Digital Commons Network^™

Drivers Of Inter-Annual Variability In Net Ecosystem Exchange In A Semi-Arid Savanna Ecosystem, South Africa, S. A. Archibald, A. Kirton, M. R. Van Der Merwe, R. J. Scholes, Christopher A. Williams, N. Hanan

Geography

Inter-annual variability in primary production and ecosystem respiration was explored using eddy-covariance data at a semi-arid savanna site in the Kruger Park, South Africa. New methods of extrapolating night-time respiration to the entire day and filling gaps in eddy-covariance data in semi-arid systems were developed. Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) in these systems occurs as pulses associated with rainfall events, a pattern not well-represented in current standard gap-filling procedures developed primarily for temperate flux sites. They furthermore do not take into account the decrease in respiration at high soil temperatures. An artificial neural network (ANN) model incorporating these features predicted measured …

At Risk? Exploring The Relationship Between Hiv/Aids-Related Knowledge And Risky Sexual Behavior In Jamaica, Christine Chung

Award Winning Geography Papers

Using the 2004 Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviour and Practices (KABP) national survey, this research investigates factors contributing to HIV/AIDS-related risky sexual behavior in Jamaica, using the theoretical underpinnings behind the concept of “risk” to elucidate the relative vulnerability of different demographic groups. In particular, how is risk defined and by whom, and how does this shape the risk environment for HIV/AIDS. The social construction of “risk” is explored as an act of translation of science, whose formalized and institutionalized meanings do not always match up to the individual’s perception of personal risk to HIV/AIDS. The disjunction between knowledge and actual behavioral …

Transport, Poverty, And Agrarian Change In Africa: Models, Mechanisms And New Ways Forward, Aharon Degrassi

Faculty Publications, Geography

No abstract provided.

Google Earth: Cool Toy Or Cool Tool?, R Philip Reynolds

Librarian and Staff Presentations

No abstract provided.

Reintroduction Of The Chinese Tiger, Philip J. Nyhus, Urs Breitenmoser, Ron Tilson

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Triennial Report: 2006-2008, Geographical Information Science Center Of Excellence

GSCE Triennial Reports

Triennial Report Purpose [Page] 2

The Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence [Page] 4

Three Years in Review [Page] 5

SDSU Faculty [Page] 6-11

EROS Faculty [Page] 12-16

Post-Doctoral Researchers [Page] 17-26

GSE Ph.D. program [Page] 27

Ph.D. Students [Page] 28-39

Center Scholars Program [Page] 40

Masters Students [Page] 41

Geospatial Analysts [Page] 42

Administrative Staff [Page] 43

Center Alumni [Page] 44

Research Funding [Page] 45-46

Ph.D. Student Scholarship Grants [Page] 47

Computing Resources [Page] 48

Looking Forward [Page] 49

Appendix I Faculty publications 2006-2008 [Page] 50-58

Appendix II Cool faculty research and locations [Page] 60-65

Appendix III GIScCE birthplace …

A Gis Analysis On Possible Photovoltaic Cell Use For Energy Reduction During Peak Hours In Huntington, West Virginia, James Eric Tadlock

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Solar panels are one of the fastest growing renewable energy technologies. This study aims to identify to what extent roof-mounted solar panels can reduce the need of power provided by Appalachian Power Company. Data from the Reliability First Corporation was employed to determine the individual average household power usage. Three study areas in Huntington, West Virginia, were selected to determine if solar panels could be implemented. Roofs in the study areas were digitized to calculate the available area. Based on the average household usage, four different sized photovoltaic systems were determined. Potential power production was computed to identify any offset …

Russian Cultural Tourism Planning, Marketing, And Development: A Case Study Of The Sheremetev Castle, Stephanie L. Thorn

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study used qualitative methods to assess both Russian and American opinions and views on tourism planning and development in the Mari-El Republic of the Russian Federation. Specifically, this thesis looks at Soviet-era tourism, Post-Soviet tourism, tourism opportunities and constraints, tourism planning and development, tourism promotion and marketing, and community impacts. The focus point of this study is the Sheremetev Castle in the village of Yurino on the Volga River as it is currently being developed as a tourist destination.

