Geography Commons^™

Greening Louisville's East Market District : A Comparative Assessment Of Sustainability., Ashley O. Dale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The East Market District located in Louisville, KY is currently undergoing a multi-million dollar urban regeneration. This transformation is being marketed as a primer sustainable neighborhood with the goal of serving as a model for other cities in the United States. As result of these changes, it is imperative to analyze the concept of sustainability from a variety of stakeholder perspectives utilizing content analysis on interviews and LEED Neighborhood Scorecard. Utilizing these methods, the central goal of this study is to understand the various interpretation of sustainability within this neighborhood. The findings observed via the critical assessment of the LEED …

Evacuation And Shelter In Place Modeling For A Release Of Uranium Hexafluoride, Joseph B. Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Evacuation and sheltering behaviors were modeled for a hypothetical release of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) from Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS) in Erwin, Tennessee. NFS down-blends weapons grade Cold War-era nuclear fuel material and processes highly-enriched uranium occasionally using UF6 onsite. Risk associated with a chemical release to the surrounding residential population was assessed by running 2 scenarios involving an airborne release of UF6 to compare evacuation and sheltering in place actions as effective survival strategies. Risk is minimal and evacuation is recommended for people within a 2-mile radius of the release point. Shelter in place actions are recommended for all critical …

Transboundary Groundwater And Unsustainable Practices Of Water Governance In The Guarani Aquifer : The Case Of The Province Of Misiones., Paula Carolina Gomez 1974-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent changes in the governance of the Guarani Aquifer System - a transboundary groundwater resource in South America - reveal contradictory practices of water governance embedded in the individual politics and ideologies of sovereign states overlying the aquifer. Emerging practices of water marketization through the commodification of bottled groundwater at the provincial level in Misiones, Argentina, contest the current scale of transboundary groundwater governance, delimited by The Guarani Aquifer Agreement and its main principles of cooperation, equitable and reasonable utilization and the obligation not to harm - under the imperatives of the United Nations International Law Commission (UNILC) Law of …

Quantifying Human Impacts On River Bar Morphology Using Digital Photogrammetry, Aaron Zettler-Mann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, the study of fluvial geomorphology has been dominated by the field method of surveying using a level and surveying rod. Beginning in the 1980s, the use of ground based and aerial LiDAR increased in popularity as a surveying method. However, LIDAR is expensive and requires significant training to operate. In recent years there has been an increase in the applicability of digital photogrammetry in the field of fluvial geomorphology. Lower costs, streamlined training and an increased accuracy all make digital photogrammetry a promising tool for the field geomorphologist. A study of the morphologic changes of four river bars on …

Welcome Home Ranch Rockshelter: Examinations Of Prehistoric Cultural Transitions In The Palmer Divide, Colorado, Katherine V. Mayo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Welcome Home Ranch rockshelter is located in the Palmer Divide region of Colorado. The archaeological evidence on site suggests that this rockshelter was occupied between the Late Archaic period (c. 1000 BC – AD 150) and Early Ceramic period (c. AD 150- 1150). Excavations at Welcome Home Ranch provided a dataset of lithics, ceramics, and features with which to test ideas about prehistoric life during this transitional time frame between the Archaic stage and the Late Prehistoric stage. It is during this transitional time period, c. AD 150, that the Palmer Divide region and its prehistoric residents experienced a variable …

Evaluation And Application Of A New Shape-Sensitive Metric Useful For Characterizing Both Spectral Curves And Lidar Waveforms, Eric Ariel L. Salas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to investigate hyperspectral and waveform LiDAR datasets through a new analytical framework called Moment Distance method that uses a metric derived from the shape of the curve (spectral or waveform). In the case of hyperspectral data, the shape of the reflectance curve should unmask fine points of the spectra usually not considered by existing band-specific indices. To explore the advantages and shortcomings of this new approach, leaf and canopy hyperspectral reflectance samples were simulated using the physicallybased models PROSPECT (a leaf model) and SAIL (a canopy model). Sensitivity analysis was conducted with the goal of understanding the …

Fire Type Classification In The Brazilian Tropical Moist Forest Biome, Sanath Kumar Sathyachandran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Brazilian Tropical Moist Forest Biome (BTMFB) is “Earth’s greatest biological treasure and a major component of the earth system” and forest degradation and deforestation by fire is a serious issue in this region. Fires in the BTMFB can be broadly classified as maintenance, deforestation and forest fire types. Spatially and temporally explicit information on the incidences of fire types are important as they have widely varying atmospheric emissions and ecological impacts. Satellite based remote sensing is a practical means of monitoring the BTMFB that spans almost 4 million km2. However, there has been no way to reliably …

A Paleoenvironmental Investigation Of Eolian Influx In Lacustrine Sediments Of The Southern Rocky Mountain Region, Rebecca L. Brice

