Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Study Of Sediment Accretion Dynamics In Mature And Restored Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands In The James River Watershed Using Surface Elevation Tables And Marker Horizons, Ronaldo Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

Sediment accretion and elevation change in tidal forests, and the corresponding ability of these wetlands to keep pace with sea-level rise (SLR), represent data gaps in our understanding of wetland sustainability. Surface Elevation Tables and marker horizons were installed in three mature tidal forests and a restored tidal marsh, allowing us to measure elevation change, accretion, and subsidence. Additionally, we measured predictor variables to test for their significance in explaining accretion and elevation change rates. Mean accretion at our sites was 11.67 +/- 3.01 mm yr^-1 and mean elevation change was -20.22 +/- 8.10 mm yr^-1, suggesting …

Adversarial Decision Making In Counterterrorism Applications, Dogucan Mazicioglu

Theses and Dissertations

Our main objective is to improve decision making in counterterrorism applications by implementing expected utility for prescriptive decision making and prospect theory for descriptive modeling. The areas that we aim to improve are behavioral modeling of adversaries with multi objectives in counterterrorism applications and incorporating risk attitudes of decision makers to risk matrices in assessing risk within an adversarial counterterrorism framework. Traditionally, counterterrorism applications have been approached on a single attribute basis. We utilize a multi-attribute prospect theory approach to more realistically model the attacker’s behavior, while using expected utility theory to prescribe the appropriate actions to the defender. We …

Soil Erosion Risk Factors And The Impacts Of Diversification On Organic Strawberry Farms Along California’S Central Coast, Kay Sterner

Pomona Senior Theses

Soil erosion is a major issue that threatens to undermine our current system of agriculture. Due to the fact that this system is in turn the number one cause of erosion, agricultural practices in the United States need to be rethought. This study explores how traditional ideas of erosion risks are related to observed erosion on organic strawberry farms along California’s Central Coast. In addition, diversified farming systems are addressed as a possible solution for the current unsustainability of our farming practices. The data from this research suggest that diversity of crops on farms could be linked to less soil …

The Effects Of Disturbance And Species Specific Interactions On Diversity In An Agent Based Forest Simulation, Matthew E. Mills

Theses and Dissertations

In ecology literature, there is much data which suggests that conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) and abiotic disturbances increase biodiversity in forests. This thesis elucidates the notion that not only do these two forces increase diversity, but they may also interact with one another in order to achieve higher levels of biodiversity. Abiotic disturbances, like fires and hurricanes, can indirectly impact conspecific effects because when these forces remove individuals from the landscape, the role of the conspecific effects will change. The interaction of these two factors in biodiversity are explored in an agent based forest simulation through a resource surface. …

Smart Home Energy Management: An Analysis Of A Novel Dynamic Pricing And Demand Response Aware Control Algorithm For Households With Distributed Renewable Energy Generation And Storage, Jamal Abushnaf

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Home energy management systems (HEMS) technology can provide a smart and efficient way of optimising energy usage in residential buildings. One of the main goals of the Smart Grid is to achieve Demand Response (DR) by increasing end users’ participation in decision making and increasing the level of awareness that will lead them to manage their energy consumption in an efficient way. This research presents an intelligent HEMS algorithm that manages and controls a range of household appliances with different demand response (DR) limits in an automated way without requiring consumer intervention. In addition, a novel Multiple Users and Load …

A Sound Idea: An Investigation Into Accessible Video Game Design For The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing, Luke James Brook

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A widely accepted, and incorrect, assumption towards hearing accessibility in video games is that deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) users are those who encounter the least barriers and are generally well catered for. Rapid advancement in video game technology has seen video game sound evolve from simple blips generated by internal circuitry to fully realised digital audio used to convey critical information. To accommodate the DHH, this information needs to be conveyed in an alternative manner. However, evidence suggests existing accessible design solutions for the DHH lack specificity and are insufficient. Thus, the inability to hear, or hear well, …

