45 results on '"Hernandez, Rebecca R."'
Search Results
2. Vulnerability of avian populations to renewable energy production
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Conkling, Tara J, Zanden, Hannah B Vander, Allison, Taber D, Diffendorfer, Jay E, Dietsch, Thomas V, Duerr, Adam E, Fesnock, Amy L, Hernandez, Rebecca R, Loss, Scott R, Nelson, David M, Sanzenbacher, Peter M, Yee, Julie L, and Katzner, Todd E
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Biological Sciences ,Ecology ,Affordable and Clean Energy ,Climate Action ,solar ,wind ,bird populations ,wildlife mortality ,anthropogenic effects - Abstract
Renewable energy production can kill individual birds, but little is known about how it affects avian populations. We assessed the vulnerability of populations for 23 priority bird species killed at wind and solar facilities in California, USA. Bayesian hierarchical models suggested that 48% of these species were vulnerable to population-level effects from added fatalities caused by renewables and other sources. Effects of renewables extended far beyond the location of energy production to impact bird populations in distant regions across continental migration networks. Populations of species associated with grasslands where turbines were located were most vulnerable to wind. Populations of nocturnal migrant species were most vulnerable to solar, despite not typically being associated with deserts where the solar facilities we evaluated were located. Our findings indicate that addressing declines of North American bird populations requires consideration of the effects of renewables and other anthropogenic threats on both nearby and distant populations of vulnerable species.
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- 2022
3. Land-use intensity of electricity production and tomorrow’s energy landscape
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Lovering, Jessica, Swain, Marian, Blomqvist, Linus, and Hernandez, Rebecca R
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Environmental Sciences ,Environmental Management ,Life on Land ,Affordable and Clean Energy ,Agriculture ,Biomass ,Carbon ,Carbon Dioxide ,Electricity ,General Science & Technology - Abstract
The global energy system has a relatively small land footprint at present, comprising just 0.4% of ice-free land. This pales in comparison to agricultural land use- 30-38% of ice-free land-yet future low-carbon energy systems that shift to more extensive technologies could dramatically alter landscapes around the globe. The challenge is more acute given the projected doubling of global energy consumption by 2050 and widespread electrification of transportation and industry. Yet unlike greenhouse gas emissions, land use intensity of energy has been rarely studied in a rigorous way. Here we calculate land-use intensity of energy (LUIE) for real-world sites across all major sources of electricity, integrating data from published literature, databases, and original data collection. We find a range of LUIE that span four orders of magnitude, from nuclear with 7.1 ha/TWh/y to dedicated biomass at 58,000 ha/TWh/y. By applying these LUIE results to the future electricity portfolios of ten energy scenarios, we conclude that land use could become a significant constraint on deep decarbonization of the power system, yet low-carbon, land-efficient options are available.
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- 2022
4. A systematic global stocktake of evidence on human adaptation to climate change
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Berrang-Ford, Lea, Siders, AR, Lesnikowski, Alexandra, Fischer, Alexandra Paige, Callaghan, Max W, Haddaway, Neal R, Mach, Katharine J, Araos, Malcolm, Shah, Mohammad Aminur Rahman, Wannewitz, Mia, Doshi, Deepal, Leiter, Timo, Matavel, Custodio, Musah-Surugu, Justice Issah, Wong-Parodi, Gabrielle, Antwi-Agyei, Philip, Ajibade, Idowu, Chauhan, Neha, Kakenmaster, William, Grady, Caitlin, Chalastani, Vasiliki I, Jagannathan, Kripa, Galappaththi, Eranga K, Sitati, Asha, Scarpa, Giulia, Totin, Edmond, Davis, Katy, Hamilton, Nikita Charles, Kirchhoff, Christine J, Kumar, Praveen, Pentz, Brian, Simpson, Nicholas P, Theokritoff, Emily, Deryng, Delphine, Reckien, Diana, Zavaleta-Cortijo, Carol, Ulibarri, Nicola, Segnon, Alcade C, Khavhagali, Vhalinavho, Shang, Yuanyuan, Zvobgo, Luckson, Zommers, Zinta, Xu, Jiren, Williams, Portia Adade, Canosa, Ivan Villaverde, van Maanen, Nicole, van Bavel, Bianca, van Aalst, Maarten, Turek-Hankins, Lynée L, Trivedi, Hasti, Trisos, Christopher H, Thomas, Adelle, Thakur, Shinny, Templeman, Sienna, Stringer, Lindsay C, Sotnik, Garry, Sjostrom, Kathryn Dana, Singh, Chandni, Siña, Mariella Z, Shukla, Roopam, Sardans, Jordi, Salubi, Eunice A, Safaee Chalkasra, Lolita Shaila, Ruiz-Díaz, Raquel, Richards, Carys, Pokharel, Pratik, Petzold, Jan, Penuelas, Josep, Pelaez Avila, Julia, Murillo, Julia B Pazmino, Ouni, Souha, Niemann, Jennifer, Nielsen, Miriam, New, Mark, Nayna Schwerdtle, Patricia, Nagle Alverio, Gabriela, Mullin, Cristina A, Mullenite, Joshua, Mosurska, Anuszka, Morecroft, Mike D, Minx, Jan C, Maskell, Gina, Nunbogu, Abraham Marshall, Magnan, Alexandre K, Lwasa, Shuaib, Lukas-Sithole, Megan, Lissner, Tabea, Lilford, Oliver, Koller, Steven F, Jurjonas, Matthew, Joe, Elphin Tom, Huynh, Lam TM, Hill, Avery, Hernandez, Rebecca R, Hegde, Greeshma, Hawxwell, Tom, Harper, Sherilee, Harden, Alexandra, Haasnoot, Marjolijn, and Gilmore, Elisabeth A
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Climate Action ,Atmospheric Sciences ,Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience ,Environmental Science and Management - Abstract
Assessing global progress on human adaptation to climate change is an urgent priority. Although the literature on adaptation to climate change is rapidly expanding, little is known about the actual extent of implementation. We systematically screened >48,000 articles using machine learning methods and a global network of 126 researchers. Our synthesis of the resulting 1,682 articles presents a systematic and comprehensive global stocktake of implemented human adaptation to climate change. Documented adaptations were largely fragmented, local and incremental, with limited evidence of transformational adaptation and negligible evidence of risk reduction outcomes. We identify eight priorities for global adaptation research: assess the effectiveness of adaptation responses, enhance the understanding of limits to adaptation, enable individuals and civil society to adapt, include missing places, scholars and scholarship, understand private sector responses, improve methods for synthesizing different forms of evidence, assess the adaptation at different temperature thresholds, and improve the inclusion of timescale and the dynamics of responses.
