Environmental Health and Protection Commons^™

Evaluating Potential Effects Of 2019 Australian Bushfires On Animal Species, Protected Land, And Land Cover, Alyssa J. Kaewwilai

Student Publications

The 2019-2020 Australian bushfire event had exceptionally dry, hot conditions as well as high potential impacts on the country’s wildlife and natural resources. The purpose of the study was to analyze the potential impacts of the 2019 Australian bushfire event on animal species, protected land, and varied land cover types. The research question of this project is: how does the location of the Australian Bushfires of 2020 potentially impact animal species, protected land and national parks, as well as different land covers? Raster calculator was used to combine and classify layers from the MODIS Burned Area Product of burned (1) …

The Lasting Impacts Of Mass Consumerism And The Disposable Culture: A Proposition For The Development Of Plastic Shopping Bag Bans In Texas Law, David Brewster

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Article addresses the developing state of plastic bag bans in Texas municipal and state jurisprudence. The Article recites the history of plastic bag bans and their impacts on the environment, the issues pertinent to municipal powers as regulatory devices, and analyzes the most recent case regarding bag bans in Texas, which is the Texas Supreme Court’s opinion in City of Laredo v. Laredo Merchants Association. The Article makes suggestions about how to move forward in developing municipal plastic bag bans for the benefit of the environment, and addresses the immediate impacts of bag ban litigation and legislation in …

Assessing The Feasibility, Costs, And Benefits Of Transitioning Part Of The University Of South Carolina Shuttle Fleet To An Alternative Fuel Source And Promoting Anti-Idling Strategies, Eva L. James

Senior Theses

The current University of South Carolina shuttle fleet is made up of eleven (11) light duty shuttles and thirteen (13) heavy duty school buses, all of which rely on gasoline and diesel fuel sources. This study intends to assess the environmental, health, and economic tradeoffs of switching part of the existing University shuttle fleet to an alternative fuel source: compressed natural gas (CNG) or propane (LPG). This study also includes detailed, fleet specific idling-cost calculations to encourage the adoption of recommended anti-idling strategies. Following an exhaustive analysis of the available literature that addresses the feasibility of a partial CNG or …

Crude Intentions: Evaluating The Growing Risks Of Arctic Alaskan Oil Production, Eliot Stein

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The discovery of oil on Alaska’s North Slope in the 1920s began a century of fossil fuel exploration, development, and production in the Arctic region. Alaska became integral to the nation’s growing energy dominance. However, since 1988, oil production on the North Slope has been in steady decline. In 2015, Shell, followed by several other oil majors, terminated their Arctic Alaska operations. This past year, BP made waves by ending six decades of operations in Alaska. Most recently, five of the six major U.S. banks announced they would no longer finance Arctic oil and gas projects. This paper analyzes these …

La Inclusión De La Mujer Indígena Y El Conocimiento En La Conservación Biológica En El Perú, Ivyanna Colon-Greider

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El Perú es uno de los países más biodiversos en el mundo. Sin embargo, esta diversidad biológica está amenazada por el cambio climático. Para poder combatir este fenómeno, tenemos que incluir la mujer y sus saberes en la toma de decisiones sobre el manejo conservatorio de la biodiversidad. La meta a través de este estudio es presentar el estado actual del medioambiente y la mujer indígena, mostrar las vinculaciones entre el rol de la mujer indígena y sus saberes en la conservación de la diversidad biológica en Perú y hacer un plan multifacético que reconoce los tres temas con una …

La Justicia Medioambiental Y La Minería Aurífera: Las Implicaciones De La Deforestación Y La Contaminación De Metales Pesados En Madre De Dios, Perú, Madison Scully

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Usando un marco teórico de justicia medioambiental y de colonialidad, este informe describe, analiza e interprete los impactos ecológicos de la minería aurífera en Madre de Dios, una región amazónica del Perú. Específicamente, este informe trata las consecuencias de la deforestación y la contaminación por mercurio causadas por esta industria para la salud y el bienestar de los pueblos indígenas de Madre de Dios. A través de investigación secundaria de la literatura existente y los estudios ya realizados sobre el alcance de la degradación ecológica resultante de la minería aurífera en esta región, este informe examina la manera en que …

