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Title: SPATIOTEMPORAL MODELING OF DAMS AND CONSEQUENT IMPACTS ON THE MEKONG RIVER BASIN ECOSYSTEM
Creator: Lin, Zihan
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The hydro-dam can help increase adaptation to climate change and meet water, energy, and food needs as a widely adopted water infrastructure. However, it alters and fragments ecosystems, especially at places where hydro-dam constructions are gaining popularity for the sake of more socio-economic benefits. This dissertation examines and characterizes the process and outcomes of ecosystem changes owing to hydro-dams, using the Mekong River Basin as an example. The overarching research question...
Show moreThe hydro-dam can help increase adaptation to climate change and meet water, energy, and food needs as a widely adopted water infrastructure. However, it alters and fragments ecosystems, especially at places where hydro-dam constructions are gaining popularity for the sake of more socio-economic benefits. This dissertation examines and characterizes the process and outcomes of ecosystem changes owing to hydro-dams, using the Mekong River Basin as an example. The overarching research question is answered from four angles, including 1) finding new essential properties of dams, 2) determining dams’ impact scope on land change, 3) estimating cascade consequences of dams on significant water bodies, and 4) analyzing dams’ ripple effect on the atmosphere.The main body (Chapters 2-4) of this dissertation consists of three articles. In Chapter 2, I achieve the first two research goals by performing time-serial trajectory analyses on 67 working Mekong hydro-dams and the lands surrounding them using long-term geospatial imageries and statistical methods. In Chapter 3, I calculated and analyzed the open water surface area of the Tonle Sap Lake and the changes at a 16-day interval from 2001 to 2015 to assess how upstream hydro-dam proliferation has influenced the largest inland lake in the lower basin. In Chapter 4, the spatial variations of inundation areas in the Tonle Sap Lake floodplain and temporal changes of the greenhouse gas (such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide) emissions from the changing lands were modeled and quantified using geospatial datasets and a biogeochemical model to provide a solution to the fourth research question. In summary, this dissertation has successfully established a new remote sensing approach that enables hydro-dam characterization and set up a combined framework combining geospatial modeling and biogeochemical modeling. The three studies come to the conclusions that 1) hydro-dams’ impact scale on land change is spatially anisotropic at the local level, 2) hydro-dams’ cascade consequence on a large water body at a remote place is significant, and 3) hydro-dams’ ripple effect on floodplain via water and lands can cause more greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. This dissertation can enrich the current literature regarding human-nature interactions, focusing on hydro-dam’s role in the ecosystem. It also broadens the knowledge of hydro-dams’ impacts and attracts more relevant studies and environmental protection efforts. More importantly, this dissertation can assist future policy-making, especially for sustainable hydro-dam planning and transboundary water resource management.
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Title: Science in the digital age : overcoming uncertainty and the adoption of Volunteered Geographic Information for science
Creator: Langley, Shaun Arthur
Date: 2014
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: With the advent of Web 2.0, the public is becoming increasingly interested in spatial data exploration. The potential for Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) to be adopted for Science through collaborations between researchers and non-scientists is of special interest to me. In particular, mobile devices and wireless communication permit the public to be more involved in research to a greater degree. Furthermore, the accuracy of these devices is rapidly improving, allowing me to address...
Show moreWith the advent of Web 2.0, the public is becoming increasingly interested in spatial data exploration. The potential for Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) to be adopted for Science through collaborations between researchers and non-scientists is of special interest to me. In particular, mobile devices and wireless communication permit the public to be more involved in research to a greater degree. Furthermore, the accuracy of these devices is rapidly improving, allowing me to address questions of uncertainty and error in data collections. Cooperation between researchers and the public integrates themes common to VGI and PGIS (Participatory Geographic Information) to bring about a new paradigm in GIScience. This dissertation discusses VGI in the context of a new paradigm, eScience, and the broader framework of Neogeography. I discuss current issues with data quality and uncertainty regarding VGI and detail one approach to quality credibility of the data. Finally, the dissertation outlines the framework for utilizing VGI in the context of case study in disease ecology for the purpose of surveillance of tsetse flies, the primary vector of African Trypanosomiasis. My system allows for two-way communication between researchers and the public for data collection, analysis, and the ultimate dissemination of results. Enhancing the role of the public to participate in these types of projects can improve both the efficacy of disease surveillance as well as stimulating greater interest in science.
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Title: Small-multiples and animation : measuring user performance with wildfire visualization
Creator: Socia, Kristie Marie
Date: 2011
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Recent investigations in cognitive psychology and cartography have examined the communicative efficiency of animation and static small-multiple visualizations on knowledge construction and apprehension. In theory, animation may be the most congruent method to represent a dynamic geographic process. However, some have suggested that cartographic animations are too complex and transient, making them difficult to comprehend. Others have demonstrated that static small-multiples facilitate...
