Digital Commons Network^™

Methane Emissions In Seagrass Meadows As A Small Offset To Carbon Sequestration, Yvonne Y. Y. Yau, Gloria Reithmaier, Caludia Majtényi-Hill, Oscar Serrano, Nerea Piñeiro-Juncal, Martin Dahl, Miguel A. Mateo, Stefano Bonaglia, Isaac R. Santos

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Seagrass meadows are effective carbon sinks due to high primary production and sequestration in sediments. However, methane (CH4) emissions can partially counteract their carbon sink capacity. Here, we measured diffusive sediment-water and sea-air CO2 and CH4 fluxes in a coastal embayment dominated by Posidonia oceanica in the Mediterranean Sea. High-resolution timeseries observations revealed large spatial and temporal variability in CH4 concentrations (2–36 nM). Lower sea-air CH4 emissions were observed in an area with dense seagrass meadows compared to patchy seagrass. A 6%−40% decrease of CH4 concentration in the surface water around noon indicates that photosynthesis likely limits CH4 fluxes. Sediments …

Influence Of Tidal Current On Heavy Metal Dynamics In The Chao Phraya River Estuary, Kansiri Silrat

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The Chao Phraya River estuary, a vital ecological and economic region in Thailand, faces significant contamination challenges due to anthropogenic activities. This study aims to investigate the influence of tidal currents on the dynamics of heavy metals (HMs) in the estuarine ecosystem, focusing on cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn). A sampling was conducted over two tidal periods on April 29-30, 2021, including both surface and vertical water samples and surface sediment collected at multiple tidal currents. The results reveal notable variations in HMs concentrations influenced by tidal cycles. For water samples, cadmium concentrations ranged …

A Pattern For Representing Scientific Taxonomies, Shirly Stephen, Cogan Shimizu, Mark Schildhauer, Rui Zhu, Krzysztof Janowicz, Pascal Hitzler

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

Standard taxonomies that are meant to serve as reference specifications of specific scientific domains are developed through extensive review by scientists and experts. For data integration and interoperability needs within Knowledge Graphs (KGs), these taxonomies must be translated into formal ontologies. In this paper we present an ontology design pattern for modeling a scientific taxonomy as an ontology. The focus of the pattern is to 1) capture temporal dynamics of concepts as taxonomies evolve, 2) model the provenance of concepts to add context and enable governance, 3) assist the translation of taxonomic relations to ontological relations appropriately that will empower …

Breakwater: Anti-Blackness In Geoscience Lessons From Long Beach, Ca, Christina Marsh

Pomona Senior Theses

Breakwaters are more than just physical structures that protect against storm surges and in the context of Long Beach, CA, my hometown, they are actualizations of economic, social, environmental, geologic, and policy challenges. Inspired by Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape by Lauret Savoy, and Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks, I use an extended metaphor and autoethnographic approach to connect a chronology of my educational life to the physical structure of a breakwater. Where the breakwater also acts as a signifier of my personal experiences of seeing it, questioning its purpose, and not always finding an answer. …

Mapping The Political Shifts And Impacts Of The Climate Movement In The United States, Kevin Rissmiller

Government and International Relations Honors Papers

This study explores how organizations within the climate change movement accrue political power and impact federal politics in the United States. It uses twelve semi-structured open-ended interviews with national climate activists at eight organizations to map shifts within the movement. These interviews are paired with additional qualitative analysis of legislative, media, and political rhetoric to evaluate the impact of the movement on American politics. The climate movement’s impacts (establishing the Green New Deal as a legitimate policy vision, shifting the Democratic Party to the left on climate, and the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act) were made possible by a …

Charting The Course To Advance Dei In The Ocean Sciences A Case Study, Christopher F. D’Elia, Katherine Falls, Sibel Bargu, Linda Hooper-Bùi

