Digital Commons Network^™

Estimating The Value Of Disease Regulation Services Under Climate Change: A Bioeconomic Model Of Coffee Leaf Rust And Shade-Grown Coffee, Khashayar Ghorbani

Master's Theses and Capstones

Coffee is the most valuable agricultural product in international trade. It is projected to face a decrease in production by as much as 50% by 2050, mainly due to rising temperature, changes in rainfall patterns, deforestation, and the spread of fungal pathogens and pests. Among the biological threats to coffee, the Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) has the most destructive economic impact all around the world. The most recent widespread outbreak resulted in a 16% harvest loss in Central America and a 31% loss in Colombia during the 2012-2013 season, and a record of 50% loss was reported in Costa Rica …

Ocean Sound Analysis Software For Making Ambient Noise Trends Accessible (Manta), Jennifer L. Miksis-Olds, Peter J. Dugan, S. Bruce Martin, Holger Klinck, David K. Mellinger, David A. Mann, Dimitri W. Ponirakis, Olaf Boebel

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Making Ambient Noise Trends Accessible (MANTA) software is a tool for the community to enable comparisons between soundscapes and identification of ambient ocean sound trends required by ocean stakeholders. MANTA enhances the value of individual datasets by assisting users in creating thorough calibration metadata and internationally recommended products comparable over time and space to ultimately assess ocean sound at any desired scale up to a global level. The software package combines of two applications: MANTA Metadata App, which allows users to specify information about their recordings, and MANTA Data Mining App, which applies that information to acoustic recordings to produce …

U.S East Coast Community Resilience From A Community Capitals Perspective: Application Of Indexing And Spatial Cluster Analysis, Taylor Daigle

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis addresses regional, state, and county-level community resiliency to disasters along the United States East Coast. Research objectives include understanding the role of vulnerability and resiliency in disaster management, measuring community resilience in a new geographical area, and identifying strengths and weaknesses in community capitals, as related to disaster management. Community resilience in this study is measured by implementing an indexing method to fourteen states (129 counties) along the U.S East Coast. The community disaster resilience index (CDRI) consists of measuring four community capitals (human, physical, social, and economic) according to the relevant disaster management activities identified in the …

2021-22 Dyf Recipients Honored, Lily Greenberg

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Extracting Bankfull Widths And Stream Slopes From New England Rivers, Daniel J. Okuniewicz Jr.

Inquiry Journal Spring 2021

The chief characteristic of this project was extracting measurements for New England rivers—specifically, bankfull widths and stream slopes—using high-resolution elevation data collected with remote-sensing technology in order to help increase the fidelity of remote-sensing measurements to field measurements. Remote sensing, such as the high-resolution lidar used in this study, is a highly useful emerging technology. Extracted river measurements are useful for determining transport characteristics of sediments and pollutants, gas exchange rates with the atmosphere, and flood risk. For this project I selected study sites from streams and rivers in the New England region; at those sites I compared bankfull widths …

Can Science-Informed, Consensus-Based Stakeholder Negotiations Achieve Optimal Dam Decision Outcomes?, Cuihong Song, Natallia Leuchanka Diessner, Catherine M. Ashcraft, Weiwei Mo

New Hampshire EPSCoR

Integrating science and decision-making in dam management is needed to address complex tradeoffs among environmental, economic, and social outcomes across varied geographic scales and diverse stakeholder interests. In this study, we introduce an approach that integrates system dynamics modeling (SDM) and role-play simulation (RPS) to facilitate use of the best available knowledge in dam decision-making. Using a hypothetical dam decision context in the New England region of the United States, this research investigates: (1) How do science-informed, negotiated outcomes compare to Pareto-optimal outcomes produced by a scientific model that balance selected system performance tradeoffs?; and (2) How do science-informed, negotiated …

Synergies Among Environmental Science Research And Monitoring Networks: A Research Agenda, J. A. Jones, P. M. Groffman, J. Blair, F. W. Davis, H. Dugan, E. E. Euskirchen, Serita D. Frey, T. K. Harms, E. Hinckley, M. Kosmala, S. Loberg, S. Malone, K. Novick, S. Malone, K. Novick, S. Record, A. V. Rocha, B. L. Ruddell, E. H. Stanley, C. Sturtevant, A. Thorpe, T. White, W. R. Wieder, L. Zhai, K. Zhu