Show moreRecent investigations in cognitive psychology and cartography have examined the communicative efficiency of animation and static small-multiple visualizations on knowledge construction and apprehension. In theory, animation may be the most congruent method to represent a dynamic geographic process. However, some have suggested that cartographic animations are too complex and transient, making them difficult to comprehend. Others have demonstrated that static small-multiples facilitate comprehension, inference and learning and afford map-readers interactive capabilities that are unavailable in most conventional animations. This thesis empirically investigates the influences of map-design and temporal resolution on apprehension and inference affordance, in the context of wildfire visualization. A human-subjects experiment was conducted to measure participants task accuracy, response time, and confidence between animated and small-multiple maps. The results reveal the importance of both map design and temporal resolution; small-multiples and fine temporal resolution maps elicit more accurate and more confident responses from readers. While participants performed better with the small-multiple maps, they prefer to view animated maps. The results of this research suggest that map type is an important factor that influences response time, while temporal resolution is significant for accuracy and confidence yet inversely related to participants overall map preference.
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Title: Survival geography of tropical South America
Creator: McGuire, Martin E.
Date: 1964
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: TEMPORAL LINKAGES BETWEEN NEARSHORE BATHYMETRY, SHORE ICE MORPHOLOGY, AND GEOMORPHIC CHANGE ALONG A COLD-CLIMATE COASTLINE
Creator: Hartley, Brittany M.
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The nearshore ice complex (NIC) though previously studied, has given researchers muddled conclusions when studies are compared, as the documented morphological response to ice presence has been varied. This blurriness of understanding promoted the opportunity for research, and with the availability of new and improved technology, an opportunity for high accuracy analysis also arises. This study showed that ice ridge location corresponded to the bar and trough system in lakebed morphology,...
Show moreThe nearshore ice complex (NIC) though previously studied, has given researchers muddled conclusions when studies are compared, as the documented morphological response to ice presence has been varied. This blurriness of understanding promoted the opportunity for research, and with the availability of new and improved technology, an opportunity for high accuracy analysis also arises. This study showed that ice ridge location corresponded to the bar and trough system in lakebed morphology, rather than just a nearshore bar or trough. Along with that, the ice presence lowered the overall elevation of the lakebed profile, and this promoted erosion throughout the remainder of the study period. During the entirety of the research study period, the most change that was documented was found between August and November 2020 due to a large, recoded storm event that moved through the study location.
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Title: THE CLIMATOLOGY OF SPRINGTIME FREEZE EVENTS IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN USA
Creator: Wang, Ting
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The agricultural productions in the central and eastern United States are sensitive to springtime freeze events. As a result of global warming, increasing temperatures have led to earlier shifted springs, usually called false springs, which have resulted in disastrous damage on premature plants exposed to subsequent freeze events. This study analyzes the climatology of springtime freezes and their impacts on agriculture in the Midwestern United States for the period of 1981-2018. The study...
Show moreThe agricultural productions in the central and eastern United States are sensitive to springtime freeze events. As a result of global warming, increasing temperatures have led to earlier shifted springs, usually called false springs, which have resulted in disastrous damage on premature plants exposed to subsequent freeze events. This study analyzes the climatology of springtime freezes and their impacts on agriculture in the Midwestern United States for the period of 1981-2018. The study began by evaluating two potential datasets for the purpose of this analysis: the PRISM (Parameter- elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model, http://prism.oregonstate.edu) analysis and the ERA5 (the fifth major global reanalysis produced by European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Hersbach et al., 2018) reanalysis. The PRISM data are found to be a better representation of the observed freezing events and therefore used for establishing freeze events climatology, while the ERA5 reanalysis is used to understand the weather conditions and climate background of the freeze events. Freezing days in March show a decreasing trend across our study region from 1981 to 2018. EOF analysis of freezing days in March shows a relatively larger variation in the Ohio Valley, and the first EOF time series shows substantial interannual variability. The positive phase of NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation) is usually associated with less freezing risk in March across the study region. A crop yield simulation model is used to investigate the historical impacts of false springs and subsequent freeze events on fruit crop yields using apple as an example. Damage tends to occur at the early growing stages of apples when they are more vulnerable. Damage is generally occurring on earlier and warmer days, which could be due to the more frequent false spring occurrences. The Upper Midwest and the Northeast are regions that are less vulnerable to freeze damage.
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Title: The Analysis of Albedo on Bioenergy Crops : Assessment for Climate and Global Warming Impact
Creator: Lei, Cheyenne India
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: What if the production and expansion of bioenergy crops was realized? What bioenergy crops would be planted? Which crops would be sustainable? How would bioenergy affect landscape dynamics, surface reflectivity and global warming impact? These core questions are investigated in this dissertation by investigating the effects of agronomic practices, climate and crop-species on albedo in southwest Michigan. Albedo changes can be quantified in terms of global radiative forcing (RF), which can be...
