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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Transition From Contraction To Extension In The Northeastern Basin And Range: New Evidence From The Copper Mountains, Nevada, Jeffrey M. Rahl, Allen J. Mcgrew, Kenneth A. Foland Apr 2016

Transition From Contraction To Extension In The Northeastern Basin And Range: New Evidence From The Copper Mountains, Nevada, Jeffrey M. Rahl, Allen J. Mcgrew, Kenneth A. Foland

Allen J. McGrew

New mapping, structural analysis, and 40Ar/39Ar dating reveal an unusually well‐constrained history of Late Eocene extension in the Copper Mountains of the northern Basin and Range province. In this area, the northeast‐trending Copper Creek normal fault juxtaposes a distinctive sequence of metacarbonate and granitoid rocks against a footwall of Upper Precambrian to Lower Cambrian quartzite and phyllite. Correlation of the hanging wall with footwall rocks to the northwest provides an approximate piercing point that requires 8–12 km displacement in an ESE direction. This displaced fault slice is itself bounded above by another normal fault (the Meadow Fork Fault), which brings …


Multispectral Image Analysis Of Glaciers And Glacier Lakes In The Chugach Mountains, Alaska, Jeffrey Kargel, Matthew Beedle, Andrew Bush, Francisco Carreño, Elena Castellanos, Umesh Haritashya, Gregory Leonard, Javier Lillo, Ivan Lopez, Mark Pleasants, Edward Pollock, David Wolfe Mar 2016

Multispectral Image Analysis Of Glaciers And Glacier Lakes In The Chugach Mountains, Alaska, Jeffrey Kargel, Matthew Beedle, Andrew Bush, Francisco Carreño, Elena Castellanos, Umesh Haritashya, Gregory Leonard, Javier Lillo, Ivan Lopez, Mark Pleasants, Edward Pollock, David Wolfe

Umesh Haritashya

The Chugach Mountains contain the largest nonpolar alpine glaciers in the world and include a wide variety of glacier types: some are land terminating; some calve variously into tidewater, lakes, and rivers; some are heavily debris covered; some are surge-type, whereas others are neither debris covered nor surge type. Nearly all are retreating, thinning, or both, though some rare ones are advancing, and some are thickening at high elevations. To assist the further documentation of changes, we establish an inventory of glaciers in the eastern Chugach Mountains. Several case studies of diverse glacier types showcase remotesensing applications and are used …


Evaluating The Effects Of Landscape Configuration On Site Occupancy And Movement Dynamics Of Odonates In Iowa, Tyler Harms, Karen Kinkhead, Stephen Dinsmore Mar 2016

Evaluating The Effects Of Landscape Configuration On Site Occupancy And Movement Dynamics Of Odonates In Iowa, Tyler Harms, Karen Kinkhead, Stephen Dinsmore

Tyler Harms

Odonates contribute highly to global biodiversity and are considered good indicators of environmental quality, but they are under-studied and quantitative information on their habitat associations is lacking. Our objective was to examine the effects of landscape configuration on site occupancy and movement dynamics of four odonate species in Iowa: Tramea onusta, Epitheca princeps, Pantala flavescens, and Calopteryx maculata. We conducted standardized visual encounter surveys for odonates at 233 public properties in Iowa from 2007 to 2011 and computed landscape variables within a 200, 600 m, and 1 km radius of each surveyed site. Using a robust design occupancy model in …


Density, Abundance, And Habitat Associations Of The Inland Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza Georgiana Georgiana) In Iowa, Tyler Harms, Stephen Dinsmore Mar 2016

Density, Abundance, And Habitat Associations Of The Inland Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza Georgiana Georgiana) In Iowa, Tyler Harms, Stephen Dinsmore

