Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons^™

Rabbit Control: Bait Stations, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

This factsheet provides information on using bait stations for rabbit control.

Biological control agents such as the myxoma virus (myxomatosis), and rabbit haemorraghic disease virus (RHDV) or rabbit calicivirus disease, will not provide ‘magic bullets’ for reducing the impact of rabbits on agricultural production and the environment. Biological agents are more effective when they form part of an integrated approach to rabbit control. An integrated approach should use all available control options, including biological control, the use of vertebrate pesticides, shooting, and trapping programs. Control programs are most effective when they include the greatest number of properties possible (that is, …

Northern San Francisco Bay Ecological Risk Assessment: Potential Crude By Rail Incident, Meagan Bowis

Master's Projects and Capstones

Oil spill models, ecological risks, response options, and costs were assessed for a discharge of Bakken crude oil into the Northern San Francisco Bay from a train derailment. This assessment was based on the risk of crude by rail derailments into the San Francisco Bay; in 2014, California oil refineries imported over 240 million gallons of Bakken crude oil by rail for processing. A hypothetical scenario was developed from a derailment on the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge and discharging 100,000 gallons of Bakken crude oil into the Northern San Francisco Bay. The oil trajectory impacted the Carquinez Strait, Suisun, San …

Patterns And Sources Of Anthropogenic Contaminants In The Otter Creek Watershed, Madison County, Kentucky, Elijah J. Wolfe

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Stream systems are often affected by anthropogenic activities that affect water quality and stream ecosystems. Land use typically determines the type and quantity of anthropogenic contaminants entering natural waters. The Otter Creek watershed (170 km²; Madison County, Kentucky) consists predominantly of pasture and rural housing, with some cropland. The basin also receives runoff from the town of Richmond and a sewage treatment plant operates within the watershed. We measured concentrations of nutrients (phosphate, ammonium, nitrate) and fecal microbes to discover levels of anthropogenic contaminants affecting water quality and to identify contaminant sources.

We sampled 4 times in the …

The Use Versus Availability Of Wood Extraction At The Baga Ii Forest Reserve Border Adjacent To Kizanda Village In The West Usambara Mountains, Tanzania, Rebecca Halter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Tropical forests, especially in developing countries, continue to face serious threats of deforestation due to human pressures and poor management. These forests are at risk of disappearing and taking their water catchment and ecosystem services with them. Kizanda Villagers’ illegal woodfuel and polewood extraction poses a threat to the future health and existence of the Baga II Forest. This study, conducted from April 5th to April 19th, 2016, aimed to examine the use versus availability of tree species along the forest border. Twenty disturbance transects, each 4 meters wide, were conducted perpendicular to the Baga II forest border. The transects …

L’Insecte Sage In The Age Of Global Climate Crisis: A Biocultural And Ontological Study Of Vulnerability And Resilience In The Manakara Beekeeping Network, Tamar Law

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The effects of climate change are felt unevenly throughout the globe. Impoverished populations with high levels of subsistence agriculture are particularly vulnerable due to their direct dependence on the land. However, these populations are also the possible agents of change and solutions, as their traditional ecological knowledge has evolved in relation to their context. The honeybee is directly implicated in climate change vulnerability due to its role in pollination services, by ensuring food security. In the past decade, honeybees have risen to international fame and scrutiny due to a global vanishing of bees, attributed in part to climate change and …

Environmental Variables Affecting The Performance Of Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Power Plants, Parikhit Sinha

Climate Sustainability Lecture Series

The environmental sciences have been critical to identifying global environmental challenges such as climate change, but they have been less extensively utilized in deploying solutions to those challenges, such as solar energy. Environmental variables such as temperature, humidity, aerosols, clouds, soiling, and snowfall have important effects on solar PV performance, and these effects can vary regionally. The current status of large-scale solar PV deployment will be discussed along with the role of environmental variables on PV performance.

Powering The Planet: The Role Chemistry Plays In Solar Energy Technology, Amy M. Scott

Climate Sustainability Lecture Series

Global energy demands are projected to double by 2050, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, and solar energy has the greatest potential as the most benign, universal resource for generating electricity. However, harnessing the solar energy efficiently and converting it towards useful forms of power that are compatible with our current infrastructure remains an elusive goal. Today’s solar energy utilization relies on silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) technology, which converts photon energy to electrical energy. The efficiency of these devices remains low (< 30%) and the cost of processing silicon and installing solar panels in homes makes PV uneconomical compared to the current price of electricity. Research efforts towards developing new inorganic and organic materials for thin film PV to replace silicon are currently underway. Organic materials are particularly interesting from the standpoint of developing simple, cheap materials that can be easily tailored for future PV devices. The future of solar energy utilization relies on developing solar paints for vehicles, solar shingles for rooftops, and spray-on solar ink for small device applications, but continued fundamental research is needed for decreasing cost and improving efficiency for next generation devices.

