Sustainability Commons^™

Covid-19 And Sustainable Development Goals: The Pandemic, Politics, And The Road Ahead, Gopal Sankaran

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

No abstract provided.

Primate Conservation & Endangered Species Hunting In Madagascar, Cortni Borgerson

Sustainability Seminar Series

Ever wonder, “Who hunts endangered species and why?” Borgerson’s research demonstrates the importance of understanding human incentives when designing conservation action. Dr. Cortni Borgerson is excited to share with us her efforts working with local communities to better understand and improve food security in areas of high biodiversity, so that we may simultaneously support forests and the people who live within them.

Growing Biodiverse Urban Futures: Renaturalization And Rewilding As Strategies To Strengthen Urban Resilience, Steffen Lehmann

Architecture Faculty Research

How are our cities using nature-based solutions to confront the challenges posed by a warming climate, the loss of biodiversity and major resource depletion? This article discusses the opportunities and benefits of applying the concepts of regreening and rewilding of cities. The article engages with key sources and summarizes the background and development of regreening and nature-based solutions and important policies, concerns and perspectives of international and national organizations. It introduces the integration of nature-based solutions (NBS) as a strategy in urban planning with the aim to strengthen urban resilience and to slow down the biodiversity decline. Rewilding areas in …

Changes In Fire Weather Climatology Under 1.5 ◦C And 2.0 ◦C Warming, Rackhun Son, Hyungjun Kim, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, Jee-Hoon Jeong, Sung-Ho Woo, Ji-Yoon Jeong, Byung-Doo Lee, Seung Hee Kim, Matthew Laplante, Chun-Geun Kwon, Jin-Ho Yoon

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The 2015 Paris Agreement led to a number of studies that assessed the impact of the 1.5 ◦C and 2.0 ◦C increases in global temperature over preindustrial levels. However, those assessments have not actively investigated the impact of these levels of warming on fire weather. In view of a recent series of high-profile wildfire events worldwide, we access fire weather sensitivity based on a set of multi-model large ensemble climate simulations for these low-emission scenarios. The results indicate that the half degree difference between these two thresholds may lead to a significantly increased hazard of wildfire in certain parts of …

Climate Change Communication In The [M]Anthropocene, Steve Sassaman, Michael Sofis, Scott Ramsey

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

No abstract provided.

Ua12/2/1 Housing Guide, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Special magazine edition of the College Heights Herald, includes articles:

• Spainhoward, Emma. Editor’s Letter
• Secondhand Spruce-Up – Goodwill
• Harden, Olivia. Microwave Gourmet – Recipes
• Norvell, Abbey & Rylee McKee. Roommate Rules
• Crisp, Hannah. Desks with Major Personality
• Keeley, Josie. Troubleshooting Dorm Life
• Dees, Marshall. Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle
• Cleaning Playlist
• 5 Tips to Help the Planet & Your Utility Bill

What Can History Tell Us About The Future? Using Recent Observations And Paleoclimate Proxies To Constrain Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity, Kate Marvel

Sustainability Seminar Series

Despite improvements in computing power, climate modeling, and basic theoretical understanding, the Earth’s physical response to a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide remains uncertain. Can observations be useful in constraining this theoretical quantity? We have high-­‐quality information on recent trends: greenhouse gas concentrations have increased since the industrial revolution, and the planet has warmed in response. But I will argue that this recent history provides only weak constraints on the eventual climate sensitivity: observations of a transient climate are poor predictors of a future equilibrium state. Reconstructions of past equilibria both colder (the Last Glacial Maximum) and warmer (the mid-­‐Pliocene) …

Resource Assessment Report Abrolhos Islands And Mid-West Trawl Managed Fishery Resource, Mervi Kangas, A Chandrapavan, Anne Wilkins, E. A. Fisher, S. Evans

WA Marine Stewardship Council report series

This document provides a cumulative description and assessment of the Abrolhos Islands and Mid-West Trawl Managed Fishery (AIMWTMF) and all of the fishing activities (i.e. fisheries / fishing sectors) affecting this resource in Western Australia (WA). This resource comprises of a single species of scallop, Ylistrum balloti which occurs in inshore waters to around 40 m depth at the Abrolhos Islands. This species is captured exclusively by demersal otter trawl gear in the West Coast Bioregion.

