Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Strategic Plan, FY2012-2015

This report outlines the strategic plan for Iowa Department of Natural Resources, goals and mission.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2017

This report outlines the strategic plan for Iowa Department of Natural Resources, goals and mission.

L'équité d'accès aux ressources en eau : fin ou moyen d'amélioration de l'efficacité de l'irrigation ? : la gestion des ressources en eau dans l'état du Gujarat (Inde) dans la perpective de la political ecology

La thèse présentée ici est le résultat d'une étroite collaboration avec une ONG indienne, AKRSP(I), intervenant dans le développement de l'irrigation au Gujarat depuis plus de 25 ans. Un SIG prototype a été mis en oeuvre et nous permet de proposer ime analyse spatiale et quantitative de l'action de cette ONG ainsi qu'une réflexion plus générale sur les leviers de mise en valeur et de gestion des ressources en eau à des fins agricoles. On peut souligner trois principaux enseignements: Les perspectives d'application des SIG au sein des ONG sont manifestes. Les exigences des bailleurs de fonds peuvent néanmoins faire obstacle à leur développement car, indi-rectement, ils favorisent la mise en oeuvre de SI voués à la justification plutôt qu'à la planification et au suivi des programmes d'actions. Ce résultat soulève la question de la pertinence de l'encadrement, des critères d'évaluation et de la conditionnalité de l'aide publique au développement. Les ONG ont un fort potentiel pour participer à la mise en valeur des ressources en eau en Inde et aider à relever le défi agro-démographique indien, en particulier dans les zones marginales où les services étatiques sont en retrait. Les stratégies d'action basées principalement sur l'application des instruments économiques et techniques doivent cependant être modifiées. Nous montrons qu'elles favorisent une inégalité d'accès aux ressources qui débouche sur une efficacité limitée des pratiques d'irrigation, sur un plan agro-technique. Ces résultats soulignent la nécessité de poursuivre une réflexion critique des discours et solutions dominants en matière de gestion des ressources en eau. Deux pistes d'amélioration sont avancées: 1. considérer l'équité d'accès comme un moyen d'optimiser la gestion de la ressource (limiter le volume d'eau par agriculteur pour encourager les choix de cultures irriguées peu consommatrices et l'adoption des technologies d'économie d'eau), 2. prêter attention à l'ordre dans lequel les différents instruments de gestion disponibles sont employés afin de les articuler dans un séquençage temporel pertinent. La Political Ecology apparait comme un cadre conceptuel très pertinent pour engager cette réflexion critique. Elle permet d'intégrer différentes échelles d'asymétries de pouvoirs à la compréhension des situations et des blocages observables localement : inégalités de capabilités et forces socio-politiques à l'échelle locale, politiques agro-industrielles (coton) et jeux d'alliances politiques des castes à l'échelle nationale, discours et conflits idéologiques ou orientations stratégiques des bailleurs de fonds à l'échelle internationale... Notre recherche empirique contribue modestement au développement de cette Political Ecology de la mise en valeur et de la gestion des ressources en eau. - The present research is based on a close collaboration with an indian NGO, AKRSP(I), which is active in the development of irrigation facilities in Gujarat for the past 25 years. We built a GIS prototype providing quantitative and spatial datas to analyse the NGO intervention and propose a general reflection about water resources development and management issues. Three main findings may be emphasized : The potential of GIS within the workings of an NGO is obvious, as an information ma-nagement tool as much as for developing analytical capacity. However, financial backers expectations may not favour a relevant development of this technology. Indirectly, they promote Information Systems built to justify rather than to plan or monitor action pro¬grammes. This raises the question of stricter framework, conditionality criters and stan¬dardised assessment indicators surrounding official development assistance. There is strong potential that NGOs can assist with the improvement of water resources in India. They can help in overcoming Indian demographic-related agricultural challenges, especially in marginal rural areas neglected by state services. However, intervention strategies mainly based on technical and economic management tools has to be adapted. We found that they lead to inequitable access and distribution of water resources what induces a low efficiency of irrigation practices from an agro-technical point of view. These results underline the need to go further in criticizing dominant ideas and guidelines regarding water resources management. We suggest two other options : 1. to consider equitable access has a tool to improve the effective use of water for agricul¬tural purposes (limiting the volume of water available per farmer would encourage them to adopt low water consumption crops and water saving technics), 2. to consider more carefully the order of use of the various management tools available and to structure them in a relevant sequence. Here, Political Ecology seems to be a relevant conceptual framework to enter into such a critical reflection, integrating different levels and scales of political asymmetries at the core of environmental issues. Indeed, the understanding of regional water situations and social stumbling blocks needs not only to consider local capabilities and socio-political inequities, but also agro-industrial policy (e.i. cotton) and caste political alliances at a national scale, as well as ideological and narrative struggles or strategical orientations of financial backers at an international level. Our empirical research modestly contributes to the development of such a Political Ecology of water resources development and management.

