Digital Commons Network^™

Literature Review: Pollutant Removal Efficacy Of Floating Treatment Wetlands Across Water Bodies, Sophie Johnson

University Honors Theses

Wetland numbers are declining worldwide and there is a need to replace the water filtration services they provide. One emerging option is floating treatment wetlands (FTW). FTW are a floating mat that serves as a habitat for aquatic plants whose roots are suspended in the water and that remove both organic and inorganic pollutants like nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), potentially toxic metals, and suspended solids. A literature search was performed to examine the efficacy of FTW pollutant removal. Specifically, I inspected 1) how effective FTW are at removing a range of nutrients; 2) what types of plants are most effective …

Miscanthus As Raw Materials For Bio-Based Products, Valentina Pidlisnyuk, Larry E. Erickson, Donghai Wang, Jikai Zhao, Tatyana Stefanovska, John R. Schlup

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

There is great interest in products from Miscanthus because large quantities of biomass can be produced annually. There are simple uses such as bedding for animals, mulch for horticulture applications, and insulation to improve energy conservation. Miscanthus has excellent natural absorbent qualities which makes it very attractive for spill management and as a bedding material. Compostable foodservice ware has been produced from Miscanthus to replace products from plastic that do not biodegrade. Building applications include fiber board, particleboard, and composites. Miscanthus has high-quality cel lulose for material applications and is an excellent source of cellulose where high quality is important. …

Miscanthus Biomass For Alternative Energy Production, Jikai Zhao, Donghai Wang, Valentina Pidlisnyuk, Larry E. Erickson

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Biomass such as Miscanthus that is produced using phytoremediation can be used as a biofuel. In some locations it is used for heating homes that are located close to where it is produced. This chapter considers alternative energy technologies for Miscanthus and other plants, including liquid fuels such as ethanol, methane from anaerobic digestion, and pyrolysis (thermal Processing). Pretreatment alternatives to convert cellulose to glucose are reviewed because the economics of ethanol production from Miscanthus are impacted by the efficiency of cellulose hydrolysis to glucose. Size reduc tion of Miscanthus is often the first step in the process because enzymes …

Factors Controlling Circulation At The Terminus Of A Shallow Seagrass-Dominated Estuary, Fort Desoto Bay, West-Central Florida, Charles Gray Vickery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fort DeSoto Bay is a shallow seagrass-dominated estuary located landward of Mullet Key that is home to the most extensive seagrass beds in all of Tampa Bay. During a period of development in the 1950s and early 1960s, the bay underwent extensive physical modifications, including the construction of earthen causeways and dredged channels, which altered the bathymetry of the seafloor and changed natural circulation patterns. The stagnation of water in the southern bay and increased estuarine residence time led to elevated summer temperatures, reduced dissolved oxygen levels, and die-offs of seagrasses. Two 40-foot circulation bridges were installed on each causeway …

Mountain Lions Reduce Movement, Increase Efficiency During The Covid-19 Shutdown, John F. Benson, Heather N. Abernathy, Jeff A. Sikich, Seth P.D. Riley

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

1. Wildlife strongly alter behaviour in response to human disturbance; however, fundamental questions remain regarding the influence of human infrastructure and activity on animal movement. The Covid-19 pandemic created a natural experiment providing an opportunity to evaluate wildlife movement during a period of greatly reduced human activity. Speculation in scientific reviews and the media suggested that wildlife might be increasing movement and colonizing urban landscapes during pandemic slowdowns. However, theory predicts that animals should move and use space as efficiently as possible, suggesting that movement might actually be reduced relative to decreased human activity.

2. We quantified space use, movement, …

Mapping Plastic Pollution In The Amite Watershed, Louisiana, Gourav Divan

LSU Master's Theses

Microplastics have quickly emerged as a concerning pollutant in both freshwater and marine environments. Their recent discovery means that their impacts are still being studied, however, it is important to continuously monitor their concentrations. An important conduit of plastic pollution to marine environments are rivers and streams. Previous models have estimated the transport of plastics from land to sea in many parts of the world. Most of these models, however, have been conducted at coarse spatial resolutions that make it difficult to establish tractable management programs to minimize this impact. Here, a previously existing model was applied to model for …

Contemporary Challenges And Opportunities For The Management Of Bird Damage At Field Crop Establishment, Christophe Sausse, Alice Baux, Michel Bertrand, Elsa Bonnaud, Sonia Canavelli, Alexandra Destrez, Page E. Klug, Lourdes Olivera, Ethel Rodriguez, Guilllermo Tellechea, Sebastian Zuil