Modeled Red Spruce Distribution Response To Climatic Change In Monongahela National Forest, James Michael Stanton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In Monongahela National Forest of West Virginia, red spruce grows in high-elevation island ecosystems that are particularly sensitive to changes in climatic conditions. The ecological niche modeling application Maxent was used to project the distribution response of red spruce to climatic change for the purposes of conservation planning. Red spruce distribution data was acquired from the United States Forest Service. Three sets of nineteen bioclimatic variables, corresponding to present, 2050, and 2080 conditions, were derived from 1961-1990 monthly temperature and precipitation means and the IPCC A2 emissions scenario of HadCM3. The modeling revealed rapidly diminishing red spruce habitat suitability from …

A Critical Spatial Analysis Of Residential Planning In Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim Alkhaldy

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The housing situation in Makkah presents significant challenges for its residents and non-residents who visit the city. These problems include crowded housing, narrow streets, insufficient parking, and strained public servies. However, the government has taken some steps in improving conditions in the city by launching several projects to divide the land more evenly so that the population density will be reduced. The government also plans to provide more sources of waters, sewers, and electricity. The ultimate goal is to make Makkah and the holy city a place where it is comfortable to live without the impending fear of shortages of …

An Undescribed Gecko (Gekkonidae: Cyrtodactylus) From Deer Cave, Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, With Comments On The Distribution Of Bornean Cave Geckos, Donald A. Mcfarlane, Joyce Lundberg, Keith Christenson

WM Keck Science Faculty Papers

Geckos of the genus Cyrtodactylus are a speciose group in Southeast Asia, with at least nine species known from the island of Borneo (Das & Ismail, 2001; Das, 2006). Of these species, Cyrtodactylus cavernicolus has the smallest known range and is therefore the most vulnerable, a status that is reflected in the species having been designated a Totally Protected Species in Sarawak. Confirmed records of C. cavernicolus are known only from Niah Cave, located in an isolated limestone block known as the Gunung Subis massif, approximately 13 km² in extent. The Niah Cave Gecko is presumed to be dependent on …

Evaluation Of Forest Snow Processes Models (Snowmip2), N. Rutter, R. Essery, J. Pomeroy, N. Altimir, K. Andreadis, I. Baker, A. Barr, P. Bartlett, A. Boone, H. Deng, H. Douville, E. Dutra, K. Elder, C. Ellis, X. Feng, A. Gelfan, A. Goodbody, Y. Gusev, D. Gustafsson, Robert Hellström, Y. Hirabayashi, T. Hirota, T. Jonas, V. Koren, A. Kuragina, D. Lettenmaier, W. P. Li, C. Luce, E. Martin, O. Nasonova, J. Pumpanen, R. D. Pyles, P. Samuelsson, M. Sandells, G. Schadler, A. Shmakin, T. G. Smirnova, M. Stahli, R. Stockli, U. Strasser, H. Su, K. Suzuki, K. Takata, K. Tanaka, E. Thompson, T. Vesala, P. Viterbo, A. Wiltshire, K. Xia, Y. Xue

Geography Faculty Publications

Thirty-three snowpack models of varying complexity and purpose were evaluated across a wide range of hydrometeorological and forest canopy conditions at five Northern Hemisphere locations, for up to two winter snow seasons. Modeled estimates of snow water equivalent (SWE) or depth were compared to observations at forest and open sites at each location. Precipitation phase and duration of above-freezing air temperatures are shown to be major influences on divergence and convergence of modeled estimates of the subcanopy snowpack. When models are considered collectively at all locations, comparisons with observations show that it is harder to model SWE at forested sites …

The Role Of Landscape Connectivity In Assembling Exotic Plant Communities: A Network Analysis, Emily S. Minor, Samantha M. Tessel, Katharina A.M. Engelhardt, Todd R. Lookingbill

