Numerous moraines front the Coe Glacier on the north side of Mount Hood, Oregon. These moraines were identified and dated using a multiple methodology approach in order to establish a chronology for the advances and stillstands of the Cae Glacier. This chronology was compared to chronologies established for other glaciers on Mount Hood, North Sister, Mount Rainier and Mount Baker as well as glaciers in Scandinavia. The chronology was also compared to a long term temperature record from Longmire, Washington. The maximum identified extent of the pre-Little Ice Age Coe Glacier was indicated by moraines located at an elevation of about 1530 m and about 2 km downvalley of the present terminus. A general period of shrinkage of the pre-Little Ice Age Coe Glacier followed resulting in the deposition of moraines upvalley of the older pre-Little Ice Age moraines. The Little Ice Age Coe Glacier reached its maximum downvalley extent of about 1650 m elevation prior to 1731 AD. An earlier advance (1607 AD) was more extensive laterally than the 1731 AD advance. The Coe Glacier has been in a general state of recession since the mid to late 1700's. The prominent lateral moraines formed prior to 1882 AD. Four low moraines located within the Coe Glacier trough formed before 1901. Historical records indicate that the Coe Glacier has generally continued to recede since then. A comparison of the moraine ages and the historical activity of the Coe Glacier to other glaciers on Mount Hood as well as others in the Pacific Northwest and Scandinavia reveals that fluctuations of the glacier termini are generally synchronous. This similarity, combined with the similarity of the ages of Coe Glacier moraines to cool periods in a long term temperature record, indicates that hemispheric climatic patterns have played a major role in the past fluctuations of the Coe Glacier.

Jantzen Beach Shopping Center is an anomaly on the landscape challenging traditional criteria for the location of regional shopping centers. Located on Hayden Island on the Oregon side of the border, it has access from only one exit in each direction off the Interstate 5 freeway. The predominantly industrial and recreational land use of the region within a five minute travel time from the shopping center results in an exceptionally small adjacent residential population. Its potential trade area is further limited by the intervening shopping opportunity for Washington residents afforded by the Vancouver central business district which lies adjacent to the Interstate freeway two miles to the north. Interviews established that because of the uneven economic growth within the SMSA, the shopping center was located on the Oregon side of the border due to Portland’s larger population and the propensity for Clark County residents to shop in Oregon to avoid sales tax.

Khumbu, part of Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park in eastern Nepal and an UNESCO World Heritage site, is home to the Sherpa people, ethnic Tibetan Buddhists who migrated to the region more than 500 years ago. Sherpas animate the landscape with localized water, tree, rock, and land spirits, identify sacred mountains, mainly associated with the Bönpo and Tibetan yullha traditions, and some view the landscape as a beyul, a sacred place and hidden valley protecting Buddhist people and beliefs in times of turmoil and need. These beliefs protect the natural environment through religious practices and taboos against environmentally harmful behaviors and activities. Associated ritual practice, perceptions, and mythology encode Sherpa culture and beliefs in the landscape. This research contributes to discussions of place, sacred landscapes, and conservation by documenting older Sherpa residents’ constructions of Khumbu as a sacred landscape in two Khumbu villages. Interviews and participant observations reveal a socially constructed sacred landscape expressing a distinct Khumbu Sherpa identity.

The Meseta Purepecha, a volcanic plateau in the Mexican state of Michoacan, is home to one of the most species-rich pine forests in the world. Recent increases in demand for forest products has put added pressure on these resources. Though existing research has suggested significant deforestation in the Meseta, there is little information identifying specific areas of decline. This study focuses on two indigenous communities in the Meseta-Pichataro and Sevina. Both communities have long relied on wood as an economic resource. However, the two communities have reacted differently to increased demand for forest resources. The purpose of this study is to identify the differences in the rate and extent of forest change between Pichataro and Sevina. Three dates of Landsat satellite images - 1976, 1986, and 2000-were used to identify changes in the Meseta's forests. Supervised classification was used to classify the 2000 image into forested and non-forested areas. Change detection was performed on the 1976 through 2000 images to identify areas of forest clearing and forest regrowth. The 2000 image was then used as a reference for generating maps of historic forest extent based on the change detection results. Results show that between 1986 and 2000, Sevina cleared approximately 16% of its forested land between while Pichataro experienced a net gain of 7%. In the same period, 93% of the deforestation in the combined study area occurred within the community boundary of Sevina, which manages only 35% of the study area forests. Sevina's remaining forests are also more isolated and fragmented than the forests of Pichataro. The differences between the two communities appear related to management practices. Sevina has relied on larger-scale timber harvesting to derive economic benefits from its forests. Pichataro has focused on local harvesting and value-added production.

