Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Vadose Zone Mapping Using Geographic Information Systems And Geostatistics, Ruopu Li, Lin Zhao

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Characteristics of the vadose zone media are important for assessing contamination potentials for projects such as landfill siting and planning. However, accurate vadose zone maps at the regional scale are often not available. This study successfully mapped low-permeable components of the vadose zone across the Elkhorn River Basin, Nebraska, using geographic information systems (GIS), groundwater level data, and a test hole database. The map has the potential to land use planners for searching and planning landfill sites.

A Watershed-Scale Assessment Of A Process Soil Co2 Production And Efflux Model, Diego Andrés Riveros-Iregui, Brian L. Mcglynn, Lucy A. Marshall, Daniel L. Welsch, Ryan E. Emmanuel, Howard E. Epstein

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Growing season soil CO₂ efflux is known to vary laterally by as much as seven fold within small subalpine watersheds (<5 >km²), and such degree of variability has been strongly related to the landscape-imposed redistribution of soil water. Current empirical or process models offer low potential to simulate this variability or to simulate watershed-scale dynamics of soil CO₂ efflux. We modified an existing process soil CO₂ production and efflux model to include spatially variable soil moisture, and applied it to a well-studied and moderately complex watershed of the northern Rocky Mountains. We started at the …

The North American Drought Monitor: A Continental Approach, Mark Svoboda

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The U.S. Drought Monitor

Since 1999, NOAA (CPC and NCDC), USDA, and the NDMC have produced a weekly composite drought map -- the U.S. Drought Monitor -- with input from numerous federal and non-federal partners.

History of the North American Drought Monitor (NADM)

• The concept for the NADM was developed and discussed in 2002
• The first NADM map was released in March 2003
• The first NADM map in all three languages (English, Spanish, and French)was released in October 2003

History of the NADM

• The United States started off as the only country to author and organize the map
• Canada …

Estimation Of Land Surface Evapotranspiration With A Satellite Remote Sensing Procedure, Ayse Kilic, Ian Ratcliffe, Pariskhit Ranade, Kenneth Hubbard, Ramesh K. Singh, Babuarao Kamble, Jeppe Kjaersgaard

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

There are various methods available for estimating magnitude and trends of evapotranspiration. Bowen ratio energy balance system and eddy correlation techniques offer powerful alternatives for measuring land surface evapotranspiration. In spite of the elegance, high accuracy, and theoretical attractions of these techniques for measuring evapotranspiration, their practical use over large areas can be limited due to the number of sites needed and the related expense. Application of evapotranspiration mapping from satellite measurements can overcome the limitations. The objective of this study was to utilize the METRIC^TM (Mapping Evapotranspiration at High Resolution using Internalized Calibration) model in Great Plains environmental …

Do Invasive Riparian Woody Plants Affect Hydrology And Ecosystem Processes?, Julie A. Huddle, Tala Awada, Derrel L. Martin, Xinhua Zhou, Sue Ellen Pegg, Scott J. Josiah

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Political and socioeconomic pressures on riparian areas in semiarid regions of the Great Plains are growing as water resources become more limited. Management along waterways has altered stream ecology and hydrology in ways that encourage the invasion and expansion of native (e.g., Juniperus virginiana) and non-native (e.g., Tamarix sp. and Elaeagnus angustifolia) woody species. One management tool currently implemented to restore the hydrology or increase water yields along waterways in semiarid areas is the removal of vegetation or invasive species. How managers should respond to invasive woody plants to optimize hydrological functions without compromising other riparian ecosystem functions …

Nir-Red Reflectance-Based Algorithms For Chlorophyll-A Estimation In Mesotrophic Inland And Coastal Waters: Lake Kinneret Case Study, Yosef Z. Yacobi, Wesley Moses, Semion Kaganovsky, Benayahu Sulimani, Bryan Leavitt, Anatoly A. Gitelson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A variety of models have been developed for estimating chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration in turbid and productive waters. All are based on optical information in a few spectral bands in the red and near-infra-red regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The wavelength locations in the models used were meticulously tuned to provide the highest sensitivity to the presence of Chl-a and minimal sensitivity to other constituents in water. But the caveat in these models is the need for recurrent parameterization and calibration due to changes in the biophysical characteristics of water based on the location and/or time of the year. In this …

Isolation By Distance Explains Genetic Structure Of Buggy Creek Virus, A Bird-Associated Arbovirus, Abinash Padhi, Amy T. Moore, Mary Bomberger Brown, Jerome E. Foster, Martin Pfeffer, Charles R. Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Many of the arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) show extensive genetic variability and are widely distributed over large geographic areas. Understanding how virus genetic structure varies in space may yield insight into how these pathogens are adapted to and dispersed by different hosts or vectors, the relative importance of mutation, drift, or selection in generating genetic variability, and where and when epidemics or epizootics are most likely to occur. However, because most arboviruses tend to be sampled opportunistically and often cannot be isolated in large numbers at a given locale, surprisingly little is known about their spatial genetic structure on the local …

