Digital Commons Network^™

Harnessing Edna Metabarcoding To Monitor Species Diversity In Restoration Sites: Insights From Laikipia, Kenya, Cornelius Okello, Nina Wambiji, Susana W. Kihia, Nehemiah Ongeso, Samuel Mwakisha Mwamburi, Anthony Wandera, Marie Estelle Demory, Margaret Awuor Owuor

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Restoration of degraded arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) dryland ecosystems gained traction globally with the enactment of the Bonn Challenge and UN Decade of Restoration. This has been domesticated in Kenya's context by The Forest and Landscape Restoration Implementation Plan (FOLAREP). However, effectively monitoring restored ecosystems is crucial but challenging because of data gaps and technical hurdles, highlighting the need for innovative approaches to assess and restore biodiversity. This study aimed to pilot soil environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to detect species compositions rapidly, evaluate population structures and abundances, and characterize taxonomic groups. The results from this study serve as a …

More Concerns About Atmospheric Methane Removal Efforts, Joshua Luczak

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported record-high global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels (419.3 ppm) in 2023, alongside atmospheric methane levels (1922.6 ppb) now over 160% above pre-industrial levels. The World Meteorological Organization predicts 2024 could surpass 2023 as the warmest year on record, with more frequent and severe extreme weather events. Meeting the Paris Climate goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C—or ideally 1.5°C—above pre-industrial levels is becoming increasingly difficult. To address these challenges, efforts are expanding beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies have been the focus, attention is now turning to …

Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Unreclaimed (Ur) Sites: Ur-35 Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

2024 Annual Operations And Maintenance Report, Butte-Silver Bow Department Of Reclamation And Environmental Services

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Environmentally Relevant Concentrations Of Roundup On Oxidative-Nitrative Stress, Cellular Apoptosis, Prooxidant-Antioxidant Homeostasis, Renin And Cyp1a Expressions In Goldfish: Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Kidney Damage During Roundup Exposure, Md Imran Noor, Md Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Roundup is one of the most widely used glyphosate-based harmful herbicides in the United States as well as globally, which poses a severe risk for terrestrial and aquatic organisms. In order to identify the detrimental effects of Roundup exposure in aquatic organisms, we investigated the environmentally relevant concentrations of Roundup exposure (low dose: 0.5 μg/L and high dose: 5.0 μg/L for 2 weeks) on renin expression, oxidative-nitrative stress biomarkers (e.g., 2,4-dinitrophenol, DNP; and 3-nitrotyrosine protein, NTP), prooxidant-antioxidant enzymes expressions (e.g., superoxide dismutase, SOD; and catalase, CAT), cellular apoptosis, and cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) mRNA levels in the kidneys of goldfish …

Optimized Filtrations For Stormwater Quality Improvement By Porous Media–Biochar Applications: Column Experiments And Inverse Modeling, Sumiaya Amin Preota, Chu-Lin Cheng, Myung Hwangbo, Jongsun Kim

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Stormwater reuse plays a critical role under changing climates and increasing water demands. This study investigates the removal efficacy of lead (Pb2+) and ammonia (NH3) using sand and rice husk (RH) biochar for potential stormwater quality improvements and treatments. Column experiments combined with HYDRUS inverse modeling were conducted to optimize adsorption isotherms from breakthrough curves. Among linear and non-linear models, the Langmuir and Freundlich models performed better for sand and biochar, respectively. RH biochar showed much higher adsorption capacity of both Pb2+ (4.813 mg/g) and NH3 (6.188 mg/g). In contrast, sand showed a relatively limited adsorption capacity for Pb2+ (0.118 …

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

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

Contents:

--- Meet the Environmental Assistance Program Staff
--- IWRC Director Joe Bolick joins ISOSWO Board of Directors
--- Keeping Tabs on PFAS
--- IGBC Brewery wins gold
--- Farewell to Paige
--- Compost Operator Renewal Training
--- Industry News

