Digital Commons Network^™

Local Energy For Local Water: Urban-Rural Collaboration, Meg Brady, Clementine Ewomsan

Environmental Engagement in the Community (ENVR 319): Student Projects

Environmental Engagement in the Community projects, fall 2024

A poster titled Local Energy for Local Water: Urban-Rural Collaboration for client James Persson.

Proposed Plan To Amend The Remedial Action For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit, Environmental Protection Agency

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Proceedings Of Wmu Maritime Week 2024 Beyond Horizons : Maritime Sustainability, World Maritime University, Korea Maritime Institute, Korea Research Institute Of Ships And Ocean Engineering

WMU Maritime Week 2024 Beyond Horizons: Maritime Sustainability

This proceedings is the output of the WMU Maritime Week 2024 Conference, which was held from August 27 to 30, 2024, at WMU in Malmö. As the first conference of WMU Maritime Week, it focused on themes such as the IMO World Maritime Day theme 2024: 'Navigating the Future: Safety First!', Maritime Sustainability, Digitalization, Decarbonization, Maritime Business and Logistics, and Capacity Development. A total of 42 experts in these fields presented across 8 sessions. This proceeding provides a summary of the presentations from all the speakers.

Revised Final Multi-Pathway Residential Metals Abatement Program Plan, Atlantic Richfield Company, Butte Silver Bow

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Remediation Technology And Study To Remove Nano-Pollutants From Wastewater, Lauretta Ngozi Ndu Nwagu

Dissertations (2016-Present)

Life on Earth depends on water, which also has a direct impact on climate, health, and economic growth. Water poverty, pollution, and scarcity are some of the environmental issues confronting our society today. Water pollution and water poverty are both measurable parameters. Water quality is measured by comparing its physical, chemical, and biological properties to a predefined standard. This study examines remediation techniques for removing nano-pollutants from human-generated wastewater. In order to satisfy the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) standard, this technological approach utilizes gravity and a zero-carbon footprint for wastewater purification.

The research is designed with various pore sizes of …

Using Catholic Social Thought And The Normativity Of The Future In Responding To The Super Wicked Problem Of Climate Change, Stephanie Ann Yu Puen

Theology Department Faculty Publications

The climate crisis has been dubbed a “super wicked problem”—one where there is a sense of urgency, complicity in the problem by those who wish to solve it, and difficulty in sacrificing the short term for the long term. To respond to the difficulty of long-term thinking in addressing super wicked problems as part of SDG 13 (Climate Action), there is a need to pay attention to the narratives, norms, and values at work, and how we employ these categories in climate action. This paper discusses how Catholic social thought and the concept of the normativity of the future can …

Local Environmental Organizations And Long-Term Investor Value Appropriation, Chune Young Chung, Gia Han Doan, Kainan Wang

Finance Faculty Publications

Highlights

• We explore how external and internal firm factors influence the impact of local activism.
• Our results indicate a positive effect of local activism on LIVA.
• Firms tend to increase their environmental disclosures in response to local activism.
• Local activism effects are greater when long-term value is prioritized.
• The findings support the social movement theory.

Abstract

This study uses datasets representing local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to examine how local environmental organizations enhance long-term investor value appropriation (LIVA). We explore how external and internal firm factors influence the impact of local activism. Our results indicate a positive effect of local activism …

Study Of Vegetated Islands Along The Middle Rio Grande Using Openet Satellite Toolbox, Athena Victoria Sophia Shapiro Esq.

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

Sustainable water management is a challenging issue facing most of the western United States. This study analyzed evapotranspiration predictions at 14 sites along the Middle Rio Grande, changes have occurred over time as these vegetated sand bar islands have developed. Additionally, this study examines the methods of predictions and analysis of evapotranspiration or ET rates along the river using OpenET. An added area of research is the understanding of the presence of vegetation on the sandbar islands. This was analyzed using satellite imaging data from OpenET, which was used to see how changes in vegetation density change ET values seen …

Drinking Water And Wastewater In Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Communities In New Mexico: The Utilization Of Geographic Information Systems To Identify Communities Most In Need Of Technical Assistance, Alejandra Gaytan Tellez

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

The goal of this study is to identify the most burdened New Mexico community water systems (CWSs) and publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits to be able to provide them with technical assistance to address their issues, such as health-based and monitoring and reporting violations. Additionally, technical assistance can help them access federal or state funding to improve the infrastructure within their systems. The study evaluated multiple factors to determine the systems with the highest level of burden and reported the results as value numbers. The CWSs were evaluated on 10 factors that …

Rabbit Control: Fumigation, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

Fumigation for rabbit control involves the introduction of poisonous gas into a warren. It is one of the best control methods to use where low numbers of rabbits live in a few widely scattered warrens. The threat to non-target animals is minimal. This factsheet should be read in conjunction with registered product labels and directions for use. Check the Department of Health, Western Australia website (health.wa.gov.au) for public health requirements for the use of phosphine fumigation.

