Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Tidal Prism, Viable Eelgrass Habitat, And The Effects Of Sea Level Rise In Morro Bay, Kaden A. Caliendo

Master's Theses

The tidal prism, or the volume of water exchanged from the sea to an estuary from mean low to mean high tide, influences system hydrodynamics and ecological functioning. Since 1884, the tidal prism in Morro Bay, California has been estimated to be decreasing over time due to sedimentation from upstream practices. What is the current tidal prism in Morro Bay and how will that change with sea level rise? How will eelgrass respond to rising sea levels?

For this study, inexpensive tidal gauges were deployed at four locations in Morro Bay from March to August 2023 to measure spatially varying …

Soarnet, Deep Learning Thermal Detection For Free Flight, Jake T. Tallman

Master's Theses

Thermals are regions of rising hot air formed on the ground through the warming of the surface by the sun. Thermals are commonly used by birds and glider pilots to extend flight duration, increase cross-country distance, and conserve energy. This kind of powerless flight using natural sources of lift is called soaring. Once a thermal is encountered, the pilot flies in circles to keep within the thermal, so gaining altitude before flying off to the next thermal and towards the destination. A single thermal can net a pilot thousands of feet of elevation gain, however estimating thermal locations is not …

Understanding The Behavior Of Sulfidic Colloids In The Presence Of Metals, Daniel Zamudio, Alex Quyenvo, Vincent Noël, John Bargar

STAR Program Research Presentations

Riverton, Wyoming was host to a former uranium and vanadium ore processing plant, which operated from 1958 to 1963. The milling operations at the site contaminated the surface and shallow groundwater. The area became a Department of Energy (DOE) legacy site, where the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the DOE’s natural flushing compliance strategy. Up until the flooding in 2010, the natural flushing compliance strategy was going underway as expected. Sampling after the flood revealed a significant increase in contaminant concentration.

New updated models need to be developed to help understand the situation at Riverton, for which this laboratory experiment …

Investigation Of Pervasive Clay Layers And Their Effect On Groundwater Flow Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography In The San Antonio Groundwater Basin, James M. Carlson

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The United States Geological Survey is developing an integrated hydrologic model of the San Antonio Creek Groundwater Basin to better understand and simulate the integrated surface water and groundwater system. An abrupt 60 meter offset in groundwater depth over a distance of less than one kilometer is observed in well readings within the Cañada De Las Flores region of the groundwater basin. Abrupt changes in groundwater levels are often explained by the presence of a fault in the subsurface vertically offsetting sedimentary units. However, observations of the structural geology of this region indicates that faulting is unlikely and suggests an …

Investigation Into Strath Terrace Production In The Mud Hills, California, Patrick Morley Miller

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Rainbow Basin and Owl Canyon comprise deeply dissected uplands in the Mud Hills region near Barstow, California in the western portion of the Basin and Range geologic province. These erosional landscapes are formed in sediment deposited in a Miocene-time extensional basin. The basin was then filled with sediment before being inverted due to tectonic uplift beginning roughly 10 Ma. Sometime after 250 to 300 ka strath terraces were produced and preserved in the two drainage basins in Rainbow Basin, but not in the single drainage basin of Owl Canyon. The reason behind this difference is the main problem to be …

Visualization Of Geospatial Data As An Analytical And Educational Tool, Richard A. Vu

STAR Program Research Presentations

World Wind is an open-source API developed for Java, Android, and browsers that is designed to visualize and interact with geospatial data. The Web World Wind client is composed of four major components: the HTML template, the globe, geospatial features, and application features. The template was implemented using Bootstrap and hosts the globe provided by World Wind. This globe draws its data from multiple imagery sources, including the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Map Service and Web Map Tile Service. This enables the application to perform and visualize complex calculations with multiple types of data such as weather and terrain. …

Quantifying The Environmental Performance Of A Stream Habitat Improvement Project, Cody Morse

