Digital Commons Network^™

A Watershed-Based Classification System For Lakes In Agriculturally-Dominated Ecosystems: A Case Study Of Nebraska Reservoirs, Henry N. N. Bulley

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In recent decades substantial progress has been made in improving the quality of surface waters in the United States (Hawkins et al., 2000; EPA, 2000; EPA, 2001); nevertheless, much work remains to be done in assessing the state of impairment of lake waters. Impairment implies that the existing water quality of a lake, as measured by selected criteria (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, chlorophyll-a, Secchi depth), exceeds a threshold value or standard that presumably reflects optimal attainable lake water quality conditions (or "reference" conditions) (Hughes, 1995; EPA, 2000; EPA, 2001). Such impaired waters are not suitable for designated uses such as drinking, …

South Yarding Focus Catchment Report, A Hollick

Resource management technical reports

This report provides a record of the activities carried out by the South Yarding Focus Support Team and Catchment Group. It covers the results of investigations and summarises the group's catchment plan of South Yarding, Western Australia, based on the best available information on soils, groundwater hydrology, surface water control, alternative crops and pastures and revegetation options.

Evaluation Of Extent And Bioavailability Of Chromium Contamination Near An Abandoned Strip Mine, C. Appel, J. Stuckey, A. Cosley, R. Donald, C. Griffith, S. Lager, M. Perry, T. Ray, P. Smith

Earth and Soil Sciences

Chromium is a potentially toxic element to plants and animals commonly associated with serpentine and anthropogenic sources. An abandoned Cr strip-mine at US National Guard Camp SLO, CA containing serpentinitic parent material was tested for total and bioavailable Cr in the soil and overlying vegetation via US EPA Methods 3050a (Total Cr) and 1311 (Total Characteristic Leaching Procedure, TCLP) (US EPA, 1995), respectively. The analysis of total and bioavailable Cr was used to assess the risk of nearby surface and groundwater contamination and to evaluate the site’s need for remediation. In addition, trends in soil Cr levels with respect to …

2004 Forage Spokesperson Contestants, James Chestnut, Jimmy May, Steve Meredith, Bill Payne

Kentucky Grazing Conference

No abstract provided.

Strategies For Reducing Stored Feed Requirements, Don Ball

Kentucky Grazing Conference

A basic, desirable goal for virtually any livestock producer is to minimize stored feed requirements. It is less expensive to have livestock harvest forage for themselves by grazing than to harvest it for them; therefore, the greater the extent to which pasture can be used to provide nutrition, the more profitable a livestock operation will generally be. Thus, it is worthwhile to consider all options that might be available for reducing stored feed needs.

Stocking Decisions: They Make Or Break You, Glen E. Aiken

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Decisions on species and variety of forage to plant and manage are economically critical because it establishes the potential to meet a particular production goal. However, the stocking rate used to graze these forages is more critical because it ultimately determines if a targeted level of production is reached. Most cattlemen aim for a stocking rate that provides maximum economic return, but it should be emphasized that an economically optimum stocking rate is one that potentially provides sustained economic return. It is obvious that dollar return is not maximized if excessive heavy grazing results in costly pasture renovation, ranging from …

Grazing: Getting From Where You Are To Where You Want To Be, Gary Bates

Kentucky Grazing Conference

When trying to design a forage and grazing program, producers often try to consider so many factors that it becomes mind-boggling. If basic plant physiology, how and when a forage plant grows is considered, improving a forage program will usually become easier, especially in developing a controlled grazing system. The purpose of a controlled grazing system should be to improve the utilization of the high quality forage produced on the farm. In order to improve this utilization, it is helpful to understand plant growth and quality, and the factors that affect them.

Present And Future Tall Fescue Varieties, Timothy D. Phillips

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Tall fescue has played a key role in forage production over the past century in the USA. It has other uses besides forage applications, such as turf, mine reclamation, and highway rights-of-way, but in this presentation we will focus on forage varieties. Several hundred turf-type tall fescue varieties have been developed over the past 30 years, mainly by private seed companies using material from Reed Funk at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Forage varieties aren’t as numerous. I will discuss some of the older and current forage tall fescue varieties, and finish by discussing the newest varieties, and those that …

Fertilizing Pastures For Profit, Byron Sleugh

Kentucky Grazing Conference

It has been known for centuries that providing certain nutrients to plants is critical for high productivity. The nutrient source and manner in which it is applied may vary, but the desired outcome is the same: high crop yield and quality. Fertilization is the most practical means that producers have to ensure that crops receive the nutrients they need. While increasing fertilizer application and managing pH by liming can lead to increase forage production, your investment should be measured against the potential return. Also, over application of nutrients can potentially cause environmental problems.

