This thesis develops quantitative indicators of environmental sustainability for Mexico City and its metropolitan zone of influence (MCMZ). These indicators of sustainability were developed by taking into account seven key variables for the urban environment: the water supply situation, air pollution, transportation and roads, energy, solid wastes, the housing supply and green areas. Based on these indicators and the history of the city's physical evolution since it was founded seven centuries ago, a desirable type of urban form is proposed, one in which there is a "decentralized concentration" which would allow Mexico City to approach sustainability in a time frame that concludes in or about the year 2030. Accordingly, the thesis proposes urban policy measures that, while addressing issues of sustainability, permit Mexico City to face the challenges of globalisation, which would entail transforming it into a "global city'' within a worldwide network of great cities. The urban policy and environmental measures that are recommended anticipate the largest economic, demographic and technological changes that will affect Mexico City, but are above all in harmony with the natural ecosystems of the elevated endorheic basin in which it lies. They do no call for a break with or the alteration of the city's natural landscape or its already constructed historical patrimony and, when possible, they presuppose a new sustainable hydraulic model, capable of restoring lakes and recharging the underground aquifer. Finally, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the recuperation of green areas in accordance with the basin's original natural vegetation. / Geography / D.Litt. et Phil. (Geography)

Karst terrains, such as the Lost River Karst Ground-Water Basin, are extremely vulnerable to ground-water contamination. Seven physical factors: depth to water, recharge, aquifer media, soil media, topography, impact of the vadose zone, and hydraulic conductivity, are evaluated using the DRASTIC system to determine the ground-water pollution potential of the study area. A numerical value is calculated for each of the seven factors, and a map layer for each factor is produced. These layers are then “added” together to produce a DRASTIC ground-water pollution potential map. The effectiveness of each factor in evaluating the pollution potential of karst terrain is discussed. It was determined that small scale hydrogeologic features unique to karst areas provide significant influences on contaminant transport that are not addressed by the DRASTIC methodology. Therefore, it is recommended that modifications to the DRASTIC system be made by the users of the DRASTIC system when evaluating the pollution potential of a karst terrain.

A presente pesquisa procura contribuir para a Gestão Ambiental Municipal através dos seguintes objetivos: a investigação dos problemas ambientais em uma cidade de médio porte, São Carlos, e a viabilidade de aplicação do modelo de Sistema de Gestão Ambiental proposto pela ISO 14001, na Prefeitura da mesma cidade. O levantamento dos problemas ambientais munucipais foi feito através do uso de indicadores ambientais, baseados em algumas diretrizes estipuladas pela ISO 14031 - Avaliação do Desempenho Ambiental (ADA). Esta etapa do estudo foi comprometida pela carência de valores de referência, para a maioria dos indicadores urbanos, considerando as particularidades das cidades. Apesar disto foi possível conhecer a dinâmica e alguns problemas ambientais municipais. Já a viabilidade de aplicação da ISO 14001 na Prefeitura, foi estudada através da aplicação de questionário em diversas Secretarias Municipais, abordando procedimentos comuns em um Sistema de Gestão Geral e um Sistema de Gestão Ambiental. Foi constatado que apesar da existência de alguns procedimentos bem desenvolvidos na Prefeitura de São Carlos, a maioria não está completamente implantada. / The goal of this work was to contribute to Municipal Environmental Management assessing the following aspects: the investigation of the environmental problems of a medium sized city, São Carlos, and determining if an environmental management system based on ISO 14001 could be applied to the Prefecture of this city. The investigation of the environmental problems was carried out using environmental indicators, based on guidelines stated in the ISO 14031 - Environmental Performance Evaluation (EPE). This stage was compromised by a lack of reference values, for most urban indicators, considering cities\' particularities. But this stage allowed us to know the process of some environmental problems. The application of ISO 14001 at São Carlos Prefecture was assessed using a questionnaire addressing common procedures of both the General Management System and the Environmental Management System. Although the existance of some well implemented procedures in São Carlos Prefecture was detected, the majority of then was not fully implemented.

