Digital Commons Network^™

Re-Examining The Abm Empirical Toolkit In A World Of Big (Behavioral) Data, Andrew Bell

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Robinson et al. (2007) identify five key modes of informing agent-based models (ABM): surveys, participant observation, field and lab experiments, companion modeling, and remotely-sensed data. Janssen and Ostrom (2006) hone in on some of the key dimensions that differentiate these approaches and the kinds of inferences that can be made from them, including the depth of capturing cognitive processes, the number of repeated observations made, and the size of the sample. A decade of technological change has occurred since these reviews were prepared, with mobile technologies in particular breaking down barriers to the scale and scope with which behavioral data …

Toward A Greener Faith: A Review Of Recent Mormon Environmental Scholarship, George B. Handley

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Biological Control Of Saltcedar (Tamarix Spp.) By Saltcedar Leaf Beetles (Diorhabda Spp.): Effects On Small Mammals, William S. Longland

Western North American Naturalist

The spread of introduced saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) throughout many riparian systems across the western United States motivated the introduction of saltcedar leaf beetles (Diorhabda carinulata, D. elongata; Chrysomelidae) as a biological control agent specific to saltcedar. I monitored small mammal populations for up to 12 years as saltcedar defoliation progressed at 3 of the original saltcedar beetle release sites and at an additional site where beetles established through dispersal. There was no evidence of any linear effect of increasing defoliation over time on small mammal species richness. Estimated population sizes of 4 small mammal species, based on mark-release-recapture …

Size Distribution And Nutrient Excretion Of Melanoides Tuberculata In A Southern Nevada Spring Ecosystem, Knut Mehler, Kumud Acharya

Western North American Naturalist

To better understand the impact of Melanoides tuberculata on ecosystem processes via nutrient recycling, we quantified the body size distribution, density, and ammonia-nitrogen (NH₄–N) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) excretion of M. tuberculata in Rogers Spring, which is located in southern Nevada. We examined how nutrient recycling rates were related to body size and body nutrient content. We found that small individuals dominated the size structure, density, and NH₄–N and SRP excretion rates and that nutrient recycling was determined by biomass rather than by high per capita excretion rates. The NH₄–N excretion rates of …

Space Use And Home-Range Size Of Barn Owls On Santa Barbara Island, Sarah K. Thomsen, Caitlin E. Kroeger, Peter H. Bloom, A. Laurie Harvey

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

Spatial overlap between predators and prey is often a key component of predator-prey interactions. Barn Owls (Tyto alba) are important predators of some species of conservation concern on the Channel Islands in southern California; therefore, understanding patterns of owl space use on these islands could provide insights on variations in predation risk that may be useful for conservation efforts of Barn Owl prey. In this study, our objectives were to investigate home-range size and space use by individual owls on Santa Barbara Island, which at 2.6 km² is the smallest island within the Channel Islands National Park. …

Status, Distribution, And Conservation Of Scripps's Murrelet At Santa Catalina Island, California, Darrell L. Whitworth, Harry R. Carter, Tyler M. Dvorak, Linda S. Farley, Julie L. King

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

The small population of Scripps’s Murrelets (Synthliboramphus scrippsi) at Santa Catalina Island, California, has been restricted for at least several millennia to isolated pairs nesting in cliff and shoreline habitats that are mostly inaccessible to island fox (Urocyon littoralis catalinae). Prior to 1994, the only evidence of murrelets breeding at Catalina was a single nest reportedly found on Bird Rock in 1967. In 1994–1995, a larger and more widespread population estimated at 25–75 pairs was indicated through vocal detection surveys of murrelets attending nocturnal at-sea congregations in nearshore waters near breeding areas. Murrelets were heard at …

Nocturnal Spotlight Surveys For Monitoring Scripps's Murrelets In At-Sea Congregations At Anacapa Island, California, Darrell L. Whitworth, Harry R. Carter

