Trees In Urban Environments: How Soil Quality Impacts Tree Performance, Saidan Qi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Cities around the world are increasingly investing in reforestation and afforestation efforts to mitigate impacts from climate change and population growth. However, urban soil conditions can be unfavorable for tree growth. Street trees are widely known to suffer from poor soil quality, but there has been no comprehensive review of this topic so far. Clean soils can be transported from nonurban areas to support cities’ green projects, but this approach is not sustainable. Artificial (constructed) soils can be created from various materials and have been proposed as an alternative medium for urban tree growth, but no research has been done …

Towards Sociobiogeochemistry: Critical Perspectives On Anthropogenic Alterations To Soil Nitrogen Chemistry Via U.S. Urban And Suburban Development, Christopher D. Ryan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The ecological impacts of changes to land use are relevant to concerns about climate change, eutrophication of waterbodies, and reductions in biodiversity. As a foundational component of ecosystem functioning, changes to soil biogeochemistry have significant effects on overall ecosystem health. With cities continuing to grow and develop in extent, the impacts of urbanization and suburbanization on soils are of particular concern. Despite a wide range of natural climatic and geologic conditions, several factors have driven similar patterns of land transformation and management across the United States. In particular, federal initiatives including the Home Owners Loan Corporation, the Federal Housing Administration, …

Low Elevation Coastal Zone (Lecz) Population Social Vulnerability And Risk: A Spatial Analysis Based On The 2015-16 National Family Health Survey (Nfhs-4) Of India, Paradorn Wongchanapai

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background & Problem Statement:

This study assessed social vulnerability and risk to hydroclimate hazards of Indian urban and rural populations in the Low Elevation Coastal Zone (LECZ), a contiguous coastal area with elevations less than 10 meters. The LECZ is considered an at-risk area as hydroclimate hazards tend to be heightened. Moreover, being the most populous country in the world, any hydroclimate hazards that hit the LECZ would disproportionately impact a large number of Indian populations. Understanding the social vulnerability and risk of the LECZ populations can help mitigate and prevent potential adverse outcomes for the populations.

Importantly, this study …

Integration Of Field- And Space-Based Observations Toward Assessing Drivers Of Biogeochemical Variability Across Vulnerable Coastal Ecosystems, Alana B. Menendez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis uses new field datasets and satellite ocean color products to quantify biogeochemical variability in three coastal regions: Long Island Sound estuary, the coastline of the Bay of Bengal extending east to the Mekong Delta, and the Yukon River Delta. These three study regions have vastly different size domains, climates, populations, and economies, but all require enhanced coastal water monitoring in the face of climate change. These regions are all naturally dynamic and experience strong seasonal phenomena but are also subject to changing hydrological forcings and direct anthropogenic perturbations. This leaves these coastal areas vulnerable to altered biogeochemical cycling, …

The Early Late Miocene Cessation Of Deep And Intermediate Water Circulation Through The Central American Seaway, Benjamin Stanley Kwiatkowski

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The state of the middle late Miocene global ocean circulations which regulated climate and affected deep ocean chemical environments were impacted by geographic changes. During the Miocene, cirum-equatorial circulations slowly decreased, which included through the seaway between the Americas called the Central American Seaway (CAS). Its shoaling and ultimate closing led to the onset of modern day oceanic circulation as characterized by the global thermohaline circulation. However, this seaway has a long hotly debated history concerning the timing of its restriction and shallowing owing in part to the shifting of tectonic plates.

The goal of this research focuses on investigating …

Analyzing The Effects Of Data Variability & Volume On Predicting Particulate Matter (Pm2.5): Insights From A Machine Learning Approach, Jada A. Macharie

Theses and Dissertations

Accurately predicting PM_2.5 concentrations are imperative to the future of public health and environmental policies. Machine learning models incorporating spatial and temporal datasets to predict PM_2.5 are often limited by data availability constraints and poor resolution satellite imagery.

