Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Nebraska Water Map

Nebraska Water Center: Administrative Materials

Nebraska Water is a full-color, 24"x36" poster, that is appropriate for educational use. The information presented on the maps is the best available as of July 2008. The content and level of detail of each map is based on available space and map scale.

Implementing Mass Nutrient Balance Procedures On Swine Production Facilities, Richard Koelsch, Alan Sutton

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Whole Farm Nutrient Balance (WFNB) approaches have been used to provide a measure of environmental performance (Aarts et al., 1992; Lanyon and Beegle, 1993; Klausner, 1995). Whole farm balance concepts are used as part of the Netherlands Mineral Accounting System public policy that includes compulsory mineral input and output reports from livestock farms and levies for excess imbalances (Jongbloed and Lenis, 1998). Procedures for measuring WFNB will be followed in measurements made on commercial swine facilities for 2006 and 2007. The conclusions developed based upon data from 13 for 2006 include:

• On average, the participating swine producers import 1.5 units …

The History Of The Unl Water Center From 1964, Water Center, School Of Natural Resources

Nebraska Water Center: Administrative Materials

Water is an integral part of Nebraska’s economy and well being in a state that depends on an adequate supply for all uses, including agricultural, municipal, industrial, recreational and wildlife habitat.

Nebraska is fortunate with regard to its water supply, having tremendous groundwater reserves which are estimated to be in excess of two billion acrefeet (an acre-foot being enough water to cover one acre of land with a foot of water, or approximately 325,000 gallons), combined with an estimated annual precipitation of 86 million acre-feet and annual average surface water inflows of 1.7 million acre-feet, give the state adequate supplies …

System And Method For Analyzing Material Properties Using Hyperspectral Imaging, Jeyamkondan Subbiah, Chris Richard Calkins, Ashok Samal

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Systems and methods are provided for analyzing material properties of an object using hyperspectral imaging. An exemplary method includes obtaining a hyperspectral image of an object; analyzing the hyperspectral image according to an algorithm; and correlating data obtained from the analysis with material properties of the object.

Laying The Groundwork For Odor Control And Setback Estimation In Nebraska, Rick R. Stowell

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The goal of this field research study was to validate use of the Odor Footprint Tool (OFT) with livestock building sources in rural communities. The primary objective was to evaluate the accuracy of predictions of annoyance potential (as projected by odor concentration output data from AERMOD^® - the OFT's underlying dispersion model) when compared to measures of annoyance potential made in the field. Odor assessors were trained to monitor odors around a 4,800-head finishing site in eastern Nebraska. During the summer of 2005, mobile odor assessors monitored odor levels at downwind locations. During the spring and summer of 2006, …

Subsurface Characterization Using Textural Features Extracted From Gpr Data, R. S. Freeland, Lameck O. Odhiambo

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Subsurface conditions can be non-intrusively mapped by observing and grouping patterns of similarity within ground-penetrating radar (GPR) profiles. We have observed that the intricate and often visually indiscernible textural variability found within a complex GPR image possesses important parameters that help delineate regions of similar subsurface characteristics. In this study, we therefore examined the feasibility of using textural features extracted from GPR data to automate subsurface characterization. The textural features were matched to a “fingerprint” database of previous subsurface classifications of GPR textural features and the corresponding physical probings of subsurface conditions. Four textural features (energy, contrast, entropy, and homogeneity) …

Analysis Of An Ion‐Selective Electrode Based Methodology For Integrated On‐The‐Go Mapping Of Soil Ph, Potassium, And Nitrate Contents, B. Sethuramasamyraja, V. I. Adamchuk, D. B. Marx, A. Dobermann, G. E. Meyer, D. D. Jones

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Knowledge of the spatial variation of soil attributes is critical for precision agriculture. On‐the‐go soil sensors have been able to provide relatively high mapping density while assessing this variation. A new ion‐selective electrode (ISE) based approach was developed and tested for simultaneous mapping of soil pH, residual nitrate (NO3 -), and soluble potassium (K+) contents. In this article, results of laboratory experiments investigating the effects of key measurement factors on ISE performance are presented. In addition to four different soils, these factors included: soil/water ratio (SWR), quality of water used for electrode rinsing (QWR) and for …

