Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Allocation Of U.S. Biomass Production To Food, Feed, Fiber, Fuel And Exports, Christopher L. Lant, Suman Paudel, Kaeli Mueller, Grace Larson, Gustavo A. Ovando-Montejo, Jennifer E. Givens

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

This paper analyzes the end uses—food, feed, fiber, fuel, and exports—of biomass production in the U.S. in 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012. They are also analyzed at the state level in 2012. Biomass production is measured as human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP), an ecological footprint measured as carbon fixed through photosynthesis, derived from data on crop, timber and grazing yields. HANPP was allocated to end uses using publicly available sources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and internet-based sources publishing data on agricultural trade. HANPP was 717–834 megatons (MT) of carbon per year, which comprised 515–615 MT of …

Compounding Hazards And Intersecting Vulnerabilities: Experiences And Responses To Extreme Heat During Covid-19, Olga V. Wilhelmi, Peter D. Howe, Mary H. Hayden, Cassandra R. O'Lenick

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Extreme heat is a major threat to human health worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its complexity and global reach, created unprecedented challenges for public health and highlighted societal vulnerability to hazardous hot weather. In this study, we used data from a three-wave nationally representative survey of 3036 American adults to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected extreme heat vulnerability during the summer of 2020. We used mixed effects models to examine the roles of socio-demographic characteristics and pandemic-related factors in the distribution of negative heat effects and experiences across the United States. The survey findings show that over a quarter …

Usarray Imaging Of Continental Crust In The Conterminous United States, Xiaofei Ma, Anthony R. Lowry

Geosciences Faculty Publications

The thickness and bulk composition of continental crust provide important constraints on the evolution and dynamics of continents. Crustal mineralogy and thickness both may influence gravity anomalies, topographic elevation, and lithospheric strength, but prior to the inception of EarthScope’s USArray, seismic measurements of crustal thickness and properties useful for inferring lithology are sparse. Here we improve upon a previously published methodology for joint inversion of Bouguer gravity anomalies and seismic receiver functions by using parameter space stacking of cross correlations of modeled synthetic and observed receiver functions instead of standard H-κ amplitude stacking. The new method is applied to estimation …

Riparian Area Management: A Guide To Managing, Restoring, And Conserving Springs In The Western United States, United States Bureau Of Land Management

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The purpose of this technical reference is to provide information on the characteristics of springs in the Western U.S. and to identify techniques for managing spring habitats that will allow use, maintain biological integrity, and rehabilitate or restore degraded habitats. Spring management goals are outlined and methods for prioritizing management actions are discussed.

Potential Regional Impacts Of Global Warming On Precipitation In The Western United States, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Meterology

Snow and melting of the snowpack provide the principal supply of water to much of the Western United States. Whether global warming threatens this water supply is the focus of this research. This study builds upon a previous Global Climate Change Response Program investigation. Charts were generated of four geopotential height parameters for a domain covering the eastern North Pacific Ocean and western North America. Out of 131 total winter months (from 1946-89), 35 were selected as analogues.

Monthly mean precipitation values for areas in western Montana, northern Utah, and east central Arizona were compared with median values for the …

Initial Climate Change Scenario For The Western United States, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Meterology

Observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations in recent decades have shown an accelerating upward trend due mainly to burning of fossil fuels. Physical considerations indicate that observed and projected increases in the concentrations of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will lead to significant global warming. Previous authors have followed both empirical and theoretical approaches to develop scenarios for changed climate conditions. The most common empirical approach is the use of analogs of global warming drawn from historical records and paleoclimates. The principal theoretical approach involves the interpretation of output for general circulation models …

An Analysis Of The Water Situation In The United States: 1989-2040, Richard W. Guldin, Usda Forest Service

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

Several Federal agencies have historically had responsibilities for conducting assessments of the Nation's water resources. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service (SCS), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its predecessor agencies, among others, have conducted studies assessing the current situation and future prospects for water in particular regions of the country. Responsibility for national water assessments was assigned to the U.S. Water Resources Council (WRC) by the Water Resources Planning Act of 1965. With the demise of the WRC in 1981, several member agencies have attempted to take …

Late Quaternary Geomorphology Of The Great Salt Lake Region, Utah, And Other Hydrographically Closed Basins In The Western United States: A Summary Of Observations, United States, National Aeronautics And Space Administration

Water

This report reviews attributes of Quaternary lakes and lake basins which are often important in the environmental prehistory of semideserts. Basin-floor and basin-closure morphometry have set limits on paleolake sizes; lake morphometry and basin drainage patterns have influenced lacustrine processes; and water and sediment loads have influenced basin neotectonics. Information regarding inundated, runoff-producing, and extra-basin spatial domains is acquired directly from the paleolake record, including the littoral morphostratigraphic record, and indirectly by reconstruction.

Mechanisms Of Crustal Deformation In The Western United States, United States, National Aeronautics And Space Administration

Geology

The basic purpose of the research carried out under this grant was to obtain a better understanding of deformation processes in the western United States. The research considered both deterministic models and random or statistical models. One important aspect of deformation is the rheology of the lithosphere. We have been one of the leading proponents of an intracrustal asthenosphere. This is a soft zone at mid-crustal depths that has an important effect on a variety of tectonic phenomena.

A Hydrologic Model Of Aspen-Conifer Succession In The Western United States, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

Forestry

Hydrologic impacts of grass-forb to aspen to conifer succession in the Rocky Mountain area are simulated by means of a fundamental model. Model algorithms representing hydrologic processes are sensitive to vegetational changes within the subalpine vegetation zone. Reductions in water yield are predicted as the vegetation on a small Utah watershed proceeds from a grass-forb type to aspen to conifers. Streamflow changes are largely attributable to an interaction between seasonal consumption for each vegetation type and the influence of vegetation type on snowpack. The model synthesizes present understanding and provides a framework for future watershed research.

Sixth Annual Report Of The United States Geological Survey Of The Territories, Embracing Portions Of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, And Utah; Being A Report Of Progress Of The Explorations For The Year 1872, F. V. Hayden

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

Congress report of geological features and species discover for the territories of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah.