Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- California (4)
- Sustainability (4)
- Desalination (3)
- Brine (2)
- Climate Change (2)
-
- Energy (2)
- Green Infrastructure (2)
- IRP (2)
- Management (2)
- Microgrids (2)
- Additives (1)
- Adolescents; Climate Change; Eco-anxiety; Youth; Activism; Communication (1)
- Analysis (1)
- Antibiotic resistance (1)
- Appalachia (1)
- Aquatic environment (1)
- Artificial turf (1)
- Bay Area Ridge Trail (1)
- Camping (1)
- Collision (1)
- Data Analysis (1)
- Decarbonization (1)
- Distributed energy resources (1)
- Ecological restoration (1)
- Endocrine disruptors (1)
- Energy Intensity (1)
- Energy grid (1)
- Energy policy (1)
- Enhanced Aquifer Recharge (1)
- Environment (1)
Articles 1 - 17 of 17
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Solar-Powered Microgrids In Northern California: An Opportunity For Resilience, Marina Riddle
Solar-Powered Microgrids In Northern California: An Opportunity For Resilience, Marina Riddle
Master's Projects and Capstones
Planned and unplanned power outages have been increasing in frequency and duration, negatively impacting all public sectors, and threatening public safety. These outages are deadly to those who rely on medical devices. As climate change-fueled extreme weather events (wildfires, earthquakes, storms, etc.) also increase in frequency, our electrical grid must be prepared to bounce back. Microgrids provide necessary redundancy and reliability. Through a novel GIS suitability analysis, based on solar radiation, land use type, local energy demand, distance to transmission lines, distance to roads, and slope, optimal locations for solar-powered microgrids throughout Northern California were determined. The counties of Fresno, …
Meet Me In The Middle: A Scoping Review On Understanding Adolescent Needs In Climate Communication, Gwendolyn Monica Hoff Anderson
Meet Me In The Middle: A Scoping Review On Understanding Adolescent Needs In Climate Communication, Gwendolyn Monica Hoff Anderson
Master's Projects and Capstones
The greatest effects of climate change are likely to be felt by youth. Young people are disproportionately affected by climate change due to their critical developmental stage and lack of power, and they experience both higher severity and prevalence of mental health issues related to climate change. Strong emotions have long been recognized as potential catalysts for action, or they may lead to paralyzing feelings of being overwhelmed. Climate communication is a critical tool to spark climate concern and encourage action. Activism, in turn, may help youth manage their anxiety about climate change. This scoping review examines emerging evidence on …
Composite Climate Risk Exposure In High-Emitting California Industries, Nicholas M. Graves
Composite Climate Risk Exposure In High-Emitting California Industries, Nicholas M. Graves
Master's Projects and Capstones
The correlation of anthropogenic carbon emissions and changes in the global climate system is unequivocal. Governments are enacting policy from the local, state, federal, and international levels that present major transition risks for businesses. In parallel, legacy emissions are already causing discernible changes in the climate system via increased frequencies of drought, wildfire, flooding, and extreme heat; these changes present material physical risks to existing business infrastructure. Taken together, these risks form the foundation of proposed regulations for climate risk disclosure by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Existing literature has not provided an at-scale screening methodology for climate …
Sustainability Analysis: Large-Scale Desalination Implications For Coastal California, Elizabeth H. Whitford
Sustainability Analysis: Large-Scale Desalination Implications For Coastal California, Elizabeth H. Whitford
Master's Projects and Capstones
In response to prolonged drought, desalination is gaining popularity as an alternative water production method for fresh water. However, water desalting technology poses concerns; the process is energy intensive, creates brine waste, and has the potential to damage sensitive coastal ecosystems. Significant research is available on the technological, economic, and energy efficiency aspects of desalination, while only a small percentage of the current literature focuses on environmental impacts. This research analyzes the desalination literature holistically in terms of both energy consumption and environmental impacts by conducting 1) a historical and current state review of the sector, 2) a technology analysis …
Stormwater To Groundwater: How California Can Increase Groundwater Storage And Build Climate Resilience., Emily M. Perales
Stormwater To Groundwater: How California Can Increase Groundwater Storage And Build Climate Resilience., Emily M. Perales
Master's Projects and Capstones
California is predicted to have more intense and frequent changes in weather patterns within the next 50 years. Historical and current groundwater use for residential and agricultural use is unsustainable and is creating significant deficits in groundwater aquifers throughout the state. To better adapt to potential damages caused by atmospheric rivers, better stormwater management and capture could increase California’s Climate adaptability. This study is focused on the means and methods to capture stormwater and increase groundwater recharge. Nature-based infrastructure (NBI), or Green Infrastructure (GI), has been used in urban areas throughout the country to mitigate harmful stormwater effects by replicating …
