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The escalating temperature, annual precipitation, sea level rise and carbon footprint will likely lead to an unimagined future which does not have a bright side. With the rise in carbon footprint particularly due to greenhouse gas emissions, burning of fossil fuels and change in land uses; carbon dioxide is 40% higher as compared to era before Industrial Revolution. The constant increase in temperature is melting the glaciers and increasing the sea levels. The Hudson River is estimated to rise by 1.5-2ft by 2050, directly affecting the low-lying areas of Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. Amongst the multiple coastal cities in the world, New York City is one of the most vulnerable to impacts of climate change. Surrounded by water from three sides, the impacts are disastrous with densely populated neighborhoods along the shoreline. The shoreline needs to be revitalized with the vibrancy and diversity city offers to the people. With the rise in hot summer days which are estimated to be 50 days against 18 days currently; it would generate a warmer island thereby increasing the overall energy demands. Hurricane Sandy struck the New York City in 2012 and had severe impacts which tested the limitations of the city’s planning capacities. The impact on houses, subway system, power stations and overall economy was a major setback costing USD 19 billion. The frequency of such floods and hurricanes would be higher by 2050. The research done observes the impact of climate change and develops a model for New York City’s riverfront in the Meat Packing District. Revitalizing the Gansevoort Peninsula by creating public, research and informative spaces would transform the neighborhood allowing locals and visitors to have a visionary approach for future. The strategies and research in the current project would provide an architectural response to the existing condition and a model to design a more resilient New York City for the future.

The legacy phosphorus (P) in the Eastern Shore of Virginia poses significant challenges for crop nutrition and water quality. Nutrient losses from row crop agriculture and poultry litter applications have potential to cause water quality impairments affecting the environment, aquaculture, and tourism industries. To address these concerns, this study investigated P management strategies across various scales. The first component of the study focused on optimizing edamame production in the context of high legacy soil P levels and harvest efficiency. Over three years, field experiments on Bojac sandy loam soil assessed the effects of different P fertilizer rates and legacy P levels on edamame yield, biomass, and P uptake. Results showed that short-season edamame in high legacy P soils had significantly more yield than long-season varieties. However, additional P fertilization was deemed unnecessary for soils with P concentrations above 21 kg P ha-1, as current edamame P recommendations exceed the crop's P removal needs. Moreover, mechanical harvesting efficiency was notably higher for short-statured edamame varieties (89.3%) compared to tall varieties, indicating their preference for improved harvesting. The second component examined the influence of agricultural lime on legacy P phases in the soil. Lime was applied at rates ranging from 0 to 2690 kg ha-1 to an acid sandy loam Ultisol (pH < 5.1). Using partial Hedley P fractionation, changes in water-soluble P, soil test P (Mehlich-1 extraction), and total soil P (nitric acid digest) were monitored. Although lime application significantly affected soil pH, calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg), it did not significantly alter the relative proportions of water-soluble and soil test P. This indicates that while lime can improve soil pH and nutrient availability, it does not substantially impact P phase distribution. The final study utilized historical water quality data from the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences and GIS technology to analyze the impact of land use and land cover (LULC) on nitrogen (N) and P concentrations in 52 watersheds. Row crop LULC was significantly correlated with higher total nitrogen (TN) concentrations (p = 0.03), while forested LULC was linked to lower TN (p = 0.02) and nitrate-nitrite (NOx) concentrations (p = 0.05). Thirty-two out of 52 watersheds had mean total P concentrations exceeding 0.10 mg L-1, with stormflow conditions showing significantly higher total P concentrations and loadings compared to baseflow. Landscape-scale turbidity strongly correlated with elevated total P levels, emphasizing the role of particulate P transport. Baseflow samples also had higher ammonia (NH3) and NOx concentrations, but stormflow resulted in higher loadings. In conclusion, effective P management on the Eastern Shore requires a coordinated approach that addresses soil, crop, watershed, and landscape-scale factors in cooperation with multiple stakeholder groups. This study highlights the importance of optimizing agronomic practices and implementing targeted conservation strategies to mitigate nutrient and sediment losses, thereby improving both crop production and environmental quality. / Doctor of Philosophy / The Eastern Shore of Virginia has high levels of phosphorus (P) due to past farming and poultry litter use, which can have a major impact on both farming and water quality. To address high soil P, our study looked at different ways to manage P effectively. First, we studied how to grow edamame (a type of soybean) more efficiently in soils with different P levels. Over three years, we tested various P fertilizer amounts and found that fast-growing edamame plants grew better in soils with high P than long-season varieties. We also discovered that adding more P fertilizer was not necessary. Additionally, short-statured edamame varieties were easier to harvest mechanically and had better harvesting efficiency compared to taller varieties, making them ideal for mass production. Next, we explored how adding agricultural lime might change the way P is stored in soil. We applied lime at different amounts to very acidic sandy soil and measured its effects. Although lime improved soil pH and availability of certain nutrients, it did not significantly change how P was distributed in the soil. Finally, we used maps and water quality data to see how different land uses, like row crops and forests, affect P and nitrogen (N) levels in local streams. We found the areas with more row crops had higher N levels, while forested areas had lower levels. We noticed that rainy conditions led to higher P levels in streams compared to normal flow conditions because the P was attached to soil particles, suggesting that reducing soil erosion and nutrient runoff is crucial. In summary, managing P is essential for both better crop yields and cleaner water. This study provides important insights to land managers to improve agricultural practices and protect local waterways.

