Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Drought Levels In Nevada Counties, 2022, Julianna Jovillar, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet synthesizes data on drought levels within Nevada counties from the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) in 2022. The information presented in this document focuses on the breakdown of the number of Nevada residents affected by the droughts within each county and the drought experience in each county.

Sturgeon Chub Distributional Patterns And Habitat Use And Benthic Fish Assemblage Structure In Missouri River Tributaries Of South Dakota, Mitchell R. Magruder

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Native species of the Missouri River drainage inhabiting benthic habitats dominate state and federal lists of species at risk. Sicklefin Chub Macrhybopsis meeki and Sturgeon Chub Macrhybopsis gelida are two native Missouri River benthic minnows that are currently under review for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) due to extensive population declines and local extirpations within their native range. Substantial alterations to the Missouri River threaten Macrhybopsis spp. and other benthic fishes; however, large, less impacted tributaries in South Dakota may act as refugia for native species. The extent of Sicklefin Chub and Sturgeon Chub populations is largely …

Human And Hydrologic Influences On Nebraska's Endangered Rainwater Basin Wetlands, Sarah Thompson

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Over half of wetlands in North America have been lost or degraded. Rainwater Basin (RWB) wetlands, located in south-central Nebraska, are a primary example of such loss; an estimated 90% have been destroyed by land conversion for agriculture. Remaining RWB wetlands are often embedded in row-crop fields, where they are threatened by altered surface water runoff flow, drainage features, and excess sediment inputs. Efforts at the state and federal level have been made to preserve this wetland complex due to the critical stopover habitat these wetlands provide for migratory birds. Land managers work to maintain sufficient water levels during migratory …

The North Platte River Valley: The Intersectionality Between Water Quality And People, Anni Poetzl

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The North Platte River (NPR) Valley of western Nebraska is a semi-arid watershed with row crop production, livestock production, and urban land use activity and has a population of diverse stakeholders. These land use activities contribute to the enrichment of surface waters, such as streams, which can affect human and ecosystem health, as well as economic development and recreational activities. The project objectives are to: (1) quantify the movement of dissolved inorganic nutrients from the land within the NPR Valley to the NPR via tributaries and canals, (2) identify spatiotemporal variability of nutrient limitation of periphyton growth within the NPR, …

Aquaculture In Africa: Aquatic Animal Welfare, Impact On The Environment And The Sustainability Of The Sector, Mwenda M. Mbaka, Janice H. Cox, Stephen Ronan

Aquaculture

The African aquaculture sector recorded the fastest growth in the world between 2006-2018, averaging 10% or more, and is expected to partially fill the growing fish supply-demand gap up to 2063. In 2018, there were about 1.2 million aquafarmers across the continent, an increase from 920 thousand in 2014. According to the African Development Bank, expansion of aquaculture in Africa is hampered by "the overwhelming predominance of tilapia farming, which relies heavily on the production of fingerlings from a limited number of genetically improved strains that are resistant to the many diseases affecting this species, and on the production of …

Earlier Snowmelt May Lead To Late Season Declines In Plant Productivity And Carbon Sequestration In Arctic Tundra Ecosystems, Donatella Zona, Peter M. Lafleur, Koen Hufkens, Barbara Bailey, Beniamino Gioli, George Burba, Jordan P. Goodrich, Anna K. Liljedahl, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Jennifer D. Watts, Mary Farina, John S. Kimball, Martin Heimann, Mathias Göckede, Martijn Pallandt, Torben R. Christensen, Mikhail Mastepanov, Efrén López-Blanco, Marcin Jackowicz-Korczynski, Albertus J. Dolman, Luca Belelli Marchesini, Roisin Commane, Steven C. Wofsy, Charles E. Miller, David A. Lipson, Josh Hashemi, Kyle A. Arndt, Lars Kutzbach, David Holl, Julia Boike, Christian Wille, Torsten Sachs, Aram Kalhori, Xia Song

