Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons^™

Aquaculture In Africa: Aquatic Animal Welfare, Impact On The Environment And The Sustainability Of The Sector, Mwenda M. Mbaka, Janice H. Cox, Stephen Ronan

Aquaculture

The African aquaculture sector recorded the fastest growth in the world between 2006-2018, averaging 10% or more, and is expected to partially fill the growing fish supply-demand gap up to 2063. In 2018, there were about 1.2 million aquafarmers across the continent, an increase from 920 thousand in 2014. According to the African Development Bank, expansion of aquaculture in Africa is hampered by "the overwhelming predominance of tilapia farming, which relies heavily on the production of fingerlings from a limited number of genetically improved strains that are resistant to the many diseases affecting this species, and on the production of …

Why Energy Efficiency Is Needed In Rwanda, Jean Ishinzibigwi

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Perspective on the benefits of energy efficiency and cost savings on energy was changed by the experience of working with the Nebraska Industrial Assessment Center. Visiting various industrial locations in Nebraska to see how different energy-saving techniques are employed to save money on energy costs and reduce energy waste. Rwanda can put several ideas into action to lessen the energy loss, which is too much now.

The government's Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA) and other departments are crucial to Rwanda's energy sector. The primary ministry in charge of developing renewable energy is MININFRA (methane, peat, geothermal, solar and wind energy). The …

Stop Methane Emissions, Jacob Anderson

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

We all know of the worldly issue called global warming. A huge cause of global warming is the emission and buildup of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the leading contributor to global emissions at 74.4% and methane is second at 17.3% (Our World in Data 2019). On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022

which includes a charge that starts in 2024 at $900 per metric ton of methane emitted and will raise to $1500 by 2028 (CRS). This should introduce an incentive for facilities to update their plant, machinery, and equipment …

Bridgeport Poised To Be Site Of Nebraska’S Next Environmental Catastrophe, Kjersten Hyberger

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Bridgeport Ethanol LLC is Nebraska’s first ethanol plant to be under contract for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in the state. Despite ongoing safety concerns by federal regulators and organized opposition from affected landowners, Carbon America is pushing forward with their plans to have the Bridgeport CCS facility operational by 2024. At a time when Nebraska has barely begun cleanup of the AltEn disaster in Mead, and the agrochemical contamination levels in our soil and groundwater are at historic levels, we cannot carelessly add one more pollutant to the mix.

In May of this year the Legislature passed the Nebraska …

Puerto Rico Left In The Dark, Again, Eulices Garcia

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Puerto Rico, the United States third largest island, often gets overlooked when hurricane season comes and goes. Where most of the attention goes to the Florida peninsula or East coast, Puerto Rico is still one of America’s closest territories. As part of America’s extended family, Puerto Rico should not be overlooked when natural disasters occur. When these disasters happen, they can have a tremendous impact on the island itself and the people in it. One major concern that has not been truly fixed yet is the energy crisis in Puerto Rico. Whenever storms hit, there is always a possibility of …

Carbon Capture Is Not Climate Action, Bella Devney

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

A new technology is being brought to Western Nebraska in the form of Carbon Capture and Storage in the name of climate action, but the health of Nebraska’s environment and people are being ignored. Bridgeport Ethanol Plant announced this fall that they plan to begin building technology that will capture and store “175,000 tons/yr” which is a small percentage of the 4,577 million tons emitted by the US in 2020.

Carbon can be captured from the atmosphere itself or in the Ethanol Plant’s case from the point of the CO2 production. After carbon is captured from the plant’s smokestack, it …

Nuclear Energy, Evan Detina

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

The use of nuclear power as a primary energy source is a controversial discussion. However, if reversing or stopping the effects of climate change is our main goal, then this is a top contender. Fossil fuels account for 34 billion tons of emissions annually according to Ritchie, Hannah, et al. (2020). Instead, we can create energy through nuclear fission. I believe nuclear energy should become a much larger player in the energy game.

