Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Plastic Rain In Protected Areas Of The United States, Janice Brahney, Margaret Hallerud, Eric Heim, Maura Hahnenberger, Suja Sukumaran

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Eleven billion metric tons of plastic are projected to accumulate in the environment by 2025. Because plastics are persistent, they fragment into pieces that are susceptible to wind entrainment. Using high-resolution spatial and temporal data, we tested whether plastics deposited in wet versus dry conditions have distinct atmospheric life histories. Further, we report on the rates and sources of deposition to remote U.S. conservation areas. We show that urban centers and resuspension from soils or water are principal sources for wet-deposited plastics. By contrast, plastics deposited under dry conditions were smaller in size, and the rates of deposition were related …

Strategies For Determining Electron Yield Material Parameters For Spacecraft Charge Modeling, Phil Lundgreen, John R. Dennison

All Physics Faculty Publications

Accurate modeling of spacecraft charging is essential to mitigate well‐known and all‐too‐common deleterious and costly effects on spacecraft resulting from charging induced by interactions with the space plasma environment. This paper addresses how limited availability of electron emission and transport properties of spacecraft materials—in particular, secondary electron yields—and the wide ranges measured for such properties pose a critical issue for modeling spacecraft charging. It describes a materials charging database for electron emission properties under development, which facilitates more accurate spacecraft charge modeling when used in concert with the strategies outlined herein. These data and techniques provide tools for more accurate …

Opinion: Why Protect Nature? Rethinking Values And The Environment, Kai M. A. Chan, Patricia Balvanera, Karina Benessaiah, Mollie Chapman, Sandra Díaz, Erik Gómez-Baggethun, Rachelle Gould, Neil Hannahs, Kurt Jax, Sarah Klain, Gary W. Luck, Berta Martin-Lopez, Barbara Muraca, Bryan Norton, Konrad Ott, Et Al.

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

A cornerstone of environmental policy is the debate over protecting nature for humans’ sake (instrumental values) or for nature’s (intrinsic values) (1). We propose that focusing only on instrumental or intrinsic values may fail to resonate with views on personal and collective well-being, or “what is right,” with regard to nature and the environment. Without complementary attention to other ways that value is expressed and realized by people, such a focus may inadvertently promote worldviews at odds with fair and desirable futures. It is time to engage seriously with a third class of values, one with diverse roots and current …

Methylmercury Fate In The Hypersaline Environment Of The Great Salt Lake: A Critical Review Of Current Knowledge, Danielle Barandiaran

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a highly potent neurotoxic form of the environmental pollutant Mercury (Hg). The processes that are responsible for the conversion of Hg to MeHg are known to be both biotic and abiotic in freshwater systems. Although MeHg contamination is well documented in Great Salt Lake (GSL), the conversion of Hg into MeHg is not well-understood in saline environments much less in hypersaline waters such as GSL. The GSL is a broad, shallow high altitude (1280 m above sea level) lake that is exposed to large amounts of ultraviolet radiation and evaporation, which lead to great volatilization losses of …

Extending A Geographic Lens Towards Climate Justice, Part 1: Climate Change Characterization And Impacts, Morey Burnham, Claudia Radel, Zhao Ma, Ann Laudati

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

There has been a recent increase of interest within the academic literature on the justice issues posed by climate change and the human responses to its present and forecasted effects. This literature is partially shaped by debates from environmental justice scholarship, but also has roots in various subfields of geography. In two parts (here and in a subsequent article), we review and synthesize the recent literature by asking what climate justice concerns have been identified within three related realms: 1) the characterization of climate change itself and the assignment of responsibility for that change; 2) the differential or uneven impacts …

Mapping Light Pollution At Utah State University, Rachel Nydegger, Shane L. Larson

Research on the Hill (Salt Lake City)

One of the beauties of modern civilization is seeing the city lighting at night. It provides a feeling of security and is indicative of the power and endeavors of humanity, but over-lighting is a form of pollution. Many outdoor light fixtures spread light in all directions, sending a majority of the light into the sky, away from where we want the light to be on the ground. This light spreading upward is not only wasted light, but it is wasted energy and money, destroys our ability to view the night sky, and has profound effects on nocturnal creatures. The direct …

Sustainable Ski Resorts In The State Of Utah: Working Toward The Future, Andrew Call

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Utah State University Extension branch funded a research project designed to meet an identified need and create a baseline in knowledge of the implementation of environmentally sustainable practices among Utah ski resorts. Because of the potential impacts of climate change and unsustainable practices that negatively impact both the biophysical and human/cultural aspects of these environments, the ski resort industry is facing an uncertain future both environmentally and economically. However, very little is known about this issue, or how to address it. Collecting baseline information on the subject of environmental sustainability amongst Utah area ski resorts is crucial to ensure …

Micrometeoroids From Misse Examined To Understand The Effects Of The Space Environment On Space Suit Materials, John R. Dennison

All Physics Faculty Presentations

Samples that were part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) experienced varying effects whilst exposed to the space environment; perhaps the most intriguing effect was the crater created by a micrometeoroid impact into a thin film of Vapor Deposited Aluminum (VDA) coated Mylar. Approximately 180 samples of various materials used in space-component design were flown on MISSE-6 and spent 18 months suspended off the side of the International Space Station. The Utah State University SUSpECS project was a unique student experiment that allowed for pre- and post-flight analysis of these material samples which were returned in pristine condition …

Creating Environmental Leaders Through Service Learning: A Transition From Theory To Real World Application, Roslynn Brain, Robert H. Schmidt

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Planning For Closure Of The Logan City/Cache County Landfill And Surrounding Landscape, Kristofor Lee Kvarfordt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Planning for closure requires in depth analysis into many operational, environmental, and social factors. Ideally, the planning process should resolve as many of the technical, social, and aesthetic requirements as possible by systematically addressing the various elements that influence the final design. This research identified the significant issues related to planning for the end use of the current Logan landfill after it reaches capacity in 18-20 years and the associated lagoons and wetlands. The current closure plan calls for simply recontouring the landfill to stabilize the slopes, then revegetating. The location of the site has serious implications for environmental impact …

Zion National Park Environment Assessment/ Assessment Of Effect, Engineering-Environmental Management, Inc.

