Current Search: Environmental sciences (x)
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- Title
- A formative evaluation of the grassy waters preserve aquatic connections and watershed awareness (acwa) environmental education program.
- Creator
- Hopler, Sarah, Meltzer, Carol, Graduate College
- Date Issued
- 2011-04-08
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3164541
- Subject Headings
- Environmental sciences --Study and teaching, Environmental education, Wetland conservation
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Interview with Dr. Leonard Berry – ca. 2002.
- Creator
- Berry, Leonard, Donnelly, Ginger
- Date Issued
- 2002-10-29
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FADT78768
- Subject Headings
- Environmental sciences, Global environmental change, Oral histories --Florida, Oral history
- Format
- Set of related objects
- Title
- Remote sensing systems for monitoring and quantifying tropical deforestation in the Huallaga River Valley of Peru.
- Creator
- Echavarria, Fernando R., Florida Atlantic University, Craig, Alan K., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
- Abstract/Description
-
This thesis examines the quantification of tropical deforestation, the use of remote sensing techniques for its scientific measurement, and the many controversies surrounding the problem. Aerial photographs and Landsat-based planimetric maps were used to determine the conversion of montane rain forest in a 1,000 km$\sp2$ sector of Peru's Huallaga River Valley. Between 1963 and 1976, 244 km$\sp2$ of forest (approximately a quarter of the study area) were converted to agricultural and other...
Show moreThis thesis examines the quantification of tropical deforestation, the use of remote sensing techniques for its scientific measurement, and the many controversies surrounding the problem. Aerial photographs and Landsat-based planimetric maps were used to determine the conversion of montane rain forest in a 1,000 km$\sp2$ sector of Peru's Huallaga River Valley. Between 1963 and 1976, 244 km$\sp2$ of forest (approximately a quarter of the study area) were converted to agricultural and other land uses, an apparent deforestation rate of 19 km$\sp2$/yr or approximately 1,872 ha/yr. The method entailed the cutting and weighing of strips of Mylar overlays. Despite the photogrammetric limitations, the results demonstrate an economical and practical technique that is readily applicable to developing countries. The potential of other remote sensing systems and the application of change detection techniques such as digital image subtraction to monitor deforestation is detailed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1989
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14538
- Subject Headings
- Geography, Physical Geography, Environmental Sciences, Remote Sensing
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Determining peat thickness in subtropical peatlands using ground penetrating radar.
- Creator
- McNabb, Tyler, Comas, Xavier, Sumner, David
- Date Issued
- 2012-04-06
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3349032
- Subject Headings
- Environmental geology, Earth sciences, Natural resources, Peatlands, Stratigraphy
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- SHALLOW-WATER ENCRUSTERS AND THE TAPHONOMY OF THE HOLOCENE STORM RIDGE OFF POMPANO BEACH, BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA.
- Creator
- Ciesinski, Carson Park, Oleinik, Anton, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geosciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
-
Encrusters have a proven history as indicators of environmental conditions in nearshore habitats and are useful in both ecological and paleoenvironmental research within benthic ecosystems. Off the coast of Pompano Beach, Florida, a Holocene storm deposit contains large accumulations of subfossil Acropora palmata fragments with these same encrusting organisms attached to their surfaces. The objective of this research was to create an inventory of encrusters found within the storm deposit and...
Show moreEncrusters have a proven history as indicators of environmental conditions in nearshore habitats and are useful in both ecological and paleoenvironmental research within benthic ecosystems. Off the coast of Pompano Beach, Florida, a Holocene storm deposit contains large accumulations of subfossil Acropora palmata fragments with these same encrusting organisms attached to their surfaces. The objective of this research was to create an inventory of encrusters found within the storm deposit and document their successional outgrowth to determine the post-depositional history of sampled coral fragments. Foraminifera and coralline algae were the most common species found, and various sequences of successional outgrowth were observed that indicated fragments were either deposited gradually, immediately buried, or reworked after initial burial. This information is vital for understanding modern biodiversity on the Pompano coast, and the development of nearshore benthic marine ecosystems during the mid-late Holocene.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2023
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014344
- Subject Headings
- Taphonomy, Corals, Acropora palmata, Pompano Beach (Fla.), Environmental sciences
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Measuring temporal variability in biogenic gas content in peat soils using moisture probes.
- Creator
- Heij, Gerhard, Comas, Xavier
- Date Issued
- 2012-04-06
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3348827
- Subject Headings
- Peatlands, Carbon cycle, Soil science, Environmental conditions, Geosciences, Soil moisture, Soils --analysis, Biogenic gas
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- An evaluation of the U.S.E.P.A. model MULTIMED and applicability to hydrogeologic conditions in Florida.
- Creator
- Martin, Robert Floyd, Jr., Florida Atlantic University, Restrepo, Jorge I.