Spatiotemporal Variations In Growing Season Exchanges Of Co2, H2o, And Sensible Heat In Agricultural Fields Of The Southern Great Plains, Marc L. Fischer, Dave P. Billesbach, Joseph A. Berry, William J. Riley, Margaret S. Torn

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Climate, vegetation cover, and management create finescale heterogeneity in unirrigated agricultural regions, with important but not well quantified consequences for spatial and temporal variations in surface CO2, water, and heat fluxes. Eddy covariance fluxes were measured in seven agricultural fields—comprising winter wheat, pasture, and sorghum—in the U.S. Southern Great Plains (SGP) during the 2001–03 growing seasons. Land cover was the dominant source of variation in surface fluxes, with 50%–100% differences between fields planted in winter–spring versus fields planted in summer. Interannual variation was driven mainly by precipitation, which varied more than twofold between years. Peak aboveground biomass and growing season …

Risk Of Colon Cancer In Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer Patients As Predicted By Fuzzy Modeling: Influence Of Smoking, Rhonda M. Brand, David D. Jones, Henry T. Lynch, Randall E. Brand, Patrice Watson, Ramesh Ashwathnayaran, Hemant K. Roy

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

AIM: To investigate whether a fuzzy logic model could predict colorectal cancer (CRC) risk engendered by smoking in hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) patients.

METHODS: Three hundred and forty HNPCC mismatch repair (MMR) mutation carriers from the Creighton University Hereditary Cancer Institute Registry were selected for modeling. Age-dependent curves were generated to elucidate the joint effects between gene mutation (hMLH1 or hMSH2), gender, and smoking status on the probability of developing CRC.

RESULTS: Smoking significantly increased CRC risk in male hMSH2 mutation carriers (P < 0.05). hMLH1 mutations augmented CRC risk relative to hMSH2 mutation carriers for males (P < 0.05). Males had a significantly higher risk of CRC than females for hMLH1 non smokers (P < 0.05), hMLH1 smokers (P < 0.1) and hMSH2 smokers (P < 0.1). Smoking promoted CRC in a dose-dependent manner in hMSH2 in males (P < 0.05). Females with hMSH2 mutations and both sexes with the hMLH1 groups only demonstrated a smoking effect after an extensive smoking history (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: CRC promotion by smoking in HNPCC patients is dependent on gene mutation, gender and age. …

Trees And Ice Storms: The Development Of Ice Storm–Resistant Urban Tree Populations (Second Edition), Richard J. Hauer, Jeffrey O. Dawson, Les P. Werner

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Severe ice storms occur every year in the United States and Canada, particularly in the midwestern and eastern regions of the United States. Along with fires and wind, ice storms are a frequent and major natural disturbance factor in eastern deciduous forests. Likewise ice storms are responsible for deaths and injuries of people and cause dramatic damage and tree loss to urban forests. Ice storms annually result in millions of dollars in loss, and potentially billions of dollars in losses for extreme and widespread ice storms. Damage to electric distribution systems, blocked roadways, and property damage from fallen trees and …

Nonintrusive Mapping Of Near-Surface Preferential Flow, R. S. Freeland, Lameck O. Odhiambo, J. S. Tyner, J. T. Ammons, W. C. Wright

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A unique survey protocol has been developed that maps near-subsurface preferential flow using integrated ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and a differential geographical positioning system (DGPS). The survey protocol consists of a mobile GPR system that spirals outward along a prescribed course, continuously gathering subsurface data for an extended period. Metered water is applied to a centrally located water-ponding ring, after first capturing the initial dry-state pattern signatures. The water radiates outward beneath the surface as it follows preferential flow pathways, which the GPR instrumentation spiraling above highlights. After data are collected, pre- and post-water time-elapsed images profiles are segmented by pattern …

Evaluation Of Methods For Estimating Daily Reference Crop Evapotranspiration At A Site In The Humid Southeast United States, R. E. Yoder, Lameck O. Odhiambo, Wesley C. Wright

