Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Variability In Parasites’ Community Structure And Composition In Cat Fish With Respect To Level Of Pollution In Mwanza Gulf, Lake Victoria, Tanzania, C. J. Mwita

Tanzania Journal of Science

This study investigated the composition and structure of the parasite communities in Cat fish with respect to levels of water pollution in Lake Victoria. A total of 1071 Clarias gariepinus with mean TL range of 19 to 27 cm were analyzed from three localities in Mwanza Gulf (Kirumba, 298 fish infected with 15 parasite species), Nyegezi (376 fish, with 15 parasites species) and Malimbe (397 fish, with 16 parasites species). Trematodes and nematodes dominated the population with six (35.3%) and five (29.4%) species, respectively. Mean species richness and heteroxenous/monoxenous ratio showed significant changes (Fr = 8.000; p = 0.0046), being …

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering October 1, 2011 To December 31, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database decreased by 20.7% over the last quarter. The database now contains 7,072 records.
• Results show an average of 1,080 visits per month, and with an average of 2,328 pages viewed per month.
• Get Outdoors Nevada supported 22 volunteer events in a variety of ways. These events utilized 867 volunteers whom contributed approximately 3,774.5 hours of service.
• Two community outreach events were attended, resulting in 476 direct contacts with 50 names added to the database.
• The 7th Annual Volunteer Recognition Banquet was held on 11/5/11 with 156 volunteers in attendance.

Limnological Assistance For Lake Mead National Recreation Area: Quarterly Report, Period Ending December 31, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Project 1

• Technical assistance with the implementation of the Interagency Monitoring Action Plan (IMAP) for Quagga Mussels is ongoing; remaining analyses are underway with report delivery rescheduled for 05/2012.
• Data have been delivered for Veliger abundance and settlement at different depths of Lake Mead with report delivery re-scheduled for 05/2012.
• Growth of adult quagga mussels within Las Vegas Wash/Las Vegas Bay
• The Interagency Quagga Mussel Meeting was held on 11/17/2011; the next meeting is scheduled for 02/16/2011.

Project 2

• Appendix 7, an addition to the Long-term Limnological and Aquatic Resource Monitoring and Research Plan for Lakes Mead and Mohave, has …

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Annual Progress Report, Period Covering January 1, 2011 - December 31, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• A meeting of stakeholders across Nevada was held to explore the potential for statewide collaboration on litter and dumping issues.
• Website activity for the first three quarters of the year averaged 1,122 hits per month, with an average of 1,927 pages viewed per month.
• The team attended 12 community outreach events resulting in 2,154 direct contacts and 324 new mailing list records.
• The Take Pride in America (TPIA) in Southern Nevada completed a total of 41 volunteer events contributing a total of 10,779 volunteer hours.
• The TPIA team filed a no-cost extension to SNPLMA and received an extension until December …

Science With A Skew: The Nuclear Power Industry After Chernobyl And Fukushima, Gayle Greene

Scripps Faculty Publications and Research

It is one of the marvels of our time that the nuclear industry managed to resurrect itself from its ruins at the end of the last century, when it crumbled under its costs, inefficiencies, and mega-accidents. Chernobyl released hundreds of times the radioactivity of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs combined, contaminating more than 40% of Europe and the entire Northern Hemisphere. But along came the nuclear lobby to breathe new life into the industry, passing off as “clean” this energy source that polluted half the globe. The “fresh look at nuclear”—in the words of a New York Times makeover piece …

Efficacy Of A Novel Chelator For Mercury Chelation And Distribution, David Harold Clarke

Student Theses and Dissertations

Mercury is found throughout the environment with a distribution on a global scale in nearly all terrestrial to marine environments. Biotransformation of divalent mercury and subsequent bioaccumulation of organo-mercury species is catalyzed by sulfate reducing bacteria. Trophic transport of the resultant methyl mercury, a highly toxic species, leads to upward accumulation in the trophic structure of aquatic environments and ultimately to human exposure through consumption of methyl mercury laden fish. The potential for human health risk has made mercury a high priority environmental contaminant. Research aimed at assessing the within-organism fate of mercury using a genetically tractable mammalian model is …

