Digital Commons Network^™

Changes In Nonlinearity And Stability Of Streamflow Recession Characteristics Under Climate Warming In A Large Glaciated Basin Of The Tibetan Plateau, Jiarong Wang, Xi Chen, Man Gao, Qi Hu, Jintao Liu

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The accelerated climate warming in the Tibetan Plateau after 1997 has profound consequences in hydrology, geography, and social wellbeing. In hydrology, the change in streamflow as a result of changes in dynamic water storage that originated from glacier melt and permafrost thawing in the warming climate directly affects the available water resources for societies of the most populated nations in the world. In this study, annual streamflow recession characteristics are analyzed using daily climate and hydrological data during 1980–2015 in the Yarlung Zangbo River basin (YRB) of the southern Tibetan Plateau. The recession characteristics are examined in terms of dQ=dt …

Landscape Planning Model Design And Layout Of Loess Hills In Coal Mining Area Of Northern Shaanxi：A Study Of The Subsidence Area Of Ningtiaota Coal Mine, Shang Jianxuan, Gao Yakun, Yang Fan, Bi Yinli, Quan Wenzhi, Ma Shaopeng, Zhang Yanxu

Coal Geology & Exploration

The coal mining area of northern Shaanxi is an important coal base of China, and the large amount of coal mining will cause surface subsidence and landscape disturbance. Taking the subsidence area of Ningtiaota Mine in northern Shaanxi as an example, this paper comprehensively analyzes the landscape problems in loess hilly landform through the combination of indoor statistical analysis, field investigation, qualitative-quantitative methods. The landscape pattern planning, design and layout are carried out, which provides reference for the landscape planning of underground mine area in this landform types. It is found that there are four problems in the above ground …

Evaluation Of Resources And Environment Carrying Capacity Of Xilinhot Mining Area Based On Multi-Source Data, Sun Jundong, Song Renzhong, Li Feiyue, She Changchao, Guo Tianyu, Li Jun, Zhang Chengye

Coal Geology & Exploration

The mining and depletion of coal resources have a certain degree of impact on the environment and population of the coal mining area. Confronted with the resources and environment problems, China strongly advocates the construction of green mines, requiring that mine exploitation must be within resources and environment carrying capacity. With the support of multi-source data (Landsat 8, GF-2, etc.) and socio-economic statistics data, Analytic Hierarchy Process was used to construct an index system for evaluating resources and environment carrying capacity of the mining area in Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia from two aspects of the carrying background and the carrying statu. …

Analysis Of Urbanization And Climate Change Effects On Community Resilience In The Rio Grande Valley, South Texas, George Atisa, Alexis Racelis

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Disruptive development events have tested and will continue to test community resilience as people work to balance healthy living, economic growth, and environmental quality. Aspects of urbanization, if not designed and guided by healthy living strategies, convert natural areas into built environments, thus reducing the diversity of plant and animal species that are the foundation of resilience in communities. In this study, we attempted to answer the following question: What are the most effective ways to ensure that ongoing urbanization and climate change do not negatively affect ecological services and community resilience in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV)? The region …

Hybrid Conferences: Opportunities, Challenges And Ways Forward, Eleonora Puccinelli, Daniela Zeppilli, Paris V. Stefanoudis, Annaig Wittische-Helou, Marjorie Kermorgant, Sandra Fuchs, Lenaick Menot, Erin E. Easton, Alexandra A-T. Weber

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Hybrid conferences are in-person events that have an online component. This type of meeting format was rare before the COVID-19 pandemic, but started to become more common recently given the asynchronous global progression of the pandemic, the uneven access to vaccines and different travel regulations among countries that led to a large proportion of participants being unable to attend conferences in person. Here we report the organization of a middle-sized (581 participants: 159 onsite, 422 online) international hybrid conference that took place in France in September 2021. We highlight particular organizational challenges inherent to this relatively new type of meeting …

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Colonization Response To Dike Removal In The Salmon River Estuary, Elinore Webb

