endorsement of alternative flood management solutions from both managers and local experts. The role of location was particularly important for ensuring communication and data sharing between flood managers from different organisations and more wide ranging stakeholders. There were complex issues around scale; both the mismatch between communities and evidence of flooding and the mismatch between governance and scale of intervention for natural flood management. The multi-method approach was essential in capturing practice and the complexities around governance of flooding. The involvement of key flood management organisations was integral to making the research of relevance to professionals.

Problem Formulation in Knowledge Discovery via Data Analytics (KDDA) for Environmental Risk Management

PubMed Central

Li, Yan; Thomas, Manoj; Osei-Bryson, Kweku-Muata; Levy, Jason

2016-01-01

With the growing popularity of data analytics and data science in the field of environmental risk management, a formalized Knowledge Discovery via Data Analytics (KDDA) process that incorporates all applicable analytical techniques for a specific environmental risk management problem is essential. In this emerging field, there is limited research dealing with the use of decision support to elicit environmental risk management (ERM) objectives and identify analytical goals from ERM decision makers. In this paper, we address problem formulation in the ERM understanding phase of the KDDA process. We build a DM3 ontology to capture ERM objectives and to inference analytical goals and associated analytical techniques. A framework to assist decision making in the problem formulation process is developed. It is shown how the ontology-based knowledge system can provide structured guidance to retrieve relevant knowledge during problem formulation. The importance of not only operationalizing the KDDA approach in a real-world environment but also evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed procedure is emphasized. We demonstrate how ontology inferencing may be used to discover analytical goals and techniques by conceptualizing Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) exposure shifts based on a multilevel analysis of the level of urbanization (and related economic activity) and the degree of Socio-Economic Deprivation (SED) at the local neighborhood level. The HAPs case highlights not only the role of complexity in problem formulation but also the need for integrating data from multiple sources and the importance of employing appropriate KDDA modeling techniques. Challenges and opportunities for KDDA are summarized with an emphasis on environmental risk management and HAPs. PMID:27983713

Problem Formulation in Knowledge Discovery via Data Analytics (KDDA) for Environmental Risk Management.

PubMed

Li, Yan; Thomas, Manoj; Osei-Bryson, Kweku-Muata; Levy, Jason

2016-12-15

With the growing popularity of data analytics and data science in the field of environmental risk management, a formalized Knowledge Discovery via Data Analytics (KDDA) process that incorporates all applicable analytical techniques for a specific environmental risk management problem is essential. In this emerging field, there is limited research dealing with the use of decision support to elicit environmental risk management (ERM) objectives and identify analytical goals from ERM decision makers. In this paper, we address problem formulation in the ERM understanding phase of the KDDA process. We build a DM³ ontology to capture ERM objectives and to inference analytical goals and associated analytical techniques. A framework to assist decision making in the problem formulation process is developed. It is shown how the ontology-based knowledge system can provide structured guidance to retrieve relevant knowledge during problem formulation. The importance of not only operationalizing the KDDA approach in a real-world environment but also evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed procedure is emphasized. We demonstrate how ontology inferencing may be used to discover analytical goals and techniques by conceptualizing Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) exposure shifts based on a multilevel analysis of the level of urbanization (and related economic activity) and the degree of Socio-Economic Deprivation (SED) at the local neighborhood level. The HAPs case highlights not only the role of complexity in problem formulation but also the need for integrating data from multiple sources and the importance of employing appropriate KDDA modeling techniques. Challenges and opportunities for KDDA are summarized with an emphasis on environmental risk management and HAPs.

Interactive effects among ecosystem services and management practices on crop production: Pollination in coffee agroforestry systems

PubMed Central

Boreux, Virginie; Kushalappa, Cheppudira G.; Vaast, Philippe; Ghazoul, Jaboury

2013-01-01

Crop productivity is improved by ecosystem services, including pollination, but this should be set in the context of trade-offs among multiple management practices. We investigated the impact of pollination services on coffee production, considering variation in fertilization, irrigation, shade cover, and environmental variables such as rainfall (which stimulates coffee flowering across all plantations), soil pH, and nitrogen availability. After accounting for management interventions, bee abundance improved coffee production (number of berries harvested). Some management interventions, such as irrigation, used once to trigger asynchronous flowering, dramatically increased bee abundance at coffee trees. Others, such as the extent and type of tree cover, revealed interacting effects on pollination and, ultimately, crop production. The effects of management interventions, notably irrigation and addition of lime, had, however, far more substantial positive effects on coffee production than tree cover. These results suggest that pollination services matter, but managing the asynchrony of flowering was a more effective tool for securing good pollination than maintaining high shade tree densities as pollinator habitat. Complex interactions across farm and landscape scales, including both management practices and environmental conditions, shape pollination outcomes. Effective production systems therefore require the integrated consideration of management practices in the context of the surrounding habitat structure. This paper points toward a more strategic use of ecosystem services in agricultural systems, where ecosystem services are shaped by the coupling of management interventions and environmental variables. PMID:23671073

NRC says integrated approach needed to understand, protect environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolb, Charles E.; Loehr, Raymond C.; Gopnik, Morgan

A recent study by the National Research Council (NRC) advocates a more comprehensive and integrated approach to our nation's environmental research and development (R&D) activities. Because we face environmental problems of unprecedented complexity, the study maintains that the traditional practice of studying isolated environmental problems and devising narrowly focused control or remediation strategies to manage them will no longer suffice.In the report, Building a Foundation for Sound Environmental Decisions [National Academy Press, 1997], an NRC committee highlighted the need for developing a deeper scientific understanding of ecosystems, as well as the sociological and economic aspects of human interactions with the environment. To achieve these goals, the committee recommended a core research agenda for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that has three components.

Soil biodiversity and human health

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wall, Diana H.; Nielsen, Uffe N.; Six, Johan

2015-12-01

Soil biodiversity is increasingly recognized as providing benefits to human health because it can suppress disease-causing soil organisms and provide clean air, water and food. Poor land-management practices and environmental change are, however, affecting belowground communities globally, and the resulting declines in soil biodiversity reduce and impair these benefits. Importantly, current research indicates that soil biodiversity can be maintained and partially restored if managed sustainably. Promoting the ecological complexity and robustness of soil biodiversity through improved management practices represents an underutilized resource with the ability to improve human health.

Identifying the groundwater basin boundaries, using environmental isotopes: a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demiroğlu, Muhterem

2017-06-01

Groundwater, which is renewable under current climatic conditions separately from other natural sources, in fact is a finite resource in terms of quality and fossil groundwater. Researchers have long emphasized the necessity of exploiting, operating, conserving and managing groundwater in an efficient and sustainable manner with an integrated water management approach. The management of groundwater needs reliable information about changes on groundwater quantity and quality. Environmental isotopes are the most important tools to provide this support. No matter which method we use to calculate the groundwater budget and flow equations, we need to determine boundary conditions or the physical boundaries of the domain. The Groundwater divide line or basin boundaries that separate the two adjacent basin recharge areas from each other must be drawn correctly to be successful in defining complex groundwater basin boundary conditions. Environmental isotope data, as well as other methods provide support for determining recharge areas of the aquifers, especially for karst aquifers, residence time and interconnections between aquifer systems. This study demonstrates the use of environmental isotope data to interpret and correct groundwater basin boundaries giving as an example the Yeniçıkrı basin within the main Sakarya basin.

Conscious worst case definition for risk assessment, part I: a knowledge mapping approach for defining most critical risk factors in integrative risk management of chemicals and nanomaterials.

PubMed

Sørensen, Peter B; Thomsen, Marianne; Assmuth, Timo; Grieger, Khara D; Baun, Anders

2010-08-15

This paper helps bridge the gap between scientists and other stakeholders in the areas of human and environmental risk management of chemicals and engineered nanomaterials. This connection is needed due to the evolution of stakeholder awareness and scientific progress related to human and environmental health which involves complex methodological demands on risk management. At the same time, the available scientific knowledge is also becoming more scattered across multiple scientific disciplines. Hence, the understanding of potentially risky situations is increasingly multifaceted, which again challenges risk assessors in terms of giving the 'right' relative priority to the multitude of contributing risk factors. A critical issue is therefore to develop procedures that can identify and evaluate worst case risk conditions which may be input to risk level predictions. Therefore, this paper suggests a conceptual modelling procedure that is able to define appropriate worst case conditions in complex risk management. The result of the analysis is an assembly of system models, denoted the Worst Case Definition (WCD) model, to set up and evaluate the conditions of multi-dimensional risk identification and risk quantification. The model can help optimize risk assessment planning by initial screening level analyses and guiding quantitative assessment in relation to knowledge needs for better decision support concerning environmental and human health protection or risk reduction. The WCD model facilitates the evaluation of fundamental uncertainty using knowledge mapping principles and techniques in a way that can improve a complete uncertainty analysis. Ultimately, the WCD is applicable for describing risk contributing factors in relation to many different types of risk management problems since it transparently and effectively handles assumptions and definitions and allows the integration of different forms of knowledge, thereby supporting the inclusion of multifaceted risk components in cumulative risk management. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Building Common Ground for Environmental Flows using Traditional Techniques and Novel Engagement Approaches.

PubMed

Mott Lacroix, Kelly E; Xiu, Brittany C; Megdal, Sharon B

2016-04-01

Despite increased understanding of the science of environmental flows, identification and implementation of effective environmental flow policies remains elusive. Perhaps the greatest barrier to implementing flow policies is the framework for water management. An alternative management approach is needed when legal rights for environmental flows do not exist, or are ineffective at protecting ecosystems. The research presented here, conducted in the U.S. state of Arizona, provides an empirical example of engagement to promote social learning as an approach to finding ways to provide water for the environment where legal rights for environmental flows are inadequate. Based on our engagement process we propose that identifying and then building common ground require attention to the process of analyzing qualitative data and the methods for displaying complex information, two aspects not frequently discussed in the social learning or stakeholder engagement literature. The results and methods from this study can help communities develop an engagement process that will find and build common ground, increase stakeholder involvement, and identify innovative solutions to provide water for the environment that reflect the concerns of current water users.

Collaborative-Large scale Engineering Assessment Networks for Environmental Research: The Overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moo-Young, H.

2004-05-01

A networked infrastructure for engineering solutions and policy alternatives is necessary to assess, manage, and protect complex, anthropogenic ally stressed environmental resources effectively. Reductionist and discrete disciplinary methodologies are no longer adequate to evaluate and model complex environmental systems and anthropogenic stresses. While the reductonist approach provides important information regarding individual mechanisms, it cannot provide complete information about how multiple processes are related. Therefore, it is not possible to make accurate predictions about system responses to engineering interventions and the effectiveness of policy options. For example, experts cannot agree on best management strategies for contaminated sediments in riverine and estuarine systems. This is due, in part to the fact that existing models do not accurately capture integrated system dynamics. In addition, infrastructure is not available for investigators to exchange and archive data, to collaborate on new investigative methods, and to synthesize these results to develop engineering solutions and policy alternatives. Our vision for the future is to create a network comprising field facilities and a collaboration of engineers, scientists, policy makers, and community groups. This will allow integration across disciplines, across different temporal and spatial scales, surface and subsurface geographies, and air sheds and watersheds. Benefits include fast response to changes in system health, real-time decision making, and continuous data collection that can be used to anticipate future problems, and to develop sound engineering solutions and management decisions. CLEANER encompasses four general aspects: 1) A Network of environmental field facilities instrumented for the acquisition and analysis of environmental data; 2) A Virtual Repository of Data and information technology for engineering modeling, analysis and visualization of data, i.e. an environmental cyber-infrastructure; 3) A Mechanism for multidisciplinary research and education activities designed to exploit the output of the instrumented sites and networked information technology, to formulate engineering and policy options directed toward the protection, remediation, and restoration of stressed environments and sustainability of environmental resources; and 4) A Collaboration among engineers, natural and social scientists, educators, policy makers, industry, non-governmental organizations, the public, and other stakeholders.

AANA Journal course: update for nurse anesthetists--ERR WATCH: anesthesia crisis resource management from the nurse anesthetist's perspective.

PubMed

Fletcher, J L

1998-12-01

Anesthesia crisis resource management (ACRM) was developed by David Gaba, MD, and colleagues at Stanford University in the early 1990s. Derived from cockpit resource management of the aviation industry, ACRM addresses the issues of human performance and patient safety in anesthesia. Due to the inherent complexity of our dynamic work environment, we are frequently faced with situations that could escalate into critical incidents. ACRM explains the role of personal and environmental factors that can contribute to the evolution of critical incidents and provides the practitioner with some behavioral and intellectual guidelines to manage the risks more effectively. ERR WATCH is an acronym I developed to interpret the principles of ACRM from the nurse anesthetist's perspective. It provides a quick review of the major principles of ACRM, which are Environment, Resources, Reevaluation, Workload, Attention, Teamwork, Communication, and Help. Used together with good clinical management, these principles may provide an edge in solving complex problems and improving performance.

A social–ecological perspective for riverscape management in the Columbia River Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hand, Brian K.; Flint, Courtney G.; Frissell, Chris A.; Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Devlin, Shawn P.; Kennedy, Brian P.; Crabtree, Robert L.; McKee, W. Arthur; Luikart, Gordon; Stanford, Jack A.

2018-01-01

Riverscapes are complex, landscape-scale mosaics of connected river and stream habitats embedded in diverse ecological and socioeconomic settings. Social–ecological interactions among stakeholders often complicate natural-resource conservation and management of riverscapes. The management challenges posed by the conservation and restoration of wild salmonid populations in the Columbia River Basin (CRB) of western North America are one such example. Because of their ecological, cultural, and socioeconomic importance, salmonids present a complex management landscape due to interacting environmental factors (eg climate change, invasive species) as well as socioeconomic and political factors (eg dams, hatcheries, land-use change, transboundary agreements). Many of the problems in the CRB can be linked to social–ecological interactions occurring within integrated ecological, human–social, and regional–climatic spheres. Future management and conservation of salmonid populations therefore depends on how well the issues are understood and whether they can be resolved through effective communication and collaboration among ecologists, social scientists, stakeholders, and policy makers.

Learning to See the (W)holes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Barbara A.; Jordan, Thomas M.

2006-01-01

Business managers are faced with complex decisions involving a wide range of issues--technical, social, environmental, and financial--and their interaction. Our education system focuses heavily on presenting structured problems and teaching students to apply a set of tools or methods to solve these problems. Yet the most difficult thing to teach…

Disentangling the pathways of land use impacts on the functional structure of fish assemblages in Amazon streams

EPA Science Inventory

Agricultural land use is a primary driver of environmental impacts on streams. However, the causal processes that shape these impacts operate through multiple pathways and at several spatial scales. This complexity undermines the development of more effective management approache...

Are Water-Related Leadership Development Programs Designed to Be Effective? An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burbach, Mark E.; Floress, Kristin; Kaufman, Eric K.

2015-01-01

Water resource professionals and others involved in managing water resources face increasingly complex challenges. Effective leadership development programs are needed to produce water leaders who can address these challenges. Leadership programs must be designed not simply to increase participants' environmental and leadership knowledge but to…

Integrated description of agricultural field experiments and production: the ICASA version 2.0 data standards

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agricultural research increasingly seeks to quantify complex interactions of processes for a wide range of environmental conditions and crop management scenarios, leading to investigation where multiple sets of experimental data are examined using tools such as simulation and regression. The use of ...

Evolving approaches toward science based forest management.

Treesearch

Robert C. Szaro; Charles E. Peterson

2004-01-01

The sale, scope, and complexity of natural resource and environmental issues have dramatically increased, yet the urgency to solve these issues often requires immediate information that spans disciplinary boundaries, synthesizes material from a variety of sources, draws inferences, and identifies levels of confidence. Although science information and knowledge are only...

Farms and Learning Partnerships in Farming Systems Projects: A Response to the Challenges of Complexity in Agricultural Innovation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Anne; Nettle, Ruth; Paine, Mark; Kabore, Carolyn

2007-01-01

Managing the competing interests of productivity growth, environmental concerns, landscape change and societal expectations presents challenges for agricultural industries. Innovation projects supporting knowledge development to address these challenges often involve partnerships with commercial farms, a methodology which promises much but has…

Decision Making for the Environment: Social and Behavioral Science Research Priorities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brewer, Garry D., Ed.; Stern, Paul C., Ed.

2005-01-01

With the growing number, complexity, and importance of environmental problems come demands to include a full range of intellectual disciplines and scholarly traditions to help define and eventually manage such problems more effectively. "Decision Making for the Environment: Social and Behavioral Science Research Priorities" is the result…

Designing, Implementing and Evaluating a Consultancy Approach to Teaching Environmental Management to Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beavis, Sara; Beckmann, Elizabeth A.

2012-01-01

What are the benefits of engaging undergraduate students with authentic, inquiry-based curricula that develop transdisciplinary research skills? Internationally, many educators believe that research-active curricula help students better understand how scientific and technological concepts underlie the complexities of our world, especially in the…

77 FR 77076 - Environmental Impacts Statements; Notice of Availability

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-31

...-557-5107. EIS No. 20120397, Final EIS, BLM, AK, National Petroleum Reserve-- Alaska (NPR-A) Integrated.... EIS No. 20120398, Final EIS, NPS, WI, Ice Age Complex at Cross Plains General Management Plan... Flood Risk in the Sutter Basin, Sutter and Butte Counties, CA, Comment Period Ends: 02/13/2013, Contact...

Decision making in a human population living sustainably.

PubMed

Hicks, John S; Burgman, Mark A; Marewski, Julian N; Fidler, Fiona; Gigerenzer, Gerd

2012-10-01

The Tiwi people of northern Australia have managed natural resources continuously for 6000-8000 years. Tiwi management objectives and outcomes may reflect how they gather information about the environment. We qualitatively analyzed Tiwi documents and management techniques to examine the relation between the social and physical environment of decision makers and their decision-making strategies. We hypothesized that principles of bounded rationality, namely, the use of efficient rules to navigate complex decision problems, explain how Tiwi managers use simple decision strategies (i.e., heuristics) to make robust decisions. Tiwi natural resource managers reduced complexity in decision making through a process that gathers incomplete and uncertain information to quickly guide decisions toward effective outcomes. They used management feedback to validate decisions through an information loop that resulted in long-term sustainability of environmental use. We examined the Tiwi decision-making processes relative to management of barramundi (Lates calcarifer) fisheries and contrasted their management with the state government's management of barramundi. Decisions that enhanced the status of individual people and their attainment of aspiration levels resulted in reliable resource availability for Tiwi consumers. Different decision processes adopted by the state for management of barramundi may not secure similarly sustainable outcomes. ©2012 Society for Conservation Biology.

Adaptive Management Methods to Protect the California Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Water Resource

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bubenheim, David

2016-01-01

The California Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is the hub for California's water supply, conveying water from Northern to Southern California agriculture and communities while supporting important ecosystem services, agriculture, and communities in the Delta. Changes in climate, long-term drought, water quality changes, and expansion of invasive aquatic plants threatens ecosystems, impedes ecosystem restoration, and is economically, environmentally, and sociologically detrimental to the San Francisco Bay/California Delta complex. NASA Ames Research Center and the USDA-ARS partnered with the State of California and local governments to develop science-based, adaptive-management strategies for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The project combines science, operations, and economics related to integrated management scenarios for aquatic weeds to help land and waterway managers make science-informed decisions regarding management and outcomes. The team provides a comprehensive understanding of agricultural and urban land use in the Delta and the major water sheds (San Joaquin/Sacramento) supplying the Delta and interaction with drought and climate impacts on the environment, water quality, and weed growth. The team recommends conservation and modified land-use practices and aids local Delta stakeholders in developing management strategies. New remote sensing tools have been developed to enhance ability to assess conditions, inform decision support tools, and monitor management practices. Science gaps in understanding how native and invasive plants respond to altered environmental conditions are being filled and provide critical biological response parameters for Delta-SWAT simulation modeling. Operational agencies such as the California Department of Boating and Waterways provide testing and act as initial adopter of decision support tools. Methods developed by the project can become routine land and water management tools in complex river delta systems.

Remote Sensing and Modeling for Improving Operational Aquatic Plant Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bubenheim, Dave

2016-01-01

The California Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is the hub for California’s water supply, conveying water from Northern to Southern California agriculture and communities while supporting important ecosystem services, agriculture, and communities in the Delta. Changes in climate, long-term drought, water quality changes, and expansion of invasive aquatic plants threatens ecosystems, impedes ecosystem restoration, and is economically, environmentally, and sociologically detrimental to the San Francisco Bay/California Delta complex. NASA Ames Research Center and the USDA-ARS partnered with the State of California and local governments to develop science-based, adaptive-management strategies for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The project combines science, operations, and economics related to integrated management scenarios for aquatic weeds to help land and waterway managers make science-informed decisions regarding management and outcomes. The team provides a comprehensive understanding of agricultural and urban land use in the Delta and the major water sheds (San Joaquin/Sacramento) supplying the Delta and interaction with drought and climate impacts on the environment, water quality, and weed growth. The team recommends conservation and modified land-use practices and aids local Delta stakeholders in developing management strategies. New remote sensing tools have been developed to enhance ability to assess conditions, inform decision support tools, and monitor management practices. Science gaps in understanding how native and invasive plants respond to altered environmental conditions are being filled and provide critical biological response parameters for Delta-SWAT simulation modeling. Operational agencies such as the California Department of Boating and Waterways provide testing and act as initial adopter of decision support tools. Methods developed by the project can become routine land and water management tools in complex river delta systems.

Managing and Integrating Open Environmental Data - Technological Requirements and Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devaraju, Anusuriya; Kunkel, Ralf; Jirka, Simon

2014-05-01

Understanding environment conditions and trends requires information. This information is usually generated from sensor observations. Today, several infrastructures (e.g., GEOSS, EarthScope, NEON, NETLAKE, OOI, TERENO, WASCAL, and PEER-EurAqua) have been deployed to promote full and open exchange of environmental data. Standards for interfaces as well as data models/formats (OGC, CUAHSI, INSPIRE, SEE Grid, ISO) and open source tools have been developed to support seamless data exchange between various domains and organizations. In spite of this growing interest, it remains a challenge to manage and integrate open environmental data on the fly due to the distributed and heterogeneous nature of the data. Intuitive tools and standardized interfaces are vital to hide the technical complexity of underlying data management infrastructures. Meaningful descriptions of raw sensor data are necessary to achieve interoperability among different sources. As raw sensor data sets usually goes through several layers of summarization and aggregation, metadata and quality measures associated with these should be captured. Further processing of sensor data sets requires that they should be made compatible with existing environmental models. We need data policies and management plans on how to handle and publish open sensor data coming from different institutions. Clearly, a better management and usability of open environmental data is crucial, not only to gather large amounts of data, but also to cater various aspects such as data integration, privacy and trust, uncertainty, quality control, visualization, and data management policies. The proposed talk presents several key findings in terms of requirements, ongoing developments and technical challenges concerning these aspects from our recent work. This includes two workshops on open observation data and supporting tools, as well as the long-term environmental monitoring initiatives such as TERENO and TERENO-MED. Workshops Details: Spin the Sensor Web: Sensor Web Workshop 2013, Muenster, 21st-22nd November 2013 (http://52north.org/news/spin-the-sensor-web-sensor-web-workshop-2013) Special Session on Management of Open Environmental Observation Data - MOEOD 2014, Lisbon, 8th January 2014 (http://www.sensornets.org/MOEOD.aspx?y=2014) Monitoring Networks: TERENO : http://teodoor.icg.kfa-juelich.de/ TERENO-MED : http://www.tereno-med.net/

Accounting for natural resources and environmental sustainability: linking ecosystem services to human well-being.

