Digital Commons Network^™

Green Remediation Of Acid Mine Drainage (Amd)-Impacted Soil And Water, Abhishek Roychowdhury

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Although mining industries such as coal and minerals generate revenue, they are responsible for a number of negative environmental consequences, and the production of acid mine drainage (AMD) and acid sulfate soil are the most concerning among them. Current AMD management practices are expensive, ineffective, or unsustainable. This study evaluated the potential of a cost-effective and environment-friendly “green” technology in treating AMD-impacted water and soil that utilizes the metal-binding and acid-neutralizing capacity of an industrial by-product, namely drinking-water treatment residuals (WTRs) and the extensive root system of a metal hyper-accumulating, fastgrowing, non-invasive, high biomass perennial grass, vetiver (Chrysopopgon zizanioides …

Roots & Shoots Remembered : A Qualitative Study Of The Influence Of Childhood Place-Based Experiences On The Lives Of Young Adults, Katrina G. Macht

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This dissertation is a qualitative interview study that explored the memories of 10 former students, now young adults, long removed from their intermediate school (grades 4 – 6) experiences. The purpose of the study was to learn what impact involvement in the school’s Roots & Shoots program had on later attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, the study focused on the relationship between distant childhood experiences and current dispositions towards the environment and civic responsibility. The results from the study were based on data collected from interviews, written reflections, and email correspondence, with 10 young adults who attended the intermediate school between …

Socioeconomic And Environmental Assessment Of Woody Biofuels In Southern United States, Bernabas T. Wolde

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Although the emergence of woody bioenergy offers several energy, economic, social, and environmental benefits, forestland owners’ willingness to participate in a biomass supply market, how it affects land use choices, and forestland owners’ sustainability concerns are not well understood. In addition to these gaps, how much residual biomass forestland owners are willing to retain on site for soil fertility and other environmental benefit purposes and forestland owners’ tendency to enroll in public incentive programs are not fully documented. Because private forestland owners manage two thirds of the 214 million acres of forest cover in the southern United States, understanding their …

Iodp Expedition 347baltic Sea Basin Paleoenvironment And Biosphere, Thomas Andrén, Bo Barker Jørgensen, Carol Cotterill, Sophie Green, Elinor Andrén, Jeanine L. Ash, Thorsten Bauersachs, Barry Cragg, Anne-Sophie Fanget, Annick Fehr, Wojciech Granoszewski, Jer­Oen Groeneveld, Dalton S. Hardisty, Emilio Herrero-Bervera, Outi Hyttinen, Jørn Bo Jensen, Sean Johnson, Michael Kenzler, Aarno Kotilainen, Ulrich Kotthoff, Ian Pg Marshall, E. Martin, S. Obrochta, Sandra Passchier, Nadine B. Quintana Krupinski, Natascha Riedinger, Caroline Slomp, Ian Snowball, Anna Stepanova, Sarah Strano

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) expedition 347 cored sediments from different settings of the Baltic Sea covering the last glacial-interglacial cycle. The main aim was to study the geological development of the Baltic Sea in relation to the extreme climate variability of the region with changing ice cover and major shifts in temperature, salinity, and biological communities. Using the Greatship Manisha as a European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD) mission-specific platform, we recovered 1.6 km of core from nine sites of which four were additionally cored for microbiology. The sites covered the gateway to the North Sea and …

Understanding The Impact Of Intensive Horticulture Land-Use Practices On Surface Water Quality In Central Kenya, Faith K. Muriithi, Danlin Yu

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Rapid expansion of commercial horticulture production and related activities contribute to declining surface water quality. The study sought to understand the impacts on select rivers in Laikipia and Meru, production hotspots. The specific aims were (1) to identify prevailing surface water quality by examining variations of 14 physico-chemical parameters, and (2) to categorize measured surface water quality parameters into land use types highlighting potential pollutant source processes. Water samples were collected in July and August 2013 along 14 rivers in the study area. The data were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis (DA). Principal components (PCs) explained …

Multi-Scale Analysis Of Regional Inequality Based On Spatial Field Model: A Case Study Of China From 2000 To 2012, Shasha Lu, Xingliang Guan, Danlin Yu, Yu Deng, Linjie Zhou

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

A large body of recent studies-from both inside and outside of China-are devoted to the understanding of China's regional inequality. The current study introduces "the spatial field model" to achieve comprehensive evaluation and multi-scale analysis of regional inequality. The model is based on the growth pole theory, regional interaction theory, and energy space theory. The spatial field is an abstract concept that defines the potential energy difference that is formed in the process of a regional growth pole driving the economic development of peripheral areas through transportation and communication corridors. The model is able to provide potentially more precise regional …

Montclair Magazine (Fall/Winter 2015), Montclair State University

Montclair: The magazine of Montclair State University

No abstract provided.

