Engineering Commons^™

Influence Of Internal Variability On Population Exposure To Hydroclimatic Changes, Justin S. Mankin, Daniel Viviroli, Mesfin Mekonnen, Arjen Y. Hoekstra, Radley M. Horton, Jason E. Smerdon, Noah S. Diffenbaugh

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Future freshwater supply, human water demand, and people’s exposure to water stress are subject to multiple sources of uncertainty, including unknown future pathways of fossil fuel and water consumption, and ‘irreducible’ uncertainty arising from internal climate system variability. Such internal variability can conceal forced hydroclimatic changes on multi-decadal timescales and near-continental spatial-scales. Using three projections of population growth, a large ensemble from a single Earth system model, and assuming stationary per capita water consumption, we quantify the likelihoods of future population exposure to increased hydroclimatic deficits, which we define as the average duration and magnitude by which evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation …

Adsorption Of Perfluorinated Compounds From Post-Emergency Response Wastewater, Christopher T. Schmidt

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the efficacy of granular activated carbon (GAC) as a method to treat water impacted with aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) after a firefighting response. Bench-top experiments were conducted and compared to field scale adsorber performance removing mg/L concentrations of PFAS in water contaminated with Military Specification AFFF. Batch tests compared four adsorbents, and determined Calgon F600 GAC and Rembind Plus mixed carbon media had the greatest perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) capacities. Additional batch isotherm experiments using AFFF and higher PFOS concentrations (mg/L) indicated larger amounts of GAC are required (>30mg/L) for effective removal. Full-scale testing simulated an …

The Impacts Of Climate Change And Anthropogenic Processes On Permafrost Soils And Usaf Infrastructure Within Northern Tier Bases, Alexander J. Graboski

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense is planning over $552M in military construction on Eielson Air Force Base within the next three fiscal years. Although many studies have been conducted on permafrost and climate change, the future of our climate as well as any impacts on permafrost soils, remains unclear. This research focused on future climate predictions to determine likely scenarios for the United States Air Force’s Strategic Planners to consider. The most recent 2013 International Panel on Climate Change report predicts a 2.2ºC to 7.8ºC temperature rise in Arctic regions by the end of the 21st Century in the Representative Concentration …

Proof Of Concept: Development Of Snow Liquid Water Content Profiler Using Cs650 Reflectometers At Caribou, Me, Usa, Carlos L. Pérez Díaz, Jonathan Muñoz, Tarendra Lakhankar, Reza Khanbilvardi, Peter Romanov

Publications and Research

The quantity of liquid water in the snowpack defines its wetness. The temporal evolution of snow wetness’s plays a significant role in wet-snow avalanche prediction, meltwater release, and water availability estimations and assessments within a river basin. However, it remains a difficult task and a demanding issue to measure the snowpack’s liquid water content (LWC) and its temporal evolution with conventional in situ techniques. We propose an approach based on the use of time-domain reflectometry (TDR) and CS650 soil water content reflectometers to measure the snowpack’s LWC and temperature profiles. For this purpose, we created an easily-applicable, low-cost, automated, and …

A Comparison Of Modis/Viirs Cloud Masks Over Ice-Bearing River: On Achieving Consistent Cloud Masking And Improved River Ice Mapping, Simon Kraatz, Reza Khanbilvardi, Peter Romanov

Publications and Research

The capability of frequently and accurately monitoring ice on rivers is important, since it may be possible to timely identify ice accumulations corresponding to ice jams. Ice jams are dam-like structures formed from arrested ice floes, and may cause rapid flooding. To inform on this potential hazard, the CREST River Ice Observing System (CRIOS) produces ice cover maps based on MODIS and VIIRS overpass data at several locations, including the Susquehanna River. CRIOS uses the respective platform’s automatically produced cloud masks to discriminate ice/snow covered grid cells from clouds. However, since cloud masks are produced using each instrument’s data, and …

Application Of Gis To Prioritize Brownfield Sites For Green Building Construction Based On Leed Criteria, Can B. Aktas, Paul Bartholomew, Sabrina Church

