Earth Sciences Commons^™

Delineation And Classification Of Karst Depressions Using Lidar: Fort Hood Military Installation, Texas, Melinda G. Shaw-Faulkner, Kevin W. Stafford, Aaron W. Bryant

Faculty Publications

The Fort Hood Military Installation is a karst landscape characterized by Cretaceous-age limestone plateaus and canyons in Bell and Coryell Counties, Texas. The area is located in the Lampasas Cut Plain region of the Edwards Plateau and is stratigraphically defined by exposures of the Fredericksburg Group. Spatial interpolation of 105 km2 of the Fort Hood Military Installation provided depression data that were delineated and classified using geoanalytical methods. Most of the karst features within the study area are predominantly surficial expressions of collapse features, creating windows into karst conduits with surficial exposures of epikarst spatially limited.

The increasing capabilities of …

Ceramic Petrofacies: Modeling The Angelina River Basin In East Texas, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR: Archaeology

Ceramic provenance studies remain the basis of worldwide archaeological research concerned with reconstructing exchange networks, tracing migrations, and informing upon ceramic economy. Unfortunately, Texas archaeologists have been plagued with an inability to trace ceramic production sources to the same extent as researchers within other regions. Ceramic petrofacies models have been employed successfully in archaeological contexts at the San Pedro Valley, Tonto basin, Tucson basin, Agua Fria, and Gila and Phoenix basins in Arizona, but have not yet been employed east of Arizona. Data resulting from the construction of an actualistic petrofacies model in the prehistoric coastal environment of East Texas …

Epistemology And Synthesis: Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis And The Caddo Tradition, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR: Archaeology

The statistical groupings illustrated herein represent the current iteration of Caddo INAA compositional groups based upon the chemical composition of archaeologically-recovered ceramics. For some time, a number of Caddo archaeologists have thought these results to be lacking. This poster symbolizes the first step toward a new interpretation of chemical composition groups, and the initial instancce within which GIS has been employed as an analytical tool.

Radiocarbon Trends And The East Texas Caddo Tradition (Ca. A.D. 800-1680), Robert Z. Selden Jr., Timothy K. Perttula

CRHR: Archaeology

Through the employment of radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dates as data, we use the date combination process to refine site-specific summed probability distributions for 555 dates from Caddo sites (n = 19) in East Texas with 10 or more ¹⁴C dates. Summed probability distributions are then contrasted across river basins and natural regions with the remainder of the East Texas Caddo Radiocarbon Database (n = 338 dates from 132 other Caddo sites), highlighting the temporal and spatial character of Caddo archaeological sites throughout East Texas.

Consilience: Radiocarbon, Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis, And Litigation In The Ancestral Caddo Region, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR: Archaeology

Through the creation and analysis of databases for radiocarbon, instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), and law, macro-level trends are exposed that form the framework of a broader research program aimed at advancing ideas of craft specialization and archaeological theory in the ancestral Caddo region of Southwest Arkansas, Northwest Louisiana, Northeast Texas, and Southeast Oklahoma. The findings of this investigation illustrate the research potential that remains buried within the context of cultural resource management (CRM) reports and legal databases (Westlaw and LexisNexis) that is awaiting consumption within regional research designs aimed at exploring the nuances and trends that appear through synthetic …

Tackling Change: Future-Proofing Water, Agriculture, And Food Security In An Era Of Climate Uncertainty, Peter G. Mccornick, Vladimir Smakhtin, Luna Bharati, Robyn Johnston, Matthew Mccartney, Fraser Sugden, Floriane Clement, Beverly Mcintyre

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

In 1950 the global population was just over 2.5 billion. Now, in 2013, it is around 7 billion. Although population growth is slowing, the world is projected to have around 9.6 billion inhabitants by 2050. Most of the population increase will be in developing countries where food is often scarce, and land and water are under pressure. To feed the global population in 2050 the world will have to produce more food without significantly expanding the area of cultivated land and, because of competition between a greater number of water users, with less freshwater. On top of land and water …

The Greenhouse Effect At The Molecular Level, Michael Monce

Physics, Astronomy and Geophysics Faculty Publications

The greenhouse effect is generally modeled on a macro scale by designating energy balance for the planetary system. This involves the incoming solar radiation, reflected solar energy, absorbed solar energy at the ground, and subsequent re-radiation at longer wavelengths from the ground. The reradiated energy is then either transmitted out of the system or absorbed by the greenhouse gases and thus changing the overall energy balance.

