Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Statistical Analysis Of Climate Trends And Variability In Tarrant County Using Annual, Decade, And Three-Decade Time Periods, Quinnton Debolt

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

This study is a statistical analysis of climate trends within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex according to several time-scale models to understand how the climate for the locality has changed and to provide a basis for projections of what future climate might look like. Trends in mean temperature and precipitation for North Central Texas generally correlate with corresponding global trends linked to natural variability and anthropogenic-induced climate change. Temperature rises in this region annually by 0.08°C and by 0.22°C for a three-decade average. Seasonal increases in three-decadal averages of temperature for North Central Texas relative to the average of the reference …

The Future Of Shipping At The Biodiversity-Climate Nexus : Round Table Report, Mary S. Wisz, Fabio Berzaghi, Mikaela Gomez, Maud C. Quinzin, Renis Auma Ojwala, Emily Nuckolls

Reports

This report presents the outcomes of a cross-disciplinary Round Table hosted by the World Maritime University (WMU) from May 13-15, 2024, in Malmö, Sweden. The event brought together 51 experts from academia, industry, NGOs, and international organizations, including the IMO, to explore shipping’s role at the biodiversity-climate nexus. The Round Table had a particular focus on the impacts of shipping that are currently unregulated or under-regulated, and opportunities to address biodiversity loss and pollution as the sector decarbonizes. The report highlights the need to apply comprehensive, ecosystem-based approaches to effectively manage shipping's impacts, including cumulative impacts, on the environment, people, …

A Wall Of Smoke: Understanding The Drivers Of The June 2023 Canadian Wildfire Smoke Event For New York City, Gregory S. Randazzo

Dissertations and Theses

The 2023 Canadian wildfire season was notable for its extent and the dense smoke it produced. Motivated by the resulting air quality impacts in the New York City region, we explore how the total particulate matter output from the Quebec fires influenced PM2.5 concentrations downstream in New York City. Using injection height data from the Regional Advanced Baseline Imager + VIIRS Emissions dataset, we relate the tropospheric injection heights of the fires with the broader synoptic context and surface PM2.5 concentrations. Using data from the NYS Mesonet Profiler Network, radiosondes, and ERA5 reanalysis, we document the connection between an anomalous …

Quantifying Links Between Phytoplankton Physiology And The Environment, Gabrielle M. Armin

Open Access Dissertations

Phytoplankton are microscopic, primary producers in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. They are key links in global biogeochemical cycles, converting inorganic compounds into bioavailable nutrients which fuel fisheries. Through photosynthesis, phytoplankton play an essential role in the carbon cycle and marine biological pump, drawing carbon from the atmosphere, which is eventually sequestered in the oceans, regulating our Earth’s climate. Due to their influential role in large scale processes, there have been many efforts to characterize and quantify phytoplankton impacts to ecosystem health and global nutrient cycles. Often, phytoplankton physiology has been highly simplified in global or ecosystem models, limiting their representation to …

Multi-Centennial Spatial Coherency Among Atlantic Tropical Cyclones From Simulated And Reconstructed Storm Records, Richard M. Sullivan, Elizabeth Wallace, Sylvia Dee, Gabiel A. Vecchi, Wenchang Yang, Kerry Emanuel

OES Faculty Publications

Proxy-based reconstructions of long-term Atlantic tropical cyclone (TC) variability reveal low-frequency oscillations in regional TC landfalls over the Common Era. However, the limited spatial coverage and increased uncertainty of the proxy records complicates assessments of this feature. Here we present a new multi-ensemble set of synthetic TCs downscaled from the Last Millennium Reanalysis project, which is based on sea surface temperatures that more accurately reflect past conditions. Throughout ensemble members, there are coherent multi-centennial shifts in landfalls with persistent intervals of increased (decreased) occurrence along the eastern US concurrent with inverse activity in the southwest Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, …

Changes In Efficiency And Magnitude Of Recharge Due To Climate Change For Headwater Catchments In The Mountain West, Harrison Mcgillen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Changes to groundwater recharge and stream flow were simulated from downscaled CMIP6 global climate models in a headwater catchment of the Blackfoot River, MT. A calibrated, 3-D, coupled surface and groundwater GSFLOW model, forced with minimum and maximum temperature, and precipitation from a downscaled CMIP6 simulation was used to quantify groundwater recharge and stream flow. The model was calibrated against measured groundwater head and stream flow using observed temperature and precipitation boundary conditions. The calibrated model was then forced with downscaled temperature and precipitation from the CANESM5 model for the SSP245, 370 and 585 scenarios, as well as a manual …

2024 - Tennessee Annual Climate Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Monthly Reports

No abstract provided.

