Kamal Alsharif

Global warming and environmental production efficiency ranking of the Kyoto Protocol nations

This paper analyzes the United Nations Organizations Kyoto Protocol nations to address two questions. First, what are the environmental production efficiency rankings of these nations? Second, is there a relationship between a nations ratification status and its environmental production efficiency ranking? Our findings suggest that the nations that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol are more likely to be environmentally production efficient as compared to the nations that have not ratified the Protocol.

Flexible design of urban drainage systems: demand led research for Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg

in urban drainage systems With increasing global change pressures (urbanisation, climate change, etc.), cities of the future will experience difficulties in managing their water supply, drainage and wastewater. These global change pressures were addressed by SWITCH, an EU 6th Framework research project that developed technological and socio-economic solutions for the sustainable management of water in the city of the future. The project involved 32 partners from across the globe working directly with stakeholders in 12 demonstration cities. An important component of SWITCH was gathering together stakeholders that were involved with, or interested in, urban water management. These multi-stakeholder learning alliances guided and supported SWITCH on implementing research and demonstration activities, by taking account of local problems and needs (Vairavamoorthy 2009b).

Assessment of a countywide stormwater pond improvement program

Numerous approaches have been advocated to improve pollutant removal in stormwater retention and detention ponds. The Hillsborough County (FL) Adopt-A-Pond program is one such application. However, ex post evaluation of these approaches is particularly limited. Water quality and vegetative characteristics were assessed at participating Adopt-A-Pond sites to explore potential impacts of the program on measurable environmental parameters. Statistical analysis of the results failed to demonstrate significant environmental improvements associated with the Adopt-A-Pond program, and measures of program activity did not illustrate a consistently positive influence. These results illustrate the need for ex post evaluations and indicate a general need to readdress the policies and implementation of the program. Poor compliance by program volunteers, evident by the limited span of group participation (mean = 2.5 years) and relatively low percentage of actively involved residents, is a possible culprit, as the efficacy of pond enhancement techniques is firmly established in the literature.

The Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Individual Fishing Quota Program in Florida: Perceptions and Implications

The Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery began management under an individual fishing quota (IFQ) system in January 2007. The expectation is that direct ownership stakes by fishers would bring greater involvement on behalf of the boat owners and fishers and more responsible and sustainable fishing practices for a depressed fish population. Online and phone surveys of fishers involved in the Florida red snapper fishery were performed to gauge their responses to this change in management policy. In addition, red snapper prices were evaluated before and after the IFQ system. Contrary to opinions published by IFQ supporters, our survey found that most fishers disapproved of the IFQ design process overall and generally distrusted fishery management. Although the suggestion by many of the survey respondents to restrict ownership of IFQ shares strictly to active working fishers may seem extreme, such regulation may be appropriate. In addition, the available ex-vessel price data for red snapper indicate a 10 percent increase in the price that fishers receive for their catch.

The importance of traditional ecological knowledge in agroecological systems in Peru

ABSTRACT This study argues that a critical element in the success of an ecosystem service (ES) approach at any level is the higher qualitative valuation of local traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). As such, the objectives of this research were to illustrate the role of TEK in agroecological systems in Peru and to develop recommendations about this type of knowledge acquisition. The data were gathered using interviews and focus groups with subsistence farmers along with key informant interviews to elicit TEK at local and regional scales in five provinces in the Lake Titicaca region of Puno, Peru. Qualitative analysis revealed dominant themes of TEK provided by farmers and key informants, and how this knowledge can enhance the application of an ES approach for environmental management. Climate variability, predicting the timing of seasonal changes, water availability, and adapting the agricultural calendar and agricultural techniques were all central themes. This research concludes that environmental management decisions in the Puno region of Peru are being informed and improved through the use of TEK. Supporting previous research, we propose that agroecological systems, at their core, need to respect the integrity and sanctity of TEK and value it properly within any practical solution for environmental resource management. EDITED BY John Parrotta

Lake performance differences in response to land use and water quality: Data envelopment analysis

