Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Modelling And Hazard Analysis For Contaminated Sediments Using Stamp Model And Stpa Tool, Karim Hardy, Franck Guarnieri

Karim Hardy

The goal of this article is dual: first, introducing a new model of accident named STAMP (systems-theoretic accident modeling and processes); then applying the model to an innovative process for the treatment of contaminated substances and the re-use of treated substances. This article is a demonstration for a need of a new tool to take into account hazards and safety within socio-technical systems.

2014-15 Central West State Of The Environment Report, Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

Smart Cities: Environmental Aspects And Opportunities, Marcus R. Wigan

Marcus R Wigan

Annotated Bibliography: Environmental Education (1998-2013), Erich Yahner

Erich Yahner

No abstract provided.

Dust Transport And Deposition In A Superhumid Environment, Samuel K. Marx, Hamish A. Mcgowan

Samuel K Marx

Contemporary rates of dust deposition monitored along a 300-km section of the superhumid West Coast of New Zealand's South Island are presented. In this setting, dust is entrained primarily from the dry channels of braided glaciofluvial rivers that drain the western slopes of the Southern Alps. Measured dust deposition ranged between 0.21 and 118.9 kg-1 ha -1 month-1, which is similar to dust deposition rates monitored in arid and semiarid environments. However, these are not considered to be sufficient for present day loess genesis. Dust deposition was highest in summer because of the greater frequency of favourable dust transporting winds, …

Failed Cyberdefense - The Environmental Consequences Of Hostile Acts, Jan Kallberg, Rosemary A. Burk

Jan Kallberg

A failed cyberdefense can have wider effects than discussed in earlier debates of potential consequences of a cyberattack. The need for cyberdefense to protect the environment has not drawn the attention it deserves as a national security matter. Adversarial nations are covertly pursuing methods to damage and disrupt the United States in a cyberconflict in the future. The president of the United States noted this in Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense: Both state and non-state actors possess the capability and intent to conduct cyberespionage and, potentially, cyberattacks on the United States, with possible severe effects on …

Land-Based Wind Energy And The Environment: Potential Impacts For Wildlife And The West Michigan Landscape, Betty Gajewski, Claire Schoolmaster, Jon Vandermolen, Erik Edward Nordman

Erik Edward Nordman

No abstract provided.

Engaging With The (Un)Familiar: Field Teaching In A Multi-Campus Teaching Environment, Nicholas Gill, Michael Adams, Christine Eriksen

Nicholas J Gill

Field trips have long been central to geography, but have been subject to assessment of the role of the 'field' in teaching. At the same time, academics face barriers to running field trips. Distance education and enhanced educational access for non-metropolitan students represented such an obstacle at an Australian university. These obstacles were taken as an opportunity to draw on the regional nature of the students and staff to enhance teaching goals, run critically informed field trips by and manage academic workloads. We evaluate the field trips by conducting surveys and interviews with students and tutors, and as an example …

Spatial Statistics In The Presence Of Location Error With An Application To Remote Sensing Of The Environment, Noel A. Cressie, John Kornak

Professor Noel Cressie

Techniques for the analysis of spatial data have, to date, tended to ignore any effect caused by error in specifying the spatial locations at which measurements are recorded. This paper reviews the methods for adjusting spatial inference in the presence of data-location error, particularly for data that. have a continuous spatial index (geostatistical data). New kriging equations are developed and evaluated based on a simulation experiment. They are also applied to remote-sensing data from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer instrument on the Nimbus-7 satellite, where the location error is caused by assignment of the data to their nearest grid-cell centers. …

Becoming Multiliterate: Digital Video News Construction Within A Technology-Supported Learning Environment, Lori Lockyer, Ian M. Brown, David Blackall, Barry M. Harper, Phillip J. Mckerrow

David Blackall

Twenty-first century literacies imply multiliteracies – going beyond language literacy and numeracy to, among others, information, visual, media and technological literacies. An education that develops capabilities across a range of literacies equips young people with the skills necessary to participate in a complex, globalized workplace and community. A key step toward realizing such national and state education agendas is specific curriculum interventions that are translated to the classroom level. This paper reports on a case study that explored both the process and outcomes of the implementation of an education program which was designed to incorporate multiliteracies.

