Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Prescribed Grazing On Pasturelands, Lynn E. Sollenberger, Carmen T. Agouridis, Eric S. Vanzant, Alan J. Franzluebbers, Lloyd B. Owens

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Climate On The Growth Of Winter Wheat And Spring Barley In An Irish Context, Adrian Kennedy

Theses

The climate of earth is always changing due to natural events, however it is thought that the rapid warming period currently taking place is primarily due human activity to (environmental protection agency 2012). Climate change is altering the environment and this will have consequences for agriculture (Teagasc publications 2012). In this study we examine the relationship between weather and the yield of winter wheat and spring barley in an Irish context using data gathered from 2004-2010 at the Teagasc Oak Park research centre in Carlow. The data was analysed using a mixed effect model to test which if any weather …

National Integrated Drought Information System Central U.S. 2012 Drought Assessment, Natalie Umphlett, Michael S. Timlin, Brian Fuchs, Wendy Ryan, Nolan Doesken, Jim Angel, Olivia Kellner, Harry J. Hillaker, Mary Knapp, Xiaomao Lin, Stu Foster, Jeff Andresen, Aaron Pollyea, Greg Spoden, Pat Guinan, Adnan Akyüz, Jeffrey C. Rogers, Laura M. Edwards, Tony Bergantino

National Drought Mitigation Center: Publications

Conditions leading into 2012 gave scant indication of what was to come for a 15-state region in the central United States, extending from Colorado, Wyoming, and North Dakota on the west to Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan on the east.

The drought of 2012 was the first since 1988 that impacted almost the entire Corn Belt. It intensified quickly, catching many by surprise.

We hope to learn from this event to help better plan and prepare for the next drought. The full central U.S. 2012 drought assessment, “From too much to too little,” aims to identify the events of 2012 and …

From Too Much To Too Little: How The Central U.S. Drought Of 2012 Evolved Out Of One Of The Most Devastating Floods On Record In 2011, Brian Fuchs, Natalie Umphlett, Michael S. Timlin, Wendy Ryan, Nolan Doesken, Jim Angel, Olivia Kellner, Harry J. Hillaker, Mary Knapp, Xiaomao Lin, Stu Foster, Jeff Andresen, Aaron Pollyea, Greg Spoden, Adnan Akyuz, Jeffrey C. Rogers, Laura M. Edwards, Dennis Todey, Tony Bergantino

National Drought Mitigation Center: Publications

Table of Contents

Section 1: Introduction....................................................................... 1

Section 2: Regional Drought Perspective................................. 2

Section 3: State Drought Perspectives........................................ 3

Section 3.1: Colorado........................................................................... 20

Section 3.2: Illinois.................................................................. 25

Section 3.3: Indiana................................................. 29

Section 3.4: Iowa...................... 36

Section 3.5: Kansas............................................................... 42

Section 3.6: Kentucky............................................................................ 46

Section 3.7: Michigan.............................. 52

Section 3.8: Minnesota............................................................ 58

Section 3.9: Missouri..................................................... 63

Section 3.10: Nebraska................................................. 67

Section 3.11: North Dakota............................................ 73

Section 3.12: Ohio................................................... 79

Section 3.13: South Dakota..................................... 85

Section 3.14: Wyoming........................................... 96

Section 4: Conclusions.............................................................. 99

Evaluating The Irish Technical Guidance Documents In The Context Of Sustainability, Rosemarie Macsweeney

Theses

Sustainability is more than just a “buzz word” or meaningless jargon; it is what is needed for survival due to the unsustainability of humanity in recent centuries. Sustainable buildings are only one element of the solution, but a very large one in terms of the amount of problems created socially, economically and environmentally by buildings. Humans now spend more and more time in buildings, most of their days in many cases, and so the regulation and policy mechanisms surrounding buildings are critical to the success of sustainability. The Irish Technical Guidance Documents (TGDs), are a set of twelve documents which …

Sense And Sustainability, Ken Hickson

Social Space

Like the proverbial chicken and egg, climate change and sustainability are inextricably linked; it is impossible to decide which comes first, but urgent solutions are needed. Ken Hickson delivers a timely lesson on the four E’s of sustainability—energy, environment, economics and ethics.

