Digital Commons Network^™

Late Pliocene Ice-Rafted Debris Mass Accumulation Rates From Iodp Site U1359, Wilkes Land Continental Rise, Antarctica, Jessica Rosenberg

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

An assessment of sediments taken from the IODP (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program) Expedition 318, Core U1359A from the Wilkes Continental Land Rise, has been conducted at a high resolution to determine the response of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet to climate during the Late Pliocene. The section of core being studied dates back to ~3.7 to 2.7 million years ago (Ma). Studies can lead to an understanding of climate change in the future, from knowledge on how ice sheets have transformed in the past with similar atmospheric conditions to the present. Samples from this record were analyzed based on the …

Geothermobarometry Of Cordierite-Bearing Metapelites Of The Hudson Highlands, Southeastern Ny, Jay Patel

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Various P-T determinations have been reported on metasedimentary rock suites in the New Jersey and Hudson Highlands using different geothermobarometers, but all have yielded relatively large P-T ranges and none have used cordierite in a quantitative way. The presence of variable cordierite and its narrow stability field in metapelitic gneisses provides an excellent opportunity to better constrain the peak P-T conditions. Calcium depleted, clay-rich, arkosic sedimentary protolith was deposited during the Mesoproterozoic in a continentaloceanic arc basin during the Elzevirian orogeny (~1300-1200 Ma). The Ottawan metamorphic event (~1090-1020 Ma) transformed this protolith into the metasedimentary unit exposed in the Hudson …

Modeling Groundwater Flow At A Hydraulic Fracturing Site Near Pavillion, Wyoming, David Colombini

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This thesis uses the GIS-conceptual model approach to create groundwater models investigating groundwater contamination near Pavillion, Wyoming. This area was part of a study by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2009 that claims domestic water well contamination originated from hydraulically fractured natural gas wells. Hydraulic fracturing is the process of injecting water, sand, and chemicals into gas and oil wells in order to stimulate well production. This has caused concern over groundwater contamination. The models show natural groundwater flow systems generally move from west to east, however, a recharge area near the center of the model locally disrupts …

The Effects Of Changes In Population Density On Discharges For The Midwestern United States, Catherine Konieczny

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

River baseflow is the river discharge supported predominantly by groundwater, and can be greatly impacted by changes in land. Intuitively, the baseflow of a river would decrease with increased urbanization, as urbanization increases the amount of impervious surfaces, limiting the ability of precipitation to infiltrate into the ground and recharge the local groundwater. However, evidence suggests that the baseflow of rivers in urbanized areas can increase as a result of leaky subsurface water infrastructures that add water to groundwater and replenish baseflow. Another reason for the baseflow increase in urbanized watersheds is that water supply systems are over-pressurized by design …

Chemically Catalyzed Phytoremediation Of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (Tnt) Contaminated Soil By Vetiver Grass (Chrysopogon Zizanioides L.), Padmini Das

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Urban sprawl in big cities often encroaches on military land, where residual toxic explosive compounds like 2, 4, 6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in soil could pose a serious health risk. Additionally, in demilitarized areas, lack of sustainable remediation techniques hinder the much needed residential development.. Phytoremediation is an environmentally safe and cost effective solution; however, the characterized low aqueous solubility of nitroaromatic compounds resulting in limited availability of TNT for plant uptake is a major constraint. To overcome this limitation, we propose a new innovative phytoremediation technique using urea, a common nitrogen fertilizer, as a chaotropic agent, to enhance the solubility of …

Modeling A Green Decision Support System For Data Center Sustainability, Michael Joseph Pawlish

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The objective of this dissertation is developing more energy efficient data centers while focusing on the environment as well as meeting the increasing computing needs. Reliability of data centers will be the number one priority for management; however, the focus will be to implement a design by incorporating free cooling, applying thermal profiling, utilizing data mining, and continuing virtualization to create more efficient green data centers that are good for the environment. Since the fall of 2009, electrical consumption patterns were measured in the main data center for the servers and the air-conditioners at Montclair State University (MSU) to quantify …

