Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Ms Environmental Biology Capstone Project, Klaudia Sowizral

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Thelephorales fungi are considered important ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) in forest ecosystems, yet the patterns of diversity and distribution and the processes that shape them remain poorly understood. This study aims to address this research gap by conducting an exploratory analysis of Thelephorales fungi in soil and litter across various habitat types and environmental characteristics. To do so, we used data collected and synthesized by the Climush project, a multi-year, systematic sampling of macrofungal diversity across North America, that aims to assess sexual (sporocarp and spore trap data) and asexual (soil and endophyte metabarcode data) diversity and distribution in relation to …

Environmental Attitudes Of Local Government Scholars In Tiaong, Quezon, Philippines, Justine A. Marasigan, Ma. Larissa Lelu P. Gata

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

This study aimed to analyze the environmental attitudes of local government scholars in Tiaong, Quezon, Philippines. The quantitative research design was used to determine the level of environmental attitudes using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale. It was also utilized to examine the relationship between environmental attitudes and independent variables which include demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and economic status, academic background such as student classification, scholastic standing, scholarship privileges, and membership in student and/or youth organizations, and experience with ecological extremes. A total of 301 respondents participated in an online survey administered through Google Forms ®. The respondents …

Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions In Maize No-Till Agroecosystems In Southern Brazil Based On A Long-Term Experiment, Guilherme Rosa Da Silva, Adam J. Liska, Cimelio Bayer

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Brazilian agriculture is constantly questioned concerning its environmental impacts, particularly greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This research study used data from a 34-year field experiment to estimate the life cycle GHG emissions intensity of maize production for grain in farming systems under no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) combined with Gramineae (oat) and legume (vetch) cover crops in southern Brazil. We applied the Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator for modeling the “field-to-farm gate” emissions with measured annual soil N₂O and CH₄ emissions data. For net CO₂ emissions, increases in soil organic C (SOC) were applied as a proxy, …

Ecocultural Monitoring And Erosion Mitigation In Powers Creek, A Baduwa’T Tributary, In Blue Lake, California, Sebastian Castillo, Lillyauna Perry, Daniel Price, Lokey Struve

Cal Poly Humboldt Capstone Honor Roll

Riparian areas are of great ecological and cultural importance. They provide a variety of ecosystem services, protecting water quality, minimizing climatological changes, and acting as valuable wildlife habitat. They are often also places of connection and access to resources for indigenous communities. Powers Creek, a tributary of the Baduwa’t, is one such place for the Blue Lake Rancheria tribal community. Through the utilization of the process based restoration methodology, our team was able to develop dynamic, place-based solutions for the environmental ails impacting Powers Creek. On-site vegetation and rock weirs were employed as low-tech bioengineering technologies in order to slow …

Eco-Cultural Restoration Of Mouralherwaqh: Site Description And Invasive Species Treatment Plan In King Salmon, California, Natalie Bridget Calderon, Myion Rickey, King Baptista, Owen Bardsley, Jillian Snowhook

Cal Poly Humboldt Capstone Honor Roll

In July of 2022, the Wiyot Tribe bought back one of their first pieces of ancestral forest within the Mouralherwaqh "more-RAH-share-wahg" village area (Wiyot, 2022). Before this repatriation, the Tribe owned less than 1% of their ancestral lands; after, the Tribe’s land holdings increased by 10% (Reclaiming Mouralherwaqh | Humboldt NOW | Cal Poly Humboldt, 2022). Mouralherwaqh is a 46 acre coastal site located near present day King Salmon, California and has high ecological and culturally significant values (Wiyot, 2022). Prior to the change of ownership, Mouralherwaqh was privately-owned and in 2014 underwent a clear-cut timber harvest within eight-acres of …

A Refined Neutrosophic Components Into Subcomponents With Plausible Applications To Long Term Energy Planning Predominated By Renewable Energy, Victor Christianto, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

It is known that in the long-term planning of future energy supplies, in most countries, it is most likely that the energy mix will be predominated by renewable energy generation. While this feature of a predominating renewable energy mix appears too far fetched, such long term planning has been suggested, for instance, by Mark Jacobson from Stanford and also by John Blackburn. Here we consider two things, the first would be how to consider the long-term energy planning based on neutrosophic logic split into subcomponents.