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

Rachel Nydegger Rozum

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 …

Waypoints On A Journey Of Discovery: Mental Models In Human Environment Interactions, Timothy Lynam, Raphael Mathevet, Michel Etienne, Samantha Stone-Jovicich, Anne Leitch, Nathalie Jones, Helen Ross, Derick Du Toit, Sharon Pollard, Harry Biggs, Pascal Perez

Professor Pascal Perez

Although the broad concept of mental models is gaining currency as a way to explore the link between how people think and interact with their world, this concept is limited by a theoretical and practical understanding of how it can be applied in the study of human-environment relationships. Tools and processes are needed to be able to elicit and analyze mental models. Because mental models are not directly observable, it is also important to understand how the application of any tools and processes affects what is measured. Equally important are the needs to be clear on the intent of the …

Evaluating Participatory Modeling: Developing A Framework For Cross-Case Analysis. Socio-Economics And The Environment In Discussion (Seed), Natalie A. Jones, Pascal Perez, Thomas G. Measham, Gail J. Kelly, Patrick D'Aquino, Katherine Daniell, Anne Dray, Nils Ferrand

Professor Pascal Perez

Participatory modeling is increasingly recognised as an effective way to assist collective decision-making processes in the domain of natural resource management. This paper introduces a framework for evaluating projects that have adopted a participatory modeling approach. This framework – known as the ‘Protocol of Canberra’ – was developed through a collaboration between French and Australian researchers engaged in participatory modeling and evaluation research. The framework seeks to assess the extent to which different participatory modeling practices reinforce or divert from the theoretical assumptions they are built upon. The paper discusses the application of the framework in three case-studies, two from …

Environmental Impacts Of Stover Removal In The Corn Belt, Alicia English, Wallace E. Tyner, Juan Sesmero, Phillip Owens, David J. Muth Jr.

David J. Muth

When considering the market for biomass from corn stover resources erosion and soil quality issues are important to consider. Removal of stover can be beneficial in some areas, especially when coordinated with other conservation practices, such as vegetative barrier strips and cover crops. However, benefits are highly dependent on several factors, namely if farmers see costs and benefits associated with erosion and the tradeoffs with the removal of biomass. This paper uses results from an integrated RUSLE2/WEPS model to incorporate six different regime choices, covering management, harvest and conservation, into a simple profit maximization model to show these tradeoffs.

Environmental Research With Undergraduates In East Asia: Collaborations In China And Japan, Gary A. Morris, Jon Schoer

Gary A. Morris

China: From 2007-2008 as part of a collaborative research project funded by the ASIANetwork, VU and the VLACD, 5 VU students (2 chemistry, 1 biology, 1 environmental science, and 1 civil engineering) spent 3 weeks in Zhejiang province, China and 7 additional weeks in northwest Indiana comparing and contrasting water quality issues and attitudes in the two regions. While in China, the students interacted with one another and graduate students, faculty, and staff from Zhejiang University and Zhejiang A &F University, and with multiple local & regional officials and residents to collect water quality data and opinions about key water …

Environmental Problems Of Industrialization And Sustainable Development In Nigeria - A Review, Adejoh Iyaji

Confluence Journal Environmental Studies (CJES), Kogi State University, Nigeria

The main objective of this paper is to examine the impact of the quest for industrialization on the environment in Nigeria; others include, the identification of the objectives of sustainable development as well as making recommendations that will lead to the much needed sustainable environment both for the present generation and generations yet unborn. The researcher relied principally on secondary sources of data for this paper which is theoretical in approach. Findings revealed the emergence of a host of environmental problems such as air pollution, deforestation, desertification, solid and hazardous waste problems in the wake of the quest for industrialization. …

The 2011 American State Litter Scorecard:New Rankings For An Increasingly Environmentally Concerned Population, Stephen [Steve] L. Spacek

Stephen [Steve] L Spacek

By popular demand--a NEW, up-to-date State Litter "Scorecard" is now released for the 2011 ASPA Baltimore event--measuring each state’s overall environmental quality through public property/spaces debris removal efforts. The “CARD” uses tried-and-true, hard-to-publicly obtain objective and subjective measures, leading to a total overall score for each measured jurisdiction. Readers can thus gain a realistic "picture" of "what's going on" within one or all of the 50 states. Littering/dumping remains harmful, serious American environmental crimes, creating dangers to public health and safety, and contributing to the deaths of over 800 Americans in debris-attributed motor vehicle accidents. The first, original 2008 Scorecard …

