Earth Sciences Commons^™

Urban And Rural Bmi Trajectories In Southeastern Ghana: A Space-Time Modeling Perspective On Spatial Autocorrelation, Hsiao-Chien Shih, Xiaoxiao Wei, Li An, John Weeks, Douglas Stow

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

Spatial autocorrelation in model residuals can have a significant impact on the results of spatial or space-time models. This can result in misleading estimates of the influence of different factors, potentially exaggerating or even reversing the perceived effects of these factors. This study also considers the potential implications of the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP) in the context of spatial-temporal models. In this case study for southeastern Ghana, we examined whether and how spatial autocorrelation in model residuals might generate bias in regression coefficients when explaining women’s body mass index (BMI) across urban and rural areas. Eigenvector spatial filtering, with …

Authigenic Minerals In Volcaniclastics From An Eastern African Paleolake: A Proxy For Paleoenvironment, Kaitlyn Truss

Theses and Dissertations

Olduvai Gorge exposes the stratigraphy of Paleolake Olduvai, an often saline-alkaline rift lake that records volcanism from the Ngorongoro Volcanic Highlands. In 2014, cores retrieved from the study area revealed new stratigraphy, including the lacustrine Naibor Soit Formation (Fm) and the volcaniclastic Ngorongoro Fm. In the Ngorongoro Fm part of the cores, mineralogy and geochemistry are the best paleoenvironmental proxies, since under saline-alkaline conditions, volcanic glass alters into specific authigenic minerals (e.g., zeolite, feldspar). This study employs X-Ray Diffraction, X-Ray Fluorescence, and Scanning Electron Microscopy to analyze authigenic mineralogy and geochemistry. The lower Ngorongoro Fm experienced the most alteration, with …

Examination Of Chemical Variations In Fossil Resin With Two-Photon Excitation Fluorescence And Paleobotanical Inventory Reports On National Park Service Units, Katherine Mae Maxine Bober

Theses and Dissertations

Fossil resin can be difficult to chemically characterize due to its complex chemistry which can be complicated by a unique chemistry for each fossil resin sample. Using two-photon excitation fluorescence micro-spectroscopy, we measured the wavelengths at peak emission intensity: we compared these fluorescence results to FTIR spectra. There are variations in fluorescence which indicate differences in botanic origin. This method may be used in future research to better understand botanic origin when more traditional analyses fail.There has been a need for a comprehensive paleobotanical inventory report for NPS units. Four teams consisting of graduate students and mentors are completing the …

The Usage Of Band Ratios To Predict Lake Water Quality Parameters Using Sentinel-2 L1c Imagery, Austin Spoor, Ho-Seop Cha

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

Band ratios using remote imagery can be useful for monitoring large bodies of water when high quality imagery is available. Sentinel-2 satellite imagery provides frequent, high-resolution coverage of the globe. This study set out to test the usefulness of existing band ratios for estimating chlorophyll a (CHL-a), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and turbidity with Sentinel-2 imagery. USGS in-situ data was matched to Sentinel-2 imagery of Beaver Lake, Arkansas taken August 2015 to July 2019 and the dark spectrum fitting (DSF) atmospheric correction method in ACOLITE was applied to generate surface reflectance values. CHL-a was estimated using two …

Accuracy Assessment Of Measuring Linear And Areal Features In Aerial Imagery, I-Kuai Hung, David L. Kulhavy, Daniel R. Unger, Reid A. Viegut, Yanli Zhang, Nicholas C. Schiwitz

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

As part of natural resource education in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU), students were instructed to take areal and linear measurements of grounds remotely using available platforms including aerial orthomosaic derived from UAS (unmanned aerial system) acquired imagery, Google Earth Pro, and Pictometry. The onscreen measurement was conducted at five different map scales, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, and 1/5000. Accuracy of the measurements was assessed by comparing the onscreen measurements to ground truth data verified with a measuring tape. Results show that measurements based on the UAS were more accurate …

Toward A Greater Comprehension Of The Paraná Epicontinental Sea During The Late Paleozoic Ice Age: The Glacial And Postglacial Record In The Western Paraná Basin (Brazil) And The Kaokoveld Fjord Network (Namibia), Eduardo Luiz Menozzo Da Rosa

