The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) is a state government agency charged with the enforcement of environmental policy in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is authorized to adopt and enforce rules and regulations consistent with the statutory authority granted to the Alabama Environmental Management Commission and ADEM by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It was created in 1982 with the passage of the Alabama Environmental Management Act by the Alabama Legislature. The act consolidated the various commissions, agencies, and programs that had been responsible for implementing environmental law into the Alabama Environmental Management Commission and ADEM. In past years, the agency has been repeatedly accused of not enforcing environmental regulations.
Fish-based indices of biotic integrity (IBIs) are widely used in bioassessments, but their metrics and outcomes are susceptible to errors in detecting low-abundance taxa. Here, we build upon previous work on Midwestern US streams to test the sensitivity of fish IBI outcomes to rare taxa (lower 5% of rank abundance) using an extensive dataset of fish surveys from 719 sites across an aquatic biodiversity ‘hotspot’ in Alabama. We compared original IBI results with results from three treatments: 1) single-rare-taxon removal, 2) singleton/doubleton removal, and 3) all-rare-taxon removal. For comparability with prior work, effects on IBI metrics and scores were summarized using normalized root mean square error (nRMSE) and regressions, while effects on individual IBI metrics and biological condition ratings were evaluated using weighted Coehn’s κ, Bowker’s tests, confusion matrices, and rating-transition summaries. Post-treatment condition rating agreement was highest for single-rare-taxon removal (κ = 0.91), moderate for all-rare-taxon removal (κ = 0.61), and lowest for singleton/doubleton removal (κ = 0.44). Bowker tests indicated systematic rather than random rating shifts, with shifts across the critical regulatory threshold (‘Fair’ to ‘Poor’/‘Very Poor’) in ~ 4.8, 44.0%, and ~ 26.5% of sites, respectively, across treatments 1–3. Potential confounding effects of sample variability and drainage area were limited; however, coastal ichthyoregions were more susceptible to rare taxon removal than those above the Fall Line. Our results show that Alabama fish IBI outcomes are sensitive to failures to detect low-abundance taxa, with the largest effects arising from singleton/doubleton sampling errors, and in coastal systems, with important implications for bioassessment and water resource management.
Microalgae are a promising renewable energy source due to their rapid growth, high nutritional value, and minimal competition with food production. The study evaluates the feasibility of large-scale algae-based biofuel production in Ghana, contributing to the global shift toward sustainable energy. A review of existing literature reveals that Ghana currently lacks small-scale algae cultivation initiatives, highlighting a gap in the country’s biofuel sector. A study claims that scaling up a 1000-L open raceway bioreactor for bio-crude lipid production would require an initial investment of approximately USD 24,596. Despite the theoretical viability of algae biofuels, several challenges hinder commercialization, including Ghana’s reliance on traditional biomass, lack of supporting policy, and the absence of a market for algae-based products. These factors create significant barriers to investment and large-scale production. However, given the increasing global demand for renewable energy, strategic policies, financial incentives, and further research could pave way for algae-based biofuels as a viable alternative in Ghana’s energy mix. This study underscores the need for targeted interventions by government and stakeholders, ensuring the integration of microalgae into Ghana’s renewable energy strategy.
Pterocarpus erinaceus (Poir.) is an endemic and endangered species of the Guinea‐Sudano‐Sahelian zones currently overexploited for timber, fodder, and medicinal purposes. Therefore, plantations are critical to meeting the high demand in the international market while reducing pressure on natural stands, but its growth performance across different ecological zones is not well documented. Thus, we assessed the influence of ecological zones and soil properties on the survival and growth performance of P. erinaceus . Data were collected from 12 subplots of P. erinaceus stands in the Dry Semi‐Deciduous Fire Zone (DSFZ) and 16 subplots in the Moist Semi‐Deciduous North West Zone (MSNW). We assessed the survival and growth performance of P. erinaceus using one‐way ANOVA, variation in soil properties using the Generalized Linear Model, and the influence of soil properties on P. erinaceus growth characteristics via correlation analysis. We found that the percentage survival of P. erinaceus was similar in both ecological zones. However, P. erinaceus demonstrated a high level of variation in growth attributes, growing taller with deeper canopies in wetter conditions and larger crown spread in drier conditions. The aboveground biomass carbon stocks of P. erinaceus stands were similar in both ecological zones, highlighting the potential role of the species as a carbon sink in the ecological zones. Soil organic matter, nitrogen, and calcium contents were higher in soils of the MSNW stands than those of the DSFZ stands. However, potassium, magnesium, sodium, and phosphorus contents were stable across the ecological zones. We concluded that wetter conditions enhance the growth performance of P. erinaceus as a timber species.
This study presents an analysis of long-term rainfall variability and trends in the summer monsoon region of Southeast Asia, encompassing Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar, as well as their respective river basins. Utilizing Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station Data (CHIRPS) having a spatial resolution of 5 km spanning from 1981 to 2021, rainfall variability and trends were examined. Data preprocessing and geospatial analysis were conducted using R-Studio and ArcGIS software. The Mann–Kendall (MK) test and Sen’s slope estimator were employed for annual and seasonal rainfall trend analysis. Myanmar exhibited the highest average annual rainfall of 2137 mm during the study period, while Thailand had the lowest (1641 mm). Over the past four decades, the Peninsula Malaysian Basin experienced the highest average annual rainfall (2691 mm), whereas the Chao Praya Basin recorded the lowest (1311 mm). Increasing trends in rainfall were observed across all five countries and nine major river basins. Vietnam displayed the highest annual rainfall trend of 5.63 mm/year, while Lao PDR exhibited the lowest trend (3.16 mm/year). Among the river basins, the Chao Phraya Basin demonstrated the maximum annual rainfall trend (11.21 mm/year), while the Peninsula Malaysia Basin had the minimum trend (1.21 mm/year). These findings could significantly contribute to climate change monitoring in the region and can aid policymakers in sectors such as agriculture, urban planning, and disaster management.
