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Articles 1 - 13 of 13
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Methane Discharge At High Northern Latitudes: Past And Present, Marta E. Torres
Methane Discharge At High Northern Latitudes: Past And Present, Marta E. Torres
Sustainability Seminar Series
Climate is intimately tied to Earth’s hydro- and cryo-spheres. To understand the consequences that predicted global warming can have on biogeochemical cycling and mass inventories in the Arctic Ocean, I will present results on two study sites: the Svalbard margin and the Chuchki sea, that provide information on present-day methane discharge and evidence for the likelihood that groundwater flow during the Early Holocene Thermal Maximum (EHTM). I will review how data collected in the water column and shallow sediment can be used to constrain sources, transport, transformation and timing of methane fluxes, including the potential role of gas hydrate dissociation. …
How Can Collaborative Engagement Improve Water Quality? An On-The-Ground Perspective From The Musconetcong River, Alan R. Hunt
How Can Collaborative Engagement Improve Water Quality? An On-The-Ground Perspective From The Musconetcong River, Alan R. Hunt
Sustainability Seminar Series
Partnerships are instrumental to improving water quality, especially difficult challenges like addressing non-point source pollution. Hear how over a thirty year timespan local residents worked to improve water quality, first through protecting the Musconetcong River as a National Wild and Scenic River, and then using that status to work collaboratively with federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and local land owners to reduce pollution from farms and remove abandoned dams.
Compound Extreme Events, Radley Horton
Compound Extreme Events, Radley Horton
Sustainability Seminar Series
There is a growing realization among scientists and decision makers that extreme events should not be considered in isolation. Compound events of three types will be described: 1) multivariate (e.g. heat plus humidity), 2) sequential (e.g. a heat wave after a tropical cyclone), and 3) concurrent (e.g. simultaneous temperature extremes in multiple regions). Research results will be presented for these compound extremes. More research is needed on correlations and physical mechanisms that can link seemingly independent extreme events. This research is especially urgent now, since climate change may shift the correlation structures of extreme events, and because compound extreme events …
The Potential Of Carbon Capture Through Mineral Weathering, Noah Planavsky
The Potential Of Carbon Capture Through Mineral Weathering, Noah Planavsky
Sustainability Seminar Series
Noah Planavsky is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. He joined the faculty in 2012 after doing graduate work at University of California, Riverside. He is an isotope geochemist that works on environmental change in Earth’s past, present, and future. His work combines field studies, analytical chemistry, and geochemical modeling. He has worked extensively on atmospheric evolution—with a particular focus on changes in oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations. Current projects focus on changes in ocean oxygen levels and on the potential for carbon capture through enhanced mineral weathering in marine and terrestrial environments.
Coastal Change Hazards: Understanding What’S At Stake And Planning For The Future, Erika Lentz
Coastal Change Hazards: Understanding What’S At Stake And Planning For The Future, Erika Lentz
Sustainability Seminar Series
Coastal hazards affect both human and natural systems in ways that can be sudden, dramatic, and/or irreversible. Flooding, erosion, and landscape change, driven by storms, sea-level rise, and human disturbances present a variety of challenges for those living and working on the coast. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) delivers a variety of products and tools that support the mitigation of coastal hazards, including protecting life and property. Our Coastal Change Hazards (CCH) programmatic focus was born from a goal to better serve communities’ needs using the best science available to support effective coastal management and inform decision making from local …
Biometrics And The Public Realm: Urban Sustainability During The Covid Pandemic, Justin B. Hollander
Biometrics And The Public Realm: Urban Sustainability During The Covid Pandemic, Justin B. Hollander
Sustainability Seminar Series
Prof. Hollander will speak about the ways that sustainability scholars and professionals need to approach the design of the public realm differently today. These new requirements are due to social distancing requirements of the pandemic and in light of recent advances in psychology and neuroscience that help us understand better how people experience urban space. Professor Hollander will discuss some of the key findings from his forthcoming book on these topics, co-edited with Ann Sussman: Urban Experience and Design: Contemporary Perspectives on Improving the Public Realm (Routledge, 2021).