The fast urbanization produces a large and growing population in coastal areas. However, the rise of sea level, one of the most significant impacts of global warming, makes coastal communities much more vulnerable to flooding than before. This Master’s thesis study investigates sea-level rise impacts on parcel-level property in the specific coastal city of Tampa, Florida, USA. An improved sea-level rise model based on satellite altimeter data is first used to predict future sea levels. Based on high-resolution LiDAR digital elevation data and property map, flooded properties are identified to evaluate property damage cost. This empirical analysis provides an in-depth understanding of potential flooding risks for individual properties with detailed spatial information at a fine spatial scale. The spatial and temporal analyses can be potentially used by researchers or governments to mitigate the impact of sea-level rise and make better urban management plans to adapt to climate change.

Global climate change is predicted to affect environmental systems at the midlatitudes, but the scope, severity, and outcomes of these impacts are yet to be fully understood. This study focuses on the implications of short-term climate variability for forests in central Kentucky. Using a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) calculated from MODerate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument data, the photosynthetic activity of vegetation at Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA) is tracked from 2000 to 2013. Three methods were employed to examine the changes and climate influences in vegetation over the study period: 1) aggregating the NDVI of the Park by year and by summer months (June, July, and August) and examining how these productivity trends could be influenced by precipitation and temperature fluctuations, 2) examining the trend of the NDVI at selected dates throughout the study period to detect phenological shifts around leaf-out and leaf-off, and 3) using a generalized vegetation classification of MACA to clip the imagery based on areas of similar vegetation and then testing correlations between those subsets and teleconnections. The results from the aggregated NDVI show there is an insignificant negative trend. A negative relationship between summer forest productivity at MACA and temperature was found, though more data are needed to rigorously validate this result. Changes in phenology indicate forest productivity is decreasing earlier each year throughout the study period. Finally, the Multivariate ENSO Index and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation index are shown to have significant positive correlations with the summer productivity of MACA during the study period.

This study investigates how young people in upper secondary school express them-selves about environmental issues. The aim of the study is to analyse how expres-sions about the environment can relate to policies of the concept of Education for Sustainable Development, ESD. The study put forward a view of environmental issues also being societal issues. Using a qualitative method of participatory model-ling, partakers creatively visualize their discussions in two workshop-assignments about either consumption or the future in the year 2050 in groups. Young peoples´ expressions about environmental issues can be described in accordance with two-parted ways of thinking about the environment and humanity, either as loosely or firmly connected. Not only do the two-parted ways of thinking apply to relation-ships between the environment and humanity, they are also used in describing a two-parted future trajectory towards either environmental collapse or sustainable futures. Moreover, ways of handling environmental issues are described as two-parted be-tween societal large-scale arrangements and individual efforts. Young people in the study express that they search for “right” things to do in order to reach a sustainable future. While not finding those prescribed solutions fulfilling or feasible either in education, or in society, feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness arise. Participants suggest there is one way to handle environmental issues and evade environmental collapse, which is to urgently turn negative trends into positive ones. Training young people in systemic and complicated ways of thinking open up for feelings of hope and may serve as empowerment in their comprehension of how they can live in the world today. The design, performance and discussions rendered by the study is first and foremost to be seen as a contribution to how young people in upper secondary school can be given time and space to participate in both cognitive and emotional meaning-making processes about environmental issues as societal issues.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina’s diverse impacts on the Greater New Orleans area included damaged and destroyed trees, and other despoiled vegetation, which also increased the exposure of artificial and bare surfaces, known factors that contribute to the climatic phenomenon known as the urban heat island (UHI). This is an investigation of UHI in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which entails the analysis of pre and post-hurricane Katrina thermal imagery of the study area, including changes to surface heat patterns and vegetative cover. Imagery from Landsat TM was used to show changes to the pattern and intensity of the UHI effect, caused by an extreme weather event. Using remote sensing visualization methods, field data, and local knowledge, the author found there was a measurable change in the pattern and intensity of the New Orleans UHI effect, as well as concomitant changes to vegetative land cover. This finding may be relevant for urban planners and citizens, especially in the context of recovery from a large-scale disaster of a coastal city, regarding future weather events, and other natural and human impacts.

