A lack of surveillance systems is an impediment to public health intervention for perennial vector-borne disease transmission in northern tropical savanna region of Kenya. The population in this area are mostly poor nomadic pastoralists with little acquired functional immunity to Plasmodium falciparum, due to infrequent challenges with the parasite. A common characteristic in tropical savanna climatic zone is the availability of riverbeds that have anthropogenic boreholes that provide malaria vector mosquitoes, such as Anopheles gambiae s.l and Anopheles funestus, with aquatic refuge habitats for proliferation and endemic transmission to proximity human households during the dry-season. Unfortunately, currently there have been no entomological investigations employing field or remotely sensed data that can characterize and model anthropogenic borehole habitats focusing on the dry-land ecology of immature Anopheles mosquitoes in sub-Sahara Africa. The goal of this investigation was three-fold: (I) to employ WorldView-3 (0.31 meter spatial resolution) visible and near infra-red waveband sensor data to image sub-Saharan land cover associated with vector-borne disease transmission; (II) to remotely identify anthropogenic boreholes in three riverbeds that were surveyed to determine whether they provide malaria vectors with refuge habitat and maintain their population during the dry season in Chemolingot, Kenya, and (III) to obtain a radiometric/spectral signature model representing boreholes from the remotely-sensed data. The signature model was then interpolated to predict unknown locations of boreholes with the same spectral signature in Nginyang Riverbed, Kenya. Ground validation studies were subsequently conducted to assess model’s precision based on sensitivity and specificity tests.

The Green Swamp Preserve is a large geographic area that has sustained many changes since Europeans settled in Florida. There has been little published research on the impacts of anthropogenic activity on this system. This thesis research seeks to document more recent changes in the Green Swamp and to evaluate the effects of various human activities on the system. The study period is from 1985 to 2015. For this time period changes in land use and landcover were examined using neural network classifications. Changes in vegetation health were evaluated by examining Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Green Vegetation Index differences. Field site visits were made to document current conditions at thirty sample locations within the study area. Changes in land use and landcover and vegetation health were evaluated in relation to anthropogenic activities such as proximity to pollution sources, conservation lands and restoration sites. Statistical analysis was conducted to determine if statistically significant clustering occurred in these changes and if present geographically weighted regressions were performed to determine if a significant spatial relationship existed between the clustering and the various human activities. WAP data showed an overall decline in wetland health at the assessment sites and showed a trend of lower wetland health at sites within 2 Km of pollution sources, specifically petroleum tank contamination sites and state roads. The statistically significant clustering identified in land use landcover changes from 1985 to 2015 were in relation to changes from field, forested and wetland landcover types to built environments. Spatial relationships were identified between the proximity of petroleum tank contamination sites, state roads and solid waste facilities and clustering of NDVI decreases from 1985 to 2015. NDVI increases in the study area from 1985 to 2015 also showed statistically significant clustering in relation to conservation lands and lands purchased by the Southwest Florida Water Management District for environmental protection. These preliminary findings suggest that human activities may have influenced changes in the health of the Green Swamp. Further, more extensive research is suggested to confirm these findings.

Because Ga shares many physicochemical properties with Al and Fe, Ga may be able to incorporate into Al and Fe oxy-hydroxides. Understanding how Ga incorporates into these oxy-hydroxides may be crucial for finding Ga-rich bauxite deposits. In order to find the difference in Ga inclusion rates into oxy-hydroxides, as well as understand the mechanisms for this Ga inclusion, Al and Fe oxy-hydroxides were synthesized in the lab with Ga additions of 2 mol % Ga and 20 mol % Ga for a low-Ga and high-Ga treatment, respectively, along with a no added Ga control. X-Ray diffraction analyses confirmed the formation of bayerite (α-Al(OH)3) and goethite (FeOOH) after 100 days (goethite long synthesis [LS]). A second batch of goethite was synthesized in the lab and aged for 60 hours (goethite short synthesis [SS]). Results showed the highest Ga inclusion rates in goethite LS minerals at 0.89 mol % / mol % Ga, then 0.17 mol % / mol % Ga in goethite SS, and 0.50 mol % / mol % Ga in bayerite. Scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe analyses determined co-precipitation of Ga was the dominant Ga incorporation mechanism in bayerite over isomorphic substitution, where needle-like mineral assemblages began to form in the high-Ga treatments. Isomorphic substitution vii was dominant in both goethite batches. Additionally, Ga mol % in the high-Ga goethite LS and goethite SS minerals revealed a temporal aspect to Ga inclusion in goethite. Goethite LS high-Ga treatment minerals had Ga mol % of 16.8 ± 0.23 % compared to 3.34 ± 0.03 % for high-Ga treatment goethite SS minerals. This study highlights an advance in knowledge of Ga incorporation mechanisms into Al and Fe oxy-hydroxides and provides a basis for future studies to expand on these efforts.

