abstract: I investigate the Black Canyon City landslide (BCC landslide), a prominent deep-seated landslide located northeast of Black Canyon City, Arizona. Although the landslide does not appear to pose a significant hazard to structures, its prominent features and high topographic relief make it an excellent site to study the geologic setting under which such features develop. This study has the potential to contribute toward understanding the landscape evolution in similar geologic and topographic settings, and for characterizing the underlying structural processes of this deep-seated feature. We use field and remotely-based surface geology and geomorphological mapping to characterize the landslide geometry and its surface displacement. We use the Structure from Motion (SfM) method to generate a 0.2 m resolution digital elevation model and rectified ortho-photo imagery from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) - and balloon-based images and used them as the base map for our mapping. The ~0.6 km2 landslide is easily identified through remotely-sensed imagery and in the field because of the prominent east-west trending fractures defining its upper extensional portion. The landslide displaces a series of Early and Middle Miocene volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The main head scarp is ~600 m long and oriented E-W with some NW-SE oriented minor scarps. Numerous fractures varying from millimeters to meters in opening were identified throughout the landslide body (mostly with longitudinal orientation). The occurrence of a distinctive layer of dark reddish basalt presents a key displaced marker to estimate the long-term deformation of the slide mass. Using this marker, the total vertical displacement is estimated to be ~70 m, with maximum movement of ~95 m to the SE. This study indicates that the landslide motion is translational with a slight rotational character. We estimate the rate of the slide motion by resurvey of monuments on and off the slide, and examination of disturbed vegetation located along the fractures. The analysis indicates a slow integrated average landslide velocity of 10-60 mm/yr. The slide motion is probably driven during annual wet periods when increased saturation of the slide mass weakens the basal slip surface and the overall mass of the slide is increased. Results from our study suggest that the slide is stable and does not pose significant hazard for the surrounding area given no extreme changes in the environmental condition. Although the landslide is categorized as very slow (according to Cruden and Varnes, 1996), monitoring the landslide is still necessary. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Geological Sciences 2016

abstract: Trees serve as a natural umbrella to mitigate insolation absorbed by features of the urban environment, especially building structures and pavements. For a desert community, trees are a particularly valuable asset because they contribute to energy conservation efforts, improve home values, allow for cost savings, and promote enhanced health and well-being. The main obstacle in creating a sustainable urban community in a desert city with trees is the scarceness and cost of irrigation water. Thus, strategically located and arranged desert trees with the fewest tree numbers possible potentially translate into significant energy, water and long-term cost savings as well as conservation, economic, and health benefits. The objective of this dissertation is to achieve this research goal with integrated methods from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. This dissertation includes three main parts. The first part proposes a spatial optimization method to optimize the tree locations with the objective to maximize shade coverage on building facades and open structures and minimize shade coverage on building rooftops in a 3-dimensional environment. Second, an outdoor urban physical scale model with field measurement is presented to understand the cooling and locational benefits of tree shade. The third part implements a microclimate numerical simulation model to analyze how the specific tree locations and arrangements influence outdoor microclimates and improve human thermal comfort. These three parts of the dissertation attempt to fill the research gap of how to strategically locate trees at the building to neighborhood scale, and quantifying the impact of such arrangements. Results highlight the significance of arranging residential shade trees across different geographical scales. In both the building and neighborhood scales, research results recommend that trees should be arranged in the central part of the building south front yard. More cooling benefits are provided to the building structures and outdoor microclimates with a cluster tree arrangement without canopy overlap; however, if residents are interested in creating a better outdoor thermal environment, open space between trees is needed to enhance the wind environment for better human thermal comfort. Considering the rapid urbanization process, limited water resources supply, and the severe heat stress in the urban areas, judicious design and planning of trees is of increasing importance for improving the life quality and sustaining the urban environment. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Geography 2017

abstract: This work investigates the effects of non-random sampling on our understanding of species distributions and their niches. In its most general form, bias is systematic error that can obscure interpretation of analytical results by skewing samples away from the average condition of the system they represent. Here I use species distribution modelling (SDM), virtual species, and multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) to explore how sampling bias can alter our perception of broad patterns of biodiversity by distorting spatial predictions of habitat, a key characteristic in biogeographic studies. I use three separate case studies to explore: 1) How methods to account for sampling bias in species distribution modeling may alter estimates of species distributions and species-environment relationships, 2) How accounting for sampling bias in fossil data may change our understanding of paleo-distributions and interpretation of niche stability through time (i.e. niche conservation), and 3) How a novel use of MGWR can account for environmental sampling bias to reveal landscape patterns of local niche differences among proximal, but non-overlapping sister taxa. Broadly, my work shows that sampling bias present in commonly used federated global biodiversity observations is more than enough to degrade model performance of spatial predictions and niche characteristics. Measures commonly used to account for this bias can negate much loss, but only in certain conditions, and did not improve the ability to correctly identify explanatory variables or recreate species-environment relationships. Paleo-distributions calibrated on biased fossil records were improved with the use of a novel method to directly estimate the biased sampling distribution, which can be generalized to finer time slices for further paleontological studies. Finally, I show how a novel coupling of SDM and MGWR can illuminate local differences in niche separation that more closely match landscape genotypic variability in the two North American desert tortoise species than does their current taxonomic delineation. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Geography 2018

abstract: Despite the arid climate of Maricopa County, Arizona, vector-borne diseases have presented significant health challenges to the residents and public health professionals of Maricopa County in the past, and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Currently, West Nile virus is the only mosquitoes-transmitted disease actively, and natively, transmitted throughout the state of Arizona. In an effort to gain a more complete understanding of the transmission dynamics of West Nile virus this thesis examines human, vector, and environment interactions as they exist within Maricopa County. Through ethnographic and geographic information systems research methods this thesis identifies 1) the individual factors that influence residents' knowledge and behaviors regarding mosquitoes, 2) the individual and regional factors that influence residents' knowledge of mosquito ecology and the spatial distribution of local mosquito populations, and 3) the environmental, demographic, and socioeconomic factors that influence mosquito abundance within Maricopa County. By identifying the factors that influence human-vector and vector-environment interactions, the results of this thesis may influence current and future educational and mosquito control efforts throughout Maricopa County. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Sustainability 2013

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