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This is chapter 2 of the State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report 2021. Predicted temperature increases in the Arctic are expected to fundamentally alter tundra ecosystem dynamics. The Arctic’s extreme year-to-year and place-to-place variability make long-term monitoring challenging, yet essential for environmental conservation, management and policy making. COAT has developed a framework that addresses these complex issues using a holistic, ecosystem-based adaptive approach. This is achieved by integrating data on the state of various characteristics of the ecosystem measured at relevant sites and relevant times to reach clearly defined goals and targets for monitoring the terrestrial food web. For this reason, COAT Svalbard is an essential component of the Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS). COAT Svalbard contains six monitoring modules, with study sites in two contrasting regions in Svalbard, Nordenskiöld Land (inland) and Brøggerhalvøya (coastal). Five of the modules focus on the Svalbard food web — vegetation, Arctic fox, geese, ptarmigan and reindeer. The sixth module, a climate-monitoring network with full-scale operational weather stations and associated infrastructure, has now been fully implemented. Svalbard’s tundra ecosystems have undergone rapid and substantial changes in climatic conditions — manifested particularly as rising surface temperatures, longer and warmer growing seasons, shortening of the snow-covered season and rising permafrost temperatures. Currently, monitored vertebrate populations appear to be stable or increasing in these regions. Long-term monitoring of vegetation communities is being implemented and will enhance understanding of bottom-up processes in the terrestrial food web.

Monitoring habitat conditions in the Clear Creek Estuary before the completion of the Bucklin Hill Bridge Project is a critical part of this ecosystem restoration planning and execution. The Clear Creek Trail Alliance (CCTA) is working with local partners to monitor the effects of the estuary restoration. In a wider effort to characterize salmonid habitat suitability of the estuary prior to the bridge replacement, CCTA would like to gather data related to water quality, beach/bank elevations, vegetation in the vicinity, and invertebrate diversity in the estuary. The development and implementation of this Clear Creek Estuary monitoring project provides an opportunity for students and local citizens to expand their knowledge of salmon habitat needs and learn about the benefits to salmon afforded through estuary restorations. These reliable, verifiable, and accurate data will be contributed to the State’s Marine Water Quality Monitoring Program plus shared with citizens of Kitsap County and other parties interested in gaining knowledge concerning the effectiveness of the restoration project. Comparison of data collected prior to and then following construction will aid in understanding the successful restoration features of the project and assist in determining if adaptations are needed in the ongoing management of this revitalized ecosystem.