2024 December - Tennessee Monthly Climate Report, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Monthly Reports

Hi All,

December was relatively warm and wet for West Tennessee, while areas further east were closer to average. The main weather and climate stories of December 2024 included the strong blast of cold air early in the month that led to widespread light snowfall and record cold temperatures from December 3-6, and two cold fronts that brought strong thunderstorms, localized flash flooding, some small hail, and strong winds to the state on December 18 and December 28-29. Heavy rains on the 29th led to flash flooding and closure of roads and temporary bridges in parts of Carter County that …

Comparing Climate Growth Of Oak And Tulip Poplar Species In Bernheim Forest, Kentucky, Usa Using Dendrochronological Methods, Jacob G. Brown, Jordan Sharp, Maegen Rochner

The Cardinal Edge

Jordan Sharp and Jacob Brown

Department of Geographical and Environmental Sciences, University of Louisville

Title: Comparing Climate Growth of Oak and Tulip Poplar Species in Bernheim Forest, Kentucky, USA using Dendrochronological Methods

Abstract:

With climate change, the state of Kentucky is expected to face increases in hydrological variability and extremes. To understand more about future projections, past climatic conditions can be analyzed with proxy-based data sources. Tree-rings provide annual to sub-annual resolution that can be used for proxy-based climate reconstructions. Kentucky, however, lacks tree-ring data and this leaves the state understudied from a high temporal and spatial resolution paleo perspective. …

2024 November - Tennessee Monthly Climate Report, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Monthly Reports

No abstract provided.

Flowering And Seed Production Of Centrosema Spp. In Relation To Day Length And Temperature, R.J M. Gonzalez, R J. Clements, L R. Humphreys

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The effcc1s of variation in daylength and temperature on the flowering processes leading to seed production were studied in genotypes of 5 Centrosema spp. Short days (11 h) enhanced flowering in accessions of C. virginatum from low latitude but flowering of lines from high latitude was more prolific in 16-h days. A quantitative long-short day response was evident in 2 intermediate latitude accessions. The critical photoperiod for flowering·varied: C. virginianum cross 31 flowered in 13.5 h or less, C. pubescens, C. pascuorum and C. macrocarpum in 12 h or less, and C. schiediam Oowcred only in a 10.5 …

Herbage Seed Production In Norway, Ragnar Hillestad

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Seed of all important species of perennial grasses and clover for northern areas can be produced in Norway, with good quality, at about 60°N. Norway has built up its own plant breeding with seed production and is self-supporting in seed of the most important species for use in agriculture. The seed yield per area unit of grass species decreases from south lo north, but there are differences among cullivars depending on where the breeding work has been carried out. The short growing·season makes it difficult for some species to establish a good stand so the plants can flower and give …

Efficient Nitrogen Fertilizer Strategies For Tropical Beef And Dairy Production Using Summer Rainfall And Soil Analysis, M A. Gilbert, N M. Clarkson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Nitrogen (N) deficiency is a major limitation to growth of pastures in tropical and subtropical regions. In the tropics and subtropics of north-eastern Australia, grass yield is curvilinearly related (R2=0.75) to summer rainfall and the rate of N fertiliser. Data from a range of grazing experiments also indicate that beef and dairy production (kg/ ha) are related to N fertiliser rate in a curvilinear manner; production is near optimum at N rates of 250-300 kg N/ha/year, when summer rainfall is >1000 mm. Given the importance of summer rainfall and N fertiliser, climatic analysis can enhance the usefulness of N fertiliser …

2024 October - Tennessee Monthly Climate Report, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Monthly Reports

Hi All,

Attached is the October monthly climate summary. It was both warmer and drier than normal across most of the state. Without some rainfall on Halloween, it likely would have been the driest October on record for many locations. Farmers, especially in southern Middle Tennessee, continued to suffer from severe and extreme drought conditions that started back in June. The weather station at the Nashville International Airport, with data from 1940 through today, had its 4th longest dry streak, with 26 days in a row without precipitation from September 30 – October 25, 2024. Daily high temperature records were …

Pasture Production Of Annual, Hybrid And Perennial Ryegrasses In Cool And Warm Temperature Climates, D E. Hume, M J. Hickey

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Pasture production and persistence of 8 ryegrass species-cultivars were evaluated under 2 grazing frequencies (infrequent and frequent) in a cool temperate climate (Southland) and a warm temperate climate (Manawatu) in New Zealand. All pastures were sown with white clover (Trifolirim repe11s) and rotationally grazed with sheep for 3 years. The 8 ryegrass lines were divided botanically into cultivars of annual ryegrass (Lo/ium muftljlorum), hybrid ryegrass (L. boucl1eanu111) (most of the parentage derived from L. multiflorum) and perennial ryegrass (L. pere,me). Infrequent grazing resulted in higher yields and particularly higher ryegrass yields, but lower ryegrass tiller numbers at the cool site. …

