Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Subsurface Mapping Of Intra-Arbuckle Shale In North-West Kansas Using Well Log Data, Cole M. Denny

Master's Theses

The aim of this research was to enhance knowledge of Intra-Arbuckle Shale (IAS) distribution and structure through new maps, cross sections, and well log correlations. Understanding the shale(s) ultimately advances the discernment of complex Arbuckle reservoirs that are critical to the Kansas petroleum industry. IAS has been intercepted by oil wells throughout Kansas, but this study focuses on their presence in portions of Ellis, Rooks, Graham, and Trego counties. To study the distribution and structure of IAS, data from micro-resistivity and gamma ray well logs were collected from more than three hundred Arbuckle oil and gas wells. On each well …

The Anatomy And Phylogeny Of A New Large Plioplatecarpine Mosasaur From The Campanian Bearpaw Shale Of Montana (Usa), Richard A. Carr

Master's Theses

In 2018, a large and associated plioplatecarpine mosasaur skull, pectoral girdle, and rib cage, whose total body length may have exceeded five meters, was uncovered in the Late Campanian Bearpaw Shale of Northeast Montana (USA). Phylogenetic analysis of this specimen, MOR 10855, recovers this individual as a basal member of the genus Plioplatecarpus. This specimen, is unique in that it is estimated to be nearly twice the size of any of the other species of Plioplatecarpus found in the Western Interior Seaway during this part of the Cretaceous. While the included phylogenetic study suggests MOR 10855 represents a new …

Timing Of Diversification, Dispersal, And Biogeography Of Parrots In The Genus Amazona (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae) Throughout The Caribbean, Visualized In Gis, Christopher Kingwill

Master's Theses

Avian fossil records from across the Caribbean (Greater and Lesser Antilles) demonstrate higher avian diversity prior to extinction events due to climate change at the end of the Pleistocene and human impact across the Caribbean throughout the Holocene. Amazon parrots (Amazona) are a diverse genus of New World parrots found throughout Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. Their phylogeny and evolutionary history, specifically for Caribbean species, has been debated in terms of source areas in Central and South America and the timing of and number of colonization events to different islands that preceded diversification into …

Developing The Housing Attribute And Spatial Index (Hasi) Tool To Identify Characteristic Neighborhoods Using Variable Importance Factors Calculated Utilizing Random Forest Regression Modeling In Arcgis Pro, William A. Wallace

Master's Theses

The purpose of this research is to examine the functionality in utilizing Random Forest Regression (RFR) Variable Importance (VI) values in characterizing neighborhoods based on the attributes of existing housing units by creating an automated GIS tool. An important concept that has been implemented in the past in real-estate valuation is the concept of Hedonic Price Modeling (HPM), which uses regression techniques to identify the impacts that individual attributes have on the cost of a good in a heterogenous market outside of mere utility. The benefit of this research is to produce a tool that automates the RFR process such …

The Relationship Between Climate Social Vulnerability And Asthma, Diane Nunez

Master's Theses

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that affects millions of people worldwide, the incidence and severity of asthma is influenced influenced by various factors, including air masses, and weather conditions. Asthma can also disproportionately affect different sociodemographics groups, leading to inequalities and injustices. This study used statistical analysis and GIS to analyze the spatial distribution of asthma calls and their relationship to sociodemographic traits in Wichita, KS, Tulsa, OK, and Oklahoma City, OK, and the seasonal distribution of asthma calls and their relationship to air masses. Results show that the relationship between asthma prevalence is higher among certain sociodemographic groups, …

Dye Tracing And The Effects Of Infrastructure In Hidden River Cave, Horse Cave, Ky, Alexa G. Franks

Master's Theses

Hidden River Cave is a stream cave system found in Horse Cave, KY with continuous water flow of its two branches, Wheet River and East River. The infrastructure of the city of Hose Cave, KY was originally designed to utilize natural sinkholes for drainage of all wastewaters. The city uses many of these, now modified, sinkholes for wastewater disposal and storm water drainage. Historically, Hidden River Cave has been severely impacted by unmonitored dumping of contamination. To better understand and identify specific flow paths from sinkholes and infrastructure into Hidden River Cave, this study documented various sinkholes and other infrastructure, …