Role Of Legumes In Pasture Systems, Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Successful livestock programs are dependent on forage programs which supply large quantities of adequate quality, homegrown feed. A major percentage of the feed units for beef (83%) and dairy (61%) cattle come from forages. In addition, forages supply an estimated 91%, 72%, 15% and 99% of the nutrients consumed by sheep and goats, horses, swine and ruminant wildlife, respectively. These values can be put in perspective when we consider that 63% of Kentucky's Agricultural Cash Receipts are from livestock and livestock products. Cash hay accounts for approximately 28% of the total crop value. Hay ranks second only to tobacco in …

High Dispersal In A Frog Species Suggests That It Is Vulnerable To Habitat Fragmentation, W. Chris Funk, Allison E. Greene, Paul Stephen Corn, Fred W. Allendorf

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Global losses of amphibian populations are a major conservation concern and their causes have generated substantial debate. Habitat fragmentation is considered one important cause of amphibian decline. However, if fragmentation is to be invoked as a mechanism of amphibian decline, it must first be established that dispersal is prevalent among contiguous amphibian populations using formal movement estimators. In contrast, if dispersal is naturally low in amphibians, fragmentation can be disregarded as a cause of amphibian declines and conservation efforts can be focused elsewhere. We examined dispersal rates in Columbia spotted frogs (Rana luteiventris) using capture–recapture analysis of over …

Earth News, V28, Fall 2004, Department Of Earth Science, University Of Northern Iowa.

Earth News

Inside this issue:

--- Earth Science Staff Activities
--- Earth Science Majors
--- Student Internships
--- From Ocean to Ice: GSI 2004 Spring Field Trip Highlights
--- National Earth Science Week Quarry Open House
--- Sigma Gamma Epsilon - Gamma Sigma Chapter
--- Student Research Presentation
--- 2004-2005 Scholarship and Award Recipients
--- 2004 Earth Science Graduates
--- Earth Science Seminar Series
--- Gifts to the Department of Earth Science
--- Earth Science Alumni News

Hydrologic Variations Within Created And Natural Wetlands In Southeastern Virginia, Aaron Dyer Despres

OES Theses and Dissertations

The hydrology of wetlands, particularly how wetland soils collect, store, and redistribute water strongly affects how wetland systems function. In created wetlands, construction processes and materials influence the hydrology and consequently, the potential for successful reestablishment of target vegetation communities. During .2002- 2004, the Virginia Department of Transportation constructed large mitigation wetlands on two different Quaternary aged surfaces with very similar hydrogeomorphic conditions. The Sandy Bottom Nature Park site (SBNP) located in Hampton, VA and rests on the sandy loam Tabb Formation while the Charles City Wetland site (CCW) lies on the older and clay-rich Shirley Formation. This study documents …

Technical Assessment Of Natural Resource Management Threats And Options In The Northern Agricultural Region Of Western Australia, Lorinda Hunt, G Patterson, Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (Wa)

Resource management technical reports

Analysis of the risk of soil, land and water degradation within the Northern Agricultural Region of Western Australia. Natural resource issues discussed include: acid groundwater, acid sulfate soils, climate change, dryland salinity, flooding, herbicide resistance, non-wetting (water repellence), nutrient loss and eutrophication, remnant vegetation decline, soil acidity, soil fertility decline, soil structure decline, subsurface compaction, waterlogging, wind erosion and soil contamination.

The Use Of Bauxite Residue To Control Diffuse Phosphorus Pollution In Western Australia – A Win-Win-Win Outcome, Robert Summers, Mark Rivers, Martin Clarke

Conference papers and presentations

The Department of Agriculture, Western Australia has been working with Alcoa World Alumina Australia Ltd for more than ten years investigating the potential to use bauxite refining residues as soil amendments for the poor, acidic, sandy soils of the Swan Coastal Plain in south west Australia. Regional waterways, especially the Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary, have historically been susceptible to nuisance algal blooms fed by phosphorus in run-off from farmland and urban areas. Extensive laboratory, field and catchment-scale trials have shown the ability of soil amendment with fine bauxite refining residue (now trademarked in this context as Alkaloam™) to reduce …

Numerical Modeling Of Geophysical Granular Flows: 2. Computer Simulations Of Plinian Clouds And Pyroclastic Flows And Surges, Sebastien Dartevelle, William I. Rose, John Stix, Karim Kelfoun, James W. Vallance

