Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Geomorphology (10)
- Oregon (10)
- Geology (9)
- Magma (6)
- Washington State (6)
-
- Floods (5)
- Geochemistry (5)
- Groundwater (5)
- Owyhee River (5)
- Seismicity (5)
- Stratigraphy (5)
- Climate (4)
- GPS (4)
- Hydrogeology (4)
- Tectonics (4)
- Tsunami (4)
- Archaeology (3)
- Basalt (3)
- Black carbon (3)
- Chile (3)
- Composition (3)
- Dulan (3)
- Fluvial Geomorphology (3)
- Holocene (3)
- Hydrology (3)
- Idaho (3)
- Italy (3)
- Landslides (3)
- Plagioclase (3)
- Puget Sound (3)
- Publication Year
- File Type
Articles 31 - 60 of 120
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Recovering Lost Information From Avocational Projectile Point Collections, Mackenzie Hughes
Recovering Lost Information From Avocational Projectile Point Collections, Mackenzie Hughes
All Master's Theses
Human prehistory in North America has sparked the interest of private citizens for decades, sometimes leading to an accumulation of avocational artifact collections that lack site-level provenience. The Wild/Clymer artifacts (n = 1,371) are one such collection where precise site provenience was lost. The analysis aims to recover regional provenience by using morphology, raw material sourcing, and typology to create a data set. The avocational collection data set was analyzed by comparing it to the professionally recorded archaeological data sets from within 100 miles of Frenchglen, Oregon. A paradigmatic classification approach identified 606 typeable points in the avocational collection, in …
Modeling Of Potential Historical Tsunamis From Large Earthquakes In The Izu-Bonin Mariana Subduction Zone, Rachelle Reisinger
Modeling Of Potential Historical Tsunamis From Large Earthquakes In The Izu-Bonin Mariana Subduction Zone, Rachelle Reisinger
All Master's Theses
The Izu-Bonin Mariana (IBM) subduction zone is an over 3000-km long oceanic-oceanic convergence zone with no instrumental record of great subduction-zone earthquakes (Mw > 8.0). Due to the lack of great earthquakes and the oceanic-oceanic subduction style, previous researchers have speculated that the IBM does not produce great earthquakes. The same behavior was also proposed for the northern Japan and Cascadia subduction zones, which has since been proven false. We use the tsunami model GeoClaw (v5.6.0) with adjoint-guided refinement level flagging to simulate IBM earthquakes in three separate segments to produce estimates of wave heights at locations around the Pacific …
Distribution Of Invasive Plant Species On Debris Cones At Mount Rainier National Park, Shaun Morrison
Distribution Of Invasive Plant Species On Debris Cones At Mount Rainier National Park, Shaun Morrison
All Master's Theses
Invasive plant populations within Mount Rainier National Park are a biological and ecological threat to the unique mountain landscape. A better understanding of their distribution and transport within the landscape is needed to improve invasive species monitoring for National Park Service management. This study investigates how invasive plant populations in Stevens Canyon are utilizing the debris cone disturbances and associated geomorphic processes to facilitate movement within the park. Vegetation transects were performed along Stevens Canyon Road (to observe the roadside community composition) and on the debris cone features (to observe species movement from the roadside). These vegetation observations are presented …
Identifying Key Factors Affecting Translational Landslides In Part Of The Yakima Fold And Thrust Belt, Washington State, Joseph Schilter
Identifying Key Factors Affecting Translational Landslides In Part Of The Yakima Fold And Thrust Belt, Washington State, Joseph Schilter
All Master's Theses
