Other Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Nir-Red Reflectance-Based Algorithms For Chlorophyll-A Estimation In Mesotrophic Inland And Coastal Waters: Lake Kinneret Case Study, Yosef Z. Yacobi, Wesley Moses, Semion Kaganovsky, Benayahu Sulimani, Bryan Leavitt, Anatoly A. Gitelson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A variety of models have been developed for estimating chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration in turbid and productive waters. All are based on optical information in a few spectral bands in the red and near-infra-red regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The wavelength locations in the models used were meticulously tuned to provide the highest sensitivity to the presence of Chl-a and minimal sensitivity to other constituents in water. But the caveat in these models is the need for recurrent parameterization and calibration due to changes in the biophysical characteristics of water based on the location and/or time of the year. In this …

Isolation By Distance Explains Genetic Structure Of Buggy Creek Virus, A Bird-Associated Arbovirus, Abinash Padhi, Amy T. Moore, Mary Bomberger Brown, Jerome E. Foster, Martin Pfeffer, Charles R. Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Many of the arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) show extensive genetic variability and are widely distributed over large geographic areas. Understanding how virus genetic structure varies in space may yield insight into how these pathogens are adapted to and dispersed by different hosts or vectors, the relative importance of mutation, drift, or selection in generating genetic variability, and where and when epidemics or epizootics are most likely to occur. However, because most arboviruses tend to be sampled opportunistically and often cannot be isolated in large numbers at a given locale, surprisingly little is known about their spatial genetic structure on the local …

Avian Conservation In The Prairie Pothole Region, Northern Great Plains: Understanding The Links Between Climate, Ecosystem Processes, Wetland Management, And Bird Communities, Susan K. Skagen, Joseph J. Fontaine, Ryan Stutzman, Valerie Steen, Cynthia P. Melcher, John Stamm, Gary Clow, Mark Anderson, Parker Norton, Neal Niemuth, Jonathan M. Friedman, Robert Gleason, Brian Tangen, Diane Granfors, Lucy Burris

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Historically, the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America was characterized by myriad semi-permanent, seasonal, and temporary wetlands interspersed among rivers in a context of prairie uplands. These wetlands have supported millions of en route and breeding wetland-dependent birds. Today, expanses of the PPR landscape are dominated by intensive agriculture, and many of the remaining habitats have been impacted by altered water regimes, increasing sedimentation, and changes in plant communities. Climate change is likely to cause further alterations by shifting the seasonal availability and distribution of water and vegetation communities. Climate change will also affect the phenology (annual recurrence of …

Factors Affecting Space Use Overlap By White-Tailed Deer In An Urban Landscape, W. David Walter, Jeff Beringer, Lonnie P. Hansen, Justin W. Fischer, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Variation in the size and overlap of space use by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has broad implications for managing deer–human conflicts and disease spread and transmission in urban landscapes. Understanding which factors affect overlap of home range by various segments (i.e., age, sex) of an urban deer population has implications to direct contact between deer on disease epidemiology. We assessed size of home range and overlap of space use using the volume of intersection index (VI) for deer in an urban landscape by sex, age, season, and time of day. We found mean space use was larger for …

Evaluation Of The Sensitivity Of Inventory And Monitoring National Parks To Nutrient Enrichment Effects From Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition Northern Great Plains Network (Ngpn), T. J. Sullivan, T. C. Mcdonnell, G. T. Mcpherson, S. D. Mackey, D. Moore

United States National Park Service: Publications

Northern Great Plains Network (NGPN)

National maps of atmospheric N emissions and deposition are provided in Maps A and B as context for subsequent network data presentations. Map A shows county level emissions of total N for the year 2002. Map B shows total N deposition, again for the year 2002.

There are three parks in the Northern Great Plains Network that are larger than 100 square miles: Badlands (BADL), Missouri (MNRR), and Theodore Roosevelt (THRO). In addition, there are 10 other smaller parks.