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- 2021
5. Microhabitats associated with solar energy development alter demography of two desert annuals.
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Tanner, Karen E, Moore-O'Leary, Kara A, Parker, Ingrid M, Pavlik, Bruce M, Haji, Sophia, and Hernandez, Rebecca R
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Asteraceae ,Seeds ,Ecosystem ,Solar Energy ,Desert Climate ,Population Dynamics ,California ,Mojave Desert ,annual plants ,aridland ecosystems ,demography ,matrix model ,population dynamics ,rare species ,renewable energy ,seed bank ,solar panel ,Environmental Sciences ,Biological Sciences ,Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences ,Ecology - Abstract
Political and economic initiatives intended to increase energy production while reducing carbon emissions are driving demand for solar energy. Consequently, desert regions are now targeted for development of large-scale photovoltaic solar energy facilities. Where vegetation communities are left intact or restored within facilities, ground-mounted infrastructure may have negative impacts on desert-adapted plants because it creates novel rainfall runoff and shade conditions. We used experimental solar arrays in the Mojave Desert to test how these altered conditions affect population dynamics for a closely related pair of native annual plants: rare Eriophyllum mohavense and common E. wallacei. We estimated aboveground demographic rates (seedling emergence, survivorship, and fecundity) over 7 yr and used seed bank survival rates from a concurrent study to build matrix models of population growth in three experimental microhabitats. In drier years, shade tended to reduce survival of the common species, but increase survival of the rare species. In a wet year, runoff from panels tended to increase seed output for both species. Population growth projections from microhabitat-specific matrix models showed stronger effects of microhabitat under wetter conditions, and relatively little effect under dry conditions (lack of rainfall was an overwhelming constraint). Performance patterns across microhabitats in the wettest year differed between rare and common species. Projected growth of E. mohavense was substantially reduced in shade, mediated by negative effects on aboveground demographic rates. Hence, the rare species were more susceptible to negative effects of panel infrastructure in wet years that are critical to seed bank replenishment. Our results suggest that altered shade and water runoff regimes associated with energy infrastructure will have differential effects on demographic transitions across annual species and drive population-level processes that determine local abundance, resilience, and persistence.
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- 2021
6. Simulated Photovoltaic Solar Panels Alter the Seed Bank Survival of Two Desert Annual Plant Species.
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Hernandez, Rebecca R, Tanner, Karen E, Haji, Sophia, Parker, Ingrid M, Pavlik, Bruce M, and Moore-O'Leary, Kara A
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disturbance ,drylands ,photovoltaic ,plant community ,plant traits ,rare species ,renewable energy ,seed banks ,seed traits ,solar energy - Abstract
Seed bank survival underpins plant population persistence but studies on seed bank trait-environment interactions are few. Changes in environmental conditions relevant to seed banks occur in desert ecosystems owing to solar energy development. We developed a conceptual model of seed bank survival to complement methodologies using in-situ seed bank packets. Using this framework, we quantified the seed bank survival of two closely related annual desert plant species, one rare (Eriophyllum mohavense) and one common (Eriophyllum wallacei), and the seed bank-environment interactions of these two species in the Mojave Desert within a system that emulates microhabitat variation associated with solar energy development. We tracked 4860 seeds buried across 540 seed packets and found, averaged across both species, that seed bank survival was 21% and 6% for the first and second growing seasons, respectively. After two growing seasons, the rare annual had a significantly greater seed bank survival (10%) than the common annual (2%). Seed bank survival across both species was significantly greater in shade (10%) microhabitats compared to runoff (5%) and control microhabitats (3%). Our study proffers insight into this early life-stage across rare and common congeners and their environmental interactions using a novel conceptual framework for seed bank survival.
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- 2020
7. Her Majesty’s Desert Throne: The Ecology of Queen Butterfly Oviposition on Mojave Milkweed Host Plants
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Grodsky, Steven M, Saul-Gershenz, Leslie S, Moore-O’Leary, Kara A, and Hernandez, Rebecca R
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Biological Sciences ,Ecology ,Life on Land ,Danaus ,host plant ,insect-plant interactions ,Mojave Desert ,Mojave milkweed ,oviposition ,queen butterfly ,insect–plant interactions ,Zoology - Abstract
Butterfly-host plant relationships can inform our understanding of ecological and trophic interactions that contribute to ecosystem function, resiliency, and services. The ecology of danaid-milkweed (Apocynaceae) host plant interactions has been studied in several biomes but is neglected in deserts. Our objective was to determine effects of plant traits, seasonality, and landscape-level host plant availability on selection of Mojave milkweed (Asclepias nyctaginifolia A. Gray) by ovipositing monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippusplexippus) and queen butterflies (Danaus gilippus thersippus) in the Californian Mojave Desert. We surveyed all known Mojave milkweed locations in the Ivanpah Valley, California (n = 419) during early, mid-, and late spring in 2017. For each survey, we counted monarch and queen butterfly eggs on each Mojave milkweed plant. We also measured canopy cover, height, volume, and reproductive stage of each Mojave milkweed plant. We counted a total of 276 queen butterfly eggs and zero monarch butterfly eggs on Mojave milkweed host plants. We determined that count of queen butterfly eggs significantly increased with increasing Mojave milkweed canopy cover. Additionally, count of queen butterfly eggs was: (1) greater on adult Mojave milkweed plants than on juvenile and seedling plants and greater on juvenile Mojave milkweed plants than on seedling plants; and (2) greater during early spring than mid-spring-we recorded no eggs during late spring. Based on aggregation indices, queen butterfly eggs occurred on Mojave milkweed plants in a nonrandom, clustered pattern throughout the Ivanpah Valley. We provide the first evidence of trophic interactions between queen butterflies and Mojave milkweed at multiple spatial scales in the Mojave Desert, suggesting that conservation and management practices for both species should be implemented concurrently. Given its role as an herbivore, pollinator and prey, the queen butterfly may serve as a model organism for understanding effects of anthropogenic disturbance (e.g., solar energy development) on "bottom-up" and trophic interactions among soils, plants and animals in desert ecosystems.
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- 2020
8. Ecology of the Western Queen Butterfly Danaus gilippus thersippus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts
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Saul-Gershenz, Leslie, Grodsky, Steven M, and Hernandez, Rebecca R
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Biological Sciences ,Ecology ,citizen science ,Danaus gilippus thersippus ,iNaturalist ,queen butterfly ,milkweed ,Asclepias ,pyrrolizidine alkaloids ,Mojave Desert ,monarch butterfly ,Sonoran Desert ,citizen science ,Danaus gilippus thersippus ,Zoology - Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the ecological knowledge surrounding the western queen butterfly, Danaus gilippus thersippus (H. Bates). Specifically, our objectives were to synthesize existing data and knowledge on the ecology of the queen and use results of this assessment to inform the direction of future research on this understudied species. We identified six core areas for assessment: distribution, the biodiversity of plant resources, western queen and their host plant phenology, chemical ecology, and four key life history traits. We mapped the distribution of D. g. thersippus from museum specimen records, citizen science (e.g., iNaturalist) and image sharing app-based observations, along with other observational data enumerating all current known plant resources and long-range movements. We assembled 14 larval food plants, six pyrrolizidine alkaloids plants and six nectar plants distributed in the western Mojave and Sonoran Desert regions of the United States and Baja California. We report on its phenology and its long-range movement. Butterfly species have declined across the western US, and western monarch populations have declined by 97%. Danaus g. thersippus has received little research attention compared with its famous congener D. plexippus L. Danaus g. thersippus' desert distribution may be at its temperature limits for the species distribution and for its rare host plant Asclepias nyctaginifolia.