However, the entire notion of the effects of so-called greenhouse gases hinges on the absorption and reemission of radiation at the individual molecular level. This paper presents an evaluation of that process by utilizing …

Abiotic Reduction Of Nitrite And Nitrate By Nanoscale Chemogenic Magnetite: Pathways For Significant Greenhouse Gas Production, Adam Charles Burdsall

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen in terrestrial systems is a major source of nitrous oxide (N₂O), which is among key greenhouse gases (GHG). While biotic processes are commonly accepted as the major drivers of N₂O production, the role of abiotic processes is less understood, and their importance may be underestimated. This study investigates abiotic reactions in the formation and breakdown of N trace gases, including nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) by naturally occurring nanoscale magnetite in soil as denitrification (reduction of nitrite) intermediates. Nitrogen biogeochemical cycling has been studied extensively with respect …

Modeling Urban Hydrology: A Comparison Of New Urbanist And Traditional Neighborhood Design Surface Runoff, C. Andrew Day, Keith A. Bremer Ph.D.

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Urban development affects the amount of potential surface runoff generated during storms by changing the amount of impervious cover across the landscape. However, the degree of surface runoff alteration depends on the type of urban development in place. New urbanist developments are designed with higher densities and encourage a diversity of land uses, while traditional neighborhood developments have a monotone land use pattern with medium-to- low densities. Two neighborhoods within the city of Austin, Texas- Mueller, a new urbanist development, and Circle C Ranch, a traditional neighborhood development- were used to study the effect of development type on potential surface …

Influence Of Management And Precipitation On Carbon Fluxes In Great Plains Grasslands, Matthew Rigge, Bruce K. Wylie, Li Zhang, Stephen P. Boyte

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Suitable management and sufficient precipitation on grasslands can provide carbon sinks. The net carbon accumulation of a site from the atmosphere, modeled as the Net Ecosystem Productivity (NEP), is a useful means to gauge carbon balance. Previous research has developed methods to integrate flux tower data with satellite biophysical datasets to estimate NEP across large regions. A related method uses the Ecosystem Performance Anomaly (EPA) as a satellite-derived indicator of disturbance intensity (e.g., livestock stocking rate, fire, and insect damage). To better understand the interactions among management, climate, and carbon dynamics, we evaluated the relationship between EPA and NEP data …

Seismic Anisotropy Of The Upper Crust In The Mountain Ranges Of Taiwan From The Taiger Explosion Experiment, Kuo-Chen Hao, Piotr Sroda, Francis T. Wu, Chien-Ying Wang, Yao-Wen Kuo

Earth Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Taiwan is known as a strongly anisotropic region observed from SKS 1 - 2 s delay time and other teleseismic phases. An estimate of the crustal contribution to the total anisotropy from the foliated Central Range is essential to understanding the overall teleseismic results. We used P wave arrivals from the dense seismic arrays deployed during the TAIGER active source experiments and the permanent broadband seismic stations to determine the crustal anisotropy. From the arrival time analysis as a function of azimuth, we detected a clear cos(2 theta) pattern. The strength of the crustal anisotropy (0 - 15 km depth) …

Melt Generation Beneath Arctic Ridges: Implications From Ule, Lynne J. Elkins, K. W. Sims, J. Prytulak, J. Blichert-Toft, T. Elliott, J. Blusztajn, S. Fretzdorff,, M. Reagan, K. Haase, S. Humphris, J.-G. Schilling

