University of Trento

About: University of Trento is a education organization based out in Trento, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 10527 authors who have published 30978 publications receiving 896614 citations. The organization is also known as: Universitá degli Studi di Trento & Universita degli Studi di Trento.

A new valuation school : Integrating diverse values of nature in resource and land use decisions

Abstract: We are increasingly confronted with severe social and economic impacts of environmental degradation all over the world. From a valuation perspective, environmental problems and conflicts originate from trade-offs between values. The urgency and importance to integrate nature's diverse values in decisions and actions stand out more than ever. Valuation, in its broad sense of ‘assigning importance’, is inherently part of most decisions on natural resource and land use. Scholars from different traditions -while moving from heuristic interdisciplinary debate to applied transdisciplinary science- now acknowledge the need for combining multiple disciplines and methods to represent the diverse set of values of nature. This growing group of scientists and practitioners share the ambition to explore how combinations of ecological, socio-cultural and economic valuation tools can support real-life resource and land use decision-making. The current sustainability challenges and the ineffectiveness of single-value approaches to offer relief demonstrate that continuing along a single path is no option. We advocate for the adherence of a plural valuation culture and its establishment as a common practice, by contesting and complementing ineffective and discriminatory single-value approaches. In policy and decision contexts with a willingness to improve sustainability, integrated valuation approaches can be blended in existing processes, whereas in contexts of power asymmetries or environmental conflicts, integrated valuation can promote the inclusion of diverse values through action research and support the struggle for social and environmental justice. The special issue and this editorial synthesis paper bring together lessons from pioneer case studies and research papers, synthesizing main challenges and setting out priorities for the years to come for the field of integrated valuation.

Riemann wave description of erosional dam-break flows

Abstract: This work examines the sudden erosional flow initiated by the release of a dam-break wave over a loose sediment bed. Extended shallow-water equations are formulated to describe the development of the surge. Accounting for bed material inertia, a transport layer of finite thickness is introduced, and a sharp interface view of the morphodynamic boundary is adopted. Approximations are sought for an intermediate range of wave evolution, in which equilibration of the sediment load can be assumed instantaneous but momentum loss due to bed friction has not yet been felt. The resulting homogeneous hyperbolic equations are mathematically tractable using the Riemann techniques of gas dynamics. Dam-break initial conditions give rise to self-similar flow profiles. The wave structure features piecewise constant states, two smoothly varied simple waves, and a special type of shock: an erosional bore forming at the forefront of the wave. Profiles are constructed through a semi-analytical procedure, yielding a geomorphic generalization of the Stoker solution for dam-break waves over rigid bed. For most flow properties, the predictions of the theoretical treatment compare favourably with experimental tests visualized using particle imaging techniques.