Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Beyond The Tide: A Comprehensive Guide To Sea-Level-Rise Inundation Mapping Using Foss4g, Levente Juhasz, Jinwen Xu, Randall W. Parkinson

GIS Center

No abstract provided.

Ligands For Complexation, Extraction, And Sensing Of Mercury(Ii) For Application To High-Level Waste (Hlw) At The Savannah River Site (Srs), Adenike O. Fasiku

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mercury (Hg) separation and sensing is of high significance due to Hg^(II) environmental mobility and toxicity. Furthermore, the use of Hg in nuclear applications has resulted in its accumulation in several DOE sites, such as in Oak Ridge and Savannah River reservations. Organic mercury species have been found in low activity waste (LAW) streams resulting from high-level waste (HLW) processing at the Savannah River Site (SRS), therefore posing a threat to humans and the environment. Mercury, being a soft Lewis acid, has a strong affinity for softer Lewis bases, such as S- or N-donor ligands. Therefore, we focus on …

Quantifying How Coastal Flooding And Stormwater Runoff Drive Spatiotemporal Variability In Carbon And Nutrient Processing In Urban Aquatic Ecosystems, Matthew A. Smith

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal river networks alter the transport and transformation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic matter (DOM), which can vary in concentration and composition across spatiotemporal scales. Given climate-induced shifts in rainfall and tidal variation in low-lying coastal regions, there is an increasing need to quantify effects of flooding on biogeochemical cycling. Specifically, urban flooding is becoming increasingly common due to biophysical alterations to hydrology from urbanization and climate change. Urban ecosystems have been characterized as having a distinct biogeochemistry compared to other systems, largely due to increased frequency and magnitude of riverine and coastal flooding. Consequently, the role …

Sea Level Rise Impact Assessment Tool – A Web-Based Application For Community Resilience In Coral Gables, Florida, Levente Juhasz, Hartwig H. Hochmair, Sheyla Aguilar De Santana, Zhaohui J. Fu

GIS Center

No abstract provided.

An Economic Assessment Of The Impacts Of Outdoor Water Use Restrictions In South Florida, Lara Kiesau

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Population growth and climate change are important factors determining residential water demand. Most residential water consumption can be attributed to outdoor use. To reduce water consumption, outdoor water use restrictions (OWRs) have become a popular policy tool in the last decades. We developed an integrated framework consisting of a Difference in Differences (DID) analysis, Value Function approach and Discrete Choice Model to perform an economic assessment of the impacts of OWRs in South Florida. The results reveal a decreasing effect of up to 133 gallons per person per month due to the strictest OWR, equaling a yearly value of almost …

Modeling Drought, Drought Teleconnection, And Its Effect On Groundwater Level Dynamics In The Biscayne Aquifer, Anteneh Z. Abiy

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Developing a self-sufficient water supply system in Southeast Florida is one input to the success of the ongoing restoration effort in the Everglades. Maintaining a high groundwater level in the urban side of the Biscayne Aquifer (BA) is important to sustain the urban water supply. However, the long-term groundwater table condition in the Biscayne Aquifer (BA) is threatened by a combination of drought, groundwater pumping, and sea-level rise. Further, the long-term drought pattern, drought drivers, and the aquifer’s response to drought and other stress conditions are not well known. As a result, options that would help to maintain a high …

Design Of Low Impact Development And Green Infrastructure At Flood Prone Areas In The City Of Miami Beach, Florida, Usa, Noura Alsarawi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the effectiveness of Low Impact Development Infrastructure (LIDI) and Green Infrastructure (GI) in reducing flooding resulting from heavy rainfall events and sea-level rise, and in improving stormwater quality in the City of Miami Beach (CMB). InfoSWMM was used to simulate the 5, 10, and 100-year, 24-hour storm events, total suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) loadings, and in evaluating the potential of selected LIDI and GI solutions in North Shore neighborhood.

Post-development results revealed a decrease of 48%, 46%, and 39% in runoff, a decrease of 57%, 60%, and 62% in …

Simplifying Sample Preparation Using Fabric Phase Sorptive Extraction: Analysis Of Trace Targeted Pollutant Residues In Environmental, Biological And Food Samples, Rodolfo Mesa

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sample preparation is an essential component of analytical methods in chemistry. It is not only necessary but also presents an opportunity to increase the effectiveness of the method significantly. There are various commercially available technologies for sample preparation, including numerous variations of LLE, SPE, and SPME. However, these technologies all present significant deficiencies, including the inability to extract directly from complex samples such as whole milk. Instrumental analysis has been improved greatly in the last two decades but still is not applicable to complex samples without sample preparation.

