Using Emerging Methods To Investigate Stream And Groundwater Interaction At Multiple Spatial Scales,
2012
Syracuse University
Using Emerging Methods To Investigate Stream And Groundwater Interaction At Multiple Spatial Scales, Martin Ashley Briggs
Earth & Environmental Sciences - Dissertations
Fundamentally, streams represent physical conduits of water across gradients, yet a more holistic definition reveals stream corridors support a mosaic of living communities in a blend of surface and ground waters. The physical and biogeochemical patterns these dynamic systems support affect natural habitat and water quality, directly impacting the human experience. Our understanding of stream and groundwater interactions is at a time of rapid expansion due to an increase in environmental awareness, accountability, and emerging techniques which can be used to decipher underlying controls and develop predictive relationships. Water temperature has been used as a qualitative environmental tracer during the …
The Carbon Budget Impact Of Sagebrush Degradation,
2012
Boise State University
The Carbon Budget Impact Of Sagebrush Degradation, Andrew Connor Austreng
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
More than 20,000 km2 of sagebrush (Artemesia spp.) ecosystems within the Great Basin have been replaced, often following wildfire, by the nonnative winter annual cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). At a field site in the central Snake River Plain of southern Idaho, the impact of this invasion on the soil carbon (C) reservoir has been evaluated and the potential soil C benefits of bunchgrass (Agropyron cristatum) seeding was assessed. Using a large soil C dataset (n = 850), differences in total organic carbon and root biomass were quantified in immediately-adjacent sagebrush, cheatgrass, and bunchgrass communities. Statistical …
Natural And Constructed Wetlands For Ecosystem And Engineering Services In The Arid And Semi-Arid Regions,
2012
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Natural And Constructed Wetlands For Ecosystem And Engineering Services In The Arid And Semi-Arid Regions, Achyut Raj Adhikari
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
The Las Vegas Wash (LVW) has undergone significant wetlands degradation and soil erosion over the past thirty years due to increasing flow resulting from urbanization and large rainfall events in the Las Vegas Valley Watershed. The increased flow and associated pollution load in the LVW and its adverse impact in Lake Mead have alerted stakeholders to pay a greater attention to explore alternative measures for rehabilitation of wetland ecosystems. This dissertation, using the case of changes in LVW, analyzes and describes ecological and engineering services provided by wetlands in arid and semi-arid regions and provides a knowledge base that can …
Evaluation Of Electrophoretic Protein Extraction And Database-Driven Protein Identification From Marine Sediments,
2012
Old Dominion University
Evaluation Of Electrophoretic Protein Extraction And Database-Driven Protein Identification From Marine Sediments, Eli K. Moore, Brook L. Nunn, Jessica F. Faux, David R. Goodlett, H. Rodger Harvey
OES Faculty Publications
Intact proteins comprise a major component of organic carbon and nitrogen produced globally and are likely an important fraction of organic matter in sediments and soils. Extracting the protein component from sediments and soils for mass spectral characterization and identification represents a substantial challenge given the range of products and functionalities present in the complex matrix. Multiple forms of gel electrophoresis were evaluated as a means of enhancing recovery of sedimentary protein before proteomic characterization and compared with a direct enzymatic digestion of proteins in sediments. Resulting tryptic peptides were analyzed using shotgun proteomics and tandem mass spectra were evaluated …
An Individual-Based Process Model To Simulate Landscape-Scale Forest Ecosystem Dynamics,
2012
Oregon State University
An Individual-Based Process Model To Simulate Landscape-Scale Forest Ecosystem Dynamics, Rupert Seidi, Werner Rammer, Robert M. Scheller, Thomas A. Spies
Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations
Forest ecosystem dynamics emerges from nonlinear interactions between adaptive biotic agents (i.e., individual trees) and their relationship with a spatially and temporally heterogeneous abiotic environment. Understanding and predicting the dynamics resulting from these complex interactions is crucial for the sustainable stewardship of ecosystems, particularly in the context of rapidly changing environmental conditions. Here we present iLand (the individual-based forest landscape and disturbance model), a novel approach to simulating forest dynamics as an emergent property of environmental drivers, ecosystem processes and dynamic interactions across scales. Our specific objectives were (i) to describe the model, in particular its novel approach to simulate …
Reconstructing Fire Severity From The Oxygen-Isotope Compositions Of Plant Char,
2012
The University of Western Ontario
Reconstructing Fire Severity From The Oxygen-Isotope Compositions Of Plant Char, Michael W. Hamilton
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
This study assessed whether variations in the oxygen-isotope compositions of char formed from biomass burning could be related to burning severity. Ground samples of oak (Quercus alba), pine (Pinus resinosa), and grass (Andropogon gerardii) were charred for 5 and 30 minutes at constant temperatures between 200 and 900°C under oxygenated versus anaerobic conditions. Char oxygen-isotope values became progressively depleted of 18O by up to 25.8‰ for wood and 16.5‰ for grass as temperature, duration of burning, and amount of oxygen increased. The primary reason for the decrease in oxygen-isotope values is the loss …
Phosphate Availability During Sediment Resuspension Events In The Great Bay Estuary,
2012
University of New Hampshire - Main Campus
Phosphate Availability During Sediment Resuspension Events In The Great Bay Estuary, Taylor Langkau
Honors Theses and Capstones
Phosphate is an important nutrient to marine ecosystems such as the Great Bay Estuary. However, its bioavailability is limited due to its tendency to adsorb to marine sediments, especially iron oxides. This paper investigates phosphate dynamics during a simulated storm compared to calm conditions and aims to quantify the mechanisms of phosphate adsorption.
