Digital Commons Network^™

Protecting American Children: A Social-Ecological Analysis Of Pactp4, Julia Rossmiller

Student Works

The quantity of pesticides used annually in the United States exceeds one billion pounds every year, and the amount is only rising. The current law that governs the use of pesticides—The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), permits the use of 72 known pesticides that have been proven harmful and are banned in other countries. Research links the usage of pesticides to the health of individuals, families, and whole communities within the environment. Moreover, dangerous pesticides have been shown to disproportionately affect children, agricultural workers, people of color, and low-income communities. Despite the mounting evidence that confirms the adverse …

Feed More, Waste Less, Kaitlyn Dietz

Honors Projects

With college prices and the cost of food increasing, so has the rate of food insecurity among college students. Food insecurity is defined as the lack of availability or access to food to meet someone’s basic and necessary needs. Food insecurity is associated with lower grades, depression, higher perceived stress, and lower graduation rates. Campuses across the country are responding to the problem in a variety of ways, including distribution of food directly to students through food pantries. Meal plans are expensive in the addition to college tuition and housing. The lowest cost for a meal plan at Bowling Green …

Dispersion Of Artificial Tracers In Ventilated Caves, Claudio Pastore, Eric Weber, Frédéric Doumenc, Pierre-Yves Jeannin, Marc Lütscher

International Journal of Speleology

Artificial CO₂ was used as a tracer along ventilated karst conduits to infer airflow and investigate tracer dispersion. In the karst vadose zone, cave ventilation is an efficient mode of transport for heat, gases and aerosols and thus drives the spatial distribution of airborne particles. Modelling this airborne transport requires geometrical and physical parameters of the conduit system, including the cross-sectional areas, the airflow and average air speed, as well as the longitudinal dispersion coefficient which describes the spreading of a solute. Four gauging tests were carried out in one mine (artificial conduit) and two ventilated caves (natural conduits). …

Analysis Of The Key Performance Indicators Between Lithologies On Mine To Crusher, Janine Figueiredo, Vidal Torres, Rodolfo Cruz, Douglas Moreira

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The evolution of the mineral economy requires greater technological developments to find a better use of resources and reserves through the relationships between the characteristics of the rocks and the need to enable the entire mining enterprise. This study focuses on the development of new rock blasting technologies that result in a more optimized fragmentation according to the lithology in the feed of the primary crusher. This methodology is known as Mine to Crusher, through which it becomes possible to minimize costs in the future prospecting of the mine and maximize productivity. For this methodology to be developed, it was …

Changes In Reef Tourism’S Adaptive Capacity After Severe Climate Disturbances, Henry Bartelet, Michele Barnes, Lalu Bakti, Graeme S. Cumming

Quantitative Methods and Information Technology Faculty Publications

Knowledge about adaptive capacity and its determinants has increased significantly over the last decade. However, most research on adaptive capacity has been static, not considering how adaptive capacity might change over time, particularly after severe disturbances. We studied the adaptive capacity dynamics of Asian-Pacific reef tourism operators affected by coral bleaching and tropical cyclones compared with a control group with non-affected operators. We found that impacts from tropical cyclones were associated with frequent changes in adaptive capacity. Notably, we found a reduction in tangible attributes (assets and flexibility) of adaptive capacity, whereas intangible attributes (agency and social organization) increased. Our …

Predicting The Potential Distribution Of Pseudococcus Longispinus (Targioni-Tozzetti) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) In South Korea Using A Climex Model, Su Bin Kim, Soo-Jung Suh

Insecta Mundi

Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni-Tozzetti) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is a widely-distributed pest that feeds on many economically important hosts, particularly tropical fruits and ornamentals. The potential distribution of this mealybug pest in South Korea remains a primary concern because of its high incidence of interceptions screened during inspection. Hence, this species prompted a modelling effort to assess its potential risk of introduction. Potential risk maps were developed for this pest with a CLIMEX model based on occurrence records under environmental data. The potential distribution of these pests in South Korea in the 2020s, 2050s and 2090s was projected based on the RCP 8.5 …

Supply, Demand, And Fiscal Sustainability Of Outdoor Recreation In Utah, Jordan W. Smith, Chris Monz

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Because Utah's outdoor recreation destinations are managed by several different federal and state agencies, there is no comprehensive and consistent information on the amount and types of outdoor recreation resources available within the state. Additionally, there has been no research to date on how state programs whose revenues are dependent on outdoor recreation activity, are likely to fare in the coming years. This report begins to address these limitations by: 1) compiling and synthesizing data that characterize the amount and location of outdoor recreation resources throughout the state; and 2) presenting the results of a suite of econometric forecasting models …

