Environmental Studies Commons^™

Characterizing Wetland Hydrology, Chemistry, And Soils For An Endemic Crayfish, The Piedmont Blue Burrower, Jess H. Gilmer Ii

Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic alteration of Earth's ecosystems has pushed global biodiversity into a state of crisis. Freshwater species have been particularly vulnerable, with crayfish ranking as the second most imperiled taxonomic group in North America. Primary burrowers represent only 15% of crayfish species in North America; however, they constitute 32% of imperiled crayfish. Despite their conservation importance, little is known about the ecology of burrowing crayfish. To advance our knowledge about the habitat characteristics of burrowing crayfish, groundwater hydrology, water chemistry, and soil properties were assessed to determine their importance for the state-listed endangered, primary burrower Cambarns harti. Groundwater hydrology and …

Science-Fictional North Korea: A Defective History, Seo-Young J. Chu

Publications and Research

Kafkaesque, Orwellian, eerie, surreal, bizarre, grotesque, alien, wacky, fascinating, dystopian, illusive, theatrical, antic, haunting, apocalyptic: these are just a few of the vaguely science-fictional adjectives that are now associated with North Korea. At the same time, North Korea has become an oddly convenient trope for a certain aesthetic – an uncanny opacity; an ominous mystique – that many writers and artists have exploited to generate striking science-fictional effects in texts with little or no connection to North Korean reality. (The 2002 Bond film Die another Day, for example, draws from North Korea’s science-fictional aura to animate North Korean super-villains who …

Case Collection On Philippines (2012), Swee-Sum Lam, Leland Dela Cruz, David Jeremiah Seah, Gabriel Henry Jacob

Development Studies Faculty Publications

This is the second working paper in the series on Social Entrepreneurship in Asia published by the Asia Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy (ACSEP). ACSEP’s mission is to advance the understanding and impactful practice of social entrepreneurship and philanthropy in Asia through research and education. While Asia is rich with the practice of social entrepreneurship given the plethora of social issues and challenges facing the region, there is still catch-up to be done in the documentation of these challenges and the responses from the private, public and people sectors. Case studies provide the platform for story-telling, analysis and theory …

Anthropogenics: Human Influence On Global And Genetic Homogenization Of Parasite Populations, Dante S. Zarlenga, Eric P. Hoberg, Benjamin Rosenthal, Simonetti Mattiucci, Giuseppe Nascetti

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The distribution, abundance, and diversity of life on Earth have been greatly shaped by human activities. This includes the geographic expansion of parasites; however, measuring the extent to which humans have influenced the dissemination and population structure of parasites has been challenging. In-depth comparisons among parasite populations extending to landscape-level processes affecting disease emergence have remained elusive. New research methods have enhanced our capacity to discern human impact, where the tools of population genetics and molecular epidemiology have begun to shed light on our historical and ongoing influence. Only since the 1990s have parasitologists coupled morphological diagnosis, long considered the …

Modeling Black Bear Population Dynamics In A Human-Dominated Stochastic Environment, David L. Lewis, Stewart W. Breck, Kenneth R. Wilson, Colleen T. Webb

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many large carnivore populations exist in human-influenced stochastic environments where availability of natural food sources vary annually and anthropogenic food sources can supplement energetic demands, but at a potential demographic cost due to human–wildlife conflict and subsequent conflict management. Understanding how these competing factors influence a population is complex and difficult to study, but here we demonstrate the utility of using a stochastic projection matrix model and perturbation analysis to gain insight into this problem. We modeled a black bear population subjected to stochastic failures of fruiting and masting species, but with access to garbage in urban environments.We parameratized our …

Still More Studies In Rio Grande Valley History, Milo Kearney, Anthony K. Knopp, Antonio Zavaleta

Studies in Rio Grande Valley Regional History Series

Resaca, a poem / Josie Mixon -- Matamoros before the Texas Revolution : becoming Mexico’s pivitol port city on the northern frontier / Craig H. Roell -- The Great Sequoyah Mystery : a cover-up that stretched from the Cumberland Mountains to the Rio Grande Delta (and into Mexico) / Don Clifford -- Immigration to South Texas, 1850-1900 / Thomas Daniel Knight -- Cattle barons and the creation of an empire : a case study of the expansion of the Kennedy Ranch of South Texas / Elmer Sierra, William Yaworsky, and Amy Frazier -- A history of the Brownsville Police Department …