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Although there are many initiatives to create incentives for investors and developers to invest in and redevelop brownfield sites, efficient prioritization of brownfields by taking into account environmental, economic, and social constraints remains a challenge. This study introduces a method to screen numerous brownfields over large geographic areas by using geographic information systems (GIS) and to assess and prioritize such sites for green building suitability based on leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) criteria. A case study was completed for the greater Bridgeport, Connecticut region. With 279 brownfield sites, the city has among the highest number of brownfields in …

Carnarvon Artesian Desalination Feasibility Study, Ghd, Carnarvon Growers Association, Gascoyne Water Co-Operative

Research Reports

Study scope

The scope of the study is summarised below;

 Review existing data and previous work,

 Visit Carnarvon (1 day), inspect water system facilities and convene Stakeholder Workshop No 1 with representatives from Carnarvon Growers Association, Gascoyne Water Co-operative and DAFWA. Agree 3 – 4 possible system configuration options to be investigated.

 Obtain and examine existing water quality data for artesian bore(s) incorporated within the study. Assess probable long term water quality and pumping heads.

 Develop preliminary design details for the agreed options in terms of pre-treatment, desalination and other system modifications required (eg bores, pump …

Recent Advances On Iron Oxide Magnetic Nanoparticles As Sorbents Of Organic Pollutants In Water And Wastewater Treatment, Angela M. Gutierrez, Thomas D. Dziubla, J. Zach Hilt

Superfund Research Center Faculty Publications

The constant growth in population worldwide over the past decades continues to put forward the need to provide access to safe, clean water to meet human needs. There is a need for cost-effective technologies for water and wastewater treatment that can meet the global demands and the rigorous water quality standards and at the same maximizing pollutant efficiency removal. Current remediation technologies have failed in keeping up with these factors without becoming cost-prohibitive. Most recently, nanotechnology has been sought as the best alternative to increase access to water supplies by remediating those already contaminated and offering ways to access unconventional …

Geoengineering, Marine Microalgae, And Climate Stabilization In The 21st Century, Charles H. Greene, Mark E. Huntley, Ian Archibald, Léda N. Gerber, Deborah L. Sills, Joe Granados, Colin M. Beal, Michael J. Walsh

Natural & Applied Sciences Faculty Publications

Society has set ambitious targets for stabilizing mean global temperature. To attain these targets, it will have to reduce CO2 emissions to near zero by mid-century and subsequently remove CO2 from the atmosphere during the latter half of the century. There is a recognized need to develop technologies for CO2 removal; however, attempts to develop direct air-capture systems have faced both energetic and financial constraints. Recently, BioEnergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) has emerged as a leading candidate for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. However, BECCS can have negative consequences on land, nutrient, and water use as well as …

Air Exchange Rates And Alternatuve Vapor Entry Pathways To Inform Vapor Intrusion Exposure Risk Assessments, Rivka Reichman, Mohammadyousef Roghani, Evan J. Willett, Elham Shirazi, Kelly G. Pennell

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Vapor intrusion (VI) is a term used to describe indoor air (IA) contamination that occurs due to the migration of chemical vapors in the soil and groundwater. The overall vapor transport process depends on several factors such as contaminant source characteristics, subsurface conditions, building characteristics, and general site conditions. However, the classic VI conceptual model does not adequately account for the physics of airflow around and inside a building and does not account for chemical emissions from alternative “preferential” pathways (e.g. sewers and other utility connections) into IA spaces. This mini-review provides information about recent research related to building air …

Project Plan - Mentoring, Abigail Lisjak, Patrick Gray, Timothy Leonard, Adam Foster

Sustainability and Connectivity

A presentation that includes the ideal goal for the project as well as how the project can relate to the other projects in the class.

Lake Michigan Wind Assessment Analysis, 2012 And 2013, Charles R. Standridge Ph.D., David Zeitler, Aaron Clark, Tyson Spoelma, Erik E. Nordman, T. Arnold Boezaart, Jim Edmonson, Graham Howe, Guy Meadows, Aline Cotel, Frank Marsik

Peer Reviewed Articles

A study was conducted to address the wind energy potential over Lake Michigan to support a commercial wind farm. Lake Michigan is an inland sea in the upper mid-western United States. A laser wind sensor mounted on a floating platform was located at the mid-lake plateau in 2012 and about 10.5 kilometers from the eastern shoreline near Muskegon Michigan in 2013. Range gate heights for the laser wind sensor were centered at 75, 90, 105, 125, 150, and 175 meters. Wind speed and direction were measured once each second and aggregated into 10 minute averages. The two sample t-test and …