Faculty Publications

Many research and monitoring networks in recent decades have provided publicly available data documenting environmental and ecological change, but little is known about the status of efforts to synthesize this information across networks. We convened a working group to assess ongoing and potential cross-network synthesis research and outline opportunities and challenges for the future, focusing on the US-based research network (the US Long-Term Ecological Research network, LTER) and monitoring network (the National Ecological Observatory Network, NEON). LTER-NEON cross-network research synergies arise from the potentials for LTER measurements, experiments, models, and observational studies to provide context and mechanisms for interpreting NEON …

University Of New Hampshire Graduate Academic Catalog, 2021-2022, University Of New Hampshire

Graduate Catalog

No abstract provided.

Northeast Bathymetry And Backscatter Compilation: Western Gulf Of Maine, Southern New England, And Long Island Sound, Larry G. Ward, Paul Johnson, Michael Bogonko, Zachary S. Mcavoy, Rachel C. Morrison

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

High-resolution bathymetry is critical for mapping the surficial geology of the seafloor, identifying critical habitats, and assessing marine mineral resources such as sand and gravel. In 2016, a high-resolution bathymetry map was developed for the western Gulf of Maine (WGOM) utilizing all available multibeam echosounder (MBES) surveys, as well as several older extant surveys (Western Gulf of Maine Bathymetry and Backscatter Synthesis, Ward et al., 2016). As part of that effort, a backscatter mosaic also was developed for a subset of the MBES surveys. The backscatter synthesis did not include all of the MBES surveys due to low quality of …

Surficial Geology Of The Continental Shelf Off New Hampshire: Morphologic Features And Surficial Sediment, Larry G. Ward, Zachary S. Mcavoy, Maxlimer Coromoto Vallee-Anziani, Rachel C. Morrison

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

The continental shelf off New Hampshire (NH) in the Western Gulf of Maine (WGOM) is extremely complex and includes extensive bedrock outcrops, marine-modified glacial deposits, marine-formed shoals, seafloor plains, and associated features that are composed of a range of sediment types from mud to gravel. Furthermore, the physiography and composition of the seafloor frequently changes dramatically over relatively short distances (tens of meters). The complexity of the WGOM seafloor results from the interplay of glaciations, sea-level fluctuations, and marine processes (waves and currents). High-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) bathymetry and backscatter surveys, along with ground truth consisting of archived seismic reflection …

Modeling And Assessing The Sustainability Of Distributed Solar Photovoltaics Adoption, Mingcheng Ren

Doctoral Dissertations

Participation of distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) generation in the organized electricity wholesale market is expected to increase under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order 2222 announced in 2020. Our understanding about the technical, economic, and environmental tradeoffs and co-benefits of solar PV adoption on both building and regional scales remains limited, especially considering the complexity of varied distributed solar PV-battery system designs and operation strategies as well as the dynamic interactions of these distributed generations with the centralized grid. This dissertation therefore aims to investigate the grid load reduction, life cycle cost, and life cycle environmental (e.g., carbon, water, and …

Characterizing Forest Stands Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (Uas) Digital Photogrammetry: Advancements And Challenges In Monitoring Local Scale Forest Composition, Structure, And Health, Benjamin T. Fraser

Doctoral Dissertations

Present-day forests provide a wide variety of ecosystem services to the communities that rely on them. At the same time, these environments face routine and substantial disturbances that direct the need for site-specific, timely, and accurate monitoring/management (i.e., precision forestry). Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS or UAV) and their associated technologies offer a promising tool for conducting such precision forestry. Now, even with only natural color, uncalibrated, UAS imagery, software workflows involving Structure from Motion (SfM) (i.e., digital photogrammetry) modelling and segmentation can be used to characterize the features of individual trees or forest communities. In this research, we tested the …

Implementing Socially Just Climate Adaptation: A Case Study Of Boston, Massachusetts, Jeffrey Thomas Malloy

Doctoral Dissertations

The urgency to adapt to climate change presents important questions about who stands to benefit from these efforts. The previous two decades of scholarship devoted to social justice in climate adaptation has established an important theoretical basis to evaluate these questions. Less understood however, is how and under what conditions climate adaptation policy implementation promotes or inhibits justice for socially vulnerable populations. This work draws upon the disciplines of urban climate change governance, climate adaptation, urban planning, social justice theory, and policy implementation, to evaluate ongoing climate adaptation policy initiatives in Boston, Massachusetts. Through a case study approach, this dissertation …

