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Articles 1 - 12 of 12
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Complexities Of Community Consultation In Chile's Lithium Industry, Isabella R. Whelan
Complexities Of Community Consultation In Chile's Lithium Industry, Isabella R. Whelan
Honors Theses
Echoed by November’s COP27 in Egypt, the climate crisis has become an increasingly pressing and global issue, with the need to move away from fossil fuels more urgent than ever. In attempts to decarbonize the global economy, many countries and companies have turned to electrification –particularly within the transportation sector, one of today’s largest contributors of greenhouse gasses. A crucial component of energy storage and batteries is lithium, now considered a “critical mineral.” Demand for lithium has skyrocketed in recent years and is only expected to continue growing. More than fifty percent of the world’s lithium supply is found within …
Visualizing The Range Of Glaciers: Science, Art And Narrative, Claire E. Waichler
Visualizing The Range Of Glaciers: Science, Art And Narrative, Claire E. Waichler
Honors Theses
Glaciers are sensitive indicators and data keepers of climatic change. The glaciers of the North Cascades, Washington, also have significant economic and cultural value as they are enmeshed in hydroelectricity generation, terrestrial and aquatic ecology, and human communities. My project approaches the current climate crisis by examining the past, present and future of the glaciers of the North Cascades through the two lenses of art and science. I review and contextualize the last century of glacier research in the North Cascades to identify patterns of glacier change and how this affects ecological and human communities. Overlaid upon my literature review, …
Crystalline Architecture And Stratigraphy Of Coral Skeletal Density Banding: A Geobiological Record Of Changing Coral Reef Ecology, Kyle Fouke
Honors Theses
Coral skeletal density banding (CSDB), composed of alternating high density band (HDB) and low density band (LDB) layers that comprise the CaCO3 (aragonite) skeleton of scleractinian corals, are used as chronometers for global paleoclimatic reconstructions of sea surface temperature (SST). Scleractinian coral skeletons have been intensively studied for centuries with detail analysis of the macro- and microscale skeletal structure to establish taxonomic and evolutionary relationships of coral species, mechanisms of biomineralization, and seafloor physical, chemical and biological alteration (diagenesis) of the skeleton. This study is the first to determine the crystalline architecture of HDBs and CSDB stratigraphic …
Projecting Regions Of North Atlantic Right Whale, Eubalaena Glacialis, Habitat Suitability In The Gulf Of Maine In 2050, Camille Ross
Projecting Regions Of North Atlantic Right Whale, Eubalaena Glacialis, Habitat Suitability In The Gulf Of Maine In 2050, Camille Ross
Honors Theses
North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) are endangered. Understanding the role environmental conditions play in habitat suitability is key to determining the regions in need of protection for conservation of the species, particularly as climate change shifts suitable habitat. This thesis uses three species distribution modeling algorithms, together with historical data on whale abundance(1993 to 2009) and environmental covariates to build monthly ensemble models of past E. glacialis habitat suitability in the Gulf of Maine. Then, the models are projected onto the year 2050 for a range of climate scenarios. Specifically, the distribution of the species was modeled …
Visualizing Extreme Precipitation For Climate Storytelling, Rachel Phinney
Visualizing Extreme Precipitation For Climate Storytelling, Rachel Phinney
Honors Theses
Precipitation can have adverse effects in the climate ecosystem. Too much can impose concerns such as flooding and landslides, resulting in damaged property, agricultural losses, and loss of life. Too little, and drought becomes an issue, inducing wildfires, poor air quality, agricultural losses, and health degradation. The contiguous United States has experienced an increase in precipitation since 1900, and much of this has occurred in the most recent decades. By the end of the 21st Century, it is expected that more winter and spring precipitation will occur over the northern portion of the U.S., and less in the southwest. While …
Effects Of Temperature On Activity Of Aquatic Hyphomycetes: A Microcosm Study, Kyra Harrington
Effects Of Temperature On Activity Of Aquatic Hyphomycetes: A Microcosm Study, Kyra Harrington
Honors Theses
Predicted increases in temperature under climate change scenarios are expected to affect not only atmospheric and water temperatures, but also the rate of heterotrophic activity and carbon dynamics and retention in ecosystems. The magnitude of the increase in metabolic activity of living organisms with increased temperature can be predicted by the Metabolic Theory of Ecology, however, multiple factors can cause deviations from simple predictions. The goal of this study is to assess the temperature sensitivity of aquatic hyphomycetes and fungi-mediated leaf litter decomposition by following responses to temperature of fungal biomass accrual, respiration and decomposition rates in laboratory microcosms simulating …
