Natural Resources and Conservation Commons^™

Measuring Economic Impacts Of Drought: A Review And Discussion, Ya Ding, Michael J. Hayes, Melissa Widhalm

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A comprehensive assessment of drought economic impacts provides critical information to rational decisions supporting drought mitigation policies and programs. The objective of this paper is to increase the understanding of the full scope of drought economic impacts and the associated quantitative assessment methodologies. To accomplish this, the paper reviews the literature of drought economic impact studies in both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, summarizes the methods and data employed, compares the various results, and investigates the problems and limitations of previous studies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the challenges and directions of future improvement on drought economic impact assessment.

Algorithms For Remote Estimation Of Chlorophyll-Α In Coastal And Inland Waters Using Red And Near Infrared Bands, Alexander A. Gilerson, Anatoly A. Gitelson, Jing Zhou, Daniela Gurlin, Wesley Moses, Ioannis Ioannou, Samir A. Ahmed

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Remote sensing algorithms that use red and NIR bands for the estimation of chlorophyll-α concentration [Chl] can be more effective in inland and coastal waters than algorithms that use blue and green bands. We tested such two-band and three-band red-NIR algorithms using comprehensive synthetic data sets of reflectance spectra and inherent optical properties related to various water parameters and a very consistent in situ data set from several lakes in Nebraska, USA. The two-band algorithms tested with MERIS bands were R_rs(708)/R_rs(665) and R_rs(753)/Rrs(665). The three-band algorithm with MERIS bands was in the form R3 …

Non-Destructive Estimation Pigment Content Ripening Quality And Damage In Apple Fruit With Spectral Reflectance In The Visible Range, Alexei E. Solovchenko, Olga B. Chivkunova, Anatoly A. Gitelson, Mark N. Merzlyak

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Modern non-destructive optical-reflectance-based techniques for estimation of pigment (chlorophyll, carotenoid, anthocyanin, and flavonol) contents, the rate of on- and off-tree ripening as well as for detection of common physiological disorders, such as sunscald, superficial scald, and water core, and other damages to apple fruit are an emphasis on the methods developed by the authors. The basic spectral features of fruit reflectance in the visible and near infra-red are briefly considered together with their implications for the development of algorithms for non-destructive pigment content assessment. The use of reflectance spectroscopy for estimating chlorophyll and carotenoid content as well as carotenoid/chlorophyll ratio …

Algorithms For Remote Estimation Of Chlorophyll-A In Coastal And Inland Waters Using Red And Near Infrared Bands, Alexander A. Gilerson, Anatoly A. Gitelson, Jing Zhou, Daniela Gurlin, Wesley Moses, Ioannis Ioannou, Samir A. Ahmed

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Remote sensing algorithms that use red and NIR bands for the estimation of chlorophyll-a concentration [Chl] can be more effective in inland and coastal waters than algorithms that use blue and green bands. We tested such two-band and three-band red-NIR algorithms using comprehensive synthetic data sets of reflectance spectra and inherent optical properties related to various water parameters and a very consistent in situ data set from several lakes in Nebraska, USA. The two-band algorithms tested with MERIS bands were R_rs(708)/R_rs(665) and R_rs(753)/R_rs(665). The three-band algorithm with MERIS bands was in the …

Long-Term Response Of Groundwater Nitrate Concentrations To Management Regulations In Nebraska’S Central Platte Valley, Mary Exner Spalding, Hugo Perea-Estrada, Roy F. Spalding

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The impact of 16 years (1988–2003) of management practices on high groundwater nitrate concentrations in Nebraska’s central Platte River valley was assessed in a 58,812-ha (145,215-ac) groundwater quality management area intensively cropped to irrigated corn (Zea mays L.). Crop production and groundwater nitrate data were obtained from ~23,800 producer reports. The terrace, comprising ~56% of the study area, is much more intensively cropped to irrigated corn than the bottomland. From 1987 to 2003, average groundwater nitrate concentrations in the primary aquifer beneath the bottomland remained static at ~8 mg N/l. During the same period, average groundwater nitrate concentrations in the …

Finding The Smoothest Path To Success: Model Complexity And The Consideration Of Nonlinear Patterns In Nest-Survival Data, Max Post Van Der Burg, Larkin A. Powell, Andrew J. Tyre

