Natural flood management (NFM) is the use of natural processes and environments to mitigate flood risk by reducing and delaying peak flood. This review introduces the concept and history of NFM and looks at the current state of research into the potential for using different types of woodland to fulfill the aims of NFM. Four woodland types (catchment, cross-slope, floodplain, and riparian) are discussed with reference to studies carried out, mainly in the United Kingdom, to determine the relative merits of each type and their effectiveness in mitigating flood risk. We then discuss how trees interact with the hydrological cycle, along with a discussion of modeling methods which seek to determine the amount of water intercepted by different types of forest cover. We find that while there is some evidence that carefully planned and managed woodland can mitigate flood risk, the published data for this evidence base is somewhat sparse. This may be either due to the long timescales needed for comprehensive studies or the relative infancy of the research on NFM. More research needs to be carried out in each of the four woodland types, especially in the UK, as policy makers are increasingly looking towards nature based solutions to mitigate the potential impacts of climate change. The concept of a combined canopy/hydrological model which can be scaled from stand to watershed level and incorporate different types of woodland is suggested as it would be beneficial in guiding woodland creation policy in the future, both at the local and regional scales.

Abstract. The African Tropics are hotspots of modern-day land-use change and are, at the same time, of great relevance for the cycling of carbon (C) and nutrients between plants, soils and the atmosphere. However, the consequences of land conversion on biogeochemical cycles are still largely unknown as they are not studied in a landscape context that defines the geomorphic, geochemically and pedological framework in which biological processes take place. Thus, the response of tropical soils to disturbance by erosion and land conversion is one of the great uncertainties in assessing the carrying capacity of tropical landscapes to grow food for future generations and in predicting greenhouse gas fluxes (GHG) from soils to the atmosphere and, hence, future earth system dynamics. Here, we describe version 1.0 of an open access database created as part of the project “Tropical soil organic carbon dynamics along erosional disturbance gradients in relation to variability in soil geochemistry and land use” (TropSOC). TropSOC v1.0 contains spatial and temporal explicit data on soil, vegetation, environmental properties and land management collected from 136 pristine tropical forest and cropland plots between 2017 and 2020 as part of several monitoring and sampling campaigns in the Eastern Congo Basin and the East African Rift Valley System. The results of several laboratory experiments focusing on soil microbial activity, C cycling and C stabilization in soils complement the dataset to deliver one of the first landscape scale datasets to study the linkages and feedbacks between geology, geomorphology and pedogenesis as controls on biogeochemical cycles in a variety of natural and managed systems in the African Tropics. The hierarchical and interdisciplinary structure of the TropSOC database allows for linking a wide range of parameters and observations on soil and vegetation dynamics along with other supporting information that may also be measured at one or more levels of the hierarchy. TropSOC’s data marks a significant contribution to improve our understanding of the fate of biogeochemical cycles in dynamic and diverse tropical African (agro-)ecosystems. TropSOC v1.0 can be accessed through the supplementary material provided as part of this manuscript or as a separate download via the websites of the Congo Biogeochemistry observatory and the GFZ data repository where version updates to the database will be provided as the project develops.

Abstract. Small global positioning system (GPS) trackers are now routinely used to study the movement and behaviour of birds at sea. If the birds rest on the water they become “drifters of opportunity” and can be used to give information about surface currents. In this paper, we use a small data set from satellite-tracked razorbills (Alca torda) in the Irish Sea to test the potential of this idea for measuring tidal currents. Razorbills regularly rest on the sea overnight and their tracks at this time are consistent with their drifting with the tidal flows and changing direction as the flood turns to ebb and vice versa. Data from 4 years (2011–2014) have been binned in a geographical grid and analysed to give the variation of current over a mean tidal cycle in each grid element. A map of maximum current speed is consistent with a numerical model of the tidal currents in the region. The root mean square difference between observed maximum speed and that predicted by the model is 0.15 m s−1, about 15 % of typical current speeds in the area. The divergence between bird-track speed and model prediction increases in regions of the fastest tidal currents. The method clearly has its limitations, but the results of this study show that tagged birds resting on the sea have potential to provide relatively inexpensive quantitative information about surface tidal currents over an extended geographical area.

Leafroll and red blotch are two of the most consequential viral diseases threatening the sustainability of the wine grape industry. To promote uptake of management practices, there is a critical need to understand the motivating factors for decision makers and optimize the dissemination and acquisition of knowledge. From 2019 to 2020, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 42 wine grape industry professionals (“decision makers”) in the Western United States, from California (n = 32) and Washington (n = 10). The interview questions explored the perceptions and experiences of these decision makers as they learned about disease ecology, interacted with their immediate and extended community, and adopted management practices. Utilizing qualitative thematic analysis, we identified nine economic, knowledge, and social-behavioural factors along with 24 sub-factors. These factors illustrated the interplay between knowledge, communication, economics, labour, government subsidies, regulatory practices, and collaborative efforts that influence adoption. The quality of knowledge dissemination emerged as a critical aspect. Using the interview data along with a quantitative survey (n = 145), we also explored how growers use 14 educational resources to learn about grapevine viruses. Using these findings, extension educators can optimize their activities to disseminate knowledge on grapevine viral disease management. In total, this study provides context for the agricultural industry, research scientists, extension educators, and other supporting partners of the financial, interpersonal, and technical issues that must be overcome to successfully manage grapevine viral diseases.

We have used Arrayed Imaging Reflectometry (AIR™), a label-free protein microarray technology that relies on the target binding-induced perturbation of an antireflective coating on the surface of a silicon biosensor, to create a multiplex antibody array for the detection of human and murine serum cytokines and inflammatory markers. The biosensor is capable of providing quantitative protein concentrations, with limits of detection in the low picograms per mL. Provided in a standard 96-well microplate format, the label-free nature of the array enables flexible creation of standard or custom panels for development of model systems. Here, we demonstrate a custom 22 plex panel developed in collaboration with WUGEN Inc. to provide multi-species cytokine analysis in humanized CAR-T cell models for the evaluation of biologic product efficacy and safety. Samples from in vitro and in vivo models developed for the evaluation of CAR-T activity were analyzed and demonstrated a novel platform for concurrent cross-species cytokine analysis on a single array. Results are evaluated for sensitivity, precision, and accuracy with ZIVA assays comparable to traditional ELISAs. With array capabilities from low to hundreds of plex combined with a hands-free, automation-friendly workflow enabled by the ZIVA instrument, the technology has been designed for the ultimate user-experience. Citation Format: Jon J. Schmuke, Alun Carter, You Zhou, Ernest Mueller, Matt Cooper. Adarza's ZIVA multiplex protein detection platform utilizes a label-free technology to simultaneously monitor murine and human inflammation cytokines in a CAR-T model system [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 1127.