Dissertations and Theses

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbiotic relationships with wetland plants and are important to the restoration of coastal estuaries. The purpose of this study was to assess the presence and colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Distichlis spicata from three formerly diked areas of the Salmon River Estuary to determine an initial understanding of the mycorrhizal community in tidal wetlands post-restoration. AMF were present in all four sample areas and total colonization ranged on average 39-72%. The reference site had the lowest levels of total colonization, which is contrary to the findings of studies of younger wetland restorations. Most importantly, …

Human-Centered Avalanche Susceptibility Mapping, Lindsey L. Rotche

Geography ETDs

With backcountry winter travel increasing in popularity, the importance of accessible avalanche safety information is crucial. Widely accessible avalanche backcountry maps use slope shading to show where avalanches are likely to start. Instead of focusing on the hazard of an avalanche starting in a specific location, this project shifted the cartographic emphasis of avalanche susceptibility maps to show risk to a human traveling in the terrain. I developed a methodology to incorporate possible avalanche runouts, terrain traps, and connected slopes while reducing false certainty of the visualization. To provide a more comprehensive representation of susceptible terrain, I integrated aspect, distance …

Local And State Climate Initiatives In Louisiana Since 2005: Content And Thematic Analyses, Jessie F. Parrott

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana is uniquely exposed to severe weather because of its geography and climate. Louisiana’s extreme weather is exacerbated by anthropogenic climate change, which will worsen in the future. The risks its population and environment are exposed to has generated several policies and planning documents, nine of which are analyzed in this thesis. Three plans are from the state level, three are from the parish level, and three are from the urban (New Orleans) level. These planning documents pose various adaptation and mitigation actions to ameliorate and address multiple climate issues. These actions utilize specific mitigation strategies. The content and thematic …

Seasonal Climatic Niche And Migration Movements Of Double-Crested Cormorants, D. Tommy King, Guiming Wang, Fred L. Cunningham

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Avian migrants are challenged by seasonal adverse climatic conditions and energetic costs of long-distance flying. Migratory birds may track or switch seasonal climatic niche between the breeding and non-breeding grounds. Satellite tracking enables avian ecologists to investigate seasonal climatic niche and circannual movement patterns of migratory birds. The Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum, hereafter cormorant) wintering in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) migrates to the Northern Great Plains and Great Lakes and is of economic importance because of its impacts on aquaculture. We tested the climatic niche switching hypothesis that cormorants would switch climatic niche between summer and winter …

Breeding Ecology Of Mottled Ducks In Southwestern Louisiana, Elizabeth Sophia Bonczek

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mottled ducks are a resident species found in the southern United States that rely on coastal marsh and associated habitat to fulfill the needs of the entirety of their annual cycle. Population monitoring has revealed declines in western Gulf Coast (WGC) mottled ducks since 2008. Mottled duck populations are influenced by survival and recruitment, and changes in these factors may contribute to population declines. The overarching goal of this project was to identify the mechanisms potentially limiting WGC mottled ducks.

I captured adult female mottled ducks during molt on Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge and adjacent lands in southwestern Louisiana from 2017–2019. …

Watershed Prioritization To Reduce Nutrient Export: A Framework For The State Of Arkansas Based On Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Data, Erin Grantz, Brian E. Haggard

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The annual formation of the Northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone is driven by nutrient loading from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB). Member States of The Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task have developed statewide strategies to identify priorities and opportunities for nutrient export reduction in the MARB. In 2014, the State of Arkansas joined the Task Force and initiated an Arkansas Nutrient Reduction Strategy (ANRS), which currently prioritizes ten Hydrologic Unit Code 8 (HUC-8) watersheds (ANRD, 2014). These priority watersheds were not selected based on measured in-stream nutrient concentrations or trends, which impedes quantitative assessment, goal setting, and linking …

A Gis Suitability Model Evaluating Habitat Characteristics Influencing Beaver (Castor Canadensis) Lodge Site Selection And Lodge Occupancy In Central Adirondacks, New York, Amanda K. Jacobs

