Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Dating The Incision Of The Yangtze River Gorge At The First Bend Using Three-Nuclide Burial Ages, Devin Mcphillips, Gregory D. Hoke, Jing Liu-Zeng, Paul R. Bierman, Dylan H. Rood, Samuel Niedermann

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

Incision of the Yangtze River gorge is widely interpreted as evidence for lower crustal flow beneath the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Previous work focused on the onset of incision, but the duration of incision remains unknown. Here we present cosmogenic nuclide burial ages of sediments collected from caves on the walls of the gorge that show the gorge was incised ~1 km sometime between 18 and 9 Ma. Thereafter, incision slowed substantially. We resolve middle Miocene burial ages by using three nuclides and accounting for in situ muogenic production. This approach explains the absolute concentrations of 10Be, 26Al, …

University At Albany Stars Report, Mary Ellen Mallia

STARS reports

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS®) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to gauge relative progress toward sustainability. STARS was developed by AASHE with broad participation from the higher education community. STARS is designed to:

• Provide a framework for understanding sustainability in all sectors of higher education.

• Enable meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.

• Create incentives for continual improvement toward sustainability.

• Facilitate information sharing about higher education sustainability practices and performance.

• Build a stronger, …

Boom Or Bust? Mapping Out The Known Unknowns Of Global Shale Gas Production Potential, Jérôme Hilaire, Nico Bauer, Robert Brecha

Robert J. Brecha

To assess the global production costs of shale gas, we combine global top-down data with detailed bottom-up information. Studies solely based on top-down approaches do not adequately account for the heterogeneity of shale gas deposits and hence, are unlikely to appropriately capture the extraction costs of shale gas. We design and provide an expedient bottom-up method based on publicly available US data to compute the levelized costs of shale gas extraction. Our results indicate the existence of economically attractive areas but also reveal a dramatic cost increase as lower-quality reservoirs are exploited. At the global level, our best estimate suggests …

Spatial Analysis Of Forest Crimes In Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri, Karun Pandit, Eddie Bevilacqua, Giorgos Mountrakis, Robert W. Malmsheimer

Journal of Geospatial Applications in Natural Resources

Forest crime mitigation has been identified as a challenging issue in forest management in the United States. Knowledge of the spatial pattern of forest crimes would help in wisely allocating limited enforcement resources to curb forest crimes. This study explores the spatial pattern of three different types of forest crimes: fire crime, illegal timber logging crime, and occupancy use crime in the Salem-Patosi Ranger District of Mark Twain National Forest. Univariate and bivariate Ripley’s K-functions were applied to explore the spatial patterns in crime events, like clustering and attraction among forest crime types. Results reveal significant clustering for each forest …

Comparison Of Terrain Indices And Landform Classification Procedures In Low-Relief Agricultural Fields, Derek A. Evans, Karl W. J. Williard, Jon E. Schoonover

Journal of Geospatial Applications in Natural Resources

Landforms control the spatial distribution of numerous factors associated with agronomy and water quality. Although curvature and slope are the fundamental surface derivatives used in landform classification procedures, methodologies for landform classifications have been performed with other terrain indices including the topographic position index (TPI) and the convergence index (CI). The objectives of this study are to compare plan curvature, the convergence index, profile curvature, and the topographic position index at various scales to determine which better identifies the spatial variability of soil phosphorus (P) within three low relief agricultural fields in central Illinois and to compare how two methods …

Discordant Data And Interpretation Of Results From Wildlife Habitat Models, Anita T. Morzillo, Michael G. Wing, Justin Long

Journal of Geospatial Applications in Natural Resources

Wildlife habitat management is an important part of natural resource management. As a result, there are a large number of models and tools for wildlife habitat assessment. A consequence of the many assessment tools is inconsistency when comparing results between tools, which may lead to potential confusion management decisions. Our objective was to compare results from two wildlife habitat models – one being relatively coarse (HUC5) scale and not spatially dynamic and the other being finer scale spatial data based on a 30 m spatial resolution –for habitat assessment of three species across the West Cascades of Oregon: Northern spotted …

Procesy Cieplne I Aparaty (Lab), Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

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Farmer Perceptions Of Climate Change Risk And Associated On-Farm Management Strategies In Vermont, Northeastern United States, Rachel E. Schattman, David Conner, V. Ernesto Méndez