Watershed-Based Water Quality Management, Benjamin Barnett Witherell

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In response to landscape alteration and increased knowledge of environmental systems, government regulation for the protection of water quality has undergone several adaptations since the landmark Clean Water Act of 1972. Most recently, in 2000, USEPA moved its emphasis from an effluent-based approach to an ambient or watershedbased approach. Prior watershed studies have uncovered relationships between the type of land cover in a watershed and water quality. These studies have generally indicated correlations between urbanized watersheds and degradation of water quality and aquatic ecosystem health. This dissertation is both an extension of these previous studies to the area of water …

Summer River Water Temperature Changes In The Musconetcong River And Their Potential Impact On Aquatic Habitat, Joseph Anthony Kowalski

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Water temperature changes in rivers can happen quickly for multiple reasons, and can drastically impact the river in many ways. The potential for temperature shifts to impact rivers is especially important in the summer, for aquatic habitats, as the warm temperatures can stress populations. This is especially true for trout populations, a temperature-sensitive fish. Since temperature is the most important factor in the growth of trout, these temperature changes can be life threatening. Therefore it is important to monitor temperatures in the Musconetcong River, classified as trout maintenance waters (Musconetcong Advisory Committee et al., 2003), because of the potential negative …

Geochemistry And Protolith Determination Of The Hypersthene-Quartz-Oligoclase Gneiss From The Hudson Highlands, New York, Kathleen Miller

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The hypersthene-quartz-oligoclase gneiss of the Hudson Highlands, NY mapped by Dodd (1965) has been of unknown origin due to complex field relations resulting from metamorphism and deformation during the Ottawan Orogeny, and a lack of geochemical data. The rock types in the Hudson Highlands and New Jersey Highlands are grouped into four general categories: metasedimentary gneisses, metaigneous gneisses, quartzofeldspathic gneisses, and syn-tectonic intrusive granitoid rocks (Dodd, 1965). Major element geochemistry and mineralogy of the Losee Metamorphic Suite of the physically contiguous New Jersey Highlands is similar to that of the hypersthene-quartzoligoclase gneiss of the Hudson Highlands. Based on the high …

Changes In The Discharge Characteristics Of The Hudson River, Elen Kenny Teo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The Hudson River watershed has undergone significant urbanization in some areas and reforestation in others during the past century. The watershed has also recently experienced extreme flood events, including from Hurricane Irene, which caused 49 deaths and an estimated $15.8 billion in damage nationally. However, it is unclear how much changes in land use and/or climate have caused shifts in river discharge and the contributions of runoff and baseflow to the river. Determining the existence and magnitude of these shifts are important for managing water resources. This study analyzes changes in daily flows and maximum annual discharge events at multiple …

Characterization Of Eocene-Oligocene Depocenters In Prydz Bay, East Antarctica : A Lithostratigraphic Correlation Of Odp Sites 739, 742, And 1166, Daniel James Ciarletta

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The Eocene-Oligocene transition (EOT) marked a profound shift in the Earth’s climate, as the global greenhouse o f the early Cenozoic gave way to ‘icehouse’ conditions, or a climatic regime influenced by the waxing and waning o f glacial ice. Antarctica was dramatically altered during this time; its formerly cool temperate ecosystems nearly obliterated by the first major episode o f continental glaciation. A record o f this transition appears to be partly preserved in approximately half a kilometer o f sediments recovered from three holes (at ODP Sites 739, 742, and 1166) bored in the continental margin at Prydz …

The Effectiveness Of Venue Strategies For Environmental Communication In Non-Agricultural, School Integrated Pest Management Campaigns, Marcia L. Anderson

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Pesticides have become a preferred approach to controlling pest problems in many, schools and childcare centers, despite the exposure hazards to children and the environment. The only other place where children spend more time is in their homes. Children are continually and unknowingly exposed to pests and pesticides while in and around school buildings. Pesticides are used on athletic fields, play areas, in cafeterias, classrooms, and more. Reducing the use of pesticides from the school environment is critical to lowering children’s total exposure.

