Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Understanding The Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum: Evaluation Of Deuterium Values (Δd) Related To Precipitation And Temperature, Colin Gannon

Honors Projects in Science and Technology

The Middle Miocene Climate Optimum was a unique warming period in the Earth’s geologic history, when a high global mean annual temperature was accompanied by a relatively low global CO2 concentration. Hydrogen isotopic signals (specifically molecular δD, the ratio of deuterium to hydrogen) from lipids of fossils and sediments offer intrinsic insights into precipitation of ancient climates. Using samples collected from known Middle Miocene deposits, we measured δD of n-alkanes extracted from well-preserved plant and sediment samples from varying latitudes across the Northern Hemisphere, and then analyzed the data through a zonally averaged precipitation and evaporation climate model. The ...

Reviews Of Science For Science Librarians: Drought In The Agricultural And Geosciences Literature, Leslie M. Delserone, Adonna Fleming

Faculty Publications, UNL Libraries

Drought is a hot topic, given the climatic events of summer 2012 in the United States. This article provides a fundamental understanding of drought—its definitions, classifications, ratings, and impact on agriculture. Also included are introductions to drought-related research areas in the geosciences—specifically geology, hydrology, and atmospheric sciences—as well as pointers to reliable sources of information about drought from the agricultural and geosciences literature.

Anthropogenic Eutrophication And Ecosystem Functioning In Freshwater Lakes, Adam John Heathcote

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Theory predicts that ecosystems under stress change in their structure and functioning and these alterations may be symptomatic of potential breakdown in overall ecosystem functioning due to homeostatic regulation. In this dissertation, I present four studies looking at how ecosystem functioning in thirty-two freshwater lakes changes as a result of stress from anthropogenic eutrophication using paleolimnological and contemporary sampling techniques. In particular these studies looks at the changes to algae (diatom) community structure and production, organic carbon (OC) cycling, importance of external inputs of eroded sediment and nutrients, and resource use efficiency (RUE) of zooplankton. I found significant changes in ...

Acting To Address The Ocean-Related Impacts Of Climate Change On Human And National Security, With Recommendations For Priority Actions Drawn From The Discussions Of The Global Conference On Oceans, Climate And Security At The University Of Massachusetts Boston, Robbin Peach, Felix Dodds, Michael Strauss, Collaborative Institute For Oceans, Climate And Security, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Collaborative Institute for Oceans, Climate and Security Publications

In the course of the past calendar year the United States has been struck by a series of droughts, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, wildfires, and floods whose size and path of resulting damage defy previously established patterns. The U.S. thus joins nations on every continent that have increasingly experienced extreme and extremely damaging weather events over the past two decades.

At the same time, the world’s oceans have been exhibiting a less-visible but equally dangerous sequence of temperature rise, acidification increase, fish kills, coastal erosion, salinity shifts, algae blooms, and steady decreases in commercially available fish and shellfish species ...

Coastsweep: The Massachusetts Coastal Cleanup Program, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Volunteers in communities throughout Massachusetts turn out in large numbers each September and October for COASTSWEEP, the statewide coastal cleanup program sponsored by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and coordinated by the Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) University of Massachusetts Boston. COASTSWEEP is part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) organized by Ocean Conservancy in Washington, DC. Through the efforts of the ICC, volunteers from all over the world collect marine debris and record information about the trash they collect. This information is then analyzed and used to identify sources of debris and to develop education and policy ...

The Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) is a public policy and applied-science research center focused on issues affecting urban waterfronts and coastal and ocean resources. Our mission is to increase understanding of the marine environment, improve management practices, and promote informed decision making at the local, state national, and international levels. UHI employs a multidisciplinary approach in all its research and education projects, blending science, policy, and management.

Umass Boston School For The Environment: Educating The Next Generation Of Environmental Problem Solvers, Robyn Hannigan, Anamarija Frankic

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Environmental challenges do not recognize disciplinary, socio-economic, or geographic boundaries. To support the development of environmental problem-solvers we deeply engage undergraduate and graduate students in solving real-world environmental problems through innovation and sustainability-focused courses and research experiences. These experiences directly engage local communities in the development and implementation of environmental solutions.

