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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

The Nebraska Water Leaders Academy Graduates’ Influence On Community Capitals And Community Capacity, Dakota W. Staggs, Mark E. Burbach, Gina S. Matkin, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel Dec 2020

The Nebraska Water Leaders Academy Graduates’ Influence On Community Capitals And Community Capacity, Dakota W. Staggs, Mark E. Burbach, Gina S. Matkin, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

An overarching goal of the Nebraska Water Leaders Academy is to prepare a diverse group of Nebraskans from across the state to impact change in their communities by working together to solve wicked water problems. With 136 graduates from across Nebraska there is potential for graduates to effect change and impact their communities’ capitals (i.e., Built, Financial, Political, Social, Human, Cultural, and Natural). This study explored the impact of Academy graduates on their communities’ capitals and community capacity to prepare for future challenges from the perspective of graduates and community members. Findings show that Academy graduates are impacting their communities …


Decline Of Novel Ecosystems Used By Endangered Species: The Case Of Piping Plovers, Least Terns, And Aggregate Mines, Joel G. Jorgensen, Stephen J. Brenner, Lauren R. Greenwalt, Mark P. Vrtiska Dec 2020

Decline Of Novel Ecosystems Used By Endangered Species: The Case Of Piping Plovers, Least Terns, And Aggregate Mines, Joel G. Jorgensen, Stephen J. Brenner, Lauren R. Greenwalt, Mark P. Vrtiska

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Sand and gravel mining creates novel ecosystems along the Platte, Loup, and Elkhorn rivers in Nebraska, USA. Piping plovers and least terns are state and/or federally threatened and endangered species, respectively, that nest and raise young at these sites and their derivatives. Despite hosting relatively large numbers of piping plovers and least terns for decades, an important question that has largely gone unaddressed is whether the industry that has produced these novel ecosystems is stable and will continue to produce habitat consistently in the future. We evaluated how the number, size, and spatial distribution of different site types hosting different …


Operationalizing Niche Construction Theory With Stone Tools, Radu Lovita, David R. Braun, Matthew J. Douglass, Simon J. Holdaway, Sam C. Lin, Deborah I. Olsezewski, Zeljko Rezek Dec 2020

Operationalizing Niche Construction Theory With Stone Tools, Radu Lovita, David R. Braun, Matthew J. Douglass, Simon J. Holdaway, Sam C. Lin, Deborah I. Olsezewski, Zeljko Rezek

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

One of the greatest difficulties with evolutionary approaches in the study of stone tools (lithics) has been finding a mechanism for tying culture and biology in a way that preserves human agency and operates at scales that are visible in the archaeological record. The concept of niche construction, whereby organisms actively construct their environments and change the conditions for selection, could provide a solution to this problem. In this review, we evaluate the utility of niche construction theory (NCT) for stone tool archaeology. We apply NCT to lithics both as part of the “extended phenotype” and as residuals or precipitates …


Leveraging Image Analysis To Compute 3d Plant Phenotypes Based On Voxel-Grid Plant Reconstruction, Sruti Das Choudhury, Srikanth Maturu, Ashok Samal, Vincent Stoerger, Tala Awada Dec 2020

Leveraging Image Analysis To Compute 3d Plant Phenotypes Based On Voxel-Grid Plant Reconstruction, Sruti Das Choudhury, Srikanth Maturu, Ashok Samal, Vincent Stoerger, Tala Awada

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

High throughput image-based plant phenotyping facilitates the extraction of morphological and biophysical traits of a large number of plants non-invasively in a relatively short time. It facilitates the computation of advanced phenotypes by considering the plant as a single object (holistic phenotypes) or its components, i.e., leaves and the stem (component phenotypes). The architectural complexity of plants increases over time due to variations in self-occlusions and phyllotaxy, i.e., arrangements of leaves around the stem. One of the central challenges to computing phenotypes from 2-dimensional (2D) single view images of plants, especially at the advanced vegetative stage in presence of self-occluding …


