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Full-Text Articles in Environmental Sciences

Detection And Characterization Of Vibrio Vulnificus And Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Isolates: Pentaplex Pcr Assay And Its Application., Nabanita Bhattacharyya Jan 2012

Detection And Characterization Of Vibrio Vulnificus And Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Isolates: Pentaplex Pcr Assay And Its Application., Nabanita Bhattacharyya

LSU Master's Theses

The aim of the study was to develop an effective multiplex PCR protocol for simultaneous, rapid detection and characterization of two potential pathogens, Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus and to enumerate their abundance in the environment. A Pentaplex PCR (pPCR) assay condition was developed with a combination of two species- and three pathogenic- specific PCR primer sets to simultaneously detect and characterize bacterial isolates for virulent/ non- virulent strains of V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus. The pPCR assay was validated by three methods. First pPCR was tested on 300 bacterial isolates comprising of 7 reference strains, 117 V. vulnificus, 30 …


Biomass Energy Production In Louisiana: A Gis Study On The Supply Chain, Anil Raj Kizhakkepurakkal Jan 2012

Biomass Energy Production In Louisiana: A Gis Study On The Supply Chain, Anil Raj Kizhakkepurakkal

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

One major drawback of biomass fuel is its bulky nature and the resulting high cost of transporting the fuel to the facility where the energy is being produced. Hence, supply chain of biomass residues plays a crucial role in determining the financial viability of bioenergy production. Transporting biomass for energy purposes more than 50 miles (80 km) is not considered economically feasible in most conditions. In the wood energy scenario, the maximum distance is more often restricted to distances of less than 200 km between production and consumption (via road). A study was done to determine logging residues and agricultural …


Movements And Habitat Use Of Southeastern Blue Sucker Cycleptus Merdionalis In The Lower Pearl River, Devon Charles Oliver Jan 2012

Movements And Habitat Use Of Southeastern Blue Sucker Cycleptus Merdionalis In The Lower Pearl River, Devon Charles Oliver

LSU Master's Theses

Riverine fisheries management programs often do not focus on non-sport and non-commercial fishes, such as catostomids, yet many suckers have become threatened or endangered throughout river systems in the United States because of habitat alterations. In the Pearl River, sedimentation, dam construction, and other hydrologic modifications have negatively impacted habitats used by southeastern blue suckers Cycleptus meridionalis, a species of concern in both Louisiana and Mississippi. The principal objective of this project was to investigate habitat use of likely historically abundant southeastern blue suckers in the lower Pearl River. During electrofishing surveys in 2010 and 2011, we observed no southeastern …


Red Swamp Crayfish Procambarus Clarkii In The Atchafalaya River Basin: Biotic And Abiotic Effects On Population Dynamics And Physiological Biomarkers Of Hypoxic Stress, Christopher Paul Bonvillain Jan 2012

Red Swamp Crayfish Procambarus Clarkii In The Atchafalaya River Basin: Biotic And Abiotic Effects On Population Dynamics And Physiological Biomarkers Of Hypoxic Stress, Christopher Paul Bonvillain

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Crayfish harvested from the Atchafalaya River Basin (ARB) represent the majority of Louisiana wild crayfish landings. However, excluding water level influences, it is difficult to elucidate inter-annual harvest differences and intra-annual population variability among habitats. This research investigated ecological influences on population characteristics of red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii in the southeastern ARB as well as physiological biomarkers of hypoxic stress in P. clarkii. Biotic and abiotic effects on P. clarkii populations were examined throughout the 2008 and 2009 commercial crayfish seasons. P. clarkii catch per unit effort (CPUE) at sampling locations increased nearly 600% between sample years despite similar …


The Context Of Public Acceptance Of Hydraulic Fracturing: Is Louisiana Unique?, Crawford White Jan 2012

The Context Of Public Acceptance Of Hydraulic Fracturing: Is Louisiana Unique?, Crawford White

LSU Master's Theses

Hydraulic fracturing has received increased attention over the past decade. The rapid adoption of this technique coupled with accurate directional horizontal drilling has unlocked several US shale formations. Amid the possibility of 100% domestically sourced natural gas, public perception varies and opponents question the long-term risks and repercussions of the technique. This thesis will provide context to some of the variation seen in the public perception of hydraulic fracturing among three states: Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Two surveys of Louisiana stakeholders were conducted in order to rank the state in terms of acceptance amongst previously conducted surveys of its two …


