Identify common management practices that have driven peat loss, and alternative practices that may reduce ongoing decomposition, and increase climate resilience. Identify potential methods for testing impacts of land use/management intensity/restoration date on peat depth.

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The effect of intensive agriculture and management practices on UK lowland peatlands with alternative solutions

UK lowland peatlands have been extensively drained for agriculture beginning in the 18th Century. Peat is a soil that is high in carbon that has accumulated over hundreds to thousands of years under flooded, low oxygen conditions. Intact peatlands can have peat that is several metres deep. However, drainage results in conditions that drive rapid decomposition, adding to UK greenhouse gas emissions, and placing many peatland areas several metres below sea level. The England Peat Action Plan highlights the importance of preserving remaining peatlands and increasing their climate resilience. To achieve this, there is a need to understand how deep the remaining peat is, and how much peat carbon remains.

Write about the effects of intensive agriculture and farming practices on the peat loss in the UK lowland peatlands focusing on the Great Fen area. Look into field drainage, and type of farming (cereals, general cropping, horticulture, dairy, grazing livestock). Also look into type work done on the fields (Ploughing, minimum tillage, no tillage and rotations).

The main part should be:

1. Identify common management practices that have driven peat loss, and alternative practices that may reduce ongoing decomposition, and increase climate resilience.

2. Conduct a systematic literature review, identifying alternative management practices that can help reduce rates of peat wastage in land still under arable agriculture across the region, based on the globally available literature. Look into paludiculture and wet farming and other viable solutions.

3. Identify potential methods for testing impacts of land use/management intensity/restoration date on peat depth.

Design an experiment that will determine what the ideal sheep grazing density is to maintain the heathland and stop scrub invasion. Write a short report (500 words max) explaining the key features of the experiment and how it will be undertaken.

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EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Conservation management of an upland heath nature reserve

Design an experiment that will determine what the ideal sheep grazing density is to maintain the heath land and stop scrub invasion. Write a short report (500 words max) explaining the key features of the experiment and how it will be undertaken. You can also use diagrams. Text within diagrams do not count towards the total, but text in diagram legends do count. Because the report is short, you do not need to format it into sections.

Identify the threat or opportunity. Describe the quantitative dimensions of the opportunity, as well as the qualitative motivations as they resonate with the core values of your organization or others who might be evaluating your proposal.

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Clamant Change – Peer Feedback

Peer Review Guidelines

These guidelines elaborate on key points to be covered in each section of the presentation, and should provide the basis for the comments you include in your peer review.

1. Identify the threat or opportunity. Describe the quantitative dimensions of the opportunity, as well as the qualitative motivations as they resonate with the core values of your organization or others who might be evaluating your proposal.

a. Does the material presented quantify the threat or opportunity in an absolute sense, and also in the context of the business, sector, or region? Does the quantification convince the listener that this is a high priority threat to address or opportunity to take, relative to the many other threats that could be addressed?

b. Is this quantification based in a rigorous scientific or technical assessment (that is cited, not that the presenters themselves complete)?

c. Is the threat or opportunity linked clearly to the mission of the organization that would undertake it, or to the bottom line of the business?

2. Identify an innovation or change, and describe and assess the costs and benefits.

a. Is the innovation described adequately for you to understand it?

b. Does the presentation provide enough information about the success of the innovation or change in other locations/situations to convince you that it will work in this situation? This information could be more academic research on how this type of technology, institutional change, etc. works under certain conditions, or it could be more specific evidence from another organization or business.

c. Has the presenter clearly identified the costs (financial or otherwise) of implementing?

d. Has the presenter clearly linked the benefits to the definition of the problem? Have they also identified any co-benefits that would accrue to the organization or to society from implementing this innovation/change?

3. Provide project timeline and key outcome metrics.

a. Is the timeline adequate to achieve the promised benefits (e.g. if it is a GHG mitigation action, will emissions be reduced fast enough to contribute to the global push to net zero by 2040)?

b. Are the key outcome metrics linked to the threat/opportunity definition, and to the benefits identified above?

Describe a sustainable solution to your selected environmental issue that has been proposed by the scientific community. Explain why this solution is sustainable. Support your explanation with scientific evidence.

