Earth Sciences Commons^™

Importance Of Grassland Management For Carbon Sequestration And To Mitigate Climate Change: A Review, Poonam Yadav, Sheela Choudhary, Sunil Dutt Choudhary, Praveen Kaushik

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands, including rangelands, shrub lands, pastureland, and cropland sown with pasture and fodder crops, covered approximately 3.5 billion ha in 2000, representing 26 percent of the world land area and 70 percent of the world agricultural area, and containing about 20 percent of the world’s soil carbon stocks (Ramankutty et al., 2008). All ecosystems- forested ecosystems, agro-ecosystems, grassland, ecosystems etc. take up atmospheric CO₂ and mineral nutrients and transform them into organic products In undisturbed ecosystems, the carbon balance tends to be positive: carbon uptake through photosynthesis exceeds losses from respiration, even in mature, old-growth forest ecosystems.

Improving …

Effect Of Topographical Condition On Radioactive Cesium Pollution Of Herbaceous Plants In A Mountainous Grazing Pasture After Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident, Shin-Ichiro Ogura, Masanori Saito

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011, followed by tsunami, incurred the accident of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS). The radioactive fallout was dispersed by wind and deposited in large part of eastern Japan by rainfall or snowfall after the accident (Chino et al., 2011; Katata et al., 2012; Terada et al., 2012). That caused extensive pollution by radioactive cesium (Cs) (the sum of 134Cs and 137Cs) in agricultural lands (MEXT, 2011) including permanent pastures and meadows. In mountainous areas, it can be thought that radioactive Cs migrated from convex to concave regions by snow …

Integrated Studies Of Intracontinental Deformation In The Interior Western Usa, Cretaceous To Recent, Jacob Oliver Thacker

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The advent of plate tectonic theory satisfactorily explained a number of deformation belts around the world. However intracontinental deformation (deformation inboard of a plate margin) remains poorly understood in plate tectonic models. In order to further our understanding of intracontinental tectonics and its effects, this dissertation examines paleotectonic and neotectonic settings within the interior western USA.

Chapter 1 focuses on late Miocene–Recent deformation inboard of the San Andreas plate margin fault and its role on the integration history of the lower Colorado River. The neotectonic analysis included geometric and kinematic fault data collected in key geologic units to characterize the …

Simulating The Effect Of The Climate Change, Genotypes And Management On The Productivity Of Forage Cowpea In Semi-Arid Regions Of India, Suchit K. Rai, Sunil Kumar, D. Deb

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Climate variability and change due to increase in green house gases concentration and the resultant increase in temperature has led to notable changes in different sectors including water and agriculture which would impact food security (Rai et al., 2014) in many regions of the developing world, which are largely dependent on rainfed and labor intensive agricultural production (Ziervogel and Calder, 2003). Eco-physiological models are widely used especially the potential impacts of climate change (Gitay et al., 2001; White et al., 2011). The cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is an annual herbaceous legume cultivated for its edible seeds …

Change In Migration And Pasture Utilization By Brokpa Pastoral Nomads: A Sustainable Adaptation Strategy For Climate Sensitive Arunachal Pradesh!?, Sanjit Maiti, S. K. Jha, Sanchita Garai, Vijay Paul, G. Krishnan, A. K. Bera, D. Bhattacharya, S. M. Deb

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The north-eastern states of India specially Arunachal Pradesh, one of the bio-diversity hotspot, is expected to be greatly affected by climate change. Climate change will not only adversely impact the biodiversity of Arunachal Pradesh, but also affect the livelihood of local communities as they fully dependent on the natural resources. The Monpa is a primitive tribe inhabiting parts of West Kameng and Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The pastoral nomad of the Monpa tribe is popularly known as Brokpa. Transhumance system of livestock mainly yak (Poephagus grunniens L.) rearing is their main source of livelihood. In recent past, …

Integrated Evaluation Of Soil Carbon Budget By Manure Application On Forage Production, Mikinori Tsuiki, Ryo Sato, Shoji Matsuura, Mariko Shimizu, Ryusuke Hatano, Takatoshi Arita, Akinori Mori, Akira Miyata, Masayuki Hojito, Mitsuhiro Niimi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands and forage crop fields produce forages and also have many services and functions such as repositories of biodiversity, climate regulation and soil conservation (Sala and Paruelo, 1997). Carbon budget is one of these important ecosystem services by high levels of carbon sequestration below ground (Hungate et al., 1997). Manure application increases carbon budget and also affects forage production, NO₃^- leaching to underground water and N₂O emission to atmosphere. Integrated evaluation of these various environmental impacts is important to find optimum condition for forage production and environmental impacts. LIME2 (Life-cycle Impact assessment Method based on …