Cellular Telemetry For Real-Time River Flow Velocity Data From Fluvial Acoustic Tomography Loggers, Joshua Lee Seymour

Honors Theses

Streamflow is a critical element in understanding watershed processes and the effects of land use on those processes because it is the primary medium through which water, sediment, nutrients, organic material, thermal energy, and aquatic species move. Fluvial Acoustic Tomography (FAT) systems offer accurate direct measurements of river section-averaged flow velocity by measuring reciprocal acoustic travel times between at least two acoustic nodes positioned on opposite riverbanks. However, similar to many in-situ sensors used in estuarine and riverine environments, FAT loggers require manual data retrieval, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and limits real-time access and increases maintenance costs. This project presents …

Climate Prediction As An Adaptive Force-Multiplier: Reasons For Hope In A Rapidly Changing World, Matthew D. Laplante

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

It's not unreasonable to feel pessimistic about our future under climate change. But "believing the science" doesn't require you to accept that we are headed toward apocalypse. It is true that human-caused climate change is real, it is underway, and our societies face many increased risks because of it. But that's just part of what climate science tells us about our future world. This same field is responsible for the recent and rapid development of tools and techniques that permit the identification of patterns in our oceans and atmosphere that will aid us in making increasingly accurate predictions about climate—the …

Managing For Disturbance: Trade-Offs Associated With Population Resilience And Ecosystem Size, Ellie Wallace

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Populations can recover from and withstand disturbance through characteristics such as reproduction and maintaining large abundances. While these traits are beneficial to native species conservation, they can simultaneously challenge effective invasive species management. Effective invasive species control requires sufficient efforts to overcome a population's ability to recover from disturbance, such as harvest. My dissertation aimed to address how the size of an invasive population and its ability to recover from disturbance impact a suite of invasive species control methods, including those that (1) target mainly larger and older individuals (i.e., mechanical removal), (2) target all sizes of individuals (i.e., targeted …

Potamogeton Crispus Invasion: Impacts On Native Aquatic Plants And Associated Faunal Habitat, Meghan-Grace Slocombe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Aquatic invasive plants are non-native plants that invade a water body and displace native aquatic plants. Invasion depletes the native plant community's ability to provide ecosystem services, including improved water quality, decreased problematic algae, and increased animal habitat. The loss of these ecosystem services reduces the value of fishing, boating, and swimming opportunities in aquatic ecosystems. The potential changes in plant communities and services are particularly important at sites targeted for restoration because project goals typically include increasing ecosystem services, including wildlife habitat. Curly-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus L.) is a problematic invasive species in North America. To better manage …

A Herpetofaunal Inventory Study Of Two National Wildlife Refuges In The Mississippi Delta And Associated Evaluation Of Trapping Efficacy, Andrew Holzinger

Master's Theses

The objectives of this project were to record the diversity and distribution of amphibian and reptile species present at Panther Swamp and Hillside National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) and to quantify trapping efficacy as a result of various methodologies under different habitat variables. The primary methods employed were two varieties of drift fence trap arrays consisting of 100-foot sections of silt fencing with buried 2.5-gallon buckets as pitfall traps and box traps placed at the end of each fence to capture larger organisms. When conditions permitted, aquatic trapping was also employed across the Refuges. A total of 55 species were documented, …

The Role Of Individual Values In Bryant University's Sustainability Efforts, John Boccuzzi Iii

Honors Projects in Data Science

This research examines student, faculty, and staff perspectives on sustainability at Bryant University, with the goal of understanding how individual values align with the university's environmental initiatives. The objective is to assess perceptions of Bryant's current sustainability practices, explore how effectively these efforts are communicated across campus, and identify potential gaps between institutional action and community awareness. To achieve this, the study gathers qualitative data through an open-ended survey and applies sentiment analysis to interpret student attitudes toward sustainability. By analyzing these responses alongside Bryant's sustainability marketing efforts, this research will identify gaps between student engagement and institutional messaging The …

