Environmental Studies Commons^™

Characteristics Of Surface Water Quality And Diversity Of Zoobenthos In Water Bodies, An Giang Province, Vietnam, Giao Thanh Nguyen, Thi Hong Nhien Huynh, Hoang Dan Truong

Applied Environmental Research

The use of zoobenthos to evaluate water quality has gained considerable interest due to its low cost and environmental friendliness. This study analyzed water and zoobenthos samples at 13 sites in the water bodies in An Giang province in the rainy season (on March) and dry season (on September) in 2018. The results showed that the surface water was contaminated by organic matters, suspended solids and coliforms. There was occurrence of 28 species of zoobenthos divided into five classes including Oligochaeta, Polychaeta, Insecta, Gastropoda, and Bivalvia in which Bivalvia was the most diverse class accounting for 75%. The densities of …

Ambient And Indoor Pm10 And Pm10-Bound Pahs Around The Vicinity Of An Industrial Estate In Rayong, Thailand: Concentration And Source Identification, Navaporn Kanjanasiranont, Tassanee Prueksasit, Narut Sahanavin

Applied Environmental Research

The ambient and indoor air concentrations of PM10 and PM10-bound PAHs (16 priority PAHs) were investigated in Rayong Province, Thailand. The locations of the selected study areas were Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate and its vicinity comprising six sampling sites (four industrial areas and two vicinity areas). The indoor and ambient air samples of were collected in March 2017. The sampling sites located close to the road were detected the greatest ambient average concentrations of PM10, with an average value of 56.06 µg m-3 (Map Chalut Area or MC). The levels of indoor PM10 were mostly dependent on the resident …

Inspection And Understanding Of Sewer Network Condition In Dindaeng District (Thailand), Hnin E. Phyu, Sutha Khaodhiar

Applied Environmental Research

Sewer pipelines are usually operated with little maintenance after installation. After years in service, sewer pipes get old and deteriorated.  The present research is the first study that attempts to inspect the condition of sewer pipelines in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. A robot with Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) was used to capture videos and images of the interior of the sewer pipelines between two manholes. The system was operated by Utility Business Alliance (UBA) Company. The condition of the sewer pipelines was visually analyzed in line with the scoring and grading system of New Zealand’s pipe inspection manual. CCTV footage …

Consequence Of Seawater Intrusion On Soil Properties In Agricultural Areas Of Nonthaburi Province, Thailand, Napaporn Phankamolsil, Kiattisak Sonsri, Yutthana Phankamolsil

Applied Environmental Research

Seawater intrusion associated with climate change and sea level rise (SLR) has been postulated for the last decade that causes negative impact on worldwide environmental resources. In Thailand, however; the information pertaining to its effect on soil properties in agricultural areas has not been clearly reported yet. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the seawater intrusion effect on soil properties in agricultural areas of Nonthaburi Province, Thailand. Five study locations, which anticipated to be affected by seawater intrusion, were selected based on the different distances from the Chao Phraya River. Soil morphological properties were recorded, besides undisturbed soil samples at …

Air Quality Indexing, Mapping And Principal Components Analysis Of Ambient Air Pollutants Around Farm Settlements Across Ogun State, Nigeria, Funmilola Oyebanji, Godson Ana, Opeyemi Tope-Ajayi, Adebayo Sadiq, Yahaya Mijinyawa

Applied Environmental Research

The focus of this study was to portray the spatial pattern of air quality across seasons in the eight sampled farm settlements using air quality indexes and assess the clusters of monitored air pollutants. The concentrations of air pollutants were determined using in-situ portable gas detectors and particulate counter. The AQI for each criteria pollutants (CO, O3, TSP, PM10, SO2, and PM2.5) was calculated using AQI formulae of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and mapped using the Inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation method in the Geographic information systems (GIS) environment. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to group the …

Treatment Of Iron From Groundwater By Ozonation: Influence Of Hardness As A Scavenger, Apiradee Sukmilin, Ratsamee Sangsirimongkolying

