Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Global Atmospheric Change And Its Effect On Managed Grassland Systems, Andreas Lüscher, J. Fuhrer, P. C. D. Newton

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Key points

1. Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration and a trend to warmer mean temperatures are the most reliable aspects of global atmospheric change. Projections of the extent of climate change and the frequency of extreme weather conditions remain uncertain.

2. Research has considerably reduced the uncertainty about effects of global atmospheric change on physiology of plants, productivity and species composition of plant communities.

3. Other factors (e.g. nutrient availability, soil type) and long-term adaptation of the ecosystem (e.g. nutrient cycling and sequestration) influence the response of plant communities to global atmospheric change. Generalisation is not possible with respect to the …

The Potential Of Grassland And Associated Forages To Produce Fibre, Biomass, Energy Or Other Feedstocks For Non-Food And Other Sectors: New Uses For A Global Resource, M. F. Askew

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Key points

1. In developed countries increased areas of land will become available for non-food production. Recent reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy will further intensify this trend in Europe.

2. There is potential for grassland and associated species to contribute to large tonnage markets of energy and bulk fibres, to the supply of fermentation products and to speciality markets, but processes and approaches to the market are not as yet developed.

3. There is potential for the establishment of Graminaceous species - specifically for nonfood use. For European conditions particular attention is being given to Miscanthus sinensis (Miscanthus), Arundo …

Nitrogen Reductions Have Decreased Hypoxia In The Chesapeake Bay: Evidence From Empirical And Numerical Modeling, Luke T. Frankel, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, Pierre St-Laurent, Aaron J. Bever, Rom Lipcius, Gopal Bhatt, Gary W. Shenk

VIMS Articles

Seasonal hypoxia is a characteristic feature of the Chesapeake Bay due to anthropogenic nutrient input from agriculture and urbanization throughout the watershed. Although coordinated management efforts since 1985 have reduced nutrient inputs to the Bay, oxygen concentrations at depth in the summer still frequently fail to meet water quality standards that have been set to protect critical estuarine living resources. To quantify the impact of watershed nitrogen reductions on Bay hypoxia during a recent period including both average discharge and extremely wet years (2016–2019), this study employed both statistical and three-dimensional (3-D) numerical modeling analyses. Numerical model results suggest that …

Hydrologic Profiles And Geospatial Trend Analysis Evaluating Recurrent Flooding At Coastal U.S. Air Force Installations, Dylan D. Bechen

Theses and Dissertations

Military installations are exposed to numerous threats, including a changing climate and the risk of recurrent flooding. The four components of recurrent flooding are sea-level rise, tidal fluctuations, storm surges, and precipitation. This research analyzed 40 years of historical precipitation and tidal data at 17 coastal U.S. Air Force installations using indicators of both peak and threshold exceedances to identify long-term temporal trends in the hydrologic components that make up recurrent flood risk, establishing an installation’s “hydrologic profile” which can be used to better inform decision makers when evaluating portfolio-wide adaptation strategies and prioritization of long-term infrastructure investments.

Carbon Estimation And Decision Making In Usaf Acquisition, Robert F. Gray

Theses and Dissertations

Recent executive orders and international agreements require the United States to significantly reduce its carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. The DoD is a significant contributor to the carbon emissions of the USA and will be required to reduce the emissions. Therefore, in order to make appropriate programmatic decisions the DoD needs to develop an appropriate method for estimating carbon and making programmatic decisions; trading-off carbon emissions with the traditional cost-schedule-performance metrics. This thesis examines the possibility of developing a model that can be used to estimate the carbon footprint of producing a system before detailed engineering designed have been complete.

