Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Growing Climate Solutions Act Of 2021, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

On June 24, 2021, the U.S. Senate adopted S. 1251, the  Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2021. Cosponsored by  54 senators, including Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer, S. 1251 seeks to make it easier for farmers and ranchers to participate in voluntary carbon credit markets and to get a fair share of the carbon credit revenue they generate. If  adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law by the President, S. 1251 would go a long way in facilitating effective producer participation in U.S. carbon markets.

The Variability Of Seawater Carbonate Chemistry In Two Florida Urban Mangrove Ecosystems, Alexandrina R. Rangel

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions into the atmosphere are yielding serious impacts across the world’s ocean, including ocean acidification, sea level rise, and increasing seawater temperature. However, these changes are not occurring uniformly across all marine ecosystems. Coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, already experience extreme and variable environmental conditions due to natural biogeochemical and physical processes. The goal of this study was to document small-scale variability in two urban mangrove ecosystems to gain insight into how ocean acidification will manifest within these systems. Using a stand-up paddleboard, a suite of sensors, and traditional bottle sampling techniques, we measured …

Ultrahigh Resolution Ote-Ms Data For Ambient Daytime And Nighttime Aerosol And Ambient Fog Water From San Pietro Capofiume, Matthew Brege, Lynn Mazzoleni

Michigan Tech Research Data

This dataset and the methods used to obtain it are described in Chapter 3 of "EXTREME MOLECULAR DIVERSITY IN BIOMASS BURNING ATMOSPHERIC ORGANIC AEROSOL OBSERVED THROUGH ULTRAHIGH RESOLUTION MASS SPECTROMETRY" a Dissertation prepared by Matthew Brege and submitted as a Doctoral Thesis. This work can be accessed here: https://doi.org/10.37099/mtu.dc.etdr/927

Briefly, four days worth of concurrent daytime/nighttime aerosol and fog water samples were collected at San Pietro Capofiume in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy from 1-Dec to 4-Dec, 2015. The water soluble extracts of the aerosol filters and aliquots of the fog water were analyzed using ultrahigh resolution Orbitrap mass …

Seasonal Habitat Use Of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys Terrapin) In North Inlet, Winyah Bay, Georgetown, South Carolina, Danielle Elizabeth Capella

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Groundwater Quality And Age Of Secondary Bedrock Aquifers In The Glaciated Portion Of Eastern Nebraska, 2016–18, Christopher M. Hobza, Amanda T. Flynn

United States Geological Survey: Water Reports and Publications

The Eastern Nebraska Water Resources Assessment (ENWRA) project was initiated in 2006 to assist water managers by developing a hydrogeologic framework and water budget for the glaciated portion of eastern Nebraska. Within the ENWRA area, the primary groundwater sources for municipal, domestic, and irrigation water needs are provided by withdrawals from alluvial, buried paleovalley, and the High Plains aquifer (where present). Generally, other bedrock aquifers are considered a secondary water source. However, in some areas, such as parts of Sarpy and Nemaha Counties, these secondary bedrock aquifers are the only source of water within glaciated upland areas. To improve the …

Short- And Long-Term Effectiveness Of Coral Disease Treatments, Karen L. Neely, Colin P. Shea, Kevin A. Macaulay, Emily K. Hower, Michelle A. Dobler

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Since 2014, stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has led to large-scale mortality of over 20 coral species throughout the Florida Reef Tract. In 2019, in-water disease intervention strategies were implemented to treat affected corals. Two treatment strategies were employed: (1) topical application of an amoxicillin paste directly to disease margins, and (2) application of a chlorinated epoxy to disease margins as well as an adjacent “disease break” trench. Effectiveness of treatments on 2,379 lesions from 725 corals representing five species was evaluated using mixed effects logistic regression models which demonstrated substantially greater effectiveness of amoxicillin compared to chlorine-treated lesions …

Ensemble Data Fitting For Bathymetric Models Informed By Nominal Data, Samantha Zambo

Dissertations

Due to the difficulty and expense of collecting bathymetric data, modeling is the primary tool to produce detailed maps of the ocean floor. Current modeling practices typically utilize only one interpolator; the industry standard is splines-in-tension.

