Earth Sciences Commons^™

Wildfire And Water Security: Post-Fire Erosion And Sedimentation Threaten Utah's Reservoirs, Quinn Olpin, Kendall Becker, Scott Hotaling, Aish Chandrasekaran, Patrick Belmont

All Current Publications

As an arid state with limited water, Utah relies heavily on reservoir storage to maintain its water supply throughout the year. This vital water storage, however, is increasingly at risk due to contemporary wildfires. Wildfires pose a risk to water storage because after vegetation burns, erosion typically increases. Eroded soil can be carried by rivers and deposited into reservoirs where it accumulates as sediment, reduces water storage capacity, clogs dam outlets, and degrades water quality. Identifying which watersheds are most vital to maintaining Utah’s water supply, are most threatened by wildfires, and are most prone to high levels of post-fire …

Edmore And Webster Coulee Hydrologic Simulation Data, Sharhad Wainty, Taufique H. Mahmood

Datasets

The authors compiled a hydrologic model for the Edmore at Edmore and Edmore at Webster Coulee Basin using Cold Region Hydrologic Platform. The datasets include observed and simulated streamflow, observed climatic data, land use maps and hydrological representative unit maps (HRU) maps. This study detected a mechanism of hydrologic change to wetting using a cold region hydrologic model during 1991-2024 period.

Study Of Anomalous Variations In Seismic And Non-Seismic Parameters Using Machine Learning Techniques To Develop The Earthquake Forecasting Model In The Himalayan Belt, Senthil Kumar M

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding and forecasting earthquakes is not just about science it’s about saving lives, even as the dynamic and hidden nature of Earth's tectonic processes makes this an intricate challenge. The Himalayan belt is one of the most seismically active regions globally due to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Investigating this region is essential for understanding highly complicated tectonic mechanisms and reducing substantial hazards posed to millions of people by persistent and intense seismic events. This study aims to enhance forecasting methodologies by applying machine learning techniques while dealing with the inherent challenges of geological complexity and …

Investigating The Relationships Among Suspended Sediment Concentration, And Marsh Edge Erosion In Barataria Bay, La, Lily Vowels

LSU Master's Theses

Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA exhibits a unique microtidal, wind-driven hydrodynamic climate where extensive levee infrastructure throughout Louisiana has starved Barataria Bay and similar interdistributary bays of the historic levels of terrigenous sediment import. This has contributed to extreme coastal wetland loss in Louisiana. This project seeks to understand how hydrodynamic and meteorological conditions are linked to sediments’ fate after erosion from the marsh edge. Specifically, this project seeks to differentiate the roles of wave resuspension and marsh edge erosion (MEE) in sediment dynamics in Barataria Bay. An acoustic wave and current profiler (AWAC) was used to capture hydrodynamic conditions, and …

Rishon Le-ẒIyyon, Winepress Park: Geomorphology And Sedimentology, Joel Roskin, Yotam Asscher

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

An extensive brown sandy double-unit sediment, draping large parts of the archaeological remains at the Winepress Park in Rishon Le-Ẓiyyon, is suggested to be associated with the previously reported, undated ʻEn Ha-Qore clay. Based on relative age port-OSL profiling, the depositional mechanism of this unit and the overlying sand is suggested to be related to late Holocene, dune-dammed winter ponds. These aeolian-fluvial dune-damming processes may have been partly triggered by intensive Byzantine human activity that may have led to sand mobilization.

Morphotectonic And Active Tectonic Properties Of The Yenicekent Travertines With Chibanian–Meghalayan Ages In The Denizli Graben (Türkiye), Ömer Eki̇zoğlu, B. Levent Mesci̇

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Travertine deposits that crop out in the Yenicekent travertine field within the Denizli graben in western Türkiye are described and illustrated. Three morphologies of travertine are identified in this field, comprising fissure-ridge type, range-front, and eroded-sheet type, with each type resulting from deposition by geothermal waters driven by ongoing tectonism. The fissures in the Yenicekent travertine field extend parallel to active normal faults bounding the Denizli basin from the NE-directed Tripolis and Pamukkale faults, and were formed by waters released under tensile stress in the footwall blocks of normal faults. This study aimed to link the chronological development of travertine …

A Multi-Proxy Reconstruction Of Environmental Conditions During Termination 1 In Central New Hampshire, Anne Hannah Randall

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

The collapse of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets subsequent to the Last Glacial Maximum (~26-19 ka) marked one of the largest natural climate change events in recent time. In response to global warming, the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS), the ice sheet that covered much of northern North America, receded almost completely during a time known as “Termination 1” (~19-11 ka). The climate changes during this time also caused significant changes in landscape morphology, ecology, and the lifeways of indigenous peoples. This project characterizes the timing of deglaciation and major post-glacial landscape changes across New Hampshire using lake sediment cores. I …