Solutions Human Centered Approach To Conservation, Illustration Department, History, Philosophy, + The Social Sciences Department

Illustration Course Work & Materials

"These essays were were written and illustrated by students at the Rhode Island school of Design in February, 2021. Their perspectives are entirely personal and reflect their efforts within a 5.5-week fused studio/seminar course that was centered on the Sixth Mass Extinction and how biodiversity is changing because of humans. Discovering that science communication is more than delivering just the facts, students were invited to research a topic of personal interest that is relevant to human impacts on biodiversity. Through analysis of data and other scientific information, each sought to synthesize their research and opinions on their topic through a …

Adventuring Into Complexity By Exploring Data: From Complicity To Sustainability, Tim Lutz

Earth & Space Sciences Faculty Publications

Problems of sustainability are typically represented by major present-day challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental and social injustice. Framed this way, sustainable lives and societies depend on finding solutions to each problem. From another perspective, there is only one problem behind them all, stated by Gregory Bateson as: “…the difference between how nature works and the way people think,” and complexity provides a way to define and approach this problem. I extend Edgar Morin’s conceptions of restricted and general complexity into pedagogy to address problems of simplicity and reductionist teaching. The proposed pedagogy is based on long …

Comparing The Environmental Impacts Of Using Mass Timber And Structural Steel, Khang Hoang Nguyen, Steelee Knight Morgan

Construction Management

Although mass timber has seen a gradual rise in demand in the past, there has been a lack of extensive research on the environmental impacts of using mass timber as a primary structural framing material. This paper compares structural steel, and mass timber’s total embodied carbon emissions. Accurate estimates were made using plans and specs for different projects retrieved from semi-structured interviews. The estimates were input through the EC3 Calculator to provide extensive total carbon emissions measurements between each construction material. Using structural steel framing increased the project’s overall environmental impact by roughly 84% compared to using mass timber. The …

Blackstone Communion, Anne-Catherine Schaaf

Office of Sustainability

This short story describes a spiritual connection with nature experienced by the author when walking along a trail in Blackstone Gateway Park. Blackstone Gateway Park is an urban, riverfront park in Worcester, Massachusetts. Features of the park include walking paths and an elevated boardwalk which crosses the Middle River and the surrounding wetlands.

Construction And Application Of Remote Service Cloud Platform For Mine Water Hazard Prevention And Control, Wang Hao, Dong Shuning, Qiao Wei, Ji Yadong, Zhu Kaipeng, Zhou Zhenfang, Ning Dianyan, Shang Hongbo

Coal Geology & Exploration

Coal mine water disaster restricts the safe and efficient development of coal resources seriously. Aiming at the typical problems of roof, floor and goaf mine water disaster at present, three aspects of mine water prevention and control in China has been carried out including water hazard assessment, water inflow prediction, water hazard early warning, and water hazard detection and control, etc. However, the intelligence of these prevention and control work is relatively low. In order to solve this problem, this paper developed a multi-data fusion remote service cloud platform for mine water disaster prevention and control combining with the integration …

Table Of Contents, The Editors

Coal Geology & Exploration

No abstract provided.

