2014, Shabani, Farzin, Kumar, Lalit, Taylor, Subhashni

The objective of the present paper is to use CLIMEX software to project how climate change might impact the future distribution of date palm ('Phoenix dactylifera' L.) in Iran. Although the outputs of this software are only based on the response of a species to climate, the CLIMEX results were refined in the present study using two non-climatic parameters: (a) the location of soils containing suitable physicochemical properties and (b) the spatial distribution of soil types having suitable soil taxonomy for dates, as unsuitable soil types impose problems in air permeability, hydraulic conductivity and root development. Here, two different Global climate models (GCMs), CSIRO-Mk3.0 (CS) and MIROC-H (MR), were employed with the A2 emission scenario to model the potential date palm distribution under current and future climates in Iran for the years 2030, 2050, 2070 and 2100. The results showed that only c. 0.30 of the area identified as suitable by CLIMEX will actually be suitable for date palm cultivation: the rest of the area comprises soil types that are not favourable for date palm cultivation. Moreover, the refined outputs indicate that the total area suitable for date palm cultivation will increase to 31.3 million ha by 2100, compared with 4.8 million ha for current date palm cultivation. The present results also indicate that only heat stress will have an impact on date palm distribution in Iran by 2100, with the areas currently impacted by cold stress diminishing by 2100.

2015, Kumar, Lalit, Khormi, Hassan, Leis, Katrina, Taylor, Subhashni

Increasing anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity has been a cause for concern in Australia in recent years. Areas that hold high levels of endemic species and also face exceptional threats of destruction have been described as biodiversity hotspots. Ecological research focused on biodiversity hotspots will provide a better understanding of the flora and fauna of these regions and thus inform conservation strategies. Consequently, it is important to understand where biodiversity hotspots are located and how well they have been researched in the past. However, the choice of ecological research sites may be influenced by a variety of factors such as proximity to research institutions. This study utilized a geographic information system to investigate the spatial distribution of ecological research field sites in Australia and its territorial waters, the hotspots of the field sites around research institutions and the proximity of ecological research field sites from the main campus of the research institutions. Furthermore, these hotspots of ecological research were linked to biodiversity hotspots to identify the regions that were commonly depicted in the ecological literature and to identify others that may need more attention. We demonstrated that hotspots of ecological research were concentrated around research institutions, with a large number of field sites being located between 0 km and 500 km from the nearest institution, especially along the eastern coast. This study highlighted areas that have been the focus of much ecological research as well as areas that need more attention from ecologists to add new knowledge to Australian ecological science.

2015, Kumar, Lalit, Taylor, Subhashni

Pacific island countries (PICs) are situated in a highly dynamic ocean-atmosphere interface, are dispersed over a large ocean area, and have highly populated urban centres located on the coastal margin. The built infrastructure associated with urban centres is also located within close proximity to the coastlines, exposing such infrastructure to a variety of natural and climate change-related hazards. In this research we undertake a comprehensive analysis of the exposure of built infrastructure assets to climate risk for 12 PICs. We show that 57% of the assessed built infrastructure for the 12 PICs is located within 500m of their coastlines, amounting to a total replacement value of US$21.9 billion. Eight of the 12 PICs have 50% or more of their built infrastructure located within 500m of their coastlines. In particular, Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu have over 95% of their built infrastructure located within 500mof their coastlines. Coastal adaptation costs will require substantial financial resources, which may not be available in developing countries such as the PICs, leaving them to face very high impacts but lacking the adaptive capacity.

2011, Taylor, Subhashni, Kumar, Lalit, Reid, Nicholas, Kriticos, Darren J

'Lantana camara' L. (lantana) is a major weed in many tropical and subtropical countries outside its native range (Day et al. 2003). In Australia, lantana currently covers more than 4 million ha and has significant ecological and economic impacts (Johnson, 2007). It has been declared a weed of national significance (Thorpe and Lynch, 2000). Climate change is an important consideration in assessing the risks posed by this weed. This research examines the effect of climate change on the distribution of lantana in continental Australia. CLIMEX Version 3 (Sutherst & Maywald, 1985) was used to develop a predictive model of the potential distribution of L. camara under current as well as climate change scenarios in Australia. This was done using two Global Climate Models (GCMs), Echam mark 3 (ECHAM3) and Hadley Centre mark 2 (HadCM2). The models were run with high as well as low emission scenarios for the 2030s and 2070s.

