Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Locating Suitable Habitats For West Nile Virus-Infected Mosquitoes Through Association Of Environmental Characteristics With Infected Mosquito Locations: A Case Study In Shelby County, Tennessee, Esra Ozdenerol, Elzbieta Bialkowska-Jelinska, Gregory N. Taff

School of Geosciences Student Publications

Background: Since its first detection in 2001, West Nile Virus (WNV) poses a significant health risk for residents of Shelby County in Tennessee. This situation forced public health officials to adopt efficient methods for monitoring disease spread and predicting future outbreaks. Analyses that use environmental variables to find suitable habitats for WNV-infected mosquitoes have the potential to support these efforts. Using the Mahalanobis Distance statistic, we identified areas of Shelby County that are ecologically most suitable for sustaining WNV, based on similarity of environmental characteristics to areas where WNV was found. The environmental characteristics in this study were based on …

Monitoring Climatological, Hydrological And Geochemical Parameters In The Père Noël Cave (Belgium): Implication For The Interpretation Of Speleothem Isotopic And Geochemical Time-Series, Sophie Verheyden, Dominique Genty, Guy Deflandre, Yves Quinif, Eduard Keppens

International Journal of Speleology

Père Noël cave climatology (air and water temperature, P_CO2), hydrology (drip rate, conductivity) and geochemistry of water and calcite deposits (δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C, Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca) where studied to better interpret stable isotopic and trace element variations of speleothems. Results of an automated monitoring station and of manual sampling between 1991 and 1998 have demonstrated the highly seasonal signal of drip rate, its control by water excess and rainfall, and, at a shorter scale to air pressure changes. The modern calcite deposit study suggests a relationship between cave calcite isotopic composition (δ¹⁸O and …

Hydrodynamic Aspect Of Caves, Mitja Prelovšek, Janez Turk, Franci Gabrovšek

International Journal of Speleology

From a hydrological point of view, active caves are a series of connected conduits which drain water through an aquifer. Water tends to choose the easiest way through the system but different geological and morphological barriers act as flow restrictions. The number and characteristics of restrictions depends on the particular speleogenetic environment, which is a function of geological, geomorphological, climatological and hydrological settings. Such a variety and heterogeneity of underground systems has presented a challenge for human understanding for many centuries. Access to many underground passages, theoretical knowledge and recent methods (modeling, water pressure-resistant dataloggers, precise sensors etc.) give us …

Environmental Monitoring In The Mechara Caves, Southeastern Ethiopia: Implications For Speleothem Palaeoclimate Studies, Asfawossen Asrat, Andy Baker, Melanie J. Leng, John Gunn, Mohammed Umer

International Journal of Speleology

The interpretation of palaeoclimate records in speleothems depends on the understanding of the modern climate of the region, the geology, the hydrology above the caves, and the within-cave climate. Monitoring within-cave climate variability, geochemistry of speleothem-forming drip waters, and associated surface and groundwater, provides a modern baseline for interpretation of speleothem palaeohydrological and palaeoclimate records. Here, we present results of such monitoring of the Mechara caves in southeastern Ethiopia, conducted between 2004 and 2007. Results show nearly constant within-cave climate (temperature and humidity) in all caves, which generally reflects the surface climate. Groundwater and surface water geochemistry is similar across …

Surface Corrosion Of An Alpine Karren Field: Recent Measures At Innerbergli (Siebenhengste, Switzerland), Philipp Häuselmann

International Journal of Speleology

29 year old rock paintings in the Alpine karren field of Innerbergli (Siebenhengste, Switzerland) prevented the underlying rock from corrosion, while the surface nearby was corroded. Measurement of the steps indicates an average recent corrosion rate of 0.014 (±0.007) mm/a. This denudation rate is very similar to those observed in other comparable places and with other means.

