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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Defoliation Severity Is Positively Related To Soil Solution Nitrogen Availability And Negatively Related To Soil Nitrogen Concentrations Following A Multi-Year Invasive Insect Irruption, Emma Conrad-Rooney, Audrey Barker Plotkin, Valerie J. Pasquarella, Joseph Elkinton, Jennifer L. Chandler, Jaclyn Hatala Matthes Jan 2020

Defoliation Severity Is Positively Related To Soil Solution Nitrogen Availability And Negatively Related To Soil Nitrogen Concentrations Following A Multi-Year Invasive Insect Irruption, Emma Conrad-Rooney, Audrey Barker Plotkin, Valerie J. Pasquarella, Joseph Elkinton, Jennifer L. Chandler, Jaclyn Hatala Matthes

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

Understanding connections between ecosystem nitrogen (N) cycling and invasive insect defoliation could facilitate the prediction of disturbance impacts across a range of spatial scales. In this study we investigated relationships between ecosystem N cycling and tree defoliation during a recent 2015–18 irruption of invasive gypsy moth caterpillars (Lymantria dispar), which can cause tree stress and sometimes mortality following multiple years of defoliation. Nitrogen is a critical nutrient that limits the growth of caterpillars and plants in temperate forests. In this study, we assessed the associations among N concentrations, soil solution N availability and defoliation intensity by L. dispar …


A Comparative Sustainability Study For Treatment Of Domestic Wastewater: Conventional Concrete And Steel Technology Vs. Vegetated Sand Beds (Vsb’S) And Their Relative Differences In Co2 Production, Alicia M. Milch Jul 2016

A Comparative Sustainability Study For Treatment Of Domestic Wastewater: Conventional Concrete And Steel Technology Vs. Vegetated Sand Beds (Vsb’S) And Their Relative Differences In Co2 Production, Alicia M. Milch

Masters Theses

Conventional wastewater treatment in the U.S. is an energy dependent and carbon dioxide emitting process. Typical mechanical systems consume copious amounts of energy, which is most commonly produced from fossil fuel combustion that results in the production of CO2. The associated organic load is also metabolized by microorganisms into CO2 and H2O. As the desire to reduce CO2 output becomes more prominent, it is logical to assess the costs of conventional treatment methods and to compare them to alternative, more sustainable technology. Vegetated Sand Bed (VSB) and Reed Bed (RB) systems are green technologies …


Calculating The Campus Nitrogen Footprint, Allison Leach, Jennifer Andrews Jan 2015

Calculating The Campus Nitrogen Footprint, Allison Leach, Jennifer Andrews

NECSC Conference 2015

Many universities interested in sustainability have calculated their carbon footprint. The carbon footprint is well-established and understood: it tells us how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are emitted to the atmosphere as a result of university activities. While important, this calculation addresses just one part of a university’s environmental impact. Universities that want to expand their approach to sustainability can now also calculate their nitrogen footprint.

Nitrogen footprints connect entities, such as individuals or universities, with the reactive nitrogen (all species of nitrogen except N2) lost to the environment as a result of their activities. While necessary to …