Digital Commons Network^™

Protocol For Monitoring Aquatic Invertebrates Of Small Streams In The Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network, Version 2.1, David E. Bowles, Michael H. Williams, Hope R. Dodd, Lloyd W. Morrison, Janice A. Hinsey, J. Tyler Cribbs, Gareth A. Rowell, Michael D. Debecker, Jennifer L. Haack-Gaynor, Jeffrey M. Williams

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

The Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network (HTLN) is a component of the National Park Service’s (NPS) strategy to improve park management through greater reliance on scientific information. The purposes of this program are to design and implement long-term ecological monitoring and provide information for park managers to evaluate the integrity of park ecosystems and better understand ecosystem processes. Concerns over declining surface water quality have led to the development of various monitoring approaches to assess stream water quality. Freshwater streams in network parks are threatened by numerous stressors, most of which originate outside park boundaries. Stream condition and …

Public Perceptions Of Ocean Health And Marine Protection: Drivers Of Support For Oregon’S Marine Reserves, Paul Manson, Max Nielsen-Pincus, Elise F. Granek, Thomas C. Swearingen

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Over the past several decades marine conservation policy has supported the implementation of protected areas in ocean and coastal environments to restrict some elements of human use for ecological benefits. The appropriate extent of protection and the allowable uses are often the subject of public debate about marine protected area policy. Local community dynamics around marine protected area designation and management have been the subject of much ocean and coastal management social science research. However, broader public opinions and attitudes about marine protected areas are not well understood and are critical for managers seeking to maintain their public trust obligations …

Influence Of Land Use Intensity And Management On Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi-Avocado Symbiosis, Pushpa Soti, Bulent Toprak, Nina De La Rosa, Krish Jayachandran

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

This study was done to assess the effect of soil disturbance on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi spore abundance and root colonization in avocado (Persea americana Mill.). Rhizosphere soil and root samples of avocado were collected from different farms in south Florida and analyzed for degree of mycorrhizal colonization in roots, spore density and diversity in soil along with soil characteristics. There was significant difference in the soil characteristics among the different farms. Similarly, there was a significant difference in the degree of mycorrhizal colonization in the roots and the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi spore morphotypes among different land use and management practices. …

Culturally Diverse Expert Teams Have Yet To Bring Comprehensive Linguistic Diversity To Intergovernmental Ecosystem Assessments, Abigail J. Lynch, Fernández-Llamazares Álvaro, Ignacio Palomo, Pedro Jaureguiberry, Amano Tatsuya, Zeenatul Basher, Michelle Lim, Tuyeni Heita Mwampamba, Aibek Samakov, Odirilwe Selomane, Michelle Mei Ling Lim

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Multicultural representation is a stated goal of many global scientific assessment processes. These processes aim to mobilize a broader, more diverse knowledge base and increase legitimacy and inclusiveness of these assessment processes. Often, enhancing cultural diversity is encouraged through involvement of diverse expert teams and sources of knowledge in different languages. In this article, we examine linguistic diversity, as one representation of cultural diversity, in the eight published assessments of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Our results show that the IPBES assessment outputs are disproportionately filtered through English-language literature and authors from Anglophone countries. To …

Coastal Watershed Monitoring And Management: Geomorphology, Geochemistry, And Hydrologic Modeling Of Los Peñasquitos Creek, Ca, Ravleen Khalsa-Basra

Theses

Rivers in semi-arid climates are directly influenced by local geographic and hydrologic conditions and impacted by modifications to hydrology via urbanization. Changes can influence erosion, morphology, habitat sustainability, and watershed health. In highly urbanized southern California coastal regions, these rare open spaces provide vital ecosystem services. Los Peñasquitos Creek in San Diego County is one such watershed. Using stream surveying and laboratory methods we quantified channel characteristics, grain size distribution, total metal concentration [M], organic carbon (%OC), and phosphate to longitudinally characterize the creek for improved management. Results identified three distinct reaches in the watershed (upper, middle, lower). Downstream, depth …

Renewable Energy And Trade: Meeting The Paris Agreement’S Goals Through A Two-Step Jurisprudential Advance, Lisa Benjamin

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

Generation Of 3d Model Of Downtown Sullivan, Jim Speer

2020 Fall Reports (Sullivan)

The City of Sullivan identified the downtown area as an area for improvement and needed a way to depict areas. In ENVI 610, one graduate student was able to address the agreed upon goals of developing a 3D model of the downtown square. Some recommendations for future use of the 3D model were made for land-use planning, drainage systems, elevation, and more.

