Earth Sciences Commons^™

Electrochemical Oxidation For Landfill Leachate Treatment, Yang Deng, James D. Englehardt

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This paper aims at providing an overview of electrochemical oxidation processes used for treatment of landfill leachate. The typical characteristics of landfill leachate are briefly reviewed, and the reactor designs used for electro-oxidation of leachate are summarized. Electrochemical oxidation can significantly reduce concentrations of organic contaminants, ammonia, and color in leachate. Pretreatment methods, anode materials, pH, current density, chloride concentration, and other additional electrolytes can considerably influence performance. Although high energy consumption and potential chlorinated organics formation may limit its application, electrochemical oxidation is a promising and powerful technology for treatment of landfill leachate.

Marine Sediment Record From The East Antarctic Margin Reveals Dynamics Of Ice Sheet Recession, Amy Leventer, Eugene Domack, Jennifer Pike, Catherine Stickley, Eleanor Maddison, Stefanie A. Brachfeld, Patricia Manley, Charlie Mcclennen

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Antarctic shelf is traversed by large-scale troughs developed by glacial erosion. Swath bathymetric, lithologic, and chronologic data from jumbo piston cores from four sites along the East Antarctic margin (Iceberg Alley, the Nielsen Basin, the Svenner Channel, and the Mertz-Ninnis Trough) are used to demonstrate that these cross-shelf features controlled development of calving bay reentrants in the Antarctic ice sheet during deglaciation. At all sites except the Mertz-Ninnis Trough, the transition between the Last Glacial Maximum and the Holocene is characterized by varved couplets deposited during a short interval of extremely high primary productivity in a fjordlike setting. Nearly …

Mapping Woody Plant Cover In Desert Grasslands Using Canopy Reflectance Modeling And Misr Data, Mark Chopping, Lihong Su, Andrea Laliberte, Albert Rango, Debra P.C. Peters, John V. Martonchik

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

A simplified geometric-optical model (SGM) was inverted using red band reflectance data acquired at 275 m in nine viewing angles from the Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) flown on NASA's Terra satellite, to provide estimates of fractional woody plant cover for large areas (over 3519 km 2) in parts of the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico, USA. The use of the model in these semi-arid environments was enabled by the derivation of a priori estimates of the soil/understory background reflectance response. This was made possible by determining relationships between the kernel weights from a LiSparse-RossThin model adjusted against the same MISR …

Significance Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) And Petroleum Biomarker Compounds In Contaminated Passaic River Sediments, Michael A. Kruge

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The lower Passaic River (northeastern New Jersey) flows through one of the most densely populated regions of the United States. The area’s long history of industrial activity is reflected in the complex and variable hydrocarbon composition of the river sediments. Sediments from river bottom grab samples at Newark and a 30 cm deep core at Kearny were subjected to thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS). This technique offers a practical alternative for rapid, inexpensive analysis, simply employing milligram quantities of dry, disaggregated sediment, avoiding the use of hazardous organic solvents. For each sample, a total of 181 hydrocarbons and organosulfur compounds …

A Habitat Suitability Index Model For Black Bear Living Within The Kittatinny Mountain Range In New Jersey, Brett Callanan

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Throughout the past decade, an increase in urbanization and the population of black bear (Ursus americanus) in New Jersey have caused an overlap of bear habitat and areas of residential and commercial development (Eriksen 1999). Consequently, the close proximity of humans to black bear has resulted in a variety of conflicts (Carr and Burguess 2003). Strategies traditionally used to regulate the numbers and interactions with bear, such as capture and relocation, euthanization, and the utilization of game hunts can be limited by their efficiency and predictability of results. New tools are needed to address the issues of habitat loss, bear …

A Preliminary Benthic Invertebrate Study Of Jun Jaegyu Volcano : An Undersea Volcano In Antarctic Sound, Antarctica, Gina QuiñOnes

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Jun Jaegyu volcano, an Antarctic submarine volcano, was dredged in May 2004 for sediment and marine macroinvertebrates. The objectives of this study were to examine the benthic assemblages and biodiversity present on the newly discovered volcano. The volcano is located on the continental shelf of the northeastern Antarctic Peninsula, where recent changes in surface temperature and ice shelf stability have been observed. This volcano was swath-mapped during cruise 01 -07 of the Research Vessel-Ice Breaker Nathaniel B. Palmer. The volcano was studied using a SCUD video camera and a dredge along the flanks and crest. Results indicate a seafloor surface …