Yes / Grotta del Romito has been the subject of numerous archaeological, chronological and palaeoenvironmental investigations for more than a decade. During the Upper Palaeolithic period the site contains evidence of human occupation through the Gravettian and Epigravettian periods, multiple human burials, changes in the pattern of human occupation, and faunal, isotopic and sedimentological evidence for local environmental change. In spite of this rich record, the chronological control is insufficient to resolve shifts in subsistence and mobility patterns at sufficiently high resolution to match the abrupt climate fluctuations at this time. To resolve this we present new radiocarbon and tephrostratigraphic dates in combination with existing radiocarbon dates, and develop a Bayesian age model framework for the site. This improved chronology reveals that local environmental conditions reflect abrupt and long-term changes in climate, and that these also directly influence changing patterns of human occupation of the site. In particular, we show that the environmental record for the site, based on small mammal habitat preferences, is chronologically in phase with the main changes in climate and environment seen in key regional archives from Italy and Greenland. We also calculate the timing of the transitions between different cultural phases and their spans. We also show that the intensification in occupation of the site is chronologically coincident with a rapid rise in Mesic Woody taxa seen in key regional pollen records and is associated with the Late Epigravettian occupation of the site. This change in the record of Grotta del Romito is also closely associated stratigraphically with a new tephra (the ROM-D30 tephra), which may act as a critical marker in environmental records of the region. / Leverhulme Trust (F/0 0235/I) and by a Natural Environment Research Council ORADS radiocarbon dating award (NF/2011/2/7).

This dissertation presents data to support the continuity of warfare throughout the Maya lowlands, and adjacent regions. I discuss the current problems with the archaeology of warfare, the continuity of conflict beginning with the Late Preclassic through the Terminal Classic. Additionally, I emphasize the influence that Teotihuacan had during the Early Classic throughout Mesoamerica, while in some areas there is evidence of diplomatic and economic relations, there is also clear evidence of forced relations at other sites. Conflict is identified on the archaeological record through the heterarchical analysis of a variety of data encompassing defensive features, settlement patterns, epigraphy, iconography, and forensic data. I examine data from San Jose Mogote, Monte Alban, Montana, Izapa, Kaminaljuyu, and sites located within the northern, central, and southern lowlands. The primary goal is to present a cohesive series of war-related events per lowland zone, and chronological time period. Some of the primary questions deal with how land use, and economic trade relations transform political relations and alliances throughout time. Additionally, how do changes in political alliances affect trade routes? By recognizing the important role warfare played in the lowlands, we also recognize how these events affected the elites and their interaction with other polities, and most importantly how these events affected the commoner populace. In the process of investigating conflict throughout the Preclassic and the Classic periods, we can attempt to pinpoint continuities, political and economic changes, and the sociopolitical responses undertaken by polities in a time of war. / text

Non-linear volcanic and magmatic processes control the occurrence and behavior of volcanic eruptions. Consequently, understanding the responses of volcanic systems to processes of different length scales, timescales, and magnitudes is critical to interpreting ancient deposits, understanding current eruption dynamics, and predicting future activity. Here I present the results of three studies wherein analytical geochemistry, experimental petrology, and turbulent flow analysis describe otherwise obscured volcanic processes. Injections of new magma are common events in magma chambers. Recharging magma can change the chamber composition and temperature and may facilitate assimilation of country rock. Plagioclase phenocrysts provide an opportunity to examine recharge and assimilation processes, because their compositions are sensitive to temperature and their Sr isotopic ratios can record compositional variations in the chamber. Chemical and isotopic microanalyses of crystals from 7 eruptions of El Chichón Volcano, Mexico, reveal that recharge and assimilation events are very common and mixing is efficient, but individual events seldom affect the entire chamber. During every eruption, magma decompresses and ascends through a conduit from a chamber at depth to a vent at the surface. Changes in pumice textures during the 1800 ¹⁴C yr BP eruption of Ksudach Volcano, Kamchatka, suggest that conduit structure changed following caldera collapse. Decompression experiments show that the post-collapse pumice decompressed at ~0.0025 MPa/s, compared to pre-collapse decompression rates of >0.01 MPa/s. By balancing those results with eruptive mass fluxes I quantify the effects of caldera collapse on a conduit, and show that collapse resulted in a conduit with a very broad base and narrow vent. Turbulent air entrainment controls whether an eruption column rises buoyantly or collapses to generate pyroclastic flows. Through extensive re-evaluation of video and photographs of the 18 May 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, I report the first measurements of the turbulent velocity field of a volcanic column and show that changes in its turbulence reflect changes in eruption behavior. Those results indicate collapse was caused by a reduction in eddy size and turbulent air entrainment initiated by an increased vent size and the development of a buoyant annulus surrounding a dense, collapsing core. / text

