Digital Commons Network^™

Drivers And Fates Of Primary Production In A Dammed, Eutrophic River, Laurel Genzoli

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Algae, cyanobacteria, and aquatic plants are essential components of river ecosystems, providing the basis for aquatic food webs, determining water quality, and controlling carbon and nutrient cycling in rivers. Despite their importance to river ecosystems, growth and accumulation of river photoautotrophs beyond historic levels cause ecological and social harm. The drivers of riverine primary production are poorly understood relative to algae blooms in lakes due to a paucity of studies in rivers, challenges with quantifying periphyton, and interacting and co-varying controls associated with river flows. In my dissertation, I quantified photoautotrophs and aquatic primary productivity in a dammed, eutrophic river …

Unlocking The West: A Critique Of Previous Statutory Attempts And A Proposed Statutory Solution To Allow Access To Corner-Locked Public Land, Sawyer J. Connelly

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Across the American West, 9.52 million acres of federal and state public lands are inaccessible to the public. The legality of accessing much of those public lands through corner-crossing is unclear in the law because, in the infinitesimal space where four corners of land meet in a checkerboard pattern, there is ambiguity; neither private landowners nor the public can assert an exclusive right or absolute control without infringing upon the rights of the other. This paper discusses the origins of landlocked public land, common law doctrines that inform legal actors in this space, and analyzes federal statute and state legislative …

Temporal And Spatial Connectivity And The Impacts Of Hydropower In The Magdalena River Basin, Colombia, Serena Lynn Butler

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Tropical regions hold untapped hydropower potential, but dam construction often adversely impacts multiple dimensions of connectivity in river systems, rigorous evaluation of which is often lacking. This study investigates temporal and spatial dimensions of longitudinal and lateral connectivity in the Magdalena River Basin, Colombia, a region with ongoing and planned hydropower projects. Limited in-situ monitoring data is a common challenge in tropical rivers. To address this, we utilized satellite imagery from Landsat (via Google Earth Engine) and Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) data. We examined alterations in the flow regime over time and relative to dam construction. We also …

Integrating Western Science And Indigenous Knowledge For Just Practices In Conservation, Cierra Lea Keith

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Local Visions For Patagonia: Drivers And Dynamics Of Collaborative Environmental Governance In Aysén, Chile, Zachary J. Hummel

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Collaborative governance (CG) has emerged as a tool for addressing increasingly complex societal problems by engaging a diverse of set of cross-sector actors in a deliberative process with the aim of realizing consensus-driven outcomes. Emerson et al.’s (2011) Integrated Framework for Collaborative Governance (IFCG) attempts to improve understanding of these arrangements by articulating causal connections between collaborative drivers and dynamics across different contexts. Answering researchers’ call for more empirical support for the IFCG in non-US/European contexts, I used the framework to guide 10 interviews with collaborative governance practitioners in the comanaged marine protected area, AMCP-MU Pitipalena Añihue, located in Aysén, …

An Institutional And Policy Analysis Of Adaptive Capacity To Climate Change Of The Agricultural Sector Of Bangladesh, Calvin Wood Martin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis evaluates the adaptive capacity of Bangladesh’s agricultural sector in the context of climate change, focusing on policy and institutional capacities. An analytic framework is applied to assess policy coherence, resources, and implementation effectiveness of key national and international policies. The study also examines aspects of institutional capacity, such as administration, technological innovation, protective infrastructure, and access to benefits and resources. Through expert interviews and a comprehensive literature review, the research identifies both strengths and challenges in current efforts to enhance climate resilience. The findings highlight areas for improvement, particularly in strengthening policy coherence, resource needs, and institutional support …

Ending The Doom Cycle: Redefining Historic Preservation And Reclaiming Total Heritage Through Community And Social Justice Advocacy, Nikki Marie Manning

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In the wake of a global pandemic and escalating societal challenges, yet another attempt to examine familiar debates about what we preserve and why and the typical arguments for and against historic preservation, seem inconsequential and disconnected from addressing more urgent societal needs such as systemic racism, inequality, police brutality, LGBTQ+ rights, economic and healthy disparities, and environmental justice. The field of historic preservation has the potential, and even obligation, to emphasize and create meaningful impact on larger issues. It should be highlighting and celebrating the diverse stories of people and places that define our community, and the history embodied …

