Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Potential Ecological And Socio-Economic Effects Of A Novel Megaherbivore Introduction: The Hippopotamus In Colombia, Amanda L. Subalusky, Elizabeth P. Anderson, German Jimenez, David Post, David Echeverri Lopez, Sebastian Garcia-R., Laura J. Nova Leon, Juan R. Reatiga Parrish, Ana Rojas, Sergio Solari, Luz F. Jimenez-Segura

Department of Earth and Environment

Introduced species can have strong ecological, social and economic effects on their non-native environment. Introductions of megafaunal species are rare and may contribute to rewilding efforts, but they may also have pronounced socio-ecological effects because of their scale of influence. A recent introduction of the hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius into Colombia is a novel introduction of a megaherbivore onto a new continent, and raises questions about the future dynamics of the socio-ecological system into which it has been introduced. Here we synthesize current knowledge about the Colombian hippopotamus population, review the literature on the species to predict potential ecological and socio-economic …

Reputation-Aware Trajectory-Based Data Mining In The Internet Of Things (Iot), Samia Tasnim

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Internet of Things (IoT) is a critically important technology for the acquisition of spatiotemporally dense data in diverse applications, ranging from environmental monitoring to surveillance systems. Such data helps us improve our transportation systems, monitor our air quality and the spread of diseases, respond to natural disasters, and a bevy of other applications. However, IoT sensor data is error-prone due to a number of reasons: sensors may be deployed in hazardous environments, may deplete their energy resources, have mechanical faults, or maybe become the targets of malicious attacks by adversaries. While previous research has attempted to improve the quality of …

Potential Of Water Hyacinth Infestation On Lake Tana, Ethiopia: A Prediction Using A Gis-Based Multi-Criteria Technique, Minychl G. Desseh, Aron A. Kibret, Seifu A. Tilahun, Abeyou W. Worqlul, Mamaru A. Moges, Dessalegn C. Dagnew, Wubneh B. Abebe, Assefa M. Melesse

Department of Earth and Environment

Water hyacinth is a well-known invasive weed in lakes across the world and harms the aquatic environment. Since 2011, the weed has invaded Lake Tana substantially posing a challenge to the ecosystem services of the lake. The major factors which affect the growth of the weed are phosphorus, nitrogen, temperature, pH, salinity, and lake depth. Understanding and investigating the hotspot areas is vital to predict the areas for proper planning of interventions. The main objective of this study is therefore to predict the hotspot areas of the water hyacinth over the surface of the lake using the geographical information system …

Effect Of Salinity Stress And Microbial Inoculations On Glomalin Production And Plant Growth Parameters Of Snap Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris), Claudia Lyl Garcia, Sanku Dattamudi, Saoli Chanda, Krish Jayachandran

Department of Earth and Environment

Salinity is a major abiotic stress that can adversely affect plant growth, yield, other physiological parameters, and soil health. Salinity stress on biomass production of salt-sensitive crops, like snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), is a serious problem, and specifically in South Florida, USA, where saline soils can be found in major agricultural lands. Research studies focused on the ‘snap bean–Rhizobium–arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)’ relationship under salinity stress are limited, and fewer studies have evaluated how this tripartite symbiosis affects glomalin production (GRSP), a glycoprotein released by AMF. A shade house experiment was conducted to elucidate the effects of three microbial inoculations …

Sevucas: A Novel Gis-Based Machine Learning Software For Seismic Vulnerability Assessment, Saro Lee, Mahdi Panahi, Hamid Reza Pourghasemi, Himan Shahabi, Mohsen Alizadeh, Ataollah Shirzadi, Khabat Khosravi, Assefa M. Melesse, Mohamad Yekrangnia, Fatemeh Rezaie, Hamindreza Moeini, Binh Thai Pham, Baharin Bin Ahmad

Department of Earth and Environment

Since it is not possible to determine the exact time of a natural disaster’s occurrence and the amount of physical and financial damage on humans or the environment resulting from their event, decision-makers need to identify areas with potential vulnerability in order to reduce future losses. In this paper, a GIS-based open source software entitled Seismic-Related Vulnerability Calculation Software (SEVUCAS), based on the Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) method and geographic information system, has been developed to assess seismic vulnerability by considering four groups of criteria (i.e., geotechnical, structural, socio-economic, and physical distance to needed facilities and away from …

