Fluid-Rock And Fluid-Steel Interaction In Geothermal Energy Development In The Appalachain Basin, Samuel H. Bowman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The ever-increasing demand for clean energy requires creative solutions. In the United States, unconventional energy sources such as geothermal are conventionally limited to the western half of the country. The Appalachian Basin in the Eastern United States is one such possible creative solution, although the comparatively low temperature gradient presents a significant challenge to delivering economically feasible geothermal energy. An emerging technology is enhanced geothermal systems, these are engineered reservoirs where a working fluid (typically water) is cycled between the subsurface energy source and the energy collection facility at the surface. The liquid water interacts with the geothermal reservoir rock …

Quantifying Chemical Erosion In The Lithologically-Heterogenous Appalachian Valley And Ridge, Amelia Jayne Zanoni

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Quantifying chemical erosion in the lithologically-heterogenous Appalachian Valley and Ridge

Amelia J. Zanoni

The interplay between physical and chemical erosion is well understood in landscapes underlain by a uniform rock type, but many regions are underlain by a mixture of rock types with varying erosion resistance and solubility. We used measurements of stream-water chemistry to estimate chemical erosion rates in the Appalachian Valley and Ridge, a region where the mechanisms of lithologic control over topography are poorly understood. Newly acquired stream water samples were collected from 51 locations across the research area during the Fall of 2023. The sampled waters …

Estimating Inorganic Carbon Flux From Coal Mining Discharge Portals In The Bituminous Coal Field Region Of Pennsylvania, Lauren J. Rockwell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A fundamental driver of the adverse effects associated with coal mining is the interplay of water and oxygen within mined sites, leading to the creation of coal mine drainage (CMD). One often overlooked consequence of CMD is the release of geologically-bound carbon as carbon dioxide (CO₂). The interaction of CMD with carbonate rocks, specifically the presence of sulfuric acid driving the dissolution of these rocks, leads to the release of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). This study examined 25 CMD locations in an approximately 2,370 km² area within the bituminous coal field region of Pennsylvania (PA), specifically in …

An Early Byzantine Ecclesiastical Complex At Ashdod-Yam: Correlating Geophysical Prospection With Excavated Remains, Yaniv Darvasi, Alexander Fantalkin, Paul Brindza, Amotz Agnon

Physics Faculty Publications

In this study we show the successful deployment of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) together with Electrical Resistivity Surveys (ERS) in guiding the archeological excavations at Ashdod-Yam (southern coast of Israel). This approach enabled the precise identification of excavation targets relating to an Early Byzantine ecclesiastical complex located in a residential neighborhood of the modern city of Ashdod. Applied over the course of five years, the combined use of GPR and ERS, interspersed with phases of archeological excavation, not only facilitated an efficient exploration but also ensured the preservation of valuable historical structures. The geophysical data, corroborated by drone images of …

Investigating The Relationship Between Inherited Geologic Framework And Saltwater Intrusion On St. Catherines Island, Georgia, Juliet Talaber, Jacque Kelly, Robert Vance

Honors College Theses

Since the late 1800s, the oldest cities on the Georgia coast have been withdrawing water from the confined Floridan Aquifer System. As the population has grown, a cone of depression has formed extending from Savannah, GA to St. Catherines Island, GA, a barrier island 50 km southeast of Savannah. On St. Catherines Island, the cone of depression has reversed the lateral and horizontal groundwater flow gradients causing saltwater intrusion into the Upper Floridan Aquifer from the Lower Floridan Aquifer through joints, faults, or solution collapse features. Previous studies from the southern and central areas of the island have found evidence …

Enhancing A Computer Model To Evaluate Rainwater Harvesting And Reuse Strategies For Landscape Irrigation Under Current And Future Climate Conditions, Siyu Li

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Urbanization and climate change have detrimental impacts on water quantity and quality. Rainwater harvesting/reuse for landscape irrigation with rain barrels/cisterns, which can assist urban hydrological/water quality restoration and provide a beneficial resource for irrigating landscape, holds significant potentials in urban areas under current and future climates. However, the impacts of rainwater harvesting/reuse strategies for landscape irrigation under a changing climate need to be comprehensively evaluated to assist decision-making. In addition, a comprehensive tool is needed to help stakeholders develop efficient strategies to harvest rainwater for landscape irrigation with rain barrels/cisterns.