Applications Of A Lightning Proxy To Generate Synthetic Lightning For Use In Physics-Based Image-Chain Models, Bryan G. Castro

Theses and Dissertations

A method of generating synthetic lightning through the use of a convective available potential energy (CAPE) times precipitation rate (P) proxy is applied over three distinct climatological zones of the world for a single warm season: central and southern AZ of the United States, central Cuba, and North Korea. Global Forecast System (GFS) 0.25° by 0.25° forecast data for June, July, and August of 2019 is used to provide 6-hourly CAPE and precipitation rate, while Global Lightning Dataset (GLD360) data for the period 2016 to 2020 is used to provide observed lightning strokes. A five-year lightning climatology study is conducted …

A Critical Review Of Climate Change On Coastal Infrastructure Systems, Gregory J. Howland Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a response to climate threats identified by DoD report on Climate Change in 2019. A critical review of climate change literature related to coastal infrastructure was conducted to synthesize past research and to inform future research. This review intends to inform how climate change may impact infrastructure systems, how those impacts are evaluated, can the investigation be improved, and what can stakeholders learn from the outcomes. The end goal is to find climate change mitigation strategies and adaptation measures, or identify the easiest path to get to that end. The compiled information will inform civilian and military …

Perceived Cultural Impacts Of Climate Change Motivate Climate Action And Support For Climate Policy, Kim-Pong Tam, Angela K. Y. Leung, Brandon Koh

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The impacts of climate change on human cultures have received increasing attention in recent years. However, the extent to which people are aware of these impacts, whether such awareness motivates climate action, and what kinds of people show stronger awareness are rarely understood. The present investigation provides the very first set of answers to these questions. In two studies (with a student sample with N = 199 from Singapore and a demographically representative sample with N = 625 from the USA), we observed a generally high level of awareness among our participants. Most importantly, perceived cultural impacts of climate change …

Estimation Of The Optimal Nitrogen Dose In A Brachiaria Humidicola-Corn Rotation System In The Colombian Eastern Plains, K. Enciso, S. Burkart

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Improving nitrogen (N) use efficiency by optimizing the N fertilizer application dose is one way to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in agriculture and livestock production, especially in higher demanding crops such as corn. Taking a Brachiaria humidicola (Bh)-corn rotation system in the Colombian Eastern Plains, we seek to determine both the optimal economic dose (OED) and the optimal technical dose (OTD) of N, which allow to maximize income at producer level and minimize environmental impacts. This particular rotation system was chosen as research subject given the presence of the residual effect of Biological Nitrogen Inhibition (BNI) in …

Innovative Approaches To Analysing Carbon Sequestration As A Mitigation Strategy In Tropical Pasture Landscapes In Two Emblematic Contexts, The Amazon And The West African Sahel, V. Blanfort, R. Pocard-Chapuis, J. Vayssières, M. Vignes, M. H. Assouma, B. Hubert, A. Ickowicz, S. Fontaine

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The relationship between ruminant production systems and climate change is complex. As a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the sector has been the subject of considerable controversy, with particularly severe criticism in the 2000s. However, ten years ago, the attitude towards grazing lands began to change. Their efficient use of non-renewable energy and their contribution to carbon (C) sequestration were considered as key factors in the new environmental challenge. The reality of this mitigation potential was recently called into question once again in the global agriculture and climate change debate, including that of sequestration in the soil where …

Melting Arctic Ice Exposes Possible Conflict For Us, China, Russia, Madeleine Alder

Research on Capitol Hill

USU senior Maddie, a Salt Lake City native, is an Honors student, Peak Summer Research Fellow, and USU Institute of Land, Water and Air intern. She studies Political Science. Maddie’s research dissects how rising temperatures and the resulting polar ice caps on our planet might impact international relations for the US. The opening of additional shipping lanes in previously-frozen waters could cause conflict between key actors. Maddie has been involved in research for nearly all of her undergrad degree, and says, “I love learning and I get excited to discover new connections between topics I am interested in. I like …

Precipitation Is A Strong Predictor Of Airborne Ammonia Levels., Bridger Jorgensen, Casey Olson, Connor Snow

Research on Capitol Hill

USU senior Connor has lived in the Uintah Basin all his life and studies kinesiology. Senior Casey, a Cache Valley native, studies climate science and works at the Utah Climate Center. Junior Bridger, also of Cache Valley, studies nutrition science. They led and funded this project through a student grant. Casey was alarmed by the ammonia data he was collecting at the Climate Center. “I immediately began to wonder how this issue would evolve over the coming decades.” The three teamed up to take a look at how Logan’s record-breaking amount of ammonia in our air is impacting those who …

