Browsing by Subject "Tool"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    A GIS Tool Prioritizing Dams for Removal within the State of North Carolina
    (2012-04-27) Hoenke, Kathleen
    A GIS tool for prioritizing removal of dams based on ecological and social metrics is presented. The Barrier Prioritization Tool uses a hierarchical decision making framework that entails identification of an objective, criteria of qualities that meet that objective, and measurable indicators to quantify if criteria is met. Here the primary objective is to identify the best dams to remove. Criteria include good habitat connectivity, good water quality connectivity and connectivity of stream miles while avoiding social conflict, improving flow downstream, and improving safety. Sensitivity of rankings to habitat indicators used indicates that indicators of habitat quality overlap. Following the construction of the Barrier Prioritization Tool, three prioritization scenarios are conducted for American Rivers; one prioritization includes social and safety criteria, another includes only ecological criteria, and the third is a prioritization specific to anadromous fish. All three of these prioritization scenarios identify dams within the top 20 ranked dams that are currently classified as pre-identified potential dam-removal projects, indicating that the tool is performing as intended. Dam removal has proven to be an effective mechanism of quickly restoring in-stream habitat for lotic species through connecting fragmented river networks and returning the system to a free flowing state. By aiding in the dam removal project identification process, this tool makes the restoration of streams through dam removal more efficient. In the future, this tool will be used by American Rivers and their colleagues to run other prioritizations of the tool while experimenting with different indicator and criteria weights in order to find more potential projects for removal.
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    NatuReturn: An Environmental Management Tool
    (2019-04-11) Pietruszynski, David
    The explosive growth in data analytics driven by software and computing innovation enables powerful tools for environmental managers who plan, execute, and monitor projects. In the past costly and frequently protracted impact studies were necessary as part of the initial planning for projects. In this study, a prototype tool was developed that assists environmental managers by predicting a project’s return-on-investment and providing a risk assessment using historical and current environmental data early in the planning process. By synthesizing this information, potential projects can be evaluated and compared, giving stakeholders a quantitative ability to set priorities and determine where to allocate limited funds. The goal of this feasibility study was the completion of a GIS-based tool that builds on the existing methods of ecosystem service modeling by adding cost, schedule (time), and risk. By using oyster reef restoration as an example, the complexity of the tool, the difficulty of assembling relevant and accurate data, the database management challenges, the usefulness of the tool in general environmental projects, and the tool’s scalability are examined.
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    Tool Use by a Predatory Worm
    (2016-05-10) Taylor, Brian
    Tool use in non-human organisms represents one of the most fiercely contested topics in animal behavior research. Tool use by an animal has been claimed to represent an evolutionarily significant jump in rational thought and ability. Here, I test the hypothesis that Diopatra cuprea are stay-at-home predators who use algae, shells, and sticks as a tool to decorate their tubes in order to serve as an advertisement for attracting prey. Diopatra are a sedentary, tube-dwelling annelid found in great abundance along the intertidal zone. These worms construct and live in long tubes, with the majority of the tube below the sediment surface and a small portion exposed above ground. They then decorate the exposed portion with three different materials: algae, shells, and sticks. To test this hypothesis, I determined what microorganisms took up residence on Diopatra tubes, analyzed the rate at which the worms rebuilt their tubes, and observed the feeding behavior of Diopatra. I found that the same group of microorganisms lived on all three decoration types, but in differing quantities. I also found that if a worm had the exposed portion of its tube destroyed by a disturbance event, it would rebuild the tube almost immediately. I was able to observe Diopatra eating off of their tubes in the laboratory setting and then experimentally determine what their likely food sources are, leading me to the conclusion that the decoration on their tubes serves as a tool for the worms and plays a vital role in their feeding behavior.