Threading Unity Throughout Itaa: A Collaboration Of Fashion Academics Across Content Threading Unity: Apparel, Marketing, Beauty And Interior Design Within The Fashion Industry, Alyssa Dana Adomaitis, Carter Gabriel Averbeck, Kendel Bolton, Denise Sutton

Publications and Research

Sustainability has been an academic research topic of late that impacts more than just the fashion industry for apparel. Besides the apparel industry, marketing, beauty, and interior design are aware of the promise of sustainability for both the environment and consumers. Sustainability reduces its environmental impacts of pollutants such as carbon footprints and unsold inventory, protecting workers who create garments, and animal welfare (Biela-Weyenberg, 2023) which can impact the supply chain. “The United Nations established the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion in 2019 to hold fashion brands to a higher standard to create environmentally friendly apparel” (2023, p.1). Through modern …

It Is Normal: The Probability Distribution Of Temperature Extremes, Nir Y. Krakauer

Publications and Research

The probability of heat extremes is often estimated using the non-stationary generalized extreme value distribution (GEVD) applied to time series of annual maximum temperature. Here, this practice was assessed using a global sample of temperature time series, from reanalysis (both at the grid point and the region scale) as well as station observations. This assessment used forecast negative log-likelihood as the main performance measure, which is particularly sensitive to the most extreme heat waves. It was found that the computationally simpler normal distribution outperforms the GEVD in providing probabilistic year-ahead forecasts of temperature extremes. Given these findings, it is suggested …

Review Of Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto, Michael Kirby

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Clean Energy Transition Threatens Indigenous Land Rights, Jonnathan M. Pulla

Capstones

Indigenous communities in Jujuy, Argentina are protesting a constitutional reform that could lead to their displacement without consultation or exposure to contamination from extractive projects. The story is told from the perspective of Milagros Lamas, a 19-year-old indigenous woman who joined the movement known as the Third Malón de la Paz.

The False Promise That Guilt-Free Flying Is Just Around The Corner, Amanda Braitman

Capstones

Airlines are spending big bucks advertising “sustainable aviation fuel,” but some experts say it's greenwashing.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19ZejyJBgPGgleNXOWrHXKGF5WI1poQ8OyxSKg8PBNZI/edit?usp=sharing

Uncertainties In Retrieval Of Remote Sensing Reflectance From Ocean Color Satellite Observations, Eder I. Herrera Estrella

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Ocean Color radiometry uses remote sensing to interpret ocean dynamics by retrieving remote sensing reflectance (������) from satellite imagery at different scales and over different time periods. ������ spectrum characterizes the ocean color that we observe, and from which we can discern concentrations of chlorophyll, organic and inorganic particles, and carbon fluxes in the ocean and atmosphere. ������ is derived from the total radiance at the top of the atmosphere (TOA). However, it only represents up to ten percent of the total signal. Hence, the retrieval of ������ from the total radiance at TOA involves the application of atmospheric correction …

Characterization Of Boreal-Arctic Vegetation Growth Phases And Active Soil Layer Dynamics In The High-Latitudes Of North America: A Study Combining Multi-Year In Situ And Satellite-Based Observations, Michael G. Brown

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation examined the seasonal freeze/thaw activity in boreal-Arctic soils and vegetation physiology in Alaska, USA and Alberta, Canada, using in situ environmental measurements and passive microwave satellite observations. The boreal-Arctic high-latitudes have been experiencing ecosystem changes more rapidly in comparison to the rest of Earth due to the presently warming climatic conditions having a magnified effect over Polar Regions. Currently, the boreal-Arctic is a carbon sink; however, recent studies indicate a shift over the next century to become a carbon source. High-latitude vegetation and cold soil dynamics are influenced by climatic shifts and are largely responsible for the regions …

Weird Winter Weather In The Anthropocene: How Volatile Temperatures Shape Violent Crime, Christopher Thomas, Kevin T. Wolff

Publications and Research

Purpose: Current evidence suggests volatile temperatures are becoming more common because of climate change and can be expected to become even more frequent in the future. By focusing on recent temperature variability, we attempt to estimate one important dimension of the impact of climate change on violent crime. We also explore whether sudden upward temperature anomalies have stronger positive impacts on violent crime in the coldest months of the year, as routine activities are likely to change more drastically during this period.

