Earth Sciences Commons^™

Remote Sensing And Ground-Based Weather Forcing Data Analysis For Streamflow Simulation, José Alberto Infante Corona, Tarendra Lakhankar, Soni M. Pradhanang, Reza Khanbilvardi

Publications and Research

Hydrological simulation, based on weather inputs and the physical characterization of the watershed, is a suitable approach to predict the corresponding streamflow. This work, carried out on four different watersheds, analyzed the impacts of using three different meteorological data inputs in the same model to compare the model’s accuracy when simulated and observed streamflow are compared. Meteorological data from the Daily Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN-D), National Land Data Assimilation Systems (NLDAS) and the National Operation Hydrological Remote Sensing Center’s Interactive Snow Information (NOHRSC-ISI) were used as an input into the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrological model and …

Magnetometer Surveys: Attempts And Issues In Locating A 1948 Private Water Well On The Shore Of Lac Sault Dore, Price County, Wisconsin, Kenneth R. Neuhauser, Kristopher J. Neuhauser

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

Two different magnetometer surveys in northern Wisconsin during the summers of 1997 and 2010, using two different Geometrics magnetometers, a proton precession G-816 unit and a cesium vapor G-858 unit, in an attempt to locate a surface-target position of, and depth to, an abandoned 1948 private water well, successfully targeted the suspect surface position and the depth to the well head spike. Both surveys detected 400-gamma anomalies and estimated the depth to the spike at 2 meters. A land owner, private family photograph taken in 1951, was used to compare the anomaly’s position to the actual surface position of the …

Sigma Gamma Epsilon 2014 Quality Awards, Paula Even

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

The Quality Chapter Award for Sigma Gamma Epsilon was established in 2010 to recognize chapters for achieving excellence by providing a quality program to its members. The 2014 recipients are announced and the qualifying criteria for the award are listed.

Sigma Gamma Epsilon 2014 Service Awards And Projects, Paula Even

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

In 2012, the Sigma Gamma Epsilon Chapter Service Award was established. The Chapter Service Award is based upon a non-profit/non-chapter fund raising activity that benefits the department, institution, or community. Four chapters received the award in 2014. Information about their projects as well as other chapters’ service projects is listed as well as the criteria for this award.

Inventory Of Alabama Irrigated Acreage Based On Naip Imagery, Roger Allen

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

Mapping The Natural History Of The Panama Canal Zone, Casey Calamaio

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

U.S. Drought Monitor, October 28, 2014, Brian Fuchs

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for October 28, 2014 (10/28/14) 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: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Redox Chemistry In The Phosphorus Biogeochemical Cycle, Matthew A. Pasek, Jacqueline M. Sampson, Zachary Atlas

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The element phosphorus (P) controls growth in many ecosystems as the limiting nutrient, where it is broadly considered to reside as pentavalent P in phosphate minerals and organic esters. Exceptions to pentavalent P include phosphine—PH₃—a trace atmospheric gas, and phosphite and hypophosphite, P anions that have been detected recently in lightning strikes, eutrophic lakes, geothermal springs, and termite hindguts. Reduced oxidation state P compounds include the phosphonates, characterized by C−P bonds, which bear up to 25% of total organic dissolved phosphorus. Reduced P compounds have been considered to be rare; however, the microbial ability to use reduced P …

Imls Place Grant: Press Release 2, Place Project Group

PLACE Project

Press release dated October 25, 2014, describing the PLACE (Position-based Location Archive Coordinate Explorer) project that is funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The University of New Hampshire (UNH) library partnered with the UNH Earth Systems Research Center to develop a geospatial interface that is searchable by geospatial coordinates.

Sent to the Geoportal Web page (Patrick Florence).

Eocene-Oligocene Latitudinal Climate Gradients In North America Inferred From Stable Isotope Ratios In Perissodactyl Tooth Enamel, Alessandro Zanazzi, Emily Judd, Andrew Fletcher, Harold Bryant, Matthew J. Kohn

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Eocene-Oligocene transition (~ 34 Ma) was one of the most pronounced episodes of climate change of the Cenozoic. In order to investigate this episode of global climate cooling in North America, we analyzed the carbon and oxygen stable isotope composition of the carbonate component of 19 perissodactyl (horse and rhino) tooth enamel samples from the Eocene-Oligocene rocks of the Cypress Hills Formation (southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada); we then compared the results with previously published data from the US Great Plains (Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming).