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Potential indications of long-term trends in paleoclimate, specifically winds, in the Southern Rocky Mountain region of the United States were tested using lacustrine sediment from South Blue Lake in the Wet Mountains of Colorado. This study builds upon existing eolian and lacustrine research, and investigates paleowind in a location not yet studied in this manner. Variability in sediment laminae, particle size, and mineralogy show similar patterns during the mid-Holocene warm period (ca. 5500 cal. yr BP - ca. 6000 cal. yr BP). These patterns indicate a warmer, drier, windier period that is contrasted by a less variable period in the …

¿Del Mar Quién Es Dueño? Artisanal Fisheries, Tourism Development, And The Struggles Over Access To Marine Resources In Playa Gigante, Nicaragua, Nikolai Alexander Alvarado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In post-revolutionary Nicaragua tourism development has been embraced as a way to inject foreign exchange into an ailing economy. Despite rapid growth of the sector, particularly along Nicaragua's southwestern Pacific coast, little attention has been given to the impacts of this development on local producers. This research focuses on the tourism development taking place in the fishing community of Playa Gigante and its impacts on artisanal fisheries. Additionally, I focus on the struggles over access to marine resources, especially with creation of La Anciana Marine Protected Area (MPA), a marine conservation corridor being pushed forth by the largest resort development …

Site Location Modeling And Prehistoric Rock Shelter Selection On The Upper Cumberland Plateau Of Tennessee, Lucinda M. Langston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using data collected from 2 archaeological surveys of the Upper Cumberland Plateau (UCP), Pogue Creek Gorge and East Obey, a site location model was developed for prehistoric rock shelter occupation in the region. Further, the UCP model was used to explore factors related to differential site selection of rock shelters. Different from traditional approaches such as those that use (aspatial) logistic regression, the UCP model was developed using spatial logistic regression. However, models were also generated using other regression-based approaches in an effort to demonstrate the need for a spatial approach to archaeological site location modeling. Based on the UCP …

Fresh Squeezed: The Dilemma Of Local Food Production Along Colorado's Front Range Urban Corridor, Amanda Jessie Weaver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today, the Front Range Urban Corridor of Colorado is one example from the urban/agricultural battlefield. The history of food production and urbanization in this area is similar to many regions throughout the western United States. Originally an extraction based economy, Colorado later became agriculturally/pastorally based, and more recently became a service-based, urban economy. On the Front Range Urban Corridor specifically, the urban core of Denver and Boulder developed with rich agricultural lands toward the northeast to Weld County along the northern border of the state. Though a semi-arid region, this agricultural zone produces a volume and variety of food-based crops …

Mobility And Aging In Denver, Colorado: Travel Behavior, Mobility Barriers, And Perceptions Of Transit, Sylvia Arriaga Brady

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of seniors in the U.S. today is growing rapidly because of longer life expectancies and the aging Baby Boomer generation. This age groups' travel behavior will have substantial impacts on transportation, economics, safety, and the environment. This research used a mixed-methods approach to address issues of mobility and aging in Denver, Colorado. A quantitative approach was used to answer broad questions about travel behavior and the effects of age, gender, work status, disability, residential location and socio-economic status on mobility. Qualitative interviews with seniors in the Denver metro area were conducted to identify barriers to mobility, decision-making processes …

The Impact Of Transit Oriented Development On The Travel Behaviors Of Workers In Denver, Colorado, Gregory J. Kwoka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To combat unsustainable transportation systems characterized by reliance on petroleum, polluting emissions, traffic congestion and suburban sprawl, planners encourage mixed use, densely populated areas that provide individuals with opportunities to live, work, eat and shop without necessarily having to drive private automobiles to accommodate their needs. Despite these attempts, the frequency and duration of automobile trips has consistently increased in the United States throughout past decades. While many studies have focused on how residential proximity to transit influences travel behavior, the effect of workplace location has largely been ignored.

This paper asks, does working near a TOD influence the travel …

Sagebrush Ecosystem Characterization, Monitoring, And Forecasting With Remote Sensing: Quantifying Future Climate And Wildlife Habitat Change, Collin G. Homer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems constitute the largest single North American shrub ecosystem and provide vital ecological, hydrological, biological, agricultural, and recreational ecosystem services. Disturbances continue to alter this ecosystem, with climate change possibly representing the greatest future disturbance risk. Improved ways to characterize and monitor gradual change in this ecosystem are vital to its future management. A new remote sensing sagebrush characterization approach was developed in Wyoming which integrates three scales of remote sensing to derive four primary continuous field components (bare ground, herbaceousness, litter, and shrub), and four secondary components (sagebrush, big sagebrush, Wyoming sagebrush, and shrub …