Using Ethnobotanicals For Language Preservation And Cultural Connections, Riza James Mcclurkin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The creation and implementation of interpretive ethnobotanical trails can be used to help preserve and teach about the use of native, and in some instances, non-native plants that were brought into use, both historically and in present day by Indigenous peoples. As examples, I will use my work assisting on the Reserve Street Trail in Missoula, Montana and the Pioneer Park Campground Interpretive Trail on the Colville National Forest in Washington. The Reserve Street Trail is still in its beginning phases but has the goal to cultivate plants identified as being culturally significant to Indigenous peoples and to create trail …

Analysis Of The Transformations Of Laguna Melincué Wetland, Argentina, Bianca Giunti

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In Argentina, freshwater wetlands are threatened by land use changes, unsustainable irrigation practices, and climate change. Twenty-three wetlands cover 5,176,578 ha of the Argentinian territory and have been designated as wetlands of international importance by the Convention of Wetlands (Kandus et al., 2008; Ramsar Sites Information Service, 2022). These figures are significant given Argentina’s unique geographic location on a central migratory bird flyway and the profound biological diversity found in these wetlands (Jahn et al., 2013; Red Aves Internacionales, 2015). The Government of Argentina has recently moved to implement wetland protection and conservation policies. Nevertheless, policy and governance efforts to …

Quantifying Wastewater Contributions To The Upper Clark Fork River, Claire Utzman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Though algae are at the base of food webs in many rivers, large algal blooms are increasing in frequency and can cause problems with nutrient cycling, depletion of oxygen supplies at night, and release of toxic chemicals. One leading cause of algal blooms is nutrient loading into rivers, and controlling nutrient release in wastewater is one approach that can help limit algal growth. To reduce the intensity of algal blooms in the Clark Fork River in western Montana, numeric nutrient standards were put in place that regulated the release of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus into the river from wastewater. …

Coalescence: A Carnivore Coexistence Curriculum That Braids Indigenous & Western Ecological Knowledge Into A Relevant And Experiential Learning Opportunity For Youth, Stephanie Anne Barron

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horriblis) begin to reoccupy more of their historic range, and as humans and large carnivore populations continue to increase, incidences of human carnivore conflict are on the rise. A decolonial curriculum designed in collaboration with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe’s wildlife biologists stands to increase awareness of Indigenous ecological knowledge and teach youth about the importance of coexistence with carnivores. Additionally, this project could greatly influence youth perceptions of grizzly bears and other large carnivores. This research project examines the development and implementation of a carnivore coexistence curriculum for youth that is guided by …

Impact Of Forest Plantations On Energy Poverty: An Assessment Of Reforestation Efforts In Uganda, Matilda Kabutey-Ongor

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study investigates the socio-economic impacts of reforestation initiatives on energy poverty in three Ugandan districts—Hoima, Dokolo, and Nakasongola. Implemented by the Ugandan National Forest Authority, these efforts aim to mitigate the adverse effects of deforestation, exacerbated by a growing population and increased demand for forest products. We hypothesize that through sustainable afforestation, access to biomass and other renewable energy sources can be improved, thereby alleviating energy poverty. The study establishes a causal relationship between reforestation and reductions in energy poverty and general poverty using advanced econometric methods, such as Ordinary Least Squares regression, Weighting, and matching techniques including Propensity …

A Tale Of Two Working Landscapes, Sage C. Sutcliffe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Computation Of Separate Ratio And Regression Estimator Under Neutrosophic Stratified Sampling: An Application To Climate Data, Abhishek Singh, Hemant Kulkarni, Florentin Smarandache, Gajendra K. Vishwakarma

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

In this article, we introduce a novel approach by presenting separate ratio and regression estimators in the context of neutrosophic stratified sampling for the very first time, incorporating auxiliary variables. We have conducted a thorough analysis to estimate these newly proposed estimators' bias and mean square error (MSE) up to the first-order approximation. Theoretically using efficiency comparison criteria, our findings demonstrate the superior performance of these estimators compared to traditional unbiased estimators. Also, numerically based on real-life and artificial data, we have shown the supremacy of the neutrosophic stratified sampling over neutrosophic simple random sampling along with the supremacy of …

Analysis Of Sediment-Discharge Hysteresis With The Interaction Of Hydrologic And Landscape Factors In The Upper Ping And Nan River Basin, Thailand, Soklin It