PubMed

Jordan, Stephen J; Hayes, Sharon E; Yoskowitz, David; Smith, Lisa M; Summers, J Kevin; Russell, Marc; Benson, William H

2010-03-01

One of society's greatest challenges is to sustain natural resources while promoting economic growth and quality of life. In the face of this challenge, society must measure the effectiveness of programs established to safeguard the environment. The impetus for demonstrating positive results from government-sponsored research and regulation in the United States comes from Congress (General Accountability Office; GAO) and the Executive Branch (Office of Management and Budget; OMB). The message is: regulatory and research programs must demonstrate outcomes that justify their costs. Although the concept is simple, it is a complex problem to demonstrate that environmental research, policies, and regulations cause measurable changes in environmental quality. Even where changes in environmental quality can be tracked reliably, the connections between government actions and environmental outcomes seldom are direct or straightforward. In this article, we describe emerging efforts (with emphasis on the role of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; EPA) to frame and measure environmental outcomes in terms of ecosystem services and values-societally and ecologically meaningful metrics for gauging how well we manage environmental resources. As examples of accounting for outcomes and values, we present a novel, low-cost method for determining relative values of multiple ecosystem services, and describe emerging research on indicators of human well-being.

Ecological thresholds: The key to successful enviromental management or an important concept with no practical application?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Groffman, P.M.; Baron, Jill S.; Blett, T.; Gold, A.J.; Goodman, I.; Gunderson, L.H.; Levinson, B.M.; Palmer, Margaret A.; Paerl, H.W.; Peterson, G.D.; Poff, N.L.; Rejeski, D.W.; Reynolds, J.F.; Turner, M.G.; Weathers, K.C.; Wiens, J.

2006-01-01

An ecological threshold is the point at which there is an abrupt change in an ecosystem quality, property or phenomenon, or where small changes in an environmental driver produce large responses in the ecosystem. Analysis of thresholds is complicated by nonlinear dynamics and by multiple factor controls that operate at diverse spatial and temporal scales. These complexities have challenged the use and utility of threshold concepts in environmental management despite great concern about preventing dramatic state changes in valued ecosystems, the need for determining critical pollutant loads and the ubiquity of other threshold-based environmental problems. In this paper we define the scope of the thresholds concept in ecological science and discuss methods for identifying and investigating thresholds using a variety of examples from terrestrial and aquatic environments, at ecosystem, landscape and regional scales. We end with a discussion of key research needs in this area.

An inexact chance-constrained programming model for water quality management in Binhai New Area of Tianjin, China.

PubMed

Xie, Y L; Li, Y P; Huang, G H; Li, Y F; Chen, L R

2011-04-15

In this study, an inexact-chance-constrained water quality management (ICC-WQM) model is developed for planning regional environmental management under uncertainty. This method is based on an integration of interval linear programming (ILP) and chance-constrained programming (CCP) techniques. ICC-WQM allows uncertainties presented as both probability distributions and interval values to be incorporated within a general optimization framework. Complexities in environmental management systems can be systematically reflected, thus applicability of the modeling process can be highly enhanced. The developed method is applied to planning chemical-industry development in Binhai New Area of Tianjin, China. Interval solutions associated with different risk levels of constraint violation have been obtained. They can be used for generating decision alternatives and thus help decision makers identify desired policies under various system-reliability constraints of water environmental capacity of pollutant. Tradeoffs between system benefits and constraint-violation risks can also be tackled. They are helpful for supporting (a) decision of wastewater discharge and government investment, (b) formulation of local policies regarding water consumption, economic development and industry structure, and (c) analysis of interactions among economic benefits, system reliability and pollutant discharges. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of environmental diversity of hunting complexes in the Lublin region on ontogenetic quality indicators in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus).

PubMed

Czyżowski, Piotr; Drozd, Leszek; Karpiński, Mirosław; Tajchman, Katarzyna; Goleman, Małgorzata; Wojtaś, Justyna; Zieliński, Damian

2018-01-01

Populations of game are not confined to single ecosystems but function within higher-order units, e.g. ecological landscape. The basis for the establishment of the hunting complexes was the assumption that the existing game hunting grounds, i.e. the basic units implementing game management, are too small and do not cover the natural areas inhabited by game populations. Roe deer are flexible species and easily adapt to various site conditions, so they inhabit many different habitats, from large forest complexes, through small in-field tree stands and shrubs, to treeless grounds and field monocultures. The aim of the study was to determine a possible impact of environmental conditions prevailing in the hunting complexes of the Regional Directorate of State Forests (RDLP in Lublin) on the ontogenetic quality of roe deer. The study was conducted on 518 European roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ) aged from 4 to 7 years (379 bucks and 139 does) harvested within hunting seasons 2010/2011-2013/2014. The results have shown that animals originating from areas with greater forest cover and denser stands are characterised by lower values of the mean ontogenetic quality parameters (carcase weight, kidney fat index, chest girth, weight of antlers) in comparison with animals from typical agricultural areas with fragmented forest complexes. These results indicate that, even in the case of such a eurytopic species as the roe deer, the ontogenetic quality differs between individual hunting complexes. The study has proved that strategies for hunting management of the roe deer should take into account the impact of the landscape structure, which provides a rationale behind creation of hunting complexes.

Development of performance indicators for municipal solid waste management (PIMS): A review.

PubMed

Sanjeevi, V; Shahabudeen, P

2015-12-01

The aim of this paper is to review papers on municipal solid waste management (SWM) systems, especially on performance indicators (PIs), and suggest practical methods to manage the same by administrators. Worldwide, about 4 billion metric tons of solid waste (SW) is generated annually; the management of SW across cities is increasingly getting more complex and the funds available for providing service to citizens are shrinking. Analysis of the non-technical research papers shows that focus areas on SW can be grouped into 18 types, one being PIs. Historically, PIs for municipal SWM (PIMS) commenced with the publication of guidelines by various government agencies, starting in 1969. This was followed by a few benchmarking studies, commencing in 1998, by various international institutions. Many published comparative studies also disseminated good practices across the cities. From the 1990s onwards, research work started defining PIMS. These initiatives by various researchers took multiple dimensions and are reviewed in this paper. In almost all studies, the PIMS is measured in terms of investment decisions, public acceptance levels, social participation and environmental needs. The multiple indicators are complex, however, and managers of cities need simple tools to use. To make it simple, five-factor PIs are arrived at, considering simplicity and covering all the factors. A research agenda is outlined for future directions in the areas of cost reduction, citizens' services, citizen involvement and environmental impact. © The Author(s) 2015.

Management intensity at field and landscape levels affects the structure of generalist predator communities.

PubMed

Rusch, Adrien; Birkhofer, Klaus; Bommarco, Riccardo; Smith, Henrik G; Ekbom, Barbara

2014-07-01

Agricultural intensification is recognised as a major driver of biodiversity loss in human-modified landscapes. Several agro-environmental measures at different spatial scales have been suggested to mitigate the negative impact of intensification on biodiversity and ecosystem services. The effect of these measures on the functional structure of service-providing communities remains, however, largely unexplored. Using two distinct landscape designs, we examined how the management options of organic farming at the field scale and crop diversification at the landscape level affect the taxonomic and functional structure of generalist predator communities and how these effects vary along a landscape complexity gradient. Organic farming as well as landscapes with longer and more diversified crop rotations enhanced the activity-density of spiders and rove beetles, but not the species richness or evenness. Our results indicate that the two management options affected the functional composition of communities, as they primarily enhanced the activity-density of functionally similar species. The two management options increased the functional similarity between spider species in regards to hunting mode and habitat preference. Organic farming enhanced the functional similarity of rove beetles. Management options at field and landscape levels were generally more important predictors of community structure when compared to landscape complexity. Our study highlights the importance of considering the functional composition of generalist predators in order to understand how agro-environmental measures at various scales shape community assemblages and ecosystem functioning in agricultural landscapes.

Automated dredging and disposal alternatives management system (ADDAMS). Environmental effects of dredging. Technical note

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

This technical note describes the current capabilities and availability of the Automated Dredging and Disposal Alternatives Management System (ADDAMS). The technical note replaces the earlier Technical Note EEDP-06-12, which should be discarded. Planning, design, and management of dredging and dredged material disposal projects often require complex or tedious calculations or involve complex decision-making criteria. In addition, the evaluations often must be done for several disposal alternatives or disposal sites. ADDAMS is a personal computer (PC)-based system developed to assist in making such evaluations in a timely manner. ADDAMS contains a collection of computer programs (applications) designed to assist in managingmore » dredging projects. This technical note describes the system, currently available applications, mechanisms for acquiring and running the system, and provisions for revision and expansion.« less

A Management Strategy for the Naval Administrative Telephone System,

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-03-01

story [Ref. 17]: " What the government wants is a one-stop telecommunica- tions company1 operated by a single prime contractor, that can provide and...examines the various system and environmental factor which impact upon a selection of a management strategy, and with- in the constraints imposed by...resolution technique embodied in the age-old adage "divide and conquer." The key premise of this technique is that if a complex ( macro -) problem is

Decision support methods for the environmental assessment of contamination at mining sites.

PubMed

Jordan, Gyozo; Abdaal, Ahmed

2013-09-01

Polluting mine accidents and widespread environmental contamination associated with historic mining in Europe and elsewhere has triggered the improvement of related environmental legislation and of the environmental assessment and management methods for the mining industry. Mining has some unique features such as natural background pollution associated with natural mineral deposits, industrial activities and contamination located in the three-dimensional sub-surface space, the problem of long-term remediation after mine closure, problem of secondary contaminated areas around mine sites and abandoned mines in historic regions like Europe. These mining-specific problems require special tools to address the complexity of the environmental problems of mining-related contamination. The objective of this paper is to review and evaluate some of the decision support methods that have been developed and applied to mining contamination. In this paper, only those methods that are both efficient decision support tools and provide a 'holistic' approach to the complex problem as well are considered. These tools are (1) landscape ecology, (2) industrial ecology, (3) landscape geochemistry, (4) geo-environmental models, (5) environmental impact assessment, (6) environmental risk assessment, (7) material flow analysis and (8) life cycle assessment. This unique inter-disciplinary study should enable both the researcher and the practitioner to obtain broad view on the state-of-the-art of decision support methods for the environmental assessment of contamination at mine sites. Documented examples and abundant references are also provided.

Tree-based modeling of complex interactions of phosphorus loadings and environmental factors.

PubMed

Grunwald, S; Daroub, S H; Lang, T A; Diaz, O A

2009-06-01

Phosphorus (P) enrichment has been observed in the historic oligotrophic Greater Everglades in Florida mainly due to P influx from upstream, agriculturally dominated, low relief drainage basins of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA). Our specific objectives were to: (1) investigate relationships between various environmental factors and P loads in 10 farm basins within the EAA, (2) identify those environmental factors that impart major effects on P loads using three different tree-based modeling approaches, and (3) evaluate predictive models to assess P loads. We assembled thirteen environmental variable sets for all 10 sub-basins characterizing water level management, cropping practices, soils, hydrology, and farm-specific properties. Drainage flow and P concentrations were measured at each sub-basin outlet from 1992-2002 and aggregated to derive monthly P loads. We used three different tree-based models including single regression trees (ST), committee trees in Bagging (CTb) and ARCing (CTa) modes and ten-fold cross-validation to test prediction performances. The monthly P loads (MPL) during the monitoring period showed a maximum of 2528 kg (mean: 103 kg) and maximum monthly unit area P loads (UAL) of 4.88 kg P ha(-1) (mean: 0.16 kg P ha(-1)). Our results suggest that hydrologic/water management properties are the major controlling variables to predict MPL and UAL in the EAA. Tree-based modeling was successful in identifying relationships between P loads and environmental predictor variables on 10 farms in the EAA indicated by high R(2) (>0.80) and low prediction errors. Committee trees in ARCing mode generated the best performing models to predict P loads and P loads per unit area. Tree-based models had the ability to analyze complex, non-linear relationships between P loads and multiple variables describing hydrologic/water management, cropping practices, soil and farm-specific properties within the EAA.

SAVANNAH RIVER SITE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT FOR 2010

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mamatey, A.; Dunaway-Ackerman, J.

2011-08-16

This report was prepared in accordance with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 231.1A, 'Environment, Safety and Health Reporting,' to present summary environmental data for the purpose of: (a) characterizing site's environmental management performance; (b) summarizing environmental occurrences and responses reported during the calendar year; (c) describing compliance status with respect to environmental standards and requirements; and (d) highlighting significant site programs and efforts. This report is the principal document that demonstrates compliance with the requirements of DOE Order 5400.5, 'Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment,' and is a key component of DOE's effort to keep the publicmore » informed of environmental conditions at Savannah River Site (SRS). SRS has four primary missions: (1) Environmental Management - Cleaning up the legacy of the Cold War efforts and preparing decommissioned facilities and areas for long-term stewardship; (2) Nuclear Weapons Stockpile Support - Meeting the needs of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile through the tritium programs of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); (3) Nuclear Nonproliferation Support - Meeting the needs of the NNSA's nuclear nonproliferation programs by safely storing and dispositioning excess special nuclear materials; and (4) Research and Development - Supporting the application of science by the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to meet the needs of SRS, the DOE complex, and other federal agencies During 2010, SRS worked to fulfill these missions and position the site for future operations. SRS continued to work with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to find and implement solutions and schedules for waste management and disposition. As part of its mission to clean up the Cold War legacy, SRS will continue to address the highest-risk waste management issues by safely storing and preparing liquid waste and nuclear materials for disposition, and by safely stabilizing any tank waste residues that remain on site.« less

Environmental management of mosquito-borne viruses in Rhode Island

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ginsberg, Howard S.; Gettman, Alan; Becker, Elisabeth; Bandyopadhyay, Ananda S.; LeBrun, Roger A.

2013-01-01

West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEV) are both primarily bird viruses, which can be transmitted by several mosquito species. Differences in larval habitats, flight, and biting patterns of the primary vector species result in substantial differences in epidemiology, with WNV more common, primarily occurring in urban areas, and EEEV relatively rare, typically occurring near swamp habitats. The complex transmission ecology of these viruses complicates prediction of disease outbreaks. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and Department of Health (DoH) provide prevention assistance to towns and maintain a mosquito surveillance program to identify potential disease risk. Responses to potential outbreaks follow a protocol based on surveillance results, assessment of human risk, and technical consultation.

NEIMiner: nanomaterial environmental impact data miner.

PubMed

Tang, Kaizhi; Liu, Xiong; Harper, Stacey L; Steevens, Jeffery A; Xu, Roger

2013-01-01

As more engineered nanomaterials (eNM) are developed for a wide range of applications, it is crucial to minimize any unintended environmental impacts resulting from the application of eNM. To realize this vision, industry and policymakers must base risk management decisions on sound scientific information about the environmental fate of eNM, their availability to receptor organisms (eg, uptake), and any resultant biological effects (eg, toxicity). To address this critical need, we developed a model-driven, data mining system called NEIMiner, to study nanomaterial environmental impact (NEI). NEIMiner consists of four components: NEI modeling framework, data integration, data management and access, and model building. The NEI modeling framework defines the scope of NEI modeling and the strategy of integrating NEI models to form a layered, comprehensive predictability. The data integration layer brings together heterogeneous data sources related to NEI via automatic web services and web scraping technologies. The data management and access layer reuses and extends a popular content management system (CMS), Drupal, and consists of modules that model the complex data structure for NEI-related bibliography and characterization data. The model building layer provides an advanced analysis capability for NEI data. Together, these components provide significant value to the process of aggregating and analyzing large-scale distributed NEI data. A prototype of the NEIMiner system is available at http://neiminer.i-a-i.com/.

NEIMiner: nanomaterial environmental impact data miner

PubMed Central

Tang, Kaizhi; Liu, Xiong; Harper, Stacey L; Steevens, Jeffery A; Xu, Roger

2013-01-01

As more engineered nanomaterials (eNM) are developed for a wide range of applications, it is crucial to minimize any unintended environmental impacts resulting from the application of eNM. To realize this vision, industry and policymakers must base risk management decisions on sound scientific information about the environmental fate of eNM, their availability to receptor organisms (eg, uptake), and any resultant biological effects (eg, toxicity). To address this critical need, we developed a model-driven, data mining system called NEIMiner, to study nanomaterial environmental impact (NEI). NEIMiner consists of four components: NEI modeling framework, data integration, data management and access, and model building. The NEI modeling framework defines the scope of NEI modeling and the strategy of integrating NEI models to form a layered, comprehensive predictability. The data integration layer brings together heterogeneous data sources related to NEI via automatic web services and web scraping technologies. The data management and access layer reuses and extends a popular content management system (CMS), Drupal, and consists of modules that model the complex data structure for NEI-related bibliography and characterization data. The model building layer provides an advanced analysis capability for NEI data. Together, these components provide significant value to the process of aggregating and analyzing large-scale distributed NEI data. A prototype of the NEIMiner system is available at http://neiminer.i-a-i.com/. PMID:24098076

Challenge theme 7: Information support for management of border security and environmental protection: Chapter 9 in United States-Mexican Borderlands: Facing tomorrow's challenges through USGS science

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parcher, Jean W.; Page, William R.

2013-01-01

Historically, international borders were located far from the major political and economic capitals of their countries and rarely received adequate planning or infrastructure development. Today, as a result of global economics and increased movement of goods between nations, border regions play a much greater role in commerce, tourism, and transportation. For example, Mexico is the second largest destination for United States exports (Woodrow Wilson Center Mexico Institute, 2009). The rapid population and economic growth along the United States–Mexican border, undocumented human border crossings, and the unique natural diversity of resources in the Borderlands present challenges for border security and environmental protection. Assessing risks and implementing sustainable growth policies to protect the environment and quality of life greatly increase in complexity when the issues cross an international border, where social services, environmental regulations, lifestyles, and cultural beliefs are unique for each country. Shared airsheds, water and biological resources, national security issues, and disaster management needs require an integrated binational approach to assess risks and develop binational management strategies.

An integrated environmental risk assessment and management framework for enhancing the sustainability of marine protected areas: the Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve case study in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Xu, Elvis G B; Leung, Kenneth M Y; Morton, Brian; Lee, Joseph H W

2015-02-01

Marine protected areas (MPAs), such as marine parks and reserves, contain natural resources of immense value to the environment and mankind. Since MPAs may be situated in close proximity to urbanized areas and influenced by anthropogenic activities (e.g. continuous discharges of contaminated waters), the marine organisms contained in such waters are probably at risk. This study aimed at developing an integrated environmental risk assessment and management (IERAM) framework for enhancing the sustainability of such MPAs. The IERAM framework integrates conventional environmental risk assessment methods with a multi-layer-DPSIR (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) conceptual approach, which can simplify the complex issues embraced by environmental management strategies and provide logical and concise management information. The IERAM process can generate a useful database, offer timely update on the status of MPAs, and assist in the prioritization of management options. We use the Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve in Hong Kong as an example to illustrate the IERAM framework. A comprehensive set of indicators were selected, aggregated and analyzed using this framework. Effects of management practices and programs were also assessed by comparing the temporal distributions of these indicators over a certain timeframe. Based on the obtained results, we have identified the most significant components for safeguarding the integrity of the marine reserve, and indicated the existing information gaps concerned with the management of the reserve. Apart from assessing the MPA's present condition, a successful implementation of the IERAM framework as evocated here would also facilitate better-informed decision-making and, hence, indirectly enhance the protection and conservation of the MPA's marine biodiversity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Geoscience research databases for coastal Alabama ecosystem management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hummell, Richard L.

1995-01-01

Effective management of complex coastal ecosystems necessitates access to scientific knowledge that can be acquired through a multidisciplinary approach involving Federal and State scientists that take advantage of agency expertise and resources for the benefit of all participants working toward a set of common research and management goals. Cooperative geostatic investigations have led toward building databases of fundamental scientific knowledge that can be utilized to manage coastal Alabama's natural and future development. These databases have been used to assess the occurrence and economic potential of hard mineral resources in the Alabama EFZ, and to support oil spill contingency planning and environmental analysis for coastal Alabama.

Environmental problem-solving: Psychosocial factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Alan

1982-11-01

This is a study of individual differences in environmental problem-solving, the probable roots of these differences, and their implications for the education of resource professionals. A group of student Resource Managers were required to elaborate their conception of a complex resource issue (Spruce Budworm management) and to generate some ideas on management policy. Of particular interest was the way in which subjects dealt with the psychosocial aspects of the problem. A structural and content analysis of responses indicated a predominance of relatively compartmentalized styles, a technological orientation, and a tendency to ignore psychosocial issues. A relationship between problem-solving behavior and personal (psychosocial) style was established which, in the context of other evidence, suggests that problem-solving behavior is influenced by more deep seated personality factors. The educational implication drawn was that problem-solving cannot be viewed simply as an intellectual-technical activity but one that involves, and requires the education of, the whole person.

Farming for Ecosystem Services: An Ecological Approach to Production Agriculture

PubMed Central

Philip Robertson, G.; Gross, Katherine L.; Hamilton, Stephen K.; Landis, Douglas A.; Schmidt, Thomas M.; Snapp, Sieglinde S.; Swinton, Scott M.

2014-01-01

A balanced assessment of ecosystem services provided by agriculture requires a systems-level socioecological understanding of related management practices at local to landscape scales. The results from 25 years of observation and experimentation at the Kellogg Biological Station long-term ecological research site reveal services that could be provided by intensive row-crop ecosystems. In addition to high yields, farms could be readily managed to contribute clean water, biocontrol and other biodiversity benefits, climate stabilization, and long-term soil fertility, thereby helping meet society's need for agriculture that is economically and environmentally sustainable. Midwest farmers—especially those with large farms—appear willing to adopt practices that deliver these services in exchange for payments scaled to management complexity and farmstead benefit. Surveyed citizens appear willing to pay farmers for the delivery of specific services, such as cleaner lakes. A new farming for services paradigm in US agriculture seems feasible and could be environmentally significant. PMID:26955069

Farming for Ecosystem Services: An Ecological Approach to Production Agriculture.

