Geography Commons^™

Climatic And Spatial Variations Of Mount Rainier's Glaciers For The Last 12,000 Years, Michael Leslie Hekkers

Dissertations and Theses

Regional paleoclimatic proxies and current local climate variables and were analyzed to reconstruct paleoglaciers in an effort to assess glacier change On Mount Rainier. Despite the dry and generally warm conditions (sea surface temperatures (SST) -0.15°C to +1.8°C relative to current temperatures), the previously documented McNeeley II advance (10,900 - 9,950 cal yr B.P.) was likely produced by air temperature fluctuations. The average SST record and the terrestrial climate proxies show cooling temperatures with continued dryness between McNeeley II and the Burroughs Mountain advance (3,442 - 2,153 cal yr B.P.). The paleoclimate during the Burroughs Mountain advance was both cool …

Water As A Complex System: Understanding The Dynamics In A Changing Environment, Heejun Chang

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

The water resources system is constantly evolving over space and time at a range of scales. Human-induced climate change and land development are probably two major driving forces of water resource system changes. However, the impacts of such changes are region specific, which depend on watershed characteristics such as topography and geology. Numerical simulation models are useful tools for understanding the system dynamics by allowing the multiple interactions of system components. I will introduce case studies of the Pacific Northwest that examine how changing climate and population growth affect regional water resources at multiple spatial and temporal scales and explain …

Impacts Of Climate Change And Urban Development On Water Resources In The Tualatin River Basin, Sarah Praskievicz

Dissertations and Theses

Potential impacts of climate change on the water resources of the Pacific Northwest of the United States include earlier peak runoff, reduced summer flows, and increased winter flooding. An increase in impervious surfaces, accompanied by urban development, is known to decrease infiltration and increase surface runoff. Alterations of flow amount and pathways can alter water quality through dilution or flushing effects. I used the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources (BASINS) modeling system to investigate the relative importance of future climate change and land use change in determining the quantity and quality of …

Ethnic Place Making: Thirty Years Of Brazilian Immigration To South Framingham, Massachusetts, Laura Aldea Skorczeski

Dissertations and Theses

Over the past thirty years, Massachusetts has become a hub of Brazilian immigration. Within Massachusetts, the town of Framingham has the highest concentration of Brazilian residents; one census tract in the southern part of this Boston suburb is an astounding 57.4 percent Brazilian. The presence of the Brazilian population in downtown Framingham, also referred to as South Framingham, has transformed the area into a landscape of Brazilian ethnicity.

When Brazilians began arriving in South Framingham in the early 1980s, the downtown Central Business District was a blighted landscape. This thesis analyzes how Brazilian identities have become imprinted on the landscape …

Multnomah County Youth Tobacco Access Report, Sara Avishan, Cameron Bremer, Mike Conley, Chad Dettlaff, Ben Fitzsimons, Ben Harper, Jennifer Jensen, Shawn Lenker, Dan Manders, Mateo Meazell

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

Multnomah County requested that the Summer 2009 Asset Mapping Capstone Group gather data relating to the proximity of tobacco advertising to Portland Public Schools. The group’s underlying objective was to create an accurate data set that may be used by Multnomah County public health officials to assess the possible effects of tobacco advertising on school-aged children with an eye to influencing policy. The data set was created using a number of tools in conjunction with primary data retrieved from field observation; great care was taken to ensure accuracy and objectivity. The findings, which may be used to inform future research, …

Student Atlas Of Oregon: A Classroom Atlas For Elementary And Middle Schools, Teresa L. Bulman, Gwenda H. Rice, Center For Spatial Analysis And Research. Portland State University, David Banis

Instructional Materials

Includes maps about Oregon's landscape, climate, culture, economics, historical geography, water resources, wildlife, vegetation, agriculture, population, transportation, and natural resources.

The Student Atlas of Oregon was created specifically for upper elementary and middle school students, so it is easy for kids to understand.