В статье рассмотрены постановки задач проектирования комбинированных волоконно-оптических датчиков (КВОД) и многосенсорных систем на их основе для регионального мониторинга концентрации парниковых газов. Выделен основной тренд развития КВОД, основанный на применении последовательно сформированных на концевом участке оптического волокна волоконной брэгговской решётки (ВБР), а на его срезе резонатора Фабри–Перо (РФП). Поставлена задача применения адресных волоконных брэгговских структур (АВБС) вместо ВБР с целью повышения метрологических характеристик КВОД, компенсации изменений температуры окружающей среды и существенного удешевления их интеррогатора с переходом на радиофотонные принципы измерений. Предложена структурная схема многосенсорной системы и конструкция интеррогатора, позволяющих обнаруживать четыре типа газов СО2, NO2, CH4, OX в зависимости от типа и толщины полимерной тонкой плёнки, являющейся одной из компонент РФП. Для совершенствования программного обеспечения поставлена задача применения в его структуре преобразования Карунена–Лоэва (KLT), позволяющего разделить вклад каждой составляющей КВОД в отражённом им информационном излучении по спектральной эффективности и в перспективе разрешить измерение изменений огибающей РФП, зависящей от концентрации исследуемых газов, на адресных частотах АВБС. Оценки показали, что такая конструкция КВОД и системы в целом позволит измерять температуру окружающей среды в диапазоне -60…+300 ° С с погрешностью в 0,1– 0,01 ° С, а концентрацию газов в диапазоне 10–90 % с погрешностью в 0,1–0,5 %., Introduction. The use of fiber-optic sensors (FOS) for monitoring environment has global relevance. The focus on FOS in comparison with simple electronic sensors is caused by their advantages such as small size, light weight, high response rate to changes in measured concentrations, resistance to external electromagnetic interferences, the possibility of remote sensing, and resistance to severe environmental conditions. Recently, there is a rapid development of combined fiber-optic sensors (CFOS) based on a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) cascaded with a photodetector grating (PDG) structure for simultaneous measurement of gas temperature and pressure. Estimates show that a structure for sensitive environmental monitoring should consist of an external PDG in the form of a hemispherical thin film that reacts to a specific greenhouse gas, recorded at the edge of the FBG. The peak of the spectral interference created by thin film PDG is sensitive to the environment, in particular, to changes in its temperature, pressure, and gas concentration, while the FBG reflection spectrum depends only on temperature and is weakly sensitive to changes in external pressure, thus the temperature and gas concentration can be measured simultaneously. However, the cost of a such multi-sensor system significantly increases due to the need in high-cost optoelectronic interrogator for interrogating FBGs and PDGs and the requirement for separation of their spectral responses. The aim of the research is to pose the problems of designing CFOS for monitoring gas temperature and concentration, with improved metrological characteristics and possibility of their low-cost multiplexing and interrogation to build multi-sensor systems for regional monitoring of greenhouse gas concentrations with the use of addressed fiber Bragg structures (AFBS) instead of FBGs. Findings. There are proposed a block diagram of a multi-sensor system and an interrogator design, which allow to detect four types of CO2, NO2, CH4, and OX gases, depending on the type and thickness of a polymer thin film, which is one of the PDG components. To improve the software, we posed the problem of using the Karhunen-Loeve transform (KLT) in PDG structure, which allows to separate the impact of each component of the CFOS in the reflected radiation according to the spectral efficiency and, going forward, will allow to measure changes in the PDG envelope, depending on the concentration of the studied gases, at the address frequencies AFBS. Estimates showed that such a design of the CFOS and the whole system will allow to measure the temperature in the range of -60 ... +300 °С with an error of 0.1–0.01 °С, and the concentration of gases in the range of 10–90% with an error of 0.1–0.5%. Conclusion. Research findings allow to propose a concept for the development of multi-sensor systems for environmental monitoring of greenhouse gases at various levels. It will allow to deploy a network of measurement points for enterprises, municipalities and regions by 2030., ВЕСТНИК ПОВОЛЖСКОГО ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОГО ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО УНИВЕРСИТЕТА. СЕРИЯ: РАДИОТЕХНИЧЕСКИЕ И ИНФОКОММУНИКАЦИОННЫЕ СИСТЕМЫ, Выпуск 4 (52) 2022, Pages 52-67

