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Environmental Sciences

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University of Denver

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Colorado

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Spatial And Temporal Controls On Streamflow Variability In The San Juan Mountains, Colorado, Christopher Lewis Hancock Jan 2020

Spatial And Temporal Controls On Streamflow Variability In The San Juan Mountains, Colorado, Christopher Lewis Hancock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project characterizes and examines changes to the annual hydroclimatic cycle throughout alpine regions of Colorado with a focus on trends in snowpack and snowmelt hydrology. Datasets analyzed for this research include 79 SNOTEL sites throughout Colorado (24 in the San Juan Mountains) which provide climate metrics for Water Years 1988-2018. Impacts on streamflow are evaluated in the San Juan Region through a network of 11 USGS stream gauges. Correlation matrices and linear regression methods examine the relative controls on the magnitude and timing of discharge, and trend detection using the regional Kendall test quantifies the rate of change within …


Phytoremediation Of Metal Contamination Using Salix (Willows), Gordon J. Kersten Jan 2015

Phytoremediation Of Metal Contamination Using Salix (Willows), Gordon J. Kersten

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abandoned hardrock mines and the resulting Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) are a source of vast, environmental degradation that are toxic threats to plants, animals, and humans. Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) are metal contaminants often found in AMD. In my mine outwash water samples, cadmium and lead concentrations were 19 and 160 times greater than concentrations in control waterways, and 300 and 40 times greater than EPA Aquatic Life Use water quality standards, respectively. I tested the phytoremediation characteristics of three montane willows native to the Rocky Mountains: Salix drummondiana, S. monticola, and S. planifolia. I tested …


The Urban Heat Island And Its Influence On Precipitation In Denver, Colorado, Diana Thunen Jan 2013

The Urban Heat Island And Its Influence On Precipitation In Denver, Colorado, Diana Thunen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic modification of the climate is an unintended yet serious effect of urbanization and it is happening in every city across the globe in the form of the urban heat island. The purpose of this study was to see if Denver, Colorado exhibits evidence of an urban heat island using meteorological data and if there has been a change in precipitation amounts since the urbanization of the city. It was concluded that Denver, Colorado does have an urban heat island that varies seasonally throughout the year with an average magnitude of 3.57°C during the day and 3.82°C at night. The …


Colorado's Large Snow Events' Impact On Tree Ring Growth And Dillon Reservoir, Katrina Leona Marzetta Jan 2011

Colorado's Large Snow Events' Impact On Tree Ring Growth And Dillon Reservoir, Katrina Leona Marzetta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Meteorological observations from 1894 through 2010 suggest that 17 historically large snow events occurred in the mountains of Colorado within Denver's water supply region. Of these 16 events, 14 can be identified in precipitation sensitive tree ring records as positive climatic pointer years. If these storms were to occur today, they would have the potential to fill reservoirs in Denver Water's supply system, even after years of sustained drought. These "drought busters" have the potential to refill Dillon Reservoir by increasing average yearly inflow up to 146% of the previous year's inflow. Such drought busters can help Denver recover from …