Ensemble Forecast Spread Induced By Soil Moisture Changes Over Mid-South And Neighbouring Midwestern Region Of The Usa, Arturo I. Quintanar, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

This study investigated the potential impact of soil moisture perturbations on the statistical spread of an ensemble forecast for three different synoptic events during the summer of 2006. Soil moisture was perturbed from a control simulation to generate a 12 member ensemble with six drier and six moister soils. The impacts on the near-surface atmospheric conditions and on precipitation were analysed. It was found, as previous studies have confirmed, that soil moisture can change the spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation and of the overlying circulation. It was found that regardless of the conditions in synoptic forcing, temperature, relative humidity …

Proposing A Path For Sustainability Curricula: Identifying Core Thinking And Learning Elements For Sustainability Higher Education, Timothy F. Botkin

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Research indicates that sustainability higher education (SHE) has been promoted since the 1970s but has not achieved satisfactory progress in meeting original goals. Reflecting the evasive nature of sustainability as a goal, SHE programs appear stunted and there is little overall guidance with regard to curricula development. This dissertation addresses this issue by conducting a comprehensive literature research and sampling of those in sustainability post-graduate programs in an effort to determine an articulable set of core thinking and learning elements to assist in implementing SHE programs. Initial research identified fifteen core element candidates. These were incorporated into a survey sent …

Residential Solar Energy In The Valley: A Feasibility Assessment And Carbon Mitigation, Deanna Leigh Zimmerman

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This project explores whether the Shenandoah Valley can achieve its 25x’25 goals in the residential sector using the two most feasible solar energy technologies, solar photovoltaic electric power production and solar thermal hot water generation. After a review of the barriers to the adoption of solar energy in households, the potential rates of adoption and energy output are estimated using U.S. Census data and Department of Energy data. Multiple scenarios are explored, including the “maximum theoretical” contribution of solar energy to the residential sector as well as scenarios of household behavior under different constraints. With respect to solar photovoltaic, it …

Integrated Waste Management As A Climate Change Stabilization Wedge For The Maletese Islands, Clyde Falzon

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Planet Earth is finding difficulty in dealing with the continuous increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. This is leading to change in climate which leads to extensive damage to communities, ecosystems and resources. This study is focussed on the waste sector which is the second largest greenhouse gas emitter in the Maltese islands after the energy (including transport) sector. Moreover, if practiced according to standards, waste management can lead to emission reduction. This work is based on the stabilisation wedges strategy and specifically focused on the integrated waste management wedge. Moreover in this work a life cycle assessment methodology is …

The Examination Of The Feasibility Of Implementing A Biosphere Reserve In The Maltese Islands : Applying A Conservation Value Evaluation Framework, Alexander Borg

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Biosphere reserves are protected areas which are internationally recognized within the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s Man and the Biosphere Programme for promoting and establishing a balanced relationship between people and nature. Biosphere reserve management is guided by principles of biodiversity conservation; sustainable development; local, national and international partnership and support; local capacity-building; research and monitoring and co-operative management that is multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder and locally-based. The research evaluated the feasibility of implementing the biosphere reserve concept in the Maltese Islands. This was studied by applying a conservation framework which consisted of holistic conservation value appraisal criteria – incorporating …

Development Of A Methodology For Dormitory Energy Load Estimation And Analysis, John Michael Real

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

In recent years interest in reducing energy consumption at the building levels has been increasing, especially in the higher education sector. Many examples exist of higher education institutions reducing their environmental impact through energy consumption reductions, however the majority of these are anecdotal examples and it is difficult to replicate these initiatives at other institutions, either due to resource constraints, financial constraints, or a lack of reproducible methodology. This issue is further compounded by the fact that a generalized methodology does not exist for the purposes of estimating building energy loads, especially in dormitories in the absence of expensive and …

2011 Fall Engr333 Project Final Report, Fall 2011 Engr333

ENGR 333

Analysis of the Bunker Interpretive Center (BIC) began during the spring of 2011 with the Engineering 382 Instrumentation Lab. To determine the energy use at the BIC, sensing equipment was placed on 44 different energy consuming devices, ranging from pumps to lights to heating and ventilation (HVAC) equipment. These data were collected over the spring and summer and then analyzed by the Engineering 333 Thermal Systems Design class during the fall of 2011. The class was tasked with determining whether or not the BIC was eligible for Energy Star certification. While the building was built to be LEED Gold certified, …