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Emerald ash borer

Overview
The final project for this course is the creation of an environmental issue paper.
In the field of environmental science, it is crucial to be able to understand interrelationships and consider all aspects of an issue from ecology to economics. It is important to recognize yourself as a part of the system and how your actions are active contributions to that system. As an environmental scientist, you will be identifying issues and researching resolutions. You will have to consider the various factors included in the environmental issue and the impact the resolution will have on the environment and human population.
For the final project, you will write a paper on an environmental issue of your choice. The United States Environmental Protection Agency website will be helpful in determining your issue. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of an environmental issue that impacts your local community, state, or region at varying levels including ecosystem, quality of life, and economics. These skills will benefit you as you pursue advanced research opportunities as well as careers within the regulation and remediation industry. You will analyze the steps taken to identify the solutions utilized and the success of these solutions, including the people or groups involved. You will be supporting your paper with credible peer–reviewed research.
The project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three and Five. The final submission is due in Module Seven.
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
 Use credible environmental research for drawing basic connections among policy, science, and society
 Describe the impact of economic considerations on environmental science and sustainable practices
 Identify sustainable environmental practices and science based solutions that are supported by credible evidence
 Explain how diverse individual, social, political, and economic factors influence response to environmental issues

Prompt
For this assessment, you will need to identify an environmental issue that impacts your local community, state, or region. You can choose any environmental issue; however, you will need to describe its impact on the environment, economy, and quality of life. You will also be describing a sustainable solution to the issue and the impact this solution will have on the environment, economy, and quality of life, including how you can promote awareness throughout the community and your daily life.

Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed:

 

I. Environmental Issue: To begin your paper, you will need to identify an environmental issue that impacts your local community, state, or region. You will then describe the issue and its impact on the environment, local community or state, and human quality of life. You will also describe societal and political reactions to the environmental issue. You are required to use credible research to support your descriptions.

A. Identify an environmental issue and briefly explain its impact on the environment. In your explanation, utilizing credible research, be sure to:
1. Describe the impact this issue has had on the environment within your state.
2. Describe the impact this issue has had on human quality of life. Support your description with relevant examples.
3. Describe the impact this environmental issue has had on the economy within your state or local community.
4. Describe societal reactions to the environmental issue. Support your description with relevant examples.
5. Describe political reactions to the environmental issue. Support your description with relevant examples.

 

II. Sustainable Solution: In this section, you will identify an environmentally and economically sustainable solution to your selected environmental issue.
You will explain why this solution is environmentally and economically sustainable and describe the amount of time needed for implementation and cost considerations around the solution. You will explain the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed solution and explain its potential impact on the community. You will also discuss potential consequences if no solution is implemented to remediate the issue.
A. Describe a sustainable solution to your selected environmental issue that has been proposed by the scientific community. Support your description with scientific evidence.
B. Explain why this solution is sustainable. Support your explanation with scientific evidence.
C. Estimate the total amount of time it will take to implement the solution. In other words, how long will it take to identify a solution and implement it from start to finish? Support your estimation with scientific evidence.
D. Describe the cost considerations of implementing the solution, identifying where the funding will come from.
E. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of this solution for your local community. For example, you might consider changes to local economy or quality of life. Support your explanation with specific examples.
F. Describe potential environmental consequences of not implementing a solution to alleviate the environmental issue. Support your description with scientific facts.

 

III. Personal Impact: Now that you have investigated an environmental issue and a sustainable solution, it is time to reflect on your personal impact. In this section, you will identify a personal habit that may have contributed to the issue. You will then describe ways you can promote the solution described above and how you can promote responsibility within your local community.
A. Identify a personal habit that contributes to the environmental issue, and explain how it contributes to the issue.
B. Describe a way that you can personally promote the solution in your daily life.
C. Describe how you can promote environmental responsibility within your local community. Support your description with specific examples

Has the recovery site recovered or not? Is the “clean” site still clean? Provide potential explanations for the long-term fluctuations in the biotic index at each site; account of the strengths and weaknesses of the biotic indexes; how useful are they in general and how they could be improved.

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Freshwater Pollution

Derivation of the Biotic Indexes of Freshwater Pollution

You have been provided with long term biological data for the four different freshwater sites routinely monitored by SEPA with potentially different levels of pollution. You have also been issued with notes setting out the sensitivity of various species of invertebrates to pollution.

1- Deveron Cabrach, NJ 37855 29144

2- Water of Cruden, upstream of Morissons

3- Mains of Dyce at Pitmedden Industrial Estate

4- Burn of Noss

Your task is to use these materials to:

(i) derive biotic indexes that summarise pollution status of each site

(ii) compare different BI approaches,

(iii) calculate long-term ASPT scores for each site

(iv) critically appraise the use of biotic indexes in freshwater pollution monitoring

Summarise your findings in a scientific report. The report should not exceed 2000 words and should be of the following structure:
Title

Abstract

Introduction and Aims – a very brief review of what a biotic index is and why it is useful in freshwater pollution monitoring. Some background information you can get on the specific sites would also be useful. There should be at least 2 aims, one focusing on assessing the ecological status of the 4 sites you got samples to work in class and one aim focusing on the long term dataset

Methods – a clear, concise account of what materials and methods have been used (i.e. what BI methods have been used, etc.), how samples were collected

Results – tables/graphs summarizing data and derived biotic indexes, including brief commentary.

