Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Contribution Of Atmospheric Particulate Matter To The Formation Of Cx3r-Type Disinfection By-Products In Rainwater During Chlorination, Mengtian Hou, Wenhai Chu, Feifei Wang, Yang Deng, Naiyun Gao, Di Zhang

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) can be scavenged by rainfall and contribute dissolved organic matter (DOM) to rainwater. Rainwater may serve as a part or the whole of drinking water sources, leading to the introduction of PM-derived DOM into drinking water. However, little information is available on the role of PM-derived DOM as a remarkable precursor of CX3R-type disinfection by-products (DBPs) in rainwater. In this study, samples were collected from ten occurrences of rainfall in Shanghai and batch experiments were executed to explore the contribution of PM-derived DOM to CX3R-type DBP formation in rainwater and to further understand some of unknowns …

Towards Determination Of The Source And Magnitude Of Atmospheric Pco2 Change Across The Early Paleogene Hyperthermals, Ying Cui, Brian A. Schubert

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The early Paleogene greenhouse climate is punctuated by a series of extreme global warming events known as hyperthermals that are associated with massive additions of carbon to the ocean-atmosphere system. However, no existing proxies have suitable resolution to capture the change in atmospheric carbon dioxide (pCO2) across these events. Here, we reconstruct a nearly continuous record of pCO2 during the early Paleogene based on changes in terrestrial carbon isotope discrimination calculated from published high-resolution marine and terrestrial carbon isotope records. We calculate relatively stable baseline pCO2 = 569 + 250/−146 ppmv with significant increases in pCO2 at each of four …

Lake Surface Water Temperature Change Over The Tibetan Plateau From 2001 To 2015a Sensitive Indicator Of The Warming Climate, W. Wan, L. Zhao, H. Xie, B. Liu, H. Li, Ying Cui, Yan Ma

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) plays a significant role in the Earth's climate system. This letter examines the nighttime lake surface water temperature (LSWT) of 374 lakes (≥10 km 2 each) over the TP for the past 15 years (2001–2015). An overall warming trend (0.037 °C/year) is found and it is consistent with the warming air temperature (0.036 °C/year) over the TP, with the vast majority of the lakes (70%, with 28% of which are significant) showing warming (0.076 °C/year) and the rest (30%, with 37% of which are significant) showing cooling (−0.053 °C/year). This astonishing contrast was controlled by different …

Impacts Of Climate Change And Bioenergy Markets On The Profitability Of Slash Pine Pulpwood Production In The Southeastern United States, Andres Susaeta, Pankaj Lal

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

In this study, we assessed the impacts of climate change on the production of pulpwood and biomass for bioenergy, and the profitability of slash pine stands in the Southeastern United States. We employed the 3-PG (Physiological Processes Predicting Growth) model to determine the effects of future climates on forest growth and integrated it with a stand-level economic model to determine their impacts on optimal forestmanagement. We found that the average production of pulpwood increased for all sites by 7.5 m 3 ha -1 for all climatic scenarios and productivity conditions. In the case of forest biomass for bioenergy, the average …

Impacts Of Climate Change And Bioenergy Markets On The Profitability Of Slash Pine Pulpwood Production In The Southeastern United States, Andrea Susaeta, Pankaj Lal

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

In this study, we assessed the impacts of climate change on the production of pulpwood and biomass for bioenergy, and the profitability of slash pine stands in the Southeastern United States. We employed the 3-PG (Physiological Processes Predicting Growth) model to determine the effects of future climates on forest growth and integrated it with a stand-level economic model to determine their impacts on optimal forest management. We found that the average production of pulpwood increased for all sites by 7.5 m³ ha⁻¹ for all climatic scenarios and productivity conditions. In the case of forest biomass for bioenergy, the …

Adsorption Of Uv-Quenching Substances (Uvqs) From Landfill Leachate With Activated Carbon, Yang Deng, Chanil Jung, Renzun Zhao, Kevin Torrens, Laying Wu

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Co-treatment of landfill leachate with sewage at publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) is a common leachate management practice. However, the UV absorbing property of UV-quenching substances (UVQS) present in municipal landfill leachate may significantly reduce the efficiency of disinfection at POTWs that adopt ultraviolet irradiation for disinfection. The UVQS represents an emerging concern in the solid waste and wastewater treatment industries. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of activated carbon (AC) for removal of UVQS from landfill leachate in order to address the leachate UV-quenching issue. Results showed that the abatement of leachate UV254 absorbance with AC followed a …

A Sub-Millennial Sediment Record Of Ice-Stream Retreat And Meltwater Storage In The Baltic Ice Lake During The Bølling-Allerød Interstadial, April Lynn Kelly, Sandra Passchier