Hydrodynamic And Water Quality Modeling Of The Chehalis River Using Ce-Qual-W2, Sarah Van Glubt

Dissertations and Theses

The Chehalis River Basin is located in the southwest region of Washington State, originating in the Olympic Mountains and flowing to Grays Harbor and the Pacific Ocean. The Chehalis River is over 125 miles, exists within five counties, and flows through agricultural, residential, industrial, and forest land areas. Four major rivers discharge to the Chehalis River, as well as many smaller creeks, five wastewater treatment plants, and groundwater flows.

Flooding is a major problem in the relatively flat areas surrounding the cities of Chehalis and Centralia, with severe consequences for property, safety and transportation. As a result, construction of a …

Nitrate Radicals And Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds: Oxidation, Mechanisms And Organic Aerosol, Nga Lee Ng, Steven S. Brown, Alexander T. Archibald, Elliot Atlas, Ronald C. Cohen, John N. Crowley, Douglas A. Day, Neil M. Donahue, Juliane L. Fry, Hendrik Fuchs, Robert J. Griffin, Marcelo I. Guzman, Hartmut Hermann, Alma Hodzic, Yoshiteru Iinuma, José L. Jimenez, Astrid Kiendler-Scharr, Ben H. Lee, Deborah J. Luecken, Jingqiu Mao, Robert Mclaren, Anke Mutzel, Hans D. Osthoff, Bin Ouyang, Benedicte Picquet-Varrault, Ulrich Platt, Havala O. T. Pye, Yinon Rudich, Rebecca H. Schwantes, Manabu Shiraiwa, Jochen Stutz, Joel A. Thornton, Andreas Tilgner, Brent J. Williams, Rahul A. Zaveri

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) by the nitrate radical (NO₃) represents one of the important interactions between anthropogenic emissions related to combustion and natural emissions from the biosphere. This interaction has been recognized for more than 3 decades, during which time a large body of research has emerged from laboratory, field, and modeling studies. NO₃-BVOC reactions influence air quality, climate and visibility through regional and global budgets for reactive nitrogen (particularly organic nitrates), ozone, and organic aerosol. Despite its long history of research and the significance of this topic in atmospheric chemistry, a number …

Contemporary And Future Characteristics Of Precipitation Indices In The Kentucky River Basin, Somsubhra Chattopadhyay, Dwayne R. Edwards, Yao Yu

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Climatic variability can lead to large-scale alterations in the hydrologic cycle, some of which can be characterized in terms of indices involving precipitation depth, duration and frequency. This study evaluated the spatiotemporal behavior of precipitation indices over the Kentucky River watershed for both the baseline period of 1986–2015 and late-century time frame of 2070–2099. Historical precipitation data were collected from 16 weather stations in the watershed, while future rainfall time-series were obtained from an ensemble of 10 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) global circulation models under two future emission pathways: Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5. Annual …

Wildfire In Utah: The Physical And Economic Consequences Of Wildfire, Paul Mark Jakus, Man-Keun Kim, Randy S. Martin, Ian Hammond, Edd Hammill, Nancy O. Mesner, Jacob Stout

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

PRELUDE

On June 26, 2012 a lightning strike ignited a wildfire in the Manti-La Sal National Forest of central Utah’s Carbon and Emery counties (Figure P.1). By the time the Seeley wildfire was contained three weeks later, some 48,000 acres of federal, state, and private land had been burned and $8.7 million in suppression costs expended (Styler 2012). According to the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS.gov) project, nearly one-third of the acreage was severely burned, damaging vegetation and soils for years to come. Severe burns vastly increase the erosion potential of burnt landscapes, and the steep lands of Huntington …

Remediating 1,4-Dioxane-Contaminated Water With Slow-Release Persulfate And Zerovalent Iron, Ann Kambhu, Megan Gren, Wei Tang, Steve D. Comfort, Clifford Harris

