Circular buffer strips in center pivot irrigation for multiple benefits in the Southern Great Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Ogallala Aquifer has converted the Southern Great Plains from a dust bowl to a highly productive agricultural region in the US. However, over exploitation of the aquifer is threatening sustainability of irrigated agriculture in the region. Partial pivots, where high water using conventional crop...

Evapotranspiration in winter wheat under different grazing and tillage practices in the southern Great Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Precipitation in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) is highly variable both spatially and temporally with recurring periods of severe drought. Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) – summer fallow system with conventional tillage is the principal dryland cropping system in this region for both grazing an...

Evaluation of a single column model at the Southern Great Plains climate research facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennedy, Aaron D.

Despite recent advancements in global climate modeling, models produce a large range of climate sensitivities for the Earth. This range of sensitivities results in part from uncertainties in modeling clouds. To understand and to improve cloud parameterizations in Global Climate Models (GCMs), simulations should be evaluated using observations of clouds. Detailed studies can be conducted at Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) sites which provide adequate observations and forcing for Single Column Model (SCM) studies. Unfortunately, forcing for SCMs is sparse and not available for many locations or times. This study had two main goals: (1) evaluate clouds from the GISS Model E AR5 SCM at the ARM Southern Great Plains site and (2) determine whether reanalysis-based forcing was feasible at this location. To accomplish these goals, multiple model runs were conducted from 1999--2008 using forcing provided by ARM and forcing developed from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR). To better understand cloud biases and differences in the forcings, atmospheric states were classified using Self Organizing Maps (SOMs). Although model simulations had many similarities with the observations, there were several noticeable biases. Deep clouds had a negative bias year-round and this was attributed to clouds being too thin during frontal systems and a lack of convection during the spring and summer. These results were consistent regardless of the forcing used. During August, SCM simulations had a positive bias for low clouds. This bias varied with the forcing suggesting that part of the problem was tied to errors in the forcing. NARR forcing had many favorable characteristics when compared to ARM observations and forcing. In particular, temperature and wind information were more accurate than ARM when compared to balloon soundings. During the cool season, NARR forcing produced results similar to ARM with reasonable precipitation and a similar cloud field. Although NARR

Mutual mortality of great horned owl and southern black racer: a potential risk of raptors preying on snakes

Treesearch

Roger W. Perry; Raymond E. Brown; D. Craig Rudolph

2001-01-01

We encountered a dead southern black racer snake (Coluber constrictor priapus) coiled around a dead Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). We suggest the owl was strangled by the snake before the snake did of wounds inflicted by the owl. There are previous reports of intense physical struggle between Great Horned Owls (and...

NPDES Draft Permit for Southern Ute Indian Tribe Wastewater Treatment Facility in Colorado

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Under NPDES draft permit number CO-0022853, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe is authorized to discharge from its wastewater treatment facility in La Plata County, Colorado,to Rock Creek, a tributary of the Los Pinos River.

AmeriFlux US-ARb ARM Southern Great Plains burn site- Lamont

DOE Data Explorer

Torn, Margaret [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

2016-01-01

This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site US-ARb ARM Southern Great Plains burn site- Lamont. Site Description - The ARM SGP Burn site is located in the native tallgrass prairies of the USDA Grazinglands Research Laboratory near El Reno, OK. One of two adjacent 35 ha plots, the US-ARb plot was burned on 2005/03/08. The second plot, US-ARc, was left unburned as the control for experimental purposes. Aside from 2005, the region evaded burning activities for at least 15 years. Current disturbances consist of only light grazing activities.

'Duster' wheat: A durable, dual-purpose cultivar adapted to the southern great plains of the USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars which gain broad commercial acceptance in Oklahoma and surrounding states of the U.S. southern Great Plains must produce a definitive grain yield advantage, and they must demonstrate season-long dependability in dual purpose management systems, effective...

Vulnerability of crops and native grasses to summer drying in the U.S. Southern Great Plains

DOE PAGES

Raz-Yaseef, Naama; Billesbach, Dave P.; Fischer, Marc L.; ...

2015-08-31

The Southern Great Plains are characterized by a fine-scale mixture of different land-cover types, predominantly winter-wheat and grazed pasture, with relatively small areas of other crops, native prairie, and switchgrass. Recent droughts and predictions of increased drought in the Southern Great Plains, especially during the summer months, raise concern for these ecosystems. We measured ecosystem carbon and water fluxes with eddy-covariance systems over cultivated cropland for 10 years, and over lightly grazed prairie and new switchgrass fields for 2 years each. Growing-season precipitation showed the strongest control over net carbon uptake for all ecosystems, but with a variable effect: grassesmore » (prairie and switchgrass) needed at least 350 mm of precipitation during the growing season to become net carbon sinks, while crops needed only 100 mm. In summer, high temperatures enhanced evaporation and led to higher likelihood of dry soil conditions. Therefore, summer-growing native prairie species and switchgrass experienced more seasonal droughts than spring-growing crops. For wheat, the net reduction in carbon uptake resulted mostly from a decrease in gross primary production rather than an increase in respiration. Flux measurements suggested that management practices for crops were effective in suppressing evapotranspiration and decomposition (by harvesting and removing secondary growth), and in increasing carbon uptake (by fertilizing and conserving summer soil water). In light of future projections for wetter springs and drier and warmer summers in the Southern Great Plains, our study indicates an increased vulnerability in native ecosystems and summer crops over time.« less

Application of pheromone traps for managing Hessian fly, (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in the Southern Great Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor Say, is an important pest of winter wheat in the Southern Great Plains of the U.S. As larvae feed behind the leaf sheath, infestations often go undetected until crop damage is evident and there are no remedial actions that can prevent economic loss once a field...

Vulnerability of crops and native grasses to summer drying in the U.S. Southern Great Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Southern Great Plains are characterized by a fine-scale mixture of different land cover types, predominantly winter-wheat and pasture lands, with relatively small areas of other crops, native prairie, and switchgrass. Recent droughts and predictions of increased drought (especially during the s...

Mercury contamination in free-ranging great egret nestlings (Ardea albus) from southern Florida, USA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sepulveda, M.S.; Frederick, P.C.; Spalding, M.G.

1999-05-01

Between March and June of 1994 and 1995, mercury (Hg) concentrations were determined from 393 blood and 164 growing scapular feathers from 252 great egret nestlings (Ardea albus). Nestlings came from eight colonies located in Water Conservation Area 3 in the Everglades region in southern Florida. The ages of these birds ranged from 1 to 44 d (bill length 1.1 to 10.2 cm). Mercury concentrations in blood and feathers of first-hatched great egret nestlings sampled during 1994 averaged 1.2 {micro}g/g (range = 0.07--3.9) wet weight and 16 {micro}g/g (4.5--40) dry weight, respectively. During 1995, first-hatched chicks had blood and feathermore » Hg concentrations that averaged 0.8 {micro}g/g (0.2--1.7) and 9.7 {micro}g/g (2.3--26), respectively. In both years, Hg concentrations in blood and feathers were significantly correlated, and a significant correlation also was found between Hg in blood and age of the chicks. Blood and feather Hg concentrations differed significantly between years, with higher concentrations during 1994. Birds from JW1 and L67 colonies had the highest concentrations of Hg in blood and feathers. Mercury concentrations did not differ between chicks of different hatch order Mercury in feathers of great egret nestlings from southern Florida are approximately six times higher than when compared to feather Hg concentrations of nestlings wading birds sampled elsewhere.« less

Capabilities of four novel warm-season legumes in the southern Great Plains: biomass and forage quality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Grain legumes could provide high nitrogen (N), late summer forage for stocker cattle in the southern Great Plains (SGP). This study evaluated the forage yield and nutritive value of tropical annual legumes novel to the SGP. Included were cultivars of pigeon pea ([Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.], cv. ‘GA...

Gridding Cloud and Irradiance to Quantify Variability at the ARM Southern Great Plains Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riihimaki, L.; Long, C. N.; Gaustad, K.

2017-12-01

Ground-based radiometers provide the most accurate measurements of surface irradiance. However, geometry differences between surface point measurements and large area climate model grid boxes or satellite-based footprints can cause systematic differences in surface irradiance comparisons. In this work, irradiance measurements from a network of ground stations around Kansas and Oklahoma at the US Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains facility are examined. Upwelling and downwelling broadband shortwave and longwave radiometer measurements are available at each site as well as surface meteorological measurements. In addition to the measured irradiances, clear sky irradiance and cloud fraction estimates are analyzed using well established methods based on empirical fits to measured clear sky irradiances. Measurements are interpolated onto a 0.25 degree latitude and longitude grid using a Gaussian weight scheme in order to provide a more accurate statistical comparison between ground measurements and a larger area such as that used in climate models, plane parallel radiative transfer calculations, and other statistical and climatological research. Validation of the gridded product will be shown, as well as analysis that quantifies the impact of site location, cloud type, and other factors on the resulting surface irradiance estimates. The results of this work are being incorporated into the Surface Cloud Grid operational data product produced by ARM, and will be made publicly available for use by others.

Capabilities of four novel warm-season legumes in the southern Great Plains: grain production and quality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Grain legumes could serve as a low cost nitrogen (N) and energy source for animal production in the southern Great Plains (SGP). This study evaluated the yield and nutritive value of grains of tropical annual legumes novel to the SGP. Included were cultivars of pigeon pea ([Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp...

Perennial biomass grasses and the Mason-Dixon Line: Comparative productivity across latitudes in the southern Great Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Understanding latitudinal adaptation of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus J. M. Greef & Deuter ex Hodk. & Renvoize) to the southern Great Plains is key to maximizing productivity by matching each grass variety to its ideal production environment. Objectives of...

Rates of soil development from four soil chronosequences in the southern Great Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harden, J.W.; Taylor, E.M.; Hill, C.; Mark, R.K.; McFadden, L.D.; Reheis, M.C.; Sowers, J.M.; Wells, S.G.

1991-01-01

Four soil chronosequences in the southern Great Basin were examined in order to study and quantify soil development during the Quaternary. Soils of all four areas are developed in gravelly alluvial fans in semiarid climates with 8 to 40 cm mean annual precipitation. Lithologies of alluvium are granite-gneiss at Silver Lake, granite and basalt at Cima Volcanic Field, limestone at Kyle Canyon, and siliceous volcanic rocks at Fortymile Wash. Ages of the soils are approximated from several radiometric and experimental techniques, and rates are assessed using a conservative mathematical approach. Average rates for Holocene soils at Silver Lake are about 10 times higher than for Pleistocene soils at Kyle Canyon and Fortymile Wash, based on limited age control. Holocene soils in all four areas appear to develop at similar rates, and Pleistocene soils at Kyle Canyon and Fortymile Wash may differ by only a factor of 2 to 4. Over time spans of several millennia, a preferred model for the age curves is not linear but may be exponential or parabolic, in which rates decrease with increasing age. These preliminary results imply that the geographical variation in rates within the southern Great Basin-Mojave region may be much less significant than temporal variation in rates of soil development. The reasons for temporal variation in rates and processes of soil development are complexly linked to climatic change and related changes in water and dust, erosional history, and internally driven chemical and physical processes. ?? 1991.

AmeriFlux US-ARc ARM Southern Great Plains control site- Lamont

DOE Data Explorer

Torn, Margaret [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

2016-01-01

This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site US-ARc ARM Southern Great Plains control site- Lamont. Site Description - The ARM SGP Control site is located in the native tallgrass prairies of the USDA Grazinglands Research Laboratory near El Reno, OK. One of two adjacent 35 ha plots with identical towers, measurements at the US-ARc unburned plot are used as the experimental control. The second plot, US-Arb, was burned on 2005/03/08. Measurement comparisons between the control and burn plot are used to address questions regarding the effects of burning activities on carbon fluxes. The region evaded burning activities for at least 15 years. Current disturbances consist of only light grazing activities.

Traveling Weather Disturbances in Mars Southern Extratropics: Sway of the Great Impact Basins

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hollingsworth, Jeffery L.

2016-01-01

' transient barotropic/baroclinic eddies are significantly influenced by the great impact basins of this hemisphere (e.g., Argyre and Hellas). In addition, the occurrence of a southern storm zone in late winter and early spring is keyed particularly to the western hemisphere via orographic influences arising from the Tharsis highlands, and the Argyre and Hellas impact basins. Geographically localized transient-wave activity diagnostics are constructed that illuminate fundamental differences amongst such simulations and these are described.

Traveling Weather Disturbances in Mars' Southern Extratropics: Sway of the Great Impact Basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollingsworth, Jeffery L.

2016-04-01

' transient barotropic/baroclinic eddies are significantly influenced by the great impact basins of this hemisphere (e.g., Argyre and Hellas). In addition, the occurrence of a southern storm zone in late winter and early spring is keyed particularly to the western hemisphere via orographic influences arising from the Tharsis highlands, and the Argyre and Hellas impact basins. Geographically localized transient-wave activity diagnostics are constructed that illuminate fundamental differences amongst such simulations and these are described.

Site scientific mission plan for the Southern Great Plains CART site, January-June 1995

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schneider, J.M.; Lamb, P.J.; Sisterson, D.L.

1994-12-01

The Southern Great Plains (SGP) Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART) site is designed to help satisfy the data needs of the Atmospheric Measurement (ARM) Program Science Team. This document defines the scientific priorities for site activities during the six months beginning on January 1, 1995, and also looks forward in lesser detail to subsequent six-month periods. The primary purpose of this Site Scientific Mission Plan is to provide guidance for the development of plans for site operations. It also provides information on current plans to the ARM functional teams (Management Team, Experiment Support Team [EST], Operations Team, Data Management Teammore » [DMT], Instrument Team [IT], and Campaign Team) and serves to disseminate the plans more generally within the ARM Program and among the members of the Science Team. This document includes a description of the operational status of the site and the primary envisaged site activities, together with information concerning approved and proposed Intensive Observation Periods (IOPs). Amendments will be prepared and distributed whenever the content changes by more than 30% within a six-month period. The primary users of this document are the site operator, the site scientist, the Science Team through the ARM Program Science Director, The ARM Program Experiment Center, and the aforementioned ARM Program functional teams. This plan is a living document that will be updated and reissued every six months as the observational facilities are developed, tested, and augmented and as priorities are adjusted in response to developments in scientific planning and understanding.« less

Temporally and spatially uniform rates of erosion in the southern Appalachian Great Smoky Mountains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Matmon, A.; Bierman, P.R.; Larsen, J.; Southworth, S.; Pavich, M.; Caffee, M.

2003-01-01

We measured 10Be in fluvial sediment samples (n = 27) from eight Great Smoky Mountain drainages (1-330 km2). Results suggest spatially homogeneous sediment generation (on the 104-105 yr time scale and > 100 km2 spatial scale) at 73 ?? 11 t km-2 yr-1, equivalent to 27 ?? 4 m/m.y. of bedrock erosion. This rate is consistent with rates derived from fission-track, long-term sediment budget, and sediment yield data, all of which indicate that the Great Smoky Mountains and the southern Appalachians eroded during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic at ???30 m/m.y. In contrast, unroofing rates during the Paleozoic orogenic events that formed the Appalachian Mountains were higher (???102 m/m.y.). Erosion rates decreased after termination of tectonically driven uplift, enabling the survival of this ancient mountain belt with its deep crustal root as an isostatically maintained feature in the contemporary landscape.

Land-atmosphere coupling manifested in warm-season observations on the U.S. southern great plains

DOE PAGES

Phillips, Thomas J.; Klein, Stephen A.

2014-01-28

This study examines several observational aspects of land-atmosphere coupling on daily average time scales during warm seasons of the years 1997 to 2008 at the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) Central Facility site near Lamont, Oklahoma. Characteristics of the local land-atmosphere coupling are inferred by analyzing the covariability of selected land and atmospheric variables that include precipitation and soil moisture, surface air temperature, relative humidity, radiant and turbulent fluxes, as well as low-level cloud base height and fractional coverage. For both the energetic and hydrological aspects of this coupling, it is found that large-scalemore » atmospheric forcings predominate, with local feedbacks of the land on the atmosphere being comparatively small much of the time. The weak land feedbacks are manifested by 1) the inability of soil moisture to comprehensively impact the coupled land-atmosphere energetics, and 2) the limited recycling of local surface moisture under conditions where most of the rainfall derives from convective cells that originate at remote locations. There is some evidence, nevertheless, of the local land feedback becoming stronger as the soil dries out in the aftermath of precipitation events, or on days when the local boundary-layer clouds are influenced by thermal updrafts known to be associated with convection originating at the surface. Finally, we also discuss potential implications of these results for climate-model representation of regional land-atmosphere coupling.« less

77 FR 14441 - Facility Operating License Amendment From Southern Nuclear Operating, Inc., Joseph M. Farley...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-09

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket Nos. 50-348 AND 50-364; NRC-2012-0053] Facility Operating License Amendment From Southern Nuclear Operating, Inc., Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2...-0053. You may submit comments by the following methods: Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www...

'Billings' wheat combines early maturity, disease resistance, and desirable grain quality for the Southern Great Plains of the USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Selection pressure for earliness, resistance to multiple pathogens, and quality attributes consistent with the hard red winter (HRW) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) market class is tantamount to, or can obscure, selection for yield potential in lower elevations of the U.S. southern Great Plains. The de...

Particulate matter concentrations for mono-slope beef cattle facilities in the Northern Great Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Confined cattle facilities are an increasingly common housing system in the Northern Great Plains region of the United States. Producers may maintain a deep-bedded manure pack (Pack), they may remove all bedding/manure material from the pens weekly (Scrape), or use a combination of management styles...

77 FR 58470 - Irradiation Treatment; Location of Facilities in the Southern United States; Technical Amendment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-21

.... APHIS-2009-0100] RIN 0579-AD35 Irradiation Treatment; Location of Facilities in the Southern United... things, allow for irradiation treatment of mangoes from India upon arrival in the mainland United States... 20, 2012, we amended the regulations in Sec. 319.56-46 to allow for irradiation treatment of mangoes...

WRF model sensitivity to land surface model and cumulus parameterization under short-term climate extremes over the southern Great Plains of the United States

Treesearch

Lisi Pei; Nathan Moore; Shiyuan Zhong; Lifeng Luo; David W. Hyndman; Warren E. Heilman; Zhiqiu Gao

2014-01-01

Extreme weather and climate events, especially short-term excessive drought and wet periods over agricultural areas, have received increased attention. The Southern Great Plains (SGP) is one of the largest agricultural regions in North America and features the underlying Ogallala-High Plains Aquifer system worth great economic value in large part due to production...

Determinants of use of health facility for childbirth in rural Hadiya zone, Southern Ethiopia.

PubMed

Asseffa, Netsanet Abera; Bukola, Fawole; Ayodele, Arowojolu

2016-11-16

Maternal mortality remains a major global public health concern despite many international efforts. Facility-based childbirth increases access to appropriate skilled attendance and emergency obstetric care services as the vast majority of obstetric complications occur during delivery. The purpose of the study was to determine the proportion of facility delivery and assess factors influencing utilization of health facility for childbirth. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two rural districts of Hadiya zone, southern Ethiopia. Participants who delivered within three years of the survey were selected by stratified random sampling. Trained interviewers administered a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. We employed bivariate analysis and logistic regression to identify determinants of facility-based delivery. Data from 751 participants showed that 26.9% of deliveries were attended in health facilities. In bivariate analysis, maternal age, education, husband's level of education, possession of radio, antenatal care, place of recent ANC attended, planned pregnancy, wealth quintile, parity, birth preparedness and complication readiness, being a model family and distance from the nearest health facility were associated with facility delivery. On multiple logistic regression, age, educational status, antenatal care, distance from the nearest health facility, wealth quintile, being a model family, planned pregnancy and place of recent ANC attended were the determinants of facility-based childbirth. Efforts to improve institutional deliveries in the region must strengthen initiatives that promote female education, opportunities for wealth creation, female empowerment and increased uptake of family planning among others. Service related barriers and cultural influences on the use of health facility for childbirth require further evaluation.

Bioacoustic monitoring of nocturnal songbird migration in a southern great lakes ecosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanders, Claire Elizabeth

Many species of birds produce short vocalizations during nocturnal migration. My thesis uses bioacoustic monitoring of these night flight calls to study bird migration through a southern Great Lakes ecosystem. I deployed recording devices around western Lake Erie during spring and fall migrations. Analysis of thousands of hours of recordings revealed that night flight calls accurately predicted both the magnitude of migration, as well as the timing of migrant passage, as assessed by banding. The first arrival dates for 48 species of migratory birds were significantly earlier on Pelee Island than on mainland Ontario in the spring. More flight calls were detected over Pelee Island than over mainland comparison sites. These results suggest that many birds cross Lake Erie in spring and fall, and that islands are important for migratory birds. This research provides insight into the use of acoustics for monitoring birds in active migration.

Changes in the dreissenid community in the lower Great Lakes with emphasis on southern Lake Ontario

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mills, Edward L.; Chrisman, Jana R.; Baldwin, Brad; Owens, Randall W.; O'Gorman, Robert; Howell, Todd; Roseman, Edward F.; Raths, Melinda K.

1999-01-01

A field study was conducted in the lower Great Lakes to assess changes in spatial distribution and population structure of dreissenid mussel populations. More specifically, the westward range expansion of quagga mussel into western Lake Erie and toward Lake Huron was investigated and the shell size, density, and biomass of zebra and quagga mussel with depth in southern Lake Ontario in 1992 and 1995 were compared. In Lake Erie, quagga mussel dominated the dreissenid community in the eastern basin and zebra mussel dominated in the western basin. In southern Lake Ontario, an east to west gradient was observed with the quagga mussel dominant at western sites and zebra mussel dominant at eastern locations. Mean shell size of quagga mussel was generally larger than that of zebra mussel except in western Lake Erie and one site in eastern Lake Erie. Although mean shell size and our index of numbers and biomass of both dreissenid species increased sharply in southern Lake Ontario between 1992 and 1995, the increase in density and biomass was much greater for quagga mussels over the 3-year period. In 1995, zebra mussels were most abundant at 15 to 25 m whereas the highest numbers and biomass of quagga mussel were at 35 to 45 m. The quagga mussel is now the most abundant dreissenid in areas of southern Lake Ontario where the zebra mussel was once the most abundant dreissenid; this trend parallels that observed for dreissenid populations in the Dneiper River basin in the Ukraine.

Preparing a population for an earthquake like Chi-Chi: The Great Southern California ShakeOut

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, Lucile M.; ,

2009-01-01

The Great Southern California ShakeOut was a week of special events featuring the largest earthquake drill in United States history. On November 13, 2008, over 5 million southern Californians pretended that a magnitude-7.8 earthquake had occurred and practiced actions that could reduce its impact on their lives. The primary message of the ShakeOut is that what we do now, before a big earthquake, will determine what our lives will be like after. The drill was based on a scenario of the impacts and consequences of such an earthquake on the Southern San Andreas Fault, developed by over 300 experts led by the U.S. Geological Survey in partnership with the California Geological Survey, the Southern California Earthquake Center, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, lifeline operators, emergency services and many other organizations. The ShakeOut campaign was designed and implemented by earthquake scientists, emergency managers, sociologists, art designers and community participants. The means of communication were developed using results from sociological research on what encouraged people to take action. This was structured around four objectives: 1) consistent messages – people are more inclined to believe something when they hear the same thing from multiple sources; 2) visual reinforcement – people are more inclined to do something they see other people doing; 3) encourage “milling” or discussing contemplated action – people need to discuss an action with others they care about before committing to undertaking it; and 4) focus on concrete actions – people are more likely to prepare for a set of concrete consequences of a particular hazard than for an abstract concept of risk. The goals of the ShakeOut were established in Spring 2008 and were: 1) to register 5 million people to participate in the drill; 2) to change the culture of earthquake preparedness in southern California; and 3) to reduce earthquake losses in southern California. All of these

Stratigraphy of the Younger Dryas Chronozone and paleoenvironmental implications: Central and Southern Great Plains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holliday, V.T.; Meltzer, D.J.; Mandel, R.

2011-01-01

The Great Plains of the United States was the setting for some of the earliest research in North America into patterns and changes in the character of late Pleistocene environments and their effects on contemporary human populations. Many localities in the region have well-stratified records of terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene human (Paleoindian) activity and past environments. These have proven important in debates over the character of the Younger Dryas Chronozone (YDC; 11,000-10,000 14C BP; 12,900-11,700 cal BP) in the continental interior. This paper reviews the lithostratigraphic record of the YDC on the Central and Southern Great Plains and summarizes paleobiological records (largely isotopic). The goal is to determine if there is any uniformity in the timing, character, direction and/or magnitude of changes in depositional environments or broader geomorphic systems before, during or after the YDC in order to address the question of the character of environments through this time. The stratigraphic records of the late Pleistocene to early Holocene transition, and in particular, the stratigraphic records of the YDC vary through time and space. The data clearly show that a host of geomorphic processes produced the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene stratigraphic records of the Great Plains. Moreover, the YDC is not necessarily manifest as a distinct lithostratigraphic or biostratigraphic entity in these different types of deposits and soils. The various geomorphic systems of the Great Plains did not behave synchronously in response to any common climate driver. These stratigraphic records reflect local environmental conditions and probably a complex response to the reorganization of mid-latitude climates in the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene. ?? 2011 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.

Site, environmental and airflow characteristics for mono-slope beef cattle facilities in the Northern Great Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In conjunction with an emission monitoring study, long-term airflow and environmental data were collected from four regional producer-owned and -operated mono-slope beef cattle facilities in the Northern Great Plains. The barns were oriented east-west, with approximate dimensions of an 8-m south wal...

Wintering Sandhill Crane exposure to wind energy development in the central and southern Great Plains, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pearse, Aaron T.; Brandt, David; Krapu, Gary

2016-01-01

Numerous wind energy projects have been constructed in the central and southern Great Plains, USA, the main wintering area for midcontinental Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis). In an initial assessment of the potential risks of wind towers to cranes, we estimated spatial overlap, investigated potential avoidance behavior, and determined the habitat associations of cranes. We used data from cranes marked with platform transmitting terminals (PTTs) with and without global positioning system (GPS) capabilities. We estimated the wintering distributions of PTT-marked cranes prior to the construction of wind towers, which we compared with current tower locations. Based on this analysis, we found 7% spatial overlap between the distributions of cranes and towers. When we looked at individually marked cranes, we found that 52% would have occurred within 10 km of a tower at some point during winter. Using data from cranes marked after tower construction, we found a potential indication of avoidance behavior, whereby GPS-marked cranes generally used areas slightly more distant from existing wind towers than would be expected by chance. Results from a habitat selection model suggested that distances between crane locations and towers may have been driven more by habitat selection than by avoidance, as most wind towers were constructed in locations not often selected by wintering cranes. Our findings of modest regional overlap and that few towers have been placed in preferred crane habitat suggest that the current distribution of wind towers may be of low risk to the continued persistence of wintering midcontinental Sandhill Cranes in the central and southern Great Plains.

Anthropogenic contaminants in Indo-Pacific humpback and Australian snubfin dolphins from the central and southern Great Barrier Reef.

PubMed

Cagnazzi, Daniele; Fossi, Maria Cristina; Parra, Guido J; Harrison, Peter L; Maltese, Silvia; Coppola, Daniele; Soccodato, Alice; Bent, Michael; Marsili, Letizia

2013-11-01

We present the first evidence of accumulation of organochlorine compounds (DDTs, PCBs, HCB) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Indo-Pacific humpback and Australian snubfin dolphins from the central and southern Great Barrier Reef. These dolphins are considered by the Great Barrier Marine Park Authority to be high priority species for management. Analyses of biopsy samples, collected from free ranging individuals, showed PAHs levels comparable to those reported from highly industrialized countries. DDTs and HCB were found at low levels, while in some individuals, PCBs were above thresholds over which immunosuppression and reproductive anomalies occur. These results highlight the need for ongoing monitoring of these and other contaminants, and their potential adverse effects on dolphins and other marine fauna. This is particularly important given the current strategic assessment of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area being undertaken by the Australian Government and the Queensland Government. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Instability model for recurring large and great earthquakes in southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stuart, W.D.

1985-01-01

The locked section of the San Andreas fault in southern California has experienced a number of large and great earthquakes in the past, and thus is expected to have more in the future. To estimate the location, time, and slip of the next few earthquakes, an earthquake instability model is formulated. The model is similar to one recently developed for moderate earthquakes on the San Andreas fault near Parkfield, California. In both models, unstable faulting (the earthquake analog) is caused by failure of all or part of a patch of brittle, strain-softening fault zone. In the present model the patch extends downward from the ground surface to about 12 km depth, and extends 500 km along strike from Parkfield to the Salton Sea. The variation of patch strength along strike is adjusted by trial until the computed sequence of instabilities matches the sequence of large and great earthquakes since a.d. 1080 reported by Sieh and others. The last earthquake was the M=8.3 Ft. Tejon event in 1857. The resulting strength variation has five contiguous sections of alternately low and high strength. From north to south, the approximate locations of the sections are: (1) Parkfield to Bitterwater Valley, (2) Bitterwater Valley to Lake Hughes, (3) Lake Hughes to San Bernardino, (4) San Bernardino to Palm Springs, and (5) Palm Springs to the Salton Sea. Sections 1, 3, and 5 have strengths between 53 and 88 bars; sections 2 and 4 have strengths between 164 and 193 bars. Patch section ends and unstable rupture ends usually coincide, although one or more adjacent patch sections may fail unstably at once. The model predicts that the next sections of the fault to slip unstably will be 1, 3, and 5; the order and dates depend on the assumed length of an earthquake rupture in about 1700. ?? 1985 Birkha??user Verlag.

