Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Planet, 2001, Winter, Tiffany Campbell, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Palaeomagnetism Of Lesbos, Ne Aegean, And The Eastern Mediterranean Inclination Anomaly, Myrl E. Beck Jr., Russ R. Burmester, Despina P. Kondopoulou, Artemios Atzemoglou

Geology Faculty Publications

Palaeomagnetic results for 44 sites in 16-22 Ma volcanic rocks from Lesbos, NE Aegean, yield a mean pole at 81.8ºN, 178.1º E, K = 9.0, A₉₅ = 7.6º. The mean direction for these sites (D =4.3º, I = 48.5º, k = 10.8, α ₉₅ = 6.9º) is 5.9º +/- 6.1º shallower than the reference direction for Miocene Lesbos calculated from Besse & Courtillot (1991). Combining these new data with previous work yields a mean inclination that is 5.6º +/- 4.7º too shallow. Experimental problems, magnetic anisotropy, the magnetic terrain effect, geomagnetic anomalies, and problems with the reference path …

Seismicity And Velocity Structure Of Loihi Seamount From The 1996 Earthquake Swarm, Jacqueline Caplan-Auerbach, F. K. Duennebier

Geology Faculty Publications

The largest earthquake swarm yet recorded on Loihi submarine volcano took place in July and August of 1996. The swarm consisted of two phases of seismic activity and was associated with the formation of a pit crater and additional faulting of Loihi’s summit platform. The first phase of activity was comprised of predominantly high-frequency events scattered over the southern flanks of the volcano. Following a day of seismic quiescence, the second phase of activity began, consisting of lower-frequency earthquakes with strong T-phases. The phase 2 events took place beneath Loihi’s summit, presumably marking the formation of the pit crater, Pele’s …

A Pebble Count Comparison And Rock Magnetism Provenance Study Of Sumas Outwash, Jeff Laub

WWU Graduate School Collection

The Sumas Stade, the last of the Fraser Glaciation advances, occurred between 12,000 and 10,000 ¹⁴C years B.P. This study combines previous mapping (Easterbrook, 1976; Haugerud, written communication, 1999) with three new tests to establish a chronology for events of the Sumas Stade. Comparison of compositions of pebbles from Sumas outwash using multivariate statistics such as hierarchical clustering and k-means clustering revealed three major groups of late Sumas outwash and one earlier deposit. Magnetic susceptibility and Curie temperature analysis determined a general British Columbia provenance for the Sumas outwash. Flow direction measurements substantiated this determination. Taken together, these tests …

Changes In Mirror Lake, Northwestern Washington, As A Result Of The Diversion Of Water From The Nooksack River, Karel Tracy

WWU Graduate School Collection

Mirror Lake, a small lake in northwest Washington, has been used as a settling pond for water diverted from the Middle Fork of the Nooksack River since 1962. In this thesis, I combine bathymetric data and sediment sampling to document the changes in sedimentation that have resulted from this diversion, and compare these results to a previous study conducted in 1991.

To document the change in the bathymetry of Mirror Lake since 1991, I surveyed the lake in the summer of 2000 using a theodolite and sonar depth gauge. I compared a contour map generated from this survey to the …

Late Pleistocene Littoral Deposits In The Deming Sand At Bellingham Bay, Washington, And Their Implications For Relative Sea Level Changes, Stacy J. (Stacy Joanna) Weber

WWU Graduate School Collection

Recent mass wasting of sea cliffs along Bellingham Bay in Northwest Washington has exposed late Pleistocene littoral deposits in the Deming sand, which is underlain by Kulshan glaciomarine drift (gmd) and overlain by Bellingham glaciomarine drift (Easterbrook 1963). Marine shells in the Kulshan gmd were dated at 12,210 ± 80 ¹⁴C-yrs B. P. and marine shells in the Deming sand were dated at 11,760 ± 85 and 11,685 ± 85 ¹⁴C-yrs B. P. Marine shells in the Bellingham gmd were dated at 12,150 + 210 ¹⁴C-yrs B. P.

