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Physical and Environmental Geography Commons™
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- Western Kentucky University (5)
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Articles 1 - 21 of 21
Full-Text Articles in Physical and Environmental Geography
A Tourism Impact Index For Water-Based Natural Attractions Field-Tested In Subarctic And Maritime Climates, Jason Fox
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Tourism in cold and cool-climate regions is largely characterized by recreational and sightseeing activities at water-based natural attractions such as beaches, coastal cliffs, and waterfalls. While the economic benefits of the tourism industry can contribute to a sustainable future for these regions, the environmental implications of a hastilydeveloped industry cannot be ignored given that cold-climate and cool-climate landscapes are at risk of rapid environmental change from a warming climate and other environmental concerns. This study consisted of the development of the Tourism Impact Index for Water-Based Natural Sites, the first of its kind, and its application and refinement in the …
Station Exposure And Resulting Bias In Temperature Observations: A Comparison Of He Kentucky Mesonet And Asos Data, James Kyle Thompson
Station Exposure And Resulting Bias In Temperature Observations: A Comparison Of He Kentucky Mesonet And Asos Data, James Kyle Thompson
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Station siting, exposure, instrumentation, and time of observations influence longterm climatic records. This thesis compared and analyzed temperature data from four Kentucky Mesonet stations located in Fayette (LXGN), Franklin (LSML), Clark (WNCH), and Bullitt (CRMT) counties to two nearby Automated Surface Observation Systems (ASOS) stations in Kentucky. The ASOS stations are located at Louisville International Airport (Standiford Field - KSDF) and at Lexington Airport (Blue Grass Field - KLEX). The null hypothesis states that there is no significant difference in temperature measurements between the two types of stations. To quantify the differences in temperature measurements, geoprofiles and the following statistical …
Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Regulatory Stormwater Monitoring Protocols On Groundwater Quality In Urbanized Karst Regions, Daniel C. Nedvidek
Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Regulatory Stormwater Monitoring Protocols On Groundwater Quality In Urbanized Karst Regions, Daniel C. Nedvidek
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Non-point pollution from stormwater runoff is one of the greatest threats to water quality in the United States today, particularly in urban karst settings. In these settings, the use of karst features and injection wells for stormwater management results in virtually untreated water being directed into the karst aquifer. Currently, no policies exist specifically to provide water quality protections to karst environments. This study utilized a combination of karst stormwater quality data, along with survey data collected from MS4 Phase II communities, and an analysis of current federal, local, and state water quality regulations, to assess the need for karst-specific …
Impacts Of Carbonate Mineral Weathering On Hydrochemistry Of The Upper Green River Basin, Kentucky, Laura Leigh Osterhoudt
Impacts Of Carbonate Mineral Weathering On Hydrochemistry Of The Upper Green River Basin, Kentucky, Laura Leigh Osterhoudt
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Kentucky’s Upper Green River Basin has received significant attention due to the area’s high biodiversity and spectacular karst development. While carbonate bedrock is present throughout the watershed, it is more extensive and homogenous along the river between Greensburg and Munfordville than upstream from Greensburg where the geology is more heterogeneous. This research quantitatively evaluated how lithological differences between the two catchment areas impact hydrochemistry and inorganic carbon cycling. This first required correcting catchment boundaries on previous US Geological Survey Hydrologic Unit Maps to account for areas where the boundaries cross sinkhole plains. Basin boundaries using existing Kentucky Division of Water …
Addressing Water Resource Issues In Barbados Through An Isotopic And Atmospheric Characterization Of Precipitation Variability, Veronica Hall
Addressing Water Resource Issues In Barbados Through An Isotopic And Atmospheric Characterization Of Precipitation Variability, Veronica Hall
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Numerous studies have analyzed isotopic variation of meteoric and dripwater in karst environments for paleoclimate reconstructions or aquifer recharge capacity. What is poorly understood is how the isotopic signal of δ18O and δ2H is transferred through the hydrologic cycle based upon storm type, frequency, intensity, and teleconnection activity in the tropical karst areas. At Harrison’s Cave, Barbados, a Hobo Onset event data logger was attached to a tipping bucket rain gauge to count the tips and record the total rainfall every 10 minutes. In the cave a Hobo data logger was used to record relative humidity …
Global Digital Elevation Model Accuracy Assessment In The Himalaya, Nepal, Luke G. Miles
