This paper models the supply curve of carbon sequestration on Pacific Northwest rangelands. Rangeland managers have the ability to sequester carbon in agricultural soils by implementing alternative management practices on their farms. Their low adoption rate in practice suggests a high opportunity cost associated with their implementation. To increase their adoption, a payment for ecosystem services plan is proposed, where the public compensates farms for lost profits. The TOA-MD model is used to estimate the resulting sequestration incentivized by payments for soil carbon sequestration. Methodological questions of geographical stratification and estimating variation from available data are tested. Sensitivity analysis is also run on key assumptions in the study. Results show that while the economic potential of both systems is much lower than the technical potential, at reasonable CO��� payment levels rangeland sequestration could be a significant mitigation strategy for Pacific Northwest states. / Graduation date: 2012

Many organisms with complex life cycles undergo transition periods associated with increased vulnerability to predation. Several evolutionary adaptations have been proposed as antipredator defenses for organisms during risky transition periods. These include: shortening of the transition period, parental care, cryptic coloration, and synchrony of risky transitions with large numbers of conspecifics. The results of my research support the hypothesis that synchrony of metamorphosis and emergence from the water and aggregation during the period of transformation may be antipredator defenses for the western toad (Bufo boreas). For some anuran species, synchronous metamorphosis may function as an antipredator adaptation by swamping predators during the period of transformation. I examined the levels of synchrony of emergence from the water of metamorphosing western toads (Bufo boreas) in the presence and absence of a live snake predator, the common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) in a laboratory experiment. To compare between the treatments, I measured the time to emergence from the water, the number of metamorphs emerging together, and the level of aggregation (before and during emergence) of the toads in each treatment. There was a difference between the treatments when all three factors were considered. I attributed these differences to a behavioral response in which B. boreas emerged sooner in the presence of the predator, regardless of whether individual toads had reached the point at which they were physically better suited to the terrestrial environment than the larval environment. Since the Pacific treefrog (Hyla regilla) is also preyed upon by T. sirtalis during the vulnerable period of metamorphosis, I conducted a laboratory experiment to test the effects of the presence of T. sirtalis on 1) aggregation of larval and metamorphosing H. regilla, 2) time to metamorphosis, 3) synchrony of metamorphosis, 4) time to emergence from the water and 5) synchrony of emergence from the water. The only significant effect observed in this experiment was a difference between aggregation levels of H. regilla throughout the experiment. There was, however, a strong trend in which the variances around the mean times to metamorphosis and emergence of the frogs in the control treatments were larger than those in the predator treatments. This could indicate a trend toward synchrony of metamorphosis and emergence for H. regilla in the presence of snake predators. / Graduation date: 1998

Today's power systems are undergoing dynamic changes in their operation. The high cost of capital improvements that include new generation and transmission projects has prompted power system planners to look for other alternatives in dealing with increased loads and overall system growth. A dynamic braking resistor is a device that allows for an increased rating of a transmission system's transient stability limit. This allows increased power flows over existing transmission lines without the need to build additional transmission facilities. This thesis investigates the application of dynamically controlled resistive braking in the Pacific Northwest power system. Specifically, possible control alternatives, to replace the present dynamic brake control system at Chief Joseph station, are examined. This examination includes determination of appropriate locations for control system input, development of control algorithms, development of computer and laboratory power system models, and testing and recommendations based upon the developed control algorithms. / Graduation date: 1995