Increasing Access And Sustainability For Camping Along The Bay Area Ridge Trail, Hannah F. Bartee
Increasing Access And Sustainability For Camping Along The Bay Area Ridge Trail, Hannah F. Bartee
Master's Projects and Capstones
The Bay Area Ridge Trail (Ridge Trail) is a long-distance, multi-use trail that connects parks and open space on the ridge lines encircling the San Francisco Bay (Bay). Like the Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail, the Ridge Trail offers continuous travel through protected natural areas, but this trail is unique as it is located in a densely populated metropolitan area. The trail is currently incomplete, with gaps where the trail does not connect. The Ridge Trail also lacks the number and distribution of overnight accommodations needed to support a full circumnavigation of the Bay. Addressing gaps in the current …
Community Microgrids As An Equitable Climate Resilience And Adaptation Strategy In California, Savanna Olivia Smith
Community Microgrids As An Equitable Climate Resilience And Adaptation Strategy In California, Savanna Olivia Smith
Master's Projects and Capstones
Climate change summons more extreme and frequent weather events that threaten communities’ access to power. Without power, businesses lose revenue, essential services are limited, people are exposed to extreme temperatures, and lives are lost. California has adopted microgrids as a solution to costly power outages, electrification needs, and renewable energy goals. This work evaluates the adoption of microgrids as an equitable climate resilience and adaptation strategy through a geospatial analysis of California’s resilience investment needs, a case study analysis of 9 existing tribal and rural microgrids, and a gap analysis of California and federal policies and incentive programs. Programs like …
Considerations For The Use Of Mycorrhizal Fungi Inoculants In Coal Mine Reclamation And Reforestation In Appalachia: A Guide Of Best Practices And Management Recommendations, Cole Hansen Reistrup
Considerations For The Use Of Mycorrhizal Fungi Inoculants In Coal Mine Reclamation And Reforestation In Appalachia: A Guide Of Best Practices And Management Recommendations, Cole Hansen Reistrup
Master's Projects and Capstones
Nearly all terrestrial plants form symbiotic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi. These beneficial soil microbes support plant health by increasing plants’ access to nutrients and water, protecting them from pathogens, improving soil properties, and more. A challenge to restoring forests on coal mined land in Appalachia is that mine soils are often degraded in a number of ways, including lacking mycorrhizal fungi, which makes mine soils difficult for trees to grow upon. Substantial improvements to coal mine reforestation success have been made since the development of the Forestry Reclamation Approach in 2005 that provides guidelines for how to create a suitable …
Offshore Wind Energy And Seabird Collision Vulnerability In California, Whitney Grover
Offshore Wind Energy And Seabird Collision Vulnerability In California, Whitney Grover
Master's Projects and Capstones
California has ambitious clean energy goals designed to help mitigate the worst outcomes of climate change. Offshore wind is an important part of the solution to meet California’s clean energy goals, but has potential negative impacts on the marine environment. As offshore wind energy is new to California, this paper reviews and synthesizes existing literature from other parts of the world, looking at the real and theoretical risk of seabird collision with offshore wind turbines. Learnings from existing offshore wind projects in the U.K. as well as theoretical and modeled risk assessments are applied to California’s plans to determine the …
Assessing Equity Of Green Infrastructure Strategies To Address Heat Vulnerability In Los Angeles Sustainable City Planning, Sophia N. La Herran
Assessing Equity Of Green Infrastructure Strategies To Address Heat Vulnerability In Los Angeles Sustainable City Planning, Sophia N. La Herran
Master's Projects and Capstones
Urbanization has brought about many undesirable environmental changes, with extreme heat and urban heat island (UHI) effect being some of the most significant. In addition to the challenge of UHI effect and increase of extreme heat events, heat also disproportionately affects different types of urban populations with higher populations of minority and low-income residents, who are more exposed and have limited capacity to adapt to extreme. The increased vulnerability to heat faced by socially vulnerable communities can be linked to the inequalities in neighborhood level exposure to extreme heat events, underlying health conditions, workplace conditions, housing quality, and other lasting …
Desalination: Adapting To A Changing Climate And An Increasing Demand For Freshwater, Rebecca A. Acosta
Desalination: Adapting To A Changing Climate And An Increasing Demand For Freshwater, Rebecca A. Acosta
Master's Projects and Capstones
The state of California is just one place in the world that is experiencing an increasing demand for freshwater while also experiencing increasingly hotter conditions and longer periods of drought. There are a number of plants slated for development in the state of California but have been met with resistance from the public with concerns regarding their impacts to the surrounding marine environments. This paper provides background on desalination plants, provides evidence for a potential indicator species, identifies potential impacts to marine environments, and addresses stakeholder concerns and perceptions around desalination plants.