Discussion – an understanding of the assessment of the ecological status of your 4 sites; be critical and innovative in discussion; has the recovery site recovered or not? Is the “clean” site still clean? Provide potential explanations for the long-term fluctuations in the biotic index at each site; account of the strengths and weaknesses of the biotic indexes; how useful are they in general and how they could be improved.

What is the most effective level of government authority for environmental regulation?

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Environmental Law

Must be single spaced, minimum 2500 words. To answer the question- what is the most effective level of government authority for environmental regulation? Must be written in Chicago/Oscola format. Footnotes must be included, need proper structure and proper lead sentences. Must be in a persuasive writing format. In BOLD it says persuasive essay #3. That’s the essay that’s due for our final.

Discuss the difference between weather and climate, what we know about climate change and how we know it, reliability of information, and observed climate change on other planets.

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Climate Change

The final assignment for this course is to research the topic of the history of global climate change (warming, cooling or other). Based on your research you will prepare a 5-7 page paper (not counting title page or reference section).
You are free to discuss whatever aspects you select but make sure your sources are scholarly and grounded in research and related directly to course concepts. You should go back in time as far as you can find information. You can discuss the difference between weather and climate, what we know about climate change and how we know it, reliability of information, and observed climate change on other planets. You may want to include a section on how the media covers this issue versus the scientific community, Lots of flexibility here but focus on history and recent events.You must also create a power point presentation based on your research. Create your presentation as if you were presenting it to at a scientific discussion.

Did your peer review process lead to a more rigorous paper in the end? Did your peer reviewing of others’ papers give you any insights on how much work goes into vetting papers prior to publication or what pitfalls there may be in the process?

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Peer review reflection

This is an opportunity for students to reflect on and distill some of the key concepts in the course and is different to a formal essay or report. After a series of group activities, it is also your opportunity to earn grades solely on your own thoughts and ideas.
We ask you to reflect the nature of the peer review process and your group activities as an approach to illustrating it. In Week 2 we discussed the peer review process and then ran through group activities participating in a peer review process as authors and as reviewers. Reflect on your own knowledge of the peer review process in theory (i.e., information that was delivered in lessons, linked resources, plus any further reading) as well as your own experience of the practice of peer review (i.e., the three phases of group activity). Reflect on whether the peer review process is the best possible approach for reporting climate science findings. Did your peer review process lead to a more rigorous paper in the end? Did your peer reviewing of others’ papers give you any insights on how much work goes into vetting papers prior to publication or what pitfalls there may be in the process? Outline the relative merits of the peer review process, as you see it. In your opinion, how could it be improved?

Write a paper based on the following information.  Discussion of a minimum of five aesthetic values that you derive from biodiversity. Research the cultural, health and social benefits they provide to you and society at large (support your facts with appropriate documentation). 

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Aesthetic Values and Biodiversity

Lesson Five Graded Assignment
Total possible points = 100
Your graded assignment this week is on Ecosystem services.  Ecosystem services provided by biodiversity include nutrient cycling, soil formation, primary productivity, food, fresh water, clean air, aesthetic values, etcetera. Aesthetic values are nonmaterial benefits obtained from ecosystems. Examples of aesthetic values that we derive from biodiversity are hiking, bird watching, beauty of the landscape, etcetera.  Write a paper based on the following information.

Aesthetic Values and Communication Assignment:
Grading summary/Structure of paper
1. Cover page. 5 points
2. Introduction of aesthetic values: 10 points
3.  Discussion of a minimum of five aesthetic values that you derive from biodiversity. Research the cultural, health and social benefits they provide to you and society at large (support your facts with appropriate documentation). 25 points
4. Discussion of how those values will be lost with increasing biodiversity loss.10 points
5. Devise a plan on how to convince people of the importance of preserving biodiversity.10 points
6. Style, Structure, ability to use appropriate documentation within the text. 20 points
7. Use at least 5 references and include these in the reference section in APA style.  20 points.  You can add the Reference section at the end of your paper.

Discuss at least 5 services provided by biodiversity. Discuss human influences on such services you answered above and the consequences of losing ecosystem services.

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Ecosystem Services

Discussion 5 will research ecosystem services.  Read the article provided for this week.  In your discussion,  answer the following questions:
1.  Discuss at least 5 services provided by biodiversity.
2.  Discuss human influences on such services you answered above and the consequences of losing ecosystem services.
Support facts with appropriate documentation or references.  Cite these references at the bottom of your post in APA format.