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Arctic warming is affecting snow cover and soil hydrology, with consequences for carbon sequestration in tundra ecosystems. The scarcity of observations in the Arctic has limited our understanding of the impact of covarying environmental drivers on the carbon balance of tundra ecosystems. In this study, we address some of these uncertainties through a novel record of 119 site-years of summer data from eddy covariance towers representing dominant tundra vegetation types located on continuous permafrost in the Arctic. Here we found that earlier snowmelt was associated with more tundra net CO2 sequestration and higher gross primary productivity (GPP) only in June …

2022 Wics Conference. Water And Integrated Cropping Systems: Driving Research, Teaching, And Extension Impact --Slide Presentation

WICS Conferences

What conference attendees had to say:

"The teaching overview and panel discussion provided many insights on how education pathways are evolving and the need to create diverse opportunities to meet dynamic needs."

"The extension component was valuable in seeing how those doing research can collaborate with and assist extension educators to make a greater impact in the state."

"It was good to learn what relevant research is being conducted and also the work being done in teaching in regards to water and cropping systems."

It was a great first WICS Conference. The discussions have only just begun.

Systematic Review Of A Ramsar Wetland And Unesco Biosphere Reserve In A Climate Change Hotspot (Ichkeul Lake, Tunisia), Sabrine Sahbani, Béchir Béjaoui, Sihem Benabdalla, Rachid Toujani, Afef Fathalli, Noureddine Zaaboub, Jalel Aouissi, Zeineb Kassouk, Nabil Hamdi, Nabiha Ben Mbarek, Hechmi Missaoui, Leila Basti, Reginald Blake, Hamidreza Norouzi

Publications and Research

Tunisia's Ichkeul Lake is among the most productive ecosystems in the Mediterranean, with a great regional value thanks to its diversity of habitats. It is an important overwintering area for waterfowl species. It is a RAMSAR wetland, a National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage, and a Biosphere Reserve. This review paper provides a broad overview of the climatic, hydraulic, biogeochemical features, bio-resources, and bio-productivity of the Lake. The interconnectivity between the different environmental components of the lake is presented, highlighting the main characteristics of this vital ecosystem. Its ecosystem consists of a permanent lake bordered by temporary marshes. It is …

Measuring The Economic Impact Of Recurrent Flooding On Workforce Productivity And Property, Joshua G. Behr, Wie Yusuf, George Mcleod, Sarah Stafford, Derek Loftis, Afi Anuar, Rafael Diaz

Presentations, Lectures, Posters, Reports

From the Executive Summary:

This research draws upon expertise across multiple disciplines and fields. Leveraged are natural systems data and social-behavioral data. The high-level objective is to advance our understanding of how very recent recurrent flooding has impacted residents within the City of Portsmouth, and then forecast these impacts under projections of sea level rise. While this research draws upon data for the City of Portsmouth, the findings may be generalized to the broader Hampton Roads region.

Groundwater Modelling Of The Newman Area For Managed Aquifer Recharge Assessment, Wolfgang Schmid, Rodrigo Rojas, Michael J. Donn, Christopher Schelfhout Dr, Mathias Raiber, Olga Barron

Natural resources commissioned reports

This report contributes to the Transforming Agriculture in the Pilbara (TAP) initiative that has been developed to undertake the detailed studies in the Pilbara to bring suitable medium to large scale irrigation land to market for private investment. The research objective was to explore opportunities for irrigated agriculture north of Newman (Eastern Pilbara), deploying managed aquifer recharge (MAR) to secure water for irrigation. MAR source water identified was from mine dewatering surplus, generated from the large BHP Iron Ore operation in the Newman region. The objectives of this report were to:

• conceptualise the groundwater system and associated processes in the …

2022 Wics Conference: Driving Research, Teaching, And Extension Impact, Daren Redfearn, Daran Rudnick

WICS Conferences

The Water and Integrated Cropping Systems (WICS) Hub was established to facilitate and provide collaborative opportunities for IANR faculty to leverage their individual and collective knowledge, talents, and interests to drive impact in Research and Discovery, Teaching and Learning, Extension and Outreach. This past year we focused on building connections as well as identifying and prioritizing big challenges and opportunities facing Nebraskans. The faculty identified and organized around the following themes, Digital/Precision Agriculture, Soil Health, Integrated Cropping Systems, Water Quality, and Water Quantity. The Theme Groups are faculty led and multi-disciplinary with representation across IANR Departments and Faculty appointments. We …

