Digital Commons Network^™

Deep Open Storage And Shallow Closed Transport System For A Continental Flood Basalt Sequence Revealed With Magma Chamber Simulator, Jussi S. Heinonen, Arto V. Luttinen, Frank J. Spera, Wendy A. Bohrson

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

The Magma Chamber Simulator (MCS) quantitatively models the phase equilibria, mineral chemistry, major and trace elements, and radiogenic isotopes in a multicomponent–multiphase magma + wallrock + recharge system by minimization or maximization of the appropriate thermodynamic potential for the given process. In this study, we utilize MCS to decipher the differentiation history of a continental flood basalt sequence from the Antarctic portion of the ~ 180 Ma Karoo large igneous province. Typical of many flood basalts, this suite exhibits geochemical evidence (e.g., negative initial εNd) of interaction with crustal materials. We show that isobaric assimilation-fractional crystallization models fail to …

Natural Disasters: Resource Lists, Hilary Martens

Open Educational Resources (OER) at University of Montana

This record includes a syllabus, unit-by-unit lists of open and free resources, a course project description, and additional, optional resources used in a course on natural disasters. The course covers plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, climate change, floods, fires, landslides, avalanches, and impacts with space objects.

Seasonal Variations In Temperature–Suicide Associations Across South Korea, Adam J. Kalkstein, Miloslav Belorid, Paul Grady Dixon Ph.D., Kyu Rang Kim, Keith A. Bremer

Geosciences Faculty Publications

South Korea has among the highest rates of suicide in the world, and previous research suggests that suicide frequency increases with anomalously high temperatures, possibly as a result of increased sunshine. However, it is unclear whether this temperature–suicide association exists throughout the entire year. Using distributed lag nonlinear modeling, which effectively controls for nonlinear and delayed effects, we examine temperature–suicide associations for both a warm season (April–September) and a cool season (October–March) for three cities across South Korea: Seoul, Daegu, and Busan. We find consistent, statistically significant, mostly linear relationships between relative risk of suicide and daily temperature in the …

Influence Of Spring Flow Reversals On Cave Dissolution In A Telogenetic Karst Aquifer, Mammoth Cave, Ky, Chelsey Kipper

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An often overlooked connection between karst groundwater systems and surface water is spring flow reversal, the flow of river water into karst springs caused by changes in hydraulic gradient. Karst aquifers are subject to the intrusion of river water when the hydraulic head of a base level river is higher than the hydraulic head of a base level spring. When this occurs, the flow out of the spring reverses, allowing river water to enter base level conduits. River water thus becomes a source of recharge into karst basins, transporting both valuable nutrients and harmful contaminants into karst aquifers. The rapid …

Application Of 3d Salt Modeling: An Example From The Northeastern Gulf Of Mexico, Adam Mattson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Salt tectonics has important implications for hydrocarbon exploration in saltbearing basins since salt deformation can directly or indirectly form hydrocarbon traps, influence hydrocarbon migration, and can control deepwater depositional systems. In various basins around the globe, extensive research has been conducted on initiation of salt mobilization, subsequent deformation, and eventual cessation, mostly from subsurface two-dimensional (2D) sections. However, 3D seismic data has dominated the petroleum industry for the last 30 years. Despite the plethora of 3D seismic data acquired in salt-bearing basins, there has been hardly any published work on the 3D geometries of complex salt bodies. 3D salt mapping …

Student Support Program Outputs, Outcomes And Impacts Report

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Administrative Materials

The Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) inititated its Postdoctoral and Student Support Programs in 2014. The following details their achievements.

Round One -- The institute first provided undergraduate, graduate student and postdoctoral support to faculty who were selected following a call for proposals in 2014. Support was awarded for two postdocs, five graduate students, and two projects with undergraduate students. By FY19 a small amount of support continues for Francisco Munoz-Arriola’s program. Outputs include presentations, grants and publications. The other faculty who have received support are: Vijendra Boken, UNK Geography & Earth Science; Carrick Detweiler, UNL …

The Alleghanian Isthmus As The Trigger Of The Onset Of The Bashkirian Glaciation: Constraints From Warm-Water Benthic Foraminifera, Vladimir I. Davydov, Pedro Cózar

