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Earth Sciences

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

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Habitat Quality Modeling For Bird Species At Furman University, Emma Cook Dec 2016

Habitat Quality Modeling For Bird Species At Furman University, Emma Cook

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

In rapidly urbanizing areas, such as Greenville County in Upstate South Carolina, it is important to study habitat use and quality across land cover types in order to maximize conservation. Habitat fragmentation is a threat to many species of birds in areas with increasing development, especially those species that utilize larger forest patches for nesting and foraging. While land cover type and patch size are extremely important factors in determining habitat quality for birds, recent research has shown that the matrix of surrounding landscape proves to be very important as well. The landscape matrix, sometimes called landscape mosaic, considers the …


Mapping The Impact Of Intensive Rotational Grazing On Soil Fertility Over Time On Greenbrier Farms In Pickens County, South Carolina, Emily Kirby Dec 2016

Mapping The Impact Of Intensive Rotational Grazing On Soil Fertility Over Time On Greenbrier Farms In Pickens County, South Carolina, Emily Kirby

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

Intensive rotational grazing (IRG) is a management technique that involves a more intentional management approach which includes increased paddock numbers, shorter grazing periods, larger livestock presence per acre, and longer periods of rest on pastures. Potential advantages of this management technique include improved forage quality, greater yield, decreased erosion, stable production during adverse growing condition, and improved soil fertility. This study collects and analyzes data to understand the impact of rotational grazing on soil fertility as measured by SOC (soil organic carbon) and SON (soil organic nitrogen) on Greenbrier Farms in Easley, South Carolina. This study analyzes the transition from …


Soundscape Mapping: Spatial Variability Of Sound At Furman University, Alec Schindler Dec 2016

Soundscape Mapping: Spatial Variability Of Sound At Furman University, Alec Schindler

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

Looking at the entire soundscape and studying its spatial variability can often give us important information about the health of the ecosystem. However, most previous studies only measure sound intensity, and are therefore limited in their depiction of the soundscape. Another tool for mapping soundscapes is SPreAD-GIS. This tool models sound propagation in an area. However, previous studies have only used it to evaluate the effects of noise pollution, but not applied it towards depicting the soundscape as a whole. I mapped the soundscape of Furman University’s campus using sound intensity as well as many different soundscape indices in order …


The Impact Of Organic Farms: Biodiversity And Climate Change Resilience In The Southeast, Josie Newton Dec 2016

The Impact Of Organic Farms: Biodiversity And Climate Change Resilience In The Southeast, Josie Newton

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

Resilience to climate change serves as an indicator of the effectiveness of organic farming practices. Resilience means that an area is able to return to a stable state after a disturbance. In this context, it means that the area is able to function regularly even in the face of climate change, an instance that affects species health and biodiversity. By mapping the locations of organic farms across the southeastern United States along with the resilience scores of areas as evaluated by The Nature Conservancy and comparing this map to farm locations and biodiversity measures, we are able to determine the …