Miguel F. Acevedo- PhD
- Professor at University of North Texas
Miguel F. Acevedo
- PhD
- Professor at University of North Texas
About
115
Publications
38,859
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1,406
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Introduction
Research interests and expertise:
• Environmental and biological modeling
• Real-time environmental monitoring and ecological observatories
• Sustainability, renewable energy, desalination, and food security
• Global climate change and variability
• Landscape and forest ecology
• Hydrology, hydrodynamics, watersheds, and reservoirs
• Coupled natural-human systems, modeling and simulation
Current institution
Additional affiliations
January 1992 - present
Publications
Publications (115)
Global challenges such as soil degradation and water scarcity necessitate sustainable agricultural practices, particularly in regions where saline water is increasingly used for irrigation. This study investigates the effects of four compost treatments, including surface-applied mulch compost (MC), Johnson–Su biologically active compost incorporate...
This study explores the effects of alternating current-induced electromagnetic field (EMF) on mitigating brackish water irrigation and soil salinization impacts. Greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of EMF on plant growth, soil properties, and leaching of ions under different conditions, including using brackish water and de...
Increasing soil salinity and degraded irrigation water quality are major challenges for agriculture. This study investigated the effects of irrigation water quality and incorporating compost (3% dry mass in soil) on minimizing soil salinization and promoting sustainable cropping systems. A greenhouse study used brackish water (electrical conductivi...
Corrections to Chapter 2 of Introduction to Renewable Power Systems and the Environment with R
Corrections Chapter 1 of Introduction to Renewable Power Systems and the Environment with R
A pesquisa teve como objetivo a avaliação dos parâmetros de tratabilidade, designados assim, como as variáveis, fatores, configurações hidráulicas e de operação, que por hipótese, potencialmente oferecessem influência no processo de melhoria da qualidade da água residuária (concentrado salino) decorrente da dessalinização por osmose reversa, atravé...
Com a escassez da disponibilidade de água doce e o aumento da demanda de água no mundo e no Brasil, uma das alternativas são os sistemas de dessalinização de água, que removem os sais das águas salobra ou salgada. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a eficiência de um sistema piloto de dessalinização de água salobra a qual foi obtida a partir da...
RESUMO Com a escassez da disponibilidade de água doce e o aumento da demanda de água no mundo e no Brasil, uma das alternativas são os sistemas de dessalinização de água, que removem os sais das águas salobra ou salgada. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a eficiência de um sistema piloto de dessalinização de água salobra a qual foi obtida a pa...
Seawater intrusion into the Pombas River, source of freshwater to Praia de Leste on the coast of Parana in Brazil presents a problem to the water utility as most water treatment plants in Brazil are conventional. To find a solution to this problem, a pilot plant (1 m3 /h) consisting of ultrafiltration (UF) followed by reverse osmosis (RO) was devel...
The aim of this book is to introduce the fundamentals of electrical power systems while examining their relationships with the environment. In particular, I want the book to help students understand those aspects of environment systems that motivate the development and utilization of renewable power systems technology. Importantly, I cover conventi...
Coupled natural systems are generally modeled at multiple abstraction levels. Both structural scale and behavioral complexity of these models are determinants in the kinds of questions that can be posed and answered. As scale and complexity of models increase, simulation efficiency must increase to resolve tradeoffs between model resolution and sim...
Weathering and suspended matter fluxes of the Langtang Narayani river system in central Nepal Himalaya have been investigated at 16 stations for one year, based on monthly water sampling in the lower reaches and bi-monthly in higher elevation areas, to determine temporal variations of weathering fluxes along an elevation profile between 169 and 398...
Global food insecurity is increasing in absolute terms despite recent decreases in percentage terms. Options to increase food production while protecting the environment exclude further expansion of cropland, leaving increased agricultural productivity as an option assuming we address its associated technological and societal challenges while exerc...
The direct causes inducing the change of forest cover due to changes in land use have been identified as general categories. However, these categories do not capture the differentiated manner in which the people respond to the socio-economical opportunities that drive the changes in land use at the local scale. It was established whether the causes...
RESUMEN Las causas directas que inducen el cambio de cobertura boscosa por cambios en el uso del suelo han sido identifica-das como categorías generales. Sin embargo, estas categorías no captan la forma diferenciada en que las personas responden a las oportunidades socioeconómicas que impulsan los cambios en el uso del suelo a escala local. Se dete...
Glacial meltwater samples were collected from 15 supraglacial ponds at elevations ranging between 3989 and 4292 m above sea level in the debris-covered area of Lirung glacier in central Nepal Himalayas, from November 2010 to October 2011 on a bimonthly basis. We examined elevation trends, and their control by seasonality, dominant geochemical proce...
p>We quantified pine-forested habitat suitable for Red-cockaded Woodpecker Picoides borealis in the former historic range of the species to assess the potential for possible re-colonization. We used a remotely-sensed image and geographic information systems (GIS) to create a land-use/land (LU/LC) binary cover map, from which we calculated the habit...
