Some environmental aspects of open water algal cultivation: Zanzibar, Tanzania. RW Johnstone, E O... more Some environmental aspects of open water algal cultivation: Zanzibar, Tanzania. RW Johnstone, E Olafsson Ambio. Stockholm 24:77, 465-469, 1995. In recent years the open-water cultivation of the red algae, Eucheuma spinosum ...
An assessment of marine pollution due to metals was made in the Suez Gulf based on surface costal... more An assessment of marine pollution due to metals was made in the Suez Gulf based on surface costal sediment collected from 18 locations along the Gulf. The samples were dried and acid-digested, and the metal contents (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were determined using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (airāacetylene) with deuterium background correction. An
Macroinvertebrates are essential components of the aquatic ecosystem, and their assemblages are i... more Macroinvertebrates are essential components of the aquatic ecosystem, and their assemblages are influenced by a variety of abiotic and biotic factors. The effects of water quality parameters on macroinvertebrate assemblages were studied in regulated and unregulated reaches of the Goulburn River, Australia. Analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) revealed significant differences in macroinvertebrate community compositions between river reaches and revealed that regulation plays a vital role in the composition of macroinvertebrates. SIMPER analysis was conducted to determine the contribution of each species to the average similarity between unregulated reach R1 and regulated reach R2, which is influenced by hydropeaking. The results show that Psephenidae, Eustheniidae, and Synthemistidae play a significant role in the observed differences between the two reaches. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and threshold indicator taxa analysis (TITAN) identified the water quality parameters and their associated indicator species, and the appropriate response threshold was determined. The results show that dissolved oxygen is the most important water quality parameter influencing macroinvertebrate community assemblage in unregulated reaches, whereas total suspended solids and ammonia nitrogen influenced community structure in regulated reaches. This research provides insight into the relative effects of water quality parameters on macroinvertebrate assemblages and their resilience to anthropogenic disturbance.Ā Ā Ā
Expense and the logistical difficulties with deploying scientific monitoring equipment are the bi... more Expense and the logistical difficulties with deploying scientific monitoring equipment are the biggest limitations to undertaking large scale monitoring of aquatic environments. The Smart Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Technologies (SEMAT) project is aimed at addressing this problem by creating an open standard for low-cost, near real-time, remote aquatic environmental monitoring systems. This paper presents the latest refinement of the SEMAT system in-line with the evolution of existing technologies, inexpensive sensors and environmental monitoring expectations. We provide a systems analysis and design of the SEMAT remote monitoring units and the back-end data management system. The systemās value is augmented through a unique e-waste recycling and repurposing model which engages/educates the community in the production of the SEMAT units using social enterprise. SEMAT serves as an open standard for the community to innovate around to further the state of play with low-cos...
The Science of the total environment, Jan 26, 2016
In a rapidly changing water resources system, dynamic models based on the notion of systems think... more In a rapidly changing water resources system, dynamic models based on the notion of systems thinking can serve as useful analytical tools for scientists and policy-makers to study changes in key system variables over time. In this paper, an integrated system dynamics simulation model was developed using a system dynamics modelling approach to examine the feedback processes and interaction between the population, the water resource, and the agricultural production sub-sectors of the Volta River Basin in West Africa. The objective of the model is to provide a learning tool for policy-makers to improve their understanding of the long-term dynamic behaviour of the basin, and as a decision support tool for exploring plausible policy scenarios necessary for sustainable water resource management and agricultural development. Structural and behavioural pattern tests, and statistical test were used to evaluate and validate the performance of the model. The results showed that the simulated o...
