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Raised Field Agriculture On The North Coast Of Peru: Environmental Investigations In The Casma Valley, Seth Price

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Casma Valley, located on the central-northern coast of Peru, is home to a system of raised agricultural fields unique to the region. Relicts of pre-Hispanic culture, these fields are unusually well-preserved and primarily unaffected by modern agriculture. Multiscalar investigations of the Casma Valley raised fields revealed distinct anthropogenic soil alteration and landscape modification patterns. This dissertation assesses why Late Chimú (1300-1470 CE) societies in the Casma Valley converted ca. 2 km2 of land into raised agricultural field systems. This project is designed to investigate the composition and operation of raised fields, the short and long-term effects of field operation, …

Analyzing The Adoption, Cropping Rotation, And Impact Of Winter Cover Crops In The Mississippi Alluvial Plain (Map) Region Through Remote Sensing Technologies, Zobaer Ahmed

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the application of remote sensing technologies in conservation agriculture, specifically focusing on identifying and mapping winter cover crops and assessing voluntary cover crop adoption and cropping patterns in the Arkansas portion of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP). In the first chapter, a systematic review using the PRISMA methodology examines the last 30 years of thematic research, development, and trends in remote sensing applied to conservation agriculture from a global perspective. The review uncovers a growing interest in remote sensing-based research in conservation agriculture and emphasizes the necessity for further studies dedicated to conservation practices. Among the 68 …

Urban Vulnerability Analysis Based On Micro-Geographic Unit With Multi-Source Data—Case Study In Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, Jianghua Zheng, Danlin Yu, Chuqiao Han, Zhe Wang

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study introduces a novel approach to urban public safety analysis inspired by a streetscape analysis commonly applied in urban criminology, leveraging the concept of micro-geographical units to account for urban spatial heterogeneity. Recognizing the intrinsic uniformity within these smaller, distinct environments of a city, the methodology represents a shift from large-scale regional studies to a more localized and precise exploration of urban vulnerability. The research objectives focus on three key aspects: first, establishing a framework for identifying and dividing cities into micro-geographical units; second, determining the type and nature of data that effectively illustrate the potential vulnerability of these …

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter, August 2023, University Of Northern Iowa. Iowa Waste Reduction Center.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

Contents:

--- STAR4D at the Iowa State Fair
--- Farewell to Our Interns
--- Reminder: Iowa Recycling and Solid Waste Management Conference
--- Free Energy Assessments
--- Industry News

Assessment Of Pathogens In Flood Waters In Coastal Rural Regions: Case Study After Hurricane Michael And Florence, Moiz Usmani, Sital Uprety, Nathan Bonham, Yusuf Jamal, Yuqing Mao, Daisuke Sano, Joanna Shisler, Avinash Unnikrishnan, Thanh H. Nguyen, Antarpreet Jutla

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The severity of hurricanes, and thus the associated impacts, is changing over time. One of the understudied threats from damage caused by hurricanes is the potential for cross-contamination of water bodies with pathogens in coastal agricultural regions. Using microbiological data collected after hurricanes Florence and Michael, this study shows a dichotomy in the presence of pathogens in coastal North Carolina and Florida. Salmonella typhimurium was abundant in water samples collected in the regions dominated by swine farms. A drastic decrease in Enterococcus spp. in Carolinas is indicative of pathogen removal with flooding waters. Except for the abundance presence of Salmonella …

Quantifying Local And Regional Effects Of Human Development On Centennial Barrier Island Evolution : Insights From Barnegat Inlet, New Jersey, Shane Nichols-O’Neill

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Societal benefits and ecosystem services provided by barrier islands are at risk as these landforms evolve rapidly in response to system changes including an increasing rate of sea-level rise and changing storm patterns. To prevent retreat or drowning, the expected response of natural barrier islands, and preserve benefits provided by barrier islands, significant investments are made at developed barrier islands to stabilize ocean and bay shorelines. Maintaining stable shorelines may not be sustainable in the future due to changing environmental, financial, and political conditions. Decadal to centennial-scale alongshore barrier island evolution at Long Beach Island, New Jersey is analyzed to …

Fostering A Sense Of Wonder: Promoting Experiential Learning Through Outdoor Discoveries On The Coast Of Maine, Joslyn Primicias

