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Lesson Plan - Food Choices And Climate Change, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

Students will review concepts of the energy pyramid focusing on the loss of usable energy as it moves through food chains from producers to consumers. These ideas will then be used to explain pricing variations relative to vegetables and meats. Because more land is required to support a pound of animal vs. a pound of plants and there are limits to land that can be used for agriculture, the importance of food choice will be explored. As a concluding activity, students will calculate the distance that food ingredients for a standard lunch. In this way, students will also account for …

Powerpoint - Food Choices And Energy, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

No abstract provided.

Student Pages - Google Earth, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

No abstract provided.

Student Pages - Google Earth - Answer Key, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

No abstract provided.

Student Pages - Maps, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

No abstract provided.

Student Pages - Maps - Answer Key, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

No abstract provided.

Lesson Plan - Powering Our City: Exploring Renewable Energy Sources, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

The goal of this lesson is for students to explore their greenhouse gas emissions and potential alternative energy sources. Using an online simulation, students explore the economic and environmental impacts of these different sources and recognize that no single alternative energy source will currently provide enough power for a city. However, by combining power from a number of sources, they can minimize the impact on the environment. Students will also discuss the strengths and limitations of this simulation. Finally students will discuss what alternative energy sources might be most viable in their own area.

Powerpoint - Impact Of Trees, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

No abstract provided.

Reading - Renewable Energy, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

No abstract provided.

Student Pages - Powering Our City: Exploring Sources Of Energy, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

No abstract provided.

Lesson Plan - Climate Change And The Ecosystem Services Model, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

Students will learn about the process and importance of carbon sequestration by trees. In this process, excess carbon is removed from the carbon cycle by trees. Next, students engage in a series of review activities in which they recall the major concepts that were covered throughout the climate change module and connect them in groups to the lenses/aspects/parts of the Ecosystems Services Model as described in Lesson 6 of Module 1. Students will also participate in a round robin to discuss and explain the reasoning behind why they categorized these concepts the way they did to other groups.

Reading - Carbon Sequestration, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

No abstract provided.

Host Q&A, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

No abstract provided.

Student Pages - Climate Change And The Ecosystem Services Model, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

No abstract provided.

Lesson Plan - Performing Personal Energy Audits And Creating A School Wide Action Plan, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

In this lesson, students will use their knowledge about major and alternative sources of energy to create a public service announcement (PSA) that makes a convincing argument for increasing their community’s use of alternative energy sources. In constructing the argument, students must refer to specific scientifically-based evidence and facts that support their claims about alternative sources. The main point of this lesson is to highlight how the understanding science and envisioning possibilities steps of the action plan process can be utilized to take action. After completing their PSA, students will present their work to the class

Rubric, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

No abstract provided.

Student Pages - Public Service Announcement (Psa) Worksheet, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 03: Energy & Climate Change

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Microclimate Boundaries Across A Sharp Tropical Rainforest–Clearing Edge, Eric A. Graham, Mark Hansen, William J. Kaiser, Yeung Lam, Eric Yuen, Philip W. Rundel

Biology Faculty Scholarship

As landscapes become increasingly fragmented, research into impacts from disturbance and how edges affect vegetation and community structure has become more important. Descriptive studies on how microclimate changes across sharp transition zones have long existed in the literature and recently more attention has been focused on understanding the dynamic patterns of microclimate associated with forest edges. Increasing concern about forest fragmentation has led to new technologies for modeling forest microclimates. However, forest boundaries pose important challenges to not only microclimate modeling but also sampling regimes in order to capture the diurnal and seasonal dynamic aspects of microclimate along forest edges. …

Optimization Of Grow-Out Of Bouldering Coral Microfragments: Land Vs. Offshore Nursery, Ashlee A. Steinberg

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Corals along the Florida Reef Tract and the wider Caribbean have been declining for decades. Low densities of adult colonies hinder the ability of corals to replenish themselves through sexual reproduction, thus reef managers are focusing on restoration actions that increase coral biomass. Microfragmentation is a way to quickly increase the biomass of bouldering corals by cutting the coral into small pieces which forces the coral to allocate its resources away from reproduction and back into growth, increasing its growth rate. This study assessed the optimal location for grow-out (land vs. offshore nursery) and its synergy with size of fragment …

Powerpoint - Acting On Urban Ecology, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 01: Introduction to Urban Ecology

No abstract provided.

Student Handout - Action In Urban Ecology, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 01: Introduction to Urban Ecology

No abstract provided.

Ecosystem Structure And Function_Answer Key, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 01: Introduction to Urban Ecology

No abstract provided.

