Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Reduction Of Iron (Iii) And Humic Substances Plays A Major Role In Anaerobic Respiration In An Arctic Peat Soil, David A. Lipson, Mony Jha, Ted K. Raab, Walter C. Oechel

Ted K. Raab

Arctic peat soils contain vast reserves of organic C and are largely anaerobic. However, anaerobic respiration, particularly the role of Fe(III) and humic substances as electron acceptors, is not well understood in such ecosystems. We investigated these processes in a drained thaw lake basin on the Arctic coastal plain near Barrow, Alaska. We measured concentrations of soluble Fe and other potential electron acceptors, described the microbial community, and performed experiments in the laboratory and field to measure net rates of Fe(III) reduction and the relationship of this process to C cycling. In most areas within the basin, aerobic conditions existed …

Background Fluorescence In Groundwater From A Tropical Karst Island Aquifer, Michelle Hoffman

Michelle Hoffman

Background levels of four fluorescent compounds were monitored biweekly at thirteen sampling sites on Guam, consisting of subtidal and intertidal springs, dissolution fractures, and internal upland contact spring discharge, over a 13-month period from 2006 to 2007. Samples were compared to local precipitation and to seawater samples from four nearby reef flats. The data revealed that the concentrations of optical brighteners were consistently two orders of magnitude greater than either sodium fluorescein or rhodamine WT, while Eosine Y was rarely detected. Background levels in seawater, by comparison, accounted for 25% or more of the fluorescent compounds detected at the thirteen …

A Comparison Of Biocolloid And Colloid Transport In Single Saturated Rock Fractures, Junlei Qu

Sarah E Dickson

No abstract provided.

Central New York Varve Chronology: A Suggestion For Quaternary Geologists, Thomas Bradley Walker

Thomas Bradley Walker

Work done to build a chronology of deglaciation using varves has been the focus of a number of researchers in New England for many years. The locations employed to build their timeline have been quite useful to date. However, New England is not the only place in the Northeast conducive to studying the last deglaciation of North America. The discovery of a set of ice proximal varves in an ancient glacial lake, now a swamp, in Oswego County, central New York, has shown that some locations outside of New England would be suitable for similar studies. The land having been …

Cleaning Of Rivers Through The Application Of Advanced Technologies, Praveen Jha Dr

Praveen Jha Dr

Despite immense drain on our scarce resources, rivers remain polluted. Waste disposal into rivers on top of meager to absent infrastructural facilities, including treatment facilities, are the most important drivers of pollution. Unscientific development paradigm devoid of adequate environmental safeguards and failure of forestry sector to cope up with the challenge has led to the deteriorated condition of green cover and water. Several state-of-art geo-spatial programs developed by the author would be applied for generating optimum state-of-art plan. Three state-of-art geo-spatial programs - Multi-Algorithm Automation Program (MAAP), Data Automatic Modification Program (DAMP) and Multi-Stage Simulation Program (MUSSIP) - developed primarily …

An Examination Of The Impact Of Air From China On Summertime Air Quality In Japan Before, During, And After The Beijing Olympics, Gary A. Morris, Hajime Akimoto, Masayuki Takigawa, Jun Hirokawa, Fumio Hasebe, Masatomo Fujiwara, Koji Miyagawa, Nicholay Krotkov, Jacquie Witte, Yugo Kanaya, Nathan Kellams, Ted Pietrzak

Gary A. Morris

During July – September 2008 pollution controls in China associated with the Beijing Olympics led to emissions reductions of up to 43%, as observed by NASA satellite instruments. Pollution from China has an impact on air quality throughout East Asia. In this poster, we examine the impact of China's pollution on Japan through the use of Aura satellite data (2005 – 2009), ozonesonde data (2000 – 2009), and data from air quality surface monitors (2000 – 2009). We also examine the year-to-year variability in meteorological flow regimes through trajectory model simulations of transport to Japan from the areas around Beijing …

Deformation And Alteration Associated With Oceanic And Continental Detachment Fault Systems: Are They Similar?, Barbara John, Michael Cheadle

Barbara John

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Different Aproaches To Extract Heterogeneous Objects From An Image Using An Orchards Example, Przemysław Kupidura, Gwadera Łukasz

