Serwan Baban - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Serwan Baban

Most small island developing states, including Trinidad and Tobago, are quite vulnerable to chang... more Most small island developing states, including Trinidad and Tobago, are quite vulnerable to changes in climate. Analysis of the temporal and spatial changes of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) is an important way of understanding and possibly managing variability in the climate. However, obtaining SST and developing environmental policies are seriously compromised due to Information Poverty. This paper advances an approach to obtain SST patterns based on using and analysing available remotely-sensed SST from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency via the internet, and utilising SST as a proxy for determining climate variability. The methodology uses available rainfall data. For Trinidad and Tobago, SST and rairifall data and mean monthly values of SST and rainfall for 1986-1999 were analysed. The results indicate that climate variability is occurring and, during the El Nino years J986-87 and J997-98, SST were at a maximum while rairifall fell to a minimum. Results point to t...

The levels of GIS use in local government departments in the U.K and in Government Departments in... more The levels of GIS use in local government departments in the U.K and in Government Departments in Trinidad and Tobago are examined. A representative sample of 22 local government departments in England and Wales and 10 government departments in Trinidad was used. The “success” in the level of GIS use as well as implementation approaches was evaluated based on two

Trinidad is undergoing rapid economic development, aiming to achieve the developed nation status ... more Trinidad is undergoing rapid economic development, aiming to achieve the developed nation status by 2020. Coupled with a fast pace of industrialization, illegal settlement and urbanization, the natural resources are being depleted. It is evident that Trinidad urgently requires accurate data to provide decision makers with the critical information required for planning and managing the environment. Biophysical Land Units (BLUs) were developed and defined for Trinidad. The land use/cover map along with data such as geology, soil, rainfall, aspect, elevation and slope were the components used to develop these BLUs. This was achieved by the use of a comprehensive GIS, which was built on ESRI ARCMAP 9.0. The developed BLUs can assist in reforestation efforts by identifying what plant communities can grow in certain areas.

Journal of Environmental Management, 2008

International Journal of Remote Sensing, 2001

... and KAMARUZAMAN WAN YUSOF School of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam,... more ... and KAMARUZAMAN WAN YUSOF School of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia ... Ibrahim, SM, Shamsudin, A., and Adel, A., 1993, Spatial data analysis using a digital image processing system with GIS capabilities: case study ...

IAHS-AISH publication, 2006

During the 20th century, the Bedu's environment was fragmented to form parts of Jordan, Syria... more During the 20th century, the Bedu's environment was fragmented to form parts of Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. This process has restricted their nomadic way of life. In Jordan, the Bedu were encouraged to settle in newly built towns on the edge of the desert and to exercise irrigated agriculture. Groundwater contamination has recently been recognized as a problem in Jordan. This paper attempts to estimate nitrate leaching to groundwater in part of the Azraq Basin using Geoinformatics. Data were gathered from fieldwork, secondary sources and remote sensing. GIS was used to estimate nitrate leaching to groundwater from cesspools and agriculture. Estimated leaching from cesspools ranged from approx. 800 to 1990 kg year -1 (approx. 0.3 to 0.7 kg per household per year). The estimated loss from agricultural land was from approx. 222 600 to 358 800 kg year -1 . In Jordan, water resources are scarce and are being degraded, while the demand for water use is increasing. This study...

School of Environmental Science and …, 2008

1 The Centre for Geoinformatics Research and Environmental Assessment Technology (GREAT), School ... more 1 The Centre for Geoinformatics Research and Environmental Assessment Technology (GREAT), School of Environmental Science and Management, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW 2477, Australia Corresponding Author and Presenter: Sumith Pathirana ( ...

Abstract: Natural wetlands constitute a major source of methane emission to the atmosphere, accou... more Abstract: Natural wetlands constitute a major source of methane emission to the atmosphere, accounting for approximately 32 ± 9.4 % of the total methane emission. Estimation of methane emission from wetlands at both local and national scale using process-based models would improve our understanding of their contribution to global methane emission. The aim of the study is to estimate the amount of methane emission from the coastal wetlands in north-eastern New South Wales (NSW), Australia, using Landsat ETM+ and to estimate emission with a temperature increase. Supervised wetland classification was performed using the Maximum Likelihood Standard algorithm. The temperature dependent factor was obtained through land surface temperature (LST) estimation algorithms. Measurements of methane fluxes from the wetlands were performed using static chamber techniques and gas chromatography. A process-based methane emission model, which included productivity factor, wetland area, methane flux, p...

The Kurdistan region is capable of producing a wide range of agricultural produce since it posses... more The Kurdistan region is capable of producing a wide range of agricultural produce since it possesses a suitable climate as well as significant areas of arable land and fertile soil. However, the Kurdistan Region is undergoing significant urbanization and development since gaining autonomy. The unfortunate reality in developing regions like Kurdistan is that the farmland is often regarded as a reserve for future urban expansion. This is mainly due to the land being relatively cheap; farming seen as hard work for town dwellers and lucrative development schemes. Research indicates that cities as well other main settlements have historically evolved on the most suitable soils for agriculture due to the society being agricultural in nature. However, the paradox is, that as the population grows, the need for urban expansion grows and the latter can only be carried out though squandering productive agricultural land, therefore endangering sufficient food production for the current as well ...

Environmental Science and Engineering, 2014

I started work in this field through a student project which required mapping agricultural land i... more I started work in this field through a student project which required mapping agricultural land in the Warwickshire, UK based on old satellite images. This meant the lack of the necessary ground referenced data, then, I defined and promoted the use of ‘representative’ ground reference data with available historical records in the mapping process.

Applied Geography

Water consumption in Jordan already exceeds renewable freshwater resources by more than 20% and, ... more Water consumption in Jordan already exceeds renewable freshwater resources by more than 20% and, after the year 2005, freshwater resources are likely to be fully utilised. Over 50% of supply derives from groundwater and this paper focuses on a small part of the northern ...

West Indian Journal of Engineering, 2003

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