Digital Commons Network^™

Application Of Haines And Terbrugge Chart For Suitable Slope Angles – A Case Study Of Artisanal And Small-Scale Mining, Carol Mgiba, Steven Rupprecht

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Significant hazards in Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) are rock failure and slope collapse caused by overly steep pit walls, poor mine design and water pressure. There is a lack of expertise and capital in ASM. Providing a simple and cost-effective slope stability analysis and designing systems that can mitigate the risk of slope collapse is essential. This article aims to assess whether stability charts and estimations can be used to establish suitable slope angles to mitigate the overwhelming cases of slope collapse in ASM. The Bieniawski’s Rock Mass Rating system and Heins and Terbrugge stability chart were used to …

Could A Carbon Tax Improve Utah's Air Quality And Mitigate Climate Change?, Rose Cameron, Kendall Becker, Alexi Elizabeth Lamm, Scott Hotaling

All Current Publications

Urban areas in Utah have suffered from poor air quality since Euro-American settlement in 1847. Because today’s harmful air pollutants and carbon dioxide—the most significant driver of contemporary climate change—are often emitted together, a carbon tax could improve air quality while also mitigating climate change. Here, we explore how Sweden has successfully implemented a carbon tax and consider the viability of a similar approach for Utah. While a carbon tax would pressure Utah’s transportation and energy sectors to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, revenue from the tax could finance renewable energy infrastructure to support companies transitioning away from fossil fuels …

A Forest Management Evaluation System For Small Private Forest Landowners, Pete Bettinger, Taeyoon Lee, Krista Merry, Daniel Drummond

Journal of Extension

When small private forest landowners have a need to address jointly economic and sustainability objectives, efficiency in both respects becomes important given limitations on the land, budget, time, and other resources that are available. The suite of forest management options available to a landowner may be vast and complex, therefore a tool to assist and inform their potential management activities can be of value. The eYield model was developed as an application (app) to assess forest management options on many different computing devices, from cellphones to desktop computers. Within eYield, a person can define a management situation, specify prices and …

Overview For Exploring The Multisensory Landscape, Brent Chamberlain, Richard Smardon

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

Land use change has had a fundamental impact on the livelihoods of people throughout the world. This Special Issue focuses on the research being conducted at the intersection of this land use change and the importance of maintaining landscapes that enrich humanity and our engagement with nature. Within this Special Issue, we explored the value of landscapes that heighten the senses. Visual Resource Stewardship is an area of research that closely aligns with understanding how changes in the environment may be perceived and experienced. Understanding the tools, processes, and theories involved helps us to better understand how land use change …

Scientific History, Sampling Approach, And Physical Characterization Of The Camp Century Subglacial Material, A Rare Archive From Beneath The Greenland Ice Sheet, Paul R. Bierman, Andrew J. Christ, Catherine M. Collins, Halley M. Mastro, Juliana Souza, Pierre Henri Blard, Stefanie Brachfeld, Zoe R. Courville, Tammy M. Rittenour, Elizabeth K. Thomas, Jean Louis Tison, François Fripiat

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Basal materials in ice cores hold information about paleoclimate conditions, glacial processes, and the timing of past ice-free intervals, all of which aid understanding of ice sheet stability and its contribution to sea level rise in a warming climate. Only a few cores have been drilled through ice sheets into the underlying sediment and bedrock, producing limited material for analysis. The last of three Camp Century ice cores, which the U.S. Army collected in northwestern Greenland from 1963-1966 CE, recovered about 3.5 m of subglacial material, including ice and sediment. Here, we document the scientific history of the Camp Century …

Methane Fluxes In Tidal Marshes Of The Conterminous United States, Ariane Arias-Ortiz, Jaxine Wolfe, Scott D. Bridgham, Sara Knox, Gavin Mcnicol, Brian A. Needelman, Julie Shahan, Ellen J. Stuart-Haëntjens, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Patty Y. Oikawa, Dennis D. Baldocchi, Joshua S. Caplan, Margaret Capooci, Kenneth M. Czapla, R. Kyle Derby, Heida L. Diefenderfer, Inke Forbrich, Gina Groseclose, Jason K. Keller, Cheryl Kelley, Amir E. Keshta, Helena S. Kleiner, Ken W. Krauss, Robert R. Lane, Sarah Mack, Serena Moseman-Valtierra, Thomas J. Mozdzer, Peter Mueller, Scott C. Neubauer, Genevieve Noyce, Katrina V. R. Schäfer, Rebecca Sanders-Demott, Charles A. Schutte, Rodrigo Vargas, Nathaniel B. Weston, Benjamin Wilson, J. Patrick Megonigal, James R. Homquist

