Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Class Notes

DePaul Magazine

DePaul alumni share news about their promotions, career moves, weddings, birth announcements, other accomplishments and more with the DePaul community. John Carruthers (CMN MA '09) makes pizzas to support nonprofits. Nyabweza Itaagi (LAS MA '18) helps grow a community-owned agro-eco district with a nature trail in a former rail corridor and conversions of vacant lots into urban farms.

Assessing The Use Of Regenerative Agriculture In California Almonds As Climate Change Resilience, Skyler M. Seamons

Master's Projects and Capstones

The agriculture sector is responsible for 10% of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions. In turn, anthropogenic climate change threatens crops. With its Mediterranean climate, California is the country’s largest agricultural-producing state. Many California crops are at risk due to increasing temperatures and changed precipitation patterns. This paper investigates regenerative farming techniques as a tool to protect California crops from a changing climate. Almonds are used as a case study to analyze the soil management practices, finances, and policies underlying regenerative agriculture in California. A literature review and comparative analysis are used to compare regenerative and conventional soil management practices …

And Food Justice For All: Advancing Access To Just And Sustainable Food Systems, Makenna Grace Landry

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

A collection of work exploring food justice and food access programming in Western Montana, as well as a critique of the Bayer-Monsanto merger.

Agricultural Groundcover Update March 2024, Justin Laycock

Natural resources published reports

• In March, over 10% (1,577,000 ha) of the arable farmland in the south-west of Western Australia had less than 50% vegetative groundcover, which is inadequate to prevent wind erosion.

• The northern grainbelt had the highest risk of wind erosion and over 20% of this farmland had inadequate groundcover.

• About 1.3% (191,000 ha) of arable land had a high to very high risk of wind erosion because groundcover was less than 30%.

Cradle Explorer: Casfer Interactive Platform For Data And Model Visualization, Olatunde D. Akanbi, Vibha S. Mandayam, Haiping Ai, Arafath Nihar, Erika I. Barcelos, Laura S. Bruckman, Jeffrey Yarus, Yinghui Wu, Huichun (Judy) Zhang, Roger H. French

Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Living At Imsa, Vignesh Tiruvannamalai, Zuyu Liu

Goal 4: Intrapersonal Intelligence Narrative

Students will collect any recyclable materials they have discarded to create wing decorations in conjunction with everyone in the wing and learn about sustainability, including statistics and lifestyle guidance.

Agricultural Groundcover Update February 2024, Justin Laycock

Natural resources published reports

• About 92% of the grainbelt had adequate (more than 50%) vegetative groundcover to prevent wind erosion in February 2024.

• Nearly 8% of the grainbelt (1,193,400 ha) had less than 50% groundcover, which is inadequate to prevent wind erosion.

• The northern grainbelt had the highest risk of wind erosion and 16.5% of this farmland had inadequate groundcover.

• Less than 0.7% of the grainbelt had a high to very high risk of wind erosion because groundcover was less than 30%.

Procedures For Rangeland Condition Assessment In The Pilbara And Southern Rangelands 2022, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development

Natural resources published reports

To define the procedures used in 2022 by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) to complete rangeland condition assessment (RCA) in the Pilbara and southern rangelands region which has predominantly shrub-based pastures. For the rest of the pastoral estate, DPIRD uses the Procedures for RCA in the Kimberley which has grass pastures.

RCA is the process DPIRD uses to make systematic, lease level assessment of rangeland. Rangeland condition considers both the condition of pastures (as defined in the Pasture condition and management guide for the Pilbara rangelands or Southern rangelands pasture condition and management guides) and soils …

Will Saf Turbocharge The Corn Ethanol Market?, Richard Perrin, Lilyan Fulginiti, Felipe Miranda De Souza Almeida

Cornhusker Economics

The long-run outlook for the corn ethanol industry is questionable, due to a transition to electric and hybrid vehicles. One source of hope for the long run is the potential demand for producing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). SAF is a key component in the United States Aviation Climate Action Plan, a path to net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the aviation industry by 2050. Demand for ethanol for SAF offers hope to the ethanol industry, but it depends a great deal on policy decisions that are being made now. Here we sketch out this story.