Methods: This study explores the association between sudden temperature anomalies (both upward and downward) and the daily incidence …

The Water, Ji Kim

Open Educational Resources

Water is everywhere, thus, we tend to take it for granted. However, access to clean water has been inequitable; climate change is threatening the sea water level, causing the acidification of ocean water. In this project, we will investigate the environmental and social issues related to clean water and its impacts on our life by reading articles, watching videos, and exploring activities.

Advancing The Accuracy Of Watershed Analysis Across Diverse Hydrometeorological And Geologic Regimes Via Classification And Analysis Of Gpm-Imerg Products, Jake M. Longenecker

Dissertations and Theses

The analysis and protection of watersheds, along with spring water resources, depend on the accurate identification of catchments. Building on previous research that correlated spring hydrographs with high-resolution, satellite-based Global Precipitation Measurement – Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (GPM-IMERG) data, I improve the speed and accuracy of catchment identification and hydrodynamic characterization via an enhanced Empirically Constrained Hydrologic Operation (ECHO) algorithm. This research (1) establishes optimal parameter inputs for the algorithm to enable reliable identification of source point-locations, (2) removes human in-the-loop processing, and thus reduce potential operator bias, and (3) explores the potential for using a limited dataset of …

Futures On Dry Ground: Anthropology And Coastal Planning, Theodore Hilton, Sheehan Moore

Publications and Research

Around the world, governments, industry, and other actors are creating plans to save coasts from environmental crisis. Louisiana is one prominent example: levees and other measures protect oil and gas infrastructure from inundation as the wetlands buffer rapidly erodes—in large part due to that same industry. The state’s primary answer to land loss is a $50 billion Coastal Master Plan. To illuminate such responses in Louisiana and globally, this article reviews emerging literature and frames an anthropology of coastal planning around three themes: (1) novel orientations toward time and space, (2) the reproduction of power and capital in the name …

Shallow Water Coral Distribution And Its Response To Climate Change, Amaury De Jesus

Dissertations and Theses

Shallow water corals are one of the main reef-building organisms that secrete carbonates as their skeletons, and therefore, are one of the major sinks of CO2 in the ocean. These reef builders are also very crucial to marine environments and human society. As the global energy demand continues rising, fossil fuel burning increases at a faster pace despite the increase in energy supply using clean and renewable energy. The increase of CO2 in the atmosphere has been shown to exacerbate global warming and may cause ocean acidification, threatening the habitat of shallow-water corals. Many recent observations show alarming signs of …

Pakistan, India And The Indus River Basin, Muquadas Ilyas

Dissertations and Theses

Water is a fundamental need of all living things. The right to clean water is classified as a human right under United Nations Resolution 64/292.As such it is the responsibility of governments to ensure its citizens are not deprived of this essential resource. In doing so, effective water management is crucial to provide clean water that is accessible to everyone regardless of any challenges such as geographical constraints or political disputes. This thesis explores the water management efforts of Pakistan and India. These countries are facing a water crisis, whereby numerous citizens have died due to dehydration and diseases contracted …

Changes To Sea Surface Temperatures And Vertical Wind Shear And Their Influence On Tropical Cyclone Activity In The Caribbean And The Main Developing Region, Keneshia Hibbert, Equisha Glenn, Thomas M. Smith, Jorge E. González-Cruz

Publications and Research

Sea surface temperatures and vertical wind shear are essential to tropical cyclone formation. TCs need warm SSTs and low shear for genesis. Increasing SSTs and decreasing VWS influences storm development. This work analyzes SST and VWS trends for the Caribbean, surrounding region, and the Atlantic hurricane main developing region from 1982–2020. Storm intensity increases significantly during this period. Annual and seasonal trends show that regional SSTs in the MDR are warming annually at 0.0219 °C yr⁻¹ and, per season, 0.0280 °C yr⁻¹. Simultaneously, VWS decreases during the late rainfall season, at 0.056 m/s yr⁻¹ in the …