Promoting Sustainable Drinking Water Consumption At Bryant University, Matthew Gerdenich

Honors Projects in Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Many higher education institutions have either banned or restricted the sale of disposable plastic water bottles to address environmental pollution and climate change. This project seeks to gather knowledge and data related to disposable water bottle consumption at Bryant University that can be used to provide recommendations for promoting reusable water bottle use on campus. Additionally, the project seeks to find out why community members choose single-use water bottles over reusables ones and how to make reusable water bottle use more attractive and accessible. Primary research included a survey distributed to undergraduate students on campus as well as water samples …

Assessing Relationships Between Water Quality, Precipitation, Land Cover And Stormwater Conveyance Type Across A Range Of Sub-Watersheds In The Southeastern Coastal Zone, Kevencia Sabine Gabriel Faton

Theses and Dissertations

The expansion of urban land use/cover along the coast may degrade water quality by introducing a plethora of pollutants and pathogens that negatively impact human and ecological health. It is hypothesized that anthropogenic contaminants associated with stormwater runoff increase with increasing urban density and vary with the timing and magnitude of rainfall. In this study, we examined land use/cover change and relationships between Escherichia coli (E. coli), turbidity, nutrients, and the timing and magnitude of rainfall in two different types of stormwater conveyances (ditches and ponds) within Murrells Inlet, SC during the summer of 2023. Our results indicate …

From The Ground Up: Community-Based Participatory Research Reclaiming The Science Of Lead, Juan Manuel Rubio, Bavisha Kaylan, Anthony Diaz, Patricia Flores, Maya Cheav, David C. Bañuelas, Ashley Green, Annika Hjelmstad, Ariane Jong-Levinger, Tim Schütz, Maya Carrasquillo, Alana M. W. Lebron, Jun Wu

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

For decades, the dominant approach to lead poisoning has been to focus on homes affected by lead paint and to treat children who are already suffering from lead poisoning. This individualizing approach developed in the context of the defunding and deregulation of government agencies in the 1980s. In recent years, however, community–academic partnerships have reframed lead as an environmental issue produced by the development of the lead industry in the twentieth century and connected to overlapping histories of exploitation, discrimination, and inaction. These community-based projects have contributed to shifting research agendas (by emphasizing historical analysis and the study of the …

Trends And Transport Of Tropospheric Ozone From New York City To Connecticut In The Summer Of 2023, Michele Iraci

Honors Scholar Theses

Tropospheric Ozone, or O3, is a criteria pollutant contributing to most of Connecticut and New York City’s poor air quality days. It has adverse effects on human health, particularly for high-risk individuals. Ozone is produced by nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds from fuel combustion reacting with sunlight. The Ozone Transport Region (OTR) is a collection of states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States that experience cross-state pollution of O3. Connecticut has multiple days a year where O3 values exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, requiring additional monitoring and standards because it falls in the OTR— partially due …

The Oaks Vs. Other University Dining Facilities: Does Architecture Affect Food Waste?, Sydney Bezich

Honors Projects

The purpose of this study was to find a connection between food waste and architecture and determine how food waste can be mitigated using architectural solutions and methods. Food waste is an important issue worldwide and is present in university dining facilities. This study focuses on university dining facilities’ preventable food waste at both the pre-consumer and post-consumer levels. Architecture, in this project, is defined as all aspects of the built environment. This includes, but is not limited to, design and layout, materials, systems, building operations, marketing displays, and sustainability. Methods for this study included researching sustainability, architecture, and food …

Quantifying And Characterizing Microplastics In The Greater Philadelphia Region, Emily Lybashev

Biology Honors Papers

Plastic is one of the world's most useful and versatile materials, so it is no wonder that 400 million tons are produced yearly. When exposed to weathering, heat, water, and organisms, plastic degrades and produces microplastics. These microplastics have managed to leach into our oceans, local waterways, bodies, and even our atmosphere. The negative implications of microplastic contamination in our environment are slowly being uncovered with concerns of toxin buildup. Additionally, the amount of microplastics we are exposed to through local waterways is rarely quantified. Though microplastic research is picking up pace, the Schuylkill River which spans the Greater Philadelphia …

