The Johnson Creek watershed, Portland, Oregon, has undergone urbanization at an increasing rate. Excessive flooding has occurred in the lower portions of the watershed, resulting in an estimated 1.5 million dollars worth of flood losses annually. In attempts to mitigate the flooding damages millions of dollars have been spent to channelize the creek, and over 200 thousand dollars has been spent during the last 20 years on preliminary feasibility studies alone. The author saw a need to verify that there has been a change in the rainfall-runoff relationships in the upper Johnson Creek basin since 1941 and to quantify this change through the analysis of key hydrologic parameters. To accomplish this , extensive background research was conducted to gather as much extant information as possible about the climatic and physiographic characteristics that affect the basin hydrology. The watershed was found to have many distinct physiographic sub-areas comprised of different underlying geology, soils, geomorphic areas, slopes, vegetation patterns, and land use types that result in a complex interaction between the watershed input {precipitation) and the watershed output (runoff at the stream gage).

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Large woody debris (LWD) was added to North Fork Stony Creek and North Prong Barbours Creek as an experimental stream enhancement technique. The purpose of this study was to determine the stream channel responses to LWD additions at the scale of the stream reach and around individual logs, to determine benthic macroinvertebrate relations to physical habitat, and to determine the potential effects of LWD created stream channel alterations on benthic macroinvertebrates. Pool frequency and total surface area increased substantially at the expense of riffles in the random and controlled placement sections one year after LWD additions in Stony Creek. Although logs oriented as ramps produced more channel scouring, only log dams created pools. Results in Barbours Creek were similar but less pronounced. Substratum detritus was greater in pools than riffles for both streams, but there was no difference between years, sections, or as a result of LWD additions. Most functional feeding groups and invertebrate orders were significantly more abundant in riffles than pools. The exception were collector gatherers which accounted for a large proportion of the benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage. Increased poor area at the expense of riffle area may decrease the overall relative abundances of functional feeding groups and result in a reduction of the stream's substratum detritus processing capabilities. Decreased riffle area should result in an overall decrease in the abundance of potential food items for brook trout in Barbours Creek, but not in Stony Creek. However, average biomass was not significantly different between pools and riffles for either stream. Biomass may therefore compensate for a loss of prey items for brook trout because, although numbers may decrease, average individual weight increases with an increase in pool habitats. / Master of Science

