Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

When, Where, And How Nature Matters For Ecosystem Services: Challenges For The Next Generation Of Ecosystem Service Models, Jesse T. Rieb, Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer, Gretchen C. Daily, Paul R. Armsworth, Katrin Böhning-Gaese, Aletta Bonn, Graeme S. Cumming, Felix Eigenbrod, Volker Grimm

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Many decision-makers are looking to science to clarify how nature supports human well-being. Scientists' responses have typically focused on empirical models of the provision of ecosystem services (ES) and resulting decision-support tools. Although such tools have captured some of the complexities of ES, they can be difficult to adapt to new situations. Globally useful tools that predict the provision of multiple ES under different decision scenarios have proven challenging to develop. Questions from decision-makers and limitations of existing decision-support tools indicate three crucial research frontiers for incorporating cutting-edge ES science into decision-support tools: (1) understanding the complex dynamics of ES …

Shaping Policy In The Anthropocene: Gender Justice As A Social, Economic And Ecological Challenge, Phoebe Spencer

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Environmental pressures such as natural disasters, resource scarcity, and conflict related to climate change have emphasized the importance of considering social justice within its ecological context. Gender inequality is one type of injustice that has traditionally been addressed as a social matter, yet gendered divisions in bargaining power, mobility, and access to resources are exacerbated by environmental instability. One barrier to gender equity in the face of a changing climate is the mainstream economic paradigm, which promotes growth and individualism, often at the cost of environmental and social wellbeing. The issue of gender inequality in the Anthropocene, the proposed geological …

Education For Sustainability: Exploring Teaching Practices And Perceptions Of Learning Associated With A General Education Requirement, Lisa Watts Natkin

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Nationwide, higher education institutions are increasingly interested in infusing sustainability content into their curricula. The world is facing complex and interconnected problems creating a need for college graduates with an understanding of the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability. There is a shortage of research studying sustainability-related teaching practices, particularly in higher education contexts. The University of Vermont (UVM) recently established Sustainability Learning Outcomes (SLOs) as a general education requirement. As a result of this initiative, sustainability-designated courses are offered across the university that fulfill the requirement, creating a unique opportunity to explore related teaching practices. The purpose of …

A Spanner In The Works: Human–Elephant Conflict Complicates The Food–Water–Energy Nexus In Drylands Of Africa, Bruce Schulte, Mwangi Githiru, Urbanus Mutwiwa, Simon Kasaine

Biology Faculty Publications

The two major conservation issues for drylands of Africa are habitat loss or degradation and habitat fragmentation, largely fromagriculture, charcoal production, and infrastructural development. A key question for management is how these landscapes can retain their critical ecological functions and services, while simultaneously supporting resilient livelihoods. It is a clear nexus question involving food (agriculture), water, and energy (fuelwood), which is complicated by human–wildlife conflicts. While these could appear disparate issues, they are closely connected in dryland forest landscapes of Africa where elephants occur close to areas of human habitation. For instance, crop failure, whether due to weather or wildlife …

International Flyer Final, National Drought Mitigation Center

National Drought Mitigation Center: Publications

The National Drought Mitigation Center faculty and staff have worked with national and international organizations and countries around the world, providing a variety of services. The map shows where the drought center has collaborated on research, facilitated drought planning, shared technical knowledge, or provided programmatic advice.

Quick Drought Response Index: A Short-Term Dryness Indicator, National Drought Mitigation Center

National Drought Mitigation Center: Publications

WHAT IS QUICKDRI?

WHY WAS IT DEVELOPED?

WHAT INFORMATION IS USED IN QUICKDRI?

QUICKDRI PRODUCTS

ON THE QUICKDRI SITE:

THROUGH THE USGS DROUGHT VIEWER:

APPLICATION EXAMPLES:

Tourism Business Resilience For Coastal Virginia Assessment Report, Lindsay E. Usher, Michelle Covi, Juita-Elena Wie Yusuf, Kaitlin Giles, Elizabeth Armistead Andrews, Angela King, Sashenka Brauer, Rebecca Ribley

Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency (CCRFR): Reports

This report summarizes the results of the Tourism Business Resilience Project conducted by the Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency and Virginia Sea Grant. This project was a joint effort by faculty and students from the Old Dominion University Resilience Collaborative and the Virginia Coastal Policy Center at the William & Mary Law School.

