Digital Commons Network^™

Arcmap Hydrology Toolset: Wpes, How Do I...? Quick Guide, Bea E. Van Dam

Non-Thesis Student Work

This document provides guidance for performing hydrologic tasks using the Hydrology Toolset in ArcMap 10.x (ArcGIS Desktop). Covered here are an overview of the uses and limitations of the tools within the Hydrology Toolset, related tools from from additional ArcGIS toolsets, and step-by-step instructions for hydrologic workflows including digital elevation model (DEM) preparation, pit fill detection, "burning in" culverts for proper flow path routing, watershed and stream network delineation, and flow network statistics.

Survey Control With Gnss Receiver: Wpes, How Do I...? Quick Guide, Bea E. Van Dam

Non-Thesis Student Work

This document is a quick guide to establishing survey control points using a Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receiver and processing collected point coordinate data.

The WPES Research Group uses a Trimble NetR9 GNSS reference receiver, which is reflected in the specific sequences of button presses outlined in the data profile setup, field operation, and data download sections. Readers using a different receiver may still find the general workflow overview useful and should be able to use the data post-processing section directly.

Total Station Field Surveying: Wpes, How Do I...? Quick Guide, Bea E. Van Dam

Non-Thesis Student Work

This document provides step-by-step guidance for performing surveys of field sites using a total station unit (TSU) and connected handheld data collector and for downloading collected point data. WPES uses a Sokkia CX-series TSU and a data collector running Carlson SurvCE software. Minor differences in instrument set-up may arise if using a different TSU. Major differences in data collection procedures will occur if using a different data collection software.

Coupled Model Sea Surface Temperature Biases And Their Influence On Tropical Cyclone Environmental Conditions In An Atmospheric General Circulation Model, Hunter Tubbs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Most climate models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, Phase 5 (CMIP5) struggle to accurately simulate all aspects of the climatological global sea surface temperature (SST) distribution, especially in regions of coastal and equatorial upwelling. Of particular interest in this thesis are coupled model SST biases in the tropics and their potential influence on environmental conditions associated with tropical cyclone (TC) genesis and intensity. To evaluate this, two atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs), the ECHAM5 and CAM5, were employed, first to examine their ability to capture observed TC characteristics when forced with observed SSTs (control runs) and then by …

Characterization And Influence Of The Mcmurdo Shear Zone, Antarctica On The Ross Ice Shelf And Its Tributary, Lynn Kaluzienski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As ice shelves are floating and lack resistive stress at their base, resistance to flow is accommodated along their lateral margins and various pinning points such as ice rises and nunataks. As such, ice shelf shear margins and their strength through time remain a critical control on ice shelf stability. Specifically, lateral shear zone destabilization is an important precursor to ice shelf collapse. In this thesis I utilize in-situ, remote sensing, and numerical modeling techniques in order to characterize the flow field and geometry of the western lateral margin of the Ross Ice Shelf as well as a region upstream …

A Practical Solution: The Anthropocene Is A Geological Event, Not A Formal Epoch, Philip L. Gibbard, Andrew M. Bauer, Matthew Edgeworth, William F. Ruddiman, Jacquelyn L. Gill, Dorothy J. Merritts, Stanley C. Finney, Lucy E. Edwards, Michael J. C. Walker, Mark Maslin, Erle C. Ellis

Biology and Ecology Faculty Scholarship

The Anthropocene has yet to be defined in a way that is functional both to the international geological community and to the broader fields of environmental and social sciences. Formally defining the Anthropocene as a chronostratigraphical series and geochronological epoch with a precise global start date would drastically reduce the Anthropocene’s utility across disciplines. Instead, we propose the Anthropocene be defined as a geological event, thereby facilitating a robust geological definition linked with a scholarly framework more useful to and congruent with the many disciplines engaging with human-environment interactions. Unlike formal epochal definitions, geological events can recognize the spatial and …