Dairy Cattle Genetics By Environment Interaction Mismatch Contributes To Poor Mitigation And Adaptation Of Grazing Systems To Climate Change Actions In The Peruvian High Andes: A Review, V. M. Velez Marroquin, J. Manhire, R. Garcia Ticllacuri, J. L. Bernal Madrid, C. S. Pinares-Patino

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The high Andes of Peru includes fragile ecosystems. Nevertheless, it plays important ecosystem functions (e.g., biodiversity, water supply for the lowlands, CO₂ sinks in soil, etc). More than 80% of the livestock population of Peru is farmed in this area, supporting the livelihood of approximately 1’400,000 poor families, who are vulnerable to climate change (CC). Climate change in the high Andes is occurring at accelerated rates, compared to lowlands regions. Prevalent factors in the high Andes, such as hypoxia, high UV radiation, climatic extremes, large variation between maximum and minimum temperatures, seasonality in rainfall (determining highly seasonal forage growth) …

Air Pollution, Climate Change, And Our Health, Kathia Vargas Feliz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Climate change is a subject that is creating a lot of controversies nowadays. From newspapers to researchers, there are big efforts going on trying to bring awareness about the effects of air pollution and climate change over time. It is recommended that governments all over the world, and people from all communities act by taking care of the environment because the situation might turn out to be irremediable. There is a quote by Leonardo Dicaprio stating, “Climate change is real. It is happening right now; it is the most urgent threat facing our entire species and we need to …

Fact Sheet - Human Settlements: Climate Change Impacts And Risks, Winston T. L. Chow, Richard Dawson, Bruce Glavovic, Marjolijn Haasnoot, Mark Pelling, William Solecki

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This regional factsheet on cities and human settlements gives a snapshot of the key findings of the Sixth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2022 - Impacts. Adaptation and Vulnerability, distilled from the relevant Chapters and Cross-Chapter Papers, the Technical Summary and the Global to Regional Atlas.

A Guava-Based Hortipasture System For Mitigating Climate Change And Sustaining Fodder & Fruit Supply In Semi-Arid Regions Of India, Kamini Gautam, Sunil Kumar, Amit Kumar Singh, Avijit Ghosh, Manjanagouda S. S., R. V. Kumar

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Hortipasture systems have huge potential to mitigate climate change via sequestering carbon along with sustaining fodder and fruit supply especially in semi-arid regions. Therefore to evaluate climate change mitigation, fruit and fodder production potential of 10 year old rainfed based Hortipasture system (Psidium guajava (Guava) + Cenchrus ciliaris + Stylosanthes hamata) established at Central Research Farm of ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute (Bundelkhand region, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India), carbon stock of tree and under storey pasture components was quantified along with fruit and forage production. The experimental site is drought prone semi arid region characterized by poor …

Tile Drainage Flow Partitioning And Phosphorus Export In Vermont Usa, Ryan Ruggiero, Donald Ross, Joshua W. Faulkner

Lake Champlain Sea Grant Institute

Tile drainage (TD) has been identified as a potential non-point source of phosphorus (P) pollution and subsequent water quality issues. Three fields with TD in Vermont USA were monitored to characterize hydrology and P export. Fields were in corn silage and used minimal tillage and cover cropping practices. Preferential flow path (PFP) activity was explored by separating TD flow into flow pathway and source connectivity components using two hydrograph separation techniques, electrical conductivity end member unmixing, and hydrograph recession analysis. TD was the dominant P export pathway because of higher total discharge. Drought conditions during this study limited surface runoff, …

Future Of Winter In Northeastern North America: Climate Indicators Portray Warming And Snow Loss That Will Impact Ecosystems And Communities, Elizabeth Burakowski, Alix Contosta, Danielle Grogan, Sarah Nelson, Sarah Garlick, Nora Casson

