Digital Commons Network^™

Re: Approval Letter For The 2024 Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Stormwater Evaluation And Maintenance Report (Dated April 8, 2026), Emma Rott

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Revised Draft Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Unreclaimed (Ur) Sites New And Mahoney (Ur-23) Construction Completion Report (Ccr), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Revised Draft Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Unreclaimed (Ur) Sites New And Mahoney (Ur-23) Construction Completion Report (Ccr), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Relationship Between Morphometric Indices Of The Eleven Point River And Sediment And Nutrient Transport, Karimot Shobowale, Jennifer Bouldin

Create@State

Objective: To evaluate how watershed characteristics impact sediment transport and water quality parameters.

Signatures Of Vapor Evolution In Turbulent Convection Cells Recorded By K And Rb Isotopes In Chicxulub Impact Spherules, Courtney Jean Rundhaug, Martin Schiller, Martin Bizzarro, Zhengbin Deng, Hermann Dario Bermúdez

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary (∼66 Ma) records the Chicxulub asteroid impact, a pivotal event in Earth's history that affected much of the Earth's surface. While products of this impact have been widely studied, the thermodynamics of the plume and formation mechanisms of certain impact materials remain unclear. This study investigates conditions within the intermediate fraction of the Chicxulub impact plume (pyrocloud) using K and Rb isotope signatures of Gorgonilla Island impact spherules with published δ25Mg data to trace evaporation and condensation processes during ejecta dispersion. The δ41K and δ87Rb signatures vary from −1.18 ± 0.04‰ to 0.43 ± 0.09‰ and − …

Sustainability, Culture, And Higher Education: An Autoethnographic Sustainability Comparison Of The Sustainability Initiatives At The University Of Salzburg And Bowling Green State University, Madison Alt

Honors Projects

Human activity is already triggering damaging environmental tipping points (Lenton, 2020), emphasizing the need for sustainability in all aspects of development. Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs) have the power and responsibility to contribute to a more sustainable world (Parr et al., 2022). Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio, United States, and the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg (PLUS) in Salzburg, Austria are two IHEs with multifaceted sustainability programs. While living and studying at BGSU and PLUS, I used autoethnography, a personal narrative approach, combined with public sustainability information to compare the sustainability initiatives at each university, and determine what …

Science And Technology Empower New Quality Productive Forces To Promote Green Sustainable Development, Yongxiang Lu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The rapid development of science and technology drives industrial innovation and upgrading, and promotes productive forces toward green, intelligent, and sustainable development. While improving production efficiency, new quality productive forces also promote green and sustainable development. This study reviews on green intelligent manufacturing technologies, green renewable energy technologies, green transportation technologies, and green data technologies, also explores their significance for global green and sustainable development.

Impact Of Climate Change On Agricultural Production In The North China Plain And Adaption Strategies, Yanjun Shen, Ying Guo, Chuanwei Zhang, Yaning Chen

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Over the past century, global warming has posed significant challenges to the North China Plain (NCP), a core region for grain production, where resource-induced water scarcity now coincides with complex meteorological disasters. In recent years, the NCP has exhibited new climatic characteristics, notably the transition from a “warm-dry” to a “warm-wet” pattern accompanied by asymmetric warming, leading to an increased frequency of extreme events such as droughts, abrupt dry-flood alternations, and temperature extremes. These shifts pose a grave threat to regional grain stability. Currently, critical gaps remain in the understanding of the underlying disaster mechanisms, as well as in predictive …

Impact And Countermeasures Of Climate Change On Grain Production In Northwest China, Qin’Ge Dong, Jianqiang He, Yi Li, Ning Yao, Xiang Li, Haolei Zhang, Shengnan Wang, Tengcong Jiang, Baiqing Chen, Chunrui Gao, Chao Liang, Guiyuan Zhang, Lei Gong, Jinxuan Zhao, Qiang Yu, Hao Feng

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Global climate change is reshaping the agricultural production patterns of grain crops in Northwest China. As an important reserve region for national grain production, Northwest China faces multiple uncertainties and compound risks in food security. This study analyzes the current status and limiting factors of grain production, along with regional climate change trends, and systematically evaluates the impacts of climate change and its associated disasters on the spatial distribution, cropping systems, and yield formation of major crops such as wheat, maize, and potato. Over the past 60 years, the region has experienced a warming rate of approximately 0.32℃ per decade …