Актуальность. Лихеноиндикация широко применяется для оценки качества атмосферного воздуха. Для юго-западного Крыма оценка состояния атмосферного воздуха по данным лихеноиникации проводится впервые. Цель: проведение оценки качества атмосферного воздуха в юго-западном Крыму по данным лихеноиндикации. Объекты: эпифитные лишайники, эверния сливовая (Evernia prunastri), рамалина мучнистая (Ramalina farinacea), фисция (Physcia Sp.), пармелия бороздчатая (Parmelia sulcata). Методы. Для анализа в период с февраля по май 2018 г. отобрано 17 проб эпифитных кустистых лишайников в разных природно-ландшафтных условиях (предгорье, межгорные котловины, вершины гор) с учетом разного уровня антропогенной нагрузки. В пробах определено содержание семи элементов: Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Ni, Cr, Sr. Элементный состав лишайников определен методом атомно-абсорбционного спектрометрии. Результаты. Выявлено, что к наиболее активно накапливаемым элементам в лишайниках юго-западного Крыма относятся Zn, Sr и Pb; менее активно накапливаются Cu, Cd, Ni и Cr. Анализ показал, что антропогенные источники загрязнения в большей степени индуцируются по содержанию в лишайниках Cu, Zn, Pb. Высокое содержание Sr индицирует аэрозольное влияние моря (как современной морской акватории через поступающие атмосферные осадки, так и палеоморского бассейна, что обусловлено денудацией морских отложений, микрочастицы которых присутствуют в атмосферном воздухе). Отмеченный относительно высокий уровень загрязнения атмосферного воздуха в г. Инкерман (входит в состав Большого Севастополя) обусловлен выбросами Севастопольской теплоэлектроцентрали (ТЭЦ), возле автозаправочной станции на трассе «Ялта-Севастополь» - выбросами автотранспорта, в сельских населенных пунктах Байдарский долины - выбросами от сжигания угля при печном отоплении. Выявлено, что данные по содержанию тяжелых металлов в лишайниках, отобранных в Чернореченском каньоне, могут считаться эталонными для определения фоновых параметров и уровня загрязнения приземной атмосферы в других районах юго-западного Крыма. Лишайники могут быть использованы для дополнения системы мониторинга состояния приземного воздуха в юго-западном Крыму. Relevance. Lichenoindication is widely used to assess the quality of atmospheric air. For southwestern Crimea, the assessment of the state of atmospheric air based on licheninication data is carried out for the first time. The aim of the research is to assess the quality of atmospheric air in southwestern Crimea according to lichen detection data. The objects of the study are epiphytic lichens, Evernia prunastri, Ramalina farinacea, Physcia, Parmelia sulcata. Methods. For analysis in the period from February to May 2018, 17 samples of epiphytic fruticose lichens were taken in different landscape conditions (foothills, intermontane basins, mountain tops), taking into account different levels of anthropogenic load. The samples contain seven elements: Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Ni, Cr, Sr. The elemental composition of lichens was determined using an atomic absorption spectrometer. Results. It was revealed that the most actively accumulated metals in the lichens of southwestern Crimea are Zn, Sr and Pb; less active accumulation of Cu, Cd, Ni and Cr. The analysis showed that anthropogenic sources of pollution are to a greater extent induced by the content of Cu, Zn, Pb in lichens. The high Sr content is due to its ability to replace calcium in potassium-containing minerals in carbonate rocks, which are widespread in the region. The noted relatively high level of air pollution in the city of Inkerman is due to emissions from the Sevastopol combined heat and power plant, near the gas station on the Yalta-Sevastopol highway - emissions from vehicles, in rural settlements of the Baydarsky valley - emissions from coal burning with stove heating. It was revealed that the data on the content of heavy metals in lichens sampled in the Chernorechensky canyon can be considered a reference for determining the background parameters and the level of pollution of the surface atmosphere in other regions of southwestern Crimea. Lichens can be used to supplement the monitoring system for surface air pollution in southwestern Crimea during atmospheric transport.

iNaturalist is a large and growing open-source online platform connecting a global community of users to the natural world and to each other. iNaturalist makes it simple for anyone to share observations, get identifications, and make identifications of any species. We demonstrate how iNaturalist can connect students to nature in undergraduate courses, simultaneously contributing to biodiversity knowledge. Our three case studies use iNaturalist to improve student bioliteracy (awareness and knowledge of biodiversity), to engage them in biodiscovery (discovering undocumented biodiversity occurrences, behaviors, and interactions), to introduce students to systematic ecological sampling (documenting biodiversity patterns and trends), and to improve their data literacy (by depositing and accessing open biodiversity data and by performing analyses). Included are examples from a variety of contexts—a required general science course, introductory courses for science majors, and more specialized electives. We discuss the rationale for iNaturalist inclusion, how iNaturalist inspires students and complements courses, and outputs of our students’ iNaturalist use. Introducing students to tools such as iNaturalist helps build the next generation of bioliterate and biocurious citizens and scientists, fluent in open collaborative research and learning. With wider uptake and coordination, iNaturalist has potential to connect undergraduate ecology courses to form a distributed virtual global biodiversity observatory.