This research tests ways of communicating about Integrated Pest Management to a number of school-related target audiences. …

Anthropogenic Disturbance Of The Herpetofauna In The Northeast Us : Wildlife Disease And Habitat Modification, Paola Dolcemascolo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Herpetofauna represent some of the most striking examples of the consequences of human impact on biotic communities. They experience the full range of anthropogenically-derived stressors: habitat loss, habitat modification and degradation, pollution, collection for food and the pet trade, nuisance killings, road mortality, and disease. In this study, I examined some of the main threats faced by herpetofauna of the Northeastern United States and their implications for management of reptile and amphibians in New Jersey. I first used molecular techniques to document and assess the prevalence of two amphibian diseases, chytridiomycosis (caused by the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) and Ranavirus, …

Spatial Decision Support Systems For Sustainable Urban Redevelopment, Amy V. Johnson-Ferdinand

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

A recent United Nations study concludes that worldwide population will grow from approximately 7 billion today to 9.3 billion in 2050 and 10.1 billion in 2100. Nowhere is this population growth more evident than in the major cities of the world. For the first time in history, a majority of the world’s people lived in cities. In 1950, by comparison, less than 30% of the world’s population dwelled in cities. This rapid growth of population, coupled with an aging infrastructure, and the abandoning of urban manufacturing sites, creates an urgent need for inner city revitalization. There are several urban areas …

Organic Geochemical Investigations Of Urban Sediments By Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectroscopy, Kevin Olsen

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) can be used to study the organic matter in sedimentary environments.

An urban sediment is not simply defined by proximity to a city. Because cities have anthropogenic contamination, one important urban sediment characteristic is ongoing recontamination. Another is legacy contamination from industrial activity and a third is the alteration of natural bio-geochemical systems.

Two case studies are presented. The surface sediments of the Gateway National Recreation Area were sampled during the summer of 2007. The ratio of two pyrolysis products, Vinylguiacol, from terrestrial plant lignins, and Indole, from proteins, (VGI Index) is moderately well …

Antecedents Of Environmentally Sensitive Consumer Behaviors : An Investigation Of Goal Framing Theory, Naz Onel

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Human behavior strongly impacts environmental quality. Altering behaviors that significantly affect the well-being of the environment can reduce the impact of human actions in a way that could help overcome environmental deterioration. However, this requires understanding the factors affecting consumer behavior towards acting in a more ecologically conscious manner. Further, the effects of these factors could vary based on the different types of consumer behaviors, such as environmentally sensitive purchase (acquisition), usage, and post-use (disposal) behaviors. The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the predicting factors of different types of environmentally sensitive consumer behavior by examining the extent to …

Green Remediation Of Veterinary Antibiotics In Soil-Water Systems, Pravin Anraj Punamiya

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Veterinary antibiotics (VAs) are considered emerging contaminants of concern. Considerable efforts have been made to understand the fate and transport of VAs in soil and water environment and very few have attempted to develop novel remediation strategies to overcome the problem of antibiotic resistance and potential toxicity to aquatic species. To our knowledge, the present study is a pioneer study in which it attempts to develop a low-cost, “green” remediation technique utilizing a waste byproduct of the drinking water treatment industry, namely, the Al-based water treatment residuals (Al-WTR), as a sorbent to stabilize tetracycline (TTC) and oxytetracycline (OTC) in aqueous …

Hydrologic Modeling In Semi-Arid Agricultural Region : An Integrated Approach To Study Water Resources In Southern San Joaquin Valley, California, Sagarika Roy

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Drought is one of the most severe natural hazards in the world. This research aims at assessing the limited water resources for better crop-water irrigation and conservation of a drought affected agricultural area in California.

Evapotranspiration (ET) is one of the most important parameter to study crop water use for irrigation scheduling and water management. The remote sensing based ET estimation using Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) is the efficient way to understand crop water use. Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) quantifies plant stress under different field conditions. The remote sensing approach allows efficient irrigation by applying water …

Geochemical And Rock-Magnetic Analyses Of Kasten Cores And Surface Grab Samples From The Joinville-D'Urville Trough, Northeastern Antarctic Peninsula : Results And Correlation With The Western Antarctic Peninsula, Rachel B. Darley