Tyler Harms

Wetlands continue to decline throughout North America and the Prairie Pothole Region, thus emphasizing the importance of understanding population trends and habitat associations of wetland species to ensure effective conservation and habitat management of those species. We estimated density and abundance and evaluated habitat associations of the Inland Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana georgiana) in Iowa. We conducted standardized distance sampling surveys for Swamp Sparrows and measured habitat characteristics at 307 wetlands in two regions of Iowa in 2009 and 2010. We used Program Distance to model detection probability and estimate region-specific breeding densities of Swamp Sparrows at Iowa …


Influence Of Season And Time Of Day On Marsh Bird Detections, Tyler Harms, Stephen Dinsmore Mar 2016

Influence Of Season And Time Of Day On Marsh Bird Detections, Tyler Harms, Stephen Dinsmore

Tyler Harms

Call-broadcast surveys are frequently used to elicit responses of secretive marsh birds and produce greater detection rates than passive surveys. However, little is known about how detection rates of birds from these surveys differ by season and time of day. We conducted call-broadcast surveys for eight focal species at 56 wetlands throughout Iowa from 15 May–13 June 2010 (early season) and from 15 June–10 July 2010 (late season). Our focal species were Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis), King Rail (Rallus elegans), Virginia Rail (Rallus …


Density And Abundance Of Secretive Marsh Birds In Iowa, Tyler Harms, Stephen Dinsmore Mar 2016

Density And Abundance Of Secretive Marsh Birds In Iowa, Tyler Harms, Stephen Dinsmore

Tyler Harms

A decrease in wetland habitats throughout North America has caused a decline in populations of marsh birds. The objective of this study was to estimate population densities and abundances of secretive marsh birds in Iowa. Call-broadcast surveys were conducted in conjunction with distance sampling for eight species of marsh birds at wetlands in three regions of Iowa during 2009 and 2010. Regions were defined by observed microhabitat characteristics which also corresponded to physiographic regions. Region-specific density estimates were obtained using Program Distance for four species of marsh birds for which sufficient detections existed (Pied-billed Grebe [Podilymbus podiceps], Least …


Iceland: Extreme Learning In The Land Of Fire And Ice, Jason Polk, Leslie North Feb 2016

Iceland: Extreme Learning In The Land Of Fire And Ice, Jason Polk, Leslie North

Leslie North

WKU Libraries kicked off the spring season of "Far Away Places" with Dr. Jason Polk and Dr. Leslie North, Asstant Professors from the Department of Geography and Geology at WKU, who talked about leading a study abroad group to Iceland in the summer of 2015. WKU Libraries kicks off the spring season of Far Away Places with Jason Polk and Leslie North, Asst. Professors from the Department of Geography and Geology at WKU, who will be talking about leading a study abroad group to Iceland in the summer of 2015. Dr. Polk and Dr. North co-taught this course with faculty …


Emissions Scenarios In The Face Of Fossil-Fuel Peaking, Robert Brecha Feb 2016

Emissions Scenarios In The Face Of Fossil-Fuel Peaking, Robert Brecha

Robert J. Brecha

Emissions scenarios used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are based on detailed energy system models in which demographics, technology and economics are used to generate projections of future world energy consumption, and therefore, of greenhouse gas emissions. We propose in this paper that it is useful to look at a qualitative model of the energy system, backed by data from short- and medium-term trends, to gain a sense of carbon emission bounds. Here we look at what may be considered a lower bound for 21st century emissions given two assumptions: first, that extractable fossil-fuel resources follow the …


Cost Optimization With Solar And Conventional Energy Production, Energy Storage, And Real Time Pricing, Ata Raziei, Kevin Hallinan, Robert Brecha Feb 2016

Cost Optimization With Solar And Conventional Energy Production, Energy Storage, And Real Time Pricing, Ata Raziei, Kevin Hallinan, Robert Brecha