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The timing of the final collision and particularly the disappearance of the gateway between the Rheic and Tethyan oceans is quite controversial and poorly established. The accurate timing on the gateway closure is vitally important for the understanding of global sea-level fluctuations, ocean circulation, regional and global environments, salinity and reorganization of the thermohaline circulation, enhanced deep water organic carbon production in the western Tethys and the overall decline of atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. Here we present a new approach by applying warm-water benthic foraminifera (WWBF) data to precisely constraint the Rheic-Tethys gateway (RTG) closure, utilizing taxonomic and statistical methods. …

The Relationship Between Forest Management And Stream Discharge In Mazumbai And Baga Ii Forest Reserves, Tanga Region, Tanzania, Shannon Duffy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Deforestation is known to alter hydrology by reducing interception, transpiration and infiltration capacity, and increasing runoff which all leads to higher stream discharge. For rural Tanzanian communities, surface water resources are crucial for meeting basic needs, so the integrity of headwater catchments need to be maintained to ensure their reliability. The objectives of this study were to a) map the streams in the two forests because none currently exist and b) determine the effect of deforestation on discharge variability. Over fifteen days of data collection, this study analyzed variability of discharge and the degree of correlation between discharge and rainfall …

The Role Of Introductory Geoscience Courses In Preparing Teachers—And All Students—For The Future: Are We Making The Grade?, Anne E. Egger

Geological Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Introductory geoscience courses enroll hundreds of thousands of students a year, most of whom do not major in the geosciences. For many, including future K–12 teachers, an introductory course is the only place they will encounter Earth science at the college level. New standards for K–12 science education have profound implications for teacher preparation, particularly in Earth science. The new standards call for taking a systems approach, highlighting how humans interact with Earth, making use of science and engineering practices, and engaging students in discourse. Analysis of responses to the National Geoscience Faculty Survey (n = 813 in 2004; …

Pacts 1.0: A Crowdsourced Reporting Standard For Paleoclimate Data, D. Khider, J. Emile-Geay, N. P. Mckay, Y. Gil, D. Garijo, V. Ratnakar, M. Alonso-Garcia, S. Bertrand, O. Bothe, P. Brewer, A. Bunn, M. Chevalier, L. Comas-Bru, J. Hertzberg, Y. Zhou

OES Faculty Publications

The progress of science is tied to the standardization of measurements, instruments, and data. This is especially true in the Big Data age, where analyzing large data volumes critically hinges on the data being standardized. Accordingly, the lack of community-sanctioned data standards in paleoclimatology has largely precluded the benefits of Big Data advances in the field. Building upon recent efforts to standardize the format and terminology of paleoclimate data, this article describes the Paleoclimate Community reporTing Standard (PaCTS), a crowdsourced reporting standard for such data. PaCTS captures which information should be included when reporting paleoclimate data, with the goal of …

Impacts Of Agricultural Practices On Soil Quality And The Resulting Soil Conservation Implication In Kizanda Village, Lushoto Region, Tanzania, Sarah Maccormick

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examined soil conservation in Kizanda Village which is in the Lushoto District, Tanga Region in the West Usambara Mountains of Tanzania. In Tanzania, and more specifically, the rural montane area, agriculture is an important part of both social and economic development. Due to a reported high rate of land degradation in Tanzania, this development is threatened though the lack of soil conservation. This study conducted structured interviews with farmers in Kizanda through snowball sampling to collect information about local agricultural practices and farmers’ perceptions on soil conservation issues. Soil samples were then collected from the corresponding farms (n= …

Melpf Version 1: Modeling Error Learning Based Post-Processor Framework For Hydrologic Models Accuracy Improvement, Rui Wu, Lei Yang, Chao Chen, Sajjad Ahmad, Sergiu M. Dascalu, Frederick C. Harris Jr.