An Investigation Of Meromixis In Cave Pools, Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico, David B. Levy

International Journal of Speleology

Chemical characteristics of permanent stratification in cave pools (meromixis) may provide insight into the geochemical origin and evolution of cave pool waters. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that some pools in Lechuguilla Cave may be subject to ectogenic meromixis, where permanent chemical stratification is induced by input of relatively saline or fresh water from an external source. However, because organic C concentrations in Lechuguilla waters are low (typically < 1 mg L^-1), biogenic meromixis resulting in O₂(g)-depleted subsurface waters is not expected. Four pools at various depths below ground surface (0 m) were studied: (1) …

Contribution Of Artificial Galleries To The Knowledge Of Karstic System Behaviour In Addition To Natural Cavern Data, Benjamin Garry, Thibaut Blondel, Christophe Emblanch, Christophe Sudre, Séverine Bilgot, Alain Cavaillou, Daniel Boyer, Michel Auguste

International Journal of Speleology

The study of karstic systems is mainly based on hydrodynamic and hydrochemical data collected at system inlets (rainfall) and outlets (springs). Indeed, some complementary data base coming from speleological and hydrogeological explorations of natural cavities exist. However, they are not completely representative of all the types of flows. These kinds of flow which have a large part in general hydrodynamics of a system are already the result of a structured organization of karst due to complex phenomena of limestone dissolution. Artificial galleries have the advantage to be easily accessible. Moreover, they cut randomly flows which are much less structured or …

Some Applications Of Geochemical And Isotopic Techniques To Hydrogeology Of The Caves After Research In Two Sites (Nerja Cave-S Spain And Fourbanne System-French Jura), Jacques Mudry, Bartolomé Andreo, Arnaud Charmoille, Cristina Liñán, Francisco Carrasco

International Journal of Speleology

Caves constitute privileged sampling spots to investigate the hydrochemical behaviour of infiltration, but the representative nature of samples can limit their reach. Taking this into account many results can be obtained from chemistry of water sampled in the caves. Carbonate tracers enable to reconstruct the ‘history’ of drip water water, including rainfall and temperatures. Moreover, permanent drip waters prove durability of water stored in the unsaturated zone over the cave, and lags between rain inputs and drip output enable to evaluate transit time through the unsaturated zone. The comparison of input/output concentrations can also contribute to estimate the local water …

Annually Laminated Speleothems: A Review, Andy Baker, Claire L. Smith, Catherine Jex, Ian J. Fairchild, Dominique Genty, Lisa Fuller

International Journal of Speleology

This review of annually laminated speleothems firstly considers the four types of annual laminae found within speleothems: fluorescent laminae formed by annual variations in organic matter flux; visible or petrographic laminae, formed by annual variations in calcite texture or fabric; calcite-aragonite couplets; and finally trace element laminae. The methods available to confirm the annual nature, or otherwise, of lamina deposition are reviewed. We consider the use of annual laminae in chronology building, with particular relevance to palaeoclimate reconstructions. Finally, the use of annual lamina width as a palaeoclimate proxy is reviewed.

Palaeoclimate Research In Villars Cave (Dordogne, Sw-France), Dominique Genty

International Journal of Speleology

Villars Cave is a typical shallow cave from South-West France (45.44°N; 0.78°E; 175 m asl) that has provided several speleothem palaeoclimatic records such as the millennial scale variability of the Last Glacial period and the Last Deglaciation. Monitoring the Villars cave environment over a 13-year period has helped in the understanding of the stable isotopic speleothem content and in the hydrology. For example, it was demonstrated that most of the calcite CaCO₃ carbon comes from the soil CO₂, which explains the sensitivity of the δ¹³C to any vegetation and climatic changes. Drip rate monitoring, carried …

Hydrogeochemical Processes As Environmental Indicators In Drip Water: Study Of The Cueva Del Agua (Southern Spain), Angel Fernandez-Cortes, Jose Maria Calaforra, Francisco Sánchez-Martos

International Journal of Speleology

Karst caves exhibit a wide range of hydrological and hydrochemical responses to infiltration events, due to their physical heterogeneity in space and dynamic variability over time, and due to non-Gaussian inputs (rain) and outputs (discharge). This paper reviews different approaches of studying seepage water in caves, in order to understand the infiltration regimen in the non-saturated zone of karst areas. As an illustration, we describe a four-year study of the active carbonate-water system in the Cueva del Agua (Granada, southern Spain) that automatically logs the discharge from a stalactite. The results indicate that: (1) the drip water regime is not …

Epigene And Hypogene Gypsum Karst Manifestations Of The Castile Formation: Eddy County, New Mexico And Culberson County, Texas, Usa, Kevin W. Stafford, Raymond Nance, Laura Rosales-Lagarde, Penelope J. Boston

