Earth Sciences Commons^™

Global Change And Conservation Triage On National Wildlife Refuges, Fred Johnson, Mitchell J. Eaton, Gerard Mcmahon, Raye Nilius, Michael R. Bryant, Dave Case, Julien Martin, Nathan J. Wood, Laura Taylor

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the United States play an important role in the adaptation of social-ecological systems to climate change, land-use change, and other global-change processes. Coastal refuges are already experiencing threats from sea-level rise and other change processes that are largely beyond their ability to influence, while at the same time facing tighter budgets and reduced staff. We engaged in workshops with NWR managers along the U.S. Atlantic coast to understand the problems they face from global-change processes and began a multidisciplinary collaboration to use decision science to help address them. We are applying a values-focused approach to …

Spatio-Temporal Variations In Asthma Hospitalizations In Texas 2005-2011 By County And Possible Association With Ozone Exposure, Supatsara Khunsri

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

Texas asthma hospitalization data at the county level has been reviewed for the period 2005-2011. Exploratory data analysis revealed a general countywide reduction in the number of hospitalizations over this time period. The data revealed a clear rural county versus urban county disparity in asthma hospitalization rates which were different for both children (< 18 years) and adults (>18 years). County hospitalization rates (per 10,000 Texas residents) used in this study are based exclusively on inpatient hospitalizations. Asthma hospitalization data was provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Age-adjusted hospitalization rates revealed that the number of hospitalizations for counties designated as "rural" …

A Fast Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite Simulator For Cloudy Atmospheres, Chao Liu, Ping Yang, Steven Platnick, Kerry G. Meyer, Chenxi Wang, Shouguo Ding

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

A fast instrument simulator is developed to simulate the observations made in cloudy atmospheres by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The correlated k distribution technique is used to compute the transmissivities associated with absorbing atmospheric gases. The bulk scattering properties of ice clouds are based on the ice model used for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Collection 6 ice cloud products, and those ofwater clouds are computedwith the Lorenz-Mie theory. Two fast radiative transfer models based on precomputed ice cloud look-up tables are used for the VIIRS solar and infrared channels. The accuracy and efficiency of the fast …

Predicting Variability Of Basal Scour And Quantifying Vertical Connectivity For Channel-Belt Reservoirs Using Observations From The Holocene Mississippi River And Channel-Belt, Neal Alexandrowicz

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

Assessment of potential for draining unpenetrated but closely stacked channel-belt reservoirs from an existing belt penetration depends upon an understanding of the methods of and the likelihood for connectivity between otherwise isolated reservoirs. Knowledge of both the variability in scour depth beneath a channel-belt and the distribution of channel-belt lithofacies is critical for making such assessments, yet is very poorly understood. In order to evaluate these two properties, a collection of 314 driller’s records, 245 cross section points, and over 300 hand-augered boreholes along a 75 mile stretch of an active Mississippi River meander belt were reviewed, along with a …

A Multiphysics Approach: Thermodynamics, Material Mechanics And Fluid Dynamics Of Magma Systems At Active Volcanic Regions, Cathina Leann Gunn De Rosas

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

Understanding the genesis, incubation, evolution and equilibration of silicic magma reservoirs that drive and source volcanic activity all over the planet is fundamental to the discipline of geology. The subsurface processes of magma infiltration, transport, alteration and fractionation determine the volumetric rate of crustal production as well as its chemical composition, pluton and batholith formation, the chemical and thermal evolution of the crust and the severity and frequency of volcanic extrusion, flood basalts and ocean ridge volcanism. The excess pressure of the magma system, as it evolves and drives surficial eruption, is a key factor in hazard prediction and mitigation …

Equatorial Pacific Export Production And Carbonate Accumulation Over The Middle Miocene Climate Transition, Samantha Cassie Carter

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

The Middle Miocene Climate Transition (MMCT) at ~13.8 million years ago (Ma) signifies the point when Earth made its final transition to the icehouse conditions of the Pleistocene. The MMCT is marked by the expansion of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) at ~13.8 Ma, and is characterized by an abrupt 1% increase in benthic foraminifer δ¹⁸O, of which 70% is interpreted to indicate expansion of the AIS (Shevenell et al., 2008). Centered on this cooling step is 'The Monterey Event' (Vincent and Berger, 1985), a globally recognized long positive carbon isotope excursion seen in benthic and planktonic foraminifera. Within this …

