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Amante, Joseph David. "Scanning Methods as Monitoring, Verification, and Accounting tools for CO₂ Sequestration in Unconventional Gas Reservoirs." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/76047.
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Unconventional gas reservoirs in carbon dioxide sequestration activities is a relatively new and unexplored concept currently undergoing pilot scale testing. Sequestration has the potential for enhancing gas recovery while mitigating carbon dioxide to long term storage structures. Due to the extremely complex systems associated with these unconventional reservoirs, modeling becomes difficult to predict accurately. This thesis presents methods to increase the confidence of inferred parameter testing for unconventional reservoir sequestration in both seam coal bed methane wells and a shale wells. Various tests include the use of computed tomography coupled with Avizo modeling software, inductively coupled mass spectrometer fluid transport analysis, pressure transient build tests, liquid level detection, and desorption analysis coupled with cleat image analysis. Analyses of coals performed by both environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) and micro CT demonstrate that distributions of cleat porosity in coals are anisotropic and not correlated to the seam depth or location. ESEM is used with micro CT scanning to verify the results before and after the impregnation of the carbonic acid. The micro CT data in Avizo Fire© was used calculate an increase in cleat permeability by 25%. The increase of major flow pathways is caused by the dissolution of carbonates. Changes in the structures were observed qualitatively through ESEM and micro CT and quantitatively through Avizo and inductively coupled mass spectrometry. The results of comparative study between the cleat structures and the desorption of various seams indicate a trend in the cleat porosity and the desorption rate of the coals as well as the cleat porosity and the total gas in various seams.Master of Science
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Papageorgiou, Asterios. "A physical accounting model for monitoring material flows in urban areas with application to the Stockholm Royal Seaport district." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-231160.
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There is a plethora of methods and tools that can be used for the assessment of Urban Metabolism. Nevertheless, there is no standardized method for accounting of material flows within and across the boundaries of urban systems. This thesis aims to provide a physical accounting model for monitoring material flows in urban areas that could potentially become the basis for the development of a standardized accounting method in the long term. The model is based on a Physical Input Output Table framework and builds upon the strengths of existing accounting methods but at the same time it demonstrates new features that can address their limitations. The functions of the model were explored and evaluated through its application to an urban neighbourhood in the Stockholm Royal Seaport. Bottom-up data were used for the application of the model in the case study. The application of the model provided a preliminary description of the material flows in the neighbourhood and most importantly provided information that underpinned the assessment of the strengths and limitations of the model. It was deduced, that on the one hand the model can describe successfully the physical interactions between the urban socioeconomic system and the environment or other socioeconomic systems and at the same it has the potentials to illustrate the intersectoral flows within the boundaries of the system. In addition, it can be used to structure available data on material flows and promote the study of an urban system with a life cycle perspective. On the other hand, the process of compiling the tables of the model can be considered as complex and moreover the data requirements for the compilation of the tables are significant. Especially, the compilation of the tables of the model with bottom-up data may require a laborious data collection and analysis process, which however may not address all data gaps. Thus, the combination of bottom-up data with top-down data is recommended. Moreover, it is recommended the development of integrated databases for data collection and management at the municipal level and the fostering of collaboration between stakeholders within the municipalities to facilitate dissemination of data and information.Mer än hälften av den globala befolkningen bor numera i urbana områden och denna andel uppskattas öka under de kommande årtiondena. Urbana system förbrukar fysiska resurser och genererar stora mängder av rester vilket innebär påfrestningar på miljön samt hindrar en hållbar utveckling. Således kan förståelse av Urban Metabolism (UM) stödja insatserna för att effektivisera resursförbrukningen och avfallshanteringen. I detta sammanhang har en stor mängd av metoder och verktyg utvecklats och tillämpats i UM-studier, såsom Materialflödeanalys (Material Flow Analysis - MFA) och Input-output Analys (Input Output - IOA) baserat på fysiska input-output tabeller (Input Output Tables – PIOTs). Ändå saknas en standardiserad metod för redovisning av materialflöden inom och över gränserna av urbana system. I samband med detta examensarbete utvecklades en fysisk räkenskapsmodell för övervakning av materialflöden i urbana områden. Denna modell kan potentiellt bli grunden för en enhetlig metod för beräkning av materialflöden i urbana system. Modellen utvecklades i en stegvis process och baserades på litteraturgranskning. Grunden för modellen är ett omfattande PIOT ramverk som kan användas för registrering av materialflöden i urbana system. PIOT ramverket är annorlunda än de typiska PIOT-systemen. Det ger en tydligare avgränsning av systemgränserna, det visar tydligt ursprung och destination för materialflöden, och dessutom kan det erbjuda ett livscykelperspektiv på materialflödena. Modellen består av en uppsättning identiska PIOT. Varje deltabell innehåller materialflöden som tillhör i en specifik klass, medan huvudtabellen aggregerar materialet som strömmar för alla material från deltabellerna. Därigenom kan modellen avbilda materialflödena i ett aggregat-perspektiv och samtidigt ge fysiska räkenskaper för specifika materialtyper. Modellen användes i en nybyggd stadsdel i Norra Djurgårdsstaden (NDS), för att utforska och bedöma dess funktioner. För att kartlägga och kvantifiera flödena i stadsdelen genomfördes en MFA baserad på “bottom-up-data”. Insamlingen och analysen av data var emellertid en besvärlig process och dessutom kunde flera materialflöden inte kvantifieras på grund av databrister. Därför kunde modellens tabeller inte fyllas fullständigt och ett flödesdiagram skapades med både kvantitativa och kvalitativa flöden. Trots att det fanns databrister lyckades tillämpningen av modellen att avbilda UM i det avgränsade urbana systemet på ett adekvat sätt. Det visade tydligt att nästan 96% av de materiella insatserna är ackumulerade i lager. Dessutom fastställde modellen kvalitativt den fysiska växelverkan mellan det urbana systemet och den naturliga miljön, det nationella socioekonomiska och det globala socioekonomiska systemet. Emellertid var det inte möjligt att bedöma modellens fullständiga potential eftersom det inte var möjligt att upprätta intersektorala kopplingar. Dessutom beräknades indirekta flöden av flera importerade material baserat på koefficienterna för materialintensitet. Detta tillvägagångssätt kan erbjuda insikt om de uppströms påfrestningar som orsakas av materialproduktionen. Dock finns det endast koefficienter för specifika material. Därför kan de inte användas för att uppskatta de indirekta flödena för varje materialinflöde. Dock framhöll deras partiella tillämpning att indirekta flödena var 38% högre än direktflödena, vilket indikerar att påfrestningar som utövas till miljön på grund av produktion av importerade material är betydande. Tillämpningen av modellen möjliggjorde en bedömning av både styrkor och svagheter hos modellen. Å ena sidan kan modellen fastställa fysiska interaktioner mellan det urbana socioekonomiska systemet och naturmiljön, det nationella socioekonomiska systemet och det globala socioekonomiska systemet. Dessutom har det potential att beskriva intersektorala flöden inom gränserna för det urbana systemet och det kan erbjuda insikt om materialinflödenas ursprung och materialutflödenas destination. En annan styrka i modellen är att den erbjuder livscykelperspektiv genom att ta hänsyn till indirekta flöden av importerade material. Å andra sidan demonstrerades att sammanställningenav modellens tabeller kräver en stor mängd data, speciellt när data erhålls med ett ”bottom-up” tillvägagångssätt. Ändå är bottom-up data inte alltid tillgängliga för urbana områden. En annan svaghet är att sammanställningenav tabellerna i modellen med bottom-up-data kräver en mödosam process för datainsamling och analys. Dessutom kräver analysen av data många antaganden som ökar osäkerheten i resultaten. Ovanstående svagheter i modellen kan hindra tillämpningen av modellen för räkenskap av materialflöden på urbana områden. Således rekommenderas kombinationen av bottom-up-data med top-down data för tillämpning av modellen. Dessutom föreslås utvecklingen av integrerade databaser för datainsamling om materialflöden i urbana områden.
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Towry, Kristy Lynne. "Control in a teamwork environment : the impact of social ties on the effectiveness of mutual monitoring contracts /." Thesis, Full text (PDF) from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International, 2002. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/fullcit?p3086719.
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O'Shea, Thomas A. "Using an Inventory of Unstable Slopes to Prioritize Probabilistic Rockfall Modeling and Acid Base Accounting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2021. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3952.
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An inventory of unstable slopes along transportation corridors and performance modeling are important components of geotechnical asset management in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM). Hazards and risk were assessed for 285 unstable slopes along 151 miles of roadway. A multi-criteria model was created to select fourteen sites for two-dimensional probabilistic rockfall simulations and Acid Base Accounting (ABA) tests. Simulations indicate that rock material would likely enter the roadway at all fourteen sites. ABA test results indicate that influence of significant acid-producing potential is generally confined to slaty rocks of the Anakeesta Formation and graphitic schist of the Wehutty Formation. The research illustrates an approach for prioritizing areas for site-specific investigations towards the goal of improving safety in GRSM. These results can help park officials develop mitigation strategies for rockfall, using strategies such as widening ditches and encapsulating acidic rockfall material.