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Two sediment cores were recovered from the Joinville-d’Urville Trough on the Northeastern Antarctic Peninsula (AP) during United States Antarctic Program cruise LMG04-04. KC3 was recovered from a sediment drift off Joinville Island. KC16 was recovered from a small basin west of the drift. Both cores show a two-part magnetic susceptibility profile: the upper section shows regularly spaced highs and lows, followed by a large amplitude drop. The susceptibility profiles of these two cores are similar to those found on the western side of the AP. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the same processes drive magnetic susceptibility …

Updated Pressure And Temperature Determinations For The Metapelites Of The Western Hudson Highlands, Ny, Eric W. Sonnenwald

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Pelitic sedimentary material was deposited along the eastern margin of North America in the Mesoproterozoic (~1300-1200 Ma) in an active continental arc basin setting and was subsequently metamorphosed during the Ottawan Orogeny (~1080-1030 Ma) as a part of a closing ocean basin between two continents (Volkert and Drake, 1999). The resulting metapelitic gneisses now exposed in the western Hudson Highlands in Harriman State Park, New York were analyzed to determine the sedimentary protolith and the peak metamorphic pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions during the Ottawan Orogeny that affected this region during the final assembly of Rodinia. The protolith, a clay-bearing arkosic sandstone, …

Fe(Vi) As A New Chemical Agent For Treatment Of Landfill Leachate, Christopher Gravesen

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

More than 50% municipal solid waste (MSW) is being disposed of within landfills in the United States. Despite many benefits, landfills inevitably produce highly contaminated wastewater - landfill leachate. Landfill leachate represents one of the most challengeable wastewaters in the world. Refractory organic matters and ammonia nitrogen are two major persistent traditional contaminants in landfill leachate. The contaminants ought to be properly removed prior to discharge into natural water resources.

Ferrate (FeO₄^2-) is a potential water treatment chemical agent in which iron is in its + 6 oxidation state. In engineering practice, Fe(VI) can concurrently function as …

Climate Evolution Of The Antarctic Peninsula Over The Last 1,000 Years : An Environmental Magnetism Analysis Of Two High Resolution Sediment Cores, Brendan Reilly

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Two marine sediment cores from very different depositional environments, off the coast of western and northeastern Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula (AP), record high resolution climatic records of the last 1,000 years. This study finds evidence in the sedimentary magnetic signature for a regional shift from warmer to colder climatic conditions around 1100-1400 AD. The first core, from middle Barilari Bay, western AP, displays a shift from seasonally open marine conditions to sub/proximal ice shelf ca. 1100 AD, with evidence for multiple grounding line advances in the magnetic mineral distributions during the first half of the last millennium. Prior to the …

A Historical, Empirical Analysis Of The Relationship Between Urbanization And Stream Baseflow In The Eastern United States, Jared Michael Lopes

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The population density of the United States has more than tripled over the last century causing increased urbanization and greater anthropogenic influences in previously rural watersheds. Urbanization leads to increased impervious surfaces and the compaction of soils, both of which combine to reduce infiltration rates. Reduced baseflow can directly limit water availability for approximately half the U.S. population that depends on surficial waters for their drinking water. This project empirically investigated the baseflow-urbanization relationship on a geographic and temporal scale that has not been previously investigated. USGS river gage data in 11 eastern U.S. states (NY south of the Adirondacks, …

Investigating Planetary Magnetic Fields : 1. Paleosecular Variation And Relative Paleointensity Curves From Maxwell Bay, Antarctica 2. Rock Magnetic And Remanence Properties Of Natural And Synthetic Martian Basalts, Deepa Shah

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This thesis study investigates two individual projects to determine the paleomagnetic records from sediment core NBP0502-1B from Maxwell Bay Antarctica and SNC Martian meteorite Yamato-908459. Core NBP0502-1B from Maxwell Bay, South Shetland Islands, recovered a 108 m sedimentary record dating between 14.1-14.8 ka. The core has a silty-clay lithology and a calcite based radiocarbon chronology, making this an ideal site to reconstruct an independently dated record of paleosecular variation (PSV) and relative paleointensity (RPI). The interval 0-72 mbsf displays a normal sedimentary fabric, with K_mjn inclination values nearly vertical and K_int and K_max distributed within the bedding …