Show moreWhat if the production and expansion of bioenergy crops was realized? What bioenergy crops would be planted? Which crops would be sustainable? How would bioenergy affect landscape dynamics, surface reflectivity and global warming impact? These core questions are investigated in this dissertation by investigating the effects of agronomic practices, climate and crop-species on albedo in southwest Michigan. Albedo changes can be quantified in terms of global radiative forcing (RF), which can be positive or negative, correlating to carbon emissions or sequestrations in biofuel ecosystems respectively. With an overarching hypothesis which aims to understand how albedo is dependent on the landscape (i.e., crop-species type), climate variables (i.e., micrometeorological, temporal, and seasonal) and agricultural practices (i.e., fertilization, stover retention), which in turn affect its global warming impact and the ability to reflect more sunlight back into the atmosphere and sequester carbon. As a result, the Kellogg Biological Station was selected as the study site. This research analyzes changes in albedo over seven different biofuel crops at the Biofuel Cropping System Experiment (BCSE), situated at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC). This dissertation investigates the radiative forcing associated with each one of the bioenergy scenarios, in order to model the conversion of a landscape into a relatable carbon dioxide equivalent. This CO2 equivalent – called global warming impact (GWI) – allows for a climate impact comparison of potential global warming impact of CO2 emissions from biofuels relative to a reference gas to investigate potential climate warming/cool impacts. This research examined annual row crops of maize and energy sorghum, monoculture perennial grasses of switchgrass and miscanthus, and polyculture perennials of native grasses, early successional grassland and restored prairie bioenergy systems. Each chapter provides a deeper analysis into the spatiotemporal effects of surface reflectivity on biofuel ecosystems and provides an understanding of the total global warming impact of different croplands and their contribution to the energy budget and carbon production. Results of this research include: 1) a long-term network of towers which effectively measure albedo continuously over multiple biofuel ecosystems, and 2) regionalized instantaneous data from landscapes of candidate bioenergy crops to significantly advance knowledge and understanding in how surface reflectivity affects GWI. Major findings indicated that albedo observations are an invaluable tool in order to calculate and improve climate models, in order to understand how land use and land cover affects albedo and climate cooling. Perennial grasses provided a sustainable form of climate mitigation by reflecting more solar radiation back into the atmosphere, and can sustainability provide localized cooling while reducing the need for fertilizer input. Finally, an overall cooling effect from modeling the conversion of historical landscape forest and modern landscapes of maize over a three-year study period to candidate different bioenergy crops was found, which indicated a climate warming mitigation from long-term increased surface albedo reflectance.
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Title: The Geography and Recent Activity of Lake Michigan’s Coastal Sand Dunes
Creator: McKeehan, Kevin G.
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This dissertation attempts to fill a gap in knowledge regarding conditions amongst the dunefields of Lake Michigan’s eastern shore. Much is now known about the evolution and geochronology of these unique freshwater dune systems. The region’s coastal dunes began forming during the Nipissing high stand phase (~5.5ka) of ancestral Lake Michigan. Since then, according to the chronology constructed from several studies, the coastal dunes then underwent several periods of stability and instability...
Show moreThis dissertation attempts to fill a gap in knowledge regarding conditions amongst the dunefields of Lake Michigan’s eastern shore. Much is now known about the evolution and geochronology of these unique freshwater dune systems. The region’s coastal dunes began forming during the Nipissing high stand phase (~5.5ka) of ancestral Lake Michigan. Since then, according to the chronology constructed from several studies, the coastal dunes then underwent several periods of stability and instability along the entire shoreline. However, questions remain regarding dune conditions and variability since ~1900. The goal of this dissertation was to determine if changes have occurred to the region’s coastal dune systems in the last ~120 years and what might be driving those changes. Given that dune systems are sensitive to biotic and abiotic variables, examining the last ~120 years of dune behavior could potentially reveal how Lake Michigan coastal dunes are responding to anthropogenic climate change and human development.Three studies, each comprising a dissertation chapter (Chapters 2-4), were conducted to help close this knowledge gap. Each chapter is broadly linked through an ecogeomorphic lens, particularly through the relationship between dunes and vegetation, which are interconnected in important ways. In Chapter 2, changes in dunefield vegetation and morphology were determined at several locations along the eastern Lake Michigan shoreline through the use of ground-level repeat photography. The second dissertation study – Chapter 3 – concerns the spatiotemporal analysis of historical changes of blowouts, which are important indicators of significant disturbance in the dunes. In this chapter, blowouts were mapped from aerial images at three timestamps – 1938, 1986-8, and 2018 – and the changes quantified. Chapter 4, the final dissertation study, explores the relationship between terrain ruggedness and vegetation in a coastal dunefield along Lake Michigan by calculating two terrain indices – Riley’s Terrain Ruggedness Index (TRI) and Sappington’s Vector Ruggedness Measure (VRM) – and the Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI). Through a land systems framework, the results were compared to determine if any correlation exists between the ruggedness of dunes and vegetation.In the first two dissertation studies, the results show a clear expansion of vegetation at the expense of previously bare sand. In the final study, the values from TRI and VRM and the values from the Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) were not correlated overall, especially where one type of vegetation was dominant. However, within one land system – the dune barrens -- a moderate-to-strong negative correlation existed between terrain ruggedness and vegetation. Moreover, evidence suggests that vegetation has transformed the dune barrens land system area within the modern period. Overall, the results of these three studies demonstrate that vegetation is expanding over previously bare surfaces in coastal dunes along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan and has a considerable influence on regional dune conditions. While the precise driver(s) of this transformation is unclear, the regional-scale nature of these results suggests a uniform control is affecting these changes. As described in this dissertation, it is possible that an increase in precipitation since the 1930s, elevated atmospheric CO2 and N concentrations, a reduction in wind power, some other change in climate drivers, or a combination of many factors is responsible for the expansion in vegetation. It is also possible the trend in vegetation growth in Lake Michigan’s coastal dunes is a lagged response to an earlier climate event.
