Engineering Commons^™

The Brazilian Soil Spectral Service (Braspecs): A User-Friendly System For Global Soil Spectra Communication, José A. M. Demattê, Ariane Francine Da Silveira Paiva, Raul Roberto Poppiel, Nícolas Augusto Rosin, Luis Fernando Chimelo Ruiz, Fellipe Alcantara De Oliveira Mello, Budiman Minasny, Sabine Grunwald, Yufeng Ge, Eyal Ben Dor, Asa Gholizadeh, Cecile Gomez, Sabine Chabrillat, Nicolas Francos, Shamsollah Ayoubi, Dian Fiantis, James Kobina Mensah Biney, Changkun Wang, Abdelaziz Belal, Salman Naimi, Najmeh Asgari Hafshejani, Henrique Bellinaso, Jean Michel Moura-Bueno, Nélida E. Q. Silvero

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Although many Soil Spectral Libraries (SSLs) have been created globally, these libraries still have not been operationalized for end-users. To address this limitation, this study created an online Brazilian Soil Spectral Service (BraSpecS). The system was based on the Brazilian Soil Spectral Library (BSSL) with samples collected in the Visible–Near–Short-wave infrared (vis–NIR–SWIR) and Midinfrared (MIR) ranges. The interactive platform allows users to find spectra, act as custodians of the data, and estimate several soil properties and classification. The system was tested by 500 Brazilian and 65 international users. Users accessed the platform (besbbr.com.br), uploaded their spectra, and received soil organic …

Unmanned Aerial System-Based Data Ferrying Over A Sensor Node Station Network In Maize, Jasreman Singh, Yufeng Ge, Derek M. Heeren, Elizabeth Walter-Shea, Christopher M. U. Neale, Suat Irmak, Mitchell S. Maguire

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

High Throughput Analysis Of Leaf Chlorophyll Content In Sorghum Using Rgb, Hyperspectral, And Fluorescence Imaging And Sensor Fusion, Huichun Zhang, Yufeng Ge, Xinyan Xie, Abbas Atefi, Nuwan Wijewardane,, Suresh Thapa

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Leaf chlorophyll content plays an important role in indicating plant stresses and nutrient status. Traditional approaches for the quantification of chlorophyll content mainly include acetone ethanol extraction, spectrophotometry and high-performance liquid chromatography. Such destructive methods based on laboratory procedures are time consuming, expensive, and not suitable for high-throughput analysis. High throughput imaging techniques are now widely used for non-destructive analysis of plant phenotypic traits. In this study three imaging modules (RGB, hyperspectral, and fluorescence imaging) were, separately and in combination, used to estimate chlorophyll content of sorghum plants in a greenhouse environment. Color features, spectral indices, and chlorophyll fluorescence …

Maize Response To Irrigation And Nitrogen Under Center Pivot, Subsurface Drip And Furrow Irrigation: Water Productivity, Basal Evapotranspiration And Yield Response Factors, Ali T. Mohammed, Suat Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Information and data about quantification and comparison of crop water productivity indices for various irrigation levels and methods and nitrogen (N) application timings “simultaneously” under the same conditions do not exist. Unprecedented and extensive field experiments were conducted for maize (Zea mays L.) in 2016 and 2017 under center pivot (CP), subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and furrow irrigation (FI) methods with full irrigation treatment (FIT), 80% FIT, 60% FIT and rainfed treatment (RFT) with three N application timings. N treatments were: (i) traditional (TN), (ii) non-traditional-1 (NT-1) and (iii) non-traditional-2 (NT-2). Irrigation yield production functions (IYPF); evapotranspiration-yield production functions …

Sources Of Variability And Uncertainty In Food-Energy-Water Nexus Systems, Heydi Calderon-Ambelis, Deepak R. Keshwani

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A nexus approach contributes to the strategic allocation of resources to secure food, energy, and water for the world population. Integrated models considering the complex interactions across food, energy, and water (FEW) enhance decision-making and strategic planning towards resilience. However, a significant number of the existing integrated models leave unaddressed the inherent variability and uncertainty present in the FEW sectors. Here, we review the importance of characterizing variability over spatial and temporal scales and the importance of decreasing the uncertainty present within a FEW nexus systems. The review also discusses existing modeling tools that address variability and uncertainty on single …