É conveniente que as políticas ambientais municipais contem não apenas com os instrumentos previstos na legislação federal, mas também com instrumentos urbanístico-ambientais a serem inseridos na legislação de parcelamento, uso e ocupação do solo. Assim, objetivou-se neste trabalho desenvolver um tal instrumento. Para tanto, estabeleceu-se: a) requisitos do instrumento: simplicidade, flexibilidade e embasamento teórico; b) objetivos ambientais considerados: promoção da qualidade ecossistêmica, melhoria do microclima e promoção do controle de drenagem na fonte; c) desenvolvimento de métricas: para os dois primeiros objetivos ambientais, demonstrou-se teoricamente ser satisfatório como indicador único uma simplificação do conceito de ecoexergia devido a Jørgensen e, para o último objetivo ambiental, o pico da vazão de saída do lote; d) estabelecimento de padrões: para os dois primeiros objetivos, definição de valores mínimos da ecoexergia simplificada para lotes em diferentes locais e com diferentes usos e taxas de ocupação, enquanto para o último objetivo, impacto zero. Coincidentemente, enquanto esse instrumento era desenvolvido a Prefeitura do Município de São Paulo (Brasil) procedia a uma revisão da lei de parcelamento, uso e ocupação do solo, tendo sido aceito que o instrumento teórico acima servisse como base para o desenvolvimento de um novo instrumento denominado Quota Ambiental (QA). A transformação do instrumento teórico acima na Quota Ambiental, que terminou por ser inserida no projeto de lei encaminhado à Câmara Municipal e depois aprovado por ela, foi objeto de um estudo sui generis, visto que o autor participou ativamente do desenvolvimento da QA como servidor público. Tal demandaria um método a meio caminho entre o estudo de caso e a observação participante, tendo-se optado por um método análogo ao fenomenológico. Para o desenvolvimento da QA foi formado um pequeno grupo de trabalho do qual o autor participou. O instrumento teórico recebeu diversas modificações não só para conformação a diretrizes e decisões políticas, como para amadurecimento de conceitos e cálculos, mostrando-se viável como base para o desenvolvimento da QA. Diversos grupos de interesse influenciaram o desenvolvimento da QA em diferentes fases e em diferentes níveis, chegando a ocorrer de eles se manifestarem diretamente junto ao grupo de trabalho. A Superior Administração prestigiou o processo, mas mostrou-se às vezes dividida em relação ao conflito entre aspectos ambientais e sociais. O grupo teve sucesso em potencializar os ganhos decorrentes da complementaridade de expertises decorrentes da heterogeneidade em termos de formação e experiência dos membros do grupo. Ele procurou harmonizar as diferentes pressões, muitas vezes até se antecipando a elas. Para tanto, o grupo de trabalho desenvolveu uma dinâmica para chegar a consensos internos e para prever, internalizar e posicionar-se frente a pressões, frequentemente conflitantes. As pressões mais severas provieram da própria burocracia municipal. Em todos esses processos a simplicidade, como requisito, foi perdendo-se. A Quota Ambiental mostrou-se um instrumento inovador, aparentando dar satisfação aos reclamos de diversos grupos de interesse e, principalmente, representando uma cunha ambiental inserida na legislação de parcelamento, uso e ocupação do solo. / It is appropriate that municipal environmental policies incorporate not only the instruments provided for in federal legislation, but also the urban-environmental instruments to be inserted in the urban legislation. Thus, it was aimed in this work to develop such an instrument. To do so, it was established the following: a) requirements of the instrument: simplicity, flexibility and theoretical background; b) environmental objectives considered: promotion of ecosystem quality, improvement of microclimate and promotion of drainage control at source; c) development of metrics: a simplification of the concept of eco-exergy due to Jørgensen has been theoretically proven to be satisfactory as a single indicator of the first two environmental objectives; for the last environmental objective, the lot peak output flow; d) establishment of legal standards: for the first two objectives, definition of minimum values of simplified eco-exergy for lots in different locations and with different uses and occupation rates, whereas for the last objective, zero impact. Coincidentally, while this instrument was being developed, the City of São Paulo (Brazil) proceeded to a review of the zoning law, thus being accepted that the above theoretical instrument should serve as the basis for the development of a new instrument called Environmental Quota (Quota Ambiental, QA, in Portuguese). The transformation of the above theoretical instrument into the QA, which ended up being inserted in the bill forwarded to the City Council and later approved by it, was the subject of a sui generis study, as the author participated actively in the development of QA as a public servant. This would require a method halfway between the case study and the participant observation. A method analogous to the phenomenological one was chosen. A small working group in which the author participated was formed for the development of QA. The theoretical instrument received several modifications not only to conform to political guidelines and decisions, but to maturation of concepts and calculations as well, proving feasible as a basis for the development of QA. Several special interest groups influenced the development of QA in different phases and at different levels; it even occurred to interest groups to directly sue the working group. The High Administration supported the process, but it became sometimes divided in relation to the conflict between environmental and social aspects. The group succeeded in enhancing the gains derived from the complementarity of skills resulting from the heterogeneity in terms of training and experience of the working group members. It sought to harmonize the different pressures, often even foreseeing them. To this end, the working group has developed a dynamic to reach internal consensus and to anticipate, internalize and position itself in the face of frequently conflicting pressures. The most severe pressures came from the municipal bureaucracy itself. In all these processes simplicity, as a requirement, was lost. The Environmental Quota proved to be an innovative instrument, appearing to satisfy the demands of various interest groups and, mainly, representing an environmental wedge inserted in the zoning law.