Based on the information available …

Procedures For Rangeland Condition Assessment In The Kimberley 2022, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development

Natural resources published reports

This report defines the procedures used in 2022 by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) to complete rangeland condition assessment (RCA) in the Kimberley region which has grass-based pastures. For the rest of the pastoral estate, DPIRD uses the Procedures for RCA in the Pilbara and southern rangelands which have predominantly shrub pastures.

RCA is the process DPIRD uses to make systematic, lease-level assessment of rangeland. Rangeland condition considers both the condition of pastures (as defined in the Pasture condition guide for the Kimberley, Ryan et al. 2013) and soils as determined by erosion, using the …

Field Research Report: Results From The Enreec Vri Field For The 2021, 2022, And 2023 Crop Seasons, Derek M. Heeren, Ali T. Mohammed, Eric Wilkening, Christopher M. U. Neale, Alan L. Boldt, Ankit Chandra, Precious Nneka Amori, Ivo Z. Goncalves, Yeyin Shi, Guillermo R. Balboa

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Conference Presentations and White Papers

Long-term irrigation management research has been conducted from 2014 to 2023 for corn and soybean at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension, and Education Center (ENREEC) Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) Field located in subhumid east-central Nebraska (in the Lower Platte North Natural Resources District). The objective of this report was to present the overall results from the VRI Field for 2021 to 2023. Across the three growing seasons, there were the following irrigation treatments: Best Management Practice (BMP), 50% BMP, 125% BMP, rainfed, Spatial ET Modeling Interface (SETMI), SDD1, SDD2, machine-learning-based Cyber-Physical System (CPS), a student team recommended rate, and industry …

Agricultural Groundcover Update January 2024, Justin Laycock

Natural resources published reports

Summary

• About 94% of the grainbelt had adequate (more than 50%) vegetative groundcover to prevent wind erosion in January 2024.
• In the northern half of the grainbelt, a larger-than-average area has 51–60% groundcover, which is expected to decrease to below 50% over the coming months.
• Just under 6% of the grainbelt (855,000 ha) had less than 50% groundcover, which is inadequate to prevent wind erosion. West Midlands Ag Soil Zone had the highest risk of wind erosion and 14.5% of this farmland had inadequate groundcover.
• Less than 0.5% of the grainbelt had a high to very high risk of wind …

Program Requirements For Beef Cattle Certified As Usda Organic, Carsten Loseke, Elliott James Dennis

Cornhusker Economics

This document provides an overview of the use and production of the USDA Certified Organic program for the beef cattle industry, with an emphasis on the state of Nebraska. We detail what cattle qualify, feed requirements, medical and health standards of cattle, and premiums paid by consumers for USDA certified organic products. All information is taken from the Organic Foods Production Act Provisions available in the Federal Register.

Perennializing Marginal Croplands: Going Back To The Future To Mitigate Climate Change With Resilient Biobased Feedstocks, Salvador Ramirez Ii, Marty R. Schmer, Virginia L. Jin, Robert B. Mitchell, Catherine E. Stewart, Jay Parsons, Daren D. Redfearn, John J. Quinn, Gary E. Varvel, Kenneth P. Vogel, Ronald F. Follett

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Managing annual row crops on marginally productive croplands can be environmentally unsustainable and result in variable economic returns. Incorporating perennial bioenergy feedstocks into marginally productive cropland can engender ecosystem services and enhance climate resiliency while also diversifying farm incomes. We use one of the oldest bioenergy-specific field experiments in North America to evaluate economically and environmentally sustainable management practices for growing perennial grasses on marginal cropland. This long-term field trial called 9804 was established in 1998 in eastern Nebraska and compared the productivity and sustainability of corn (Zea mays L.)—both corn grain and corn stover—and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum …

A Road Map For Place Based Collaboration For Conflict Reduction, Joseph L. Zecher

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

No abstract provided.