A Data Envelopment Analysis Model For Renewable Energy Technology Selection, Elif Kongar, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Public and media interest in alternative energy sources, such as renewable fuels, has rapidly increased in recent years due to higher prices for oil and natural gas. However, the current body of research providing comparative decision making models that either rank these alternative energy sources and/or determine the best possible alternatives is still limited. This paper aims at filling this gap by proposing a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model structure for ranking energy source alternatives under varying circumstances. The model considers both the economics of energy sources and additional environmental criteria such as CO2 emissions and damage cost. Numerical examples …

Quantifying Total And Sustainable Agricultural Biomass Resources In South Dakota—A Preliminary Assessment, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Dennis Todey, Russell Persyn

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Conversion of biomass is considered the next major advance in biorenewable fuels, energy, and products. Wholesale conversion to biomass utilization could result in removal of current crop residues from agricultural fields (on prime agricultural lands) or even implementation of different crops and cropping strategies (i.e., switchgrass on marginal lands). To date, the driver for biomass processing has been economics and limitations on the conversion of the lignocellulose. Over the last forty years significant investments and resultant changes in management practices in the agricultural sector have focused on soil and water conservation. One of the major efforts has focused on conservation-till …

Economists, Value Judgments, And Climate Change: A View From Feminist Economics, Julie Nelson

Julie A. Nelson

A number of recent discussions about ethical issues in climate change, as engaged in by economists, have focused on the value of the parameter representing the rate of time preference within models of optimal growth. This essay examines many economists' antipathy to serious discussion of ethical matters, and suggests that the avoidance of questions of intergenerational equity is related to another set of value judgments concerning the quality and objectivity of economic practice. Using insights from feminist philosophy of science and research on high reliability organizations, this essay argues that a more ethically transparent, real-world-oriented, and flexible economic practice would …

Recent Advances In Understanding Antarctic Climate Evolution, Martin J. Siegert, Peter Barrett, Robert M. Deconto, Robert Dunbar, Colm O. Cofaigh, Sandra Passchier, Tim Naish

Robert M DeConto

Geological evidence shows that the ice sheet and climate in Antarctica has changed considerably since the onset of glaciation around 34 million years ago. By analysing this evidence, important information concerning processes responsible for ice sheet growth and decay can be determined, which is vital for appreciating future changes in Antarctica. Geological records are diverse and their analyses require a variety of techniques. They are, however, essential for the establishment of hypotheses regarding past Antarctic changes. Numerical models of ice and climate are useful for testing such hypotheses, and in recent years there have been several advances in our knowledge …

Recent Advances In Understanding Antarctic Climate Evolution, Martin J. Siegert, Peter Barrett, Robert M. Deconto, Robert Dunbar, Colm O. Cofaigh, Sandra Passchier, Tim Naish

Sandra Passchier

Geological evidence shows that the ice sheet and climate in Antarctica has changed considerably since the onset of glaciation around 34 million years ago. By analysing this evidence, important information concerning processes responsible for ice sheet growth and decay can be determined, which is vital for appreciating future changes in Antarctica. Geological records are diverse and their analyses require a variety of techniques. They are, however, essential for the establishment of hypotheses regarding past Antarctic changes. Numerical models of ice and climate are useful for testing such hypotheses, and in recent years there have been several advances in our knowledge …

Quantifying Total And Sustainable Agricultural Biomass Resources In South Dakota, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Russell Persyn, Dennis Todey

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Conversion of biomass is considered the next major advance in biorenewable fuels, energy, and products. Wholesale conversion to biomass utilization could result in removal of current crop residues from agricultural fields or even implementation of different crops and cropping strategies (i.e., switchgrass). To date, the driver for biomass processing has been economics and limitations on the conversion of the lignocellulose. Over the last forty years significant investments and resultant changes in management practices in the agricultural sector have focused on soil and water conservation. One of the major efforts has focused on conservation-till or no-till, with the goal of retaining …

Reflexive Autopoietic Dissipative Special Systems Theory, Kent D. Palmer

Kent D. Palmer

A newly discovered approach to extending General Systems Theory as defined by George Klir through a set of Special Systems is described. General Systems Theory is distinguished from the theory of Meta-systems. Then, a hinge of three special systems is identified between systems and meta-systems. These special systems are defined by algebraic analogies. Anomalous physical phenomena are specified that exemplify the structures defined by the algebraic analogies. The extraordinary efficacious properties of these special systems are explained. These include ultra-efficiency and ultra-effectiveness. These three special systems are called dissipative, autopoietic, and reflexive. They are anomalous within general systems theory and …