Gis Data: King George County, Virginia Shoreline Inventory Report, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon A. Killeen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie G. Bradshaw, Kory Angstadt, Karen A. Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, David Weiss, Carl Hershner

Data

The 2017 Inventory for King George County was generated using on-screen, digitizing techniques in ArcGIS® -ArcMap v10.4.1 while viewing conditions observed in Bing high resolution oblique imagery, Google Earth, and 2013 imagery from the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VBMP).Four GIS shapefiles are developed. The first describes land use and bank conditions (King_George_lubc_2017). The second portrays the presence of beaches (King_George _beaches_2017). The third reports shoreline structures that are described as arcs or lines(e.g. riprap)(King_George _sstru_2017). The final shapefile includes all structures that are represented as points(e.g. piers)(King_George_astru_2017).The metadata file accompanies the shapefiles and defines attribute accuracy, data development, and any …

The Environmental Impacts Of Alternative Food Waste Treatment Technologies In The U.S., Krista L. Thyberg, David J. Tonjes

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted to determine the environmental impacts of several waste treatment scenarios for a suburban New York (U.S.) municipality. The study goal was to determine if separate food waste recovery and management was environmentally sounder than waste-to-energy incineration (the baseline case). Three alternatives, enclosed tunnel composting, enclosed windrow composting, and anaerobic digestion with subsequent enclosed windrow composting of residuals, were examined considering the entire residual waste stream (not just separated food wastes). Impact categories assessed were climate change, environmental eutrophication and acidification, resource depletion, and stratospheric ozone depletion. A normalized, aggregated impact assessment was created …

Assessing Sustainability Literacy, Mary Ellen Mallia, Cassidy Drasser, Elizabet Genis

Presentations

Presented for the US Society for Ecological Economics

Designing For Economic Success: A 50-State Analysis Of The Genuine Progress Indicator, Mairi-Jane Venesky Fox

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The use of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the primary measure of economic progress has arguably led to unintended consequences of environmental degradation and socially skewed outcomes. The Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) was designed to reveal the trade offs associated with conventional economic growth and to assess the broader impact of economic benefits and costs on sustainable human welfare. Although originally designed for use at the national scale, an interest has developed in the United States in a state-level uptake of the GPI to inform and guide policy. However, questions exist about the quality and legitimacy of the GPI as …

Exploration Of New Methods In Long Distance Transportation Data Collection And Tourism Travel In Vermont, Benjamin Kaufman

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

ABSTRACT

Human transportation patterns have continued to shift and increase in rate as technology has made travel between spatially disparate locations more feasible. These movements are responsible for approximately one third of global carbon emissions, and account for one half of Vermont’s greenhouse gas output. Modeling transportation behaviors is difficult due to changing travel patterns and issues of surveying human participants. Long distance travel patterns are especially difficult and have not received the attention that urban mobility has within the literature.

In this Masters thesis, I describe current methods of transportation data collection and propose new methods, as well as …

Eco-Cosplay: Upcycling As A Sustainable Method Of Costume Construction, Sarah West, Kathleen Smith

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

This research addresses sustainability in the apparel industry from the specific perspective of repurposing materials for use in costume development. Repurposing discarded materials, also referred to as upcycling, is examined as a viable approach to waste management and evaluated for its impact on sustainability in apparel and textile production, especially in relation to costume development. Current issues in sustainability in the apparel industry that are a focus for this research include waste from production as well as post-consumer waste. The project includes the design and construction of two costume pieces based on a style of costume known as cosplay. Cosplay …

A History Of The Participatory Map, Jo Guldi

History Faculty Publications

This article tells, for the first time, the story of the history of the participatory map: that is, the many-to-many map-making techniques that most people are familiar with through smartphone apps and Google maps. Archival research in previously untapped archives traces the origins of participatory mapping in subaltern conversations around the world, its embrace in the modern academy and development circles, its place in the World Bank, and its conversion to online formats like Google Maps and Open Street Map. The story begins in surprising places, as international networks in the 1970s began experimenting with many-to-many mapping, their members spanning …

Campus Sustainability Office Annual Report, 2016-2017, Campus Sustainability Office

Campus Sustainability Office Publications, Reports and Presentations

The Campus Sustainability Office 2016-2017 annual report.