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- 2020
9. Floating solar panels on reservoirs impact phytoplankton populations: A modelling experiment
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Exley, Giles, Page, Trevor, Thackeray, Stephen J., Folkard, Andrew M., Couture, Raoul-Marie, Hernandez, Rebecca R., Cagle, Alexander E., Salk, Kateri R., Clous, Lucie, Whittaker, Peet, Chipps, Michael, and Armstrong, Alona
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- 2022
- Full Text
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10. Techno–ecological synergies of solar energy for global sustainability
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Hernandez, Rebecca R, Armstrong, Alona, Burney, Jennifer, Ryan, Greer, Moore-O’Leary, Kara, Diédhiou, Ibrahima, Grodsky, Steven M, Saul-Gershenz, Leslie, Davis, Rob, Macknick, Jordan, Mulvaney, Dustin, Heath, Garvin A, Easter, Shane B, Hoffacker, Madison K, Allen, Michael F, and Kammen, Daniel M
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Affordable and Clean Energy - Abstract
The strategic engineering of solar energy technologies—from individual rooftop modules to large solar energy power plants—can confer significant synergistic outcomes across industrial and ecological boundaries. Here, we propose techno–ecological synergy (TES), a framework for engineering mutually beneficial relationships between technological and ecological systems, as an approach to augment the sustainability of solar energy across a diverse suite of recipient environments, including land, food, water, and built-up systems. We provide a conceptual model and framework to describe 16 TESs of solar energy and characterize 20 potential techno–ecological synergistic outcomes of their use. For each solar energy TES, we also introduce metrics and illustrative assessments to demonstrate techno–ecological potential across multiple dimensions. The numerous applications of TES to solar energy technologies are unique among energy systems and represent a powerful frontier in sustainable engineering to minimize unintended consequences on nature associated with a rapid energy transition.
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- 2019
11. Climate change and California's terrestrial biodiversity.
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Harrison, Susan, Franklin, Janet, Hernandez, Rebecca R., Makihiko Ikegami, Safford, Hugh D., and Thorne, James H.
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PLANT diversity ,CLIMATE change mitigation ,ENERGY development ,BIODIVERSITY conservation ,RENEWABLE energy sources ,FIRE management - Abstract
In this review and synthesis, we argue that California is an important test case for the nation and world because terrestrial biodiversity is very high, present and anticipated threats to biodiversity from climate change and other interacting stressors are severe, and innovative approaches to protecting biodiversity in the context of climate change are being developed and tested. We first review salient dimensions of California's terrestrial physical, biological, and human diversity. Next, we examine four facets of the threat to their sustainability of these dimensions posed by climate change: direct impacts, illustrated by a new analysis of shifting diversity hotspots for plants; interactive effects involving invasive species, land-use change, and other stressors; the impacts of changing fire regimes; and the impacts of land-based renewable energy development. We examine recent policy responses in each of these areas, representing attempts to better protect biodiversity while advancing climate adaptation and mitigation. We conclude that California's ambitious 30 × 30 Initiative and its efforts to harmonize biodiversity conservation with renewable energy development are important areas of progress. Adapting traditional suppression-oriented fire policies to the reality of new fire regimes is an area in which much progress remains to be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
12. Ground-mounted photovoltaic solar parks promote land surface cool islands in arid ecosystems
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Guoqing, Li, Hernandez, Rebecca R, Blackburn, George Alan, Davies, Gemma, Hunt, Merryn, Whyatt, James Duncan, and Armstrong, Alona
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- 2021
- Full Text
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13. Skills and Knowledge for Data-Intensive Environmental Research
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Hampton, Stephanie E, Jones, Matthew B, Wasser, Leah A, Schildhauer, Mark P, Supp, Sarah R, Brun, Julien, Hernandez, Rebecca R, Boettiger, Carl, Collins, Scott L, Gross, Louis J, Fernández, Denny S, Budden, Amber, White, Ethan P, Teal, Tracy K, Labou, Stephanie G, and Aukema, Juliann E
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Networking and Information Technology R&D (NITRD) ,ecology ,informatics ,data management ,workforce development ,computing ,Environmental Sciences ,Biological Sciences ,Ecology - Abstract
The scale and magnitude of complex and pressing environmental issues lend urgency to the need for integrative and reproducible analysis and synthesis, facilitated by data-intensive research approaches. However, the recent pace of technological change has been such that appropriate skills to accomplish data-intensive research are lacking among environmental scientists, who more than ever need greater access to training and mentorship in computational skills. Here, we provide a roadmap for raising data competencies of current and next-generation environmental researchers by describing the concepts and skills needed for effectively engaging with the heterogeneous, distributed, and rapidly growing volumes of available data. We articulate five key skills: (1) data management and processing, (2) analysis, (3) software skills for science, (4) visualization, and (5) communication methods for collaboration and dissemination. We provide an overview of the current suite of training initiatives available to environmental scientists and models for closing the skill-transfer gap.
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- 2017
14. Solar energy development impacts on land cover change and protected areas
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Hernandez, Rebecca R, Hoffacker, Madison K, Murphy-Mariscal, Michelle L, Wu, Grace C, and Allen, Michael F
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Environmental Sciences ,Environmental Management ,Life on Land ,Affordable and Clean Energy ,Animals ,California ,Conservation of Natural Resources ,Ecosystem ,Endangered Species ,Geography ,Humans ,Models ,Theoretical ,Solar Energy ,concentrating solar power ,conservation ,greenhouse gas emissions ,land use ,photovoltaics - Abstract
Decisions determining the use of land for energy are of exigent concern as land scarcity, the need for ecosystem services, and demands for energy generation have concomitantly increased globally. Utility-scale solar energy (USSE) [i.e., ≥ 1 megawatt (MW)] development requires large quantities of space and land; however, studies quantifying the effect of USSE on land cover change and protected areas are limited. We assessed siting impacts of >160 USSE installations by technology type [photovoltaic (PV) vs. concentrating solar power (CSP)], area (in square kilometers), and capacity (in MW) within the global solar hot spot of the state of California (United States). Additionally, we used the Carnegie Energy and Environmental Compatibility model, a multiple criteria model, to quantify each installation according to environmental and technical compatibility. Last, we evaluated installations according to their proximity to protected areas, including inventoried roadless areas, endangered and threatened species habitat, and federally protected areas. We found the plurality of USSE (6,995 MW) in California is sited in shrublands and scrublands, comprising 375 km(2) of land cover change. Twenty-eight percent of USSE installations are located in croplands and pastures, comprising 155 km(2) of change. Less than 15% of USSE installations are sited in "Compatible" areas. The majority of "Incompatible" USSE power plants are sited far from existing transmission infrastructure, and all USSE installations average at most 7 and 5 km from protected areas, for PV and CSP, respectively. Where energy, food, and conservation goals intersect, environmental compatibility can be achieved when resource opportunities, constraints, and trade-offs are integrated into siting decisions.
