Earth Sciences Commons^™

Measuring And Modeling Of Urban Growth And Its Impacts On Vegetation And Species Habitats In Greater Orlando, Florida, Sunhui Sim, Victor Mesev

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

Urban growth is widely regarded as an important driver of environmental and social problems. It causes the loss of informal open space and wildlife habitats. Timely and accurate assessments of future urban growth scenarios and associated environmental impacts are crucial for urban planning, policy decision, and natural resource management. In this study, five distinct scenarios ("no constraints", "compact development", "transit-oriented development", "agriculture protection" and "environmental protection" scenarios) were tested on Greater Orlando, Florida, along with conservation objectives and projections for future land use/cover from development demands. The study examined the consequences of alternative scenarios of urban growth on potential habitat …

Measuring Spatial Health Disparity Using A Network-Based Accessibility Index Method In A Gis Environment: A Case Study Of Hillsborough County, Florida, Huairen Ye, Hyun Kim

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

In recent decades, the health care delivery system in the United States has been greatly transformed and more widely examined. Even with one of the most developed health care systems in the world, the United States still experiences great spatial disparity in health care access. Increasing diversity of class, culture, and ethnicity also has a significant impact on health disparity. The goal of this paper is to address the spatial disparity of health care access using a network-based health accessibility index method (NHAIM) in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. Ensuring a desired level of accessibility for patients is the …

Using Fine Resolution Orthoimagery And Spatial Interpolation To Rapidly Map Turf Grass In Suburban Massachusetts, Daniel S.M. Runfola, Thomas Hamill, Robert Gilmore Pontius Jr., John Rogan, Nick Giner, Albert Decatur, Samuel Ratick

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

This paper explores the use of spatial interpolative methods in conjunction with object based image analysis to estimate turf grass land cover quantity and allocation in Greater Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The goal is to learn how accurately turf grass can be estimated if only a limited portion of the study area is mapped. First, turf grass land cover is mapped at the 0.5 m resolution across the entire Plum Island Ecosystems (PIE) Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site, a 1143-km² area. Second, the turf grass map is aggregated into 120 m cells (N = 84,661). Third, a random sample …

Sensitivity Of Urban Water Consumption To Weather And Climate Variability At Multiple Temporal Scales: The Case Of Portland, Oregon, Heejun Chang, Sarah Praskievicz, Hossein Parandvash

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

The sensitivity of municipal water consumption to climate and weather variability is investigated for Portland’s water provider service area between 1960 and 2013. The relationship between detrended seasonal urban water use (the difference between total water use and base use) and weather and climate variables (precipitation, maximum temperature) is examined at daily, monthly, and seasonal scales using stepwise multiple regression and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models. At a seasonal and a monthly timescales, interannual variation in maximum temperature is the most important predictor of seasonal water consumption per capita, explaining up to 48% of the variation in seasonal monthly …

Effects Of Land Cover Change On Water Quality In Urban Streams At Two Spatial Scales, Sonia Singh, Heejun Chang

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

This study examines the relationships between land cover change and water quality change in three urbanizing watersheds in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States: Burnt Bridge Creek, Salmon Creek, and the Tualatin River. All three watersheds have had many of their water quality parameters exceeding Total Maximum Daily Loads as required by their state’s environmental agencies in the past decades. By using the National Land Cover Datasets classified by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for 1992, 2001 and 2006 and water quality data for a period between 1991 and 2010, this paper aims to examine whether changes …

Impacts Of Remotely Sensed Land Use Data On Watershed Hydrologic Change Assessment, Gi-Choul Ahn, Steven I. Gordon, Carolyn J. Merry

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

Urbanization affects the stream system of a watershed. Increased urbanization alters the land cover and surface characteristics, the stream channel characteristics, and pollutant load of a stream system by increasing the amount of impervious surface. Once rural, forest, or wetland areas are changed to streets, highways, parking lots, sidewalks, and building rooftops. This results in large volumes of runoff being generated for an intense storm over a relatively short time period. As a result, sensitive ecosystems are likely to be damaged by increased urbanization.