Stable Isotope Analysis Of A Platecarpus Tympaniticus (Squamata, Mosasauridae) With Actinocamax Sternbergi (Mollsuca, Belemnoidea) Reveals Possible Endothermic Thermoregulation, Mitchell Lukens

Master's Theses

Mosasaurs, ancient marine reptiles, dominated the late Cretaceous oceans. However, their ecological success is a contentious topic. Were they ectothermic, like their modern relatives the varanid lizards? Or endothermic like extant marine mammals? Stable isotopes can reveal temperature and physiological variances within skeletons, but do not differentiate between body temperature and ambient environmental temperature. A rare mosasaur specimen from the Smoky Hill Chalk of a partial, articulated Platecarpus tympaniticus with stomach contents of belemnites provides a possible direct temperature contrast between predator and prey. The belemnites, related to modern coleoids, are identified as Actinocamax sternbergi. These animals possessed body …

Using Geochemical Composition To Determine Paleo Environmental Conditions And Source Inputs In Paleozoic Rocks Within The Central Kansas Uplift Usa, Christiana Fumnanya Eziashi

Master's Theses

Paleoenvironmental conditions, sediment characteristics and lateral continuity using chemostratigraphy are not well established for stratigraphic units associated with some small fields within the Central Kansas Uplift (CKU). Samples of drill cuttings recovered from six wells (Hottman #1, and Hottman-Furthmeyer#1, Yocemento #1, Mong Benno #2, Rhian #3 and Worcester #1) at 10 ft intervals between 3150 ft and 3900 ft below ground level, were processed and analyzed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). The XRF technique was used to determine elemental compositions, and XRD was used to determine mineral content. The composition of the rock cuttings was used to …

Policy Analysis Of Emissions Cap And Trade: The United State And The European Union, Drew Bealby

Master's Theses

Effects of climate change are appearing each day therefore proactive steps need to be made to reduce these effects. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) notes that humans producing greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane, and nitrous oxide are the main reason the Earth’s overall temperature is rising (NASA 2019). A policy analysis was done on the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) along with comparisons to the United States’ emissions policies that are in place currently. The European Union (E.U.) itself is both an economic and political union of 27 countries in …

A Karst Feature Prediction Model For Prince Of Wales Island, Alaska Based On High Resolution Lidar Imagery, Alexander Lyles

Master's Theses

Investigation into surface karst formation is significant to hazard prediction, hydrogeologic drainage, and land management. Southeast Alaska contains over 600,000 acres of mapped carbonate bedrock, and some of the fastest recorded karst dissolution in the world. The objectives of this study are to develop and compare multiple semi-automated models to map and delineate karst features from bare-earth LiDAR imagery using ArcGIS Desktop 10.7, and to apply a preliminary geostatistical analysis of sinkhole morphometric parameters to highlight potential spatial patterns of karst evolution on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. A semi-automated approach of mapping karst features provides a dataset that minimizes …

An Investigation Into Historical And Contemporary Breeding Occurrence Of The Ferruginous Hawk In Kansas, Erica Clark

Master's Theses

The Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) is the largest Buteo species occurring in grasslands, nesting along bluffs, buttes and isolated trees. In Kansas, the Ferruginous Hawk is listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need, Tier II. A previous study on Ferruginous Hawks nesting in Kansas during the years of 1979 to 1987, with sporadic visits from the 1990s to 2000, revealed that the most productive nesting territories were inaccessible to predators, placed on rocky ledges and the surrounding landscape was over 50% rangeland. I revisited 82 of the 111 historic nest territories in the summers of 2019 and …

Ecological Controls On The Campanian Distribution Of Hesperornis (Aves: Hesperornithiformes) In The Western Interior Seaway, Blake Chapman

Master's Theses

The epicontinental Western Interior Seaway (WIS) of Late Cretaceous North America provided a unique marine habitat for cephalopods, fish, marine reptiles, and the foot-propelled diving seabird Hesperornis. While several predator-prey relationships among Hesperornis or other hesperornithiforms and other WIS animals have been hypothesized based on gut contents, bite marks, and coprolites/colonites, ecological relationships have not been quantitatively tested. Paleontological species distribution modeling (SDM) studies have focused on extinct non-marine taxa and marine invertebrates, with only two marine vertebrate studies of extant taxa. Here, two SDM methods were used to test the influence of vertebrate faunas, sedimentary rock type, paleogeography, …

