Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Addressing Barriers To Proactive Restoration Of At-Risk Sagebrush Communities: A Causal Layered Analysis, Carmen Calzado-Martinez, Mark W. Brunson, Sofia Koutzoukis, Jacobo Baggio, Kari E. Veblen

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Restoration success in degraded rangelands often depends on a site's resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasive plants. Because it is more difficult to restore plant communities after they are dominated by invasive species, a potential approach is proactive restoration in sites at risk of crossing degradation thresholds (e.g. initiating restoration prior to invasive grass dominance). When developing a new restoration approach, it is important to consider operational feasibility, including social, budgetary, and environmental factors. Accordingly, we studied influences within land management agencies on the adoption of a specific proactive restoration approach: out-planting native grass and forb seedlings into sagebrush …

Towards Meaningful Research And Engagement: Indigenous Knowledge Systems And Great Lakes Governance, Deborah Mcgregor, Nicole Latulippe, Rod Whitlow, Kristi Leora Gansworth, Lorrilee Mcgregor, Stephanie Allen

Articles & Book Chapters

For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples governed their relations in the Great Lakes region, guided by distinct political, legal, governance, and knowledge systems. Despite historic and ongoing exclusion of Indigenous peoples from Great Lakes governance in the Canadian context and other assaults on Indigenous sovereignty, authority, jurisdiction and responsibilities, Indigenous peoples have maintained their relationships with the Great Lakes. In recent years, Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) have made inroads in Great Lakes governance, thanks primarily to First Nation political advocacy. However, it remains a challenge to include Indigenous knowledge and implement approaches that bridge Indigenous and Western ways of knowing. …

North Shore Prospecting, Shae Lindholm

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

If one wanted to pick a violently controversial issue in the North Shore region of Minnesota, mining and mineral prospecting would be at the top of the list. As someone who lives in the region, this EIS is a demonstration of policies directly relevant to my home, and is why I picked it. “Federal Hardrock Mineral Prospecting Permits” is an EIS originating from 2012 that, like the title of the EIS implies, deals with a request for permits to dig exploratory boreholes in various locations in the Superior National Forest, which would come from the USDA Forest Service and the …

Public Participation In The Vineyard Wind Project, Jude Humphrey

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

This paper analyzes the environmental and social impact of Vineyard Wind, a proposed offshore wind farm, as well as the public response to these impacts. This was done by reading and summarizing the draft and final environmental impact statement and comments made during the public participation process. Lawsuits brought against the company were also included in this analysis. The public participation process was deemed adequate and in some cases more than required by federal agencies, however the comments and lawsuits show that there are still concerns that were not included in the approved alternative. The public response to this project …

Recycling In The Mountain West, Zachary Billot, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet synthesizes data on rates of recycling from the March 2021 report "50 States of Recycling," sponsored by the Ball Corporation.The information presented in this document focuses on the effectiveness of recycling in total and by recyclable item, as well as the quantity of product recycled specifically within the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

Using Music And Storytelling As Strategies For Conservation Education, Frances Hincks

Honors College Theses

Given the frequently negative effects each person imposes on their environment (e.g., resource consumption, use of private and public land, and waste production), the public needs to be included in conservation messaging to sustain a healthy, functioning planet. People are generally not informed about conservation topics, which creates difficulties in creating a conservation mindset. Moreover, there is a disconnect between conservation research and presenting conservation related topics to the public in a coherent, accessible format. Thus, conservation education messaging strategies need to be evaluated to determine which are most effective. The objective of this research was to determine the effectiveness …

Sustainable Management Of Facemask Waste Generated From Covid-19 Pandemic In Bhutan, Tshering Yangdon, Twisuk Punpeng, Sirima Mongkolosomit, Kampol Nanthapong, Kinzang Yangden

Journal of Health Research

Background: The rise in facemask waste with the uncertainty of deposition data and all its concomitant pressure on management has resulted in new risks and challenges for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). The purpose of this mixed methods study was to estimate facemask waste generation and examine management in Bhutan since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: One thousand five hundred and twenty-seventh (1,527) consenting members of the public from Class A Thromdes (self-governing municipalities) were surveyed online from February to April 2022, to estimate mask waste using descriptive statistics. This was supported by the waste characterization conducted in Memelhakha, the biggest …

Isomerization Of Galactose To Tagatose: Recent Advances In Non-Enzymatic Isomerization, Jikai Zhao, Zhuo Wang, Qing Jin, Danyi Feng, Juhee Lee