Average (± 1σ) perissodactyl enamel δ¹³C values (vs. V-PDB) in the Eocene (-8.8 …

Groundwater Controls On Physical And Chemical Processes In Streamside Wetlands And Headwater Streams In The Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, Michael Kroh Callahan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For this dissertation I studied groundwater and surface water interactions in the Kenai Lowlands, Alaska. In particular, I examine two important aspects of groundwater and surface water interactions: 1) Groundwater's influence on surface-water temperature; and 2) Groundwater's role in forming hydrologic flow paths that can connect uplands to streamside wetlands and streams. Chapter 2 investigates the controls on stream temperature in salmon-bearing headwater streams in two common hydrogeologic settings: 1) drainage-ways, which are low-gradient streams that flow through broad valleys; and 2) discharge-slopes, which are high gradient streams that flow through narrow valleys. The results from chapter 2 showed significant …

Kentucky Forage Spokesperson Contest, Kentucky Forage And Grassland Council

Kentucky Grazing Conference

No abstract provided.

Can I Afford To Spray For Weeds?, Scott Flynn

Kentucky Grazing Conference

A common question among managers of grazing operations is “At what level of weed pressure does it become economical to apply herbicides on pastures?” Unfortunately there isn’t just one answer to this question as production goals and practices differ between operations and even within an operation over time. Regardless, the real question being ask is if weed control will increase profit per acre.

Grazing Options For Fall And Winter, Edward N. Ballard

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Feed costs represent the major cost in most livestock production systems. A recently completed analysis of 225 Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA) Beef Cow Records on herds in Illinois and Iowa showed that feed cost was the overriding factor determining profitability, explaining over 57 percent of the herd-to-herd variation.

Summer Grazing Options, S. Ray Smith, Krista Lea

Kentucky Grazing Conference

During the last 15 years there have been several new forage species that have emerged as useful in grazing systems and many new varieties have been released of traditional species. There are many sources of information on summer grazing options. We especially encourage you to read the publication written by Dr. Garry Lacefield and colleagues, “Extending Grazing and Reducing Stored Feed Needs” (AGR-199, www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/agr199.pdf). I have used information from this publication and other publications from the University of Kentucky Forage Website (www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage) in writing this article.

Technical Service Provider: What Is It And Why Is It Important To You?, Bill Payne

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Progressive graziers and forage managers are continually looking to improve their operations’ productivity. The opportunity exists to have a Grazing Management Plan developed for your operation at little or no cost to you. By contacting your county NRCS office, you can apply to have this plan developed by a Technical Service Provider, an independent professional certified by NRCS.

Forage Legumes: Their Importance And Management In Profitable Livestock Systems, Ben M. Goff

Kentucky Grazing Conference

The landscape of most Kentucky operations is heavily dominated by the utilization of cool-season grasses as the primary source of forage for livestock. However, legumes species, such alfalfa and red or white clovers are an essential component to a complete forage-livestock system. Relative to grasses alone, incorporating legumes into a mixture has the benefits of improving the nutritive value of the available forage in the field, extending the grazing season by increasing the yield of forage during the early summer months, and providing a more economical source of N compared to commercial fertilizers. This paper will briefly describe each of …

Maximizing Stocker Gains On Pastures, Jeff Lehmkuhler

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Stocker enterprises by definition utilize pasture forages to add weight to light weight feeder cattle. These operations add value to calves by assimilating small groups of calves and combining them into larger uniform packages. Stocker operators also enhance quality through livestock husbandry practices that “upgrade” feeders which could include castrating bulls, dehorning, improving immunity and other attributes. In an effort to optimize profit margins, stocker operators must manage feeders to ensure high rates of gain while finding a balance in stocking rates that provide adequate gains per acre.

Grazing Method: Tool Or Toolbox?, Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Grazing Conference

This conference makes the 15th consecutive year we have devoted a full day to Grazing. Kentucky is a great state for grazing animals since we have a relatively long pasture season, can grow many forage grasses and legumes and a long tradition of producing quality animal products from quality pasture. We have tremendous potential to improve our overall grazing efficiency and the discussion throughout the day will address many of the practical strategies for improvements.

Foreword And Kfgc Award Winners [2014], Garry D. Lacefield, Christi L. Forsythe

Kentucky Grazing Conference

No abstract provided.

Public School Science Education And Geographically-Specific Environmental Sustainability Issues: Implications For Social Work Education, Amanda Gallion

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The focus of this project was to examine the educational practices of Kentucky-based public school teachers (grades 4th-8th) related to their efforts to incorporate sustainability into the science classroom and specifically related to the teachers’ focus or lack of focus on karst landscape. The major themes that were analyzed were how educators include this content into their classroom material and how this impacts their students in the area of environmental sustainability. The themes analyzed were: environmental sustainability as a lifestyle choice; education about environmental sustainability, the nexus of family, school, and community; the importance of geographical context in regards to …

Ecogeomorphic Feedbacks And Flood Loss Of Riparian Tree Seedlings In Meandering Channel Experiments, Li Kui, John C. Stella, Anne Lightbody, Andrew C. Wilcox

