Digital Commons Network^™

Are Avocados Toast? A Framework To Analyze Decision-Making For Emerging Epidemics, Applied To Laurel Wilt, Berea A. Etherton, Robin A. Choudhury, R. I. Alcalá-Briseño, Y. Xing, A. I. Plex Sulá, D. Carrillo, J. Wasielewski, L. L. Stelinski, K. A. Grogan, F. Ballen

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

CONTEXT

When emerging pathogens threaten global food security, collective actionfor disease management is key for protecting food systems. We evaluate how the informal exchange of information about epidemic and economic outcomes can influence the management decisions of individuals and the resulting epidemics, in the context of the avocado laurel wilt epidemic in south Florida.

OBJECTIVES

In scenario analyses, we addressed how socioeconomic networks, laurel wilt epidemic networks, policy incentive structures, and social behaviors combine to influence (a) information exchange across this region, (b) growers' decisions about disease management, and (c) epidemic spread and yield loss. We identified the scenarios …

Temporal And Spatial Variability Of Specific Energy Consumption For Atmospheric Water Generators, Anthony T. Brenes

Theses and Dissertations

Atmospheric Water Generators (AWG) produce potable water from the moisture in the air, providing a potentially viable water source in austere locations or emergency response scenarios. In this study, the operating constraints of three existing commercially available AWG devices are investigated, compared to historical weather data from across the continental United States. Utilizing linear regression modeling and weather station data for the years of 1985-2019, the monthly and spatial trends of energy demand to produce water from these devices are evaluated. Energy and water production efficiencies for the devices are highly dependent on environmental conditions with relative humidity and temperature …

Net Zero Water Air Force Installations, Kenneth R. Mcknight

Theses and Dissertations

The United States continues to face problems of a reduction in quality and quantity of groundwater sources because water extraction exceeds natural source recharge. The Air Force has recognized the importance of these groundwater sources but has put minimal effort into determining their contribution to the depletion of these sources. The purpose of this study is to determine this contribution by determining whether Air Force installations are net zero water. This is done using a geospatial information system to determine the volume of water recharging groundwater sources associated with an Air Force installation. This volume is then compared to the …

Choosing Future – Climate Adaptation Justice & Transformation, A.R. Siders

Sustainability Seminar Series

Adaptation to climate change has, to date, generally sought to maintain the status quo. Future adaptation could involve radical shifts in society and socio-ecological systems, but what are the pros and cons of such transformations? What does fair, equitable, or just adaptation involve and is it possible? Dr. Siders will describe emerging dilemmas in the debate about adaptation justice and suggest pathways to envision a broader range of futures we can choose.

Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit, 2021 Unreclaimed Sites Sampling Ur-33 Site Evaluation Summary Report (February 7, 2023), Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Collaboration Between Science And Art Through A Special International Symposium For Ecosystem Health And Sustainability, Changwoo Ahn Dr.

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

The collaborations between ecosystem restoration and art practices was epitomized by the eco-artist Jackie Brookner who said: “it is not a matter of the scientists providing the hard-core research and artists the soft outreach; rather, the dynamics engendered in the space between disciplines is full of information necessary to solve complex problems at the systemic level”. This paper reviews and summaries the goals, activities, and lessons learned from a special symposium, which was held at the 12^th INTECOL (International Congress of Ecology) conference in Beijing, China, August 21 through 25, 2017, where about 3000 people attended from 70 countries. …

Environmental Activism: Pro-Environmental Behavior, Consumerism, And Environmental Justice, Kaden Uribe, April Chapman-Ludwig

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

This literature review examines established research on the concept of pro-environmental behaviors (PEB) and its subsects: activism and consumerism. There are competing opinions regarding the salience of pro-environmental activist behavior. This dichotomy is characterized by the role of social media, which can be simultaneously used for performative identity signaling and as a platform to facilitate global collective activism. The research shows a stark contrast between pro-environmental activism and pro-environmental consumerism, with the former acknowledging historical injustices and addressing the social, economic, and environmental disparities created by neo-liberal policies designed with the purpose of profit extraction at the expense of marginalized …

Increased Floodplain Inundation In The Amazon Since 1980, Ayan Fleischmann, Fabrice Papa, Stephen K. Hamilton, Alice Fassoni-Andrade, Sly Wongchuig, Jhan Carlo Espinoza, Rodrigo Paiva, John Melack, Etienne Fluet-Chouinard, Rafael M. Almeida

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Extensive floodplains throughout the Amazon basin support important ecosystem services and influence global water and carbon cycles. A recent change in the hydroclimatic regime of the region, with increased rainfall in the northern portions of the basin, has produced record-breaking high water levels on the Amazon River mainstem. Yet, the implications for the magnitude and duration of floodplain inundation across the basin remain unknown. Here we leverage state-of-the-art hydrological models, supported by in situ and remote sensing observations, to show that the maximum annual inundation extent along the central Amazon increased by 26% since 1980. We further reveal increased flood …

Exploring The Existence Of Transformational Education In The Nys Social Studies Curriculum And Civic Readiness Initiative, Gregory Vincent Massara