Geography and the Environment Faculty Publications

Landscape fragmentation and exotic species invasions are two modern-day forces that have strong and largely irreversible effects on native diversity worldwide. The spatial arrangement of habitat fragments is critical in affecting movement of individuals through a landscape, but little is known about how invasive species respond to landscape configuration relative to native species. This information is crucial for managing the global threat of invasive species spread. Using network analysis and partial Mantel tests to control for covarying environmental conditions, we show that forest plant communities in a fragmented landscape have spatial structure that is best captured by a network representation …

Deathscapes, Topocide, Domicide The Plains In Contemporary Print Media, Christina E. Dando

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

The American print media are a powerful mechanism for communicating information about places and environment to the American public. When it comes to a landscape such as the Great Plains, experienced by many Americans as either sleep-through land in a car or flyover land in a plane, the print media may be their only real source of information about this landscape, excluding 30 second soundbites which occasionally appear in electronic media. Often perceived as monotonous or dull, the Plains has been overlaid with powerful images, of garden or desert, of Dust Bowl or Buffalo Commons. But recent media coverage of …

‘Whore-Friendly People’: Heritage Tourism, The Media And The Place Of Sex Work In Butte, Montana, Christina E. Dando

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

In 1997, the International Sex Workers Foundation for Arts, Culture and Education (ISWFACE) began the process of purchasing a historic parlor house brothel (the Dumas) in Butte, Montana to create a cultural center and museum. This business transaction drew national and international attention while Butte citizens questioned the presence of ISWFACE in their community. Using media accounts of the Dumas, I examine the framing of sex work and its place in the heritage tourism landscape of the American West. The case of the Dumas captures the complicated relationship between history, a community, tourism and the media on local as well …

Think Like A Mountain : The Need For Nature For Increased Mental Health, Erin M. Mclaughlin

Graduate Research Papers

Nature has been an integral part of the human life for thousands of years. Only in the most recent hundred years, societies have begun to view nature as a foreign concept outside of the normal realm of daily life. Along with this disconnect from nature, mental illness has increased in our societal populations. This paper identifies the correlation of the need for nature, the lack of connection to nature, and the significant increase in depression, ADHD, anxiety, and autism diagnoses, among others. It also identifies therapeutic techniques that incorporate and connect with nature, as well as provides a comprehensive reference …

Little Ice Age Glacial Geomorphology And Sedimentology Of Portage Glacier, South-Central Alaska., João Santos, Carlos Cordova

Faculty Publications

The study of glacial landforms and deposits is important, as it is difficult to observe processes under modern glaciers and ice-sheets. Thus landscapes and sediments that are the product of present glaciation can give insight into processes that occurred during Pleistocene times. This study investigates the genesis of little ice age glacial landforms present in Portage Glacier, South-Central Alaska. The present day moraine morphology and sedimentology in Portage Glacier valley reveals the presence of two types of till and moraines. The clast-rich sandy diamicton present on the 1852 moraine is interpreted to be a basal till indicating this feature is …

An Inventory And Condition Survey Of The Lower Murchison River Area, Western Australia, P Hennig

Technical Bulletins

The inventory and condition survey of the lower Murchison River area, undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) between 2002 and 2003, describes and maps the natural resources of the region’s pastoral leasehold land. This survey report provides a baseline record of the existence and condition of the natural area’s resources, to assist with the planning and implementation of land management practices. The report identified and described the condition of soils, landforms, vegetation, habitat, ecosystems, and declared plants and animals. It also assessed the impact of pastoralism and made land management recommendations. This survey report presents …

The Biscayne Aquifer Of Southeastern Florida, Kevin J. Cunningham, Lee J. Florea

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Cumberland Plateau Of Eastern Kentucky, Larry C. Simpson, Lee J. Florea

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Southeastern Coastal Plain: An Overview, Lee J. Florea, H. L. Vacher

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Caves And Karst Of West-Central Florida, Lee J. Florea, David A. Budd, Robert B. Brinkman

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Cluster Identification Framework Illustrated By A Filtering Model For Earthquake Occurrences, Zhengxiao Wu

Research Collection School of Economics

A general dynamical cluster identification framework including both modeling and computation is developed.The earthquake declustering problem is studied to demonstrate how this framework applies.A stochastic model is proposed for earthquake occurrences that considers the sequence of occurrencesas composed of two parts: earthquake clusters and single earthquakes. We suggest that earthquake clusterscontain a “mother quake” and her “offspring.” Applying the filtering techniques, we use the solution offiltering equations as criteria for declustering. A procedure for calculating maximum likelihood estimations(MLE’s) and the most likely cluster sequence is also presented.