Impacts Of Land Cover Changes On Ecosystem Services Delivery In The Black Hills Ecoregion From 1950 To 2010, Suzanne Cotillon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Environmental degradation generated by land use choices and human activities is the first driver of change in the provision of ecosystem goods and services. One of the challenges in ecosystem services research is to evaluate the contribution of each land cover unit to ecosystem services delivery while considering multiple services. In this thesis, I develop a framework to assess the capacity of many land covers to independently produce ecosystem services (i.e., potential production) and the capacity of the whole landscape to deliver multiple services to the population (i.e., potential supply). In the first part, this methodology is used to report …

Energy In The Corn Belt: Is Maize Production Sustainable?, Matthew Bernau

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technological and scientific innovation has transformed agricultural production. Corn production methods changed from a sustainable, nutrient recycling production system to one reliant on imported fossil energy inputs. Located in the Western Corn Belt, Union County, South Dakota was chosen as the study area. Changes in production methods are represented by four technological epochs: 1) The Draft Horse Epoch, 1890-1920; 2) The Tractor Epoch, 1920-1950; 3) The Fertilizer Epoch, 1950-1980; and 4) The Biotechnology and Precision Agriculture Epoch, 1980-2010. The energy budget method was used to measure the energy sustainability of corn production. The findings show that the volume of corn …

Episodic Recruitment And Climate Analysis Of Ponderosa Pine On The Palmer Divide, Eastern Colorado, William Henry Brenton Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous recruitment studies on populations of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa P. & C. Lawson) in Colorado have been limited to the western mountains and the Front Range. In this research I used tree-ring data to reconstruct recruitment for ponderosa pine near the eastern limits of its distribution at two sites on the Palmer Divide, Eastern Colorado, to determine the relative climate sensitivity of the two sites, and the extent to which climate or other factors may have influenced recruitment at the sites. The results of the tree-ring analysis suggest that ponderosa pines in more the easterly site lower elevation …

Income Inequality In U.S. Metropolitan Areas: Which Areas Have The Greatest Inequality And Why?, C. Peterson Compton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, much focus has been placed on the high and growing level of income inequality in the United States. This composition begins to fill a void in the existing literature by examining specific urban areas that have particularly high levels of inequality and the characteristics that factor into inequality. In this paper, I construct a qualitative model for a particularly unequal metropolitan area. I then apply the model to a set of U.S. metros that are among the most unequal in the country and share a particular set of characteristics consistent with the model.

Local Food Actions And Motivations In The Highlands Neighborhood Of Denver, Co, Samantha R. Lester

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluates the local food movement within the Highlands neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. There are several potential outlets for local food within the Highlands and it is a diverse demographic community, which creates an interesting and relevant research area. This study evaluates the reasons behind the local food movement through qualitative research of community members, local restaurant owners, community garden members and community organizers as well as through participant observation. The goal of this research is to narrate what one neighborhood within a progressive city is experiencing within the local food movement. The local food movement was found to …

Nesting In The Clouds: Evaluating And Predicting Sea Turtle Nesting Beach Parameters From Lidar Data, Kristina H. Yamamoto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Humans' desire for knowledge regarding animal species and their interactions with the natural world have spurred centuries of studies. The relatively new development of remote sensing systems using satellite or aircraft-borne sensors has opened up a wide field of research, which unfortunately largely remains dependent on coarse-scale image spatial resolution, particularly for habitat modeling. For habitat-specialized species, such data may not be sufficient to successfully capture the nuances of their preferred areas. Of particular concern are those species for which topographic feature attributes are a main limiting factor for habitat use. Coarse spatial resolution data can smooth over details that …

Aladdin's Magic Lamp: Developing Methods For Calibration And Geolocation Accuracy Assessment Of The Dmsp Ols, Benjamin Taylor Tuttle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nighttime satellite imagery from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS) has a unique capability to observe nocturnal light emissions from sources including cities, wild fires, and gas flares. Data from the DMSP OLS is used in a wide range of studies including mapping urban areas, estimating informal economies, and estimating urban populations. Given the extensive and increasing list of applications a repeatable method for assessing geolocation accuracy, performing inter-calibration, and defining the minimum detectable brightness would be beneficial. An array of portable lights was designed and taken to multiple field sites known to have no other …

The Lgbt Community And Public Space: A Mixed Methods Approach, Emily L. Sanschagrin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Public space researchers have created a body of literature describing how women feel in and access public spaces and have briefly explored men and race in public space, but have not explored other identities adequately including sexuality. Geographical queer theory provides a foundation for public space research, but literature is limited to the creation of and contest over space. The goal of this research is to explore LGBT feelings in public spaces in St. Louis, MO. There are three components including a survey, interviews, and hand mapping of emotional associations within the city. Overall, feelings in public space were found …