To address the needs, the simulation of the sub-daily hydrological …

Coupling-Informed Data-Driven Scheme For Joint Angle And Frequency Estimation In Uniform Linear Array With Mutual Coupling Present, Yanming Zhang, Wenchao Xu, A. Long Jin, Min Li, Peifeng Ma, Lijun Jiang, Steven Gao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes a novel coupling-informed data-driven algorithm tailored for the concurrent estimation of frequency and angle within a uniform linear array (ULA), while addressing the complicating influence of mutual coupling. Leveraging the hybrid dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) methodology, termed as averaged DMD, we incorporate moving average techniques to achieve effective denoising. The averaged DMD further decomposes the received signal into eigenvalues and corresponding eigenvectors. The frequency information is derived from the eigenvalues and the corresponding eigenvectors represent the steering vectors of sources. Subsequently, mutual coupling is informed into the calibration of the steering vector for each source. Specifically, the …

Glacial Deposits, Vol. 48, 2024, Department Of Geography, Geology, And The Environment

Glacial Deposits

Newsletter of the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Climate Monitoring In The Caumont Cave And Quarry System (Northern France) Reveal Near Oxygen Isotopic Equilibrium Conditions For Carbonate Deposition, Ingrid Bejarano-Arias, Carole Nehme, Sebastian Breitenbach, Hanno Meyer, Sevasti Modestou, Damase Mouralis

International Journal of Speleology

The study of modern cave deposits forming under near isotopic equilibrium conditions can potentially help disentangle the processes influencing the oxygen isotope system and suitability of stalagmites as archives of past hydrological or thermal changes. We used cave monitoring to evaluate the impact of kinetic isotope fractionation and assess the conditions under which modern cave carbonates form in the Caumont cave and quarry system, located in Normandy, northwest France. Over 20 months, we collected climatological data, dripwater, and modern carbonate samples at 2–4-week intervals at three different stations inside the Caumont cave and quarry system. We find highly stable (10.4 …

Quantifying Current Soil Brine Contamination Within The Smackover Oil Field In Arkansas Using Multispectral Digital Imagery, Victoria Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A remote sensing study was performed to quantify current soil brine contamination across the historic Smackover Oil Field in south-central Arkansas, United States. The oil field was established in 1922 and was not subject to the future waste regulations created by the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission. Brine is a waste product of oil manufacturing which contains water with high salt levels. The storage and transport of brine in the oil field created landscape scarring across the study area.

Landsat 9 multispectral digital imagery was utilized to create supervised classification maps based on earthen pits and creek scarring across the …

How Low Can You Go?: Widespread Challenges In Measuring Low Stream Discharge And A Path Forward, Erin C. Seybold, Anna Bergstrom, C. Nathan Jones, Amy J. Burgin, Sam Zipper, Sarah E. Godsey, Walter K. Dodds, Margaret A. Zimmer, Margaret Shanafield, Thibault Datry, Raphael D. Mazor, Mathis L. Messager, Julian D. Olden, Adam Ward, Songyan Yu, Kendra E. Kaiser, Arial Shogren, Richard H. Walker

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Low flows pose unique challenges for accurately quantifying streamflow. Current field methods are not optimized to measure these conditions, which in turn, limits research and management. In this essay, we argue that the lack of methods for measuring low streamflow is a fundamental challenge that must be addressed to ensure sustainable water management now and into the future, particularly as climate change shifts more streams to increasingly frequent low flows. We demonstrate the pervasive challenge of measuring low flows, present a decision support tool (DST) for navigating best practices in measuring low flows, and highlight important method developmental needs.

Numerical Quantification Of Surface Runoff And Soil Erosion Using Pcraster, Victorino A. Bato

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Surface runoff and soil erosion of the Upper Lagawe River Sub-watershed, Ifugao Province, Philippines were quantified using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based numerical simulation. PCRaster software was used as a framework for the model. Manning’s and Rose, and Freebairn’s Equations were utilized to compute surface runoff velocity and sediment mass. Analysis and comparison of the measured and predicted streamflow yielded a mean Nash and Sutcliffe Efficiency Index of 0.70, a mean percent bias of -8.38%, and a mean root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.16. Based on the model, super typhoon Lando (international name: Koppu) generated an estimated surface runoff volume …