This work presents the theory of FPSE, including the synthesis of sol-gel …

Linking Organic Matter Dynamics To Management, Restoration, And Climate In The Florida Everglades, Peter Regier

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Florida Everglades is a massive and highly managed subtropical wetland ecosystem, strongly influenced by anthropogenic control of freshwater distribution and highly susceptible to a changing climate, including rising sea-level and changes in temperature and rainfall. Shifting hydrologic regimes impact ecosystem function and biogeochemistry, which in turn control the sources, fate, and transport of organic matter. As a master environmental variable, it is essential to understand how organic matter dynamics will respond to changes in the balance between freshwater and saltwater associated with landscape-scale Everglades restoration efforts and climate change. The research comprising this dissertation improves current understanding of the …

Capture And Densification Of Floating Hydrophobic Liquids By Natural Granular Materials, Daria Boglaienko

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Densification and submergence of floating crude oil is proposed as a novel oil spills treatment method. Surface application of dry granular materials (e.g., quartz sand, limestone) on top of a floating oil layer increases the density of the floating oil phase/granule mixture and leads to formation of relatively large and stable aggregates with significant amounts of captured oil. The aggregates separate from the floating hydrophobic phase and settle by gravity. Implementation of this method will reduce the impact radius of a spill and its mobility, preventing direct contamination of beaches, coastal flora and fauna.

The major objective of this research …

Analyzing Spatial Variability Of Social Preference For The Everglades Restoration In The Face Of Climate Change, Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal Sikder

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The South Florida Everglades is a unique ecosystem. Intensive water management in the system has facilitated agricultural, urban, and economic development. The Everglades offers a variety of ecosystem services (ES) to the people living in this region. Nevertheless, the ecosystem is under imminent threat of climate change, which would alter the way water is managed today and ultimately affect the ES offered by the system. On the other hand, substantial restoration is underway that aims to restore the Everglades closer to its historic condition. This research tried to map the public’s preference for Everglades restoration. Using a geocoded discrete-choice survey …

Potential Effects Of Chemical Contamination On South Florida Bonefish Albula Vulpes, Christine P. Beck

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An ecological risk assessment was conducted on the risk to fish of chemical contaminants detected in the habitat of Albula vulpes in South Florida, to evaluate whether contaminants may be a driver of declines in the recreational bonefish fishery. All available contaminant detection data from Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay, and the Florida Keys were compared to federal and state guidelines for aquatic health to identify Contaminants of Potential Ecological Concern (COPECS). For these COPECs, species sensitivity distributions were constructed and compared with recent detections at the 90^th centile of exposure. Copper in Biscayne Bay was identified as the highest …

Gaseous Carbon Emissions (Methane And Carbon Dioxide) From Wetland Soils In A Re-Created Everglades Landscape, Bradley R. Schonhoff

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reducing the rates of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is critical in combatting global climate change. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) are the two most important carbon-based GHGs, for their atmospheric warming potential. Wetlands such as the Florida Everglades play major roles in the global carbon cycle, as varying hydrologic conditions lead to differential production rates of these two GHGs. This study measured CO₂ and CH₄ emissions in a re-created Everglades ridge-and-slough wetland, where water levels were controlled to reflect natural flood patterns. As expected, lower elevations were flooded longer and produced more CH …

Modeling A Phosphorus Credit Trading Program In The Lake Okeechobee Watershed, Juliana Corrales

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake in the southeastern United States and is a central component of the hydrology and environment of the Everglades ecosystem in South Florida. The natural state of the lake has been degraded as wetlands and natural habitats in the Lake Okeechobee watershed have been replaced with farms, urban areas, and dairy operations. Excessive phosphorus loadings from these diverse sources have been identified as the leading causes of the lake’s impairment. For more than four decades, many resources have been allocated to regional and local restoration efforts to reduce phosphorus loadings into the lake. However, phosphorus …

A Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Land Use And Water Quality In Southern Miami Dade County, Mario Londono

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis research employs a multi-pronged analysis approach to contribute to the existing knowledge regarding land use and water quality in southern Miami Dade County. Nutrient concentrations for TP, NOx-N, and NH3-N were evaluated for water quality monitoring stations across seven canals for two time periods: 1990-2003 and 2009-2014. Overall, the sites did not surpass the mandated TP threshold but a number of sites exceeded the NOx-N and NH3-N criteria set by multiple government agencies. Statistical tests demonstrated that the sites had differing distributions, not sharing similar median concentrations. Land use classifications were derived for the area interest for the …

Sustainability Analysis Of Domestic Rainwater Harvesting Systems For Current And Future Water Security In Rural Mexico, Elena E. Neibaur

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rainwater harvesting, the act of capturing and storing rain, is an ancient practice that is increasingly utilized today by communities to address water supply needs. This thesis examines whether domestic rainwater harvesting systems (DRWHS) can be a sustainable solution as defined by social, water quality, and technical feasibility for water security in semi-arid, rural environments. For this study, 50 surveys and 17 stored rainwater analyses were conducted in San Jose Xacxamayo, Mexico, in conjunction with my Peace Corps work of implementing 82 DRWHS. Results showed that all DRWHS were socially feasible because of cultural acceptance and local capacity. Water quality …

Numerical Modeling Of The Effects Of Hydrologic Conditions And Sediment Transport On Geomorphic Patterns In Wetlands, Mehrnoosh Mahmoudi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focused on developing a numerical model of spatial and temporal changes in bed morphology of ridge and slough features in wetlands with respect to hydrology and sediment transport when a sudden change in hydrologic condition occurs. The specific objectives of this research were: (1) developing a two-dimensional hydrology model to simulate the spatial distribution of flow depth and velocity over time when a pulsed flow condition is applied, (2) developing a process-based numerical model of sediment transport coupled with flow depth and velocity in wetland ecosystems, and (3) use the developed model to explore how sediment transport may …