Indigenous Practice And Community-Led Climate Change Solutions: The Relevance Of Traditional Cosmic Knowledge Systems, Rani Muthukrishnan, Ranjan Datta

All Faculty Scholarship

This book centers Indigenous knowledge and practice in community-led climate change solutions.

This book will be one of the first academic books to use the consciousness framework to examine and explain humans' situatedness and role in maintaining ecosystems' health. Drawing on teachings from the Indigenous Adi-Shaiva community, the authors present up-to-date research on meanings and implications of South Asian traditional cosmic knowledge, which focuses on relationality and spirituality connected to climate change. This knowledge can create innovative climate change solutions in areas including land, water, traditional management, sustainability goals and expectations, and state development projects. Overall, this book provides an …

Mangroves Of The Warm Temperate Northwest Atlantic, Daniel A. Friess, Ena L. Suárez, Anna R. Armitage, Cheryl Doughty, Laura C. Feher, Ilka C. Feller, Alejandro Fierro, Kara R. Radabaugh, Lorae T. Simpson, William C. V Vervaeke, Carlos Zamora-Tovar

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The ‘Mangroves of the Warm Temperate Northwest Atlantic’ province is a regional ecosystem subgroup (level 4 unit of the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology). It includes the marine ecoregions of Carolinian and Northern Gulf of Mexico. The biota is characterized by 3 species of mangroves: Avicennia germinans, Laguncularia racemosa, and Rhizophora mangle, and 1 mangrove associate Conocarpus erectus, though not all species are equally distributed throughout the province. Mangroves in this province cross the USA and Mexico and are quite unique, as they exist at the latitudinal range limit of the mangrove ecosystem. The majority of mangroves in this province are …

Assessing Tax Revenue Implications Of Environmental Policy: A Case Study Of China’S Channel City Policy, Yongwen Yang, Juhee Lee

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent studies suggest that while environmental policies yield positive environmental effects, they also incur costs for various entities. However, there is a gap in research regarding these policies’ financial impact from the government's perspective. To investigate the extent to which government tax revenue is affected by environmental policies, we employ the Difference-inDifferences (DID) method to estimate the impact of a regional air pollution control policy in China known as the Channel City Policy on the tax revenue of city governments. Our findings indicate that the Channel City Policy (CCP) enhances air quality by reducing PM2.5, SO2, and NOx concentrations by …

Revegetation Of Two Drained Reservoirs On The Elwha River Ten Years After Dam Removal, Michael Trier

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

The Elwha and Glines Canyon dams on the Elwha River, Washington, USA were removed between 2011 and 2014 after being in place for a century, and at the time were the largest dams ever removed. The resulting dewatering of Lake Aldwell, the reservoir of the Elwha dam, and Lake Mills, the reservoir of the Glines Canyon dam exposed over 270 hectares of land that had been submerged. While several studies have examined the revegetation of these drained reservoirs, none have gone beyond 5 years since dam removal. These studies found that sediment grain size and reservoir landform (valley walls, terraces …

Dam Dimensions And Surface Porosity Affect The Water Storage Capacity Of Beaver Dam Analogs Compared To Natural Beaver Dams, Sawyer Nagle

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Widespread stream incision in the Western United States, exacerbated by climate change and anthropogenic activities, necessitates effective restoration strategies. My study compares water retention by Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) to natural beaver dams and undammed control reaches. I compared how dam dimensions affect the hydraulic performance of both BDAs and beaver dams, revealing gaps in research on their comparative effectiveness. My study was conducted across eight watersheds in Washington state and two in Idaho. Hydraulic retention time (HRT), water travel time, and pool volume were response variables used to determine dam effectiveness. Dam height, thickness, length and porosity were the …

Moab Local Food Guide 2024, Roslynn Mccann, Shiree Duncan

All Current Publications

Thank you for picking up this Moab Utah Local Food Guide. Those growing and producing food within a 100 mile radius from Moab have been included in this guide to help YOU make locally sourced purchasing decisions!