Quantifying Surface Changes On Mcmurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica, Ann M. Hill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The amount of ice stored in Antarctica has the potential to raise sea level by almost 60 meters. Mass is primarily lost through glaciers draining the ice sheet and flowing into and ice shelves. Ice shelves float on the ocean and act as a resisting force to the flow of the glaciers, thereby modulating the flow of tributary glaciers, and consequently glacier contribution to global sea level rise. McMurdo Ice Shelf (MIS) buttresses four tributary glaciers, three of which will be discussed in this thesis, as well as the northwest corner of the faster flowing Ross Ice Shelf, which has …

Modern And Paleo Perspectives On The Role Of The Westerlies In Glaciation, Alexander Audet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Deciphering causes of glaciations and their abrupt terminations over the last >700,000 yrs remains an important problem for understanding the behavior of the climate system and how it might change in the future. In particular, the role of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) Westerlies in global change has arisen as an important research direction. Glaciers are highly sensitive to climate change. Examination of mid-latitude glaciers under the influence of westerly wind systems in both hemispheres can help provide insight into the role of the Westerlies in climate change. In this thesis, I present a twofold strategy to refine knowledge of the …

Sulfur Isotope Composition Of Sulfides In Mafic Cumulates, Lesser Antilles Arc, Tyler Pollock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The sulfur isotope composition of sulfides in igneous rocks from magmatic arcs can be difficult to constrain due to the tendency for sulfur isotopes to fractionate during magma ascent and degassing. Cumulate xenoliths from the lower arc crust are representative of the most primitive magmas of the arc system. The Lesser Antilles arc presents a unique opportunity to investigate the sulfur isotope composition of arc magmas along a magmatic arc with many different magma plumbing systems. Here we present sulfur isotope compositions for primary magmatic sulfide inclusions and secondary interstitial hydrothermal sulfides in mafic cumulates from ten islands along the …

Geology And Lithogeochemistry Of The Pickett Mountain Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposit, Northern Maine, Michael J. Mccormick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Pickett Mountain deposit is a volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) base-metal deposit located 15 miles north of Patten, ME. The deposit, discovered in 1979, was abandoned in 1989. The deposit remained abandoned until 2017, when Wolfden Mt. Chase LLC purchased the land for further development after Maine mining regulations changed. This project is a collaboration between the University of Maine, the University of Maine – Presque Isle, Wolfden Resources Corp., and the University of New Brunswick to better understand the regional and deposit-scale geology related to the deposit to fill in gaps of the geologic story of northern Maine as …

Comparison Of Land Use And Flowslide Incidence In Palu Valley Following The 2018 Mw 7.5 Palu-Donggala Earthquake, Peta C. Fifield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The September 28 Mw 7.5 Palu-Donggala earthquake in Indonesia was the deadliest natural disaster in 2018. Five flowslides on the eastern side of Palu Valley, which were attributed to the substantial majority of deaths and economic losses in the region, occurred due to liquefaction of naturally dry alluvial deposits in gently sloping ground (2 to 6%). The requisite conditions for soil liquefaction are the presence of loose granular sediments and full saturation. Instigation of these catastrophic ground failures were linked to artificial saturation by an unlined agricultural irrigation canal. From a civil engineering perspective, the Palu ground failures on the …

10be Chronology Of Moraines Deposited During The Last Glaciation By The Khumbu Glacier, Nepalese Himalaya, Laura Alexandra Mattas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the global pattern of glaciation can aid interpretation of what caused late-Pleistocene glacial cycles. Here I investigate the glacial history of the Khumbu Glacier of the Mount Everest region of Nepal. Prominent hypotheses for Himalayan glaciation suggest important roles for orbitally modulated insolation change and the Asian summer monsoon. Here I test these hypotheses by developing a 10Be surface-exposure chronology of moraines constructed by the Khumbu Glacier during the last glacial period. My chronology is underpinned by detailed glacial-geomorphic mapping constructed by use of drone and satellite imagery. The ages presented in this study indicate that the Khumbu glacier …