Master's Theses

River restoration projects are being installed worldwide to rehabilitate degraded river habitat. Many of these projects focus on stream habitat improvement (SHI), and an estimated 60%of the 37,000 projects listed in the National River Restoration Science Synthesis Program focus on SHI for salmon and trout species. These projects frequently lack a sufficient monitoring program or account for the environmental costs associated with SHI. The present study used life cycle assessment (LCA) techniques and topographic effectiveness monitoring to quantify environmental costs on the basis of geomorphic change. This methodology was a novel approach to assessing the cost-benefit relationship of SHI. To …

Tectonic Controls On Alluvial Fan Dissection In The El Paso Mountains, Michael Thomas Gaffney

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The localized dissection of alluvial fans along the western El Paso Mountains is under question. A relatively minor, south dipping normal fault, previously unmentioned in scientific literature, cuts across Quaternary terraces and alluvial fans in the piedmont of the El Paso Mountains. The linear trend of footwall uplift and the pattern of stream incision into the footwall adjacent to the linear trend of footwall uplift reveal that fan dissection is a result of base level fall caused by ongoing tectonism along the El Paso fault system. The regional importance is discussed as the timing of faulting reveals relatively recent uplift …

A Study Of Marine Terrace Formation Along The California Central Coast, Mary C. Devlin

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Marine terrace formation is in many instances attributed to wave action, and shore platforms are often called “wave-cut”. However, alternative models for marine terrace formation suggest that other types of physical and chemical weathering have a more central role in the formation of marine terraces than is widely acknowledged. Roering and Retallack (2012) concluded that the roles of subaerial physical and chemical weathering are significant, and played a major role in the formation of the terraces. In this study, weathering of beach cliffs and shore platforms associated with marine terraces at eight sites in two different locations along the central …

Stream Terrace Genesis Along Bunte Creek In The Elkhorn Plain, Ca, Madi Allgaier, Shelley Anderson, Duncan Lord

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

There are several factors influencing terrace genesis and terrace types in Bunte Creek. Strath terraces exist at upper Bunte Creek, whereas thick fill terraces exist at lower Bunte Creek. Analysis of these terraces leads to insight on what specific factors lead to their formation. Terraces were mapped along the extent of Bunte Creek. Sediment data and terrace-height data were collected for in order to make a complete analysis of the terraces. Tectonic uplift led to incision and strath terrace genesis at upper Bunte Creek. Climatic forcing and base-level rise caused alluvial aggradation behind a shutter ridge that intersects lower Bunte …

Effects Of Habitat Restoration On Soil Retention On Santa Rosa Island, Michael Perez, Kathryn Mceachern, Ken Niessen

STAR Program Research Presentations

Ranching began on Santa Rosa Island in the 1840’s, consequently introducing nonnative megafauna that put novel selective grazing pressures on endemic plant species. Their movement patterns also altered substrate integrity as the land became denuded of any stabilizing vegetation. Dense groves of island oak (Q. tomentella) are known to aid in sediment deposition and retention. The groves also function to collect water during periods of intense fog common to the island. This experiment sought to determine whether sediment is being lost or deposited on a ridge in the middle of the island containing a grove of Q. tomentella …

Development And Curation Of The Sample Data Library For The Astrobiogeochemistry Laboratory, Meika R. Nwaomah, Lorenia Jimenez, Michael Tuite

STAR Program Research Presentations

In 2011, the National Science Foundation (NSF) initiated EarthCube, an integrated cyber infrastructure initiative, to tackle challenges within geoscience research. EarthCube’s goal is to improve public access and collaboration within the geoscience community. During the summer of 2015, the Astrobiogeochemistry Laboratory (abcLab) joined the collective efforts of EarthCube by developing the Sample Data Library (SDL) for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The main focus of the SDL concentrates on effectively curating the samples collected by researchers within the Planetary Chemistry and Astrobiology section at JPL. The goal of this summer internship was to assimilate field notes, images, and from data …

Quartz Crystal Preferred Orientation And Recrystallization Patterns From Naturally Deformed Rocks Under Constriction, Riley Quine