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The rapid retreat of the Baltic Ice Stream and the development of the Baltic Ice Lake is assessed using data from sediment cores retrieved from three sub-basins in the southern Baltic Sea. Hydraulic piston coring by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) recovered for the first time intact glacial lake sequences overlying diamictons and other ice-contact deposits at Sites M0063, M0064 and M0065. Based on the particle size and bulk sediment chemical composition the glacial lake sediments were subdivided into a proximal and a distal varve sequence. The origin of a dark, lithologically distinct horizon between the proximal and distal …

Valuing Visitor Access To Forested Areas And Exploring Willingness To Pay For Forest Conservation And Restoration Financethe Case Of Small Island Developing State Of Mauritius, Pricila Iranah, Pankaj Lal, Bernabas T. Wolde, Pralhad Burli

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Small island developing states share as common constraints their small size, geographical dispersion, greater vulnerability to rapid and drastic environmental change, and limited administrative and technical resources. Within these, they have to cater for urban and agricultural areas, as well as enough natural landscape for ecosystem services. Funding for conservation of forest ecosystems on these islands has received relatively less attention and national park systems are chronically underfunded. We used Mauritius as a case study to investigate the willingness to pay for conservation of state and privately owned forests. It is part of a biodiversity hotspot with highly threatened forest …

Insights Into Barrier-Island Stability Derived From Transgressive/Regressive State Changes Of Parramore Island, Virginia, Jessica L. Raff, Justin L. Shawler, Daniel J. Ciarletta, Emily A. Hein, Jorge Lorenzo Trueba, Christopher J. Hein

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Barrier islands and their associated backbarrier ecosystems front much of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts, yet threshold conditions associated with their relative stability (i.e., state changes between progradation, erosion, and landward migration) in the face of sea-level rise remain poorly understood. The barrier islands along Virginia's Eastern Shore are among the largest undeveloped barrier systems in the U.S., providing an ideal natural laboratory to explore the sensitivity of barrier islands to environmental change. Details about the developmental history of Parramore Island, one of the longest (12 km) and widest (1.0–1.9 km) of these islands, provide insight into the timescales …

Invasive-Plant-Removal Frequency—Its Impact On Species Spread And Implications For Further Integration Of Forest-Management Practices, Bernabas Wolde, Pankaj Lal

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

For a given invasive plant species and control method, effective invasive plant eradication requires regular monitoring and management. While most previous studies characterize invasive plant species, develop appropriate control methods, or prioritize species for management using aggressiveness and other considerations, few study why some forestland owners are less likely than others to regularly remove invasive plant species. Such information is useful in prioritizing and targeting forestland owners who are at greater risk for invasion, with the stands threatening adjacent forestlands. Towards this end, we surveyed 1800 forestland owners in Virginia and Texas. We use data on forestland owners’ socioeconomics and …

Financing The Sustainable Management Of Rwanda's Protected Areas, Onil Banerjee, Martin Cicowiez, Thomas Ochuodho, Michel Masozera, Bernabas Wolde, Pankaj Lal, Sebastian Dudek, Janaki R.R. Alavalapati

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Rwanda's Nyungwe National Park is a biodiversity hotspot with the most endemic species in the ecoregion and the highest number of threatened species internationally. Nyungwe supplies critical ecosystem services to the Rwandan population including water provisioning and tourism services. Tourism in the Park has strong potential for financing enhanced visitor experiences and the sustainable management of the Park. This paper explores quantitatively the economic impacts of adjustment in Park visitation fees and tourism demand as a source of revenues to improve Park tourism opportunities and ongoing operations and maintenance. The methods developed in this paper are novel in integrating the …

Seasonal Differences In Trace Element Concentrations And Distribution In Spartina Alterniflora Root Tissue, Huan Feng, Yu Qian, J. Kirk Cochran, Qingzhi Zhu, Christina Heilbrun, Li Li, Wen Hu, Hanfei Yan, Xiaojing Huang, Mingyuan Ge, Evgeny Nazareski, Yong S. Chu, Shinjae Yoo, Xuebin Zhang, Chang Jun Liu

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The present study uses nanometer-scale synchrotron X-ray nanofluorescence to investigate season differences in concentrations and distributions of major (Ca, K, S and P) and trace elements (As, Cr, Cu, Fe and Zn) in the root system of Spartina alterniflora collected from Jamaica Bay, New York, in April and September 2015. The root samples were cross-sectioned at a thickness of 10 μm. Selected areas in the root epidermis and endodermis were mapped with a sampling resolution of 100 and 200 nm, varying with the mapping areas. The results indicate that trace element concentrations in the epidermis and endodermis vary among the …