Examining Summertime Melt And Temperatures In The North Pacific Cordillera, Ingalise Kindstedt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Temperature changes in glaciated regions are of immediate concern for estimates of future sea level rise. Alaska and the surrounding region contain over 40 mm of potential sea level rise in its many alpine glaciers, which are experiencing some of the highest rates of mass loss globally. However, records of both past and present temperatures in the region’s alpine sectors are sparse and limited in temporal and spatial extent. Here I examine the application of MODIS land surface temperatures and layers of refrozen melt in ice cores as temperature indicators in the St. Elias and Alaska Ranges. First, I find …

Glaciology, Geomorphology Giant Roger Hooke Passes Away At 82, Division Of Marketing And Communications

General University of Maine Publications

Roger Hooke, beloved University of Maine mentor and researcher and giant in the fields of glaciology and geomorphology, died March 10 [2021] at the age of 82.

Hooke joined the School of Earth and Climate Sciences and Climate Change Institute in 2000 as a research professor and adviser. One of Hooke's interests during his time at UMaine involved examining what glacial landforms in Maine revealed about the Laurentide Ice Sheet.

A Synthesis Program: Reducing Uncertainties Of The Terrestrial Biosphere Carbon Cycle At Various Spatio Temporal Scales, Xinyuan Wei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The terrestrial biosphere plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, and disturbance fire and climate extreme drought have strong direct and indirect impacts on the carbon fluxes. In addition, the lateral dissolved organic carbon (DOC) flux from soils to inland waters represents an important component of the terrestrial biosphere carbon cycle.

Fires play an important role in the terrestrial biosphere carbon cycle, not only through direct carbon release but also contributing to a potential long-term storage as pyrogenic carbon (PyC). PyC is formed through fires, and because it may resist further biological and chemical degradation, is more stable …

Sulfur And Trace Metal Cycling At Convergent Margins, Jesse B. Walters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Subduction zones are the site of long-term chemical exchange between Earth’s surface and interior geochemical reservoirs. Subducting slabs are progressively depleted in volatiles and other mobile elements through dehydration and melting reactions. These elements are then introduced to the mantle wedge and volcanic arc. One consequence of this cycle is that volcanic arcs produce the most oxidized magmas on Earth. Sulfur, which exhibits a range in valence states from S^2- to S⁶⁺, is one of the few elements in the subducting slab capable of oxidizing the arc and mantle wedge. Sulfides in the slab may also act …

Variations In The Southern Hemisphere Westerlies Over The Last 23,000 Years From Lake Records In The Falkland Islands, Meghan M. Spoth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Southern Hemisphere Westerlies (SHW) are an important driver of climate in the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. Abrupt latitudinal migration of this coupled atmospheric-oceanic system is thought to be linked to the onset of the Termination at the end of the last ice age and to subsequent climatic variation through the late-glacial period and Holocene. However, the timing and spatial extent of these shifts, as well as variations in wind intensity, are poorly constrained, hindering our understanding of abrupt climate change in the Southern Hemisphere. In addition, future changes in the position and intensity of the SHW are a …

Fostering Climate Change Resilience: A Socio-Ecological Forest Systems Approach, Alyssa R. Soucy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As climate change continues to impact socio-ecological systems, those that rely on natural resources are highly sensitive to climatic changes. Maine’s forest industry provides for the economic and social well-being of many residents and is especially vulnerable to climate change impacts. Changes in growing season length and timing, forest health threats imposed by insects and pathogens, extreme weather events, shifting forest composition, and changes in natural disturbance severity and frequency have already begun, and are projected to continue, to impact forest systems in the Northeastern U.S. While climate change presents a threat to forest systems, opportunities also arise due to …