Applied Environmental Research

This study assesses the efficiency of using ozone technology to treat iron from groundwater while hardness acts as a radical scavenger. Batch experiments were conducted to determine the effects of initial pH 6, 7 and 8, and hardness of 300, 400 and 500 mg L-1 and kinetic analysis. The optimum conditions were found to be initial pH of 8 and hardness of 300 mg L-1. The removal efficiency of iron by ozonation was 99.97%, which was higher than that of air without ozone applied (83.67%). However, the presence of hardness and tert-butanol (TBA) had a negative effect on the …

Source And Distribution Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) In Surface Sediment From Chalong Bay, Phuket, Thailand, Danai Tipmanee, Yada Patchim, Penjai Sompongchaiyakul

Applied Environmental Research

This study aimed to investigate the spatial distribution and apportionment of potential sources of the 16 US-EPA priority PAHs in surface sediments of Chalong Bay, Phuket, Thailand. A total 28 of sediment samples were collected from areas with high maritime activity in Chalong Bay, subjected to conventional high recovery Soxhlet extraction, purified with SiO2 column chromatography, and quantified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). Total concentration of PAHs (Σ16PAHs) ranged from 31.15 to 1696 ng g−1 dry weight, with an average of 198.2 ± 318.5 ng g−1 dry weight. Binary diagnostic ratios plots were used to distinguish between petrogenic and pyrogenic …

Willingness To Pay For Improving Household Solid Waste Management In Vietnam, Phan C. Chinh, Nguyen T.Q. Hung, Nguyen M. Ky, Nguyen T.L. Ai, Nguyen M. Tam

Applied Environmental Research

Management of solid waste is a major challenge in urban areas of most parts of the world, especially in developing countries. The study aimed to determine and estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) of the selected households for the improvement of solid waste management in Vietnam. The research evaluated WTP of household solid waste in case studies in Bien Hoa and My Tho cities using contingent valuation method (CVM). The data were collected through a closed-ended questionnaire survey and interviews with 200 households. The results showed that the most willingness to pay was equal to 10,000 and 15,000 VND per …

Current Trends In Steroidal 17Α-Ethynylestradiol (Ee2) Removal From The Environment: A Review, Wasiu A. Abibu, Gafar Bamigbade, Amos O. Kolawole, Taiwo Ajayi, Abdul W. Sakariyau

Applied Environmental Research

Emerging contaminants have posed major environmental and health challenges to human and aquatic lives. They include pharmaceuticals, endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), persistent environmental pollutants and many more. EE2 is an example of an endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) increasingly gaining acceptance and used to augment the deficiencies of other reproductive hormones. EE2 constitutes environmental nuisance via discharge into aquatic bodies, thus, threatening aquatic lives and resulting in health defects in human. It is worthy of note that previous researchers have channeled their studies to identifying ways of expelling EE2 from the environment. However, they remain persistent in the environment. The current …

Tackling Regional Climate Change And Food Security Issues: An Introduction, Md. Saidul Islam, Edson Kieu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Regional organizations are central to effectively addressing the current and future impacts of climate change and food security issues. Climate change and food security issues can only be dealt with through extensive policies that adopt a multi-sector, multi-stakeholder approach. An examination of three regional organizations (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Pacific Islands Forum, and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) can provide new insights into current climate change mitigation policies that will ensure food security for future generations. This opening chapter thus begins with the premise that regional organizations are optimally positioned to address climate change and …

Tribal Revegetation Project Final Project Report: 92-Acre Area, Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Complex, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Jeremy Spoon, Brittany Kruger, Richard Arnold, Kate Monti Barcalow, Tribal Revegetation Committee, Trc

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nuwu (Southern Paiute), Newe (Western Shoshone), and Nuumu (Owens Valley Paiute) are linguistically related, Numic-speaking peoples who are part of the broader Uto-Aztecan language group. Numic peoples view the land as a holistic, living, sentient being with feelings and purpose. The land is personified with human characteristics and it needs to be experienced to be understood through “learning by doing.” Numic peoples do not support ground disturbing activities within their ancestral lands, including activities tied to the storage of low-level radioactive waste or classified materials on the NNSS, which they view as culturally inappropriate. These deep-rooted ancestral connections are the …