Theses and Dissertations

The late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA; 362 to 255 Ma) was an icehouse interval that drove substantial changes in Earth’s surficial systems. Numerous paradigms regarding aspects of the LPIA were established throughout ~150 years of research based primarily on the evolving state of knowledge in sedimentology. The near-field lithological evidence for widespread glaciation across sedimentary basins of Gondwana are the building blocks for comprehensive paleoclimatic, biologic, paleogeographic, and ice volume models. Nevertheless, the embodied glacial record from several late Paleozoic Gondwanan depocenters still rely on insufficient and/or outdated sedimentologic and stratigraphic studies, which can lead to misinterpretations in models built …

Nutrient Dynamics Of Freshwater Estuarine Sediments Disturbed By Dredging, Ryan Allan John Roekle

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the nutrient environment of sediments in the Milwaukee River estuary and the dynamics of those nutrients during simulated disturbance experiments within the context of large-scale dredging remediation. Surface sediments were collected from throughout the Milwaukee estuary (including river, harbor, and nearshore stations) by PONAR, centrifuged to separate porewater (interstitial water) from solid material, and filtered to further isolate and stabilize dissolved material. Porewaters were analyzed for dissolved nutrients including ammoniacal nitrogen (AN), nitrate, nitrite, and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP). Surface sediment porewaters within the estuary were often highly enriched in AN and SRP, which were often 10-2000x …

Comparing Drone2map Versus Pix4dmapper When Creating Orthophoto Mosaics Over Homogeneous Land Features, Victoria Williams, Daniel R. Unger, David Kulhavy, I-Kuai Hung, Yanli Zhang

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

This study evaluated two popular software packages currently used within the natural resources profession to create orthophoto mosaics: Drone2Map and Pix4Dmapper. Of particular concern was how effective these two software packages would perform in creating orthophoto mosaics over a city park in East Texas consisting of forest, open grass, and urban concrete surrounding a lake. Two drone flights over the city park were conducted. One flight was at 76 meters (250 feet) above ground with a single pass configuration. The other flight was at 122 meters (400 feet) above ground with a double pass configuration. Upon the completion of each …

Testing The Use Of Anisotropy Of Magnetic Susceptibility (Ams) In Determining Genetic Origins Of Paleoproterozoic Diamictites, Miles A. Harbury

Theses and Dissertations

The Huronian Supergroup (2.4-2.1 Ga) in Ontario, Canada is widely accepted as an important stratigraphic interval for interpreting Paleoproterozoic climate. This is because it contains some of the oldest glaciogenic rocks on the planet. However, massive and poorly-stratified diamictites in the Gowganda Formation of the Huronian Supergroup have varying depositional interpretations among sedimentologists (subglacial, rainout, sediment gravity flow etc.). Diamictites can occur from a variety of processes and, therefore, proper depositional interpretation is essential for unraveling detailed environmental conditions at the time of deposition. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) looks at the orientation of magnetic particles within a rock and …

Entangled Conquest: A Study Of Cultural Hybridization And Change In Norman Ireland, Sean Mcconnel

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis employs entanglement theory and new geophysical macro-analytical methods to

examine the spread of Norman culture in late medieval Ireland. The traditional theories of

Anglo-Norman conquest by mass migration, by military conquest, and by political conquest are

reviewed and compared to a more nuanced theory of Normanization, which suggests that

genetically Irish people, who spoke Irish, practiced Irish law, and pursued Irish interests were

primarily responsible for what is considered "Norman" material culture on the Island. This

dissertation presents the idea that adherence to the English king was a necessary and expedient

action on the part of Irish lords …

Relative Eruption Chronology And Tephra-Vent Correlations Of The Sand Mountain Volcanic Field, Oregon High Cascades, Adam S. Chumley

Theses and Dissertations

Tephra stratigraphy east of the SMVF was sampled to characterize the major and trace element geochemistry, along with olivine and plagioclase mineral chemistry, in attempts to correlate the tephra with specific cones and cone groups in the SMVF chain. Three geochemical groups are represented in the tephra stratigraphy, defined by relative proportions of SiO2, TiO2, Sr, Cr, and Ni, and determined by SAHN Clustering analysis. These three groups are defined in the basal, middle, and upper portions of the stratigraphy and generally correlate with the three major geochemical groups defined in the SMVF lava flows. Correlation between the tephra and …

Elucidating Unique Sources And Persistent Hydrologic Pathways Of Chloride To Perennial Freshwater Streams: Root River Analog In A Cold-Weather Environment, Leah Elizabeth Dechant

Theses and Dissertations

Chloride in freshwater streams is increasing in concentration, persisting throughout the year, and contributing to the salinization of water resources. The primary source and pathway of chloride in cold-weather environments are thought to be road salt and runoff. However, mounting evidence displays that other sources and pathways of chloride play an important role yet studies to elucidate them at a high resolution, both temporally and spatially, and across diverse land use are lacking. In this study, chloride was quantified continuously for an urban and rural stream year-round in a watershed thought to be heavily impacted by road salt. Bivariate mixing …

Special Thanks To Reviewers 2021-2022, Woonsup Choi

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

Sincere thanks are extended to the individuals who reviewed manuscripts for International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research during the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2022.