Theses - ALL

The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) represents a quintessential example of an "ecosystem engineer." Yet the species' landscape-scale impacts on hydrology, geomorphology, and ecosystem ecology are not uniformly distributed through landscapes or time. Understanding beaver lodge site selection and lodge fidelity through time can help to predict where the greatest effects of beaver activity may occur. In this research project, I seek to understand the relationships between beaver habitat suitability, the habitat variables that currently define suitable areas, and lodge occupancy over time. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to model habitat suitability, I use hydrologic, vegetative, and physiographic variables to …

Whalers In “A Post-Whaling World”: Sustainable Conservation Of Marine Mammals And Sustainable Development Of Whaling Communities—With A Case Study From The Eastern Caribbean, Russell Fielding

Honors College Faculty Publications

The sustainable conservation of marine mammals depends not only upon considerations made for the marine mammals themselves. In many parts of the world, human societies have developed a deep reliance upon marine mammals as a food source. The sustainability and the equitable, sustainable development of these communities should be considered alongside efforts to conserve the marine mammals upon which people rely. As an example of the complexity inherent to simultaneous efforts on both fronts, this paper reviews and synthesizes two lines of research related to a small-scale whaling operation for odontocetes (dolphins and toothed whales) based in the Eastern Caribbean. …

Tropical Cyclone Storm Surge Detection In Slash Pine Radial Growth Along The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Coastline, Alyssa C. Crowell

Master's Theses

My thesis examines the ecological impact of tropical cyclone (TCs) storm surge on coastal slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii Engelm) communities along the Gulf of Mexico in the southern United States (U.S.). Previous research has shown slash pine radial growth trends can be examined to identify long and short-term growth changes associated with TC passage, providing insight into overall stand health and resiliency through time. However, this previous research encompasses just one site in Mississippi. My thesis expands the spatial footprint of TC-surge impact on slash pine radial growth with the addition of three new sites.

I examined …

Institute For Global Health And Development : Issue 4 - July - Sept 2022, Institute For Global Health And Development

IGHD Newsletters

• Research Highlights
• Key Publications
• News
• Reflections from IGHD’s Associate Faculty
• Reflections from IGHD’s Summer Interns
• Webinars and Dialogues
• Mark your Calendars: Upcoming Event
• Obituary
• Collaborate With Us

Efficiency In The Upper Deschutes Basin: Understanding The Hydrosocial Implications Of Irrigation Canal Piping, Rebecca Anderson

Dissertations and Theses

In response to water scarcity, irrigation efficiency projects aim to conserve water for in-stream flow and agricultural use. Piping irrigation canals is a common irrigation efficiency method which reduces the loss of incidental recharge, resulting in trade-offs within a hydrosocial system. Few studies have focused on the consequences of canal piping and none have integrated a critical analysis of the social factors involved in deciding what constitutes 'efficient' water use. This study seeks to fill this gap by combining natural and social science to give attention to the scales and perspectives involved in irrigation efficiency canal piping and the material …

Typical Characteristics Of Geological Hazards And Ecological Environment Of Coal Base In The Bends Area Of The Yellow River, Shen Yanjun, Yang Bohan, Wang Shuangming, Kou Haibo, Chen Xing, Xu Yali, Han Senlei

Coal Geology & Exploration

“The ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin” has now been upgraded to a major national strategy. The bends area (the “几” shaped area, also known as the Jiziwan area) is an important part of the Yellow River Basin, and it is also an important gathering area of China’s coal energy. Now the region has six large modern coal bases, coal production accounts for about 40% of the country, in China’s energy security supply security occupies the “ballast” position. However, the region is located in the western arid-semi-arid region, with fragile ecological environment and poor anti-disturbance ability, …

Cross Wavelet Analysis Between Layered Monitoring Data Of Stratum Deformation And Groundwater Level Regime, Kong Xiangru

