Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Foreign Migration To The Cleveland-Akron-Lorain Metropolitan Area From 1995 To 2000, Mark Salling, Ellen Cyran

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This report is one of a series on migration to and from the region using the five percent Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) of the 2000 Census of Population and Housing and provides a description of foreign migrants moving to the Cleveland-Akron-Lorain (CAL) Consolidated Metropolitan Area (CMSA) from 1995 to 2000.* The report identifies the countries of origin of migrants and compares the demographic, socioeconomic, and housing characteristics of the foreign migrants to the CAL with other groups, including foreign migrants to Ohio and the nation, and, at times, to domestic migrants to and from the CAL.

Developing A Modular Hydrogeology Ontology Extending The Sweet Ontologies, Ajay Tripathi

Geosciences Theses

Application of ontologies in the environmental science will allow experts in this field to model their domain knowledge for more efficient exchange and reuse. This thesis presents a modular approach in reengineering existing upper-level ontologies to conceptualize specific domain knowledge. The aim of extending these upper-level ontologies is to tailor and transform the existing conceptual models into new ones designed for the use in a specific domain in the earth sciences. This thesis extends the upper-level Semantic Web for Earth and Environmental Terminology (SWEET)ontologies to develop ontologies for part of the hydrogeology domain. The existing SWEET ontologies are developed by …

Street Trees In The Urban Forest Canopy: Portland, Oregon, Joseph Poracsky, David Banis

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Attempts to identify the contribution of street trees to the overall urban forest of a city have been rare and lack consensus on how to measure that contribution – percentage of trees, percentage of canopy cover, or percentage of leaf area. The actual numeric values presented in the literature also vary over a broad range and often are based on estimates, extrapolations from aggregated data, or simply stated with no empirical data referenced. This study was undertaken to evaluate the contribution of street trees to canopy in Portland, Oregon. The study involved both visual and digital analysis of multi-band aerial …

Geogdl: A Web-Based Approach To Geography Examination, Ee Peng Lim, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh, Yin-Leng Theng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The traditional educational approach with students as passive recipients has been the subject of criticism. A constructivist learner-centered approach towards education has been argued to produce greater internalization and application of knowledge compared to the traditional teacher-centered, transmission-oriented approach. Nevertheless, contemporary instructional design models argue for the use and integration of both approaches especially in complex learning tasks. This paper describes GeogDL, a Web-based application developed above a digital library of geographical resources for Singapore students preparing to take a national examination in geography. GeogDL is unique in that it not only provides an environment for active learning, it also …

Fire-Induced Albedo Change And Its Radative Forcing At The Surface In Northern Austrailia, Y. Jin, David P. Roy

GSCE Faculty Publications

This paper investigates the impact of fire on surface albedo and the associated radiative forcing over 56% of continental Australia encompassing the fire-prone northern tropical savanna. Fire-affected areas and albedos are derived for the 2003 fire season using daily Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) surface reflectance data. Near-infrared and total shortwave albedos are observed to generally decrease after fire occurrence. Regionally, the total shortwave albedo drops by an average of 0.024, with increasing reductions as the dry season progresses and larger reductions in grasslands than woody savannas. These fire-induced albedo changes exert a positive forcing at the surface that increases …

Applications Of Integrated Data Viewer – Idv In An Introductory Meteorology Class For Non-Science Majors, Ricardo C. Nogueria

Masters Theses

Computer products developed to visualize and integrate meteorological products with real-time data can create a virtual reality of the atmosphere. These advanced technologies help educators to improve teaching techniques in the classroom for science and non-science majors and increase the students' interest in learning as well. One of these products, the Integrated Data Viewer (IDV), was recently developed by University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) project, Unidata, to visualize and integrate geoscience data. This study compares students' performance in the laboratory sessions using IDV-based and MANUAL-based exercises. Comparison of lab scores with exam scores of questions on the same topic …

On Assigning Place Names To Geography Related Web Pages, Wenbo Zong, Dan Wu, Aixin Sun, Ee Peng Lim, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we attempt to give spatial semantics to web pages by assigning them place names. The entire assignment task is divided into three sub-problems, namely place name extraction, place name disambiguation and place name assignment. We propose our approaches to address these sub-problems. In particular, we have modified GATE, a well-known named entity extraction software, to perform place name extraction using a US Census gazetteer. A rule-based place name disambiguation method and a place name assignment method capable of assigning place names to web page segments have also been proposed. We have evaluated our proposed disambiguation and assignment …