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) with atmospheric concentrations that have nearly tripled since pre-industrial times. Wetlands account for a large share of global CH4 emissions, yet the magnitude and factors controlling CH4 fluxes in tidal wetlands remain uncertain. We synthesized CH4 flux data from 100 chamber and 9 eddy covariance (EC) sites across tidal marshes in the conterminous United States to assess controlling factors and improve predictions of CH4 emissions. This effort included creating an open-source database of chamber-based GHG fluxes (https://doi.org/10.25573/serc.14227085). Annual fluxes across chamber and EC sites averaged 26 ± 53 g CH4 …

The Foodpunk City: Advancing Portland's Food Security Through A Shared Ideology Of Adaptation & Resistance, Nickolas Hash

Dissertations and Theses

Food injustice is a form of violence perpetrated by state and corporate actors against a constituency under their governing power, particularly impacting marginalized and impoverished communities. It denies individuals access to nutritious food, perpetuating cycles of poverty, inequality, physical health risks, and social exclusion. Grassroots movements have emerged to challenge dominant paradigms and advocate for food sovereignty, agroecology, and food anarchy. In Portland, the movement represents a nontraditional approach to food security that closely resembles the reactionary ideology of urban "punk" culture. Both groups prioritize community autonomy over food systems, sustainable agricultural practices, and resistance to oppressive structures that perpetuate …

A Revision Of Hong Kong Harvestmen : Biodiversity, Ecological Preferences And Geographical Distribution, Kai Teck Desmond Tan

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

Opiliones, or harvestmen, is a common animal found throughout the world, there are currently over 6,650 species worldwide but the actual number is estimated to exceed 10,000, making it the third largest order in the class Arachnida. Despite its diversity, it is a rather understudied group. In Hong Kong, there are four described species, but the most recent relevant literature dates back to the at least the early 20th century. This thesis focuses on two common species found in Hong Kong: one previously described species (Heterobiantes geniculatus) and one new species (Pseudoleiobunum lutulentum sp. nov.). I …

Appraising Groundwater Quality And Probabilistic Human Health Risks From Fluoride-Enriched Groundwater Using The Pollution Index Of Groundwater (Pig) And Gis: A Case Study Of Adama Town And Its Vicinities In The Central Main Ethiopian Rift Valley, Hassen Shube, Shankar Karuppannan, Muhammed Haji, Balamurugan Paneerselvam, Nafyad Kawo, Abraham Mechal, Ashu Fekadu

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

This research's main objective is to identify the level of contamination in drinking water in Adama town and its environs by employing PIG, GIS and HHRA. The physical–chemical parameters of groundwater were determined, and the results were compared to regional and global drinking water quality guidelines. The pH of groundwater is alkaline, and the contents of Ca₂⁺, Na⁺, HCO₃ ⁻, and F⁻ in the majority of samples surpassed the permissible drinking limit. The hydrochemical facies were identified in the following order: Ca–Mg–HCO₃, Na–Ca–HCO₃, and Na–HCO₃. Cation …

Factors Influencing Household Adoption Of Rooftop Solar Power In The Philippines: An Empirical Analysis Using The Contingent Valuation Method, Rosalina Palanca-Tan

Economics Department Faculty Publications

The Philippines possesses significant solar energy potential, yet the adoption of rooftop solar power (RTSP) among households remains limited despite its benefits in reducing electricity costs and contributing to the clean energy transition. This study investigates the determinants influencing households’ willingness to adopt RTSP in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, utilizing the contingent valuation method. Survey results indicate that economic factors, particularly the potential for electricity bill reduction, along with environmental considerations, are positively associated with adoption intentions. While a substantial portion of households (82%) expressed some level of intention to adopt RTSP, the figure drops to 20% when focusing …