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- 2015
15. The native shrub, Piliostigma reticulatum, as an ecological “resource island” for mango trees in the Sahel
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Hernandez, Rebecca R, Debenport, Spencer J, Leewis, Mary-Cathrine CE, Ndoye, Fatou, K., Inès E Nkenmogne, Soumare, Abdoulaye, Thuita, Moses, Gueye, Mariama, Miambi, Edouard, Chapuis-Lardy, Lydie, Diedhiou, Ibrahima, and Dick, Richard P
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Agricultural ,Veterinary and Food Sciences ,Environmental Sciences ,Human Society ,Agroforestry ,Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi ,Enzymes ,Fertility island ,Mangifera sp. ,Microbial ecology ,Microbial biomass ,Piliostigma reticulatum ,Shrub-crop interactions ,Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences ,Studies in Human Society ,Agronomy & Agriculture ,Agricultural ,veterinary and food sciences ,Environmental sciences ,Human society - Abstract
African farmers are increasingly adopting sustainable agricultural practices including use of native shrub intercropping approaches. In one village of Sénégal (near Thiès) it was reported that farmers planted mango (Mangifera indica) seedlings within the canopies of a native shrub (Piliostigma reticulatum). Anecdotal information and qualitative observations suggested that the presence of P. reticulatum promoted soil quality and a competitive advantage for establishing mango plantations. We hypothesized that soil chemical and microbial properties of mango rhizosphere soil growing in the presence of P. reticulatum would be significantly improved over soils associated with mango growing outside the influence of P. reticulatum. The results showed that mango-shrub interplanting significantly lowered pH, and increased arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonization of mango roots, enzyme activities, and microbial biomass compared to mango alone. Phylogenetic analyses by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed that community structures of fungi, bacteria, and bacterial genes responsible for denitrification (nirK) of the soil from the rooting zone of the mango-shrub intercropping system were distinct from all other soil outside the influence of P. reticulatum. It is concluded that P. reticulatum enhances soil biological functioning and that there is a synergistic effect of intercropping mango with the native shrub, P. reticulatum, in soil quality with a more diverse community, greater AMF infection rates, and greater potential to perform decomposition and mineralize nutrients.
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- 2015
16. The Intertwined Renewable Energy–Water–Environment (REWE) Nexus Challenges and Opportunities: A Case Study of California
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Jafarinejad, Shahryar, primary, Hernandez, Rebecca R., additional, Bigham, Sajjad, additional, and Beckingham, Bryan S., additional
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- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
17. Diurnal patterns of productivity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi revealed with the Soil Ecosystem Observatory
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Hernandez, Rebecca R and Allen, Michael F
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Microbiology ,Plant Biology ,Biological Sciences ,Ecology ,Life on Land ,Artemisia ,Biomass ,Bromus ,California ,Circadian Rhythm ,Ecosystem ,Eriogonum ,Glomeromycota ,Hyphae ,Models ,Theoretical ,Mycorrhizae ,Observation ,Plant Roots ,Pteridium ,Software ,Soil ,Symbiosis ,Temperature ,environmental sensors ,extra-radical hyphae ,plant-fungus ,soil organic matter ,soil temperature ,symbiosis ,Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences ,Plant Biology & Botany ,Plant biology ,Climate change impacts and adaptation ,Ecological applications - Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are the most abundant plant symbiont and a major pathway of carbon sequestration in soils. However, their basic biology, including their activity throughout a 24-h day : night cycle, remains unknown. We employed the in situ Soil Ecosystem Observatory to quantify the rates of diurnal growth, dieback and net productivity of extra-radical AM fungi. AM fungal hyphae showed significantly different rates of growth and dieback over a period of 24 h and paralleled the circadian-driven photosynthetic oscillations observed in plants. The greatest rates (and incidences) of growth and dieback occurred between noon and 18:00 h. Growth and dieback events often occurred simultaneously and were tightly coupled with soil temperature and moisture, suggesting a rapid acclimation of the external phase of AM fungi to the immediate environment. Changes in the environmental conditions and variability of the mycorrhizosphere may alter the diurnal patterns of productivity of AM fungi, thereby modifying soil carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling and host plant success.
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- 2013
18. California—Where Two Worlds Collided : The Arising Researcher
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Hernandez, Rebecca R.
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- 2016
19. Standardized metrics to quantify solar energy-land relationships:A global systematic review
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Cagle, Alexander E., Shepherd, Morgan, Grodsky, Steven M., Armstrong, Alona, Jordaan, Sarah M., Hernandez, Rebecca R., Cagle, Alexander E., Shepherd, Morgan, Grodsky, Steven M., Armstrong, Alona, Jordaan, Sarah M., and Hernandez, Rebecca R.
- Abstract
Ground-mounted solar energy installations, including photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP), can have significant environmental, ecological, and sociocultural effects via land-use and land-cover change (LULCC). Research in disciplines ranging from engineering to environmental policy seeks to quantify solar energy-land (SE-land) interactions to better understand the comprehensive impacts of solar energy installations on society. However, increasing evidence shows that scholars across research disciplines employ disparate metrics to quantify SE-land interactions. While solar energy deployment helps to achieve progress toward sustainable development goals (SDG 7- affordable and clean energy), the inconsistent use of metrics to describe SE-land interactions may inhibit the understanding of the total environmental and ecological impacts of solar energy installations, potentially causing barriers to achieve concurrent SDG's such as life on land (SDG 15). We systematically reviewed 608 sources on SE-land relationships globally to identify and assess the most frequent metric terms and units used in published studies. In total, we identified 51 unique metric terms and 34 different units of measure describing SE-land relationships across 18 countries of author origin. We organized these findings into three distinct metric categories: (1) capacity-based (i.e., nominal), (2) generation-based, and (3) human population-based. We used the most frequently reported terms and units in each category to inform a standardized suite of metrics, which are: land-use efficiency (W/m2), annual and lifetime land transformation (m2/Wh), and solar footprint (m2/capita). This framework can facilitate greater consistency in the reporting of SE-land metrics and improved capacity for comparison and aggregations of trends, including SE-land modeling projections. Our study addresses the need for standardization while acknowledging the role for future methodological advancements. The r
- Published
- 2023
20. Standardized metrics to quantify solar energy-land relationships: A global systematic review
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Cagle, Alexander E., primary, Shepherd, Morgan, additional, Grodsky, Steven M., additional, Armstrong, Alona, additional, Jordaan, Sarah M., additional, and Hernandez, Rebecca R., additional
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- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
21. Of Mojave milkweed and mirrors: The population genomic structure of a species impacted by solar energy development.
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Wade, Miranda J., Moore‐O'Leary, Kara, Grodsky, Steven M., Hernandez, Rebecca R., and Meek, Mariah H.
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ENERGY development ,SOLAR energy ,SOLAR power plants ,POPULATION viability analysis ,RENEWABLE energy transition (Government policy) ,MILKWEEDS ,CATTLE breeds ,CONSERVATION easements - Abstract
A rapid renewable energy transition has facilitated the development of large, ground‐mounted solar energy facilities worldwide. Deserts, and other sensitive aridland ecosystems, are the second most common land‐cover type for solar energy development globally. Thus, it is necessary to understand existing diversity within environmentally sensitive desert plant populations to understand spatiotemporal effects of solar energy siting and design. Overall, few population genomic studies of desert plants exist, and much of their biology is unknown. To help fill this knowledge gap, we sampled Mojave milkweed (Asclepias nyctaginifolia) in and around the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Station (ISEGS) in the Mojave Desert of California to understand the species' population structure, standing genetic variation, and how that intersects with solar development. We performed Restriction‐site Associated Sequencing (RADseq) and discovered 9942 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Using these data, we found clear population structure over small spatial scales, suggesting each site sampled comprised a genetically distinct population of Mojave milkweed. While mowing, in lieu of blading, the vegetation across the solar energy facility's footprint prevented the immediate loss of the ISEGS Mojave milkweed population, we show that the effects of land‐cover change, especially those impacting desert washes, may impact long‐term genetic diversity and persistence. Potential implications of this include a risk of overall loss of genetic diversity, or even hastened extirpation. These findings highlight the need to consider the genetic diversity of impacted species when predicting the impact and necessary conservation measures of large‐scale land‐cover changes on species with small population sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
- Full Text
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22. Life cycle impacts of concentrated solar power generation on land resources and soil carbon losses in the United States
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Rangarajan, Shreya, primary, Hernandez, Rebecca R., additional, and Jordaan, Sarah M., additional
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- 2022
- Full Text
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23. Advanced Technologies and Data Management Practices in Environmental Science: Lessons from Academia
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Hernandez, Rebecca R., Mayernik, Matthew S., and Murphy-Mariscal, Michelle L.
