Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Limnological Assistance For The Lake Mead National Recreation Area In Meeting The Challenge Of The Water 2025 Initiative: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending: December 31, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

• The limnologist position has been announced.
• Project 1: Review of the draft Boulder Basin Adaptive Management Plan is underway.
• Project 2: Development of a white paper expressing the joint needs of the entities involved in Water 2025 projects is being coordinated.
• Project 3: A bibliographic reference spreadsheet organizing literature citations related to quagga and zebra mussel research has been completed.
• Project 4: A comprehensive literature search of Lake Mead limnology is well underway; an Access database has been designed to organize reference citations; and a special collections library at UNLV is being established to house original rare documents and other …

Science Plan For Potential 2008 Experimental High Flow At Glen Canyon Dam, Grand Canyon Monitoring And Research Center

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

No abstract provided.

Imaging Thermal Stratigraphy In Freshwater Lakes Using Georadar, John H. Bradford, Cody R. Johnson, Troy Brosten, James P. Mcnamara, Michael N. Gooseff

CGISS Publications and Presentations

Thermal stratification exerts significant control over biogeochemical processing in freshwater lakes. Thus, the temporal and spatial distribution of the thermal structure is an important component in understanding lake ecosystems. We present the first reported observations of lake thermal stratification from surface based georadar measurements acquired over two small freshwater lakes. This method is very useful because it can provide rapid acquisition of 2D or 3D lotic stratification.

Tidal Asymmetry And Residual Circulation Over Linear Sandbanks And Their Implication On Sediment Transport: A Process-Oriented Numerical Study, Rosario Sanay, George Voulgaris, John C. Warner

Faculty Publications

A series of process-oriented numerical simulations is carried out in order to evaluate the relative role of locally generated residual flow and overtides on net sediment transport over linear sandbanks. The idealized bathymetry and forcing are similar to those present in the Norfolk Sandbanks, North Sea. The importance of bottom drag parameterization and bank orientation with respect to the ambient flow is examined in terms of residual flow and overtide generation, and subsequent sediment transport implications are discussed. The results show that although the magnitudes of residual flow and overtides are sensitive to bottom roughness parameterization and bank orientation, the …

Tomography Of The Darcy Velocity From Self-Potential Measurements, A. Jardani, A. Revil, A. Bolève, A. Crespy, J.-P. Dupont, Warren Barrash, Bwalya Malama

CGISS Publications and Presentations

An algorithm is developed to interpret self-potential (SP) data in terms of distribution of Darcy velocity of the ground water. The model is based on the proportionality existing between the streaming current density and the Darcy velocity. Because the inverse problem of current density determination from SP data is underdetermined, we use Tikhonov regularization with a smoothness constraint based on the differential Laplacian operator and a prior model. The regularization parameter is determined by the L-shape method. The distribution of the Darcy velocity depends on the localization and number of non-polarizing electrodes and information relative to the distribution of the …

Biogeochemical Evolution Of Cryoconite Holes On Canada Glacier, Taylor Valley, Antarctica, Elizabeth A. Bagshaw, Martyn Tranter, Andrew G. Fountain, Kathleen A. Welch, Hassan J. Basagic, W. Berry Lyons

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

The cryoconite holes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys are simple, closed biogeochemical systems involving water, ice, mineral and organic debris, which serve as ecosystems for consortia of microorganisms. This study is the first to document the seasonal and annual chemical evolution of solutes in cryoconite holes. Samples of glacier ice, frozen cryoconite holes and those containing water were collected during the austral summer of 2005–2006. The isolation age was calculated from the excess Cl‾ in the holes, and varied from 0 to 5 years (a), consistent with the last hot summer when the cryoconite holes were open to the atmosphere. …

Post-Breeding Habitat Use By Adult Boreal Toads (Bufo Boreas) After Wildfire In Glacier National Park, Usa, C. Gregory Guscio, Blake R. Hossack, Lisa A. Eby, Paul Stephen Corn

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Effects of wildfire on amphibians are complex, and some species may benefit from the severe disturbance of stand-replacing fire. Boreal Toads (Bufo boreas boreas) in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA increased in occurrence after fires in 2001 and 2003. We used radio telemetry to track adult B. boreas in a mosaic of terrestrial habitats with different burn severities to better understand factors related to the post-fire pulse in breeding activity. Toads used severely burned habitats more than expected and partially burned habitats less than expected. No toads were relocated in unburned habitat, but little of the study area …

Wildfire Effects On Water Temperature And Selection Of Breeding Sites By The Boreal Toad (Bufo Boreas) In Seasonal Wetlands, Blake R. Hossack, Paul Stephen Corn