Em área classificada como área contaminada sob investigação, de acordo com os processos de investigação de áreas contaminadas da Companhia de Tecnologia de Saneamento Ambiental (CETESB, 2001), no Município de Pirassununga (SP), foi instalado um processo de pesquisa objetivando avaliar possível contaminação do solo e das águas subterrâneas por sepultamento de carcaças de animais no solo. Foram instalados poços de monitoramento que permitiram a coleta de água para análise física, química e microbacteriológica, localizados a partir de sondagens geofísicas e estudos geológicos, geomorfológicos e pedológicos. Os resultados preliminares indicaram forte presença de microorganismos que, de acordo com os índices de potabilidade de águas estipulados pela Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA, 2005) e Ministério da Saúde (2004), implicam impactos ambientais e riscos à saúde pública. A partir de questões surgidas em campo e problemas técnicos encontrados, novas metodologias foram desenvolvidas e aplicadas, tendo, em uma primeira análise, se mostrado bastante eficazes. Essas novas metodologias incluem novos procedimentos de coleta e de acondicionamento e transporte das amostras de água e de solo. Os resultados obtidos nas análises das águas subterrâneas e do solo revelam que há uma expressiva contaminação por uma importante diversidade de microorganismos, alguns muito importantes para a saúde pública, como Salmonella sp e Clostridium perfringens, além de diversidade de outros patógenos de origem fecal. Também foram detectados esporos de bactérias mesófilas anaeróbias e de bactérias mesófilas aeróbias, que podem representar, no caso de contaminação causada por cadáveres de origem animal, patógenos importantes como o Clostridium botulinum e o Bacillus anthracis, que representam risco epidemiológico e morte. Estes dados, interpretados em conjunto com as interpretações pedológicas e climáticas, revelam que há uma notável possibilidade de que esses contaminantes estejam sendo transportados a distâncias consideráveis, para além da área de sepultamento de cadáveres e partes de animais. / In the area classified as contaminated area under investigation, according to the procedures for investigation of contaminated areas of the Technology and Environmental Sanitation Company (CETESB, 2001), in the city of Pirassununga (SP), was installed a research process to evaluate possible soil and groundwater contamination by animal carcasses burial on the ground. Monitoring wells were installed that allowed the collection of water for physics, chemistry and microbacteriological analysis, located from geophysical surveys and geological, geomorphological and soil studies. Preliminary results show a strong presence of microorganisms that, according to the indices of drinking water stipulated by the National Sanitary Surveillance Agency (ANVISA, 2005) and Ministry of Health (2004), indicate environmental impacts and risks to public health. The questions raised in the field and encountered technical problems, new methodologies were developed and implemented, and on a first analysis, proved quite effective. New methodologies include new procedures for collecting and packaging and transportation of water and soil samples. The analysis results of groundwater and soil analysis show that there is significant contamination by a large diversity of microorganisms, some very important public health such as Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens, and diversity of other pathogens of faecal origin. Were also detected spores of mesophilic anaerobic and aerobic mesophilic bacteria, which may represent, in the case of contamination from animal corpses, important pathogens such as Clostridium botulinum and Bacillus anthracis, which represent epidemiological risk and death. These data, interpreted in conjunction with soil and climatic interpretations show that there is a remarkable possibility that these contaminants are being transported considerable distances beyond the area of burial of corpses and animal parts.

