Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Climate Change And The Water Crisis In Israel, Lauren Deutsch

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Israel’s water crisis is controlled by the availability and location of water resources that are affected by climate change and geopolitics in southwest Asia. Conflict between Israel and the Palestinian occupied territories in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have put strains on the allocation of water recourses. The goal of this research was to model how much a change in climate will affect the amount of available freshwater in Israel. Intensive research taken from Israel and the occupied territories was carried out to understand how the amount of precipitation, rainfall, and the rate of evaporation is affected by …

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 …

Quantifying The Regional Water Footprint Of Biofuel Production By Incorporating Hydrologic Modeling, M. Wu, Y. Chiu, Y. Demissie

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

A spatially explicit life cycle water analysis framework is proposed, in which a standardized water footprint methodology is coupled with hydrologic modeling to assess blue water, green water (rainfall), and agricultural grey water discharge in the production of biofuel feedstock at county-level resolution. Grey water is simulated via SWAT, a watershed model. Evapotranspiration (ET) estimates generated with the Penman-Monteith equation and crop parameters were verified by using remote sensing results, a satellite-imagery-derived data set, and other field measurements. Crop irrigation survey data are used to corroborate the estimate of irrigation ET. An application of the concept is presented in a …

Selection Of Hydrologic Modeling Approaches For Climate Change Assessment: A Comparison Of Model Scale And Structures, Christopher G. Surfleet, Desirèe Tullos, Heejun Chang, Il-Won Jung

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

A wide variety of approaches to hydrologic (rainfall–runoff) modeling of river basins confounds our ability to select, develop, and interpret models, particularly in the evaluation of prediction uncertainty associated with climate change assessment. To inform the model selection process, we characterized and compared three structurally-distinct approaches and spatial scales of parameterization to modeling catchment hydrology: a large-scale approach (using the VIC model; 671,000 km² area), a basin-scale approach (using the PRMS model; 29,700 km² area), and a site-specific approach (the GSFLOW model; 4700 km² area) forced by the same future climate estimates. For each approach, we present …

Uncertainty In Hydrologic Modelling For Estimating Hydrologic Response Due To Climate Change (Santiam River, Oregon), Christopher G. Surfleet, Desirée Tullos

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

This paper explores the predicted hydrologic responses associated with the compounded error of cascading global circulation model (GCM) uncertainty through hydrologic model uncertainty due to climate change. A coupled groundwater and surface water flow model (GSFLOW) was used within the differential evolution adaptive metropolis (DREAM) uncertainty approach and combined with eight GCMs to investigate uncertainties in hydrologic predictions for three subbasins of varying hydrogeology within the Santiam River basin in Oregon, USA. Predictions of future hydrology in the Santiam River include increases in runoff in the fall and winter months and decreases in runoff for the spring and summer months. …

Assessing County-Level Water Footprints Of Different Cellulosic- Biofuel Feedstock Pathways, Yi-Wen Chiu, May Wu

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

While agricultural residue is considered as a near-term feedstock option for cellulosic biofuels, its sustainability must be evaluated by taking water into account. This study aims to analyze the county-level water footprint for four biofuel pathways in the United States, including bioethanol generated from corn grain, stover, wheat straw, and biodiesel from soybean. The county-level blue water footprint of ethanol from corn grain, stover, and wheat straw shows extremely wide variances with a national average of 31, 132, and 139 L of water per liter biofuel (L_w/L_bf), and standard deviation of 133, 323, and 297 L …

Determining Ancient Movement Of The Sur–Nacimiento Fault Zone Using Detrital Zircon Geochronology, Jennifer Per Lee

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Middle Cretaceous movement along the Sur–Nacimiento Fault has implications for our understanding of how convergent tectonic margins evolve and for the architecture of forearc basins. Traditional explanations suggest an autochthonous California Mesozoic Forearc that underwent sinistral or thrust displacement; although recent research suggests either an allochthonous forearc or an isolated Nacimiento Block that experienced significant dextral displacement. Detrital zircons obtained from the Great Valley Group within the Nacimiento block provide age distribution patterns that can help identify sources of sediment deposition and therefore the past location of the Nacimiento block. Using U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology, we have discovered a dominance …

The Effects Of Biochar Age And Concentration On Soil Retention Of Phosphorus And Infiltration Rate, Emilie Schneider

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Changes in land use and land management practices are regarded as one of the main factors in altering the hydrogeological system, causing changes in runoff, surface supply yields, and the quality of receiving water (Tong and Chen, 2002). Phosphorus is a significant contributor to accelerated eutrophication of fresh water and is largely sourced from agricultural runoff (Sharpley et al., 1994). The dominant processes controlling solution composition in agricultural soils are primarily ‘chemical’ for P (i.e. adsorption/desorption and dissolution/precipitation) (Edwards and Withers, 1998). Biochar has chemical characteristics that have the potential to adsorb P or influence precipitation of P insoluble pools …

