Loading...
2 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
- Ecosystem services from turfgrass landscapesPublication . Monteiro, JoséTurf is an important component of the urban and rural landscape. The natural plant formations/biomes that it mimics are the tropical savanna, the temperate grasslands (steppe and the prairies) and the tundra. Turf in a higher or lower degree provides all the ecosystem services of the other types of vegetation. Vegetation ecosystem services that have been previously emphasized include functional, aesthetical, recreational, social, and economic services as well as services related to people psychological or physical health. The purpose of this review is to gather updated information on turf ecosystem services, mainly on how they compare to other types of vegetation, or substitutes, and to suggest some future trends/areas of research. Turf has a unique role in aesthetics and, definitely, provides an irreplaceable surface for recreational sports/activities. From the available information, turf seems to have a higher potential than other types of vegetation for reducing runoff, increasing infiltration, purifying water from sediments and pollutants, controlling erosion, improving soil quality and reducing fire hazards. For the lawn owners the main turf benefits are: first the enhanced property aesthetics, second the increment in property value and third the provision of a recreation area. Turf, as all vegetation, uses water. Without the water its benefits may be reduced or annihilated. Mimicking nature may offer some solutions for saving water: summer brown lawns that green up in the fall, although losing some of the turf benefits, may be an appropriate choice where irrigation is not feasible and are worth some research. Research, should also be done on lawns using a mix of grasses and legumes: the presence of legumes may avoid N fertilization and, possibly allows for clippings removal and usage as biofuel, while keeping the soil accumulation of carbon, preventing N leaching and turning turf's carbon footprint even more positive.
- Groundwater response to climate variability in Mediterranean type climate zones with comparisons of California (USA) and PortugalPublication . Malmgren, Katherine; Neves, Maria; Gurdak, Jason J.; Costa, Luis; Monteiro, JoséAquifers are a fundamental source of freshwater, yet they are particularly vulnerable in coastal regions with Mediterranean type climate, due to both climatic and anthropogenic pressures. This comparative study examines the interrelationships between ocean-atmosphere teleconnections, groundwater levels and precipitation in coastal aquifers of California (USA) and Portugal. Piezometric and climate indices (1989-2019) are analyzed using singular spectral analysis and wavelet transform methods. Singular spectral analysis identifies signals consistent with the six dominant climate patterns: the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and the Pacific/North American Oscillation (PNA) in California, and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Eastern Atlantic Oscillation (EA) and the Scandinavian Pattern (SCAND) in Portugal. Lower-frequency oscillations have a greater influence on hydrologic patterns, with PDO (52.75%) and NAO (46.25%) on average accounting for the largest amount of groundwater level variability. Wavelet coherences show nonstationary covariability between climate patterns and groundwater levels in distinct period bands: 4-8 years for PDO, 2-4 years for ENSO, 1-2 years for PNA, 5-8 years for NAO, 2-4 years for EA and 2-8 years for SCAND. Wavelet coherence patterns also show that coupled climate patterns (NAO+ EA- and paired PDO and ENSO phases) are associated with major drought periods in both the Mediterranean climate zones.