Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Tree-Ring Based Reconstruction Of Logan River Streamflow In Northern Utah, Eric B. Allen, Tammy M. Rittenour, R. Justin Derose, Matthew F. Bekker, Roger Kjelgren, Brendan M. Buckley

Wasatch Dendroclimatology Research

[1] We created six new tree-ring chronologies in northern Utah, which were used with preexisting chronologies from Utah and western Wyoming to reconstruct mean annual flow for the Logan River, the largest tributary of the regionally important Bear River. Two reconstruction models were developed, a “Local” model that incorporated two Rocky Mountain juniper chronologies located within the basin, and a “Regional” model that also included limber pine and pinyon pine chronologies from a larger area. The Local model explained 48.2% of the variability in the instrumental record and the juniper chronologies better captured streamflow variability than Douglas-fir collected within the …

Permaculture, Roslynn Brain, Blake Thomas

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessing Attitudes Towards Global Climate Change Among Utah State University Faculty, Amy C. Rohman

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Climate change is a polarizing issue in which there are significant differences in perception between the scientific community and the general public. The intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has formally acknowledged an increasing body of evidence that supports primarily human-caused climate change. No scientific organization has dissented, and over thirty national academies of the sciences have issued joint declarations confirming the evidence of anthropogenic climate change. Therefore, polarization is not caused by a lack of available scientific information. This study surveys Utah State University faculty to solicit their knowledge of and attitudes towards global climate change. Responses are assessed …

Inverse Method For Simultaneous Determination Of Soil Water Flux Density And Thermal Properties With A Penta-Needle Heat Pulse Probe, Changbing Yang, Masaru Sakai, Scott B. Jones

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

An accurate method for determination of in situ soil water flux density continues to be the most sought after and yet elusive hydrologic measurement. The penta-needle heat pulse probe (PHPP) employs a central heater needle surrounded by an orthogonal arrangement of four thermistor needles for two-component water flux density estimation. An analytical solution and inverse fitting method are presented for simultaneous estimation of thermal properties and soil water flux density using PHPP measurements. The approach yields estimates of both components of the flux in a plane normal to the axis of the PHPP needles. The method was evaluated using data …

Improving Resilience In Mixed Farming Systems To Pending Climate Change In Far Western Nepal, D. Layne Coppock

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercises were conducted in four cluster-VDCs in Bajura district, Far Western Nepal from May 19 to June 8, 2013. These exercises were undertaken to gain a better understanding of community resources and to identify opportunities that will assist these rural farming communities to cope with and adapt to climate change. Ten key tools were applied during the PRA exercise in each community cluster: Social Resource Map, Transect Walks, Farm Sketches, Disadvantaged Group mapping, Historical Community Timelines, Gender Daily Calendar, Seasonal Farming Calendars, Institutional/Stakeholders Analysis (Venn Diagrams) and Focused Group Discussion.

Modeling Habitat Use Of A Fringe Greater Sage-Grouse Population At Multiple Spatial Scales, Anya Cheyenne Burnett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) are a prominent bird species of sagebrush-dominated landscapes across the western United States. Over the past 15 years, sage-grouse have gained international attention due to decreasing population trends despite management efforts. In 2010 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated this species as warranted for listing under the Endangered Species Act, but the listing was precluded by other species at higher conservation risk. Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation have been implicated as primary sources of declines in sage-grouse distribution and abundance. The Bald Hills population in southwestern Utah occupies an area with …

Climate Change And Plant Demography In The Sagebrush Steppe, Aldo Compagnoni

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of State-Level Economic Impacts From The Development Of Wind Power Plants In Wayne County, Utah, Jeffrey Parker, Edwin R. Stafford, Cathy Hartman

Management Faculty Publications

This report provides an overview of the state of Utah’s development of its wind resources for the generation of electricity and an economic analysis of potential wind development in Wayne County, Utah. This analysis draws on information from local wind developers and utilizes the Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) model (version W1.10.03) developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to estimate the total economic impacts (labor, supply chain, and induced) that could result from the development of a wind power plant in Wayne County. Findings detail how a Wayne County wind power plant could …

An Analysis Of State-Level Economic Impacts From The Development Of Wind Power Plants In Cache County, Utah, Austin Coover, Edwin R. Stafford, Cathy Hartman

Management Faculty Publications

This report provides an overview of the state of Utah’s development of its wind resources for the generation of electricity and an economic analysis of potential wind development in Cache County, Utah. This analysis draws on information from local wind developers and utilizes the Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) model (version W1.10.03) developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to estimate the total economic impacts (labor, supply chain, and induced) that could result from the development of a wind power plant in Cache County. Findings detail how a Cache County wind power plant could …

An Analysis Of State-Level Economic Impacts From The Development Of Wind Power Plants In Box Elder County, Utah, Jeffrey Parker, Cathy Hartman, Edwin R. Stafford

Management Faculty Publications

This report provides an overview of the state of Utah’s development of its wind resources for the generation of electricity and an economic analysis of potential wind development in Box Elder County, Utah. This analysis draws on information from local wind developers and utilizes the Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) model (version W1.10.03) developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to estimate the total economic impacts (labor, supply chain, and induced) that could result from the development of a wind power plant in Box Elder County. Findings detail how a Box Elder County wind …