Assessment Of An Automated Calibration Of The Sebal Algorithm To Estimate Dry-Season Surface-Energy Partitioning In A Forest–Savanna Transition In Brazil, Leonardo Laipelt, Anderson Luis Ruhoff, Ayan Santos Fleischmann, Rafael Henrique Bloedow Kayser, Elisa De Mello Kich, Humberto Ribeiro Da Rocha, Christopher Michael Usher Neale

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Evapotranspiration (ET) provides a strong connection between surface energy and hydrological cycles. Advancements in remote sensing techniques have increased our understanding of energy and terrestrial water balances as well as the interaction between surface and atmosphere over large areas. In this study, we computed surface energy fluxes using the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) algorithm and a simplified adaptation of the CIMEC (Calibration using Inverse Modeling at Extreme Conditions) process for automated endmember selection. Our main purpose was to assess and compare the accuracy of the automated calibration of the SEBAL algorithm using two different sources of meteorological …

Food Frontiers: An Academically Sponsored New Journal, Li-Shu Wang, Jesus Simal-Gandara, Ming Du, Baiyi Lu, José L. Quiles, Zhen-Yu Chen, Bernhard Hennig, Mingfu Wang, Hang Xiao, Jayashree Arcot, Tianli Yue, Baodong Zheng, Xiaobo Zou, Yoshinori Marunaka, Lianzhong Ai, Weibin Bai, Maurizio Battino, Francesca Giampieri, Milen I. Georgiev, Xiaojun Liao, Youling L. Xiong

Superfund Research Center Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Healthful Nutrition As A Prevention And Intervention Paradigm To Decrease The Vulnerability To Environmental Toxicity Or Stressors And Associated Inflammatory Disease Risks, Bernhard Hennig, Pan Deng

Superfund Research Center Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Tinker Air Force Base Thermal Spray Hazardous Waste Stream From 2003-2019 And Its Potential Reclamation, Amy E. Silverbush

Theses and Dissertations

The disposal of hazardous waste threatens the environment and human health. However, certain hazardous wastes can be recycled or reclaimed to alleviate environmental and financial impacts associated with its disposal and resource demand reduction. A hazardous powder produced by the United States Air Force stems from aircraft maintenance and is composed of metals and ceramics, called thermal spray. This waste can be purchased by an industrial recycler if the waste is composed of valuable metals. Historic data from the depot-level maintenance base Tinker Air Force Base initiated an analysis of annual thermal spray hazardous waste disposal fees, which combined with …

Risk And Cost Assessment Of Nitrate Contamination In Domestic Wells, Pongpun Juntakut, Erin M.K. Haacker, Daniel D. Snow, Chittaranjan Ray

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

This study combines empirical predictive and economics models to estimate the cost of remediation for domestic wells exceeding suggested treatment thresholds for nitrates. A multiple logistic regression model predicted the probability of well contamination by nitrate, and a life cycle costing methodology was used to estimate costs of nitrate contamination in groundwater in two areas of Nebraska. In south-central Nebraska, 37% of wells were estimated to be at risk of exceeding a threshold of 7.5 mg/L as N, and 17% were at risk of exceeding 10 mg/L as N, the legal limit for human consumption in the United States. In …

Recovering From Industrial Overshoot: Thermal Removal Of Atmospheric Co2, Ted Von Hippel, Sandra Boetcher, Matthew Traum, Farshid Azadian Ph.D., William Mackunis

Sustainability Conference

Humanity will soon overshoot a safe level of atmospheric CO2, if it hasn't done so already. Countries, industries, and the global economy need to dramatically and quickly alter their behavior and technology to avoid this dangerous overshoot, yet this appears unlikely. Direct Air Capture of CO2 represents an insurance policy for society - a way of removing excess atmospheric CO2. I will present an approach to this problem based on thermal physics that cools cubic kilometers of air to extract CO2 as it sublimates. I propose a combination of an efficient heat exchanger, radiative cooling, and refrigeration, all at industrial …

Appalachian Environmental Health Literacy: Building Knowledge And Skills To Protect Health, Anna G. Hoover, Annie Koempel, W. Jay Christian, Kimberly I. Tumlin, Kelly G. Pennell, Steven Evans, Malissa Mcalister, Lindell E. Ormsbee, Dawn Brewer

Journal of Appalachian Health

Environmental health literacy (EHL) is an emerging, multidisciplinary field that promotes understanding of how environmental exposures can affect human health. After discussing the regional relevance of environmental health knowledge and skills, this article describes three ongoing Appalachian projects that are focused on measuring and building EHL.