Coal Geology & Exploration

Land subsidence is usually caused by over-exploitation of groundwater, and its occurrence and development have a certain lag relative to the change in groundwater level. Obtaining the accurate lag time of land subsidence has always been an important topic in land subsidence research. Based on the layered monitoring data of the long-time series of land subsidence and groundwater level regime from 2008 to 2018 by Land Subsidence Monitoring Station in Pinggezhuang, Beijing, the lag effect between stratum deformation in layers at different depths and groundwater level regime is analyzed in this paper by adopting methods of Mann Kendall trend test, …

Research On Interpolation Error Analysis Of Geological Modeling Of Intelligent Working Face, An Lin, Han Baoshan, Li Peng, Dai Zhenhua, Wang Xinmiao

Coal Geology & Exploration

Working face modeling generally obtains the actual distribution of the working face through detection methods such as three-dimensional seismic, tunnel and borehole surveys, and then it establishes the corresponding model using interpolation algorithms. During the modeling process, sampling data are the foundation and interpolation is the necessary way to realize the working face model. The interpolation algorithm and the amount of sampled data affect the accuracy of the face model to varying degrees. Quantitative research on the factors affecting the accuracy of the face model will provide important reference value for the optimization of the interpolation algorithm and the amount …

Constructing Green Gdp Evaluation System By Using Think Tank Double Helix Methodology, Hongbing Wang, Yijun Liu, Dawei Song

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

In the new development stage, taking green GDP as the starting point for the development of green economy, low-carbon economy, and circular economy and an important indicator to measure high-quality development, sustainable development, and modernization is an effective way to ensure the construction of "beautiful China", basically realize socialist modernization and achieve the goal of carbon neutrality. This study uses the double helix theory of think tank to innovate a new paradigm of green GDP research and broaden the research path of GDP evaluation system. In terms of epistemology, the think tank double helix methodology provides a new systematic perspective …

Identifying The Geographic Origins Of Invasive Megathyrsus Maximus In The United States Using Molecular Data, John F. Gaskin, John A. Goolsby, Marie Claude Bon, Massimo Cristofaro, Paul André Calatayud

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Megathyrsus maximus is nonnative in the neotropics, with a tall form that is commonly used as a forage grass and a smaller-statured form that is considered invasive in south Texas, USA. Biological control researchers are challenged to find an agent that will attack the short form, but not the desirable tall form in other parts of the neotropics. We conducted molecular analyses on 155 Megathyrsus maximus samples from its native range in Africa and compared them with U.S. short-form samples to help determine the geographic origins of its invasion. We found eight distinct genotypes in 34 short-form samples from Texas …

"We've Created Cheap Energy Off The Backs Of Salmon": Dam Removal Politics And Alliances In The Lower Snake River Basin, Krista Harrington

Dissertations and Theses

Dams, once considered by many to be good for water development in the Western U.S., might not be a part of a climate resilient future. Dams have come under increasing scrutiny due to undesirable ecological implications. Although dam removal proposals are growingly popular in recent decades, they are controversial since they impact different stakeholders in different ways. In the Pacific Northwest, the Lower four Snake River dams have long been criticized for their negative impacts on salmon. In February 2021, US Congressman Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) proposed a comprehensive framework to deconstruct the Lower four Snake River dams as an attempt …

Mapping Ecosystem Service Flows Of Estuary Restoration Projects On The Oregon Coast To Identify Impacted Stakeholders, Shersten King Finley

Dissertations and Theses

The recent impetus for estuarine restoration has largely focused on resolving key ecological problems; however, less is known about how people might benefit or be impacted by restoration. By mapping benefits that flow from functional salt marshes and estuarine systems I examined how different social groups might be impacted by restoration based on race and class. In this study, I considered three ecosystem services (recreation, aesthetics, cultural/historical/spiritual) and where they might impact surrounding communities. In this paper I argue that stakeholder groups can be identified by mapping ecosystem service flow areas. I hypothesized that these three ecosystem services would have …

Fertilizer Waste Mistreatment Facilities: Investigating The Barrier That Keep Waste In And Attention Out At Central Florida's Phosphogypsum Stacks., Harsha Devaraj