Nucleation Of Thrust Faults Due To Heterogeneous Bedding Plane Slip: Evidence From An Ohio Coal Mine, Ciel Elizalde

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Oil shales often form the roof and floor rocks of many coal mines in the Appalachian basin. These mines offer outstanding 3D exposures of fresh rocks, otherwise only accessible via boreholes or heavily weathered surface outcrops, and present an excellent opportunity to directly observe pristine in situ natural fractures in shale. In Carroll County, Ohio, small thrust faults that predate mining operations are well exposed within the roof rocks and develop near areas where gradients of coal-shale contacts are steepest, causing roof rock instability. We hypothesize that sloping bedding contact surfaces serve as natural displacement discontinuities which augment the local …

Constraining The Near Tip Stresses Around Propagating Earthquake Ruptures: Frictional Response And Off Fault Tensile Crack Development, Monica Barbery

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

The near-tip stress, strain, and displacement fields around propagating ruptures are complicated, transient, and depend heavily on the evolution of the shear traction along the advancing rupture. This shear traction evolution is in turn influenced by dynamic weakening of the coefficient of friction. I have investigated near tip rupture mechanics using two approaches. In the first approach, I conduct experiments using a novel torsional Kolsky bar apparatus to investigate the frictional evolution of synthetic rock gouges at pressures, accelerations, and slip velocities expected to be operating in the seismogenic zone where most earthquakes nucleate. Microstructural analysis and 1-D thermal modeling …

Nanopetrophysics Characterization Of The Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, North Dakota, Usa, Joseph Ikechukwu Anyanwu

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

The recent oil boom in the US has been attributed to the result of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling of shale plays. However despite this boom, production and maximum recovery is still limited to be only few percentage of the original oil in place. There have been many studies attempting to enhance the oil recovery of the Bakken Shale, however one area that has not been addressed is the structure of the nanopores storing and transporting the hydrocarbons. The pore geometry and connectivity of these nanopore structures affect the fluid flow and mass transport, which is linked to overall oil …

Development And Evaluation Of Bankfull Hydraulic Geometry Relationships For The Physiographic Regions Of The United States, Katrin Bieger, Hendrik Rathjens, Peter M. Allen, Jeffrey G. Arnold

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Bankfull hydraulic geometry relationships are used to estimate channel dimensions for streamflow simulation models, which require channel geometry data as input parameters. Often, one nationwide curve is used across the entire United States (U.S.) (e.g., in Soil and Water Assessment Tool), even though studies have shown that the use of regional curves can improve the reliability of predictions considerably. In this study, regional regression equations predicting bankfull width, depth, and cross-sectional area as a function of drainage area are developed for the Physiographic Divisions and Provinces of the U.S. and compared to a nationwide equation. Results show that the regional …

Geophysical Explorations On And Near The Ismenion Hill, Thebes, Greece, 2011, Robert W. Jacob, Stephanie Larson, Kevin Daly, Emily Bitely

Faculty Journal Articles

Το άρθρο αυτό παρουσιάζει τις πρώτες κοινές έρευνες στη Θήβα, στην περιοχή του ναού του Απόλλωνος Ισμηνίου, που κρίθηκαν επιβεβλημένες, πριν από την υποβολή μιας ολοκληρωμένης και τεκμηριωμένης πρότασης Συνεργασίας, για τη διενέργεια εργασιών πεδίου και πιό συγκεκριμένα ανασκαφών. Οι έρευνες αυτές έλαβαν χώρα το καλοκαίρι του 2011, μετά από ευγενική πρόσκληση του Διευθυντή τότε ένατης Εφορείας, Καθηγητή κυρίου Βασίλειου Αραβαντινού, που χρονολογείται το 2010. Σκοπός μας ήταν ωα αναλάβουμε μαζί την προσπάυεια διερεύνησης τοπογραφικών και αρχαιολογικών ζητημάτων, σχετικών με την παλαιά ανασκαφή του Ισμηνίου και τη νεώτερη του Ηρακλείου των Θηβών.

