Diversification in Rural Kentucky: The Potential Wealth of Kentucky’s Cultural Heritage

Diversification in Rural Kentucky: The Potential Wealth of Kentucky’s Cultural Heritage Kentucky has had ongoing economic challenges throughout its history. The mountainous terrain creates difficulties for infrastructure and an economic dependency on non-renewable energy. Pursuits in economic development have taken a new approach to create a more sustainable future for the state. Kentucky is unique in many historical, geographical, and cultural contexts that draws tourists from both in and around the state. Historical landmarks like the Red River Gorge Geological Area, Fort Boonesborough State Park, and the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum all offer their own unique draw. Kentucky\u27s place as a guidepost in the history of America is unparalleled with its geographical heritage demonstrating Civil War landmarks, Appalachian folklore, and indigenous history. This literature review explores avenues for Kentucky to amplify its own history as a thriving resource for Kentucky’s future. Keywords: Economic Diversification, Tourism, Kentucky, Heritage, Civil Wa

Diversification in Kentucky: The Potential Wealth of Kentucky’s Natural Areas

As Kentucky moves toward a more sustainable future, natural areas and land recovery efforts suggest an alternative and renewable source of revenue. Not only can this mean tangible financial revenue, but wealth in terms of Ecosystem Services as well. Provisioning Services can be extracted like vegetables, drinkable water, and medicine. Regulating services provide protection like carbon sequestration and flood mitigation. Supporting services like photosynthesis and the water cycle make life possible. Finally, Cultural Services provide the aesthetic and recreational venue to satisfy finer psychological and human self-fulfillment needs. Here we find a particularly alluring benefit for the recreation professional. Reclaimed land can be reinvented for varying tourist attractions and other economic alternatives. As aesthetic and cultural landmarks, natural areas imply an opportunity to attract visitors internationally. Likewise, they appeal to outdoorsmen and adventurers. The introduction of elk in Kentucky generates $5 million dollars in revenue through hunting guides and sightseeing tours alone (Whang, 2020). World class climbing presents untapped opportunities. This literature review identifies avenues for Kentucky to expand their repertoire of enterprise to include not only existing natural areas, but to explore opportunities for altered and restored landscapes as well

Diversification in Kentucky: The Potential Wealth of Kentucky’s Natural Areas

As Kentucky moves toward a more sustainable future, natural areas and land recovery efforts suggest an alternative and renewable source of revenue. Not only can this mean tangible financial revenue, but wealth in terms of Ecosystem Services as well. Provisioning Services can be extracted like vegetables, drinkable water, and medicine. Regulating services provide protection like carbon sequestration and flood mitigation. Supporting services like photosynthesis and the water cycle make life possible. Finally, Cultural Services provide the aesthetic and recreational venue to satisfy finer psychological and human self-fulfillment needs. Here we find a particularly alluring benefit for the recreation professional. Reclaimed land can be reinvented for varying tourist attractions and other economic alternatives. As aesthetic and cultural landmarks, natural areas imply an opportunity to attract visitors internationally. Likewise, they appeal to outdoorsmen and adventurers. The introduction of elk in Kentucky generates $5 million dollars in revenue through hunting guides and sightseeing tours alone (Whang, 2020). World class climbing presents untapped opportunities. This literature review identifies avenues for Kentucky to expand their repertoire of enterprise to include not only existing natural areas, but to explore opportunities for altered and restored landscapes as well. Keywords: Economic Diversification, Tourism, Natural Areas, Commodity Dependence, Reclaimed Land, Reforestationhttps://encompass.eku.edu/swps_graduategallery/1114/thumbnail.jp

Carbon dioxide and methane emissions from interfluvial wetlands in the upper Negro River basin, Brazil

Extensive interfluvial wetlands occur in the upper Negro River basin (Brazil) and contain a mosaic of vegetation dominated by emergent grasses and sedges with patches of shrubs and palms. To characterize the release of carbon dioxide and methane from these habitats, diffusive and ebullitive emissions and transport through plant aerenchyma were measured monthly during 2005 in permanently and seasonally flooded areas. CO2 emissions averaged 2193 mg C m-2 day-1. Methane was consumed in unflooded environments and emitted in flooded environments with average values of -4.8 and 60 mg C m-2 day-1, respectively. Bubbles were emitted primarily during falling water periods when hydrostatic pressure at the sediment-water interface declined. CO2 and CH4 emissions increased when dissolved O2 decreased and vegetation was more abundant. Total area and seasonally varying flooded areas for two wetlands, located north and south of the Negro River, were determined through analysis of synthetic aperture radar and optical remotely sensed data. The combined areas of these two wetlands (3000 km2) emitted 1147 Gg C year-1 as CO2 and 31 Gg C year-1 as CH4. If these rates are extrapolated to the area occupied by hydromorphic soils in the upper Negro basin, 63 Tg C year-1 of CO2 and 1.7 Tg C year-1 as CH4 are estimated as the regional evasion to the atmosphere. © 2010 The Author(s)

The Southern Westerlies during the Last Glacial Maximum in PMIP2 simulations

The Southern Hemisphere westerly winds are an important component of the climate system at hemispheric and global scales. Variations in their intensity and latitudinal position through an ice-age cycle have been proposed as important drivers of global climate change due to their influence on deep-ocean circulation and changes in atmospheric CO2. The position, intensity, and associated climatology of the southern westerlies during the last glacial maximum (LGM), however, is still poorly understood from empirical and modelling standpoints. Here we analyse the behaviour of the southern westerlies during the LGM using four coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations carried out by the Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project Phase 2 (PMIP2). We analysed the atmospheric circulation by direct inspection of the winds and by using a cyclone tracking software to indicate storm tracks. The models suggest that changes were most significant during winter and over the Pacific ocean. For this season and region, three out four models indicate decreased wind intensities at the near surface as well as in the upper troposphere. Although the LGM atmosphere is colder and the equator to pole surface temperature gradient generally increases, the tropospheric temperature gradients actually decrease, explaining the weaker circulation. We evaluated the atmospheric influence on the Southern Ocean by examining the effect of wind stress on the Ekman pumping. Again, three of the models indicate decreased upwelling in a latitudinal band over the Southern Ocean. All models indicate a drier LGM than at present with a clear decrease in precipitation south of 40A degrees S over the oceans. We identify important differences in precipitation anomalies over the land masses at regional scale, including a drier climate over New Zealand and wetter over NW Patagonia