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Estimated daily reference crop evapotranspiration (ET_o) is normally used to determine the water requirement of crops using the crop factor method. Many ET_o estimation methods have been developed for different types of climatic data, and the accuracy of these methods varies with climatic conditions. In this study, pair−wise comparisons were made between daily ET_o estimated from eight different ET_o equations and ET_o measured by lysimeter to provide information helpful in selecting an appropriate ET_o equation for the Cumberland Plateau located in the humid Southeast United States. Based on the standard error of the …

Remote Estimation Of Canopy Chlorophyll Content In Crops, Anatoly A. Gitelson, Andrés Viña, Veronica Ciganda, Donald Rundquist, Timothy J. Arkebauer

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Accurate estimation of spatially distributed chlorophyll content (Chl) in crops is of great importance for regional and global studies of carbon balance and responses to fertilizer (e.g., nitrogen) application. In this paper a recently developed conceptual model was applied for remotely estimating Chl in maize and soybean canopies. We tuned the spectral regions to be included in the model, according to the optical characteristics of the crops studied, and showed that the developed technique allowed accurate estimation of total Chl in both crops, explaining more than 92% of Chl variation. This new technique shows great potential for remotely tracking the …

Modeling Sediment Trapping In A Vegetative Filter Accounting For Converging Overland Flow, M. J. Helmers, D. E. Eisenhauer, Thomas G. Franti, Michael G. Dosskey

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Vegetative filters (VF) are used to remove sediment and other pollutants from overland flow. When modeling the hydrology of VF, it is often assumed that overland flow is planar, but our research indicates that it can be two-dimensional with converging and diverging pathways. Our hypothesis is that flow convergence will negatively influence the sediment trapping capability of VF. The objectives were to develop a two-dimensional modeling approach for estimating sediment trapping in VF and to investigate the impact of converging overland flow on sediment trapping by VF. In this study, the performance of a VF that has field-scale flow path …

A Nebraska Odor Footprint Tool For Planning Pork Facilities, Richard Koelsch

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Pork producers and rural communities are struggling to balance air quality issues (primarily odors) with the presence and growth of the industry. Currently the type of pork facility, odor control measures, prevailing wind direction, atmospheric conditions, and a community's tolerance to some degree of odor are largely ignored in the planning process because scientific tools that incorporate this information are lacking. Without such tools, decisions on setback distances and acceptable type and size of facilities are influenced by a range of arguments, often emotional in nature. In addition, pork producers lack tools to assist in evaluating impact on a rural …

A Recommendation For An Enhanced Fujita Scale (Ef-Scale)

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Background

National Weather Service (NWS) personnel who are responsible for rating tornadoes have expressed frustrations in applying the Fujita Scale in a consistent and accurate manner. Weak links in a structural system or a slow-moving storm sometimes lead to an overrating of a tornado event. Several technical articles suggest that wind speeds associated with some descriptions of damage are too high. For example, a 260 mph wind speed is not required to completely destroy a well constructed house and blow away the debris. The damage occurs at significantly lower wind speeds. Minor et al. (1977) and Phan and Simiu (2003) …

Zone Heating For Wean-To-Finish Facilities: A Performance Comparison, Rick R. Stowell

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Farm research trials were conducted in 2003 and 2004 to assess the effects of the type of zone heater and floor mat used in a wean-to-finish building on the thermal environment created for newly weaned pigs and resulting pig performance. Modulated LP gas-fired brooder heaters were compared to electric heat lamps, and floor mats made from farm-cut wood sheathing (3/8” oriented-strand board, OSB) were compared to commercial [unheated] rubber mats in a replicated 2x2 factorial experiment. No consistent differences in air temperature near the heating zone were found between either of the treatments, with treatment means within 1^oF …

Investigation Of A Fuzzy-Neural Network Application In Classification Of Soils Using Ground-Penetrating Radar Imagery, Lameck O. Odhiambo, R. S. Freeland, R. E. Yoder, J. W. Hines

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Errors associated with visual inspection and interpretations of radargrams often inhibit the intensive surveying

of widespread areas using ground-penetrating radar (GPR). To automate the interpretive process, this article presents an

application of a fuzzy-neural network (F-NN) classifier for unsupervised clustering and classification of soil profiles using