Climate, Land Use And Plant Life Form Distribution In A Semi-Arid Savanna, Christina Skarpe

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Number of plant species, total vegetation cover and the abundance of different life forms are compared over a rainfall gradient between savanna woodland and semi-desert. The effects of different land use intensities are superimposed on the differences in rainfall regimes. The outcome is discussed in the light of present global change scenarios,

Vegetation Response To Climate: A 35 Year Study At Bibury, Gloucestershire, A J. Willis, R Hunt, J P. Grime, S R. Band, N Dunnett

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Important information on the climate-responsiveness of plant species has been gleaned from an unlikely source. The annually recorded control {unsprayed) plots from a 35-year field e, experiment assessing the effects of spraying herbicide and a plant growth regulator onto the vegetation of roadside verges near Bibury, Gloucestershire, have provided an opportunity to examine the detailed effects of year-to year variations in climate on the yields of different ·species and functional types within the vegetation. The results confirm the usefulness of plant functional types and genome size as predictors of plant community response to climatic change.

The Integrated Screening Programme: Patterns Of Ecological Specialization In British Species, K Thompson, J P. Grime, R Colasanti

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Integrated Screening Programme (ISP), a major part of the UCPB research programme during the period 1987-1994, applies standardised procedures for the ecological, physiological and biochemical characterisation of plant species, populations or cultivars. The objectives are: (1) to establish the range of variation in selected plant attributes; (2) to recognise recurring patterns of ecological and evolutionary specialisation; (3) to devise a functional classification of plants relevant to the analysis of communities and ecosystems and the management of vegetation .. To date, the programme has been confined largely to the herbaceous species from central northern Britain. Later, and in particular as …

Interaction Of Climate Management As Controls On Species Composition, S H. Hillier, F Sutton, J P. Grime, R Colasanti

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A new technique for the manipulation of temperature near the soil surface without the aid of cloches or screens has been developed at UCPE. This system is being used to manipulate the length of the growing season in an experiment in which the critical interaction between growth and the timing of two important meadow management activities - cutting and grazing - is being investigated. The technique has also been used to expose synthesised meadow communities to an artificially induced mild winter. Temperature manipulations of this kind offer a new approach to understanding the role which climate plays as a mechanism …

Simulating The Impact Of Global Warming On Regional Pasture Production Environment, P J. Vickery, M J. Hill, E P. Furnival

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Global warming scenarios predict increases in temperatures, evaporation and summer rainfall in the northern two-thirds of Australia. Pasture production models can be combined with spatial climate data in a geographic information system to predict net primary production from pastures. We used a pasture-sheep production model for a phalaris-white clover pasture together with interpolated climatic data to predict the outcome of increases in temperature, evaporation and summer rainfall for net primary production (NPP) from pastures in northern NSW. NPP was predicted to rise in winter due to elevated temperatures, to decline slightly In spring due to increased evaporation, and to change …

Changing The Climate Of A Limestone Dale, S M. Buckland, J P. Grime, J R. Tippets, A Jackson, K Thompson, J G. Hodgson, P C. Thorpe, C W. Macgillivray

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Unit of Comparative Plant Ecology based at Sheffield University is manipulating the weather artificially at a field site near Buxton, Derbyshire. This experiment is enabling us to study the way in which certain plants, both in the existing vegetation and among potential invaders, may behave in the future. As well as future climate scenarios, a range of land-use conditions are recreated in the experiment. Seeds of species with different geographical distributions have been sown in and their fate is being closely followed. The experiment began in 1990 and will run until at least 1997, by which time it should …

Climate Change And Grasslands: A Life-Zone And Biota Perspective, Steven Archer

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands experiencing climatic and atmospheric change may be altered with respect to: (1) geographic extent and location of local/ regional boundaries; (2) productivity, organic matter dynamics and nutrient cycling; and (3) the relative abundance of constituent life forms (woody v. herbaceous), growth forms (tall vs. shorl-statured grasses), and/or photosynthetic physiologies (C3 v. C4). Classification models based on vegetation-climate correlations predict an increase in the global acreage of grassland and savanna at the expense of boceal forest and dry tropical forest. However, extrapolation of these relationships to climates with atmospheric CO2 concentrations without present-day analogues is suspect. Dynamic models of plant …