The Varying Effects Of Accessing High-Speed Rail System On China’S County Development: A Geographically Weighted Panel Regression Analysis, Danlin Yu
Sustainability Seminar Series
The construction of high-speed rail in China was initiated to answer increasing demand for fast and convenient transportation systems connecting large economic centers. It is commonly understood that access to HSR will have significant impact on economic development. It is, however, also quite possible that the benefits to economic development brought by HSR will have a diminishing marginal effect. With data of HSR stations distribution and a set of panel data of socioeconomic information at county-level from 2008 – 2015 in China, this study applies advanced spatiotemporal data analysis techniques to investigate the impact of HSR. Our results suggest that …
Elemental Hyper-Accumulation In Mushrooms With A Focus On Arsenic, Walter Goessler
Elemental Hyper-Accumulation In Mushrooms With A Focus On Arsenic, Walter Goessler
Sustainability Seminar Series
Mushrooms play an important role in the biogeochemical cycling of trace elements. They do neither belong to plants nor to animals but form their own kingdom. Some mushrooms live in symbiosis with plants or as parasites on other living organisms. Mushrooms are abundant worldwide. Although omnipresent, they only become noticeable when fruiting bodies are produced. Mushrooms are becoming a more important part of our diet and are used in various aspects of our life. They are used for antibiotics production, in the food industry(wine, cheese...) but also as biological pesticides. New applications cover plastics degradation and use as a leather …
Seeking Sustainability For Computing, Stefan A. Robila
Seeking Sustainability For Computing, Stefan A. Robila
Sustainability Seminar Series
The talk will provide two perspectives on how sustainability is considered in computing. First, the impact computing has on energy consumption and on the environment will be discussed through the prism of past and prior research projects. Computing currently drives advances in all areas of science and engineering, generates efficiencies in industries, and dominates the creation and delivery of entertainment. Computing is also a significant consumer of energy accounting for 3% of the global usage. Data centers account of a third of this consumption, yet also provide a case where efficiencies in system design have limited the energy use increase …
Primate Conservation & Endangered Species Hunting In Madagascar, Cortni Borgerson
Primate Conservation & Endangered Species Hunting In Madagascar, Cortni Borgerson
Sustainability Seminar Series
Ever wonder, “Who hunts endangered species and why?” Borgerson’s research demonstrates the importance of understanding human incentives when designing conservation action. Dr. Cortni Borgerson is excited to share with us her efforts working with local communities to better understand and improve food security in areas of high biodiversity, so that we may simultaneously support forests and the people who live within them.
What Can History Tell Us About The Future? Using Recent Observations And Paleoclimate Proxies To Constrain Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity, Kate Marvel
Sustainability Seminar Series
Despite improvements in computing power, climate modeling, and basic theoretical understanding, the Earth’s physical response to a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide remains uncertain. Can observations be useful in constraining this theoretical quantity? We have high-‐quality information on recent trends: greenhouse gas concentrations have increased since the industrial revolution, and the planet has warmed in response. But I will argue that this recent history provides only weak constraints on the eventual climate sensitivity: observations of a transient climate are poor predictors of a future equilibrium state. Reconstructions of past equilibria both colder (the Last Glacial Maximum) and warmer (the mid-‐Pliocene) …
Wetlands Now! What Are Wetlands And What Does Usepa Region 2 Do To Protect Them?, Marco Finocchiaro
Wetlands Now! What Are Wetlands And What Does Usepa Region 2 Do To Protect Them?, Marco Finocchiaro
Sustainability Seminar Series
Wetlands are important features in the landscape that provide numerous benefits for people and for fish and wildlife. Some of these benefits include protecting and improving water quality, providing fish and wildlife habitats, sustaining cultural uses, and storing floodwaters. In this presentation, Marco Finocchiaro will introduce us to how USEPA Region 2 accomplishes national wetland program goals, including increasing the quantity and quality of these valuable resources, through establishing standards for reviewing discharges that affect wetlands, conserving and restoring wetland acreage, and improving wetland condition in partnership with other federal agencies, as well as states, tribes, local governments.
Lean Six Sigma & Sustainability, Brion Hurley
Lean Six Sigma & Sustainability, Brion Hurley
Sustainability Seminar Series
Lean and Six Sigma are improvement methodologies that have helped organizations and businesses save money, improve delivery performance, reduce inventory and improve quality for decades. These techniques can also be used to help reduce negative impacts on the environment (energy, waste and landfill usage), and improve government agencies, education systems, nonprofits, healthcare, and more.