Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Climate Change And The Spread Of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Courtney B. Reed

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Public Land In A Changing Climate: Planning For An Uncertain Future, Kathleen Marie Hauser

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates the ways in which institutions and actors consider climate change, and how the inclusion of diverse perspectives and challenges in the planning process shapes climate change governance. In particular, I asked how the participants, place-specific contexts, and decision-making processes affect environmental decision-making in Alaska’s National Parks. I discuss the literature on geographical perspectives on climate change, environmental and climate change governance, how uncertainty and risk affect decision-making in the context of climate change, and the history of land use management in the United States. This project incorporates qualitative methods to research the Climate Change Scenario Planning project …

Changing Demands From Riparian Evapotranspiration And Free-Water Evaporation In The Lower Colorado River Basin Under Different Climate Scenarios, Daniel Bunk

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Observed and projected trends in riparian evapotranspiration (ET) and free-water evaporation are examined in this study to help improve water demand forecasting, particularly in modeling of lower Colorado River system reservoir operations. While most previous research in the Colorado River basin have focused on the impacts of climate change and climate variability on water supply, the impacts of changing climate on water demand have not been adequately addressed. Changes in temperature, precipitation, and wind patterns are expected to increase evaporative demands in the lower Colorado River mainstream, including free-water evaporation and ET from riparian vegetation, and may also impact infiltration …

Avian Phenology, Climate, And Land-Use Conservation Assessed At Broad Spatial And Temporal Scales Using Interdisciplinary Approaches And Citizen Science, Jason Courter

All Dissertations

Current natural resource challenges include global alteration of land cover, loss of biodiversity, impacts from increasing demands for agricultural products, and climate change. Birds are often used to assess the effects of ecological stressors because they are sensitive to environmental changes, ubiquitous and charismatic, and long-term monitoring programs have been in place for more than a century. I demonstrate the effects of climate change on avian migration and nesting dates and the potential value of using interdisciplinary approaches and citizen science to address contemporary ecological challenges. I examine Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) migration in the eastern United States from 1880-2010 …

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. …

Carbon Sequestration On Utah Rangelands: A Landowner Perspective, Seth Cook

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Carbon sequestration is the removal of carbon dioxide from the air and storing it in plants and soil through natural processes. Rangelands can be managed to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change. Supported by the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, this study assessed Utah rangeland owners’ perceptions of carbon sequestration and explored factors influencing their likelihood of participation in relevant programs. Data were collected through interviews and a statewide survey of Utah rangeland owners. Over two-thirds of respondents were aware of carbon sequestration and viewed it positively. Those who thought the climate had been changing over the past 30 years tended …

Essays In The Economics Of Environmental Policy., Ashokankur Datta Dr.

Doctoral Theses

It is increasingly being accepted that the planet we live in is unable to fulfill the enormous resource demands that mankind places on it. As a result the environment we live in has undergone rapid changes in the last two centuries - changes that adversely affects human life. Long ago Thomas Malthus and more recently the Club of Rome researchers warned that rapid economic and population growth were going to be unsustainable as they are going to create an acute shortage of food and vital metals like mercury. Their predictions never passed the test of time (Sterner, 2003). However their …

The Arctic Game, Sarah E. Nuernberger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since outsiders first visited the Arctic, they have believed in man's ability to conquer the region. Today's Arctic conquest is not one of heroic exploration, but rather one of ownership and exploitation. This paper illustrates contestation in the Arctic through the metaphor of a game, with attendant prizes, players, and rules. It focuses on how to prevent the future destruction of the Arctic given the interactions of the Arctic's landscape, prizes, players, and current management frameworks. In the wake of renewed resource exploitation and escalating climate change impacts, the current frameworks and mindsets are inadequate to support the precarious balance …

The Impact Of Decadal Land Cover Change On The Global Warming Potential Of Beringian Arctic Tundra, David Hwei-Len Lin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Arctic terrestrial ecosystems play an important role in the global carbon cycle. If arctic warming continues to rise as projected, large amounts of soil carbon stored in these ecosystems could be released to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide or methane and positively enhance greenhouse warming. Thus, improving understanding of the likely future state and fate of arctic soil carbon, and the carbon uptake potential of arctic terrestrial ecosystems are well recognized research priorities.

At the pan-arctic scale, decadal increases in NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), an index of vegetation productivity, have been observed from satellite imagery, indicating a general greening …

Recent Changes In The Growth And Nutrient Limitation Of Benthic And Pelagic Algae In Arctic Tundra Ponds, Christina Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Arctic ponds are a dominant feature in Barrow, Alaska. Ponds may function as carbon sinks during the growing season from production of photosynthetic organisms like algae; however, little work has been done on this topic. Environmental changes have been occurring in the Arctic stemming from climate change and human perturbations. The focus of this study was to assess a historically studied region for changes in algal primary production that may have been produced due to increases in temperature over the past 40 years and increased human development. Additionally, this study aimed to determine nutrient limitation of algal production in the …

Measuring City Commitment To Climate Change Mitigation, Kelsey Wefer Clinton

LSU Master's Theses

An increasing number of cities are focusing on sustainability and climate change mitigation by joining groups such the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). ICLEI uses a five-step milestone process to help cities achieve their mitigation goals. These milestones include conducting a greenhouse gas inventory, setting reduction targets, creating a Climate Action Plan, and implementing and monitoring that plan. Prior studies have examined factors that may influence a city’s decision to join ICLEI, but few have looked at how committed the cities are to sustainability and to ICLEI itself after joining the organization. The purpose of this study is …

Linking Nitrogen Biogeochemistry To Different Stages Of Wetland Soil Development In The Mississippi River Delta, Louisiana, Kelly Marie Henry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Extensive wetland loss and nutrient-enhanced eutrophication occur across the Mississippi River delta and include newly emergent landscapes, in the early stages of ecological succession, and older landscape formations, with fully developed ecological communities. Here I tested how the anthropogenic effects of a climate-induced vegetation shift, an oil spill, and nitrate-enrichment regulate the principal environmental factors controlling nutrient biogeochemistry in wetland soils at different stages of development throughout the Mississippi River delta. In the older, transgressing Barataria basin, there was no clear effect of the climate-induced species shift from Spartina alterniflora Loisel to Avicennia germinans L. on soil nutrient chemistry. Observed …

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 …