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Pages
- Title
- 2009-2010 Program Review Geosciences.
- Creator
- Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geosciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
-
Florida Atlantic University Departmental Dashboard Indicators. Department program reviews for Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University.
- Date Issued
- 2009-2010
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00007675
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- 2010-2011 Program Review Geosciences.
- Creator
- Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geosciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
-
Florida Atlantic University Departmental Dashboard Indicators. Department program reviews for Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University.
- Date Issued
- 2010-2011
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00007682
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- 2012-2013 Program Review Geosciences.
- Creator
- Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geosciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
-
Florida Atlantic University Departmental Dashboard Indicators. Department program reviews for Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University.
- Date Issued
- 2012-2013
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00007689
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- 2013-2014 Program Review Geosciences.
- Creator
- Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geosciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
-
Florida Atlantic University Departmental Dashboard Indicators. Department program reviews for Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University.
- Date Issued
- 2013-2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00007696
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- 2014-2015 Program Review Geosciences.
- Creator
- Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geosciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
-
Florida Atlantic University Departmental Dashboard Indicators. Department program reviews for Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University.
- Date Issued
- 2014-2015
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00007703
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- 2015-2016 Program Review Geosciences.
- Creator
- Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geosciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
-
Florida Atlantic University Departmental Dashboard Indicators. Department program reviews for Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University.
- Date Issued
- 2015-2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00007710
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- 2016-2017 Program Review Geosciences.
- Creator
- Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geosciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
-
Florida Atlantic University Departmental Dashboard Indicators. Department program reviews for Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University.
- Date Issued
- 2016-2017
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00007717
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Alternative uses for urban landfill sites as illustrated by the city of Lake Worth, Florida.
- Creator
- Breese, Edgar Floyd., Florida Atlantic University, Schultz, Ronald R., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
- Abstract/Description
-
Today, many municipalities are confronted with a situation whereby their landfills are facing mandatory closure. The topic of post-closure uses for these sites is addressed in this paper through a review of other closed sites and an indepth analysis of the two study sites in Lake Worth, Florida. The review of converted sites indicates a strong preference of municipalities to transform these trash sites into recreational facilities. The indepth analysis of the two study sites involved an...
Show moreToday, many municipalities are confronted with a situation whereby their landfills are facing mandatory closure. The topic of post-closure uses for these sites is addressed in this paper through a review of other closed sites and an indepth analysis of the two study sites in Lake Worth, Florida. The review of converted sites indicates a strong preference of municipalities to transform these trash sites into recreational facilities. The indepth analysis of the two study sites involved an examination of the closure restrictions, inherent characteristics of landfills including the creation of methane gas, possible groundwater contamination and settlement of the waste, and inventory of surrounding land uses including history and current site conditions. This analysis concluded that a recreational conversion at both sites was not only feasible but the best use for the two sites resulting in the development of two conceptual plans for each location.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1988
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14430
- Subject Headings
- Land use, Urban--Florida--Lake Worth, Sanitary landfills--Florida--Lake Worth
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Alternatives for Third World small farm development.
- Creator
- Johnson, Victoria., Florida Atlantic University, Lee, David R., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
- Abstract/Description
-
Conventional agricultural development models have sought to improve Third World agricultural productivity by replacing traditional subsistence systems with sophisticated high-external-input farming methods. This approach has not solved the food problem of Third World nations because small farmers have been unable to participate in the modernization process and because modern methods are not environmentally sustainable. Alternative low-external-input agriculture provides greater opportunities...
Show moreConventional agricultural development models have sought to improve Third World agricultural productivity by replacing traditional subsistence systems with sophisticated high-external-input farming methods. This approach has not solved the food problem of Third World nations because small farmers have been unable to participate in the modernization process and because modern methods are not environmentally sustainable. Alternative low-external-input agriculture provides greater opportunities for small farmer participation, offers more benefits to small farmers, and is environmentally sustainable over a longer period of time than conventional agriculture. Comparative analysis of conventional and alternative projects indicates that the alternative model is more successful in effecting agricultural development and is more likely to improve Third World food security.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1988
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14479
- Subject Headings
- Farms, Small--Developing countries
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- AN EXPLORATION OF THE SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC DICHOTOMY OF SHRINKING CITIES AND FORMERLY SHRINKING CITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF THE BACK-TO-THE-CITY MOVEMENT.
