Other Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Data From: Yellow Air Day Advisory Study, Arthur J. Caplan

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Using a dataset consisting of daily vehicle trips, PM2.5 concentrations, along with a host of climactic control variables, we test the hypothesis that “yellow air day” advisories provided by the Utah Division of Air Quality resulted in subsequent reductions in vehicle trips taken during northern Utah’s winter-inversion seasons in the early 2000s. Winter inversions occur in northern Utah when climactic conditions are such that PM2.5 concentrations (derived mainly from vehicle emissions) become trapped in the lower atmosphere, leading to unhealthy air quality (concentrations of at least 35 µg/m3) over a span of what are called “red air days”. When concentrations …

Data On The Effects Of Persuasive Message Content On Retweet Counts During Natural Hazard Events, Yajie Li, Amanda L. Hughes, Peter D. Howe

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This dataset contains Twitter messages about heat hazards posted by U.S. National Weather Service accounts in 2016. The dataset also contains the retweet counts of the heat-related tweets and whether several types of persuasive message content were included in each tweet. The population and temperature for the forecast area of each sending National Weather Service account are also included.

Environmental Controls On Didymosphenia Geminata Bloom Formation, Lindsay Capito

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Climate change is causing rapid glacial recession and earlier snowmelt, which alter the physical and chemical properties of rivers. As a result, organisms at the base of the food web are responding in unforeseen ways. We use the nuisance algae D. geminata (Didymo) as a case study for how climate induced shifts in the timing of glacial and snowmelt runoff are affecting river ecosystems. We evaluated how shifts in the timing of nutrient concentrations and light availability affect nuisance blooms of Didymo in three complementary ways. These are, field studies across streams in various stages of glacial recession, weekly measurements …

Advancing Best Practices For Aversion Conditioning (Humane Hazing) To Mitigate Human–Coyote Conflicts In Urban Areas, Lesley Sampson, Lauren Van Patter

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are now recognized as a permanent feature in urban environments across much of North America. Behavioral aversion conditioning, or humane hazing, is increasingly advocated as an effective and compassionate alternative to wildlife management strategies, such as trap and removal. Given a growing public interest in humane hazing, there is a need to synthesize the science regarding methods, outcomes, efficacy, and other relevant considerations to better manage human–coyote conflicts in urban areas. This paper was prepared as an outcome of a workshop held in July 2019 by Coyote Watch Canada (CWC) to synthesize the literature on …

Assessing Beaver Dam Dynamics In The Logan-Little Bear Watershed, Connor Penrod

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This paper seeks to address a knowledge gap concerning how flood events impact beaver dams over time. To address this gap, I took four time-snapshots of beaver dams, mapping them across the Utah portion of the Logan-Little Bear watershed, from 2009 to 2016 to bookend a large flood event in 2011. I assessed dam status (intact, breached, or blown out) for each dam mapped to assess the impact of the large spring runoff on the dam status. Assessing dam status over time allowed me to assess the change in condition over time, from before to several years after, while also …

Sustaining Wetlands To Mitigate Disasters And Protect People, Joanna Endter-Wada, Karin M. Kettenring, Ariana E. Sutton-Grier

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Hurricanes, flooding, droughts. Weather‐related disasters are dominating news cycles and causing widespread destruction, most recently with Typhoon Mangkhut and Hurricane Florence. The US had the most catastrophic hurricane season on record in 2017, with hundreds of billions of dollars in estimated damages. California is experiencing unprecedented tragedies from widespread wildfires and increased vulnerability to storms. Disasters that were once uncommon appear to be the new norm globally, and evidence suggests the frequency and impacts of extreme events will increase further with climate change.

Genetic Analysis Of The Henry Mountains Bison Herd, Dustin H. Ranglack, Lauren K. Dobson, Johan T. Du Toit, James Derr

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Wild American plains bison (Bison bison) populations virtually disappeared in the late 1800s, with some remnant animals retained in what would become Yellowstone National Park and on private ranches. Some of these private bison were intentionally crossbred with cattle for commercial purposes. This forced hybridization resulted in both mitochondrial and nuclear introgression of cattle genes into some of the extant bison genome. As the private populations grew, excess animals, along with their history of cattle genetics, provided founders for newly established public bison populations. Of the US public bison herds, only those in Yellowstone and Wind Cave National Parks (YNP …

The First Bromeligenous Species Of Dendropsophus (Anura: Hylidae) From Brazil's Atlantic Forest, Rodrigo Barbosa Ferreira, Julián Faivovich, Karen H. Beard, José P. Pombal Jr

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

We describe a new treefrog species of Dendropsophus collected on rocky outcrops in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Ecologically, the new species can be distinguished from all known congeners by having a larval phase associated with rainwater accumulated in bromeliad phytotelms instead of temporary or lentic water bodies. Phylogenetic analysis based on molecular data confirms that the new species is a member of Dendropsophus; our analysis does not assign it to any recognized species group in the genus. Morphologically, based on comparison with the 96 known congeners, the new species is diagnosed by its small size, framed dorsal color pattern, and …