Satellite Estimation Of Chlorophyll-A Using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (Modis) Sensor In Shallow Coastal Water Bodies: Validation And Improvement, Mohd Manzar Abbas, Assefa M. Melesse, Leanord J. Scinto, J S. Rehage

Department of Earth and Environment

The size and distribution of Phytoplankton populations are indicators of the ecological status of a water body. The chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration is estimated as a proxy for the distribution of phytoplankton biomass. Remote sensing is the only practical method for the synoptic assessment of Chl-a at large spatial and temporal scales. Long-term records of ocean color data from the MODIS Aqua Sensor have proven inadequate to assess Chl-a due to the lack of a robust ocean color algorithm. Chl-a estimation in shallow and coastal water bodies has been a challenge and existing operational algorithms are only suitable for deeper water …

Landslide Susceptibility Mapping Using Different Gis-Based Bivariate Models, Ebrahim Nohani, Meisam Moharrami, Samira Sharafi, Khabat Khosravi, Biswajeet Pradhan, Binh Thai Pham, Saro Lee, Assefa M. Melesse

Department of Earth and Environment

Landslides are the most frequent phenomenon in the northern part of Iran, which cause considerable financial and life damages every year. One of the most widely used approaches to reduce these damages is preparing a landslide susceptibility map (LSM) using suitable methods and selecting the proper conditioning factors. The current study is aimed at comparing four bivariate models, namely the frequency ratio (FR), Shannon entropy (SE), weights of evidence (WoE), and evidential belief function (EBF), for a LSM of Klijanrestagh Watershed, Iran. Firstly, 109 locations of landslides were obtained from field surveys and interpretation of aerial photographs. Then, the locations …

Flood Spatial Modeling In Northern Iran Using Remote Sensing And Gis: A Comparison Between Evidential Belief Functions And Its Ensemble With A Multivariate Logistic Regression Model, Duie Tien Bui, Khabat Khosravi, Himan Shahabi, Prasad Daggupati, Jan F. Adamowski, Assefa M. Melesse, Binh Thai Pham, Hamid Reza Pourghasemi, Mehrnoosh Mahmoudi, Sepideh Bahrami, Biswajeet Pradhan, Ataollah Shirzadi, Kamran Chapi, Saro Lee

Department of Earth and Environment

Floods are some of the most dangerous and most frequent natural disasters occurring in the northern region of Iran. Flooding in this area frequently leads to major urban, financial, anthropogenic, and environmental impacts. Therefore, the development of flood susceptibility maps used to identify flood zones in the catchment is necessary for improved flood management and decision making. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of an Evidential Belief Function (EBF) model, both as an individual model and in combination with Logistic Regression (LR) methods, in preparing flood susceptibility maps for the Haraz Catchment in the Mazandaran …

Generating Alternatives: The Possible Energy Transitions For France And Germany After The Paris Accord, Anna Fache

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Following the Paris Accord of 2015, multiple countries, including France and Germany, promised to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in order to slow down climate change. Current energy production and consumption patterns do not allow for such targets. Meeting these emission reduction goals requires a transition in energy production. Energy transitions can be inefficient and costly if not planned properly, and multiple constraints need to be taken into account when putting such a process in place. The model proposed in the present study aims to find the most cost-effective energy portfolios for France and Germany, two highly industrialized nations in …

Essays On Economic Valuation Of Water Resources, Christina Estela Brown

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increased potential of flooding caused by heavy precipitation events and sea level rise, as well as growing risk of drought that are likely changes in the frequency and spatial distribution of climatic conditions, pose particular challenges to water management in coastal areas. Extreme events are expected to increase the complexity of managing scarce water resources for competing water users. South Florida, which is characterized by a mosaic of urban settlements, agricultural areas and natural areas, is served by a highly human-engineered water management system grappling to meet multiple objectives, including urban and agricultural water supply, flood control, and environmental restoration. …

Teleconnection Of Regional Drought To Enso, Pdo, And Amo: Southern Florida And The Everglades, Anteneh Z. Abiy, Assefa M. Melesse, Wozzenu Abtew

