Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons^™

Equivalent Hazard Magnitude Scale, Yi Victor Wang, Antonia Sebastian

Institute for ECHO Articles and Research

Hazard magnitude scales are widely adopted to facilitate communication regarding hazard events and the corresponding decision making for emergency management. A hazard magnitude scale measures the strength of a hazard event considering the natural forcing phenomena and the severity of the event with respect to average entities at risk. However, existing hazard magnitude scales cannot be easily adapted for comparative analysis across different hazard types. Here, we propose an equivalent hazard magnitude scale to measure the hazard strength of an event across multiple types of hazards. We name the scale the Gardoni Scale after Professor Paolo Gardoni. We design the …

Comparison Of Sieved Soil Sample Results From Butte-Silver Bow Multi-Pathway Residential Metals Abatement Program: 250 Μm And 150 Μm Sieved Samples For Lead And Arsenic Enrichment Determination Atlantic Richfield Company Butte, Montana, Ramboll, Environmental Standards, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Relative Importance Of Radar Variables For Nowcasting Heavy Rainfall: A Machine Learning Approach, Yi Victor Wang, Seung Hee Kim, Geunsu Lyu, Choeng-Lyong Lee, Gyuwon Lee, Ki-Hong Min, Menas C. Kafatos

Institute for ECHO Articles and Research

Highly short-term forecasting, or nowcasting, of heavy rainfall due to rapidly evolving mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) is particularly challenging for traditional numerical weather prediction models. To overcome such a challenge, a growing number of studies have shown significant advantages of using machine learning (ML) modeling techniques with remote sensing data, especially weather radar data, for high-resolution rainfall nowcasting. To improve ML model performance, it is essential first and foremost to quantify the importance of radar variables and identify pertinent predictors of rainfall that can also be associated with domain knowledge. In this study, a set of MCS types consisting of …

Assessments Of Water Chemistry And Fish Community Structure In The Buffalo Creek Watershed, Tributary To The Allegheny River In Armstrong And Butler Counties, Pennsylvania, Kathleen Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Buffalo Creek watershed has experienced water quality impairments for various reasons, including but not limited to, agricultural influence, abandoned mine drainage (AMD), on-site wastewater malfunction, and stormwater. The source and cause of the most prevalent impaired areas remains unknown. The goal of this study was to analyze water chemistry using state water quality standards and mass ratio analysis, then to conduct fish community analysis. We found toxic metal pollution across the watershed, with iron, cadmium, copper, and selenium frequently exceeding criteria. We determined which streams are polluted by resource extraction activities by conducting mass ratio analysis. We found conventional …

Possible Overestimation Of Nitrogen Dioxide Outgassing During The Beirut 2020 Explosion, Ashraf Farahat, Nayla El-Kork, Ramesh P. Singh, Feng Jing

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

On 4 August 2020, a strong explosion occurred near the Beirut seaport, Lebanon and killed more than 200 people and damaged numerous buildings in the vicinity. As Amonium Nitrate (AN) caused the explosion, many studies claimed the release of large amounts of NO₂ in the atmosphere may have resulted in a health hazard in Beirut and the vicinity. In order to reasonably evaluate the significance of NO₂ amounts released in the atmosphere, it is important to investigate the spatio-temporal distribution of NO₂ during and after the blast and compare it to the average day-to-day background emissions from …

Crisisready's Novel Framework For Transdisciplinary Translation: Case-Studies In Wildfire And Hurricane Response, Andrew Schroeder, Caleb Dresser, Akash Yadav, Jennifer Chan, Shenyue Jia, Caroline Buckee, Satchit Balsari

Institute for ECHO Articles and Research

Extreme weather events including wildfires and hurricanes are becoming increasingly hazardous due to climate change, and often result in transient or permanent population displacements. Disaster-related disruptions in infrastructure, workforce, wages, and social networks can combine with population displacements to result in interruptions in health care access and prolonged impacts on morbidity and mortality. The data needed to make health systems and emergency management approaches more resilient to these hazards, and more responsive to the needs of affected populations, are sequestered in silos across private corporations and public agencies. In two case studies, we describe how our research team at CrisisReady …

Residential Metals Abatement Program – Interior School Soil ‐ Remedial Action Work Plan – Butte High School, Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

The Global Effects Of Climate Change: Detrimental Impacts On The Environment, Ecosystem, Coral Reefs, Human Health/Well-Being, And Global Economy, Lucky Heng

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Despite criticism, scientists have been continuing to find more evidence to prove that the threats on the coral reefs around the world are real. The impact of rising climate temperature, pollution, ocean acidification, etc. has been leading to increasing amounts of mass bleaching and a massive decline in coral reefs in past decades. This research study utilizes a systematic literature review and secondary research to collect, analyze and provide evidence that climate change impacts the ecosystem, and marine life (coral reefs) species on the planet. By addressing the impact of climate change and its significance on the ecosystem and global …

Residential Metals Abatement Program – Interior School Soil ‐ Remedial Action Work Plan – Butte High School, Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Approval Letter For The Revised Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap), Interior School Soils Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp), Butte High School (Dated November 17, 2022), Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Remedial Action Work Plan East Middle School, Environmental Resource Management (Erm)

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) – Temporary Construction Surface Water Performance Standards Variance Request For Fresow Projects, Josh Bryson

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final 2022 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Koprivica Park Soil Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Annual Quality Assurance Project Plan For Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Smelter Area Mine Waste Remediation And Contaminated Groundwater Hydraulic Control Site; Phase Iii Brw Quality Assurance Project Plan (Dated November 29, 2022), Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Memorandum – Final Revised - Recommended Qualification For Select Dust Cassette Data, Lester J. Dupes, Rock J. Vitale

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Residential Metals Abatement Program – Interior School Dust ‐ Remedial Action Work Plan – East Middle School, Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final 2022 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Cherokee Park Soil Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final Revised Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Phase Iii Qapp, Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final Revised Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Phase Iii Qapp, Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

2022 Draft Final Blacktail Creek Groundwater Hydraulic Control System Remedial Design Work Plan, Stantec Consulting Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

2022 Draft Final Blacktail Creek Groundwater Hydraulic Control System Remedial Design Work Plan, Stantec Consulting Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Medical Monitoring Working Group Meeting Minutes, Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

A Cradle-To-Gate Life Cycle Assessment Of American Hops In The Craft Beer Supply Chain, Carson Bristol

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

The hop industry represents a culturally and economically significant industry in the United States due to the product’s significant role in the beer industry, but little is known about the environmental impacts associated with hop production. There exists a significant lack of specific research quantifying the emissions contribution of hop production, and the work that has been done lacks consensus in the scientific community. In an effort to overcome this, this study conducts a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of aroma hop production broken into four phases, beginning with propagation of seedlings by tissue culture and ending with packaged T-90 …

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 …