Abstract Environmental and natural resource management in Australia occurs at a regional scale wi... more Abstract Environmental and natural resource management in Australia occurs at a regional scale with many initiatives underpinned by an ecosystem services framework that aims to integrate economic, social and ecological values in decision-making. This research examines potential influences on value integration by identifying stakeholder perspectives for coastal ecosystem services using mangroves in south-east Queensland as a case study. The study site is one of Australia's fastest growing regions and exhibits a āhotbed of issuesā with institutional complexity in coastal areas where urban development is concentrated. Q-methodology was used to systematically study stakeholder perspectives on coastal ecosystem services and identify natural groupings between stakeholders with shared values. A total of 43 respondents representing nine stakeholder categories were interviewed. Factor analysis identified four perspectives that were labelled: (1) Green Infrastructure; (2) Recreational Opportunity and Well-being; (3) Sustaining Regional Industries and Communities; and (4) Coastal Living. The concept of ecosystem ābundlesā was conducive to analysing the range of services valued by different perspectives and highlighted stakeholder priorities that underpin demand for coastal ecosystem services. Stakeholder perspectives show potential to influence coastal policy according to the ecosystem service categories that are prioritised in decision-making and the saliency of the services to the stakeholder group. This research contributes to the field of coastal management where a lack of progress on āwell-documented problemsā partly stems from governance failure to capture and consider pluralistic values in decision-making and exacerbates conflict between contested views.
... He has specialized in seaweed and seagrass physiology in relation to pollution, and is also o... more ... He has specialized in seaweed and seagrass physiology in relation to pollution, and is also one of the coordinators of the bilateral SAREC Marine program between Sweden and Tanzania. ... TheStatus of the Coral Reefs of Zanzibar: One Example of a Regional ...
Abstract. The Semantic Reef project is an eco-informatics application that endeavours to combine ... more Abstract. The Semantic Reef project is an eco-informatics application that endeavours to combine multiple environmental datasets to test ecological hypotheses and derive information about environmental systems. The intention is to develop an automated data processing, problem-solving and knowledge discovery system to better understand and manage coral reef ecosystems. Remote environmental monitoring (including sensor networks) is being widely investigated and deployed for collecting real-time data across widely distributed areas. As the volume of raw data increases, it is envisaged that bottlenecks will develop in the data analysis phases, where current data processing procedures still involve manual manipulation that will soon become unfeasible to
... He has specialized in seaweed and seagrass physiology in relation to pollution, and is also o... more ... He has specialized in seaweed and seagrass physiology in relation to pollution, and is also one of the coordinators of the bilateral SAREC Marine program between Sweden and Tanzania. ... TheStatus of the Coral Reefs of Zanzibar: One Example of a Regional ...
Some environmental aspects of open water algal cultivation: Zanzibar, Tanzania. RW Johnstone, E O... more Some environmental aspects of open water algal cultivation: Zanzibar, Tanzania. RW Johnstone, E Olafsson Ambio. Stockholm 24:77, 465-469, 1995. In recent years the open-water cultivation of the red algae, Eucheuma spinosum ...
An assessment of marine pollution due to metals was made in the Suez Gulf based on surface costal... more An assessment of marine pollution due to metals was made in the Suez Gulf based on surface costal sediment collected from 18 locations along the Gulf. The samples were dried and acid-digested, and the metal contents (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were determined using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (airāacetylene) with deuterium background correction. An
Macroinvertebrates are essential components of the aquatic ecosystem, and their assemblages are i... more Macroinvertebrates are essential components of the aquatic ecosystem, and their assemblages are influenced by a variety of abiotic and biotic factors. The effects of water quality parameters on macroinvertebrate assemblages were studied in regulated and unregulated reaches of the Goulburn River, Australia. Analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) revealed significant differences in macroinvertebrate community compositions between river reaches and revealed that regulation plays a vital role in the composition of macroinvertebrates. SIMPER analysis was conducted to determine the contribution of each species to the average similarity between unregulated reach R1 and regulated reach R2, which is influenced by hydropeaking. The results show that Psephenidae, Eustheniidae, and Synthemistidae play a significant role in the observed differences between the two reaches. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and threshold indicator taxa analysis (TITAN) identified the water quality parameters and their associated indicator species, and the appropriate response threshold was determined. The results show that dissolved oxygen is the most important water quality parameter influencing macroinvertebrate community assemblage in unregulated reaches, whereas total suspended solids and ammonia nitrogen influenced community structure in regulated reaches. This research provides insight into the relative effects of water quality parameters on macroinvertebrate assemblages and their resilience to anthropogenic disturbance.Ā Ā Ā
Expense and the logistical difficulties with deploying scientific monitoring equipment are the bi... more Expense and the logistical difficulties with deploying scientific monitoring equipment are the biggest limitations to undertaking large scale monitoring of aquatic environments. The Smart Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Technologies (SEMAT) project is aimed at addressing this problem by creating an open standard for low-cost, near real-time, remote aquatic environmental monitoring systems. This paper presents the latest refinement of the SEMAT system in-line with the evolution of existing technologies, inexpensive sensors and environmental monitoring expectations. We provide a systems analysis and design of the SEMAT remote monitoring units and the back-end data management system. The systemās value is augmented through a unique e-waste recycling and repurposing model which engages/educates the community in the production of the SEMAT units using social enterprise. SEMAT serves as an open standard for the community to innovate around to further the state of play with low-cos...