Honors Theses

Recent generations of children have been experiencing a decrease in connection to Nature, causing various negative effects on personal development and well-being. Researchers are studying the impact of environmental education programs as a potential resolution to this issue dubbed “nature deficit disorder.” Studies have shown that while citizen science by youth is rapidly expanding, little research addresses conservation science with environmental education. Recognizing this gap, the summer camps at Wells NERR are designed to ensure children’s environmental stewardship as they learn about estuarine ecology alongside environmental issues. This educational study focuses on how environmental education through estuarine activities at summer …

Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) In Treated Sewage Sludge From Michigan Wastewater Treatment Plants, Garrett Wesley Link

Masters Theses

Concentrations, compositions, and variability of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in sewage sludge are characterized using an extensive dataset of 350 samples from 190 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) across Michigan. All samples are comprised of final treated sewage sludge generated at the end of the wastewater treatment process. Concentrations of Σ₂₄ PFAS are log normally distributed with a range of 1 to 3200 ng/g dry wt. and of average 108 ± 277 ng/g dry wt. Compounds with carboxyl and sulfonic functional groups comprised 29% and 71% of Σ₂₄ PFAS concentrations, respectively, on average. Primary sample variability is associated …

The Effect Of Energy Consumption, Income, And Population Growth On Co2 Emissions: Evidence From Nardl And Machine Learning Models, Mansoor Ahmed, Wen Huan, Nafees Ali, Ahsan Shafi, Muhsan Ehsan, Kamal Abdelrahman, Saiq Shakeel Abbasi, Anser Ali Khan, Mohammed S. Fnais

Student Publications [Scholarly]

With population and income growth, the need for energy has increased in developing and emerging economies, which has inevitably led to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions (CO₂e). This paper investigates the impact of energy consumption on CO₂e influenced by population growth, energy consumption per capita, and income. In particular, this paper investigates whether or not an increase in energy consumption, energy intensity, energy consumption per capita, population growth, and income impacts CO₂e in China, India, and the USA. The study applied the non-linear Autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) and machine learning techniques. We found …

The Analysis Of Extended Producer Responsibility (Epr) For E-Waste Management Policy Drivers And Challenges In Singapore, Aldy Gunawan, Tasaporn Visawameteekul, Aidan Marc Wong, Linh Chi Tran

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper examines Singapore’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for managing e-waste, focusing on policy drivers, challenges, and young consumers’ attitudes through an online survey. Using the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), it models the relationships between awareness, norms, and perceived convenience. Findings emphasize the need for tailored policies, formal recycling promotion, and analysis of disposal factors, cost preferences, and incentives. Text analysis also highlights concerns from respondents’ recommendations.

Water Quality Land Cover Change And Water Quality In Wetlands At The City Of Gresham, Or, Evelyn Barajas, Michael Gonzalez

altREU Projects

The City of Gresham, Oregon has implemented constructed wetlands around the area as an attempt to collect, filter, and purify water from different sources such as rain, agricultural waste, and domestic waste. We focused our research on three different facilities: Columbia Slough Water Quality Facility (CSWQF), Fairview Creek Water Quality Facility, and Brookside Water Quality Facility. For each of these, we conducted tests and looked at the concentration levels for nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients such as NH3-N (ammonium), NO3-N (nitrate), TKN (total Kjeldahl nitrogen), O-PO4 (phosphate), and Total P (total phosphorus), as well as heavy metals like Total Cu (total …

Bibliometric Analysis Of Sustainability In Gastronomy Research, Nihan Akdemir, Bilsen Bilgili

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Sustainability can be called the ability to be permanent. The economic, social and ecological dimensions of sustainability are important in terms of gastronomy. The rapid development of gastronomy in recent years has led many studies in literature to discuss gastronomy from different perspectives. The aim of this study is to reveal the development of national and international research on sustainability in gastronomy over the years with bibliometric analysis. In this context, Web of Science (WOS) and ULAKBIM TR-Dizin databases were examined in the analysis of the data until February 2023. For this purpose, articles were selected from the relevant sources …

The Impacts Of Transfer Learning For Ungulate Recognition At Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, Michael Gurule