Ecology Of Savanna Ecosystems In Indonesia, Sutomo

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Tropical savannas in South East Asia are important yet understudied ecosystems. In fact, the description of savanna is limited in the Indonesian Archipelago, a region which, based on climate alone, would be expected to have mostly forest. In this thesis, I compared and contrasted the vegetation characteristics of four savannas in the wetter part of the Indonesian archipelago (Java – Bali – Lombok) to understand how fire and grazing influence their dynamics, and searched for evidence of savanna origins, maintenance, invasion by exotic/woody species and possible ecosystem transitions. Vegetation surveys, remote sensing techniques and statistical models were used to spatially …

Catastrophic Landscape Modification From Massive Landslide Tsunamis: An Example From Taan Fiord, Alaska, Colin Bloom

All Master's Theses

The October 17^th 2015 Taan landslide and tsunami generated a high runup of 192 m, nearly an order of magnitude greater than most previously surveyed tsunamis. Extensive modifications observed and documented on several low gradient fan deltas within the fiord make Taan Fiord an excellent laboratory for characterizing geomorphic signatures of a high runup tsunami event. Although interest in this topic is high, most prior post-tsunami surveys are from earthquake-generated tsunamis with relatively low runup, thus the geomorphic signatures of high runup tsunamis or their potential for preservation are uncharacterized. Additionally, clear modifications described during post-tsunami surveys are typically …

Isotope Investigation Of Nitrate In Soils And Agricultural Drain Waters Of The Lower Yakima Valley, Washington, Dallin Jensen

All Master's Theses

Nitrate in the groundwater of the Lower Yakima Valley, Washington has long been known to frequently exceed the EPA maximum contaminant level standard for potable water (10 mg/L), adversely impacting communities with disadvantaged socio-economic status. In this research, nitrogen and oxygen isotopic signatures were determined for nitrate soil leachates and irrigation return flow collected in the Lower Yakima Valley, Washington and compared to previous isotopic studies of nitrate in Central Washington. δ¹⁵N, δ¹⁸O and Δ¹⁷O values are used to constrain sources of to groundwater. Isotope signatures for nitrate from soil leachate largely overlapped with …

Post-Wildfire Black Carbon Deposition On The Snowpack In The Cascade Range, Washington State: Temporal And Spatial Variability With Implications For Accelerated Melt, Ted Uecker

All Master's Theses

Wildfires in the seasonal snow zone affect both snow accumulation and ablation patterns by decreasing forest canopy and depositing light absorbing impurities (LAI) on the snowpack. LAI such as black carbon (BC), burned woody debris, and dust reduce snow albedo (reflectance), accelerate melt, and affect the timing and availability of water resources. Charred trees in post-wildfire forests provide a significant source of BC that is deposited on the snowpack for years following a wildfire, and this effect varies with burn conditions and forest structure. Snow samples were gathered from five sites of varying burn age (0.7, 2.7, 3.8, and 9.8 …

Investigation Of Host-Sensitized Luminescence Of Trivalent Lanthanide Doped Yttrium Phosphate Using Vuv Spectroscopy, Zachary Way

All Master's Theses

Host-sensitized luminescence of yttrium phosphate doped with trivalent lanthanide elements prepared via two synthetic approaches was studied using VUV spectroscopy. A correlation between an unusually intense 150 nm excitation intensity and the ground state energy level of select trivalent lanthanide elements was proposed. Using spectroscopy, the host-to-activator transfer efficiencies of YPO₄:Ln³⁺ (Ln³⁺ = Sm³⁺, Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺) were evaluated for two synthetic approaches. Electron-hole pair trapping efficiencies and S_loss values were calculated using published kinetic models.

Gis Data: Hanover County, Virginia Shoreline Management Model, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon Killeen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie G. Bradshaw, Karen Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, David Weiss, Carl Hershner

Data

The Shoreline Management Model is a GIS spatial model that determines appropriate shoreline best management practices using available spatial data and decision tree logic. Available shoreline conditions used in the model include the presence or absence of tidal marshes, beaches, and forested riparian buffers, bank vegetation cover, bank height, wave exposure (fetch), nearshore water depth, and proximity of coastal development to the shoreline. The model output for shoreline best management practices is displayed in the locality Comprehensive Map Viewer. One GIS shapefile is developed that describes two arcs or lines representing practices in the upland area and practices at the …

Pathways And Supply Of Dissolved Iron In The Amundsen Sea (Antarctica), P. St-Laurent, P. L. Yager, R. M. Sherrell, S. E. Stammerjohn, M. S. Dinniman