Reuse of assembly systems: a great ecological and economical potential for facility suppliers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weule, Hartmut; Buchholz, Carsten

2001-02-01

In addition to the consumer goods, capital goods offer a great potential for ecological and economic optimization. In view of this fact the project WiMonDi (Re-Use of Assembly Systems as new Business Fields), started in September 1998, focuses a marketable Remanufacturing and Re-Use of modules and components of assembly systems by using technically and organizationally continuous concepts. The objective of the closed Facility-Management-System is to prolong the serviceable lifespan of assembly facilities through the organized dismantling, refurbishment and reconditioning of the assembly facilities as well as their components. Therefore, it is necessary to develop easible and methodical strategies to realize a workable Re-Use concept. Within the project the focus is based on the optimization of Re-Use-strategies - the direct Re-Use, the Re-Use including Refurbishment as well as Material Recycling. The decision for an optimal strategy depends on economical (e.g. residual value, cost/benefit of relevant processes, etc.), ecological (e.g. pollutant components /substances), etc.) and technical parameters (e.g. reliability, etc.). For the purpose to integrate the total cost-of-ownership of products or components, WiMonDi integrates the costs of the use of products as well as the Re-Use costs/benefits. To initiate the conception of new distribution and user models between the supplier and the user of assembly facilities the described approach is conducted in close cooperation between Industry and University.

Validation of the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) retrospective forcing over the southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Lifeng; Robock, Alan; Mitchell, Kenneth E.; Houser, Paul R.; Wood, Eric F.; Schaake, John C.; Lohmann, Dag; Cosgrove, Brian; Wen, Fenghua; Sheffield, Justin; Duan, Qingyun; Higgins, R. Wayne; Pinker, Rachel T.; Tarpley, J. Dan

2003-11-01

Atmospheric forcing used by land surface models is a critical component of the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) and its quality crucially affects the final product of NLDAS and our work on model improvement. A three-year (September 1996-September 1999) retrospective forcing data set was created from the Eta Data Assimilation System and observations and used to run the NLDAS land surface models for this period. We compared gridded NLDAS forcing with station observations obtained from networks including the Oklahoma Mesonet and Atmospheric Radiation Measurement/Cloud and Radiation Testbed at the southern Great Plains. Differences in all forcing variables except precipitation between the NLDAS forcing data set and station observations are small at all timescales. While precipitation data do not agree very well at an hourly timescale, they do agree better at longer timescales because of the way NLDAS precipitation forcing is generated. A small high bias in downward solar radiation and a low bias in downward longwave radiation exist in the retrospective forcing. To investigate the impact of these differences on land surface modeling we compared two sets of model simulations, one forced by the standard NLDAS product and one with station-observed meteorology. The differences in the resulting simulations of soil moisture and soil temperature for each model were small, much smaller than the differences between the models and between the models and observations. This indicates that NLDAS retrospective forcing provides an excellent state-of-the-art data set for land surface modeling, at least over the southern Great Plains region.

Preliminary Report of NRC Twin Otter Operations in the 1997 Southern Great Plains Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

MacPherson, J. Ian

1997-01-01

From June 18 to July 17, 1997, the NRC Twin Otter atmospheric research aircraft was operated from Oklahoma City, U.S.A., in the Southern Great Plains 1997 (SGP97) Hydrology Experiment. The primary role of the aircraft was to measure the vertical fluxes of sensible and latent heat, CO2, ozone and momentum in the atmospheric boundary layer, along with supporting meteorological and radiometric data. Approximately 400 flux runs and 100 soundings were flown in 27 project flights over rural areas near Oklahoma City. This preliminary report documents the flight program, lists the instrumentation aboard the aircraft, and presents a summary of run-averaged data from each flux run. These data are from the in-field analysis and must be considered preliminary. A re-analysis incorporating updated calibrations is planned for the fall of 1997 followed by a more comprehensive technical report.

Building resilience into practical conservation: identifying local management responses to global climate change in the southern Great Barrier Reef

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maynard, J. A.; Marshall, P. A.; Johnson, J. E.; Harman, S.

2010-06-01

Climate change is now considered the greatest long-term threat to coral reefs, with some future change inevitable despite mitigation efforts. Managers must therefore focus on supporting the natural resilience of reefs, requiring that resilient reefs and reef regions be identified. We develop a framework for assessing resilience and trial it by applying the framework to target management responses to climate change on the southern Great Barrier Reef. The framework generates a resilience score for a site based on the evaluation of 19 differentially weighted indicators known or thought to confer resilience to coral reefs. Scores are summed, and sites within a region are ranked in terms of (1) their resilience relative to the other sites being assessed, and (2) the extent to which managers can influence their resilience. The framework was applied to 31 sites in Keppel Bay of the southern Great Barrier Reef, which has a long history of disturbance and recovery. Resilience and ‘management influence potential’ were both found to vary widely in Keppel Bay, informing site selection for the staged implementation of resilience-based management strategies. The assessment framework represents a step towards making the concept of resilience operational to reef managers and conservationists. Also, it is customisable, easy to teach and implement and effective in building support among local communities and stakeholders for management responses to climate change.

A late Pleistocene tephra layer in the southern Great Basin and Colorado Plateau derived from Mono Craters, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Madsen, D.B.; Sarna-Wojcicki, A. M.; Thompson, R.S.

2002-01-01

A newly identified tephra in stratified deposits in southwestern Utah, dated ???14,000 14C yr B.P., may aid in correlating late Pleistocene deposits across parts of the southern Great Basin and west-central Colorado Plateau. Geochemical analyses of the ash suggest the tephra originated from Mono Craters, California, and most probably correlates with Wilson Creek ash #3. Because the ash is 2 mm thick ???550 km from its source, the event may have been larger than others correlated to Mono Craters eruptions. ?? 2002 University of Washington.

Avian cholera in Southern Great Petrel (Macronectes giganteus) from Antarctica

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leotta, G.A.; Rivas, M.; Chinen, I.; Vigo, G.B.; Moredo, F.A.; Coria, N.; Wolcott, M.J.

2003-01-01

A southern giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus) was found dead at Potter Peninsula, King George Island, South Shetland, Antarctica. The adult male was discovered approximately 48 hr after death. Macroscopic and microscopic lesions were compatible with avian cholera and the bacterium Pasteurella multocida subsp. gallicida, serotype A1 was isolated from lung, heart, liver, pericardial sac, and air sacs. In addition, Escherichia coli was isolated from pericardial sac and air sacs. This is the first known report of avian cholera in a southern giant petrel in Antarctica.

Southern Peru desert shattered by the great 2001 earthquake: Implications for paleoseismic and paleo-El Nino-Southern Oscillation records

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keefer, David K.; Moseley, Michael E.

2004-01-01

In the desert region around the coastal city of Ilo, the great southern Peru earthquake of June 23, 2001 (8.2-8.4 moment magnitude), produced intense and widespread ground-failure effects. These effects included abundant landslides, pervasive ground cracking, microfracturing of surficial hillslope materials, collapse of drainage banks over long stretches, widening of hillside rills, and lengthening of first-order tributary channels. We have coined the term "shattered landscape" to describe the severity of these effects. Long-term consequences of this landscape shattering are inferred to include increased runoff and sediment transport during postearthquake rainstorms. This inference was confirmed during the first minor postearthquake rainstorm there, which occurred in June and July of 2002. Greater amounts of rainfall in this desert region have historically been associated with El Nin??o events. Previous studies of an unusual paleoflood deposit in this region have concluded that it is the product of El Nin??o-generated precipitation falling on seismically disturbed landscapes. The effects of the 2001 earthquake and 2002 rainstorm support that conclusion.

Mechanisms affecting the transition from shallow to deep convection over land: Inferences from observations collected at the ARM Southern Great Plains site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y.; Klein, S. A.

2009-12-01

11 years of summertime observations at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility Southern Great Plains (SGP) site are used to investigate mechanisms controlling the transition from shallow to deep convection over land. A more humid environment above the boundary layer favors the occurrence of late-afternoon heavy precipitation events. The higher moisture content is brought by wind from south. Greater boundary layer inhomogeneity in moist static energy (MSE) is correlated to larger rain rates at the initial stage of precipitation. MSE inhomogeneity is attributed to both moisture and temperature fields, and is correlated with westerly winds. In an examination of afternoon rain statistics, higher relative humidity above the boundary layer is correlated to an earlier onset and longer duration of precipitation, while greater boundary layer inhomogeneity and atmospheric instability are positively correlated to the total rain amount and the maximum rain rate. On balance, these observations favor theories for the transition that involve a moist free troposphere and boundary layer heterogeneity in preference to those that involve convective available potential energy or convective inhibition. Thus the evidence presented here supports the current emphasis in the modeling community on the entraining nature of convection and the role of boundary layer cold pools in triggering new convection.

Spatial variability in land-atmosphere coupling strength at the ARM Southern Great Plains site under different cloud regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Q.; Xie, S.; Zhang, Y.

2016-12-01

The paucity of land/soil observations is a long-standing limitation for land-atmosphere (LA) coupling studies, in particular for estimating the spatial variability in the coupling strengths. Spatially dense atmospheric radiation measurement (ARM) sites deployed at the U.S. Southern Great Plains (SGP) covers a wide range of vegetation, surface, and soil types, and thus allow us to observe the spatial patterns of LA coupling. The upcoming "super site" at SGP will facilitate these studies at even finer scales. While many previous studies have focused only on the observations from the central facility (CF) site or the domain mean from multiple sites, in the present work we examine the robustness of many key surface and land observations (e.g., radiation, turbulence fluxes, soil moisture, etc.) at extended sites besides the CF site for a decade. The coupling strengths are estimated with temporal covariations between important variables. We subsample the data to different categories based on different cloud regimes (e.g., clear sky, shallow cumulus, and deep cumulus. These cloud regimes are strongly impacted by local factors. The spatial variability of coupling strengths at different ARM sites is assessed with respect to dominant drivers (i.e., vegetation, land type, etc.). The results of this study will provide insights for improving the representation of LA coupling in climate models by providing observational constraints to parameterizations, e.g., shallow convective schemes. This work is performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. LLNL-ABS-698523

Home range and habitat use by Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) in Southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bennett, J.R.; Bloom, P.H.

2005-01-01

Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) are a common, widespread species that can be found in a variety of habitats across most of North America, but little is known about their space and habitat requirements. Using radiotelemetry, location data were collected on nine male and five female Great Horned Owls to determine home range and habitat use in southern California. Owls were tracked between January 1997 and September 1998 for periods ranging from 5-17 mo. Seven owls were also followed during 13 all-night observation periods. The mean 95% adaptive kernel home-range size for females was 180 ha (range = 88-282, SE = 36) and that for males was 425 ha (range = 147-1115 ha, SE = 105). Core areas estimated by the 50% adaptive kernel averaged 27 ha (range = 7-44, SE = 7) for females and 61 ha (range = 15-187, SE = 18) for males. Owls were located in areas with varying degrees of human disturbance ranging from almost entirely urban to native oak (Quercus agrifolia) woodland. Oak/sycamore (Quercus agrifolia/Platanus racemosa) woodland and ruderal grassland (Bromus spp., Avena spp., and various other non-native invasives), were used more often than expected based on availability, but we found no correlation between home-range size and any single habitat type or habitat groups. ?? 2005 The Raptor Research Foundation, Inc.

Southern cascades bioregion

Treesearch

Carl N. Skinner; Alan H. Taylor

2006-01-01

The Cascade Range extends from British Columbia, Canada, south to northern California where it meets the Sierra Nevada. The Southern Cascades bioregion in California is bounded on the west by the Sacramento Valley and the Klamath Mountains, and on the east by the Modoc Plateau and Great Basin. The bioregion encompasses the Southern Cascades section of Miles and Goudey...

In the shadow of 1857-the effect of the great Ft. Tejon earthquake on subsequent earthquakes in southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harris, R.A.; Simpson, R.W.

1996-01-01

The great 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake is the largest earthquake to have hit southern California during the historic period. We investigated if seismicity patterns following 1857 could be due to static stress changes generated by the 1857 earthquake. When post-1857 earthquakes with unknown focal mechanisms were assigned strike-slip mechanisms with strike and rake determined by the nearest active fault, 13 of the 13 southern California M???5.5 earthquakes between 1857 and 1907 were encouraged by the 1857 rupture. When post-1857 earthquakes in the Transverse Ranges with unknown focal mechanisms were assigned reverse mechanisms and all other events were assumed strike-slip, 11 of the 13 earthquakes were encouraged by the 1857 earthquake. These results show significant correlations between static stress changes and seismicity patterns. The correlation disappears around 1907, suggesting that tectonic loading began to overwhelm the effect of the 1857 earthquake early in the 20th century.

Quantifying agricultural drought in tallgrass prairie region in the U.S. Southern Great Plains through analysis of a water-related vegetation index from MODIS images

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Severe droughts in the Southern Great Plains (SGP: Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas) in recent years have reduced the productivity of tallgrass prairie and resulted in substantial economic losses to the beef cattle industry in this region. Understanding spatial and temporal patterns of agricultural droug...

Grassland vegetation and bird communities in the southern Great Plains of North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chapman, R.N.; Engle, David M.; Masters, R.E.; Leslie, David M.

2004-01-01

Structure and composition of vegetation and abundance of breeding birds in grasslands seeded to Old World bluestem (Bothriochloa ischmaeum) were compared to native mixed prairie in the southern Great Plains of North America. Abundance of birds was determined using fixed-radius point counts. Detrended correspondence analysis was used to compare plant community composition and canonical correspondence analysis was used to examine the relationships between plant species composition and vegetation structure with the bird community. Plant species composition differed distinctly between seeded grassland and native mixed prairie, but the differences were not reflected in habitat structure, bird community composition, or abundance of bird species. Seeded grassland was inferior to native mixed prairie in terms of diversity of plant species, but that difference did not translate into meaningful differences in structure that drove habitat selection by breeding birds. Conservation programs that promote establishment of seeded grassland and do not allow for suitable disturbance regimes will selectively benefit a narrow suite of birds regardless of plant species composition. ?? 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Deepwater Chondrichthyan Bycatch of the Eastern King Prawn Fishery in the Southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia

PubMed Central

Rigby, Cassandra L.; White, William T.; Simpfendorfer, Colin A.

2016-01-01

The deepwater chondrichthyan fauna of the Great Barrier Reef is poorly known and life history information is required to enable their effective management as they are inherently vulnerable to exploitation. The chondrichthyan bycatch from the deepwater eastern king prawn fishery at the Swain Reefs in the southern Great Barrier Reef was examined to determine the species present and provide information on their life histories. In all, 1533 individuals were collected from 11 deepwater chondrichthyan species, with the Argus skate Dipturus polyommata, piked spurdog Squalus megalops and pale spotted catshark Asymbolus pallidus the most commonly caught. All but one species is endemic to Australia with five species restricted to waters offshore from Queensland. The extent of life history information available for each species varied but the life history traits across all species were characteristic of deep water chondrichthyans with relatively large length at maturity, small litters and low ovarian fecundity; all indicative of low biological productivity. However, variability among these traits and spatial and bathymetric distributions of the species suggests differing degrees of resilience to fishing pressure. To ensure the sustainability of these bycatch species, monitoring of their catches in the deepwater eastern king prawn fishery is recommended. PMID:27218654

Review of Aquifer Storage and Recovery Performance in the Upper Floridan Aquifer in Southern Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reese, Ronald S.

2006-01-01

Introduction: Interest and activity in aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) in southern Florida has increased greatly during the past 10 to 15 years. ASR wells have been drilled to the carbonate Floridan aquifer system at 30 sites in southern Florida, mostly by local municipalities or counties located in coastal areas. The primary storage zone at these sites is contained within the brackish to saline Upper Floridan aquifer of the Floridan aquifer system. The strategy for use of ASR in southern Florida is to store excess freshwater available during the wet season in an aquifer and recover it during the dry season when needed for supplemental water supply. Each ASR cycle is defined by three periods: recharge, storage, and recovery. This fact sheet summarizes some of the findings of a second phase retrospective assessment of existing ASR facilities and sites.

Diversity, Seasonality, and Context of Mammalian Roadkills in the Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith-Patten, Brenda D.; Patten, Michael A.

2008-06-01

Thousands of mammals are killed annually from vehicle collisions, making the issue an important one for conservation biologists and environmental managers. We recorded all readily identifiable kills on or immediately adjacent to roads in the southern Great Plains from March 2004-March 2007. We also recorded distance traveled, whether a road was paved or divided, the number of lanes, and prevailing habitat. Surveys were opportunistic and were conducted by car during conditions of good visibility. Over our 239 surveys and >16,500 km traveled, we recorded 1412 roadkills from 18 different mammal species (size ranged from Sciurus squirrels to the white-tailed deer, Odocolieus virginianus). The overall kill rate was 8.50 / 100 km. Four species were prone to collisions: the Virginia opossum ( Didelphis virginiana), nine-banded armadillo ( Dasypus novemcinctus), striped skunk ( Mephitis mephitis), and northern raccoon ( Procyon lotor). Together they accounted for approximately 85% (1198) of all roadkills. Mortality rate differed significantly between 2- and 4-lane roads (8.39 versus 7.79 / 100 km). Kill rates were significantly higher on paved versus unpaved roads (8.60 versus 3.65 / 100 km), but did not depend on whether a road was divided. Roadkills were higher in spring than in fall (1.5×), winter (1.4×), or summer (1.3×). The spring peak (in kills / 100 km) was driven chiefly by the armadillo (2.76 in spring/summer versus 0.73 in autumn/winter) and opossum (2.65 versus 1.47). By contrast, seasonality was dampened by a late winter/early spring peak in skunk mortalities, for which 41% occurred in the 6-week period of mid-February through March. The raccoon did not exhibit a strong seasonal pattern. Our data are consistent with dispersal patterns of these species. Our results underscore the high rate of highway mortality in the southern plains, as well as differences in seasonality and road type that contribute to mortality. Conservation and management efforts should

Abrupt Climate Change in the Southern Great Plains during the Last Glacial Interval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Housson, A. L.; Maupin, C. R.; Roark, B.; Shen, C. C.; Baykara, O.; White, K.; Kampen-Lewis, S. V.; McChesney, C. L.

2016-12-01

Understanding how the climate of the North American Great Plains may change in the future is of tremendous socioeconomic importance, yet the regional response to previous abrupt global climate events, such as the Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) cycles of the last glacial interval, are poorly known. Here we present two absolutely dated (U/Th), partially replicated oxygen isotope (δ18O) records from calcite speleothems in central Texas (30° N, 98° W) that grew during marine isotope stage 3 (MIS 3) (31 to 49 ky BP). The study site experiences boreal spring and fall maxima in precipitation with rainfall moisture sourced almost exclusively from the Gulf of Mexico. The two samples exhibit reproducible δ18O means and variability during overlapping growth intervals. Weak correlations between paired oxygen and carbon isotopic values coupled with reproducible δ18O strongly suggest that dripwater δ18O and calcite formation temperatures are the primary drivers of speleothem δ18O variations through time. We interpret more depleted (enriched) δ18O values to reconstruct warmer and wetter (cooler and drier) conditions based on observations of modern rainfall stable isotope variations at the study site. We find that warmer and wetter conditions in the Southern Plains are contemporaneous with MIS 3 DO interstadials, while cooler and more arid conditions prevail during stadials and Heinrich Events 4 and 5. Our results show a response opposite that of hydrologic reconstructions from the American Southwest, where wetter conditions occur with stadial conditions. Future work includes exploration of paleoclimate model results to examine potential mechanisms responsible for this opposite phasing. Our speleothem data indicate that further intensification of rainy seasons in the Southern Plains should not be ruled out as a response to anthropogenic global warming.

Southern pulpwood production, 1974

Treesearch

Daniel F. Bertelson

1975-01-01

Southern pulpwood production in 1974 reached a record high of 49,102,144 cords, a 4-percent increase over the previous year. Daily pulping capacity at the 114 southern pulpmills rose 3 per- cent to 94,982 tons; the increase resulted from expansion of existing facilities and the opening of three new mills.

75 FR 4582 - Mojave-Southern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council Meetings, Nevada

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-28

... District Office Manager. [FR Doc. 2010-1729 Filed 1-27-10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P ... include, but are not limited to: February 18, BLM Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Dr... Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 N. Torrey [[Page 4583

Using ARM Observations to Evaluate Climate Model Simulations of Land-Atmosphere Coupling on the U.S. Southern Great Plains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Phillips, Thomas J.; Klein, Stephen A.; Ma, Hsi -Yen

Several independent measurements of warm-season soil moisture and surface atmospheric variables recorded at the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) research facility are used to estimate the terrestrial component of land-atmosphere coupling (LAC) strength and its regional uncertainty. The observations reveal substantial variation in coupling strength, as estimated from three soil moisture measurements at a single site, as well as across six other sites having varied soil and land cover types. The observational estimates then serve as references for evaluating SGP terrestrial coupling strength in the Community Atmospheric Model coupled to the Community Land Model. These coupled model components are operatedmore » in both a free-running mode and in a controlled configuration, where the atmospheric and land states are reinitialized daily, so that they do not drift very far from observations. Although the controlled simulation deviates less from the observed surface climate than its free-running counterpart, the terrestrial LAC in both configurations is much stronger and displays less spatial variability than the SGP observational estimates. Preliminary investigation of vegetation leaf area index (LAI) substituted for soil moisture suggests that the overly strong coupling between model soil moisture and surface atmospheric variables is associated with too much evaporation from bare ground and too little from the vegetation cover. Lastly, these results imply that model surface characteristics such as LAI, as well as the physical parameterizations involved in the coupling of the land and atmospheric components, are likely to be important sources of the problematical LAC behaviors.« less

Using ARM Observations to Evaluate Climate Model Simulations of Land-Atmosphere Coupling on the U.S. Southern Great Plains

DOE PAGES

Phillips, Thomas J.; Klein, Stephen A.; Ma, Hsi -Yen; ...

2017-10-13

Several independent measurements of warm-season soil moisture and surface atmospheric variables recorded at the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) research facility are used to estimate the terrestrial component of land-atmosphere coupling (LAC) strength and its regional uncertainty. The observations reveal substantial variation in coupling strength, as estimated from three soil moisture measurements at a single site, as well as across six other sites having varied soil and land cover types. The observational estimates then serve as references for evaluating SGP terrestrial coupling strength in the Community Atmospheric Model coupled to the Community Land Model. These coupled model components are operatedmore » in both a free-running mode and in a controlled configuration, where the atmospheric and land states are reinitialized daily, so that they do not drift very far from observations. Although the controlled simulation deviates less from the observed surface climate than its free-running counterpart, the terrestrial LAC in both configurations is much stronger and displays less spatial variability than the SGP observational estimates. Preliminary investigation of vegetation leaf area index (LAI) substituted for soil moisture suggests that the overly strong coupling between model soil moisture and surface atmospheric variables is associated with too much evaporation from bare ground and too little from the vegetation cover. Lastly, these results imply that model surface characteristics such as LAI, as well as the physical parameterizations involved in the coupling of the land and atmospheric components, are likely to be important sources of the problematical LAC behaviors.« less

Formation of albitite-hosted uranium within IOCG systems: the Southern Breccia, Great Bear magmatic zone, Northwest Territories, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montreuil, Jean-François; Corriveau, Louise; Potter, Eric G.

2015-03-01

Uranium and polymetallic U mineralization hosted within brecciated albitites occurs one kilometer south of the magnetite-rich Au-Co-Bi-Cu NICO deposit in the southern Great Bear magmatic zone (GBMZ), Canada. Concentrations up to 1 wt% U are distributed throughout a 3 by 0.5 km albitization corridor defined as the Southern Breccia zone. Two distinct U mineralization events are observed. Primary uraninite precipitated with or without pyrite-chalcopyrite ± molybdenite within magnetite-ilmenite-biotite-K-feldspar-altered breccias during high-temperature potassic-iron alteration. Subsequently, pitchblende precipitated in earthy hematite-specular hematite-chlorite veins associated with a low-temperature iron-magnesium alteration. The uraninite-bearing mineralization postdates sodic (albite) and more localized high-temperature potassic-iron (biotite-magnetite ± K-feldspar) alteration yet predates potassic (K-feldspar), boron (tourmaline) and potassic-iron-magnesium (hematite ± K-feldspar ± chlorite) alteration. The Southern Breccia zone shares attributes of the Valhalla (Australia) and Lagoa Real (Brazil) albitite-hosted U deposits but contains greater iron oxide contents and lower contents of riebeckite and carbonates. Potassium, Ni, and Th are also enriched whereas Zr and Sr are depleted with respect to the aforementioned albitite-hosted U deposits. Field relationships, geochemical signatures and available U-Pb dates on pre-, syn- and post-mineralization intrusions place the development of the Southern Breccia and the NICO deposit as part of a single iron oxide alkali-altered (IOAA) system. In addition, this case example illustrates that albitite-hosted U deposits can form in albitization zones that predate base and precious metal ore zones in a single IOAA system and become traps for U and multiple metals once the tectonic regime favors fluid mixing and oxidation-reduction reactions.

Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

Along the coast of Queensland, Australia (18.0S, 147.5E), timbered foothills of the Great Dividing Range separate the semi-arid interior of Queensland from the farmlands of the coastal plains. Prominent cleared areas in the forest indicate deforestation for farm and pasture lands. Offshore, islands and the Great Barrier Reef display sand banks along the southern sides of the structures indicating a dominant southerly wind and current direction.

Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentration and emission patterns for mono-slope beef cattle facilities in the Northern Great Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mono-slope buildings are one type of roofed and confined cattle feeding facility that is becoming increasingly popular in the Northern Great Plains. In response to questions and concerns about the barn environment and air quality regulations, the objectives of this study were to determine gas concen...

Atmospheric transport of toxaphene from the southern United States to the Great Lakes Region.

PubMed

James, Ryan R; Hites, Ronald A

2002-08-15

Toxaphene was used extensively as an insecticide on cotton in the southern United States until its use was restricted in 1982. Toxaphene has been found in the water and fishes from the Great Lakes, and several authors have qualitatively linked this observation to atmospheric transport from the southern United States, although no detailed field study has been done to confirm this suggestion. We implemented a sampling network to measure the gas-phase concentrations of toxaphene near Lake Michigan at Sleeping Bear Dunes, MI; Bloomington, IN; Lubbock, TX; and Rohwer, AR. The toxaphene concentrations referenced to 288 K were 11 +/- 1, 25 +/- 1, 160 +/- 3, and 950 +/- 30 pg/ m3, respectively. We combined these concentration data with a nonparametric, backward trajectory, multiple regression model of the following form: ln(P) = a0 + a1/T + a2theta where P is the partial pressure of toxaphene (in atm) in a given sample, T is the atmospheric temperature at the sampling site during sampling (in degrees Kelvin), and theta is 0 if the backward trajectory comes from the north and 1 if the trajectory comes from the south. The parameters of this model were generally significant, giving a temperature coefficient (a1) corresponding to 45 +/- 8 kJ/mol and a positive directional coefficient (a2) of 0.6 +/- 0.2 (except for Texas, which was not significant). The positive sign and magnitude of the directional coefficient indicates that the sources of toxaphene are located south of the sampling sites. We also compared the chemical behavior of toxaphene in the atmosphere and found that the congener ratios were similar at the different sampling sites but slightly different from various toxaphene standards.

A 3-Year Climatology of Cloud and Radiative Properties Derived from GOES-8 Data Over the Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khaiyer, M. M.; Rapp, A. D.; Doelling, D. R.; Nordeen, M. L.; Minnis, P.; Smith, W. L., Jr.; Nguyen, L.

2001-01-01

While the various instruments maintained at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program Southern Great Plains (SGP) Central Facility (CF) provide detailed cloud and radiation measurements for a small area, satellite cloud property retrievals provide a means of examining the large-scale properties of the surrounding region over an extended period of time. Seasonal and inter-annual climatological trends can be analyzed with such a dataset. For this purpose, monthly datasets of cloud and radiative properties from December 1996 through November 1999 over the SGP region have been derived using the layered bispectral threshold method (LBTM). The properties derived include cloud optical depths (ODs), temperatures and albedos, and are produced on two grids of lower (0.5 deg) and higher resolution (0.3 deg) centered on the ARM SGP CF. The extensive time period and high-resolution of the inner grid of this dataset allows for comparison with the suite of instruments located at the ARM CF. In particular, Whole-Sky Imager (WSI) and the Active Remote Sensing of Clouds (ARSCL) cloud products can be compared to the cloud amounts and heights of the LBTM 0.3 deg grid box encompassing the CF site. The WSI provides cloud fraction and the ARSCL computes cloud fraction, base, and top heights using the algorithms by Clothiaux et al. (2001) with a combination of Belfort Laser Ceilometer (BLC), Millimeter Wave Cloud Radar (MMCR), and Micropulse Lidar (MPL) data. This paper summarizes the results of the LBTM analysis for 3 years of GOES-8 data over the SGP and examines the differences between surface and satellite-based estimates of cloud fraction.

Surface Forcing from CH4 at the North Slope of Alaska and Southern Great Plains Sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins, W.; Feldman, D.; Turner, D. D.

2014-12-01

Recent increases in atmospheric CH4 have been spatially heterogeneous as indicated by in situ flask measurements and space-borne remote-sensing retrievals from the AIRS instrument, potentially leading to increased radiative forcing. We present detailed, specialized measurements at the DOE ARM North Slope of Alaska (NSA) and Southern Great Plains (SGP) sites to derive the time-series of both CH4 atmospheric concentrations and associated radiative implications at highly-contrasting natural and anthropogenic sources. Using a combination of spectroscopic measurements, in situ observations, and ancillary data for the atmospheric thermodynamic state from radiosondes and cloud-clearing from active sounders, we can separate out the contribution of CH4 to clear-sky downwelling radiance spectra and its infrared surface forcing. The time-series indicates year-to-year variation in shoulder season increases of CH4 concentration and forcing at NSA and large signals from anthropogenic activity at SGP.

Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-09-18

STS048-151-250 (12-18 Sept. 1991) --- The Great Barrier Reef extends for roughly 2,000 kilometers along the northeast coast of Australia. The great Barrier Reef is made up of thousands of individual reefs which define the edge of the continental shelf. The southern part of the feature, called Swain Reef, is seen here. Water depths around the reefs are quite shallow (less than 1 meter to about 36 meters in depth), but only a few kilometers offshore, water depths are roughly 1,000 meters.

