Earth Sciences Commons^™

Salt Lakes Of The African Rift System: A Valuable Research Opportunity For Insight Into Nature’S Concenrtated Multi-Electrolyte Science, Jyn Philip, Dms Mosha

Tanzania Journal of Science

The Tanzanian rift system salt lakes present significant cultural, ecological, recreational and economical values. Beyond the wealth of minerals, resources of these rift salt lakes include unique wildlife, for instance Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) and Cichlids (Alcolapia spp), which adapted chemically aggressive environments like that of Lake Natron. The general hydrochemical equilibria of these salt lakes is governed by Na+ > K+ >> Ca2+ ~ Mg2+ : (CO32- + HCO3-) > Cl- > SO42-~ F- ionic concentration pattern. Salt accumulation mechanism in these endorheic lakes is considered to base on thermo-mechanical disintegrative stress of the geochemistry sourcing. The rains chemically interact with rift terrains, …

Theoretical Study Of Physiochemical Properties Of Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1, A Ilkhani

Tanzania Journal of Science

The computational approach to studying structural changes in a wide range of physical and biological problems, the empirical force fields, have great difficulty in simulating folding of Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1). In an effort to understand the conformational preferences that may be attributed to stereoelectronic effects, a number of computational studies were carried out. Monte Carlo, Molecular Dynamics and Langevin simulation methods by MM+, AMBER and OPLS force fields of calculations have been performed on IGF-1 as growth factors. The parameters of a minimized structure of IGF-1, calculated potential energy for important dihedral angles and the effect of temperature …

Biorecognition Ability Of Polysaccharides As Piezo Quartz Biosensors, En Kalmykova, Ca Mgina

Tanzania Journal of Science

Piezoquartz biosensors (PQB) which are analytical devices for recognition of biochemical interactions have recently attracted increasing interest from different researchers such as analysts, immune-chemists, medical doctors, environmentalists, etc. This is due to the advantages of PQB for having high detection sensitivity (at ng and mg level depending on the mass of sorbates or micro-organisms) and the ability to monitor biochemical reactions in turbid or highly coloured liquids (including in biological fluids) in real time. The use of additional markers and preliminary sample preparation are not required in this biorecognition process. This paper reports on the principle of the PQB and …

U.S. Drought Monitor, December 25, 2012, Richard R. Heim Jr.

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of the United States for December 25, 2012 (12/25/12) plus: United States crop areas experiencing drought (map), an approximate percentage of crop located in drought by state (bar graph), and the percentage of crop area located in drought during the past 52 weeks (line graph) for hay, cattle, and winter wheat.

Information Content Of Seasonal Forecasts In A Changing Climate, Nir Krakauer, Michael D. Grossberg, Irina Gladkova, Hannah Aizenman

Publications and Research

We study the potential value to stakeholders of probabilistic long-term forecasts, as quantified by the mean information gain of the forecast compared to climatology. We use as a case study the USA Climate Prediction Center (CPC) forecasts of 3-month temperature and precipitation anomalies made at 0.5-month lead time since 1995. Mean information gain was positive but low (about 2% and 0.5% of the maximum possible for temperature and precipitation forecasts, resp.) and has not increased over time. Information-based skill scores showed similar patterns to other, non-information-based, skill scores commonly used for evaluating seasonal forecasts but tended to be smaller, suggesting …

U.S. Drought Monitor, December 18, 2012, David Simeral

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for December 18, 2012 (12/18/12) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Geochemical Evidence For Vertical Migration Of Deep Formation Fluids Through The Baton Rouge -Denham Springs Fault System, Lesley C. Prochaska

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Accumulations of brackish groundwater exist across south Louisiana within the shallow, south-dipping Pleistocene to Upper Miocene Baton Rouge Aquifer System (BRAS). This research investigates the source of brackish groundwater through geochemical analysis of representative groundwater samples by comparing the following geochemical ratios along with other trace elements. Low Bromide (Br)/Chloride (Cl) and Potassium (K) /Cl ratios, high Sodium (Na) /Cl ratios, trace Magnesium (Mg) concentrations, and low Strontium (Sr) ⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ in brackish waters from the BRAS are inconsistent with in situ saline water from marine formation fluids of similar age. The ratios are consistent with in situ saline-water …

Calculation Of A Synthetic Gather Using The Aki-Richards Approximation To The Zoeppritz Equations, Graham Ganssle

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A synthetic seismic gather showing amplitude versus offset can be analyzed by the interpretive geophysicist to predict rock properties useful in oil exploration. Reflection coefficients derived from measured well log data are convolved with a Ricker wavelet to create a synthetic seismic trace. The Zoeppritz equations describe the propagation of an acoustic wave across an interface between two viscous media of different acoustic impedances with respect to increasing offset angle. The Aki-Richards linear approximation is used to create a synthetic seismic gather with offset angles up to fifty degrees. This gather is compared to a synthetic gather created using commercially …

