Search results for "TOPS"
showing 10 items of 398 documents
Toward a Comprehensive Dam Monitoring: On-Site and Remote-Retrieved Forcing Factors and Resulting Displacements (GNSS and PS–InSAR)
2021
Many factors can influence the displacements of a dam, including water level variability and environmental temperatures, in addition to the dam composition. In this work, optical-based classification, thermal diachronic analysis, and a quasi-PS (Persistent Scatter) Interferometric SAR technique have been applied to determine both forcing factors and resulting displacements of the crest of the Castello dam (South Italy) over a one-year time period. The dataset includes Sentinel-1A images acquired in Interferometric Wide swath mode using the Terrain Observation with Progressive Scans SAR (TOPSAR); Landsat 8 Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) thermal images, and Global Navigation Satellite System …
Assessing optimal water quality monitoring network in road construction using integrated information-theoretic techniques
2020
Author´s accepted manuscript. The environmental impacts of road construction on the aquatic environment necessitate the monitoring of receiving water quality. The main contribution of the paper is developing a feasible methodology for spatial optimization of the water quality monitoring network (WQMN) in surface water during road construction using the field data. First, using the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) method, the water quality index (WQI) was computed in each potential monitoring station during construction. Then, the integrated form of the information-theoretic techniques consists of the transinformation entropy (TE), and the value of information (VOI) we…
The influence of the wind direction and plants on the variability of topsoil magnetic susceptibility in industrial and urban areas of southern Poland
2016
Volume magnetic susceptibility (κ) was measured on the soil surface and in the vertical topsoil profile within a 300 km2 area located in an urban-industrial conurbation. The results were compared to plant species compositions in the forest storeys, elevation above sea level, and terrain geomorphology. The content and mineral composition of the magnetic fraction were determined in the soil horizons. It was found that the extent of the area with enhanced topsoil magnetic susceptibility was similar to the dominant wind direction (south–west). Enhanced κ values were observed for the soil at the forest margin on the leeward side of the emitters as well as at sites located on exposed local elevat…
Soil erosion in sloping vineyards assessed by using botanical indicators and sediment collectors in the Ruwer-Mosel valley
2016
Steep slopes, erodible soils, rill and ephemeral gullies, compaction due to wheel. traffic and human trampling are common features in vineyards around the world and result in high soil erosion rates. However, little is known about seasonal and spatial variations of soil erosion rates due to factors such as the impact of the vine plantation, harvest, and tillage on the soil redistribution over the long-term temporal scale. The goal of this study is to assess long-term soil erosion rates and the impact of management on sediment and runoff yield by means of Gerlach troughs and a topographical approach based on botanic benchmarks in two paired vineyards with different ages (3 and 35 years) loca…
Effects of stand-level and landscape factors on understorey plant community traits in broad-leaved forest of the boreo-nemoral zone in Latvia
2019
Abstract Knowledge of the limiting processes shaping the composition of plant communities of woodland is important in conservation of biological diversity. The aim of our study was to examine the effect of stand-level factors (soil and canopy composition, age and area) and landscape factors (fragmentation of broad-leaved forest, distance to a historical manor house, and past history) on plant community trait composition in broad-leaved forest. We hypothesized that the plant functional community is shaped by both dispersal filtering due to landscape factors and by environmental characteristics. We recorded all vascular plants, described canopy composition and estimated soil characteristics i…
Litter quality, land-use history, and nitrogen deposition effects on topsoil conditions across European temperate deciduous forests
2019
Topsoil conditions in temperate forests are influenced by several soil-forming factors, such as canopy composition (e.g. through litter quality), land-use history, atmospheric deposition, and the parent material. Many studies have evaluated the effects of single factors on physicochemical topsoil conditions, but few have assessed the simultaneous effects of multiple drivers. Here, we evaluate the combined effects of litter quality, land-use history (past land cover as well as past forest management), and atmospheric deposition on several physicochemical topsoil conditions of European temperate deciduous forest soils: bulk density, proportion of exchangeable base cations, carbon/nitrogen-rat…
Soil functional indicators in a mountain forest-rangeland mosaic of northern Iran
2021
Abstract Soil plays an essential role in providing ecosystem services, especially in mountain ecosystems which are often considered as fragile and sensitive systems and commonly consist of a mosaic of forest and rangeland plant communities. The relationship between above-ground plant cover and the properties of soil organic and mineral layers in mountain areas are rarely studied. This research aimed to assess the effect of different land covers (i.e. forest, forest-rangeland ecotone, and rangeland) on soil functional indicators, i.e. fertility and biological activities, in the Hyrcanian region of northern Iran. We hypothesized that (i) the presence of tree cover enhances soil fertility and …
Humusica 1, article 1: Essential bases – Vocabulary
2018
International audience; The Special Issue Humusica 1 corresponds to a field guide for the classification of terrestrial humus systems and forms. The present first article of the issue defines vocabulary, objects and concepts necessary for: (a) field investigation, (b) understanding the process of classification, (c) assigning ecological significance to the defined morpho-functional units, (d) discussing and exchanging scientific data about humus systems. The article starts with general considerations, as the necessity humans have to classify natural objects for sharing ideas and information on them. Then the article focuses on soil as functional element of every ecosystem. Historical and re…
Testing soil water repellency in a Sicilian area two years after a fire
2019
The water drop penetration time (WDPT) technique was applied in 2018 to check persistence of soil water repellency (SWR) in a Sicilian mountain area affected by a wildfire on June 2016. A total of four sites, that were severely water repellent immediately after burning, were sampled. Depending on the site, wettable soil conditions, less SWR and maintenance of a noticeable SWR were detected two years later. At the site showing a near-constant SWR, WDPTs were particularly high in the top soil layer (0-0.03 m) and they appreciably decreased more in depth. Signs of decreasing SWR in drier soil conditions and in association with coarser soil particles were also detected at this site. High gradie…
Ranking corporate sustainability: a flexible multidimensional approach based on linguistic variables
2017
Corporate sustainability implies a compromise between the present environmental, social, and economic needs of a firm's stakeholders and their future needs. Corporate sustainability is therefore a multidimensional concept. Nowadays, several independent rating agencies rate firms in terms of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. These ratings are usually used by main sustainability indices such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, FTSE4 Good, Stoxx Sustainability Index, or Euronext Vigeo Family to select companies to invest in. Only those firms performing better than the average of their sector are selected. However, although providing linguistic ratings about the performan…