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Urban Stream Channel Geomorphology: Investigating The Short-Term Channel Stability And Bed-Material Transportation Within A Rehabilitated Urban Stream Reach In Dekalb County, Georgia, Andreas Shoredits

Geosciences Theses

Rivers and streams are sensitive to alterations in their watersheds and one of the greatest disturbances is from urban development. An urban stream channel in the Atlanta metropolitan area in the Georgia Piedmont was studied to establish the nature of adjustment the channel form was experiencing. This study compared a degraded channel with a channel influenced by stabilization efforts in the same stream reach, in order to investigate the behavior of channel adjustments towards a greater stability. Measurements of the short-term changes in channel cross-sectional area and bed-material volume, following a series of threshold flow events, were taken in the …

Determining The Influence Of The Built Environment On Pedestrian-Vehicle Crashes In Dekalb County, Georgia Using Geographic Information Systems, Derek S. Jaworski

Geosciences Theses

This study aimed to examine how the characteristics of the road network and the built environment influence the frequency of pedestrian-vehicle crashes. Pedestrian crashes (2000 – 2007) on major roads in DeKalb County of Georgia were obtained from Georgia Department of Transportation. Hotspot analysis was performed on locations with frequent pedestrian incidents to determine their built environment characteristics. Using Geographic Information Systems, the built environment was characterized using road grade, curvature, population density, the amount stores and restaurants, bars, and public transit stops nearby. A negative binomial regression model was used to examine the influence of the built environment characteristics …

Design And Development Of A Mineral Exploration Ontology, Hilal Sevindik Mentes

Geosciences Theses

In this thesis, an ontology for the mineral exploration domain is designed and developed applying the Protégé ontology editor. The MinExOnt ontology includes a formal and explicit representation of the terms describing real objects, activities, and processes in mineral exploration. The stages used for these activities have various vocabularies, which are semantically modeled in this ontology with Web Ontology Language (OWL). The aim of the thesis is to show how ontologies can be designed and developed to help manage and represent geological knowledge. In addition to providing a general workflow for building the ontology, this thesis presents a simple user …

Urban Farming In Atlanta, Georgia: The Seed Of Neoliberal Contestation Or Hybridized Compromise?, Julia R. Bryant

Geosciences Theses

The space on which the urban farm is produced has a history of its own that can be explored for evidence of neoliberal shaping and retooling. This thesis explores how the city and the farm are understood through the complex articulations of farmers and through the account of the specific historical and geographical context of the farm. The urban farm is a uniquely situated land use that can provide the spaces for contestation to the neoliberalization of the city and the United States food system. Through qualitative analysis, including a case study, interviews with farmers, participant observation, and archival data …

Shifting Conceptions Of Social Justice In Faith-Based Care Workers As A Result Of The Mission Year Program, Traci L. Dahl

Geosciences Theses

As provision of social services is increasingly handled by the non-profit sector, specifically through faith-based organizations (FBO's), current scholarship has suggests that FBOs have the possibility to either reinforce neoliberal ideology or progress social justice. This study provides an examination of the shift in conceptions of justice for participants in the Mission Year program, an FBO program naming justice as a goal. For the participants, this experience creates a new understanding of the causes of poverty, injustice and American culture which I name 'justice as knowing.' This understanding culminated within participants a desire to “live out justice” as ‘intentional neighbors’ …

Cambodia In The Mill City: The Place-Making Influence Of An Urban Ethnic Enclave, Paul J. Foster

Geosciences Theses

In Lowell, Massachusetts, a city with a long history of serving as a magnet for immigrants, the Cambodian community is both the most recent and most populous immigrant group that has helped transformed this postindustrial city into one of the most ethnically diverse in New England. This research seeks to explore the ways in which the development and growth of an ethnic community can influence the place-making process and built environment of cities. Specifically, this thesis conducts a case study of the Cambodian community in Lowell, Massachusetts, and examines the ways in which the development of this specific urban ethnic …

Caprock Interactions With The Supercritical Co2 And Brine: A Labratory Study Of The Effects Of Simulated Geological Co2 Sequestration On Shales From The Black Warrior River Basin, Alabama L, Jessica E. Raines

Geosciences Theses

A better understanding of the brine-rock- supercritical CO₂ interaction is needed to evaluate the risks of geologic CO₂ sequestration. The geochemical effects of brine and supercritical CO₂ were examined via laboratory modeling of in situ conditions on two reservoir caprocks in the Black Warrior River Basin, the Pottsville and Parkwood Formations. The clay fraction was extracted and treated at ~ 100 bar and 363 K (90 °C) over periods of up to 70 hours. Supercritical CO₂ was introduced as dry ice in a pressurized vessel. Samples were observed using XRD, WD-XRF, AA, SEM, and EDS. Clay …