Washington has one of the fastest growth rates in the nation, and unfortunately also is among the most landslide-prone states. With increased population density and urban sprawl, the need for landslide hazard assessment grows. On the Columbia Plateau in central Washington, the smooth rigid, inclined surfaces of the Columbia River Basalts (CRBs) with loose sediment layers between them induces landslides of large blocks of bedrock. These hazards remain poorly understood, but their significance was heightened by the 2017 Rattlesnake Hills Landslide that currently threatens a community and an interstate highway south of Yakima, Washington. I propose that the strongest influences …
Seasonal Soil Carbon Fluxes In Transitioning Agricultural Soils In Central Washington State: Relations To Land-Use, Environmental Factors And Soil Carbon-Nitrogen Characteristics, Brandon Kautzman
All Master's Theses
Changing agricultural land-use practices to increase soil carbon sequestration contributes to climate change mitigation and improved food security by moving CO2 from the atmosphere into soil as soil organic carbon (SOC). In 2016, a farm in Thorp, Washington, Spoon Full Farm, began converting land historically farmed using conventional methods of tillage and synthetic fertilizers to conservation farming methods with direct seeding and organic soil amendments with a goal of sequestering carbon in the soil. This project evaluates relationships of soil CO2 respiration and net ecological exchange (NEE) with land-use types, seasonal environmental factors (air temperature, relative humidity, soil …
Mapping And Reconstructing The Paleotsunami Record In Queule, South-Central Chile, Pedro I. Matos Llavona
Mapping And Reconstructing The Paleotsunami Record In Queule, South-Central Chile, Pedro I. Matos Llavona
All Master's Theses
Records of past tsunamis help constrain the long-term characteristics of megathrust earthquakes and elucidate the role of sea-level in the preservation of tsunami deposits. Near Queule, south-central Chile (39.3˚S, 73.2˚W), three sand layers interpreted as tsunami deposits are interbedded with dark, organic-rich, silt deposits along a tidal channel landward of a sand spit capped by eolian sand dunes. The uppermost sand layer is attributed to the tsunami from the Mw 9.5 1960 earthquake. The sand layer is widespread, tabular, oxidized, thins landward, and generally occurs at a depth of <20 cm. The spatial distribution of the deposit corresponds closely with the extent of the 1960 tsunami sand on 1961 aerial photographs. We computed numerical simulations of the 1960 tsunami in Queule using the GeoClaw finite-slip hydrodynamic model based on three published earthquake sources. The simulations showed inundation up to 4km inland that overtopped the coastal dunes; agreeing with historical documentation and testimonies of 1960 tsunami survivors. Stratigraphically below the 1960 tsunami deposit are two tabular, landward-thinning sand layers with sharp lower contacts above silty organic-rich layers. Combined radiocarbon ages of seeds, charcoal and wood fragments found at the contacts with the underlying organic layers yielded ages of 5460-5320 and 5990-5910 cal. years BP. These sand layers have similar distribution patterns to the 1960 sand layer, but are finer grained, thinner and less oxidized. Below this sequence of interbedded tsunami sands and silty organic layers there is an abrupt contact underlain by a distinct sequence of four inorganic silt layers alternating with dark brown organic-rich silts, which are older than 6280-6110 cal. years BP. The deepest studied layer is a thick, fine, gray sand. We interpret the gray sand as a submarine environment during the mid-Holocene sea-level high stand, and the alternating inorganic and organic silts as tidal to shallow sub-tidal environments, possibly indicating co-seismic land-level changes. Gradual sea level fall after the deposition of the two paleotsunami sand deposits that changed the geomorphology of the coast and limited the accommodation space necessary to preserve additional overwash sediments could explain the 5000-year hiatus with no evidence of earthquakes or tsunamis. Further research will offer possible explanations for the exception of the 1960 tsunami in breaking this long-term pattern.
