Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons^™

Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) 2025 Monthly Progress Report. Consent Decree For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit. Civil Action No. Cv 89-039-Bu-Seh, Josh Bryson

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Performance Mapping And Weighting For The Evapotranspiration Models Of The Openet Ensemble, M. Reitz, J. M. Volk, T. Ott, M. Anderson, G. B. Senay, F. Melton, A. Kilic, R. Allen, Joshua B. Fisher, A. Ruhoff, A. J. Purdy, J. Huntington

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Evapotranspiration (ET) accounts for the majority of water available from precipitation in the terrestrial water cycle, and improvements to the accuracy, resolution, and coverage of ET data can enhance hydrologic models and assessments. The OpenET collaboration of six remotely sensed ET modeling teams has demonstrated that an ensemble approach to ET estimation generally provides improved accuracy relative to individual ensemble members. The performance of individual models has been shown to vary by land cover type and climate zone, but a thorough study of the variables that influence model performance differences has not yet been conducted. In this paper, we model …

Fisheries Research Report No. 353: Ecological Risk Assessment For The North Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource, Kimberley A. Smith, Brett Crisafulli, Gabby E. Mitsopoulos, Fabian I. Trinnie, Taylor Grosse, T Thompson, Stephen J. Newman

Fisheries Research Reports

On the 26 March 2025, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) convened an ecological risk assessment (ERA) of the fisheries that access the North Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource (Resource). This Resource comprises a large number of tropical demersal scalefish species that occur in waters of the North Coast Bioregion, including tropical snappers, emperors and cods.

This document contains the results of the ERA along with the background information used to support the risk scoring process. This includes an overview of the Western Australian commercial fisheries that access the Resource, namely the Pilbara Fish Trawl Interim Managed Fishery, …

Fisheries Research Report No. 361: 2024 Assessment Of The Status Of The Elasmobranch Resource Of Western Australia, Matias Braccini, Alex Hesp

Fisheries Research Reports

This document provides the 2024 risk-based weight of evidence stock assessment for the elasmobranch (sharks and rays) resource of Western Australia (WA). Gummy (Mustelus antarcticus), dusky (Carcharhinus obscurus), whiskery (Furgaleus macki), and sandbar (C. plumbeus) sharks are the most commonly captured species (~80% of the elasmobranch catch) and have been selected as indicator species for the status of the temperate elasmobranch ‘suite’. However, over 100 elasmobranch species have been caught in commercial and/or recreational fisheries in WA and, with the increasing number of elasmobranch species being listed in national and international protection lists, species-specific scientific advice on stock status at …

Multi-Crop Systems And Crop-Switching Strategies To Enhance Water Use Efficiency And Climate Resilience In Arid Agricultural Regions, Shahryar Fazli, Wenzhao Li, Surendra Maharjan, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Agriculture in the Lower Colorado River (LCR) region faces mounting challenges from climate change, arid conditions, and water scarcity. This study evaluates water use efficiency (WUEc) and crop-switching strategies under SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios for 2025–2049, 2050–2074, and 2075–2099. Using historical data, climatic drivers such as temperature and precipitation were analyzed for their influence on key crops, including durum wheat, winter wheat, and corn. Results show SSP2-4.5 supports water use reductions up to 16%, stable profits (80–90%), and modest calorie increases (up to 15%), while SSP5-8.5 poses severe challenges, with water use reductions of 2–5%, profits dropping to around 20%, …

Wildfires Classification In Canadian Boreal Forest: A Comparative Study Of Logistic Regression And Xgboost Models, Brandon Tran, Elijah James Duran, Mike Luu, Hesham Morgan, Surendra Maharjan, Wenzhao Li, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

In recent years, Canada has faced a growing number of wildfires. These events have devastated ecosystems, displaced communities, and posed severe health risks. To minimize the damage caused by such disasters, this study aims to develop an early warning system that predicts wildfire occurrences. Two machine learning models for binary classification of wildfire occurrence in Canadian wild forests, Logistic regression and XGBoost, will be compared and evaluated. The models are used to predict the likelihood of wildfire events based on various environmental and climatic factors. The models are evaluated using a 70-30 split validation approach and their performance is assessed …

Decoding Teleconnection Impacts On Hydrological Switches In The Conus Using Wavelet Analysis, Surendra Maharjan, Wenzhao Li, Shahryar Fazli, Hesham Morgan, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Hydrometeorological teleconnections are key drivers of hydrological processes, representing the influence of large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns on regional climates. Understanding these teleconnections provides crucial insights into the mechanisms underlying hydrometeorological phenomena, particularly hydrological switches—rapid transitions between extreme events such as droughts and floods. These switches have become increasingly prevalent across the contiguous United States (CONUS), fueled by climate variability and evolving atmospheric patterns. This study utilizes cross-wavelet transform analysis to examine the spatial and temporal dynamics of hydrological switches and their correlations with major teleconnection indices, including NAO, ONI, WP, PDO, PNA, and QBO. The findings indicate significant coherence between …

Insights From Swot Data On Transboundary Upstream-Downstream Impacts In The Nile Basin, Hesham Morgan, Wenzhao Li, Ali Elgendy, Surendra Maharjan, Rejoice Thomas, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

This study utilizes high-resolution data from NASA's Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission to investigate water dynamics and upstream-downstream impacts across key reservoirs in the Nile Basin. Focusing on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Rosaries Dam, Merowe Dam, and the Aswan High Dam, the analysis spans 15 months (August 2023 to October 2024). By systematically selecting 30 points across each reservoir, monthly boxplots of surface water elevation were generated, revealing significant temporal and spatial variability. The results show that GERD’s filling phase led to a steady increase in water levels (peaking at ~615 meters from June to October …