Ecological Niche Comparison Among Closely Related Tree Species Of Lauraceae Using Climatic And Edaphic Data, Laura J. Giraldo-Kalil, Gonzalo E. Pinilla Buitrago, Andrés Lira-Noriega, Francisco Lorea-Hernández, Juan Núñez-Farfán

Publications and Research

ABSTRACT:

Edaphic specialization is considered to promote ecological differentiation among closely related species of Damburneya (Lauraceae) occurring in sympatry. However, little is known about the effects of soil and other key environmental factors like climate on the ecological niche and distribution of these tree species. Here, we assessed the role of climate and soil on niche divergence and potential distribution of four Damburneya species whose distributions span Central America and Mexico. We performed ecological niche modeling with MaxEnt using three sets of environmental data: climatic-only, edaphic-only, and a combination of both, to characterize species niches and suitable distribution areas. Niche …

Quantity Of Questing Black-Legged Ticks And Associated Micro-Scale Environmental Data Collected From Four Suburban Parks Near New York City, Shipeng Sun, Chong Di, Li Li, Brian Sulkow, Weigang Qiu

Publications and Research

During 2017 and 2018, we collected the quantity of questing black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis), also known as deer ticks, in 124 sampling sites of 5m by 5m in four state parks—Caumsett State Historic Park, Connetquot River State Park, Rockefeller State Park, and Fire Island National Seashore—around New York City. The black-legged tick is the primary vector for the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, the pathogen of Lyme disease, in Northeastern United States. Using the flagging method, we collected and counted the numbers of adult and nymphal black-legged ticks at each site. Along with these quantities, we also recorded the …

To Destroy Or Transform? Two Fossil Fuel Transitions Offer Glimpse Into Industry’S Future, Chloe Bennett, Sarah Kerson

Capstones

In 2019, the Philadelphia Energy Solutions oil refinery closed after a dangerous explosion. But for years before the accident, members of the local environmental justice organization Philly Thrive had been advocating for its closure. Neighborhood residents who live near the refinery site had been complaining for years of health problems, ranging from asthma to cancer. “Enough is enough,” says Sylvia Bennett, 79, who lives in the Grays Ferry neighborhood near where the refinery is located. Her two daughters have both been diagnosed with cancer.

What will become of the refinery site remains to be seen as conversations between Hilco and …

Secondhand Shopping Is Now The Coolest Way To Get Your Clothes, Camryn Quick

Capstones

Shopping secondhand has experienced an uptick in popularity in the past few years. There are a few reasons for this, all of which are examined in the project. One reason for the increase in secondhand shoppers is the daunting news about the state of our environment. Another reason, perhaps even more powerful than the fear of environmental collapse, is that thrifting has become a fashion phenomenon showcased and distributed throughout social media apps like TikTok. Essentially, shopping secondhand has become cool. This project explores these driving forces behind the thrifting boom, as well as the possible impacts, including "thrift store …

Scientists And Activists Work To Save The Planet, Myriam G. Vidal Valero

Capstones

Climate change and human intervention in nature are affecting people, ecosystems and ways of living all over the world. This portfolio of environmental pieces showcases the dire consequences of not addressing these issues, how solutions can be reached and the challenges facing those who try to change things.

