Earth Sciences Commons^™

Nested Scales Of Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Soil Water Content Across A Semiarid Montane Catchment, Kendra E. Kaiser, Brian L. Mcglynn

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Topographic redistribution of water has been represented by various terrain metrics (e.g., topographic wetness index, slope, and upslope accumulated area). This type of landscape characterization has promoted the use of terrain metrics to inform how spatial patterns of soil volumetric water content (VWC) influence streamflow, ecological processes, and associated nutrient fluxes. However, evaluation of what these static terrain metrics reflect has only been accomplished in a few catchments. Additionally, previous research suggests that relationships between topographic metrics and VWC could be different across catchments through time. Here we measured VWC from snowmelt through summer drydown across a semiarid montane catchment. …

Submarine Deep-Water Lava Flows At The Base Of The Western Galápagos Platform, Molly Anderson, V. Dorsey Wanless, Darin M. Schwartz, Emma Mccully, Daniel J. Fornari, Meghan R. Jones, S. Adam Soule

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

To investigate the initial phases of magmatism at the leading edge of the upwelling mantle plume, we mapped, photographed, and collected samples from two long, deep-water lava flows located at the western base of the Galápagos Platform using the remotely operated vehicle Hercules. Lavas were recovered from four areas on the seafloor west of Fernandina volcano, including the western flow fronts of two deep-water flows, heavily sedimented terrain between the two flows, and the eastern, shallower end of one flow. The sediment cover and morphologies are distinct between the western flow fronts and the eastern region based on seafloor …

Biomass Production Of Herbaceous Energy Crops In The United States: Field Trial Results And Yield Potential Maps From The Multiyear Regional Feedstock Partnership, Do Kyoung Lee, Ezra Aberle, Erik K. Anderson, William Anderson, Brian S. Baldwin, David Baltensperger, Michael Barrett, Jürg Blumenthal, Stacy Bonos, Joe Bouton, David I. Bransby, Charlie Brummer, Pane S. Burks, Chengci Chen, Christopher Daly, Josh Egenolf, Rodney L. Farris, John H. Fike, Roch Gaussoin, John R. Gill, Kenneth Gravois, Michael D. Halbleib, Anna Hale, Wayne Hanna, Keith Harmoney, Emily A. Heaton, Ron W. Heiniger, Lindsey Hoffman, Chang O. Hong, Gopal Kakani, David Williams, Linda Williams

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Current knowledge of yield potential and best agronomic management practices for perennial bioenergy grasses is primarily derived from small‐scale and short‐term studies, yet these studies inform policy at the national scale. In an effort to learn more about how bioenergy grasses perform across multiple locations and years, the U.S. Department of Energy (US DOE)/Sun Grant Initiative Regional Feedstock Partnership was initiated in 2008. The objectives of the Feedstock Partnership were to (1) provide a wide range of information for feedstock selection (species choice) and management practice options for a variety of regions and (2) develop national maps of potential feedstock …

Sh-Mode Seismic-Reflection Imaging Of Earthfill Dams, Edward W. Woolery

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Assessing subsurface characteristics and imaging geologic features (e.g., faults, cavities, low-velocity layers, etc.) are typical problems in near-surface geophysics. These questions often have adverse geotechnical engineering implications, and can be especially acute when associated with high-hazard structures such as large earthen flood-control dams. Dam-related issues are becoming more frequent in the United States, because a large part of this major infrastructure was designed and constructed in the early- to mid-twentieth century; these dams are thus passing into the latter stages of their design life, where minute flaws that were overlooked or thought to be insignificant in design/construction are now …

Correlates Of Rate Heterogeneity In Avian Ecomorphological Traits, A. M. Chira, C. R. Cooney, Jen A. Bright, E. J. R. Capp, E. C. Hughes, C. J. A. Moody, L. O. Nouri, Z. K. Varley, G. H. Thomas