The Chernobyl Disaster : Reflection After 25 Years = 切爾諾貝爾核災難25年後的反思, Valentin Yakushik

South South Forum 南南論壇

The adverse technogenic impact of industrial accidents that have gripped the world in recent decades definitely testifies to the problem-ridden character of contemporary economic and technological development. This is especially evident on the example of nuclear industry, which proved to be a source of dangerous pollution in case of potential (and real) catastrophes, as recently borne out by the Fukushima disaster. In this regard, the issues of Chernobyl disaster once again become the part of the discourse centered on the analysis of global nuclear industry problems. Likewise, current situation in Ukraine demands deeper investigation of the problems of technological development, …

Characterizing The Sediment Provenance Of East Antarctica's Weak Underbelly: The Aurora And Wilkes Sub-Glacial Basins, Elizabeth L. Pierce, Trevor Williams, Tina Van De Flierdt, Sidney R. Hemming, Steven L. Goldstein, Stefanie A. Brachfeld

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

[1] The Wilkes and Aurora basins are large, low-lying sub-glacial basins that may cause areas of weakness in the overlying East Antarctic ice sheet. Previous work based on ice-rafted debris (IRD) provenance analyses found evidence for massive iceberg discharges from these areas during the late Miocene and Pliocene. Here we characterize the sediments shed from the inferred areas of weakness along this margin (94°E to 165°E) by measuring40Ar/39Ar ages of 292 individual detrital hornblende grains from eight marine sediment core locations off East Antarctica and Nd isotopic compositions of the bulk fine fraction from the same sediments. We further expand …

The Role Of Attached And Free-Living Bacteria In Biodegradation In Karst Aquifers, Roger Painter, Tom Byl, Lonnie Sharpe, Ahmad Kheder, Justin Harris

Civil and Architectural Engineering Faculty Research

Natural attenuation of groundwater contamination occurs at some level for all aquifers impacted with organic contaminants. The issues regarding natural attenuation are whether it takes place at a sufficient rate to be protective of human health and the environment. Implementation of a Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) remedial alternative for groundwater requires parties responsible for the contamination to demonstrate to regulators and the public that MNA is protective at a given site. Analysis of MNA for remediation of karst aquifers is hampered by a lack of understanding of biodegradation in karst environments. The lack of studies examining biodegradation in karst aquifers …

The Fierce Green Fire: Vol. 2 Issue 13, Wofford College Environmental Studies Program

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.

2011 Fall Engr333 Student Seminar Presentation, 2011 Fall Engr333

ENGR 333

File for student presentation, given by students in the Fall 2010 class of ENGR333.

Analyzing Ecohydrology Of Subirrigated Meadow, Dry Valley And Upland Dune Ecosystems Using Remote Sensing And In-Situ Estimations In The Semiarid Sand Hills Region Of Nebraska, Usa, Nathan C. Healey

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

Nebraska’s dependence upon the High Plains (Ogallala) Aquifer for agricultural production is vital to the state’s economy, ecology and hydrology. The Sand Hills region (58,000 km²) of Nebraska is a unique system of lakes, (~5%) wetlands, (~10%) subirrigated meadows, (~20%) dry valleys and (~65%) upland sand dune ecosystems. Understanding how each of these land cover types reacts to climate conditions of different water limitations is vital to regional water resource management. This research explores the ecohydrological behavior of different land cover types at the Gudmundsen Sand Hills Research Laboratory (GSRL) near Whitman, Nebraska in the heart of the …

Climate Change And Climate Variability: El Salvador – Impacts On Productivity Of Grain Crops And Opportunities For Management And Improvement, P. V. Vara Prasad

INTSORMIL Presentations

1. Climate change and climate variability (past and future).

2. Climate change and variability in El Salvador (climate models).

3. Impact of temperature on grain yield of dry bean, maize and sorghum in El Salvador (crop simulation models).

4. Effects of temperature, drought and/or carbon dioxide: experimental evidence (response of grain sorghum, maize and dry bean).

