Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering October 1 – December 31, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database increased 12% over last quarter. The database now contains 4,937 records.
• Website activity decreased, recording an average of 82,859 hits per month, a decrease of 31% from last quarter, with an average of 8,191 pages viewed per month.
• Volunteer fall training has been completed.
• Three National Public Land Day Events have been completed.
• Two hundred and ten people attended the Volunteer Recognition Event.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Sensitive Wildlife Species Monitoring And Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

Project 1. Relict Leopard Frog Monitoring, Management, and Research

• Fall surveys completed at all natural and translocation sites.
• Coordination for a potential translocation site on BLM lands in the Gold Butte area ongoing – the aim is that this site will be ready for translocations in 2008.
• Coordination ongoing for evaluation of a translocation site on BLM lands in the Black Mountains, AZ – the plan is to complete compliance in 2008.
• Coordination and assistance provided to UNLV research efforts on habitat improvements at Blue Point, Rogers, and Pupfish Refuge springs.
• Relict Leopard Frog Conservation Team meeting held in December. …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, October 1, 2007 To December 31, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Executive Summary

• The Weed Sentry program surveyed more than 750 miles of federal lands in Clark County for invasive, exotic plant species.
• Weed Sentry also removed more than 600,000 individual invasive plants from federal
  lands. These removals represent pro-active efforts that may have forestalled large
  infestations difficult and costly to eradicate.
• In response to a request by the manager of the Fish and Wildlife Service Desert National
  Wildlife Refuge, a major effort of surveying springs for plant community composition
  and invasive plants provided unique knowledge services by the Weed Sentry program.
  No such baseline information existed for the Sheep Range. …

Limnological Assistance For The Lake Mead National Recreation Area In Meeting The Challenge Of The Water 2025 Initiative: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending: December 31, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

• The limnologist position has been announced.
• Project 1: Review of the draft Boulder Basin Adaptive Management Plan is underway.
• Project 2: Development of a white paper expressing the joint needs of the entities involved in Water 2025 projects is being coordinated.
• Project 3: A bibliographic reference spreadsheet organizing literature citations related to quagga and zebra mussel research has been completed.
• Project 4: A comprehensive literature search of Lake Mead limnology is well underway; an Access database has been designed to organize reference citations; and a special collections library at UNLV is being established to house original rare documents and other …

Interagency Science And Research: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Interagency Science and Research Strategy

• Meetings were held with the SNAP Recreation Team and the SNAP Cultural Resources Team to request assistance in the development of the science strategy. Draft versions of interagency goals, subgoals, science questions, and associated tasks were given to each team for review and input.
• Plans were prepared for the peer review of science proposals submitted for consideration as Conservations Initiatives in SNPLMA Round 9.
• Proceedings of the natural resources management workshop held on September 13 were completed and sent to the Science & Research Team for review by members.
• An important focus of the Science and Research Team was the …

Unresolved Issues With The Assessment Of Multidecadal Global Land Surface Temperature Trends, Roger A. Pielke Sr., Christopher A. Davey, Dev Niyogi, Souleymane Fall, Jesse Steinweg-Woods, Ken Hubbard, Xiaomao Lin, Ming Cai, Young-Kwon Lim, Hong Li, John Nielsen-Gammon, Kevin Gallo, Robert Hale, Rezaul Mahmood, Stuart Foster, Richard T. Mcnider, Peter Blanken

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

This paper documents various unresolved issues in using surface temperature trends as a metric for assessing global and regional climate change. A series of examples ranging from errors caused by temperature measurements at a monitoring station to the undocumented biases in the regionally and globally averaged time series are provided. The issues are poorly understood or documented and relate to micrometeorological impacts due to warm bias in nighttime minimum temperatures, poor siting of the instrumentation, effect of winds as well as surface atmospheric water vapor content on temperature trends, the quantification of uncertainties in the homogenization of surface temperature data, …

Science Plan For Potential 2008 Experimental High Flow At Glen Canyon Dam, Grand Canyon Monitoring And Research Center

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

No abstract provided.