Habitat Use, Movements, And Ecology Of Female Mottled Ducks On The Gulf Coast Of Louisiana And Texas, Bruce Edward Davis Jan 2012

Habitat Use, Movements, And Ecology Of Female Mottled Ducks On The Gulf Coast Of Louisiana And Texas, Bruce Edward Davis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula) are the most abundant breeding waterfowl in the coastal marshes of Louisiana and Texas. Mottled ducks are non-migratory and heavily dependent on coastal marsh habitats; they must satisfy all of their annual resource needs from within the Gulf Coast region. Coastal marsh habitats are being rapidly lost or degraded in Louisiana and Texas. The hydrology of many coastal marsh habitats has been altered by anthropogenic activity and natural factors. Parameters related to Mottled Duck habitat use and movements in this altered environment are poorly understood, and managers need information on vital rates of Mottled Ducks in …


Nitrogen And Carbon Export To The Gulf Of Mexico By The Atchafalaya River, A Major Distributary Of The Mississippi River, April Elizabeth Bryantmason Jan 2012

Nitrogen And Carbon Export To The Gulf Of Mexico By The Atchafalaya River, A Major Distributary Of The Mississippi River, April Elizabeth Bryantmason

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Summer hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico has been attributed to large nutrient inputs, especially nitrate-nitrogen, from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River system. The 2008 Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan calls for river corridor wetland restoration to reduce nitrate loads, but it is largely unknown how effective riverine wetland systems in the lower Mississippi River (MR) are for nitrate removal. This dissertation research examined nitrate and carbon export from the Atchafalaya River (AR) to: (1) determine nitrate processing by a river swamp basin under varied seasons, (2) investigate nitrate retention and processing in the AR during a major flood event, and (3) …


Pmi 5011 Regulates The Ubiquitin Proteasome System In Skeletal Muscle, Heather Christianne Kirk-Ballard Jan 2012

Pmi 5011 Regulates The Ubiquitin Proteasome System In Skeletal Muscle, Heather Christianne Kirk-Ballard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes is associated with impaired glucose and protein metabolism in skeletal muscle. The impaired insulin signaling in skeletal muscle affects muscle mass by tilting the balance between skeletal muscle protein synthesis and degradation toward degradation, a process that is primarily regulated by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Studies have shown that an extensively characterized ethanol extract of Artemisia dracunculus L (Russian Tarragon), termed PMI 5011, enhances insulin signaling in human primary skeletal muscle cells and in a rodent model of insulin resistance. The aim of this project is to determine if the effect of PMI 5011 on …


Water Quality Dynamics Of Low-Gradient, Headwater Streams In A Timber-Industry Dominated Watershed In Louisiana, Abram Atys Dasilva Jan 2012

Water Quality Dynamics Of Low-Gradient, Headwater Streams In A Timber-Industry Dominated Watershed In Louisiana, Abram Atys Dasilva

LSU Master's Theses

Timber harvesting can degrade the quality of adjacent water bodies, an important concern for Louisiana, nearly 50% of which is forested, and in which the forest industry is the second-largest manufacturing employer. To protect valuable freshwater resources in Louisiana, a manual of best management practices (BMPs) was published in 2000 describing techniques for limiting forestry-caused water quality degradation. While these BMPs are widely implemented, their effectiveness in protecting water quality is largely unknown. To determine the effectiveness of these BMPs, this thesis research conducted three studies to address timber harvest BMP effectiveness on protection of stream dissolved oxygen, metabolism, and …


Evaluation Of Growth Rates And Establishment Patterns Of Water-Elm (Planera Aquatica) And Baldcypress (Taxodium Distichum) In Response To Hydrologic And Climatic Conditions At Catahoula Lake, Louisiana, Sanjeev Joshi Jan 2012

Evaluation Of Growth Rates And Establishment Patterns Of Water-Elm (Planera Aquatica) And Baldcypress (Taxodium Distichum) In Response To Hydrologic And Climatic Conditions At Catahoula Lake, Louisiana, Sanjeev Joshi

