Earth Sciences Commons^™

Giant Beaver Palaeoecology Inferred From Stable Isotopes, Tessa Plint, Fred J. Longstaffe, Grant Zazula

Earth Sciences Publications

This is a multi-individual (n = 11), stable carbon and nitrogen isotope study of bone collagen (δ¹³C_col and δ¹⁵N_col) from the giant beaver (genus Castoroides). The now-extinct giant beaver was once one of the most widespread Pleistocene megafauna in North America. We confirm that Castoroides consumed a diet of predominantly submerged aquatic macrophytes. These dietary preferences rendered the giant beaver highly dependent on wetland habitat for survival. Castoroides’ δ¹³C_col and δ¹⁵N_col do not support the hypothesis that the giant beaver consumed trees or woody …

Factors Influencing The Spatial Distribution Of Southern Rust In Corn, Justin Bailey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Southern rust caused by the fungus Puccinia polysora (Underwood) is the most economically important foliar disease in corn (Zea mays) (Linnaeus) (Cyperales: Poaceae)) for Arkansas. The objective of this work was to determine distribution of southern rust in corn and to determine factors that may control its distribution.

During the 2017 and 2018 season, seven corn fields in Arkansas were rated for southern rust. After disease confirmation, fields were marked with GPS sample point locations in a grid pattern across the entire field. Ratings for disease severity were taken below, at, and above the ear leaf at each point every …

The Potential Acidification Of The Mulberry River, Arkansas, Jason Richard Burgess-Conforti

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Mulberry River is a 110 km long tributary of the Arkansas River in northwest Arkansas and has been designated as a National Wild and Scenic River since 1992. In 2008, the Mulberry River was added to the 303(d) list of impaired water bodies due to the low pH of a 14.6 km segment of the river which has since increased to 68.7 km. To date, there has been little research performed on the Mulberry River and long-term routinely sampled water quality data is unavailable. The objectives of this dissertation were 1) to evaluate changes in water quality of the …

Analysis Of Permaculture’S Water Conservation And Crop Supporting Abilities, Hannah Chaney

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In the Middle East, virtually all agriculturally viable land is under high threat of desertification due to poor land and resource management and climate change. Mulching using straw flakes (straw mulch permaculture) is a method commonly used in successful dry land permaculture projects in the Middle East. We proposed that straw mulch permaculture would increase the amount of soil moisture during dry periods and that this method would not impact the growth and survival of the crop. In order to test this hypothesis, we took soil samples from plots with and without straw mulch permaculture in Bowling Green, KY and …

Nano-Petrophysics Study Of Haynesville Shale, East Texas, Usa, Qiming Wang

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

As one of the most productive shale gas plays, the Haynesville Shale has a high geopressure gradient and high temperature, but with a lack of petrophysical understanding. To analyze the pore geometry and wettability related connectivity of this formation, multiple methods such as total organic carbon content (TOC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vacuum saturation, mercury intrusion capillary pressure (MICP), contact angle, fluid imbibition, and helium pycnometry were used on 10 Haynesville Shale core samples from a single well over a vertical distance of 123 ft. The results from those tests show that the Haynesville Shale is calcareous shale with 2.26~5.28% of …

Characterizing The Nature Of The Sub-Continental Lithospheric Mantle Beneath Prindle Volcano, Yukon-Tanana Upland, Alaska, Ian Allen Ussery

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Prindle Volcano, an isolated alkali-basaltic cone in eastern Alaska is the northernmost volcanic center within the northern Cordilleran volcanic province (NCVP), a volcanic region along the northwestern region of North America. Prindle contains an ultramafic xenolith suite unlike any volcanic center within the region and perhaps the North American Cordillera. The suite provides an opportunity to examine the sub-continental lithospheric mantle beneath the region. Prindle volcano’s xenolith suite includes various lithologies: lherzolite, harzburgite, olivine-websterite, dunite, and clinopyroxenite. Utilizing petrographical and geochemical analysis, comparisons of mantle xenolith suites within the Cordillera, and suites from similar tectonic settings around the world we …

Nano-Petrophysics Of Avalon Shale Of The Delaware Basin Of West Texas & Southeastern New Mexico, Arinze Collins Adon

