Article
Ecology
Scott L. Morford, Brady W. Allred, Eric R. Jensen, Jeremy D. Maestas, Kristopher R. Mueller, Catherine L. Pacholski, Joseph T. Smith, Jason D. Tack, Kyle N. Tackett, David E. Naugle
Summary: Worldwide, the introduction of trees into grasslands and shrublands is causing significant changes in ecosystem structure and function. Remote sensing techniques can extend the historical record of tree cover expansion, providing critical insights into the magnitude of environmental change.
REMOTE SENSING IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Muhammad Arif, Zheng Jie, Muhammad Tahir, Hu Xin, Li Changxiao
Summary: This study evaluated the changes in the health of riparian and drawdown zones under different land-use patterns in the Three Gorges Dam Reservoir in China. The results showed that pressure indicators significantly influenced the health indicators of the riparian zones, with plant cover, erosion, and exotics being the major contributors. The correlation analysis revealed the strongest association in urban areas and the weakest association in rural-urban transitional areas.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Li-Chi Chiang, Yung-Chieh Wang, Yu-Kai Chen, Ci-Jyun Liao
Summary: This study investigates the relationships among water quality, land use/land cover, and landscape metrics across 10 basins in Taiwan. It highlights the correlation between landscape fragmentation and interspersion with degradation of water quality, particularly in certain land use types which act as pollution sources. Three out of the ten basins show strong or moderate impacts of landscape variation on water quality, suggesting that these findings could inform effective watershed planning and management strategies for the future.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Sabine Nix, Lara Roman, Marc Healy, John Rogan, Hamil Pearsall
Summary: The study examined the complex interactions between social processes and long-term changes in Urban tree canopy (UTC) in parks. It found that UTC changes were influenced by both purposeful tree planting activities and unintended forest emergence due to maintenance cutbacks. Contrary to expectations, financial investment post-2000 did not lead to UTC gain in parks, indicating the importance of understanding historical processes and management practices for long-term landscape management.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Mahsa Shahbandeh, Dominik Kaim, Jacek Kozak
Summary: CORONA spy satellites provided high spatial resolution imagery from the 1960s and early 1970s, which has been used in various scientific fields. This systematic review focuses on the use of CORONA imagery in land use and land cover change research. The analysis of 54 research papers reveals that while the use of CORONA images has increased, their potential remains relatively unexplored due to processing difficulties and limitations in study areas and data usage.
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Guillaume Piton, Yang Yu, Carlos Castillo, Demetrio Antonio Zema
Summary: Check dams have been widely used for various purposes worldwide, but some projects have experienced failures due to poor construction quality, inadequate location selection, and lack of sufficient design criteria. Comprehensive evaluation of the long-term effectiveness of check dams is still lacking, further research is needed.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jaroslaw Janus, Piotr Bozek, Bartosz Mitka, Jaroslaw Taszakowski, Arkadiusz Doroz
Summary: The paper introduces a method for precise assessment of changes in forest cover and height over several decades, utilizing data sourced from airborne laser scanning and stereometric aerial images. The proposed approach could standardize the presentation and interpretation of long-term changes, leading to improved accuracy in analyzing dynamics of forest cover changes and land abandonment over time.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Janne Mayra, Sonja Kivinen, Sarita Keski-Saari, Laura Poikolainen, Timo Kumpula
Summary: The study used scanned historical maps and modern topographic databases to analyze the changes in land use and land cover over the past 57 years. It found that the area of fields decreased by 27 km(2), while the length of watercourses increased by 2250 km in the study area.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Dionissis Latinopoulos, Maria Koulouri, Ifigenia Kagalou
Summary: This study revealed drastic landscape changes in Lake Pamvotis in the past 75 years, with riparian habitats being significantly impacted. The increase in artificial areas led to a decrease in some ecosystem services, while the overall ecosystem services value increased. Additionally, landscape homogenization and fragmentation have already been affected by human activities.
