Physical and Environmental Geography Commons^™

Comparing Twenty-Four Years Of Forest Change In Two Communities Of Mexico's Meseta PuréPecha Using Multi-Spectral Satellite Imagery, Kevin Scott Martin

Dissertations and Theses

The Meseta Purépecha, a volcanic plateau in the Mexican state of Michoacan, is home to one of the most species-rich pine forests in the world. Recent increases in demand for forest products has put added pressure on these resources. Though existing research has suggested significant deforestation in the Meseta, there is little information identifying specific areas of decline. This study focuses on two indigenous communities in the Meseta--Pichátaro and Sevina. Both communities have long relied on wood as an economic resource. However, the two communities have reacted differently to increased demand for forest resources. The purpose of this study is …

Export Coefficient Modeling Of Water Pollutants With Geographic Information Science: An Examination Of Geographic Scale, Christopher A. Moniodes

Masters Theses

Land cover data are frequently used as a basis for estimating total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) delivered to surface waters. Nutrients, such as TP and TN, are a leading cause of water quality impairment in the United States. Section 305(b) of the Clean Water Act requires each state to report all impaired surface waters every two years. Ideally, this is accomplished with in-stream measurements; however, the cost and time requirements of such a daunting task are too great for most states to incur. Alternatively, the export coefficient model (ECM) uses commonly available land cover and elevation data to …

An Inventory And Condition Survey Of The Pilbara Region, Western Australia, A M E Van Vreeswyk, K A. Leighton, A L. Payne, P Hennig

Technical Bulletins

The inventory and condition survey of the Pilbara region, undertaken by the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia between 1995 and 1999, describes and maps the natural resources of the region’s pastoral leasehold land. This survey report provides a baseline record of the existence and condition of the natural area’s resources, to assist with the planning and implementation of land management practices. The report identified and described the condition of soils, landforms, vegetation, habitat, ecosystems, and declared plants and animals. It also assessed the impact of pastoralism and made land management recommendations. The area surveyed covers about 181 723 km². Seven …

National Identity And The British Empire : The Image Of Saint Paul’S Cathedral, Rebecca Pierce

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This paper considers the historical geography of place and identity construction through the case of English Nationalism and the British Empire as encapsulated in London’s Saint Paul’s Cathedral. The research explores several themes: 1) the British Empire’s use of Saint Paul’s Cathedral as a representation, both physically and symbolically, of the ideals and power of the empire; 2) the British Empire’s employment of the Cathedral as the emotional and ideological center of national identity and imperialism in the English population; and 3) the British Empire's manipulation of the image of Saint Paul’s Cathedralas a national and religious landmark. Data analysis …

A Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Conifers Using Remote Sensing And Gis, Michael Koon

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Two sets of remotely sensed images, 1986 Landsat Multispectral Scanner and a 2000 Landsat Thematic Mapper +, were used in a change detection study to determine decline and growth of conifers in Grant and Tucker Counties. The images were registered, preprocessed for atmospheric effects, ratioed using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, and categorized. A thematic change calculation was performed indicating growth and decline of vegetation. The resulting information was combined with ancillary data for GIS spatial analysis. The results showed an overall increase in vegetation and specifically on abandoned mine lands. Statistical tests showed decline occurred on steeper slopes, but was …

Effective Planning For Seismic Risk: Case Of Kobe, Japan, Mami Itamochi

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis discusses the city of Kobe’s recovery from the Great Hanshin Earthquake from the perspective of city planning. The earthquake and fire devastated many established parts of the city, impacting housing, businesses, and community institutions, resulting in a need for coordinated planning of of rebuilding. The purpose of this research is to investigate effective planning techniques for seismic risk, using Kobe, Japan as a case study. My research examines a neighborhood where a new plan was developed after the earthquake. It also describes how Kobe is dealing with the massive loss of housing and town resources. After this devastating …

Image Compression And Its Effect On Data, Khaled S. Alkharabsheh

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis is intended to define and study different image compression techniques, software programs, image formats (from early ones such as “GIF” to most recent ones such as “JPEG 2000”), compression effect on compressed data (compressed images), and its effectiveness and usefulness in reducing the file size and its transmission time, as a result.

In many GeoBioPhysical applications, some information inside any image may be the keys to solve different kinds of problems and classify features. This kind of data and information has to be handled with care; i.e. it’s not allowed to be lost during the compression process. On …

Natural History Of The Ahlstrom’S And Roose’S Prairies, Olympic National Park, Washington, Andrew J. Bach, David J. (David John) Conca

Environmental Studies Faculty and Staff Publications

The objective of this research is to evaluate the wetland and forest dynamics in and around the Ozette Prairies to identify their origin and history since the Last Ice Age. The Ozette Prairies are treeless areas, dominated by unique associations of understory species in an otherwise heavily forested region. The prairies are historically (pre-European) persistent elements of the landscape in a region where the climate promotes forest growth. Presently, the prairies are undergoing encroachment by the surrounding forest. The patchy character of the vegetation attests to centuries, or more, of climate change, expansion and demise of forest populations and changing …

Utah's Southwest, Robert J. Johnson, R. Douglas Ramsey

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

This map of Utah's Southwest features a cartographic illustration created by draping four cross-blended hypsometric tint ramps over a grayscale hillshade. A hypsometric tint ramp is essentially a blend of one or more colors that is associated with an elevation range. A cross-blended hypsometric tint derived image consists of two or more color ramps with at least one ramp presenting the terrain in a "dry" condition and the other in a "moist" or vegetated condition. The addition of a satellite image derived vegetation index allows vegetation colors to appear where the terrain is vegetated irrespective of elevation.

Bear River Watershed, Robert J. Johnson, R. Douglas Ramsey

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

A map outlining the drainage basin of the Bear River, Utah with topography and a satellite image as the base layers. This was produced by the Remote Sensing and GIS Laboratory, Department of Wildland Resources, Quinney College of Natural Resources in support of research conducted by faculty in the Department of Environment and Society in the same college.

Circulation Mapping Of The North Atlantic Ocean During The 1990'S And From 1974 To 1984 As Determined From The World Ocean Circulation Experiment (Woce) Eulerian Current Meter Moorings, Roger Palmini

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Study of the ocean presents many challenges due to its vast size and the difficulty in representing such a system with the availability of few data measurements. The World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) is the largest oceanographic experiment ever conducted. Data collection has been completed and we are now in the analysis, interpretation, modeling and synthesis phases (AIMS). An analysis and interpretation of the North Atlantic Ocean was conducted using a subset of the WOCE data. In the pre-WOCE period between Apr-11-74 and Sep-03-84 a total of 272 records were obtained having a spatial range of 23.2˚- 60.2˚N and …