River Geomorphology And Fish Barriers Affect On Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Fish Assemblages In The Niobrara River, Nebraska, Greg A. Wanner, Mark A. Pegg, Steven Schainost, Robert A. Klumb, Dane A. Shuman

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Niobrara River in northern Nebraska traverses the heart of the Great Plains with portions of the river protected under the National Wild and Scenic River system managed by the National Park Service. The Niobrara River changes from a narrow, entrenched stream to a wide, highly braided river with four fish barriers and 36 distinct geomorphic segments in the lower 531 river kilometers (rkm). Our objectives were to examine the spatial and temporal patterns of fish assemblages in the Niobrara River related to environmental variables, fish barriers, and river geomorphology. Tote-barge electrofishing occurred monthly from June to September in 2009 …

Evaluating Observed And Projected Future Climate Changes For The Arctic Using The Köppen-Trewartha Climate Classification, Song Feng, Chang-Hoi Ho, Qi Hu, Robert Oglesby, Su-Jong Jeong, Baek-Min Kim

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The ecosystems in the Arctic region are known to be very sensitive to climate changes. The accelerated warming for the past several decades has profoundly influenced the lives of the native populations and ecosystems in the Arc­tic. Given that the Köppen-Trewartha (K-T) climate classifi­cation is based on reliable variations of land-surface types (especially vegetation), this study used the K-T scheme to evaluate climate changes and their impact on vegetation for the Arctic (north of 50°N) by analyzing observations as well as model simulations for the period 1900–2099. The models include 16 fully coupled global climate mod­els from the Intergovernmental Panel …

Stormwater Management: Terminology, Kathryn A. Pekarek, David P. Shelton, Kelly Feehan, Bobbi A. Holm

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Stormwater runoff is the result of precipitation that does not infiltrate into the soil. Rather, it flows over land areas or through storm drains to streams, rivers, and lakes. This water collects pollutants as it moves over streets, parking lots, driveways, and other surfaces. Typically, stormwater runoff is untreated before being discharged to surface water. The quantity and quality of stormwater runoff is directly related to land use; as more urban development occurs — especially impervious surfaces — greater amounts of water and contaminants are generated. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), highly urbanized areas generate over five …

Nest Survival Of Long-Billed Curlew In Nebraska, Cory J. Gregory, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Larkin A. Powell, Joel G. Jorgensen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus is an imperiled shorebird of western North America. Populations have declined dramatically in the last 150 years from the conversion of prairie to agriculture and it is now listed as a “Tier I at-risk” species in Nebraska. We undertook a 3-year project (2008–2010) to study the nest survival of Long-billed Curlews in Nebraska. We measured vegetation characteristics at each nest site (n = 14 nests) on two different spatial scales and used program MARK to model nest survival as a function of multiple covariates. Apparent nest survival was 29% (n = 4 successful nests) and our …

Nebraska's Tern And Plover Conservation Partnership -- A Model For Sustainable Conservation Of Threatened And Endangered Species, Mary Bomberger Brown, Mark E. Burbach, John Dinan, Renae J. Held, Ron J. Johnson, Joel G. Jorgensen, Jeanine Lackey, Jeffrey F. Marcus, Gina S. Matkin, Christine M. Thody

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Implementing successful conservation programs is critical if we are to protect the earth's most imperiled species. These programs must respect state and federal legal concerns as well as local economic and social interests, Here we describe a sustainable partnership approach to Piping Plover and Interior Least Tern conservation in Nebraska, USA. Partners include industry groups, federal, state, and local agencies, and non-governmental organizations. The factor that unifies all partners is a desire to accomplish cooperative threatened and endangered species conservation. We believe that implementing this sort of partnership model could be useful in addressing the protection of other species of …

The Influence Of Habitat And Environment On Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus Dolomieu) Nest Sites And Nest Success In Northern Lake Michigan, Mark A. Kaemingk, Alexander Clem, Tracy L. Galarowicz

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Information on smallmouth bass nesting ecology is lacking in northern Lake Michigan, despite available information for other Great Lakes ecosystems. Our objectives were to identify factors that influenced nesting sites and nest success in a smallmouth bass population in northern Lake Michigan. Temperature, substrate firmness, and lake bottom rugosity were measured and related to the number of smallmouth bass nests in four bays. We also investigated the role of temperature, effective fetch, and storms to explain nest success. Temperature appeared to be most important in explaining the number of nests and nest success; transects that experienced the greatest number of …