Arjen Y. Hoekstra 1967–2019, Davy Vanham, Mesfin Mekonnen, Ashok K. Chapagain

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Arjen Hoekstra introduced the water footprint in 20021, building on the concept of virtual water Tony Allan to discuss the role of trade in alleviating water scarcity in the Middle East. He thereby opened a new dimension in the debate around fair and sustainable allocation of freshwater resources. He laid the foundations to show the role of indirect water (that is, water used elsewhere to produce goods we consume) in our daily life beyond our direct use for drinking, cooking or washing. The water footprint is an indicator of direct and indirect water use by a producer or consumer, showing …

Remote Sensing Monitoring Of Vegetation Dynamic Changes After Fire In The Greater Hinggan Mountain Area: The Algorithm And Application For Eliminating Phenological Impacts, Zhibin Huang, Chunxiang Cao, Wei Chen, Min Xu, Yongfeng Dang, Ramesh P. Singh, Barjeece Bashir, Bo Xie, Xiaojuan Lin

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Fires are frequent in boreal forests affecting forest areas. The detection of forest disturbances and the monitoring of forest restoration are critical for forest management. Vegetation phenology information in remote sensing images may interfere with the monitoring of vegetation restoration, but little research has been done on this issue. Remote sensing and the geographic information system (GIS) have emerged as important tools in providing valuable information about vegetation phenology. Based on the MODIS and Landsat time-series images acquired from 2000 to 2018, this study uses the spatio-temporal data fusion method to construct reflectance images of vegetation with a relatively consistent …

Dual-Axis Solar Tracker, Bryan Kennedy

All Undergraduate Projects

Renewable energies, and fuels that are not fossil fuel-based, are one of the prolific topics of debate in modern society. With climate change now becoming a primary focus for scientists and innovators of today, one of the areas for the largest amount of potential and growth is that of the capturing and utilization of Solar Energy. This method involves using a mechanical system to track the progression of the sun as it traverses the sky throughout the day. A dual-axis solar tracker such as the one designed and built for this project, can follow the sun both azimuthally and in …

Effects Of Surface Heterogeneity Due To Drip Irrigation On Scintillometer Estimates Of Sensible, Latent Heat Fluxes And Evapotranspiration Over Vineyards, Hatim M. E. Geli, José González-Piqueras, Christopher M. U. Neale, Claudio Balbontín, Isidro Campos, Alfonso Calera

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Accurate estimates of sensible (H) and latent (LE) heat fluxes and actual evapotranspiration (ET) are required for monitoring vegetation growth and improved agricultural water management. A large aperture scintillometer (LAS) was used to provide these estimates with the objective of quantifying the effects of surface heterogeneity due to soil moisture and vegetation growth variability. The study was conducted over drip-irrigated vineyards located in a semi-arid region in Albacete, Spain during summer 2007. Surface heterogeneity was characterized by integrating eddy covariance (EC) observations of H, LE and ET; land surface temperature (LST) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data from Landsat …

Assessment Of An Automated Calibration Of The Sebal Algorithm To Estimate Dry-Season Surface-Energy Partitioning In A Forest–Savanna Transition In Brazil, Leonardo Laipelt, Anderson Luis Ruhoff, Ayan Santos Fleischmann, Rafael Henrique Bloedow Kayser, Elisa De Mello Kich, Humberto Ribeiro Da Rocha, Christopher Michael Usher Neale

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Evapotranspiration (ET) provides a strong connection between surface energy and hydrological cycles. Advancements in remote sensing techniques have increased our understanding of energy and terrestrial water balances as well as the interaction between surface and atmosphere over large areas. In this study, we computed surface energy fluxes using the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) algorithm and a simplified adaptation of the CIMEC (Calibration using Inverse Modeling at Extreme Conditions) process for automated endmember selection. Our main purpose was to assess and compare the accuracy of the automated calibration of the SEBAL algorithm using two different sources of meteorological …

Treenuts And Groundnuts In The Eat-Lancet Reference Diet: Concerns Regarding Sustainable Water Use, Davy Vanhama, Mesfin Mekonnen, Arjen Y. Hoekstra