Remediating Contaminated Groundwater With An Aerated, Direct-Push, Oxidant Delivery System, James Reece, Mark Christenson, Ann Kambhu, Yusong Li, Clifford Harris, Steve D. Comfort Dec 2020

Remediating Contaminated Groundwater With An Aerated, Direct-Push, Oxidant Delivery System, James Reece, Mark Christenson, Ann Kambhu, Yusong Li, Clifford Harris, Steve D. Comfort

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

One of the biggest challenges to treating contaminated aquifers with chemical oxidants is achieving uniform coverage of the target zone. In an effort to maximize coverage, we report the design and installation of a novel aerated, slow-release oxidant delivery system that can be installed by direct-push equipment. By continuously bubbling air beneath a slow-release oxidant in situ, an airlift pump is created that causes water and oxidant to be dispersed from the top of the outer screen and drawn in at the bottom. This continuous circulation pattern around each drive point greatly facilitates the spreading of the oxidant as it …


Harmful Algal Blooms Threaten The Health Of Peri-Urban Fisher Communities: A Case Study In Kisumu Bay, Lake Victoria, Kenya, Amber Roegner, Lewis Sitoki, Chelsea Weirich, Jessica Corman, Dickson Owage, Moses Umami, Ephraim Odada, Jared Miruka, Zachary Ogari, Woutrina Smith, Eliska Rejmankova, Todd R. Miller Dec 2020

Harmful Algal Blooms Threaten The Health Of Peri-Urban Fisher Communities: A Case Study In Kisumu Bay, Lake Victoria, Kenya, Amber Roegner, Lewis Sitoki, Chelsea Weirich, Jessica Corman, Dickson Owage, Moses Umami, Ephraim Odada, Jared Miruka, Zachary Ogari, Woutrina Smith, Eliska Rejmankova, Todd R. Miller

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Available guidance to mitigate health risks from exposure to freshwater harmful algal blooms (HABs) is largely derived from temperate ecosystems. Yet in tropical ecosystems, HABs can occur year-round, and resource-dependent populations face multiple routes of exposure to toxic components. Along Winam Gulf, Lake Victoria, Kenya, fisher communities rely on lake water contaminated with microcystins (MCs) from HABs. In these peri-urban communities near Kisumu, we tested hypotheses that MCs exceed exposure guidelines across seasons, and persistent HABs present a chronic risk to fisher communities through ingestion with minimal water treatment and frequent, direct contact. We tested source waters at eleven communities …


Assessing The Impact Of Land Use And Land Cover Data Representation On Weather Forecast Quality: A Case Study In Central Mexico, Rezaul Mahmood Nov 2020

Assessing The Impact Of Land Use And Land Cover Data Representation On Weather Forecast Quality: A Case Study In Central Mexico, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

In atmospheric modeling, an accurate representation of land cover is required because such information impacts water and energy budgets and, consequently, the performance of models in simulating regional climate. This study analyzes the impact of the land cover data on an operational weather forecasting system using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for central Mexico, with the aim of improving the quality of the operative forecast. Two experiments were conducted using different land cover datasets: a United States Geological Survey (USGS) map and an updated North American Land Change Monitoring System (NALCMS) map. The experiments were conducted as a …


The Role Of Eolian-Fluvial Interactions And Dune Dams In Landscape Change, Late Pleistocene-Holocene, Mojave Desert, Usa, Mark R. Sweeney, Eric V. Mcdonald, Lucas P. Chabela, Paul R. Hanson Nov 2020