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Title: The metacoupled Arctic and North Pacific : Analyzing the spatiotemporal patterns and impacts of marine vessel traffic in coupled human and natural systems
Creator: Kapsar, Kelly
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Climate change is causing Arctic and sub-Arctic systems to warm at twice the global average rate. Warming temperatures are leading to unprecedented rates of sea ice decline, which is shifting the migratory patterns of animals, increasing accessibility to natural resources, and spurring tourists to travel to the Arctic. Many of these changes have the potential to increase marine vessel traffic in the Arctic. Ships are a primary mode of transportation in the Arctic, which has many remote...
Show moreClimate change is causing Arctic and sub-Arctic systems to warm at twice the global average rate. Warming temperatures are leading to unprecedented rates of sea ice decline, which is shifting the migratory patterns of animals, increasing accessibility to natural resources, and spurring tourists to travel to the Arctic. Many of these changes have the potential to increase marine vessel traffic in the Arctic. Ships are a primary mode of transportation in the Arctic, which has many remote communities and a fragmented road network. Ships take resources, such as fish, ores, and oil and gas, from the Arctic to global markets, and also serve as lifelines, bringing essential supplies to isolated communities. While these vessels serve to connect distant social-ecological systems and support human wellbeing, they can also have detrimental effects on the ecosystems through which they travel. Noise pollution, habitat degradation, ship strikes, invasive species introduction, and oil spills are all potential consequences of vessel traffic. Knowledge of the movements of vessels in space and time is necessary to determine the role that vessels are playing within Arctic systems and quantify their impacts. This information is also needed to predict the consequences of different vessel traffic policies for Arctic communities, ecosystems, and the interactions between them. The purpose of this dissertation is to quantify the spatiotemporal patterns of vessel traffic in Arctic social-ecological systems and to relate these patterns to other system components, including sea ice and wildlife movements. In chapter 2, we review the existing Arctic coupled human and natural systems literature and apply the newly introduced framework of metacoupling to explore the connections among the coupled human and natural systems of the Arctic and between Arctic systems and distant systems. We suggest that applying the metacoupling framework would improve future studies of Arctic coupled human and natural systems by distinguishing between different external connections and their unique impacts on sustainability. In chapter 3, we create a new, six-year data set of vessel activities in the North Pacific and Pacific Arctic Oceans. We then use these data in a case study examining the spatiotemporal patterns of vessel movements in the Bering Strait Region. As the only route connecting the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, the Bering Strait is a critical corridor for marine vessel traffic and migratory animals. While most vessel traffic in the region is local, we find that transient vessel traffic, particularly fishing activities and transport along the Northern Sea Route, increased between 2015 and 2020. In chapter 4, we focus on the movements of marine vessels in the ice-covered waters of the Pacific Arctic. We find that movements in ice differ by vessel type, and that while vessel traffic declines with increasing sea ice concentration, the overall amount of vessel traffic in sea ice increased between 2015 and 2020. In chapter 5, we evaluate the resource selection decisions of an endangered marine predator, the Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), in relation to fishing and non-fishing vessel movements in a sub-Arctic system, the Gulf of Alaska. Our results illustrate that adult female Steller sea lions select areas away from fishing vessel activities at a weekly timescale. This finding supports the hypothesis that large fishing vessels may disturb Steller sea lions, with potential consequences for their fitness. This dissertation expands upon the metacoupling framework by building a foundational understanding of the transportation of metacoupled flows. This work also contributes to the growing body of knowledge of vessel movements and their impacts on marine systems, which can be applied to design policies that promote the sustainable use of marine systems in a changing world.
