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Changes and disturbances to water diversity and quality are complex and multi-scale in space and time. Although in situ methods provide detailed point information on the condition of water bodies, they are of limited use for making area-based monitoring over time, as aquatic ecosystems are extremely dynamic. Remote sensing (RS) provides methods and data for the cost-effective, comprehensive, continuous and standardised monitoring of characteristics and changes in characteristics of water diversity and water quality from local and regional scales to the scale of entire continents. In order to apply and better understand RS techniques and their derived spectral indicators in monitoring water diversity and quality, this study defines five characteristics of water diversity and quality that can be monitored using RS. These are the diversity of water traits, the diversity of water genesis, the structural diversity of water, the taxonomic diversity of water and the functional diversity of water. It is essential to record the diversity of water traits to derive the other four characteristics of water diversity from RS. Furthermore, traits are the only and most important interface between in situ and RS monitoring approaches. The monitoring of these five characteristics of water diversity and water quality using RS technologies is presented in detail and discussed using numerous examples. Finally, current and future developments are presented to advance monitoring using RS and the trait approach in modelling, prediction and assessment as a basis for successful monitoring and management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to develop and provide integrated observation systems to better understand and manage global and regional environmental change is one of the major challenges facing Earth system science today. In 2008, the German Helmholtz Association took up this challenge and launched the German research infrastructure TERrestrial ENvironmental Observatories (TERENO). The aim of TERENO is the establishment and maintenance of a network of observatories as a basis for an interdisciplinary and long‐term research program to investigate the effects of global environmental change on terrestrial ecosystems and their socio‐economic consequences. State‐of‐the‐art methods from the field of environmental monitoring, geophysics, remote sensing, and modeling are used to record and analyze states and fluxes in different environmental disciplines from groundwater through the vadose zone, surface water, and biosphere, up to the lower atmosphere. Over the past 15 years we have collectively gained experience in operating a long‐term observing network, thereby overcoming unexpected operational and institutional challenges, exceeding expectations, and facilitating new research. Today, the TERENO network is a key pillar for environmental modeling and forecasting in Germany, an information hub for practitioners and policy stakeholders in agriculture, forestry, and water management at regional to national levels, a nucleus for international collaboration, academic training and scientific outreach, an important anchor for large‐scale experiments, and a trigger for methodological innovation and technological progress. This article describes TERENO's key services and functions, presents the main lessons learned from this 15‐year effort, and emphasizes the need to continue long‐term integrated environmental monitoring programmes in the future. Plain Language Summary: This paper discusses the importance of creating comprehensive environmental observation systems to better understand and address global and regional environmental changes. In 2008, a German research infrastructure named Terrestrial Environmental Observatories (TERENO) was established to build and maintain a network of observatories. The goal is to conduct interdisciplinary, long‐term research on the impacts of global environmental changes on terrestrial ecosystems and their socio‐economic effects. The TERENO network employs advanced methods from environmental monitoring, geophysics, remote sensing, and modeling to study various environmental aspects. Over the past 15 years, four observatories have been part of this network, contributing to valuable experience in overcoming challenges and exceeding expectations. Today, TERENO is a crucial component for environmental modeling and forecasting in Germany, serving as an information hub for practitioners and policymakers. It also fosters international collaboration, supports large‐scale experiments, and drives methodological and technological advancements. The article highlights key lessons learned from this 15‐year effort and emphasizes the importance of continuing such integrated environmental monitoring programs in the future. Key Points: Integrated observatories ensure a holistic Earth Systems perspective, offering data for current and future ecological challengesThe scientific and societal value of observatories is invaluable, but their design, construction and operation require considerable effortFor assured long‐term data collection, research infrastructure must have flexible design for adapting to changing research needs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the greatest challenges of our time is monitoring the rapid environmental changes taking place worldwide at both local and global scales. This requires easy-to-use and ready-to-implement tools and services to monitor and quantify aspects of bio- and geodiversity change and the impact of land use intensification using freely available and global remotely sensed data, and to derive remotely sensed indicators. Currently, there are no services for quantifying both raster- and vector-based indicators in a "compact tool". Therefore, the main innovation of ESIS/Imalys is having a remote sensing (RS) tool that allows for RS data processing, data management, and continuous and discrete quantification and derivation of RS indicators in one tool. With the ESIS/Imalys project (Ecosystem Integrity Remote Sensing—Modelling and Service Tool), we try to present environmental indicators on a clearly defined and reproducible basis. The Imalys software library generates the RS indicators and remote sensing products defined for ESIS. This paper provides an overview of the functionality of the Imalys software library. An overview of the technical background of the implementation of the Imalys library, data formats and the user interfaces is given. Examples of RS-based indicators derived using the Imalys tool at pixel level and at zone level (vector level) are presented. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of the Imalys tool are discussed in detail in order to better assess the value of Imalys for users and developers. The applicability of the indicators will be demonstrated through three ecological applications, namely: (1) monitoring landscape diversity, (2) monitoring landscape structure and landscape fragmentation, and (3) monitoring land use intensity and its impact on ecosystem functions. Despite the integration of large amounts of data, Imalys can run on any PC, as the processing and derivation of indicators has been greatly optimised. The Imalys source code is freely available and is hosted and maintained under an open source license. Complete documentation of all methods, functions and derived indicators can be found in the freely available Imalys manual. The user-friendliness of Imalys, despite the integration of a large amount of RS data, makes it another important tool for ecological research, modelling and application for the monitoring and derivation of ecosystem indicators from local to global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research and the dissemination of scholarship are increasingly global enterprises, engaging scholars throughout the world. In what will be a story familiar to many academics in the West, as well as their inherent desire to disseminate and receive recognition for their research, Chinese scholars face pressures from their institutions to publish in highly cited journals. Journals indexed by the Web of Science are by and large published in English. As a result, young Chinese scholars in the Social Sciences and Humanities face significant hurdles, beginning with, but not limited to the need to disseminate their research in a language other than their own. This interview-based study, undertaken at a research-intensive university in China, investigates the experiences of these scholars, looking at both their challenges and the strategies they use to overcome these difficulties. This investigation of the experiences of young scholars in China contributes to our knowledge of the internationalization of scholarship.

