Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Hydro-Climate Temporal Variations And Their Influences On Net Primary Production In A Eurasian Steppe Watershed, Xiaomin Yang

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Climate, which is the most important factor that influences Net Primary Productivity, has been detected changing all over the world. The confounding effects of step change invalidate the stationarity assumption of commonly used trend analysis methods such as the Mann-Kendall test technique, so previous studies have failed to explain inconsistencies between detected trends and observed large anomalies. In this research, by formulating a trend analysis approach that considers nonstationary due to step changes, trends and extreme occurrences of precipitation, temperature, and runoff in annual, seasonal, and monthly scales were analyzed in a mid-latitude Eurasian steppe watershed in northeast China, and …

Air Mass Frequency During Precipitation Events In The Northern Plains Of The United States, Anthony Baum, Richard De Pasquale, Melissa L. Godek

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

Since 1980, numerous billion-dollar disasters have affected the Northern Plains of the United States, including nine droughts and four floods. The atmospheric environment present during precipitation events can largely be described by the presiding air mass conditions since air masses characterize a multitude of meteorological variables at one time over a large region. The goal of this research is to add knowledge to current understandings of the factors responsible for precipitation in the Northern Plains through an assessment of synoptic air mass conditions. The Spatial Synoptic Classification is used to categorize 30 years of daily surface air mass types across …

Agenda, Hr Adaptation Forum

September 19, 2014: Comparing Flooding and Sea Level Rise Risk Assessment Tools

No abstract provided.

The Sea Level Rise Inundation Tool, Molly Mitchell

September 19, 2014: Comparing Flooding and Sea Level Rise Risk Assessment Tools

No abstract provided.

Sea Level Rise Scenarios For Coastal Adaptation, Adam Parris

September 19, 2014: Comparing Flooding and Sea Level Rise Risk Assessment Tools

No abstract provided.

Application Of High-Resolution Spectral Absorbance Measurements To Determine Dissolved Organic Carbon Concentration In Remote Areas, Armine Avagyan, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, Lars Kutzbach

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Accurate quantification of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in surface and soil pore waters is crucial for understanding changes in water resources under the influence of climate and land use changes. Sampling and laboratory analysis of DOC content at a sufficient temporal frequency are especially difficult to achieve for natural DOC sources like the extensive boreal and arctic mire landscapes due to their remoteness. Therefore, the goals of this paper are (1) to investigate the performance of a portable, high-resolution ultraviolet–visible light spectroscopic method for determining the DOC content of surface and soil pore water samples from a boreal mire complex …

Utilizing Remote Sensing To Detect Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Properties, Amanda Kristedja

e-Research: A Journal of Undergraduate Work

This paper focuses on the detection of oil spills using satellite information. ��For this research project, the focus will be primarily on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, which is the largest accidental oil spill. In order to detect an oil spill, the chlorophyll a content must be observed with data from the SeaWiFs at 9km and the MODIS-aqua at 9km and 4km. There is conflicting evidence of whether or not chlorophyll a concentration is positively correlated with the presence of an oil spill. This will be further investigated in the experiment. Also, by utilizing the MODIS instrument aboard the terra …

Effects Of Ocean Acidification On Chlorophyll Content, C. Del Fierro, R. Lloyd, H. El-Askary

e-Research: A Journal of Undergraduate Work

Airborne pollutants contribute to ocean acidification and hence to the associated chlorophyll content level. Previous work showed that falling aerosols causing ocean acidification would in turn result in bleaching and productivity loss in coral reef builders. Chlorophyll content has been used as a measure of the concentration of the photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll a (the most common "green" chlorophyll) in the ocean. In our work we have monitored the change in chlorophyll content obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on board Terra/Aqua satellites from 2000-2009 over selected pilot areas. Moreover, we have used the Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation …

Mcauliffe Launches Climate Change Commission, Bill Sizemore

News Items

No abstract provided.

Mammalian Keratin Associated Proteins (Krtaps) Subgenomes: Disentangling Hair Diversity And Adaptation To Terrestrial And Aquatic Environments, Imran Khan, Emanuel Maldonado, Vitor Vasconcelos, Stephen J. O'Brien, Warren E. Johnson, Agostinho Antunes

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Background: Adaptation of mammals to terrestrial life was facilitated by the unique vertebrate trait of body hair, which occurs in a range of morphological patterns. Keratin associated proteins (KRTAPs), the major structural hair shaft proteins, are largely responsible for hair variation.

Results: We exhaustively characterized the KRTAP gene family in 22 mammalian genomes, confirming the existence of 30 KRTAP subfamilies evolving at different rates with varying degrees of diversification and homogenization. Within the two major classes of KRTAPs, the high cysteine (HS) subfamily experienced strong concerted evolution, high rates of gene conversion/recombination and high GC content. In contrast, high glycine-tyrosine …

R/V Sikuliaq Em302 And Em710 Multibeam Echosounder System Shipboard Acceptance Tests - Skq201400l3, Paul Johnson, Ashton F. Flinders, Samuel F. Greenaway

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

No abstract provided.