The goal of this study is the recovery of functions and finite parametric distributions from their spherical means over spheres and designing a general formula or algorithm for the reconstruction of a function f via its spherical mean transform. The theoretical study is and supported with a numerical implementation based on radar data. In this study, we approach the reconstruction problem in two different way. The first one is to show how the reconstruction problem could be converted to a Prony-type system of equations. After solving this Prony-type system of equations, one can extract the parameters that describe the corresponding functions or distributions efficiently. The second way is to solve this problem via a backprojection procedure.

Predicting infrastructure damage and economic impact of sinkholes requires high accuracy mapping distribution and development. The study mapped sinkholes and sinkhole hotpsots in Johnson City, TN using LiDAR-derived Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and a database of known sinkholes which were matched to LiDAR-derived depressions. For all matched depressions (n = 404), three metrics were calculated: circularity index, ratio of length to width of the Minimum Bounding Rectangle (MBR) and percent coverage of the MBR by the depression, and 3,634 new sinkholes were identified. Newly developed hotspots were identified in north Johnson City and other areas in the south near the Johnson City Medical Center. The methodology developed can be applied to identify hotspots in other small metropolitan cities and the hotspot map produced can be employed in hazard mitigation planning, resource allocation, and made available publicly to property owners and insurance companies.

Fine-scale resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) created from data collected using high precision instruments have become ubiquitous in fluvial geomorphology. They permit a diverse range of spatially explicit analyses including hydraulic modeling, habitat modeling and geomorphic change detection. Yet, the intercomparison of survey technologies across a diverse range of wadeable stream habitats has not yet been examined. Additionally, we lack an understanding regarding the precision of DEMs derived from ground-based surveys conducted by different, and inherently subjective, observers. This thesis addresses current knowledge gaps with the objectives i) to intercompare survey techniques for characterizing instream topography, and ii) to characterize observer variability in instream topographic surveys. To address objective i, we used total station (TS), real-time kinematic (rtk) GPS, terrestrial laser scanner (TLS), and infrared airborne laser scanning (ALS) topographic data from six sites of varying complexity in the Lemhi River Basin, Idaho. The accuracy of derived bare earth DEMs was evaluated relative to higher precision TS point data. Significant DEM discrepancies between pairwise techniques were calculated using propagated DEM errors thresholded at a 95% confidence interval. Mean discrepancies between TS and rtkGPS DEMs were relatively low (≤ 0.05 m), yet TS data collection time was up to 2.4 times longer than rtkGPS. ALS DEMs had lower accuracy than TS or rtkGPS DEMs, but ALS aerial coverage and floodplain topographic representation was superior to all other techniques. The TLS bare earth DEM accuracy and precision were lower than other techniques as a result of vegetation returns misinterpreted as ground returns. To address objective ii, we used a case study where seven field crews surveyed the same six sites to quantify the magnitude and effect of observer variability on DEMs interpolated from the survey data. We modeled two geomorphic change scenarios and calculated net erosion and deposition volumes at a 95% confidence interval. We observed several large magnitude elevation discrepancies across crews, however many of these i) tended to be highly localized, ii) were due to systematic errors, iii) did not significantly affect DEM-derived metric precision, and iv) can be corrected post-hoc.