Indicadores são ferramentas capazes de simplificar informações sobre fenômenos complexos e melhorar, com isso, o processo de comunicação. Também permitem o resumo de grande quantidade de informações relacionadas a um aspecto, auxiliando no diagnóstico e prognóstico ambiental. Alguns cuidados devem ser tomados na seleção e construção dos indicadores para que as medidas utilizadas sejam adequadas, pois influenciam a tomada de decisão. Indicadores inconsistentes fornecem informações imprecisas e enganosas sobre o que está sendo medido. Um dos propósitos desta ferramenta é auxiliar na implementação de mecanismos de proteção, recuperação e uso racional de recursos hídricos. As bacias hidrográficas têm sido usadas como uma das principais unidades de planejamento e gestão integrada por permitirem a visualização da dinâmica dos vários elementos dos meios físico e agentes naturais atrelados à ação humana. Além disso, são áreas expostas a impactos ambientais provenientes da urbanização, exploração intensa de recursos, uso e ocupação inadequados e emissão de efluentes nos cursos d\'água. Por esses motivos, o presente estudo visou abordar o uso de indicadores ambientais para o diagnóstico do potencial de degradação por erosão nas bacias hidrográficas do município de São Carlos – SP como suporte à gestão dos recursos hídricos municipais, possibilitando o melhor aproveitamento destas áreas com menor impacto ambiental possível. O modelo Pressão-Estado-Resposta (PER) foi escolhido para orientar a coleta, organizar as informações e ajudar na interpretação e comunicação dos resultados por ser um dos mais utilizado para divulgar estatísticas e indicadores ambientais. A análise de Agrupamentos e a Matriz de Vulnerabilidade foram os métodos empregados para integrar os indicadores e disponibilizar as informações às partes interessadas como suporte à tomada de decisão. Utilizou-se o Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG) ArcGIS® como ferramenta computacional básica para ponderar e agregar os indicadores por meio dos métodos escolhidos e, posteriormente, gerar os mapas analíticos. A partir da análise de agrupamentos as bacias foram divididas em cinco grupos de acordo com a semelhança entre elas, evidenciando a diversidade de cenários relacionados à erosão no município de São Carlos. Já a matriz de vulnerabilidade categorizou as bacias em cinco classes de potencial de degradação por erosão que apontou o menor potencial nas bacias das Gabirobas e Mogi-Guaçu e o maior na bacia do Monjolinho. A diferença entre estes métodos consiste no modo de sintetizar a informação, porém, ambos convergem para auxiliar na elaboração de estratégias de gestão. / Indicators are tools that simplify information about complex phenomena and improve, therefore, the process of communication. They also allow to summary a lot of information related to one aspect, assisting in the environmental diagnosis and prognosis. Care should be taken in the selection and construction of indicators, as they influence the decisionmaking and therefore it is important that the measures used are appropriate. Inconsistent indicators provide inaccurate and misleading information about what is measured. A purpose of this tool is to assist in the implementation of water resources protection mechanisms, recovery and rational use. Watersheds are been used as major planning and integrated management units for allowing the visualization of the dynamics of the various physical elements and natural agents wattled to human action. In addition, these areas are exposed to environmental impacts from urbanization and intensive resource exploitation, inadequate use and occupation and effluents emissions into waterways. For these reasons, this study aimed to address the use of environmental indicators to diagnosis the erosion\'s degradation potencial in São Carlos\' (SP) river basins to support the local water resources management, enabling better use of these areas with less possible environmental impact. The Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model was chosen to guide the information collection and organization and help in the interpretation and communication of the results because it is one of the most used metodology to disseminate statistics and environmental indicators. The Cluster Analysis and Vulnerability Matrix were the methods employed to integrate the indicators and provide information for stakeholders to support decision making. The Geographic Information System (GIS) ArcGIS® was used as computational tool to weight and aggregate indicators through the chosen methods and subsequently generate analytical maps. From the cluster analysis the basins were divided into five groups according to the similarity between them, showing the diversity of scenarios related to erosion in São Carlos. The vulnerability matrix categorized the basins in five erosion degradation potencial classes that pointed out the basins of Gabirobas and Mogi-Guaçu as less potential and Monjolinho as higher. The difference between these two methods is the way to synthesize information, but both converge to assist in decision making and management strategies development.