Geochemistry Of Metal-Rich Black Shales And Their Genetic Relationship To Mississippi Valley-Type Pb-Zn Ore Deposits, Midcontinent U.S., Noah S. Morris

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The formation of Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) lead-zinc (Pb-Zn) ores is complex, involving an interaction of tectonic compression, hydrothermal fluid migration, and geochemical processes within the subsurface. Fundamental questions regarding this interaction remain unclear, including the source(s) of the Pb and Zn ions that make up the ores. A genetic link between black shales and MVT ores has been thought to exist because of (1) the presence of mature hydrocarbon and brine fluid inclusions within many MVT ores, (2) the association of the hydrothermal fluids that are linked to MVT ore formation with organic compounds and oil-like droplets, and (3) the …

Habitat Heterogeneity In Nebraska Streams And Distribution Prediction For Tier-1 Cyprinids Using Multi-Scale Modeling Of Fluvial And Landscape Features, Connor P. Hart

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

Multiscale environmental processes determine in-stream habitat conditions which drive species distributions. Habitat constitutes the physical template upon which ecological processes occur and species conduct life stage activities. Habitat heterogeneity promotes biodiversity of aquatic systems. Stream classification informs freshwater conservation by providing a useful framework to account for habitat heterogeneity, often based on landscape regions of similar environmental processes. A greater understanding of landscape-based classification frameworks as means to classify stream systems may improve understanding of drivers of biodiversity. Using Nebraska as a case study, on a statewide scale, objectives were 1) to characterize habitat availability for several at-risk fish species, …

Controls On Sediment Connectivity In Fluvial Networks Impacted By Wildfire Across Utah, Alec Arditti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Flooding and sedimentation caused by wildfire are among the greatest threats to watersheds, fish populations and reservoirs in the western US. Burned landscapes are at risk for increased runoff and erosion and have the potential to transport sediment that may put downstream resources at risk. The ability of the channel to transport sediment downstream, known as the connectivity, is important for determining where impacts may occur. Sediment bottlenecks are locations within the watershed where local conditions produce a persistent decrease in downstream connectivity of sediment, resulting in increased sediment deposition and potentially a substantial modification of the local channel and …

Reducing Inputs And Adding Value To Turfgrass Systems Through Clover Inclusion And Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Applications, Paige E. Boyle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Recently, the US has seen an expansion in the amount of turfgrass land cover (lawns, parks, roadsides, sports fields, and golf courses), as well as an interest in reducing fertilizer, water, and pesticide use in these grass systems. To help maintain quality and function while reducing resource inputs, two promising approaches have emerged: planting clover into lawns and applying plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria.

White clover and grass mixtures have been studied for their ability to cut down on fertilizer usage and provide a uniform, dark green lawn, but other clover types have not been as widely studied and may provide similar …

Shallow Groundwater Distributions And Changes With Sea Level Rise In Seattle, Washington, Taylor L. Watson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sea level rise (SLR) associated hazards, such as coastal flooding and erosion, are pressing issues of great concern for coastal communities across the globe. Shallow and emergent groundwater can contribute to groundwater hazards such as flooding, landslides, or damage to shallow infrastructure. This study investigates the shallow groundwater within Seattle, Washington, and projects how it will respond to SLR using interpolation and numerical groundwater modeling methods. Then, a geologic modeling method is presented as a preliminary investigation of heterogeneity and anisotropy within the aquifer system. In the results for the present-day interpolation, ~6 % of the coastal buffer –the total …

Modeling The Peak Ground Acceleration And Assessing The Economic Loss And Casualty Due To Potential Earthquakes Of Various Magnitudes In The New Madrid Seismic Zone, Mahmud Afroz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) is one of the active tectonic zones capable of producing big earthquakes in the southcentral USA. The objective of this study was to assess the economic losses and casualties that might be caused by various magnitudes of seismic events in the NMSZ. The manifestation is the estimation for each magnitude which is using the Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) that might occur during an earthquake. It is calculated using an attenuation function that correlates the intensity of local ground movement, the earthquake magnitude, and the distance from its epicenter. The assessment of casualties was conducted …

Geospatial Analysis Of Weathering And Recession On Architectural Limestone At The 1891 Powerhouse/Icehouse In Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Stuart Bruce Wright