Faculty Publications

The Louisiana State University College of the Coast & Environment (LSU CC&E) developed a multi-faceted strategic initiative to increase its diversity, equity, and inclusion. Elements of this initiative began one-by-one over the last decade and were aggregated into a comprehensive implementation plan—the 2020 CC&E Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Action Plan. Based on best practices in the “physical sciences” (i.e., geosciences, including oceanography), the plan aims to augment recruitment and retention using limited resources and personnel. The long-range goal is to increase the number of PhD graduates from underrepresented groups by employing strategies that start at the 6–12th grade level. The …

Examination Of Hepatic Cancer Rates In Varying Trichloroethylene Concentrations In The Contamination Zone Of The Ibm-Endicott Chemical Spill, Justin Shade, Sayantan Saha

Research Days Posters 2023

In 1979, International Business Machines spilled 3700 gallons of a volatile organic compound, trichloroethylene (TCE), beneath its facility in Endicott, NY. TCE is a known carcinogen and has been associated with elevated levels of hepatic cancer in previous toxicological studies. For these reasons, the researchers conducted a case-control study to determine if there was an elevated risk of hepatic cancer in Endicott preceding the spill. In addition to common practices employed in case-control studies, such as survey data collection, the researchers also employed multidisciplinary methods of data visualization to illustrate the relationship between the spill location and elevated hepatic cancer …

Lawrence, Fall/Winter 2023, Lawrence University

Alumni Magazines

No abstract provided.

Decolonial Foodurisms: From Plantations To Agricultural Spaces Of Intersectional Healing, Dominic Arzadon

Pitzer Senior Theses

Considering the complex colonial histories and relationalities associated with agricultural food production, a reimagined future beyond the violent legacy of plantations is presented. Exploring land as the site for intersectional healing to take place, the symbiotic relationship between humans and food production is increasingly becoming a reality—a theoretical framework I propose called decolonial foodurisms (pronounced food-yoor-isms). Combining “food” and “futurism” to emphasize that our collective futures are predicated on food security and food justice for all and especially for marginalized and racialized communities with ancestral ties to agricultural violence, decolonial foodurisms aims to capture how intersectional healing can come into …

Sustainability Leadership For The Energy Transition: A Case Study Of Role-Playing To Enhance Authentic Learning, Anthony Paul Heynen, Elliot J Tonkes

Practice Papers

To lead the energy transition, effective sustainability leadership requires a spectrum of skills, knowledge and understanding across technical, financial and even political disciplines. An innovative, authentic learning initiative has been designed and implemented in which Master of Sustainable Energy students conducted team-based role-playing activities, responding to a realistic, hypothetical energy policy scenario in the form of a government announcement and other mock collateral. Groups were assigned the personas of a range of industry stakeholders and prepared presentations (and accompanying media statements and position papers) for a mock online media conference. The initiative leveraged the diversity of the cohort, enabling constructive …

Attracting Investors: How The Partnership For Global Infrastructure And Investments Can Encourage Private Investment In Low- And Middle-Income Nations Infrastructure Projects Through The Creation And Use Of Project Preparation Facilities., Donald Irons

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Suffolk University Academic Catalog, College Of Arts And Sciences And School Of Management, 2023-2024, Suffolk University

College of Arts and Sciences and Sawyer Business School Academic Catalogs

This catalog contains information for the day, evening, and graduate programs.

Un-Writing American History: Reimaging What Constitutes Evidence In The Historical Method, May Kotsen

History Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

The Risk Of Climate Change And Extreme Weather, Steven Michels Ed.

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

How To Build A World: Stereoscopes, Tourism, And Land In Zion National Park, Emma Duggleby

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis fundamentally questions how representations of the environment and land impact how we relate to and live in it. By examining a set of 1925 stereoscope images of Zion National Park, it considers how use-based perceptions of place – structured by the entertainment of tourism and mass media – become part of the mundane practices of consumption. By revealing how these capitalist-colonial relationships to the land have been built through time, an analysis of these stereoscope slides reveals that these stories are anything but natural in hopes of making room for other stories to be built instead. The second …

Grain-Washing: The Issue With Corn Ethanol As A Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Emily J. Rinn