The ‘Benchmark Glacier’ Concept – Does It Work? Lessons From The North Cascade Range, Usa, Andrew G. Fountain, Matthew J. Hoffman, Frank Granshaw, Jon L. Riedel

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Benchmark glaciers were established in many alpine areas during the 1960s as part of the International Hydrological Decade to represent ‘typical’ mass and energy processes on glaciers in different climatic regions around the world. These glaciers have received new interest in the past decade because they are used to infer the contribution of alpine glacier wastage to global sea-level rise. We compare South Cascade Glacier, the benchmark glacier for the northwest contiguous USA, and four other secondary glaciers, against the topographic, area and mass changes of 321 glaciers in the surrounding region. Results show that South Cascade Glacier is unusually …

Western Juniper (Juniperus Occidentalis) Ecology With An Exercise In Remote Sensing Techniques, Elizabeth A. Goralski

Geography Masters Research Papers

Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis) has been expanding its biogeographic range since the mid-1800's, resulting in decreased biodiversity, altered wildlife habitat, increased soil erosion, reduced stream flows and reduced forage production. The direct causes of western juniper aforestation are unclear but appear to be related to altered fire regimes, over grazing, and climatic shifts.

This study seeks to determine how Landsat images combined with Digital Orthoquads (DOQs) can be used to examine the geographic distribution of western juniper. Satellite imagery has yet to be applied to the large scale mapping of western juniper aforestation, resulting in the lack of …

"Sustainable Development": Critical Concepts In Geography, Tyler Vick

Geography Masters Research Papers

This paper reviews significant geographic contributions to academic literature in the arenas of conservation, environmental thought, and "sustainable development", in order to understand why geographers have not been more central contributors to the sustainable development movement. A review of geographic literature reveals no lack of understanding on the "sustainable development" concept. However, the disciplines' contributions are lacking in numbers relative to published articles and in developing research and practical methods for directly benefiting the "sustainable development" movement. In fact, only a handful of geographers have made multiple literary contributions on the topic of "sustainable development."

The discipline of geography is …

Comparing Pixel- And Object-Based Classification Methods For Determining Land-Cover In The Gee Creek Watershed, Washington, Tyler Vick

Geography Masters Research Papers

This study analyzes land-cover types in the Gee Creek Watershed of southern Washington using the pixel-based and object-based image analysis approaches. Landsat imagery has traditionally been used for pixel-based classification and change detection in land-cover studies. In recent years, the availability of high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery have enabled for land-cover classification to occur at scales not possible using traditional Landsat imagery. High-resolution aerial imagery of 1 meter or greater has become readily available for free. Yet, commonly found black and white (or panchromatic) aerial imagery is without the multiple spectrum bands found in Landsat imagery, thereby limiting the accuracy …

Getting To Know Lents: A Thematic Atlas Of Healthy Eating And Active Living, Allison Adcox, Marina Carter, Allen Davis, Jonathan Gray

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

This project was made possible by Portland State University spring and summer capstone students 2008 in conjunction with Community Health Partnership: Oregon’s Public Health Institute. This atlas describes some of the work of the Lents neighborhood Healthy Eating Active Living initiative, which is directed by Noelle Dobson of the Community Health Partnership, Oregon’s Public Health Institute. Created through a lens of healthy eating and active living, this atlas is intended to describe the historical richness and importance of the Lents community and exhibit significant projects and programs in the area.