The first practical use of nuclear power became apparent on December 2, 1942 when a physicist, Enrico Fermi, develOp-ed a self-sustaining nuclear fission reaction at the University …

Big Blue Wind Project: Why Solar May Be A Better Solution For Nebraska's Energy Future Than Wind, Page Nippert

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

With nonrenewable resources such as coal and oil causing greenhouse gas emissions, a shift to renewable resources is needed not only to reduce CO₂ emissions, but also to allow energy independence. The switch to renewable resources is vital, and in Nebraska, these resources are being introduced commonly as solar and wind farms depending on the area.

NextEra Energy is proposing The Big Blue Wind project in Jefferson County. I’m opposing this project for reasons similar to why it’s being proposed – for the environment and the community.

The project aims to benefit the community economically by creating jobs, county …

New Natural Gas Pipeline Benefits Europe And Africa, Victor Moreno Lozano

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

European countries have agreed to start filling up their natural gas gap, with the new natural gas pipeline from Africa. Nigeria and Morocco agreed to develop this pipeline in 2016, but after the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia war, things have speeded up.

After the economical punishments Europe imposed on Russia, Russia decided to increase the price of the natural gas exported to Europe and decrease the amount of gas. Most European countries have a big dependency on Russia's natural gas, countries like Germany import 50% of their natural gas from Russia.

Since winter is coming up, European countries are dealing …

Are Electric Cars A Solution In Rwanda?, Elysee Ndayishimiye

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Numerous studies have been conducted that demonstrate how environmentally friendly electric vehicles are. They produce fewer greenhouse gases, which makes them an effective way to reduce both air pollution and greenhouse emissions. In order to combat rising air pollution and support a green city initiative, Rwanda considered introducing more electric vehicles. The Global Electric Mobility Program, run by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), aims to assist low- and middle-income nations in switching from conventional (gas) to electric vehicles. Rwanda has joined this program. Due to the high cost of switching to electric vehicles in poor nations like Rwanda and …

Nexus Between Animal Welfare, Environment, And Sustainable Development: Resource Document, Wellbeing International

Nexus – UNEP – Animal Welfare, Environment, Sustainable Development

This Resource Document has been developed to explore the Nexus (links) between Animal Welfare, the Environment, and Sustainable Development. The document includes relevant citations and reports addressing the topics encompassed by the Nexus. It will be maintained as a “living document” (subject to revision) in the WellBeing International Studies Repository. The original document and subsequent revisions will be kept in the Repository to provide a record of the changes.

Natural Resource System Size Can Be Used For Managing Recreational Use, Derek S. Kane, Kevin L. Pope, Keith D. Koupal, Mark A. Pegg, Christopher J. Chizinski, Mark A. Kaemingk

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Outdoor recreation provides societal benefits that are often measured by the amount of use natural resource systems receive. Still, the amount of resource use natural resource systems receive is often unknown or unstudied. Monitoring and quantifying resource use is often logistically difficult and costly but is paramount to optimize societal benefits. Identifying a simple and readily available metric that can indicate the quantity of recreational use of natural resource systems would benefit natural resource management. Using recreational angler participation data during an 11-year study period from 73 public waterbodies in Nebraska, USA, we developed a resource size-use model that demonstrates …

Droughtscape, Fall 2022, National Drought Mitigation Center

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

DroughtScape, Fall 2022

Recovery Of Soil Microbial Diversity And Functions Along A Tropical Montane Forest Disturbance Gradient, Renee Sniegocki, Jessica B. Moon, Abigail L. Rutrough, Jude Gireneus, Jaya Seelan Sathiya Seelan, Michael C. Farmer, David C. Weindorf, Kusum Naithani

