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Evaluation Of The Ncep/Ncar Reanalysis In Terms Of Synoptic Scale Phenomea: A Case Study From The Midwestern Usa, Justin T. Schoof, S C. Pryor

Publications

We evaluate the ability of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)–National Center for Atmosphere Research (NCAR) reanalysis to represent the synoptic-scale climate of the Midwestern USA relative to radiosonde data. Independent, automated synoptic classifications, based on rotated principal component analysis (PCA) of 500 hPa geopotential heights, 850 hPa air temperatures, and 200 hPa wind speeds and a two-step clustering algorithm, result in a 15-type NCEP–NCAR synoptic classification and a 14-type radiosonde classification. The classifications are examined in terms of similarities and differences in the modes of variance manifest in the PCA solutions, the spatial patterns and variability of input …

Downstream Geomorphic Impacts Of Large American Dams, William L. Graf

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Testimony In Support Of The Congaree National Park Act Of 2003, William L. Graf

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Urban Heat Island In Winter At Barrow, Alaska, Kenneth M. Hinkel, Frederick E. Nelson, Anna E. Klene, Julianne H. Bell

Geography Faculty Publications

The village of Barrow, Alaska, is the northernmost settlement in the USA and the largest native community in the Arctic. The population has grown from about 300 residents in 1900 to more than 4600 in 2000. In recent decades, a general increase of mean annual and mean winter air temperature has been recorded near the centre of the village, and a concurrent trend of progressively earlier snowmelt in the village has been documented. Satellite observations and data from a nearby climate observatory indicate a corresponding but much weaker snowmelt trend in the surrounding regions of relatively undisturbed tundra. Because the …

Book Review Of Letters From The Dust Bowl By Caroline Henderson, Christina E. Dando

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

The American ‘Dust Bowl’ landscape of the 1930s has been etched into the global imagination through powerful narratives: Farm Security Administration photography (1935–43), Per Loretz’s film, The Plow that Broke the Plains (1936), and John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath (1939). In the last quarter of the twentieth century, historians such as Donald Worster (1979) have constructed their own narratives of this time and place. Caroline Henderson’s Letters from the Dust Bowl, edited by Alvin O. Turner, provides a counterpoint, in the form of a first-hand account and a woman’s voice, to the news stories, government propaganda, and historians’ analyses …

Census 2000 Demographic Profile Report Of The Older Adult Population In Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Lorain And Medina Counties, Mark Salling, Sharon Bliss, Mcnamara, Brian

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Gis Modeling Of Desert Root Crop Maturation On The Mid-Columbia Plateau, Mary Michelle Phillips

All Master's Theses

The settlement patterns of the prehistoric inhabitants of the Columbia Plateau were choreographed to match the cadence of the seasons, with movements timed to efficiently utilize available resources. Desert roots, such as lomatium and bitterroot, provided a primary source of dietary nutrition, yet the ideal conditions for exploiting these plant resources coalesced for a very limited time in any one location. It was therefore necessary to possess an intimate knowledge of the plants' lifecycles in order to effectively plan gathering activities. In order to predict the growth patterns and maturation rates of these desert root crops, a GIS model was …

Canyonlands National Park, Robert J. Johnson, R. Douglas Ramsey

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Satellite image map of Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Transportation And Land Use Patterns: Monitoring Urban Change Using Aerial Photography, Portland, Oregon 1925-1945, Paul Hagen Fyfield

Dissertations and Theses

American urban neighborhoods are a patchwork; the spatial arrangement of types is a reflection of the dominant transportation technology at the time of their development. The earliest suburban areas were made accessible by fixed route systems such as the electric streetcar, followed by the widespread adoption of the automobile; each transportation epoch resulted in characteristic patterns of land use. This study uses aerial photographic coverage of Portland, Oregon from the years 1925, 1936, and 1945, a time of decline for the once popular trolley lines and dramatic increase in automobile usage, to monitor change within the residential areas of Portland's …