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Heterogeneity in rates of trait evolution is widespread, but it remains unclear which processes drive fast and slow character divergence across global radiations. Here, we test multiple hypotheses for explaining rate variation in an ecomorphological trait (beak shape) across a globally distributed group (birds). We find low support that variation in evolutionary rates of species is correlated with life history, environmental mutagenic factors, range size, number of competitors, or living on islands. Indeed, after controlling for the negative effect of species' age, 80% of variation in species‐specific evolutionary rates remains unexplained. At the clade level, high evolutionary rates are associated …

Osl Dating Of The Tolleston Beach At Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore And Its Implications For Interpreting The Archaeological Record, Malgorzata Mahoney

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

The puzzling scarcity of archaeological sites on the Tolleston Beach, the most lakeward shoreline complex at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, prompted an investigation into the development of these parabolic dunes in an attempt to determine whether the distribution of known archaeological sites is governed by ancient human behaviors, or influenced by its dune setting which can affect site preservation and discoverability. In order to accurately understand patterns of past human occupation, it is important to know the timing and extent of dune reactivation. Specifically, whether it was frequent enough to influence settlement patterns in the past, or if it was …

Characterizing Diatom Biofilms And Their Influence On The Sand Biogeochemistry Of High Energy Beaches, Logan C. Jarrell

Honors Theses

High energy beaches are among the most dynamic ecological settings on Earth. Compared to mudflats, diatoms of high energy beaches have been more neglected in the literature, particularly true of the intertidal biofilms that form and dissipate with nutrient cycling and light intensity over the tidal cycle. Although short lived, the productivity of these biofilms may be critical to the organic-poor sand. Through sediment coring and subsequent analyses of the uppermost sand of three suspected biofilm stations—non-runnel, runnel crest, and runnel trough—along with seemingly bare sand as a control, this study sought to verify the presence of diatom biofilms and …

Late Holocene Spit Evolution On Centennial Timescales In The Southeast Delaware Bay, Usa, Ryan Eli Phillip

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between barrier spit growth and longshore drift is well established. However, the role of storm activity in spit evolution on an intermediate (centennial) timescale is more of a mystery due to a knowledge gap between decadal-scale shoreline processes and millennial-scale stratigraphic data. Recent studies in the northwestern Atlantic basin using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) are providing the opportunity to study centennial-scale shoreline evolution and examine similar age storm activity. Cape Henlopen, Delaware exhibits preserved remnants of a long-term northward-growing spit coastline that evolved from a recurved spit complex, to a cuspate spit, to the present-day …

Explosive Dust Test Vessel Comparison Using Pulverized Pittsburgh Coal, Jacob Miller, Jay Schafler, Phillip R. Mulligan, Robert Eades, Kyle A. Perry, Catherine E. Johnson

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Explosions of coal dust are a major safety concern within the coal mining industry. The explosion and subsequent fires caused by coal dust can result in significant property damage, loss of life in underground coal mines and damage to coal processing facilities. The United States Bureau of Mines conducted research on coal dust explosions until 1996 when it was dissolved. In the following years, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) developed a test standard, ASTM E1226, to provide a standard test method characterizing the “explosibility” of particulate solids of combustible materials suspended in air. The research presented herein …

Small Shelly Fossil Preservation And The Role Of Early Diagenetic Redox In The Early Triassic, Sara B. Pruss, Nicholas J. Tosca, Courcelle Stark

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

Minute fossils from a variety of different metazoan clades, collectively referred to as small shelly fossils, represent a distinctive taphonomic mode that is most commonly reported from the Cambrian Period. Lower Triassic successions of the western United States, deposited in the aftermath of the end-Permian mass extinction, provide an example of small shelly style preservation that significantly post-dates Cambrian occurrences. Glauconitized and phosphatized echinoderms and gastropods are preserved in the insoluble residues of carbonates from the Virgin Limestone Member of the Moenkopi Formation. Echinoderm plates, spines and other skeletal elements are preserved as stereomic molds; gastropods are preserved as steinkerns. …

