Digital Commons Network^™

Modification Of Growing-Season Surface Temperature Records In The Northern Great Plains Due To Land-Use Transformation: Verification Of Modelling Results And Implication For Global Climate Change, Rezaul Mamood, Kenneth G. Hubbard, Christy Carlson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Land-use and land-cover change can modify near-surface atmospheric condition. Mesoscale modelling studies have shown that modification in land use affects near-surface soil moisture storage and energy balance. Such a study in the Great Plains showed that changes in land use from natural grass to irrigated agriculture enhanced soil water storage in the root zone and increased latent energy flux. This increase in latent energy flux would correspond to a decrease in sensible heat flux and, therefore, modify near-surface temperature records. To verify this deduction, we have investigated the changes in the historical near-surface temperature records in Nebraska, USA. We have …

The Role Of Soil Water Availability In Potential Rainfed Rice Productivity In Bangladesh: Applications Of The Ceres-Rice Mode, Rezaul Mahmood, David R. Legates, Mark Meo

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Soil water stress and its impact on the monsoon season potential rainfed rice productivity in Bangladesh is investigated. A crop growth simulation model, CERES-Rice, is applied to 16 locations representative of the major rice growing regions of Bangladesh to determine the impact of soil water stress on the regional scale potential yield for four transplanting dates: 1 June, 1 July, 15 July, and 15 August. A quantified estimate of potential yield loss for four regions and for Bangladesh as a whole is calculated for water stress during flowering and maturing stages. For example, in Bangladesh, average potential yield for 1 …

Modeling And Measuring The Dispersion Of Odors From Hog Confinements, François Béra

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A comparison was made between predicted and measured odor concentration downwind of two hog finishing confinements. Two Gaussian dispersion models, STINK.BAK and AERMOD, were used. The experimental cases examined odor emanating from a mechanically-ventilated facility and a curtain-sided facility during summer 2003. A field olfactometer was used to measure odor concentration. The odor concentrations served as input to STINK.BAK, which then estimated the odor emission rate from the confinement. AERMOD used this emission rate and other meteorological data to predict the peak concentration of odor around the confinement over the sampling hour. The calculated odor emission rates are slightly higher …

Identification Of Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Secondary Succession Changes In Altamira, Brazil: Integrating Remote Sensing And Gis Technology, Hui Li

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been extensive use of remote sensing to study secondary succession of moist tropical forests in the Amazon Basin. However, scientists have not totally understood the dynamic processes of secondary succession of Amazon forests. A lack of consensus remains about what is the best approach for biomass estimation in the Amazon Basin using remotely sensed data. It is not clear which spectral wavelength bands have the best relationship with biomass values and what are the specific relationships between biomass and TM satellite radiance. The strategies in this research, based on analysis of detailed ground-based data and satellite TM image …

Identification Of Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Secondary Succession Changes In Altamira, Brazil: Integrating Remote Sensing And Gis Technology, Hui Li

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been extensive use of remote sensing to study secondary succession of moist tropical forests in the Amazon Basin. However, scientists have not totally understood the dynamic processes of secondary succession of Amazon forests. A lack of consensus remains about what is the best approach for biomass estimation in the Amazon Basin using remotely sensed data. It is not clear which spectral wavelength bands have the best relationship with biomass values and what are the specific relationships between biomass and TM satellite radiance. The strategies in this research, based on analysis of detailed ground-based data and satellite TM image …

The Effect Of Prescribed Burns On Cation Exchange Capacity In An Oak Savanna, Christopher Michael Gentry

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources estimates that fire-maintained, tallgrass savannas once covered approximately 15% oflndiana. During the 1800's, settlers cleared savannas for their rich soils, which are well suited for agricultural use, and fire was suppressed from the remaining savannas because of the threat to farmland. Today, prescribed bums are being used in savannas as a management tool to reduce competition from non-native species, encourage community density, and promote patch dynamics. This research examines how fire affects Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) in post fire soil samples. CEC is an important soil characteristic that helps to describe soil fertility. With …

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln School Of Natural Resources Review: Final Report, December 2003, Michael O'Neill, Phaedra Budy, Stephen Degloria, Ed Kanemasu, Jamie Robertson, Derrel Martin, Anne K. Vidaver, Tylr Naprstek, Donna Woudenberg

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

In July 2003, the School of Natural Resource Sciences was merged with the Conservation and Survey Division and the Water Center Nebraska State Survey. This merger produced the School of Natural Resources (hereafter referred to as the "School") in its current form. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln requested a ten-year review of the School's programs and activities. The review was administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) in cooperation with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Agriculture, and the School.

