Digital Commons Network^™

Regulatory Impacts On Us Hazardous Waste Exports, Xiaofan Ji, Mengyu Wang, Tianyi Zhang

Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics

This paper examines the impact of key domestic and international regulations on US hazardous waste exports, focusing on shifts in export destinations and waste types from 2002 to 2023. Since 2005, OECD countries and US Trade Agreement Partners have become primary destinations for US hazardous waste, with significant surges after 2018 and a notable decline in 2022. An analysis of the regulatory landscape reveals that, while international frameworks such as the Basel Convention of 2021 have had a relatively limited impact on reducing US hazardous waste exports, domestic policies—particularly those in California—have more directly influenced export behaviors. Additionally, the US …

Evaluating The Effects Of Agricultural Management Practices On Beneficial Arthropod Communities, Isaac Newton Ativor

Doctoral Dissertations

Arthropods provide essential ecosystem services to our agricultural landscapes. These ecosystem services include biological control of pest organisms, including weed seeds, and plant pollination. Concerningly, however, there has been a global decline in insect populations over the last decade, a major cause of which is agricultural intensification. Previous research has demonstrated that agricultural management practices can strongly influence the species composition and abundance of arthropod communities, and therefore presumably the ecosystem services or disservices these organisms provide; however, our understanding of these interactions remains limited. I conducted three studies to investigate whether agricultural practices common in annual row crop (tillage …

Planning Responses To Drinking Water System Emergencies, Jingyan Huang

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite extensive efforts to ensure clean and safe drinking water, drinking water contamination emergencies remain a persistent challenge in the United States. These events can result in widespread public health impacts, economic losses, and long-term environmental damage, particularly when triggered by hazardous chemical releases. Effective management of such crises requires a dual focus on both technical preparedness and human decision-making. This dissertation addresses these challenges through a two-part investigation that bridges pre-incident planning and post-incident response. It is guided by two core research objectives: (1) to evaluate commonly applied emergency countermeasures from both resilience and sustainability perspectives; and (2) to …

Uncovering The Plant-Microbe-Permafrost Paradigm As It Relates To Soil Priming And Arctic Carbon Cycles, Sean Robert Schaefer

Doctoral Dissertations

Permafrost, or perennially frozen soil, covers approximately 25% of the northern hemisphere and contains over half of the world’s soil organic carbon stocks. Permafrost-affected regions are rapidly warming, resulting in ecosystem changes including permafrost thaw and a shift from sedge-dominated to shrub-dominated plant communities. As permafrost thaws, it releases previously unavailable compounds to plants and microorganisms. Plant root inputs can then stimulate the decomposition of thawed permafrost, increasing greenhouse gas emissions in a process called priming. Permafrost thaw increases the decomposition of previously frozen soil organic matter (SOM); however, the extent of decomposition is highly dependent on plants and their …

Long-Term Patterns In The Relative Abundance Of Common Snook As A Factor Of Shifting Environmental Conditions In The Florida Coastal Everglades, Jordan A. Massie, Ryan J. Rezek, Rolando O. Santos, W. Ryan James, Natasha M. Viadero, Ross E. Boucek, Jennifer S. Rehage

Marine Science

Objective Environmental variability as a factor of climate change and water management can result in fluctuations in the abundance and distribution of fish populations from year to year, with either negative or positive effects depending on behavioral and physiological requirements and the ability to adapt to changing conditions. Variability in water levels can also influence prey availability, affecting predator abundance in seasonal foraging areas. In this study, our objective was to better understand how environmental variation has affected the relative abundance of Common Snook Centropomus undecimalis in the freshwater/estuarine habitats of Everglades National Park. Methods Electrofishing data over 17 years …

Eps 202-451: Technology, And Environment, Michael Bonchonsky

Chemistry, Environmental and Forensic Science Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Applications Of Urban Forestry: Advancing Environmental Justice Via Tree Planting In New York City, Newell Alexandra Blanton