Synchrotron Micro-Scale Study Of Trace Metal Transport And Distribution In Spartina Alterniflora Root System In Yangtze River Intertidal Zone, Huan Feng, Weiguo Zhang, Wenliang Liu, Lizhong Yu, Yu Qian, Jun Wang, Jia Jun Wang, Christopher Eng, Chang Jun Liu, Keith W. Jones, Ryan Tappero

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study is focused on micro-scale measurement of metal (Ca, Cl, Fe, K, Mn, Cu, Pb, and Zn) distributions in Spartina alterniflora root system. The root samples were collected in the Yangtze River intertidal zone in July 2013. Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (XRF), computed microtomography (CMT), and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) techniques, which provide micro-meter scale analytical resolution, were applied to this study. Although it was found that the metals of interest were distributed in both epidermis and vascular tissue with the varying concentrations, the results showed that Fe plaque was mainly distributed in the root epidermis. Other metals (e.g., …

Peptide Bonds Affect The Formation Of Haloacetamides, An Emerging Class Of N-Dbps In Drinking Water: Free Amino Acids Versus Oligopeptides, Wen Hai Chu, Xin Li, Naiyun Gao, Yang Deng, Daqiang Yin, Dongmei Li, Tengfei Chu

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Haloacetamides (HAcAms), an emerging class of nitrogenous disinfection by-products (N-DBPs) of health concern, have been frequently identified in drinking waters. It has long been appreciated that free amino acids (AAs), accounting for a small fraction of the dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) pool, can form dichloroacetamide (DCAcAm) during chlorination. However, the information regarding the impacts of combined AAs, which contribute to the greatest identifiable DON portion in natural waters, is limited. In this study, we compared the formation of HAcAms from free AAs (tyrosine [Tyr] and alanine [Ala]) and combined AAs (Tyr-Ala, Ala-Tyr, Tyr-Tyr-Tyr, Ala-Ala-Ala), and found that HAcAm formation from …

Study On The Accumulated Temperature Distribution Model Of Snowmelt Flood Magnitude From The Perspective Of Ecological Environmental Protection Of Mountain Areas, Yang Liu, Xian Yong Meng, Zhi Hui Liu, Danlin Yu

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Mountain flood that causes landslide and other geological disasters can damage the fragile ecological environment in mountain areas. In this paper, threshold and distribution model of accumulated temperature based on snowmelt flood magnitude are designed in mountainous watershed. Meanwhile, input data for this model make use of ample reliable data that include remote sensing and so on. In detail, this model simulates the average watershed temperature by using the meteorologic re-analysis data of the National Center for Atmospheric Research and calculates the average snow depth by using hyperspectral remote sensing data. In addition, the model related data comprise long-term observation …

A Topographic And Lithologic Analysis Of The Kittatinny Ridge And Their Implications For Appalachian Erosional History, David Carl Sharpe

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The eastern-most ridge of the Appalachian Mountains, Kittatinny Ridge, extends from New York State south to West Virginia. The ridge is composed of erosion-resistant quartzite conglomerate throughout (Shawangunk Formation, Tuscarora Formation) underlain by sandstone, siltstone, slate and shale (Martinsburg Formation, Juniata Formation). The relatively consistent lithology of the Kittatinny Ridge makes it ideal for analyzing how variations in climate, glacial history and other topographic influences have impacted long-term erosion along the ridge. This project analyzed the lithologic consistency and topography of the Kittatinny Ridge at different locations and what geomorphological implications the results might have. Rock samples of the Shawangunk …

Exploration Of The Current State And Directions Of Dynamic Ridesharing, Joseph J. Di Gianni

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Dynamic ridesharing (DRS) is an emerging transportation service based on the traditional concept of shared rides. DRS makes use of web-based real-time technologies to match drivers with riders. Enabling technologies include software platforms that operate on mobile communication devices and contain location-aware capabilities including Global Positioning Systems (Agatz, Erera, Savelsberg, & Wang, 2012). The platforms are designed to provide ride-matching services via smartphone applications differing from early systems that used non-real time services such as internet forums, or telecommunications, where responses were not immediate.