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

Geophysical granular flows display complex nonlinear, nonuniform, and unsteady rheologies, depending on the volumetric grain concentration within the flow: kinetic, kinetic-collisional, and frictional. To account for the whole spectrum of granular rheologies (and hence concentrations), we have used and further developed for geophysical-atmospheric applications a multiphase computer model initially developed by U.S. Department of Energy laboratories: (Geophysical) Multiphase Flow with Interphase Exchange. As demonstrated in this manuscript, (G)MFIX can successfully simulate a large span of pyroclastic phenomena and related processes: plinian clouds, pyroclastic flows and surges, flow transformations, and depositional processes. Plinian cloud simulations agree well with the classical plume …

Seismic Expression Of Pleistocene Paleoceanographic Changes In The California Borderland From Digitally Acquired 3.5 Khz Subbottom Profiles And Ocean Drilling Program Leg 167 Drilling, Aleksandra Janik, Mitchell W. Lyle, Lee M. Liberty

CGISS Publications and Presentations

We correlate processed 3.5 kHz seismic profiles with physical properties of cores collected during ODP Leg 167 from the Tanner, East Cortes, and San Nicolas Basins through much of the Pleistocene succession. Results indicate that seismic horizons in the unconsolidated Pleistocene sediments (top 50 m) are mainly controlled by density contrasts. Removing of the compaction trend from the density reveals a very interesting relationship between density and composition - the density closely and inversely correlates with organic carbon indicating that large-scale variations in organic carbon are responsible for seismic reflections through their influence on density. This is a significant discovery …

Lower Yilgarn Catchment Appraisal 2003, D G. Cummins

Resource management technical reports

This report summarises current information on risks and impacts to agricultural production and natural resources within the Lower Yilgarn Catchment. It also identifies suitable options to manage such risks. The report has been divided into three sections : the natural resource base, the catchment risks and management options and impacts. Rapid Catchment Appraisal aims to document salinity risk and management options by addressing all threats to the natural resource base.

Accuracy Of Neural Network Classifiers In Humid Tropical Areas, Genong Yu

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research develops a better understanding of the use of neural networks in the context of tropical land cover characterization using multiple scale remotely sensed data. Results of the research contributed to developing a robust neural network classifier suitable to use for humid tropical land cover classification in areas such as Altamira, Brazil. Research was focused upon the following: (1) performance ofneural networks with different ancillary data- such as DEM (digital elevation model) and its derivatives; (2) effect of spatial scale on neural network classifiers using remote sensing data from IKONOS, Landsat TM, ASTER, and MODIS; (3) accuracy of neural …

Mesopredator Movement, Abundance, And Habitat Selection In The Rainwater Basins Of Nebraska, Christina J. Kocer

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Efficacy Of Offshore Breakwater Structures In A Eutrophic Midwestern Reservoir, Larry D. Pape

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

A Cost Effective Approach To Taxonomic Resolution For Bioassessment And Monitoring Programs In The State Of Georgia, Jodi Alene Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The Georgia Ecoregions Reference Sites Project has developed biological criteria for streams in Georgia according to the Rapid Bioassessment Protocols For Wadeable Streams and Rivers. Streams will ultimately be classified into categories of impairment so that management decisions can be made in accordance with the Clean Water Act. A cost-effective approach to accomplish mandates set forth by the Clean Water Act must be employed, as state budgets are limited. One means of examining costs is to assess taxonomic resolution. Taxonomic resolution not only assesses the sensitivity of biocriteria, it also allows one to make recommendations to state agencies regarding the …

Intro To Ground Water Law In Colorado And Surface-Groundwater Conflicts In The South Platte, David Harrison, Veronica A. Sperling, Steven O. Sims

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

25 pages.

Contains footnotes.

