Geography Commons^™

"To Hold The World Together": A Uinta Basin Homesteading History, 1905-1930, Casey Mcclellan

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Uinta Basin’s history differs from much of Utah. Its early explorer report as a “wasteland” meant Mormon settlers avoided the area, which made an expedient decision to put the land aside as the Uinta-Ouray Ute Indian Reservation. Native peoples were forced to the undesirable desert in the mid-1860s. In 1905, the United States Government opened the Reservation for White homesteading. Homesteading was difficult, and countless anecdotes show the difficulties—many settlers moved away, “selling out” (giving up on their homesteads and selling to another homesteader) their newly-acquired land and returning to greener pastures. There have been few academic studies related …

The Bluff River Trail: A Community Land Ethic, Kelly F. Davis

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

The Bluff River Trail (BRT) is a future 10+ mile trail along the San Juan River corridor in the 4-Corners region of the Southwestern United States. By asking, what is the land ethic of the Bluff Community? this qualitative study identifies behaviors and beliefs, or land ethics, between seven Bluff residents and the San Juan River corridor. A land ethic contributes to the social re/production of space; therefore, third space theory contextualizes intersecting and contradicting spatialities evidenced in data. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and focus groups. I used a qualitative content analysis pulling from grounded theory to …

The Influence Of Microsite Conditions On Early Performance Of Planted Nothofagus Nitida Seedlings When Restoring Degraded Coastal Temperate Rain Forests, Jan R. Bannister, Manuel Acevedo, German Travieso, Andres Holz, Nicole Galindo

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Widespread impacts of changes in land use, climate, and disturbance regimes continue to affect mature forests and their subsequent post-disturbance recovery. In South American temperate rainforests, the recovery of the original composition, structure, and ecological services of now-degraded old-growth forests is additionally hampered by the aggressive competition that the native Chusquea bamboo understory exerts on juvenile trees, thus arresting ecological succession. In this study, we aim to evaluate the early performance of Nothofagus nitida seedlings (pioneer tree species that tolerate shade) planted beneath nurse canopy following removal of the understory, and to define which microsite conditions can facilitate N. nitida …

Politics Vs. The Environment: The Spatial Distributions Of Mississippian Mound Centers In Tampa Bay, Adam J. Sax

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Safety Harbor culture that resided in West-Central Florida during the Mississippian period (~1000-1500 CE) was distant from the Mississippian heartland but built similar platform mound complexes and exhibited social hierarchies despite practicing an estuarine lifestyle that likely did not rely on extensive agriculture. To determine whether this coastal culture exhibited similar spatial patterns of platform mound centers to traditional inland cultures, GIS spatial analyses including distance matrices, density analyses, and least cost analyses (LCA) were performed within the Safety Harbor geographical nexus of Tampa Bay. The results were able to detect temporal changes in settlement patterns and estimate the …

Pornography: Social, Emotional And Mental Implications Among Adolescents, William Kelly Canady

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

This presentation will explain the historical development of pornography. It will highlight four segments: 1- Porn’s impact on brain development of reward pathways, ultimately increasing the appetite for more porn. 2- Porn can be a false substitute for real intimacy, resulting in decreased sexual satisfaction with a real person and increased verbal and physical aggression. 3- Porn promotes sex trafficking, promotes multiple sex partners and reduced STD prevention. 4- A review of interventions available to assist clients in navigating a lifestyle away from pornography.

Coming Together Through Object Based Learning In A Pandemic, Brian Sheehy, Michael Sandstrom, John Heeg

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

In the summer of 2019, three history teachers from all over the US, met in France for National History Day’s Memorializing the Fallen program and commenced a lasting friendship. While in France, touring the WWI cemeteries, memorial sites, and museums, we all realized the importance of experience-based learning and the seeds were sown for our interest in object based learning. Aside from the philosophical and pedagogical discussions on long bus rides and our passion for history, we shared a belief in the importance of revitalizing history education and helping it to evolve in the face of our twenty-first century world. …

Beyond Pandemic Pedagogy: Thoughts On Deconstruction, Structure, And Justice Post-Pandemic, Samantha Cutrara

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

No abstract provided.