Robert J. Brecha

Research is presented that investigates the potential for solar power generation with battery energy storage for reducing the effective cost of energy delivered to residential customers if real time pricing is present. A linear optimization approach is developed based upon a two-step process. In step one, given a specified solar array area and battery capacity, the optimal means to meet loads based upon grid power, solar power, and/or battery power is determined. This analysis considers an expected lifespan of the solar panel. With these results established, in the next step, the capital costs for the solar arrays and batteries are …


The Carbon Rent Economics Of Climate Policy, Matthias Kalkuhl, Robert Brecha Jan 2016

The Carbon Rent Economics Of Climate Policy, Matthias Kalkuhl, Robert Brecha

Robert J. Brecha

By reducing the demand for fossil fuels, climate policy can reduce scarcity rents for fossil resource owners. As mitigation policies ultimately aim to limit emissions, a new scarcity for “space” in the atmosphere to deposit emissions is created. The associated scarcity rent, or climate rent (that is, for example, directly visible in permit prices under an emission trading scheme) can be higher or lower than the original fossil resource rent. In this paper, we analyze analytically and numerically the impact of mitigation targets, resource availability, backstop costs, discount rates and demand parameters on fossil resource rents and the climate rent. …


Analyzing Major Challenges Of Wind And Solar Variability In Power Systems, Falko Ueckerdt, Robert Brecha, Gunnar Luderer Jan 2016

Analyzing Major Challenges Of Wind And Solar Variability In Power Systems, Falko Ueckerdt, Robert Brecha, Gunnar Luderer

Robert J. Brecha

Ambitious policy targets together with current and projected high growth rates indicate that future power systems will likely show substantially increased generation from renewable energy sources. A large share will come from the variable renewable energy (VRE) sources wind and solar photovoltaics (PV); however, integrating wind and solar causes challenges for existing power systems. In this paper we analyze three major integration challenges related to the structural matching of demand with the supply of wind and solar power: low capacity credit, reduced utilization of dispatchable plants, and over-produced generation. Based on residual load duration curves we define corresponding challenge variables …


Global Fossil Energy Markets And Climate Change Mitigation: An Analysis With Remind, Nico Bauer, Ioanna Mouratiadou, Gunnar Luderer, Lavinia Baumstark, Robert Brecha, Ottmar Edenhofer, Elmar Kriegler Jan 2016

Global Fossil Energy Markets And Climate Change Mitigation: An Analysis With Remind, Nico Bauer, Ioanna Mouratiadou, Gunnar Luderer, Lavinia Baumstark, Robert Brecha, Ottmar Edenhofer, Elmar Kriegler

Robert J. Brecha

We analyze the dynamics of global fossil resource markets under different assumptions for the supply of fossil fuel resources, development pathways for energy demand, and climate policy settings. Resource markets, in particular the oil market, are characterized by a large discrepancy between costs of resource extraction and commodity prices on international markets. We explain this observation in terms of (a) the intertemporal scarcity rent, (b) regional price differentials arising from trade and transport costs, (c) heterogeneity and inertia in the extraction sector. These effects are captured by the REMIND model. We use the model to explore economic effects of changes …


Logistic Curves, Extraction Costs And Peak Oil, Robert Brecha Jan 2016

Logistic Curves, Extraction Costs And Peak Oil, Robert Brecha

Robert J. Brecha

Debates about the possibility of a near-term maximum in world oil production have become increasingly prominent over the past decade, with the focus often being on the quantification of geologically available and technologically recoverable amounts of oil in the ground. Economically, the important parameter is not a physical limit to resources in the ground, but whether market price signals and costs of extraction will indicate the efficiency of extracting conventional or nonconventional resources as opposed to making substitutions over time for other fuels and technologies. We present a hybrid approach to the peak-oil question with two models in which the …


Economic And Environmental Impacts Of Community-Based Residential Building Energy Efficiency Investment, Jun-Ki Choi, Drew Morrison, Kevin Hallinan, Robert Brecha Jan 2016

Economic And Environmental Impacts Of Community-Based Residential Building Energy Efficiency Investment, Jun-Ki Choi, Drew Morrison, Kevin Hallinan, Robert Brecha