Przemysław Kupidura

Traditional, pixel-based classification is very often an useless tool for an automatic extraction of heterogeneous types of land cover. This paper presents the application of mathematical morphology for a semi-automatic extraction of heterogenous objects using an example of orchards. Thanks to this algorithm it is possible to obtain orchards pixels of unique set of digital numbers, allowing succesful application of a traditional pixel-based classification for extraction of this class.The algorithm concerning a sequence of morphological operations of multispectral satellite images of very high resolution (VHR) is then veryfied on test images. The paper concerns also a comparison of an efficiency …

Semi-Automatic Method For A Built-Up Area Intensity Survey Using Morphological Granulometry, Przemysław Kupidura

Przemysław Kupidura

Built-up areas as a land-use type are easy to extract in a visual photo-interpretation process, however their heterogeneous character makes theirs automatic or semi-automatic extraction very complicated, even impossible using non-contextual, pixel-based methods of image classification. This paper concerns the application of the semi-automatic method of the extraction of built-up areas in satellite images. Granulometric maps, a mathematical morphology operator is used as a main tool for surveying a heterogeneity of particular parts of an aerial or satellite image. This function measures amount and size of objects in the determined neighborhood of each pixel of an image. Pixels representing built-up …

Partitioning Of ?India-Eurasua Convergence In The Pamir-Hindu Kush From Gps Measurements, Rebecca Bendick

Rebecca Bendick

No abstract provided.

Choosing Carbon Mitigation Strategies Using Ethical Deliberation, Rebecca Bendick

Rebecca Bendick

No abstract provided.

Why Subduction Zones Are Curved, Rebecca Bendick

Rebecca Bendick

No abstract provided.

Earthquake Emergency Education In Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Rebecca Bendick

Rebecca Bendick

No abstract provided.

Sedimentary Setting Of Adriatic Flysch Formation (Middle Eocene-Middle Miocene), Southeastern Montenegro As Revealed By Turbidite Sequences., Zoran Kilibarda, Damjan Cadjenovic, Jelena Milutin, Novo Radulovic

Zoran Kilibarda

A 750 m long outcrop of Middle Eocene-Miocene flysch is exposed in an asymmetrical syncline in Crnjak Cove, south of Bar, Montenegro. Texture, physical sedimentary structures, petrography, and trace fossil studied in these sediments allowed the recognition of turbidite facies that display various members of the Bouma sequence (Ta,b,c,d,e). These are interpreted in order to reconstruct the depositional setting of these gravitational deposits. Predominantly clastic lihologies in this 300 m thick sequence are arranged in seven distinct turbidite facies, which represent three superimposed submarine fans. The oldest fan consists of: 1) basal marl (T1: 0-30 m), which indicate basin to …

Assessing The Impact Of Geosciences Laboratories On Student Learning: Who Benefits From Introductory Labs, Karl Nelson, Kristin Huysken, Zoran Kilibarda

Zoran Kilibarda

Laboratories serve as an integral part of geoscience education at most colleges and universities. While anecdotal evidence supports the beneficial impact of laboratories on science class learning, little quantitative research backs this statement. This study compared classroom data from students who completed a geoscience laboratory in conjunction with an introductory-level lecture-based course to those who completed the lecture course only. Laboratory-enrolled students performed better in the lecture class, resulting in an increase of 5.5% in their final class score. Even after controlling for GPA, laboratory enrollment accounted for a statistically significant proportion of the variance. Nontraditional students (age 25 and …

Removal Of Perchlorate (Clo4-) From Water Using Pulsed Arc Electrohydraulic Discharge (Paed), Sarah E. Dickson

Sarah E Dickson

No abstract provided.

The Coconut Palm, Cocos Nucifera, Impacts Forest Composition And Soil Characteristics At Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific, Hillary S. Young, Ted K. Raab, Douglas J. Mccauley, Amy A. Briggs, Rodolfo Dirzo

Ted K. Raab

Cocos nucifera, the coconut palm, has a pantropical distribution and reaches near monodominance in many atolls, low lying islands and coastal regions. This paper examines the ecological correlation between C. nucifera abundance and changes in forest structure, floristic diversity and forest soil characteristics. Cumulatively, these data show that C. nucifera has important impacts on floristic, structural and soil characteristics of forests where it becomes dominant. Given the high proportion of tropical coastal areas in which C. nucifera is now naturalized and abundant, this likely has important implications for coastal forest diversity and structure.