Com o objetivo de identificar e discutir as inter-relações que aproximam os problemas de restrição de capacidades e liberdades humanas da questão da vulnerabilidade socioambiental, esta pesquisa buscou analisar indicadores de desenvolvimento, previamente selecionados, que refletissem as desigualdades sociais, econômicas e ambientais relativas aos noventa e seis distritos do município de São Paulo. Para discorrer sobre a questão das capacidades e liberdades humanas, a pesquisa bibliográfica levou em conta principalmente, os trabalhos do economista indiano Amartya Sen, em especial seus escritos sobre a abordagem das capacidades na teoria da justiça e do desenvolvimento como liberdade. O estudo de caso utilizou indicadores secundários separados em duas grandes dimensões: vulnerabilidade que corresponde aos indicadores de: condição de... e desenvolvimento que corresponde aos indicadores de: acesso a.... As categorias segundo as quais os indicadores foram classificados são: demografia, habitação, violência, condições de saúde e assistência social, educação, renda e susceptibilidade ao risco ambiental, na dimensão vulnerabilidade; e transportes, infraestrutura em saúde e assistência social, cultura e lazer, infraestrutura em educação, emprego, abastecimento e saneamento, e áreas verdes na dimensão desenvolvimento. Através do agrupamento dos indicadores e transformação das variáveis pela média, obtiveram-se valores de índices tanto para vulnerabilidade, quanto para desenvolvimento. Por meio da utilização de mapas e tabelas, o estudo mostra de que forma a vulnerabilidade e o desenvolvimento estão dispostos no território paulistano. O resultado da pesquisa quantitativa mostrou que cerca de 50% dos distritos paulistanos apresentaram índices de alta vulnerabilidade ou vulnerabilidade extrema, a grande maioria em áreas periféricas. Ao mesmo tempo, apenas dez distritos dos noventa e seis, apresentaram resultados bons de desenvolvimento, sete dos quais inseridos na porção sudoeste do município de São Paulo, área nobre e extremamente valorizada da cidade. Este resultado da análise mostrou que a capital paulista é extremamente desigual dos pontos de vista social, ambiental e econômico, e que os problemas associados à vulnerabilidade se expressam no próprio território do município, de forma que as periferias são o reflexo de espaços altamente segregados, com graves problemas sociais, riscos ambientais iminentes e ainda, baixos níveis de desenvolvimento devido, em especial, à insuficiente atuação do Estado como promotor de políticas públicas. A constatação da vulnerabilidade deveu-se, entre outros fatores, à precariedade de acesso a serviços como transporte, saúde e educação, incluindo demais equipamentos, sobretudo públicos, de acesso ao saneamento básico, lazer e cultura. Além disso, há baixa oferta de empregos locais com boa remuneração e níveis consideráveis de violência e pobreza características que limitam o empoderamento dos grupos sociais residentes, sobretudo dos mais vulneráveis como as mulheres, os jovens, os negros e os idosos. A todo este conjunto de características, atribui-se a responsabilidade pela restrição das capacidades e liberdades elementares dos indivíduos. Dessa forma verificou-se que as desigualdades de vulnerabilidade e desenvolvimento existentes representam as diferenças de capacidades e liberdades entre as populações, e que o enfrentamento desses problemas deve considerar princípios de justiça que levem em conta a construção das capacidades das populações mais desfavorecidas a fim de se promover justiça social e igualdade de oportunidades. / With the objective to identify and discuss the interrelations that approximate the problems of human capabilities e freedoms restriction of issue social and environmental vulnerability, this study examined indicators, previously selected, that reflect the social, economic and environmental inequalities relative to ninety-six districts of the city of São Paulo. To discuss the issue about human capabilities and freedoms, the bibliographic research took into account, mainly, the works of the Indian economist Amartya Sen, in particular his writings about the capability approach, in the theory of justice, and the development as freedom. The case study used secondary indicators separated into two major dimensions: vulnerability, that corresponds to the indicators of \"condition of...\", and development that refers to the indicators of \"access to...