Action In Urban Ecology - Action Plan Process, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 01: Introduction to Urban Ecology

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Changing Substrate On Arctic Aquatic Invertebrates Abundance, Tom Dolman

Michael D. Wilson Symposium

Climate change is directly affecting tundra ecosystems in northern regions, and warming temperatures have caused discontinuous permafrost and thawing sediments across the region. This project investigates how increasing erosion and the foraging patterns of migratory snow geese may degrade habitat for aquatic invertebrates in the upper Mast River, located in Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada. In the past two decades, many of the important species of aquatic invertebrates have shown declines. Declining invertebrate populations are predicted to affect aquatic ecosystems and decrease the resources available to shorebirds and waterfowl, which breed and migrate through this area.

Informing Drought Mitigation Policy By Estimating The Value Of Water For Crop Production, Renata Rimsaite, Justin Gibson, Nicholas Brozovic

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Farmers use irrigation to mitigate drought risk and reduce yield uncertainty. A clear understanding of the monetary value of irrigation water and how it varies across time and space can help to inform farmers and policymakers about the potential impacts of water shortages and reduce uncertainty in decision making. Here, we introduce a framework for understanding the economic value of water used to produce corn in the central High Plains region during the period 2010–2017. Our analysis uses publicly available data for corn price and for irrigated and non-irrigated yields and incorporates irrigation requirement adjustments to account for the hydrologic …

The Use Of Mayflies, Stoneflies And Caddisflies As Indicators Of Fine Sediment Pollution In Salmon-Bearing Streams Of The Pacific Northwest, Cory Michael Mccaffrey

Dissertations and Theses

Fine sediment (particles < 2 mm in diameter) deposition is a natural component of streams but in excess amounts it is harmful to aquatic biota. Fine sediment is the main cause of impairment in streams and rivers of the Pacific Northwest and it can lead to unsuitable spawning and rearing habitat for Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed Salmon and steelhead. From a regulatory perspective, fine sediment presents a challenge because it is difficult to measure in situ and to establish criteria that would indicate stream impairment. Consequently, there is considerable effort to develop biocriteria using stream macroinvertebrates that would help regulators determine if a stream is impaired by excessive fine sediment.

Stream macroinvertebrates are widely used to monitor and assess stream degradation because they are affected by the physical, chemical and biological conditions in a stream. In particular, the stream insects known as mayflies (Ephemeroptera, E), stoneflies (Plecoptera, P) and caddisflies (Trichoptera, T) are commonly used as a metric referred to as EPT richness. EPT taxa are well known as pollutant intolerant …

An Impact Model For Experiential Activities Of Farming And Food Education In Agricultural Sustainable Tourism, Feng-En Lo, Li-Shiue Gau, Yu-Yin Hsu, Rick Gage, Chien-Yun Hung

Natural Resources and Earth Sciences Faculty Research

This paper examines the development, implementation, and implications of farming and food experiential activities and the effects of these activities on agricultural sustainable tourism. A model is proposed that examines the major correlates and possible impacts related to these variables. A heuristic inquiry research design was adopted, employing a major multiple case study approach. In addition to secondary data, primary data were collected through 18 interviews with farmers, customers, government employees, community leaders and scholars, as well as 132 quantitative surveys from tourists and visitors involved in the activities on site.

The major cases of the Small Bee Project, Pitaya …

Distribution And Conservation Status Of Camellia Longzhouensis (Theaceae), A Critically Endangered Plant Species Endemic To Southern China, Zhanhui Xu, Hai Ren, Xiao Wei, Kangting Ouyang, Dongxing Li, Yili Guo, Shujun Wen, Jifeng Long, Jun Wang, Dafeng Hui

Biology Faculty Research

Camellia longzhouensis (Theaceae) is an endemic evergreen shrub or small tree with a distribution restricted to South China. It is listed as Grade-II in the National Key Protected Wild Plants List. In this study, we surveyed its distribution, examined its population structure, identified factors affecting its survival, and reassessed its extinction risk. We found that C. longzhouensis was only distributed in the Nonggang National Nature Reserve and the surrounding area. Its individuals only grew under the secondary forest canopy in the karst mountain. A total of 58 individuals of C. longzhouensis in three sub-populations were found. Soil fertility and understory …

Removal Of Carbamazepine Onto Modified Zeolitic Tuff In Different Water Matrices: Batch And Continuous Flow Experiments, Othman A. Al-Mashaqbeh, Diya A. Alsafadi, Layal Z. Alsalhi, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Daniel D. Snow

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is the most frequently detected pharmaceutical residues in aquatic environments effluent by wastewater treatment plants. Batch and column experiments were conducted to evaluate the removal of CBZ from ultra-pure water and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent using raw zeolitic tuff (RZT) and surfactant modified zeolite (SMZ). Point zero net charge (pHpzc), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) were investigated for adsorbents to evaluate the physiochemical changes resulted from the modification process using Hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMA-Br). XRD and FTIR showed that the surfactant modification of RZT has created an amorphous surface with new alkyl …

Environmental Health - The Impact Of Oil Sands Mining On Peatland Ecosystems In Alberta, Canada, Melanie A. Vile

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

No abstract provided.