Modeling historic, current, and available aboveground forest biomass along the Missouri River corridor

"July 2014."Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Hong S. He.Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Shibu Jose.Includes vita.This research presents the culmination of statistical, landscape, and geospatial analyses that examine the geographic dynamics of aboveground forest biomass (AFB) within the Missouri River corridor, Missouri USA. The Missouri River corridor is a region specifically within Missouri that encompasses 106,000 km², and is regarded as a processing region for improving the viability of Missouri's biomass/biofuel industry. Current and historic forest inventory data coupled with remote sensing, edaphic, physiographic, and climate variables were integrated into an ensemble regression tree method, Random Forest (RF), to estimate AFB, determine external driving forces of AFB, and visualize geographic locations where the greatest deviations exist between current and historic AFB values. The applicability of constructing a hybrid modeling framework using RF was initially tested in Chapter 2 by estimating current (observed data derived from Forest Inventory and Analysis) and theoretical (based on 20% of AFB found within Missouri) AFB, and calculating the percent change to determine percent changes in AFB across the landscape. The third chapter extended the RF modeling procedure to include historical information derived from General Land Office (GLO) data to estimate a baseline measure of AFB. Current AFB was again estimated and then compared to historic values where an additional synthesis was performed to investigate the top predictors of AFB. The fourth chapter examined a fuzzy logic approach for developing a suitability index based on available AFB. Available AFB was determined by applying physical constraints onto estimated AFB from the RF model, which included forest transitions and distance to rivers. The model results failed to reject our null hypothesis that there were no differences between observed and predicted AFB, and x model accuracy was very low for all AFB estimate. Results from these investigations indicated that 1) the greatest potential for increasing AFB may be along the floodplains of the Missouri anIncludes bibliographical references (pages 123-137)

Toxicodynamic modeling of 137Cs to estimate white-tailed deer background levels for the Department of Energy\u27s Savannah River Site

The U.S. Department of Energy\u27s (USDOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) is a former nuclear weapon material production and current research facility adjacent to the Savannah River in South Carolina, USA. The purpose of this study was to determine the background radiocesium (137Cs) body burden (e.g., from global fallout) for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) inhabiting the SRS. To differentiate what the background burden is for the SRS versus 137Cs obtained from SRS nuclear activities, data were analyzed spatially, temporally and compared to other off-site hunting areas near the SRS. The specific objectives of this study were: to compare SRS and offsite deer herds based on time and space; to interpret comparisons based on how data were collected as well as the effect of environmental and anthropogenic influences; to determine what the ecological half-life/decay rate is for 137Cs in the SRS deer herd; and to give a recommendation to what should be considered the background 137Cs level in the SRS deer herd. Based on the available information and analyses, it is recommended that the determination of what is considered background for the SRS deer herd be derived from data collected from the SRS deer herd itself and not offsite collections for a variety of reasons. Offsite data show extreme variability most likely due to environmental factors such as soil type and land-use patterns (e.g., forest, agriculture, residential activities). This can be seen fromresultswhere samples from offsite military bases (Fort Jackson and Fort Stewart) without anthropogenic 137Cs sources were much higher than both the SRS and a nearby (Sandhills) study site. Moreover, deer from private hunting grounds have the potential to be baited with corn, thus artificially lowering their 137Cs body burdens compared to other freeranging deer. Additionally, sample size for offsite collections were not robust enough to calculate a temporal decay curve with an upper confidence level to determine if the herds are following predicted radioactive decay rates like the SRS or if the variability is due to those points described above. Using mean yearly values, the ecological half-life for 137Cs body burdens for SRS white-tailed deer was determined to be 28.79 years— very close to the 30.2 years physical half-life

Toxicodynamic modeling of 137Cs to estimate white-tailed deer background levels for the Department of Energy\u27s Savannah River Site

The U.S. Department of Energy\u27s (USDOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) is a former nuclear weapon material production and current research facility adjacent to the Savannah River in South Carolina, USA. The purpose of this study was to determine the background radiocesium (137Cs) body burden (e.g., from global fallout) for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) inhabiting the SRS. To differentiate what the background burden is for the SRS versus 137Cs obtained from SRS nuclear activities, data were analyzed spatially, temporally and compared to other off-site hunting areas near the SRS. The specific objectives of this study were: to compare SRS and offsite deer herds based on time and space; to interpret comparisons based on how data were collected as well as the effect of environmental and anthropogenic influences; to determine what the ecological half-life/decay rate is for 137Cs in the SRS deer herd; and to give a recommendation to what should be considered the background 137Cs level in the SRS deer herd. Based on the available information and analyses, it is recommended that the determination of what is considered background for the SRS deer herd be derived from data collected from the SRS deer herd itself and not offsite collections for a variety of reasons. Offsite data show extreme variability most likely due to environmental factors such as soil type and land-use patterns (e.g., forest, agriculture, residential activities). This can be seen fromresultswhere samples from offsite military bases (Fort Jackson and Fort Stewart) without anthropogenic 137Cs sources were much higher than both the SRS and a nearby (Sandhills) study site. Moreover, deer from private hunting grounds have the potential to be baited with corn, thus artificially lowering their 137Cs body burdens compared to other freeranging deer. Additionally, sample size for offsite collections were not robust enough to calculate a temporal decay curve with an upper confidence level to determine if the herds are following predicted radioactive decay rates like the SRS or if the variability is due to those points described above. Using mean yearly values, the ecological half-life for 137Cs body burdens for SRS white-tailed deer was determined to be 28.79 years— very close to the 30.2 years physical half-life