Development Of A Methodology That Couples Satellite Remote Sensing Measurements To Spatial-Temporal Distribution Of Soil Moisture In The Vadose Zone Of The Everglades National Park, Luis G. Perez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spatial-temporal distribution of soil moisture in the vadose zone is an important aspect of the hydrological cycle that plays a fundamental role in water resources management, including modeling of water flow and mass transport. The vadose zone is a critical transfer and storage compartment, which controls the partitioning of energy and mass linked to surface runoff, evapotranspiration and infiltration. This dissertation focuses on integrating hydraulic characterization methods with remote sensing technologies to estimate the soil moisture distribution by modeling the spatial coverage of soil moisture in the horizontal and vertical dimensions with high temporal resolution.

The methodology consists of using …

Freshwater Resource Supply Modeling For Developed And Undeveloped Watersheds, Kelly C. Gustafson

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Globally, the current state of freshwater resource management is insufficient and impeding the chance at a sustainable future. Human interference within the natural hydrologic cycle is becoming dangerously irreversible and the need to redefine resource managerial approaches is imminent.

This research involves the development of a coupled natural-human freshwater resource supply model using a System Dynamics approach. The model was applied to two case studies, Somalia, Africa and the Phoenix Active Management Area in Arizona, USA. It is suggested that System Dynamic modeling would be an invaluable tool for achieving sustainable freshwater resource management in individual watersheds. Through a series …

Recreational Angler Perspectives Of Nonnative Fish Species And Mercury Advisories, Christopher J. Edwards

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The central Everglades serve as a Wildlife Management Area and as a Water Conservation Area for the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area. It is also home to over 22 nonnative freshwater fish species and carries restrictive fish consumption guidelines for Mercury. In my study, boat anglers and canal bank anglers were personally interviewed in the field, to research their awareness and perspectives of these potential environmental and health threats. The study found 78% of anglers were aware of the presence of nonnative fish species, but favored native fish species, and that 69% were aware of mercury advisories, but did not eat …

Water Demand And Allocation In The Mara River Basin, Kenya/Tanzania In The Face Of Land Use Dynamics And Climate Variability, Shimelis B. Dessu

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Mara River Basin (MRB) is endowed with pristine biodiversity, socio-cultural heritage and natural resources. The purpose of my study is to develop and apply an integrated water resource allocation framework for the MRB based on the hydrological processes, water demand and economic factors. The basin was partitioned into twelve sub-basins and the rainfall runoff processes was modeled using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) after satisfactory Nash-Sutcliff efficiency of 0.68 for calibration and 0.43 for validation at Mara Mines station. The impact and uncertainty of climate change on the hydrology of the MRB was assessed using SWAT and …

Water Quality Monitoring Program For Bermuda's Coastal Resources Final Report, Henry O. Briceño, Joseph N. Boyer

SERC Research Reports

No abstract provided.

2011 Annual Report Of The Water Quality Monitoring Project For The Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (Sefcri), Joseph N. Boyer, Henry O. Briceño, Jeff Absten, David Gilliam, Dick Dodge

SERC Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Water Quality Monitoring Program For Bermuda's Coastal Resources, Joseph N. Boyer, Henry O. Briceño

SERC Research Reports

No abstract provided.

2010 Annual Report Of The Water Quality Monitoring Project For The Water Quality Protection Program Of The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Joseph N. Boyer, Henry O. Briceño

SERC Research Reports

No abstract provided.

2010 Annual Report Of The Water Quality Monitoring Project For The Water Quality Protection Program Of The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (Summary), Joseph N. Boyer, Henry O. Briceño

SERC Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Little Venice Water Quality Monitoring Project: Epa Assistance Agreement X7-96410604-3 And Fdep Contract Sp674 & Sp678, Joseph N. Boyer, Henry O. Briceño

SERC Research Reports

No abstract provided.

2009 Annual Report Of The Water Quality Monitoring Project For The Water Quality Protection Program Of The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Joseph N. Boyer, Henry O. Briceño

SERC Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Numerical Groundwater Flow Modeling In The Wakal River Basin, India, Himadri Biswas

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing dependence on groundwater in the Wakal River basin, India, jeopardizes water supply sustainability. A numerical groundwater model was developed to better understand the aquifer system and to evaluate its potential in terms of quantity and replenishment. Potential artificial recharge areas were delineated using landscape and hydrogeologic parameters, Geographic Information System (GIS), and remote sensing.

Groundwater models are powerful tools for recharge estimation when transmissivity is known. Proper recharge must be applied to reproduce field-measured heads. The model showed that groundwater levels could decline significantly if there are two drought years in every four years that result in reduced recharge, …

South Florida Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Network Jan. - Mar. 2008 Quarterly Report For Sfwmd Contract 4600000352, Joseph N. Boyer, Henry O. Briceño

SERC Research Reports

No abstract provided.