0000000000139034
AUTHOR
Timo Karjalainen
MARIOLA: a model for calculating the response of mediterranean bush ecosystem to climatic variations
Abstract The paper summarizes the bush ecosystem model developed for assessing the effects of climatic change on the behaviour of mediterranean bushes assuming that temperature, humidity and rain-fall are the basic dimensions of the niche occupied by shrub species. In this context, changes in the monthly weather pattern serve only to outline the growth conditions due to the nonlinearity of response of shrubs to climatic factors. The plant-soil-atmosphere system is described by means of ordinary non-linear differential equations for the state variables: green biomass, woody biomass, the residues of green and woody biomasses, faecal detritus of mammals on the soil, and the total organic matte…
Deliberative approach to impact significance assessment
Impact significance assessment is a combination of objective and subjective assessment, and can be characterized as a multi-criteria problem. In this article we propose a systematic and transparent approach where the impact significance assessment is realized together with experts and stakeholders. First, a preliminary significance evaluation framework is developed by the experts. Evaluation framework consists of criteria, indicators and scales. The framework is then refined based on the discussions with stakeholders and citizens. Thereafter, experts and stakeholders evaluate the significance of the impacts independently based on the criteria and scales defined earlier. In this phase Multi-…