Assessing Meteorological Impacts On Hydrological Switches In The Conus, Surendra Maharjan, Wenzhao Li, Sujan Shrestha, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Hydrological switches, defined as rapid transitions between extreme meteorological events such as droughts and floods, are becoming increasingly frequent across the contiguous United States (CONUS) due to climate variability. This study analyzes the spatial and temporal patterns of these hydrological switches and their correlation with large-scale meteorological indices, such as the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). Streamflow data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) is analyzed to investigate the impact of meteorological drivers on hydrological variability. Results indicate that regions dependent on snowmelt exhibit delayed hydrological responses to climatic conditions, while areas in the Eastern …

Revised Draft Final Quarterly Operations And Maintenance Report Butte Treatment Lagoon System – Second Quarter 2024, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final Quarterly Operations And Maintenance Report Butte Treatment Lagoon System – Second Quarter 2023, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Sustainability: Buzz Word Or Future Of Fashion? Measuring The Feasibility Of Outright Sustainability Among Fast Fashion’S Biggest Agents, Ryan Miller

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

The fashion industry is currently experiencing unsustainable rates of pollution within its supply chains. The rapid increase in demand for short lead times perpetrated by large-scale retailers has led to hazardous practices negatively affecting both the environmental conditions and working conditions of producing countries. With this increased pressure, relationships between brands and suppliers have become untenable. Limited transparency and imbalanced power dynamics at the hand of the industry’s leading retailers require restructuring in order to build more sustainable and equitable supply-chain practices. Further, governmental regulation is currently limited in its capacity to enforce sustainable business practices on a global …

Final Quarterly Operations And Maintenance Report Butte Treatment Lagoon System – Third Quarter 2022, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Assessing Coastal Vulnerability And Climate-Driven Migration Risk In West Africa, Wenzhao Li, Surendra Maharjan, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

This study presents a GIS-based multi-criteria decision-making framework to assess climate-induced migration risk along the West African coast. We developed a comprehensive risk index that integrates environmental hazards such as flood frequency and socio-economic vulnerability indicators, including poverty levels, population density, and adaptive capacity. By utilizing datasets such as the Geocoded Disasters (GDIS) dataset, Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), Poverty and Adaptive Capacity Index (PACI), and the Population Exposure Index (PEI), the study identifies regions most susceptible to displacement. Results reveal that areas like Benin’s Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, and Akpo-Misserete are especially vulnerable due to high disaster frequency, substantial population exposure, and …

Assessment Of Estuarine Respiration And Benthic Nutrient Fluxes In Mississippi Sound, Nur Pasha Sufian

Master's Theses

This study quantified seasonal and spatial variability of both water column and benthic respiration rates as well as benthic nutrient fluxes along the Mississippi Sound. Respiration was measured in recirculating incubation chambers using Firesting optical DO sensors (PyroScience GmbH), and changes in nutrient concentrations were assessed. Mean water column respiration rates ranged from 0.35 and 2.76 µM O₂ hr⁻¹, with the lowest rates in the winter and the highest in the summer while detectable nutrient concentrations (ammonium, (NH₄⁺), and soluble reactive phosphate (PO₄³⁻)) showed only slight decreases (< 1 µM) over all seasons. Sediment incubation chambers consistently had much greater oxygen declines than the water incubations and showed seasonal trends with the highest mean respiration rates measured in the summer and the lowest mean in the winter, with a range from 107.4 to 1514.9 µmol O₂ m⁻² hr⁻¹ (2.6 to 36.3 mmol O₂ m⁻² d⁻¹). Sediment incubations consistently showed increases in NH₄⁺ concentrations in the overlying water, resulting in calculated NH₄⁺ benthic flux rates of 0.73 to 379.01 µM N m⁻² hr⁻¹ with the lowest rates in the winter and highest rates in the summer. Although PO₄³⁻ concentrations were often below detection in cooler seasons, PO₄³⁻ flux also peaked during the summer (< 28.8 µmol P m⁻² hr⁻¹). In this study, temperature was a key regulator for estuarine respiration and benthic nutrient flux rates, and these rates were positively correlated with porewater nutrient concentrations and sedimentary organic matter. These findings illustrate that benthic respiration can contribute to water column hypoxia and that sediments serve as a source of nutrients to the water column. Overall, these findings provide us with valuable insight about the seasonal coupling of oxygen demand and nutrient flux in the Mississippi Sound and provide valuable baseline data for future biogeochemical modelling of hypoxia, eutrophication, and productivity.

Revised Draft Final Butte Treatment Lagoons (Btl) Groundwater Treatment System Routine Operations, Maintenance, And Monitoring (Om&M) Plan, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final Quarterly Operations And Maintenance Report Butte Treatment Lagoon System – Fourth Quarter 2023, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final Quarterly Operations And Maintenance Report Butte Treatment Lagoon System – Third Quarter 2023, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Revised Draft Final Quarterly Operations And Maintenance Report Butte Treatment Lagoon System – First Quarter 2024, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems In Southeastern Utah: An Integrated Analysis Of Hydrology, Ecology, And Landscape Change, Colten Lay

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In Southeastern Utah, springs play a critical role in sustaining groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) in a semi-arid environment. However, they remain understudied and face growing threats from climate change, land use modifications, and hydrologic alterations. This study addresses knowledge gaps in spring occurrence, hydrologic function, and ecological condition by integrating field surveys, remote sensing, and geospatial analysis across multiple spatial scales. It provides a comprehensive assessment of spring hydrology, water quality, and ecological conditions using field surveys, remote sensing, and GIS analysis to establish a foundational baseline of GDE resources in the region. I applied a multi-scale monitoring approach across the …