Ammonoids were collected from the Chainman Formation (Mississippian) of southeastern Nevada and southwestern Utah, the Phosphoria Formation (Permian) of southeastern Idaho and westernmost Wyoming, and the Thaynes Formation (Triassic) of northeastern Nevada and southeastern Idaho. The collections are interpreted to represent unwinnowed, untransported death assemblages of ammonoids which were subject to chemical conditions of the nekto-benthic environment. Associated lithologies were sampled and geochemically analyzed for content of phosphate and organic matter. Ammonoid fossil collections, combined with ammonoids ilustrated in the literature, were subjected to the graphical W and D analysis of Raup (1967). The basic parameteres involved in the description of shell-coiling geometry are whorl expansion rate, W, and the distance of the generating curve from the axis of coiling of the shell, D. Values of W determined range from 1.32 to 3.96, which correspond to slight and rapid increases in whorl height during coiling. Values of D determined range from 0.02 to 0.55, which correspond to extremes of involute and evolute coiling· geometries, respectively. Body chamber length corresponds with shell coiling geometry. Values determined in this study range from 10° to 540°. Corresponding W values are 3.96 and 1.50, whereas corresponding D values are 0.02 and 0.40, respectively. Average body chamber length in analyzed ammonoids is observed to decrease from 297° to 209° from Mississippian to Triassic time. Increase in apertural area accompanied this trend, and a possible consequence was that a greater range of prey sizes was afforded ammonoids with shorter body chambers. Life-orientation, described as the angle between the apertural plane and the gravitational vector, is calculated entirely on shell form and other geometrical considerations. Recent observations concerning Nautilus, combined with fossil evidence of epizoan encrustation suggest that ammonoids had an ability to control orientation, which is not observed from preservable morphology. From Mississippian to Triassic time, no trends in reconstructed life-orientation can be substantiated, based solely on Wand D values. Rotational stability during directed locomotion is important for conservation of the energy budget of this nektonic carnivorous organ­ ism. This property is calculated by the distance between the center of buoyancy and the center of gravity of the ammonoid. Values deter­ mined range from .04 (very unstable) to .16 (very stable). Corres­ ponding W values are 1.50 and 4.00 where corresponding D values are 0.20 and 0.02, respectively. A trend toward increasing average rota­tional stability (.07 to .10) is noted for amrnonoids from Mississippian to Triassic time. Efficiency in the utilization of calcium carbonate is the ratio of internal volume of the shell to volume of shell material. Values determined range from 5.80 to 7.25. Corresponding W values are 4.00 and 1.50, corresponding D values are 0.02 and 0.54, respectively. Abundant ammonoids found in black, phosphatic limestones rich in organic matter have an average efficiency value of 6.2. Abundant ammonoids from corresponding light-colored crystalline carbonates have an average efficiency value of 6.02, and indicate no correlation between effi­ciency and abundance. Size-frequency distributions are utilized in recognition of oppor­tunistic species of ammonoids. High numerical abundance, high mortality rate of juveniles, small size and conservation of calcium carbonate typifies the paleo-opportunistic species Cravenoceras, Psuedogastrio­ceras and Ophiceras. Biovolume-relative abundance distributions are useful in discerning the carrying capacity of the habitat both in number of individuals and species diversity. A large area under the biovolume-relative abun­dance profile indicates diversification under optimum environmental conditions; a small area under the profile indicates colonization of a stressful habitat. The Chainman, Phosphoria and Thaynes (Columbites Zone) Formations have ammonoid assemblages which show small areas under the biovolume-relative abundance profile, characteristic of anoxic environmental stress. The Permian stratigraphic units correlative with the Phosphoria Formation have ammonoid assemblages which show large areas under the profile and the associated lithologies, i.e., light­ gray,crystalline carbonates, suggest environments which could support a diversified ammonoid fauna, including large-sized species. Ontogenetic variation produces changes in the body chamber length, life orientation, rotational stability, and utilization of calcium carbonate of the analyzed genera of ammonoids. These ontogenetic variations usually resulted in the development of more involute shell-coiling geometries. Corresponding size-frequency distributions suggest increased mortality rates during ontogeny for some genera (Paracravenoceras, Medlicottia) which show decreasing efficiency in the utilization of calcium carbonate. (182 pages)