Tomography Of The Darcy Velocity From Self-Potential Measurements, A. Jardani, A. Revil, A. Bolève, A. Crespy, J.-P. Dupont, W. Barrash, Bwalya Malama

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

An algorithm is developed to interpret self-potential (SP) data in terms of distribution of Darcy velocity of the ground water. The model is based on the proportionality existing between the streaming current density and the Darcy velocity. Because the inverse problem of current density determination from SP data is underdetermined, we use Tikhonov regularization with a smoothness constraint based on the differential Laplacian operator and a prior model. The regularization parameter is determined by the L-shape method. The distribution of the Darcy velocity depends on the localization and number of non-polarizing electrodes and information relative to the distribution of the …

Biogeochemical Evolution Of Cryoconite Holes On Canada Glacier, Taylor Valley, Antarctica, Elizabeth A. Bagshaw, Martyn Tranter, Andrew G. Fountain, Kathleen A. Welch, Hassan J. Basagic, W. Berry Lyons

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

The cryoconite holes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys are simple, closed biogeochemical systems involving water, ice, mineral and organic debris, which serve as ecosystems for consortia of microorganisms. This study is the first to document the seasonal and annual chemical evolution of solutes in cryoconite holes. Samples of glacier ice, frozen cryoconite holes and those containing water were collected during the austral summer of 2005–2006. The isolation age was calculated from the excess Cl‾ in the holes, and varied from 0 to 5 years (a), consistent with the last hot summer when the cryoconite holes were open to the atmosphere. …

Summary Of Trapping Regulations For Fur Harvesting In The United States, Gordon Batcheller, Furbearer Conservation Technical Work Group

Other Publications in Wildlife Management

A “Summary of Trapping Regulations for Fur Harvesting in the United States and Canada” was originally conducted by the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Fur Resources Technical Subcommittee in 1995. Over the last decade trapping devices and methods, as well as the regulations that guide them have undergone changes. The summary data of furbearer trapping regulations contained in this report were gathered during the summer/fall of 2007 in an effort to capture those regulation changes and report the current conditions and restrictions within existing laws for the harvest of 26 species of furbearers by regulated trapping throughout the …

Remote Sensing Sensors And Applications In Environmental Resources Mapping And Modelling, Assefa M. Melesse, Qihao Weng, Prasad S. Thenkbail, Gabriel B. Senay

Department of Earth and Environment

The history of remote sensing and development of different sensors for environmental and natural resources mapping and data acquisition is reviewed and reported. Application examples in urban studies, hydrological modeling such as land-cover and floodplain mapping, fractional vegetation cover and impervious surface area mapping, surface energy flux and micro-topography correlation studies is discussed. The review also discusses the use of remotely sensed-based rainfall and potential evapotranspiration for estimating crop water requirement satisfaction index and hence provides early warning information for growers. The review is not an exhaustive application of the remote sensing techniques rather a summary of some important applications …

Changes In Severe Thunderstorm Environment Frequency During The 21st Century Caused By Anthropogenically Enhanced Global Radiative Forcing, Robert J. Trapp, Noah S. Diffenbaugh, Harold E. Brooks, Michael E. Baldwin, Eric D. Robinson, Jeremy S. Pal

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Works

Severe thunderstorms comprise an extreme class of deep convective clouds and produce high-impact weather such as destructive surface winds, hail, and tornadoes. This study addresses the question of how severe thunderstorm frequency in the United States might change because of enhanced global radiative forcing associated with elevated greenhouse gas concentrations. We use global climate models and a high-resolution regional climate model to examine the larger-scale (or “environmental”) meteorological conditions that foster severe thunderstorm formation. Across this model suite, we find a net increase during the late 21st century in the number of days in which these severe thunderstorm environmental conditions …

Geochemical Reconstruction Of Late Holocene Drainage And Mixing In Kluane Lake, Yukon Territory, Janice Brahney, John J. Clague, Brian Menounos, Thomas W. D. Edwards

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

The level of Kluane Lake in southwest Yukon Territory, Canada, has fluctuated tens of metres during the late Holocene. Contributions of sediment from different watersheds in the basin over the past 5,000 years were inferred from the elemental geochemistry of Kluane Lake sediment cores. Elements associated with organic material and oxyhydroxides were used to reconstruct redox fluctuations in the hypolimnion of the lake. The data reveal complex relationships between climate and river discharge during the late Holocene. A period of influx of Duke River sediment coincides with a relatively warm climate around 1,300 years BP. Discharge of Slims River into …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2007, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

The senior design competition helps to focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects …

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Exploration In The Rumford River

Watershed Access Lab Projects

The students of Qualters Middle School performed a study called “Benthic Macroinvertebrate Exploration in the Rumford River”. The study was conducted on October 16, 2007 in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The study location consisted of one site located at 143 Chauncy Street.