This thesis seeks to investigate how architecture can utilize different techniques to introduce people to landscape, specifically those who have an uncomfortable relationship with nature due to inequities in access to quality green space, a cultural distancing from nature due to historical acts of violence, or an increasingly urban and work focused lifestyle. A proposed Visitor Center in Rock Creek Park, in Washington, DC, acts as a slow transition from park to city and back again, breaking the landscape into more digestible pieces before putting it back together as a whole. The building's strategy for introduction can be broken up into two categories, what the building reveals to visitors, and what it tells visitors. The building reveals the surrounding landscape in a rhythmic way of spaces of rest and spaces of activity, utilizing entrances on different levels, screened views, and glass corners to frame the landscape and topography. It is also designed to reveal the power of the environment, the sun, the rain, and the snow, in weathering the materials and creating a dynamic appearance and exposing the ways in which water runs through the site. In addition to showing the park, the building also is responsible for educating visitors about the important cultural and natural history of the park. The architecture supports the education of visitors in a flexible and non-technological way, using a variety of surfaces to display information to be seen and touched, to encourage the slowing down of minds and bodies to facilitate the transition from the bustling city to the restorative nature of the park. The proposed building utilizes design concepts present in nature and integrates them into the architecture of the building, to create an introductory experience into the landscape that touches the senses and the mind, preparing the visitors to enjoy the park. / Master of Architecture / This thesis, Taking Root, seeks to investigate how architecture can utilize different techniques to introduce people to a landscape, specifically those who have an uncomfortable relationship with nature due to inequities in access to quality green space, a cultural distancing from nature due to historical acts of violence, or an increasingly urban and work focused lifestyle. Research shows that time spent in nature improves mental and physical health outcomes, and the disparity of access or quality creates an issue of injustice. A proposed Visitor Center in Rock Creek Park, in Washington, DC, seeks to remedy that by acting as a slow transition from park to city and back again, and down into the canyon and back again. The building’s strategy for facilitating an introduction can be broken up into three categories: how the building relates to the environment, what the building reveals to visitors, and what it tells visitors. First, the building is designed to reveal the power of the environment, the sun, the rain, and the snow, on the façade through the careful selection of materials specifically for their weathering properties. In addition, the use of a native vine allows the building to change colors through the four seasons of the park, and mirror the forest that surrounds it. The combination of these techniques, plus minimizing the environmental impact of the building through stormwater management, a green roof for local pollinators, bird-safe glass, and reducing solar gain exposes the critical relationship between architecture and environment. Secondly, the visitor center reveals the landscape through the adoption of techniques found in nature that facilitate a powerful introduction to a place, and formalizes them into the architecture of the building and experience of the visitors. The techniques to promote familiarity with the park include controlling the pace with a series of long, curving paths and embracing the rhythm of the topography with ramps and the seasons with a pattern of spaces for activity and rest, teasing with glimpses through the tree-like screen and through the glass gills, framing the view into the park. In addition, the building strives to amplify liminal space, a threshold between the old and new, architecture and nature, which exists in the glass corner gills. These corners jutting into the park, lit by a skylight, and fed fresh air by automated ventilation louvers, allows for a person to have a more intimate experience, in a way that really exists outside of the building, but in a way that provides the comfort of familiarity and not being quite all the way in nature either. Finally, the building also is responsible for telling the visitors what they need to know by educating them on the important cultural and natural history of the park. The architecture supports the education of visitors in a flexible and non-technological way, using a variety of surfaces to display information to be seen and touched, to encourage the slowing down of minds and bodies to facilitate the transition from the bustling city to the restorative nature of the park. The proposed building utilizes its interaction with the physical environment, design concepts present in nature to reveal the landscape, and conveys information in a way and pace that is reflective of the way time moves in the park. All three strategies combine to create an introductory experience into the landscape that touches the senses and the mind, preparing the visitors to enjoy and appreciate Rock Creek Park.

The Falling Creek Reservoir (FCR) in Roanoke is monitored for water quality and other key measurements to distribute clean and safe water to the community. Forecasting these measurements is critical for management of the FCR. However, current techniques are limited by inherent Gaussian linearity assumptions. Since the dynamics of the ecosystem may be non-linear, we propose neural network-based schemes for forecasting. We create the LatentGAN architecture by extending the recurrent neural network-based ProbCast and autoencoder forecasting architectures to produce multiple forecasts for a single time series. Suites of forecasts allow for calculation of confidence intervals for long-term prediction. This work analyzes and compares LatentGAN's accuracy for two case studies with state-of-the-art neural network forecasting methods. LatentGAN performs similarly with these methods and exhibits promising recursive results. / Master of Science / The Falling Creek Reservoir (FCR) is monitored for water quality and other key measurements to ensure distribution of clean and safe water to the community. Forecasting these measurements is critical for management of the FCR and can serve as indicators of significant ecological events that can greatly reduce water quality. Current predictive techniques are limited due to inherent linear assumptions. Thus, this work introduces LatentGAN, a data-driven, generative, predictive neural network. For a particular sequence of data, LatentGAN is able to generate a suite of possible predictions at the next time step. This work compares LatentGAN's predictive capabilities with existing neural network predictive models. LatentGAN performs similarly with these methods and exhibits promising recursive results.

The following thesis project explores the design of a nature center and planetarium within Rock Creek Park, in Washington, DC. The project evolved from a desire to re-imagine a relationship with nature in a way that allows conversation, reflective thinking, and allows one's sense of wonder to enter a place which is between science and myth. The design of the nature center and planetarium was developed by investigating the dualities which exist within and around the site, such as earth and air, day and night,and winter and summer. The goal was to create a building which is fully embedded in the site around it, to create a unique environment for exploration and conversation, and a place to contemplate one's relationship with nature. / Master of Architecture