Fossiliferous Kulshan glaciomarine drift is overlain by 11.5 m …

Petrology And Geochemistry Of Mafic Lavas Near Glacier Peak, North Cascades, Washington, Dylan D. (Dylan Douglas) Taylor

WWU Graduate School Collection

Major element, trace element, and mineral compositions have been determined for four Quaternary mafic monogenetic cinder cones and flows south of Glacier Peak, a dacitic stratovolcano in the northern Cascade arc. The flows are the Whitechuck basalt, and the basaltic andesites of Indian Pass, Lightning Creek, and Dishpan Gap. Whitechuck has high concentrations of AI₂O₃ (≥ 18 wt.%) and low concentrations of K₂O (≤ 0.45 wt.%) and shares similar trace element characteristics with high alumina olivine tholeiites reported in the central and southern Cascades. The three basaltic andesites are calc-alkaline. Indian Pass and Lighting Creek …

Geology Of The Cooper Mountain Pluton, North Cascade Mountains, Washington Based On Magnetic Fabrics, Magnetic Remanence And Petrography, Tammy C. Fawcett

WWU Graduate School Collection

A study of the 48 Ma Cooper Mountain pluton (CMP) in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington using anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) defined the orientation of magnetic fabrics. Fabrics in limited areas at the margins of the CMP tend to be parallel to the pluton margin and are therefore interpreted to be emplacement-related. The fabrics in the interior of the body, throughout the bulk of the pluton, are discordant with respect to the NW pluton margin. The fabric is manifest by NW-striking, moderately to steeply dipping foliation and NW-SE trending, moderately to shallowly plunging lineation, approximately parallel to regional …

Paths In Graphs, Béla Bollobás, Amites Sarkar

Mathematics Faculty Publications

We prove that if 10 ≦ (^k₂) ≦ m < (^k+1₂) then the number of paths of length three in a graph G of size m is at most 2m(m – k)(k - 2)/k. Equality is attained if G is the union of K_k and isolated vertices. We also give asymptotically best possible bounds for the maximal number of paths of length s, for arbitrary s, in graphs of size m. Lastly, we discuss the more general problem of maximizing the number of subgraphs …

Huxley Hotline, 2000, November 17, Kate Koch, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

Historical Collection of Huxley Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Huxley Hotline, 2000, November 8, Kate Koch, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

Historical Collection of Huxley Newsletters

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2000, Fall, Tiffany Campbell, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

King County Environmental Laboratory Internship Report, Kristen Weatherford

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The goal of the Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, otherwise known as the Clean Water Act (CWA), is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the waters of the United States. The CWA includes national policies to prohibit discharge of toxic pollutants, and to fund publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities (Cornell 2000).

The CWA prohibits discharge of pollutants by any person through a point source into U.S. waters unless that person has a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. NPDES permits include limits on what can be discharged, and monitoring and reporting requirements. The …

On Singular Critical Points Of Positive Operators In Krein Spaces, Branko Ćurgus, Aurelian Gheondea, H. Langer

Mathematics Faculty Publications

We give an example of a positive operator B in a Krein space with the following properties: the nonzero spectrum of B consists of isolated simple eigenvalues, the norms of the orthogonal spectral projections in the Krein space onto the eigenspaces of B are uniformly bounded and the point ∞ is a singular critical point of B.

Solar Damage To The Solitary Ascidian, Corella Inflata, Brian L. Bingham, Adam M. Reitzel

Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The ascidian Corella inflata (Chordata, Ascidiacea) is common in many areas of Puget Sound, Washington, USA. However, it occurs only in habitats where it is protected from direct sunlight. Previous experiments with artificial lights showed that UV irradiation kills all life stages of this animal. The effects of natural sunlight exposure (measuring survival of adults, juveniles, larvae, and embryos) were compared. We partitioned the light spectrum to separate the effects of UVB, UVA, and visible light (PAR). Natural sunlight severely damaged C. inflata. Adults and juveniles died after 2-5 d. Exposed embryos failed to develop normally and larvae did …