The Effects Of Climate Change And Urbanization On The Runoff Of The Rock Creek Basin, Jon J. Franczyk

Dissertations and Theses

Climate changes brought on by global warming are expected to have a significant affect on the Pacific Northwest hydrology during the 21^st Century. Current research anticipates higher mean annual temperatures and an intensification of the hydrological cycle. This is of particular concern for highly urbanized basins, which are considered more vulnerable to changes in climate. Because the majority of previous studies have addressed the influences of either climate or urban land cover changes on runoff, there is a lack of research investigating the combined effect of these factors. The Rock Creek basin (RCB), located in the Portland, OR, metropolitan …

Quantifying Twentieth Century Glacier Change In The Sierra Nevada, California, Hassan J. Basagic

Dissertations and Theses

Numerous small alpine glaciers occupy the high elevation regions of the central and southern Siena Nevada, California. These glaciers change size in response to variations in climate and are therefore important indicators of climate change. An inventory based on USGS topographic maps (l :24,000) revealed 1719 glaciers and perennial snow and ice features for a total area of 39.l5 ±7.52 km². The number of 'true' glaciers, versus non-moving ice, is estimated to be 118, covering 15.87 ± 1.69 Km². All glaciers were located on north to northeast aspects, at elevations >3000 m. Historical photographs, geologic evidence, …

"Questions About Stuff You Don't Normally See On A Map:" A Study Of Sixth-Graders' Abilities To Understand Quantitative Thematic Maps, Stephanie Lynn Gaspers

Dissertations and Theses

Middle school students work with many types of maps in school, however most maps they use are qualitative thematic maps that only show differences in kind as compared to quantitative thematic maps that show differences in amounts. This thesis investigates sixth-grade students' abilities to analyze three types of thematic maps: dot maps, choropleth maps, and graduated circle maps. Two hundred and two Oregon sixth-graders were tested on their abilities to interpret map symbology, make inferences from the data, categorize values into regions, and ask geographic questions concerning data distributions. The results indicate that students can understand these three quantitative thematic …

Healthy Eating And Active Living In North Portland: Asset Mapping With G.I.S., Arthur Aldridge, Susan M. Anderson, Mike Aspros, Lisa Barnes, Matt Bergstrom, Ambra Bingham, Ernest Bork, Sara Cottam, Jeremy Crawford, Shawna Graber, Jonathan Jubera, Patrick Louisel, Rebecca Symonds, Eric Wright

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

Making community development as democratic as possible has long been a challenge for urban planners and municipalities alike. A number of obstacles stand in the way of greater community participation in the planning process and consequently communities who are best served by their design. Visual Preference Surveys (VPS) are a tool planners can use to increase participation in the design process within the communities they serve. This can result in community plans that more accurately reflect the wants or needs of its members. Relying heavily on image driven content, VPS offers communities a straightforward methodology that asks participants to rate …

Healthy Eating Active Living: A Project Of The Spring 2007 North Portland Asset Mapping Capstone, Andrew Clarke, Melissa Lindsey, Greg Waite, Robert Y. Lee

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

Our mission is to identify, map, and link assets that promote healthy eating and active living in St. Johns and Portsmouth. This study will target young families with the intent of creating a tool that will aid in defining incentives and barriers for the community.

Hydrologic Impacts Of Climate Change In The Upper Clackamas River Basin, Oregon, Usa, David Graves, Heejun Chang

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Pacific Northwest of the USA is dependent on seasonal snowmelt for water resources that support its economy and aquatic ecosystems. Increased temperatures resulting from higher concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases may cause disruptions to these resources because of reductions in the annual snowpack and the earlier occurrence of seasonal snowmelt. We applied a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based distributed hydrologic model at a monthly scale to assess the effects of future climate change on runoff from the Upper Clackamas River Basin (UCB; located near Portland, Oregon, USA). Once validated using historic flow data, the model was run for 2 future …

An Investigation Into Japan's Population: The Current State Of Decline, Joel Stewart

Geography Masters Research Papers

Japan is facing a demographic crisis. The population is aging and shrinking at a considerable pace despite the government's efforts to curtail the problem. This rapid change in the demographic structure of Japan is bound to have stark implications on the society and economy of Japan. The objective of this paper is to understand the issues that allowed this impeding crisis to come about. A thorough examination of the current literature on Japan's fertility and population issues revealed that a number of various factors are causing the impending crisis. Some of the factors determined to be affecting the population dilemma …

