The Ecology and Sociology of the Mission-Aransas Estuary : An Estuarine and Watershed Profile

watershed profileThe Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) is one of 28 national estuarine reserves created to promote the responsible use and management of the nation's estuaries through a program combining scientific research, education, and stewardship. The purpose of this document is to provide researchers and resource managers with an adequate basis of knowledge to further development of scientific studies and applied management investigations. This document describes the different physical ecosystem components, ecological processes, habitats, and watersheds of the Reserve. The Mission-Aransas NERR is a complex of wetland, terrestrial, and marine environments. The land is primarily coastal prairie with unique oak motte habitats. The wetlands include riparian habitat, and freshwater and salt water marshes. Within the water areas, the bays are large, open, and include extensive wind tidal flats, seagrass meadows, mangroves, and oyster reefs. This site profile describes each habitat by their location, type, distribution, abundance, current status and trends, issues of concerns, and future research plans. Research within the Mission-Aransas NERR seeks to improve the understanding of the Texas coastal zone ecosystems structure and function. Current research includes: nutrient loading and transformation, estimates of community metabolism, water quality monitoring, freshwater inflow, climate change and fishery habitat. Harmful algal blooms, zooplankton, coliform bacteria, submerged aquatic vegetation, and marsh grass are monitored through the System- Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP). This document also describes the climate, hydrography and oceanography, geology, water quality, and endangered species within the Mission-AransasUniversity of Texas Marine Science InstituteMarine Scienc

The State Response to Climate Change: 50 State Survey

This survey accompanies Global Climate Change and U.S. Law, Second Edition (Michael B. Gerrard and Jody Freeman, eds, 2014). It compiles state legislation, rules and executive orders that specifically address climate change as of the end of April 2014. It also includes a wide variety of state activities that may have an impact on greenhouse gases including legislation related to energy efficiency and renewable energy. The focus of this material is to provide readers with an understanding of the range of state activity that may contribute to greenhouse gas reduction and climate change. Some types of energy efficiency, alternative fuels and renewable energy legislation (such as tax credits for hybrid vehicles) are very similar from state to state; some laws have a short duration and therefore may not be codified (such as temporary tax credits); energy legislation is being enacted at an increasing pace. As a result, not all energy efficiency, alternative fuels and renewable energy legislation and other activity in every state are included in this compilation

Bridgewater Magazine, Volume 26, Number 1, Spring 2016

Contents include features about student research, support for student internships, and mindfulness-based stress reduction courses. Also featured are coverage of BSU’s new Family Performing Arts Center and the donation of artwork to BSU from Larry Doherty. Also Bridgewater and Alumni News.https://vc.bridgew.edu/br_mag/1069/thumbnail.jp

Diel periodicity and chronology of upstream migration in yellowphase American Eels (Anguilla rostrata)

This thesis examined 24-h diel periodicity of upstream migration of yellow-phase American Eels (Anguilla rostrata), and the chronology of upstream movements within diel periods (day, night, and twilight). Further, relationships were examined for total lengths of upstream migrants and diel movements (vespertine, nocturnal, matutinal, and diurnal), as well as for total lengths and season of year. The thesis is comprised of two chapters: (1) an introduction and literature review on American Eel life history, migration and movement, and population concerns, and (2) a research study of diel periodicity and movement chronology of upstream migrant yellow-phase American Eels at an eel ladder. Study objectives were to (1) examine diel periodicity of upstream migrants using time-series spectral analysis, (2) describe the distribution of passage counts during diel periods (day, twilight, and night) among seasons (spring, summer, and fall), and (3) examine size of upstream migrants relative to diel and seasonal periods. Data were collected at the Millville Dam eel ladder on the lower Shenandoah River, West Virginia, from 2011--2014. Six multi-day passage events with a high number of passage counts were selected for analysis and categorized by season (spring, summer, late summer/early fall, fall) and diel periods of movement (vespertine, nocturnal, matutinal, and diurnal). To examine diel periodicity of movements, I graphically-depicted passage count data as time-series histograms (10-min bins) and used time-series spectral analysis (Fast Fourier Transformation, FFT) to identify cyclical patterns and periodicity of upstream migration. I also pooled histogram data into 14-h periods (18:00--08:00 hours) using 10-min bins for each multi-day passage event (representing vespertine, nocturnal, and matutinal movements). Using pooled 14-h histograms, I examined patterns of movements for each passage event and described multiple peaks of passage counts for vespertine, nocturnal, and matutinal movements by fitting a normal model and eight normal mixture models (2--9 mixtures). The Bayesian information criterion (BIC) was used to select the best approximating model. A mixed-model methodology was used to examine relationships among total length (TL), diel period, and season. Periodicity of movements closely followed a 24-h cycle of activity with most movement being nocturnal. Based on mixture model analysis, multimodal models were supported by the data, but distribution patterns and timing of upstream migration were complex and variable across the six passage events. An additive-effects model of diel period + season was selected as the best approximating model for the mixed-model analysis of TL. Also, the mean TL of individuals using the eel ladder decreased as the night progressed (i.e., from vespertine to diurnal periods of movement) and was the highest during fall (330.3 mm +/- 1.9 SE, n = 472) relative to similar mean values of TL for spring (304.1 mm +/- 1.0 SE, n = 1700), summer (301.2 mm +/- 1.1 SE, n = 1548) and late summer/early fall (303.4 mm +/- 0.87 SE, n = 2269). This study increased our understanding of upstream migration ecology of yellow-phase American Eels and dam passage at the Millville Dam eel ladder

From Dockyard to Esplanade: Leveraging Industrial Heritage in Waterfront Redevelopment

The outcomes of preserving and incorporating industrial building fabric and related infrastructure, such as railways, docks and cranes, in redeveloped waterfront sites have yet to be fully understood by planners, preservationists, public administrators or developers. Case studies of Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia/Camden, Dublin, Glasgow, examine the industrial history, redevelopment planning and approach to preservation and adaptive reuse in each locale. The effects of contested industrial histories, planning approach, funding, environmental remediation, building materials and scale are evaluated as how they impact preservation outcomes. The case studies reveal a trend towards preservation of industrial waterfront buildings and infrastructure and demonstrate how such preservation has been leveraged to contribute to the success of re-purposed urban waterfronts

Strata : lessons in latency

Every visual artifact, from a street sign to advertising commercials, is an event of culture, a cross-section of time. Crucial to my work as a designer is to build an interpretive understanding of these images as more than surface, more than banal. Embedded in their construction are dense, unseen contextual latencies— social, economic, and political forces — that combine to define a cultural moment. This thesis offers a series of lessons in making visible visual infrastructure. It emphasizes design’s semiotic potential to examine and leverage a view on what these visual signs represent as ideological constructions. Through a conscious un-layering of their deep and complex structures, I make an ethical case for producing work that augments understanding of our socio-cultural milieu, while catalyzing larger structural reform

Full Issue: Volume 3, Issue 2

The second issue in the third volume of the Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal

Land reuse and redevelopment : creating healthy communities

How land is used and reused can affect public health. There are hundreds of thousands of potentially contaminated sites that were formerly used as industrial, commercial, or residential properties. These sites are called brownfields or land reuse sites. Former gas stations, manufactured gas plants, factories, dry cleaners, and abandoned properties are typical sites that may have people living or working in close proximity to them. Unfortunately, many of these sites are contaminated with harmful chemicals or may even have been redeveloped without proper environmental oversight. These sites may lead to harmful chemical exposures for children and adults.CS316923-ACreating_Healthy_Communities-508.pdf20201013