PubMed

Philip Robertson, G; Gross, Katherine L; Hamilton, Stephen K; Landis, Douglas A; Schmidt, Thomas M; Snapp, Sieglinde S; Swinton, Scott M

2014-05-01

A balanced assessment of ecosystem services provided by agriculture requires a systems-level socioecological understanding of related management practices at local to landscape scales. The results from 25 years of observation and experimentation at the Kellogg Biological Station long-term ecological research site reveal services that could be provided by intensive row-crop ecosystems. In addition to high yields, farms could be readily managed to contribute clean water, biocontrol and other biodiversity benefits, climate stabilization, and long-term soil fertility, thereby helping meet society's need for agriculture that is economically and environmentally sustainable. Midwest farmers-especially those with large farms-appear willing to adopt practices that deliver these services in exchange for payments scaled to management complexity and farmstead benefit. Surveyed citizens appear willing to pay farmers for the delivery of specific services, such as cleaner lakes. A new farming for services paradigm in US agriculture seems feasible and could be environmentally significant.

Environmental Survey Report for the ETTP: Environmental Management Waste Management Facility (EMWMF) Haul Road Corridor, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peterson, M.J.

2005-12-20

This report summarizes the results of environmental surveys conducted within the corridor of a temporary haul road (''Haul Road'') to be constructed from East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) to the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility (EMWMF) located just west of the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12). Environmental surveys were conducted by natural resource experts at Oak Ridge National Laboratory who routinely assess the significance of various project activities on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). ORNL assistance to the Haul Road Project included environmental assessments necessary to determine the best route for minimizing impacts to sensitive resources such as wetlands ormore » rare plants. Once the final route was chosen, environmental surveys were conducted within the corridor to evaluate the impacts to sensitive resources that could not be avoided. The final Haul Road route follows established roads and a power-line corridor to the extent possible (Fig. 1). Detailed explanation regarding the purpose of the Haul Road and the regulatory context associated with its construction is provided in at least two major documents and consequently is not presented here: (1) Explanation of Significant Differences for the Record of Decision for the Disposal of Oak Ridge Reservation Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 Waste, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (January 2005, DOE/OR/01-2194&D2), and (2) Environmental Monitoring Plan for The ETTP to EMWMF Haul Road for the Disposal of Oak Ridge Reservation Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 Waste, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (April 2005, BJC/OR-2152). The focus of this report is a description of the sensitive resources to be impacted by Haul Road construction. Following a short description of the methods used for the environmental surveys, results and observations are presented in the following subsections: (1) General description of the affected environment; (2) Rare plants and vegetation assemblages; (3) Rare wildlife and their habitat; (4) Rare aquatic species; and (5) Wetlands/Floodplains. A summary of project actions taken or planned in order to avoid, minimize, or mitigate the environmental impacts associated with this project are summarized in the conclusion section of this report.« less

Using Wavelets and Information Theory to Characterize the Direction, Strength, and Time Scale of Interaction between Environmental Drivers and Greenhouse Gas Exchange in Managed Wetlands of Northern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sturtevant, C. S.; Ruddell, B. L.; Knox, S. H.; Verfaillie, J. G.; Matthes, J. H.; Oikawa, P. Y.; Baldocchi, D. D.

2014-12-01

Restoring agricultural areas to wetlands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta of California can help reverse subsidence and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Predicting outcomes and developing best practices of wetland management therefore requires a robust understanding of the sensitivity of GHG exchange in these ecosystems to factors such as management and meteorology. However, wetlands can exhibit complex, overlapping, and asynchronous couplings between site characteristics, environmental drivers and GHG exchange. In this research we demonstrate the use of wavelets and information theory (process networks) as sophisticated tools to disentangle and characterize ecosystem couplings to CO2 and CH4 exchange (measured by eddy covariance) in two restored Delta wetlands. Using wavelets we isolated processes acting at different time scales, then used process networks to determine the direction, strength, and lag properties of ecosystem couplings. We found that despite differences in age, architecture and management, CO2 exchange at both wetlands was most sensitive to similar meteorological factors such as radiation and temperature up to a time scale of several days. At the monthly timescale, however, the effect of a more variable water table management in one wetland became dominant, revealing a reduction in net CO2 uptake during long term water table drawdowns. The analysis of CH4 exchange in this wetland revealed a more sensitive and complex coupling with water table. CH4 exchange was sensitive to relatively small, multi-day shifts in water table and displayed a lagged response to larger, longer shifts. With these methods we were able to disentangle the effects of management from meteorology and better understand the sensitivities of GHG exchange. Our results provide important insights for modeling efforts and management practices.

Sustainable mineral resources management: from regional mineral resources exploration to spatial contamination risk assessment of mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, Gyozo

2009-07-01

Wide-spread environmental contamination associated with historic mining in Europe has triggered social responses to improve related environmental legislation, the environmental assessment and management methods for the mining industry. Mining has some unique features such as natural background contamination associated with mineral deposits, industrial activities and contamination in the three-dimensional subsurface space, problem of long-term remediation after mine closure, problem of secondary contaminated areas around mine sites, land use conflicts and abandoned mines. These problems require special tools to address the complexity of the environmental problems of mining-related contamination. The objective of this paper is to show how regional mineral resources mapping has developed into the spatial contamination risk assessment of mining and how geological knowledge can be transferred to environmental assessment of mines. The paper provides a state-of-the-art review of the spatial mine inventory, hazard, impact and risk assessment and ranking methods developed by national and international efforts in Europe. It is concluded that geological knowledge on mineral resources exploration is essential and should be used for the environmental contamination assessment of mines. Also, sufficient methodological experience, knowledge and documented results are available, but harmonisation of these methods is still required for the efficient spatial environmental assessment of mine contamination.

Fundamental changes to EPA's research enterprise: the path forward.

PubMed

Anastas, Paul T

2012-01-17

Environmental protection in the United States has reached a critical juncture. It has become clear that to address the complex and interrelated environmental challenges we face, we must augment our traditional approaches. The scientific community must build upon its deep understanding of risk assessment, risk management, and reductionism with tools, technologies, insights and approaches to pursue sustainability. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized this need for systemic change by implementing a new research paradigm called "The Path Forward." This paper outlines the principles of the Path Forward and the actions taken since 2010 to align EPA's research efforts with the goal of sustainability.

RESULTS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (EM) CORPORATE PROJECT TEAM DISPOSING WASTE & REDUCING RISK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

SHRADER, T.A.; KNERR, R.

2005-01-31

In 2002, the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) released the Top-To-Bottom Review of cognizant clean-up activities around the DOE Complex. The review contained a number of recommendations for changing the way EM operates in order to reduce environmental risk by significantly accelerating clean-up at the DOE-EM sites. In order to develop and implement these recommendations, a number of corporate project teams were formed to identify, evaluate, and initiate implementation of alternatives for the different aspects of clean-up. In August 2002, a corporate team was formed to review all aspects of the management, treatment, and disposalmore » of low level radioactive waste (LLW), mixed low level radioactive waste (MLLW), transuranic waste (TRU), and hazardous waste (HW). Over the next 21 months, the Corporate Project Team: Disposing Waste, Reducing Risk, developed a number of alternatives for implementing the recommendations of the Top-To-Bottom Review based on information developed during numerous site visits and interviews with complex and industry personnel. With input from over a dozen EM sites at various stages of clean-up, the team identified the barriers to the treatment and disposal of low level waste, mixed low level waste, and transuranic waste. Once identified, preliminary design alternatives were developed and presented to the Acquisition Authority (for this project, the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management) for review and approval. Once the preliminary design was approved, the team down selected to seven key alternatives which were subsequently fully developed in the Project Execution Plan. The seven most viable alternatives were: (1) creation of an Executive Waste Disposal Board; (2) projectizing the disposal of low level waste and mixed low level waste; (3) creation of a National Consolidation and Acceleration Facility for waste; (4) improvements to the Broad Spectrum contract; (5) improvements to the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) Incinerator contract and operations; (6) development of a policy for load management of waste shipments to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP); and (7) development of a complex-wide fee incentive for transuranic waste disposal. The alternatives were further refined and a plan developed for institutionalizing the alternatives in various site contracts. In order to focus the team's efforts, all team activities were conducted per the principles of DOE Order 413.3, Program and Project Management for the Acquisition of Capital Assets. Although the Order was developed for construction projects, the principles were adapted for use on this ''soft'' project in which the deliverables were alternatives for the way work was performed. The results of the team's investigation and the steps taken during the project are presented along with lessons learned.« less

A tale of two rain gardens: Barriers and bridges to adaptive ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Green infrastructure installations such as rain gardens and bioswales are increasingly regarded as viable tools to mitigate stormwater runoff at the parcel level. The use of adaptive management to implement and monitor green infrastructure projects as experimental attempts to manage stormwater has not been adequately explored as a way to optimize green infrastructure performance or increase social and political acceptance. Efforts to improve stormwater management through green infrastructure suffer from the complexity of overlapping jurisdictional boundaries, as well as interacting social and political forces that dictate the flow, consumption, conservation and disposal of urban wastewater flows. Within this urban milieu, adaptive management—rigorous experimentation applied as policy—can inform new wastewater management techniques such as the implementation of green infrastructure projects. In this article, we present a narrative of scientists and practitioners working together to apply an adaptive management approach to green infrastructure implementation for stormwater management in Cleveland, Ohio. In Cleveland, contextual legal requirements and environmental factors created an opportunity for government researchers, stormwater managers and community organizers to engage in the development of two distinct sets of rain gardens, each borne of unique social, economic and environmental processes. In this article we analyze social and political barriers to app

A History of the Environmental Management Advisory Board: 20 Years of Service and Partnership - 13219

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ellis, Kristen; Schmitt, Elizabeth

2013-07-01

The Environmental Management Advisory Board (EMAB or Board) was chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) in 1992 to provide the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management (EM) with independent and external advice, information, and recommendations on corporate issues relating to accelerated site clean-up and risk reduction throughout the EM complex. Over the course of the past 20 years, the composition and focus of the Board have varied widely to address the changing needs of the program. EMAB began as the Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Advisory Committee, formed to provide advice on an EM Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. Inmore » 1994, the Board was restructured to function more as an executive-level, limited member advisory board whose membership provides insight of leading industry experts and the viewpoints of representatives from critical stakeholder constituencies. Throughout the 20 years of its existence, EMAB has covered a wide variety of topics and produced nearly 200 recommendations. These recommendations have resulted in several policy changes and improvements within EM. Most recently, EMAB has been credited for its contribution to the EM Energy Park Initiative, forerunner of the DOE Asset Revitalization Initiative; creation of the EM Offices of Communications and External Affairs; improvement of acquisition and project management strategies and culture; and several recommendations related to the Waste Treatment Plant and the tank waste programs at Hanford and the Savannah River Site. The wealth of experience and knowledge the Assistant Secretary can leverage through utilization of the Board continues to support fulfillment of EM's mission. In commemoration of EMAB's 20. anniversary, this paper will provide further context for the evolution of the Board, the role FACA plays in its administration, and a look at the members' current objectives and EM's expectations for the future. (authors)« less

Health effects of environmental pollution in population living near industrial complex areas in Korea.

PubMed

Eom, Sang-Yong; Choi, Jonghyuk; Bae, Sanghyuk; Lim, Ji-Ae; Kim, Guen-Bae; Yu, Seung-Do; Kim, Yangho; Lim, Hyun-Sul; Son, Bu-Soon; Paek, Domyung; Kim, Yong-Dae; Kim, Heon; Ha, Mina; Kwon, Ho-Jang

2018-01-01

Several epidemiological studies have reported an association between environmental pollution and various health conditions in individuals residing in industrial complexes. To evaluate the effects of pollution from industrial complex on human health, we performed a pooled analysis of environmental epidemiologic monitoring data for residents living near national industrial complexes in Korea. The respiratory and allergic symptoms and the prevalence of acute and chronic diseases, including cancer, were used as the outcome variables for health effects. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between exposure to pollution from industrial complexes and health conditions. After adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, occupational exposure, level of education, and body mass index, the residents near the industrial complexes were found to have more respiratory symptoms, such as cough (odds ratio [OR], 1.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 1.31) and sputum production (OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.24), and symptoms of atopic dermatitis (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.20). Among residents of the industrial complexes, the prevalence of acute eye disorders was approximately 40% higher (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.84) and the prevalence of lung and uterine cancer was 3.45 times and 1.88 times higher, respectively, than those among residents of the control area. This study showed that residents living in the vicinity of industrial complexes have a high risk of acute and chronic diseases including respiratory and allergic conditions. These results can be used as basic objective data for developing health management measures for individuals residing near industrial complexes.

Adaptive management of rangeland systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Allen, Craig R.; Angeler, David G.; Fontaine, Joseph J.; Garmestani, Ahjond S.; Hart, Noelle M.; Pope, Kevin L.; Twidwell, Dirac

2017-01-01

Adaptive management is an approach to natural resource management that uses structured learning to reduce uncertainties for the improvement of management over time. The origins of adaptive management are linked to ideas of resilience theory and complex systems. Rangeland management is particularly well suited for the application of adaptive management, having sufficient controllability and reducible uncertainties. Adaptive management applies the tools of structured decision making and requires monitoring, evaluation, and adjustment of management. Adaptive governance, involving sharing of power and knowledge among relevant stakeholders, is often required to address conflict situations. Natural resource laws and regulations can present a barrier to adaptive management when requirements for legal certainty are met with environmental uncertainty. However, adaptive management is possible, as illustrated by two cases presented in this chapter. Despite challenges and limitations, when applied appropriately adaptive management leads to improved management through structured learning, and rangeland management is an area in which adaptive management shows promise and should be further explored.

The Potential of the Nutrient Uptake and Outcome network (NUOnet) to Contribute to Soil and Water Conservation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

With the national and global environmental challenges that we have related to nutrient management, there is a need to use large quantities of information to solve the complex agricultural challenges humanity faces. USDA-ARS is developing a national network called the Nutrient Uptake and Outcome netw...

Web services for ecosystem services management and poverty alleviation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buytaert, W.; Baez, S.; Veliz Rosas, C.

2011-12-01

Over the last decades, near real-time environmental observation, technical advances in computer power and cyber-infrastructure, and the development of environmental software algorithms have increased dramatically. The integration of these evolutions is one of the major challenges of the next decade for environmental sciences. Worldwide, many coordinated activities are ongoing to make this integration a reality. However, far less attention is paid to the question of how these developments can benefit environmental services management in a poverty alleviation context. Such projects are typically faced with issues of large predictive uncertainties, limited resources, limited local scientific capacity. At the same time, the complexity of the socio-economic contexts requires a very strong bottom-up oriented and interdisciplinary approach to environmental data collection and processing. Here, we present the results of two projects on integrated environmental monitoring and scenario analysis aimed at poverty alleviation in the Peruvian Andes and Amazon. In the upper Andean highlands, farmers are monitoring the water cycle of headwater catchments to analyse the impact of land-use changes on stream flow and potential consequences for downstream irrigation. In the Amazon, local communities are monitoring the dynamics of turtle populations and their relations with river levels. In both cases, the use of online databases and web processing services enable real-time analysis of the data and scenario analysis. The system provides both physical and social indicators to assess the impact of land-use management options on local socio-economic development.

Environmental care in agricultural catchments: Toward the communicative catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Peter

1991-11-01

Substantial land degradation of agricultural catchments in Australia has resulted from the importation of European farming methods and the large-scale clearing of land. Rural communities are now being encouraged by government to take responsibility for environmental care. The importance of community involvement is supported by the view that environmental problems are a function of interactions between people and their environment. It is suggested that the commonly held view that community groups cannot care for their resources is due to inappropriate social institutions rather that any inherent disability in people. The communicative catchment is developed as a vision for environmental care into the future. This concept emerges from a critique of resource management through the catchment metaphors of the reduced, mechanical, and the complex, evolving catchment, which reflect the development of systemic and people-centered approaches to environmental care. The communicative catchment is one where both community and resource managers participate collaboratively in environmental care. A methodology based on action research and systemic thinking (systemic action research) is proposed as a way of moving towards the communicative catchment of the future. Action research is a way of taking action in organizations and communities that is participative and informed by theory, while systemic thinking takes into account the interconnections and relationships between social and natural worlds. The proposed vision, methodology, and practical operating principles stem from involvement in an action research project looking at extension strategies for the implementation of total catchment management in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales.

Off the Shelf Fouling Management

PubMed Central

Rittschof, Daniel

2017-01-01

This chapter tells the story of a research thread that identified and modified a pharmaceutical that could be a component of environmentally benign fouling management coatings. First, I present the background context of biofouling and how fouling is managed. The major target of the research is disrupting transduction of a complex process in all macrofouling organisms: metamorphosis. Using a bioassay directed approach we first identified a pharmaceutical candidate. Then, based on structure function studies coupled with laboratory and field bioassays, we simplified the molecule, eliminating halogens and aromatic rings to a pharmacophore that could be readily broken down by bacteria. Next, we did further structure function studies coupled to lab and field bioassays of modifications that enabled delivery of the molecule in a variety of coatings. The outcome is a different way of thinking about managing fouling and concepts in which molecules are designed to perform a function and then degrade. This work is discussed in the context of existing fouling management approaches and business models which use long-lived broad-spectrum biocides which have consequences for human, environmental health, and food security. PMID:28613232

Water Management for Competing Uses: Environmental Flows in the Transboundary Rio Grande/Rio Bravo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandoval Solis, S.; McKinney, D. C.

2011-12-01

Introduction Due to high water demand, the scarcity of water, and the complexity of water allocation, environmental flows have not been considered as an integral part of the water management in the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo transboundary basin. The Big Bend reach is located between the cities of Presidio/Ojinaga to Amistad international reservoir, along the main stream (Fig. 1). Important environmental habitats such as the Big Bend National and State Park in the U.S., the Maderas del Carmen, Cañon de Santa Elena and Ocampo natural reserved areas in Mexico are ecologically threatened because of the lack of environmental water management policies. Several efforts have been undertaken by scientists, government agencies and NGOs to determine the environmental flows for this reach and water management policies that can provide these flows. Objective The objective of this research is to describe a water management policy that can conciliate environmental and human water uses in the Big Bend region. In other words, define a policy that can provide environmental flows without harming water supply for stakeholders or increasing flood risk, within legal and physical constraints of the system. Methodology First, the system was characterized identifying water users, hydraulic infrastructure, and water allocation according to state, federal and international regulations. Second, a hydrograph for environmental flows was proposed that mimics the hydrologic characteristics of the prior dam alteration. Third, a water planning model was constructed to evaluate alternative policies. Fourth, the water management is proposed to provide environmental restoration flows from Luis L. Leon reservoir. This policy considers mechanisms that reduce flooding and drought risks, while meting national and international water regulations. Results Three types of natural flow regimes are considered: (1) median flows aimed to provide the base flow in the region, (2) high flows to provide transversal connectivity between the side-banks, and (3) small floods aimed to re-widen the channel and connect the river longitudinally. The maximum annual flow for the big bend region is 941 Million m3/year. Median flows and small floods are delivered from Luis L Leon reservoir; high flows are supplied by the rest of the rivers. The proposed policy effectively met the physical and legal constraints, while reducing the flooding and drought risk in Presidio/Ojinaga.

Linking Environmental Research and Practice: Lessons From The Integration of Climate Science and Water Management in the Western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferguson, D. B.; Rice, J.; Woodhouse, C. A.

2015-12-01

Efforts to better connect scientific research with people and organizations involved in environmental decision making are receiving increased interest and attention. Some of the challenges we currently face, however—including complex questions associated with climate change—present unique challenges because of their scale and scope. Focused research on the intersections between environment and society has provided substantial insight into dynamics of large-scale environmental change and the related impacts on people, natural resources, and ecosystems, yet our ability to connect this research to real-world decision making remains limited. Addressing these complex environmental problems requires broad cooperation between scientists and those who may apply research results in decision making, but there are few templates for guiding the growing number of scientists and practitioners now engaging in this kind of cooperative work. This presentation will offer a set of heuristics for carrying out collaborative work between scientists and practitioners. These heuristics were derived from research that examined the direct experiences of water resources professionals and climate researchers who have been working to integrate science and practice.

Final Environmental Assessment for the Establishment of an Air-to-Surface Helicopter Gunnery Training Target Set at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

AQCR Air Quality Control Region AR Army Regulation ARC Acoustic Research Complex BLM Bureau of Land Management BMP best management practice CAA...night average A-weighted sound level mg/m3 milligrams per cubic meter MSL mean sea level NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Standards NASA ...unique characteristics required by the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, USAF, National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ), and other Federal and

The Modular Modeling System (MMS): A modeling framework for water- and environmental-resources management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leavesley, G.H.; Markstrom, S.L.; Viger, R.J.

2004-01-01

The interdisciplinary nature and increasing complexity of water- and environmental-resource problems require the use of modeling approaches that can incorporate knowledge from a broad range of scientific disciplines. The large number of distributed hydrological and ecosystem models currently available are composed of a variety of different conceptualizations of the associated processes they simulate. Assessment of the capabilities of these distributed models requires evaluation of the conceptualizations of the individual processes, and the identification of which conceptualizations are most appropriate for various combinations of criteria, such as problem objectives, data constraints, and spatial and temporal scales of application. With this knowledge, "optimal" models for specific sets of criteria can be created and applied. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Modular Modeling System (MMS) is an integrated system of computer software that has been developed to provide these model development and application capabilities. MMS supports the integration of models and tools at a variety of levels of modular design. These include individual process models, tightly coupled models, loosely coupled models, and fully-integrated decision support systems. A variety of visualization and statistical tools are also provided. MMS has been coupled with the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) object-oriented reservoir and river-system modeling framework, RiverWare, under a joint USGS-BOR program called the Watershed and River System Management Program. MMS and RiverWare are linked using a shared relational database. The resulting database-centered decision support system provides tools for evaluating and applying optimal resource-allocation and management strategies to complex, operational decisions on multipurpose reservoir systems and watersheds. Management issues being addressed include efficiency of water-resources management, environmental concerns such as meeting flow needs for endangered species, and optimizing operations within the constraints of multiple objectives such as power generation, irrigation, and water conservation. This decision support system approach is being developed, tested, and implemented in the Gunni-son, Yakima, San Juan, Rio Grande, and Truckee River basins of the western United States. Copyright ASCE 2004.