Analysis Of Clastic Cave Sediment In A Fluviokarst System, Russell Cave, Northeast Alabama, Jonathan Camelo

Master's Theses

Russell Cave is part of a fluviokarst system located along the edge of the Cumberland Plateau in northeast Alabama. The cave system acts as a surface-subsurface drainage system transporting, depositing, and accumulating large influxes of terrestrial-derived materials (sediments, organic material, and magnetic minerals) into the subsurface system forming sediment traps. Five core sites along various discontinuous sediment banks were collected and sampled in 2 cm intervals. Data collection involved Red-Green-Blue (RGB) color, loss on ignition (LOI), magnetic susceptibility (MS) grain-size analysis, end member mixing analysis (EMMA), and ¹⁴C radiocarbon dating. The goals for this research were to identify the …

A Karst Feature Predictability Model Within Barber County, Kansas, Gary M. Kelner

Master's Theses

This research consisted of two topics: 1) geographic predictive models of karst features and 2), a petrographic study examining the lithology of the study area. The study area is a privately owned ranch in the Gypsum Hills of Barber County, Kansas and is known to have karst features. Two predictive models for karst features were utilized. Previously identified features, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) imagery aided in the creation of these predictive models. These predictability models also used the ESRI ArcMap software platform. The data for these models consists of slope, …

An Assessment Of Convergence In The Feeding Morphology Of Xiphactinus Audax And Megalops Atlanticus Using Landmark-Based Geometric Morphometrics, Edward Chase Shelburne

Master's Theses

Convergence is an evolutionary phenomenon wherein distantly related organisms independently develop features or functional adaptations to overcome similar environmental constraints. Historically, convergence among organisms has been speculated or asserted with little rigorous or quantitative investigation. More recent advancements in systematics has allowed for the detection and study of convergence in a phylogenetic context, but this does little to elucidate convergent anatomical features in extinct taxa with poorly understood evolutionary histories. The purpose of this study is to investigate one potentially convergent system—the feeding structure of Xiphactinus audax (Teleostei: Ichthyodectiformes) and Megalops atlanticus (Teleostei: Elopiformes)—using a comparative anatomical approach to assess …

Weighing The Impacts Of Airbnb In Iceland: Multivariate Perspectives, Alexa Gorlick

Master's Theses

This research sought to evaluate if the sharing economy leader, Airbnb, creates impacts that residents of Iceland feel they experience. The study also aimed to discover if rural and urban inhabitants have similar perspectives on Airbnb impacts. Airbnb’s entrepreneurial encroachment into the accommodation sector has caused a multitude of localities to manage an assortment of complex affairs. These matters are difficult to solve due to their changing, contradictory, and incomplete premise. The purpose of this research is to determine if Airbnb activity is prominent in Iceland and therefore causing the country to experience similar issues that officials are struggling to …

Gypsum Karst Speleogenesis In Barber County, Kansas Of The Permian Blaine Formation, Kaitlyn Gauvey

Master's Theses

Field reconnaissance examining the Permian Blaine Formation and the karst features within those rocks were conducted on two ranches in Barber County, Kansas. Karst features are developed dominantly in gypsum and include caves, sinkholes, losing streams, springs, and other surficial karst features. The Blaine Formation is known as a significant karst unit and major aquifer system in Oklahoma; however, little work has been conducted in Kansas. This study identifies the processes that lead to karst development in the Blaine Formation in Kansas and represents the first stage of a karst study to develop predictive karst models. This survey of caves …

Effects Of Fragmentation On Species Retention In National Parks, Liz Tanner

Master's Theses

The North American landscape is becoming increasingly fragmented, resulting in habitat patches with decreased area and increased isolation. Often, these patches exist as protected areas, such as national parks. The Theory of Island Biogeography is frequently used as a model for these patches, where each park serves as an ‘island’ surrounded by a ‘sea’ of human-altered habitats. As such, species richness and extinctions in a park might be explained by its area. For this study, I used regression models to examine the relationship between richness and area, as well as extinctions and area, for mammals and birds in national parks. …