The review document is divided into nine sections. The first …

Water Current, Volume 35, No. 4, Fall 2003

Water Current Newsletter

Contents

• UNL Scientists Earn $1.8 Million NSF Grant to Study Sandhills Ecosystem

• Finding Solutions to Water conflicts Subject of UNL Conference by Steve Ress

• From the Director

• Meet the Faculty

• Research Probes Land Use Impact on Stream Health by Steve Ress

• SNR Researcher Examines Predators’ Impact on Nesting Songbirds by Steve Ress

• Summer Water and Natural Resources Tour Explores Republican River Basin

• Water News Briefs

Csrees School Of Natural Resources Comprehensive Five-Year Review

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

No abstract provided.

The John Muir Newsletter, Fall 2003, The John Muir Center For Environmental Studies

Muir Center Newsletters (1981-2015)

LETTER UwiVfeRsnYoFTHfi Pacific, Stockton, CA- Volume 13, Number 4 Fall 2003! uir & his Reading Interests by Ronald Limbaugh (Editor's note: Ronald Limbaugh retired in 2000 after thirty-four years at the University of the Pacific, serving concurrently as director of the John Muir Center for Regional Studies and Rockwell Hunt Professor of California History) ven without considering his published works, John Muir's surviving journals and private correspondence demonstrate that he was a voluminous writer with unusual gifts. With his family and friends— and with himself— he carried on an effusive dialog, describing events, recalling anecdotes, lecturing and philosophizing, opening a …

Sustainable Agricultural Growth In The Al-Ahsa Oasis Of Saudi Arabia: Harmonizing Wto Goals, Environmental Constraints, And National Food Security Issues, Ahmad Mohammad Al-Mass

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Local agricultural practices in Saudi Arabia today are shaped by local land, labor, and technological conditions, by national governmental regulations, subsidies, and price controls, and by the global impacts of foreign competition and goals of international organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO). Human and natural forces over which local oasis residents have no control exert more influence upon their social and economic life than do daily agricultural tasks. These forces are recognized by Saudi national planners, for agricultural development is very important to the government and to oasis dwellers in Saudi Arabia. Reducing the loss of foreign exchange, …

Building A Vision For Our Weir River Estuary: An Inventory Of Open Space And Public Access Around The Weir River Area Of Critical Environmental Concern And Summary Of The Weir River Estuary Visioning Workshop, Chantal Lefebvre

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The Weir River Estuary Park Open Space and Public Access Inventory is a planning document designed to provide collective information on public open space and water access opportunities around the Weir River Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). It catalogs what is known about all undeveloped lands and accessways around the estuary and draws from existing reports and plans, interviews with government officials, and comments conveyed during a day-long public visioning workshop in May 2003. The inventory is intended as a support document to augment existing open space plans, master plans, and harbor management plans in Hingham, Hull, and Cohasset …

Model State Land Use Legislation For New England, New England Environmental Finance Center, Muskie School Of Public Service

Legislation

Sprawl is neither the ordained nor the inevitable outcome upon the New England landscape. A coordinated response to sprawl by the public and private sectors is possible, and could dramatically improve land use patterns and reduce the cost of local government. For the New England states, such a response would include, among other elements, legislation to eliminate existing gaps in the land use laws of each state – gaps that presently encourage or sanction sprawling development. It would also include incentives for municipalities to think beyond their borders and to act with greater efficiency and effect. It is the purpose …

Agenda: Water, Climate And Uncertainty: Implications For Western Water Law, Policy, And Management, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center, United States. National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration, National Center For Atmospheric Research (U.S.), Western Water Assessment (Program), University Of Colorado Boulder. Cooperative Institute For Research In Environmental Sciences, Hydrosphere Resource Consultants, Colorado Foundation For Water Education, Bp North America

Water, Climate and Uncertainty: Implications for Western Water Law, Policy, and Management (Summer Conference, June 11-13)

The swollen creeks of Boulder, Colorado provided a fitting backdrop for the “Water, Climate and Uncertainty” conference at the Natural Resources Law Center of the University of Colorado in June 2003. Recognizing the importance of providing a forum for discussions between water managers, lawyers, policy makers, and scientists, Doug Kenney, the conference's organizer, assumed the responsibility of master of ceremonies, providing thoughtful transitions between speakers and sessions while throwing some humor into the mix. Under his direction, luminaries in the fields of science, law and policy engaged a wide range of issues related to the future of water management.

The …

The Role Of Climate In Shaping Western Water Institutions, Gregory J. Hobbs Jr.

Water, Climate and Uncertainty: Implications for Western Water Law, Policy, and Management (Summer Conference, June 11-13)

61 pages.

"Justice Greg Hobbs, June 11, 2003"

This preliminary paper was later published in Justice Gregory J. Hobbs, Jr., The Role of Climate in Shaping Western Water Institutions, 7 U. Denv. Water L. Rev. 1 (2003).