5. Opportunities for crop management and genetic improvement.

Model Comparisons For Estimating Carbon Emissions From North American Wildland Fire, Nancy H. F. French, Willam J. De Groot, Liza K. Jenkins, Brendan M. Rogers, Ernesto Alvarado, Brian Amiro, Bernardus De Jong, Scott Goetz, Elizabeth Hoy, Edward Hyer, Robert Keane, B. E. Law, Donald Mckenzie, Steven G. Mcnulty, Roger Ottmar, Diego R. Perez-Salicrup, James Randerson, Kevin M. Robertson, Merritt Turetsky

Michigan Tech Research Institute Publications

Research activities focused on estimating the direct emissions of carbon from wildland fires across North America are reviewed as part of the North American Carbon Program disturbance synthesis. A comparison of methods to estimate the loss of carbon from the terrestrial biosphere to the atmosphere from wildland fires is presented. Published studies on emissions from recent and historic time periods and five specific cases are summarized, and new emissions estimates are made using contemporary methods for a set of specific fire events. Results from as many as six terrestrial models are compared. We find that methods generally produce similar results …

Vulnerability Of High Latitude Soil Organic Carbon In North America To Disturbance, Guido Grosse, Jennifer Harden, Merritt Turetsky, David A. Mcguire, Philip Camill, Charles Tarnocai, Steve Frolking, Edward A.G. Schuur, Torre Jorgenson, Sergei Marchenko, Vladimir Romanovsky, Kimberly P. Wickland, Nancy H. F. French, Mark Waldrop, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, Robert G. Striegl

Michigan Tech Research Institute Publications

This synthesis addresses the vulnerability of the North American high-latitude soil organic carbon (SOC) pool to climate change. Disturbances caused by climate warming in arctic, subarctic, and boreal environments can result in significant redistribution of C among major reservoirs with potential global impacts. We divide the current northern high-latitude SOC pools into (1) near-surface soils where SOC is affected by seasonal freeze-thaw processes and changes in moisture status, and (2) deeper permafrost and peatland strata down to several tens of meters depth where SOC is usually not affected by short-term changes. We address key factors (permafrost, vegetation, hydrology, paleoenvironmental history) …

Adaptive Management Of Bull Trout Populations In The Lemhi Basin, Andrew J. Tyre, James T. Peterson, Sarah J. Converse, Tiffany Bogich, Damien Miller, Max Post Van Der Burg, Carmen Thomas, Ralph Thompson, Jeri Wood, Donna C. Brewer, Michael C. Runge

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The bull trout Salvelinus confluentus, a stream-living salmonid distributed in drainages of the northwestern United States, is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act because of rangewide declines. One proposed recovery action is the reconnection of tributaries in the Lemhi Basin. Past water use policies in this core area disconnected headwater spawning sites from downstream habitat and have led to the loss of migratory life history forms. We developed an adaptive management framework to analyze which types of streams should be prioritized for reconnection under a proposed Habitat Conservation Plan. We developed a Stochastic Dynamic Program that identified optimal …

Characterizing The Performance Of Ecosystem Models Across Time Scales: A Spectral Analysis Of The North American Carbon Program Site-Level Synthesis, Michael C. Dietze, Rodrigo Vargas, Andrew D. Richardson, Paul C. Stoy, Alan G. Barr, Ryan S. Anderson, M. Altaf Arain, Ian T. Baker, T. Andrew Black, Jing M. Chen, Philippe Ciais, Lawrence B. Flanagan, Christopher M. Gough, Robert F. Grant, David Hollinger, R. Cesar Izaurralde, Christopher J. Kucharik, Peter Lafleur, Shugang Liu, Erandathie Lokupitiya, Yiqi Luo, J. William Munger, Changhui Peng, Benjamin Poulter, David T. Price, Daniel M. Ricciuto, William J. Riley, Alok Kumar Sahoo, Kevin Schaefer, Andrew E. Suyker, Hanqin Tian, Christina Tonitto, Hans Verbeeck, Shashi B. Verma, Weifeng Wang, Ensheng Weng