Geography ETDs

As camera traps have grown in popularity, their utilization has expanded to numerous fields, including wildlife research, conservation, and ecological studies. The information gathered using this equipment gives researchers a precise and comprehensive understanding about the activities of animals in their natural environments. For this type of data to be useful, camera trap images must be labeled so that the species in the images can be classified and counted. This has typically been done by teams of researchers and volunteers, and it can be said that the process is at best time-consuming. With recent developments in deep learning, the process …

Understanding The Factors Affecting Nebraskan Farmers’ And Landowners' Decision To Adopt Precision Agricultural Technologies And Programs, Corrin C. Winter

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Advisors: Andrew Little, Christopher Chizinski

To gain insights into the challenges faced by Nebraska farmers and landowners when adopting precision agriculture technologies, I analyzed data collected from a 2022 survey involving 7,503 participants, consisting of producers and farmland owners from across the state of Nebraska. The primary objective was to provide valuable insights for agencies seeking to improve their precision agriculture and conservation outreach efforts for the benefit of conservation and Nebraskan farmers and landowners. This study aimed to understand key factors influencing adoption behaviors by evaluating the constraints to precision agriculture adoption, assessing the impact of producer and landowner …

Evaluating The Feasibility Of Using Strain Measured During Sinusoidal Rate Pumping Tests To Characterize An Aquifer, Riley Blais

All Theses

Pumping tests with sinusoidal variation in pumping rate have been proposed as a method for improving aquifer characterization. These tests can interrogate a larger aquifer volume than slug tests and they can be more sensitive to small variations in drawdown. Current methods of using sinusoidal variations of rate are based on measuring pressure signals from the reservoir or aquifer, which requires access to monitoring wells. An alternative approach has been developed that measures the strain in the vadose zone instead of pressure in the reservoir. An instrument has been developed at Clemson University that can measure small strains using optical …

Integrating Climate And Wildfire Education In The Classroom: Development And Implementation Of K-12 Place-Based Wildfire Educational Modules, Danielle Marquette

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, even though most parents would like their children to be educated about climate change, and most teachers support including climate change in K-12 curriculum, many schools fail to educate students about the causes, consequences, solutions, and personal connections to climate change. Teaching anthropogenic climate change through the local context is one of the most effective methods of teaching climate change. In Idaho the lengthening fire season and the increasing occurrence of larger, more severe fires is a tangible impact of climate change. Yet students from Idaho and other high wildfire risk states in the western United …

Phase Distribution Of Nickel, Chromium, And Cobalt In Seawater At Olivine-Enriched Beaches: Implications For Carbon Capture By Enhanced Silicate Weathering, Nathaniel J. Padrnos

Master's Theses

The application of olivine to coastal areas is a proposed method of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for climate change mitigation. Olivine is abundant and dissolves relatively fast, but it contains trace amounts of nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and cobalt (Co) which may be toxic to marine biota in cases of widespread coastal olivine spreading. Prior studies have suggested that Ni concentrations in marine sediments and/or the overlying water column due to olivine dissolution could be a limiting factor for its carbon capture potential. Therefore, it is critical to understand and model the processes affecting trace metal bioavailability after …

Assessing Determinants Of Participation In Conservation Programs In The U. S., Manita Ale

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has implemented conservation programs through Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA). Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) are some of them. These programs provide financial and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to adopt land management practices that generate environmental benefits. In this study, we explore the determinants of participation in conservation programs (CRP, CSP, EQIP) in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. For this, we use a unique survey-based data set comprising observations from row crop farmers in these states. We are …

Integrating Sensor Development, Risk Assessment, And Community Engagement To Support Environmental Justice In The Rural Community Of El Tiple, Colombia, David Bahamon Pinzon

All Dissertations

In Colombia, ethnic communities have traditionally been responsible stewards of natural resources. They recognize the importance of these resources for their livelihood, as well as their ancestral and cultural heritage. El Tiple, a rural Afro-Colombian community, has been affected by the incursion of private corporations that promoted the expansion of sugarcane monocrops in their territory. Since the introduction of the monoculture industry, local freshwater sources have been depleted due to intensive water use for irrigation of the sugarcane crops. Additionally, the intensive usage of agrochemicals has been linked with loss of native flora, damages to family farms, and pollution of …

