Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Life Cycle Boundaries And Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Beef Cattle, Quentin M. Dudley

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Beef cattle are estimated to directly contribute 26% of U.S. agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and future climate change policy may target reducing these emissions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of GHG emissions from U.S. feedlot beef cattle was conducted to compare methods of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a more complete evaluation of emissions. The inclusion of emissions from crop production for feed, associated land use change, and other minor factors nearly doubled GHG emissions associated with beef feedlots from the EPA Annual Inventory estimate of 1611 kgCO₂e hd^-1 yr^-1 to 3182 ± 167 …

Optimal Control Of Katabatic Flows Within Canopies, Hongbin Chen, Chuixiang Yi

Publications and Research

What slope angle favours the development of katabatic flow is still an open question. Some studies have clarified that katabatic winds are stronger on steep slopes, while others have demonstrated that katabatic winds are stronger on gentle slopes. Here, we explore the control mechanisms of katabatic flow using a simplified theoretical model in an attempt to clarify the causes of the paradoxical findings. Our results indicate that optimal conditions for katabatic flows within canopies are synergistically controlled by terrain angle, canopy structure and thermal condition through a simple equation:

L_cV_T^-2 sin³ α = b,

where …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of Global Warming On Hurricane Activity In The United States, Jesse Senzer

Anthós

This paper discusses the influence of global warming on ocean temperatures, and explains how vertical wind shear affects hurricane formation. It explores the scientific arguments against linking global warming to increased hurricanes, that ocean warming increases vertical wind shear in the main development region for Atlantic hurricanes, and that current/recent American hurricane trends fall within the realm of natural, multidecadal oscillations. Arguments supporting the link between global warming and hurricanes are addressed with climate modeling that links sea surface temperature (SST) increase to anthropogenic causes. It discusses SST’s influencing hurricane activity globally, if not locally to the U.S., and points …

On Importance Of Acoustic Backscatter Corrections For Texture-Based Seafloor Characterization, E Fakiris, Yuri Rzhanov, D Zoura

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Seafloor segmentation and characterization based on local textural properties of acoustic backscatter has been a subject of research since 1980s due to the highly textured appearance of sonar images. The approach consists of subdivision of sonar image in a set of patches of certain size and calculation of a vector of features reflecting the patch texture. Advance of multibeam echosounders (MBES) allowed application of texture-based techniques to real geographical space, and predicted boundaries between acoustic facies became experimentally verifiable. However, acoustic return from uncalibrated MBES produces artifacts in backscatter mosaics, which in turn affects accuracy of delineation. Development of Geocoder …

Upgraded Alo Rayleigh Lidar System And Its Improved Gravity Wave Measurements, Leda Sox, Vincent B. Wickwar, Joshua P. Herron, Marcus J. Bingham

Graduate Student Posters

The Rayleigh-Scatter lidar system at the Atmospheric Lidar Observatory (ALO) on the Utah State campus is currently going through a series of upgrades to significantly improve its observational abilities. A specific objective of these upgrades is to expand the altitude range over which backscattered photons can be collected. A second objective is to increase the sensitivity of the instrument to be able to analyze the raw data at finer temporal and/or spatial resolutions. By measuring relative densities, the system will be able to produce absolute temperatures and relative density perturbations, which illustrate gravity wave structures. Gravity wave studies will significantly …

Estimating Annual Precipitation For The Colorado River Basin Using Oceanic-Atmospheric Oscillations, Ajay Kalra, Sajjad Ahmad

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Estimating long-lead time precipitation under the stress of increased climatic variability is a challenging task in the field of hydrology. A modified Support Vector Machine (SVM) based framework is proposed to estimate annual precipitation using oceanic-atmospheric oscillations. Oceanic-atmospheric oscillations, consisting of Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), and El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) for a period of 1900–2008, are used to generate annual precipitation estimates with a 1 year lead time. The SVM model is applied to 17 climate divisions encompassing the Colorado River Basin in the western United States. The overall results revealed that …

A Study Of The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, In Tampa Bay: Effects Of Perkinsus Marinus On Reproduction And Condition, Bridgit Melora Mccrickard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Five sites in Tampa Bay, Florida, were sampled monthly from February 2006 to January 2007. These sites were located at the mouth of the Alafia River, in an inlet of Cross Bayou, on the easement of Gandy Bridge, near mangrove in Manatee County, and an inlet of Salt Creek, off Bayboro Harbor. Standard methods were used to determine shell height and Condition Index (CI). Intensity and prevalence of Perkinsus marinus were analyzed using Ray's Thioglycollate medium test, while Haplosporidium nelsoni was studied by histological examination. Histological methods were also used to determine sex ratios, reproductive phases, and egg diameters. …

