Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Science Identity Transformations Through Place-Based Teaching And Learning In The Natural World, Amy Defelice

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation includes three main components related through a sociocultural lens of identity transformation. The first component describes the Field Studies program for ninth grade students at Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment (BASE High School), and explores how outdoor settings and place-based pedagogies can be used to enhance urban students' science identities. Student researchers took digital photographs of their Field Studies experiences and met in cogenerative dialogues with me, their teacher, where we shared our reflections. The second component explains students' experiences and reactions to a week-long place-based geoscience program held over spring break at Prospect Park. This …

Planetary Improvement: Discourses And Practices Of Green Capitalism In The Cleantech Space, Jesse Adam Goldstein

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

There is money to be made in saving the planet. A whole host of actors, such as investors, entrepreneurs, engineers, and policy makers have mobilized around our ecological problems, seeking to innovate new `green' and `clean' technologies that can serve a rapidly changing environment. The presumption that such technologies are both necessary and necessarily profitable anchors visions of a `green' capitalism that can and must be brought into existence.

However, just as free markets have never been all that free, why should we presume that green capitalism would be all that green? Instead of attempting to arbit whether or not …

The Interaction Between Arsenic And Struvite During Coprecipitation And Adsorption Processes, Ning Ma

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The formation of struvite, MgNH4PO4*6H2O (MAP), from wastes is one of the methods that can be used to recover P from wastes efficiently. However, since there are usually toxic components in the wastes, like arsenic (As), the possibility of having toxic contaminants in MAP is a big concern. So, the interaction between As and MAP during coprecipitation (CPT) and adsorption (ADS) processes were studied at pH 8-11. MAP precipitated without As at pH 8-11 was also characterized.

During CPT process, the MAP was precipitated from a MgCl2-(NH4)2HPO4-NaCl-H2O system spiked with As at an initial pH (pHi) of 8-11. The batch …

Selva Simbólica Selva Simbiótica Apuntes Para Una Ecocritica Latinoamericana, Liza Pamela Rosas-Bustos

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation focuses on Latin America's selvatic territories. It argues for prevailing ecological principles as revealed in the selected works of three twentieth-century Latin American story-writers and poets. They portray rainforests as multisensorial lands that encompass bewildering events from which a principle of local authority emerges. This analysis is based on Francisco Coloane's short stories "Tierra del Fuego" and "Cabo de Hornos," Rosario Castellanos'Balún Canán, and Luis Sepúlveda's Un viejo que leía novelas de amor. Such phenomenology is also present on the environmental poetics from Marosa di Giorgio, Cecilia Vicuña, and Leonel Lienlaf linked to emotions of fear, urgency, …

Carbon And Nitrogen Dynamics From Slow Pools Of Soil Organic Matter In A Temperate Forest: Pyrogenic Organic Matter And And Root Litter, Fernanda Dos Santos

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Soil organic matter (SOM) is the dominant reservoir of organic carbon (OC) in terrestrial ecosystems, storing approximately three times the size of the C pool in the atmosphere. In temperate forests, a major fraction of the SOM consists of slowly decaying soil organic C (SOC) pools. While slowly cycling C pools constitute a large reservoir of stable C in soils, the dominant environmental factors controlling this C pool remain unresolved. This research investigates two significant, but poorly characterized slowly decaying C pools: fine root litter (< 2mm) and thermally altered plant biomass (pyrogenic organic matter, PyOM). Specifically, I used compound-specific stable isotope analysis (¹³C and ¹⁵N) as my main methodological approach to examine the (1) …

Water Conservation To Reduce Wet Weather Pollution Loads To The Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn, Ny, Suzanne Carol Stempel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Public participation plays an important role in wet weather pollution management. However, the effects of participation programs on local water quality are often difficult to quantify. This project aims to quantify the potential effects of a community based, non-structural, BMP aimed at controlling inputs to combined sewage systems by encouraging residents to reduce their water use during rain events. A household could participate by reducing the amount of water they use for flushing toilets, washing dishes, taking showers, etc. during rain events; thereby reducing stress on the system during the time of highest demand. The Gowanus Canal sewershed in Brooklyn, …