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

The Avalon Shale is a Permian-aged stratum and represents a significant rock unit within the Bone Spring, of the Delaware basin of West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico. The Delaware Basin has witnessed increased drilling activities owing to the resurgence in the Permian basin, where organic-rich shales of the Wolfcamp, Avalon and tight Bone Spring Sands, are the primary targets. However, this boom in production has been constrained by low recovery from tight reservoirs. This problem has continued to attract attention because of the need to improve the reservoir performance of the Bone Spring wells. To achieve this objective, a …

History-Matching And Forecasting Of Three Unconventional Oil And Gas Reservoirs Using Decline Analyses And Type Curves, Hammad Ahmed

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Reservoir modeling of shale gas and tight oil presents numerous challenges due to complicated transport mechanisms and the existence of fracture networks. Even then, oil and gas companies have not slowed down on shale hydrocarbon investment and production using horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques. Many small oil companies may not have the budget to build a reservoir model which typically requires drilling test wells and performing well logging measurements. Even for large oil companies, building a reservoir model is not worthwhile for the evaluation of small-scale oil fields. Comprehensive numerical simulation methods are likely impractical in those cases. …

Losses Of Mineral Soil Carbon Largely Offset Biomass Accumulation Fifteen Years After Whole-Tree Harvest In A Northern Hardwood Forest, Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur, Steven P. Hamburg, Chris E. Johnson, Jonathan Sanderman

All Materials

Changes in soil carbon stocks following forest harvest can be an important component of ecosystem and landscape-scale C budgets in systems managed for bioenergy or carbon-trading markets. However, these changes are characterized less often and with less certainty than easier-to-measure aboveground stocks. We sampled soils prior to the whole-tree harvest of Watershed 5 at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in 1983, and again in years 3, 8, and 15 following harvest. The repeated measures of total soil C in this stand show no net change in the O horizon over 15 years, though mixing with the mineral soil reduced observed …

Tracing Paleozoic Siliciclastic Sediment Dispersal To The Fort Worth And Midland Basins: Implications For Paleogeography And Organic Matter Accumulation, Ohood Bader Al Salem

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

The Fort Worth and Midland Basins in central and West Texas are major petroleum-producing systems in North America. The provenances of the thick Paleozoic sedimentary rocks in both basins are poorly constrained, although they are important to the understanding of these petroleum systems. The siliciclastic grains of the upper Paleozoic in the two basins were proposed to be derived from local sources, including the basin-bounding Ouachita-Marathon orogen and crystalline basement-cored Ancestral Rocky Mountains, or distal source of the Appalachian highland. The distal source requires a transcontinental river system routing along the Appalachian-Ouachita forelands. Here I applied several provenance-tracking methods, including …

Investigation Of Petrophysical Properties And Fluid Migration In Unconventional Oil/Gas Reservoirs, Yuxiang Zhang

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

Petrophysics deals with the physical and chemical properties of petroleum-bearing rocks and their interactions with associated fluids. The investigation of petrophysical properties of interest, such as porosity, specific pore surface area, pore size distribution, permeability, fluid saturation, and wettability, is of great importance to understand hydrocarbon storage and transport in unconventional oil/gas reservoirs, especially shale reservoirs. Characterized as low-porosity and ultra-low permeability, unconventional reservoir rocks have complicated pore structure which is significantly affected by their dominant compositions (minerals and organic matters) and vary along with the depositional environment, burial depth, diagenesis, and thermal maturity. Therefore, to better understand the shale …

Community Ecology And Population Dynamics Of The Nearshore Marine Fauna In The Middle Atlantic Bight (Usa), Juan Carlos Levesque

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

Natural resources are among the most valuable commodities on earth. Some natural resources (air, land, and water) are essential for human survival and many often constitute a large percentage of local, regional, and national economies, such as marine resources. Worldwide, marine resources have shaped culture, society, and local, regional, and global economies. Oceanic environmental conditions influence, shape, and control the geographical range, spatial distribution, abundance, and size composition of marine fauna. Thus, marine communities are vulnerable to major changes in the environmental conditions and disturbance (short and long-term), but the response and severity depends on various biological or ecological factors, …