The Size Distribution Of Dust Toward Hd 210121 As Determined From Extinction, Kristen A. Larson, M. J. Wolff, W. G. Roberge, D. C. B. Whittet, L. He

Physics & Astronomy

Several observations suggest that the molecular cloud toward HD 210121 contains an enhanced relative abundance of small dust grains. In particular, the value of the ratio of total-to-selective extinction (R_v) is unusually low. In this paper, we estimate the size distribution of dust grains in this line of sight from the extinction curve observed in the near-infrared through the ultraviolet. We use the maximum entropy method (MEM) to find the smoothest possible size distribution consistent within a χ² confidence level fit to the extinction data. While MEM has been shown to be a powerful tool in …

The Planet, 2000, Spring/Summer, Shane Powell, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Carbon Sequestration Projects: A Short-Term Mitigation To Global Climate Change, Maria Mcgarry

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The changing demands of consumers on timber markets, products, and amenities is creating unprecedented research in the valuation of non-timber products from forest owners. Both public and private owners of forest lands are beginning to explore the expanding markets into which the products of forests can be marketed. This has occurred before as businesses in the forest products market have searched for ways to bring returns to stockholders in a market known for its volatility, unpredictability, and constant changes over the last century. Now the opportunity to sell the goods and services delivered by standing forests has expanded as society …

Satellite Rna Of Tobacco Ringspot Virus, Jennifer J. (Jennifer Jeane) Gilberd

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The satellite RNA found with tobacco ringspot virus is capable of attenuating the symptoms of viral infection. Although the satellite appears within viral capsids after several passages of infected plants, the origin of this satellite RNA sequence has not been previously determined. Earlier work indicated a potential mitochondrial origin of this sequence. Using satellite specific primers and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the mitochondrial DNA of uninfected tobacco cells was probed for sequence corresponding to the satellite RNA. A new protocol was adapted for the isolation of mitochondrial DNA in which specific isolation of protoplasts and mitochondria was not required. …

Water, Culture And Sewage: Sources And Solutions Of River Pollution In Oaxaca De Juarez, Mexico, Kirsten Harma

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The following paper is the result of research I completed while living and studying in Oaxaca, Mexico on a foreign study program during Fall Semester, 1999. My project reflects an overall look at environment and development issues in Oaxaca state, as well as a detailed case study of a river in Oaxaca’s capital.

The foreign study program, titled “Semester in Oaxaca,” is run through Portland State University and focuses on Mexican history, archeology and environment and development issues. As part of the program we had three months of formal classes in which we studied these subjects in a broad look …

Formation Of Uniaxial Molecular Films By Liquid-Crystal Imprinting In A Magnetic Field, Joseph D. Mougous, Andrew J. Brackley, Katherine Foland, Robert T. Baker, David L. Patrick

Chemistry Faculty and Staff Publications

Scanning tunneling microscopy was used to study molecular order in monolayer organic films formed by solution-phase growth from thermotropic liquid crystal solvents. The films develop macroscopically uniaxial alignment, with adlayer orientation controlled by an external magnetic field through interactions mediated by the liquid crystal. Results are presented for two films deposited from nematic and smectic- A solvents, along with a discussion of the alignment mechanism.

Lake Whatcom Monitoring Project 1998/1999 Report, Robin A. Matthews, Michael Hilles, Joan Vandersypen, Robert J. Mitchell, Geoffrey B. Matthews

Lake Whatcom Annual Reports

This report is part of an on-going series of annual reports and special project reports that document the Lake Whatcom monitoring program.

This work is conducted by the Institute for Watershed Studies and other departments at Western Washington University. The major objective of this program is to provide long-term baseline water quality monitoring in Lake Whatcom and selected tributaries. Each section contains brief explanations about the water quality data, along with discussions of patterns observed in Lake Whatcom.