Holocene Periods Of Aggradation And Incision, Hanson Creek, Washington, Levi Earl Windingstad
Holocene Periods Of Aggradation And Incision, Hanson Creek, Washington, Levi Earl Windingstad
All Master's Theses
The causes and timing of cycles of aggradation and incision in the Hanson Creek drainage in central Washington provide insight into changes in channel morphology and paleoenvironment within the region over the last 8000 years. Stratigraphically and spatially coincident archaeological evidence reveals information related to human occupation during the latter half of the epoch. Using LiDAR imagery and field surveys, recent processes such as degree of modern channel incision, accumulation of valley floor sediment, channel morphology and gradient were evaluated. The spatial distribution of these channel characteristics was assessed in relation to proximal landforms such as colluvial deposits, basalt outcrops, …
Holocene Fire History Reconstruction Of A Mid-Evaluation Mixed-Conifer Forest In The Eastern Cascades, Washington, Zoe Rushton
Holocene Fire History Reconstruction Of A Mid-Evaluation Mixed-Conifer Forest In The Eastern Cascades, Washington, Zoe Rushton
All Master's Theses
Fire histories of mid-elevation mixed-conifer forests (MEMC) are uncommon, particularly in the eastern Cascades of Washington. As a result, fire regimes and the effects of 20th century fire suppression in these forests are not well understood. In the summer of 2014 a 7.80 meter-long sediment core was extracted from Long Lake, located approximately 45 km west of Yakima, WA, which exists in a grand fir-dominated mixed-conifer forest. Fire activity for the Long Lake watershed was reconstructed using macroscopic charcoal analysis and pollen analysis was used to reconstruct vegetation change through time. Charcoal results show low fire activity in the early …
Effects Of Initial Thermal Structure On The Evolution Of Continental Rifting, Alexandra Wernle
Effects Of Initial Thermal Structure On The Evolution Of Continental Rifting, Alexandra Wernle
All Master's Theses
Continental rifting is a fundamental earth process that displays a wide variety of styles ranging from narrow to wide, symmetric and asymmetric, magmatic and amagmatic. The key conditions and processes that control the evolution of rifts remain enigmatic. Previous research suggests that the initial thermal structure may have a first order control on the evolving styles of these systems. This project examines the impact of the initial thermal structure on the spatial and temporal evolution of continental rifts using finite element thermo-mechanical modeling. The initial thermal structure is a product of crustal heat production rates and heat conducted from the …
Defining Historical Earthquake Rupture Parameters And Proposed Slip Distributions Through Tsunami Modeling In South-Central Chile, Alexander Dolcimascolo
Defining Historical Earthquake Rupture Parameters And Proposed Slip Distributions Through Tsunami Modeling In South-Central Chile, Alexander Dolcimascolo
All Master's Theses
Reliable tsunami early warning forecasts rely on accurate initial modeling conditions and interpretations of subduction zone behavior in a multi-century perspective. GPS and seismologic data were introduced this past century to study rupture dynamics in detail, however limited information is known about ruptures that pre-date the 20th century. I propose a methodology that uses statistics to better understand these pre-20th century ruptures. This methodology applies the historical and geologic tsunami record as a means to select a suite of tsunami simulations from earthquake source solutions. I chose south-central Chile (46°S to 30°S) to test this new methodology; it …
Characterizing The Deformation History Of The Southern Mina Deflection: Field And Structural Studies In The Huntoon Mountains, California-Nevada, Joseph Bodie Mccosby
Characterizing The Deformation History Of The Southern Mina Deflection: Field And Structural Studies In The Huntoon Mountains, California-Nevada, Joseph Bodie Mccosby
All Master's Theses
New geologic mapping and structural studies in the Huntoon Mountain area (HMA), California-Nevada document the volcanic and deformation histories across the south-central Mina Deflection (MD). Our work allows us to (a) test whether present-day GPS predicted sinistral slip rates are the same as geologic slip rates in the southern MD, and (b) determine the kinematics of fault slip is transfer through the MD. The HMA exposes primarily Miocene andesitic-dacitic volcanic rocks overlain by the 12.114 ± 0.006 Ma (40Ar/39Ar sanidine, Petronis et al., 2019) Tuff of Jack Spring and the 11.399 ± 0.041 Ma (40 …