Movement Of Smallmouth Bass Within The Beaver Island Archipelago, Northern Lake Michigan., Mark A. Kaemingk, Tracy L. Galarowicz, John A. Clevenger, David F. Clapp

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Fish movement may vary across a wide array of aquatic ecosystems and may be related to the overall size of the system inhabited. We investigated movement of smallmouth bass in Lake Michigan because this information is lacking for larger systems. A total of 16 smallmouth bass were surgically implanted with ultrasonic transmitters within the Beaver Archipelago, northern Lake Michigan. During 2007–2008, a maximum of one location per individual was recorded daily during three specific tracking periods – pre-spawn, spawning, and post-spawn – to determine diurnal movement patterns. Movement was evaluated as site fidelity, minimum displacement rate,maximumexcursion rate, and distance from …

Exploring Spatial Distributions Of Larval Yellow Perch Perca Flavescens, Bluegill Lepomis Macrochirus, And Their Prey In Relation To Wind., Mark A. Kaemingk, Jeffrey C. Jolley, David W. Willis, Brian Ds Graeb

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The objectives of the present study were to determine if spatial differences existed between zooplankton, larval yellow perch Perca flavescens and bluegill Lepomis macrochirus (length, LT) in Pelican Lake (332 ha), NE, U.S.A. It was hypothesized that wind could act as a transport mechanism for larval fishes in this shallow lake, because strong winds are common at this geographic location. Potential spatial differences were explored, relating to zooplankton densities, size structure and densities of larval P. flavescens and L. macrochirus. Density differences (east v. west side of the lake) were detected for small- (two occasions), medium- (two occasions) and large-sized …

Design Of An Underwater Telemetry Antenna For Locating And Retrieving Submerged Radiocollars, Stephen L. Webb, Joshua A. Gaskamp, Kenneth L. Gee, Stephen Demarais, Andrew R. Little

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Radiocollars represent a significant investment of financial resources, particularly global positioning system (GPS) collars, and loss of data imposes analytical limitations from reduced sample sizes. Radiocollars on large, terrestrial mammals are seldom lost in the water. However, several instances in Oklahoma, USA necessitated a reliable and cost-effective technique for retrieving GPS collars from underwater to salvage the financial investment and data. We designed an underwater telemetry antenna to find and retrieve collars in ≤ 3 m of water. We describe field simulations under varying environmental and water conditions, and provide a list of materials along with instructions and considerations for …

A Calibration-Free Evapotranspiration Mapping (Cremap) Technique, Jozsef Szilagyi, Janos Jozsa, Akos Kovacs

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Calibration-Free Evapotranspiration Mapping Technique For Spatially-Distributed Regional-Scale Hydrologic Modeling, Jozsef Szilagyi, Akos Kovacs

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Metageographic Communities: A Geographic Model Of Demassified Societies, K. Nashleanas

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Numerical Validation Of A Diurnal Streamflow-Pattern-Based Evapotranspiration Estimation Method, Zoltan Gribovszki, Peter Kalicz, Jozsef Szilagyi

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Comment On Interference Of River Level Changes On Riparian Zone Evapotranspiration Estimates From Diurnal Groundwater Level Fluctuations By Zhu Et Al., Jozsef Szilagyi, Zoltan Gribovszki, Peter Kalicz

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Discovering Native Bees, Alison P. Stevens

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

NATURAL SYSTEMS PROVIDE humans with a variety of services essential to our survival. Ecosystem services such as climate regulation, water purification, oxygen production, waste treatment and detoxification, flood prevention, and pollination are provided at no cost, yet their true value is immeasurable. In our economydriven world, these systems are often taken for granted, and as a consequence many are in peril. Understanding their role is a critical first step towards ensuring that they endure. Pollination, the process of moving pollen grains from one flower to another to stimulate fruit and seed production, is among the easiest of these services to …

Landscape Structure, Groundwater Dynamics, And Soil Water Content Influence Soil Respiration Across Riparian–Hillslope Transitions In The Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest, Montana, Vincent J. Pacific, Diego Andrés Riveros-Iregui, Daniel L. Welsch, Howard E. Epstein

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Variability in soil respiration at various spatial and temporal scales has been the focus of much research over the last decade aimed to improve our understanding and parameterization of physical and environmental controls on this flux. However, few studies have assessed the control of landscape position and groundwater table dynamics on the spatiotemporal variability of soil respiration. We investigated growing season soil respiration in a ~393 ha subalpine watershed in Montana across eight riparian–hillslope transitions that differed in slope, upslope accumulated area (UAA), aspect, and groundwater table dynamics. We collected daily-to-weekly measurements of soil water content (SWC), soil temperature, soil …