2016, Ramirez Cabral, Nadiezhda Yakovleva Zitz, Kumar, Lalit, Taylor, Subhashni

Crops experience different climate stresses during development. The magnitude of damage will depend on the phenological stage of the crop and the stress duration. Climate change could intensify some or all of these stresses, thus negatively impacting agriculture. An assessment of staple crop productivity,quality and climatically suitable areas under climate change conditions is necessary to undertake any global initiatives to tackle food security issues. The common bean ('Phaseolus vulgaris' L.) is a staple crop and the main source of proteins and nutrients in Africa and Latin America. The purpose of this study is to develop a process-oriented niche model to assess the impacts of climate change on the current and future potential distribution of common bean and to use this model to investigate the changes in heat, cold, dry and wet stresses under climate change. We used A2 and A1B emission scenarios and two different global climate models, CSIRO-Mk3.0 and MIROC-H, for the years 2050 and 2100. Our results indicate future climate conditions are more favorable for common bean cultivation in the Northern Hemisphere, but are less favorable in the Southern Hemisphere. Heat and dry stresses are the main factors limiting and reducing common bean distribution under current and future projected conditions. Africa and Latin America are projected to decrease with respect to suitability for common bean cultivation. The model projections indicate that a shift in the common bean productive areas is highly likely with a loss of suitability of the current common bean cultivation areas and an increase in cold regions such as Canada, the Nordic countries and Russia. The results indicate the likelihood of changes in climatic suitability and the distribution of common bean at a global scale under a future climate, which will affect regions where this legume is a staple crop and an important source of household income. Regions in the Northern Hemisphere could take advantage of the increase in suitability by increasing the production and exportation of this grain.

2015, Kumar, Lalit, Sinha, Priyakant, Taylor, Subhashni, Alqurashi, Abdullah

The quantification, mapping and monitoring of biomass are now central issues due to the importance of biomass as a renewable energy source in many countries of the world. The estimation of biomass is a challenging task, especially in areas with complex stands and varying environmental conditions, and requires accurate and consistent measurement methods. To efficiently and effectively use biomass as a renewable energy source, it is important to have detailed knowledge of its distribution, abundance, and quality. Remote sensing offers the technology to enable rapid assessment of biomass over large areas relatively quickly and at a low cost. This paper provides a comprehensive review of biomass assessment techniques using remote sensing in different environments and using different sensing techniques. It covers forests, savannah, and grasslands/rangelands, and for each of these environments, reviews key work that has been undertaken and compares the techniques that have been the most successful.

2010, Taylor, Subhashni, Kumar, Lalit, Reid, Nicholas

Fusion of panchromatic and multi-spectral QuickBird satellite imagery was carried out to evaluate the impact of fusion techniques on classification accuracies for Lantana mapping. This study compared four image fusion techniques, namely Brovey, Hue-Saturation-Value, Principal Components, and Gram-Schmidt Spectral Sharpening. Classification accuracy assessment was calculated using an error matrix for all images. Gram-Schmidt and Principal Components spectral sharpening techniques had an overall accuracy of 90.5 percent and 89.5 percent and a kappa coefficient of 0.85 and 0.84, respectively, compared to the MS image which had an overall accuracy of 86.3 percent and a kappa coefficient of 0.79. Brovey transformation and HSV performed poorly in the supervised classification with overall accuracies of 64.2 percent and 76.8 percent and kappa coefficients of 0.48 and 0.65, respectively. Visual and statistical analyses of the fused images showed that Gram-Schmidt and Principal Components spectral sharpening techniques preserved spectral quality much better than the Brovey and HSV fused images.

2015, Okonkwo, Chidumeje, Kumar, Lalit, Taylor, Subhashni

The Niger Delta wetland ecosystem is of high economic importance to the local dwellers and the nation in general. The region is rich in both aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity and serves as a main source of livelihood for rural dwellers as well as stabilizing the ecosystem. Tremendous changes have occurred recently in the Niger Delta wetlands due to anthropogenic activities, thus raising awareness on the need for effective monitoring, protection and conservation of the wetland ecosystem. A good knowledge of the services provided by wetland ecosystems is an important key for an effective ecosystem management. The aim of this paper therefore was to review the importance of wetland resources, their threats and the need to protect them. This review shows that the region is rich in biodiversity of high economic importance to national development, and has been under severe threat from human activities, especially pollution. It is recommended that effective monitoring be employed using modern techniques such as GIS and remote sensing in the conservation and management of this important ecosystem.

2011, Taylor, Subhashni, Kumar, Lalit, Reid, Nicholas

Remote sensing provides a useful tool for mapping invasive species across large areas. This study compared the effectiveness of imagery derived from three multi-spectral (Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), SPOT 5, and Quickbird) and hyperspectral (Hyperion) imaging platforms for detection of the invasive species 'Lantana camara' L. in eastern Australia. Landsat TM multispectral (MS) image provided an overall accuracy of 85.1% and a kappa coefficient of 0.78 while SPOT 5 gave an overall accuracy of 84.9% and a kappa value of 0.77. Quickbird showed an overall accuracy of 84% and a kappa coefficient of 0.76. The Hyperion image gave an overall accuracy of 80% with a kappa value of 0.69. The highest producer (83%) and user accuracy (84%) for lantana was shown by Hyperion. The findings indicate that remote sensing technology can contribute to enhanced planning and decision making by scientists and resource managers involved in lantana research and management.