Environmental Studies Commons^™

Enhanced Biodegradation Of Spent Engine Oil Contaminated Soil Using Organic Wastes, Tolulope M. Obuotor, Abdulwasiu O. Sakariyau, Babatunde S. Bada

Applied Environmental Research

Physical and chemical methods of remediating contaminated soils are less environment-friendly compared to the biodegradation method. This study investigated the ability of selected organic wastes to enhance biodegradation of Spent Engine Oil (SEO) contaminated soil. One kilogram of uncontaminated soil was thoroughly mixed with 10% (w/v) SEO in seven treatments with two replicates. Spent Fruit Residues (SFR), Cassava Peel (CP) and a combination of Bean Husk and Chromolaena odorata(BHC) were added at 10% and20% (w/w), with an untreated control. Total Heterotrophic Bacterial Count (THBC), Total Fungal Count (TFC), Total Hydro-carbon Degrading Bacterial Count (THDBC) and Total Hydrocarbon Degrading Fungal Count …

The Establishment Of A Community-Based Mangrove Forest Management Plan: Lessons Learned From Mangrove Forest Conservation In The Nernkhor Sub-District, Rayong Province, Thailand, Piyapong Janmaimool

Applied Environmental Research

This study aims to investigate key elements of community-based ecological management (CBEM) in a rural area with plentiful mangrove resources. The investigated elements of CBEM include stakeholders' benefits from sharing ecosystems services provided by themangrove forests, stakeholders' roles in ecological conservation, and their participation in decision-making processes at each stage of the ecological management process. Additionally, the study intends to reveal factors that determine the success of CBEMcreation processes, including agenda setting, matching, restructuring, clarifying, and the routinizing stage. Semi-structured interviews and group discussions were conducted with relevant stakeholders, such as community leaders, typical villagers, fishermen, and local businessmen residing …

Loss Of Value In House Properties Due To Air Pollution In Map Ta Phut Industrial Area Of Thailand, Nararuk Boonyanam

Applied Environmental Research

Air pollution in the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Thailand, has caused increasing risk of death, injury and health problems for local residents. Existing control measures are inef-fective due to weak law enforcement. Although the problem has drawn a lot of attention, the monetary value of the impacts of air pollution in Map Ta Phut is not known. The objective of this paper was to estimate the economic cost of air pollution damage in Map Ta Phut using theHedonic Pricing Method, with 192 house samples. The results showed that the marginal willing-ness to pay (MWTP) for a one unit …

Removal Of Copper (Ii) From Aqueous Solutions Using Cuttlebone As Bio-Adsorbent, Pathompong Vibhatabandhu, Sarawut Srithongouthai

Applied Environmental Research

Biosorptionis an effective process for removal and recovery of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. In the present study, batch adsorption experiments were carried out for the removal of copper (Cu II) from aqueous solutions using cuttlebone powder (<100 µm)as a bio-adsorbent. The effects of initial pH, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration, and contact time on adsorption efficiency and capacity were studied to evaluate the optimum conditions for copper removal.The results found optimal conditions at initial pH of 5.0, 10 g L-1cuttlebone, 500 mg L-1initial concentration of Cu II in solution, and 150 min of equilibrium time.The Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetic model were fitted to the experimental adsorption data. The maxi-mum adsorption capacity calculated from theLangmuir isotherm was 54.05 mg g-1. This result shows that cuttlebone is an effective bio-adsorbent, constituting a promising, efficient, low-cost, and eco-friendly technology bio-sorbent for reducing copper pollution during wastewater treatment.

Isotope Evidence Of Rainfall And Groundwater For Tracing Recharge Areas In Kaeng Khoi District, Saraburi Province, Thailand, Wanlapa Wisittammasri, Srilert Chotpantarat

Applied Environmental Research

This study was conducted in the districts of Kaeng Khoi and Muang, located in the center of Saraburiprovince, Central Thailand. The purpose was to use a stable isotope technique to iden-tify recharge areas where rainfall infiltrates. Analysis of stable isotopes in groundwater, surface water and rainwater were conducted in September 2014. Isotope compositions of groundwater were found to have dD values that ranged from -37.55‰ to -48.04‰ while d18O values ranged from -5.30‰ to -7.34‰. The Local Meteoric Water Line (LMWL) in the study area was indis-tinguishablefrom the Bangkok Local Meteoric Water Line (BKK LMWL), and the stable iso-tope values …