Hyperspectral Simulation And Recovery Of Submerged Targets In Turbid Waters, Charles R. Bostater

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Modeled hyperspectral reflectance signatures just above the water surface are obtained from radiative transfer models to create synthetic images of targets below the water surface. Images are displayed as 24 bit RGB images of the water surface using selected channels. Example model outputs are presented in this paper for a hyperspectral Monte Carlo and a hyperspectral layered analytical iterative model of radiative transport within turbid shallow water types. Images at the selected wavelengths or channels centered at 490, 530 and 680 nm suggests the two models provide quite similar results when displayed as RGB images. The techniques are demonstrated to …

Ozone Damage Potential To Loblolly Pine Ecosystems In Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, Diane Marie Styers

Geosciences Theses

Atlanta is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the southeastern United States and is the only area in the region currently listed in “serious” 1-hour ozone nonattainment. Despite its exceedance history, impacts on Atlanta’s urban forests have not been the focus of any major studies. The purpose of this study was to examine air pollution damage to vegetation using a foliar-injury survey on Stone Mountain. The objectives of this project included 1) establishing that pollution transport from Atlanta to Stone Mountain occurs, 2) determining the magnitude of ozone concentrations near Stone Mountain and 3) assessing sensitive plant species on …

Continuous Late Pleistocene Paleoclimate Record From The Southwest African Margin: A Multi-Proxy Approach, Julia Keegan Shackford

Geosciences Theses

Late Pleistocene sediments recovered from ODP Leg 175, Site 1085 are used to generate a high-resolution (500 yr) record of continental climate change in Southern Africa. The location of Site 1085, the SW African continental slope, provides a continuous hemipelagic section with a significant terrigenous component. Terrigenous sediments are transported via fluvial and/or eolian transport mechanisms with MIS 1 being dominated by eolian transport. Analyses, including grain-size, color reflectance, biogenic sediment geochemistry (%CaCO3, %TOC, and C/N), bulk sediment geochemistry, and clay mineralogy, are used to identify continental climate conditions in southern Africa. Analyses indicate glacial/interglacial variation. Median grain-size peaks are …

Provenance And Depositional History Of Late Pleistocene New Jersey Shelf Sediments, Roxie Jessica Turner

Geosciences Theses

Pleistocene New Jersey shelf sedimentology is strongly influenced by glacially driven sea level changes. A combination of regressive shoreline processes, subaerial exposure, fluvial downcutting, and deposition and reworking during transgression has influenced the NJ shelf sediment composition. Sediment provenance and transport history may be determined on a shelf environment through analysis of grain size distribution, heavy mineral content, magnetic mineral concentrations, and isotopic dating methods. A combination of surface grab and stratigraphic samples were analyzed within the study area. Relatively high percentages of heavy minerals were found in the 2 phi and 3 phi size fractions and hornblende grains provided …

Hierarchies For Event-Based Modeling Of Geographic Phenomena, Rui Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modeling the dynamic aspect, or change, of geographic phenomena is essential to explain the evolution of geographic entities and predict their future. Event-based modelling, describing the occurrences rather than states of geographic phenomena, gives an explicit treatment of such change, but currently does not have the support of the mechanisms to enable the shifts among different granularities of events. To account for different tasks, a hierarchical representation of the event space at different granularities is needed.

This thesis presents an event-based model; a general framework for representing events based on precondition and postcondition using Allen's temporal interval logic. It captures …

Citizen Based Public Health Surveillance, Monitoring And Post-Event Assessments, Thomas Lyons Carr Iii

Thomas Lyons (Thom) Carr III Appl.Sc., CEM

When a sudden on-set emergency or disaster affects a region or the whole country, communities and neighborhoods should plan for the possibility that emergency and other civic services will be disrupted and unavailable (District of Columbia 2003a, 2003b, 2004; Doyle 2004; Siskiyou County Public Health/NorCalBT.com 2004). The event may be severe enough that the routine public health surveillance and monitoring system will be disrupted or the system will not be able to provide data quickly enough to support state and local decisionmaking. A temporary post-disaster system should be planned for and implemented. The epidemiologist supporting the local decision makers must …