Total annual N emissions, by county, are shown in Map C for lands in and surrounding …

Synthesis Of Knowledge Of Extreme Fire Behavior: Volume I For Fire Managers, Paul Werth, Brian Potter, Craig Clements, Mark Finney, Scott Goodrick, Martin Alexander, Miguel Cruz, Jason Forthofer, Sara Mcallister

Faculty Publications, Meteorology and Climate Science

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group definition of extreme fire behavior (EFB) indicates a level of fire behavior characteristics that ordinarily precludes methods of direct control action. One or more of the following is usually involved: high rate of spread, prolific crowning/ spotting, presence of fire whirls, and strong convection column. Predictability is difficult because such fires often exercise some degree of influence on their environment and behave erratically, sometimes dangerously. Alternate terms include “blow up” and “fire storm.” Fire managers examining fires over the last 100 years have come to understand many of the factors necessary for EFB development. This …

Stormwater Management: Terminology, Kathryn A. Pekarek, David P. Shelton, Kelly Feehan, Bobbi A. Holm

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Stormwater runoff is the result of precipitation that does not infiltrate into the soil. Rather, it flows over land areas or through storm drains to streams, rivers, and lakes. This water collects pollutants as it moves over streets, parking lots, driveways, and other surfaces. Typically, stormwater runoff is untreated before being discharged to surface water. The quantity and quality of stormwater runoff is directly related to land use; as more urban development occurs — especially impervious surfaces — greater amounts of water and contaminants are generated. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), highly urbanized areas generate over five …

Nest Survival Of Long-Billed Curlew In Nebraska, Cory J. Gregory, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Larkin A. Powell, Joel G. Jorgensen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus is an imperiled shorebird of western North America. Populations have declined dramatically in the last 150 years from the conversion of prairie to agriculture and it is now listed as a “Tier I at-risk” species in Nebraska. We undertook a 3-year project (2008–2010) to study the nest survival of Long-billed Curlews in Nebraska. We measured vegetation characteristics at each nest site (n = 14 nests) on two different spatial scales and used program MARK to model nest survival as a function of multiple covariates. Apparent nest survival was 29% (n = 4 successful nests) and our …

Nebraska's Tern And Plover Conservation Partnership -- A Model For Sustainable Conservation Of Threatened And Endangered Species, Mary Bomberger Brown, Mark E. Burbach, John Dinan, Renae J. Held, Ron J. Johnson, Joel G. Jorgensen, Jeanine Lackey, Jeffrey F. Marcus, Gina S. Matkin, Christine M. Thody

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Implementing successful conservation programs is critical if we are to protect the earth's most imperiled species. These programs must respect state and federal legal concerns as well as local economic and social interests, Here we describe a sustainable partnership approach to Piping Plover and Interior Least Tern conservation in Nebraska, USA. Partners include industry groups, federal, state, and local agencies, and non-governmental organizations. The factor that unifies all partners is a desire to accomplish cooperative threatened and endangered species conservation. We believe that implementing this sort of partnership model could be useful in addressing the protection of other species of …

The Influence Of Habitat And Environment On Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus Dolomieu) Nest Sites And Nest Success In Northern Lake Michigan, Mark A. Kaemingk, Alexander Clem, Tracy L. Galarowicz

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Information on smallmouth bass nesting ecology is lacking in northern Lake Michigan, despite available information for other Great Lakes ecosystems. Our objectives were to identify factors that influenced nesting sites and nest success in a smallmouth bass population in northern Lake Michigan. Temperature, substrate firmness, and lake bottom rugosity were measured and related to the number of smallmouth bass nests in four bays. We also investigated the role of temperature, effective fetch, and storms to explain nest success. Temperature appeared to be most important in explaining the number of nests and nest success; transects that experienced the greatest number of …

Movement Of Smallmouth Bass Within The Beaver Island Archipelago, Northern Lake Michigan., Mark A. Kaemingk, Tracy L. Galarowicz, John A. Clevenger, David F. Clapp

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Fish movement may vary across a wide array of aquatic ecosystems and may be related to the overall size of the system inhabited. We investigated movement of smallmouth bass in Lake Michigan because this information is lacking for larger systems. A total of 16 smallmouth bass were surgically implanted with ultrasonic transmitters within the Beaver Archipelago, northern Lake Michigan. During 2007–2008, a maximum of one location per individual was recorded daily during three specific tracking periods – pre-spawn, spawning, and post-spawn – to determine diurnal movement patterns. Movement was evaluated as site fidelity, minimum displacement rate,maximumexcursion rate, and distance from …