Nano-Petrophysical Properties Of The Bone Spring And The Wolfcamp Formation In The Delaware Basin, New Mexico, Usa., Ashley Chang

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

The Permian Basin is one of the largest oil producing basins in the United States. The Permian Basin is 260 miles by 300 miles in area and encompasses 52 counties in southeast New Mexico and West Texas. In the past decade, the Permian Basin has exceeded its previous peak from the early 1970s (EIA, 2018). Now, the basin has generated more than 33.4 billion barrels of oil and roughly 118 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (EIA, 2018). The Permian Basin is a very complex sedimentary system, with three main sub-divisions that are geologically and stratigraphically different from one another. …

Sensitivity Of Oxygen Minimum Zones Due To Carbon Dioxide Radiative Forcing Using Cesm 1.2, Kristina K. Wolfe

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Anthropogenic-induced climate change is occurring at an unprecedented rapid rate, compared to the geologic past. In this study, CO2 stabilization scenarios (1x, 2x, and 4x preindustrial atmospheric pCO2 levels) utilizing the Community Earth System Model (CESM) are carried out to assess the response of oxygen minimum zones to net primary production and vertical carbon fluxes in a changing climate. Compared to the 1x CO2 experiment, sea surface temperature (SST) rise in the 4x CO2 scenario, to 3 °C to 5 °C in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, between 30 °S and 60 °S. In contrast, the North Atlantic Ocean and …

Observations On The Magnetic Iron Oxide Content Of Particulate Matter In The Sahel, Kimberly Belle Tidd

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Atmospheric dust influences many processes throughout the biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere, most notably the climate, marine productivity, and human health. Recognizing the physicochemical characteristics of dust particulates will assist with monitoring the changes brought on by dust storms, as well as changes that may occur if dust subsides. Munsell soil color analysis was used to identify the degree of weathering at sample collection sites from the Sahel, a climate-sensitive region of North Africa. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy were used to obtain the size, shape, and elemental makeup of individual magnetic metal particulates. Samples examined were collected …

Ediacaran Depositional Age And Subsequent Fluid-Rock Interactions In The Mutual And Browns Hole Formations Of Northern Utah, Ashley W. Provow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Constraining the depositional age of Neoproterozoic stratigraphy in western North America has implications for correlating global glaciation and tectonic events. The depositional ages of the Neoproterozoic Mutual and Browns Hole formations of northern Utah are controlled by two conflicting datapoints. However, new U-Pb geochronological data from 95 detrital apatite grains refines the maximum depositional age of the volcanic member of the Browns Hole Formation to 613 ± 12 Ma (2σ). This places new restrictions on the time available for the deposition of underlying units. Due to debate regarding the age models for underlying stratigraphy, two scenarios for sediment accumulation rates …

Assessing Quaternary Geohazards In Hispaniola And Jamaica Using Seismic, Remote Sensing And Sediment Core Data, Vanshan Wright

Earth Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault Zone (EPGFZ) is a system of predominantly left-lateral strike-slip faults extending through Eastern Jamaica and Western Hispaniola. The fault zone has generated at least one large (> Mw 6) earthquake per century within the last five centuries. These earthquakes include the 2010 Mw 7 Haitian earthquake which killed 300, 000 people and the 1907 Jamaican earthquake which killed ~900 people. Both earthquakes resulted in significant infrastructural damages, tsunamis, landslides and ground fissures.

This dissertation provides insights into the history, and societal impacts of active faulting and earthquake triggered geohazards within the EPGFZ. Herein, I show that …

Shale Gas/Oil Reservoir Characterization And Maturity Determination Based On Various Experimental Analyses, Md Golam Kibria

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

Despite the successful shale hydrocarbon exploration and production in the U.S. started about 20 years ago, the producing wells experience a current low total recovery of tight oil (5%-10%) and shale gas (12%-30%). One of the critical obstacles to sustainable shale development is related to the low recovery factor, which still needs much investigation. Hydrocarbon movement through shale reservoirs is controlled by two factors related to pore structure: one is pore size distribution (geometry), and another one is pore connectivity (topology). This Ph.D. research is divided into three different projects: 1) The 1st one is to improve the understanding of …

