Infrastructure systems, comprised of various assets, are central to the economic, environmental, and cultural functioning of our society. Understanding the potential impacts to these assets from various threats is fundamental to prudent strategic, operational and financial decision-making. This paper describes a methodology developed to identify the severity of impacts to various types of infrastructure located within the Tennessee State Park system when exposed to extreme weather events. It consists of the following steps: (1) defining and identifying critical park infrastructure; (2) identifying extreme weather event types experienced in Tennessee; (3) assessing damage to various types of park system infrastructure caused by these events; and (4) deriving an overall impact score associated with critical and specific types of park system infrastructure when exposed to certain types of extreme weather scenarios. It was found that hydrologic events, strong thunderstorm winds, winter storms, and in select cases, droughts, are the extreme weather events that pose the greatest risk to critical infrastructure within Tennessee State Parks. Locations that were shown to have critical infrastructure particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events include Shelby, Davidson, Wilson, Dickson, Van Buren, Lawrence, Lake, Franklin, Pickett, Carter, Putnam, Hamilton, Sullivan, and Union counties. The approach described in this article is applicable to other park systems as well as public sector assets in general and can be modified to assess other types of risk.

<p> While urban ecosystems can host surprisingly high levels of biodiversity, there are still many shifts in the characteristics of the biotic communities found in cities. My dissertation explores patterns of plant community assembly in urban residential vacant lots. Firstly, I reviewed the literature to describe how various components of urban ecosystems impact vegetation diversity and composition and presented a novel conceptual model of spatiotemporal variation in plant community composition. Secondly, I described how spatially heterogeneous legacies of human land use within vacant lots structured plant community diversity and composition, relative to spatial and environmental variation. Plant community compositional variation was primarily explained by differences in human land use legacies, compared to local environmental variation (abiotic soil characteristics) and environmental context (lot area, proximity to other vacant lots and tree canopy). Thirdly, I examined how successional processes interacted with spatial variation in land use by constructing a chronosequence of vacant lot properties. I found no evidence of changes in plant community diversity over time but demonstrated significant shifts in functional composition in building footprint sections over time, primarily related to seed dispersal. Finally, I conducted a greenhouse experiment to uncover the interaction between local biotic and abiotic pressures on community structure. I replicated each seed mix across three soil environments (urban soils, soil from an unmanaged suburban lawn/field area, and greenhouse potting mix) and crossed soil and seeded species assemblages with a treatment to remove individuals emerging from the soil seed bank. I found that soil environment had the strongest impact on seeded species establishment. Weeding reduced overall community diversity in vacant lot soils but increased seeded species diversity.Overall, my dissertation results described patterns of community assembly of spontaneous plant communities in vacant lots at a spatial scale appropriate for guiding urban ecological management decisions. </p>

No description available.