Planetary Health Learning Objectives: Foundational Knowledge For Global Health Education In An Era Of Climate Change, Kathryn H. Jacobsen, Caryl E. Waggett, Pamela Berenbaum, Brett R. Bayles, Gail L. Carlson, René English, Carlos A Faerron Guzmán, Meredith L. Gartin, Liz Grant, Thomas L. Henshaw, Lora L. Iannotti, Philip J. Landrigan, Nina Lansbury, Hao Li, Maureen Y. Lichtveld, Ketrell Mcwhorter, Jessica E. Rettig, Cecilia J. Sorensen, Eric J. Wetzel, Dawn Michele Whitehead, Peter J. Winch, Keith Martin

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Planetary health is an emerging field that emphasises that humans depend on a healthy Earth for survival and, conversely, that the sustainability of Earth systems is dependent on human behaviours. In response to member demands for resources to support teaching and learning related to planetary health, the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) convened a working group to develop a set of planetary health learning objectives (PHLOs) that would complement the existing ten CUGH global health learning objectives. The eight PHLOs feature Earth system changes, planetary boundaries, and climate change science; ecological systems and One Health; human health outcomes; …

Open Groundwater Drains In Wa, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Open groundwater drains are excavated channels with sloping floors and sides and open levees, designed to intercept and drain surface (usually fresh) and groundwater (usually saline in WA) from agricultural land. These drains are most effective where the channel is dug below a water table in soils that allow good lateral drainage.

DPIRD recommends leveed groundwater drains in most cases. These should form part of a whole farm and whole catchment integrated water and salinity management program. Information on this page is a guide only. It is highly recommended that landholders considering the construction of open drains seek expert advice …

Ord River Irrigation Area Strategy 2024-34, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

The ORIA Strategy 2024–34 sets a collective 10-year vision, identifying key areas for focus as well as defining key roles and responsibilities to drive the achievement of this vision.

It provides direction for government to continue to work alongside and support industry and the community to achieve positive development outcomes. As such, it has been developed in consultation with key stakeholders across local industry, Traditional Owners and community groups.

Coal Ash Triggers An Elevated Temperature Landfill Development: Lessons From The Bristol Virginia Solid Waste Landfill Neighboring Community, Reagan Patton Witt, Marcelo I. Guzman

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Landfills for disposing of solid waste are designed, located, managed, and monitored facili- ties expected to comply with government regulations to prevent contamination of the surrounding environment. After the average life expectancy of a typical landfill (30 to 50 years), a large investment in the construction, operation, final closure, and 30-year monitoring of a new site is needed. In this case study, we provide a holistic explanation of the unexpected development of elevated temperature landfills (ETLFs), such as that in the city of Bristol (United States) on the border of the states of Virginia and Tennessee, including the initial role …

Investigation Of Temperature, Solution Strength, And Applied Stress Effects On Cation Exchange Processes In Different Geosynthetic Clay Liner Products, Kendra Fuller

Master's Theses

An extensive laboratory test program was conducted to analyze and compare the cation exchange processes in three different varieties of sodium bentonite (Na-B) geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) over increased conditioning durations up to 32 days and investigate the effects of temperature, solution strength, and applied stress. The goal of this test program was to establish whether the variables of temperature, solution strength, and applied stress improved or degraded the engineering properties of GCLs in laboratory testing and municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill applications. The GCLs were conditioned in liquids of increasing ionic strength, using deionized water and 2, 50, and …

History & Evolution Of Plastic Mulching Technology: An Ethnography Of California Strawberry Plasticulture, Kalea Conrad

Master's Theses

This ethnography draws on key informant interviews and participant observation to produce a case study about plastic mulching as an important industry standard in specialty crop production. It documents the historic adoption and present role of plastic mulching technology in California strawberry production and addresses the characteristics of commercial standard management that inhibit the adoption of alternative mulching practices. It complements extensive research on strawberry pathology and fumigation, breeding innovations, fertilizer and pesticide treatments, and maximization of yields to incorporate participants’ lived experiences and knowledge of mulch origins, the technology adoption process, mulch benefits and drawbacks, the state of agricultural …

2024 Draft Blacktail Creek Remediation And Contaminated Groundwater Hydraulic Control Site Pre-Design Investigation Work Plan, Stantec Consulting Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Shifting Baselines: Visualizing Climate Change In America’S National Parks, Lee Lines

