Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Perceptions And Physical Realities Of Flood Risk In Cerro Punta, Chiriquí, Panamá, Julia Stanganelli

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Flooding is an issue of increasing global importance. With climate change and land-use alteration affecting hydrological cycles globally, certain regions of the world are experiencing more frequent or severe flooding. In the Chiriquí Province of Panamá, the town of Cerro Punta has been subject to several severe flooding events in the last few decades. This study aimed to understand perceptions of flood risk amongst residents of Cerro Punta, as well as evaluate physical flood risk in the area. Residents were interviewed regarding their perceptions of flooding as an increasing issue, possible causes, vulnerable areas and populations, and preparedness for future …

Livelihoods Of The People Of Mazumbai: A Collection Of Stories And Portraits, Tanga Region, Tanzania, Joseph Baldus

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Despite rapid urbanization in Tanzania, agriculture remains central to the nation, the economy, and the livelihoods of a large portion of the population. Smallholder farmers account for the vast majority of agricultural production, yet are an extremely vulnerable population due to poverty, single-sourced income, and climate-dependency for both subsistence and cash-crop agriculture (Rapsomanikis, 2015). This report explores these dynamic rural livelihoods through interviews and portrait photographs in a case study on Mazumbai, Tanga region, Tanzania. Semi-structured interviews explore the people’s modes of economic subsistence, domestic lives, education, challenges, and life stories. Excerpts from these interviews combined with portrait photographs create …

"Waste Is Not Just Waste Anymore": Deconstructing The Relationship Between Sustainable Waste Prevention And Individual Socio-Demographic Characteristics (The Juxtaposition Of Ushongo Mtoni Village And Moshi Urban, Tanzania), Mahalia Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I am going to tell you a story about humans — their lives, livelihoods, environments, and their individual relationships to sustainable waste prevention. As developing countries, such as Tanzania experience economic growth, waste overflow and proper waste disposal become even more arduous challenges. Thus, it is becoming increasingly important to explore sustainable solutions such as waste prevention. Through conducting semi-structured interviews in two distinctly unique locations, Moshi Urban of the Kilimanjaro Region and Ushongo Village on the coast of Tanga Region, Tanzania, I explored how levels of awareness and involvement in sustainable waste prevention practices, specifically reducing, reusing, and recycling, …

Sediment Deposition Within Two Thalassia Testudinum Seagrass Sites In Boca Del Drago, Bocas Del Toro Archipelago, Panamá, Alexander De Jesus

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question

Does sediment deposition and composition differ between front and back areas of Thalassia testudinum seagrass beds within two sites on the coast of Boca del Drago, and do these two distinct sites have differences in relative seagrass density and above-ground biomass?

Research Objective

Understand how sediment deposition and sediment composition compare between front and back seagrass areas within two Thalassia testudinum seagrass meadows on the coast of Boca del Drago, and whether the density and above-ground biomass of seagrass identified in each of these two distinct sites also differs.

Barriers To The Elimination Of Plastic In Single Use Beverage Containers In Byron Bay, Nsw, Katherine Senechal

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Plastic debris is a global threat to the natural environment. The accumulation of plastic debris has resulted in the destruction of marine habitat as well as a threat to marine wildlife. Single use plastics, including plastics associated with single use food and beverage containers are contributing to a considerable amount of debris and other litter in the world’s oceans. As awareness of this issue spreads, both large corporations and small businesses are beginning to transition to plastic alternatives for their single use beverage containers. In Byron Bay, Australia, an area of increasing environmental awareness, businesses are beginning to reduce single …

A Disappearing Island: An Impact Assessment Of Coastal Erosion On The Mnemba Island House Reef, Zanzibar, Kat Grellman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Sedimentation is one of the greatest threats reefs face today due to climate changeinduced sea level rise. Mnemba Island has experienced rampant coastal erosion as a combined result of global processes and local anthropogenic impacts, which has in turn caused severe reef degradation. The house reef was surveyed over a 3-week period to determine the amount of sediment deposited on the reef and the impact of this sedimentation on coral reef health. Sediment traps were deployed to measure the sediment flux rate. The line-intercept transect method was used to measure the benthos cover of the reef and point-transect method was …

Let’S Talk Takataka: Impacts Of Plastic In The Stone Town Harbor Area, Zanzibar, Cj O’Brien

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Plastic pollution has become an anthropogenic crisis worldwide. In the Stone Town Harbor area in particular, consumerism, population growth, tourism and a deficient municipal waste management system contribute to alarming amounts of mismanaged plastic that enter the ocean. This is devastating for the diverse marine ecosystem that provides valuable resources to its flora and fauna and to it human inhabitants. In this study, micro-plastic at the sea surface as well as plastic on coastal beaches was quantified to determine the effects of plastic pollution in the area by use of a standard plankton net methodology. This study contributed to the …

A Comparative Tree Survey Of Disturbed And Primary Forest Areas: Ngezi-Vumawimbi Nature Forest Reserve, Pemba Island, Skyler Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Off the coast of Tanzania, in East Africa, the island of Pemba was once covered in pristine forest despite having a small, agriculturally-based human population. Beginning around 1840, however, the island began to be deforested on a large scale for colonial plantations of cash crops such as cloves and rubber as well as for small-scale farms and firewood. Ngezi-Vumawimbi Nature Forest Reserve covers about 1,440 hectares and is all that remains of these once vast forests. The reserve was officially designated in 1957 but timber extraction and exploitation there continued until the late 1980s. In the early 1970s, a large …

Cuando La Vida Era Tranquila: Land Use And Livelihood Changes Following The Construction Of The Chan 75 Dam In Nance Del Risco, Bocas Del Toro, Patrick Mckenzie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Ngobe are Panama’s most populous indigenous group. While the Ngobe that live in the comarca have land and resource rights, those that live immediately outside of it do not. This issue has been exacerbated by the creation of Palo Seco Forest Reserve which has removed all land rights from the Ngobe living within it. In order to meet its growing demand for energy, Panama is expanding its hydroelectric sector. One such hydroelectric dam built by AES is Chan 75. However, Chan 75 has had a controversial history, especially regarding its treatment of the Ngobe people of the corregimiento Nance …

Sustainability At Sit: A Look At The Past, A Plan For The Future, Taliesin Haugh

Capstone Collection

Climate change threatens our world and way of life. Intelligent development and investment could mitigate the worst threats of climate change, while simultaneously providing continuous growth for the global economy. The New Climate Economy proposes efforts to combat this ecological collapse that would result in $30 trillion in new annual economic growth by 2030. Stockholm Resilience Center agrees, giving a framework based on global ecological systems that calls for five critical tasks that can bring growth and stability: Renewable energy

Sustainable local food production

New development models, based on what has worked globally

Reduction of wealth inequity

Education, health, and …