Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons^™

A Combined Chemical And Biological Approach To Transforming And Mineralizing Pahs In Runoff Water, Chainarong Sakulthaew, Steve D. Comfort, Chanat Chokejaroenrat, Clifford Harris, Xu Li

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The water quality of lakes, rivers and streams associated with metropolitan areas is declining from increased inputs of urban runoff that contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Our objective was to transform and mineralize PAHs in runoff using a combined chemical and biological approach. Using ¹⁴C-labeled phenanthrene, ¹⁴C-benzo(a)pyrene and a mixture of 16 PAHs, we found that ozone transformed all PAHs in a H₂O matrix within minutes but complete mineralization to CO₂ took several weeks. When urban runoff water (7.6 mg C L−1) replaced H₂O as the background matrix, some delays in degradation rates …

Umphlett Qci June 2014, Natalie Umphlett

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

Highlights for the Basin

Temperature and Precipitation Anomalies

􏰞􏰥􏰬􏰨􏰤􏰮􏱨Streamflow

Drought Impacts to Livestock

Continued Cold Hampers Producers in North

3-Month Precipitation and Temperature Outlooks

U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook

U.S. Drought Monitor, May 27, 2014, Michael J. Brewer

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for May 27, 2014 (5/27/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, May 20, 2014, Michael J. Brewer

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for May 20, 2014 (5/20/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Aircraft Greenhouse Gas Emissions During The Landing And Takeoff Cycle At Bay Area Airports, Travis M. Norton

Master's Projects and Capstones

The aviation industry is a growing industry and has global environmental impacts. Throughout all phases of air transit, pollutant emissions, including greenhouse gases (GHGs), are released. The goal of this study is to quantify and characterize these emissions produced from aircraft in the LTO cycle at Bay Area airports.

FAA data was used along with the Emissions and Dispersion Modeling System (EDMS) to produce GHG emissions inventory for the LTO cycle at SFO, OAK, and SJC. These emissions inventories were compared to comparable sized airports both domestically and internationally.

Results indicate that CO₂ represents 99.5% of all aircraft LTO …

What Role Can Ceqa Play In Reaching Ghg Emissions Reductions Goals Set Forth In Ab 32 – An Analysis Of Ceqa, Ab 32, And Recommendations For Ceqa Reform, Eleanor Gilbert

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32) intends to reduce the effects of climate change through several mechanisms, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. AB 32 established a statewide GHG emissions goal, which requires California to decrease its GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is an environmental assessment law adopted in 1970 that requires lead agencies (private developers, public agencies, etc.) to consider and disclose the potential significant environmental impacts of new development projects the lead agency is planning. CEQA has attracted much controversy since adoption and continues to be the …

Harvest Incentives: A Tool For Managing Aquatic Invasive Species, Bob Wiltshire, Nathan Stone, Marshall Meyers, Bill Hyatt, Lori Williams, Jason Goldberg, Susan Pasko, Leah Elwell

National Invasive Species Council

Conclusion

The success of any harvest incentive program to address aquatic invasive species will depend upon numerous biological, socioeconomic, and legal considerations. Programs that encourage harvest may be a successful management tool in targeting small, distinct populations; in high priority areas within a larger invasion; or they may play a supplementary role within larger control programs. Their use, however, will require careful review, planning, and monitoring to ensure success and that they do not unintentionally lead to further spread of invasive species, cause additional harm to native species, or waste valuable resources.

U.S. Drought Monitor, May 13, 2014, Mark D. Svoboda

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for May 13, 2014 (5/13/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, May 6, 2014, Mark D. Svoboda

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for May 6, 2014 (5/6/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Gouldian Finch Breeding Surveys 2014: Ord-East Kimberley Expansion Project - Weaber Plain Development Area, Sarah R. Pryke, Nina Svedin

Irrigated Agricultural Development in the North

As part of the requirement for State approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and the Gouldian Finch Management Plan (GFMP), a baseline assessment and on-going monitoring of the endangered Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae) is required during the construction and operation of the Ord River Irrigation Area Weaber Plain Development Project in the eastern Kimberley, Western Australia. This report details the findings from surveys of Gouldian finches during their annual breeding season (Feb-May 2014).

All That Sprawl, Y’All: An Analysis Of Development On Steinwehr Avenue And York Street In Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, From 1971 To 2014, Elizabeth K. Emmons, Kalley S. Hansel, Daly Simpson

Student Publications

The advent of the automobile transformed the American landscape in the 20th century. In conjunction with the increasing importance of the automobile, numerous post-WW II government programs such as the Interstate Highway System encouraged suburban sprawl. Towns and cities adjacent to tourist attractions, known as gateway communities, face unique problems caused by sprawl. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is an example of a gateway community as it includes the Gettysburg National Military Park. Two study sites, portions of Steinwehr Avenue and York Street, were studied to analyze the effects of sprawl in Gettysburg. The sites were analyzed using ArcGIS, data compiled from historic …