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

The valorization of galactose derived from acid whey to low-calorie tagatose has gained increasing attention. Enzymatic isomerization is of great interest but faces several challenges, such as poor thermal stability of enzymes and a long processing time. In this work, non-enzymatic (supercritical fluids, triethylamine, arginine, boronate affinity, hydrotalcite, Sn-β zeolite, and calcium hydroxide) pathways for galactose to tagatose isomerization were critically discussed. Unfortunately, most of these chemicals showed poor tagatose yields (70%). The latter is able to form a tagatose–calcium hydroxide–water complex, which stimulates the equilibrium toward tagatose and prevents sugar degradation. Nevertheless, the excessive use of calcium hydroxide may …

Fallacies In The Design Of Climate Change Policies: A Response To Richard Epstein, Richard L. Revesz

Texas A&M Law Review

This Essay criticizes Professor Richard Epstein’s approach to climate change regulation, which he characterizes as one involving taking modest steps at first, observing the results of these steps, and then using the lessons learned to inform the next steps. Epstein’s approach depends critically on a particular class of damage function determining how greenhouse gas emissions cause harm—specifically, damage functions that lack discontinuities. And it also depends on the ability to observe in real time how the function occurs. Neither of these conditions are met with respect to climate change. The Essay also shows that Epstein’s approach is further undermined by …

Benthic Habitat Mapping Of Mountain Top Bank Within The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Through Integrated Geophysical And Visual Data Analysis, Bethany Pertain

Master's Theses

Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) are among the seafloor ecosystems that have been poorly studied throughout the world’s oceans, but they are a vital and diverse ecosystem that should be prioritized for future mapping and ecological studies. Priority should be given to them because they possess natural, social, and economic values, and face a variety of threats, all of which, if not better understood will result in the loss of this unique ecosystem. Insights into these ecosystems, among other deep-sea environments, are lacking due to difficulty accessing them, inherent lag between data collection by an autonomous system and observation by a …

Pan-Arctic Soil Moisture Control On Tundra Carbon Sequestration And Plant Productivity, Donatella Zona, Peter M. Lafleur, Koen Hufkens, Beniamino Gioli, Barbara Bailey, George Burba, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Jennifer D. Watts, Kyle A. Arndt, Mary Farina, John S. Kimball, Martin Heimann, Mathias Göckede, Martijn Pallandt, Torben R. Christensen, Mikhail Mastepanov, Efrén López-Blanco, Albertus J. Dolman, Roisin Commane, Charles E. Miller, Josh Hashemi, Lars Kutzbach, David Holl, Julia Boike, Christian Wille, Torsten Sachs, Aram Kalhori, Elyn R. Humphreys, Oliver Sonnentag, Gesa Meyer, Gabriel H. Gosselin, Philip Marsh, Walter C. Oechel

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Long-term atmospheric CO₂ concentration records have suggested a reduction in the positive effect of warming on high-latitude carbon uptake since the 1990s. A variety of mechanisms have been proposed to explain the reduced net carbon sink of northern ecosystems with increased air temperature, including water stress on vegetation and increased respiration over recent decades. However, the lack of consistent long-term carbon flux and in situ soil moisture data has severely limited our ability to identify the mechanisms responsible for the recent reduced carbon sink strength. In this study, we used a record of nearly 100 site-years of eddy covariance …

Transition Town Media - What Do Transition Towns Bring To The Table?, Sari Steuber, Skip Shuda

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Sari Steuber and Skip Shuda, Transition Town Media - What do Transition Towns Bring to the Table?

Road Network Analyses Elucidate Hidden Costs Of Road Flooding Under Accelerating Sea Level Rise, Molly Mitchell, Jessica Hendricks, Daniel Schatt

VIMS Articles

Introduction: As sea level rises and coastal communities simultaneously grow, road flooding has the potential to significantly disrupt travel along road networks and make houses, businesses, and critical facilities difficult to reach. The impacts of tidal and storm surge flooding on roadways present challenging social and economic considerations for all coastal jurisdictions. Maintenance, public and private accessibility, evacuation routes, emergency services are just a few of the common themes local governments are beginning to address for low-lying roadways currently known to flood. Continuation of these services allows a community to thrive, to maintain or increase its tax base, and to …

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter, March 2023, University Of Northern Iowa. Iowa Waste Reduction Center.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

Contents:

--- IWRC Energy Trends Workshop
--- Iowa Minor Source Emissions Inventory Assistance
--- Industry News

Temporal And Spatial Variability Of Specific Energy Consumption For Atmospheric Water Generators, Anthony T. Brenes

Theses and Dissertations

Atmospheric Water Generators (AWG) produce potable water from the moisture in the air, providing a potentially viable water source in austere locations or emergency response scenarios. In this study, the operating constraints of three existing commercially available AWG devices are investigated, compared to historical weather data from across the continental United States. Utilizing linear regression modeling and weather station data for the years of 1985-2019, the monthly and spatial trends of energy demand to produce water from these devices are evaluated. Energy and water production efficiencies for the devices are highly dependent on environmental conditions with relative humidity and temperature …

