Environmental Monitoring Commons^™

Seasonal Characterization Of New York City Urban Thermal Environment, Spiridon Papanikolaou

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study aims to characterize the seasonality of New York City thermal environment using Landsat satellite long wave IR data. The main objective is to describe the relationship between surface temperature, air temperature at 2 meters above the surface and urban morphology over the annual cycle. The secondary objective involves identification of the factors contributing to surface temperature variability. Landsat thermal scenes, ground-based air temperatures and linearly unmixed continuous endmember fractions from the optical bands are used to represent the urban environment in the analysis. Spatial resolution, solar and view geometry and land cover are important components influencing measurements of …

Hazmat Storage Near Nyc Waterways Endangers Communities, Brett E. Dahlberg, Nicole Acevedo

Capstones

New York City has 520 miles of shoreline--that’s more than Miami and Los Angeles combined. These waterfronts are home to some of the city’s most polluted sites because major part of it is zoned for industrial use. Dozens of industrial plants in this area store toxic chemicals in flood zones: substances that are hazardous to our health, like Benzene, which is used in rocket fuel, toluene, a paint thinner, and lead a neurotoxin. In a flood, these chemicals can easily get caught up in moving waters and pollute entire neighborhoods.

That’s exactly what happened when Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012. …

Machine Learning Algorithms For Automated Satellite Snow And Sea Ice Detection, George Bonev

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The continuous mapping of snow and ice cover, particularly in the arctic and poles, are critical to understanding the earth and atmospheric science. Much of the world's sea ice and snow covers the most inhospitable places, making measurements from satellite-based remote sensors essential. Despite the wealth of data from these instruments many challenges remain. For instance, remote sensing instruments reside on-board different satellites and observe the earth at different portions of the electromagnetic spectrum with different spatial footprints. Integrating and fusing this information to make estimates of the surface is a subject of active research.

In response to these challenges, …

Machine Learning Approach To Retrieving Physical Variables From Remotely Sensed Data, Fazlul Shahriar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Scientists from all over the world make use of remotely sensed data from hundreds of satellites to better understand the Earth. However, physical measurements from an instrument is sometimes missing either because the instrument hasn't been launched yet or the design of the instrument omitted a particular spectral band. Measurements received from the instrument may also be corrupt due to malfunction in the detectors on the instrument. Fortunately, there are machine learning techniques to estimate the missing or corrupt data. Using these techniques we can make use of the available data to its full potential.

We present work on four …

Land Change History Of Oil Palm Plantations In Northern Bengkulu Province, Sumatra Island, Reconstructed From Landsat Satellite Archives, Atsushi Tomita

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The aim of this study is to reconstruct the history of land conversion to oil palm plantation in tropical Asia using multi-temporal satellite data. A new method was constructed with a newly developed computer model, Land Change Detection and Land Definition Model (LC/LD Model) to map out spatio-temporal distribution of land changes. A comprehensive, cloud-free Landsat dataset was created from all the available Landsat data from 1988 to 2015. The pixel-based dataset was converted into a polygon-based dataset by applying the multi-temporal image segmentation method. The representation of the spectral information was also reduced to a single index of IB45, …

Flight Of The Freshwater Fish, Michael H. Wilson

Capstones

Michael H. Wilson

Capstone Abstract

December 27, 2016

Flight of the Freshwater Fish

The Hudson River provides for millions of people as a path for commercial and private transportation, a source of food and energy, and perhaps most importantly for many living in the tri-state area as a destination for recreation and relaxation. The most overlooked feature of the river is how the wildlife shows clear signs of a changing climate and rapid environmental response to the impacts of global warming on the river.

