Digital Commons Network^™

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

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

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

The Industrial Symbiosis Research Symposium At Yale: Advancing The Study Of Industry And Environment, Marian Chertow, Weslynne Ashton, Radha Kuppalli

Yale School of the Environment Publications Series

Industrial symbiosis (IS), a sub-field of industrial ecology, is principally concerned with the cooperative management of resource flows through networks of businesses as a means of approaching ecologically sustainable industrial activity. Isolated researchers in a broad range of disciplines have investigated industrial symbiosis from a variety of starting points without a common agenda. The Industrial Symbiosis Research Symposium was held in January 2004 at Yale University, bringing together more than 30 experts from 15 countries to discuss critical questions and issues in this emerging area.The purpose of the Symposium was to give researchers an opportunity to share their knowledge and …

Status And Management Of Coyote Depredations In The Eastern United States, John M. Houben

Sheep and Goat Research Journal

The populations of coyotes (Canis latrans) have increased dramatically in the eastern United States since the early 1900s (Hilton, 1978; Chambers, 1987; Hill et al., 1987; Witmer and Hayden 1992). The expansion of the coyote range into eastern North America has been summarized by Parker (1995) and characterized as two distinct geographical events: 1) the northern front moving across southern Ontario and the Great Lakes region and 2) the southern front colonizing the southeastern United States from Arkansas and Louisiana. These two fronts expanded throughout the northeastern and southeastern United States during the 1960s and 1970s, finally converging …

Evaluating Uranium Depth Versus Socio-Economic Statistics For Residential Radon Vulnerability In Warren County, Kentucky, Anthony Iovanna

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Residences in Warren County, Kentucky, are characterized by high levels of residential radon, which is one of the radioactive daughter products of uranium. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), radon exposure causes approximately 22,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States per year. The City of Bowling Green, in Warren County, is underlain by karst, an easily soluble limestone subsurface, which allows radon gas to travel easily through cracks and fissures. Carbonate rocks under Bowling Green are underlain by the Devonian Chattanooga Shale, a low-grade uranium ore and a potential source of radon gas. A digital …

Cooperative Conservation - Interagency Volunteer Program Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending September 30, 2004, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

Collaboration with Interagency Team

Although the task agreement formally commenced June 30, 2004, the agreement was not fully executed by both parties until July 29, 2004. In the first three months of this agreement, UNLV representatives have met with or communicated via email with the Interagency Volunteer Team on numerous occasions. At the first meeting on July 13, 2004, Government Technical Representative Bobbie Antonich and UNLV Public Lands Initiative Director Nancy Flagg met with the interagency team to discuss the overall goals for the Interagency Volunteer Program (IVP). The team was brought up-to-date on the status of the task agreement, …

Gaining Ground Information Database, John R. Nolon, Jessica A. Bacher, Susan Moritz

Yale School of the Environment Publications Series

A Report on a New Internet Research Library of Innovative Land Use Laws, Regulations, and Practices

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

Resource management technical reports

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

Classifying Mollisol Soils Using Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Data, Adil M. Wadia

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil classification is a complex task that involves several factors. Soil classifications that have been published usually need to be updated as soil series definitions and boundaries change over time. Most existing soil classification surveys in the United States, although often very good, lack the required accuracy for selected applications such as precision agriculture. 111 Hyperspectral remote sensing data, with its 100+ bands and very high spectral resolution can help facilitate soil classification detail not achieved through traditional remote sensing methods. The study area selected for research was Wolf Field, near Homer, Champaign County, Illinois, which is a very agriculturally …

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

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

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

Western Gray Whales Off Sakhalin Island, Russia: A Joint Russia-U.S. Scientific Investigation July-September 2003, David W. Weller, Alexander M. Burdin, Amanda L. Bradford, Yulia V. Ivashchenko, Grigory A. Tsidulko, Aimée R. Lang, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Research on the western gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) population summering off northeastern Sakhalin Island, Russia, has been ongoing since 1995. This collaborative Russia-U.S. research program has produced important new information on the present day conservation status of this critically endangered population. This report reviews recent findings from 2003 research activities and combines such with data from previous years, in some cases ranging back to 1994. Photo-identification research conducted off Sakhalin Island in 2003 resulted in the identification of 75 whales, including 11 calves and two previously unidentified non-calves. When combined with data from 1994-2002, a catalog of 131 …

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

Theses and Dissertations

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

The Rise And Fall Of Open Market Emissions Trading In New Jersey, Devin Peter Demarco

Theses

On August 2, 1996, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) promulgated rules governing its Open Market Emissions Trading (OMET) program. With a goal to provide industry with a greater degree of flexibility in meeting federal air compliance directives and simultaneously move the state towards the attainment of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), this program is now slated for termination following scrutiny from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), environmental groups and a new NJDEP administration.