LSU Master's Theses

Hydrologic alterations frequently lead to vegetation changes in floodplain ecosystems. In Louisiana, there has been an expansion of water-elm (Planera aquatica) and to a lesser extent baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) at Catahoula Lake, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. Water-elm and baldcypress both are flood tolerant species; baldcypress growth is known to be influenced by hydrologic conditions more than climate. The expansion of these woody trees has reduced herbaceous vegetation valuable for waterfowl. In this study, I tested two hypotheses that establishment of water-elm trees into the lake increased after the construction of water control structures in the nearby Black River …


An Analysis Of Change In Policy Context Regarding Corexit Dispersant Use Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Kelly Arceneaux Jan 2012

An Analysis Of Change In Policy Context Regarding Corexit Dispersant Use Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Kelly Arceneaux

LSU Master's Theses

On April 20, 2010, an explosion on the offshore drilling platform Deepwater Horizon located in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in the largest oil spill in U.S. history. The subsequent use of massive amounts of chemical dispersants near the Gulf floor, an untested method, led to great controversy regarding the regulation, use, and toxicity of dispersants of the COREXIT family of products, as well as of dispersants in general. This study compares dispersant (COREXIT brand products in particular) regulation and use in the United States, Norway and the United Kingdom; the latter two countries are among the largest oil producers …


Measuring City Commitment To Climate Change Mitigation, Kelsey Wefer Clinton Jan 2012

Measuring City Commitment To Climate Change Mitigation, Kelsey Wefer Clinton

LSU Master's Theses

An increasing number of cities are focusing on sustainability and climate change mitigation by joining groups such the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). ICLEI uses a five-step milestone process to help cities achieve their mitigation goals. These milestones include conducting a greenhouse gas inventory, setting reduction targets, creating a Climate Action Plan, and implementing and monitoring that plan. Prior studies have examined factors that may influence a city’s decision to join ICLEI, but few have looked at how committed the cities are to sustainability and to ICLEI itself after joining the organization. The purpose of this study is …


Minimizing Epicormic Branch Formation On Louisiana Leading Commercial Bottomland Red Oaks, Denton William Culpepper Jan 2012

Minimizing Epicormic Branch Formation On Louisiana Leading Commercial Bottomland Red Oaks, Denton William Culpepper

LSU Master's Theses

The goal of this study was to isolate biological, natural, and silvicultural factors that encourage the production of epicormic branches on bottomland red oak saw-timber trees and to use this information to help landowners and forest managers reduce epicormic branches in stands dominated by bottomland red oaks. Quercus nigra, Q. pagoda, Q. phellos, and Q. texana, the most common commercial bottomland red oaks in Louisiana, were evaluated in this study. Both qualitative and quantitative variables were assessed in this study. The following attributes were collected from each sample tree and primary competitor: site class, basal area, crown class DBH, presence …


High-Throughput Sperm Cryopreservation Of Aquatic Species, E Hu Jan 2012

High-Throughput Sperm Cryopreservation Of Aquatic Species, E Hu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation was to integrate multiple disciplines for application of high-throughput sperm cryopreservation to aquatic species. The blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus was selected for research due to its role in production of hybrid catfish with eggs from channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. A high-throughput cryopreservation pathway was developed by systematically evaluating each process factor and using automated processing systems. Large quantities of cryopreserved sperm produced from this protocol were evaluated in commercial-scale hatcheries in cooperation with aquaculture producers. To develop production for commercial requirements, quality characteristics of materials and products were identified and recorded during processing and analyzed …


Pah Concentrations Found Within Gulf Menhaden (Brevoortia Patronus) Populations Located Off Of The South/Southeast Coast Of Louisiana, Gregory Michael Olson Jan 2012

Pah Concentrations Found Within Gulf Menhaden (Brevoortia Patronus) Populations Located Off Of The South/Southeast Coast Of Louisiana, Gregory Michael Olson

LSU Master's Theses

In April 2010, large quantities of crude oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) raising questions about the possible contamination of marine organisms with constituents of concern known as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). In order to determine the impact of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) crude oil spill, Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) were harvested from two coastal regions of Louisiana. Tissue analysis to determine total PAH concentration was conducted using an adapted matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) method; a Soxhlet extraction process was used to determine fish oil to mass ratios for “small” (fork length < 16 cm) and “large” (fork length > 16 cm) menhaden. Menhaden …