Rapid Mapping Of Landslides In The Western Ghats (India) Triggered By 2018 Extreme Monsoon Rainfall Using A Deep Learning Approach, Sansar Raj Meena, Omid Ghorbanzadeh, Cees J. Van Westen, Thimmaiah Gudiyangada Nachappa, Thomas Blaschke, Ramesh P. Singh, Raju Sarkar

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Rainfall-induced landslide inventories can be compiled using remote sensing and topographical data, gathered using either traditional or semi-automatic supervised methods. In this study, we used the PlanetScope imagery and deep learning convolution neural networks (CNNs) to map the 2018 rainfall-induced landslides in the Kodagu district of Karnataka state in theWestern Ghats of India.We used a fourfold cross-validation (CV) to select the training and testing data to remove any random results of the model. Topographic slope data was used as auxiliary information to increase the performance of the model. The resulting landslide inventory map, created using the slope data with the …

Public Transit Infrastructure And Heat Perceptions In Hot And Dry Climates, Yuliya Dzyuban, David M. Hondula, Paul J. Coseo, Charles L. Redman

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Many cities aim to progress toward their sustainability and public health goals by increasing use of their public transit systems. However, without adequate protective infrastructure that provides thermally comfortable conditions for public transit riders, it can be challenging to reach these goals in hot climates. We took micrometeorological measurements and surveyed riders about their perceptions of heat and heat-coping behaviors at bus stops with a variety of design attributes in Phoenix, AZ, USA, during the summer of 2018. We identified the design attributes and coping behaviors that made riders feel cooler. We observed that current infrastructure standards and material choices …

Guiding Principles For Using Satellite-Derived Maps In Rangeland Management, B.W. Allred, M.K. Creutzburg, J.C. Carlson, C.J. Cole, C.M. Dovichin, M.C. Duniway, O. Jones, J.D. Maestas, D.E. Naugle, T.W. Nauman, G.S. Okin, M.C. Reeves, Matthew C. Rigge, L. Savage, Dirac Twidwell, D.R. Uden, B. Zhou

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Improving Landsat Predictions Of Rangeland Fractional Cover With Multi-Task Learning And Uncertainty, B.W. Allred, B. Bestelmeyer, C.S. Boyd, C. Brown, K.W. Davies, M. Ellsworth, T. Erickson, S.D. Fuhlendorf, T.V. Griffiths, V. Jansen, M.O. Jones, J. Karl, A. Knight, J.D. Maestas, J.J. Maynard, S.E. Mccord, D.E. Naugle, H.D. Starns, D. Twidwell, D.R. Uden

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Joint Effects Of Climate, Tree Size, And Year On Annual Tree Growth Derived From Tree-Ring Records Of Ten Globally Distributed Forests, K.J. Anderson-Teixeira, V. Hermann, C.R. Rollinson, B. Gonzalez, E.B. Gonzalez-Akre, N. Pederson, M.R. Alexander, C.D. Allen, R. Alfaro-Sanchez, T. Awada, J.L. Baltzer, P. J. Baker, J. D. Birch, S. Bunyavejchewin, P. Cherubini, S. J. Davies, C. Dow, R. Helcoski, J. Kaspar, J. A. Lutz, E. Q. Margolis, J. T. Maxwell, S. M. Mcmahon, C. Piponiot, S. E. Russo, P. Samonil, A. E. Sniderhan, A. J. Tepley, I. Vasickova, M Vlam, P. A. Zuidema

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Harnessing The Neon Data Revolution To Advance Open Environmental Science With Diverse And Data-Capable Community, R. C. Nagy, J. Corman Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Coupling Spectral And Resource-Use Complementarity In Experimental Grassland And Forest Communites, A. K. Schweiger, J. Cavender-Bares, P. Townsend, M. Madritch, J. Grossman, H. Gholizadeh, R. Wang, J. Gamon