An Interannual Assessment Of The Relationship Between The Stable Carbon Isotopic Composition Of Ecosystem Respiration And Climate In A High‐Elevation Subalpine Forest, Diego Andrés Riveros-Iregui, Jia Hu, Sean Burns, David R. Bowling, Russell K. Monson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We measured the carbon isotopic composition (δ¹³C) of ecosystem respiration (δ¹³C_R) in a subalpine forest across four growing seasons to examine whether patterns in δ¹³C_R were consistent with those expected based on leaf‐level gas‐exchange theory, and in agreement with past studies of the relation between δ¹³C_R and climate conducted across broad geographic regions. Conventional trends (i.e., less negative δ¹³C_R with increased vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and air temperature (TAIR), and decreased soil moisture (θ)) were observed when we focused on the driest portions …

Integrating Info-Gap Decision Theory With Robust Population Management: A Case Study Using The Mountain Plover, Max Post Van Der Burg, Andrew J. Tyre

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Wildlife managers often make decisions under considerable uncertainty. In the most extreme case, a complete lack of data leads to uncertainty that is unquantifiable.Information-gap decision theory deals with assessing management decisions under extreme uncertainty, but it is not widely used in wildlife management. So too, robust population management methods were developed to deal with uncertainties in multiple-model parameters.However, the two methods have not, as yet, been used in tandem to assess population management decisions. We provide a novel combination of the robust population management approach for matrix models with the information-gap decision theory framework for making conservation decisions under extreme …

Confronting Socially Generated Uncertainty In Adaptive Management, Andrew J. Tyre, Sarah Michaels

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

As more and more organizations with responsibility for natural resource management adopt adaptive management as the rubric in which they wish to operate, it becomes increasingly important to consider the sources of uncertainty inherent in their endeavors. Without recognizing that uncertainty originates both in the natural world and in human undertakings, efforts to manage adaptively at the least will prove frustrating and at the worst will prove damaging to the very natural resources that are the management targets. There will be more surprises and those surprises potentially may prove at the very least unwanted and at the worst devastating. We …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Adaptive Management Approaches: Is There A Formula For Success?, Jamie E. Mcfadden, Tim L. Hiller, Andrew J. Tyre

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Within the field of natural-resources management, the application of adaptive management is appropriate for complex problems high in uncertainty. Adaptive management is becoming an increasingly popular management-decision tool within the scientific community and has developed into two primary schools of thought: the Resilience-Experimentalist School (with high emphasis on stakeholder involvement, resilience, and highly complex models) and the Decision-Theoretic School (which results in relatively simple models through emphasizing stakeholder involvement for identifying management objectives). Because of these differences, adaptive management plans implemented under each of these schools may yield varying levels of success. We evaluated peer-reviewed literature focused on incorporation of …

Review Of Mammalogy, 5th Edition By T. A. Vaughan, J. M. Ryan, And N. J. Czaplewski, Patricia W. Freeman

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Last summer I spent time with old friends. Terry Vaughan and company have significantly updated their text, Mammalogy, for the 5th edition (2011). The book is 62% larger than the 1st edition in 1972 (Vaughan 1972). Vaughan, Ryan, and Czaplewski skewer topics with a simplicity derived from years of mammalian research and teaching, and it is a pure pleasure to read. The synthetic nature of Mammalogy (2011) and exceptional clarity in writing make this edition an ideal book that is not just for class. Because much new research has been integrated into each chapter, all mammalogists will appreciate new …

Review Of Mammalian Teeth: Origin, Evolution, And Diversity By Peter S. Ungar, Patricia W. Freeman

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Peter Ungar has written a book on mammalian teeth, a topic close to the heart of mammalogy itself and most mammalogists. His distillation of the massive literature on teeth into a succinct whole will appeal to scientists and professionals across disciplines. With paleontological and extant dental research in one place I no longer have to search these areas separately to find what I want. Ungar’s broad background includes physical anthropology, anatomy, and paleontology. Further, he has been one of the pioneers using dental microwear to analyze diets in primates and geographic information systems (GISs) on a microscale to study cusps …

Estimating Daily Gross Primary Production Of Maize Based Only On Modis Wdrvi And Shortwave Radiation Data, Toshihiro Sakamoto, Anatoly Gitelson, Brian D. Wardlow, Shashi Verma, Andrew E. Suyker

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Accurate assessment of temporal changes in gross primary production (GPP) is important for carbon budget assessments and evaluating the impact of climate change on crop productivity. The objective of this study was to devise a simple remote sensing- based GPP model to quantify daily GPP of maize. In the model, (1) daily shortwave radiation (SW), derived from the reanalysis data (North American Land Data Assimilation System; NLDAS-2) and (2) smoothed Wide Dynamic Range Vegetation Index (WDRVI) data, derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 250-m observations were used as proxy variables of the incident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and the …