Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Uncertainty Of Dimensional Measurments Obtained From Self-Initialized Instruments, Vincent Lee

All Dissertations

Precision dimensional measurement instruments often contain sensors that can only measure displacement of a moving body from some reference position. In order to measure the length of an object they often require a calibrated artifact to initialize their measurement sensors so that they may provide an absolute measurement instead of displacement. Instruments which can realize a null value, i.e. zero length, don't require one; however instruments which can't need to reference an object of known size. These calibration artifacts also serve as part of the chain of metrological traceability.
The group of instruments presented in this dissertation can self-initialize by …

Architecture, Modeling, And Analysis Of A Plasma Impedance Probe, Magathi Jayaram

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Variations in ionospheric plasma density can cause large amplitude and phase changes in the radio waves passing through this region. Ionospheric weather can have detrimental effects on several communication systems, including radars, navigation systems such as the Global Positioning Sytem (GPS), and high-frequency communications. As a result, creating models of the ionospheric density is of paramount interest to scientists working in the field of satellite communication.

Numerous empirical and theoretical models have been developed to study the upper atmosphere climatology and weather. Multiple measurements of plasma density over a region are of marked importance while creating these models. The lack …

Statistical Analysis Of The Usu Lidar Data Set With Reference To Mesospheric Solar Response And Cooling Rate Calculation, With Analysis Of Statistical Issues Affecting The Regression Coefficients, Troy Alden Wynn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Though the least squares technique has many advantages, its possible limitations as applied in the atmospheric sciences have not yet been fully explored in the literature. The assumption that the atmosphere responds either in phase or out of phase to the solar input is ubiquitous. However, our analysis found this assumption to be incorrect. If not properly addressed, the possible consequences are bias in the linear trend coefficient and attenuation of the solar response coefficient.

Using USU Rayleigh lidar temperature data, we found a significant phase offset to the solar input in the temperatures that varies ±5 years depending on …

Removal Of Arsenic And Strontium From Aqueous Solution Using Ironoxide Coated Zeolitized Tuff, Nataliya V. Kasimtseva

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As world population grows so does the demand for safe drinking water. Meanwhile water resources become increasingly scarce and quality of natural water decreases due to a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors. Industry and agriculture have become a premiere source of hazardous constituents, along with natural processes such as rock weathering and volcanic eruptions. Our ability to remove hazardous constituents from water depends on chosen technology and nature of contaminant. Sorption and ion-exchange have been widely applied for water purification. Natural zeolites have been widely applied in water and waste water treatment as ion-exchangers for removal of harmful contaminants …

A Comprehensive Uncertainty Analysis And Method Of Geometric Calibration For A Circular Scanning Airborne Lidar, Michael Oliver Gonsalves

Dissertations

This dissertation describes an automated technique for ascertaining the values of the geometric calibration parameters of an airborne lidar. A least squares approach is employed that adjusts the point cloud to a single planar surface which could be either a narrow airport runway or a dynamic sea surface. Going beyond the customary three boresight angles, the proposed adjustment can determine up to eleven calibration parameters to a precision that renders a negligible contribution to the point cloud’s positional uncertainty.

Presently under development is the Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar (CZMIL), which, unlike most contemporary systems that use oscillating mirrors …

A Comprehensive Rocket And Radar Study Of Midlatitude Spread F, G.D. Earle, P. Bhaneja, P.A. Roddy, C.M. Swenson, A. Barjatya, R. L. Bishop, Et. Al

Publications

An instrumented sounding rocket launched from Wallops Island Virginia has flown through a midlatitude spread F (MSF) event in conjunction with simultaneous ionosonde, HF radar, and 244 MHz scintillation observations from the ground. The in situ measurements include the electric field, horizontal neutral wind, and plasma density within the spread F region. The ground‐based HF radar measurements of wave signatures in the bottomside F region ledge reveal the presence of waves propagating to the north and northwest prior to and during the spreading event. The periods of these bottomside waves range from 16 to 60 min, and they are shown …

The Distribution And Comparative Biogeochemistry Of Silver With Other Selected Trace Metals In Coastal Waters Near Massachusetts, Usa, Christian F. Krahforst

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Water samples and hydrologic data were collected during 1994-1996 in New England coastal waters near Massachusetts, USA to examine the distribution of silver and other trace metals (Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn, and Fe) in the coastal systems of Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays. These investigations were designed to test the hypothesis that silver could serve as a tracer of dispersion of municipal wastewater in Boston Harbor into Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays and estimate the relative contribution of wastewater discharge to the overall silver budget of the Massachusetts Bays system. Silver concentrations in both particulate and filtered (<0.4 µm) fractions averaged 103 and 117 pmol kg-1 for Boston Harbor, 34 and 10 pmol kg-1 in western Massachusetts Bay, and 11 and 7 pmol kg-1 in the central portion of Massachusetts Bay, respectively. Average Ag concentrations in southern Gulf of Maine coastal waters were 10 and 2 pmol kg-1 for filtered and particulate fractions, respectively. While nearly half of the silver existed in particulate form in Boston Harbor, nearly 80% of the silver in Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays occurred in the filterable fraction. Coastal water surveys revealed non-conservative Ag behavior and probably the result of incomplete mixing of three or more water masses with unique Ag signatures (e.g., Merrimack River, Boston Harbor, surface and intermediate Gulf of Maine waters). Quasi-steady state mass balance approaches estimate most of the silver entering into the Massachusetts Bays system during the study period was the result of municipal wastewater discharge to Boston Harbor (84-93%).