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Ecosystem models are important tools for diagnosing the carbon cycle and projecting its behavior across space and time. Despite the fact that ecosystems respond to drivers at multiple time scales, most assessments of model performance do not discriminate different time scales. Spectral methods, such as wavelet analyses, present an alternative approach that enables the identification of the dominant time scales contributing to model performance in the frequency domain. In this study we used wavelet analyses to synthesize the performance of 21 ecosystem models at 9 eddy covariance towers as part of the North American Carbon Program’s site-level intercomparison. This study …

Heritable Choice Of Colony Size In Cliff Swallows: Does Experience Trump Genetics In Older Birds?, Erin A. Roche, Charles R. Brown, Mary Bomberger Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The variation in breeding colony size seen in populations of most colonial birds may reflect heritable choices made by individuals that are phenotypically specialized for particular social environments. Although a few studies have reported evidence for genetically based choice of group sizes in birds, we know relatively little about the extent to which animals potentially rely on experience versus innate preferences in deciding how many conspecifics to settle with at different times of their lives. We conducted a cross-fostering experiment in 1997–1998 on cliff swallows, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, in southwestern Nebraska, USA, in which some individuals were reared in colonies …

Chilling A Hot Planet: Many Solutions, No Answers, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

If there was a report card on how the world is doing on issues related to climate change, it would read a resounding 'F'. Consider the figures. It took about 12,500 years between the last glacial age and today for global temperatures to rise six degrees Celsius. Yet in this century alone – despite heightened awareness of the need to arrest the ever-increasing levels of greenhouse gas emission – temperatures have risen up to four degrees Celsius.

Manuscript Content: Where Does It Belong?, Christopher N. Jacques

The Prairie Naturalist

One of the most common issues we address during content editing of papers for The Prairie Naturalist (journal) is the appropriate placement of content in the text body. Based on my experience with the editorial process, content placement also is one of the issues that authors are most resistant to suggestions or do not fully understand why we are so persistent about it (Thompson 2010). One of the primary objectives of scientific writing is to concisely and accurately disseminate information. Scientific papers are structured to help both the author and reader accomplish this objective. The material that belongs in each …

Environmental Influences On Juvenile Fish Abundances In A River-Dominated Coastal System, Laure Carassou, Brian Dzwonkowski, Frank J. Hernandez, Jr., Sean P. Powers, William M. Graham, Kyeong Park, John Mareska

University Faculty and Staff Publications

We investigated the influence of climatic and environmental factors on variations in juvenile abundances of marine fishes in a river-dominated coastal system of the north-central Gulf of Mexico, where an elevated primary productivity sustains fisheries of high economic importance. Fish were collected monthly with an otter trawl at three stations near Mobile Bay from 1982 to 2007. Fish sizes were used to isolate juvenile stages within the data set, and monthly patterns in juvenile fish abundance and size were then used to identify seasonal peaks for each species. The average numbers of juvenile fish collected during these seasonal peaks in …

Comparison Of Fish Communities In Recently Constructed Side-Channel Chutes With The Main Stem Missouri River, Kasey Whiteman, Vincent H. Travnichek, Darrick L. Garner, Brandon Eder, Kirk Steffensen

The Prairie Naturalist

Two United States Army Corp of Engineers- (USACE) funded projects were conducted from 2006 to 2008 along the Missouri River to monitor fish communities in recently constructed side-channel chutes and to monitor pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) and the associated fish assemblage in the main stem Missouri River. Data from both monitoring projects were compared to evaluate fish assemblages among four mitigated habitats (e.g., constructed side-channel chutes) and the main-stem Missouri River. Chutes had a greater overall number of species (n = 59) and higher species richness (Margalef’s index = 5.81), but richness was not different (F1, 4 = …

Surface Water Characteristics Of The Weaber Plain And Lower Keep River Catchments: Data Review And Preliminary Results, D L. Bennett, Richard J. George Dr

Resource management technical reports

In 2008, the Ord Irrigation Expansion Project was approved by the Western Australian Government to develop irrigated agriculture on the Weaber Plain.

An important concern is the effect the Weaber Plain agricultural development may have on the water quality of the downstream Border Creek and Keep River

This report assembles and reviews all available physico-chemical water quality data for the lower Keep River and Border Creek systems and presents data from the initial year of a targeted baseline monitoring program (June 2010 – June 2013).