\". The categories under which the indicators were classified are: demographics, housing, violence, health and social care, education, income and susceptibility to environmental risk, in the vulnerability dimension; and transport, health and social care infrastructure, culture and recreation, education infrastructure, employment, water and sanitation, and green areas in the development dimension. With the transformation of variables and the grouping of indicators, were obtained values for both indexes: vulnerability and development. Through the use of maps and tables, the study showed how the vulnerability and development are arranged in the São Paulo city. The result of the quantitative survey showed that nearly fifty percent of São Paulo districts have high levels of vulnerability or extreme vulnerability, the large majority in outskirts. At the same time, only ten of the ninety-six districts showed good results of development, seven of which inserted in the southwest portion of city the prime area and extremely rich. This showed that São Paulo is extremely unequal in the points of views social, environmental and economic, and that the problems associated with vulnerability are expressed in the territory, such that the outskirts are the reflection of highly segregated spaces, with serious social problems, imminent environmental risks, and yet, low levels of development, due to, in particular, the inadequate performance of the State as promoter of public polices. The verification of vulnerability is due, among other factors, to the limited access to public services as transport, health and education, including other equipment for access to basic sanitation, recreation and culture. In addition, there is low offer of local jobs with a good salary, and considerable levels of violence and poverty features that limited the empowerment of specific social groups, especially the most vulnerable like as women, younger, blacks and elderly. The whole this package of characteristics is attributed the responsibility for restricting the capabilities and freedoms of the individuals. Therefore, it was found that the inequalities of vulnerabilities and developing represent the difference of capabilities and freedoms between the populations and that for facing these issues, is necessary consider the principles of justice concerning the capacities construction of vulnerable groups, in order to promote social justice and equal opportunities.

É conveniente que as políticas ambientais municipais contem não apenas com os instrumentos previstos na legislação federal, mas também com instrumentos urbanístico-ambientais a serem inseridos na legislação de parcelamento, uso e ocupação do solo. Assim, objetivou-se neste trabalho desenvolver um tal instrumento. Para tanto, estabeleceu-se: a) requisitos do instrumento: simplicidade, flexibilidade e embasamento teórico; b) objetivos ambientais considerados: promoção da qualidade ecossistêmica, melhoria do microclima e promoção do controle de drenagem na fonte; c) desenvolvimento de métricas: para os dois primeiros objetivos ambientais, demonstrou-se teoricamente ser satisfatório como indicador único uma simplificação do conceito de ecoexergia devido a Jørgensen e, para o último objetivo ambiental, o pico da vazão de saída do lote; d) estabelecimento de padrões: para os dois primeiros objetivos, definição de valores mínimos da ecoexergia simplificada para lotes em diferentes locais e com diferentes usos e taxas de ocupação, enquanto para o último objetivo, impacto zero. Coincidentemente, enquanto esse instrumento era desenvolvido a Prefeitura do Município de São Paulo (Brasil) procedia a uma revisão da lei de parcelamento, uso e ocupação do solo, tendo sido aceito que o instrumento teórico acima servisse como base para o desenvolvimento de um novo instrumento denominado Quota Ambiental (QA). A transformação do instrumento teórico acima na Quota Ambiental, que terminou por ser inserida no projeto de lei encaminhado à Câmara Municipal e depois aprovado por ela, foi objeto de um estudo sui generis, visto que o autor participou ativamente do desenvolvimento da QA como servidor público. Tal demandaria um método a meio caminho entre o estudo de caso e a observação participante, tendo-se optado por um método análogo ao fenomenológico. Para o desenvolvimento da QA foi formado um pequeno grupo de trabalho do qual o autor participou. O instrumento teórico recebeu diversas modificações não só para conformação a diretrizes e decisões políticas, como para amadurecimento