Robert J. Brecha

A systematic framework for evaluating the local economic and environmental impacts of investment in building energy efficiency is developed. Historical residential building energy data, community-wide economic input-output data, and emission intensity data are utilized. The aim of this study is to show the comprehensive insights and connection among achieving variable target reductions for a residential building energy use, economic and environmental impacts. Central to this approach for the building energy reduction goal is the creation of individual energy models for each building based upon historical energy data and available building data. From these models, savings estimates and cost implications can …


Cost-Availability Curves For Hierarchical Implementation Of Residential Energy-Efficiency Measures, Roman Villoria-Siegert, Philip Brodrick, Kevin Hallinan, Robert Brecha Jan 2016

Cost-Availability Curves For Hierarchical Implementation Of Residential Energy-Efficiency Measures, Roman Villoria-Siegert, Philip Brodrick, Kevin Hallinan, Robert Brecha

Robert J. Brecha

Historical residential electricity data and natural gas consumption data were collected for, respectively, 1,200 and 178 residences in a small town in the USA. These data were merged with local building and weather databases, and energy consumption models were developed for each residence, revealing substantial variation in heating and cooling intensity. After estimating approximate physical building characteristics, energy profiles for each residence were calculated, and savings from adoption of the most cost-effective energy-efficiency measures for each residence were estimated. Effectively, we wish to leverage commonly available data sets to infer characteristics of building envelopes and equipment, without the need for …


Development Without Energy? Assessing Future Scenarios Of Energy Consumption In Developing Countries, Jan Steckel, Robert Brecha, Michael Jakob, Jessica Strefler, Gunnar Luderer Jan 2016

Development Without Energy? Assessing Future Scenarios Of Energy Consumption In Developing Countries, Jan Steckel, Robert Brecha, Michael Jakob, Jessica Strefler, Gunnar Luderer

Robert J. Brecha

We analyze the relationship between economic development and energy consumption in the context of greenhouse gas mitigation. The main contribution of this work is to compare estimates of energy thresholds in the form of minimum energy requirements to reach high levels of development with output projections of per capita final energy supply from a group of integrated assessment models (IAMs). Scenarios project that reductions of carbon emissions in developing countries will be achieved not only by means of decreasing the carbon intensity, but also by making a significant break with the historically observed relationship between energy use and economic growth. …


Public-Private Partnership In Emergency And Disaster Management: Examples From The Queensland Floods 2010-2011, Bhishna Bajracharya, Peter Hastings Jan 2016

Public-Private Partnership In Emergency And Disaster Management: Examples From The Queensland Floods 2010-2011, Bhishna Bajracharya, Peter Hastings

Bhishna Bajracharya

Numerous international studies have corroborated the value of public–private sector partnerships in reducing vulnerability and building resilience to emergencies and disasters. This paper proposes a simple conceptual framework for public–private partnerships in emergency and disaster management that could be applied to research and policy analysis in Australia. The framework proposes three dimensions: sector types (public, business and community), partnership arrangements (legislated and formal to informal agreements), and partnership roles (strategic and resilience-building and response and recovery). This paper describes how the three sectors can work together under various partnership arrangements for preventive or responsive measures in emergency and disaster management. …


Boom Or Bust? Mapping Out The Known Unknowns Of Global Shale Gas Production Potential, Jérôme Hilaire, Nico Bauer, Robert Brecha Jan 2016

Boom Or Bust? Mapping Out The Known Unknowns Of Global Shale Gas Production Potential, Jérôme Hilaire, Nico Bauer, Robert Brecha

Robert J. Brecha

To assess the global production costs of shale gas, we combine global top-down data with detailed bottom-up information. Studies solely based on top-down approaches do not adequately account for the heterogeneity of shale gas deposits and hence, are unlikely to appropriately capture the extraction costs of shale gas. We design and provide an expedient bottom-up method based on publicly available US data to compute the levelized costs of shale gas extraction. Our results indicate the existence of economically attractive areas but also reveal a dramatic cost increase as lower-quality reservoirs are exploited. At the global level, our best estimate suggests …