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Remotely Detected Plant Function In Two Midwestern Prairie Grassland Experiments Reveals Belowground Processes, J. Cavender-Bares, A. Schweiger, J. Gamon, H. Gholizadeh, K. Helzer, C. Lapadat, M. Madritch, P. Townsend, Z. Wang, S. Hobbie

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Feeding Ecology Of Walia Ibex (Capra Walie) In Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, D. Ejigu, A. Bekele, L. A. Powell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Combined Use Of Landsat 8 And Sentinel 2a Imagery For Improved Sugarcane Yield Estimation In Wonji-Shoa, Ethiopia, G. Abebe, T. Tadesse, B. G. Awoke

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Student Attitudes And Learning At Remote Collegiate Soil Judging Events, R. Owen, A. Anderson, A. Bhandari, K. Clark, M. Davis, A. Dere, N. Jelinski, C. Moorberg, K. Osterloh, D. Presley, J. Turk, R. Young

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Towards Routine Mapping Of Crop Emergence Within The Growing Season Using The Harmonized Landsat And Sentinel-2 Dataset, F. Gao, M. Anderson, D. Johnson, R. Seffren, B. Wardlow, A. Suyker, C. Diao, D. M. Browning

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Moving Beyond ‘More Crop Per Drop’: Insights From Two Decades Of Research On Agricultural Water Productivity, Meredith Giordano, Susanne M. Scheierling, David O. Tréguer, Hugh Turral, Peter G. Mccornick

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Concern over increasing water scarcity has led to the introduction of the concept of agricultural water productivity and an emphasis on interventions to achieve ‘more crop per drop’. Yet, a strong debate continues on how the concept is to be defined and used. Drawing largely from the irrigation literature, the origins of the concept and its methodological developments are reviewed, and its use in applied work over two decades is discussed. Based on this analysis of conceptual and applied research, key insights into the concept’s contributions and limitations are presented, as well as opportunities for further refinements.

Technical Efficiency Of Milkfish Production In The Province Of Iloilo, Philippines, Lylve Maliz L. Zeller, Salvador P. Catelo, Nora Dm. Carambas

Journal of Economics, Management and Agricultural Development

The Philippine aquaculture sector is primarily dominated by milkfish, with the province of Iloilo as one of the key producing areas. However, the production in the province has exhibited a decreasing trend since 2011. In this light, this study is undertaken to determine the technical efficiency of milkfish production in the province of Iloilo and identify the factors that significantly affect such efficiency. Utilizing the maximum likelihood estimation method, a Cobb-Douglas production function was specified to estimate farm-level efficiency using the data from 181 milkfish producers interviewed. The technical efficiency scores ranged between 12.38% to 90.00%, with a mean of …

2021 Report To The Governor On Utah's Land, Water, And Air, Janet Quinney Lawson Institute For Land, Water, And Air

Reports

This report serves as a 2021 snapshot of key issues and concerns with Utah’s shared resources. It highlights gathered data that is available to provide context to these issues, as well as identifies areas where more study is needed. Addressing these challenges will enable Utah policymakers and other statewide leaders to make informed decisions for the future. Under the authorship of 43 researchers and experts and the general guidance of 32 advisory committee members, the report outlines 25 issues and trends to pay attention to in the coming months and years.

Uk-India: Partnerships For Growth With Research And Innovation, Ukri, Ukri India, Newton Bhabha

Public Reports

UKRI India joint funding resulted in 258 projects. Over £150 million in funding from the UK was matched by Indian counterparts, bringing the overall joint investment to the equivalent of over £330 million.

The projects were funded by over 15 funding agencies, bringing together more than 220 lead institutions from the UK and India. These research projects have generated more than £450 million in further funding, mainly from public bodies but also from non-profit organisations and commercial entities.

