Advances in 3D Habitat Mapping of Marine Ecosystem Ecology and Conservation

Advances in 3D Habitat Mapping of Marine Ecosystem Ecology and Conservation PDF Author: Renata Ferrari
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 288974485X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 204

Get Book Here

Book Description

Advances in 3D Habitat Mapping of Marine Ecosystem Ecology and Conservation

Advances in 3D Habitat Mapping of Marine Ecosystem Ecology and Conservation PDF Author: Renata Ferrari
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 288974485X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 204

Get Book Here

Book Description


Essential Fish Habitat Mapping in the Mediterranean

Essential Fish Habitat Mapping in the Mediterranean PDF Author: Vasilis D. Valavanis
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402091419
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 297

Get Book Here

Book Description
Proper designation of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) is a highly important spatial measure in any management of fishery resources. EFH is defined as those waters and substrates necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity, a definition that includes the physical, chemical and biological properties of marine areas and the associated sediment and biological assemblages that sustain fish populations throughout their full life cycle. This book presents latest advances in EFH mapping and modelling and introduces the environmental approach to EFH identification through the combined use of latest technologies and advanced techniques, such as Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Statistics. The contents of this book include overviews and comparisons of different approaches on species habitat modelling, methods to identify teleconnection patterns between large-scale meteo-oceanic phenomena and local environmental variation, and EFH maps for cephalopod, shrimp, hake, anchovy, sardine, and swordfish resources in the Mediterranean. The aims of this book are to provide accumulated knowledge on marine species essential habitat mapping and to be a source for further developments in the important topic of marine resource management.

Integrating Benthic Habitat Mapping and Seascape Ecology Into Marine Conservation Prioritization

Integrating Benthic Habitat Mapping and Seascape Ecology Into Marine Conservation Prioritization PDF Author: Beatrice Proudfoot
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
Advances in seafloor mapping have allowed for the production of fine-scale seafloor landscape (i.e., benthoscape) maps that are analogous to terrestrial land cover maps, providing the foundation for assessing the spatial configuration of seafloor habitat patches. While many species rely on large, well-connected patches for foraging and migration, variability in patch size and configuration can be difficult to incorporate into Marine Protected Area (MPA) design. In this thesis, I developed a novel method that considers the spatial arrangement of benthic habitat patches in MPA design. I applied the approach to the Eastport MPA and surrounding region in Newfoundland, Canada by first quantifying the composition and configuration of the benthoscape using multibeam echosounder, seafloor video surveys, and patch size and connectivity metrics. Using a reserve design algorithm, I then compared outputs that included and excluded the prioritization of benthoscape connectivity. The approach presented in this thesis results in the preferential selection of large patches within the home-range of a given species, which can be important for reducing fragmentation in conservation prioritization solutions and better supporting species and ecological processes. This approach offers potential benefits for the conservation of coastal and marine regions by increasing our understanding of how we can incorporate broad scale patterns into on-the-ground conservation decision making.

Marine Ecosystem Restoration (MER) – Challenges and New Horizons

Marine Ecosystem Restoration (MER) – Challenges and New Horizons PDF Author: Brian Silliman
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 283253659X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 313