A Sedimentological Record Of Early Miocene Ice Advance And Retreat, And-2a Drill Hole, Mcmurdo Sound, Antarctica, B. D. Field, G. H. Browne, Christopher R. Fielding, Fabio Florindo, David M. Harwood, Shelley Judge, Lawrence Krissek, Kurt S. Panter, Sandra Passchier, Stephen Pekar, Sonia Sandroni, Franco M. Talarico

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The lowest 501 m (∼1139–638 m) of the AND-2A core from southern McMurdo Sound is the most detailed and complete record of early Miocene sediments in Antarctica and indicates substantial variability in Antarctic ice sheet activity during early Miocene time. There are two main pulses of diamictite accumulation recorded in the core, and three significant intervals with almost no coarse clasts. Each diamictite package comprises several sequences consistent with ice advance-retreat episodes.

The oldest phase of diamictite deposition, Composite Sequence 1 (CS1), has evidence for grounded ice at the drill site and has been dated around 20.2–20.1 Ma. It likely …

Morphometric Change Detection Of Lake Hawassa In The Ethiopian Rift Valley, Yonas Abebe, Menberu Bitew, Tenalem Ayenew, Clement Alo, Assegid Cherinet, Mulugeta Dadi

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes have been subjected to environmental and ecological changes due to recent development endeavors and natural phenomena, which are visible in the alterations to the quality and quantity of the water resources. Monitoring lakes for temporal and spatial alterations has become a valuable indicator of environmental change. In this regard, hydrographic information has a paramount importance. The first extensive hydrographic survey of Lake Hawassa was conducted in 1999. In this study, a bathymetric map was prepared using advances in global positioning systems, portable sonar sounder technology, geostatistics, remote sensing and geographic information system(GIS) software analysis toolswith …

Morphometric Change Detection Of Lake Hawassa In The Ethiopian Rift Valley, Yonas Abebe, Menberu Bitew, Tenalem Ayenew, Clement Alo, Assegid Cherinet, Mulugeta Dadi

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes have been subjected to environmental and ecological changes due to recent development endeavors and natural phenomena, which are visible in the alterations to the quality and quantity of the water resources. Monitoring lakes for temporal and spatial alterations has become a valuable indicator of environmental change. In this regard, hydrographic information has a paramount importance. The first extensive hydrographic survey of Lake Hawassa was conducted in 1999. In this study, a bathymetric map was prepared using advances in global positioning systems, portable sonar sounder technology, geostatistics, remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) software analysis …

Coastal Vulnerability: Evolving Concepts In Understanding Vulnerable People And Places, Anthony Bevacqua, Danlin Yu, Yaojun Zhang

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Coastal vulnerability is a spatial concept that identifies people and places that are susceptible to disturbances resulting from coastal hazards. Hazards in the coastal environment, such as coastal storms and erosion, pose significant threats to coastal physical, economic, and social systems. The theory of vulnerability has been an evolving idea over the past hundred years. In recent decades, improved technology and high-profile disaster events, has caused an increase in publications in the coastal hazards field. Modern approaches to understanding coastal vulnerability examine the complex systems that determine the spatial distribution of hazards, risks, and exposure. Consensus among today's researchers shows …

Ferrate(Vi) Decomposition In Water In The Absence And Presence Of Natural Organic Matter (Nom), Yang Deng, Chanil Jung, Yongmei Liang, Nina Goodey, Thomas D. Waite

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The kinetics of ferrate(VI) decomposition in natural water were assessed in the absence and presence of natural organic matter (NOM) (pH = 7.50, [Fe(VI)] = 54 µM, DOC = 0.00–10.00 and 1.00–8.57 mg/L for a simulated natural water and six real natural waters, respectively). Without NOM, Fe(VI) decomposition in simulated natural water exhibited a biphasic kinetics pattern, i.e. a 2 nd -order reaction with respect to Fe(VI) concentration followed by a 1 st -order reaction. However, an additional instant Fe(VI) loss was observed at the onset in the presence of NOM for both simulated and real natural waters, thereby rendering …

Dynamic Jumps In Global Oil Price And Its Impacts On China's Bulk Commodities, Chuanguo Zhang, Feng Liu, Danlin Yu

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This paper investigated the impacts of oil price shocks, especially dynamic jumps in its returns on China's bulk commodity markets at both the aggregate and industry levels. After setting a zero lower bound to the jump intensity of the ARJI model, we found that dynamic jumps exist in oil price movements. Moreover, under shocks of oil price jumps, not only the returns but also the risks of China's bulk commodity markets are affected significantly, and the reactions of risks are characterized by “overreactions”. Meanwhile, by decomposing oil price shocks into expected positive (negative), and unexpected positive (negative) components, we discovered …