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Disturbances can significantly affect the thermal regime and community structure of wetlands. We investigated the effect of a wildfire on water temperature of seasonal, montane wetlands after documenting the colonization of recently burned wetlands by the Boreal Toad (Bufo boreas boreas). We compared the daily mean temperature, daily maximum temperature, and accumulated growing degree·days measured on the north shore of three classes of wetlands: unburned wetlands, burned wetlands that were colonized by breeding toads, and burned wetlands that were not colonized. We hypothesized that toads colonized burned wetlands because they were warmer than unburned wetlands and selected specific …

Remote Sensing Sensors And Applications In Environmental Resources Mapping And Modelling, Assefa M. Melesse, Qihao Weng, Prasad S. Thenkbail, Gabriel B. Senay

Department of Earth and Environment

The history of remote sensing and development of different sensors for environmental and natural resources mapping and data acquisition is reviewed and reported. Application examples in urban studies, hydrological modeling such as land-cover and floodplain mapping, fractional vegetation cover and impervious surface area mapping, surface energy flux and micro-topography correlation studies is discussed. The review also discusses the use of remotely sensed-based rainfall and potential evapotranspiration for estimating crop water requirement satisfaction index and hence provides early warning information for growers. The review is not an exhaustive application of the remote sensing techniques rather a summary of some important applications …

Measurement Of The Parameter Kappa, And Reevaluation Of Kappa For Small To Moderate Earthquakes At Seismic Stations In The Vicinity Of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, Glenn Biasi, John G. Anderson, Amy J. Smiecinski, Nevada Seismological Laboratory

Publications (YM)

We address two primary questions. First, what are the values of seismic spectral decay parameter kappa at stations on and around Yucca Mountain. Second, can small and/or moderate earthquakes provide estimates of kappa that are valid for conditions of strong ground motion.

U.S.-Korea Cooperative Research: Carbon Monoxide As A Substrate For Microbial Maintenance, Gary M. King

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Bacteria play an important role in the global budget of carbon monoxide (CO). Largely unknown bacterial populations in soils and the water column of aquatic systems oxidize hundreds of teragrams per year, or about 10%-20% of the estimated annual flux to the atmosphere. In spite of their biogeochemical significance, relatively little is known about the identity of CO-oxidizing populations active in situ, their phylogenic and physiological diversity or the importance of CO as substrate for their basic metabolic needs. of CO oxidizers. It is clear that CO at high concentrations (> 1000 ppm) can serve as a sole source of …

Construction And Analysis Of An Ozone Profile Climatology Over Houston, Texas, Gary A. Morris, Anne M. Thompson, Ryan Perna, John Yorks, Bernhard Rappengluek, Greg Ostermann, Barry Lefer, Renee Boudreaux, Aaron Chow, Bonnie Ford, Elizabeth Thompson, Scott Hersey, Brittni Emery

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Presentations

Since the summer of 2004, over 200 ozonesondes have been launched from the campuses of Rice University or the University of Houston (29.7 N, 95.3 W), each about 3 miles from downtown Houston. These sounding launches have been sponsored by NASA, the Shell Center for Sustainability of Rice University, and the Texas Commissions for Environmental Quality as part of a large effort to understand Houston’s ozone problem. Data from these soundings have provided valuable insight into the seasonal and diurnal variations of the vertical ozone distribution and their relationship to changes in atmospheric conditions. In this presentation, we show annual …

The Global Stratotype Section And Point (Gssp) For The Base Of The Katian Stage Of The Upper Ordovician Series At Black Knob Ridge, Southeastern Oklahoma, Usa, Daniel Goldman, Stephen A. Leslie, Jaak Nõlvak, Seth Young, Stig M. Bergström, Warren D. Huff

Geology Faculty Publications

The International Subcomission on Ordovician Stratigraphy (ISOS) of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) recently defined the base of the global Upper Ordovician Series to be at the first appearance datum (FAD) of the graptolite species Nemagraptus gracilis in the Fågelsång GSSP in southern Sweden. This designation recognized the tremendous utility for global correlation of the first appearance of a cosmopolitan taxon that occurs within a consistent succession of other first appearance datums (e.g., Finney and Bergström, 1986; Bergström et al., 2000). Current efforts by the ISOS have focused on subdividing the Upper Ordovician into three stages and choosing appropriate …

Hunting For Hydrothermal Vents Along The Galápagos Spreading Center, Rachel M. Haymon, Edward T. Baker, Joseph A. Resing, Scott M. White, Ken C. Macdonald

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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

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

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 …

Ground Water Level Measurements In Selected Boreholes Near The Site Of The Proposed Repository, H. Scott Page, Klaus J. Stetzenbach, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

The purpose of this report is to summarize the work and present conclusions of Project Activity Task FY-04-005 conducted under DE-FC28-04RW12232 between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). The work was conducted in the Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies of the University of Nevada – Las Vegas from Oct 1, 2003 to Sept 30, 2007.

