Digital Commons Network^™

Comment Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) 2025 Draft Final Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Quality Assurance Project Plan (Dated February 14, 2025), Molly Roby

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Comment Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Unreclaimed Sites Ur-03 Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp) (Dated January 27, 2025)., Molly Roby

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Depth Patterns Of Redear Sunfish Lepomis Microlophus In Kentucky Lake, Justin Graben

Scholars Week

Redear Sunfish Lepomis microlophus are a highly sought sportfish known for their size potential, but their ecological behavior in large reservoirs remain poorly understood. In this study, we looked at how Redear Sunfish Lepomis microlophus move vertically in Kentucky Lake. We used acoustic tags with depth sensors to measure the movement of Redear Sunfish both diurnally and seasonally within Kentucky Lake.

During the day, Redear Sunfish occupied significantly deeper waters compared to dawn, dusk, and night (p < 0.0001.). Many fish, including the species in the Lepomis genus, may have a preference for specific light levels for optimal foraging and predation avoidance, even if predation is not the primary concern at larger sizes. This daily pattern was consistent through most seasons, except on average the fish were deeper during the winter season (p < 0.0001).

Understanding the movement patterns of Redear Sunfish is essential for effective species management, especially as their popularity grows and they potentially compete with …

Discovery Of Suitable Habitat For Freshwater Mussel Species In The Appomattox River Through The Use Of Environmental Dna., Nicholas Duellman

Longwood Senior Thesis Proposal

Freshwater mussels are a keystone species providing crucial ecosystem services and river composition resiliency. Anecdotal evidence suggests the presence of freshwater mussels within the Appomattox river, the specifics of population sizes and suitable habitat remains an open question. Environmental DNA (eDNA) usage in conservation ecology has exploded in use within the past two decades, being far less invasive and cost-demanding than traditional methods. An eDNA metabarcoding pipeline of the 16s mitochondrial ribosomal subunit was built in R v. 4.4.2, using dada2 v. 3.2.1 package to trim MinION single read ASV outputs for freshwater mussel species identification in the interest of …

Tiny Creatures, Big Lessons: Using Music Education And Ecoliteracy To Impact Young Learners' Perspectives On Bugs And Nature, Paige Burgess '25

Honor Scholar Theses

This thesis aims to demonstrate that relationships between students and nature can be improved through teaching young learners about music and bugs together, potentially leading to a greater overall love for and willingness to protect nature. The thesis features original teacher action research conducted over multiple weeks in a first grade classroom, with observations and data to support the efficacy of the methods discussed. This thesis analyzes literature that supports how increasing empathy toward bugs at a young age can have tangible benefits for the environment, how ecoliteracy as a framework is an effective means of teaching about nature, and …

Perceptions About Potential Microplastic Interventions: A Study On Knowledge, Concerns, And Willingness To Pay, Amanda Gannon, Elise F. Granek, Max Nielsen-Pincus, Luke Harkins

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Among emerging contaminants, microplastics (MPs) are of particular concern due to their ubiquity across environments and the unique challenges posed by attempted removal. In-line washing machine filters are one potential tool for preemptively preventing a category of MPs from entering waterways. A sample of registered voters and environmental interest groups in Oregon were asked about their general knowledge and concerns surrounding microplastics, as well as their willingness to pay for high-efficiency washing machine filters. Findings show that less than a quarter of all respondents would be willing to pay full price for a high-efficiency filter, indicating a limited-scale early adopter …

08 - Blue Carbon Sequestration And Sediment Storage In Seagrass Meadows Of South Bay, Luke C. Clements, Adriana Amrhein, Richard P. Hale

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Blue carbon is stored in coastal and marine ecosystems like seagrass meadows and salt marshes, which helps combat climate change by preventing greenhouse gas emissions. This study examines the role of seagrass in carbon storage by comparing sediment cores from a mud channel and a seagrass meadow in South Bay.

We collected a 100 cm core from the mud channel and a 55 cm core from the seagrass area, taking samples every 10 cm to analyze grain size and organic carbon content. Using a wet sieving method, we separated sand from mud and measured organic carbon through loss on ignition. …

To Infinity And Beyond (And Beyond): The Legal And Ethical Imperative For Rocket Reusability, Matthew Lumia

Duke Law & Technology Review

Although the Space Shuttle’s first flight was in the 1980s, reusable rocket technology did not achieve mainstream viability until SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket revolutionized access to space. This note argues that transitioning to reusable rocket technology is not only a practical and economic advancement, but also a legal and ethical imperative. By analyzing reusable rockets through the “due regard” framework of the Outer Space Treaty, this note demonstrates how reusable rockets mitigate space debris, expand access to space, and can reduce environmental harm. Additionally, reusable rockets address critical ethical concerns by lowering barriers to space exploration, allowing the benefits …