The Role Of Eolian-Fluvial Interactions And Dune Dams In Landscape Change, Late Pleistocene-Holocene, Mojave Desert, Usa, Mark R. Sweeney, Eric V. Mcdonald, Lucas P. Chabela, Paul R. Hanson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The formation of the Kelso Dunes in the eastern Mojave Desert, California, was a landscape-changing event triggered by an increase in sediment supply that followed the incision of Afton Canyon by the Mojave River ca. 25 ka. Eastward migration of sand dunes occurred along a well-defined eolian trans­port corridor. Dunes temporarily blocked washes resulting in substantial aggradation of eolian and fluvial sediments. Stratigraphic exposures reveal numerous fining-up sequences with interbedded eolian sands that provide evidence of dune dams and subsequent aggradation. Luminescence ages reveal that dune blocking and aggradation correspond to a regional pulse of alluvial fan sedimentation that occurred …


Data Availability Principles And Practice, Rezaul Mahmood, Joseph A. Santanello, Xiaoyang Zhang Nov 2020

Data Availability Principles And Practice, Rezaul Mahmood, Joseph A. Santanello, Xiaoyang Zhang

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Science requires evidence. Making data available lets other scientists confirm results, uncover errors, or find new insights. Moreover, gathering data can be expensive and time consuming. Since the same data can be used for a range of purposes, making data available can be an efficient use of limited research resources. Doing so can also improve traceability and, thus, accountability, when it comes to research findings. These reasons and more lie behind recent efforts to promote data availability. The American Meteorological Society (AMS) recently updated its data policy guidelines (https://www.ametsoc.org/ index.cfm/ams/publications/ethical-guidelines-and-ams-policies/data-policy-and-guidelines/) to require, among other things, that papers in its journals …


Significance Statements Communicate Our Science More Widely, Rezaul Mahmood Nov 2020

Significance Statements Communicate Our Science More Widely, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) mission statement specifically calls for advancing ‘‘the atmospheric and related sciences . . . for the benefit of society.’’ To further the goal of communicating the importance of the science in our journals more widely, AMS is encouraging the inclusion in submitted papers of a ‘‘significance statement,’’ written in plain language and aimed at an educated layperson without formal training or education in the atmospheric and related sciences. As of 6 November 2020, Earth Interactions authors now have the option to include a significance statement with their submitted papers. A significance statement is an explanation …


Toward The Standardization Of Mesoscale Meteorological Networks, Christopher Fiebrich, Kevin Brinson, Rezaul Mahmood, Stuart Foster, Megan Schargorodski, Nathan L. Edwards, Christopher A. Redmond, Jennie R. Atkins, Jeffrey Andresen, Xiaomao Lin Nov 2020

Toward The Standardization Of Mesoscale Meteorological Networks, Christopher Fiebrich, Kevin Brinson, Rezaul Mahmood, Stuart Foster, Megan Schargorodski, Nathan L. Edwards, Christopher A. Redmond, Jennie R. Atkins, Jeffrey Andresen, Xiaomao Lin

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Although they share many common qualities in design and operation, mesonetworks across the United States were established independently and organically over the last several decades. In numerous instances, the unique ways each network matured and developed new protocols has led to important lessons learned. These experiences have been shared in informal ways among various network operators over the years to promote reliable operation. As existing networks begin to introduce new sensors and technologies, and as new networks come online, there is a common need for guidance on best practices. This paper aims to formally provide recommendations to improve and harmonize …


Resource Selection At Homesites By Wolves And Eastern Coyotes In A Canis Hybrid Zone, Teresa Oliveira, John F. Benson, Connor Thompson, Brent R. Patterson Oct 2020

Resource Selection At Homesites By Wolves And Eastern Coyotes In A Canis Hybrid Zone, Teresa Oliveira, John F. Benson, Connor Thompson, Brent R. Patterson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We modeled resource selection by wolves (Canis spp.), eastern coyotes (C. latrans), and admixed canids during the pup-rearing season at den and rendezvous sites (collectively, homesites) within a largely unprotected landscape proposed as the recovery zone for federally and provincially threatened eastern wolves (C. lycaon) in Ontario, Canada. Overall, canids selected wetlands, while avoiding secondary roads and open-structure rock-grass habitat patches. Packs with greater wolf ancestry selected wetlands and tertiary roads more strongly, while avoiding mixed conifer-hardwood forests. Contrary to our prediction, canids with greater coyote ancestry did not establish homesites closer to roads, which likely mitigated their risk of …


