Digital Commons Network^™

Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Encroachment On South-Central South Dakota Rangelands: Impact On Plant Communities, Austin K. Domeier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grasslands historically covered 46 million km2 of Earth’s surface representing nearly 42% of the living vegetation. Encroachment of woody species onto grasslands and savannas is a widely researched global phenomenon, with eastern redcedar (ERC) (Juniperus virginiana L.) trees being the most prominent woody encroacher in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) due to the lack of prescribed fire and planted ERC escaping from shelterbelts. This encroachment poses a threat to native plant communities in terms of their reproduction, regeneration, and diversity. ERC are fierce competitors and can establish in most soil types, are drought tolerant, and prolific seed reproducers. These qualities …

Beyond A Liberal Reading Of Insurgent In Transformative Planning Practices, Efadul Huq

Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Biking In Indianapolis: An Ethnographic Analysis Of Obstacles And Solutions, Emory Lietz

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Indiana is known as the ""Crossroads of America"" for its historic investment in vehicle infrastructure. This focus on automobiles has shaped Indianapolis's urban landscape, to the dismay of many cyclists. Based on semi-structured interviews with a range of stakeholders in the Indianapolis cycling community, including urban planners, bike commuters, IndyGo employees, city government officials, and bike advocates, this project identifies and evaluates the current barriers that prevent Indianapolis residents from riding their bikes. These obstacles, which include infrastructural, safety, and social factors, make it more difficult than it ought to be to bike in Indy.

For my thesis project, I …

Trace Elements In Nails And Anemia In Children Living Along The Interoceanic Highway, Madre De Dios, Peru / Narrative Competence And Cognitive Mapping As A Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy In The Education Of Emergent Bilinguals, Tia Marks

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Anthropogenic changes in the Peruvian Amazon, including deforestation, highway development, agriculture, and artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), have increased community concern about potential exposures toxic trace elements (TTE) including arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb). Such exposures can lead to detrimental health effects in children, such as developmental delays and anemia. The overarching goal of my dissertation was to understand exposure to both toxic and essential (manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn)) trace elements, anemia prevalence, and the associations between hemoglobin (Hb) levels and trace elements. To do this, I leveraged existing data from a …

Municipal Solutions To Climate Change ; A Case Study Of Stream Daylighting In Suffolk County, New York, Madison Hrysko

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

During the 1950’s and 1960’s Suffolk County, New York experienced rapid urbanization and development. To pave way for infrastructure, hydrological modifications were made to the land including the burial of naturally flowing streams. Daylighting streams is the nature-based process of bringing buried streams back to the surface. In turn, restoring ecosystem services, increasing local resilience to climate change impacts, and expanding biodiversity. Minimal research has been done using GIS technology alongside a set of criteria to select best fit streams for daylighting. This thesis aims to fill that gap by identifying best and second-best fit streams for daylighting in Suffolk …

The Urban Heat Island Of Bengaluru, India : Characteristics, Trends, And Mechanisms, Heather Samantha Sussman

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The urban heat island (UHI) effect refers to how urban surfaces tend to be warmer than nearby non-urban areas due to less vegetation and other processes. UHIs can increase the risk of heat and respiratory illnesses. Since every city is unique, UHIs should be studied on a local-scale. One particular city that has not had its UHI comprehensively evaluated is Bengaluru, India. Bengaluru was once known as the “Garden City” of India due to a wide presence of gardens and public parks, but is now known as the “Silicon City” of India due to the overwhelming presence of the information …

Spokane Climate Project: Chapter 1, Temperature Impact Study For Spokane, Washington, Rebecca Macmullen, Kara Odegard, Jim Simon, David Camp, Gonzaga University Climate Institute

Climate, Water, and the Environment Research

This chapter examines the effects that projected future temperature increases are likely to have on human health and safety in Spokane. Spokane’s annual Lilac Bloomsday Run (Bloomsday) is used as a case study to illustrate potential impacts to human health.

The full version of this report as well as a full list of the citations and methodologies employed for this analysis can be found at the Spokane Climate Project website: https://www.spokaneclimateproject.org/.

Spokane Climate Project: Executive Summary, Pacific Northwest Climate Impacts Research Consortium (Circ), Gonzaga University Climate Institute

Climate, Water, and the Environment Research

This executive summary was created as part of the Spokane Climate Project (SCP) and complies the key climate science finding of the project. This summary report is part of a larger climate and weather vulnerability and resilience assessment for Spokane, Washington. The full assessment is scheduled for completion sometime in 2021.