The Great Plains Wind Power Test Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schroeder, John

2014-01-30

This multi-year, multi-faceted project was focused on the continued development of a nationally-recognized facility for the testing, characterization, and improvement of grid-connected wind turbines, integrated wind-water desalination systems, and related educational and outreach topics. The project involved numerous faculty and graduate students from various engineering departments, as well as others from the departments of Geosciences (in particular the Atmospheric Science Group) and Economics. It was organized through the National Wind Institute (NWI), which serves as an intellectual hub for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research, commercialization and education related to wind science, wind energy, wind engineering and wind hazard mitigation at Texasmore » Tech University (TTU). Largely executed by an academic based team, the project resulted in approximately 38 peer-reviewed publications, 99 conference presentations, the development/expansion of several experimental facilities, and two provisional patents.« less

Second-Generation Outcomes of the Great Migration.

PubMed

Alexander, J Trent; Leibbrand, Christine; Massey, Catherine; Tolnay, Stewart

2017-12-01

The mass migration of African Americans out of the South during the first two-thirds of the twentieth century represents one of the most significant internal migration flows in U.S. Those undertaking the Great Migration left the South in search of a better life, and their move transformed the cultural, social, and political dynamics of African American life specifically and U.S. society more generally. Recent research offers conflicting evidence regarding the migrants' success in translating their geographic mobility into economic mobility. Due in part to the lack of a large body of longitudinal data, almost all studies of the Great Migration have focused on the migrants themselves, usually over short periods of their working lives. Using longitudinally linked census data, we take a broader view, investigating the long-term economic and social effects of the Great Migration on the migrants' children. Our results reveal modest but statistically significant advantages in education, income, and poverty status for the African American children of the Great Migration relative to the children of southerners who remained in the South. In contrast, second-generation white migrants experienced few benefits from migrating relative to southern or northern stayers.

Southern California Daily Energy Report

EIA Publications

2016-01-01

EIA has updated its Southern California Daily Energy Report to provide additional information on key energy market indicators for the winter season. The dashboard includes information that EIA regularly compiles about energy operations and the management of natural gas and electricity systems in Southern California in the aftermath of a leak at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility outside of Los Angeles

Health system support for childbirth care in Southern Tanzania: results from a health facility census

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Progress towards reaching Millennium Development Goals four (child health) and five (maternal health) is lagging behind, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, despite increasing efforts to scale up high impact interventions. Increasing the proportion of birth attended by a skilled attendant is a main indicator of progress, but not much is known about the quality of childbirth care delivered by these skilled attendants. With a view to reducing maternal mortality through health systems improvement we describe the care routinely offered in childbirth at dispensaries, health centres and hospitals in five districts in rural Southern Tanzania. We use data from a health facility census assessing 159 facilities in five districts in early 2009. A structural and operational assessment was undertaken based on staff reports using a modular questionnaire assessing staffing, work load, equipment and supplies as well as interventions routinely implemented during childbirth. Results Health centres and dispensaries attended a median of eight and four deliveries every month respectively. Dispensaries had a median of 2.5 (IQR 2–3) health workers including auxiliary staff instead of the recommended four clinical officer and certified nurses. Only 28% of first-line facilities (dispensaries and health centres) reported offering active management in the third stage of labour (AMTSL). Essential childbirth care comprising eight interventions including AMTSL, infection prevention, partograph use including foetal monitoring and newborn care including early breastfeeding, thermal care at birth and prevention of ophthalmia neonatorum was offered by 5% of dispensaries, 38% of health centres and 50% of hospitals consistently. No first-line facility had provided all signal functions for emergency obstetric complications in the previous six months. Conclusions Essential interventions for childbirth care are not routinely implemented in first-line facilities or hospitals. Dispensaries

Induced abortion and associated factors in health facilities of Guraghe zone, southern Ethiopia.

PubMed

Tesfaye, Gezahegn; Hambisa, Mitiku Teshome; Semahegn, Agumasie

2014-01-01

Unsafe abortion is one of the major medical and public health problems in developing countries including Ethiopia. However, there is a lack of up-to-date and reliable information on induced abortion distribution and its determinant factors in the country. This study was intended to assess induced abortion and associated factors in health facilities of Guraghe zone, Southern Ethiopia. Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted in eight health facilities in Guraghe zone. Client exit interview was conducted on 400 patients using a structured questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with induced abortion. Out of 400 women, 75.5% responded that the current pregnancy that ended in abortion is unwanted. However, only 12.3% of the respondents have admitted interference to the current pregnancy. Having more than four pregnancies (AOR = 4.28, CI: (1.24-14.71)), age of 30-34 years (AOR = 0.15, CI: (0.04-0.55)), primary education (AOR = 0.26, CI: (0.13-0.88)), and wanted pregnancy (AOR = 0.44, CI: (0.14-0.65)) were found to have association with induced abortion. The study revealed high level of induced abortion which is underpinned by high magnitude of unwanted pregnancy. There is requirement for widespread expansion of increased access to high quality family planning service and post-abortion care.

Coral Luminescence Identifies the Pacific Decadal Oscillation as a Primary Driver of River Runoff Variability Impacting the Southern Great Barrier Reef

PubMed Central

Rodriguez-Ramirez, Alberto; Grove, Craig A.; Zinke, Jens; Pandolfi, John M.; Zhao, Jian-xin

2014-01-01

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is a large-scale climatic phenomenon modulating ocean-atmosphere variability on decadal time scales. While precipitation and river flow variability in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchments are sensitive to PDO phases, the extent to which the PDO influences coral reefs is poorly understood. Here, six Porites coral cores were used to produce a composite record of coral luminescence variability (runoff proxy) and identify drivers of terrestrial influence on the Keppel reefs, southern GBR. We found that coral skeletal luminescence effectively captured seasonal, inter-annual and decadal variability of river discharge and rainfall from the Fitzroy River catchment. Most importantly, although the influence of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events was evident in the luminescence records, the variability in the coral luminescence composite record was significantly explained by the PDO. Negative luminescence anomalies (reduced runoff) were associated with El Niño years during positive PDO phases while positive luminescence anomalies (increased runoff) coincided with strong/moderate La Niña years during negative PDO phases. This study provides clear evidence that not only ENSO but also the PDO have significantly affected runoff regimes at the Keppel reefs for at least a century, and suggests that upcoming hydrological disturbances and ecological responses in the southern GBR region will be mediated by the future evolution of these sources of climate variability. PMID:24416214

Coral luminescence identifies the Pacific Decadal Oscillation as a primary driver of river runoff variability impacting the southern Great Barrier Reef.

PubMed

Rodriguez-Ramirez, Alberto; Grove, Craig A; Zinke, Jens; Pandolfi, John M; Zhao, Jian-xin

2014-01-01

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is a large-scale climatic phenomenon modulating ocean-atmosphere variability on decadal time scales. While precipitation and river flow variability in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchments are sensitive to PDO phases, the extent to which the PDO influences coral reefs is poorly understood. Here, six Porites coral cores were used to produce a composite record of coral luminescence variability (runoff proxy) and identify drivers of terrestrial influence on the Keppel reefs, southern GBR. We found that coral skeletal luminescence effectively captured seasonal, inter-annual and decadal variability of river discharge and rainfall from the Fitzroy River catchment. Most importantly, although the influence of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events was evident in the luminescence records, the variability in the coral luminescence composite record was significantly explained by the PDO. Negative luminescence anomalies (reduced runoff) were associated with El Niño years during positive PDO phases while positive luminescence anomalies (increased runoff) coincided with strong/moderate La Niña years during negative PDO phases. This study provides clear evidence that not only ENSO but also the PDO have significantly affected runoff regimes at the Keppel reefs for at least a century, and suggests that upcoming hydrological disturbances and ecological responses in the southern GBR region will be mediated by the future evolution of these sources of climate variability.

Using ARM Observations to Evaluate Climate Model Representation of Land-Atmosphere Coupling on the U.S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, T. J.; Klein, S. A.; Ma, H. Y.; Tang, Q.

2016-12-01

Statistically significant coupling between summertime soil moisture and various atmospheric variables has been observed at the U.S. Southern Great Plains (SGP) facilities maintained by the U.S. DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program (Phillips and Klein, 2014 JGR). In the current study, we employ several independent measurements of shallow-depth soil moisture (SM) and of the surface evaporative fraction (EF) over multiple summers in order to estimate the range of SM-EF coupling strength at seven sites, and to approximate the SGP regional-scale coupling strength (and its uncertainty). We will use this estimate of regional-scale SM-EF coupling strength to evaluate its representation in version 5.1 of the global Community Atmosphere Model (CAM5.1) coupled to the CLM4 Land Model. Two experimental cases are considered for the 2003-2011 study period: 1) an Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) run with historically observed sea surface temperatures specified, and 2) a more constrained hindcast run in which the CAM5.1 atmospheric state is initialized each day from the ERA Interim reanalysis, while the CLM4 initial conditions are obtained from an offline run of the land model using observed surface net radiation, precipitation, and wind as forcings. These twin experimental cases allow a distinction to be drawn between the land-atmosphere coupling in the free-running CAM5.1/CLM4 model and that in which the land and atmospheric states are constrained to remain closer to "reality". The constrained hindcast case, for example, should allow model errors in coupling strength to be related more closely to potential deficiencies in land-surface or atmospheric boundary-layer parameterizations. AcknowledgmentsThis work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science and was performed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Quantifying spatial and temporal variabilities of microwave brightness temperature over the U.S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choudhury, B. J.; Owe, M.; Ormsby, J. P.; Chang, A. T. C.; Wang, J. R.; Goward, S. N.; Golus, R. E.

1987-01-01

Spatial and temporal variabilities of microwave brightness temperature over the U.S. Southern Great Plains are quantified in terms of vegetation and soil wetness. The brightness temperatures (TB) are the daytime observations from April to October for five years (1979 to 1983) obtained by the Nimbus-7 Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer at 6.6 GHz frequency, horizontal polarization. The spatial and temporal variabilities of vegetation are assessed using visible and near-infrared observations by the NOAA-7 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), while an Antecedent Precipitation Index (API) model is used for soil wetness. The API model was able to account for more than 50 percent of the observed variability in TB, although linear correlations between TB and API were generally significant at the 1 percent level. The slope of the linear regression between TB and API is found to correlate linearly with an index for vegetation density derived from AVHRR data.

I Got Them Dust Bowl Blues: Wind Erosion in the Music of the Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, J. A.

2017-12-01

This paper deals with the role of wind erosion and blowing dust on the music of the Dust Bowl region, a portion of the southern Great Plains of the United States. A defining characteristic of the region is dust storms, and in the 1930s, severe dust storms created dramatic images that came to symbolize all of the economic, social and environmental hardships suffered by the people during the 1930s. The music of the time, by Woody Guthrie and others, suggested that the region was being destroyed, never to recover. The region was resilient, however, and in recent decades, dust has been depicted in songs either as an adversity to be endured or simply as a normal part of life in the area. It may be that blowing dust has become a defining characteristic of the region because of a somewhat warped sense of pride in living in an often-difficult environment.

Comparison of precipitable water vapor measurements obtained by microwave radiometry and radiosondes at the Southern Great ...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lesht, B.M.; Liljegren, J.C.

1996-12-31

Comparisons between the precipitable water vapor (PWV) estimated by passive microwave radiometers (MWRs) and that obtained by integrating the vertical profile of water vapor density measured by radiosondes (BBSS) have generally shown good agreement. These comparisons, however, have usually been done over rather short time periods and consequently within limited ranges of total PWV and with limited numbers of radiosondes. We have been making regular comparisons between MWR and BBSS estimates of PWV at the Southern Great Plains Cloud and Radiation Testbed (SGP/CART) site since late 1992 as part of an ongoing quality measurement experiment (QME). This suite of comparisonsmore » spans three annual cycles and a relatively wide range of total PWV amounts. Our findings show that although for the most part the agreement is excellent, differences between the two measurements occur. These differences may be related to the MWR retrieval of PWV and to calibration variations between radiosonde batches.« less

Induced Abortion and Associated Factors in Health Facilities of Guraghe Zone, Southern Ethiopia

PubMed Central

Hambisa, Mitiku Teshome; Semahegn, Agumasie

2014-01-01

Unsafe abortion is one of the major medical and public health problems in developing countries including Ethiopia. However, there is a lack of up-to-date and reliable information on induced abortion distribution and its determinant factors in the country. This study was intended to assess induced abortion and associated factors in health facilities of Guraghe zone, Southern Ethiopia. Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted in eight health facilities in Guraghe zone. Client exit interview was conducted on 400 patients using a structured questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with induced abortion. Out of 400 women, 75.5% responded that the current pregnancy that ended in abortion is unwanted. However, only 12.3% of the respondents have admitted interference to the current pregnancy. Having more than four pregnancies (AOR = 4.28, CI: (1.24–14.71)), age of 30–34 years (AOR = 0.15, CI: (0.04–0.55)), primary education (AOR = 0.26, CI: (0.13–0.88)), and wanted pregnancy (AOR = 0.44, CI: (0.14–0.65)) were found to have association with induced abortion. The study revealed high level of induced abortion which is underpinned by high magnitude of unwanted pregnancy. There is requirement for widespread expansion of increased access to high quality family planning service and post-abortion care. PMID:24800079

A Climatology of Fair-Weather Cloud Statistics at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Southern Great Plains Site: Temporal and Spatial Variability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berg, Larry K.; Kassianov, Evgueni I.; Long, Charles N.

2006-03-30

In previous work, Berg and Stull (2005) developed a new parameterization for Fair-Weather Cumuli (FWC). Preliminary testing of the new scheme used data collected during a field experiment conducted during the summer of 1996. This campaign included a few research flights conducted over three locations within the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility (ACRF) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site. A more comprehensive verification of the new scheme requires a detailed climatology of FWC. Several cloud climatologies have been completed for the ACRF SGP, but these efforts have focused on either broad categories of clouds grouped by height and seasonmore » (e.g., Lazarus et al. 1999) or height and time of day (e.g., Dong et al. 2005). In these two examples, the low clouds were not separated by the type of cloud, either stratiform or cumuliform, nor were the horizontal chord length (the length of the cloud slice that passed directly overhead) or cloud aspect ratio (defined as the ratio of the cloud thickness to the cloud chord length) reported. Lane et al. (2002) presented distributions of cloud chord length, but only for one year. The work presented here addresses these shortcomings by looking explicitly at cases with FWC over five summers. Specifically, we will address the following questions: •Does the cloud fraction (CF), cloud-base height (CBH), and cloud-top height (CTH) of FWC change with the time of day or the year? •What is the distribution of FWC chord lengths? •Is there a relationship between the cloud chord length and the cloud thickness?« less

Hydrologic reconnaissance of the southern Great Salt Lake Desert and summary of the hydrology of west-central Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gates, Joseph S.; Kruer, Stacie A.

1981-01-01

This report is the last of 19 hydrologic reconnaissances of the basins in western Utah. The purposes of this series of studies are (1) to analyze available hydrologic data and describe the hydrologic system, (2) to evaluate existing and potential water-resources development, and (3) to identify additional studies that might be needed. Part 1 of this report gives an estimate of recharge and discharge, an estimate of the potential for water-resources development, and a statement on the quality of water in the southern Great Salt Lake Desert part of west-central Utah. Part 2 deals with the same aspects of west-central Utah as a whole. Part 2 also summarizes the evidence of interbasin ground-water flow in west-central Utah and presents a theory for the origin of the water discharged from Fish Springs.

Great Basin cold desert shrublands and the Desert Experimental Range

Treesearch

Stanley G. Kitchen; Stephanie L. Carlson

2008-01-01

The Great Basin is a vast, internally drained region of the Western United States, bounded by the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Mountain ranges to the west and the Wasatch Mountains and western rim of the Colorado Plateau to the east. Although less discrete, northern and southern boundaries are generally defined by the drainages of the Columbia and Colorado Rivers...

Microscopic composition measurements of organic individual particles collected in the Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonanno, D.; China, S.; Fraund, M. W.; Pham, D.; Kulkarni, G.; Laskin, A.; Gilles, M. K.; Moffet, R.

2016-12-01

The Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) Campaign was carried out to gain a better understanding of the lifecycle of shallow clouds. The HISCALE experiment was designed to contrast two seasons, wet and dry, and determine their effect on atmospheric cloud and aerosol processes. The spring component to HISCALE was selected to characterize mixing state for particles collected onto substrates. Sampling was performed before and after rain events to obtain airborne soil organic particles (ASOP), which are ejected after rain events. The unique composition of the ASOP may affect optical properties and/or hygroscopic properties. The collection of particles took place at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains (ARM SGP) field site. The Scanning Transmission X-Ray Microscope (STXM) was used to image the samples collected during the first HI-SCALE Campaign to determine the carbonaceous mixing state. Scanning Electron Microscopy Energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDX) analysis is more sensitive to the inorganic makeup of particles, while STXM renders a more comprehensive analysis of the organics. Measurements such as nephelometry, Particle Soot Absorption Photometry (PSAP), and Aerosol Mass Spectrometry (AMS) from the ARM archive will be correlated with microscopy measurements. The primary focus is the relation between composition and morphology of ASOP with hygroscopicity and optical properties. Further investigation of these organic particles will be performed to provide a mixing state parameterization and aid in the advancement of current climate models.

Penultimate Glacial-Interglacial Climate Variability in the Southern Great Plains of North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartow-Gillies, E.; Maupin, C. R.; Roark, E. B.; Chou, Y. C.; White, K.; Kampen-Lewis, S. V.; Shen, C. C.

2017-12-01

Projections of changes in rainfall under future warming scenarios vary in their sign and intensity over the Southern Great Plains (SGP). A scarcity of local paleoclimate information before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) limits our understanding of regional climate responses to changes in mean state and forcing. Here, we present absolutely U/Th-dated oxygen and carbon isotope records from a calcite stalagmite near Georgetown, Texas (30°N, 98°W), spanning 98 to 209 kyr before present (kyr BP). SGP moisture is primarily sourced from the Gulf of Mexico, and precipitation exhibits clear seasonality, with a biannual rainy season divided into late boreal spring and fall. We interpret the oxygen isotopic composition of the stalagmite to reflect changes in rainwater δ18O composition, as well as cave temperature, through time. There are no clear kinetic isotope effects observed within the stalagmite. More negative (positive) δ18O values are a reflection of warmer and wetter (cooler and drier) conditions based on modern observations of rainwater δ18O at the study site. Variations in stalagmite δ13C may be driven by shifts in overlying vegetation type and changes in the rates of karst flow and prior calcite precipitation. The stalagmite records include Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e, an interval where global temperatures may have been as much as 2°C warmer and sea level 4-6 m higher than present. Thus, our δ18O record provides context of unique importance for how SGP hydroclimate may respond to future warming. Prominent features in the δ18O record, including a warm and wet MIS 5e appear to be paced by precession, with the timing of δ18O minima (maxima) broadly consistent with that of maxima (minima) in monthly insolation at 30°N. The δ13C record exhibits a striking similarity to canonical, sawtooth records of glacial-interglacial variability, which suggests Great Plains vegetation communities may be sensitive to the status of Northern Hemisphere glaciation. Our SGP

Late Quaternary environments and biogeography in the Great Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, R. S.; Mead, J. I.

1982-01-01

Plant and animal remains found in packrat ( Neotoma spp.) middens and cave fill from the eastern and southern Great Basin region reveal the presence of subalpine conifers and boreal mammals at relatively low elevations during the Late Wisconsin. Limber pine ( Pinus flexilis) and bristlecone pine ( P. longaeva) were important in the late Pleistocene plant communities throughout this region. Spruce ( Picea cf. engelmannii) and common juniper ( Juniperus communis) were present in some of the more northerly localities, and Douglas fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii) and white fir ( Abies concolor) were present in southern and eastern localities. Single needle pinyon pine ( Pinus monophylla), common across this region today, was apparently not present north of the Sheep Range of southern Nevada during the Late Wisconsin. Pikas ( Ochotona cf. princeps), small boreal mammals present in only a few Great Basin mountain ranges today, were common throughout the region. Heather voles ( Phenacomys cf. intermedius) have been found in two cave fill deposits in Nevada, though they are unknown in the Great Basin today. Limber and bristlecone pines are generally restricted to rocky substrates in modern subalpine habitats in the Great Basin, and this may also have been the case when these plants grew at lower elevations during the Late Wisconsin. Subalpine conifers were present on the rock outcrops sampled by the packrat middens, but shrub communities, perhaps dominated by sagebrush ( Artemisia spp.), may have been present on alluvial valley-bottom substrates. Forested habitats would thus have been isolated habitat islands, as they are today. Boreal small mammals, including pikas and heather voles, were able to colonize the Great Basin mountain ranges during the late Pleistocene. We suggest that these mammals were able to survive in the intervening valley-bottoms under a cool-summer climatic regime, and that continuous forest or woodland corridors were not necessary for migration.

3. EAST SIDE SHOWING RECREATION PATIO ADDITION AT SOUTHERN END. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. EAST SIDE SHOWING RECREATION PATIO ADDITION AT SOUTHERN END. TWO-STORY PORTION AT SOUTHERN END CONTAINS 'RIGGING LOFT.' - Chollas Heights Naval Radio Transmitting Facility, Public Works Shop, 6410 Zero Road, San Diego, San Diego County, CA

Temperature variations in the southern Great Lakes during the last deglaciation: Comparison between pollen and GDGT proxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watson, Benjamin I.; Williams, John W.; Russell, James M.; Jackson, Stephen T.; Shane, Linda; Lowell, Thomas V.

2018-02-01

Our understanding of deglacial climate history in the southern Great Lakes region of the United States is primarily based upon fossil pollen data, with few independent and multi-proxy climate reconstructions. Here we introduce a new, well-dated fossil pollen record from Stotzel-Leis, OH, and a new deglacial temperature record based on branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) at Silver Lake, OH. We compare these new data to previously published records and to a regional stack of pollen-based temperature reconstructions from Stotzel-Leis, Silver Lake, and three other well-dated sites. The new and previously published pollen records at Stotzel-Leis are similar, but our new age model brings vegetation events into closer alignment with known climatic events such as the Younger Dryas (YD). brGDGT-inferred temperatures correlate strongly with pollen-based regional temperature reconstructions, with the strongest correlation obtained for a global soil-based brGDGT calibration (r2 = 0.88), lending confidence to the deglacial reconstructions and the use of brGDGT and regional pollen stacks as paleotemperature proxies in eastern North America. However, individual pollen records show large differences in timing, rates, and amplitudes of inferred temperature change, indicating caution with paleoclimatic inferences based on single-site pollen records. From 16.0 to 10.0ka, both proxies indicate that regional temperatures rose by ∼10 °C, roughly double the ∼5 °C estimates for the Northern Hemisphere reported in prior syntheses. Change-point analysis of the pollen stack shows accelerated warming at 14.0 ± 1.2ka, cooling at 12.6 ± 0.4ka, and warming from 11.6 ± 0.5ka into the Holocene. The timing of Bølling-Allerød (B-A) warming and YD onset in our records lag by ∼300-500 years those reported in syntheses of temperature records from the northern mid-latitudes. This discrepancy is too large to be attributed to uncertainties in radiocarbon dating, and

The Initiation of the Southern Central Great Barrier Reef: Multiproxy Study on Periplatform Sediments From ODP Site 1195 on the Marion Plateau (NE Australia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubois, N.; Kindler, P.; Spezzaferri, S.; Coric, S.

2007-12-01

The sediments deposited at ODP Site 1195 (Marion Plateau, NE Australia) record synchronous shifts in their chemistry, mineralogy, grain size and colour at 6 meters below sea floor. These significant changes are interpreted to reflect the onset of the southern province of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). An increased deposition of carbonate-rich sediments of neritic origin, coincident with a decline in both sedimentation rate and terrigenous input, is attributed to inshore trapping of materials by the reefs. Based on an age model combining magnetostratigraphic and biostratigraphic data, we propose that the southern province of the GBR initiated between 560 and 670 kyr B.P. Our best estimate concurs with previous studies reporting an age between 500 and 930 kyr B.P., albeit constraining more tightly these earlier age estimates. However, it does not support research placing the birth of the GBR in Marine Isotope Stage 11 (about 400 kyr B.P.), nor the recent theory of a worldwide modern reef development at that time.

Decadal Vision Progress Report Implementation Plans and Status for the Next Generation ARM Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mather, James

The reconfiguration of the ARM facility, formally initiated in early 2014, is geared toward implementing the Next Generation of the ARM Facility, which will more tightly link ARM measurements and atmospheric models. The strategy is outlined in the ARM Climate Research Facility Decadal Vision (DOE 2014a). The strategy includes the implementation of a high-resolution model, initially at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site, and enhancements at the SGP and North Slope of Alaska (NSA) sites to provide additional observations to support modeling and process studies. Enhancements at the SGP site focus on ground-based instruments while enhancements at the NSA makemore » use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Tethered Balloon Systems (TBS). It is also recognized that new data tools and data products will need to be developed to take full advantage of these improvements. This document provides an update on the status of these ARM facility enhancements, beginning with the measurement enhancements at the SGP and NSA, followed by a discussion of the modeling project including associated data-processing activities.« less

The rediscovery of the Great Winterberg endemic Lotononis harveyi B.–E.van Wyk after 147 years, and notes on the poorly known Amathole endemic Macowania revoluta Oliv. (southern Great Escarpment, South Africa)

PubMed Central

Clark, Vincent Ralph; Bentley, Joanne; Dold, Anthony P.; Zikishe, Vathiswa; Barker, Nigel P.

2016-01-01

Abstract South Africa’s 800 km-long southern Great Escarpment hosts numerous endemic plant species only known from their type specimens or from very few records. This is a legacy of a 100–150 year lag between the pioneer work of 19th century botanists and repeat fieldwork in the 21st century. As a result, population and ecological data are lacking for many local endemic species. Here we report on the rediscovery of Lotononis harveyi B.–E.van Wyk 147 years after its original description, and provide the first detailed ecological notes on the poorly known shrub Macowania revoluta Oliv. Both species are locally endemic to the Great Winterberg–Amatholes (Eastern Cape Province). With only six known individuals, Lotononis harveyi is recommended the conservation status of Critically Endangered, with fire (and potentially grazing) being the main population constraints. Macowania revoluta is locally abundant, and it is surprising that it has been so poorly collected in recent decades. It occupies an important local niche as a keystone montane wetland species, and its narrow distribution range – combined with pressure from woody alien invasive species – suggests that its conservation status should be Rare. The research further highlights the need for continued biodiversity field research along South Africa’s poorly explored Great Escarpment. PMID:27212887

Astrophysics in Southern Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitelock, Patricia

2008-03-01

The government of South Africa has identified astronomy as a field in which their country has a strategic advantage and is consequently investing very significantly in astronomical infrastructure. South Africa now operates a 10-m class optical telescope, the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), and is one of two countries short listed to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), an ambitious international project to construct a radio telescope with a sensitivity one hundred times that of any existing telescope. The challenge now is to produce an indigenous community of users for these facilities, particularly from among the black population which was severely disadvantaged under the apartheid regime. In this paper I briefly describe the observing facilities in Southern Africa before going on to discuss the various collaborations that are allowing us to use astronomy as a tool for development, and at the same time to train a new generation of astronomers who will be well grounded in the science and linked to their colleagues internationally.

Downscaling Soil Moisture in the Southern Great Plains Through a Calibrated Multifractal Model for Land Surface Modeling Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mascaro, Giuseppe; Vivoni, Enrique R.; Deidda, Roberto

2010-01-01

Accounting for small-scale spatial heterogeneity of soil moisture (theta) is required to enhance the predictive skill of land surface models. In this paper, we present the results of the development, calibration, and performance evaluation of a downscaling model based on multifractal theory using aircraft!based (800 m) theta estimates collected during the southern Great Plains experiment in 1997 (SGP97).We first demonstrate the presence of scale invariance and multifractality in theta fields of nine square domains of size 25.6 x 25.6 sq km, approximately a satellite footprint. Then, we estimate the downscaling model parameters and evaluate the model performance using a set of different calibration approaches. Results reveal that small-scale theta distributions are adequately reproduced across the entire region when coarse predictors include a dynamic component (i.e., the spatial mean soil moisture ) and a stationary contribution accounting for static features (i.e., topography, soil texture, vegetation). For wet conditions, we found similar multifractal properties of soil moisture across all domains, which we ascribe to the signature of rainfall spatial variability. For drier states, the theta fields in the northern domains are more intermittent than in southern domains, likely because of differences in the distribution of vegetation coverage. Through our analyses, we propose a regional downscaling relation for coarse, satellite-based soil moisture estimates, based on ancillary information (static and dynamic landscape features), which can be used in the study area to characterize statistical properties of small-scale theta distribution required by land surface models and data assimilation systems.

Correlation of Optical Properties with Atmospheric Solid Organic Particles (ASOPs) in the Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonanno, D.; Fraund, M. W.; Pham, D.; China, S.; Wang, B.; Laskin, A.; Gilles, M. K.; Moffet, R.

2017-12-01

The Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) Campaign was carried out to gain a better understanding of the lifecycle of shallow clouds. The HISCALE experiment was designed to contrast two seasons, wet and dry, and determine their effect on atmospheric cloud and aerosol processes. The spring component to HISCALE was selected to characterize mixing state for particles collected onto substrates. Sampling was performed to obtain airborne soil organic particles (ASOP), which are believed to be ejected following rain events. The unique composition of the ASOP have been shown to affect optical properties. The collection of particles took place at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains (ARM SGP) field site. The Scanning Transmission X-Ray Microscope (STXM) was used to image the samples collected during the first HI-SCALE Campaign to determine the carbonaceous mixing state. Scanning Electron Microscopy Energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDX) analysis is more sensitive to the inorganic makeup of particles, while STXM renders a more comprehensive analysis of the organics. Measurements such as nephelometry, Particle Soot Absorption Photometry (PSAP) from the ARM archive are correlated with microscopy measurements. The primary focus is the relation between composition and morphology of ASOP with optical properties.

Land-atmosphere coupling and climate prediction over the U.S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, I. N.; Lu, Y.; Kueppers, L. M.; Riley, W. J.; Biraud, S.; Bagley, J. E.; Torn, M. S.