Fumigation may be used in areas where access is limited, such as fence lines, around trees, and on riverbanks, but it may be difficult …

How Did The Deer Cross The Road? Reducing Habitat Fragmentation And Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Deaths Through Connective Conservation In The South Mountain Region, Pennsylvania, Jack B. Joiner, Emily R. Kreider, Thomas H. Manning, Madison E. Rowell

Student Publications

While some deleterious effects of road networks and the vehicles that travel them– such as pollution, fossil fuel extraction, and carbon emissions– are widely recognized, their significant role in causing an estimated one million wildlife deaths per day (Shilling et al., 2021) and contributing to habitat loss and degradation, the leading causes of global biodiversity decline (Pinto et al., 2023), has garnered less attention. Connective conservation policies, such as designating wildlife corridors and constructing wildlife crossings on roadways, have been proposed as a means of mitigating these repercussions. This study proposes a connective conservation plan addressing the logistics of a …

Stable Isotope Analysis Of Antipatharian Diets From The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Keir J. Macartney, Victoria Salinas, Zachary Rivera, David Hicks

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Antipatharians, or black corals, form a key component of the benthic fauna found throughout the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). In the northwestern GOM, they are a common member of the communities found on the natural relic coral—algal banks known as the South Texas Banks as well as on artificial reefs. They are known to provide important habitat for many ecologically and economically important species in the area but are relatively understudied. Here we present a study on their trophic ecology using stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen from 2 species, Antipathes atlantica and Stichopathes luetkeni from a mesophotic artificial …

Detection Of Seismic Microwave Radiation Anomalies In Snow-Covered Mountainous Terrain: Insights From Two Recent Earthquakes In The Pamir–Tien Shan Region, Feng Jing, Meng Jiang, Ramesh P. Singh

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

When earthquakes occur in high-mountain areas during the winter season, the epicentral region is often covered by a snow layer, which can be either thin or thick. The presence of snow and/or ice layers affects the detection of thermal anomalies associated with seismic signals. Taking into account the penetration capabilities of microwaves, microwave brightness temperature data were analyzed by using the index of microwave radiation anomaly to study the response of the epicentral region associated with two recent strong earthquakes in Central Asia, which occurred in snow-covered mountainous areas. Increased microwave radiation was observed within one week prior to the …

Challenges Of Using More Precise Temporal And Spatial Resolution Of Remote Sensing Data For Surface Water Quality Monitoring, Ivan Rykin

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Monitoring river suspended sediment concentration (SSC) is critical for environmental challenges such as understanding the fate of thawed permafrost sediment and its impact on global carbon cycling. However, traditional SSC monitoring using Landsat imagery is limited by spatial and temporal constraints, particularly for narrow rivers in cloudy and/or snowy regions.

This study investigates the use of higher spatial (3 m) and temporal (daily) resolution satellite imagery from the PlanetScope constellation to estimate SSC in remote rivers such as those in the Arctic. I compare the performance of PlanetScope’s spectral resolution (4 and 8 bands) with Landsat 7. Merging data from …

Lessons Learned On The Feasibility Of Coastal Wetland Restoration For Blue Carbon And Co-Benefits In Australia, Valerie Hagger, Phoebe Stewart-Sinclair, Renee Anne Rossini, Maria Fernanda Adame, William Glamore, Paul Lavery, Nathan J. Waltham, Catherine E. Lovelock

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Diverse types of saline coastal wetlands contribute significantly to global biodiversity, carbon stocks, and ecosystem functions. Opportunities to incentivise coastal wetland restoration from carbon markets is growing across the world. However, little is known of the economic feasibility of blue carbon restoration across different regions, or the quantities of ecological and social co-benefits that accompany restoration. We explored the opportunities for tidal restoration of coastal wetlands for blue carbon projects in three regions across Australia. We identified biophysically suitable potential restoration sites for mangroves, saltmarshes and supratidal forests, estimated their carbon abatement over 25 years, and undertook a cost-benefit analysis …

Privacy Risks And Regulatory Challenges In Smart Grids And Renewable Energy Systems, Mikołaj Rajca

