Physical and Environmental Geography Commons^™

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 …

Ambivalent Landscapes: An Historical Geography Of Recreation And Tourism On Mount Hood, Oregon, Ryan Franklin Mitchell

Dissertations and Theses

Mount Hood is an Oregon icon. The mountain has as long and rich a history of recreation and tourism as almost any other place in the American West. But contemporary landscapes on Mount Hood reveal a recreation and tourism industry that has struggled to assert itself, and a distinct geographic divide is evident in the manner in which tourism has been developed. Why? In this study I chronicle the historical geography of recreation and tourism on Mount Hood. I examine the evolution of its character and pattern, and the ways in which various communities have used it to invest meaning …

Forest Resource Use, Land-Use, And Ecotourism In The RíO PláTano Biosphere Reserve, Honduras, Christina Marie Friedle

Dissertations and Theses

The Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, a tropical rainforest reserve in the northeastern corner of Honduras, is home to several subsistence-based indigenous groups, including the Miskito, Pech and Garifuna, as well as the non-indigenous Ladinos. Communities within the reserve depend on forest resources, swidden agriculture, marine resources and/or small-scale ranching as the foundations for local economies. Regulations placed on these subsistence practices, after establishment of the biosphere reserve in 1980, have created unique and new pressures and resulted in a blend of traditional and innovative resource use. A notable result is the promotion of ecotourism as a solution for meeting the …

Methods For Correcting Topographically Induced Radiometric Distortion On Landsat Thematic Mapper Images For Land Cover Classification, David Michael Rosen

Geography Masters Research Papers

Satellite imagery is commonly used to study land-use, land-cover change in mountainous areas. Classification of land-cover types is particularly difficult in this type of terrain because topography affects the spectral response of surface features. Several techniques have been developed to help compensate for this topographic effect and to increase classification accuracy.

The purpose of this study is to compare topographic correction methods to determine which produces the most accurate results. Method 1 does not use any topographic correction, serving as a control. Method 2 is based on the Lambertian model, and uses topographical data as variables in an equation. Method …

Comparing Twenty-Four Years Of Forest Change In Two Communities Of Mexico's Meseta PuréPecha Using Multi-Spectral Satellite Imagery, Kevin Scott Martin

Dissertations and Theses

The Meseta Purépecha, a volcanic plateau in the Mexican state of Michoacan, is home to one of the most species-rich pine forests in the world. Recent increases in demand for forest products has put added pressure on these resources. Though existing research has suggested significant deforestation in the Meseta, there is little information identifying specific areas of decline. This study focuses on two indigenous communities in the Meseta--Pichátaro and Sevina. Both communities have long relied on wood as an economic resource. However, the two communities have reacted differently to increased demand for forest resources. The purpose of this study is …

Transportation And Land Use Patterns: Monitoring Urban Change Using Aerial Photography, Portland, Oregon 1925-1945, Paul Hagen Fyfield

Dissertations and Theses

American urban neighborhoods are a patchwork; the spatial arrangement of types is a reflection of the dominant transportation technology at the time of their development. The earliest suburban areas were made accessible by fixed route systems such as the electric streetcar, followed by the widespread adoption of the automobile; each transportation epoch resulted in characteristic patterns of land use. This study uses aerial photographic coverage of Portland, Oregon from the years 1925, 1936, and 1945, a time of decline for the once popular trolley lines and dramatic increase in automobile usage, to monitor change within the residential areas of Portland's …

Feng Shui And Chinese Rituals Of Death Across The Oregon Landscape, Andrew Ryall Briggs

Geography Masters Research Papers

Paper 2: Upwards of 20,000 Chinese migrated to Oregon before 1890. Upon their deaths many were interred in "Chinese cemeteries." In China, the placement of cemeteries is an important aspect of the traditional Chinese religion. This paper asks if the early Chinese practiced the same Feng Shui in the placement of the Oregon gravesites. While Feng Shui is not codified, there are a few general principles to determine graveyard placement, and by comparing Oregon Chinese gravesites with that required for proper Feng Shui placement, concluded that the early Chinese immigrants may have followed the precepts of traditional Chinese religion in …

