Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Transition Network: Exploring Intersections Between Culture, The Climate Crisis, And A Digital Network In A Community - Driven Global Social Movement, Emily Polk

Open Access Dissertations

The core aim of this research is to explore the communication processes of the Transition movement, a community-led global social movement as it adapted in a local context. The Transition movement facilitates community-led responses to the current global financial and climate crisis via the Transition Network, an online network that began in 2006, and is comprised of more than 2000 initiatives in 35 countries that have used the Transition model to start projects that use small-scale solutions to achieve greater sustainability. This research uses qualitative ethnographic methods and a theoretical framework based on actor network theory to better understand how …

Resilient Environmental Governance: Protecting Changing Ecosystems Through Multilevel Governance, Casey Stevens

Open Access Dissertations

International governance is increasingly defined by multilevel governance; with short-term projects, transnational cooperation between different groups, and unclear institutional space. In this situation, a key issue is the resilience of governance arrangements or the ability of governance arrangements to respond to political and ecological shocks to the system. Using international biodiversity governance, this study explores the question: What social and political processes produce resilient governance?

This study argues that the key to understanding resilient governance is the network structure within and outside of the governance arrangement. Modular network structures are able to generate ideas from multiple sources, able to solve …

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 …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Adaptive Management Approaches: Is There A Formula For Success?, Jamie E. Mcfadden, Tim L. Hiller, Andrew J. Tyre

Andrew J Tyre

Within the field of natural-resources management, the application of adaptive management is appropriate for complex problems high in uncertainty. Adaptive management is becoming an increasingly popular management-decision tool within the scientific community and has developed into two primary schools of thought: the Resilience-Experimentalist School (with high emphasis on stakeholder involvement, resilience, and highly complex models) and the Decision-Theoretic School (which results in relatively simple models through emphasizing stakeholder involvement for identifying management objectives). Because of these differences, adaptive management plans implemented under each of these schools may yield varying levels of success. We evaluated peer-reviewed literature focused on incorporation of …

The Place Of Education In Building Disaster Resilience: A Strategic Examination, Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Connected Communities To Flood Resilience, Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.

Reviewing Total Flood Warning Systems, Neil Dufty, Steven Molino

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.

Critical Research Needs For Successful Food Systems Adaptation To Climate Change, Michelle Miller, Molly Anderson, Charles A. Francis, Chad Kruger, Carol Barford, Jacob Park, Brent H. Mccown

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

There is a growing sense of the fragility of agricultural production in the Global North and South and of increasing risks to food security, as scientific observations confirm significant changes in the Gulf Stream, polar ice, atmospheric CO₂, methane release, and other measures of climate change. This sense is heightened as each of us experiences extreme weather, such as the increasing frequency of droughts, floods, unseasonal temperatures, and erratic seasonality. The central research challenge before us is how global, national, regional, and local food systems may adapt to accelerating climate change stresses and uncertainties to ensure the availability, …

Community Resilience To Coastal Hazards : An Analysis Of Two Geographical Scales In Louisiana, Chi Li

LSU Master's Theses

Quantifying resilience is difficulties due to the different definitions of resilience, the interchangeable uses with two other terms “vulnerability” and “adaptability”, as well as the lack of consensus on what indicators should be selected to quantifying resilience. This thesis research studied the community resilience in Louisiana by applying the Resilience Inference Measurement (RIM) model at two geographic levels: county level and zip code level. The RIM model accesses resilience by using three dimensions (exposure, damage, and recovery) and two abilities (vulnerability and adaptability). The types of coastal hazards included in this study were: coastal, flooding, hurricane/tropical storm, tornado, and severe …

An Analysis Of The Influences On Household-Level Adaptations To Environmental Hazards, Tiia Maria Carraway

LSU Master's Theses

Utilizing a randomized phone survey of coastal Louisiana residents, this study will focus on identifying which influences from a resident’s exposure, socio-economic vulnerability and adaptive capacity are the best indicators of an individual’s resilience. Two binary logistic regression models were developed to test the associations of resident response to: 1) acute hazards via household emergency plan adoption and 2) chronic hazards represented by behavior modification in response to daily air quality reporting where adoption of these two risk-reducing behaviors are viewed as increased individual resilience. Bivariate correlation analysis found that a north – south grouping of coastal Louisiana was significantly …

An Analysis Of The Prevalence Of The West Nile Virus In Relation To Health Resilience Along The Gulf Of Mexico, Lillian Patricia Mata

LSU Master's Theses

As the Earth’s climate changes, coastal communities are increasingly vulnerable to the natural hazards that are driven by these processes, particularly in regards to the health of these communities. It has been shown that disease patterns can change in response to our environment, putting the health resilience of communities at risk. This study looks at the relationship between natural exposure and traditional resilience index variables in the context of the spread of West Nile Virus along the Gulf of Mexico. Through analysis of 534 counties, the West Nile Virus for 2001-2012 was analyzed as an incidence and incidence rate at …

Fish And Macroinvertebrate Assemblage Composition And Diversity At Revetted Banks In The Pearl River And The Response Of These Assemblages To A Paper Mill Effluent Spill, Jose Alexander Vazquez

LSU Master's Theses

The armoring of river banks with riprap can have detrimental effects on lotic ecosystems due to the subsequent alteration of hydrologic regimes; however, evidence suggests that riprap can also increase aquatic diversity in degraded systems. The goal of my study was to determine what impacts riprapped banks have on fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages in the Pearl River, which has a history of anthropogenic degradation. I collected fishes with an electrofishing boat from armored and natural banks at five regions during fall 2011, winter 2012, and summer 2012. I also collected macroinvertebrates with introduced substrates in fall 2011. Richness was analyzed …