The purpose of this study was to introduce benthic macroinvertebrates and their role as indicators for evaluating stream water quality. Students utilized state of the art methods and techniques during all aspects of this study.

The Rumford River is listed on the Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) National Priority List (NPL). The river was polluted with dioxins, furans and phenols by …

Comparative Nutrient Data For Two Locations On The Marstons Mills River

Watershed Access Lab Projects

On October 30, 2007, we deployed water samplers at two locations along the Marstons Mills River: River Road and Hyrdo Dam/Route 28. We programmed a Sigma at each location to take a water sample each hour for 24 hours, to determine the amount of dissolved nutrients in the water in the course of one day. When compared to the discharge at each site, we found that the Hydro Dam location moved nearly 117 000 000 liters of water, 10 000 grams of phosphorus, and 25 000 grams of nitrogen-nitrate each day. Only a short distance upstream, the River Road location …

How Healthy Is Furnace Brook

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Located across the street from the High school is Furnace Brook. Mike Gilbert and I are conducting an independent Study to determine the relative health of the Furnace Brook. This small stream is a tributary of the South River in Marshfield, Ma. To access the health will we be using a macro-invertebrate biological index as our primary tool? We will also be conducting a riparian survey as well as both a stream profile and flow. To start with we scouted the watershed using both aerial photos and Google earth. After driving to several potential areas we designated three sample sites: …

Rumford River Monitoring Project

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Land use within a watershed can negatively impact water quality. Students investigated these impacts by collecting water samples at one sample site along the Rumford River at Route 123, Norton, MA. These samples were analyzed for phosphorus and nitrogen levels, as well as temperature and dissolved oxygen. Results of these tests are as follows:

The greatest potential impacts come from run off. Most of the land around the Rumford River has been developed for residential housing. These houses have septic systems for waste disposal. The TCP golf course is also located near the Norton Reservoir. Potential sources of nitrogen come …

Palmer River Water Discharge And Nutrient Study

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Can significant differences in Discharge and Nutrient concentration & load be determined or inferred for the Palmer River? Students studied 2 sites. These were located at Wilmarth Bridge Road (just off of Route 44) and at Reed Street (further south & downstream). Between the 2 sites are a few farms as well as a golf course. It is possible that runoff from these 2 sources has influenced the amount of phosphates &/or nitrates found in the Palmer River. Most Primary & Secondary habitat characteristics were the same for both sites; though Reed Street exhibited more variations

Students collected data on …

Rivernet Watershed Access Lab Program Overview - Dec. 2007, Kevin Curry

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Brief overview of the RiverNet Watershed Access program - its history and the achievements of the many participating teachers and students from throughout Southeastern Massachusetts.

2007 Annual Report

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Contents:
Letter to Governor Heineman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Commissioners and Administrators . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Financial Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …

Occurrence And Biological Effect Of Exogenous Steroids In The Elkhorn River, Nebraska, Usa, Alan S. Kolok, Daniel D. Snow, Satomi Kohno, Marlo K. Sellin, Louis J. Guillette Jr.

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

Recent studies of surface waters in North America, Japan, and Europe have reported the presence of steroidogenic agents as contaminants. The current study has three objectives: 1) to determine if steroidogenic compounds are present in the Elkhorn River, 2) to determine if sediments collected from the Elkhorn River can act as a source of steroidogenic compounds to aquatic organisms, and 3) to determine if site-specific biological effects are apparent in the hepatic gene expression of fathead minnows. Evidence was obtained using three approaches: 1) deployment of polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS), 2) deployment of caged fathead minnows, and 3) …

Biological Assessment On The Operation Of Glen Canyon Dam And Proposed Experimental Flows For The Colorado River Below Glen Canyon Dam During The Years 2008-2012, U.S. Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region, Salt Lake City, Utah

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This document serves as the biological assessment for the Bureau of Reclamation's (Reclamation) re-initiation of consultation on the operation of Glen Canyon Dam and proposed experimental flows for the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam during the years 2008-2012. It is prepared by Reclamation as part of its compliance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), 87 Stat. 884, as amended, 16 U.S.C. section 1531 et seq. This document is designed to facilitate compliance with Sections 7 and 9 of the ESA with respect to potential effects to listed species within the United States (US).