2024 September - Tennessee Monthly Climate Report, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Monthly Reports

Hi All,

September 2024 is a month we won't be forgetting any time soon. We started off continuing a very dry pattern with Extreme Drought (D3) expanding in Middle Tennessee until receiving some relief from Hurricane Francine. Extreme Drought peaked for this area in the September 10th release of the US Drought Monitor (USDM), while expansion of D3 continued through the September 24th release of the USDM. September 24th was also when a tornado formed in Hancock County - the first September tornado on record in East Tennessee. The biggest story of the month was Hurricane Helene and its many …

Investigating Arctic Ocean Freshwater Content And Circulation In A Changing Climate, Emma Louise Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations

The Arctic Ocean is unique among the world’s oceans, characterized by its cold temperatures, salinity-driven vertical structure, and shallow shelf seas. It has warmed intensely since the 1980s at rates exceeding the global average. This Arctic Amplification drives variability in sea ice and salinity, affecting local circulation and exchange with other basins, leading to global changes in oceanic and atmospheric circulation and the biosphere. This thesis explores changing dynamics in the Arctic Ocean, in particular connecting modeled changes in liquid freshwater content (FWC) and its pathways with major ocean circulation patterns, atmospheric drivers, and large-scale climatic changes.

This research combines …

A Search For Persistent Perennial Legumes For Temperate Australia, M J. Hill, C Mulcahy, G Rapp

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Problems with persistence of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) in extensive pastures of the high rainfall zone in eastern Australia necessitate the use of a wider range of perennial legumes. A range of species have been evaluated in nurseries and in regional on-farm trials on the northern Tablelands of New South Wales. Caucasian clover and I.oms spp. have proven most successful so far. Caucasian clover has been more productive than white clover at 2 sites in spring 1991 and autumn 1992, Hexaploid Caucasian clover has been subjected to the first of 3 cycles of recurrent selection for seedling vigour. …

Effect Of Manipulative Management Options On A Degraded Pasture Within The Astrebla Spp. Grazing Lands Of Western Queensland, J J. Bushell, J A. Reynolds, D C. Cowan, D G. Phelps, J A. Milson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A reduction in Aslrebla spp., and an increase in less palatable and less desirable forbs (Malvastmm americanum Psoralea cinerea), was identified as a problem in some paddocks of the Astrebla grazing lands of central western Queensland's clay soils. To determine possible rehabilitation for these pastures and assist the recovery of Astrebla spp,, a 2-year experiment was conducted near Muttaburra, Queensland (460 mm average annual rainfall), Six main treatments (nil, tine ripping, herbicide, slashing, fire, and a pioneering grass) were combined in a 6x2x2 split piot structure with grazed/not grazed and with additional Astrebla lappacea seed sown/not sown. Interim …

2024 August - Tennessee Monthly Climate Report, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Monthly Reports

No abstract provided.

Onset Of Antarctic Glaciation At The Eocene-Oligocene Transition In The Weddell Sea And Its Impact On Ocean Circulation, Victoria Hojnacki

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The Eocene – Oligocene Transition (EOT) (34 Ma) represents a greenhouse to icehouse climate transition that is marked by the appearance of permanent ice sheets in Antarctica. Studying this period of climate change allows us to understand how different Earth systems reacted under changing atmospheric CO₂ conditions. Though the timing of the development of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is well supported, the development of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is still up for debate. Ocean Drilling Program Site 696 is the only paleoarchive of the EOT in the Weddell Sea region and offers an opportunity to better constrain the …

Analysis Of Drought-Flood Abrupt Alternation Events And Their Impacts In Kenya, Betty Makena

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Drought-Flood Abrupt Alternation (DFAA) is a compound disaster event that refers to the abrupt shift of extreme drought events to extreme floods resulting in exacerbated impacts on already vulnerable communities and hindering their coping abilities. This study aimed to analyze drought-flood abrupt alternation events and their impacts in Kenya. The first chapter aimed to understand historical drought events in the Greater Horn of Africa and their impacts, while drawing comparisons with the recent 2020-2022 drought period, referred to as the ‘triple dip La Niña’. Datasets used in this study include the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS), Normalized …

Deep Space Observations Of Conditionally Averaged Global Reflectance Patterns, Alexander Kostinski, Alexander Marshak, Tamás Várnai

Michigan Tech Publications

The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) spacecraft drifts about the Lagrangian point ≈ 1.4 − 1.6 × 106 km from Earth, where its Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) observes the entire sunlit face of Earth every 1–2 h. In an attempt to detect “signals,” i.e., longer-term changes and semi-permanent features such as the ever-present ocean glitter, while suppressing geographic “noise,” in this study, we introduce temporally and conditionally averaged reflectance images, performed on a fixed grid of pixels and uniquely suited to the DSCOVR/EPIC observational circumstances. The resulting images (maps), averaged in time over months and conditioned on surface/cover type …