Pacific whiting (Merluccius productus) is commercially and ecologically one of the most important fishery resources in the Pacific coast of the United States. The fishery is currently going through a period of rapid and profound transformation that could cause a substantial redistribution of benefits among domestic users. Benefits from the Pacific whiting fishery consist of conflicting biological, social, economic and regional objectives. A major management issue is the problem of resource allocation between the domestic offshore and shore-based fleets. Economic analysis of fishery policy based on the single objective of maximizing present value of net revenues (PVNR) fails to realistically confront the Pacific whiting fishery management problem. This work proposes the use of the less restrictive concept of Pareto optimality as a criterion for efficiency in the fishery. The main objective of this dissertation is to develop a multiobjective bioeconomic policy model of the Pacific whiting fishery in the United States. The purpose of the model is to analyze the implications (trade-offs) of resource allocation alternatives on the level of three policy objectives PVNR, production, and female spawning biomass. Pareto optimal solutions for the three policy objectives were generated under various specifications of the model by means of generating techniques. Three policy instruments were considered: harvest quotas, fleet/processing capacity limits, and allocation between the shore-based and offshore fisheries. Results were presented in the form of trade-off curves. The analysis suggests that policy objectives in the case of Pacific whiting are non-complementary. Instead of a unique "optimal" policy solution the Pacific whiting fishery policy problem possesses an infinite number of [Pareto] "optimal" policy solutions. The principal characteristic of Pareto optimal solutions is that in moving from one to another, the objectives must be traded-off among each other. In spite of the uncertainties regarding the dynamics of the Pacific whiting fishery, the preliminary nature of the data and the simplistic specification of the model, the analysis in this work demonstrates the potential benefits of vector optimization for fishery policy development and analysis. / Graduation date: 1993

Interannual variability of Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) occurrence in the northern California Current System is largely unknown. In Oregon, the distribution of this versatile predator and what is influencing their range expansion from Mexico is poorly understood due to the recent nature of their "invasion" and a lack of monitoring. Humboldt squid are large predators that have the potential to affect ecosystem structure and fisheries because of their high-energy demands and ability to exploit a variety of oceanographic conditions and prey sources. Developing baseline distribution information is a critical first step to assess their potential ecological, social, and economic impacts, and to develop models to predict future range expansion. This study has two main objectives: (1) to document where and when Humboldt squid have been present in Oregon through cooperative fisheries research, and (2) to correlate the sightings with oceanographic conditions using a geographic information system (GIS) and species distribution modeling (SDM). I conducted 54 interviews with local fishermen and aggregated their squid sightings with available fishery-independent survey and fishery-dependent observer data from the National Marine Fisheries Service. I compiled a total of 339 Humboldt squid sightings, reported for the years 2002-2011 from the Oregon coast to 131�� west longitude. Correlation analyses were performed for Humboldt squid sightings and sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll a content (chla), sea surface height anomalies (SSH), dissolved oxygen at 30 m depth (30 m DO), and sea surface salinity (SSS) using a GIS, nonparametric multiplicative regression (NPMR) habitat modeling, and maximum entropy modeling (Maxent). Results indicate that oceanographic conditions have the potential to influence Humboldt squid occurrence, and in Oregon, sightings vary temporally and spatially. Combining the sightings from fishermen and scientific surveys greatly enhanced the spatial extent of the data. Humboldt squid were most frequently observed between 124.4��W and 125��W in proximity to the shelf-break at the 200 m isobath, with peak sightings (116) recorded in 2009 and the fewest (6) reported in 2003 and 2011. The highest occurrence of Humboldt squid were observed at a SST of 10.5-13.0��C, 0.26-3.0 mg m����� chla content, -4.0-1.0 m SSH anomalies, 32.2-32.8 psu SSS, and at 3-4.5 ml L����� and 6-7 ml L����� 30 m depth DO. Maps of estimated likelihood of occurrence generated by NPMR were consistent with overlayed observations from fishermen, which were not used in the model because they were limited to presence-only information. An interdisciplinary approach that incorporates cooperative fisheries research and ecosystem-based management is necessary for monitoring Humboldt squid in Oregon. Traditional methods are insufficient because Humboldt squid are data-poor, highly migratory, and are main predators of many commercially important fisheries in Oregon. Based on my findings, sightings recorded by fishermen covered a much larger area over a longer time frame than the scientific survey and observer data, and excluding their knowledge would have led to a different interpretation of Humboldt squid distribution and environmental tolerances. Although there is uncertainty in the data from potential map bias or misidentification of smaller Humboldt squid, incorporating sightings from fishermen with traditional fisheries research increases the quantity and quality of information. Cooperative monitoring for Humboldt squid could include training in species identification and sea condition reporting in logbooks. Future "invasions" are likely, and more eyes on the water will improve our understanding of the behavior and impacts of Humboldt squid on coastal resources. / Graduation date: 2013

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Oklahoma State University, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references.

