Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

Missouri National Recreational River 2012 Resource Brief, Isabel W. Ashton, Michael Prowatzke, Kara Paintner

United States National Park Service: Publications

Includes brief information on plant community monitoring, water quality monitoring, and weather and climate monitoring for the Missouri National Recreational River in the United States for 2012.

Academic College Readiness Indicators Of Seniors Enrolled In University-Model Schools® And Traditional, Comprehensive Christian Schools, Sharon Brobst

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This correlational study examined the relationship between type of high school a senior attends (University-Model School® (UMS®) or traditional, comprehensive Christian) and academic college readiness, when controlling for prior academic achievement and gender. The study compared archival data from Christian school graduates from six schools located near Dallas, TX. Each took the Stanford-10 in their seventh, eighth, or ninth-grade years, which controlled for prior academic achievement. SAT and ACT scores measured academic college readiness. Results of three sequential multiple regressions, controlling for confounding, showed that prior academic achievement was significant in predicting SAT Composite, SAT Writing, and ACT Composite scores. …

How Has Climate Change Impacted Summertime Rainfall Amounts In Nebraska?, Erinn Richert

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Recent weather events have led people to believe that climate change is the cause of them. El Niño Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, has a major influence, in certain parts of the United States. Climate models are predicting that there will be an increase of precipitation in the Midwestern United States. A previous study regarding the eastern portion of Nebraska investigated the impact of climate change on the precipitation schedule (Gershunov et al, 1997). For this study, three stations across Nebraska were investigated, one from the eastern, central, and western part of the state. Different statistical tests will be applied to …

A Model In Waiting: How Lincoln Nebraska Could Be The Ideal City For Recycling Progressivism, Caleb Greenfield

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Lincoln Nebraska currently has a recycling diversion rate of only 18.4% lagging far behind the national average of 34% and alarmingly low when compared to San Francisco, California with a rate of 80%. This study was to determine the forces that propelled California and San Francisco to the highest diversions rates in the nation from a policy, waste collection process and management standpoint. Then look at what forces there are in Lincoln, Nebraska and what could be done to improve its diversion successfully. This study was conducted primarily through the literature review process.

The results were that California was not …

Greenhouse Gas Flux In Nebraska’S Saline Marshes: An Analysis Of Frank Shoemaker Marsh, Alicia Lenners

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

For my thesis I will be studying the flux of greenhouse gases (CH₄, CO_2, and N₂O), focusing on methane production, released from wetlands, specifically the saline wetlands of Lincoln, NE. Methane is an important greenhouse gas (GHG), and wetlands are the biggest producers of the gas. With time most of the methane will be oxidized into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO₂), but meth (Laing, Shreeve, & Pearce, 2008).

The Effects Climate Variability On Avifauna, On The Platte River In Nebraska, Miranda Cynova

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study 1) looked at how weather patterns are predicted to change as a result of global climate change, 2) considered how these changes could affect the survival of Piping Plovers, Interior Least Terns, and Whooping Cranes and 3) considered the importance of managing wildlife in the Great Plains in light of the predicted consequences of global climate change. Correlation (Spearman r_s) tests were completed to compare the abundance of each species of birds and the amount of water flowing in the Platte River. Piping Plovers and Interior Least Terns have a specific amount of water that is …

Amphibian Community Composition And Its Relationship To Salinity Along The Salt Creek In Wilderness Park, Lancaster County, Nebraska, Nicholas Arneson

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Amphibians serve as an indication of proper ecosystem health. Due to their permeable skin and cutaneous respiration, amphibians are prone to be adversely affected by intensified water quality parameters (Welsh and Olliver 1998) . Salinity (the measure of dissolved salts) can have a serious effect on amphibian reproduction and recruitment (Smith et al 2006). A research project was enacted during the 2012 summer field season in Wilderness Park located in Lancaster County, Nebraska to determine if a relationship exists between amphibian species richness and relative abundance with measures of salinity (ppm). Breeding sites were determined and placed in three relative …

Navigating Todays Grocery Stores: Food Labels And The Regulations Behind Them, Jessica Furlan

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Rising concern over food safety issues by consumers has resulted in an increased demand for what are perceived to be healthier food options. Labels have become major marketing tools, and instrumental in consumer choices. This study looks at the history and regulations behind three certified labels: USDA Organic, Demeter Certified Biodynamic, and Certified Naturally Grown, as well as the highly prevalent “natural” food claim, in an attempt to discover whether the claims made by their labels are factually sound. With the exception of the “natural” claim, which is neither certified nor regulated by the FDA, USDA or other organizations, it …

Relating Incoming Uv Radiations To Melanoma Cases In The Country Of New Zealand, Madeline Paige Eversoll

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The purpose of this study is to look at how incoming ultraviolet rays might have an impact on skin cancer occurrences for the country of New Zealand. Looking at the atmospheric conditions and assessing how it can be related to areas like public health, can show how interconnected the environment can be with the welfare of human beings. If such connections can be made, relationships between melanoma toward UV and ozone can show how effective the Montreal protocol was in prohibiting the emissions of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). According to Chemistry Climate Model Projections, if it weren’t for the Montreal protocol 67% …

