Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Policy And Science Of Geothermal Heat Use At Mcmurdo Station, Antarcrtica, Joe Alvine

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

My thesis research project deals with the use of geothermal heat in Antarctica. Currently it is not allowed due to article 7 of the 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection that placed a 50 moratorium on the exploitation of mineral resources. The US main base in Antarctica, McMurdo Station is currently powered by diesel generators that are inefficient, cause environmental damage, and is expensive to run. By exploring alternative energy options, McMurdo Station can reduce its dependence on non-renewable energy sources. By determining the geothermal potential of McMurdo Station, this project explores the possibilities and benefits that would occur with the …

Geospatial Data Portals: Librarians Add Expertise In The Development Of Gis Metadata Catalogs, Adonna Fleming

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Searching a geospatial data catalog can be frustrating for many GIS data users. Geospatial data catalogs are built on records created to a specific metadata standard, such as ISO 19115. The search query is often limited to searching a few tags within the record, such as title, publisher, spatial extent, content theme, and content type. GIS personnel tend to create metadata records with little thought into how it will be discovered by others. On the other hand, library catalogs are developed for a broad spectrum of users with varying knowledge of the subject. Librarians can bring this expertise in creating …

The Toll Of Toxics: Investigating Environmental Contaminants, Donald Sparling, Barnett A. Rattner, John S. Barclay

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Two recent events [the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Asarco settlement] bring to the fore the work of wildlife toxicologists. Focusing on amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, wildlife toxicology is a component of ecotoxicology--the study of toxic effects caused by natural or synthetic pollutants on living organisms and other constituents of ecosystems (Truhaut 1977). Now a distinct discipline within the wildlife profession-practiced by members of The Wildlife Society's own Wildlife Toxicology Working Group, among others-wildlife toxicology has become increasingly important as human populations and industry have spread, causing contaminants to multiply.

Emerging Environmental Contaminants (EECs) include an array of …

Mississippi Canyon 252 Incident Nrda Tier 1 For Deepwater Communities, Gregory Boland, Gary Brewer, Erik Cordes, Amanda Demopoulos, Chuek Fisher, Chris German, Ken Sulak

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is geologically diverse basin, described as the most complex continental slope region in the world. Regional topography of the slope consists of basins, knolls, ridges, and mounds derived from the dynamic adjustments of salt and the introduction of large volumes of sediment over long time scales. More than 99% of the sea floor in the GOM consists of soft sediment made up of various mixtures of primarily silt and clay. These wide-spread soft bottom communities are described in reports from major MMS studies by Gallaway et al. (1998) and Rowe and Kennicutt (2009). Relative …

Stratigraphy, Sedimentology, And Ichnology Of The Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation In The Alkali Anticline Region, Bighorn County, Wyoming, Charles K. Clark

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation was studied along two strike-parallel cliff-lines in the Alkali Anticline region of the northeastern Bighorn Basin, Bighorn County, Wyoming. The unit comprises up to 145 m of mudrock, sandstone, conglomerate, and volcanic fallout sediments deposited along the western margin of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway (KWIS) in the mid- to late-Cenomanian. Eighteen facies, comprising six facies associations are identified from physical and biogenic sedimentary features. Sediments were deposited in open marine offshore to shoreface and subaqueous deltaic to delta platform environments. The observed trace fossil suites record departures from the archetypal ichnofacies. Such departures record …

Establishment And Partial Characterization Of A Cell Line From Burbot Lota Lota Maculosa: Susceptibility To Ihnv, Ipnv And Vhsv, Mark P. Polinski, John D. Drennan, William N. Batts, Susan C. Ireland, Kenneth D. Cain

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

This study describes the development and partial characterization of a continuous fibroblastic-like cell line (BEF-1) developed from late stage embryos of North American burbot Lota lota maculosa. This cell line has been maintained for over 5 yr and 100 passages in vitro. Cells were cultured using Eagle’s minimum essential medium with Earle’s salts (MEM) supplemented with GlutaMAX ™, and 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), pH 7.4. The addition of penicillin-streptomycinneomycin (PSN) antibiotic mixture (0.05, 0.05, 0.1 mg ml–1, respectively) did not negatively influence cell replication; however, the antimycotic Fungizone™ (2.5 μg ml–1, amphotericin B) caused cell rounding and …