Global Estimates Of Mineral Dust Aerosol Iron And Aluminum Solubility That Account For Particle Size Using Diffusion-Controlled And Surface-Area-Controlled Approximations, Qin Han, Charles S. Zender, J. Keith Moore, Clifton S. Buck, Ying Chen, Anne Johansen, Christopher I. Measures

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Mineral aerosol deposition is recognized as the dominant source of iron to the open ocean and the solubility of iron in the dust aerosol is highly variable, with measurements ranging from 0.01–80%. Global models have difficulty capturing the observed variations in solubility, and have ignored the solubility dependence on aerosol size. We introduce two idealized physical models to estimate the size dependence of mineral aerosol solubility: a diffusion‐controlled model and a surface‐area‐controlled model. These models produce differing time‐ and space‐varying solubility maps for aerosol Fe and Al given the dust age at deposition, size‐resolved dust entrainment fields, and the aerosol …

Carbon Sequestration And Sediment Accretion In San Francisco Bay Tidal Wetlands, John C. Callaway, Evyan L. Borgnis, R. Eugene Turner, Charles S. Milan

Faculty Publications

Tidal wetlands play an important role with respect to climate change because of both their sensitivity to sea-level rise and their ability to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Policy-based interest in carbon sequestration has increased recently, and wetland restoration projects have potential for carbon credits through soil carbon sequestration. We measured sediment accretion, mineral and organic matter accumulation, and carbon sequestration rates using 137Cs and 210Pb downcore distributions at six natural tidal wetlands in the San Francisco Bay Estuary. The accretion rates were, in general, 0.2–0.5 cm year−1, indicating that local wetlands are keeping pace with recent rates of …

Implementation Of Branch-Point-Tolerant Wavefront Reconstructor For Strong Turbulence Compensation, Michael J. Steinbock

Theses and Dissertations

Branch points arise in optical transmissions due to strong atmospheric turbulence, long propagation paths, or a combination of both. Unfortunately, these conditions are very often present in desired operational scenarios for laser weapon systems, optical communication, and covert imaging, which suffer greatly when traditional adaptive optics systems either cannot sense branch points or implement non-optimal methods for sensing and correcting branch points. Previous research by Pellizzari presented a thorough analysis of various novel branch point tolerant reconstructors in the absence of noise. In this research a realistic model of the Air Force Institute of Technology's adaptive optics system is developed …

Climate's Role In Polar Bear Past [Letters], Kurt E. Galbreath, Joseph A. Cook, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Striking temporal concordance between the new date for divergence of polar bears and persistent freezing of the Arctic Ocean suggests that this may be one of relatively few instances in which a specific paleoclimatological episode can be convincingly linked to a specific evolutionary event, and it provides vivid demonstration of climatic forcing as a determinant of diversification in biological systems.

Agenda: A Low-Carbon Energy Blueprint For The American West, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center, University Of Colorado Boulder. Renewable And Sustainable Energy Institute, Western Resource Advocates, Rocky Mountain Research Station (Fort Collins, Colo.)

A Low-Carbon Energy Blueprint for the American West (Martz Summer Conference, June 6-8)

The future of the planet may depend upon our ability to increase energy supplies even as we reduce carbon emissions. This conference will address how a low-carbon energy program might evolve with a particular focus on the American West. It will focus on the future of energy in the West--on a “managed transition” to a different energy mix, on the need to nest this effort in a framework that acknowledges interconnections, and on identifying the most salient opportunities to consider the legal, political, financial, and technical challenges.

Ionospheric Plasma Transport And Loss In Auroral Downward Current Regions, M. Zettergren, J. L. Semeter

Publications

A detailed study of the effects of auroral current systems on thermal ionospheric plasma transport and loss is conducted using a new ionospheric model. The mathematical formulation of the model is a variation on the 5‐moment approximation which describes the temporal evolution of density, drift, and temperature for five different ion species in two spatial dimensions. The fluid system is closed through a 2‐D electrostatic treatment of the auroral currents. This model is used to examine the interplay between ion heating, perpendicular transport, molecular ion generation, and type‐1 ion upflows in a self‐consistent way for the first time. Simulations confirm …

Human Impact On Atolls Leads To Coral Loss And Community Homogenisation: A Modeling Study, Bernhard Riegl, Charles R. C. Sheppard, Samuel J. Purkis

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

We explore impacts on pristine atolls subjected to anthropogenic near-field (human habitation) and far-field (climate and environmental change) pressure. Using literature data of human impacts on reefs, we parameterize forecast models to evaluate trajectories in coral cover under impact scenarios that primarily act via recruitment and increased mortality of larger corals. From surveys across the Chagos, we investigate the regeneration dynamics of coral populations distant from human habitation after natural disturbances. Using a size-based mathematical model based on a time-series of coral community and population data from 1999–2006, we provide hind- and forecast data for coral population dynamics within lagoons …