Modeling The Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Coastal Marsh Birds, Bradley A. Pickens Jan 2012

Modeling The Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Coastal Marsh Birds, Bradley A. Pickens

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Wetland birds are likely to be influenced by habitat at multiple spatial scales, yet few studies have investigated bird responses at both broad and fine scales. Northern Gulf Coast marshes are dynamic ecosystems, and they provide an ideal place to examine habitat across spatial and temporal scales. My research focused on the secretive marsh bird guild (i.e. bitterns, rails, gallinules, grebes) with an emphasis on the king rail (Rallus elegans), a species of high conservation concern. My objectives were to investigate the wetland bird-environment relationship across scales, and to model annual changes in bird distribution. Study sites were in the …


The Effects Of Hydrologic Modifications On Floodplain Forest Tree Recruitment And Growth In The Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, Usa, Hugo Gee Jan 2012

The Effects Of Hydrologic Modifications On Floodplain Forest Tree Recruitment And Growth In The Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, Usa, Hugo Gee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Floodplains forests are productive and diverse ecosystems characterized by frequent riverine flooding. Levees and dams have eliminated or altered riverine flooding which can potentially affect floodplain tree recruitment and growth. Increased light availability from canopy disturbances may increase photosynthesis given sufficient soil moisture, but information on the combined effect of canopy disturbances and hydrologic modifications on tree recruitment and growth is lacking. I used dendrochronological techniques to reconstruct tree recruitment, growth (Quercus lyrata, Fraxinus pennsylvanica), and canopy disturbance patterns over a 90-year period at several floodplains in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, USA: an unleveed site below dams and two …


Influences On Behavior Adaptations To Reduce Exposure To Environmental Hazards Among Residents Of Louisiana's Upper Industrial Corridor, Corrinthia Marie Hinton Jan 2012

Influences On Behavior Adaptations To Reduce Exposure To Environmental Hazards Among Residents Of Louisiana's Upper Industrial Corridor, Corrinthia Marie Hinton

LSU Master's Theses

Over the past century, the growth in petrochemical manufacturing within Louisiana’s Upper Industrial Corridor brought economic development, but also introduced toxic emissions and environmental exposure risks to residents of the area. For the citizens living in close proximity to multiple facilities there is the added risk of chemical exposure from environmentally hazardous accidents. This study seeks to gain insights into patterns of risk-reducing behaviors of residents in East Baton Rouge Parish so that better educational outreach programs can be developed. This research addresses the following questions: To what extent are residents of Baton Rouge taking steps to reduce environmental exposure …


Effects Of Varying Land Use On Headwater Stream Fish Assemblages And In-Stream Habitats In Southwestern Louisiana, Alexandra Marie Fitzgerald Jan 2012

Effects Of Varying Land Use On Headwater Stream Fish Assemblages And In-Stream Habitats In Southwestern Louisiana, Alexandra Marie Fitzgerald

LSU Master's Theses

Although watershed land use effects on in-stream fish habitat and fish-macrohabitat associations have been widely studied in the past, low-gradient, coastal Louisiana streams have been poorly described in the literature. In this thesis, I report the results of a two-year study exploring relationships among regional land use, in-stream physical habitat, and headwater stream fish assemblages. In chapter two, I examined in-stream habitat variables such as depth, flow, and substrate combined with three-pass electrofishing depletion estimates at thirteen 100-m stream sites. I used a combination of principle component analysis and structural equation modeling to determine if trends were present in the …


Composition And Physiological Characteristics Of The University Lake Ecosystem Phytoplankton Community: Impacts Of Seasonal And Episodic Events, Brianne Elizabeth Norris Jan 2012

Composition And Physiological Characteristics Of The University Lake Ecosystem Phytoplankton Community: Impacts Of Seasonal And Episodic Events, Brianne Elizabeth Norris