U-Pb Calcite Geochronology, Epr, Geochemistry, And C-O-Sr Isotopes Of Ancient Marbles In The İznik Region (Bursa-Türkiye), Namik Aysal, Özge Karslioğlu, Emre Erdem, Marcel Guillong, Si̇nan Öngen, İbrahi̇m Tonguç Uysal, Ersi̇n Kaygisiz, İpek Deni̇z Yildirim

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The İznik city (ancient Nicaea), located east of Lake İznik (known as -“Bithynia” in ancient times), has been an important political and cultural centre of Asia Minor since the Hellenistic period. Marbles produced in the quarries in the vicinity (Ömerli and İnikli villages, Deliktaş-Sarıtaş hills) were used both in the construction of the walls and in many ancient works in the city. Approximately eighteen ancient marble quarries producing grey and white marbles were investigated in the region. Petrography, EPR, XRD, C-O-Sr isotope and whole rock geochemistry analyses were performed for characterization of the samples collected from the quarries for the …

Tectonic Setting Analysis Of The Early Tortonian Lacustrine Basins In Nw Iran Based On Sedimentological, Paleontological, And Structural Studies, Enayat Haghfarshi, Seyyed Reza Moussavi̇ Harami̇, Mohammad Faridi, Peyman Rezaee

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Lignite Beds of Tabriz are among the Neogene formations in the northwest region of Iran that were formed as individual basins in the margin of the Tabriz fault and the suburbs of Tabriz City during the Late Miocene. These beds have many similarities in terms of facies and lithology. In this study, two stratigraphic sections of the main Lignite Beds unit, with a total thickness of 203 m, were measured and sampled. Fine- and medium-grained siliciclastics, limestones, lignite, tuff, and calcrete sedimentary facies were identified. The new fossils identified in this study include gastropods (Borysthenia naticina, Hydrobia sp., Lymnaea …

Editorial Note To The Article “Tectonic Geomorphology Of The South-Eastern Section Of The Burdur-Fethiye Shear Zone, Western Taurides: Morphotectonic Framework Of The Eşen Basin” [Turkish Journal Of Earth Sciences 33 (5) 2024 503-529 ], Orhan Tatar

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

As part of the journal’s commitment to open scientific dialogue, we are publishing a Letter to the Editor regarding the article “Tectonic geomorphology of the south-eastern section of the Burdur-Fethiye Shear Zone, Western Taurides: morphotectonic framework of the Eşen Basin” along with a reply from the authors, who have provided a clarification in response to the concerns raised. We consider such exchanges to be a normal and healthy part of the scientific process, and we are presenting both perspectives to allow readers to form their own conclusions.The views expressed in the letter and the reply are those of the respective …

A Model Study On Enhancing The Horizontal Gradient Of Potential Fields With The Vertical Derivative, Luan Thanh Pham, Saulo P. Oliveira, Erdi̇nç Öksüm, Jeferson De Souza

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The total horizontal gradient (THG) and its derivatives are commonly used in interpreting potential fields. Because THG is a nonharmonic function, its vertical derivative (VD) can be consistently computed using, e.g., a finite-difference approximation. The calculation of VD in the wavenumber domain is physically meaningful for harmonic functions, but it provides a pseudovertical derivative (PVD) when applied to nonharmonic fields that can be used in some edge detectors, such as THG. Through experiments with synthetic and field datasets, we evaluated the performance of the PVD of THG in the tilt angle of THG (TAHG) and fast sigmoid-based edge detector (FSED). …

On Reference Accuracy: Clarification Of The Original Data, İrem Eli̇tez, Cenk Yaltirak

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Although it is claimed that the same data was correctly attributed to Alçiçek (2007) in Elitez and Yaltırak (2023), no age data from Alçiçek (2007) were actually used in that study. In fact, the stratigraphic interpretation proposed by Alçiçek (2007) exhibits notable discrepancies with the conclusions presented by Elitez and Yaltırak (2023). Alçiçek (2007) defines the geological units overlying the basement as the Eşen Formation (comprising the Çetilidüz, Çaykenarı, and Kocaçay members) and Quaternary units. Based on the fossil Palaeotragus rouenii, the author suggests that the Neogene succession begins with Late Miocene alluvial-fan conglomerates, sandstones, and mudstones, whereas lacustrine sedimentation …

Citing The Citer: A Way To Claim Original Data, Mehmet Ci̇hat Alçi̇çek

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

In Elitez and Yaltırak (2024, p. 3), the “Upper Miocene” age data for the Eşen Basin fill is cited from Elitez and Yaltırak (2023). However, in that work, the same data was correctly attributed to Alçiçek (2007), which is the original source. Citing a secondary source instead of the original one is avoided in scientific writing. This letter aims to correct this citation practice.