Batch-mode Reinforcement Learning for improved hydro-environmental systems management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castelletti, A.; Galelli, S.; Restelli, M.; Soncini-Sessa, R.

2010-12-01

Despite the great progresses made in the last decades, the optimal management of hydro-environmental systems still remains a very active and challenging research area. The combination of multiple, often conflicting interests, high non-linearities of the physical processes and the management objectives, strong uncertainties in the inputs, and high dimensional state makes the problem challenging and intriguing. Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SDP) is one of the most suitable methods for designing (Pareto) optimal management policies preserving the original problem complexity. However, it suffers from a dual curse, which, de facto, prevents its practical application to even reasonably complex water systems. (i) Computational requirement grows exponentially with state and control dimension (Bellman's curse of dimensionality), so that SDP can not be used with water systems where the state vector includes more than few (2-3) units. (ii) An explicit model of each system's component is required (curse of modelling) to anticipate the effects of the system transitions, i.e. any information included into the SDP framework can only be either a state variable described by a dynamic model or a stochastic disturbance, independent in time, with the associated pdf. Any exogenous information that could effectively improve the system operation cannot be explicitly considered in taking the management decision, unless a dynamic model is identified for each additional information, thus adding to the problem complexity through the curse of dimensionality (additional state variables). To mitigate this dual curse, the combined use of batch-mode Reinforcement Learning (bRL) and Dynamic Model Reduction (DMR) techniques is explored in this study. bRL overcomes the curse of modelling by replacing explicit modelling with an external simulator and/or historical observations. The curse of dimensionality is averted using a functional approximation of the SDP value function based on proper non-linear regressors. DMR reduces the complexity and the associated computational requirements of non-linear distributed process based models, making them suitable for being included into optimization schemes. Results from real world applications of the approach are also presented, including reservoir operation with both quality and quantity targets.

Cleaner production: Minimizing hazardous waste in Indonesia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bratasida, D.L.

In the second long-term development plan, industry plays a significant role in economic growth. In Indonesia, industries grow very fast; such fast growth can adversely effect the environment. Exploitation of assets can mean depletion of natural resources and energy, which, if incorrectly managed, can endanger human life and the environment. The inefficient use of natural resources will accelerate their exhaustion and generate pollution, resulting in environmental damage and threats to economic development and human well being. In recent years, changes in the approach used to control pollution have been necessary because of the increasing seriousness of the problems. Initial environmentalmore » management strategies were based on a carrying capacity approach; the natural assimilative capacity accommodated the pollution load that was applied. The environmental management strategies adopted later included technologies applied to the end of the discharge point (so-called {open_quotes}end-of-pipe{close_quotes} treatments). Until now, environmental management strategies focused on end-of-pipe approaches that control pollutants after they are generated. These approaches concentrate on waste treatment and disposal to control pollution and environmental degradation. However, as industry develops, waste volumes continue to increase, thereby creating further environmental problems. In addition, the wastes produced tend to have more complex characteristics and are potentially more difficult to treat for a reasonable cost. There are often technical and financial obstacles to regulatory compliance if waste treatment is relied on as the only means of achieving environmental objectives. Consequently, the reactive end-of-pipe treatment approach has been changed to a proactive cleaner production approach. This approach is based on the concept of sustainable development and is designed to prevent pollution as well as to protect natural resources and the quality of the environment.« less

Environmental projects. Volume 7: Environmental resources document

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kushner, Len; Kroll, Glenn

1988-01-01

The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC) in Barstow, California, is part of the NASA Deep Space Network, one of the world's largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications and radio navigation networks. Goldstone is managed, directed and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of Pasadena, California. The GDSCC includes five distinct operational sites: Echo, Venus, Mars, Apollo, and Mojave Base. Within each site is a Deep Space Station (DPS), consisting of a large dish antenna and its support facilities. As required by NASA directives concerning the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act, each NASA field installation is to publish an Environmental Resources Document describing the current environment at the installation, including any adverse effects that NASA operations may have on the local environment.

Pollution characterization of liquid waste of the factory complex Fertial (Arzew, Algeria).

PubMed

Redouane, Fares; Mourad, Lounis

2016-03-01

The industrial development in Algeria has made a worrying situation for all socioeconomic stakeholders. Indeed, this economic growth is marked in recent years by the establishment of factories and industrial plants that discharge liquid waste in marine shorelines. These releases could destabilize the environmental balance in the coming years, hence the need to support the processing of all sources of pollution. Remediation of such discharges requires several steps of identifying the various pollutants to their treatments. Therefore, the authors conducted this first work of characterization of industrial effluents generated by the mineral fertilizer factory complex Fertial (Arzew), and discussed the pollution load generated by this type of industry. This monitoring would establish a tool for reflection and decision support developed by a management system capable of ensuring effective and sustainable management of effluents from industrial activities of Fertial. The authors conducted this first work of characterization of industrial effluents generated by the mineral fertilizer factory complex Fertial (Arzew), and discussed the pollution load generated by this type of industry. This monitoring would establish a tool for reflection and decision support developed by a management system capable of ensuring effective and sustainable management of effluents from industrial activities of Fertial.

Using serious games and virtual worlds in pesticides transport teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Payraudeau, Sylvain; Alvarez-Zaldivar, Pablo; van Dijk, Paul; Imfeld, Gwenaël

2017-04-01

Teaching environmental scenarios, such as the availability and transport of pesticides in catchments, may fail with traditional lectures and tutorials due to the complex and synergic interplay of soil, landuse, compounds properties, hydroclimatic forcing and biogeochemical processes. To tackle and pedagogically enter into this complexity, virtual worlds (i.e. computer-based simulated environment) and serious games (i.e. applied games with added pedagogical value) can efficiently improve knowledge and know-how of the future water management stakeholders and scientists. We have developed an e-learning teaching unit using virtual catchments and serious games by gradually adapting the level of complexity depending of the targeted public. The first targeted group is farmers in continuing education centers. We developed a distributed pesticide transport tool in a virtual agricultural catchment to highlight the specific risks of off-site pesticide transport along crop growing season. Students of this first group can interactively define and combine climatic, land-use and soil type scenarios with different pesticides to experiment the components of worst-case situations and to propose best-management practices depending of the involved environmental compartments, i.e. atmosphere, soil, surface water or groundwater. For Master's degree students, we added a level of complexity by adding a specific module focusing on pesticide degradation using cutting-edge approaches. With the compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) module students are able to link the 13C/12C signature of pesticides to the ongoing dissipation processes within the catchment. By using and interpreting CSIA data, students can thus efficiently understand the difference between non-destructive (e.g. sorption) and destructive (e.g. bio and abiotic degradation) processes occurring in a catchment. This CSIA tool applied to a virtual agricultural catchment will also allow to distinguish the dilution effect from the degradation effect in complex agricultural catchments receiving pesticides. We anticipate our e-learning teaching unit based on serious game and virtual catchments will help future scientists and stakeholders to better understand and manage pesticides transport within catchments.

Linking Local Scale Ecosystem Science to Regional Scale Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shope, C. L.; Tenhunen, J.; Peiffer, S.

2012-04-01

Ecosystem management with respect to sufficient water yield, a quality water supply, habitat and biodiversity conservation, and climate change effects requires substantial observational data at a range of scales. Complex interactions of local physical processes oftentimes vary over space and time, particularly in locations with extreme meteorological conditions. Modifications to local conditions (ie: agricultural land use changes, nutrient additions, landscape management, water usage) can further affect regional ecosystem services. The international, inter-disciplinary TERRECO research group is intensively investigating a variety of local processes, parameters, and conditions to link complex physical, economic, and social interactions at the regional scale. Field-based meteorology, hydrology, soil physics, plant production, solute and sediment transport, economic, and social behavior data were measured in a South Korean catchment. The data are used to parameterize suite of models describing local to landscape level water, sediment, nutrient, and monetary relationships. We focus on using the agricultural and hydrological SWAT model to synthesize the experimental field data and local-scale models throughout the catchment. The approach of our study was to describe local scientific processes, link potential interrelationships between different processes, and predict environmentally efficient management efforts. The Haean catchment case study shows how research can be structured to provide cross-disciplinary scientific linkages describing complex ecosystems and landscapes that can be used for regional management evaluations and predictions.

Development of an estuarine assessment scheme for the management of a highly urbanised catchment/estuary system, Sydney estuary, Australia.

PubMed

Birch, G F; Gunns, T J; Chapman, D; Harrison, D

2016-05-01

As coastal populations increase, considerable pressures are exerted on estuarine environments. Recently, there has been a trend towards the development and use of estuarine assessment schemes as a decision support tool in the management of these environments. These schemes offer a method by which complex environmental data is converted into a readily understandable and communicable format for informed decision making and effective distribution of limited management resources. Reliability and effectiveness of these schemes are often limited due to a complex assessment framework, poor data management and use of ineffective environmental indicators. The current scheme aims to improve reliability in the reporting of estuarine condition by including a concise assessment framework, employing high-value indicators and, in a unique approach, employing fuzzy logic in indicator evaluation. Using Sydney estuary as a case study, each of the 15 sub-catchment/sub-estuary systems were assessed using the current scheme. Results identified that poor sediment quality was a significant issue in Blackwattle/Rozelle Bay, Iron Cove and Hen and Chicken Bay while poor water quality was of particular concern in Duck River, Homebush Bay and the Parramatta River. Overall results of the assessment scheme were used to prioritise the management of each sub-catchment/sub-estuary assessed with Blackwattle/Rozelle Bay, Homebush Bay, Iron Cove and Duck River considered to be in need of a high priority management response. A report card format, using letter grades, was employed to convey the results of the assessment in a readily understood manner to estuarine managers and members of the public. Letter grades also provide benchmarking and performance monitoring ability, allowing estuarine managers to set improvement targets and assesses the effectiveness of management strategies. The current assessment scheme provides an effective, integrated and consistent assessment of estuarine health and provides an effective decision support tool to maximise the efficient distribution of limited management resources.

Urban habitat complexity affects species richness but not environmental filtering of morphologically-diverse ants

PubMed Central

Nash, Michael A.; Christie, Fiona J.; Hahs, Amy K.; Livesley, Stephen J.

2015-01-01

Habitat complexity is a major determinant of structure and diversity of ant assemblages. Following the size-grain hypothesis, smaller ant species are likely to be advantaged in more complex habitats compared to larger species. Habitat complexity can act as an environmental filter based on species size and morphological traits, therefore affecting the overall structure and diversity of ant assemblages. In natural and semi-natural ecosystems, habitat complexity is principally regulated by ecological successions or disturbance such as fire and grazing. Urban ecosystems provide an opportunity to test relationships between habitat, ant assemblage structure and ant traits using novel combinations of habitat complexity generated and sustained by human management. We sampled ant assemblages in low-complexity and high-complexity parks, and high-complexity woodland remnants, hypothesizing that (i) ant abundance and species richness would be higher in high-complexity urban habitats, (ii) ant assemblages would differ between low- and high-complexity habitats and (iii) ants living in high-complexity habitats would be smaller than those living in low-complexity habitats. Contrary to our hypothesis, ant species richness was higher in low-complexity habitats compared to high-complexity habitats. Overall, ant assemblages were significantly different among the habitat complexity types investigated, although ant size and morphology remained the same. Habitat complexity appears to affect the structure of ant assemblages in urban ecosystems as previously observed in natural and semi-natural ecosystems. However, the habitat complexity filter does not seem to be linked to ant morphological traits related to body size. PMID:26528416

A National Approach to Quantify and Map Biodiversity ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Ecosystem services, i.e., "services provided to humans from natural systems," have become a key issue of this century in resource management, conservation planning, human well-being, and environmental decision analysis. Mapping and quantifying ecosystem services have become strategic national interests for integrating ecology with economics to help understand the effects of human policies and actions and their subsequent impacts on both ecosystem function and human welfare. The degradation of natural ecosystems and climate variation impact the environment and society by affecting ecological integrity and ecosystems’ capacity to provide critical services (i.e., the contributions of ecosystems to human well-being). These challenges will require complex management decisions that can often involve significant trade-offs between societal desires and environmental needs. Evaluating trade-offs in terms of ecosystem services and human well-being provides an intuitive and comprehensive way to assess the broad implications of our decisions and to help shape policies that enhance environmental and social sustainability. In answer to this challenge, the U.S. government has created a partnership among the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, other Federal agencies, academic institutions, and, Non-Governmental Organizations to develop the EnviroAtlas, an online Decision Support Tool that allows users (e.g., planners, policy-makers, resource managers, NGOs, private indu

Reconceptualizing INRM in understanding environmental risks from food production systems.

PubMed

Pandey, Chitra; Diwan, Hema

2018-02-15

Sustainable agri-development is composed of soil fertility maintenance, nutrient use efficiency and resource use efficiency. In this regard, the present study aims to address the complex dynamics of farm-soil and the water nexus for integrated natural resource management by understanding the fertilizer use decision of farmers. In addition to the monitoring of soil quality parameters, that is, the total nitrogen and nitrate concentrations, factor analysis was used to explore the drivers of high fertilizer use in the most agriculturally intensive region of India. The results classified economic benefits, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, resource-related aspects, institutional set-up and passivity towards environmental quality as major entry points for integrated natural resource management. Although the economic benefit in the form of the affordability of nitrogenous fertilizers was found to be the most critical rationale for fertilizer use, passivity towards environmental quality emerged as a factor of interest. Because short-term economic benefits outweigh concerns for environmental quality, our research suggests that outreach educational programs on sustainable farm practices can be instrumental in resource management. Support of the farming community by governmental/non-governmental agricultural agencies to formulate site-specific recommendations can significantly mitigate fertilizer-induced non-point pollution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Representing spatial and temporal complexity in ecohydrological models: a meta-analysis focusing on groundwater - surface water interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDonald, Karlie; Mika, Sarah; Kolbe, Tamara; Abbott, Ben; Ciocca, Francesco; Marruedo, Amaia; Hannah, David; Schmidt, Christian; Fleckenstein, Jan; Karuse, Stefan

2016-04-01

Sub-surface hydrologic processes are highly dynamic, varying spatially and temporally with strong links to the geomorphology and hydrogeologic properties of an area. This spatial and temporal complexity is a critical regulator of biogeochemical and ecological processes within the interface groundwater - surface water (GW-SW) ecohydrological interface and adjacent ecosystems. Many GW-SW models have attempted to capture this spatial and temporal complexity with varying degrees of success. The incorporation of spatial and temporal complexity within GW-SW model configuration is important to investigate interactions with transient storage and subsurface geology, infiltration and recharge, and mass balance of exchange fluxes at the GW-SW ecohydrological interface. Additionally, characterising spatial and temporal complexity in GW-SW models is essential to derive predictions using realistic environmental conditions. In this paper we conduct a systematic Web of Science meta-analysis of conceptual, hydrodynamic, and reactive and heat transport models of the GW-SW ecohydrological interface since 2004 to explore how these models handled spatial and temporal complexity. The freshwater - groundwater ecohydrological interface was the most commonly represented in publications between 2004 and 2014 with 91% of papers followed by marine 6% and estuarine systems with 3% of papers. Of the GW-SW models published since 2004, the 52% have focused on hydrodynamic processes and <15% covered more than one process (e.g. heat and reactive transport). Within the hydrodynamic subset, 25% of models focused on a vertical depth of <5m. The primary scientific and technological limitations of incorporating spatial and temporal variability into GW-SW models are identified as the inclusion of woody debris, carbon sources, subsurface geological structures and bioclogging into model parameterization. The technological limitations influence the types of models applied, such as hydrostatic coupled models and fully intrinsic saturated and unsaturated models, and the assumptions or simplifications scientists apply to investigate the GW-SW ecohydrological interface. We investigated the type of modelling approaches applied across different scales (site, reach, catchment, nested catchments) and assessed the simplifications in environmental conditions and complexity that are commonly made in model configuration. Understanding the theoretical concepts that underpin these current modelling approaches is critical for scientists to develop measures to derive predictions from realistic environmental conditions at management relevant scales and establish best-practice modelling approaches for improving the scientific understanding and management of the GW-SW interface. Additionally, the assessment of current modelling approaches informs our proposed framework for the progress of GW-SW models in the future. The framework presented aims to increase future scientific, technological and management integration and the identification of research priorities to allow spatial and temporal complexity to be better incorporated into GW-SW models.

Stakeholder Participation in Freshwater Monitoring and Evaluation Programs: Applying Thresholds of Potential Concern within Environmental Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conallin, John; McLoughlin, Craig A.; Campbell, Josh; Knight, Roger; Bright, Troy; Fisher, Ian

2018-03-01

The complex nature of freshwater systems provides challenges for incorporating evidence-based techniques into management. This paper investigates the potential of participatory evidence-based techniques to involve local stakeholders and make decisions based on different "knowledge" sources within adaptive management programs. It focuses on the application of thresholds of potential concern (TPC) within strategic adaptive management (SAM) for facilitating inclusive decision-making. The study is based on the case of the Edward-Wakool (E-W) "Fish and Flows" SAM project in the Murray-Darling River Basin, Australia. We demonstrate the application of TPCs for improving collaborative decision-making within the E-W, associated with environmental watering requirements, and other natural resource management programs such as fish stocking. The development of TPCs in the E-W fish and flows SAM project helped improve stakeholder involvement and understanding of the system, and also the effectiveness of the implemented management interventions. TPCs ultimately helped inform environmental flow management activities. The TPC process complemented monitoring that was already occurring in the system and provided a mechanism for linking formal and informal knowledge to form explicit and measurable endpoints from objectives. The TPC process faced challenges due to the perceived reduction in scientific rigor within initial TPC development and use. However, TPCs must remain tangible to managers and other stakeholders, in order to aid in the implementation of adaptive management. Once accepted by stakeholders, over time TPCs should be reviewed and refined in order to increase their scientific rigor, as new information is generated.

Application of effective discharge analysis to environmental flow decision-making

USGS Publications Warehouse

McKay, S. Kyle; Freeman, Mary C.; Covich, A.P.

2016-01-01

Well-informed river management decisions rely on an explicit statement of objectives, repeatable analyses, and a transparent system for assessing trade-offs. These components may then be applied to compare alternative operational regimes for water resource infrastructure (e.g., diversions, locks, and dams). Intra- and inter-annual hydrologic variability further complicates these already complex environmental flow decisions. Effective discharge analysis (developed in studies of geomorphology) is a powerful tool for integrating temporal variability of flow magnitude and associated ecological consequences. Here, we adapt the effectiveness framework to include multiple elements of the natural flow regime (i.e., timing, duration, and rate-of-change) as well as two flow variables. We demonstrate this analytical approach using a case study of environmental flow management based on long-term (60 years) daily discharge records in the Middle Oconee River near Athens, GA, USA. Specifically, we apply an existing model for estimating young-of-year fish recruitment based on flow-dependent metrics to an effective discharge analysis that incorporates hydrologic variability and multiple focal taxa. We then compare three alternative methods of environmental flow provision. Percentage-based withdrawal schemes outcompete other environmental flow methods across all levels of water withdrawal and ecological outcomes.

Application of Effective Discharge Analysis to Environmental Flow Decision-Making.

PubMed

McKay, S Kyle; Freeman, Mary C; Covich, Alan P

2016-06-01

Well-informed river management decisions rely on an explicit statement of objectives, repeatable analyses, and a transparent system for assessing trade-offs. These components may then be applied to compare alternative operational regimes for water resource infrastructure (e.g., diversions, locks, and dams). Intra- and inter-annual hydrologic variability further complicates these already complex environmental flow decisions. Effective discharge analysis (developed in studies of geomorphology) is a powerful tool for integrating temporal variability of flow magnitude and associated ecological consequences. Here, we adapt the effectiveness framework to include multiple elements of the natural flow regime (i.e., timing, duration, and rate-of-change) as well as two flow variables. We demonstrate this analytical approach using a case study of environmental flow management based on long-term (60 years) daily discharge records in the Middle Oconee River near Athens, GA, USA. Specifically, we apply an existing model for estimating young-of-year fish recruitment based on flow-dependent metrics to an effective discharge analysis that incorporates hydrologic variability and multiple focal taxa. We then compare three alternative methods of environmental flow provision. Percentage-based withdrawal schemes outcompete other environmental flow methods across all levels of water withdrawal and ecological outcomes.

Sustainable Remediation of Legacy Mine Drainage: A Case Study of the Flight 93 National Memorial.

PubMed

Emili, Lisa A; Pizarchik, Joseph; Mahan, Carolyn G

2016-03-01

Pollution from mining activities is a global environmental concern, not limited to areas of current resource extraction, but including a broader geographic area of historic (legacy) and abandoned mines. The pollution of surface waters from acid mine drainage is a persistent problem and requires a holistic and sustainable approach to addressing the spatial and temporal complexity of mining-specific problems. In this paper, we focus on the environmental, socio-economic, and legal challenges associated with the concurrent activities to remediate a coal mine site and to develop a national memorial following a catastrophic event. We provide a conceptual construct of a socio-ecological system defined at several spatial, temporal, and organizational scales and a critical synthesis of the technical and social learning processes necessary to achieving sustainable environmental remediation. Our case study is an example of a multi-disciplinary management approach, whereby collaborative interaction of stakeholders, the emergence of functional linkages for information exchange, and mediation led to scientifically informed decision making, creative management solutions, and ultimately environmental policy change.

Management applications of discontinuity theory | Science ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

1.Human impacts on the environment are multifaceted and can occur across distinct spatiotemporal scales. Ecological responses to environmental change are therefore difficult to predict, and entail large degrees of uncertainty. Such uncertainty requires robust tools for management to sustain ecosystem goods and services and maintain resilient ecosystems. 2.We propose an approach based on discontinuity theory that accounts for patterns and processes at distinct spatial and temporal scales, an inherent property of ecological systems. Discontinuity theory has not been applied in natural resource management and could therefore improve ecosystem management because it explicitly accounts for ecological complexity. 3.Synthesis and applications. We highlight the application of discontinuity approaches for meeting management goals. Specifically, discontinuity approaches have significant potential to measure and thus understand the resilience of ecosystems, to objectively identify critical scales of space and time in ecological systems at which human impact might be most severe, to provide warning indicators of regime change, to help predict and understand biological invasions and extinctions and to focus monitoring efforts. Discontinuity theory can complement current approaches, providing a broader paradigm for ecological management and conservation This manuscript provides insight on using discontinuity approaches to aid in managing complex ecological systems. In part

Developing dimensions for a multicomponent multidisciplinary approach to obesity management: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Cochrane, Anita J; Dick, Bob; King, Neil A; Hills, Andrew P; Kavanagh, David J

2017-10-16

There have been consistent recommendations for multicomponent and multidisciplinary approaches for obesity management. However, there is no clear agreement on the components, disciplines or processes to be considered within such an approach. In this study, we explored multicomponent and multidisciplinary approaches through an examination of knowledge, skills, beliefs, and recommendations of stakeholders involved in obesity management. These stakeholders included researchers, practitioners, educators, and patients. We used qualitative action research methods, including convergent interviewing and observation, to assist the process of inquiry. The consensus was that a multicomponent and multidisciplinary approach should be based on four central meta-components (patient, practitioner, process, and environmental factors), and specific components of these factors were identified. Psychologists, dieticians, exercise physiologists and general practitioners were nominated as key practitioners to be included. A complex condition like obesity requires that multiple components be addressed, and that both patients and multiple disciplines are involved in developing solutions. Implementing cycles of continuous improvement to deal with complexity, instead of trying to control for it, offers an effective way to deal with complex, changing multisystem problems like obesity.

