Information Systems And Aquatic Sciences

An aquatic ecosystem is a vital part of the Earth’s vigorous process and is indispensable for a sustainable Earth and its inhabitants. With aquatic ecosystems we have three different types: 1) Lentic, which is a slow moving body of water such as a pond, lake or pool; 2) Lotic, which is a faster moving body of water such as rivers, streams and oceans; and 3) wetlands, which serve as a filtration system between land and water, cutting down on pollution and providing nutrients to plants and wildlife, as well as a safe haven. Aquatic ecosystems are considered to be nature’s filtration systems and they inhabit living organisms that depend on their viability. Watersheds are a part of an ecosystem, and we depend on these watersheds for water to drink, for the water to evaporate then become precipitation and water the plants, refill the rivers, lakes, and oceans. The Earth’s ecosystems are in great danger if policy, procedures and ways of thinking do not immediately change. We are vital to the survival of ecosystems, and ecosystems are vital for our survival.

Cardno has assembled for you a team of experts in aquatic ecology, hydrologic modeling, data management and interpretation, statistical analysis, botany, wetland science, wildlife ecology, restoration, Geographic Information Systems, and environmental planning. Staff from our Tallahassee office, where this project will be managed, have successfully completed hundreds of projects in northwest Florida including contracts with the District, as well as the Suwannee River Water Management District, state agencies, and other municipal clients. Many of the staff included in this proposal are experts in their respective fields with advanced degrees and decades of experience working in water resources in Florida.

Images were analyzed in GIS to identify and map features such as woody debris, rock outcroppings, shifting versus stable sand, and smooth limestone bottom.

1. ) With new technology such as Satellites scanning the surface of the earth, cartographers can use geographic information science or (GIS) to help them make more detailed and accurate maps. This has allowed scientists to get very precise and complex information from all of the data coming from the satellite orbiting around the earth at all different distances and angles. Another use for all of the Satellites is remote sensing, this allows satellite images to be scanned in thin lines any time a satellite could scan a small area or a pixel. With this we can look at very small features of earth from space and removals send it back down to earth for Analysis. A scientist can use this tech for making very accurate maps about features such as population

We live in an age where most environments on earth have been impacted by anthropogenic activities. Chapin III et al (2001) contend that, “humans have been a natural component of most ecosystems for thousands of years” (p. 14). Humans interact with the environment in many ways: landscape modification, agricultural activities, urbanization, urban sprawl, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, stormwater runoff, and so forth; these anthropogenic activities can have detrimental environmental results. Satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and digital data can be used to analyze how anthropogenic activities impact environments spatially and temporally. This study will investigate how land cover has changed in the D’Olive Creek Watershed, located in Baldwin County, Alabama via the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing methods and technology. For the purpose of this study, “land cover” refers to how much of a region is covered by specified land and water types (e.g. forests, wetlands, impervious surfaces, and so forth).

The Energy And Development Administration, which later became the Department Of Energy, used GIS technologies to evaluate environmental impacts of various National Energy Plans. Later, they used GIS

Using geographical information systems is the most effective means of allowing the process of ecological restoration in the United States coastal regions to begin to take effect. There are many studies that indicate that America’s coastal areas are being negatively affected by environmental and human impacts (Ebi 2007). Our oceans provide some of the most fundamental ecological services that maintain health and stability on the planet including the cycling of nutrients, water, and gases (Global Restoration Network 2017). Without allowing ecological restoration to take place, ecosystems will collapse and species will die, including a rise in the mortality rate of humans. Taking action is crucial in maintaining the world, and being wise in how it is done is even more so important. The technology is there, all that it needs is someone to implement it and realize its full potential.

The elevation, slope gradient, and slope aspect are all considered to determine an ecosystem classification. In this report the cuesta of Marlatt Park is the main landform. It is the result of erosion from water running over and below the soil surface. The topographical features observed in Marlatt Park shed a light on the existence of the two major sedimentary rocks, limestone and shale. They cause the alternating vales and escarpments on the cuestas at Marlatt Park, due to the difference in resisting erosional force (Keane, 2015). Limestone has more strength and is more erosion-resistant than shale. It is observed that the limestone layers form a gentler slope while the shale layers are more subject to erosion, forming steeper slopes (Keane,

In the North Carolinian piedmont, there are several different forest communities. The main types are, loblolly/ slash pine forest, mesic forest, oak forest, and floodplain forest (NC Wildlife 2015). Soil types, elevation, climate, and nutrient availability are important components of determining forest types. There are also certain species, considered indicators that help predict the type of forest community. The change in environmental factors and species distribution allow for different forest types (Cortes, Islebe 2005). Measuring the environmental factors of a plot and identifying the different species present can predict Forest types and is commonly done by land and forest managers (Fortunel etc. Al 2014). This experiment tests different locations of the NC piedmont, to help determine forest types in this area.

