Article
Education & Educational Research
Gerald Knezek, David Gibson, Rhonda Christensen, Ottavia Trevisan, Morgan Carter
Summary: This article reports on a trace-based assessment of approaches to learning used by middle school aged children who interacted with NASA Mars Mission STEM games in Whyville, and analyzes the data using nonparametric multidimensional scaling methods. Differences in approach to learning were found, highlighting the importance of this method for curriculum and game-based learning designers as well as other creators of online STEM content.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yang Lin, Deming Wang, Taimoor Hassan Farooq, Kai Luo, Weiyue Wang, Mingxun Qin, Shiqi Chen
Summary: Accurately understanding the relationships between wetland ecological restoration plant communities and their species diversity is crucial for wetland management and biodiversity protection. In this study, we investigated the effects of different ecological restoration models on plant communities, species diversity, and soil properties in the Xinqiang River National Wetland Park in China. We identified common characteristics among different restoration types and key community traits that can enhance species diversity. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the coupling relationship between ecological community characteristics and species diversity, with practical implications for maintaining ecological structure and biodiversity protection.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Qiuwen Zhou, A-Xing Zhu, Weihong Yan, Zhiyan Sun
Summary: Forestland vegetation restoration has a significant impact on soil water content, with longer restoration duration leading to lower soil water content. The unique karst environment results in different effects of vegetation restoration on soil water content compared to other humid regions.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Meng Kou, Juying Jiao
Summary: This study investigated the changes in vegetation and soil properties over time in natural and artificial vegetation types. It found that natural vegetation improved both plant community and soil properties, while artificial vegetation only improved soil nutrients but caused soil desiccation which is difficult to recover.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Ashleigh N. Lambiotte, Jacob F. Berkowitz, Glenn M. Suir, Jonathan M. Willis
Summary: Decreased wetland elevation resulting from disrupted sediment influxes is a major driver of wetland loss in Coastal Louisiana. River sediment diversions are restoration techniques that aim to counter this loss, but their impact on vegetation and soil needs to be understood. This research found that increasing inundation depth and duration did not negatively affect aboveground growth responses of Spartina alterniflora and Typha latifolia, but could reduce stem densities and aboveground biomass of Spartina patens.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lin Yuan, Dongyan Liu, Bo Tian, Xiao Yuan, Shunqi Bo, Qiang Ma, Wei Wu, Zhiyuan Zhao, Liquan Zhang, John K. Keesing
Summary: Loss of coastal wetland habitats has been directly linked to a decline in waterbird populations, leading to calls to reverse this trend by restoring these habitats, which have been hindered by sediment scarcity. This study in the Yangtze River Delta proposes feasible solutions to solve the sediment shortage in habitat restoration, with three different approaches adopted for rehabilitation sites to promote sediment deposition and settle-ment and using dredged sediments to create new habitats. The comparison and assessment results show that proper coastal silting structures and ecological utilization of nearby dredged sediments are effective solutions to restore coastal habitats and increase waterbird diversity and abundance.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Linjing Qiu, Yuting Chen, Yiping Wu, Qingyue Xue, Zhaoyang Shi, Xiaohui Lei, Weihong Liao, Fubo Zhao, Wenke Wang
Summary: The study found that there was a significant increase in leaf area index (LAI) and evapotranspiration across most regions of the Loess Plateau, but a decrease in the evaporative stress index (ESI) overall. This decrease in ESI was mainly attributed to the increase in LAI rather than climatic influences. Additionally, soil moisture storage showed an increasing trend in the central and eastern parts of the plateau.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Linjing Qiu, Yiping Wu, Zhaoyang Shi, Mengzhen Yu, Fubo Zhao, Yinghui Guan
Summary: The study investigated the impact of vegetation restoration on soil moisture dynamics on the Loess Plateau of China using earth system reanalysis data and the Community Land Model (CLM). Results showed that while the surface layer soil moisture responded positively to vegetation restoration, the subsurface and deeper soil layers had negative responses. Overall, there was a decreasing trend in soil moisture during the simulation period, with significant differences observed spatially and seasonally.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaocha Wei, Qiuwen Zhou, Mingyong Cai, Yujuan Wang
Summary: The study analyzed the effects of vegetation restoration on soil moisture content in the humid karst areas of Southwest China. The results showed a significant increase in vegetation growth and a drying trend in soil moisture content from 2002 to 2018. The increasing trend of vegetation accounted for 90.90%, while the decreasing trend of soil moisture accounted for 51.66%.
