Earth Sciences Commons^™

Relationships Between Snow Pack, Soil Moisture, And Forest Greenness: Implications For Smap, Jordan Anderson, Noah Molotch, Bin Guan

STAR Program Research Presentations

Snowpack in the arid/semi-arid western United States is a critical element of the hydrologic cycle as water is stored in the winter and released in the spring and summer. The warmer seasons rely heavily on this water source for various purposes including economic (farming), environmental and recreational demands. Moderate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors were used in this project to measure seasonal variability in global vegetation phenology and productivity. MODIS data was used to calculate Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to estimate net primary production of subalpine forests in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Preliminary results indicate that variability in forest …

Exploring Methods For Earthquake Prediction: The Effects Of Water On The Flow Of Stress-Activated Electric Currents In Igneous Rocks, Aaron M. Jahoda, Friedemann T. Freund

STAR Program Research Presentations

Much of the devastation and damage of earthquakes can be attributed to the fact that they occur suddenly and without much warning, which limits the ability of people to evacuate and/or properly prepare. One method, however, that might be used to predict seismic events is the generation of electric currents in rocks when stresses are applied. It is observed in this research that the application of direct force onto samples of igneous rock causes the rocks to generate a measurable current, which is attributed to positive-hole charges moving within the oxygen sub-lattice. Because large and changing forces are acted upon …

Remote Sensing Analysis For Salinity Management Of Seasonal Wetlands, Debra L. S. Miller, Nigel W.T. Quinn

STAR Program Research Presentations

A 170,000 wetland complex, including wetlands managed by the Grassland Water District (GWD), are located in California’s Central Valley in Merced County. The GWD is divided into North and South areas which are further divided into subareas. Historically, these wetlands were created by annual floods along the San Joaquin River that inundated the floodplain and created habitat for native wildlife, and over-wintering waterfowl. Today, these wetland areas are managed artificially with water supply provided from the Delta. Data from a real-time sensor network located along channels and at the inlets and outlets to and from individual ponds is being used …

A Study Of Ozone At Railroad Valley, Nv And Trinidad Head, Ca, Sarah L. Salazar, Laura T. Iraci, Emma L. Yates

STAR Program Research Presentations

A STUDY OF OZONE AT RAILROAD VALLEY, NV and TRINIDAD HEAD, CA

Ozone (Oᴣ) is a form of oxygen that protects the planet Earth from deadly ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun; without this triatomic molecule high in the atmosphere, life processes on the planet would be impossible. Ozone is an air pollutant and toxic in the lowest part of the atmosphere, and inhaling it could cause permanent damage to animals’ respiratory system. Long term exposure to high concentration of ozone has been linked with the development of asthma in children. Because of its complicated role in our atmosphere, scientists …

Designing A Soil Ph Monitoring Network For The Western Australian Wheatbelt, Karen Holmes, Pat Bellamy, Jim Dixon

Resource management technical reports

Natural resource managers in Western Australia require a purposely designed soil pH monitoring network to identify areas at higher risk of soil acidification and to observe changes in soil pH through time. This monitoring network, in conjunction with field experimental work and acidification modelling, will identify state and regional trends and help shape state natural resource management policy and regional extension programmes, as well as directly inform industry and land managers.

Determining The Viability Of A Hybrid Experiential And Distance Learning Educational Model For Water Treatment Plant Operators In Kentucky, Jana R. Fattic

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Drinking water and wastewater industries are facing a nationwide workforce shortfall of qualified treatment plant operators due to factors including the en masse retirement of baby boomers and the tightening of regulatory requirements regarding the hands-on experience required prior to licensure. Rural areas are hardest hit due to the lack of educational and experiential opportunities available to them within a reasonable proximity. Using a variety of demographic and industry data, a geographic analysis of Kentucky was conducted to assess the viability of the traditional classroom delivery model versus a hybrid experiential and distance learning educational model (HEDLEM). Although this analysis …

Assessing Ageing At Beaver Reservoir, Northwest Arkansas: Limnological, Geochemical & Paleolimnological Approach, Byron Anthony Winston

