Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Rock Glaciers In Utah, Scott Hotaling, Kendall Becker, Matthew Morriss

All Current Publications

Utah’s primary water supply––winter snowpack––is in decline due to climate warming coupled with more precipitation falling as rain instead of snow. As snowpack dwindles, other sources of cold stream water, such as rock glaciers, will become more important. Rock glaciers contain significant volumes of internal ice covered by debris. This internal ice provides cold meltwater to mountain streams, sustaining flows in summer and supporting biodiversity. Rock glaciers are common in Utah’s mountains and are projected to be more stable under climate change than Utah’s snowpack. Thus, rock glaciers are likely to persist in their current form even as snowpack volumes …

Surface Water Quality Assessment Of Mingo Creek County Park: The Impacts Of Extractive Industries, Mikayla J. Bayto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historical and current extraction operations and infrastructure, including natural gas pipelines, conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas drilling, longwall coal mining, and strip coal mining, occur throughout the Mingo Creek watershed of Washington County, Pennsylvania, including Mingo Creek County Park. Mingo Creek and several associated tributaries flow through Mingo Creek County Park, eventually discharging into the Monongahela River. An independent water quality study was conducted from June 2020 through July 2023 in Mingo Creek County Park to determine if historical and current extraction activities impact Mingo Creek and its associated tributaries. Weekly sampling of Mingo Creek and associated tributaries …

Water Justice And Equity: The Disproportionate Effects Of Pollution On Black, Indigenous, And Other Communities Of Color, Rae Cade

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Access to clean drinking water is a basic human right, regardless of an individual’s background. Yet, discriminatory practices in the United States have disproportionately burdened Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) with contaminated sources of water. Understanding how and why water is disproportionately contaminated in areas with increased diversity, and identifying and targeting areas of environmental injustice, are essential steps for ensuring future water equity. Here, I examine the drivers of inequitable access to clean drinking water within the northeastern United States. In chapter one, I look at the historical drivers of land inequity within the United States. …

Impacts Of Lake Elevation Decline On Tui Chub, A Critical Forage Species For Lahontan Cutthroat Trout In Pyramid Lake, Nevada, Usa, Sarah Barnes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Lake level decline affects lakes worldwide, changing the availability and character of nearshore habitat used by fish to spawn, and increasing total dissolved solids (TDS), similar to salinity, a factor that negatively impacts fish health. Lake level decline can affect different lakes in different ways, but typically when lake level declines significantly, there is less nearshore habitat overall, and what nearshore habitat remains has less diverse habitat for fish. We investigated whether both impacts of lake level decline may be causing declines of Tui Chub Siphateles bicolor, a large minnow native to Pyramid Lake that spawns in nearshore habitat. …

General Hydrogeochemical Characterization Of Groundwater In Coastal Aquifers Of Kilwa Kisiwani Oceanic Island, South East Tanzania, Simon R Melchioly

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The main objective of this study was to determine the hydrogeochemical processes controlling the groundwater chemistry on the Island and assess its suitability for human consumption and irrigation. The methodology used in the study include hydrogeological assessment of the study area and laboratory analysis for general physico-chemical parameters of groundwater. Other parameters such as Soluble sodium percentage (SSP) or % Na+, Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Magnesium adsorption ratio (MAR), Residual sodium carbonate (RSC), hydrochemical facies classification, and Water Quality Index (WQI) were calculated using empirical formulae. The effects of salinization of groundwater were classified using the chloride-Bicarbonate (Cl/HCO3) and the …

Metatranscriptomic Insights Into The Interaction Between Microcystis Blooms And Hydrogen Peroxide, Taylor L. Hancock