Geology Faculty Research and Scholarship

We present new ²³⁸U-²³⁰Th-²²⁶Ra-²¹⁰Pb, ²³⁵U-²³¹Pa, and Nd, Sr, Hf, and Pb isotope data for the slow- to ultraslow-spreading Mohns, Knipovich, and Gakkel Ridges. Combined with previous work, our data from the Arctic Ridges cover the full range of axial depths from the deep northernmost Gakkel Ridge shallowing upwards to the Knipovich, Mohns, and Kolbeinsey Ridges north of Iceland. Age-constrained samples from the Mohns and Knipovich Ridges have (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) activity ratios ranging from 1.165 to 1.30 and 1.101 to 1.225, respectively. The high ²³⁰Th excesses of …

The Urban Heat Island And Its Influence On Precipitation In Denver, Colorado, Diana Thunen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic modification of the climate is an unintended yet serious effect of urbanization and it is happening in every city across the globe in the form of the urban heat island. The purpose of this study was to see if Denver, Colorado exhibits evidence of an urban heat island using meteorological data and if there has been a change in precipitation amounts since the urbanization of the city. It was concluded that Denver, Colorado does have an urban heat island that varies seasonally throughout the year with an average magnitude of 3.57°C during the day and 3.82°C at night. The …

Biostratigraphy Of The Halgaito Formation, Cutler Group Near Mexican Hat, San Juan County, Utah, Kimberly Marie Scott

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a better understanding of the paleontology and biostratigraphy of the Halgaito Formation and the position of the Carboniferous-Permian Boundary (CPB) within the Halgaito Formation which would provide useful data that can be extrapolated to other terrestrial ecosystems of the southwestern United States of America that are of comparable age.

Scales Over Shale: How Pennsylvania Got Fracked, Carlo E. Sica

Geography and the Environment - Theses

Shale gas has become one of Pennsylvania's major resources in recent years and the gas boom has proceeded in spite of uncertainty over the environmental risks of its production process. This thesis argues that location alone cannot explain why shale gas boomed in Pennsylvania. Using interviews with corporate and state executives, I argue that the scalar dimensions of the neoliberal environmental governance of shale gas were critical to understanding why shale gas boomed in Pennsylvania. These actors supported the preemption of local scales of governance by the state as a scalar fix for capital accumulation from shale gas development. They …

A Comprehensive Approach To Alluvial Fan Management: A Case Study Of Travertine Point, Coachella Valley, Jason Joseph Thomas

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to make a contribution towards improving the sustainability of developments (master plan communities) on alluvial fans. To do this, the authors intent is to further the goals of the Integrated Approach for Sustainable Development on Alluvial Fans Task Force.

Probabilistic Modeling Of Rainfall Induced Landslide Hazard Assessment In San Juan La Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala, Patrice F. Cobin

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The municipality of San Juan La Laguna, Guatemala is home to approximately 5,200 people and located on the western side of the Lake Atitlán caldera. Steep slopes surround all but the eastern side of San Juan. The Lake Atitlán watershed is susceptible to many natural hazards, but most predictable are the landslides that can occur annually with each rainy season, especially during high-intensity events. Hurricane Stan hit Guatemala in October 2005; the resulting flooding and landslides devastated the Atitlán region. Locations of landslide and non-landslide points were obtained from field observations and orthophotos taken following Hurricane Stan. This study used …

Predicting Anthropogenic Streambed Shifts In Beckley, West Virginia, Modeled Over 15 Years Using Landsat Tm And Dems, Andrew D. Reinhardt

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Anthropogenic change of streambeds in the Beckley, West Virginia watershed region was modeled using Landsat 5 TM satellite data from 1988 and 2003, and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data for 1969 and 2005. Comparing the 15 year land cover changes and the 36 year elevation shifts, and using a modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), in ESRI ArcMap and ERDAS Imagine, a streambed shift model was created. The model predicted land cover and elevation changes for 2018, using inputs from geospatial differencing of 2003 and 1988 land cover as well as 2003 and 1969 DEM data. Further analysis using hydrodynamic …

Understanding And Managing Karst Water Resources In Belize: Case Studies Of Both Past And Present In A Changing Climate, Jason S. Polk, Leslie North, Ben Miller, Jonathan Oglesby, Kegan Mcclanahan, Lowell Neeper, Aaron Holland, Bernie Strenecky