The emergence of coupled natural and human landscapes marked a transformative interval in the human past that set our species on the road to the urbanized, industrial world in which we live. This emergence enabled technologies and social institutions responsible for human-natural couplings in domains beyond rural, agricultural settings. The Mediter...
We used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and landscape-level data obtained from remote sensing sources to build a habitat suitability index model (HSI) for the Greater One-horned Rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis. The model was based primarily on important habitat requisites of the modeled species, especially food and cover. We extracted food and...
In this paper, we develop a technique to model the spatial distribution of shoots along vertical and horizontal dimensions of a plant community. We use it to simulate the growth of a tropical savanna near the city of Barinas, Venezuela, to explore the responses of the peak biomass of a plant community to a range of 10-50% reduction of rainfall. We...
We characterize the leaf spectra of tree species of an Andean cloud forest in Venezuela, grouped according to position in canopy, subcanopy and understory. We measured leaf reflectance and transmittance spectra in the 400-750 nm range using a high-resolution spectrometer. Both signals were subtracted from unity to calculate the absorbance signal. N...
c1 Correspondence: Dr Miguel Acevedo e-mail: acevedo@unt.edu
We analyze and study the beginning of a new Electrical Engineering Department, supported by an NSF Departmental Level Reform award, within a new College of Engineering in the 21st Century and also describe the academic approach and influences of an innovative cognitive-based approach to curriculum development. In addition, the approach taken utiliz...
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have great potential to revolutionize many science and engineering domains. We present a novel
environmental monitoring system with a focus on overall system architecture for seamless integration of wired and wireless
sensors for long-term, remote, and near-real-time monitoring. We also present a unified framework fo...
Levels of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization and dark septate endophyte (DSE) colonization were assessed in the vegetation recolonizing a remnant bottomland hardwood forest in north central Texas following a 100 year flood. Thirty seven plant species representing 21 dicotyledonous and 2 montocotyledonous families established following floodwa...
Con la información básica de mediciones sucesivas en parcelas
permanentes en un bosque tropical con inundaciones estacionales,
específicamente el bosque de Caparo, estado barinas, se estimaron
los valores para la parametrización del modelo FACET, una extensión
del modelo de claros ZELIG. Mucho del esfuerzo en este modelo
se había focalizado en...
Savannas are ecosystems known for their high environmental and economic value. They cover at least 20% of the global land surface and, in some cases, can act as a boundary between tropical rainforest and deserts. Water is an important determinant of savanna ecosystems.In this paper, we present a theoretical stochastic model of root competition for...
Se estudiaron las tasas de crecimiento de especies arbóreas que pertenecen a diferentes grupos funcionales y que ocupan distintas posiciones fisiográficas en un bosque estacional de la Reserva Forestal Caparo, Venezuela. Los grupos fueron conformados de acuerdo con sus requerimientos de luz y la altura máxima que pueden alcanzar los individuos. Se...
Environmental observatories, consisting of a variety of sensor systems,
computational resources and informatics, are important for us to
observe, model, predict, and ultimately help preserve the health of the
nature. The commoditization and proliferation of coin-to-palm sized
wireless sensors will allow environmental monitoring with unprecedented
f...
Wireless sensor networks (WSN) technology has great potential to revolutionize many science and engineering domains. We present
a novel environmental monitoring system with a focus on the overall system architecture for seamless integration of wired
and wireless sensors for long-term, remote, and near-real-time monitoring. We also present a unified...
We define a set of characters for the study of the fern family Gleicheniaceae. These characters have no ordered states. We establish a classification, through a divisive strategy, on the basis of these characters applied to the species occurring in the Greater Antilles.
We used a technique based on information theory. A computational program was im...
We synthesize the study of coupled natural and human systems across sites and cultures through a process of simplification and abstraction based on multiple dimensions of human-nature connectedness: satisfaction of basic needs, psycho-cultural connectedness and regulation of use of natural resources. We thus provide both a place-based and general u...
Este trabajo tiene como objetivo presentar una propuesta metodológica para analizar datos climáticos históricos a ser utilizados en estudios de la variabilidad temporal de la precipitación en una región. Específicamente, en este caso, se trata de los Llanos venezolanos. La propuesta con la selección de las estaciones a ser utilizadas, continúa con...
A multi-agent model of social and environmental complexity of deforestation was developed for the Caparo Forest Reserve, Venezuela. It includes three types of agents: settlers, government, and lumber concessionaires. Settlers represent people of limited economic resources that deforest and occupy reserve land to grow crops and eventually claim prop...
