Academic literature on the topic 'Swan Coast Plain'

Galaxiella nigrostriata is a freshwater fish that is endemic to the seasonally dry coastal wetlands of south-west Western Australia and considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as lower risk–near threatened. This small fish (maximum total length<50mm) aestivates in the sediment over the long, dry Mediterranean summer and its dispersal is limited by lack of habitat connectivity. The objective of this study was to identify the historical and contemporary genetic connectivity between populations of G. nigrostriata and to assess morphological variation between these populations. Results showed that all populations were genetically divergent and no mtDNA haplotypes were shared between populations. In contrast, morphological differentiation between individual populations was weak; however, pooling populations into two broad regions (Swan coastal plain and southern coast) resulted in clear morphological differentiation between these two groups. Based on these results, we postulate G. nigrostriata distribution last expanded in the early Pleistocene ~5.1 million years ago and have since been restricted to remnant wetlands in the immediate area. Galaxiella nigrostriata populations at the northern end of their range are small and are the most vulnerable to extinction. Conservation efforts are therefore required to ensure the survival of these genetically and morphologically distinctive Swan coastal plain populations.

Assessment of areas suitable for inclusion in a comprehensive, adequate and representative (CAR) reserve system has been based primarily on distribution of original native vegetation and occurrence of vertebrates, particularly birds and mammals. However, reliable predictors of vertebrate and floristic diversity are not necessarily adequate predictors of invertebrate diversity. We sampled the earthworm fauna of the Perth metropolitan Swan Coastal Plain (SCP) to examine whether vegetation-based criteria are sufficient for identifying a conservation estate for native earthworms. Twenty-one native species were collected from 136 sample localities. All five previously described native species from the region and three native species previously collected but not formally described were again collected, while 13 previously uncollected species were found. Species abundances of native earthworms were uneven, in common with species-abundance relationships for many other invertebrate assemblages, with 10 singleton occurrences of species and few common species. Species diversity increased away from the coast across the sandy geomorphic units Quindalup, Spearwood and Bassendean. Our study did not resolve whether dlifferences in earthworm faunas reflect the gradient in soil qualities across these units, gradients in species-area effects, habitat diversity effects or a combination of these. Blocks of remnant vegetation identified in the Western Australian Government's Bush Forever plan as containing natural areas of regional conservation value are also likely to support at least one native earthworm species. However, many of the blocks of remnant vegetation so identified are not within the formal conservation estate. Two species identified in this survey fortuitously persist only in remnant vegetation patches not considered regionally significant. Actual regional diversity was estimated to be 38 native species, indicating many uncollected relatively rare species. Although earthworms are a low diversity group compared with other invertebrates, the localized distributions of most species indicate that the formal conservation estate does not provide adequate protection. Ongoing degradation of unprotected remnant vegetation will result in extinctions of localized invertebrate species.

Rottnest I., 1900 ha in area and 18 km off the Swan Coastal Plain, has 32 km of coast and 10% of its area consisting of a complex of hypersaline lakes and brackish swamps. The Charadrii (waders or shorebirds) using these habitats were censused between December 1981 and October 1984, and the results of these censuses were compared with data collected between 1953 and 1962. Twenty-two species of wader occurred on the island between 1981 and 1984; of these, four bred on the island, nine were regular migrants (eight being transequatorial) and nine (eight transequatorial) were rare. There were several changes in status between the earlier and later surveys: the eastern golden plover, large-billed dotterel and sharp-tailed sandpiper were all regular visitors in the 1950s but were rare or absent in the 1980s; the pied oystercatcher had become more common on the island; the red-necked avocet, formerly rare, had started breeding on the island; and the grey-tailed tattler and bar-tailed godwit had become regular migrants in small numbers. The effects of loss of suitable habitat on the adjacent mainland, and the importance of the island as a conservation area, are discussed.