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Little research has been conducted on how agricultural producers in the northeastern United States conceptualize climate-related risk and how these farmers address risk through on-farm management strategies. Two years following Tropical Storm Irene, our team interviewed 15 farmers in order to investigate their perceptions of climate-related risk and how their decision-making was influenced by these perceptions. Our results show that Vermont farmers are concerned with both ecological and economic risk. Subthemes that emerged included geographic, topographic, and hydrological characteristics of farm sites; stability of land tenure; hydrological erosion; pest and disease pressure; market access; household financial stability; and floods. Farmers …

Sustainability For Shrinking Cities, Justin L. Herrmann, William D. Shuster, Audrey L. Mayer, Ahjond S. Garmestani

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science Publications

Shrinking cities are widespread throughout the world despite the rapidly increasing global urban population. These cities are attempting to transition to sustainable trajectories to improve the health and well-being of urban residents, to build their capacity to adapt to changing conditions and to cope with major events. The dynamics of shrinking cities are different than the dynamics of growing cities, and therefore intentional research and planning around creating sustainable cities is needed for shrinking cities. We propose research that can be applied to shrinking cities by identifying parallel challenges in growing cities and translating urban research and planning that is …

Detection, Occurrence And Fate Of Emerging Contaminants In Agricultural Environments, Daniel D. Snow, David A. Cassada, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Xu Li, Matteo D'Alessio, Yun Zhang, Yuping Zhang, J. Brett Sallach

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

A total of 59 papers published in 2015 were reviewed ranging from detailed descriptions of analytical methods, to fate and occurrence studies, to ecological effects and sampling techniques for a wide variety of emerging contaminants likely to occur in agricultural environments. New methods and studies on veterinary pharmaceuticals, steroids, antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural environments continue to expand our knowledge base on the occurrence and potential impacts of these compounds. This review is divided into the following sections: Introduction, Analytical Methods, Steroid Hormones, Pharmaceutical Contaminants, Transformation Products, and “Antibiotic Resistance, Drugs, Bugs and Genes”.

Drivers Of Food Wastage And Their Implications For Sustainable Policy Development, Krista L. Thyberg, David J. Tonjes

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

There has been growing interest in establishing food waste prevention and recovery programs throughout the world. The drive to target food waste stems from increasing concerns about resource conservation, food security, food waste’s environmental and economic costs, and a general trend in the waste management industry to transition to more sustainable practices. Here the drivers of residential, institutional, and commercial food waste generation in developed countries, particularly in the U.S., are explored. The impacts of food system modernization on food waste generation are examined, particularly impacts related to food system industrialization, urbanization, globalization, and economic growth. Socio-demographic, cultural, political, and …

Methane Emissions As Energy Reservoir: Context, Scope, Causes And Mitigation Strategies, Xiaoli Chai, David J. Tonjes, Devinder Mahajan

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

Methane (CH4) is now considered a bridge fuel between present fossil (carbon) economy and desired renewables and this energy molecule is projected to play an important role in the global energy mix well beyond 2035. The atmospheric warming potential of CH4 is 28-36 times, when averaged over a 100-year period, that of carbon dioxide (CO2) and this necessitates a close scrutiny of global CH4 emissions inventory. As the second most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG), the annual global CH4 emissions were 645 million metric tons (MMT), accounting for 14.3% of the global anthropogenic GHG emissions. Of this, five key anthropogenic sources: …

Panel Presentation On The Power Dialog, Mary Ellen Mallia, John Pumilio

Presentations

Presented at the State of NY Sustainability Conference.

Sustainability Across The Curriculum, Mary Ellen Mallia

Presentations

Presented at the State of NY Sustainability Conference.

Reducing Sarah Lawrence's Use Of Plastics, Marisa Acosta, Victoria Brown, Hannah Lawson

Campus Environmental Sustainability Project

Plastic use is gravely detrimental for both the environment and for humans; chemicals in plastic cause poor health effects in humans and endanger wildlife. This study focuses on a major source of plastics use on Sarah Lawrence’s campus: take out containers at the Pub. It evaluates plans for a reusable take out container system on campus and provides suggestions for financing and implementing the plan on campus.

