Environmental Monitoring Commons^™

Now Hear This! Orientation And Behavioral Responses Of Hatchling Loggerhead Sea Turtles, Caretta Caretta, To Environmental Acoustic Cues, Bethany Holtz

Celebration

Although the visual and geologic orientation cues utilized by sea turtle hatchlings during seafinding, when they move from the nest to the sea after hatching, have been well studied, the potential for auditory stimuli to act as an orientation cue has not been well explored. Over the past several decades our knowledge of the auditory capacity of sea turtles has increased greatly, yet little is known about the biological significance of this sensory ability. To investigate whether hatchlings can use ocean sounds during seafinding, we measured the behavioral responses of hatchling loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) collected from nesting beaches …

Hydrogeological Conceptual Model Of La Villa River Watershed, Republic Of Panama, Maria G. Castrellon Romero

Honors Scholar Theses

Groundwater in Panama is a valuable and poorly understood resource. Its exploitation has increased 75% in the past decade, reaching a total value of 700,000 m³/day or 185 million gallons per day (MGD). Climate change has caused a lengthening of the dry season, which has reduced precipitation and streamflow, resulting in surface water scarcity during this period. Nevertheless, it has not been possible to determine the extent to which groundwater sources have been affected by these factors since systematic monitoring of groundwater levels has not been implemented in Panama. With support from National Institution of Drinking Water Supply …

The Value Of Long-Term Stream Invertebrate Data Collected By Citizen Scientists, Patrick M. Edwards

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this investigation was to systematically examine the variability associated with temporally-oriented invertebrate data collected by citizen scientists and consider the value of such data for use in stream management. Variability in invertebrate data was estimated for three sources of variation: sampling, within-reach spatial and long-term temporal. Long-term temporal data were also evaluated using ordinations and an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI). Through two separate investigations over an 11-year study period, participants collected more than 400 within-reach samples during 44 sampling events at three streams in the western United States. Within-reach invertebrate abundance coefficient of variation (CV) ranged …

Drought Forecasting Isn't Just About Water- To Get Smart We Need Health And Financial Data Too, Neville Crossman, Ian Overton, Jamie Hannaford, Kerstin Stahl, Kevin Collins, Mark D. Svoboda, Mike Acreman, Nicole Wall

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

The Millennium Drought taught Australians many lessons about living under extremely dry conditions – not just about how to conserve water, but also about human suffering.

In a drought, farmers find it more difficult to make an income, leading to mental health problems and raising the rate of male suicides. In the city, the impact is felt through water restrictions and more expensive infrastructure.

With very dry conditions returning to Tasmania, central Queensland and western Victoria, are we better prepared for the next big drought?

This is an issue not just for Australia, but across the world, from California, to …

Improved Microplate Fluorometric Soil Enzyme Assay For Β-Glucosidase Detection, Emily C. Hoehn

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

Soil microbes produce extracellular enzymes responsible for degrading complex organic compounds to release energy and nutrients. Measurement of soil enzymes can be considered an indicator of soil health and microbial community composition because of its sensitivity to agricultural and management practices. Fluorescence enzyme assays tend to be more sensitive than spectrophotometric (ie. colorimetric) assays and a 96-well plate has the potential capacity for high-throughput use. Development of a newly modified enzyme assay using fluorometric (4-methylumbelliferone), automated pipetting system and sonication, as well as a reduction in replicates allows for a higher sample throughput rate suitable for service laboratory use. The …

Mapping Evapotranspiration With High-Resolution Aircraft Imagery Over Vineyards Using One- And Two-Source Modeling Schemes, Ting Xia, William P. Kustas, Martha C. Anderson, Joseph G. Alfieri, Feng Gao, Lynn Mckee, John H. Prueger, Hatim M.E. Geli, C.M.U. Neale, Luis Sanchez, Maria Mar Alsina, Zhongjing Wang

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Thermal and multispectral remote sensing data from low-altitude aircraft can provide high spatial resolution necessary for sub-field ( 10 m) and plant canopy (1 m) scale evapotranspiration (ET) monitoring. In this study, highresolution (sub-meter-scale) thermal infrared and multispectral shortwave data from aircraft are used to map ET over vineyards in central California with the two-source energy balance (TSEB) model and with a simple model having operational immediate capabilities called DATTUTDUT (Deriving Atmosphere Turbulent Transport Useful To Dummies Using Temperature). The latter uses contextual information within the image to scale between radiometric land surface temperature (TR) values representing hydrologic limits of …

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 19, 2016, Richard Tinker

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for April 19, 2016 (4/19/16) 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 12, 2016, Richard Tinker

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for April 12, 2016 (4/12/16) 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.