<p> Selenium (Se) is a trace element of great ecological importance whose environmental distribution is highly impacted by anthropogenic activity. In the 1980s, selenium was recognized as a major aquatic contaminant following widespread deformities and mortality among waterfowl hatchlings near the agricultural drainage evaporation ponds of the Kesterson Reservoir (CA, USA). Today, 400,000 km² in the Western United States are threatened by agricultural selenium contamination, as are parts of Canada, Egypt, Israel, and Mexico. From the soil aggregate to the watershed, from the soils of the Central Valley to the sediments of the Salton Sea, and from Environmental Science to Policy and Management, in this dissertation I explore agricultural selenium contamination across scales, ecosystems, and disciplines. I begin with a review of the science, policy, and management of irrigation-induced selenium contamination in California, the heart of worldwide research on the issue. I then delve into the physical and biogeochemical mechanisms that control selenium reduction and mobility within the structured surface soils that are the source of contamination, using an aggregate-scale combined experimental and reactive transport modeling approach. Finally, I present a diagenetic model for selenium incorporation into the sediment of the Salton Sea, which has been receiving seleniferous agricultural drainage over the last 100 years. </p><p> To extract lessons from the last 30 years of seleniferous drainage management and water quality regulation in California, I reviewed the history and current developments in science, policy, and management of irrigation-induced selenium contamination in California. Specifically, I evaluated improvements in the design of local attenuation methods and the development of programs for selenium load reductions at the regional scale. On the policy side, I assessed the site-specific water quality criteria under development for the San Francisco Bay-Delta in the context of previous regulation. This approach may be a landmark for future legislation on selenium in natural water bodies and I discussed challenges and opportunities in expanding it to other locations such as the Salton Sea. By combining proven management tools with the novel, site-specific policy approach, it may be possible to avoid future events of irrigation-induced selenium contamination. However, the majority of regional selenium load reductions in California were achieved by decreasing drainage volume rather than selenium concentrations. Thus, there appear to be opportunities for additional improvements through management practices that enhance selenium retention in source soils. </p><p> To quantify the likely implications of these experimental results for soils with different degrees of aggregation, I formulated a general mechanistic framework for aggregate scale heterogeneity in selenium reduction. Specifically, I constructed a dynamic 2D model of selenium fate in single idealized aggregates, in which reactions were implemented with double-Monod rate equations coupled to the transport of pyruvate, O₂, and Se-species (selenate, selenite, and elemental selenium). The spatial and temporal dynamics of the model were validated with the experimental data and predictive simulations were performed covering aggregate sizes between 1 and 2.5 cm diameters. Simulations predict that selenium retention scales with aggregate size. Depending on aeration conditions and the input concentrations of selenate and pyruvate, selenium retention was predicted to be 4-23 times higher in 2.5-cm-aggregates compared to 1-cm-aggregates. Under oxic conditions, aggregate size and pyruvate-concentrations were found to have a positive synergistic effect on selenium retention. Promoting soil aggregation on seleniferous agricultural soils may thus help decrease the impacts of selenium contaminated drainage on downstream aquatic ecosystems receiving it. </p><p> This work presents agricultural selenium contamination as a complex problem that crosses ecosystems, scales, and disciplines. From a management perspective, the tension between dispersed non-point sources and hotspots where elevated selenium concentrations and sensitive aquatic ecosystems converge is difficult to address. Differences in biogeochemical conditions and trophic transfer within food webs render traditional regulatory approaches ineffective and force regulators to engage with the science of site-specific selenium transfer between ecological compartments. At the same time, gaps still exist in our mechanistic understanding of selenium's environmental cycling and in our integration of scientific knowledge across different ecosystems and scales. Centimeter scale heterogeneity in the biogeochemical conditions within source soils may fundamentally control selenium emissions across large agricultural areas and thus determine the selenium loading of rivers, lakes, and estuaries. Within aquatic environments receiving seleniferous drainage, the first few centimeters of surface sediment may control selenium exposure for entire food webs. Improved understanding at this level holds the potential to simultaneously reduce selenium emissions and respond more effectively to pollution where it occurs. In order to preserve sensitive habitat while also meeting agricultural drainage needs in seleniferous regions we must bridge the gaps between ecosystems, scales, and disciplines.</p><p> (Abstract shortened by UMI.)</p>

<p> This dissertation reports on the methods and results of a three-phased investigation to estimate the annual volume of ephemeral-channel-focused groundwater recharge attributable to urbanization (urban-enhanced groundwater recharge) in the Sierra Vista subwatershed of southeastern Arizona, USA. Results were used to assess a prior estimate. </p><p> The first research phase focused on establishment of a study area, installation of a distributed network of runoff gages, gaging for stage, and transforming 2008 stage data into time series of volumetric discharge, using the continuous slope-area method. Stage data were collected for water years 2008 - 2011. </p><p> The second research phase used 2008 distributed runoff data with NWS DOPPLER RADAR data to optimize a rainfall-runoff computational model, with the aim of identifying optimal site-specific distributed hydraulic conductivity values and model-predicted infiltration. </p><p> The third research phase used the period-of-record runoff stage data to identify study-area ephemeral flow characteristics and to estimate channel-bed infiltration of flow events. Design-storm modeling was used to identify study-area predevelopment ephemeral flow characteristics, given the same storm event. The difference between infiltration volumes calculated for the two cases was attributed to urbanization. Estimated evapotranspiration was abstracted and the final result was equated with study-area-scale urban-enhanced groundwater recharge. These results were scaled up to the Sierra Vista subwatershed: the urban-enhanced contribution to groundwater recharge is estimated to range between 3270 and 3635 cubic decameters (between 2650 and 2945 acre-feet) per year for the period of study. Evapotranspirational losses were developed from estimates made elsewhere in the subwatershed. This, and other sources of uncertainty in the estimates, are discussed and quantified if possible.</p>