Faculty Publications

Winters in northeastern North America have warmed faster than summers, with impacts on ecosystems and society. Global climate models (GCMs) indicate that winters will continue to warm and lose snow in the future, but uncertainty remains regarding the magnitude of warming. Here, we project future trends in winter indicators under lower and higher climate-warming scenarios based on emission levels across northeastern North America at a fine spatial scale (1/16°) relevant to climate-related decision making. Under both climate scenarios, winters continue to warm with coincident increases in days above freezing, decreases in days with snow cover, and fewer nights below freezing. …

Productivity Of Grasslands In Wielkopolska In Conditions Of Weather Variables Changes In The Last 34 Years, B. Golińska, M. Czerwiński, P. Goliński

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The purpose of this study was the assessment of the effect of climatic changes since 1985 on the productivity of grasslands in Wielkopolska region (Poland). The weather data (precipitation sum, mean, maximum and minimum air temperature, insolation, relative air humidity and wind speed) were collected from 1985 to 2018 at five weather stations located in the region that belong to the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Using this data, trends of Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) were determined. Grassland productivity was estimated from data collected by the Central Statistical Office, that refer to meadow hay production for each commune …

A Call For The Library Community To Deploy Best Practices Toward A Database For Biocultural Knowledge Relating To Climate Change, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Abstract

Purpose – In this paper, a call to the library and information science community to support documentation and conservation of cultural and biocultural heritage has been presented.

Design/methodology/approach – Based in existing Literature, this proposal is generative and descriptive— rather than prescriptive—regarding precisely how libraries should collaborate to employ technical and ethical best practices to provide access to vital data, research and cultural narratives relating to climate.

Findings – COVID-19 and climate destruction signal urgent global challenges. Library best practices are positioned to respond to climate change. Literature indicates how libraries preserve, share and cross-link cultural and scientific knowledge. …

Strategic Protection Of Landslide Vulnerable Mountains For Biodiversity Conservation Under Land-Cover And Climate Change Impacts, Binbin V. Li, Clinton N. Jenkins, Weihua Xu

Department of Earth and Environment

Natural disasters impose huge uncertainty and loss to human lives and economic activities. Landslides are one disaster that has become more prevalent because of anthropogenic disturbances, such as land-cover changes, land degradation, and expansion of infrastructure. These are further exacerbated by more extreme precipitation due to climate change, which is predicted to trigger more landslides and threaten sustainable development in vulnerable regions. Although biodiversity conservation and development are often regarded as having a trade-off relationship, here we present a global analysis of the area with co-benefits, where conservation through expanding protection and reducing deforestation can not only benefit biodiversity but …

Investigating The Effects Of Climate Change On The Phenology Of Achillea Millefolium, Aquilegia Coerulea, And Penstemon Cyanocaulis, Hannah O’Toole, Kailey Hicks, Lisa Long, Jackson Garske, Anna Sher

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

As the effects of climate change are starting to unearth themselves, the impacts can be observed by tracking the patterns of cyclical natural phenomena also known as phenology, and monitoring how they have changed over time. These cycles are at the crux of making ecosystems viable for their local biodiversity, and understanding the ongoing change allows for further understanding of the ecosystem’s change over time. In this study, we look at the ordinal flowering dates of the Achillea millefolium, Aquilegia coerulea, and Penstemon cyanocaulis over the past century. Our data give insight into how warmer temperatures occurring earlier in …

Justice For Islands That Suffer Most: Stacy-Ann Robinson, Gerry Boyle

Colby Magazine

Robinson grew up in Jamaica and has seen the destruction levied on the island by extreme storms. A human geographer and assistant professor of environmental studies at Colby, Robinson has also seen firsthand the challenges faced by Jamaica and places like it as they try to obtain resources needed to cope with the brunt of climate change.