In this dissertation we introduce a new nominal-informed ensemble interpolator designed to improve modeling accuracy in regions of sparse data. The method is guided by a priori domain knowledge provided by artificially intelligent classifiers. We recast such geomorphological classifications, such as ‘seamount’ or ‘ridge’, as nominal data which we utilize as foundational shapes in an expanded ordinary least squares regression-based algorithm. To our knowledge …

Multi-Modal Data Fusion, Image Segmentation, And Object Identification Using Unsupervised Machine Learning: Conception, Validation, Applications, And A Basis For Multi-Modal Object Detection And Tracking, Nicholas Lahaye

Computational and Data Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

Remote sensing and instrumentation is constantly improving and increasing in capability. Included within this, is the increase in amount of different instrument types, with various combinations of spatial and spectral resolutions, pointing angles, and various other instrument-specific qualities. While the increase in instruments, and therefore datasets, is a boon for those aiming to study the complexities of the various Earth systems, it can also present a large number of new challenges. With this information in mind, our group has set our aims on combining datasets with different spatial and spectral resolutions in an effective and as-general-as-possible way, with as little …

Diatoms Of The Intertidal Environments Of Willapa Bay, Washington, Usa As A Sea-Level Indicator, Isabel Hong, Benjamin P. Horton, Andrea D. Hawkes, Robert J. O.Donnell Iii, Jason S. Padgett, Tina Dura, Simon E. Engelhart

Geological Sciences Faculty Scholarship

An understanding of the modern relationship between diatom species and elevation is a prerequisite for using fossil diatoms to reconstruct relative sea level (RSL). We described modern diatom distributions from seven transects covering unvegetated subtidal environments to forested uplands from four tidal wetland sites (Smith Creek, Bone River, Niawiakum River, and Naselle River) of Willapa Bay, Washington, USA. We compared our diatom dataset (320 species from 104 samples) to a series of environmental variables (elevation, grain-size, total organic carbon (TOC_SOM), and porewater salinity) using hierarchical clustering and ordination. While no single variable consistently explains variations in diatom assemblages …

2021 August - Tennessee Monthly Climate Report, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Monthly Reports

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Rates Of Post-Depositional Change Within 2004 Indian Ocean Sediments: Implications For Long-Term Records Of Paleotsunamis, Lillian Pearson

Master's Theses

Foraminifera are commonly used to examine patterns of tsunami inundation occurring over centennial to millennial timescales, but the impacts of post-depositional change on geologic reconstructions are unknown. In Sumatra, the taphonomic character (i.e., test surface condition) of a foraminifer can deteriorate over time, rendering them unidentifiable, and even dissolve them entirely. Here I investigate the rates of post-depositional change of foraminiferal assemblages found within the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami (IOT) deposit over a 15-year time interval in Aceh, Indonesia in a vegetated open coastal plain (Site 1: Pulot) and an unvegetated protected coastal cave (Site 2). I identified two zones …

It Takes Two To Tango : Understanding The Processes That Lead To Simultaneous Changes In Tropical Cyclone Intensity And Size And Communicating The Associated Hazards To Emergency Managers, Emily A. Paltz

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The severity of tropical cyclone (TC) hazards is modulated by both TC intensity and size. More intense TCs produce stronger storm surges and increase wind damage. Larger TCs potentially impact more people, increase the duration of TC hazards, produce stronger storm surges and increase the amount of rainfall and flooding. Thus, accurately forecasting both TC intensity and size and effectively communicating those forecasts are critical to properly preparing communities for TC impacts. Forecast accuracy can be improved by enhancing our understanding about the processes that cause changes in TC intensity and size. This research divides the Extended Best Track dataset …

Exploring Environmental And Methodological Sensitivities Of Forecasted And Observed Surface Winds And Gusts Using Underutilized Datasets, Alex Roslyn Gallagher

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Accurate forecasts and reliable observations of surface mean winds and gusts inhabit a vast and essential role in meteorological applications that range from wind energy, atmospheric transport, fire weather, and hazard assessment. This dissertation aims to address and explore known shortfalls in the prediction of mean winds and gusts as well as enhance evaluation and understanding of observed surface wind measurements. A variety of forecasts, methodologies, and observational dataset, many of which have been previously un- or under-utilized, are leveraged to tackle the differing needs of assessing mean winds, gusts, and the surface environment.Detailed verifications of HRRR (version 3 and …

Theoretical And Observational Analysis Of Ice Particles For Improvement Of Ice Microphysical Models, Vanessa Przybylo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Frozen hydrometeors can grow to acquire a multitude of shapes and sizes, which influence the distribution of mass within cloud systems. Aggregates have a variety of formations based on initial ice particle size, shape, falling orientation, and the number of particles that collect. This work employs the theoretical Ice Particle and Aggregate Simulator (IPAS) as a statistical tool to repetitively collect ice crystals to derive bulk aggregate characteristics.