Application Of Wood Vinegar For Fungal Disease Controls In Paddy Rice, Wilawan Chuaboon, Nattapone Ponghirantanachoke, Dusit Athinuwat

Applied Environmental Research

A survey of an outbreak of fungal diseases of rice variety Phitsanulok2 (PLS91014-16-1-5-1) was conducted in Thailand during June 2014 to January 2015 using aW-random sampling pat-tern. The study revealed the incidence of several diseases including brown spot (Bipolaris oryzae), narrow brown leaf streak (Cercospora oryzae), and dirty panicle (Alternaria padwickii, C. oryzae, Curvularia lunata, Fusarium semitectum, and B. oryzae). This study evaluated the ef-ficacy of wood vinegar for control of these fungal diseases. A compleel randomized design was used, using the above variety in 3 replications. In the laboratory we found wood vinegar to be effective in inhibiting growth …

Biosand Filter (Bsf): Types And Mechanisms Behind Its Efficiency, Dao Janjaroen

Applied Environmental Research

More than 760 million people around the world lack access to clean drinking water. A biosand filter was developed through the collaboration of research groups in developing and developed countries. This type of filter is considered a point-of-use filtration system that can be easily in-stalled at home, and has shown promising results. Thousands of these filters have been distributed and are currently in use in developing countries around the world, helping to alleviate poor water quality conditions. Although these filters have been proven to improve water quality in terms of biological contaminants, there are still concerns over their ability to …

Virgil In Virginia: Eighteenth-Century Pastoralism And The Novus Ordo Seclorum, Alley Jordan

Theses

This work examines classical reception in early America. Specifically, it addresses the role of classical ideas on pastoralism in the thought of one of America’s founders, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson is best known for his role in the forming of United States government, but he was also influential on developing the idea of “America.” As such, his political theory on agrarian republicanism has strong ties to how the classical poets, such as Virgil and Theocritus, likewise thought about the relationship between land and government.

Vessel Navigation Safety Analysis And Countermeasures In The Water Of Taizhou Yangtze River Bridge, Guojin Han

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

Risk Assessment In Narrow Chanel, Xiaoyang Gao

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

Research On Safety Evaluation Of Navigation Environment In Hangzhou Bay Bridge, Ning An

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

Tianjin Port Emissions Control Area, Yongming Zhang

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

The Life And Times Of Landfills, Joshua O. Reno

Journal of Ecological Anthropology

American landfills are primarily understood as distinctly human and spatial creations, when in practice they are as much temporal as spatial and as much non-human as human. Based on a large landfill on the rural periphery of Detroit, this paper explores the emergent and polychronic forms of life fostered by controlled dumping. Landfill employees work with their ecological surroundings to satisfy regulatory directives and assemble ever-growing mountains of waste. The paper introduces the complex, practical negotiations that result by isolating and diagraming the distinct temporal scales at which nonhuman beings and powers aid in and disrupt the process of landfilling.

Kain V. Department Of Environmental Protection, Sarah M. Danno

Public Land & Resources Law Review

Global climate change and its chronic frustrations generated passage of the Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act. The Massachusetts Legislature imposed time-bound implementation mandates on the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection with Massachusetts residents acting as compliance watchdogs. In Kain, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts interpreted the Act in favor of environmental integrity and strict agency compliance standards.

University Of New Mexico Bioalgal Energy, Photosynthesis Rates Of Poplar Plants - Measurements With Tdl Machine (Enriched Co2 - Enriched-Exposed - Tray 1 - Play 2 - 2016/06/07), David Hanson

Energize New Mexico (NSF EPSCoR Track 1 IV)

Collect the photosynthetic rate of poplar plants under different isotopic compositions of CO2 with the TDL machine and with the Licor equipment.

Corporate Sponsors At Yosemite?: The Case Against Privatizing National Parks, John Freemuth, William Lowry

Public Policy and Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

The centennial of the National Park Service is inspiring an impressive amount of soul-searching about the agency and the lands for which it is responsible. This is timely and appropriate, as the NPS faces serious challenges that affect the preservation of these precious lands.