The Nisqually Watershed From The Summit To The Sound: A Field Guide, Rebecca D. Hixson, Teresa L. Bulman

Occasional Papers in Geography

Occasional Papers in Geography Publication No. 6

This guide begins at the summit of Mount Rainier and, like a drop of water, descends toward the sea. It provides information about geological, hydrological, geographical, biological and historical aspects of the Nisqually watershed. It describes the natural resources in the area and identifies how the use of those resources affects water resources and quantity.

In the course of this trip, you will be able to follow the Nisqually River along its journey from the summit of Mount Rainier to the Puget Sound and learn about the changes that have occurred within this …

An Examination Of Commercial Medicinal Plant Harvests, Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon, Shannon Michelle Campbell

Dissertations and Theses

During the past fifteen years, non-timber or special forest products have become an important economic resource in the Pacific Northwest. These products are primarily derived from understory species and contribute approximately $200 million to the regional economy. Medicinal plants are a little researched component of the non-timber forest product industry that relies on cultivated and wildcrafted (or wild-collected) medicinal plant species. This study examines the commercial extraction of wildcrafted medicinal plants from Mount Hood National Forest. Specifically, this study documents the medicinal plant species extracted from Mount Hood National Forest, their annual yield amounts, harvesting methods, and the changes in …

Signs Of Popular Ecology In The Ecotourism Landscape Near Tikal National Park, Guatemala, Michael Mooradian Lupro

Dissertations and Theses

Ecotourism is a common conservation and development strategy in the Maya, Forest region. New sites of ecotourism consumption, such as El Rematé near Tikal National Park in Guatemala, are developing in response to consumer demand for budget accommodations in this attractive cultural and natural setting. This study analyzes new ecotourism infrastructure developments in El Rematé for signs that this tourism draws on ecological imagery as expressed in popular media - or popular ecology - not on the natural and cultural ecology of the region that is the target of international conservation efforts. Analysis suggests that ecotourism entrepreneurs who effectively associate …

Patterns Of Time, Place, And Culture: Land Use Zoning In Portland, Oregon, 1918-1924, Meg Merrick

Dissertations and Theses

Until recently, few have questioned the notion that the separation of uses in land use zoning is inherently correct. Many observers of the city are now suggesting that zoning, as it has been practiced in this country over the last 80 years, has created cities that are fractured and function poorly. Others propose that zoning should be reconsidered as a remedy for urban dysfunction. They suggest that the whole notion of zoning be rethought.

The purpose of this study is to uncover some of the underlying rationales and methodologies that set the model for zoning. This study examines the rationales …

Satellite Remote Sensing For Measuring The Urban Forest Of Portland, Oregon, A. Paul Newman

Dissertations and Theses

Digital pattern recognition methods were used to produce two maps of urban vegetation from LANDSAT Thematic Mapper for the City of Portland, Oregon. The image was acquired on July 7, 1991 and the spectral bands used were 2, 4, 5 and a ratio of 3 and 4. The two maps represent vegetation amount and vegetation type.

Due to the extreme heterogeneous nature of the urban environment, these maps were developed using techniques to reduce and manage the amount of spectral variation. This included purging non-vegetated cells from the multispectral image, and then stratifying the image into "spectral subdivisions" using tools …

William A. Rockie: Seventy Years A Geographer In The West, John D. Rockie

Occasional Papers in Geography

Occasional Paper in Geography Publication No. 5

At the time of William A. Rockie's death in 1981 he was in the process of preparing a monograph for the 'Occasional Papers in Geography' series at Portland State University. The monograph was to recount his long career as a professional geographer. He had started in the late 1970's writing his recollections in a random fashion. After Rockie's death several people from the Geography Department at Portland State University discussed the unfinished work with Rockie's son, John, who agreed to assume responsibility for organizing what Rockie had written and expand on it as …

Holocene Fluctuations Of The Coe Glacier, Mount Hood, Oregon, Karl Douglas Lillquist

Dissertations and Theses

Numerous moraines front the Coe Glacier on the north side of Mount Hood, Oregon. These moraines were identified and dated using a multiple methodology approach in order to establish a chronology for the advances and stillstands of the Coe Glacier. This chronology was compared to chronologies established for other glaciers on Mount Hood, North Sister, Mount Rainier and Mount Baker as well as glaciers in Scandinavia. The chronology was also compared to a long term temperature record from Longmire, Washington.