Life Cycle Assessment Of New Jersey Offshore Wind, Meghann Smith, Nawal Shoaib, Pankaj Lal

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

As offshore wind gains momentum within US (United States) renewable energy goals, New Jersey's ambitious targets for offshore wind development represent a significant opportunity to reduce emissions and transition towards cleaner energy sources. This study presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a planned offshore wind farm off of New Jersey's coast, emphasizing the implications of a domestic supply chain. Key findings suggest that the offshore wind farm is projected to produce 0.013 kg CO2 kWh−1 of electricity generated, reflecting a 98 % decrease in carbon emissions compared to natural-gas-derived electricity. Further, when compared to carbon emissions from other renewable …

Limited Soil Water Recharge In Summer Affects Seasonal Isotopic Signatures Of Tree Xylem Water, Marius G. Floriancic, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Harsh Beria, Scott T. Allen, James W. Kirchner

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Recent studies have reported that xylem waters in forest trees during the summer growing season are often isotopically similar to winter, rather than summer, precipitation. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this observation, which can be viewed as a form of ecohydrological separation, but empirical tests spanning space and time remain limited. We hypothesise that variations in the seasonal origin of precipitation found in tree xylem waters can be explained by seasonal differences in soil water recharge. We test this hypothesis by evaluating to what extent climatic aridity can explain seasonal signals in extensive surveys of the isotope ratios …

A Rapid Method For Identifying Plant Oxidative Stress And Implications For Riparian Vegetation Management, Mizanur Rahman, Takashi Asaeda, Kiyotaka Fukahori, Md Harun Rashid, Hideo Kawashima, Junichi Akimoto, Refah Tabassoom Anta

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Native and invasive plants of the riverain region undergo a range of environmental stresses that result in excess reactive oxygen species (ROS). Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a relatively stable and quickly quantifiable way among different ROS. The herbaceous species including Artemisia princeps, Sicyos angulatus, and Solidago altissima were selected. The H2O2 and photosynthetic pigment of leaves were measured, soil samples were analyzed to quantify macronutrients such as total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and soil moisture, and photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) was also recorded at different observed sites of Arakawa Tarouemon, Japan. The H2O2 concentration of S. altissima significantly …

Spatiotemporal Responses To A Rural Highway By Four Mammal Species, Caitlin K. Brett, Anna Rose Mehner, John H. Young Jr., Sarah E. Lehnen, Richard J. Kline

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Roads can negatively impact the wildlife communities they transect. Road mortalities from wildlife-vehicle collisions are one direct effect, but roads may also indirectly affect wildlife behavior, movement, or local distribution. Quantifying the spatial extent of these road-effects is important for understanding how roads indirectly affect species of concern, identifying potential sources of disturbance, and for estimating the effectiveness of road mitigation structures. Farm-to-Market Road (FM)106, which transects part of the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Cameron County, Texas, has been identified as a potential source of wildlife road mortalities, particularly for one of the two remaining breeding populations of …

Post-Wildfire Erosion And Sedimentation: An Escalating Threat For Utah Fisheries, Colton James, Kendall Becker, Scott Hotaling, Aish Chandrasekaran, Alex Fiedler, Timothy E. Walsworth, Patrick Belmont

All Current Publications

Wildfires are a natural part of the western U.S. landscape and provide numerous benefits, including enhanced nutrient cycling and habitat rejuvenation. Utah’s fish populations evolved with wildfire as a common disturbance. However, the increasing size and severity of wildfires, combined with Utah’s heavily engineered and fragmented stream networks, pose a contemporary risk to fish populations. This fact sheet reviews wildfire impacts on erosion and Utah's watersheds and fisheries. It outlines measures we can take to prevent post-wildfire fish die-offs.