Using Anisotropy Of Magnetic Susceptibility (Ams) To Identify A Tectonic Lineation In The Pulo Do Lobo Formation In The Southern Iberian Shear Zone Near Aracena, Spain, Devin Levang

Theses and Dissertations

The Southern Iberian Shear Zone (SISZ) is a Variscan-aged suture representing the closure of a small ocean basin during the Carboniferous. The SISZ is bounded on either side by the well-studied, relatively homogeneous Beja-Acebuches Metabasites (BAM) and the complex and heterogeneous accretionary metasedimentary rocks of the Pulo do Lobo (PdL). The SISZ underwent a combination of shortening and lateral shearing known as transpression. Despite a very well-developed tectonic foliation, kinematic interpretation in the PdL is made difficult by a lack of easily identifiable lineations. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), a geophysical technique measuring the relative anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility axes …

Unraveling Deformation Mechanisms And Kinematics In Metasedimentary Rocks Along The Southern Iberian Shear Zone, Kayla P. Kopinski

Theses and Dissertations

The primary goal of this project is to document deformation mechanisms in quartz-rich rocks across a 100 m wide ductile shear zone to evaluate whether strain localization at the brittle-ductile transition is accompanied by variations in active or dominant deformation mechanisms. A secondary goal of this project is to evaluate whether the kinematic framework varies across a shear zone with a major rheological boundary. The Southern Iberian Shear Zone (SISZ), a major terrane bounding shear zone within the Iberian Massif, is an ideal location to study these questions because it is a regional scale shear zone currently exposed at the …

Strain Development And Partitioning Across A Transpressional Shear Zone Along A Quartzite- Metagabbro Contact In The Black Hills Uplift, South Dakota, Eric L. Schuemann

Theses and Dissertations

The Nemo region of South Dakota’s Black Hills offers an ideal location to study transpressional shear zones because it hosts an exposed Archean lithological boundary between two contrasting rheological units, the Boxelder Creek Quartzite (BCQ), a rift-depositional quartzite, and the Blue Draw Metagabbro (BDM), a metagabbro sill, deformed within a ductile shear zone that represents the beginning of main-phase formation of the North American continent as we know it today. The tectonic setting of the Black Hills is at the eastern edge of the Archean Wyoming province, located near the Trans-Hudson Orogeny suture zone that formed between the Wyoming and …

Stratigraphy, Sedimentology, And Deformational Significance Of Cambrian And Early Ordovician Strata Along The Southeast Wisconsin Arch, Allison Raeann Kusick

Theses and Dissertations

A detailed study of the stratigraphic units in and around the Wisconsin Arch of central and southeast Wisconsin are presented to refine the sedimentologic record and the geologic implications within the Cambrian and early Ordovician strata. The Cambrian and early Ordovician sediments in central and southeast Wisconsin unconformably overlie a topographic high composed of Precambrian basement rocks, called the Wisconsin Arch, and consist of various clastic deposits, dolostones, and several horizons of deformation. Bedrock cores, made available through the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS), were analyzed, to understand sedimentation in the Cambrian and early Ordovician. My analyses focused …

Swimming Ability Of The Enigmatic Carboniferous Fish: Tullimonstrum Gregarium, Jacob James Potter

Theses and Dissertations

Tullimonstrum gregarium, more commonly known as the Tully Monster, is one of the strangest creatures in the fossil record. While it was traditionally considered a problematic fossil, recent studies have firmly placed the Tully Monster with the vertebrates as a relative of lamprey and hagfish. This may offer insight into the Tully Monster’s ecology, but the Tully Monster’s Swimming ability remains uncertain due to its strange body plan. This study aims to investigate the hydrodynamics of these features to gain insight into the Tully Monster’s swimming ability using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). 3D and 2D simulations of the Tully Monster …

Exploring The Spatial Distribution Of Air Pollutants And Covid-19 Death Rate: A Case Study For Los Angeles County, California, Akhil Mandalapu, Junfeng Jiao, Amin Azimian

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

Objective

Since March 2020, COVID-19 has rapidly spread across the world with over 240 million cases and over 5 million deaths as of November 2021. It has been unclear what role air pollutants may play in exacerbating respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 due to their interaction with the respiratory system. The association with air pollutants and COVID-19 severity has been explored at the regional and metropolitan area, however it is unclear if such an association is consistent at the neighborhood level.