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

Concealed nest sites, mostly inaccessible breeding habitats, and nocturnal colony visitation have long hindered studies of Scripps’s Murrelets (Synthliboramphus scrippsi); but conspicuous and seasonally predictable at-sea congregations adjacent to nesting areas provide a valuable index for assessing murrelet colony size and population trends at all 12 breeding islands. We developed a boat-based nocturnal spotlight survey for counting murrelets in at-sea congregations at Anacapa Island, California. A high-intensity spotlight was used to count murrelets during standard surveys conducted on 2 parallel transects (1.9 km each) located 200 m (“inshore”) and 500 m (“offshore”) from shore. We conducted 130 standard …

Diurnal And Semidiurnal Internal Waves Near Two Harbors, Santa Catalina, California, Craig G. Gelpi

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

Internal waves at both diurnal and semidiurnal frequencies are common on island slopes in the Southern California Bight (SCB). Amplitudes in both regimes are similar, although the phenomenology at the 2 frequencies is expected to be different since the bight is north of the critical latitude (30°), making diurnal modulations evanescent though semidiurnal waves can propagate. Understanding the driving forces for the internal waves may provide insight into vertical mixing in the bight. We used long-duration time series of ocean temperatures measured near the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies (WIES), Santa Catalina Island, to study highly resolved spectra and seasonal …

The Pocketlai Smartphone App: An Alternative Method For Leaf Area Index Estimation, Roberto Confalonieri, Caterina Francone, Marco Foi

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The possibility of adopting the technology implemented in low-costs devices for the monitoring of biophysical processes is being increasingly explored by the scientific community. In the context of environmental studies, leaf area index (LAI) is one of the variables scientists and technicians are more interested in, since directly involved in radiation interception, and in crop response to water availability. An indirect method for leaf area index estimation was recently proposed and implemented in the smartphone app PocketLAI. The application uses the smartphone camera and the accelerometer to acquire images at 57.5° below the canopy while the user is rotating …

Integrating Raster And Vector Spatial Representations With Interaction Graphs For Multi-Scale Environmental Simulations, Mathieu Castets, Pascal Degenne, Pascal Poncelet, Danny Lo Seen

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Nowadays, developing tools for modelling complex system is a mandatory issue in environmental research. Environmental modelling implies taking into account processes at different scales of space and time. Ocelet is a domain specific environmental modelling language that uses graphs to describe how spatial entities in the system interact, with functions attached to the arcs of the graphs that are activated within scenarios to represent the dynamics of the system. The language has a strong focus on spatial interactions where the vector format is used for attributing geometries to entities, thus allowing a precise description of their shapes. However, the vector …

A Maoli-Based Art Education: Ku'u Mau Kuamo'o 'Ōlelo, Raquel Malia Andrus

Theses and Dissertations

Leaders in K-12 education in Hawai'i are increasingly advocating for and utilizing the culture and knowledge of the kānaka Maoli, the native people of these islands, as a context for learning in a variety of curricular disciplines and approaches (Benham & Heck, 1998; Kani'iaupuni, Ledward & Jensen, 2010; Kana'iaupuni & Malone, 2006; Kahakalau, 2004; Meyer, 2004). To expand upon this trend, this thesis uses a combination of autoethnographic and critical indigenous methodologies to present a personal narrative that looks specifically at approaching art education from a Maoli perspective. Through extensive participant/observer reflections, two place-based and culture-based art education experiences are …

Lake Powell 1971–1983, Stanley L. Welsh

Books by Faculty of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Abstract

This work catalogs the author’s experiences collecting plants and surveying the area around Lake Powell as part of a long-term environmental study of the Navajo-Kaiparowits region, which was approved through BYU and funded by a consortium of power companies. Data collected included plant and animal inventories, population demographics of small mammals, and weather. The account details several incidents of the type bound to occur in field research and mentions by name many students involved in the project. Numerous photographs are included. Seventeen new plant species are listed, which were named from specimens acquired in the area. The appendix lists …

My Observations Of Danish Innovation In Doing Science, Learning New Things, And Living An Interesting Life, Eugene S. Takle

The Bridge

I have had the very good fortune to interact with a number of Danish scientists and scholars over my career, and much of the scientific success I have enjoyed is directly related to these interactions. My career has taken me to Denmark several times for a variety of personal as well as professional reasons. Although my contacts have been, in some cases, somewhat episodic and mostly professionally driven, it has been my experience that once strong connections with Danish people are made they persist and do not diminish in spite of the lack of continuous tending.