A major force affecting many forest ecosystems is the encroachment of residential, commercial and industrial development. Analysis of the complex interactions between development decisions and ecosystems, and how the environmental consequences of these decisions influence human values and subsequent decisions will lead to a better understanding of...
Modelos de interacción humano-ambiental: el enfoque de la Biocomplejidad. Estudiamos el acoplamiento de sistemas naturales y humanos en diversos sitios y culturas construyendo modelos de simulación de cuatro sitios que incluyen áreas protegidas; dos en Texas, Estados Unidos, y dos en Venezuela. En los sitios de Texas, se están convirtiendo legalmen...
The perspective of 'biocomplexity' in the form of 'coupled natural and human systems' represents a resource for the future conservation of biodiversity hotspots in three direct ways: (i) modelling the impact on biodiversity of private land-use decisions and public land-use policies, (ii) indicating how the biocultural history of a biodiversity hots...
Suburban and exurban sprawl is a major challenge facing regions worldwide. Residential sprawl and the accompanying commercial development stress municipalities providing services such as clean water, waste management, and fire and police protection. The dynamics of expanding development is influenced by complex interactions among human stakeholders...
Mode of access: Internet, via World Wide Web. System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Title from title page display. Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Texas, May, 2006. Includes bibliographical references.
Los datos de parcelas permanentes, establecidas en un bosque estacional de los llanos occidentales venezolanos, se usaron para establecer los parámetros de FACET, un modelo basado en árboles individuales y sensible a las características topográficas del terreno. Debido a su alto número, las especies arbóreas se agruparon de acuerdo con su toleranci...
The Venezuelan savannas, and in general Neotropical savannas, are composed of herbaceous co-dominant species and less abundant trees and shrubs, conditioned in great measure by the occurrence of annual fire events. We studied the growth dynamics of three grass species representative of the major phenological and architectural types: a precocious, b...
The allometric relations of diameter and height were analyzed for 34 tree species of the Imataca Forest Reserve, according to the Chapman and Richard equation used in the individual-based ZELIG and FACET models that simulate forest dynamics. The two allometric coefficients employed were calculated by linear regression applied to the logarithmic tra...
Las relaciones alómetricas diámetro-altura fueron analizadas en 34 especies arbóreas de la Reserva Forestal Imataca, según la ecuación exponencial de Chapman y Richard, utilizada por los modelos de base individual ZELIG y FACET, que simulan la dinámica de crecimiento del bosque. Los coeficientes de la relación alométrica para cada especie fueron ca...
Residential development is a driving force affecting ecosystem and land-use change worldwide. The rate and type of development is influenced by complex interactions among human stakeholders and how stakeholders respond to feedback from the environmental consequences of development decisions. Stakeholder interactions and responses are informed by th...
Savannas are very important tropical ecosystems characterized by co-dominance of herbaceous vegetation and less abundant trees and shrubs. Models of the dynamics of the spatial distribution of aboveground components of grass plants can be a useful tool to understand the dynamics of savanna ecosystems. We developed a model of grass plant growth as a...
Se caracterizó el sotobosque de una selva nublada andina en el Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada, Venezuela, describiendo la estructura del rodal y del dosel, y la composición espectral de la luz. Para el rodal se usaron las variables densidad de árboles y área basal (AB); para el dosel, índice de área foliar (IAF), porcentajes de área abierta (PAA) y...
The understory of an Andean cloud forest in the Sierra Nevada National Park, Venezuela, was characterized describing the stand and canopy structures, and the spectral composition of light. Tree density and basal area (BA) were used as stand variables; leaf area index (IAF) and percent of canopy area in openings (PAA) and in reflecting leaves (AFR)...
This paper describes a model for incorporating both spatial interactions and succession dynamics within a MOSAIC forest landscape model. MOSAIC uses semi-Markov processes to model the succession dynamics of a forest landscape. A landscape is partitioned into cells and the parameters defining the semi-Markov process associated with each cell are der...
We model the dynamics of grass plant growth as a collection of the individual dynamic behavior of shoots and leaves. The model is inspired in data for plants of three species (Elyonurus adustus, Leptocoryphium lanatum and Andropogon semiberbis) of common grasses in the Venezuelan savannas that were sampled monthly for 1 year. These species represen...
We developed a model of grass plant growth as a collection of the individual dynamic behavior of shoots inspired in data for plants of three species (Elyonurus adustus, Leptocoryphium lanatum and Andropogon semiberbis) of common grasses in the Venezuelan savannas. These species represent various types of architecture and regeneration response to fi...
An algorithm to estimate the parameter values of a transition forest landscape model (MOSAIC) from a gap model (FACET) is presented here. MOSAIC is semi-Markov; it includes random distributed holding times and fixed or deterministic delays in addition to transition probabilities. FACET is a terrain-sensitive version of ZELIG, a spatially explicit g...