The global climate is changing. Compared with many parts of the world, especially North America and Europe, relatively little is known about how climate has changed over the Arabian Peninsula (AP) in recent decades. Quantifying the climate change in the mean and extreme temperature and precipitation variables and understanding the mechanisms behind these changes are essential for establishing adequate and proper adaptation strategies to ensure sustainability, reduce vulnerability and safeguard livelihoods. Four papers in this thesis contribute to that objective, utilising a combination of in situ high quality meteorological station data and high resolution regional climate model data. The first paper quantifies the trends in monthly, seasonal and annual mean, maximum, minimum temperatures and Diurnal Temperature Range (DTR) variables and total precipitation. The station dataseries are tested for quality control and homogeneity. A non-parametric test is used to calculate the trends and evaluate the trend significance for individual stations, subregions (Non-monsoonal and Monsoonal) and for the whole area average. There is a high significant increase in the temperature variables especially the minimum temperature (during 1980-2008 and over all the AP the trend of annual minimum temperature is 0.55 °C decade^-1 while the annual maximum temperature trend is 0.32 °C decade^-1) which leads to significant decrease in the DTR. The precipitation is decline but insignificantly. The non-monsoonal region located north of 20° N has experienced higher rates of warming than the monsoonal region. Spring and summer seasons witness the highest significant warming. The interannual variability of the AP temperature and precipitation shows marked negative association after 1998. The second paper utilises the AP daily data of maximum temperature, minimum temperature and precipitation to calculate climate extremes indices, evaluate the regional/subregional trends of these indices and assess the trend significance. There is a clear significant decrease of cold temperature extremes and a significant increase in the warm temperature extremes. The increase in the nighttime temperature extremes is remarkable in the last two decades (the rate of increase of the warm night frequency is 3.6&percnt; decade^-1 during 1986-2008). The spatial trend patterns reveal a latitudinal distinction whereby the northern AP experiences an increase associated with day-time extremes while for the night-time extremes the trends are higher and significant for the southern region. Precipitation indices trends are weak and although they show general decrease in the last two decades they are insignificant. The changes in the Dew Point (Td) and the Mean Sea Level Pressure (MSLP) indicate possible changes in the regional dynamics. The third paper uses the Providing Regional Climates for Impact Studies (PRECIS) regional climate model forced by the European Centre for ERA-Interim re-analysis (ERA-Interim) to simulate the AP climate during 1990-2008. PRECIS simulation is validated based on climate mean and trends. The model simulation captures the mean climatic conditions and patterns, the increasing temperature tendency, as well as the decreasing precipitation observed in the last two decades. However, PRECIS has cold bias especially with the minimum temperature and it overestimates the precipitation over the high lands or regions close to them over the southwestern mountains and underestimates the precipitation over the southeastern mountains. The model products provide indications on the reasons behind the highest daytime spring warming (decrease of specific humidity) and significant nighttime summer warming (increase of Sea Surface Temperature (SST)). The model fails to simulate the recent increase of the nighttime temperature parameters over AP. The final paper addresses the possible local atmospheric circulations, SST and remote modes of variability associated with the recent AP climate extreme changes. Using the PRECIS simulation, composite difference maps for some surface, upper atmospheric circulation maps and SSTs between two period 1990-1997 and 1998-2008 have been calculated. The composite difference maps reveal significant local changes in these atmospheric and oceanic variables which possibly partly explain the recent regional warming and drying conditions during the last two decades. In addition, relationships of the regional/subregional extremes indices timeseries have been calculated with some known remote modes of variability. There is a clear, strong relation of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) with the AP climate in all the seasons except in winter. The North Atlantic Caspian Sea Pattern (NCP) influences the regional climate in winter especially the temperature variables.