A Plotless Density Estimator Based On The Asymptotic Limit Of Ordered Distance Estimation Values, Barry Kronenfeld

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Estimation of tree density from point-tree distances is an attractive option for quick inventory of new sites, but estimators that are unbiased in clustered and dispersed situations have not been found. Noting that bias of an estimator derived from distances to the kth nearest neighbor from a random point tends to decrease with increasing k, a method is proposed for estimating the limit of an asymptotic function through a set of ordered distance estimators. A standard asymptotic model is derived from the limiting case of a clustered distribution. The proposed estimator is evaluated against 13 types of simulated generating processes, …

A Plotless Density Estimator Based On The Asymptotic Limit Of Ordered Distance Estimation Values, Barry J. Kronenfeld

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Estimation of tree density from point-tree distances is an attractive option for quick inventory of new sites, but estimators that are unbiased in clustered and dispersed situations have not been found. Noting that bias of an estimator derived from distances to the kth nearest neighbor from a random point tends to decrease with increasing k, a method is proposed for estimating the limit of an asymptotic function through a set of ordered distance estimators. A standard asymptotic model is derived from the limiting case of a clustered distribution. The proposed estimator is evaluated against 13 types of simulated generating processes, …

What Is New On The Animal Protection Radar?, John Hadidian

Animal Welfare Collection

American attitudes toward wildlife have often been cast as falling within an urban/rural dichotomy that separates protectionist from utilitarian value orientations. Long held as a major challenge to wildlife managers the urban/rural dichotomy may be yielding to change as new attitude and value orientations arise from direct conflicts people have with wild animals as well as from a generational disenfranchisement of young people who lack direct experience with the outdoors. Both may loom as larger challenges for the future and shift the focus of once opposing interests more toward efforts to establish cooperation. Currently, much of the disagreement over wildlife …

Bats And Bell Holes: The Microclimatic Impact Of Bat Roosting, Using A Case Study From Runaway Bay Caves, Jamaica, Joyce Lundberg, Donald A. Mcfarlane

WM Keck Science Faculty Papers

The microclimatic effect of bats roosting in bell holes (blind vertical cylindrical cavities in cave roofs) in Runaway Bay Caves, Jamaica, was measured and the potential impact of their metabolism on dissolution modelled. Rock temperature measurements showed that bell holes with bats get significantly hotter than those without bats during bat roosting periods (by an average of 1.1 °C). The relationship is clearest for bell holes with more than about 300 g aggregate bat body mass and for bell holes that are moderately wide and deep, of W:D ratio between 0.8 and 1.6. Measurement of temperature decay after abandonment showed …

On The Law Which Has Regulated The Introduction Of New Species (1855), Alfred Russel Wallace

Alfred Russel Wallace Classic Writings

No abstract provided.

Student Atlas Of Oregon: A Classroom Atlas For Elementary And Middle Schools, Teresa L. Bulman, Gwenda H. Rice, Center For Spatial Analysis And Research. Portland State University, David Banis

Instructional Materials

Includes maps about Oregon's landscape, climate, culture, economics, historical geography, water resources, wildlife, vegetation, agriculture, population, transportation, and natural resources.

The Student Atlas of Oregon was created specifically for upper elementary and middle school students, so it is easy for kids to understand.

Ua1a University Archives Reference Books, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Reference books, non-WKU publications and recordings related to the history of Western Kentucky University and its founding institutions. Some of these items are available in the Harrison-Baird Reading Room.