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Understanding landscape and climate influences on sediment transport is critical for managing river basins sustainably. This study investigates hydrological-sediment dynamics in the upper Ping and Nan River Basins in northern Thailand. The research focuses on three objectives: (1) identifying types and temporal trends of hysteresis between discharge and sediment concentration (Q–SSC); (2) quantifying interactions among hydrological and vegetation variables using Principal Component Analysis (PCA); and (3) analyzing structural relationships among climate, vegetation, and sediment transport through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Hysteresis analysis revealed significant spatial and temporal variability in sediment dynamics. The Ping River Basin (stations P.75, …

ความรักก่อนสมรสและการจัดการอารมณ์ในนิตยสาร คู่สร้างคู่สม ทศวรรษ 2520 ถึงทศวรรษ 2530, พลอยสิริ คำโสภา

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วิทยานิพนธ์ฉบับนี้ศึกษาปัจจัยทางเศรษฐกิจ สังคม และวัฒนธรรมที่ส่งผลต่อรูปแบบและคุณค่าของความรักก่อนสมรสของหนุ่มสาวชนบทที่อพยพเข้าสู่กรุงเทพมหานครในช่วงทศวรรษ 2520 ถึงทศวรรษ 2530 โดยใช้ข้อเขียนในนิตยสาร คู่สร้างคู่สม จำนวน 288 ฉบับ เพื่อวิเคราะห์การให้ความหมายและการให้คุณค่าต่อความรักในเชิงสังคมและวัฒนธรรม รวมถึงบทบาทของความรักต่อการจัดการอารมณ์ และการสร้างความเป็นหญิงและความเป็นชาย วิทยานิพนธ์ฉบับนี้ใช้แนวคิดประวัติศาสตร์อารมณ์ โดยอาศัยแนวคิดชุมชนทางอารมณ์ และประวัติศาสตร์เพศสภาพ โดยวิทยานิพนธ์ฉบับนี้สำรวจ 4 ประเด็น ได้แก่ วิถีชีวิตในเมืองใหญ่ ความสัมพันธ์ของชายหญิงในช่วงแสวงหาความรัก ช่วงพัฒนาความสัมพันธ์ และช่วงผิดหวังในความรัก เพื่ออธิบายความเชื่อมโยงระหว่างอารมณ์ เพศสภาพ และความเป็นมหานคร คำถามการวิจัยของวิทยานิพนธ์ฉบับนี้ คือ หญิงและชายชนบทในมหานคร ช่วงทศวรรษ 2520-2530 ให้คุณค่าและความหมายต่อความรักอย่างไร พวกเขาใช้ภาษาในการสื่อสารอารมณ์และความรู้สึกในห้วงเวลาแห่งความรักอย่างไร นอกจากนี้หญิงและชายอพยพมีมโนทัศน์ความรัก และมีประสบการณ์ทางอารมณ์อย่างไร ตลอดจนปัจจัยทางเศรษฐกิจ สังคมและวัฒนธรรมในทศวรรษ 2520 ถึงทศวรรษ 2530 ส่งผลต่ออารมณ์ และความรักของชายหญิงอพยพอย่างไร วิทยานิพนธ์ฉบับนี้เสนอว่า พัฒนาการทางเศรษฐกิจและสังคมไทยในช่วงทศวรรษ 2520 ถึงทศวรรษ 2530 ส่งผลให้ชายหญิงชนบทที่อพยพเจ้าสู่มหานครต้องใช้ชีวิตอย่างโดดเดี่ยว ห่างไกลจากครอบครัวและชุมชนเดิม ความอ้างว้างและเดียวดายที่เกิดขึ้นจากการใช้ชีวิตในมหานครกลายเป็นปัจจัยสำคัญที่ทำให้ความรักและคนรักได้รับคุณค่าในฐานะเพื่อนคู่คิด ซึ่งมีรสนิยมและทัศนคติที่สอดคล้องกัน และสามารถแสดงความปรารถนาส่วนบุคคลได้อย่างเท่าเทียม ความรักก่อนสมรสจึงทำหน้าที่บรรเทาความเหงาในเมืองใหญ่ และเปิดพื้นที่ให้คู่รักสามารถจินตนาการถึงความสัมพันธ์ที่ตั้งอยู่บนความเข้าใจ ความภักดี และการเป็นเจ้าของซึ่งกันและกัน ความรักในบริบทนี้จึงเป็นการตอบสนองต่อเงื่อนไขทางสังคม เศรษฐกิจ และวัฒนธรรมที่แรงงานหนุ่มสาวชนบทต้องเผชิญในมหานคร

