Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Environmental Change And The Agro-Pastoralist Livelihood In The Andes Of Peru, Meagan M. Mazzarino

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation research focuses on a high elevation Andean social-ecological system. It examines system linkages between climate, grazing pasture (wetlands), and agro-pastoralist livelihood strategies in an indigenous peasant community. Working within the conceptual framework of complex systems dynamics and sustainable livelihoods analysis, methods and concepts are synthesized from the disciplines of climatology, hydrology, remote sensing and political ecology, and results contribute to the transdisciplinary literature on vulnerability analysis within the context of environmental change. In the Andes of southern Peru livelihoods are based on agro-pastoralist activities that rely on access to natural resources in the puna ecosystem. The majority of …

Cultivating Communities Of Practice To Develop Local Preparedness For Climate Change, Konda Reddy Chavva

Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this research was to study the effectiveness of field facilitators’ (FFs) community of practice in improving ways in which FFs and farmers communicate and work together to strengthen farmers’ climate change preparedness through identifying locally suitable adaptation strategies in drought-prone districts of Andhra Pradesh State in India. In development initiatives like the one studied, FFs are often the key liaison person with each community—farmers in this case. FFs interact regularly with farmers, with whom they establish and sustain critical relationships over time. Further, they take the lead in building farmers’ capacities by contextualizing technical information that professionals …

The Cumulative Impacts Of Climate Change And Land Use Change On Water Quantity And Quality In The Narragansett Bay Watershed, Evan R. Ross

Masters Theses

Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, is a valuable natural resource that suffers summer hypoxic events resulting from over a century of cultural eutrophication. Current efforts to reduce nitrogen loading from wastewater treatment facilities discharging into the Bay and its tributaries hold the promise of working towards ecological restoration. But, the efficacy of these efforts may be limited, or undone, if future changes in climate or land use increase nutrient and sediment loads to the Bay. This study developed a SWAT model of the upper Narragansett Bay watershed to simulate water quantity and quality. The baseline model was calibrated and validated to …

Ecology And Conservation Of Endangered Species In Sumatra: Smaller Cats And The Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus Sumatrensis) As Case Studies, Wulan Pusparini

Masters Theses

While we should celebrate the bicentennial of naming the Sumatran rhinoceros (SR), the only extant population on earth might be on the island of Sumatra. Since Strien's 1986 study in Mamas Valley, Leuser, very little more has been learned about how this species distributed and what factors are influencing its extirpation. This study is the first conducted in Sumatra at an Island-wide scale. Using hierarchical models, I estimate the occurrence rates (%) and indices of abundance of SR on three remaining population areas: Leuser Landscape (LL) in 2007 (2.77%, 26 (CI 12-61)), Way Kambas (WK) in 2008 (33.58%, 27 (CI …

Roosting, Site Fidelity, And Food Sources Of Urban Gulls In Massachusetts: Implications For Protecting Public Water Supplies, Daniel E. Clark

Doctoral Dissertations

Anyone who has spent time in coastal New England has seen gulls flying overhead and heard their familiar sound; gulls may be one of the most recognizable birds in the world. There are over 50 species of gulls worldwide, and many of them are closely associated with human development or activities. In Massachusetts, there are several common gull species including herring (Larus argentatus), great black-back (Larus marinus), laughing (Leucophaeus atricilla), and ring-billed (Larus delawarensis). While coastal encounters with gulls are ubiquitous, gulls can also be found inland, and ring-billed and herring gulls …

Application Of Stormwater Management Techniques For Mitigation And Education At The Stockbridge School Agricultural Learning Center, Samantha R. Anderson

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

The Stockbridge School Agricultural Learning Center (SSALC) will be a 40-acre hands-on agricultural learning laboratory for students, staff, visitors, and neighbors. Still in its planning phases, the Center will be located on what is currently a hay field just north of UMass Amherst campus. A conceptual master plan was created in 2013 that is being used for fundraising as well as planning for agricultural demonstration plots and architectural hubs. Improperly managed agricultural landscapes are known as one of the biggest threats to water quality in the United States. As a model of forward thinking agricultural practices, properly managed stormwater on …

Sustainable Umass Adquad External Review Final Presentation, Bonny Bentzin, Robert Koester, Matt St. Clair

Sustainability Reports & Plans

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Umass Adquad External Review Final Report, Bonny Bentzin, Robert Koester, Matt St. Clair