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Access to potable water has been arguably one of the most important requisites for the advancement of human civilization on earth. As a result, man in his infinite wisdom devised the dam and formed reservoirs, (man- made lakes), to exploit water resources at will. In all natural lakes and reservoirs changes occur in the water quality parameters as it relates to chemical nutrients, temperature and turbidity over time. These changes are collectively referred to as "Reservoir Ageing", of which sedimentation and eutrophication are primary. Reservoir Ageing has consequences which adversely affect and defeat many of the intended uses of the …

Geochemical Analysis Of Long Island Sound Sediments, Jaroslaw W. Slusarczyk

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

As one of the largest estuarine systems in the northeastern United States, Long Island Sound (LIS) has been exposed to human activities for many centuries. Human settlement and population growth in the last 200 years has caused heavy pollution in LIS through inland and shore industrial and municipal releases. The geochemistry of one sediment core and numerous surface sediment samples were analyzed using environmental forensic techniques. This study employed use of pyrolysis gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) in conjunction with previously analyzed geochemical and radiometric data to study contamination sources and patterns though LIS. Geochemical analysis of samples was focused …

Changes In Geologic Time Understanding In A Class For Preservice Teachers, Rebecca Teed, William Slattery

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

The paradigm of geologic time is built on complex concepts, and students master it in multiple steps. Concepts in Geology is an inquiry-based geology class for preservice teachers at Wright State University. The instructors used the Geoscience Concept Inventory (GCI) to determine if students' understanding of key ideas about geologic time and Earth history changed between the first and last day of the course. For three of the four GCI questions analyzed in this study, the number of correct student responses increased significantly between the pretest and the post-test, indicating that many of the students were learning the concepts being …

Laboratory Astrophysics: Using Ebit Measurements To Interpret High Resolution Spectra From Celestial Sources, Carey Scott, Joshua Thompson, N. Hell, Greg V. Brown

STAR Program Research Presentations

Astrophysicists use radiation to investigate the physics controlling a variety of celestial sources, including stellar atmospheres, black holes, and binary systems. By measuring the spectrum of the emitted radiation, astrophysicists can determine a source’s temperature and composition. Accurate atomic data are needed for reliably interpreting these spectra. Here we present an overview of how LLNL’s EBIT facility is used to put the atomic data on sound footing for use by the high energy astrophysics community.

Using Electrical Resistivity Imaging To Map Saline Groundwater And Subaqueous Spring Discharge: An Example From The Saline Wetlands Of Eastern Nebraska, Bridget B. Kelly

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In order to better understand saline groundwater distribution and discharge dynamics within the saline wetlands of eastern Nebraska, electrical resistivity data were collected at three wetland sites within the Little Salt Creek Watershed. Electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) can provide an expanded understanding of saline groundwater distribution through the acquisition of a large number of resistivity measurements collected at the surface; upon inversion, the distribution of resistivity can be displayed in cross-section and subsurface processes serving to control salinity can be inferred. In recent years, several studies have used conventional methods of characterizing groundwater flow within the saline wetlands. These point …

The Application Of Biostratigraphy And Paleoecology At Southern Ocean Drill Sites To Resolve Early To Middle Miocene Paleoclimatic Events, Ryan Farmer

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The diatom biostratigraphy and paleoceanography of Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 744 on the Southern Kerguelen Plateau, southern Indian Ocean are documented for the early to middle Miocene to improve chronostratigraphic age control for the Southern Ocean and Antarctic region. Paleoenvironmental fluctuations in the Southern Ocean are inferred from changes in fossil diatom abundance, preservation, and assemblage composition. A robust, new age model for Holes 744A and 744B is constructed using Constrained Optimization (CONOP) model ages for diatom biostratigraphic datum levels and new magnetic polarity data, which enables assessment of a nearly continuous record of paleoenvironmental change from ~20.25 to …

Geochronologic And Isotopic Investigation Of The Koipato Formation, Northwestern Great Basin, Nevada: Implications For Late Permian-Early Triassic Tectonics Along The Western U.S. Cordillera, Nicholas Quentin Vetz