- Abstract
Environmental scientists are increasing their capitalization on advancements in technology, computation, and data management. However, the extent of that capitalization is unknown. We analyzed the survey responses of 434 graduate students to evaluate the understanding and use of such advances in the environmental sciences. Two-thirds of the students had not taken courses related to information science and the analysis of complex data. Seventy-four percent of the students reported no skill in programming languages or computational applications. Of the students who had completed research projects, 26% had created metadata for research data sets, and 29% had archived their data so that it was available online. One-third of these students used an environmental sensor. The results differed according to the students' research status, degree type, and university type. Changes may be necessary in the curricula of university programs that seek to prepare environmental scientists for this technologically advanced and data-intensive age.
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- 2012
- Full Text
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24. Comments on: Land use for United States power generation: A critical review of existing metrics with suggestions for going forward (Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2021; 143: 110911)
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Hernandez, Rebecca R., Cagle, Alexander E., Grodsky, Steven M., Exley, Giles, Jordaan, Sarah M., Hernandez, Rebecca R., Cagle, Alexander E., Grodsky, Steven M., Exley, Giles, and Jordaan, Sarah M.
- Abstract
Highlights • Wachs and Engel (2021) report outcomes describing energy-land relationships. • The methodological approaches in Wachs and Engel (2021) are absent. • Results presented in Wachs and Engel (2021) should be considered with caution. • Literature reviews and analyses on land-energy relationships should be rigorous. • Fair and open standardization of metrics for land-energy relationships are needed.
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- 2022
25. Floating solar interactions with water bodies under climate warming
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Exley, Giles, Page, Trevor, Folkard, Andrew M., Thackeray, Stephen J, Hernandez, Rebecca R., Armstrong, Alona, Exley, Giles, Page, Trevor, Folkard, Andrew M., Thackeray, Stephen J, Hernandez, Rebecca R., and Armstrong, Alona
- Abstract
Floating solar photovoltaics (FPV) are deployed on aquatic systems worldwide as an alternative to ground- and roof-mounted installations. FPV installations represent a considerable water surface transformation, and the consequent threats and opportunities for hosting aquatic systems are poorly understood. Moreover, we must consider any impacts within the context of a changing climate, given FPV operational lifetimes. Impacts on aquatic systems may be significant given that FPV can perturb two key drivers of water body function - wind shear stress and solar radiation intensity. The potential impacts of changes on water body function are wide-ranging. For example, FPV may beneficially reduce the occurrence of nuisance algal blooms or could detrimentally lead to anoxic conditions, leading to the release of heavy metals from bed sediments. However, impacts are likely to be highly water body-specific, dependent on deployment configuration and be contingent on future climate conditions. To better understand FPV effects on aquatic ecosystem processes, which underpin ecosystem services, we extended an existing lake model to simulate FPV installations under future climate scenarios on a UK reservoir. We examined plausible changes to a range of meteorological variables, water temperatures, reservoir inflow and depth. We found that FPV alters key water quality properties, including water temperature and phytoplankton community composition. Depending on the conditions, the implications are positive or negative. Our analysis shows that FPV can partially mitigate the impacts of climate change by reducing water temperature. The extended lake model will help inform policymakers and practitioners on best practices for deploying FPV, minimising detrimental impacts and maximising co-benefits.
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- 2022
26. Environmental impacts of floating solar photovoltaics on their host water bodies : Opportunities and risks
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Exley, Giles, Armstrong, Alona, Folkard, Andrew, Hernandez, Rebecca R, Jones, Ian, Page, Trevor, Thackeray, Stephen, Exley, Giles, Armstrong, Alona, Folkard, Andrew, Hernandez, Rebecca R, Jones, Ian, Page, Trevor, and Thackeray, Stephen
- Abstract
Freshwater ecosystems provide services that are essential for human survival. However, as the energy system is decarbonised, the surfaces of inland water bodies are increasingly being transformed to host floating solar photovoltaics (FPV). Water bodies are favoured over conventional ground and rooftop solar PV installations as they conserve limited land resources and provide higher electricity generation efficiencies. However, FPV represents a new stressor to water bodies. The permanent shading and sheltering effects of FPV arrays at the water’s surface pose potential impacts to the functioning of the water environment. To date, impacts on the host environment, both the opportunities and risks, are poorly resolved, in the context of present and future climates. This thesis synthesises scientific and stakeholder knowledge from an evidence review and stakeholder engagement to define modelling experiments that investigate the opportunities and threats of FPV installations and aims to inform best practices and future management decisions. Results reveal the effect of FPV on the water environment scales with coverage extent and siting location. Typically, FPV cools water temperatures, reduces stratification duration, and limits the growth of phytoplankton, with higher coverage leading to greater magnitude changes. Given these physical and biological changes, FPV may have the potential to reduce or offset some of the impacts of climate warming on water bodies, depending on FPV coverage and future emissions concentrations. The results suggest that FPV could be an effective tool for managing water bodies by improving water quality and enhancing ecosystem services. However, host water body response will be highly specific to siting location and coverage of FPV installations. Failing to understand the impacts of a specific FPV installation on the host water body could result in undesirable ecosystem impacts, curtailing this technology’s deployment and slowing the net-zero ene
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- 2022
27. Supplementary Materials from Vulnerability of avian populations to renewable energy production
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Conkling, Tara J., Vander Zanden, Hannah B., Allison, Taber D., Diffendorfer, Jay E., Dietsch, Thomas V., Duerr, Adam E., Fesnock, Amy L., Hernandez, Rebecca R., Loss, Scott R., Nelson, David M., Sanzenbacher, Peter M., Yee, Julie L., and Katzner, Todd E.
- Abstract
Word document (.docx) containing Supplementary Text, Figures S1 – S10, Tables S1 – S7, and References included in Supplementary Text.
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- 2022
- Full Text
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28. Disturbance of biological soil crust increases emergence of exotic vascular plants in California sage scrub
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Hernandez, Rebecca R. and Sandquist, Darren R.
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- 2011
29. Ground-mounted photovoltaic solar parks promote land surface cool islands in arid ecosystems
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Li, Guoqing, Hernandez, Rebecca R., Blackburn, Alan, Davies, Gemma, Hunt, Merryn, Whyatt, Duncan, Armstrong, Alona, Li, Guoqing, Hernandez, Rebecca R., Blackburn, Alan, Davies, Gemma, Hunt, Merryn, Whyatt, Duncan, and Armstrong, Alona
- Abstract
Despite the growth rates of photovoltaic solar parks, their potential to alter land surface temperature remains unclear. Yet, resolving temperature impacts is pivotal to understanding the implications for ecosystem function, and the consequences for society due to perturbations to ecosystem service supply and natural capital stores. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate the existence of a solar park land surface temperature cool island effect that extends beyond the solar park boundary, using Landsat satellite imagery. The cool island effect was quantified for two large ground-mounted solar parks, Longyangxia (850 megawatts) in China and Stateline (300 megawatts) in the United States of America, where the effect was confirmed using field-based measurements. At both sites, the cooling extended up to 730 m away from the solar park boundary with localized reductions in LST of up to 2.3 °C. These cool islands could affect large areas of the land surface as solar parks proliferate across the world, with notable positive or negative impacts on ecosystem function. Given the potential implications for ecosystem processes, including carbon feedbacks to climate change and the carbon intensity of the electricity produced, improved understanding of solar park LST impacts is required. Specifically, this knowledge is needed to inform the development of sustainable land use and energy policies considering the rapid growth of solar park developments.