The study of DRS is important when considering its role as an emerging transportation demand management …

Scrap Tire And Water Treatment Residual As Novel "Green" Sorbents For Removal Of Common Metals From Polluted Storm Water Runoff, Ciapha Nade Morris

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Although urbanization brings numerous benefits in our history, it has caused many environmental issues such as polluted urban runoff. A variety of pollutants at high concentrations, such as heavy metals, are present in urban runoff. Given that the polluted runoff is finally discharged into receiving waters and leads to non-point pollution in urbanized areas, appropriate management and treatment of the polluted urban stormwater is highly needed. However, current available best management practices (BMPs) are, to different degrees, restricted by their respective limitations. Therefore, there is an urgent demand in development of innovative, effective, and low-cost treatment methods for heavy metals …

Biogeochemical Studies Of Metal Uptake And Transportation In Plants On An Urban Brownfield, Yu Qian

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Soil metal contamination has been a concern due to the potential ecological and human health risks. In order to assist with the management and sustainable restoration of vegetated metal contaminated land, this dissertation targets at understanding the biogeochemical processes that control the assimilation of metals by plants on urban costal brownfield soils. The dissertation includes: i) micro-scale measurement of metal spatial distribution and speciation using synchrotron techniques to investigate the mechanism of metal uptake and translocation in roots based on the association between metal localizations in plant roots, ii) study on the biogeochemical factors that control plant metal assimilation efficiency …

Changes In Tall Shrub Abundance On The North Slope Of Alaska, 2000-2010, Rocio Raquel Duchesne-Onoro

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The observed greening of Arctic vegetation and the expansion of shrubs in the last few decades has likely had profound implications for the tundra ecosystem, including feedbacks to climate. Uncertainty surrounding the magnitude, direction, and implications of this vegetation shift calls for monitoring of vegetation structural parameters, such as fractional cover of shrubs. Due to the extent of the North Slope of Alaska and its extreme environments, remote sensing may be the most suitable tool to produce wall-to-wall fractional shrub cover maps for the entire region, however, most regional maps have relied on vegetation indices or needed many years worth …

Comparative Evaluation Of Aluminum Sulfate And Ferric Sulfate-Induced Coagulations As Pretreatment Of Microfiltration For Treatment Of Surface Water, Yali Song, Bingzhi Dong, Naiyun Gao, Yang Deng

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Two coagulants, aluminum sulfate and ferric chloride, were tested to reduce natural organic matter (NOM) as a pretreatment prior to polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) microfiltration (MF) membranes for potable water treatment. The results showed that the two coagulants exhibited different treatment performance in NOM removal. Molecular weight (MW) distributions of NOM in the tested surface raw water were concentrated at 3–5 kDa and approximately 0.2 kDa. Regardless of the coagulant species and dosages, the removal of 0.2 kDa NOM molecules was limited. In contrast, NOM at 3–5 kDa were readily removed with increasing coagulant dosages. In particular, aluminum sulfate favorably removed …

Threshold Behavior Of A Marine‐Based Sector Of The East Antarctic Ice Sheet In Response To Early Pliocene Ocean Warming, Melissa A. Hansen, Sandra Passchier, Boo‐Keun Khim, Buhan Song, Trevor Williams

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We investigate the stability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) on the Wilkes Land continental margin, Antarctica, utilizing a high‐resolution record of ice‐rafted debris (IRD) mass accumulation rates (MAR) from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1359. The relationship between orbital variations in the IRD record and climate drivers was evaluated to capture changes in the dynamics of a marine‐based ice sheet in response to early Pliocene warming. Three IRD MAR excursions were observed and confirmed via scanning electron microscope microtextural analysis of sand grains. Time series analysis of the IRD MAR reveals obliquity‐paced expansions of the ice sheet to …

An Assessment Of New Jersey Trout Production Systems : A Movement Towards Sustainability, Luke J. Diglio

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

New Jersey supports reproducing populations of three lotic salmonids. Only Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) are native and until approximately 100 years ago, were found in abundance throughout the northern part of the state. Presently, native populations have been documented in 115 streams or stream sections and declines are thought to be in response to anthropogenically originated environmental stressors. To evaluate the deterioration extent and assess numbers of breeding non-native Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) and Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), comparisons are made between sets of historical (1968-1977) and modern (2001-2010) young-of-the-year presence/absence and abundance data …

Characterization Of Uv-Quenching Dissolved Organic Matter In Landfill Leachate, Alicja Trzopek