The Living Labs: Nantucket Island, Anamarija Frankic, Robyn Hannigan, Sarah Oktay

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Living Labs are a practical response to growing environmental challenges, including habitat degradation, loss of biodiversity, and global climate change. Nantucket Living Labs develops and implements holistic solutions to environmental challenges right here and now. The School for the Environment (SFE) established this concept in Conjunction with the Nantucket Field Station, Nantucket Conservation Foundation and ReMain Nantucket, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting a year-round community in the town center.

Investigating Perspectives Of Rural Nevadans On Climate Change Solutions, Tricia Dutcher

Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA)

Rural perspectives are important for the issue of climate change. Rural areas are high concentrations of active voters who deny the problem of anthropogenic climate change. Rural residents also face decisions about inviting large, utility scale renewable energy developments in their areas. This research examines rural Nevadan’s perspectives on climate change to offer insights about the relationship between climate change perceptions and communication strategies. The research offers policy implications that address context specific issues, solution-oriented dialogue, and interest matching to mitigate anthropogenic climate change.

The Effects Of Climate Science Literacy And Cultural Polarization Around Climate Change Risk Perception, Gabriel R. Young, Helen R. Neill

Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA)

Science communicators have struggled to provide meaningful information about climate change due to the complex nature of the problem and the polarized political and media landscapes, and yet, a well informed public is a crucial element to both public acceptance and policy initiatives aimed at climate change mitigation. Current literature suggests that scientific literacy actually increases cultural polarization around the issue of climate change (Kahan, 2012). This study adds to the literature by testing the hypothesis that climate change risk perception is more heavily tied to climate science literacy than general science literacy when controlling for cultural worldviews. We use ...

Predicting Wave-Induced Ripple Equilibrium Geometry, Timothy R. Nelson, George Voulgaris, Peter Traykovski

George Voulgaris

A comprehensive database of existing (since 1954) field and laboratory measurements of ripple geometry is compiled and combined with newly collected field data to examine the performance of ripple equilibrium predictors. Re-analysis of this enlarged ripple geometry data set reveals that ripples formed from monochromatic waves scale differently than ripples formed from random waves for many existing ripple predictors. Our analysis indicates that ripple wavelengths from the two data sets collapse into a single scaling when the semi-orbital excursion and sediment grain diameter are used as normalizing factors. Ripple steepness remains relatively constant for both regular and irregular wave conditions ...

Enhancing Interest In Stem At Nw Indiana Middle And High Schools Through Balloon Launches And Tracking, Mark Spychala, Raymond Finzel

Celebration of Undergraduate Scholarship

Our vision with this project is to develop and implement a research project led by undergraduates from Valparaiso University (VU) that would involve the participation of local middle and high school students in innovative balloon payloads . Under the guidance of Dr. Gary Morris, two VU undergraduate students will develop their designs, then present and test their system at local schools to help instill excitement about STEM in curious young minds. All students (college, middle, and high school) gain knowledge, experience, and confidence in STEM-related areas. The primary goal of this project is to provide competency-building education and research opportunities that ...

Investigation Of Idabel, Oklahoma Ozone Concentration Pre- And Post-Frontal Passage, Veronica Fall, Alexander Kotsakis

Celebration of Undergraduate Scholarship

Fifty-eight ozone profiles from Oklahoma State University’s Kiamichi Forestry Research Station in Idabel, OK have been collected over the last three years. This has been made possible through funding from the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality. The data has provided an opportunity to see what was happening meteorologically that affected ozone concentrations. With ozone being the primary cause of short and long-term respiratory issues, the impact of weather on air quality is something that is still being researched. Ozone pre-cursor emitters such as Dallas, Oklahoma City, Longview, and Texarkana surround Idabel. Meteorological conditions such as temperature, wind speed, and ...

Tap Water Treatment And Testing, Matt Oswalt

Anthropology Undergraduate Research (COLA)

Introduction

My research is focused on how the water we drink is cleaned and filtered and whether or not it is safe to drink the water from the tap.