The ocean reanalysis Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) 2.2.4 is used to explore the changes in upwelling from normal conditions to either El Nino or La Nina conditions. Physical and thermodynamic variables from the reanalysis are used to explore the structure and behavior of El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. The results of this analysis show that sea surface temperature (SST), entrainment velocity, wind stress, mixed layer depth, wind curl, and heat content anomalies are in general agreement with ENSO theory. Interestingly, the distribution of upwelling based on the entrainment velocity is very patchy, which led us to explore zonal and meridional sections of vertical velocity. We used three methods to compute changes in upwelling during ENSO events. The first method computes upwelling within the areas of SST anomalies during ENSO events. During El Nino events upwelling shows prominent decadal variability, while during La Nina the decadal variability is weaker. A new upwelling index is used for the second method, and upwelling is computed in the areas of strong upwelling anomalies. The variability of upwelling is higher in periods of reduced upwelling than in periods of strong upwelling. Despite the fact that the new index is computed independently, it agrees in the timing of the index used to define ENSO events for this research. The first and second methods show that the amplitude of SST anomalies and upwelling anomalies do not have a direct relationship, suggesting that upwelling does not explain all of the variance in SST. The last method used is to compute changes in upwelling in the Nino 1+2 region during ENSO events. In the east Pacific there is almost no correlation between upwelling and SST anomalies during ENSO, but this might be attributed to the fact that the Nino 1+2 region is a relatively small region compared to the Nino 3.4 region that is used to define ENSO events. In general, the time series of SST and upwelling anomalies agree well just in the cases when ENSO events are prominently in the eastern Pacific. A comparison between yearly fisheries data from Ecuador and Peru and monthly data of SST anomalies during ENSO years is presented showing that during El Nino events the fish catch decreases and during La Nina events the fish catch increases. We infer that the increase or decrease in fish catch is associated to changes in fish populations, and that these changes are mainly due to availability of nutrients and changes in temperature during ENSO events.

The South Pacific Ocean is an area easily to be disregarded, although it possesses a very significant value of the military strategy.Contemporary,the South Pacific arena has become an important part of Chinese maritime Strategy.The reform and opening up in China bring the growth of economics and trade and the extension of national power for about twenty years, meanwhile, the state suffers from the demands of energy,the dispute of sovereignty,and the problems of the defensive screen of the American Containment Policy in East.Under such circumstances, China formulates a concrete and distinct military strategy in order to strive for the interests of the sea.On this purpose, China chooses the South Pacific area to be a part of Chinese strategic arrangements.According to the strategy, as soon as China invades the defensive screen of the American Containment Policy in east, an American military will be presence. Therefore, China can depend on its base and military power in the South Pacific area to prevent from the presence of an American military and delay it for the strategic purpose of the sea denial.

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Abstract The international organizations are regionalization in the Post-Cold War Era . In Asian-Pacific region , the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Association of Southeast are the most important international organizations . In order to adapt the trend of regionalization and to join this two international organizations , Taiwan makes a series of the political¡Beconomic and social culture policies , but the members of this two organizations do not change the attitude toward Taiwan and still recognize ¡§One China ¡§ policy . Up to now Taiwan still could not participate high level councils of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation and also could not join the Association of Southeast as sovereign state . The reason why is not only the political pressure from China but also the members of this two organizations have more interests in economic and political cooperation with China than Taiwan.