In recent years closed and seasonally open oxbow lakes and river floodplains are subjected to eutrophication due to disconnection from river that compromises the hydro-ecological functions. This requires systematic studies to assess the ecological health of the water bodies using different indices and suggest appropriate strategies to manage the resources. The zooplanktons are closely link with surrounding environment throughout their life cycles and change rapidly in their growth and population when changes occurs in the surrounding, hence act as potential indicator of eutrophication. The present study examined the assemblage pattern of zooplankton community and trophic state of two ecologically distinct oxbow lakes based on eco-hydrological characteristics and community structure of rotifers and planktonic crustaceans seasonally over a period of 2 years. Comprehensive trophic state index (mTSI), rotifer trophic state index (mTSIROT) and Crustacean based indices (TSICR) were used to assess the degree of eutrophication. The Kruskal-Wallis test confirmed the heterogeneity of the eco-hydrological factors between the oxbow lakes. A total of 68 zooplankton species were identified of which rotifers (69%), cladocerans (18%), copepods (3%), ostacods (3%) and protozoans (7%). Seasonal fluctuation of relative abundance and frequency of species in both lakes have been well presented. Both lakes showed transition from high meso-eutrophic to moderately eutrophic state with mTSI, mTSIrot and mTSIcr values of 54.90±11.71 and 56.95±15.64, 59.55±4.54 and 60.26±4.48, 55.79±4.76 and 60.00±4.03 in Khalsi (seasonally open) and Akaipur (closed) respectively. The Canonical Correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed water quality parameters comparison NO3-N, water temperature and pH have contributed more in enhancement of abundance of eutrophication indicator species Brachionus and Keratella. The TSIs values indicated a prompt aquaculture fisheries management measures like stocking of planktivorous fish (Labeo catla and Puntius sp.) for both the lakes before they reach in plunged state at which their restoration might become a challenge. An overview of worldwide use of rotifer and crustacean based indices in assessment of TSI has also been synthesized. The use of these zooplankton indices to evaluate the trophic status of the ecologically distinct lakes is highly recommended for water quality assessment and management. Based on this study strategies could be developed to plan and manage floodplain oxbow lakes for fisheries enhancement programme as well as as conservation of biodiversity.

Contributory citizen science programs focused on ecological monitoring can produce fine-grained and expansive data sets across spatial and temporal scales. With this data collection potential, citizen scientists can significantly impact the ability to monitor ecological patterns. However, scientists still harbor skepticism about using citizen science data in their work, generally due to doubts about data quality. Numerous peer-reviewed articles have addressed data quality in citizen science. Yet, many of these methods are not useable by third-party scientists (scientists who are not directly involved in the citizen science program). In addition, these methods generally capture internal data quality rather than a dataset’s potential to be used for a specific purpose. Assessing data fitness for use represents a promising approach to evaluating data accuracy and quality for different applications and contexts. In this article, we employ a Spatial, Temporal, Aptness, and Application (STAAq) assessment approach to assess data fitness for use of citizen science datasets. We tested the STAAq assessment approach through a case study examining the distribution of caribou in Denali National Park and Preserve. Three different datasets were used in the test, Map of Life data (a global scale citizen science mobile application for recording species observations), Ride Observe and Record data (a program sponsored by the park staff where incentivized volunteers observe species in the park), and conventionally collected radio collar data. The STAAq assessment showed that the Map of Life and Ride Observe and Record program data are fit for monitoring caribou distribution in the park. This data fitness for use approach is a promising way to assess the external quality of a dataset and its fitness to address particular research or monitoring questions. This type of assessment may help citizen science skeptics see the value and potential of citizen science collected data and encourage the use of citizen science data by more scientists.

The Arctic is under great pressure due to climate change. Drones are increasingly used as a tool in ecology and may be especially valuable in rapidly changing and remote landscapes, as can be found in the Arctic. For effective applications of drones, decisions of both ecological and technical character are needed. Here, we provide our method planning workflow for generating ground-cover maps with drones for ecological monitoring purposes. The workflow includes the selection of variables, layer resolutions, ground-cover classes and the development and validation of models. We implemented this workflow in a case study of the Arctic tundra to develop vegetation maps, including disturbed vegetation, at three study sites in Svalbard. For each site, we generated a high-resolution map of tundra vegetation using supervised random forest (RF) classifiers based on four spectral bands, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and three types of terrain variables—all derived from drone imagery. Our classifiers distinguished up to 15 different ground-cover classes, including two classes that identify vegetation state changes due to disturbance caused by herbivory (i.e., goose grubbing) and winter damage (i.e., ‘rain-on-snow’ and thaw-freeze). Areas classified as goose grubbing or winter damage had lower NDVI values than their undisturbed counterparts. The predictive ability of site-specific RF models was good (macro-F1 scores between 83% and 85%), but the area of the grubbing class was overestimated in parts of the moss tundra. A direct transfer of the models between study sites was not possible (macro-F1 scores under 50%). We show that drone image analysis can be an asset for studying future vegetation state changes on local scales in Arctic tundra ecosystems and encourage ecologists to use our tailored workflow to integrate drone mapping into long-term monitoring programs.