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The volcanics of the Early Triassic Koipato Formation of central Nevada unconformably overlie the Golconda Allochthon and, classically, this relationship has been used to define the timing of the Sonoma Orogeny as post-Middle Permian to earliest Triassic. However, the Koipato Formation represents a rather isolated magmatic succession, with other western U.S. Early Mesozoic igneous provinces determined to be younger or lacking rocks of Koipato age. This isolation, coupled with the fact that the Koipato Formation does not overlap the Golconda Allochthon, has left open two possible scenarios for its tectonic history: 1) the Koipato Formation represents the earliest, post-Sonoma Orogeny …

The Pennsylvanian–Permian Transition In The Low-Latitude Carbonate Record And The Onset Of Major Gondwanan Glaciation, Jesse Koch, Tracy D. Frank

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Recent studies suggest a marked expansion of glacial ice across much of Gondwana beginning in the earliest Permian. Because expansion of glacial ice results in a lowering of sea level, the imprint of ice expansion should be evident worldwide as significant exposure event, hiatuses, or other evidence for sea level drop at or near the Pennsylvanian–Permian boundary. This literature review investigates the signature of an Early Permian expansion of Gondwanan ice through examination of stratigraphic records from eight carbonate-dominated, palaeotropical regions across Pangaea. Tropical carbonate environments are used because most form in tectonically quiescent regions and are sensitive indicators of …

Environmental Magnetism Survey Of A Holocene Sedimentary Record From Barilari Bay, Western Antarctic Peninsula, Carl Joseph Natter Jr.

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Barilari Bay is located on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP), opposite the former Larsen B Ice Shelf on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula. Barilari Bay was swath mapped during United States Antarctic Program cruise NBP10-01 as part of the Larsen Ice Shelf System, Antarctic (LARISSA) program. The bay consists of a series of five basins with water depths greater than 600 meters, from which a suite of kasten cores and jumbo piston cores was collected. Three cores, JPC-127, its trigger core TC- 127, and JKC 55 were collected from the outer portion of the Bay and recovered an …

Effects Of High-Density, Short-Duration Planned Livestock Grazing On Soil Carbon Sequestration Potentials In A Coastal California Mixed Grassland, Kristina Michelle Wolf, Marc Horney, Brent Hallock, Robert T. Rutherford, Anthony T. O'Geen, Royce Larsen, William Plummer

Master's Theses

Planned grazing management in rangelands may improve carbon sequestration potential of soils by increasing plant biomass and the rate of nutrient cycling, which might mitigate global warming. The effects of high-intensity, short-duration planned grazing of sheep on several soil and ecosystem properties were investigated on a mixed grassland in San Luis Obispo, CA. The objectives of this study were to (a) identify soil properties related to soil C sequestration in rangelands; (b) determine if planned grazing improved soil carbon sequestration; (c) quantify changes in identified variables in grazed and rested plots; and (d) analyze any changes in plant species composition …

Raman Spectroscopic Study Of Solid Solution Spinel Oxides, Brian D. Hosterman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Solid solution spinel oxides of composition MgxNi1−xCr2O4, NiFexCr2−xO4, and FexCr3−xO4 were synthesized and characterized using x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Frequencies of the Raman-active modes are tracked as the metal cations within the spinel lattice are exchanged. This gives information about the dependence of the lattice vibrations on the tetrahedral and octahedral cations. The highest-frequency Raman-active mode, A1g, is unaffected by substitution of the divalent tetrahedral cation, whereas the lower frequency vibrations are more strongly affected by substitution of the tetrahedral cation. The change in wavenumber of many phonons is nonlinear upon cation exchange. All detected modes of MgxNi1−xCr2O4 and …

Groundwater Contamination Potential In Northern Nevada From Mining, Associated Communities, And Agriculture As Forecasted By Two Vulnerability Methods, John L. Swatzell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Two methodologies, DRASTIC and the NDEP method, were used to compare the groundwater vulnerability of mining, associated towns, and agricultural areas in northern Nevada. The DRASTIC and NDEP methods were compared to determine which method produces a more accurate depiction of vulnerability. Vulnerability maps were created using the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) DRASTIC and Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP) methodologies. The DRASTIC map uses seven aspect layers of geologic and hydrologic information with assigned values and weights that are applied to a mathematical equation. The NDEP method uses field data collection for potential contaminant sources and well …