Wildland Firefighter Smoke Exposure Study, George Anthony Broyles

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

This report addresses exposure to smoke from wildland and prescribed fires encountered by wildland firefighters. Smoke from vegetation as well as off-gasses from equipment such as chain saws, pumps, and drip torches are accounted for. Section II provides an overview of industrial hygiene science and techniques. Section III is a discussion and literature review of the components in wildland smoke, and section IV identifies the health concerns associated with smoke inhalation and a review of the current literature on exposure to inhalation irritants. Section V covers research that has been done on wildland firefighter smoke exposure. Section VI is an …

Spatially Indexed Functional Data, Oleksandr Gromenko

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The increased concentration of greenhouse gases is associated with the global warming in the lower troposphere. For over twenty years, the space physics community has studied a hypothesis of global cooling in the thermosphere, attributable to greenhouse gases. While the global temperature increase in the lower troposphere has been relatively well established, the existence of global changes in the thermosphere is still under investigation.

A central difficulty in reaching definite conclusions is the absence of data with sufficiently long temporal and sufficiently broad spatial coverage. Time series of data that cover several decades exist only in a few separated (industrialized) …

Wind Power In Utah, Whitney May, Roslynn Brain, Edwin R. Stafford

Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Social–Ecological Approach To Conservation Planning: Embedding Social Considerations, Natalie C. Ban, Morena Mills, Jordan Tam, Christina C. Hicks, Sarah Klain, Natalie Stoeckl, Madeleine C. Bottrill, Jordan Levine, Robert L. Pressey, Terre Satterfield, Kai M. A. Chan

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Many conservation plans remain unimplemented, in part because of insufficient consideration of the social processes that influence conservation decisions. Complementing social considerations with an integrated understanding of the ecology of a region can result in a more complete conservation approach. We suggest that linking conservation planning to a social–ecological systems (SES) framework can lead to a more thorough understanding of human–environment interactions and more effective integration of social considerations. By characterizing SES as a set of subsystems, and their interactions with each other and with external factors, the SES framework can improve our understanding of the linkages between social and …

Study Of Genes Relating To Degradation Of Aromatic Compounds And Carbon Metabolism In Mycobacterium Sp. Strain Kms, Chun Zhang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are produced from incomplete combustion of organic materials by human or natural activities. These polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are classified as pollutants because of their toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic characteristics. Mycobacterium sp. strain KMS, isolated from a contaminated soil, grows on the model polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, pyrene, with its degradation to water and carbon dioxide. This study locates genes on the chromosome and plasmids of isolate KMS relating to pyrene degradation, elucidates the influence of other carbon sources available in the habitats of isolate KMS on degradation of pyrene, and deduces possible metabolic pathways used by isolate …

Cougar Predation Behavior In North-Central Utah, Dustin L. Mitchell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Today’s ability to apply global positioning systems (GPS) collars to wild animals and track their movements, without inadvertently disrupting their daily routine, is a major benefit to wildlife research. Cougars are carnivorous predators that have been identified as being one of several possible causes for recent mule deer population declines throughout the Western United States. Past cougar predation studies have relied on snow tracking, radio-collar tracking, and modeling techniques to estimate cougar prey use and predation rates. These methods rely heavily on weather conditions, logistical availabilities, and broad assumptions, which have led to a wide range of predation rate estimates. …

Clonal Diversity Of Quaking Aspen (Populus Tremuloides): How Multiple Clones May Add To Theresilience And Persistence Of This Forest Type, Richard Scott Gardner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Aspen forests and woodlands are widespread across the western United States and are a primary component of many ecosystems in the west. Aspen is a clonal species, with reproduction occurring both by root sprouting (suckering) and seeding. Traditionally, western aspen forests were thought to consist almost entirely of large clones established several thousands of years ago, with seeding events being rare and ecologically negligible. Although clones in the western US can grow to be many acres, recent studies have demonstrated a far greater proportion of small clones than had been previously thought to exist. In this study I wanted to …

Bear River Heritage Area: A Study Of Recreation Specialization And Importance-Performance, Tyler A. Baird

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Heritage tourism is a fast growing sector in the recreation arena. Research into multiple aspects of heritage tourism has increased during the last few decades as it has been recognized as a distinct form of tourism and promoted around the globe. This study was conducted in an effort to better understand multiple aspects of heritage tourism in the Bear River Heritage Area of northern Utah and southeastern Idaho. The following aims to provide Bear River Heritage Area leadership with baseline data on their visitors and build upon the base of literature in the areas of recreation specialization, and importance-performance analysis. …

Can The Causeway In The Great Salt Lake Be Used To Manage Salinity, Sarah E. Null, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Craig Miller

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Research Report: Water User Dimensions Of Meter Implementation On Secondary Pressurized Irrigation Systems, Joanna Endter-Wada, Diana Glenn, Clayton Lewis, Roger Kjelgren, Christopher Neale