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Title: The role of International Soybean Trade in Telecoupled Human and Natural Systems
Creator: Herzberger, Anna Jean
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: International food trade and globalized agriculture production connects humans and the environment around the world. As consumption demands are increasingly met abroad by importing food products, environmental and socioeconomic effects of production are left in the producing region, while the effects on the importing countries’ domestic production remain understudied due to the complexity and low visibility of the impacts. As population growth increases the caloric demand and rising affluence...
Show moreInternational food trade and globalized agriculture production connects humans and the environment around the world. As consumption demands are increasingly met abroad by importing food products, environmental and socioeconomic effects of production are left in the producing region, while the effects on the importing countries’ domestic production remain understudied due to the complexity and low visibility of the impacts. As population growth increases the caloric demand and rising affluence drives changes in consumption patterns, connections via food trade will continue to increase. Therefore, to identify local impacts of global phenomena, this dissertation analyses the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of international soybean trade within Brazil (e.g., largest producer), China (e.g., largest consumer) and the U.S. (e.g., the former largest producer). Drawing from both natural and social science disciplines, global trade data, satellite-imagery, farmer interviews and soil samples were combined for an interdisciplinary assessment of how international soybean trade couples distant human and the environment systems, the true extent of land-use change driven by soybean trade and the resulting impacts within each respective country. Chapter 1 provides a review of the published literature and background on international soybean trade and production. In chapter 2, the influence of China’s soybean demand was measured on Brazil’s production and trade. The results suggest that export-oriented soybean expansion in Brazil displaced the production of other crops and increased imports from nearby countries. For chapter 3, the impact of imported soybeans on production in China’s main agricultural region was explored. Competition from imported soybeans has resulted in many farmers switching cultivation to corn or to abandon farming in search of more lucrative options. This cultivation shift requires changes in management that involve increased nitrogen inputs and residual crop biomass – both of which have resulted in environmental spillovers. Chapter 4 furthered the analysis by considering the impacts of farmer cultivation and management decisions on soil properties. Soil texture, pH, total organic carbon and 16S rRNA gene sequence were used in combination with detailed farmer management surveys to understand how changes in residue management effect efficiency, productivity, profitability and sustainability of the system. The results indicated that the accumulation of residual corn biomass has increased the use of residue fires and decreased the amount of crop residue being returned to the soil. The culminating chapter used an agent-based modeling (ABM) to integrate the above chapters into a TeleABM. The teleABM models land use change in Brazil and China based on global soybean demand. Land-use change decisions are made by farmer agents which have parametrized using the farmer interviews. Next, the farmer agent cultivation and management decisions have environmental impacts that were determined by analyzing the soil samples under the context of management decisions. Finally, production and the impact of farmer agent decisions on the soil properties feedback to the farmer’s future cultivation and management decisions. Because of the economic, environmental and political importance of international soybean trade, the results of this dissertation are of great interest for future soybean production and trade between the specified countries as well as food security and environmental sustainability across the world.
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Title: The water-energy-food nexus assessments of carbon neutral efforts
Creator: Xie, Yachen
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Efforts toward carbon neutrality are crucial for humans' well-being and the environment. Currently, two main ongoing carbon mitigation efforts are enhancing carbon sequestration and reducing carbon emissions. However, there are debates regarding the tradeoffs of these two efforts' related policies and action plans. This dissertation investigates and assesses the tradeoffs of carbon neutral efforts from a WEF nexus perspective. Three typical efforts were selected as assessment targets to...
Show moreEfforts toward carbon neutrality are crucial for humans' well-being and the environment. Currently, two main ongoing carbon mitigation efforts are enhancing carbon sequestration and reducing carbon emissions. However, there are debates regarding the tradeoffs of these two efforts' related policies and action plans. This dissertation investigates and assesses the tradeoffs of carbon neutral efforts from a WEF nexus perspective. Three typical efforts were selected as assessment targets to answer the overarching question of how carbon neutral efforts would affect the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus. The Chinese conversion of cropland to forestland program (CCFP) is representative of carbon sequestration. The hydropower development in MRB is an example of the energy transition to reduce emissions. The coal power industry is the coupling effort of energy transition and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) applications in reducing carbon emissions. This dissertation consists of three main chapters, each corresponding to a journal article to address the three assessment targets. In Chapter 2, I evaluated the accomplishment of CCFP in China and its WEF nexus tradeoffs by applying remote sensing images from 2001 to 2019. The WEF assessment includes the transition matrix generation and the water yield calculation of the converted cropland and irrigation land. Indices related to WEF systems are also considered. In Chapter 3, a diagnostic approach with ten indicators was developed to assess the unilateral change's impacts on the WEF nexus. Using the diagnostic method, I provided statistical evidence of the benefits and tradeoffs of water, energy, food, economic prosperity, and the environment surrounding hydro dams in the Mekong River Basin. In Chapter 4, a scenario-based, life cycle coal power production assessment tool was proposed. By evaluating three portfolios or scenarios, the tradeoffs between reducing coal power production and CCUS application were revealed. This dissertation has successfully assessed the primary tradeoffs of carbon mitigation efforts from the WEF nexus perspective. The three studies can be wrapped up and come to three major conclusions: 1) The cons of major carbon mitigation efforts on WEF nexus and local sustainability exist, but not as speculated, especially for the CCFP and the hydropower dam construction. 2) The carbon neutral policies in China can accomplish their goals if adequately implemented. 3) The adaptive equilibrium between the CCUS application and coal power production reduction in China is crucial and needs to be better planned. The dissertation can enrich the carbon neutrality debate and fill gaps in the current literature on WEF nexus tradeoff studies on carbon mitigation by providing a remote-sensing approach and detailed coal modeling tools. The assessment tools proposed in Chapters 3 and 4 can be widely used by policymakers to understand better the tradeoffs regarding sustainability and WEF nexus in carbon neutral efforts.