Social-Ecological Enabling Conditions For Payments For Ecosystem Services, Heidi R. Huber-Stearns, Drew E. Bennett, Stephen Posner, Ryan C. Richards, Jenn Hoyle Fair, Stella J.M. Cousins, Chelsie L. Romulo

Peer-Reviewed Studies

The concept of “enabling conditions” centers on conditions that facilitate approaches to addressing social and ecological challenges. Although multiple fields have independently addressed the concept of enabling conditions, the literature lacks a shared understanding or integration of concepts. We propose a more synthesized understanding of enabling conditions beyond disciplinary boundaries by focusing on the enabling conditions that influence the implementation of a range of environmental policies termed payments for ecosystem services (PES). Through an analysis of key literature from different disciplinary perspectives, we examined how researchers and practitioners refer to and identify enabling conditions within the context of PES. Through …

Marine Stewardship Council Full Assessment Report Western Australian Abalone Managed Fishery, Anthony M. Hart, Lachlan W.S. Strain, Alexander Hesp, E. Fisher, F J. Webster, S. J. Brand-Gardner, S. Walters

WA Marine Stewardship Council report series

This report provides a comprehensive description of the Abalone Managed Fishery (AMF) in Western Australia (WA) and contains information relevant to assist with the assessment of this fishery against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard (v2.0) for sustainable fishing. Fishers in the AMF harvest three species; Roe’s abalone (Haliotis roei), Greenlip abalone (H. laevigata) and Brownlip abalone (H. conicopora), through hand collection by diving in shallow waters off the south-western and southern coasts of WA.

The Applications Of Rate Constants In Commercial Methane Digesters, Alyssa Nuñez

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

This slide presentation for the Natural Sciences Poster Session at Parkland College summarizes a study conducted to test the effectiveness of rate constants to measure stability and productivity in commercial methane digesters. The study concluded that using rate constants can improve peak production and make methane order an economically viable energy option. The study also concluded that nickel supplements have a large effect on rate constants.

Comparison Of Sustainable Development In Three Countries, Brittany Williams

School of Human Sciences Research Showcase

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.

Droughtscape- Winter 2017, National Drought Mitigation Center

Droughtscape, Quarterly Newsletter of NDMC, 2007-

CONTENTS

NDMC partners with Sioux tribes to build climate resiliency............. 2

Drought intensifies in some regions of U.S. in fall............. 3

Fire danger and sequoia deaths in third quarter............. 4

2016: Year in review................. 6-8

MENA region forums elicit

feedback from stakeholders.............. 9

Tech pass-off in Tunisia.............. 10

Midwest DEWS meetings build collaboration, relationships............ 11

Workshop links drought, socioeconomic impacts........... 12

Drought center helps ranchers prepare for drought................. 12

Drought tourney in Nebraska goes low tech................... 13

The Effect Of The Dry Line And Convective Initiation On Drought Evolution Over Oklahoma During The 2011 Drought, Paul X. Flanagan, Jeffrey B. Basara, Bradley G. Illston, Jason A. Otkin

HPRCC Personnel Publications

Observations from the Oklahoma Mesonet and high resolution Weather Research and Forecasting model simulations were used to evaluate the effect that the dry line and large-scale atmospheric patterns had on drought evolution during 2011. Mesonet observations showed that a “dry” and “wet” pattern developed across Oklahoma due to anomalous atmospheric patterns. The location of the dry line varied due to this “dry” and “wet” pattern, with the average dry line location around 1.5∘ longitude further to the east than climatology.Model simulations were used to further quantify the impact of variable surface conditions on dry line evolution and convective initiation (CI) …

Local To Global: Developing Solutions And Creating Impacts. Annual Report Fy 2017, Robert B. Daugherty Water For Food Global Institute

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute Literature

FOREWORD - Hank M. Bounds, President, University of Nebraska

PREFACE - Peter G. McCornick, Executive Director

Focus Areas: Where we are headed We are committed to helping the world efficiently use its limited freshwater resources to ensure food security for current and future generations. The diversity of projects and activities in this report reflects the complexity of the challenges we face in achieving this goal through technical and policy research, education and communication. Our research and policy development efforts are focused within five areas to maximize the expertise of DWFI staff, our colleagues at the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) …