Objective Methodology To Identify The Sea Breeze Circulation And Associated Low-Level Jet In The New York Bight, Elizabeth J. Mccabe

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

While the sea breeze has been studied for decades, in a complicated mid-latitude coastal region such as the New York Bight (NYB), the general thermodynamic structure and dynamics of the circulation is poorly characterized. The East Coast of the United States has become a critical area for offshore wind farm development, including a generally favorable wind resource, relatively shallow waters on an extensive continental shelf, frequent warm season sea breezes, and proximity to large populated areas. Thus the sea breeze will play a key role in the new energy economy, given the favorable wind speeds and capacity factors during periods …

A Mechanism For Upscale Growth Of Convection In The Complex Terrain Of The Northeast U.S, Brennan Joseph Stutsrim

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Upstate New York has a variety of complex terrain that can interact with the background flow to create mesoscale heterogeneities in the lower troposphere. The major valleys of Upstate New York, the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys, often have increased moisture content and stronger surface winds than the higher terrain surrounding them. These features can have a profound effect on the evolution of convective storms, especially in cases characterized by low-to-moderate shear, which tends to favor pulse-like or multicellular convection. Analysis of composite radar imagery has indicated that convective storms often change mode while descending from the Catskills Mountains into the …

Predictability Issues Associated With Near-Freezing Precipitation Type In Complex Terrain, Matthew Seymour

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Predictability challenges are heightened in winter weather forecasting when the environment for high-impact weather is marginal or varies over short distances. High-resolution numerical weather prediction (NWP), such as the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR), and ensemble forecast systems, such as the Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS), are useful for constraining forecasts. However, their use can be challenging in marginal, near-freezing, situations when precipitation type is uncertain. Uncertainties in planetary boundary layer (PBL) and microphysics (MP) parameterizations and subtle synoptic-scale model errors brought on by differences in initial and lateral boundary conditions (IC/BCs) complicate the p-type forecast. Further, complex terrain, such as …

The Effect Of Differential Friction On Tropical Cyclone Development Close To Land, Minghao Zhou

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Hurricane Karl (2010) underwent unexpected rapid intensification in the Bay of Campeche while remaining in close proximity (within 150 km) to land. It is hypothesized that the frictionally-enhanced inflow contributed positively to this evolution, despite reduced surface fluxes and increased momentum loss over land. In this study, the role of differential friction in the development of a tropical cyclone (TC) tracking parallel to a coastline is examined based on this prototype.A series of high-resolution, semi-idealized numerical simulations with full physics were conducted on a β-plane with curvature effects of the Earth. After initializing a TC from a synoptic-scale thermal perturbation, …

Frequency And Characteristics Of Inland Advecting Sea Breezes In The Southeast United States, Brian Viner, Stephen Noble, Jian Hua Qian, David Werth, Paul Gayes, Len Pietrafesa, Shaowu Bao

Marine Science

Sea breezes have been observed to move inland over 100 km. These airmasses can be markedly different from regional airmasses, creating a shallow layer with differences in humidity, wind, temperature and aerosol characteristics. To understand their influence on boundary layer and cloud development on subsequent days, we identify their frequency and characteristics. We visually identified sea breeze fronts on radar passing over the Savannah River Site (SRS) between March and October during 2015-2019. The SRS is ~150 km from the nearest coastal location; therefore, our detection suggests further inland penetration. We also identified periods when sea breeze fronts may have …

Studies Of The Planetary Boundary Layer And Their Impact On Air Pollution In A Semi-Arid Region With Complex Terrain, Nakul Nitin Karle

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The adjacent cities of El Paso-Juárez, located in the Rio Grande Rift Valley and surrounded by complex mountainous terrain, have undergone rapid urbanization and industrial growth in the last few decades, accompanied by increasing substandard air quality episodes. Although numerous air quality studies were conducted in this semi-arid region in the past, none focused extensively on the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) contribution and impact on air pollutant concentrations. In this work, both the high and low ozone episodes from 2015 to 2020 were examined. Both modeling and experimental data of the PBL height (PBLH) were obtained and related to atmospheric …