- Creator
- Kittredge, Danielle J., Xie, Zhixiao, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geosciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
-
Within the U.S. in recent decades a renewed interest in downtown and city living has become known as the “back-to-the-city movement” and contributed to the stabilization and regrowth of cities that were previously losing population. This trend, however, is not occurring equally and many cities within the U.S. that have been losing population for decades are still continuing to lose population (“shrinking city”). This study seeks to understand what sociodemographic and socioeconomic...
Show moreWithin the U.S. in recent decades a renewed interest in downtown and city living has become known as the “back-to-the-city movement” and contributed to the stabilization and regrowth of cities that were previously losing population. This trend, however, is not occurring equally and many cities within the U.S. that have been losing population for decades are still continuing to lose population (“shrinking city”). This study seeks to understand what sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics are contributing the greatest to the back-to-the-city movement and develop a composite index that can be used to identify if similar trends are beginning to emerge in shrinking cities. Variables identified through various literature for their association with back-to-the-city movement were analyzed through a proportion composition analysis comparing changes in growing versus non-growing census tracts at the city-wide and downtown level of 86 cities within this study. The analysis was conducted for the time periods of 1970 to 2017 and 1990 to 2017. The results justified variables for inclusion in back-to-the-city movement composite index, however, the analysis found some trends differed at the city-wide versus downtown geographic levels resulting in three potential index combinations. The three indices were calculated on census tracts for the 86 cities within this study and the results were decomposed to assess performance of individual variables. The results conclude that areas within some shrinking cities are exhibiting back-to-the-city movement trends, however, additional recommendations are provided for refining the index and methodology.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013618
- Subject Headings
- Urban planning, Cities, Downtowns
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE NURSERY EFFECT OF SELECT REEF FISHES ALONG THE SOUTHERN FLORIDA COAST.
- Creator
- Pressly, Andrew, Hindle, Tobin, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geosciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
-
The nursery effect is a process where juvenile fish utilize coastal habitats to help them survive before moving to their adult habitat. This process establishes an important link between marine ecosystems. This study examines the nursery effect and nursery habitat utilization in the Indian River Lagoon and Florida Bay systems, and the coral reefs adjacent to them. Quantitative and spatial techniques were utilized to identify patterns of presence and abundance and the size structure of select...
Show moreThe nursery effect is a process where juvenile fish utilize coastal habitats to help them survive before moving to their adult habitat. This process establishes an important link between marine ecosystems. This study examines the nursery effect and nursery habitat utilization in the Indian River Lagoon and Florida Bay systems, and the coral reefs adjacent to them. Quantitative and spatial techniques were utilized to identify patterns of presence and abundance and the size structure of select fish species. Spatial analyses were also used to investigate distribution patterns. Findings from this study suggest that several species utilize to a high degree the Indian River Lagoon and Florida Bay as nurseries. Furthermore, the abundance of adults on coral reefs is strongly connected to the presence of nurseries. This study has implications in fisheries management such as locating where juveniles of species develop. With such knowledge, better management plans could be implemented to ensure healthy fish stocks.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013490
- Subject Headings
- Reef fishes, Florida Bay (Fla ), Indian River (Fla : Lagoon), Fisheries management, Marine nurseries
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- AN ANALYSIS OF THE GEOGRAPHY OF SEX RATIO IN THE UNITED STATES.
- Creator
- GELLIS, ANDREW NOAH., Florida Atlantic University, Lee, David R., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
- Abstract/Description
-
Frontier areas and rural areas historically have been predominantly male (high sex ratio); urban areas were predominantly female (low sex ratio). In 1970 the Middle West scored average on the sex ratio scale for all age cohorts; the West was high, the South low. Highest sex ratio was in port and military locales; lowest was in urban areas of the Northeast and South. Two regression models reveal that percentage urban, net migration, and percentage Black were most important explanators of sex...