Water And Energy Balance Response Of A Riparian
Wetland To The Removal Of Phragmites Australis,
2012
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Water And Energy Balance Response Of A Riparian Wetland To The Removal Of Phragmites Australis, Phillip Mykleby
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Vegetation and climate both play integral roles in water availability, particularly for arid to semi-arid regions. Changes in these variables can lead to extreme shortages in water for regions that rely on water for crop irrigation (i.e., the Great Plains). The objective of this study is to evaluate the impacts of vegetation on water availability in the Republican River basin in central Nebraska. Decreases in streamflow have been observed in the river basin for many years and, as a result, an invasive riparian plant species (Phragmites australis) is being removed in an effort to reduce evapotranspiration and reclaim …
Permanganate Oxidizable Carbon Reflects A Processed Soil Fraction That Is Sensitive To Management,
2012
Michigan State University
Permanganate Oxidizable Carbon Reflects A Processed Soil Fraction That Is Sensitive To Management, Steven W. Culman, Sieglinde S. Snapp, Mark A. Freeman, Meagan E. Schipanksi, Josh Beniston, Rattan Lal, Laurie E. Drinkwater, Alan J. Franzluebbers, Jerry D. Glover, A. Stuart Grandy, Juhwan Lee, Johan Six, Jude E. Maul, Steven B. Mirsky, John T. Spargo, Michelle M. Wander
Faculty Publications
Permanganate oxidizable C (POXC; i.e., active C) is a relatively new method that can quantify labile soil C rapidly and inexpensively. Despite limited reports of positive correlations with particulate organic C (POC), microbial biomass C (MBC), and other soil C fractions, little is known about what soil fractions POXC most closely reflects. We measured POXC across a wide range of soil types, ecosystems, and geographic areas (12 studies, 53 total sites, n = 1379) to: (i) determine the relationship between POXC and POC, MBC and soil organic C (SOC) fractions, and (ii) determine the relative sensitivity of POXC as a …
Nutrient And Fecal Microbe Assessment Of The Water Quality Of Tates Creek, Madison County, Kentucky,
2012
Eastern Kentucky University
Nutrient And Fecal Microbe Assessment Of The Water Quality Of Tates Creek, Madison County, Kentucky, Walter S. Borowski, Kristopher H. Carroll
EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship
Tates Creek is a significant tributary to the Kentucky River that has shown high levels of microbial and nutrient pollution in the past (Kentucky River Watershed Watch). We sampled the waters of Tates Creek more comprehensively by collecting stream water at 25 stations along its 13-mile length from its headwaters to the Kentucky River. Most samples were collected at the confluence of major tributaries to also access the water quality of tributary streams. Samples were collected four times between May and August 2011 during dry periods as well as immediately after a rainfall event. We measured ammonium (NH4+ …
Coupling Of Fog And Marine Microbial Content In The Near-Shore Coastal Environment,
2012
Columbia University
Coupling Of Fog And Marine Microbial Content In The Near-Shore Coastal Environment, M. E. Ducker, Gregory D. O'Mullan, K. C. Weathers, A. R. Juhl, M. Uriarte
Publications and Research
Microbes in the atmosphere (microbial aerosols) play an important role in climate and provide an ecological and biogeochemical connection between oceanic, atmospheric, and terrestrial environments. However, the sources and environmental factors controlling the concentration, diversity, transport, and viability of microbial aerosols are poorly understood. This study examined culturable microbial aerosols from a coastal environment in Maine (USA) and determined the effect of onshore wind speed and fog presence on deposition rate, source, and community composition. During fog events with low onshore winds (
Sensitivity Analysis Of The Gems Soil Organic Carbon Model To Land Cover Land Use Classification Uncertainties Under Different Climate Scenarios In Senegal,
2012
South Dakota State University
Sensitivity Analysis Of The Gems Soil Organic Carbon Model To Land Cover Land Use Classification Uncertainties Under Different Climate Scenarios In Senegal, Amadou M. Dieye, David P. Roy, N. P. Hanan, S. Lui, M. Hansen, A. Toure
GSCE Faculty Publications