Abstract. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of mangrove forests and oyster reefs on reducing the damages from typhoons in hypothetical land reclamation scenarios in Atimonan, Philippines. Storm surge simulations were ran using ADCIRC and SWAN coupled model on the local government unit’s (LGU) land reclamation plan and the proposed crenulate bay reclamation plan, both with concrete seawall, mangrove forests and oyster reefs. Inputs to the model include modified topography and bathymetry, coastline, land cover, typhoon Durian data and tidal potential constituents. Simulations show that the crenulate bay reclamation plan is better by 39.15% than the LGU’s land reclamation plan on reducing typhoon winds and storm surge inundation extent induced by Typhoon Durian. However, this advantage comes with an additional implementation cost of 11.02%. This study is envisioned to help the land reclamation project of Atimonan LGU to be resilient against typhoon winds and coastal inundation.

Marine aquaculture has proliferated over the past decade, expanding into new, untapped open-water cultivation areas, such as lakes, rivers and deeper offshore environments, in response to increasing demand for seafood by consumers. However, to ensure sustainable development, it is necessary to minimize the impact of other ocean activities and the environment through science-based spatial planning. The choice of the primary site (physical carrying capacity) depends mainly on the aquaculture system, which varies around the world. However, the site is considered one of the factors (production, ecological and social) keys to any aquaculture operation, especially in the African continent. This choice affects both the success and sustainability of the products cultivated and the resolution of conflicts between different activities as well as the rational use of space. This study aims to identify suitable areas (primary site selection) for aquaculture in the Moroccan Atlantic continental shelf focused on the sub-area located between Cap Ghir 31.25° and Tarfaya 27.47°, based on the assessment of the dominant wave energy by implementing the hydrodynamical SWAN (Simulating Waves Nearshore) model dedicated for this kind of study. We derived the inputs for the SWAN model from WW3 (WAVEWATCH III model), which the AVISO data-products have extensively validated. The results show that, even if the Atlantic area is known for the agitation of its seas, there is the possibility of having adequate areas for aquaculture with an overall capacity that could extinguish the 389 ha in the study area if aquatic cultivation manages to exploit the offshore areas. At the level of the sub-zone belonging to the sous-Massa region (zone 1), the results show a strong coherence between the values of the surfaces estimated by the study and the actual values resulting from the development plan, with a value of 69 Ha for the first and 75 for the second, i.e., equal to 6 Ha, due to the geomorphology of the coast and natural coastal shelters, which play favorably on the environment for aquaculture development. These areas may attract the greed of investors, although they are in the process of being the subject of an aquaculture development plan.

Applying battery electric buses (BEBs) in the city is a good means to reduce the increasing greenhouse gas emissions and crude oil dependence. Limited by the driving range and charging time, battery swap station seems to be the best option for battery electric buses to replenish energy currently. This paper presents a novel method to plan and design an electric public transport system under battery swap mode, which comprised of battery electric buses, routes, scheduling, battery swap station, etc. Thus, new routing and scheduling strategies are proposed for the battery electric bus fleets. Based on swapping and charging demand analysis, this paper establishes an algorithm to calculate the optimal scales of battery swap station, including scales of battery swapping system, battery charging system and battery packs, and power capacity of output. Regarding the case of Xuejiadao battery swap station serving 6 BEB routes in Qingdao, China, a numerical simulation program is established to evaluate the validity of our methods. The results reflect that our methods can optimize the system scales meeting an equivalent state of operation demand. In addition, sensitivity analyses are made to the scales under different values of battery capacity and charging current. It suggests that the scales and cost of battery swap station can be effectively reduced with the development of power battery manufacture and charging technology in future.