Two Cretaceous Tales Of The Land And The Sea, Puloma Chakrabarty

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

The Cretaceous Period (145-66 Ma), with no magnetic reversal for ~79 Ma, is generally termed as the Cretaceous Normal Superchron or the Magnetic Quiet Zone. There is evidence of at least two major large scale, global volcanisms in this long period synchronous with mass extinctions, during the Late Cretaceous and at the end of the Cretaceous. This study focusses on the effect of these two global volcanisms on 1. The Ocean: Eagle Ford, South Texas at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous, 93.9 Ma, probably caused by Cretaceous mafic volcanism from the Ontong Java Plateau and/or Caribbean Large Igneous Province …

Leveraging Environmental Research And Observation Networks To Advance Soil Carbon Science, Alejandro N. Flores

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Soil organic matter (SOM) is a critical ecosystem variable regulated by interacting physical, chemical, and biological processes. Collaborative efforts to integrate perspectives, data, and models from interdisciplinary research and observation networks can significantly advance predictive understanding of SOM. We outline how integrating three networks—the Long‐Term Ecological Research with a focus on ecological dynamics, the Critical Zone Observatories with strengths in landscape/geologic context, and the National Ecological Observatory Network with standardized multiscale measurements—can advance SOM knowledge. This integration requires improved data dissemination and sharing, coordinated data collection activities, and enhanced collaboration between empiricists and modelers within and across networks.

Stream Channel Monitoring In Northern Great Plains Network, Data Quality Standards, Darren J. Thornbrugh

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

The purpose of this report is to document the standards used by the Northern Great Plain Network (NGPN) for activities related to the collection, processing, storage, analysis, and publication of monitoring data as described in the Protocol implementation plan for stream channel monitoring in the Northern Great Plains Network: narrative version 1.0 (Thornbrugh et al. 2019). The plan also serves as a guide for all NGPN personnel who are involved in protocol/program activities and as a resource for identifying memoranda, publications, and other literature that describe associated techniques and requirements in more detail.

Factors Affecting Willingness To Cultivate Switchgrass: Evidence From A Farmer Survey In Missouri, Pralhad Burli, Pankaj Lal, Bernabas Wolde, Shibu Jose, Sougata Bardhan

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Switchgrass is considered as one of the important feedstocks that can contribute towards the attainment of bioenergy goals set under the Renewable Fuels Standard. Yet, the commercial viability of switchgrass based bioenergy is a much debated topic owing to supply side challenges emanating from limited raw materials. It is therefore critical to understand the crucial role of the farmer by studying the willingness to cultivate switchgrass dedicated for bioenergy. To our knowledge, this is the first survey undertaken to assess the farmer preferences and participation in bioenergy markets after the new administration has assumed office, and provides some important insights. …

The Niobrara National Scenic River: Exploring Co-Management Through A Case Study Of The Niobrara Council, Melissa M. Mosier

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

In recent decades, government staff and local citizens have increasingly employed cooperative schemes of natural resource management, in lieu of more conventional, top-down approaches of addressing user conflicts as they relate to water resources. The focus of this project was on the Niobrara Council, a partnership of local, state, and federal representatives charged with cooperatively managing the reach of the Niobrara River that was federally designated under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1991. The project's purpose was to explore the cooperative framework of the Council, using the methodology outlined by Carlsson and Berkes (2005). This methodology involved investigating …

Population Dynamics Of The Freshwater Mussel Lampsilis Cardium Reintroduced In Nebraska, Lindsay M. Ohlman

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

The global decline of native freshwater mussels has accelerated conservation projects that preserve and restore populations, but the complex life histories among species challenges biologists in determining the most effective management strategies. This study details the conservation of plain pocketbook, a Tier I threatened mussel species in Nebraska that was artificially propagated and reintroduced into 13 sites from autumn 2016 to summer 2017. The objectives of this study were: 1) determine how handling influences mussels, and 2) evaluate mussel growth and survival following introductions.