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For this dissertation I studied the interactions of hydrogen peroxide and cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) dominated by Microcystis in the Caloosahatchee River, FL. Specifically, I examined how taxonomic and functional succession relates to both natural hydrogen peroxide dynamics and hydrogen peroxide added to the environment as a cHAB treatment. Chapter 2 investigated how taxonomic succession and gene expression patterns relate to blooms and associated elevated hydrogen peroxide concentrations. The results showed that gene expressions related to cyanobacterial growth were positively correlated with hydrogen peroxide. The genes identified included enzymes capable of hydrogen peroxide generation which were expressed by blooming …

Water Quality Assessment For San Luis Obispo Creek And Stenner Creek, Brent Flemmer

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Water quality was assessed in five stream segments in San Luis Obispo and Stenner Creeks in Spring of 2023. Two of the five sites were located along San Luis Obispo Creek, and three located along Stenner Creek. Criteria to evaluate these aquatic systems was provided by the Standard Operating Procedures of the Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program, formulated by the State Water Resources Control Board. These procedures describe the methodology surrounding the collection of chemical, physical, and biological parameters of stream systems; streamflow, substrate, flow habitat, chemical water quality, and benthic macroinvertebrates are some of the criteria collected that allows …

Editorial: Innovating A New Knowledge Base For Water Justice Studies: Hydrosocial, Sociohydrology, And Beyond, Melissa Haeffner, Jenia Mukherjee, Rebecca Lave, Jamie Linton, John Ndiritu, Raul Pacheco-Vega, Maria Ruska, Margreet Zwarteveen

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Creating a new knowledge base that centers water justice (Zwarteveen and Boelens, 2014; Sultana, 2018; Wölfle-Hazard, 2022) in hydrosocial and sociohydrology studies involves a broader discussion about why justice matters, how to work toward this goal, and what the implications for research praxis are. The articles in this Research Topic approach different angles of water justice: as law (Fernández and Alba), a social movement (Dame et al.), practice (Pool et al.; Reeves and Bonney), cases of injustice (Caretta et al.), and theory (Krueger and Alba). From this Research Topic, we find that the interrelated concepts of naturecultures and care can …

Medium-Term Impacts Of Grassland And Forestry Integration On The Environmental Performance Of A New Zealand Pastoral System, Michael B. Dodd, A. O. Hughes, Grant M. Rennie

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

At the IGC in 2008, we presented a paper outlining a project that aimed to improve the economic and environmental performance of a New Zealand hill country pastoral catchment farm system. This project was undertaken by engaging a wide group of sector stakeholders in visioning, modelling, planning and implementing significant land use change within a 296-hectare pastoral farm. In recognition of developing sectoral views of agricultural sustainability, the major changes involved pine afforestation, livestock production intensification, protection of waterways and indigenous bush restoration. The report in 2008 outlined the positive impacts on key farm systems and water quality performance indicators …

Towards Sociobiogeochemistry: Critical Perspectives On Anthropogenic Alterations To Soil Nitrogen Chemistry Via U.S. Urban And Suburban Development, Christopher D. Ryan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The ecological impacts of changes to land use are relevant to concerns about climate change, eutrophication of waterbodies, and reductions in biodiversity. As a foundational component of ecosystem functioning, changes to soil biogeochemistry have significant effects on overall ecosystem health. With cities continuing to grow and develop in extent, the impacts of urbanization and suburbanization on soils are of particular concern. Despite a wide range of natural climatic and geologic conditions, several factors have driven similar patterns of land transformation and management across the United States. In particular, federal initiatives including the Home Owners Loan Corporation, the Federal Housing Administration, …

Nitrate Removal By Floating Treatment Wetlands Under Aerated And Unaerated Conditions: Field And Laboratory Results, J. M. Mccoy, M. Chaffee, A. Mittelstet, T. Messer, S. Comfort

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

2023 Kentucky River Watershed Watch Annual Report, Steven J. Evans, Malissa Mcalister, Andrea N. Drayer

Kentucky River Watershed Watch

No abstract provided.