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Logging and forest conversion are occurring at alarming rates in tropical forests. These disturbances alter soil microbial community structure and functions. While direct links between changes in soil properties, such as pH and microbial community structure are well established, the indirect effects of logging and forest conversion on soil microbial community structure and functions are poorly understood. We used a space-for-time substitution to investigate the changes in soil microbial diversity and functions across a forest recovery gradient in the tropical montane forests of northern Borneo. We used surface (top 5 cm) soil to assess soil physicochemical and microbial (next-generation DNA …

Low Levels Of Hybridization Between Sympatric Cold-Water-Adapted Arctic Cod And Polar Cod In The Beaufort Sea Confirm Genetic Distinctiveness, Robert E. Wilson, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Philip Lavretsky, Andrew Majewski, Einar Árnason, Katrín Halldórsdóttir, Axel W. Einarsson, Kate Wedemeyer, Sandra L. Talbot

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

As marine ecosystems respond to climate change and other stressors, it is necessary to evaluate current and past hybridization events to gain insight on the outcomes and drivers of such events. Ancestral introgression within the gadids has been suggested to allow cod to inhabit a variety of habitats. Little attention has been given to contemporary hybridization, especially within cold-water-adapted cod (Boreogadus saida Lepechin, 1774 and Arctogadus glacialis Peters, 1872). We used whole-genome, restriction-site associated, and mitochondrial sequence data to explore the degree and direction of hybridization between these species where previous hybridization had not been reported. Although nearly identical …

Nabat Ml: Utilizing Deep Learning To Enable Crowdsourced Development Of Automated, Scalable Solutions For Documenting North American Bat Populations, Ali Khalighifar, Benjamin S. Gotthold, Erin Adams, Jenny Barnett, Laura O. Beard, Eric R. Britzke, Paul A. Burger, Kimberly Chase, Zackary Cordes, Paul M. Cryan, Emily Emily, Christopher T. Fill, Scott E. Gibson, G. Scott Haulton, Kathryn M. Irvine, Lara S. Katz, William L. Kendall, Christen A. Long, Oisin Mac Aodha, Tessa Mcburney, Sara Mccarthy, Matthew W. Mckown, Joy O'Keefe, Lucy D. Patterson, Kristopher A. Pitcher, Matthew Rustand, Jordi L. Segers, Kyle Seppanen, Jeremy L. Siemers, Christian Stratton, Bethany R. Straw, Theodore J. Weller, Brian E. Reichert

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

1. Bats play crucial ecological roles and provide valuable ecosystem services, yet many populations face serious threats from various ecological disturbances. The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) aims to use its technology infrastructure to assess status and trends of bat populations, while developing innovative and community-driven conservation solutions.

2. Here, we present NABat ML, an automated machine-learning algorithm that improves the scalability and scientific transparency of NABat acoustic monitoring. This model combines signal processing techniques and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to detect and classify recorded bat echolocation calls. We developed our CNN model with internet-based computing resources (‘cloud environment’), and …

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Droughtscape, Summer 2022, National Drought Mitigation Center

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

DroughtScape, Summer 2022

Interannual Variation Of Ichthyofaunal Utilization Of A Man-Made Salt Marsh Creek In Mission Bay, California, Maria Angst

McNair Summer Research Program

Southern California’s wetlands are drastically declining due to human activities. Increasingly, marsh restoration and creation are being used to mitigate such losses. This study used minnow traps to resample the ichthyofauna of a created marsh (Crown Point Mitigation Site; CPMS) and an adjacent natural marsh (Kendall Frost) in Mission Bay, California, 26 years following the marsh creation. These data were compared to data collected from 1995-1998, immediately after marsh creation, and data from 2021. Fishes captured included Fundulus parvipinnis, Gillichthys mirabilis, Acanthagobius flavimanus, Ctenogobius sagittula, and Mugil cephalus. Species richness and dominance measures were higher in the natural relative to …