Arizona Fissures: Unique And Possibly Dangerous?, Georgia Miller

A with Honors Projects

Fissures are cracks in the earth that form from stretching and pull-apart of geologic materials near earth’s surface. They generally form in areas that experience frequent earthquake and volcanic activity; areas with active tectonics. Recently discovered fissures in Arizona are different, as they form from pumping of subsurface gas and water resources. In the UK, similar but also slightly different processes are happening. In this region, instability causes more rapid and more frequent fissure formation due to more active tectonic processes. Therefore, fissures in the UK are a more common occurrence than those in Arizona. Fissures in both locations are …

Safety Procedures For Volcanic Activity In The United States And Japan, Ashley Eisenmenger

A with Honors Projects

This paper discusses the volcanic eruption evacuation and safety procedures in the United States, a country where few realize the potential risks and compares them with procedures in Japan, which experiences frequent eruptions.

Global Trends In Extreme Precipitation: Climate Models Versus Observations, Behzad Asadieh, Nir Y. Krakauer

Publications and Research

Precipitation events are expected to become substantially more intense under global warming, but few global comparisons of observations and climate model simulations are available to constrain predictions of future changes in precipitation extremes. We present a systematic global-scale comparison of changes in historical (1901–2010) annual-maximum daily precipitation between station observations (compiled in HadEX2) and the suite of global climate models contributing to the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). We use both parametric and non-parametric methods to quantify the strength of trends in extreme precipitation in observations and models, taking care to sample them spatially and temporally …

Pyrolysis-Gc-Ms For The Rapid Environmental Forensic Screening Of Contaminated Brownfield Soil, Azucena Lara-Gonzalo, Michael A. Kruge, I Lores, B Gutiérrez, José Luis Gallego

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

An abandoned chemical plant in Asturias (Spain) was studied using a multi-faceted molecular fingerprinting approach, demonstrating that it is possible to: (1) carefully unravel tangled evidence resulting from multiple pollution sources, and (2) recognize major contaminants largely ignored by conventional analyses. This methodology employed a battery of GC-MS analyses of liquid chromatographic fractions of soil extracts, plus the pyrolysis products of the soil extract's asphaltene fraction and the whole soil itself. In this example, coal tar distillation and the subsequent production of naphthalene, phenols and polymer resins are responsible for most of the soil contamination. Styrene, naphthalene, indene, and their …

Anthropogenic Controls On Overwash Deposition: Evidence And Consequences, Laura Rogers, Laura Moore, Evan Goldstein, Christopher Hein, Jorge Lorenzo Trueba, Andrew Ashton

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Accelerated sea level rise and the potential for an increase in frequency of the most intense hurricanes due to climate change threaten the vitality and habitability of barrier islands by lowering their relative elevation and altering frequency of overwash. High-density development may further increase island vulnerability by restricting delivery of overwash to the subaerial island. We analyzed pre-Hurricane Sandy and post-Hurricane Sandy (2012) lidar surveys of the New Jersey coast to assess human influence on barrier overwash, comparing natural environments to two developed environments (commercial and residential) using shore-perpendicular topographic profiles. The volumes of overwash delivered to residential and commercial …

Geology In Environmental Management, Michael A. Kruge

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

From the geological perspective, the two overriding environmental management concerns are the destructive impact of hazardous natural events on human health and property and the deleterious impact of human activity on the natural environment. The knowledge derived from the geological sciences serves as the basis for a more enlightened approach to the reduction of unnecessary risk involved in the siting and construction of buildings and transportation networks, as well as the extraction of natural resources and waste management. Armed with such knowledge along with political sensitivity, environmental managers will have opportunities for positive social impact in negotiating the challenges as …

Geologic, Geotechnical, And Geophysical Investigation Of A Shallow Landslide, Eastern Kentucky, Matthew M. Crawford, Junfeng Zhu, Steven E. Webb

Report of Investigations--KGS

In eastern Kentucky, landslides occur in colluvial soils or at the colluvium-bedrock contact, and are commonly triggered by heavy rainfall. These slides occur particularly where steep slopes and weak rocks combine with various methods of slope modification. Landslides can damage roadways, infrastructure, and residences, and mitigation costs can exceed $10 million per year.

