Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons^™

Anthropogenic Land-Use Change In The North American Tall Grass-Short Grass Transition And Modification Of Near-Surface Hydrologic Cycle, Rezaul Mamood, Kenneth Hubbard

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the landscape of the North American Great Plains was rapidly modified from natural grasslands to agricultural farmlands. These changes affected much of the continent with potential impacts in grasslands equal to deforestation elsewhere. Therefore, the resulting impacts on weather and climate should be studied. In this study, a soil water balance model is applied for 3 land uses at 3 locations. These locations are representative of the east to west declining precipitation gradient of the Great Plains. It was found, in McCook, Nebraska, for example, that annual total evapotranspiration for irrigated maize is 36% …

Realtime Data Filtering Models For Air Temperature Measurements, Kenneth G. Hubbard, X. Lin

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Air temperature measurement biases caused by solar radiation and ambient wind speed are well-known. However, realtime air temperature filtering models are essential for generating homogeneous climate data by transforming one air temperature measurement system into another, and correcting in-situ air temperature biases especially for non-aspirated radiation shield systems. This study investigated the air temperature biases caused in the commonly used radiation shields in the United States, including the ASOS, MMTS, Gill, CRS, ASP-ES, and NON-ASPES shields along with corresponding temperature sensors. The realtime air temperature filtering models developed for each air temperature system are capable of removing the solar radiation …

Macrohabitat Composition Surrounding Successful And Depredated Northern Bobwhite Nests, Eric L. Staller, William E. Palmer, John P. Carroll

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Relationships among macrohabitat and depredation of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) nests are poorly understood. Yet, macrohabitat composition may influence the nest predator community and, therefore, the vulnerability of northern bobwhite nests to depredation. We determined if macrohabitat composition surrounding bobwhite nests influenced nest placement, nest success, and which predators were responsible for depredating nests. We characterized macrohabitats at 2 scales, 8 and 16 ha, by surrounding both bobwhite nests, and an equal number of random locations, with a circular buffer. Random points were placed within the area used by bobwhites on our study area. We then determined the …

Wood Thrush Movements And Habitat Use: Effects Of Forest Management For Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers, Jason Lang, Larkin A. Powell, David Krementz, Michael J. Conroy

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We monitored adult and juvenile breeding-season movements and habitat use of radio-tagged Wood Thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) at the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, central Georgia, USA. We investigated the effects that management for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Picoides borealis), thinning and burning >30 year old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) habitat, had on Wood Thrushes, a ground-foraging and midstory-nesting species. Adult Wood Thrush pairs regularly moved long distances between nesting attempts (range 1 to 17,388 m). The only experimental effect we found on adult movements was a decrease in weekly emigration rates (AP) from thinned and burned compartments …

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Richard Jensen, Andy Grossman, Kevin Force

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Binary Combinations Of Herbicides On Freshwater Algae, Jill K. Taylor

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

No abstract provided.

Movement Of Rainbow And Brown Trout In Relation To Water Quality And Food Availability In Lake Ogallala, Nebraska, Corey M. Huxoll

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

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Woody Cover In The Landscaping On Riparian Avifauna And A Preliminary Nesting Assessment, Micah W. Perkins

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

No abstract provided.

Movements And Habitat Use By Hatchery-Reared Pallid Sturgeon In The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Vaughn A. Snook

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

No abstract provided.