High Resolution Modeling Of Vegetation Reveals Large Summertime Biogenic Co2 Fluxes In New York City, Dandan Wei, Andrew Reinmann, Luke D. Schiferl, Roisin Commane

Advanced Science Research Center

Cities are beginning to monitor atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) to assess the efficacy of their climate policies. However, changes in anthropogenic CO₂ emissions must be separated from biospheric CO₂ fluxes which have a large seasonal cycle. Urban vegetation (e.g. lawns, trees along street and in parks, etc) in developed land covers is often omitted in regional biogenic CO₂ flux models. We set up a biosphere model to estimate the regional biogenic CO₂ fluxes in New York City (NYC) and assess the importance of vegetation within developed land covers. The model incorporates a high-resolution (30 …

The Living Breakwaters Pdr Efforts Econcrete Resource Analysis, Guianina Ferrari, Shervon Stephens, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy impacted 443,000 people and caused nearly $19 billion (about $58 per person in the US) worth of damage within New York City. As part of the New York City infrastructure reparation plan, the Living Breakwaters project in Tottenville addressed coastal resilience, allocating $100M of public funds to a series of artificial breakwaters by the southwest coast of Staten Island. Each breakwater is constructed and designed to mitigate water flow in storm events. ECOncrete, a primary element of the breakwater, is a specialty cast cementitious product that is marine organism-friendly that encourages biocalcification and photosynthesis. …

Systematic Review Of A Ramsar Wetland And Unesco Biosphere Reserve In A Climate Change Hotspot (Ichkeul Lake, Tunisia), Sabrine Sahbani, Béchir Béjaoui, Sihem Benabdalla, Rachid Toujani, Afef Fathalli, Noureddine Zaaboub, Jalel Aouissi, Zeineb Kassouk, Nabil Hamdi, Nabiha Ben Mbarek, Hechmi Missaoui, Leila Basti, Reginald Blake, Hamidreza Norouzi

Publications and Research

Tunisia's Ichkeul Lake is among the most productive ecosystems in the Mediterranean, with a great regional value thanks to its diversity of habitats. It is an important overwintering area for waterfowl species. It is a RAMSAR wetland, a National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage, and a Biosphere Reserve. This review paper provides a broad overview of the climatic, hydraulic, biogeochemical features, bio-resources, and bio-productivity of the Lake. The interconnectivity between the different environmental components of the lake is presented, highlighting the main characteristics of this vital ecosystem. Its ecosystem consists of a permanent lake bordered by temporary marshes. It is …

Ammonium Adduct Chemical Ionization To Investigate Anthropogenic Oxygenated Gas-Phase Organic Compounds In Urban Air, Peeyush Khare, Jordan E. Krechmer, Jo E. Machesky, Tori Hass-Mitchell, Cong Cao, Junqi Wang, Francesca Majluf, Felipe Lopez-Hilfiker, Sonja Malek, Will Wang, Karl Seltzer, Havala O. T. Pye, Roisin Commane, Brian C. Mcdonald, Ricardo Toledo-Crow, John E. Mak, Drew R. Gentner

Advanced Science Research Center

Volatile chemical products (VCPs) and other non-combustion-related sources have become important for urban air quality, and bottom-up calculations report emissions of a variety of functionalized compounds that remain understudied and uncertain in emissions estimates. Using a new instrumental configuration, we present online measurements of oxygenated organic compounds in a US megacity over a 10 d wintertime sampling period, when biogenic sources and photochemistry were less active. Measurements were conducted at a rooftop observatory in upper Manhattan, New York City, USA using a Vocus chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer, with ammonium (NH as the reagent ion operating at 1 Hz. The …

Geochemical Analysis Of Recent Volcanic Ash Blanketing Barbados And Constraints On Magma Composition (V32e-0112), Nazrul I. Khandaker, Krishna Mahabir, Surendranauth Mahabir, Lloyd Kiefer, Juan C. Campo, Andrew M. Singh

Publications and Research

Preliminary field and geochemical investigations were conducted on ash samples from Barbados to chemically characterize and decipher magma chemistry associated with a recent volcanic event. A thick plume of volcanic ash from the La Soufriere Volcano in St Vincent, which erupted on April 9, 2021, caused lower visibility due to ash clouds which engulfed the region for some time. Three authors from the research team visited Barbados during the summer subsequent and completed a reconnaissance investigation on recent ashfall. St Vincent is a small volcanic island in the Eastern Caribbean and lies in the southern part of the Lesser Antilles …