CCPO Publications

Numerous coastal polynyas fringe the Antarctic continent and strongly influence the productivity of Antarctic shelf systems. Of the 46 Antarctic coastal polynyas documented in a recent study, the Amundsen Sea Polynya (ASP) stands out as having the highest net primary production per unit area. Incubation experiments suggest that this productivity is partly controlled by the availability of dissolved iron (dFe).As a first step toward understanding the iron supply of the ASP, we introduce four plausible sources of dFe and simulate their steady spatial distribution using conservative numerical tracers. The modeled distributions replicate important features from observations including dFe maxima at …

Understanding Community Character As A Socio-Ecological Framework To Enhance Local-Scale Adaptation: An Interdisciplinary Case Study From Rural Northwest Connecticut, Joanna Wozniak-Brown

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Around the world, municipalities are facing new challenges, not the least of which is climate change. This is especially true for rural communities that, for a variety of reasons, will be disproportionately affected by the climatic changes and accompanying policies or programs.

This dissertation, written in manuscript-style, integrates climate change and social-ecological scholarship to address the unique character of rural communities, to communicate the complexity of rural identity through the term "rural character"; and to empower rural communities to incorporate adaptation strategies into their daily municipal operations and planning.

Specifically, this dissertation seeks to answer the following questions: What is …

Hanover County, Virginia - Shoreline Inventory Report: Methods And Guidelines, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon Killeen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie Bradshaw, Karen Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, David Weiss, Carl Hershner

Reports

The 2017 Inventory for Hanover County was generated using on-screen, digitizing techniques in ArcGIS® -ArcMap v10.4.1while viewing conditions observed in Bing high resolution oblique imagery, Google Earth, and 2013 imagery from the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VBMP).Four GIS shapefiles are developed.The first describes land use and bank conditions (Hanover _lubc_2017). The second portrays the presence of beaches (Hanover _beaches_2017). The third reports shoreline structures that are described as arcs or lines(e.g. riprap)(Hanover _sstru_2017). The final shapefile includes all structures that are represented as points(e.g. piers)(Hanover _astru_2017).The metadata file accompanies the shapefiles and defines attribute accuracy, data development, and any use …

King George County, Virginia Shoreline Inventory Report: Methods And Guidelines, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon Killeen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie Bradshaw, Karen Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, Kory Angstadt, David Weiss, Carl Hershner

Reports

Disclaimer:

The Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) provides these data with the understanding that they are not guaranteed to be correct or complete, and conclusions drawn from the data set are the sole responsibility of the user. Every attempt has been made to ensure that these data and the documentation are reliable and accurate. CCRM, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), and the Commonwealth of Virginia assume no liability for any damages caused by inaccuracies in the data or documentation; and make no warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or utility of this information, nor …

County Of Spotsylvania, Virginia - Shoreline Inventory Report: Methods And Guidelines, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie Bradshaw, Karen Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, David Weiss, Carl Hershner

Reports

The 2017Inventory for Spotsylvania County was generated using on-screen, digitizing techniques in ArcGIS® -ArcMap v10.4.1while viewing conditions observed in Bing high resolution oblique imagery, Google Earth, and2013imagery from the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VBMP).FourGIS shapefiles are developed.The first describes land use and bank conditions (Spotsylvania_lubc_2017). The second portrays the presence of beaches (Spotsylvania_beaches_2017). The third reports shoreline structures that are described as arcs or lines(e.g. riprap)(Spotsylvania_sstru_2017). The final shapefile includes all structures that are represented as points(e.g. piers)(Spotsylvania_astru_2017).The metadata file accompanies the shapefiles and defines attribute accuracy, data development, and any use restrictions that pertain to data.

The County Of Isle Of Wight, Virginia Shoreline Inventory Report: Summary Tables, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie Bradshaw, Karen Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, David Stanhope, Kory Angstadt, Christine Tombleson, David Weiss, Carl Hershner

Reports

The Shoreline Inventory Summary Tables quantify observed conditions based on river systems, such as the combined length of linear features (e.g. shoreline miles surveyed, miles of bulkhead and revetment), the total number of point features (e.g. docks, boathouses, boat ramps) & total acres of polygon features (tidal marshes).