Under the guidance of the Pacific Northwest Climate Impacts Research Consortium (CIRC), Spokane Climate Project participants from Spokane used CIRC’s Climate Toolbox, a suite of online climate science tools and related datasets, to investigate how climate and weather-related impacts—including rising temperatures, wildfires, and the loss of snowpack—are projected to …

Spatial Geochemical Changes In Central And East Texas Soils Over Time Resulting From Human Decomposition, Isabela Marisol Overturf

CMC Senior Theses

Human decomposition is studied to aid forensic investigations and better understand the impact of cemeteries on urban resources like soil and groundwater. The purpose of this study was to identify changes in soil geochemistry at and around a human grave to search for lateral nutrient movement and possibly identify new patterns in elemental concentrations that could be used in estimating post-mortem intervals (PMIs). At the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility (FARF) at Texas State San Marcos, soil samples were collected from a shallow grave over the course of 54 days to conduct analysis for organic matter content, texture, pH, and bulk …

Spatiotemporal Relationships Of Coyotes And Free-Ranging Domestic Cats As Indicators Of Conflict In Culver City, California, Rebecca N. Davenport, Melinda Weaver, Katherine C. B. Weiss, Eric G. Strauss

Center for Urban Resilience Scholarship

As habitat generalists, urban coyote (Canis latrans) populations often utilize an abundance of diverse food sources in cities. Within southern California, domestic cats (Felis catus) comprise a higher proportion of coyote diets than in other studied urban areas throughout the United States. However, it is unclear which ecological factors contribute to higher rates of cat depredation by coyotes in this region. While previous research suggests that coyote presence may have a negative effect on free-ranging domestic cat distributions, few studies have determined whether urban green spaces affect coyote or free-ranging domestic cat occurrence and activity within …

Heterogeneity Of Recreationists In A Park And Protected Area, Olivia A. Darugna, Mark A. Kaemingk, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Limited information and resources have caused many parks and protected areas (PPAs) to functionally manage recreationists as a single homogeneous group, despite potential negative social and ecological consequences. We aimed to evaluate the homogeneity of recreationists at the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) by 1) quantifying frequencies of consumptive (i.e., hunting), intermediate-consumptive (i.e., fishing), and non-consumptive recreational-activity groups (e.g., wildlife viewing), and 2) evaluating sociodemographic differences among these groups. We used onsite surveys to determine that Valentine NWR supports heterogeneous groups of recreationists. The intermediate-consumptive group was most frequent (77% of all parties). All three recreational-activity groups varied in party …

Wetlandology: A Kid's Book About Wetlands, Grace Gaard, Ted Lagrange

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

What is a Wetland? You might think that any land that is wet would be a wetland, right? But if the occurrence of water was the only thing that made a wetland a wetland, then deeper parts of oceans and rivers would be considered wetlands. And we know that is not true! So, what actually makes a wetland a wetland? Wetlands are defined by three things:

1. Soil

2. Plants

3. Hydrology

Wetlands are spread throughout Nebraska, but it is useful to identify some of the larger wetland complexes in the state. Wetlands can be found everywhere! All rivers and …

Guide To Nebraska's Wetlands And Their Conservation Needs, Third Edition, 2022, Ted Lagrange

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Wetlands: a source of great interest, and at times conflict. Wetlands represent different things to different people. To some people they may be considered shallow, muddy nuisances whereas to others they are considered to be wonderful, varied, and productive assets. This is because wetlands take on many roles as part of an elaborate and dynamic system. Understanding wetlands requires understanding the complex and varying roles they can play. To aid in this understanding, this guide defines wetlands, discusses their importance and dynamics, identifies threats and losses, describes conservation programs, and takes an in-depth look at Nebraska’s regional wetland complexes.