The projects covered a wide range of subjects, from heritage to renewable energy, generating a large number of outputs in different formats …

Developing A Strategy For The National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network, Michael H. Cosh, Todd G. Caldwell, C. Bruce Baker, John D. Bolten, Nathan Edwards, Peter Goble, Heather Hofman, Tyson E. Ochsner, Steven Quiring, Charles Schalk, Marina Skumanich, Mark D. Svoboda, Mary E. Woloszyn

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Soil moisture is a critical land surface variable, affecting a wide variety of climatological, agricultural, and hydrological processes. Determining the current soil moisture status is possible via a variety of methods, including in situ monitoring, remote sensing, and numerical modeling. Although all of these approaches are rapidly evolving, there is no cohesive strategy or framework to integrate these diverse information sources to develop and disseminate coordinated national soil moisture products that will improve our ability to understand climate variability. The National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network initiative has developed a national strategy for network coordination with NOAA’s National Integrated Drought …

Informing Sustainable Urban Forestry Policy With Carbon Sequestration Analysis, Ellen Danford

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Urban forestry is an environmental solution for an increasingly city-centered world. The ecosystem services that trees provide in natural settings, including carbon sequestration, oxygen production and aesthetic beauty, also apply in urban settings. Every tree in the Western Kentucky University (WKU) urban forest provides these services and each tree was measured to determine how much carbon they sequestered a year on average between 2015 and 2020. With an interactive map of the forest and its carbon sequestration, the condition of the forest and change over the five year period was analyzed. Comparing the welfare of the forest with the plans …

Pathways To Self-Governance And Success: An Exploratory Study Of Community Gardens In Louisville, Kentucky, Amanda Beavin

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Those involved in community gardens face multiple challenges to survival, including land tenure, lack of funding, lack of sustained interest, and poor infrastructure, but many successful, long-lasting gardens have found management style to be a key aspect of their success. This project investigated three community gardens in Louisville, Kentucky, in order to determine how self-governance, or internal management by gardeners, overlaps with other success indicators and what development processes lead to successful self-governance. Using qualitative, semi-structured interviews and participant observation, the researcher gathered and analyzed data relative to each garden site’s land tenure, community engagement, environmental design, resource mobilization, and …

Enhancing Wku Sustainable Food Systems Through Education And Local Agriculture Development, Chloe Cooper

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In an effort to increase the amount of locally sourced food utilized by dining services at WKU, the Office of Sustainability, WKU Restaurant Group, and the WKU Agriculture & Research Education Center have partnered to establish garden spaces on campus properties. This project developed a detailed plan for implementation of this effort. In addition, this project established a plan to educate students and the local community alike on the benefits of sustainable farming and locally-sourced food, while also creating profiles on local farmers from whom the university could buy crops in order to further supplement items for dining services. Using …

We All Want To Change The World: How Behavioral Insights Can Help Reduce Carbon Emissions, Thomas C. Gifford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The world is in the midst of an unprecedented environmental crisis driven primarily by human behavior. As the world has globalized, countries have developed, and standards of living have improved, global pollution has skyrocketed and has resulted in a wide range of environmentally destructive outcomes. All paths to environmentally sustainable development involve a dramatic cut in carbon emissions from current day levels. In this thesis, I explore how the omission of behavioral factors from mainstream neoclassical models has contributed to, and can aid in reducing unsustainably high levels of carbon emissions. Throughout the history of economic thought, classical economists such …

Pathways To Net Zero: The Impact Of Clean Energy Research, Başak Candemir Phd, Jörg Hellwig Phd, Etienne Vignola-Gagné Phd, Jan-Maarten Van Schalkwijk, Cordelia Sealy Dphil

Public Reports

Achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 will require the rapid development and deployment of clean energy technologies. Research is essential to the success of this clean energy transition. This report examines the state of play in clean energy research over the last 20 years and provides expert insights into potential pathways forward.

Bed Particle Displacements And Morphological Development In A Wandering Gravel-Bed River, Ryan Mcqueen, Peter Ashmore, T Millard, N Goeller

Geography & Environment Publications

Bed particles were tracked using passive integrated transponder tags in a wandering reach of the San Juan River, British Columbia, Canada, to assess particle movement around three major bars in the river. In-channel topographic changes were monitored through repeat LiDAR surveys during this period and used in concert with the tracer data set to assess the relationship between particle displacements and changes in channel morphology, specifically, the development and re-working of bars. This has direct implications for virtual velocity and morphologic based estimates of bedload flux, which rely on accurate estimates of the variability and magnitude of particle path lengths …