Plant Species And Soil Type Effects On Root Characteristics, Microbiota And Plant-Soil Feedback Responses In Four Prairie Species, Charles J. Impastato

All Student Theses

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form a relationship with a multitude of host plants that is estimated to include 70-90% of terrestrial plant species over a wide range of environments. AMF and other microbiota, as well as abiotic factors are an important component of plant-soil feedback systems. The effects of plant species and soil type on root characteristics, plant-soil feedback and influence on microbiota and arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization were assessed through a manipulative laboratory study. Aster laevis, Parthenium integrifolium, Aster novae-angliae and Andropogon gerardii were grown in sterilized control soil and soil collected from beneath monocultures of A. laevis, P. integrifolium, …

Sediment And Vegetation Monitoring During A Levee Removal Project On The Stillaguamish River Delta At Port Susan Bay, Wa, Alec Barber

WWU Graduate School Collection

Sea levels around the world are on the rise in due to the effects of climate change. Coastal wetlands and estuaries are at risk of being submerged as water levels continue to increase, unless they can move inland or gain surface elevation. These wetland systems provide vital ecosystem services that would be difficult or impossible to provide by other means. In the Puget Sound, Washington, 80% of the original estuarine and coastal wetland habitat has been replaced by human infrastructure, making the monitoring, preservation, and restoration of the remaining stock important both ecologically and economically. The objective of this project …

Predictors Patterns And Processes Of Extinction Risk In Porgies And Seabreams (Family: Sparidae), Mia Theresa B. Conteros

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A variety of human-induced changes are having profound impacts on the marine environment, and no area on the planet remains unaffected by the detrimental effects of our activities. These stressors can potentially lead to synergistic effects, causing accelerated biodiversity loss and diminished ecosystem functioning. Identification and understanding of the factors that drive species to heightened risk of extinction are important goals in conservation.

The Sparidae are commercially important and ecologically complex marine fishes; global extinction risk assessments using the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species methodology show that 9% (13 species) have increased vulnerability to population declines from intense fishing …

U.S. Drought Monitor, September 30, 2014, Richard R. Heim Jr.

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for September 30, 2014 (9/30/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Ocena Efektów Termomodernizacji Budynków Jednorodzinnych. 1. Zmniejszenie Zużycia Ciepła I Emisji Zanieczyszczeń Do Powietrza, Robert Oleniacz, Magdalena Kasietczuk, Mateusz Rzeszutek

Robert Oleniacz

One of the measures allowing to reduce the emissions of pollutants into the air from the housing sector is decrease in the energy demand, which can be most easily achieved by thermal renovations. This paper analyses some possible variants of thermomodernization of a residential building typical for single-family housing construction of the 1970s and 1980s in Poland (replacement of window frames, insulation of external walls, flat roof insulation and all of the above-mentioned measures together with heating system replacement). Each of the considered variants was assessed in respect to the heat demand and emission of basic pollutants into the air. …

Ocena Efektów Termomodernizacji Budynków Jednorodzinnych. 2. Ograniczenie Wpływu Na Jakość Powietrza Atmosferycznego, Robert Oleniacz, Magdalena Kasietczuk, Mateusz Rzeszutek

Robert Oleniacz

The article assesses to what extent reduced the impact on air quality of a complex of detached coal-fired houses as a result of some thermal renovation works which lowered the fuel consumption and reduced emissions of pollutants into the air. The assessment was done on the basis of results of dispersion modelling for selected substances (SO2, NO2, CO, PM10, B(a)P and PCDD/F) in the ambient air with the use of CALMET/CALPUFF models. The calculation process encompassed preparation of the data on spatial features of the area, making a three-dimensional grid of meteorological data, definition of geometrical parameters of substitute emitters …

Warming, Competition, And Bromus Tectorum Population Growth Across An Elevation Gradient, Aldo Compagnoni, Peter B. Adler

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is one of the most problematic invasive plant species in North America and climate change threatens to exacerbate its impacts. We conducted a two‐year field experiment to test the effect of warming, competition, and seed source on cheatgrass performance across an elevation gradient in northern Utah. We hypothesized that warming would increase cheatgrass performance, but that warming effects would be limited by competing vegetation and by local adaptation of cheatgrass seed sources. The warming treatment relied on open top chambers, we removed vegetation to assess the effect of competition from neighboring vegetation, and we reciprocally …