Ecological Risk Assessment Of Managed Relocation As A Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, Aviv Karasov-Olson, Mark W. Schwartz, Julian D. Olden, Sarah Skikne, Jessica J. Hellmann, Sarah Allen, Christy Brigham, Danielle Buttke, David J. Lawrence, Abraham J. Miller-Rushing, Jeffrey T. Morisette, Gregor W. Schuurman, Melissa Trammell, Cat Hawkins Hoffman

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

Changing climate and introduced species are placing an increasing number of species at risk of extinction. Increasing extinction risk is increasing calls to protect species by relocating, or translocating, them to locations with more favorable biotic or climatic conditions. Managed relocation, or assisted migration, of species entails risks to both the conservation target organisms being moved as well as the recipient ecosystems into which they are moved.

Recognizing this risk, calls have been made for practitioners interested in considering a managed relocation project to engage in a serious risk assessment prior to advancing a project. We engaged a …

Protocol For Monitoring Fish Communities In Small Streams In The Heartland Inventory And Monitoring Network, Version 2.0, Hope R. Dodd, David G. Peitz, Gareth Rowell, Janice A. Hinsey, David E. Bowles, Lloyd W. Morrison, Michael D. Debacker, Jennifer L. Haack-Gaynor, Jeffrey M. Williams

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

Fish communities are an important component of aquatic systems and are good bioindicators of ecosystem health. Land use changes in the Midwest have caused sedimentation, erosion, and nutrient loading that degrades and fragments habitat and impairs water quality. Because most small wadeable streams in the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network (HTLN) have a relatively small area of their watersheds located within park boundaries, these streams are at risk of degradation due to adjacent land use practices and other anthropogenic disturbances. Shifts in the physical and chemical properties of aquatic systems have a dramatic effect on the biotic community. …

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 …

Protocol For Monitoring Aquatic Invertebrates Of Small Streams In The Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network, Version 2.1, David E. Bowles, Michael H. Williams, Hope R. Dodd, Lloyd W. Morrison, Janice A. Hinsey, J. Tyler Cribbs, Gareth A. Rowell, Michael D. Debecker, Jennifer L. Haack-Gaynor, Jeffrey M. Williams

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

The Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network (HTLN) is a component of the National Park Service’s (NPS) strategy to improve park management through greater reliance on scientific information. The purposes of this program are to design and implement long-term ecological monitoring and provide information for park managers to evaluate the integrity of park ecosystems and better understand ecosystem processes. Concerns over declining surface water quality have led to the development of various monitoring approaches to assess stream water quality. Freshwater streams in network parks are threatened by numerous stressors, most of which originate outside park boundaries. Stream condition and …

The Impacts Of Small Business, Sandra Ataalla

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of The Fluoride Concentration In Drinking Water And Tea In The Arusha Region Of Tanzania, Sophia Bakar, David Kahler, Alanna Bachtlin, Kara Okular, Kathleen Glancey, Abbey Whitewood

Environmental Science Datasets

High fluoride concentrations in drinking water affect millions of people around the world; however, fluoride can come from several sources. The World Health Organization recommends a fluoride concentration in drinking water of no more than 1.5 mg/L; fluoride above this concentration can cause long-term problems known as fluorosis, such as mottled teeth and increased risk of dental caries, or skeletal deformities. Rural communities near Arusha, Tanzania have high fluoride concentrations in their water. Adults and children of the Arusha Region rely heavily on tea for daily water consumption, which has the benefit of disinfection by boiling. Researchers investigated water quality, …

Enhancing Wku Sustainable Food Systems Through Education And Local Agriculture Development, Chloe Cooper

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In an effort to increase the amount of locally sourced food utilized by dining services at WKU, the Office of Sustainability, WKU Restaurant Group, and the WKU Agriculture & Research Education Center have partnered to establish garden spaces on campus properties. This project developed a detailed plan for implementation of this effort. In addition, this project established a plan to educate students and the local community alike on the benefits of sustainable farming and locally-sourced food, while also creating profiles on local farmers from whom the university could buy crops in order to further supplement items for dining services. Using …

Pathways To Net Zero: The Impact Of Clean Energy Research, Başak Candemir Phd, Jörg Hellwig Phd, Etienne Vignola-Gagné Phd, Jan-Maarten Van Schalkwijk, Cordelia Sealy Dphil

Public Reports

Achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 will require the rapid development and deployment of clean energy technologies. Research is essential to the success of this clean energy transition. This report examines the state of play in clean energy research over the last 20 years and provides expert insights into potential pathways forward.

