Environmental Monitoring Commons^™

New Atlas Features Corn Belt Farmers' Perspectives On Agriculture And Climate, John Tyndall, J. Gordon Arbuckle, Tonya Haigh, Cody L. Knutson, Lois Wright Morton, Linda Stalker Prokopy, Melissa Widhalm

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

The Farmer Perspectives on Agriculture and Weather Variability in the Corn Belt: A Statistical Atlas is a new publication available online at . The atlas includes maps and tables that make it easy for readers to gauge farmer perspectives within the US Corn Belt. Topics covered include farmer beliefs about climate change, attitudes toward actions in response to increased weather variability, risk perceptions, and experiences with weather extremes. This region-specific information on farmers' climate change and risk beliefs is designed to help Extension personnel tailor the climate adaptation and education programming they offer in their region.

The Implications Of Climate Change For Nebraska: Summary Report Of Sector-Based Roundtable Discussions (September-October 2015), Donald A. Wilhite, Kimberly Morrow

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Introduction ... iv

Roundtable Reports: Overview ... iv

Rural Nebraskans Poll: Summary of Key Outcomes on Climate Change ... vi

Summary of Roundtable Discussions ... 1

Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on Ecosystems and Wildlife in Nebraska ... 1

Implications of Climate Change on Human Health in Nebraska ... 11

Implications of Climate Change on Nebraska’s Forests and Fire ... 21

Implications of Climate Change on Nebraska’s Agriculture, Food and Water ... 27

Implications of Climate Change on Energy Availability, Use and Management in Nebraska ... 31

Climate Change in Nebraska: What Does it Mean for our Faith Communities? …

The Effect Of Mineral-Ion Interactions On Soil Hydraulic Conductivity, Maya C. Buelow, Kerri Steenwerth, Sanjai J. Parikh

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The reuse of winery wastewater (WW) could provide an alternative water source for vineyard irrigation.The shift of many wineries and other food processing industries to K+-based cleaners requires studies onthe effects of K+on soil hydraulic conductivity (HC). Depending on clay content and mineral composition,K+additions can affect the HC either positively or negatively. Soil mineralogy was anticipated to exhibita strong influence on HC responses and, therefore, soils of contrasting mineralogy were evaluated forchanges in soil HC resulting from applications of solutions elevated in Na+and K+. To examine the impactof mineral-ion relationships on HC, soils dominant in montmorillonite, vermiculite, or kaolinite from …

Identifying And Evaluating A Suitable Index For Agricultural Drought Monitoring In The Texas High Plains, Jerry E. Moorhead, Prasanna H. Gowda, Vijay P. Singh, Dana O. Porter, Thomas H. Marek, Terry A. Howell, B A. Stewart

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Drought is a complex and highly destructive natural phenomenon that affects portions of the United States almost every year, and severe water deficiencies can often become catastrophic for agricultural production. Evapotranspiration (ET) by crops is an important component in the agricultural water budget; thus, it is advantageous to include ET in agricultural drought monitoring. The main objectives of this study were to (1) conduct a literature review of drought indices with a focus to identify a simple but simultaneously adequate drought index for monitoring agricultural drought in a semiarid region and (2) using the identified drought index method, develop and …

Aerosol Optical Properties Over Mount Song, A Rural Site In Central China, Lunche Wang, Wei Gong, Ramesh P. Singh, Xiangao Xia, Huizheng Che, Ming Zhang, Hong Lin

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Seasonal variations of aerosol optical depth (AOD), Ångström exponent (α), single scattering albedo (SSA), water vapor content (WVC), aerosol size distribution and refractive index at Mount Song, a rural site in Central China are analyzed using ground-based sunphotometer data for the period April 2012 to May 2014 for the first time. The results show that the area is highly polluted even the major anthropogenic emission sources are far away. Seasonal mean AOD is high (0.72 ± 0.52) during summer (June–August) season and low (0.51 ± 0.38) during autumn (September–November) season. The monthly mean α is very low (0.81 ± 0.30) …

Evaluating The Long-Term Effects Of Logging Residue Removals In Great Lakes Aspen Forests, Michael I. Premer

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Commercial aspen (Populus spp.) forests of the Great Lakes region are primarily managed for timber products such as pulp fiber and panel board, but logging residues (topwood and non-merchantable bolewood) are potentially important for utilization in the bioenergy market. In some regions, pulp and paper mills already utilize residues as fuel in combustion for heat and electricity, and progressive energy policies will likely cause an increase in biomass feedstock demand. The effects of removing residues, which have a comparatively high concentration of macronutrients, is poorly understood when evaluating long-term site productivity, future timber yields, plant diversity, stand dynamics, and …

Estimation Of Daily Air Temperature Based On Modis Land Surface Temperature Products Over The Corn Belt In The Us, Linglin Zeng, Brian D. Wardlow, Tsegaye Tadesse, Jie Shan, Michael Hayes, Deren Li, Daxiang Xiang

Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies: Publications

Air temperature (Ta) is a key input in a wide range of agroclimatic applications. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Ts (Land Surface Temperature (LST)) products are widely used to estimate daily Ta. However, only daytime LST (Ts-day) or nighttime LST (Ts-night) data have been used to estimate Tmax/Tmin (daily maximum or minimum air temperature), respectively. The relationship between Tmax and Ts-night, and the one between Tmin and Ts-day has not been studied. In this study, both the ability of Ts-night data to estimate Tmax and the ability of Ts-day data to estimate Tmin were tested and studied in the Corn …

On Underestimation Of Global Vulnerability To Tree Mortality And Forest Die-Off From Hotter Drought In The Anthropocene, Craig D. Allen, David D. Breshears, Nate G. Mcdowell

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Patterns, mechanisms, projections, and consequences of tree mortality and associated broadscale forest die-off due to drought accompanied by warmer temperatures—‘‘hotter drought’’, an emerging characteristic of the Anthropocene—are the focus of rapidly expanding literature. Despite recent observational, experimental, and modeling studies suggesting increased vulnerability of trees to hotter drought and associated pests and pathogens, substantial debate remains among research, management and policy-making communities regarding future tree mortality risks. We summarize key mortalityrelevant findings, differentiating between those implying lesser versus greater levels of vulnerability. Evidence suggesting lesser vulnerability includes forest benefits of elevated [CO2] and increased water-use efficiency; observed and modeled increases …

Effect Of Turning Frequency And Season On Composting Materials From Swine High-Rise Facilities, K L. Cook, E L. Ritchey, J H. Loughrin, M Haley, K R. Sistani, C H. Bolster

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Composting swine slurries has several advantages, liquid slurries are converted to solids at lower moisture, the total volume and weight of material is reduced and the stabilized product is more easily transported off-site. Despite this, swine waste is generally stored, treated and applied in its liquid form. High-rise finishing facilities (HRFF) permit liquid slurries to be converted to solids which are partially decomposed underneath the HRFF and then finished in compost windrows. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of turning frequency and ambient weather conditions on biological, physical and chemical properties of composted slurry-woodchip mixtures from …

Extending The Soil Moisture Data Record Of The U.S. Climate Reference Network (Uscrn) And Soil Climate Analysis Network (Scan), Ethan J. Coopersmith, Jesse E. Bell, Michael H. Cosh

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Soil moisture estimates are valuable for hydrologic modeling, drought prediction and management, climate change analysis, and agricultural decision support. However, in situ measurements of soil moisture have only become available within the past few decades with additional sensors being installed each year. Comparing newer in situ resources with older resources, previously required a period of crosscalibration, often requiring several years of data collection. One new technique to improve this issue is to develop a methodology to extend the in situ record backwards in time using a soil moisture model and ancillary available data sets. This study will extend the soil …

Quantifying Channel Responses To The Removal Of The Glines Canyon Dam In The Middle Reach Of The Elwha River, Washington, Bryon J. Free

All Master's Theses

Four different study sites throughout the middle reach of the Elwha River were monitored before, during, and after the dam removal process over a period of two years from 2012-2014. The complexity of the river geometry was a major factor in the ability of the river to trap and accumulate the new influx of woody debris and sediment from the dam removal, which influenced the response of the river channel. The change that occurred was quantified by using repeat Terrestrial LiDAR (TLS), sediment distribution surveys, and large woody debris mapping techniques. The morphologic changes that occurred during this time were …

Initial Evaluations Of A U.S. Navy Rapidly Relocatable Gulf Of Mexico/Caribbean Ocean Forecast System In The Context Of The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster, Edward D. Zaron, Patrick J. Fitzpatrick, Scott L. Cross, John M. Harding, Frank L. Bub, Jerry D. Wiggert, Dong S. Ko, Yee Lau, Katharine Woodward, Christopher N.K. Mooers

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In response to the Deepwater Horizon (DwH) oil spill event in 2010, the Naval Oceanographic Office deployed a nowcast-forecast system covering the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent Caribbean Sea that was designated Americas Seas, or AMSEAS, which is documented in this manuscript. The DwH disaster provided a challenge to the application of available ocean-forecast capabilities, and also generated a historically large observational dataset. AMSEAS was evaluated by four complementary efforts, each with somewhat different aims and approaches: a university research consortium within an Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) testbed; a petroleum industry consortium, the Gulf of Mexico 3-D Operational Ocean …

Restoration Of Headwater And Coastal Fens In The Lake Superior Basin Of Upper Michigan, James A. Bess