Educational Policy & Leadership Other Graduate Student Scholarship

The enormity and perniciousness of economic, social, and environmental sustainability challenges are evident through several avenues. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is issuing increasingly dire warnings for the future of life on Earth. Threats to social cohesion, evidenced particularly in the institutionalization of injustices and the current fragility of democracy in the United States, highlight the need for increased social cohesion. Furthermore, rising economic inequality, inequities based on gender and race, and the increasing cost of damages caused by climate events highlight economic challenges. In 2015, the United Nations put forth an agenda to address economic, social, and environmental …

Student Advocacy As A Catalyst For Sustainable And Social Change, Joshua Filer

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Joshua Filer, Finance ‘23 - Student Advocacy as a Catalyst for Sustainable and Social Change

Generative Ai As A Tool For Environmental Health Research Translation., Lauren B. Anderson, Dhiraj Kanneganti, Mary Bentley Houk, Rochelle H. Holm, Ted Smith

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

One valuable application for generative artificial intelligence (AI) is summarizing research studies for non-academic readers. We submitted five articles to Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) for summarization, and asked the article's author to rate the summaries. Higher ratings were assigned to more insight-oriented activities, such as the production of eighth-grade reading level summaries, and summaries highlighting the most important findings and real-world applications. The general summary request was rated lower. For the field of environmental health science, no-cost AI technology such as ChatGPT holds the promise to improve research translation, but it must continue to be improved (or improve itself) …

Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Final 2022 Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) Corrective Action Report, Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final 2021 Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Sampling Bres No. 154 Site Evaluation Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Sea Level Rise Vulnerability And Capital Improvement Project (Cip) Adaptation Plan, Brian Vivyan, Aaron Holloway

Local Reports and Publications

Given the City’s proximity to Humboldt Bay, Eureka’s shoreline and landward areas will become increasingly vulnerable to sea level rise and other climate-related processes. In 2023 the City completed a Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Capital Improvement Project Adaptation Plan. The Plan was created to support the City’s need to develop a phased climate adaptation plan, tailored to planning for coordinated implementation of projects for the City’s roads, trails, water, sewer and drainage infrastructure within the Coastal Zone.

Attachments available at: https://www.eurekaca.gov/810/Sea-Level-Rise-Vulnerability-and-Capital

Final 2021 Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Sampling Bres No. 104 Site Evaluation Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Investigating How Urban Landscapes Alter Freshwater Environments, Matthew Schuler

Sustainability Seminar Series

Investigating how urban landscapes alter freshwater environments

Exploring International Rare Earth Industry Landscape Changes And China’S Strategic Responses, Yiding Wu, Zilong Peng, Dan Lai, Shen Zhao, Lu Wang, Weiqiang Chen, Peng Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Rare earth elements are widely identified as critical raw materials to underpin high-end technological innovation and the development of emerging industries, which makes them as important strategic minerals deserved by key international great powers. Since 2011, the United States and other developed nations are quickly fostering the development of their supply chains and industrial ecosystems of rare earth out of China's engagement. Consequently, the new diversified supply pattern of rare earth has been formalizing at global level. Under this full supply chain view, this study performs a deep-dive analysis of international rare earth industry landscape changes in the key stage …

Marine Ecological Protection And Restoration: International Agendas And China Action, Ke Duan, Zhengyan Liu, Shengkang Liang, Yanbin Li, Dongliang Lu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

International conventions and initiatives can promote collective action against global crises, and strengthen the efforts of countries to take concerted actions. This study summarizes the important international agendas related to marine ecological conservation and restoration, and analyzes China's policy mechanism in recent years. It believes that the policies in China and international documents are synergistic and effective in jointly strengthening efforts to respond to the global crisis. This study also puts forward some countermeasures and suggestions for China to build a detailed regional marine ecological map, strengthen ecological corridor restoration, improve scientific and technological support systems, and promote international cooperation …

Integrated Ecological Protection And Restoration In The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area: Thoughts And Suggestions, Jun Wang, Jian Peng, Bojie Fu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The 20th Party Congress made a significant proposal:"advance the Beautiful China Initiative and take a holistic and systematic approach to the conservation and improvement of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands, and deserts". The establishment of a sustainable national economy and ecological civilization is a major priority for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). The GBA's current land development and protection situation is briefly summarized in the study, which also analyzes the issues with ecological protection and restoration in terms of whole-factor chain management, cross-regional cooperation, and target patterns. From the viewpoints of the system view, holistic view, synergy view, …

Pollution Control And Carbon Reduction In Whole Industrial Process: Method, Strategy And Scientific Basis, Hongbin Cao, He Zhao, Yuehong Zhao, Di Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

As China's environmental protection emission standards are becoming stricter and industrial parks are taking shape, problems such as the lack of stable cooperative treatment technology for toxic pollutants and carbon emission reduction, and the high control cost seriously restrict the sustainable development of economic society and the realization of the strategic goal of carbon emission reduction. Guided by the major environmental protection demand of industries, this study put forward the method, strategy and scientific basis of "Synergistic reduce pollution and carbon in the whole process of industry". Through the coordination of control methods, cross-media, multi-field and multi-factor modeling optimization, the …