We conducted a laboratory experiment with age-2 plain pocketbook to assess the effects of handling on …

Nano-Petrophysics Of The Dean, Spraberry, And Wolfcamp Formations Of The Midland Basin, Nabil Mzee

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Technological advances in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have led to a surge in oil and gas production in unconventional shale reservoirs over the past several decades. The Permian Basin of Northwest Texas and Southeast New Mexico is no exception to this. Since 2009, when the application of these technologies went into full scale, the production in the Permian Basin has more than doubled. Despite the enormous advances in production in the Permian Basin, operators are plagued by rapid decline rates in producing wells. The root cause of the rapid production decline rates is not well understood but there is …

Remote Sensing Time-Series Analysis, Machine Learning, And K-Means Clustering Improves Dryland Vegetation And Biological Soil Crust Classification, Joshua Enterkine

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Dryland and semi-arid vegetation communities, although appearing to the casual observer as relatively simplistic and homogeneous, are in fact the opposite. Upon further inspection, semi-arid vegetation is highly complex and heterogeneous at almost any scale. The same holds true for biological soil crust. Growing concern about global changes in climate, nutrient cycles, and land use have required increasing scrutiny of our understanding of these communities and all of their constituents, as we seek to improve forecasting models and inform land management decisions. This thesis aims to provide insight to the paradigm of how we create and interpret vegetation classifications in …

Partitioned By Process: Measuring Post-Fire Debris Flow And Rill Erosion With Structure From Motion, Nicholas Ellett

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In mountainous regions burned by wildfires, profound changes in soil characteristics and combustion of vegetation increase hillslope and channel erosion during storm events. Reduced infiltration and abundant loose sediment produce large post-fire erosional events which endanger human lives and infrastructure and contribute significantly to long-term erosion rates. While the influence of fire in increasing erosion has long been recognized, quantifying volumes and sources of eroded material from burned landscapes is difficult. Pre-erosion high-resolution topographic data (e.g. lidar) are often not available in burned areas and determining specific contributions from post-fire hillslope and channel erosion is challenging. Multiple erosional processes mobilize …

Petrogenesis Of Off-Axis Lavas Erupted Along The 8˚20’ N Seamount Chain, East Pacific Rise, Molly Kassandra Anderson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Lavas erupted at off-axis seamounts provide a window into mantle heterogeneity and melting systematics that are not easily observed on-axis at fast spreading mid-ocean ridges (MORs). This is because axial melts are efficiently mixed and homogenized within shallow axial magma chambers prior to eruption. To understand the deeper magmatic processes contributing to oceanic crustal formation, we examine the compositions of lavas erupted along a chain of off-axis seamounts, adjacent to the East Pacific Rise (EPR). Essential questions include: (1) What is the range of compositional variability erupted off-axis and how does that compare to lavas erupted on-axis? (2) Is there …

A Bayesian Framework For Estimating Seismic Wave Arrival Time, Hua Zhong

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Because earthquakes have a large impact on human society, statistical methods for better studying earthquakes are required. One characteristic of earthquakes is the arrival time of seismic waves at a seismic signal sensor. Once we can estimate the earthquake arrival time accurately, the earthquake location can be triangulated, and assistance can be sent to that area correctly. This study presents a Bayesian framework to predict the arrival time of seismic waves with associated uncertainty. We use a change point framework to model the different conditions before and after the seismic wave arrives. To evaluate the performance of the model, we …

Rating Curve Development For The Upper James Fork, Lower James Fork And Hinkle Jones Creek In The Upper Poteau River Watershed In Arkansas, Meagan O'Hare

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Stream discharge is necessary to estimate loads and calibrate and validate watershed models. Access to long-term water quality data and discharge measurements allows for modeling of water quality changes across a watershed over time. However, discharge monitoring stations are often expensive to install and maintain, particularly in small rivers. A more cost-effective method for monitoring streamflow has been implemented in the Upper Poteau River Watershed (UPRW) in Arkansas. This method consists of an SonTek acoustic doppler instrument for measuring storm stream flow, with is combined with manual baseflow discharge measurements. The combined stormflow and baseflow measurements are combined with a …