The Effects Of Biochar Age And Concentration On Soil Retention Of Phosphorus And Infiltration Rate, Emilie Schneider

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Changes in land use and land management practices are regarded as one of the main factors in altering the hydrogeological system, causing changes in runoff, surface supply yields, and the quality of receiving water (Tong and Chen, 2002). Phosphorus is a significant contributor to accelerated eutrophication of fresh water and is largely sourced from agricultural runoff (Sharpley et al., 1994). The dominant processes controlling solution composition in agricultural soils are primarily ‘chemical’ for P (i.e. adsorption/desorption and dissolution/precipitation) (Edwards and Withers, 1998). Biochar has chemical characteristics that have the potential to adsorb P or influence precipitation of P insoluble pools …

Green Infrastructure Resource Directory, New England Environmental Finance Center

Sustainable Communities Capacity Building

Green infrastructure is an approach for managing stormwater that uses vegetation and soils to capture and treat rainwater where it falls. Unlike single-purpose gray infrastructure, green infrastructure realizes multiple benefits at once, including flood mitigation, improved water and air quality, community beautification, provision of recreational opportunities, and energy and cost savings. This resource directory is intended to help communities design, implement, fund, and monitor green infrastructure practices and programs. It was compiled by the Environmental Finance Center Network through the Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities program funded by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. …

Reproduction Of Twentieth Century Intradecadal To Multidecadal Surface Temperature Variability In Radiatively Forced Coupled Climate Models, Patrick T. Brown, Eugene C. Cordero, Steven A. Mauget

Faculty Publications, Meteorology and Climate Science

[1] Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 3 simulations that included time-varying radiative forcings were ranked according to their ability to consistently reproduce twentieth century intradecadal to multidecadal (IMD) surface temperature variability at the 5° by 5° spatial scale. IMD variability was identified using the running Mann-Whitney Z method. Model rankings were given context by comparing the IMD variability in preindustrial control runs to observations and by contrasting the IMD variability among the ensemble members within each model. These experiments confirmed that the inclusion of time-varying external forcings brought simulations into closer agreement with observations. Additionally, they illustrated that the magnitude of …

Observations Of Localised Effects Of The Busselton Compensating Basins On Surface Water, Groundwater And Soil Salinity, D L. Bennett, Richard J. George Dr

Resource management technical reports

Between 2001 and 2009 the Water Corporation constructed three flood-compensating basins on farmland in the Vasse and Sabina river catchments, upstream of in the city of Busselton. The basins are designed to reduce the risk of flooding in urban areas of Busselton by temporarily storing and then regulating runoff during flood events. This report fulfils the reporting requirements of a contract between the Water Corporation and the Department of Agriculture and Food. Data relating to the local groundwater and surface-water dynamics, salinity, nutrients and pH, plus changes to shallow and deep-soil salinity (from repeat ground-based electromagnetic induction [EM] surveying), was …

3d Sonar Measurements In Wakes Of Ships Of Opportunity, Alexander Soloviev, Christopher Maingot, Mike Agor, Lou Nash, Keith Dixon

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The aim of this work is to test the potential capabilities of 3D sonar technology for studying small-scale processes in the near-surface layer of the ocean, using the centerline wake of ships of opportunity as the object of study. The first tests conducted in Tampa Bay, Florida, with the 3D sonar have demonstrated the ability of this technology to observe the shape of the centerlinewake in great detail starting from centimeter scale, using air bubbles as a proxy. An advantage of the 3Dsonar technology is that it allows quantitative estimates of the ship wake geometry, which presents new opportunities for …

Pyrosequencing Of Bacterial Symbionts Within Axinella Corrugata Sponges: Diversity And Seasonal Variability, James R. White, Jignasa Patel, Andrea Ottesen, Gabriela Arce, Patricia Blackwelder, Jose V. Lopez

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Background: Marine sponge species are of significant interest to many scientific fields including marine ecology, conservation biology, genetics, host-microbe symbiosis and pharmacology. One of the most intriguing aspects of the sponge ‘‘holobiont’’ system is the unique physiology, interaction with microbes from the marine environment and the development of a complex commensal microbial community. However, intraspecific variability and temporal stability of sponge-associated bacterial symbionts remain relatively unknown.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We have characterized the bacterial symbiont community biodiversity of seven different individuals of the Caribbean reef sponge Axinella corrugata, from two different Florida reef locations during variable seasons using …