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Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

A Sediment-Based Reconstruction Of Caribbean Effective Precipitation During The ‘Little Ice Age’ From Freshwater Pond, Barbuda, Michael J. Burn, Jonathan Holmes, Lisa M. Kennedy, Allison Bain, Jim D. Marshall, Sophia Perdikaris Jan 2016

A Sediment-Based Reconstruction Of Caribbean Effective Precipitation During The ‘Little Ice Age’ From Freshwater Pond, Barbuda, Michael J. Burn, Jonathan Holmes, Lisa M. Kennedy, Allison Bain, Jim D. Marshall, Sophia Perdikaris

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Contemporary climate dynamics of the circum-Caribbean Region are characterized by significant precipitation variability on interannual and interdecadal timescales controlled primarily by El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). However, our understanding of pre-industrial climate variability in the region is hampered by the sparse geographic distribution of paleoclimate archives. Here, we present a high-resolution reconstruction of effective precipitation for Barbuda since the mid-16th Century, based on biostratigraphic and stable isotope analyses of fossil ostracods and gastropods recovered from lake sediment cores from Freshwater Pond, the only freshwater lake on the island. We interpret episodic fluctuations in shell …


Late Holocene Activation History Of The Stanton Dunes, Northeastern Nebraska, Rebecca A. Puta, Paul R. Hanson, Aaron R. Young Apr 2013

Late Holocene Activation History Of The Stanton Dunes, Northeastern Nebraska, Rebecca A. Puta, Paul R. Hanson, Aaron R. Young

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

The Nebraska Sandhills have been an important resource for better understanding dune activation and the nature of prehistoric Great Plains drought events. However, until recently, few studies have focused on documenting the activation histories of smaller dune fields found along the Great Plains' eastern margin. This study focuses on the Stanton dune field, which lies about 145 km east of the Nebraska Sandhills on an alluvial terrace of the Elkhorn River in northeastern Nebraska. Sediments in the Stanton Dunes were dated with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) to determine when these dunes were active. The ages indicate three activation periods that …


Roles Of Perceived Control And Planning In Ranch Drought Preparedness, Tonya Haigh, Cody Knutson Apr 2013

Roles Of Perceived Control And Planning In Ranch Drought Preparedness, Tonya Haigh, Cody Knutson

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Ranchers in the Great Plains and across the United States face the threat of periodic drought. Though ranchers might minimize losses through drought-preparedness activities, many do not adequately prepare for drought, in part because of perceptions that the outcomes of drought management are not controllable. We explore how drought planning activities affect ranchers' perceptions of control and drought preparedness using the theories of planned behavior and goal attainment as guiding frameworks. Ten Great Plains ranchers who had engaged in drought management activities were interviewed about their plans. From the interviews, three activities emerged that appeared to increase ranchers' perceived control …


Evaluating Vegetation Response To Water Stress Using Close-Range And Satellite Remote Sensing, Sharmistha Swain May 2012

Evaluating Vegetation Response To Water Stress Using Close-Range And Satellite Remote Sensing, Sharmistha Swain

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Drought is a weather related natural disaster that occurs in virtually all climatic zones of the world. In the last century, almost all parts of the contiguous United States have experienced several prolonged drought events with considerable impacts on the agricultural economy and environment. With changing climates, the droughts are expected to be more severe, longer, and widespread in many parts of the world including sections of the United States. Understanding the response of vegetation to water stress using remote sensing technologies will enhance our ability to detect and monitor drought. This research evaluates the response of vegetation to drought-related …


Wither The Fruited Plain: The Long Expedition And The Description Of The "Great American Desert", Kevin Z. Sweeney Apr 2005

Wither The Fruited Plain: The Long Expedition And The Description Of The "Great American Desert", Kevin Z. Sweeney

Great Plains Quarterly

The view from Pikes Peak is breathtaking. Situated where the Great Plains meets the Rocky Mountains, one feels as if the whole nation is laid out before you. It is the perfect vantage point from which to write an inspirational anthem to the environmental magnificence of the United States. In the summer of 1893, Katherine Lee Bates, a Wellesley College English professor, sat on the summit of Pikes Peak, inspired by the panorama to pen the words to "America the Beautiful." Her poem was set to the tune "Materna" by Samuel Augustus Ward two years later to become one of …


Nebraska Droughts A Study Of Their Past Chronological And Spatial Extent With Implications For The Future, Merlin P. Lawson, Allan Reiss, Randy Phillips, Kenneth Livingston Jan 1971

Nebraska Droughts A Study Of Their Past Chronological And Spatial Extent With Implications For The Future, Merlin P. Lawson, Allan Reiss, Randy Phillips, Kenneth Livingston

Department of Geography: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to measure the spatial and temporal dimensions of drought occurrence in Nebraska. Such interpretations were facilitated by the computer generation of 468 maps showing monthly values of drought in Nebraska, from 1931 through 1969. While it was found that the frequency of consecutive drought is least in the central portion of the state, the intensity of drought is greatest in this region. Maps of correspondence which relate the areal correlation between rural population density and precipitation also indicate high positive relationships for central Nebraska. Interpretation of tree ring growth values using moving t-test plots …