Trends Analysis Of Coastal Training Programs In The National Estuarine Research Reserve System: Executive Summary, Claudette Robey, Kevin O'Brien, Kirstin Toth, Dan Baracksay, Michael Mcgoun, Wendy Kellogg, Michael Tevesz Dec 2015

Trends Analysis Of Coastal Training Programs In The National Estuarine Research Reserve System: Executive Summary, Claudette Robey, Kevin O'Brien, Kirstin Toth, Dan Baracksay, Michael Mcgoun, Wendy Kellogg, Michael Tevesz

Michael J. Tevesz

No abstract provided.


Wildlife Of The Gold Coast Wetlands, Shelley Burgin, Daryl Mcphee Aug 2015

Wildlife Of The Gold Coast Wetlands, Shelley Burgin, Daryl Mcphee

Daryl McPhee

Extract: Water in the landscape of the Gold Coast is dominated by marine and marine-influenced systems. The most obvious are the in-shore waters abutting the Gold Coast's world-famous beaches and estuaries. Little more than a glance at a map of the city also reveals the extensive canal estates built to take advantage of the marine waters, and indeed expand them. The waters of the rivers mix with the ocean's waters in the estuaries. These ecosystems are valuable nursery areas for marine wildlife, particularly, but not restricted to, fishes of commercial and recreational value.


Marine Environments Of The Gold Coast: Out With The Old, In With The New, Daryl Mcphee Aug 2015

Marine Environments Of The Gold Coast: Out With The Old, In With The New, Daryl Mcphee

Daryl McPhee

Extract: The marine environments of the Gold Coast comprise one of the most highly modified and heavily utilised waterways in Australia. Chapters 2 and 3 discussed changes in the historic land use patterns. Just what has this meant to the marine environments of the Gold Coast? In this chapter the contemporary marine h abitats of the Gold Coast are described, along with the fauna that those habitats support. We talk about how the current status of the habitats compares with various historical points in time, and the role of novel habitats. Given the impor tance of recreational fishing to both …


In Conclusion, Something To Chew On: Native Plant Foods Of The Gold Coast, Simon Grigalius, Daryl Mcphee Aug 2015

In Conclusion, Something To Chew On: Native Plant Foods Of The Gold Coast, Simon Grigalius, Daryl Mcphee

Daryl McPhee

Extract: Ask most people what Gold Coast food is and you may hear answers like the ubiquitous prawn cocktail with avocado, a burger with ' fresh' pineapple available at the local surf club, or fish and chips (eaten on the beach to give it the seaside connection), with the fish often imported from New Zealand or Vietnam. None of this is the true food of the Gold Coast.


A Brief History Of Discovery, Settlement And Development, Tor Hundloe, Craig Page Aug 2015

A Brief History Of Discovery, Settlement And Development, Tor Hundloe, Craig Page

Tor Hundloe

Extract: If we can rely on anecdotal data, the answers to what is truly Australian will start with mention of the koala, go to kangaroos and then include the rest of Australia's peculiar (to foreigners) fauna. The only exception might be that if we asked a male from the Asian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) what he identified Australia with, he might answer 'Cricket'. Putting that aside, the Gold Coast is very likely to be in the mix of Australian icons. To capture the essence of the Gold Coast, we need to talk about its history in more …


The Impact On The Gold Coast's Terrestrial Environments, Tor Hundloe Aug 2015

The Impact On The Gold Coast's Terrestrial Environments, Tor Hundloe

Tor Hundloe

Extract: We tend to think of the Gold Coast as a water environment. As tourists know, it sits on the shore of the vast Pacific Ocean. That is why most come. They have seen the magnificent photographs. If not perched on flattened dunes looking east to the ocean, a significant part of the urban Gold Coast environment is located around natural and human-made water environments. Of these we will say little here, other than to note their extent. The focus of this chapter is the city's terrestrial environments, reporting on and ultimately, after describing the environments, discussing what proportion of …