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

Smart grid technologies are central to the global shift towards a more efficient and sustainable energy infrastructure, integrating advanced digital systems with traditional power networks. While these technologies offer significant benefits, including enhanced energy management and the seamless integration of renewable energy sources, they also introduce complex privacy challenges. The extensive data collection and real-time communication capabilities inherent in smart grids raise concerns over consumer privacy, data breaches, and cybersecurity threats. This paper critically examines these privacy risks within the context of evolving regulatory frameworks such as the GDPR, NIS2 Directive, and the forthcoming EU AI Act. The discussion emphasizes …

Impacts Of Climate Change In The United States, Nathan T. Thompson

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Climate change, a shift in long-term climate patterns primarily driven by anthropogenic factors, poses a super wicked problem impacting every sector and region globally, including the United States. This paper explores the scientific basis of climate change, its contributing factors, and the myriad consequences on terrestrial and aquatic systems, as well as mental health. Notably, the emission of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels and agricultural activities is the primary cause, exacerbated by ideological division and psychological distance. The U.S. has seen some progress with a 7% decrease in emissions over the past 30 years and a growing shift toward renewable …

Environmental Justice And Social Work: A Study Across Practice Settings In Three U.S. States, Lisa Reyes Mason, Sierra Roach Coye, Smitha Rao, Amy Krings, Julia Santucci

Graduate School of Social Work: Faculty Scholarship

Environmental justice is essential for improved quality of life and sustainable wellbeing. This study examines how environmental issues and related injustices are surfacing in U.S. social work practice and social work readiness to respond, and what resources social workers are most interested in. Data are from an online survey of U.S. social workers (N = 337) in Colorado, Ohio, and Tennessee. Participants answered questions about their social work background, current job, environmental issues in practice, resources, and demographics. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. For nine issues, at least 30% of participants reported these as surfacing sometimes or often, with …

Seasonal Dynamics In Land Surface Temperature In Response To Land Use Land Cover Changes Using Google Earth Engine, Lei Feng, Sajjad Hussain, Narcisa G. Pricope, Sana Arshad, Aqil Tariq, Li Feng, Muhammad Mubeen, Rana Waqar Aslam, Mohammed S. Fnais, Wenzhao Li, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Changes in land use and land cover (LULC) are critical for evaluating global spatiotemporal trends, especially regarding climate change and urbanization. This study investigates the dynamics of Landsat surface temperature (LST) in response to LULC changes and their effects on the seasonal microclimate in Kasur District, Pakistan. Using the Google Earth Engine platform, we employed a random forest algorithm to detect LULC changes (cropland, forest, built-up, fallow, barren, and water) and analyze seasonal spectral indices from Landsat imagery for 1988, 2002, and 2022. Significant LULC changes were observed, including a 9.8% increase in built-up areas, a 4.2% decrease in cropland, …

Amino Acid-Based Protein-Mimic Hydrogel Incorporating Pro-Regenerative Lipid Mediator And Microvascular Fragments Promotes The Healing Of Deep Burn Wounds, Yan Lu, Shanchun Su, Chih Chang Chu, Yuichi Kobayashi, Abdul Razak Masoud, Hongying Peng, Nathan Lien, Mingyu He, Christopher Vuong, Ryan Tran, Song Hong

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Pro-regenerative lipid mediator 1 (PreM1) is a specialized pro-resolving lipid mediator that promotes wound healing and regenerative functions of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), endothelial cells, and macrophages. The healing of third-degree (3°) burns and regenerative functions of MSCs are enhanced by ACgel1, an arginine-and-chitosan-based protein-mimic hybrid hydrogel. Adipose-tissue derived microvascular fragments (MVFs) are native vascularization units and a rich source of MSCs, endothelial cells, and perivascular cells for tissue regeneration. Here we describe an innovative PreM1-MVFs-ACgel1 construct that incorporated PreM1 and MVFs into ACgel1 via optimal design and fabrication. This construct delivered PreM1 to 3°-burn wounds at least up to …

Policies And Programs For Water-Wise Residential Landscaping In Utah, Charlotte Clark, Kendall Becker, Scott Hotaling

All Current Publications

Water-wise landscaping is the practice of using plants in a landscape that are adapted to local conditions and only need small amounts of water. Converting yards to water-wise landscaping conserves water and is a climate adaptation action residents can take to benefit Utah as temperatures rise and drought becomes more common. Many policies and programs in Utah help residents use water conscientiously and make changes. This fact sheet provides information regarding current and future water-wise landscaping policies and programs in Utah.