Power Budgets For Cubesat Radios To Support Ground Communications And Inter-Satellite Links, Otilia Popescu

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

CubeSats are a class of pico-satellites that have emerged over the past decade as a cost-effective alternative to the traditional large satellites to provide space experimentation capabilities to universities and other types of small enterprises, which otherwise would be unable to carry them out due to cost constraints. An important consideration when planning CubeSat missions is the power budget required by the radio communication subsystem, which enables a CubeSat to exchange information with ground stations and/or other CubeSats in orbit. The power that a CubeSat can dedicate to the communication subsystem is limited by the hard constraints on the total …

Error Aggregation In The Reengineering Process From 3d Scanning To Printing, Jennifer G. Michaeli, Matthew C. Degroff, Roman C. Roxas

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

This work aims to study the aggregation of dimensional errors in the reengineering processes using 3D scanning and printing without initial design drawings. A 57-tooth spur gear is used as an example to facilitate the discussion. Two approaches are investigated. The first one builds the gear model based upon measurement taken from a caliper, and the second approach uses a 3D scanner to collect geometry data. Dimensional errors in each stage of these two approaches are investigated. Particular attention is paid to the geometry data flow in the reengineering process from data acquisition and editing to model construction. Recommendations are …

Mechanisms For Cross-Scaling, Flexibility And Social Learning In Building Resilience To Sea Level Rise: Case Study Of Hampton Roads, Virginia, Carol Considine, Michelle Covi, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

This case study examines how the Hampton Roads Sea Level Rise Preparedness and Resilience Intergovernmental Planning Pilot Project, a whole-of-government and whole-of-community approach to planning for and adapting to sea level rise, addressed coastal resilience in a southeastern Virginia watershed that spans multiple jurisdictions. Meeting the challenge of sea level rise requires that actors across multiple sectors—citizens, community organizations, industry and government—understand the risks and work together to make critical decisions regarding adaptation strategies and actions. The case study area includes Little Creek Amphibious Base, which is bordered by the cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Adaptation responses to sea …

Green Infrastructure Training For Veterans, Carol L. Considine, Michael W. Seek, Jon Lester, Anthony W. Dean

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

The Environmental Protection Agency launched a Strategic Agenda to Protect Waters and Build More Livable Communities through Green Infrastructure in April of 2011. This initiative supports local communities in using green infrastructure to manage rain water while creating co-benefits of green space, which makes communities more attractive and livable. (EPA) In the fall of 2014 the Environmental Protection Agency along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Transportation signed a federal letter of support for green infrastructure …

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2016, Aaron R. Young, Mark E. Burbach, Leslie M. Howard, Michele M. Waszgis, R. Matthew Joeckel, Sue Olafsen Lackey

Conservation and Survey Division

The term “groundwater” has come to be all but synonymous with Nebraska. Nearly three-quarters of the volume of the High Plains aquifer lies beneath the State, and groundwater maintains our streams, our ecosystems, our people, and our vitally important agricultural economy. Although Nebraska’s total groundwater resource is vast, it is also quite vulnerable to changes induced by natural processes and by humankind, necessitating a long-term commitment to wise management through informed decision making. Monitoring, studying, and reporting are the essential basis for such management and, ultimately, for meeting the myriad challenges presented by change.

The personnel of the Conservation and …

2016 Nebraska Water Leaders Academy - Final Report, Mark E. Burbach, Connie Reimers-Hild

Conservation and Survey Division

The effective management of Nebraska’s water resources is evermore challenged by variations in weather, climate, technology, socioeconomic policies, and regulation. Anthropogenic climate change, declining water tables and stream flows, increasing demands on freshwater, aging water infrastructure, fiscal constraints, and impacts on aquatic organisms are particularly imminent challenges in Nebraska and around the world (Pahl-Wostl et al., 2013; Pittock et al., 2008; USACE, 2010). Sustaining freshwater ecosystem services in the face of emerging environmental threats presents an immense societal dilemma worldwide (Pittock et al., 2013; Rockström et al., 2009, Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005). The rapidly changing conditions of water resources in …

Holocene Fault Reactivation And Landscape Evolution In The Eastern Cascades, Wa, Benjamin M. Carlson