Estimation Of Crop Water Stress Index In Almond Orchards Using Thermal Aerial Imagery

Journal of Spatial Hydrology

An important method for estimating Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) is by measuring surface temperature of the canopy. A remote sensing method was used to estimate CWSI of an almond orchard in Paramount farm, California. An aerial remote measurement using MASTER (MODIS/ASTER) thermal band data used to measure canopy temperature (Tc). The empirical relationship for canopy- air temperatures difference (Tc-Ta) versus Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) represents the crop water stress quantitatively. The results implied that the average value of CWSI for well- irrigated (non-stressed) almonds is 0.24 while the almond yield is affected when the average CSWI values for stressed …

Hanging Gardens Of The Colorado: Jewels In The Crown—Canyonlands Versus Zion Canyon, Stanley L. Welsh

Books by Faculty of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Abstract

Descriptions and types of Utah’s hanging gardens. This work includes a comparison of hanging gardens in Canyonlands versus Zion Canyon, as well as the plant and animal assemblages found there. Five types of gardens and alcoves are defined and the different types found in both national parks are described. Maps of hanging garden locations and extensive photographs of the flora and fauna are provided.

Table of Contents (abridged)

Prolog

Canyonlands Gardens

Geomorphology

Types of Gardens and Alcoves

Zion Canyon Gardens

Terrace-type Gardens

Plant Communities

Stream Courses

Geographic Affinities of Hanging Gardens

Restricted or Unusual Plants

Plant Succession

Appendix I: …

Impacts From Winter–Early Spring Elk Grazing In Foothills Rough Fescue Grassland, Tanya M. Thrift, Tracy K. Mosley, Jeffrey C. Mosley

Western North American Naturalist

Foothills rough fescue (Festuca campestris) grasslands provide important foraging habitat for wildlife and livestock in the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada. Foothills rough fescue is sensitive to grazing during late spring–early summer but is believed to be more tolerant of grazing during winter–early spring. We evaluated vegetation and soil impacts from long-term winter–early spring grazing at 2 intensities (HG = heavy grazing, LG = light grazing). We studied a foothills rough fescue grassland in west central Montana, USA, that had been grazed almost exclusively by Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) during winter–early spring for …

Importance Of Placement Depth In Evaluating Soil Nitrogen, Phosphorus, And Sulfur Using Ion Exchange Resin Capsules In Semi-Arid, Low Fertility Soils, Rachel Lynn Buck

Theses and Dissertations

Ion exchange resin capsules provide a possible alternative to conventional soil testing procedures. Previous studies with semi-arid, low fertility soils observed poor relationships with poorly mobile nutrients such as phosphorus (P). We propose that placement depth may improve those relationships. Our objective was to (1) determine if placement depth could improve resin capsule estimation of the bioavailability of nitrogen (N), P, and sulfur (S) and (2) to determine if resin capsules can effectively estimate S availability in semi-arid, low fertility soils. Field sites were established in Rush and Skull Valleys, Utah on loam and sandy loam soils, respectively. Fertilizer was …

The Dam Truths Of Glen Canyon, Jeffrey D. Bennion, Dr. M. Brett Borup

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Glen Canyon Dam was completed by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1963 as the main feature of the Colorado River Storage Project. The purposes of the dam were to regulate the flow of the Colorado River, store water for consumptive use, provide for the reclamation of arid and semi-arid land, control floods, and generate hydroelectric power (U.S. Department of the Interior, 1995). Since the dam was completed prior to enactment of the National Environmental Act, no environmental impact statement was filed regarding its construction and operation. Many environmentalist groups, most recently the Sierra Club, have lobbied for the removal …

