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Joint Management Of Upland & Aquatic Habitat For The California Red-Legged Frog & California Tiger Salamander, Kyle E. Verblaauw Dec 2021

Joint Management Of Upland & Aquatic Habitat For The California Red-Legged Frog & California Tiger Salamander, Kyle E. Verblaauw

Master's Projects and Capstones

As federally and state protected amphibians, the California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) and the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) are recipients of ample management focus. Both species face a variety of threats, including habitat loss and alteration, introduction of non-native species, spread of disease, and effects of climate change. While management plans for the California tiger salamander and California red-legged frog exist, they frequently do not consider both species in tandem and often contain multiple shortcomings. This document aims to address the shortfalls of current management by providing practical recommendations for jointly managing the upland and …


Electric Vehicle Integration In San Francisco, Lisa Farmos Dec 2021

Electric Vehicle Integration In San Francisco, Lisa Farmos

Master's Projects and Capstones

California’s Executive Order N-79-20 requires all new cars and passenger trucks sold in California to be zero-emissions by 2035. Electric vehicles (EVs) are the primary alternative fuel solution. However, there are widespread barriers to ownership, particularly for those in lower socioeconomic classes. A literature review of barriers to EV ownership shows the primary barrier is insufficient overnight charging infrastructure. Geospatial data of EV charging infrastructure and 2020 census tract data were used to map average income versus EV charging infrastructure in San Francisco. Data maps confirm the literature review findings: there is a positive correlation between income and EV charging …


Addressing Uncertainties Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls In Schools, Alice Fan May 2021

Addressing Uncertainties Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls In Schools, Alice Fan

Master's Projects and Capstones

Despite the potential neurological health deficits resulting from polychlorinated biphenyls, there is a lack of inhalation studies and regulations to protect students and teachers who are widely exposed to PCBs in older (1950 to 1979) schools. To estimate the extent of PCB detections in Los Angeles County schools, I applied a mathematical model to estimate the range of PCB detections in schools built between 1950 and 1984. I estimate the range of 17-34% PCB detections of open schools within Los Angeles County. Next, I reviewed exposure tools provided by the US EPA to bridge the uncertainty gaps between ingestion and …


Analysis Of Mexico City Transportation Systems To Address Climate Change, Traffic, Social Equity, Safety, And Air Pollution Health Risks, Rene Franco May 2021

Analysis Of Mexico City Transportation Systems To Address Climate Change, Traffic, Social Equity, Safety, And Air Pollution Health Risks, Rene Franco

Master's Projects and Capstones

This research presents an analysis of Mexico City's transportation systems and how they impact climate change, traffic, social equity, safety, and health risks. The purpose of this research is to propose transportation and energy management strategies to the government of Mexico City to reduce the effects of climate change, traffic, social equity, safety, and health risks. The methodology used in the research includes a traffic analysis, environmental and social impact analysis across Mexico City transportation, an equity analysis, and a SWOT analysis of policies. Through the traffic analysis of the research found that traffic congestion occurs in the northwest region …


Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Identification And Monitoring Protocols From Australia To California's Sustainability Groundwater Management Act, Marino J. Hernandez May 2021

Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Identification And Monitoring Protocols From Australia To California's Sustainability Groundwater Management Act, Marino J. Hernandez

Master's Projects and Capstones

In the past, California’s unregulated groundwater supply has suffered from a legacy of groundwater depletion, loss of aquifer storage, land subsidence, seawater intrusion, and degradation of ecosystems dependent on the interconnectivity of groundwater. Prior to 2016, California had yet to create direct legislation that regulated groundwater management until the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). SGMA empowered local agencies called Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to manage groundwater resources within a specific criterion using locally sourced methods and practices suitable for each individual groundwater basin. One criterion in particular is relatively new for water resource management, Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (GDEs). In this …


Should Mangrove Forests Be Used As Coastal Protection For The Gulf Of Mexico From Future Climate Effects: A Look At The Houston Galveston Area., Benjamin L. Weldon May 2021

Should Mangrove Forests Be Used As Coastal Protection For The Gulf Of Mexico From Future Climate Effects: A Look At The Houston Galveston Area., Benjamin L. Weldon

Master's Projects and Capstones

Climate change effects pose a major threat to coastal cities. Sea-level rise and an increase in hurricane intensity will increase the need for protection for these communities. Wetland ecosystems provide key protective services to the cities that lie behind them. Mangroves are a coastal wetland with benefits such as wave attenuation, carbon sequestration, and shoreline management. Mangrove’s habitat range will expand northward as climate change progresses. With a 2-4°C increase in winter temperature extremes black mangroves are projected to be able to inhabit the entire coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The viability of using mangrove forests as future protection …


Assessing Hawaiian Climate Resilience Plans On Flood Management, Maggie Chen May 2021

Assessing Hawaiian Climate Resilience Plans On Flood Management, Maggie Chen

Master's Projects and Capstones

Island coastal communities are increasingly vulnerable to climate change impacts, including storms, flooding, and sea-level rise. In 2017, the state of Hawaiʻi saw an unprecedented number of minor flood events due to a combination of higher mean sea levels and seasonal tidal patterns. This research assessed the the climate resilience and adaptation initiatives in Hawaiʻi’s Resilience plans as they address coastal hazards. This research examined the robustness of resilience strategies to flooding due to climate change. This report focused on a community’s resilience to the physical impacts of climate change specifically on flood events and other environmental hazards that contribute …


Carbon Biogeochemical Cycling In The Sierra Nevada: How To Maintain The Sierra Nevada As Net Carbon Sink Over The Long-Term, Eric Canteenwala May 2021

Carbon Biogeochemical Cycling In The Sierra Nevada: How To Maintain The Sierra Nevada As Net Carbon Sink Over The Long-Term, Eric Canteenwala

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Sierra Nevada region is an important carbon sink, storing about 3500 MMTCO2e or eight times the total amount of carbon emitted annually throughout California. However, recent climate-driven disturbances such as wildfires, drought and bark beetle infestations threaten the stability of this carbon pool over the long-term. The existing literature on how treatments impact carbon biogeochemical cycling in the Sierra Nevada was reviewed and interviews were used to identify the top barriers to increasing the pace and scale of treatments. Combinations of forest management treatments such as thinning, prescribed fire and reforestation can help maintain the Sierra Nevada …


An Evaluation Of Unmanned Aircraft System (Uas) As A Practical Tool For Salt Marsh Restoration Monitoring, San Francisco Bay, Ca, Kevin Eng May 2021

An Evaluation Of Unmanned Aircraft System (Uas) As A Practical Tool For Salt Marsh Restoration Monitoring, San Francisco Bay, Ca, Kevin Eng

Master's Projects and Capstones

Salt marshes in the San Francisco Bay area provide essential ecosystem services from critical habitat to buffering coastal flooding and are the focus of substantial ecological restoration, necessitating improved restoration monitoring approaches. Metrics such as land cover classification, bare ground elevation, and vegetation height provide an understanding of the functionality and health of tidal wetlands. Unlike traditional monitoring methods, which rely on time and labor-intensive field surveys or macroscale remote sensing techniques, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) provide site specific high spatial resolution data that is comparable to satellite and manned aircraft derived imagery. I compared published literature and provided primary …