Patterns And Sources Of Anthropogenic Contaminants In The Otter Creek Watershed, Madison County, Kentucky, Elijah D. Wolfe, Walter S. Borowski, Jacob L. Robin

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Stream systems are often affected by anthropogenic contaminants that affect water quality and stream ecosystems. Land use determines the type and quantity of contaminants present in natural waters. The Otter Creek watershed (170 km²; Madison County, Kentucky) consists predominantly of pasture and rural housing, with some cropland. The basin also receives runoff from the town of Richmond and a sewage treatment plant operates within the watershed. We measured concentrations of nutrients (phosphate, ammonium, nitrate) and fecal microbes to discover levels of anthropogenic contaminants affecting water quality and to identify contaminant sources.

We sampled 4 times in the summer …

Proposing A Sustainable Tourism Framework For The Philippines, Michael Angelo A. Cortez, John Paolo R. Rivera

Center for Business Research and Development

The travel and tourism (T&T) industry has become a major contributor to growth and development in most economies across the globe (World Travel & Tourism Council [WTTC], 2014). The industry has significantly increased its gross value added (GVA) to the well-being of stakeholders through its direct economic impacts; and indirect and induced impacts to its forward and backward linkages. As such, according to Roe (2001), the T&T evolved into the world’s largest industries, generating approximately 11 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), providing 200 million job opportunities, and transporting nearly 700 million international travellers annually.

Ex-Situ Conservation Programs: Worthwhile?, Nicolette Sliwa, Aaron Sieve

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The effectiveness of conservation programs was researched, specifically within zoos, and their attempts to repopulate areas with captive-born individuals of endangered species. There are major biological and economic concerns with these programs focused on, including potential genetic adaptation to captivity, effects of inbreeding, and if this is a truly worthwhile use of funds to restore a species. Looking at the black-footed ferret, the whooping crane, and other supposed successful captive-breeding programs, it is explored whether reintroduced individuals thrive in their new habitats sufficiently enough to contribute to the restoration of the species, and more broadly, their ecosystems.

2016 Nebraska Water Monitoring Programs Report, Marty Link, Ryan Chapman

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality: Reports

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) is charged with monitoring, assessing, and to the extent possible, managing the state’s water resources. The purpose of this work is to protect and maintain high quality water and encourage or execute activities to improve poor water quality. Monitoring is done on nearly 17,000 miles of flowing rivers and streams, more than 134,000 acres of surface water in lakes and reservoirs, as well as the vast storage of groundwater in Nebraska’s aquifers.

2016 Nebraska Groundwater Quality Monitoring Report

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality: Reports

The 2001 Nebraska Legislature passed LB329 (Neb. Rev. Stat. §46-1304) which, in part, directed the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) to report on groundwater quality monitoring in Nebraska. Reports have been issued annually since December 2001. The text of the statute applicable to this report follows: “The Department of Environmental Quality shall prepare a report outlining the extent of ground water quality monitoring conducted by natural resources districts during the preceding calendar year. The department shall analyze the data collected for the purpose of determining whether or not ground water quality is degrading or improving and shall present the …

Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainability Reporting Among The Fortune Global 250: Greenwashing Or Green Supply Chain?, John K. Lewis

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

The sustainability reporting efforts of MNCs who are members of the Fortune Global 250 (FG250) was investigated. The focus was on sustainability reporting by MNCs of supply chain impacts. The reporting of FG250 MNCs was examined to determine if greenwashing was occurring or whether MNCs had committed to operating a green supply chain. A mixed methodology was used consisting of quantitative analysis of twenty-five MNC CSR/sustainability reports which were randomly selected from the FG250 listing. Qualitative analysis using content analysis was also conducted on the reports. Both methodologies concentrated on the sustainability reporting of the selected MNCs in regard to …

Assessing The Impacts Of Climate Change On The Surface Temperature Of Inland Lakes In Michigan, Kaitlin Reinl

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The aim of this study was to validate and apply a lake model for predicting the susceptibility of small inland lakes in Michigan to changes in thermal regime and increased cyanobacteria growth as a result of future climate conditions. The Freshwater Lake Model was selected, tested for sensitivity to various inputs, and validated through comparison to observed conditions. The sensitivity analysis showed that the lake model was most sensitive to solar radiation, air temperature, and air humidity. Comparison of predicted climate data with observed conditions revealed highly variable climate model error. The lake model validation was conducted using 10 lakes …

Extractability And Chemical Forms Of Radioactive Cesium In Designated Wastes Investigated In An On-Site Test, Yoko Fujikawa, Hiroaki Ozaki, Xiaming Chen, Shogo Taniguchi, Ryouhei Takanami, Aiichiro Fujinaga, Shinji Sakurai, Paul Lewtas