Geomorphologic Evolution Of A Rapidly Deteriorating Barrier Island System With Multiple Sediment Sources: Eastern Isles Dernieres, Louisiana, 1887 To 2006, Benjamin T. Kirkland

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Trinity, East, and Wine Islands make up the eastern half of the Isles Dernieres barrier arc in south-central Louisiana. Formed following the abandonment of the Lafourche delta complex, subsidence and storm erosion have led to rapid deterioration of the system. Since 1887, the land area of the islands has decreased seventy-seven percent, and the gulf shoreline has retreated landward more than a kilometer. Wave ravinement on the shoreface of the islands is responsible for the most sediment loss; liberated sediment travels longshore to tidal inlets. The dominant ebb tidal currents then transport the sediment to where it is deposited in …

Seasonal Dimorphism In The Horny Bills Of Sparrows, Russell Greenberg, Matthew Etterson, Raymond M. Danner

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Bill size is often viewed as a species-specific adaptation for feeding, but it sometimes varies between sexes, suggesting that sexual selection or intersexual competition may also be important. Hypotheses to explain sexual dimorphism in avian bill size include divergence in feeding niche or thermoregulatory demands, intrasexual selection based on increased competition among males, or female preference. Birds also show seasonal changes in bill size due to shifts in the balance between growth rate and wear, which may be due to diet or endogenous rhythms in growth. Insight into the function of dimorphism can be gained using the novel approach of …

U.S. Drought Monitor, December 11, 2012, Rich Tinker

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for December 11, 2012 (12/11/12) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Characterization Of The Red Bluff Landslide, Greater Cascade Landslide Complex, Columbia River Gorge, Washington, James Robert Randall

Dissertations and Theses

Located in the Columbia River Gorge, The Red Bluff Landslide (18.8 km2) is one of four large landslides that make up the Cascade Landslide Complex. In its current form, the Red Bluff Landslide is a post-Missoula Flood feature made up of two components: an active upper lobe (8.6 km2) that is translational, creeping to the south at 25 cm/yr and spreading laterally to the east at 6 cm/yr over a semi-fixed portion (10.2 km2) of the Red Bluff Landslide area that has been "smoothed" by Missoula Floods. The upper active lobe is the landslide debris accumulated since Missoula Flood time …

Dissolved Organic Matter Composition And Bioavailability Reflect Ecosystem Productivity In The Western Arctic Ocean, Yuan Shen, Cedric Fichot, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total dissolved amino acids (TDAA) were measured in high (Chukchi Sea) and low (Beaufort Sea) productivity regions of the western Arctic Ocean to investigate the composition and bioavailability of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Concentrations and DOC-normalized yields of TDAA in Chukchi surface waters were relatively high, indicating an accumulation of bioavailable DOM. High concentrations and yields of TDAA were also observed in the upper halocline of slope and basin waters, indicating off-shelf transport of bioavailable DOM from the Chukchi Sea. In contrast, concentrations and yields of TDAA in Beaufort surface waters were relatively low, indicting …

U.S. Drought Monitor, December 4, 2012, Rich Tinker

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for December 4, 2012 (12/4/12) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Spatial Filter Approach To Evaluating The Role Of Convection On The Evolution Of A Mesoscale Vortex, Glenn A. Creighton, Robert E. Hart, Philip Cunningham

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

A new spatial filter is proposed that exploits a spectral gap in power between the convective scale and the system (‘‘vortex’’) scale during tropical cyclone (TC) genesis simulations. Using this spatial separation, this study analyzes idealized three-dimensional numerical simulations of deep moist convection in the presence of a symmetric midlevel vortex to quantify and understand the energy cascade between the objectively defined convective scale and system scale during the early stages of tropical cyclogenesis. The simulations neglect surface momentum, heat, and moisture fluxes to focus on generation and enhancement of vorticity within the interior to more completely close off the …

Using Marine Snails To Teach Biogeography And Macroevolution: The Role Of Larvae And Dispersal Ability In The Evolution And Persistence Of Species, Jonathan R. Hendricks

Faculty Publications

While some marine animals are capable of traveling great distances, many have limited mobility as adults and spend the majority of their lifetimes in a small geographical area or may even be cemented to a single place. While it might be expected that species with limited mobility would have small geographic distributions, some nevertheless occur over very large areas. This is the case for some marine snails (gastropods). A key factor that impacts the geographic distribution of marine snails is the type of larvae they have during the phase of their life history that follows hatching from an egg. Because …