The Meadowview landslide in Boyd County was investigated to assess the geologic conditions, extent, and behavior of a rainfall-triggered landslide in eastern Kentucky and evaluate the use of electrical resistivity as a tool to characterize a shallow colluvial landslide. Although this type of landslide is common in …

Driftless Area Karst Of Northwestern Illinois And Its Effects On Groundwater Quality, Samuel V. Panno, Walton R. Kelly

Sinkhole Conference 2015

The bedrock aquifer of the Driftless Area of northwestern Illinois is Ordovician-age Galena Dolomite. Previous work by the authors and others showed that the geology and hydrogeology of this area fall well within the definition of karst. Bedrock in the study area has been shown to be extensively fractured and creviced; karst features in the county are dominated by solution-enlarged crevices from 0.4 inches to 3 feet wide within most road cuts and quarries examined. Other karst features include cover-collapse sinkholes ranging from 3 to 25 feet in diameter overlying Galena Dolomite, karst springs and crevice caves. A preliminary evaluation …

Commercialization Of A Small, Lightweight, Low-Cost Seismic Borehole Receiver, Rachel Adams

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Herein, conceptualization of a recently patented seismic borehole receiver and its components is developed for commercialization. The device is significantly cheaper, lighter, and smaller than existing technologies on the market. Additionally, it has the potential to achieve better seismic readings than its competitors via patented sensor-to-borehole coupling mechanism. It is the hope that the commercialization of this device will not only provide a more affordable alternative to engineers and geophysicists in the existing market, but the significant cost difference may open new seismic measurement opportunities in the developing world. Its compact size and light weight will increase mobility, allowing investigators …

A Geomechanical Equation For Fracture Density/Brittleness And Comparisons With A Mineralogical Brittleness Index, Louis Brett Zastoupil

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

As production of hydrocarbons from tight reservoirs becomes more prevalent, the need to understand fracture density and what can affect fracture density has become the goal of new research. In this study, fracture density is defined as the fracture surface area per volume (m-1), and is derived from strain energies and material properties of the rock. Brittleness is defined as the fracture density at a particular strain state.One purpose of the study is to use the dimensionless geomechanical equation, FdUaμ = A ν1-2ν + B, to test whether the strain conditions were constant from layer to layer. If they were, …

Trends In Seasonal Climate Variance In The Subtropical Reservoir Joe Pool Lake, Texas: Implications Dissolved Oxygen And Nutrient Distribution, Rebekah Ball

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

The primary causes of seasonal variance in temperature, hydrological cycle, and nutrient distribution of lakes, and the processes explaining these changes including climate change and land use changes have been investigated for several decades because the importance of lakes for water resources, recreation, and sensitive ecosystems. Many of the previous studies, however, have been focused predominately on natural lakes in temperate climates and not on subtropical reservoirs. In this study a seasonal survey of temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and nutrients on the Joe Pool reservoir in North Central Texas has been conducted almost weekly from November 21st of 2012 through …

Computer Models Of A Basement Involved Fault Propagation Fold During The Laramide Orogeny Around Las Vegas, New Mexico, Jerry Timothy Ford

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Numerical geomechanical modeling is acceptable today for studying geologic structures and is readily accomplished by most computers used by geoscientists and engineers interested in studying geomechanics. Models should be simple so that too many discontinuities are not introduced. This study creates models of a thrust fault, developed and implemented using the computer program FLAC version 4.0 to simulate the structural evolution of a basement-involved fault propagation fold undergoing shortening and then compares them to a published cross section NW of Las Vegas, New Mexico. FLAC is a numerical 2D modeling program for modeling geologic materials and has large strain capability …

Sandstone Injectites Record Pre-, Syn-, And Post-Folding Deformation At Sheep Mountain Anticline, Wyoming, Jennifer Beyer