The Ddt-Induced Decline Influenced Genetic Diversity In Naturally Recovered Peregrine Falcons (Falco Peregrinus) Nesting Within The Alaska Arctic And Eastern Interior, Sarah A. Sonsthagen,, Ted Swem, Skip Ambrose, Melanie J. Flamme, Clayton M. White, George K. Sage, Sandra L. Talbot

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

We assessed the influence of the severe mid-20th century population decline on genetic diversity in nonaugmented Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus populations nesting within the Alaska Arctic and eastern Interior. Microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data were analysed for Peregrine Falcons sampled from three periods: pre-decline, decline and post-decline. The influence of the decline on genetic diversity differed between the two locales. The Alaska Arctic was characterized by shifts in mtDNA haplotype frequencies, increased inbreeding coefficient, reduction in effective population size and increase in private haplotypes, and a signature of post-decline population growth was detected; by contrast, the eastern Interior showed …

Valuing Angling On Reservoirs Using Benefit Transfer, Richard T. Melstrom, Mark A. Kaemingk, Nicholas W. Cole, John C. Whitehead, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Economic assessments are rarely applied to inland recreational fisheries for management purposes, especially when compared to fish, habitat, and creel assessments, yet economic assessments can provide critical information for management decisions. We provide a brief overview of economic value, key terminology, and existing economic techniques to address these issues. Benefit transfer, a technique used to measure economic value when an original analysis is not practicable, is conducted by drawing on existing estimates of economic value in similar contexts. We describe an application of benefit transfer to measure the economic value of several recreational fisheries in Nebraska, USA. We examine two …

Developing A Miniature Smart Boat For Marine Research, Michael Isaac Eirinberg

Computer Engineering

This project examines the development of a smart boat which could serve as a possible marine research apparatus. The smart boat consists of a miniature vessel containing a low-cost microcontroller to live stream a camera feed, GPS telemetry, and compass data through its own WiFi access point. The smart boat also has the potential for autonomous navigation. My project captivated the interest of several members of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo’s (Cal Poly SLO) Marine Science Department faculty, who proposed a variety of fascinating and valuable smart boat applications.

Use Of Consumer Grade Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (Suas) For Mapping Storm Damage In Forested Environments, James Dewey Cox

Theses and Dissertations

Storm damages to forested environments pose significant challenges to landowners, land managers, and conservationists alike. Damage scope and scale assessments can be difficult, costly, and time consuming with conventional pedestrian survey techniques. Consumer grade sUAS technology offers an efficient, cost-effective way to accurately assess storm damage in small to moderate sized survey areas (less than 10 km²). Data were collected over a 0.195 km² area of damaged timber within the Kisatchie National Forest in Central Louisiana using a DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone. Collected imagery was processed into an orthomosaic using Agisoft Metashape Professional with a resulting ground sampling distance …

Identifying Key Stream Restoration Variables In An Agriculturally Impaired Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Julia Portmann

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The Chesapeake Bay watershed spans several states, supports diverse ecosystems, and is crucial to local economies. However, agricultural practices in this region impair water quality. The Smith Creek watershed, within the Shenandoah Valley, was designated a showcase watershed in 2010 by the United States Department of Agriculture to demonstrate the efficacy of implementing restoration projects. We sampled fifteen farms ranging from unrestored to thirty-six years since restoration. At each site, we conducted a kick-net survey for macroinvertebrates, measured canopy cover, algal density, substrate size, and bank height and angle. We identified macroinvertebrates to family and calculated the Chesapeake Basin-wide Index …

Temporal Changes In Surface Water Availability: Patterns Of Seasonal Shift On Water Stress In The Conterminous Us Under A Changing Climate, Quinn Montana

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The argument could be made that there is nothing more valuable on the planet than water. Our lives depend upon it. Climate change is already having an impact on the United States (US) and water stress will be one of the problems we increasingly face in coming decades. Regional research has shown that one or another part of the conterminous US (CONUS) is expected to experience an annual deficit or a surplus in runoff. Further studies have looked at changing patterns over the CONUS as a whole. Other research has focused on a particular season. This work addresses a gap …