The Effect Of Vegetative Structure On Nest-Burrow Selection By The Western Burrowing Owl: Comparing Traditional Methods To Photogrammetry With An Unmanned Aerial System, Dylan J. Steffen

Master's Theses

The shortgrass prairie ecoregion in the United States has been reduced to 52% of its historical extent, contributing to reduced habitat for native species. One such species is the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia). The Western Burrowing Owl subspecies (A. c. hypugaea) is listed as a Species of Special Concern in nearly every western and midwestern state, including Kansas where it is designated as a Tier II Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Habitat destruction due to conversion to cropland, increasing use of pesticides, and reduction in burrowing mammal abundance are the primary threats that have led to …

Prospecting For Coal Bed Uranium In Kansas Through The Use Of Arcgis And Uranium Proxies, Logan Howell

Master's Theses

The potential implications for the discovery of coal bed uranium in Kansas not only have a significant scientific and human health interest impact, but also a possible future economic one as well. This study sought to look for coal bed uranium within the Cretaceous Dakota Formation located in north-central of Kansas. This study utilized the two coal bed uranium proxies of historic subbituminous coal production and radon, and ArcGIS to produce a field-site selection map. This map was used to pick counties within Kansas to collect samples from. Once samples were collected, they were scanned for radiation using all available …

Spatial Patterns Of Precipitation Trends In The Continental United States, 1950-2016, Shayne O'Brien

Master's Theses

Identifying trends in aspects of meteorology is becoming increasingly important to understanding how climate can be expected to change, and how those affected may plan contingencies. Analyzing spatial patterns of precipitation trends allows for associations to be discovered to better understand regional climatology. For this study, daily precipitation data were collected from The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Global Historical Climate Network (GHCN) at stations across the continental United States, with selection based on distance from each other within a state, as well as percent completeness of observation data. Two stations per state were selected, with some exceptions for …

Exploring The Relationship Between The Nemaha Uplift And The Mid-Continent Rift Using 3d Mapping Visual Analysis, Faris Abanumay

Master's Theses

The present study presents and explains the relationship between Nemaha uplift and Mid-continent rift (MCR), where the understanding of the faulting systems around the study region were extremely important with regard to finding the relationship. The Nemaha is located in Kansas State in the Central United States with a total area of about 719 square miles. It was formed around the pre- Mississippian era. The compression and rifting processes that led to formation of faults, volcanoes, ridges and oceanic plates controls the faulting in the Nemaha region. The MCR system is a major tectonic feature in North America that is …

Osteohistology And Skeletochronology Of An Ontogenetic Series Of Clidastes (Squamata: Mosasauridae): Growth And Metabolism In Basal Mosasaurids, Cyrus C. Green

Master's Theses

Clidastes was a large marine reptile from the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway of North America. Though the remains of Clidastes have been found in the Cretaceous chalks and shales for over 150 years, little is known about their growth rates.

Osteohistology is a well-documented technique used to investigate growth in extinct animals. Previous histological studies of Clidastes have hypothesized higher growth rates in basal mosasaurids than varanids due to higher vascularity. These studies focused on adult specimens but did not look at ontogenetic changes in growth rates. Isotopic studies of Clidastes indicate high metabolic temperatures, leading to speculation these …

Incorporating Multi-Spectral Imaging Into Long-Term Upland Breeding Bird Monitoring, Kyle William Schumacher

Master's Theses

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas, United States partnered with Fort Hays State University Hays, KS in 2014 to begin a collaborative research project that aimed to develop a long-term monitoring protocol guided by the Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the refuge published in 2013. This plan identified specific wildlife taxa underrepresented in management impact assessments throughout the property. As a result of this plan, surveys were established to monitor interactions between upland breeding birds and the vegetation community. I conducted point count surveys in 2016, 2017, and 2018 for 122 observation points across four transects. I measured seventeen vegetation variables …