Department of Earth and Environment

Drought variability is associated with global oceanic and atmospheric teleconnections driven by, among others, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), and El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Climate teleconnections with a region’s rainfall, with drought and flooding implications, should be part of short- and long-term water management planning and operations. In this study, the link between drought and climatic drivers was assessed by using historical data from 110 years of regional rainfall in southern Florida and the Everglades. The objective was to evaluate historical drought and its link with global oceanic and atmospheric teleconnections. The Standardized Precipitation Index …

Using Social Network Analysis To Develop Relational Expertise For An Instructional Change Initiative, Kathleen Quardokus Fisher, Ann Sitomer, Jana Bouwma-Gearheart, Milo Koretsky

Department of Earth and Environment

Background

Change leaders (faculty, administrators, and/or external stakeholders) need to develop relational expertise, recognizing the perspectives of others, to enable emergent, systemic change. We describe how change leaders of a grant-funded instructional change initiative developed relational expertise by analyzing faculty relationships and social subgroups to identify who was involved in discussions about teaching and learning and what specific topics were discussed.

Results

Faculty discussions focused on daily classroom needs. Faculty who were in different departments or schools were mostly disconnected from each other, and faculty within these units often had subdivisions among them.

Conclusions

Faculty lacked opportunities to discuss …

Using Social Network Analysis To Develop Relational Expertise For An Instructional Change Initiative, Kathleen Quardokus Fisher, Ann Sitomer, Jana Bouwma-Gearhart, Milo Koretsky

Department of Earth and Environment

Background

Change leaders (faculty, administrators, and/or external stakeholders) need to develop relational expertise, recognizing the perspectives of others, to enable emergent, systemic change. We describe how change leaders of a grant-funded instructional change initiative developed relational expertise by analyzing faculty relationships and social subgroups to identify who was involved in discussions about teaching and learning and what specific topics were discussed.

Results

Faculty discussions focused on daily classroom needs. Faculty who were in different departments or schools were mostly disconnected from each other, and faculty within these units often had subdivisions among them.

Conclusions

Faculty lacked opportunities to discuss …

Trait‐Based Community Assembly Pattern Along A Forest Succession Gradient In A Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest, Suresh C. Subedi, Michael S. Ross, Jay P. Sah, Jed Redwine, Christopher Baraloto

Department of Earth and Environment

We aimed to determine the important functional dimensions that may drive forest succession and community assembly patterns in dry tropical forests. We investigated whether there were patterns in specific functional strategies during succession in the dry tropical forests of the Florida Keys, whose unique physical setting includes nutrient‐stressed, salt‐stressed, and water‐limited environments. The study, which focused on ten traits, determined the leading trait dimensions by which species differentiate from one another in the study area. The general patterns of trait covariation at individual sites and among species were analyzed using principal component analysis. Trait niche overlap indices were calculated for …

Comparison Of Tandem-X Dem With Lidar Data For Accuracy Assessment In A Coastal Urban Area, Keqi Zhang, Daniel Gann, Michael S. Ross, Yuepeng Li, Jamie Rhome

Department of Earth and Environment

The TanDEM-X (TDX) mission launched by the German Aerospace Center delivers unprecedented global coverage of a high-quality digital elevation model (DEM) with a pixel spacing of 12 m. To examine the relationships of terrain, vegetation, and building elevations with hydrologic, geologic, geomorphologic, or ecologic factors, quantification of TDX DEM errors at a local scale is necessary. We estimated the errors of TDX data for open ground, forested, and built areas in a coastal urban environment by comparing the TDX DEM with LiDAR data for the same areas, using a series of error measures including root mean square error (RMSE) and …

A Seismically Induced Onshore Surge Deposit At The Kpg Boundary, North Dakota, Robert A. Depalma

Department of Earth and Environment

The most immediate effects of the terminal-Cretaceous Chicxulub impact, essential to understanding the global-scale environmental and biotic collapses that mark the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction, are poorly resolved despite extensive previous work. Here, we help to resolve this by describing a rapidly emplaced, high-energy onshore surge deposit from the terrestrial Hell Creek Formation in Montana. Associated ejecta and a cap of iridium-rich impactite reveal that its emplacement coincided with the Chicxulub event. Acipenseriform fish, densely packed in the deposit, contain ejecta spherules in their gills and were buried by an inland-directed surge that inundated a deeply incised river channel before accretion of …