Technical area status report for waste destruction and stabilization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dalton, J.D.; Harris, T.L.; DeWitt, L.M.

1993-08-01

The Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) was established by the Department of Energy (DOE) to direct and coordinate waste management and site remediation programs/activities throughout the DOE complex. In order to successfully achieve the goal of properly managing waste and the cleanup of the DOE sites, the EM was divided into five organizations: the Office of Planning and Resource Management (EM-10); the Office of Environmental Quality Assurance and Resource Management (EM-20); the Office of Waste Operations (EM-30); the Office of Environmental Restoration (EM-40); and the Office of Technology and Development (EM-50). The mission of the Office ofmore » Technology Development (OTD) is to develop treatment technologies for DOE`s operational and environmental restoration wastes where current treatment technologies are inadequate or not available. The Mixed Waste Integrated Program (MWIP) was created by OTD to assist in the development of treatment technologies for the DOE mixed low-level wastes (MLLW). The MWIP has established five Technical Support Groups (TSGs) whose purpose is to identify, evaluate, and develop treatment technologies within five general technical areas representing waste treatment functions from initial waste handling through generation of final waste forms. These TSGs are: (1) Front-End Waste Handling, (2) Physical/Chemical Treatment, (3) Waste Destruction and Stabilization, (4) Second-Stage Destruction and Offgas Treatment, and (5) Final Waste Forms. This report describes the functions of the Waste Destruction and Stabilization (WDS) group. Specifically, the following items are discussed: DOE waste stream identification; summary of previous efforts; summary of WDS treatment technologies; currently funded WDS activities; and recommendations for future activities.« less

Exchanging environmental information and decision making: developing the local Pilot Environmental Virtual Observatory with stakeholder communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackay, E.; Beven, K.; Brewer, P.; M, Haygarth, P.; Macklin, M.; Marshall, K.; Quinn, P.; Stutter, M.; Thomas, N.; Wilkinson, M.

2012-04-01

Public participation in the development of flood risk management and river basin management plans are explicit components of both the Water Framework and Floods Directives. At the local level, involving communities in land and water management has been found to (i) aid better environmental decision making, (ii) enhance social, economic and environmental benefits, and (iii) increase a sense of ownership. Facilitating the access and exchange of information on the local environment is an important part of this new approach to the land and water management process, which also includes local community stakeholders in decisions about the design and content of the information provided. As part of the Natural Environment Research Council's pilot Environment Virtual Observatory (EVO), the Local Level group are engaging with local community stakeholders in three different catchments in the UK (the rivers Eden, Tarland and Dyfi) to start the process of developing prototype visualisation tools to address the specific land and water management issues identified in each area. Through this local collaboration, we will provide novel visualisation tools through which to communicate complex catchment science outcomes and bring together different sources of environmental data in ways that better meet end-user needs as well as facilitate a far broader participatory approach in environmental decision making. The Local Landscape Visualisation Tools are being evolved iteratively during the project to reflect the needs, interests and capabilities of a wide range of stakeholders. The tools will use the latest concepts and technologies to communicate with and provide opportunities for the provision and exchange of information between the public, government agencies and scientists. This local toolkit will reside within a wider EVO platform that will include national datasets, models and state of the art cloud computer systems. As such, local stakeholder groups are assisting the EVO's development and participating in local decision making alongside policy makers, government agencies and scientists.

Melding Environmental Education and Creative Learning in Elementary and Middle-school Settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, S.; Baker, T.; Crofton-Macdonald, J.; Scott, M.

2017-12-01

Teaching environmental topics, such as sustainability and ecosystem management, to students through the lens of computational thinking provides unique educational opportunities. Environmental topics are an excellent source for multidisciplinary learning, as questions concerning human well-being, environmental policy, science, and mathematics can naturally be incorporated into educational discussions and activities. The use of computational modeling allows students to critically reason about and explore environmental concepts by envisioning complexity, and asking and investigating a series of "what if" questions. Students can furthermore reflect on their own relationship with their local ecology. For the past five years, we have tested and developed activities for middle school students. Through in-class activities, workshop, and summer clubs, we have explored these ideas. We plan to present examples from our work and a tentative framework for a new approach to environmental education, one reinforced by computational thinking and creative learning.

Environmental risk management for radiological accidents: integrating risk assessment and decision analysis for remediation at different spatial scales.

PubMed

Yatsalo, Boris; Sullivan, Terrence; Didenko, Vladimir; Linkov, Igor

2011-07-01

The consequences of the Tohuku earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March 2011 caused a loss of power at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, in Japan, and led to the release of radioactive materials into the environment. Although the full extent of the contamination is not currently known, the highly complex nature of the environmental contamination (radionuclides in water, soil, and agricultural produce) typical of nuclear accidents requires a detailed geospatial analysis of information with the ability to extrapolate across different scales with applications to risk assessment models and decision making support. This article briefly summarizes the approach used to inform risk-based land management and remediation decision making after the Chernobyl, Soviet Ukraine, accident in 1986. Copyright © 2011 SETAC.

The Occurrence of 16 EPA PAHs in Food – A Review

PubMed Central

Zelinkova, Zuzana; Wenzl, Thomas

2015-01-01

Occurrence and toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been extensively studied in countries all over the world. PAHs generally occur in complex mixtures which may consist of hundreds of compounds. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed in the 1970 to monitor a set of 16 PAHs which are frequently found in environmental samples. This article reviews the suitability of the 16 EPA PAHs for the assessment of potential health threats to humans stemming from the exposure to PAHs by food ingestion. It presents details on analysis methods, the occurrence of PAHs in food, regulatory aspects, and related risk management approaches. In addition, consideration is given to newer evaluations of the toxicity of PAHs and the requirements for risk assessment and management stemming from them. PMID:26681897

A Comparative Analysis of Life-Cycle Assessment Tools for ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

We identified and evaluated five life-cycle assessment tools that community decision makers can use to assess the environmental and economic impacts of end-of-life (EOL) materials management options. The tools evaluated in this report are waste reduction mode (WARM), municipal solid waste-decision support tool (MSW-DST), solid waste optimization life-cycle framework (SWOLF), environmental assessment system for environmental technologies (EASETECH), and waste and resources assessment for the environment (WRATE). WARM, MSW-DST, and SWOLF were developed for US-specific materials management strategies, while WRATE and EASETECH were developed for European-specific conditions. All of the tools (with the exception of WARM) allow specification of a wide variety of parameters (e.g., materials composition and energy mix) to a varying degree, thus allowing users to model specific EOL materials management methods even outside the geographical domain they are originally intended for. The flexibility to accept user-specified input for a large number of parameters increases the level of complexity and the skill set needed for using these tools. The tools were evaluated and compared based on a series of criteria, including general tool features, the scope of the analysis (e.g., materials and processes included), and the impact categories analyzed (e.g., climate change, acidification). A series of scenarios representing materials management problems currently relevant to c

Bridging the gap between sustainable technology adoption and protecting natural resources: Predicting intentions to adopt energy management technologies in California

DOE PAGES

Chen, Bingye; Sintov, Nicole

2016-10-24

To achieve energy savings, emerging energy management technologies and programs require customer adoption. Although a variety of models can be used to explain the adoption of energy management technologies and programs, they overlook the seemingly unconventional element of level of affiliation with nature. In fact, connectedness to nature has been identified as an important driver of many pro-environmental behaviors, but its role in pro-environmental technology adoption is also not well understood. Can affiliation with nature help to bridge the apparent gap—and complex chain of events—between sustainable technology adoption and protecting natural resources? Based on survey data from 856 southern Californiamore » residents, this study investigated the influence of connectedness to nature and other factors on intentions to adopt five energy management technologies and programs: using three platforms to monitor home energy use (website, mobile phone application, in-home display); signing up for a time-of-use pricing plan; and participating in demand response events. Regression results showed that nature connectedness was the strongest predictor of all outcomes such that higher nature connectedness predicted greater likelihood of technology and program adoption. In conclusion, these findings suggest that connectedness to nature may facilitate “bridging the logic gap” between sustainable innovation adoption and environmental protection.« less

Internal complexity and environmental sensitivity in hospitals.

PubMed

Ashmos, D P; Duchon, D; Hauge, F E; McDaniel, R R

1996-01-01

Theory suggests that organizations should respond to external complexity with internal complexity. We examine whether "environmentally sensitive" hospitals are more internally complex than "environmentally insensitive" hospitals. Results show that environmentally sensitive and insensitive hospitals differed on three of the measures of internal complexity: goal complexity, strategic complexity, and relational complexity.

Understanding the environmental issues in diabetes self-management education research: a reexamination of 8 studies in community-based settings.

PubMed

Jack, Leonard; Liburd, Leandris; Spencer, Tirzah; Airhihenbuwa, Collins O

2004-06-01

Eight studies included in a recent systematic review of the efficacy of diabetes self-management education were qualitatively reexamined to determine the presence of theoretical frameworks, methods used to ensure cultural appropriateness, and the quality of the instrument. Theoretical frameworks that help to explain complex pathways that produce health outcomes were lacking; culture indices were not incorporated into diabetes self-management education; and the instruments used to measure outcomes were inadequate. We provide recommendations to improve research on diabetes self-management education in community settings through use of a contextual framework that encourages targeting multiple levels of influence--individual, family, organizational, community, and policy.

Greenhouse gas emission mitigation relevant to changes in municipal solid waste management system.

PubMed

Pikoń, Krzysztof; Gaska, Krzysztof

2010-07-01

Standard methods for assessing the environmental impact of waste management systems are needed to underpin the development and implementation of sustainable waste management practice. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool for comprehensively ensuring such assessment and covers all impacts associated with waste management. LCA is often called "from cradle to grave" analysis. This paper integrates information on the greenhouse gas (GHG) implications of various management options for some of the most common materials in municipal solid waste (MSW). Different waste treatment options for MSW were studied in a system analysis. Different combinations of recycling (cardboard, plastics, glass, metals), biological treatment (composting), and incineration as well as land-filling were studied. The index of environmental burden in the global warming impact category was calculated. The calculations are based on LCA methodology. All emissions taking place in the whole life cycle system were taken into account. The analysis included "own emissions," or emissions from the system at all stages of the life cycle, and "linked emissions," or emissions from other sources linked with the system in an indirect way. Avoided emissions caused by recycling and energy recovery were included in the analysis. Displaced emissions of GHGs originate from the substitution of energy or materials derived from waste for alternative sources. The complex analysis of the environmental impact of municipal waste management systems before and after application of changes in MSW systems according to European Union regulations is presented in this paper. The evaluation is made for MSW systems in Poland.

Applying ant colony optimization metaheuristic to solve forest transportation planning problems with side constraints

Treesearch

Marco A. Contreras; Woodam Chung; Greg Jones

2008-01-01

Forest transportation planning problems (FTPP) have evolved from considering only the financial aspects of timber management to more holistic problems that also consider the environmental impacts of roads. These additional requirements have introduced side constraints, making FTPP larger and more complex. Mixed-integer programming (MIP) has been used to solve FTPP, but...

WHAT'S LAW GOT TO DO WITH IT: THE RELATIONSHIP OF LAW TO ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY RESEARCH

EPA Science Inventory

Legal concepts cannot be described as the area under the curve or in terms of equilibrium equations; however, law is one of several dimensions of a complex system that must be included in an interdisciplinary study of sustainability. It is one of the initial conditions to be cons...

A ROBUST DESIGN FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF A GREAT RIVER, ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING, AND ASSESSMENT PROGRAM - UPPER MISSOURI RIVER (EMAP-UMR)

EPA Science Inventory

Great Rivers and reservoirs are complex, trans-border resources that are difficult and expensive to assess, monitor and manage. EMAP-UMR is a five-year effort to develop the methodology for Great River assessments, using the Upper Missouri as a test case. A major early achievemen...

Urban ecological stewardship: understanding the structure, function and network of community-based urban land management

Treesearch

Erika s. Svendsen; Lindsay K. Campbell

2008-01-01

Urban environmental stewardship activities are on the rise in cities throughout the Northeast. Groups participating in stewardship activities range in age, size, and geography and represent an increasingly complex and dynamic arrangement of civil society, government and business sectors. To better understand the structure, function and network of these community-based...

Collective Impact Approach: A "Tool" for Managing Complex Problems and Business Clusters Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Chiara, Alessandra

2017-01-01

Environmental pollution occurring in industrial districts represents a serious issue not only for local communities but also for those industrial productions that draw from the territory the source of their competitiveness. Due to its ability to take into account the needs of different stakeholders, the collective impact approach has the potential…

A Conceptual Framework for Evaluating the Domains of Applicability of Ecological Models and its Implementation in the Ecological Production Function Library

EPA Science Inventory

The use of computational ecological models to inform environmental management and policy has proliferated in the past 25 years. These models have become essential tools as linkages and feedbacks between human actions and ecological responses can be complex, and as funds for sampl...

Chemistry and biology data

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Chemical monitoring data and biological data from field collected samples.This dataset is associated with the following publication:Biales , A., D. Denton , D. Riordan, R. Breuer, A. Batt , D. Crane, and H. Schoenfuss. Complex watersheds, collaborative teams: Assessing pollutant presence and effects in the San Francisco Delta. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, KS, USA, 11(4): 674-688, (2015).

What does wildfire risk mean to the public?

Treesearch

Sarah McCaffrey

2006-01-01

Public risk perception that managers may see as inappropriately low may not necessarily be a result of poor understanding but instead may be a result of self-selection and of mental balancing of benefits and risk. This study highlights the complexity of factors considered when members of the public assess wildfire risk including environmental preconditions, ignition...

"And DPSIR begat DAPSI(W)R(M)!" - A unifying framework for marine environmental management.

PubMed

Elliott, M; Burdon, D; Atkins, J P; Borja, A; Cormier, R; de Jonge, V N; Turner, R K

2017-05-15

The marine environment is a complex system formed by interactions between ecological structure and functioning, physico-chemical processes and socio-economic systems. An increase in competing marine uses and users requires a holistic approach to marine management which considers the environmental, economic and societal impacts of all activities. If managed sustainably, the marine environment will deliver a range of ecosystem services which lead to benefits for society. In order to understand the complexity of the system, the DPSIR (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) approach has long been a valuable problem-structuring framework used to assess the causes, consequences and responses to change in a holistic way. Despite DPSIR being used for a long time, there is still confusion over the definition of its terms and so to be appropriate for current marine management, we contend that this confusion needs to be addressed. Our viewpoint advocates that DPSIR should be extended to DAPSI(W)R(M) (pronounced dap-see-worm) in which Drivers of basic human needs require Activities which lead to Pressures. The Pressures are the mechanisms of State change on the natural system which then leads to Impacts (on human Welfare). Those then require Responses (as Measures). Furthermore, because of the complexity of any managed sea area in terms of multiple Activities, there is the need for a linked-DAPSI(W)R(M) framework, and then the connectivity between marine ecosystems and ecosystems in the catchment and further at sea, requires an interlinked, nested-DAPSI(W)R(M) framework to reflect the continuum between adjacent ecosystems. Finally, the unifying framework for integrated marine management is completed by encompassing ecosystem structure and functioning, ecosystem services and societal benefits. Hence, DAPSI(W)R(M) links the socio-ecological system of the effects of changes to the natural system on the human uses and benefits of the marine system. However, to deliver these sustainably in the light of human activities requires a Risk Assessment and Risk Management framework; the ISO-compliant Bow-Tie method is used here as an example. Finally, to secure ecosystem health and economic benefits such as Blue Growth, successful, adaptive and sustainable marine management Responses (as Measures) are delivered using the 10-tenets, a set of facets covering all management disciplines and approaches. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Task 21 - Development of Systems Engineering Applications for Decontamination and Decommissioning Activities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Erickson, T.A.

1998-11-01

The objectives of this task are to: Develop a model (paper) to estimate the cost and waste generation of cleanup within the Environmental Management (EM) complex; Identify technologies applicable to decontamination and decommissioning (D and D) operations within the EM complex; Develop a database of facility information as linked to project baseline summaries (PBSs). The above objectives are carried out through the following four subtasks: Subtask 1--D and D Model Development, Subtask 2--Technology List; Subtask 3--Facility Database, and Subtask 4--Incorporation into a User Model.

The Office of Technology Development technical reports. A bibliography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1994-09-01

The US Department of Energy`s Office of Technology Development (OTD) within the Office of Environmental Management was established in 1989 to conduct an aggressive national program of applied research, development, demonstration, testing, and evaluation (RDDT&E) for innovative environmental cleanup solutions that are safer and more time- and cost-effective than those currently available. In many cases, the development of new technology presents the best hope for ensuring a substantive reduction in risk to the environment and improved worker/public safety within realistic financial constraints. Five major remediation and waste management problem areas have been identified to date within the DOE weapons complex;more » Contaminant Plume Containment and Remediation; Mixed Waste Characterization, Treatment, and Disposal; High-Level Waste Tank Remediation; Landfill Stabilization; and Facility Transitioning, Decommissioning, and Final Disposition. New technologies to address these problem areas are demonstrated to the point that they are proven to work and that they can be transferred to the private sector end-users. This bibliography contains information on scientific and technical reports sponsored by the Office of Environmental Management from its inception in 1989 through June 1994. Future issues contain reports from Technology Development activities and will be published biannually.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Bingye; Sintov, Nicole

To achieve energy savings, emerging energy management technologies and programs require customer adoption. Although a variety of models can be used to explain the adoption of energy management technologies and programs, they overlook the seemingly unconventional element of level of affiliation with nature. In fact, connectedness to nature has been identified as an important driver of many pro-environmental behaviors, but its role in pro-environmental technology adoption is also not well understood. Can affiliation with nature help to bridge the apparent gap—and complex chain of events—between sustainable technology adoption and protecting natural resources? Based on survey data from 856 southern Californiamore » residents, this study investigated the influence of connectedness to nature and other factors on intentions to adopt five energy management technologies and programs: using three platforms to monitor home energy use (website, mobile phone application, in-home display); signing up for a time-of-use pricing plan; and participating in demand response events. Regression results showed that nature connectedness was the strongest predictor of all outcomes such that higher nature connectedness predicted greater likelihood of technology and program adoption. In conclusion, these findings suggest that connectedness to nature may facilitate “bridging the logic gap” between sustainable innovation adoption and environmental protection.« less

Mercury Remediation Technology Development for Lower East Fork Poplar Creek - FY 2015 Progress Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peterson, Mark J.; Brooks, Scott C.; Mathews, Teresa J.

2016-04-01

Mercury remediation is a high priority for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) because of large historical losses of mercury within buildings and to soils and surface waters at the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12). Because of the extent of mercury losses and the complexities of mercury transport and fate in the downstream environment, the success of conventional options for mercury remediation in lower East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) is uncertain. A phased, adaptive management approach to remediation of surface water includes mercury treatment actions at Y-12 in the short-term and research andmore » technology development (TD) to evaluate longer-term solutions in the downstream environment (US Department of Energy 2014b).« less

Implementation of a novel occupational and environmental medicine specialty teleconsultation service: the VHA experience.

PubMed

Eaton, Jennifer L; Mohr, David C; Mohammad, Amir; Kirkhorn, Steven; Gerstel-Santucci, Christina; McPhaul, Kathleen; Hodgson, Michael J

2015-02-01

Occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) physician specialty practices continue to grow in scope and intensity across the Veterans Health Administration. This study characterizes the implementation of a novel, nationwide telemedicine program that provides OEM specialty consultation to providers across the Veterans Health Administration. We examined provider requests and specialist responses for a 6-month pilot from May to October 2013. Characteristics of consult users, determinants of case complexity, and specific applications of OEM specialty expertise were identified. Over a 6-month period, employee occupational health providers consulted the OEM telemedicine pilot a total of 65 times. Employee occupational health providers without formal training repeatedly identified complex cases related to work and disability. The program has created a new system management solution to deliver expert, in-depth consultation and real-time provider education in OEM.

Environmental influence on mussel (Mytilus edulis) growth - A quantile regression approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergström, Per; Lindegarth, Mats

2016-03-01

The need for methods for sustainable management and use of coastal ecosystems has increased in the last century. A key aspect for obtaining ecologically and economically sustainable aquaculture in threatened coastal areas is the requirement of geographic information of growth and potential production capacity. Growth varies over time and space and depends on a complex pattern of interactions between the bivalve and a diverse range of environmental factors (e.g. temperature, salinity, food availability). Understanding these processes and modelling the environmental control of bivalve growth has been central in aquaculture. In contrast to the most conventional modelling techniques, quantile regression can handle cases where not all factors are measured and provide the possibility to estimate the effect at different levels of the response distribution and give therefore a more complete picture of the relationship between environmental factors and biological response. Observation of the relationships between environmental factors and growth of the bivalve Mytilus edulis revealed relationships that varied both among level of growth rate and within the range of environmental variables along the Swedish west coast. The strongest patterns were found for water oxygen concentration level which had a negative effect on growth for all oxygen levels and growth levels. However, these patterns coincided with differences in growth among periods and very little of the remaining variability within periods could be explained indicating that interactive processes masked the importance of the individual variables. By using quantile regression and local regression (LOESS) this study was able to provide valuable information on environmental factors influencing the growth of M. edulis and important insight for the development of ecosystem based management tools of aquaculture activities, its use in mitigation efforts and successful management of human use of coastal areas.

Indirect water management through Life Cycle Assessment: Fostering sustainable production in developing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfister, S.; Bayer, P.; Koehler, A.; Hellweg, S.