GPR imagery. The classifier clusters and classifies soil profile strips along a traverse based on common pattern similarities

that can relate to physical features of the soil (e.g., number of horizons; depth, texture, and structure of the horizons; and

relative arrangement of the horizons, etc.). This article illustrates this classification procedure by its application …

A Portable Eddy Covariance System For The Measurement Of Ecosystem–Atmosphere Exchange Of Co2, Water Vapor, And Energy, Dave P. Billesbach, M.L. Fischer, Margaret S. Torn, J.A. Berry

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

To facilitate the study of flux heterogeneity within a region, the authors have designed and field-tested a portable eddy covariance system to measure exchange of CO2, water vapor, and energy between the land surface and the atmosphere. The combination of instrumentation used in this system allows high precision flux measurements without requiring on-site infrastructure such as prepositioned towers or line power. In addition, the system contains sensors to measure a suit of soil, climatic, and energy-related parameters that are needed to quality control the fluxes and to characterize the flux footprint. The physical design and instrument packaging used in the …

Estimation Of Reference Crop Evapotranspiration Using Fuzzy State Models, Lameck O. Odhiambo, R. E. Yoder, D. C. Yoder

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Daily evapotranspiration (ET) rates are needed for irrigation scheduling. Owing to the difficulty of obtaining accurate field measurements, ET rates are commonly estimated from weather parameters. A few empirical or semi–empirical methods have been developed for assessing daily reference crop ET, which is converted to actual crop ET using crop coefficients. The FAO Penman–Monteith method, which is now accepted as the standard method for the computation of daily reference ET, is sophisticated. It requires several input parameters, some of which have no actual measurements but are estimated from measured weather parameters. In this study, we examined the suitability of fuzzy …

Optimization Of Fuzzy Evapotranspiration Model Through Neural Training With Input–Output Examples, Lameck O. Odhiambo, R. E. Yoder, D. C. Yoder, J. W. Hines

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

In a previous study, we demonstrated that fuzzy evapotranspiration (ET) models can achieve accurate estimation of daily ET comparable to the FAO Penman–Monteith equation, and showed the advantages of the fuzzy approach over other methods. The estimation accuracy of the fuzzy models, however, depended on the shape of the membership functions and the control rules built by trial–and–error methods. This paper shows how the trial and error drawback is eliminated with the application of a fuzzy–neural system, which combines the advantages of fuzzy logic (FL) and artificial neural networks (ANN). The strategy consisted of fusing the FL and ANN on …

Determination Of Semivariogram Models To Krige Hourly And Daily Solar Irradiance In Western Nebraska*, G.G. Merino, D. Jones, David Stooksbury, Kenneth Hubbard

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

In this paper, linear and spherical semivariogram models were determined for use in kriging hourly and daily solar irradiation for every season of the year. The data used to generate the models were from 18 weather stations in western Nebraska. The models generated were tested using cross validation. The performance of the spherical and linear semivariogram models were compared with each other and also with the semivariogram models based on the best fit to the sample semivariogram of a particular day or hour. There were no significant differences in the performance of the three models. This result and the comparable …

Metadata In A Digital Special Library: The Energy And Environmental Information Resources Center In Lafayette, Louisiana, Dan Foley

E-JASL: Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship (1999-2009, Volumes 1-10)

This paper discusses three kinds of metadata and how they are used in the Energy & Environmental Information Resources Center (EE-IR Center), a digital special library of text, numeric, and geospatial data, located in Lafayette, Louisiana. These metadata are Dublin Core (DC), MARC21 (formerly USMARC), and Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata.

The EE-IR Center was formed as a partnership between the National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Center for Advanced Computer Studies of the University of Southwestern Louisiana (CACS/USL). Both partners are located in Lafayette, Louisiana. The EE-IR Center is funded by a …

Binder Containing Plant Protein And Densified Refuse Fuel Cubes Made Using Same And Methods Of Making Them, Jerry D. Eastin, David Jones, Darin Dux, Harold Earl Egger

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

To form a binder from naturally occurring products or a fuel brick or pellet using the binder without extraction or purification steps, the binder utilizes proteins from the germ or endosperm of cereal grasses or from the seed of buckwheat, oil seed plants, Amaranthus or leguminous plants or from leaves or from grain stillage. The protein has a thermoplastic microstructure with linear polymers of molecular weight of at least 2,000 linked with peptide linkages of at least 50 in number. The binder is mixed with waste such as municipal waste without further processing and processed in a pelleting machine.