2016-12-01

Biases in land-atmosphere coupling in climate models can contribute to climate prediction biases, but land models are rarely evaluated in the context of this coupling. We tested land-atmosphere coupling and explored effects of land surface parameterizations on climate prediction in a single-column version of the NCAR Community Earth System Model (CESM1.2.2) and an offline Community Land Model (CLM4.5). The correlation between leaf area index (LAI) and surface evaporative fraction (ratio of latent to total turbulent heat flux) was substantially underpredicted compared to observations in the U.S. Southern Great Plains, while the correlation between soil moisture and evaporative fraction was overpredicted by CLM4.5. These correlations were improved by prescribing observed LAI, increasing soil resistance to evaporation, increasing minimum stomatal conductance, and increasing leaf reflectance. The modifications reduced the root mean squared error (RMSE) in daytime 2 m air temperature from 3.6 C to 2 C in summer (JJA), and reduced RMSE in total JJA precipitation from 133 to 84 mm. The modifications had the largest effect on prediction of summer drought in 2006, when a warm bias in daytime 2 m air temperature was reduced from +6 C to a smaller cold bias of -1.3 C, and a corresponding dry bias in total JJA precipitation was reduced from -111 mm to -23 mm. Thus, the role of vegetation in droughts and heat waves is likely underpredicted in CESM1.2.2, and improvements in land surface models can improve prediction of climate extremes.

Multiple new-particle growth pathways observed at the US DOE Southern Great Plains field site

DOE PAGES

Hodshire, Anna L.; Lawler, Michael J.; Zhao, Jun; ...

2016-07-28

New-particle formation (NPF) is a significant source of aerosol particles into the atmosphere. However, these particles are initially too small to have climatic importance and must grow, primarily through net uptake of low-volatility species, from diameters  ∼  1 to 30–100 nm in order to potentially impact climate. There are currently uncertainties in the physical and chemical processes associated with the growth of these freshly formed particles that lead to uncertainties in aerosol-climate modeling. Four main pathways for new-particle growth have been identified: condensation of sulfuric-acid vapor (and associated bases when available), condensation of organic vapors, uptake of organic acids through acid–base chemistrymore » in the particle phase, and accretion of organic molecules in the particle phase to create a lower-volatility compound that then contributes to the aerosol mass. The relative importance of each pathway is uncertain and is the focus of this work. The 2013 New Particle Formation Study (NPFS) measurement campaign took place at the DOE Southern Great Plains (SGP) facility in Lamont, Oklahoma, during spring 2013. Measured gas- and particle-phase compositions during these new-particle growth events suggest three distinct growth pathways: (1) growth by primarily organics, (2) growth by primarily sulfuric acid and ammonia, and (3) growth by primarily sulfuric acid and associated bases and organics. To supplement the measurements, we used the particle growth model MABNAG (Model for Acid–Base chemistry in NAnoparticle Growth) to gain further insight into the growth processes on these 3 days at SGP. MABNAG simulates growth from (1) sulfuric-acid condensation (and subsequent salt formation with ammonia or amines), (2) near-irreversible condensation from nonreactive extremely low-volatility organic compounds (ELVOCs), and (3) organic-acid condensation and subsequent salt formation with ammonia or amines. MABNAG is able to corroborate the

Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Beef Cattle Production in the Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kannan, N.; Niraula, R.; Saleh, A.; Osei, E.; Cole, A.; Todd, R.; Waldrip, H.; Aljoe, H.

2017-12-01

A five-year USDA-funded study titled "Resilience and vulnerability of beef cattle production in the Southern Great Plains under changing climate, land use, and markets" was initiated as a multi-institutional collaboration involving Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research (TIAER)—Tarleton State University, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)—Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in El Reno, Oklahoma, USDA—ARS in Bushland, Texas, Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University, University of Oklahoma, and the Noble Research Institute in Ardmore, Oklahoma. The project goal is to safeguard and promote regional beef production while mitigating its environmental footprint. Conducting a full Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is one of the major objectives of the study, in addition to field experiments, extension, outreach, and education. Estimation of all the resource use and greenhouse gas emissions are parts of the LCA. A computer model titled Animal Production Life Cycle Analysis Tool (APLCAT) is developed and applied to conduct the LCA on beef cattle production in the study region. The model estimates water use, energy requirements, and emissions of enteric methane, manure methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. Also included in the LCA analysis are land-atmospheric exchanges of methane, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and the global warming potential. Our study is focused on the cow-calf and stocker phases of beef cattle production. The animal production system in the study region is predominantly forage based with protein and energy supplements when needed. Spring calving typical to the study region. In the cow-calf phase animals typically graze native prairie although introduced pasture grazing is also prevalent. Stockers use winter pasture as the major feed. The results of greenhouse gas emissions summarized per kg of hot carcass weight or animal fed will be presented.

The ugly face of tourism: Marine debris pollution linked to visitation in the southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

PubMed

Wilson, Scott P; Verlis, Krista M

2017-04-15

Marine debris is one of the most significant issues facing oceans worldwide. The sources of this debris vary depending on proximity to urban centres and the nature of activities within an area. This paper examines the influence of tourism in the southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR), and its contribution to litter levels in the region. By conducting beach debris surveys on occupied and unoccupied islands, this study found that debris was prevalent throughout the region with significant differences in material types between locations. The greatest source of debris from publically accessible islands was tourist-related, with this source also influencing debris loads on nearby uninhabited islands. A focus on debris at Heron Island, showed that sites close to amenities had greater levels of tourist-sourced items like cigarette butts. These findings indicate the contribution of tourists to this problem and that working with operators and managers is needed to minimise visitor impacts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seismic potential for large and great interplate earthquakes along the Chilean and Southern Peruvian Margins of South America: A quantitative reappraisal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishenko, Stuart P.

1985-04-01

The seismic potential of the Chilean and southern Peruvian margins of South America is reevaluated to delineate those areas or segments of the margin that may be expected to experience large or great interplate earthquakes within the next 20 years (1984-2004). Long-term estimates of seismic potential (or the conditional probability of recurrence within a specified period of time) are based on (1) statistical analysis of historic repeat time data using Weibull distributions and (2) deterministic estimates of recurrence times based on the time-predictable model of earthquake recurrence. Both methods emphasize the periodic nature of large and great earthquake recurrence, and are compared with estimates of probability based on the assumption of Poisson-type behavior. The estimates of seismic potential presented in this study are long-term forecasts only, as the temporal resolution (or standard deviation) of both methods is taken to range from ±15% to ±25% of the average or estimated repeat time. At present, the Valparaiso region of central Chile (32°-35°S) has a high potential or probability of recurrence in the next 20 years. Coseismic uplift data associated with previous shocks in 1822 and 1906 suggest that this area may have already started to rerupture in 1971-1973. Average repeat times also suggest this area is due for a great shock within the next 20 years. Flanking segments of the Chilean margin, Coquimbo-Illapel (30°-32°S) and Talca-Concepcion (35°-38°S), presently have poorly constrained but possibly quite high potentials for a series of large or great shocks within the next 20 years. In contrast, the rupture zone of the great 1960 earthquake (37°-46°S) has the lowest potential along the margin and is not expected to rerupture in a great earthquake within the next 100 years. In the north, the seismic potentials of the Mollendo-Arica (17°-18°S) and Arica-Antofagasta (18°-24°S) segments (which last ruptured during great earthquakes in 1868 and 1877

Aerosol properties and their impacts on surface CCN at the ARM Southern Great Plains site during the 2011 Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Logan, Timothy; Dong, Xiquan; Xi, Baike

2018-02-01

Aerosol particles are of particular importance because of their impacts on cloud development and precipitation processes over land and ocean. Aerosol properties as well as meteorological observations from the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) platform situated in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) are utilized in this study to illustrate the dependence of continental cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) number concentration ( N CCN) on aerosol type and transport pathways. ARM-SGP observations from the 2011 Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment field campaign are presented in this study and compared with our previous work during the 2009-10 Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer field campaign over the current ARM Eastern North Atlantic site. Northerly winds over the SGP reflect clean, continental conditions with aerosol scattering coefficient ( σ sp) values less than 20 Mm-1 and N CCN values less than 100 cm-3. However, southerly winds over the SGP are responsible for the observed moderate to high correlation ( R) among aerosol loading ( σ sp < 60 Mm-1) and N CCN, carbonaceous chemical species (biomass burning smoke), and precipitable water vapor. This suggests a common transport mechanism for smoke aerosols and moisture via the Gulf of Mexico, indicating a strong dependence on air mass type. NASA MERRA-2 reanalysis aerosol and chemical data are moderately to highly correlated with surface ARM-SGP data, suggesting that this facility can represent surface aerosol conditions in the SGP, especially during strong aerosol loading events that transport via the Gulf of Mexico. Future long-term investigations will help to understand the seasonal influences of air masses on aerosol, CCN, and cloud properties over land in comparison to over ocean.

The Role of Surface Energy Exchange for Simulating Wind Inflow: An Evaluation of Multiple Land Surface Models in WRF for the Southern Great Plains Site Field Campaign Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wharton, Sonia; Simpson, Matthew; Osuna, Jessica

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to investigate choice of land surface model (LSM) on the near-surface wind profile, including heights reached by multi-megawatt wind turbines. Simulations of wind profiles and surface energy fluxes were made using five LSMs of varying degrees of sophistication in dealing with soil-plant-atmosphere feedbacks for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) Central Facility in Oklahoma. Surface-flux and wind-profile measurements were available for validation. The WRF model was run for three two-week periods during which varying canopy and meteorological conditions existed. Themore » LSMs predicted a wide range of energy-flux and wind-shear magnitudes even during the cool autumn period when we expected less variability. Simulations of energy fluxes varied in accuracy by model sophistication, whereby LSMs with very simple or no soil-plant-atmosphere feedbacks were the least accurate; however, the most complex models did not consistently produce more accurate results. Errors in wind shear also were sensitive to LSM choice and were partially related to the accuracy of energy flux data. The variability of LSM performance was relatively high, suggesting that LSM representation of energy fluxes in the WRF model remains a significant source of uncertainty for simulating wind turbine inflow conditions.« less

Low Prevalence of Substandard and Falsified Antimalarial and Antibiotic Medicines in Public and Faith-Based Health Facilities of Southern Malawi

PubMed Central

Khuluza, Felix; Kigera, Stephen; Heide, Lutz

2017-01-01

Substandard and falsified antimalarial and antibiotic medicines represent a serious problem for public health, especially in low- and middle-income countries. However, information on the prevalence of poor-quality medicines is limited. In the present study, samples of six antimalarial and six antibiotic medicines were collected from 31 health facilities and drug outlets in southern Malawi. Random sampling was used in the selection of health facilities. For sample collection, an overt approach was used in licensed facilities, and a mystery shopper approach in nonlicensed outlets. One hundred and fifty-five samples were analyzed by visual and physical examination and by rapid prescreening tests, that is, disintegration testing and thin-layer chromatography using the GPHF-Minilab. Fifty-six of the samples were analyzed according to pharmacopeial monographs in a World Health Organization-prequalified quality control laboratory. Seven out-of-specification medicines were identified. One sample was classified as falsified, lacking the declared active ingredients, and containing other active ingredients instead. Three samples were classified as substandard with extreme deviations from the pharmacopeial standards, and three further samples as substandard with nonextreme deviations. Of the substandard medicines, three failed in dissolution testing, two in the assay for the content of the active pharmaceutical ingredient, and one failed in both dissolution testing and assay. Six of the seven out-of-specification medicines were from private facilities. Only one out-of-specification medicine was found within the samples from public and faith-based health facilities. Although the observed presence of substandard and falsified medicines in Malawi requires action, their low prevalence in public and faith-based health facilities is encouraging. PMID:28219993

Temperature variations in the southern Great Lakes during the last deglaciation: Comparison between pollen and GDGT proxies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watson, Benjamin I.; Williams, John W.; Russell, James M.; Jackson, Stephen T.; Shane, Linda; Lowell, Thomas V.

2018-01-01

Our understanding of deglacial climate history in the southern Great Lakes region of the United States is primarily based upon fossil pollen data, with few independent and multi-proxy climate reconstructions. Here we introduce a new, well-dated fossil pollen record from Stotzel-Leis, OH, and a new deglacial temperature record based on branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) at Silver Lake, OH. We compare these new data to previously published records and to a regional stack of pollen-based temperature reconstructions from Stotzel-Leis, Silver Lake, and three other well-dated sites. The new and previously published pollen records at Stotzel-Leis are similar, but our new age model brings vegetation events into closer alignment with known climatic events such as the Younger Dryas (YD). brGDGT-inferred temperatures correlate strongly with pollen-based regional temperature reconstructions, with the strongest correlation obtained for a global soil-based brGDGT calibration (r2 = 0.88), lending confidence to the deglacial reconstructions and the use of brGDGT and regional pollen stacks as paleotemperature proxies in eastern North America. However, individual pollen records show large differences in timing, rates, and amplitudes of inferred temperature change, indicating caution with paleoclimatic inferences based on single-site pollen records. From 16.0 to 10.0ka, both proxies indicate that regional temperatures rose by ∼10 °C, roughly double the ∼5 °C estimates for the Northern Hemisphere reported in prior syntheses. Change-point analysis of the pollen stack shows accelerated warming at 14.0 ± 1.2ka, cooling at 12.6 ± 0.4ka, and warming from 11.6 ± 0.5ka into the Holocene. The timing of Bølling-Allerød (B-A) warming and YD onset in our records lag by ∼300–500 years those reported in syntheses of temperature records from the northern mid-latitudes. This discrepancy is too large to be attributed to uncertainties in

Water resources in the Great Basin

Treesearch

Jeanne C. Chambers

2008-01-01

The Great Basin Watershed covers 362,600 km (140,110 mi2) and extends from the Sierra Nevada Range in California to the Wasatch Range in Utah, and from southeastern Oregon to southern Nevada (NBC Weather Plus Website). The region is among the driest in the nation and depends largely on winter snowfall and spring runoff for its water supply. Precipitation may be as much...

Application of Aerosol Hygroscopicity Measured at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program's Southern Great Plains Site to Examine Composition and Evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gasparini, Roberto; Runjun, Li; Collins, Don R.; Ferrare, Richard A.; Brackett, Vincent G.

2006-01-01

A Differential Mobility Analyzer/Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer (DMA/TDMA) was used to measure submicron aerosol size distributions, hygroscopicity, and occasionally volatility during the May 2003 Aerosol Intensive Operational Period (IOP) at the Central Facility of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program's Southern Great Plains (ARM SGP) site. Hygroscopic growth factor distributions for particles at eight dry diameters ranging from 0.012 micrometers to 0.600 micrometers were measured throughout the study. For a subset of particle sizes, more detailed measurements were occasionally made in which the relative humidity or temperature to which the aerosol was exposed was varied over a wide range. These measurements, in conjunction with backtrajectory clustering, were used to infer aerosol composition and to gain insight into the processes responsible for evolution. The hygroscopic growth of both the smallest and largest particles analyzed was typically less than that of particles with dry diameters of about 0.100 micrometers. It is speculated that condensation of secondary organic aerosol on nucleation mode particles is largely responsible for the minimal hygroscopic growth observed at the smallest sizes considered. Growth factor distributions of the largest particles characterized typically contained a nonhygroscopic mode believed to be composed primarily of dust. A model was developed to characterize the hygroscopic properties of particles within a size distribution mode through analysis of the fixed size hygroscopic growth measurements. The performance of this model was quantified through comparison of the measured fixed size hygroscopic growth factor distributions with those simulated through convolution of the size-resolved concentration contributed by each of the size modes and the mode-resolved hygroscopicity. This transformation from sizeresolved hygroscopicity to mode-resolved hygroscopicity facilitated examination of changes in the hygroscopic

Multi-EM27/SUN Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) Comparison at the Southern Great Plains Site Field Campaign Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parker, H.; Hedelius, J.

During the summer of 2015, a field campaign took place to help characterize off-the-shelf portable solar-viewing Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) instruments (EM27/SUN). These instruments retrieve greenhouse gas (GHG) abundances from direct solar spectra. A focus of this campaign was to test possible dependence on different atmospheric conditions. Along with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in Oklahoma, experiments were conducted in Pasadena, California; Park Falls, Wisconsin; and the Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC), California. These locations are home to instruments in the Total Column Carbon Observing Network (TCCON). TCCONmore » measurements were used as standards for the portable (EM27/SUN) measurements. Comparisons between the two types of instruments are crucial in the attempt to use the portable instruments to broaden the capabilities of GHG measurements for monitoring, reporting, and verification of carbon in the atmosphere. This campaign was aimed at testing the response of the portable FTS to different atmospheric conditions both local and regional. Measurements made at ARM SGP provided data in an agricultural environment with a relatively clean atmosphere with respect to pollution. Due to the homogeneity of the region surrounding Lamont, Oklahoma, portable FTS measurements were less effected by large changes in column GHG abundances from air mass movement between regions. These conditions aided in characterizing potential artificial solar zenith angle dependence of the retrievals. Data collected under atmospheric conditions at ARM SGP also provide for the analysis of cloud interference on solar spectra. In situ measurements were also made using a Picarro isotopic methane analyzer to determine surface-level in situ GHG concentrations and possible influences due to local agriculture and nearby towns. Data collected in this campaign have been

Land-atmosphere coupling and climate prediction over the U.S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Ian N.; Lu, Yaqiong; Kueppers, Lara M.; Riley, William J.; Biraud, Sebastien C.; Bagley, Justin E.; Torn, Margaret S.

2016-10-01

Biases in land-atmosphere coupling in climate models can contribute to climate prediction biases, but land models are rarely evaluated in the context of this coupling. We tested land-atmosphere coupling and explored effects of land surface parameterizations on climate prediction in a single-column version of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Earth System Model (CESM1.2.2) and an off-line Community Land Model (CLM4.5). The correlation between leaf area index (LAI) and surface evaporative fraction (ratio of latent to total turbulent heat flux) was substantially underpredicted compared to observations in the U.S. Southern Great Plains, while the correlation between soil moisture and evaporative fraction was overpredicted by CLM4.5. To estimate the impacts of these errors on climate prediction, we modified CLM4.5 by prescribing observed LAI, increasing soil resistance to evaporation, increasing minimum stomatal conductance, and increasing leaf reflectance. The modifications improved the predicted soil moisture-evaporative fraction (EF) and LAI-EF correlations in off-line CLM4.5 and reduced the root-mean-square error in summer 2 m air temperature and precipitation in the coupled model. The modifications had the largest effect on prediction during a drought in summer 2006, when a warm bias in daytime 2 m air temperature was reduced from +6°C to a smaller cold bias of -1.3°C, and a corresponding dry bias in precipitation was reduced from -111 mm to -23 mm. The role of vegetation in droughts and heat waves is underpredicted in CESM1.2.2, and improvements in land surface models can improve prediction of climate extremes.

Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The Great Barrier Reef of Queensland, Australia extends for roughly 2,000 km along the northeast coast of Australia and is made up of thousands of individual reefs which define the edge of the Continental shelf. Swan Reef, the southern part of the reef system, is seen in this view. Water depths around the reefs are quite shallow (less than 1 to 36 meters) but only a few kilometers offshore, water depths can reach 1,000 meters.

Inclusion body disease in a great horned owl.

PubMed

Sileo, L; Carlson, H C; Crumley, S C

1975-01-01

The carcass of a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), which had been found moribund in southern Ontario, was presented for necropsy. Throughout the liver and spleen were numerous white foci 1-2 mm in diameter; also noted were white plaques in the mucosae of the pharyngeal papillae and intestine. Results of light and electron microscopic studies and experimental transmission to two captive great horned owls suggested that this was a herpvirus disease similar and possibly indentical to the owl disease reported by other workers in Wiconsin and Australia.

Hunter-gatherer adaptations and environmental change in the southern Great Basin: The evidence from Pahute and Rainier mesas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pippin, L.C.

This paper reviews the evidence for fluctuations in past environments in the southern Great Basin and examines how these changes may have affected the strategies followed by past hunter and gatherers in their utilization of the resources available on a highland in this region. The evidence used to reconstruct past environments for the region include botanical remains from packrat middens, pollen spectra from lake and spring deposits, faunal remains recovered from archaeological and geologic contexts, tree-ring indices from trees located in sensitive (tree-line) environments, and eolian, alluvial and fluvial sediments deposited in a variety of contexts. Interpretations of past huntermore » and gatherer adaptive strategies are based on a sample of 1,311 archaeological sites recorded during preconstruction surveys on Pahute and Rainier mesas in advance of the US Department of Energy`s nuclear weapons testing program. Projectile point chronologies and available tree-ring, radiocarbon, thermoluminescence and obsidian hydration dates were used to assign these archaeological sites to specific periods of use.« less

Effects of mercury on health and first-year survival of free-ranging great egrets (Ardea albus) from southern Florida.

PubMed

Sepúlveda, M S; Williams, G E; Frederick, P C; Spalding, M G

1999-10-01

The objectives of this study were to determine whether elevated mercury (Hg) concentrations have a negative impact on the health and survival of nestling and juvenile free-ranging great egrets (Ardea albus) from southern Florida. During 1994, when health and survival was monitored in a cohort of young birds with naturally variable concentrations of Hg, packed cell volume was positively correlated with blood Hg concentrations, and high Hg concentration in blood was not related to the probability of surviving during the first 10.5 months of life. During 1995, 70 first-hatched great egret chicks were included in a Hg field-dosing experiment to compare the effects of elevated Hg on health and survival. Birds were dosed while in the nest orally every 2.5 days for 15 days with 0.5 mg of methyl mercury chloride (MeHgCl) for an estimated intake of 1.54 mg MeHgCl/kg food intake. These birds were compared with controls, which received an estimated 0.41 mg MeHgCl/kg food. No differences were observed in health parameters or in the probability of surviving during the first 8 months of age between egrets that were dosed with Hg and those that were not. A likely explanation for the lack of any effects on health and survival between both groups could be that chicks at this age were eliminating most of the dietary Hg through the production of new feathers.

3D tomographic seismic imaging of the southern rupture barrier of the great Sumatra-Andaman 2005 earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vermeesch, P. M.; Henstock, T. J.; Lange, D.; McNeill, L. C.; Barton, P. J.; Tang, G.; Bull, J. M.; Tilmann, F.; Dean, S. M.; Djajadihardja, Y.; Permana, H.

2009-04-01

In 2008 a 3D onshore-offshore controlled-source seismic experiment was carried out in an area of 300 km x 400 km, centered on the southern termination of the great Sumatra-Andaman 2005 earthquake rupture. In the first part of cruise SO198 on R/V Sonne ~10000 airgun shots were fired into an array of 47 Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBSs). A further ~50000 shots were fired into an array of 10 long-deployment OBSs. All shots were recorded on ~15 seismometers on the islands and more than 20 seismometers along the coast of Sumatra. An initial velocity model has been derived from 70132 first-arrival traveltimes from 45 OBSs, using the First-Arrival Seismic Tomography (FAST) inversion code developed by Zelt and Barton (1998). Root Mean Square traveltime misfit reduces from 1311 ms in the 1D starting model to 81 ms after 20 non-linear iterations. Offsets range between 0 and 265 km, with rays penetrating up to 28 km depth in the final model, hereby imaging the top of the subducting oceanic plate and revealing its complex 3D topography. Ray coverage is still being extended by including first-arrival traveltime picks from the landstations on the coast of Sumatra and the islands and from the 10 long-term deployment OBSs that will be recovered in January. The robustness and resolution of the final 3D model is examined by exploring different starting models, different inversion parameters and by carrying out checkerboard tests and synthetic tests. The resulting crustal 3D velocity model will allow us to explore the nature and physical cause of the rupture barrier of the 2005 great earthquake. Comparison with a similar dataset and subsequent 3D velocity model acquired at the boundary between the 2004 and 2005 earthquakes will provide important insights into the segmentation of the Sumatra subduction zone and the dynamics of its great earthquakes. Zelt, C. A. and P. J. Barton (1998). Three-dimensional seismic refraction tomography: A comparison of two methods applied to data from the

A collaborative program to provide native plant materials for the Great Basin

Treesearch

Nancy Shaw; Mike Pellant; Matthew Fisk; Erin Denney

2012-01-01

The Great Basin as defined on a floristic basis includes the hydrographic Great Basin plus the Owyhee Uplands and Snake River Plain of southern Idaho (Fig. 1). The region encompasses about 60 million ha, of which more than two-thirds are publicly owned. Vegetation ranges from salt desert and sagebrush shrublands in the basins to conifer forests in the more than 200...

Quality of Case Management for Pneumonia and Diarrhea Among Children Seen at Health Facilities in Southern Malawi

PubMed Central

Kobayashi, Miwako; Mwandama, Dyson; Nsona, Humphreys; Namuyinga, Ruth J.; Shah, Monica P.; Bauleni, Andrew; Vanden Eng, Jodi; Rowe, Alexander K.; Mathanga, Don P.; Steinhardt, Laura C.

2017-01-01

Pneumonia and diarrhea are leading causes of child deaths in Malawi. Guidelines to manage childhood illnesses in resource-poor settings exist, but studies have reported low health-care worker (HCW) adherence to guidelines. We conducted a health facility survey from January to March 2015 to assess HCW management of pneumonia and diarrhea in children < 5 years of age in southern Malawi, and to determine factors associated with case management quality. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression models examined patient, HCW, and health facility factors associated with recommended pneumonia and diarrhea management, using Malawi's national guidelines as the gold standard. Of 694 surveyed children 2–59 months of age at 95 health facilities, 132 (19.0%) met survey criteria for pneumonia; HCWs gave recommended antibiotic treatment to 90 (68.2%). Of 723 children < 5 years of age, 222 (30.7%) had uncomplicated diarrhea; HCWs provided recommended treatment to 94 (42.3%). In multivariable analyses, caregivers' spontaneous report of children's symptoms was associated with recommended treatment of both pneumonia (odds ratio [OR]: 2.8, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2–6.8, P = 0.023) and diarrhea (OR: 24.2, 95% CI: 6.0–97.0, P < 0001). Malaria diagnosis was negatively associated with recommended treatment (OR for pneumonia: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.2–1.0, P = 0.046; OR for diarrhea: 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1–0.6, P = 0.003). To improve quality of care, children should be assessed systematically, even when malaria is suspected. Renewed efforts to invigorate such a systematic approach, including HCW training, regular follow-up supervision, and monitoring HCW performance, are needed in Malawi. PMID:28500813

Quality of Case Management for Pneumonia and Diarrhea Among Children Seen at Health Facilities in Southern Malawi.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Miwako; Mwandama, Dyson; Nsona, Humphreys; Namuyinga, Ruth J; Shah, Monica P; Bauleni, Andrew; Vanden Eng, Jodi Vanden; Rowe, Alexander K; Mathanga, Don P; Steinhardt, Laura C

2017-05-01

Pneumonia and diarrhea are leading causes of child deaths in Malawi. Guidelines to manage childhood illnesses in resource-poor settings exist, but studies have reported low health-care worker (HCW) adherence to guidelines. We conducted a health facility survey from January to March 2015 to assess HCW management of pneumonia and diarrhea in children < 5 years of age in southern Malawi, and to determine factors associated with case management quality. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression models examined patient, HCW, and health facility factors associated with recommended pneumonia and diarrhea management, using Malawi's national guidelines as the gold standard. Of 694 surveyed children 2-59 months of age at 95 health facilities, 132 (19.0%) met survey criteria for pneumonia; HCWs gave recommended antibiotic treatment to 90 (68.2%). Of 723 children < 5 years of age, 222 (30.7%) had uncomplicated diarrhea; HCWs provided recommended treatment to 94 (42.3%). In multivariable analyses, caregivers' spontaneous report of children's symptoms was associated with recommended treatment of both pneumonia (odds ratio [OR]: 2.8, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-6.8, P = 0.023) and diarrhea (OR: 24.2, 95% CI: 6.0-97.0, P < 0001). Malaria diagnosis was negatively associated with recommended treatment (OR for pneumonia: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.2-1.0, P = 0.046; OR for diarrhea: 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1-0.6, P = 0.003). To improve quality of care, children should be assessed systematically, even when malaria is suspected. Renewed efforts to invigorate such a systematic approach, including HCW training, regular follow-up supervision, and monitoring HCW performance, are needed in Malawi.

ERTS-1 views the Great Lakes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyons, W. A.; Pease, S. R.

1973-01-01

The meteorological content of ERTS images, particularly mesoscale effects of the Great Lakes and air pollution dispersion is summarized. Summertime lake breeze frontal clouds and various winter lake-effect convection patterns and snow squalls are revealed in great detail. A clear-cut spiral vortex over southern Lake Michigan is related to a record early snow storm in the Chicago area. Marked cloud changes induced by orographic and frictional effects on Lake Michigan's lee shore snow squalls are seen. The most important finding, however, is a clear-cut example of alterations in cumulus convection by anthropogenic condensation and/or ice nuclei from northern Indiana steel mills during a snow squall situation. Jet aircraft condensation trails are also found with surprising frequency.

Montana Advanced Biofuels Great Falls Approval

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This November 20, 2015 letter from EPA approves the petition from Montana Advanced Biofuels, LLC, Great Falls facility, regarding ethanol produced through a dry mill process, qualifying under the Clean Air Act for advanced biofuel (D-code 5) and renewable

Vertically resolved concentration and liquid water content of atmospheric nanoparticles at the US DOE Southern Great Plains site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Haihan; Hodshire, Anna L.; Ortega, John; Greenberg, James; McMurry, Peter H.; Carlton, Annmarie G.; Pierce, Jeffrey R.; Hanson, Dave R.; Smith, James N.

2018-01-01

Most prior field studies of new particle formation (NPF) have been performed at or near ground level, leaving many unanswered questions regarding the vertical extent of NPF. To address this, we measured concentrations of 11-16 nm diameter particles from ground level to 1000 m during the 2013 New Particle Formation Study at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains site in Lamont, Oklahoma. The measurements were performed using a tethered balloon carrying two condensation particle counters that were configured for two different particle cut-off diameters. These observations were compared to data from three scanning mobility particle sizers at the ground level. We observed that 11-16 nm diameter particles were generated at the top region of the boundary layer, and were then rapidly mixed throughout the boundary layer. We also estimate liquid water content of nanoparticles using ground-based measurements of particle hygroscopicity obtained with a Humidified Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer and vertically resolved relative humidity (RH) and temperature measured with a Raman lidar. Our analyses of these observations lead to the following conclusions regarding nanoparticles formed during NPF events at this site: (1) ground-based observations may not always accurately represent the timing, distribution, and meteorological conditions associated with the onset of NPF; (2) nanoparticles are highly hygroscopic and typically contain up to 50 % water by volume, and during conditions of high RH combined with high particle hygroscopicity, particles can be up to 95 % water by volume; (3) increased liquid water content of nanoparticles at high RH greatly enhances the partitioning of water-soluble species like organic acids into ambient nanoparticles.