Fluxnet: A New Tool To Study The Temporal And Spatial Variability Of Ecosystem-Scale Carbon Dioxide, Water Vapor, And Energy Flux Densities, Dennis Baldocchi, Eva Falge, Lianhong Gu, Richard Olson, David Hollinger, Steve Running, Peter Anthoni, Ch. Bernhofer, Kenneth Davis, Robert Evans, Jose Fuente, Allen Goldstein, Gabriel Katul, Beverly Law, Xuhui Lee, Yadvinder Malhi, Tilden Meyers, William Munge, Walt Oechel, K.T. Paw U, Kim Pilegaard, H.P. Schmid, Riccardo Valentini, Shashi Verma, Timo Vesala, Kell Wilson, Steve Wofsy

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

FLUXNET is a global network of micrometeorological flux measurement sites that measure the exchanges of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and energy between the biosphere and atmosphere. At present over 140 sites are operating on a long-term and continuous basis. Vegetation under study includes temperate conifer and broadleaved (deciduous and evergreen) forests, tropical and boreal forests, crops, grasslands, chaparral, wetlands, and tundra. Sites exist on five continents and their latitudinal distribution ranges from 70°N to 30°S.

FLUXNET has several primary functions. First, it provides infrastructure for compiling, archiving, and distributing carbon, water, and energy flux measurement, and meteorological, plant, and soil …

Test Of An Extended Mathematical Approach To Calculate Maize Leaf Area Index And Leaf Angle Distribution, Elizabeth A. Walter-Shea, Mark A. Mesarch

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of An Algorithm For Predicting Albedo In Heliotropic Crops, Elizabeth A. Walter-Shea, A. Weiss

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Value Of Incorporating Satellite-Derived Land Cover Data In Mm5/Place For Simulating Surface Temperatures, Todd M. Crawford, David J. Stensrud, Franz Mora, James W. Merchant, Peter J. Wetzel

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Parameterization for Land–Atmosphere–Cloud Exchange (PLACE) module is used within the Fifth- Generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5) to determine the importance of individual land surface parameters in simulating surface temperatures. Sensitivity tests indicate that soil moisture and the coverage and thickness of green vegetation [as manifested by the values of fractional green vegetation coverage (fVEG) and leaf area index (LAI)] have a large effect on the magnitudes of surface sensible heat fluxes. The combined influence of LAI and fVEG is larger than the influence of soil moisture on the partitioning of the surface energy …

Some Perspectives On Recent In Situ Air Temperature Observations: Modeling The Microclimate Inside The Radiation Shields*, X. Lin, Kenneth Hubbard, Elizabeth A. Walter-Shea, James Brandle, G.E. Meyer

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Air temperature measurement has inherent biases associated with the particular radiation shield and sensor deployed. The replacement of the Cotton Region Shelter (CRS) with the Maximum–Minimum Temperature System (MMTS) and the introduction of Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) air temperature observing systems during the NWS modernization introduced bias shifts in federal networks that required quantification. In rapidly developing nonfederal networks, the Gill shield temperature systems are widely used. All of these systems house an air temperature sensor in a radiation shield to prevent radiation loading on the sensors; a side effect is that the air temperature entering a shield is …

Impacts Of Predation On Northern Bobwhite And Scaled Quail, Dale Rollins, John P. Carroll

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) populations have declined throughout most of their distribution, and these declines have become more dramatic in recent years. In this review, we examine the role of predation in quail management. Predation is the major source of nest loss and of mortality for young and adult quail. Mean nest success across studies reviewed was 28%. Estimates of annual survival rates have varied from 5 to 26% for radiotelemetry studies and from 15 to 30% based on age-ratio studies. Breeding season survival estimates ranged from 13 to 51% in telemetry …

Bollgard Cotton: An Assessment Of Global Economic, Environmental, And Social Benefits, Julie M. Edge, John H. Benedict, John P. Carroll, H. Keith Reding

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Insect-protected crops like Bollgard (Monsanto Company, St. Louis) Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton are bringing cotton growers new alternatives to broad-spectrum insecticide use in integrated pest management. After five years (1996-2000) of commercial use, a number of benefits of Bt cotton technology to growers, the environment, and society at large have been reported; however, the benefits of the technology have not been examined to date from a holistic point of view. Accordingly, the objectives of this paper were to examine the potential economic, environmental, and social benefits of Bt cotton compared with broad-spectrum insecticide use, as reported in current literature, …