Incorporating Remote Sensing Information In Modeling House Values: A Regression Tree Approach, Danlin Yu, Changshan Wu

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This paper explores the possibility of incorporating remote sensing information in modeling house values in the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A. In particular, a Landsat ETM+ image was utilized to derive environmental characteristics, including the fractions of vegetation, impervious surface, and soil, with a linear spectral mixture analysis approach. These environmental characteristics, together with house structural attributes, were integrated to house value models. Two modeling techniques, a global OLS regression and a regression tree approach, were employed to build the relationship between house values and house structural and environmental characteristics. Analysis of results indicates that environmental characteristics generated from remote …

Observations Of Sand Waves, Megaripples, And Hummocks In The Dutch Coastal Area And Their Relation To Currents And Combined Flow Conditions, Sandra Passchier, Maarten Kleinhans

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

[1] This paper aims to investigate the distribution and stability of large‐scale bed forms in response to storm and fair‐weather conditions in a shallow marine environment. Multibeam and side‐scan sonar data off the Dutch coast (median grain size 0.25–0.35 mm) were collected to monitor sand waves (λ = 100–800 m) and superimposed megaripples (λ = 1–40 m) through multiple storm and fair‐weather events. Box cores were used to observe the vertical bed structure and grain size. In the Dutch coastal area, two‐dimensional (2‐D) megaripples (λ = 1–15 m) are the dominant bed forms in current‐dominated (>0.4 m/s) tidal flow …

Carbon Isotope Of Bulk Organic Matter: A Proxy For Precipitation In The Arid And Semiarid Central East Asia, Xinqing Lee, Zhaodong Feng, Lanlan Guo, Lixia Wang, Liya Jin, Yongsong Huang, Mark Chopping, Daikuan Huang, Wei Jiang, Qian Jiang, Hongguang Cheng

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Carbon isotope composition (δ13C) of bulk organic matter in soil and lake sediment sequences has been widely used to infer past climate changes. The specific climatic representation of the isotopic signature, however, lacks for examination. With excellent gradients of temperature and precipitation, as well as the gradients of vegetation zone, central East Asia provides an ideal background for developing the relationship between the δ13C and the climatic parameters. Analysis of surface soil organic matter from a transect that crosses the various climatic and vegetation zones reveals a significant linear correlation between δ13C and the mean precipitation from May to September …

Quantifying Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition As A Nonpoint Source Pollution And Its Potential Effects On The Mullica River-Great Bay Ecosystem, Jennifer Haag

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

To characterize atmospheric nitrogen deposition and its potential impact on the Mullica River-Great Bay Estuary, atmospheric sampling was conducted at Rutgers University Marine Field Station in Tuckerton, New Jersey from March 2004 to March 2005. A total of 52 precipitation samples were collected on an event basis using a MIC wet-only automatic precipitation sampler. A total of 23 aerosol samples were also taken during this period of time with a high-volume aerosol sampler. Chemical analysis was performed using a Dionex Ion Chromatograph to determine the concentrations of nitrate and ammonium in precipitation and associated with aerosols. Nitrate concentrations for precipitation …

Short-Term And Long-Term Effects Of High Intensity Forest Fires On Soil Phyllosilicates, Jennifer Rose Reynard

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

High intensity forest fires can alter the clay minerals found in soils. These minerals can be degraded, collapsed, as well as completely destroyed. Signatures of these fires may remain for years after the bums. To ascertain the impact of high intensity fire on soil physical properties, samples were collected from the area in and around the 2002 Hayman, Colorado, fire. These included burned samples from several areas within the perimeter of the fire (taken one to four months following the fire), unburned samples near the origin of the fire, as well as samples from areas of historic burns nearby. This …

Environmental Restoration : The Catalyst Of A City's Successful Revitalization, A Potential Application Example, City Of Camden, New Jersey, Maria Del Rocio Bosch Clark

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This thesis aims to concisely emphasize and demonstrate the importance of the connection between urban and natural environments, towards fostering a strong and healthy quality of life for its citizens.

