Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
note that as glaciers rapidly disappear, the possibilities for hazards increase. They
issue a call for more glacier inventory studies as a start to mitigation planning. In
Chapter 6
, Marín and Araos seem to answer Janke and Bellisario's call for more
glacier inventories. Although most glacier inventories in Chile focus on the southern
regions (e.g. Patagonia) of the country, Marín and Araos point out how glaciers are a
vital source of water in the arid north and do so with their case study in the Huasco
watershed in northern Chile. While their chapter examines how they conducted a
glacier inventory using geotechnologies, they discuss the management implications
of knowing the quantity of water available (as estimated from the inventories) for
economic activities such as mining and agriculture.
1.2.3 Wetlands and Watersheds
This section introduces three different applications of geotechnologies, each with
a focus on water resources (excluding glaciers). In
Chapter 7
, Merchant and
Dappen examine the Rainwater Basin, a complex of wetlands in southern Nebraska
that plays a critical staging area for migratory fowl. Using geotechnologies, they
present how various spatial datasets are integrated and use to create models of the
wetlands. Specifically, they implement the Revised Universal Soil Lose Equation
to determine the impact of increased sedimentation in the study area. Overall, the
authors note how the resultant datasets and models are used to improve decision
support and create priorities for wetlands management. In
Chapter 8
, Zourarakis
and Lee use geotechnologies to compare two methods of calculating impervious
surface within a watershed in Kentucky. Increases in this surface type are linked to
increases in land cover change. Findings from their research are discussed in the
context of watershed and stormwater management. In
Chapter 9
, Tu investigates
the impact of urbanization on water quality in Massachusetts. Using GIS to create
a spatial dataset, he applies geographically weighted regression (GWR) to analyze
the spatial relationships between water quality and urbanization; the findings imply
that areas deemed “urban sprawl” have a greater impact on water quality that
areas deemed “highly urbanized.” He concludes with a discussion on the use of
GWR for environment research, policy and management practices concerning
human-environment interfaces.
1.2.4 Human Health and the Environment
This final section provides two chapters that focus on the environment with respect
to human health. Such a correlation is important in environmental management, as
toxins, diseases, and disasters influencing the physical landscape (via air, water and
land) contribute to health hazards and risks on the human landscape. In
Chapter 10
,
Czajkowski et al. address the dumping of biosolids on agricultural lands in Ohio,
in conjunction with a self-reported human health survey. The authors were inter-
ested in modeling the associated runoff from the fields and the proximity to where