Lake Cycles And Sediments: Locality 80, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, Patricia A. Berry

Geosciences Theses

Studies have shown that Bed I and Lower Bed II (1.92Ma- 1.76Ma) of Paleolake Olduvai at Locality 80 are primarily composed of the authigenic lacustrine clay minerals illite, smectite, and interlayered illite-smectite. X-ray fluorescence analysis and the sedimentation rates of Hay and Kyser (2001) were used to identify four apparent lake cycles beginning and ending with saline alkaline phases. Peaks in Al2O3/MgO ratios, and TiO2 and P2O5 abundances occur at approximately the same elevations within the stratigraphic section. Low values in these three parameters indicate saline alkaline conditions whereas high values represent fresh water conditions. Lake Cycles (LC) 1 and …

Spatial Ontology For The Production Domain Of Petroleum Geology, Dickson M. Liadey

Geosciences Theses

ABSTRACT

The availability of useful information for research strongly depends on well structured relationships between consistently defined concepts (terms) in that domain. This can be achieved through ontologies. Ontologies are models of the knowledge of specific domain such as petroleum geology, in a computer understandable format. Knowledge is a collection of facts. Facts are represented by RDF triples (subject-predicate-object). A domain ontology is therefore a collection of many RDF triples, which represent facts of that domain. The SWEET ontologies are upper or top-level ontologies (foundation ontologies) consisting of thousands of very general concepts. These concepts are obtained from of Earth …

Carbon Sequestration Potential In Simulated Saline Lake Waters, Scott N. Yurman

Geosciences Theses

This investigation tested simulated saline lake environments as mineralization sites for sequestering anthropogenic CO₂. Four unique saline lakes were simulated in the laboratory. Two sets of experiments were conducted by diffusing CO_2(g) through each simulated lake over 30 days. The first set tested the carbonate system response to elevated CO_2(g). The second set of experiments replicated the same process but used ammonium hydroxide to elevate pH. Water samples were collected daily to test for cation loss via mineralization. Rapid mineralization occurred with the pH enhancer and cation activity was greatly reduced by as much as …

Exploring The Use Of Geographic Information Systems As An Environmental And Social Justice Advocacy Tool For Community-Based Organizations: A Case Study Of Galena Park, Texas, Demetrice R. Jordan

Geosciences Theses

Environmental factors within communities play a significant role on the health and well-being of residents. These social and physical determinants have a substantial effect on health. This interaction can result in environmental injustices, inequality, and ultimately poor health for residents. The community of Galena Park, Texas, is a predominantly minority community of Hispanic and African-American residents with previously undocumented concerns related to air quality, the built environment, access to healthcare and the food environment. Through participatory engagement with Galena Park residents using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), this research examines the degree to which GIS is an effective tool in illustrating …

A Comparison Of Vegetation Composition In Urban And Rural Floodplans Following Removal Of Chinese Privet (Ligustrum Sinense), Susan C. Morrell

Geosciences Theses

An important aspect of restoration ecology is the removal of non-native invasive plants. While restorations in urban areas involve similar challenges to restorations in rural areas, urban efforts also contend with unique issues such as increased fragmentation and decreased seed sources for native species. This study examined efforts to eradicate Ligustrum sinense and allow native vegetation to occupy the landscape. The herbaceous layer was inventoried at study plots in riparian bottomlands of four Atlanta, Georgia, natural areas two years after start of treatment to remove L. sinense. Plant taxa were described and compared to a similar study conducted in …

A Comparative Analysis Of Participatory Governance: The City Of Atlanta And Neighboring Cobb County, Georgia, Carol J. Brown

Geosciences Theses

This thesis compares the experiences of citizens who regularly participate in the planning and zoning processes of their respective local governments. Atlanta has had a highly structured system of neighborhood government in place for over 35 years, called Neighborhood Planning Units. Enacted by Atlanta’s first African-American Mayor, NPUs were meant to facilitate the civic engagement of all neighborhoods, regardless of socioeconomic status. The role and boundaries of NPUs are codified in the City Charter. Unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia is a large, urbanizing-but-still-suburban county north of the city. Cobb does not officially recognize community boundaries nor is there a codified neighborhood …