The notion of applying an integrated comprehensive approach to city planning and environmental restoration (such as brownfields redevelopment) is lacking throughout many communities. On the other hand, "success stories" exist around the world that link a comprehensive city plan and environmental restoration to their successes. These attestations of accomplishments demonstrate that regardless of the geographical or economic circumstances, this thesis concept might be applied.

This thesis concept is simplified by …

Morphology Of Methane Hydrate Host Sediments, Keith W. Jones, Huan Feng, Stanmire Tomov, William J. Winters, Michael Eaton, Devinder Mahajan

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The morphological features including porosity and grains of methane hydrate host sediments were investigated using synchrotron computed microtomography (CMT) technique. The sediment sample was obtained during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 164 on the Blake Ridge at water depth of 2278.5 m. The CMT experiment was performed at the Brookhaven National Synchrotron Light Source facility. The analysis gave ample porosity, specific surface area, mean particle size, and tortuosity. The method was found to be highly effective for the study of methane hydrate host sediments.

Magmatic Sources, Setting And Causes Of Eocene To Recent Patagonian Plateau Magmatism (36°S To 52°S Latitude), Suzanne M. Kay, Matthew Gorring, Victor A. Ramos

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Continental back-arc and within-plate basaltic volcanic provinces provide a view into the evolution of the mantle beneath continents and the mass flux of materials that are subducted, but not extracted by arc volcanism. One of the largest continental mafic provinces is the Patagonian province where large mafic plateau volcanic events ranging in age from late Paleocene to Recent have occurred in the absence of major extension. The largest events produced the Eocene Posadas Formation (∼46°S to 50°S), the late Oligocene to early Miocene Somuncura magmatic province (41°S to 43°S plus similar age magmas up to 46°S), the late Miocene to …

Paleomagnetism And 40ar/39ar Chronology Of Lavas From Meseta Del Lago Buenos Aires, Patagonia, Laurie L. Brown, Brad S. Singer, Matthew L. Gorring

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

[1] As part of a larger project investigating paleosecular variation in South America, 36 paleomagnetic and geochronology sites were sampled on Meseta del Lago Buenos Aires (47°S, 289°E), 200 km east of the active plate boundary in southern Patagonia. Basaltic lavas sampled range from late Miocene to late Pleistocene yet most of the individual lavas are younger than 3.3 Ma. Thirty-eight isochron ages determined via 40Ar/39Ar incremental-heating experiments frame a detailed stratigraphy. The isochron ages range from 66.9 ± 4.1 ka for scoria cones and a youthful lava flow in the Rio Pinturas valley to 10.12 ± 1.35 Ma for …

Application Of Pyrolysis-Gc/Ms For Rapid Assessment Of Organic Contamination In Sediments From Barcelona Harbor, Michael A. Kruge, Albert Permanyer

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Pyrolysis-GC/MS is advantageous as a tool for rapid sediment contamination assessment because of the small sample size required, minimal sample preparation, and its ability to detect a wide variety of organic pollutants as well as naturally-occurring biological materials. Py-GC/MS was applied, together with determination of organic carbon, and major and minor element concentrations, to evaluate potentially contaminated sediments in the port of Barcelona (Spain) and the adjacent Llobregat River delta. Detected contaminant markers, most evident in the Old Port (Port Vell) area, included hopanes and alkylated PAHs (petroleum), sterenes (sewage), C₁₆-C₁₉ phenylalkanes (detergents) and parent …

Magnetic Properties Of A Sediment Core From Andvord Drift, Emily Youcha, Stefanie A. Brachfeld

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

United States Antarctic Program (USAP) Cruise 99-03 of the research ship Nathaniel B. Palmer collected several sediment cores from the western Antarctic Peninsula to examine the natural degree of environmental variability in this region during the Holocene (Domack et al. 1999). Here we examine variations in three magnetic parameters along an approximately 3-meter sediment core (Kasten core KC18C), which reflect the composition, grain size, and concentration of magnetic material in the sediments. The purpose of this magnetic study is to characterize the sediment magnetic mineral assemblage and to understand the local sedimentation processes that generate the assemblage.