To Rebate Or Not To Rebate: The Influences And Deterrents For Residential Customers To Participate In Water Authority Rebates, Meagan Virginia Oldham

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

The depletion of aquifers and reduced surface water flows are a growing concern for water managers. Educational outreach and incentives to promote conservation have been a growing trend over the past couple of decades in the arid Southwestern United States, including Albuquerque, New Mexico. Rebates for the installation of water efficient appliances and xeric landscape conversions are a couple of ways that water authorities incentivize their residential consumers to do their part at home to conserve water. This study involves a survey sent to a random sample of 2,215 Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority residential customers, with a 31% …

Comparison Of Methodologies Of Using Colorimetry To Detect Low Concentrations Of Bromide As A Hydrologic Tracer, Emily Wolf

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

The objective of this research was to compare colorimetric methods for measuring low concentrations of bromide in natural waters. The bromide ion has long been used as a tracer to study hydrodynamic processes and properties. Its conservative nature makes it ideal as a tracer. Bromide is almost entirely immune to loss from a solution via adsorption on rocks and sediments, or reaction with other solutes present in the water. Using three methodologies to use colorimetry in the detection of bromide, I analyzed samples taken from the Gila River, Jemez Creek, and the Rio Grande after injections of sodium bromide were …

Lithologic Controls On Focused Erosion And Intraplate Earthquakes In The Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone, Sean F. Gallen, J. Ryan Thigpen

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

We present a new geomorphic model for the intraplate eastern Tennessee seismic zone (ETSZ). Previous studies document that the Upper Tennessee drainage basin is in a transient state of adjustment to ~150 m of base level fall that occurred in the Late Miocene. Using quantitative geomorphology, we demonstrate that base level fall resulted in the erosion of ~3,500 km³ of highly erodibility rock in an ~70 km wide by ~350‐km‐long corridor in the Paleozoic fold‐thrust belt above the ETSZ. Models of modern incision rates show a NE‐SW trending swath of elevated erosion ~30 km southeast of the center of …

Further Evidence For The Invasion And Establishment Of Pterois Volitans (Teleostei: Scorpaenidae) Along The Atlantic Coast Of The United States, H. Scott Meister, David M. Wyanski, Joshua K. Loefer, Steve W. Ross, Andrea M. Quattrini, Kenneth J. Sulak

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We document the continues population expansion of red lionfish, Pterois volitans, the first documented successful introduction of an invasive marine fish species from the western Pacific to Atlantic coastal water of the United States. Red lionfish are indigenous to the Indo-Pacific and have apparently established one or more breeding population on reefs off the southeastern United States. Fifty-nine specimens, most presumably adult red lionfish, were documented or collected on live-bottom reefs North Carolina, South Caroline, and Florida, and on a manmade structure off Georgia. Observation/collection depths and bottom water temperatures for these fish ranged from 4-99 m and 13.8-24.4 …

Ultrafine Mineral Associations In Superhigh-Organic-Sulfur Kentucky Coals, James C. Hower, Debora Berti, Michael F. Hochella Jr.

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty and Staff Publications

Two high-organic-sulfur Kentucky coals, the eastern Kentucky River Gem coal and the western Kentucky Davis coal, are examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), both including elemental analysis by energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). From the SEM–EDS analysis, it is observed that the western Kentucky coal had areas with Pb and Cd in addition to the expected Fe and S and the eastern Kentucky coal had individual Fe–S-rich areas with La and Ni and with Si, Al, Cr, Ni, and Ti. TEM and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analyses demonstrate that anglesite with a rim of Pb-bearing amorphous …

The Three-Stage Petrochemical Evolution Of The Steens Basalt [Southeast Oregon, Usa] Compared To Large Igneous Provinces And Layered Mafic Intrusions, N. E. Moore, A. L. Grunder, Wendy A. Bohrson