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

Belize is a developing country that faces water resource issues in the forms of both quality and quantity, stemming from a long history of environmental stress and population threats, from the ancient Maya to present. Belize’s karst landscape, which comprises a large part of the country from the coast to the Maya Mountains, is characterized by springs, caves, sinkholes, and aquifers systems formed from the dissolution of carbonate (limestone, dolomite) rock. This research presents several different case studies, spanning from the ancient Maya and issues with drought to modern communities that rely on groundwater resources quickly being depleted. Past drought …

Ua12/13 Big Red, Small Planet, Christian Ryan-Downing , Editor, Leslie North , Editor

Sustainability Publications and Resources

At WKU, “The Spirit Makes the Master”. Our commitment to continuous improvement is clearly reflected in our sustainability efforts. WKU’s commitment to sustainability, whether demonstrated in campus operations or in educational programs, helps to ensure that our graduates are prepared to address the complicated environmental, social and economic issues we face today. They will be able to think critically, solve problems creatively and be engaged citizens. If that’s all we accomplish then we will have achieved great success. But our sustainability commitment pays dividends, as it also leads us to reduce our environmental footprint, practice social responsibility, and conserve natural …

The Effect Of Hydrochloric Acid Strength On The Nanometer-Scale Dissolution Topography Of Calcite Crystal Surfaces, Jennifer Fruzzetti

Undergraduate Review

The physico-chemical mechanisms by which rock-forming minerals dissolve in natural fluids are controlled by a number of environmental factors. In this study, we investigate dissolution mechanisms by observing how the nanometer-scale surface topography of calcite is affected by the acidity of etching solutions. Here we report atomic force microscope (AFM) observations of calcite crystal surfaces both before and after chemical etching for 10 seconds in 0.01%, 0.1%, and 1.0% HCl solutions. AFM observations show that unetched, freshly-cleaved calcite {10ī4} crystal surfaces are characterized by flat layers separated by steps oriented parallel to calcite cleavage planes. Calcite {10ī4} crystal surfaces etched …

Middle And Late Devonian New Albany Shale In The Kentucky Geological Survey Marvin Blan No. 1 Well, Hancock County, Kentucky, Brandon C. Nuttall

Report of Investigations--KGS

A 30-ft section of core was recovered in the Grassy Creek Member of the New Albany Shale in the Kentucky Geological Survey Marvin Blan No. 1 well, Hancock County, Ky. (permit 104925, API No. 16091013960000). Analysis characterized the New Albany Shale as a regional seal for preventing vertical migration of carbon dioxide stored in deeper zones, as a natural gas reservoir, and for its potential for enhanced gas recovery and sequestration of carbon dioxide. A show of natural gas at the top of the New Albany Shale was encountered during drilling. Core was recovered in an aluminum sleeve cut into …

Evaporite Karst And Hydrogeology Of The Castile Formation: Culberson County, Texas And Eddy County, New Mexico, Kevin W. Stafford

Faculty Publications

Karst development in Permian Castile evaporites has resulted in complex speleogenetic evolution with multiple phases of diagenetic overprinting. More than 10,000 surficial features, primarily sinkholes, occur throughout Culberson County, Texas, and Eddy County, New Mexico, based on GIS-analyses where laminated Castile sulfates crop out. Cave development is largely the result of hypogene processes, where ascending fluids from the underlying Bell Canyon Formation migrate near vertically through the Castile Formation, creating caves up to 100 meters deep and over 500 meters long, which have been breached through a combination of collapse and surface denudation. Numerous small and laterally limited epigene features …

Clastic Sinkhole And Pseudokarst Development In East Texas, Kevin W. Stafford, Melinda G. Shaw-Faulkner, Wesley A. Brown

Faculty Publications

Pseudokarst development in East Texas is controlled primarily by a combination of suffosion and preferential flow paths, often creating small ephemeral sinkholes but occasionally persistent features develop in more indurated facies. Pseudokarst occurs in Claiborne (Eocene) strata in Angelina, Cherokee, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, San Augustine and Shelby counties. Strata consist of interbedded fine- and coarse-grained clastics with variable cementation and associated permeabilities.

