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As the United States moves closer to a national climate change policy, it will have to focus on a variety of factors affecting the manner in which the country moves toward a future with a substantially lower carbon footprint. In addition to encouraging renewable energy, smart grid, clean fuels and other technologies, the United States will need to make substantial infrastructure investments in a variety of industries. Among the significant contributors to the current carbon footprint in the United States is the use of coal as a major fuel for the generation of electricity. One of the most important technologies that the United States can employ to reduce its carbon footprint is to sequester the carbon dioxide ("CO2")...
Some theoretical results concerning the nature of the relationship between the scientific quality and economic value of imperfect weather forecasts are obtained. A prototype multistage decision-making model is considered, involving only two possible actions and two possible states of weather. This particular form of model is motivated by a real-world application known as the fruit-frost problem. For an infinite-horizon, discounted version of this model it is shown that economic value remains zero below a forecast quality threshold and then rises monotonically but nonlinearly above this threshold. In particular, the relative sensitivity of economic value to changes in the quality of forecasts increases as perfect...
Extraction of natural gas from hard-to-reach reservoirs has expanded around the world and poses multiple environmental threats to surface waters. Improved drilling and extraction technology used to access low permeability natural gas requires millions of liters of water and a suite of chemicals that may be toxic to aquatic biota. There is growing concern among the scientific community and the general public that rapid and extensive natural gas development in the US could lead to degradation of natural resources. Gas wells are often close to surface waters that could be impacted by elevated sediment runoff from pipelines and roads, alteration of streamflow as a result of water extraction, and contamination from introduced...
This paper introduces the analyses of the potential impacts of climate change on the city of Chicago and the Great Lakes region and potential response options that provide the basis for this special issue. Covering projected changes in climate and hydrology, this collection of studies first estimates the potential impacts of climate change on human health, natural ecosystems, water resources, energy, and infrastructure in the city of Chicago and the surrounding Great Lakes region. A consistent set of future climate projections have been used as the basis for each analysis, which together provide a vivid impression of the consequences likely to result under the SRES higher (A1FI) as compared to the lower (B1) emission...
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The purpose of this data set is support resource allocation decisions (i.e. where to invest conservation effort) within the Gulf Coastal Plains and Ozarks Landscape Conservation Cooperative. It represents a relative ranking of HUC12 watersheds according to the quantity and quality of habitat as described in the GCPO LCC’s draft Integrated Science Agenda (v4). Watersheds (HUC12) were ranked by the presence, quantity and quality of the Upland Hardwood (Forest) habitat system (includes upland hardwood, oak-hickory, mixed mesophytic, southern mixed mesic, and maritime forest types) within the 5 sub-geographies of the GCPO LCC region. Once ranked, watersheds were classified (e.g., “Top 10%”) based on the proportion of...
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The purpose of this data set is support resource allocation decisions (i.e. where to invest conservation effort) within the Gulf Coastal Plains and Ozarks Landscape Conservation Cooperative. The Condition Index ranks pixels (250-m) according to how well they meet the Desired State for the Upland Hardwood (Woodland) habitat system, which is described qualitatively and quantitatively in the GCPO LCC’s draft Integrated Science Agenda (v4). Higher values indicate sites closer to the Desired State. Value of 1 indicates areas appropriate for restoration but currently under an alternative land use (i.e. potential habitat). Please see PDF file in the Upland Hardwood (Woodland) folder in the Blueprint Gallery at https://gcpolcc.databasin.org/...
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This report provides an analysis of the geothermal energy sites on public lands that represent the best opportunities for near-term development. Excerpts from this analysis were published in Assessing the Potential for Renewable Energy on Public Lands, a report from the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Energy prepared by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The assessment report, which focused on the opportunities for electricity generation from solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal resources, was released in February 2003.