Global Digital Elevation Model Accuracy Assessment In The Himalaya, Nepal, Luke G. Miles
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are digital representations of surface topography or terrain. Collection of DEM data can be done directly through surveying and taking ground control point (GCP) data in the field or indirectly with remote sensing using a variety of techniques. The accuracies of DEM data can be problematic, especially in rugged terrain or when differing data acquisition techniques are combined. For the present study, ground data were taken in various protected areas in the mountainous regions of Nepal. Elevation, slope, and aspect were measured at nearly 2000 locations. These ground data were imported into a Geographic Information System …
Eastern Deciduous Forest Phenology And Vegetative Vigor Trends From 2000 To 2013, Mammoth Cave National Park, Ky, Sean Taylor Hutchison
Eastern Deciduous Forest Phenology And Vegetative Vigor Trends From 2000 To 2013, Mammoth Cave National Park, Ky, Sean Taylor Hutchison
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Global climate change is predicted to affect environmental systems at the midlatitudes, but the scope, severity, and outcomes of these impacts are yet to be fully understood. This study focuses on the implications of short-term climate variability for forests in central Kentucky. Using a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) calculated from MODerate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument data, the photosynthetic activity of vegetation at Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA) is tracked from 2000 to 2013. Three methods were employed to examine the changes and climate influences in vegetation over the study period: 1) aggregating the NDVI of the Park by year …
The Use Of The Ostracode Cyprideis Americana (Sharpe) As A Proxy For Salinity In Bahamian Lake Systems, Rachel E. Bowles
The Use Of The Ostracode Cyprideis Americana (Sharpe) As A Proxy For Salinity In Bahamian Lake Systems, Rachel E. Bowles
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Ostracodes, bi-valved crustaceans, are potentially excellent proxies for salinity.They are abundant, react to changes in salinity, and secrete low-magnesium calcite shells that preserve information about their host water chemistry. Changes in valve trace element concentration, stable isotope composition, and sieve pore shape values have been linked to changes in salinity. This study analyzed the response of the euryhaline ostracode, Cyprideis americana, to salinity in six lakes from two Bahamian islands across two seasons. The purpose of this work was to determine which compositional and morphological variables in C. americana are the most useful for paleosalinity reconstructions.Ostracode and water samples were …
Multiple Storm Event Impacts On Epikarst Storage And Transport Of Organic Soil Amendments In South-Central Kentucky, Sean M. Vanderhoff
Multiple Storm Event Impacts On Epikarst Storage And Transport Of Organic Soil Amendments In South-Central Kentucky, Sean M. Vanderhoff
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
The groundwater in agricultural karst areas is susceptible to contamination from organic soil amendments and pesticides. During major storm events during 2011, dye traces were initiated using sulphorhodamine-B, fluorescein and eosine in a groundwater recharge area where manure was applied to the ground. Fecal coliform samples were collected from significant storm events from January-September 2011. Water samples and geochemical data were collected every four hours before, during, and between the storm events from a waterfall in Crumps cave flowing from the known recharge area to track the transport and residence time of the epikarst water and organic soil amendments during …
Analysis Of Fresh Water Resources At The Line Hole Well Field, San Salvador Island, The Bahamas, Scot Allan Russell Jr.
Analysis Of Fresh Water Resources At The Line Hole Well Field, San Salvador Island, The Bahamas, Scot Allan Russell Jr.
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
A major economic constraint in the Bahamas, and other small carbonates islands world-wide, is the lack of fresh water resources. To combat these socio-economic problems on San Salvador Island I sought to gain a more detailed understanding of the extent, behavior, and controls on the island’s fresh-water lens. DC electrical resistivity tomography and time-series geochemical data are used to study the fresh water lens at the Line Hole well field. Electrical Resistivity profiles are used to image the extent of fresh water resources. Time-series geochemical data provide information on the behavior of the fresh water resources as a function of …
Using Conservative And Biological Tracers To Better Understand The Transport Of Agricultural Contaminants From Soil Water Through The Epikarstic Zone, Brian Ham
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Agriculture contamination is very common in karst systems due to the vulnerability of these aquifers. Animal waste is often spread across crop land to enrich the soil with nitrates and phosphates. Herbicides and pesticides are also applied to the crops. The transport of these pollutants through the soil and epikarst is a difficult process to monitor due to the complex, heterogeneous behavior of the groundwater as it makes its way down to the aquifer below.