Geosciences Faculty Publications

During floods, fluvial forces interact with riparian plants to influence evolution of river morphology and floodplain plant community development. Understanding of these interactions, however, is constrained by insufficient precision and control of drivers in field settings, and insufficient realism in laboratory studies. We completed a novel set of flume experiments using woody seedlings planted on a sandbar within an outdoor meandering stream channel. We quantified effects on local sedimentation and seedling loss to scour and burial across realistic ranges of woody plant morphologies (Populus versus Tamarix species), densities (240 plants m^-2 versus 24 m^-2), and sediment …

Dendrochronological Analysis Of The Mcglumphy Homestead

Historic Structures

Dating historical structures using dendrochronology. The Historical Structures collection consists of reports that are the result of dendochronological analysis of timbers from structures in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Contributors: 2014 Climate Change Class

U.S. Drought Monitor, October 21, 2014, Michael J. Brewer

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for October 21, 2014 (10/21/14) 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: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Warming Reduces Tall Fescue Abundance But Stimulates Toxic Alkaloid Concentrations In Transition Zone Pastures Of The U.S., Rebecca L. Mcculley, Lowell P. Bush, Anna E. Carlisle, Huihua Ji, Jim A. Nelson

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Tall fescue pastures cover extensive acreage in the eastern half of the United States and contribute to important ecosystem services, including the provisioning of forage for grazing livestock. Yet little is known concerning how these pastures will respond to climate change. Tall fescue's ability to persist and provide forage under a warmer and wetter environment, as is predicted for much of this region as a result of climate change, will likely depend on a symbiotic relationship the plant can form with the fungal endophyte, Epichloë coenophiala. While this symbiosis can confer environmental stress tolerance to the plant, the endophyte …

Sigma Gamma Epsilon Undergraduate Research, Larry E. Davis

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

Fifty-two abstracts of student-authored research have been accepted for presentation in the Sigma Gamma Epsilon Undergraduate Research poster session at the Geological Society of America annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The poster session will be held on Tuesday, 21 October 2014, 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM, in the Vancouver Convention Centre-West Exhibition Hall C. Authors will be present from 9:00 to 11:00 AM, and 5:00 to 6:30 PM.

Sedimentology Of The Upper Scotland Formation (Eocene), Barbados, Krishna Mahabir, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Jay P. Persaud, Stanley Schleifer

Publications and Research

Representative samples collected from the Lower Scotland Formation (Eocene) outcropping in northeastern Barbados were investigated in conjunction with overall facies distribution and stratigraphic and sedimentological characteristics to interpret depositional environment and provenance of the fine-grained clastics. The Lower Scotland Formation is, for the most part, a fine-grained clastic-dominated sequence with occasional thin intercalations of gypsum, ironstone, and kaolinite. Distinctive deep-water-facies have been well-documented in dark gray shale units containing load cast, flutes, grooves and prods. In addition, turbiditic brown sandstone with a sharp erosive base and pelagic caps also characterize the base of the formation. Notable marine fauna observed include …

Explosive Dome Eruptions Modulated By Periodic Gas-Driven Inflation, Jeffrey B. Johnson, J. J. Lyons, B. J. Andrews, J. M. Lees

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Volcan Santiaguito (Guatemala) “breathes” with extraordinary regularity as the edifice's conduit system accumulates free gas, which periodically vents to the atmosphere. Periodic pressurization controls explosion timing, which nearly always occurs at peak inflation, as detected with tiltmeters. Tilt cycles in January 2012 reveal regular 26 ± 6 min inflation/deflation cycles corresponding to at least ~10¹ kg/s of gas fluxing the system. Very long period (VLP) earthquakes presage explosions and occur during cycles when inflation rates are most rapid. VLPs locate ~300 m below the vent and indicate mobilization of volatiles, which ascend at ~50 m/s. Rapid gas ascent feeds …

U.S. Drought Monitor, October 14, 2014, Mark D. Svoboda

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for October 14, 2014 (10/14/14) 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: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Relations Of Water-Quality Constituent Concentrations To Surrogate Measurements In The Lower Platte River Corridor, Nebraska, 2007 Through 2011, Nathaniel J. Schaepe, Philip J. Soenksen, David L. Rus

United States Geological Survey: Water Reports and Publications

The lower Platte River, Nebraska, provides drinking water, irrigation water, and in-stream flows for recreation, wildlife habitat, and vital habitats for several threatened and endangered species. The United States Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Lower Platte River Corridor Alliance (LPRCA) developed site-specific regression models for water-quality constituents at four sites (Shell Creek near Columbus, Nebraska [USGS site 06795500]; Elkhorn River at Waterloo, Nebraska [USGS site 06800500]; Salt Creek near Ashland, Nebraska [USGS site 06805000]; and Platte River at Louisville, Nebraska [USGS site 06805500]) in the lower Platte River corridor. The models were developed by relating continuously monitored water-quality …