The maximum identified extent of the pre-Little Ice Age Coe Glacier was indicated by moraines located at an elevation of …

The Everyday City: Portland's Changing Neighborhoods, Carl Abbott

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Chapter 5 focuses on neighborhood life and neighborhood patterns in Portland, Oregon.

A User's Manual For: A Clear Sky Solar Radiation Generator For The Personal Computer, Keith R. Mountain, Richard Lycan

Occasional Papers in Geography

Occasional Papers in Geography Publication No. 3

This program is primarily designed as an interactive instructional aid for students concerned with select aspects of shortwave radiation climatology. On the basis of user supplied temporal and geographic information the algorithm will produce instantaneous values of diffuse, direct, global, reflected, net shortwave and extraterrestrial radiation. Daily totals are also generated by numerical approximation of the area under the curve as described by each of these quantities. In addition, an optional routine to compute the instantaneous values of solar elevations and azimuths is included to further define the nature of astronomical relationships for …

Development And Application Of A Water Budget Model For Lake Level Fluctuation, Goose Lake Basin, Oregon-California, Douglas Daniel Nebert

Dissertations and Theses

A water budget model was developed to estimate year-end lake volumes of Goose Lake, Oregon-California, to determine whether an accurate reconstruction of lake volumes/levels could be made with several synthesized or partial volumetric components. Components evaluated were the lake level/volume observations, precipitation, streamflow, and evaporation during the data-rich study period, 1946 to 1975. By regressing estimated year-end volumes against actual volumes (using actual volumes as the input at the beginning of each year) a correlation coefficient of 0.97 was obtained. By letting the series' year-end volumes be substituted for the following years' antecedent volumes a systematic error was created, identical …

Preliminary Inventory Of Lifeline Systems And Evaluation Of Seismic Hazards In Reno And Sparks, Nevada, Barbara Priest

Dissertations and Theses

The Reno-Sparks community is in a seismically hazardous area. Recent research indicates that a Richter 7.0 or greater magnitude earthquake could affect the area. Many of the emergency and essential facilities are situated in dangerous geological locations and are housed in outdated structures which could be severely damaged in the event of a major earthquake. Detailed site evaluations need to be made with respect to location of new structures and of existing building safety. The 1979 Unified Building Code seismic provisions should be adopted without exception; Nevada Revised Statute 278 .160 needs to be revised to require a seismic safety …

The Parcelization Of The Open Range, A Conflict In Land Use : Grazing Rights Versus Residential And Recreation Land Sales In Klickitat County, Washington, Dennis A. Olson

Dissertations and Theses

The threefold question researched herein is: (1) What are the extent and potential economic consequences of land parcelization in Klickitat County?, (2)What are the political and social costs of parcelization?, and (3) What measures today are, or could be, used to ameliorate the land use conflict? These are answered by studying the various aspects of the problem, including the historic land use change, legal mechanisms which regulate livestock grazing and land parcelization; taxation; the economic-effect upon livestock production; crime and social conflict; costs to county services; and environmental impacts. The geography of the change itself is depicted on several maps.

Netarts Bay, Oregon: An Assessment Of Human Impact On An Estuarine System, Larry D. Mccallum

Dissertations and Theses

Problems associated with planning the future use of estuarine areas stem from:

1. A lack of knowledge on the critical aspects of the system.
2. Inability to predict the future changes which will occur within the system in order to effectively manage the resource base.