Regulation Of Nitrification In Soil: Advances In Integration Of Brachiaria Hybrids To Intensify Agriculture And To Mitigate Climate Change, Jacobo Arango, Idupulapati M. Rao, Manabu Ishitani, John W. Miles, Michael Peters, Joe Tohme, Danilo E. Moreta, Margaret Worthington, Rein Van Der Hoek, Mario Cuchillo, Glenn Hyman, Jeimar Tapasco, Jesus Martinez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Higher rates of nitrification in soil facilitate nitrogen (N) losses from agricultural systems through nitrate-leaching and denitrification. Plants’ ability to produce and release nitrification inhibitors from roots and suppress soil-nitrifier activity is termed ‘biological nitrification inhibition’ (BNI) (Subbarao et al., 2015). Up to 70% of applied N-fertilizer is lost (via NO3−leaching and gaseous-N emissions) from agricultural systems and the annual economic loss from lost N-fertilizer is estimated at 90 US$ billion. Previous research has indicated that Brachiaria humidicola (Bh), a tropical forage grass that is well adapted to infertile and waterlogged soils, has high capacity to inhibit nitrification in …

Down Regulation Of Receptor Like Kinase Gene In Apomictic Cenchrus Ciliaris, Shashi, Anuj Dwivedi, Vishnu Bhat

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Apomixis is a potential technology for agriculture to fix heterosis or hybrid vigor in hybrid plants. Cenchrus ciliaris which is a popular forage crop reproduces predominantly through apomixis and has been used as a model plant to understand genetic and molecular mechanisms controlling apomixis. A partial receptor like kinase gene (CcRLK) was isolated from apomictic C. ciliaris which showed exclusive expression in the embryo sacs of apomictic flowers compared to sexual embryo sacs during in situ hybridization analysis. This gene showed kinase and LRR domains implying its putative role in signaling pathways. In order to understand its …

Development Of Est Derived Microsatellite Markers In Buffel Grass And Their Cross Transferability To Other Forage Grasses, Auji Radhakrishna, Krishna Kumar Dwivedi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) is an important perennial grass grown widely in arid and semiarid regions of the world. It is one of the prominent species of the Dichanthium-Cenchrus-Lasiurus grass cover spread over the Peninsular India (Dabadghao and Shankarnarayan, 1973). C. ciliaris is a warm season, C₄ grass well adapted to survive harsh conditions, elevated CO₂ levels and wide range of climates and soil regimes. It is considered an excellent pasture grass as it provides highly nutritious and palatable forage during drought periods. Despite its excellent forage characteristics genetic improvement through conventional breeding methods has been …

Ploidy Dependent Expression Of Apomixis Components In Guinea Grass (Panicum Maximum Jacq.), P. Kaushal, Krishna Kumar Dwivedi, Auji Radhakrishna, Sheena Saxena, Sharmishtha Paul, Ajoy K. Roy, D. R. Malaviya

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Apomixis is an asexual method of reproduction through seeds. The potential of apomixis has been envisaged as “asexual revolution” by virtue of its capacity to fix hybrid vigour, a much desirable feature in breeding of agricultural crops. The genetic mechanism of apomixis regulation is complex and is believed to be largely affected by polyploidy (Nogler 1984). Expression of apomixis essentially contains three components, viz. apomeiosis (formation of unreduced egg cell), parthenogenesis (fertilization independent embryo development) and functional endosperm development (autonomous or psuedogamous). In contrast to previous reports, the evidence has now gathered that these three components can be functionally …

Establishment Of High-Efficiency Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation Of Callus Derived From Sehima Nervosum, An Important Range Grass Species, Krishna Kumar Dwivedi, Tanu Sonkar, R. Katiyar, Auji Radhakrishna, P. Kaushal

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sehima nervosum is one of the important rangeland grass in India, It is commonly known as Saen grass in India, white grass in Australia, and has also been reported from the Central East Africa and Sudan. It is a good forage grass and maybe utilized for grazing as well as for hay preparation. It is a perennial grass, prefers hot and dry climate and survive even in limited rainfalls. As this natural grass is found inherently rich in precursors for several industrially important biomolecules, fractionation of these precursors seems to be a promising endeavour. Production of nutraceuticals (prebiotic xylo-oligosaccharides) from …