Geography Of Religion And Belief Systems, Robert H. Stoddard, Carolyn V. Prorok

Geography Program: Faculty Publications

Spatial and environmental dimensions of religious behavior, artefacts, and attitudes are grist for the geographer’s intellectual mill because spiritually motivated convictions and actions play an important role in human affairs. It is not surprising, therefore, that the geography of religion and belief systems is an important, emerging field of study. We commence this chapter with a definition of the field, particularly as it entails distinctions that arise out of the highly personal nature that religious belief is accorded in the academy and society at large. A limited review and summary of trends in the field over the past decade follows, …

Combining Dynamic Cartography And Temporal Gis To Visualize Industrial Development In Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Shawn Mueller

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis uses dynamic cartography and temporal geographic information systems (GIS) to explore visualization of the industrial development of Kitchener, Ontario. The discussion centres on the nature of dealing with temporal data in geography. This project addresses this issue by constructing a temporal dataset that accounts for the historical location of industrial/manufacturing businesses in Kitchener. Based on this temporal data, animated visualizations are then constructed that show the cadence and distribution of industrial development in Kitchener. The visualization process used by this project makes use of the inherent temporality of GIS to plan and construct animated visualizations in a way …

Differential Vulnerability To Debris Flow Hazard In Two High Mountain Communities Of The Karakoram Himalaya, Northern Pakistan, Shauna Flanagan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis presents the findings of a comparative study of vulnerability, coping and risk-averting strategies and social responses to environmental hazards, particularly debris flow and flooding hazards, in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Two small village-scale settlements, the prevailing form of community in the region, were selected as case studies and are described in detail. The villages exhibit a comparable subsistence agro-pastoral economy and socio-cultural organization reflecting similarities in environmental opportunities and constraints, historical processes and religious beliefs. However, they differ greatly in their proximity to commercial centres and in the rate at which modernization processes are being introduced and …

New Evidence For Enhanced Ocean Primary Production Triggered By Tropical Cyclone, I. Lin, W. Timothy Liu, Chun-Chieh Wu, George T. F. Wong, Chuanmin Hu, Zhiqiang Chen, Wen-Der Liang, Yih Yang, Kon-Kee Liu

OES Faculty Publications

[1] New evidence based on recent satellite data is presented to provide a rare opportunity in quantifying the long-speculated contribution of tropical cyclones to enhance ocean primary production. In July 2000, moderate cyclone Kai-Tak passed over the South China Sea (SCS). During its short 3-day stay, Kai-Tak triggered an average 30-fold increase in surface chlorophyll-a concentration. The estimated carbon fixation resulting from this event alone is 0.8 Mt, or 2-4% of SCS's annual new production. Given an average of 14 cyclones passing over the SCS annually, we suggest the long-neglected contribution of tropical cyclones to SCS's annual new production may …

Regional Disparities In The Labour Market In East Germany, Gabriela Yvonne Pierow

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In February 2003 the unemployment in Germany reached the third highest peak since unification with more than 4.7 million unemployed persons. The number of unemployed persons in Germany increased from February 2002 to February 2003 by over 410,000 (+9.5%), which accounts for an increase of the unemployment rate from 10.4% in February 2002 to 11.3% in February 2003. The numbers for East Germany are even more alarming. The average unemployment rate in East Germany increased from 18.8% in February 2002 to 19.9% in February 2003. That means that nearly 1.76 million persons were unemployed in East Germany in February 2003 …

Birds, Landslides And Pastures: A Biogeographic Conundrum, Mark R. Welford

Earth, Environment & Sustainability: Faculty Presentations (1988-2022)

No abstract provided.

