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Quantifying Groundwater Discharge Using Thermal Imagery And Conventional Groundwater Exploration Techniques For Estimating The Nitrogen Loading To A Meso-Scale Inland Estuary, Robert M. Roseen

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents the results of a study to evaluate groundwater inflow and nutrient loadings to the Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire. The evaluation of inflow was accomplished independently by two methods: one, used thermal imagery, and the other, piezometric mapping. The thermal imagery method assessed groundwater that was observed to discharge within the intertidal zone of an inland estuary. The groundwater piezometric mapping method used the monitoring wells around the bay to create an overall piezometric map of the near-bay area. Groundwater discharge was evaluated with respect to flow, concentration, and ultimately nitrogen loading to coastal waters. The results …

Nitric Oxide Reduction By Non-Thermal Plasma And Catalysis, Zhongyuan Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

Combustion of fossil fuels produces millions of tons of air pollutants such as NOx and SO2. The high cost and operating difficulties of prevailing selective catalytic reduction (SCR) process are driving R&D efforts towards alternative technologies and modifications to the SCR technology. Non-thermal plasma technique has been found to be one of the most promising technologies for NOx removal.

In the present study, a non-thermal plasma technique in the form of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) has been extensively investigated for the removal of NOx. The main variables including electrical parameters, chemical compounds and flow conditions are identified and studied in …

Oxygen And Nitrate Enhanced In Situ Bioremediation Of An Oil -Contaminated Salt Marsh, Fabio A. Roldan-Garcia

Doctoral Dissertations

Salt marshes are among the most ecologically-sensitive areas to oil spills and remediation activities. Contaminated marshes may take years or decades to recover. Bioremediation is the process of enhancing naturally-occurring biodegradation by supplying limiting nutrients and terminal electron acceptors (TEAS). During this study, two TEAS (O2 and NO3 -) were evaluated for their ability to enhance natural in situ biodegradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in an oil-contaminated marsh. EPA (9071A) and ASTM (D5831) methods were evaluated for screening TPH in the contaminated marsh sediments. The ASTM Method was selected to evaluate TPH levels in candidate sites at the Fore …

Characterization Of The Physical, Chemical, And Optical Properties Of Atmospheric Aerosol Particles In New Hampshire, John Frederick Slater

Doctoral Dissertations

Tropospheric aerosol particles directly affect the radiative budget of the Earth, and degrade visibility, by scattering and absorbing short-wavelength solar radiation. However, the radiative effect of aerosols is highly uncertain due to the non-uniform spatial distribution of the particles over Earth, their heterogeneous chemical composition, and their variable size. This dissertation quantifies some of the physical, chemical, and optical (radiative) properties of aerosols at different locations within New Hampshire (NH) from spring 2000 to fall 2001. During spring 2000, a 1-month study conducted at a mountaintop location adjacent to the White Mountain National Forest in northern NH showed that synoptic-scale …

Analyzing The Education Mandate Of Title X: The Lead-Based Paint Reduction Act Of 1992, William Troy Roussel

LSU Master's Theses

The Environmental Protection Agency appropriates 400 million dollars in grant funding under the authority of Title X: Residential Lead-based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992. The education mandate of Title X states that the federal government must build an infrastructure to educate the public, real estate professionals, and contractors, to name a few, on the hazards of lead-based paint. A survey was developed to assess the effectiveness of the Title X education mandate. Contractors in the City of New Orleans were surveyed to assess their knowledge of the act and the hazards of lead-based paint before attending an 8-hour training …

Influence Of Teaching In An Outdoor Classroom On Kindergarten Children's Comprehension And Recall Of A Science Lesson, Kari Anne Dietz

LSU Master's Theses

Kindergarten children learn through hands-on interaction with materials. Additionally, the environment contributes to their learning. Therefore, if children are learning about concepts that naturally occur outside, they need to learn these concepts through active exploration, using as many senses as possible. This thesis examines the influence that an outdoor environment may have on children's abilities to comprehend and recall concepts in a science lesson. The sample for this study came from four kindergarten classrooms from a semi-rural school in Louisiana. Three treatment groups received a lesson on trees. The control group was not given a lesson. Two groups participated in …