Student Theses 2015-Present

NYC’s urban forest is composed of 7 million trees and the infrastructure which supports them. These trees have incredible value in almost every sense of the word; they provide essential ecosystem services such as climate modification and air purification that are otherwise impossible or enormously costly to manage. Contrarily, a lack of tree coverage in an urbanized area can contribute negatively to the health, economics, and overall quality of life for a neighborhood’s residents. This paper analyzes the impact trees have in New York City through a socioeconomic lens by comparing tree metrics and their collective influence in various neighborhoods, …

Assessing The Application Of Mobile Light Detection And Ranging In Complex Mixed Species Forest Inventory, Hunter Thomas Moore

Master's Theses and Capstones

Understanding forest dynamics relies on forest inventories that assess stand- and tree-level characteristics. Traditionally, this process involves field-based measurements of tree attributes such as diameter at breast height (DBH), height, form, and crown metrics. In recent years, the integration of remote sensing technologies, particularly Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), has expanded the spatial and temporal reach of forest inventories. LiDAR is an active remote sensing device that generates three-dimensional representations of forest environments and can be used to derive structural forest metrics. More recently, mobile LIDAR, also referred to as mobile laser scanning (MLS) has emerged as a flexible and …

Modeling Ungulate Population Parameters Across Human-Modified Landscapes, Sarah Richard

Master's Theses and Capstones

As human activity and development continue to alter natural landscapes, large ungulates are increasingly exposed to changing habitat structures, altered mortality risks, and climate-related stressors. These ecological shifts can influence their survival, behavior, and population dynamics. Understanding how such complex and evolving conditions shape demographic trends in these species is critical for effective management. In this thesis, I examined two ecologically and culturally important ungulate species, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and moose (Alces alces), across human-modified environments. Specifically, I analyzed how intrinsic factors, behavioral development, and landscape composition influence stage-specific mortality in deer neonates and population parameters in moose in …

Enst 335l.01: Literature Of The Earth, Mark E. Sundeen

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Enst 410.01: Traditional Ecological Knowledge Of Indigenous Peoples, Jennifer Harrington, Anne Des Rosier Grant

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Enst 563.01: Introduction To Environmental Law, Stephen R. Brown

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Enst 570.01: Ethical Issues In Ecological Restoration, Seamus R. Land

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Climate Change, Covid-19, Contracts, And The Colorado River Compact: Discharging The Upper Division's Delivery Of Non-Depletion Obligations Under Article Iii, Tim Duane

Water Law Review

No abstract provided.

Uncertain Future: How Conditional Water Rights Have Created Unintended Consequences In Colorado, Andrew Teegarden

Water Law Review

Conditional water rights within Colorado can create uncertainty for other water users within the prior appropriation system. These issues stem from recent treatment of conditional rights as akin to a vested property right, rather than a placeholder pursuant to which an applicant hopes to be awarded a vested right. Conditional water rights provide a degree of water security for a specifically identified future use by authorizing an applicant to reserve a place in line within Colorado's priority system for a water right to apply to such use. However, to protect the integrity of the priority system, an applicant's right to …

Forgoing Nuclear: Nuclear Power Plant Closures And Carbon Emissions In The United States, Luke Petach

Faculty Scholarship

This paper examines the effect of nuclear power plant decommissioning on electricity generation and carbon emissions in the United States. Using data on nuclear reactor closures in the United States between 1993 and 2022 and data on state-level carbon emissions and electricity generation from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), this paper adopts a difference-in- differences (DiD) approach to estimate the effect of nuclear decommissioning. Two-way fixed-effects (TWFE) DiD estimates suggest a nuclear plant closure increases annual state-level per capita carbon emissions between 6% and 8%. The increase in state-level carbon emissions is driven by a substitution toward fossil fuel electricity—particularly …

The Weight Of Complicity: A Network Analysis Of Ecocide In Palestine, Marilyn Moy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This paper combines multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) with a network graph visualization to examine corporate and institutional involvement in ecocide in Palestine from 1917 to the present. Using a weighted sum model based on UN human rights principles and UNEP guidelines, actors are evaluated across three criteria: directness, scale, and duration of harm. A dataset of 50+ entities, including Caterpillar, Elbit Systems, and the Jewish National Fund, reveals a dense network of responsibility, with major enablers in the construction, tech, and military sectors. Findings highlight the severe impacts of the 2023–present assault on Gaza and demonstrate that ecocide is a …