Methods

Weekly death rates from COVID-19 from March 2020 to November 2021 were compared using one-sided unpaired t-tests across …

Baseflow Variability Due To Changes In Climate, Basin Characteristics, And Groundwater Withdrawals In The State Of Wisconsin, Usa, Susan Borchardt

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

BASEFLOW VARIABILITY DUE TO CHANGES IN CLIMATE,BASIN CHARACTERISTICS, AND GROUNDWATER WITHDRAWALS IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN, USA

bySusan Borchardt The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2022 Under the Supervision of Professor Woonsup Choi

In Wisconsin, the number of high-capacity wells has increased substantially, and concerns have been raised about their impact on both groundwater levels and streamflow. At the same time Wisconsin’s climate has been changing, and both the annual precipitation (5%) and temperature (1.5oC) have been trending upward over the last 68 years and both are predicted to increase into the future. This study attempted to demonstrate the simultaneous effects …

Terrestrial Perspective On The Formation, Evolution, And Detection Of Zeolites In Lacustrine Environments On Early Mars, Gayantha Roshana Loku Kodikara

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluates the possible formation and evolution mechanisms of zeolites on early Mars with possible explanations for their limited detections using Earth analogs. This study focuses on the formation of zeolites in the closed basin lakes where the largest relatively pure concentrations of natural zeolites are found on Earth. Five working hypotheses were formulated to explore the limited detection of zeolites in closed basin lakes on Mars and different styles of scientific reasoning with suitable examples were used to test the independent, converging lines of inquiry. Zeolites may not be identifiable in certain locations on Mars using orbital data …

The Effects Of Hybridization On Skeletal Morphology In Two Closely Related Populations Of Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta): A Geometric Morphometric Approach, Cody Zachery Schumacher

Theses and Dissertations

Precise identification and classification techniques are vital for the field of paleoanthropology to ensure that hominin fossilized remains are labeled accurately. The morphology of extinct hominin specimens will typically be compared to extant nonhuman primate species because of how closely related they are phylogenetically. Observable similarities in their morphological variation can be examined to infer which traits may be a result of evolution and this can update our understanding of their evolutionary relationships. The genus Macaca displays a level of morphological variation that is similar to that seen in the genus Homo, therefore macaques can be used as an analogous …

Alkalinity Enhanced Mass Reduction Of Uranium Contaminated Sediment, Cullen Edward Meurer

Theses and Dissertations

Uranium is a toxic and radioactive metal that is naturally occurring in the Earth’s crust. The uranium mining boom of the 1950’s produced many contaminated aquifers throughout the United States. Monitoring of groundwater data suggests that uranium concentrations may take 100’s of years to naturally attenuate to below the maximum contamination limit. This project examines a potential and novel remediation technique of groundwater contaminated with uranium through alkalinity enhanced desorption from the solid phase. Alkalinity enhances the desorption of uranium by complexing uranyl (UO22+) with Ca and CO3 which allows for further desorption. Since remediation is time consuming and expensive, …

Mass Transport Of Uranium During Recharge Of Surface Water To Contaminated Groundwater, Kendyl Nicole Hoss

Theses and Dissertations

This study characterized the predominant mass transport mechanisms of uranium during river water recharge to contaminated groundwater to better characterize its mobility. It was hypothesized that the mass transfer of uranium from the solid phase to the aqueous phase was occurring during periods of river water to groundwater recharge via concentration-driven desorption. Sediment data confirmed the presence of uranium on the solid phase via nitric acid extraction. The recharge of river water to the saturated zone of a uranium-contaminated aquifer was simulated in a multi-well tracer test. The injection fluid was Little Wind River water and was traced with added …

What Geographers Research: An Analysis Of Geography Topics, Clusters, And Trends Using A Keyword Network Analysis Approach And The 2000-2019 Aag Conference Presentations, Jeong C. Seong, Chul Sue Hwang, Ana Stanescu, Youngho Lee, Yubin Lee