Mars was assumed to be very similar to Earth in terms of topography, water, magnetic field, and even the existence of life. However, exploration of the planet in the 1960s by the Mariner missions showed us a very different planet, one very unlike our own. The later discovery by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) of the lack of a globally generated magnetic field proved just how different Mars is from Earth. The discovery of strong magnetic remanence (on the order of 20 – 30 A/m) on Mars implies that at some point in Mars’ history there was a magnetic field, and therefore a dynamo. Since a globally active magnetic field is not present, it can also be assumed that the dynamo ceased generation. Basaltic rocks on Earth typically have magnetic remanences between 1 to 4 A/m and do not usually hold on to those remanences for billions of years. In this study, I utilized the information available on the geochemistry, age, and magnetics of Martian rocks in an attempt to find appropriate terrestrial analogs. Seven Earth locations of basaltic rocks (Mauna Loa, Hawaii; Eldgja and Laki eruptions, Iceland; Springerville volcanic complex, Arizona; Taos Plateau volcanic complex, New Mexico; Lascar Volcano, Chile; Tatara-San Pedro volcanic complex, Chile; Patagonia slab window, Argentina) were selected with different tectonic environments, ages, and geochemistries and their rock magnetic properties including natural remanent magnetization (NRM), susceptibility, and hysteresis properties including coercivity were analyzed. Geochemical values were plotted as averages on a silica vs. alkali graph. There was some variation in NRM and susceptibility values for each of the terrestrial locations (such as Taos Plateau), but overall the averages are a good representation of average NRM and susceptibility. None of the samples studied displayed high remanence, high susceptibility, and high coercivity that would indicate stable single-domain magnetite. Although vastly different basalt origins were studied, an analog to the highly magnetized Martian crust was not found. There are three possibilities for this. 1) A basaltic terrestrial analog does exist, yet it was not included in this study. This is a very viable possibility since there are basalts all over the Earth each with a unique origin. 2) A basaltic terrestrial analog does not exist because although the rocks on Mars are basaltic, the global magnetic field that existed billions of years ago on Mars was unlike that of Earth. Recent work (Stanley et al, 2008) has shown that the Martian magnetic field might be completely different from Earth’s, and therefore a terrestrial analog would be impossible to find. 3) A basaltic terrestrial analog does not exist, but a terrestrial analog of a different rock type does exist. The assumption that the surface rocks on Mars – which are known to be mostly basaltic – are the carrier of the high magnetism. There is the possibility that the surface may be the origin of the magnetism, and in the areas of extremely high magnetism the rocks might locally be different. Also, it may not be the surface rocks that are exhibiting the magnetism. It may be buried highly magnetic rocks under a basalt lava flows. In addition to seeking out other basalts as terrestrial analogs for to the highly magnetized Martian rocks, it would also be worthwhile to investigate the possibility of a different magnetic field for Mars and what other terrestrial rocks could display such high magnetism billions of years after the termination of the Martian magnetic field.