Gloria - A Globally Representative Hyperspectral In Situ Dataset For Optical Sensing Of Water Quality, Moritz K. Lehmann

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The development of algorithms for remote sensing of water quality (RSWQ) requires a large amount of in situ data to account for the bio-geo-optical diversity of inland and coastal waters. The GLObal Reflectance community dataset for Imaging and optical sensing of Aquatic environments (GLORIA) includes 7,572 curated hyperspectral remote sensing reflectance measurements at 1nm intervals within the 350 to 900nm wavelength range. In addition, at least one co-located water quality measurement of chlorophyll α, total suspended solids, absorption by dissolved substances, and Secchi depth, is provided. The data were contributed by researchers affiliated with 59 institutions worldwide and come from …

Importance Of Snowmelt On Soil Nitrate Leaching To Groundwater – A Model Study, Sahila Beegum, Arindam Malakar, Chittaranjan Ray, Daniel D. Snow

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

The movement of nitrate to surface water bodies during snow accumulation and melting has been extensively studied, but there are only limited studies on the influence of snow processes on nitrate leaching to groundwater. The present study investigated the impact of snow processes on nitrate leaching to groundwater based on a simulation modeling approach using HYDRUS-1D. HYDRUS-1D model has a temperature threshold-based snow model in addition to water, solute, and heat simulation components. The snow component in HYDRUS-1D was previously not applied to snow simulation studies since the method does not consider a detailed physical and process-based representation of snow …

2022 Stormwater Bmps Repair, Inspection Report, And Maintenance Work Plan Bnsf Railway Company And Union Pacific Railroad Company Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit Kj 2299019.00, Doug Brannan P.E.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Draft Final 2023 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Walkerville Park (Alley Of North Main And Alley Of West Daly) Soil Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

2022 Stormwater Bmps Repair, Inspection Report, And Maintenance Work Plan Bnsf Railway Company And Union Pacific Railroad Company Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit Kj 2299019.00, Doug Brannan P.E., Kennedy Jenks

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

The Ecology Of Human-Caused Mortality For A Protected Large Carnivore, John F. Benson, Kyle D. Dougherty, Paul Beier, Walter M. Boyce, Bogdan Cristescu, Daniel J. Gammons, David K. Garcelon, J. Mark Higley, Quinton E. Martins, Anna C. Nisi, Seth P. D. Riley, Jeff A. Sikich, Thomas R. Stephenson, T. Winston Vickers, Greta M. Wengert, Christopher C. Wilmers, Heiko U. Wittmer, Justin A. Dellinger

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Mitigating human-caused mortality for large carnivores is a pressing global challenge for wildlife conservation. However, mortality is almost exclusively studied at local (within-population) scales creating a mismatch between our understanding of risk and the spatial extent most relevant to conservation and management of wide-ranging species. Here, we quantified mortality for 590 radio-collared mountain lions statewide across their distribution in California to identify drivers of human-caused mortality and investigate whether human-caused mortality is additive or compensatory. Human-caused mortality, primarily from conflict management and vehicles, exceeded natural mortality despite mountain lions being protected from hunting. Our data indicate that human-caused mortality is …

Volcanic Co2 Degassing Postdates Thermogenic Carbon Emission During The End-Permian Mass Extinction, Yuyang Wu, Ying Cui, Daoliang Chu, Haijun Song, Jinnan Tong, Jacopo Dal Corso, Andy Ridgwell

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Massive carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are widely assumed to be the driver of the end-Permian mass extinction (EPME). However, the rate of and total CO2 released, and whether the source changes with time, remain poorly understood, leaving a key question surrounding the trigger for the EPME unanswered. Here, we assimilate reconstructions of atmospheric PCO2 and carbonate δ¹³C in an Earth system model to unravel the history of carbon emissions and sources across the EPME. We infer a transition from a CO2 source with a thermogenic carbon isotopic signature associated with a slower emission rate to a heavier, more …

Saving The Critically-Endangered Western Gray Whale, Jen Maresh

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Professor Jen Maresh, Biology - Saving the Western Gray Whale: How Science, Industry, and the Public are Coming Together to Protect a Critically Endangered Species from Oil & Gas Activities

Timing And Magnitude Of Drought Impacts On Carbon Uptake Across A Grassland Biome, Andrew Felton, Gregory R. Goldsmith

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Although drought is known to negatively impact grassland functioning, the timing and magnitude of these impacts within a growing season remains unresolved. Previous small-scale assessments indicate grasslands may only respond to drought during narrow periods within a year; however, large-scale assessments are now needed to uncover the general patterns and determinants of this timing. We combined remote sensing datasets of gross primary productivity and weather to assess the timing and magnitude of grassland responses to drought at 5 km² temporal resolution across two expansive ecoregions of the western US Great Plains biome: the C₄-dominated shortgrass steppe and …

2021 Rmap Non-Residential Parcels Data Summary Report Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Npl Site Bpsou, Environmental Standards, Inc., Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.