Comparing Past And Future Drought And Surplus Periods In The Colorado River Basin, Rama Bedri

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The Colorado River Basin is crucial to the Western United States, providing water for seven states and Mexico. Historical and future periods of drought and surplus are analyzed in 17 Colorado River stations. Unimpaired streamflow data are evaluated from the U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Reclamation, and Coupled Modeled Intercomparison Projection 5 from 1950-2099. Future projections are based on eight climate scenarios. Four climate models (HadGEM2-ES, CNRM-CM5, CanESM2, MI-ROC5) are observed at Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 emission scenarios. Furthermore, the ensemble water year means of the four models are analyzed. The durations of drought or surplus, magnitudes, …

Drought‑Stricken U.S. States Have More Comprehensive Water‑Related Hazard Planning, Theresa Jedd, Kelly Smith

Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Despite the devastating impacts of droughts, the United States lacks a national drought plan. This leaves states to address droughts in water, hazard, and stand-alone plans which are designed to reduce drought vulnerability and to prepare government, industry, and society to cope with the impacts. Yet, there is limited empirical research that evaluates the comprehensiveness of these plans, specifically in terms of whether they include preparedness and mitigation measures or triggers for action and response. To fill this gap, this study’s first aim was to establish an evaluation framework based on principles from the drought mitigation literature. The study then …

Natural Resource System Size Can Be Used For Managing Recreational Use, Derek S. Kane, Kevin L. Pope, Keith D. Koupal, Mark A. Pegg, Christopher J. Chizinski, Mark A. Kaemingk

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Outdoor recreation provides societal benefits that are often measured by the amount of use natural resource systems receive. Still, the amount of resource use natural resource systems receive is often unknown or unstudied. Monitoring and quantifying resource use is often logistically difficult and costly but is paramount to optimize societal benefits. Identifying a simple and readily available metric that can indicate the quantity of recreational use of natural resource systems would benefit natural resource management. Using recreational angler participation data during an 11-year study period from 73 public waterbodies in Nebraska, USA, we developed a resource size-use model that demonstrates …

The Sensitivity Of Meteorological Dynamics To The Variability In Catchment Characteristics, Shimelash Molla Kassaye, Tsegaye Tadesse, Getachew Tegegne, Kindie Engdaw Tadesse

Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Evaluating meteorological dynamics is a challenging task due to the variability in hydroclimatic settings. This study is designed to assess the sensitivity of precipitation and temperature dynamics to catchment variability. The effects of catchment size, land use/cover change, and elevation differences on precipitation and temperature variability were considered to achieve the study objective. The variability in meteorological parameters to the catchment characteristics was determined using the coefficient of variation on the climate data tool (CDT). A land use/cover change and terrain analysis was performed on Google Earth Engine (GEE) and ArcGIS. In addition, a correlation analysis was performed to identify …

How Impervious Are Solar Arrays? On The Need For Geomorphic Assessment Of Energy Transition Technologies, Charles Shobe

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Staying within manageable global temperature rise scenarios (i.e., 1.5° C) requires rapid decarbonization of energy sources. Research on the energy transition typically focuses on engineering, socioeconomic, and political challenges related to implementation of renewable energy technologies. Yet many facets of the energy transition are intricately intertwined with earth surface processes. Projects that advance the energy transition affect surface hydrology, sediment transport, and landscape evolution. Geomorphic processes likewise set the feasibility of energy transition projects. Here I use the lens of a recent policy debate to examine a case study that illustrates the key role of surface processes in determining the …

Utah Growing Water Smart: The Water-Land Use Integration Guidebook, Kelly Kopp, Joanna Endter-Wada

Utah Growing Water Smart

The Utah Growing Water Smart workshops bring together teams of key community staff and water and land use planning decision makers to help build a more resilient and sustainable water future. The workshops use a range of public engagement, planning, communication, and policy implementation tools to help community teams realize their water efficiency, smart growth, watershed health, and water resiliency goals.