Scripps Senior Theses

Decarbonizing the aviation sector remains one of the most prevalent obstacles in reducing the United States’ significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. Launched in 2021, the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge aims to supply enough fuel to meet 100% of demand by 2050 through reducing its production costs and enhancing its sustainable practices. Corn ethanol feedstock has been proposed to make up as much as half of all SAF production in the 2030 benchmark. This thesis explores the assemblage of corn ethanol – from its true environmental impacts, role in the future SAF market, to research claiming corn …

Climate Change Education: How Can We Teach Climate Change To Create Agency Rather Than Anxiety With Outdoor Education?, Kennedy-Anne Hokulani Marx

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Climate change is leading to an increase in mental health impacts of anxiety, grief, and depression on young people, with many feeling it affects their daily life and functioning. Because of the direct and existential threat that climate change poses to youth, it is essential that educators provide opportunities for students to be informed and empowered through tools to cope with mental health impacts as well as tools for action. Outdoor education can provide the space for educators to engage with climate change discussion and an empowering structure for students to engage with nature, develop problem-solving skills, and strengthen their …

Destruction Of Pfoa On Ion-Exchange Resin With Advanced Reduction Processes To Regenerate Resins For Addressing Pfoa Pollution In Drinking Water, Junkui Cui

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been globally incorporated into various industrial and consumer products since the 1940s. However, concerns about PFAS have gradually grown because of their prevalence, mobility, persistence, bioaccumulation, and adverse impacts on human and environmental health. Unfortunately, traditional water treatment processes inefficiently remove PFAS. Therefore, there is an urgent research need to develop innovative, technically viable, and low cost-treatment processes for the removal of PFAS in water.

Among the established PFAS treatment technologies, ion-exchange (IX) has been extensively applied to drinking water treatment practices due to its adsorption capability and technology maturity. However, IX is highly …

Road Salt-Induced Salinization Of The Upper Paulins Kill River In Newton, New Jersey, Kristine Emily Rogers

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Road salt application is a primary factor leading to the salinization of freshwater rivers and streams throughout the Northeastern United States and globally. Rising salinization within fresh water bodies is problematic because it can modify community structure and detritus processing within freshwater ecosystems, induce mortality among macroinvertebrates and other aquatic life, and mobilize metals that can pose harm to human health. Road salts also threaten surface and underground drinking water supplies, kill riparian vegetation, and corrode infrastructure, such as bridges and roads. This research examines 4 1⁄2 years of continuous water quality monitoring data collected from two sensor stations along …

Politics And The Criminal Enforcement Of Superfund, Joshua Ozymy, Melissa Jarrell Ozymy

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Global Oceanic Diazotroph Database Version 2 And Elevated Estimate Of Global N2 Fixation, Zhibo Shao, Yangchun Xu, Hua Wang, Weicheng Luo, Lice Wang, Yuhong Huang, Nona Sheila R. Agawin, Ayaz Ahmed, Mar Benavides, Mikkel Bentzon-Tilia, Ilana Berman-Frank, Hugo Berthelot, Isabelle C. Biegala, Mariana B. Bif, Antonio Bode, Sophie Bonnet, Deborah A. Bronk, Mark V. Brown, Lisa Campbell, Ya-Wei Luo

OES Faculty Publications

Marine diazotrophs convert dinitrogen (N₂) gas into bioavailable nitrogen (N), supporting life in the global ocean. In 2012, the first version of the global oceanic diazotroph database (version 1) was published. Here, we present an updated version of the database (version 2), significantly increasing the number of in situ diazotrophic measurements from 13 565 to 55 286. Data points for N₂ fixation rates, diazotrophic cell abundance, and nifH gene copy abundance have increased by 184 %, 86 %, and 809 %, respectively. Version 2 includes two new data sheets for the nifH gene copy abundance of non-cyanobacterial …

The Evolution Of Participatory Policy-Making For Regional Power Grids, Nicholas Johnson, Stephanie Lenhart, Seth Blumsack

Public Policy and Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the United States, Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) are critical for maintaining electric reliability and facilitating the shift toward more efficient and sustainable electric power systems. RTOs are voluntary member-driven organizations that engage hundreds of stakeholders in policy decisions affecting planning, markets, and operations. RTOs have evolved into highly complex and interdependent systems with internal feedback among and within RTO functions, and external feedback from emerging technologies and federal and state clean energy policies. In the PJM Interconnection, the expanded scope of responsibilities, complexity, and member body size has created tensions within the stakeholder processes that has led some to …

Evolution Of The Southwest Drought Learning Network: Collective Response To Exceptional Drought, E. Elias, B. Fuchs, J. Lisonbee, T. Bernadt, V. Martinez, T. Haigh

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

No abstract provided.