An automatic hydro-meteorological station (AHMS) was designed to monitor the littoral zone of Lake Baikal in areas with high anthropogenic pressure. The developed AHMS was installed near the Bolshiye Koty settlement (southern basin). This AHMS is the first experience focused on obtaining the necessary competencies for the development of a monitoring network of the Baikal natural territory. To increase the flexibility of adjustment and repeatability, we developed AHMS as a low-cost modular system. AHMS is equipped with a weather station and sensors measuring water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, redox potential, conductivity, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity. This article describes the main AHMS functions (hardware and software) and measures taken to ensure data quality control. We present the results of the first two periods of its operation. The data acquired during this periods have demonstrated that, to obtain accurate measurements and to detect and correct errors that were mainly due to biofouling of the sensors and calibration bias, a correlation between AHMS and laboratory studies is necessary for parameters such as pH and chlorophyll-a. The gained experience should become the basis for the further development of the monitoring network of the Baikal natural territory.

Ecological monitoring allows to collect data and to gain knowledge on species or ecosystems. Thus, ecological monitoring is the basis on which biodiversity conservation is organized. Nowadays, the spatial scales of ecological monitoring and conservation issues diversify, as well as the increased complexity of institutional dynamics related to the collection of ecological data. In the French Mediterranean, a network of thirty Marine Protected Areas (MPA) is operating along the coastline. These MPA collect ecological data and work for the protection of marine biodiversity, each at its own scale and with its own means. For many issues related to the protection of marine biodiversity, the relevant ecological scale is that of the Mediterranean coastline embracing the entire MPA network around the same ecological context. This is the case for mobile species such as marine mammals.In this context, acquiring ecological knowledge at large spatial scales from data collected by a multitude of actors raises two major issues. First, an operational and policy challenge that consists in involving and coordinating institutions and stakeholders that collect ecological data. Second, a methodological challenge that lies in the ability to propose statistical tools that can produce robust ecological indicators from several monitoring protocols. During this thesis, I wanted to jointly study both of these two issues, operational and methodological, by setting up an interdisciplinary approach mobilizing social sciences and statistical ecology. The analysis is focused on the ecological monitoring of bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops truncatus*) in the French Mediterranean Sea.By conducting semi-directive interviews with MPA managers in the French Mediterranean, I studied the place of ecological data in the functioning of MPA and in the working life of the MPA managers. The interviews and the collaboration with biodiversity managers also allowed to identify methodological requirements to support the ecological monitoring of bottlenose dolphins at the scale of the French Mediterranean MPA network. Thus, I developed integrated modeling tools allowing the joint analysis of multiple datasets to estimate the distribution, abundance and density of bottlenose dolphins at the scale of the French Mediterranean Sea.My work will have allowed i) to propose statistical tools relevant to the current context of the ecological monitoring of bottlenose dolphins in the French Mediterranean Sea, and ii) to highlight and describe the operational and political issues of coordinating ecological monitoring between the different MPA of the French Mediterranean Sea. Overall, my thesis is an illustration of the relevancy of the dialogue between social sciences and statistical ecology to produce ecologically effective and socially relevant conservation tools.; Les suivis écologiques permettent de collecter des données et d’acquérir des connaissances sur les espèces ou les écosystèmes. Les suivis écologiques constituent la base sur laquelle s’organise la gestion de la biodiversité. Aujourd’hui, ces suivis se font dans le contexte d’une diversification des échelles d’analyse des enjeux de conservation, et d’une complexification des dynamiques institutionnelles en lien avec la collecte de données écologiques. En Méditerranée française, une trentaine d’Aires Marines Protégées (AMP) forment un maillage de la