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study of the architectural limestone of the 1891 Powerhouse/Icehouse in Eureka Springs, Arkansas was to analyze the environmental factors that influenced the deterioration and surface recession of this historical stone structure. The focus of this research was to examine and establish a baseline study that may assist in future monitoring and documentation of this historic limestone structure on stone weathering. A replicable methodology was specifically created toward this baseline research in hopes that it represented a solid baseline study. Observations and data analyses revealed the relationship between the architectural limestone building structure and the dominating recession …

Tree-Ring Reconstruction Of Ouachita River Streamflow, Keaton Cade Jenkins-Joyce

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Ouachita River drains the Ouachita Mountains and Upper Coastal Plain in Arkansas and Louisiana. The Ouachita River is used for navigation, power generation, recreation, water supply, and wastewater treatment. The river has been prone to low flows during drought and extreme flooding, which were principal justifications for the construction of three large multipurpose dams on the stream. It is likely that the use of the Ouachita River will be stressed by future population growth, economic expansion, and climate change. For this study, tree-ring chronologies from various locations in and near the Ouachita River drainage basin were used to reconstruct …

Globally-Distributed Microbial Eukaryotes Exhibit Endemism At Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents, Sarah K. Hu, Amy R. Smith, Rika E. Anderson, Sean P. Sylva, Michael Setzer, Maria Steadmon, Kiana L. Frank, Eric W. Chan, Darlene S. S. Lim, John A. Breier

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Single-celled microbial eukaryotes inhabit deep-sea hydrothermal vent environments and play critical ecological roles in the vent-associated microbial food web. 18S rRNA amplicon sequencing of diffuse venting fluids from four geographically- and geochemically-distinct hydrothermal vent fields was applied to investigate community diversity patterns among protistan assemblages. The four vent fields include Axial Seamount at the Juan de Fuca Ridge, Sea Cliff and Apollo at the Gorda Ridge, all in the NE Pacific Ocean, and Piccard and Von Damm at the Mid-Cayman Rise in the Caribbean Sea. We describe species diversity patterns with respect to hydrothermal vent field and sample type, identify …

Webgis-Based Data Center Design For Polar Science Studies: Simulation Of Türkiye, Müge Şenel, Hasan Hakan Yavaşoğlu, Burcu Özsoy, Hi̇mmet Karaman, Mustafa Ümi̇t Gümüşay

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Scientific studies concentrated in Antarctica hold great value and importance for humanity. Research projects are conducted in various disciplines on the continent, where nearly 100 research stations from 30 countries are established. Despite the challenges posed by Antarctica's natural structure, unique environment, difficult working conditions, and limited logistics opportunities, scientific research conducted there is indispensable due to the valuable information it offers. In pursuit of accessing this information, Turkish Antarctic expeditions have been organized since 2017. In this study, a polar data center was established through a web-based geographic information system (WebGIS), a significant infrastructure for the continuity of scientific …

Exploring Crowdsourcing Accountability For Mapping Antarctica: A Case Study Using 5 Years Of Social Media Data, Ayşe Gi̇z Gülnerman Gengeç

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The continent of Antarctica is one of the most challenging regions in terms of generating and updating geodata. Extensive research has been conducted on geodata acquisition, primarily focusing on earth observation satellites and local surveys in polar regions. Earth observation satellites offer limited spatial, temporal, and semantic data, while local surveys are constrained by polar regions' size and challenging conditions. This article delves into the crowdsourced data, aiming to significantly enhance geodata contribution in polar regions beyond current methods. To our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to address social media data, a form of crowdsourcing, specifically …

Effects Of Proximity To Roads On Tissue Surface Ph, Conductivity And Heavy Metal Contents Of A Grazing Grass Species, C. Munyati, M. S. Mathole

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Globally, road networks are expanding in the countryside. Though beneficial to society, the roads potentially have detrimental effects on grazing quality. The effects are seldom quantified. In this study Eragrostis lehmanniana, a common native grazing grass in parts of the world, was examined for indicative data on the impacts of roads on grasses. Aboveground tissue samples were collected monthly on three occasions during the growing season, at the same respective locations near three high traffic highways. Non-senescent specimens were sampled along transects of up to 400 m perpendicular to the highways, starting from the road edge and then at …

Biodiversity And The Ecological Role Of Grasslands Environment And Territory, Elimane Lo, Makhmutov Serguei, Badim Almazov