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Wei Wang, Mingjia Yao, Michael K. Ng
Summary: A novel SVTV model is proposed for multiplicative noise and blur removal of color images, where the SVTV regularization term is applied in HSV color space instead of RGB color space. The performance of the proposed model is significantly better than other testing methods according to criteria such as PSNR, SSIM, and S-CIELAB color error.
APPLIED MATHEMATICAL MODELLING
(2021)
Article
Operations Research & Management Science
Qing-Na Li, Chi Zhang, Mengzhi Cao
Summary: The paper introduces an ordinal weighted Euclidean distance matrix model for NMDS and successfully applies it to image ranking, showing improvements over existing methods on two datasets.
ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF OPERATIONAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Pingzong Zhu, Guanghui Zhang, Hongxiao Wang, Baojun Zhang, Yingna Liu
Summary: This study investigated the response of soil moisture to precipitation properties on steep gully slopes covered by different plant communities. Results showed that precipitation amount, intensity, and soil initial water content were dominant factors affecting soil moisture at event scale. Soil moisture exhibited significant variations within different soil layers at monthly scale, and differences in soil water storage were mainly attributed to above-ground biomass, field capacity, and land surface roughness at annual scale.
AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ai-tian Ren, Dan-Ying Hu, Pei-Xia Qi, Shao-Cong Zhang, He-Miao Gao, Bede S. Mickan, You-Cai Xiong, Long-Yi Yuan
Summary: Subalpine peat wetlands are sensitive to environmental changes and disturbances. Soil seed banks (SSB) can help plant communities resist disturbance, but their response to soil moisture varies. SSB composition is less affected by soil moisture changes compared to plant community composition. High SSB diversity and similarity to vegetation provide a buffer against moisture changes. SSB is important for restoring propagule diversity after disturbance if hydrology is restored.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yi Xi, Shushi Peng, Gang Liu, Agnes Ducharne, Philippe Ciais, Catherine Prigent, Xinyu Li, Xutao Tang
Summary: Afforestation and reforestation programs may have unintended negative effects on non-forest ecosystems and biodiversity. This study found that the impact of tree planting on wetlands in China varies in different regions. In dry areas, tree planting can result in significant wetland loss. The research demonstrates the importance of spatial optimization in balancing tree planting and wetland conservation goals.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cheng Zhang, Zhaoning Gong, Huachang Qiu, Yuan Zhang, Demin Zhou
Summary: The native salt marsh plants of the Yellow River Delta wetland are crucial for biodiversity conservation. However, they are facing severe degradation due to the invasion of Spartina alterniflora. Monitoring the spatial pattern of these plants using remote sensing technologies, particularly high resolution SAR, can improve conservation efforts. Integrating optical and SAR data can effectively map the distribution of salt marsh species, and the approach has the potential for application in other similar studies for intelligent monitoring and management of coastal wetlands.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Carolyn B. Voter, Steven P. Loheide
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Dominick M. Ciruzzi, Steven P. Loheide
Summary: Research on the influence of groundwater on tree growth and transpiration in northern humid forests with sandy soils shows that shallow groundwater can enhance tree growth by subsidizing evapotranspiration. Further study is needed to understand the role of groundwater in conferring drought resistance in humid forests.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Carolyn B. Voter, Steven P. Loheide
Summary: Understanding how climate factors affect the effectiveness of low impact development (LID) practices is crucial for stormwater management. The study found that the effects of LID practices on long-term surface runoff, deep drainage, and evapotranspiration are controlled by the balance and timing of water and energy availability, as well as precipitation intermittency. This offers a new approach for predicting LID performance across different climates and evaluating strategies under current and future climate conditions.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Gregg R. Sanford, Randall D. Jackson, Eric G. Booth, Janet L. Hedtcke, Valentin Picasso
Summary: Sustainable cropping systems need to be both stable and resilient to erratic and extreme climate conditions, while also remaining profitable and providing critical ecosystem services. The study found that perennial and diverse cropping systems showed higher productivity and better stability in the face of drought, with soil health indicators positively correlated with both stability and perenniality. More diverse cropping systems exhibited greater resilience to disturbances, emphasizing the necessity of promoting perennial and diverse cropping systems for sustainable food production under increasingly erratic climate patterns.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Eric G. Booth, Christopher J. Kucharik