Particles In The Great Pinatubo Volcanic Cloud Of June 1991:The Role Of Ice, Song Guo, William I. Rose, Gregg J. S. Bluth, M. I. Watson

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

Pinatubo's 15 June 1991 eruption was Earth's largest of the last 25 years, and it formed a substantial volcanic cloud. We present results of analysis of satellite-based infrared remote sensing using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder/High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder/2 (TOVS/HIRS/2) sensors, during the first few days of atmospheric residence of the Pinatubo volcanic cloud, as it drifted from the Philippines toward Africa. An SO₂-rich upper (25 km) portion drifted westward slightly faster than an ash-rich lower (22 km) part, though uncertainty exists due to difficulty in precisely locating the ash cloud. …

Geomorphic Analysis Of Tidal Creek Networks, Karyn Inez Novakowski, Raymond Torres, L Robert Gardner, George Voulgaris

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to determine if concepts in terrestrial channel network analysis provide insight on intertidal creek network development and to present new metrics for their analysis. We delineated creek network geometry using high-resolution digital images of intertidal marsh near Georgetown, South Carolina. Analyses reveal that intertidal creek networks may be topologically random. Length-area relationships suggest that salt marsh and terrestrial networks have similar scaling properties, although the marsh networks are more elongate than terrestrial networks. To account for recurrent water exchange between creek basins at high tide, we propose that the landscape unit of geomorphic analyses …

Defining Archaeological Stratigraphy: Evaluating Microartifact Sampling, David N. Holycross

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A variety of subsurface methods have been used to discover and evaluate buried archaeological occupations. Researchers such as Stafford (1993,1995) have proposed that micro artifacts are an effective means of defining the archaeological stratigraphy of deposits, but only limited evaluation of this approach has been undertaken. This study tested the utility of microartifacts within a range of sample size and site density characteristics at three Ohio Valley archaeological sites buried within early and late Holocene age landforms. Occupations were typically detected in unit-to-core comparisons, within acceptable margins of error, and microartifacts often revealed a more complex stratigraphy than reflected by …

Terrestrial Movements And Habitat Use Of Gopher Frogs (Rana Capito) At Fort Benning, Georgia, Jonathan H. Neufeldt

Theses and Dissertations

Gopher frogs (Rana capito) were radio-tracked between the 2000 and 2001 breeding seasons to study their terrestrial movements and habitat use in a longleaf pine- sandhill area on the Fort Benning Military Reservation, Georgia. The telemetry research was conducted in response to the need for biological data concerning gopher frog terrestrial habits. Ultimately the data could aid biologists and land managers in describing critical habitat and the development of a management or recovery plan. Twelve gopher frogs were caught at a herpetofaunal array surrounding two neighboring breeding ponds during a post breeding migration, implanted with miniature transmitters, released and radio-tracked …

Waldo Lake Research In 2003, Mark D. Sytsma, John Rueter, Richard Petersen, Roy Koch, Scott A. Wells, Rich Miller, Laura Johnson, Robert Leslie Annear

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report summarizes the first year of an effort to develop a more complete understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics that drive the ecological processes of Waldo Lake. Modern limnology recognizes the importance of watershed processes as well as in- lake processes in lake ecosystem functioning. Therefore, the approach included consideration of watershed hydrology and forcing functions that determine hydrodynamics of the system as well physical and chemical factors that may be important in regulating primary production in the lake. Data collected since 1998 was summarized and bathymetry of the basin was mapped using state-of-the-art digital depth sounding …

The Effects Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) On Nerve Growth Factor (Ngf) In The Developing Frog, Xenopus Laevis, Cari Delong

Honors Theses

Polychlorinated biphenyls are ubiquitous, persistent environmental contaminants that cause a variety of adverse health effects wildlife and humans. PCBs are the major contaminant in the Kalamazoo River Superfund Site, in which the Environmental Institute is funded to study. Projects at the Environmental Institute are focused on developing molecular biotechnology tools that will improve environmental risk assessment. Previous acute studies involved the exposure of developing tadpoles, Xenopus laevis to PCBs through aquarium water in order to measure gene expression. Nerve growth factor (NGF) gene expression showed changes in these previous studies. NGF is a neurotrophic factor that regulates the growth and …

Re-Evaluation Of So2 Release Of The 15 June 1991 Pinatubo Eruption Using Ultraviolet And Infrared Satellite Sensors, Song Guo, Gregg J. S. Bluth, William I. Rose, M. I. Watson, A. J. Prata

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

In this study, ultraviolet TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) satellite data for SO₂ are re-evaluated for the first 15 days following the 15 June 1991 Pinatubo eruption to reflect new data retrieval and reduction methods. Infrared satellite SO₂ data from the TOVS/HIRS/2 (TIROS (Television Infrared Observation Satellite) Optical Vertical Sounder/High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder/2) sensor, whose data sets have a higher temporal resolution, are also analyzed for the first time for Pinatubo. Extrapolation of SO₂ masses calculated from TOMS and TOVS satellite measurements 19–118 hours after the eruption suggest initial SO₂ releases of 15 ± 3 …