Materials Engineering

This study analyzes crystal preferred orientation (CPO) patterns within constrictional quartz-rich gneisses. Quartz deformation and CPO patterns are an area of interest because quartz is one of the most prevalent minerals in earth's crust. Understanding the typical way that quartz crystals reorient under different states of strain can provide geologists with an additional tool for understanding paleo-strain. Temperature and strain geometry are two dominant factors that control the orientation of quartz crystals within a rock. Temperature determines which slip planes are active and slip planes typically reorient so that they are perpendicular to maximum stress. Previous workers have suggested that …

Structure And Geochronology Of The White Fork Pluton, Southern Sierra Nevada, Ian Richard Mahaffey

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The Sierra Nevada batholith represents an archetypal continental arc, although the style of deformation throughout the history of the arc is only poorly understood, in part due to the voluminous nature of Late Cretaceous magmatism that has overprinted earlier structures. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of pre-Late Cretaceous deformation in the Sierra Nevada batholith through a structural and geochronological study of the Jurassic White Fork pluton. A Jurassic age for the White Fork pluton is indicated by its inclusion of numerous 148 Ma Independence dikes, and geochronology on the White Fork pluton is limited …

Using Data Visualization Software To Aid In The Analysis Of Geographical Data, Matthew R. Evers, Inzamam Rahaman

STAR Program Research Presentations

NASA Web World Wind (Web WW) is designed to visualize and manage geographical data. As a first implementation of visualization and analysis, we designed an application to map earthquake data onto the globe. Portions of this code were merged with application monitoring magnetic field anomalies possibly associated with earthquake precursor activity. Web WW enabled the visualization of the directional vectors from this data to point to the source location of the earthquake. We also developed a prototype urban management application which utilizes OpenStreetMaps to provide simple features such as route navigation, geographical and services information in an area of interest. …

Identifying Glacial Movement Through Fluvial Sediment Analysis, Alexis D. Freeman

STAR Program Research Presentations

The primary purpose of this study is to better understand how climate affects river dynamics. It is also important to understand the relationship between glaciers and the transportation of sediments, as this allows us to study changes in transport through time. The studied sediments were gathered from outcrops located in Fresno Ca, off of Friant road. The origin of these sediments are the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Mesozoic metasedimentary and metavolcanic sediments are derived from the foothills, while the granitic sediments are derived from higher up in the mountains. The sediments are characterized by both their degree of rounding, and their …

Remote Exploration: Understanding Martian Surface Processes, Sarah M. Bass, Virginia C. Gulick, Natalie Glines, Patrick Freeman

STAR Program Research Presentations

Earth and Mars share many similar physical features, including canyons, valleys, craters, volcanoes, ice, and gullies. My research focuses on two distinct projects. The first concentrates on the formation of gullies, which are channel networks generally formed on mid-latitude crater walls on Mars. Debated gully-forming processes include the melting of snowpacks, sublimation of accumulated carbon dioxide frost, melting of snow-rich dusty mantle material, and groundwater flows. Using High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images of gullies and working with Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) in ENVI, we are able to perform detailed studies of gully morphology, including volume calculations using slope, …

Geochemical Analysis Of Ice Age River Deposits From Turlock Lake Formation, Cemex Quarry Fresno, Ca, Ray J. Bargas

STAR Program Research Presentations

Nineteen bags of Pleistocene Age river deposited samples were taken from the Cemex Quarry in Fresno, CA. There are three formations in the area, deposited from rivers derived from glaciers, consisting of the Modesto, Riverbank, and Turlock Lake; youngest deposited to oldest respectively.