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

The spectrum of geographic research topics is very broad, and several thousands of research projects are presented at AAG annual conferences. This research aims at analyzing geography research topics, clusters, and trends using conference presentation data. We analyzed the 2000-2019 AAG conference presentations with keyword network analysis methods. The most frequently used keywords during the 20-year span were GIS, followed by Remote Sensing, Climate Change, Urban, China, Education, Political Ecology, Migration, Gender, and Agriculture. Results showed that geographic research has focused on six major clusters during 2000-2019: GIS, Urban, Climate Change, Political Ecology, People, and Education. About 68.6 percent of …

Sorption Of 2-Naphthalene Sulfonate To Organic Carbon In Natural Saturated Porous Media, Jiyan Hatami

Theses and Dissertations

Organic carbon (OC) in aquifer sediments serves as a key geochemical control on contaminant fate and transport, potentially immobilizing or delaying mass transport downgradient. Quantifying the abundance of OC in aquifer sediments is therefore imperative in developing a conceptual understanding of local contaminant transport. Traditional methods involve time-intensive coring and lab analyses for total OC (TOC) at distinct intervals with depth. These methods fail to account for the heterogeneity between discrete points and do not interrogate TOC along groundwater flow pathways. 2-naphthalene sulfonate (2-NS), a novel groundwater tracer, was investigated here as a possible sorptive tracer for estimating the relative …

Analyzing Weathering Patterns In Modern And Paleolake Deposits Of Tecopa, California: Implications For The Detection Of Paleolakes On Mars, Jason Benjamin Carman

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on two stratigraphic sections from the Tecopa paleolake and samples from the modern Tecopa and Amargosa River basins as a terrestrial analogue to Martian paleolakes. Previous work shows that the later stages of Pleistocene Lake Tecopa were highly alkaline and saline due to evaporation, which led to the formation of authigenic lacustrine minerals such as zeolites, clays, and precipitates that are potentially similar to Martian paleolakes. Paleolakes can provide information on past aqueous processes, such as the changes in the hydrologic cycle that a particular area experienced over the lifespan of a lake on Earth or Mars. …

A South Polar View Of Late Paleozoic Glaciation: Physical Sedimentology And Provenance Of Glacial Successions In The Tasmanian And Transantarctic Basins, Elizabeth Rosa Woodford Ives

Theses and Dissertations

The Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA; ~ 374 – 256 Ma) is the longest Phanerozoic icehouse interval. this interval in Earth’s history was largely defined by extensive glaciation of the southern hemisphere at both polar and temperate latitudes. Glaciers are powerful climatic and geologic actors, especially during icehouse periods, and widespread glaciation can have a significant influence on both regional and global climate and geology. Therefore, constraining the characteristics of LPIA glaciers is essential to developing a global-scale understanding of this key climatic event in Earth’s history. The manuscripts in this dissertation examine the sedimentology, transport directions, stratigraphy, and detrital …

Characterizing Clustering Models Of High-Dimensional Remotely Sensed Data Using Subsampled Field-Subfield Spatial Cross-Validated Random Forests, Andrew B. Whetten

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

Clustering models are regularly used to construct meaningful groups of observations within complex datasets, and they are an exceptional tool for spatial exploratory analysis. The clusters detected in a recent spatio-temporal cluster analysis of leaf area index (LAI) in the Columbia River Basin (CRB) require further investigation since they are only derived using a single greenness metric. It is of great interest to further understand how greening indices can be used to determine separation of sites across an array of remotely sensed environmental attributes. In this prior work, there are highly localized minority clusters that were detected to be most …

Short-Term Slope Changes On Dokdo Island Identified From Ground-Based 3d Lidar Data, Jihyun Kang, Hyejin Kim, Jaegeum Park, Hyunchul Shin

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

This study was designed to determine the slope changes on Dokdo Island, focusing on Seodo islet (slopes consisting of colluvial debris) and Dongdo islet (slopes consisting of large-scale tafoni). To do so, we obtained high-resolution 3D LiDAR data in May and November 2020 and calculated the changes in slope shape and volume over this period. Our results showed that during this time, approximately 136 m³ of colluvial debris was removed from the slopes of Seodo islet and a boulder that had separated from the massive tuff breccia migrated approximately 5 cm downslope. The major causes of such rapid changes …