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

In 2009, research projects were initiated at Michigan Technological University to develop restoration techniques for headwater fens and coastal wetlands in the southern Lake Superior Basin in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The primary focus of these was to quantify the efficacy of using locally collected seeds as a technique for wetland restoration. Two primary sites were selected, the Sleeper Lake Fen complex in Luce County and the Portage Waterway-Keweenaw Bay region of Lake Superior in Baraga and Houghton Counties. At the Sleeper Lake site, a combination of heavy machinery, seeding and mulch application was used to restore a 1.6 km ditch …

Evaluating A Satellite-Based Seasonal Evapotranspiration Product And Identifying Its Relationship With Other Satellite-Derived Products And Crop Yield: A Case Study For Ethiopia, Tsegaye Tadesse, Gabriel B. Senay, Getachew Berhan, Teshome Regassa, Shimelis Beyene

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Satellite-derived evapotranspiration anomalies and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) products from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are currently used for African agricultural drought monitoring and food security status assessment. In this study, a process to evaluate satellite-derived evapotranspiration (ETa) products with a geospatial statistical exploratory technique that uses NDVI, satellite-derived rainfall estimate (RFE), and crop yield data has been developed. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the ETa using the NDVI and RFE, and identify a relationship between the ETa and Ethiopia’s cereal crop (i.e., teff, sorghum, corn/maize, barley, and wheat) yields during the main rainy …

Bridging The Blue-Green Divide: The Role Of Environmental Ngos In Tackling Environmental Problems In Taiwan, Yttrium Sua

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis attempts to provide a brief historical outline of the environmental movement in Taiwan and the unique political situation that has directly affected how the movement has progressed. Thereafter, it looks at some examples of environmental disputes that have occurred in recent years, paying special attention to the ways the environmental movement has interacted with the government. This provides the background to frame the analysis, which will shed light on the reasons for the current state of distrust and antagonistic interactions between the environmental movement and the government. Finally, the thesis evaluates whether such interactions with the government is …

Gis Analysis Of Brownfield Sites In The City Of Minneapolis, Shreya Vaidya

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Brownfield sites have many negative ramifications on a local area which includes loss of economy, decline in land use value and potential hazard to human health and the environment. Despite the efforts on redeveloping brownfields, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) claims that over 10,000 known contaminated or potentially contaminated sites remain across Minnesota and thousands are likely to exist but have not been identified and recorded. The objectives of this study are to map the brownfield sites in Minneapolis based on the information provided by the regulatory sources and to categorize and analyze all the sites on the basis of …

Oregon Lake Watch, 2015 Annual Report, Samuel Cimino, Rich Miller, Angela L. Strecker

Center for Lakes and Reservoirs Publications and Presentations

The Oregon Lake Watch (OLW) volunteer monitoring program completed its third year of operation during 2015 with a focus on early detection of aquatic invasive species (AIS) and water quality status and trend assessments for the better management of Oregon’s lakes and reservoirs. AIS surveys emphasized the detection of Watch List aquatic plant and species that can have a negative impacts on the beneficial uses of our waterbodies. Water transparency and temperature measurements were used to track the condition of volunteers' lakes.

Thirty-one Oregon lakes have been surveyed during the OLW’s three years, 16 of which were surveyed during 2015. …

Failure Of Science, Death Of Nature, H.F. Recher

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

As a people, Australians have lost contact with the world of nature, Risking the collapse of civilization. One factor in the alienation of nature in Australia is the failure of the scientific community to take responsibility for the technology created by the knowledge generated from scientific research. Science has failed to protect Australia's flora and fauna. Scientists must communicate more widely with society, but need to be educated on how to communicate and on their ethical responsibilities to others and other species. Government needs to show leadership in environmental management and nature conservation, while conservationists need to 'invert the paradigm', …

The Damaging Effects Of Climate Change Denial, Richard Snow, Mary Snow

Publications

It has been said that those who are denying climate change are like the ostrich that sticks her head in the sand, but is this analogy entirely accurate? By hiding from the threat, does the ostrich make the threat go away, mitigate it, or make it greater? Probably, she does not. However, denying the existence of climate change does exacerbate the problem and exponentially so. As the renowned British economist Nicholas Stern reports, the longer world leaders wait to take serious action to curtail climate change, the more it will cost. As the Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on …

Urban Flood Response Planning: Building Urban Resilience In Calgary And Toronto, Sarah Asrat

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Flooding is an increasing environmental concern for many Canadian cities. There is increasing awareness of climate change and its impacts on precipitation behavior and flooding in urban areas. Knowledge gaps were identified in the literature concerning urban flood response planning, uncertainty and preparedness planning. This study examines and compares urban flood response measures and resilience building for natural disasters in the Cities of Toronto and Calgary. Non-structural measures for flood risk reduction that include policies, decision-making and community engagement were examined by conducting a literature review and semi-structured interviews of individuals from six groups: provincial government, municipal government, conservation authority, …