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Sinha, Rajib. "Systems Modeling Approaches to Physical Resource Management : An Industrial Ecology Perspective." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Industriell ekologi, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-191327.
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Many of the present problems that we are facing arise as unanticipated side-effects of our own actions. Moreover, the solutions implemented to solve important problems often create new problems. To avoid unintended consequences, understanding complex systems is essential in devising policy instruments and in improving environmental management. Thus, this thesis investigated systems modeling approaches to under- stand complex systems and monitor the environmental performance of management actions. The overall aim of the work was to investigate the usefulness of different systems modeling approaches in supporting environmental management. A driver- based, pressure-oriented approach was adopted to investigate systems modeling tools. Material/substance flow analysis, environmental footprinting, input-output analysis, process-based dynamic modeling, and systems dynamics modeling approaches were applied in different cases to investigate strengths and weaknesses of the tools in generating an understanding of complex systems. Three modeling and accounting approaches were also tested at different systems scales to support environmental mon- itoring. Static modeling approaches were identified as fundamental to map, account, and monitor physical resource metabolism in production and consumption systems, whereas dynamic modeling showed strengths in understanding complex systems. The results suggested that dynamic modeling approaches should be conducted on top of static analysis to understand the complexity of systems when devising and testing policy instruments. To achieve proactive monitoring, a pressure-based assessment was proposed instead of the mainstream impact/state-based approach. It was also concluded that the LCA community should shift the focus of its assessments to pressures instead of impacts.Många nuvarande miljö- och utvecklingsproblem har uppstått som oförutsedda biverkningar av människans egna handlingar. De lösningar som prövats har i sin tur ofta skapat nya problem. Det därför viktigt att förstå hur komplexa system fungerar och att utforma styrmedel och ledningssystem som minimerar risken för oönskade bieffekter. Den här avhandling har använt olika modelleringsmetoder för att öka förståelsen för komplexa system och bidra med kunskaper om hur miljöprestanda och förvaltningsåtgärder kan följas upp på ett mer effektivt sätt. Det övergripande syftet med arbetet var att undersöka användbarheten av olika modelleringsmetoder för att effektivisera den fysiska resurshanteringen i samhället. I arbetet har ett flödesbaserat och aktörsinriktat arbetssätt (pressure based and driver oriented approach) använts i modelleringen. Material- och substansflödesanalys, miljöfotavtryck, input-output analys, processbaserad dynamisk modellering och systemdynamiska modelleringsmetoder studerades för att undersöka styrkor och svagheter hos de olika metoderna/verktygen. Tre olika modellerings- och redovisningsmetoder för att stödja miljöövervakning testades också i olika systemskalor. Statiska modelleringsmetoder (räkenskaper) identifierades som grundläggande för att kartlägga, kontoföra och övervaka den fysiska resursmetabolismen i produktions- och konsumtionssystem, medan dynamisk modellering visade sin styrka i att skapa förståelse för komplexa system. Resultaten pekar på att dynamiska modelleringsmetoder bör användas som ett komplement till statiska analyser för att förstå komplexiteten i systemen när man utformar och testar styrmedel. För att uppnå proaktiv övervakning bör flödesbaserade räkenskaper utnyttjas i större utsträckning i stället för den vanliga tillstånds- och påverkansövervakningen (state/impact monitoring). En viktig slutsats är därför att LCA-samfundet bör flytta fokus i sina bedömningar från påverkan till flöden.
QC 20160830
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STEPHENS, JON BARTON. "ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING DETECTOR." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/614237.
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Malware authors have developed many techniques that allow a malicious program to change its behavior, many of which
require information from the computing environment. To fully understand how malware will affect a system, all behaviors it can exhibit
need to be examined, so tools are needed that can expose when malware uses information from its environment to change its
behavior. This project created such a tool called the environmental monitoring detector that will run a malicious program and search for
cases of environmental monitoring while the malware is running. The tool is able to detect when a program uses environmental
information to conditionally change its execution path; however, it has been found to be ineffective against obfuscated programs due to
the lack of instruction specific taint propagation policies.
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Anderson, Lakin. "Measuring Sustainable Cities: An approach for assessing municipal-level sustainability indicator systems in Sweden." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-209524.
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It is now common for managers, strategists, planners and citizens at municipality level to use sustainable development indicators (SDI) to help them work towards sustainable development. SDI constitute an information system for monitoring, reporting and decision-making which in theory should help us decide how to intervene in natural, economic, social and political systems for a better, more sustainable future. But not all indicator systems are created equal. Some are better tools than others when it comes to helping cities and municipalities in their work, and thousands of municipalities use SDI worldwide. How then should we assess the effectiveness of existing indicators for municipalities? To answer this question I develop an approach for assessing the edesign, creation and communication of existing, in-use SDI, and then apply it in a case study in Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden. The approach assesses five aspects of SDI: ‘Vision’, ‘Framework’, ‘Indicator Selection’, ‘Stakeholder Participation’ and ‘Communication’. The findings in Falun suggest that SDI have been essential to the implementation of sustainable development in policy and action in general municipal operations, but the municipality has not moved beyond a ‘conventional’ sustainable development vision and monitoring strategy. The benefits and constraints of the current indicator system are then discussed using the above approach, and the thesis finishes by offering suggestions for the municipality going forward. I also point to the need to develop a standardised assessment method for thousands of municipalities using indicator systems used today, to help in ongoing review and improvement of SDI in practice.
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陳炳文 and Ping-man Chan. "Environmental accounting with ISO 14000." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1997. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B30497504.
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Chan, Ping-man. "Environmental accounting with ISO 14000 /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1997. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B18734637.
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Lin, Li. "Institutional problems for Chinese environmental accounting : evidence from the accounting profession." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/39455.
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The global environmental crisis has turned accounting scholars’ attention to environmental accounting (hereafter EA). With the gap of EA research and practice between China and the western world, it is necessary to elaborate on this gap through accounting professionals’ environmental awareness (perceptions), which has tended to become the key to adopting EA practices in accounting firms. This has led to the main research question: what are accounting professionals’ perceptions of EA? To illustrate what factors would lead accounting firms (not) adopting EA practices, institutional theory is used as the main framework to identify key issues that lead firms to resemble each other. Legitimacy and stakeholder analysis are adopted as a supplement of institutional analysis to explain how accounting firms respond to influences brought by legitimate concerns and interest groups, which has constructed this multi-framework. This thesis is conducted through 35 semi-structured interviews. Interviewees are invited from different scales of Chinese accounting firms on a top-down basis. Documentary review is used as a supplement of the interviews. Thematic analysis is employed to elaborate on how institutional drivers shape EA across different categories. This thesis has identified that clients’ demands tend to be the key for (not) adopting EA, which can be reflected through participants’ knowledge structure, education and training, practices and the adoption of practical guidelines – this leads to the branding effects of EA in the Big Four, which reflects a practical gap between the Big Four and domestic firms. More specifically, this thesis has reasserted that organizations tend to model themselves on others perceived to be successful in response to certain uncertainty; whereas the clarity of ‘successful organizations’ and ‘uncertainty’ becomes the key institutional driver for firms (not) adopting EA practices. As a supplementary framework, stakeholder and legitimacy analysis tends to reflect how EA is perceived and influenced through different interested parties. In general, this thesis has demonstrated a rather low environmental awareness amongst the Chinese accounting profession, suggesting that EA is developed to enable instead of offsetting the inequity between the Big Four and domestic firms.
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Robinson, Darren. "Integrated building environmental performance monitoring." Thesis, Anglia Ruskin University, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.263988.
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Collett, Nick. "Accounting and environmental determinants of stock returns." Thesis, University of Manchester, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.631707.
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Significant prior work exists in both the macroeconomics field and in finance and accounting into determinants of stock returns, although very few studies have tried to link both types of information together. This research seeks to bridge that gap. Seven macroeconomic variables and 15 accounting identities are hypothesised to explain stock returns, using a stepwise multiple regression procedure. Three macrovariables, GDP, real interest rates, and an exchange rate variable, together with four accounting variables are found to explain 3 month returns in an estimation sample. The results are confirmed in a holdout sample, which has similar industry and size characteristics. When the same variables are forced into equations for longer time periods, it is found that the variables are still influential for up to 12 months. An alternative specification, dealing explicitly with systematic risk through beta, shows that similar macroeconomic data, and five accounting variables, explain 3 month abnormal returns. Again results are confirmed in the same holdout sample. A second hypothesis proposes that the explanatory power of the accounting data may be enhanced by conditioning the accounting variables upon the macroeconomic variables in turn. For example, gearing might be more influential in explaining stock returns when real interest rates are historically high than when they are low. A new method, within the OLS tradition is used to model conditionality, and this is tested on randomly generated data in a series of simulations. Results show that a number of conditional relationships improve the explanation of both raw returns and abnormal returns. Nominal contracting theories are therefore supported and investors are clearly shown to interpret value relevant accounting information according to the macroeconomic circumstances.
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Al-Khuwiter, Abdulrahman Mohammad. "Environmental accounting and disclosure in Saudi Arabia." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2005. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/55584/.
