Monitoring Ecological Condition in the Western United States

Monitoring Ecological Condition in the Western United States

Author: Shabeg S. Sandhu

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 466

ISBN-13: 9401143439

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The monitoring of point sources by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the states, and the tribes has documented and helped reduce the levels of chemical stressors affecting our ecosystems. With the controls on point sources reducing chemical contamination, new environmental challenges associated with nonpoint sources have emerged. To adequately deal with these new problems, EPA's Office of Research and Development recognized the need to develop an overall under standing of the condition of our ecological resources, the trends in their condition, and the stressors affecting these systems on a broad scale. Toward this end, the En vironmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) was established by EPA and has been strategically developing the scientific tools and techniques to monitor and assess the status and trends of aquatic ecosystems. EMAP scientists have developed new indicators and probability-based de signs to fill data gaps in the development of regional-scale assessments of our aquatic resources, as required in the Clean Water Act. We have a scientifically de fensible approach that allows: 100 percent coverage of the aquatic resources within broad geographic areas and the formulation of reference 'conditions for es tablishing the health of these resources. The use of these indicators and designs were successfully demonstrated in the landscapes, streams, and estuaries of the mid-Atlantic states as part of the Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment (MAlA).


Microbiology of the Everglades Ecosystem

Microbiology of the Everglades Ecosystem

Author: James A. Entry

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2015-03-26

Total Pages: 498

ISBN-13: 1498711847

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The first synthesis of current research regarding Everglades microbial community structure and function, this book provides an understanding of the physical and chemical factors affecting the structure of microbial communities, including nutrient effects, sea level rise, and other potential stressors. The book integrates traditional research on alg


Variational Bayesian Learning Theory

Variational Bayesian Learning Theory

Author: Shinichi Nakajima

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2019-07-11

Total Pages: 561

ISBN-13: 1316997219

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Variational Bayesian learning is one of the most popular methods in machine learning. Designed for researchers and graduate students in machine learning, this book summarizes recent developments in the non-asymptotic and asymptotic theory of variational Bayesian learning and suggests how this theory can be applied in practice. The authors begin by developing a basic framework with a focus on conjugacy, which enables the reader to derive tractable algorithms. Next, it summarizes non-asymptotic theory, which, although limited in application to bilinear models, precisely describes the behavior of the variational Bayesian solution and reveals its sparsity inducing mechanism. Finally, the text summarizes asymptotic theory, which reveals phase transition phenomena depending on the prior setting, thus providing suggestions on how to set hyperparameters for particular purposes. Detailed derivations allow readers to follow along without prior knowledge of the mathematical techniques specific to Bayesian learning.


Nuclear Wastes in the Arctic

Nuclear Wastes in the Arctic

Author: United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment

Publisher:

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13:

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Examines enviromental and human health impacts from wastes dumped in Arctic and North Pacific regions, from nuclear contaminants discharged into these environments, and from radioactive releases from both past and future nuclear activities in region.


Collision Processes Of Ion, Positron, Electron And Photon Beams With Matter - Proceedings Of Elaf 91

Collision Processes Of Ion, Positron, Electron And Photon Beams With Matter - Proceedings Of Elaf 91

Author: Ana Cecilia De Azevedo E Souza

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 1992-04-30

Total Pages: 514

ISBN-13: 9814555355

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The proceedings contain lectures and contributed papers presented at the Latin American School of Physics in Caxambu, Brazil. Topics are related to a review of collision processes, excitation and ionization of molecules, ion formation by electron impact, mass and energy spectroscopy in collision reactions, desorption induced by ion and electron beams, and principles and applications of synchrotron radiation. The major theme of the school was “Current methods in collision processes.”


Monitoring Ecological Condition at Regional Scales

Monitoring Ecological Condition at Regional Scales

Author: Shabeg S. Sandhu

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 593

ISBN-13: 9401149763

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The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program was created by EPA to develop the capability for tracking the changing conditions of our natural resources and to give environmental policy the advantages ofa sound scientific understanding of trends. Former EPA Administrators recognized early that contemporary monitoring programs could not even quantify simple unknowns like the number of lakes suffering from acid rain, let along determine if national control policies were benefiting these lakes. Today, adding to acidification impacts are truly complex problems such as determining the effects of climate change, of increases in ultraviolet light, toxic chemicals, eutrophication and critical habitat loss. Also today, the Government Performance and Results Act seeks to have agencies develop performance standards based on results rather than simply on levels of programmatic activities. The charge to EMAP of ecosystems is, therefore, the same today as it was a with respect to measuring the condition decade ago. We welcome the increasing urgency for sound scientific monitoring methods and data by efforts to protect and improve the environment. Systematic nationwide monitoring of natural resources is more than anyone program can accomplish, however. In an era of declining budgets, it is crucial that monitoring programs at all levels of government coordinate and share environmental data. EMAP resources are dwarfed by the more than $500 million spent on federal monitoring activities each year.