Great Salt Lake Past And Present: Elevation And Salinity Changes To Utah's Great Salt Lake From Railroad Causeway Alterations, James S. White

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah's Great Salt Lake contributes and estimated $1.3 billion to the local and regional economy and is a vital food-source for migratory and resident birds. In 1959, the lake was fundamentally changed with construction of an earth-filled, semi-permeable railroad causeway which splits the lake into two "arms". The only flow interaction between these two arms is through the semi-permeable causeway material, and three openings in the causeway. In 2013, two of these causeway openings were closed, and a bridge was proposed to improve flow between arms. Four bridge designs were proposed. I modeled Great Salt Lake water and salt distribution …

Clonal Diversity Of Quaking Aspen (Populus Tremuloides): How Multiple Clones May Add To Theresilience And Persistence Of This Forest Type, Richard Scott Gardner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Aspen forests and woodlands are widespread across the western United States and are a primary component of many ecosystems in the west. Aspen is a clonal species, with reproduction occurring both by root sprouting (suckering) and seeding. Traditionally, western aspen forests were thought to consist almost entirely of large clones established several thousands of years ago, with seeding events being rare and ecologically negligible. Although clones in the western US can grow to be many acres, recent studies have demonstrated a far greater proportion of small clones than had been previously thought to exist. In this study I wanted to …

Rehabilitate Failing Park Sewage System Environmental Assessment, United States Department Of The Interior, National Park Service

Environmental Assessments (UT)

The National Park Service (NPS) proposes to rehabilitate the failing sewage system within Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. The rehabilitation would provide a safe, healthy, and functional environment, and maintain public health and future service for park visitors and staff. Portions of the sanitary sewage collection system were originally constructed in 1958 of clay pipe and currently service the lodge, staff housing, and visitor center before feeding into sewage treatment lagoons. Sections of the sewage system have deteriorated significantly with age. These sections of the system and appurtenant manholes are deteriorating into pieces that regularly clog the system and cause …

Characteristics Of Ungulate Behavior And Mortality Associated With Wire Fences, Justin L. Harrington

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I studied the characteristics of fence mortality in pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and elk (Cervus elaphus) along roads in Colorado and Utah from June 2004 to June 2005. I defined a direct-fence mortality as a carcass caught directly in a fence and an indirect-fence mortality as a carcass on the ground within 10 m of a fence. I estimated an average annual direct mortality occurrence of 0.25 mortalities/km (0.078 mule deer mortalities/km, 0.113 pronghorn mortalities/km, and 0.061 elk mortalities/km). The highest fence-mortality rates for ungulates occurred during August, which coincided with …

An Examination Of Avoided Costs In Utah, Mark Bolinger, Ryan Wiser

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Utah Wind Working Group (UWWG) believes there are currently opportunities to encourage wind power development in the state by seeking changes to the avoided cost tariff paid to qualifying facilities (QFs). These opportunities have arisen as a result of a recent re-negotiation of Pacificorp’s Schedule 37 tariff for wind QFs under 3 MW, as well as an ongoing examination of Pacificorp’s Schedule 38 tariff for wind QFs larger than 3 MW. It is expected that decisions made regarding Schedule 38 will also impact Schedule 37. Through the Laboratory Technical Assistance Program (Lab TAP), the UWWG has requested (through the …

Evaluation Of Lake Fertilization As A Tool To Assist In The Recovery Of The Snake River Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus Nerka), Howard P. Gross

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I analyzed lake fertilization (with nitrogen and phosphorus) as a tool to assist in the recovery of the Snake River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in the oligotrophic Sawtooth Valley Lakes in southcentral Idaho. These analyses involved monitoring, manipulating, and modelling several aspects of the lakes' primary producer, nutrient, and light parameters.

In Pettit Lake, I evaluated the effects of metalimnetic and epilimnetic fertilization in 330-m³ mesocosms. The metalimnetic treatment was equal to or more effective than the epilimnetic treatment in increasing chlorophyll a, phytoplankton biovolume, and primary productivity, yet caused smaller changes in periphyton growth and …

Proceedings -- National Wilderness Research Conference: Current Research, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

Forestry

Includes more than 70 reports of current wilderness research. Papers are organized around nine topics: wilderness resource research, including natural fire, air quality, impacts to soil and vegetation, fish and wildlife, and water; and wilderness user research related to recreational use and user characteristics, attitudes and behavior, benefits, and management concepts and tools.

Wind-Powered Hydrogen Electric Systems For Farm And Rural Use, Final Report, United States Department Of Energy

Agriculture

The objective of this study has been to determine the current technology of a wind-energy conversion system (WECS) of minimal cost for rural applications. Specifically, IGT has evaluated available methods for converting shaft horse-power from a wind turbine to electricity and hydrogen. A workable mix of these two energy forms with storage that can support the energy needs of selected farming operations and the rural home was sought.

Energy load patterns of several farming operations were examined for interfacing with the energy storage and delivery systems that are supplied by wind turbines dependent on the prevalent winds. Several preliminary designs …