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- 2021
30. Floating Futures:Can Floating Solar Photovoltaics Deliver Clean Electricity And Enhance Water Quality?
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Exley, Giles, Hernandez, Rebecca R., Page, Trevor, Folkard, Andrew, Thackeray, Stephen J., Armstrong, Alona, Exley, Giles, Hernandez, Rebecca R., Page, Trevor, Folkard, Andrew, Thackeray, Stephen J., and Armstrong, Alona
- Abstract
Floating solar photovoltaics (FPV) are an emerging form of solar energy installation, with systems deployed on water bodies worldwide. The rate of deployment has increased in recent years as the drive to decarbonise the energy mix intensifies. FPVs could interact favourably or detrimentally with the provision of freshwater ecosystem services with implications for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, potential co-benefits and threats are poorly resolved, posing a barrier to future deployments and a potential threat to freshwater ecosystem services on which society relies. There is scope to use FPVs as a means to manage water quality, in addition to providing low carbon electricity. To enable the response of individual water bodies to be assessed quantitatively, we simulated the effects of FPVs on water body process and function using a case study water body within the UK. We found water body response to a FPV was contingent on siting location on the water body, with modifications to lake thermal properties and algae proliferation moderated by this deployment decision. For example, with 40 % FPV array coverage, algal biomass was reduced by up to 81 % when the array was deployed on a faster-flowing area of the reservoir compared to the reservoir with no FPV coverage. In contrast, algal biomass was only reduced by up to 50 %, compared to no FPV coverage, if the same array was deployed on a slower-flowing area. Overall, we found the decline in algal biomass usually offset any undesirable changes to species composition. Cooler water temperatures, reduced stratification duration and a worsened light climate in the presence of FPV switched species composition to diatoms and green algae, reducing the dominance of harmful blue-green algae, which pose a significant threat to water quality. Consequently, FPV could help control harmful algal blooms on some water bodies, but the scale of impact could be moderated by siting location on the water body. Our finding
- Published
- 2021
31. Prioritising ecosystem opportunities and threats of floating solar photovoltaics
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Exley, Giles, Hernandez, Rebecca R., Page, Trevor, Chipps, Michael, Gambro, Stefano, Hersey, Matt, Lake, Richard, Zoannou, Kali-Stella, Armstrong, Alona, Exley, Giles, Hernandez, Rebecca R., Page, Trevor, Chipps, Michael, Gambro, Stefano, Hersey, Matt, Lake, Richard, Zoannou, Kali-Stella, and Armstrong, Alona
- Abstract
Floating solar photovoltaic installations are an emerging form of solar energy deployed on varying types of water bodies globally. Deployments have proliferated in recent years, particularly in land-scarce areas, as the drive to decarbonise the energy-mix intensifies. However, the potential ecosystem opportunities and trade-offs of floating solar photovoltaic installations remain unclear, often acting as a barrier to deployment. Exploiting floating solar photovoltaic knowledge systems, we synthesise evidence and insight from scientists and industry stakeholders, through a systematic review, international survey and workshop, to evaluate potential opportunities and threats to ecosystems. We found that reduced evaporation is the greatest perceived opportunity of floating solar, while detrimental chemical impacts, such as anoxia and internal nutrient loading, are perceived as the greatest threat. Using this knowledge, we assessed the overarching sustainability of floating solar, using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework. We identified that floating solar photovoltaic installations may impact on eight of the seventeen SDGs. Given the need to rapidly develop understanding, in light of the anticipated growth rates, we prioritise the knowledge gaps and improvements critical to ensuring floating solar photovoltaic installations minimise ecosystem threats and maximise opportunities, safeguarding overall sustainability.
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- 2021
32. The Land Sparing, Water Surface Use Efficiency, and Water Surface Transformation of Floating Photovoltaic Solar Energy Installations
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Cagle, Alexander, Armstrong, Alona, Exley, Giles, Grodsky, Steven, Macknick, Jordan, Sherwin, John, Hernandez, Rebecca R., Cagle, Alexander, Armstrong, Alona, Exley, Giles, Grodsky, Steven, Macknick, Jordan, Sherwin, John, and Hernandez, Rebecca R.
- Abstract
Floating photovoltaic solar energy installations (FPVs) represent a new type of water surface use, potentially sparing land needed for agriculture and conservation. However, standardized metrics for the land sparing and resource use efficiencies of FPVs are absent. These metrics are critical to understanding the environmental and ecological impacts that FPVs may potentially exhibit. Here, we compared techno-hydrological and spatial attributes of four FPVs spanning different climatic regimes. Next, we defined and quantified the land sparing and water surface use efficiency (WSUE) of each FPV. Lastly, we coined and calculated the water surface transformation (WST) using generation data at the world’s first FPV (Far Niente Winery, California). The four FPVs spare 59,555 m2 of land and have a mean land sparing ratio of 2.7:1 m2 compared to ground-mounted PVs. Mean direct and total capacity-based WSUE is 94.5 ± 20.1 SD Wm−2 and 35.2 ± 27.4 SD Wm−2, respectively. Direct and total generation-based WST at Far Niente is 9.3 and 13.4 m2 MWh−1 yr−1, respectively; 2.3 times less area than ground-mounted utility-scale PVs. Our results reveal diverse techno-hydrological and spatial attributes of FPVs, the capacity of FPVs to spare land, and the utility of WSUE and WST metrics.
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- 2020
33. Integrating environmental understanding into freshwater floatovoltaic deployment using an effects hierarchy and decision trees
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Armstrong, Alona, Page, Trevor, Thackeray, Stephen J., Hernandez, Rebecca R., Jones, Ian D., Armstrong, Alona, Page, Trevor, Thackeray, Stephen J., Hernandez, Rebecca R., and Jones, Ian D.