Nebraska’s …

Water Current, Volume 54, No. 1, Winter 2022

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Droughtscape, Winter 2022, National Drought Mitigation Center

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

DroughtScape, Winter 2022

The Water Is On Fire: Current Circuit Approaches To Fee-Shifting In Citizen-Suits Under The Clean Water Act And The Need For Clearer And More Uniform Standards, Charles Kinley

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

This Note will start by providing a short explanation of the origins of and congressional goals for the fee-shifting provision in the CWA [Clean Water Act]. It will then offer a brief summary of how Supreme Court precedent has both clarified and confused this issue. Then, it will dive into an examination of how the different circuits and their district courts have interpreted the CWA’s fee-shifting provision and how these interpretations have struggled with past Supreme Court decisions. Finally, this Note will explore the costs and benefits associated with these fee-shifting standards and offer a potential solution to this problem. …

Stubborn Aerosol: Why Particulate Mass Concentrations Do Not Drop During The Wet Season In Metro Manila, Philippines, Miguel Ricardo A. Hilario, Paola Angela Bañaga, Grace Betito, Rachel A. Braun, Maria Obiminda L. Cambaliza, Melliza Templonuevo Cruz, Genevieve Rose Lorenzo, Alexander B. Macdonald, Preciosa Corazon Pabroa, James Bernard Simpas

SOSE Affiliate: Manila Observatory

Wet scavenging is the most important sink for particulate matter (PM) and is expected to decrease PM concentrations in the wet season. However, Metro Manila, Philippines has highly similar PM mass across seasons despite large differences in seasonal rainfall. It is important to identify factors contributing to seasonally consistent PM mass as these may be present in similar developing megacities besides Metro Manila, leading to PM accumulation and posing significant health risks. We use size-resolved aerosol composition, aerosol optical depth, and meteorological data to reveal that the seasonally consistent PM mass in Metro Manila is due to (1) opposing seasonal …

Policy Sustainability Issues: Case Study Of Cassava Farmers In Ikorodu. Lagos, Nigeria, Medinat Oluwatoyin Adetunji

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The inconsistency and lack of continuity of Nigeria's agricultural policies impact the cassava sector. Despite being the world's biggest producer, the country is yet to benefit from the advantage due to a lack of sustainable growth. The situation manifests in terms of low productivity, low production level, and poor income to the farmers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the experiences and perceptions of the cassava farmers on cassava policies and the effect on their income and livelihoods in the Ikorodu local government of Lagos State. This qualitative study adopted a case study research design using participatory …

Strategies For Competitive Advantage In Small Construction Businesses, Syheed Fields

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Management and Technology

This is to certify that the doctoral study by

Syheed Fields

has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made.

Review Committee Dr. Michael Lavelle, Committee Chairperson, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty

Dr. Carol-Anne Faint, Committee Member, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty

Dr. William Stokes, University Reviewer, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty

Chief Academic Officer and ProvostSue Subocz, Ph.D.

Walden University2022

AbstractStrategies for Competitive Advantage in Small Construction Businesses by Syheed Fields

MLD, The Pennsylvania State University, …

The Imperatives Of Political Will For Revenue Diversification In Delta State Nigeria, Benson Chukwuweike Ojoko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Proceeds from crude oil export account for about 90% of the revenue of the federal, state, and local governments in Nigeria. Given the vagaries of the international oil market, scholars have advocated the need for the government to look beyond oil for other revenue sources with little or no success to date. Despite the plethora of research on the phenomenon of political will, there is no research on how the construct affects revenue diversification at the subnational level. This study examined how central political will is in the design of expansionary revenue policies in Delta State, Nigeria. Developing an understanding …

Atlantic Richfield Response To Comments Bpsou Draft Final Data Management Plan, Atlantic Richfield Company

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Green Iron Cage: Exploring The Macro And Micro-Level Influences On Executive Decisions About Sustainability Investments In Small And Medium Size Firms, Igor Estraykh

Theses and Dissertations

Although research on corporate environmental sustainability has shed light on different aspects of organizational and individual level factors that influence corporate decisions, it does not fully account for how individual executives within firms react to these forces and make decisions, specifically within small to medium size enterprises (SMEs). This study used a grounded theory approach to interview 19 SME executives from 13 different industries to explore how organizational and individual level factors influence their ability to evaluate and make decisions related to sustainability initiatives. The study found that SME executives faced isomorphic pressures for sustainability, individual agency pressures, significant resource …

Can Environmental Law Solve The "Forever Chemical" Problem?, Mark P. Nevitt, Robert V. Percival

Faculty Articles

Although federal environmental law purports to provide the public with comprehensive protection against chemical risks, the U.S. chemical industry is characterized by self­ regulation. This self-regulation is exemplified by the dangers posed by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (''PFAS'')­ broad classes of persistent toxic substances that have now entered nearly every American's bloodstream and hundreds of public drinking water systems. Despite data linking exposure to these "forever chemicals" to cancer, infertility, and a host of other public health harms, environmental law has failed to safeguard the American people from PFAS' toxic legacy. How did this occur? And what should be done …