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bird damage, from sowing to crop establishment, is an important issue for farmers in many parts of the world. However, reliable and cost-effective solutions remain elusive because management tools and research on the subject are limited. The spatial variability of damage across landscapes and the adaptative behaviour of birds create further challenges. Additionally, the issue must be tackled at the landscape scale and involve a variety of stakeholders with conflicting interests and objectives. We summarize some of the challenges and opportunities identified to face these difficulties and address four major research directions for operational solutions including 1) crop damage assessment, …

Cubesats Deliver New Insights Into Agricultural Water Use At Daily And 3 M Resolutions, Bruno Aragon, Matteo G. Ziliani, Rasmus Houborg, Trenton E. Franz, Matthew F. Mccabe

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Earth observation has traditionally required a compromise in data collection. That is, one could sense the Earth with high spatial resolution occasionally; or with lower spatial fidelity regularly. For many applications, both frequency and detail are required. Precision agriculture is one such example, with sub-10 m spatial, and daily or sub-daily retrieval representing a key goal. Towards this objective, we produced the first cloud-free 3 m daily evaporation product ever retrieved from space, leveraging recently launched nano-satellite constellations to showcase this emerging potential. Focusing on three agricultural fields located in Nebraska, USA, high-resolution crop water use estimates are delivered via …

An Integrated Food, Energy, And Water Nexus, Human Well-Being, And Resilience (Few-Wise) Framework: New Mexico, Kamini Yadav, Hatim M. Geli, Andres F. Cibils, Michael Hayes, Alexander Fernald, James Peach, Mohammed N. Sawalhah, Vincent C. Tidwell, Lindsay E. Johnson, Ashraf J. Zaied, Melakeneh G. Gedefaw

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Interconnected food, energy, and water (FEW) nexus systems face many challenges to support human well-being (HWB) and maintain resilience, especially in arid and semiarid regions like New Mexico (NM), United States (US). Insufficient FEW resources, unstable economic growth due to fluctuations in prices of crude oil and natural gas, inequitable education and employment, and climate change are some of these challenges. Enhancing the resilience of such coupled socio-environmental systems depends on the efficient use of resources, improved understanding of the interlinkages across FEW system components, and adopting adaptable alternative management strategies. The goal of this study was to develop a …

Contested Landscapes, Disputed Realities: An Investigation Of Socio-Environmental Conflict From Mining In Northern Ecuador: An Honors Thesis, Ian F. Hirons

Student Works

For decades, Ecuador has been one of the preeminent petrostates in South America. However, in response to recent drops in global demand and pricing for oil products, the country has made serious commitments to further develop its mineral resources. By opening a new natural resource sector, Ecuador has firmly cemented itself as a primarily extractivist nation. In the process, the national government has frequently come into conflict with activist and community groups who protest the encroachment of extractive industry. This thesis explores the various dimensions of socio-environmental conflict created by large-scale mining projects in northern Ecuador with specific attention to …

Technological Opportunities For Sensing Of The Health Effects Of Weather And Climate Change: A State-Of-The-Art-Review, V. Anderson, A. C. W. Leung, H. Mehdipoor, B. Janicke, D. Milosevic, A. Oliveira, S. Manavvi, P. Kabano, Yuliya Dzyuban, Et Al

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Sensing and measuring meteorological and physiological parameters of humans, animals, and plants are necessary to understand the complex interactions that occur between atmospheric processes and the health of the living organisms. Advanced sensing technologies have provided both meteorological and biological data across increasingly vast spatial, spectral, temporal, and thematic scales. Information and communication technologies have reduced barriers to data dissemination, enabling the circulation of information across different jurisdictions and disciplines. Due to the advancement and rapid dissemination of these technologies, a review of the opportunities for sensing the health effects of weather and climate change is necessary. This paper provides …

An Analysis Of The Impacts Of Climate Change On Food Security In The Albertine Rift Of East Africa, Malcolm Jacob

Sustainability and Social Justice

As one of the most densely populated regions on the continent of Africa, the Albertine Rift (consisting of parts of Rwanda, Uganda, and the eastern DRC) faces ongoing problems providing enough food for its people through crop production, livestock husbandry, and other forms of food production. Even more troubling for the future is that anthropogenic climate change is expected to significantly exacerbate food insecurity. This paper addresses one central question: how will climate change impact food security in the Albertine Rift? Based on an analysis of available data, this paper finds that policymakers should listen closely to local farmers and …