Magnetic Granulometry Of Igneous And Metasedimentary Rocks From Northern Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula, Stefanie A. Brachfeld, Anne Grunow, Emily Youcha

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Rock-Magnetic Analysis Of Sediments From Andvord Bay, Stefanie A. Brachfeld

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Organic Geochemical Analysis Of Late-Glacial And Early-Holocene Ecosystem Changes: A Case Study From Northern New England Lakes, Michael A. Kruge, Andrea Lini

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The lacustrine sedimentary archive of organic remains provides important evidence for the reconstruction of the environmental histories of lakes and their watersheds, recording the response of the Earth's biota to changes on scales varying from the local to the global. The last Glacial-Interglacial transition presents an opportunity to investigate how, and at what rates, watershed and lake ecosystems were established on once glaciated, carbon and nutrient-poor landscapes. The small lakes of northern Vermont (USA) provide an appropriate setting in which to investigate such changes.

As part of a multidisciplinary study of three Vermont lake sediment cores, samples ranging in age …

Synchrotron Radiation-Induced X-Ray Emission To Identify Metal Ions In Preparations Of Purified Protein, Thomas Pfister, Huan Feng, Eckard Wimmer, Keith W. Jones

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The suitability of synchrotron radiation-induced X-ray emission (SRIXE) for the detection and identification of metal ions in preparations of purified, soluble proteins was tested. Glutathione S-transferase fused to the proximal zinc finger motif of human transcription factor IIIA or to the cysteine-rich motif of poliovirus protein 2C was expressed in bacteria and purified by affinity chromatography. Aqueous samples containing the purified proteins were analyzed with SRIXE, and trace amounts of zinc and iron were detected. Mutation of the zinc-coordinating residues in the cysteine-rich motif of poliovirus protein 2C resulted in the loss of the zinc-binding ability. Relative quantities of metal …

Carbon Dynamics In Peat Bogs: Insights From Substrate Macromolecular Chemistry, Kuder Tomasz, Michael A. Kruge

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The macromolecular compositions of subfossil plants from boreal Sphagnum bogs and restiad bogs (New Zealand) have been studied by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to evaluate the extent of degradation in the anoxic zone (catotelm) of a peat bog. Degradation of vascular plant polysaccharides was apparent only into the upper catotelm. Sphagnum was degraded more slowly than vascular plants, but no cessation of degradation was observed. The inferred rate of degradation varied depending on type of plant, extent of aerobic, precatotelmic degradation, and mode of litter deposition (rooting versus at the surface). Environmental forcing on anaerobic carbon dynamics would potentially be largest …

An Environmental Geochemical Study Of Connecticut Marsh Sediments, Nicole A. Heller, Michael A. Kruge, Johan C. Varekamp, Tabitha Zierzow

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Core material from Spartina-dominated Housatonic and Connecticut River estuarine sites (ranging from low to high marsh) were investigated in order to test the hypothesis that organic and inorganic pollutants preferentially accumulate in the low marsh environment. Radiometric data indicate that the low marsh setting experienced sedimentation rates an order of magnitude greater than that of the mid to high marsh. The low marsh sediments from the Housatonic tend to have significantly higher concentrations of trace metals (e.g., Cu and Zn, likely contributed by brass mills formerly active upstream). Petrographic examination of the samples under reflected white and blue light …

Cruise Reveals History Of Holocene Larsen Ice Shelf, Eugene Domack, Amy Leventer, Robert Gilbert, Stefanie Brachfeld, Scott Ishman, Angelo Camerlenghi, Kathleen Gavahan, David Carlson, Athen Barkoukis

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Biogeochemistry And Contaminant Geochemistry Of Marine And Estuarine Sediments, New Haven, Connecticut (Usa), Michael A. Kruge, Gaboury Benoit

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The urbanized shore areas of Long Island Sound in the vicinity of New Haven, Connecticut (USA) have a long history of exposure to point and non-point sources of pollution, New Haven having been one of the birthplaces of the industrial revolution. As an unintended consequence of such activities, the region's sedimentary systems have incorporated a complex mixture of organic and inorganic contaminants. With its long and varied pollution history and the multiplicity of sedimentary environments (fluvial, estuarine, intertidal, marsh, etc.) present in a compact geographical area, the region is ideal natural laboratory for field testing new contamination assessment techniques. The …