Using Dialogue To Contextualize Culture, Ecosystem Services, And Cultural Ecosystem Services, Karen Allen, Celia Castellano, Sophia Pessagno

Open Access Fund Publications

We propose an alternative methodology for engaging with multifaceted cultural ecosystem services (CES) in the Global South. We explore the use of dialogue as a tool for understanding CES in situ, while developing shared action steps toward CES conservation among stakeholders. We held six dialogue workshops in the rural Central Pacific region of Costa Rica that were designed to foster understanding of shared community values for ecosystem services and associated conservation challenges. In two of the workshops, we employed model-based reasoning through which we used maps as boundary negotiating objects to nurture dialogue on CES values, observations, and concerns. In …

Is Climate Change A Threat To International Peace And Security?, Mark P. Nevitt

Faculty Articles

This article argues that climate change’s destabilizing impacts require us to look at existing international governance tools at our disposal with fresh eyes. As such, Council climate action cannot and should not be dismissed out-of-hand. As conflicts rise, migration explodes, and nations are extinguished, how long can the Council remain on the climate sidelines? Hence, my call for a re-conceptualized “Council 3.0” to meet the climate security challenges this century.

This article proceeds as follows. In Part II, I describe and analyze the current state of climate science and the climate-security threats facing the world. This includes an analysis of …

Soil Response Of Helicopter Liming In The Monongahela National Forest, Jarrett Douglas Fowler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Soils in the Monongahela National Forest (MNF) are acidic due to sandstone parent material, acid deposition, uptake of base cations by vegetation, and release of organic acids by organic matter (OM) decomposition. Increases in soil acidity have caused declines in forest health and changed species composition and nutrient status. Liming can neutralize soil acidity, but no large-scale liming projects have been done on acid forest soils in the USA. In anticipation of acquiring funding for a proposed liming project in the MNF, in 2007 and 2009 10 sites were selected to sample and analyze soils before lime was applied. In …

Building Bridges: How Collaboration Is Addressing Wildlife-Vehicle Conflicts In Montana's Upper Yellowstone Watershed, Daniel Phelps Anderson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In my first semester of graduate studies at the University of Montana – Fall, 2019 – I was given an assignment from one of my professors to research a “landscape-scale” conflict of my choosing and compose a professional memo that could be sent to key influencers or stakeholders tied to the issue. Naturally, I directed my attention to a community I know and love, the Upper Yellowstone, and a conflict that is ubiquitous across the West: Wildlife-Vehicle Conflicts (WVCs).

In the pages that follow I describe how Yellowstone Safe Passages came to be, who is involved, and the steps we …

Transboundary Marine Management In The Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape, Lindsey G. Ellett

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Transboundary conservation aims to facilitate environmental conservation and management at the ecosystem level by operating across political boundaries, through the cooperation of two or more countries. Though there is increased interest and advocation for transboundary conservation initiatives around the world, there remains a limited understanding of how they function on-the-ground. Within this study, I address these gaps in knowledge through two phases of research, both focusing on the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape as a case study site. Phase I involved a policy analysis of Indonesian, Malaysia, and Philippine policies related to fisheries, coastal zones and protected areas, and environmental quality. Through this …

Policy And Collaborative Governance: Case Studies Of Three Wildlife Crossings, Nicholas Maya

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Over the last several decades, the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions in North America has significantly increased, driving substantial loss of human life and wildlife and economic costs. The most effective wildlife-vehicle collision mitigation is wildlife crossing structures (undercrossings and overcrossings), with some studies suggesting they can reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions by 97% when paired with wildlife exclusion fencing. However, cost, funding, jurisdiction, land ownership, and local support are limiting factors in constructing these crossing structures. This paper presents case studies of three crossing projects in Snoqualmie, Washington, Teton County, Wyoming, and Summit County, Colorado, to illustrate the similarities and differences in …