HUMAN AND ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Zhenwang Li, Quan Tang, Xu Wang, Baorui Chen, Chengming Sun, Xiaoping Xin
Summary: This study evaluated the historical and future land use and land cover change and its impact on grassland carbon storage in northern China. The results showed a drastic decrease in grassland area before 2005, while agriculture and barren land increased. Land use change resulted in significant ecosystem carbon loss, primarily in agro-pasture areas. After 2001, the region was projected to be a carbon sink due to the positive impact of land use change.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Muhammad Arif, Jiajia Li, Dongdong Ding, Xinrui He, Qianwen Geng, Yin Fan, Songlin Zhang, Changxiao Li
Summary: Topographic features have significant impacts on reservoir ecosystems, affecting parameters such as vegetation cover, exotic species, and erosion. Riparian width has the strongest influence on transitional areas, while stream-channel width has the greatest effect on rural areas. Slope has a minor impact on ecological network parameters, while elevation has a higher impact in urban areas.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Nagaraju Chilukoti, Yongkang Xue
Summary: This study used an LULCC map with interannual variations to investigate the biophysical impacts of LULCC on global and regional climates. The results showed that LULCC has negative effects on global precipitation, particularly in degraded regions such as East Asia, West Africa, and South America, leading to reductions in net radiation and evapotranspiration, and subsequent decreases in precipitation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Arthur Depicker, Liesbet Jacobs, Nicholus Mboga, Benoit Smets, Anton Van Rompaey, Moritz Lennert, Eleonore Wolff, Francois Kervyn, Caroline Michellier, Olivier Dewitte, Gerard Govers
Summary: Human activity influences the occurrence and impact of landslides in mountainous environments, particularly in the Kivu Rift region where landslide risk is higher. Factors such as population pressure, deforestation, and land-use changes contribute to this increased risk.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
A. Christine Swanson, Stephanie Bohlman
Summary: This study found that deforestation in the riparian areas downstream of the Tocantins River dams is occurring at a higher rate than in the watershed; reservoir filling has created new riparian areas and pushed forest-dominated riparian zones into savanna-dominated areas; the quantity of in-stream vegetation was dynamic, initially increasing after damming before declining in the last decade of the study.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fausto Machado-Silva, Vinicius Neres-Lima, Andrea Franco Oliveira, Timothy Peter Moulton
Summary: Deforestation has negative impacts on the ecological integrity of rivers and streams, causing threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services worldwide. This study examines the effects of forest cover changes on tropical streams using stable isotopic ratios. The results show significant variations in isotopic ratios and highlight the importance of using stable isotopes to monitor and assess the impacts of deforestation on stream ecosystems.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Maria Joao Feio, Robert M. Hughes, Marcos Callisto, Susan J. Nichols, Oghenekaro N. Odume, Bernardo R. Quintella, Mathias Kuemmerlen, Francisca C. Aguiar, Salome F. P. Almeida, Perla Alonso-EguiaLis, Francis O. Arimoro, Fiona J. Dyer, Jon S. Harding, Sukhwan Jang, Philip R. Kaufmann, Samhee Lee, Jianhua Li, Diego R. Macedo, Ana Mendes, Norman Mercado-Silva, Wendy Monk, Keigo Nakamura, George G. Ndiritu, Ralph Ogden, Michael Peat, Trefor B. Reynoldson, Blanca Rios-Touma, Pedro Segurado, Adam G. Yates
Summary: The biological assessment and rehabilitation of rivers worldwide still face major gaps, with limited funding and technology being the main constraints for quality assessment and ecological restoration efforts. While countries in Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Americas have relatively standardized biological assessment practices, regions like South America, Africa, and Mexico need to strengthen their biological monitoring efforts.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rui Pedro Rivaes, Maria Joao Feio, Salome F. P. Almeida, Cristiana Vieira, Ana R. Calapez, Andreia Mortagua, Daniel Gebler, Ivana Lozanovska, Francisca C. Aguiar
Summary: This study assesses the effects of river regulation on the diversity of instream and riparian biological communities, and finds that the communities' responses to regulation gradients are similar and insensitive to different types of river regulation, with impacts on biological and functional diversity being indirect.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Francisca C. Aguiar, Carolina Rodrigues, Joao P. Pina, Paula Soares
Summary: This study characterized the post-fire vegetation of the Leiria National Forest after a wildfire in 2017, showing that the germination and resprouting of invasive exotic species had negative impacts on native plant diversity. The results suggest that managers should prioritize preserving the natural regeneration potential in the soil and aerial seed banks following large wildfires.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Marta Gonzalez del Tanago, Vanesa Martinez-Fernandez, Francisca C. Aguiar, Walter Bertoldi, Simon Dufour, Diego Garcia de Jalon, Virginia Garofano-Gomez, Dejan Mandzukovski, Patricia Maria Rodriguez-Gonzalez
Summary: River hydromorphology has been significantly impacted by anthropogenic pressures, highlighting the importance of improving river conditions for sustainable management. Riparian vegetation plays a crucial role in sustaining river hydromorphology, yet it is often neglected in assessment protocols. This paper reviews the relevance of riparian vegetation in river hydromorphology and proposes approaches to integrate it into monitoring and assessment practices.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Andre Fonseca, Vera Zina, Goncalo Duarte, Francisca C. Aguiar, Patricia Maria Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Maria Teresa Ferreira, Maria Rosario Fernandes
Summary: The study found that Riparian Ecological Infrastructures in Forest Production and Intensive Agriculture landscapes exhibited the highest and lowest potential for biodiversity-related ecosystem services, respectively. The Forest Production landscape showed higher suitability of forage resources for short- and medium-range dispersers and a higher landscape coverage by Riparian Ecological Infrastructures. Riparian Ecological Infrastructures in the Extensive Agriculture landscape seemed particularly relevant for supporting long-range dispersers.