Show moreFrontier areas and rural areas historically have been predominantly male (high sex ratio); urban areas were predominantly female (low sex ratio). In 1970 the Middle West scored average on the sex ratio scale for all age cohorts; the West was high, the South low. Highest sex ratio was in port and military locales; lowest was in urban areas of the Northeast and South. Two regression models reveal that percentage urban, net migration, and percentage Black were most important explanators of sex ratio. The greater life expectancy of females and their tendency to concentrate in the cities, the larger net migration rate of males, and the lower sex ratio of Blacks, were causal. Analysis by age cohort revealed regional differences exist only after age 34. After adjusting for the above independent variables, the West still scored highest and the South lowest.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1981
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14061
- Subject Headings
- Sex ratio, United States--Population
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- ANALYSIS OF TROPHIC STRUCTURE FOLLOWING ESTUARINE HABITAT RESTORATION WITHIN LAKE WORTH LAGOON, FLORIDA.
- Creator
- Kobylski, Adam, Markwith, Scott, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geosciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
-
We collected, with FWC, taxa inventory and numerical abundance data at three sites, a restoration concurrent with sampling, an older completed restoration, and an unimproved reference site, from 2014 to 2018 in the Central Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida. We examined effects in response to estuary habitat restoration and water quality on nekton food web structure among sites over time. A binary matrix of plausible interactions among trophic species, classified by size, was used to produce 51...
Show moreWe collected, with FWC, taxa inventory and numerical abundance data at three sites, a restoration concurrent with sampling, an older completed restoration, and an unimproved reference site, from 2014 to 2018 in the Central Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida. We examined effects in response to estuary habitat restoration and water quality on nekton food web structure among sites over time. A binary matrix of plausible interactions among trophic species, classified by size, was used to produce 51 individual food webs and nine trophic structure metrices within the R: Package Cheddar. Interactions of site and restoration, i.e., pre- vs. post-restoration samples, were found to be not significant in repeated-measures ANOVAs for each food web metric. Random forest analysis only identified Secchi depth as an important predictor of food web generality. Our findings suggest that generality and Secchi depth are inversely correlated and relatively stable within the Central Lake Worth Lagoon sites.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2022
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013921
- Subject Headings
- Estuarine restoration, Food chains (Ecology)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- ANASTASIA ISLAND, FLORIDA: A CASE STUDY IN HISTORICAL PERCEPTION OF RESOURCES AND RESISTANCES.
- Creator
- KIXMILLER, PATRICIA ELAINE., Florida Atlantic University, Lee, David R., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
- Abstract/Description
-
This study was undertaken to determine the effects historical perception of resources and resistances (hazards) have on the development of a site. Perception was determined from the reactions each group of settlers had to this environment. It was determined that perception played a major role in the development of the particular site under consideration in this study. Anastasia Island, Florida (the study area) is located across the Intracoastal Waterway from St. Augustine, Florida. A complete...
Show moreThis study was undertaken to determine the effects historical perception of resources and resistances (hazards) have on the development of a site. Perception was determined from the reactions each group of settlers had to this environment. It was determined that perception played a major role in the development of the particular site under consideration in this study. Anastasia Island, Florida (the study area) is located across the Intracoastal Waterway from St. Augustine, Florida. A complete history of Anastasia Island is included in the study from pre-Spanish times to the present. Several maps are also included which trace the development of Anastasia Island over the past 400 years.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1973
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13573
- Subject Headings
- Anastasia Island (Fla)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- ASPECTS OF CYPRESS DOMES IN SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA: A STUDY IN MICRO-PHYTOGEOGRAPHY.