Principles Of Family-Centered City Planning Achieving True Mixed-Income Housing In New Urbanist Developments, David Gay, Dr. Richard Jackson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

New Urbanism, or traditional neighborhood design (TND), is a growing trend in American real estate development. It is characterized by mixed-uses, a variety of housing sizes, and pedestrian-oriented streetscapes. It often encourages more efficient land uses, which, in turn, makes way for better transportation planning and less congested traffic patterns. These designs are more akin to pre-WWII development than to the typical contemporary subdivisions. New Urbanism aims to be more family friendly, especially in terms of affordability, but due to several underlying factors, these developments often demand an artificially large cost from homebuyers, excluding many potential residents who would most …

The Diet Of Western Burrowing Owls In An Urban Landscape, Lynne A. Trulio, Philip Higgins

Western North American Naturalist

While we know much about the diet of Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) in many of their more natural habitats, little is known about their diets in urban environments. We analyzed pellets and prey remains collected at burrows used by Burrowing Owls living in urban grasslands in Santa Clara County, California. We hypothesized that the composition of prey species in the diet of these urban owls would differ from that of owls living in agricultural and more-natural western habitats and, in particular, that rodents would be a smaller component of the diet. We found the invertebrate-to-vertebrate ratio …

Malformed Frogs: The Collapse Of Aquatic Ecosystems By Michael Lannoo, Rosemary A. Burk

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Biodiversity, Water Chemistry, Physical Characteristics, And Anthropogenic Disturbance Gradients Of Sandstone Springs On The Colorado Plateau, Rebecca H. Weissinger, Dustin W. Perkins, Eric C. Dinger

Western North American Naturalist

Springs located on the Colorado Plateau are highly threatened and represent a small percentage of the landscape; yet they are disproportionately important to diverse native flora and fauna. The relationships between anthropogenic disturbance, aquatic macroinvertebrate species composition, and environmental variables at these springs have received little study. We selectively visited 40 sandstone springs in southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado to span a range of impacts. We classified the springs into impact categories based on a spring impact score, and we measured biodiversity (aquatic macroinvertebrates), water chemistry (nutrients, dissolved O₂, pH, specific conductivity, temperature, turbidity, coliform bacteria [Escherichia …

A Confidence-Prioritization Approach To Data Processing In Noisy Data Sets And Resulting Estimation Models For Predicting Streamflow Diel Signals In The Pacific Northwest, Nathaniel Lee Gustafson

Theses and Dissertations

Streams in small watersheds are often known to exhibit diel fluctuations, in which streamflow oscillates on a 24-hour cycle. Streamflow diel fluctuations, which we investigate in this study, are an informative indicator of environmental processes. However, in Environmental Data sets, as well as many others, there is a range of noise associated with individual data points. Some points are extracted under relatively clear and defined conditions, while others may include a range of known or unknown confounding factors, which may decrease those points' validity. These points may or may not remain useful for training, depending on how much uncertainty they …

A Possible Integration Of Multiple Paradigms Used In Integrated Assessment Modelling Of Climate Change, M. D. Gerst, P. Ding, R. B. Howarth, M. E. Borsuk

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Most of the models used to analyze international climate policy treat the problem as if it operates on only a single level. This is the result of a reliance on integrated assessment models (IAMs) that, for reasons of analytical tractability, typically employ assumptions that allow the economy to be modeled as if it is managed by a single, utility-maximizing central planner without regard to the influence of either lower-level actors or international pressures. While game theoretic models have been used to study international negotiations, they generally do not consider feedback from domestic actors who have heterogeneous beliefs and vulnerability to …