Phosphorus Transport And Distribution In Kentucky Soils Prepared Using Various Biochar Types, Anvesh Reddy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Conserving the environment is an issue that is gaining popularity day by day. Phosphorus transfer from agricultural soils is an important environmental issue that is being closely observed as the transport of phosphorous to water bodies is adversely affecting water quality due to accelerated eutrophication. It is important to establish phosphorous models that accurately account for soil test phosphorous. Standard models like SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) and EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate) were designed for serving this purpose. They are now used as the basis for developing new models that can more accurately account for the phosphorus transport, …

Early Permian Seawater From The Delta18o Record Of Fossil Bivalves: Seasonality And A Latitudinal Gradient, James Andrew Beard

Earth & Environmental Sciences - Theses

The transition from a glaciated world to one that was ice-free makes the early Permian a time interval that in many ways mirrors the present, and hence there is great interest in constraining paleoclimate conditions over that transition. A common method for estimating ancient temperatures uses the oxygen isotope composition of marine carbonate, but this approach becomes significantly more complicated prior to the Cretaceous due to uncertainties about diagenesis and the isotopic composition of seawater, which has been hypothesized to be more depleted than during the Cenozoic. I use stable isotope compositions of sequentially microsampled accretionary calcite from fossil bivalves …

Chemical Contaminants As Stratigraphic Markers For The Anthropocene, Michael A. Kruge

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Thousands and even millions of years from now, widespread anthropogenic contaminants in sediments would likely persist, incorporated into the geological record. They would inadvertently preserve evidence of our present era (informally designated as the Anthropocene Epoch) characterized by large human populations engaged in intensive industrial and agricultural activities.

Hypothetical geologists in the distant future would likely find unusually high concentrations of a wide variety of contaminants at stratigraphic levels corresponding to our present time, analogous to the iridium anomaly marking the bolide impact event at the close of the Cretaceous Period. These would include both organic and inorganic substances, such …

Logistic Curves, Extraction Costs And Peak Oil, Robert J. Brecha

Physics Faculty Publications

Debates about the possibility of a near-term maximum in world oil production have become increasingly prominent over the past decade, with the focus often being on the quantification of geologically available and technologically recoverable amounts of oil in the ground. Economically, the important parameter is not a physical limit to resources in the ground, but whether market price signals and costs of extraction will indicate the efficiency of extracting conventional or nonconventional resources as opposed to making substitutions over time for other fuels and technologies. We present a hybrid approach to the peak-oil question with two models in which the …

Combating Forced Labour And Human Trafficking In Africa: The Role Of Endogenous And Exogenous Forces, Ambe J. Njoh, Elizabeth N.M. Ayuk-Etang

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

It is widely believed that indigenous culture and tradition are at the root of the human trafficking and forced labour problem in Africa. Adherents to this viewpoint also claim that endogenous as opposed to exogenous forces impede efforts to eradicate the problem. This study employed a loglinear regression model to test the tenability of this claim. It hypothesized an inverse association between indigenous culture/tradition and efforts to combat human trafficking. The hypothesis was rejected. It is shown that anti-trafficking initiatives are less successful where indigenous tradition is dominated, or has been usurped, by imported cultural practices.

Probabilistic Approach To Modeling Lava Flow Inundation: A Lava Flow Hazard Assessment For A Nuclear Facility In Armenia, Laura J. Connor, Charles B. Connor, Khachatur Meliksetian, Ivan Savov

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Probabilistic modeling of lava flow hazard is a two-stage process. The first step is an estimation of the possible locations of future eruptive vents followed by an estimation of probable areas of inundation by lava flows issuing from these vents. We present a methodology using this two-stage approach to estimate lava flow hazard at a nuclear power plant site near Aragats, a Quaternary volcano in Armenia.

Stratigraphic Variations In The Carboniferous Section Across The Arkansas-Oklahoma State Line Arch, Tyler Dean Engelhardt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The State Line Arch is represented by a structural high that trends through the study area in a loose alignment with the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line. Evidence of the arch extending further to the north includes a structural high and stratigraphic variation at an outcrop on Highway 59 near Evansville Mountain in Crawford County, Arkansas. The exact timing of the formation of the arch remains undetermined, but upper Devonian thinning at the top of the arch indicates the structure is pre-Mississippian. The reason for the development of the arch is poorly understood, but evidence linking Mississippian-aged Waulsortian mounds to Precambrian Spavinaw …