Ecological Science And Sustainability For The 21st Century, Margaret A. Palmer, Emily S. Bernhardt, Elizabeth A. Chornesky, Scott L. Collins, Andrew P. Dobson, Clifford S. Duke, Barry D. Gold, Robert B. Jacobson, Sharon E. Kingsland, Rhonda H. Kranz, Michael J. Mappin, M. Luisa Martinez, Florenza Micheli, Jennifer L. Morse, Michael L. Pace, Mercedes Pascual, Stephen S. Palumbi, Oj Reichman, Alan R. Townsend, Monica G. Turner

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ecological science has contributed greatly to our understanding of the natural world and the impact of humans on that world. Now, we need to refocus the discipline towards research that ensures a future in which natural systems and the humans they include coexist on a more sustainable planet. Acknowledging that managed ecosystems and intensive exploitation of resources define our future, ecologists must play a greatly expanded role in communicating their research and influencing policy and decisions that affect the environment. To accomplish this, they will have to forge partnerships at scales and in forms they have not traditionally used. These …

The Reflection Of Karst In The Online Mirror: A Survey Within Scientific Databases, 1960-2005, Lee J. Florea, Beth Fratesi, Todd A. Chavez

Academic Resources Faculty and Staff Publications

The field of cave and karst science is served by a literature that is dispersed across far-flung topical journals, government publications, and club newsletters. As part of an inter-institutional project to globalize karst information (KIP, the Karst Information Portal), the USF Library undertook a structured battery of literature searches to map the domain of karst literature. The study used 4,300 individual searches and four literature databases: GeoRef, BIOSIS, Anthropology Plus, and GPO Access. The searches were based on a list of 632 terms including 321 karst-related keywords culled from three leading encyclopedias and glossaries of cave and karst science. An …

Limnología De Las Lagunas Glaciales En El Páramo Del Chirripó, Costa Rica. (Limnology Of Glacial Lakes In The Chirripó Páramo Of Costa Rica.), Sally P Horn, Kenneth H. Orvis, Kurt A. Haberyan

Geography Publications and Other Works

More than 30 lakes of glacial origin exist within the Chirripó páramo in the Cordillera de Talamanca of Costa Rica. This chapter describes the geomorphic setting and physical and chemical limnology of 19 lakes located between 3450-3570 m elevation in the upper basins of five glaciated valleys. All lakes are clear, dilute, and apparently polymictic. Water chemistry data from 1998, 2000, and 2001 are similar from lake to lake and year to year, and are consistent with sparse prior measurements between 1966 and 1991. However, the lake water temperatures we have measured are much higher than those reported by earlier …

Breeding Behavior Of The Mongolian Pika (Ochotona Pallasi) In The Gobi Gurvan Saykhan Mountains, Mongolia, Tserendorjiin Munkhzul

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Behavior, morphology, and biology of the Mongolian pika (Ochotona pallasi) were investigated within the framework of the joint ’Grazing Research Project’ of the Philipps-University of Mar-burg, Germany and the Mongolian National University in Ulaanbaatar. The study took place in the Stipa-Allium-steppes of the upper pediments in the Dund Saykhan mountain of the Gobi Gurvan Saykhan National Park, where its burrows cover a significant part of the area.

The behavior of the Mongolian pikas changes seasonally. During the rut in spring males are generally more occupied with defending their territory and fighting off rivals, while females spend more time …

Winter Pasture Conditions And Forage Use By Argali (Ovis Ammon) In Gobi Gurvan Saykhan National Park, Bayart Mandakh, Ganchimeg J. Wingard, Richard P. Reading

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Conservation of Argali sheep (Ovis ammon) presents a significant challenge to biologists and conservation managers in Mongolia. Argali are endangered and available data suggest that their numbers are declining. However, the mechanisms causing this decline are poorly understood. Recent research suggests that declines in Argali sheep numbers may be due in part to competition with domestic livestock for forage.