Sustainable Riparian Restoration - The Utilization Of Sewage Effluent To Construct Wetlands Along The Rio Grande: A String Of Pearls Approach To Replenishment, Michael Earl Landis

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Rio Grande, from Elephant Butte Dam to El Paso, has been transformed from a free-flowing wild river into a highly engineered irrigation system. The Rio Grande Project, authorized by Congress in 1905, mandated the Bureau of Reclamation to store and deliver water exclusively to farmers. The river, maintained by the International Boundary and Water Commission, has been straightened and channelized between levees. The laws and policies governing the use of the waters of the Rio Grande are prohibitive to ecological restoration. Prior Appropriation doctrine allows for the exclusive use of these waters.

One sustainable tactic for replenishing the denuded …

Sustainable Design Of Complex Industrial And Energy Systems Under Uncertainty, Zheng Liu

Wayne State University Dissertations

Depletion of natural resources, environmental pressure, economic globalization, etc., demand seriously industrial organizations to ensure that their manufacturing be sustainable. On the other hand, the efforts of pursing sustainability also give raise to potential opportunities for improvements and collaborations among various types of industries.

Owing to inherent complexity and uncertainty, however, sustainability problems of industrial and energy systems are always very difficult to deal with, which has made industrial practice mostly experience based. For existing research efforts on the study of industrial sustainability, although systems approaches have been applied in dealing with the challenge of system complexity, most of them …

People Of Snowy Mountain, People Of The River: A Multi-Agency Ethnographic Overview And Compendium Relating To Tribes Associated With Clark County, Nevada, Douglas Deur, Deborah Confer

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The current document has been undertaken to assist agencies in meeting their obligations for federally mandated compliance and consultation with Indian tribes that have historical associations with Clark County. The document has been designed in part to provide an overview of the territorial associations of various tribes with ties to this area. This is accomplished using ethnohistorical documentation as well key legal documents, such as treaty language and Indian Claims Commission findings, that establish parameters for agency consultation responsibilities. Managers of Clark County’s federal lands have been eager to identify those tribes that are tied to the area in various …

Cover Crop Mixtures For The Western Corn Belt: Opportunities For Increased Productivity And Stability, Samuel E. Wortman, Charles A. Francis, John L. Lindquist

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Achieving agronomic and environmental benefits associated with cover crops oft en depends on reliable establishment of a highly productive cover crop community. The objective of this study was to determine if cover crop mixtures can increase productivity and stability compared to single species cover crops, and to identify those components most active in contributing to or detracting from mixture productivity. A rainfed field experiment was conducted near Mead, Nebraska, United States, in 2010 and 2011. Eight individual cover crop species (in either the Brassicaceae [mustard] or Fabaceae [legume] family) and four mixtures of these species (two, four, six, and eight …

Cultivating A Movement: Excerpts From An Oral History Of Organic Farming And Sustainable Agriculture On California’S Central Coast [Book Review], Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Edited by I. Reti and S. Rabkin, 2011. University of California, Santa Cruz, Library, Santa Cruz, California, United States. 299 p., US$19.95, ISBN 9-780972-33431, paper.

Often the most compelling evidence for success of organic farming comes from the personal stories of farmers. Coupled with reports on the application of science in organics, the practical knowledge of people in the field provides a rich foundation for the ongoing growth of this intriguing sector of the food system. This collection of interviews by the staff of the Regional History Project is one unique activity of the University of California, Santa Cruz library, …

Agriculture And Food In Crisis: Conflict, Resistance, And Renewal [Book Review], Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Edited by Fred Magdoff and Brian Tokar. 2010. Monthly Review Press, New York, New York, United States. 348 p. Paperback, cloth US$ 75.00, paper US$ 18.95, ISBN-13 978-1-58367-226-6.

That doubling of food production over the next four decades will be needed to adequately nourish our human population is not news, but the incredible steps essential to achieve that goal and their political and social implications are less well reported. In this series of 16 essays edited by Fred Magdoff and Brian Tokar, several thoughtful specialists in global food issues explore the historical, biological, economic, energy, political and social dimensions of …

Woody Biomass Use Trends, Barriers, And Strategies: Perspectives Of Us Forest Service Managers, Shiloh Sundstrom, Max Nielsen-Pincus, Cassandra Moseley, Sarah Mccaffery

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The use of woody biomass is being promoted across the United States as a means of increasing energy independence, mitigating climate change, and reducing the cost of hazardous fuels reduction treatments and forest restoration projects. The opportunities and challenges for woody biomass use on the national forest system are unique. In addition to making woody biomass usage pencil out, national forest managers must also navigate substantial public engagement and forest planning processes that add to the complexity of fostering woody biomass use opportunities on the national forest system. We report on the results of a survey of US Forest Service …

Opening Remarks, Jay Cox

Syracuse University Magazine

No abstract provided.