Summary: The manureshed concept aims to rebalance surplus manure nutrients with nutrient-deficient croplands to reduce negative environmental impacts. Most agricultural datasets used for these analyses are only available at the county scale, not matching watershed boundaries. Sub-county scale data integration is needed for more effective delineation and implementation of manuresheds.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
David Bart, Steven G. Loheide II, Eric Booth
Summary: High-capacity wells have a significant impact on the floristic quality of fens, leading to a decline in native species and an increase in non-native species. This study found that the impact of high-capacity wells can predict the floristic quality of fens across a large area, highlighting the importance of addressing potential declines in fen quality due to cumulative impacts before siting wells.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Dominick M. Ciruzzi, Steven P. Loheide
Summary: Understanding the role of trees in intercepting and storing rainwater requires improved monitoring techniques. This study found that monitoring tree sway can help quantify interception dynamics, especially during and after storms. The research also revealed that trees accumulate rainwater from top to bottom and experience hysteretic changes in sway during wetting and drying cycles.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tyler J. Lark, Nathan P. Hendricks, Aaron Smith, Nicholas Pates, Seth A. Spawn-Lee, Matthew Bougie, Eric G. Booth, Christopher J. Kucharik, Holly K. Gibbs
Summary: This study evaluates the realized effects of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in the United States through econometric analyses, land use observations, and biophysical models. The findings show that the RFS policy increased corn and crop prices, expanded corn cultivation and cropland, raised fertilizer use and water quality degradants, and resulted in higher carbon intensity of corn ethanol compared to gasoline. These tradeoffs need to be considered when making decisions about renewable energy policies and the role of corn ethanol in climate mitigation goals.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
William R. Selbig, Steven P. Loheide, William Shuster, Bryant C. Scharenbroch, Robert C. Coville, James Kruegler, William Avery, Ralph Haefner, David Nowak
Summary: This study using an experimental design found that street trees have an impact on managing urban stormwater runoff, with tree removal leading to an increase in surface runoff volume. However, tree removal did not significantly affect peak discharge. Based on the research, the runoff volume reduction benefit was estimated at 6376 liters per tree.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Arthur C. Ryzak, David Bart, Eric G. Booth, Steven P. Loheide
Summary: Through studying six calcareous fens in southern Wisconsin at various stages of degradation, we found that foliar nutrient levels are the strongest and most consistent predictors of floristic quality. The relationships between foliar nutrient levels, hydrology, and soil chemistry suggest that water saturation is strongly linked to foliar nitrogen, phosphorus, and manganese. The fact that foliar nutrients can be easily measured remotely and in-situ has implications for monitoring the ecological integrity of these imperiled ecosystems.
Article
Ecology
Eric G. Booth, Steven P. Loheide, David Bart
Summary: This study investigates the impact of the interaction between hydrology and soil properties on vegetation degradation in fens. By developing a model, the research finds that changes in soil hydraulic properties lead to drier conditions and further shifts in fen species composition.
Letter
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tyler J. Lark, Nathan P. Hendricks, Aaron Smith, Nicholas Pates, Seth A. Spawn-Lee, Matthew Bougie, Eric G. Booth, Christopher J. Kucharik, Holly K. Gibbs
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Water Resources
Anne J. Jefferson, Steven P. Loheide, Deanna H. McCay
Summary: The CUAHSI Virtual University is a cross-institutional graduate training framework that provides specialized hydrology courses for graduate students from participating institutions. Faculty perspectives indicate that the program is positive for students but face challenges in faculty involvement due to workload and administrative barriers.
FRONTIERS IN WATER
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Toby D. Jackson, Sarab Sethi, Ebba Dellwik, Nikolas Angelou, Amanda Bunce, Tim van Emmerik, Marine Duperat, Jean-Claude Ruel, Axel Wellpott, Skip Van Bloem, Alexis Achim, Brian Kane, Dominick M. Ciruzzi, Steven P. Loheide Ii, Ken James, Daniel Burcham, John Moore, Dirk Schindler, Sven Kolbe, Kilian Wiegmann, Mark Rudnicki, Victor J. Lieffers, John Selker, Andrew Gougherty, Tim Newson, Andrew Koeser, Jason Miesbauer, Roger Samelson, Jim Wagner, Anthony R. Ambrose, Andreas Detter, Steffen Rust, David Coomes, Barry Gardiner
Summary: This study systematically evaluated factors influencing tree responses to wind loading, finding that the fundamental frequency and power spectrum slope are key features. Conifers and broadleaves showed distinct responses, related to their architectural differences.