Spatially explicit land cover land use (LCLU) change information is needed to drive biogeochemical models that simulate soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. Such information is increasingly being mapped using remotely sensed satellite data with classification schemes and uncertainties constrained by the sensing system, classification algorithms and land cover schemes. In this study, automated LCLU classification of multi-temporal Landsat satellite data were used to assess the sensitivity of SOC modeled by the Global Ensemble Biogeochemical Modeling System (GEMS). The GEMS was run for an area of 1560km2 in Senegal under three climate change scenarios with LCLU maps generated using different Landsat …
A Geobiological Investigation Of The Mazon Creek Concretions Of Northeastern Illinois, Mechanisms Of Formation And Diagenesis,
2012
The University of Western Ontario
A Geobiological Investigation Of The Mazon Creek Concretions Of Northeastern Illinois, Mechanisms Of Formation And Diagenesis, Andrea S. Fernandes
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Siderite concretions from the mid-Pennsylvanian Francis Creek Shale of the Mazon Creek area, in northeastern Illinois, contain exceptionally preserved soft-tissue fossils. Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry and micro-x-ray diffraction on polychaete worm, jellyfish and holothurian samples highlighted detrital clay and quartz grains in siderite cement. The worm and jellyfish are pyritised and surrounded by pyrite halos, whereas the holothurian is preserved as a weathered impression. Specimens possessed either microbial textures or framboidal pyrite, in carbon-enriched zones. The carbon-enriched zones contained organic compounds, indicating that extensive degradation associated with high temperature diagenesis did not …
Chemical And Isotopic Evaluation Of Sulfur Sources And Cycling In The Pecos River, New Mexico, Usa,
2012
Cleveland State University
Chemical And Isotopic Evaluation Of Sulfur Sources And Cycling In The Pecos River, New Mexico, Usa, Fasong Yuan, Bernhard Mayer
Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications
The use of stable isotopes in studies of watershed biogeochemical processes has increased greatly throughout the last several decades. Much of the sulfur cycling research has addressed the influence of changes in atmospheric acid deposition on sulfur dynamics in temperate ecosystems. Little is known about sulfur cycling in dryland ecosystems such as those in the American Southwest. To identify the sources and assess the cycling of sulfur in dryland ecosystems, chemical and isotopic compositions of water were measured on samples collected from the Pecos River (New Mexico, USA) during a reconnaissance survey in spring 2010. Based on the chemical and …
A Paleoclimate Modeling Experiment To Calculate The Soil Carbon Respiration Flux For The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum,
2012
University of Massachusetts Amherst
A Paleoclimate Modeling Experiment To Calculate The Soil Carbon Respiration Flux For The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, David M. Tracy
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) (55 million years ago) stands as the largest in a series of extreme warming (hyperthermal) climatic events, which are analogous to the modern day increase in greenhouse gas concentrations. Orbitally triggered (Lourens et al., 2005, Galeotti et al., 2010), the PETM is marked by a large (-3‰) carbon isotope excursion (CIE). Hypothesized to be methane driven, Zeebe et al., (2009) noted that a methane based release would only account for 3.5°C of warming. An isotopically heavier carbon, such as that of soil and C3 plants, has the potential to account for the …
Holocene Climate And Environmental Changes: Disentangling Natural And Anthropogenic Signals In The Sedimentary Record Of Lake Lilandsvatnet (Nw Norway),
2012
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Holocene Climate And Environmental Changes: Disentangling Natural And Anthropogenic Signals In The Sedimentary Record Of Lake Lilandsvatnet (Nw Norway), Robert M. D'Anjou
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