Developing A Model Of Graduate Teaching Assistant Teacher Efficacy: How Do High And Low Teacher Efficacy Teaching Assistants Compare?, Cody R. Smith, Cesar Delgado Oct 2020

Developing A Model Of Graduate Teaching Assistant Teacher Efficacy: How Do High And Low Teacher Efficacy Teaching Assistants Compare?, Cody R. Smith, Cesar Delgado

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Graduate teaching assistants (TAs) are often responsible for teaching introductory courses to undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students. The TAs are usually novices at teaching, and an important factor in their resilience and persistence in the face of inevitable challenges is self-efficacy. Little is known about what affects TA teacher efficacy or whether and how high- and low-efficacy TAs differ in their development as teachers. Bridging these gaps in the literature will inform best practices in developing and implementing professional development (PD) for TAs. Using a mixed-methods sequential exploratory research design, this study found differences in high- and low-efficacy …


A Profile Shape Correction To Reduce The Vertical Sensitivity Of Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensing Of Soil Moisture, Lena M. Scheiffele, Gabriele Baroni, Trenton E. Franz, Jannis Jakobi, Sascha E. Oswald Oct 2020

A Profile Shape Correction To Reduce The Vertical Sensitivity Of Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensing Of Soil Moisture, Lena M. Scheiffele, Gabriele Baroni, Trenton E. Franz, Jannis Jakobi, Sascha E. Oswald

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

n recent years, cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) has shown a large potential among proximal sensing techniques to monitor soil moisture noninvasively, with high frequency and a large support volume (radius up to 240 m and sensing depth up to 80 cm). This signal is, however, more sensitive to closer distances and shallower depths. Inherently, CRNS-derived soil moisture is a spatially weighted value, different from an average soil moisture as retrieved by a sensor network. In this study, we systematically test a new profile shape correction on CRNS-derived soil moisture, based on additional soil moisture profile measurements and vertical unweighting, which …


Effects Of Riparian Deforestation On Benthic Invertebrate Community And Leaf Processing In Atlantic Forest Streams, Monalisa Silva-Araujo, Eduardo F. Silva-Junior, Vinicius Neres-Lima, Rafael Feijo-Lima, Flavia Tromboni, Christine Lourenco-Amorim, Steven A. Thomas, Timothy P. Moulton Sep 2020

Effects Of Riparian Deforestation On Benthic Invertebrate Community And Leaf Processing In Atlantic Forest Streams, Monalisa Silva-Araujo, Eduardo F. Silva-Junior, Vinicius Neres-Lima, Rafael Feijo-Lima, Flavia Tromboni, Christine Lourenco-Amorim, Steven A. Thomas, Timothy P. Moulton

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Riparian deforestation may strongly affect stream functioning, with consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem services. These effects can be assessed using bioindicators relating to biotic community structure and ecosystem functioning. We evaluated the effects of riparian deforestation on 1. measures of community structure using aquatic benthic invertebrates, and 2. an aspect of ecosystem functioning, aquatic leaf processing. We selected sites along gradients of riparian land use in four Atlantic rainforest streams and measured physical and chemical properties for their association with riparian deforestation. We sampled benthic invertebrates and calculated metrics of community structure at each site. We measured rates of leaf …


Dynamic Scaling Of The Generalized Complementary Relationship (Gcr) Improves Long-Term Tendency Estimates In Land Evaporation, Jozsef Szilagyi, Richard Crago, Ning Ma Sep 2020

Dynamic Scaling Of The Generalized Complementary Relationship (Gcr) Improves Long-Term Tendency Estimates In Land Evaporation, Jozsef Szilagyi, Richard Crago, Ning Ma

