Shoreland Buffer Module for GRANIT Data Mapper

The Complex Systems Research Center at the University of New Hampshire enhanced the GRANIT Data Mapper (http://mapper.granit.unh.edu) by incorporating data describing shoreline buffers in New Hampshire. The project supports an ongoing, comprehensive New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) outreach initiative that seeks to educate municipal decision-makers about the importance of stream buffers in preserving water quality in coastal New Hampshire. It complements these existing outreach efforts by allowing coastal managers, local land use boards, and the general public to readily visualize the spatial extent of current and/or proposed shoreline regulations in their community. The primary data source for the analysis was the high-resolution New Hampshire National Hydrography Dataset (NHHD). Using standard GIS tools, six concentric buffers incrementing in 50’ widths from 50’ to 300’ were generated around stream and shoreline features recorded in the NHHD. To provide the greatest flexibility to users, two data sets were generated at each buffer increment – one representing shorelines and streams classified as either perennial or intermittent, and the second comprising shorelines and only streams classified as perennial. The resulting buffers were merged with the GRANIT surface water data, and acreage by town and subwatershed was calculated for each buffer category. The shoreline buffer data sets were added to the water resources theme of the Data Mapper, thereby providing the public with the ability to view buffers of varying widths in the context of other data layers (including aerial imagery) available through the viewing tool. The associated acreage data tables were added to the water resources theme tool tab. Findings indicated that aggregated at the HUC-12 level, almost 24,000 acres within the Coastal Basin were covered by 50’ buffers when perennial and intermittent streams as well as shorelines were buffered, with over 133,000 acres covered by 300’ buffers. When only perennial streams and shorelines were considered eligible for buffering, the totals declined to just under 17,000 acres (50’ buffers) and over 96,000 acres (300’ buffers)

Impervious Surface Mapping in Coastal New Hampshire (2005)

Estimates of impervious surface acreage in 2005 were generated and compared to prior estimates for 1990 and 2000 for a 48-town region in coastal New Hampshire, including the 42 towns within Zones A and B of the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) area. The estimates were based on applying both traditional and subpixel image classification techniques to 30-meter Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite data, acquired 3 October 2005. The classifications indicated that impervious surface acreage increased from 4.3% (31,233 acres) in 1990, to 6.3% (45,445 acres) in 2000, to 7.4% (53,408 acres) in 2005. At the subwatershed level, the Portsmouth Harbor subwatershed recorded the highest percentage of impervious surface acreage in 1990 with 19.8% coverage (2,310 acres) and in 2000 with 25.5% coverage (2,975 acres), and this finding continued in 2005 with 28.9% (3,364 acres) of the watershed mapped as impervious. An accuracy assessment was applied to the regional data, and indicated an accuracy of 98.3% for the 2005 data, which compared favorably with the assessment of the 1990 effort (98.6% correct) as well as the 2000 data (93.1% correct). These figures reflect the overall presence/absence of impervious surfaces within the randomly selected pixels. The accuracy was further evaluated against April, 2003 Emerge 1-ft. resolution aerial photography to estimate the validity of the predicted range of imperviousness for a second set of randomly selected pixels. This assessment proved disappointing, as only 7% of the pixels sampled predicted the correct impervious percentage range. The data set representing impervious surface acreage in 2005 has been archived in the GRANIT GIS clearinghouse, thereby making it available to the coastal resource community as well as the general public. The data are appropriate for watershed and subwatershed level characterizations. Users are discouraged from accessing these data to support larger scale mapping and applications

Developing Impervious Surface Estimates for Coastal New Hampshire

Future population growth and the corresponding increase in development in the coastal zone of NH are widely recognized as major threats to the integrity of coastal systems and their watersheds. The potential impacts associated with the expansion of developed land, and specifically with increasing amounts of impervious surfaces – rooftops, sidewalks, roads, and parking lots - may include significant changes in water quantity, degradation in water quality, and habitat loss. Because asphalt, concrete, stone, and other impenetrable materials effectively seal the ground surface, water is repelled and is prevented from infiltrating soils. Instead, stormwater runoff flows directly into our surface waters, depositing metals, excess nutrients, organics, and other pollutants into the receiving bodies. In addition to these environmental impacts, increasing levels of imperviousness can dramatically alter our landscapes, as forested and other natural settings are converted to urban/suburban uses. Many of the impacts associated with impervious surfaces had been well documented by studies in other areas of the country. However, comprehensive studies in coastal New Hampshire had not been undertaken. The primary goals of this project were to provide an accurate, current description of the extent of impervious surface coverage in this region, as well as an estimate of change in the amount of “imperviousness” over a recent, ten-year period