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

The EAT-Lancet universal healthy reference diet recommends an increase in the consumption of healthy foods, among which treenuts and groundnuts. Both are, however, water-intensive products, with a large water footprint (WF) per unit of mass and protein and already today contribute to blue water stress in different parts of the world. The envisaged massive required increase in nut production to feed a global population with this reference diet, needs to occur in a water-sustainable way. In this paper, we identify and quantify where current nut production contributes to local blue water stress and discuss options for water-sustainable nut production. We …

Water Productivity Benchmarks: The Case Of Maize And Soybean In Nebraska, Mesfin Mekonnen, Arjen Y. Hoekstra, Christopher Michael Usher Neale, Chittaranjan Ray, Haishun Yang

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Water productivity benchmarks for irrigated and rainfed agriculture will provide relevant information to manage scarce water resources and control groundwater level decline. We analyze the temporal and spatial variation of the water productivity (WP) of maize and soybean in Nebraska, with WP defined as harvested crop weight per total evapotranspiration. The results show that WP of both maize and soybean increase from west to east within Nebraska and have increased over the last 25 years, mainly due to the increase in crop yields (land productivity). We derive WP benchmarks for each crop per climate zone. Increasing actual WPs in the …

Potential Of Using Spectral Vegetation Indices For Corn Green Biomass Estimation Based On Their Relationship With The Photosynthetic Vegetation Sub-Pixel Fraction, Luan Peroni Venancio, Everardo Chartuni Mantovani, Cibele Hummel Do Amaral, Christopher M.U. Neale, Ivo Zution Gonçalves, Roberto Filgueiras, Fernando Coelho Eugenio

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Crop biomass (Bio) is one of the most important parameters of a crop, and knowledge of it before harvest is essential to help farmers in their decision making. Both green and dry Bio can be estimated from vegetation spectral indices (VIs) because they have a close relationship with accumulated absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (APAR), which is proportional to total Bio. The aims of this study were to analyze the potential capacity of spectral vegetation indices in estimating corn green biomass based on their relationship with the photosynthetic vegetation sub-pixel fraction derived from spectral mixture analysis and to analyze the best …

Ferrihydrite Reduction Increases Arsenic And Uranium Bioavailability In Unsaturated Soil, Arindam Malakar, Michael Kaiser, Daniel D. Snow, Harkamal Walia, Banajarani Panda, Chittaranjan Ray

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Redox driven mobilization and plant uptake of contaminants under transiently saturated soil conditions need to be clarified to ensure food and water quality across different irrigation systems. We postulate that solid-phase iron reduction in anoxic microsites present in the rhizosphere of unsaturated soil is a key driver for mobilization and bioavailability of contaminants under nonflooded irrigation. To clarify this, two major crops, corn and soybean differing in iron uptake strategies, were grown in irrigated synthetic soil under semiarid conditions with gravimetric moisture content ∼12.5 ± 2.4%. 2-line ferrihydrite, which was coprecipitated with uranium and arsenic, served as the only iron …

Use Of Multiple Environment Variety Trials Data To Simulate Maize Yields In The Ogallala Aquifer Region: A Two Model Approach, Vaishali Sharda, Mesfin Mekonnen, Chittaranjan Ray, Prasanna H. Gowda

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

With a long-term goal to optimize use of groundwater in the Ogallala Aquifer Region (OAR) to sustain food production systems, this study was conducted to calibrate Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) and AquaCrop crop modeling platforms to simulate maize production at a regional scale using historic datasets. Calibration of the models with local crop growth data and crop management practices is important, but usually this in-season crop growth information is not available. This study determined the possibility of using maize variety trial data for the evaluation of the CSM-Crop Estimation through Resources and Environmental Synthesis-Maize and AquaCrop models …

Impacts Of Beef Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations On Environmental Sustainability In The United States And Practices For Improvement, Laura Clark

VCU Phi Kappa Phi Award Winners

The geographic concentration of beef concentrated animal feeding operations [CAFOs] has changed the landscape of environmental sustainability for agriculture in the United States. As land availability has decreased, operations have struggled to maintain feasible practices to minimize environmental detriment. The United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] imposed rules to be followed as a means of mitigation, but the fast-paced rate of change minimizes effectiveness. The overall environmental sustainability of beef CAFOs has shifted from historical rates, leading to a need for reassessment. Part of this reassessment will include stronger environmental practices to be considered for implementation. I explored the role …