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Discharge of landfill leachate to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) is a common and preferred practice in the United States. Namely, the leachate is mixed with municipal wastewater prior to traditional secondary wastewater treatment, including physical screening, primary settling, aerobic biological degradation, secondary settling and disinfection. Recently, ultraviolet (UV) light has been increasingly applied as a disinfection method at POTWs as an alternative for traditional chlorination, because the latter can produce unwanted disinfection byproducts. However, high strength dissolved organic matter (DOM) in leachate significantly increase the UV absorbing properties of the mixed wastewater at POTWs and decrease the disinfection efficiency …

An Integrated Approach To Assessing Spread Of Commercial Horticulture And Related Environmental Impacts On Watersheds : Cases In Central Highlands Of Kenya, Faith Karegi Muriithi

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Intensive horticulture production has broad environmental implications due to the high dependency on natural resources. Numerous reports indicate positive socio-economic gains associated with the Kenyan horticulture sub-sector. Even so, few highlight the extent of the negative environmental impacts. We adopt a holistic approach that integrates deskwork, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), field study and remote sensing tools to evaluate the spread and growth of commercial horticulture, and the effects on: i) surface water quality, and ii) vegetation condition, in watersheds experiencing increased production within the central highlands. The desk research utilized Google Earth archives and GIS data, to map greenhouse distribution, …

Assessing And Mapping Vulnerability And Risk Perceptions To Groundwater Arsenic Contamination : Towards Developing Sustainable Arsenic Mitigation Models, Sushant Kumar Singh

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study focuses on the arsenic-affected rural communities in Bihar located within the mid-Gangetic Plain in India. A random stratified sampling method is applied to survey 340 households in three villages (Suarmarwa, Rampur Diara, and Bhawani Tola), through a structured questionnaire. A reliable arsenic field testing kit is used to analyze the drinking water sources in the field, followed by a confirmatory test of a subset of water samples through Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. The study has two major goals: 1) Develop sustainable arsenic-mitigation models; and 2) Create a “composite vulnerability index,” and present the information as a map for use …

Assessing The Flood Mitigation Potential Of Water Resource Reservoirs, Matthew M. Del Ciello

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The ability of drinking water reservoirs to retain a large amount of runoff during a storm event may allow them to be used as flood mitigation infrastructure. These types of reservoirs are not typically considered for flood mitigation because they are primarily thought of as a resource for drinking water, irrigation, or recreation. Flood mitigation is a secondary or tertiary use. But conscripting them for flood mitigation creates a flexible water resource system and may provide a simpler and more inexpensive solution to flooding than alternative methods since nothing new would need to be constructed.

The process of determining the …

The Relationship Between Extracellular Enzyme Activities, Heavy Metals And Particle Size In Soil, Diane Frances Hagmann

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The overall goal of this research is to investigate the relationship between nutrient cycling and heavy metals in soil. Extracellular enzyme activities were measured as a representation of nutrient cycling in soils collected from a heavy-metal contaminated area where four study sites lie along a gradient of increasing metal load. The site, which was previously a rail yard, is located in Liberty State Park (LSP) in Jersey City, NJ that was closed to the public about 40 years ago and remains closed. My hypothesis is that heavy metal contamination impacts the microbial communities in the soil and therefore the extent …

Pyrolysis-Gc-Ms For The Rapid Environmental Forensic Screening Of Contaminated Brownfield Soil, Azucena Lara-Gonzalo, Michael A. Kruge, I Lores, B Gutiérrez, José Luis Gallego

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

An abandoned chemical plant in Asturias (Spain) was studied using a multi-faceted molecular fingerprinting approach, demonstrating that it is possible to: (1) carefully unravel tangled evidence resulting from multiple pollution sources, and (2) recognize major contaminants largely ignored by conventional analyses. This methodology employed a battery of GC-MS analyses of liquid chromatographic fractions of soil extracts, plus the pyrolysis products of the soil extract's asphaltene fraction and the whole soil itself. In this example, coal tar distillation and the subsequent production of naphthalene, phenols and polymer resins are responsible for most of the soil contamination. Styrene, naphthalene, indene, and their …

Anthropogenic Controls On Overwash Deposition: Evidence And Consequences, Laura Rogers, Laura Moore, Evan Goldstein, Christopher Hein, Jorge Lorenzo Trueba, Andrew Ashton