- Abstract
In an era of looming land scarcity and environmental degradation, the development of low carbon energy systems without adverse impacts on land and land-based resources is a global challenge. 'Floatovoltaic' energy systems—comprising floating photovoltaic (PV) panels over water—are an appealing source of low carbon energy as they spare land for other uses and attain greater electricity outputs compared to land-based systems. However, to date little is understood of the impacts of floatovoltaics on the hosting water body. Anticipating changes to water body processes, properties and services owing to floatovoltaic deployment represents a critical knowledge gap that may result in poor societal choices and water body governance. Here, we developed a theoretically-derived hierarchical effects framework for the assessment of floatovoltaic impacts on freshwater water bodies, emphasising ecological interactions. We describe how the presence of floatovoltaic systems may dramatically alter the air-water interface, with subsequent implications for surface meteorology, air-water fluxes and physical, chemical and biological properties of the recipient water body. We apply knowledge from this framework to delineate three response typologies—'magnitude', those for which the direction and magnitude of effect can be predicted; 'direction', those for which only the direction of effect can be predicted; and 'uncertain', those for which the response cannot be predicted—characterised by the relative importance of levels in the effects hierarchy. Illustrative decision trees are developed for an example water body response within each typology, specifically, evaporative water loss, cyanobacterial biomass, and phosphorus release from bed sediments, and implications for ecosystem services, including climate regulation, are discussed. Finally, the potential to use the new understanding of likely ecosystem perturbations to direct floatovoltaic design innovations and identify future research pr
- Published
- 2020
34. Aligning Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals With an Innovation Systems Roadmap for Renewable Power
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Hernandez, Rebecca R., primary, Jordaan, Sarah M., additional, Kaldunski, Ben, additional, and Kumar, Naresh, additional
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- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
35. Integrating environmental understanding into freshwater floatovoltaic deployment using an effects hierarchy and decision trees
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Armstrong, Alona, primary, Page, Trevor, additional, Thackeray, Stephen J, additional, Hernandez, Rebecca R, additional, and Jones, Ian D, additional
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- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
36. Local Energy: Spatial Proximity of Energy Providers to Their Power Resources
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Hoffacker, Madison K., primary and Hernandez, Rebecca R., additional
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- 2020
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37. The Land Sparing, Water Surface Use Efficiency, and Water Surface Transformation of Floating Photovoltaic Solar Energy Installations
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Cagle, Alexander E., primary, Armstrong, Alona, additional, Exley, Giles, additional, Grodsky, Steven M., additional, Macknick, Jordan, additional, Sherwin, John, additional, and Hernandez, Rebecca R., additional
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. Restoring Abandoned Farmland to Mitigate Climate Change on a Full Earth
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Yang, Yi, primary, Hobbie, Sarah E., additional, Hernandez, Rebecca R., additional, Fargione, Joseph, additional, Grodsky, Steven M., additional, Tilman, David, additional, Zhu, Yong-Guan, additional, Luo, Yu, additional, Smith, Timothy M., additional, Jungers, Jacob M., additional, Yang, Ming, additional, and Chen, Wei-Qiang, additional
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. Simulated solar panels create altered microhabitats in desert landforms
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Tanner, Karen E., primary, Moore‐O'Leary, Kara A., additional, Parker, Ingrid M., additional, Pavlik, Bruce M., additional, and Hernandez, Rebecca R., additional
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
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40. Ground Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Response to Harvest Residue Retention: Implications for Sustainable Forest Bioenergy Production
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Grodsky, Steven M., primary, Hernandez, Rebecca R., additional, Campbell, Joshua W., additional, Hinson, Kevin R., additional, Keller, Oliver, additional, Fritts, Sarah R., additional, Homyack, Jessica A., additional, and Moorman, Christopher E., additional
- Published
- 2019
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41. Techno–ecological synergies of solar energy for global sustainability
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Hernandez, Rebecca R., Armstrong, Alona, Burney, Jennifer, Ryan, Greer, Moore-O’Leary, Kara, Diédhiou, Ibrahima, Grodsky, Steven M., Saul-Gershenz, Leslie, Davis, Rob, Macknick, Jordan, Mulvaney, Dustin, Heath, Garvin A., Easter, Shane B., Hoffacker, Madison K., Allen, Michael F., Kammen, Daniel M., Hernandez, Rebecca R., Armstrong, Alona, Burney, Jennifer, Ryan, Greer, Moore-O’Leary, Kara, Diédhiou, Ibrahima, Grodsky, Steven M., Saul-Gershenz, Leslie, Davis, Rob, Macknick, Jordan, Mulvaney, Dustin, Heath, Garvin A., Easter, Shane B., Hoffacker, Madison K., Allen, Michael F., and Kammen, Daniel M.
- Abstract
The strategic engineering of solar energy technologies—from individual rooftop modules to large solar energy power plants—can confer significant synergistic outcomes across industrial and ecological boundaries. Here, we propose techno–ecological synergy (TES), a framework for engineering mutually beneficial relationships between technological and ecological systems, as an approach to augment the sustainability of solar energy across a diverse suite of recipient environments, including land, food, water, and built-up systems. We provide a conceptual model and framework to describe 16 TESs of solar energy and characterize 20 potential techno–ecological synergistic outcomes of their use. For each solar energy TES, we also introduce metrics and illustrative assessments to demonstrate techno–ecological potential across multiple dimensions. The numerous applications of TES to solar energy technologies are unique among energy systems and represent a powerful frontier in sustainable engineering to minimize unintended consequences on nature associated with a rapid energy transition.
- Published
- 2019
42. A dam in the drylands: Soil geomorphic treatments facilitate recruitment of the endangered Santa Ana River woolly star
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Hernandez, Rebecca R., primary and Sandquist, Darren R., additional
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- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Ground Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Response to Harvest Residue Retention: Implications for Sustainable Forest Bioenergy Production.
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Grodsky, Steven M., Hernandez, Rebecca R., Campbell, Joshua W., Hinson, Kevin R., Keller, Oliver, Fritts, Sarah R., Homyack, Jessica A., and Moorman, Christopher E.
- Subjects
LOBLOLLY pine ,GROUND beetles ,FORESTS & forestry ,LOGGING ,BEETLES ,BIOINDICATORS - Abstract