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Biodiversity is all the living species that inhabit the planet: plants, animals, microorganisms, but also their genetic diversity and all the ecosystems in which they live. The preservation of biodiversity is vital, because the organisms that constitute it participate in the major ecological cycles of air, soil and water It is today recognized for its intrinsic value and for the functions it provides in ecosystems. The grassland and the hedges that surround them play a key role in carbon storage, water purification, biodiversity and the typicity of landscapes. They partly provide the plants necessary for feeding herds of herbivores (cattle, …

Reply To: Beyond Microbial Carbon Use Efficiency, Feng Tao, Johannes Lehmann, Ying-Ping Wang, Lifen Jiang, Bernhard Ahrens, Kostiantyn Viatkin, Stefano Manzoni, Benjamin Z. Houlton, Yuanyuan Huang, Bruce A. Hungate, Serita D. Frey, Michael W. I. Schmidt, Markus Reichstein, Nuno Carvalhais, Philippe Ciais, Umakant Mishra, Gustaf Hugelius, Toby D. Hocking, Xingjie Lu, Zheng Shi, Ronald Vargas, Yusuf Yigini, Christian Omuto, Ashish A. Malik, Guillermo Peralta, Rosa Cuevas-Corona, Luciano E. Di Paolo, Isabel Luotto, Cuijuan Liao, Yi-Shuang Liang, Vinisa S. Saynes, Xiaomeng Huang

Faculty Publications

In their commentary, Xiao et al. cautioned that the conclusions on the critical role of microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) in global soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in a paper by Tao et al. (2023) might be too simplistic. They claimed that Tao et al.’s study lacked mechanistic consideration of SOC formation and excluded important datasets. Xiao et al. brought up important points, which can be largely reconciled with our findings by understanding the differences in expressing processes in empirical studies and in models.

Cross-Scale Urban Land Cover Mapping: Empowering Classification Through Transfer Learning And Deep Learning Integration, Zhe Wang, Chao Fan, Xian Min, Shoukun Sun, Xiaogang Ma, Xiang Que

I-GUIDE Forum

Urban land cover mapping is essential for effective urban planning and resource management. Thanks to its ability to extract intricate features from urban datasets, deep learning has emerged as a powerful technique for urban classification. The U-net architecture has achieved state-of-the-art land cover classification performance, highlighting its potential for mapping urban trees at different spatial scales. However, deep learning approaches often require large, labeled datasets, which are challenging to acquire for specific urban contexts. Transfer learning addresses this limitation by leveraging pre-trained deep learning models on extensive datasets and adapting them to smaller urban datasets with limited labeled samples. Transfer …

Reducing Uncertainty In Sea-Level Rise Prediction: A Spatial-Variability-Aware Approach, Subhankar Ghosh, Shuai An, Arun Sharma, Jayant Gupta, Shashi Shekhar, Aneesh Subramanian

I-GUIDE Forum

Given multi-model ensemble climate projections, the goal is to accurately and reliably predict future sea-level rise while lowering the uncertainty. This problem is important because sea-level rise affects millions of people in coastal communities and beyond due to climate change's impacts on polar ice sheets and the ocean. This problem is challenging due to spatial variability and unknowns such as possible tipping points (e.g., collapse of Greenland or West Antarctic ice-shelf), climate feedback loops (e.g., clouds, permafrost thawing), future policy decisions, and human actions. Most existing climate modeling approaches use the same set of weights globally, during either regression or …

How Sensitive Are Catchment Runoff Estimates To On-Farm Storages Under Current And Future Climates?, David E. Robertson, Hongxing Zheng, Jorge L. Pena-Arancibia, Francis H S Chiew, Santosh Aryal, Martino E. Malerba, Nicholas J. Wright

Climate Science Research Articles

Storage of water in farm dams is important to support irrigation, stock requirements and domestic uses when reticulated water is unavailable. Farm dams that fill by intercepting landscape runoff change the total volume and seasonality of catchment streamflow, potentially impacting water policy outcomes. While numerous studies have quantified how climate change and farm dams independently change streamflow characteristics, few studies have investigated their interactions. This study investigates the interactions between farm dams and climate change in the Murray-Darling Basin of southern and eastern Australia. We use hydrological modelling that explicitly represent farm dams and remotely sensed data describing historical farm …