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper studies how to improve the accuracy of hydrologic models using machine-learning models as post-processors and presents possibilities to reduce the workload to create an accurate hydrologic model by removing the calibration step. It is often challenging to develop an accurate hydrologic model due to the time-consuming model calibration procedure and the nonstationarity of hydrologic data. Our findings show that the errors of hydrologic models are correlated with model inputs. Thus motivated, we propose a modeling-error-learning-based post-processor framework by leveraging this correlation to improve the accuracy of a hydrologic model. The key idea is to predict the differences (errors) …

Reorganization Of Surviving Mammal Communities After The End-Pleistocene Megafaunal Extinction, Anikó B. Tóth, S. Kathleen Lyons, W. Andrew Barr, Anna K. Behrensmeyer, Jessica L. Blois, René Bobe, Matt Davis, Andrew Du, Jussi T. Eronen, J. Tyler Faith, Danielle Fraser, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Gary R. Graves, Advait M. Jukar, Joshua H. Miller, Silvia Pineda-Munoz, Laura C. Soul, Amelia Villaseñor, John Alroy

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Large mammals are at high risk of extinction globally. To understand the consequences of their demise for community assembly, we tracked community structure through the end- Pleistocene megafaunal extinction in North America.We decomposed the effects of biotic and abiotic factors by analyzing co-occurrence within the mutual ranges of species pairs. Although shifting climate drove an increase in niche overlap, co-occurrence decreased, signaling shifts in biotic interactions. Furthermore, the effect of abiotic factors on cooccurrence remained constant over time while the effect of biotic factors decreased. Biotic factors apparently played a key role in continental-scale community assembly before the extinctions. Specifically, …

Sge In The News, Alexandra Kirsch

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

No abstract provided.

Petrography And Provenance Of Floor Sediments From The Loutra Almopias Cave (Pella, Macedonia, Greece), Ioannis Georgiadis, Katerina Chatzopoulou, Nikolaos Kantiranis, Ioakeim Ioakeimidis, Ananias Tsirambides

International Journal of Speleology

Thirty seven floor sediment samples of Upper Pleistocene age from the Loutra Almopias Cave were collected from different beds and stratigraphic columns on the basis of their induration grade, grain distribution, and paleontological findings. Channel facies make up the bulk of the clastic sediments found in the cave passages. Slackwater facies compose the final layer of all the stratigraphic sections of the examined cave. The floor sediments are mineralogically immature, since they contain many ferromagnesian minerals, feldspars (especially plagioclase) and quartz. The extensive presence of silicate minerals means that the phyllites, gneisses, schists, ophiolitic rocks and the clastic Mariam Formation …

Genesis Of Iron And Manganese Sediments In Zoloushka Cave (Ukraine/Moldova) As Revealed By Δ13C Organic Carbon, Piotr Kotula, Viacheslav Andreychouk, Jacek Pawlyta, Leszek Marynowski, Izabela Jendrzejewska

International Journal of Speleology

Zoloushka Cave is one of the largest maze gypsum caves in the world. Mining of the gypsum bedrock and lowering of the water level due to the pumping of groundwater led to exposure of the cave passages to vadose conditions and changed the hydrochemistry of the karst water. As a result, large quantities of Fe and Mn hydroxides were deposited in the passages. It was found that at least two groups of various organisms were involved in depositing ferrous and manganese sediments. In order to establish the mechanism of deposition, we conducted chemical analyses of the sediments and isotopic analyses …

Regional Scale Dryland Vegetation Classification With An Integrated Lidar-Hyperspectral Approach, Hamid Dashti, Andrew Poley, Nancy Glenn, Nayani Ilangakoon, Lucas Spaete, Dar Roberts, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The sparse canopy cover and large contribution of bright background soil, along with the heterogeneous vegetation types in close proximity, are common challenges for mapping dryland vegetation with remote sensing. Consequently, the results of a single classification algorithm or one type of sensor to characterize dryland vegetation typically show low accuracy and lack robustness. In our study, we improved classification accuracy in a semi-arid ecosystem based on the use of vegetation optical (hyperspectral) and structural (lidar) information combined with the environmental characteristics of the landscape. To accomplish this goal, we used both spectral angle mapper (SAM) and multiple endmember spectral …

Identification Of Mined Areas That May Contribute To Water Quality Degradation At Hobet Coal Mine, West Virginia, Brian P. Murphy

IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt

No abstract provided.