Aquacrop-Os: An Open Source Version Of Fao’S Crop Water Productivity Model, T. Foster, N. Brozovic, A. P. Butler, C. M. U. Neale, D. Raes, P. Steduto, E. Fereres, T. C. Hsiao

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Crop simulation models are valuable tools for quantifying crop yield response to water, and for devising strategies to improve agricultural water management. However, applicability of the majority of crop models is limited greatly by a failure to provide open-access to model source code. In this study, we present an open-source version of the FAO AquaCrop model, which simulates efficiently water-limited crop production across diverse environmental and agronomic conditions. Our model, called AquaCrop-OpenSource (AquaCrop-OS), can be run in multiple programming languages and operating systems. Support for parallel execution reduces significantly simulation times when applying the model in large geospatial frameworks, for …

In-Situ Observation And Transport Modelling Of Arsenic In Gangetic Plain, India, Pankaj Kumar Gupta, Pranjay Joshi, Jahangeer

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

The focus of this study is to investigate the arsenic movement and impacts on the residual concentrations on groundwater pollution load. The Gangetic plain area in the Ballia, Uttar Pradesh is selected as study area, which is also reported to extreme arsenic pollution in soil-water system. A modelling approach is developed to assess the arsenic flux in partially saturated zone using data of soil texture, soil hydraulic properties and stratigraphy. Soil type, slope, and land-use cover is considered for estimating the transient flux at the top boundary from daily precipitation and evapotranspiration data of the study area. Solute transport in …

Paid To Pump: How A Tax Credit Could Discourage Conservation Of The High Plains Aquifer, S. Polzkill,, A. Stejskal, H. Wilke, Anna Wistrom, Katherine E. B. Gibson, Mindy J. Spiehs, Nicholas Brozovic

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

In 1965’s United States v. Shurbet case, an irrigator from Texas asserted his claim for a depletion tax deduction for groundwater pumped from the High Plains Aquifer. He argued that the unique conditions of the southern High Plains region - a plateau where the shallow aquifer is recharged only through precipitation at a slow rate - meant the groundwater resource would be depleted in time. The state argued that groundwater was not fundamentally an exhaustible natural deposit, but the Supreme Court concluded the tax deduction was appropriate given the “peculiar” conditions in the area. It was stated the decision was …

Pathways To Increasing Farmer-Led Investments In Sustainable Agricultural Water Management In Sub-Saharan Africa, Douglas J. Merrey, Peter G. Mccornick, Molly C. Nance

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Without a transformative leap forward in the use of irrigation, Africa will continue falling short in the struggle to feed its growing population, improve its people’s nutrition, grow its economies, adapt to the impacts of climate change, and eliminate poverty. While Africans must lead this transformation for it to be successful, the international community can help African countries substantially increase the use of more productive and sustainable water management practices and unlock the potential of farmer-led irrigated agriculture. Achieving highly productive irrigated agricultural systems in Africa requires an enabling environment that facilitates the full engagement of farmers, public and private …

C.V. - Wojciech Budzianowski, Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

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Renewable Energy And Sustainable Development (Resd) Group, Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Impacts To Ecosystem Services Of Tree Replacement - Recommendations For Broadway Arboretum Phase One, Kim Brown, Joaquin Moore, Jeffrey J. Gerwing

Campus Sustainability Office Publications, Reports and Presentations

The Broadway Arboretum Project is a coordinated effort between the Campus Planning Office (CPO), Campus Sustainability Office (CSO), and the Facilities and Property Management team (FPM) that seeks to increase diversity and resilience of PSU’s urban forest by replacing the existing trees lining Broadway Ave. between I-405 and SW Market Street (currently consisting of almost entirely a single variety, Norway Maple) with a variety of trees that showcase those currently approved by the City for street tree planting while also providing a testing ground for additional varieties that might by resilient to the challenges of growing and surviving in Portland’s …

Sinatra Living: Technical Scope Summary, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas. Solar Decathlon Team.

Sinatra Living: Planning and Design

This document, labeled as project document 3.4 Technical Scope Summary, contains the scope of technical aspects for the project house.