Ecowomanism: A Solution To Climate And Social Injustice, Alexis K. Karon

Religion: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The interconnections of climate justice and social inequalities are paired together in a concept named 'Ecowomanism'. Originally inspired by Melanie L. Harris, ecowomanism uses spiritual theologies, experiences, and memories to discuss the post-modern struggles that women of African and indigenous descent face in society, which can then find solutions to such injustices in a reconnection to nature. In this paper, I argue that adopting an environmental paradigm inspired by the spiritual theology of ecowomanism in the United States, which acknowledges the connection between oppression and violence against communities of color to the violence and domination of the environment, a more …

Ecowomanism: A Solution To Climate And Social Injustice, Alexis K. Karon

Theological Investigations

The interconnections of climate justice and social inequalities are paired together in a concept named 'Ecowomanism'. Originally inspired by Melanie L. Harris, ecowomanism uses spiritual theologies, experiences, and memories to discuss the post-modern struggles that women of African and indigenous descent face in society, which can then find solutions to such injustices in a reconnection to nature. In this paper, I argue that adopting an environmental paradigm inspired by the spiritual theology of ecowomanism in the United States, which acknowledges the connection between oppression and violence against communities of color to the violence and domination of the environment, a more …

Ms Environmental Biology Capstone Project, Bradley Hamilton

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

• Chapter 1 - Literature Review: Hunting as a Management Tool for the Invasive Eurasian-Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
• Chapter 2 - Grant Proposal: Impacts of the Invasive Eurasian-Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) on the Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) in Northeastern Colorado
• Chapter 3 - Journal Manuscript: High Elevations and Cold Temperatures Influence American Pika (Ochotona princeps) Distributions in the White River National Forest
• Chapter 4: Resolving Refugee-Elephant Conflict in Bangladesh via Education and Rebuilding

A Geostatistical Study Of Socioeconomic Status (Ses), Rurality, Seasonality And Index Test Results As Drivers Of Free Private Groundwater Testing In Southern Ontario, 2012–2016, Shahryar Qayyum, Paul Hynds, Harriet Richardson, Kevin Mcdermott, Anna Majury

Articles

Approximately 12% of the Canadian population uses private wells for daily water consumption; however, well water testing rates are on the decline, resulting in an increased risk of waterborne acute gastrointestinal illness. To date, limited research has explored the determinants influencing well testing practices. Accordingly, the current study sought to investigate the drivers of “one-off” and repeat well water testing in southern Ontario during the 5-year period 2012–2016, using the worlds largest private groundwater testing data-frame. Data from >400,000 wells were geospatially integrated with all tests conducted by the provincial laboratory in southern Ontario. The Ontario Marginalization Index (ON-Marg) was …

Sources And Toxicity Of Mercury In The San Francisco Bay Area, Spanning California And Beyond., Mietek Kolipinski, Mani Subramanian, Kristina Kristen, Steven Borish, Stacy Ditta

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Scholarship

This report synthesizes and evaluates published scientific literature on the environmental occurrence and biomagnification of mercury with emphasis on the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA), California. Mercury forms various compounds, well known for their toxicity in humans and environmental ecosystems. Elemental mercury is transported and distributed by air, water, and sediments. Through the metabolic processes of algae and bacteria, mercury is converted into organic compounds, such as methylmercury (MeHg), which then bioaccumulates up through trophic levels. In fish, it is found primarily in skeletal muscle, while in humans, the primary target organs are the brain and kidneys. Health concerns exist …

Remaking Environmental Justice, Clifford Villa

Faculty Scholarship

From movements for civil rights in the 1960s and environmental protection in the 1970s, the environmental justice movement emerged in the 1980s and 1990s to highlight the disparate impacts of pollution, principally upon people of color and low-income communities. Over time, the scope of environmental justice expanded to address concerns for other dimensions of diversity. New and continuing challenges tell us that we need to reframe our understanding of environmental justice to ensure better protection for people going forward. One way to reframe this understanding may be to apply the heuristic of vulnerability analysis as proposed by legal theorist Martha …