Exploring Spatial Distributions Of Larval Yellow Perch Perca Flavescens, Bluegill Lepomis Macrochirus, And Their Prey In Relation To Wind., Mark A. Kaemingk, Jeffrey C. Jolley, David W. Willis, Brian Ds Graeb

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The objectives of the present study were to determine if spatial differences existed between zooplankton, larval yellow perch Perca flavescens and bluegill Lepomis macrochirus (length, LT) in Pelican Lake (332 ha), NE, U.S.A. It was hypothesized that wind could act as a transport mechanism for larval fishes in this shallow lake, because strong winds are common at this geographic location. Potential spatial differences were explored, relating to zooplankton densities, size structure and densities of larval P. flavescens and L. macrochirus. Density differences (east v. west side of the lake) were detected for small- (two occasions), medium- (two occasions) and large-sized …

Design Of An Underwater Telemetry Antenna For Locating And Retrieving Submerged Radiocollars, Stephen L. Webb, Joshua A. Gaskamp, Kenneth L. Gee, Stephen Demarais, Andrew R. Little

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Radiocollars represent a significant investment of financial resources, particularly global positioning system (GPS) collars, and loss of data imposes analytical limitations from reduced sample sizes. Radiocollars on large, terrestrial mammals are seldom lost in the water. However, several instances in Oklahoma, USA necessitated a reliable and cost-effective technique for retrieving GPS collars from underwater to salvage the financial investment and data. We designed an underwater telemetry antenna to find and retrieve collars in ≤ 3 m of water. We describe field simulations under varying environmental and water conditions, and provide a list of materials along with instructions and considerations for …

A Calibration-Free Evapotranspiration Mapping (Cremap) Technique, Jozsef Szilagyi, Janos Jozsa, Akos Kovacs

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Calibration-Free Evapotranspiration Mapping Technique For Spatially-Distributed Regional-Scale Hydrologic Modeling, Jozsef Szilagyi, Akos Kovacs

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Metageographic Communities: A Geographic Model Of Demassified Societies, K. Nashleanas

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Numerical Validation Of A Diurnal Streamflow-Pattern-Based Evapotranspiration Estimation Method, Zoltan Gribovszki, Peter Kalicz, Jozsef Szilagyi

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Comment On Interference Of River Level Changes On Riparian Zone Evapotranspiration Estimates From Diurnal Groundwater Level Fluctuations By Zhu Et Al., Jozsef Szilagyi, Zoltan Gribovszki, Peter Kalicz

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Discovering Native Bees, Alison P. Stevens

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

NATURAL SYSTEMS PROVIDE humans with a variety of services essential to our survival. Ecosystem services such as climate regulation, water purification, oxygen production, waste treatment and detoxification, flood prevention, and pollination are provided at no cost, yet their true value is immeasurable. In our economydriven world, these systems are often taken for granted, and as a consequence many are in peril. Understanding their role is a critical first step towards ensuring that they endure. Pollination, the process of moving pollen grains from one flower to another to stimulate fruit and seed production, is among the easiest of these services to …

A Review Of Interior Least Tern And Piping Plover Management, Conservation, And Recovery On The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Mary Bomberger Brown, Joel G. Jorgensen, Sonya E. Steckler, Melissa J. Panella, W. Ross Silcock

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

SUMMARY

The Lower Platte River in eastern Nebraska provides many resources for wildlife and a variety of stakeholders. This river and its major tributaries contain important nesting habitat for two state and federally-listed bird species, the Interior Least Tern (endangered; Sternula antillarum athalassos) and the Northern Great Plains Piping Plover (threatened; Charadrius melodus). Both species nest on bare or sparsely-vegetated expanses of sand in natural and human-created habitat, which occur in and along river channels; the Lower Platte River system is critical for the survival and recovery of both species.

The Lower Platte River in eastern Nebraska provides …