- Creator
- MCJUNKIN, DAVID M., Florida Atlantic University, Schultz, Ronald R., Austin, Daniel F., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
- Abstract/Description
-
The object of this study was to investigate various physical and botanical parameters of doming in stands of cypress trees (Taxodium distichum (L.) L. C. Richard) in southeastern Florida and to develop basic data about these small swamps. Analysis of doming was made in relation to topography, substrate, microclimate, soil moisture, soil acidity, soil nutrients, vegetation, size and distribution of cypress, and cypress ages, growth rates, and fire traumas. Study results were compared with...
Show moreThe object of this study was to investigate various physical and botanical parameters of doming in stands of cypress trees (Taxodium distichum (L.) L. C. Richard) in southeastern Florida and to develop basic data about these small swamps. Analysis of doming was made in relation to topography, substrate, microclimate, soil moisture, soil acidity, soil nutrients, vegetation, size and distribution of cypress, and cypress ages, growth rates, and fire traumas. Study results were compared with competing theories of doming and it was concluded that the theory of differential marginal fire promulgated by Kurz and Wagner best fits the data set.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1977
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13895
- Subject Headings
- Cypress, Taxodium distichum, Taxodiaceae, Botany--Florida, Cypress--Florida, Baldcypress
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Attitudes and perspectives about backyard food gardening: a case study in South Florida.
- Creator
- Zahina-Ramos, John G., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
- Abstract/Description
-
As cities grew throughout the past century, the availability of locally grown food declined, mostly because urban expansion occurred at the expense of adjacent agricultural land. As a result, city dwellers turned to commercial food market systems that import food from distant production areas. Private greenspace, which is one of the largest land cover types in cities, offers the potential for substantial agricultural production. Because urban food production on private land, such as backyards...
Show moreAs cities grew throughout the past century, the availability of locally grown food declined, mostly because urban expansion occurred at the expense of adjacent agricultural land. As a result, city dwellers turned to commercial food market systems that import food from distant production areas. Private greenspace, which is one of the largest land cover types in cities, offers the potential for substantial agricultural production. Because urban food production on private land, such as backyards, requires the willing participation of landowners, resident's feelings about and experience with food growing are important to understand. The demographic groups that were most likely to food garden were those in long-term relationships, higher income brackets, those with college education and residents over 50 years old. Incentives and programs focused on producing more from existing gardens may be most appropriate for people in these demographic groups, while other groups will most require basic food growing information. Study participants highly valued intangible benefits of food gardening (e.g., relaxation, feelings of happiness and satisfaction), often more than the provision of food. Most barriers and problems with backyard food growing, such as a lack of space and the need for gardening information, were similar for those who food garden and those who do not. Results from this study indicate that traditional agricultural incentives and perspectives must be rethought if they are to be applied in urban settings. By creating incentives and initiatives that reflect the needs and challenges faced by urban growers, urban agriculture will become an integrated part of the community, improving food quantity and quality while enriching residents' lives.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3361258
- Subject Headings
- Backyard gardens, Food chains (Ecology), Garden ecology, Green movement, Sustainable development
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Benthic Foraminiferal Assemblages from Pulau Karangmadjat, Mentawai Islands, Indonesia.
- Creator
- Garcia, Christine N., Oleinik, Anton E., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
- Abstract/Description
-
Globally, coral reefs are in severe decline (Jackson et al., 2001) and face potential extinction of 1/3 of reef species by 2050 (Veron, 2011). This decline is the result of the inability of coral communities to recover after disturbance events, often resulting in a shift from coral- to macro-algal dominated regimes. Reef resources managers are in need of tools to assess the condition of these ecosystems prior to, during, and post disturbance, especially in regions of the world where coral...