Projecting the impact of land use changes on a watershed scale often requires the use of …

Fabric And Microstructural Analysis Of The Loch Borralan Pluton, Northwest Highlands, Scotland, Justin Calhoun

Theses and Dissertations

The Loch Borralan pluton was emplaced within the Assynt Region of the Moine Thrust zone during the Scandian event (ca. 435-425 Ma) of the Caledonian Orogeny (478-425 Ma). It consists of two major magma suites, the syenitic early suite (431.1 ± 1.2 Ma), and the quartz syenitic later suite (429.2 ± 0.5 Ma). The region is characterized by a series of in-sequence thrust faults that strike NE-SW and dip approximately 20± to the SE, including (from lower to upper): the Sole Thrust, the Borralan Thrust (hypothesized, but not exposed), the Ben More Thrust, and the Moine Thrust. A series of …

The Spread Of Emerging Contaminants In The Soil-Groundwater System, Lucia Feriancikova

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years the risks of emerging contaminants (ECs) have received substantial attention as potential environmental pollutants that persist in the environment due to their continual release. This research presents the work of three studies that provide critical insight into the spread of ECs, particularly antibiotic resistant bacteria derived from dairy manure and potentially harmful particles originated from nanomaterials in the soil-groundwater system. The adhesion of particles to mineral surfaces was quantified with the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO) theory that includes Lifshitz-van der Waals, Lewis acid-base, electrostatic double layer and steric repulsion interactions. The transport of ECs was conducted in column …

Simulating Recharge In A Wisconsin Watershed: The Effect Of Sub Annual Precipitation Patterns, Alice Egan

Theses and Dissertations

A watershed, the Prairie River in north-central Wisconsin was used to analyze why the same annual precipitation generates variable annual recharge rates. Global Climate Models (GCMs) with three greenhouse gas emission scenarios (B1, A1B and A2) for two time series 2047-2065 and 2082-2100 were used to examine the annual and monthly differences between the Prairie River watershed future projections and the Prairie River watershed historical record, 1954-2009. The USGS soil water balance (SWB) model was used to calculate recharge.

In the Prairie River watershed, there is a strong correlation (R²=0.84) between growing season recharge and growing season precipitation, and there …

The Rice Bay And Northeast Bay Gneiss Domes: A Kinematic Study Of Competent Rock Bodies In The Rainy Lake Region Of Ontario, Canada, Jane Block

Theses and Dissertations

The Rice Bay and Northeast Bay gneiss domes (RBD and NEBD) are two tonalitic rock units located in the Archean Rainy Lake zone of the Superior Province. The Rainy Lake zone acts as a boundary between two subprovinces, accommodating transpression, significant shortening and dextral motion in its lithologic assemblage. This study contributes to understanding how deformation is partitioned in heterogeneous terranes, and also demonstrates a practical method of kinematic analysis. Foliations, lineations, shear zones, tension gashes, quartz veins, mafic enclaves, and folded and boudined veins were all utilized in the kinematic analysis. Foliation orientations in both domes are consistent with …

Evaluating The Biogenicity Of Fluvial-Lacustrine Stromatolites From The Mesoproterozoic Copper Harbor Conglomerate, Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, Usa, Nicholas David Fedorchuk

Theses and Dissertations

The Mesoproterozoic (1.09 Ga) Copper Harbor Conglomerate represents alluvial fan, fluvial and lacustrine deposition in the Midcontinent Rift System. The formation outcrops in the Keweenaw Peninsula in the northwestern part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where it contains carbonate stromatolites preserved within both siltstone and conglomerate facies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the biogenicity of these stromatolites, which lack direct microfossil evidence. The stromatolites were placed into their depositional context, their macro-scale features and thin section microfabrics were analyzed, and growth angles were measured of cobble-draping samples to determine if a phototrophic response existed. A methodology …

Sedimentology And Paleoecology Of Fossil-Bearing, High-Latitude Marine And Glacially Influenced Deposits In The Tepuel Basin, Patagonia, Argentina, Kathryn N. Pauls