Agricultural Land Evaluation In Black Hawk County Using Geospatial Technologies, Elisha Jasper Dung

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Agriculture is one of the world's most important activities supporting human life. However, the rate of agricultural land conversion to non-agricultural uses around the world, and especially in the United States is on the increase. It has been asserted that over 2,965,265 acres of U.S. agriculture lands have recently been lost per year to development, which is a rate nearly two and a half times that lost due to development in the last 10 years ( 1982-1992). This is of particular concern in Iowa which is agriculturally based because the loss of small tracts of this high-valued land may have …

A Historical Geography Of The Bayswater Wetlands, Anna Ciuppa

Theses : Honours

This study examines the loss of 80-90% of wetlands in the City of Bayswater within the Perth Metropolitan Region. As a geographical study of wetlands it is largely concerned with the value of those wetlands to the local community, as well as to the flora and fauna species diversity of the City of Bayswater. The City of Bayswater is a sub-catchment of the Swan-Avon River system. It is approximately 5 kilometres from the Perth Central Business District. In its pristine state the Bayswater catchment would have been a landscape of swamps and lakes that supported prolific birdlife, frogs, native …

Glacial Deposits, Vol. 31, 2002-2003, Department Of Geography-Geology

Glacial Deposits

Newsletter of the Department of Geography-Geology

Interrelationships Among Landscapes, Ndvi, And Stream Water Quality In The Us Central Plains, Jerry A. Griffith, Edward A. Martinko, Jerry L. Whistler, Kevin P. Price

Faculty Publications

During late spring through summer of 1994 and 1995, 290 randomly selected stream sites in Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri were sampled once for several parameters including conductivity, turbidity, total phosphorus, nitrate-nitrite nitrogen, the index of biotic integrity, and a habitat index. Based on landscape data from watersheds that were delineated for each sampling location, interrelationships were examined between these water quality parameters and land use/land cover, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and vegetation phenological metrics derived from the NDVI. Statistically significant relationships were found between NDVI values and the derived metrics with the stream condition parameters (r values to …

Investigating El Nino Southern Oscillation And Tornado Activity In Texas, Joel R. Intrieri

Masters Theses

The possible relationships between El Nino Southern Oscillation and tornado frequency and intensity (as measured by the Fujita Scale) within Texas are explored in this paper. Reported tornado occurrences from 1950-2000 are compared to the Japan Meteorological Agency's Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly Index to discover significant patterns and trends throughout the state. Overall, results reveal that more intense tornadoes are likely to touchdown during the cold phase (La Nina) of the ENSO cycle. Regional differences are also observed with the La Nina extreme favoring increases in tornado frequency and intensity within distinct areas of the state. Finally, the cold swing …

Measuring Urban Sprawl In Kalamazoo Region: A Land Cover Approach, Olena I. Smith

Masters Theses

Urban sprawl is a common American problem that has continued unabated throughout the last six decades. The pattern of urban sprawl in many metropolitan areas of Michigan is typical for much of the United States. Urban sprawl has been recognized as a major social problem in Michigan since the beginning of the 1990's. However, few studies measure urban sprawl by utilizing land cover information.

This research is a temporally comparative study that concentrates on changing patterns of "land cover" (the way land is covered by natural or human activities) from 1978 to 1996 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The study focuses on …

High Oblique Photographic Assessment Of Lakeshore Residential Landscapes In Southwest Michigan, John E. Truchan

Masters Theses

In Southwest Michigan, a growing number of residential developments are evident as residences line nearly the entire shoreline of many inland lakes. This may cause a potential change to the lakeshore vegetation and water quality of the lake, but no data have been collected to determine shoreline conditions at present nor as baseline reference for estimation effects of the continuing trend, nor for planning models for future development.

A physical survey was conducted in order to determine what residential landscape characteristics currently exist at selected lakes in Barry and Kalamazoo counties, Michigan. The data from the physical survey were summarized …

Building And Maintaining A Statewide Transportation Framework, Kenneth Dueker, Paul Bender

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

Creating and maintaining up-to-date sharable Geographic Information SystemsTransportation (GIS-T) data is challenging. Many states are working on Transportation Framework efforts to build a complete, consistent, and current transportation data layer in conjunction with the NSDI and Geospatial One-Stop efforts. This paper summarizes an effort that systematically re-examined transportation data sharing issues as part of the development of a Transportation Framework for the State of Washington. Business needs were assessed in terms of spatial and temporal accuracy needs of stakeholders and users of a state-wide Transportation Framework. A conceptual model was developed for a Transportation Framework with emphasis on data flows …

Ua66/8/3 Geogram, Wku Geography & Geology

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about the WKU Geography & Geology highlighting activities of faculty, students and alumni.