Parameter values of a forest landscape model (MO SAIC) are estimated from a terrain sensitive gap model (FACET) over a large number of terrain types. MOSAIC is a semi-Markov model with states defined by cover types. For each terrain type, gap-model output is fed to a program that counts transitions between each pair of states, and estimates the fix...
Artificially assembled and maintained trophic systems require real-time measurement and control of environmental and biological variables, either because these are part of the system’s purpose, as it occurs in biosensing, or because they are needed for performance and stability, as in closed ecological life support systems (CELSS). The design of co...
An ecological risk assessment method was developed to evaluate the magnitude, duration, and episodic nature of chemical stressors on aquatic communities. The percent of an ecosystem's species at risk from a designated chemical exposure scenario is generated. In effects assessment, probabilistic extrapolation methods are used to generate estimated s...
INTRODUCTION It is generally accepted that the Atlantic is one of the major controls on the precipitation regime in Venezuela. However, given the influence of ENSO events on nearby regions of South America, assessing the potential impact of the ENSO signal in Venezuela is warranted. The precipitation response to the warm phase of ENSO in South Amer...
Classifying surface water bodies according to trophic status by remote sensing techniques has had limited success in lakes with relatively high nonalgal turbidity levels. Since the trophic status of a lake is typically defined based on its chlorophyll-a concentration, and since relatively high suspended solids concentrations masks chlorophyll absor...
Ecosystems to be established during space exploration for life support will likely be subject to stress due to restricted or unsteady water, oxygen, light, photoperiod, temperature and other environmental factors. Our understanding of the response of those systems to these and other unique stresses can be enhanced by model analysis and simulation....
This article estimates the potential exposure of estuarine organisms to two pesticides (azinphosmethyl and fenvalerate) in a tidal stream of Leadenwah Creek near the Edisto River, South Carolina, during four runoff episodes. Exposure is calculated from simulation runs of the one-dimensional transport equation solved by an implicit finite difference...
Se parametrizó un modelo de dinámica forestal de base individual (ZELIG) para un bosque tropical en los llanos occidentales venezolanos, usando datos de seis parcelas permanentes de 0.25 ha con 34 años de medición, localizadas en el Bosque Universitario "El Caimital", clasificado como bosque seco transición a húmedo tropical según Holdridge. Para s...
The exposure of an organism to a toxicant is defined by the magnitude, duration, and frequency with which the organism(s) interact with the toxicant(s). Predicting the exposure of organisms to toxicants during episodic events such as those resulting from storm water runoff is very difficult. The research reported here describes a non-invasive, or m...
A linkage between the two major modeling approaches to forest dynamics, transition Markovian models and jabowa-foret type simulators, is generated by developing a compact model of forest dynamics. This patch transition model utilizes functional roles instead of species. The roles or types are based on the regeneration and mortality characteristics...
A real time, minimally invasive method to observe valve movement of bivalves using proximity sensors and a personal computer has been developed. The method is being evaluated as a tool to assess both episodic toxicity events and ambient toxicity. The method described minimizes contact with the animal to the anchoring of one valve and the placement...
The possibility of occurrence of climatic changes, induced by the increase of CO2 and other greenhouse-gases and the extension of the deforestation process is a matter that merits greater attention from the scientific and environmental policy viewpoints. In order to study the possible climatic change impacts, regional scenarios of future climate ar...
The possibility of occurrence of climatic changes, induced by the increase of CO2 and other greenhouse-gases and the extension of the deforestation process, is a matter that merits greater attention from the scientific and environmental policy viewpoints. In order to study the possible climatic change impacts, regional scenarios of future climate a...
Venezuela is pursuing a policy of trade liberalization and economic restructuring in response to the debt crisis precipitated by the collapse of oil prices in the 1980s. Potential environmental stress due to increased economic activity driven by this process and a possible free trade agreement with the United States may surpass the capability of th...
We describe and apply a correspondence between two major modeling approaches to forest dynamics: transition markovian models and Sap models or JABOWA-FORET type simulators. A transition model can be derived from a gap model by defining states on the basis of species, functional roles, vertical structure, or other convenient cover types. A gap-size...
Simulated impacts of global and regional climate change, induced by an enhanced greenhouse effect and by Amazonian deforestation, on the phenology and yield of two grain corn cultivars in Venezuela (CENIAP PB-8 and OBREGON) are reported. Three sites were selected:Turn, Barinas andYaritagua, representing two important agricultural regions in the cou...
Traducción del español A la cabeza del título: Pan-Earth Project
Mecanografiado Trabajo de ascenso (Prof. Titular)--Universidad de Los Andes, Facultad de Ingeniería, Mérida, 1987 Incluye bibliografía