Exploring And Testing Wildfire Risk Decision-Making In The Face Of Deep Uncertainty, Bart R. Johnson, Alan A. Ager, Cody Evers, David Hulse, Max Nielsen-Pincus, John P. Bolte

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

We integrated a mechanistic wildfire simulation system with an agent-based landscape change model to investigate the feedbacks among climate change, population growth, development, landowner decision-making, vegetative succession, and wildfire. Our goal was to develop an adaptable simulation platform for anticipating risk-mitigation tradeoffs in a fire-prone wildland– urban interface (WUI) facing conditions outside the bounds of experience. We describe how five social and ecological system (SES) submodels interact over time and space to generate highly variable alternative futures even within the same scenario as stochastic elements in simulated wildfire, succession, and landowner decisions create large sets of unique, path-dependent futures for …

Global Energy Consumption: An Analysis Of Variables That Shape Per Capita Usage, Or How Pump Price, Urbanization, And Fossil Fuels Imports Impact Fossil Fuels Consumption Per Capita Across Oecd Countries, Mila Demchyk Savage

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Among reasons explaining the importance of studying fossil fuel consumption are: crude oil is a subject of the international commodities market, thus, any fluctuation related to its' availability or price would impact the rest of the World; natural resources like oil, gas, and coal are limited; the extensive use of fossil fuels harms our surroundings, creating many environmental concerns; every human (on average) has been using more energy since 1971 and the trend is expected to continue. The upward trend is not consistent among individual countries. Therefore, the core question of my research is, `Why do some countries consume less …

Biocrude Production From Lignin In Hydrothermal Medium: Effect Of Rapid Heating And Short Residence Time, Kyoko Hirayama

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This study aims to address knowledge gaps in the production of valuable products from waste streams generated during lignocellulosic biofuel production. The primary objective is to develop a process that converts lignin, a byproduct of bioethanol refineries, into a sustainable biolubricant.

The first chapter examines recent advancements in synthesizing biolubricants and investigates their scalability. It explores innovative materials, catalysts, chemical modification approaches, and additives that have emerged in the field. A particular hurdle is the oxidative stability of biolubricants derived from plant oils, which are prone to autooxidation due to their C=C bonds. To overcome this, the study aims to …

Effects Of Short-Term Exposure To A Pesticide Mixture On Free-Swimming Behavior In Goldfish, Carassius Auratus, Esmirna Cantu, Michelle Rivera, Brittney Lacy, Md. Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Highlights

• We observed effects of pesticides exposure on free-swimming behaviors in goldfish.

• Pesticides profoundly impacting natural swimming patterns.

• Behavioral analysis showed a dose- and time-dependent, decrease in distance swam.

• Vertical/horizontal spatial behavioral use both affected under exposure conditions.

Abstract

The prevalence of pesticides in the aquatic environment continues to increase due to anthropogenic activities and poses a threat to aquatic organisms. Notably, the intensive use of pesticides can cause detrimental effects (i.e., chemical stressors) on animal behavior. The aim of this study was to determine the short-term exposure effects (5-day) of an environmentally relevant pesticide mixture (low- and high-dose: metolachlor …

Informing Management Strategy For The Relict Leopard Frog (Rana Onca): Insights Into Breeding Biology And An Attempt To Improve Augmentation Success Through Pre-Exposure And Clearance Of An Emerging Amphibian Pathogen, Rebeca Rivera

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Relict Leopard Frog, Rana onca, is a species of conservation concern that suffered a decline sometime during the 20th century. Even after two decades of intensive management, the species currently only occupies 20 spring sites in southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. The causes for the historical decline are mostly speculative, but relate to habitat loss, introduced predators, and emergent disease. Since 2001, R. onca has been under an intensive conservationprogram managed by a multiagency conservation team. There are several objectives specified in the program including the need to investigate the biology of the species and incorporate findings into …

Epbc 2010/5491: Weaber Plain Development Project Compliance Report - 1st May 2022 To 30th April 2023, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Irrigated Agricultural Development in the North

The Weaber Plain Development Project (Goomig Project) was approved on 13 September 2011. The approval reference is EPBC 2010/5491 (the Approval).