Undoing Mastery: With Ambivalence?, Jess Linz, Anna J. Secor

Geography Graduate Research

In this commentary, we respond to Derek Ruez and Daniel Cockayne’s article ‘Feeling Otherwise: Ambivalent Affects and the Politics of Critique in Geography’. We do so by picking up ambivalence—or more precisely, ambivalence about ambivalence—as a tool with which Ruez and Cockayne leave us. We find this tool somewhat difficult to grasp, but we understand this as part of its design. Ambivalence undoes the subject’s mastery. In doing so, we find that an airing of ambivalence gives other kinds of entangled, indeterminate, and unknowing relations room to breathe.

Mapping Brexit: Analysis Of The Results Of The 2016 Eu Membership Referendum, Jessica Long

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The 2016 EU Membership Referendum, also known as Brexit, resulted in the United Kingdom deciding to leave the European Union (EU). This paper uses mapping techniques to examine the results of the Brexit. Results of the referendum show that most voters within the United Kingdom (UK) voted along regional entities. The major regional entities examined within the paper include England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Within these regions, national identity, age, and economic status had a major influence on a voter’s decision to Leave or Remain in the EU. Demographics were mapped and examined at multiple levels to better understand …

External Disruptions To Qualitative Data Collection: Addressing Risks Relating To Brexit And Researcher-Participant Rapport, Shukru Esmene, Nick Kirsop-Taylor

The Qualitative Report

In this paper we present the importance of detailing the contextual conditions of a qualitative study to highlight any potential participant-researcher tensions. We emphasize the importance of understanding context in rich detail to expose societal complexities while maintaining positive participant-research rapport. Through two cases, this paper considers that bracketing, reflexivity, and transparency can be applied to form appropriate strategies to deal with external disruptions to qualitative fieldwork. The cases draw on Brexit’s impact on two studies conducted in the United Kingdom. In so doing, we argue that time, relevance, and the individuals involved can coalesce to express varied influences on …

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 …

Regulators And Utility Managers Agree About Barriers And Opportunities For Innovation In The Municipal Wastewater Sector, Alida Cantor, Luke Sherman, Anita Milman, Michael Kiparsky

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite pressures to improve performance and reduce costs, innovation in the municipal wastewater sector in the United States has been notoriously slow. Previous research has suggested that wastewater utility managers may see regulation as a barrier to developing and deploying new technologies. To better understand how environmental regulation may fuel or hinder innovation in this sector, we conducted a nationwide survey of wastewater utility managers and wastewater regulators in the United States, asking both populations about their perceptions of specific aspects of regulation and innovation. Survey results revealed broad agreement between the two groups that funding and capacity, regulatory relationships, …

Male-To-Female Sexual Violence In Rural Communities: A Sociological Review, Walter Dekeseredy Dr.

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The extant sociological literature on male-to-female violence in rural communities reveals that the bulk of the empirical work on this problem focuses mainly on non-lethal physical assaults, such as beatings. Much more research on sexual violence is sorely needed. The main objective of this review is twofold: (1) to describe the current state of international sociological knowledge about male sexual violence against adult women and (2) to suggest new directions in research and theory.

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. …

College Of Natural Sciences Newsletter, March 2021, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

Volume 2. Issue 3

Contents:

Page 1 Dean's Message
Page 2-3 Awards and Recognition
Page 4 Student Club Spotlight: MICROBIOLOGY CLUB
Page 5 Research Spotlight: Dr. Chakravarty
Page 6 Open PRAIRIE Data; Grants Awarded in CNS; Research Collquia
Page 7 A Busy Month in Review; Media Coverage of the College

High-Latitude Snowfall As A Sensitive Indicator Of Climate Warming: A Case Study Of Heilongjiang Province, China, Lijuan Zhang, Cuizhen Wang, Yongshen Li, Yutao Huang, Fan Zhang, Tao Pan

Faculty Publications

While global distribution and dynamics of snow extent and snow depth have been intensely studied, the response of snowfall events to global warming is complex and remains unclear in current literature. This study explores historical snowfall records since the 1960s at 62 meteorological stations in Heilongjiang Province, and examines the snowfall responses in this most northerly high-latitude snow zone of China. Results confirm a significant increase of annual average temperature with a turn-over year in 1987, representing a shift of a cooler to warmer climate. Our study reports five most sensitive snowfall indicators of the warmer climate: snow intensity, snow …

Cultivated Wild: Enhancing Human Health In Cities Through Green Projects Especially During A Pandemic, Glenn Rose