Caves And Karst Hydrology Of The Mariana Islands (Abstract), Kevin W. Stafford

Faculty Publications

Abstract Attached

Benefits And Costs Of Saltland Pastures On Moderately Salt-Affected Land, Justin Hardy, Arjen Ryder

Resource management technical reports

Summary The analyses in this report show that there could be significant economic benefits to the state, regions and affected farm businesses from establishing improved saltland pasture systems on moderately salt-affected land. The report clearly describes the methods of analysis and the assumptions about prices, productivity and adoption levels. The price of grain has been used as the key factor controlling the economic value of the saltland grazing because grain is the alternative supplementary feed for sheep over the summer and autumn period. Therefore, where yield is below break-even on moderately salt-affected land, it has a higher economic value and …

Stable Isotope Record Of Archean And Cambrian Serpentinizing Fluid Composition From Stichtite (Mg-Cr Carbonate Hydroxide), Amanda Lopez

Theses Digitization Project

This study will focus on stichtite from two locations that contain the most abundant deposits of stichtite. The first location in Tasmania, Australia includes the Stichtite Hill locality (the type locality for stichtite) and the Tunnel Hill locality. The second location is at the New Amianthus Mine, Barberton District, South Africa. The broad geographical distribution of stichtite in deposits ranging from the Archean tho the early Cambrian, provides a window into the history and chemistry of serpentinizing environments on Earth through time.

The Contribution Of Small Anthropogenic Particulates (Sap) To The Sediment Load Of A Major Ephemeral Fluvial System, Santa Ana River (Sar), Southern California, Junjie Shen

Theses Digitization Project

This research was undertaken to explore the distribution of small anthropogenic particulates (SAP) in the Santa Ana River (SAR), and to determine the contribution of SAP to the sediment load of the SAR. SAP have never been documented before in the fluvial systems, especially in Southern California. This project will effectively establish a baseline for future changes in SAP for environmental monitoring and regulations.

Influences Of Lithology On Water Quality: A Study Of The Ngam And Mou Watersheds In West Cameroon (Central Africa), E. Kemayou Tchamako, Rv Tsinkou Fotsing, Jp Tchouankoue, Jr Ndam Ngoupayou, B Ngounou Ngatcha, Nancy W. Hinman

Geosciences Faculty Publications

The Ngam and Mou Rivers belong to the river system of the central part of the Cameroon Volcanic Line. The Ngam River watershed comprises 51 Ma old basalts, while the Mou River watershed comprises younger, < 5 Ma pyroclastic basalts. The physico-chemical characteristics of water samples from both watersheds indicated pH between 4.2 and 8.2, and 4.2 to 7.5, and very low mineralization between 11 and 246 μS/cm and 45 to 165 μS/cm, respectively, for the Ngam River and the Mou River. Chemical data showed that waters from old, highly weathered plateau basalts (Ngam River watershed) were dominated by calcium and sodium (signatures of feldpars from syenites and orthogneisses), while waters in the Mou River watershed were dominated by magnesium (signature of olivines and pyroxenes from basalts). Mineralizations in the two watersheds are thus primarily controlled by lithology rather than anthropic activities. These results are promising for identifying potential potable water resources in these areas.

Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions From A Waste Lagoon, Arturo I. Quintanar, Rezaul Mamood, Nanh Lovanh, Justin M. Rawley, Evi Becerra-Acosta, John H. Loughrin

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

A cost-effective approach was used to investigate the relationship between emission of the greenhouse gases (GHG), namely, CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O and energy fluxes from a swine waste lagoon. Energy fluxes were calculated using the Penman method. The energy fluxes showed a diurnal pattern as expected of such fluxes. We found that air temperature and latent energy, lagoon surface temperature and solar radiation, as well as air temperature and wind speed can be used to predict for CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O emissions, respectively. Comparison of observed and predicted …