The Goomig Project comprises irrigated farmland, associated infrastructure, and a buffer area on the Weaber Plain located about 30km north-northeast of Kununurra in Western Australia. Figure 1 shows the location and layout of the Goomig Project and interface with other projects including the Knox Creek Plain Irrigation Development (EPBC 2014/7143), Sorby Hills Silver Lead Zinc mining project, and Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) Stage 1 'Cave Springs' farms.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is the Goomig …

A Preliminary Characterization And Assessment Of Mesophotic Octocoral Microbiomes In The Western Gulf Of Mexico, Edward P. Gniffke

Theses and Dissertations

Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems are highly diverse and productive ecosystems in the western Gulf of Mexico which are composed of, in part, by octocorals (subclass Octocorallia). Despite their importance as foundational organisms octocorals are an understudied group in this region, with little known about their microbial community. Ninety-eight Octocoral samples collected from the western and northwestern Gulf of Mexico were sequenced using 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize their microbial communities. The sequenced microbiomes were generally low in diversity composed of a few core microbial taxa. Octocoral group was the main driver of microbiome composition as opposed to depth, season, region, and …

Characterization Of Mechanically Recycled Polylactic Acid (Pla) Filament For 3d-Printing By Evaluating Mechanical, Thermal, And Chemical Properties And Process Performance, Mahsa Shabani Samghabady

All Theses

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biopolymer made from renewable resources such as sugar and corn. PLA filament is a popular material used in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D-printing. While this material has many advantages, all the failed parts, support structures, rafts, nozzle tests, and the many prototype iterations during the 3D-printing process contribute to the plastic pollution and release of greenhouse gases. Although PLA is biodegradable, it can take years to degrade in landfills. Instead of throwing away PLA waste and buying new filaments, PLA can be recycled. Amongst the different recycling technologies, mechanical recycling is the most environmentally friendly. …

Leveraging Eco-Evolutionary Models For Gene Drive Risk Assessment, Matthew A. Combs, Andrew J. Golnar, Justin M. Overcash, Alun L. Lloyd, Keith R. Hayes, David A. O'Brochta, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Engineered gene drives create potential for both widespread benefits and irreversible harms to ecosystems. CRISPR-based systems of allelic conversion have rapidly accelerated gene drive research across diverse taxa, putting field trials and their necessary risk assessments on the horizon. Dynamic processbased models provide flexible quantitative platforms to predict gene drive outcomes in the context of system-specific ecological and evolutionary features. Here, we synthesize gene drive dynamic modeling studies to highlight research trends, knowledge gaps, and emergent principles, organized around their genetic, demographic, spatial, environmental, and implementation features. We identify the phenomena that most significantly influence model predictions, discuss limitations of …

Combining Semi-Continuous And Discrete Water Quality Data To Characterize Solute Transport, Biogeochemical Processes, And Wildfire Disturbances In Fluvial Systems, Justin Rae Nichols

Civil Engineering ETDs

In the past decade, high-frequency water quality sondes have become more abundant in watersheds across North America and Europe and are gaining a foothold in Asia and South America. In this dissertation, three relevant topics associated with high-frequency data are investigated, i.e., the impact of winter’s precipitation on surface water quality and stream metabolism, the longitudinal propagation of wildfire disturbances through a fluvial network, and the use of machine learning with high-frequency data to estimate fluvial nutrient processing. First, we found that significant snow precipitation can cause surface water anoxia and declines in stream metabolism. Second, our data illustrate that …

Lidar Monitoring Of Annual And Storm-Driven Episodic Erosion At Rainsford Island, Alan H. Bartels

Graduate Masters Theses

Boston Harbor and its thirty-four islands are subject to erosion, driven by rain, winds, and waves. Climate change threatens to increase erosion over time as sea levels rise and the frequency and intensity of storms increase. Understanding the dynamics of coastal erosion is key to guiding the design of coastal shoreline protections, the research of which a goal of Stone Living Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Boston. To better understand the impact of both annual weather and episodic severe storms, the high-resolution Riegl VZ400i LiDAR was deployed four times over 14 months from July 22, 2021 to October 19, …