A Review Of The Welfare Impact On Pinnipeds Of Plastic Marine Debris, Andrew Butterworth

Reduction and Degradation of Habitat Collection

Uncounted, and usually unobserved, numbers of pinnipeds find themselves entangled in lost fishing gear, monofilament line, nets, rope, plastic packaging in the ocean or on the shoreline. These animals may carry debris wrapped around themselves for long periods, and often die as a result, sometimes from deep chronic wounds. The pinniped species most affected by this modern and manmade phenomenon are fur seals, monk seals, and California sea lions, and to a lesser extent gray, common, and monk seals. Entanglement rates described range up to 7.9% of local populations annually, and the common entangling materials; packing bands, fragments of lost …

Industrial Ecology Analysis Of The Potential For An Eastern Nebraska Industrial Symbiosis Network (Enisn): A Comparative Study, Bradley A. Behne

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

The area of Eastern Nebraska north of Omaha, including the municipality of Blair is host to a collection of unique companies and industries. These industries, driven by the agricultural and urban economy of the area, as well as the geographic proximity to each other, make it an advantageous area to study the potential for a network where individual entities utilize the concept of industrial symbiosis. This potential network is referred to as the Eastern Nebraska Industrial Symbiosis Network (ENISN). Industrial symbiosis, a sub-set of industrial ecology, engages separate industries in a collaborative and collective approach, concerning itself with the flow …

Coastal Louisiana: Adaptive Capacity In The Face Of Climate Change, Tara Lambeth

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Extreme weather events can result in natural disasters, and climate change can cause these weather events to occur more often and with more intensity. Because of social and physical vulnerabilities, climate change and extreme weather often affect coastal communities. As climate change continues to be a factor for many coastal communities, and environmental hazards and vulnerability continue to increase, the need for adaptation may become a reality for many communities. However, very few studies have been done on the effect climate change and mitigation measures implemented in response to climate change have on a community’s adaptive capacity.

This single instrumental …

Hidden Costs And Deadweight Losses: Bundled Parking Andresidential Rents In The Metropolitan United States, C. J. Gabbe, Gregory Pierce

Environmental Studies and Sciences

There is a major housing affordability crisis in many American metropolitan areas, particularly for renters. Minimum parking requirements in municipal zoning codes drive up the price of housing, and thus represent an important potential for reform for local policymakers. The relationship between parking and housing prices, however, remains poorly understood. We use national American Housing Survey data and hedonic regression techniques to investigate this relationship. We find that the cost of garage parking to renter households is approximately $1,700 per year, or an additional 17% of a housing unit’s rent. In addition to the magnitude of this transport cost burden …

Cloud-Based Land Change Modeler Application: Summer Internship With Clark Labs, Lei Rong

Sustainability and Social Justice

ABSTRACT

Cloud-based Land Change Modeler Application:

Summer Internship with Clark Labs, Worcester, MA

Lei Rong

This report provides a detailed illustration of my internship experience with Clark Labs in Worcester, MA, during the summer of 2015. The internship is about two Land Change Modeler projects which conducted by Esri. The first one is a cloud-based Land Change Model on ArcGIS online for professional change analysts. Another one is a free cloud-based App for land change analysts and the public to explore land change of 48 states in United State. This work mainly relied on TerrSet skills and Land Change Modeler …

Growing The Green Energy Economy: Workforce Development And Cluster Growth In The Pioneer Valley Of Massachusetts, Nicholas B. Altonaga

Sustainability and Social Justice

Workforce development programs have a positive effect on the formation of a cluster. Incorporating these programs into cluster theory is essential to creating more robust and dynamic local growth in the emerging green energy sector. Studying programs in the green energy sector in the Pioneer Valley has shown an increase in collaboration, local and regional connectivity, and industry communication. These aspects reinforce the comparative advantage of organizations within the cluster, while downplaying their challenges . Applying this focus on workforce development is important for cementing the green energy cluster into an enduring force in the domestic economy in the 21 …

The Feasibility Of Using Drones To Count Songbirds, Andrew M. Wilson, Janine M. Barr, Megan E. Zagorski

Environmental Studies Student Conference Presentations

Point and transect counts are the most common bird survey methods, but are subject to biases and accessibility issues. To eliminate some of these biases, we propose attaching a recorder to a consumer-grade quadcopter (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, or UAV) to estimate songbird populations from audio recordings. We conducted a blind experiment using broadcast recordings to estimate the detection radius of a compact recorder attached to a UAV, and found that the detection radius did not vary significantly when the UAV was flown at elevations of 20, 40 and 60m. We field tested our system by comparing UAV-based bird counts with …

Using An Equilibrium Displacement Model To Simulate The Impact Of An Environmental Meat Tax On Grain And Livestock Markets, Regan Gilmore

UCARE: Research Products

Research Question

What are the potential effects of imposing a hypothetical environmental tax on meat consumption, including beef, pork, and poultry, on the livestock and grain markets in the United States from farm to fork?