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Title: Toward the detection of landscape features : clustering 3D points using spatial and thematic characteristics
Creator: Romero, Boleslo Edward
Date: 2010
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: ABSTRACTTOWARD THE DETECTION OF LANDSCAPE FEATURES:CLUSTERING 3D POINTS USING SPATIAL AND THEMATIC CHARACTERISTICSByBoleslo Edward RomeroThe study of Geography generally concerns phenomena at or near the surface of the earth. High resolutions of 3D quantitative and qualitative data can represent such phenomena as objects or fields. The data can be grouped to reveal representations of contiguous regions of spatial and thematic homogeneity. My thesis is concerned with finding groups of 3D...
Show moreABSTRACTTOWARD THE DETECTION OF LANDSCAPE FEATURES:CLUSTERING 3D POINTS USING SPATIAL AND THEMATIC CHARACTERISTICSByBoleslo Edward RomeroThe study of Geography generally concerns phenomena at or near the surface of the earth. High resolutions of 3D quantitative and qualitative data can represent such phenomena as objects or fields. The data can be grouped to reveal representations of contiguous regions of spatial and thematic homogeneity. My thesis is concerned with finding groups of 3D points with similar locations, spatial relationships, and thematic values of spectral reflectance. To accomplish this successfully, I synthesized elements of two geographic theories: point aggregation from cartographic generalization and hierarchical geographic ontology. My experimental design used synthetic 3D point data with spectral values. I employed the multi-dimensional Mean Shift clustering technique from the discipline of Computer Vision, and adapted a 3D range image segmentation accuracy assessment technique. I also contributed new techniques for segmentation quality assessment including two area under the curve indices and the development of new segmentation surface plots. Experimental evaluations included comparisons of the Mean Shift results with K-means clustering results, spatial resolution results, noise evaluation results, and the results of an alternative color configuration. I modified the variable sets to address uneven lighting conditions and employed the experimental methods to grouping real-world terrestrial LiDAR scan data. Though my new spatial relationship variable needs improvement, the methods yielded groups of points representing features in the LiDAR data and provided evidence of the potential for grouping richly attributed 3D points that represent geographic features.
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Title: Two models for the inferential analysis of central place patterns
Creator: Tiedemann, Clifford Earl
Date: 1966
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: USING EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AS GROUND CONTROL TO SUPPORT CITIZEN SCIENTIST COASTAL UAS MONITORING PROGRAMS
Creator: Rabins, Lucas Frederick
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Recent publications have described the ability of citizen scientists to conduct unoccupied aerial system (UAS) flights to collect data for coastal management. Ground control points (GCPs) can be collected to georeference these data, however collecting GCPs require expensive surveying equipment not accessible to citizen scientists. Instead, existing infrastructure can be used as naturally occurring GCPs (NGCPs), although availably of NGCP placement on such infrastructure differs from published...
Show moreRecent publications have described the ability of citizen scientists to conduct unoccupied aerial system (UAS) flights to collect data for coastal management. Ground control points (GCPs) can be collected to georeference these data, however collecting GCPs require expensive surveying equipment not accessible to citizen scientists. Instead, existing infrastructure can be used as naturally occurring GCPs (NGCPs), although availably of NGCP placement on such infrastructure differs from published best practices of GCP placement. This study therefore evaluates the achievable accuracy of sites georeferenced with NGCPs through an analysis of 20 diverse coastal sites. At most sites NGCPs produced horizontal and vertical root mean square errors (RMSE) less than 0.060 m which are similar to those obtained using traditional GCPs. To support future UAS citizen science coastal monitoring programs, an assessment to determine the optimal NGCP quantity and distribution was conducted for six coastal sites. Results revealed that generally at least seven NGCPs collected in the broadest distribution across the site will result in a horizontal and vertical RMSE less than 0.030 m and 0.075 m respectively. However, the relationship between these placement characteristics and RMSE was poor, indicating that georeferencing accuracy using NGCPs cannot be optimized solely through ideal quantity and distribution. The results of these studies highlight the value of NGCPs to support UAS citizen science coastal monitoring programs, however they also indicate a need for an initial accuracy assessment of sites surveyed with NGCPs at the onset of such programs.
