Abstract： Excess of organic matter and nutrients in water promotes eutrophication process observed in the Ardila River. It was classified as much polluted being critical for Alqueva-Pedrogāo System. The aim of this ...Abstract： Excess of organic matter and nutrients in water promotes eutrophication process observed in the Ardila River. It was classified as much polluted being critical for Alqueva-Pedrogāo System. The aim of this study was to estimate the transported nutrients loads in a transboundary watershed using the SWAT （soil and water assessment tool） model and to determine the contribution of nutrients load in the entire watershed. Ardila watershed is about 3,711 km^2 extended from Spain （78%） to the eastern part of Portugal （22%）. It was discretized into 32 sub-basins using automated delineation routine, and 174 hydrologic response units. Monthly average meteorological data （from 1947 to 1998） were used to generate daily values through the weather generator Model incorporated in SWAT. Real daily precipitation （from 1931 to 2003） was introduced. The model was calibrated and verified for flow （from 1950 to 2000） and nutrients （from 1981 to 1999）. Model performance was evaluated using statistical parameters, such as NSE （Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency） and root mean square error （R2）. Calibration and verification flow results showed a satisfactory agreement between simulated and measured monthly date from 1962 to 1972 （NSE = 0.8; R^2 = 0.9）. The results showed that the most important diffuse pollution comes from the two the main tributary （Spain）. The estimated nitrogen and phosphorous loads contribution per year was respectively 72% and 59% in Spain and 28% and 41% in Portugal. The SWAT model was revealed to be a useful tool for an integrated water management approach that might be improved taking into count the WFD （water framework directive）.展开更多
Populations of the endangered mountain nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni are significantly threatened by the loss of critical habitat. Population estimates are tentative, and information on the species＇ distribution and avai...Populations of the endangered mountain nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni are significantly threatened by the loss of critical habitat. Population estimates are tentative, and information on the species＇ distribution and available habitat is required for for-mulating immediate management and conservation strategies. To support management decisions and conservation priorities, we integrated information from a number of small-scale observational studies, interviews and reports from multiple sources to define habitat parameters and create a habitat quality model for mountain nyala in the Bale Mountains. For our analysis, we used the FunConn model, an expertise-based model that considers spatial relationships （i.e., patch size, distance） between the species and vegetation type, topography and disturbance to create a habitat quality surface. The habitat quality model showed that approxi- mately 18,610 km^2 （82.7% of our study area） is unsuitable or poor habitat for the mountain nyala, while 2,857 km^2 （12.7%） and 1,026 km^2 （4.6%） was ranked as good or optimal habitat, respectively. Our results not only reflected human induced habitat deg-radation, but also revealed an extensive area of intact habitat on the remote slopes of the Bale Mountain＇s southern and southeast- ern escarpments. This study provides an example of the roles that expert knowledge can still play in modem geospatial modeling of wildlife habitat. New geospatial tools, such as the FunConn model, are readily available to wildlife managers and allow them to perform spatial analyses with minimal software, data and training requirements. This approach may be especially useful for species that are obscure to science or when field surveys are not practical .展开更多
文摘Abstract： Excess of organic matter and nutrients in water promotes eutrophication process observed in the Ardila River. It was classified as much polluted being critical for Alqueva-Pedrogāo System. The aim of this study was to estimate the transported nutrients loads in a transboundary watershed using the SWAT （soil and water assessment tool） model and to determine the contribution of nutrients load in the entire watershed. Ardila watershed is about 3,711 km^2 extended from Spain （78%） to the eastern part of Portugal （22%）. It was discretized into 32 sub-basins using automated delineation routine, and 174 hydrologic response units. Monthly average meteorological data （from 1947 to 1998） were used to generate daily values through the weather generator Model incorporated in SWAT. Real daily precipitation （from 1931 to 2003） was introduced. The model was calibrated and verified for flow （from 1950 to 2000） and nutrients （from 1981 to 1999）. Model performance was evaluated using statistical parameters, such as NSE （Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency） and root mean square error （R2）. Calibration and verification flow results showed a satisfactory agreement between simulated and measured monthly date from 1962 to 1972 （NSE = 0.8; R^2 = 0.9）. The results showed that the most important diffuse pollution comes from the two the main tributary （Spain）. The estimated nitrogen and phosphorous loads contribution per year was respectively 72% and 59% in Spain and 28% and 41% in Portugal. The SWAT model was revealed to be a useful tool for an integrated water management approach that might be improved taking into count the WFD （water framework directive）.
文摘Populations of the endangered mountain nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni are significantly threatened by the loss of critical habitat. Population estimates are tentative, and information on the species＇ distribution and available habitat is required for for-mulating immediate management and conservation strategies. To support management decisions and conservation priorities, we integrated information from a number of small-scale observational studies, interviews and reports from multiple sources to define habitat parameters and create a habitat quality model for mountain nyala in the Bale Mountains. For our analysis, we used the FunConn model, an expertise-based model that considers spatial relationships （i.e., patch size, distance） between the species and vegetation type, topography and disturbance to create a habitat quality surface. The habitat quality model showed that approxi- mately 18,610 km^2 （82.7% of our study area） is unsuitable or poor habitat for the mountain nyala, while 2,857 km^2 （12.7%） and 1,026 km^2 （4.6%） was ranked as good or optimal habitat, respectively. Our results not only reflected human induced habitat deg-radation, but also revealed an extensive area of intact habitat on the remote slopes of the Bale Mountain＇s southern and southeast- ern escarpments. This study provides an example of the roles that expert knowledge can still play in modem geospatial modeling of wildlife habitat. New geospatial tools, such as the FunConn model, are readily available to wildlife managers and allow them to perform spatial analyses with minimal software, data and training requirements. This approach may be especially useful for species that are obscure to science or when field surveys are not practical .