A Spatially Explicit Model to Predict Radiocesium Body Burdens of White- Tailed Deer on the U.S. Department of Energy\u27s Savannah River Site

We developed a spatially explicit exposure model to interpolate and predict radiocesium (137Cs) body burdens found in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on the U.S. Department of Energy’s (USDOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) to gain insight into and differentiate between the main contributing sources of this radionuclide for use in harvest management strategies that focus on minimizing human risk. Hunting has been allowed from permanent stands as a mechanism to manage the deer herd since 1965. All animals are monitored in the field for gross beta and gamma activity levels, providing a spatially explicit dataset. The models described here use the relative locations of the hunt-stands to predict 137Cs exposure distributions. We used kriging to create an interpolation surface using average white-tailed deer body burdens. Cross-validations of the kriged surfaces differentiated between sources of 137Cs and where deer reside on the SRS. The kriged surfaces, coupled with additional regression analyses, provide a comprehensive assessment of deer’s 137Cs body burdens with predictive capability that quantifies the scale at which such investigations can be conducted. Although the models are local in scale, the methods presented here can be used as a template for other large areas that are being monitored for radioactive fallout

A Spatially Explicit Model to Predict Radiocesium Body Burdens of White- Tailed Deer on the U.S. Department of Energy\u27s Savannah River Site

We developed a spatially explicit exposure model to interpolate and predict radiocesium (137Cs) body burdens found in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on the U.S. Department of Energy’s (USDOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) to gain insight into and differentiate between the main contributing sources of this radionuclide for use in harvest management strategies that focus on minimizing human risk. Hunting has been allowed from permanent stands as a mechanism to manage the deer herd since 1965. All animals are monitored in the field for gross beta and gamma activity levels, providing a spatially explicit dataset. The models described here use the relative locations of the hunt-stands to predict 137Cs exposure distributions. We used kriging to create an interpolation surface using average white-tailed deer body burdens. Cross-validations of the kriged surfaces differentiated between sources of 137Cs and where deer reside on the SRS. The kriged surfaces, coupled with additional regression analyses, provide a comprehensive assessment of deer’s 137Cs body burdens with predictive capability that quantifies the scale at which such investigations can be conducted. Although the models are local in scale, the methods presented here can be used as a template for other large areas that are being monitored for radioactive fallout

A rapid soundscape analysis to quantify conservation benefits of temperate agroforestry systems using low-cost technology

none6sìuantifying the impacts of agroforestry systems (AFS) on habitat conservation remains a challenge due to difficulties in accounting for differences in scales, AFS configurations, and inadequate measures of species dynamics within practical time frames. The field of soundscape ecology offers new perspectives and tools to efficiently collect information on species richness and has a potential to be used as a holistic measure for indicating changes in habitat conditions. The objective of this investigation was to conduct a rapid soundscape assessment using low-cost technology and evaluate the efficacy of using sounds as an indicator for monitoring and assessing species richness within AFS. A series of low-cost recorders were placed within two AFS (pecan alley crop and silvopasture) and two control habitats (natural forest and soybean monoculture). The acoustic complexity index (ACI) was used as the metric to quantify the sonic environment. Results indicated a weak, but significant relationship (R2 = 0.30) between the ACI and overall structural complexity, measured using median heights, across different land-use systems. There was a stronger relationship (R2 = 0.53) between the ACI metric and soundscape composition, which was defined by overall species richness. This study demonstrated the usefulness of conducting a rapid, low-cost soundscape analysis that quantified the effects of different land-use systems on species richness. This research also helped provide evidence of the significance of AFS as an integrative land-use system with beneficial characteristics that have potential to promote both production and ecological conservation.noneBobryk, Christopher W.; Rega-Brodsky, Christine C.; Bardhan, Sougata; Farina, Almo; He, Hong S.; Jose, ShibuBobryk, Christopher W.; Rega Brodsky, Christine C.; Bardhan, Sougata; Farina, Almo; He, Hong S.; Jose, Shib