Pohjavesihanke ja sen toteutus

Pohjavesihankkeen onnistunut toteutus vaatii tietoa useilta eri aloilta. Perustieto pohjavesistä, niiden muodostumisesta ja esiintymisestä, pohjavesiä koskevan lainsäädännön ja vedenottoon tarvittavien lupien tuntemus, pohjavesitutkimuksen eri vaiheiden hallitseminen ja tieto näiden vaiheiden kestoon, aikatauluun ja kustannuksiin vaikuttavista tekijöistä ovat kaikki onnistuneen hankkeen edellytyksiä. Tässä diplomityössä selvitetään pohjavesihankkeen eri vaiheet sekä niiden sisältö ja tarvittavat toimenpiteet vesihuoltolaitoksen kannalta.Työssä tarkastellaan yleisesti kunnallista vesihuoltoa Suomessa ja Suomen pohjavesioloja. Lisäksi tarkastellaan pohjavesiä koskevaa lainsäädäntöä sekä pohjavesialueiden kartoituksen ja luokituksen nykytilannetta. Työssä käsitellään esiintymäkohtaisen pohjavesitutkimuksen eri vaiheet menetelmineen. Pohjavesitutkimusten ja pohjavedenoton vaatimat luvat käydään läpi.Pohjavesihanke on jaettu osiin, joiden kestoa ja niihin vaikuttavia tekijöitä tarkastellaan. Lisäksi pohjavesihankkeesta on tehty esimerkkiaikataulu, jossa eri työvaiheiden vaatimat ajat esitetään suhteessa toisiinsa. Hankkeen kustannukset on jaettu henkilöstö-, materiaali- ja muihin kustannuksiin. Näiden rakenne eri työvaiheissa on selvitetty.Joensuun Veden Paavonlammen alueella Kiihtelysvaaran kunnassa tekemän esimerkkihankkeen avulla havainnollistetaan sitä, millä tavoin käyttöön otettavan pohjavesialueen ominaisuudet sekä käytettävissä oleva työvoima ja kalusto vaikuttavat kustannuksiin, aikatauluun ja eri tutkimusvaiheiden tarpeellisuuteen.Pohjavesihanketta aloitettaessa ja sen aikana on kiinnitettävä erityisesti huomiota avoimeen tiedottamiseen vaikutusalueen asukkaille ja maanomistajille. Keskeistä työn edetessä on ottaa huomioon se, että pohjavesihankkeen toteutus etenee vaiheittain aikaisempien tulosten perusteella.

Modeling of water/steam circulation in Circulating Fluidized Bed boiler

A distinctive design feature of steam boiler with natural circulation is the presence of the steam drum which plays a role of the separator of vapor from the flow of water-and-steam mixture coming into steam drum from the furnace tubes. Steam drum with unheated downcomer tubes, deducing from it, and riser (screen/furnace tubes) inside the furnace is a closed circulation loop in which movement of water (downcomer tubes) and water-and-steam mixture (riser tubes) is organized. The movement of the working fluid is appears due to occurrence of the natural pressure, determined by the difference in hydrostatic pressure and the mass of water and water-and-steam mixtures in downcomer and riser tubes and called the driving pressure of the natural circulation:

Modeling of water/steam circulation in Circulating Fluidized Bed boiler

A distinctive design feature of steam boiler with natural circulation is the presence of the steam drum which plays a role of the separator of vapor from the flow of water-and-steam mixture coming into steam drum from the furnace tubes. Steam drum with unheated downcomer tubes, deducing from it, and riser (screen/furnace tubes) inside the furnace is a closed circulation loop in which movement of water (downcomer tubes) and water-and-steam mixture (riser tubes) is organized. The movement of the working fluid is appears due to occurrence of the natural pressure, determined by the difference in hydrostatic pressure and the mass of water and water-and-steam mixtures in downcomer and riser tubes and called the driving pressure of the natural circulation: S drive = H steam (ρ down + ρ mix) g where: ρ down - density of water in downcomer tubes; ρ mix - density of water in riser tubes; H steam - height of steam content section; g - acceleration of gravity. In steam boilers with natural circulation the circulation rate is usually between 10 and 30. Thus, consumption of water in the circulation circuit “circulation rate times” more than steam output of the boiler. There are two aspects of the design of natural water circulation loops. One is to ensure a sufficient mass flux of circulating water to avoid burnout of evaporator tubes. The other is to avoid tube wall temperature fluctuation and tube vibration due to oscillation of circulation velocity. The design criteria are therefore reduced, in principle, to those of critical heat flux, critical flow rate for burnout, and flow instability. In practical design, however, the circulation velocity and the void fraction at the evaporator tube outlet are used as the design criteria (Seikan I., et. al., 1999). This study has been made with assumption that the heat flux in the furnace of the boiler even all the time. The target of the study was to define the circulation rate of the boiler, thus average heat flux do not change it. I would like to acknowledge professionals from “Foster Wheeler” company for good and comfortable cooperation.

Analysis of the Change Management Process in a Multinational Company

The purpose of this thesis was to study change management and find out how the theory applies to practise with the help of studying an organizational change process. The goal was to investigate the different ways of the change management and how those could be utilized in practise. The purpose was also to see what kind of tools and information packages for change management the company involved has developed and taken in to use and check if these could have been utilized in the change process studied in this thesis. This thesis was established by studying the theory of change management and interviewing the people involved in the organizational change and the stakeholders. The questions were formed in line with the change management theory. The main theory used was John P. Kotter’s Eight Steps of Change. The study revealed valuable details about change processes in real life and concrete improvement ideas were recognized from the interviews. Overall the people were quite happy with the outcome of the change process. There were also some failures identified in this change process. Most probably those can be avoided in the future if people planning the change are familiar with the company’s new information packages and tools for change management. Change management is a complex area that is still today quite often forgotten by companies. Effective change management can give a huge competitive advantage for a company. Acknowledging that change process is always complex and not easy is already a good step forward in handling change processes. All changes need change management and understanding the way people react on change. A good and efficient change management is the key to make the change process smooth and easier for the people involved.

Investigations on Structural response of Water Backed Perforated plates

The study envisaged herein contains the numerical investigations on Perforated Plate (PP) as well as numerical and experimental investigations on Perforated Plate with Lining (PPL) which has a variety of applications in underwater engineering especially related to defence applications. Finite element method has been adopted as the tool for analysis of PP and PPL. The commercial software ANSYS has been used for static and free vibration response evaluation, whereas ANSYS LS-DYNA has been used for shock analysis. SHELL63, SHELL93, SOLID45, SOLSH190, BEAM188 and FLUID30 finite elements available in the ANSYS library as well as SHELL193 and SOLID194 available in the ANSYS LS-DYNA library have been made use of. Unit cell of the PP and PPL which is a miniature of the original plate with 16 perforations have been used. Based upon the convergence characteristics, the utility of SHELL63 element for the analysis of PP and PPL, and the required mesh density are brought out. The effect of perforation, geometry and orientation of perforation, boundary conditions and lining plate are investigated for various configurations. Stress concentration and deflection factor are also studied. Based on these investigations, stadium geometry perforation with horizontal orientation is recommended for further analysis.Linear and nonlinear static analysis of PP and PPL subjected to unit normal pressure has been carried out besides the free vibration analysis. Shock analysis has also been carried out on these structural components. The analytical model measures 0.9m x 0.9m with stiffener of 0.3m interval. The influence of finite element, boundary conditions, and lining plate on linear static response has been estimated and presented. Comparison of behavior of PP and PPL in the nonlinear strain regime has been made using geometric nonlinear analysis. Free vibration analysis of the PP and PPL has been carried out ‘in vacuum’ condition and in water backed condition, and the influence of water backed condition and effect of perforation on natural frequency have been investigated.Based upon the studies on the vibration characteristics of NPP, PP and PPL in water backed condition and ‘in vacuum’ condition, the reduction in the natural frequency of the plate in immersed condition has been rightly brought out. The necessity to introduce the effect of water medium in the analysis of water backed underwater structure has been highlighted.Shock analysis of PP and PPL for three explosives viz., PEK, TNT and C4 has been carried out and deflection and stresses on plate as well as free field pressure have been estimated using ANSYS LS-DYNA. The effect of perforations and the effect of lining plate have been predicted. Experimental investigations of the measurement of free field pressure using PPL have been conducted in a shock tank. Free field pressure has been measured and has been validated with finite element analysis results. Besides, an experiment has been carried out on PPL, for the comparison of the static deflection predicted by finite element analysis.The distribution of the free field pressure and the estimation of differential pressure from experimentation and the provision for treating the differential pressure as the resistance, as a part of the design load for PPL, has been brought out.