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

The University of Richmond Eco-corridor, a new renovation project, transformed a wildly overgrown area into one of beauty with several recreational uses. The opening of this project comes at an important time for local outdoor recreation in cities, the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous work has suggested that landscapes are more beautiful when there is minimal human impact, therefore wilderness scenes are more likely to be used for nature walks and observing nature. While other studies suggest that beauty is dependent on how the land may be used, suggesting that “cultivated wild” is preferrable. This paper used an observational study and a …

Tree Effects On Urban Microclimate: Diurnal, Seasonal, And Climatic Temperature Differences Explained By Separating Radiation, Evapotranspiration, And Roughness Effects, Naika Meili, Gabriele Manoli, Paolo Burlando, Jan Carmeliet, Winston T. L. Chow, Andres M. Coutts, Matthias Roth, Erik Velasco, Enrique R. Vivoni, Simone Fatichi

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Increasing urban tree cover is an often proposed mitigation strategy against urban heat as trees are expected to cool cities through evapotranspiration and shade provision. However, trees also modify wind flow and urban aerodynamic roughness, which can potentially limit heat dissipation. Existing studies show a varying cooling potential of urban trees in different climates and times of the day. These differences are so far not systematically explained as partitioning the individual tree effects is challenging and impossible through observations alone. Here, we conduct numerical experiments removing and adding radiation, evapotranspiration, and aerodynamic roughness effects caused by urban trees using a …

Blackstone Communion, Anne-Catherine Schaaf

Office of Sustainability

This short story describes a spiritual connection with nature experienced by the author when walking along a trail in Blackstone Gateway Park. Blackstone Gateway Park is an urban, riverfront park in Worcester, Massachusetts. Features of the park include walking paths and an elevated boardwalk which crosses the Middle River and the surrounding wetlands.

Combating Ecosystem Collapse From The Tropics To The Antarctic, Dana M. Bergstrom, Barbara C. Wienecke, John Van Den Hoff, Lesley Hughes, David B. Lindenmayer, Tracy D. Ainsworth, Christopher M. Baker, Lucie Bland, David M J S Bowman, Shaun T. Brooks, Josep G. Canadell, Andrew J. Constable, Katherine A. Dafforn, Michael H. Depledge, Catherine R. Dickson, Norman C. Duke, Kate J. Helmstedt, Andrés Holz

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Globally, collapse of ecosystems-potentially irreversible change to ecosystem structure, composition and function-imperils biodiversity, human health and well-being. We examine the current state and recent trajectories of 19 ecosystems, spanning 58° of latitude across 7.7 M km , from Australia's coral reefs to terrestrial Antarctica. Pressures from global climate change and regional human impacts, occurring as chronic 'presses' and/or acute 'pulses', drive ecosystem collapse. Ecosystem responses to 5-17 pressures were categorised as four collapse profiles-abrupt, smooth, stepped and fluctuating. The manifestation of widespread ecosystem collapse is a stark warning of the necessity to take action. We present a three-step assessment and …

Synoptic Atmospheric Circulation Patterns Associated With Deep Persistent Slab Avalanches In The Western United States, Andrew R. Schauer, Jordy Hendrikx, Karl W. Birkeland, Cary J. Mock

Faculty Publications

Deep persistent slab avalanches are capable of destroying infrastructure and are usually unsurvivable for those who are caught. Formation of a snowpack conducive to deep persistent slab avalanches is typically driven by meteorological conditions occurring in the beginning weeks to months of the winter season, and yet the avalanche event may not occur for several weeks to months later. While predicting the exact timing of the release of deep persistent slab avalanches is difficult, onset of avalanche activity is commonly preceded by rapid warming, heavy precipitation, or high winds. This work investigates the synoptic drivers of deep persistent slab avalanches …

Diurnal Cycle Of Passive Microwave Brightness Temperatures Over Land At A Global Scale, Zahra Sharifnezhad, Hamid Norouzi, Satya Prakash, Reginald Blake, Reze Khanbilvard

Publications and Research

Satellite-borne passive microwave radiometers provide brightness temperature (TB) measurements in a large spectral range which includes a number of frequency channels and generally two polarizations: horizontal and vertical. These TBs are widely used to retrieve several atmospheric and surface variables and parameters such as precipitation, soil moisture, water vapor, air temperature profile, and land surface emissivity. Since TBs are measured at different microwave frequencies with various instruments and at various incidence angles, spatial resolutions, and radiometric characteristics, a mere direct integration of them from different microwave sensors would not necessarily provide consistency. However, when appropriately harmonized, they can provide a …

Conference Report: 6th National Congress Of Tourist Information (Cnit), Portugal, Cristina Leal

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Report on the 6th edition of the Portuguese National Congress of Tourist Information (CNIT), December, 2020, Porto, Portugal.