Developing 1990, 2000, and 2005 Impervious Surface Estimates for Southern York County, Maine

Estimates of impervious surface acreage in 1990, 2000, and 2005 were generated for an 11-town region in York County, Maine, covered by the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP). The project extended previous work done in New Hampshire, relying on comparable satellite-based data sources and image processing methodologies. As a result, standardized impervious surface estimates are now available for the entirety of the PREP region. The impervious surface estimates were derived by applying both traditional and subpixel classification techniques to 30-meter Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) satellite image data. The classifications indicated that 3.3% (9,098 acres) of the study area was impervious in 1990, with increases to 5.3 % (14,646 acres) in 2000 and 6.3% (17,394 acres) in 2005. At the subwatershed level, the Portsmouth Harbor subwatershed recorded the highest percentage of impervious surface acreage in 1990, 2000, and 2005 with 7.8% coverage (1,283 acres), 12.3% coverage (2,009 acres), and 14.5% coverage (2,380 acres) respectively. The regional accuracy assessment indicated an overall accuracy of 97.0% for the 1990 data, 93.0% for the 2000 data, and 92.0% for the 2005 data. These results reflect the overall presence/absence of impervious surfaces within the randomly selected assessment pixels. The three data sets have been archived in the GRANIT GIS clearinghouse, thereby making them available to the coastal resource community as well as the general public. The data are appropriate for watershed and subwatershed level characterizations. Users are discouraged from accessing them to support larger scale mapping and applications

The Pre-Jurassic Surface of Montana.

It has long been known that, prior to the deposition of Jurassic sediments, Montana was subjected to an intensive period of erosion. Mention of this may be found in numerous reports, especially those dealing with western Montana

The role of market-based incentives in promoting low carbon development in developing countries

Includes bibliographical references.The economic advancement that society has experienced in the past two centuries is largely based on a carbon intensive development model. This is now causing a vexing problem because the exploitation of fossil fuels is a leading cause of global climate change. As developing countries advance energy-intensive developmental agendas, a more sustainable approach is necessary to facilitate growth without the accompanying negative environmental externalities inherent to the business as usual approach. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the relationship between market-based incentives (MBIs) for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the underlying host country context. The main research question is: How does host country context affect MBIs in developing countries? The theoretical framework is drawn from the literature on market based environmental policy, and links to the literature on governance in areas of limited statehood. The thesis links five distinct empirical papers to present a cohesive body of research. The experience of the internationally mandated Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is explored via qualitative comparison between China and South Africa, and between Zambia and South Africa. A quantitative analysis of utilisation and underlying host country indicators is also presented to further understand the antecedents of CDM uptake at the national level. Furthermore, South Africa's nationally mandated promotion of renewable energy is explored. This includes a comparison with Germany to highlight how key considerations of renewable energy promotion vary between a developed and developing country. The research finds MBIs in developing countries, both internationally and nationally mandated, to be highly dependent on the overall host country context. The key aspects identified include 1) host country prioritisation of low carbon development; 2) supporting structures and policies that generate awareness, build capabilities and encourage private sector participation; and 3) access to finance, with a specific focus on cost of capital. The findings support the market-based environmental policy literature that suggests an effective regulatory framework by the state is a necessary condition for MBIs in developing countries. However it also shows that the regulatory framework alone is not a sufficient condition for successful implementation of MBIs in the developing world. Consequently, the overall host country context determines private sector interest in and the success of MBIs in developing countries