Towards Consumer-Oriented Mushroom-Based Product Development: An Exploratory Study In Rice-Based Farming Communities In Central Luzon, Philippines, Josefina F. Ballesteros, Rosaly V. Manaois, Amelia V. Morales, Riza Abilgos-Ramos

Journal of Economics, Management and Agricultural Development

This study determined consumers’ awareness and interest towards mushroom and mushroom-based product ideas. A survey of 222 adults was conducted in rice-based farming communities in selected provinces, namely, Aurora,
Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Pampanga. Results showed that taste, nutritional, and health benefits were the top attributes considered by both sexes whenever they buy food for household consumption. Most of the respondents (99%) liked eating mushroom because of its palatability (71%) and perceived healthiness (26%). However, the majority (76%) consumed mushrooms only once a month or seldom in a year due to its limited availability. Food supplements, coffee-like beverages, and snacks …

Beyond Streamflow: Call For A National Data Repository Of Streamflow Presence For Streams And Rivers In The United States, Kendra E. Kaiser

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Observations of the presence or absence of surface water in streams are useful for characterizing streamflow permanence, which includes the frequency, duration, and spatial extent of surface flow in streams and rivers. Such data are particularly valuable for headwater streams, which comprise the vast majority of channel length in stream networks, are often non-perennial, and are frequently the most data deficient. Datasets of surface water presence exist across multiple data collection groups in the United States but are not well aligned for easy integration. Given the value of these data, a unified approach for organizing information on surface water presence …

Economic Valuation Of Ecosystem Services Provided By Forest Ecosystems In Sri Lanka: A Study Based On 2010 Forest Cover Classification And The Teeb Database, Isuru Jayantha Alawaththa Kankanamge

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

Ecosystem service valuation is becoming popular among the economists, ecologists, scientists and policy makers. As a result, various research, publications and programs have arisen and content of literature is developed rapidly. Even though this field of study is developing rapidly, Sri Lankan ecosystems have not yet been valued or evaluated yet in terms of economic returns. Hence, the main purpose of this study is to calculate and define economic value for each forest polygon of 2010 forest cover data base by using the value transferring approach. This data base will be an effective tool to have a fair cost-benefits analyses …

Comparing Management Programs To Reduce Red–Tailed Hawk Collisions With Aircraft, Brian Washburn, Craig K. Pullins, Travis L. Guerrant, Gregory J. Martinelli, Scott F. Beckerman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife-aircraft collisions (wildlife strikes) pose a serious safety risk to aircraft. Raptors (i.e., hawks and owls) are one of the most frequently struck guilds of birds within North America. Although raptors (most notably red-tailed hawks [Buteo jamaicensis]) are commonly managed at most airports and military bases, there is no scientific information available regarding comparisons of the efficacy of raptor management programs for reducing raptor-aircraft collisions. Therefore, we conducted a study to examine the efficacy of 2 raptor hazard management programs implemented at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD). The first raptor management program (Phase I) occurred during January 2010–June 2013 and …

Gouldian Finch Breeding Surveys 2021: Ord-East Kimberley Expansion Project - Weaber Plain Development Area, Nigel Jackett

Irrigated Agricultural Development in the North

The Weaber Plain Development Project (the Project) is an irrigated agricultural development located approximately 30 km north-north-east of Kununurra in Western Australia. The Project was approved by the former Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (now the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment) in 2011 under EPBC 2010/5491.

To satisfy Condition 6 of EPBC 2010/5491 and offset the potential impacts of the Project on the endangered Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae), a Gouldian Finch Conservation Plan was prepared. The Conservation Plan was prepared to ensure appropriate management of the Gouldian Finch and its habitat during construction and operation …

Alfaxalone Successfully Immobilizes Small Indian Mongooses (Urva Auropunctata): A Field Report, Caroline C. Sauvé, Yves Rondenay, Are R. Berentsen, Mel J. Rivera-Rodriguez, Patrick A. Leighton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We investigated intramuscular administration of alfaxalone (5.3–10.0 mg/kg) as an immobilizing agent in free-ranging small Indian mongooses (Urva auropunctata) on the island of St. Kitts, West Indies. From 5–11 January 2020, we successfully immobilized 10 of 11 mongooses. Alfaxalone provided rapid onset (median = 3 min) of immobilization. Mean duration of immobilization was 16.8 ± 3 min. Mean recovery time was 5.6 ± 1 min. There was no effect of dose administered on induction, anesthesia, or recovery times at the dose range used. We concluded that alfaxalone represents an effective alternative to dissociative agents for the immobilization of free-ranging mongooses. …