Modeling Water Quantity And Quality Nonlinearities For Watershed Adaptability To Hydroclimate Extremes In Agricultural Landscapes, Juan Carlos Jaimes-Correa, Francisco Muñoz-Arriola, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Changing water supplies and demands, inherent to climate fluctuations and human activities, are pushing for a paradigm shift in water management worldwide. The occurrence of extreme hydrometeorological and climate events such as extended wet periods and droughts, compounded with contaminants, impair the access to water resources, demanding novel designs, construction, and management across multiple hydrologic scales and biogeochemical processes. A constraint to studying hydrologic and biogeochemical disturbances and improving best management practices for water quantity and quality at the watershed scale resides in the suitable monitoring, data availability, and the creation of frameworks. We hypothesize that streamflow and contaminants, simulated …

Comparison Effect On Biogas Production From Vegetable And Fruit Waste With Rumen Digesta Through Co-Digestion Process, Anika Tasnim, Muhammad Rashed Al Mamun, Md Anwar Hossen, Md Towfiqur Rahman, Md Janibul Alam Soeb

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Biogas is the best renewable energy as it can be produced from any biomass for example any plant or living organism. The purpose of this research was to produce biomethane from co-digestion of vegetable and fruit waste with rumen digesta through anaerobic digestion process. In this research, two trials of experiment were conducted. Each trial has three different sample with different mixing ratios. Raw materials used in the experiment was rumen digesta of goat and cow, potato, capsicum, cucumbers, onions, radish, cauliflower, carrot, leafy vegetables, apple, banana, and papaya. In each sample, 1200 gram of raw materials were used. Hydraulic …

Influences Of Artificial Light On Mating Of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia Illucens): A Review, Md Rabiul Awal, Md Masudur Rahman, Md Abdur Razzak Choudhury, Md Mehedi Hasan, Md Towfiqur Rahman, Md Fuad Mondal

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is a potential insect species which can convert biodegradable materials and some indigestible organic waste into valuable biomass. Because of having good quality of fat and protein, its production and use in animal feed are being extended day by day. To fulfill the future demand re-searchers are trying to find out the successful mass rearing techniques of H. illucens in laboratory or indoor condition. However, the most critical part of H. illucens mass production is obtaining successful mating. This insect is very sensitive to light. It prefers direct sunlight for its …

Causes Influencing Construction Waste Generation During The Design Process: An Analytical Study, Aya Saad, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman

Architectural Engineering

Despite the social and economic contributions of the construction industry towards achieving sustainable development objectives, it has an adverse effect on the environment such as the generation of waste, water, and energy consumption. Construction waste (CW) is the loss of materials that are produced during or after the construction process and has no remaining value. Several countries promote waste elimination plans at early stages to reduce CW at its source. The Egyptian government is expanding its investments in new mega projects and infrastructure facilities like new administrative capital, bridges, roads, energy projects which resulted in increasing the rate and amount …

Inspiring Young Students To Pursue Engineering, Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Brian Steward

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Imagine elementary school students understanding inputs and outputs, choosing appropriate sensors, and programming an autonomous robot. Imagine middle school students learning about PID control and creating advanced programs for sensor-based decision making. Imagine high school students using CAD to design drive trains, manufacturing parts with CNC machine tools, using finite element analysis to adjust the design, ordering custom components from a machine shop, using image processing for target recognition, and applying path planning and motion control. We have witnessed all of these skills. They happened outside of traditional classrooms, and they were all student-driven.