Impacts Of Hurricane Storm Surge On Infrastructure Vulnerability For An Evolving Coastal Landscape, Katherine A. Anarde, Sabarethinam Kameshwar, John N. Irza, Jeffrey A. Nittrouer, Jorge Lorenzo Trueba, Jamie E. Padgett, Antonia Sebastian, Philip B. Bedient

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Predicting coastal infrastructure reliability during hurricane events is important for risk-based design and disaster planning, including delineating viable emergency response routes. Previous research has focused on either infrastructure vulnerability to sea-level rise and coastal flooding, or the impact of changing sea level and landforms on surge dynamics. This paper represents a multidisciplinary effort to provide an integrative model of the combined impacts of sea-level rise, landscape changes, and coastal flooding on the vulnerability of highway bridges - the only access points between barrier islands and mainland communities - during extreme storms. Coastal flooding is forward modeled for static projections of …

Spatio-Temporal Variability Of Processes Across Antarctic Ice-Bed–Ocean Interfaces, Florence Colloni, Laura De Santis, Christine S. Siddoway, Andrea Bergamasco, Nicholas R. Golledge, Gerrit Lohmann, Sandra Passchier, Martin J. Siegert

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Understanding how the Antarctic ice sheet will respond to global warming relies on knowledge of how it has behaved in the past. The use of numerical models, the only means to quantitatively predict the future, is hindered by limitations to topographic data both now and in the past, and in knowledge of how subsurface oceanic, glaciological and hydrological processes interact. Incorporating the variety and interplay of such processes, operating at multiple spatio-temporal scales, is critical to modeling the Antarctic’s system evolution and requires direct observations in challenging locations. As these processes do not observe disciplinary boundaries neither should our future …

Environmental Forensics Study Of Crude Oil And Petroleum Product Spills In Coastal And Oilfield Settings: Combined Insights From Conventional Gc-Ms, Thermodesorption-Gc-Ms And Pyrolysis-Gc-Ms, Michael A. Kruge, José Luis Gallego, Azucena Lara-Gonzalo, Noemi Esquinas

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

A representative set of five oil spill samples from four different regions displayed different product characteristics and different levels of weathering. Three of them were taken along shorelines affected by marine oil spill events, viz., Aboño and Prestige (Spain) and Deepwater Horizon (USA) and the other two were taken at inland oil spill sites (Angola and Kuwait). A multi-faceted environmental forensics approach revealed key molecular features. In addition to the conventional GC/MS analysis of saturated and aromatic fractions, the polar fractions also were analyzed, revealing a complex series of linear alkanones in those oil samples particularly enriched in aliphatics. Thermodesorption-GC-MS …

Machine-Learning-Based Quantitative Estimation Of Soil Organic Carbon Content By Vis/Nir Spectroscopy, Jianli Ding, Aixia Yang, Jingzhe Wang, Vasit Sagan, Danlin Yu

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important soil property that has profound impact on soil quality and plant growth. With 140 soil samples collected from Ebinur Lake Wetland National Nature Reserve, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, this research evaluated the feasibility of visible/near infrared (VIS/NIR) spectroscopy data (350-2,500 nm) and simulated EO-1 Hyperion data to estimate SOC in arid wetland regions. Three machine learning algorithms including Ant Colony Optimization-interval Partial Least Squares (ACO-iPLS), Recursive Feature Elimination-Support Vector Machine (RF-SVM), and Random Forest (RF) were employed to select spectral features and further estimate SOC. Results indicated that the feature wavelengths …

Characterization Of Dissolved Organic Matter In Mature Leachate During Ammonia Stripping And Two-Stage Aged-Refuse Bioreactor Treatment, Wen Chuan Ding, Xiao Lan Zeng, Xue Bin Hu, Yang Deng, Md Nuralam Hossain, Liang Chen

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is the major regulated pollutant of landfill leachate in solid waste management industries. Recently, aged-refuse bioreactor (ARB) has received increasing attention for reduction of DOM from mature leachate due to low energy consumption, easy operation, simple maintenance, low cost, and high treatment efficiency. However, the information regarding alternation of the DOM nature during ARB treatment is highly limited. To figure out appropriate posttreatment for effluent of ARB and meet elevated discharge standards, especially in developing countries, this study investigates the characterization of mature leachate DOM during ammonia stripping and two-stage ARB treatment by means of synchronous …