2009-04-01

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) represents a methodological framework for analyzing the total environmental impact of any product or service of our daily life. After tracking all associated emissions and the consumption of resources, this impact is expressed with respect to a few common impact categories. These are supposed to reflect major societal and environmental priorities. However, despite their central role in environmental processes, to date hydrological as well as hydrogeological aspects are only rarely considered in LCA. Compared with standard impact categories within LCA, water is special. In contrast to other abiotic resources such as crude oil, it can be replenished. Total freshwater resources are immense, but not evenly distributed and often scarce in regions of high demand. Consequently, threads to natural water bodies have immense spatial dependency. Setting up functional relationships in order to derive a generally valid and practicable evaluation is tedious due to the complex, insufficiently understood, and uncertain natural processes involved. LCA that includes the environmental effects of water consumption means global indirect water resource management. It supports goal-directed consumer behaviour that aims to reduce pressure on natural water systems. By developing a hydrologically-based assessment of potential impacts from human interaction with natural water bodies, "greener" products can be prioritised. More sustainable and environmentally friendly water management is the result. The proposed contribution presents an operational assessment method of global surface water consumption for impacts on human health and ecosystem quality within a LCA framework. A major focus is the issue of how such global assessment helps to quantify potential impacts from water-intensive production in developing countries, where the means for proper water management are often limited. We depict a compensation scheme for impacts related to water consumption that allows agriculture-dependent regions to produce and export crops while customers can compensate the related environmental impacts and/or improving the integrated water resource management by paying a premium. This allows for efficient international food production, strengthening sustainability regarding social, environmental and economic issues related to water and trade.

CERCLA-linked environmental impact and benefit analysis: Evaluating remedial alternatives for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, Portland, Oregon, USA.

PubMed

McNally, Amanda D; Fitzpatrick, Anne G; Mirchandani, Sera; Salmon, Matthew; Edwards, Deborah A

2018-01-01

This analysis focused on evaluating the environmental consequences of remediation, providing indicators for the environmental quality pillar of 3 "pillars" of the Portland Harbor Sustainability Project (PHSP) framework (the other 2 pillars are economic viability and social equity). The project an environmental impact and benefit analysis (EIBA) and an EIBA-based cost-benefit analysis. Metrics developed in the EIBA were used to quantify and compare remedial alternatives' environmental benefits and impacts in the human and ecological domains, as a result of remedial actions (relative to no action). The cost-benefit results were used to evaluate whether remediation costs were proportionate or disproportionate to the environmental benefits. Alternatives B and D had the highest overall benefit scores, and Alternative F was disproportionately costly relative to its achieved benefits when compared to the other remedial alternatives. Indeed, the costlier alternatives with larger remedial footprints had lower overall EIBA benefit scores-because of substantially more air emissions, noise, and light impacts, and more disturbance to business, recreational access, and habitat during construction-compared to the less costly and smaller alternatives. Put another way, the adverse effects during construction tended to outweigh the long-term benefits, and the net environmental impacts of the larger remedial alternatives far outweighed their small incremental improvements in risk reduction. Results of this Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)-linked environmental analysis were integrated with indicators of economic and social impacts of remediation in a stakeholder values-based sustainability framework. These tools (EIBA, EIBA-based cost-benefit analysis, economic impact assessment, and the stakeholder values-based integration) provide transparent and quantitative evaluations of the benefits and impacts associated with remedial alternatives, and should be applied to complex remediation projects to aid environmental decision making. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:22-31. © 2017 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC). © 2017 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Distributed mixed-integer fuzzy hierarchical programming for municipal solid waste management. Part I: System identification and methodology development.

PubMed

Cheng, Guanhui; Huang, Guohe; Dong, Cong; Xu, Ye; Chen, Xiujuan; Chen, Jiapei

2017-03-01

Due to the existence of complexities of heterogeneities, hierarchy, discreteness, and interactions in municipal solid waste management (MSWM) systems such as Beijing, China, a series of socio-economic and eco-environmental problems may emerge or worsen and result in irredeemable damages in the following decades. Meanwhile, existing studies, especially ones focusing on MSWM in Beijing, could hardly reflect these complexities in system simulations and provide reliable decision support for management practices. Thus, a framework of distributed mixed-integer fuzzy hierarchical programming (DMIFHP) is developed in this study for MSWM under these complexities. Beijing is selected as a representative case. The Beijing MSWM system is comprehensively analyzed in many aspects such as socio-economic conditions, natural conditions, spatial heterogeneities, treatment facilities, and system complexities, building a solid foundation for system simulation and optimization. Correspondingly, the MSWM system in Beijing is discretized as 235 grids to reflect spatial heterogeneity. A DMIFHP model which is a nonlinear programming problem is constructed to parameterize the Beijing MSWM system. To enable scientific solving of it, a solution algorithm is proposed based on coupling of fuzzy programming and mixed-integer linear programming. Innovations and advantages of the DMIFHP framework are discussed. The optimal MSWM schemes and mechanism revelations will be discussed in another companion paper due to length limitation.

PLAN or get SLAM'ed: Optimal management of invasive species in the presence of indirect health externalities.

PubMed

Jones, Benjamin A; McDermott, Shana M; Chermak, Janie M

2016-09-15

This paper examines invasive species management when invasive species impact health outcomes indirectly through changes to environmental quality. For example, the emerald ash borer (EAB) has destroyed millions of ash trees throughout North America and has the potential to impact rates of cardiorespiratory mortality and morbidity through ash trees' ability to capture airborne pollutants. Optimal management inclusive of indirect health externalities may be different than status quo plans because the links between nature and health are complex, dynamic, and spatially heterogeneous. We produce a novel dynamic bioeconomic-health model to determine optimal EAB management in the face of such health effects. Our results show that including health increases net benefits of management substantially and that a "one size fits all" management approach is suboptimal given forest cover and demographic spatial heterogeneity. Net benefits to society are 873% higher and air pollution related mortality incidence is 82% lower when health externalities are included in management profiles using insecticide treatments and non-ash tree preemptive plantings without removal. Additionally, constrained managers optimally substitute toward preemptive tree plantings and away from insecticide use in the presence of indirect health externalities as a way to minimize disruptions to air quality. This paper has policy implications for the optimal management of environmental amenities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Supporting Fisheries Management by Means of Complex Models: Can We Point out Isles of Robustness in a Sea of Uncertainty?

PubMed Central

Gasche, Loïc; Mahévas, Stéphanie; Marchal, Paul

2013-01-01

Ecosystems are usually complex, nonlinear and strongly influenced by poorly known environmental variables. Among these systems, marine ecosystems have high uncertainties: marine populations in general are known to exhibit large levels of natural variability and the intensity of fishing efforts can change rapidly. These uncertainties are a source of risks that threaten the sustainability of both fish populations and fishing fleets targeting them. Appropriate management measures have to be found in order to reduce these risks and decrease sensitivity to uncertainties. Methods have been developed within decision theory that aim at allowing decision making under severe uncertainty. One of these methods is the information-gap decision theory. The info-gap method has started to permeate ecological modelling, with recent applications to conservation. However, these practical applications have so far been restricted to simple models with analytical solutions. Here we implement a deterministic approach based on decision theory in a complex model of the Eastern English Channel. Using the ISIS-Fish modelling platform, we model populations of sole and plaice in this area. We test a wide range of values for ecosystem, fleet and management parameters. From these simulations, we identify management rules controlling fish harvesting that allow reaching management goals recommended by ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) working groups while providing the highest robustness to uncertainties on ecosystem parameters. PMID:24204873

Supporting fisheries management by means of complex models: can we point out isles of robustness in a sea of uncertainty?

PubMed

Gasche, Loïc; Mahévas, Stéphanie; Marchal, Paul

2013-01-01

Ecosystems are usually complex, nonlinear and strongly influenced by poorly known environmental variables. Among these systems, marine ecosystems have high uncertainties: marine populations in general are known to exhibit large levels of natural variability and the intensity of fishing efforts can change rapidly. These uncertainties are a source of risks that threaten the sustainability of both fish populations and fishing fleets targeting them. Appropriate management measures have to be found in order to reduce these risks and decrease sensitivity to uncertainties. Methods have been developed within decision theory that aim at allowing decision making under severe uncertainty. One of these methods is the information-gap decision theory. The info-gap method has started to permeate ecological modelling, with recent applications to conservation. However, these practical applications have so far been restricted to simple models with analytical solutions. Here we implement a deterministic approach based on decision theory in a complex model of the Eastern English Channel. Using the ISIS-Fish modelling platform, we model populations of sole and plaice in this area. We test a wide range of values for ecosystem, fleet and management parameters. From these simulations, we identify management rules controlling fish harvesting that allow reaching management goals recommended by ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) working groups while providing the highest robustness to uncertainties on ecosystem parameters.

Skills and Knowledge for Data-Intensive Environmental Research

PubMed Central

Hampton, Stephanie E.; Jones, Matthew B.; Wasser, Leah A.; Schildhauer, Mark P.; Supp, Sarah R.; Brun, Julien; Hernandez, Rebecca R.; Boettiger, Carl; Collins, Scott L.; Gross, Louis J.; Fernández, Denny S.; Budden, Amber; White, Ethan P.; Teal, Tracy K.; Aukema, Juliann E.

2017-01-01

Abstract The scale and magnitude of complex and pressing environmental issues lend urgency to the need for integrative and reproducible analysis and synthesis, facilitated by data-intensive research approaches. However, the recent pace of technological change has been such that appropriate skills to accomplish data-intensive research are lacking among environmental scientists, who more than ever need greater access to training and mentorship in computational skills. Here, we provide a roadmap for raising data competencies of current and next-generation environmental researchers by describing the concepts and skills needed for effectively engaging with the heterogeneous, distributed, and rapidly growing volumes of available data. We articulate five key skills: (1) data management and processing, (2) analysis, (3) software skills for science, (4) visualization, and (5) communication methods for collaboration and dissemination. We provide an overview of the current suite of training initiatives available to environmental scientists and models for closing the skill-transfer gap. PMID:28584342

Skills and Knowledge for Data-Intensive Environmental Research.

PubMed

Hampton, Stephanie E; Jones, Matthew B; Wasser, Leah A; Schildhauer, Mark P; Supp, Sarah R; Brun, Julien; Hernandez, Rebecca R; Boettiger, Carl; Collins, Scott L; Gross, Louis J; Fernández, Denny S; Budden, Amber; White, Ethan P; Teal, Tracy K; Labou, Stephanie G; Aukema, Juliann E

2017-06-01

The scale and magnitude of complex and pressing environmental issues lend urgency to the need for integrative and reproducible analysis and synthesis, facilitated by data-intensive research approaches. However, the recent pace of technological change has been such that appropriate skills to accomplish data-intensive research are lacking among environmental scientists, who more than ever need greater access to training and mentorship in computational skills. Here, we provide a roadmap for raising data competencies of current and next-generation environmental researchers by describing the concepts and skills needed for effectively engaging with the heterogeneous, distributed, and rapidly growing volumes of available data. We articulate five key skills: (1) data management and processing, (2) analysis, (3) software skills for science, (4) visualization, and (5) communication methods for collaboration and dissemination. We provide an overview of the current suite of training initiatives available to environmental scientists and models for closing the skill-transfer gap.

Going green by reducing red. New alternative medical waste treatment technologies.

PubMed

Zanoni, P

1998-01-01

The field of medical waste disposal is changing rapidly. Over the past decade, there has been increasing public health concern over health care's red bag waste. The health care industry must routinely contend with a complex set of regulations covering occupational safety, transportation and packaging, medical waste disposal management, and now environmental regulations for medical waste incinerators.

Geomorphology, hydrology, and ecology of Great Basin meadow complexes - implications for management and restoration

Treesearch

Jeanne C. Chambers; Jerry R. Miller

2011-01-01

This report contains the results of a 6-year project conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development on stream incision and meadow ecosystem degradation in the central Great Basin. The project included a coarse-scale assessment of 56 different...

Mapping meaningful places on Washington's Olympic Peninsula: Toward a deeper understanding of landscape values

Treesearch

Lee Karol Cerveny; Kelly Biedenweg; Rebecca McLain

2017-01-01

Landscape values mapping has been widely employed as a form of public participation GIS (PPGIS) in natural resource planning and decision-making to capture the complex array of values, uses, and interactions between people and landscapes. A landscape values typology has been commonly employed in the mapping of social and environmental values in a variety of management...

Modeling genetic and non-genetic variation of feed efficiency and its partial relationships between component traits as a function of management and environmental factors

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Feed efficiency (FE), characterized as the ability to convert feed nutrients into saleable milk or meat directly affects the profitability of dairy production, is of increasing economic importance in the dairy industry. We conjecture that FE is a complex trait whose variation and relationships or pa...

Achieving resource sustainability and enhancing economic development through biomass utilization

Treesearch

Jerrold E. Winandy

2005-01-01

As the problems associated with sustaining and enhancing the world's forest and agricultural resources compete with the needs of a rapidly increasing and affluent population, the management of our land becomes a much more complex and important issue. One of the most important environmental features of wood and other woody-like fibers is that they are renewable and...

A Conceptual Framework for Evaluating the Domains of Applicability of Ecological Models and its Implementation in the Ecological Production Function Library - International Society for Ecological Modelling Conference

EPA Science Inventory

The use of computational ecological models to inform environmental management and policy has proliferated in the past 25 years. These models have become essential tools as linkages and feedbacks between human actions and ecological responses can be complex, and as funds for sampl...

Review of nitrogen fate models applicable to forest landscapes in the Southern U.S.

Treesearch

D. M. Amatya; C. G. Rossi; A. Saleh; Z. Dai; M. A. Youssef; R. G. Williams; D. D. Bosch; G. M. Chescheir; G. Sun; R. W. Skaggs; C. C. Trettin; E. D. Vance; J. E. Nettles; S. Tian

2013-01-01

Assessing the environmental impacts of fertilizer nitrogen (N) used to increase productivity in managed forests is complex due to a wide range of abiotic and biotic factors affecting its forms and movement. Models developed to predict fertilizer N fate (e.g., cycling processes) and water quality impacts vary widely in their design, scope, and potential application. We...

Bayesian Inference: with ecological applications

USGS Publications Warehouse

Link, William A.; Barker, Richard J.

2010-01-01

This text provides a mathematically rigorous yet accessible and engaging introduction to Bayesian inference with relevant examples that will be of interest to biologists working in the fields of ecology, wildlife management and environmental studies as well as students in advanced undergraduate statistics.. This text opens the door to Bayesian inference, taking advantage of modern computational efficiencies and easily accessible software to evaluate complex hierarchical models.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dorr, Kent A.; Ostrom, Michael J.; Freeman-Pollard, Jhivaun R.

CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) designed, constructed, commissioned, and began operation of the largest groundwater pump and treatment facility in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) nationwide complex. This one-of-a-kind groundwater pump and treatment facility, located at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation Site (Hanford Site) in Washington State, was built in an accelerated manner with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds and has attained Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) GOLD certification, which makes it the first non-administrative building in the DOE Office of Environmental Management complex to earn such an award. There were many contractual, technical, configurationmore » management, quality, safety, and LEED challenges associated with the design, procurement, construction, and commissioning of this $95 million, 52,000 ft groundwater pump and treatment facility. This paper will present the Project and LEED accomplishments, as well as Lessons Learned by CHPRC when additional ARRA funds were used to accelerate design, procurement, construction, and commissioning of the 200 West Groundwater Pump and Treatment (2W P&T) Facility to meet DOE's mission of treating contaminated groundwater at the Hanford Site with a new facility by June 28, 2012.« less

Soil Management Plan for the Oak Ridge Y-12 National Security Complex Oak Ridge, Tennessee

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2005-03-02

This Soil Management Plan applies to all activities conducted under the auspices of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Oak Ridge Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) that involve soil disturbance and potential management of waste soil. The plan was prepared under the direction of the Y-12 Environmental Compliance Department of the Environment, Safety, and Health Division. Soil disturbances related to maintenance activities, utility and building construction projects, or demolition projects fall within the purview of the plan. This Soil Management Plan represents an integrated, visually oriented, planning and information resource tool for decision making involving excavation or disturbance of soilmore » at Y-12. This Soil Management Plan addresses three primary elements. (1) Regulatory and programmatic requirements for management of soil based on the location of a soil disturbance project and/or the regulatory classification of any contaminants that may be present (Chap. 2). Five general regulatory or programmatic classifications of soil are recognized to be potentially present at Y-12; soil may fall under one or more these classifications: (a) Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) pursuant to the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) Federal Facilities Agreement; (b) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); (c) RCRA 3004(u) solid waste managements units pursuant to the RCRA Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments Act of 1984 permit for the ORR; (d) Toxic Substances and Control Act-regulated soil containing polychlorinated biphenyls; and (e) Radiologically contaminated soil regulated under the Atomic Energy Act review process. (2) Information for project planners on current and future planned remedial actions (RAs), as prescribed by CERCLA decision documents (including the scope of the actions and remedial goals), land use controls implemented to support or maintain RAs, RCRA post-closure regulatory requirements for former waste management units, legacy contamination source areas and distribution of contamination in soils, and environmental infrastructure (e.g., caps, monitoring systems, etc.) that is in place or planned in association with RAs. (3) Regulatory considerations and processes for management and disposition of waste soil upon generation, including regulatory drivers, best management practices (BMPs), waste determination protocols, waste acceptance criteria, and existing waste management procedures and BMPs for Y-12. This Soil Management Plan provides information to project planners to better coordinate their activities with other organizations and programs with a vested interest in soil disturbance activities at Y-12. The information allows project managers and maintenance personnel to evaluate and anticipate potential contaminant levels that may be present at a proposed soil disturbance site prior to commencement of activities and allows a more accurate assessment of potential waste management requirements.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Whicker, Jeffrey J; Field, Jason P; Belnap, Jayne

Emission and redistribution of dust due to wind erosion in drylands drives major biogeochemical dynamics and provides important aeolian environmental connectivity at scales from individual plants up to the global scale. Yet, perhaps because most relevant research on aeolian processes has been presented in a geosciences rather than ecological context, most ecological studies do not explicitly consider dust-driven processes. To bridge this disciplinary gap, we provide a general overview of the ecological importance of dust, examine complex interactions between wind erosion and ecosystem dynamics from the plant-interspace scale to regional and global scales, and highlight specific examples of how disturbancemore » affects these interactions and their consequences. Changes in climate and intensification of land use will both likely lead to increased dust production. To address these challenges, environmental scientists, land managers and policy makers need to more explicitly consider dust in resource management decisions.« less

Building on common ground to address biodiversity conflicts and foster collaboration in environmental management.

PubMed

Lecuyer, Lou; White, Rehema M; Schmook, Birgit; Calmé, Sophie

2018-08-15

Conservation biology faces critical challenges that require collaborative approaches, including novel strategies to support interactions among actors in biodiversity conflicts. The goals of this study were to investigate the concept of common ground across multiple issues and to explore its practical application for the support of environmental management. We conceptually defined common ground as the areas of relevance underlying the suite of issues expressed by people regarding environmental management in a particular context. We then empirically tested this in the Calakmul region of Mexico, where the complex socio-historical context and high biodiversity have created environmental management challenges that are now being addressed by a local, multi-stakeholder management board. We conducted 26 open interviews with members of the board and a further round of quantitative prioritisation of issues raised. Using a coding process designed to reveal common ground, we categorized the issues at four levels ranging from coarse to fine (themes, topics, sub-topics and perspectives). We then analysed two levels, topics (n = 14 issues) and sub-topics (n = 51 issues). To do so, we built common ground matrices to identify and analyze common ground among actors and across issues. First, cluster and non-metrical data analyses revealed the diversity of actor positions and the lack of consistent grouping among actors by occupational activity. This demonstrated that focusing on actors' differences might be misleading, and that actors' views were not closely aligned with their roles. Second, we located issues according to their levels of common ground and importance among actors. We showed that by not focusing on single issue conflicts, the identification of common ground across multiple issues can pinpoint synergies. We then proposed a framework for collaboration that prioritizes issues of high importance with greater common ground (e.g. sustainable resource use activities), to support the development of trust and norms of reciprocity among actors, strengthening the potential for future cooperation. By adopting this approach, environmental managers could support the initial stages of collaborative conservation strategies, engaging with other actors to seek common ground, avoid the creation of polarised groups and help effectively manage biodiversity conflicts. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phytotoxins: environmental micropollutants of concern?

PubMed

Bucheli, Thomas D

2014-11-18

Natural toxins such as mycotoxins or phytotoxins (bioactive compounds from fungi and plants, respectively) have been widely studied in food and feed, where they are stated to out-compete synthetic chemicals in their overall human and animal toxicological risk. A similar perception and awareness is yet largely missing for environmental safety. This article attempts to raise concern in this regard, by providing (circumstantial) evidence that phytotoxins in particular can be emitted into the environment, where they may contribute to the complex mixture of organic micropollutants. Exposures can be orders-of-magnitude higher in anthropogenically managed/affected (agro-)ecosystems than in the pristine environment.

Environmental effects of information and communications technologies.

PubMed

Williams, Eric

2011-11-16

The digital revolution affects the environment on several levels. Most directly, information and communications technology (ICT) has environmental impacts through the manufacturing, operation and disposal of devices and network equipment, but it also provides ways to mitigate energy use, for example through smart buildings and teleworking. At a broader system level, ICTs influence economic growth and bring about technological and societal change. Managing the direct impacts of ICTs is more complex than just producing efficient devices, owing to the energetically expensive manufacturing process, and the increasing proliferation of devices needs to be taken into account. © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved

Forecasting in an integrated surface water-ground water system: The Big Cypress Basin, South Florida

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butts, M. B.; Feng, K.; Klinting, A.; Stewart, K.; Nath, A.; Manning, P.; Hazlett, T.; Jacobsen, T.

2009-04-01

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) manages and protects the state's water resources on behalf of 7.5 million South Floridians and is the lead agency in restoring America's Everglades - the largest environmental restoration project in US history. Many of the projects to restore and protect the Everglades ecosystem are part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The region has a unique hydrological regime, with close connection between surface water and groundwater, and a complex managed drainage network with many structures. Added to the physical complexity are the conflicting needs of the ecosystem for protection and restoration, versus the substantial urban development with the accompanying water supply, water quality and flood control issues. In this paper a novel forecasting and real-time modelling system is presented for the Big Cypress Basin. The Big Cypress Basin includes 272 km of primary canals and 46 water control structures throughout the area that provide limited levels of flood protection, as well as water supply and environmental quality management. This system is linked to the South Florida Water Management District's extensive real-time (SCADA) data monitoring and collection system. Novel aspects of this system include the use of a fully distributed and integrated modeling approach and a new filter-based updating approach for accurately forecasting river levels. Because of the interaction between surface- and groundwater a fully integrated forecast modeling approach is required. Indeed, results for the Tropical Storm Fay in 2008, the groundwater levels show an extremely rapid response to heavy rainfall. Analysis of this storm also shows that updating levels in the river system can have a direct impact on groundwater levels.