The Tangible And Intangible Heritages Of Iranian Nomads: The Touristic Potential Of Pastoral Nomadism, Hossein Noroozi

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Iranian people have a rich and significant history of nomadism and are still in contact with this ancient practice. The purpose of this research is to investigate and evaluate the Iranian nomads’ culture from a touristic and aesthetic viewpoint. The literature shows that well-known cultural tourist attractions possess particular characteristics to become a successful and sustainable product / destination. In this paper, we argue that Iranian pastoral nomads, from a geographical, social, cultural, and artistic perspective, have numerous peculiar characteristics which are attractive to international tourists. Internationally, while the sociocultural frameworks of nomadic societies are at risk of extinction when …

Portuguese Tourist Guides And The Digital Age, Ilidia Carvalho

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

The experts of tourist information, namely, the tourist guides, are a highly qualified professional class and in continuous training. Many of these professionals seem to have certain limitations in terms of using new technologies, since many of those, working today, were not born in the digital age. They have been obliged to accept these technologies and sometimes tend to look at these new ways of communicating in a sceptical way, mainly because they do not properly know how to use them. These professionals are constantly facing the need to learn how to use these new tools, which have become essential …

Tourist Guides’ Perspectives Of Demarketing The Taj Mahal, Snigdha Kainthola Ms, Pinaz Tiwari Ms, Nimit R. Chowdhary Dr

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

A UNESCO world heritage site since 1983, the Taj Mahal, located in the city of Agra in India is an important contributor to tourism in India. In the year 2018 alone, approximately 280 million tourists visited the monument. However, the popularity of the site has several negative impacts such as yellowing of the structure, pollution and overcrowding which endangers this built cultural heritage. Due to this, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is the national authority entrusted with managing heritage sites, has initiated steps to check overcrowding in the Taj Mahal. One of the widely adopted strategies is demarketing. …

Reflections On How The Covid-19 Pandemic Can Change Tour Guiding, Luis Miguel Brito, Cristina Carvalho

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

This short editorial paper reflects on the Tour Guiding industry in 2020 and the impact of COVID-19. The paper suggests that while the pandemic and its associated lockdowns has devastated the tourism industry, it has also encouraged those working in the industry to be more innovative and imaginative in their business practices. While the impact of the virus is acknowledged, it is proposed that 2020 may be a turning point in redefining tourism in general and Tour Guiding in particular.

International Journal Of Tour Guiding Research Volume 2(I) Table Of Contents, Kevin A. Griffin, Luis Miguel Brito, Glen Farrugia

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

No abstract provided.

Metaphoric Recursiveness And Ternary Ontology: Another Look At The Language And Worldview Of The Yaminahua, Carlos A. Segovia

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

My purpose in this paper is, first, to explore metaphorical recursiveness in Yaminahua, i.e. the latter’s folding of the common binary structure: {(x) things + (y) words} into the threefold scheme: (A) things + (B) external analogies + (C) internal metaphors, as displaying a multi-iconic semiotic system of the type: A ≈ [B] ≈ C, which is finally reduced to a twofold indexical system: A ← [B], contra Graham Townsley’s dismissal of semiotic theory as being of no relevance in contrast to cognitive construction. And, secondly, to show that within the traditional Yaminahua worldview "animism," "totemism," …

An Assessment Of The Filling Process Of The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam And Its Impact On The Downstream Countries, Prakrut Kansara, Wenzhao Li, Hesham El-Askary, Venkat Lakshmi, Thomas Piechota, Daniele Struppa, Mohamed Abdelaty Sayed

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), formerly known as the Millennium Dam, has been filling at a fast rate. This project has created issues for the Nile Basin countries of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. The filling of GERD has an impact on the Nile Basin hydrology and specifically the water storages (lakes/reservoirs) and flow downstream. In this study, through the analysis of multi-source satellite imagery, we study the filling of the GERD reservoir. The time-series generated using Sentinel-1 SAR imagery displays the number of classified water pixels in the dam from early June 2017 to September 2020, indicating a contrasting …