Unintended Outcomes Of Farmers' Adaptation To Climate Variability: Deforestation And Conservation In Calakmul And Maya Biosphere Reserves, Claudia Rodriguez-Solorzano

Dartmouth Scholarship

Minimizing the impact of climate change on farmer livelihoods is crucial, but adaptation efforts may have unintended consequences for ecosystems, with potential impacts on farmers’ welfare. Unintended outcomes of climate adaptation strategies have been widely discussed, however, empirical exploration has been neglected. Grounded in scholarship on climate adaptation, environmental governance, social–ecological systems, and land-use change, this paper studies whether farmers’ climate adaptation contributes to deforestation or forest conservation. The paper draws on interviews with 353 farmers from 46 communities in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in Mexico and Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala. Farmers in the area of study have implemented adaptation …

Suburban Sustainability: Favorable, Forgotten, Or Fantasy?, Tessia Melvin, Tessia G. Melvin

School of Business Student Theses and Dissertations

In the decades after World War II, the United States became a prosperous nation and world superpower. Reinventing itself through the development of suburbs, many communities were created by suburbs. Years later, criticized for suburban sprawl and aging communities, suburban communities today are faced with the dilemma of what changes to make in order to create sustainable suburban communities.

Most of the literature on sustainability and its success comes from the private sector. Much available literature provides sustainable indicators and concepts on corporate sustainability. As a result, many public administrators are faced with a reality that changes need to occur …

Resolving The Conflict Between Mining And Sustainability, David A.C. Manning

Applied Environmental Research

Mining is essential for human health and prosperity, and is increasing as the global populationgrows. The need for minerals appears to conflict with what is commonly understood as 'sustainability',as geological resources are non-renewable on a human timescale. However, the Brundtland definition of sustainability includes the concept of 'needs', implying that there has to be a balanced approach thatconsiders poverty alleviation. It identifies the three pillars of sustainability: economic, social and environmental.In the UK, mining has a legacy extending back over 6000 years. The approach taken to sustainability will be illustrated by 3 examples from northern England. In the 18thand 19thcenturies, …

Danger And Avoidance Of Damage Related To Tailings Dams And Tailings Ponds, Wilhelm G. Coldewey

Applied Environmental Research

Tailings dams can present high environmental and human health risks. For this reason, emergency planning for all installations of tailings storage facilities is essential. Recom-mendationsfor measurements concerning the safety of tailings dams are given.

Artisanal-Small Scale Mining In Myanmar, Aung Kyin

Applied Environmental Research

In many parts of the world, artisanal or small-scale mining activities are at least as important as large-scale mining activities. The numbers of people employed are actually considerably greater than in large companies. In 2002, an estimated 13 million people a large percentage of those are women and children are artisanal and small scale miners operating mainly in developing countries. Although the numbers of small-scale miners and their dependents are estimated at up to 80-100 million people, governments are frequently reluctant to give legal recognition to artisanal miners [1].This paper discusses approaches to developthe Artisanal - Small Scale Mining (ASM) …

Sustainable Mining In Myanmar, Kyi Htun

Applied Environmental Research

Myanmar is endowed with abundant natural and mineral resources. However, environmentaldegradation and social impacts have increased in recent years due to foreign investment in the mining sector and the application of modern technology in mining and processing methods to increase productivity. The growing trend towards new mining methods, particularly the shift from underground to open-cut method to mine and process low-grade ores contribute to generation of large volumes of waste rock and tailings, presenting a major disposal challenge. Wastes containing sulfides will further degrade the environment. Absence of an efficient legal framework for Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM) for …

Mineral Resources Potential Of Vietnam And Current State Of Mining Activity, Nguyen Ngoc Khoi

Applied Environmental Research

Vietnam, with an area of 331,210 km2, occupies the eastern side of the Indochina peninsula. It forms a narrow (locally only 40-70 km)band of land, extending over 1,500 km along the East Sea (South China Sea). Vietnam is constituted mainly by the folded belts surrounding two shields, cratonised in the Upper Proterozoic: the Yangtze craton and the Indochina shield, located in the Mekongbasin and occupying most of Cambodia and the contiguous parts of Laos and Vietnam. The folding occurred during the lateHercynian (early Triassic) orogenic movements, active mainly in the central and southern Vietnam and the Indosinian(late Triassic, anteNorian) orogeny. …