Theses and Dissertations

The glacial and non-glacial intervals of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) are of great interest because they are our best deep time analogue for Pleistocene climate change. The changes and adaptations of the biota, as seen in the rock record, can serve as a proxy for understanding future trends in Earth's climate system. Most of the known LPIA marine faunal data come from low-latitudinal regions, and thus have been used as a global proxy. However, modern organisms in the low-latitudes (far-field basins) respond differently to a changing climate relative to marine organisms in the polar regions (near-field basins). In …

Eruptive Timing And 200 Year Episodicity At 92°W On The Hot Spot-Influenced Galapagos Spreading Center Derived From Geomagnetic Paleointensity, Julie A. Bowles, Alice Colman, J. Timothy Mcclinton, John Sinton, Scott M. White, Kenneth H. Rubin

Geosciences Faculty Articles

Eruptive timing in mid-ocean ridge systems is relatively poorly constrained, despite being an important variable in our understanding of many mid-ocean ridge processes, including volcanic construction; magma recharge, flux, and storage; and the stability of hydrothermal systems and biological communities. Only a handful of absolute eruption chronologies exist, yet they are essential in understanding how eruptive timing varies with important controlling variables. To construct an eruptive history at one location on the Galapagos Spreading Center, we present age determinations derived from geomagnetic paleointensity. To aid interpretation of the paleointensity data, we also present results from on-bottom magnetic anomaly measurements and …

Deformation And Fluid Interactions In The Mineral Fork Diamictites, Antelope Island, Utah, Kimberly Rose Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

DEFORMATION AND FLUID INTERACTIONS IN THE MINERAL FORK DIAMICTITES,

ANTELOPE ISLAND, UTAH

by

Kimberly R. Johnson

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2013

Under the Supervision of Professor Dyanna Czeck

Diamictite from the Mineral Fork Formation on Antelope Island, Utah was deformed to various degrees on the footwall of the Willard Thrust Fault during the Sevier Orogeny. The diamictite contains clasts of differing strength resulting in quartzite clasts deformed the least, pink granitic clasts deformed to a greater degree, and softer green gneissic clasts deformed the most. The pink granitic and green gneissic clasts have similar compositions, but deform differently. This …

Development Of Green Solvent Modified Zeolite (Gsmz) For The Removal Of Chemical Contaminants From Water, Elizabeth Stapleton

Theses and Dissertations

Sorption represents an important strategy in the remediation of groundwater contamination. As a naturally-occurring mineral with large cation exchange capacity, zeolite is negatively charged and has been widely used as an inexpensive and effective sorbent for the removal of positively charged contaminants. The negative charges of zeolite, however, make it generally ineffective in the sorption of anionic contaminants such as chromate and arsenate. In order to improve the capacity for sorption of anionic species, the surface charge of the zeolite must be modified. Cationic surfactants can be used to alter the surface charge of the minerals so that the negatively …

Applying Geochemistry To Investigate The Occurrence Of Riverbank Inducement Into A Shallow Aquifer In Southeastern Wisconsin, Anna Maria Thorp

Theses and Dissertations

Increased urbanization in southeastern Wisconsin has led to significant drawdown in both the shallow and deep aquifer. In Waukesha County combined radium activity levels exceeding the limit set forth by the USEPA have been detected within the deep aquifer. This has prompted the community to consider alternative, long term, drinking water supply solutions.

One possible solution is riverbank inducement (RBI), in which river water is induced into the adjacent aquifer as recharge. This would make the shallow aquifer an effective addendum to growing water supply demands, and reduce the effects of excessive pumping. Using basic geochemical analyses, this study examines …

Re-Examination Of Changes In Fluvial Stacking Pattern Across The P-T Boundary In The Central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica, Danielle Sieger