No description available.

This research attempts to fill in some specific gaps in the area of economic valuation of non-market goods and services with respect to development projects, and the integration of those values in the policy decision-making process. The concept and theory of non-market valuation and project appraisal are examined. In a developing country context, the conventional contingent valuation method is extended to include respondents’ contribution in terms of time, irrespective of their decision to contribute money. This extension of the conventional contingent valuation method allows the inclusion of economic activities that are non-monetized and transactions in the form of ‘barter exchange’, which are typical for developing countries such as Bangladesh. The values generated by this new approach are integrated into an extended cost-benefit analysis, which reveals that the cleanup of dying rivers is not only an environmental imperative, but is also socially and economically justifiable. Apart from the theoretical investigation, another important dimension of this research is to contribute to the policy decision-making process with regard to public sector investment in developing countries. The Buriganga River, which passes through Dhaka City, the capital of Bangladesh, has been selected as the case study for this research. Although considered to be the lifeline of the capital, the city part of the Buriganga River has become biologically and hydrologically dead because of the indiscriminate dumping of domestic and industrial wastes, encroachment by unscrupulous people, and negligence on the part of the authority to enforce rules and regulations pertaining to the ecological health of the river. A cleanup programme has been designed for the Buriganga River to restore its water quality and develop new facilities in and around the river. This hypothetical cleanup programme is used: (i) to estimate the non-market benefits of an environmentally healthy waterway; (ii) to measure the total benefits; and (iii) to examine the desirability of public funding for the cleanup programme. An extended contingent valuation (ECV) survey of 400 households was carried out in Dhaka City in 2001. It reveals that not only are a significant proportion of the respondents willing to contribute direct cash for the environmental improvement of the river, they are also willing to contribute their time. When the contribution in terms of time is monetized, it is estimated to represent about 60 percent of the total contribution (the remaining 40 percent being cash payment). The total non-market benefits from the Buriganga River cleanup programme are estimated at Tk 388 million (US$ 6.80 million) in the first year, rising to Tk 1805 million (US$ 31.66 million) by the 10th year of the programme. The public decision making process in Bangladesh does not consider such benefits. Failures to do so lead to gross under-estimation of the potential for, and contribution of, undertaking environmental improvement activities. The total benefits of the cleanup programme are estimated within the framework of total economic value: the non-market benefits are estimated using the ECV survey inputs, and the market benefits are measured using secondary information, market methods and a benefit transfer approach. The cost estimate of the cleanup programme is made using market and secondary information with appropriate adjustments. The extended cost-benefit analysis (ECBA), which integrates the non-market benefits of the cleanup programme, shows that such public funding is worth undertaking. The study also reveals that a significant portion (68 percent) of this investable funding can be generated from the community. The need for a cleanup programme of the Buriganga River is not an isolated case in Bangladesh. Many rivers in that country, and also throughout the developed and developing world are under threat of becoming biologically and hydrologically dead. This study provides a framework for addressing such environmental problems. It demonstrates that the ECV survey is a useful tool in estimating economic values of resources even in extremely poor economies. The modification of the contingent valuation method takes into account the local context, including cultural, economic, social and political settings. The extended cost-benefit analysis, which integrates better resource values could provide important information for the policy decision-making process. This is particularly useful for countries where the democratic system is not fully developed and there is limited experience in integrating the environment into the decision making.