Exploring Land Use Trends In Europe: A Comparison Of Forecasting Approaches And Results, Hedwig Van Delden, Jasper Van Vliet, Jan-Erik Petersen, Ybele Hoogeveen, Berien Elbersen, John Helming, Katharina Helming, Tom Kuhlman, Peter Nowicki, Christian Pallière, Ignacio Pérez Domínguez, Marta Pérez-Soba, Peter Verburg, Geert Woltjer

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Over the past years several studies have explored future land use trends for Europe. This paper presents a comparison of six land use studies for Europe that explore land use changes until 2020/2030. We compared these studies with respect to qualitative as well as quantitative aspects. The qualitative analysis shows that many studies focus on agricultural land uses and therefore draw on detailed agricultural models, while only few include urban developments. The purpose of about half of the studies is to provide land use outlooks, while the other half used scenarios to test the behaviour of scientific models or show …

The Environmental Causes Of Cancer Distribution In Syria, Rasha Deeb, Safiah Eid

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

the last two decades witnessed a boost in cancer incidences in Syria, as well as high mortality ratios. The influence of the environmental factors was neglected beforehand. The study employed the geographical tools to investigate the environmental distribution of cancer disease and the environmental factor that controls this distribution. The study used the statistical, systematic, analytical descriptive, comparative and the cartographical methods, each of which were employed differently according to the data characteristics. Personal and spatial data were collected from treatment points in a questionnaire that allowed adjusting each of them on the electronic interactive map. Data was analysed statistically …

Determinator – A Generic Dss For Hazard Identification Of Species Or Other Physical Subjects, Michel Uiterwijk, Leo W. D. Van Raamsdonk, Sander Janssen

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Our living environment poses all kinds of obvious and perhaps less obvious hazards. As an example, Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) and related species of the genus Senecio are the main source of toxic pyrollizidine alkaloids. The plants commonly grow in road verges, meadows and production fields and are equally toxic for humans and animals. Therefore, proper identification of such a hazardous object is vital. This paper describes Determinator DSS, a Decision Support System, that aims to cover problems of proper identification of a hazardous object, either in the field or in a lab, and in diverse domains. Determinator DSS is used …

Enhancing Stocks And Flows Modelling To Support Sustainable Resource Management In Low Carbon Infrastructure Transitions., Jonathan Busch, David Dawson, Katy Roelich, Julia Steinberger, Philip Purnell

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Emissions reductions of the scale required to avoid dangerous climate change will require rapid, systemic change including extensive refurbishment and replacement of infrastructure systems. The technologies required to make this systemic change exist today but many rely on critical metals which are at risk of scarcity and difficult to substitute. There has been extensive debate in the academic and policy literature about whether the availability of these critical metals will constrain the transformation required. However, policy decisions are being made without addressing these material barriers or considering how critical materials could be managed more sustainably during future infrastructure renewal. This …

Formalizing Conceptual Modeling: An Application To Orchard Meadows In Baden- Württemberg, Kristine Hammel, Thorsten Arnold

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Conceptual modeling is a decisive stage in any modeling process, but especially relevant for the analysis of complex, large systems. Here, researchers must filter out those processes that appear relevant, even before specific research questions can be posed. For this step of conceptual model reduction, we propose an explicit framework. Our research project assessed causes for biodiversity loss in German orchard meadows. A large conceptual model was assembled using literature review and expert interviews, creating an excessively large model. Then, two different approaches were applied to simplify this model and identify policy intervention points. Both approaches yielded different cause-effect explanations …

Estimation Of The Total Co2 Content Of The Atmosphere From Satellite Observations, G. A. Alexandrov, Tsuneo Matsunaga

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Stabilization of the total CO2 content of the atmosphere is the target of the climate strategies that are proposed for climate change mitigation. The accuracy of our knowledge about the total CO2 content of the atmosphere, its growth and seasonal variations depends on the size of geographic coverage of the CO2 monitoring network. A good opportunity to enhance the monitoring network arose recently due to the launch of the Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT). The data coming from GOSAT provide unprecedented geographic coverage of column averaged CO2 concentrations and, therefore, may have the potential to improve the estimates of the …