The Evolution Difference Of Macromolecular Structures And Its Dynamic Mechanism Of Coal Macerals：Research Status And Prospect, Cao Daiyong, Wei Yingchun, Wang Anmin, Wang Lu, Liu Zhifei, Qin Rongfang, Shu Zhenyu, Chen Gaojian

Coal Geology & Exploration

The physical and chemical properties of macerals are important factors affecting the clean and efficient utilization of coal and the physical properties of coal reservoirs. It has been recognized that the essential cause of determining the properties of macerals lies in their macromolecular structure. In order to reveal the evolution characteristics of macromolecular structure of macerals and its controlling factors, the research progresses at home and abroad were summarized and the shortcomings were analyzed from several aspects, such as the chemical and physical structure of macromolecules, the tectonic stress effect on the macromolecular evolution, and the evolution characteristics of macromolecules …

Review On Carbon Neutralization Associated With Coal Geology, Sang Shuxun, Wang Ran, Zhou Xiaozhi, Huang Huazhou, Liu Shiqi, Han Sijie

Coal Geology & Exploration

Coal-based carbon emissions constitute the largest part of China's total carbon emissions. Reducing coal-based carbon emissions and realizing the efficient, clean and low-carbon utilization of coal are the important ways to achieve the goal of "carbon neutralization". This paper systematically reviews the research fields of coal geology related to carbon neutralization, analyzes the role and application prospects of coal geology in carbon neutrality research and engineering practice, and discusses the development direction of coal geology in the context of carbon neutralization. The following understandings are obtained. Promoting clean coal geology research to advance the efficient and clean combustion of coal. …

Technologies And Prospect Of Geological Guarantee For Intelligent Coal Mining, Dong Shuning, Liu Zaibin, Cheng Jianyuan, Chen Baohui, Dai Zhenhua, Li Dan

Coal Geology & Exploration

Intelligent coal mining is the strategic selection of the coal industry under the new round of technological change. It is the way that must get through to achieve efficient production of coal mine safety. Geological guarantee technologies can provide accurate and reliable geological data for intelligent coal mining. Moreover, it could reduce the occurrence of coal mine production disasters and accidents by effectively detecting hidden geological factors. The development process of coal geological guarantee technologies in China is systematically expatiated, from serving for resource exploration, high-yield and efficient mine construction to serving for safe and efficient production of coal mines, …

Chemical Compositions And Technological Properties Of Low-Rank Coals In The South Shenfu Mining Area: Characteristics, Relationship And Practice, Guo Chen, Wang Shengquan, Shi Qingmin, Qiao Junwei, Li Huantong, Zhang Weiguo, Li Jun, Zhang Chi, Wang Xiaokang, Du Fangpeng

Coal Geology & Exploration

Coal grading utilization is an essential way to fit its high-efficiency, clean and green development trends. Understanding the basic chemical composition and key technological properties of coal is the basis for achieving grading and qualitative utilization of coal resources. The South Shenfu mining area in Shaanxi Province is rich in coal reserves and it is an important low-rank coal production base in West China. However, it has not been able to achieve the qualitative utilization of coal practically completely for a long time, which restricts the full play of the value of coal resources and the further improvement of coal …

The Characteristics Of Pore Structure And Gas Adsorption For Water-Immersion Coal After Drying, Si Leilei, Xi Yujun, Wang Hongyang, Wen Zhihui, Wei [email protected] Jianping

Coal Geology & Exploration

In order to investigate the characteristics of pore structure and methane adsorption for water-immersion coal after drying, two coal samples with different ranks were soaked in distilled water for a long time(60 d). Then, the low-temperature N₂ adsorption experiments and CO₂ adsorption experiments were carried out to investigate the changing rules of pore structure for coal before and after water immersion, and the high-pressure capacity method was used to test the characteristics of methane adsorption. Results showed that the pore volume and specific surface area of coal decreased after water immersion. According to the results of low-temperature N …

Numerical Analysis On Csw Fracturing Behavior Of Coal Seam Under Constraint Of Geological And Engineering Conditions, Qin Yong, Li Hengle, Zhang Yongmin, Zhao Youzhi, Zhao Jincheng, Qiu Aici

Coal Geology & Exploration

As a revolutionary technology for rock stratum reformation, the controllable shock wave(CSW) fracturing technology has achieved remarkable effect in coal seam reconstruction, and application exploration in the field of coal safety mining has been carried out. However, the previous understanding of the basic CWS fracturing rules under the constraints of geological engineering factors is insufficient due to the limitation of experimental and field monitoring conditions, which restricts the exploration of the fracturing mechanism and the optimization of the field operation parameters. In view of this, based on the description of CSW coal seam reformation and its engineering scientific problems, the …