Mine Closure Planning Must Face The Challenge Of Delivering Nature Positive Outcomes, Luis E. Sanchez, Angus Morrison-Saunders

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The need to address and reverse global biodiversity decline is imperative across all of society including the practices of mine closure planning. Nature Positive is the latest global biodiversity-focused initiative which calls for at least 30% of biodiversity to be enhanced through effective restoration relative to the 2020 baseline. This paper conceptualizes and explains what is necessary in mine closure planning and implementation to meaningfully contribute to this and other nature-positive goals, with some illustrative examples. Issues considered include application of the mitigation hierarchy, rehabilitation in mining and the time lag challenge for restoring biodiversity, biodiversity offsetting, conserving nature while …

Application Of Five Seismic Attributes In Natural Fracture Prediction For Deep Coalbed Methane Production Along The Eastern Margin Of The Ordos Basin, Tong Jiangnan, Wang Feng, Zhang Feng, Hou Wei, Li Zhongbai, Ji Liang, Jiang Yanan, Sun Wei

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background Natural fractures serve as both the primary storage space for free gas of deep coalbed methane (CBM) and pathways for hydrocarbon migration. Furthermore, these fractures can enhance the porosity and permeability of strata under the deep, high-pressure condition, significantly amplifying the permeability of coal seams. Therefore, the fine-scale characterization of the planar distribution of natural fractures is crucial to deep CBM production.Objectives and Methods This study investigated the No.8 coal seam in the Carboniferous Benxi Formation within the Daning-Jixian block on the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin. Through offset vector tiles (OVT) domain processing of offshore 3D …

Diverse Dust Sources And Warming Trigger Cyanobacteria Abundance In Freshwater Ecosystems In The Western United States, Juan Manuel González-Olalla, Janice Brahney

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

The rise in global temperature and the increase in atmospheric transport and deposition of dust linked to greater aridity, land abandonment, and wildfires, are placing significant stress on freshwater microbial communities. Temperature increases and the nutrients contained in the dust may independently and together alter the metabolism and structure of these communities. However, dust chemistry is widely variable, and pre-existing lake conditions will likely influence the response of the algal and microbial communities to added nutrients and temperature stress. To fill this gap of knowledge, we tested the metabolic and structural response of phytoplankton in two aquatic ecosystems in the …

Melting Ice, Moving Minds, Andres Cabrero

Montserrat Student Scholarship

Ice Watch is a large-scale public installation by Olafur Eliasson that brings melting glacial ice into busy city spaces to make the effects of climate change both visible and urgent.. Eliasson wants people to physically feel the reality of climate change, not just learn about it. He uses art to turn abstract data into a real, emotional experience. Climate change can feel distant, and even somewhat invisible. By putting giant blocks of ice in public, the project helps people face the problem in a physical, immediate way.

Volume 16, Maggie Duncan, Madeline Little, Alicia Hoffman, Megan Livesay, Gabrielle Quaresma, Serenity Allen, Laina Pfountz, Ainslie Allred, Sabrina Robles, Nicholas J. Duellman, Trinity L. Deguzman, Melissa H. Savage, Margaret Dudley, Jocelyn Escobar, Olivia Hildreth, Olivia Hopkins, Benjamin Gettier, Lee Kassay, Jade Riddle, Ashley Seiders

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction Dr. Amorette Barber, Director, Office of Student Research

From the Editor Dr. Hannah Dudley-Shotwell

Artist’s Statement Maggie Duncan

On Mentoring Dr. Lee Millar Bidwell

The Hujum Campaign in Uzbekistan and its Consequences by Madeline Little

Wet Cupping Compared to Dry Needling for Treatment of Patients with Low Back Pain: A Critically Appraised Topic by Alicia Hoffman and Megan Livesay