Multivariate analyses …

Pooling For Horizontal Wells: Can They Teach An Old Dog New Tricks?, Bruce M. Kramer

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

74 pages.

This paper was originally published as:

Bruce M. Kramer, “Pooling for Horizontal Wells: Can They Teach an Old Dog New Tricks?,” 55 Rocky Mt. Min. L. Inst. 8-1, § 8.05 (2009).

Slides: Shale Drilling And Completions, William Fleckenstein

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: William Fleckenstein, BP Adjunct Professor in the Petroleum Department and Director of PERFORM Research, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, and Managing Partner of Fleckenstein, Eustes & Associates

20 slides

Slides: Transforming And Disrupting: Shale Gas And Oil In U.S. Energy Supply, Richard Nehring

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: Richard Nehring, Nehring Associates, Colorado Springs, CO

15 slides

Agenda: Shale Plays In The Intermountain West: Legal And Policy Issues, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

This one-day symposium to be held at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Denver will address the technology, economics, environmental impacts, and regulatory issues associated with shale gas development in the Rocky Mountain region. The purpose of this event is to facilitate productive dialogue among a wide range of stakeholders and interested parties to guide policy decisions.

Slides: Development Of Shale: Water Resource Concerns And Policy Considerations, Katy Dunlap

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: Katy Dunlap, Eastern Water Project Director, Trout Unlimited, Inc., Burdett, NY

24 slides

Slides: The Here And Now Of U.S. Nat Gas, Michelle Michot Foss

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: Michelle Michot Foss, Chief Energy Economist, Center for Energy Economics, Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas, Austin, TX

12 slides

Slides: Water And Development Of Unconventional Oil And Gas Resources, Judy Jordan

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: Judy Jordan, Oil & Gas Liaison, Garfield County, Rifle, CO

21 slides

Slides: Shale And Air Quality: The View From The Other Side, Jeremy Nichols

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: Jeremy Nichols, Climate & Energy Program Director, WildEarth Guardians, Denver, CO

18 slides

Slides: U.S. Shale Gas: Resources, Reserves And $$$, John B. Curtis

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: John B. Curtis, Professor of Geology and Geological Engineering and Director of the Potential Gas Agency, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO

17 slides

Slides: Evolving Policy On Shale Plays, John Martin

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: John Martin, Crowell & Moring, LLP, Washington, DC

17 slides

Oh And Oi Airglow Layer Modulation By Ducted Short-Period Gravity Waves: Effects Of Trapping Altitude, Jonathan B. Snively, Victor P. Pasko, Michael J. Taylor

Publications

Perturbations to the OH and OI [O(1S) 557.7 nm] airglow layers by ducted gravity waves near the Brunt‐Väisälä period are investigated using a 2‐D numerical model. Airglow signatures of these waves are strongly determined by perturbations of O, O3, and H, which exhibit peak densities near and above mesopause. Strong periodic vertical wind components of short‐period gravity waves induce opposite relative density perturbations above and below the layer density peaks. Airglow signatures for ducted waves depend on the specific vertical shapes and altitudes of the wave packets relative to ambient species density profiles; waves perturbing only the bottoms or tops …

Linking Soil Loss To Sediment Delivery In Two Estuaries In Puerto Rico, Nekesha Bernadette Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Enhanced soil loss from the watershed is a major environmental issue. Increased soil loss from a watershed can potentially increase sediment delivery and loading to aquatic ecosystems such as rivers and estuaries. An increase in sediment delivery and loading to freshwater and transitional marine ecosystems can impact water quality and supply specifically by: (1) reducing water clarity, (2) transporting nutrient and pollutant laden sediments and (3) reducing the storage capacity of reservoirs. To address these broader environmental impacts of increased sediment delivery and loading to aquatic ecosystems it is imperative that potential source areas of sediments available for transport are …

Quasi-Decadal Spectral Peaks Of Tropical Western Pacific Ssts As A Precursor For Tropical Cyclone Threat, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, Adam J. Clark

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

A recent study identified significant spectral peaks in sea surface temperatures (SSTs) at quasi‐decadal frequency bands, which were unique to the tropical western Pacific (TWP). Using the multitaper method for spectral and coherence analysis, this study finds that the TWP SSTs at these quasi‐decadal time scales are coherent with western Pacific tropical cyclone threat [as measured by the power dissipation index (PDI)], but that the PDI lags TWP SSTs by about two years. Thus, the quasi‐decadal peaks in TWP SSTs may be a precursor for enhanced tropical cyclone threat two years later. Composite analyses are shown to illustrate how areal …