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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Sustainability Of Western Kentucky University: An Examination Of Campus Environmental Policies, Performance And Potential For Change, Christian Ryan-Downing
Sustainability Of Western Kentucky University: An Examination Of Campus Environmental Policies, Performance And Potential For Change, Christian Ryan-Downing
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Institutions of higher learning are in a pivotal position to address the environmental problems that global society faces now, but response to this challenge requires transformation in priorities and practices. Recognizing the impacts that universities have on the environment and the social and economic costs associated with these impacts, institutions of higher learning are changing policies and management to become more sustainable. Sustainability is defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (1987). To evaluate the environmental impacts …
Ground-Level Ozone Across Kentucky: Modeling And A Synoptic Analysis Of High Concentrations, John Walker
Ground-Level Ozone Across Kentucky: Modeling And A Synoptic Analysis Of High Concentrations, John Walker
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Rural areas are often more susceptible to high concentrations of ground-level ozone (O3) than urban areas. However, rural populations are, for the most part, unaware of this problem. Currently the rural areas of Kentucky have no daily forecast for O3. This research addresses the issue by using methodologies from previous Kentucky O3 modeling research to develop a daily forecast model within Geographic Information Systems. The rural O3 model developed by Kendrick (2005) will be used in this research, as a Standard model, along with an application of the model introduced by Cobourn and Hubbard (1999), as the Hi model, to …
Commuting Analysis In A Small Metropolitan Area - A Case Study Of Bowling Green/Warren County, Kentucky, Caitlin Hagar
Commuting Analysis In A Small Metropolitan Area - A Case Study Of Bowling Green/Warren County, Kentucky, Caitlin Hagar
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
In previous studies of urban commutes, little attention has been paid to commute patterns in smaller urban areas. In this study, the concept of "excess commute" (EC) is applied to the Bowling Green-Warren County Metropolitan Statistical Area (BGWCMSA) in Kentucky. EC quantifies the portion of commute distance explained by the overall spatial separation of jobs and households. Results in this thesis research show that approximately 65% of commute distance by persons driving alone in the study area can be explained by the physical locations of homes relative to job sites as well as the existing roadway network, leaving an EC …
Quarternary Alluvial Deposition In The Upper Green River Valley, Kentucky, Juan Herrera
Quarternary Alluvial Deposition In The Upper Green River Valley, Kentucky, Juan Herrera
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
This research describes the alluvial deposits and Quaternary geomorphic evolution of the Upper Green River in Kentucky by documenting the nature of flood plain sediments at two sites along the valley bottom of the Upper Green River between Mammoth Cave National Park and Green River Lake. Field methods employed included stratigraphic descriptions of bank exposures and borings obtained in flood plain surfaces, along with textural and radiocarbon analysis of sediment samples. Sediment samples from boreholes and bank exposures in two study sites (Pitman Creek confluence, -PCC- and Upper Green River Biological Preserve -UGRBP-) were collected and sieved to determine grain …
The Whitehead Link On The Cubic Lattice, Elizabeth Haynes
The Whitehead Link On The Cubic Lattice, Elizabeth Haynes
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
The cubic lattice is a graph in Â3 where the vertices are points with integer coordinates and edges are unit length line segments parallel to the x-, y-, or z-axis. A step is a line segment that connects one vertex to a neighboring vertex one unit away in the x-, y-, or z-direction. This thesis will show that the Whitehead Link needs at least 34 steps to be embedded on the cubic lattice.
An Analysis Of Base-Level Conduit Sedimentation In South Central Kentucky, Ben Tobin
An Analysis Of Base-Level Conduit Sedimentation In South Central Kentucky, Ben Tobin
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
In karst basins, significant amounts of surface-derived sediment can enter into cave systems. The transport and deposition of these sediments in underground streams is a function of flow velocity, sediment supply and passage morphology. Changes in the surface environment can affect the water and sediment supplies to subsurface drainage systems and thus may be reflected in the sedimentary structure, texture and rates of deposition of cave sediments. Cave sediments in two south central Kentucky caves were studied to evaluate a possible, relationship between variations in deposit characteristics and variations in surface changes, including land-use. Samples were collected using coring tubes …
Spatio-Temporal Analysis Of Observed Soil Moisture From Nebraska, Ashley Littell
Spatio-Temporal Analysis Of Observed Soil Moisture From Nebraska, Ashley Littell
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Soil moisture is a measure of the water content in a soil that is dependent upon precipitation, evapotranspiration, runoff, drainage, and irrigation. Nebraska is one of the few states that measures soil moisture in an extensive network that records weather variables on a daily basis. Daily soil moisture observations are collected from depths of 10, 25, 50, and 100 centimeters and analyzed in this research. Data from these stations are evaluated on the spatial and temporal scales using spatial interpolations, time-series analysis, and cross-correlations to better understand the variations of soil moisture in the Northern Great Plains. Spatial interpolation grids …
Storm Response And Water Balance Of Temperate Rainforest Karst Watersheds: Tongass National Forest, Alaska, Johanna Kovarik
Storm Response And Water Balance Of Temperate Rainforest Karst Watersheds: Tongass National Forest, Alaska, Johanna Kovarik
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
The Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska contains 2,176 square kilometers of karst. As part of the evolving Tongass Land Management Plan, research into the function of karst systems is crucial in understanding how forest management affects not only karst areas but also surrounding ecosystems. Dye trace and water balance results in two watersheds on the north end of Prince of Wales Island demonstrate the difficulty in containing the effects of management, as water can enter karst catchments from unknown sources at different flow regimes. A dye trace was conducted in Windgate and Canyon Block watersheds. Two sinking streams were …
Agricultural Contaminant Source And Transport In A Karst Groundwater Basin, Patricia Kambesis
Agricultural Contaminant Source And Transport In A Karst Groundwater Basin, Patricia Kambesis
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Agricultural land use in areas that are located in karst groundwater basins negatively impact groundwater quality because karst terrains provide multiple, direct hydrologic connections from the surface into karst aquifers. The connections and rapid velocities associated with surface and subsurface flow in karst aquifers allow for contaminants to move quickly into and through a groundwater basin. When groundwater returns to the surface via a spring or springs, any contaminants within the water become part of surface streams and rivers. These in turn, impact water quality in areas located downstream of the spring or springs. The purpose of this study was …
An Analysis Of Key Aspects Of Warm And Cool Season Flash Flooding In The Southern Appalachians, William Baldwin
An Analysis Of Key Aspects Of Warm And Cool Season Flash Flooding In The Southern Appalachians, William Baldwin
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Flash flooding kills more people in the United States than any other severe weather phenomenon. One of the most vulnerable areas for flooding is the southern Appalachians. These mountains lie in a geographical location that places them near the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, two major moisture source regions. This ample supply of moisture, mid-latitude circulation patterns, and orographic lifting leads to annual precipitation totals in the southern Appalachians that are comparable to locations along the Gulf coast. The present study investigates eight non-tropical flash flood events. Four of the events occurred in the cool season and four …