Geomorphic Consequences Of Hydroelectricity And Transportation Development Near Celilo Falls, Lower Mid-Columbia River, Washington, Noah I. Oliver
Geomorphic Consequences Of Hydroelectricity And Transportation Development Near Celilo Falls, Lower Mid-Columbia River, Washington, Noah I. Oliver
All Master's Theses
Along the Columbia River, hundreds of miles of transportation infrastructure and over sixty hydroelectric dams have been constructed. This altered a rich cultural landscape with evidence of 10,000 years of continuous occupation. Researchers have attempted to understand the impacts of anthropogenic factors on the Columbia River, focusing on the riverine environment. However, the effect of transportation and hydroelectricity developments to eolian landforms on the floodplains and adjoining slopes have not been studied. Focusing on 2,800 acres near Celilo Falls, this study 1) establishes a baseline condition of eolian landforms from 1805 to 1900; 2) conducts an air photo increment analysis …
Two Post-Glacial Sagebrush Steppe Fire Records At The Wildland-Urban Interface, Eastern Cascades, Washington, Dusty Pilkington
Two Post-Glacial Sagebrush Steppe Fire Records At The Wildland-Urban Interface, Eastern Cascades, Washington, Dusty Pilkington
All Master's Theses
Recent increases in large fires in the rapidly developing wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas of central Washington, where development intermixes with wildland fuels, contribute to federal firefighting costs exceeding of $1 billion annually. In addition, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion and anthropogenic-caused warming shorten fire return intervals while lengthening fire seasons. These climatic, ecological, economic, and social factors combine with fuel accumulation resulting from historic fire suppression to threaten lives and property in the WUI. To plan for safe growth in WUI areas, long-term fire histories are needed to expand understanding of past fire regimes in an understudied ecosystem, sagebrush …
Abandoned Mine Land Impacts On Tributaries In The Upper Yakima River Watershed, Eastern Cascades, Washington, Scott Kugel
Abandoned Mine Land Impacts On Tributaries In The Upper Yakima River Watershed, Eastern Cascades, Washington, Scott Kugel
All Master's Theses
Effluent from abandoned mine lands (AMLs) in several drainages in Washington’s Eastern Cascades flows into the Yakima River. Similar sites in Idaho and Colorado are known producers of heavy metals and acid mine drainage. I determined the effects of nine AMLs on water quality in four tributaries to the Yakima River. Archival work was conducted to determine sites that were mined and contained a mill. Each site was characterized by physical features. Water and sediment samples were collected above, at, and below each AML. Samples were analyzed for pH and heavy metal content, and evaluated to determine if the AMLs …
Quantifying Sedimentation Patterns Of Small Watersheds In The Central Oregon Coast Range Using Landslide-Dammed Lakes, Logan Wetherell
Quantifying Sedimentation Patterns Of Small Watersheds In The Central Oregon Coast Range Using Landslide-Dammed Lakes, Logan Wetherell
All Master's Theses
Up to 250 years of sedimentation patterns in headwater streams are preserved with detail in landslide-dammed lakes of the central Oregon Coast Range. I hypothesize that both anthropogenic and natural perturbations should increase linear and mass sediment accumulation rates and be discernible spatially and temporally in the sediment record with use of 137Cs, high resolution charcoal stratigraphy, and aerial photography. Klickitat Lake and Wasson Lake are landslide-dammed lakes in small watersheds (<10 >km2) that contain drowned Douglas-fir stumps that are used for accurate dendrochronology and precise timing of the lake formation. An age-depth relationship was developed using …
Assessing The Use Of Tsunami Simulations As A Tool To Predict Source Magnitudes And Locations Of Paleoearthquakes In Chile, Rebeca Isabel Becerra
Assessing The Use Of Tsunami Simulations As A Tool To Predict Source Magnitudes And Locations Of Paleoearthquakes In Chile, Rebeca Isabel Becerra
All Master's Theses