This 1^st edition of the Utah Growing Water Smart curriculum guidebook was prepared for the inaugural Utah workshop focused on Wasatch Front communities and held at the Wheeler Historical Farm in Murray, Utah on November 15-17, 2022. This …

Hydrological Drought Forecasting Using A Deep Transformer Model, Amobichukwu C. Amanambu, Joann Mossa, Yin-Hsuen Chen

University Administration Publications

Hydrological drought forecasting is essential for effective water resource management planning. Innovations in computer science and artificial intelligence (AI) have been incorporated into Earth science research domains to improve predictive performance for water resource planning and disaster management. Forecasting of future hydrological drought can assist with mitigation strategies for various stakeholders. This study uses the transformer deep learning model to forecast hydrological drought, with a benchmark comparison with the long short-term memory (LSTM) model. These models were applied to the Apalachicola River, Florida, with two gauging stations located at Chattahoochee and Blountstown. Daily stage-height data from the period 1928–2022 were …

Development Of A Modified Screen Printed Electrode For The Determination Of Heavy Metals In Water Before And After Remediation With Food Grade Pectin And Citrofortunella Microcarpa Rinds, Shirley Palisoc, Natividad Michelle, Marissa Noel

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

The rapid increase in population, urbanization, and industrialization, along with inadequate water quality monitoring and wastewater management, contribute heavily to the pollution of water resources. Among the water contaminants of major concern, heavy metals are particularly considered as the most worrisome. Heavy metals tend to accumulate in the tissues of aquatic organisms (Ahmed et al., 2019; Rajeshkumar & Li, 2018; Tabrez et al., 2021) and thus increase in concentration upon moving higher up the food chain. This indicates that once humans ingest these organisms, they have a high risk of experiencing health problems as heavy metals are absorbed into their …

Wagin Townsite Borefield: Review Of Aquifer Performance, Rockwater

Natural resources commissioned reports

The Wagin Borefield was established by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia in 2000-2007 to control groundwater levels in the town that had risen to critical levels as a result of increased recharge and runoff following the clearing of native vegetation for urban development and agriculture. Similar investigations were conducted as part of the Rural Towns Program and Rural Towns-Liquid Assets projects in 41 other wheatbelt towns, but none, except perhaps from Merredin, have been as comprehensively implemented, operated and monitored as Wagin.

The Wagin Borefield comprises 8 production bores, of which only 3 have been operated. To …

Population Health Metrics During The Early Stages Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: Correlative Pilot Study, Marie A. Severson, David A. Cassada, Victor C. Huber, Daniel D. Snow, Lisa M. Mcfadden

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

Background: COVID-19 has caused nearly 1 million deaths in the United States, not to mention job losses, business and school closures, stay-at-home orders, and mask mandates. Many people have suffered increased anxiety and depression since the pandemic began. Not only have mental health symptoms become more prevalent, but alcohol consumption has also increased during this time. Helplines offer important insight into both physical and mental wellness of a population by offering immediate, anonymous, cheap, and accessible resources for health and substance use disorders (SUD) that was unobstructed by many of the mandates of the pandemic. Further, the pandemic also …

Changing Behavior Of Cyclone In Bangladesh And Its Risk Assessment For Adaptation, Sareea Rahman Heea, Muhammad Qumrul Hassan, Abdul Mannan, Nazrul I. Khandaker

Publications and Research

Tropical cyclone (TC) is one of the most crucial topics not only for the natural loss but also for physical and economical loss of any country. The Bay of Bengal (BoB) generates number of tropical cyclones in each year. Bangladesh also experiences a number of cyclones. The surface temperature of the sea and air temperature is observed from NOAA high resolution satellite image. The Sea Surface Temperature (SST) of about 27°C and its higher is one of the prerequisite conditions for formation of a TC. But SST has increased by 1.2°C since last 40 years. It can be settled that …

Landscape Change, Scale, And Human Response To Change In The Great Plains, Kate Bird