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

The Steens Basalt, southeast Oregon, USA, initiated at 17 Ma as the earliest pulse of the Columbia River Flood Basalt of the northwestern USA. New and existing stratigraphically controlled data reveal temporal changes in lava flow character, and whole-rock and mineral compositions, which we use to evaluate how the balance of magma differentiation processes change in time. Temporal petrochemical variations in the Steens Basalt are analogous to the transition from Imnaha Basalt to Grande Ronde Basalt units of the Columbia River Flood Basalt and have parallels to the temporal evolution of the Deccan and Siberian traps, in India and Russia, …

Laguna Madre Estuary Program Environmental Strategic Plan - Final Report, Kim D. Jones, Lucy Camacho, T. Sinha, Omar Al-Qudah, Hudson R. Deyoe, Augusto Sanchez Gonzalez, Jungseok Ho, Javier Guerrero

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

The goal of this effort is to establish a framework of fundamental information and critical ideas to serve as a basis to assist in supporting legislation to found the 29th National Estuary Program for the Laguna Madre of the Gulf coast of Texas.

The National Estuary Program (NEP) was established by the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987 (Section 320) to protect nationally significant estuaries threatened by development, pollution and overuse. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administers the NEP. The Corpus Christi Bay NEP (now the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuary Program) was among the last estuaries accepted into the …

Structural Evolution And Petroleum Potential Of A Cambrian Intracratonic Rift System: Mississippi Valley Graben, Rough Creek Graben, And Rome Trough, John B. Hickman, David C. Harris

Report of Investigations--KGS

Drilling and geophysical data demonstrate that the Mississippi Valley Graben, Rough Creek Graben, and Rome Trough are fault-bounded structures filled with as much as 27,000 ft of Cambrian sediments. Data including stratigraphic tops from 1,764 wells, 106 seismic profiles, aeromagnetic and gravity surveys, and mapped surface geology at a scale of 1:24,000 were used to study seven stratigraphic packages across parts of Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee. Detailed analysis of the thickness patterns of these stratigraphic packages was used to interpret the locations and timing of movement along major fault systems in the study area.

Active rifting of …

Marine Threats Overlap Key Foraging Habitat For Two Imperiled Sea Turtle Species In The Gulf Of Mexico, Kristen M. Hart, Autumn R. Iverson, Ikuko Fujisaki, Margaret M. Lamont, David Bucklin, Donna J. Shaver

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Effective management of human activities affecting listed species requires understanding both threats and animal habitat-use patterns. However, the extent of spatial overlap between high-use foraging areas (where multiple marine species congregate) and anthropogenic threats is not well-known. Our modeling approach incorporates data on sea turtle spatial ecology and a suite of threats in the Gulf of Mexico to identify and map “hot spots” of threats to two imperiled turtle species. Of all 820 “high” threats grid cells, our tracked turtles foraged at least 1 day in 77% of them. Although threat data were not available outside the U.S. Exclusive Economic …

Using Satellite Remote Sensing To Study The Impact Of Climate And Anthropogenic Changes In The Mesopotamian Marshlands, Iraq, Reyadh Albarakat, Venkat Lakshmi, Compton J. Tucker

Faculty Publications

The Iraqi Marshes in Southern Iraq are considered one of the most important wetlands in the world. From 1982 to the present, their area has varied between 10,500 km² and 20,000 km². The marshes support a variety of plants, such as reeds and papyrus, and are home to many species of birds. These marshes are Al-Hammar, Central or Al-Amarah, and Al-Huwaiza. Freshwater supplies to the marshes come from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq and from the Karkha River from Iran. For this analysis, we used the Land Long-Term Data Record Version 5 (LTDR V5) Normalized …

Serpentinization: Connecting Geochemistry, Ancient Metabolism And Industrial Hydrogenation, Martina Preiner, Joana C. Xavier, Fliipa L. Sousa, Verena Zimorski, Anna Neubeck, Susan Q. Lang, H. Chris Greenwell, Karl Kleinermanns, Harun Tüysüz, Tom M. Mccollom, Nils G. Holm, William F. Martin