Persistent Near-Bottom Aggregations Of Mesopelagic Animals Along The North Carolina And Virginia Continental Slopes, John V. Gartner Jr., Kenneth J. Sulak, Steve W. Ross, Ann Marie Necaise

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Submersible observations during four missions over the North Carolina and Virginia continental slopes (184–900 m) documented the occurrence of large aggregations of mesopelagic Wshes and macronektonic invertebrates near or on the bottom. Aggregated mesopelagics formed a layer up to tens of meters deep positioned from a few centimeters to 20 m, usually <10 >m, above the substrate. Aggregations were numerically dominated by microvores, notably the myctophid Wsh Ceratoscopelus maderensis and the penaeid shrimp Sergestes arcticus. Consistently present but in relatively lower numbers, were mesopelagic predators, including the paralepidids Notolepis rissoi and Lestidium atlanticum, the eel Nemichthys scolopaceus, the …

Inconsistencies Between Pangean Reconstructions And Basic Climate Controls, Clinton Rowe, David B. Loope, Robert J. Oglesby, Rob Van Der Voo, Charles E. Broadwater

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The supercontinent Pangea dominated our planet from the Permian into the Jurassic. Paleomagnetic reconstructions have been used to estimate the latitudinal position of Pangea during this 100-million-year period. Atmospheric circulation, recorded by eolian sandstones in the southwestern United States, shows a broad sweep of northeasterly winds over their northernmost extent, curving to become northwesterly in the south. This evidence is consistent with paleomagnetic reconstructions of the region straddling the equator in the Early Permian but is at odds with its northward movement to about 20°N by the Early Jurassic. At least one of the following scenarios must be true: the …

Retreating To Advance Women Geoscience Faculty, Suzanne O'Connell, Mary Anne Holmes

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Seventeen women geoscientists from New England, New York, and New Jersey assembled for a writing retreat at Boston College's Connors Family Retreat and Conference Center, set on 80 pastoral acres on the outskirts of Boston. Funded through the National Science Foundation ADVANCE program, the retreat had two objectives: to facilitate writing and to develop a supportive community. It succeeded on both accounts. Although new to science, retreats of this sort have long been a highly sought after experience for writers in other disciplines. The potential benefits for scientists, in particular, women scientists, are great. Writing is a cornerstone of our …

Energy-Constrained Recharge, Assimilation, And Fractional Crystallization (Ec-Raxfc): A Visual Basic Computer Code For Calculating Trace Element And Isotope Variations Of Opensystem Magmatic Systems, Wendy A. Bohrson, Frank J. Spera

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Volcanic and plutonic rocks provide abundant evidence for complex processes that occur in magma storage and transport systems. The fingerprint of these processes, which include fractional crystallization, assimilation, and magma recharge, is captured in petrologic and geochemical characteristics of suites of cogenetic rocks. Quantitatively evaluating the relative contributions of each process requires integration of mass, species, and energy constraints, applied in a self-consistent way. The energy-constrained model Energy-Constrained Recharge, Assimilation, and Fractional Crystallization (EC-RaxFC) tracks the trace element and isotopic evolution of a magmatic system (melt + solids) undergoing simultaneous fractional crystallization, recharge, and assimilation. Mass, thermal, and compositional (trace …

Relationship Between Vegetation Biophysical Properties And Surface Temperature Using Multisensor Satellite Data, Seungbum Hong, Venkataraman Lakshmi, Eric Small

Faculty Publications

Vegetation is an important factor in global climatic variability and plays a key role in the complexinteractions between the land surface and the atmosphere. This study focuses on the spatial and temporalvariability of vegetation and its relationship with land–atmosphere interactions. The authors have analyzedthe vegetation water content (VegWC) from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS(AMSR-E), the leaf area index (LAI), the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the land surfacetemperature (Ts), and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Three regions,which have climatically differing characteristics, have been selected: the North America Monsoon System(NAMS) region, the Southern Great Plains (SGP) region, and …

Ice Elevation Near The West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide During The Last Glaciation, Robert P. Ackert Jr., Sujoy Mukhopadhyay, Byron R. Parizek, Harold W. Borns Jr.

Earth Science Faculty Scholarship

Interior ice elevations of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) during the last glaciation, which can serve as benchmarks for ice-sheet models, are largely unconstrained. Here we report past ice elevation data from the Ohio Range, located near the WAIS divide and the onset region of the Mercer Ice Stream. Cosmogenic exposure ages of glacial erratics that record a WAIS highstand similar to 125 m above the present surface date to similar to 11.5 ka. The deglacial chronology prohibits an interior WAIS contribution to meltwater pulse 1A. Our observational data of ice elevation changes compare well with predictions of a …

