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Environmental Refugees And The Human-Environment Relationship, Nelson Araque Jun 2021

Environmental Refugees And The Human-Environment Relationship, Nelson Araque

Journal of Hispanic / Latino Theology

No abstract provided.


Should Mangrove Forests Be Used As Coastal Protection For The Gulf Of Mexico From Future Climate Effects: A Look At The Houston Galveston Area., Benjamin L. Weldon May 2021

Should Mangrove Forests Be Used As Coastal Protection For The Gulf Of Mexico From Future Climate Effects: A Look At The Houston Galveston Area., Benjamin L. Weldon

Master's Projects and Capstones

Climate change effects pose a major threat to coastal cities. Sea-level rise and an increase in hurricane intensity will increase the need for protection for these communities. Wetland ecosystems provide key protective services to the cities that lie behind them. Mangroves are a coastal wetland with benefits such as wave attenuation, carbon sequestration, and shoreline management. Mangrove’s habitat range will expand northward as climate change progresses. With a 2-4°C increase in winter temperature extremes black mangroves are projected to be able to inhabit the entire coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The viability of using mangrove forests as future protection …


Testing The Climatic Variability Hypothesis With Coastal And Inland Populations Of Mimulus Guttatus And Implications For These Populations Under Climate Change, Alec Chiono May 2021

Testing The Climatic Variability Hypothesis With Coastal And Inland Populations Of Mimulus Guttatus And Implications For These Populations Under Climate Change, Alec Chiono

Master's Theses

How climate shapes the niche of a species is a core interest in evolution and ecology. Research on the evolution of climatic niches can inform us on the historical relationship between organisms and their climate, and, in an era of great environmental change, what that relationship may look like in the future. In this study, I tested an essential idea in the history of climate niche research, the Climatic Variability Hypothesis, by comparing the thermal niche breadth of coastal and inland populations of Mimulus guttatus. Using thermal performance results from this experiment, I also forecasted how the suitability of …


The Role Of Climate Change, Wildfire And Human Interference In The Potential Spread Of Sin Nombre Hantavirus In North America, Margarita Miglio May 2021

The Role Of Climate Change, Wildfire And Human Interference In The Potential Spread Of Sin Nombre Hantavirus In North America, Margarita Miglio

Master's Projects and Capstones

Sin Nombre hantavirus is a rare rodent-borne pathogen that causes Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome (HCPS), a disease with a 35% fatality rate in humans. The main rodent host of Sin Nombre hantavirus is the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), one of the most prolific, best studied and highly adaptable rodent species in North America. Deer mice are hyper-reservoirs, carrying Sin Nombre virus, plague (Yersinia pestis) and the Peromyscus species carry Lyme disease. Although deer mice have been shown to react positively to wildfire, current assessments of Sin Nombre hantavirus risk to humans and climate change do not consider …


Carbon Biogeochemical Cycling In The Sierra Nevada: How To Maintain The Sierra Nevada As Net Carbon Sink Over The Long-Term, Eric Canteenwala May 2021

Carbon Biogeochemical Cycling In The Sierra Nevada: How To Maintain The Sierra Nevada As Net Carbon Sink Over The Long-Term, Eric Canteenwala

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Sierra Nevada region is an important carbon sink, storing about 3500 MMTCO2e or eight times the total amount of carbon emitted annually throughout California. However, recent climate-driven disturbances such as wildfires, drought and bark beetle infestations threaten the stability of this carbon pool over the long-term. The existing literature on how treatments impact carbon biogeochemical cycling in the Sierra Nevada was reviewed and interviews were used to identify the top barriers to increasing the pace and scale of treatments. Combinations of forest management treatments such as thinning, prescribed fire and reforestation can help maintain the Sierra Nevada …