A Igreja Ibérica na região da Península Ibérica, durante a Alta Idade Média, tornara-se uma referência para o poder temporal, como já o era para o povo. Embora fosse apoiada pela monarquia visigótica, ainda enfrentava problemas internos de dogma e de situações decorrentes dos conflitos humanos. O expansionismo árabe trouxe para a região ibérica um confronto além de civil, religioso que ameaçava e fragilizava o papel homogêneo que a Igreja desempenhava no território. A convivência entre muçulmanos e cristãos, que estavam subjugados, fez com que a Igreja buscasse respostas para a situação vivida naquele momento, após a invasão muçulmana no território ibérico. Este trabalho de mestrado buscou compreender o discurso elaborado pela Igreja, através do escrito de um de seus membros, que interpretaria a situação de acordo com a perspectiva eclesiástica. Concomitantemente, verificaremos os problemas estruturais concernentes a formação da monarquia visigoda, para analisar o contexto histórico no qual foi produzido o documento utilizado neste trabalho. / The Church in the region of the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages, become a reference to the laic power, as it was for the people. Although it was backed by the Visigothic monarchy, still faced internal problems of dogma and situations resulting from human conflicts. The Arab expansionism brought to the Iberian region a confrontation, as well as civil, religious that threatened and weakened the homogeneous role that Church played in the territory. The coexistence between Muslims and Christians, who were enslaved, made the Church sought answers to the situation experienced at that moment, after the Muslims invasion in the Iberian territory. This dissertation sought to understand the speech prepared for the Church, written by one of its members, who would interpret the situation according to the ecclesiastical perspective. Concurrently, we find structural problems concerning the formation of the Visigothic monarchy, to consider the historical context in which it was produced the document used in this work.

Dans la péninsule d'Oman, le passage du Néolithique à l'âge du Bronze est marqué par de profondes transformations socio-économiques accompagnées de changements dans les pratiques funéraires. Autour de 3100 avant notre ère, la région voit ainsi le développement d'un système économique basé sur l'agriculture d'oasis, sur l'exploitation et l'exportation du cuivre, et sur le déploiement d'un intense réseau d'échanges à plusieurs échelles. Les pratiques funéraires sont marquées par le passage de la sépulture individuelle en fosse à la sépulture collective construite en pierre. Le cadre environnemental et chrono-culturel de ce travail est exposé, incluant un historique de la recherche dans la région et un état des connaissances sur les pratiques funéraires et les données biologiques. Puis, l'analyse archéo-anthropologique des sépultures et des restes humains de onze ensembles sépulcraux datés du Néolithique (V-IVe mill.) à la fin de l'âge du Bronze ancien (env. 2000 av. N.E.) est présentée afin de caractériser les pratiques funéraires et les paramètres biologiques des groupes abordés. En dehors des données acquises pour chaque ensemble traité, la synthèse diachronique des données existantes permet d'explorer l'interaction des dynamiques culturelles et biologiques. Parmi les principaux résultats obtenus, on peut mentionner la mise en évidence d'une complexité des pratiques funéraires dès le Néolithique, un bilan de l'état de conservation des collections ostéologiques, des dénombrements détaillés (NMI) pour le tombes collectives de l'âge du Bronze, la mise en évidence d'un système de gestion de ces mêmes tombes; un bilan diachronique des affections bucco-dentaires, et l'existence d'une dynamique d'accroissement démographique apparue probablement dès le Néolithique. La thèse conclut par une discussion de ces résultats à la lumière du modèle général d'évolution proposé dans les travaux antérieurs. / Ln the Oman Peninsula, the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age is marked by profound socio-economic transformations accompanied by changes in funerary practices. Around 3100 BCE, the region experienced the development of an economic system based on oasis agriculture, the exploitation and export of copper, and the deployment of an intense trade network at multiple scales. Funerary practices are marked by the transition from individual burials to collective graves built in stones. The environmental and chronocultural framework of this study are presented, including the history of research in the region and a review of the data available on funerary practices and biological parameters. Then, the bio-archaeological analysis of the graves and human remains of eleven sites dated from the Neolithic (5th_4th mill. BCE) to the end of the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2000 BCE) aims to characterize the funerary practices and biological parameters of the studied groups. Apart from data acquired for each site, the diachronic synthesis of existing data allows us to explore the interplay of cultural and biological dynamics. Among the main results obtained, we can mention the identification of complex burial practices starting from the Neolithic, an assessment of the preservation of osteological collections, detailed counting (MNI) for collective graves from the Bronze Age, evidence for a management system of these graves, a diachronic analysis of oral diseases, and the demonstration of a population increase starting from the Neolithic. The thesis concludes with a discussion of these results in light of the general evolution model previously