Intraspecific Variation In Morphological And Biochemical Responses To Salinity And Flooding In Phragmites Australis, Olivia Hurley

LSU Master's Theses

Phragmites australis is a widespread wetland plant species with numerous haplotypes, several of which are highly invasive. In low-lying coastal marshes of Louisiana, the Delta-type (haplotype M1) dominates across a wide range of salinity and flooding environments. This suggests that Phragmites may be highly adaptable to diverse environmental conditions and that there may be a genetic component, as seen in other coastal wetland plant species. While non-native Phragmites haplotypes are targeted for control and removal in many areas, they are considered beneficial for marsh stabilization and contributing to elevation gain in coastal Louisiana, where several areas experience rapid land loss. …

Water Holding Capacity Of Soil And Resilience To Drought, Taro Mieno

Cornhusker Economics

For the past two years, I have been involved in an NSF-funded research project titled “RII Track-2 FEC: Supporting Rural Livelihoods in the Water-Stressed Central High Plains.” The overarching goal of this project is to evaluate the potential of microbials and biochar to enhance soil water holding capacity (hereafter, WHC), thereby improving drought resilience in crop production and reducing irrigation demand to slow aquifer depletion. Visit the project website for more details. A key component of this research is assessing the economic viability of these interventions, a task for which I am responsible.

To understand the economic benefits of increasing …

Development And Application Of Self-Supervised Machine Learning For Smoke Plume And Active Fire Identification From The Fire Influence On Regional To Global Environments And Air Quality Datasets, Nicholas Lahaye, Anastasija Easley, Kyongsik Yun, Hugo Lee, Erik Linstead, Michael J. Garay, Olga V. Kalashnikova

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX-AQ) was a field campaign aimed at better understanding the impact of wildfires and agricultural fires on air quality and climate. The FIREX-AQ campaign took place in August 2019 and involved two aircraft and multiple coordinated satellite observations. This study applied and evaluated a self-supervised machine learning (ML) method for the active fire and smoke plume identification and tracking in the satellite and sub-orbital remote sensing datasets collected during the campaign. Our unique methodology combines remote sensing observations with different spatial and spectral resolutions. With as much as a 10% …

Integrating Standards For Infrastructure Improvement And Resilience In University Curricula, Lisa Greenwood, Jennifer Schneider, Sumita Mishra, Yewande S. Abraham, Shriram Karpoora Sundara Pandian

Articles

In today’s ever-changing world, we are increasingly vulnerable to shocks and stresses that disrupt industry and society. Persistent threats from natural and manmade hazards require our communities and infrastructure to be resilient despite possible disruption. Creating robust infrastructures is founded on operational and physical standards to withstand and respond to threats such as environmental exposures, climate change, and informational security breaches. The significant U.S. investment in infrastructure projects through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has amplified the need for professionals in engineering and related fields who – in addition to technical knowledge - possess the necessary knowledge and skill …

“Lyfting” The Possibilities And Opportunities For Sustainable And Safe Transportation To Access Medical Care, Saneywongse Le Mar

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being

No abstract provided.

Turning Farm Waste Into Energy: Pragmatic Approaches For Cleaner Midwestern American Communities, Rebecca Gaisie

Selected or Submitted Student Research Papers/Projects

Mismanagement of farm waste in the Midwest of the United States has resulted in significant methane emissions, water contamination, and public health concerns. The present manure management rules are still inconsistent, underfunded, and insufficient to motivate individuals to behave in a way that benefits the environment, despite increasing concerns about the environment. This policy study investigates anaerobic digestion as a potential means to convert waste into energy that could support rural and environmental development. Some of the problems with the federal and state legislation examined in this study under an EPI framework are a lack of incentives, inadequate technical support, …

Summer Air Temperature Comparisons Between The Field And Woods In An Angus Beef Cattle Silvopasture In The Virginia Coastal Plain, Amy E. Edwards

Virginia Journal of Science

The objective of this study was to compare corresponding temperature readings from loggers in the field and woods in a silvopasture for Angus beef cattle. Results show that temperatures during the hottest part of the day are greater in the field than in the woods. Summary statistics show higher maximum, upper quartile, and median temperatures at the field logger with all data analyzed, indicating the temperatures in the field are overall higher than the woods, except during temperature inversions at nighttime. This highlights the importance of providing cattle with shade to prevent heat exhaustion and thermal stress, especially when the …

Food Insecurity In Latin America: Climate Change, Industrial Agriculture, And The Case For Regenerative Solutions, Leila Hernandez-Webster