- Abstract/Description
-
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's program, MULTIMED, was evaluated using a parametric analysis and result comparisons the with programs MODFLOW and MT3D. The validity and accuracy of the MULTIMED model results were determined and independent parameter sensitivities identified. The dilution calculations in the model are sensitive to several parameters. A parameter determined critical is the seepage velocity which is used in the transport calculations of the model, as well as a "Near...
Show moreThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's program, MULTIMED, was evaluated using a parametric analysis and result comparisons the with programs MODFLOW and MT3D. The validity and accuracy of the MULTIMED model results were determined and independent parameter sensitivities identified. The dilution calculations in the model are sensitive to several parameters. A parameter determined critical is the seepage velocity which is used in the transport calculations of the model, as well as a "Near Mixing Factor". Under Florida's aquifer conditions, the Near Mixing Factor as calculated in the model is susceptible to overestimating the dilution of the initial concentration due to relatively high recharge rates and low hydraulic conductivities. Florida's aquifer conditions also typically result in Near Mixing Factor values greater than one, for which the model's analytical solutions are not valid.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1995
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15158
- Subject Headings
- Sanitary landfills--Leaching--Computer simulation, Environmental Sciences, Groundwater flow--Florida
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Generating space-time hypotheses in complex social-ecological systems.
- Creator
- Forbes, Dolores J., Xie, Zhixiao, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
- Abstract/Description
-
As ecosystems degrade globally, ecosystem services that support life are increasingly threatened. Indications of degradation are occurring in the Northern Indian River Lagoon (IRL) estuary in east central Florida. Factors associated with ecosystem degradation are complex, including climate and land use change. Ecosystem research needs identified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) include the need to: consider the social with the physical; account for dynamism and change; account for...
Show moreAs ecosystems degrade globally, ecosystem services that support life are increasingly threatened. Indications of degradation are occurring in the Northern Indian River Lagoon (IRL) estuary in east central Florida. Factors associated with ecosystem degradation are complex, including climate and land use change. Ecosystem research needs identified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) include the need to: consider the social with the physical; account for dynamism and change; account for complexity; address issues of scale; and focus on ecosystem structure and process. Ecosystems are complex, self-organizing, multi-equilibrial, non-linear, middle-number systems that exist in multiple stable states. Results found are relative to the observation and the frame of analysis, requiring multi-scaled analytical techniques. This study addresses the identified ecosystem research needs and the complexity of the associated factors given these additional constraints. Relativity is addressed through univariate analysis of dissolved oxygen as a measure of the general health of the Northern IRL. Multiple spatial levels are employed to associate social process scales with physical process scales as basin, sub-basins, and watersheds. Scan statistics return extreme value clusters in space-time. Wavelet transforms decompose time-scales of cyclical data using varying window sizes to locate change in process scales in space over time. Wavelet transform comparative methods cluster temporal process scales across space. Combined these methods describe the space-time structure of process scales in a complex ecosystem relative to the variable examined, where the highly localized results allow for connection to unexamined variables.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004284
- Subject Headings
- Environmental sciences -- Mathematical models, Indian River (Fla. : Lagoon) -- Environmental aspects, Marine ecosystem management -- Florida -- Indian River (Lagoon), Sustainable development, Wavelets (Mathematics)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Effect of Electronic Water Treatment System on Calcium Carbonate Scaling.
- Creator
- Shaha, Bishow Nath, Meeroff, Daniel E., Florida Atlantic University, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering
- Abstract/Description
-
Calcium carbonate precipitation and formation of clog particles inside the leachate collection pipe can cause catastrophic failures in landfill operation. This study focuses on quantifying the effectiveness of electronic scale control to reduce the clog formation within the pipe network. A field scale model (40ft × 20ft) was constructed, featuring side-by-side flow of electronically treated and untreated composite leachate. Data obtained in the first phase of this study indicate that...
Show moreCalcium carbonate precipitation and formation of clog particles inside the leachate collection pipe can cause catastrophic failures in landfill operation. This study focuses on quantifying the effectiveness of electronic scale control to reduce the clog formation within the pipe network. A field scale model (40ft × 20ft) was constructed, featuring side-by-side flow of electronically treated and untreated composite leachate. Data obtained in the first phase of this study indicate that electronic scale control system does not have any statistically significant effect on water quality parameters. The second phase of this study identified calcite (CaCO3) to be the predominant phase present in the precipitates using XRD/XRF diffraction pattern analyzed through a search match calculation program (MATCH! Version 3.2.0) which concur with the previous studies. Furthermore, Rietveld refinement using FullProf Suite confirms that there were no differences between the treated and untreated precipitate based on the phases identified in the respective samples.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004706, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004706
- Subject Headings
- Calcium carbonate, Engineered barrier systems (Waste disposal), Environmental engineering, Green technology, Incrustations, Materials science, Water -- Hardness, Water quality management
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Remote sensing of evapotranspiration using automated calibration: development and testing in the state of Florida.