Accelerating Marine Science And Technology Innovation Under Great Power Competition: Challenges And Recommendations, Qingbin Guo, Yongsha Xiong, Shifang Sun

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Against the backdrop of intensifying great-power competition, the core issues of global technological competition and cooperation are increasingly converging on the marine domain. The oceans are progressively becoming a critical strategic sphere for national development and security. At present, China is steadily advancing towards its goal of becoming a maritime power, achieving historic leaps in technological innovation such as shipbuilding and deep-sea exploration. Nevertheless, the path ahead for China’s marine science and technology innovation will inevitably face severe international circumstances and competition from established global maritime powers. Based on a review of global and Chinese progress in marine science and …

Construction Of China’S Marine Protected Area System In 15th Five-Year Plan, Ke Duan, Danhong Chen, Keqiang Li, Limin Han, Zhengyan Liu, Dongliang Lu, Xiulin Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The establishment of the marine protected area (MPA) system constitutes a critical component of the national initiative to comprehensively advance the development of a nature reserve system centered on national parks. This study explores on domestic and international development trends from aspects such as conservation strategies, international policies, high seas protection, and development trends. It also sorts out and analyzes the construction status of marine protected area systems in China and the United States. Centering on issues in China related to spatial layout, management systems, policies and laws, scientific research support, high seas governance, and land-sea management, the study puts …

Exploring Alternate Methods Of Flood Output Estimation During Natural Disasters, Finley Gardner

Honors College Theses

In April of 2025, extreme flooding damaged many homes and buildings of people across Kentucky. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) produces maps that show the potential for flooding in areas around water bodies, but many of the April flooding damaged areas were well outside of the FEMA classification zones. The main purpose of this thesis research was to create an accurate model of potential flood extent in Kentucky and compare it to FEMA maps. This model did not require extensive computing power and produced a map that accurately depicted flood extent through the use of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) …

Impacts Of Climate Change On Agricultural Production And Adaptation Strategies In Northeast China, Ming Jiang, Aizhen Liang, Peng Qi

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

As the “stabilizer” of national food security, Northeast China is highly sensitive to climate change. Over the past 60 years, the regional temperature has risen significantly at a rate of 0.034℃/a, which is much higher than the global average of 0.0074℃/a. The improvement of thermal resources has driven a significant northward expansion of high-yield and heat-demanding crops, such as maize and rice. Nevertheless, increased warming has enhanced evapotranspiration demand, which, combined with the expansion of planting scales, has led to a 19.8% increase in agricultural irrigation water consumption over the past 20 years, resulting in a prominent contradiction between supply …

Challenges In Strategic Exploitation Of Deep-Sea Minerals And China’S Countermeasures, Chang Wang, Xiaojie Shu, Siyuan Zhou, Huiling Song, Shaojun Liu, Xiangxin Xu, Tao Dai, Tao Zhang, Peng Wang, Zheng Li, Jinhua Cheng

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Facing the new stage of strategic mining of deep-sea minerals and the long-term pressure of supply of critical minerals, China urgently needs to seize the window of opportunity for the strategic exploitation of deep-sea critical minerals and open up new sources of supply of critical minerals. Having analyzed the new global situation and challenges of the strategic exploitation of deep-sea critical mineral resources, the study attempted to clarify the supporting role of deep-sea mining in securing critical mineral supply, as well as the actual conditions and main obstacles for the strategic exploitation of deep-sea critical mineral resources in China. Based …

Draft Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit Unreclaimed Sites: Ur-03 Construction Completion Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Tariff Exposure In The U.S. National Sector: An Input-Output Analysis Of 2018-2019 Tariffs An Input-Output Analysis Of 2018-2019 Tariffs, Sean Curry

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

In March 2018, the United States imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, aiming to strengthen domestic production. While the policy targeted upstream industries, it raised many important questions such as: how do higher input costs affect employment in downstream industries that rely on these materials? This study examines the relationship between tariff exposure and employment growth using national industry-level data. The sectors chosen for this study were inspired from Nevada's unique economic structure. Nevada’s economy ( primary: services, mining, and a small but growing manufacturing sector) provides a good framework for …

Nevada Mining & The Limits Of U.S. Energy Independence, Mckinley Brown, Emma Kitchen