IR: Knowledge Creation, Knowledge Management and Knowledge Dissemination

Open access iiiovemerit and open source software movement plays an important role in creation of knowledge, knowledge management and knowledge dissemination. Scholarly communication and publishing are increasingly taking place in the electronic environment. With a growing proportion of the scholarly record now existing only in digital format, serious issues regarding access and preservation are being raised that are central to future scholarship. Institutional Repositories provide access to past. present and future scholarly literature and research documentation; ensures its preservation; assists users in discovery and use; and offers educational programs to enable users to develop lifelong literacy. This paper explores these aspects on how IR of Cochin University of Science & Technology supports scientific community for knowledge creation. knowledge Management, and knowledge dissemination.

Efectos de la reducción del nivel del Lago Chad sobre la Seguridad Regional (Nigeria, Níger, Chad y Camerún) durante el período de 2000-2010

El Lago Chad ha sido durante varias décadas, una fuente de supervivencia económica para millones de personas que habitan en cuatro Estados a saber; Nigeria, Níger, Chad y Camerún. No obstante, el cambio climático, el aumento acelerado de la población, la explotación insostenible y la mala regulación de los Estados ribereños han sido los principales factores que han dado lugar, en la última década, a la dramática reducción del nivel del Lago Chad. Teniendo en cuenta que los Estados aledaños al Lago, se encuentran inmersos en una Interdependencia Compleja, este nuevo contexto, ha tenido un impacto directo en la región, debido a que ha agravado otras variables económicas, sociales, ambientales y políticas, dejando un ambiente de inseguridad regional. De esta manera, la reducción de la Cuenca del Lago Chad representa una amenaza compartida que vincula estrechamente a Nigeria, Níger, Chad y Camerún, lo que permite vislumbrar la existencia de un Subcomplejo de Seguridad Regional.

Seasonal intercomparison of observational rainfall datasets over India during the southwest monsoon season

The Indian monsoon is an important component of Earth's climate system, accurate forecasting of its mean rainfall being essential for regional food and water security. Accurate measurement of the rainfall is essential for various water-related applications, the evaluation of numerical models and detection and attribution of trends, but a variety of different gridded rainfall datasets are available for these purposes. In this study, six gridded rainfall datasets are compared against the India Meteorological Department (IMD) gridded rainfall dataset, chosen as the most representative of the observed system due to its high gauge density. The datasets comprise those based solely on rain gauge observations and those merging rain gauge data with satellite-derived products. Various skill scores and subjective comparisons are carried out for the Indian region during the south-west monsoon season (June to September). Relative biases and skill metrics are documented at all-India and sub-regional scales. In the gauge-based (land-only) category, Asian Precipitation-Highly-Resolved Observational Data Integration Towards Evaluation of water resources (APHRODITE) and Global Precipitation Climatology Center (GPCC) datasets perform better relative to the others in terms of a variety of skill metrics. In the merged category, the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) dataset is shown to perform better than the Climate Prediction Center Merged Analysis of Precipitation (CMAP) for the Indian monsoon in terms of various metrics, when compared with the IMD gridded data. Most of the datasets have difficulty in representing rainfall over orographic regions including the Western Ghats mountains, in north-east India and the Himalayan foothills. The wide range of skill scores seen among the datasets and even the change of sign of bias found in some years are causes of concern. This uncertainty between datasets is largest in north-east India. These results will help those studying the Indian monsoon region to select an appropriate dataset depending on their application and focus of research.

Gestão de recursos hídricos no estado do Amazonas: uma análise comparativa

Este estudo analisa os instrumentos legais e o sistema de gestão dos recursos hídricos no Estado do Amazonas e sua relação com a Lei n° 9.443, de 8 de janeiro de 1997, destacando as diferentes variáveis existentes na grande bacia hidrográfica do Amazonas que são determinantes na elaboração do marco legal no estado do Amazonas. Considerou-se, também, que a especificidade de isolamento e distanciamento existente em comparação com outros estados não pode servir de parâmetro para utilização de modelos já elaborados. O trabalho apresenta a política nacional de recursos hídricos, descreve o estágio atual da gestão de recursos hídricos nos estados do Rio de Janeiro e do Amazonas. Em seguida, analisa criticamente a lei estadual que estabeleceu a política estadual de recursos hídricos do Amazonas, e avalia comparativamente as entidades e instrumentos dos dois estados. Os métodos empregados incluem uma pesquisa bibliográfica e documental de forma a descrever e fornecer o material de aprofundamento do estudo da gestão de recursos hídricos do estado do Amazonas. A pesquisa de campo foi realizada para aprofundamento da análise crítica. Como resultados, destacam-se a necessidade da alteração da legislação atual e reestruturação administrativa dos órgãos ambientais.