These difficulties lie in the fact that changes within the system occur because of both "natural" and "cultural" conditions. The thesis hypothesis and subsequent research is to describe the physical changes that have occurred within the Netarts system, primarily due to man's impact.

Types of data gathered for the analysis includes that on historical and current land …

The Effects Of A Political Boundary Running Through A Metropolitan Area: A Case Study Of The Establishment And Functioning Of The Jantzen Beach Shopping Center, Rose Romaine Reed

Dissertations and Theses

Jantzen Beach Shopping Center is an anomaly on the landscape challenging traditional criteria for the location of regional shopping centers. Located on Hayden Island on the Oregon side of the border, it has access from only one exit in each direction off the Interstate 5 freeway. The predominantly industrial and recreational land use of the region within a five minute travel time from the shopping center results in an exceptionally small adjacent residential population. Its potential trade area is further limited by the intervening shopping opportunity for Washington residents afforded by the Vancouver central business district which lies adjacent to …

A Methodology For Determining Mass Movement Susceptibility For Land-Use Planning, Vern Walter Cimmery

Dissertations and Theses

Land-use planning takes into consideration geologic hazards in order to protect both life and property. One type of geologic hazard is mass movement. Mass movement is a collective term for the downslope movement of mass units of debris e.g., bedrock, soil, and subsurface material, resulting from the influence of gravity and involving transporting media such as ice, snow, water, and air. As population increases, further pressures are placed on existing land use. Many areas once considered unsuitable for development due to steep slope or other physical characteristics are now experiencing problems. These areas, due to their physical characteristics, can be …

The Nature And Distribution Of Turf-Banked Terraces In The Olympic Mountains, Washington, Katherine Jane Hansen

Dissertations and Theses

Well-developed turf-banked terraces are found in the Olympic.Mountains of Washington, but not found· in the other mountains of the Pacific Northwest. My study is based just on the Olympic Mountains and the·major thrust of my investigation is aimed at answering questions: What is the nature of turf-banked terrace development in the Olympic Mountains? Why does it occur, and what is its local ecological significance? The major field investigations were carried out during the summer of 1975.

A two hour reconnaissance was made over the Olympic Mountains to plot the distribution of turf-banked terraces; the most striking discovery was that terraces …

Analysis Of The Port Of Portland Facility Hinterlands, Timothy D. Wilson

Dissertations and Theses

Most of the United States port authorities delineate their hinterland by the use of freight rate schedules used by inland carriers. The hinterland is defined as that region having favorable rates to and from a port. The use of freight rate schedules can be applied to a) individual commodities or to b) all the commodities moving through a port. The freight rate method is built on the "rational man" concept. That is, a situation is assumed where there is "perfect knowledge" and a desire to minimize transportation costs. This assumption does not always coincide with reality.

This paper classifies commodities …

Spatial Variations In The Intra-Urban Response To A Noise Source, Wilbur David Conder

Dissertations and Theses

Most research on the urban sonic environment has been recent. One finding has been that physical noise exposure indices calibrate poorly with human noise response. The vagaries of human response to noise have given impetus to research to isolate the factors that differentiate human response to noise. The present thesis continues this research.

The thesis specifies human noise response to occur on three levels: awareness, annoyance, and complaint. The factors that structure each level of noise response are identified in the published Iiterature.

Noise awareness is a function of noise exposure. Noise annoyance is a function of noise exposure to …

Biogeography Field Guide To Cascade Mountains : Transect Along U.S. Highway 26 In Oregon, Larry W. Price

Occasional Papers in Geography

Occasional Papers in Geography Publication No. 1

This guide is an outgrowth of field trips I have made with students in biogeography classes at Portland State University. When I first began these field trips I was surprised that such a guide was not available. It seemed such a natural thing to have, given the spectacular laboratory of the Cascades where is displayed one of the most dramatic sequences of contrasting environments on earth. Within less than 100 miles you pass from a cloudy marine climate to a semi-arid continental climate, from a lush green land with towering trees to desert …