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

This study examines how heavy equipment investment and project timelines in mining interact with permitting processes to influence blue collar employment in the United States. By using equipment purchases as a proxy for project scale, the research connects industrial activity driven by green energy demand to regional labor outcomes. The expansion of green energy has increased demand for critical minerals, making mining and industrial sectors central to economic growth. Permitting processes play a key role in determining how quickly these projects translate into job creation and regional development. Higher levels of industrial investment and more efficient permitting are associated with …

Final 2022 Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Sampling: Bres No. 96 – Washoe Dump Site Evaluation Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Plastic Purgatory: Investigating The Effects Of Plastic Litter On Water And Organic Content In Topsoil In Holland, Michigan, Kamryn Bice, Annis Cairns, Maddie Devries, Sebastian Lema

25th Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2026)

Plastic accumulation in soils can offer important insights into how human activity affects terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, we examined the relationship between plastic litter and soil quality at several sites across Holland, Michigan to determine whether plastic abundance was associated with changes in soil properties. Soil samples from five different site types – construction, residential, commercial, nature, and a control – were collected over a threeweek period, then analyzed for pH, water contents, total organic carbon (TOC), and plastic abundance through field testing and laboratory methods. The number of plastic pieces ranged from 0 to 27 with the largest …

Draft Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit Unreclaimed Sites: Ur-03 Construction Completion Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Re: Comment Letter For The Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Npl Site Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit, 60% Remedial Design Documents For The Blacktail Creek Area Groundwater Hydraulic Control System (Dated March 2, 2026), Emma Rott

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Recent Wetland Elevation Dynamics In Coastal Louisiana, Usa, Elizabeth Harris

LSU Master's Theses

Coastal marshes globally are increasingly vulnerable to accelerating relative sea-level rise (RSLR), which threatens their capacity to maintain elevation through feedbacks among sediment supply, vegetation productivity, hydrology, and soil processes. Although many marshes can persist under moderate rates of sea-level rise through vertical accretion and belowground biomass production, this resilience is strongly constrained by sediment availability and subsurface processes such as autocompaction and organic matter decomposition. High accretion is often assumed to confer marsh resilience; however, subsurface processes, particularly autocompaction driven by surface loading, can substantially offset elevation gains. Coastal Louisiana experiences among the highest rates of RSLR worldwide due …

Real And Perceived Barriers To Effective Use Of Cataract Surgical Supplies, Caitlin Davie, Lindsay K. Cloud, Scott Burris, Shaina Shiwdin, Brooke Sherry, Christina R. Prescott, Joel Schuman, David Palmer, David Chang, Daniel Parra, Cordelia Kwon, Margaret A. Tharp, Cassandra L. Thiel

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

INTRODUCTION: Cataract surgery, among the most common procedures worldwide, significantly contributes to climate change through both solid waste and air pollution, highlighting the urgent need for targeted interventions. Implementation faces hurdles including legal constraints and concerns about infection risks and malpractice.

METHODS: This article examines federal and state regulatory structures around two key waste reduction strategies: reduction of multidose medications and distribution of partly-used operating room medication to patients post-surgery.

RESULTS: We find little-to-no legitimate regulatory barriers to either waste reduction practice. Dispensing and redistributing partly-used medication has been codified in law in some states. Evidence-based reports indicate minimal risks …

Molecular Adaptation Of Sweet Potato To Martian Soil Simulant: Insights From Mrna And Long Non-Coding Rna Analyses, Subramanyam Reddy Chinreddy, Karthik Chinnannan, Purushothaman Natarajan, Vaibhavi Patel, Gwonjin Lee, Manohar Chakrabarti, Padma Nimmakayala, Umesh K. Reddy

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduction: Understanding how crops adapt to extraterrestrial environments is essential for sustainable space agriculture. Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), a nutritionally rich and stress-resilient crop, is a promising candidate for cultivation under Martian-like conditions, characterized by high salinity, heavy metal contamination, and poor water retention.

Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying sweet potato adaptation to Martian soil analog conditions using Mars Global Simulant-1 (MGS-1).