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Most large-scale evapotranspiration (ET) estimation methods require detailed information of land use, land cover, and/or soil type on top of various atmospheric measurements. The complementary relationship of evaporation (CR) takes advantage of the inherent dynamic feedback mechanisms found in the soil−vegetation−atmosphere interface for its estimation of ET rates without the need of such biogeophysical data. ET estimates over the conterminous United States by a new, globally calibrated, static scaling (GCR-stat) of the generalized complementary relationship (GCR) of evaporation were compared to similar estimates of an existing, calibration-free version (GCR-dyn) of the GCR that employs a temporally varying dynamic scaling. Simplified …


Resilience Characteristics Of The Urban Agriculture System In Lansing, Michigan: Importance Of Support Actors In Local Food Systems, Caitlin K. Kirby, Lissy Goralnik, Jennifer Hodbod, Zach Piso, Julie C. Libarkin Aug 2020

Resilience Characteristics Of The Urban Agriculture System In Lansing, Michigan: Importance Of Support Actors In Local Food Systems, Caitlin K. Kirby, Lissy Goralnik, Jennifer Hodbod, Zach Piso, Julie C. Libarkin

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Urban agriculture is a growing movement in cities across the United States, including the post-industrial Midwest. Maintaining a resilient local food system is a challenge given the environmental, resource, and institutional barriers facing urban farmers. In this descriptive correlational study, we take an in-depth look at the demographics, farm characteristics, motivations, barriers, and resilience indicators of individuals in the urban agriculture system in Lansing, Michigan, a city of the US Midwest with a growing urban agriculture system. Survey responses (n = 92) revealed that support actors, community gardeners, and farmers have descriptive differences in their motivations, with support actors (e.g. …


Growing Season Air Mass Equivalent Temperature (TE) In The East Central Usa, Dolly Na-Yemeh, Rezaul Mahmood, Gregory Goodrich, Keri Younger, Kevin Cary, Joshua D. Durkee Aug 2020

Growing Season Air Mass Equivalent Temperature (TE) In The East Central Usa, Dolly Na-Yemeh, Rezaul Mahmood, Gregory Goodrich, Keri Younger, Kevin Cary, Joshua D. Durkee

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Equivalent temperature (TE), which incorporates both dry (surface air temperature, T) and moist heat content associated with atmospheric moisture, is a better indicator of overall atmospheric heat content compared to T alone. This paper investigates the impacts of different types of air masses on TE during the growing season (April–September). The study used data from the Kentucky Mesonet for this purpose. The growing season was divided into early (April–May), mid (June–July), and late (August–September). Analysis suggests that TE for moist tropical (MT) air mass was as high as 61 and 81 °C for the early and …


Connections Between The Hydrological Cycle And Crop Yield In The Rainfed U.S. Corn Belt, Wang Zhou, Kaiyu Guan, Bin Peng, Jiancheng Shi, Chongya Jiang, Brian Wardlow, Ming Pan, John S. Kimball, Trenton Franz, Pierre Gentine, Mingzhu He, Jingwen Zhang Aug 2020

Connections Between The Hydrological Cycle And Crop Yield In The Rainfed U.S. Corn Belt, Wang Zhou, Kaiyu Guan, Bin Peng, Jiancheng Shi, Chongya Jiang, Brian Wardlow, Ming Pan, John S. Kimball, Trenton Franz, Pierre Gentine, Mingzhu He, Jingwen Zhang

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Influences Of The Timing Of Extreme Precipitation On Floods In Poyang Lake, China, Xianghu Li, Qi Hu, Rong Wang, Dan Zhang, Qi Zhang Jun 2020

Influences Of The Timing Of Extreme Precipitation On Floods In Poyang Lake, China, Xianghu Li, Qi Hu, Rong Wang, Dan Zhang, Qi Zhang

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Changes in the timing of extreme precipitation have important ramifications for public safety and storm water management, but it has not received much attention in relation to flooding. This study analyzed the changes in the timing of extreme precipitation in the Poyang Lake basin and projected its future changes for the period 2020–2099. The study also quantified the influences of changes in the timing of peak flows on lake floods based on a hydrodynamic model. The results showed that peak rainfall in the Poyang Lake basin had occurred on later dates during the period 1960–2012, and it is this change …