Critical Convergence: Mapping The Boundaries Of How Faculty Interrogate Whiteness In The Geoscience Educational Landscape, James E. Hobbs

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations

This study examined the role of faculty members in interrogating whiteness within geoscience education. The dominant reliance on whiteness as the primary way of knowing in geoscience education has long perpetuated a singular perspective that serves as a mechanism for reinforcing existing power structures rooted in white supremacy. Drawing on tenets from Critical whiteness Studies, Curriculum Theory, and Transformative Learning Theory, this research investigated U.S. higher education faculty members' strategies and challenges in disrupting whiteness within the geoscience curriculum.

Through critical qualitative narrative inquiry, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with geoscience faculty members across multiple institutions across the United …

Climate Risk, Insurance Retreat, And State Response, Mark P. Nevitt, Michael Pappas

Faculty Articles

Climate change is fundamentally destabilizing the private insurance industry, with many high-profile insurance companies exiting states in the face of catastrophic, climate-­induced risk. This rapid "insurance retreat" represents a major market signal in response to climate-exacerbated risks. Private businesses are making actuarial decisions, assessing that some locations are just too vulnerable to insure. At the same time, this insurance retreat also poses a policy challenge for states as they react to the mounting insurance gaps left by exiting private insurers.

This Article analyzes insurance retreat, its attendant policy challenges, and the lessons that can be drawn from state responses. It …

A Social-Ecological Approach To Evaluating Short-Term Water Leasing For Streamflow Conservation In Montana, Usa, Logan A. Brauer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Streams throughout Montana are increasingly caught between increasing temperatures, decreasing summer precipitation, and heavy water demand for irrigated agriculture. Amid rapidly growing urban populations and uncertain climatic futures, many watersheds in Montana may face water shortages that impact aquatic species and habitat in the upcoming years. Conservation efforts around the state are working to mitigate water stress in these streams especially during the late summer season, when streamflow is naturally lower, and/or in times of drought. One policy solution to address low flows is a concept known as temporary leasing or split season leasing programs (SSLP), whereby an entity (e.g., …

Factors Affecting Electrocoagulation Process For Different Water Types: A Review, Shahad Fadhil Abed Al-Rubaye, Naseer A. Alhaboubi, Aiman H. Al-Allaq

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Raw water must meet specific physical, chemical, and biological requirements to be suitable for drinking. There are various techniques available for treating wastewater, and aside from conventional methods that involve chemicals, electrocoagulation is an efficient and advanced approach. Electrocoagulation has proven effective in treating many pollutants, including bacteria, viruses, iron, fluoride, sulfate, boron, hardness, and turbidity. Total suspended solids, organic and inorganic materials, chemical oxygen demand COD, biochemical oxygen demand BOD, and color. It finds extensive application in treating different types of water and wastewater due to its exceptional ability to remove diverse contaminants. Recently, electrocoagulation has garnered significant attention …

Drought Conditioning Conifer Seedlings For Post-Fire Management And Climate Change Adaptation, Anna C. Ross

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Increased frequency, severity, and duration of drought and increased wildfire severity are together impacting forests of the western U.S. To encourage forest ecosystem resilience to these changing disturbance regimes, there is a need for novel silvicultural techniques that develop seedlings capable of establishing in hotter and drier climates. We evaluated the morphological and physiological effects of a drought conditioning treatment applied in a greenhouse on second- year ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), western white pine (Pinus monticola), and western larch (Larix occidentalis) seedlings. Treatments included a well-watered control (75% of container capacity) and a water-limited …

Assessing Stormwater Management Pond Water Quality, Function, And The Potential Biotic Effects To Receiving Waters, Mitchell Elstone

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The use of stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) has been increasing over the past five decades. However, an in-depth understanding of the daily performance of SWMPs and functionality during cold periods is limited. This is in part because mandated monitoring is relatively infrequent, and the assumption that SWMPs are inactive between storm events and during the winter. The goals of this research were to better understand daily stormwater (SW) characteristics, the performance of SWMPs based on current forms of evaluation and assess the potential for SWMP effluent to impact downstream biota. Influent and effluent samples from two SWMPs were collected daily …