Sfa Weather Station-September 2014, Arthur Temple College Of Forestry And Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University

Weather Station Data

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Mid- And Upper-Level Dry Layers On Microphysics Of Simulated Supercell Storms, Matthew S. Van Den Broeke

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Conceptual differences are presented among supercell storms simulated with midlevel and deep dry layers of varying magnitude. Initial patterns are identified which should be studied more comprehensively using observed or simulated data. These initial results indicate that mixing ratios of small ice particles are most sensitive to the depth of a dry layer rather than to its magnitude, with fewer particles in simulations containing a deep dry layer. Hail from frozen drops may be most abundant when a deep layer is dried, and bursts of hail species reaching low levels may be followed 15–20 min later by an increase in …

U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Cruise To Map Gaps In Kela And Karin Ridges, Johnston Atoll, Equatorial Pacific Ocean, James V. Gardner, Andy Armstrong

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

The objectives for cruise KM14-17 are to map the bathymetry of two gaps in two submarine ridges in the vicinity of Johnston Atoll. One ridge gap occurs along the informally named Keli Ridge (Hein et al., 2005) south of Johnston Atoll and the other ridge gap occurs north of Johnston Atoll that separates Sculpin Ridge (also informally called Karin Ridge) and Horizon Ridge, all in the central equatorial Pacific (Fig. 1). The cruise took advantage of a scheduled dead-head transit from Papeete, Tahiti to Honolulu, Hawai’i that could be extended for 5 days to include the planned mapping. The mapping …

Climate Change And Its Implications For The Insurance Industry, Adam Liska, Eric Holley

Adam Liska Papers

Climate change will lead to a probable increase in the occurrence of weather-related disaster events. These events could lead to declining revenue in the insurance industry, the world’s largest economic sector, with revenue of $4.6 trillion per year, or 7% of the global economy (Mills, 2012). Climatic events have accounted for 72% of global insurance claims and insured losses from 1980 to 2012, totaling $0.97 trillion (Munich Re, 2013). Estimated losses are ~0.5% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and losses are increasing at ~6% a year in real terms (Lomborg, 2010). The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change …

Observing The Quantumbehavior Of Light In An Undergraduate Laboratory, M. S. Neel, J. J. Thorn, V. W. Donato, G. S. Bergreen, Robert E. Davies, M. Beck

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

While the classical, wavelike behavior of light (interference and diffraction) has been easily observed in undergraduate laboratories for many years, explicit observation of the quantum nature of light (i.e., photons) is much more difficult. For example, while well-known phenomena such as the photoelectric effect and Compton scattering strongly suggest the existence of photons, they are not definitive proof of their existence. Here we present an experiment, suitable for an undergraduate laboratory, that unequivocally demonstrates the quantum nature of light. Spontaneously downconverted light is incident on a beamsplitter and the outputs are monitored with single-photon counting detectors. We observe a near …

Possible Recovery Of Acropora Palmata (Scleractinia:Acroporidae) Within The Veracruz Reef System, Gulf Of Mexico: A Survey Of 24 Reefs To Assess The Benthic Communities, Elizabeth Anne Larson, David S. Gilliam, Mauricio Lopez Padierna, Brian K. Walker

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Recent evidence shows that Acropora palmata within the Veracruz Reef System, located in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, may be recovering after the die off from the flooding of the Jamapa River and a dramatic cold water event in the 1970s. Since this decline, few surveys have documented the status of A. palmata. The 28 named reefs in the system are divided into 13 northern and 15 southern groups by the River. Between 2007 and 2013, we surveyed 24 reefs to assess the benthic communities. Seven of the 11 reefs surveyed in the northern group and all in the …

Modeling Flightless Galapagos Seabirds As Impacted By El Nino And Climate Change, Brian Seth Putman

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Noteworthy species endemic to the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador are two flightless birds, the Galapagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) and Flightless Cormorant (Phalacrocrax harrisi). Both adapted increased swimming ability at the cost of flight. This however has limited their ability to find richer feeding grounds in times of low resource availability, or to escape potential predators. Their population numbers, though small, were stable. Stress on this stability has increased since human arrival. Various invasive species from pets, farm animals and rats to even mosquito vectors of avian disease accompanied humans. . El Nino Southern Oscillation or ENSO …

Umphlett Qci Sept 2014, Natalie Umphlett

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

Highlights for the Basin

Temperature and Precipitation Anomalies

􏰞􏰥􏰬􏰨􏰤􏰵􏰶􏰫Streamflow

Long-term Impacts of Drought

Cool, Wet Summer Benefits

Heavy Precipitation Impacts the Missouri River and its Tributaries

3-Month Precipitation and Temperature Outlooks

Soil Moisture Conditions

Drinking Water Treatment: Reverse Osmosis, Bruce I. Dvorak, Sharon O. Skipton

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filters frequently are used to reduce the levels of total dissolved solids and suspended particles within water. Some contaminants treated effectively by RO membrane filters are listed in Table I. This table is not an exhaustive list of contaminants that RO may remove, but rather lists those for which RO can be a practical treatment method for treating household drinking water.