Remote Sensing And Three-Dimensional Photogrammetric Analysis Of Glaciofluvial Sand And Gravel Deposits For Aggregate Resource Assessment In Mchenry County, Illinois, Usa, Xiaodong Miao, Christopher J. Stohr, Paul R. Hanson, Qiansuo Wang Jun 2020

Remote Sensing And Three-Dimensional Photogrammetric Analysis Of Glaciofluvial Sand And Gravel Deposits For Aggregate Resource Assessment In Mchenry County, Illinois, Usa, Xiaodong Miao, Christopher J. Stohr, Paul R. Hanson, Qiansuo Wang

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Sand and gravel deposits, one of the most common natural resources, are used as aggregates mostly by the construction industry, and their extraction contributes significantly to a region's economy. Thus, it is critical to locate sand and gravel deposits, and evaluate their quantity and quality safely and quickly. However, information on aggregate resources is generally only available from conventional two-dimensional (2-D) geologic maps, and direct field measurements for quality analysis at outcrops are time consuming and are often not possible due to safety concerns, or simply because exposures are too difficult to access. In this study, we presented a methodology …


The Total Solar Eclipse Of 2017: Meteorological Observations From A Statewide Mesonet And Atmospheric Profiling Systems, Rezaul Mahmood, Megan Schargorodski, Eric Rappin, Melissa Griffin, Patrick Collins, Kevin Knupp, Andrew Quilligan, Ryan Wade, Kevin Cary, Stuart Foster Jun 2020

The Total Solar Eclipse Of 2017: Meteorological Observations From A Statewide Mesonet And Atmospheric Profiling Systems, Rezaul Mahmood, Megan Schargorodski, Eric Rappin, Melissa Griffin, Patrick Collins, Kevin Knupp, Andrew Quilligan, Ryan Wade, Kevin Cary, Stuart Foster

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A total solar eclipse traversed the continental United States on 21 August 2017. It was the first such event in 99 years and provided a rare opportunity to observe the atmospheric response from a variety of instrumented observational platforms. This paper discusses the highquality observations collected by the Kentucky Mesonet (www.kymesonet.org), a research-grade meteorological and climatological observation network consisting of 72 stations and measuring air temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, solar radiation, wind speed, and wind direction. The network samples the atmosphere, for most variables, every 3 s and then calculates and records observations every 5 min. During the total solar …


A New Method To Reconstruct Quantitative Food Webs And Nutrient Flows From Isotope Tracer Addition Experiments, Andrés López-Sepulcre, Matthieu Bruneaux, Sarah M. Chinn, Rana W. El-Sabaawi, Alexander S. Flecker, Steven A. Thomas May 2020

A New Method To Reconstruct Quantitative Food Webs And Nutrient Flows From Isotope Tracer Addition Experiments, Andrés López-Sepulcre, Matthieu Bruneaux, Sarah M. Chinn, Rana W. El-Sabaawi, Alexander S. Flecker, Steven A. Thomas

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Understanding how nutrients flow through food webs is central in ecosystem ecology. Tracer addition experiments are powerful tools to reconstruct nutrient flows by adding an isotopically enriched element into an ecosystem and tracking its fate through time. Historically, the design and analysis of tracer studies have varied widely, ranging from descriptive studies to modeling approaches of varying complexity. Increasingly, isotope tracer data are being used to compare ecosystems and analyze experimental manipulations. Currently, a formal statistical framework for analyzing such experiments is lacking, making it impossible to calculate the estimation errors associated with the model fit, the interdependence of compartments, …


Meteorological Response To A Total Solar Eclipse, Rezaul Mahmood, Megan Schargorodski, Eric Rappin, Melissa Griffin, Patrick Collins, Kevin Knupp, Andrew Quilligan, Ryan Wade, Kevin Cary, Stuart Foster May 2020