façade maritime. Ces AMP collectent des données et œuvrent pour la protection de la biodiversité marine, chacune à son échelle et avec ses moyens. Pour de nombreux enjeux touchant à la protection de la biodiversité marine, l’échelle écologique pertinente est celle de la façade Méditerranéenne. C’est par exemple le cas pour les espèces mobiles comme les mammifères marins.Dans ce contexte, acquérir des connaissances écologiques à large échelle à partir de données collectées par une multitude d’acteurs soulèvent deux grands enjeux. Premièrement, un enjeu opérationnel et politique consiste à impliquer et coordonner les institutions et les acteurs qui collectent les données écologiques. Deuxièmement, un enjeu méthodologique réside dans la capacité à proposer des outils statistiques pouvant produire des indicateurs écologiques robustes à partir de plusieurs protocoles de suivis écologiques. Durant cette thèse, j’ai souhaité proposer l’étude simultanée de ces deux enjeux, opérationnel et méthodologique, en mettant en place une approche interdisciplinaire mobilisant sciences sociales et écologie statistique. L’analyse est centrée sur les suivis écologiques du grand dauphin (*Tursiops truncatus*) réalisés en Méditerranée française.En réalisant des entretiens semi-directifs avec les agents des AMP de Méditerranée française, j’ai développé une réflexion sur la place des données écologiques dans le fonctionnement des AMP et dans le quotidien des agents qui y travaillent. Les entretiens et la collaboration avec les professionnels de la biodiversité ont aussi permis d’identifier des besoins méthodologiques pour appuyer le suivi écologique du grand dauphin à l’échelle du réseau d’AMP de Méditerranée française. Ainsi, j’ai développé des outils de modélisation intégrée permettant l’analyse conjointe de plusieurs jeux de données pour estimer la distribution, les effectifs et la densité de grand dauphin à l’échelle de la Méditerranée française.Mon travail aura permis i) de proposer des outils statistiques adaptés au contexte actuel du suivi écologique du grand dauphin en Méditerranée française, et ii) de mettre en évidence et décrire les enjeux opérationnels et politiques de coordination des suivis écologiques entre les différentes AMP de Méditerranée française. Plus largement, ma thèse constitue une illustration de la pertinence du dialogue entre sciences sociales et écologie statistique pour produire des propositions d’outils de conservation écologiquement efficaces et socialement pertinents.

Background In post-stroke patients it is unclear which wrist actimetry biomarkers to use to estimate the degree of upper limb hemiparesis. The objective of this study was to develop a general and objective framework for monitoring hemiparetic patients in their home environment via different biomarkers based on 7 days of actimetry data. A secondary objective was to use all of these biomarkers to better understand the mechanism for potential non-use of the paretic upper limb. Methods Accelerometers were worn continuously for a period of 7 days on both wrists of 10 post-stroke hemiparetic patients as well as 6 healthy subjects. Various wrist actimetry biomarkers were calculated, including the Jerk ratio 50 (JR50, cumulative probability that the Jerk Ratio is between 0 and 0.5), absolute and relative amounts of functional use of movements of the upper limbs (FuncUse and FuncUseR) and absolute and relative velocities of the upper limbs during functional use (VUL and VULR). For each biomarker, the values of stroke and healthy groups were compared. The correlations between all the biomarkers were studied. Results We studied 10 participants with mild-to-moderate chronic hemiparesis and 6 healthy control participants. FuncUse and VUL of the paretic upper limb of stroke patients were significantly lower than in the non-dominant upper limb of healthy subjects. Similarly, FuncUseR (paretic/non-paretic vs non-dominant/dominant), JR and VULR are significantly lower in stroke patients than in healthy subjects. FuncUseR, VULR and JR50 seem to be complementary biomarkers for monitoring patient strokes. Conclusion The stroke patients do not seem to compensate for the decrease in functional movement on the paretic side by an increase on the non-paretic side. The speed of execution of functional movements on the paretic side could be the limiting factor to a normal use of the paretic upper limb. A thorough clinical study is needed to identify the limiting factors. In conclusion, this study for the first time has shown actimetry is a robust and non-obtrusive lightweight technology for continuously acquiring objective upper limb data of paretic arm use/ non-use over an extended period in a home environment for monitoring stroke patients.