Multi-Tiered Remote Sensing Approach For Improved Forest Structure And Biomass Modeling In The Mayan Biosphere Reserve, Casey L. Calamaio

Research Horizons Day Posters

No abstract provided.

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 5, 2016, Richard Tinker

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for April 5, 2016 (4/5/16) 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.

Western Australian Silver-Lipped Pearl Oyster (Pinctada Maxima) Industry, Anthony M. Hart, K. L. Travaille, R. Jones, S. J. Brand-Gardner, F J. Webster, A. Irving, A. V. Harry

WA Marine Stewardship Council report series

This report provides a comprehensive description of the pearling (Pinctada maxima) industry in Western Australia. The pearling industry is comprised of the wild capture and cultivation of the silver-lipped pearl oyster Pinctada maxima in Western Australia’s northwest region.

Nutrient Cycling In The Amazon: A Comparison Of Soil Characteristics, Insects, Root Types And Decomposition Rates Between Varzea And Terra Firme Habitats In The Ecuadorian Amazon, Mira Ensley-Field

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Decomposition and nutrient cycling form the basis of every ecosystem. Nutrient availability in the soil affects plant species composition, richness, and productivity. The Amazon rainforest is known for its unusually fast nutrient cycle, but many aspects lack detailed study and analysis. This comparative study carried out in the Ecuadorian Amazon had four primary objectives related to understanding the nutrient cycle in the Amazon; 1.) analyze soil characteristics, 2.) assess insect diversity in the leaf litter layer, 3.) examine root characteristics, and 4.) measure the decomposition rate between Varzea and Terra Firme habitats alongside the Rio Napo. Forty 0.25 x 0.25m …

The Coastal Monitor: Vol. 1, No. 2, John Tanacredi Ph.D.

The Coastal Monitor

At a recent event a colleague asked me, “So what do you do at CERCOM?” My immediate response was the “M” word fundamentally! After 45 years involved in environmental sciences, monitoring remains the most important and critical aspect of not only any field station in support of the academics conducted, but the seminal responsibility to be able, as a scientist, to reveal trends in the massive volume of data collected through routine monitoring exercises. It is extremely rare for a single data point, or even a single season of data, no matter how accurate the individual data point is, to …

The Prairie Post Quarterly Newsletter Of The High Plains Regional Climate Center- April 2016, Natalie A. Umphlett, Bill Sorensen, Jamie Lahowetz, Crystal J. Stiles

Prairie Post: Quarterly Newsletter of the High Plains Regional Climate Center

Inside this issue:

Message from the interim director........................................1

Staff spotlight...........................1

Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador Program............2

Tribal work highlight..............2

Product highlight....................3

Partnership spotlight.............3

AWDN information.................4

Update on regional climate conditions..................................4

Outreach/engagement.........5

Recent and upcoming travel and activities.............................6

Droughtscape, Spring 2016, National Drought Mitigation Center

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

Contents

Director’s report

First quarter drought summary

First quarter drought impacts

Drought Risk Management Research Center

Kenyan official visits

DrIVER eyes forecasting

Drought scenario exercise

Student projects

Drought tournament

Response and recovery guide

Drought Portal

Network of drought observers

Caribbean “writeshops”

Communications staff grows

Fracking In Pennsylvania: A Spatial Analysis Of Impacts On Land Cover And Land Use, The Viewshed, And The Audioshed, Kelly A. Collins

Student Publications

Hydraulic fracturing is the process of extracting natural gas from layers of shale rock beneath the surface of the Earth. The largest source of natural gas in the US is the Marcellus Shale, largely located in Pennsylvania, and it is believed to hold about 141 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in its shale deposits. My study examined the impacts of well sites on land cover and land use, the viewshed, and the audioshed. To study the effect of wellpads on land use and land cover, we overlaid a layer of wellpads over land cover data as well as a …

The Measure Of Nematode Diversity In Response To Varying Management Practices And Features In Restored And Remnant Prairie Ecosystems, Heaven A. Hulshizer

UCARE: Research Products

"Tallgrass prairies are the most endangered ecosystem in North America” (Helen et al 2013). “Surveys suggest that since European settlement, declines in area of native prairie range as high as 99.9%”(Sampson, Fred and Fritz Knopf 1994). Prairie ecosystem services are abundant and range from mitigating floods to promoting biodiversity. (USDA Forest Service).Given these benefits, restoring prairies and maintaining native areas should be an important conservation priority. Nematodes, the most abundant animal species on earth, have been used as bio-indicators of soil quality (Neher; Todd). To better understand the dynamics of nematode diversity in native and restored prairies we examines whether …

Iron Mobility In Desert Sandstone Aquifers: The Possible Role Of Siderite, Lubna Al Azri, David Loope

UCARE: Research Products

Jordanians and a large number of refugees are drinking radiumcontaminated water from a sandstone aquifer. The problem is that this water passed through sandstone of the Disi Formation only after carbon dioxide and methane had bleached the sandstone, dissolving the Iron-oxide coatings and liberating heavy metals and radionuclides . The Iron that once coated the grains migrated to form Iron bands in the lower Um Ishrin Formation.