A Geographical Perspective On The Territorial Conflict In The East China Sea: The Implications For International Political Relations Between China And Japan, Joel Stewart

Geography Masters Research Papers

China and Japan are engaged in a territorial dispute in the East China Sea. Sovereignty over a tiny islet, and more importantly, access to substantial hydrocarbon resources are the crux of the dispute. This territorial conflict has broad implications for both China and Japan, and involves a number of complex issues. The objective of this paper is to understand the historical, economic and political factors of this situation, as well as to uncover the elements of the solution, which are contained in the problem. A thorough investigation of the literature on the dispute reveals there is significant potential for the …

Spatial And Morphological Change Of Eliot Glacier, Mount Hood, Oregon, Keith Michael Jackson

Dissertations and Theses

Eliot Glacier is a small (1.6 km²), relatively well-studied glacier on Mount Hood, Oregon. Since 1901, glacier area decreased from 2.03 ± 0.16 km² to 1.64 ± 0.05 km² by 2004, a loss of 19%, and the terminus retreated about 600 m. Mount Hood's glaciers as a whole have lost 34% of their area. During the first part of the 20th century the glacier thinned and retreated, then thickened and advanced between the 1940s and 1960s because of cooler temperatures and increased winter precipitation and has since accelerated its retreat, averaging about 1.0 m a^{-1 …}

Once Upon The North Pole, Regina Anne Roselli

Dissertations and Theses

The North Pole can be imagined in two ways. The first, the Magnetic North Pole, is based on the Earth's magnetic field, which is in constant flux. It is a general area of the Arctic that isn't affixed to a specific geographic location but moves to where the lines of magnetic force enter and exit the earth vertically. The second, the true North Pole, refers to its actual physical and fixed geographic location, 90° N. It lays below miles of the Arctic Ocean's water, hundreds of miles from the nearest land.

The North Pole has fueled man's imagination for centuries. …

Regeneration Patterns And Facilitation Following Blowdown In A Self- Replacing Lodgepole Pine (Pinus Contorta) Stand In Central Oregon, Jennifer Michelle Karps

Dissertations and Theses

Nurse plant and object facilitation is an important factor mitigating abiotic stress, improving seedling recruitment, and shaping the fine-scale spatial patterns of many plant communities. I investigate the role of facilitation on lodgepole pine regeneration following blowdown in central Oregon. My objective is to examine the importance of nurse objects on seedling recruitment under varying stand conditions. I base my analysis on 1) the mapped locations and attributes of seedlings, saplings, trees, shrubs, snags, stumps, and sound and decomposed logs in each of five, 500 m² circular plots, 2) water holding capacity estimates of woody and leafy litter and …

Deer-Vehicle Accident Hotspots In Northwest Clackamas County, Oregon, Linda K. Anderson

Dissertations and Theses

Road-kill of wildlife is common on Portland, Oregon's suburban fringe where development has increased road densities and traffic volume in rural areas. I identify the spatial and temporal patterns of black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) deer-vehicle accidents (DVA) at the suburban/rural interface of developing northwest Clackamas County using deer carcass pickup reports for county maintained roads for 1997-2004 and Oregon Department of Transportation deer-vehicle accident reports for 1996-2004. No black-tailed deer DVA models exist in the literature.

DVA increased 121% from 1997 to 1999 followed by a 26% decline by 2004. The initial DVA increase appears related to …

Montavilla: Mapping Community Assets, Adrien Allred, Ann Shaw Lee, Chris Stahlberg, Eugene Nucci

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

In May of 2006, Southeast Uplift of Portland Oregon approached Portland State University Mapping Community Assets Senior Capstone class with a proposed project. They asked the class to explore the community connections and assets in southeast Portland, and, specifically in the Montavilla Neighborhood. They were interested in the community organizations that might exist in the area and the way these organizations interacted with each other and the community as a whole. The class goal was to come up with a tool that could be used in the other southeast neighborhoods based on the research and experience in Montavilla.