Spatial-Temporal Patterns Of Modis Active Fire/Hotspots In Chiang Rai, Upper Northern Thailand And The Greater Mekong Subregion Countries During 2003-2015, Chidsanuphong Chart-Asa

Applied Environmental Research

For the past decade, smoke-haze pollution from forest fires and open burning has been a yearly recurring problem over Chiang Rai and other provinces in Upper Northern Thailand, along with other countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. Remote-sensing active fire/ hotspot data are currently used for monitoring the forest fires and open burning in the sub-region. This study aimed to extend the current monitoring work by performing spatial and temporal analysis to examine the patterns, either globally or locally, of MODIS active fires/hotspots during the critical smoke-haze pollution periods from January to April in 2003-2015. Fire radiative power was used …

Comparison Of Direct-Reading And Gravimetric Methods Of Particle Measurement In A Science Building, Silpakorn University, Aungsiri Tipayarom, Prayad Sangngam, Siraphop Pinitkarn

Applied Environmental Research

This study aimed to develop relationships between particulate matter (PM) concentrations obtained from a direct-reading instrument to those from a gravimetric method. TSI DustTrak II Aerosol Monitors (Model 8530), a direct-reading instrument for PM10 and PM2.5 measurement, together with personal air pumps connected to a Sensidyne cyclone and a SKC Personal Environmental Monitor (PEM) for gravimetric PM10 and PM2.5 measurements respectively were deployed in the Faculty of Science building, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. Comparison of the results from each instrument indicated that PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations obtained from the TSI DustTrak were higher. The linear relationship from ordinary least …

Ozone Formation Potential Of Ambient Volatile Organic Compounds At Roadside In Bangkok, Thailand, Narita Fakkaew, Surat Bualert, Thunyapat Thongyen, Thitima Rungratanaubon

Applied Environmental Research

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play an important role in atmospheric chemistry due to their high reactivity—reacting photochemically with oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in the presence of solar radiation forming tropospheric ozone (O3). Each VOC species have different effects on ozone formation according to the rates and pathways of their reactions. The objective of this study aims to examine ozone formation from the estimation of ozone formation potential (OFP). The observation of 29 VOCs species was carried out in the urban area near the roads of Bangkok, Thailand. Measurements were carried out during the dry season, from 16th February to 15th …

Fire Drivers Affecting Forest Fire Occurrences In The Tropical Mixed Broad-Leaved Forests Of Nepal, Krishna Bahadur Bhujel, Rejina Maskey Byanju, Ambika P. Gautam, Ramesh Prasad Sapkota, Udhab Raj Khadka

Applied Environmental Research

Forest fires triggered by various natural and anthropogenic drivers are increasing and threatening forest ecosystems across the globe. In Nepal, the high value Tropical Mixed Broad-leaved Forests are prone to fire caused by both natural and anthropogenic drivers. Thus, understanding fire drivers and their effect is important for the sustainable forest fire management. However, the preceding studies on forest specific fire drivers and their effect are limited. This research has identified the fire drivers and assessed their effect to fire occurrences in the Tropical Mixed Broad-leaved Forests of Nawalparasi District, Nepal. Fire drivers were identified and prioritized by participatory approaches. …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Ethiopian Cement Manufacturing: A Potential Improvement On The Use Of Fossil Fuel In Mugher Cement Factory, Lemma Beressa, Battula Vijaya Saradhi

Applied Environmental Research

The use of imported fuel in the Ethiopian cement industry increased the cost of production and the environmental burden, necessitating intervention. The greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, energy usage intensity, and resource exploitation of Ethiopian cement production were evaluated using the life cycle impact assessment (LCA) tool, aiming to recommend improvements. The LCA study used cumulative energy demand (CED) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2006 life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods. For the case study of Mugher cement factory (MCF), the results on energy use intensities showed 3.74, 3.67, and 2.64 GJ/ton of clinker, Ordinary Portland cement (OPC), Pozzolana …