Sustainability Reports & Plans

Through the breadth and excellence of its operational and academic activities, the Sustainable UMass program has had considerable success in the past five years; achieving a position of prominence and leadership in the sustainability arena as reflected in national higher education awards. Remarkably, this has been spearheaded by a relatively small group of dedicated people working together as an informal, ad hoc coalition of personnel in Physical Plant, Campus Planning, Auxiliary Services, Transportation Services, the College of Natural Sciences, the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the Isenberg School of Management, the Library, and University Relations, among others. However, as …

Patterns In Trash: Factors That Drive Municipal Solid Waste Recycling, Jared Starr

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Municipal recycling is driven by a variety of factors. Yet how these factors change over time is not well understood. I analyze a suite of contextual and program variable in multiple time periods, spanning 16 years, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Based on the models run, I reach the surprising conclusion that most program variables have an insignificant effect on recycling rates. These findings can inform municipal officials and waste managers as they seek new ways to increase municipal recycling participation.

The Potential For Restoration Of Tan Brook, An Urban Headwater Stream In Amherst, Massachusetts, Alison Tenhulzen, Alyssa Black, Robert F. Smith

Research

The goal of the Tan Brook Student Conservation Group is to educate undergraduate students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst about freshwater sustainability. to accomplish this, the group will act to provide opportunities in original research, applied field and laboratory methods, and outreach. The initial goal for the group will be a collaborative project describing the ecological, historical, and social significance of the Tan Brook, which will result in an informative website and educational signage located at several locations in the town of Amherst and on University property where the Tan Brook enters campus. Ultimately, the group will contribute to …

Brief Analysis Of The Tan Brook Watershed In Amherst, Massachusetts, Andrew Mckenna, Robert F. Smith

Research

The Tan Brook is a small 3.91 square kilometer watershed that runs through and encompasses the highly urbanized areas of Amherst, MA. It is part of the Connecticut River basin and the Mill River sub-basin. In order to meet the high demands of the local middle and high school, and heavy runoff from high amounts of impervious cover from downtown Amherst and the University of Massachusetts, the Tan Brook has been highly culverted.

Qualitative And Comparative Analysis Of Stormwater Management In The Tan Brook Watershed, Natalia Von Hausen, Robert F. Smith

Research

The Tan Brook Watershed is both a daylighted and diverted underground stream that runs through the Town Center of Amherst and the campus of UMass Amherst. Various stormwater management practices have been used to infiltrate stormwater runoff from streets, lots, buildings and/or vehicles. These systems are custom-designed relative to the surrounding permeability of the soil, vegetation and geographical topography. Some systems have higher success rates than others.

Fy 2014 Umass Amherst Water & Steam Data By Building, Ezra Small

Campus Data

Each year, UMass Amherst Utilities publishes this spreadsheet which has the monthly and annual building water and steam consumption of each metered building on campus.

Lights, Camera...Citizen Science: Assessing The Effectiveness Of Smartphone-Based Video Training In Invasive Plant Identification Dataset, Jared Starr, Charles M. Schweik, Nathan Bush, Lena Fletcher, John T. Finn, Jennifer Fish, Charles T. Bargeron

Environmental Conservation Datasets

The rapid growth and increasing popularity of smartphone technology is putting sophisticated data-collection tools in the hands of more and more citizens. This has exciting implications for the expanding field of citizen science. With smartphone-based applications (apps), it is now increasingly practical to remotely acquire high quality citizen-submitted data at a fraction of the cost of a traditional study. Yet, one impediment to citizen science projects is the question of how to train participants. The traditional “in-person” training model, while effective, can be cost prohibitive as the spatial scale of a project increases. To explore possible solutions, we analyze three …

Fy 2014 Umass Amherst Waste Management Report, Ezra Small

Campus Data

Each year the Office of Waste Management publishes this report which totals recycling and refuse data for the campus.

Fy 2014 Umass Amherst Electricity Data By Building, Ezra Small

Campus Data

Each year, UMass Amherst Utilities publishes this spreadsheet which has the monthly and annual building energy consumption of each metered building on campus. Cost data and production vs. purchased electricity data are also provided.

Umass Amherst Energy & Emissions Data Fy2002-2013, Ezra Small

Campus Data

This spreadsheet and associated tables provides the total fuel usage and associated emissions for the UMass Amherst campus including electricity consumption for all UMass Amherst owned properties between FY2002-2013. Tab 2 provides the calculated Energy Use Intensity (EUI). Tabs 3 & 4 provide the raw GHG and kbtu energy data for the campus. Tab 5 provides the emissions factors and weather normalization factors used by the MA DOER to correctly calculate annual emissions.

