How Population Decline Can Impact Genetic Diversity: a Case Study of Eelgrass (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Zostera marina</Emphasis>) in Morro Bay,California

Seagrass populations are in decline worldwide. Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.), one of California’s native seagrasses, is no exception to this trend. In the last 8 years, the estuary in Morro Bay, California, has lost 95% of its eelgrass. Population bottlenecks like this one often result in severe reductions in genetic diversity; however, this is not always the case. The decline of eelgrass in Morro Bay provides an opportunity to better understand the effects of population decline on population genetics. Furthermore, the failure of recent restoration efforts necessitates a better understanding of the genetic underpinnings of the population. Previous research on eelgrass in California has demonstrated a link between population genetic diversity and eelgrass bed health, ecosystem functioning, and resilience to disturbance and extreme climatic events. The genetic diversity and population structure of Morro Bay eelgrass have not been assessed until this study. We also compare Morro Bay eelgrass to Bodega Bay eelgrass in Northern California. We conducted fragment length analysis of nine microsatellite loci on 133 Morro Bay samples, and 20 Bodega Bay samples. We found no population differentiation between the remaining beds in Morro Bay and no difference among samples growing at different tidal depths. Comparisons with Bodega Bay revealed that Morro Bay eelgrass contains three first-generation migrants from the north, but Morro Bay remains considerably genetically differentiated from Bodega Bay. Despite the precipitous loss of eelgrass in Morro Bay between 2008 and 2017, genetic diversity remains relatively high and comparable to other populations on the west coast.     

Geospatial web services pave new ways for server-based on-demand access and processing of Big Earth Data

ABSTRACT

Big Earth Data has experienced a considerable increase in volume in recent years due to improved sensing technologies and improvement of numerical-weather prediction models. The traditional geospatial data analysis workflow hinders the use of large volumes of geospatial data due to limited disc space and computing capacity. Geospatial web service technologies bring new opportunities to access large volumes of Big Earth Data via the Internet and to process them at server-side. Four practical examples are presented from the marine, climate, planetary and earth observation science communities to show how the standard interface Web Coverage Service and its processing extension can be integrated into the traditional geospatial data workflow. Web service technologies offer a time- and cost-effective way to access multi-dimensional data in a user-tailored format and allow for rapid application development or time-series extraction. Data transport is minimised and enhanced processing capabilities are offered. More research is required to investigate web service implementations in an operational mode and large data centres have to become more progressive towards the adoption of geo-data standard interfaces. At the same time, data users have to become aware of the advantages of web services and be trained how to benefit from them most.     

Historical water resources in South Asia: the hydrological background

Abstract

The development of historical water resources in the South Asian subcontinent has been largely dependent on the hydrological background. The runoff patterns are derived from climate statistics and the historical developments in different areas are related to these patterns.

Citation Sutcliffe, J., Shaw, J. & Brown, E. (2011) Historical water resources in South Asia: the hydrological background. Hydrol. Sci. J. 56(5), 775–788.     

Climate-driven trends in mean and high flows from a network of reference stations in Ireland

Abstract

This paper introduces a reference hydrometric network for Ireland and examines the derived flow archive for evidence of climate-driven trends in mean and high river flows. The Mann-Kendall and Theil-Sen tests are applied to eight hydroclimatic indicators for fixed and variable (start and end date) records. Spatial coherence and similarities of trends with rainfall suggest they are climate driven; however, large temporal variability makes it difficult to discern widely-expected anthropogenic climate change signals at this point in time. Trends in summer mean flows and recent winter means are at odds with those expected for anthropogenic climate change. High-flow indicators show strong and persistent positive trends, are less affected by variability and may provide earlier climate change signals than mean flows. The results highlight the caution required in using fixed periods of record for trend analysis, recognizing the trade-off between record length, network density and geographic coverage.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor H. Lins

Citation Murphy, C., Harrigan, S., Hall, J., and Wilby, R.L., 2013. Climate-driven trends in mean and high flows from a network of reference stations in Ireland. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (4), 755–772.     

Integration of a limit-equilibrium model into a landslide early warning system

Landslides are a significant hazard in many parts of the world and exhibit a high, and often underestimated, damage potential. Deploying landslide early warning systems is one risk management strategy that, amongst others, can be used to protect local communities. In geotechnical applications, slope stability models play an important role in predicting slope behaviour as a result of external influences; however, they are only rarely incorporated into landslide early warning systems. In this study, the physically based slope stability model CHASM (Combined Hydrology and Stability Model) was initially applied to a reactivated landslide in the Swabian Alb to assess stability conditions and was subsequently integrated into a prototype of a semi-automated landslide early warning system. The results of the CHASM application demonstrate that for several potential shear surfaces the Factor of Safety is relatively low, and subsequent rainfall events could cause instability. To integrate and automate CHASM within an early warning system, international geospatial standards were employed to ensure the interoperability of system components and the transferability of the implemented system as a whole. The CHASM algorithm is automatically run as a web processing service, utilising fixed, predetermined input data, and variable input data including hydrological monitoring data and quantitative rainfall forecasts. Once pre-defined modelling or monitoring thresholds are exceeded, a web notification service distributes SMS and email messages to relevant experts, who then determine whether to issue an early warning to local and regional stakeholders, as well as providing appropriate action advice. This study successfully demonstrated the potential of this new approach to landslide early warning. To move from demonstration to active issuance of early warnings demands the future acquisition of high-quality data on mechanical properties and distributed pore water pressure regimes.     

Toward exploratory analysis of diversity unified across fields of study: an information visualization approach

The study of the diversity of multivariate objects shares common characteristics and goals across disciplines, including ecology and organizational management. Nevertheless, subject-matter experts have adopted somewhat separate diversity concepts and analysis techniques, limiting the potential for sharing and comparing across disciplines. Moreover, while large and complex diversity data may benefit from exploratory data analysis, most of the existing techniques emphasize confirmatory analysis based on statistical metrics and models. This work aims to bridge these gaps. First, by cross comparing the analyses of species diversity, microbial diversity, and workgroup diversity, we introduce a framework of diversity concerns aligned across the three areas. The alignment framework is validated and refined by feedback from subject-matter experts. Then, guided by the framework and theoretical information visualization and visual analytics principles (as distinguished from scientific visualization), we propose a unified taxonomy of common analytical tasks for exploration of diversity.     

Impact of the 2010 tsunami on an endangered insular soil–plant system

Natural catastrophes could damage island biodiversity and ecosystems, and their effects could become devastating if combined with human disturbances. In this study, we determined the effects of the tsunami occurred in Robinson Crusoe Island (Chile) on 27 February 2010 on an endangered soil–plant system. Using data of endemic Cabbage Trees (Dendroseris litoralis Skottsb.) and soil attributes taken before and after the 2010 event, we developed thematic maps to assess the changes in population size and soil substrate of Cabbage Trees caused by the tsunami. We determined that from 153 pre-tsunami (2009) standing Cabbage Trees, only 66 (43 %) survived in 2011, mostly in elevations above 25 m a.s.l. Before the tsunami, 86 (56 %) of Cabbage Trees were established in humus-rich soil sites whereas after the tsunami, this number declined to 53 (35 %). These results represent the first report of a severe population decline after a tsunami and indicate that tsunamis are an important source of species extinction in small oceanic islands not only by reducing the population size but also by reducing the quality of sites for plant growth.