Biomarkers In The Lower Huron Shale (Upper Devonain) As Indicators Of Organic Matter Source, Depositional Environment, And Thermal Maturity, John Kroon

All Theses

The Lower Huron Shale (Upper Devonian) is considered the largest shale gas reservoir in the Big Sandy Field in Kentucky and West Virginia. The potential for gas shales, such as the Lower Huron, to produce natural gas is a function of type, amount, and thermal maturation of their organic matter. Twenty-one Lower Huron Shale samples from eight wells located in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia were analyzed for biomarker content to interpret biological source of organic matter, depositional environment conditions, and thermal maturity. The following biomarkers were identified: n-alkanes (C15 to C31), pristane (Pr), phytane (Ph), steranes (αααR, (αααS, …

Risks Posed To Drinking Water Aquifers Due To Leakage Of Dissolved Co2 In Improperly Abandoned Wellbores, Kirk Ellison

All Theses

In order to ensure safe long-term storage of carbon dioxide in geologic formations, the risks posed by improperly abandoned wells must be understood and minimalized. In addition to supercritical and gaseous CO2, brine containing dissolved CO2 poses a leakage risk. CO2 dissolution in brine leads to denser brine and better long-term storage security, but its leakage risk is not zero. Under specific circumstances with formation overpressure or overlying aquifer drawdown, dissolved brine can flow up improperly abandoned wells where it can potentially enter and contaminate drinking water aquifers. The possibility that depressurization in the wellbore may cause CO2 exsolution from …

Quantifying 20th Century Glacier Change In The Sierra Nevada, California, Andrew G. Fountain, Hassan J. Basagic

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Numerous small alpine glaciers occupy the high elevation regions of the central and southern Sierra Nevada, California. An inventory based on 1:24,000 topographic maps revealed 1719 glaciers and perennial snowfields for a total area of 39.15 +/- 0.13 km(2). The number of 'true' glaciers, versus non-moving ice, is estimated to be 122 covering 14.89 +/- 0.08 km(2) or 38% of the ice-covered area. Historic photographs, geologic evidence, and field mapping were used to determine the magnitude of area change over the past century at 14 glaciers. The area change between 1903 and 2004 ranged from -31% to -78%, averaging -55%. …

Mapping Of Unstable And Potentially Unstable Slopes In Sogne Og Fjordane, Reginald L. Hermanns, Luzia Fischer, Thierry Oppikofer, M. Bøhme, John F. Dehls, H. Henriksen, Adam M. Booth, R. Eilertsen, O. Longva, Trond Eiken

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

For the past three years NGU has worked on 25 unstable and potentially unstable rock slopes in Sogn og Fjordane. In addition Fjærlandsfjord, Hyenfjord and Årdalsvatnet were systematically mapped for deposits of prehistoric and historic rock slope failures onshore and with help of a bathymetry. Mapping on land included structural mapping of ten sites by on-site field mapping and nine sites by remote structural mapping using terrestrial laser scanning technology (TLS). Field work also included periodic monitoring of 14 sites using differential Global Positioning Systems (dGPS) and TLS at 4 sites. Synthetic Aperture Radar was app lied for the entire …

Mapping The River Kilometers Of Potential Daylighting Projects In Northeast New Jersey, Omoniyi Ayodeji Asaolu

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

A river offers many benefits to people who live near it, including transportation, a source of food, waste disposal, and water resources for consumption. Because of these advantages many great cities were built around rivers impacting rivers in many ways. While the effects of urban development on water quality have long been studied, this study measures how development has caused streams to disappear from the landscape. It was observed that some streams were buried due to negative impacts of urbanization. Public safety and flood control were some of the reasons these streams were buried, but with the advent of green …