Most platforms in Australia and the North Sea were originally designed to be permanently manned facilities. As long-term predictions of extreme weather events have intensified, it has become challenging to demonstrate acceptable life safety levels. Extreme weather events have been an ongoing area of development. With an increasing database of information and potential climate change effects, the intensity of the environmental conditions for even recently installed facilities have increased significantly. The Gulf of Mexico estimate of environmental loading has increased 63% in the past 15 years alone, with similar increases in all other regions. To continue to operate these facilities as permanently manned while maintaining the original design safety level requires extensive strengthening. In cases assessed, associated costs have been shown to easily exceed US$100 million. With the advancements in forecasting, facilities now have adequate information available to ensure a facility is evacuated, shut in or both before any major risk to the safety of the personnel and environment is intolerable. The platform response to a forecast can be referred to as a severe weather action plan (SWAP). These can be shown to be a more cost-effective means than strengthening the asset, and most assets may only require evacuation or shut-in once in their lifetime. The benefits of a manned-evacuated platform also extend to new platforms where the cost of the jacket or hull can be reduced to achieve a target risk level provided a SWAP is in place.

Background/Aims: The incidence of disease outbreaks in clinical settings arising from ultrasound examinations is well documented, and is a source of worry. The ultrasound transducers and the coupling gel are potential sources of these infections since they come in direct contact with the patient’s skin. In this study, we examine the efficacy of the widespread practice of the use of plain non-sterile tissue paper in some low-cost private ultrasound centres in our locality as a method of disinfecting ultrasound transducers after each use. Its potential impact on nosocomial infection management in clinical practice is also examined. Methods: Swab samples from convex ultrasound transducers before and after transabdominal scanning of three consecutive patients were obtained from 10 different ultrasound centres in urban and rural areas of Enugu state. Ultrasound coupling gel samples were equally obtained, and all samples cultured for bacteria growth which was quantified in colony-forming units per ml (CFU/ml) and reported in 1000/ml. Paired sampled t-test was used to check for significance in a reduction in a bacterial load before and after the transducer was cleaned. Results: Nine different bacterial strains were isolated. Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella spp had the highest percentage of occurrence in all centres. Significant bacteria growth was recorded in the morning before the examination, and plain tissue paper significantly reduced the bacteria load in the ultrasound transducer. Conclusion: Even though disinfecting ultrasound transducers with non-sterile plain tissue paper alone is statistically effective and has the potential to minimize nosocomial infection, it is however not clinically effective and hence not advised.

AbstractUnderwater acoustic monitoring combined with real-time sea surface observations and numerical model forecasts could improve the efficiency of natural and anthropogenic sound source discrimination. In this work, acoustic sound pressure levels at different frequencies were compared with significant wave heights, measured using an X-band radar system, and then matched against independent data derived from a Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN) model in order to confirm their reliability. The acoustic data were recorded from a fixed buoy located in the Sicilian Channel at 4.9 km from the coast and 33 km from the X-band radar system installed at Cape San Marco (in the southwest region of Sicily). All data were acquired during two different periods: 28 February–16 March 2015 and 23 April–27 May 2015. The level of noise at the 16-Hz octave band showed the best linear correlation , with in situ radar observations of significant wave height. Radar measurements of wave height coupled with in situ acoustic measurements give a characterization of the level of noise as result of sea state in a specific area. These measurements could be used to discriminate natural sources of noise (waves) from other sound sources, such as biological and anthropogenic sources. This discrimination contributes to understanding the impact of acoustic pollution on marine environments and provides a monitoring plan protocol for safeguarding biodiversity in the Mediterranean coastal areas.

Climate variability and farmers’ desire to improve the crop yield have resulted in an increase in irrigated agriculture in the mid-Atlantic region. However, the huge initial capital cost associated with the installation and operation of irrigation systems is generally prohibitive, with most farmers finding difficulty in justifying the expenditure, and uncertainty of the overall return on their investment. The objective of this study was to develop a decision tool for farmers in temperate regions to evaluate the cost-benefit of irrigation installations. The developed irrigation economic model involved the development of an economic component that balances the expected economic return, based on anticipated crop yield increases due to supplemental irrigation, versus the water, maintenance, and capital costs associated with the irrigation system. Model development included the input of relevant data and required local calibration. Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) output files were used as the basis for data input into the irrigation economic model. An irrigation-scheduling component was incorporated into the model to prescribe irrigation volumes for each agricultural field defined within the area of interest. The economic component of the model identifies and prioritizes those fields in which supplemental irrigation will result in the greatest economic return in terms of increased agricultural production and revenue. The study is conducted on the Pocomoke river basin in the Coastal Plain of Maryland’s eastern shore. Results showed that irrigation system selection was mainly influenced by cost of water and irrigation installation costs, and to a lesser extent by physical characteristics of the terrain and the associated properties.