Blue Lines, Greenbelts, And The Effects Of Growth Management: The Geographical Effects Of Growth Management Policies In Boulder, Colorado, Anna Talucci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluates and describes the effects of growth management policies, established by the city of Boulder, Colorado, for the city and the surrounding region. A variety of techniques contribute to this evaluation, including remote sensing analysis of land-use change for the region, mapping of commuter flow patterns, and analysis of the distribution of housing values, housing units, number of jobs, and income values. Growth management policies focus on planning for development to ensure continuous, adjacent growth, while preventing haphazard, leapfrog development. In cases such as Boulder, when planning is implemented unilaterally by a city as opposed to on a …

Colorado's Large Snow Events' Impact On Tree Ring Growth And Dillon Reservoir, Katrina Leona Marzetta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Meteorological observations from 1894 through 2010 suggest that 17 historically large snow events occurred in the mountains of Colorado within Denver's water supply region. Of these 16 events, 14 can be identified in precipitation sensitive tree ring records as positive climatic pointer years. If these storms were to occur today, they would have the potential to fill reservoirs in Denver Water's supply system, even after years of sustained drought. These "drought busters" have the potential to refill Dillon Reservoir by increasing average yearly inflow up to 146% of the previous year's inflow. Such drought busters can help Denver recover from …

Susceptibility Modeling And Mission Flight Route Optimization In A Low Threat, Combat Environment, Brett J. Machovina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Movement and transportation systems are a primary topic in the study of humans and their relationship with the environment. Only a few modes of transportation allow for nearly full freedom of movement that is unconstrained by rigid nodes and networks. Individual human travel (walking, climbing, swimming, etc.) is one example while rotorcraft travel is another. Although other criteria constrain movement, independence from a network allows for a unique examination of human spatial decision-making and choice behavior. This research analyzes helicopter flight route planning in a low threat combat environment with respect to geography. The particular problem addressed, which ultimately concerns …

Tracking Sources Of Enrollment At Etsu Through The Use Of Gis., Charles Thomas Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to look at fall freshmen enrollment data for East Tennessee State University and see if patterns in the enrollment exist. This paper focuses on fall freshmen enrollment during the years 1997, 2002, and 2007 at ETSU. Once the data were gathered, they were mapped and statistically analyzed using geographic information systems (GIS) and statistical analysis software.

Many things were learned from the GIS maps created and statistical analysis. First, the maps showed that from 1997 to 2007, ETSU's enrollment became more consolidated in the East Tennessee region and moved westward into Middle and Western …

Scampering In The City: Examining The Ecological And Social Viability Of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys Ludovicianus) In Denver, Colorado, Lauren K. Morse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The conservation of prairie dogs is highly contested due to the embedded view that they are pests. This research addressed the ecological and social viability of prairie dog colonies in Denver, Colorado. Remote sensing analysis was applied to identify potentially viable areas for urban prairie dog colonies. In order to assess the social viability of urban colonies, knowledge and attitudinal surveys were distributed to residents near existing colonies and residents near potential colonies. Statistical analysis of responses provided insight into relationships between proximity to colonies, ecological knowledge, attitudes towards prairie dogs, demographics, and the presence of educational literature. Results indicated …

Emergent Geographies In Green Energy, Sean Tierney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A consensus on climate change is spurring an energy transition, but the geography of this transition is uneven and this paper evaluates the energy landscape globally, in the United States and in Colorado. Developed countries have taken the lead in installations and of next generation energy technology ownership. Green electricity has still not achieved parity with fossil fuels, which puts their adoption in the hands of policy makers who are trying to spur innovation with minimal financial disruption. Yet the future of green electricity is in question due to weak and fragmented policy regimes, but also because of inadequate R&D …

United States Land Cover Land Use Change, Albedo And Radiative Forcing: Past And Potential Climate Implications, Christopher A. Barnes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Land Cover Land Use (LCLU) change affects Earth surface properties including albedo that impose a radiative forcing on the climate. Recent spatially explicit satellite derived contemporary LCLU, albedo, and projected LCLU data are used to study the impact of LCLU change from 1973 to 2000, and from 2000 to 2050, on albedo and surface radiative forcing for the conterminous United States. Four research hypotheses concerned with past and potential future climate implications of LCLU change are addressed. The research described in this dissertation makes an important contribution to advancing understanding of the role of LCLU change on the climate system, …

The Burden Of Fetching Water: Using Caloric Expenditure As An Indicator Of Access To Safe Drinking Water—A Case Study From Xieng Khouang Province, Lao Pdr, Jeff La Frenierre

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Millennium Development Goals measure ‘access to improved drinking water’ using an indicator that defines access as the presence of an improved water source within 1 kilometer of a person’s dwelling. This purely linear measurement has significant shortcomings, including a lack of consideration for the difficulty of the terrain being traversed and the weight of the loads being carried. This paper examines in detail the human energy costs associated with fetching water, first using two Lao villages as case studies, then applying a predictive energy expenditure model to measure the potential caloric effect of variations in the age and gender …