Management Of Invasive Garlic Mustard Populations, Jillian M. Schneider

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate current practices regarding known Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) populations in Lincoln, Nebraska and to determine the most effective management techniques in controlling garlic mustard invasions. A.petiolata is a shade tolerant, cool season growth plant invasive to North America. It is an allelopathic biennial whose established first year rosettes overwinter giving garlic mustard a head start on native annuals allowing it to outcompete indigenous species in the understory of woodland areas. Information regarding the histories and extent of invasions, management methods, and impacts on ecosystems was gathered from personnel at Fontenelle Forest Nature …

Section Abstracts: Botany

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Botany Section for the 91st Annual Virginia Journal of Science Meeting, May 2013

Girls’ Education, Child Marriage, & Gender Justice: A Study Of Balika Shivir Educational Camp, Rajasthan, India, Nira Pandya

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Girls’ education has long been considered a significant indicator of a girl’s age at marriage in India. Based on this idea, policymakers in India have designed or supported various expensive programs to eliminate child marriage in the country. Using a feminist lens, this paper explores one such intervention, Balika Shivir, an adolescent girls’ residential camp, located in the village of Lunkaransar, Rajasthan, in Western India. I focus specifically on my interviews with girls in this camp, highlighting their reflections on a number of issues dealing with education, culture, and agency in connection with their experiences at Balika Shivir. The …

Where Does The Water Come From? A Temporal Geochemical Characterization Of Water Sources In The Lives Of Storms, Mallory Ringham

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

An analysis of the ion chemistry, δ¹⁸O, and δ²H values of precipitation may allow for the characterization of their water sources. As water evaporates, it retains a signature of its source in the ions that it carries and in the amount of fractionation of the oxygen and hydrogen isotopes. Precipitation samples for coastal, lake effect, and continental sources were collected over the months of October- January in Syracuse, New York throughout the duration of each storm, including one hurricane, one thunderstorm, two lake effect snowstorms, and seven rain events. These samples were run through IC, ICP-OES, …

Student Honors And Awards Program 2013, University Relations

UMM Honors and Awards Ceremony

In recognition of students who demonstrate academic excellence and enrich campus life.

Increasing Liana Abundance And Basal Area In A Tropical Forest: The Contribution Of Long‐Distance Clonal Colonization, Suzanne R. Yorke, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Joseph Mascaro, Susan G. Letcher, Walter P. Carson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Recent evidence suggests that liana abundance and biomass are increasing in Neotropical forests, representing a major structural change to tropical ecosystems. Explanations for these increases, however, remain largely untested. Over an 8‐yr period (1999–2007), we censused lianas in nine, 24 × 36 m permanent plots in old‐growth and selectively logged forest at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica to test whether: (1) liana abundance and basal area are increasing in this forest; (2) the increase is being driven by increased recruitment, decreased mortality, or both; and (3) long‐distance clonal colonization explains the increase in liana abundance and basal area. We …

Dark Green Color Index As A Method Of Real-Time In-Season Corn Nitrogen Measurement And Fertilization, Upton Siddons

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Corn (Zea mays L.) requires higher rates of nitrogen fertilizer than any other major U.S. crop partly because N fertilizers are subject to loss through various mechanisms. Because of this, corn may suffer from inadequate nitrogen fertilization or producers may over-apply nitrogen to compensate for early-season nitrogen losses. A timely, accurate, and precise method for measuring in-season corn N status is needed to allow producers to keep nitrogen use efficiency high within a growing season.

Using appropriate software, hue, saturation, and brightness values of digital images can be combined in a dark green color index (DGCI) which is closely associated …

Re-Examining Late Chalcolithic Cultural Collapse In South-East Europe, Harvey Benjamin Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research into the Balkan Chalcolithic often overlooks the dramatic changes in society that occurred beginning in the late Fifth Millennium BCE. Most settlements were abandoned along with changes in mortuary customs, ceramic and decorative traditions, domestic rituals, crafts, housing styles, mining, and metallurgy. These changes happened at a time when these Chalcolithic societies seemed to be at their peak. Theories as to what caused these changes include migrations/invasions, anthropogenic environmental degradation, gradual internal changes through innovation and outside contacts, and climate change. This thesis attempts to synthesize, and critique material relating to this topic, and ultimately provide my own opinions …

Full Issue, Indiana Audubon Quarterly

Indiana Audubon Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Meet The Iaq Staff - Jay Bolden, Jay Bolden

Indiana Audubon Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Future Humidity Trends Over The Western United States In The Cmip5 Global Climate Models And Variable Infiltration Capacity Hydrological Modeling System, D. W. Pierce, A. L. Westerling, Jared Wesley Oyler

Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group Publications

Global climate models predict relative humidity (RH) in the western US will decrease at a rate of about 0.1–0.6 percentage points per decade, albeit with seasonal differences (most drying in spring and summer), geographical variability (greater declines in the interior), stronger reductions for greater anthropogenic radiative forcing, and notable spread among the models. Although atmospheric moisture content increases, this is more than compensated for by higher air temperatures, leading to declining RH. Fine-scale hydrological simulations driven by the global model results should reproduce these trends. It is shown that the MT-CLIM meteorological algorithms used by the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) …

Agency Decision-Making For Climate Change: Cost-Benefit Analysis, The Precautionary Principle, And The Bounds Of Rationality, Laura Carr

Pomona Senior Theses

Climate change tests the limits of human understanding of complexity and uncertainty. It challenges assumptions about our presumed power of control over this planet. This paper examines the theory of how governmental executive branch agencies make regulation decisions about climate change using the decision-making methodologies of cost-benefit analysis and the precautionary principle, and as influenced by perceptions of the bounds of human rationality and ability to deal with risk and uncertainty.

The Wheel In The Sky Keeps On Turnin’: The Migratory Bird Treaty Act And Its Impact On Wind Development, Robert Arthur Ballard Iii

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Pedagogies, Perspectives, And Practices: Mobile Leraning Through The Experiences Of Faculty Developers And Instructional Designers In Centers For Teaching And Learning, Kim A. Hosler

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Difficult Problem Of Nonpoint Nutrient Pollution: Could The Endangered Species Act Offer Some Relief?, Zdravka Tzankova

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

Nutrient pollution of rivers, streams, lakes, and estuaries is one of the preeminent water quality issues in the United States today, and poses a significant threat to the health of aquatic ecosystems. Agricultural nonpoint discharges, the runoff of nitrogen and phosphorous from animal manure and chemical fertilizers, are the primary sources of such nutrient pollution.

A pervasive and long-standing problem, nonpoint pollution, nutrient and otherwise, has proven to be one of the toughest challenges in contemporary environmental regulation. This situation is significantly attributable to the political and administrative dynamics of fragmented regulatory authority. The power to control such nonpoint discharges …

The Democratic Landscape: Envisioning Democracy Through Aldo Leopold's Land Ethic, Stacey L. Matrazzo

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

Since its founding, nature and nature-ownership have been central to American democracy, with property ownership remaining a fundamental part of its citizens' idea of liberty and freedom. Although initially constrained by common law principles, private property rights have varied over the centuries and have largely ignored the land's natural features. Landownership today tends to equate more with individual power than public responsibility. As a result of individualistic actions that have degraded the landscape and neglected the interdependence of humans with the greater biotic community, the divide between humans and nature has grown. In his groundbreaking essay, "The Land Ethic," Aldo …

Floating Laser Pulse Technology: A Strategy For Great Lakes Hub Height Offshore Wind Assessments, T. Arnold Boezaart, Charles R. Standridge, James Edmonson, Nahid Pervez

Presentations

The principal purpose of this project is to conduct a wind assessment study of Lake Michigan and to advance the body of knowledge that will allow successful offshore commercial wind energy development on the Great Lakes. The project involves the permitting and installation of the first offshore wind power assessment meteorological (MET) facilities in Michigan’s Great Lakes, utilizing Laser Pulse Technology (LPT). In addition to validating the technology, other important research that will contribute to the deployment of offshore wind technologies are being undertaken based on the guidelines established by the Michigan Great Lakes Wind Council (GLOW Council). The project …

An Environmental Assessment Of Energy Biomass For Bates College And Environmental Implementation Recommendations, Katrina T. Orlov

Standard Theses

Bates is considering whether or not to build a biomass cogeneration plant to help meet its pledge to become carbon neutral by 2020. However, questions about sustainability, as well as questions raised about whether or not biomass power is actually carbon neutral need to be seriously considered. In the short and mid-term, biomass actually has a greater negative impact on climate change than fossil fuels, especially natural gas, which Bates currently uses. In fact, moving from natural gas to biomass energy production could double Bates’ carbon emissions. The exception to this is the production and harvesting of short-rotation woody crops, …

The Role Of Service-Learning On College Students' Environmental Literacy: Content Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors, Joanna Lynn Bush Singletary

Dissertations

This study evaluated the relationship of environmental service-learning on environmental literacy in undergraduates. The subjects were 36 undergraduates at a small liberal arts university enrolled in an environmental biology course.To determine the role of environmental service-learning on college students’ environmental knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and environmental literacy, this study utilized concurrent mixed methods approach for qualitative and quantitative analysis. A quasi-experimental repeated measures approach was the design of the quantitative component of the study.Data were collected on attitude, behavior, and content knowledge aspects of environmental literacy as measured by the Environmental Literacy Survey (Kibert, 2000). Hypotheses were tested by independent samples …

University Of Central Florida Undergraduate Catalog, 2013 - 2014, University Of Central Florida

UCF Catalogs

No abstract provided.