Estimating Abundance Of Galliformes: Tools And Application, Michael J. Conroy, John P. Carroll

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A large number of techniques are available for assessing populations of vertebrates. However, application of many of those techniques to Galliformes is hampered by a variety of constraints. These problems are often magnified by poor understanding of the biology of many species of concern, and an absence of valid estimates of abundance and demographic parameters. Researchers interested in developing estimates of Galliformes populations must address a number of key issues before collecting field data, to avoid biases in the resulting population estimates. General guidance exists for the identification of appropriate population estimation techniques, and a dichotomous key has been developed …

The Effectiveness Of The Asos, Mmts, Gill, And Crs Air Temperature Radiation Shields*, K. G. Hubbard, X. Lin, E.A. Walter-Shea

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Periodic upgrades of air temperature measurement systems in surface weather station networks cause data discontinuities. From a climatological viewpoint, it is necessary to evaluate the air temperature data discontinuities when air temperature radiation shields are upgraded. This study was undertaken to investigate the effectiveness of four common air temperature radiation shields including the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), the Maximum–Minimum Temperature System (MMTS), the Gill, and the Cotton Region Shelter (CRS) shields. The solar radiation shielding effectiveness for each shield under typical grass ground surface and different artificial surfaces (black, white, and aluminum) were investigated. The shield effectiveness was evaluated …

Ecology Of Elk In The Pine Ridge Region Of Northwestern Nebraska: Seasonal Distribution, Characteristics Of Wintering Sites, And Herd Health, Michael A. Cover

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

No abstract provided.

Evaluation And Assessment Of Agrichemical Contaminants In The Creighton, Ne Area, Mark E. Burbach, Roy F. Spalding

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District (LCNRD) has reported elevated nitrate- nitrogen (NO3-N) concentrations in ground water near Creighton, NE. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 mg/L for NO3-N in public water supplies. NO3-N in the city of Creighton municipal drinking water wells and several rural domestic and irrigation wells have exceeded the MCL. The city of Creighton has constructed a reverse-osmosis water treatment system at a cost of $1.1 million to reduce the NO3-N concentration below the MCL in its water supply. In response to this NO3-N contamination problem the …

Airflow Characteristics Of Commonly Used Temperature Radiation Shields*, X. Lin, Kenneth G. Hubbard, George E. Meyer

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The air temperature radiation shield is a key component in air temperature measurement in weather station networks; however, it is widely recognized that significant errors in the measured air temperature exist due to insufficient airflow past the air temperature sensor housed inside the shield. During the last several decades, the U.S. National Weather Service has employed a number of different shields in air temperature measurements. This paper focuses on the airflow characteristics inside air temperature shields including the Maximum–Minimum Temperature System (MMTS), the Gill shields, and the Cotton Region Shelter (CRS).

Average airspeed profiles and airflow efficiency inside the shields …

Changes In Primary Production Of Pawnee Reservoir As A Result Of Reservoir Aging, Kristopher A. Fischer

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

No abstract provided.

Air Quality And Shelterbelts: Odor Mitigation And Livestock Production, A Literature Review, John Tyndall, Joe Colletti

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

This literature review is focused on the potential for innovative use of trees and other vegetation to reduce the odor associated with livestock production. The goal is to examine available evidence to assess if trees and shelterbelts may: 1) be able to help control odor through physical and biological means, and 2) be an economically feasible technology for livestock producers as well as surrounding communities.

Forestry's Role In Sustainable Agriculture, James R. Brandle

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Determination Of Drag Properties Of A Shelterbelt From Measurements And A Numerical Model, James R. Brandle

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Pressure Perturbations Around Shelterbelts: Measurements And Model Results, James R. Brandle

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Windbreaks An Old System With A New Look, James R. Brandle

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Windbreaks: Are They Effective?, James R. Brandle

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Silvopastoral Systems In The Pine Ridge Of Nebraska, James R. Brandle

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Windbreak Practices, James R. Brandle

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.