Saprolegniaceae Identified On Amphibian Eggs Throughout The Pacific Northwest, Usa, By Internal Transcribed Spacer Sequences And Phylogenetic Analysis, Jill E. Petrisko, Christopher A. Pearl, David S. Pilliod, Peter P. Sheridan, Charles F. Williams, Charles R. Peterson, R. Bruce Bury

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We assessed the diversity and phylogeny of Saprolegniaceae on amphibian eggs from the Pacific Northwest, with particular focus on Saprolegnia ferax, a species implicated in high egg mortality. We identified isolates from eggs of six amphibians with the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 5.8S gene regions and BLAST of the GenBank database. We identified 68 sequences as Saprolegniaceae and 43 sequences as true fungi from at least nine genera. Our phylogenetic analysis of the Saprolegniaceae included isolates within the genera Saprolegnia, Achlya and Leptolegnia. Our phylogeny grouped S. semihypogyna with Achlya rather than with the Saprolegnia reference …

Sedimentology Of The Whiteclay Gravel Beds (Ogallala Group) In Northwestern Nebraska, Usa: Structurally Controlled Drainage Promoted By Early Miocene Uplift Of The Black Hills Dome, Christopher R. Fielding, Hannan E. Lagarry, Leigh Anne Lagarry, Bruce E. Bailey, James B. Swinehart

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The newly recognized Whiteclay Gravel Beds (WGB) of the Miocene Ogallala Group crop out as a narrow, discontin­uous ribbon of sands and gravels in Dawes and Sheridan Counties, northwestern Nebraska, USA. The WGB are ex­posed in a series of municipal gravel quarries and natural exposures that define a linear trench in underlying strata at least 20 m deep and up to 300 m wide, with short, southeast-trending reaches separating generally longer east-trend­ing sections. This gravel-filled trench can be recognized from the Nebraska–South Dakota border near Whiteclay, Ne­braska southeastward to east of Gordon, Nebraska, a distance of ~ 30 km. The …

Elastic Uplift In Southeast Greenland Due To Rapid Ice Mass Loss, Shfaqat A. Khan, John Wahr, Leigh A. Stearns, Gordon S. Hamilton, Tonie Van Dam, Kristine M. Larson, Olivier Francis

Earth Science Faculty Scholarship

The rapid unloading of ice from the southeastern sector of the Greenland ice sheet between 2001 and 2006 caused an elastic uplift of similar to 35 mm at a GPS site in Kulusuk. Most of the uplift results from ice dynamic-induced volume losses on two nearby outlet glaciers. Volume loss from Helheim Glacier, calculated from sequential digital elevation models, contributes about similar to 16 mm of the observed uplift, with an additional similar to 5 mm from volume loss of Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier. The remaining uplift signal is attributed to significant melt-induced ice volume loss from the ice sheet margin along …

Sedimentology And Stratigraphic Architecture Of The Late Permian Betts Creek Beds, Queensland, Australia, Jonathan P. Allen, Christopher R. Fielding

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The Late Permian Betts Creek Beds form a succession of coal-bearing alluvial-coastal plain sediments in a basin marginal setting within the northeastern Galilee Basin, Queensland, Australia. The unit is ~ 50–60 m in thick­ness at Porcupine Creek National Park where outcrop is laterally continuous for several kilometers. Eight fa­cies have been identified within the formation and can be grouped into 2 facies associations: (A) channel depos­its and (B) floodbasin deposits. The channel association consists of conglomerate (A1) and trough cross-bedded multistorey sandstone facies (A2), both interpreted as deposits of low-sinuosity river systems, tidally influenced fluvial channels (A3), interbedded sandstone and …

Seismicity In The Vicinity Of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, For The Period October 1, 2004 To September 30, 2006, Ken Smith, John G. Anderson, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

This report describes earthquake activity within approximately 65 km of Yucca Mountain site during the October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2006 time period (FY05-06). The FY05-06 earthquake activity will be compared with the historical and more recent period of seismic activity in the Yucca Mountain region. The relationship between the distribution of seismicity and active faults, historical patterns of activity, and rates of earthquakes (number of events and their magnitudes) are important components in the assessment of the seismic hazard for the Yucca Mountain site. Since October 1992 the University of Nevada has compiled a catalog of earthquakes in …

Seismicity In The Vicinity Of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, For The Period October 1, 2002 To September 30, 2003, Ken Smith, David Vin Seggern, John G. Anderson, Richard Quittmeyer, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

Earthquake activity in the Yucca Mountain from October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003 (FY03) is assessed and compared with previous activity in the region. FY03 is the first reporting year since the 1992 M 5.6 Little Skull Mountain earthquake with no earthquakes greater than M 3.0 within 65 km of Yucca Mountain. In addition, FY03 includes the fewest number of earthquakes greater than M 2.0 in any reporting year since the LSM event. With 3075 earthquakes in the catalog, FY03 represents the second largest number of earthquakes (second to FY02) since FY96 when digital seismic network operations began. The …