Geography Commons^™

Assessing Seasonal Features Of Tropical Forests Using Remote Sensing, Roberto Bonifaz-Alfonzo

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Tropical forests are key components of the biogeochemical cycles, complex in structure, diversity and dynamics, also, tropical regions have been deforested and modified by human activities particularly for agriculture. Understanding the inter-annual and intra-annual variation dynamics of tropical regions could give valuable information on temporal characteristics of ecosystems behavior which is important for mapping and monitoring. This dissertation assesses seasonal and inter-annual changes in the tropical land cover that may be related to changes in the natural environment and/or human activities. Research was focused on the Mayan forest located in southern Mexico and Northwest Guatemala, one of the northern-most important …

Spatio-Temporal Analysis Of Malaria In Paraguay, Nicole M. Wayant

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease that has afflicted humans for thousands of years. Today it is considered a re-emerging disease. Malaria is most prevalent in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. The disease has been linked to several environmental parameters, including precipitation, temperature, and deforestation. However, these relationships have mainly been studied in Africa and have not been explored in other parts of the world. The study area for this thesis was the South American country of Paraguay.

Paraguay has experienced an oscillation in malaria cases over the past 20 years, with monthly cases ranging from 0 to 1200. …

Using A Geographic Information System To Define Regions Of Grape-Cultivar Suitability In Nebraska, Ting Chen

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The thesis was undertaken to develop a methodology and digital tool, based upon the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, for delineating specific regions within the state of Nebraska that are suitable for the cultivation of two selected grape hybrids. The successful cultivation of grapes for producing wine requires knowledge of the physical and environmental conditions characterizing the local landscape. GIS technology allows the integration of multiple layers to be analyzed simultaneously, which
can provide prospective grape growers with necessary information upon which to base their management decision. In the study, nine GIS variables/layers including growing degree days, length …

Levels Of Response In Experiential Conceptualizations Of Neighborhood: The Potential For Multiple Versions Of This Place Construct, Cynthia M. Williams

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In the literature, numerous theoretical perspectives have defined and interpreted what is meant by “neighborhood.” A criticism of these perspectives is a lack of a universal definition, with no one-to-one empirical counterpart. The intent of this dissertation is to develop experiential conceptualizations of the construct neighborhood. Residents, those who experience and interact on a daily bases will provide the meaning and interpretation of what is meant by neighborhood.

The “levels of response” are the means of identifying and interpreting the systematic differences in the cognitive processing involved in the construal of neighborhood. Five cognitive levels of response were identified: Affective, …