Abstract Alsharif KA, Fouad G. 2012. Lake performance differences in response to land use and water quality: Data envelopment analysis. Lake Reserv Manage. 28:130-141. Comparisons of lake conditions to surrounding land use classifications and water quality can be used to assist management of lake resources. This study used Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a performance measurement tool used in economics and operations research and management science, to compare lakes based on land use classifications and water quality. Lake performance ratings reflecting land use and water quality conditions were generated by DEA models that assessed surrounding land use and the reciprocal of the chlorophyll a concentration in the Tampa Bay region, Florida, USA. Using the performance continuum established by the DEA, lakes were categorized according to their management demands. Increased catchment, natural land, and agricultural land area were all related to lower performance measurements. It was found that higher DEA performance measurements were estimated for lakes located in smaller catchments that had a lower possibility for runoff and transport of contaminants. Overall, DEA successfully functioned as an assessment tool for comparing lake conditions based on land use in the catchment. The results produced by this novel application of DEA can prioritize management efforts toward lakes that suffer from the least beneficial water quality and land use conditions.

Perspectives on Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in Hazardous Environments: Insights from Broward County, Florida

AbstractParticular social factors can limit or promote adaptive capacity and resilience in hazardous environments. Understanding these factors is essential for developing planning tools for risk re...

The concept of water storage on agriculture lands: Exploring the notion in South Florida

Abstract Lands in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) can be used for increased water storage in order to relieve coastal estuaries of excess runoff in the rainy season. The goals of this study were: (1) to quantify the environmental and economic tradeoffs of different water storage scenarios using water tolerant sugarcane cultivars; and (2) to quantify the amount of water storage possible in the EAA under different water storage scenarios. A mathematical model was developed to calculate soil depth, soil subsidence, depth to the water table, and water storage for three different sugarcane cultivars with different water tolerances. The results showed raising water tables on farmlands did have the environmental benefits of reduced soil subsidence, extended farm life and increased years of water storage. In addition, raising water tables in the EAA to increase water storage is overall more costly, but yearly costs are very low. Therefore, water storage on farmlands is an affordable interim method of water storage.

Investigating Groundwater Vulnerability of a Karst Aquifer in Tampa Bay, Florida

The Floridan aquifer system (FAS) is known to be one of the most productive aquifer systems in the USA. With the FAS being a karst aquifer, it presents unique challenges to land-use planners because of inherent vulnerabilities to contamination through direct connections between the aquifer and the surface. In this study, a new geographic information systems (GISs)-based index, the Karst Aquifer Vulnerability Index (KAVI), incorporates geologic layers used in intrinsic groundwater vulnerability models (GVMs) plus an epikarst layer specific to karst, with land-use coverages to create a specific groundwater vulnerability model. The KAVI model was compared to another specific vulnerability model, the Susceptibility Index (SI). Tabulation of the percentage areas of vulnerability classes reveals major differences between the two models with SI suggesting greater vulnerability for the study area than KAVI. Validation of these two models found that KAVI vulnerability levels best reproduced spatially varying concentrations of nitrate, orthophosphate, and arsenic in the aquifer. Sensitivity analysis, the application of a variation index, and measuring the effective weights for each parameter included in KAVI confirmed the importance of epikarst but also aquifer hydraulic conductivity. The inclusion of land use was justified; however, effective weight analysis determined its assigned weight was too high as used in the initial calculation of KAVI.

What It Means to Become “More Resilient”: An Analysis of Local Resilience-Building Approaches in Three Florida Communities

AbstractFrom international to local scales of governance, resilience building is being presented as the way to prepare for impacts of both slow- and quick-onset disasters. Having transitioned from ecological to social applications, the concept of resilience has multiple interpretations, and definitions tend to emphasize both resistance to and acceptance of transformational change. The purpose of this research is to investigate how the concept of resilience is being conceptualized in three south Florida communities in order to understand and compare what ideal types and dimensions of resilience are prioritized at those local scales. To do this, content analyses of city and county documents were conducted to extract explicit definitions of resilience as well as implicit definitions based on context clues using carefully selected keywords. The term resilience appeared 684 times in documents from Broward County, Lee County, and the city of Punta Gorda, yet only one document provided any explicit definition. B...