Get Book Here

Book Description
Worldwide, marine ecosystems have been lost and degraded due to anthropogenic disturbances. For example, oyster reefs have declined by at least ∼85%, coral reefs by ∼19%, seagrasses by ∼29%, North American salt marshes by ∼42%, and mangroves by ∼35% from the early 19th century. Deepwater reefs and deep-sea vents are not immune and have also been reduced in extent in many areas. Factors driving these losses include habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, overfishing, trawling, mining and, more recently, climate change effects, such as ocean warming, species range changes and acidification. These habitat declines are occurring at a time when marine waters are being used at or near their maximum productive capacity to meet the contemporary needs of an ever-increasing human population. Because coastal and marine ecosystems generate some of the richest biodiversity hotspots on Earth, and provide critical ecosystem services, including storm protection, fisheries production, and carbon storage, over 1 billion US dollars have been spent globally in an attempt to halt and reverse observed declines. Early conservation efforts aimed at protecting these valuable and threatened habitats focused on reducing human impacts and physical stressors. However, with habitat degradation continuing and sometimes increasing in rate, it is now clear conservation alone will not be sufficient to protect and reestablish coastal ecosystems. Habitat restoration, although in existence for many decades, has recently been elevated as a new primary strategy to stem and even reverse coastal habitat loss. The call for increasing investment in restoration efforts has emerged with significant advances in propagule rearing and dispersion of habitat-forming organisms (e.g., oysters, seagrasses, corals). In addition, restoration resources are increasingly allocated by governments and/or large corporations with the aim to, for example, fix past landscape engineering efforts that had unintended environmental consequences. Such investments are being made to (i) provide jobs for those unemployed during economic downturns, (ii) restore ecosystems destroyed by natural disasters and stressors, (iii) increase coastal defense in response to increased frequency of intense storms, and/or (iv) compensate for pollution-and development-driven habitat degradation. Conservation practitioners have traditionally been skeptical to invest heavily in restoration at large-scales because of the high cost per area (10,000-5,000,000 US$/ha for coastal vs. 500-5,000 US$/ha for terrestrial systems) to replant coastal ecosystems and/or the high chance that the restored ecosystems will not live long (e.g. outplanted corals). For restoration to be effective and employed as a primary method of coastal conservation at relevant scales, we must improve its efficiency, lower costs and rapidly share and incorporate advances. One crucial step will be to identify when and where restoration attempts have been carried out according to state-of-art ecological theory and gauge their success. Another is generating synthesis studies that focus both within and across ecosystems to identify efficiencies, adaptations and innovations. Work that shows theoretical and methodological innovations in specific ecosystems as well as across systems will be critical to pushing all fields of MER forward. Although there is rapidly increasing interest and investment, the field of marine ecosystem restoration is just beginning to undergo synthesis. Therefore, the aim of this Research Topic is to bring together research contributions to help address this synthesis need, provide a spotlight for recent innovations, enhance our understanding of successful methods in marine ecosystem restoration and promote integration of ecological, sociological and engineering theory into restoration practices.

Seascape Ecology

Seascape Ecology PDF Author: Simon J. Pittman
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119084431
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 530

Get Book Here

Book Description
Seascape Ecology provides a comprehensive look at the state-of-the-science in the application of landscape ecology to the seas and provides guidance for future research priorities. The first book devoted exclusively to this rapidly emerging and increasingly important discipline, it is comprised of contributions from researchers at the forefront of seascape ecology working around the world. It presents the principles, concepts, methodology, and techniques informing seascape ecology and reports on the latest developments in the application of the approach to marine ecology and management. A growing number of marine scientists, geographers, and marine managers are asking questions about the marine environment that are best addressed with a landscape ecology perspective. Seascape Ecology represents the first serious effort to fill the gap in the literature on the subject. Key topics and features of interest include: The origins and history of seascape ecology and various approaches to spatial patterning in the sea The links between seascape patterns and ecological processes, with special attention paid to the roles played by seagrasses and salt marshes and animal movements through seascapes Human influences on seascape ecology—includes models for assessing human-seascape interactions A special epilogue in which three eminent scientists who have been instrumental in shaping the course of landscape ecology offer their insights and perspectives Seascape Ecology is a must-read for researchers and professionals in an array of disciplines, including marine biology, environmental science, geosciences, marine and coastal management, and environmental protection. It is also an excellent supplementary text for university courses in those fields.

Place Matters

Place Matters PDF Author: Dawn J. Wright
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 324

Get Book Here

Book Description
Although the ocean provides living space for about 97 percent of life on Earth, less than 5 percent of the ocean below the surface has actually been seen, let alone explored. Now, using the geogrpahic information system (GIS), marine scientists are gaining new insights into a once-mysterious world. A technologically sophisticated database, information-management, and display system, GIS holds tremendous potential for mapping, interpreting, and managing ocean environments--"from the seafloor to the seafloor to the shoreline. "Place Matters explores how marine GIS is contributing to the understanding, management, and conservation of the shores and ocean of the Pacific Northwest, which is becoming a hotbed of marine GIS development and applications as scientists expand the use of this cutting-edge technology to a variety of ocean science, policy, and management issues. Using these geospatial databases and tools, scientists, resource managers, and conservationists--"often in collaboration--"are making advances in the way that data are collected, documented, used, shared, and saved. The contributors to "Place Matters show how together they are using GIS to hadle and exploit present and future data streams from observatories, experiments, numerical models, simulations, and other sources, yielding fresh insights into oceanographic, ecological, and socioeconomic conditions of the marine environment. The book begins with a conceptual framework, laying out selected methods and models for conservation-based marine GIS. Chapters in the second section describe working examples of marine GIS tools and large-scale implementations. The final section focuses onthe use of GIS by environmntal advocacy andlocal citizens' organizations. A companion Web site includes GIS maps and databases, as well as extensive Web-based resources. with its unique focus on the use of GIS to solve marine conservation problems, "Place Matters offers an important new resources for all who study and work to protect the world's oceans.