Optimization of eDNA Air Sampling Via 3D Printed Fan by Gabrielle Quaresma

Beyond the Classroom: A Qualitative Study of Teacher Attrition and Retention by Serenity Allen and Laina Pfountz

The Treatment of Subacromial Impingement Syndrome with Platelet-Rich plasma Injections Verses …

Analyzing Northwest Ohio Industries And Utilizing The Shape Program To Increase Sustainable Practices, Abigail Stucker

Honors Projects

The purpose of this project is to dive deeper into the corporate perspective on sustainability and why manufacturing companies should take action on such an important topic. Is there a true balance for businesses between increasing profits and reducing waste? Why should businesses care about being branded as a sustainable company? What efforts do companies need to take to truly be branded as “sustainable?” These are questions that drove the research and development of this project. After looking into these guiding questions, this project develops a program to help monitor and measure the successful sustainability practices that various Northwest Ohio …

Rapid Flips Between Warm And Cold Extremes In A Warming World, Sijia Wu, Ming Luo, Gabriel Ngar-Cheung Lau, Wei Zhang, Lin Wang, Zhen Liu, Lijie Lin, Yijing Wang, Erjia Ge, Jianfeng Li, Yuanchao Fan, Yimin Chen, Weilin Liao, Xiaoyu Wang, Xiaocong Xu, Zhixin Qi, Ziwei Huang, Faith Ka Shun Chan, David Yongqin Chen, Xiaoping Liu, Tao Pei

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Rapid temperature flips are sudden shifts from extreme warm to cold or vice versa–both challenge humans and ecosystems by leaving a very short time to mitigate two contrasting extremes, but are yet to be understood. Here, we provide a global assessment of rapid temperature flips from 1961 to 2100. Warm-to-cold flips favorably follow wetter and cloudier conditions, while cold-to-warm flips exhibit an opposite feature. Of the global areas defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, over 60% have experienced more frequent, intense, and rapid flips since 1961, and this trend will expand to most areas in the future. During …

Re: Bpsou Superfund Stormwater Operation And Maintenance (O&M) Request For Maintenance – Kelley Stormwater Channels, Josh Bryson

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Building Climate Resilience Through Food Recovery, San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative, Alexander Pourfard, Aranza Ruvalcaba

San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative

In an effort to combat GHG emissions from food waste, California passed Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383) into law in 2016. The bill contains key provisions aimed at increasing edible food recovery. By rescuing food that would otherwise go to the landfill, California entities have been able to help save precious food and advance sustainable solutions to address climate change in their local communities. Since the food recovery requirements took effect in January of 2022, over 217,000 tons of unsold food have been recovered annually, providing more than 700 million meals to food-insecure Californians.

From Food To Fashion: Bio-Based Textiles Advancing Sustainability And Socioeconomic Growth In Emerging Markets, Andrew Burnstine

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

The global fashion industry is undergoing a profound shift towards sustainability, driven by innovations in bio-based textiles derived from agricultural byproducts such as cactus, pineapple, banana, coconut, fungi, and bacterial cultures. This article comprehensively explores the technological advancements, industry adoption trends, socioeconomic impact on emerging markets, and barriers to widespread adoption of bio-based textiles. The alignment of these innovations with global sustainability initiatives, key industry collaborations, and policy interventions are also examined.

Development Scenarios And Wildfire Risk In Central Oregon, Samantha Hall

Dissertations and Theses

Risk from natural hazards occurs where areas vulnerable to natural hazards and development intersect. Development in vulnerable areas is a societal choice that has a lasting impact as our built environment is relatively permanent. Development patterns that contribute to increased wildfire risk mostly occur within the wildland urban interface, a land use type where development is at the fringes or intercept of wildland areas and is more flammable due to surrounding vegetation, slope, local climate, and other factors. To understand how past and future development potentials may impact fire risk in wildfire prone areas, a case study of Deschutes County, …