Phi sizes refer to each of the individual grains diameter, larger sized grains are in the negative spectrum while smaller grains are positive. Each sample has phi size bags that range in sizes from -5 to 4+, excluding phi size -2. For the phi sizes of -3 to -5, each individual rock was measured on its three …

Assessment Of Salmon Habitat On The Feather River, Nathan Sweem

STAR Program Research Presentations

Human activity in central valley streams has had a significantly negative impact on salmon habitat (Williams 2006). The presence of dams impedes sediment transport which is critical to salmon spawning (Williams 2006; Kondolf 1997). As part of an effort to enhance salmon spawning, the California Department of Water Resources added 7000 ft³ of gravel to Cottonwood Hatchery, Upper Auditorium, and Auditorium riffles on the Lower Feather River below the Thermalito Dam Complex in July of 2014. Stream conditions at Cottonwood Hatchery riffle were assessed by conducting analysis of sediment grain size, water depth and velocity, gravel permeability, and dissolved …

Detrital Zircon Geochemistry Of The Nacimiento Block, Santa Ynez Mountains, California, Vincent Zhao

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The long-lived California section of the North American Cordillera is one of the most studied continental margins in the world; however, erosion and deformation in areas along the San Andreas Fault and the Sur-Nacimiento Fault has erased sections of the Cordillera which could provide insight in Cordilleran processes. The lost sections are partially preserved in detrital zircons deposited alongside the arc in fore-arc basins such as in the Toro Formation of the Nacimiento block which represents the coastal central California equivalent to the Great Valley Group, located in the Santa Ynez Mountains. Geochemical analysis of the detrital zircons from the …

Investigating Meter Scale Topographic Variation As A Factor Of Monterey Pine (Pinus Radiata) Growing Conditions At Kenneth Norris Rancho Marino Reserve, Cambria, Ca, William J. Meyst

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Endemic Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) is limited to three locations in California due to its unique ecological requirements. This project was conducted to investigate spatial growth patterns ofMonterey pine over complex ground surfaces. The coastal hills of Rancho Marino Reserve, Cambria, were surveyed using four 150-m transects to quantify and record ground surface features and growing conditions ofMonterey pine. Changes in elevation of each transect were measured using an Abney level. Linear ground surfaces were found at 86% (344 of 400) of survey nodes. Convex ground surfaces were found at 10.5% of survey nodes (42 of 400). Of …

Kenyan Climate Variation Assessment Through Rainfall Anomalies And Sea Surface Temperature (Sst) Correlations, Kimberly E. Lykens

STAR Program Research Presentations

The diverse and varied climate of Eastern Africa’s Kenya is home to an agriculturally dependent populace, in which farmers and other related economic sectors make up the majority of livelihoods and gross domestic product. Recurring droughts and severe flooding are major concerns for local farmers and governmental entities. The purpose of this study is to identify and categorize differences in rainfall trends over Kenya and to examine relationships between seasonal rainfall anomalies of sea surface temperature (SST), with an ultimate goal to improve predictions of wet season rainfall amounts. The analysis began with data from 27 national and cooperative weather …

Relationship Of Joint Sets To Folded Diatomite Bedding Of The Miguelito Member Of The Pismo Formation In Montaña De Oro State Park, Michael Mcmahan

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

This study was conducted to determine if the orientations of observed joint sets in the late Miocene diatomite bedding of the exposed Miguelito Member in Montaña de Oro State Park relate to the San Andreas wrench fault compressional forces that caused folding of the formation. Strikes and dips of bedding planes and their corresponding first and second generation joint sets were gathered and compiled into a stereonet program for analysis. A cross section of the bedding plane data shows compressional antiform (fold axis oriented ~304/013) and synform (fold axis oriented ~300/001) features. Previous studies indicate post Miocene, tectonic shortening with …

Geoelectrical Detection Of Water Table Depth At Two Locations In The Los Osos Groundwater Basin, Hallie A. Douglas

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The city of Los Osos sits on top of a coastal groundwater aquifer which is the sole supplier of all its residential, agricultural, and industrial water needs. Lacking a sewer system, the upper aquifer became progressively contaminated with nitrates over several decades. Groundwater pumping eventually shifted to the lower aquifer, however seawater intrusion of the lower aquifer caused by over-pumping has further degraded water quality. The Los Osos groundwater basin provides an excellent field region to examine the utility of geophysical methods for characterizing aquifer structure. In this study shallow (<20 >m) electrical resistivity imaging methods were performed at two …