Citizens’ Perspectives Of Access To The Decision Making Process And Community Improvement As Determinants Of Brownfields Redevelopment Success, Shevon Jean Letang

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Brownfields redevelopment is acclaimed as a successful program that has revitalized struggling urban communities and returned unproductive, underutilized, and abandoned industrial and commercial properties to municipalities’ tax rolls. Despite a major brownfields' redevelopment goal being to improve the communities and their citizens' quality of life, to date, the program has not been evaluated from the mainstreams' perspective as to its impact on their neighborhoods and their quality of life. A survey of 129 citizens from urban, suburban and exsuburban municipalities in Passaic County New Jersey sought to evaluate the social outcomes of three redeveloped projects from the affected mainstreams' perspective. …

Corporate Social Responsibility And The Gold Mining Industry : The Ghana Experience, Aimann Sadik

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In 2012, the price of gold is sky rocketing due to strong demand and tight supply. Investors have revived their interest in gold investments at the expense of financial assets such as bonds and equities because of the current financial market turbulence. In addition, the trend in price has been fuelled by the strategic reserve holdings decisions by the central banks of advanced western economies to halt the sale of their gold reserves while that of emerging markets are acquiring gold holdings to protect their wealth during a period of global financial crisis. The supply of gold has not responded …

The Case Of Canoe Brook Wells In Glacial Sand And Gravel, Livingston, New Jersey : Establishing The Hydraulic Signs Of Well Contamination Risk Using Topography, Brian Frank

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

When little groundwater level data is available, the potential energy gradients reflected in the topography, assumed to be saturated to the surface, can be used to estimate the directions and relative rates of groundwater flow (flow systems). Darcy’s law conveniently relates groundwater water levels to the rate of groundwater flow. Toth (1963) related topography to groundwater flow systems. Flow systems can transport surface contamination, if present, to wells. The topography and likely contamination point source surface locations were used to create and contrast the flow systems impacting two wells in order to assess contamination risk. The two wells, Canoe Brook …

Fate Of Cerium Oxide (Ceo₂), Nanoparticles In Landfill Leachate, Casey Marie Ezyske

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Nanomaterial (NM) based manufacturing is predicted to grow to 15% of the global manufacturing economy by 2014. Subsequent to their use, most of the engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), man-made particles with at least dimension between 1 and 100 nm, will be disposed of in landfills. Landfill leachate is highly contaminated wastewater containing a variety of constituents that may affect the fate and transport of the nanomaterials. In this study, the size and zeta potential of cerium oxide (CeO₂), an industrially important nanomaterial, was investigated in different solution matrices (Milli-Q water, a real landfill leachate, KC1 solution, and humic acid …

Geochemistry Of The Hudson Highlands Migmatites And Relation To Post-Ottawan Deformation, Justin Wayne Kulick

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The 1010 Ma Canada Hill Granite represents a small post-orogenic granitoid body that can be found intermingled with Middle Proterozoic rocks in the Hudson Highlands, NY and postdates the thermal peak of the Ottawan Orogeny. The Canada Hill Granite is part of a chemically diverse group of plutonic rocks that formed from crustal melting during late to post-Ottawan dextral transpression and lithospheric thinning.

Thirty-two samples were collected of the Canada Hill Granite and surrounding rocks from the Hudson Highlands, NY in the West Point-Bear Mountain area, from which new major- and trace-element data have been obtained. The Canada Hill Granite …

Geochemistry Of The Diorite Pluton From The Stony Point Complex, New York, And Its Relation To The Cortlandt Complex, Andrew James Temples

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The Cortlandt-Beemerville magmatic belt of probable late Ordovician age is bound in the west by the Beemerville alkaline complex, New Jersey, and in the east by the calc-alkalic to alkalic Cortlandt complex, New York. Connecting the Cortlandt and Beemerville plutonic complexes is a string of east-west trending lamprophyre and felsic dike rocks (Eby, 2004). The Stony Point complex on the western side of the Hudson River is linked to the Cortlandt complex on the eastern side of the river, as well as the Rosetown complex further to the west through similar mineralogical and chemical compositions. Due to a lack of …