LSU Master's Theses

This research determined the changes in phytoplankton community composition in a shallow subtropical lake, influenced by urban surroundings. Specifically this research focused on the effects of seasonal progression and episodic events on the changing inorganic nutrient dynamics and the effects those dynamics had on the phytoplankton community composition and productivity. This research quantified gross primary production and respiration to determine if seasonality or episodic events were acting as forcing functions of the phytoplankton community composition. Water samples were collected weekly at three sites on the lake’s perimeter, as well as following episodic events, to monitor nitrate (NO3), phosphate (PO4-3), ammonium …


The Effect Of Inorganic Fillers On The Properties Of Wood Plastic Composites, Birm June Kim Jan 2012

The Effect Of Inorganic Fillers On The Properties Of Wood Plastic Composites, Birm June Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The effect of inorganic fillers including precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), glass fiber (GF), and nano-clay on properties of structured WPCs was investigated. In PCC-bamboo-polymer hybrid composites, tensile and flexural moduli were improved with increasing PCC content. After silane treatment of bamboo, RBF-filled hybrid composites showed better mechanical properties compared to those of GBP-filled hybrid composites. The hybrid composites showed 3-4 times higher modulus than those of PCC-filled composites at high PCC levels. Various property differences were observed between weak- and strong-core coextruded systems with shell composition changes. While the weak-core systems showed improved flexural strengths compared to their core-only control, …


Comprehensive Planning And Resilience: A Study Of Louisiana Parishes After Hurricane Katrina, Mary Paille Jan 2012

Comprehensive Planning And Resilience: A Study Of Louisiana Parishes After Hurricane Katrina, Mary Paille

LSU Master's Theses

When hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005, widespread devastation was felt in over half of the parishes in the state. More than 200,000 homes were damaged and more than 1500 people lost their lives. During this transitionary period, communities were vulnerable and looked for rebuilding leadership. As part of a post-catastrophe resilience movement, the Louisiana Recovery Authority formulated a 50-year regional plan for recovering south Louisiana called Louisiana Speaks. This planning process opened up an opportunity to reach those communities that otherwise may not have considered planning or how it could help them prepare for future events. This places …


Soil Accretion And Organic Carbon Accumulation In The Tidal Salt Marshes Of The Liaohe Delta, China, Nicholas Lawrence Yuknis Jan 2012

Soil Accretion And Organic Carbon Accumulation In The Tidal Salt Marshes Of The Liaohe Delta, China, Nicholas Lawrence Yuknis

LSU Master's Theses

Wetlands provide a multitude of functions to people and ecosystems and because of this, maintaining or increasing wetland area is important. Wetlands can be significant carbon sinks because of the relatively high primary productivity and slow decomposition of organic matter in these systems and can thus impact the global carbon cycle and potentially climate change. The marshes of the Liaohe Delta are the largest in Liaoning Province; however, very little research has been done in this area to determine the rate of accretion and organic carbon sequestration in the salt marshes there. By using Cs-137 and Pb-210 dating techniques and …


Modeling Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus) Habitat In A Fire-Dependnent Ecosystem In North Florida, Christina Legleu Jan 2012

Modeling Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus) Habitat In A Fire-Dependnent Ecosystem In North Florida, Christina Legleu

LSU Master's Theses

Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) populations have declined with longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystems across their historic range. The influence of gopher tortoise burrows on co-inhabiting plants and animals necessitates an understanding of how landscape features and management practices influence gopher tortoise presence, absence, and abandonment. In this study, naïve gopher tortoise burrow encounter rates from a line transect distance sampling (LTDS) pilot study were used for two methods of modeling gopher tortoise habitat. In Chapter 1, naïve encounter rates were tested for a linear correlation to a HSI model created from three ranked geographic information system (GIS) landscape variables. Initial …


Population Dynamics Of The Eastern Oyster In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Benjamin S. Eberline Jan 2012

Population Dynamics Of The Eastern Oyster In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Benjamin S. Eberline

LSU Master's Theses

This project examined the economically and ecologically valuable eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) in the Northern Gulf of Mexico using field and laboratory experiments. Specifically, this project focused on natural rates of settlement, growth, and mortality in a variety of temperature and salinity regimes within Breton Sound, LA. Seed and market sized oysters in cages resting on the bottom, as well as settlement tiles, were monitored at four sites in Breton Sound, LA, along what is typically a salinity gradient ranging from ~5 to ~20. In April 2010, the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion was fully opened with the goal of minimizing the …