Theses and Dissertations

A change in fluvial style and a change in the stacking pattern of fluvial channel sandstone bodies occur across the Buckley‒Fremouw formational contact in the central Transantarctic Mountains in Antarctica. Strata in the Buckley Formation are characterized by thick floodplain deposits in the Middle to Upper Permian Buckley Formation; whereas, stacked interconnected sandstone bodies occur in the Triassic Fremouw Formation (Barrett et al., 1986; Isbell & Macdonald, 1991a, 1991b; Collinson et al., 1994; Isbell et al., 1997; 2005). Such changes in fluvial stacking patterns have been attributed to changes in the creation of accommodation within basins due to changes in …

Late Paleozoic Glaciation And Ice Sheet Collapse Over Western And Eastern Gondwana: Sedimentology And Stratigraphy Of Glacial To Post-Glacial Strata In Western Argentina And Tasmania, Australia, Lindsey C. Henry

Theses and Dissertations

The late Paleozoic ice age (LPIA; 345-280 million years ago) provides the last complete record of a major deglaciation on a vegetated Earth, and therefore can serve as a proxy for Earth's inevitable transition out of its present glaciated state. This project analyzes climate change during and following the LPIA using two different approaches:

1) Detailed sedimentology analyses of five glacially-influenced formations in Argentina and Australia in order to determine the size and thermal regime of glaciers during the LPIA.

2) An investigation of massive volcanism along the Panthalassan margin of Gondwana as a source of CO2 that may have …

Regionalization Of Hydrologic Response In The Great Lakes Basin: Considerations Of Temporal Variability, Jonathan Martin Kult

Theses and Dissertations

Methods for predicting streamflow in areas with limited or nonexistent measures of hydrologic response commonly rely on regionalization techniques, where knowledge pertaining to gaged watersheds is transferred to ungaged watersheds. Hydrologic response indices have frequently been employed in contemporary regionalization research related to predictions in ungaged basins. In this study, regionalization models were developed using multiple linear regression and regression tree analysis to derive relationships between hydrologic response and watershed physical characteristics for 163 watersheds in the Great Lakes basin. These models provide a means for predicting runoff in ungaged basins at a monthly time step without implementation of any …

Interpreting The Paleoenvironmental Context Of Marine Shales Deposited During The Cambrian Radiation: Global Insights From Sedimentology, Paleoecology, And Geochemistry, Tristan Kloss

Theses and Dissertations

Many Cambrian marine shales are traditionally thought to have been deposited under dysoxic or anoxic conditions based upon interpretations of sedimentological and ichnological fabrics. Recently a number of geochemical studies have suggested the opposite, that some Cambrian marine shales were deposited under slightly oxic to well-oxygenated conditions. Despite the significant implications redox conditions have for the paleoenvironment, paleoecology, and taphonomy of Cambrian shales, rarely are these disparate sedimentological and geochemical approaches combined for direct comparisons in a singular study of Cambrian shales. A multidisciplinary approach is used here, combining sedimentological, paleoecological, and geochemical approaches, for re-interpreting the paleoenvironmental conditions of …

Multicomponent Cubic Oxide Exsolution In Synthetic Basalts: Temperature Dependence And Implications For Magnetic Properties, Julie A. Bowles, Lisa Tatsumi-Petrochilos, Julie E. Hammer, Stefanie A. Brachfeld

Geosciences Faculty Articles

Although the compositional unmixing of cubic-structured iron oxides has profound effects on the magnetic properties of rocks that contain them, a basic understanding of the kinetics and thermodynamics of this process has not been achieved in experimental studies due to sluggish reaction rates in binary oxide phases. Exploiting the fact that many natural Fe-oxides contain multiple additional cations, including Ti, Mg and Al, we perform novel “forward” laboratory experiments in which cubic-cubic phase exsolution proceeds from initially homogeneous multicomponent oxides. A variety of Fe-Ti-Mg-Al cubic iron oxides were nucleated and grown in synthetic, multicomponent basalt under different ƒO2 environments, and …

Snowmelt Runoff Modeling: Limitations And Potential For Mitigating Water Disputes, Jonathan Kult, Woonsup Choi, Anke Petra Maria Keuser