No-Net-Loss Not Met For Nutrient Function In Freshwater Marshes: Recommendations For Wetland Mitigation Policies, Katie Hossler, Virginie Bouchard, M. Siobhan Fennessy, Serita D. Frey, Evelyn Anemaet, Ellen Herbert

Faculty Publications

Wetlands provide many important services throughout the world, with an estimated economic value that, in comparison to other ecosystems, far exceeds their relatively small global extent. In recognition of their importance, both national and international regulations exist to protect the world's remaining wetlands. Of growing interest is the “no-net-loss” policy which permits unavoidable destruction of wetlands if compensated by restoration of degraded wetlands or creation of new wetlands. The fundamental assumption of no-net-loss is that wetlands can be created which function equivalently to natural wetlands. One integral function that wetlands perform is cycling of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. Here we …

Stream Recession Curves And Storage Variability In Small Watersheds, Nir Y. Krakauer, Marouane Temimi

Publications and Research

The pattern of streamflow recession after rain events offers clues about the relationship between watershed runoff (observable as river discharge) and water storage (not directly observable) and can help in water resource assessment and prediction. However, there have been few systematic assessments of how streamflow recession varies across flow rates and how it relates to independent assessments of terrestrial water storage. We characterized the streamflow recession pattern in 61 relatively undisturbed small watersheds (1–100 km2 ) across the coterminous United States with multiyear records of hourly streamflow from automated gauges. We used the North American Regional Reanalysis to help identify …

Solving The Mystery Of The Atacama Nitrate Deposits: The Use Of Stable Oxygen Isotope Analysis And Geochemistry, Ji-Hye Seo

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

The Atacama Desert, Chile, one of the oldest and driest deserts on Earth, is unique because it contains the largest known nitrate deposits in the world. The origin of these nitrate deposits has been a mystery since their discovery in the 1800s. There are two possible sources of natural nitrate: microbiological processes and photochemical reactions. The majority of material on Earth follows mass-dependent fractionation between stable oxygen isotopes with the abundance of ¹⁷Ο (denoted by δ) as half that of ¹⁸O. This relationship is quantified by Δ¹⁷O = δ¹⁷O – ½ δ¹⁸O, …

Outdoor Classroom And Wildlife Habitat Development, Patricia Sowell, Deborah Sherfey, Kandy Fear

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of The Carbon Budgets In The Forested And Agricultural Soils Of The Semi-Arid Mogollon-Datil Highlands And Rio Grande Basin, Ryan Reeves^, Lixin Jin*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Summer 2011

No abstract provided.

Taxonomy And Geochemistry Of The Globigerinoides Ruber-Elongatus Plexus, With Paleontological Implications, Elizabeth Ann Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The reliability of foraminifera as stratigraphic index fossils, and as isotopic proxies of marine environments, is based on the assumption that the fossil concepts represent uniform species, responding consistently to their ambient environments. Understanding sources of uncertainty is, therefore, critical. In this dissertation, I explore a potential bias in the application of planktonic foraminifera utilized extensively for Cenozoic paleo-reconstruction and, to a lesser extent, biostratigraphy: the Globigerinoides ruber-elongatus plexus (‘plexus’ meaning a complex network of interconnected members). Taxonomic revisions since 1826 have resulted in the merging of multiple Globigerinoides species names under one general designation (“Globigerinoides ruber”), the implications of …

Stratigraphic Analysis And Regional Correlation Of Isolated, Top-Truncated Shallow Marine Sandstone Bodies Within The Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation, Bighorn And Washakie Counties, Wyoming, Andrew J. Hutsky

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A detailed sedimentologic and stratigraphic analysis facilitated interpretations of depositional environment, sequence stratigraphy, and sandstone body geometry for isolated, top-truncated, shallow marine sandstone bodies of the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) Frontier Formation, northeast Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. The Frontier Formation interval is ~160 meters thick and was deposited as a complex clastic wedge that prograded into Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway (KWIS). The vertical interval comprises several incomplete coarsening-upward cycles, composed of basal offshore marine and prodeltaic shales progressively overlain by proximal shallow marine/fluvial facies that are capped by pebble lags. Sedimentary structures, vertical stacking patterns, and lateral variability within these cycles record …