Runoff, Erosion, And Soil Quality Characteristics Of A Former Conservation Reserve Program Site, John E. Gilley, John W. Doran, Douglas Karlen, T. C. Kaspar

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

No-till and moldboard plow tillage systems were established on a former Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) site in southwest Iowa. Runoff rates from simulated rainfall events were significantly greater on sites returned to crop production than from adjoining, undisturbed CRP areas. Substantial soil loss was measured from the moldboard plow treatments, but no significant differences in erosion rates were found between the undisturbed CRP and no-till management systems. No-till management maintained levels of soil quality similar to those of CRP by preserving soil structural integrity and reducing losses of soil organic matter (SOM) associated with tillage. Conservation tillage systems which maintain …

Proceedings: Seventeenth Vertebrate Pest Conference, Rohnert Park, California, March 5-7, 1996 (Complete Work), Robert M. Timm , Editor, A. Charles Crabb , Editor

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 17th (1996)

340 registered attendees
58 papers
273 pages
52 Mb

You have come from throughout California, from across the United States, and from many corners of the world to gather here for the purpose of sharing information, expertise, and wisdom in dealing with vertebrate pest problems. Our common purpose is to find yet better methods for preventing and resolving situations in which wildlife comes into conflict with humans. The Conference's mission remains one of education. We learn from each other, and we strive to find better ways of applying our knowledge to real-world problems.

Disaccharide Intolerance Of European Starlings, Leonard R. Askham

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 17th (1996)

The use of disaccharides to discourage bird depredation to agricultural crops has elicited some interest during the last few years. Data developed in these trials indicate that several avian species are intolerant to sucrose because of the lack of sucrase enzymes in their digestive systems. Based on this research it is hypothesized that progressively increasing rates and volumes of solutions would elicit consistent adverse stress reactions. Furthermore, that if birds were intolerant to sucrose, because of their co-evolutionary development with plants, then they should lack the ability to digest lactose. The data developed in these trials does not support either …

Closing Remarks—Seventeenth Vertebrate Pest Conference, Rex O. Baker

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 17th (1996)

As chair-elect of the council, I would like to thank all of those who participated in this 17th Vertebrate Pest Conference.

We had a total attendance of 340 from 27 states in the U.S., including 27 attendees from 8 countries outside the U.S. The contributions and sacrifices made by foreign speakers is genuinely appreciated and has, as always, added greatly to the diversity of the conference.

As most of you know, the council's primary goal is fostering education and advancement in the field of vertebrate pest management. We have always tried to draw noted experts to present a broad range …

Field Efficacy Of Diphacinone Grain Baits Used To Control The California Ground Squirrel, J. A. Baroch

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 17th (1996)

Diphacinone treated oat groats were effective in reducing populations of California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi) by more than 84%. Two concentrations of active ingredient (0.005% and 0.01%) were compared, as well as two application methods: spot baiting and bait stations. Squirrel activity on test plots was assessed before and after bait applications using visual counts and active burrow counts. There was good correspondence between results of the two activity indices. There was no significant improvement in efficacy provided by the higher concentration of diphacinone. Bait consumption was much lower on bait station plots. Squirrel carcasses were found on …

Overhead Wires Reduce Roof-Nesting By Ring-Billed Gulls And Herring Gulls, Jerrold L. Belant, Sheri K. Ickes

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 17th (1996)

The authors evaluated the effectiveness of overhead wires in reducing roof-nesting by ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) and herring gulls (L. argentatus) at a 7.2 ha food warehouse in Bedford Heights, Ohio during 1994-1995. In 1994, stainless steel wires (0.8 mm diameter) were attached generally in spoke-like configurations between 2.4 m upright metal poles spaced at 33.7 m intervals over the main portion of roof. The 6 to 14 wires radiating from each pole created a mean maximum spacing between wires of about 16 m. Nesting by ring-billed and herring gulls was reduced by 76% and 100% …