Scientific Assessment Of Climate Change And Its Effects In Maine, Maine Climate Council Scientific And Technical Subcommittee, Ivan Fernandez, Robert Marvinney, Susie Arnold, Linda Bacon, Andrew Barton, Brian Beal, Sean Birkel, Russell Black, Alix Contosta, Amanda Cross, Adam Daigneault, Thomas Danielson, Stephen Dickson, Jeanne Difranco, Susan Elias, Glenn Hodgkins, Brian Hubbell, Joe Kelley, Rick Kersbergen, Glen Koehler, Rebecca Lincoln, William Livingston, Pamela Lombard, Bradfield Lyon, Andrew Pershing, Nichole Price, Jonathan Rubin, Joseph Salisbury, Erin Simons-Legaard, Peter Slovinsky, Robert Steneck, Sally Stockwell, Richard Wahle, Jay Wason, Aaron Weiskittel, Carl Wilson

Climate Change

Climate change has already made its presence known in Maine, from shorter winters and warmer summers with ocean heat waves, to stronger storms, new species showing up in our backyards and the Gulf of Maine, aquatic algal blooms, acidic ocean waters that affect shellfish, and new pests and diseases that harm our iconic forests and fisheries.

The health of Maine people is also being affected by climate change, from high heat index days driving increased emergency room visits to the ravages of Lyme and other vector-borne diseases. And our economy is feeling the effects, too — with farmers trying to …

Distribution Of First Row Transition Elements In Eclogites, Natalie Harmon

Honors College

Surficial materials are recycled back into the deep Earth at subduction zones. The oxidation state of subducted materials affects the oxidation state of major geochemical reservoirs in the Earth, such as the mantle and the crust. First row transition elements (FRTEs), such as V and Sc, are highly redox sensitive and thus have the potential to track important redox processes in subduction zones. In this project, concentrations of FRTEs in garnet, omphacite, and rutile were determined for a global suite of oceanic eclogites, which represent exhumed subducted materials. Data were collected by LA-ICP-MS using an ESI NWR193UC laser ablation system …

A Groundwater Flow Model To Aid In Water Resource Management For The Carraipia Basin In The Coastal Semi-Arid Region Of La Guajira State (Colombia), Efren D. Gomez Arevalo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

About 160,000 inhabitants live in the 1,600 square kilometers Carraipia River Basin located in northeastern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela. Historically, water has been supplied to the inhabitants in this arid coastal region by shallow dug wells. Water supplied by these wells is frequently of poor quality due to high concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS). Recently, due to the increasing demand for water, numerous deep wells have been drilled in the region to supply water to rural and urban areas from deep aquifers. Colombian agencies seek more quantitative information on groundwater resources, driven by increasingly severe water shortages over the …

Harold B. "Bud" Rollins (1 February 1939-9 January 2017), Daniel H. Sandweiss

Andean Past

This is an appreciation of the life and work of invertebrate paleontologist. Harold B. Rollins emphasizing his contributions to our understanding of ENSO.

Estimating Bedrock Fracture Density Of The Juneau Icefield, Ak, To Inform Glacial Erosion Models, Colby Rand

Honors College

Understanding glacial erosion rates is important because debris eroded by a glacier can impact glacier flow speeds, protect tidewater glaciers from rapid retreat, and impact the productivity of marine ecosystems. Traditionally, glacial erosion models rely on a rock’s inherent “erodibility”, typically presented as a constant, to predict how much debris will be eroded by the glacier. However, the erodibility of bedrock varies spatially as a function of its fracture density, fracture orientation, and lithology, so the notion of applying a constant erodibility term to a whole field site does not fully capture the actual bedrock dynamics of the system. In …

The Microstructural Heterogeneity Of Ice In Jarvis Glacier, Alaska, Renée Clavette

Honors College

Glacier ice behaves as a viscous fluid, where flow is controlled by a number of external and internal processes. One crucial, yet sometimes overlooked, factor is ice microstructure. Studies have shown that ice crystal (grain) size, shape, and orientation influence the viscous strength of ice, and therefore its resistance to flow and deformation. Glacier flow is also impacted by friction at the bed and lateral margins. The magnitude of flow resistance due to the lateral margins is not well quantified. The goal of this overall project is to evaluate how heterogeneous optical properties of ice are that are influenced by …

An Algorithm To Estimate Suspended Particulate Matter Concentrations And Associated Uncertainties From Remote Sensing Reflectance In Coastal Environments, Juliana Tavora