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Interest in environmental issues has grown in the last three decades. This increase in interest has been attributed, at least in part, to global environmental problems (such as the thinning of the ozone layer global warming deforestation species extinction air, water, and land pollution and toxic waste) and industrial accidents (such as Bhopal in 1984 Chernobyl in 1986 and the Exxon Valdez in 1989). This rise in environmental awareness has resulted in an increase in research relating to the environment in many disciplines including accounting. However, the literature review indicated that research relating to environmental accounting and disclosure in developing countries is small, and the majority of research in this area is in the context of developed countries. Moreover, no research has been undertaken that analyses and evaluates environmental accounting and disclosure (EAD) practices in Saudi Arabia. This research therefore aims to fill the gap identified in the literature. The main aims of this thesis were to examine current and perceived EAD in Saudi Arabia. Two methods were utilised to collect data for this endeavour. A questionnaire survey was distributed to three groups of respondents (namely, financial managers in the Top 100 Saudi companies, auditors, and accounting academics), and semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of these three groups to investigate issues relating to EAD in more depth. The main research findings point to the lack of adoption of current EAD practices by Saudi companies and only a small number of companies among the Top 100 in Saudi Arabia currently have an environmental policy (EP). These findings suggest a lack of awareness of the significance of environmental issues among organisations' management. In fact, lack of interest from organisations' management was thought to be the main reason for not adopting environmental accounting followed by insufficient benefits generated from it. Environmental issues were thought to influence the profitability, survival, competitiveness, image, and decision-making process of Saudi organisations. Accounting for and disclosing information about items related to the environment included water energy waste disposal recycling remediation and product life-cycle assessment (LCA). Improvement of the organisation's image in the eyes of the public was considered to be the most influential reason for the disclosure of environmental information (EI) disclosure followed by adherence to local environmental laws. Most important reasons preventing EI disclosure included the non existence of mandatory requirements to do so and non-requirement by Saudi accounting standards. Due to lack of regulations in Saudi Arabia, disclosure of EI is currently voluntary. The preferred form is a mixture of qualitative, quantitative, and financial forms. Finally, the overwhelming majority of respondents agreed that Saudi companies should adopt EPs appropriate to their size and activities, and these should include all commitments that will lead to limiting organisations' negative effects on the environment and enhancing positive effects. Environmental information systems (EISs) should be developed and implemented to facilitate EI production and disclosure. Measurement of all environmental impacts of an organisation should be carried out to facilitate decision-making both internally and externally. Governmental agencies and other non-governmental parties should play a major role in promoting environmental awareness to increase the adoption of EAD practices in Saudi Arabia.
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Pino, Flavio. "Development of nanomaterials for environmental monitoring." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/325142.
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El monitoreig ambiental basat en sistemes de biosensors té molta rellevància, no només en el camp de la investigació sinó també en aplicacions reals a nivell industrial. Això és degut als avantatges d’aquestes plataformes analítiques com, especialment, la seva simplicitat i alta rendibilitat pel seu cost.
A més, els avenços recents en nanociència i nanotecnologia incrementen donen lloc a nous nanomaterials que tenen propietats elèctriques interessants com ara la seva capacitat de millorar la conductivitat dels elèctrodes. Aixó té un interès particular de cara al desenvolupament de sistemes de biosensors electroquímics.
La combinació de nanomaterials amb biosensors electroquímics permeten construir eines d’anàlisi poderoses per al monitoreig mediambiental. Aquest és l’objectiu principal d’aquesta tesi, que descriu el desenvolupament i l’aplicació de tres nous biosensors pel monitoreig mediambiental mitjançant l’ús de nanomaterials.
El primer capítol de la tesi proporciona una introducció general sobre el monitoreig mediambiental de contaminants i dona una breu descripció i classificació d’aquests components nocius. També dona una visió de la rellevància de l’ús de nanomaterials en sistemes de biosensors pel monitoreig mediambiental amb una detallada revisió dels últims treballs publicats que descriuen aspectes innovadors així com possibles inconvenients.
Al capítol 3 es descriu una plataforma de monitoreig mediambiental basada en la inhibició de l’enzim acetilcolinesterasa. El sistema desenvolupat utilitza partícules magnètiques i l’enzim acetilcolinesterasa sobre elèctrodes de diamant dopats amb Bor. Gràcies a l’ús de partícules magnètiques i a les característiques de la superfície de l’elèctrode, aquesta plataforma és utilitzada com a sistema multi ús amb una alta reproducibilitat que és capaç de mesurar el pesticida chlorpyrifos en mostres reals d’aigua de riu (riu Yokoama, Japó).
Al capítol 4 s’explica el desenvolupament de d’un sistema de detecció simultània de contaminants, el catecol (un derivat fenòlic) i el chlorpyrifos (un pesticida del grup dels organofosfats). Aquesta detecció s’aconsegueix utilitzant elèctrodes serigrafiats de carboni (screen printed carbon electrodes, SPCE) modificats amb nanopartícules d’òxid d’Iridi i amb tirosinasa. El biosensor proposat millora la sensibilitat en la detecció del catecol si es compara amb altres biosensors ja descrits en la bibliografia. Aquest biosensor mostra també una elevada sensibilitat en la detecció de chlorpyrifos quan s’utilitza el mode d’operació d’inhibició de la tirosinasa. Finalment, s’ha explorat l’eficiència del biosensor per aplicacions reals en aigua de riu i aigua de l’aixeta mostrant grans possibilitats per futures aplicacions com a plataforma de baix cost.
El tercer biosensor desenvolupat s’explica al capítol 5. En aquest capítol es proposa un sistema de biosensors sense enzims basat en nanopartícules d’òxid de coure (CuO) per la detecció de components fenòlics i d’un herbicida altament tòxic, el Diuron. La detecció es fa mitjançant SPCE on les nanopartícules de CuO formen un complex estable amb els components fenòlics que es mesuren a partir de la reacció electroquímica que té lloc a la superfície de l’elèctrode. Val a dir que és una de les primeres aplicacions que s’utilitzen pel monitoreig mediambiental mitjançant l’ús de nanopartícules de CuO. Aquestes nanopartícules mimetitzen el centre actiu de la tirosinasa obtenint resultats comparables a altres plataformes enzimàtiques. Aquesta plataforma analítica pot ser utilitzada en aplicacions amb mostres reals donat que el límit de detecció obtingut es troba en els nivells que demana el monitoreig establerts per la legislació vigent.Environmental monitoring based on biosensing systems has increased its relevance not only in the research field but also in the real industrial application. This is due to the advantages of such analytical platforms especially their simplicity and their cost/efficiency. Moreover, the recent advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology increase the emerging of new nanomaterials which have interesting electrical properties such as their capacity to improve the electrode conductivity. This has a particular interest in the development of electrochemical biosensing systems. The combination of nanomaterials with electrochemical biosensing platforms can build up powerful analytical tools for the environmental monitoring. This represents the main objective of this PhD Thesis, that divided in six chapters describes the development and application of three new biosensing platforms for environmental monitoring using nanomaterials. The first chapter of the thesis gives a general introduction on environmental monitoring of pollutants and offers a brief description and classification of these compounds. This chapter also gives an overview of the relevance of the use of nanomaterials in biosensing systems for environmental monitoring with a detailed review of the last published works describing also their innovation aspects and also the possible drawbacks. In Chapter 3 the biosensing platform for environmental monitoring based on the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase is described. The developed system uses magnetic beads and acetylcholinesterase enzyme over Boron Doped Diamond Electrode. Moreover, through the use of magnetic beads and the surface characteristics of the electrode, this platform is used as multi use system with high reproducibility able also to measure the pesticide chlorpyrifos in real sample (Yokoama river, Japan). In Chapter 4 a simultaneous detection system of pollutants for catechol (a phenol derivative) and chlorpyrifos (an organophosphate pesticide), is developed. Such sensing is achieved through a SPCE modified with IrOx NPs and tyrosinase. The proposed biosensor reports improvement in the sensitivity for catechol compared to previously reported biosensors. This biosensor shows also a high sensitivity for chlorpyrifos while being used in a tyrosinase inhibition mode operation. Finally the efficiency of this biosensor is explored for real applications in river and tap water showing great possibilities for future application as a low cost platform. In Chapter 5 a free enzymatic bio-sensing system based on CuO nanoparticles for detection of phenols compounds and for a high toxic herbicide (Diuron) is proposed. Such sensing is achieved through a SPCE where CuO NPs create a stable complex with phenolic compounds that are measured through electrochemical reaction at electrode surface. Moreover it is one of the first applications using CuO NPs for environmental monitoring. CuO NPs have the function to mimic the active centre of tyrosinase obtaining results comparable with other enzymatic platforms. This analytical platform can be used for real sample applications due to the fact that the detection limit is within the requested levels of monitoring established by the legislation. Annex A shows a very interesting review over the biosensing systems inenvironmental monitoring using nanomaterials. This review was published in a very high impact factor journal (Chemical Review Impact factor of 46.658).