Regional Scale Dryland Vegetation Classification With An Integrated Lidar-Hyperspectral Approach, Hamid Dashti, Nancy F. Glenn, Nayani Ilangakoon, Josh Enterkine, Alejandro N. Flores

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The sparse canopy cover and large contribution of bright background soil, along with the heterogeneous vegetation types in close proximity, are common challenges for mapping dryland vegetation with remote sensing. Consequently, the results of a single classification algorithm or one type of sensor to characterize dryland vegetation typically show low accuracy and lack robustness. In our study, we improved classification accuracy in a semi-arid ecosystem based on the use of vegetation optical (hyperspectral) and structural (lidar) information combined with the environmental characteristics of the landscape. To accomplish this goal, we used both spectral angle mapper (SAM) and multiple endmember spectral …

Long-Term Changes Of Open-Surface Water Bodies In The Yangtze River Basin Based On The Google Earth Engine Cloud Platform, Yue Deng, Wei-Guo Jiang, Zhenghong Tang, Ziyan Ling, Zhifeng Wu

Community and Regional Planning Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

The spatiotemporal changes of open-surface water bodies in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB) have profound influences on sustainable economic development, and are also closely relevant to water scarcity in China. However, long-term changes of open-surface water bodies in the YRB have remained poorly characterized. Taking advantage of the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud platform, this study processed 75,593 scenes of Landsat images to investigate the long-term changes of open-surface water bodies in the YRB from 1984 to 2018. In this study, we adopted the percentile-based image composite method to collect training samples and proposed a multiple index water detection rule …

A Technical Overview Of The Kentucky Mesonet, Rezaul Mahmood, Megan Schargorodski, Stuart Foster, Andrew Quilligan

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

The Kentucky Mesonet is a research-grade weather and climate observing network with redundant sensors that monitors the near-surface atmosphere at 71 locations across Kentucky. The network measures temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, relative humidity, barometric pressure, and wind speed and direction every 5 min, with soil moisture and soil temperature measured every 30 min. In addition, it operates a camera at selected locations. All observations are transmitted via cellular modem every 5 min and become available to the general public through the World Wide Web within seconds after arrival at Kentucky Mesonet’s Network Operations Center. In between arriving at the IT …

Lead And Arsenic Contamination In Urban Soils In New York City, Anna Paltseva

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation examined total and bioaccessible soil lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) concentrations and their accumulation in commonly grown garden vegetables in New York City (NYC) metropolitan area. Direct oral ingestion of contaminated soil and consumption of plants that have accumulated Pb or As from underlying soil are known human exposure pathways in urban garden soils that often contain elevated levels of contaminants. The research had four components: (1) assessment of the variability of bioaccessible Pb in NYC urban soils; (2) field experiments to evaluate Pb stabilization and As mobilization by phosphate and alternative amendments; (3) development of a new …

The Water/Energy Nexus: Climate, Consumption And Ecosystem Services, Hildegaard D. Link

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Water and energy are drivers of living systems. This work provides an assessment of the Water Energy Nexus in the United States, comparing the well-watered north-east and the arid west. Electric grid systems are most stressed on hot summer afternoons. Grid stress can lead to cascading failures of electricity, water and wastewater treatment systems. (Zimmerman, 2017) Water for power generation and/or water supply depend on ecosystem services. The ecosystem services and resource trade-offs embedded in provision of a watt of power and an ounce of potable water, however, have yet to be comprehensively enumerated nor have the cost relationships been …

Annual And Seasonal Variation In Hydrologic Performance Of Ecoroofs Of Multiple Depths, Portland, Or, Ashley Michelle Baker

Dissertations and Theses

It is essential that cities adopt new approaches to stormwater management in the face of changing precipitation regime. In some locations, ecoroofs have been incorporated into city plans as a stormwater control measure, and thus their real-world performance under current conditions can assist with adequate planning. In this study rainfall retention data collected during a three year period, between 2014-2017, is analyzed for 75mm and 125mm ecoroof plots in Portland, Oregon, USA. There is no difference in annual rainfall retention performance between the shallower and deeper plots. However, the 36% mean annual retention of the ecoroof plots is a significant …

Multi-Phased Hypogene Speleogenesis In A Marginal Horst Structure Of The Malé Karpaty Mountains, Slovakia, Pavel Bella, Pavel Bosák, Petr Mikysek, Juraj Littva, Helena Hercman, Jacek Pawlak