Limnological Assistance For Lake Mead National Recreation Area: Quarterly Report, Period Ending September 30, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological studies

Continuation of Project 1

• The research effort titled Growth of adult quagga mussels within Las Vegas Wash/Las Vegas Bay is ongoing.

Continuation of Project 2

• Additional content was contributed to the future NPS-funded U.S. Geological Survey Circular ‘state-of-the-science’ report for Lakes Mead and Mohave. UNLV performed a new co-editing and coordinating task related to this product as the major focus of this quarter’s effort; the master version of this report is on schedule for delivery to the editorial team during the first week of October 2012.

Modification Activities:

Extended Short-term Continued Limnological Assistance

Quagga Mussel Objectives:

• Most ...

Resolving Ionospheric E-Region Modeling Challenges: The Solar Photon Flux Dependence, Joseph B. Jensen, Jan J. Sojka, Michael David, Kent Tobiska, Robert W. Schunk, Tom Woods, Frank Eparvier

Browse All Undergraduate research

The EVE instrument of the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) provides for the first time EUV and XUV measurements of the solar irradiance that adequately define the major source of ionization of the atmosphere. In our study we modeled the E-region of the ionosphere and analyzed how it is affected by the solar irradiance data obtained by EVE and contrast this with the S2000 Solar Irradiance model, used previously. The ionosphere has two major layers, the E-layer at 100 km, and the F-layer at 300 km. The difference in solar irradiances are small except at some wavelength bands, it is ...

The Greenhouse Effect At The Molecular Level, Michael Monce

Physics, Astronomy and Geophysics Faculty Publications

The greenhouse effect is generally modeled on a macro scale by designating energy balance for the planetary system. This involves the incoming solar radiation, reflected solar energy, absorbed solar energy at the ground, and subsequent re-radiation at longer wavelengths from the ground. The reradiated energy is then either transmitted out of the system or absorbed by the greenhouse gases and thus changing the overall energy balance.

However, the entire notion of the effects of so-called greenhouse gases hinges on the absorption and reemission of radiation at the individual molecular level. This paper presents an evaluation of that process by utilizing ...

An Examination Of The Mechanisms And Environments Supportive Of Bow Echo Mesovortex Genesis, George Limpert

Dissertations & Theses in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Low-level mesovortices are associated with enhanced surface wind gusts and high-end wind damage in quasi-linear thunderstorms. Although damage associated with mesovortices can approach that of moderately strong tornadoes, skill in forecasting mesovortices is low. The overarching goal of this work is to understand mesovortices and how they develop, to improve the skill in forecasting them. This was done by developing a climatology of mesovortices, which required a tracking algorithm, and numerical simulations were conducted to answer questions that could not be answered through the observational data. A climatology of mesovortices was constructed from 44 events during 2009 and 2010 to ...

A Climatology Of Lake-Effect Snowfall And Evaluation Of The Cobb Method For The Great Lakes Region, Seth Kutikoff

Dissertations & Theses in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Accuracy in snowfall prediction has lagged behind other short-term weather forecasting areas. Errors in quantitative precipitation forecasts ensure that any snow ratio applied to snow may result in inaccurate snowfall amounts, and snowfall observations are not consistent or fully reliable. In this study, the Cobb Method is tested on lake-effect snowfalls to determine if the top-down ice crystal growth modeled in the algorithm can be applied to convective snowfalls. To establish the spatiotemporal and physical characteristics of lake-effect snowfalls at selected study locations near the Great Lakes, snowfall and snow ratio climatologies are produced that separate events by lake-effect and ...

Remote Sensing Of Surface Visibility From Space: A Look At The United States East Coast, Amy L. Kessner

Dissertations & Theses in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

While important for the management of air quality, human health and transportation, surface visibility data currently are only available through ground-based measurements, such as the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), and therefore lack spatial coverage. In analogy to the recent work of using satellite-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) to derive surface dry aerosol mass concentration at continental-to-global scale for cloud-free conditions, this study evaluates the potential of AOD retrieved from the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) for deriving surface visibility. For this purpose of evaluation, the truncated and discrete visibility data from daily weather reports are not suitable and the ...