Methods: Leaf, shoot, and storage root tissues of sweet potato grown in MGS-1 were subjected to RNA sequencing. Differentially expressed mRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were identified, and functional enrichment analyses were …

Characterizing The Macroinvertebrate Community In Crissy Lake, An Impounded Reach Of The Pomme De Terre River, Prior To Channel Modification, Max Lundgren

Undergraduate Research Symposium (2026- )

The aging Crissy Lake Dam, on the Pomme de Terre River in Morris, has altered natural stream flow and impeded upstream passage of several fish species since 1939. In late 2026 the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will replace the dam with stone arch rapids and facilitate river channel formation upstream of the dam. In order to evaluate the river modification project, we characterized the macroinvertebrate community in Crissy Lake, the impoundment upstream of the dam before implementation of channel modification. In September 2025 we collected benthic macroinvertebrates from two sets of Ekman grab samples. We found 12 taxa (average …

Image Processing Technique To Find The Burden Rock Velocity And Its Interdependency On Bench Blasting Parameters – A Case Study, Channabassamma N, Akhil Avchar, Sahas V Swamy, Vedala Rama Sastry, Hemant Agrawale

Journal of Sustainable Mining

In any rock engineering or excavation project, optimizing blast design is essential for controlling post-blast phenomena such as flyrock, burden throw, and burden rock velocity (BRV). This study investigates the dynamic response of BRV in bench blasting operations by employing a high-speed camera and ProAnalyst software to quantify rock displacement. The relationships between BRV and key blast parameters, number of holes (NH), explosive charge per hole (EPH), total explosive charge (TEC), stiffness ratio (K), and stemming ratio (STR), were analyzed to identify linear or non-linear trends. Non-linear trends, …

Evaluating Sand Characteristics And Their Influence On Sea Turtle Nest Incubation Conditions, Thomas Naylor

Honors Theses

The embryonic development of sea turtles is strongly influenced by the environmental factors experienced during incubation within the nest. These environmental factors can influence hatchling sex ratios, body condition, and their success emerging from nests. Adult female sea turtles lay nests across a range of sites throughout the nesting season, resulting in each nest encountering unique abiotic conditions. This study aims to identify how variation in sand characteristics, such as grain size proportions, permeability, and color, influences nest temperature and subsequent hatchling outcomes of Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) and Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) from …

Dimensionless Ratios And Processes Controlling Volumetric Bioretention Performance, Andrew Charles Hiestand

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Urbanization of previously natural land cover has spurred the innovation and implementation of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) to combat increased surface runoff due to impermeable areas and a changing climate. Bioretention has been a popular choice in design due to its small footprint and proven effectiveness in retaining stormwater runoff and limiting discharges to receiving surface waters. However, their event-to-event performance variability is difficult to explain due to a number of confounding and interacting influences that distort cross-site analyses including inter-event drying and antecedent soil moisture conditions, geometric size and media properties, and event magnitude. This study applies and evaluates …

High Germinability Can Facilitate Recovery Of Adelia Vaseyi (Euphorbiaceae), An Imperiled Tamaulipan Thornscrub Shrub, Saroj Dhakal, Bashira Chowdhury, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

While critical to maintaining dryland biodiversity and drought resilience, reforestation has been limited in subtropical dry forests because of knowledge gaps in seed biology that must be filled to upscale seedling production and ensure recovery of imperiled endemic plants. We characterized seed germination, dormancy, and storage needs for Adelia vaseyi, a threatened endemic shrub commonly included in planting mixes to restore Tamaulipan thornscrub, an imperiled subtropical forest spanning South Texas and Northeastern Mexico. We found A. vaseyi seeds have high germinability (82.0%) and a short mean germination time (3.04 ± 0.08 days). A delia vaseyi seed does not appear …

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus Occidentalis) Groundings On A Four-Lane Divided Highway In South Texas: A Comparative Study Using Citizen Science, Bradley Evan Beer, Kevin W. Ryer, Md. Saydur Rahman, John H. Young Jr., Richard J. Kline

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

The population of the once-endangered brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) has increased over the past several decades and is now considered fully recovered. However, in south Texas, the combined effects of weather patterns, transportation infrastructure, and brown pelican biology have led to road mortalities on State Highway 48 (SH 48) at the Carl “Joe” Gayman Bridge. To mitigate these mortalities, the Texas Department of Transportation modified traffic barriers on SH 48. We aimed to examine the effect of the barrier change and determine which weather variables influence brown pelican groundings on SH 48. Citizen scientists monitored sections of SH …