The major practical significance of this study involves water quality. The movement of Iron sandstone aquifers can drastically change groundwater chemistry; understanding how and when this movement takes place will help in locating …

Avifaunal Community Composition In A Tropical Forest Corridor: A Case Study From The Atherton Tableland, North Queensland, Don Jones

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Bird communities in tropical forest ecosystems are highly threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. Replanted corridors connecting isolated forest remnants are a popular method of ameliorating certain negative impacts of habitat fragmentation. Such linkages can theoretically facilitate greater dispersal, increase gene flow, and reduce the risk of local extinctions in forest birds. However, relatively few studies have examined the utilization of reforested corridors by birds, and little hard data exists to support claims that this type of resource and time intensive project is the best use of often scarce funding for conservation. This study examined the avifaunal community present in …

U.S. Drought Monitor, March 29, 2016, Brad Rippey

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for March 29, 2016 (3/29/16) 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.

Effects Of Meteorological Conditions On Sulfur Dioxide Air Pollution In The North China Plain During Winter Of 2006–2015, Chase C. Calkins

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

The last decade has seen frequent occurrences of severe air pollution episodes of high concentration in SO₂ during winters in the North China Plain (NCP). Using satellite data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), chemistry transport model (GEOS-Chem) simulations, and National Center for Environmental Predication (NCEP) meteorological reanalyzes, this study examines meteorological and synoptic conditions associated with these air pollution episodes during winters of 2006-2015. OMI-based data suggest a large decrease (~30% in area average) of emission since 2010. Statistical analyzes show that meteorological conditions associated with the top 10% of OMI-based high days are found in average to …

A Simulation-Based Analysis Of Chemical And Radiological Hazard Zones Adapted To Physical Boundaries, Mickie J. Sundheim

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, industrial and terrorist use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) materials pose a risk to public safety. During the initial phase of typical CBRN incidents, emergency responders establish hazard zones based on standard distances from published guidelines and recommendations. This research investigates how standard hazard zones change in a real world environment that accounts for physical boundaries. Using a python simulation in ArcGIS®, new hazard zones were created by expanding standard hazard zones to follow nearby roads, railroads, and rivers. The new and standard zones were compared by calculating the population and area affected by …

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.

U.S. Drought Monitor, March 22, 2016, Brad Rippey

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for March 22, 2016 (3/22/16) 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.

Estimating Evapotranspiration Of An Apple Orchard Using A Remote Sensing-Based Soil Water Balance, Magali Odi-Lara, Isidro Campos, C.M.U. Neale, Samuel Ortega-Farías, Carlos Poblete-Echeverria, Claudio Balbontín, Alfonso Calera

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

The main goal of this research was to estimate the actual evapotranspiration (ETc) of a drip-irrigated apple orchard located in the semi-arid region of Talca Valley (Chile) using a remote sensing-based soil water balance model. The methodology to estimate ETc is a modified version of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) dual crop coefficient approach, in which the basal crop coefficient (Kcb) was derived from the soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) calculated from satellite images and incorporated into a daily soil water balance in the root zone. A linear relationship between the Kcb and SAVI was …

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.

U.S. Drought Monitor, March 15, 2016, Richard R. Heim Jr.

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of the United States for March 15, 2016 (3/15/16) plus: United States crop areas experiencing drought (map), the approximate percentage of crop located in drought by state (bar graph), and the percentage of crop area located in drought during past 52 weeks (line graph) for corn, soybeans, hay, cattle, and winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, March 8, 2016, David Miskus

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for March 8, 2016 (3/8/16) 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.

Umphlett Qci March 2016, Natalie Umphlett

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

Highlights for the Basin

Temperature and Precipitation Anomalies

Vegetation Conditions

Early Signs of Spring

Winter Wheat Breaks Dormancy

3-Month Precipitation and Temperature Outlooks

Percent of Average Precipitation: Strong El Niños

U.S. Drought Monitor, March 1, 2016, David Miskus

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for March 1, 2016 (3/1/16) 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.