To achieve a balance between sustainable development and conservation of threatened species, management depends on understanding the predicted response and interaction of that species with their environment in order to develop appropriate mitigating solutions. The Carnaby’s cockatoo Calyptorhynchus latirostris is declining across much of its range due to the detrimental effect of habitat degradation and loss. Since the decline of food resource availability in non-breeding areas is believed to be contributing to the reduction in the number of Carnaby’s cockatoos knowledge of the birds’ foraging ecology and the influence of external factors on food resource availability is essential for effective management. Despite extensive studies and conservation work on the Carnaby’s cockatoos, there remain many gaps in our understanding of the birds’ foraging behaviour. The aim of this thesis is to fill some of those gaps. Carnaby’s cockatoos are destructive feeders, removing plant parts with strong beaks by holding them while extracting seed and insect larvae. Surveys of the birds feeding preferences were analysed by recording feeding residues of the number of eaten and uneaten infructescences left behind on the ground following foraging bouts. It was noted that Carnaby’s cockatoo diets were highly variable in terms of plant structures and species manipulated and consumed. Twenty-four species of food plants were manipulated by Carnaby’s cockatoo. Of these, 15 species of plant were consumed for seeds, with 53% of the total being made up of proteaceous species. Six of the 15 species (all Banksia species) were also manipulated as inflorescences. Grubbing for insects that were living in or on the woody stem tissue was observed in 63% of the food resource plant species collected. Carnaby’s cockatoo displayed a strong preference for food resources of the Banksia and Hakea genera. The relationship between Carnaby’s cockatoos and Banksia species was further examined to understand infructescence availability and variability in seasonal and total annual counts to determine the amount of potential food available to Carnaby’s cockatoos. Banksia attenuata, B. grandis, B. ilicifolia, B. menziesii, B. prionotes and B. sessilis were targeted in this study. Infructescence availability was determined through examination of Carnaby’s cockatoo feeding residues and numbers of mature infructescences that make up the standing crop of infructescences containing seeds. Banksia infructescences were available throughout the study for five out of the six species, although seasonal and annual amounts available varied. The numbers of infructescences available were not significantly (P > 0.05) influenced by soil type. However, infructescence numbers were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced by the presence of Phytophthora cinnamomi. In general the number of infructescences significantly (P < 0.05) increased as post-fire age increased. Plant allometric relationships between morphological characteristics and number of infructescences were investigated to help identify factors which best predict infructescence numbers. For B. attenuata, canopy volume, canopy area and girth emerged as the best individual predictive models for explaining the variability of the number of infructescences. Multiple linear regression of all B. attenuata plant morphological variables accounted for 29% of the variability in the number of infructescences. Canopy volume, canopy area, girth and foliage height were the best individual predictive models for determining the number of infructescences for B. menziesii. The combination of all B menziesii plant morphological characteristics explained 44% of the variability in the number of infructescences. All the models tested for B. sessilis revealed significant (P < 0.05) relationships with correlation coefficients > 53%. Canopy area was the best individual predictive factor for B. sessilis, accounting for around 90% of the variation. Multiple linear regression analysis combining all B. sessilis plant morphological variables revealed a correlation coefficient of 92%. In comparison to B. attenuata and B. menziesii (resprouters), B. sessilis is an obligate reseeder which is killed by fire. As a consequence of reseeding post-fire, B. Sessilis commonly occurs in dense thickets and are often more uniform in plant size, age and infructescence availability than resprouters and therefore displays stronger allometric relationships. Determining the influence of external factors on infructescence numbers helps in establishing the amount of food resources available for Carnaby’s cockatoos and in turn highlights the importance of various food resource habitats. Banksia species investigated as part of the food resource availability study were further examined to determine temporal variability of infructescence use by Carnaby’s cockatoo. Carnaby’s cockatoos showed themselves to be tolerant of changing resource availability which allowed them to effectively utilise food resources across the landscape throughout all seasons. Approximately 50% of resources available were utilised by Carnaby’s cockatoo throughout the year, with around 80% of handled infructescences consumed. Carnaby’s cockatoos showed flexibility in diet, with temporal variability in food resource use throughout the year. Infructescence resource use was highest between April and September. Level of consumption was a direct result of infructescence availability with no significant differences recorded in infructescence use in the presence of P. cinnamomi and different post-fire age stands. Seed energetics and proportion of seeds and follicles available and consumed were investigated to determine the number of infructescences required to meet daily metabolic requirements of Carnaby’s cockatoo. Over 65% of infructescences handled were consumed for seed for each Banksia species. B. sessilis recorded the largest number of infructescences and follicles manipulated by Carnaby’s cockatoos. The energy content of Banksia seeds ranged from 20-23 kJ g-1. Seed weight varied from 0.075g ± SE 0.016 for B. attenuata to 0.007g ± SE 0.002 for B. sessilis. The number of infructescences required to meet the birds’ daily energy intake ranged from 14 for B. grandis to 3821 for B. sessilis, based on mean number of follicles manipulated for seed and one-hundred percent seed availability. Incorporation of the potential number of seeds per follicle increased the number of infructescences required: B. attenuata, B. ilicifolia, B. menziesii and B. sessilis increased by almost 200%, while B. prionotes and B. grandis increased by 200% and 300%, respectively. Information collected on plant morphology, structure and infructescence availability combined with infructescence consumption and seed energy reward by Carnaby’s cockatoos allowed the development of food resource algorithms to guide habitat quality assessment. Establishment of quantitative criteria for assessing habitat quality for Carnaby’s cockatoo, such as methods for determining food resource availability, allows for effective integration of biodiversity issues into planning and impact assessment processes. The research undertaken for this thesis will add to the understanding and conservation of Carnaby’s cockatoo, an iconic South Western Australian species.