Study On Density Of The Supercritical Methane, Zhang Xinbin, Song Dangyu, Li Yunbo, Qi Yong'an, Fan Shunli

Coal Geology & Exploration

The density of supercritical methane is not only an important parameter for calculation of unconventional natural gas resources and adsorption capacity of methane in coal, but also a main indicator for measurement of the diffusion efficiency of supercritical methane and the ability to dissolve organic matter. Through analysis and comparison of the applicability of various gas state equations, it is realized that the Helmholtz energy state equation can accurately calculate the density of methane under the conditions of 0-30 MPa and 270-360 K. A calculation program for methane density was written using Microsoft Office Excel, and the error was less …

Effects Of Alternating Stress On Casing Damage Mechanism, An Fengchen, Zhang Feiyang, Yi Hao, Zhang Sui'an

Coal Geology & Exploration

Horizontal well staged fracturing technology of horizontal well has been widely used in the exploitation of low-permeability oil and gas reservoirs and coalbed methane, and has achieved good economic results. However, the vertical section of the casing is found to be damaged with serious deformation in the process of multi-stage hydraulic fracturing, which will prevent bridge plugs from being installed at the preferred design depths, thereby resulting in abandonment of all remaining fracturing stages. In this study, a user element is developed to simulate the mechanical behavior at the casing-cement sheath interface under cyclic loads. The developed element is then …

Micro-Pore Structure And Fractal Characteristics Of Terrestrial Shales: A Case Study Of Shahezi Formation In Xujiaweizi Fault Depression, Lin Zizhi, Lu Shuangfang, Chang Xiangchun, Li Junqian, Zhang Pengfei, Zhou Nengwu, Zhang Yu, Wang Junjie, Huang Hongsheng

Coal Geology & Exploration

The pore structure and fractal characteristics of shale are analyzed, and their impacting factors are also revealed using the low temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption method, combined with scanning electron microscopy, C-S analysis and XRD. The results showed that the mineral compositions of Shahezi Formation continental shales were dominated by clay minerals, quartz and feldspar. The pore types in shales were mainly clay mineral intragranular pores, feldspar dissolution pores and grain edge pore, while the organic pores were not developed. The adsorption isotherms of shales belonged to the type Ⅳ isotherm according to the IUPAC, which develop two types of hysteresis loop, …

Framework On Intelligent Decision Support System For Coal Seam Floor Water Hazard Prevention And Control, Jin Dewu, Li Peng

Coal Geology & Exploration

Coal floor water inrush is a common type of water disaster in the production process of coal mines in North China coalfield. In order to solve the scientific decision making problem of water hazard prevention and control engineering and further improve the reliability of the relevant projects, this paper puts forward a technical idea of establishing an intelligent decision support system(IDSS). The IDSS is a combination of the traditional decision support system(DSS) and artificial intelligence. On the basis of analyzing the functional requirements of DSS for water hazard prevention and control, an integrated design process of "data-model-solution" is proposed, and …

Deep Mining Under Safe Water Pressure Of Aquifer: Inheritance And Innovation, Yin Shangxian, Lian Huiqing, Xu Bin, Tian Wuzi, Cao Min, Yao Hui, Meng Haopeng

Coal Geology & Exploration

The paper reviews the development course of inheritance and innovation of mining under pressure, expounds the concept and the necessary and sufficient conditions of mining under pressure, and on the basis of the connotation of mining under pressure, the base level of erosion is defined as the boundary(interface) of shallow and deep mining under pressure. The paper clarified that mining above confined water is mining under pressure, while mining under aquifer does not belong to the category, and corrects the improper expression of roof and floor pressure in "Coal Mine Safety Regulations". This paper summarizes the theory and technology directly …