A constatação de que muitos cemitérios, a maioria públicos, apresentam problemas e impactam o meio ambiente, poluindo o solo e as águas subterrâneas com contaminantes diversos, tem levado ao aumento dos estudos sobre essas potenciais fontes de poluição. No entanto, apesar de existirem metodologias para a constatação de contaminação do solo e das águas subterrâneas, não existem metodologias específicas, ou mesmo consagradas, para os processos de investigação e estabelecimento da área efetivamente contaminada, fazendo com que muitos sejam os critérios adotados para a investigação e diversificadas sejam as conclusões obtidas. Ainda, em relação à espacialização das plumas de contaminantes, raros são os resultados conclusivos, levando inclusive à preocupação sobre o comportamento dos vários contaminantes já conhecidos no solo, seu caminho até as águas subterrâneas e a real extensão dos impactos, em área e em efeitos deletérios à saúde pública. Este estudo visa demonstrar que a expansão da pluma de contaminantes, e sua área de abrangência, é agravada pela influência de fatores ambientais, físico-geográficos, a partir das características pedológicas, geomorfológicas e climáticas, associadas, dos locais onde estão (ou serão) implantados os cemitérios. Através de levantamento bibliográfico e de pesquisas empíricas foram correlacionadas determinadas características de relevo, clima e solo, presentes nos locais dos cemitérios, elaborando-se cenários de espacialização das plumas de contaminantes e sua possível escala de contaminação e de riscos socioambientais. Três áreas modelo foram selecionadas pelas suas características físico-geográficas diferenciadas e por trabalhos anteriores que definiram seus potencias de contaminação e algumas características físicas (geologia, hidrogeologia e outras): O cemitério de Vila Nova Cachoeirinha (PACHECO, 1991 e MATOS, 2001) e o cemitério de Vila Formosa (PACHECO, 1991), no município de São Paulo, e o cemitério de Areia Branca (PACHECO, 1991), no município de Santos. Concluímos que há influência dos fatores ambientais, físico-geográficos, principalmente do solo e da pluviosidade, na espacialização das plumas de contaminação oriundas dos cemitérios. / The finding that many cemeteries, mostly public, present problems and impact the environment, polluting the soil and groundwater with various contaminants, has led to an increase in studies on these potential sources of pollution. However, although there are methods for the realization of soil and groundwater contamination, there are no specific methodologies, or even dedicated to the research process and establishment of effectively contaminated area, causing many criterias to be the adopted for the research and diversifieds reached conclusions. Still, in relation to the spatial distribution of the plumes of contaminants, there are very few conclusive results, leading even to the concern about the behavior of various contaminants known on the ground, their way to the groundwater and the actual extent of impacts in the area and harmful effects to public health. This study aims to demonstrate that the expansion of the contaminant plume, and its coverage area is exacerbated by the influence of environmental, physical and geographical factors, from soil, geomorphological and climatic characteristics associated, on the places where cemeteries are (or will be) deployed. Through literature and empirical research were correlated certain prominent land relief, climate and soil characteristics, present in local cemeteries, creating spatial scenarios of contaminants plumes and their possible contamination scale and environmental risks. Three model areas were selected for their different physical-geographical characteristics and previous works that defined their potential contamination and some physical characteristics (geology, hydrogeology and others): The Vila Nova Cachoeirinha cemetery (PACHECO, 1991 and MATOS, 2001) and Vila Formosa cemetery (PACHECO, 1991), in São Paulo, and the cemetery of Areia Branca (PACHECO, 1991), in the city of Santos. We conclude that there is influence of environmental factors, physical geography, especially soil and rainfall, in the spatial distribution of contamination plumes coming from the cemeteries.