Yes, it’s true, and it’s amazing. …

การบำบัดน้ำเสียแอมโมเนียมความเข้มข้นสูงโดยเม็ดตะกอนจุลินทรีย์แบบใช้อากาศ, สิริณิศา สุขวิบูลย์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้ศึกษาการสร้างเม็ดตะกอนจุลินทรีย์แบบใช้อากาศและอัตราการบำบัดของน้ำเสียที่มีแอมโมเนียมสูง ผลการทดลองพบว่าเกิดเม็ดตะกอนจุลินทรีย์แบบใช้อากาศในน้ำเสียแอมโมเนียมสูง (200 mg-N/l) มีลักษณะใกล้เคียงกันกับน้ำเสียแอมโมเนียมต่ำ (50 mg-N/l) ระบบมีค่าดัชนีปริมาตรตะกอนเฉลี่ย (SVI) ในถังปฏิกรณ์ที่ 1 และ 2 เท่ากับ 23.07±3.1 และ 20.46±2.7 มิลลิลิตรต่อกรัมตามลำดับ ค่าปริมาณของแข็งแขวนลอย (MLSS) ในถังปฏิกรณ์ที่ 1 และ 2 เท่ากับ 10,784±608 และ 11,067±678 มิลลิกรัมต่อลิตรตามลำดับ ความเข้มข้นตะกอนก้นถังในถังปฏิกรณ์ที่ 1 และ 2 เท่ากับ 33,732±2468 และ 34,696±1741 มิลลิกรัมต่อลิตรตามลำดับ พบขนาดเม็ดตะกอนในถังฏิกรณ์ที่ 1 และ 2 เท่ากับ 3.4±0.9 และ 4.5±1.0 มิลลิเมตร ความหนาแน่นของตะกอนจุลินทรีย์เท่ากับ 1.166±0.01 กรัมต่อมิลลิลิตร โครงสร้างตะกอนอัดแน่นและมีการกระจายตัวทั่วถังปฏิกรณ์ทั้งสองถังเมื่อเดินระบบเป็นระยะเวลา 85 วัน เม็ดตะกอนจุลินทรีย์แบบใช้อากาศที่เกิดขึ้นสามารถบำบัดน้ำเสียแอมโมเนียมความเข้มข้น 200 mg-N/l ภายใน 2 วัน อัตราการบำบัดเป็นไปตาม Monod’s kinetic โดยมีค่าอัตราการบำบัดแอมโมเนียมสูงสุด (Km) เท่ากับ 33.9±3.3 มิลลิกรัมไนโตรเจนต่อลิตรต่อชั่วโมงและความเข้มข้นแอมโมเนียมที่อัตราการย่อยสลายครึ่งหนึ่งของอัตราการย่อยสลายสูงสุด (Ks) เท่ากับ 67.9±15.9 มิลลิกรัมต่อลิตร

On A New Framework For Detecting, Classifying, And Forecasting Floods For Large-Scale Flood Risk Analysis, Equisha Glenn

Dissertations and Theses

Increasing trends in flooding events are projected to continue as climate changes have increased the chance of extreme weather events. Given the significant, damaging impacts of extreme floods, the ability to effectively model floods is crucial for risk management and mitigation of the impacts of these extreme flooding events. This dissertation presents a new framework for detecting and predicting large-scale flood risk in the United States using climate information. This methodology categorizes regional, simultaneous floods into an index that is used to forecast the risk of extreme flooding a season ahead. The index proposed herein, named the Spatial Flood Index …

Data Fusion And Synergy Of Active And Passive Remote Sensing; An Application For Freeze Thaw Detections, Zahra Sharifnezhadazizi

Dissertations and Theses

There has been a recent evolvement in the field of remote sensing after increase of number satellites and sensors data which could be fused to produce new data and products. These efforts are mainly focused on using of simultaneous observations from different platforms with different spatial and temporal resolutions. The research dissertation aims to enhance the synergy use of active and passive microwave observations and examine the results in detection land freeze and thaw (FT) predictions. Freeze thaw cycles particularly in high-latitude regions have a crucial role in many applications such as agriculture, biogeochemical transitions, hydrology and ecosystem studies. The …

Crop Water Deficits And Their Season-Ahead Climate Determinants Across The United States, Siena W. Dante

Dissertations and Theses

The agricultural sector in the United States provides an essential food and revenue source and it faces severe challenges due to increasing climate variability, which reduces reliable access to water needed for the crops. Unreliable access to water and the potential for drought result in major economic losses to the sector as well as potentially significant environmental damage. It is thus necessary to mitigate the effects of drought as well as to develop agricultural practices that include preparedness strategies for droughts. To develop these strategies, comprehensive information about droughts must be available early enough to consider before the growing season. …

Allocative Efficiency Of Grid Farming In Urban Green Built Environments, Aaryan Manoj Nair

Publications and Research

As of a 2019 study conducted by the National Urban Gardening Program (National Urban Gardening Program), urban farming accounts for approximately 19% of the total national farming output and is expected to triple to almost 45% by 2025. There is intensive research being conducted on aspects of reduced recidivism, communal health benefits, natural carbon capture systems, improved urban ecology and the necessity for reducing the carbon footprint of food, (informally dubbed “food miles”) there is little substantive research on optimization, and maximation of crop productivity in hyper-urban areas. The article attempts to study allocative efficiency in hyper urban built environments.