<p>Strategic and Corporate Social Entrepreneurship (SCSE) is a practice intended to support corporate endowments in developing effective, executable and impactful forms of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which is a movement designed to encourage companies to engage in sustainable development, working toward ensuring social, environmental, and financial benefits for society and the environment. SCSE is grounded in a conceptual framework based on the three pillars of corporate responsibility: (a) social, (b) environmental, and (c) financial. Social Entrepreneurship (SE) literature from the last two decades reveals that a comprehensive theoretical framework for SE does not exist, and that most existing SE concepts fail to consider the important role of change agents. The purpose of this study was to determine best practices in corporate policies for creating, implementing, and measuring CSR. More specifically, this study compared corporate responsibilities and policies based on a review of (a) qualitative data pertaining to CSR located on selected corporations? websites and (b) literature on Corporate Social Responsibility, Strategic and Corporate Social Entrepreneurship, Corporate Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship, and both historical and contemporary leadership. The study also pointed to leadership theories and attributes that may be best suited to implementing CSR best practices. Analysis of this study?s findings provided a detailed comparison of corporate responsibilities and policies for creating, implementing, and measuring CSR for the seven companies included in the study?s purposive sample: Apple, Allergan, Alibaba, BMW, Disney, FedEx, and Google. For these companies, most contemporary, global CSR leaders were (a) global, (b) ethical, and (c) transformational. These leaders acted as transformational change agents and demonstrated four overarching best CSR practices for publicly-traded, global corporations: (a) creating a clear mission, (b) having a global outlook, (c) setting measurable goals, and (d) leading ethically. Most importantly, this study shows that of the seven global corporations included in the study, the three companies demonstrating the most impactful and comprehensive best CSR practices?Apple, BMW, and Disney?employed female CSR leaders. Gender appears to have played a role in successfully leading CSR initiatives, and so it seems highly advantageous for global companies to be selective with CSR leaders.

abstract: Quagga Mussels (Dreissena bugensis) are an invasive species of mollusk that have established themselves within the Colorado River system of Arizona since 2007. However, despite close proximity and frequent travel by recreational boaters between reservoirs, they have not yet infested the Salt River or Verde River systems. Laboratory experimentation was done to test the survival rate of adult D. bugensis specimens in waters collected from Bartlett Lake (Verde River), Saguaro Lake (Salt River), and Salt River Project (SRP) canals (Salt River/Verde River/Colorado River blend) as well as Central Arizona Project (CAP) canals with the addition of turbidity to simulate high runoff storm events. Under each condition, adult survival for a time period of 21 days exceeded 98%, ruling out water chemistry or turbidity as a factor. Spawning was investigated using mussels collected from Lake Pleasant in August 2015. In 4 trials of serotonin dosage between 0.5 – 1.0 mMol, spawning was not successful. Calanoid copepod predation was also investigated by field sampling at Lake Pleasant, Saguaro Lake, and Bartlett Lake during September 2015. Calanoid copepods were identified in Lake Pleasant at a density of 104.22 individuals per cubic meter at a depth of 2 meters and 9.75 individuals per cubic meter at the surface. Calanoid copepods were not found in Bartlett Lake or Saguaro Lake, ruling out copepod predation as a factor. Finally, dissolved oxygen and temperature trends were analyzed in each reservoir. While temperature profiles are similar throughout the year, seasonal drops in dissolved oxygen below survivable concentrations for D. bugensis has been observed in both Saguaro Lake and Bartlett Lake but not Lake Pleasant, representing the most plausible explanation for no observed infestation. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Civil and Environmental Engineering 2015

Measuring the Environmental Performance of industry is an essential element in the movement to minimise the impact that industry has on the environment. There has been a significant increase in interest in this area over the last few years, however it is recognised that the available literature still tends towards the conceptual and theoretical and there is little practical advice for a business wishing to undertake environmental performance measurement. This project has concentrated on the practical development of tools and techniques for measuring environmental performance in a large, complex engineering company, using LucasVarity as an example. The portfolio discusses the general trends and approaches in environmental performance measurement, explains the specific aspects developed in practice and their results. Finally, the general conclusions for industry are discussed.