Entire populations of fish species in the lower Hudson have been forced to leave the river …

Bathymetric Survey For Lakes Azuei And Enriquillo, Hispaniola, Michael Piasecki, Mahrokh Moknatian, Fred Moshary, Joseph Cleto, Yolanda Leon, Jorge Gonzalez, Daniel Comarazamy

Publications and Research

The two largest lakes on the Caribbean Island of Hispaniola, Lake Azuei in Haiti and Lake Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic, have experienced dramatic growth and surface area expansion over the past few years leading to severe flooding and loss of arable land around the lake perimeters. In order to better understand the reasons for this unprecedented rate of expansion and the resulting consequences a multi-disciplinary team comprised of researchers from Haiti, the DR, and the US have embarked on an extensive data collecting and hydrologic and climatological modeling campaign. While the sensor deployment entails stations that measure climatological data …

Comparing Three Methods For Estimating Ozone Depleting Substance Substitute Greenhouse Gases: Case Study Of The New York City Region, Wallace A. Murray Iii

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis evaluates the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) method for estimating emissions from one source, Ozone Depleting Substances Substitutes (ODS substitutes) by comparing results for the New York City Metropolitan Statistical Area (NYC-MSA) with results from two other methodologies. The EPA’s method utilizes population data and GDP data to estimate and geographically allocate emissions, with little regard for the geographies of industrial activity. The two alternative methods use data for industrial employment and activity to provide results for comparison and perhaps a more accurate accounting and allocation of emissions throughout the NYC-MSA.

Reduction Of The Long-Term Inaccuracy From The Avhrr–Based Ndvi Data, Md Zahidur Rahman, Leonid Roytman, M. Nazrul Islam

Publications and Research

This paper investigated the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) stability in the NOAA/NESDIS Global Vegetation Index (GVI) data during 1982-2003, which was collected from five NOAA series satellites. An empirical distribution function (EDF) was developed to eliminate the long-term inaccuracy of the NDVI data derived from the AVHRR sensor on NOAA polar orbiting satellite. The instability of data results from orbit degradation as well as from the circuit drifts over the life of a satellite. Degradation of NDVI over time and shifts of NDVI between the satellites were estimated using the China data set, because it includes a wide variety …

Stochastic Dea With A Perfect Object And Its Application To Analysis Of Environmental Efficiency, Alexander Vaninsky

Publications and Research

The paper introduces stochastic DEA with a Perfect Object (SDEA PO). The Perfect Object (PO) is a virtual Decision Making Unit (DMU) that has the smallest inputs and greatest outputs. Including the PO in a collection of actual objects yields an explicit formula of the efficiency index. Given the distributions of DEA inputs and outputs, this formula allows us to derive the probability distribution of the efficiency score, to find its mathematical expectation, and to deliver common (group–related) and partial (object-related) efficiency components. We apply this approach to a prospective analysis of environmental efficiency of the major national and regional …

Assessing Continuous Contamination Discharge From A Combined Sewer Outfall (Cso) Into A Tidal Wetland Creek: Bacteriological And Heavy Metals Indicators, Timothy Eaton, Gregory D. O'Mullan, Ashaki A. Rouff

Publications and Research

Continuous discharge from a combined sewer overflow (CSO) into a tidal wetland creek in the New York City urban area was analyzed to assess the extent of water quality degradation from fecal bacteria contamination during both dry and wet weather. A combination of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), total suspended solids, and dissolved metals were used to infer the presence of sewage pollution from the CSO discharge and to constrain the spatial and temporal impact on water quality and dry season creek flows. Upstream of the CSO, creek flow was dominated by groundwater input, and FIB levels were very low or …

Stratigraphic Constraints On Groundwater Flow: Examples From York College, Cuny Campus In Queens, New York City, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Stanley Schleifer, Ezazul Haque, Coreyn Goddard, Shirley Jackson

Publications and Research

Surficial geology of the York College campus is dominated by recent glacial deposits dating back to late Wisconsinan event. Several shallow excavation-type trenches reaching a depth of approximately 6 to 10 feet were dug in the wide greeneries adjacent to the parking lot to determine soil texture and collect in-situ permeability data. Based on these shallow pits, an apparent subsurface stratigraphy has been constructed. In general, the uppermost 8 to 18 inches is mostly clayey-and-silty sand and organic-rich top soil overlying stratified drift. The uppermost horizons are observed to also contain fill materials such as bricks, concretes, broken glasses, and …

Information Content Of Seasonal Forecasts In A Changing Climate, Nir Krakauer, Michael D. Grossberg, Irina Gladkova, Hannah Aizenman