Meteorological Response To A Total Solar Eclipse, Rezaul Mahmood, Megan Schargorodski, Eric Rappin, Melissa Griffin, Patrick Collins, Kevin Knupp, Andrew Quilligan, Ryan Wade, Kevin Cary, Stuart Foster

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

On 21 August 2017, a total solar eclipse traversed the continental United States, the first to do so in 99 years, providing a rare opportunity to observe the atmospheric response from a variety of platforms. It reached the point of greatest eclipse over western Kentucky, allowing the Kentucky Mesonet, operated by Western Kentucky University, to collect high-quality meteorological measurements with a high spatiotemporal density. This information was supplemented by a mesoscale network of three atmospheric profiling systems, operated by University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), along the path of totality near Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The Bermuda high had settled into the …


Recharge Seasonality Based On Stable Isotopes: Nongrowing Season Bias Altered By Irrigation In Nebraska, Mikaela Cherry, Troy E. Gilmore, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Didier Gastmans, Vinicius Santos, John Gates Mar 2020

Recharge Seasonality Based On Stable Isotopes: Nongrowing Season Bias Altered By Irrigation In Nebraska, Mikaela Cherry, Troy E. Gilmore, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Didier Gastmans, Vinicius Santos, John Gates

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The sustainability of groundwater resources for agricultural and domestic use is dependent on both the groundwater recharge rate and groundwater quality. The main purpose of this study was to improve understanding of the timing, or seasonality, of groundwater recharge through the use of stable isotopes. Based on 659 groundwater samples collected from aquifers underlying Natural Resources Districts in Nebraska, the isotopic composition of groundwater (δ 2H, δ 18O) was compared to that of precipitation by (a) mapping the isotopic composition of groundwater samples and (b) mapping a seasonality index for groundwater. Results suggest that for the majority of the state, …


Habitat Patchiness, Ecological Connectivity And The Uneven Recovery Of Boreal Stream Ecosystems From An Experimental Drought, Amelie Truchy, Romain Sarremejane, Timo Muotka, Heikki Mykra, David G. Angeler, Kaisa Lehosmaa, Ari Huusko, Richard K. Johnson, Ryan A. Sponseller, Brendan G. Mckie Feb 2020

Habitat Patchiness, Ecological Connectivity And The Uneven Recovery Of Boreal Stream Ecosystems From An Experimental Drought, Amelie Truchy, Romain Sarremejane, Timo Muotka, Heikki Mykra, David G. Angeler, Kaisa Lehosmaa, Ari Huusko, Richard K. Johnson, Ryan A. Sponseller, Brendan G. Mckie

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Ongoing climate change is increasing the occurrence and intensity of drought episodes worldwide, including in boreal regions not previously regarded as drought prone, and where the impacts of drought remain poorly understood. Ecological connectivity is one factor that might influence community structure and ecosystem functioning post-drought, by facilitating the recovery of sensitive species via dispersal at both local (e.g. a nearby habitat patch) and regional (from other systems within the same region) scales. In an outdoor mesocosm experiment, we investigated how impacts of drought on boreal stream ecosystems are altered by the spatial arrangement of local habitat patches within stream …


Agricultural Drought Assessment In East Asia Using Satellite-Based Indices, Dong-Hyun Yoon, Won-Ho Nam, Hee-Jin Lee, Eun-Mi Hong, Song Feng, Brian D. Wardlow, Tsegaye Tadesse, Mark D. Svoboda, Michael Hayes, Dae-Eui Kim Feb 2020

Agricultural Drought Assessment In East Asia Using Satellite-Based Indices, Dong-Hyun Yoon, Won-Ho Nam, Hee-Jin Lee, Eun-Mi Hong, Song Feng, Brian D. Wardlow, Tsegaye Tadesse, Mark D. Svoboda, Michael Hayes, Dae-Eui Kim