Geography Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Timing Of Magnetite Formation In Basaltic Glass: Insights From Synthetic Analogs And Relevance For Geomagnetic Paleointensity Analyses, Julie A. Bowles, Jeffrey S. Gee, Katherine Burgess, Reid F. Cooper

Geosciences Faculty Articles

Absolute paleointensity estimates from submarine basaltic glass (SBG) typically are of high technical quality and accurately reflect the ambient field when known. SBG contains fine-grained, low-Ti magnetite, in contrast to the high-Ti magnetite in crystalline basalt, which has lead to uncertainty over the origin of the magnetite and its remanence in SBG. Because a thermal remanence is required for accurate paleointensity estimates, the timing and temperature of magnetite formation is crucial. To assess these factors, we generated a suite of synthetic glasses with variable oxygen fugacity, cooling rate, and FeO* content. Magnetic properties varied most strongly with crystallinity; less crystalline …

Effects Of Open And Closed System Oxidation On Texture And Magnetic Response Of Remelted Basaltic Glass, Katherine Burgess, Reid F. Cooper, Julie A. Bowles, Jeffrey S. Gee, Daniele J. Cherniak

Geosciences Faculty Articles

As part of an experimental and observational study of the magnetic response of submarine basaltic glass (SBG), we have examined, using ion backscattering spectrometry (RBS), transmission and scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, and surface X-ray diffraction, the textures wrought by the controlled, open and closed system oxidation of glasses prepared by the controlled environment remelting and quenching of natural SBG. Initial compositions with ~9 wt % FeO* were melted at 1430°C with the oxygen fugacity buffered at fayalite-magnetite-quartz; melts were cooled at a rate of 200°C min⁻¹ near the glass transition (T_g = 680°C). In open …

Deconvolution Of U Channel Magnetometer Data: Experimental Study Of Accuracy, Resolution, And Stability Of Different Inversion Methods, Mike J. Jackson, Julie A. Bowles, Ioan Lascu, Peter A. Solheid

Geosciences Faculty Articles

We explore the effects of sampling density, signal/noise ratios, and position-dependent measurement errors on deconvolution calculations for u channel magnetometer data, using a combination of experimental and numerical approaches. Experiments involve a synthetic sample set made by setting hydraulic cement in a 30-cm u channel and slicing the hardened material into ~2-cm lengths, and a natural lake sediment u channel sample. The cement segments can be magnetized and measured individually, and reassembled for continuous u channel measurement and deconvolution; the lake sediment channel was first measured continuously and then sliced into discrete samples for individual measurement. Each continuous data set …

Paleointensity Estimates From Ignimbrites: An Evaluation Of The Bishop Tuff, Jeffrey S. Gee, Yongjae Yu, Julie A. Bowles

Geosciences Faculty Articles

Ash flow tuffs, or ignimbrites, typically contain fine-grained magnetite, spanning the superparamagnetic to single-domain size range that should be suitable for estimating geomagnetic field intensity. However, ignimbrites may have a remanence of thermal and chemical origin as a result of the complex magnetic mineralogy and variations in the thermal and alteration history. We examined three stratigraphic sections through the ~0.76 Ma Bishop Tuff, where independent information on postemplacement cooling and alteration is available, as a test of the suitability of ignimbrites for paleointensity studies. Thermomagnetic curves suggest that low-Ti titanomagnetite (T_c = 560°C–580°C) is the dominant phase, with a …

Magnetic And Petrologic Characterization Of Synthetic Martian Basalts And Implications For The Surface Magnetization Of Mars, Julie A. Bowles, Julie E. Hammer, Stefanie A. Brachfeld

Geosciences Faculty Articles

A suite of synthetic Martian basalts is generated with the objective of providing fundamental material properties data for use in modeling and interpretation of mission data. We systematically evaluate the effects of major element composition, oxygen fugacity (ƒO₂), and cooling rate on phase chemistry and magnetic mineralogy, grain size, and intensity of remanent magnetization. The range of experimental compositions and ƒO2 are chosen to bracket the range expected in the Martian crust; our results should therefore span the range of possible mineralogies, textures, and magnetic properties in rapidly cooled Mars crustal materials. Two starting compositions are used for …

On The Duration Of Magnetochrons C24r And C25n And The Timing Of Early Eocene Global Warming Events: Implications From The Ocean Drilling Program Leg 208 Walvis Ridge Depth Transect, Thomas Westerhold, Ursula Röhl, Jacques Laskar, Isabella Raffi, Julie A. Bowles, Lucas J. Lourens, James C. Zachos

Geosciences Faculty Articles

Five sections drilled in multiple holes over a depth transect of more than 2200 m at the Walvis Ridge (SE Atlantic) during Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 208 resulted in the first complete early Paleogene deep-sea record. Here we present high-resolution stratigraphic records spanning a ~4.3 million yearlong interval of the late Paleocene to early Eocene. This interval includes the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) as well as the Eocene thermal maximum (ETM) 2 event. A detailed chronology was developed with nondestructive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning records and shipboard color data. These records were used to refine the shipboard-derived spliced …

Paleointensity Applications To Timing And Extent Of Eruptive Activity, 9°–10°N East Pacific Rise, Julie A. Bowles, Jeffrey S. Gee, Dennis V. Kent, Michael R. Perfit, S. Adam Soule, S. Adam Soule

Geosciences Faculty Articles

Placing accurate age constraints on near-axis lava flows has become increasingly important given the structural and volcanic complexity of the neovolcanic zone at fast spreading ridges. Geomagnetic paleointensity of submarine basaltic glass (SBG) holds promise for placing quantitative age constraints on near-axis flows. In one of the first extensive tests of paleointensity as a dating tool or temporal marker we present the results of over 550 successful SBG paleointensity estimates from 189 near-axis (<4 km) sites at the East Pacific Rise, 9°–10°N. Paleointensities range from 6 to 53 µT and spatially correspond to the pattern expected from known temporal variations in the geomagnetic field. Samples within and adjacent to the axial summit trough (AST) have values approximately equal to or slightly higher than the present-day. Samples out to 1–3 km from the AST have values higher than the present-day, and samples farther off axis have values lower than the present-day. The on-axis samples (<500 m from the AST) provide a test case for using models of paleofield variation for the past few hundred years as an absolute dating technique. Results from samples collected near a well-documented eruption in 1991–1992 suggest there may be a small negative bias in the paleointensity estimates, limiting resolution of the dating technique. Possible explanations for such a bias include local field anomalies produced by preexisting magnetic terrain; anomalously high magnetic unblocking temperatures, leading to a small cooling rate bias; and/or the possibility of a chemical remanence produced by in situ alteration of samples likely to have complicated thermal histories. Paleointensity remains useful in approximating age differences in young flows, and a clear along-axis paleointensity contrast near 9°50’N is suggestive of a ~150–200 year age difference. Paleointensity values of off-axis samples are generally consistent with rough age interpretations based on side scan data. Furthermore, spatial patterns in the paleointensity suggest extensive off-axis flow emplacement may occur infrequently, with recurrence intervals of 10–20 kyr. Results of a stochastic model of lava emplacement show that this can be achieved with a single distribution of flows, with flow size linked to time between eruptions.

Cooling Rate Effects On Paleointensity Estimates In Submarine Basaltic Glass And Implications For Dating Young Flows, Julie A. Bowles, Jeffrey S. Gee, Dennis V. Kent, Eric Bergmanis, John Sinton

Geosciences Faculty Articles

Cooling rate effects on the intensity of thermoremanent magnetization (TRM) have been well documented in ceramics. In that case, laboratory cooling is generally more rapid than the initial cooling, leading to an overestimate of the paleofield by 5–10% in Thellier-type paleointensity experiments. The reverse scenario, however, has never been tested. We examine the effects of cooling rate on paleointensity estimates from rapidly quenched submarine basaltic glass (SBG) samples from 13 sites at 17°30′–18°30′S on the East Pacific Rise. Absolute cooling rates determined by relaxation geospeedometry at five of these sites range from ~10 to ~330°C min^-1 at the glass transition …