Transcriptome Analysis Of Differentially Expressed Genes At Pre-Meiotic Developmental Stage In Pennisetum Hybrids With Contrasting Modes Of Reproduction, Krishna Kumar Dwivedi, Auji Radhakrishna, D. R. Malaviya, Ajoy K. Roy, P. Kaushal

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Apomixis is an asexual reproduction through seeds where embryo develops without meiosis and fertilization. It is widely distributed throughout plant kingdom, but is more prevalent in families like Asteraceae, Rosaceae and Poaceae (Carman, 1997). This trait is highly desirable for fixing heterosis in F1 hybrids with significant implications for crop improvement (Dwivedi et al., 2007). Therefore it is necessary to unravel the molecular and genetic basis of apomixis to tap its potential. Pennisetum is an important genus of the Poaceae family which contains a wide range of species exhibiting wide variability in morphological, molecular, and reproductive traits (Jauhar, …

Differential Gene Expression Patterns Of Male Sterile Lines Of Alfalfa Hybrids At Bud Differentiation Stage And Heterosis, Liyan Cai, Fengling Shi, Cuiping Gao, Fengyan Yi, Xia Gao

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is important legume forage that is widely cultivated in China and other countries. Alfalfa breeding can’t meet the need of production now, highlighted in yield and resistance of current alfalfa cultivars (He et al., 2000; Wei et al., 2007). Increasing heterozygosity of hybrids and thus the heterosis is a way to breed alfalfa cultivars with high yield and resistance (Hong et al., 2009). The objective of this study was to investigate the correlations of various differential gene expression patterns with forage yield in order to better understand the role the alfalfa male …

Empirical Models For Predicting Water And Heat Flow Properties Of Permafrost Soils, Michael T. O'Connor, M. Bayani Cardenas, Stephen B. Ferencz, Yue Wu, Bethany T. Neilson, Jingyi Chen, George W. Kling

Publications

Warming and thawing in the Arctic are promoting biogeochemical processing and hydrologic transport in carbon‐rich permafrost and soils that transfer carbon to surface waters or the atmosphere. Hydrologic and biogeochemical impacts of thawing are challenging to predict with sparse information on arctic soil hydraulic and thermal properties. We developed empirical and statistical models of soil properties for three main strata in the shallow, seasonally thawed soils above permafrost in a study area of ~7,500 km² in Alaska. The models show that soil vertical stratification and hydraulic properties are predictable based on vegetation cover and slope. We also show that …

Space And Depth-Resolved Naturally Occurring Toxic Groundwater Species In Bangladesh And Rwanda: Origination And Risk Analysis, Kenneth Hamilton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Access to safe potable water is a necessity for all. Groundwater is a commonly relied upon drinking water source for many areas around the world. This is especially true for communities in high density, rural settings. Such is the case for populations near Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, and in the Bugesera region of Rwanda. Sediment and groundwater contamination, through toxic dissolved species, represents a significant public health risk to exposed populations. Tropical soils, such as the soil profiles in Bangladesh and Rwanda, often contain higher concentrations of heavy metals (Rieuwerts, 2007). Additionally, nitrate from fertilizers, are widely used on the soils …

Soil Moisture Contributions To Insar Phase And Decorrelation, Yusuf Eshqi Molan

Earth Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) provides capability to detect surface deformation. Between two SAR images, in addition to ground surface deformations, changes may happen in the surface parameters such as soil moisture, vegetation layer water content, and so on. Despite deformation, the other changes may not be of interest for a common InSAR analysis and an ordinary InSAR analysis rarely takes into account their influences on InSAR phase and coherence. The effect of the changes on InSAR phase and coherence can potentially impede accurate estimation of ground surface deformation but also can open new window into soil moisture retrieval and …

Snow Processes In Mountain Forests: Interception Modeling For Coarse-Scale Applications, Nora Helbig, David Moeser, Michaela Teich, Laure Vincent, Yves Lejeune, Jean-Emmanuel Sicart, Jean-Matthieu Monnet

Wildland Resources Student Research

Snow interception by the forest canopy controls the spatial heterogeneity of subcanopy snow accumulation leading to significant differences between forested and nonforested areas at a variety of scales. Snow intercepted by the forest canopy can also drastically change the surface albedo. As such, accurately modeling snow interception is of importance for various model applications such as hydrological, weather, and climate predictions. Due to difficulties in the direct measurements of snow interception, previous empirical snow interception models were developed at just the point scale. The lack of spatially extensive data sets has hindered the validation of snow interception models in different …

Chemistry Of Nanoscale Solids And Organic Matter In Sustainable Water Management Systems, Xuanhao Wu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