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Quantifying patterns of nest survival is a first step toward understanding why birds decide when and where to breed. Most studies of nest survival have relied on generalized linear models (GLM) to explore these patterns. However, GLMs require assumptions about the models’ structure that might preclude finding nonlinear patterns in survival data. Generalized additive models (GAM) provide a flexible alternative to GLMs for estimating linear and nonlinear patterns in data. Here we present a comparison of GLMs and GAMs for explaining variation in nest-survival data. We used two different model-selection criteria, the Bayes (BIC) and Akaike (AIC) information criteria, to …

Assessment Of Hatchery-Reared Pallid Sturgeon Survival In The Lower Missouri River, Kirk D. Steffensen, Larkin A. Powell, Jeff D. Koch

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The population of pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus in the lower Missouri River between Gavins Point Dam (river kilometer [rkm] 1,305.2) and the confluence with the Mississippi River (rkm 0.0) remains imperiled, little to no natural recruitment occurring. Artificial propagation and subsequent population augmentation (i.e., stocking) may be the only viable option for maintaining pallid sturgeon populations in the lower Missouri River in the near term. Because relatively little is known about the ability of hatchery-reared pallid sturgeon to survive, the objective of this study was to quantify survival estimates for hatchery-reared pallid sturgeon stocked into the lower Missouri River. We …

Toward Regional Climate Services The Role Of Noaa’S Regional Climate Centers, Arthur T. Degaetano, Timothy J. Brown, Steven D. Hilberg, Kelly Redmond, Kevin Robbins, Peter Robinson, Martha Shulski, Marjorie Mcguirk

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A comprehensive national climate services strategy requires the infrastructure, operational services, and applied research activities that have characterized the Regional Climate Center Program since its inception.

Finding The Smoothest Path To Success: Model Complexity And The Consideration Of Nonlinear Patterns In Nest-Survival Data Encontrando El Camino Mas Facil Hacia El Exito: Complejidad De Los Modelos Y Consideraci6n De Patrones No Lineales En Datos De Supervivencia De Nidos, Max Post Van Der Burg, Larkin A. Powell, Andrew J. Tyre

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Quantifying patterns of nest survival is a first step toward understanding why birds decide when and where to breed. Most studies of nest survival have relied on generalized linear models (GLM) to explore these patterns. However, GLMs require assumptions about the models' structure that might preclude finding nonlinear patterns in survival data. Generalized additive models (GAM) provide a flexible alternative to GLMs for estimating linear and nonlinear patterns in data. Here we present a comparison of GLMs and GAMs for explaining variation in nest-survival data. We used two different model-selection criteria, the Bayes (BIC) and Akaike (AIC) information criteria, to …

2010 Interior Least Tern And Piping Plover Monitoring, Research, Management, And Outreach Report For The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Mary Bomberger Brown, Joel G. Jorgensen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

This document reports on our monitoring, research, management, and outreach activities during the past 12 months (2010). We prepared it to inform our partners, cooperating agencies, funding sources, and other interested parties of our activities and to provide a preliminary summary of our results.

The Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership (TPCP), based at the University of Nebraska–School of Natural Resources, and the Nongame Bird Program (NBP), based at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) work cooperatively on Interior Least Tern and Piping Plover monitoring, research, management, and outreach activities. While the focus of our work is the Lower Platte, …

Coupling Of Carbon Dioxide And Water Vapor Exchanges Of Irrigated And Rainfed Maize–Soybean Cropping Systems And Water Productivity, Andrew E. Suyker, Shashi B. Verma

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Continuous measurements of CO₂ and water vapor exchanges made in three cropping systems (irrigated continuous maize, irrigated maize–soybean rotation, and rainfed maize–soybean rotation) in eastern Nebraska, USA during 6 years are discussed. Close coupling between seasonal distributions of gross primary production (GPP) and evapotranspiration (ET) were observed in each growing season. Mean growing season totals of GPP in irrigated maize and soybean were 1738 ± 114 and 996 ± 69 g C m⁻², respectively (±standard deviation). Corresponding mean values of growing season ET totals were 545 ± 27 and 454 ± 23 mm, respectively. Irrigation affected GPP …

Challenges And Prospects Of Sustainable Groundwater Management In The Indus Basin, Pakistan, Asad Sarwar Qureshi, Peter G. Mccornick, A. Sarwar, Bharat R. Sharma

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

In Pakistan, on-demand availability of groundwater has transformed the concept of low and uncertain crop yields into more assured crop production. Increased crop yields have resulted in food security and improved rural livelihoods. However, this growth has also led to problems of overdraft, falling water tables, and degradation of groundwater quality, and yields generally remain well below potential levels. Over the last three decades, Pakistan has tried several direct and indirect management strategies for groundwater management. However the success has been limited. This paper argues that techno-institutional approaches such as introducing water rights, direct or indirect pricing, and permit systems …