Small strips of land between the main land and a water bodies are known as a Riparian zone. The zones act as a buffer between the interior land and the watershed. They do not make up a large portion of the worlds entire land mass however, they are highly important for ecosystems. Riparian ecosystems share attributes of both aquatic and land ecosystems allowing for greater and a wider verity of biodiversity. They also act as protective barrier for water bodies. Protecting them from soil run off, pollutants and control water temperature by shading sunlight. Along with many other factors that help to create a healthy and prosperous ecosystem. (Riparian area management…,2001) Due to these factors it has become apparent that riparian

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an essential communication tool for all disciplines world wide. Being able to communicate through imagery allows for a visual of data or information that otherwise is just words or numbers on a page. In regards to grizzly bear habitat it is important to understand the relationship of the species to the land. Making sure grizzly bears have access to food, water, hibernation habitat, and space to roam is critical to there success as a species. Grizzly bear populations, like many other animals, have had there territory greatly reduced and separated due to human activity. The remaining grizzly bears will need more access to each other or they could inbred themselves into extinction. Mapping the the different populations allows for visual understanding of how these populations can be connected.

I could do this by creating a quadrat using PVC pipes. By mapping out round quadrats, I can most effectively define an area. The size of my quadrat would be slightly larger than my “sense of place” (about an inch or two larger around the diameter). To retrieve reliable data I would have to visit the quadrat daily, around the same time every day. In order to analyze the impact on the plant community I would visit the area for an extensive period of time, as to observe the overall progression and changes to the vegetation in the area. Some limitations to this process would include the absence of the impact of abiotic factors on species in that area. Unexpected changes in temperature or precipitation would likely alter the presence of grasshopper populations and the growth of vegetation in the

The change in landscapes has been studied across a variety of scales in recent years due to the rapid population growth and urbanization process worldwide. Since 1950s, urban growth becomes prevalent in U.S., especially prominent in suburban and rural areas where the land use is featured by dispersed developments, single-functional, low density and auto-driven transportation (Ramalho, Hobbs, 2012). The expansion of impervious land generates a variety of urban sprawl patterns and raise many environmental concerns including air pollution, biodiversity degradation, coastal erosion, regional sea level rise and et al (Foley et al., 2005; Seto and Shepherd, 2009; Warner et al., 2010). Urban growth, which has been recognized as the indicator of economic

For wetlands, it has been found that richness and species composition is related to flooding frequency and seasonal water levels as opposed to the availability of nutrients (2). For floodplain habitats, the composition of species is related to flooding and the availability of light (2). The arrangement of plant species can be explained by the number of floods that occur as well as the texture of the soil, with wetter soil near the canal and moist, dry soil towards the top of the levee (6). In this type of environment, vegetation generally becomes more abundant going up an elevational gradient from the canal to the top of the levee (1). It is hypothesized that if a floodplain wetland habitat has an environmental and elevational gradient, then there is a difference in the diversity of plant species and richness across that gradient, with a higher species composition and richness at higher

There is rapid destruction of salt marshes and wetlands due to dredging operations and filling. In Boston, almost eighty-one percent of the salt marshes have been lost. For the Canadian Maritimes, almost sixty-four percent of the coastal wetlands have disappeared due to agricultural reclamation. Approximately, ninety-three percent coastal marshes have been lost along the Pacific coast in the United States. In addition, there is a degradation of coastal wetland due to invasive species, nutrient enrichment, and storm water discharge. It is critical to preserve and restore coastal salt marshes so that carbon can be sequestered, and fish and bird populations can be preserved (Roman et. al. 2012). It is estimated that coastal wetlands are being lost at the rate of two times the rate at which they are being restored.