Faculty advisor: Azzeddine Azzam

This was the first half of my research project; the second half (with the results) is shown on the following poster: "Simulating the Impact of a CO2-equivalent Meat Tax on Grain and Livestock Markets" @ https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/ucareresearch/151/

Masters Of Science In Environmental Science And Policy Portfolio, Annalise B. Kukor

Sustainability and Social Justice

Through my work as a Master’s student in Environmental Science and Policy at Clark University I have acquired a wide variety of knowledge and skills which will be showcased in this document. The breadth of courses and sub disciplines that I have taken has expanded my awareness and understanding of the current state of Environmental Science and Policy. My undergraduate degree from Clark University in Environmental Science focusing on Earth Systems Science focused primarily on comprehension of the Earth’s physical processes with applications for Global Climate Change. This master’s work has expanded upon those quantitative skills as well as deepened …

Influences On Off-Highway Vehicle (Ohv) Recreation Use Patterns Within A Complex Trail System In Southwest Idaho, Eric Charles Frey

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation on public lands provides participants with the opportunity to experience positive connections with nature; however, like all outdoor recreation activity, OHV use can have impacts on the environment. In order to maintain the health of the landscape and wildlife while also providing recreational opportunities, managers must make decisions based on sound biological and social science data. We hope this research provides knowledge that may aid in the implementation of sound management strategies that are successful in fulfilling these goals.

In the first chapter, in order to gain knowledge on OHV recreationists and their distributions across a …

Are Countries In Environmental Cooperation Concerned About Relative Gains?, Vivian Chinua Olivia Ike

Master's Theses

A country’s decision to join or withdraw from environmental cooperation has been argued by interest based theories to be influenced by the economic cost of international agreements, national interest of countries and the free-rider problem. However, this thesis argues that relative gains is a more decisive factor that influences the decision of countries in international arrangements. It hypothesizes that countries in environmental cooperation are concerned about relative gains. A content analysis of the statements of fifteen countries in international climate change cooperation are analyzed. The countries include the United States, Russian Federation, Canada, Japan, Australia, China, Brazil, South Africa, India, …

Electronic Waste And Sustainability: Reflections On A Rising Global Challenge, Bipul Kumar, Kalyan Bhaskar

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Globalization, technological advancements, advent of the internet, near-universal availability of mobile phones and changing consumer preferences have led to a boom in the electrical and electronics industry. Such products are now available in almost all countries of the world. The increased availability and consumption of electronic products have also led to rapid rise in the volumes of electronic waste (e-waste) globally. Markets have traditionally not paid sufficient attention to post-consumption behavior for electronic products and hence safe disposal and management of e-waste has always remained a critical issue. There are significant sustainability issues related with e-waste at local as well …

Mixed Methods Research: A Comprehensive Approach For Study Into The New Zealand Voluntary Carbon Market, S Jeff Birchall, Maya Murphy, Markus Milne

The Qualitative Report

Climate change and solutions to solving this wicked problem require a mixed methods research approach that draws on quantitative and qualitative inquiry together. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the applicability (and effectiveness) of a mixed methods approach applied to research into the voluntary carbon market (VCM), a key path available for organisations electing to offset their carbon emissions, in New Zealand. The mixed methods approach included three unique data sets (quantitative documents, quantitative surveys, qualitative in-depth interviews), and was both explanatory (qualitative interviews built upon and contextualized the document analysis and survey results) and convergent (data sets …

Changes In Tursiops Truncatus Distribution And Behavior In The Drowned Cayes, Belize, And Correlation To Human Impacts, Jazmin Garcia

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Human interaction greatly influences the behavior and distribution of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). This project focuses on the distribution and behavior of bottlenose dolphins in the Drowned Cayes, Belize. Prior to the 2000s, the area was relatively undeveloped and undisturbed and had minimal human activity. Since the turn of the millennium, development and ecotourism activity has flourished in the area, increasing by more than 800,000 visitors from 1998-2006. Boat-based surveys were conducted in 2015 and were combined with previous survey data collected from 2005-2012 and compared to behavioral survey results from 1999-2000. Total dolphin observation time as a …