A Sequence Stratigraphic And Isotopic Study Of Uppermost Pennsylvanian-Lower Permian Carbonate Strata, Orogrande Basin, New Mexico, Jesse Koch

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Determining how the tropics respond to glaciation is important for improving our global understanding of icehouse worlds. The impetus behind this study is to identify the far-field impacts of Gondwanan glaciation during the Early Permian. Impacts including climate and sea-level change should be evident in sensitive carbonate systems, such as the upper Paleozoic paleotropical strata in the Orogrande Basin. A sequence stratigraphic and stable isotopic approach is used to examine the effects of late Paleozoic climate change in the Orogrande Basin during the acme and subsequent demise of the late Paleozoic ice age.

Sequence stratigraphic analysis suggests the occurrence of …

Baseline Rockfall Rates And Rockfall Protection In Virginia, Brian Bruckno

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Current approaches to rockfall hazard and risk mitigation have been dominated by a model in which rockfall is treated as a global slope stability phenomenon which is mainly triggered by precipitation, freeze-thaw, or root wedging. The methods implemented by many public agencies and private entities developed from this conceptualization. These methods, such as the Rockfall Hazard Rating System, Key Block and Key Group Analysis, and remote sensing using LIDAR or digital images, are best applied to the end-members of slopes, such as pure engineered soil or structurally simple and consistent rock slopes. Slopes exhibiting complex structure, slopes that cross formations …

Yellowstone Super-Volcano: Evalutaion, Potential Threats, And Possible Effects On Nebraska Citizens Health And Prosperity, Jennie Korgie

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Abstract Yellowstone National Park is located over a hot spot under the North American tectonic plate and holds a potentially explosive super-volcano that has the ability to cause deadly consequences on the North American continent. After an eruption the surrounding region would see the greatest devastation, covered by pyroclastic deposits and thick ash fall exterminating most all life and destroying all structures in its path. In landscapes of greater distance from the event the consequences will be less dramatic yet still substantial. Records of previous eruption data from the Yellowstone super-volcano show that the ash fall out from the eruption …

Geochemical And Mineralogical Evidence For Sahara And Sahel Dust Additions To Quaternary Soils On Lanzarote, Eastern Canary Islands, Spain, Daniel R. Muhs, James Budahn, Gary Skipp, Joseph M. Prospero, Deanna Patterson, E. Arthur Bettis Iii

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Africa is the most important source of dust in the world today, and dust storms are frequent on the nearby Canary Islands. Previous workers have inferred that the Sahara is the most important source of dust to Canary Islands soils, with little contribution from the Sahel region. Soils overlying a late Quaternary basalt flow on Lanzarote, Canary Islands, contain, in addition to volcanic minerals, quartz and mica, exotic to the island!s bedrock. Kaolinite in the soils also likely has an exotic origin. Trace-element geochemistry shows that the soils are derived from varying proportions of locally derived basalt and African dust. …

Tree-Ring Dates And Demographic Change In The Southern Colorado Plateau And Rio Grande Regions, Michael S. Berry, Larry Benson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

In this chapter, tree-ring dates from the southern Colorado Plateau, Mogollon Highlands, and Rio Grande areas (fig. 3-1) (hereafter referred to as the study area) are used to estimate regional-scale timber-harvesting and construction activities between AD 600 and 1600 (the Basketmaker III through Pueblo IV periods). Within that time span, we focus our attention particularly on the AD 1045-1300 period, a time when anomalously wet periods alternated with megadroughts (fig. 3.2). Treering- date distributions (histograms) for eight archaeological subregions within the study area have been created using a database of more than twenty-four thousand tree-ring dates from archaeological sites. These …

The Cleaning Of Burned And Contaminated Archaeological Maize Prior To 87sr/86sr Analysis, L.V. Benson, H. E. Taylor, T. I. Plowman, D. A. Roth, R. C. Antweiler

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Accurate trace-metal and strontium-isotope analyses of archaeological corn cobs require that metal contaminants be removed prior to chemical analysis. Archaeological cobs are often coated with construction debris, dust, or soilwhich contains mineral particles. In addition, most archaeological cobs are partially or completely burned and the burned parts incorporate mineral debris in their hardened residual structures. Unburned cobs are weak ion exchangers and most metals within a cob are not firmly bound to cob organic matter; therefore, immersing cobs in acids and rinsing them in deionized water to remove mineral contaminants may result in the undesirable loss of metals, including strontium, …

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2010, J. T. Korus, M. E. Burbach, L. M. Howard, R. M. Joeckel

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.