Downstream Dispersal Of Fine Tailings, Chat And Metals In Channel Sediment Of Big River, Old Lead Belt, Southeast Missouri, Jennifer Pace Witt

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In St. François County, Missouri, compromised above-ground tailings piles and containment ponds from historical mining activities in the Old Lead Belt released considerable amounts of dolomitic, Pb- and Zn-contaminated waste sediments to the Big River, contributing to significant downstream floodplain and channel sediment contamination. Previous studies have documented the effects of heavy metals on Big River biota and water quality, as well as benthic habitat disruption resulting from the influx of small sediments. Few have considered the effects and future contamination risk of the coarse waste sediments (2-16 mm in diameter), locally called “chat”, which retain high Pb and Zn …

Exploring Visitor Perceptions And Behaviours Related To Ticks And Lyme Disease Risk In An Ontario Protected Area, Ryan Brady

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne zoonosis in North America and over the past decade, reported cases of the disease have been rapidly increasing in many regions throughout Canada. The relative novelty of this public health threat presents nature-based tourism and recreation organizations with a range of policy and management challenges. Currently, there is a limited understanding of public perceptions and behaviours associated with tick and Lyme disease risk, especially within a Canadian parks and protected areas visitation and visitor experience context. To address this practical and scholarly knowledge gap, this study utilized in-situ surveys to explore visitor perceptions, …

Mining-Contaminated Sediment And Metal Storage In Channel Deposits In Turkey Creek, Tri-State Mining District, Missouri And Kansas, Max Quinn Hillermann

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Joplin subdistrict, within the Tri-State Mining District (TSMD), was a major producer of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) ore between the 1880s to 1920s. Metalliferous mining wastes are still stored in the channel deposits of local streams raising environmental and health concerns. This study quantifies the volume, sediment size, and metal concentrations in channel bed, bar, bench, and chute deposits to quantify the spatial variability of contaminated sediment storage in Turkey Creek (119 km²). Sample reaches (n=14) contained metal concentrations elevated above the Tri-State Mining District specific probable effects concentration at every site with mean concentrations in …

Porewater Salinity Influences Germination Of Ruppia Polycarpa In Variable Estuarine Habitats, Chanelle Webster

Research Datasets

Porewater salinity at different depth intervals during different months. Seed, germling and seedling density data in two estuaries and during different months. Seed germination, seedling establishment and growth under experimental conditions.

Life Cycle Assessment Of Canned Fish Production In Thailand, Chanya Kraiwed

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The canned fish industry is one of the world's most popular exports in Thailand. Moreover, the canned seafood industry ranks fourth in terms of energy consumption, which compares to all industry group (Wiriyatangsakul, 2021). Commercial competitiveness, on the other hand, must be improved because of the competitive conditions in the global market. Thus, this study evaluates the environmental performance of a factory in Samut Sakhon, Thailand, using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with Gate-to-Gate approach and setting functional unit by 1 ton fresh fish entering to process. The study used the SimaPro LCA application with the CML 2 baseline 2000 method, …

Co-Effects Of Silver Nanoparticles And Microplastics On Nitrifying Microorganisms From Wastewater Treatment Plants And Their Activities, Nampetch Charanaipayuk

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and microplastics are emerging water contaminants of the decade. They share a similar fate and transport in wastewater treatment plants as they tend to accumulate in sludge of aeration tanks. Since both contaminants have negative effects on microbial growth, the ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in the aeration tanks are at risk for inhibition and consequently nitrification process fails. This study investigated the effects of AgNPs and microplastics on ammonia-oxidizing activity and community. No inhibition of ammonia oxidation rate was observed at 0.1 mg/L AgNPs. Partial inhibition was found at 0.5 and 1 mg/L AgNPs, while complete inhibition occurred at …