An experimental site at Crumps Cave lended a unique opportunity to monitor the vadose zone at a waterfall in the cave below. A previous dye …
The Cumberland Plateau Of Eastern Kentucky, Larry C. Simpson, Lee J. Florea
The Cumberland Plateau Of Eastern Kentucky, Larry C. Simpson, Lee J. Florea
Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Caves And Karst Of West-Central Florida, Lee J. Florea, David A. Budd, Robert B. Brinkman
Caves And Karst Of West-Central Florida, Lee J. Florea, David A. Budd, Robert B. Brinkman
Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
The Biscayne Aquifer Of Southeastern Florida, Kevin J. Cunningham, Lee J. Florea
The Biscayne Aquifer Of Southeastern Florida, Kevin J. Cunningham, Lee J. Florea
Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
The Southeastern Coastal Plain: An Overview, Lee J. Florea, H. L. Vacher
The Southeastern Coastal Plain: An Overview, Lee J. Florea, H. L. Vacher
Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Simulation Modeling Of Karst Aquifer Conduit Evolution And Relations To Climate, John D. Broome
Simulation Modeling Of Karst Aquifer Conduit Evolution And Relations To Climate, John D. Broome
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
ABSTRACT Karst regions of the world that receive relatively similar amounts of precipitation display a wide variety of landscapes. It has been suggested (Groves and Meiman, 2005) that climates exhibiting larger discrete storm events have more dissolving power and consequently higher rates of conduit growth than climates with more uniform precipitation distributions. To study this concept, a computer program “Cave Growth” was developed that modeled the growth of a cross-section of a cave passage under dynamic flow and chemical conditions. A series of 46 simulation datasets were created to represent different climatic conditions. These simulations had the same total annual …
Measurement Of The Effects Of Food Preparation Activities On The Microclimate Of The Snowball Dining Room Area Of Mammoth Cave, Kelly Kaletsky
Measurement Of The Effects Of Food Preparation Activities On The Microclimate Of The Snowball Dining Room Area Of Mammoth Cave, Kelly Kaletsky
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
The stability of Mammoth Cave’s microclimate has never undergone extensive investigation. The Snowball Dining Room area was chosen to measure the microclimate of the cave and to determine if food preparation, human presence and surface temperature variations alter this microclimate. Three portable weather stations containing a temperature / humidity probe, datalogger and microbarograph were placed in various locations along three passageways leading away from the dining room. Readings were taken 24 hours per day for four months. Plotting temperature readings in graph form show a correlation between temperature of the passageway and distance from the dining room.
Karstification Of The Pennyroyal Plain Behind The Retreating Chester Escarpment: Warren, Simpson & Logan Counties, Kentucky, Anthony Able
Karstification Of The Pennyroyal Plain Behind The Retreating Chester Escarpment: Warren, Simpson & Logan Counties, Kentucky, Anthony Able
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Hydrogeologic investigations were conducted on the drainage systems of an area of the Pennyroyal sinkhole plain of south central Kentucky. The degree of karstification of five area streams was studied to develop an understanding of the evolution of drainage as the landscape changes from a sandstone caprock plateau to a limestone sinkhole plain. The Chester Upland, capped by the Big Clifty Sandstone, possesses predominantly surface drainage and the Pennyroyal Plain, formed on Mississippian limestones, possesses considerable subsurface drainage. As the Chester Upland Escarpment retreats and surface streams are onto the limestones, the streams evolve to become subsurface streams. The five …
Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program
Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program
WKU Archives Records
Papers representative of the variety of scholarly research conducted at WKU.
- Adams, Kathy. The Appalachian Language
- Barnett, Philip. A Study of Deviant Behavior of XYY Individuals in Regard to Environment and Genotype
- Bell, Brooks. Loving, Loyal Linda Loman: An Interpretive Note
- Danhauer, Janice. Motivating Workers Through Job Design
- Davis, Barbara. The Transformation of a Man into a Man of Understanding in Murinbata Society
- Davis, Diane. The Argot of the Homosexual
- Jewell, Teresa. The Life Story of the Hero of World War I - Sergeant Alvin C. York
- Lanham, Wayne. Das Knarrenschiff and a Ship of Fools: A Study in Influence …
Geomorphology And Land Use Of A Tropical Wet-Dry Environment Santander, Columbia, Joseph Ray
Geomorphology And Land Use Of A Tropical Wet-Dry Environment Santander, Columbia, Joseph Ray
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
This study deals with the Holocene environmental dynamics experienced by a seasonally wet-dry landscape of tropical Columbia. In light of a high ecological sensitivity, the study area is also analyzed as the resource of man. This is done by intensive study area reconnaissance, mapping, altimeter survey, and radiocarbon dating of fluvial landforms. Also, samples of soil, pasture, and water were collected for later study, and several interviews were completed with local residents.
The study area is a tropical lowland of northcentral Columbia at about 7 ½° north latitude. A maximum local relief about 600 m is maintained by a rather …
Ua66/8/3 Second Rocky Mountain Field Trip, Wku Geography & Geology
Ua66/8/3 Second Rocky Mountain Field Trip, Wku Geography & Geology
WKU Archives Records
Report on the Second Rocky Mountain Field Trip taken by faculty and students of the WKU Geography & Geology department.