Article
Mathematics, Applied
J. Orestes Cerdeira, Pedro C. Silva
Summary: This paper discusses the adaptation of Tukey depth to create a novel centrality index for vertices of a graph, showcasing some properties and the computational complexity of the indices. The research also extends these indices to assess the centrality of group of vertices and provides 0/1 linear formulations for calculation.
APPLIED MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTATION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rui Pedro Rivaes, Maria Joao Feio, Salome F. P. Almeida, Ana R. Calapez, Manuela Sales, Daniel Gebler, Ivana Lozanovska, Francisca C. Aguiar
Summary: This study investigates the effects of climate change on hydropower production and instream biota in regulated rivers. It finds that climate change leads to modified flow regimes and changes in availability of mesohabitats downstream of hydropower plants, resulting in potential risks to fluvial biodiversity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alice Maria Almeida, Maria Joao Martins, Manuel Lameiras Campagnolo, Paulo Fernandez, Teresa Albuquerque, Saki Gerassis, Jose Carlos Goncalves, Maria Margarida Ribeiro
Summary: This study used species-distribution software to model the adaptation of the Mediterranean species Arbutus unedo. The findings indicate the presence of refugia in the core of the Mediterranean Basin and predict that future environmental changes will result in habitat loss and a northward range shift.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jose M. C. Pereira, Duarte Oom, Pedro C. Silva, Akli Benali
Summary: Climate and natural vegetation dynamics play important roles in global vegetation fires, but human burning activities have now become dominant. By classifying and mapping fire regimes, we can better understand the relationships between these fire drivers.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jose Carlos Franco, Manuela Branco, Sofia Conde, Andre Garcia, Maria Rosario Fernandes, Jose Lima Santos, Tainan Messina, Goncalo Duarte, Andre Fonseca, Vera Zina, Maria Teresa Ferreira
Summary: Ecological infrastructures (EIs) are important components in agricultural landscapes for supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services. Using lepidopteran dummies as a proxy, we found that different types of EIs have different effects on predator groups and overall predation rates.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Goncalo Duarte, Andre Fonseca, Vera Zina, Sofia Conde, Jeremy S. P. Froidevaux, Maria Teresa Ferreira, Maria Rosario Fernandes
Summary: Ecological infrastructures play an important role in shaping bat activity in Mediterranean agricultural landscapes. The study reveals that riparian EI has a positive effect on the activity of long-range and mid-range echolocators. Furthermore, the vegetation physiognomy and location have different effects on bat guilds.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Patricia M. Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Eleni Abraham, Francisca Aguiar, Andrea Andreoli, Ligita Balezentiene, Naim Berisha, Ivan Bernez, Michael Bruen, Daniel Bruno, Carlo Camporeale, Andraz Carni, Mila Chilikova-Lubomirova, Dov Corenblit, Renata Custerevska, Tanya Doody, Judy England, Andre Evette, Robert Francis, Virginia Garofano-Gomez, Marta Gonzalez del Tanago, Yasar Selman Gultekin, Florian Guyard, Seppo Hellsten, Georgi Hinkov, Jiri Jakubinsky, Philippe Janssen, Roland Jansson, Jochem Kail, Emine Keles, Mary Kelly-Quinn, Anna Kidova, Timea Kiss, Mart Kulvik, Nicola La Porta, Marianne Laslier, Melissa Latella, Stefan Lorenz, Dejan Mandzukovski, Paraskevi Manolaki, Vanesa Martinez-Fernandez, David Merritt, Adrien Michez, Jelena Milovanovic, Tomasz Okruszko, Eva Papastergiadou, Ellis Penning, Remigiusz Pielech, Emilio Politti, Ana Portela, Tenna Riis, Zeljko Skvorc, Michal Slezak, Barbara Stammel, John Stella, Danijela Stesevic, Vladimir Stupar, Olga Tammeorg, Priit Tammeorg, Therese Moe Fosholt, Gorazd Urbanic, Marc Villar, Ioannis Vogiatzakis, Paul Vrchovsky, Rasoul Yousefpour, Peggy Zinke, Tzvetan Zlatanov, Simon Dufour
Summary: This article identifies and discusses 10 key challenges in riparian vegetation science and management improvement, providing guidance for future research in this field.
WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-WATER
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rui Rivaes, Joana Sa Couto, Luisa Schmidt, Ana Delicado, Francisca C. Aguiar
Summary: This study examines how river regulation and sociodemographic characteristics influence the affinity for nature and perception of humans towards river systems. The results suggest that despite river regulation, communities remain connected to rivers, though the nature of this connection has changed over time due to socioeconomic and cultural changes. Educational attainment, age, and gender significantly impact the affinity for nature and perception. Additionally, the type of river regulation also affects the affinity for nature and perception of local populations.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Vera Zina, Andre Fonseca, Goncalo Duarte, Sofia Conde, Maria Rosario Fernandes, Maria Teresa Ferreira, Jose Carlos Franco
Summary: This study assessed the role of ecological infrastructures (EI) in promoting ant biodiversity in floodplain Mediterranean agricultural crops. The results showed that EI supported higher ant diversity and specialized ant community, and ant richness was influenced by location and crop type. Additionally, ant richness was associated with the area of terrestrial EI in the surrounding landscape and the absence of invasive Argentine ant.
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Jorge Orestes Cerdeira, Maria Joao Martins, Marcos Raydan
Summary: This paper presents methods for solving the "max-out min-in problem (MOMIP)" and provides a linear 0/1 formulation and a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization formulation for it. The paper proves that the problem is NP-hard and compares the performances of the two models through computational experiments. Additionally, the applicability of MOMIP in data analysis is demonstrated through two different scenarios.
COMPUTERS & OPERATIONS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Xuezheng Zong, Xiaorui Tian, Xianli Wang
Summary: Climate change has caused longer fire seasons and more intense wildfires worldwide, leading to significant economic and environmental impacts. A study conducted in Southwest China evaluated the effectiveness of different fuel treatment designs in mitigating wildfire risk under varying fire severity conditions. The results showed that fuel treatments were effective in reducing risk under low and normal fire severity scenarios, but their effectiveness was limited under high fire severity conditions.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Jian Peng, Xiaoyu Wang, Huining Zheng, Zihan Xu
Summary: This study developed an index system to evaluate the trade-off between grain production service and water purification service in the Dongting Lake Basin. The results showed that converting cropland with high nitrogen output into forest land can minimize this trade-off.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Francois Chiron, Romain Lorrilliere, Carmen Bessa-Gomes, Piotr Tryjanowski, Joan Casanelles-Abella, Lauri Laanisto, Ana Leal, Anskje Van Mensel, Marco Moretti, Babette Muyshondt, Ulo Niinemets, Marta Alos Orti, Pedro Pinho, Roeland Samson, Nicolas Deguines
Summary: In cities, green areas play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation, and the heterogeneity of land cover is an important factor. The relationship between area and heterogeneity affects the richness of bird species in urban green areas, with urban avoider species benefiting from large and heterogeneous patches.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Aleksandra Lis, Karolina Zalewska, Pawel Iwankowski, Katarzyna Betkier, Paulina Bilska, Viktoriia Dudar, Aleksandra L. Lagiewka
Summary: Appleton's prospect-refuge theory suggests that the presence of dense vegetation, topography, and people in a park can influence the safety and privacy felt by visitors in different ways. This study aimed to understand the relationship between observation point height, vegetation location, presence of other people, and perceived privacy and safety. The results showed that flat or lower ground without the presence of others was considered the safest, while landscapes higher up with dense vegetation and no other people were rated highest in terms of privacy. The findings have practical implications in terms of providing privacy without compromising safety.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Jianting Zhao, Guibo Sun, Chris Webster
Summary: This study developed a geospatial database to document the locations and urban environments of pandemic-induced street experiments on a global scale, and conducted quantitative analysis based on spatial and temporal visualizations. The study aims to enhance comparability of built environment indicators between cities and provide a robust foundation for future research on tactical urbanism.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Huaqing Wang, Louis G. Tassinary