Climate Change Impacts To Oil Spill Risk And Assessing California's Preparedness, Adeline L. Ford
Climate Change Impacts To Oil Spill Risk And Assessing California's Preparedness, Adeline L. Ford
Master's Projects and Capstones
This report investigates the possibility that climate change could increase the risk of oil spills in California. The primary climate change impact reviewed is the increasing severity of storms and extreme weather events. Natural disasters can be the initiating cause of technological accidents and the increasing severity or frequency of intense storms may increase the likelihood of an oil spill from refineries, extraction/drilling rigs, or oil in transport. A literature review of climate adaptation strategies and storm intensity predictions was completed to determine if severe storm events are expected to increase in intensity or frequency. A review of oil spill …
Clean Energy At The Crossroads Of America: An Integrated Resource Plan For Northern Indiana Public Service Company, Llc (Nipsco), Saad Z. Khan, Shend Boshnjaku
Clean Energy At The Crossroads Of America: An Integrated Resource Plan For Northern Indiana Public Service Company, Llc (Nipsco), Saad Z. Khan, Shend Boshnjaku
Master's Projects and Capstones
This paper outlines an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for the Indiana electric utility company, NIPSCO, looking forward to the year 2050 and evaluating different pathways to net zero emissions from the power generation sector. It is a plan for the future, identifying the most cost-effective and reliable mix of resources to meet the energy needs of NIPSCO's customers and reaching decarbonization goals by mid-century.
An Integrated Resource Plan For Tucson Electric Power Company, 2020-2050, Timothy Gary Sheehan Jr, Danny Alexander Zepeda
An Integrated Resource Plan For Tucson Electric Power Company, 2020-2050, Timothy Gary Sheehan Jr, Danny Alexander Zepeda
Master's Projects and Capstones
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States electric power industry is responsible for 25% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, many utilities face state mandates which force electric utilities to reduce their emissions by decreasing reliance on fossil fuels. An Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) is the primary method by which electric utilities plan all aspects of future electricity supply and demand, presenting how the company will deliver reliable and affordable energy while meeting statutory requirements. We propose three IRP scenarios through 2050 for Tucson Electric Power (TEP), an electric utility in southern Arizona. The first …
Possible Impact Of Additives In Artificial Turf On Aquatic Life In The San Francisco Estuary, Elena Galkina
Possible Impact Of Additives In Artificial Turf On Aquatic Life In The San Francisco Estuary, Elena Galkina
Master's Projects and Capstones
The use of artificial turf fields as a replacement for natural turf has been increasingly promoted as a green solution to reduce water usage, maintenance costs, and the need for pesticides. However, the potential environmental impacts of artificial turf fields are poorly understood, particularly in the context of the San Francisco Estuary, which is one of the largest and most polluted estuaries in the United States. This paper investigates the potential contribution of artificial turf from sports fields to the microplastic and chemical pollution of the San Francisco Estuary during artificial turf’s use and maintenance life stage. The study synthesizes …
Desal In So. Cal - Are We There Yet?, Luke F. Swanson
Desal In So. Cal - Are We There Yet?, Luke F. Swanson
Master's Projects and Capstones
Southern California has access to a finite amount of water that is vulnerable to the state’s changing climate and growing population. The increasing population’s water demands and hydrologic variability due to climate change inspire different proposals to solve these water limitations. Seawater or brackish water desalination and wastewater recycling are all water resources that have the potential to help meet the water needs of Southern California, specifically the South Coast Hydrologic Region. Every water resource requires energy to transport, treat, and distribute the water for use; in an era of climate change, when energy use contributes to greenhouse gases, utilities …
The Threat Of Hospital Wastewater: An Evidence-Based Call To Action, Ann P. Nguyen
The Threat Of Hospital Wastewater: An Evidence-Based Call To Action, Ann P. Nguyen
DNP Qualifying Manuscripts
Introduction: Hospital wastewater carries a unique composition of pollutants, a burden that includes high chemical and biological residuals. These pollutants are discharged into sewage treatment plants and natural environments where they contaminate human water sources and larger ecosystems. Water treatment plants are not designed to treat the high loads of biomedical waste and persistent organic compounds found in hospital wastewater and therefore pollutants survive in conventionally treated water. Evidence of contaminated soil, municipal wastewater, surface water, ground water, and even drinking water have been demonstrated in studies conducted around the world highlighting the ubiquity of the problem. Hospital effluent as …