Locating "Climate Justice" Within A National Context, Rebeca Leonard, Jacques-Chai Chomthongdi

Applied Environmental Research

Many explorations of climate justice have focused on the international sphere, centring attention on the historical responsibilities of industrialised nations for the reductionof greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the financing of climate change policies,the imbalance in geopolitical power that has influenced and stalled decisions at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the structural changes needed as the world re-thinks development. This article presents a discussion of articulations of climate justice in a national context, exploring the case of Thailand, a middle-income country with a fast growing economy and a high trajectory of increasing emissions, but not …

Removal Of Nitrate By Bimetallic Copper-Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron (Cu-Nzvi): Using 2k Full Factorial Design, Nalinee Krasae, Kitirote Wantala, Puek Tantriratna, Nurak Grisdanurak

Applied Environmental Research

Enhanced nitrate reduction of nanoscale zero valent iron (nZVI) by Cu prepared by impregnation method was studied in this work. Using a full factorial design, the performance of nZVI with and without Cu on surface in acidic and neutral conditions was investigated. Static batch reactor was selected in this study to investigate the effects of the independent variables such as catalysts (nZVI with and without Cu), initial pH of solutions (3, 7), and reaction times (10, 30 min). The results found that nitrate removal over Cu-nZVI was greater than that of nZVI by about 37% and 36% at pH 3 …

Exposure To Btex And Assessment Of The Potential Risk Among Pregnant Residents Living In The Vicinity Of A Petro-Chemical Industrial Estate, Santi Keadthongthawee, Nipa Maharachpong, Sirirat Chanvaivit, Nalinee Sripaung, Nantaporn Phatrabuddha

Applied Environmental Research

This research was conducted to estimate exposure and risk of exposure to BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene)by a cross-sectional studying among pregnant women who lived in the vicinity of a petro-chemical industrial estatearea. Personal exposure was monitored by environmental and biological sampling.Other relevant data were gathered by a structured questionnaire for analysis. The relationship between BTEX exposure and potential risk factors was determined by multiple linear regression. Average BTEX exposure levels were 18.89, 29.40, 10.26, and 17.85µg m-3, respectively, which were significantlyhigher than the control group. Urinary metabolite levels of muconic acid(t,t-MA), hippuric acid (HA),mandelic acid (MA), andmethyl-hippuric acid …

Environmental And Economic Of Flooring Building Materials, Nachawit Tikul

Applied Environmental Research

Green building design requires use of building materials that minimize environmental impact, necessitating selection of building materials by their environmental profile as well as economic cost-benefit considerations. The objective of this research is to determine the environmental impacts per square meter of three flooring materials; ceramic tiles, marble tiles, andparquet produced in Thailand. Life cycle cost (LCC) of the three materials are determined and compared. The study finds that ceramic tiles cause the greatest environmental impact, especially during the material extraction phase. When calculating all costsincurred throughout the life-cycle, the cost of untreated solid wood parquet is highest.

Variation Of Vocs Inside A New Car During The First Year And Their Relationship To Temperature, Maneerat Ongwandee, Thabtim Chatsuvan, Theerapong Sairat, Kritsanaphong Lephol

Applied Environmental Research

Passenger exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from vehicle interiors hasincreasingly drawn public concern over their potential health risks. This study aimed to investigate ambient levels of in-cabin VOCs in a new car over the period of one year after first delivery. The relationship between VOC concentrations and in-cabin temperature was also studied. Seventeen active air samplings inside a parked new car were conducted from February 2012 to February 2013 using sorbent tubes. Six VOCs were measured with first-month average concentrations of 215 µgm-3for benzene, 65.6 µgm-3for toluene, 151 µgm-3for 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene, 806 µgm-3for ethyl acetate, 183 µgm-3for formaldehyde, and …

Incremental Concentration Of Black Carbon Aerosol From Road Traffic In Inner Bangkok, Panwadee Suwattiga

Applied Environmental Research

Commonly referred to as soot, black carbon (BC) is a primary aerosol emitted from incomplete combustion of organic materials such as fossil fuels, biofuels and biomass. BC aerosolis a dominant anthropogenic solar radiation absorber, absorbing approximately 1 million times more radiation per unit of mass than CO2. Recent research has found that BC is the second largest anthropogenic contributor to global warming. BC aerosol is not only a short-lived climate forcer (SLCF) but also an air pollutant that adversely affects human health. Emission sources of BC aerosol are mainly residential, industrial, transportation related and/or and open burning sources. In a …