Sustainability & (Em)Powering Community Based Action In Chula Vista, Gabriella Medina, Darbi Berry

San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative

The City of Chula Vista (Chula Vista / the City) has already begun to experience the localized impacts of climate change through record-breaking heat waves, droughts, and wildfires. In response to the impacts of climate change posing a threat to Chula Vista residents’ quality of life, the City declared a climate emergency in March 2022. This declaration advanced the City’s commitment to update its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction goals, strengthen existing efforts like the City Operations Sustainability Plan, and encourage new City-wide and voluntary actions by residents and businesses. The Chula Vista DIY Sustainable Home Toolkit (Toolkit) is a best …

Understanding The Intersections Of The Lgbtq+ Community & Climate Change, Annabel Gong, Darbi Berry

San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative

In this blog, we will explore these LGBTQ+ community relationships as they relate to environmental justice, relationships and access to the outdoors, and community representation in the environmental science field.

Electrifying Encinitas, Gabriella Medina, Darbi Berry

San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative

Advancing the San Diego region’s resilience to climate change impacts within the nexus of social, environmental, and economic prosperity is a top priority for local planning and efforts. As the region continues to face impacts on quality of life from climate change, the City of Encinitas is taking action to respond by leading efforts of energy resilience with their recently passed Green Building Ordinance (Ordinance). The Ordinance requires all new residential and non-residential buildings constructed in Encinitas to be “all-electric” unless an exception applies. As the San Diego region moves towards decarbonizing, Encinitas is the first city to mandate building …

Understanding The Inflation Reduction Act, Michelle Robidas, Darbi Berry

San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative

In this blog, readers will learn what the Inflation Reduction Act is, the major categories of its climate funding, and why its passing into law was a historical moment for the U.S.

Revolutionizing The Integration Of Sustainability & Zero Net Energy In The San Diego Region, Gabriella Medina, Darbi Berry

San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative

The San Diego County Regional Airport Airport Authority (Airport Authority) manages the day-to-day operations of the San Diego International Airport (SAN) and addresses the region’s long-term air transportation needs. SAN is also the busiest single-run commercial airport in the United States. To lessen SAN’s greenhouse gas emissions impact on local climate change vulnerabilities from the airport’s operations (i.e. minimizing energy usage), the Airport Authority has integrated sustainability across its social, environmental, and economic functions. In their commitment to sustainability, the Airport Authority is using the New Terminal 1 (New T1) project and zero-net energy (ZNE) Airline Support Facilities (ASF) as …

Application Of Climate-Smart Forestry – Forest Manager Response To The Relevance Of European Definition And Indicators, Euan Bowditch, Giovanni Santopuoli, Boyżdar Neroj, Jan Svetlik Jan Svetlik, Mark Tominlson, Vivien Pohl, Admir Avdagić, Miren Del Rio, Tzetvan Zlatanov Tzetvan Zlatanov, Höhn Maria, Gabriela Jamnická, Yusuf Serengil, Murat Sarginci, Sigríður Júlía Brynleifsdóttir, Jerzy Lesinki, João C. Azevedo

Articles

Climate change impacts are an increasing threat to forests and current approaches to management. In 2020, Climate-smart Forestry (CSF) definition and set of indicators was published. This study further developed this work by testing the definition and indicators through a forest manager survey across fifteen member European countries. The survey covered topic areas of demographics, climate change impacts, definition and indicators assessment, as well as knowledge and communication. Overall, forest managers considered the threat of climate change to their forests as high or critical and 62% found the CSF definition clear and concise; however, the minority suggested greater simplification or …

Marine Heatwaves In The Chesapeake Bay, Piero L. F. Mazzini, Cassia Pianca

VIMS Articles

Prolonged events of anomalously warm sea water temperature, or marine heatwaves (MHWs), have major detrimental effects to marine ecosystems and the world's economy. While frequency, duration and intensity of MHWs have been observed to increase in the global oceans, little is known about their potential occurrence and variability in estuarine systems due to limited data in these environments. In the present study we analyzed a novel data set with over three decades of continuous in situ temperature records to investigate MHWs in the largest and most productive estuary in the US: the Chesapeake Bay. MHWs occurred on average twice per …