Water-Use Restriction Information: Information Sharing Between Public Water Systems And State Government Offices, Christopher Carparelli

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

In many states there is an absence of communication between the state and local levels about many aspects of water resource management. This research examines the interaction between the state and local levels regarding water-use restrictions for public water systems (PWSs). This information is useful for state-level drought planning and mitigation through the assessment of drought impacts on public water supplies. Officials from five state-level entities that collect and disseminate local water-use restriction information were interviewed over the phone for this research. Each official was asked eleven questions about how and why their state collects and disseminates PWS water-use restriction …

Gauging Wetland Restoration Status Using Benthic-Based Structural And Functional Metrics, Claudia Alejandra Tamez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Efforts to restore Bahia Grande, a 2630 hectare, historically sea grass dominated playa lake, are currently underway and describing its current ecological status is critical to recommending any future physical manipulations to the immense basin. A benthic community based study was conducted on three estuaries in Cameron County, Texas (2012 to 2013) in order to compare the polychaete community dynamics and ecosystem productivity rates of the restored basin to that of two older adjacent reference sites (i.e. South Bay and San Martin Lake) in an effort to gauge system status. All three sites were once contiguous with the Lower Laguna …

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 29, 2014, Richard R. Heim Jr.

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of the United States for April 29, 2014 (4/29/14) plus: United States crop areas experiencing drought (map), an approximate percentage of crop located in drought by state (bar graph), and the percentage of crop area located in drought during the past 52 weeks (line graph) for corn, soybeans, hay, cattle, and winter wheat.

Management And Climate Contributions To Satellite-Derived Active Fire Trends In The Contiguous United States, Hsiao-Wen Lin, Jessica L. Mccarty, Dongdong Wang, Brendan M. Rogers, Douglas C. Morton, G. James Collatz, Yufang Jin, James T. Randerson

Michigan Tech Research Institute Publications

Fires in croplands, plantations, and rangelands contribute significantly to fire emissions in the United States, yet are often overshadowed by wildland fires in efforts to develop inventories or estimate responses to climate change. Here we quantified decadal trends, interannual variability, and seasonality of Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations of active fires (thermal anomalies) as a function of management type in the contiguous U.S. during 2001–2010. We used the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity database to identify active fires within the perimeter of large wildland fires and land cover maps to identify active fires in croplands. A third class …

Tapping The Apocalypse & Healing With Intention, Julianne E. Henderson Ms.

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

When crisis strikes, practical skills and strategies are critical to one's survival. However, one's positive mentality, relationship with and knowledge of his or her environment, and capacity for compassion when faced with an apocalyptic landscape are just as likely to boost their morale. Maintaining an optimistic consciousness assists human beings with survival, regardless of what level of adversity we face. This research project combines an important skill, which is knowing how to heal oneself naturally with what Nature provides, with the power of our consciousness to determine our success, strength, and overall capacity for withstanding the hurricanes of change.

Body Size And Species Richness Changes In Glyptosaurinae (Squamata: Anguidae) Through Climatic Transitions Of The North American Cenozoic, Sara Elshafie

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Poikilothermic vertebrates offer excellent climate proxies based on relationships between environment and measurable variables such as body size and species richness. Relationships of these variables in lizards to environmental transitions over long time scales are poorly understood. Here I show that patterns of body size and species richness in a lizard clade, Glyptosaurinae (Squamata: Anguidae), correspond to known histories of paleotemperatures through the Cenozoic of North America. Glyptosaurines have the richest fossil record among North American Cenozoic lizards and exhibit a wide range of skull sizes. In order to estimate body size for glyptosaurines and other fossil anguids, I collected …

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 22, 2014, Richard R. Heim Jr.

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of the United States for April 22, 2014 (4/22/14) plus: United States crop areas experiencing drought (map), an approximate percentage of crop located in drought by state (bar graph), and the percentage of crop area located in drought during the past 52 weeks (line graph) for corn, soybeans, hay, cattle, and winter wheat.

Overview Of The Integrated Pest Management (Ipm) Terrain And Activities In Furtherance Of The Walmart Initiative To Purchase Fresh Vegetables From Local Growers In Alabama, Franklin Quarcoo, Conrad Bonsi

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Tuskegee University has been providing various types of technical expertise to limited resource farmers who have been supplying Walmart with collard greens, watermelons and purple hull peas. A number of pests bedevil the cultivation of these crops; cost-effective management methods for these pests are needed. The objectives of this paper are to document the IPM activities associated with supplying produce to Walmart; summarize pest problems encountered on the afore-stated crops; recommend IPM methods suitable for limited resource farmers; and suggest other activities that ensure that farmers incur even less pest-related crop losses. Anthracnose was the major pest encountered on watermelons. …

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 15, 2014, Brian Fuchs

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for April 15, 2014 (4/15/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 8, 2014, Brian Fuchs

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for April 8, 2014 (4/8/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Port Of Gloucester, Ma: Groundfish Port Recovery And Revitalization Plan By The City Of Gloucester, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, City Of Gloucester, Massachusetts

