Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Effects Of Aerosol On Cloud Water Path: Statistical Method A Potential Source For Divergence In Observation-Based Correlative Studies, Ousmane Sy Savane

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Divergence between correlative studies involving aerosol and cloud proxies has been thought of in the past as the results of varying physical mechanisms. Although models have supported the existence of variable correlations, from an observational standpoint it is difficult to attribute with confidence the correlations to specific physical mechanisms. We explore a methodology to assess the correlation between cloud water path (CWP) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) using MODIS Aqua retrieved aerosol and cloud properties for regions dominated by different types of aerosol: Non Absorbing Aerosol Dominated Region over land (NAADR_Land), Non Absorbing Aerosol Dominated Region over Ocean (NAADR_Marine), Absorbing …

Eastern Tropical Pacific Climate And El Niño Variability During The Past Millennium, Gerald Thomas Rustic

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has been implicated in large-scale climate shifts of the past millennia, but paleoclimate records from the dynamically vital eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean (EEP) spanning the past millennium are sparse. This has limited our understanding of tropical Pacific dynamics, leaving questions regarding the source of ENSO variability unanswered. Here I seek to address some of these questions regarding relationship between ENSO and tropical Pacific mean state, and the relationship between the tropical Pacific and large-scale climate. Mean EEP sea surface temperature (SST) for the past millennium was reconstructed using Mg/Ca ratios in Globigerinoides ruber from …

Microfossils As Proxies For Holocene Climate In Semi-Enclosed Basins: The Hudson River Estuary, New York, Usa And The Marmara Sea, Turkey, Damayanti Gurung

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The transition from the late Pleistocene glacial to the warmer Holocene interglacial occurred within a series of climatic oscillations. The Holocene, a relatively warm and stable period, was also marked by smaller climatic variability of millennial- to-centennial-scale oscillations. Furthermore, during this period global sea level was much lower than at present. My present study will analyze micro-fossils as proxies for their response to these climatic fluctuations, as well as marine influences during the late Pleistocene to Holocene periods. Sediments from marginal basin environments have been selected for the study due to their connection to the open sea and terrestrial environments, …

The State Of The Oligocene Icehouse World: Sedimentology, Provenance, And Stable Isotopes Of Marine Sediments From The Antarctic Continental Margin, Daniel William Hauptvogel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Oligocene Epoch (34-23 Ma) was a dynamic time in Antarctica, with previous ice volume estimates suggesting fluctuations from below 50 % up to 140 % of modern all while atmospheric CO₂ decreased from above 1,000 ppm in the Early Oligocene to near modern levels by the Late Oligocene. Most of what is known about the Oligocene Antarctic cryosphere however, is derived from distal sedimentary records that can only provide a generalized view of the cryospheric dynamics in Antarctica. To better understand regional differences in Antarctic glacial dynamics, proximal records are needed. This dissertation advances our understanding of these …

Utilizing Remote Sensing Imagery To Monitor Vegetation Change Within World Heritage Sites, Mimi Eve Hatzis

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

World Heritage sites provide a glimpse into the stories and civilizations of the past. There are currently 1007 unique World Heritage properties with 779 being classified as cultural sites, 197 as natural sites, and 31 falling into the categories of both cultural and natural sites (UNESCO & World Heritage Centre, 1992-2015). However, of these 1007 World Heritage sites, at least 46 are categorized as in danger and this number continues to grow. These unique and irreplaceable sites are exceptional because of their universality. Consequently, since World Heritage sites belong to all the people of the world and provide inspiration …

Integrated Hydrologic Land Surface State Climate Indicators, Brian Lamb

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Tropical Clouds Using Multi-Satellite Observations, Ricardo Anderson

Dissertations and Theses

Clouds an important component of the earth-climate system and play a critical role in affecting energy and water cycle of the planet. In particular, tropical convective clouds account for the majority of the precipitation that fall on the Earth's surface. Multiple active satellite missions in recent decade such as TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission), and CloudSat have provided fruitful new insight into the internal structures of these tropical convective clouds. In conjunction with cloud data from ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project), that is based passive remote sensing technology in the visible and infrared spectrum, this allows for a more …

Intra- And Inter-Seasonal Variability Of Supra-Glacial 1 Streams And Lakes Over The West Greenland Ice Sheet 2 From High-Resolution Satellite Optical Data, Michael Gregory Brown

Dissertations and Theses

The Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) is one of the largest glacial ice masses on Earth, second only to the Antarctic ice sheet. The surface hydrology of the GrIS plays a crucial role on the surface energy and mass balance budgets of the ice sheet as a whole. Surface water, known as supra-glacial water, is seasonally found in the ablation zone and feeds the en-glacial and sub-glacial hydrological environments of the ice sheet. The spatial distribution of surface streams is poorly understood and their temporal variability is (to our knowledge) unknown. One of the reasons for the lack of knowledge on …

Synoptic Patterns Associated With Northeast And South East Ice Storms, Ricardo Vargas

Dissertations and Theses

Wintertime storms that produce precipitation events such as snow, freezing rain, and ice pellets cause significant damage to utility services and disrupt travel. These synoptic systems involve deep isothermal regions where warm, moist air over-runs surface sub-freezing air. Much attention has been focused on Northeast ice storms, where a study by Cortinas et al. (2004) identified the Northeast as the region with the highest spatial distribution of freezing rain and ice pellets. Castellano (2012) also identified 2 types events where ice storms occur in the Northeast as a result of cold-air intrusions from Canada and from an absence of cold …