Water Quality Of A Karstic Shallow Aquifer In Greene And Lawrence Counties, Missouri, Claudia Patricia Colmenero Chacon

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

A water quality investigation in the Springfield Plateau aquifer of Greene and Lawrence counties, Missouri, was conducted. Water samples from eleven springs were collected at regular intervals during 2023 to determine major water quality parameters: total dissolved solids (TDS), alkalinity, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), sulfate (SO₄), chloride (Cl) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N), along with per- and poly-fluorinated alkali substances (PFAS) from spring sediments. Nitrate-nitrogen was analyzed because of the importance for environmental health (e.g. to avoid eutrophication). Springs samples were separated by land use into urban and rural samples. In addition, Springfield Plateau water quality …

Reducing Short-Chain Pfas Levels In California Water Supplies, Manu Prabandham

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis proposes twelve specific policies based on precedents set by prior regulation of persistent organic pollutants (such as PCBs), the costs and benefits of short-chain PFAS, technologies available to remove and destroy short-chain PFAS, and the roles and limitations of California’s regulatory institutions. The twelve policies are chosen to be politically and financially feasible, effective at removing short-chain PFAS from water supplies, and equitable towards lower-income and minority Californians, who suffer the most from the consequences of PFAS and other environmental pollutants. The new definitions, education campaigns, studies, taxes, bans, standards, testing, and filtration systems proposed are intended to …

Utilizing Isotope Tracing To Assess Land Use Implications To Tap And Stream Water Chemistry, Katrina Alexis Mcfadden

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Water quality is an issue that continues to be worsened by extreme flooding, specifically in Eastern Kentucky. The most recent 2022 flooding event in Eastern Kentucky resulted in loss of human life, over $23.3 billion in damaged infrastructure, and impaired human health. Infrastructure failures, such as leaky pipes, are a growing challenge in these regions as rebuilding has occurred. Therefore, the goal of this project was to evaluate water quality in two of the counties most impacted by the 2022 flood in Kentucky, Breathitt and Perry Counties, using sulfur isotopes as a novel tracer to identify potentially failures in distribution …

Nutritional Quality Of Cultured Giant Freshwater Prawns (Macrobrachium Rosenbergii), Nurul F.M.S. Rizal, Najeebah A. Tashim, Zuhairi Azahari, Aida M. Basri, Tiong H. Lim, Aqilah Junaidi, Suriayati Chuprat, Seno A. Putra, Hanif Fakhrurroja

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Macrobrachium rosenbergii, or the giant freshwater prawn has high market demand due to its exceptional nutritional value for the human diet. Often, most nutritional studies focus on the edible prawn parts, rather than the prawn discarded components. The nutritional evaluation of different prawn parts can provide insights into the nutrient composition and guiding for the development of value-added products. Three groups of prawn samples were collected from 3 different ponds, representing different prawn sizes. The water quality analysis of each pond was also conducted to determine the extent to which it can affect the nutritional composition. The conventional and biochemical …

The Impacts Of Anthropogenic Activity And Climate Change On The Formation Of Harmful Algal Blooms (Habs) And Its Ecological Consequence, Zhangxi Hu, Aifeng Li, Zhun Li, Margaret R. Mulholland

OES Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The "Upside-Down" River: Trends In Total Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus, And Microcystin Concentration In The Klamath Basin, 2010-2021, Kayla M. Fitzpatrick

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The Klamath River tends to experience impaired upstream water quality, which improves downstream. Although this consensus is accepted, an updated spatiotemporal analysis of certain water quality parameters has not been conducted since 2017. With four of the Klamath River’s dams slated for removal by the end of 2024, it is critical to have an updated assessment of current water quality conditions from which to compare conditions following dam removal. In this study, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and microcystin data from 2010-2021 were analyzed to determine concentration trends from Link Dam to the Klamath River Estuary.