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Drought is the meteorological phenomenon with the greatest impact on agriculture. Accordingly, drought forecasting is vital in lessening its associated negative impacts. Utilizing remote exploration in the agricultural sector allows for the collection of large amounts of quantitative data across a wide range of areas. In this study, we confirmed the applicability of drought assessment using the evaporative stress index (ESI) in major East Asian countries. The ESI is an indicator of agricultural drought that describes anomalies in actual/reference evapotranspiration (ET) ratios that are retrieved using remotely sensed inputs of land surface temperature (LST) and leaf area index (LAI). The …


The American Association Of State Climatologists' Recommendations And Best Practices For Mesonets, Christopher Fiebrich, Kevin R. Benson, Nathan L. Edwards, Stuart A. Foster, Rezaul Mahmood, Christopher A. Redmond, Megan Schargorodski, Jeffrey A. Andresen, Xiaomao Lin Jan 2020

The American Association Of State Climatologists' Recommendations And Best Practices For Mesonets, Christopher Fiebrich, Kevin R. Benson, Nathan L. Edwards, Stuart A. Foster, Rezaul Mahmood, Christopher A. Redmond, Megan Schargorodski, Jeffrey A. Andresen, Xiaomao Lin

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Over recent decades, mesoscale networks of automated, in-situ stations for weather monitoring have been developed across diverse regional settings. These networks, commonly referred to as mesonets, have originated independently, are funded at various levels and through various mechanisms, and serve a variety of constituencies and needs. While sharing commonalities, each network has unique strategic, design, and operational elements. As sensor and communications technologies evolve and the demand for environmental data to support decision making grows, mesonets are expected to play an increasing role in support of weather and climate services. Currently, there exists inconsistent functional practices and metadata reporting among …


A Hydrometeorological Assessment Of The Historic 2019 Flood Of Nebraska And Iowa, Paul Flanagan, Rezaul Mahmood, Natalie Umphlett, Erin Hacker, Chittaranjan Hacker, William Sorensen, Crystal J. Stiles, David Pearson, Paul Fajman Jan 2020

A Hydrometeorological Assessment Of The Historic 2019 Flood Of Nebraska And Iowa, Paul Flanagan, Rezaul Mahmood, Natalie Umphlett, Erin Hacker, Chittaranjan Hacker, William Sorensen, Crystal J. Stiles, David Pearson, Paul Fajman

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

During early 2019, a series of events set the stage for devastating floods in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. When the floodwaters hit, dams and levees failed, leaving towns cut off, while destroying roads, bridges, and rail lines, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. Lives were lost and cattle were stranded. Preliminary estimates indicate that the cost of the flooding has topped $3 billion, with this number expected to rise. After a warm and wet start to the winter, eastern Nebraska and western Iowa endured an extended pattern characterized by extremely low temperatures and record-breaking snowfall. By early March, rivers were …


Primary Atmospheric Drivers Of Dry And Wet Periods Over The U.S. Great Plains Within Cmip5 Models, Paul Flanagan, Jeffrey B. Basara, Elinor Martin, Rezaul Mahmood, Jason C. Furtado Jan 2020

Primary Atmospheric Drivers Of Dry And Wet Periods Over The U.S. Great Plains Within Cmip5 Models, Paul Flanagan, Jeffrey B. Basara, Elinor Martin, Rezaul Mahmood, Jason C. Furtado

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Precipitation variability is critical to the economic and ecosystem health of the United States Great Plains (GP). Whether from wet or dry extremes, changes in annual precipitation can lead to impacts on the health of the ecosystem and overall crop yield in a given year. To this end, wet and dry extremes have been investigated using the ERA-20C and CMIP5 dataset on an annual timescale to determine the ability of climate-scale simulations to resolve atmospheric drivers of precipitation variability. Results from the ERA-20C analysis show that specific atmospheric circulation anomalies can be detected which relate eddy geopotential height (EGH) anomalies …