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Williams, Iwan Gwyn. "Hand-held instrumentation for environmental monitoring." Thesis, Bangor University, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.262544.
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Chang, Seung Cheol. "Disposable amperometric sensors for environmental monitoring." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.310134.
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Gono, Charles Saye. "Environmental surveillance monitoring XYZ-La Crosse." Online version, 2001. http://www.uwstout.edu/lib/thesis/2001/2001gonoc.pdf.
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Gong, Weidong. "Ocean sensors, for marine environmental monitoring." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2010. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/143801/.
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Various sensors and instruments were developed to measure the chemical and physical properties of sea water, but many are expensive and too large to be used on mass deployed vehicles such as the Argo float and submersed gliders. Marine mammal and fish tags require further sensor miniaturisation. This thesis describes the development of new in-situ micro sensor technology for marine environmental monitoring. Nitrite and nitrate are two forms of dissolved inorganic nitrogen in sea water and their availability is a key factor in the regulation of primary productivity in the sea. The in-situ determination of nitrite and nitrate in sea water presents a significant analytical challenge. In this thesis, a simple, low cost double beam spectrophotometer for use in a nitrite sensor for sea water analysis is presented. The sensor uses a colorimetric method to determinate nitrite concentration in sea water, based on Greiss reaction that forms as Azo dye whose absorbance is measured at a wave length of 540nm. The design incorporates a green LED and integrated photo-detectors to make the nitrite sensor compact, with low-cost and low-power consumption. A Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) sensor is the primary tool for determining the physical properties of sea water. A new CT (Conductivity and Temperature) micro sensor is presented in this thesis. The temperature sensor uses a thermistor, and the conductivity sensor uses a novel design of four planar electrodes built in an insulated channel. Conductivity sensors built of planar electrodes can be easily mass-produced on PCB boards, thus significantly reducing cost. This thesis includes the background of the measurement of conductivity, temperature and nitrite concentration in sea water. It also presents a comprehensive analysis of conductivity cells with two, four and five electrodes, together with the detailed multi-sensor interface design. The design and construction of the prototype sensors are described in detail, the key issues and test results are also presented.
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Dickerson, David Stanley. "Particulate monitoring in environmental pollution assessment." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1983/a66c8b21-c61f-4da7-bca8-5bd7547198b3.
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Li, Zhuo. "ARDUINO BASED ENVIRONMENTAL AIR MONITORING SYSTEM." Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1499093616376284.
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Bonnett, James Matthew. "The use of accounting numbers in debt contracting and monitoring." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.525296.
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Niap, Damian Tien Foo, and e58018@ems rmit edu au. "Environmental Management Accounting for an Australian Cogeneration Company." RMIT University. Accounting and Law, 2007. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20080102.102723.
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This research explores whether Environmental Management Accounting can be applied to assist an Australian cogeneration company in improving both its financial performance as well as its environmental performance. Cogeneration or 'combined heat and power', in this particular case, involves the simultaneous production of heat and electricity using a single fuel, that is, natural gas. The heat generated is then used to produce steam to meet the customers' requirements as well as boost the production of electricity. Therefore, cogeneration provides greater efficiencies compared to traditional electricity generation methods because it utilizes heat that would otherwise be wasted. In addition, greenhouse gases emissions can be reduced substantially. The approach taken in this research is to assess whether an improvement in the energy efficiency of the cogeneration plant can lead to a reduction in greenhouse gases emissions. An improvement in energy efficiency means that either: less gas is consumed, thus leading to cost savings; or more electricity is generated for the same quantity of gas consumed, which leads to an increase in income and consequently profit. Therefore, an improvement in energy efficiency means an improvement in the financial performance. In addition, a reduction in the quantity of gas consumed or generating as much electricity as possible from a given quantity of gas can lead to a reduction in greenhouse gases emissions which means an improvement in the company's environmental performance. A case study method, which involves an Australian cogeneration company, is adopted because this would provide valuable in-depth practical insight into the operations and mechanisms of a company that is involved in combined heat and power generation. A review of the literature and the evidence collected indicated that a cogeneration plant's efficiency can be improved at least back to near the plant's designed efficiency. And, further improvements may be achieved by utilizing the latest technology although this involves capital investment. It is also established that an improvement in plant efficiency can reduce greenhouse gases emissions. This research then concludes that Environmental Management Accounting can help the case study company improve its financial and environmental performances. An Environmental Management Accounting system can provide the physical information that is not available in the existing management accounting system. Physical information such as the physical quantities of gas consumed, electricity and steam produced, and greenhouse gases emitted, can help the company in decision-making relating to improving plant efficiency as well as reducing greenhouse gases emissions.
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Fox, Sandra C. "Environmental accounting : will this become an established technique?" Thesis, University of York, 2000. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/9754/.
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Gibassier, Delphine. "Environmental Management Accounting Development : Institutionalization, Adoption and Practice." Thesis, Jouy-en Josas, HEC, 2014. http://www.theses.fr/2014EHEC0001/document.
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Cette thèse explore la notion d’innovations en contrôle de gestion environnemental et vise à explorer la façon dont elles sont créées, si elles sont adoptées ou non dans les entreprises et les conséquences de l’adoption, et enfin comment elles sont pratiquées. Les méthodes de recherche combinent l’observation participante, les entretiens semi-directifs et des données secondaires. Cette thèse est composée de trois articles qui explorent ensemble les différentes facettes de l’innovation en contrôle de gestion. Le premier article aborde la question de comment les innovations sont créées et leur processus d’institutionnalisation. L’accent est mis sur les acteurs et leurs stratégies, le qui et le comment du processus d’institutionnalisation. Grâce à une étude de cas approfondie d’une organisation, le deuxième article révèle le processus de non-adoption d’une méthodologie de comptabilité carbone. Le troisième article analyse les pratiques entourant une innovation en contrôle de gestion dans une multinationale. Dans l’ensemble cette thèse fait trois principales contributions théoriques sur le travail institutionnel spécifique développé par les élites, le rôle de la légitimité interne dans la légitimité organisationnelle, et sur les processus de co-émergence de nouvelles pratiques. Cette recherche sur les innovations en contrôle de gestion environnemental contribue également à mieux comprendre comment le développement durable peut aussi être atteint à travers la comptabilité dans les organisationsThis dissertation explores the notion of environmental management accounting innovation and aims to explore how they are created, if they are adopted or not into companies and the consequences thereof, and finally how they are practiced. Research methods combine participant observation, semi-structured interviews and secondary data. This dissertation is composed of three articles that together explore the different facets of management accounting innovations. The first article tackles the question of how innovations get created and on their path to institutionalization. The focus is on the actors and their strategies, the who and how of the institutionalization process. Through an in-depth case study of one organization, the second article uncovers the process of the non-adoption of a carbon accounting methodology. The third article analyses the practices surrounding and accounting innovation in a multinational.Overall, this dissertation makes three main theoretical contributions on the specific institutional work developed by elite, the role of internal legitimacy in organizational legitimacy, and on the processes of co-emergence of new practices. This research on EMA innovations also contributes to further understanding how sustainable development can be pursued through accounting in organizations
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Ambe, CM. "Perspectives on environmental management accounting (EMA) in South Africa." Southern African Journal of Accountability and Auditing Research, 2007. http://encore.tut.ac.za/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external?sp=1001075.
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Conventional management accounting practices do not provide adequate information for managing the
environment in a world where environmental concerns, as well as environment-related costs, revenues, and
benefits, are on the rise. Environmental management accounting (EMA) is a tool used for balancing the
interaction between the economic, social and technological factors in the development process to achieve
conditions for sustainable development.
In this study, a survey and case study technique is used to document a South African perspective on EMA. The
findings indicate that, while EMA is gaining increasing awareness, its application is still at its infancy. Some of
the elements of EMA may be found in practice, but they are not called EMA. Based on the findings, ten steps
for implementing EMA are suggested.
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Hudson, Carmen Campos 1972. "Overview of monitoring systems used during construction and permanent structural monitoring." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/84792.
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Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2002.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-95).
by Carmen Campos Hudson.
M.Eng.
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Mikkelsen, Jannick, and Larsson Anton. "Automatic monitoring of bins." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för informationsteknologi, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-42986.
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When a pile of scrap at Stena recycling has reached the maximum height, the loader operators need to drive around the facility to check whether or not the pile has to be emptied. This causes a lot of unnecessary driving, resolving in wear to the loaders and loss of time, but mostly the unnecessary use of diesel. In this paper different sensors is evaluated and tested against each other to find a system that can measure the volume of the pile. The sensors used is IFM O3D303 and the Kinect V1 sensor. These sensors are then used with two different volume calculation software, CloudCompare and 3DF Zephyr. The goal of the project is to get a system that can get a volume with an accuracy within 2.5 % of the actual volume. If a volume can be calculated from the scrap piles, then it is also possible to know when the pile should be cleared. Since the facility is a recycling plant, there is a lot of metal dust that is gathering in the indoor part of the facility. The sensors being used, should be able to work in this environment. To do that the sensor needs to have an IP certification higher than IP 55. The distance of measuring the pile can be more than 10 m, so the sensors should also be able to handle this requirement. From the sensors a point cloud and a mesh were captured, two data formats that contain information of where every point on the object is located in a three-dimensional space. Every system needs to be calibrated to suit the specific application. The results show that, even with a basic sensor such as the Kinect V1, an accurate volume of a scrap pile could, with calibration, be calculated. However, the cheap sensor does have limits, unlike the IFM which can cope with all the requirements. This report shows how the two sensors compare to each other and how the different software, combined with the sensors, can be used to calculate a volume of a pile of scrap.