Spatial Variability In Response Of Deltaic Baldcypress Forests To Hydrology And Climate, Som Bahadur Bohora Jan 2012

Spatial Variability In Response Of Deltaic Baldcypress Forests To Hydrology And Climate, Som Bahadur Bohora

LSU Master's Theses

Changing hydrology and climate have significantly altered ecologically significant cypress-tupelo forests in the deltaic plain of the Mississippi River. Though local responses of these swamps to hydrology are relatively well understood, broad-scale evaluation of ecological response differences of deltaic wetland forests has been limited by the lack of site-specific coupled hydrologic and ecological data. Baldcypress tree-rings from twenty-two sites were used to examine the responses of coastal swamp forests throughout the deltaic plain to environmental variables. The responses of these forests to environmental variables varied spatially; however, broad-scale measures of deltaic hydrology were more correlated with tree radial growth than …


Energy, Environment, And Sustainability: A Hierarchical Analysis Of South Louisiana, Matthew Korbel Moerschbaecher Jan 2012

Energy, Environment, And Sustainability: A Hierarchical Analysis Of South Louisiana, Matthew Korbel Moerschbaecher

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation details research into the sustainability of industrial, human, and natural systems in south Louisiana. Chapter 1 is a general introduction. Chapter 2 calculates the energy return on financial investment (EROFI) of oil and gas production in the ultra-deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GoM) in 2009 and the Macondo Prospect (Mississippi Canyon Block 252). I calculated a preliminary Energy Return on Investment (EROI) using a range of energy intensity ratios. The EROFI for ultra-deepwater oil and gas at the wellhead was roughly 0.85 gallons, per dollar. These estimates of EROI for 2009 ultra-deepwater oil and natural gas at the wellhead …


The Ecological Impact Of The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill On Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Type Iii Secretion System And The Vibrio Community, Erica L. Stephens Jan 2012

The Ecological Impact Of The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill On Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Type Iii Secretion System And The Vibrio Community, Erica L. Stephens

LSU Master's Theses

Vibrio spp are gram-negative, halophilic bacteria that naturally occur in both shallow coastal waters and parts of the deepest oceans and are a known human pathogen. There have not been extensive studies that analyze an oil spill as an environmental stressor to vibrios. If there were to be an increase in the pathogenicity of vibrios it would be a cause for human health concern. The purpose of the two studies presented was to determine changes in the pathogenicity of V. parahaemolyticus pathogenicity and the vibrio community, with respect to V. cholera, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. vulnificus. The results showed that …


The Effects Of Regulatory Uncertainty On The U.S. Acid Rain Program, Narendra Paramanand Jan 2012

The Effects Of Regulatory Uncertainty On The U.S. Acid Rain Program, Narendra Paramanand

LSU Master's Theses

Title IV of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA 1990) created the first large scale cap-and-trade program as a means to control acid rain in the United States. The program regulated the emission of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrous oxide (NOx) in the atmosphere—the precursor to acid rain (formerly acid deposition). Economists have long argued for the use of market-based incentive approach as oppose to the traditional command-and-control methods for its ability to be efficient and cost-effective. Title IV went into full effect in 1995 and has been lauded among one of the most successful regulation as it …


Ecology Of Rusty Blackbirds Wintering In Louisiana: Seasonal Trends, Flock Composition And Habitat Associations, Emma Elizabeth Deleon Jan 2012

Ecology Of Rusty Blackbirds Wintering In Louisiana: Seasonal Trends, Flock Composition And Habitat Associations, Emma Elizabeth Deleon

LSU Master's Theses

With an estimated population loss of at least 5% annually and a 100-year history of decline, Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus) are one of the fastest declining bird species in North America. Determining cause of decline is important, both for conserving the species and for identifying threats to the wooded wetland ecosystems they use on their boreal breeding-grounds and their wintering-grounds in the southeastern United States. One hypothesis is that loss of wintering ground habitat, possibly in conjunction with competition or disease, is causing Rusty Blackbird decline. To determine contribution of wintering ground conditions, it is important to understand the behaviors …