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In the aftermath of the 2011 accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (F1 hereafter), municipal solid waste (MSW) contaminated with radioactive cesium (rad-Cs hereafter) has been generated in 12 prefectures in Japan. The Japanese Minister of Environment classified MSW that contained rad-Cs in the concentration more than 8,000 Bq/kg as “designated (solid) waste (DSW hereafter), and prescribed the collection, storage and transportation procedures. When MSW containing rad-Cs was incinerated, rad-Cs was concentrated in fly ash, and the ash often fell into the category of DSW. We have investigated a technique that can reduce the volume of the rad-Cs-contaminated fly-ash …

Non-Point Sources And Point Sources For Nutrient And Fecal Microbe Contamination In A Typical Upland Stream: Tates Creek, Madison County, Kentucky, Walter S. Borowski, Malcolm P. Frisbie

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Tates Creek (Madison County, Kentucky) is characterized by an oversupply of nutrients and fecal microbe contamination. Its watershed is dominated by pastureland and immature woodlands with scattered settlements served by septic systems, whereas, 5% of the watershed drains urban areas of Richmond, Kentucky. Creek waters are eutrophic and commonly display levels of Escherichia coli deemed unfit for human contact by United States Environmental Protection Agency standards. Both point and non-point sources existed for stream contaminants. A secondary sewage treatment plant (STP) discharged effluent into the creek until mid-2011 and was a point source for nitrate and phosphate. Pastureland likely contributes …

Comparative Examination Of Lake Spokane Groundwater For Nutrient Discharge By Residential Development Influence, Wyatt Plastino

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"The goal of this study is to support the implementation of the Total Maximum Daily Load regulation for the Spokane River and Lake Spokane area in Eastern Washington in partnership with United States Geologic Survey and the Washington State Department of Ecology. The influence of residential development along the north shore of the Lake Spokane reservoir in the Suncrest area was examined as a possible nonpoint source of nutrient contamination to shoreline groundwater and as a possible influence on algae growth in Lake Spokane. Surface water and groundwater samples from hand-driven piezometers were collected from three residential development categories. The …

Success Stories And Emerging Themes In Conservation Physiology, Christine L. Madliger, Steven J. Cooke, Erica J. Crespi, Jennifer L. Funk, Kevin R. Hultine, Kathleen E. Hunt, Jason R. Rohr, Brent J. Sinclair, Cory D. Suski, Craig K. R. Willis, Oliver P. Love

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The potential benefits of physiology for conservation are well established and include greater specificity of management techniques, determination of cause–effect relationships, increased sensitivity of health and disturbance monitoring and greater capacity for predicting future change. While descriptions of the specific avenues in which conservation and physiology can be integrated are readily available and important to the continuing expansion of the discipline of ‘conservation physiology’, to date there has been no assessment of how the field has specifically contributed to conservation success. However, the goal of conservation physiology is to foster conservation solutions and it is therefore important to assess whether …

The Role Of The State, Multinational Oil Companies, International Law & The International Community: Intersection Of Human Rights & Environmental Degradation Climate Change In The 21st Century Caused By Traditional Extractive Practices, The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous People And Universal Jurisdiction To Resolve The Accountability Issue, Marcela Cabrera Luna

Master's Theses

Local, national and international conventions that protect indigenous sovereignty and their territories, where many of the resources are extracted from by multinational corporations (MNCs) particularly oil, the number one commodity of the world and cause of climate change, continue to be jeopardized because of the lack of a clear international legal framework that can protect them and potentially hold multinationals accountable for their actions. These practices are causing not only environmental issues to the indigenous and surrounding communities, but climate change is in fact, the real human rights issue of the 21^st century and it affects everyone. By using …

Fecal Microbe Contamination In The Otter Creek Watershed, Madison County, Kentucky, Jacob L. Robin, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Seismic Surveys And Marine Turtles: An Underestimated Global Threat?, Sarah E. Nelms, Wendy Dow Piniak, Caroline R. Weir, Brendan J. Godley

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Seismic surveys are widely used in marine geophysical oil and gas exploration, employing airguns to produce sound-waves capable of penetrating the sea floor. In recent years, concerns have been raised over the biological impacts of this activity, particularly for marine mammals. While exploration occurs in the waters of at least fifty countries where marine turtles are present, the degree of threat posed by seismic surveys is almost entirely unknown. To investigate this issue, a mixed-methods approach involving a systematic review, policy comparison and stakeholder analysis was employed and recommendations for future research were identified. This study found that turtles have …

Patterns Of Anthropogenic Nutrient Contaminants In The Otter Creek Watershed, Madison County, Kentucky, Elijah D. Wolfe, Walter S. Borowski, Jacob L. Robin