Globe-Lfmc 2.0, An Enhanced And Updated Dataset For Live Fuel Moisture Content Research, Marta Yebra, Gianluca Scortechini, Karine Adeline, Nursema Aktepe, Turkia Almoustafa, Avi Bar-Massada, María Eugenia Beget, Matthias Boer, Ross Bradstock, Tegan Brown, Francesc Xavier Castro, Rui Chen, Emilio Chuvieco, Mark Danson, Cihan Ünal Değirmenci, Ruth Delgado-Dávila, Philip Dennison, Carlos Di Bella, Oriol Domenech, Jean-Baptiste Féret, Greg Forsyth, Eva Gabriel, Zisis Gagkas, Fatma Gharbi, Elena Granda, Anne Griebel, Binbin He, Matt Jolly, Ivan Kotzur, Tineke Kraaij, Agnes Kristina, Pınar Kütküt, Jean-Marc Limousin, M. Pilar Martín, Antonio T. Monteiro, Marco Morais, Bruno Moreira, Florent Mouillot, Samukelisiwe Msweli, Rachael H. Nolan, Grazia Pellizzaro, Yi Qi, Xingwen Quan, Victor Esco De Dios, Dar Roberts, Çağatay Tavşanoğlu, Andy F. S. Taylor, Jackson Taylor, İrem Tüfekcioğlu, Andrea Ventura, Nicolas Younes Cardenas

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Globe-LFMC 2.0, an updated version of Globe-LFMC, is a comprehensive dataset of over 280,000 Live Fuel Moisture Content (LFMC) measurements. These measurements were gathered through field campaigns conducted in 15 countries spanning 47 years. In contrast to its prior version, Globe-LFMC 2.0 incorporates over 120,000 additional data entries, introduces more than 800 new sampling sites, and comprises LFMC values obtained from samples collected until the calendar year 2023. Each entry within the dataset provides essential information, including date, geographical coordinates, plant species, functional type, and, where available, topographical details. Moreover, the dataset encompasses insights into the sampling and weighing procedures, …

Applied Depositional Geosystems Of The Coos Bay Basin, Oregon: Organic Geochemistry, Maturation, Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction And Biostratigraphy Of The Coaledo Delta During The Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (Meco), Allison K. Barbato

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Coos Bay Basin on the southwestern coast of Oregon is a forearc basin that contains exceptionally preserved Eocene to Miocene, tidal to wave-dominated, shallow deltaic to deep marine sediments of the Coaledo Delta. Coastal depositional environments are known to host source, reservoir, and seal rocks. Climate, topographic relief, and geographical position all play an important role in regional vegetation development and oceanic setting. This study assesses 84 outcrop and 12 core samples from Coos Bay for their organic geochemical characteristics and microfossil assemblage to provide source rock characterization information, organofacies descriptions, environmental reconstructions, and age control.

Results indicate the …

Navigating Murky Waters: State-Level Strategies For Wetland Preservation And Tile Drainage Regulation After Sackett V. Epa, Caleb M. Swanson

Honors Thesis

Wetlands are some of the world’s most valuable ecosystems, serving as provisioners of species habitat, carbon sequestration, flood mitigation, water quality purification, and other ecosystem services. Human development has resulted in substantial wetland loss the world over. In the 1970s, the United States Congress passed the Clean Water Act, giving the EPA broad authority over wetland protection. However, in the summer of 2023, the United States Supreme Court decided Sackett v. EPA, limiting the EPA’s jurisdiction over wetlands to those indistinguishably connected to generally recognized “Waters of the United States” and removing federal protection for millions of acres of wetlands, …

From A Shorter Winter Season To More Storm Damage: New Hampshire Outdoor Recreation Providers Feel Climate Impacts Far More Than Visitors, Maddie Smith, Michael D. Ferguson, Lauren A. Ferguson, Alexandra R. Contosta, Elizabeth Burakowski, Dovev Levine, Shannon Rogers

Carsey Publications

In this brief, the authors examine to what extent outdoor recreation providers and visitors in New Hampshire are impacted by annual climatic conditions representative of long-term trends, specifically, through the 2024–2028 New Hampshire Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP). For the first time, the New Hampshire SCORP included an investigation of climate-related impacts on outdoor recreation from the perspective of both visitors and providers.