Hrc Enews — 2012 Winter, Megan M. Iudice

Publications (HRC)

This issue contains staff accomplishments and announcements, event listings, and a "new faces" listing for new staff, affiliates, and researchers.

Team Las Vegas Solar Decathlon 2013: Quickfacts, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas. Solar Decathlon Team.

DesertSol: Planning and Design

This is a promotional pamphlet designed by Team Las Vegas for the 2013 Solar Decathlon competition. The pamphlet was used to gain support for the project and to offer some "quick facts" about the team, the project, and the competition.

Desertsol: Sponsorship Packet, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas. Solar Decathlon Team.

DesertSol: Planning and Design

This is the Sponsorship Packet created by Team Las Vegas for the DesertSol project house to gain financial support fromLas Vegas community partner. The packet provides details on the mission and vision of theDesertSol project, the competition, and how sponsors can help the team.

Desertsol: Promotional Flyer, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas. Solar Decathlon Team.

DesertSol: Planning and Design

This is a promotional flyer prepared by Team Las Vegas to gain support in the Las Vegas community for the DesertSol project. The document contains brief information about the DOE 2013 Solar Decathlon competition and about Team Las Vegas.

"Planting Wholesome Seeds": Organic Farming And Community Supported Agriculture At Sweetwater Organic Community Farm, Philip R. Mcnab

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sweetwater Organic Community Farm is an organic farm and environmental education center located in Tampa, Florida. The farm employs the community supported agriculture (CSA) model, in which members pay a single fee before the growing season begins and receive a weekly or biweekly share of the ongoing harvest in return. Using multiple ethnographic methods, this research aimed to understand the daily operations at Sweetwater as well as the perceptions of staff and CSA members. Findings indicated that there were myriad perceived advantages of organic agriculture but also imposing challenges that needed to be overcome. Moreover, staff members acknowledged the challenges …

Investigation Of A Water Desalination Method Via A Humidification-Dehumidification Process Using Hvac Technology, Juan Antonio Cornejo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Potable water is becoming a scarce resource in many arid regions of the world. An experimental unit was designed and constructed to examine and characterize the production capabilities of a humidification-dehumidification (HDH) desalination process. An HDH cycle offers a viable, technologically light, alternative for producing fresh water from brackish water because the low relative humidity air is infused with water vapor through evaporation by means of conventional heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) components. The evaporation process effectively separates salts and suspended solids from the brackish feed-water. Desalinated water is subsequently recovered by extracting the water vapor from the moist …

A Synoptic Perspective Of The Record 1-2 May 2010 Mid-South Heavy Precipitation Event, Joshua D. Durkee, Lee Campbell, Kyle Berry, Dustin Jordan, Gregory Goodrich, Rezaul Mahmood, Stuart Foster

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Personnel Publications

During 1–2 May 2010, a series of strong thunderstorms led to 41, 57, and 43 tornado, severe wind, and severe hail reports, respectively, across portions of the southern United States. In addition to severe weather, these storms also distributed recordsetting rainfall amounts across the mid-South region, which contributed to historic flooding across portions of central and western Kentucky and Tennessee (Fig. 1). This heavy precipitation event was sampled by multiple surface observational networks, including (but not limited to) 48 research-grade automated stations from the Kentucky Mesonet (www.kymesonet .org), first-order automated stations from the National Weather Service (NWS; www.ncdc.noaa.gov /oa/ncdc.html), and …

Evaluation Of Soil Sustainability Along The Rio Grande In West Texas: Changes In Salt Loading And Organic Nutrients Due To Farming Practices, Christine L. Cox

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Growing populations demand an increase in the amount of food being produced, which in turn, puts pressure on the productivity and sustainability of soils. The use of flood irrigation from the Rio Grande has greatly increased the salinity, sodicity, and enhanced leaching of nutrients in the Rio Grande Basin soils. To evaluate soil health, water and soil samples were collected from two pecan, one cotton, and one alfalfa field in western Texas. Each site was equipped with sensors to measure soil moisture, temperature, and electrical conductivity (EC), along with lysimeters at depths of 15, 30, and 60 cm to collect …

Aggregation Of Sediment And Bacteria With Mucilage From The Opuntia Ficus-Indica Cactus, Audrey Lynn Buttice