Abstract In the increasingly complex and cost sensitive drilling environment of today, data gathered using downhole and surface real-time sensor systems must work in unison with physics-based models to facilitate early indication of drilling hazards, allowing timely action and mitigation. Identification of opportunities for reduction of invisible lost time (ILT) is similarly critical. Many similar systems gather and analyze either surface or downhole data on a standalone basis but lack the integrated approach towards using the data in a holistic decision-making manner. These systems can either paint an incomplete picture of prevailing drilling conditions or fail to ensure system messages result in parameter changes at rigsite. This often results in a hit or miss approach in identification and mitigation of drilling problems. The automated software system architecture is described, detailing the physics-based models which are deployed in real-time consuming surface and downhole sensor data and outputting continuous, operationally relevant simulation results. Measured data from either surface, for torque & drag, or downhole for ECD & ESD is then automatically compared both for deviation of actual-to-plan, and for infringement of boundary conditions such as formation pressure regime. The system is also equipped to model off-bottom induced pressures; swab & surge, and dynamically advise on safe, but optimum tripping velocities for the operation at hand. This has dual benefits; both the avoidance of costly NPT associated with swab & surge, as well as being able to visually highlight running speed ILT. All processing applications are coupled with highly intuitive user interfaces. Three successful deployments all onshore in the Middle East are detailed. First a horizontal section where real-time model vs. actual automatic comparison of torque & drag samples, validated with PWD data allowed early identification of poor hole cleaning. Secondly, a vertical section where again the model vs. actual algorithmic automatically identified inadequate hole cleaning in a case where conventional human monitoring did not. Finally, a case is exhibited where real-time modelling of swab and surge, as well as intuitive visualization of the trip speeds within those boundary conditions led to a significant increase in average tripping speeds when compared to offset wells, reducing AFE for the operator. Common for all three deployments was an integrated well services approach, with a single service company providing the majority of services for well construction, as well as an overarching remote operations team who were primary users of the software solutions deployed.