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

This study critically analyzes the nexus between climate change and food insecurity in Latin America, with a particular focus on Costa Rica’s agricultural sector. It interrogates how industrial agricultural practices, deforestation, and trade liberalization have contributed to environmental degradation and heightened socio-economic vulnerabilities, especially among smallholder farmers. Through the lens of political ecology, this research situates these dynamics within the broader context of neoliberal and neo-extractivist development paradigms, which have systematically eroded food sovereignty. This study also evaluates agro-ecological responses, particularly agroforestry, as viable strategies for promoting ecological resilience and socio-economic equity. In doing so, it underscores the imperative of …

Examining The Effect Of Climate Change Denialism In American Christianity On International Climate Policy, Hope Mcbride

Selected Honors Theses

While 53% of Americans say anthropogenic climate change is happening, only 32% of American evangelical Protestants share that belief (Alper). Key reasons for this gap include the values and political affiliations held by religious Americans. Historically, there have been dissenting opinions on the role of Christianity in global warming, but ultimately data have demonstrated that the opinions of American Christians can influence major global political decisions, such as President Trump’s executive order pulling the United States out of the keystone Paris Agreement.

Changes In The Western Flank Of The North Atlantic Subtropical High Since 1140 Ce: Extremes, Drivers, And Hydroclimatic Patterns, Joshua C. Bregy, Justin T. Maxwell, Scott M. Robeson, Grant L. Harley, Valerie Trouet

Publications

Summer circulation and moisture patterns in the Southeast United States are controlled by the position of the North Atlantic subtropical high. In a warming climate, the subtropical high is projected to strengthen and expand west, but there remains uncertainty regarding its variability and linkages to natural drivers. Here, we use a tree-ring network across the Southeast United States to reconstruct the relative intensity of the pressure gradient across the subtropical high’s western flank over the past 870 years. Variations in the flank’s position and the pressure gradient have been a major driver of the hydroclimate—including creating a Southeast-Caribbean moisture dipole—since …

A Comprehensive Assessment Approach For Multiscale Regional Economic Development: Fusion Modeling Of Nighttime Lights And Openstreetmap Data, Zhe Wang, Jianghua Zheng, Chuqiao Han, Binbin Lu, Danlin Yu, Juan Yang, Linzhi Han

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Assessing regional economic development is key for advancing towards the Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring sustainable societal progress. Traditional evaluation methods focus on basic economic metrics like population and capital, which may not fully reflect the complexities of economic activities. Nighttime light (NTL) has been validated as an alternative indicator for regional economic development, yet limitations persist in its evaluation. This study integrates OpenStreetMap (OSM) data and NTL data, providing a novel data integration approach for evaluating economic development. The study uses mainland of China as a case, applying ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) to evaluate …

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter, April 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. Iowa Waste Reduction Center.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

Contents:

--- Celebrating Earth Day
--- Looking back at 2024
--- MSEI deadline approaching for Eastern Iowa
--- Painter Training Classes
--- Partner events
--- Industry News

Sheep Production, Profitability And Greenhouse Gas Emission Of Mixed Farming Systems In Western Australia's Wheatbelt, Tafesse Estifanos, Amir Abadi Abadi Ghadim, Kate Pritchett, Christophe D'Abbadie, Johnny Machon, Paul Mattingley, Bradley Plunkett, Gus Manatsa, Kerrine Blenkinsop, Ross Kingwell, Clinton K. Revell Dr

Animal production and livestock research reports

The south-western agricultural area of Western Australia is a vital contributor to Australia's agricultural output. It generates over $10 billion annually in agricultural production from 2017–18 to 2021–22 and more than $8 billion in export value over the same period. Mixed farming systems characterise the region, producing broadacre crops (primarily wheat, barley, and canola) and livestock. The region's livestock industry is dominated by sheep production for meat and wool, and the state’s share of the national sheep flock in 2020–21 was at 18%.

This report provides a comprehensive review and industry analysis of sheep production in WA, its economic significance, …

Towards Sustainable Energy: Design And Preliminary Testing Of Tidal Current Turbines, Yareli A. Zelaya Pavon

Presentations - 2025

As the energy demand constantly increases and traditional energy resources decrease, incorporating sustainable alternatives has become necessary. In this context, this research attempts to provide a new solution for energy scarcity in regions that lack electricity, especially those located near large ocean areas. The objective of this project was to engineer and investigate an ideal prototype to transform power generation. Through detailed design and testing, this project seeks to reveal the potential of tidal energy, offering an alternative to communities struggling with energy distribution.