Surficial Geologic Map Of Kings Canyon: Implications For Relatively Slow Stream Incision Rates, Andrew Farris

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Most of the Kings River in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California has responded to regional uplift with rapid incision, creating the deepest canyon in the United States. However, Kings Canyon near Cedar Grove is still a mountainous relict landscape with little evidence of fluvial incision. Mapping took place in the Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon to assess factors and/or processes causing relatively low stream incision rates in the region during Holocene time. A surficial geologic map was created in the field, along with visual observations of the South Fork of the Kings River and characterization of geologic map …

The Influence Of Soil Organic Matter Stabilization Mechanisms On Carbon Mean Residence Time Within Various Ecosystems In The United States, Vicky Lynn Giese, Kate Heckman Phd

STAR Program Research Presentations

Some terrestrial ecosystems and soils serve as carbon sinks, partially offsetting rising atmospheric CO₂ levels. Physiochemical mechanisms of soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization affect how carbon stocks respond to global warming. In order to clarify the variance in SOM stabilization mechanisms across different soil types, SOM abundance, distribution and mean residence time (MRT) were compared for thirty-two soil samples from six ecosystems across the United States. Soils were previously described, collected and archived by the United States Geological Survey. Samples were processed by LLNL at the Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (CAMS) using density fractionation to separate particulate organics …

Lithic Analysis Of Coyote Canyon Mammoth Site Sediments, Kaitlin M. Hill, George V. Last

STAR Program Research Presentations

The landforms and geologic layers of Southeastern Washington record fascinating, unique geologic events, including repeated catastrophic flooding that occurred during the last Ice Age. These floods left behind many distinctive features, and a variety of fossils. After discovery of mammoth-sized bones in 1999, and confirmation that more bones were still in place in 2008, the Coyote Canyon Mammoth Site near Kennewick, Washington was secured for research, and formal excavation began in 2010.

Previous research suggests that the remains are buried in Ice Age flood deposits, which are overlain by eolian sediments, and those in turn overlain by slope wash. We …

Lower San Luis Obispo Creek Stewardship Plan, Raven Lukehart, Daniel Bohlman

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Late-Quaternary Channel Migration In Red Rock Canyon State Park, California; Implications For Regional Tectonics, Kirk Forrest Townsend

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The Iron Canyon Valley, located at the southern end of the eastern Sierra Nevada at the boundary between the Mojave and Basin and Range tectonic provinces, exhibits clear evidence, over graded timescales, of development through monoclinal shifting, which is the tendency of streams flowing parallel to strike over sedimentary rocks to shift down-dip. Although the character of the valley and bedrock dip indicates development through monoclinal shifting, the current stream network is located up-dip on the east side of the valley. Mapping the surficial geology of the valley revealed the presence of dissected alluvial surfaces approximately 85 meters above modern …

Geochemistry And Geochronology Of The Central Metasedimentary Belt Boundary Thrust Zone Thrust Sheets In Southern Ontario, Grenville Province, Kenjo Agustsson

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Studies of pre-Grenvillian (1.4–1.3 Ga) plutons offer insight into the dynamics of arc amalgamation and backarc rifting prior to continental collision in the Ottawan orogeny. The Central Metasedimentary Belt boundary thrust zone (CMBbtz) is a northeast–southwest trending thrust zone consisting of metaplutonic thrust sheets enveloped in gneissic tectonites and calcitic– dolomitic marbles. Tonalitic CMBbtz thrust sheets (Dysart and Redstone) are made up of upper amphibolite-facies, foliation-concordant metatonalites (+ amphibole ± biotite ± accessory zircon and titanite) and amphibolites (± biotite ± clinopyroxene), and are located in the southern Ontario Grenville Province. These thrust sheets are thought to have formed and …