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

1,4-dioxane is an emerging contaminant that was used as a corrosion inhibitor with chlorinated solvents. Metal-activated persulfate can degrade dioxane but reaction kinetics have typically been characterized by a rapid decrease during the first 30 min followed by either a slower decrease or no further change (i.e., plateau). Our objective was to identify the factors responsible for this plateau and then determine if slow-release formulations of sodium persulfate and Fe⁰ could provide a more sustainable degradation treatment. We accomplished this by conducting batch experiments where Fe⁰-activated persulfate was used to treat dioxane. Treatment variables included the timing …

Us Residential Building Air Exchange Rates: New Perspectives To Improve Decision Making At Vapor Intrusion Sites, Rivka Reichman, Elham Shirazi, Donald G. Colliver, Kelly G. Pennell

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Vapor intrusion (VI) is well-known to be difficult to characterize because indoor air (IA) concentrations exhibit considerable temporal and spatial variability in homes throughout impacted communities. To overcome this and other limitations, most VI science has focused on subsurface processes; however there is a need to understand the role of aboveground processes, especially building operation, in the context of VI exposure risks. This tutorial review focuses on building air exchange rates (AERs) and provides a review of literature related building AERs to inform decision making at VI sites. Commonly referenced AER values used by VI regulators and practitioners do not …

Removal Of Organic Micro-Pollutants From Water Using Sewage Sludge Based Composite Adsorbents, Rui Ding

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Millions of tons of sewage sludge, waste oil sludge and fish waste are produced annually, and improper treatment/disposal of these wastes have resulted in numerous environmental issues. On the other hand, these wastes are rich in organic materials, metals, and inorganic minerals and could be sustainable resources if utilized properly. The main purpose of this dissertation study was, therefore, to convert these wastes into composite adsorbents, and then use these adsorbents to remove various types of organic pollutants, emerging organic contaminants in particular, from wastewater and drinking water sources.

It is hypothesized that a hydrophobic carbon phase in the composite …

2017 Spring Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Spring 2017 ENGR333 project focused on campus energy consumption.

I asked the students “Can you construct a fine-grained, bottom-up electricity demand model that predicts the annual electricity consumption for the dormitories (section A) and the PE complex (section B) for each year of the last decade with an accuracy of ±2%?”

Customer

The customer for this project was Jack Phillips, Assistant Director (Mechanical) at Calvin’s Physical Plant.

Compliant Strategy For Shipowners: A Decision Framework For Air Emission Reduction Measures, Fabio Ballini Dr., Aditya Srivastava, Aykut Ölcer Dr.

MARENER 2017

The main aim of the paper is to develop a decision framework for ship owners to comply with the emission reduction regulations. Various measures available to ship owners will be analysed. This paper will discuss the need of Carbon Tax or Market Based Measures in the maritime market. A comparison between the market-based measures, operational measures, carbon tax and abatement measures for averting air emissions of carbon equivalent will be made.

An overview of air emissions caused by the shipping sector will be given along with the methods to keep records of air emissions. There are no uniform standardised methods …

Application Of Experimental Investigation Of Forming Limit Diagrams Of Tailor Welded Blanks In Ship Hull Design, Mehdi Sepasi

MARENER 2017

No abstract provided.

Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis: Effect Of Ammonia On Product Selectivities For A Pt Promoted Co/Alumina Catalyst, Venkat Ramana Rao Pendyala, Wilson D. Shafer, Gary Jacobs, Michela Martinelli, Dennis E. Sparks, Burtron H. Davis

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty and Staff Publications

The effects of co-fed ammonia in synthesis gas on the activity and product selectivities of a typical cobalt catalyst (0.5% Pt–25% Co/Al₂O₃) were investigated during the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis using a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The product selectivities were compared at a similar CO conversion level for various concentrations (10–1000 ppmv) of ammonia, as well as clean (un-poisoned) conditions. The addition of 10–1000 ppmv ammonia (concentration of ammonia with respect to the syngas feed) significantly decreased activity; the percentage of deactivation was similar (∼40%) for the various concentrations of ammonia used. At similar CO conversions, the …

Effects Of Initial Aquifer Conditions On Economic Benefits From Groundwater Conservation, T. Foster, N. Brozovic, A. P. Butler