The Improvement Of The Regional Regulatory Governance System For Radiation Risk Management: Spatial Analysis On Radiation Hazards In South Korea, Sangwon Lee, Jaewon Lim, Chan Goo Yi

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, nuclear regulators have strength-ened safety standards or decided to decommission the nuclear power plant. The vast majority of radiation is from nuclear power plants, so safety measures are also concentrated in nuclear power plants. Radioactive materials located much closer to the people are scattered around the nation. However, it is difficult for citizens to predict the radiation risk around them because regulatory agencies do not provide adequate information on radiation. The main goal of this study is to analyze the spatial distribution patterns of radioactive materials that serve as indicators for potential …

Predictions Of Produced Water Quality And Recycled Water Optimization For Spatially-Distributed Wells In Point Pleasant Formation, Armel Quentin Mbakop

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The treatment of produced water as a fracturing fluid is becoming an increasingly important aspect of water management surrounding the booming of the unconventional oil and gas industry. Two main problems facing the oil and gas industry are the availability of water for well drilling and completion and disposal of the produced water. Unconventional well drilling and completion in the Utica shale requires large amounts of water. The wastewater that results after production—containing high levels of organic and inorganic matter— is usually disposed of through deep well injection. A new approach reuses this produced water as part of subsequent fracturing …

Stormwater Sensitivities To The Climatic And Land Cover Drivers In A Heavily Urbanized Coastal Basin Along The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Usa., Md Faisal Razy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Stormwater runoff response in a complex coastal-urban basin varies with the changes in climatic and land cover drivers. This thesis aims to assess the runoff responses to variation in climatic and land cover variables and perform a sensitivity analysis in complex coastal-urban basins. The Buffalo San Jacinto Basin (BUSJ) of southeast Texas, USA was considered a pilot study area for this research. BUSJ is a heavily urbanized coastal basin, draining an area of 3132 km² through the City of Houston, Texas into the northern Gulf of Mexico, USA. A process-based hydrological model was developed with fine spatio-temporal resolutions for …

Green Infrastructure In Parking Lot Retrofits, Delaney Sall, Julie Wildschut

Student Papers and Reports

The built environment poses significant risks to surrounding ecosystems. Impervious surfaces like roofs, roads, and parking lots do not allow rainwater to gradually filter into the soil. Instead, runoff often flows directly into storm drains and waterways —causing flooding, erosion and pollution.

One way to mitigate these negative impacts is the installation of Green Infrastructure (GI), a variety of practices designed to infiltrate runoff into the soil, filter out pollutants, and provide habitat for native species.

Because of the way urban areas developed, most commercial parking lots lack GI. If a property owner wants to use their space to …

Climatic And Land Cover Sensitivities Of Stormwater Runoff In A Coastal Natural-Urban Basin Of Texas, Usa., Nusrat Nasrin Khan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Changes in climatic and land use drivers typically drive stormwater runoff quantity and quality. This study focuses on determining the stormwater runoff sensitivities to variation in climatic and land cover changes in a coastal natural-urban basin. A mechanistic hydrologic model was developed for the Spring San Jacinto Basin (SSJB) of Texas, USA considering the basin as a pilot study area by using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Storm Water Management Model 5.2. The SSJB drains an area of 1949 km² ultimately into the northern Gulf of Mexico, USA through peripheral neighborhoods of the Greater Houston area. The model …

Assessing The Potential And Pathways For Renewable Energy Transformations In Orleans, California, Malcolm Prescott Moncheur De Rieudotte

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In what is now known as the state of California in the United States, the Karuk Tribe is interested in deploying a renewable-powered microgrid in the rural community of Orleans to improve electricity system reliability and resilience to address a wide range of challenges, including extreme events such as wildfires. This study assesses the potential of local distributed renewable energy and battery storage to meet Orleans' energy needs today and in the increasingly electrified future using an energy model. It also identifies existing cultural and social priorities for energy technology along with structural barriers to renewable energy adoption and the …

Ecological Restoration Of Lead/Zinc/Copper Mine Tailings: Phytomanagement And Amendment Strategies To Enhance Substrate Functionality And Biomass Production, Mariam K. Al-Lami

Doctoral Dissertations

“The extreme physiochemical characteristics of mine tailings inhibit microbial processes and natural plant growth. Consequently, vast and numerous tailings sites remain barren for decades and highly susceptible to wind and water erosion. Phytostabilization is a cost-effective and ecologically productive remediation approach; however, tailings revegetation is generally challenging and must often be assisted with appropriate soil amendments. Amendments applied individually in greenhouse studies discussed herein revealed notable improvement in bioenergy crops growth only with biosolids treatments. Recalcitrant carbon amendments (biochar and humus) showed notable impact only on tailings physichochemical and hydraulic properties. Nevertheless, biosolids may not support sustained vegetation due to …