Kentucky River Basin: Unified Long-Range Water Resources Plan. Executive Summary, Lindell E. Ormsbee, Malissa Mcalister

KWRRI Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Kentucky River Basin: Unified Long-Range Water Resources Plan. Historic Water Supply Plans Of The Kentucky River Basin, Lindell E. Ormsbee, Malissa Mcalister

KWRRI Research Reports

The Kentucky River Authority was mandated by regulatory statute 420 KAR I :030, Section 4 to develop a Unified Long-Range Water Resources Plan (ULRWRP) for the Kentucky River Basin. This summary document was written by the Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute under a contractual agreement with the Kentucky River Authority in support of this plan. It addresses several required components of the ULRWRP, including:

• Acquisition and utilization of the Kentucky River Lock and Dam system;
• Construction, acquisition and control of projects and facilities;
• Regulation of flows and allocation of supplies;
• Basin-wide and specific local land and water conservation measures and …

Water Current, Volume 35, No. 3. June 2003

Water Current Newsletter

Contents

• NU Environmental Programs Soon To Be Under One Roof by Steve Ress

• Water Resources Research Initiative Could Expand UNL Research Role by Steve Ress

• From the Director

• Meet the Faculty

• Sidney Area Residents Are Adapting to Changes From Current Drought Conditions by Kerry Ferguson

• Water and Electricity Are Inseparable by Michael P. Gutzmer

• Monitoring Shows Sharp Drops in Eastern Nebraska Groundwater Levels by Charles Flowerday

• Planning Continues for July Water and Natural Resources Tour by Steve Ress

• Water News Briefs

Assessment Of Groundwater Resources Using Remote Sensing And Gis, Muna Khalil Al Hammadi

Theses

Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing have witnessed an enormous interest in various applications related to geology, hydrology, hydrogeology, and water resources. The use of GIS and remote sensing has become a common practice worldwide. The UAE is no exception. The study of groundwater resources and its sustainability is of prime concern for authorities in the UAE. Although, groundwater may not be suitable, in most cases, for drinking and other potable purposes, it represents the main source for irrigation in the country. About 85% of the total water consumption in the UAE is groundwater.

This study is devoted to the …

Fresh Kills Dumped : A Policy Assessment For The Management Of New York City's Residential Solid Waste In The Twenty-First Century, Aaron William Comrov

Theses

New York City ceased disposing of its daily residential solid waste output within its municipal borders in March 2001 when the Department of Sanitation completed its phase-down of the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island. The closure of this facility has, for the first time in history, stripped New York City of its waste management selfsufficiency, created a situation in which municipal officials are reliant on private firms and other governmental jurisdictions for disposal services, and contributed to deteriorating fiscal, environmental, political, economic, social and practical conditions.

Consequent and concurrent to this predicament, a multitude of alternative policies have been …

Ecomorphology Of Bats: Comparative And Experimental Approaches Relating Structural Design To Ecology, Sharon M. Swartz, Patricia W. Freeman, Elizabeth F. Stockwell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The past several decades have seen the beginning of integration of discoveries in the ecology and morphology of bats into an ecomorphological whole that promises to be greater than the sum of its parts. However, achieving this integration is challenging. Each of the elements of this interdisciplinary field is, in itself, avast and complex subject. This book is a testament to the breadth and depth of ecological studies of bats. Morphological studies now extend be- yond descriptive anatomy in both outlook and method, and incorporate, for example, aspects of genetics, physiology, solid and fluid mechanics, and developmental biology. There is …

Using Satellite Imagery To Evaluate The Impact Of Urban Forest On Summertime Residential Electricity Consumption In Terre Haute, Indiana, Usa, James R. Boulton

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urban areas are horne to a large portion of the population of the United States and also a significant portion ofthe nation's forest resource. This urban forest contributes to the richness of the urban lifestyle in many ways, including aesthetic improvements, cleaning and protecting air, land, and water resources, and reducing the urban heat island effect. This thesis studies the degree to which energy reduction attributable to the urban forest can be determined using remotely sensed data. Results showed a slight inverse relationship between urban forest density and energy usage, meaning that as the density of trees increases there is …

Remote Sensing Systems Optimization For Geobase Enhancement, Steve J. Paylor

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. Air Force is in the process of implementing GeoBase, a geographic information system (GIS), throughout its worldwide installations, Air Force GIS needs can be augmented by imagery from aerial and satellite platforms. Imagery has greatly improved over the past several years and provides high resolution coverage of features on earth. Various imagery types will significantly increase GeoBase usefulness in a range of mission requirements, Potential Air Force uses of imagery include identifying heat loss, environmental monitoring, command decision-making, and emergency response, The research develops a decision tool to determine the appropriate imagery for a given Air Force Application, …