Nesting Habitat Selection And Management Of Three Freshwater Turtle Species Along The Shorelines Of Lake Champlain, Destini Acosta

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Habitat loss, caused by factors like urbanization and land conversion, disrupts ecosystems and can lead to population declines and even extinctions of species that rely on those habitats for survival. Loss of shoreline habitat has been widespread and reduces nesting grounds for species like freshwater turtles, often threatening their reproductive success and population viability. In the Lake Champlain Basin, several turtle species have experienced declines and recovery efforts are limited by a lack of information on habitats selected during the crucial period of nesting. This study aimed to identify and characterize nesting habitat selection of freshwater turtles and included two …

Coalescence: A Carnivore Coexistence Curriculum That Braids Indigenous & Western Ecological Knowledge Into A Relevant And Experiential Learning Opportunity For Youth, Stephanie Anne Barron

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horriblis) begin to reoccupy more of their historic range, and as humans and large carnivore populations continue to increase, incidences of human carnivore conflict are on the rise. A decolonial curriculum designed in collaboration with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe’s wildlife biologists stands to increase awareness of Indigenous ecological knowledge and teach youth about the importance of coexistence with carnivores. Additionally, this project could greatly influence youth perceptions of grizzly bears and other large carnivores. This research project examines the development and implementation of a carnivore coexistence curriculum for youth that is guided by …

A Tale Of Two Working Landscapes, Sage C. Sutcliffe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Better Understanding The Barred Owl, Adam Lee Potts

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis research presents an analysis of barred owl nest site selection in an understudied region of their expanded range. The barred owl has dramatically expanded its range westwards over the last 150 years, prompting multiple conflicting reinterpretations of their species account. Hypotheses of range expansion are reviewed to provide context for this study’s research. This study gathers empirical data on nest site selection in the mixed conifer forests of Montana’s Seeley-Swan and Mission Valleys. Eight barred owl nests were located following extensive territory surveys. Field measurements of tree height and diameter using USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot …

Evaluating The Impacts Of Microplastics On The Soil Biochemical Environment And Cherry Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) Productivity, Kenny Famakinwa

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Microplastics are a global contaminant with serious consequences for ecosystems and human health, yet their effects on terrestrial soil and plants are poorly understood. We conducted the systematic research to reveal the impact of polyethylene microplastics (PE MPs), polypropylene (PP) MPs and Mixture of PE + PP, size (0.1 – 1 vs 2 – 3.5 mm), concentration (1% vs 5%) on soil biochemical and physiochemical of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L) health. The results showed that the addition of MPs resulted in elevated soil pH, particularly at 5% concentration and size 2 – 3.5mm. There was a remarkable 30.6 – 47% …

Widespread Crab Burrows Enhance Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Coastal Blue Carbon Ecosystems, Kai Xiao, Yuchen Wu, Feng Pan, Yingrong Huang, Hebo Peng, Meiqing Lu, Yan Zhang, Hailong Li, Yan Zheng, Chunmiao Zheng, Yan Liu, Nengwan Chen, Leilei Xiao, Guangxuan Han, Yasong Li, Pei Xin, Ruili Li, Bochao Xu, Faming Wang, Joseph J. Tamborski, Alicia M. Wilson, Daniel M. Alongi, Isaac R. Santos

OES Faculty Publications

Fiddler crabs, as coastal ecosystem engineers, play a crucial role in enhancing biodiversity and accelerating the flow of material and energy. Here we show how widespread crab burrows modify the carbon sequestration capacity of different habitats across a large climatic gradient. The process of crab burrowing results in the reallocation of sediment organic carbon and humus. Crab burrows can increase more greenhouse gases emissions compared to the sediment matrix (CO2: by 17-30%; CH4: by 49-141%). Straightforward calculations indicate that these increased emissions could offset 35-134% of sediment carbon burial in these two ecosystems. This research highlights the complex interactions between …

