Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 8 of 8
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Determining Water Requirements In Turfgrass Systems, Tyler Quinn Carr
Determining Water Requirements In Turfgrass Systems, Tyler Quinn Carr
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Turfgrass lawns are commonly utilized for home and commercial applications because of the aesthetic, environmental, and recreational benefits grasses provide, but many people perceive turfgrass as solely an aesthetic benefit that requires significant water inputs. It is important to identify and use turfgrass cultivars that have known drought tolerance, and also fine-tune and throughout development. A series of field experiments were conducted to determine the water requirements of turfgrass lawn systems with the following objectives: 1) investigate differences in chronic drought resistance and irrigation recommendations among cultivars of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) 2) …
Desertification Risk Analysis Based On Soils And Climate In Olive Cultivated Areas In Tulare County, California, Zehra Kavakli Karatas
Desertification Risk Analysis Based On Soils And Climate In Olive Cultivated Areas In Tulare County, California, Zehra Kavakli Karatas
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Desertification is one of the most critical environmental problems caused by human activities and climate change. As a result of human activities, land degradation has been seen in many agricultural areas. Intense pressure on cultivated fields causes loss of soil fertility, which can then lead to desertification. Planting plant drought-resistant plants, such as olives, is one strategy for reducing desertification risk in cultivated areas. It is essential to find a way not only how to combat this process but also how to adapt or survive with desertification conditions. Defining desertification risks have a fundamental role in combating drought. The goal …
Evaluating Future Reservoir Storage In The Rio Grande Using Normalized Climate Projections And A Water Balance Model, Nolan T. Townsend
Evaluating Future Reservoir Storage In The Rio Grande Using Normalized Climate Projections And A Water Balance Model, Nolan T. Townsend
Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs
We develop and implement new tools for assessing the future of surface water supplies in downstream reaches of the Rio Grande, for which Elephant Butte Reservoir is the major storage reservoir. First, a normalization procedure is developed to adjust natural Rio Grande streamflows simulated by dynamical models in downstream reaches. The normalization accounts for upstream anthropogenic impairments to flow that are not considered in the model, thereby yielding downstream flows closer to observed values and more appropriate for use in assessments of future flows in downstream reaches. The normalization is applied to assess the potential effects of climate change on …
Beaver (Castor Canadensis) Of The Salinas River: A Human Dimensions-Inclusive Overview For Assessing Landscape-Scale Beaver-Assisted Restoration Opportunities, Stuart Christian Suplick
Beaver (Castor Canadensis) Of The Salinas River: A Human Dimensions-Inclusive Overview For Assessing Landscape-Scale Beaver-Assisted Restoration Opportunities, Stuart Christian Suplick
Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences
Across the western United States, researchers are increasingly working with beaver (Castor canadensis) for process-based stream and watershed restoration. One recently-developed geographic information system-based tool, the Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool (BRAT), analyzes opportunities for beaver-assisted restoration (BAR) at a landscape-scale. However, this tool benefits significantly from human dimensions-inclusive, basin-centralized beaver knowledge for proper interpretation. Unfortunately, this information is scattered or absent in most semi-arid and arid southern California basins. This study thus sought to gather and produce this information through an explorative, benefits-maximizing approach to landscape-scale BAR opportunities assessment in one of these basins, the Salinas River. 49.2 …
The Effect Of Evapotranspiration On The Groundwater Dome And Past Drought Conditions At Cape Henry, Virginia, Bryce Omar Shoup
The Effect Of Evapotranspiration On The Groundwater Dome And Past Drought Conditions At Cape Henry, Virginia, Bryce Omar Shoup
OES Theses and Dissertations
First Landing State Park, located in Virginia Beach, is a cuspate foreland developed from a succession of erosional and progradational events forming a series of dunes and interdunal swales. Low-lying swales dominate the southern portion of the park forming many wetlands, but the northern portion of the park has fewer wetlands. An asymmetric groundwater dome has been observed on Cape Henry, cresting north of the geographic center of the cuspate foreland. The purpose of this study was to determine if the wetlands that dominate the southern portion of the park are the major driver of the asymmetric groundwater dome and …
Wetland Biogeochemical Responses To Predicted Climate Change Scenarios, Angela R. Shaffer
Wetland Biogeochemical Responses To Predicted Climate Change Scenarios, Angela R. Shaffer
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Wetlands are one of the world's largest known carbon sinks while comprising only a small amount of the Earth's surface. However, the amount of carbon sequestered by wetlands is shrinking as droughts and human disturbance increases. Carbon in wetlands is stored through the contrast of decomposition and sedimentation of organic matter and absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere by soil microbes. Understanding how changing hydrological regimes and increased wildfires will affect wetland soil and microbial processes is important in the face of predicted climate change for future wetland conservation practices. Specifically, I seek to understand the response of southeastern …
Mechanisms And Spatial Patterns Of Bark Beetle-Associated Mortality Following Variable Density Thinning Treatments In A Sierra Mixed-Conifer Forest, Alexis Bernal
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Long-term trends of tree mortality have increased over the last several decades, coinciding with above-average temperatures, high climatic water deficits, and bark beetle outbreaks. With the anticipation that drought and bark beetles may increase with climate change, uncertainty exists over the appropriate treatments that could ensure the future sustainability of forest resources and the ecosystem services that forests provide. Conventional thinning treatments are used to reduce stand density, with the assumption that reductions in competition can alleviate drought stress and enable trees to resist bark beetle attack. Alternative thinning treatments may also reduce stand density, but have a greater focus …
Soil Moisture Drives Canopy Water Content Dynamics In The Western U.S., Drew S. Lyons
Soil Moisture Drives Canopy Water Content Dynamics In The Western U.S., Drew S. Lyons
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Drought stress is a major contributing factor to adult tree mortality and limits regeneration across the globe. Drought effects are often studied on a site level, but recent advances in remote sensing allow for observations of plant water status across broader geographic scales. The vegetation optical depth (VOD) derived from satellite sensor microwave backscatter has been shown to be sensitive to canopy water content, and can therefore provide useful information on how plant water status changes over time. We develop an index which quantifies the normalized difference between diurnal VOD retrievals (nVOD) across the western U.S. to determine where plant …