Unmanned Aerial Systems (Uas) As A Tool For Investigating Edge Influences In New Hampshire Forests, Heather Marie Grybas

Doctoral Dissertations

The continued decline in forest cover across New England becomes more concerning when faced with the fact that these same forests may be playing an important role in the fight against climate change. New Hampshire, in particular, is experiencing a 0.27% annual net loss in forest cover as of 2018. Increased population growth and accompanied development has resulted in the removal of forest cover and the fragmentation of once continuous forest blocks. Fragmentation can lead to further degradation of the remaining forest stands via alterations of the biotic and abiotic process at their edges. The use of unmanned aerial systems …

Consumer Preferences Of Solar Systems In Boston And Atlanta: A Choice Experiment, Sam Mabile

Honors Theses and Capstones

Creating a cleaner energy grid has become a hot topic over the past 20 years, as the effects of fossil fuels on our planet has become clearer. The solar market in the US has exploded over the past 10 years, with an average annual growth rate of about 42% (Solar Industry Research Data, 2020). Choice experiments are often conducted to better understand consumers preferences towards products or characteristics of products. In this study, data of a choice experiment in a survey of residents in Boston and Atlanta regarding preferences for attributes of household solar energy collecting system are …

Does Money Really Grow On Trees? A Case Study Of The Economic And Ecosystem Outcomes Of Timber Stand Improvement In New Hampshire, Mackenzie Kalp

Master's Theses and Capstones

Timber stand improvement (TSI) is one silviculture method that landowners can apply to their forest to enhance timber quality as well as ecosystem services, such as deadwood in the form of standing deadwood, snags, and coarse woody debris (CWD). There are few studies on the economic effectiveness of TSI as a forest management practice. This research uses data collected on land owned by the Blue Hills Foundation, in Strafford, New Hampshire, to present a case study examining economic and ecosystem outcomes of TSI. Because interest rates and market prices are constantly fluctuating, we evaluated outcomes at various interest rates. We …

Demography Of A Recovery: Tracking The Rebound Of Little Brown Bat (Myotis Lucifugus) Populations, Katherine Ineson

Doctoral Dissertations

As the emergence of novel diseases in wildlife becomes more common, a better understanding of the impact of disease on populations and their demographic rates will be critical for their conservation. Populations naturally fluctuate over time as a function of the rates of birth, death, immigration, and emigration, while at the individual level the chances of mortality and reproduction may be influenced by age and physiological condition. Diseases, particularly emerging infectious diseases, can cause immediate and severe changes in demographic rates. While some populations and species may go extinct due to high mortality rates, others may persist in smaller, but …

Effects Of Storms On Nitrate Removal And Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Fluvial Wetland Dominated Surface Water Flow Paths, Sarah Bower

Master's Theses and Capstones

Fluvial wetlands, wetlands connected to streams and rivers, can act as buffers in headwaters to limit nitrogen (N) from reaching downstream coastal ecosystems and causing problems, such as coastal eutrophication and loss of habitat. However, as significant hotspots for N removal, fluvial wetland dominated streams are also natural sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) to the atmosphere and contribute to global climate change. With ongoing changes to the flow regime from increased climate variability and intensification of storm events, as well as landscape development, the ability for fluvial wetland dominated streams to regulate downstream N fluxes may decline and come at …

A Biogeochemical-Economic Model For The Valuation Of Cover Crops Ecosystem Services Under Climate Change, Karen M. Moran-Rivera

Master's Theses and Capstones

Cover crop (CC) adoption is a promising conservation practice that provides multiple ecosystem services, such as reduced nitrate pollution and increased soil health. These CC ecosystem services have been demonstrated in the biogeochemistry literature. However, widespread adoption of CC in the Midwestern U.S. is still low, in part because there continues to be a debate about whether adopting CC is privately optimal for farmers and how climate change might affect the private incentives to adopt. Economic analyses of CC adoption are complicated by the difficulty to account for the economic benefits of CC ecosystem services, in a changing climate.