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Holstius, David. "Monitoring Particulate Matter with Commodity Hardware." Thesis, University of California, Berkeley, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3640465.
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Health effects attributed to outdoor fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) rank it among the risk factors with the highest health burdens in the world, annually accounting for over 3.2 million premature deaths and over 76 million lost disability-adjusted life years. Existing PM2.5 monitoring infrastructure cannot, however, be used to resolve variations in ambient PM2.5 concentrations with adequate spatial and temporal density, or with adequate coverage of human time-activity patterns, such that the needs of modern exposure science and control can be met. Small, inexpensive, and portable devices, relying on newly available off-the-shelf sensors, may facilitate the creation of PM2.5 datasets with improved resolution and coverage, especially if many such devices can be deployed concurrently with low system cost.
Datasets generated with such technology could be used to overcome many important problems associated with exposure misclassification in air pollution epidemiology. Chapter 2 presents an epidemiological study of PM2.5 that used data from ambient monitoring stations in the Los Angeles basin to observe a decrease of 6.1 g (95% CI: 3.5, 8.7) in population mean birthweight following in utero exposure to the Southern California wildfires of 2003, but was otherwise limited by the sparsity of the empirical basis for exposure assessment. Chapter 3 demonstrates technical potential for remedying PM2.5 monitoring deficiencies, beginning with the generation of low-cost yet useful estimates of hourly and daily PM2.5 concentrations at a regulatory monitoring site. The context (an urban neighborhood proximate to a major goods-movement corridor) and the method (an off-the-shelf sensor costing approximately USD $10, combined with other low-cost, open-source, readily available hardware) were selected to have special significance among researchers and practitioners affiliated with contemporary communities of practice in public health and citizen science. As operationalized by correlation with 1h data from a Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) β-attenuation data, prototype instruments performed as well as commercially available equipment costing considerably more, and as well as another reference instrument under similar conditions at the same timescale (R2 = 0.6). Correlations were stronger when 24 h integrating times were used instead (R2 = 0.72).
Chapter 4 replicates and extends the results of Chapter 3, showing that similar calibrations may be reasonably exchangeable between near-roadway and background monitoring sites. Chapter 4 also employs triplicate sensors to obtain data consistent with near-field (< 50 m) observations of plumes from a major highway (I-880). At 1 minute timescales, maximum PM2.5 concentrations on the order of 100 μg m–3 to 200 μg m–3 were observed, commensurate with the magnitude of plumes from wildfires on longer timescales, as well as the magnitude of plumes that might be expected near other major highways on the same timescale. Finally, Chapter 4 quantifies variance among calibration parameters for a large sample of the sensors, as well as the error associated with the remote transfer of calibrations between two sufficiently large sets (± 10 % for n = 12). These findings suggest that datasets generated with similar sensors could also improve upstream scientific understandings of fluxes resulting from indoor and outdoor emissions, atmospheric transformations, and transport, and may also facilitate timely and empirical verification of interventions to reduce emissions and exposures, in many important contexts (e.g., the provision of improved cookstoves; congestion pricing; mitigation policies attached to infill development; etc.). They also demonstrate that calibrations against continuous reference monitoring equipment could be remotely transferred, within practical tolerances, to reasonably sized and adequately resourced participatory monitoring campaigns, with minimal risk of disruption to existing monitoring infrastructure (i.e., established monitoring sites). Given a collaborator with a short window of access to a reference monitoring site, this would overcome a nominally important barrier associated with non-gravimetric, in-situ calibration of continuous PM2.5 monitors. Progressive and disruptive prospects linked to a proliferation of comparable sensing technologies based on commodity hardware are discussed in Chapter 5.
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Mokhtary, Mandana. "Sensor Observation Service for Environmental Monitoring Data." Thesis, KTH, Geodesi och geoinformatik, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-95830.
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The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket) is the public agency in Sweden with responsibility to overview the conditions of the environment and the policies related to the environmental monitoring data. Nowadays, observation data are stored in several different data models in this organization, leading to difficulties in finding, understanding and consequently using data in terms of analysis and management of environmental issues. One common model that uniformly structures observation data could largely make it easier for decision makers to find the required information. The aim of this study is to build an interoperable data model for environmental monitoring observation in Naturvårdsverket based on OGC-SWE standard formats. The proposed solution relies on Sensor Web architecture, which is the set of data model definitions andweb service specifications. Also, this methodology is based on open source components; therefore it is cost-effective for the users. The Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is used to create a uniform model by using communication protocols such as Extensible Markup Language (XML) and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP). The primary findings of the thesis is that when the observation is encoded into the standard format from the beginning, then it is easier to parse these documents and find the required information for the end users without knowing how these information are gathered and stored. The client scan send a request to the Sensor Observation Service (SOS) and receive the observation that is structured based on Observation and Measurements (O&M).
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ramezaniakhmareh, alireza. "Autonomous environmental monitoring probe for aquaculture sites." Thesis, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Institutt for teknisk kybernetikk, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-20733.
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This project aims to develop an instrument that is capable of moving vertically in a controlled manner along a taut string from the sea surface to a predetermined depth while measuring pertinent seawater parameters. The main focus will be to specify, design and implement an embedded computer system that realizes the instrument.
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Dhu, Tania. "Environmental monitoring using electrical resistance tomography (ERT) /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 2002. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09SB/09sbd534.pdf.
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Metcalfe, Michelle J. "Monitoring environmental features using leaf stomatal characteristics." Thesis, Durham University, 1997. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/4698/.
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It is recognised that atmospheric CO(_2) concentrations are increasing, with concerns raised as to the global impact continued rises may have. Plant stomatal parameters have been suggested as a means of monitoring changing CO(_2) levels. In order to assess their suitability for use, a thorough examination of leaf characteristics within a variety of surroundings was undertaken. Environments examined included both natural variations in CO(_2), which incorporated a variety of environmental influences and artificially enhanced ones where it was possible to monitor specific responses to variable CO(_2) levels. A short term study of Ranunculus ficaria, Sambucus nigra and Hedera helix revealed considerable variation in stomatal parameters, with inconsistent responses observed between and within species. These variations could not be attributed to CO(_2) changes and were assigned to a combination of other factors. R. ficaria grown in an artificial environment at ambient and elevated CO(_2) produced significant and consistent changes in stomatal parameters. Stomatal density and index were found to be reduced at elevated CO(_2) concentrations, with a decrease in guard cell dimensions. Salix herbacea, growing along a naturally reduced CO(_2) partial pressure gradient further highlighted the extent of variation in stomatal parameters in extant material within a species. No consistent stomatal trends associated with changing CO(_2) levels were observed. This inherent variation must be considered before any conclusions can be made regarding stomatal parameters obtained from fossil material. The novel application of molecular biology techniques to identify S. herbacea leaves was partially successful. However, identification of leaf macrofossils was not possible, due to the inferior preservation of DNA. However, the technique will provide a useful tool for identification if suitably preserved macrofossil fragments were available. S. herbacea leaf macrofossils revealed no consistent correlation to past changes in CO(_2) levels. The use of as an additional tool with which to monitor environmental change once again showed variation, and was not associated closely with changes in CO(_2) levels or stomatal parameters. In light of this work it would appear that the use of stomatal parameters is of limited value as a model to monitor environmental change, in the absence of information concerning other variables, and as such must be treated with caution.
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Schmidt, Alexandra Mello. "Bayesian spatial interpolation of environmental monitoring stations." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.370075.
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Sung, Yoonchang. "Multi-Robot Coordination for Hazardous Environmental Monitoring." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/95057.
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In this thesis, we propose algorithms designed for monitoring hazardous agents. Because hazardous environmental monitoring is either tedious or dangerous for human operators, we seek a fully automated robotic system that can help humans. However, there are still many challenges from hardware design to algorithm design that restrict robots to be applied to practical applications. Among these challenges, we are particularly interested in dealing with algorithmic challenges primarily caused by sensing and communication limitations of robots. We develop algorithms with provable guarantees that map and track hazards using a team of robots.