Design And Implementation Of Mine Water Hazard Monitoring And Early Warning Platform, Lian Huiqing, Xu Bin, Tian Zhentao, Liu Demin, Yang Yi, Pan Guangyi, Wang Rui

Coal Geology & Exploration

Any mine water hazard will show different omens. In order to consolidate the foundation of intelligent early warning of water disaster, the connotation of system construction of perception, identification, evaluation, prediction and the interlogical relation are clarified. The mechanism of water inrush is varred for different types of water hazards, we designed three types of multi-mode water inrush typical scenarios and established the corresponding water inrush criteria. In addition, so we proposed two kinds of forecasting methods, namely the precise prediction of deterministic theory and the non-deterministic trend projections including big data and deep learning, which laid a solid theoretical …

Investigation And Simutation On The Model And Prevention Technology Of Water Inrush From Roof Bed Separation, Zhang Wenquan, Wang Zaiyong, Wu Xintao, Shao Jianli, Lei Yu, Wu Xunan

Coal Geology & Exploration

In order to prevent water inrush from roof separation, a partial backfill scheme is proposed for simulation study. First of all, based on the existing data, many kinds of separation water inrush accidents occurred in China were summarized and analyzed, and the disaster model of separation water accumulation was studied deeply. Then, taking the separation water accident of 1307 working face in the first mining area of a mine in Shaanxi Province as an example, the hydrogeological conditions and the relationship between upper aquifer and separation water inrush were analyzed, and the development characteristics of roof separation space of working …

Experiment Investigation On The Influence Of Mixing Effect On Dispersion Scale Dependence, Ma Ziqi, Dai Zhenxue, Dong Shuning, Wang Hao, Liu Xiaoqian

Coal Geology & Exploration

Dispersivity, a property parameter defined to characterize the degree of dispersion and mixing, is crucial for the prediction and remediation of groundwater contamination. However, in field tracer tests, the real mixing effect has often been ignored. In this paper, an aquifer with horizontal layered structure was simulated by laboratory experiments. Three kinds of media were chosen to reconstructed experimental aquifer. Two monitoring methods, buried sensor and sensor in the well, were adopted to compare the difference of breakthrough curves, so as to investigate the influence of mixing effect in the well on the dispersion scale dependence. The results showed that …

Mechanism Of Water Rock Interaction In Coal Measure Sandstone Aquifer Disturbed By Grouting Engineering: A Case Study Of Taoyuan Coal Mine, Guo Yan, Gui Herong, Wei Jiuchuan, Ni Jianming, Cheng Rongfa, Pang Yingchun, Zhang Zhi, Hong Huang, Hu Mancong, Cui Yali, Liang Zhan, Li Jun, Chen Jiayu, Li Chen

Coal Geology & Exploration

Coal measure sandstone fissure water is one of the important water filling sources in coal mine. This paper takes the Permian coal measures in Taoyuan Coal Mine of Huaibei Coalfield as the research object. Based on the analysis of the water chemical characteristics of coal measures since the grouting treatment of water disaster in the mine, the mechanism of hydrogeochemical action of groundwater and its controlling factors were expounded. The results show that during the grouting treatment project, the main cation in coal measures water was Na⁺, and the main anion was SO₄^2-; the relationship …

Unsupervised Noise Suppression Method For Depth Network Seismic Data Based On Prior Information Constraint, Chen Wenchao, Liu Dawei, Wei Xinjian, Wang Xiaokai, Chen Dewu, Li Shuping, Li Dong

Coal Geology & Exploration

Seismic data processing is a critical step in seismic exploration. Due to the complexity of underground structure and surface conditions, seismic data processing needs to go through a series of complex processes, thus forming various types of seismic data. Different types of seismic data have different data characteristics. Exploring and making full use of the data characteristics can not only give full play to the technical potential of processing methods, eliminate the influence of various non-geological factors on the quality of seismic data processing, but also enhance the reliability of seismic data processing. Improving the signal-to-noise ratio and resolution of …