A New High-Resolution Geomagnetic Relative Paleointensity Record For The North American Holocene: A Comparison Of Sedimentary And Absolute Intensity Data, Stefanie A. Brachfeld, Subir K. Banerjee

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

A new high-resolution paleointensity record for North America has been constructed using Holocene sediments from Lake Pepin, Minnesota. Lake Pepin sediments yield the same Holocene paleosecular variation curve as nearby Lake St. Croix and satisfy all of the criteria recommended for paleointensity studies. Absolute paleointensity data for North America recorded by Holocene volcanic and archeomagnetic samples provide an independent record of geomagnetic field paleointensity against which the relative intensity records from Lake Pepin and Lake St. Croix can be compared. Since the absolute field paleointensity is known a priori, the effects of the magnetic recording assemblage can be isolated. Anhysteretic …

Multibeam Sonar Backscatter Lineaments And Anthropogenic Organic Components In Lacustrine Silty Clay, Evidence Of Shipping In Western Lake Ontario, C F Michael Lewis, L A. Mayer, Prasanta K. Mukhopadhyay, Michael A. Kruge, John P. Coakley, M D. Smith

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

A multibeam sonar survey (95 kHz) covering more than 500 km² of western Lake Ontario revealed anomalous lineaments of relatively high backscatter. The lineaments did not align with or parallel the most prominent structural zones beneath the lake as expected. Instead, the principal lineaments lay on lines between ports on opposite sides of the lake, especially between Toronto and Welland Canal, and Toronto and Niagara River mouth. As the lineaments underlie current and historical shipping routes used during the steamship era, they are interpreted as an acoustic response to shipping debris cumulated in the near-surface bottom sediment. An exploratory …

Determination Of Thermal Maturity And Organic Matter Type By Principal Components Analysis Of The Distributions Of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds, Michael A. Kruge

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The thermal maturity and organofacies sensitivity of polycyclic aromatic compound (PAC) distributions was explored by examination of the aromatic fractions of solvent extracts from a diverse set of 53 shales, coals and kerogen macerals which have undergone either natural or artificial maturation and which represent all three principal sedimentary organic matter (OM) types. Systematic changes with maturation were observed in the following groups of isomers: tri- and tetramethylnaphthalenes, methyl- and dimethylphenanthrenes, methyl- and dimethyldibenzothiophenes, methylpyrenes, and methylchrysenes. The maturity differences were quantified by mathematical ratios of the relative concentrations of the more thermally stable isomers to the less stable, on …

Classification Of Torbanite And Cannel Coal. I. Insights From Petrographic Analysis Of Density Fractions., Zhiwen Han, Michael A. Kruge, John C. Crelling, David F. Bensley

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Torbanite and cannel coal are considered to be coals because of their low mineral content and overall physical morphology. However, the texture and composition of the organic matter in torbanite and cannel coal are similar to the kerogen occurring in oil shales and lacustrine source rocks. Therefore, understanding the nature and origin of organic components in torbanite and cannel coal is of significance in the study of kerogen and petroleum formation. In this research, a set of torbanites and cannel coals from different locations throughout the world were petrographically characterized and processed using a density gradient centrifugation (DGC) technique. Microscopically, …

A Biogeochemical Comparison Of Fossil (Carboniferous) And Modern Crustose Red Algae, Michael A. Kruge, John E. Utgaard, William Ferry

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The nature of the contribution of the various types of algae to sedimentary organic matter continues to be a topic of research interest. Crustose red algae have however received less attention than other types. The fossil calcareous red algae (Rhodophyta) analyzed in this study are two relatively unrecrystallized specimens of Parachaetetes (Family Solenoporacea) from the lower part of the Ste. Genevieve Formation (Carboniferous, Visean) in Union County, Illinois, USA. They occurred in the patch reef phase of a small carbonate mudmound-patchreef. The three modern specimens (collected and identified by F. Collier) are the crustose algae Lithothamnion, Clathromorphum and Phymatolithon …