The 2006 Guide To Local Food Resources: Portland Region:, Liz Mahon, Pressy Sankaran, Ann Shaw, Russell Theodore Holzinger

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

This guide serves to list the organizations involved in the promotion and maintenance of a sustainable local food system. It will summarize the nature of the involved organizations in an effort to identify existing partnerships and provide information that may lead to new opportunities in the community. In particular, this guide provides a listing of organizations that focus on farmer and consumer education, public policy, advocacy, marketing, and building relationships within this extensive food network. Also included is a matrix identifying which organizations are involved in the various sectors of the region ’ s food network, as well as maps …

Place, Sport And Globalization: Making Sense Of La Marca Barça, Hunter Shobe

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

The case of Football Club (FC) Barcelona provides a compelling case for
examining the impact of globalization on the place/identity role of football
clubs. FC Barcelona has deep historical connections to Barcelona and
Catalonia. These connections were de-emphasized by the clubs leadership
under Josep Lluís Núñez (1978-2000) and Joan Gaspart (2000-2003) and
promoted again by Joan Laporta and his directors (elected in 2003). At the
same time, under Laporta, FC Barcelona has developed into a successful
global brand. How are we to understand this renewed focus on the local and
national discourses of place while the team is simultaneously promoted …

Oxygen Demand Trends, Land Cover Change, And Water Quality Management For An Urbanizing Oregon Watershed, Michael Karl Boeder

Dissertations and Theses

In-stream aquatic habitat depends on adequate levels of dissolved oxygen. Human alteration of the landscape has an extensive influence on the biogeochemical processes that drive oxygen cycling in streams. Historic datasets allow researchers to track trends in chemical parameters concomitant with urbanization, while land cover change analysis allows researchers to identify linkages between water quality trends and landscape change.

Using the Seasonal Kendall's test, I examined water quality trends in oxygen demand variables during the mid-1990s to 2003, for twelve sites in the Rock Creek sub-watershed of the Tualatin River, northwest Oregon. Significant trends occurred in each parameter. Dissolved oxygen …

Lives, Livelihoods, And Landscapes: A Study Of Land Use And Social Change In Northeastern Nepal, Jennifer Leigh Anderson

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores the forces of change in lives and landscapes that have altered the Lamosangu-to-Everest route in northeastern Nepal and shows how a transect in photographs and conversations across the east-central Himalaya allows us insight and a greater understanding into the processes and consequences of this change.

Three forces of change over the last twenty-five years dominated discussions with local informants: the rise of the "People's War"-Nepal's Maoist Insurgency beginning in 1996; the Democratic Revolution of 1990; and dependence on tourism for livelihood after the establishment of Sagarmatha National Park in 1976. Understanding the cultural-historical context for these forces …

An Assessment Of The Impacts Of Climate Change On The Upper Clackamas River Basin With A Distributed Hydrologic Model, David Graves

Dissertations and Theses

The Pacific Northwest is dependent on seasonal snowmelt for water resources that support a significant portion of its economy. Increased temperatures resulting from higher concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases may cause disruptions to these resources because of reductions in the annual snowpack and variations of the timing of snowmelt. This study reconstructs and applies a GIS-based distributed hydrologic model at a monthly scale to assess the effects of future climate change on runoff from the Upper Clackamas River Basin (located near Portland, Oregon). Historic flow data and snow measurements are used to calibrate and test the performance of the hydro …

Street Trees In The Urban Forest Canopy: Portland, Oregon, Joseph Poracsky, David Banis

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Attempts to identify the contribution of street trees to the overall urban forest of a city have been rare and lack consensus on how to measure that contribution – percentage of trees, percentage of canopy cover, or percentage of leaf area. The actual numeric values presented in the literature also vary over a broad range and often are based on estimates, extrapolations from aggregated data, or simply stated with no empirical data referenced. This study was undertaken to evaluate the contribution of street trees to canopy in Portland, Oregon. The study involved both visual and digital analysis of multi-band aerial …