A comparison of the legal frameworks supporting water management in Europe and China.

PubMed

Yang, X; Griffiths, I M

2010-01-01

This paper has compared the legal frameworks supporting water management in Europe and China, with special focus on integrated river basin management (IRBM) to identify synergies and opportunities in policymaking and implementation. The research shows that China has committed to the efficient management of water resources through various policy tools during the current period. This commitment, however, has often been interrupted and distorted by politics, resulting in the neglect of socioeconomic and environmental priorities. The European legal framework supporting water management underwent a complex and lengthy development, but with the adoption of the Water Framework Directive provides a policy model on which to develop an integrated and sustainable approach to river basin management, elements of which may help to meet the demands of the emerging 21st century Chinese society on these critical natural resources.

FORUM: Effective management of ecological resilience – are we there yet?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spears, Bryan M.; Ives, Stephen C.; Angeler, David G.; Allen, Craig R.; Birk, Sebastian; Carvalho, Laurence; Cavers, Stephen; Daunt, Francis; Morton, R. Daniel; Pocock, Michael J. O.; Rhodes, Glenn; Thackeray, Stephen J.

2015-01-01

Ecological resilience is developing into a credible paradigm for policy development and environmental management for preserving natural capital in a rapidly changing world. However, resilience emerges from complex interactions, limiting the translation of theory into practice.Main limitations include the following: (i) difficulty in quantification and detection of changes in ecological resilience, (ii) a lack of empirical evidence to support preventative or proactive management and (iii) difficulties in managing processes operating across socio-ecological systems that vary in space and time.We highlight recent research with the potential to address these limitations including new and/or improved indicators of resilience and tools to assess scale as a driver of resilience.Synthesis and applications. Effective resilience-based management must be adaptive in nature. To support this, we propose an operational model using resilience-based iterative management actions operating across scales.

Diet, Gut Microbiome and Epigenetics: Emerging Links with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Prospects for Management and Prevention.

PubMed

Aleksandrova, Krasimira; Romero-Mosquera, Beatriz; Hernandez, Vicent

2017-08-30

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) represent a growing public health concern due to increasing incidence worldwide. The current notion on the pathogenesis of IBD is that genetically susceptible individuals develop intolerance to dysregulated gut microflora (dysbiosis) and chronic inflammation develops as a result of environmental triggers. Among the environmental factors associated with IBD, diet plays an important role in modulating the gut microbiome, influencing epigenetic changes, and, therefore, could be applied as a therapeutic tool to improve the disease course. Nevertheless, the current dietary recommendations for disease prevention and management are scarce and have weak evidence. This review summarises the current knowledge on the complex interactions between diet, microbiome and epigenetics in IBD. Whereas an overabundance of calories and some macronutrients increase gut inflammation, several micronutrients have the potential to modulate it. Immunonutrition has emerged as a new concept putting forward the importance of vitamins such as vitamins A, C, E, and D, folic acid, beta carotene and trace elements such as zinc, selenium, manganese and iron. However, when assessed in clinical trials, specific micronutrients exerted a limited benefit. Beyond nutrients, an anti-inflammatory dietary pattern as a complex intervention approach has become popular in recent years. Hence, exclusive enteral nutrition in paediatric Crohn's disease is the only nutritional intervention currently recommended as a first-line therapy. Other nutritional interventions or specific diets including the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), the low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyol (FODMAP) diet and, most recently, the Mediterranean diet have shown strong anti-inflammatory properties and show promise for improving disease symptoms. More work is required to evaluate the role of individual food compounds and complex nutritional interventions with the potential to decrease inflammation as a means of prevention and management of IBD.

Cyprus as a degraded landscape or resilient environment in the wake of colonial intrusion

PubMed Central

Harris, Sarah E.

2012-01-01

Concerns about global warming, degradation of fragile ecosystems, and environmental and societal collapse have increased interest for lessons and/or solutions for today's environmental issues. Popular writers have turned to a classic degradation thesis of deforestation and presumed desertification within the Eastern Mediterranean as a cautionary tale of how past societies have committed ecological suicide. However, degradation and/or collapse is far more complex than the thesis permits, and uncritical adoption of such simplified stories encourages continued use of inaccurate assumptions about human–environment interaction. In Cyprus, such a degradation story materialized 150 y ago, and its promoters aimed to impress on readers their responsibility to reverse past environmental mistakes. Both the British Colonial authorities (1878–1960) and the post-Independence Cypriot government used it to justify their environmental policies. Unfortunately, this thesis was formed around several misunderstandings about Cypriot environments and society: (i) judgment of degradation without appropriate consideration of the difference between degradation and change; (ii) oversimplified representation of ruling powers and those people ruled; and (iii) denigration of the shepherd lifestyle and its presumed environmental impact. A multimethod approach using archival and field research offers a more nuanced understanding of the complexity of human–environment interaction, the underappreciated environmental and societal resilience of areas classified as degraded, and the importance of placing events within changing socioeconomic and political contexts. This study of natural resource management and environmental resilience illustrates that the practices that the colonial government viewed as unsustainable likely were sustainable. PMID:22371577

Cyprus as a degraded landscape or resilient environment in the wake of colonial intrusion.

PubMed

Harris, Sarah E

2012-03-06

Concerns about global warming, degradation of fragile ecosystems, and environmental and societal collapse have increased interest for lessons and/or solutions for today's environmental issues. Popular writers have turned to a classic degradation thesis of deforestation and presumed desertification within the Eastern Mediterranean as a cautionary tale of how past societies have committed ecological suicide. However, degradation and/or collapse is far more complex than the thesis permits, and uncritical adoption of such simplified stories encourages continued use of inaccurate assumptions about human-environment interaction. In Cyprus, such a degradation story materialized 150 y ago, and its promoters aimed to impress on readers their responsibility to reverse past environmental mistakes. Both the British Colonial authorities (1878-1960) and the post-Independence Cypriot government used it to justify their environmental policies. Unfortunately, this thesis was formed around several misunderstandings about Cypriot environments and society: (i) judgment of degradation without appropriate consideration of the difference between degradation and change; (ii) oversimplified representation of ruling powers and those people ruled; and (iii) denigration of the shepherd lifestyle and its presumed environmental impact. A multimethod approach using archival and field research offers a more nuanced understanding of the complexity of human-environment interaction, the underappreciated environmental and societal resilience of areas classified as degraded, and the importance of placing events within changing socioeconomic and political contexts. This study of natural resource management and environmental resilience illustrates that the practices that the colonial government viewed as unsustainable likely were sustainable.

Biological information systems: Evolution as cognition-based information management.

PubMed

Miller, William B

2018-05-01

An alternative biological synthesis is presented that conceptualizes evolutionary biology as an epiphenomenon of integrated self-referential information management. Since all biological information has inherent ambiguity, the systematic assessment of information is required by living organisms to maintain self-identity and homeostatic equipoise in confrontation with environmental challenges. Through their self-referential attachment to information space, cells are the cornerstone of biological action. That individualized assessment of information space permits self-referential, self-organizing niche construction. That deployment of information and its subsequent selection enacted the dominant stable unicellular informational architectures whose biological expressions are the prokaryotic, archaeal, and eukaryotic unicellular forms. Multicellularity represents the collective appraisal of equivocal environmental information through a shared information space. This concerted action can be viewed as systematized information management to improve information quality for the maintenance of preferred homeostatic boundaries among the varied participants. When reiterated in successive scales, this same collaborative exchange of information yields macroscopic organisms as obligatory multicellular holobionts. Cognition-Based Evolution (CBE) upholds that assessment of information precedes biological action, and the deployment of information through integrative self-referential niche construction and natural cellular engineering antecedes selection. Therefore, evolutionary biology can be framed as a complex reciprocating interactome that consists of the assessment, communication, deployment and management of information by self-referential organisms at multiple scales in continuous confrontation with environmental stresses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crolley, R.; Thompson, M.

There has been a need for a faster and cheaper deployment model for information technology (IT) solutions to address waste management needs at US Department of Energy (DOE) complex sites for years. Budget constraints, challenges in deploying new technologies, frequent travel, and increased job demands for existing employees have prevented IT organizations from staying abreast of new technologies or deploying them quickly. Despite such challenges, IT organizations have added significant value to waste management handling through better worker safety, tracking, characterization, and disposition at DOE complex sites. Systems developed for site-specific missions have broad applicability to waste management challenges andmore » in many cases have been expanded to meet other waste missions. Radio frequency identification (RFID) and global positioning satellite (GPS)-enabled solutions have reduced the risk of radiation exposure and safety risks. New web-based and mobile applications have enabled precision characterization and control of nuclear materials. These solutions have also improved operational efficiencies and shortened schedules, reduced cost, and improved regulatory compliance. Collaboration between US Department of Energy (DOE) complex sites is improving time to delivery and cost efficiencies for waste management missions with new information technologies (IT) such as wireless computing, global positioning satellite (GPS), and radio frequency identification (RFID). Integrated solutions developed at separate DOE complex sites by new technology Centers of Excellence (CoE) have increased material control and accountability, worker safety, and environmental sustainability. CoEs offer other DOE sister sites significant cost and time savings by leveraging their technology expertise in project scoping, implementation, and ongoing operations.« less

Integral projection models for finite populations in a stochastic environment.

PubMed

Vindenes, Yngvild; Engen, Steinar; Saether, Bernt-Erik

2011-05-01

Continuous types of population structure occur when continuous variables such as body size or habitat quality affect the vital parameters of individuals. These structures can give rise to complex population dynamics and interact with environmental conditions. Here we present a model for continuously structured populations with finite size, including both demographic and environmental stochasticity in the dynamics. Using recent methods developed for discrete age-structured models we derive the demographic and environmental variance of the population growth as functions of a continuous state variable. These two parameters, together with the expected population growth rate, are used to define a one-dimensional diffusion approximation of the population dynamics. Thus, a substantial reduction in complexity is achieved as the dynamics of the complex structured model can be described by only three population parameters. We provide methods for numerical calculation of the model parameters and demonstrate the accuracy of the diffusion approximation by computer simulation of specific examples. The general modeling framework makes it possible to analyze and predict future dynamics and extinction risk of populations with various types of structure, and to explore consequences of changes in demography caused by, e.g., climate change or different management decisions. Our results are especially relevant for small populations that are often of conservation concern.

Integrated planning for regional development planning and water resources management under uncertainty: A case study of Xining, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Z. H.; Zhao, H. J.; Wang, H.; Lu, W. T.; Wang, J.; Guo, H. C.

2017-11-01

Economic restructuring, water resources management, population planning and environmental protection are subjects to inner uncertainties of a compound system with objectives which are competitive alternatives. Optimization model and water quality model are usually used to solve problems in a certain aspect. To overcome the uncertainty and coupling in reginal planning management, an interval fuzzy program combined with water quality model for regional planning and management has been developed to obtain the absolutely ;optimal; solution in this study. The model is a hybrid methodology of interval parameter programming (IPP), fuzzy programing (FP), and a general one-dimensional water quality model. The method extends on the traditional interval parameter fuzzy programming method by integrating water quality model into the optimization framework. Meanwhile, as an abstract concept, water resources carrying capacity has been transformed into specific and calculable index. Besides, unlike many of the past studies about water resource management, population as a significant factor has been considered. The results suggested that the methodology was applicable for reflecting the complexities of the regional planning and management systems within the planning period. The government policy makers could establish effective industrial structure, water resources utilization patterns and population planning, and to better understand the tradeoffs among economic, water resources, population and environmental objectives.

Representing causal knowledge in environmental policy interventions: Advantages and opportunities for qualitative influence diagram applications.

PubMed

Carriger, John F; Dyson, Brian E; Benson, William H

2018-05-01

This article develops and explores a methodology for using qualitative influence diagrams in environmental policy and management to support decision-making efforts that minimize risk and increase resiliency. Influence diagrams are representations of the conditional aspects of a problem domain. Their graphical properties are useful for structuring causal knowledge relevant to policy interventions and can be used to enhance inference and inclusivity of multiple viewpoints. Qualitative components of influence diagrams are beneficial tools for identifying and examining the interactions among the critical variables in complex policy development and implementation. Policy interventions on social-environmental systems can be intuitively diagrammed for representing knowledge of critical relationships among economic, environmental, and social attributes. Examples relevant to coastal resiliency issues in the US Gulf Coast region are developed to illustrate model structures for developing qualitative influence diagrams useful for clarifying important policy intervention issues and enhancing transparency in decision making. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:381-394. Published 2018. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Published 2018. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Warning Triggers in Environmental Hazards: Who Should Be Warned to Do What and When?

PubMed

Cova, Thomas J; Dennison, Philip E; Li, Dapeng; Drews, Frank A; Siebeneck, Laura K; Lindell, Michael K

2017-04-01

Determining the most effective public warnings to issue during a hazardous environmental event is a complex problem. Three primary questions need to be answered: Who should take protective action? What is the best action? and When should this action be initiated? Warning triggers provide a proactive means for emergency managers to simultaneously answer these questions by recommending that a target group take a specified protective action if a preset environmental trigger condition occurs (e.g., warn a community to evacuate if a wildfire crosses a proximal ridgeline). Triggers are used to warn the public across a wide variety of environmental hazards, and an improved understanding of their nature and role promises to: (1) advance protective action theory by unifying the natural, built, and social themes in hazards research into one framework, (2) reveal important information about emergency managers' risk perception, situational awareness, and threat assessment regarding threat behavior and public response, and (3) advance spatiotemporal models for representing the geography and timing of disaster warning and response (i.e., a coupled natural-built-social system). We provide an overview and research agenda designed to advance our understanding and modeling of warning triggers. © 2016 Society for Risk Analysis.

Activities with Argentina. Spring 1999. A U.S. Department of Energy Cooperative Program with the National Atomic Energy Commission of the Argentine Republic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1999-06-01

In 1989, the US Department of Energy (DOE) responded to the need to redirect resources from weapons production to environmental restoration and waste management by establishing the Office of Environmental Management (EM) and delegated to this office the responsibility of cleaning up the US nuclear weapons complex. Now in its eight year, EM`s mission has three central facets: (1) to assess, remediate, and monitor contaminated sites and facilities; (2) to store, treat, and dispose of waste from past and current operations; and (3) to develop and implement innovative technologies for environmental cleanup. To this end, EM has established domestic andmore » international cooperative technology development programs, including one with the Republic of Argentina. Cooperating with Argentine scientific institutes and industries meets US cleanup objectives by: (1) identifying and accessing Argentine EM-related technologies, thereby leveraging investments and providing cost-savings; (2) improving access to technical information, scientific expertise, and technologies applicable to EM needs; and (3) fostering the development of innovative environmental technologies by increasing US private sector opportunities in Argentina in EM-related areas.« less

Biogeochemical regions of the Mediterranean Sea: An objective multidimensional and multivariate environmental approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reygondeau, Gabriel; Guieu, Cécile; Benedetti, Fabio; Irisson, Jean-Olivier; Ayata, Sakina-Dorothée; Gasparini, Stéphane; Koubbi, Philippe

2017-02-01

When dividing the ocean, the aim is generally to summarise a complex system into a representative number of units, each representing a specific environment, a biological community or a socio-economical specificity. Recently, several geographical partitions of the global ocean have been proposed using statistical approaches applied to remote sensing or observations gathered during oceanographic cruises. Such geographical frameworks defined at a macroscale appear hardly applicable to characterise the biogeochemical features of semi-enclosed seas that are driven by smaller-scale chemical and physical processes. Following the Longhurst's biogeochemical partitioning of the pelagic realm, this study investigates the environmental divisions of the Mediterranean Sea using a large set of environmental parameters. These parameters were informed in the horizontal and the vertical dimensions to provide a 3D spatial framework for environmental management (12 regions found for the epipelagic, 12 for the mesopelagic, 13 for the bathypelagic and 26 for the seafloor). We show that: (1) the contribution of the longitudinal environmental gradient to the biogeochemical partitions decreases with depth; (2) the partition of the surface layer cannot be extrapolated to other vertical layers as the partition is driven by a different set of environmental variables. This new partitioning of the Mediterranean Sea has strong implications for conservation as it highlights that management must account for the differences in zoning with depth at a regional scale.

Sharing the floodplain: Mediated modeling for environmental management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Metcalf, S.S.; Wheeler, E.; BenDor, T.K.; Lubinski, S.J.; Hannon, B.M.

2010-01-01

Complex ecosystems, such as the Upper Mississippi River (UMR), present major management challenges. Such systems often provide a range of ecosystem services that are differentially valued by stakeholders representing distinct interests (e.g., agriculture, conservation, navigation) or institutions (e.g., federal and state agencies). When no single entity has the knowledge or authority to resolve conflicts over shared resource use, stakeholders may struggle to jointly understand the scope of the problem and to reach reasonable compromises. This paper explores mediated modeling as a group consensus building process for understanding relationships between ecological, economic and cultural well-being in the UMR floodplain. We describe a workshop structure used to engage UMR stakeholders that may be extended to resource use conflicts in other complex ecosystems. We provide recommendations for improving on these participatory methods in structuring future efforts. In conclusion, we suggest that tools which facilitate collaborative learning, such as mediated modeling, need to be incorporated at an institutional level as a vital element of integrated ecosystem management. ?? 2008 Elsevier Ltd.

Foundations of translational ecology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Enquist, Carolyn A. F.; Jackson, Stephen T.; Garfin, Gregg M.; Davis, Frank W.; Gerber, Leah R.; Littell, Jeremy; Tank, Jennifer L.; Terando, Adam; Wall, Tamara U.; Halpern, Benjamin S.; Morelli, Toni L.; Hiers, J. Kevin; McNie, Elizabeth; Stephenson, Nathan L.; Williamson, Matthew A.; Woodhouse, Connie A.; Yung, Laurie; Brunson, Mark W.; Hall, Kimberly R.; Hallett, Lauren M.; Lawson, Dawn M.; Moritz, Max A.; Nydick, Koren R.; Pairis, Amber; Ray, Andrea J.; Regan, Claudia M.; Safford, Hugh D.; Schwartz, Mark W.; Shaw, M. Rebecca

2017-01-01

Ecologists who specialize in translational ecology (TE) seek to link ecological knowledge to decision making by integrating ecological science with the full complement of social dimensions that underlie today's complex environmental issues. TE is motivated by a search for outcomes that directly serve the needs of natural resource managers and decision makers. This objective distinguishes it from both basic and applied ecological research and, as a practice, it deliberately extends research beyond theory or opportunistic applications. TE is uniquely positioned to address complex issues through interdisciplinary team approaches and integrated scientist–practitioner partnerships. The creativity and context‐specific knowledge of resource managers, practitioners, and decision makers inform and enrich the scientific process and help shape use‐driven, actionable science. Moreover, addressing research questions that arise from on‐the‐ground management issues – as opposed to the top‐down or expert‐oriented perspectives of traditional science – can foster the high levels of trust and commitment that are critical for long‐term, sustained engagement between partners.

Ecosystem features determine seagrass community response to sea otter foraging

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hessing-Lewis, Margot; Rechsteiner, Erin U.; Hughes, Brent B.; Tinker, M. Tim; Monteith, Zachary L.; Olson, Angeleen M.; Henderson, Matthew Morgan; Watson, Jane C.

2017-01-01

Comparing sea otter recovery in California (CA) and British Columbia (BC) reveals key ecosystem properties that shape top-down effects in seagrass communities. We review potential ecosystem drivers of sea otter foraging in CA and BC seagrass beds, including the role of coastline complexity and environmental stress on sea otter effects. In BC, we find greater species richness across seagrass trophic assemblages. Furthermore, Cancer spp. crabs, an important link in the seagrass trophic cascade observed in CA, are less common. Additionally, the more recent reintroduction of sea otters, more complex coastline, and reduced environmental stress in BC seagrass habitats supports the hypotheses that sea otter foraging pressure is currently reduced there. In order to manage the ecosystem features that lead to regional differences in top predator effects in seagrass communities, we review our findings, their spatial and temporal constraints, and present a social-ecological framework for future research.

Radioactive Waste Management Complex performance assessment: Draft

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Case, M.J.; Maheras, S.J.; McKenzie-Carter, M.A.

1990-06-01

A radiological performance assessment of the Radioactive Waste Management Complex at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory was conducted to demonstrate compliance with appropriate radiological criteria of the US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency for protection of the general public. The calculations involved modeling the transport of radionuclides from buried waste, to surface soil and subsurface media, and eventually to members of the general public via air, ground water, and food chain pathways. Projections of doses were made for both offsite receptors and individuals intruding onto the site after closure. In addition, uncertainty analyses were performed. Resultsmore » of calculations made using nominal data indicate that the radiological doses will be below appropriate radiological criteria throughout operations and after closure of the facility. Recommendations were made for future performance assessment calculations.« less

New Zealand Freshwater Management: Changing Policy for a Changing World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rouse, H. L.; Norton, N.

2014-12-01

Fresh water is essential to New Zealand's economic, environmental, cultural and social well-being. In line with global trends, New Zealand's freshwater resources are under pressure from increased abstraction and changes in land-use which contribute contaminants to our freshwater systems. Recent central government policy reform introduces greater national direction and guidance, to bring about a step-change in freshwater management. An existing national policy for freshwater management introduced in 2011 requires regional authorities to produce freshwater management plans containing clear freshwater objectives (measurable statements about the desired environmental state for water bodies) and associated limits to resource use (such as environmental flows and quantity allocation limits, and loads of contaminants to be discharged). These plans must integrate water quantity and quality management, consider climate change, and incorporate tangata whenua (New Zealand māori) roles and interests. In recent (2014) national policy amendments, the regional authorities are also required to implement national 'bottom-line' standards for certain attributes of the system to be managed; undertake accounting for all water takes and all sources of contaminants; and to develop and implement their plans in a collaborative way with communities. This rapid change in national policy has necessitated a new way of working for authorities tasked with implementation; many obstacles lie in their path. The scientific methods required to help set water quantity limits are well established, but water quality methods are less so. Collaborative processes have well documented benefits but also raise many challenges, particularly for the communication of complex and often uncertain scientific information. This paper provides background on the national policy changes and offers some early lessons learned by the regional authorities implementing collaborative freshwater management in New Zealand.

Tulane/Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research; project: hazardous materials in aquatic environments; subproject: biomarkers and risk assessment in Bayou Trepagnier, LA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ide, C.