Water supply facility damage and water resource operation at disaster base hospitals in miyagi prefecture in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

PubMed

Matsumura, Takashi; Osaki, Shizuka; Kudo, Daisuke; Furukawa, Hajime; Nakagawa, Atsuhiro; Abe, Yoshiko; Yamanouchi, Satoshi; Egawa, Shinichi; Tominaga, Teiji; Kushimoto, Shigeki

2015-04-01

The aim of this study was to shed light on damage to water supply facilities and the state of water resource operation at disaster base hospitals in Miyagi Prefecture (Japan) in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake (2011), in order to identify issues concerning the operational continuity of hospitals in the event of a disaster. In addition to interview and written questionnaire surveys to 14 disaster base hospitals in Miyagi Prefecture, a number of key elements relating to the damage done to water supply facilities and the operation of water resources were identified from the chronological record of events following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Nine of the 14 hospitals experienced cuts to their water supplies, with a median value of three days (range=one to 20 days) for service recovery time. The hospitals that could utilize well water during the time that water supply was interrupted were able to obtain water in quantities similar to their normal volumes. Hospitals that could not use well water during the period of interruption, and hospitals whose water supply facilities were damaged, experienced significant disruption to dialysis, sterilization equipment, meal services, sanitation, and outpatient care services, though the extent of disruption varied considerably among hospitals. None of the hospitals had determined the amount of water used for different purposes during normal service or formulated a plan for allocation of limited water in the event of a disaster. The present survey showed that it is possible to minimize the disruption and reduction of hospital functions in the event of a disaster by proper maintenance of water supply facilities and by ensuring alternative water resources, such as well water. It is also clear that it is desirable to conclude water supply agreements and formulate strategic water allocation plans in preparation for the eventuality of a long-term interruption to water services.

Health Care Issues in Southern Rural Black America.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Henrie M.

1986-01-01

High infant and maternal mortality, poverty, isolation, a shortage of health professionals, inadequate health care facilities, and difficult geographic access to care are some of the health-related problems that plague Black rural southerners. (GC)

Mantle seismic anisotropy beneath NE China and implications for the lithospheric delamination hypothesis beneath the southern Great Xing'an range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Haichao; Niu, Fenglin; Obayashi, Masayuki; Grand, Stephen P.; Kawakatsu, Hitoshi; John Chen, Y.; Ning, Jieyuan; Tanaka, Satoru

2017-08-01

We measured shear wave splitting from SKS data recorded by the transcontinental NECESSArray in NE China to constrain lithosphere deformation and sublithospheric flows beneath the area. We selected several hundreds of high quality SKS/SKKS waveforms from 32 teleseismic earthquakes occurring between 09/01/2009 and 08/31/2011 recorded by 125 broadband stations. These stations cover a variety of tectonic terranes, including the Songliao basin, the Changbaishan mountain range and Zhangguancai range in the east, the Great Xing'an range in the west and the Yanshan orogenic belt in the southwest. We assumed each station is underlaid by a single anisotropic layer and employed a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) weighted multi-event stacking method to estimate the two splitting parameters (the fast polarization direction φ, and delay time, δt) that gives the best fit to all the SKS/SKKS waveforms recorded at each station. Overall, the measured fast polarization direction lies more or less along the NW-SE direction, which significantly differs from the absolute plate motion direction, but is roughly consistent with the regional extension direction. This suggests that lithosphere deformation is likely the general cause of the observed seismic anisotropy. The most complicated anisotropic structure is observed beneath the southern Great Xing'an range and southwest Songliao basin. The observed large variations in splitting parameters and the seismic tomographic images of the area are consistent with ongoing lithospheric delamination beneath this region.

Modeling the surface evapotranspiration over the southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liljegren, J. C.; Doran, J. C.; Hubbe, J. M.; Shaw, W. J.; Zhong, S.; Collatz, G. J.; Cook, D. R.; Hart, R. L.

1996-01-01

We have developed a method to apply the Simple Biosphere Model of Sellers et al to calculate the surface fluxes of sensible heat and water vapor at high spatial resolution over the domain of the US DOE's Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART) in Kansas and Oklahoma. The CART, which is within the GCIP area of interest for the Mississippi River Basin, is an extensively instrumented facility operated as part of the DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program. Flux values calculated with our method will be used to provide lower boundary conditions for numerical models to study the atmosphere over the CART domain.

The Great Red Spot Plunge (animation)

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-11

This frame from an animation takes the viewer on a simulated flight into, and then out of, Jupiter's upper atmosphere at the location of the Great Red Spot. The perspective begins about 2,000 miles (3,000 kilometers) above the cloud tops of the planet's southern hemisphere. The bar at far left indicates altitude during the quick descent; a second gauge next to that depicts the dramatic increase in temperature that occurs as the perspective dives deeper down. The clouds turn crimson as the perspective passes through the Great Red Spot. Finally, the view ascends out of the spot. This video was created by combining an image from the JunoCam imager on NASA's Juno spacecraft with a computer-generated animation. The animation is available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22176

Great Dike of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwae, Africa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

The Great Dike of Zimbabwe (17.5S, 31.5E) bisects the entire length of Zimbabwae in southern Africa and is one of the prominent visual features easily recognized from low orbit. The volcanic rocks which make up the dike are about 1.2 billion years old and are rich in chromite and platinum which are mined from it. The straight line of the dike is offset in places by faults which are often occupied by streams flowing through the fractures.

[The historical experience of medical service in cooperation with state healthcare facilities during the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945].

PubMed

Budko, A A; Gribovskaia, G A; Zhuravlev, D A

2014-05-01

Cooperation issues between military-medical service and civil healthcare in the field of delivery of medical aid to patients in the rear of country are considered in the artic. The rear is a final stage of the care by echelon and the main medical reserve force for front and army areas. Wide hospital network in the rear consisted mainly of evacuation hospitals of the People's Commissariat of the USSR healthcare. Cooperation between military-medical service and civil healthcare facilities was required. Sometimes necessary cooperation failed and made mutual helming of evacuation hospitals difficult. But despite the problems the main problem - return of maximum wounded soldiers to active duty was solved during the Great Patriotic War.

Hyalomma ticks on northward migrating birds in southern Spain: Implications for the risk of entry of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus to Great Britain.

PubMed

England, Marion E; Phipps, Paul; Medlock, Jolyon M; Atkinson, Peter M; Atkinson, Barry; Hewson, Roger; Gale, Paul

2016-06-01

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a zoonotic virus transmitted by Hyalomma ticks, the immature stages of which may be carried by migratory birds. In this study, a total of 12 Hyalomma ticks were recovered from five of 228 migratory birds trapped in Spring, 2012 in southern Spain along the East Atlantic flyway. All collected ticks tested negative for CCHFV. While most birds had zero Hyalomma ticks, two individuals had four and five ticks each and the statistical distribution of Hyalomma tick counts per bird is over-dispersed compared to the Poisson distribution, demonstrating the need for intensive sampling studies to avoid underestimating the total number of ticks. Rates of tick exchange on migratory birds during their northwards migration will affect the probability that a Hyalomma tick entering Great Britain is positive for CCHFV. Drawing on published data, evidence is presented that the latitude of a European country affects the probability of entry of Hyalomma ticks on wild birds. Further data on Hyalomma infestation rates and tick exchange rates are required along the East Atlantic flyway to further our understanding of the origin of Hyalomma ticks (i.e., Africa or southern Europe) and hence the probability of entry of CCHFV into GB. © 2016 The Society for Vector Ecology.

5. INTERIOR VIEW SHOWING RAFTER CONSTRUCTION. SOUTHERN EXTENSION AT LEFT. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

5. INTERIOR VIEW SHOWING RAFTER CONSTRUCTION. SOUTHERN EXTENSION AT LEFT. - Chollas Heights Naval Radio Transmitting Facility, Operational Storage Building, 6410 Zero Road, San Diego, San Diego County, CA

Nesting ecology of a population of Gopherus agassizii at a utility-scale wind energy facility in southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ennen, Joshua R.; Lovich, Jeffrey E.; Meyer, Katherin P.; Bjurlin, Curtis; Arundel, Terence R.

2012-01-01

We investigated the annual nesting ecology of a population of Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) inhabiting a utility-scale renewable energy (USRE) facility in southern California and compared our results with populations inhabiting relatively undisturbed sites. In 2000, 15 radio-tracked females produced 29 clutches, and 24 nests were monitored to examine nest-site selection, nest predation, hatching success, date of emergence of hatchlings, and hatchling mass and carapace length. Overall, the nesting ecology of the population inhabiting the USRE facility was very similar to other populations of Desert Tortoises inhabiting relatively undisturbed habitats. Oviposition occurred from 12 May to 8 July, which was similar to other sites. Nest depths (11.1 cm), nest predation (12%), hatchling emergence date (7 August and 29 September), and hatchling morphometrics (i.e., MCL: 44.5 mm; mass: 23 g) were all within ranges reported in other populations. Unlike within other populations, we observed no relationship between hatchling size and either maternal body size or egg width. We found no evidence of females selecting for a particular burrow for oviposition of eggs based on environmental or anthropogenic variables. Most nests were located in or near burrows, and nest depth was greater for nests near the entrance than those deeper in the burrow. Although this study suggests that the nesting ecology of the Desert Tortoise population we studied was not adversely affected by the USRE facility, this relationship is only correlative because our study was not a before-after-control-impact (BACI) study, which would establish a cause and effect relationship. As pointed out in a recent review, BACI studies are critically needed to address the wildlife impacts of utility-scale renewable energy development.

SCIGN; new Southern California GPS network advances the study of earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hudnut, Ken; King, Nancy

2001-01-01

Southern California is a giant jigsaw puzzle, and scientists are now using GPS satellites to track the pieces. These puzzle pieces are continuously moving, slowly straining the faults in between. That strain is then eventually released in earthquakes. The innovative Southern California Integrated GPS Network (SCIGN) tracks the motions of these pieces over most of southern California with unprecedented precision. This new network greatly improves the ability to assess seismic hazards and quickly measure the larger displacements that occur during and immediatelyafter earthquakes.

Diagnosing the Nature of Land-Atmosphere Coupling During the 2006-7 Dry/Wet Extremes in the U. S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A., Jr.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kumar, Sujay V.; Dong, Xiquan; Kennedy, Aaron D.

2011-01-01

The degree of coupling between the land surface and PBL in NWP models remains largely undiagnosed due to the complex interactions and feedbacks present across a range of scales. In this study, a framework for diagnosing local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) is presented using a coupled mesoscale model with observations during the summers of 2006/7 in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been coupled to NASA's Land Information System (LIS), which enables a suite of PBL and land surface model (LSM) options along provides a flexible and high-resolution representation and initialization of land surface physics and states. This coupling is one component of a larger project to develop a NASA-Unified WRF (NU-WRF) system. A range of diagnostics exploring the feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation are examined for the dry/wet extremes, along with the sensitivity of PBL-LSM coupling to perturbations in soil moisture.

Bark structure of southern upland oaks

Treesearch

E.T. Howard

1977-01-01

Bark structure of eleven oak species commonly found on southern pine sites was examined and described. In inner bark (phloem), groups of thick-walled lignified fibers and sclereids are interspersed among thin-walled cellulosic elements (parenchyma, sieve tube members, and companion cells). These fibers and sclereids greatly influence the bark's density, hardness,...

6. VIEW SOUTH TOWARD SOUTHERN PORTION OF BUILDING 1. GARAGE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

6. VIEW SOUTH TOWARD SOUTHERN PORTION OF BUILDING 1. GARAGE ADDITION AT LEFT. - Chollas Heights Naval Radio Transmitting Facility, Transmitter Building, 6410 Zero Road, San Diego, San Diego County, CA

9. LOOKING NORTHWEST TOWARD SOUTHERN SIDES OF BUILDING 1. GARAGE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

9. LOOKING NORTHWEST TOWARD SOUTHERN SIDES OF BUILDING 1. GARAGE ADDITION AT RIGHT. - Chollas Heights Naval Radio Transmitting Facility, Transmitter Building, 6410 Zero Road, San Diego, San Diego County, CA

31. DETAIL OF OVERHEAD TENSIONER DEVICE LOCATED ABOVE SOUTHERN DOOR ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

31. DETAIL OF OVERHEAD TENSIONER DEVICE LOCATED ABOVE SOUTHERN DOOR OF BUILDING 1. - Chollas Heights Naval Radio Transmitting Facility, Transmitter Building, 6410 Zero Road, San Diego, San Diego County, CA

Urban School Facilities: An A-Z Primer. IssueTrak: A CEFPI Brief on Educational Facility Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeJong, William S.

2004-01-01

This "IssueTrak" addresses the condition of urban school facilities as a matter of great urgency. Facility planners, are committed to working with urban school districts to develop and implement a systematic approach for modernizing aging urban school facilities. The next generation of school children is far too important and valuable to be forced…

20. INTERIOR OF SOUTHERN ROOM. VIEW LOOKING NORTHWEST TOWARD HALL ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

20. INTERIOR OF SOUTHERN ROOM. VIEW LOOKING NORTHWEST TOWARD HALL CONNECTING WITH CENTRAL ROOM. - Chollas Heights Naval Radio Transmitting Facility, Transmitter Building, 6410 Zero Road, San Diego, San Diego County, CA

Evaluation of the North American Land Data Assimilation System over the southern Great Plains during the warm season

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robock, Alan; Luo, Lifeng; Wood, Eric F.; Wen, Fenghua; Mitchell, Kenneth E.; Houser, Paul R.; Schaake, John C.; Lohmann, Dag; Cosgrove, Brian; Sheffield, Justin; Duan, Qingyun; Higgins, R. Wayne; Pinker, Rachel T.; Tarpley, J. Dan; Basara, Jeffery B.; Crawford, Kenneth C.

2003-11-01

North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) land surface models have been run for a retrospective period forced by atmospheric observations from the Eta analysis and actual precipitation and downward solar radiation to calculate land hydrology. We evaluated these simulations using in situ observations over the southern Great Plains for the periods of May-September of 1998 and 1999 by comparing the model outputs with surface latent, sensible, and ground heat fluxes at 24 Atmospheric Radiation Measurement/Cloud and Radiation Testbed stations and with soil temperature and soil moisture observations at 72 Oklahoma Mesonet stations. The standard NLDAS models do a fairly good job but with differences in the surface energy partition and in soil moisture between models and observations and among models during the summer, while they agree quite well on the soil temperature simulations. To investigate why, we performed a series of experiments accounting for differences between model-specified soil types and vegetation and those observed at the stations, and differences in model treatment of different soil types, vegetation properties, canopy resistance, soil column depth, rooting depth, root density, snow-free albedo, infiltration, aerodynamic resistance, and soil thermal diffusivity. The diagnosis and model enhancements demonstrate how the models can be improved so that they can be used in actual data assimilation mode.

Surface BRDF estimation from an aircraft compared to MODIS and ground estimates at the Southern Great Plains site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Knobelspiesse, Kirk D.; Cairns, Brian; Schmid, Beat

2008-10-21

The surface spectral albedo is an important component of climate models since it determines the amount of incident solar radiation that is absorbed by the ground. The albedo can be highly heterogeneous, both in space and time, and thus adequate measurement and modeling is challenging. One source of measurements that constrain the surface albedo are satellite instruments that observe the Earth, such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Satellites estimate the surface bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) by correcting top of the atmosphere (TOA) radiances for atmospheric effects and accumulating observations at a variety of viewing geometries. The BRDFmore » can then be used to determine the albedo that is required in climate modeling. Other measurements that provide a more direct constraint on surface albedo are those made by upward and downward looking radiometers at the ground. One product in particular, the Best Estimate Radiation Flux (BEFLUX) value added product of the Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program at the Southern Great Plains Central Facility (SGP CF) in central Oklahoma, has been used to evaluate the quality of the albedo products derived from MODIS BRDF estimates. These comparisons have highlighted discrepancies between the energy absorbed at the surface that is calculated from the BEFLUX products and that is predicted from the MODIS BRDF product. This paper attempts to investigate these discrepancies by using data from an airborne scanning radiometer, the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) that was flown at low altitude in the vicinity of the SGP CF site during the Aerosol Lidar Validation Experiment (ALIVE) in September of 2005. The RSP is a polarimeter that scans in the direction of the aircraft ground track, and can thus estimate the BRDF in a period of seconds, rather than the days required by MODIS to accumulate enough viewing angles. Atmospheric correction is

Natural remediation in the Great Lakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Passino-Reader, Dora R.; Kamrin, Michael A.; Hickey, James P.; Swindoll, C. Michael; Stahl, Ralph G.; Ells, Stephen J.

2000-01-01

Overall, the existence of stricter environmental laws during the last 30 years and a reduction in the manufacturing base in the Great Lakes has resulted in improvement in conditions in harbors, rivers, and nearshore waters. Problems remain, such as the inability to dredge certain harbors and remove sediments because of lack of disposal facilities for contaminated sediments. Because of the wide extent of of contaminated sediments in the Great Lakes, much work remains to be done to document the condition of contaminated areas and the degree to which remediation of these areas is occurring from biotic and abiotic natural processes.

A Southern Bald Eagle perches on a pole at KSC.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

A Southern Bald Eagle perched on top of a utility pole searches the area. About a dozen bald eagles live in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. The Southern Bald Eagle ranges throughout Florida and along the coasts of California, Texas, Louisiana, and the south Atlantic states. Bald Eagles are listed as endangered in the U.S., except in five states where they are listed as threatened. The number of nesting pairs of the southern race once numbered several thousand; recent estimates are only 350-375. Most of the southern race nest in Florida. Eagles arrive at KSC during late summer and leave for the north in late spring. They move to nest sites in October and November and lay one to three eggs. The young fledge from February to April. The Refuge encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, as well as a variety of insects.

22. INTERIOR OF SOUTHERN ROOM LOOKING SOUTH TOWARD DOORS AND ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

22. INTERIOR OF SOUTHERN ROOM LOOKING SOUTH TOWARD DOORS AND WINDOWS. EARLY TENSION DEVICE VISIBLE ABOVE DOORWAY. - Chollas Heights Naval Radio Transmitting Facility, Transmitter Building, 6410 Zero Road, San Diego, San Diego County, CA

A Prototype Physical Database for Passive Microwave Retrievals of Precipitation over the US Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ringerud, S.; Kummerow, C. D.; Peters-Lidard, C. D.

2015-01-01

An accurate understanding of the instantaneous, dynamic land surface emissivity is necessary for a physically based, multi-channel passive microwave precipitation retrieval scheme over land. In an effort to assess the feasibility of the physical approach for land surfaces, a semi-empirical emissivity model is applied for calculation of the surface component in a test area of the US Southern Great Plains. A physical emissivity model, using land surface model data as input, is used to calculate emissivity at the 10GHz frequency, combining contributions from the underlying soil and vegetation layers, including the dielectric and roughness effects of each medium. An empirical technique is then applied, based upon a robust set of observed channel covariances, extending the emissivity calculations to all channels. For calculation of the hydrometeor contribution, reflectivity profiles from the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission Precipitation Radar (TRMM PR) are utilized along with coincident brightness temperatures (Tbs) from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI), and cloud-resolving model profiles. Ice profiles are modified to be consistent with the higher frequency microwave Tbs. Resulting modeled top of the atmosphere Tbs show correlations to observations of 0.9, biases of 1K or less, root-mean-square errors on the order of 5K, and improved agreement over the use of climatological emissivity values. The synthesis of these models and data sets leads to the creation of a simple prototype Tb database that includes both dynamic surface and atmospheric information physically consistent with the land surface model, emissivity model, and atmospheric information.

BRUCELLOSIS IN TEREKEKA COUNTY, CENTRAL EQUATORIA STATE, SOUTHERN SUDAN.

PubMed

Lado, D; Maina, N; Lado, M; Abade, A; Amwayi, S; Omolo, J; Oundo, J

2012-01-01

To identify factors associated with Brucellosis in patients attending Terekeka Health Facility, Terekeka County, Central Equatoria State, Southern Sudan and to evaluate the utility of the rapid test kit Euracil®. A facility based case-control study. Terekeka Health Facility, Terekeka County, Central Equatoria State, Southern Sudan. Cases were patients presenting at the Terekeka Health Facility with clinical symptoms suggestive of Brucellosis and tested positive for Brucellosis by rapid antigen test while controls were selected from individuals attending Terekeka Health facility with health problems unrelated to brucellosis or febrile illness. A total of fifty eight cases with clinical symptoms suggestive of and tested positive for Brucellosis by rapid antigen test presented. A total of 116 consented controls were recruited into the study. Males accounted for 52% of the cases and 53% of the controls. The mean age was 31 years for both groups. Cases without formal education were 84% while 40% had no source of income, 20% of the cases and 14% of the controls were cattle keepers while 5% of the cases and 13% of the controls were students. In multivariate analysis there were many factors associated with Brucellosis like consumption of raw meat, living with animals at the same place, raising of goats, farm cleaning contact, eating of aborted and wild animals. Logistic regression revealed two factors associated with the disease; consumption of raw milk (OR=3.9, P-value 0.001, 95% CI 1.6666-9.0700) was a risk factor while drinking boiled milk was protective (OR = 0.09, p-value 0.000, 95% CI, 0.1-0.2). The main age-groups affected were 20-30 years with males being affected more than females. Drinking of raw milk was significantly associated with Brucellosis while drinking boiled milk was protective. There should be active public health education on the benefits of boiling milk before consumption. Further studies to elucidate the extent and epidemiology of brucellosis in

11. REINFORCED CONCRETE SLAB ROOF FROM THE SOUTHERN EDGE, VIEW ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

11. REINFORCED CONCRETE SLAB ROOF FROM THE SOUTHERN EDGE, VIEW TOWARDS NORTH. - Glenn L. Martin Company, Titan Missile Test Facilities, Captive Test Stand D-2, Waterton Canyon Road & Colorado Highway 121, Lakewood, Jefferson County, CO

7. WINDOW DETAIL SOUTHERN WALL OF BUILDING. (SOUTH SIDE OF ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

7. WINDOW DETAIL SOUTHERN WALL OF BUILDING. (SOUTH SIDE OF BUILDING 4 IS NOW WITHIN BUILDING 40 GARAGE.) - Chollas Heights Naval Radio Transmitting Facility, Public Works Shop, 6410 Zero Road, San Diego, San Diego County, CA

Comparison of groundwater flow in Southern California coastal aquifers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hanson, Randall T.; Izbicki, John A.; Reichard, Eric G.; Edwards, Brian D.; Land, Michael; Martin, Peter

2009-01-01

Maintaining the sustainability of Southern California coastal aquifers requires joint management of surface water and groundwater (conjunctive use). This requires new data collection and analyses (including research drilling, modern geohydrologic investigations, and development of detailed computer groundwater models that simulate the supply and demand components separately), implementation of new facilities (including spreading and injection facilities for artificial recharge), and establishment of new institutions and policies that help to sustain the water resources and better manage regional development.

Invasive species in southern Nevada [Chapter 4

Treesearch

Mathew L. Brooks; Steven M. Ostoja; Jeanne C. Chambers

2013-01-01

Southern Nevada contains a wide range of topographies, elevations, and climatic zones emblematic of its position at the ecotone between the Mojave Desert, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau ecoregions. These varied environmental conditions support a high degree of biological diversity (Chapter 1), but they also provide opportunities for a wide range of invasive species...

A Southern Bald Eagle perches on a pole at KSC.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

A Southern Bald Eagle perches on top of a utility pole at Kennedy Space Center. About a dozen bald eagles live in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. The Southern Bald Eagle ranges throughout Florida and along the coasts of California, Texas, Louisiana, and the south Atlantic states. Bald Eagles are listed as endangered in the U.S., except in five states where they are listed as threatened. The number of nesting pairs of the southern race once numbered several thousand; recent estimates are only 350-375. Most of the southern race nest in Florida. Eagles arrive at KSC during late summer and leave for the north in late spring. They move to nest sites in October and November and lay one to three eggs. The young fledge from February to April. The Refuge encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, as well as a variety of insects.

A study of ground motion attenuation in the Southern Great Basin, Nevada-California, using several techniques for estimates of Qs , log A 0, and coda Q

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, A. M.; Harmsen, S. C.; Herrmann, R. B.; Meremonte, M. E.

1987-04-01

As a first step in the assessment of the earthquake hazard in the southern Great Basin of Nevada-California, this study evaluates the attenuation of peak vertical ground motions using a number of different regression models applied to unfiltered and band-pass-filtered ground motion data. These data are concentrated in the distance range 10-250 km. The regression models include parameters to account for geometric spreading, anelastic attenuation with a power law frequency dependence, source size, and station site effects. We find that the data are most consistent with an essentially frequency-independent Q and a geometric spreading coefficient less than 1.0. Regressions are also performed on vertical component peak amplitudes reexpressed as pseudo-Wood-Anderson peak amplitude estimates (PWA), permitting comparison with earlier work that used Wood-Anderson (WA) data from California. Both of these results show that Q values in this region are high relative to California, having values in the range 700-900 over the frequency band 1-10 Hz. Comparison of ML magnitudes from stations BRK and PAS for earthquakes in the southern Great Basin shows that these two stations report magnitudes with differences that are distance dependent. This bias suggests that the Richter log A0 curve appropriate to California is too steep for earthquakes occurring in southern Nevada, a result implicitly supporting our finding that Q values are higher than those in California. The PWA attenuation functions derived from our data also indicate that local magnitudes reported by California observatories for earthquakes in this region may be overestimated by as much as 0.8 magnitude units in some cases. Both of these results will have an effect on the assessment of the earthquake hazard in this region. The robustness of our regression technique to extract the correct geometric spreading coefficient n and anelastic attenuation Q is tested by applying the technique to simulated data computed with given

Thermal regime of the Great Basin and its implications for enhanced geothermal systems and off-grid power

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sass, John H.; Walters, Mark A.

1999-01-01

The Basin and Range Province of the Western United States covers most of Nevada and parts of adjoining states. It was formed by east-west tectonic extension that occurred mostly between 50 and 10 Ma, but which still is active in some areas. The northern Basin and Range, also known as the Great Basin, is higher in elevation, has higher regional heat flow and is more tectonically active than the southern Basin and Range which encompasses the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. The Great Basin terrane contains the largest number of geothermal power plants in the United States, although most electrical production is at The Geysers and in the Salton Trough. Installed capacities of electrical power plants in the Great Basin vary from 1 to 260 MWe. Productivity is limited largely by permeability, relatively small productive reservoir volumes, available water, market conditions and the availability of transmission lines. Accessible, in-place heat is not a limiting condition for geothermal systems in the Great Basin. In many areas, economic temperatures (>120°C) can be found at economically drillable depths making it an appropriate region for implementation of the concept of "Enhanced Geothermal Systems" (EGS). An incremental approach to EGS would involve increasing the productivity and longevity of existing hydrothermal systems. Those geothermal projects that have an existing power plant and transmission facilities are the most attractive EGS candidates. Sites that were not developed owing to marginal size, lack of intrinsic permeability, and distance to existing electrical grid lines are also worthy of consideration for off-grid power production in geographically isolated markets such as ranches, farms, mines, and smelters.

Perception and prevalence of work-related health hazards among health care workers in public health facilities in southern India.

PubMed

Senthil, Arasi; Anandh, Balasubramanian; Jayachandran, Palsamy; Thangavel, Gurusamy; Josephin, Diana; Yamini, Ravindran; Kalpana, Balakrishnan

2015-01-01

Health care workers (HCWs) are exposed to occupational related health hazards. Measuring worker perception and the prevalence of these hazards can help facilitate better risk management for HCWs, as these workers are envisaged to be the first point of contact, especially in resource poor settings. To describe the perception of occupational health hazards and self-reported exposure prevalence among HCWs in Southern India. We used cross sectional design with stratified random sampling of HCWs from different levels of health facilities and categories in a randomly selected district in Southern India. Data on perception and exposure prevalence were collected using a structured interview schedule developed by occupational health experts and administered by trained investigators. A total of 482 HCWs participated. Thirty nine percent did not recognize work-related health hazards, but reported exposure to at least one hazard upon further probing. Among the 81·5% who reported exposure to biological hazard, 93·9% had direct skin contact with infectious materials. Among HCWs reporting needle stick injury, 70·5% had at least one in the previous three months. Ergonomic hazards included lifting heavy objects (42%) and standing for long hours (37%). Psychological hazards included negative feelings (20·3%) and verbal or physical abuse during work (20·5%). More than a third of HCWs failed to recognize work-related health hazards. Despite training in handling infectious materials, HCWs reported direct skin contact with infectious materials and needle stick injuries. RESULTS indicate the need for training oriented toward behavioral change and provision of occupational health services.

Tools for Tomorrow. Educational Technology in Southern Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levy, Susan

1986-01-01

The quality of education received by children in the southern states will be greatly impacted by technological change, which will present educators with both unprecedented opportunities and substantial risks. As the four model programs described in this paper illustrate, advances in telecommunications and computer hardware and software can be used…

Lotus utahensis: southern great basin legume for possible use in rangeland revegetation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rangeland ecosystems in the western USA are increasingly vulnerable to wildland fires, weed invasion, and mismanagement. On many of these rangelands, revegetation/restoration may be required to improve degraded conditions, speed recovery, and minimize soil erosion. Legumes native to the Great Basi...

Limnological surveys of the Great Lakes--early and recent

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, Stanford H.