Masters Theses

This project investigates the physical and narrative barriers constructed by the phosphate mining and processing industry to dissuade public engagement with its phosphogypsum sites in Central Florida, USA. The barriers around PG utilize decades of misinformation, racial geographies, and misrepresentations of scale, origin, and risk to create powerful narratives about how we should imagine and relate to these materials. These barriers hinder sustained public attention to their sites, enabling extractive industries to expand while avoiding oversight and responsibility. Attention to how these barriers around phosphogypsum are constructed allows us to recognize these strategies at work in how we see and …

Session 1: Innovation In Legal Services, Steven W. Bender, Michael Cherry, Matthew Spencer

SITIE Symposiums

This panel featured two “disrupters” who detailed their experiences innovating in the legal services space. The first panelist spoke about data-driven regulatory reform and the other spoke as an entrepreneur whose product introduces artificial intelligence (AI) into the legal recruiting process. Two additional panelists provided commentary regarding the second panelist’s presentation.

The panel provided insight on the topics of: (1) the legal regulatory process at large; (2) how a data-driven and feedback-oriented sandbox provides an alternative regulatory process; (3) the legal hiring and recruiting process and (4) how AI allows law firms to consider alternative hiring metrics when assessing candidates …

A Raft To Coastal Resilience: Odu Researchers Collaborate To Help Rural Communities Combat Flooding Impacts, News @ Odu

News Items

No abstract provided.

Tracing Geochemical Sources And Health Risk Assessment Of Uranium In Groundwater Of Arid Zone Of India, P. Pandit, Atul Saini, Sabarathinam Chidambaram, Vinod Kumar, Banjarani Panda, A. L. Ramanathan, Netrananda Sahu, A. K. Singh, Rohit Mehra

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

Water quality degradation and metal contamination in groundwater are serious concerns in an arid region with scanty water resources. This study aimed at evaluating the source of uranium (U) and potential health risk assessment in groundwater of the arid region of western Rajasthan and northern Gujarat. The probable source of vanadium (V) and fluorine (F) was also identified. U and trace metal concentration, along with physicochemical characteristics were determined for 265 groundwater samples collected from groundwater of duricrusts and palaeochannels of western Rajasthan and northern Gujarat. The U concentration ranged between 0.6 and 260 μg L⁻¹ with a mean …

Adaptive Capacity Beyond The Household: A Systematic Review Of Empirical Social-Ecological Research, Matthew A. Williamson

Human-Environment Systems Research Center Faculty Publications and Presentations

The concept of adaptive capacity has received significant attention within social-ecological and environmental change research. Within both the resilience and vulnerability literatures specifically, adaptive capacity has emerged as a fundamental concept for assessing the ability of social-ecological systems to adapt to environmental change. Although methods and indicators used to evaluate adaptive capacity are broad, the focus of existing scholarship has predominately been at the individual- and household- levels. However, the capacities necessary for humans to adapt to global environmental change are often a function of individual and societal characteristics, as well as cumulative and emergent capacities across communities and jurisdictions. …

New Mexico Acequias In Valencia: A Documentary Report, José A. Rivera Ph.D.

Researchers

In 2014 and 2019 the New Mexico Acequia Association attended events organized by the Water Tribunal of Valencia in Spain commemorating the fifth and tenth anniversaries when the acequias of Valencia and Murcia were listed by UNESCO as examples of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The documentary report provides the context for and significance of the two visits along with a series of photographs that tell the story for the benefit of the citizens of New Mexico.

Blue Resilience: Is There A Need For An Alaskan Coastal Career Development Framework?, Jared Fuller

All Theses And Dissertations

Youth career outmigration has increased in Alaska’s coastal communities in the last few decades. The ocean and ocean-adjacent industries that comprise the blue economy make up the majority of the employment options in places have experienced declines within these regions which has been attributed to the outward movement of young people. The dynamic history of Alaska has had specific impacts with regards to Alaskan coastal communities, their ocean-resource economies, and thus, the potential for young people to find career paths within them. Potential economic-resource vulnerabilities could be mapped along with the complex systems to help build resilience within those communities. …