The findings of the study uncovered notable disparities in how New Hampshire’s outdoor recreation providers and visitors perceive climate conditions’ impact on outdoor recreation, particularly in the categories of “winter” and “extreme weather.” Understanding the perspectives …

Mourning The Planet And Signs Of Hope: The Role Of Grief And Resilience In How Students Understand Climate Change, Zachary C. Wooten, Jocelyn Brown

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Professor Zachary Wooten (Honors College) and Jocelyn Brown '23 present "Mourning the Planet and Signs of Hope: The Role of Grief and Resilience in How Students Understand Climate Change"

Conservation Genomics Of Endangered Turtles : The Big-Headed Turtle And The Beale's Eyed Turtle, Wing Him Lee

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

Turtles are one of the most threatened animal groups in the world, with 51.3% of the turtle species categorized as globally threatened (critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable) on the IUCN Red List. Overexploitation for the food and pet trade is the main threat, especially for turtles in Asia. In Hong Kong, all five native freshwater turtles are listed as endangered species locally. This study will focus on two species, the Big-headed Turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) and Beale’s Eyed Turtle (Sacalia bealei). Some of the world’s remaining wild populations of P. megacephalum and S. bealei are in Hong …

Estimation Of Useful-Stage Energy Returns On Investment For Fossil Fuels And Implications For Renewable Energy Systems, Emmanuel Aramendia, Paul E. Brockway, Peter G. Taylor, Jonathan B. Norman, Matthew Kuperus Heun, Zeke Marshall

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

The net energy implications of the energy transition have so far been analysed at best at the final energy stage. Here we argue that expanding the analysis to the useful stage is crucial. We estimate fossil fuelsʼ useful-stage energy returns on investment (EROIs) over the period 1971–2020, globally and nationally, and disaggregate EROIs by end use. We find that fossil fuelsʼ useful-stage EROIs (~3.5:1) are considerably lower than at the final stage (~8.5:1), due to low final-to-useful efficiencies. Further, we estimate the final-stage EROI for which electricity-yielding renewable energy would deliver the same net useful energy as fossil fuels (EROI …

Nowcasting Heavy Rainfall With Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory Networks: A Pixelwise Modeling Approach, Yi Victor Wang, Seung Hee Kim, Geunsu Lyu, Choeng-Lyong Lee, Soorok Ryu, Gyuwon Lee, Ki-Hong Min, Menas C. Kafatos

Institute for ECHO Articles and Research

The recent decades have seen an increasing academic interest in leveraging machine learning approaches to nowcast, or forecast in a highly short-term manner, precipitation at a high resolution, given the limitations of the traditional numerical weather prediction models on this task. To capture the spatiotemporal associations of data on input variables, a deep learning (DL) architecture with the combination of a convolutional neural network and a recurrent neural network can be an ideal design for nowcasting rainfall. In this study, a long short-term memory (LSTM) modeling structure is proposed with convolutional operations on input variables. To resolve the issue of …

Natural Resource Policy Analysis: Controversy Over Forest Management At Sparta Mountain Wildlife Management Area, James Bates

Environmental Science & Sustainable Development Student Projects

New Jersey contains the densest human population in the United States. As New York City to the east has grown, urban sprawl has reached much of the Garden State. For the natural environment, the impact of this sprawl is significant. The eastern deciduous forest that once covered the northern half of the state has been reduced to select areas where development is restricted. The remaining areas of protected forest are valuable to the public as natural gems amidst a world of modern infrastructure. Most of these protected forests are owned and managed by the state of New Jersey, by the …

Climate Change And Voluntary Private Land Conservation: A Case Study Of Working Lands For Wildlife, Abigail Thompson

School of Professional Studies

This case study examines the role, impact, and future of voluntary private land conservation (VPLC) programs, with a particular focus on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) initiative. Climate change and population growth pose a significant threat to public land conservation, making alternative methods like WLFW increasingly important. WLFW is a relatively successful and well-received program, but it is still young and comparatively smaller than other VPLC programs operated by the government. Publications by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, WLFW partner organizations, and relevant scholarly articles were utilized in order to assess WLFW’s success independently and …

Analyzing Deaths From Extreme Weather Events And Their Relevance To The Life Insurance Industry, Erika Roof

Honors Projects in Biological and Biomedical Sciences

This study aims to discover the effect of extreme weather events on the life insurance industry. As climate change progresses and global temperatures increase, extreme weather events, which are separated into drought, freeze, severe storms, tropical cyclones, wildfires, and winter storms are expected to occur more often. Extreme weather events not only impact the local economies but increase local death rates as well. Using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA NCEI), this study uses regression analysis to examine the correlation between extreme weather and mortality data. Time series regression analysis suggests that …