A long-term goal of paleotsunami studies is the ability to predict paleoearthquake parameters based on tsunami deposits found on land. Chile provides an exemplary location for testing methods of making these predictions because the historical record includes 41 major earthquakes as far back as 1562 AD, and there are many known paleotsunami deposits throughout the region. Using these records as a comparison tool, I evaluated simulated tsunami wave heights and inundation extent with the tsunami model GeoClaw for nine hypothetical tsunamigenic large earthquakes (Mw 8.6, 8.8, and 9.0) in south-central Chile with epicenters at -35.1º, -38.8º, and -42.9º. As …
Tsunami Excitation Estimation From Real-Time Gnss, Catherine Jeffries
Tsunami Excitation Estimation From Real-Time Gnss, Catherine Jeffries
All Master's Theses
Tsunami early warning systems currently comprise modeling of observations from the global seismic network, deep-ocean DART buoys, and a global distribution of tide gauges. While these tools work well for tsunamis traveling teleseismic distances, saturation of seismic magnitude estimation in the near field can result in significant underestimation of tsunami excitation for local warning (Wang et al., 2012). Moreover, DART buoy and tide gauge observations cannot be used to rectify the underestimation in the available time, typically 10-20 minutes, before local runup occurs. Real-time GNSS measurements of coseismic offsets may be used to estimate finite faulting within 1-2 minutes and, …
Giant Plagioclase In The Steens Basalt, Se Oregon: Cumulate Entrainment Revealed By Textural And In Situ Chemical Analysis, Conner H. Toth
Giant Plagioclase In The Steens Basalt, Se Oregon: Cumulate Entrainment Revealed By Textural And In Situ Chemical Analysis, Conner H. Toth
All Master's Theses
Many of the lava flows comprising the Steens Basalt in SE Oregon, the oldest and most mafic formation of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG), contain exceptionally large (up to 5 cm) and abundant (up to 40 modal %) plagioclase crystals. This thesis presents a model for giant plagioclase formation in a complex system that integrates petrographic and in situ plagioclase compositional analyses with whole-rock data and computational modeling to explain systematic textural and chemical differences between plagioclase of the lower and upper Steens Basalt sub-sections. Lower Steens plagioclase are typically more chemically homogenous than upper Steens plagioclase and exhibit …
Spatial And Temporal Characterization Of The Petrified Springs Fault, Central Walker Lane, Nevada: Documenting Middle Miocene Dextral Slip, Andrew Hoxey
All Master's Theses
The Central Walker Lane, NV is an active dextral shear zone superimposed on the western boundary of the Basin and Range extensional province. Approximately 25% of dextral shear along the Pacific-North American plate boundary accommodated in the Walker Lane, a NW-striking, intracontinental dextral fault system in eastern California- western Nevada. In the Central Walker Lane, shear is accommodated on five major NW- striking faults, one of which is the Petrified Springs fault, with poorly constrained slip magnitudes, slip rates, and initiation ages. We completed new detailed geologic mapping, combined with structural studies, and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology document offset …
Stream Water And Soil Water Chemistry After The Table Mountain Wildfire, Washington, Usa, Vincent J. Roccanova
Stream Water And Soil Water Chemistry After The Table Mountain Wildfire, Washington, Usa, Vincent J. Roccanova
All Master's Theses
Analyses of major and trace elements, major ions, and nutrient concentrations were made to investigate how stream water and soil water chemistry changed over 16 months following the Table Mountain wildfire. Sites with different burn severity were also compared. The fire occurred in 2012 in Kittitas County, north of Ellensburg, Washington. Samples were collected at severely burned, moderately burned, and unburned field sites from within and adjacent to the wildfire perimeter. Total nitrogen concentrations increased in the second year after the fire in both the severely and moderately burned sites. In contrast, total phosphorus was variable at all three sites …
Slip Estimation From Real-Time Gps In Cascadia, Jesse Senko
Slip Estimation From Real-Time Gps In Cascadia, Jesse Senko
All Master's Theses