1996-12-31

Tulane and Xavier Universities have singled out the environment as a major strategic focus for research and training for now and beyond the year 2000. the Tulane/Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research (CBR) was established in 1989 as the umbrella organization to coordinate environmental research at both universities. CBR projects funded by the DOE under the Hazardous Materials in Aquatic Environments grant are defining the following: (1) the complex interactions that occur during the transport of contaminants through wetlands environments, (2) the actual and potential impact of contaminants on ecological systems and health, (3) the mechanisms and new technologies through whichmore » these impacts might be remediated, and (4) new programs aimed at educating and training environmental workers of the future. The subproject described in this report, `Biomarkers and Risk Assessment in Bayou Trepagnier, LN`, is particularly relevant to the US Department of Energy`s Environmental Restoration and Waste Management program aimed at solving problems related to hazard monitoring and clean-up prioritization at sites with aquatic pollution problems in the DOE complex.« less

DOE's Oak Ridge Site Kick Off Demolition of the K-27 Building

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cange, Sue; Rueter, Ken

2016-02-10

DOE's Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management kicked off demolition of the K-27 Building this month, moving closer to fulfilling Vision 2016 — removal of all gaseous diffusion buildings from the site by year’s end. As the site's last uranium enrichment building falls, it will mark the first-ever demolition and cleanup of a gaseous diffusion complex anywhere.

Army Ecosystem Management Policy Study

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-03-01

natural resources. A new generation of environmental issues is now upon us, defined by greater political, economic, social , and even cultural complexity...be established according to physical and biological criteria, and should account for the regional political, social , economic, and cultural context...speaks to what is known or what is knowable about a problem or situation. This determination is heavily influenced by social values and perceptions. We

Using trading zones and life cycle analysis to understand nanotechnology regulation.

PubMed

Wardak, Ahson; Gorman, Michael E

2006-01-01

This article reviews the public health and environmental regulations applicable to nanotechnology using a life cycle model from basic research through end-of-life for products. Given nanotechnology's immense promise and public investment, regulations are important, balancing risk with the public good. Trading zones and earth systems engineering management assist in explaining potential solutions to gaps in an otherwise complex, overlapping regulatory system.

40 CFR 262.103 - What is the scope of the laboratory environmental management standard?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... University Laboratories XL Project-Laboratory Environmental Management Standard § 262.103 What is the scope of the laboratory environmental management standard? The Laboratory Environmental Management Standard... environmental management standard? 262.103 Section 262.103 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION...

75 FR 3720 - Office of Environmental Management; Environmental Management Advisory Board Charter Renewal

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-22

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Environmental Management; Environmental Management Advisory Board... consultation with the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services Administration, notice is hereby given that the Environmental Management Advisory Board will be renewed for a two-year period beginning...

The construction of feelings of justice in environmental management: An empirical study of multiple biodiversity conflicts in Calakmul, Mexico.

PubMed

Lecuyer, Lou; White, Rehema M; Schmook, Birgit; Lemay, Violaine; Calmé, Sophie

2018-05-01

A failure to address social concerns in biodiversity conservation can lead to feelings of injustice among some actors, and hence jeopardize conservation goals. The complex socio-cultural and political context of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Mexico, has historically led to multiple biodiversity conflicts. Our goal, in this case study, was to explore perceptions of justice held by local actors in relation to biodiversity conflicts. We then aimed to determine the following: 1) people's definitions of their feelings of justice; 2) the criteria used in this assessment; 3) variability in the criteria influencing them; and 4) implications for environmental management in the region and beyond. We worked with five focus groups, exploring three examples of biodiversity conflict around forest, water and jaguar management with a total of 41 ranchers, farmers and representatives of local producers. Our results demonstrated that people constructed their feelings of justice around four dimensions of justice: recognition (acknowledging individuals' rights, values, cultures and knowledge systems); ecological (fair and respectful treatment of the natural environment), procedural (fairness in processes of environmental management), distributive (fairness in the distribution of costs and benefits). We identified a list of criteria the participants used in their appraisal of justice and sources of variation such as the social scale of focus and participant role, and whom they perceived to be responsible for resource management. We propose a new framework that conceptualizes justice-as-recognition and ecological justice as forms of conditional justices, and procedural and distributive justices as forms of practical justice. Conditional justice allows us to define who is a legitimate source of justice norms and if nature should be integrated in the scope of justice; hence, conditional justice underpins other dimensions of justice. On the other hand, procedural and distributive address the daily practices of fair processes and distribution. We propose that the perception of justice is a neglected but important aspect to include in integrative approaches to managing biodiversity conflicts. Addressing demands of justice in environmental management will require us to consider more than the distribution of costs and benefits among actors. We also need to respect the plurality of fairness perspectives and to recognize the benefits of dialogical approaches to achieve more successful environmental management. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radiation protection and environmental management at the relativistic heavy ion collider.

PubMed

Musolino, S V; Briggs, S L; Stevens, A J

2001-01-01

The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) is a high energy hadron accelerator built to study basic nuclear physics. It consists of two counter-rotating beams of fully stripped gold ions that are accelerated in two rings to an energy of 100 GeV/nucleon or protons at 250 GeV/c. The beams can be stored for a period of five to ten hours and brought into collision for experiments during that time. The first major physics objective is to recreate a state of matter, the quark-gluon plasma, that has been predicted to have existed at a short time after the creation of the universe. Because there are only a few other high energy particle accelerators like RHIC in the world, the rules promulgated in the US Code of Federal Regulations under the Atomic Energy Act, State regulations, or international guidance documents do not cover prompt radiation from accelerators to govern directly the design and operation of a superconducting collider. Special design criteria for prompt radiation were developed to provide guidance tor the design of radiation shielding. Environmental Management at RHIC is accomplished through the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. The applicability, benefits, and implementation of ISO 14001 within the framework of a large research accelerator complex are discussed in the paper.

Environmental controls, oceanography and population dynamics of pathogens and harmful algal blooms: connecting sources to human exposure.

PubMed

Dyble, Julianne; Bienfang, Paul; Dusek, Eva; Hitchcock, Gary; Holland, Fred; Laws, Ed; Lerczak, James; McGillicuddy, Dennis J; Minnett, Peter; Moore, Stephanie K; O'Kelly, Charles; Solo-Gabriele, Helena; Wang, John D

2008-11-07

Coupled physical-biological models are capable of linking the complex interactions between environmental factors and physical hydrodynamics to simulate the growth, toxicity and transport of infectious pathogens and harmful algal blooms (HABs). Such simulations can be used to assess and predict the impact of pathogens and HABs on human health. Given the widespread and increasing reliance of coastal communities on aquatic systems for drinking water, seafood and recreation, such predictions are critical for making informed resource management decisions. Here we identify three challenges to making this connection between pathogens/HABs and human health: predicting concentrations and toxicity; identifying the spatial and temporal scales of population and ecosystem interactions; and applying the understanding of population dynamics of pathogens/HABs to management strategies. We elaborate on the need to meet each of these challenges, describe how modeling approaches can be used and discuss strategies for moving forward in addressing these challenges.

Complex problems and unchallenged solutions: Bringing ecosystem governance to the forefront of the UN sustainable development goals.

PubMed

Vasseur, Liette; Horning, Darwin; Thornbush, Mary; Cohen-Shacham, Emmanuelle; Andrade, Angela; Barrow, Ed; Edwards, Steve R; Wit, Piet; Jones, Mike

2017-11-01

Sustainable development aims at addressing economic, social, and environmental concerns, but the current lack of responsive environmental governance hinders progress. Short-term economic development has led to limited actions, unsustainable resource management, and degraded ecosystems. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) may continue to fall short of achieving significant progress without a better understanding of how ecosystems contribute to achieving sustainability for all people. Ecosystem governance is an approach that integrates the social and ecological components for improved sustainability and includes principles such as adaptive ecosystem co-management, subsidiarity, and telecoupling framework, as well as principles of democracy and accountability. We explain the importance of ecosystem governance in achieving the SDGs, and suggest some ways to ensure that ecosystem services are meaningfully considered. This paper reflects on how integration of these approaches into policies can enhance the current agenda of sustainability.

Molecular Mechanisms and Management of a Cutaneous Inflammatory Disorder: Psoriasis

PubMed Central

Cho, Dae Ho; Park, Hyun Jeong

2017-01-01

Psoriasis is a complex chronic inflammatory cutaneous disorder. To date, robust molecular mechanisms of psoriasis have been reported. Among diverse aberrant immunopathogenetic mechanisms, the current model emphasizes the role of Th1 and the IL-23/Th17 axis, skin-resident immune cells and major signal transduction pathways involved in psoriasis. The multiple genetic risk loci for psoriasis have been rapidly revealed with the advent of a novel technology. Moreover, identifying epigenetic modifications could bridge the gap between genetic and environmental risk factors in psoriasis. This review will provide a better understanding of the pathogenesis of psoriasis by unraveling the complicated interplay among immunological abnormalities, genetic risk foci, epigenetic modification and environmental factors of psoriasis. With advances in molecular biology, diverse new targets are under investigation to manage psoriasis. The recent advances in treatment modalities for psoriasis based on targeted molecules are also discussed. PMID:29232931

Analyzing Collaborative Governance Through Social Network Analysis: A Case Study of River Management Along the Waal River in The Netherlands.

PubMed

Fliervoet, J M; Geerling, G W; Mostert, E; Smits, A J M

2016-02-01

Until recently, governmental organizations played a dominant and decisive role in natural resource management. However, an increasing number of studies indicate that this dominant role is developing towards a more facilitating role as equal partner to improve efficiency and create a leaner state. This approach is characterized by complex collaborative relationships between various actors and sectors on multiple levels. To understand this complexity in the field of environmental management, we conducted a social network analysis of floodplain management in the Dutch Rhine delta. We charted the current interorganizational relationships between 43 organizations involved in flood protection (blue network) and nature management (green network) and explored the consequences of abolishing the central actor in these networks. The discontinuation of this actor will decrease the connectedness of actors within the blue and green network and may therefore have a large impact on the exchange of ideas and decision-making processes. Furthermore, our research shows the dependence of non-governmental actors on the main governmental organizations. It seems that the Dutch governmental organizations still have a dominant and controlling role in floodplain management. This challenges the alleged shift from a dominant government towards collaborative governance and calls for detailed analysis of actual governance.

Analyzing Collaborative Governance Through Social Network Analysis: A Case Study of River Management Along the Waal River in The Netherlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fliervoet, J. M.; Geerling, G. W.; Mostert, E.; Smits, A. J. M.

2016-02-01

Until recently, governmental organizations played a dominant and decisive role in natural resource management. However, an increasing number of studies indicate that this dominant role is developing towards a more facilitating role as equal partner to improve efficiency and create a leaner state. This approach is characterized by complex collaborative relationships between various actors and sectors on multiple levels. To understand this complexity in the field of environmental management, we conducted a social network analysis of floodplain management in the Dutch Rhine delta. We charted the current interorganizational relationships between 43 organizations involved in flood protection (blue network) and nature management (green network) and explored the consequences of abolishing the central actor in these networks. The discontinuation of this actor will decrease the connectedness of actors within the blue and green network and may therefore have a large impact on the exchange of ideas and decision-making processes. Furthermore, our research shows the dependence of non-governmental actors on the main governmental organizations. It seems that the Dutch governmental organizations still have a dominant and controlling role in floodplain management. This challenges the alleged shift from a dominant government towards collaborative governance and calls for detailed analysis of actual governance.

Multimedia environmental management

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Soesilo, J.A.; Wiley, W.D.

1999-09-01

This book explores and supports the argument that effective environmental management must be based on a multimedia approach, which focuses simultaneously on air, water, and waste and enables managers to assess the resulting financial, operation, and management benefits. The multimedia approach, which can be used to design an effective compliance program, includes proper waste and material handling management, systematic monitoring, and record keeping requirements. This approach integrates a wide array of environmental requirements and decision processes, which the authors examine in sixteen chapters, organized into four parts: the role of environmental management; environmental aspects of business operation, environmental processes; andmore » environmental management trends. Within these parts, the authors highlight the development of modern environmental management and provide an overview of federal laws pertinent to multimedia environmental management. They examine such issues as chemical storage and transportation, tank system operations and requirements, waste determination, spill response procedures, and employee training. Environmental processes addressed in the book include the management of solid and hazardous waste, wastewater treatment systems, stormwater management, air emission control, and site remediation. The authors also briefly discuss significant initiatives in US environmental management and look toward corporate sustainable development.« less

Effects of environmental factors and management practices on microclimate, winter physiology, and frost resistance in trees

PubMed Central

Charrier, Guillaume; Ngao, Jérôme; Saudreau, Marc; Améglio, Thierry

2015-01-01

Freezing stress is one of the most important limiting factors determining the ecological distribution and production of tree species. Assessment of frost risk is, therefore, critical for forestry, fruit production, and horticulture. Frost risk is substantial when hazard (i.e., exposure to damaging freezing temperatures) intersects with vulnerability (i.e., frost sensitivity). Based on a large number of studies on frost resistance and frost occurrence, we highlight the complex interactive roles of environmental conditions, carbohydrates, and water status in frost risk development. To supersede the classical empirical relations used to model frost hardiness, we propose an integrated ecophysiologically-based framework of frost risk assessment. This framework details the individual or interactive roles of these factors, and how they are distributed in time and space at the individual-tree level (within-crown and across organs). Based on this general framework, we are able to highlight factors by which different environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, light, flood, and drought), and management practices (pruning, thinning, girdling, sheltering, water aspersion, irrigation, and fertilization) influence frost sensitivity and frost exposure of trees. PMID:25972877

Life cycle assessment-driven selection of industrial ecology strategies.

PubMed

Ardente, Fulvio; Cellura, Maurizio; Lo Brano, Valerio; Mistretta, Marina

2010-01-01

The paper presents an application of the Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) to the planning and environmental management of an “eco-industrial cluster.” A feasibility study of industrial symbiosis in southern Italy is carried out, where interlinked companies share subproducts and scraps, services, structures, and plants to reduce the related environmental impact. In particular, the research focuses on new recycling solutions to create open recycling loops in which plastic subproducts and scraps are transferred to external production systems. The main environmental benefits are the reduction of resource depletion, air emissions, and landfilled wastes. The proposed strategies are also economically viable and they suggest cost abatement for the involved companies. This research shows the need for a multidisciplinary approach to data processing and to complexity managing of the investigated systems. In this context, life-cycle thinking is required to be promoted throughout the economy, as well to be as a part of all decisions on products and other criteria such as functionality, health, and safety. The Life-Cycle Assessment approach can be assumed as a methodology for influencing decision makers to make sustainable choices.

Effects of environmental factors and management practices on microclimate, winter physiology, and frost resistance in trees.

PubMed

Charrier, Guillaume; Ngao, Jérôme; Saudreau, Marc; Améglio, Thierry

2015-01-01

Freezing stress is one of the most important limiting factors determining the ecological distribution and production of tree species. Assessment of frost risk is, therefore, critical for forestry, fruit production, and horticulture. Frost risk is substantial when hazard (i.e., exposure to damaging freezing temperatures) intersects with vulnerability (i.e., frost sensitivity). Based on a large number of studies on frost resistance and frost occurrence, we highlight the complex interactive roles of environmental conditions, carbohydrates, and water status in frost risk development. To supersede the classical empirical relations used to model frost hardiness, we propose an integrated ecophysiologically-based framework of frost risk assessment. This framework details the individual or interactive roles of these factors, and how they are distributed in time and space at the individual-tree level (within-crown and across organs). Based on this general framework, we are able to highlight factors by which different environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, light, flood, and drought), and management practices (pruning, thinning, girdling, sheltering, water aspersion, irrigation, and fertilization) influence frost sensitivity and frost exposure of trees.

A tale of two rain gardens: Barriers and bridges to adaptive management of urban stormwater in Cleveland, Ohio.

PubMed

Chaffin, Brian C; Shuster, William D; Garmestani, Ahjond S; Furio, Brooke; Albro, Sandra L; Gardiner, Mary; Spring, MaLisa; Green, Olivia Odom

2016-12-01

Green infrastructure installations such as rain gardens and bioswales are increasingly regarded as viable tools to mitigate stormwater runoff at the parcel level. The use of adaptive management to implement and monitor green infrastructure projects as experimental attempts to manage stormwater has not been adequately explored as a way to optimize green infrastructure performance or increase social and political acceptance. Efforts to improve stormwater management through green infrastructure suffer from the complexity of overlapping jurisdictional boundaries, as well as interacting social and political forces that dictate the flow, consumption, conservation and disposal of urban wastewater flows. Within this urban milieu, adaptive management-rigorous experimentation applied as policy-can inform new wastewater management techniques such as the implementation of green infrastructure projects. In this article, we present a narrative of scientists and practitioners working together to apply an adaptive management approach to green infrastructure implementation for stormwater management in Cleveland, Ohio. In Cleveland, contextual legal requirements and environmental factors created an opportunity for government researchers, stormwater managers and community organizers to engage in the development of two distinct sets of rain gardens, each borne of unique social, economic and environmental processes. In this article we analyze social and political barriers to applying adaptive management as a framework for implementing green infrastructure experiments as policy. We conclude with a series of lessons learned and a reflection on the prospects for adaptive management to facilitate green infrastructure implementation for improved stormwater management. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 50204 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-12

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada AGENCY...-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Committee of the Environmental Management Site- Specific... management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and related activities. Purpose of...

Annual Site Environmental Report: 2008 (ASER)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sabba, D.

2009-11-09

This report provides information about environmental programs during the calendar year of 2008 at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, California. Activities that span the calendar year, i.e., stormwater monitoring covering the winter season of 2008/2009 (October 2008 through May 2009), are also included. Production of an annual site environmental report (ASER) is a requirement established by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) for all management and operating (M&O) contractors throughout the DOE complex. SLAC is a federally-funded research and development center with Stanford University as the M&O contractor. Under Executive Order (EO) 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental,more » Energy, and Transportation Management, and DOE Order 450.1A, Environmental Protection Program, SLAC effectively implements and integrates the key elements of an Environmental Management System (EMS) to achieve the site's integrated safety and environmental management system goals. For normal daily activities, SLAC managers and supervisors are responsible for ensuring that policies and procedures are understood and followed so that: (1) Worker safety and health are protected; (2) The environment is protected; and (3) Compliance is ensured. Throughout 2008, SLAC continued to improve its management systems. These systems provided a structured framework for SLAC to implement 'greening of the government' initiatives such as EO 13423 and DOE Orders 450.1A and 430.2B. Overall, management systems at SLAC are effective, supporting compliance with all relevant statutory and regulatory requirements. SLAC continues to demonstrate significant progress in implementing and integrating EMS into day-to-day operations and construction activities at SLAC. The annual management review and ranking of environmental aspects were completed this year by SLAC's EMS Steering Committee, the Environmental Safety Committee (ESC), and twelve objectives and targets were established for 2008. For each objective and target, a work plan, or Environmental Management Program (EMP) was completed and progress reports were routinely provided to SLAC senior management and the DOE SLAC Site Office (SSO). During 2008, there were no reportable releases to the environment from SLAC operations. In addition, many improvements in waste minimization, recycling, stormwater management, groundwater restoration, and SLAC's chemical management system (CMS) were continued during the year. The following are amongst SLAC's environmental accomplishments for 2008: a composting program at SLAC's onsite cafeteria was initiated, greater than 800 cubic feet of legacy radioactive waste were packaged and shipped from SLAC, a chemical redistribution program was developed, SLAC reduced the number of General Services Administration leased vehicles from 221 to 164, recycling of municipal waste was increased by approximately 140 tons during 2008, and site-wide releases of sulfur hexafluoride were reduced by 50 percent. In 2008, no radiological incidents occurred that increased radiation levels or released radioactivity to the environment. In addition to managing its radioactive wastes safely and responsibly, SLAC worked to reduce the amount of waste generated. SLAC has implemented programs and systems to ensure compliance with all radiological requirements related to the environment. Specifically, the Radiation Protection Radiological Waste Management Group developed a training course to certify Radioactive Waste Generators, conducted a training pilot, and developed a list of potential radioactive waste generators to train. Twenty eight generators were trained in 2008. As a best management practice, SLAC also reduced its tritium inventory by at least 95 percent by draining one of its accelerator cooling water systems; with the cooperation of the South Bayside System Authority, the West Bay Sanitary District and the DOE, SLAC discharged the cooling water to the sanitary sewer according to federal regulations and replenished the system with clean water. In 2008, the SLAC Environmental Restoration Program personnel continued work on site characterization and evaluation of remedial alternatives at four sites with volatile organic compounds in groundwater and several areas with polychlorinated biphenyls and low concentrations of lead in soil. SLAC is regulated under a site cleanup requirements order (board order) issued by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), San Francisco Bay Region in May 2005 for the investigation and remediation of impacted soil and groundwater at SLAC. The board order lists specific tasks and deadlines for completion of groundwater and soil characterization and other remediation activities. All 2008 submittals to the RWQCB were completed and submitted on time.« less

A framework for considering externalities in urban water asset management.

PubMed

Marlow, David; Pearson, Leonie; Macdonald, Darla Hatton; Whitten, Stuart; Burn, Stewart

2011-01-01

Urban communities rely on a complex network of infrastructure assets to connect them to water resources. There is considerable capital investment required to maintain, upgrade and extend this infrastructure. As the remit of a water utility is broader than just financial considerations, infrastructure investment decisions must be made in light of environmental and societal issues. One way of facilitating this is to integrate consideration of externalities into decision making processes. This paper considers the concept of externalities from an asset management perspective. A case study is provided to show the practical implications to a water utility and asset managers. A framework for the inclusion of externalities in asset management decision making is also presented. The potential for application of the framework is highlighted through a brief consideration of its key elements.

Integrating the invisible fabric of nature into fisheries management.

PubMed

Travis, Joseph; Coleman, Felicia C; Auster, Peter J; Cury, Philippe M; Estes, James A; Orensanz, Jose; Peterson, Charles H; Power, Mary E; Steneck, Robert S; Wootton, J Timothy

2014-01-14

Overfishing and environmental change have triggered many severe and unexpected consequences. As existing communities have collapsed, new ones have become established, fundamentally transforming ecosystems to those that are often less productive for fisheries, more prone to cycles of booms and busts, and thus less manageable. We contend that the failure of fisheries science and management to anticipate these transformations results from a lack of appreciation for the nature, strength, complexity, and outcome of species interactions. Ecologists have come to understand that networks of interacting species exhibit nonlinear dynamics and feedback loops that can produce sudden and unexpected shifts. We argue that fisheries science and management must follow this lead by developing a sharper focus on species interactions and how disrupting these interactions can push ecosystems in which fisheries are embedded past their tipping points.

How to Shape Climate Risk Policies After the Paris Agreement? The Importance of Perceptions as a Driver for Climate Risk Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Máñez Costa, María.; Shreve, Cheney; Carmona, María.

2017-10-01