A Method For Reconstructing Consecutively Missing Seismic Data Based On Recurrent Feature Reasoning, Li Zijuan, Chang Guangyao, Jia Yongna

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Due to the constraints of natural environments like rapids, rifts, and high mountains, the acquired seismic data are often challenged by consecutive missing, affecting subsequent seismic data processing and geologic analysis. Hence, it is necessary to reconstruct the missing data through interpolation. Methods This study proposed a method for reconstructing consecutively missing seismic data based on recurrent feature reasoning. First, the missing seismic data undergo partial convolution operations, in which the weight of the convolution results is adaptively adjusted based on the proportion of valid feature map data in the receptive field, avoiding invalid convolution operations on consecutively missing …

A Brighter Tomorrow With Darker Skies: Understanding The Consequences Of Excessive Light And Combating Light Pollution At West Chester University, Finn Schmidhuber

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Finn Schmidhuber, Computer Science '25, presents on the importance of Dark Skies and limiting light pollution.

Enhancing Resilience And Reducing Waste In Food Supply Chains: A Systematic Review And Future Directions Leveraging Emerging Technologies, Asmaa Seyam, May Ei Barachi, Cheng Zhang, Bo Du, Jun Shen, Sujith Samuel Mathew

All Works

The sustainability of food supply chains is gaining increasing attention, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. A food supply system that simultaneously prioritises resilience and minimises wastage is crucial. It is found that many studies have explored reducing food waste and increasing supply chain resilience as separate objectives, but research is scarce investigating both objectives in conjunction. This paper presents a comprehensive systematic review focusing on existing solutions to reducing food waste and enhancing resilience. It discusses future directions, particularly leveraging emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. The studies are categorised into three …

Recent Climate Change In Utah, 1870-2023, Scott Hotaling, Kendall Becker

All Current Publications

Climate change is impacting Utah. Forty-five years of temperature data show that Utah is steadily warming, which, in turn, is driving declines in winter snowpack, shifting the timing and amount of available water, increasing fire risk, and causing ecological change. This fact sheet addresses changes in Utah's temperature, precipitation and snowpack, streamflow, wildfire, and ecology.

Business Failure Mode And Effects Analysis: A Risk Based Holistic Strategy To Improve Success Rates Of Small Technology Businesses, Krishnakumar R. Nair

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Multiple US and global statistics show that small businesses are vital to economic development but fail at a startling rate. Small technology businesses (STBs) are around 35% of this small business segment. The central problem addressed in this research is to reduce their short lives and enable growth and stability. The solution is a significant business management strategy iteratively developed by working with business owners and practitioners. A holistic approach to view the business as a whole to address premature failures is not available, and this research presents a comprehensive approach to solving that problem. The study developed a novel …

Strengthen S&T Empowered Green Development To Promote Harmonious Coexistence Between Humans And Nature, Jianguo Hou

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

No abstract provided.

Building A Community Of All Life On Earth: Man And The Biosphere Programme Bridging China And The World, Hongping He

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) launched by UNESCO has achieved remarkable accomplishments over more than half a century in the aspects of biodiversity conservation, interdisciplinary research, technological innovation, knowledge sharing, international cooperation, etc. China, as an active participant to MAB, is productive in the development of national network, nomination and periodic review of biosphere reserves, international cooperation, and so on, thus contributing to global environmental governance and building of a community of all life on Earth. To enable MAB to more effectively address global common environmental challenges and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, it is recommended …

Mutual Empowerment And Synergies For Enhanced Outcomes: Pioneering A New Paradigm For Biodiversity Conservation—Significance Of Man And The Biosphere Programme For China And The World, Baotong Dong

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The core of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) lies in promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. This study discusses the significance of MAB for the management of protected areas and biodiversity conservation in China and globally, evaluates the valuable insights that MAB provides for China’s biodiversity conservation efforts, examines the supporting role of China’s conservation practices in implementing MAB methodology, and offers perspectives on future pathways to strengthen global biodiversity conservation.

Building New-Style Protected Area System With Chinese Characteristics And Promoting Innovative Development Of The Man And The Biosphere Programme, Zhen Yan

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Through innovative efforts to develop a national park-centered protected area system, China has made notable progress in science-based classification, protected areas consolidation and optimization, development and management, legal safeguards, and monitoring and oversight. These achievements have provided robust support for implementing the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), fostering a Chinese paradigm thereof. This paradigm features coordinated large-scale ecological conservation and improved livelihoods, integrated trans-boundary protection alongside monitoring and oversight, sustained advances in scientific research, and a balance between strict protection and rational utilization. Going forward, China will press ahead with building the world’s largest national park system, to serve …