Building Performance - Societal Drive, Programme And Symposium, Joseph Little, Patrick Daly

Articles

Society is increasingly looking at the construction industry to mitigate the environmental crisis and solve the housing crisis through wholesale embrace of three broad sets of challenges. The MSc in Building Performance (Energy Efficiency in Design) (MSc BP(EED)) was created in 2017 to provide significant upskilling in the knowledge, skills, and software applications of building design professionals so that they can meet these challenges, while creating compliant, sustainable, super-low energy, new and renovated buildings. The delivery of the programme supports upskilling of employed building design professionals at Masters level, encouraging a minority to develop their capacity and interest in research …

Editorial: Coastal Flooding: Modeling, Monitoring, And Protection Systems, Valentina Prigiobbe, Clint Dawson, Yao Hu, Hatim O. Sharif, Navid Tahvildari

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Coastal flooding has received significant attention in recent years due to future sea-level rise (SLR) projections and intensification of precipitation, which will exacerbate frequent flooding, coastal erosion, and eventually create permanently inundated low-elevation land. Coastal governments will be forced to implement measures to manage risk on the population and infrastructure and build protection systems to mitigate or adapt to the negative impacts of flooding. Research in this area is required to establish holistic frameworks for timely and accurate flooding forecast and design of protection systems.

Source Apportionment Of Fine Particulate Matter Down To Nanoparticle In Bangkok By Positive Matrix Factorization (Pmf) Model, Thanaphum Manjantrarat

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This research study investigated the sources of particulate matter with sizes ranging from less than 0.1 to larger than 10 microns in Bangkok by installing Nanosampler at three measurement stations (Ari, Din Daeng, and Bang Na) for one year (January 2021-December 2021). The collected samples were analyzed for ion species, carbon species, and elemental components to identify the chemical composition. The results were then used to classify the sources of air pollution using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model. The study indicated that particulate matter levels are highest from December to March and lowest from April to November. The average …

การรับรู้ความพร้อมของครัวเรือนในการจัดการน้ำอุปโภคบริโภคในช่วงอุทกภัย กรณีศึกษาจังหวัดนครสวรรค์, สุธัญญา เกษสุริยงค์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

อุทกภัยของจังหวัดนครสวรรค์เกิดขึ้นบ่อยครั้งซึ่งจะส่งผลกระทบต่อปริมาณและคุณภาพน้ำอุปโภคบริโภคช่วงอุทกภัย ผู้วิจัยจึงเห็นความสำคัญการรับรู้ความพร้อมด้านการจัดการน้ำอุปโภคบริโภคช่วงอุทกภัยเพื่อลดปัญหาการขาดแคลนน้ำและความเสี่ยงต่อการเกิดโรคที่มีสาเหตุมาจากน้ำ งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อ 1) ศึกษาสถานการณ์การจัดการน้ำอุปโภคบริโภคช่วงอุทกภัย 2) ศึกษาปัจจัยที่ส่งผลต่อการรับรู้ความพร้อมของครัวเรือนในการจัดการน้ำอุปโภคบริโภค 3) ศึกษากลุ่มโรคของชุมชนจากผลกระทบของอุทกภัย เพื่อลดปัญหาผลกระทบด้านสุขภาพช่วงอุทกภัย กรณีศึกษาพื้นที่ประสบอุทกภัย ได้แก่ อำเภอชุมแสง อำเภอลาดยาว และอำเภอท่าตะโก จังหวัดนครสวรรค์ เก็บข้อมูลโดยใช้แบบสอบถามกลุ่มตัวอย่างจำนวน 400 ครัวเรือน รวมทั้งการสัมภาษณ์หน่วยงานภาครัฐผู้ที่เกี่ยวข้อง งานวิจัยทำการวิเคราะห์ข้อมูลแบบสอบถามโดยใช้สถิติเชิงพรรณนาและวิเคราะห์ความถดถอยแบบโลจิสติก (Logistic Regression Analysis) ผลการศึกษาพบว่า 1.ปริมาณน้ำอุปโภคบริโภคมีเพียงพอ โดยได้รับความช่วยเหลือจากหน่วยงานรัฐภายใน 1 ถึง 2 วันหลังเกิดอุทกภัย ครัวเรือนมีการปรับปรุงคุณภาพน้ำได้แก่ การต้มให้เดือด แกว่งสารส้ม และตั้งไว้ให้ตกตะกอน ตามลำดับ การรับรู้ด้านความสะอาดน้ำช่วงอุทกภัย พบว่าน้ำมีความสะอาด การรับรู้พื้นที่อยู่อาศัยมีความเสี่ยงระดับปานกลาง ผู้ตอบแบบสอบถามมีความกังวลต่อการเกิดอุทกภัยระดับมาก ร้อยละ 25.5 เห็นว่า ไม่มีการให้บริการจัดการขยะในช่วงอุทกภัย การรับรู้ปัญหาการเจ็บป่วยระดับมาก ซึ่งโรคที่พบมากที่สุด คือ โรคผิวหนัง เกิดจากการขาดแคลนน้ำสะอาดสำหรับอุปโภคและการสัมผัสน้ำปนเปื้อน 2.ปัจจัยความสัมพันธ์กับการรับรู้ความพร้อมในการจัดการน้ำช่วงอุทกภัย ได้แก่ ระดับการศึกษา รายได้ของครัวเรือน จำนวนสมาชิก การรับรู้ข่าวสาร ประสบการณ์ในอดีตทำให้เกิดความเคยชินกับสถานการณ์ นำมาซึ่งข้อเสนอแนะต่อครัวเรือนและหน่วยงานที่เกี่ยวข้อง ควรมีการส่งเสริมการปฏิบัติด้านสุขอนามัยที่ดีของชุมชนและวางแผนตรวจสอบคุณภาพน้ำเป็นระยะ เพื่อเป็นการบรรเทาผลกระทบต่อสุขภาพอนามัยของประชาชน