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

We measured nutrient concentrations within the Otter Creek watershed (Madison County, Kentucky) to: (1) discover levels of anthropogenic contaminants affecting the water quality; (2) compare these measurements to a national data set; and (3) identify nutrient sources. The watershed mainly drains rural land characterized by cattle grazing, but also drains the town of Richmond. We sampled throughout the watershed to gain a representative perspective of nutrient levels and specifically targeted localities of suspected anthropogenic nutrient sources. Water samples were passed through a 0.45 mm filter, placed in pre-acidified vials, and measured one to two days after collection. Nutrients – ammonium, …

Sinkhole Vulnerability Mapping: Results From A Pilot Study In North Central Florida, Clint Kromhout, Alan E. Baker

Sinkhole Conference 2015

At the end of June in 2012, Tropical Storm Debby dropped a record amount of rainfall across Florida which triggered hundreds, if not thousands, of sinkholes to form which resulted in tremendous damage to property. The Florida Division of Emergency Management contracted with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Geological Survey to produce a map depicting the state’s vulnerability to sinkhole formation. The three-year project began with a pilot study in three northern Florida counties: Columbia, Hamilton and Suwannee. Utilizing the statistical modeling method Weights of Evidence, results from the pilot study yielded a 93 percent success rate of …

Assessment Of Coral Health And Fish Diversity In The Fringing Reefs Of Porvenir Island And Korbisky Island, Guna Yala, Panama, Emily Waddell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Coral reefs are the most diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth, serving as important habitats to millions of organisms; however, they are disappearing at alarming rates. The major influences causing their decline are the combined effects of global climate change and increased industrialization, urbanization, and agriculture. Previous studies have correlated high coral coverage with high fish diversity; therefore, as coral reefs disappear, so too does fish diversity. This study assesses the health of the fringe reefs of Porvenir Island and Korbisky Island in Guna Yala, Panama by recording the live coral, bleached coral, diseased coral, and algae cover of each …

Water Quality In The Río Pastaza Watershed A Comparative Study Of Ríos Topo, Zuñag, And Pastaza And The Impact Of The Topo Hydroelectric Project Using Macroinvertebrates As Bioindicators, Jesse Vega-Perkins

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Ríos Zuñag, Pastaza, and Topo flow through one of the rainiest and water-rich places in Ecuador. Río Zuñag is a relatively small, pristine montane river and Río Pastaza is a relatively large, contaminated river that receives the untreated wastewater of many communities. Río Topo’s unique watershed and gradient allow it to be home to many plants that have adapted to its unique environment, including the hyperendemic liverwort Myriocolea irrorata. However, in recent years, all of the water of Río Topo has been sold by the state of Ecuador to be developed for hydroelectric projects (HEP). The first of these …

Crowdsourcing Global Wastewater Data, Don Mosteller, Sam Cohen, Cory Nestor, Angel Hsu, Omar Malik

Yale Day of Data

No time to waste: Crowdsourcing global wastewater treatment data

Worldwide, over 80 percent of wastewater is discharged into water bodies without undergoing treatment, severely impairing human well-being and ecosystem vitality along the way. National performance on wastewater treatment is difficult to quantify and is poorly understood due to a lack of common definitions, poor data collection standards, and limited historical data. To address this, the Yale Environmental Performance Index (EPI), a research group that produces a biennial ranking of country-level environmental performance, developed a first-of-its kind national wastewater treatment indicator.[1]

The indicator assesses wastewater treatment performance for 183 countries, …

Transportation And Sanitation Drivers Of Land Use/Land Cover Change: Loss Of The Jamaica Bay Wetlands, Margaret Joy Cytryn

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an analysis (1830-2014) of the historical events of land use/land cover change in the Jamaica Bay estuary, identification of the agents of change, and a perspective on the potential drivers of transportation and sanitation in land use/land cover change.

Seagoing Ship Emissions At Chinese Coastal Port Cities And Countermeasures Analysis : Sample Of Shanghai Port, Jinzhao Sun

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

Study On The Application Of Special Area Legal System In The Bohai Sea, Guanjun Su

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

Feasibility And Informative Value Of Environmental Sample Collection In The National Children's Vanguard Study, Elizabeth Barksdale Boyle, Nicole C. Deziel, Bonny L. Specker, Scott Collingwood, Clifford P. Weisel, David J. Wright, Michael Dellarco

Ethel Austin Martin Program Publications

Background: Birth cohort studies provide the opportunity to advance understanding of the impact of environmental factors on childhood health and development through prospective collection of environmental samples. Methods: We evaluated the feasibility and informative value of the environmental sample collection methodology in the initial pilot phase of the National Children's Study, a planned U.S. environmental birth cohort study. Environmental samples were collected from January 2009–September 2010 at up to three home visits: pre-pregnancy (n¼306), pregnancy (n¼807), and 6-months postnatal (n¼117). Collections included air for particulate matter r2.5 mm (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, ozone, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and carbonyls; vacuum dust …