Current systems for rapidly characterizing earthquakes are based on seismic, teleseismic, and Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART) buoy data. These systems have significant limitations that hinder them from making rapid and accurate assessments of large earthquakes used for local tsunami warnings where run-up can occur minutes after the earthquake. Seismic and teleseismic networks saturate around Mw 7.0. Tsunami waves take tens of minutes to reach the buoys, so rapid assessment is impossible. GPS overcomes these limitations for large earthquakes. GPS does not saturate, and the offsets being detected occur very quickly after an earthquake. This thesis develops …
Internal Composition, Structure, And Hydrological Significance Of Rock Glaciers In The Eastern Cascades, Washington, Adam Riffle
Internal Composition, Structure, And Hydrological Significance Of Rock Glaciers In The Eastern Cascades, Washington, Adam Riffle
All Master's Theses
Low summer river base flow places a strain on natural and economic resources of the Eastern Cascades. A major contributor to stream flow in this region is snow pack which has declined over the past few decades because of a warming climate. In addition, glacial runoff, which contributes significantly to base flow in summer dry periods, will diminish from glacial recession. However, rock glaciers, because their internal ice (i.e., permafrost) is insulated by an outer debris layer, react slowly to climate change, thus acting as sinks for ice and liquid water storage in mountain environments. This study utilized ground penetrating …
The Origin Of Dark Mats At The Sunrise Ridge Borrow Pit Site (45pi408) Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, Sean Stcherbinine
The Origin Of Dark Mats At The Sunrise Ridge Borrow Pit Site (45pi408) Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, Sean Stcherbinine
All Master's Theses
The Sunrise Ridge Borrow Pit Site is a precontact archaeological site located in the upland forest soils of Mount Rainier National Park. Site stratigraphy is complicated, consisting of tephra deposits from mostly known origins that are intercalated with dark sediments of unknown origin, referred to here as dark mats. Precontact occupation has been split previously into two components based on the ambiguous depositional history of the dark mats, notably their unknown parent material, depositional environment, and relationship with adjacent tephra strata. Stratigraphic samples from excavation units, features, and one off-site excavation unit was used to investigate these data gaps. Grain …
Quantifying Crustal Assimilation In Historical To Recent (1329-2005) Lavas At Mt. Etna, Italy: Insights From Thermodynamic Modeling, Marie Takach
All Master's Theses
The nearly continuous volcanic eruption record at Mt. Etna dating back approximately 700 years provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the geochemical evolution of a highly active volcano. Of particular interest is elucidating the cause of a selective enrichment in alkali elements (K, Rb, Cs) and 87Sr/86Sr. This alkali enrichment trend, which began in the 17th century and accelerated after 1971, was accompanied by an increase in the volume, frequency, and explosivity of eruptions. To explain this enrichment, two major arguments are invoked: (1) crustal contributions (e.g., assimilation of the sedimentary basement), and (2) changes in …
Estimating The Thickness Of An Ultrahigh-Pressure (Uhp) Terrane: Insights From Phase Equilibria Modelling And Zr-In-Rutile Thermometry, Dulan Area, North Qaidam Terrane, China, David Hernández Uribe
Estimating The Thickness Of An Ultrahigh-Pressure (Uhp) Terrane: Insights From Phase Equilibria Modelling And Zr-In-Rutile Thermometry, Dulan Area, North Qaidam Terrane, China, David Hernández Uribe
All Master's Theses
The North Qaidam UHP terrane, in western China, exposes minor UHP eclogites hosted by ortho- and paragneisses. In the southeastern part of the terrane, the Dulan area exposes eclogite with the mineral assemblage Grt + Omp ± Ky ± Ph ± Zo ± Qz/Coe. LASS U-Pb analyses of zircons yield weighted mean ages of 463-425 Ma, and REE patterns indicate that these ages record the eclogite-facies metamorphism. Inherited zircon cores yield ages of 928-905 Ma, and REE patterns indicate that the eclogite´s protolith had a magmatic origin. Zr-in-rutile thermometry reveals that Dulan eclogites record peak temperatures of 647-711°C. Spatially distributed …