The Proterozoic syn-orogenic supra-crustal package exposed in the Tusas Mountain Range in northern New Mexico includes the anomalously thick, clean, ultramature Ortega Formation quartzite (Bauer and Williams, 1989). A unique Mn-bearing horizon spans the basal contact of the quartzite and contains Mn-andalusite, quartz, hematite, rutile, zircon, monazite, phyllosilicates, and locally kyanite and gahnite in intermittent aluminous, hematite-bearing layers, on the surface of cross-beds, concentrated in high strain zones, and on cleavage planes. Large-scale Mn zoning in Mn-andalusite results from a decrease in Mn content away from localized Mn highs (XMn of up to 0.76) that commonly correspond with the location of high-Mn core regions. High Mn core regions are included in Mn-andalusite, preserve some of the earliest fabrics, and are associated with sedimentary structures (i.e. cross beds and graded beds). Both hematite and rutile from the Mn horizon are rich in trace elements, and hematite contains zones of rutile mineralization that create patchy/mottled, wormy, cross-hatched, and/or banded textures within the hematite that could be linked with oxidation-exsolution textures in ilmenite and spinel. The Mn horizon may be a result of (1) the formation of an Fe-Mn oxyhydroxide crust through extensive lateritic weathering of the metavolcanic units and/or (2) the chemical deposition of Fe and Mn phases in an oxygen stratified enriched basin environment. Mn-andalusite preserves subtle textures in the Mn distribution and interference colors of the birefringence that can be used to understand mineral replacement and microstructural relationships in otherwise an well-annealed quartzite. A feathery texture that resembles the vi crystal habit of a phyllosilicate, such as pyrophyllite, locally preserves crenulation cleavages. High-Mn halos around kyanite and localized areas of low Mn content in Mn-andalusite that mimic crystal shapes together represent areas of kyanite replacement. The general tectonic histories preserved in the Mn-andalusite layer of the Hopewell Lake-Jawbone Mountain area, Quartzite Peak, and Kiowa Mountain of the Tusas Mountains include the growth of an M1 mineral assemblage in association with D1 (kyanite and/or pyrophyllite), the growth of an M2 assemblage post-D2 (kyanite and/or Mn-andalusite), and the growth of an M3 assemblage syn-D3 (a second generation of kyanite and/or Mn-andalusite). In the Hopewell Lake-Jawbone Mountain region, Mn-andalusite of the Hopewell anticline preserves phyllosilicate defined crenulation cleavages while the Jawbone syncline is dominated by a history of only kyanite growth suggesting a metamorphic divide between the anticline and syncline that could be a result of the movement along a late-stage D3 fault at or near Route 64. At Kiowa Mountain, high-Mn halos and low Mn regions suggest that Mn-andalusite replaced kyanite when changing P-T conditions during M2 lead to an Mn-andalusite-only M2 assemblage. Textures preserved in the Mn-distribution and interference colors of Mnandalusite are an essential tool for understanding the structural and metamorphic histories of the Mn horizon and the Ortega Formation quartzite.

Variation of dissolved of organic carbon concentration in stream water is a consequence of process changes in the surrounding terrestrial environment. This study will focus on 1) Identify significant environmental factors controlling the spatial and temporal variation of DOC in terrestrial ecosystems of a watershed southeast of Boston, Massachusetts; 2) Model the DOC leaching from different land cover and examine the relationship between leaching flux and in-stream DOC. Our hypothesis is variations of in stream DOC is closely related to watershed properties and environmental factors at annual, seasonal, and daily scales, especially land cover type, watershed size and hydrology. To explore the relationship of hydrology and DOC variation at ungauged sub-basin, we examined the effectiveness of using simulated stream flow from Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to study terrestrial DOC dynamics. Our results demonstrated that streamflow, drainage area, and percent of wetland and forest were particularly strong predictors in watersheds with a large proportion of developed area. The resulting linear model is able to explain about 70.2% (R2=0.702) and 65.1% (R2=0.651) of the variance of in-stream DOC concentrations at seasonal and annual scales respectively. Results also suggest that more frequent DOC sampling is necessary to establish the quantitative relationship between simulated stream flows from the SWAT and in-stream DOC concentrations at daily scale. The physically based ecosystem model developed in this study shows that DOC leaching from various land cover are highly correlated (up to 80%) with in-stream DOC by using ecological process with incorporated different hydrological pathways. It shows that leaching of DOC from soil is a significant contributor to the in-stream DOC. The production of DOC is largely controlled by the vegetation type and soil texture. Considering the hydrologic control on DOC transport with different pathways of water at finer spatial and temporal scale highlights the need to identify the quantitative relationships between water and carbon flux.