Remembering Paul Johnsgard, Linda R, Brown, Josef Kren

Zea E-Books Collection

Paul A. Johnsgard (1931–2021) was a friend of many, an artist, prolific author, teacher, and humble admirer of all living creatures. It was impossible to find someone at Nebraska Audubon Society or Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union meetings who did not know Paul Johnsgard. His more than 100 published books made him known not just in a community of ornithologists, birdwatchers, and bird lovers in the United States but also abroad. He was a world-renowned ornithologist and naturalist who remained deeply embedded in his local culture and its prairie environment.

We invited about 75 people to write a short memory of Paul. …

Environment And Sustainability: March 2023, Environment And Sustainability, Office Of The President

Environment and Sustainability

• Green tips campaign

• Green Events Guide

• Supplier workshop for climate action

• New solar panels in Karachi and Kampala

• Organic vegetables supplied to NFSD, Stadium Road

• And much more…

Simulation Of Monthly Mean And Monthly Base Flow Of Streamflow Using Random Forests For The Mississippi River Alluvial Plain, 1901 To 2018, Benjamin J. Dietsch, William H. Asquith, Brian K. Breaker, Stephen M. Westenbroek, Wade H. Kress

United States Geological Survey: Water Reports and Publications

Improved simulations of streamflow and base flow for selected sites within and adjacent to the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain area are important for modeling groundwater flow because surface-water flows have a substantial effect on groundwater levels. One method for simulating streamflow and base flow, random forest (RF) models, was developed from the data at gaged sites and, in turn, was used to make monthly mean streamflow and base-flow predictions at 162 ungaged sites in the study area. Daily streamflow observations and computed base flow from 247 streamgages were used as the basis for the development of these RF models. RF …

How The Covid-19 Pandemic Changed Patterns Of Green Infrastructure Use: A Scoping Review, Amanda Bristowe, Megan Heckert

Geography & Planning Faculty Publications

The use of green infrastructure (GI) has been established as a way to alleviate stress and the COVID-19 pandemic has placed a new emphasis on the importance of GI as both a coping mechanism and a source of recreation. This scoping review seeks to address whether the COVID-19 pandemic affected the use of GI, specifically the ways in which the pandemic altered visitation patterns and the frequency of the use of GI. This review identifies studies that explore the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and GI use and assesses whether the pandemic has altered the use of GI, including whether …

A Satellite-Based Monitoring System For Quantifying Surface Water And Mesic Vegetation Dynamics In A Semi-Arid Region, N. E. Kolarik, A. Roopsind, A. Pickens, J. S. Brandt

Human-Environment Systems Research Center Faculty Publications and Presentations

Semi-arid and arid systems cover one third of the earth’s land surface, and are becoming increasingly drier, but existing datasets do not capture all of the types of water resources that sustain these systems. In semi-arid environments, small surface water bodies and areas of mesic vegetation (wetlands, wet meadows, riparian zones) function as critical water resources. However, the most commonly-used maps of water resources are derived from the Landsat time series or single date aerial photographs, and are too coarse either spatially or temporally to effectively monitor water resource dynamics. In this study, we produced a Sentinel Fusion (SF) water …

Assessing Functional Biodiversity For The Future Of Plants, Planet, And People, Ali Loker

Doctor of Plant Health Program: Dissertations and Student Research

Biodiversity plays a critical role in supporting life in global ecosystems and its links to ecosystem services and sustainability are recognized by scientific and non-scientific communities. Growing awareness of the importance of biodiversity is accelerated by discussions of its loss, and how to design interventions to conserve and mitigate a biodiversity crisis. Stakeholders are funding and implementing assessment strategies at various scales to help direct conservation efforts. There is also growing interest in measuring and communicating biodiversity outcomes.

Functional biodiversity characterizes the multiplicity of life forms into groups based on their diverse contributions to natural and agro-ecosystems. Assessing functional biodiversity …

Net Zero Water Air Force Installations, Kenneth R. Mcknight

Theses and Dissertations

The United States continues to face problems of a reduction in quality and quantity of groundwater sources because water extraction exceeds natural source recharge. The Air Force has recognized the importance of these groundwater sources but has put minimal effort into determining their contribution to the depletion of these sources. The purpose of this study is to determine this contribution by determining whether Air Force installations are net zero water. This is done using a geospatial information system to determine the volume of water recharging groundwater sources associated with an Air Force installation. This volume is then compared to the …