Stormwater Runoff Response Under Changing Climate And Land Uses Across Gradients Of Inland And Coastal Urban-Natural Basin, Mahmood Khan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Climatic variability has caused significant shifts in the magnitude, frequency and spatiotemporal distribution of precipitation, generating excessive runoff that leads to frequent occurrences of extreme hydrologic events such as the pluvial (rainfall accumulation) and fluvial (riverine) floods. The conversion of natural areas into urban lands is further exacerbating the rainfall accumulation by increasing surface imperviousness that hinders infiltration of water into the soil. This dissertation predicts and characterizes potential shifts in the future annual stormwater runoff
volumes and runoff extremes under the standalone and coupled changes in climate and land use across inland and coastal urban-natural settings. The research was …

Detection Of Fecal Bacteria In Watersheds Impacted By Acid Mine Drainage, Claire Addison Mcdonald

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Escherichia coli, a fecal coliform, is an essential component of water quality monitoring, entering waterways through sewage deposits, agricultural land and livestock, and wildlife. Various fast and user-friendly methods for quantifying E. coli make it the principal indicator bacteria for fecal contamination. The most common methods for E. coli quantification are culture-based and involve cultivating samples onto nutrient agar and counting the visible colonies. However, E. coli can enter a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state in stressful environments. Bacteria in a VBNC state are still alive but reduce key metabolic activities that typically encourage growth and division, allowing them …

Application Of Artificial Intelligence For Co2 Storage In Saline Aquifer (Smart Proxy For Snap-Shot In Time), Marwan Mohammed Alnuaimi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology have grown in popularity. Smart Proxy Models (SPM) are AI/ML based data-driven models which have proven to be quite crucial in petroleum engineering domain with abundant data, or operations in which large surface/ subsurface volume of data is generated. Climate change mitigation is one application of such technology to simulate and monitor CO2 injection into underground formations.

The goal of the SPM developed in this study is to replicate the results (in terms of pressure and saturation outputs) of the numerical reservoir simulation model (CMG) for CO2 injection into …

Evaluating Effects Of Sediment On Microbial Loading In A Drinking Water Distribution System, Erika Osborne

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) are critical for protecting public health by ensuring safe water is transported from centralized treatment facilities to consumers. Sediment accumulation in DWDS is a common challenge that water utilities face that may pose some health risks when waterborne pathogens colonize biofilms formed on the sediment surface. Water utilities often establish flushing routines to help mitigate sediment accumulation in their system but the role that sediment plays in contributing to the total microbial loading in the system is unclear. The main objective of this study was to determine if sediment in a DWDS presents a significant …