Multi-Criteria Evaluation Model For Classifying Marginal Cropland In Nebraska Using Historical Crop Yield And Biophysical Characteristics, Andrew Laws

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

Marginal cropland is suboptimal due to historically low and variable productivity and limiting biophysical characteristics. To support future agricultural management and policy decisions in Nebraska, U.S.A, it is important to understand where cropland is marginal for its two most economically important crops: corn (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max). As corn and soybean are frequently planted in a crop rotation, it is important to consider if there is a relationship with cropland marginality. Based on the current literature, there exists a need for a flexible yet robust methodology for identifying marginal land at different scales, which …

Electrochromic Windows: Return On Investment Analysis, Thomas Michael Caprio

Construction Management

In recent years, sustainability in construction has become a topic of undeniable interest. With sustainability certifications becoming more prominent and desirable, members of the construction industry have begun to seek alternatives for standard systems to keep up with market trends. One of the main issues that the construction industry faces is accessibility of technology. While there are new products and technologies being released frequently, members of the construction industry lack knowledge on the specific details and implications of working with newer systems. One piece of technology that was recently introduced is electrochromic glass, or smart glass. Electrochromic windows analyze sunlight …

Trout Responses To Stocking Rates And River Discharge Within A Southeastern U.S. Hydropeaking Tailwater, Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Joseph Kaiser, Christy Graham, Steve Lochmann

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Freshwater fish populations often exist in systems characterized by novel ecological processes resulting from human alteration. Salmonid populations embedded within coldwater sections of warmwater rivers are spatially constrained by habitat availability. Tailwater fish contend with fluctuating river discharges and density-dependent processes associated with fish stocking and exploitation. Salmonid populations sustained through stocking versus natural reproduction may respond differently to changes in hydrologic patterns (e.g., hydropeaking) as well as declines in fish abundance. We assessed differences between stocked (Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss) and naturalized (Brown Trout Salmo trutta) trout populations in Greers Ferry tailwater, Arkansas, regarding (1) spatial and …

Land Cover Classification And Change During Mine Reclamation In Northeast Florida Using Multispectral Imagery, Daniel Burow, Robert Brown, Alexis Caldwell, Patrick Hunter, Jett-Ramy Kaddour, Alexander Kingma, Justin Kozicki, Blake Neal, Abigail Neff, Rylan Randolph, Devon Tanner, Isaiah Vahos

Sustainability Conference

Titanium is commonly used in the aerospace industry because it is lightweight and durable in extreme temperatures. The Green Cove Springs Mine, near Green Cove Springs, Florida, was used for mining and processing titanium and other minerals from 1972 until 2009. Since then, the mine area is being reclaimed, or rehabilitated and restored to its natural state, as required by Florida Department of Environmental Protection regulations. In this study, we use high-resolution multispectral satellite and aerial imagery obtained from 2016 to 2022 to examine land cover (LC) changes at the Green Cove Springs Mine during this reclamation period. We use …

Droughtscape, Spring 2022, National Drought Mitigation Center

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

DroughtScape, Spring 2022

Effect Of Nest Box Temperature Mitigation Treatments On Nest Success And Nestling Condition In A Southeastern Population Of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia Sialis), Christopher G. Horacek, Katie Stumpf, Wayne Powell

Graduate Research Showcase

Understanding behavioral responses of wildlife to climate change will be important as global temperatures continue to rise. Effects of rising temperatures may impact many species, including those that breed in seemingly protected nests, such as cavity nesting birds. Variations in nest cavity microclimate during the early development of secondary cavity nesting passerines may affect the growth of offspring and impact nesting success and survival. We examined the effect of two heat mitigation treatments (white exterior, n=11, and an internal foil heat shield, n=16) and nest box opening orientation (north, south, east, west) on internal nest box temperatures and the effect …