International Journal of Speleology

Permian evaporites of the Castile Formation crop out over ~1,800 km² in the western Delaware Basin (Eddy County, New Mexico and Culberson County, Texas, USA) with abundant and diverse karst manifestations. Epigene karst occurs as well-developed karren on exposed bedrock, while sinkholes dominate the erosional landscape, including both solutional and collapse forms. Sinkhole analyses suggest that more than half of all sinks are the result of upward stoping of subsurface voids, while many solutional sinks are commonly the result of overprinting of collapsed forms. Epigene caves are laterally limited with rapid aperture decreases away from insurgence, with passages developed …

Tracer Tests In Karst Hydrogeology And Speleology, Nico Goldscheider, Joe Meiman, Michiel Pronk, Christopher Smart

International Journal of Speleology

This article presents an introduction to the fundamentals of tracing techniques and their application in cave and karst environments, illustrated by case studies from the Mammoth Cave, USA, and a small experimental site in Switzerland. The properties and limitations of the most important artificial tracers are discussed, and the available methods of tracer injection, sampling, online monitoring and laboratory analysis are presented. Fully quantitative tracer experiments result in continuous or discrete concentration-time data series, i.e. breakthrough curves, and concomitant discharge data, which make it possible to obtain detailed information about groundwater flow and contaminant transport. Within the frame of speleological …

The Role Of The Epikarst In Karst And Cave Hydrogeology: A Review, Paul W. Williams

International Journal of Speleology

The epikarst (also known as the subcutaneous zone) comprises highly weathered carbonate bedrock immediately beneath the surface or beneath the soil (when present) or exposed at the surface. Porosity and permeability are higher near the surface than at depth, consequently after recharge percolating rainwater is detained near the base of the epikarst, the detention ponding producing an epikarstic aquifer. Such an aquifer is found only where the uppermost part of the vadose zone is very weathered compared to the bedrock at depth. Sometimes this contrast in porosity and permeability does not occur either because the epikarst has been scraped off …

Groundwater Contamination In Caves: Four Case Studies In Spain, Monserrat Jiménez-Sánchez, Heather Stoll, Iñaki Vadillo, Manolo López-Chicano, María Domínguez-Cuesta, Wenceslao Martín-Rosales, Mónica Meléndez-Asensio

International Journal of Speleology

Groundwater quality was monitored in four Spanish caves using concentrations of nitrate, potassium, phosphorus and in some cases total organic carbon. Three of the caves are located in NW Spain and contain prehistoric cave paintings and hence have special conservation interest. Of these, two are open show caves (Tito Bustillo and Pindal Caves), while the other one (Herrerías Cave) is not managed for tours and is partially closed off to public access. The fourth cave (Las Maravillas Cave) is located in SW Spain and is opened to the public because of its geological features and natural beauty. In this paper, …

Review Of The Triumph Of Numbers By I. B. Cohen, H L. Vacher

Numeracy

I. Bernard Cohen, The Triumph of Numbers: How Counting Shaped Modern Life. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005). 209 pp. $24.95 (USA). ISBN 0-393-05769-0.

The premier historian of science ends his career telling how the world has become awash in numbers—“how numbers entered the conduct of life and of government, the understanding of nature, and the analysis of societies.” The stories begin with Kepler and end with Florence Nightingale. In between, major players include Galileo, Harvey, Leeuwenhoek, and Halley; Graunt and Petty; Jefferson and Franklin; Lavoisier, Sinclair, Pinel and Louis; Guerry and Quetelet. The book tells of the spread …

Birds–Dead And Deadly: Why Numeracy Needs To Address Social Construction, Joel Best

Numeracy

Sociologists use the term social construction to refer to the processes by which people assign meaning to their world. This paper argues that numeracy education needs to address social construction. In particular, thinking critically about the statistics the news media report regarding social issues requires understanding the competitive nature of the social problems marketplace, and the social forces that allow questionable numbers to receive widespread public attention. Such critiques must incorporate more than assessing how the numbers were calculated; they must consider the social construction of particular statistics. Two recent examples—claims about the number of birds killed flying into windows, …

Development Of Case Stories By Interviewing Students About Their Critical Moments In Science, Math, And Engineering Classes, Vicki V. May, Thomas H. Luxon, Kathy Weaver, Rachel Esselstein, Cynthia Char