Romania: ‘A Country Is Worth More Than Its Gold’: Activists Defeat Canadian Mining Goliath. In, Roxana Maiorescu

Emerson Authors, Researchers, & Creators

For 25 years, Romanians fought to preserve Rosia Montana, a region whose gold and silver amount to 20 billion euros. Their victory was delivered in 2024, as the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes in Washington, DC ruled against the Canadian company that aimed to explore the mine. This analysis sheds light on political instability, perceived government corruption, and foreign intrusion, all of which led to intense and monthslong protests that Romania hadn’t seen since its 1989 revolution, when it liberated itself from communism. This case represents a David vs. Goliath-like story, in which a handful of poor families, …

Nursing Students’ Sociodemographic Characteristics And Consumer Preferences’ Prediction Level Of Perceived Food Literacy, Sinan Duru

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Food literacy, which is a critical competency for nursing students, plays a pivotal role in promoting evidence-based nutrition behaviors and contributes effectively to public health. This study aimed to determine the level of perceived food literacy among nursing students.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 488 nursing students from two universities in the south of Turkey. The research data were collected face to face via the Personal Information Form, the Consumer Preferences Form, and Self Perceived Food Literacy. The data was analyzed using the Independent Sample t Test, One Way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression.

Results: The …

Semblance Of Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Analysis Of Corporate Greenwashing In The United States, Brandon T. Williams, Environmental Studies

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper addresses the problem of greenwashing, the unseen environmental issues associated with it, and it concludes with an offering of potential policy options that better protect consumers and promote sustainable business practices. Using quantitative data, Chapter 1 lays out the prevalence of greenwashing in U.S. industry in recent years. Additionally, this chapter scrutinizes the operating practices of the offending firms and how they degrade vital ecosystem services. Chapter 2 explores greenwashing through a historical lens, following the unethical practice shifts meaning over time into the current era. Chapter 3 utilizes an economic lens and cost-benefit analysis to reevaluate the …

Sociohydrodynamics: Data-Driven Modeling Of Social Behavior, Daniel S. Seara, Jonathan Colen, Michel Fruchart, Yael Avni, David G. Martin, Vincenzo Vitelli

Data Science Faculty Publications

Living systems display complex behaviors driven by physical forces as well as decision-making. Hydrodynamic theories hold promise for simplified universal descriptions of socially generated collective behaviors. However, the construction of such theories is often divorced from the data they should describe. Here, we develop and apply a data-driven pipeline that links micromotives to macrobehavior by augmenting hydrodynamics with individual preferences that guide motion. We illustrate this pipeline on a case study of residential dynamics in the United States, for which census and sociological data are available. Guided by Census data, sociological surveys, and neural network analysis, we systematically assess standard …

New Faculty Guide, 2025, University Of Mississippi. Provost

New Faculty

No abstract provided.

Evolution Of Industrial Structure And Economic Growth In Hebei Province, China, Jianguang Hou, Danlin Yu, Hao Song

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Over the past several decades, old industrialized regions worldwide have faced immense pressure to adapt to global economic shifts. Using one of China’s major industrial provinces, Hebei, as a representative case study, this study examines how the evolution of one of China’s old industrial provinces, Hebei’s industrial structure has influenced its economic growth from 1990 to 2023. Drawing on theories of structural transformation and endogenous growth, we argue that the reallocation of resources from lower-productivity sectors (e.g., agriculture) to higher-productivity sectors (manufacturing and services) can act as an engine of growth. We employ a shift-share analysis (SSA) to decompose Hebei’s …

Morphology And Distribution Of Lakes Under The Laurentide Ice Sheet: Implications For Ice Flow Dynamics, Sarah M. Principato, Carissa Mobley

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

This study examines the distribution and morphology of lakes under the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) to investigate relationships with ice flow velocity, bedrock and basal thermal regime. Palaeo-ice streams and lobes were important components of the LIS, and properties of lakes in those regions are quantified at high resolution. Lake polygon shapefiles obtained from the HydroLAKES database contain data including water depth, volume and elevation. ArcGIS Pro is used to measure lake area, length, width, elongation, orientation, parallel conformity, density and packing. Approximately 982 282 natural lakes were identified in the region of North America covered by the maximum extent …