To alleviate global water scarcity and improve public health, engineered water treatment and management systems have been developed for purifying contaminated water and desalinating brackish or ocean water. These engineered systems provide substantial amounts of potable water and lessen environmental concerns about the release of contaminated water. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), water desalination plants (WDPs), and managed aquifer recharge systems (MARs) are three representative sustainable water management (SWM) systems. But the operation of all three poses two fundamental questions: (1) What is the fate of nanoscale solids (e.g., engineered nanomaterials, naturally occurring nanoparticles) in SWM systems and how will their …

Seismicity And Shallow Structure At The Mariana Subduction Zone, Melody Eimer

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the incoming Pacific plate and the overriding forearc at the Mariana Subduction Zone using passive and active source seismology. The incoming plate, with water bound in the plate sediment, crust and mantle, is of interest to help constrain the global water cycle. The seismogenic zone at Mariana is noted for being an aseismic end-member, while extensional faults and active serpentine mud volcanoes characterize the forearc. I use an ocean bottom seismograph (OBS) deployment spanning both the incoming Pacific Plate and the forearc to study the seismicity and shallow structure. The passive source component of the deployment consists …

Internal Structures And Spin Evolutions Of Small Bodies In The Solar System And Their Geophysical Implications: A Case Study On Ceres, Vesta, And Arrokoth, Xiaochen Mao

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Asteroids and Kuiper belt objects are for the most part the remnant planetesimals that have not been able to form into planets. These small bodies’ evolutionary pathways encode information from the early days of the Solar System. Recent space missions such as Dawn and New Horizons have now made detailed geological investigations of small bodies (i. e. , Ceres, Vesta, and Arrokoth) possible. In this thesis, I use geophysical modeling to study small body internal structure and to investigate spin history under the influence of impacts. I analyze the gravity and shape data obtained by Dawn of Ceres and make …

A Comparison Of Fuel Reduction Methods For Wildfire Risk Management And Climate Change Resiliency In Mixed Conifer Forests In The Sierra Nevada, Heather Navle

Master's Projects and Capstones

Wildfires in the mixed conifer forests of California’s Sierra Nevada have been a common and natural disturbance for thousands of years, historically occurring every 3 to 30 years. The flora and fauna of the mixed conifer forest have evolved to depend on low to moderate severity wildfires for reproduction, foraging, and habitat. However, the Sierra Nevada has experienced dramatic environmental changes over the past ~150 years as a result of three main factors: wildfire suppression, climate change, and habitat loss. Because of the threat wildfires pose to human lives, property and timber harvest, they have been suppressed to an extent …

Diffuse Flux And Carbon Isotope Composition Of Carbon Dioxide Emitted From Valles Caldera, Yellowstone Caldera, And Southwestern Utah Geothermal Sites, Kristen Rahilly

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) has the lowest solubility in silicate melt and is one of the most abundant and earliest degassed species present in volcanic and geothermal systems. A significant quantity of CO₂ is passively degassed through soils in volcanic and geothermal systems, called diffuse degassing. In Chapter 1, I measure the diffuse CO₂ flux over the site of a prospective enhanced geothermal system in southwestern Utah. I conclude that the CO₂ emitted from soils in the enhanced geothermal site is biogenically-sourced. In Chapter 3, I examine the diffuse CO₂ flux from Roosevelt Hot Springs …

A New Species Of Chromis (Teleostei: Pomacentridae) From Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems Of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) And Salas Y Gomez, Chile, Bart Shepard, Hudson T. Pinheiro, Tyler A. Y. Phelps, Erin E. Easton, Alejandro Perez-Matus, Luiz A. Rocha

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

A new species of Chromis (Teleostei: Pomacentridae) is described from three specimens collected at 90 m depth in a mesophotic coral ecosystem at Rapa Nui, Chile. Chromis mamatapara, new species, can be distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays XIV,13–14; pectoral-fin rays 18–19, third from top of fin longest; tubed lateral-line scales 18; total gill rakers on first arch 30–32; vertebrae 11þ15; and by coloration of living specimens, especially the presence of a single, pronounced, white spot, roughly the same diameter as the orbit, located where the posterior base of the dorsal fin intersects the …

Crystal Queer: Fracturing The Binaries Of Matter, Creation, And Landscape, Sarah Knight

Graduate School of Art Theses

In this thesis, I compile a series of fragments consisting an analysis of my artwork in the gendered contexts of landscape, self-identity, mythology, and philosophy. I develop my concept of a “queer mark” in my art that serves as a form of queering, a disruption of visual and conceptual cohesion. I form a picture of how our contemporary selves are influenced by our gendered understanding of the landscape through the analysis of philosophical, artistic, and mythological concepts of creation. I see my sculptures as an atlas to an alternative means of understanding identity, a queering of these historical and exclusionary …