The Rhizosphere: A Synchrotron- Based View Of Nutrient Flow In The Root Zone, Theodore K. Raab, David A. Lipson

Ted K. Raab

At two energy “endpoints” of the EM spectrum accessible to synchrotron biologists (IR radiation and soft X-rays), we have found experimental methods providing unique opportunities to observe processes and test hypotheses essential to understanding plantsoil- microbe interactions. Availability of IR synchrotron beamlines will continue to expand worldwide, and we hope that plant and microbial biologists will incorporate the type of spectral data presented in this chapter as just one of a legion of “-omics” methods. Considering the shear flux of C through belowground ecosystems annually (and how poorly constrained they are in many regions), synchrotrons must continue to demand the …

Meta-Analysis Of Fertilization Experiments Indicates Multiple Limiting Nutrients In Northeastern Deciduous Forests, Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur

Matthew A Vadeboncoeur

It is widely accepted that N limits primary production in temperate forests, although colimitation by N and P has also been suggested, and on some soils, Ca and base cations are in short supply. I conducted a meta-analysis to assess the strength of existing experimental evidence for limitation of primary production by N, P, and Ca in hardwood forests of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada using data from 35 fertilization experiments in deciduous forests on glaciated soils across the region.

There is strong evidence for N limitation (formal meta-analysis weighted mean response ratio = 1.51, p < 0.01; simple mean = 1.42, p < 0.001). Forest productivity also tended to increase with additions of P (simple mean = 1.15, p = 0.05) and Ca (simple mean = 1.36, p < 0.001). Across all treatments, 85% of response ratios were positive. Multiple-element additions had larger effects than single elements, but factorial experiments showed little evidence of synergistic effects between nutrient additions. Production responses correlated positively with the rate of N fertilization, but this effect was reduced at high rates of ambient N deposition.

Observations Of Ozone Production In A Dissipating Tropical Convective Cell During Tc4, Gary A. Morris, A. M. Thompson, K. E. Pickering, S. Chen, E. J. Bucsela, P. A. Kucera

Gary A. Morris

From 13 July–9 August 2007, 25 ozonesondes were launched from Las Tablas, Panama as part of the Tropical Composition, Cloud, and Climate Coupling (TC4) mission. On 5 August, a strong convective cell formed in the Gulf of Panama. World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) data indicated 563 flashes (09:00–17:00 UTC) in the Gulf. NO2 data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) show enhancements, suggesting lightning production of NOx. At 15:05 UTC, an ozonesonde ascended into the southern edge of the now dissipating convective cell as it moved west across the Azuero Peninsula. The balloon oscillated from 2.5–5.1 km five times …

Tectonic Environments Of Ancient Civilizations: Opportunities For Archaeoseismological And Anthropological Studies, Eric R. Force, Bruce G. Mcfadgen

Eric R Force

The close spatial relation between ancient civilizations and active tectonic boundaries is robust in the Eastern Hemisphere but counterintuitive given the seismic dis- advantages it implies. Explanations for the observation remain debatable, and no single explanation seems sufficient. Some possibly important factors are unrelated to seismicity, e.g., the influence of tectonism on local water resources and on resource diversity. When examined on finer spatial scales, the relation is still robust. A quan- tifiable influence of tectonism on civilization locations even along Mediterranean shores is suggested by their distribution. The stronger links of tectonism with derivative civilizations suggests a role of …

Diurnal Patterns Of Blowing Sand, John E. Stout

John E. Stout

The diurnal pattern of blowing sand results from a complex process that involves an interaction between solar heating, thermal instability, atmospheric turbulence, wind strength, and surface threshold conditions. During the day, solar heating produces thermal instability, which enhances the convective mixing of high momentum winds from the upper levels of the atmosphere to the surface layer. The sun also dries the sand surface so that the critical threshold is as low as possible. Thus, in the afternoon, the combination of strong turbulent winds and a low surface threshold increases the likelihood that winds may intermittently exceed the critical threshold of …

Quaternary Geology And Geochronology Of The Uppermost Arkansas Valley, Colorado- Glaciers, Ice Dams, Landslides, And Floods, James P. Mccalpin

James P. McCalpin

This field trip to the uppermost Arkansas Valley of central Colorado is based mainly on work performed since 2008, in an area with a long history of bedrock mapping by renowned geologists of the U.S. Geological Survey beginning in the 1880s (e.g. Emmons, 1886). The Quaternary features of the region were first described by Capps in 1909. Despite over 100 years of intermittent geologic studies here, there were still new discoveries to be made in the past few years. Day 1 of the trip emphasizes landslides (in the morning) and glacial deposits (in the afternoon). The “take-home messages” of the …