New Jersey Coastal Program Boundary, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The boundary of a federally approved coastal program defines a geographic area that receives special planning and management attention through regulations, financial assistance, and technical support. Section 306(d)(2)(A) of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act provides the basis for determining the coastal boundary. In Section 304 of the act, the coastal zone refers to coastal waters (and the lands below them) and the adjacent shorelands, “strongly influenced by each other and in proximity to the shorelines of the several coastal states, including transitional and intertidal areas, salt marshes, wetlands, and beaches. The zone extends…seaward to the outer limit of State …

Urban Canada Geese In Georgia: Assessing A Golf Course Survey And A Nuisance Relocation Program, Larkin A. Powell, Michael J. Conroy, Kipling S. Balkcom, Joe Caudell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Nuisance complaints about Canada geese (Branta canadensis), have risen in recent years. In Georgia, managers have responded by relocating some nuisance geese to rural areas. During 1993–1996, we used band recoveries of relocated geese to determine the efficacy of relocation as a management strategy. We also used data from a post-card survey of golf courses to monitor the urban subpopulation of Canada geese in Georgia during 1998–2001. Flocks considered by golf course superintendents to be a nuisance were larger (1998: 48.8 geese, 1999: 71.5, 2000: 73.2, 2001: 67.2) than nonnuisance flocks (1998: 13.1 geese, 1999: 16.7, 2000: 25.8, 2001: 18.1). …

The Lakes And Streams Project: A Curriculum For Elementary And Middle Grades On A Local Environmental Issue, Linda Mae Alice Gregory

Theses Digitization Project

This project covers the environmental issues of the proposed Lakes and Streams Project for the City of San Bernardino. The water history of San Bernardino, from the hot springs to the development of the current municipal water system, is also detailed. Two curriculum units teach students how to use environmental issue analysis skills. One focuses on the water history of San Bernardino and is aimed at grades three to five. The other immerses middle grade students directly into the Lakes and Streams issue.

The Salton Sea Wetlands: A Guidebook Of Curriculum Based Lessons, Etta Margo Ligman-Mccormick

Theses Digitization Project

Using Coachella Valley's Salton Sea ecosystem as a model, several multidisciplinary wetland activities for grades three to six were developed. A resource guide for educators is included.

Action Education In Land Use Decisions: Student Views On Urbanization And Farmland Loss, Mindi Schneider, Charles A. Francis, Dick Esseks

CARI Extension and Education Materials for Sustainable Agriculture

Loss of prime farmland is a serious concern in the United States and around the globe. With rapid urban population increases, the activities and perceived needs of concentrated groups of people result in the swallowing of some of the most fertile lands in this country. Today we have just under 2 acres of productive farmland per person in the United States. Given the current population growth rate due to births and immigration, plus the present rate of farmland loss, World Watch Institute estimates that we will have about 0.6 acres or one-third as much farmland available per person by 2055--a …

Mid-Holocene Climates Of The Americas: A Dynamical Response To Changed Seasonality, S. P. Harrison, J. E. Kutzbach, Z. Liu, P. J. Bartlein, B. Otto-Bliesner, Daniel R. Muhs, I. C. Prentice, R. S. Thompson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Abstract Simulations of the climatic response to mid- Holocene (6 ka BP) orbital forcing with two coupled ocean–atmosphere models (FOAM and CSM) show enhancement of monsoonal precipitation in parts of the American Southwest, Central America and northernmost South America during Northern Hemisphere summer. The enhanced onshore flow that brings precipitation into Central America is caused by a northward displacement of the inter-tropical convergence zone, driven by cooling of the equatorial and warming of the northern subtropical and mid-latitude ocean. Ocean feedbacks also enhance precipitation over the American Southwest, although the increase in monsoon precipitation there is largely driven by increases …

Fire Climate Interactions And Predicting Fire Season Severity In The Mediterranean Climate Areas Of California, Southern Oregon, And Western Nevada, Alan H. Taylor, Carl N. Skinner, Andrew M. Carleton, Scott L. Stephens, Valerie Trouet, Bernd Haupt, Andrew Pierce

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

• We identified annual area burned for 37 National Forests in Washington, Oregon, and California between 1929 and 2004 from annual fire reports. Variation in area burned each year on National Forest lands is strongly related (r2 = 0.87) to total area burned in California. This indicates area burned in National Forests is a good indicator of total area burned in a state. • Four large groups of National Forests were identified that had similar temporal patterns of fire extent. Three of these groups were spatially coherent and included mainly: 1) Washington and northern Oregon; 2) northern California and California …