Show moreGlobally, coral reefs are in severe decline (Jackson et al., 2001) and face potential extinction of 1/3 of reef species by 2050 (Veron, 2011). This decline is the result of the inability of coral communities to recover after disturbance events, often resulting in a shift from coral- to macro-algal dominated regimes. Reef resources managers are in need of tools to assess the condition of these ecosystems prior to, during, and post disturbance, especially in regions of the world where coral cover and diversity are high, yet management resources are scarce. Foraminifera have been widely utilized as bioindicators in both modern and paleoenvironments for more than a century due to their abundance, diverse functional morphology, rapid generation time, global distribution, and rich geologic record (Sen Gupta, 1999; Hallock et al., 2003). The FoRAM Index (FI) was developed as a single metric indicator to assess whether water quality supports coral recruitment and reproduction in Caribbean and Western Atlantic coral reefs (Hallock et al., 2003), yet the FI has not been widely applied to Indo-Pacific coral reefs. This study reports benthic foraminiferal assemblages from Pulau Karangmadjat, Mentawai Islands, Indonesia, and is the first to provide in situ foraminiferal assemblages for the Mentawai region. Results revealed overall low Shannon’s H’ and Fisher’s alpha, and low Buzas and Gibson’s evenness values across 13 sample sites selected from a variety of reef habitat zones. Values for the FI were also calculated and were extremely high across all sites due to the dominance of symbiont-bearing calcarinid taxa, suggesting favorable water quality conditions. Q-mode hierarchical cluster analysis revealed 4 clusters, only one of which corresponded in its entirety to a well defined benthic habitat zone. Overall, a high degree of similarity between foraminiferal assemblages was present for most sites sampled due to the dominance of calcarinids, suggesting prevalence of a macro-algal substrate, and potentially a shift from a coral- to macro-algal dominated regime for this study area. Utilization of indices like the FI, when used in conjunction with non-FI analysis of foraminiferal assemblages, may aid managers in deducing drivers of regime shifts on Indonesian coral reefs, which may ultimately facilitate solutions for reef conservation and recovery following natural and anthropogenic disturbance. Further testing of the applicability of the FI on Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific reefs is needed to in order to test this hypothesis.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004790
- Subject Headings
- Foraminifera--Ecology--Indonesia--Mentawai Islands., Coral reef ecology--Indonesia--Mentawai Islands., Coastal zone management--Indonesia--Mentawai Islands.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Beyond Water Restrictions: Informing Effective Lawn Watering Behavior.
- Creator
- Survis, Felicia D., Root, Tara L., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
- Abstract/Description
-
Evaluating trends of historical rainfall on a weekly and seasonal basis is needed for optimizing the design and implementation of lawn water conservation strategies like outdoor water restrictions. While “day of the week” water restrictions are a typical strategy to limit the frequency and duration of urban lawn water use, they may not necessarily result in more conservative behaviors from end-users. Because weekly rainfall and local climate variables are seldom taken into account in water...
Show moreEvaluating trends of historical rainfall on a weekly and seasonal basis is needed for optimizing the design and implementation of lawn water conservation strategies like outdoor water restrictions. While “day of the week” water restrictions are a typical strategy to limit the frequency and duration of urban lawn water use, they may not necessarily result in more conservative behaviors from end-users. Because weekly rainfall and local climate variables are seldom taken into account in water restriction strategies, they are not connected to actual lawn water demand. However, since lawn water demand is directly related to weekly rainfall totals, not to a particular number of watering days per week, water restriction schedules have the potential to unintentionally promote overwatering. This study investigated the weekly patterns of average seasonal rainfall and evapotranspiration in South Florida to determine the typical variability of weekly net irrigation needs and found that typical wet season weekly rainfall often provides a significant amount of water to meet the demand of residential lawns and landscapes. This finding underscores opportunity to reduce supplemental overwatering in residential landscapes if watering guidelines were modified to recognize seasonal average weekly rainfall in this region This study also tested a rainfall-based water conservation strategy to determine if providing residents with information about how local rainfall could promote more effective lawn watering behavior than just water restrictions alone. Experimental households reduced lawn water use by up to 61% compared to the control group by the end of the study. These results demonstrate that the neighborhood “rain-watered lawn” signs helped experimental study group households become more aware of rainfall as the primary input of water to their lawns. This study also investigated the role that lawn irrigation from self-supplied sources plays in the urban lawn water demand and investigates how the lawn water use and lawn watering behaviors of households that source from self-supply differ from those who source from the public supply.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004710
- Subject Headings
- Landscape irrigation, Municipal water supply, South Florida Water Management District, Water conservation, Water consumption, Water resources development
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Burial Marks and Growth Records of a Massive Coral Pseudodiploria Strigosa as a Proxy for Severe Weather Events in Late Holocene.