The Challenges Of Wastewater Irrigation In Developing Countries, M. Qadir, D. Wichelns, L. Raschid-Sally, Peter G. Mccornick, P. Drechsel, A. Bahri, P. S. Minhas

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

The volume of wastewater generated by domestic, industrial, and commercial sources has increased with population, urbanization, improved living conditions, and economic development. The productive use of wastewater has also increased, as millions of small-scale farmers in urban and peri-urban areas of developing countries depend on wastewater or wastewater-polluted water sources to irrigate high-value edible crops for urban markets, often as they have no alternative sources of irrigation water. Undesirable constituents in wastewater can harm human health and the environment. Hence, wastewater irrigation is an issue of concern to public agencies responsible for maintaining public health and environmental quality. For diverse …

Land Conservation And Energy Infrastructure: Threats And Opportunities, Bradford Gentry, Casey Pickett, Livia Demarchis

Yale School of the Environment Publications Series

2009 Berkley Conference Summary

Of Ethics And Ecosystems: A Bifocal Perspective On Biodiversity Conservation, Charles Van Rees

Environmental Studies Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

The Evolution Of Natural Resources Law And Policy, Lawrence J. Macdonnell, Sarah F. Bates

Books, Reports, and Studies

This digital resource contains only an abstract, cover image and table of contents information from the published book.

Print copy of book is available in the University of Colorado’s Wise Law Library: http://lawpac.colorado.edu/record=b444104~S0

Contents: Introduction / Bruce Babbitt -- PART I : REFLECTIONS ON NATURAL RESOURCES LAW AND POLICY: Historical evolution and future of natural resources law and policy / Sally Fairfax, Helen M. Ingram, Leigh Raymond -- Ethical perspectives on resources law and policy : global warming and our common future / Sarah Krakoff -- Why care about the polar bear? : economic analysis of natural resources law and …

Song Of Wekiva: Florida’S Wild River And Its Democratic Vista, Steve Phelan

Faculty Publications

Today hundreds of thousands enjoy the river every year. We are a different breed. When I take our children or my students to the river or walk along its sandy uplands to show them undiscovered and unmapped springs popping out of the ground, they and I are still abiding in a domesticated world that erects a substantial, almost impervious barrier to the wilderness of the river. Nevertheless, that wildness is built unconsciously into our bodies. We are not like the Timucuans, the first humans to come down the St. Johns River and eventually up the Wekiva to the two main …

The Influence Of Sexual Selection On Behavioral And Physiological Mechanisms Underlying Reproductive Success In Male Cape Ground Squirrels (Xerus Inauris), Mary Beth Manjerovic

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sexual selection is considered a powerful evolutionary force responsible for the enormous diversity found in reproductive morphology, physiology, and behavior. I addressed questions related to selection in the Cape ground squirrel (Xerus inauris), a species characterized as highly social and promiscuous. These attributes often are responsible for variance in male reproductive success and as such, sexual selection theory predicts increased opportunity for sexual selection. I confirm that the predominant mechanism underlying genital evolution and competition for paternity in X. inauris is sperm competition. I find evidence that investment in sperm competition is costly and may reflect immunocompetence. I quantify reproductive …

Ua12/13 2010 Sustainability Report [Western Kentucky University], Wku Office Of Sustainability

Sustainability Publications and Resources

As I reflect on the past year, I am filled with pride and hope by our progress in becoming a more sustainable WKU. The milestones are significant: completion of our first building for which we will seek LEED certification, sustainability included as a core commitment in the WKU Strategic Guide for 2010-2012 and a Resolution for Education for Sustainability adopted, the first Education for Sustainability faculty retreat, the Energy Savings Performance Contract project initiated and nearly completed, and WKU included in the Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges. These are but a few of the accomplishments made in 2010. …

2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation And Management Plan (Ccmp), Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

PREP Reports & Publications

In the fall of 2010, the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) completed an 18-month effort to understand current and future environmental issues affecting the Region’s estuaries, to establish realistic goals and objectives for the next 10 years, and to create effective action plans to systematically achieve the shared environmental goals of a broad base of Regional stakeholders.

With input from more than 150 individuals, representing 82 organizations, PREP compiled the 2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that lays the foundation for work over the next decade to protect and restore the Region’s estuaries and associated watersheds