This thesis discusses the basis for this scrutiny and other program flaws discovered through interviews with, and public comments from, NJDEP and …

Potential Of Modis Ocean Bands For Estimating Co2 Flux From Terrestrial Vegetation: A Novel Approach, Abdullah Rahman, Vicente D. Cordova, John A. Gamon, Hans Peter Schmid, Daniel A. Sims

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

A physiologically-driven spectral index using two ocean-color bands of MODIS satellite sensor showed great potential to track seasonally changing photosynthetic light use efficiency (LUE) and stress-induced reduction in net primary productivity (NPP) of terrestrial vegetation. Based on these findings, we developed a simple ‘‘continuous field’’ model solely based on remotely sensed spectral data that could explain 88% of variability in flux-tower based daily NPP. For the first time, such a procedure is successfully tested at landscape level using satellite imagery. These findings highlight the unexplored potential of narrow-band satellite sensors to improve estimates of spatial and temporal distribution in terrestrial …

Assonet River: Foaming At The Mouth

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Assonet River has a stream order of three, with tributaries including Cedar Swamp and Holloway Brook. The sub-basin area of the river is around 29.8 square miles and is part of the Taunton River Watershed. The land use of the surrounding area is largely domestic, ranging from low density to high density housing. The Assonet River is used for canoeing, fishing, swimming, boating and other forms of aquatic recreation. The river runs closely along the main transportation routes 140 and 79. The river has four dams, which alter the turbidity and flow. Historically, these dams were used to power mills. …

An Invasive Species Assessment Protocol: Evaluating Non-Native Plants For Their Impact On Biodiversity, Version 1, Larry E. Morse, John M. Randall, Nancy Benton, Ron Hiebert, Stephanie Lu, Natureserve

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

NatureServe, in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. National Park Service, developed this Invasive Species Assessment Protocol as a tool for assessing, categorizing, and listing non-native invasive vascular plants according to their impact on native species and natural biodiversity in a large geographical area such as a nation, state, province, or ecological region. This protocol is designed to make the process of assessing and listing invasive plants objective and systematic, and to incorporate scientific documentation of the information used to determine each species’ rank. NatureServe’s methodology has previously included assessments of the conservation significance of native species; this …

Atrazine Contamination In A Rural Source-Water Supply: Spa Lake, Lewisburg, Kentucky, Kathryn Seadler

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In 1998, Western Kentucky University (WKU) worked in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Drinking Water Protection Division, to investigate methods to improve source-water quality for rural-water supply systems (RWSS). Through partial funding from the EPA, WKU developed a Technical Assistance Center for Water Quality (TACWQ), which focused resources and expertise toward assisting RWSS in achieving and maintaining capacity development goals and protecting public health. The TACWQ established the Source Water Protection Initiative (SWPI) to assist RWSS in acquiring and monitoring the technical, financial and managerial capacity needed to provide safe drinking water and achieve the public health protection …

A Study Of Invasive Species Cover Near Roads In A Red Rock Canyon Blackbrush Community, Christopher Keough

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The monitoring of Mojave Desert plant communities during and following disturbance is an important process that could provide invaluable information about disturbance/recovery regimes in similar arid environments across the globe. Blackbrush communities are of particular interest because of their low replacement rate, which makes them highly susceptible to disturbance. Roads in the Mojave Desert have been associated with soil compaction resulting in a lack of vegetation as well as an increase in invasive species cover in the immediate proximity. To investigate these statements, eight fifty-foot line transects were established in each of three plot types (perpendicular to dirt roads, perpendicular …

Spatial Variation In The Response Of Tree Rings To Normal Faulting During The Hebgen Lake Earthquake, Southwestern Montana, Usa, Matthew F. Bekker

Wasatch Dendroclimatology Research

Tree rings have frequently been used to identify the effects of earthquakes on forests, but little is known about spatial variation in the response of trees to intraplate normal faulting. This paper documents and describes the effects of tree location (distance from and position above or below the fault scarp), size and age on the response of tree rings to the 1959 magnitude 7.5 Hebgen Lake earthquake, which occurred along a normal fault in the Gallatin National Forest in southwestern Montana. Core samples from 88 trees were collected along nine 100-m transects straddling the Hebgen scarp, and from 28 additional …

Water Current, Volume 36, No. 2. Spring 2004

Water Current Newsletter

Contents

• June Tour Focuses on Competing Uses for Platte River Water and Basin Development by Steve Ress

• First Water Law, Policy and Science Conference Sets the Bar High by Steve Ress

• From the Director

• Meet the Faculty

• Helping Small Towns Reduce Arsenic in Drinking Water by Steve Ress

• GIS mapping tool helps officials track livestock diseases by Steve Ress

• News from the Water Sciences Laboratory

• Involve Public in Hard Decisions Regarding Science and Policy, Agency head Says by George Green

• Pederson and Graduate Student Stay Busy Chasing Waterfalls

Water News Briefs

The John Muir Newsletter, Spring/Summer 2004, The John Muir Center For Environmental Studies

Muir Center Newsletters (1981-2015)