Sfa Weather Station-December 2007, Arthur Temple College Of Forestry And Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University

Weather Station Data

No abstract provided.

The Global Stratotype Section And Point (Gssp) For The Base Of The Katian Stage Of The Upper Ordovician Series At Black Knob Ridge, Southeastern Oklahoma, Usa, Daniel Goldman, Stephen A. Leslie, Jaak Nõlvak, Seth Young, Stig M. Bergström, Warren D. Huff

Geology Faculty Publications

The International Subcomission on Ordovician Stratigraphy (ISOS) of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) recently defined the base of the global Upper Ordovician Series to be at the first appearance datum (FAD) of the graptolite species Nemagraptus gracilis in the Fågelsång GSSP in southern Sweden. This designation recognized the tremendous utility for global correlation of the first appearance of a cosmopolitan taxon that occurs within a consistent succession of other first appearance datums (e.g., Finney and Bergström, 1986; Bergström et al., 2000). Current efforts by the ISOS have focused on subdividing the Upper Ordovician into three stages and choosing appropriate …

Western Gray Whales Off Sakhalin Island, Russia: A Joint Russia-U.S. Scientific Investigation July-September 2007, David W. Weller, Amanda L. Bradford, Aimée R. Lang, Hyun Woo Kim, Maxim Sidorenko, Grigory A. Tsidulko, Alexander M. Burdin, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

A collaborative Russia-U.S. research program on western gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) summering off northeastern Sakhalin Island, Russia, has been ongoing since 1995 and has produced important new information on the present day conservation status of this critically endangered population. This interim report reviews preliminary findings from 2007 research activities and combines such with data from previous years, in some cases ranging back to 1994. Photo-identification research conducted off Sakhalin Island in 2007 resulted in the identification of 83 whales, including nine calves and two previously unidentified non-calves. When combined with data from 1994-2006, a catalog of 169 photo-identified …

Evaluation Of Remote Trap Monitors

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Can trap monitors save Wildlife Services (WS) specialists time and money by increasing the efficiency of trap checks? To find out, WS scientists and field specialists evaluated the use of remote trap monitors. In 2006, WS personnel evaluated the effectiveness of two remote monitoring devices to alert wildlife specialists when an animal is captured in a trap. The devices, which can be used with any type of trap, consist of small radio transmitters that emit unique pulse rates when an animal is captured. WS personnel tested the device on a variety of wildlife species using several different types of traps …

Sustainability Of Western Kentucky University: An Examination Of Campus Environmental Policies, Performance And Potential For Change, Christian Ryan-Downing

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Institutions of higher learning are in a pivotal position to address the environmental problems that global society faces now, but response to this challenge requires transformation in priorities and practices. Recognizing the impacts that universities have on the environment and the social and economic costs associated with these impacts, institutions of higher learning are changing policies and management to become more sustainable. Sustainability is defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (1987). To evaluate the environmental impacts …

Performance Of Sills: St. Mary’S City, St. Mary’S River, Maryland, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., W. G. Reay, Jian Shen, Scott Lerberg, Donna A. Milligan, Christine A. Wilcox, Kevin P. O'Brien

Reports

Living shorelines represent a shoreline management option that combines various erosion control methodologies and/or structures while at the same time restoring or preserving natural shoreline vegetation communities. A common living shoreline design in Chesapeake Bay includes a low offshore rock sill to absorb wave energy with an emergent wetland landward of the sill to enhance erosion control, provide critical habitat, and improve water quality condition. This study is part of a larger, ongoing project to (1) evaluate erosion control effectiveness and the sustainability of offshore sill and fringing marsh design and structure, (2) evaluate ecological services (e.g., habitat value, water …

The Virginia Clean Marina Guidebook, Virginia Clean Marina Program, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

No abstract provided.