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Grasslands of the Sky Islands region once covered over 13 million acres in southeastern Arizona and adjacent portions of New Mexico, Sonora, and Chihuahua. Attempts to evaluate current ecological conditions suggest that approximately two thirds of these remain as intact or restorable grassland habitat. These grasslands provide watershed services such as flood control and aquifer recharge across the region, and continue to support dozens of species of concern. Prioritizing conservation interventions for these remaining grassland blocks has been challenging. Reliable data on condition and conservation value of grasslands in the region have not been systematically summarized. State and national boundaries further complicate...
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Our mission is to develop and maintain a cost-effective, central information source and inventory of the locations, biology, and status of all threatened, endangered, rare, and at-risk plants and animals in Nevada. We use the best available biological data to continually evaluate conservation priorities for over 700 native animals, plants, and vegetation types, focusing on those that are at greatest risk of extinction or serious decline. As a non-regulatory, independent resource for scientifically objective data, environmental review, and technical assistance and expertise, we support the needs of diverse planning, conservation management, research, education, and economic development activities in Nevada. The...
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Sky Island Alliance (SIA) is a non-governmental organizational that works to protect and restore the rich natural heritage of native species and habitats in the Sky Island Region. We work with volunteers, scientists, land-owners, public officials, and government agencies to establish protected areas, restore healthy landscapes, and promote public appreciation of the region’s unique biological diversity. Because of our long-standing collaborative relationships with land managers and our large corps of skilled volunteers, we were in a unique position to spearhead this project.SIA initiated this springs inventory, assessment and management planning project to develop baseline information on springs in the Sky Island...
Categories: Data; Types: ArcGIS REST Map Service, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2011, AZ-02, AZ-03, Arizona, Conservation NGOs, All tags...
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This dataset is intended to assess trends and percent change per year (PCPY) in yearly averages of total phosphorus in Florida, summarized to HUC 12 watershed. Assessments (condition) was classified depending on the following follow thresholds for PCPY: <= -1.0% - “Decreasing” > -1.0 & < 0.0% - “Stable (-)” = 0.0% - “Stable (No Change)” > 0.0 & < 1.0% - “Stable (+)” >= 1.0% - “Increasing”
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This dataset is intended to assess the road density within 100 meters of mangrove swamps and saltwater marshes. Road density was calculated by dividing the road lengths, in kilometers, by the buffer area, in kilometers, with which they intersected. Densities are then reported to the hydrologic units code (HUC) 12 in an effort to better assess run-off potential and hydrologic effects on mangrove swamp and saltwater marsh.
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This dataset is intended to assess trends and percent change per year (PCPY) in annuals fish diversity indices as effective number of species within 300 meters of saltwater marsh. Assessments (condition) was classified depending on the following follow thresholds for PCPY: <= -1.0% - “Decreasing” > -1.0 & < 0.0% - “Stable (-)” = 0.0% - “Stable (No Change)” > 0.0 & < 1.0% - “Stable (+)” >= 1.0% - “Increasing”
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This dataset is intended to assess trends and percent change per year (PCPY) in yearly averages of chlorophyll a within 300 meters of seagrass. Assessments (condition) was classified depending on the following follow thresholds for PCPY: <= -1.0% - “Decreasing” > -1.0 & < 0.0% - “Stable (-)” = 0.0% - “Stable (No Change)” > 0.0 & < 1.0% - “Stable (+)” >= 1.0% - “Increasing”
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This dataset is intended to assess trends and percent change per year (PCPY) in yearly averages of total phosphorus within 300 meters of coral & hardbottom. Assessments (condition) was classified depending on the following follow thresholds for PCPY: <= -1.0% - “Decreasing” > -1.0 & < 0.0% - “Stable (-)” = 0.0% - “Stable (No Change)” > 0.0 & < 1.0% - “Stable (+)” >= 1.0% - “Increasing” Further information on the FLCP, conservation asset extent, and metadata: https://flcpa.databasin.org/datasets/ba218d714f094e68bbdb1a0f496c9e4e
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This dataset is intended to assess trends and percent change per year (PCPY) in yearly averages of coral percent cover. Assessments (condition) was classified depending on the following follow thresholds for PCPY: <= -1.0% - “Decreasing” > -1.0 & < 0.0% - “Stable (-)” = 0.0% - “Stable (No Change)” > 0.0 & < 1.0% - “Stable (+)” >= 1.0% - “Increasing”
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This assessment was conducted to fulfill the requirements of section 712 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and to contribute to knowledge of the storage, fluxes, and balance of carbon and methane gas in ecosystems of Alaska. The carbon and methane variables were examined for major terrestrial ecosystems (uplands and wetlands) and inland aquatic ecosystems in Alaska in two time periods: baseline (from 1950 through 2009) and future (projections from 2010 through 2099). The assessment used measured and observed data and remote sensing, statistical methods, and simulation models. The national assessment, conducted using the methodology described in SIR 2010-5233, has been completed for the conterminous...