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Accelerated sea level rise and the potential for an increase in frequency of the most intense hurricanes due to climate change threaten the vitality and habitability of barrier islands by lowering their relative elevation and altering frequency of overwash. High-density development may further increase island vulnerability by restricting delivery of overwash to the subaerial island. We analyzed pre-Hurricane Sandy and post-Hurricane Sandy (2012) lidar surveys of the New Jersey coast to assess human influence on barrier overwash, comparing natural environments to two developed environments (commercial and residential) using shore-perpendicular topographic profiles. The volumes of overwash delivered to residential and commercial …

Geology In Environmental Management, Michael A. Kruge

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

From the geological perspective, the two overriding environmental management concerns are the destructive impact of hazardous natural events on human health and property and the deleterious impact of human activity on the natural environment. The knowledge derived from the geological sciences serves as the basis for a more enlightened approach to the reduction of unnecessary risk involved in the siting and construction of buildings and transportation networks, as well as the extraction of natural resources and waste management. Armed with such knowledge along with political sensitivity, environmental managers will have opportunities for positive social impact in negotiating the challenges as …

Magnetic Mineral Diagenesis In The River‐Dominated Inner Shelf Of The East China Sea, China, Can Ge, Weiguo Zhang, Chenyin Dong, Yan Dong, Jinyan Liu, Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, Huan Feng, Lizhong Yu

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The inner shelf of the East China Sea is a river-dominated margin characterized by fine-grained mud deposits and a rapid sedimentation rate. Three short sediment cores (similar to 2.7m in length) were examined to characterize spatial variations in magnetic mineral diagenesis. The sediment cores were analyzed for sedimentation rates, magnetic properties, particle size distribution, organic carbon, and total sulfur content. The two more proximal cores with higher sedimentation rates (similar to 2.2cm/yr and similar to 0.96cm/yr) do not exhibit obvious effects of reductive dissolution of magnetite with increasing depth, which is consistent with their lower total sulfur content. The offshore …

10 Years Later: Revisiting Priorities For Science And Society A Decade After The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Christian Mulder, Elena M. Bennett, David A. Bohan, Michael Bonkowski, Stephen R. Carpenter, Rachel Chalmers, Wolfgang Cramer, Isabelle Durance, Nico Eisenhauer, Colin Fontaine, Alison J. Haughton, Jean Paul Hettelingh, Jes Hines, Sébastien Ibanez, Erik Jeppesen, Jennifer Adams Krumins, Athen Ma, Giorgio Mancinelli, François Massol, Órla Mclaughlin, Shahid Naeem, Unai Pascual, Josep Peñuelas, Nathalie Pettorelli, Michael J.O. Pocock, Dave Raffaelli, Jes J. Rasmussen, Graciela M. Rusch, Christoph Scherber, Heikki Setälä, William J. Sutherland, Corinne Vacher

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The study of ecological services (ESs) is fast becoming a cornerstone of mainstream ecology, largely because they provide a useful means of linking functioning to societal benefits in complex systems by connecting different organizational levels. In order to identify the main challenges facing current and future ES research, we analyzed the effects of the publication of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005) on different disciplines. Within a set of topics framed around concepts embedded within the MEA, each co-author identified five key research challenges and, where feasible, suggested possible solutions. Concepts included those related to specific service types (i.e. provisioning, …

Analytical Pyrolysis Principles And Applications To Environmental Science, Michael A. Kruge

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Over the past half century, analytical pyrolysis has proven itself to be an effective means for the semiquantitative characterization of complex macromolecular organic substances. It has been demonstrated that instruments such as Py-FID, Py-MS, and in particular, Py-GC/MS can provide valuable geochemical insights when applied to a wide variety of problems in environmental science. The more widespread use of analytical pyrolysis methods in the evaluation of environmental pollution is recommended, because of their relatively low cost and information-rich results.

Pyrolysis is the heating of organic substances in an inert, oxygen-free atmosphere, thereby avoiding combustion. When performed on a large scale, …

Integrated Assessment Of Interactions Between Surface Water And Groundwater Under Climate Variability And Change In The White Volta Basin, Ghana, Felix Mensah Oteng

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The Nasia River, a tributary of the White Volta River system in Northern Ghana, is an important water resource for the area. In this research, a hydrological model that is able to simulate surface and subsurface flows in the Nasia catchment reasonably well was developed. The model was calibrated and verified using discharge and hydraulic head observations for the period 2000-2010. The complete simulation showed that the model was able to simulate the streamflow at the Nasia outlet quite well (Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient of 0.65, and correlation coefficient 0.805). The flow dynamics at three groundwater monitoring stations (HAP5, HAP 10, and …