Our contributions are as follows. First, we address a situation where the number of hazardous agents is unknown and varies over time. We propose a search and tracking framework that can extract individual target tracks as well as estimate the number and the spatial density of targets. Second, we consider a team of robots tracking individual targets under limited bandwidth. We develop distributed algorithms that can find solutions in bounded amount of time. Third, we propose an algorithm for aerial robots that explores a translating hazardous plume of unknown size and shape. We present a recursive depth-first search-based algorithm that yields a constant competitive ratio for exploring a translating plume. Last, we take into account a heterogeneous team of robots to map and sample a translating plume. These contributions can be applied to a team of aerial robots and a robotic boat monitoring and sampling a translating hazardous plume over a lake. In this application, the aerial robots coordinate with each other to explore the plume and to inform the robotic boat while the robotic boat collects water samples for offline analysis. We demonstrate the performance of our algorithms through simulations and proof-of-concept field experiments for real-world environmental monitoring.Doctor of Philosophy
Quick response to hazards is crucial as the hazards may put humans at risk and thorough removal of hazards may take a substantial amount of time. Our vision is that the introduction of a robotic solution would be beneficial for hazardous environmental monitoring. Not only the fact that humans can be released from dangerous or tedious tasks, but we also can take advantage of the robot's agile maneuverability and its precise sensing. However, the development on both hardware and software is not yet ripe to be able to deploy autonomous robots in real-world scenarios. Moreover, partial and uncertain information of hazards impose further challenges. In this these, we present various research problems addressing these challenges in hazardous environmental monitoring. Particularly, we are interested in overcoming challenges from the perspective of software by designing planning and decision-making algorithms for robots. We validate our proposed algorithms through extensive simulations and real-world experiments.
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Bordt, Michael. "Improving Convergence and Aggregation in National Ecosystem Accounting." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/35826.
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The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) express the commitment of countries to integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national planning. The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting – Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EEA) is an emerging international standard measurement framework for national ecosystem accounting. The international official statistics community proposes the SEEA-EEA as a means of integrating ecosystem and biodiversity values into national planning by providing guidance on measuring ecosystems and their contribution to the economy. Implementation of such a common measurement framework requires agreement among diverse ethical perspectives, disciplines, national contexts and roles on what to measure, how to measure it and how to interpret those measures to support a common policy direction.
This thesis asks the question: If the aim is to provide guidance to countries on integrating ecosystem and biodiversity values into national planning, how could one foster convergence on a common national ecosystem accounting framework that is sufficiently comprehensive to capture the important linkages between ecosystems and human well-being, sufficiently convergent to be accepted by diverse perspectives, sufficiently rigorous for national official statistics, sufficiently consistent to allow for time-series and international comparisons and sufficiently feasible to be affordable for national governments to implement and maintain?
To address this broader question, this thesis investigates the sources of divergence in national ecosystem accounting and develops tools to assess and to foster convergence. To accomplish this, I focussed on the following four research questions in four separate papers:
1. How should we think about ecosystem measurement if the aim is comprehensiveness, practicality, and convergence? [Chapter 2] This ethical analysis concludes that for ecosystem accounting to be universal, it needs to explicitly and simultaneously address broad human values, long time-frames, and the concepts of Critical Natural Capital and precaution.
2. What approaches to ecosystem accounting have already been developed and are they sufficient? [Chapter 3] This review of 16 state-of-the-art frameworks finds that none addresses all requirements for convergence on a common national ecosystem accounting framework. Collectively, they provide insufficient guidance on ecosystem classification, measurement in general, delineating Critical Natural Capital, incorporating broad human values and measuring statistical uncertainty.
3. Where is the divergence of values and preferences within the broader community of practice (researchers, users, analysts)? [Chapter 4] This cluster analysis of a survey of 131 expert stakeholders in national ecosystem accounting revealed agreement on the need for broadening the scope, addressing multiple decision contexts and furthering the development of national ecosystem accounting. The most important divergence issues in this community of practice were attributed to different ethical perspectives and differences in interpretation of core concepts.
4. Are current classifications of ecosystems and ecosystem services sufficient for national ecosystem accounting? [Chapter 5] This meta-analysis integrates nine comprehensive ecosystem assessments. It concludes that the lack of rigour in current classifications impedes consensus on aggregating information on “Which ecosystems produce which services?” and therefore current approaches are insufficient for national ecosystem accounting. I suggest an improved ecosystem classification for future studies.
In the concluding chapter, I present a synthesis of research arguments and findings of the previous four chapters. The main outcome of this research has been not only the specific findings of the individual chapters, but also the development of a normative and empirically-supported toolkit to improve convergence and aggregation in future national ecosystem accounting frameworks:
- Four normative criteria to assess frameworks and to incorporate into future designs and revisions,
- A critical comparative assessment of current frameworks,
- An empirically supported analysis of the preferences of the community of practice, and
- A systematic approach for determining priority ecosystems and services for national ecosystem accounting.
This thesis concludes that national ecosystem accounting can be a valuable tool for national planning. The approaches suggested can be applied to establishing a constructive national dialogue on national environmental priorities, to provide evidence to inform those priorities and to apply this evidence to support common policy platforms. However, care must be taken in its implementation to minimize the inherent risks of oversimplification and homogenization of the diverse stakeholder and scientific perspectives.
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Zhang, Guohua. "Environmental factors in china's financial accounting development since 1949." Rotterdam : Rotterdam : Erasmus Universiteit ; Erasmus University [Host], 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/1888.
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Effendi, Mohamed Sinan. "The role of environmental accounting in strategic cost management." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12790.
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Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-87).Environmental issues in the world today and often seen in the media are causing a stir in the business world. The effect is that the environment in which businesses operate has significantly changed over the past two decades and businesses are faced with new risks and challenges as well as new opportunities in addressing the needs and claims of stakeholders. Environmental accounting is now on an expansion path with increasing focus on the environment. In order to benefit from the accounting data, strategic cost management can be used as a philosophy to provide competitive strategies. This research paper will describe the environmental component of business and describe the role of environmental accounting in strategic cost management. Furthermore, an assessment will be performed on a South African organisation. The assessment will demonstrate how a South African organisation has reacted and integrated environmental business aspects into their organisation.
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Abubakar, Abdu. "A quantitative approach to cost monitoring and control of construction projects." Thesis, Loughborough University, 1992. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/6762.
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Existing literature and research findings indicated that cost monitoring and control of construction projects by contractors at the level of site operations has remained ineffective largely due to inability of existing control systems to accurately predict when, to what extent and why an on-going operation or project is to overrun its planned duration and cost. In most cases the information that would enable such advance detection becomes available to decision makers after the affected operation or project is completed. It is then hoped that the information could be used to 'control' future similar situations which in the case of construction projects hardly arise, at least never under identical circumstances. The existing cost control systems also fail to enable rational corrective decisions to be formulated. This resulted in total reliance on previous experience and personal intuition to make a guess of corrective measures. Most research efforts have focussed mainly on various aspects of project modelling and cost control using traditional accounting approaches that consistently fail to meet the requirements and schedule of timely cost control. This research identified, from empirical evidence, construction and management science literature, the essential criteria and features of an effective cost monitoring and control approach for construction projects. The evidence from these three sources led to the formulation of an alternative approach based on quantitative analysis of cost data from construction projects. The cost monitoring and control process carried out on sites was formulated as a problem whose solution process is implemented using multiple regression and goal programming models and techniques that enable timely evaluation and prediction of costs and a rational computation of corrective decisions. This allowed cost deviations to be detected and optimum corrective measures calculated while the affected operation or project was still in progress.
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Duan, Hongmei. "Monitoring and characterization of toxic cyanobacterial blooms." Thesis, McGill University, 2009. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=66915.
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Molecular tools were used to monitor the dynamics of Microcystis populations and the potential microcystin producers in Missisquoi Bay (the Canadian part of Lake Champlain). This study showed the GF/C filters, which are typically used to prepare samples for microcystin analysis, were not ideal for the characterization of total bacterial communities, but were sufficient for the chemical analyses of cyanobacterial microcystins. The mcyD gene copy number determined by Q-PCR correlated well with the microcystin concentration determined by ELISA and HPLC in 2006; therefore mcyD Q-PCR could be used as a rapid and sensitive method and as an effective monitoring system for toxic cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Champlain. Escherichia coli was also monitored as an indicator of manure contamination of lake water. Manure application and rain events positively related to the high nitrogen concentration in the lake in 2006, suggested that good manure management is necessary for the reduction of agricultural nutrient loads into Missisquoi Bay, believed to be a major cause of cyanobacterial blooms.Un suivi de la dynamique des populations de Microcystis qui ont la capacité de produire des toxines a été effectué à la baie Missisquoi (partie canadienne du lac Champlain) à l'aide d'outils moléculaires. Deux types de membranes ont été utilisés : un filtre standard (GF/C) pour quantifier les microcystines, et un filtre pour capturer les bactéries. Cette étude a démontré que le filtre standard (GF/C) est approprié pour déterminer les concentrations de microcystines, mais qu'il n'est pas adéquat pour caractériser avec des techniques moléculaires, les populations de bactéries et de cyanobactéries. Une bonne corrélation a été obtenue en 2006, entre les concentrations de microcystines déterminées par les méthodes ELISA et HPLC et le nombre de copies du gène mcyD (impliqué dans la biosynthèse des microcystines). Les résultats ont donc démontré le potentiel de cette méthode de PCR en temps réel, ciblant le gène mcyD, pour la détection et le suivi des proliférations de cyanobactéries qui produisent des toxines. La présence du pathogène fécal Escherichia coli a été évaluée afin de déterminer la relation entre l'application de lisier et de fumier et l'augmentation dans l'eau du lac, des nutriments qui causent les proliférations. Une bonne corrélation a été obtenue entre l'application du lisier et du fumier et les précipitations ainsi qu'entre les concentrations élevées d'azote dans le lac, suggérant qu'une meilleure gestion des matières fertilisantes est nécessaire pour réduire les apports de nutriments dans la baie Missisquoi.