1957-01-01

Early explorations on the Great Lakes were concerned largely with things easily collected or observed—common organisms, water levels, surface temperatures … Even when more scientific studies were undertaken, they were at first scattered and small-scale. Effective surveys became possible only through inter-agency cooperation which permits a pooling of facilities, staff, and equipment. Expansion of limnological research on the Great Lakes has been rapid in later years and the outlook for the future is good.

Phenotypic and Molecular Antibiotic Resistance Determination of Airborne Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus spp. Strains from Healthcare Facilities in Southern Poland.

PubMed

Lenart-Boroń, Anna; Wolny-Koładka, Katarzyna; Stec, Joanna; Kasprowic, Andrzej

2016-10-01

This study assessed the antimicrobial resistance of airborne Staphylococcus spp. strains isolated from healthcare facilities in southern Poland. A total of 55 isolates, belonging to 10 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) species, isolated from 10 healthcare facilities (including hospitals and outpatient units) were included in the analysis. The most frequently identified species were Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Staphylococcus warneri, which belong to normal human skin flora, but can also be the cause of common and even severe nosocomial infections. Disk diffusion tests showed that the bacterial strains were most frequently resistant to erythromycin and tetracycline and only 18% of strains were susceptible to all tested antimicrobials. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of specific gene regions was used to determine the presence of the Macrolide-Lincosamide-Streptogramin resistance mechanisms in CoNS. The molecular analysis, conducted using specific primer pairs, identified the msrA1 gene, encoding active efflux pumps in bacterial cells, as the most frequent resistance gene. As many as seven antibiotic resistance genes were found in one isolate, whereas the most common number of resistance genes per isolate was five (n = 17). It may be concluded that drug resistance was widely spread among the tested strains, but the resulting antimicrobial resistance profile indicates that in the case of infection, the use of antibiotics from the basic antibiogram group will be effective in therapy. However, before administering treatment, determination of the specific antimicrobial resistance should be conducted, particularly in the case of hospitalized patients.

A network model framework for prioritizing wetland conservation in the Great Plains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Albanese, Gene; Haukos, David A.

2017-01-01

ContextPlaya wetlands are the primary habitat for numerous wetland-dependent species in the Southern Great Plains of North America. Plant and wildlife populations that inhabit these wetlands are reciprocally linked through the dispersal of individuals, propagules and ultimately genes among local populations.ObjectiveTo develop and implement a framework using network models for conceptualizing, representing and analyzing potential biological flows among 48,981 spatially discrete playa wetlands in the Southern Great Plains.MethodsWe examined changes in connectivity patterns and assessed the relative importance of wetlands to maintaining these patterns by targeting wetlands for removal based on network centrality metrics weighted by estimates of habitat quality and probability of inundation.ResultsWe identified several distinct, broad-scale sub networks and phase transitions among playa wetlands in the Southern Plains. In particular, for organisms that can disperse >2 km a dense and expansive wetland sub network emerges in the Southern High Plains. This network was characterized by localized, densely connected wetland clusters at link distances (h) >2 km but <5 km and was most sensitive to changes in wetland availability (p) and configuration when h = 4 km, and p = 0.2–0.4. It transitioned to a single, large connected wetland system at broader spatial scales even when the proportion of inundated wetland was relatively low (p = 0.2).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that redundancy in the potential for broad and fine-scale movements insulates this system from damage and facilitates system-wide connectivity among populations with different dispersal capacities.

Southern Africa as seen from STS-61 Shuttle Endeavour

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-12-09

STS061-106-091 (December 1993) --- The entire southern tip of Africa is shown in this high altitude 50mm photograph. The center of the photograph is at approximately 28.0 degrees south and 24.0 degrees east Cape Columbine is at the upper right with Durban at the lower center. The Orange River is at the upper center of the frame. Cape Agulas is the southernmost part of the African continent and is visible toward the upper right corner with the great bays of South Africa trending toward the bottom right. Continuing clockwise along the coast, Durban projects out into the Indian Ocean. The oceanic clouds on the right side of the photograph probably depict a current boundary. The Drakensberg Range on the east, the great Karoo Range to the south and the Karas Mountains on the west surround the drier central plateau. The southern Kalahari Desert is at the upper left of the photograph.

Particulate matter adjacent to cattle deep-bedded monoslope facilities

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Purpose: Confined cattle facilities are an increasingly common housing system in the Northern Great Plains region. Many of these facilities add organic bedding material to the pens once or twice per week. Particulate matter concentrations and emissions from these facilities have not been evaluate...

Female Agassiz’s desert tortoise activity at a wind energy facility in southern California: The influence of an El Niño event

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ennen, Josh R.; Meyer-Wilkins, Kathie; Lovich, Jeffrey

2012-01-01

We compared spring-summer activity of adult female Agassiz’s Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) among three consecutive years (1997, 1998, and 1999) that differed dramatically in winter rainfall and annual plant production at a wind energy facility in the Sonoran Desert of southern California. Winter rainfall was approximately 71%, 190%, and 17% of the long-term average (October-March = 114 mm) for this area in water years (WY) 1997, 1998, and 1999, respectively. The substantial precipitation caused by an El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event in WY 1998 produced a generous annual food plant supply (138.2 g dry biomass/ m2) in the spring. Primary production of winter annuals during below average rainfall years (WY 1997 and WY 1999) was reduced to 98.3 and 0.2 g/m2, respectively. Mean rates of movement and mean body condition indices (mass/length) did not differ significantly among the years. The drought year following ENSO (WY 1999) was statistically similar to ENSO in every other measured value, while WY 1997 (end of a two year drought) was statistically different from ENSO using activity area, minimum number of burrows used, and percentage of non-movements. Our data suggest that female G. agassizii activity can be influenced by environmental conditions in previous years.

An integrated approach to historical population assessment of the great whales: case of the New Zealand southern right whale.

PubMed

Jackson, Jennifer A; Carroll, Emma L; Smith, Tim D; Zerbini, Alexandre N; Patenaude, Nathalie J; Baker, C Scott

2016-03-01

Accurate estimation of historical abundance provides an essential baseline for judging the recovery of the great whales. This is particularly challenging for whales hunted prior to twentieth century modern whaling, as population-level catch records are often incomplete. Assessments of whale recovery using pre-modern exploitation indices are therefore rare, despite the intensive, global nature of nineteenth century whaling. Right whales (Eubalaena spp.) were particularly exploited: slow swimmers with strong fidelity to sheltered calving bays, the species made predictable and easy targets. Here, we present the first integrated population-level assessment of the whaling impact and pre-exploitation abundance of a right whale, the New Zealand southern right whale (E. australis). In this assessment, we use a Bayesian population dynamics model integrating multiple data sources: nineteenth century catches, genetic constraints on bottleneck size and individual sightings histories informing abundance and trend. Different catch allocation scenarios are explored to account for uncertainty in the population's offshore distribution. From a pre-exploitation abundance of 28 800-47 100 whales, nineteenth century hunting reduced the population to approximately 30-40 mature females between 1914 and 1926. Today, it stands at less than 12% of pre-exploitation abundance. Despite the challenges of reconstructing historical catches and population boundaries, conservation efforts of historically exploited species benefit from targets for ecological restoration.

An integrated approach to historical population assessment of the great whales: case of the New Zealand southern right whale

PubMed Central

Jackson, Jennifer A.; Carroll, Emma L.; Smith, Tim D.; Zerbini, Alexandre N.; Patenaude, Nathalie J.; Baker, C. Scott

2016-01-01

Accurate estimation of historical abundance provides an essential baseline for judging the recovery of the great whales. This is particularly challenging for whales hunted prior to twentieth century modern whaling, as population-level catch records are often incomplete. Assessments of whale recovery using pre-modern exploitation indices are therefore rare, despite the intensive, global nature of nineteenth century whaling. Right whales (Eubalaena spp.) were particularly exploited: slow swimmers with strong fidelity to sheltered calving bays, the species made predictable and easy targets. Here, we present the first integrated population-level assessment of the whaling impact and pre-exploitation abundance of a right whale, the New Zealand southern right whale (E. australis). In this assessment, we use a Bayesian population dynamics model integrating multiple data sources: nineteenth century catches, genetic constraints on bottleneck size and individual sightings histories informing abundance and trend. Different catch allocation scenarios are explored to account for uncertainty in the population's offshore distribution. From a pre-exploitation abundance of 28 800–47 100 whales, nineteenth century hunting reduced the population to approximately 30–40 mature females between 1914 and 1926. Today, it stands at less than 12% of pre-exploitation abundance. Despite the challenges of reconstructing historical catches and population boundaries, conservation efforts of historically exploited species benefit from targets for ecological restoration. PMID:27069657

Observational Evaluation of Simulated Land-Atmosphere Coupling on the U.S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, T. J.; Klein, S. A.

2014-12-01

In a recent study of observed features of land-atmosphere coupling (LAC) at the ARM Southern Great Plains (ARM SGP) site in northern Oklahoma (Phillips and Klein, 2014 Journal of Geophysical Research), we identified statistically significant interactions between 1997-2008 summertime daily averages of soil moisture (at 10 cm depth) and a number of surface atmospheric variables, such as surface evaporation, relative humidity, and temperature. Here we will report on an evaluation of similar features of LAC simulated by version 5 of the global Community Atmosphere Model (CAM5), coupled to its native CLM4 land model, and downscaled to the vicinity of the ARM SGP site. In these case studies, the CAM5 was initialized from a 6-hourly atmospheric reanalysis for each day of the years 2008 and 2009 (where the CLM4 land state was equilibrated to the atmospheric model state), thus permitting a close comparison of the modeled and observed summer daily average features of the LAC in these years. Correlation coefficients R and "sensitivity indices" I (a measure of the comparative change of an atmospheric variable for a one-standard-deviation change in soil moisture) provided quantitative measures of the respective coupling strengths. Such a comparison of observed versus modeled LAC is complicated by differences in atmospheric forcings of the land; for example, the CAM5's summertime precipitation is too scant, and thus the model's upper soil layer often is drier than observed. The modeled daily average covariations of soil moisture with lower atmospheric variables also display less coherence (lower R values), but sometimes greater "sensitivity" (higher I values) than are observed at the ARM SGP site. Since the observational estimate of LAC may itself be sensitive to soil moisture measurement biases, we also will report on a planned investigation of the dependence of LAC on several alternative choices of soil moisture data sets local to the ARM SGP site. AcknowledgmentsThis work was

Estimates of lower-tropospheric divergence and average vertical motion in the Southern Great Plains region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muradyan, P.; Coulter, R.; Kotamarthi, V. R.; Wang, J.; Ghate, V. P.

2016-12-01

Large-scale mean vertical motion affects the atmospheric stability and is an important component in cloud formation. Thus, the analysis of temporal variations in the long-term averages of large-scale vertical motion would provide valuable insights into weather and climate patterns. 915-MHz radar wind profilers (RWP) provide virtually unattended and almost uninterrupted long-term wind speed measurements. We use five years of RWP wind data from the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiments (ABLE) located within the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site from 1999 to 2004. Wind speed data from a triangular array of SGP A1, A2, and A5 ancillary sites are used to calculate the horizontal divergence field over the profiler network area using the line integral method. The distance between each vertex of this triangle is approximately 60km. Thus, the vertical motion profiles deduced from the divergence/convergence of horizontal winds over these spatial scales are of relevance to mesoscale dynamics. The wind data from RWPs are averaged over 1 hour time slice and divergence is calculated at each range gate from the lowest at 82 m to the highest at 2.3 km. An analysis of temporal variations in the long-term averages of the atmospheric divergence and vertical air motion for the months of August/September indicates an overall vertical velocity of -0.002 m/s with a standard deviation of 0.013 m/s, agreeing well with previous studies. Overall mean of the diurnal variation of vertical velocity for the study period from surface to 500 m height is 0.0018 m/s with a standard error of 0.00095 m/s. Seasonal mean daytime vertical winds suggest generally downward motion in Winter and upward motion in Summer. Validation of the derived divergence and vertical motion against a regional climate model (Weather Forecast and Research, WRF) at a spatial resolution of 12 km, as well as clear-sky vs. cloudy conditions comparisons will also be presented.

Perception and prevalence of work-related health hazards among health care workers in public health facilities in southern India

PubMed Central

Senthil, Arasi; Anandh, Balasubramanian; Jayachandran, Palsamy; Thangavel, Gurusamy; Josephin, Diana; Yamini, Ravindran; Kalpana, Balakrishnan

2015-01-01

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are exposed to occupational related health hazards. Measuring worker perception and the prevalence of these hazards can help facilitate better risk management for HCWs, as these workers are envisaged to be the first point of contact, especially in resource poor settings. Objective: To describe the perception of occupational health hazards and self-reported exposure prevalence among HCWs in Southern India. Methods: We used cross sectional design with stratified random sampling of HCWs from different levels of health facilities and categories in a randomly selected district in Southern India. Data on perception and exposure prevalence were collected using a structured interview schedule developed by occupational health experts and administered by trained investigators. Results: A total of 482 HCWs participated. Thirty nine percent did not recognize work-related health hazards, but reported exposure to at least one hazard upon further probing. Among the 81·5% who reported exposure to biological hazard, 93·9% had direct skin contact with infectious materials. Among HCWs reporting needle stick injury, 70·5% had at least one in the previous three months. Ergonomic hazards included lifting heavy objects (42%) and standing for long hours (37%). Psychological hazards included negative feelings (20·3%) and verbal or physical abuse during work (20·5%). Conclusion: More than a third of HCWs failed to recognize work-related health hazards. Despite training in handling infectious materials, HCWs reported direct skin contact with infectious materials and needle stick injuries. Results indicate the need for training oriented toward behavioral change and provision of occupational health services. PMID:25482656

Great Basin geoscience data base

USGS Publications Warehouse

Raines, Gary L.; Sawatzky, Don L.; Connors, Katherine A.

1996-01-01

This CD-ROM serves as the archive for 73 digital GIS data set for the Great Basin. The data sets cover Nevada, eastern California, southeastern Oregon, southern Idaho, and western Utah. Some of the data sets are incomplete for the total area. On the CD-ROM, the data are provided in three formats, a prototype Federal Data Exchange standard format, the ESRI PC ARCVIEW1 format for viewing the data, and the ESRI ARC/INFO export format. Extensive documentation is provided to describe the data, the sources, and data enhancements. The following data are provided. One group of coverages comes primarily from 1:2,000,000-scale National Atlas data and can be assembled for use as base maps. These various forms of topographic information. In addition, public land system data sets are provided from the 1:2,500,000-scale Geologic Map of the United States and 1:500,000-scale geologic maps of Nevada, Oregon, and Utah. Geochemical data from the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) program are provided for most of the Great Basin. Geophysical data are provided for most of the Great Basin, typically gridded data with a spacing of 1 km. The geophysical data sets include aeromagnetics, gravity, radiometric data, and several derivative products. The thematic data sets include geochronology, calderas, pluvial lakes, tectonic extension domains, distribution of pre-Cenozoic terranes, limonite anomalies, Landsat linear features, mineral sites, and Bureau of Land Management exploration and mining permits.

Long-term marine litter monitoring in the remote Great Australian Bight, South Australia.

PubMed

Edyvane, K S; Dalgetty, A; Hone, P W; Higham, J S; Wace, N M

2004-06-01

The Anxious Bay beach litter clearance is the longest running annual survey of ocean-based litter in Australia. It's remoteness from centres of human population and location (with respect to prevailing winds and currents) make it an ideal place for monitoring ocean or ship-based litter in Australia's southern oceans and particularly, the Great Australian Bight. Over the 1991-1999 period, a large but gradual decline in the amount of beach washed litter was recorded (with minor peaks recorded during the 1992 and 1994 surveys). Beach washed litter decreased by approximately 86%, from 344 kg recorded in 1991 (13.2 kg/km) to 49 kg in 1999 (i.e. 1.9 kg/km), reaching a maximum of 390 kg in 1992 (or 15 kg/km of beach). However, a sharp increase in litter was recorded in 2000 (i.e. 252 kg or 9.7 kg/km). This increase in litter yield in 2000 is probably due to stronger than average onshore surface flow (or Ekman Transport) in the western Eyre Peninsula and Bight region. Prior to the survey in 2000, the results appeared to indicate that ocean litter on Anxious Bay beach was beginning to level out at around 50-70 kg/year (i.e. 2-3 kg/km). As the beach surveys involve the assumption that the beach is completely cleared of litter, this may represent a baseline level for ocean-based litter in the region. The yields and type of litter collected from the annual survey indicates that the majority of litter washed ashore originates from commercial fishing activities within the Great Australian Bight. Most of the fishing-related litter was directly sourced to the Southern Rock Lobster Fishery (i.e. bait buckets, baskets, pots), the Great Australian Bight Trawl Fishery (i.e. codends, trawl nets) and the Southern Shark Fishery (i.e. monofilament gillnets and longlines). Between 1994 and 1999, large reductions were observed in the amount of bait straps (77% reduction), lobster bait baskets/buckets (86% reduction), nets/ropes (62% reduction) and floats/buoys (83% reduction). Significantly

Uplift and subsidence associated with the great Aceh-Andaman earthquake of 2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meltzner, A.J.; Sieh, K.; Abrams, M.; Agnew, D.C.; Hudnut, K.W.; Avouac, J.-P.; Natawidjaja, D.H.

2006-01-01

Rupture of the Sunda megathrust on 26 December 2004 produced broad regions of uplift and subsidence. We define the pivot line separating these regions as a first step in defining the lateral extent and the downdip limit of rupture during that great Mw ??? 9.2 earthquake. In the region of the Andaman and Nicobar islands we rely exclusively on the interpretation of satellite imagery and a tidal model. At the southern limit of the great rupture we rely principally on field measurements of emerged coral microatolls. Uplift extends from the middle of Simeulue Island, Sumatra, at ??? 2.5??N, to Preparis Island, Myanmar (Burma), at ??? 14.9??N. Thus the rupture is ??? 1600 km long. The distance from the pivot line to the trench varies appreciably. The northern and western Andaman Islands rose, whereas the southern and eastern portion of the islands subsided. The Nicobar Islands and the west coast of Aceh province, Sumatra, subsided. Tilt at the southern end of the rupture is steep; the distance from 1.5 m of uplift to the pivot line is just 60 km. Our method of using satellite imagery to recognize changes in elevation relative to sea surface height and of using a tidal model to place quantitative bounds on coseismic uplift or subsidence is a novel approach that can be adapted to other forms of remote sensing and can be applied to other subduction zones in tropical regions. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.

3. SWIMMING POOL. VIEW TO SOUTHEAST. Rainbow Hydroelectric Facility, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. SWIMMING POOL. VIEW TO SOUTHEAST. - Rainbow Hydroelectric Facility, Swimming Pool, On north bank of Missouri River 2 miles Northeast of Great Falls, & end of Rainbow Dam Road, Great Falls, Cascade County, MT

1. SWIMMING POOL. VIEW TO WEST. Rainbow Hydroelectric Facility, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. SWIMMING POOL. VIEW TO WEST. - Rainbow Hydroelectric Facility, Swimming Pool, On north bank of Missouri River 2 miles Northeast of Great Falls, & end of Rainbow Dam Road, Great Falls, Cascade County, MT

2. SWIMMING POOL. VIEW TO SOUTHEAST. Rainbow Hydroelectric Facility, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

2. SWIMMING POOL. VIEW TO SOUTHEAST. - Rainbow Hydroelectric Facility, Swimming Pool, On north bank of Missouri River 2 miles Northeast of Great Falls, & end of Rainbow Dam Road, Great Falls, Cascade County, MT

Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Southland Corporation in Great Meadows, New Jersey

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Southland Corporation site is located on Alphano Road, 277 acres in Great Meadows, Independence Township, Warren County, New Jersey. Gamma Chemical Company owned and operated the facility from 1950 to 1966, followed by Ashland Chemical Company from

Formation of nocturnal low-level jets and structure of the nocturnal boundary layer in the Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, P. M.; Bonin, T. A.; Newman, J. F.; Wainwright, C. E.; Blumberg, W. G.; Turner, D. D.; Chilson, P. B.; Wharton, S.

2014-12-01

The Lower Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment (LABLE) included two measurement campaigns at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains site in Oklahoma in 2012 and 2013. Its main objective was to study turbulent phenomena in the lowest 2-km of the atmosphere using a variety of novel atmospheric profiling techniques including a sodar, multiple Doppler wind lidars (DWL), a Raman lidar and an atmospheric emitted radiance interferometer (AERI). Several instruments from the University of Oklahoma and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory were deployed to augment the suite of in-situ and remote sensing instruments at the ARM site. The complementary nature of the deployed instruments with respect to resolution and height coverage provides for a near-complete picture of the dynamic and thermodynamic structure of the atmospheric boundary layer. LABLE can be considered unique in that it was designed as a multi-phase, low-cost, and multi-agency collaboration. Graduate students served as principal investigators who took the lead in designing and conducting experiments aimed at examining boundary-layer processes. This presentation provides an overview of the LABLE experiments and a summary of important results. One focus area will be the dynamic and thermodynamic structure of the nocturnal boundary layer and the formation of nocturnal low-level jets. Such low-level jets were frequently observed during both LABLE campaigns and often interacted with mesoscale atmospheric disturbances such as frontal passages. The combination of high-resolution AERI temperature profiles with DWL mean wind and turbulence profiles provided new insights about the structure and evolution of low-level jets.

CAUSES: Attribution of Surface Radiation Biases in NWP and Climate Models near the U.S. Southern Great Plains

DOE PAGES

Van Weverberg, K.; Morcrette, C. J.; Petch, J.; ...

2018-02-28

Many Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and climate models exhibit too warm lower tropospheres near the midlatitude continents. The warm bias has been shown to coincide with important surface radiation biases that likely play a critical role in the inception or the growth of the warm bias. This paper presents an attribution study on the net radiation biases in nine model simulations, performed in the framework of the CAUSES project (Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface). Contributions from deficiencies in the surface properties, clouds, water vapor, and aerosols are quantified, using an array of radiation measurement stationsmore » near the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains site. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis is shown to attribute the radiation errors to specific cloud regimes. The net surface shortwave radiation is overestimated in all models throughout most of the simulation period. Cloud errors are shown to contribute most to this overestimation, although nonnegligible contributions from the surface albedo exist in most models. Missing deep cloud events and/or simulating deep clouds with too weak cloud radiative effects dominate in the cloud-related radiation errors. Some models have compensating errors between excessive occurrence of deep cloud but largely underestimating their radiative effect, while other models miss deep cloud events altogether. Surprisingly, even the latter models tend to produce too much and too frequent afternoon surface precipitation. This suggests that rather than issues with the triggering of deep convection, cloud radiative deficiencies are related to too weak convective cloud detrainment and too large precipitation efficiencies.« less

CAUSES: Attribution of Surface Radiation Biases in NWP and Climate Models near the U.S. Southern Great Plains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Van Weverberg, K.; Morcrette, C. J.; Petch, J.

Many Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and climate models exhibit too warm lower tropospheres near the midlatitude continents. The warm bias has been shown to coincide with important surface radiation biases that likely play a critical role in the inception or the growth of the warm bias. This paper presents an attribution study on the net radiation biases in nine model simulations, performed in the framework of the CAUSES project (Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface). Contributions from deficiencies in the surface properties, clouds, water vapor, and aerosols are quantified, using an array of radiation measurement stationsmore » near the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains site. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis is shown to attribute the radiation errors to specific cloud regimes. The net surface shortwave radiation is overestimated in all models throughout most of the simulation period. Cloud errors are shown to contribute most to this overestimation, although nonnegligible contributions from the surface albedo exist in most models. Missing deep cloud events and/or simulating deep clouds with too weak cloud radiative effects dominate in the cloud-related radiation errors. Some models have compensating errors between excessive occurrence of deep cloud but largely underestimating their radiative effect, while other models miss deep cloud events altogether. Surprisingly, even the latter models tend to produce too much and too frequent afternoon surface precipitation. This suggests that rather than issues with the triggering of deep convection, cloud radiative deficiencies are related to too weak convective cloud detrainment and too large precipitation efficiencies.« less

CAUSES: Attribution of Surface Radiation Biases in NWP and Climate Models near the U.S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Weverberg, K.; Morcrette, C. J.; Petch, J.; Klein, S. A.; Ma, H.-Y.; Zhang, C.; Xie, S.; Tang, Q.; Gustafson, W. I.; Qian, Y.; Berg, L. K.; Liu, Y.; Huang, M.; Ahlgrimm, M.; Forbes, R.; Bazile, E.; Roehrig, R.; Cole, J.; Merryfield, W.; Lee, W.-S.; Cheruy, F.; Mellul, L.; Wang, Y.-C.; Johnson, K.; Thieman, M. M.

2018-04-01

Many Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and climate models exhibit too warm lower tropospheres near the midlatitude continents. The warm bias has been shown to coincide with important surface radiation biases that likely play a critical role in the inception or the growth of the warm bias. This paper presents an attribution study on the net radiation biases in nine model simulations, performed in the framework of the CAUSES project (Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface). Contributions from deficiencies in the surface properties, clouds, water vapor, and aerosols are quantified, using an array of radiation measurement stations near the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains site. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis is shown to attribute the radiation errors to specific cloud regimes. The net surface shortwave radiation is overestimated in all models throughout most of the simulation period. Cloud errors are shown to contribute most to this overestimation, although nonnegligible contributions from the surface albedo exist in most models. Missing deep cloud events and/or simulating deep clouds with too weak cloud radiative effects dominate in the cloud-related radiation errors. Some models have compensating errors between excessive occurrence of deep cloud but largely underestimating their radiative effect, while other models miss deep cloud events altogether. Surprisingly, even the latter models tend to produce too much and too frequent afternoon surface precipitation. This suggests that rather than issues with the triggering of deep convection, cloud radiative deficiencies are related to too weak convective cloud detrainment and too large precipitation efficiencies.

The Southern Ocean biogeochemical divide.

PubMed

Marinov, I; Gnanadesikan, A; Toggweiler, J R; Sarmiento, J L

2006-06-22

Modelling studies have demonstrated that the nutrient and carbon cycles in the Southern Ocean play a central role in setting the air-sea balance of CO(2) and global biological production. Box model studies first pointed out that an increase in nutrient utilization in the high latitudes results in a strong decrease in the atmospheric carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2). This early research led to two important ideas: high latitude regions are more important in determining atmospheric pCO2 than low latitudes, despite their much smaller area, and nutrient utilization and atmospheric pCO2 are tightly linked. Subsequent general circulation model simulations show that the Southern Ocean is the most important high latitude region in controlling pre-industrial atmospheric CO(2) because it serves as a lid to a larger volume of the deep ocean. Other studies point out the crucial role of the Southern Ocean in the uptake and storage of anthropogenic carbon dioxide and in controlling global biological production. Here we probe the system to determine whether certain regions of the Southern Ocean are more critical than others for air-sea CO(2) balance and the biological export production, by increasing surface nutrient drawdown in an ocean general circulation model. We demonstrate that atmospheric CO(2) and global biological export production are controlled by different regions of the Southern Ocean. The air-sea balance of carbon dioxide is controlled mainly by the biological pump and circulation in the Antarctic deep-water formation region, whereas global export production is controlled mainly by the biological pump and circulation in the Subantarctic intermediate and mode water formation region. The existence of this biogeochemical divide separating the Antarctic from the Subantarctic suggests that it may be possible for climate change or human intervention to modify one of these without greatly altering the other.

Ethnic Violence in Southern Thailand: The Anomaly of Satun

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE A 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words ) This research uses a historical comparative analysis to investigate the differences...night words of optimism and kindness, you are missed more than you will ever know. 1 I. ETHNIC VIOLENCE IN SOUTHERN THAILAND: THE ANOMALY...facilities and supporting tourism . 8 Theda Skocpol, States & Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis

Invasive species in southern Nevada [Chapter 4] (Executive Summary)

Treesearch

Matthew L. Brooks; Steven M. Ostoja; Jeanne C. Chambers

2013-01-01

Southern Nevada contains a wide range of topographies, elevations, and climatic zones that are emblematic of its position at the ecotone between the Mojave Desert, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau ecoregions. These varied environmental conditions support a high degree of biological diversity, but they also provide opportunities for a wide range of invasive species. In...

Estimating Access to Drinking Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Facilities in Wolaita Sodo Town, Southern Ethiopia, in Reference to National Coverage

PubMed Central

Debebe, Ashenafi

2016-01-01

Introduction. The coverage of sanitation and access to safe drinking water in Ethiopia especially in Wolaita Sodo town are not well studied. Therefore, the main objective of this study was estimating access to drinking water supply, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in Wolaita Sodo town, southern Ethiopia, in reference to national coverage. Methods. A community based cross-sectional study design method was employed in the study in 588 households of Wolaita Sodo town inhabitants. Face-to-face interview to household owners, in-depth interview to key informants, reviewing secondary data, and observational check lists were used to collect data. Districts were selected using simple random sampling techniques, while systematic random sampling technique was applied to select households. Data was analyzed using Epi Info version 3.5.4 and SPSS version 16 statistical software. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis were carried out. Results. The community has access to improved water supply which was estimated to be 67.9%. The main water sources of the town were tap water within the yard, which was estimated to be 44.7%, and tap water in the community was 40.0% followed by private protected well which was 14.5%. Ninety-one percent of the households had at least one type of latrine in their homes. The most common type of latrine available to households was pit latrine with superstructure which was estimated to be 75.9% followed by a pit without superstructure, 21.3%, and more than half of the respondents had hand washing facilities in their compound. Occupational status, educational status, and training on water, sanitation, and hygiene related topics were significantly associated with use of improved water source, improved sanitation, and hygiene facilities. Conclusion. In order to address the demand of the town, additional water, sanitation, and hygiene programs are required. PMID:28025598

Estimating Access to Drinking Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Facilities in Wolaita Sodo Town, Southern Ethiopia, in Reference to National Coverage.