Leveraging Weekly Snow Cover Time Series For Improved Glacier Monitoring And Modeling, Rainey Aberle, Ellyn M. Enderlin, David R. Rounce, Shad O'Neel, Brandon Tober, Alexandra Friel

Boise State University Publications and Presentations

Seasonal snow and ice melt strongly influence glacier mass balance, yet sparse sub-annual observations limit our understanding of seasonal dynamics. Here we construct and analyze weekly snow cover time series for 200 glaciers across western North America from 2013 to 2023 using an automated image processing pipeline. Snow cover varied widely across the region: snow minima timing varied with latitude — from August from 62 to 64N to October from 48 to 50N—and accumulation area ratios ranged from near-zero to 0.92 (median of 0.52). A comparison of snowlines from observations and the PyGEM glacier mass balance model revealed seasonally evolving …

Seeking Structure In Complex Systems: From Feature Analysis To Space-Time Causal Discovery With Earth Science Applications, Jeffrey J. Nichol

Computer Science ETDs

Complex systems are difficult to study because of their many interacting parts, emergent phenomena, and feedback loops. These systems underpin all life on Earth. We need improved tools for seeking an understanding of them. This body of research presents my investigations into data-driven methods for understanding complex systems, including my invention of a novel causal discovery meta-algorithm for space-time gridded data. I demonstrated machine learning feature importance and causal discovery capabilities for comparing simulated and observed climate data. I developed a new benchmark for modeling space-time dynamics of locally driven phenomena and examined a prominent causal discovery algorithm. Finding that …

One Year Of Analysis Of Pfas Contamination In Surface Waters Of The West Plains Region Of Spokane County, Jerusha R. Hampson

2025 Symposium

The West Plains has been significantly impacted by PFAS contamination due to the decades-long use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for firefighting training at both Fairchild Air Force Base (FAFB) and the Spokane International Airport (SIA). Groundwater contamination is significant, but less work had been done to understand contamination in surface waters. We now have over a year of data with most locations were sampled seasonally. Though FAFB and SIA are likely sources for some of the contamination, other, smaller sources exist. Surface waters are important to study as they form the boundaries of the West Plains and often function …

The Kentucky Microbiome Dataset, Rachel L. Washburn, Douglas C. Curl

Research Data--KGS

The Kentucky Microbiome Dataset is a continuously updated geolocated dataset which describes the distribution and diversity of microorganisms across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Each geolocated point represents a location reported in the peer-reviewed literature where microorganisms were sampled from soil, water, geologic substrates, or clinical settings. Environmental studies include only non-host-associated, non-clinical microorganisms sampled from natural environments. Clinical studies are mapped separately to highlight locations where investigations into host-associated or human health-related microbes have occurred.

For each location, associated metadata include study information, taxonomic classifications, sample type, sampling method, latitude and longitude, sampling date, publication reference, and a direct link …

Framework For Mapping Sublimation Features On Mars’ South Polar Cap Using Object-Based Image Analysis, Racine D. Cleveland, Vincent F. Chevrier, Jason A. Tullis

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mars’ south polar cap hosts dynamic landforms known as Swiss cheese features (SCFs), which form through the sublimation of carbon dioxide (CO2) ice driven by the planet’s extreme seasonal and diurnal solar insolation cycles. These shallow, rounded depressions—first identified by Mars Global Surveyor in 1999 and later monitored by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)—have been observed to increase in size over time. However, large-scale analysis of SCF formation and growth has been limited by the slow and labor-intensive nature of manual mapping techniques. This study applies object-based image analysis (OBIA) to automate the detection and measurement of SCFs using High-Resolution …

Remote Sensing-Based Assessment Of Evapotranspiration Patterns In A Unesco World Heritage Site Under Increasing Water Competition, Maria C. Moyano, Monica Garcia, Luis Juana, Laura Recuero, Lucia Tornos, Joshua B. Fisher, Néstor Fernández, Alicia Palacias-Orueta

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

In water-scarce regions, natural ecosystems and agriculture increasingly compete for limited water resources, intensifying stress during periods of drought. To assess these competing demands, we applied a modified PT-JPL model that incorporates the thermal inertial approach as a substitute for relative humidity (RH) in estimating soil evaporation—a method that significantly outperforms the original PT-JPL formulation in Mediterranean semi-arid irrigated areas. This remote sensing framework enabled us to quantify spatial and temporal variations in water use across both natural and agricultural systems within the UNESCO World Heritage site of Doñana. Our analysis revealed an increasing evapotranspiration (ET) trend in intensified agricultural …

Mitigation Behaviors Of Homeowners And Renters In The Wildland Urban Interface, Aishwarya Borate, Omar Pérez Figueroa, Douglas Houston, Christopher Ihinegbu, Ariane Jong-Levinger, Jochen E. Schubert, Brett F. Sanders

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Residential development within the wildland-urban interface (WUI) has greatly expanded in the United States since the 1990s, amplifying wildfire risk by placing people and structures in greater proximity to flammable vegetation. Household wildfire mitigation actions can vary substantially by cost, knowledge required, and perceived effectiveness, but few studies have examined them separately and how their adoption varies by housing tenure in the context of wildfires. To address this gap, we surveyed residents living in WUI areas within Southern California near recent burn scars in the Santa Ana and San Bernardino Mountain ranges. Drawing on the Protection Motivation Theory and the …