Statistical Methods To Partition Effects Of Quantity And Location During Comparison Of Categorical Maps At Multiple Resolutions, R. Gil Pontius

Geography

New generalized statistical methods to measure agreement between two maps at multiple-resolutions, where each cell in each map has a multinomial distribution among any number of categories, are presented. This methodology quantifies agreement between any two categorical maps, where either map uses fuzzy or crisp classification. The method measures the agreement at various resolutions by aggregating neighboring cells into an increasingly coarse grid. At each resolution, the method partitions the overall agreement into correct due to chance, correct due to quantity, correct due to location, error due to location, and error due to quantity. In addition, the method computes six …

Estimating Population Numbers Of Black Bears (Ursus Americanus) In Eastern Kentucky Using Microsatellite Analysis, Kelly Vowels

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Black bears (Ursus americanus) occur sporadically in eastern Kentucky, and there is some evidence that a breeding population exists. In order to establish management practices to enhance the black bear population in Kentucky, information about this population is needed. However, until recently, no population size estimate has been available. Gathering information on black bears is difficult because black bears are elusive animals. The development of new molecular methods has made it easier to track and gather information on black bear populations, including estimates of population size. Molecular markers are particularly useful in that they do not require physical contact with …

The Evolution Of A Commercial Landscape: A Case Study Of The Motels Along U.S. Highway 31-W, Jill Brown

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The cultural landscape is shaped by human imprints on the natural environment. Many decisions are made that have rippling effects over time. One type of development that changes the landscape is transportation innovation. As improved transportation links are introduced, people change their movement to include the quicker, more efficient route. As movement changes due to increased accessibility, roads that were once traveled by all now have fewer travelers. The rippling effects of the decision to add new infrastructure start at the opening of the innovation. New businesses will spring up at crossroads and common stopping areas. The long established businesses …

G-Portal : A Map-Based Digital Library For Distributed Geospatial And Georeferenced Resources, Ee Peng Lim, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

As the World Wide Web evolves into an immense information network, it is tempting to build new digital library services and expand existing digital library services to make use of web content. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of G-Portal, a web portal that aims to provide digital library services over geospatial and georeferenced content found on the World Wide Web. G-Portal adopts a map-based user interface to visualize and manipulate the distributed geospatial and georeferenced content. Annotation capabilities are supported, allowing users to contribute geospatial and georeferenced objects as well as their associated metadata. The other …

The Future Of Stock Enhancements: Lessons For Hatchery Practice From Conservation Biology, Culum Brown, Rachel L. Day

Aquaculture Collection

The world’s fish species are under threat from habitat degradation and over-exploitation. In many instances, attempts to bolster stocks have been made by rearing fish in hatcheries and releasing them into the wild. Fisheries restocking programmes have primarily headed these attempts. However, a substantial number of endangered species recovery programmes also rely on the release of hatchery-reared individuals to ensure long-term population viability. Fisheries scientists have known about the behavioural deficits displayed by hatchery-reared fish and the resultant poor survival rates in the wild for over a century. Whilst there remain considerable gaps in our knowledge about the exact causes …

Preliminary Report Of Animal Bones From Hrísheimur, Mývatn District, Northern Iceland, Sophia Perdikaris, Thomas H. Mcgovern

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

In 2000 and 2001 the FSl / NABO project Landscapes of Settlement in Northern Iceland collected animal bones from the heavily eroded site of Hrísheimur south of lake Mývatn. The 2001 season produced a substantial archaeofauna from a 2 x 2 meter test excavation of a midden deposit that apparently fills a small sunken-feature structure. While further excavations are planned to collect more material and to better understand the deposit and site as a whole, it may be useful to provide an interim overview of the bone materials recovered from the largest context (003) of the midden deposit tested in …