Summary: This study investigated the influence of urban greenspace spatial morphology on non-communicable diseases and found that neighborhoods with more connected, aggregated, coherent, and complex-shaped greenspace had a lower prevalence of these diseases. Such associations were mediated by air pollution and physical inactivity. The results suggest that the spatial morphology of designed urban greenspace plays a significant role in neighborhood health.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Chiwei Xiao, Yi Wang, Mingyan Yan, Jeffrey Chiwuikem Chiaka
Summary: Regional integration initiatives, such as cross-border transportation corridors, have significant impacts on land use changes and landscape patterns. This study examines the China-Laos Railway as a case study to evaluate the extent and significance of these impacts. Using land-use data and geospatial analysis, the study quantifies and compares the effects of the railway on land use changes within a buffer zone along the corridor.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Review
Ecology
Astrid Zabel, Mara-Magdalena Hausler
Summary: Developing a green infrastructure is an important environmental policy goal in many countries around the world. Different countries have different requirements on the spatial allocation of conservation sites for green infrastructure. Price-type and procedural instruments are commonly used, but the utilization of incentive mechanisms that internalize the benefit of clustering is relatively low. There is a need for more studies on incentive mechanisms and green infrastructure policies in the global South.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Timothy Fraser, Olivia Feeley, Andres Ridge, Ava Cervini, Vincent Rago, Kelly Gilmore, Gianna Worthington, Ilana Berliavsky
Summary: This study examines the inequality of social infrastructure in Boston, finding significant racial and income disparities in access. These disparities have implications for the health and resilience of neighborhoods.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Yutian Lu, Running Chen, Bin Chen, Jiayu Wu
Summary: The inequitable distribution of urban green spaces has become a significant concern, with variations found between cities in different development stages, and socioeconomic factors playing a crucial role in the spatial equity of urban green spaces.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Di Chen, Jie Yin, Chia-Pin Yu, Shengjing Sun, Charlotte Gabel, John D. Spengler
Summary: Observational and experimental studies have shown that exposure to greenness is beneficial for long-term health and well-being. However, more evidence is needed regarding the short-term health impacts of nearby nature in urban areas. This study used immersive virtual reality technology to investigate how transitions between built and natural environments affect urban residents. Results showed that transitioning from built to natural environments led to reductions in negative mood and transient anxiety, while transitions from natural to built environments had the opposite effect. Additionally, participants showed more emotional responses to nature through physiological measures. The study also highlighted the influence of contextual factors, such as physical health conditions, stress levels, experience with nature, and growth environments, on stress recovery. Overall, this study provides empirical evidence supporting the promotion of nearby nature in urban built environments.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Daniele Codato, Francesca Peroni, Massimo De Marchi
Summary: This study examines climate justice in the Ecuadorian Amazon Region (EAR), highlighting the multiple injustices caused by oil extraction activities. Using spatial analysis, the study shows that the EAR has been a major producer of oil since 1972, leading to environmental impacts such as oil spills and pollution. The results emphasize the need to include these territories in climate justice discussions and promote the rights to a non-toxic environment.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Jingli Yan, Wendy Y. Chen, Zixiao Zhang, Wenxing Zhao, Min Liu, Shan Yin
Summary: Vegetation barriers are an effective strategy in urban planning to mitigate traffic-induced air pollution and reduce exposure. This study uses field measurements and numerical modeling to show that constructing vegetation barriers with short bushes can effectively reduce PM2.5 pollution in open-road environments, while higher coverage of tall bushes may worsen the pollution.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)