Following privatization of herd ownership in 1991, livestock numbers increased dramatically across Mongolia. With this increase, many herders expanded grazing onto more marginal rangeland resulting in increased competition with wild ungulates and displacement of Argali from their former population …

Vier Jahrzehnte Erfolgreicher Wissenschaftskooperation Der Universitäten Halle Und Ulan-Bator, Michael Stubbe, Annegret Stubbe, Ravčigijn Samjaa, K. Wesche

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The exploration of Asia by scientists from the University of Halle and the Francke Foundations (founded in 1698) has a long tradition, dating back to the 18th century when early researchers reached the northern borders of Mongolia.

In 1962 and 1964, the first large biological expeditions were organized by the Academies of Sciences of the GDR and Mongolia, and zoologists from the Universities of Halle, Berlin and Ulan-Bator were part of the expedition teams. These expeditions aimed at the exploration of southern and western Mongolia, and laid the foundation for extremely valuable scientific collections yielding innumerable herbarium specimens and a …

Wild Bactrian Camel Conservation, Richard P. Reading, Evan S. Blumer, Henry Mix, Jadamsuren Adiya

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The wild Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus ferus) is critically endangered throughout its range in China and Mongolia. Yet, wild camels remain poorly understood, with knowledge derived primarily from a few short studies and anecdotal information. We initiated a wild camel conservation project to determine the reasons for camel decline and to develop a program to address those problems.

We are employing satellite telemetry to gather data on wild camel movement patterns, home ranges, habitat use, and sources of mortality. We are also collecting feces from camels and wolves to determine important forage plants and to begin to assess …

Beaver Research In The Uvs Nuur Region, Michael Stubbe, N. Dawaa, R. Samjaa, Annegret Stubbe, A. P. Saveljev, D. Heidecke, D. Sumjaa, H. Ansorge, S. Shar, J.-F. Ducroz

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

In 1985, 1988, and 2002 Castor fiber birulai was introduced to the Tes Gol of the Uvs Nuur basin in North-western Mongolia. The beavers migrated through the Republic of Tyva and settled in the middle part of Tes Gol near the Tyvinian-Mongolian border. About 10 colonies were recorded in this region in 2002. Strict protection of Castor fiber birulai has to be ensured in Mongolia and the Republic of Tyva in future.

Is Degradation A Major Problem In Semi-Desert Environments Of The Gobi Region In Southern Mongolia?, Karsten Wesche, Vroni Retzer

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

This paper tests predictions derived from the non-equilibrium theory of rangeland science. Data were collected in livestock enclosures situated in the relatively moist desert steppes of the Gobi Gurvan Saykhan region of southern Mongolia from 2000 to 2003. Plant community composition and species’ richness in enclosures showed clear differences between years, but these were equally strong in ungrazed controls. Thus, changes were mainly attributed to differences in precipitation between years as opposed to grazing, as no significant effects thereof were detected. This was also confirmed by data on above-ground standing biomass. This changed tremendously over the years, with differences between …

Quantitative Investigations On Bird Communities In Different Habitats In The Orkhon-Selenge-Valley In Northern Mongolia, Tobias Stenzel, Michael Stubbe, Ravčigijn Samjaa, Sundev Gombobaatar

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

In the breeding seasons 2001 to 2003, the avifauna of a study area of about 80 km² in the Selenge Aymag was studied.

The area is characterized by loose groves of elms (Ulmus pumila) and pine trees (Pinus sylvestris), and a chain of barchan dunes which separate the Orkhon valley from the up to 70 m higher situated forest steppe. Steppe species (Stipa spp.) dominate in the south; the northern steppe part is characterized by Caragana bushes (Caragana microphylla, locally C. stenophylla). Between Orkhon Gol and the eastern dunes, dry steppe …

Facts From A Year Of Drought: Forage Competition Between Livestock And The Mongolian Pika (Ochotona Pallasi) And Its Effects On Livestock Densities And Body Condition, Vroni Retzer

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Burrowing small mammals in grasslands have long been regarded as pests because they compete for forage with livestock and reduce the forage availability for livestock by destroying pastures through their intensive digging activity.