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Title: USING THE “KITE” FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING LANDSCAPE CHANGE AND IMPROVING EAST AFRICAN AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE
Creator: Wanyama, Dan
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The Mount Elgon Ecosystem (MEE), an important hydrological and socio-economic area in East Africa, has exhibited significant landscape changes, driven by both natural factors and human activities, therefore leading to more frequent natural disasters (frequent and extended droughts, floods, and landslides). Yet, few studies have focused on the MEE socio-ecological system; no comprehensive knowledge exists of how humans and nature interact, at multiple scales, to drive ecosystem-wide landscape...
Show moreThe Mount Elgon Ecosystem (MEE), an important hydrological and socio-economic area in East Africa, has exhibited significant landscape changes, driven by both natural factors and human activities, therefore leading to more frequent natural disasters (frequent and extended droughts, floods, and landslides). Yet, few studies have focused on the MEE socio-ecological system; no comprehensive knowledge exists of how humans and nature interact, at multiple scales, to drive ecosystem-wide landscape changes. This dissertation focuses on three interrelated questions: (1.) What is the nature and magnitude of change in MEE greenness for the period 2001-2018, and how is this change related to long-term trends and variability in MEE precipitation? (2.) How is ecological and environmental (eco-environmental) vulnerability distributed across the MEE, and what are the major factors driving these patterns? and (3.) How will the MEE landscape change in the future, and what opportunities exist for streamlining livelihood improvement and environmental conservation efforts?Study 1 characterized comprehensively, over multiple time scales, recent patterns and trends in MEE vegetation greening and browning. The MEE was found to exhibit significant variability in vegetation dynamics and precipitation regimes. There was persistent greening and browning at different time scales and this change was attributed to both natural factors (including changing precipitation) and anthropogenic factors (especially the vegetation-to-cropland conversion). The study also concluded that MEE precipitation had increased substantially in the post-2000 era, which influenced greening and browning patterns observed in the 2006-2010 period. The integration of Mann–Kendall, Sen’s slope and bfast (breaks for additive season and trend) proved useful in comprehensively characterizing recent changes in vegetation greenness within the MEE. Study 2 examined eco-environmental vulnerability for the MEE using freely available remote sensing (RS), topographic, and socio-economic data. The study found that the majority of the MEE (comprising savannas, grasslands, and most of the agricultural land in Ugandan MEE) was moderately vulnerable based on the analysis methods and variables used. The eco-environmental vulnerability index (EEVI) showed a marked increase in vulnerability with decrease in elevation. Eco-environmental vulnerability was strongly associated with multi-year variables based on precipitation, temperature, and population density. Moreover, precipitation distribution was changing especially in the wet season, thus adding another layer of risk for agriculture and ultimately for local community livelihoods.Study 3 simulated possible future land use changes in the MEE based on existing RS LULC products and a well-known land use change model. The study projected that agriculture will possibly expand from approximately 58% in 2001 to more than 64% in 2033 if current and future LULC transformation follows rates in 2001-2017. These new croplands will occur mostly around edges of the protected forest and zones of transition between mixed vegetation and existing croplands. Due to the unpredictable LULC transitions in the MEE, simulating forest-to-cropland conversion was less accurate compared to mixed-to-cropland conversion. This research provides a more complete explanation of the underlying complex human-environment interactions shaping the MEE landscape. This is the first study to comprehensively assess landscape dynamics at multiple scales (10-day, 16-day, monthly, seasonal, and household). It is also the first to define and assess at the annual scale, eco-environmental vulnerability as influenced by climate, topographic and socio-economic variables. In addition, by simulating future LULC change, this research provides the opportunity to quantify and anticipate possible LULC changes in the MEE. This research relies on publicly available RS and geospatial datasets and therefore analyses conducted here can easily be translated to other similar regions.
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Title: Understanding the Spatial Concentration of Fatal and Non-Fatal Shootings Through Social Disorganization and Collective Efficacy Theory
Creator: Magee, Lauren A.
Date: 2018
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Firearm violence continues to plague American cities across the United States. For example, the overall homicide rate was 5.3 per 100,000 in 2016 (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2016). More simply stated, over five people become victims of lethal violence per 100,000 people across the country. Research demonstrates that firearm violence is higher in areas of social disadvantage and clusters in neighborhoods with high levels of socioeconomic disadvantage (Cohen & Tita, 1999; Rosenfeld, Bray,...
