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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

The Effects Of Constructed Wetlands On Metal Solubilization And Bioavailability In Passive Mine Remediation, Elizabeth Cochran May 2019

The Effects Of Constructed Wetlands On Metal Solubilization And Bioavailability In Passive Mine Remediation, Elizabeth Cochran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The legacy of coal mining in Appalachia has left many watersheds impacted by abandoned mine drainage. The drainage degrades streams, groundwater and habitats with acidity and toxic heavy metals. The Lowber Passive Remediation System has been in operation since 2004 to remediate high amounts of dissolved Fe, SO4, Al, and Mn. The site consists of six settling ponds and an extensive wetlands at the finish. This study investigated the resolubilization of Fe and Mn in the wetlands and the role of bacteria in resolubilization. During three seasons, field measurements of water quality and lab analysis of Fe, Mn, …


Wetland Biogeochemical Responses To Predicted Climate Change Scenarios, Angela R. Shaffer Jan 2019

Wetland Biogeochemical Responses To Predicted Climate Change Scenarios, Angela R. Shaffer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wetlands are one of the world's largest known carbon sinks while comprising only a small amount of the Earth's surface. However, the amount of carbon sequestered by wetlands is shrinking as droughts and human disturbance increases. Carbon in wetlands is stored through the contrast of decomposition and sedimentation of organic matter and absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere by soil microbes. Understanding how changing hydrological regimes and increased wildfires will affect wetland soil and microbial processes is important in the face of predicted climate change for future wetland conservation practices. Specifically, I seek to understand the response of southeastern …


A Comparison Of Four Wetlands Assessment Procedures Relevant To The Alluvial Valleys Of East Texas, Amy Camp May 2018

A Comparison Of Four Wetlands Assessment Procedures Relevant To The Alluvial Valleys Of East Texas, Amy Camp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Currently several methods are used by public and private entities to assess wetland functional condition in support of the Section 404 Clean Water Act program. Four of these are: Forested Wetlands in Alluvial Valleys of the Coastal Plain of the Southeastern United States (SEHGM); A Regional Guidebook for Applying the Hydrogeomorphic Approach to the Functional Assessment of Forested Wetlands in Alluvial Valleys of East Texas (ETXHGM); Texas Rapid Assessment Method (TXRAM); and the Wildlife Habitat Appraisal Procedure (WHAP). Little previous research compares wetland functional assessment methods. Results of the SEHGM, ETXHGM, TXRAM, and WHAP methods were compared on five East …


Changes In Wetland Conditions And Wetland Plant Communities In The Prairie Pothole Region After 50 Years, Ryann Cressey Jan 2016

Changes In Wetland Conditions And Wetland Plant Communities In The Prairie Pothole Region After 50 Years, Ryann Cressey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wetlands in Stutsman County, North Dakota were revisited after 50 years to assess changes in wetland conditions and plant communities within wetland zones in the Prairie Pothole Region. In 1961-1966, Robert E. Stewart and Harold A. Kantrud conducted a study to investigate the relationship of wetland plant communities to variations of water permanence and chemistry on three study areas: Crystal Springs, Cottonwood, and Mt. Moriah. Within in this region, a severe drought occurred in 1988- 1992 followed by the longest deluge starting in 1993 with wetlands still impacted today. In 2013 and 2014, I revisited 80 of the original wetlands …


Response Of Vegetation And Endangered Waterbirds To Habitat Management Techniques At Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge, James Andrew Rader Jan 2005

Response Of Vegetation And Endangered Waterbirds To Habitat Management Techniques At Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge, James Andrew Rader

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Habitat selection, reproductive effort, and habitat utilization of Hawai’ian stilts (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) and Hawai’ian coots (Fulica alai) was studied on Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge in Mau’i, Hawai’i. Nesting behavior was confirmed following management treatments on the northern shore of Kealia Pond. Nests were dispersed or randomly spaced within vegetation patches or newly created mudflat habitat. Pickleweed and makai were the dominant vegetation surrounding the nest setting and utilized for nest substrate by Hawai’ian stilts and Hawai’ian coots respectively. Mechanical control treatments were implemented through monotypic stands of pickleweed to increase interspersion of open water and promote native vegetation. …


Demographics Of Western South Dakota Wetlands And Basins, Bryan A. Rieger Jan 2004

Demographics Of Western South Dakota Wetlands And Basins, Bryan A. Rieger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wetlands, whether natural or man-made in origin, are an important feature of the semiarid landscape of western South Dakota. These wetlands have numerous social and economic values and functions for both landowners and non-owners, as well as for fish and wildlife species. For this reason, accurate information about wetland abundance, characteristics and distribution is important. These demographic summaries of wetland resources of western South Dakota were based on digital wetland data, as delineated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) office. Surface water covers approximately 257,006 ha or about 2.4% of the 10,810,700 ha of western …


Invertebrate Egg And Plant Seed Banks In Natural, Restored, And Drained Wetlands In The Prairie Pothole Region (Usa) And Potential Effects Of Sedimentation On Recolonization Of Hydrophytes And Aquatic Invertebrates, Robert Andrew Gleason Jan 2001

Invertebrate Egg And Plant Seed Banks In Natural, Restored, And Drained Wetlands In The Prairie Pothole Region (Usa) And Potential Effects Of Sedimentation On Recolonization Of Hydrophytes And Aquatic Invertebrates, Robert Andrew Gleason

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sediment is the major pollutant of wetlands, lakes, rivers, and estuaries in the United States and it poses unique threats to wetlands of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). Sediment may impact the success of wetland restorations because burial of invertebrate and plant propagules may impact hatching and germination success, and hence, may hamper successional changes throughout interannual climate cycles. Sedimentation also reduces the pool depth and volume, further exacerbating the recovery of hydrophyte communities in restored wetlands. I evaluated the potential impacts of sedimentation on prairie wetlands from several perspectives. First, I evaluated the effects of sedimentation on loss of …