Strategic Testing Approaches For Targeted Disease Monitoring Can Be Used To Inform Pandemic Decision-Making, James D. Nichols, Tiffany L. Bogich, Emily Howerton, Ottar N. Bjørnstad, Rebecca K. Borchering, Matthew Ferrari, Murali Haran, Christopher Jewell, Kim M. Pepin, William J.M. Probert, Juliet R.C. Pulliam, Michael C. Runge, Michael Tildesley, Cecile Viboud, Katriona Shea

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

More than 1.6 million Servere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Cronovirus 2(SARS-COV-2)tests were administered daily in the United States at the peak of the epidemic, with a significant focus on individual treatment. Here, we show that objective-driven, strategic sampling designs and analyses can maximize information gain at the population level, which is necessary to increase situational awareness and predict, prepare for, and respond to a pandemic, while also continuing to inform individual treatment. By focusing on specific objectives such as individual treatment or disease prediction and control (e.g., via the collection of population- level statistics to inform lockdown measures or vaccine rollout) …

An Evaluation Of Body-Grip Trap Trigger Configurations For Reducing River Otter Take Incidental To Beaver Trapping, Alec J. Sundelius, Nicholas Forman, Nathan M. Roberts, Shawn T. Rossler, David B. Ruid, Robert C. Willging

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

River otter (Lontra canadensis) populations in North America have been the focus of significant restoration efforts. Wildlife management agencies, concerned about the unintentional take of river otters incidental to beaver (Castor canadensis) trapping, may recommend techniques to avoid capturing river otters. River otter avoidance techniques that are ineffective or diminish trap performance for beavers are undesirable. We conducted a field evaluation in 2015 and 2016 in Wisconsin to assess how two trigger configurations (offset and center) on body-grip traps would affect the incidental capture rate of river otters during beaver trapping. We also evaluated effects of …

Social Psychology Of Climate Change In The Asian Context: Introduction To Special Issue, Kim-Pong Tam, Angela K. Y. Leung, Susan Clayton

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing many countries in the Asia Pacific. Asia as a whole is a primary contributor to carbon emissions. According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2020, the Asia Pacific region alone accounts for more than half of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. This represents an increase in consumption of oil, gas, and coal in Asia Pacific from 44.5% in 2009 to 50.5% in 2019. According to the review, compared to the rest of the world, Asia Pacific had the highest growth rate (2.7%) of carbon emissions between 2008 and …

A System Dynamics Model Of Soil Carbon Stock And Flows In Grasslands Under Climate And Grazing Scenarios., Deirdre Sommerlad-Rogers

Master's Theses

Carbon sequestration is paramount to reducing climate change. Grasslands, representing 40% of all terrestrial area, can serve as a primary sequestration location if optimal management strategies can be realized. This study used system dynamics modeling to examine the temporal dynamics of carbon stocks and flows in response to grass species composition, grazing intensity, and temperature and precipitation changes at the landscape level. While there are other biogeochemical models in existence, they are either meant to model large areas, including globally, or are meant to be at a farm level and have limited plot sizes, limiting the options for rangeland managers …

Algal Alterity : A Study Of Florida's Algae-Crisis-Culture, Katelyn Flood

Masters Theses

This research critically engages with the ecology of media discourse surrounding Florida’s “harmful algae crisis” . It uses a content analysis of online news media articles to address how the presence and unique processes of aquatic algae organisms are entangled with people and cultural practices. Specifically, this work grapples with the dynamic relationship between algae organisms and the cultural production of meaning through visual imagery/stimuli. It examines both visual and textual representations of algae in mass media communications covering the harmful algae crisis or “red tide crisis” of 2017 and 2018: an extreme period of aquatic algae proliferation and hazardous …

Technological Opportunities For Sensing Of The Health Effects Of Weather And Climate Change: A State-Of-The-Art-Review, V. Anderson, A. C. W. Leung, H. Mehdipoor, B. Janicke, D. Milosevic, A. Oliveira, S. Manavvi, P. Kabano, Yuliya Dzyuban, Et Al