PubMed

Admasie, Amha; Debebe, Ashenafi

2016-01-01

Introduction . The coverage of sanitation and access to safe drinking water in Ethiopia especially in Wolaita Sodo town are not well studied. Therefore, the main objective of this study was estimating access to drinking water supply, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in Wolaita Sodo town, southern Ethiopia, in reference to national coverage. Methods . A community based cross-sectional study design method was employed in the study in 588 households of Wolaita Sodo town inhabitants. Face-to-face interview to household owners, in-depth interview to key informants, reviewing secondary data, and observational check lists were used to collect data. Districts were selected using simple random sampling techniques, while systematic random sampling technique was applied to select households. Data was analyzed using Epi Info version 3.5.4 and SPSS version 16 statistical software. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis were carried out. Results . The community has access to improved water supply which was estimated to be 67.9%. The main water sources of the town were tap water within the yard, which was estimated to be 44.7%, and tap water in the community was 40.0% followed by private protected well which was 14.5%. Ninety-one percent of the households had at least one type of latrine in their homes. The most common type of latrine available to households was pit latrine with superstructure which was estimated to be 75.9% followed by a pit without superstructure, 21.3%, and more than half of the respondents had hand washing facilities in their compound. Occupational status, educational status, and training on water, sanitation, and hygiene related topics were significantly associated with use of improved water source, improved sanitation, and hygiene facilities. Conclusion . In order to address the demand of the town, additional water, sanitation, and hygiene programs are required.

Health providers' perception of quality of care for neonates in health facilities in a municipality in Southern Ghana.

PubMed

Elikplim Pomevor, Kokui; Adomah-Afari, Augustine

2016-10-10

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess available human resources for neonatal care and their skills, in order to explore health providers' perceptions of quality of neonatal care in health facilities in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered using qualitative interviews with health providers working in the maternity and paediatric wards and midwives; direct observation; and documentary review at a regional hospital, a municipal hospital and four health centres in a municipality in a region in Southern Ghana. Data were analysed using thematic framework through the process of coding in six phases to create and establish meaningful patterns. Findings The study revealed that health providers were concerned about the number of staff available, their competence and also equipment available for them to work more efficiently. Some essential equipment for neonatal care was either not available or was non-functional where it was available, while aseptic procedures were not adhered to. Moreover, personal protective equipment such as facemask, caps, aprons were not used except in the labour wards where staff had to change their footwear before entering. Research limitations/implications Limited number of health providers and facilities used, lack of exploration of parents of neonates' perspective of quality of neonatal care in this study and other settings, including the teaching hospitals. The authors did not examine issues related to the ineffective use of IV cannulation for neonates by nurses as well as referral of neonates. Additionally, the authors did not explore the perspectives of management of the municipal and regional health directorates or policy makers of the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service regarding the shortage of staff, inadequate provision of medical equipment and infrastructure. Practical implications This paper suggests the need for policy makers to redirect their attention to the issues that would improve the quality of

Harvesting southern pines with taproots is economic way to boost tonnage per acre 20 percent

Treesearch

P. Koch

1977-01-01

At the Southern Forest Experiment Station, we've been trying to extend the pulpwood resource by bringing more of each pine tree to the mill yard. The taproot of a 15- to 30-year-old southern pine weighs about 20% as much as the merchantable stem (Table I). Harvesting and pulping this wasted material would greatly increase pulpwood tonnage yield per acre. But is it...

Harvesting southern pines with taproots is economic way to boost tonnage per acre 20 percent.

Treesearch

P. Koch

1977-01-01

At the Southern Forest Experiment Station, we've been trying to exten the pulpwood resource by bringing more of each pine tree to the mill yard. The taproot of a 15- to 30-year-old southern pine weighs about 20% as much as the merchantable stem (Table 1). Harvesting and pulping this wasted material would greatly increase pulpwood tonnage yield per acre. But is it...

Harvesting southern pines with taproots is economic way to boost tonnage per acre 20 percent

Treesearch

Peter Koch

1977-01-01

At the Southern Forest Experiment Station, we've been trying to extend the pulpwood resource by bringing more of each pine tree to the mill yard. The taproot of a 15- to 3-year-old southern pine weighs about 20% as much as the merchantable stem (Table I). Harvesting and pulping this waster material would greatly increase pulpwood tonnage yield per acre. But is it...

Great Minds? Great Lakes!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Environmental Protection Agency, Chicago, IL. Great Lakes National Program Office.

This book contains lesson plans that provide an integrated approach to incorporating Great Lakes environmental issues into elementary subjects. The book is divided into three subject areas: (1) History, which includes the origins of the Great Lakes, Great Lakes people, and shipwrecks; (2) Social Studies, which covers government, acid rain as a…

75 FR 3487 - Notice of Public Meeting: Recreation Subcommittee of the Sierra Front-Northwestern Great Basin...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-21

... Area (NCA) Scenic Loop managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Date and Time: The Recreation... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service..., and Mojave- Southern Great Basin Resource Advisory Councils, Nevada AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management...

A preliminary assessment of avian mortality at utility-scale solar energy facilities in the United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walston, Leroy J.; Rollins, Katherine E.; LaGory, Kirk E.

Despite the benefits of reduced toxic and carbon emissions and a perpetual energy resource, there is potential for negative environmental impacts resulting from utility-scale solar energy (USSE) development. Although USSE development may represent an avian mortality source, there is little knowledge regarding the magnitude of these impacts in the context of other avian mortality sources. In this study we present a first assessment of avian mortality at USSE facilities through a synthesis of available avian monitoring and mortality information at existing USSE facilities. Using this information, we contextualize USSE avian mortality relative to other forms of avian mortality at 2more » spatial scales: a regional scale (confined to southern California) and a national scale. Systematic avian mortality information was available for three USSE facilities in the southern California region. We estimated annual USSE-related avian mortality to be between 16,200 and 59,400 birds in the southern California region, which was extrapolated to between 37,800 and 138,600 birds for all USSE facilities across the United States that are either installed or under construction. We also discuss issues related to avian–solar interactions that should be addressed in future research and monitoring programs.« less

Impacts of southern pine beetles in special management areas

Treesearch

Stephen R. Clarke

1995-01-01

Southern pine beetles have had great impacts on wilderness and other special management areas. Infestations have spread and affected adjacent [and, and they have disrupted the intended uses and goals desired for these areas. Coping with SPB in special management areas requires advance planning and management, then the use of new and integrated techniques for SPB risk...

207. Oconaluffee River Bridge is the southern terminus of the ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

207. Oconaluffee River Bridge is the southern terminus of the Blue Ride Parkway. It is a concrete girder bridge completed in 1957. It is the only concrete girder bridge with stone-faced piers. Looking east-southeast. - Blue Ridge Parkway, Between Shenandoah National Park & Great Smoky Mountains, Asheville, Buncombe County, NC

Hartung's Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malin, David; Frew, David J.

1995-10-01

Many of the most spectacular astronomical objects are found in the southern skies. With this up-to-date, superbly illustrated handbook, both the amateur with binoculars and the expert with a telescope can make discoveries about new and interesting objects. Professor E. J. Hartung first produced his comprehensive and highly respected guide in 1968. Now the book has been greatly expanded and thoroughly revised, enhancing its character as an indispensable information source. With over 150 illustrations, new material is included on constellations and celestial coordinate systems as well as more modern descriptions of stars, nebulae and galaxies. The authors have included a new "southern Messier" list of objects. The authors' passion for their subject make this a unique and inspirational book. Many of the beautiful photographs were taken by David Malin, the world's leading astronomical photographer. The result will fascinate active and armchair astronomers alike.

Department of Energy Arm Facilities on the North Slope of Alaska and Plans for a North Slope "Mega-Site"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivey, M.; Verlinde, J.

2014-12-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its scientific user facility, the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility, provides scientific infrastructure and data to the international Arctic research community via its research sites located on the North Slope of Alaska. The DOE ARM Program has operated an atmospheric measurement facility in Barrow, Alaska, since 1998. Major upgrades to this facility, including scanning radars, were added in 2010. Facilities and infrastructure to support operations of unmanned aerial systems for science missions in the Arctic and North Slope of Alaska were established at Oliktok Point Alaska in 2013. Tethered instrumented balloons will be used in the near future to make measurements of clouds in the boundary layer including mixed-phase clouds. The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility is implementing "mega-sites" at the Southern Great Plains and North Slope of Alaska sites. Two workshops were held to gather input from the scientific community on these mega-sites. The NSA workshop was held September 10 and 11 in the Washington DC area. The workshops included discussions of additional profiling remote sensors, detailed measurements of the land-atmosphere interface, aerial operations to link the Barrow and Oliktok sites, unmanned aerial system measurements, and routine large eddy simulation model runs. The "mega-sites" represent a significant new scientific and infrastructure investment by DOE Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research. This poster will present information on plans for a North Slope "Megasite" as well as new opportunities for members of the arctic research community to make atmospheric measurements using unmanned aerial systems or tethered balloons in conjunction with the DOE ARM facilities on the North Slope of Alaska.

77 FR 45988 - Anchorage Regulations; Great Chebeague Island, ME

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-02

... is intended to increase the safety of life and property surrounding Great Chebeague Island, improve... Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001. (4) Hand delivery... rulemaking. You may also visit the Docket Management Facility in Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the...

Black Mats, Spring-Fed Streams, and Late-Glacial-Age Recharge in the Southern Great Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Quade, Jay; Forester, R.M.; Pratt, W.L.; Carter, C.

1998-01-01

Black mats are prominent features of the late Pleistocene and Holocene stratigraphic record in the southern Great Basin. Faunal, geochemical, and sedimentological evidence shows that the black mats formed in several microenvironments related to spring discharge, ranging from wet meadows to shallow ponds. Small land snails such as Gastrocopta tappaniana and Vertigo berryi are the most common mollusk taxa present. Semiaquatic and aquatic taxa are less abundant and include Catinellids, Fossaria parva, Gyraulus parvus, and others living today in and around perennial seeps and ponds. The ostracodes Cypridopsis okeechobi and Scottia tumida, typical of seeps and low-discharge springs today, as well as other taxa typical of springs and wetlands, are common in the black mats. Several new species that lived in the saturated subsurface also are present, but lacustrine ostracodes are absent. The ??13C values of organic matter in the black mats range from -12 to -26???, reflecting contributions of tissue from both C3 (sedges, most shrubs and trees) and C4 (saltbush, saltgrass) plants. Carbon-14 dates on the humate fraction of 55 black mats fall between 11,800 to 6300 and 2300 14C yr B.P. to modern. The total absence of mats in our sample between 6300 and 2300 14C yr B.P. likely reflects increased aridity associated with the mid-Holocene Altithermal. The oldest black mats date to 11,800-11,600 14C yr B.P., and the peak in the 14C black mat distribution falls at ???10,000 14C yr B.P. As the formation of black mats is spring related, their abundance reflects refilling of valley aquifers starting no later than 11,800 and peaking after 11,000 14C yrB.P. Reactivation of spring-fed channels shortly before 11,200 14C yr B.P. is also apparent in the stratigraphic records from the Las Vegas and Pahrump Valleys. This age distribution suggests that black mats and related spring-fed channels in part may have formed in response to Younger Dryas (YD)-age recharge in the region. However, the

Black Mats, Spring-Fed Streams, and Late-Glacial-Age Recharge in the Southern Great Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quade, Jay; Forester, Richard M.; Pratt, William L.; Carter, Claire

1998-03-01

Black mats are prominent features of the late Pleistocene and Holocene stratigraphic record in the southern Great Basin. Faunal, geochemical, and sedimentological evidence shows that the black mats formed in several microenvironments related to spring discharge, ranging from wet meadows to shallow ponds. Small land snails such as Gastrocopta tappanianaand Vertigo berryiare the most common mollusk taxa present. Semiaquatic and aquatic taxa are less abundant and include Catinellids, Fossaria parva, Gyraulus parvus,and others living today in and around perennial seeps and ponds. The ostracodes Cypridopsis okeechobiand Scottia tumida,typical of seeps and low-discharge springs today, as well as other taxa typical of springs and wetlands, are common in the black mats. Several new species that lived in the saturated subsurface also are present, but lacustrine ostracodes are absent. The δ 13C values of organic matter in the black mats range from -12 to -26‰, reflecting contributions of tissue from both C 3(sedges, most shrubs and trees) and C 4(saltbush, saltgrass) plants. Carbon-14 dates on the humate fraction of 55 black mats fall between 11,800 to 6300 and 2300 14C yr B.P. to modern. The total absence of mats in our sample between 6300 and 2300 14C yr B.P. likely reflects increased aridity associated with the mid-Holocene Altithermal. The oldest black mats date to 11,800-11,600 14C yr B.P., and the peak in the 14C black mat distribution falls at ˜10,000 14C yr B.P. As the formation of black mats is spring related, their abundance reflects refilling of valley aquifers starting no later than 11,800 and peaking after 11,000 14C yr B.P. Reactivation of spring-fed channels shortly before 11,200 14C yr B.P. is also apparent in the stratigraphic records from the Las Vegas and Pahrump Valleys. This age distribution suggests that black mats and related spring-fed channels in part may have formed in response to Younger Dryas (YD)-age recharge in the region. However, the

Thermodynamic and Turbulence Characteristics of the Southern Great Plains Nocturnal Boundary Layer Under Differing Turbulent Regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonin, Timothy A.; Blumberg, William G.; Klein, Petra M.; Chilson, Phillip B.

2015-12-01

The nocturnal stable boundary layer (SBL) can generally be classified into the weakly stable boundary layer (wSBL) and very stable boundary layer (vSBL). Within the wSBL, turbulence is relatively continuous, whereas in the vSBL, turbulence is intermittent and not well characterized. Differentiating characteristics of each type of SBL are still unknown. Herein, thermodynamic and kinematic data collected by a suite of instruments in north central Oklahoma in autumn 2012 are analyzed to better understand both SBL regimes and their differentiating characteristics. Many low-level jets were observed during the experiment, as it took place near a climatological maximum. A threshold wind speed, above which bulk shear-generated turbulence develops, is found to exist up to 300 m. The threshold wind speed must also be exceeded at lower heights (down to the surface) in order for strong turbulence to develop. Composite profiles, which are normalized using low-level jet scaling, of potential temperature, wind speed, vertical velocity variance, and the third-order moment of vertical velocity (overline{w'^3}) are produced for weak and moderate/strong turbulence regimes, which exhibit features of the vSBL and wSBL, respectively. Within the wSBL, turbulence is generated at the surface and transported upward. In the vSBL, values of vertical velocity variance are small throughout the entire boundary layer, likely due to the fact that a strong surface inversion typically forms after sunset. The temperature profile tends to be approximately isothermal in the lowest portions of the wSBL, and it did not substantially change over the night. Within both types of SBL, stability in the residual layer tends to increase as the night progresses. It is thought that this stability increase is due to differential warm air advection, which frequently occurs in the southern Great Plains when southerly low-level jets and a typical north-south temperature gradient are present. Differential radiative

The Great Recession, unemployment and suicide

PubMed Central

Norström, Thor; Grönqvist, Hans

2015-01-01

Background How have suicide rates responded to the marked increase in unemployment spurred by the Great Recession? Our paper puts this issue into a wider perspective by assessing (1) whether the unemployment-suicide link is modified by the degree of unemployment protection, and (2) whether the effect on suicide of the present crisis differs from the effects of previous economic downturns. Methods We analysed the unemployment-suicide link using time-series data for 30 countries spanning the period 1960–2012. Separate fixed-effects models were estimated for each of five welfare state regimes with different levels of unemployment protection (Eastern, Southern, Anglo-Saxon, Bismarckian and Scandinavian). We included an interaction term to capture the possible excess effect of unemployment during the Great Recession. Results The largest unemployment increases occurred in the welfare state regimes with the least generous unemployment protection. The unemployment effect on male suicides was statistically significant in all welfare regimes, except the Scandinavian one. The effect on female suicides was significant only in the eastern European country group. There was a significant gradient in the effects, being stronger the less generous the unemployment protection. The interaction term capturing the possible excess effect of unemployment during the financial crisis was not significant. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the more generous the unemployment protection the weaker the detrimental impact on suicide of the increasing unemployment during the Great Recession. PMID:25339416

Jupiter's Great Red Spot, Spotted

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-19

This image of Jupiter's iconic Great Red Spot and surrounding turbulent zones was captured by NASA's Juno spacecraft. The color-enhanced image is a combination of three separate images taken on April 1 between 3:09 a.m. PDT (6:09 a.m. EDT) and 3:24 a.m. PDT (6:24 a.m. EDT), as Juno performed its 12th close flyby of Jupiter. At the time the images were taken, the spacecraft was 15,379 miles (24,749 kilometers) to 30,633 miles (49,299 kilometers) from the tops of the clouds of the planet at a southern latitude spanning 43.2 to 62.1 degrees. Citizen scientists Gerald Eichstädt and Seán Doran processed this image using data from the JunoCam imager. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21985

Coarse woody debris in a southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Treesearch

Anita Rose; N.S. Nicholas

2009-01-01

Spruce-fir forests in the southern Appalachian Mountains receive high atmospheric nitrogen inputs and have high nitrate levels in soil solution and streamwater. High levels of excess nitrogen have been associated with reduced tree vigor. Additionally, the balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae Ratz.) has killed the...

[Vaccines: producers in countries of the Southern hemisphere].

PubMed

Bertrand, J J

2007-08-01

Vaccine producers in southern hemisphere countries now contribute significantly to global output. In 2006 southern hemisphere countries accounted for more than 10% of the total worldwide production with a progression approximately 70% greater than all producers combined in the two-year period between 2004 and 2006. Though difficult to measure, production in volume is higher due to lower prices practiced in most of these countries. For many years before the 1980s, production was scattered among numerous limited-scale companies. Most were founded at the initiative of governments striving to cover the needs of the population for essential vaccines. A number of institutions and private structures such as Institut Pasteur Production, Connaught Laboratories, and Institut Merieux have also set up production facilities. Today's producers can be divided into two categories, i.e., local producers that produce mainly monovalent vaccines and worldwide producers with strong R&D investment programs. Local producers are located mainly in large southern hemisphere countries such as China, India, Brazil, and Indonesia as well as in eastern countries. For the most dynamic companies, international development is focused on southern hemisphere countries excluding North America and Europe. With the support international organization such as WHO, UNICEF and GAVI, alliances are now being formed and networks are being organized in an effort to ensure reliable supplies of high quality vaccines at affordable prices in developing countries. The contribution of these producers will increase for the greater benefit of the people living in the southern hemisphere.

Precipitation Dynamical Downscaling Over the Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Xiao-Ming; Xue, Ming; McPherson, Renee A.; Martin, Elinor; Rosendahl, Derek H.; Qiao, Lei

2018-02-01

Detailed, regional climate projections, particularly for precipitation, are critical for many applications. Accurate precipitation downscaling in the United States Great Plains remains a great challenge for most Regional Climate Models, particularly for warm months. Most previous dynamic downscaling simulations significantly underestimate warm-season precipitation in the region. This study aims to achieve a better precipitation downscaling in the Great Plains with the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. To this end, WRF simulations with different physics schemes and nudging strategies are first conducted for a representative warm season. Results show that different cumulus schemes lead to more pronounced difference in simulated precipitation than other tested physics schemes. Simply choosing different physics schemes is not enough to alleviate the dry bias over the southern Great Plains, which is related to an anticyclonic circulation anomaly over the central and western parts of continental U.S. in the simulations. Spectral nudging emerges as an effective solution for alleviating the precipitation bias. Spectral nudging ensures that large and synoptic-scale circulations are faithfully reproduced while still allowing WRF to develop small-scale dynamics, thus effectively suppressing the large-scale circulation anomaly in the downscaling. As a result, a better precipitation downscaling is achieved. With the carefully validated configurations, WRF downscaling is conducted for 1980-2015. The downscaling captures well the spatial distribution of monthly climatology precipitation and the monthly/yearly variability, showing improvement over at least two previously published precipitation downscaling studies. With the improved precipitation downscaling, a better hydrological simulation over the trans-state Oologah watershed is also achieved.

Distribution of two species of sea snakes, Aipysurus laevis and Emydocephalus annulatus, in the southern Great Barrier Reef: metapopulation dynamics, marine protected areas and conservation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukoschek, V.; Heatwole, H.; Grech, A.; Burns, G.; Marsh, H.

2007-06-01

Aipysurus laevis and Emydocephalus annulatus typically occur in spatially discrete populations, characteristic of metapopulations; however, little is known about the factors influencing the spatial and temporal stability of populations or whether specific conservation strategies, such as networks of marine protected areas, will ensure the persistence of species. Classification tree analyses of 35 years of distribution data (90 reefs, surveyed 1-11 times) in the southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) revealed that longitude was a major factor determining the status of A. laevis on reefs (present = 38, absent = 38 and changed = 14). Reef exposure and reef area were also important; however, these factors did not specifically account for the population fluctuations and the recent local extinctions of A. laevis in this region. There were no relationships between the status of E. annulatus (present = 16, absent = 68 and changed = 6) and spatial or physical variables. Moreover, prior protection status of reefs did not account for the distribution of either species. Biotic factors, such as habitat and prey availability and the distribution of predators, which may account for the observed patterns of distribution, are discussed. The potential for inter-population exchange among sea snake populations is poorly understood, as is the degree of protection that will be afforded to sea snakes by the recently implemented network of No-take areas in the GBR. Data from this study provide a baseline for evaluating the responses of A. laevis and E. annulatus populations to changes in biotic factors and the degree of protection afforded on reefs within an ecosystem network of No-take marine protected areas in the southern GBR.

A History of Forestry Research in the Southern United States

Treesearch

H.R. Josephson

1989-01-01

The great progress in southern forestry during the past half century must be attributed in part to research scientists who provided scientific knowledge and practical technology for forest protection, management, and utilization. Research has pointed the way to better control and use of fire and to more effective methods for regenerating desirable tree species....

Grassland birds wintering at U.S. Navy facilities in southern Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woodin, Marc C.; Skoruppa, Mary Kay; Bryan, Pearce D.; Ruddy, Amanda J.; Hickman, Graham C.

2010-01-01

Grassland birds have undergone widespread decline throughout North America during the past several decades. Causes of this decline include habitat loss and fragmentation because of conversion of grasslands to cropland, afforestation in the East, brush and shrub invasion in the Southwest and western United States, and planting of exotic grass species to enhance forage production. A large number of exotic plant species, including grasses, have been introduced in North America, but most research on the effects of these invasions on birds has been limited to breeding birds, primarily those in northern latitudes. Research on the effects of exotic grasses on birds in winter has been extremely limited.This is the first study in southern Texas to examine and compare winter bird responses to native and exotic grasslands. This study was conducted during a period of six years (2003–2009) on United States Navy facilities in southern Texas including Naval Air Station–Corpus Christi, Naval Air Station–Kingsville, Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Waldron, Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Orange Grove, and Escondido Ranch, all of which contained examples of native grasslands, exotic grasslands, or both. Data from native and exotic grasslands were collected and compared for bird abundance and diversity; ground cover, vegetation density, and floristic diversity; bird and vegetation relationships; diversity of insects and arachnids; and seed abundance and diversity. Effects of management treatments in exotic grasslands were evaluated by comparing numbers and diversity of birds and small mammals in mowed, burned, and control areas.To determine bird abundance and bird species richness, birds were surveyed monthly (December–February) during the winters of 2003–2008 in transects (100 meter × 20 meter) located in native and exotic grasslands distributed at all five U.S. Navy facilities. To compare vegetation in native and exotic grasslands, vegetation characteristics were measured

Structural and functional diversity of soil bacterial and fungal communities following woody plant encroachment in the southern Great Plains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hollister, Emily B; Schadt, Christopher Warren; Palumbo, Anthony Vito

In the southern Great Plains (USA), encroachment of grassland ecosystems by Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite) is widespread. Mesquite encroachment alters net primary productivity, enhances stores of C and N in plants and soil, and leads to increased levels of soil microbial biomass and activity. While mesquite's impact on the biogeochemistry of the region is well established, it effects on soil microbial diversity and function are unknown. In this study, soils associated with four plant types (C{sub 3} perennial grasses, C{sub 4} midgrasses, C{sub 4} shortgrasses, and mesquite) from a mesquite-encroached mixed grass prairie were surveyed to in an attempt tomore » characterize the structure, diversity, and functional capacity of their soil microbial communities. rRNA gene cloning and sequencing were used in conjunction with the GeoChip functional gene array to evaluate these potential differences. Mesquite soil supported increased bacterial and fungal diversity and harbored a distinct fungal community relative to other plant types. Despite differences in composition and diversity, few significant differences were detected with respect to the potential functional capacity of the soil microbial communities. These results may suggest that a high level of functional redundancy exists within the bacterial portion of the soil communities; however, given the bias of the GeoChip toward bacterial functional genes, potential functional differences among soil fungi could not be addressed. The results of this study illustrate the linkages shared between above- and belowground communities and demonstrate that soil microbial communities, and in particular soil fungi, may be altered by the process of woody plant encroachment.« less

The relative abundance of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) among other zwitterions in branching coral at Heron Island, southern Great Barrier Reef.

PubMed

Swan, Hilton B; Deschaseaux, Elisabeth S M; Jones, Graham B; Eyre, Bradley D

2017-07-01

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and eleven other target zwitterions were quantified in the branch tips of six Acropora species and Stylophora pistillata hard coral growing on the reef flat surrounding Heron Island in the southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia. Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS) was used for sample analysis with isotope dilution MS applied to quantify DMSP. The concentration of DMSP was ten times greater in A. aspera than A. valida, with this difference being maintained throughout the spring, summer and winter seasons. In contrast, glycine betaine was present in significantly higher concentrations in these species during the summer than the winter. Exposure of branch tips of A. aspera to air and hypo-saline seawater for up to 1 h did not alter the concentrations of DMSP present in the coral when compared with control samples. DMSP was the most abundant target zwitterion in the six Acropora species examined, ranging from 44-78% of all target zwitterions in A. millepora and A. aspera, respectively. In contrast, DMSP only accounted for 7% in S. pistillata, with glycine betaine and stachydrine collectively accounting for 88% of all target zwitterions in this species. The abundance of DMSP in the six Acropora species examined points to Acropora coral being an important source for the biogeochemical cycling of sulfur throughout the GBR, since this reef-building branching coral dominates the coral cover of the GBR. Graphical Abstract HILIC-MS extracted ion chromatogram showing zwitterionic metabolites from the branching coral Acropora isopora.

Coarse woody debris in a Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Treesearch

Anita K. Rose; N.S. Nicholas

2008-01-01

Spruce-fir forests in the southern Appalachian Mountains receive high atmospheric nitrogen inputs and have high nitrate levels in soil solution and streamwater. High levels of excess nitrogen have been associated with reduced tree vigor. Additionally, the balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae Ratz.) has killed the majority of endemic Fraser fir [

Unprecedented Fires in Southern Africa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

The fires that raged across southern Africa this August and September produced a thick 'river of smoke' over the region. NASA-supported studies currently underway on the event will contribute to improved air pollution policies in the region and a better understanding of its impact on climate change. This year the southern African fire season peaked in early September. The region is subject to some of the highest levels of biomass burning in the world. The heaviest burning was in western Zambia, southern Angola, northern Namibia, and northern Botswana. Some of the blazes had fire fronts 20 miles long that lasted for days. In this animation, multiple fires are burning across the southern part of the African continent in September 2000. The fires, indicated in red, were observed by the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument on board the NOAA-14 satellite. The fires generated large amounts of heat-absorbing aerosols (the dark haze), which were observed with the Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument. These observations were collected as part of a NASA-supported field campaign called SAFARI 2000 (Southern African Regional Science Initiative). The recent six-week 'dry-season' portion of this experiment was planned to coincide with the annual fires. SAFARI 2000 planners tracked the changing location of fires with daily satellite maps provided by researchers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. 'Every year African biomass burning greatly exceeds the scale of the fires seen this year in the western United States,' says Robert Swap of the University of Virginia, one of the campaign organizers. 'But the southern African fire season we just observed may turn out to be an extreme one even by African standards. It was amazing how quickly this region went up in flames.' The thick haze layer from these fires was heavier than campaign participants had seen in previous field studies in the Amazon Basin and during the Kuwati oil fires

Fuels management in the southern Appalachian Mountains, hot continental division

Treesearch

Matthew J. Reilly; Thomas A. Waldrop; Joseph J. O’Brien

2012-01-01

The Southern Appalachian Mountains, Hot Continental Mountains Division, M220 (McNab and others 2007) are a topographically and biologically complex area with over 10 million ha of forested land, where complex environmental gradients have resulted in a great diversity of forest types. Abundant moisture and a long, warm growing season support high levels of productivity...

A better way - uneven-aged management of southern yellow pine

Treesearch

Don M. Handley; Joshua C. Dickinson

2013-01-01

Uneven-aged management of southern yellow pine offers family forest owners in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont of the Southeast an attractive economic alternative to the two most common forestry scenarios. First, the great majority of owners practice no management. Too often they call in a timber buyer or procurement forester who high grades the forest. Second are the...

Rehabilitation Facilities in Ontario

PubMed Central

Godfrey, C. M.; Jousse, A. T.

1963-01-01

Rehabilitation centres in Ontario were surveyed and categorized as in-patient and outpatient services, specialized centres for particular diseases, and vocational retraining centres. It is evident that many gaps exist in the pattern of rehabilitation facilities and services in the province. In some areas the facilities are grouped too closely together, necessitating transport of patients from great distances. The serious shortage of trained personnel is noted. There is little provision for mentally ill patients in existing rehabilitation centres. The use of mobile clinics is discussed. There is no evidence of duplication of services among those at present available. PMID:14077812

A long-term study of aerosol–cloud interactions and their radiative effect at the Southern Great Plains using ground-based measurements

DOE PAGES

Sena, Elisa T.; McComiskey, Allison; Feingold, Graham

2016-09-13

Empirical estimates of the microphysical response of cloud droplet size distribution to aerosol perturbations are commonly used to constrain aerosol–cloud interactions in climate models. Instead of empirical microphysical estimates, here macroscopic variables are analyzed to address the influence of aerosol particles and meteorological descriptors on instantaneous cloud albedo and the radiative effect of shallow liquid water clouds. Long-term ground-based measurements from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program over the Southern Great Plains are used. A broad statistical analysis was performed on 14 years of coincident measurements of low clouds, aerosol, and meteorological properties. Here two cases representing conflicting results regardingmore » the relationship between the aerosol and the cloud radiative effect were selected and studied in greater detail. Microphysical estimates are shown to be very uncertain and to depend strongly on the methodology, retrieval technique and averaging scale. For this continental site, the results indicate that the influence of the aerosol on the shallow cloud radiative effect and albedo is weak and that macroscopic cloud properties and dynamics play a much larger role in determining the instantaneous cloud radiative effect compared to microphysical effects. On a daily basis, aerosol shows no correlation with cloud radiative properties (correlation = -0.01 ± 0.03), whereas the liquid water path shows a clear signal (correlation = 0.56 ± 0.02).« less

The Great Recession, unemployment and suicide.

