Connectivity Following Cascadia: A Human-Centered Analysis of Network Damage and Recovery Following a Cascadia Subduction Zone Multi-Hazard

This thesis presents an integrated approach to evaluating the interconnected built, social, and environmental systems following a rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Specifically, this work focuses on community resilience as a function of accessibility to resources, places, or other people. The accessibility of 18 Oregon coastal communities is quantified as multi-scale connectivity values which are evaluated after a ground shaking and tsunami inundation event. The indices measure 1) the performance of transportation networks after the disaster, 2) access to/from essential facilities and services, and 3) access to/from community-defined assets and employment locations. The assessment of the transportation network damage and vulnerabilities incorporates publicly available data, participatory mapping, and a multi-scale damage-recovery model. The model is evaluated based on 128 regional points of interest (e.g., hospitals, airports), 4,237 local points of interest (e.g., schools, fire stations), and 159 individual points of interest (i.e., human-centered) identified by 34 Latinx coastal residents. The results show that 1) at a regional level, there is a large variability in the connectivity depending on the point of interest (i.e., a hospital versus an airport) due to the limited road networks connecting the rural coastal communities and due to the loss of key infrastructure components (i.e., bridges); 2) at a local level, the road network is more redundant compared to the regional network and the local connectivity are generally independent of the asset considered for a given community; and 3) at an individual level, disparities can be seen in the local connectivity for home to work and other individually identified assets not seen in the overall connectivity index for a community. Further, these connectivity indices can provide valuable insight on the service areas covered by critical facilities in both the immediate response and long-term recovery of the road functionality. The findings provide a framework that can further integrate additional hazard considerations (i.e., landslides) and be expanded to account for the building performance in a coupled framework

Adaptable web modules to stimulate active learning in engineering hydrology using data and model simulations

The overall goal of this study is to contribute to the advancement of hydrologic education as a multi-faceted discipline. The specific objectives are to deliver visual, case-based, data and simulation driven learning experiences to instructors and students through open source web technologies and community based data and modeling sources. The approach is to use three different regional-scale natural hydrologic systems as educational “observatories” and have the learning experiences embedded within. These hydro-systems (Coastal Louisiana, Florida Everglades, and Utah Great Salt Lake Basin) provide a wealth of hydrologic concepts and scenarios that can be used in many curricula. Several student-centered learning modules are currently under development along with an instructional interface to guide and support the learner and the instructor. The developments also include an instructor\u27s guide containing adaptation and implementation procedures. The web-based modules are intended to be applicable in a wide range of courses, in different programs within institutions, as well as at different levels within the same program. Independent users will test the system to obtain feedback for necessary revisions and enhance the adaptability of the project. Read More: http://www.qscience.com/doi/abs/10.5339/qproc.2014.wcee2013.1

Adaptable Web Modules to Stimulate Active Learning in Engineering Hydrology using Data and Model Simulations

The overall goal of this study is to contribute to the advancement of hydrologic education as a multifaceted discipline. The specific objectives are to deliver visual, case-based, data and simulation driven learning experiences to instructors and students through open source web technologies and community based data and modeling sources. The approach is to use three different regional-scale natural hydrologic systems as educational “observatories” and have the learning experiences embedded within. These hydro-systems (Coastal Louisiana, Florida Everglades, and Utah Great Salt Lake Basin) provide a wealth of hydrologic concepts and scenarios that can be used in many curricula. Several student-centered learning modules are currently under development along with an instructional interface to guide and support the learner and the instructor. The developments also include an instructor’s guide containing adaptation and implementation procedures. The web-based modules are intended to be applicable in a wide range of courses, in different programs within institutions, as well as at different levels within the same program. Independent users will test the system to obtain feedback for necessary revisions and enhance the adaptability of the project

The Role of the Everglades Mangrove Ecotone Region (EMER) in Regulating Nutrient Cycling and Wetland Productivity in South Florida

The authors summarize the main findings of the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research (FCE-LTER) program in the EMER, within the context of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), to understand how regional processes, mediated by water flow, control population and ecosystem dynamics across the EMER landscape. Tree canopies with maximum height \u3c3 m cover 49% of the EMER, particularly in the SE region. These scrub/dwarf mangroves are the result of a combination of low soil phosphorus (P \u3c 59 μg P g dw−1) in the calcareous marl substrate and long hydroperiod. Phosphorus limits the EMER and its freshwater watersheds due to the lack of terrigenous sediment input and the phosphorus-limited nature of the freshwater Everglades. Reduced freshwater delivery over the past 50 years, combined with Everglades compartmentalization and a 10 cm rise in coastal sea level, has led to the landward transgression (1.5 km in 54 years) of the mangrove ecotone. Seasonal variation in freshwater input strongly controls the temporal variation of nitrogen and P exports (99%) from the Everglades to Florida Bay. Rapid changes in nutrient availability and vegetation distribution during the last 50 years show that future ecosystem restoration actions and land use decisions can exert a major influence, similar to sea level rise over the short term, on nutrient cycling and wetland productivity in the EMER