A Green New England? Regional Implementation Of Grant-Based Provisions Of The Inflation Reduction Act In The Northeastern U.S., Samuel Cooper

Sustainability and Social Justice

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has been described as “the most significant action Congress has taken on clean energy and climate change in the nation’s history,” totaling some $370 billion in tax credits and federal grants for everything from residential solar panels to urban forestry. As the first of its size in U.S. climate policy, the IRA has been a subject of study and debate since its introduction, but it is only in this past year that funding reporting data has become available. This thesis utilizes this federal data to produce a novel analysis of IRA implementation at the …

Utah Lake Paleoecology Study Report To Deq, April 2024, J. Brahney, L. King, M. Devey, M. Carter, G. Carling, S. Brothers, A. Provard, B. Young, R. West

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Utah Lake is a large shallow eutrophic lake located in north central Utah. In recent years, the occurrence of frequent and sometimes toxic algal blooms has brought new urgency in understanding the cause and effects of eutrophication in Utah Lake. The drainage basin of Utah Lake is dominated by carbonate sedimentary materials and small pockets of phosphate rock occur. Given the bedrock geology and shallow nature of the lake, there has been uncertainty as to the natural trophic status and ecology of the lake prior to the settlement of Utah Valley. Thus, defining historical nutrient concentrations and sources in the …

“Making The Bed”: Challenging Ideologies Of Ownership, Nonlocality, And Romanticism In The Age Of The Anthropocene, Ainsley P. Foster

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

The current Age of the Anthropocene marks a recent and rapid transition into a period in climate history that is notably defined by human impact. Modern Western sentiments of grief, frustration, and romanticism as a result of the interplay between domestic and corporate spaces seem to culminate in an overall attitude of apathy and acceptance of the Age of the Anthropocene. Various art forms collaborate to create the current conversation of the causatory and reactionary relationship that humans have with the Anthropocene, offering interpretations of how individuals and corporations view ownership of and responsibilities to the environment. There is a …

Consumer Preferences For Wood-Pellet-Based Green Pricing Programs In The Eastern United States, Sydney Oluoch, Pankaj Lal, Andres Susaeta, Meghann Smith, Bernabas Wolde

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Co-firing wood pellets with coal is an attractive alternative energy generation method with economic, social, and environmental benefits for the US energy generation sector. One way to sustainably use wood pellets for co-firing is to create consumer-supported green pricing programs (GPPs). Our study surveyed residents of five states (Alabama, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia) to investigate preferences for the attributes of a hypothetical GPP. The study applied the Best Worst Choice method, which employs the Best Worst Scaling (BWS) and binary choice (BC) task. The BWS analysis showed that residents of all five states most value the flexibility …

Evaluating The Role Of Titanomagnetite In Bubble Nucleation: Rock Magnetic Detection And Characterization Of Nanolites And Ultra-Nanolites In Rhyolite Pumice And Obsidian From Glass Mountain, California, Stefanie Brachfeld, Kelly N. Mccartney, Julia E. Hammer, Thomas Shea, Thomas Giachetti

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We document the presence, composition, and number density (TND) of titanomagnetite nanolites and ultra-nanolites in aphyric rhyolitic pumice, obsidian, and vesicular obsidian from the 1060 CE Glass Mountain volcanic eruption of Medicine Lake Volcano, California, using magnetic methods. Curie temperatures indicate compositions of Fe2.40Ti0.60O4 to Fe3O4. Rock-magnetic parameters sensitive to domain state, which is dependent on grain volume, indicate a range of particle sizes spanning superparamagnetic (< 50–80 nm) to multidomain (>10 μm) particles. Cylindrical cores drilled from the centers of individual pumice clasts display anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility with prolate fabrics, with the highest degree of anisotropy coinciding with the highest vesicularity. Fabrics …

Joint Environmental And Social Benefits From Diversified Agriculture, Laura Vang Rasmussen, Ingo Grass

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Agricultural simplification continues to expand at the expense of more diverse forms of agriculture. This simplification, for example, in the form of intensively managed monocultures, poses a risk to keeping the world within safe and just Earth system boundaries. Here, we estimated how agricultural diversification simultaneously affects social and environmental outcomes. Drawing from 24 studies in 11 countries across 2655 farms, we show how five diversification strategies focusing on livestock, crops, soils, noncrop plantings, and water conservation benefit social (e.g., human well-being, yields, and food security) and environmental (e.g., biodiversity, ecosystem services, and reduced environmental externalities) outcomes. We found that …