Characterizing Basement Structures To Evaluate Their Influence On Overlaying Sedimentary Layers: Case Study Of Three Fields In The Central Kansas Uplift, Muhammad S. Karim

Master's Theses

Potential field and well log data were used to investigate basement features and the overlaying sedimentary layers across four counties in the Central Kansas Uplift. The objective of this study was to (1) investigate and determine the orientation of basement structures/features, (2) estimate the depth to basement, and (3) examine the influence (if any) and relationship between the basement features and the overlaying sedimentary deposits of three oil fields in the study area. Aeromagnetic data was used to interpret and map basement features by applying derivative filters. Well log data was used to pick formation top values and create contour …

Morphometric Changes In Semicircular Canal Shape Within Theropoda (Dinosauria: Saurischia) And Their Dietary Implications, James Logan King

Master's Theses

heropods were a suborder of dinosaurs that displayed a large variety of dietary preferences throughout the Mesozoic and into the Cenozoic as modern birds. Being ancestrally carnivorous, many of the large-bodied early theropods were hypercarnivorous; however, members of Theropoda diversified their diets into omnivory and herbivory. Modern vertebrates with different dietary preferences have different spatial sensitivities to changes in head and body movement. In order to test if theropod diet plays a major role in the rostral (RSC), caudal (CSC), and lateral (LSC) semicircular canal shape, therizinosaurs, tyrannosaurids, ratites, an allosaurid, an ornithomimid, and a phorusrhacid were analyzed via 2D …

Analysis Of Big Creek Aquifer Alluvial Facies And Associated Phreatic Surface Contour Maps Hays, Ellis County, Kansas, Krisopher John Neuhauser

Master's Theses

Three contour maps of groundwater elevation levels below Hays, Kansas generated in 2016 show that the phreatic surface in eight monitoring wells declined 3.6 inches to 1 foot 9.6 inches over a three-month period of July, August, and September. They also indicate that groundwater flows in curvilinear directions toward Big Creek. Analyses of ten north-south oriented structural cross sections of the alluvial fill beneath the central region of Hays provide evidence of buried low-sinuosity and meandering streams, floodplains, and possibly adjoining tributaries and abandoned channels. Correlation of the more porous and permeable sand and gravel facies along a northwest to …

Hydrogeological Study Of A Municipal Groundwater Well Field In Central Kansas, Tyler Saryerwinnie

Master's Theses

The City of Victoria is a small town of approximately 1,200 people situated in Central Kansas. Along with other communities in Kansas, recent drought has made the issue of water quality and availability a pressing concern with local officials. This city relies heavily on the use of ground-water wells located south of the town near the Big Creek channel. It is the purpose of this study to define the hydrogeological conditions effecting the City’s well field, and in turn apply this information to define an area of influence and outline potential hazards for the well field. Utilizing previous studies, along …

The Relationship Among Suture Complexity, Shell Form, And Stratigraphic Formation In Ammonites Of The Western Interior Seaway, Darrah Jorgensen

Master's Theses

Throughout ammonite evolution, shell suture patterns grew increasingly more complex, but the purpose of these sutures has long been debated. One hypothesis is that suture complexity is related to the structural integrity of the shell under pressure. To test this hypothesis, suture complexity was compared to shell form and stratigraphic formation to determine if there were significant differences in suture complexity, as a proxy for structural integrity, among shell forms or stratigraphic formations. Highly complex sutures might have allowed for the tightly coiled form of many ammonites, an advantage compared to less coiled forms because the pressure is distributed over …

Uas-Collected Multispectral Imagery For The Identification Of Rangeland Vegetation In A Southern Mixed-Grass Prairie, Adam Rusk

Master's Theses

The interest in using unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for remote sensing of natural resources and ecology has grown rapidly in recent years and continues to develop. Recent improvements in the cost, size, and accessibility of consumer-grade UASs are now facilitating image collection on low-flying UAS platforms. Rangelands provide a unique opportunity to explore the uses of UAS remote sensing due to their large spatial extent and spatial and temporal heterogeneity. This study focuses on the use of UAS’s to identify rangeland vegetation in a southern mixed-grass prairie in Kansas. Two primary questions were asked: 1) Do small UASs with low-cost …