Understanding The Dynamics Of Food And Economic Development In The Community Of Kakisa, Northwest Territories, Canada, Laura Rodriguez Reyes

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

For Indigenous Peoples, the land embodies a source of cultural and spiritual well-being that is linked to their way of life and identities through divine and traditional connections. Unfortunately, colonial powers, the global food system, socioeconomic inequalities and environmental degradation are impacting northern Indigenous lands and food systems, leading to food insecurity. Nevertheless, communities are still thriving in the face of adversity. In the Northwest Territories, on the lands of Ka’a’gee Tu First Nations (KTFN) in the community settlement of Kakisa, people are growing food through vegetable gardens and greenhouses to support their vision of a resilient food system.

Through …

Investigating The Mobility Of Arsenic In Subarctic Mining Pollution-Affected Peatlands Near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Jeremy Leathers

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Arsenic (As) is a pollutant of global concern that is detrimental to human and environmental health. Between 1948 and 2004, mining operations near Yellowknife, NT released over 20,000 tonnes of As trioxide (As₂O₃) that continues to persist in the surrounding landscape. Although much effort has been put into studying the chemical forms, spatial distribution, ecological impacts, and environmental cycling of As in the area, more work is needed to determine the controls of As mobility between the terrestrial and aquatic components of the landscape. Soils are known reservoirs of legacy As that can release it downslope …

Rates And Patterns Of Permafrost Thaw Induced Landcover Change At Scotty Creek, Canada, Mason Dominico

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In the peatland-dominated regions of discontinuous permafrost in northwestern Canada, permafrost thaw is altering landscapes at rates without precedent in the historical record. The present study uses a combination of remote sensing and ground based methods to examine the rates and patterns of permafrost thaw and how such thaw is changing the form and function of the landscape. The area within a 4 km2 area of interest underlain by permafrost decreased from 51% in 1977 to 43% in 2010, and to 40% in 2018, indicating an increase in the permafrost thaw rate from 0.24% yr-1 between 1977 and 2010, and …

Making The Pluriverse Visible: World-Making On The Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula, Lauren Judge

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation argues that visual artists who live and work on the Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula, in Ontario, Canada, are co-creating artworks with non-humans, which is evidence of more-than-human world-making. Such co-creative experiences are the result of, and catalysts for the kinds of enchantment our human worlds need to form meaningful and holistic connections with non-humans, effectively creating a more inclusive pluriverse. After reviewing interdisciplinary literature in posthuman studies, creative geography, arts-based practices, environmental humanities, Indigenous knowledges, and political ontology, I designed my research to include a combination of qualitative methodologies and methods, including autoethnography and research-creation, to investigate fourteen visual …

Understanding Health And Well-Being Outcomes Associated With Protected Coastal Ecosystems: A Fundy National Park Case Study., Mhairi K. Chandler

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the mental health and well-being of Canadians, prompting many to turn to nature for consolation and social interaction. However, there is a lack of evidence linking these outcomes specifically to coastal areas. To address this gap, we conducted a self-reported survey at Fundy National Park, New Brunswick, Canada, in summer 2022. Over 400 visitors participated, revealing nature enjoyment, physical health, and mental well-being as primary motivators for park visitation. Notably, mental well-being showed significant differences across gender, sexual identity, and ethnicity, with males, straight individuals, and others exhibiting distinct preferences compared to females, 2SLGBTQIA+ …

Integrating Biodiversity Protection And Climate Mitigation In Nature-Based Climate Solutions: An Indicator Analysis, Tatyana Feiner

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Climate change and biodiversity loss have been recognized as complex, interconnected issues that require synergistic and mutually reinforcing policy solutions. Given the ambitious commitments by the Canadian government to abate the two “wicked problems”, this study investigates whether the government has constructed a policy framework that synthesizes climate and biodiversity concerns through policy integration and mainstreaming processes. Through a semi-systematic and comprehensive content analysis approach, this study assesses the degree to which biodiversity protection and climate mitigation have been effectively mainstreamed into federal policies, programs, and instruments. Specifically, the study constructs an evaluative framework based on established “best practices” of …