- Creator
- Olson, Mark, Oleinik, Anton, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
- Abstract/Description
-
Severe weather events that accompany climatic changes have been the main focus of many studies that want to highlight the large processes that surround us every day. These studies are based on years of data collection and other studies to help aid their pursuits. An area of major focus is identifying proxies and supplementary materials that help refine climate records of the geologic past. This study aims to identify reliable proxies for obtaining a record of severe weather events. The...
Show moreSevere weather events that accompany climatic changes have been the main focus of many studies that want to highlight the large processes that surround us every day. These studies are based on years of data collection and other studies to help aid their pursuits. An area of major focus is identifying proxies and supplementary materials that help refine climate records of the geologic past. This study aims to identify reliable proxies for obtaining a record of severe weather events. The research consists of studying a coral species Pseudodiploria strigosa colonies with the goal to document, interpret, and describe the burial and re-exposure of massive coral colonies by severe storm or hurricane events, as recorded in coral growth patterns through density patterns and the analysis of CT-scanned coral specimens.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013249
- Subject Headings
- Coral colonies, Paleoclimatology--Holocene, Climatic changes, Severe storms
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- CHANGES IN PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE PEAT SOIL MATRIX ACROSS A SALINITY GRADIENT IN THE EVERGLADES: IMPLICATIONS FOR ACCELERATING PEAT COLLAPSE DURING SEA LEVEL RISE.
- Creator
- Florey, Maxwell, Comas, Xavier, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geosciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
-
Peatlands are areas with an accumulated layer of peat soil that are considered global stores of carbon, acting as a net sink of carbon dioxide and a net source of methane. Recent studies in coastal peatlands have shown how that a rise in sea level may contribute to the degradation of peat soils due to the inland progression of the saltwater interface, which may result in physical changes within the peat matrix that may eventually result in peat collapse. For example, earlier studies in boreal...
Show morePeatlands are areas with an accumulated layer of peat soil that are considered global stores of carbon, acting as a net sink of carbon dioxide and a net source of methane. Recent studies in coastal peatlands have shown how that a rise in sea level may contribute to the degradation of peat soils due to the inland progression of the saltwater interface, which may result in physical changes within the peat matrix that may eventually result in peat collapse. For example, earlier studies in boreal peat soils described the effect of pore dilation as a result of increased salinity in peat soils, while recent studies in Everglades peat soils showed specific salinity thresholds that may represent a permanent loss of the structural integrity of the peat matrix that may represent early stages of peat collapse. While most of these previous efforts have focused on drivers, recent work has also explored conceptual models to better understand the mechanisms inducing peat collapse. However, few datasets exists that consistently compare differences in physical properties under different in‐situ salinity conditions. In this study differences in the physical properties of peat soils across a salinity gradient along the western edge of Big Cypress National Preserve are investigated to test how differences in salinity may induce physical changes in the soil matrix. The physical properties targeted for this study include porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and carbon content. Measurements are conducted at the laboratory scale using peat cores and monoliths collected at selected locations to investigate: 1) how overall soil physical properties change spatially over a salinity gradient at the km scale moving from permanently saline to freshwater conditions; and 2) how physical properties change spatially at specific sites as dependant on vegetation boundaries and proximity to collapsed soils. This study has implications for better understanding the potential relation between physical changes of the soil matrix and the phenomena of peat collapse in the Everglades as saltwater intrusion progresses inward and alters freshwater ecosystems. Furthermore, a better mechanistic understanding of the peat collapse phenomenon can potentially help mitigate its occurrence.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2021
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013809
- Subject Headings
- Peat soils, Salinity, Sea level, Big Cypress National Preserve (Fla.), Everglades (Fla.)
- Format
- Document (PDF)