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Elshahat, Islam M. "Market Valuation of Environmental Performance." FIU Digital Commons, 2010. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/309.
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This research investigated the general association between corporate environmental performance and the firms’ annual returns independent of any particular environmental event. The association analysis was based on the most recent environmental data for the years 2006, 2007, and 2008. The results indicated that while some environmental variables were significantly associated with firms’ returns, the majority were not. The results also indicated that environmental concerns were more likely to be associated with increase in the firm value than were environmental strengths; however, there were no mean differences between firms whose environmental performance increased as compared with those whose performance deteriorated. Overall, the results provided support for the perspective that environmental strengths require firm expenditures that place additional financial burdens on firms, resulting in lower stock returns.
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Bonazzi, Elisa <1980>. "A regional environmental accounting matrix and integrated environmental economic analyses to support regional planning." Doctoral thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2013. http://amsdottorato.unibo.it/5476/.
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This research deals with the deepening and use of an environmental accounting matrix in Emilia-Romagna, RAMEA air emissions (regional NAMEA), carried out by the Regional Environment Agency (Arpa) in an European project. After a depiction of the international context regarding the widespread needing to integrate economic indicators and go beyond conventional reporting system, this study explains the structure, update and development of the tool. The overall aim is to outline the matrix for environmental assessments of regional plans, draw up sustainable reports and monitor effects of regional policies in a sustainable development perspective. The work focused on an application of a Shift-Share model, on the integration with eco-taxes, industrial waste production, energy consumptions, on applications of the extended RAMEA as a policy tool, following Eurostat guidelines. The common thread is the eco-efficiency (economic-environmental efficiency) index. The first part, in English, treats the methodology used to build a more complete tool; in the second part RAMEA has been applied on two regional case studies, in Italian, to support decision makers regarding Strategic Environmental Assessments’ processes (2001/42/EC). The aim is to support an evidence-based policy making by integrating sustainable development concerns at all levels. The first case study regards integrated environmental-economic analyses in support to the SEA of the Regional Waste management plan. For the industrial waste production an extended and updated RAMEA has been developed as a useful policy tool, to help in analysing and monitoring the state of environmental-economic performances. The second case study deals with the environmental report for the SEA of the Regional Program concerning productive activities. RAMEA has been applied aiming to an integrated environmental-economic analysis of the context, to investigate the performances of the regional production chains and to depict and monitor the area where the program should be carried out, from an integrated environmental-economic perspective.La ricerca ha riguardato lo sviluppo, l’aggiornamento e l’estensione della matrice regionale di contabilità ambientale RAMEA (Regional Accounting Matrix including Environmental Accounts) air emissions, adattata alla Regione Emilia-Romagna e annoverata tra gli Strumenti di sostenibilità nella Relazione dello Stato dell’Ambiente. Lo studio, svolto in collaborazione con Arpa Emilia-Romagna, seguendo linee guida di Eurostat e inserendosi nel contesto internazionale di ricerca di nuovi indicatori per la misurazione del benessere nelle dimensioni dello sviluppo sostenibile, ha curato la metodologia di estensione della matrice ai temi ambientali previsti dal framework europeo: consumi energetici, imposte ambientali e produzione di rifiuti speciali. L’obiettivo è il supporto alla pianificazione regionale nelle fasi di valutazione e monitoraggio delle politiche, interpretando l’esigenza di riformare i processi decisionali attraverso lo sviluppo di strumenti di supporto alle decisioni in un’ottica di integrazione tra economia e ambiente, esigenza anticipata già dall’Agenda21 nel 1992. La dissertazione risulta organizzata in una prima parte in lingua inglese, dedicata all’illustrazione del contesto internazionale, origine, metodologia, approfondimenti, sviluppo, aggiornamento e finalità della matrice. La seconda parte, in lingua italiana, verte su due casi studio che hanno previsto l’applicazione della ricerca a due procedure di VAS nell’ambito della pianificazione regionale. Nel primo caso si sono predisposte analisi economico-ambientali della produzione di rifiuti urbani e speciali in relazione al contesto socio-economico e alla valutazione dell’eco-efficienza, indice di efficienza economico-ambientale e filo conduttore della tesi. La produzione di rifiuti speciali è stata considerata tramite RAMEA e analisi integrate utili a studiare, monitorare negli anni le interrelazioni tra performance economiche e ambientali dei settori produttivi, fornendo quadri informativi utili al processo decisionale e di VAS. Con il secondo caso si è voluto contribuire alla redazione del rapporto ambientale di un programma regionale tramite RAMEA e relative analisi integrate economico-ambientali utili all’interpretazione delle filiere produttive regionali e del contesto di riferimento.
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Rodríguez-Navas, González Carlos. "Exploiting novel automated analytical methodologies for the monitoring of environmental organic pollutants, and its potential incorporation to environmental monitoring regulations." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de les Illes Balears, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/98297.
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Se han desarrollado métodos analíticos basados en cromatografía y detección por espectrometría de masas para la detección de múltiples compuestos orgánicos a niveles traza en muestras de interés ambiental. Se han determinado compuestos volátiles en aire atmosférico de Mallorca y varias plantas de tratamiento de residuos y vertederos, y fármacos de consumo humano en muestras del medioambiente acuático de Mallorca, plantas de tratamiento de aguas y lixiviados de vertederos. Con estos datos se ha evaluado la necesidad de modificar los planes de vigilancia ambiental para asegurar la calidad del medioambiente de Mallorca.We have developed analytical methodologies based on chromatography and mass spectrometry for the detection of multiple different organic compounds in the trace levels in samples of environmental interest. Volatile organic compounds have been determined in the atmospheric air of Mallorca as well as some waste treatment plants and landfills. Pharmaceuticals for human consumption have been investigated in several samples of the aquatic environment of Mallorca as well as some wastewater treatment plants and landfill leachates. Based on these data it has been evaluated the necessity to modify the environmental monitoring regulations to save the quality of the Mallorca’s environment.
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Carmer, Stephen I. "Corporate Environmental Strategies for Balancing Profitability with Environmental Stewardship." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7279.
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In the United States, citizens concerned with climate change and income inequity scrutinize the activities of corporations. Sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) have a critical role in business management, because stakeholders demand transparency in a company's operations. This correlation study, grounded in stakeholder theory, examined the relationship between environmental initiatives, CSR, and net profit for U.S. corporations. Participants included 96 companies with listing on either National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, or the New York Stock Exchange, or both, with and without evidence of CSR and environmental disclosures. The multiple regression analysis significantly predicted higher net profit for companies disclosing CSR information, with the statistical evidence demonstrating the importance of environmental and social responsibility, F(2,93) = 31.650, p = .00, R2 = .405. The environmental variable was not significant at p = .651, while the CSR variable proved significant at p = .04, indicating a need for organizations to participate in CSR activities. Recommendations for further research entail exploring the return on assets, net profit ratio, and return on equity. Implications of study findings for social change include support for companies to participate in global reporting organizations and CSR activities.
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Antoniadou, Ifigeneia. "Accounting for non-stationarity in the condition monitoring of wind turbine gearboxes." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2013. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/4838/.
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Increasing growth of wind turbine systems suggests a more systematic research around their design, operation and maintenance is needed. These systems operate under challenging enviromental conditions and failure of some of their parts, for the time being, is frequent, although undesirable. Wind turbine gearboxes, more particularly, seem to be so problematic that some wind turbine designs avoid including them. Structural health monitoring and condition monitoring of wind turbines appear to be necessary in order to determine the condition and lifespan of the wind turbine components and the drivetrain respectively. In this way reparative actions could be taken whenever needed resulting in reduction of maintenance costs. This thesis focuses on the condition monitoring of wind turbine gearboxes, taking into account the varying loads that they endure. Currently, the vibration-based damage detection methods used in real life wind turbine condition monitoring systems are based on conventional methods that generally fail to detect damage at its early stage under the operational conditions observed in wind turbines. Load and speed variations of the drivetrain that are observed commonly in wind turbines influence the vibration signals and can possibly affect potential damage features. This shows a demand for effective methods for early damage detection. Developments in the area of advanced signal processing should be examined and applied in damage detection of wind turbine gearboxes. Methods from time-frequency analysis, time-scale analysis, pattern recognition, multivariate statistics and econometrics are examined in this study in a condition monitoring context. One important part of the work presented is the development of a simple gearbox model interfaced with realistic wind loading, a model feature that appears to be novel. Other interesting aspects of this thesis are related to the use of the empirical mode decomposition method for time-frequency analysis. The use of Teager-Kaiser energy operator as an alternative technique to Hilbert transform for the estimation of the instantaneous characteristics of the decomposed signals is one of these aspects. The study showed that for some cases and under certain conditions this operator could help to improve the time-frequency analysis. Another aspect is the observation of the change of the number of the intrinsic mode functions produced, for the different load and damage cases, during the decomposition process. This observation was connected theoretically with what is known as the mode mixing problem of the empirical mode decomposition method. For the feature discrimination part of this work, the simplest novelty detection method, outlier analysis, was used in a slightly different manner than in previous studies and the results obtained were compared with a novel adaptive thresholding technique, the 3D phase-space thresholding method. The previously described approaches were applied on the simulated gearbox data but also on real wind turbine gearbox data. Finally, cointegration analysis was proposed as a potential method for removing the effects of the gearbox load variations. This is a novel concept for the condition monitoring of wind turbine gearboxes. An approach which makes it possible to use data from just a single sensor in order to perform cointegration analysis was developed and the process for applying multiscale cointegration using either wavelets or the empirical mode decomposition method was discussed. This final part of the work is an initial step towards applying cointegration to condition monitoring data.