We examined the influence of sampling frequency and the elimination of selected metrics from the Phytoplankton Multimetric for Polish Lakes (PMPL index) on lake ecological status classification. The effect of sampling frequency was analysed by calculating the official PMPL index using data from four sampling periods (848 lake-years; 478 Polish lakes), and compared the Pmpl-based classification to that assessed from PMPL variants calculated using one, two and three sampling periods. The effect of metric elimination was analysed by comparing the official three-metric PMPL classification with two variants, a one-metric PMPL including only the concentration of chlorophyll-a and a two-metric variant including total phytoplankton biomass and summer cyanobacterial biomass. Correlation strength between the official PMPL and simplified variants weakened by reducing sampling frequency but varied by period combinations. Uncertainty of ecological status classification increased in both simplification types but it was greatest when using the one-metric (chlorophyll-a based) variant. Sampling reduction from four to three periods resulted in 0.5–6.5% of lakes being over- or under-classified (total lake-year misclassification: 3.7–6.7%). Highest uncertainty of classification to at least good status occurred when the spring sampling period was excluded (6.5%). The risk of misclassification increased to 4.2–14.9% when two sampling periods were used. When classification was based only on a one-period (late summer) PMPL, 12.1% of lake-years were misclassified to at least good and 9.3% to below-good ecological status. The risk of misclassification to at least good ecological status was 2% when the two-metric (biomass-based) PMPL index was used and 28.9% when the one-metric (chlorophyll-a based) was used. Lowest misclassification error (0.5%–5.2%) occurred when a three-period (spring-August-October), three-metric PMPL index was used, but as this 5.2% would result in substantial status under-classification, we recommend further research to possibly optimize a three-period PMPL variant to reduce the costs of lake ecological monitoring in Poland.

The diversity of animal acoustic signals has evolved due to multiple ecological processes, both biotic and abiotic. At the level of communities of signaling animals, these processes may lead to diverse outcomes, including partitioning of acoustic signals along multiple axes (divergent signal parameters, signaling locations, and timing). Acoustic data provides information on the organization, diversity and dynamics of an acoustic community, and thus enables study of ecological change and turnover in a non-intrusive way. In this review, we lay out how community bioacoustics (the study of acoustic community structure and dynamics), has value in ecological monitoring and conservation of diverse landscapes and taxa. First, we review the concepts of signal space, signal partitioning and their effects on the structure of acoustic communities. Next, we highlight how spatiotemporal ecological change is reflected in acoustic community structure, and the potential this presents in monitoring and conservation. As passive acoustic monitoring gains popularity worldwide, we propose that the analytical framework of community bioacoustics has promise in studying the response of entire suites of species (from insects to large whales) to rapid anthropogenic change.

Forest is faced with many vital issues caused by natural disasters or artificial sabotage. In this paper, a parallel-based air-ground integration system is proposed to monitor the forest ecological factors transported to the control center by LoRa nodes, such as temperature, humidity, and concentration of flammable gas. Inspired by parallel theory, the system is implemented with both the actual system and the artificial system. Thanks to LoRa transmission techniques, the system is able to monitor large area but with low power consumption. The experiment of this system is carried out in forest scenario. Experiment results show that the system can collect ecological environment information effectively with a low bit error rate and packet loss rate.

Signatory countries to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are formulating goals and indicators through 2050 under the post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Among the goals is increasing the integrity of ecosystems. The CBD is now seeking input toward a quantifiable definition of integrity and methods to track it globally. Here, we offer a schema for using Earth observations (EO) to monitor and evaluate global forest ecosystem integrity (EI). Our approach builds on three topics: the concept of EI, the use of satellite‐based EO, and the use of “essential biodiversity variables” to monitor and report on it. Within this schema, EI is a measure of the structure, function, and composition of an ecosystem relative to the range of variation determined by climatic–geophysical environment. We use evaluation criteria to recommend eight potential indicators of EI that can be monitored around the globe using Earth Observations to support the efforts of nations to monitor and report progress to implement the post‐2020 GBF. If operationalized, this schema should help Parties to the CBD take action and report progress on achieving ecosystem commitments during this decade.