A Study Of Enhanced De-Chlorination And Bio-Remediation: Molasses Injections Into Groundwater, Brent Anderson

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing Landslides In The Bittercreek Wildlife Refuge, David Mceachern

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Discussion Of Factors Involved In The Formation Of Slab Avalanches And An Analysis Of Avalanche Risk In The Sierra Nevada Mountains Using Gis, Kevin C. Howen

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

As winter recreational activities increase in mountainous environments, the need for a better understanding of snow avalanches is necessary. This project consists of a study into the physical factors that contribute to slab avalanche formation, and a GIS analysis of an avalanche prone area within the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The primary physical factors that contribute to the conditions that lead to avalanches include the slope of a mountain face, the aspect, and bare ground conditions lacking thick forest vegetation. ArcGIS is a powerful software tool that was used to map each of these factors, and then combine them to create …

Modeling Glacial Termination, Michael Murphy

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Examines possible cause of the glacial termination or ice age cycle using a numerical model created by Tziperman et al. Also explores possible physical mechanisms causing the observed cycle of slow cooling followed by rapid warming.

An Education On Growing Water Scarcity And The Benefits Of Domestic Greywater Recycling Systems, Patricia Cates

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Water scarcity is becoming an ever growing concern in the world today. Fresh potable water is a natural resource which is being used more rapidly than it is being replenished. A growing global population, agriculture, and industry have placed great demands on our water resources. There is a need to help conserve our planet’s fresh water reserves. A tremendous percentage of household drinking water in the United States is currently being used to flush toilets, water yards and wash laundry or dishes. A practice termed ‘greywater recycling’ allows a person to utilize slightly used water to irrigate landscapes and flush …

A Chemical And Morphological Study Of Soils At The Cal Poly Vineyard, Glade A. Dlott

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Despite cultivation for close to a decade, the soils at the Cal Poly vineyard have never been studied in detail. This study was designed to gain a better understanding of the soils for better management. Soil pits and auger holes were dug throughout the site to accurately classify soils. Soils were classified using USDA-NRCS Soil Taxonomy, and samples were taken from each horizon of each soil pit for chemical analysis. Four soil map units were delineated on the site. The pH, EC, total percent carbon and nitrogen, and plant available nitrate, sulfate, phosphate, base cations, and metal micronutrients of each …

First Record Of Serropalpus Substriatus Haldeman, 1848 (Coleoptera: Melandryidae) On Giant Sequoia, Sequoiadendron Giganteum (Lindl.) J. Buchholz (Cupressaceae): New Larval Host, Kim S. Camilli, Joshua D. Soderlund, David Wood, Jim Kral, Douglas D. Piirto

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Measuring Ecological Impact Of Water Consumption By Bioethanol Using Life Cycle Impact Assessment, Yi-Wen Chiu, Sangwon Suh, Stephan Pfister, Stefanie Hellweg, Annette Koehler

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Purpose

Though the development of biofuel has attracted numerous studies for quantifying potential water demand applying life cycle thinking, the impacts of biofuel water consumption still remain unknown. In this study, we aimed to quantify ecological impact associated with corn-based bioethanol water consumption in Minnesota in responding to different refinery expansion scenarios by applying a life cycle impact assessment method.

Methods

This ecological damage assessment method for quantifying water consumption impacts was proposed by Pfister et al. in 2009 (Environ Sci Technol 43: 4098–4104, 2009) using an impact characterization factor integrating terrestrial net primary production and precipitation. In …

Soil Mapping On A Swanton Pacific Ranch Rangeland, Thomas N. Witman

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Knowledge of soils has become very important in most land based enterprises. The understanding of soils is necessary for all different types of land management projects. The USDA mapped all of the soils in the United States starting in the late 1950’s to provide the necessary information. However because the mappers often times had to map entire counties in short amounts of time ,did not have modern technology, and had rather a vague operating procedure, there was no way to be accurate on the small scaled. To solve this problem I evaluated Dr. Ron Taskey’s landscape hierarchy, a method that …

An Approach To Study The Effect Of Harvest And Wildfire On Watershed Hydrology And Sediment Yield In A Coast Redwood Forest, Christopher G. Surfleet, Arne Skaugset, Brian Dietterick

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The Little Creek watershed, within California State Polytechnic University’s Swanton Pacific Ranch, is the location of a paired and nested watershed study to investigate the watershed effects of coast redwood forest management. Streamflow, suspended sediment, and stream turbidity have been collected during storms at two locations on the North Fork Little Creek and at the outlet of South Fork Little Creek from 2002 until present. In 2008, the watershed area between the two monitoring stations on the North Fork Little Creek watershed was harvested with an individual tree selection silvicultural system within the Santa Cruz County Rules of the California …