Agricultural Groundcover Update December 2023, Justin Laycock

Natural resources published reports

Summary

• About 96% of the grainbelt had adequate vegetative groundcover (more than 50%) to prevent wind erosion in December 2023.
• In the northern half of the grainbelt, a larger-than-average area has 51–60% groundcover, which is expected to decrease to below 50% over the summer.
• Just under 4% of the grainbelt (553,000 ha) had less than 50% groundcover, which is inadequate to prevent wind erosion. West Midlands Ag Soil Zone had the highest risk of wind erosion and 11.4% of this farmland had inadequate groundcover.
• Less than 0.5% of the grainbelt had a high to very high risk of wind erosion …

Disaster Plant Pathology: Smart Solutions For Threats To Global Plant Health From Natural And Human-Driven Disasters, Berea A. Etherton, Robin A. Choudhury, Ricardo I. Alcalá Briseño, Romaric A. Mouafo-Tchinda, Aaron I. Plex Sulá, Manoj Choudhury, Ashish Adhikari, Si Lin Lei, Nattapol Kraisitudomsook, Jacobo Robledo Buritica

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Disaster plant pathology addresses how natural and human-driven disasters impact plant diseases, and the requirements for smart management solutions. Local to global drivers of plant disease change in response to disasters, often creating environments more conducive to plant disease. Most disasters have indirect effects on plant health through factors such as disrupted supply chains and damaged infrastructure. There is also the potential for direct effects from disasters, such as pathogen or vector dispersal due to floods, hurricanes, and human migration driven by war. Pulse stressors such as hurricanes and war require rapid responses, while press stressors such as climate change …

A Tale Of Two Working Landscapes, Sage C. Sutcliffe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Costs Of Wind Erosion In The Northern Agricultural Region, Anne Bennett

Natural resources published reports

Summary

• To date, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) estimated opportunity cost of wind erosion for Western Australia’s (WA) agricultural region has only included the costs of forgone production income and therefore underestimates the broader costs of wind erosion events.
• This underestimation of costs was the impetus to create a case study to give an indication of the magnitude of the costs of wind erosion from agricultural land.
• Farmers in the Northern Agricultural Region (NAR) were contacted to seek information about the on-farm costs of wind erosion events that occurred in 2020. Seventeen farmers responded to the …

Status Of The Western Australian Pastoral Rangelands 2023: Total Vegetative Cover And Cover Risk, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development

Natural resources published reports

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) monitors and reports on the vegetation condition of pastoral rangelands in Western Australia. This 2023 short report uses remotely sensed total cover data available to the end of October 2023, rainfall data to the end of November 2023 and Stock Return data reported in 2022 (the most recent available) to determine cover risk. Cover risk at the land conservation district (LCD) level is an indicator of the likelihood of total cover declining to, or remaining at, low or very low levels. Total cover and cover risk may not be indicative of …

Agricultural Groundcover Update November 2023, Justin Laycock

Natural resources published reports

Summary

• About 98% of the grainbelt had adequate (more than 50%) vegetative groundcover to prevent wind erosion in November 2023. This amount of groundcover is normal for the middle of harvest.
• In the northern half of the grainbelt, a larger-than-average area had 51–60% groundcover, which is expected to decrease to below 50% over summer.
• Just over 2% of the grainbelt (324,000 ha) had less than 50% groundcover, which is inadequate to prevent wind erosion. Mullewa to Morawa Ag Soil Zone had the highest risk of wind erosion and 9.7% of this farmland had inadequate groundcover.
• Less than 0.5% of the …

Globalization, Climate Variability And Food Security In Pakistan: The Moderating Role Of Population Density, Shazia Kousar, Muhammad Afzal, Adeel Nasir

CBER Conference

The aim of this study is twofold; first, this study examined the impact of globalization and climate variability on food security. Second, this study examined the moderating role of population density on the relationship between globalization, climate variability and food security. This study utilized the data for food security from FAO, while the data for globalization related to the KOF globalization index.

Building The Soil Carbon Sponge At Murray Wells Farm, Tambellup, Western Australia, Wendy Bradshaw

Natural resources published reports

Peter and Wendy Bradshaw farmed at Murray Wells Farm about 25 km west of Tambellup for around 46 years until they sold and retired in 2022. They produced barley, oats, merino and prime lambs on an annual rainfall of 450 mm over 1,000 arable hectares. The farm was on a moderately undulating landscape with a mix of soils including sandy duplex, well-drained sand over gravel over clay, shallow sandy or loamy gravel over cemented laterite and red to brown loamy soils.Their farming philosophy was to view agriculture as an ecological enterprise that included them as part of the ecosystem, and …