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Sandstone injectites ranging from 30 m to over 1 km in outcrop length intrude the Cretaceous Mowry Formation in the vicinity of Sheep Mountain Anticline (Bighorn Basin, WY). These injectites were sourced by the Peay Member of the overlying Cretaceous Frontier Formation, and represent a significant potential fluid pathway through impermeable shales. Sand injection was aided by pre-existing joints in the Mowry Formation during the early folding of Sheep Mountain Anticline. Upon unfolding around bedding orientations, most of the injectites restore to vertical (dike) and horizontal (sill) orientations. Downward injection of the Peay sand was likely made possible by a …

The Role Of Remnant Native Vegetation And Management Strategies In The Reclamation Of Native Prairie Plant Communities, Heather Bass

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Native prairie ecosystems are diminishing in Texas along with their ecosystem services. In order to restore the native prairie ecosystems and their services as a whole, the native prairie plant communities on which they are based must be reclaimed. Effects of past land use, dispersal of nearby remnant plant communities, and various management strategies on native plant community establishment were studied, in order to better understand the reclamation process and formulate recommendations for general native prairie plant community reclamation. Establishment of desired native prairie plant communities was negatively affected by more recent disturbance, but positivity affected by the proximity of …

Multiple Approaches To Characterizing Pore Structure For A Range Of Sandstones Samples, Samson Sunday Arawole

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Using various approaches, this work examines pore structure (geometry and connectivity) of a range of sandstone samples with their permeability varying by five orders of magnitude. The following four experimental approaches were used: Mercury Injection Capillary Pressure (MICP), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Fluid imbibition and Micro Ct Scan imaging. Fluid imbibition was also used to gauge pore connectivity of these sandstones. Furthermore, basic properties of air porosity and permeability were obtained on the samples before and after all four procedures and used as a basis for property comparison. “Specific” API brine permeability was also run on all samples for comparison …

A Geomechanical Approach To Evaluate Brittleness Using Well Logs: Mississippian Limestone, Northern Oklahoma, James Martin

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Fracture density, or brittleness, of a rock is an important factor in understanding the characteristics of a reservoir and the reservoir's predisposition to fracturing. This becomes particularly critical when exploring and producing in tight or fracture dominated reservoirs such as that of the Mississippian limestone in the study area on the Northern Shelf of the Anadarko basin, Oklahoma. Previous work has defined brittleness on the basis of mineralogy or elastic rock parameters. This study explores a new definition of brittleness based on geomechanical principles that incorporates linear elastic rock properties as well as fracture toughness. The equation being used for …

The Variance Of Methane Adsorption And Its Relation To Thermal Maturity In The Marcellus Shale, Alexander Addison Miller

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

In unconventional shale gas plays, gas-in-place is a major factor in evaluating the shale’s potential and determining well density and lateral placement. The two main contributors to total gas-in-place are free gas and adsorbed gas. Gas in pores, “free” gas and adsorbed gas, which equal gas-in-place when summed, contribute to production from unconventional mudstone reservoirs like the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale in the Appalachian Basin. Gas-in-place and production volumes however, vary throughout the different areas of Marcellus production in the basin. This paper analyzes the change in volumes of adsorbed methane through the geologically different regions of Marcellus production. Comparing …

Nano-Petrophysics Study Of The Three Forks Formation In The Williston Basin, North Dakota, U.S.A., Daniel Samuel Baah

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

The Late Devonian Three Forks Formation has increasingly become one of the productive plays in the Williston Basin, North Dakota. This growth has been attributed not only to new drilling and completion techniques but also to the availability of new geological information. Although production in the Three Forks Formation has increased, maximum recovery and overall hydrocarbon production is still limited. According to the North Dakota Industrial Commission, the oil recovery factor in the Three Forks Formation is 8.9±5.32%, so only a small percentage of the original oil in place is being produced.One of the most challenging aspects of reservoir quality …

The Prairie Post Quarterly Newsletter Of The High Plains Regional Climate Center- January 2015, Martha Shulski, Natalie Umphlett, Bill Sorensen, Crystal J. Stiles

Prairie Post: Quarterly Newsletter of the High Plains Regional Climate Center

Inside this issue:

Message from the director........................................1

Stakeholder engagement activities......................................2

AWDN news...............................3

Marketing efforts.....................3

Climate services and information................................4

Product highlight....................5

Outreach events and research highlights.................5

Recent and upcoming travel and activities.............................6