Origin Of Intraplate Volcanoes From Guyot Heights And Oceanic Paleodepth, Jacqueline Caplan-Auerbach, Fred Duennebier, Garrett Ito

Geology Faculty Publications

The height of a guyot as measured from the surrounding regional sea floor to the volcano's slope break records the water depth at the time the guyot submerged. Thus guyot heights may be used as indicators of the paleodepth of the surrounding ocean floor. We compile data on the heights of 68 intraplate guyots and atolls in the Pacific Ocean as well as 46 volcanic islands in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. We find that guyot heights generally increase with the age of the lithosphere upon which they were emplaced, although there is a large amount of scatter. In …

An Electromagnetic Inverse Problem In Chiral Media, Stephen R. Mcdowall

Mathematics Faculty Publications

We consider the inverse boundary value problem for Maxwell's equations that takes into account the chirality of a body in R³ . More precisely, we show that knowledge of a boundary map for the electromagnetic fields determines the electromagnetic parameters, namely the conductivity, electric permittivity, magnetic permeability and chirality, in the interior. We rewrite Maxwell's equations as a first order perturbation of the Laplacian and construct exponentially growing solutions, and obtain the result in the spirit of complex geometrical optics.

Total Determination Of Material Parameters From Electromagnetic Boundary Information, M. S. (Mark Suresh) Joshi, Stephen R. Mcdowall

Mathematics Faculty Publications

In this paper we complete the proof that the material parameters can be obtained for a chiral electromagnetic body from the boundary admittance map. We prove that from the admittance map, the parameters are uniquely determined to infinite order at the boundary. This removes the assumption of such knowledge in the result of the second author regarding interior determination for chiral media.

Boundary Value Problems In Krein Spaces. Dedicated To The Memory Of Branko Najman, Branko Ćurgus

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Three boundary value problems are considered in a Krein space setting.

The Planet, 2000, Winter, Shane Powell, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Glacial Chronology And Paleoclimatic Significance Of Cirque Moraines Near Mts Baker And Shuksan, North Cascade Range, Wa, Robert A. (Robert Allen) Burrows

WWU Graduate School Collection

Moraines of at least two ages occur in alpine cirques near the Mt. Baker volcano in the North Cascades Range, WA. The south Swift Creek cirque preserves a distinct sequence of moraines representing the two primary age groups. In south Swift Creek cirque, the upper group of moraines (1450-1550 m) has little soil development and vegetation. Increment borings of the oldest trees growing on the upper moraines suggest that they were formed between the late 1800s and early 1900s. This age range correlates with numerous late Little Ice Age (LIA) moraines elsewhere in the Cascade Range. The south Swift Creek …

Structural And Tectonic History Of The Eastern San Juan Islands, Washington, Rynn Marie Lamb

WWU Graduate School Collection

In order to address the heterogeneous character of the Decatur terrane, the rocks that occur within the easternmost San Juan Islands, Washington, are described and compared with respect to lithology, metamorphism, and structure. Based on these observations, a local structural and tectonic history is proposed.

The exposed bedrock in the south part of the study area (Guemes, Huckleberry, Hat, Dot, and Saddlebag Islands) consists primarily of an arc-volcanic intrusive complex (diorite with crosscutting mafic to felsic dikes) as well as ultramafic cumulates of dunite, Iherzolite, and wehrlite. Most of the igneous rocks have no deformational fabric and are relatively unmetamorphosed, …

Late Holocene Aggradational Processes And Rates For Three Alluvial Fans, Cascade Foothills, Washington, John Delachapelle

WWU Graduate School Collection

Aggradation histories going back to the mid Holocene were compiled by subsurface investigation for three alluvial fans in the Cascade foothills, northwest Washington. Sygitowicz, Radonski, and Hardscrabble Creeks originate on the east slope of Stewart Mountain in steep, wooded watersheds (0.36 to 5.5 km²) and drain to the South Fork Nooksack River valley where they have built small (0.28 to 0.61 km²) post-Pleistocene alluvial fans. Ten trenches, excavated to a depth of 3 to 5 meters on the three fans, exposed well-preserved strata and paleosols.

The processes of strata deposition were identified by correlation with the …