In …

Sociopolitical Silos: Environmental Views And The Multiplicative Effect Of Same-Party Friends, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Joel Hartter, Curt Grimm

Faculty Publications

Analysis of climate and other environmental questions on three regional survey projects conducted over 2017–2020 (9,000+ interviews) elaborate on the well-known importance of political factors by adding support for three newer propositions. First, strength of political identification predicts climate-change views within the ranks of conservatives but not within ranks of liberals, evidence that conservatives’ climate-change views are more politically determined. Second, factor analysis suggests that climate-change beliefs meet statistical criteria for being an indicator of sociopolitical identity, alongside the traditional indicators of ideology and party, or the newer one of Trump support. This result calls for caution interpreting models that …

Environmental Justice, Beth Potier

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Carbon And Nitrogen Dynamics In Fluvial Systems Across Biomes, Bianca Rodriguez-Cardona

Doctoral Dissertations

Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles are tightly coupled in ecosystems as many N transformations rely on carbon as the energy source. In aquatic ecosystems this coupling between C and N has been studied via assessment of dissolve organic carbon (DOC) and inorganic-N concentration or whole stream manipulations of C and/or N to determine the influence of C on N processing. However, the majority of these studies have been performed in temperate systems and whether these relationships hold across other biomes, like artic and tropics, is unclear. In addition, how the more N-rich organic matter or dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) …

Eelgrass Health Survey And Results, Nicholas B. Anderson, Catherine M. Ashcraft, Dante D. Torio, Frederick T. Short

Natural Resources & the Environment

Researchers at the University of New Hampshire designed, tested, and conducted an eelgrass health survey. The primary goal of the survey was to collect health ratings from respondents who had viewed pre-selected images of eelgrass representing a wide range of health conditions. Survey results were used as a calibration and validation to a novel eelgrass health index developed using video-monitoring. Two secondary goals of this this survey were the identification of plant-specific and environmental characteristics important to respondents and the introduction of the new eelgrass health index. This published dataset includes de-identified survey respondent background and demographic data, the survey …

Rockingham County, State Of New Hampshire, 2020 Annual Report Year Ending June 30, 2020., Rockingham County Representatives

Rockingham County, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a county in the state of New Hampshire.

Annual Report For The Town Of Alexandria For Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2019., Alexandria Town Representatives

Alexandria, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

University Of New Hampshire Graduate Academic Catalog, 2020-2021, University Of New Hampshire

Graduate Catalog

No abstract provided.

Human Dimensions Research For Informed Decisions About Aquatic Restoration In New Hampshire: Environmental Justice In Implementation Of Compensatory Mitigation, Simone Tania Chapman

Master's Theses and Capstones

New Hampshire’s aquatic resources provide many important ecosystem services and values, such as recreation, wildlife habitat, flood storage, nutrient reduction, community identity and aesthetic enjoyment. However, the many competing interests that seek to benefit from New Hampshire’s aquatic resources present challenges for efforts to steward public aquatic resources in the public interest. This thesis presents findings about the environmental justice outcomes of New Hampshire’s compensatory mitigation program, the Aquatic Resource Mitigation (ARM) fund, to inform aquatic restoration policy.

Previous studies have found evidence that aquatic restoration programs can lead to systemic resource relocation and patterns of inequality in outcomes. Using …

Unh Sails Into The Next Generation Of Ocean Mapping With Noaa Grant, Robbin Ray

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

Mapping Seafloor Relative Reflectance And Assessing Coral Reef Morphology With Eaarl-B Topobathymetric Lidar Waveforms, Nicholas Wilson, Christopher E. Parrish, Tim Battista, C. Wayne Wright, Bryan Costa, Richard K. Slocum, Jennifer A. Dijkstra, Matthew T. Tyler

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Topobathymetric lidar is becoming an increasingly valuable tool for benthic habitat mapping, enabling safe, efficient data acquisition over coral reefs and other fragile ecosystems. In 2014, a novel topobathymetric lidar system, the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar-B (EAARL-B), was used to acquire data in priority habitat areas in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), spanning the 0–44-m depth range. In this study, new algorithms and procedures were developed for generating seafloor relative reflectance, along with a suite of shape-based waveform features from EAARL-B. Waveform features were then correlated with percent cover of coral morphologies, domed and branched, and total cover of …

Empowering Sustainability Leaders: Variations On A Learning-By-Doing Theme, Karen Bieluch, Bridie Mcgreavy, Linda Silka, Aaron Strong, David Hart

New Hampshire EPSCoR

No abstract provided.