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Worldwide, there is growing recognition of the need to reduce agricultural groundwater use in response to rapid rates of aquifer depletion. To date, however, few studies have evaluated how benefits of conservation vary along an aquifer’s depletion pathway. To address this question, we develop an integrated modeling framework that couples an agro-economic model of farmers’ field-level irrigation decisionmaking with a borehole-scale groundwater flow model. Unique to this framework is the explicit consideration of the dynamic reductions in well yields that occur as an aquifer is depleted, and how these changes in intraseasonal groundwater supply affect farmers’ ability to manage production …

The Irreversible Momentum Of Clean Energy, Barack Obama

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The release of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) due to human activity is increasing global average surface air temperatures, disrupting weather patterns, and acidifying the ocean. Left unchecked, the continued growth of GHG emissions could cause global average temperatures to increase by another 4°C or more by 2100 and by 1.5 to 2 times as much in many midcontinent and far northern locations. Although our understanding of the impacts of climate change is increasingly and disturbingly clear, there is still debate about the proper course for U.S. policy—a debate that is very much on display …

Aquacrop-Os: An Open Source Version Of Fao’S Crop Water Productivity Model, T. Foster, N. Brozovic, A. P. Butler, C. M. U. Neale, D. Raes, P. Steduto, E. Fereres, T. C. Hsiao

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Crop simulation models are valuable tools for quantifying crop yield response to water, and for devising strategies to improve agricultural water management. However, applicability of the majority of crop models is limited greatly by a failure to provide open-access to model source code. In this study, we present an open-source version of the FAO AquaCrop model, which simulates efficiently water-limited crop production across diverse environmental and agronomic conditions. Our model, called AquaCrop-OpenSource (AquaCrop-OS), can be run in multiple programming languages and operating systems. Support for parallel execution reduces significantly simulation times when applying the model in large geospatial frameworks, for …

In-Situ Observation And Transport Modelling Of Arsenic In Gangetic Plain, India, Pankaj Kumar Gupta, Pranjay Joshi, Jahangeer

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

The focus of this study is to investigate the arsenic movement and impacts on the residual concentrations on groundwater pollution load. The Gangetic plain area in the Ballia, Uttar Pradesh is selected as study area, which is also reported to extreme arsenic pollution in soil-water system. A modelling approach is developed to assess the arsenic flux in partially saturated zone using data of soil texture, soil hydraulic properties and stratigraphy. Soil type, slope, and land-use cover is considered for estimating the transient flux at the top boundary from daily precipitation and evapotranspiration data of the study area. Solute transport in …

Paid To Pump: How A Tax Credit Could Discourage Conservation Of The High Plains Aquifer, S. Polzkill,, A. Stejskal, H. Wilke, Anna Wistrom, Katherine E. B. Gibson, Mindy J. Spiehs, Nicholas Brozovic

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

In 1965’s United States v. Shurbet case, an irrigator from Texas asserted his claim for a depletion tax deduction for groundwater pumped from the High Plains Aquifer. He argued that the unique conditions of the southern High Plains region - a plateau where the shallow aquifer is recharged only through precipitation at a slow rate - meant the groundwater resource would be depleted in time. The state argued that groundwater was not fundamentally an exhaustible natural deposit, but the Supreme Court concluded the tax deduction was appropriate given the “peculiar” conditions in the area. It was stated the decision was …

Pathways To Increasing Farmer-Led Investments In Sustainable Agricultural Water Management In Sub-Saharan Africa, Douglas J. Merrey, Peter G. Mccornick, Molly C. Nance

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Without a transformative leap forward in the use of irrigation, Africa will continue falling short in the struggle to feed its growing population, improve its people’s nutrition, grow its economies, adapt to the impacts of climate change, and eliminate poverty. While Africans must lead this transformation for it to be successful, the international community can help African countries substantially increase the use of more productive and sustainable water management practices and unlock the potential of farmer-led irrigated agriculture. Achieving highly productive irrigated agricultural systems in Africa requires an enabling environment that facilitates the full engagement of farmers, public and private …

2017 Nebraska Water Monitoring Programs Report, Marty Link, Ryan Chapman

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality: Reports

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) is charged with monitoring, assessing, and to the extent possible, managing the state’s water resources. The purpose of this work is to protect and maintain high quality water and encourage or execute activities to improve poor water quality. Monitoring is done on nearly 17,000 miles of flowing rivers and streams, more than 134,000 acres of surface water in lakes and reservoirs, as well as the vast storage of groundwater in Nebraska’s aquifers.