The Science of the total environment, Jan 26, 2016
In a rapidly changing water resources system, dynamic models based on the notion of systems think... more In a rapidly changing water resources system, dynamic models based on the notion of systems thinking can serve as useful analytical tools for scientists and policy-makers to study changes in key system variables over time. In this paper, an integrated system dynamics simulation model was developed using a system dynamics modelling approach to examine the feedback processes and interaction between the population, the water resource, and the agricultural production sub-sectors of the Volta River Basin in West Africa. The objective of the model is to provide a learning tool for policy-makers to improve their understanding of the long-term dynamic behaviour of the basin, and as a decision support tool for exploring plausible policy scenarios necessary for sustainable water resource management and agricultural development. Structural and behavioural pattern tests, and statistical test were used to evaluate and validate the performance of the model. The results showed that the simulated o...
Abstract Environmental and natural resource management in Australia occurs at a regional scale wi... more Abstract Environmental and natural resource management in Australia occurs at a regional scale with many initiatives underpinned by an ecosystem services framework that aims to integrate economic, social and ecological values in decision-making. This research examines potential influences on value integration by identifying stakeholder perspectives for coastal ecosystem services using mangroves in south-east Queensland as a case study. The study site is one of Australia's fastest growing regions and exhibits a āhotbed of issuesā with institutional complexity in coastal areas where urban development is concentrated. Q-methodology was used to systematically study stakeholder perspectives on coastal ecosystem services and identify natural groupings between stakeholders with shared values. A total of 43 respondents representing nine stakeholder categories were interviewed. Factor analysis identified four perspectives that were labelled: (1) Green Infrastructure; (2) Recreational Opportunity and Well-being; (3) Sustaining Regional Industries and Communities; and (4) Coastal Living. The concept of ecosystem ābundlesā was conducive to analysing the range of services valued by different perspectives and highlighted stakeholder priorities that underpin demand for coastal ecosystem services. Stakeholder perspectives show potential to influence coastal policy according to the ecosystem service categories that are prioritised in decision-making and the saliency of the services to the stakeholder group. This research contributes to the field of coastal management where a lack of progress on āwell-documented problemsā partly stems from governance failure to capture and consider pluralistic values in decision-making and exacerbates conflict between contested views.
... He has specialized in seaweed and seagrass physiology in relation to pollution, and is also o... more ... He has specialized in seaweed and seagrass physiology in relation to pollution, and is also one of the coordinators of the bilateral SAREC Marine program between Sweden and Tanzania. ... TheStatus of the Coral Reefs of Zanzibar: One Example of a Regional ...
Abstract. The Semantic Reef project is an eco-informatics application that endeavours to combine ... more Abstract. The Semantic Reef project is an eco-informatics application that endeavours to combine multiple environmental datasets to test ecological hypotheses and derive information about environmental systems. The intention is to develop an automated data processing, problem-solving and knowledge discovery system to better understand and manage coral reef ecosystems. Remote environmental monitoring (including sensor networks) is being widely investigated and deployed for collecting real-time data across widely distributed areas. As the volume of raw data increases, it is envisaged that bottlenecks will develop in the data analysis phases, where current data processing procedures still involve manual manipulation that will soon become unfeasible to
... He has specialized in seaweed and seagrass physiology in relation to pollution, and is also o... more ... He has specialized in seaweed and seagrass physiology in relation to pollution, and is also one of the coordinators of the bilateral SAREC Marine program between Sweden and Tanzania. ... TheStatus of the Coral Reefs of Zanzibar: One Example of a Regional ...
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Papers by Ron W Johnstone