Generating Renewable Energy On Sarah Lawrence's Campus, Arianna Cooper, Iva Johnson, Kiana Michaan

Campus Environmental Sustainability Project

In the last century, the rise of the globalized economy has come at a tremendously high ecological cost. The global economy’s dependency on the burning of fossil fuels has caused potentially cataclysmic and irreversible climate change. Renewable energy technologies have the ability to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In order to better protect the planet from impending climate chaos, it is necessary to utilize and encourage increased installation of available renewable energy technologies. Institutions of higher education have a unique opportunity to become leaders in sustainable development. This project proposes the implementation of solar technology, radiator covers, and power-producing exercise …

Sprouting Roots At Sarah Lawrence College, Anna Rossi, Iva Johnson, Yun Mi Koh

Campus Environmental Sustainability Project

As a campus that has great concern for environmental issues, it is important to find ways in which to engage both students and faculty in working towards a greener campus. The addition of a green roof or biowall to Sarah Lawrence College would be an amazing opportunity to begin building a more eco-friendly community. Green roofs alleviate environmental stressors while a biowall will increase indoor air quality and productivity. Not only do green roofs and biowalls help curb effects of pollution both indoors and out, but either would be an opportunity for continued research into the effects of green technology. …

Energy Efficiency At Slc, Elena Sinagra, Zoezra Feldman, Jocelyn Zorn

Campus Environmental Sustainability Project

Energy consumption accounts for thousands of metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and trillions of dollars spent annually. Due to economically inefficient and environmentally unsustainable practices, much of the energy consumed that is contributing to these statistics is wasted. Sarah Lawrence College has the potential to drastically reduce its energy consumption through simple and effective measures including implementing energy saving lighting practices, installing energy efficient electronic appliances, and installing power saving software on computers. These changes hold the potential to significantly reduce the institution’s carbon emissions while saving costs by lowering energy bills.

Environmentally Sustainable Transportation Solutions For Sarah Lawrence College, Katherine Labadie, Yuci Zhou

Campus Environmental Sustainability Project

This paper discusses the importance of general sustainability practices on college and university campuses, specifically the importance of environmentally sustainable and efficient campus transportation services. The paper looks at how promoting bicycle programs, creating fixed shuttle routes and improving schedules, increasing education on campus sustainability, and investing in more sustainable vehicles can reduce emissions on college campuses. These sustainability efforts are analyzed looking at Sarah Lawrence College to determine how these practices can aid the institution’s environmental efforts.

Sustainability Proposal: Water, Joseph Sterling, Jackson Langland, Lily Frenette

Campus Environmental Sustainability Project

Water Sustainability at Sarah Lawrence College: Abstract

Excessive water use and poor water management has done great harm to the environment through the introduction of pollutants into freshwater supplies, as well as, increase the risk of extreme weather phenomena such as droughts and storms. To help lessen the environmental footprint of Sarah Lawrence College, we researched a number of strategies to reduce water usage across the campus. Technologies such as dual-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads would not only save the school money, but drastically reduce the amount of water used by across the board. The implementation of rainwater collection systems …

Composting At Sarah Lawrence College, Zoe Berg, Leyana Dessauer, Jesse Fuentes

Campus Environmental Sustainability Project

Our proposal describes two economically viable and efficient methods of reducing the amount of pre and post-consumer waste produced by the Sarah Lawrence community. Bates dining facility, the largest on-campus dining facility, produces roughly 35 lbs. of organic food waste every day. However, the installation of an easy-to-use composting mechanism, such as the A500 Rocket composter or the Ridan manual composter (both of which are distributed by NATH Sustainability Solutions), and/or the implementation of a larger-scale vermicomposting program, would divert at least 50% of Sarah Lawrence’s organic waste material from reaching landfills, lower campus-wide trash removal and fertilizer costs, and …

Sustainable Landscaping At Sarah Lawrence College, Jocelyn Zorn, Allyson Panton

Campus Environmental Sustainability Project

Sarah Lawrence College is an institution that inspires innovation within its students and teaches them how to understand and act upon the challenges that our ever-changing society raises. Currently, society is presented with some of the largest ecological crises that humans have ever faced, the consequences of which are widespread, affecting everyone on the planet. In order to address environmental devastation, all institutions must re-evaluate their current practices and implement significant changes. No college is better equipped for creating such change than Sarah Lawrence; founded on innovative educational techniques, we possess the knowledge and creativity that can be harnessed to …

A Sustainable Campus For The Future: Proposals For Sarah Lawrence College, Arianna Cooper, Iva Johnson, Kiana Michaan, Zoe Berg, Leyana Dessauer, Jesse Fuentes, Katherine Labadie, Yuci Zhou, Yun Mi Koh, Anna Rossi, Marisa Acosta, Victoria Brown, Hannah Lawson, Jocelyn Zorn, Allyson Panton, Joseph Sterling, Lily Frenette, Jackson Langland, Elena Sinagra, Zoezra Feldman

Campus Environmental Sustainability Project

The combined version of "A Sustainable Campus for the Future: Proposals for Sarah Lawrence College" comes from a joint project between the students in Economics of the Ecological Crisis and Global Change Biology in Spring 2016, taught by Nicholas Reksten and Michelle Hersh, respectively.