Актуальность настоящей статьи состоит в том, чтобы показать возможность при проведении локального сейсмо-экологического мониторинга (ЛСЭМ) получать не только двумерное, но и трехмерное представление о глубинном и скоростном строении изучаемого объекта, а также анализировать трехмерные модели показателей напряженного состояния геологической среды во времени. ЛСЭМ проводится на ограниченных территориях с целью оценки степени экологической безопасности и уменьшения риска опасных природных явлений на этапе наблюдения при строительстве и эксплуатации объектов особой важности, таких как ГЭС, АЭС, объектов недропользования, а также мегаполисов. Цель работы. Цель настоящей статьи показать результаты трехмерного комплексного изучения среды с помощью локального сейсмо-экологического мониторинга на реальных объектах для районов Балаковской АЭС и Московского мегаполиса. Методы исследования. По кинематике обменных волн PS от далеких землетрясений получены данные о рельефе глубинных границ и скоростном строении изучаемых регионов. Построены трехмерные модели глубинного и скоростного строения. По энергии обменных волн от далеких землетрясений оценены показатель анизотропности g и показатель напряженного состояния среды S для разных уровней глубин и разных временных интервалов наблюдения в районе планируемой Тверской АЭС. Результаты исследований. Построены трехмерные модели показателя анизотропности g. Полученные трехмерные модели показателя анизотропности g и оценка показателя S позволили выявить аномалии показателя g, усиление и исчезновение этих аномалий в пространстве и во времени, а также выявить влияние далекого катастрофического землетрясения из района Аляски на изменение значений геодинамических показателей. Сделан вывод, что при проведении локального сейсмо-экологического мониторинга (ЛСЭМ) в разных районах исследования имеется возможность построить трехмерные модели глубинного и скоростного строения исследуемого региона, а также изучить распределение геодинамических показателей анизотропности g и напряженного состояния S в разных диапазонах глубин и для разных временных интервалов, и как результат, построить трехмерные модели, характеризующие напряженное состояние региона во времени. The relevance of this article is to show the possibility of obtaining not only a two-dimensional, but also a three-dimensional idea about the depth and speed structure of the object during researching by local seismic-ecological monitoring (LSEM), as well as to analyze three-dimensional models of indicators of the stress state of the geological environment over time. LSEM is carried out in limited areas in order to assess the degree of environmental safety and reduce the risk of natural hazards at the stage of observation during the construction and operation of facilities of special importance, such as hydroelectric power stations, nuclear power plants, subsoil use facilities, as well as megalopolis. Aim. The purpose of this article is to show the results of a three-dimensional complex study of the environment using local seismic -ecological monitoring at real objects for the Balakovo NPP region and the Moscow megalopolis. Methods. Based on the kinematics of the converted waves PS from distant earthquakes, data were obtained on the relief of deep borders and the speed structure of the studied regions. Three-dimensional models of deep and speed structure were built. Based on the energy of converted waves from distant earthquakes, the anisotropostig indicator gand the stress state indicator of medium S for different depth levels and different time observation intervals for the area of the planned Tver NPP were estimated. Results. Three-dimensional models of the anisotropy indicator gare built. The obtained three-dimensional models of the anisotropy indicator g. and the assessment of the indicator S revealed the anomalies of the indicator g., the amplification and disappearance of these anomalies in space and in time, as well as the influence of a distant catastrophic earthquake from the Alaska region on the change in the values of geodynamic indicators. It was concluded that when conducting local seismic-ecological monitoring (LSEM) in different study areas, it is possible to build three-dimensional models of the depth and speed structure of the studied region, as well as to study the distribution of geodynamic indicators of anisotropy of g. and stress state S in different depth ranges and for different time observation intervals, and as a result, to build three-dimensional models characterizing the stressed state of the region in time.