Green Stormwater Infrastructure: A Critical Review Of The Barriers And Solutions To Widespread Implementation, Bardia Heidari, Sarah Priscilla Randle, Dean Minchillo, Fouad H. Jaber

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Rapid urbanization, aging infrastructure, and climate change impacts have put a strain on existing stormwater drainage systems. One commonly acknowledged solution to relieve such stress is Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI). Interest in GSI technology has been growing. However, the level of implementation in many areas around the world lags behind the interest level. This study aims to critically review the body of literature from the last decade to determine the main barriers to wide adoption and the offered solutions to overcome them. Based on a review of 92 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2012 and 2022, we classify barriers and …

Climate Denialism Bullshit Is Harmful, Joshua Luczak

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This paper suggests that some climate denialism is bullshit. Those who spread it do not display a proper concern for the truth. This paper also shows that this bullshit is harmful in some significant ways. It undermines the epistemic demands imposed on us by what we care about, by the social roles we occupy, and by morality. It is also harmful because it corrodes epistemic trust.

Precious Plastics - Plastic Brick Machine Fabrication, Timothy Ukaobasi Kanu, Evi Paraskevi Troulis

Architectural Engineering

The goal of this research is to determine the structural parameters of the recycled plastic polypropylene when molded into bricks resembling CMU blocks. To accomplish this, three mechanisms had to be assembled: the shredder, the injector, and the 1x1 mold. A tensile and compression test were to be performed on the plastic brick, and the values would be used to compare the tensile and compressive strength of PP plastic bricks, as well as their modulus of elasticity and stress vs. Strain performance. These values would be analyzed to determine whether it would be feasible to build an entire plastic wall. …

Analysis And Installation Of A Demonstration Agroforestry Orchard For Californian Mediterranean Plant Communities, Brandon Hurd

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Climate-appropriate agroforestry can provide low-input food security and ecosystem services for local Californian Mediterranean climates, while conserving natural resources (e.g., water, nitrogen, etc.). This project showcases a variety of agroforestry methods for five common plant communities of California and other analogous Mediterranean climates at the CAFES Experimental Farm on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Plant community species and their ethnobotanical uses were analyzed to mimic and incorporate aspects of native flora. Agricultural plants were also characterized to represent each of the five selected plant communities. GIS was used to assess the project site for soil, slope, and …

Addressing Plastic Pollution Through Green Consumption: Predicting Intentions To Use Menstrual Cups In The Philippines, Alvin Patrick M. Valentin, Ma. Regina Hechanova-Alampay

Quantitative Methods and Information Technology Faculty Publications

Plastic pollution is a global environmental crisis that poses a huge threat to the health of people and marine ecosystems worldwide. A significant source of plastic pollution is menstrual hygiene management, and an approach that can help address this crisis is the usage of washable and reusable menstrual cups. Using an extended theory of planned behavior model that includes self-identity and perceived quality, the study predicted intentions to use menstrual cups in the Philippines. Structural equation modeling results showed that perceived quality predicted attitudes towards menstrual cup usage. Moreover, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and self-identity predicted intentions to use menstrual …

A Comparative Analysis Of Viral Aerosol Biological Sampling Efficiency Of A Small Unmanned Aircraft System (Suas)-Mounted Aerosol Sampler And A Reference Static Biosampler®, Jonathan D. Moroz

Theses and Dissertations

Bioaerosol sampling using small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) is a rapidly developing field that may result in a paradigm shift in emergency response and industrial hygiene sampling conventions. These technologies offer decreased sample acquisition times, larger sampling area coverage, and reduced health and safety risks to traditional human sampling teams. This potential requires a comprehensive investigation of sUAS capabilities and limitations. This study is a continuation of the characterization of an AFIT-developed sUAS-mounted aerosol sampler, proven capable of collecting viable vegetative and spore-forming bacteria through previous AFIT research. Within this study, viral biological sampling efficiency (BSE) of the sUAS-mounted aerosol …

The Use Of Open Data Kit (Odk) In Characterizing The Cacao Industry Sites In Panay Island, Rhea J. Subong-Espina, Reynold D. Tan, Christine Mae D. Hernando

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Cacao is one of the world's most valuable export commodities and cash crops. Western Visayas, along with the other regions in the Philippines, has committed to participate in national efforts to strengthen the production capacity of the cacao industry and address prospects and opportunities for the industry growth and development. This paper presents the results of a region-wide study that mapped out and assessed key cacao-producing areas in Western Visayas, specifically Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo. The study sought their current production levels, important agricultural properties of farming areas, production densities, and growth potentials. Geospatial data was generated, analyzed, and …

Section 45q, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet on the 45Q tax credit. 45Q was created in 2008 as a tax credit to incentivize the development of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) projects.