Onset Of The Messinian Salinity Crisis: Insights From Molecular Organic Geochemistry, Albert Permanyer, Michael A. Kruge, Luis Gibert

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) generated extensive anoxic sediments under the evaporitic deposits in marginal Mediterranean basins. In an interdisciplinary approach combining field work with multiple laboratory techniques, the oil source rock potential and biomarkers of pre-evaporitic Messinian sediments from the Caltanissetta Basin (Sicily) were evaluated using Rock-Eval pyrolysis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, isotopic analysis and optical and electron microscopy. Organic-rich samples from the 45 m Serra Pirciata section consist of cycles of diatomaceous and carbonate layers alternating with organic shales of variable TOC. The organic matter is mostly optically amorphous, increasing in content upwards in the section. Of the 43 …

A Novel Approach To Increase Accuracy In Remotely Sensed Evapotranspiration Through Basin Water Balance And Flux Tower Constraints, Kul Khand, Gabriel B. Senay, Mackenzie Friedrichs, Koong Yi, Joshua B. Fisher, Lixin Wang, Kosana Suvočarev, Arman Ahmadi, Housen Chu, Stephen Good, Kanishka Mallick, Justine Missik, Jacob A. Nelson, David E. Reed, Tianxin Wang, Xiangming Xiao

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Remote sensing-derived evapotranspiration (RSET) products capture the spatiotemporal variations of evapotranspiration (ET) from field to basin scales with unprecedented details. However, their accuracy varies across RSET estimation methods and diverse hydroclimate regions. While ET modeling efforts to account for biophysical processes and controlling parameters have made good progress in recent years, a parallel approach of integrating in-situ ET with RSET could reduce biases in RSET products. Basin water balance ET (WBET) and flux tower ET are widely applied to evaluate RSET accuracy, yet such ET measurements are rarely used for RSET bias corrections, especially for large area applications. To address …

The Astrobiological Figure Of Humboldt As Pioneer In The Rock Varnish Research, Jose Jordan-Soria

Homage to Alexander von Humboldt: Travels to and from Spain Throughout the Centuries / Homenaje a Alexander von Humboldt: Viajes hacia y desde España de todos los siglos

From Humboldt is particularly interesting -and little know- his description of mineral coatings on rocks 200 years ago, reported in his book Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent during the years 1799-1804, co-written with Aimé Bonpland, for which is considerate the father of rock coating research. On June 5th 1799 set sail from A Coruña -Spain- to Cumaná -Venezuela- beginning five years of expedition. While they explored the Orinoco River system, in th eriver basin waterfalls, Humboldt observed the presence of dark coating depositions. He ascertained a manganese-rich accretion, reporting similar structures in other …

جهود المملكة العربية السعودية في الاستجابة للكوارث والأزمات الدولية - "مركز الملك سلمان للإغاثة والأعمال الإنسانية إنموذجاً", عبدالله فريح العلي

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدف البحث إلى التعرف على دور مركز الملك سلمان للإغاثة والأعمال الإنسانية في الاستجابة للكوارث والأزمات الدولية، والتعرف على الكوارث والأزمات الدولية التي باشرها مركز الملك سلمان لإغاثة والأعمال الإنسانية في الدول المتضررة، والتعرف على نوعية المشاريع الاغاثية التي نفذها مركز الملك سلمان لإغاثة والأعمال الإنسانية، وكذلك التعرف على التحديات التي تواجه أعمال الإغاثة الإنسانية، واعتمد البحث على المنهج الوصفي التحليلي ومنهج دراسة الحالة. وتوصل البحث إلى عدة نتائج أهمها يعمل مركز الملك سلمان للإغاثة والأعمال الإنسانية وفق مستهدفات رؤية 2030 في تعزيز قنوات التواصل الخارجي والحضور الفاعل مع المنظمات فيما يتعلق بالأعمال الإنسانية، تعتبر المملكة العربية السعودية من أكبر …

Standard Operating Procedures For The Laser Particle Size Analysis Of Terrigenous Sediments And Soils, Sandra Passchier

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This report details the preferred standard operating procedures for use of the Malvern Mastersizer 3000 (MS 3000) laser particle sizer in the analysis of terrigenous sediments and soils. Materials with median grain size < 500 µm can be measured on the MS3000. Preparation methods of sediment and soil samples before placing them in the laser particle sizer are described and the details of and rational behind the instrument standard operating protocols.