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Reclaiming Healing Spaces: A Phenomenological Study On The Transformative Power Of Outdoor Therapy From The Lived Experiences Of Black Clinicians Working With Black Clients, Lynn Murphy

Dissertations

This phenomenological study involved assessing the experiences of Black therapists who engaged Black clients in outdoor therapeutic contexts. The study was founded on the existing literature that shows the quality of the therapeutic relationship is pivotal for client retention and the Western standards that have historically favored treatment within indoor environments. To contextualize this research, a comprehensive literature review was commenced, covering topics such as the decolonization of therapy, the historical and present-day relationship between Blacks and the outdoors in the United States, sedentary lifestyles, the psychological benefits of time spent in nature, various types of outdoor therapy, and the …

Urban Heat And Within-City Residential Sorting, Stefan Borsky, Eric Fesselmeyer, Lennart Vogelsand

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This study presents new causal evidence on how urban heat contributes to sorting within a city. We estimate a discrete choice residential sorting model that includes census-tract fixed effects and controls for open space and green coverage to analyze how differences in urban heat at the census-tract level influence the location choices of New York City homeowners given their race, ethnicity, and income. Our results show clear patterns of residential sorting, with whites and high-income households outcompeting other racial/ethnic groups and low-income households for housing in cooler neighborhoods. Our counterfactual exercise, inspired by Cool Neighborhoods NYC, reveals that heat-mitigation policies …

Investigation Of The Distribution Of Transuranic Radionuclides In Marine Sediment At The Montebello Islands, Western Australia, Madison Williams-Hoffman, Megan Cook, Jack K. Clegg, Ross Kleinschmidt, Pere Masqué, Mathew P. Johansen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Three nuclear weapons tests were conducted in the 1950s at the Montebello Islands, Western Australia. The detonations were of different yields and configurations (two tower tests, one ship test), and led to substantial radionuclide contamination within the surrounding terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The region possesses great ecological and recreational significance, particularly within the marine environment. However, studies conducted so far have largely neglected the marine ecosystem which makes up the majority of the Montebello Island Marine Park and in which most test fallout would have deposited. Here we investigated the distribution of the transuranic radionuclides 238Pu, 239,240Pu and 241Am in …

Solving Water Scarcity Challenges In Arid Regions: A Novel Approach Employing Human-Based Meta-Heuristics And Machine Learning Algorithm For Groundwater Potential Mapping, Seyed Vahid Razavi-Termeh, Abolghasem Sadeghi-Niaraki, Farbod Farhangi, Mehdi Khiadani, Saied Pirasteh, Soo Mi Choi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Addressing water scarcity challenges in arid regions is a pressing concern and demands innovative solutions for accurate groundwater potential mapping (GPM). This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of advanced modeling techniques to enhance the precision of GPM. This study, conducted in the Zayandeh Rood watershed, Iran, employed a spatial database comprising 16 influential factors on groundwater potential and data from 175 wells. This study introduced an innovative approach to GPM by enhancing the Random Forest (RF) algorithm. This enhancement involved integrating three metaheuristic algorithms inspired by human behavior: ICA (Imperialist Competitive Algorithm), TLBO (Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization), and SBO (Student Psychology Based …

Enhancing Community Flood Resilience By Incorporating Landscape Hydrological Sensitivity And Connectivity, Wenlong Feng

Dissertations

Rapid urban expansion and dramatic climate change have significantly increased the intensity and frequency of floods worldwide. With rising flood risks, conventional flood defense strategies that rely on structural measures become ineffective. The present designations for flood-prone areas, such as FEMA's flood maps, are becoming unreliable. Flood risk management is shifting toward enhancing community flood resilience, highlighting the importance of non-structural approaches. Landscape resilience has become a foundation of community flood resilience. However, past urban development typically undermined natural hydro-ecological functions and landscape resilience because of poor recognition of landscapes' ecological role, hydrological sensitivity, and hydrological connections. This study aims …

Microwave Catalysis-Enabled Membrane Processes For Microbial Inactivation, Fangzhou Liu

Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for advanced technologies to combat virus transmission. Traditional membrane filtration technologies primarily serve as physical barriers, capturing pollutants but failing to inactivate microbial agents such as bacteria and viruses. These membranes typically target larger particles but are ineffective against sub-micrometer viral particles. Thus, there's a critical demand for membrane filtration processes that combine robust filtration with antifouling and reaction -enabled functions for efficient pathogen disinfection. This research explores a novel microwave-assisted membrane filtration process incorporating catalytic reactions to enhance microbial disinfection and prevent membrane fouling, offering a groundbreaking solution to global challenges …

Monitoring Marine Animal Interactions With Open Ocean Aquaculture And The Potential For Measuring Impacts, Ryan Richard Yont

Theses

Aquaculture, the farming of water-based organisms, is one of the fastest growing industries in the food production sector globally. Aquaculture farms, regardless of type, are categorized as either coastal or offshore marine aquaculture and are generalized into three categories: fed (e.g., finfish), unfed (e.g., filter-feeding bivalves), and autotrophic (e.g. kelp). Viewed as an agricultural industry, marine aquaculture is tightly regulated, particularly in the U.S. Despite this, an area of concern for the public and management alike is the potential for marine life interactions with aquaculture gear. Even the best-run farms represent a change in the physical and biological characteristics of …

Far-Right Ecological Extremism: The Synthesis Of Violence, Hate, And The Environment On /Pol/., Hannah Claire Dunleavy

Environmental Studies Senior Theses

American far-right ecologism incorporates the American far-right’s antidemocratic and exclusionary tendencies, fears of existential threats and conspiracies, apocalyptic fantasies, and commitment to racial hierarchies. There are many shades of far-right ecologisms – including authoritarian deep ecology, eco-fascism, and exclusionary eco-nationalism – but all threaten the United States’ democratic ideals, multiculturalism, and pluralistic society. This thesis examines the rise of far-right ecologism in the U.S. by analyzing posts from 4chan’s /pol/ board (2015–2020) with a mixed-methods that blends a literature review, quantitative analysis, and descriptive case study. From 2015 to 2019, far-right ecology posts increased by 410%, and violent rhetoric in …

A Step By Step Shoreline Attribute Analysis For Selected Waterbodies In The Gulf Of Mexico To Promote The Use Of Living Shorelines, Christoper Boyd, Xutong Niu, Taylor R. Horn

Journal of Extension

Living Shorelines are being promoted by coastal extension professionals as a more resilient nature-based solution to control shoreline erosion. The Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences Living Shorelines Suitability Model was run in selected waterbodies within the Gulf of Mexico.

The locations of the selected water bodies, coastal data sets used, and shoreline protection recommendations generated by the Model are presented. A step-by-step statistical analysis conducted through ArcGIS Pro from these selected coastal shorelines will illustrate how extension professionals with novice GIS experience can use the model output to promote living shorelines to coastal property owners, city managers, and developers.

Comment Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Yard Submittals Round 2 (Dated July 25, 2024), Molly Roby

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Understanding Associations Between Disasters And Sustainability, Resilience, And Poverty: An Empirical Study Of The Last Two Decades, Dean Kyne, Dominic Kyei

Sociology Faculty Publications

This study investigates the impact of disasters on sustainability, resilience, and poverty, using data from the “Sustainable Development Report” and the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) from 2000 to 2023. Regression models assessed the effects of disasters, deaths, injuries, affected individuals, and economic damage on normalized values of the dependent variables with lag periods of one, two, and three years of independent variables. The results reveal that disasters consistently negatively impact sustainability and resilience, highlighting the need for robust disaster risk reduction strategies and resilient infrastructure. Higher mortality rates significantly hindered development, emphasizing the importance of improving early warning systems, emergency …

Polish Energy Sector’S Dependence On Lignite Mining: The Process Of Transition, Marek Widera, Wojciech Naworyta, Paweł Urbański

Journal of Sustainable Mining

This opinion study is devoted to the role of lignite in the Polish energy sector in recent decades, i.e., after the collapse of communism in 1989. Lignite is the primary source of electricity in Poland, second only to hard coal. More than 25–35% of Polish electricity was generated by lignite-fired power plants in 1990–2022. To meet the needs of the energy industry, 46–70 Mt of lignite was mined annually in that period. Hence, Poland was, and still is, one of the world leaders in lignite production. Despite the ongoing transition of the Polish energy sector, changes occur very slowly due …