อิทธิพลของลักษณะเชิงปริมาณของรากแสมขาวต่อการตกตะกอนในแปลงปลูกป่าชายเลน จังหวัดสมุทรปราการ, ศราวรรณ หงษ์วิเศษ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ระบบนิเวศป่าชายเลนนอกจากมีบทบาทสำคัญในการเป็นแหล่งกักเก็บคาร์บอน ยังช่วยรักษาเสถียรภาพของพื้นที่ชายฝั่งผ่านกระบวนการตกตะกอน การฟื้นฟูระบบนิเวศชายฝั่งด้วยการปลูกป่าชายเลนจึงมีส่วนช่วยบรรเทาการ กัดเซาะชายฝั่ง โครงสร้างพืชพรรณโดยเฉพาะส่วนของรากมีบทบาทต่อการตกตะกอนในป่าชายเลน การศึกษานี้จึงมีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาอิทธิพลของลักษณะเชิงปริมาณของรากแสมขาว (Avicennia alba) ต่อการตกตะกอนตามระยะห่างจากชายฝั่งในแปลงปลูกป่าชายเลนบางปู จังหวัดสมุทรปราการ ตั้งแต่เดือนกันยายน พ.ศ. 2563 ถึงเดือนพฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2564 ผลการศึกษาพบว่าลักษณะเชิงปริมาณของรากหายใจแบบ pneumatophore ของแสมขาวมีความผันแปรตามระยะห่างจากชายฝั่ง โดยความสูง ความหนาแน่น พื้นที่หน้าตัดรวม ปริมาตรรวม และพื้นที่ผิวรวมของรากหายใจมีค่าลดลงเมื่อระยะห่างจากชายฝั่งมากขึ้น ขณะที่พื้นที่หน้าตัดของลำต้นและความหนาแน่นของกล้าไม้มีแนวโน้มมากขึ้นเมื่อระยะห่างจากชายฝั่งเพิ่มขึ้น ผลการศึกษาอัตราการตกตะกอนพบว่าบริเวณแปลงปลูกป่าชายเลนมีค่ามากกว่าบริเวณหาดโคลนที่ไม่มีพืชปกคลุม และมีค่ามากที่ระยะ 50 และ 70 เมตรจากชายฝั่งทะเล (0.1231±0.02 และ 0.1114±0.04 กรัมต่อเซนติเมตรต่อวัน ตามลำดับ) นอกจากนี้พบว่าลักษณะเชิงปริมาณของรากหายใจแบบ pneumatophore (ได้แก่ ความสูง พื้นที่ผิวรวม และปริมาตรรวม) มีความสัมพันธ์เชิงลบกับอัตราการตกตะกอน กล่าวได้ว่าโครงสร้างพืชพรรณส่วนเหนือดินเพิ่มความปั่นป่วนของมวลน้ำ ทำให้ตะกอนขนาดเล็กแขวนลอยนานขึ้นและถูกพัดพาไปด้านในของแปลงปลูก ส่วนรากใต้ดินโดยเฉพาะรากฝอยมีความหนาแน่นมากในบริเวณที่ห่างจากชายฝั่งและมีสหสัมพันธ์เชิงบวกกับสัดส่วนโคลน (อนุภาคดินเหนียวรวมกับทรายแป้ง) แสดงให้เห็นถึงความสามารถในการยึดจับตะกอนของรากฝอย สอดคล้องกับการเปลี่ยนแปลงระดับความสูงของพื้นที่สุทธิในแปลงปลูกที่มีค่าเป็นบวกและผันแปรอยู่ในช่วงแคบกว่าบริเวณหาดโคลน นั่นคือมีการสะสมของตะกอนในพื้นที่แปลงปลูก แต่เกิดการกัดเซาะบริเวณหาดโคลนเนื่องจากมีค่าสุทธิเป็นลบ จึงสรุปได้ว่าลักษณะเชิงปริมาณของรากหายใจแบบ pneumatophore และรากใต้ดินของ แสมขาวมีอิทธิพลต่อการตกตะกอนในแปลงปลูกป่าชายเลนบางปู โดยทำหน้าที่ร่วมกับลำต้นและกล้าไม้ช่วยส่งเสริมการสะสมของตะกอน เกิดเสถียรภาพของตะกอนให้คงอยู่ในพื้นที่ป่า แปลงปลูกป่าชายเลนจึงช่วยบรรเทาการกัดเซาะชายฝั่ง ในระยะยาวได้อย่างยั่งยืน อีกทั้งความสามารถในการสะสมตะกอนนี้ยังใช้เป็นดัชนีชี้วัดผลสัมฤทธิ์ของการปลูกฟื้นฟู ป่าชายเลนในแง่ของนิเวศบริการได้อีกด้วย