Evidence For Recent Population Bottlenecks In Northern Spotted Owls (Strix Occidentalis Caurina), W. Chris Funk, Eric D. Forsman, Matthew Johnson, Thomas D. Mullins, Susan M. Haig

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) is one of the most controversial threatened subspecies ever listed under the US Endangered Species Act. Despite protection of its remaining forest habitat, recent field studies show continued declines of northern spotted owls. One potential threat to northern spotted owls which has not yet been shown is loss of genetic variation from population bottlenecks. Bottlenecks can increase the probability of mating among related individuals, potentially causing inbreeding depression, and can decrease adaptive potential. Here we report evidence for recent bottlenecks in northern spotted owls using a large genetic dataset (352 individuals …

Subspecies Status And Population Genetic Structure In Piping Plover (Charadrius Melodus), Mark P. Miller, Susan M. Haig, Cheri L. Gratto-Trevor, Thomas D. Mullins

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) is a migratory shorebird that is listed as endangered in Canada and the U.S. Great Lakes and as threatened throughout the rest of its breeding and winter range. We undertook a comprehensive molecular-genetic investigation to (1) address subspecific taxonomy, (2) characterize population genetic structure, and (3) infer past bottlenecks and demographic processes in this species. Analyses included individuals from 23 U.S. states and Canadian provinces and were based on mitochondrial DNA sequences (580 base pairs, n = 245) and 8 nuclear microsatellite loci (n = 229). Our findings provide support for separate Atlantic and …

Absorption And Biotransformation Of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers De-71 And De-79 In Chicken (Gallus Gallus), Mallard (Anas Platyrhynchos), American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius) And Black-Crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax Nycticorax) Eggs, Moira A. Mckernan, Barnett A. Rattner, Jeff S. Hatfield, Robert C. Hale, Mary Ann Ottinger

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We recently reported that air cell administration of penta-brominated diphenyl ether (penta-BDE; DE-71) evokes biochemical and immunologic effects in chicken (Gallus gallus) embryos at very low doses, and impairs pipping (i.e., stage immediately prior to hatching) and hatching success at 1.8 µg g^-1 egg (actual dose absorbed) in American kestrels (Falco sparverius). In the present study, absorption of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners was measured following air cell administration of a penta-BDE mixture (11.1 lg DE-71 g^-1 egg) or an octa-brominated diphenyl ether mixture (octa BDE; DE-79; 15.4 lg DE-79 g^{- …}

Barcoding Bushmeat: Molecular Identification Of Central African And South American Harvested Vertebrates, Mitchell J. Eaton, Greta J. Meyers, Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis, Matthew S. Leslie, Andrew P. Martin, George Amato

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The creation and use of a globally available database of DNA sequences from a standardized gene region has been proposed as a tool for species identification, assessing genetic diversity and monitoring the legal and illegal trade in wildlife species. Here, we contribute to the Barcode of Life Data System and test whether a short region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) gene would reliably distinguish among a suite of commonly hunted African and South American mammal and reptile species. We used universal primers to generate reference barcode sequences of 645 bp for 23 species from five vertebrate …

Barcoding Bushmeat: Molecular Identification Of Central African And South American Harvested Vertebrates, Mitchell J. Eaton, Greta L. Meyers, Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis, Matthew S. Leslie, Andrew P. Martin, George Amato

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The creation and use of a globally available database of DNA sequences from a standardized gene region has been proposed as a tool for species identification, assessing genetic diversity and monitoring the legal and illegal trade in wildlife species. Here, we contribute to the Barcode of Life Data System and test whether a short region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) gene would reliably distinguish among a suite of commonly hunted African and South American mammal and reptile species. We used universal primers to generate reference barcode sequences of 645 bp for 23 species from five vertebrate …