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Truax, Stuart. "A microscale chemical sensor platform for environmental monitoring." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/45780.
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The objective of this research is to apply micromachined silicon-based resonant
gravimetric sensors to the detection of gas-phase volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This
is done in two primary tasks: 1) the optimization and application of silicon disk resonators
to the detection of gas-phase VOCs, and 2) the development and application of a novel
gravimetric-capacitive multisensor platform for the detection of gas-phase VOCs.
In the rst task, the design and fabrication of a silicon-based disk resonator structure
utilizing an in-plane resonance mode is undertaken. The resonance characteristics of the
disk resonator are characterized and optimized. The optimized characteristics include the
resonator Q-factor as a function of geometric parameters, and the dynamic displacement
of the in-plane resonance mode. The Q-factors of the disk resonators range from 2600 to
4360 at atmosphere for disk silicon thicknesses from 7 µm to 18 µm, respectively.
The resonance frequency of the in-plane resonance mode ranges from 260 kHz up to 750 kHz.
The disk resonators are applied to the sensing of gas-phase VOCs using (poly)isobutylene
as a sensitive layer. Limits of detection for benzene, toluene and m-xylene vapors of 5.3
ppm, 1.2 ppm, and 0.6 ppm are respectively obtained. Finally, models for the limits of
detection and chemical sensitivity of the resonator structures are developed for the case of
the polymer layers used.
In the second task, a silicon-based resonator is combined with a capacitive structure
to produce a multisensor structure for the sensing of gas-phase VOCs. Fabrication of the
multisensor structure is undertaken, and the sensor is theoretically modeled. The baseline
capacitance of the capacitor component of the multisensor is estimated to be 170 fF. Finally,
initial VOC detection results for the capacitive aspect of the sensor are obtained.
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Schädle, Thomas [Verfasser]. "Mid-infrared sensors for environmental monitoring / Thomas Schädle." Ulm : Universität Ulm, 2017. http://d-nb.info/1124067841/34.
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Suzuki, Takeharu, and n/a. "Integrated, Intelligent Sensor Fabrication Strategies for Environmental Monitoring." Griffith University. School of Microelectronic Engineering, 2004. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20040813.131206.
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The humidity, temperature, wind speed/direction micro sensors can be manufactured individually, resulting in three individual substrates. The integration of the three sensors into a single substrate is a vital challenge to achieve an integrated intelligent sensor so called a multiple sensor. This requires the integration of process flows and is a major challenge because adequate sensor performance must be maintained. Polyimide was selected as a humidity sensing material for its compatibility with conventional integrated circuit fabrication technology, negligible temperature dependence and good resistance against contamination. Nickel was selected for the temperature and wind speed/direction sensor because of its useful temperature coefficient and the advantage of its cost. Since the known wet etchant for nickel requires hard-baked photoresist, a method which does not attack the polyimide while removing the photoresist must be developed. The method developed for etching nickel employs hard-bake-free photoresist. Other challenge was ensuring good thermal isolation for the wind speed/direction sensor fabricated on a silicon nitride layer preformed on top of a silicon wafer. Since silicon acts as a good heat sink, the silicon under the sensor was etched entirely away until the silicon nitride layer was reached. This structure achieved good thermal isolation resulting in small power consumption. This low power feature is essential for sensors deployed in fields where power access or replacement of power sources is restricted. This structure was compared with the structure created by polyimide plateau on a silicon nitride layer coated on a silicon substrate as a function of power consumption. Based on the examination of thermal isolation, the multiple sensor utilizing a MEMS technique was fabricated with a single-sided mask aligner. The characteristics of humidity sensors fabricated with polyimide were examined in detail with respect to variations of electrode structures, improvement of sensitivity, effect of process temperature, temperature and frequency dependence, and stability. The humidity sensor constructed with O2 plasma treated polyimide resulted an improvement in sensitivity and hysteresis. The investigation using XPS, FTIR and AFM concluded the chemical modification of polyimide played an important role in this improvement. The design, fabrication and results of a series of humidity sensors are quantified. There is always no unique packaging solution for sensors because of the application-specific nature of the sensors. This intelligent environmental monitoring system was designed to accommodate both an environmental sensor and its signal conditioning electronics circuitry (SICONEC) into a single package. The environmental sensors need direct exposure to the environment while SICONEC needs a sealed encapsulation to avoid environmental damage. A new style of packaging addressing these requirements was demonstrated using a hot embossing machine. The hot embossing machine was used to embed an integrated circuit (IC) in a bare die condition into a polycarbonate (PC) sheet. In this case, the IC was flipped down against the PC, which protects the front side of the IC from the environmental damages. In a test phase, a die containing operational amplifiers was embossed into the PC. A humidity sensor and surface mount resisters were placed on the same surface of the PC to test the validity of this new technique. Interconnection between the embossed die and the humidity sensor was established using bonding wires. Copper tracks were also used to ensure all electrical connections for the die, the humidity sensor and the resistors. The results clarified the method developed. Details of process methods, issues and further potential improvement are reported.
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Osterloff, Jonas [Verfasser]. "Computer Vision for Marine Environmental Monitoring / Jonas Osterloff." Bielefeld : Universitätsbibliothek Bielefeld, 2018. http://d-nb.info/1169314678/34.
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Wright, Philip. "Extending the scope of unattended environmental noise monitoring." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.320714.
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BARBOSA, PAULO CESAR DE CAMPOS. "APPLICATIONS OF LASER INDUCED FLUORESCENCE TO ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING." PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO, 2003. http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/Busca_etds.php?strSecao=resultado&nrSeq=4041@1.
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COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DO PESSOAL DE ENSINO SUPERIORA tomada de consciência dos riscos ambientais em escala global e o desenvolvimento científico e tecnológico têm incrementado a demanda pelo sensoriamento das condições ambientais marítimas. A distribuição da população do fitoplâncton é o indicador mais utilizado para avaliar a qualidade e a biomassa de ambientes marinhos. Uma característica diferencial do fitoplâncton é a presença da clorofila a, que apresenta fluorescência in vivo na região do vermelho do espectro visível, e que permite o uso de técnicas de sensoriamento remoto para sua detecção. Um radar-laser baseado na detecção da fluorescência do alvo é mais comumente denominado LIF-LIDAR (Laser Induced Fluorescence - LIght Detection And Ranging) e se constitui em uma ferramenta útil para o monitoramento da distribuição de clorofila a nos oceanos, principalmente quando se utiliza uma radiação laser na faixa de comprimento de onda associada à cor verde. O LIDAR-PUC, cuja fonte de excitação é o 2º harmônico de um laser de Nd-YAG, foi ajustado para a detecção e discriminação espectral de emissões inelásticas decorrentes da excitação a 532nm; em especial, a fluorescência da clorofila a. Nesta tese foram desenvolvidos algoritmos para a extração de parâmetros de interesse ambiental, em especial a concentração relativa da clorofila a. Estas metodologias foram testadas quanto a sua repetitividade, linearidade e aplicabilidade em ambiente real. Finalmente, os valores calculados foram analisados em conjunto, indicando sua utilidade para o monitoramento efetivo de ambientes marinhos.
Global scale environmental risks and scientific and technological development have increased demands on marine environment monitoring. Phytoplankton distribution is the most frequently used marker employed to assess biomass in marine environment. Analysis of chlorophyll-a plays a central role on phytoplankton studies once this pigment, present in every phytoplankton algae species, exhibits fluorescence in the red region of visible spectrum, thus allowing its detection by remote sensing techniques. A radar-laser based on fluorescence detection, usually called a LIF-LIDAR (Laser Induced Fluorescence - LIght Detection And Ranging), is a valuable tool for monitoring chlorophyll-a distribution in ocean waters, especially when green light lasers are employed. LIDAR-PUC was settled to function with its second harmonic Nd-YAG laser as excitation source. The equipment was adjusted for detection and spectral discrimination of inelastic emissions resulting from excitation at 532nm, with special attention to chlorophyll a fluorescence. In this study, algorithms were developed for the extraction of environmental parameters such as relative chlorophyll a concentration. These algorithms were analyzed regarding the following aspects: repeatability, linearity and applicability to the real world. Finally, ensembles were analyzed, pointing to their usefulness for effective marine environment monitoring.