The Gold Coast Before Cook Named Mount Warning, Tor Hundloe Aug 2015

The Gold Coast Before Cook Named Mount Warning, Tor Hundloe

Tor Hundloe

Extract: We could and should ask, where does the Gold Coast sit on a scale from 'good' to 'bad' in environmental terms? Sustainable or unsustainable? Is it progressing or regressing? It is far too early in the book to attempt to answer this. Maybe at the end of the book you will feel confident to make your own assessment. What we do in this chapter is to make obvious a small number of seemingly irreversible changes that have occurred since the first escaped convicts walked the Gold Coast beaches. We know that indigenous Australians have lived on the Gold Coast …


The Gold Coast: A Snapshot, Tor Hundloe Aug 2015

The Gold Coast: A Snapshot, Tor Hundloe

Tor Hundloe

Extract: We know the city's boundaries as they are today (they have changed dramatically over time) and that is all we need to answer the question: what is the size of the city? The city's boundaries today are shown in Plate 3. As noted previously, the Gold Coast was a lot smaller in a geographical sense a couple of generations ago. When it was known as the 'South Coast' (or simply 'the Coast'), its northern boundary was at Lands End, north of Labrador. Coolangatta to Lands End established the south- north limits. Beenleigh in Logan City was considered the half-way …


State Of The Environment, Tor Hundloe Aug 2015

State Of The Environment, Tor Hundloe

Tor Hundloe

Extract: What have we done? What have we learned? In this chapter we turn our attention to the people of the Gold Coast and their environmental impacts, as experienced in the 21st century. The past is gone. The damage is done. Dramatic change in landforms and ecological relationships are inevitable in building cities. From this we can only learn and do things better in the future. This is why there will never be another Gold Coast like the one we describe in this book.


Reducing The Ecological Footprint: The Prospect For Green Energy, Sophie Telfar, Tor Hundloe Aug 2015

Reducing The Ecological Footprint: The Prospect For Green Energy, Sophie Telfar, Tor Hundloe

Tor Hundloe

Extract: In this chapter we ask the question: what scope is there for Gold Coast citizens, businesses and government agencies to play a proportionally appropriate role in replacing greenhouse gas-producing fossil fuels (in the generation of electricity and for transport) by environmentally friendly energy sources? We could expect that a sunny coastal city caressed by waves, subject to diurnal tidal flows and noted for its sea breezes would have more than average potential to play a leading role in this cause. This we will explore after putting the question into perspective.


The Evolution Of Environmental Management As A Profession In Australia And New Zealand, E. Anderson, W. Haylock, Tor Hundloe, S. Molesworth, M. Morris, J. Roper-Lindsay, P. Skelton, J. Womersley Aug 2015

The Evolution Of Environmental Management As A Profession In Australia And New Zealand, E. Anderson, W. Haylock, Tor Hundloe, S. Molesworth, M. Morris, J. Roper-Lindsay, P. Skelton, J. Womersley

Tor Hundloe

Environmental management is a relatively new profession, having evolved since the rapid worldwide rise in environmental consciousness in the 1960s. This article, by past presidents of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand, the inaugural editor of the Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, and collaborators, reflects on the establishment and development of environmental management as a profession, and the parallel development of the Institute as the focus for the profession. It concludes by considering future directions for the profession and Institute.


Deposition, Deflation And Diagenesis Of Upper Paleozoic Eolian Sediments Canyonlands National Park, Utah, David Loope Aug 2015

Deposition, Deflation And Diagenesis Of Upper Paleozoic Eolian Sediments Canyonlands National Park, Utah, David Loope

David B. Loope

No abstract provided.