Catastrophic Landscape Modification From Massive Landslide Tsunamis: An Example From Taan Fiord, Alaska, Colin Bloom
Catastrophic Landscape Modification From Massive Landslide Tsunamis: An Example From Taan Fiord, Alaska, Colin Bloom
All Master's Theses
The October 17th 2015 Taan landslide and tsunami generated a high runup of 192 m, nearly an order of magnitude greater than most previously surveyed tsunamis. Extensive modifications observed and documented on several low gradient fan deltas within the fiord make Taan Fiord an excellent laboratory for characterizing geomorphic signatures of a high runup tsunami event. Although interest in this topic is high, most prior post-tsunami surveys are from earthquake-generated tsunamis with relatively low runup, thus the geomorphic signatures of high runup tsunamis or their potential for preservation are uncharacterized. Additionally, clear modifications described during post-tsunami surveys are typically …
150 Years Of Light Absorbing Impurity Deposition On South Cascade Glacier, Washington State Usa, Dan Pittenger
150 Years Of Light Absorbing Impurity Deposition On South Cascade Glacier, Washington State Usa, Dan Pittenger
All Master's Theses
Glaciers and seasonal snowpack in Washington State have undergone significant decline over the past 50 years. While warming global temperatures are widely recognized as the cause of glacial decline, the deposition of black carbon (BC) can also contribute to increased melt. BC, commonly referred to as soot, is produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil and biofuels. These particles are subject to atmospheric transport and are deposited on snow by wind and precipitation events. When BC is deposited, it lowers the albedo of the glacial surface resulting in increased energy absorption and melt. We used a 158 m long ice …
Isotope Investigation Of Nitrate In Soils And Agricultural Drain Waters Of The Lower Yakima Valley, Washington, Dallin Jensen
Isotope Investigation Of Nitrate In Soils And Agricultural Drain Waters Of The Lower Yakima Valley, Washington, Dallin Jensen
All Master's Theses
Nitrate in the groundwater of the Lower Yakima Valley, Washington has long been known to frequently exceed the EPA maximum contaminant level standard for potable water (10 mg/L), adversely impacting communities with disadvantaged socio-economic status. In this research, nitrogen and oxygen isotopic signatures were determined for nitrate soil leachates and irrigation return flow collected in the Lower Yakima Valley, Washington and compared to previous isotopic studies of nitrate in Central Washington. δ15N, δ18O and Δ17O values are used to constrain sources of to groundwater. Isotope signatures for nitrate from soil leachate largely overlapped with …
Post-Wildfire Black Carbon Deposition On The Snowpack In The Cascade Range, Washington State: Temporal And Spatial Variability With Implications For Accelerated Melt, Ted Uecker
All Master's Theses
Wildfires in the seasonal snow zone affect both snow accumulation and ablation patterns by decreasing forest canopy and depositing light absorbing impurities (LAI) on the snowpack. LAI such as black carbon (BC), burned woody debris, and dust reduce snow albedo (reflectance), accelerate melt, and affect the timing and availability of water resources. Charred trees in post-wildfire forests provide a significant source of BC that is deposited on the snowpack for years following a wildfire, and this effect varies with burn conditions and forest structure. Snow samples were gathered from five sites of varying burn age (0.7, 2.7, 3.8, and 9.8 …
Tidal And Structural Controls On Seismic Events Near The Grounding Line At Beardmore Glacier, Antarctica, Jade Cooley
Tidal And Structural Controls On Seismic Events Near The Grounding Line At Beardmore Glacier, Antarctica, Jade Cooley
All Master's Theses
Here I report seismic events occurring over a three-week period during the 2013-2014 austral summer near the grounding line of Beardmore Glacier, Antarctica. The ~24000 events over this time frame had a noticeable temporal pattern that correlates well with the principally diurnal tides of Antarctica. Falling and rising tide each accounted for nearly equal occurrence of events, and most (~42%) events occurred in the last third of any tidal cycle. Event epicenters were located using beamforming, and display a spatial pattern of two distinct clusters. Appearance of event location clusters differ on rising and falling tide. I theorize that, due …