Assessing Road Dust Impacts On Macroinvertebrates Community Structure In Canadian Arctic Lakes, Hong Yi Gao

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In the Canadian Arctic, unpaved gravel roads are essential for regional accessibility but are also potential sources of road dust runoff. My study investigated the impacts of road dust from the Dempster and Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highways on adjacent freshwater ecosystems, focusing on water quality parameters and macroinvertebrate communities. Using a stratified random sampling design, 18 lakes were studied across two regions (boreal forest and tundra) and three distance categories from the road (0-300 m, 300-600 m, and > 600 m). Contrary to my initial hypotheses, findings revealed no significant differences in water quality or invertebrate communities relative to distance from the road. …

Circular Economy: The 4rs Reduce-Reuse-Recycle-Recover, Kevin Hom

Publications and Research

This article summarizes the lecture presented at the Net Built 2024 conference. The lecture addresses the unsustainability of the current linear economy, characterized by the "take, make, dispose" model, in light of environmental challenges. The inefficiencies of this system lead to increased energy consumption, elevated CO2 emissions, and the exacerbation of climate change. It examines the current state of design and construction with respect to climate change and sustainable resource management. Additionally, the lecture introduces a methodology that integrates technologies and design philosophies capable of driving significant positive change. By advocating for a transformative approach to the expected lifetime of …

Effective Land Use Classification Through Hybrid Transformer Using Remote Sensing Imagery, Muhammad Zia Ur Rehman, Syed Mohammed Shamsul Islam, Anwaar Ulhaq, David Blake, Naeem Janjua

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Recent advances in deep learning for hyperspectral image (HSI) classification have shown exceptional performance in resource management and environmental planning through land use classification. Despite these successes, challenges continue to persist in land use classification due to the complex topology of natural and man-made structures. The uneven distribution of land cover introduces spectral-spatial variability, causing inter- and intra-class similarity. To address this issue, this study adopts a hybrid approach that combines convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and a transformer model. The technique comprises three key components: a spectral-spatial convolutional module (SSCM), a spatial attention module (SAM), and a transformer module. Each …

Can Intentional Community-Engagement Bridge The Town And Gown Divide? Creating Collaborative Partnerships Between Colleges And Local Organizations Engaged In Social Activism, Anna Wilk

Scripps Senior Theses

In higher education spaces, there tends to be a divide between on-campus and off-campus communities creating dissonance between the activism conducted by the students and faculty and that taken on by the surrounding communities; this is known as the “town and gown divide”. For the sake of each of these individual groups it is pivotal to attempt to rectify this division so that the institutions and the communities that they find themselves within can work together to strive for justice and innovation. A crucial aspect of diminishing the town and gown divide involves addressing students' preconceived notions of the community …

Optimization Of A Low-Cost Corona Dielectric-Barrier Discharge Plasma Wastewater Treatment System Through Central Composite Design/Response Surface Methodology With Mechanistic And Efficiency Analysis, Yiting Xiao, Yang Tian, Yuanhang Zhan, Jun Zhu

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Water pollution, which is intensified by the release of hard-to-degrade pollutants, poses severe threats to ecosystems, human health, and economic development. The existing advanced oxidation processes often involve high operational costs and can potentially result in secondary pollution, highlighting the necessity for innovative and more sustainable solutions. To address these challenges, our study introduces a cost-effective and eco-friendly corona dielectric-barrier discharge for wastewater treatment. Using the central composite design/response surface methodology, a high decolorization rate of 98% of methylene blue (MB) was achieved within 10 min by optimizing parameters such as pH and voltage. Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying the generation …

Just Look At The Map: Bounding Environmental Review Of Housing Development In California, Eric Biber, Christopher S. Elmendorf, Nicholas Marantz, Moira O’Neill

Faculty Scholarship

California faces a dire housing crisis. California’s land-use regulatory system remains a key driver of this crisis. State law grants local governments broad power to craft their own regulations on how to review and approve housing development. Though state law may limit a locality’s ability to outright deny some types of housing development, local governments can and do use creative ways to stall approvals or functionally deny housing by making it infeasible to develop. One such strategy is to demand more intensive environmental review of new housing projects under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) than what state law requires. …