Seafloor Geomorphology as Benthic Habitat

Seafloor Geomorphology as Benthic Habitat PDF Author: Peter Harris
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0123851416
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 947

Get Book Here

Book Description
The conservation of marine benthic biodiversity is a recognised goal of a number of national and international programs such as the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). In order to attain this goal, information is needed about the distribution of life in the ocean so that spatial conservation measures such as marine protected areas (MPAs) can be designed to maximise protection within boundaries of acceptable dimensions. Ideally, a map would be produced that showed the distribution of benthic biodiversity to enable the efficient design of MPAs. The dilemma is that such maps do not exist for most areas and it is not possible at present to predict the spatial distribution of all marine life using the sparse biological information currently available. Knowledge of the geomorphology and biogeography of the seafloor has improved markedly over the past 10 years. Using multibeam sonar, the benthic ecology of submarine features such as fjords, sand banks, coral reefs, seamounts, canyons, mud volcanoes and spreading ridges has been revealed in unprecedented detail. This book provides a synthesis of seabed geomorphology and benthic habitats based on the most recent, up-to-date information. Introductory chapters explain the drivers that underpin the need for benthic habitat maps, including threats to ocean health, the habitat mapping approach based on principles of biogeography and benthic ecology and seabed (geomorphic) classification schemes. Case studies from around the world are then presented. They represent a range of seabed features where detailed bathymetric maps have been combined with seabed video and sampling to yield an integrated picture of the benthic communities that are associated with different types of benthic habitat. The final chapter examines critical knowledge gaps and future directions for benthic habitat mapping research. Reviews and compares the different methodologies currently being used Includes global case studies Provides geological expertise into what has traditionally been a biological discipline

Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space

Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309492432
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 29

Get Book Here

Book Description
We live on a dynamic Earth shaped by both natural processes and the impacts of humans on their environment. It is in our collective interest to observe and understand our planet, and to predict future behavior to the extent possible, in order to effectively manage resources, successfully respond to threats from natural and human-induced environmental change, and capitalize on the opportunities â€" social, economic, security, and more â€" that such knowledge can bring. By continuously monitoring and exploring Earth, developing a deep understanding of its evolving behavior, and characterizing the processes that shape and reshape the environment in which we live, we not only advance knowledge and basic discovery about our planet, but we further develop the foundation upon which benefits to society are built. Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space (National Academies Press, 2018) provides detailed guidance on how relevant federal agencies can ensure that the United States receives the maximum benefit from its investments in Earth observations from space, while operating within realistic cost constraints. This short booklet, designed to be accessible to the general public, provides a summary of the key ideas and recommendations from the full decadal survey report.

Satellite Remote Sensing and the Management of Natural Resources

Satellite Remote Sensing and the Management of Natural Resources PDF Author: Nathalie Pettorelli
Publisher:
ISBN: 0198717261
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Get Book Here

Book Description
The ability to anticipate the impacts of global environmental changes on natural resources is fundamental to designing appropriate and optimised adaptation and mitigation strategies. However, this requires the scientific community to have access to reliable, large-scale information onspatio-temporal changes in the distribution of abiotic conditions and on the distribution, structure, composition, and functioning of ecosystems. Satellite remote sensing can provide access to some of this fundamental data by offering repeatable, standardised, and verifiable information that is directly relevant to the monitoring and management of our natural capital. This book demonstrates how ecological knowledge and satellite-basedinformation can be effectively combined to address a wide array of current natural resource management needs. By focusing on concrete applied examples in both the marine and terrestrial realms, it will help pave the way for developing enhanced levels of collaboration between the ecological andremote sensing communities, as well as shaping their future research directions. Satellite Remote Sensing and the Management of Natural Resources is primarily aimed at ecologists and remote sensing specialists, as well as policy makers and practitioners in the fields of conservation biology, biodiversity monitoring, and natural resource management.

An Integrated Ecological and Geophysical Approach to Habitat Mapping and Its Application in Marine Conservation

An Integrated Ecological and Geophysical Approach to Habitat Mapping and Its Application in Marine Conservation PDF Author: Oliver Thomas Hogg
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description