Governing Water Quality In California’S Central Coast: The Case Of The Conditional Agricultural Waiver, Ann Drevno

Staff Works

No abstract provided.

A Compact To Revitalise Large-Scale Irrigation Systems Using A Leadership-Partnership-Ownership 'Theory Of Change', Bruce Lankford, Ian Makin, Nathanial Matthews, Peter G. Mccornick, Andrew Noble, Tushaar Shah

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

In countries with transitional economies such as those found in South Asia, large-scale irrigation systems (LSIS) with a history of public ownership account for about 115 million ha (Mha) or approximately 45% of their total area under irrigation. In terms of the global area of irrigation (320 Mha) for all countries, LSIS are estimated at 130 Mha or 40% of irrigated land. These systems can potentially deliver significant local, regional, and global benefits in terms of food, water and energy security, employment, economic growth, and ecosystem services. For example, primary crop production is conservatively valued at about US$355 billion. However, …

Controlling Groundwater Exploitation Through Economic Instruments: Current Practices, Challenges And Innovative Approaches, Marielle Montginoul, Jean-Daniel Rinaudo, N. Brozovic, G. Donoso

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Groundwater can be considered as a common-pool resource, is often overexploited and, as a result, there are growing management pressures. This chapter starts with a broad presentation of the range of economic instruments that can be used for groundwater management, considering current practices and innovative approaches inspired from the literature on Common Pool Resources management. It then goes on with a detailed presentation of groundwater allocation policies implemented in France, the High Plains aquifer in the USA, and Chile. The chapter concludes with a discussion of social and political difficulties associated with implementing economic instruments for groundwater management.

Hydrothermal Monitoring In Yellowstone National Park Using Airborne Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing, C. M. U. Neale, C. Jaworowski, H. Heasler, S. Sivarajan, A. Masih

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

This paper describes the image acquisition and processing methodology, including surface emissivity and atmospheric corrections, for generating surface temperatures of two active hydrothermal systems in Yellowstone National Park. Airborne thermal infrared (8–12 μm) images were obtained annually from 2007 to 2012 using a FLIR SC640 thermal infrared camera system. Thermal infrared image acquisitions occurred under clear-sky conditions after sunset to meet the objective of providing high-spatial resolution, georectified imagery for hydrothermal monitoring. Comparisons of corrected radiative temperature maps with measured ground and water kinetic temperatures at flight times provided an assessment of temperature accuracy. A repeatable, time-sequence of images for …

Demonstration And Evaluation Of Dual Purpose Chicken “Potchefstroom Koekoek” Packages At Areka Areas, Snnpr, Ethiopia, Aman Getiso, Melese Yilma, Mesfin Mekonnen, Addisu Jimma, Mebratu Asrat, Asrat Tera, Endrias Dako

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

The demonstration was conducted in Wolaita zone, Boloso Sore district at Areka and around Areka areas. Participants (farmers) were selected purposively on the basis of willingness to construct poultry house; to cover all the associated package costs and record the required was selected. Survival of chicks during the first 8 weeks of brooding using hay-box at the farmers management condition was 79.8% (359 were survived out 450). On average about 93.1% of the chicken were survived to the laying age while mortality reduced from 20.2% to 6.9%. The average age at first egg-laying recorded at each farmers was 142 days …

Anthropogenic Nitrogen And Phosphorus Emissions And Related Grey Water Footprints Caused By Eu-271s Crop Production And Consumption, Mesfin Mekonnen, Stephan Lutter, Aldo Martinez

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Water is a prerequisite for life on our planet. Due to climate change and pollution, water availability for agricultural production, industry and households is increasingly put at risk. With agriculture being the largest water user as well as polluter worldwide, we estimate anthropogenic nitrogen and phosphorus emissions to fresh water related to global crop production at a spatial resolution level of 5 by 5 arc min and calculate the grey water footprints (GWF) related to EU-271s crop production. A multiregional input-output model is used to trace the the GWF embodied in the final consumption of crop products by the EU-27. …

Inżynieria Chemiczna Lab., Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

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