A governança dos recursos hídricos no Brasil colocada à prova em situação de escassez : um estudo de caso

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo estudar a governança das águas brasileiras, especialmente seu funcionamento em situações de escassez hídrica. Com este propósito, após a apresentação da crise hídrica da região Sudeste do Brasil, que colocou à prova o aparato institucional e regulatório das águas nacionais, examina-se o regime de competências constitucionais em matéria de meio ambiente e de águas e as peculiaridades afetas ao Sistema Nacional de Gerenciamento de Recursos Hídricos. Por fim, de forma propositiva, são elencadas medidas que buscam auxiliar no aperfeiçoamento da governança das águas e do enfrentamento da crise hídrica.

Implantação de Reservas Legais: uma nova perspectiva na conservação dos recursos naturais em paisagem rural

According to the Forest Code of 1965, it is mandatory that every rural property destine part of its land to the establishment of Legal Reserves. When a diagnosis is made over all Brazil, the reality is quite different from what is demanded by law. Therefore, this work, as a general objective, proposes ways of establishing Legal Reserves based on the analysis of the environmental deterioration in a river basin. For this purpose, the environmental deterioration was detected based on three diagnoses: physical-conservational, socioeconomical, and environmental quality. In this way, from a quantitative and qualitative diagnosis, it was possible to identify the main aggressive factors in the studied river basin and to indicate the main vulnerabilities that the area is subjected. According to such diagnosis, some proposals for the establishment of Legal Reserves are discussed here based on scientific arguments aimed at the conservation of water resources, soil and biodiversity. It is hoped, that from this study, the environment receives a new tool for diagnosis, pollution control, recovery and conservation of natural resources.

Avaliação do desenvolvimento sustentável na bacia hidrográfica do Rio Seridó em face das políticas públicas e da gestão dos recursos hídricos

The reality of water resources management in semiarid regions, such as the Seridó region, has been shaped by a complex chain involving social-cultural, political, economic and environmental aspects, covering different spheres of activity - from local to federal. Because water is a scarce element, the most rational way pointed out by our recent history has been to move towards an increasing emphasis on the need for a truly rational, integrated, sustainable and participatory water resources management, supported by legislation and by a network of institutions that could materialize it. In this sense, despite all the advances in the formulation of public policies in water resources, which ones have indeed lead to significant changes that have occurred or are underway in semiarid regions such as Seridó? What factors may be preventing the realization of the desires rationality embedded in the framers of water policies intents? How to properly manage water resources if the current actors who promote their management and the political, human, cultural and institutional processes that intervene in this management, show strong traces of unsustainability? The research methodology adopted in this paper led to a breakdown of the traditional approach to water resource management, to integrate it into other areas of knowledge, especially to political science and public administration, catalyzed by the concept of "sustainable development". From a broad, interdisciplinary literature review, an exhaustive characterization of the river basin Seridó, a set of interviews with key people in the public administration acting in the region, a series of diagnoses and a set of propositions were made in order to correct the direction of current public policies for the region. From the point of view of public policies, it is in the deployment phase, not in its formulation, which lies a major problem of the lack of significant progress in water management. The lack of coordination between government programs are well characterized, as well as the lack of efficiency and effectiveness of their actions. The causes of this secular model are also discussed, including political factors and social relations of production, which led to a stalemate difficult, but of possible solution. It can be perceived there is a scenario of progressive deterioration of natural resources of the fragile ecosystem and a network of environmental and social consequences difficult to reverse, the result of a persistent and inertial sociopolitical culture, whose main factors reinforce itself. The work leads towards a characterization of the water resources management also from the perspective of environmental, institutional, political and human sustainability , the latter being identified, particularly as investment in the development of people as autonomous beings - not based in ideological directives of any kind - in the emancipation of the traditional figure of the poor man of the hinterland" to the "catalyst for change" responsible for their own decisions or omissions, based upon an education for free-thinking that brings each one as co-responsible epicenter of (self-) sustainable changes in their midst