Elusive Documents

This environmental assessment I assessment of effect examines in detail two alternatives: no action and the National Park Service preferred alternative. The preferred alternative considers rehabilitation of the roadway and associated structures on either side of Route 10 (Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway) tunnel. The road work would primarily occur on the east side of the tunnel in a 0.25-mile segment beginning at the east tunnel entrance. Modifications on the east side of the tunnel would include slurry sealing the road surface and scaling rock slopes on both sides of the road; re-configuring two parking areas; creating a painted center median with …

Global Climate Change Response Program, Water Yield In Semiarid Environment Under Projected Climate Change, United States Department Of The Interior

Water

This paper presents the practical application of a distributed parameter climate vegetation hydrologic model (CVHM) and its ability to simulate hydrologic response under existing conditions and under assumed CO₂-induced climate and vegetation change. Applying the model to the Weber River basin provided a basis for determining the impacts of climate change on the hydrologic response. By using a "what if" scenario this model included the changes in plant transpiration rates and in vegetation cover under a CO₂-altered climate change and the effects of these changes on water yield.

Final Oil And Gas Leasing Environmental Impact Statement [Microform] : Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre And Gunnison National Forests V1, United States Forest Service

Environmental Assessments (NV)

No abstract provided.

Restoration And Expansion Of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Brigham City, Utah, Environmental Assessment, Keith S. Hansen, U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service, Division Of Refuges And Wildlife

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

No abstract provided.

Wildlife Damage Management (Wdm) In The Southern Utah Adc District, United States Department Of Agriculture, Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service, Animal Damage Control

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

Across the United States, wildlife habitat has been substantially changed as human populations expand and land is used for human needs. These human uses and needs often compete with wildlife which increases the potential for conflicting human/wildlife interactions. In addition, segments of the public strive for protection for all wildlife; this protection can create localized conflicts between human and wildlife activities.

Petrology Of The Upper Nounan - Worm Creek Sequence, Upper Cambrian Nounan And St. Charles Formations, Southeast Idaho, Lillian Donley Wakeley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The upper member of the Nounan Formation and the Worm Creek Member of the St. Charles Formation, both late Cambrian in age, were studied in the Bear River Range and the Fish Creek Range in southeast Idaho. Lithology and sedimentary structures of these units were compared with characteristics of similar modern sediments and ancient rocks, to determine the environments of deposition and effects of diagenesis for the interval studied.

On the basis of widely traced marker horizons, the two-member interval is divided into three parts, with parts 1 and 2 comprising the upper member of the Nounan Formation, and part …

Water Resources Planning And Social Goals: Conceptualization Toward A New Methodology, D. Peterson, H. Caulfield, R. D'Arge, D. Gordon, M Marts, T. Roefs, R. Roelofs

Reports

A modeling concept relating water resource use to

Evaluation Of Molting Areas Of Great Basin Canada Geese, Paul D. Arneson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Environmental factors at Neponset and Woodruff Narrows reservoirs were evaluated to determine their effects on molting Canada geese. More geese utilized Woodruff Narrows. Geese apparently favored the larger expanse of open water and adequate food supply.

Most of the molting geese were from the Bear River drainage. Some geese came from scattered areas in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. After molting, the geese flew to migration staging areas in southeastern Idaho before migrating to wintering areas in southern California and Arizona.

Females outnumbered males by 6 percent. The mean annual mortality rate for adult geese was 42 percent. Recovery rates …

The Influence Of Soil Moisture Regimes And Atmospheric Environments On Transpiration And The Energy Status Of Water In Plants, Sampatrao A. Gavande

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plant responses to different soil moisture regimes have been extensively studied. Because of interactions between the soil, plant and climatic factors, few convincing generalizations concerning the influence of soil water on the transpiration of water by plants have been established. Generally single factors or at most the interaction of two have been studied at any one time. Useful theories describing the conditions of water retention in plant tissues and movement of water through plants have been proposed. Equally useful theories have been suggested for describing the retention and transmission of water in soil. The integration of these theories and their …

Relations Between Transpiration, Leaf Temperatures, And Some Environmental Factors, Ronald Kay Tew

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Transpiration is the loss of water in vapor form from a plant. This is essentially the same process as evaporation except that it is modified by plant structure. Large quantities of water are removed from the soil, transferred through the conducting tissues of the plant, and dissipated into the air each day. As soon as the water is lost to the atmosphere, it becomes unavailable for human use.

The Working Environment And The Health Of Workers In Bituminous Coal Mines, Non-Ferrous Metal Mines, And Nonferrous Metal Smelters In Utah, The Division Of Industrial Hygiene; National Institute Of Health; U.S. Public Health Service, The Utah State Board Of Health

Elusive Documents

No abstract provided.