Treesearch

The scenic quality of the marine environment has become an important concern for the design and planning professions. Increased public use of the underwater environment has resulted from technological advancements in SCUBA, recreational submarines and through development of under-water restaurants and parks. This paper presents an approach to an underwater visual resource assessment with a case study example of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Key seascape dimensions discussed are: water clarity, color, topographic relief, water depth, marine life and historic values. This assessment system...

Transport of coarse, heterogeneous debris in a natural stream under a wide range of flows usually results in a remarkably stable, undulatory bed profile, which manifests an in transit sorting process of the bed material. In general, finer material representative of the bulk of the normal bed load resides in the deep sections, or pools, below flood stages. At high flows, pools may scour to immovable boulders or bedrock. Coarser material transported at more infrequent flows forms the shallow sections, or riffles.

Visual air quality is most sensitive to degradation by air pollution in areas with good visibility. The protection of visual air quality in mandatory Class I Federal areas has been declared a national goal by Congress. Impacts on visual air quality are calculated for 154 Class I areas where visual air quality is considered an important value. These impacts are potential future impacts in 1985 and 1990 due to DOE's "Mid-Mid" Energy Scenario.

Wildlife in general and wildlife viewing in particular play significant roles in enriching the aesthetic experiences of visitors to wildlands. Effective management of wildlife for viewing must be based on human as well as biological information. The integration of the principles and techniques developed for game management with information on the human dimensions of wildlife appreciation offers tremendous potential in management of wildlife as a visual resource. These opportunities can not only provide benefits to the public but can also serve to stimulate awareness and concern for our...

The effect of logging and roadbuilding on erosion and sedimentation are analyzed by comparing the North Fork and South Fork of Caspar Creek, in northern California. Increased sediment production during the 4 years after road construction, was 326 cu yd/sq mi/yr—80 percent greater than that predicted by the predisturbance regression analysis. The average sediment load during the 3 years of logging increased by 957 cu yd/sq mi/yr—275 percent greater than the predicted values. Although the erosion or sediment increases do not appear to be degrading site quality, average turbidity levels in...