Numeracy

Dartmouth’s Critical Moments project is designed to promote discussions among faculty and graduate students about the retention of students, particularly women and minorities, in science, math, and engineering (SME) disciplines. The first phase of the ongoing project has been the development of four case stories, which are fictionalized composites drawn from surveys and interviews of real Dartmouth students. The surveyed population was 125 students in general chemistry. Of the 77 who agreed to be interviewed, 61 reported having experienced a critical moment – i.e., a positive or negative event or time that had a significant impact on the student’s academic …

Teachers Talk: Pressure Points In The K-8 Mathematics Curriculum, Kim Rheinlander, Dorothy Wallace, Wells Morrison, Daniel Ansari, Donna Coch, B. Venus Williams

Numeracy

Forty K-8 teachers participated in small, in-depth, facilitated discussions about "pressure points" in the curriculum. We define a pressure point as a topic, skill, or concept that is crucial to future mathematics learning but which many or most students do not master to the extent expected at a given grade level. They are issues that persist from one grade level to the next; eventually they impair the ability of students to succeed in technical disciplines. The teachers identified a number of pressure points; we focus on an understanding of place value and "reasonableness" of answer as two examples that were …

Scientifically Based Research In Quantitative Literacy: Guidelines For Building A Knowledge Base, Richard L. Scheaffer

Numeracy

Research in quantitative literacy (QL) is in its infancy, so now is the time to begin a regimen for healthy growth into adulthood. As a new discipline still defining itself, QL has the opportunity to build a sound infrastructure for accumulating a solid body of interconnected research that will serve the discipline well in years to come. To that end, much can be learned from recent studies of the weaknesses of mathematics education research and recommendations on how to overcome them. Mathematics education lacks a strong research foundation, one that is scientific, cumulative, interconnected, and intertwined with teaching practice. These …

Evolution Of Numeracy And The National Numeracy Network, Bernard L. Madison, Lynn Arthur Steen

Numeracy

The National Numeracy Network grew from heightened awareness of the complex and sophisticated nature of quantitative literacy and the resulting need for interdisciplinary attention to education for quantitative literacy in schools and colleges. This complexity and sophistication applies especially to the US where it is fueled by an agile economy and the needs of a democratic society. This paper describes the environment surrounding the National Numeracy Network’s establishment, some of its activities, and some complementary and synergistic actions by other professional societies. The paper concludes with a sample of quantitative literacy programs in colleges and universities

The Scope Of Numeracy, H L. Vacher, Dorothy Wallace

Numeracy

No abstract provided.

Combination Of Sar Remote Sensing And Gis For Monitoring Subglacial Volcanic Activity – Recent Results From Vatnajökull Ice Cap (Iceland), K. Scharrer, Rocco Malservisi, Ch. Mayer, O. Spieler, U. Münzer

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

This paper presents latest results from the combined use of SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) remote sensing and GIS providing detailed insights into recent volcanic activity under Vatnajökull ice cap (Iceland). Glaciers atop active volcanoes pose a constant potential danger to adjacent inhabited regions and infrastructure. Besides the usual volcanic hazards (lava flows, pyroclastic clouds, tephra falls, etc.), the volcano-ice interaction leads to enormous meltwater torrents (icelandic: jökulhlaup), devastating large areas in the surroundings of the affected glacier. The presented monitoring strategy addresses the three crucial questions: When will an eruption occur, where is the eruption site and which area is …

Report On Mini-Workshop “Bringing Margins Science To The Classroom”, Cathy Manduca, Jeffrey G. Ryan, Don Reed

Geology Faculty Publications

MARGINS has been awarded an NSF Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) grant to bring MARGINS research into widespread use in undergraduate teaching in ways that showcase the integrated, multidisciplinary approach that is characteristic of modern, front-line geoscience research. In collaboration with the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College, the project is developing a web-based collection of teaching materials referred to as “Mini-Lessons” (http://serc.carleton.edu/margins). Mini-Lessons range in scope from something as simple as the use of MARGINS science to illustrate a lecture to multi-day lab projects that capitalize on the MARGINS Data Repository. An exciting aspect of this …

Shallow Slab Fluid Release Across And Along The Mariana Arc-Basin System: Insights From Geochemistry Of Serpentinized Peridotites From The Mariana Fore Arc, Ivan P. Savov, Jeffrey G. Ryan, Massimo D'Antonio, Patricia Fryer