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) is a major constituent in coastal waters, involved in processes such as light attenuation, pollutant propagation, and waterways blockage. The spatial distribution of SPM is an indicator of deposition and erosion patterns in estuaries and coastal zones and a necessary input to estimate the material fluxes from the land through rivers to the sea. In-situ methods to estimate SPM provide limited spatial data in comparison to the coverage that can be obtained remotely. Ocean color remote sensing complements field measurements by providing estimates of the spatial distributions of surface SPM concentration in natural waters, with high …

The Effects Of Sediment Acidification And Temperature On The Immune Capacity Of The Atlantic Jackknife (Razor) Clam (Ensis Leei M. Huber, 2015), Brian Preziosi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sediment acidification has been shown to negatively impact clams of economic importance such as the soft-shell clam, Mya arenaria Linnaeus, 1758, and hard clam, Mercenaria mercenaria (Linnaeus, 1758). Effects of sediment acidification on razor clams, including the Atlantic jackknife clam Ensis leei M. Huber, 2015, are unknown. E. leei has been identified as a species with potential for aquaculture operations on the New England coast. E. leei may be resilient to acidification and thus persist in acidified sediments where other clams cannot. To this end, the impact of acidified surface sediment on the internal immune capacity of adult (mean shell …

Mechanisms Of Ice Core Stable Isotope Variability In The Upper Kaskawulsh-Donjek Region, St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, Canada, Erin A. Mcconnell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I use instrumental and ice core records to examine drivers of observed isotope variability in the Upper Kaskawulsh-Donjek (UKD) region of the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, Canada over the time frame of instrument-proxy overlap (mid-1900s to present). One of the drivers of post-depositional isotope signal alteration is the vertical percolation of meltwater from the glacier surface through shallow layers of snow, which causes a reduction in the amplitude of the isotope signal recorded in ice cores. I examine isotope signal preservation in two sites in the St. Elias Mountains: Eclipse Icefield and Icefield Divide. These sites are relatively close (~30 …

Fractures, Fluids, And Metamorphism: Shear Zone Initiation In The Marcy Anorthosite Massif, Adirondacks, New York, Usa, James Hodge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Localized shear zones are important rheological features that influence deformation behavior throughout the Earth’s middle-to-lower crust. Therefore, the processes through which shear zones initiate and localize remains an important geologic question. The study of strain localization and shear zone initiation is made difficult due to continued deformation overprinting the microstructures which lead to initiation and obfuscating the context in which localization occurred. The Marcy anorthosite in the Adirondack Highlands, New York, is a nominally granulite-facies, plagioclase-rich massif cut by centimeter-to-meter scale shear zones which provides a natural example of shear zone localization within the middle-to-lower crust. My work focuses on …

Improved Estimates Of Tributary Nitrogen Load To Casco Bay, Maine, Whitley J. Gray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past two decades, total nitrogen (TN) concentrations have increased in Casco Bay (CBEP 2015). The sources of the increased nitrogen are poorly understood but occur with simultaneous population growth and land use changes. The total riverine nitrogen load to Casco Bay was previously estimated by Liebman and Milstead (2012) using the United States Geologic Survey’s (USGS) SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) model. The SPARROW model uses watershed characteristics, regional monitoring data and nitrogen source data to estimate nitrogen loading but was not validated using measurements of nitrogen in the Casco Bay watershed. This study attempts to …

Interglacial Expansion Of Alpine Glaciers In Garwood Valley, Antarctica, Laura Mattas

Honors College

It is important to understand the response of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) to ongoing global atmospheric and oceanic warming to anticipate future sea-level change. There are several contrasting views in this regard. Harig and Simons (2015) concur with the IPCC (2013) conclusion that, in recent decades, outflow across the peripheral grounding lines of the ice sheet has exceeded increased accumulation on the interior surface of the ice sheet. In contrast, Zwally et al. (2015) suggest that recent surface accumulation in the interior East and West Antarctica has outpaced peripheral losses. They further suggest that this recent positive imbalance adds …