Concentrations of TN …

2024 Directory Of Landscape Professionals Trained In Ecological Landscaping For Water Quality Protection, Julia Peterson

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Geochemical Trends At The Sediment-Water Interface Of The Shallow And Eutrophic Utah Lake, Abidemi Sherif Aremu

Theses and Dissertations

The sources of phosphorus (P) in Utah Lake can be diverse, including natural and anthropogenic point and non-point sources, such as atmospheric deposition, soil erosion, and industrial and urban wastewater effluents. This study collected interface sediments, column water, porewater, and sediment cores across this vast water body. These samples were then analyzed for their mineralogic, organic, and elemental composition to characterize the geochemical nature of water and sediment at the water-sediment interface within Utah Lake. The average concentrations of P and other elements found in the column water of an individual site do not significantly differ across depth suggesting Utah …

Environmental Fate Of Sulfur In Sulphur Creek, Valles Caldera, Nm: Implications For Metal Transport And Water Quality, Daniel Lavery

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The 1.2 Ma Valles Caldera in north-central New Mexico hosts a young igneous volcanic hydrothermal system after the model proposed in Goff and Janik (2000). The Sulphur Springs area within Valles Caldera is an acid-sulfate area typical of this model, discharging acidic waters (pH 1.5-3) formed by oxidation of magmatic H₂S at the surface. We report on samples obtained from springs and streams collected between October 2021 and May 2023 in the Sulphur Creek and Alamo watersheds. Sulphur Creek receives input from Sulphur Springs and exhibits low pH (2-4) and high concentrations of Al (≤110 mg/L), Fe (≤60 …

Assessing The Relationship Between Soil Health/Quality And Water Quality In The Mississippi Delta, Laura Andrea Sarmiento Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Several studies have reported agronomic benefits by improving soil health/quality, but uncertain knowledge remains when determining specific impacts on water quality off-field. This study investigated the links between runoff water quality and soil health/quality in agricultural fields of the Mississippi delta under three land management scenarios: Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), vegetative buffer (VB), and row crops (RC). Using the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF), a Soil Quality Index (SQI) was obtained based on ten soil health/quality indicators from 2008 and 2012 datasets. The SMAF identified significant differences in soil health/quality improvements among scenarios over a four-year period. Varied relationships between …

Stream Restoration Effectiveness In Mullins Creek In Fayetteville, Arkansas, Amadeo Scott

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Lotic waterways are vital for habitat, food, water, and flood protection, but urbanization poses a major threat to their integrity. Runoff from urban surfaces leads to pollution, flashiness, loss of biodiversity, and other symptoms, also known as Urban Stream Syndrome (USS). To combat USS, streams can be restored, but most restorations are not monitored so their long-term effectiveness is unknown. This study quantitatively evaluated a decade-old stream restoration in Fayetteville, Arkansas, to assess its effectiveness in combating USS and achieving set restoration goals, and to gain insights for future restoration projects. Restoration goals included decreasing erosion and sedimentation, increasing pool …

Post-Wildfire Effects On A Headwater Stream In The San Bernardino National Forest, Kelley Giron

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Southern California has experienced prolonged drought conditions that have supported frequent wildfires that adversely impact ecosystems, natural resources, and human development. A primary consequence of these events is the impact on water quality and quantity. Of equal concern is evaluating how diverse land use configurations within a watershed can alter the physio-chemical properties of headwater reaches where drought and wildfire conditions are prevalent. To better understand the extent to which wildfires impact water quality and quantity across a headwater watershed, this study investigates wildfire impacts from the 2021 South Fire to Lytle Creek, a headwater stream of the Santa Ana …

Addressing Binational Issues For Water Quality Along The United States-Mexico Border And The Use Of The 1944 Water Treaty As A Means For Developing Transboundary Aquifer Agreements, Gilbert Anaya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The water resources of the United States (U.S.) and Mexico are under tremendous pressure due to declining reservoir levels, changes in climate, and prolonged drought. The U.S.-Mexico border region relies on the Rio Grande and Colorado River, and shared groundwater resources that are transboundary in nature. These resources are vital to the U.S.-Mexico border and are susceptible to drought that leads to reduced flow and allocation to the users. In addition, there are impacts to water quality caused by return flows and from failing sanitation infrastructure. In this study, we focus on 1) the contribution of springs in an area …