Show moreFirearm violence continues to plague American cities across the United States. For example, the overall homicide rate was 5.3 per 100,000 in 2016 (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2016). More simply stated, over five people become victims of lethal violence per 100,000 people across the country. Research demonstrates that firearm violence is higher in areas of social disadvantage and clusters in neighborhoods with high levels of socioeconomic disadvantage (Cohen & Tita, 1999; Rosenfeld, Bray, Egley, 1999). Neighborhood and crime researchers have historically focused on the macro level of analysis when studying crime within and across neighborhoods, but more recent research displays that crime spatially clusters at the micro level (Braga et al., 2010, Weisburd et al., 2004). It is still unclear if specific measures of neighborhood characteristics, such as collective efficacy influences crime at the street segment level (Braga and Clark, 2014). Similarly, much firearm research is based on homicide incidents and omits more common non-fatal shootings. This study addresses these limitations by including both the macro (i.e., census tract) and micro (i.e., street segment) levels of analyses and includes both fatal and non-fatal shootings. Using the theoretical framework of social disorganization theory and collective efficacy theory, this research seeks to examine how fatal and non-fatal shootings cluster across neighborhoods, examine the patterns of disorder and disadvantage across neighborhoods and street segments, and improve the construct of collective efficacy through a unique measurement system. The study examines over 1500 fatal and non-fatal shootings in Indianapolis, Indiana, over a three-year time period. Independent measures of neighborhood disadvantage are drawn from the US Census Bureau, as well as a unique dataset from the City of Indianapolis. The data measures for disorder and collective efficacy allow for analyses at the neighborhood and street segment level. Descriptive statistics explain where fatal and non-fatal shootings cluster across the city and generalized hierarchical linear modeling was conducted to explain how disorder, social disadvantage and collective efficacy correlate with firearm violence. Results suggest fatal and non-fatal shootings cluster at both the neighborhood and street segment level and including non-fatal shootings into the study of gun violence gives a more robust picture of where firearm violence is occurring within the community. Additionally, community level measures vary at the street segment level when accounting for neighborhood levels of poverty. These findings have both methodological and policy implications that contribute to the study of communities and crime and firearm violence.
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Title: Wildlife, man, and competition for land in Kenya : a geographical analysis
Creator: Capone, Donald L., 1933-
Date: 1971
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: “BLACK, SET, SPIKE : ” AN ANALYSIS OF THE RACIAL EXPERIENCES OF BLACK FEMALE VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS IN EUROPE
Creator: Fry, Jen
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Sports and geography each profoundly impact the lived and professional experiences of Black female athletes. These experiences also significantly shape their personal and professional identities, as both deal with the occupation of space and the way people move and interact in geographic spaces. Little attention has been paid by the academic and athletic communities to the lived experiences of professional athletes who play abroad. Currently, minimal research has been conducted on the...
Show moreSports and geography each profoundly impact the lived and professional experiences of Black female athletes. These experiences also significantly shape their personal and professional identities, as both deal with the occupation of space and the way people move and interact in geographic spaces. Little attention has been paid by the academic and athletic communities to the lived experiences of professional athletes who play abroad. Currently, minimal research has been conducted on the experiences of Black female volleyball players (BFVPs) who have played in Europe and how race, gender identity, space, and sports affected their lived experiences abroad based on their identities. This dissertation utilized qualitative methods to analyze the racial experiences of Black women who have played professional volleyball in Europe and whose experiences have not been documented within studies of geography—or, more specifically, within perspectives of Black feminist thought, Black geographies, and theory of racial space. The goal of this dissertation was twofold: (a) explore how intersecting racial and gendered identities, place, and space influenced the racism encountered by U.S. BFVPs in Europe; and (b) provide a source of information for future Black female college athletes who want to play professionally but do not know what they do not know. By developing a body of literature within sports geography on the overlooked and unresearched experiences of professional Black female athletes (BFAs), I contributed to the ever-increasing body of literature on BFAs across various disciplines. Some of the discoveries from my research were that BFVPs experienced racism in ways similar to what they experienced within the United States, such as being oversexualized, expected to play up racially stereotypical views of Black women, and having their hair touched without their consent. They also experienced racism in wildly different ways, such as being spit on, teammates withholding English skills, and accusations of prostitution. When conducting my research, a qualitative approach of a brief demographic survey of 15 questions was sent to over 100 current and former BFVPs; I used these data to narrow down participants. There was a response rate of more than 50%, which resulted in 60 women filling out the survey; of that population, 51 checked yes to interest in being interviewed, and nine checked no to denote no interest in being interviewed. Based on criteria of the number of years played, countries played in, and teams played for, I narrowed the sample to 18 participants willing to participate in qualitative interviews. The theoretical frameworks of Black feminist thought, Black geographies, and theory of racial space were used to understand the experiences of the participants and helped me create a new conceptual framework called critical Black feminist sports geographies.
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