The major part of the Netherlands consists of a low-lying river delta which is very sensitive to hydrological conditions in the North-Western part of the European continent. The rivers Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt carry through this delta to the North Sea annually nearly 100 km3 of fresh water. This water originates from a drainage basin of about 185 000 km2, which is 6 times the country area. The present geography of the Netherlands has largely been shaped by this river inflow and by the sediments which are carried along. Interaction of these fluxes with North Sea hydrodynamics in a period of rising sea level has produced large lowlands, which in the past millennium have been reclaimed for agricultural, urban and industrial...
Two field studies revealed large differences among various subgroups in the population of car drivers. Private drivers, commuters, and business drivers differed strongly with respect to current decisions and behaviour which affect CO2 emissions, and with respect to their sensitivity to various policy instruments. Several promising policy targets were identified" combinations of user groups and behaviours where substantial CO2 reduction may be achieved. The sensitivity of different car user groups to various policy measures showed whether and how desired behavioral changes may be realised.
Federally owned and managed public lands occupy approximately 30 percent of the land area of the United States, and anywhere from 50 percent to more than 80 percent of the land area of many of the western states. Determining the appropriate use of these lands involves balancing objectives related to economic, recreational, and conservation interests. This paper examines established and emerging conflicts within and across these objectives through both a narrative discussion of specific topics and a series of case studies. The authors find that new challenges, including pressures to devote portions of public lands to renewable energy project development and the multifaceted threats presented by climate change, will...
map background search result map search result map Sustaining the Grassland Sea Nevada Natural Heritage Program Opportunities for Near-Term Geothermal Development on Public Lands in the Western United States Upland Hardwood Forest Watershed Ranks Upland Hardwood Woodland Condition Index Baseline and projected future carbon storage and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of Alaska Data and Services for: Springs in the Sky Island Region: Inventory, Assessment, and Management Planning Project Coral & Hardbottom – Total Phosphorus Trends (FLCP Indicator) Coral & Hardbottom – Coral Percent Cover Trends (FLCP Indicator) System Wide – Total Phosphorus Trends (FLCP Indicator) Seagrass – Chlorophyll a Trends (FLCP Indicator) Saltwater Marsh – Fish Diversity Trends (FLCP Indicator) Saltwater Marsh – Road Density (FLCP Indicator) Data and Services for: Springs in the Sky Island Region: Inventory, Assessment, and Management Planning Project Sustaining the Grassland Sea Coral & Hardbottom – Total Phosphorus Trends (FLCP Indicator) Coral & Hardbottom – Coral Percent Cover Trends (FLCP Indicator) Nevada Natural Heritage Program System Wide – Total Phosphorus Trends (FLCP Indicator) Seagrass – Chlorophyll a Trends (FLCP Indicator) Saltwater Marsh – Road Density (FLCP Indicator) Saltwater Marsh – Fish Diversity Trends (FLCP Indicator) Upland Hardwood Forest Watershed Ranks Upland Hardwood Woodland Condition Index Opportunities for Near-Term Geothermal Development on Public Lands in the Western United States Baseline and projected future carbon storage and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of Alaska