Faculty Publications

Rock–water–carbon interactions germane to serpentinization in hydrothermal vents have occurred for over 4 billion years, ever since there was liquid water on Earth. Serpentinization converts iron(II) containing minerals and water to magnetite (Fe₃O₄) plus H₂. The hydrogen can generate native metals such as awaruite (Ni₃Fe), a common serpentinization product. Awaruite catalyzes the synthesis of methane from H₂ and CO₂ under hydrothermal conditions. Native iron and nickel catalyze the synthesis of formate, methanol, acetate, and pyruvate—intermediates of the acetyl-CoA pathway, the most ancient pathway of CO₂ fixation. Carbon monoxide dehydrogenase …

The Crust And Upper Mantle Structure Of Central And West Antarctica From Bayesian Inversion Of Rayleigh Wave And Receiver Functions, Weisen Shen, Audrey D. Huerta, J. Paul Winberry

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

We construct a new seismic model for central and West Antarctica by jointly inverting Rayleigh wave phase and group velocities along with P wave receiver functions. Ambient noise tomography exploiting data from more than 200 seismic stations deployed over the past 18 years is used to construct Rayleigh wave phase and group velocity dispersion maps. Comparison between the ambient noise phase velocity maps with those constructed using teleseismic earthquakes confirms the accuracy of both results. These maps, together with P receiver function waveforms, are used to construct a new 3-D shear velocity (Vs) model for the crust and uppermost mantle …

Evolution Of Grain Size Distributions And Bed Mobility During Hydrographs In Gravel-Bed Braided Rivers, Sarah Peirce, Peter Ashmore, Pauline Leduc

Geography & Environment Publications

Evolution of bed material mobility and bedload grain size distributions under a range of discharges is rarely observed in braiding in gravel-bed rivers. Yet, the changing of bedload grain size distributions with discharge is expected to be different from laterally stable, threshold, channels on which most gravel bedload theory and observation are based. Here, simultaneous observations of flow, bedload transport rate, and morphological change were made in a physical model of a gravel-bed braided river to document the evolution of grain size distributions and bed mobility over three experimental event hydrographs. Bedload transport rate and grain size distributions were measured …

Phosphorus And Potassium Fertilizer Application Strategies In Corn–Soybean Rotations, Timothy J. Boring, Kurt D. Thelen, James E. Board, Jason L. De Bruin, Chad D. Lee, Seth L. Naeve, William J. Ross, Wade A. Kent, Landon L. Ries

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

To determine if current university fertilizer rate and timing recommendations pose a limitation to high-yield corn (Zea mays subsp. mays) and soybean (Glycine max) production, this study compared annual Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K) fertilizer applications to biennial fertilizer applications, applied at 1× and 2× recommended rates in corn–soybean rotations located in Minnesota (MN), Iowa (IA), Michigan (MI), Arkansas (AR), and Louisiana (LA). At locations with either soil test P or K in the sub-optimal range, corn grain yield was significantly increased with fertilizer application at five of sixteen site years, while soybean seed yield was significantly …

Particulate Metal Exposures Induce Plasma Metabolome Changes In A Commuter Panel Study, Chandresh N. Ladva, Rachel Golan, Donghai Liang, Roby Greenwald, Douglas I. Walker, Amit U. Raysoni, Vilinh Tran, Tianwei Yu, W. Dana Flanders, Gary W. Miller

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduction

Advances in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) have enabled high-resolution metabolomics (HRM) to emerge as a sensitive tool for measuring environmental exposures and corresponding biological response. Using measurements collected as part of a large, panel-based study of car commuters, the current analysis examines in-vehicle air pollution concentrations, targeted inflammatory biomarker levels, and metabolomic profiles to trace potential metabolic perturbations associated with on-road traffic exposures.