Assessing The Carbon Impacts Of Colby College’S Biomass Plant, Alice Hotopp
Assessing The Carbon Impacts Of Colby College’S Biomass Plant, Alice Hotopp
Honors Theses
Biomass energy plants are considered to be carbon neutral systems under some definitions. However, this concept of carbon neutrality needs to be rethought in order to understand the true carbon impact of biomass plants upon global climate change. A biomass plant’s wood source, the extent to which the biomass plant emits carbon dioxide, and the timescale over which the biomass plant emits carbon should all be taken into account. In this study, I consider the Colby College biomass plant’s role in carbon cycling. Colby’s Physical Plant Department provided me with information on how much carbon (tons of woodchips) is used …
Late Glacial-Holocene Climate Change Recorded In Proglacial Lake Sediment Cores From The Huaguruncho Massif, Central Peruvian Andes, Dane O'Neil
Honors Theses
Alpine glaciers respond rapidly to changes in climate and the growth and decay of alpine glaciers is recorded in sediment cores extracted from lakes immediately downvalley from the margins of former glaciers. These records provide continuous archives of glaciation and climate change that complement the inherently discontinuous records of glaciation preserved by moraines. The aim of this study is to generate a continuous record of glaciation in Jaico cirque from lake sediment cores, which is located on the southeastern side of the quartz-monzonite dominated Huaguruncho Massif (5789 masl) in the eastern Peruvian Andes. The lakes are Laguna Jaico (10.56° S, …
How Does Climate Change Affect Coral Reefs?, Rachel Goff
How Does Climate Change Affect Coral Reefs?, Rachel Goff
Honors Theses
Climate change is a very real phenomenon that currently affects many of the ecosystems on Earth. Climate change occurs on a global scale and can be very detrimental to different environments. This occurrence can cause ocean warming, sea level rise, ocean acidification, and increased storm intensity. According to the EPA, the ocean's temperature has increased 1.4°F over the past century, and sea levels have risen 3.2 millimeters through the past 20 years. These changes to the oceans can greatly affect many of the ecosystems that reside in them. One of the main ecosystems that are being affected by climate change …
The Effect Of Canopy Organization On The Photosynthesis Of Sphagnum, Brian Solinsky
The Effect Of Canopy Organization On The Photosynthesis Of Sphagnum, Brian Solinsky
Honors Theses
With climate change becoming a greater problem the ability of plants to photosynthesize and sequester carbon becomes more important for us to understand. Sphagnum moss stores more than a third of the world’s soil carbon. Much is understood about the physiology of Sphagnum, but what is generally not understood is the effect of variation in canopy organization in Sphagnum: why are they both rough and smooth? This study examined whether different canopy structures influenced how the canopy uses different angles of light for photosynthesis. The first step was modeling photosynthesis in two simulated structures (rough and smooth) as the angle …
Anti-Nuclear Activism And The Past, Present And Future Of United States Nuclear Energy Policy, Isabel C. Zellweger
Anti-Nuclear Activism And The Past, Present And Future Of United States Nuclear Energy Policy, Isabel C. Zellweger
Honors Theses
Nuclear power has had a long and controversial history leading people to have many different views on the topic. Even though nuclear power does provide the nation with a significant portion of its electricity, many still fear its risks, especially after the events at Fukushima last spring. This thesis explores how public opinion, current events, and anti-nuclear activism have shaped nuclear power in America today. After reviewing the literature on nuclear energy in the United States, I discuss the past and current state of United States nuclear energy policy, and then describe changing American attitudes toward nuclear power over time. …
From Pond To Pump: Microalgae As A Feedstock For Biodiesel, Anna H. Leavitt
From Pond To Pump: Microalgae As A Feedstock For Biodiesel, Anna H. Leavitt
Honors Theses
The global reliance on fossil fuels is an unsustainable practice that has led to the depletion of finite resources and the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leading to global climate change (Demirbas 2010). Transportation accounts for about a third of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States. Demand for oil continues to increase and resources are becoming more uncertain. Increased production of renewable fuels such as biofuels can help ease the dependence on fossil fuels. Although interest and production in biofuels has been increasing in the past decade, current feedstocks do not meet efficiency needs and some …