Development And Application Of A Pollen-Based Paleohydrologic Reconstruction From The Lower Roanoke River Basin, North Carolina, Usa, Debra Willard, Christopher Bernhardt, Roger Brown, Bryan Landacre, Philip A. Townsend

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We used pollen assemblages to reconstruct late-Holocene paleohydrologic patterns in floodplain deposits from the lower Roanoke River basin (North Carolina, southeastern USA). Using 120 surface samples from 38 transects, we documented statistical relationships between pollen assemblages, vegetation, and landforms. Backswamp pollen assemblages (long hydroperiods) are dominated by Nyssa (tupelo) and Taxodium (cypress) and have high pollen concentrations. Sediments from elevated levees and seasonally flooded forests (shorter hydroperiods) are characterized by dominant Pinus (pine) pollen, variable abundance of hardwood taxa, and low pollen concentrations. We apply the calibration data set to interpret past vegetation and paleohydrology. Pollen from a radiocarbon-dated sediment …

The Role Of African Dust In The Formation Of Quaternary Soils On Mallorca, Spain And Implications For The Genesis Of Red Mediterranean Soils, Daniel R. Muhs, James Budahn, Anna Avila, Gary Skipp, Joshua Freeman, Deanna Patterson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

African dust additions explain the origin of terra rossa soils that are common on the carbonate-platform island of Mallorca, Spain. Mineralogical and geochemical analyses indicate that Quaternary carbonate eolianites on Mallorca have a very high purity, usually composed of more than 90% carbonate minerals (calcite, dolomite, and aragonite). In contrast, terra rossa soils developed on these eolianites have lower carbonate contents and contain higher concentrations of quartz and other silicates. Analyses of immobile trace elements indicate that the non-carbonate fractions of the eolianites have distinctive Zr/Hf, La/Yb, Cr/Sc and Th/Ta values that differ from the superjacent terra rossa soils. These …

Assessing The Potential For Luminescence Dating Of Basalts, S. Tsukamoto, G. A.T. Duller, A. G. Wintle, Daniel R. Muhs

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The possibility of dating basalt using luminescence was tested on four samples with independent age control from Cima volcanic !eld, California, with the ultimate aim of assessing whether the technique could be used to date sediments on the surface of Mars. Previous analysis of these samples had demonstrated that the infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signal is most suitable for dating as it showed the lowest fading rate among various luminescence signals. In this study, changes in equivalent dose as a function of preheat are described. The ages for the two youngest Cima samples agree with the independent ages based on …

An Analysis Of Anchitherine Equids Across The Eocene–Oligocene Boundary In The White River Group Of The Western Great Plains, David M. Masciale

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Anchitherine horses are a subfamily of equids that are abundantly represented in the late Eocene and early Oligocene of North America. This group has been heavily studied in the past, but important questions still remain. Some studies have focused on the Eocene-Oligocene boundary and have used these equids along with other taxa to study mammalian diet and climate change through this interval. I reexamine two anchitherine genera, Mesohippus and Miohippus, from stratigraphic sequences of the White River Group in western Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota. These sequences span the Chadronian (late Eocene), Orellan (early Oligocene), and Whitneyan (early Oligocene) …

Holdrege: Nebraska's State Soil

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Fold Characteristics And Deformation Style Using The Evolution Of The Land Surface: Zagros Simply Folded Belt, Iran, Caroline M. Burberry, John W. Cosgrove, Jian-Guo Liu

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Deformation styles within a fold-thrust belt can be understood in terms of the spatial organization and geometry of the fold structures. In young fold-thrust belts such as the Zagros, this geometry is reflected topographically by concordant landform morphology. Thus, the distribution of deformation structures can be characterized using satellite image analysis, digital elevation models, the drainage network and geomorphological indicators. The two distinct fold types considered in this study (fault-bend folds and detachment folds) both trending NW-SE, interact with streams flowing NE-SW from the High Zagros Mountains into the Persian Gulf. Multiple abandoned stream channels cross fault-bend folds related to …