Long-Term Effects Of Rice Rotation, Tillage, And Fertility On Near-Surface Soil Carbon And Nitrogen Cycling, Jill Marie Motschenbacher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice (Oryza sativa L.)-based cropping systems are different from other row crops due to the flood-irrigation scheme used from about one month after planting to a few weeks prior to harvest. The frequent cycling between anaerobic (i.e., flooding during the growing season) and aerobic (i.e., generally, the remainder of the year) conditions can influence the rate of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, which can greatly influence carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage and sequestration in the soil over time. Therefore, a study was conducted on a silt-loam soil (fine, smectitic, thermic, Typic Albaqualf) at the Rice Research and Extension Center …

Interactions Of Zoo Plankton And Phytoplankton With Cyanobacteria, Rebecca J. Alexander

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

Cyanobacteria are a major concern in Nebraska reservoirs and are capable of producing toxins that can cause skin irritations and gastrointestinal problems, as well as affect the nervous system. It is important to determine the mechanisms that can cause cyanobacteria blooms due to the effect they can have on human health. The interaction of zooplankton and other phytoplankton groups with cyanobacteria is important because there is a biological component in surface waters that should be taken into consideration along with the physical and chemical parameters that have been noted to promote cyanobacteria. For example, zooplankton have the ability to alter …

Interactions Of Zooplankton And Phytoplankton With Cyanobacteria, Rebecca Alexander

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

Cyanobacteria are a major concern in Nebraska reservoirs and are capable of producing toxins that can cause skin irritations and gastrointestinal problems, as well as affect the nervous system. It is important to determine the mechanisms that can cause cyanobacteria blooms due to the effect they can have on human health. The interaction of zooplankton and other phytoplankton groups with cyanobacteria is important because there is a biological component in surface waters that should be taken into consideration along with the physical and chemical parameters that have been noted to promote cyanobacteria. For example, zooplankton have the ability to alter …

Determining Temperatures Of Deformation In Mylonites From The Scandinavian Caledonides, With Implications For The Thermal And Kinematic Evolution Of Orogens, Andrea Marilina Wolfowicz

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The Titanium-in-quartz (TitaniQ) thermobarometer was evaluated in ductilely sheared rocks (mylonites) from the Scandinavian Caledonides in comparison with several other thermometric methods, including: (1) TitaniQ thermometry in cross-cutting quartz veins, (2) garnet-biotite Fe-Mg exchange thermometry, (3) metamorphic phase equilibria, and (4) quartz microstructures as calibrated experimentally and empirically. In all instances, quartz vein temperatures mimic TitaniQ temperatures of the host rocks. Similarly, TitaniQ temperatures of dynamically recrystallized quartz, ranging from ~210°C at the thrust front to 475°C at the deepest structural levels, reflect the best estimate of the final temperature of deformation. Higher temperatures are also preserved locally and more …

Assessing Eolian Dust Inputs To Soils In Dry Creek Experimental Watershed, Sw Idaho, Brian Jameson Stark

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A geochemical investigation of upland soils in the Dry Creek Experimental Watershed (DCEW) near Boise, Idaho was conducted to assess the potential contributions of eolian dust. Major and trace element compositions of soils within the watershed, loess deposits in the adjacent Western Snake River Plain (WSRP), and underlying granodiorite bedrock were evaluated. Multiple lines of evidence suggest a significant contribution of dust in the soils. Plots of Co/Ti, V/Ti and Cr/Ti indicate that the loess and bedrock occupy distinctly different compositional spaces and that the soils are of intermediate composition, suggesting that the soils are a mixture of the loess …

Megathrust Splay Fault Geometry In Prince William Sound, Alaska, Shaun Patrick Finn

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

I present marine seismic reflection results from Prince William Sound, Alaska that document the location of active faults related to the subduction zone processes.

Subduction zones along convergent margins experience large earthquakes, magnitude >8, with recurrence intervals on the order of centuries. Smaller magnitude earthquakes with shorter recurrence intervals are probable along the same subduction zone fault zones. Convergent margin earthquakes also are associated with high uplift rates and tsunami generation, yet the location and uplift history of most tsunamigenic faults are unknown. In this thesis, I present the processed results of high resolution marine seismic reflection data of Prince …

Restoration Of Biological Soil Crust On Disturbed Gypsiferous Soils In Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Eastern Mojave Desert, Lindsay P. Chiquoine

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances. Natural recovery takes many years. Active restoration decreases recovery time. Native BSC inocula, which included lichens and mosses, salvaged from gypsiferous soil habitats in Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA) in the eastern Mojave Desert were stored dry for two years and applied to disturbed soil after a road reconstruction in LMNRA and also used in laboratory experiments to test inoculation technique effectiveness. After 18 months, field results revealed positive relationships between inoculation and the presence of macroscopic BSC cover, cyanobacteria abundance, soil stability, and ammonium concentrations. Chlorophyll fluorescence monitoring of …