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Sensing and measuring meteorological and physiological parameters of humans, animals, and plants are necessary to understand the complex interactions that occur between atmospheric processes and the health of the living organisms. Advanced sensing technologies have provided both meteorological and biological data across increasingly vast spatial, spectral, temporal, and thematic scales. Information and communication technologies have reduced barriers to data dissemination, enabling the circulation of information across different jurisdictions and disciplines. Due to the advancement and rapid dissemination of these technologies, a review of the opportunities for sensing the health effects of weather and climate change is necessary. This paper provides …

Isolation And Determination Of The Composition And Structural Components That Comprise Dissolved Organic Matter Using Normal Phase Liquid Chromatography, Jonathan A. Long Jr

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A comprehensive understanding of the reactivity associated with organic carbon is critical for recognizing the behavior of newly formed compounds in aquatic environments. In an effort to study the reactivity of complex mixtures, understanding the different processes affiliated with them are key. Understanding the reactivity associated with organic carbon can help to improve chromatographic separation. Using a combination of light and heavy crude oil, a separation procedure was developed to obtain a complete representation of the aromatic subfraction of the crude oil sample. The crude oils were separated into four distinct fractions based on the number of condensed aromatic rings …

Brown Treesnake Mortality After Aerial Application Of Toxic Baits, Scott M. Goetz, Eric T. Hileman, Melia G. Nafus, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Amanda R. Bryant, Robert N. Reed, Shane R. Siers

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Quantitative evaluation of control tools for managing invasive species is necessary to assess overall effectiveness and individual variation in treatment susceptibility. Invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) on Guam have caused severe ecological and economic effects, pose a risk of accidental introduction to other islands, and are the greatest impediment to the reestablishment of extirpated native fauna. An aerial delivery system for rodent‐based toxic baits can reduce brown treesnake abundance and heterogeneity among individuals may influence bait attraction or toxicant susceptibility. Previous baiting trials have either been simulated aerial treatments or relied on slightly different bait capsule compositions and the results …

Agency, Sense Of Place, And Knowledge On The Zumwalt Prairie: A Social Study Of Place-Based Conservation And Resilience, Dana Elyse Hellman

Dissertations and Theses

Shifting and often diminishing environmental conditions, due to climate change, resource loss, and ecosystem degradation, pose a significant concern to both social and ecological systems. The field of conservation science has attempted to address environmental threats through varying approaches, transitioning from fortress conservation and complete human exclusion to community-based and co-managed models which incorporate human actors and social dimensions in the conservation process. The latest iteration of conservation scholarship, place-based conservation, is deeply rooted in interdisciplinary, social scientific thinking, and calls for significant practitioner engagement with local knowledge, practices, social constructions, and place meanings. It is an approach which emphasizes …

Hydrochemical Assessment Of Groundwater Around Lapite Dumpsite For Irrigation Water Quality In Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria, Oluwatoyin Opeyemi Akintola, Gabriel Oladapo Adeyemi, Adewunmi Idayat Bodede, Oluwatoyin Oluwatoyin Adekoya, Kekinde O. Babatunde

Journal of Bioresource Management

Due to the increase in population and industrialization growth, most countries in the world depend on groundwater to meet agriculture demands for food production. The increase in water contamination due to indiscriminate solid wastes has necessitated the assessment of water quality and its suitability for agricultural usage. Twenty four groundwater and ten stream water samples were randomly collected from the downslope and upslope side of the dumpsite for all the major physio-chemical parameters. The pH of water samples indicates slightly acidic to alkaline in nature. High concentrations of nitrate, total dissolved solids and electrical conductivity suggest the impact of the …

In-Depth Analysis Of N2o Fluxes In Tropical Forest Soils Of The Congo Basin Combining Isotope And Functional Gene Analysis, Nora Gallarotti, Matti Barthel, Elizabeth Verhoeven, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Marijn Bauters, Simon Baumgartner, Travis W. Drake, Pascal Boeckx, Joachim Mohn, Manon Longepierre

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Primary tropical forests generally exhibit large gaseous nitrogen (N) losses, occurring as nitric oxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N2O) or elemental nitrogen (N2). The release of N2O is of particular concern due to its high global warming potential and destruction of stratospheric ozone. Tropical forest soils are predicted to be among the largest natural sources of N2O; however, despite being the world’s second-largest rainforest, measurements of gaseous N-losses from forest soils of the Congo Basin are scarce. In addition, long-term studies investigating N2O fluxes from different forest ecosystem types (lowland and montane forests) are scarce. In this study we show that …

Teacher Background Knowledge: Biodiversity, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 06: Urban Biodiversity

No abstract provided.