News feSITY OF' THE PACIFIC, STOCKTON, CA Volume 14, Number 2/3 SPRING/SUMMER-2004 The Dim Dark Sea of the Norther John Muir's Exploits into the Pacific Northwest by Shane M. Hetzler (Editor's note: A native ofBeaverton, Oregon, Shane Hetzler graduated from Pacific in May, 2004, with a double major in Histoiy and French as well as a minor in Environmental Studies. This paper was researched as an Independent Study research project utilizing the unique resources of the John Muir Papers on campus.) 7ti the Pacific Northwest of today, many people do not wonder why they are able to enjoy wild and …

A Spatial Analysis Of The Impact Of Development On Wetland Habitat In Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, Jenna Medlin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In response to growing concerns over wetland habitat loss and the associated impact on water resources, federal and state legislation has been enacted to protect vulnerable wetland habitats from the impacts of humans. In order to examine the efficacy of current coastal resource policy and its implementation, a study was conducted in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, a coastal city of the Atlantic, focusing on the quantification of wetland habitat change over time within a specific area of interest. The study incorporated an assessment of the effects of escalating population pressures and subsequent urban development on local wetland habitats due to …

A Review Of The Colonization Dynamics Of The Northern Curly-Tailed Lizard (Leiocephalus Carinatus Arimouri) In Florida, Henry T. Smith, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The northern curly-tailed lizard (Leiocephalus carinatus armouri) is endemic to the islands of the Little Bahama Bank, with other subspecies found in the Great Bahama Bank, Cayman Islands, and Cubs (Schwartz and Thomas 1975, Schwartz and Henderson 1991).

The Biodiversity And Biogeochemistry Of Cryoconite Holes From Mcmurdo Dry Valley Glaciers, Antarctica, Dorota L. Porazinska, Andrew G. Fountain, Thomas H. Nylen, Martyn Tranter, Ross A. Virginia, Diana H. Wall

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Once thought of as inert, ice has been increasingly recognized as a habitat suitable for life. The landscape of the MCMurdo Dry Valleys (MCM) of Antarctica is dominated by glaciers, and glacier melt is the primary water source for life in soils, streams, and lakes. The glaciers, despite their cold and lifeless appearance, offer functioning habitats for life. The major objective of this study was to examine biogeochemical characteristics of miniecosystems present in cryoconite holes and to determine links to other components (soils, streams, and lakes) of the dry valley landscape. We examined cryoconite holes from 5 glaciers spanning the …

Climatology Of Katabatic Winds In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, Thomas H. Nylen, Andrew G. Fountain, Peter T. Doran

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Katabatic winds dramatically affect the climate of the McMurdo dry valleys, Antarctica. Winter wind events can increase local air temperatures by 30°C. The frequency of katabatic winds largely controls winter (June to August) temperatures, increasing 1°C per 1% increase in katabatic frequency, and it overwhelms the effect of topographic elevation (lapse rate). Summer katabatic winds are important, but their influence on summer temperature is less. The spatial distribution of katabatic winds varies significantly. Winter events increase by 14% for every 10 km up valley toward the ice sheet, and summer events increase by 3%. The spatial distribution of katabatic frequency …

Late Albian Dinosaur Tracks From The Cratonic (Eastern) Margin Of The Western Interior Seaway, Nebraska, Usa, R. M. Joeckel, J. M. Cunningham, R. G. Corner, P. L. Phillips, G. A. Ludvigson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Satellite Monitoring Of Vegetation Dynamics: Sensitivity Enhancement By The Wide Dynamic Range Vegetation Index, Andrés Viña, Geoffrey Henebry, Anatoly A. Gitelson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Synoptic monitoring of vegetation dynamics relies on satellite observations of the distinctive spectral contrast between red and near infrared reflectance that photosynthetically active green vegetation exhibits. It has long been recognized that the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) suffers a rapid decrease of sensitivity at moderate-to-high densities of photosynthetic green biomass. This decrease can conceal detection of vegetation change in croplands, woodlands, and productive grasslands.We applied a recent, straightforward modification of the NDVI, the Wide Dynamic Range Vegetation Index (WDRVI), to a standard AVHRR dataset to assess its sensitivity to variability within ecoregions and across years, relative to NDVI. In …

Application Of Snowfall And Wind Statistics To Snow Transport Modeling For Snowdrift Control In Minnesota, Martha Shulski, Mark W. Seeley

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Models were utilized to determine the snow accumulation season (SAS) and to quantify windblown snow for the purpose of snowdrift control for locations in Minnesota. The models require mean monthly temperature, snowfall, density of snow, and wind frequency distribution statistics. Temperature and precipitation data were obtained from local cooperative observing sites, and wind data came from Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS)/Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) sites in the region. The temperature-based algorithm used to define the SAS reveals a geographic variability in the starting and ending dates of the season, which is determined by latitude and elevation. Mean seasonal snowfall …

Special Uses In Wilderness Areas: Management Survey, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Books, Reports, and Studies

[47] p.

Private Lands Conservation In The Republic Of The Marshall Islands, Gregg De Bie, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Books, Reports, and Studies

59 p. ; 28 cm

Private Lands Conservation In The Commonwealth Of The Northern Mariana Islands, Gregg De Bie, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Books, Reports, and Studies

68 p. ; 28 cm