Soiling can greatly reduce both the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) installations and the signals of radiometers. The knowledge of the current soiling losses of a PV installation can be used to optimize the cleaning schedule and to avoid false alarms related to other issues that might cause underperformance. Underperformance can be detected by comparing measured to modeled PV production derived using pyranometer or reference cell measurements. Soiled pyranometers or reference cells lead to too low modeled PV production so that PV soiling or other errors might not be detected. So far, soiling sensors either require frequent cleaning or they use indirect measurements to derive the soiling loss (e.g., analysis of backscattering signal or imaging of dust on a glass surface). Currently, the soiling loss of pyranometers or outdoor reference cells uses the comparison to another frequently cleaned device of the same model. To avoid time‐consuming maintenance of the sensors and to avoid additional sensors as much as possible, we developed a new method for measuring PV and radiometer soiling losses. The method makes use of a characterized lamp that is protected from soiling by a collimator and that illuminates the pyranometer or reference cell each night for some time. Comparing the signals of one night to the signal obtained at a night shortly after the last cleaning of the sensor, its soiling loss can be derived. To validate the measurements of soiling losses for the pyranometer and the reference cell, the soiling losses of the devices are also derived by comparing their signals to those of a clean sensor of the same type. These reference instruments are calibrated relative to the test devices so that deviations indicate the soiling loss of the test sensors. The first outdoor tests with 4 months of data show a good agreement with the reference measurements of the soiling losses. The accuracy of the method is estimated to be similar to that of the reference method, which involves the daily cleaning of the reference devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a highly competitive higher education environment where resources are limited, educators are increasingly concerned with providing evidence for the effectiveness of teaching interventions including one-to-one writing support. This article offers a model for analysing the changes in student writing as a result of individualised writing instruction. The multilayered approach to textual analysis proposed here concentrates on five aspects of academic writing that students need to master during the first year of tertiary level education. The model is illustrated with reference to a first year student's assignment. The application of the model allows for a systematic description of changes students make to their draft assignments, and the evaluation of whether these changes were consonant with the topics discussed during tutorials. The rationale for measuring student revisions is both to inform teaching and tutorial practice, and to provide valuable information for senior managers seeking to identify effective ways of enhancing students' academic literacies. (Contains 4 figures.)

Plagiarism and collusion are significant issues for most lecturers whatever their discipline, and to universities and the higher education sector. Universities respond to these issues by developing institutional definitions of plagiarism, which are intended to apply to all instances of plagiarism and collusion. This article first suggests that plagiarism and collusion are related instances of the desirable phenomenon of intertextuality, but which are defined as transgressive, that is, intertextuality that crosses a boundary defining relationships that are inappropriate in a specific context. The article then goes on to show, through interviews with lecturers in a variety of disciplines, that lecturers' interpretations of inappropriate or transgressive intertextuality vary for reasons including the expectations and practices of the discipline. The article suggests that transgressive intertextuality needs to be defined according to the disciplinary expectations and that a single institutional definition may be inadequate to defining varying disciplinary perspectives. (Contains 2 notes.)

Content-based instruction (CBI) has been proposed as an effective method of preparing students for study in English-medium universities. Although CBI has won adherents for its pedagogical effectiveness, a theoretical basis for its success has not been fully articulated. There are a variety of frameworks that may be used to provide this theoretical basis. This paper argues that an ecological framework on language learning and use can provide this theoretical underpinning. A content-based English pre-sessional course illustrates the proposed ecological framework. The course, using a textbook for native-English speaking undergraduates [Seitz, J. L., (2002). "Global issues: An introduction". (2nd ed.). Oxford & Malden, MA: Blackwell], helps students learn the expectations of university study through extended focused reading, discussion and writing. In this way, EAP skills are contextualized in an integrated learning process.