Artificial Illumination Of Trawl Gear Components To Reduce Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus Stenolepis) Bycatch In The U.S. West Coast Groundfish Bottom Trawl Fishery, Derek Jackson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) is a prohibited species for the U.S. West Coast Bottom Trawl Fishery and in the last decade, there has been a concentrated interest in the use of artificial illumination serving as a potential bycatch reduction device. Previous studies conducted off the coast of Oregon have found that the addition of green light-emitting diodes to the bridles of low-rise, cutback trawls greatly reduced the number of Pacific halibut caught. However, recent regulation changes now permit high-rise trawls, a gear configuration that fishes a very different volume of water than the previously permissible gear profile, in areas where …

Policy Recommendations For Tire Additive 6ppd And Its Derivative 6ppd-Q, Ashley E. King

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Around 3.1 billion tires are produced around the world annually1. The antioxidant additive, 6PPD (i.e., N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N’-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine) is widely employed in passenger and commercial vehicle tires at 0.4-2% by mass to impede tire degradation2. Antioxidants are intended to migrate to tire surfaces and form protective films to prevent rubber oxidation. 6PPD is designed to react with oxidant species like ozone, intentionally forming chemical transformation products that can then escape from the tire and into the environment. 6PPD-Q (i.e., 2-anilino-5-[(4-methylpentan-2-yl)amino]cyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-dione) is one such transformation product.

After release and disbursement in the environment, 6PPD-Q is bioavailable to aquatic animals and mammals and acute …

Mapping With The Land: Co-Developing A Cumulative Impact Monitoring And Land Stewardship Framework With Sambaa K’E First Nation, Northwest Territories, Canada, Michael S. Mcphee

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Across the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada, Indigenous populations are striving to achieve effective environmental protection, whilst navigating complex methods, policies, and research relationships within co-management contexts. This thesis seeks to identify how differing cultural systems, environmental change, and fractured partnerships may be unified to align with the needs of the Sambaa K’e First Nation (SKFN), a remote Dehcho Dene community. Indigenous methodologies guided co-development of research questions with SKFN leadership which yielded objectives a) develop a GIS-based method to manage, organize and mobilize cultural and environmental data; b) develop a new stewardship monitoring procedure so that users can apply the …

Reducing Short-Chain Pfas Levels In California Water Supplies, Manu Prabandham

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis proposes twelve specific policies based on precedents set by prior regulation of persistent organic pollutants (such as PCBs), the costs and benefits of short-chain PFAS, technologies available to remove and destroy short-chain PFAS, and the roles and limitations of California’s regulatory institutions. The twelve policies are chosen to be politically and financially feasible, effective at removing short-chain PFAS from water supplies, and equitable towards lower-income and minority Californians, who suffer the most from the consequences of PFAS and other environmental pollutants. The new definitions, education campaigns, studies, taxes, bans, standards, testing, and filtration systems proposed are intended to …

Delayed Coastal Inundations Caused By Ocean Dynamics Post-Hurricane Matthew, Kyungmin Park, Emanuele Di Lorenzo, Yinglong J. Zhang, Tal Ezer, Fei Yi

CCPO Publications

Post Hurricane Abnormal Water Level (PHAWL) poses a persistent inundation threat to coastal communities, yet unresolved knowledge gaps exist regarding its spatiotemporal impacts and causal mechanisms. Using a high-resolution coastal model with a set of observations, we find that the PHAWLs are up to 50 cm higher than the normal water levels for several weeks and cause delayed inundations around residential areas of the U.S. Southeast Coast (USSC). Numerical experiments reveal that while atmospheric forcing modulates the coastal PHAWLs, ocean dynamics primarily driven by the Gulf Stream control the mean component and duration of the shelf-scale PHAWLs. Because of the …

Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma Rufum) Habitat Preferences In Pine Barrens, Shrublands, And Agricultural Areas In New England, Alec Woolf

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Early successional habitat and related species are in decline in the Northeastern United States. One species of shrubland bird that is declining in the northeast is the Brown Thrasher, considered a species of conservation concern in several states such as New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Vermont, and New Jersey. However, few studies have focused on examining Brown Thrasher habitat preferences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Brown Thrasher associations with early successional habitat adjacent to farmland, within deciduous forests, and within pine barrens. I conducted systematic point count surveys with playback to assess thrasher occupancy and …