Agricultural Groundcover Update October 2023, Justin Laycock

Natural resources published reports

Summary

• About 98% of the grainbelt had adequate vegetative groundcover (more than 50%) to prevent wind erosion in October 2023. This amount of groundcover is normal at the end of spring and pre-harvest in most areas.
• There was a larger than average area with 51–60% groundcover, and groundcover in these areas is expected to reduce over summer to below 50%.
• About 2% of the grainbelt (293,000 ha) had less than 50% groundcover, which is inadequate to prevent wind erosion. Mullewa to Morawa Ag Soil Zone had the highest risk of wind erosion and 8% of this farmland had inadequate groundcover. …

Groundwater System Characterisation: Fortescue Alluvial Fan, Michael J. Donn, Olga V. Barron, Axel Suckow, Chris Turnadge, John A. Simons, Robert J. Paul, Christopher Schelfhout Dr

Natural resources commissioned reports

This report focuses on groundwater system characterisation in the region north of Newman, based on analysis of pre-existing data and data newly acquired during project activities. Groundwater system characterisation was an important research component supporting the assessment of managed aquifer recharge opportunities, using mine dewatering surplus generated (due to mining below the watertable) at large BHP Billiton Iron Ore operations in the eastern Pilbara mining zone, and aiming to support irrigated agriculture. The assessment area is located north of Ethel Gorge and covers the Upper Fortescue River floodplain and surroundings. The project added much knowledge to this largely ‘data-poor’ region, …

Wics Conference 2023: Moving Beyond The Ordinary, Daren Redfearn, Daran Rudnick

WICS Conferences

The theme of this year’s WICS Conference is Moving Beyond the Ordinary with the goal of addressing Team Science. Our vision is to provide opportunities and connection points among IANR faculty to leverage their individual knowledge, skills, abilities, and passions. A tendency for land grant institutions is often to deliver information biased from a single, primary discipline and perspective. This is known as comfort zone mega bias and has been defined as “the tendency to drag a problem into our comfort zone and solve the problem that we know how to solve, rather than solving the problem that needs to …

Portugal To New Mexico: Investigating The Applicability Of Syntropic Agriculture To A Semi-Arid Continental Climate, Arielle Nathan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Conventional industrial agriculture has numerous detrimental effects on the environment including high carbon emissions, pollution and overconsumption of water, soil degradation, and reduction of biodiversity (FAO, 2018). Large-scale alternatives are needed to combat these negative consequences and provide climate solutions. Syntropic Agriculture is a promising farming alternative especially in arid systems subject to degraded soils and desertification. New Mexico is a semi-arid continental climate in a prolonged period of drought and predicted to experience worsening agricultural conditions due to desertification, wildfire intensification, and exacerbated water scarcity. In an area with similar agricultural challenges, a project in Mértola, Portugal (Terra Sintrópica) …

The Truth Behind Avocado Expansion In The Algarve: A Synthesis Of Public, Environmental Associations, And Government Perspectives And Response, Mandy Ausman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Avocado expansion has exponentially increased in the Algarve region of southern Portugal in recent years. The surge in expansion has provoked contention and discrepancy in the media regarding how and if avocado production can persist in the water-scarce region due to worsening drought conditions related to climate change coupled with the fruit’s significant water footprint. This paper aims to synthesize the arguments and response of the public, environmental associations, and government agencies to the expansion of avocado production in the water- scarce region of the Algarve, highlight the region’s current challenges of avocado expansion and water management regulation, and analyze …

Assessing The Performance Of Agricultural Systems In The Inland And Coastal Regions Of Northern Portugal Using Indicators: Establishing The Foundation Towards Better Agricultural Practices, Genevieve Gehlken

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study conducts a comprehensive evaluation of agricultural systems in the distinct coastal and inland regions of Northern Portugal. Employing key indicators, including soil erosion, nitrogen surplus, irrigation practices, Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and crop yield, the analysis reveals statistically significant disparities and unique challenges in each region. The coastal areas, marked by higher agricultural GDP, exhibit distinct economic dependencies on agriculture, while the inland regions face challenges related to water scarcity, soil erosion, and rural isolation. The looming threat of climate change adds complexity to these dynamics, further highlighting the need for region-specific, sustainable agricultural practices. In the …