Proceedings Of The Sixteenth North American Crane Workshop: Abstracts, Megan E. Brown, Barry K. Hartup, Jane E. Austin

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Following is a list of all abstracts of presentations given at the 16th North American Crane Workshop (2023), some of which were not published in these Proceedings.

Liquid Waste Treatment For Sustainable Tapioca Industry: A Comparison Between Biogas And Liquid Sugar, Lilik Sulistyowati, Novi Andareswari, Rifqi Rahmat Hidayatullah, Nurul Amri Komarudin, Yuni Yolanda

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

There have been many studies examining the processing of tapioca wastewater. However, most studies have only researched at a laboratory scale without considering whether the treatment is appropriate. The study's purpose is to compare the processing technology of biogas and liquid sugar using technical, environmental, social, and cost-benefit analysis criteria to determine the appropriate technology to be applied. Literature study, observation, and interviews were used to determine the characteristics of each criterion. Cost-benefit analysis is calculated using the R/C Ratio. Furthermore, priority determination is carried out using the Exponential Comparison Method (MPE) using assessments from environmental and industrial experts on …

Who's To Gain? Fluid Mineral Extraction On Oklahoma's Non-Reservation Native Lands, Tait J. Ferguson

Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Off The Rails: Cinematic Trains As Technological Controls Of The Natural World, Trinity Thompson

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Short train rail lines across the United States are seeing increased national funding to reduce toxic chemical spills caused by train derailments, the most notable of which happened in February 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio. A year prior, the film White Noise (2022) featured a similar toxic train derailment incident, taking place, too, in Eastern Ohio, and featuring actors from the town of East Palestine. In considering other films featuring trains, I identified a pattern of environmental conflict, leading me to question the relationship between trains and the natural environment as portrayed in popular cinema. To conduct my research, I …

Proposing Urban Agroforestry Designs For Lincoln, Nebraska: A Model From Berlin, Germany, Noah Johnson

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Given the threat of a worsening climate crisis, there is a strong need for community and ecosystem resilience. Diverse urban agroforestry systems have the potential to accomplish both and meet many of the objectives outlined in the city of Lincoln, Nebraska’s climate action plan. Additionally, Berlin, Germany could provide an effective model for Lincoln in this regard given the city’s extensive history of established urban agroforestry systems. The objective of this study then is to develop a design for an urban agroforestry site modeled on Berlin’s allotment gardens and tailored to Lincoln’s needs. The methods for creating this design included …

Nitrates In Nebraska, Michelle Zenk

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

For my senior thesis project, I decided to study nitrate pollution to better understand and analyze how college students in Nebraska viewed and understood the complex issue of nitrate pollution. From my study only half of college students surveyed viewed nitrate pollution as a problem. Only 15 percent of college students test their water for nitrates, and most college students were knowledgeable on how nitrate pollution occurs. Due to the negative impacts of nitrate pollution within human health, soil health, and ecosystem function further work needs to be completed to raise awareness and knowledge on the impacts of nitrate pollution.

What Is An Authentic Relationship?, Joseph B. Johnston

Sociology & Criminology Faculty Research

There is perhaps nothing more hopeful in the world than to attempt to develop a truly meaningful relationship with another human being. The formation of authentic relationships can be powerful for many reasons including contributing to the formation of collective movements and social change. But, what does an authentic relationship look like in an inherently-time-limited community-engaged learning (CEL) experience? I utilize the case of a CEL class, rooted in some of the aims of the Jesuit Justice Circle (experience, understanding, imagination), which offers the opportunity for college students to enjoy early morning walks to school with youth. I analyze student …