In order to investigate forage competition between the Mongolian Pika (Ochotona pallasi) and livestock an exclosure experiment consisting of four different treatments was set up. The treatments were: 1) accessible only for pikas, (only pika) 2) accessible only for livestock, (only livestock) 3) accessible for both herbivore groups (pika & livestock) and 4) no grazing (no grazing). During the investigation period all requirements for forage …

Flora Of The Gurvan Saykhan Mountains, Tseden Jamsran, Batlai Oyuntsetseg, Radnaakhand Tungalag

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Although two major books have been published on the Mongolian flora regional data are often still lacking due to the vast expanses of the country. Therefore we used published information and data from our own fieldwork to compile a relatively comprehensive inventory of the flora of the Gobi Gurvan Saykhan mountains in southern Mongolia.

Environmental Adaptations Of The Gobi Desert Plants In Mongolia: An Example Of C4-Plants, Ts. Tsendeekhuu, Clanton Candler Black

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

This paper presents the results of our studies on the ecological adaptations and geographical distribution of plants with C4-photosynthesis in Mongolia using ¹³C isotope discrimination.

Previous studies identified about 80 C4-species in 8 families in the Mongolian flora. Our investigations lead to the identification of four additional species, which can be regarded as C4-plants. Orostachys spinosa (-16.26‰ ¹³C), O. thyrsiflora (-16.86‰ ¹³C), O. fimbriata (-16.15‰ ¹³C), and Euphorbia humifusa (-23.29‰ ¹³C). However, as the discrimination level for Euphorbia humifusa is very similar to that of C3-plants it may be switching between C3 and C4 types …

Ecology Of Argali In Ikh Nartiin Chuluu, Dornogobi Aymag, Richard P. Reading, Sukhiin Amgalanbaatar, Ganchimeg J. Wingard, Danny Kenny, Anthony Denicola

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Argali sheep (Ovis ammon) are listed as threatened in both Mongolia and internationally. Yet, little is known about the biology and ecology of this species. Available data suggests that Argali in Mongolia are declining due to direct poaching and competition with domestic livestock. We initiated several research projects to better understand and conserve the species. In this report we discuss Argali ecology using radio telemetry.

We captured and radio-collared 36 Argali using drive-nets, lamb captures, and dating from 2000–2004. Fifteen collared animals have died: 2 due to capture techniques, 8 from predation, 1 from starvation and exposure, 1 …

Reproductive Ecology Of Two Common Woody Species, Juniperus Sabina And Artemisia Santolinifolia, In Mountain Steppes Of Southern Mongolia, Katrin Ronnenberg

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The present study describes the reproductive ecology of the prostrate shrub Juniperus sabina and the dwarf shrub Artemisia santolinifolia in dry mountain steppes of southern Mongolia. Whereas stands of the juniper are located at the drought limit of the genus’ distributional range, the genus Artemisia is typical of central Asian drylands. Both species produce large numbers of reproductive organs. For Juniperus sabina, however, only 2.5% of the morphologically intact seeds were found to be viable. Correspondingly, neither seedlings nor saplings were found in the field, and recruitment by reseeding happens at most rarely under the present climatic conditions.

Instead, …

Zur Populationsökologie Und Raumnutzung Der Steppenwühlmaus Microtus Brandti (Radde, 1861) In Der Fortpflanzungsperiode, Ulrich Zöphel, N. Dawaa

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

During the growing season between 1988 and 1990 the population biology of Brandt’s vole (Microtus brandti) was observed in a population near Ulaanbaatar. Mark-recapture techniques (1,438 markings, 19,606 recaptures in total) and complementary methods were used. The density maximum was observed in July with 98 (1988); 169 (1989) and 94 (1990) individuals/ha and the population fluctuated by a factor of 7.4.

At the beginning of reproductive period the males disperse over a minimum distance of one female home range whereas the females do not migrate after winter. The typical mating system is promiscuity. Youngsters have been recorded from …

The Effects Of Anthropogenic Impact On Plant And Soil Cover In Mongolia, Werner Hilbig, Christian Opp

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Under the prevailing variable natural conditions nomadic pastoralism was the most suitable form of land use in Mongolia and the neighboring countries in the past. Furthermore, small areas were used for agriculture in some regions. Therefore, anthropogenic influence was present throughout history. In the forest steppe zone this led to the disappearance of forest sites which then gave way to meadow steppe.

The severe impact on the natural pastures by continuous increase of livestock herding and other human activities was perceptible during the socialist period. But since the 1990s, after the transition to market economy, this impact has increased greatly …