The research focuses on utilizing custom-designed propellers, which are 3D printed and installed on an open …

Water Consumption & Efficiency: Casa Maria Marianist Household, Deborah Alonso, Veronica Geronimo, Arturo Arana, Adrian Roda Teran, Roberto Abarca

Presentations - 2025

In the fall of 2021, St. Mary’s University became one of the first universities in Texas to commit to Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP). With this seven-year commitment to the principles of Laudato Si’, the St. Mary’s community is now taking steps to become a more environmentally sustainable campus. An important part of this effort is to establish baseline conditions from which to measure progress in sustainability with respect to specific university systems. With extensive grounds, dozens of buildings, and thousands of students, staff, and faculty, however, the complexities of a college campus can make it difficult to …

From Faith To Watts: Energy Efficiency In Casa Maria, Trinity Gomez, Marvin Masabo Nkaka, Jazmin Palacios, Olivia Riojas, Chelsy Tinacba

Presentations - 2025

In the fall of 2021, St. Mary’s University became one of the first universities in Texas to commit to Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP). With this seven-year commitment to the principles of Laudato Si’, the St. Mary’s community is now taking steps to become a more environmentally sustainable campus. An important part of this effort is to establish baseline conditions from which to measure progress in sustainability with respect to specific university systems. With extensive grounds, dozens of buildings, and thousands of students, staff, and faculty, however, the complexities of a college campus can make it difficult to …

Storage Batteries (Renewable Energies/Cars) - Background For Cure "Battery Discharge" Project, Alexa Miner, Clarissa Cortez, James Gonzalez, Ryan Romine

Posters - 2025

In the past, and even today, Texas is known for its oil rigs and non-renewable energy sources, but it has also become a pillar for solar and wind turbine created power. As of late, the usage of these kinds of renewable resources has become essential to keep Texas as efficient as we once were in an ever growing world, where more people need more energy. However, a caveat concerning renewable energy resources is how available they are. At first, this unfamiliar territory led to people doubting its productivity when there was a lack of wind or sunshine. The solution to …

Experimental Evaluation Of Friedel’S Salt For Chloride Removal In Road Salt-Impacted Stormwater And Lakes, Marwan Alhinaai

Masters Theses

Road salt (e.g., NaCl) application in cold-temperature regions has increased Cl- concentrations in freshwater. Removing Cl- from water is challenging because it’s highly soluble. This paper is the first to demonstrate and characterize the removal of Cl- from stormwater by Friedel’s salt (Ca4Al2(OH)12Cl2(H2O)4) precipitation (FSP), achieved by adding calcium oxide (CaO) and sodium aluminate (NaAlO2). Laboratory tests were done on Cl- removal with FSP using a range of Ca/Al/Cl ratios in deionized (DI) water and in stormwater samples impacted by road salt. Even the lowest doses resulted in significant removal of Cl- with maximum removal rates for comparable Ca/Al/Cl ratios …

Black Mothering And Environmental Justice Activism: A Black Ecofeminist Framework, Kayla N. Miller , '25

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

No abstract provided.

Streamlining Wildlife Regulation, Robert L. Fischman

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

A recent burst of revisions in the bedrock regulations governing projects that may adversely affect wildlife represents a generational shift in policy. Streamlining federal decision -making drove much of this reform. Streamlining offers a path to address climate change without abandoning a longstanding commitment to wildlife conservation. The conservation community recognizes the need to build new infrastructure to reduce the rate of climate change through air emissions. The most urgent priority is decarbonizing the electrical ~rid through renewable energy generation and a better transmission network. Adaptation to the "new abnormal" of climate-driven environmental disruption demands federal approvals for a host …

Lead Telecommunications Cables: A Call For Concern?, Zachary Young

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

From the late 1800s until the 1950s, telecommunication companies across the United States utilized lead casing to protect their telecommunication lines. As technology developed and different types of plastic coatings were created, telecommunication companies phased out the use of lead cables. However, the lead cables remain in the air and buried in the ground, even continuing to provide telephone service for some. The failure to remove these cables, most of which are not in use anymore, has generated a slew of issues for the modem-day telecommunication companies that have inherited these cables from their predecessors. As the protective casing decays, …

Leaf It To The Ai: Visualizing Foliage With Machine Learning, Chelsy Tinacba, George Sikazwe, Michael Frye

Posters - 2025

This project sets out to create a tool to help aid in the research and monitoring of the threatened prickly cacti [Fig. 1]. due to an invasive species of insect growing to be a threat. This website displays current and predictive locations of foliage within a region.

To get the data of the predictive location, an additional program was developed that uses a machine learning model to provide coordinates of potential areas where more plants may be. The computer program provides a visualization of potential patterns for the foliage in the database. The machine learning model combs through the data …