Alameda Song Sparrow Habitat Use Of Salt Pond Restoration Sites In South San Francisco Bay, Bradley A. Speno

Master's Theses

Restoration is acknowledged worldwide as a conservation need to return ecosystem functions. However, projects require monitoring to track system changes and assess restoration progress. In the San Francisco Bay, several large restoration projects are implementing plans to return salt-producing ponds to the historical ecosystem, tidal salt marsh. The Alameda song sparrow (Melospiza melodia pusillula), a California species of special concern, has been documented to use restored and historic marshes, but their use of restored salt ponds is not fully understood. The birds’ use of restored marshes may be a useful measure of restoration progress. This research investigated the relationships comparing …

Vanuatu And The International Court Of Justice: A Food Studies Approach To Climate Governance And Power, Amy Katherine Bentley

Theses - ALL

Vanuatu is a leader among small island developing states (SIDS) working to influence global climate change governance, using international diplomacy as its best defense against the climate crisis. In 2023, Vanuatu spearheaded a successful campaign for the United Nations General Assembly to request an advisory opinion (AO) from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) clarifying nations’ legal obligations related to climate change. This study uses a food studies approach to explore Vanuatu’s success in its climate governance campaign, focusing on the relationships between food sovereignty, climate justice, and power. To investigate this subject, I used an interdisciplinary literature review and …

California Utility-Scale Solar Energy Land Use Impacts On Species And Ecosystems, Ingrid Salazar

Master's Theses

Utility-scale solar energy (USSE), defined as projects of at least 1 megawatt, is rapidly expanding in California, which generated 37.5% of its electricity from renewables in 2023, with 24% coming from solar. While USSE supports decarbonization, it can also cause environmental harm, including biodiversity loss, habitat fragmentation, and land conversion. This study uses ArcGIS Pro 3.4.0 and public environmental data to analyze the spatial distribution of USSE projects, land use changes from 2013 to 2023, and occurrences of at-risk species across California’s bioregions. USSE development is heavily concentrated in the Mojave Desert, San Joaquin Valley, and Colorado Desert, which are …

Fertile, Social, Dangerous, Sacred, Gift, And System: Religion, Salt City Harvest Farm, And The Future Of Human Shit, Sarah Elizabeth Nahar

Dissertations - ALL

Shit, the taboo term for the human excreta that exits the anus, can be understood as sacred. Shitting, the vulgar verb to describe the act of discarding solid excreta, can likewise be understood as religious ritual activity. This counters the Dominant Social Paradigm (DSP) in the United States (US) of the placement of shit as profane, and shitting as unceremonial. An aim of this dissertation is to reclaim the word shit from the realm of what the DSP has rendered invisible and unspeakable, and spark rigorous academic discussion about it in the context of Religion and Environmental Studies. The DSP …

From The River To The Sea: Environmental Ecocide In Palestine, Isabela Pizarro

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper investigates the environmental and ecological toll of Israel’s current occupation and genocide of Palestine through ecological, historical, philosophical, and legal lenses. Chapter 1 explores the ecological impacts that Israel’s prolonged military operations have had on Gaza and the West Bank since October 7, 2023. Chapter 2 provides a comprehensive examination of the ideological motivations and historical context for Israel’s colonization of Palestine. The chapter also provides a pre-colonial history of Palestine’s indigenous agriculture and land management practices, highlighting its self-sufficiency and sustainability prior to the occupation. Chapter 3 explores different environmental philosophies between indigenous Palestinians and the State …

Riparian Restoration Increases Soil Microbial Biomass In Marin County Rangelands, But Soil Carbon Stock Is Less Responsive, Sherilyn Kathryn Reinhart

Master's Theses

Land use change has caused the degradation of 70% of the Earth’s soils, directly altering soil microbial communities and carbon cycling. Interest in carbon farming practices is growing, but studies that document the nuances of soil carbon flux in specific bioregions are still too few. In this study, I examined how one practice, riparian restoration, alters soil carbon stock and microbial community structure over time. Using a paired sampling time series design, I collected soil samples from twelve riparian forests and adjacent rangelands near Marin County, California. Young and mature sites ranged from five to 29 years since restoration, and …