Numerical Modeling Of The Effects Of Hydrologic Conditions And Sediment Transport On Geomorphic Patterns In Wetlands, Mehrnoosh Mahmoudi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focused on developing a numerical model of spatial and temporal changes in bed morphology of ridge and slough features in wetlands with respect to hydrology and sediment transport when a sudden change in hydrologic condition occurs. The specific objectives of this research were: (1) developing a two-dimensional hydrology model to simulate the spatial distribution of flow depth and velocity over time when a pulsed flow condition is applied, (2) developing a process-based numerical model of sediment transport coupled with flow depth and velocity in wetland ecosystems, and (3) use the developed model to explore how sediment transport may …

Fearless: Gettysburg's Environmental Concerns Organization (Geco), Chrisitina L. Bassler

SURGE

Gettysburg’s Environmental Concerns Organization (GECO) fearlessly advocates for environmental change, promotes awareness and encourages better sustainability practices on our campus, and the world around us.

Last weekend, 19 students from Gettysburg joined the People’s Climate March in New York City. With over 400,000 people – four times the number expected – this was the largest march for environment change in history. Junior Jolina Kenney was instrumental in planning the trip. As an Environmental Science major, She became involved with GECO “as an extension of her interest in the environment.” With the help of professor Lane, Jolina and the GECO team …

The Fierce Green Fire: Vol 5 Issue 3, Wofford College Environmental Studies Program

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.

The Status Of Fishes In The Missouri River, Nebraska: Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus), Kirk D. Steffensen, Sam Stukel, Dane A. Shuman

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

The Shovelnose Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus remains the most abundant riverine sturgeon species in North American despite the anthropogenic modifications that have occurred throughout their historic range; however, their populations have declined throughout Nebraska since the construction of Fort Randall and Gavins Point Dams. Therefore, the objective of this study was to present the current status of Shovelnose Sturgeon in the Missouri River along Nebraska’s border. Data was acquired from 2003 to 2012 from all reaches of the Missouri River along Nebraska’s eastern border. Catch rates of Shovelnose Sturgeon increased in a downstream trend and were highest in the reach below …

U.S. Drought Monitor, September 23, 2014, Richard R. Heim Jr.

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for September 23, 2014 (9/23/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

The Impact Of Neogene Grassland Expansion And Aridification On The Isotopic Composition Of Continental Precipitation, Charles P. Chamberlain, Matthew J. Winnick, Hari T. Mix, Samuel D. Chamberlain, Katharine Maher

Environmental Studies and Sciences

The late Cenozoic was a time of global cooling, increased aridity, and expansion of grasslands. In the last two decades numerous records of oxygen isotopes have been collected to assess plant ecological changes, understand terrestrial paleoclimate, and to determine the surface history of mountain belts. The δ¹⁸(O) values of these records, in general, increase from the mid-Miocene to the Recent. We suggest that these records record an increase in aridity and expansion of grasslands in midlatitude continental regions. We use a nondimensional isotopic vapor transport model coupled with a soil water isotope model to evaluate the role of vapor recycling …

Noble Gases Identify The Mechanisms Of Fugitive Gas Contamination In Drinking-Water Wells Overlying The Marcellus And Barnett Shales, Thomas H. Darrah, Avner Vengosh, Robert B. Jackson, Nathaniel R. R. Warner, Robert J. Poreda

Dartmouth Scholarship

Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have enhanced energy production but raised concerns about drinking-water contamination and other environmental impacts. Identifying the sources and mechanisms of contamination can help improve the environmental and economic sustainability of shale-gas extraction. We analyzed 113 and 20 samples from drinking-water wells overlying the Marcellus and Barnett Shales, respectively, examining hydrocarbon abundance and isotopic compositions (e.g., C2H6/CH4, δ13C-CH4) and providing, to our knowledge, the first comprehensive analyses of noble gases and their isotopes (e.g., 4He, 20Ne, 36Ar) in groundwater near shale-gas wells. We addressed two questions. (i) Are elevated levels of hydrocarbon gases in …