What Soil Is Worth: A Cost-Benefit Framework Analysis Of Syntropic Farming, Aubrey Kettley

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Syntropic farming, a type of regenerative agriculture, models its farming system after a forest. This type of farming prioritizes soil health while also providing a varied yield of crops. Because it is a fairly new system globally, little research has been done on the economic impacts of syntropic farming, and therefore the feasibility of scaling up regenerative systems like this. This study aims to analyze the economic feasibility of this system through a literature review and a cost-benefit analysis framework. The results highlight the applicability, environmental advantage and economic feasibility of the system. Based on the presented framework, the short …

Short-Term Larval Surveys Reveal Rainy Season Breeding Site Preferences Of Malaria Vector Anopheles Spp. In Zanzibar City, Kaeden K. Hill

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Malaria is a serious illness that causes over 500,000 deaths annually worldwide, with Tanzania alone contributing to approximately 4% of those deaths. Malaria is caused by Plasmodium spp. parasites, and it is vectored by mosquitoes in the Anopheles genus. In Zanzibar City, the incidence of malaria has decreased over the past few decades due to standardized treatment protocols and public health interventions targeting adult mosquitoes. However, the incidence remains between 1-2%, with an increasing trend observed over the past few years likely stemming from continued exchange of Plasmodium spp. from other malaria-endemic areas. Because larvicidal strategies can be useful in …

Community Opinions On Environmental Action On Isla Porvenir And Whichub Walla In The Guna Yala Comarca, Sofia Houts

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Guna Yala Comarca is the autonomous, self-governed territory of the Guna people, one of seven Indigenous groups in Panama. The Comarca is located on Panama’s eastern Caribbean coast and includes 365 coral islands. Forty nine Guna communities and roughly 32,000 individuals live in the territory. The Guna General Congress is the highest authority, and each community has a local congress. As a low-lying coastal region, Guna Yala is especially vulnerable to climate change and is already impacted by sea level rise, biodiversity loss, and changing precipitation patterns. Sub-national, national, and international forms of governance and environmental action are crucial …

Community Knowledge Of Shark Ecology, Abundance, And Species Composition In Wichubwala, Nalunega, And Porvenir Communities In The Guna Yala Comarca, Panamá, Kayley Jane Porter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Sharks play a critical role in marine ecosystems as apex predators that exert top-down control of lower trophic levels. In recent decades, global shark populations have declined to unprecedented levels, triggering a cascade effect that threatens ecosystem functioning and, therefore, coastal community livelihoods that rely on marine resources for food and income. It is known that shark populations are vulnerable and on the decline due to anthropogenic stressors such as fishing and coastal development, but shark species composition and abundance are difficult to monitor due to the evasive nature of sharks, the often remote and inaccessible location of certain shark …

Vascular Epiphyte Population Dynamics Within Human-Modified Landscapes Of Guadalupe, Cerro Punta, Chiriquí, Panamá, Lucine Tashjian

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Epiphytes are plants that grow on other plants non-parasitically, and globally, epiphytes compose a very large and diverse group. They are especially abundant and species-rich in the tropics- particularly, in tropical montane forest ecosystems. Human population growth in the tropics, however, has resulted in significant declines in forest cover with land being converted largely for agricultural purposes. Studies on epiphytes have traditionally been undertaken in pristine, undisturbed forest ecosystems, yet terrestrial land conversion has increased the need to understand the value of human-modified ecosystems for epiphytic populations and biodiversity conservation. This study sought to understand the relationship between human modification …

Exploring The Medicalization Of Menstruation: Analyzing Menstrual Hygiene Initiatives By Igos, Non-Profits And National Government In Switzerland, Victoria Wright

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Menstrual health serves as a critical indicator of reproductive health. It is pivotal in achieving various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to women's and girls' comfort, agency, participation, safety, well-being, and dignity (Loughnan et al., 2020). This research investigates the medicalization of menstruation in Switzerland through a mixed-methods approach examining the strategies and roles of key stakeholders such as the WHO, local government initiatives, and NGOs in shaping the landscape of menstrual medicalization.

The findings reveal that while medicalization has brought about progressive changes, including the introduction of menstrual leave policies, it has resulted in a complex regulatory landscape, increased …