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This plan represents another step forward by the City of Gloucester to confront the challenge of declining groundfish stocks and subsequent management measures which have had a profound effect on the fishing industry, the community, and its economy. The plan’s strategies include both short-term recommendations to address the immediate direct impacts on harvesters, fresh fish processors, and associated support businesses, as well as longer-term proposals to bolster and support the industry as it recovers, and proposals to create new economic opportunities built upon Gloucester’s maritime assets, skills, and intellectual capital, and old and new partnerships. The Plan lays out the …

Climate Change In Northern New Hampshire: Past, Present And Future, Cameron P. Wake, C. Keeley, Elizabeth A. Burakowski, Peter Wilkinson, Katharine Hayhoe, Anne Stoner, Julie Labrance

The Sustainability Institute Publications

EARTH’S CLIMATE CHANGES. It always has and always will. However, an extensive and growing body of scientific evidence indicates that human activities—including the burning of fossil fuel (coal, oil, and natural gas) for energy, clearing of forested lands for agriculture, and raising livestock—are now the primary force driving change in the Earth’s climate system. This report describes how the climate of northern New Hampshire has changed over the past century and how the future climate of the region will be affected by a warmer planet due to human activities.

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 1, 2014, David Simeral

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for April 1, 2014 (4/1/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Climate Change In Southern New Hampshire: Past, Present And Future, Cameron P. Wake, Elizabeth A. Burakowski, Peter Wilkinson, Katharine Hayhoe, Anne Stoner, C. Keeley, Julie Labranche

The Sustainability Institute Publications

EARTH’S CLIMATE CHANGES. It always has and always will. However, an extensive and growing body of scientific evidence indicates that human activities—including the burning of fossil fuel (coal, oil, and natural gas) for energy, clearing of forested lands for agriculture, and raising livestock—are now the primary force driving change in the Earth’s climate system. This report describes how the climate of southern New Hampshire has changed over the past century and how the future climate of the region will be affected by a warmer planet due to human activities.

Effects Of Digital Elevation Model Resolution On Estimates Of Flood Damage In Westbrook, Maine, Scott Webber

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Accurate predictions of flood damage and economic losses are increasingly important as historically low-probability floods have become more common. Digital elevation models (DEMs) are essential to flood modeling as they define stream channel and floodplain morphology, the accuracy of which influence estimates of flood damage. The city of Westbrook, Maine experiences episodic flooding of the Presumpscot River; therefore, flooding in Westbrook was simulated with HAZUS, a model created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The model is designed to assess the costs associated with hazard scenarios including riverine flooding. HAZUS was run for a 100-year return period flood with both …

Powering Rural Transformation: Solar Pv In Rural Uganda., Matt Piggins

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The intent of this study was to understand the role that solar PV plays in the process of rural electrification, what barriers exist in the PV market, and how the Rural Electrification Agency is bringing down those barriers. Moreover, I sought to understand solar PV’s development impact in rural areas and how people in rural regions of Uganda are using the technology, especially those at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Additionally, I sought to understand if PV is a financially viable option for the rural poor or if it is only obtainable by the rural upper and middle class. …

Bioremediation Of Polluted Zanzibar Seawater: The Nutrient And Bacterial Bioextraction Potential Of Native Seaweeds And Bivalves, Katie Bergman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In Stone Town, Zanzibar, increasing populations and insufficient sewage treatment has greatly increased harmful levels of nutrients and anthropogenic-sourced contaminants along the city’s coastal waters. In this study, the nutrient and bacterial bioextractive abilities of local species of bivalves (A. antiquata, P. margaritifera) and seaweeds (E. denticulatum, U. reticulata) were examined in order to determine the potential for these species to remedy the local polluted waters. It was hypothesized that due to bivalves’ suspension-feeding activity, both species of bivalves would be able to decrease turbidity and fecal indicator bacteria (Enterococci) levels in sample polluted …

From Holy To Holistic: Working Towards Integrated Management Of The Bagmati River Corridor, Lauren Platman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Bagmati and its tributaries have been an integral part of the Kathmandu Valley civilization. The river not only became a source of sustenance for the Valley's population but also gained religious-cultural significance. However, rapid urbanization and increasing industrial activities have transformed this once pristine river into an open sewer. Governmental organizations, NGOs, and community members are working towards improving the conditions of the Bagmati River through restoration projects and public awareness campaigns. Because of the large number of actors, collaboration on projects is vital in order to avoid duplication or conflict. After nearly thirty years of failed restoration projects …

Tabasará Libre: A Case Study Of Development And Indigenous Rights, Katharine Evans

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since the 1960s, indigenous groups in Panama have been fighting to maintain their land and ways of life against the growing threat and reality of national development. This study uses the Barro Blanco Hydroelectric Power Project as a case study to examine the consequences of development and the ultimate role that development plays in indigenous marginalization and assimilation. Data was collected through interview, participatory observation, and outside research over the course of a three week period. Findings include the role the government, legislation, and the public have played in this fight.