WWU Graduate School Collection

Significant uncertainty remains in how and where modest, distributed shortening is accommodated throughout the eastern Cascade Range in Washington State. Using lidar imagery, I identified a ~5 km long lineament in Swakane Canyon near Wenatchee, roughly coincident with a strand of the Entiat fault. Topographic profiles show the lineament is formed by a southwest-side-up break in slope with between 2 and 42 m of vertical separation of the ground surface. Trenching reveals deformed saprolite and colluvium consistent with southwest-side-up folding caused by blind reverse faulting at depth. Radiocarbon and luminescence dating combined with stratigraphic constraints suggest up to three Holocene …

Changes In Water Chemistry And Biological Communities Associated With Metal Mining In Streams In The North Cascades, Brooke G. Bannerman

WWU Graduate School Collection

Hard rock and placer mining have been occurring throughout the mountains in the northern portion of Washington State since the late-1800s. As a result, aquatic ecosystems in this region are susceptible to the physical, chemical and biological changes that result from mining activities. These alterations, which include changes in water chemistry, habitat modifications, and reduction or contamination of food sources, can adversely impact aquatic communities of periphyton, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. To evaluate changes in water chemistry and biological communities in two regions with extensive mining histories, the Ruby Creek watershed and Upper Skagit River watershed, I analyzed metals in …

Mothers' Roots Curriculum Project, Sonya Gobert

WWU Graduate School Collection

Since time immemorial, Indigenous mothers have taught their children how to survive in Indigenous way of being. When we remind our daughters of the strength, and the generations of resiliency and self-love before them, is when we will see real change. The truth is, when we teach our children their identity, we are giving them the tools to restore and rebuild their roots. These children are then the seeds which will be planted with the promise to grow in the awareness of true sovereignty, nationhood, and self-empowerment steeped in Indigenous truth which will ultimately trickle down in their own parenting …

A Theoretical And Experimental Study Into The Kinetics Of Solution Phase Thin Film Deposition, Cyrus Schaaf

WWU Graduate School Collection

The performance of electronic and optoelectronic devices based on solution-processed organic semiconductor layers is strongly influenced by their mesoscale polycrystalline structure, including domain size and spatial distributions. In solution-processed films prepared by spin casting, solvent-based printing, and related methods, morphology is governed by a combination of interrelated thermodynamic and kinetic factors. Classical models of crystal formation in bulk solution or on bare surfaces in vacuum-deposited films fail to adequately capture these effects; the current theoretical understanding of crystallization in solution-deposited films is generally unable to provide much insight, let alone predictive design guidance for tailoring films with specific structural characteristics …

Structural Evolution Of The San Juan Thrust System, Orcas And Shaw Islands, Wa, Kevin Quillan

WWU Graduate School Collection

The San Juan Thrust System represents the western elements of the Cascades orogen and preserves evidence for Cretaceous Cordilleran margin tectonics. The kinematics of deformation phases and their temporal relationship to accretionary wedge high-pressure low-temperature metamorphism remains uncertain. The structural and metamorphic evolution of the San Juan Thrust System was studied on Orcas and Shaw Islands in Western Washington. Detailed field mapping indicates that a widespread S1 flattening fabric (formed during D1) is subparallel to and cut by an S2 fabric found within brittle-ductile shear zones that bound the terranes (formed during D2). Post-cleavage brittle structures (formed during D3) offset …

Probing The Catalytic Properties Of Ni-Based Bimetallic Phosphides For Deep Hydrodesulfurization, Peter J. Topalian

WWU Graduate School Collection

Global demand for transportation fuels continues to rise while environmental standards for sulfur impurities in fuels have become more stringent. Upgrading crude oil feed stocks via deep hydrodesulfurization (HDS) is necessary to meet the ultra-low sulfur standards for transportation fuels. Transition metal phosphides (e.g. Ni₂P, Ru₂P) represents a new class of hydrotreating catalysts that show promise for improved HDS properties relative to conventional molybdenum sulfide based catalysts. Incorporating a second metal into Ni₂P can influence the surface properties and be used to tailor the catalytic properties (activity, selectivity) for improved hydrotreating performance. Bimetallic phosphides …