The Wired Northwest: The History Of Electric Power, 1870s-1970s, Eve Vogel

Eve Vogel

No abstract provided.

Why Waste The Wind? A Look Into Small Scale Wind Energy, Mitchell Negus, Jon Swanton, Ben Chilcoat, Mark Settembrino

Student Showcase

The human race’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy generation has started to cause major changes in the environment. Climate change is a universal issue and it is evident that our current energy schematic is not sustainable. At the University of Massachusetts, small-scale wind power has the potential to be a key component in UMass’ energy portfolio as the university shifts from reliance on fossil fuels to renewable energy. Strategically placed turbines would produce clean, renewable energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and help to decentralize energy dependence on the Central Heating Plant. Small-scale turbines, like the eddyGT, are tested technologies …

Integrated Assessment Of Biological Invasions, Ibnes Ibanez, Jeffrey M. Diez, Luke P. Miller, Julian D. Olden, Cascade J B Sorte, Dana M. Blumenthal, Bethany A. Bradley, Carla M. D’Antonio, Jeffrey S. Dukes, Regan I. Early, Edwin D. Grosholz, Joshua J. Lawler

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

As the main witnesses of the ecological and economic impacts of invasions on ecosystems around the world, ecologists seek to provide the relevant science that informs managers about the potential for invasion of specific organisms in their region(s) of interest. Yet, the assorted literature that could inform such forecasts is rarely integrated to do so, and further, the diverse nature of the data available complicates synthesis and quantitative prediction. Here we present a set of analytical tools for synthesizing different levels of distributional and/or demographic data to produce meaningful assessments of invasion potential that can guide management at multiple phases …

Lights, Camera...Citizen Science: Assessing The Effectiveness Of Smartphone-Based Video Training In Invasive Plant Indentification, Jared Starr, Charles M. Schweik, Nathan Bush, Lena Fletcher, Jack Finn, Jennifer Fish, Charles T. Bergeron

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

The rapid growth and increasing popularity of smartphone technology is putting sophisticated data-collection tools in the hands of more and more citizens. This has exciting implications for the expanding field of citizen science. With smartphonebased applications (apps), it is now increasingly practical to remotely acquire high quality citizen-submitted data at a fraction of the cost of a traditional study. Yet, one impediment to citizen science projects is the question of how to train participants. The traditional ‘‘in-person’’ training model, while effective, can be cost prohibitive as the spatial scale of a project increases. To explore possible solutions, we analyze three …

Effects Of Invasive Winter Moth Defoliation On Tree Radial Growth In Eastern Massachusetts, Usa, Michael J. Simmons, Thomas D. Lee, Mark J. Ducey, Joseph S. Elkinton, George H. Boettner, Kevin J. Dodds

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

Winter moth, Operophtera brumata L. (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), has been defoliating hardwood trees in eastern Massachusetts since the 1990s. Native to Europe, winter moth has also been detected in Rhode Island, Connecticut, eastern Long Island (NY), New Hampshire, and Maine. Individual tree impacts of winter moth defoliation in New England are currently unknown. Using dendroecological techniques, this study related annual radial growth of individual host (Quercus spp. and Acer spp.) trees to detailed defoliation estimates. Winter moth defoliation was associated with up to a 47% reduction in annual radial growth of Quercus trees. Latewood production of Quercus was reduced by up …

Waste Not, Want Not: A Student Manual To Create Zero Waste College Campuses, Arianna Moscone

Student Showcase

When Ari Moscone first received an email with the subject line, “A Zero Waste Campus is Possible”, many ideas came flooding into her head. "What if my university were to be a leading campus for a zero waste movement? What if our campus became zero waste? What if colleges across the country joined this movement?" The final question that came into her head was: "How could I help to make this happen?" She was skeptical, but was intrigued by this prospect, and decided to open the email rather than send it to her trash folder.

PLAN: The Post-Landfill Action Network …

Evaluating The Benefits Of And Barriers To Building With Structural Insulated Panels, Alison E. Moynihan

Student Showcase

Changing climate and increasing costs of energy are putting pressure on the building industry to adapt to higher performance building systems. One technology that can improve building performance is structural insulated panel (SIP) construction. The purpose of my practicum is to evaluate the possible benefits of SIPs and to identify obstacles to SIPs gaining a larger portion of the building industry. Using the information from practicum I intend to evaluate current design tools and suggest my own tools. The benefits of SIPs are lower thermal bridging and air infiltration leading to lower operating costs and minimal material usage. Findings include …