Preface To The Special Issue Of Green Mining "Mineral Resources, Mining And Environmental Management In Asean", David A.C. Manning

Applied Environmental Research

This issue of Applied Environmental Research includes seven of the papers that were presented at a Regional Workshop on "Mineral Resources, Mining and Environmental Management in ASEAN", held in Bangkok from 6-8th June, 2013. The theme of the meeting concerned the approach to sustainable mining adopted by the different ASEAN nations that were able to attend, namely Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Indonesia, with additional papers from the UK and Germany. An important aspect of the meeting was to compare current practice in individual countries, and this is reflected in the content of the papers published here. Manning's paper on …

Environmental Management And Monitoring Of Mining Operation In Lao Pdr, Phengkhamla Phonvisai, Jiragorn Gajaseni

Applied Environmental Research

Overall, mining projects make a significant contribution to gross of domestic product (GDP) in Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Benefits include increased export revenues, provision of royalty and tax income to the government, technology transfer, worker training and the creation of a skilled workforce. This can also lead to improved social, physical, legal and financial infrastructure due to development around the mining areas such as roads, electricity and water distribution. Managed properly, economic benefits from mining projects can benefit future generations,even after operations have ceased. For Lao PDR, rapid expansion of the mining sector is seen as vital to …

Sustainable Mining In Thailand: Paradigm Shift In Environmental Management, Saneh Niyomthai, Annuwat Wattanawan

Applied Environmental Research

Thailand'smining industry has always been considered as an industrial activity generating significant environmental burdens. This is because environmental management in the sectorwas given lower prioritycompared with economic benefits. The resulting adverse environmental effects in areas surrounding some mining areas required government interventions.Accordingly, the sustainable development of mineral resources requires a delicate balance of economic, environmental and societal considerations. To respond to this challenge, Thailand needs a paradigm shift in environmental management towards sustainablemining, in order to maximize benefits from exploitation of the mineral resources,whilst ensuring co-existence and mutual benefits of mining activities and their surrounding communities.This article seeks to provide …

Silicate As The Probable Causative Agent For The Periodic Blooms In The Coastal Waters Of South Andaman Sea, Karthik Raji, Arun Kumar Muthuraj, Gadi Padmavati

Applied Environmental Research

Periodic algal blooms of three diatom species such as Coscinodiscus centralis, Rhizosolenia alata andRhizosolenia imbricata were observedduringSeptember 2011, December 2011 and March 2012 in the coastal waters of South Andaman Sea at Junglighat bay area (11° 39 N and 92° 43 E). The blooms were intense, with Coscinodiscus at aconcentration of 89,000 cells mL-1(contributing 85 to 98% to the total phytoplanktonpopulation), Rhizosolenia alataat a concentration of 13,000 cellsmL-1(86-93%) and Rhizosolenia imbricata at aconcentration of 19,000 cells. mL-1(91-99%). Nutrients, most importantly nitrate and silicate have emerged as the key factors controlling phytoplankton growth in this area

Utilization Of Cellular Glass Insulation Waste In Construction Materials, Thitikorn Buasomboon, Orathai Chavalparit

Applied Environmental Research

This research investigated the feasibility of using cellular glass insulation waste as fine aggregate in concrete paving block production. The effect of mixing proportions of cellular glass insulation waste at 0-40% by volume was studied. Results show that the amount of cellular glass waste can be used as a substitute for fine aggregate or sand up to 20%. Concrete specimens tested for compressive strength were found to be within an acceptable range of the interlocking concrete blockpavingstandard set byThailand Industrial Standards Institute. The compressive strength at 28 d was 41.50 MPa, with density ranging from 2.18 to 2.20 g cm-3. …

A Study Of Environmental Constraints Faced By Public Private Partnership (Ppp) In India And The Road To A Framework For Successful Implementation Of Ppp Project, M.S. Khan

Business Review

Infrastructure development is the key to continued and sustainable growth for any developing economy of the world in general and India in particular. It will make India globally stable, sound, prosperous, competitive, raise standard of living, enhance profits for government and private sectors, bridge rural-urban gap and simultaneously will help in increasing the number of employment opportunities. The most vital criteria for a continued growth rate of an economy lie on the provision of a high and rich quality of infrastructure. As per the statement of planning Commission, an approximation of 8 percent of the Gross Domestic product (GDP) need …