- Creator
- Evans, Aaron H., Obeysekera, Jayantha, Zhang, Caiyun, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
- Abstract/Description
-
Thermal remote sensing is a powerful tool for measuring the spatial variability of evapotranspiration due to the cooling effect of vaporization. The residual method is a popular technique which calculates evapotranspiration by subtracting sensible heat from available energy. Estimating sensible heat requires aerodynamic surface temperature which is difficult to retrieve accurately. Methods such as SEBAL/METRIC correct for this problem by calibrating the relationship between sensible heat and...
Show moreThermal remote sensing is a powerful tool for measuring the spatial variability of evapotranspiration due to the cooling effect of vaporization. The residual method is a popular technique which calculates evapotranspiration by subtracting sensible heat from available energy. Estimating sensible heat requires aerodynamic surface temperature which is difficult to retrieve accurately. Methods such as SEBAL/METRIC correct for this problem by calibrating the relationship between sensible heat and retrieved surface temperature. Disadvantage of these calibrations are 1) user must manually identify extremely dry and wet pixels in image 2) each calibration is only applicable over limited spatial extent. Producing larger maps is operationally limited due to time required to manually calibrate multiple spatial extents over multiple days. This dissertation develops techniques which automatically detect dry and wet pixels. LANDSAT imagery is used because it resolves dry pixels. Calibrations using 1) only dry pixels and 2) including wet pixels are developed. Snapshots of retrieved evaporative fraction and actual evapotranspiration are compared to eddy covariance measurements for five study areas in Florida: 1) Big Cypress 2) Disney Wilderness 3) Everglades 4) near Gainesville, FL. 5) Kennedy Space Center. The sensitivity of evaporative fraction to temperature, available energy, roughness length and wind speed is tested. A technique for temporally interpolating evapotranspiration by fusing LANDSAT and MODIS is developed and tested. The automated algorithm is successful at detecting wet and dry pixels (if they exist). Including wet pixels in calibration and assuming constant atmospheric conductance significantly improved results for all but Big Cypress and Gainesville. Evaporative fraction is not very sensitive to instantaneous available energy but it is sensitive to temperature when wet pixels are included because temperature is required for estimating wet pixel evapotranspiration. Data fusion techniques only slightly outperformed linear interpolation. Eddy covariance comparison and temporal interpolation produced acceptable bias error for most cases suggesting automated calibration and interpolation could be used to predict monthly or annual ET. Maps demonstrating spatial patterns of evapotranspiration at field scale were successfully produced, but only for limited spatial extents. A framework has been established for producing larger maps by creating a mosaic of smaller individual maps.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004194, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004194
- Subject Headings
- Climatic changes, Environmental sciences -- Remote sensing, Evapotranspiration -- Measurement, Geographic information systems, Remote sensing -- Data processing, Spatial analysis (Mathematics)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Mapping urban land cover using multi-scale and spatial autocorrelation information in high resolution imagery.
- Creator
- Johnson, Brian A., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
- Abstract/Description
-
Fine-scale urban land cover information is important for a number of applications, including urban tree canopy mapping, green space analysis, and urban hydrologic modeling. Land cover information has traditionally been extracted from satellite or aerial images using automated image classification techniques, which classify pixels into different categories of land cover based on their spectral characteristics. However, in fine spatial resolution images (4 meters or better), the high degree of...
Show moreFine-scale urban land cover information is important for a number of applications, including urban tree canopy mapping, green space analysis, and urban hydrologic modeling. Land cover information has traditionally been extracted from satellite or aerial images using automated image classification techniques, which classify pixels into different categories of land cover based on their spectral characteristics. However, in fine spatial resolution images (4 meters or better), the high degree of within-class spectral variability and between-class spectral similarity of many types of land cover leads to low classification accuracy when pixel-based, purely spectral classification techniques are used. Object-based classification methods, which involve segmenting an image into relatively homogeneous regions (i.e. image segments) prior to classification, have been shown to increase classification accuracy by incorporating the spectral (e.g. mean, standard deviation) and non-spectral (e.g. te xture, size, shape) information of image segments for classification. One difficulty with the object-based method, however, is that a segmentation parameter (or set of parameters), which determines the average size of segments (i.e. the segmentation scale), is difficult to choose. Some studies use one segmentation scale to segment and classify all types of land cover, while others use multiple scales due to the fact that different types of land cover typically vary in size. In this dissertation, two multi-scale object-based classification methods were developed and tested for classifying high resolution images of Deerfield Beach, FL and Houston, TX. These multi-scale methods achieved higher overall classification accuracies and Kappa coefficients than single-scale object-based classification methods., Since the two dissertation methods used an automated algorithm (Random Forest) for image classification, they are also less subjective and easier to apply to other study areas than most existing multi-scale object-based methods that rely on expert knowledge (i.e. decision rules developed based on detailed visual inspection of image segments) for classifying each type of land cover.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3342110
- Subject Headings
- Image processing, Digital techniques, Remote sensing, Mathematics, Remote-sensing images, Computational intelligence, Cities and towns, Remote sensing, Environmental sciences, Remote sensing, Spatial analysis (Statistics)
- Format
- Document (PDF)