Geology Faculty Publications

Shallow slab devolatilization is not only witnessed through fluid expulsion at accretionary prisms, but is also evidenced by active serpentinite seamounts in the shallow fore-arc region of the Mariana convergent margin. Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 195 recovered serpentinized peridotites that present a unique opportunity to study the products of shallow level exchanges between the upper mantle and slab-derived fluids. Similar to samples recovered during ODP Leg 125, the protoliths of these fore-arc serpentinized peridotites are mantle harzburgites that have suffered large volume melt extraction (up to 25%) prior to interactions with fluids released from the downgoing Pacific Plate. Samples …

Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (Cdom) Workshop Summary, Catherine A. Corbett

Reports

The Charlotte Harbor NEP hosted a 2-day technical exchange workshop on CDOM as an imperative first step in implementation of the program’s numeric water quality targets to initiate a dialogue with local researchers and resource managers on the importance of CDOM dynamics and the roles it plays in estuaries. Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program hosted the technical exchange workshop to discuss and gain a better understanding of CDOM dynamics in the Lemon Bay, Charlotte Harbor and Estero Bay watersheds.

Variable Intensity Of Teleconnections During The Late Holocene In Subtropical North America From An Isotopic Study Of Speleothem From Florida, Philip E. Van Beynen, Yemane Asmerom, Victor J. Polyak, Limaris R. Soto, Jason S. Polk

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The persistence and influence of both tropical and extra‐tropical teleconnections on the hydrology of subtropical North America are little understood. Major atmospheric‐oceanic controls on the isotopic composition of the precipitation reconstructed from a 1,000 year old stalagmite are the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). These teleconnections create decadal‐ to centennial‐scale changes in the seasonal distribution of precipitation. An increase in the winter proportion of annual precipitation coincides with negative phase NAO conditions and a positive phase PDO. However, the PDO's influence appears to be weakened when it is out of phase with the El Niño …

Bette And Will White Oral History Interview With Spencer Fleury And Todd Chavez, July 25, 2007, Elizabeth L. White (Interviewee), William B. White (Interviewee), Spencer Fleury (Interviewer), Todd Chavez (Interviewer)

Environmental Sustainability Oral Histories

The Drs. White take turns discussing how they became interested in karst science. They reflect on the days when public opinion marginalized karst science and offer what they perceive as the historical factors which have allowed it to become established as a stand-alone scientific discipline. They then discuss students who have worked with them on various karst projects. Dr. Will White tells the story of the haunted telephone from Crystal Cave in Kentucky. The interviewees then discuss the relationship between professional karst scientists and the amateur, recreational caving community. They also discuss the future of karst science specifically with relation …

Jeanne Gurnee Oral History Interview With Beth Fratesi And Todd Chavez, July 23, 2007, Jeanne Gurnee (Interviewee), Sarah Elizabeth (Beth) Fratesi (Interviewer), Todd Chavez (Interviewer)

Environmental Sustainability Oral Histories

Jeanne Gurnee, speleologist, explorer, writer, editor, conservationist, and land-use planner, discusses how she developed her lifelong interest in caving, how she met her husband Russell, and how they began their involvement with the National Speleological Society (NSS) as a professional pair. She gives an in-depth, chronological discussion of her professional involvement with caving groups and organizations, specifically the founding of fifty or more grottos, as well as her cave projects in Puerto Rico, Barbados, and Angola. Jeanne Gurnee speaks of her love of "show caves", their importance, her reception as an ecological lecturer, and her advice to young women beginning …

William Halliday Oral History Interview With Spencer Fleury And Todd Chavez, July 23, 2007, William Halliday (Interviewee), Spencer Fleury (Interviewer), Todd Chavez (Interviewer)

Environmental Sustainability Oral Histories

Dr. William Halliday, medical surgeon and karst terrain authority, relates segments of his life story back to the development of his interest in karst and caving. Dr. Halliday recounts his involvement as a charter member of the National Speleological Society (NSS), founding several grottos, and the political activism in which he participated on their behalf. He describes a few of his international caving adventures, the difference between karst and pseudo-karst, and his impressions on whether there exists an attitudinal divide between geologists and amateur sport cavers. The interview ends with Dr. Halliday's personal belief that Mars exploration should be pivotal …