de conceitos e cálculos, mostrando-se viável como base para o desenvolvimento da QA. Diversos grupos de interesse influenciaram o desenvolvimento da QA em diferentes fases e em diferentes níveis, chegando a ocorrer de eles se manifestarem diretamente junto ao grupo de trabalho. A Superior Administração prestigiou o processo, mas mostrou-se às vezes dividida em relação ao conflito entre aspectos ambientais e sociais. O grupo teve sucesso em potencializar os ganhos decorrentes da complementaridade de expertises decorrentes da heterogeneidade em termos de formação e experiência dos membros do grupo. Ele procurou harmonizar as diferentes pressões, muitas vezes até se antecipando a elas. Para tanto, o grupo de trabalho desenvolveu uma dinâmica para chegar a consensos internos e para prever, internalizar e posicionar-se frente a pressões, frequentemente conflitantes. As pressões mais severas provieram da própria burocracia municipal. Em todos esses processos a simplicidade, como requisito, foi perdendo-se. A Quota Ambiental mostrou-se um instrumento inovador, aparentando dar satisfação aos reclamos de diversos grupos de interesse e, principalmente, representando uma cunha ambiental inserida na legislação de parcelamento, uso e ocupação do solo. / It is appropriate that municipal environmental policies incorporate not only the instruments provided for in federal legislation, but also the urban-environmental instruments to be inserted in the urban legislation. Thus, it was aimed in this work to develop such an instrument. To do so, it was established the following: a) requirements of the instrument: simplicity, flexibility and theoretical background; b) environmental objectives considered: promotion of ecosystem quality, improvement of microclimate and promotion of drainage control at source; c) development of metrics: a simplification of the concept of eco-exergy due to Jørgensen has been theoretically proven to be satisfactory as a single indicator of the first two environmental objectives; for the last environmental objective, the lot peak output flow; d) establishment of legal standards: for the first two objectives, definition of minimum values of simplified eco-exergy for lots in different locations and with different uses and occupation rates, whereas for the last objective, zero impact. Coincidentally, while this instrument was being developed, the City of São Paulo (Brazil) proceeded to a review of the zoning law, thus being accepted that the above theoretical instrument should serve as the basis for the development of a new instrument called Environmental Quota (Quota Ambiental, QA, in Portuguese). The transformation of the above theoretical instrument into the QA, which ended up being inserted in the bill forwarded to the City Council and later approved by it, was the subject of a sui generis study, as the author participated actively in the development of QA as a public servant. This would require a method halfway between the case study and the participant observation. A method analogous to the phenomenological one was chosen. A small working group in which the author participated was formed for the development of QA. The theoretical instrument received several modifications not only to conform to political guidelines and decisions, but to maturation of concepts and calculations as well, proving feasible as a basis for the development of QA. Several special interest groups influenced the development of QA in different phases and at different levels; it even occurred to interest groups to directly sue the working group. The High Administration supported the process, but it became sometimes divided in relation to the conflict between environmental and social aspects. The group succeeded in enhancing the gains derived from the complementarity of skills resulting from the heterogeneity in terms of training and experience of the working group members. It sought to harmonize the different pressures, often even foreseeing them. To this end, the working group has developed a dynamic to reach internal consensus and to anticipate, internalize and position itself in the face of frequently conflicting pressures. The most severe pressures came from the municipal bureaucracy itself. In all these processes simplicity, as a requirement, was lost. The Environmental Quota proved to be an innovative instrument, appearing to satisfy the demands of various interest groups and, mainly, representing an environmental wedge inserted in the zoning law.