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Great Plains landscapes are undergoing changes at multiple spatial and temporal scales due to processes ranging from woody encroachment to climate change. These changes may fundamentally alter the agroecosystems of the Great Plains such that the provisioning of ecosystem services including biodiversity and livestock production is affected. Improving our understanding of the effects of landscape change at multiple scales and how humans perceive and respond to these changes is important for facilitating research and management that enhances the resilience of these agroecosystems. As such, I first applied discontinuity theory and graph theory to evaluate the functional connectivity of the Central …

Water Current, Volume 54, No. 2, Fall 2022

Water Current Newsletter

Fall Harvest: Research, News and More from the Nebraska Water Center

Using Diatoms To Reconstruct Eutrophication In Lake Carmi, Vt, Margaret Polifrone, Sarah Wasserman, Ismar Biberovic, Kaleb Jones, Andrew Schroth, Andrea Lini, Ana Morales-Williams

Lake Champlain Sea Grant Institute

No abstract provided.

Getting Ahead Of Flash Drought: From Early Warning To Early Action, Jason A. Otkin, Molly Woloszyn, Hailan Wang, Mark D. Svoboda, Marina Skumanich, Roger Pulwarty, Joel Lisonbee, Andrew Hoell, Mike Hobbins, Tonya Haigh, Amanda E. Cravens

Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Flash droughts, characterized by their unusually rapid intensification, have garnered increasing attention within the weather, climate, agriculture, and ecological communities in recent years due to their large environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Because flash droughts intensify quickly, they require different early warning capabilities and management approaches than are typically used for slower-developing “conventional” droughts. In this essay, we describe an integrated research-and-applications agenda that emphasizes the need to reconceptualize our understanding of flash drought within existing drought early warning systems by focusing on opportunities to improve monitoring and prediction. We illustrate the need for engagement among physical scientists, social scientists, operational …

2022 Academic Program Review

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

No abstract provided.

Aman Iman: Resilient Customs, Community Water Management, And Dry Futures In Anounizme, Morocco, Haley Kirtland

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project explores how Anounizme, a village in southeastern Morocco, interacts with water. I was particularly curious about how traditional community management systems operate in the context of drought. I argue that the customary management system exhibits resiliency like it has in the face of Arabization, colonization, exploitative industry, and land privatization. It is capable of adapting to drought because it is more than a management system; it is a part of culture engrained as custom. Customs have porous boundaries, allowing a space for old aspects of culture to interact with both emerging aspects of culture and external pressures. I …

The Politics Of Water: The Jordanian Water Crisis And The Future Of Refugee Migration In The Middle East, Ruhama Bekele

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The rise of water-related conflicts around the world has challenged the norms of international relations as environmental developments have transboundary effects that threaten the security of sovereign states and have the potential to destabilize regions. Furthermore, water-related conflicts are more dangerous in countries like Jordan that suffer from extreme water scarcity and have high populations of refugees as a consequence of political instability in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region. The following research investigates the role of water in relation to geopolitical factors such as refugee migration, Israel’s diversion of the Jordan River, and the construction of Syrian dams on …

Enrofloxacin And Sulfamethoxazole Sorption On Carbonized Leonardite: Kinetics, Isotherms, Influential Effects, And Antibacterial Activity Toward S. Aureus Atcc 25923, Chanat Chokejaroenrat, Chainarong Sakulthaew, Khomson Satchasataporn, Daniel D. Snow, Tarik E. Ali, Mohammed A. Assiri, Apichon Watcharenwong, Saksit Imman, Nopparat Suriyachai, Torpong Kreetachat

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

Excessive antibiotic use in veterinary applications has resulted in water contamination and potentially poses a serious threat to aquatic environments and human health. The objective of the current study was to quantify carbonized leonardite (cLND) adsorption capabilities to remove sulfamethoxazole (SMX)- and enrofloxacin (ENR)-contaminated water and to determine the microbial activity of ENR residuals on cLND following adsorption. The cLND samples prepared at 450^oC and 850^oC (cLND450 and cLND550, respectively) were evaluated for structural and physical characteristics and adsorption capabilities based on adsorption kinetics and isotherm studies. The low pyrolysis temperature of cLND resulted in a …