Quantum Gravity Phenomenology, Lorentz Invariance and Discreteness

Contrary to what is often stated, a fundamental spacetime discreteness need not contradict Lorentz invariance. A causal set's discreteness is in fact locally Lorentz invariant, and we recall the reasons why. For illustration, we introduce a phenomenological model of massive particles propagating in a Minkowski spacetime which arises from an underlying causal set. The particles undergo a Lorentz invariant diffusion in phase space, and we speculate on whether this could have any bearing on the origin of high energy cosmic rays.Comment: 13 pages. Replaced version with corrected fundamental solution, missing m's (mass) and c's (speed of light) added and reference on diffusion on the three sphere changed. Note with additional references added and addresses updated, as in published versio

Molecular evolution of the sheep prion protein gene

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are infectious, fatal neurodegenerative diseases characterized by aggregates of modified forms of the prion protein (PrP) in the central nervous system. Well known examples include variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) in humans, BSE in cattle, chronic wasting disease in deer and scrapie in sheep and goats. In humans, sheep and deer, disease susceptibility is determined by host genotype at the prion protein gene (PRNP). Here I examine the molecular evolution of PRNP in ruminants and show that variation in sheep appears to have been maintained by balancing selection, a profoundly different process from that seen in other ruminants. Scrapie eradication programs such as those recently implemented in the UK, USA and elsewhere are based on the assumption that PRNP is under positive selection in response to scrapie. If, as these data suggest, that assumption is wrong, eradication programs will disrupt this balancing selection, and may have a negative impact on the fitness or scrapie resistance of national flocks

Effect of spin orbit scattering on the magnetic and superconducting properties of nearly ferromagnetic metals: application to granular Pt

We calculate the effect of scattering on the static, exchange enhanced, spin susceptibility and show that in particular spin orbit scattering leads to a reduction of the giant moments and spin glass freezing temperature due to dilute magnetic impurities. The harmful spin fluctuation contribution to the intra-grain pairing interaction is strongly reduced opening the way for BCS superconductivity. We are thus able to explain the superconducting and magnetic properties recently observed in granular Pt as due to scattering effects in single small grains.Comment: 9 pages 3 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Letter

Developing 2010 Impervious Surface Estimates for the Piscataque Region Estuaries Partnership Towns

Estimates of impervious surface acreage for 2010 were generated for the 59-town region covered by the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP). The project extended previous work done in the region for the years 1990, 2000, and 2005 and relied on the same satellite-based data sources and image processing methodologies. As a result, standardized impervious surface estimates are now available for a 20-year time period in the PREP region. The current project mapped impervious surfaces (buildings, pavement, etc.) based on a Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) image acquired on April 24, 2010. Processing used both traditional and sub-pixel image classification techniques, as described in previous efforts (see Justice and Rubin, 2006 and Justice and Rubin 2003 for a complete processing description). The current study utilized comparable satellite imagery, and applied consistent techniques to map the PREP area for 2010. It should be noted that since the completion of the 2005 project, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has modified its image offerings and now only serves TM data resampled using cubic convolution techniques. (Resampling algorithms are applied as part of the image registration processing, and describe the way output values are assigned to individual image pixels.) This is an important consideration because our previous sub-pixel classifications were conducted on data sets processed using nearest neighbor resampling (which is the recommended approach). While the classification process can be completed using data resampled using alternative techniques, the results may not be as reliable. Since the three previous data sets (1990, 2000, and 2005) were developed using images processed using the preferred nearest neighbor method, and because it is unlikely that features would revert from impervious to non-impervious status, we opted to use the 2005 impervious surface raster as the starting point for the current iteration. Accordingly, the 2005 impervious surface data was used to mask the 2010 TM image with any remaining, unmasked pixels classified using the techniques described in the documents referenced above. A second departure from previous processing streams is that the TM data is now delivered as a georeferenced, terrain-corrected file. This eliminated the requirement for GRANIT to perform these steps locally. The data set has been archived in the GRANIT GIS clearinghouse, thereby making it available to the coastal resource community as well as the general public. The data are appropriate for watershed and subwatershed level characterizations. Users are discouraged from accessing them to support larger scale mapping and applications