Causes And Effects Of Shisper Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Event In Karakoram In 2022, Sandeep Kumar Mondal, Vatsal D. Patel, Rishikesh Bharti, Ramesh P. Singh

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Karakoram Himalayas are vulnerable to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), which cause catastrophic floods in the surrounding areas. The increasing natural and anthropogenic activities, especially in the Indo-Gangetic Plains at the southern flank of the towering Himalayas, could be the cause of climate change affecting the frequency of the natural hazards in the Himalayas. In the present study, a detailed analysis of the Shisper Lake breach of 7 May 2022 is carried out using satellite remote sensing. A decreasing trend in the glacial mass balance is observed between 2017 and 2021; in this period, frequent GLOF episodes occurred. A pronounced …

The Coastal Monitor: Vol. 10 No. 2, John Tanacredi Ph.D.

The Coastal Monitor

Stephen J. Gould’s prophetic piece, “The Golden Rule: A Proper Scale for Our Environmental Crisis”, noted that, “Patience enjoys a long pedigree of favor”, which he elaborated, “usually involves a deep understanding of the fundamental principle… rarely grasped in daily life – the effects of scale.” Scientists observe changes incessantly, in dimensions and time, from microscopic conditions of cellular biology to the inconceivable distances of galaxies and their influences on Earth.

Public Perceptions Of Water Quality In The Lake Bunyonyi Sub-Catchment, Western Uganda, Alex Saturday, Thomas J. Lyimo, Siajali Pamba, Susan Kangume, Jeniffer Turyatemba

Tanzania Journal of Science

Lake Bunyonyi ecosystem plays vital roles in water resource conservancy and tourism. Nevertheless, the rapid increase in human population and the unrelenting human activities are threatening the values, functions, and ecological integrity of the lake. In this study, the public perceptions of drinking water quality and its health implications in the Lake Bunyonyi Sub-catchment, Western Uganda are presented. A closed-ended questionnaire was administered to 267 respondents living within one Kilometre away from the lake shores. Besides, observation and interview methods were used to complement data collected by the questionnaire method. Results indicate that the prominent activities around the lake are …

Implementation, Participation And Evaluation Of A Voluntary Water Quality Protection Program For Grazingland Owners And Managers, Mel R. George, J. M. Harper, S. R. Larson, R. E. Larsen, N. K. Mcdougald, D. J. Lewis

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In 1990, California's range livestock industry began working with the state's water quality regulatory agency to develop a voluntary producer participation programme to protect water quality on privately owned grazinglands. In 1995 they implemented a voluntary programme of surface water protection supported by extension education and technical assistance conducted by University of California and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Past studies have shown that education programmes are crucial to voluntary pollution control programmes in agriculture (EPA 1990) and that ranchers will change grazing management practices in response to extension education programmes (Richards and George 1996). The objective of this project …

Effect Of Long-Term Nutrient Management Strategies For Pastures On Phosphorus In Surface Runoff And Soil Quality, G. L. Mullins, J. P. Fontenot, G. A. Alloush, G. Johnson, D. G. Boyer, V. G. Allen, G. Scaglia

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Manure, whether mechanically applied or deposited by grazing animals, has been associated with increased risk of non-point source pollution, especially phosphorus. This is especially true in areas where the industry, especially poultry, has been concentrated in geographical areas that are grain deficient, resulting in a reliance on imported grain for poultry feed. Intensification has resulted in the production of large quantities of poultry manure, within relatively small geographical areas. Surplus litter is typically land applied as a nutrient source or used as an animal feed. The objective of this project was to evaluate the effects of long-term nutrient management strategies …