This thesis presents a multi-proxy paleoenvironmental reconstruction from the sedimentary archives of Lilandsvatnet, a small arctic lake on Vestvågøy, in the Lofoten Islands, Norway. Lofoten has a rich history of human settlements existing throughout the Holocene. The catchment of Lilandsvatnet was the location of a prominent Viking chieftain farm that existed throughout the Iron Age, and the sedimentary archive contains a strong signal of prehistoric and historic human settlements and land-use practices. Paleoenvironmental reconstructions in this thesis show evidence for Holocene environmental variability in response to both natural and anthropogenic forcing. Cryptotephra deposits from Icelandic eruptions further contrain sediment chronology …
Exploring The Role Of Organic Matter Accumulation On Delta Evolution,
2012
Montclair State University
Exploring The Role Of Organic Matter Accumulation On Delta Evolution, Jorge Lorenzo Trueba, Vaughan Voller, Chris Paola, Robert Twilley, Azure Bevington
Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works
We explore the role of plant matter accumulation in the sediment column in determining the response of fluvial-deltas to base-level rise and simple subsidence profiles. Making the assumption that delta building processes operate to preserve the geometry of the delta plain, we model organic sedimentation in terms of the plant matter accumulation and accommodation (space made for sediment deposition) rates. A spatial integration of the organic sedimentation, added to the known river sediment input, leads to a model of delta evolution that estimates the fraction of organic sediments preserved in the delta. The model predicts that the maximum organic fraction …
Water Table Height And Microtopography Control Biogeochemical Cycling In An Arctic Coastal Tundra Ecosystem,
2012
San Diego State University
Water Table Height And Microtopography Control Biogeochemical Cycling In An Arctic Coastal Tundra Ecosystem, David A. Lipson, Donatella Zona, Ted K. Raab, Francis Bozzolo, Marguerite Mauritz, Walter C. Oechel
Ted K. Raab
Drained thaw lake basins (DTLB’s) are the dominant land form of the Arctic Coastal Plain in northern Alaska. The presence of continuous permafrost prevents drainage and so water tables generally remain close to the soil surface, creating saturated, suboxic soil conditions. However, ice wedge polygons produce microtopographic variation in these landscapes, with raised areas such as polygon rims creating more oxic microenvironments. The peat soils in this ecosystem store large amounts of organic carbon which is vulnerable to loss as arctic regions continue to rapidly warm, and so there is great motivation to understand the controls over microbial activity in …
Evaluating Holocene Climate Change In Northern Norway Using Sediment Records From Two Contrasting Lake Systems.,
2012
College of William and Mary
Evaluating Holocene Climate Change In Northern Norway Using Sediment Records From Two Contrasting Lake Systems., Nicholas L. Balascio, Raymond S. Bradley
Raymond S Bradley
We analyzed Holocene sedimentary records from two lakes in the Lofoten Islands, northern Norway to evaluate environmental changes during the Holocene related to northern North Atlantic climate dynamics. The lakes are located in different geomorphological settings, and thus provide a contrast in their response to regional climate change. Environmental changes at both lakes were interpreted based on magnetic susceptibility, organic-matter flux, C/N, d13 Corg , Ti concentrations, and mass accumulation rates. Chronologies were established using 16 AMS radiocarbon dates, and average deposition rates in both environments are higher than 0.2 mm/year throughout the Holocene. At Vikjordvatnet, sedimentary geochemical properties define …
Biogeochemical Evidence For Prehistoric Human Impacts On The Environment In Northwestern Norway,
2012
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Biogeochemical Evidence For Prehistoric Human Impacts On The Environment In Northwestern Norway, Raymond S. Bradley, Robert D'Anjou, Nicholas L. Balascio, David B. Finkelstein
Raymond S Bradley
Disentangling the effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities on the environment is a major challenge in paleoenvironmental research. Here, we used fecal sterols and other biogeochemical compounds in lake sediments from northern Norway to identify both natural and anthropogenic signals of environmental change during the late Holocene. The area was first occupied by humans and their grazing animals at ∼2,250 ± 75 calendar years before 1950 AD (calendar years before present). The arrival of humans is indicated by an abrupt increase in coprostanol (and its epimer epicoprostanol) in the sediments and an associated increase in 5β-stigmastanol (and 5β-epistigmastanol), which …