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Flocculants are commonly used in industrial settings where solid-liquid separations are desired including industrial and municipal wastewater management and potable water production facilities. Conventional flocculants include inorganic metal salts and synthetic organic polymers. The cost, availability, and harmful effects of the non-biodegradable nature of these flocculants have led to the widespread study of natural flocculants. Current natural flocculants being studied include polysaccharides cultivated from microbial extracellular matrix products and plant based materials. In this study, the mucilage of Opuntia ficus-indica cactus was evaluated as a natural flocculant for sediments and bacteria. The O. ficus-indica cactus is also known as the …

Defining Earth Smarts: A Construct Analysis For Socioecological Literacy Based On Justly Maintaining Quality Of Life, Bryan H. Nichols

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes the creation and validation of a new educational construct. Socioecological literacy, or earth smarts, describes the qualities we need to justly maintain or improve our quality of life in a changing world. It was created using construct analysis techniques and systems tools, drawing on an extensive, transdisciplinary body of literature. Concepts related to environmental, ecological and scientific literacy, sustainability and citizenship were combined with educational frameworks, new research in science education, and modern cognitive psychology. After the initial formulation, the results were considered by a variety of experts and professionals from the fields of ecology, environmental science …

Global Csr And Photographic Credibility: Exploring How International Companies Portray Efforts Through Photographs In Csr Reports, Janel Lynn Norton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We are living in the age of the visual. Imagery is an important element in constructing and deriving meaning through symbols, colors, and context. Images may hold persuasive power, be used as evidence, or simply provide a moment of beauty. Organizations rely on photographs to help them convey an image to their stakeholders within annual reports. Telling an organizations' story through photographs has become an intrinsic part of their efforts to convey sustainability. We live in the age of transparency, and organizations that construct an image that is not truthful will face consequences in today's socially connected and conscious world. …

Water's Dependence On Energy: Analysis Of Embodied Energy In Water And Wastewater Systems, Weiwei Mo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water and wastewater treatment is a critical service provided for protecting human health and the environment. Over the past decade, increasing attention has been placed on energy consumption in water and wastewater systems for the following reasons: (1) Water and energy are two interrelated resources. The nexus between water and energy can intensify the crises of fresh water and fossil fuel shortages; (2) The demand of water/wastewater treatment services is expected to continue to increase with increasing population, economic development and land use change in the foreseeable future; and (3) There is a great potential to mitigate energy use in …

Changing Land Use On Unproductive Soils, Andrew Blake, Mike Clarke, Angela Stuart-Street

Resource management technical reports

A three year study completed in 2010 examined farming systems in the north-eastern agricultural region and eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia which experienced a succession of variable seasons from 2000. This culminated in severe drought in 2006 and 2007. At that time, farmers experienced labour shortages and declining terms of trade triggered by cost inflation outpacing growth in commodity prices. As a result, farm business equity was eroded as farm debt escalated. This left many farm businesses in a highly vulnerable state. At the time of the study many farmers were facing an uncertain future.

These experiences, coupled with a …

Using Participatory Scenarios To Stimulate Social Learning For Collaborative Sustainable Development, Kris A. Johnson, Genya Dana, Nicholas R. Jordan, Kathy J. Draeger, Anne Kapuscinski

Dartmouth Scholarship

Interdependent human and biophysical systems are highly complex and behave in unpredictable and uncontrollable ways. Social and ecological challenges that emerge from this complexity often defy straightforward solutions, and efforts to address these problems will require not only scientific and technological capabilities but also learning and adaptation. Scenarios are a useful tool for grappling with the uncertainty and complexity of social-ecological challenges because they enable participants to build adaptive capacity through the contemplation of multiple future possibilities. Furthermore, scenarios provide a platform for social learning, which is critical to acting in the face of uncertain, complex, and conflict-laden problems. We …

Sustainability: The Challenges And The Promise, George J. Mitchell

Maine Policy Review

Senator George J. Mitchell’s Margaret Chase Essay reflects on sustainable development. He discusses how teams of Maine faculty and students are working in partnerships across business, government and non-governmental organizations to seek solutions for a wide range of ecological and economic challenges.

Wicked Tools: The Value Of Scientific Models For Solving Maine’S Wicked Problems, Tim Waring

Maine Policy Review

“Wicked problems” are urgent, high-stake socioeconomic-environmental challenges that often involve ideological conflict and have no “best solutions.” Using examples from Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative projects, Tim Waring describes how scientific models can be used to address these kinds of problems. When well-constructed and tested models are used to address policy-relevant issues, include input from stakeholders, and integrate social, economic and environmental dynamics, they can become “wicked tools” to address some of society’s biggest challenges.