The impacts of mining are easily observable in the way they alter the terrain of landscapes, displace animals, and increase waste accumulation in an area. An unobservable impact and one that lasts a long time is by radioactive exposure in the environment. Specifically, this is a risk at uranium (U) mine sites which are expanding in number to accommodate the world’s growing energy needs, and even to accommodate weapons manufacturing. This paper analyses the impacts of an abandoned uranium mine on the local environment through measurements of Uranium concentration in soil, plants, and rocks. Transect sampling was used to collect 22 soil samples and 17 plant samples between 5 and 100m of the mine shaft. Uranium concentrations in soil and plant samples, digested with nitric acid, were measured with an Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES), and an X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD) analysis was used to find the mineral contents of the rock samples. Satellite positions were associated with each sample, which allowed an effective spatial analysis of the Uranium concentration values. U values in soil ranged from 0 to 5.291ppm, with mean concentrations of 0.710 ppm, and U values in plants ranged from 0.0323 to 0.1121ppm with mean concentrations of 0.0558 ppm. A paired t-test determined that there was no spatial autocorrelation in U concentrations of plants and adjacent soils. The highest U concentration was found closest to the mine, peaking at ~7.3 meters from the mine, and low spatial variability occurs in U concentrations at greater than 10 meters from the mine. In comparison with other mines internationally, U concentrations at this study site were low, which may be indicative of a small operating mine, efficient clean-up, and transport mechanisms of U in desert environments.

This research was designed to provide an understanding of physical wind mechanisms within the complex terrain of the Great Valley of Eastern Tennessee to assess the impacts of regional air flow with regard to synoptic and mesoscale weather changes, wind direction shifts, and air quality. Meteorological data from 2008–2009 were analyzed from 13 meteorological sites along with associated upper level data. Up to 15 ancillary sites were used for reference. Two-step complete linkage and K-means cluster analyses, synoptic weather studies, and ambient meteorological comparisons were performed to generate hourly wind classifications. These wind regimes revealed seasonal variations of underlying physical wind mechanisms (forced channeled, vertically coupled, pressure-driven, and thermally-driven winds). Synoptic and ambient meteorological analysis (mixing depth, pressure gradient, pressure gradient ratio, atmospheric and surface stability) suggested up to 93% accuracy for the clustered results. Probabilistic prediction schemes of wind flow and wind class change were developed through characterization of flow change data and wind class succession. Data analysis revealed that wind flow in the Great Valley was dominated by forced channeled winds (45–67%) and vertically coupled flow (22–38%). Down-valley pressure-driven and thermally-driven winds also played significant roles (0–17% and 2–20%, respectively), usually accompanied by convergent wind patterns (15–20%) and large wind direction shifts, especially in the Central/Upper Great Valley. The behavior of most wind regimes was associated with detectable pressure differences between the Lower and Upper Great Valley. Mixing depth and synoptic pressure gradients were significant contributors to wind pattern behavior. Up to 15 wind classes and 10 sub-classes were identified in the Central Great Valley with 67 joined classes for the Great Valley at-large. Two-thirds of Great Valley at-large flow was defined by 12 classes. Winds flowed on-axis only 40% of the time. The Great Smoky Mountains helped create down-valley pressure-driven winds, downslope mountain breezes, and divergent air flow. The Cumberland Mountains and Plateau were associated with wind speed reductions in the Central Great Valley, Emory Gap Flow, weak thermally-driven winds, and northwesterly down sloping. Ridge-and-valley terrain enhanced wind direction reversals, pressure-driven winds, as well as locally and regionally produced thermally-driven flow.

The issue of sediment removal from the San Gabriel Mountains has been a complex issue that has created problems with beach replenishment, habitat destruction and the need to spend millions of dollars at regular intervals to avoid safety hazards. Most recently 11 acres of riparian habitat, including 179 oaks and 70 sycamores, were removed for sediment placement. Other sites including Hahamongna Watershed Park and La Tuna Canyon also face a similar fate. This thesis questions: How did we get to this point of destroying habitat to dump sediment which is viewed as waste product? What are the barriers for creating long term solutions and progressive change? What are some other options? And how should we move forward? The issues with sediment management have stemmed from regulatory compliance issues, adversarial relationships within agencies and among NGO's and the public, and the lack of a comprehensive long-term plan to prevent further habitat loss and other sediment removal issues. A recommendation includes looking at a community forestry model to include a wide cross-section of the community, NGO's and government agencies to come up with a long term comprehensive and progressive solution.