Methods

A 60-person panel of adults participated in a crossover study, where each participant conducted a highway commute and randomized to either a side-street commute or clinic exposure session. In addition to in-vehicle exposure characterizations, participants …

Uwrl Welcomes Two New Faculty, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

The Utah Water Research Lab is excited to welcome two new faculty members, Assistant Professor Brian Crookston and Assistant Research Professor Zac Sharp. These two new faculty members bring in a great wealth of professional experience and knowledge to the UWRL and it's staff and students.

Using Aviris And Machine Learning To Map And Discriminate Bull Kelp And Giant Kelp Along The Pacific Coast Of The United States, Tanner Thompson, Dr. Ryan Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Kelp forests provide food and shelter for many organisms, and they are an important part of coastal ecosystems throughout the world. Along the Pacific coast of the United States, kelp forests are made up of two species of kelp: bull kelp (Nereocystis Leutkana) and giant kelp (Macrocystis Pyrifera). While similar, these two species are physiologically and structurally different.

Estimating Dominant Runoff Modes Across The Conterminous United States, Brian Buchanan, Daniel A. Auerbach, James Knighton, Darrick Evensen, Daniel R. Fuka, Zachary Easton, Michael Wieczorek, Josephine A. Archibald, Brandon Mcwilliams, Todd Walter

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Effective natural resource planning depends on understanding the prevalence of runoff generating processes. Within a specific area of interest, this demands reproducible, straightforward information that can complement available local data and can orient and guide stakeholders with diverse training and backgrounds. To address this demand within the contiguous United States (CONUS), we characterized and mapped the predominance of two primary runoff generating processes: infiltration‐excess and saturation‐excess runoff (IE vs. SE, respectively). Specifically, we constructed a gap‐filled grid of surficial saturated hydraulic conductivity using the Soil Survey Geographic and State Soil Geographic soils databases. We then compared surficial saturated hydraulic conductivity …

Guidelines And Considerations For Designing Field Experiments Simulating Precipitation Extremes In Forest Ecosystems, Heidi Asbjornsen, John L. Campbell, Katie A. Jennings, Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur, Cameron Mcintire, Pamela H. Templer, Richard P. Phillips, Taryn L. Bauerle, Michael C. Dietze, Serita D. Frey, Peter M. Groffman, Rosella Guerrieri, Paul J. Hanson, Eric P. Kelsey, Alan K. Knapp, Nathan G. Mcdowell, Patrick Meir, Kimberly A. Novick, Scott V. Ollinger, Will T. Pockman, Paul G. Schaberg, Stan D. Wullschleger, Melinda D. Smith, Lindsey E. Rustad

Faculty Publications

Precipitation regimes are changing in response to climate change, yet understanding of how forest ecosystems respond to extreme droughts and pluvials remains incomplete. As future precipitation extremes will likely fall outside the range of historical variability, precipitation manipulation experiments (PMEs) are critical to advancing knowledge about potential ecosystem responses. However, few PMEs have been conducted in forests compared to short-statured ecosystems, and forest PMEs have unique design requirements and constraints. Moreover, past forest PMEs have lacked coordination, limiting cross-site comparisons. Here, we review and synthesize approaches, challenges, and opportunities for conducting PMEs in forests, with the goal of guiding design …

Using Cumulative Potential Recharge For Selection Of Gcm Projections To Force Regional Groundwater Models: A Nebraska Sand Hills Example, Nathan R. Rossman, Vitaly A. Zlotnik, Clinton Rowe

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Groundwater recharge (GR) controls vegetation, geomorphology, groundwater, wetlands and surface flow, and ultimately, the ecology and economics of semi-arid regions. Therefore, it is critical to assess hydroclimate model scenarios and the uncertainty in future GR to force regional groundwater models. We use basic statistics of downscaled Global Circulation Model (GCM)-projected cumulative potential GR (GR_p) for selecting representative projections. Cumulative GR_p is the net recharge (difference between precipitation (P) and evapotranspiration (ET) rates) over the projection period. The approach is illustrated with an example in the Nebraska Sand Hills (NSH), the largest dune …