Joanna Endter-Wada

Weber Basin Water Conservancy District (District) secured Bureau of Reclamation funding in spring 2011 to install individual secondary water meters at residential connections in order to implement water efficiency and accountability measures included in the District’s Water Conservation Plan (Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, 2010). Initially, the District will not use the meters for billing water use but, instead, will use them to help the District determine if end users are exceeding their contracted allotment of water and to promote water use accountability.The purpose of the study titled “Water User Dimensions of Meter Implementation on Secondary Pressurized Irrigation Systems” conducted …

Biology And Impacts Of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 9. Capra Hircus, The Feral Goat (Mammalia: Bovidae), Mark William Chynoweth, Creighton M. Litton, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Steven C. Hess, Susan Cordell

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Domestic goats, Capra hircus, were intentionally introduced to numerous oceanic islands beginning in the sixteenth century. The remarkable ability of C. hircus to survive in a variety of conditions has enabled this animal to become feral and impact native ecosystems on islands throughout the world. Direct ecological impacts include consumption and trampling of native plants, leading to plant community modification and transformation of ecosystem structure. Although the negative impacts of feral goats are well known and effective management strategies have been developed to control this invasive species, large populations persist on many islands. This review summarizes impacts of feral goats …

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 …

Beef Production And Consumption: Sustainable Alternatives, Roslynn Brain

Roslynn Brain

Sustainable living involves choosing a lifestyle with minimal environmental impacts. The ultimate goal is to leave future generations with a healthier environment than the one we were born into. How can we do that with beef consumption? Beef is part of American culture, so is there a way to make wiser choices when it comes to purchasing beef ? The short answer is, yes!

Feasibility Of High-Density Climate Reconstruction Based On Forest Inventory And Analysis (Fia) Collected Tree-Ring Data, R. Justin Derose, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, John D. Shaw

Wasatch Dendroclimatology Research

This study introduces a novel tree-ring dataset, with unparalleled spatial density, for use as a climate proxy. Ancillary Douglas fir and pin˜ on pine tree-ring data collected by the U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (FIA data) were subjected to a series of tests to determine their feasibility as climate proxies. First, temporal coherence between the FIA data and previously published tree-ring chronologies was found to be significant. Second, spatial and temporal coherence between the FIA data and water year precipitation was strong. Third, the FIA data captured the El Nin˜o–Southern Oscillation dipole and revealed considerable latitudinal fluctuation …

Extension Sustainability: Research, Outreach, And Communication Techniques To Foster Positive Change, Roslynn Brain

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Can The Causeway In The Great Salt Lake Be Used To Manage Salinity, Sarah E. Null, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Craig Miller

Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

No abstract provided.

Understanding Precision Nitrogen Stress To Optimize The Growth And Lipid Content Tradeoff In Oleaginous Green Microalgae, Curtis Adams, Valerie Godfrey, Bruce Bugbee, Brad Wahlen, Lance Seefeldt

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Nitrogen deficiency promotes lipid formation in many microalgae, but also limits growth and lipid productivity. In spite of numerous studies, there is poor understanding of the interactions of growth and lipid content, the time course of lipid accumulation and the magnitude of nitrogen deficiency required to stimulate lipid formation. These relationships were investigated in six species of oleaginous green algae, comparing high and low levels of deficiency. Nitrogen stress typically had disproportionate effects on growth and lipid content, with profound differences among species. Optimally balancing the tradeoffs required a wide range in nitrogen supply rate among species. Some species grew …

Urban Edibles: Ornamentals, Roslynn Brain

Roslynn Brain

Who says the only place for city dwellers to pick up their daily dose of vegetables is the local farmers market or grocer? Much of the produce you need and enjoy is available to you in your own backyard and, better yet, is free of cost! Urban foraging is the art of finding, identifying and collecting wild edibles in everyday urban settings. From delicious fruits to weeds you would never in your wildest dreams think to eat, cities are full of handpicked eating opportunities!

Meat-Wise Eating Habits, J. Haycock, K. Anderson, Roslynn Brain

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Whether from a cow, pig, bird, fish, or other domestic or game animal, meat is universally enjoyed as part of the cultural culinary experience. It is also an excellent source of protein, which is important for a healthy body. Many people who eat meat, however, are not aware of the impact their consumption has on the environment. This guide provides a set of quick facts and action tools to make wiser choices concerning meat consumption.

Easy Steps To Reduce Your Energy Bill, B. Thomas, Brett Tingey, Roslynn Brain

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Fossil fuels supply most of Utah’s energy needs. Any process using fossil fuels, however, emits carbon dioxide (CO2), mercury, and oftentimes other contaminants that stress Utah’s beautiful natural resources (Dresselhaus & Thomas, 2001). Most electricity in Utah is fueled by coal-fired power, which adds mercury to our air and waterways. Increased mercury in ducks and fish have resulted in restrictions for Utah family pastimes, such as fishing and duck hunting. In 2010, 23% of energy consumption in the United States was residential, totaling 22.2 quadrillion Btu (EIA, 2010). A quadrillion Btu is about equal to the amount of energy in …