Nutrient Profiling And Identification Of Genetic Marker For Azolla Sp., Upendra Kumar, Anjani Kumar, N. Umakanta, T. B. Bagchi, Sangita Mohanty, Awadhesh Kumar, Md Shahid, A. K. Nayak

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Azolla (mosquito fern, duckweed fern, fairy moss and water fern) is a genus of seven species of aquatic ferns. They float on the surface of water by means of scale-like leaves, with their roots hanging in the water. Azolla is able to fix unlinked nitrogen (N₂) directly from the atmosphere because of its endosymbiotic blue alga Anabaena azollae (Van Hove, 1989), and is thus a very promising supply of nitrogen to aquatic ecosystems. In recent years, apart of traditional cultivation of Azolla as a bio-fertilizer for wetland paddy, also find increasing use for sustainable production of livestock feed. …

Validation Of Ssr Markers Linked To The Bean Common Mosaic Virus (Bcmv) Resistance In Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata L.) Genotypes, N. Manjunatha, K. T. Rangaswamy, N. Nagaraju, H. A. Prameela, P. Rudraswamy

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) is one of the important grain and fodder legume crops in the world, especially in tropics and subtropics. Which can adapted different climatic conditions such as high temperature and drought. It is not only important as a grain and fodder but also improve fertility of poor soils by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. An estimated cultivated area of cowpea is 12.5mha in worldwide (FAOSTAT, 2013). The grain and fodder productivity of cowpea are greatly affected by a number of biotic factors such as plant pathogens and insect pests. Among plant pathogens, viruses are considered to be a major …

Band Extension And Possible Ridge Compression On Europa, Sarah Chinski

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

Jupiter's icy moon Europa has captivated and perplexed the scientific community since the discovery of its global liquid water ocean. Over the course of several missions to the Jovian system, high-resolution observations of Europa have determined that there are spreading zones where new crust is created, similar to the mid-ocean spreading tectonic process we observe on Earth. These features, known as bands, have symmetric hills and valleys, indicating brief events of activity where material from the interior is exuded through a central crack, and solidifies on both sides, creating two positive topography. Recently, Europan scientists have been questioning how these …

Uwrl Outstanding Student Spotlight: Ayman Nassar, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

The UWRL likes to take a moment to highlight an outstanding student, faculty member, or alumni. This time our spotlight is on Ayman Nassar, a Ph.D. researcher studying Water Engineering at Utah State University.

Soil Microbes Trade-Off Biogeochemical Cycling For Stress Tolerance Traits In Response To Year-Round Climate Change, Maria O. Garcia, Pamela H. Templer, Patrick O. Sorensen, Rebecca Sanders-Demott, Peter M. Groffman, Jennifer M. Bhatnagar

Advanced Science Research Center

Winter air temperatures are rising faster than summer air temperatures in high-latitude forests, increasing the frequency of soil freeze/thaw events in winter. To determine how climate warming and soil freeze/thaw cycles affect soil microbial communities and the ecosystem processes they drive, we leveraged the Climate Change across Seasons Experiment (CCASE) at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the northeastern United States, where replicate field plots receive one of three climate treatments: warming (+5°C above ambient in the growing season), warming in the growing season + winter freeze/thaw cycles (+5°C above ambient +4 freeze/thaw cycles during winter), and no treatment. Soil …

Mesopause Airglow Disturbances Driven By Nonlinear Infrasonic Acoustic Waves Generated By Large Earthquakes, P. A. Inchin, J. B. Snively, J. Aguilar Guerrero, M. D. Zettergren, A. Williamson, D. Melgar

Publications

Near-epicentral mesopause airglow perturbations, driven by infrasonic acoustic waves (AWs) during a nighttime analog of the 2011 M9.1 Tohoku-Oki earthquake, are simulated through the direct numerical computation of the 3D nonlinear Navier-Stokes equations. Surface dynamics from a forward seismic wave propagation simulation, initialized with a kinematic slip model and performed with the SPECFEM3D_GLOBE model, are used to excite AWs into the atmosphere from ground level. Simulated mesopause airglow perturbations include steep oscillations and persistent nonlinear depletions up to 50% and 70% from the background state, respectively, for the hydroxyl OH(3,1) and oxygen O(1S) 557.7-nm emissions. Results suggest that …