Research Highlights: Our study adds to the scant literature on the effects of forest bioenergy on ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and contributes new insights into the responses of ground beetle species and functional groups to operational harvest residue retention. We discovered that count of Harpalus pensylvanicus (DeGeer)—a habitat generalist—increased owing to clear-cut harvests but decreased due to harvest residue reductions; these observations uniquely allowed us to separate effects of additive forest disturbances to demonstrate that, contrarily to predictions, a generalist species considered to be adapted to disturbance may be negatively affected by altered habitat elements associated with disturbances from renewable energy development. Background and Objectives: Despite the potential environmental benefits of forest bioenergy, woody biomass harvests raise forest sustainability concerns for some stakeholders. Ground beetles are well established ecological indicators of forest ecosystem health and their life history characteristics are connected to habitat elements that are altered by forest harvesting. Thus, we evaluated the effects of harvest residue retention following woody biomass harvest for forest bioenergy on ground beetles in an operational field experiment. Materials and Methods: We sampled ground beetles using pitfall traps in harvest residue removal treatments representing variable woody biomass retention prescriptions, ranging from no retention to complete retention of all merchantable woody biomass. We replicated treatments in eight clear-cut stands in intensively managed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) forests in North Carolina and Georgia. Results: Harvest residue retention had no effect on ground beetle richness and diversity. However, counts of H. pensylvanicus, Anisodactylus spp., and “burrower” and “fast runner” functional groups, among others, were greater in treatments with no woody biomass harvest than those with no harvest residue retention; all of these ground beetles may confer ecosystem services in forests. We suggest that H. pensylvanicus is a useful indicator species for burrowing and granivorous ground beetle response to harvest residue reductions in recently harvested stands. Lastly, we propose that retaining 15% retention of total harvest residues or more, depending on regional and operational variables, may support beneficial ground beetle populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
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44. Advanced Technologies and Data Management Practices in Environmental Science: Lessons from Academia
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Hernandez, Rebecca R., primary, Mayernik, Matthew S., additional, Murphy-Mariscal, Michelle L., additional, and Allen, Michael F., additional
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- 2012
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45. A systematic global stocktake of evidence on human adaptation to climate change
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<p>Funding information : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01170-y</p>, Berrang-Ford, Lea, Siders, A. R., Lesnikowski, Alexandra, Fischer, Alexandra Paige, Callaghan, Max W., Haddaway, Neal R., Mach, Katharine J., Araos, Malcolm, Shah, Mohammad A. R., Wannewitz, Mia, Doshi, Deepal, Leiter, Timo, Matavel, Custodio, Musah-Surugu, Justice Issah, Wong-Parodi, Gabrielle, Antwi-Agyei, Philip, Ajibade, Idowu, Chauhan, Neha, Kakenmaster, William, Grady, Caitlin, Chalastani, Vasiliki I., Jagannathan, Kripa, Galappaththi, Eranga K., Sitati, Asha, Scarpa, Giulia, Totin, Edmond, Davis, Katy, Charles Hamilton, Nikita, Kirchhoff, Christine J., Kumar, Praveen, Pentz, Brian, Simpson, Nicholas P., Theokritoff, Emily, Deryng, Delphine, Reckien, Diana, Zavaleta-Cortijo, Carol, Ulibarri, Nicola, Segnon, Alcade C., Khavhagali, Vhalinavho, Shang, Yuanyuan, Zvobgo, Luckson, Zommers, Zinta, Xu, Jiren, Adade Williams, Portia, Villaverde Canosa, Ivan, van Maanen, Nicole, van Bavel, Bianca, van Aalst, Maarten, Turek-Hankins, Lynée L., Trivedi, Hasti, Trisos, Christopher H., Thomas, Adelle, Thakur, Shinny, Templeman, Sienna, Stringer, Lindsay C., Sotnik, Garry, Dana Sjostrom, Kathryn, Singh, Chandni, Siña, Mariella Z., Shukla, Roopam, Sardans, Jordi, Salubi, Eunice A., Shaila Safaee Chalkasra, Lolita, Ruiz-Díaz, Raquel, Richards, Carys, Pokharel, Pratik, Petzold, Jan, Penuelas, Josep, Pelaez Avila, Julia, Pazmino Murillo, Julia B., Ouni, Souha, Niemann, Jennifer, Nielsen, Miriam, New, Mark, Nayna Schwerdtle, Patricia, Nagle Alverio, Gabriela, Mullin, Cristina A., Mullenite, Joshua, Mosurska, Anuszka, Morecroft, Mike D., Minx, Jan C., Maskell, Gina, Marshall Nunbogu, Abraham, Magnan, Alexandre K., Lwasa, Shuaib, Lukas-Sithole, Megan, Lissner, Tabea, Lilford, Oliver, Koller, Steven F., Jurjonas, Matthew, Tom Joe, Elphin, Huynh, Lam T. M., Hill, Avery, Hernandez, Rebecca R., Hegde, Greeshma, Hawxwell, Tom, Harper, Sherilee, Harden, Alexandra, Haasnoot, Marjolijn, Gilmore, Elisabeth A., Gichuki, Leah, Gatt, Alyssa, Garschagen, Matthias, Ford, James D., Forbes, Andrew, Farrell, Aidan D., Enquist, Carolyn A. F., Elliott, Susan, Duncan, Emily, Coughlan de Perez, Erin, Coggins, Shaugn, Chen, Tara, Campbell, Donovan, Browne, Katherine E., Bowen, Kathryn J., Biesbroek, Robbert, Bhatt, Indra D., Bezner Kerr, Rachel, Barr, Stephanie L., Baker, Emily, Austin, Stephanie E., Arotoma-Rojas, Ingrid, Anderson, Christa, Ajaz, Warda, Agrawal, Tanvi, Zulfawu Abu, Thelma, <p>Funding information : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01170-y</p>, Berrang-Ford, Lea, Siders, A. R., Lesnikowski, Alexandra, Fischer, Alexandra Paige, Callaghan, Max W., Haddaway, Neal R., Mach, Katharine J., Araos, Malcolm, Shah, Mohammad A. R., Wannewitz, Mia, Doshi, Deepal, Leiter, Timo, Matavel, Custodio, Musah-Surugu, Justice Issah, Wong-Parodi, Gabrielle, Antwi-Agyei, Philip, Ajibade, Idowu, Chauhan, Neha, Kakenmaster, William, Grady, Caitlin, Chalastani, Vasiliki I., Jagannathan, Kripa, Galappaththi, Eranga K., Sitati, Asha, Scarpa, Giulia, Totin, Edmond, Davis, Katy, Charles Hamilton, Nikita, Kirchhoff, Christine J., Kumar, Praveen, Pentz, Brian, Simpson, Nicholas P., Theokritoff, Emily, Deryng, Delphine, Reckien, Diana, Zavaleta-Cortijo, Carol, Ulibarri, Nicola, Segnon, Alcade C., Khavhagali, Vhalinavho, Shang, Yuanyuan, Zvobgo, Luckson, Zommers, Zinta, Xu, Jiren, Adade Williams, Portia, Villaverde Canosa, Ivan, van Maanen, Nicole, van Bavel, Bianca, van Aalst, Maarten, Turek-Hankins, Lynée L., Trivedi, Hasti, Trisos, Christopher H., Thomas, Adelle, Thakur, Shinny, Templeman, Sienna, Stringer, Lindsay C., Sotnik, Garry, Dana Sjostrom, Kathryn, Singh, Chandni, Siña, Mariella Z., Shukla, Roopam, Sardans, Jordi, Salubi, Eunice A., Shaila Safaee Chalkasra, Lolita, Ruiz-Díaz, Raquel, Richards, Carys, Pokharel, Pratik, Petzold, Jan, Penuelas, Josep, Pelaez Avila, Julia, Pazmino Murillo, Julia B., Ouni, Souha, Niemann, Jennifer, Nielsen, Miriam, New, Mark, Nayna Schwerdtle, Patricia, Nagle Alverio, Gabriela, Mullin, Cristina A., Mullenite, Joshua, Mosurska, Anuszka, Morecroft, Mike D., Minx, Jan C., Maskell, Gina, Marshall Nunbogu, Abraham, Magnan, Alexandre K., Lwasa, Shuaib, Lukas-Sithole, Megan, Lissner, Tabea, Lilford, Oliver, Koller, Steven F., Jurjonas, Matthew, Tom Joe, Elphin, Huynh, Lam T. M., Hill, Avery, Hernandez, Rebecca R., Hegde, Greeshma, Hawxwell, Tom, Harper, Sherilee, Harden, Alexandra, Haasnoot, Marjolijn, Gilmore, Elisabeth A., Gichuki, Leah, Gatt, Alyssa, Garschagen, Matthias, Ford, James D., Forbes, Andrew, Farrell, Aidan D., Enquist, Carolyn A. F., Elliott, Susan, Duncan, Emily, Coughlan de Perez, Erin, Coggins, Shaugn, Chen, Tara, Campbell, Donovan, Browne, Katherine E., Bowen, Kathryn J., Biesbroek, Robbert, Bhatt, Indra D., Bezner Kerr, Rachel, Barr, Stephanie L., Baker, Emily, Austin, Stephanie E., Arotoma-Rojas, Ingrid, Anderson, Christa, Ajaz, Warda, Agrawal, Tanvi, and Zulfawu Abu, Thelma
- Abstract
Berrang-Ford, L., Siders, A. R., Lesnikowski, A., Fischer, A. P., Callaghan, M. W., Haddaway, N. R., . . . Abu, T. Z. (2021). A systematic global stocktake of evidence on human adaptation to climate change. Nature Climate Change, 11, 989-1000. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01170-y
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