International Journal of Speleology

The Plavecká jaskyňa Cave on the western fault edge of the Malé Karpaty Mountains (western Slovakia) is a result of multi-phased hypogene speleogenesis. It formed in fractured Triassic carbonates by waters ascending along the Vienna Basin Transform Fault between Malé Karpaty Mountains and Záhorská nížina Lowland (the north-eastern part of the Vienna Basin) and/or the N–S-trending faults that intersect it in the cave vicinity. Morphologically, the cave is featured by (1) phreatic chimneys, cupolas, ceiling pockets, enlarged fissures with spongework cavities, upward wall channels and upward oriented large scallops, (2) epiphreatic flat corrosion bedrock floors, feeding fissures and wall water-table …

The Importance Of Landscape Position Information And Elevation Uncertainty For Barrier Island Habitat Mapping And Modeling, Nicholas Matthew Enwright

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Barrier islands provide important ecosystem services, including storm protection and erosion control to the mainland, habitat for fish and wildlife, and tourism. As a result, natural resource managers are concerned with monitoring changes to these islands and modeling future states of these environments. Landscape position, such as elevation and distance from shore, influences habitat coverage on barrier islands by regulating exposure to abiotic factors, including waves, tides, and salt spray. Geographers commonly use aerial topographic lidar data for extracting landscape position information. However, researchers rarely consider lidar elevation uncertainty when using automated processes for extracting elevation-dependent habitats from lidar data. …

Historical Floodplain Sedimentation Rates Using Mining Contaminant Profiles, Cesium-137, And Sediment Source Indicators Along The Lower Big River, Jefferson County, Missouri, Miranda M. Jordan

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Floodplain sedimentology and geochemistry can indicate the age of sediment layers to evaluate the history of human-caused sedimentation in a watershed. While the Ozark Highlands of Missouri has had a long history of settlement and land disturbance beginning in the early 1800s, there are few studies that have investigated the effects of these anthropogenic activities on river form and legacy sedimentation. The goal of this study is to characterize the sediment properties and geochemical trends in post-settlement floodplain deposits along lower Big River in Jefferson County, Missouri. This study evaluated trends of sediment properties at 3 cm intervals in a …

Geomorphic And Land Use Controls On Headwater Channel Morphology In Mark Twain National Forest, Grace F. Roman

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Prescribed burning has been used over the past two decades to manage forests and restore shortleaf pine-oak woodlands in Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF). While soil studies have been completed, no assessments of burning practices on small drainage channel systems have yet been done. Headwater streams may account for more than two-thirds of total stream length and are important to the maintenance of hydrologic connectivity in watersheds. This study’s focus is on understanding the relationship between frequency of forest burning and channel morphology (size, shape, and substrate) of headwater streams (km²). A combination of field measurements, geo-processing methods, …

Stream Channel Morphology And Riparian Forest Response To A 500-Year Flood In The Missouri Ozarks, Joshua William Hess

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Climate change has increased the frequency of large floods in rivers draining the Ozark Highlands resulting in higher rates of channel sedimentation, bank erosion, and damage to infrastructure. This study assesses the effects of a large flood (>500-year RI) during April-May 2017 on riparian forests along six tributary streams in the North Fork of the White River watershed, Missouri. High-resolution (<8 >cm) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) imagery collected after the flood was used to identify riparian forest flood damage. Measurements of riparian forest flood damage calculated from the UAV imagery were verified through field surveys of damaged riparian trees. …

Controlling Factors Of River Water Stable Isotope Compositions And Middle To Late Cenozoic Deposition And Surface Uplift History Of The Southern Rocky Mountains, U.S.A., Lu Zhu

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

The Cenozoic topographic evolution of the Rocky Mountains (Rockies) and Great Plains in the western U.S.A. reflect a combination of mantle geodynamic, crustal deformation and surface erosional processes. This region was near sea-level during the Late Cretaceous and is characterized by high topography and high relief at present. Different hypotheses involving crustal shortening and thickening, mantle dynamic process, and enhanced erosion induced by climate change have been proposed to interpret the Cenozoic surface uplift. The timing and magnitude of surface uplift hold the key to test these different hypotheses. This dissertation identifies the controlling factors of modern river water isotopic …