Publications and Research

We study the potential value to stakeholders of probabilistic long-term forecasts, as quantified by the mean information gain of the forecast compared to climatology. We use as a case study the USA Climate Prediction Center (CPC) forecasts of 3-month temperature and precipitation anomalies made at 0.5-month lead time since 1995. Mean information gain was positive but low (about 2% and 0.5% of the maximum possible for temperature and precipitation forecasts, resp.) and has not increased over time. Information-based skill scores showed similar patterns to other, non-information-based, skill scores commonly used for evaluating seasonal forecasts but tended to be smaller, suggesting …

Memorial To Charles Alexander Baskerville (1928–2009), Allen W. Hatheway, Ajitkumar Shah, Joseph J. Lifrieri, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Stanley Schleifer

Publications and Research

Charles Alexander Baskerville captured our imagination, as a senior colleague in the practice of engineering geology in New York City. “Charlie” held the seat of master Big Apple Geologist during his matured career. He was the source, he knew the possibilities, he was aware of the pitfalls of this most geologically complex of American cities. His final work was his greatest reach—the four bedrock geologic quadrangles of the city. Baskerville mapped New York City for more than fifty years. He was sought and given access to sites of bedrock and bedrock/ overburden interface on the various capitol construction projects undertaken …

The Most Effective Statistical Approach To Correct Environmental Satellite Data, Md Zahidur Rahman, Leonid Roytman

Publications and Research

The proposed paper apply novel statistical approach to correct radiometric data measured by Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometers (AVHRR) onboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES). This paper investigates Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) stability in the NOAA/NESDIS Global Vegetation Index (GVI) data during 1982-2003. AVHRR weekly data for the five NOAA afternoon satellites for the China dataset is studied, for it includes a wide variety of different ecosystems represented globally. It was found that data for the years 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 2000 are not stable enough compared to other years …

Removing Long-Term Errors From The Avhrr Observation Based On Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (Ndvi), Md Zahidur Rahman, Leonid Roytman, Atiqur Rahman, Felix Kogan, Runa Jesmin

Publications and Research

This paper investigates Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) stability in the NOAA/NESDIS Global Vegetation Index (GVI) data during 1982-2003. Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) weekly data for the five NOAA afternoon satellites for the China dataset is studied, for it includes a wide variety of different ecosystems represented globally. It was found that data for the years 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 2000 are not stable enough compared to other years because of satellite orbit drift, and AVHRR sensor degradation. It is assumed that data from NOAA-7 (1982, 1983), NOAA-9 (1985, 1986), NOAA-11 (1989, 1990), NOAA-14 (1996, 1997), …

An Update On Groundwater Conditions At The Site Of The York College Cuny Campus In Southeastern Queens County, New York City, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Stanley Schleifer, Zarine Ali, Edward A. Molteni

Publications and Research

The wells operated by the Jamaica Water Supply Company in Queens represent the only large scale utilization of groundwater for public water supply in New York City in recent years. These wells were shut down, for the most part, beginning in 1996. Since that time, water table elevations in the area, which had been drawn down by the withdrawal activity of the Jamaica Water Supply Company, have risen significantly causing some high groundwater problems, including flooding of basements. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) has held public hearings on a contemplated resumption of ground water withdrawal in …

Removing Long-Term Errors From The Avhrr–Based Brightness Temperature (Bt), Md Zahidur Rahman, Leonid Roytman, Felix Kogan

Publications and Research

Empirical distribution functions were applied for removing long-term errors from BT data derived from AVHRR sensor on NOAA environmental satellites. This paper investigates BT stability in the NOAA/NESDIS Global Vegetation Index (GVI) data set during 1982-2003. This period includes five NOAA satellites. Degradation of BT over time for each satellite was estimated for geographical location in China. The method of matching empirical distribution function (EDF) improves the time relative stability of BT data for all satellites, especially NOAA-9, -11 and -14.

Desechos Sólidos, Aldemaro Romero Jr., Ana Mayayo

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Las Consecuencias Ambientales De La Guerra, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Desiertos Sin Oasis Sigue Fabricando El Hombre, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Medio Ambiente 1974, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.