PubMed

Norström, Thor; Grönqvist, Hans

2015-02-01

How have suicide rates responded to the marked increase in unemployment spurred by the Great Recession? Our paper puts this issue into a wider perspective by assessing (1) whether the unemployment-suicide link is modified by the degree of unemployment protection, and (2) whether the effect on suicide of the present crisis differs from the effects of previous economic downturns. We analysed the unemployment-suicide link using time-series data for 30 countries spanning the period 1960-2012. Separate fixed-effects models were estimated for each of five welfare state regimes with different levels of unemployment protection (Eastern, Southern, Anglo-Saxon, Bismarckian and Scandinavian). We included an interaction term to capture the possible excess effect of unemployment during the Great Recession. The largest unemployment increases occurred in the welfare state regimes with the least generous unemployment protection. The unemployment effect on male suicides was statistically significant in all welfare regimes, except the Scandinavian one. The effect on female suicides was significant only in the eastern European country group. There was a significant gradient in the effects, being stronger the less generous the unemployment protection. The interaction term capturing the possible excess effect of unemployment during the financial crisis was not significant. Our findings suggest that the more generous the unemployment protection the weaker the detrimental impact on suicide of the increasing unemployment during the Great Recession. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Evaluation of the North American Land Data Assimilation System over the Southern Great Plains during the warm season

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robock, A.; Luo, L.; Wood, E. F.; Wen, F.; Mitchell, K. E.; Houser, P. R.; Schaake, J. C.; Nldas Team

2003-04-01

To conduct land data assimilation, validated land surface models are needed. The first step in the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) is to evaluate four such state-of-the-art models. These models (VIC, Noah, Mosaic, and Sacramento) have been run for a retrospective period forced by atmospheric observations from the Eta analysis and actual precipitation and downward solar radiation (on a 1/8 degree North American grid) to calculate land hydrology. First we show that the forcing data set agrees very well with local observations and that simulations forced with local observations differ little from those forced with the NLDAS forcing data set. Then we evaluated the simulations using in situ observations over the Southern Great Plains for the periods of May-September of 1998 and 1999 by comparing the model outputs with surface latent, sensible, and ground heat fluxes at 24 Atmospheric Radiation Measurement/Cloud and Radiation Testbed stations and with soil temperature and soil moisture observations at 72 Oklahoma Mesonet stations. The standard NLDAS models do a fairly good job but with differences in the surface energy partition and in soil moisture between models and observations and among models during the summer, while they agree quite well on the soil temperature simulations. To investigate why, we performed a series of experiments accounting for differences between model-specified soil types and vegetation and those observed at the stations, and differences in model treatment of different soil types, vegetation properties, canopy resistance, soil column depth, rooting depth, root density, snow-free albedo, infiltration, aerodynamic resistance, and soil thermal diffusivity. The diagnosis and model enhancements demonstrate how the models can be improved so that they can be used in actual data assimilation mode.

Productivity and carbon sequestration of forests in the southern United States

Treesearch

Kurt H. Johnsen; Tara L. Keyser; John R. Butnor; Carlos A. Gonzalez-Beenecke; Donald J. Kaczmarek; Chris A. Maier; Heather R. McCarthy; Ge. Sun

2014-01-01

Sixty percent of the Southern United States landscape is forested (Wear 2002). Forest types vary greatly among the five subregions of the South, which include the Coastal Plain, Piedmont, Appalachian-Cumberland, Mid-South, and the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Current inventory data show upland hardwood forests being the predominant forest type in the South (>30...

Prevalence of herbal medicine use and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at public health facilities in Hossana Town, Southern Ethiopia: facility based cross sectional study.

PubMed

Laelago, Tariku; Yohannes, Tadele; Lemango, Fiseha

2016-01-01

The use of herbal medicine has been on increase in many developing and industrialized countries. More pregnant women use herbal remedies to treat pregnancy related problems due to cost-effectiveness of therapy and easy access of these products. We sought to assess the prevalence of herbal medicine use and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics of public health facilities. Facility based cross sectional study was conducted among 363 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics from May to June 2015 at public health facilities in Hossana town, Hadiya zone, Southern Ethiopia. Pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect data from each study subject. Bivariate logistic regression analysis was used to see significance of association between the outcome and independent variables. Odds ratios at 95 % CI were computed to measure the strength of the association between the outcome and the independent variables. P-value <0.05 was considered as a statistically significant in multivariate analysis. Two hundred fifty eight (73.1 %) of pregnant women used herbal medicine during current pregnancy . The herbal medicines commonly taken during current pregnancy were ginger (55.8 %), garlic (69.8 %), eucalyptus (11.6 %), tenaadam (rutachalenssis) (26.4 %), damakesse (ocimumlamiifolium) (22.8 %), feto (3.5 %) and omore (3.1 %). Being students (AOR: (5.68, 95 % CI: (1.53, 21.13), second trimester of pregnancy (AOR: 0.22, 95 % CI: (0.08, 0.76), sufficient knowledge on herbal medicine (AOR: 0.37, 95 % CI: (0.19, 0.79), no formal education (AOR: 4.41, 95 % CI: (1.11, 17.56), primary education (AOR: 4.15, 95 % CI: (1.51, 11.45) and secondary education (AOR: 2.55, 95 % CI: (1.08,6.03) were significantly associated with herbal medicine use. The findings of this study showed that herbal medicine use during pregnancy is a common experience. Commonly used herbal medicines during current pregnancy were garlic, ginger, tenaadam, damakasse and

Pulpwood production and use in southern forest survey territory, 1946

Treesearch

William S. Stover

1946-01-01

The great expansion of the wood pulp and paper industry in the South is one of the major developments in the United States forest scene in recent years. Since 1936, when the current expansion started, wood-pulping capacity in the 12 southern States from Virginia to Texas has nearly quadrupled--the result of new mill construction and expansion of existing mills. About...

IMPLICATIONS OF INVASION BY JUNIPERUS VIRGINIANA ON SMALL MAMMALS IN THE SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS

EPA Science Inventory

Changes in landscape cover in the Great Plains are resulting from the range expansion and invasion of eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana). By altering the landscape and local vegetation, red cedar is changing the structure and function of habitat for small mammals. We exam...

CAUSES: Diagnosis of the Summertime Warm Bias in CMIP5 Climate Models at the ARM Southern Great Plains Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chengzhu; Xie, Shaocheng; Klein, Stephen A.; Ma, Hsi-yen; Tang, Shuaiqi; Van Weverberg, Kwinten; Morcrette, Cyril J.; Petch, Jon

2018-03-01

All the weather and climate models participating in the Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface project show a summertime surface air temperature (T2 m) warm bias in the region of the central United States. To understand the warm bias in long-term climate simulations, we assess the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5, with long-term observations mainly from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program Southern Great Plains site. Quantities related to the surface energy and water budget, and large-scale circulation are analyzed to identify possible factors and plausible links involved in the warm bias. The systematic warm season bias is characterized by an overestimation of T2 m and underestimation of surface humidity, precipitation, and precipitable water. Accompanying the warm bias is an overestimation of absorbed solar radiation at the surface, which is due to a combination of insufficient cloud reflection and clear-sky shortwave absorption by water vapor and an underestimation in surface albedo. The bias in cloud is shown to contribute most to the radiation bias. The surface layer soil moisture impacts T2 m through its control on evaporative fraction. The error in evaporative fraction is another important contributor to T2 m. Similar sources of error are found in hindcast from other Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface studies. In Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project simulations, biases in meridional wind velocity associated with the low-level jet and the 500 hPa vertical velocity may also relate to T2 m bias through their control on the surface energy and water budget.

Partners in flight bird conservation plan for the Upper Great Lakes Plain (Physiographic Area 16)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Knutson, M.G.; Butcher, G.; Fitzgerald, J.; Shieldcastle, J.

2001-01-01

1 November 2001. Conservation of bird habitats is a major focus of effort by Partners in Flight, an international coalition of agencies, citizens, and other groups dedicated to 'keeping common birds common'. USGS worked on a planning team to publish a bird conservation plan for the Upper Great Lakes Plain ecoregion (PIF 16), which includes large portions of southern Wisconsin, southern Michigan and parts of Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The conservation plan outlines specific habitat restoration and bird population objectives for the ecoregion over the next decade. The plan provides a context for on-the-ground conservation implementation by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the US Forest Service, states, and conservation groups. Citation: Knutson, M. G., G. Butcher, J. Fitzgerald, and J. Shieldcastle. 2001. Partners in Flight Bird Conservation Plan for The Upper Great Lakes Plain (Physiographic Area 16). USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center in cooperation with Partners in Flight, La Crosse, Wisconsin. Download from website: http://www.blm.gov/wildlife/pifplans.htm. The Upper Great Lakes Plain covers the southern half of Michigan, northwest Ohio, northern Indiana, northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and small portions of southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa. Glacial moraines and dissected plateaus are characteristic of the topography. Broadleaf forests, oak savannahs, and a variety of prairie communities are the natural vegetation types. A oDriftless Areao was not glaciated during the late Pleistocene and emerged as a unique area of great biological diversity. Priority bird species for the area include the Henslow's Sparrow, Sedge Wren, Bobolink, Golden-winged Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Black-billed Cuckoo, and Red-headed Woodpecker. There are many large urban centers in this area whose growth and sprawl will continue to consume land. The vast majority of the presettlement forest and

Great Lakes: Great Gardening.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York Sea Grant Inst., Albany, NY.

This folder contains 12 fact sheets designed to improve the quality of gardens near the Great Lakes. The titles are: (1) "Your Garden and the Great Lakes"; (2) "Organic Gardening"; (3) "Fruit and Vegetable Gardening"; (4) "Composting Yard Wastes"; (5) "Herbicides and Water Quality"; (6)…

Large-Scale Weather Disturbances in Mars’ Southern Extratropics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollingsworth, Jeffery L.; Kahre, Melinda A.

2015-11-01

Between late autumn and early spring, Mars’ middle and high latitudes within its atmosphere support strong mean thermal gradients between the tropics and poles. Observations from both the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) indicate that this strong baroclinicity supports intense, large-scale eastward traveling weather systems (i.e., transient synoptic-period waves). These extratropical weather disturbances are key components of the global circulation. Such wave-like disturbances act as agents in the transport of heat and momentum, and generalized scalar/tracer quantities (e.g., atmospheric dust, water-vapor and ice clouds). The character of large-scale, traveling extratropical synoptic-period disturbances in Mars' southern hemisphere during late winter through early spring is investigated using a moderately high-resolution Mars global climate model (Mars GCM). This Mars GCM imposes interactively lifted and radiatively active dust based on a threshold value of the surface stress. The model exhibits a reasonable "dust cycle" (i.e., globally averaged, a dustier atmosphere during southern spring and summer occurs). Compared to their northern-hemisphere counterparts, southern synoptic-period weather disturbances and accompanying frontal waves have smaller meridional and zonal scales, and are far less intense. Influences of the zonally asymmetric (i.e., east-west varying) topography on southern large-scale weather are examined. Simulations that adapt Mars’ full topography compared to simulations that utilize synthetic topographies emulating key large-scale features of the southern middle latitudes indicate that Mars’ transient barotropic/baroclinic eddies are highly influenced by the great impact basins of this hemisphere (e.g., Argyre and Hellas). The occurrence of a southern storm zone in late winter and early spring appears to be anchored to the western hemisphere via orographic influences from the Tharsis highlands, and the Argyre

Modeling of ammonia dry deposition downwind of a large poultry facility

EPA Science Inventory

This report describes a study investigating dry deposition of ammonia downwind of a poultry facility located on the southern perimeter of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. This work is a component of a larger project conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: "Imp...

Parameterizing atmosphere-land surface exchange for climate models with satellite data: A case study for the Southern Great Plains CART site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, W.

High-resolution satellite data provide detailed, quantitative descriptions of land surface characteristics over large areas so that objective scale linkage becomes feasible. With the aid of satellite data, Sellers et al. and Wood and Lakshmi examined the linearity of processes scaled up from 30 m to 15 km. If the phenomenon is scale invariant, then the aggregated value of a function or flux is equivalent to the function computed from aggregated values of controlling variables. The linear relation may be realistic for limited land areas having no large surface contrasts to cause significant horizontal exchange. However, for areas with sharp surfacemore » contrasts, horizontal exchange and different dynamics in the atmospheric boundary may induce nonlinear interactions, such as at interfaces of land-water, forest-farm land, and irrigated crops-desert steppe. The linear approach, however, represents the simplest scenario, and is useful for developing an effective scheme for incorporating subgrid land surface processes into large-scale models. Our studies focus on coupling satellite data and ground measurements with a satellite-data-driven land surface model to parameterize surface fluxes for large-scale climate models. In this case study, we used surface spectral reflectance data from satellite remote sensing to characterize spatial and temporal changes in vegetation and associated surface parameters in an area of about 350 {times} 400 km covering the southern Great Plains (SGP) Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART) site of the US Department of Energy`s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program.« less

Diagnosing the Nature of Land-Atmosphere Coupling During the 2006-7 Dry/Wet Extremes in the U. S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kennedy, Aaron D.; Kumar, Sujay; Dong, Xiquan

2011-01-01

Land-atmosphere (L-A) interactions play a critical role in determining the diurnal evolution of land surface and planetary boundary layer (PBL) temperature and moisture states and fluxes. In turn, these interactions regulate the strength of the connection between surface moisture and precipitation in a coupled system. To address deficiencies in numerical weather prediction and climate models due to improper treatment of L-A interactions, recent studies have focused on development of diagnostics to quantify the strength and accuracy of the land-PBL coupling at the process-level. In this study, a diagnosis of the nature and impacts of local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) during dry and wet extreme conditions is presented using a combination of models and observations during the summers of2006-7 in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been coupled to NASA's Land Information System (LIS), which provides a flexible and high resolution representation and initialization of land surface physics and states. A range of diagnostics exploring the links and feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation are examined for the dry/wet regimes of this region, along with the behavior and accuracy of different land-PBL scheme couplings under these conditions. Results demonstrate how LoCo diagnostics can be applied to coupled model components in the context of their integrated impacts on the process-chain connecting the land surface to the PBL and support of hydrological anomalies.

Influence of climate and geography on the occurrence of Legionella and amoebae in composting facilities.

PubMed

Conza, Lisa; Casati Pagani, Simona; Gaia, Valeria

2014-11-24

The incidence of Legionnaires' disease (LD) in southern Switzerland is three times higher than in northern Switzerland. Climatic and geographic factors may be potential causes for this difference.We studied the prevalence of Legionella and free-living amoebae (FLA) in compost and bioaerosol in two Swiss regions to understand the role of climate and geography in the transmission of LD. We also tried to investigate whether or not compost storage duration would influence the composition of Legionella and FLA communities. A larger proportion of compost heaps in facilities from southern Switzerland harbor more diverse Legionella compared to the north (P=0.0146). FLA were isolated from composts in northern facilities at slightly higher rates (88.2% vs. 69.2%) and at lower rates from bioaerosols (6.3% vs. 13%) than in southern Switzerland. The diversity of FLA was higher in northern than in southern Switzerland (80% vs. 65%). A general decrease in the presence and variety of species was observed with decreasing compost storage time length. A discriminant model showed that values of vapour pressure, relative humidity and temperature distinguish the two regions, which were also characterised by different contamination rates by FLA and Legionella. The duration of outdoor storage may favour contamination of the compost by Legionella, and may increase the number and isolation of Legionella naturally occurring in compost. The climate in the south seems to favour higher Legionella contamination of compost heaps: this could explain the higher incidence of LD in southern Switzerland.

[Autonomy for financial management in public and private healthcare facilities in Brazil].

PubMed

Santos, Maria Angelica Borges dos; Madeira, Fátima Carvalho; Passos, Sonia Regina Lambert; Bakr, Felipe; Oliveira, Klivia Brayner de; Andreazzi, Marco Antonio Ratzsch de

2014-01-01

Autonomy in financial management is an advantage in public administration. A 2009 National Healthcare Facility Survey showed that 3.9% of Brazil's 52,055 public healthcare facilities had some degree of financial autonomy. Such autonomy was more common in inpatient facilities (17.8%), those managed by State governments (26.3%), and in Southern Brazil (6.6%). Autonomy was mainly partial (for resources in specific areas, relating to small outlays, consumables and capital goods, and outsourced services or personnel). 74.3% of 2,264 public facilities with any financial autonomy were under direct government administration. Financial autonomy in public healthcare facilities appears to be linked to local political decisions and not necessarily to the facility's specific legal and administrative status. However, legal status displays distinct scopes of autonomy - those under direct government administration tend to be less autonomous, and those under private businesses more autonomous; 85.8% of the 45,394 private healthcare facilities reported that they were financially autonomous.

Global atmospheric monitoring of noble gases: insight into transport processes in the southern hemisphere.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusmierczyk-Michulec, J.; Kalinowski, M.; Bourgouin, P.; Schoeppner, M.

2017-12-01

The International Monitoring System (IMS) developed by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) is a global system of monitoring stations, using four complementary technologies: seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide. Data from all stations, belonging to IMS, are collected and transmitted to the International Data Centre (IDC) in Vienna, Austria. The radionuclide network comprises 80 stations, of which 31 stations are located in the Southern Hemisphere. The aim of radionuclide stations is a global monitoring of radioactive aerosols and radioactive noble gases supported by atmospheric transport modeling (ATM). The air mass trajectory provides a "link" between a radionuclide release and a detection confirmed by radionuclide measurements. One of the important noble gases, monitored on a daily basis, is xenon. It can be produced either during a nuclear explosion with a high fission yield, and thus be considered as an important tracer to prove the nuclear character of an explosion, or be emitted from nuclear power plants (NPPs) or from isotope production facilities (IPFs). On the southern hemisphere the number of IPF is rather limited in comparison to the northern hemisphere. Among the major sources are: the ANSTO facility in Sydney (Australia), CNEA in Ezeiza (Argentina), BaTek/INUKI in Jakarta (Indonesia) and NECSA in Pelindaba (South Africa). This study will demonstrate the examples of seasonal contribution of Xe-133 emissions from major sources as observed at selected IMS stations located in the southern hemisphere. It will show as well examples of the atmospheric transport from the northern to the southern hemisphere, and the influence of strong atmospheric convection.

Spatial and temporal variation of Cenozoic surface elevation in the Great Basin and Sierra Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horton, T.W.; Sjostrom, D.J.; Abruzzese, M.J.; Poage, M.A.; Waldbauer, J.R.; Hren, M.; Wooden, J.; Chamberlain, C.P.

2004-01-01

The surface uplift of mountain belts caused by tectonism plays an important role in determining the long-term climate evolution of the Earth. However, the general lack of information on the paleotopography of mountain belts limits our ability to identify the links and feedbacks between topography, tectonics, and climate change on geologic time-scales. Here, we present a ??18O and ??D record of authigenic minerals for the northern Great Basin that captures the timing and magnitude of regional surface uplift and subsidence events in the western United States during the Cenozoic. Authigenic calcite, smectite, and chert ??18O values suggest the northern Great Basin region experienced ???2km of surface uplift between the middle Eocene and early Oligocene followed by ???1 to 2km of surface subsidence in the southern Great Basin and/or Sierra Nevada since the middle Miocene. These data when combined with previously published work show that the surface uplift history varied in both space and time. Surface uplift migrated from north to south with high elevations in southern British Columbia and northeastern Washington in the middle Eocene and development of surface uplift in north and central Nevada in the Oligocene. This pattern of north to south surface uplift is similar to the timing of magmatism in the western Cordillera, a result that supports tectonic models linking magamtism with removal of mantle lithosphere and/or a subducting slab.

Two examples of earthquake- hazard reduction in southern California.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kockelman, W.J.; Campbell, C.C.

1983-01-01

Because California is seismically active, planners and decisionmakers must try to anticipate earthquake hazards there and, where possible, to reduce the hazards. Geologic and seismologic information provides the basis for the necessary plans and actions. Two examples of how such information is used are presented. The first involves assessing the impact of a major earthquake on critical facilities in southern California, and the second involves strengthening or removing unsafe masonry buildings in the Los Angeles area. -from Authors

Walter Baade and the Southern Hemisphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osterbrock, D. E.

1993-12-01

The inception of the European Southern Observatory is generally traced to Walter Baade's discussions with Jan Oort during his visit to Leiden in the spring of 1953. However, these discussions had certainly been underway between them previously, during Oort's visit to Pasadena in early 1952. Furthermore, Baade's great interest in southern-hemisphere astronomy and his strong desire to observe there can be traced far back in his career. In 1927, after his return to Germany from a year in the U.S. under a Rockefeller fellowship, Baade reported that his country had no chance to catch up with American astronomy in the northern hemisphere. He advocated moving the Hamburg 1-meter reflector to the southern hemisphere to get in ahead of the U.S. with an effective telescope there. Baade emphasized the research that could be done on high-luminosity and variable stars in the Magellanic Clouds. Later, after he had joined the Mount Wilson staff, his early attempts to locate the center of our Galaxy and globular clusters near it (in 1937) and his observational study (with Edwin Hubble) of the Sculptor and Fornax dwarf galaxies (in 1939) re-emphasized to him the need for a southern observatory. During and soon after World War II he made many suggestions on a search for ``cluster-type variables'' in the Magellanic Clouds to Enrique Gaviola, director of the new 1.5-meter Bosque Alegre reflector in Argentina. Baade wanted to go there to observe with it himself, but his German citizenship prevented him from leaving the U.S.. Finally, in the last year of his life, he was able to observe NGC 6522 (the globular cluster in ``his'' window), with the Mount Stromlo 1.9-meter reflector.

Valuing morbidity effects of wildfire smoke exposure from the 2007 Southern California wildfires

Treesearch

Ikuho Kochi; Patricia A. Champ; John B. Loomis; Geoffrey H. Donovan

2016-01-01

This study estimated the economic costs associated with morbidity from the wildfires that occurred in 2007 in southern California. We used the excess number of hospital admissions and emergency department visits to quantify the morbidity effects and used medical costs to estimate the economic impact. With data from 187 hospital facilities and 140 emergency departments...

The Great California ShakeOut: Science-Based Preparedness Advocacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benthien, M. L.

2009-12-01

The Great Southern California ShakeOut in November 2008 was the largest earthquake drill in U.S. history, involving over 5 million southern Californians through a broad-based outreach program, media partnerships, and public advocacy by hundreds of partners. The basis of the drill was a comprehensive scenario for a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the southern San Andreas fault, which would cause broad devastation. In early 2009 the decision was made to hold the drill statewide on the third Thursday of October each year (October 15 in 2009). Results of the 2008 and 2009 drills will be shared in this session. In addition, prospects of early warning systems will be described, that will one day provide the needed seconds before strong shaking arrives in which critical systems and be shut down, and people can do what they've been practicing in the ShakeOut drills: drop, cover, and hold on. A key aspect of the ShakeOut is the integration of a comprehensive earthquake scenario (incorporating earth science, engineering, policy, economics, public health, and other disciplines) and the lessons learned from decades of social science research about why people get prepared. The result is a “teachable moment” on par with having an actual earthquake (often followed by increased interest in getting ready for earthquakes). ShakeOut creates the sense of urgency that is needed for people, organizations, and communities to get prepared, to practice what to do to be safe, and to learn what plans need to be improved.

Evaluation of NASA GISS post-CMIP5 single column model simulated clouds and precipitation using ARM Southern Great Plains observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Lei; Dong, Xiquan; Kennedy, Aaron; Xi, Baike; Li, Zhanqing

2017-03-01

The planetary boundary layer turbulence and moist convection parameterizations have been modified recently in the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) Model E2 atmospheric general circulation model (GCM; post-CMIP5, hereafter P5). In this study, single column model (SCM P5) simulated cloud fractions (CFs), cloud liquid water paths (LWPs) and precipitation were compared with Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) groundbased observations made during the period 2002-08. CMIP5 SCM simulations and GCM outputs over the ARM SGP region were also used in the comparison to identify whether the causes of cloud and precipitation biases resulted from either the physical parameterization or the dynamic scheme. The comparison showed that the CMIP5 SCM has difficulties in simulating the vertical structure and seasonal variation of low-level clouds. The new scheme implemented in the turbulence parameterization led to significantly improved cloud simulations in P5. It was found that the SCM is sensitive to the relaxation time scale. When the relaxation time increased from 3 to 24 h, SCM P5-simulated CFs and LWPs showed a moderate increase (10%-20%) but precipitation increased significantly (56%), which agreed better with observations despite the less accurate atmospheric state. Annual averages among the GCM and SCM simulations were almost the same, but their respective seasonal variations were out of phase. This suggests that the same physical cloud parameterization can generate similar statistical results over a long time period, but different dynamics drive the differences in seasonal variations. This study can potentially provide guidance for the further development of the GISS model.

Tolerance of endolithic algae to elevated temperature and light in the coral Montipora monasteriata from the southern Great Barrier Reef.

PubMed

Fine, Maoz; Meroz-Fine, Efrat; Hoegh-Guldberg, Ove

2005-01-01

Photosynthetic endolithic algae and cyanobacteria live within the skeletons of many scleractinians. Under normal conditions, less than 5% of the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) reaches the green endolithic algae because of the absorbance of light by the endosymbiotic dinoflagellates and the carbonate skeleton. When corals bleach (loose dinoflagellate symbionts), however, the tissue of the corals become highly transparent and photosynthetic microendoliths may be exposed to high levels of both thermal and solar stress. This study explores the consequence of these combined stresses on the phototrophic endoliths inhabiting the skeleton of Montipora monasteriata, growing at Heron Island, on the southern Great Barrier Reef. Endoliths that were exposed to sun after tissue removal were by far more susceptible to thermal photoinhibition and photo-damage than endoliths under coral tissue that contained high concentrations of brown dinoflagellate symbionts. While temperature or light alone did not result in decreased photosynthetic efficiency of the endoliths, combined thermal and solar stress caused a major decrease and delayed recovery. Endoliths protected under intact tissue recovered rapidly and photoacclimated soon after exposure to elevated sea temperatures. Endoliths under naturally occurring bleached tissue of M. monasteriata colonies (bleaching event in March 2004 at Heron Island) acclimated to increased irradiance as the brown symbionts disappeared. We suggest that two major factors determine the outcome of thermal bleaching to the endolith community. The first is the microhabitat and light levels under which a coral grows, and the second is the susceptibility of the coral-dinoflagellates symbiosis to thermal stress. More resistant corals may take longer to bleach allowing endoliths time to acclimate to a new light environment. This in turn may have implications for coral survival.

First paleoseismic evidence for great surface-rupturing earthquakes in the Bhutan Himalayas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Roux-Mallouf, Romain; Ferry, Matthieu; Ritz, Jean-François; Berthet, Théo.; Cattin, Rodolphe; Drukpa, Dowchu

2016-10-01

The seismic behavior of the Himalayan arc between central Nepal and Arunachal Pradesh remains poorly understood due to the lack of observations concerning the timing and size of past major and great earthquakes in Bhutan. We present here the first paleoseismic study along the Himalayan topographic front conducted at two sites in southern central Bhutan. Paleoseismological excavations and related OxCal modeling reveal that Bhutan experienced at least two great earthquakes in the last millennium: one between the seventeenth and eighteenth century and one during medieval times, producing a total cumulative vertical offset greater than 10 m. Along with previous studies that reported similar medieval events in Central Nepal, Sikkim, and Assam, our investigations support the occurrence of either (i) a series of great earthquakes between A.D. 1025 and A.D. 1520 or (ii) a single giant earthquake between A.D. 1090 and A.D. 1145. In the latter case, the surface rupture may have reached a total length of 800 km and could be associated with an earthquake of magnitude Mw = 8.7-9.1.

Climate and human influences on historical fire regimes (AD 1400-1900) in the eastern Great Basin (USA)

Treesearch

Stanley G. Kitchen

2015-01-01

High fire activity in western North America is associated with drought. Drought and fire prevail under negative El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) phases in the Southwest and with positive phases in the Northwest. Here, I infer climate effects on historic fire patterns in the geographically intermediate, eastern Great...

A Space Station tethered orbital refueling facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fester, D. A.; Rudolph, L. K.; Kiefel, E. R.

1985-01-01

A planned function of the Space Station is to refurbish and refuel an advanced space-based LO2/LH2 orbit transfer vehicle. An alternative to propellant storage at the station is to use a remote facility tied to the station with a long tether. Preliminary design of such a facility is described with emphasis on fluid transfer and storage requirements. Using tether lengths of at least 300 ft, gravity gradient forces will dominate surface tension in such a system. Although gravity driven transfer is difficult because of line pressure drops, fluid settling over the tank outlet greatly alleviates acquisition concerns and will facilitate vented tank fills. The major concern with a tethered orbital refueling facility is its considerable operational complexity including transport of the OTV to and from the facility.

Diagnosing the Nature of Land-Atmosphere Coupling During the 2006-7 Dry/Wet Extremes in the U.S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A., Jr.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kumar, Sujay V.; Dong, Xiquan; Kennedy, Aaron D.

2011-01-01

Land-atmosphere interactions play a critical role in determining the. diurnal evolution of both planetary boundary layer (PBL) and land surface temperature and moisture states. The degree of coupling between the land surface and PBL in numerical weather prediction and climate models remains largely unexplored and undiagnosed due to the complex interactions and feedbacks present across a range of scales. Further, uncoupled systems or experiments (e.g., the Project for Intercomparison of Land Parameterization Schemes, PILPS) may lead to inaccurate water and energy cycle process understanding by neglecting feedback processes such as PBL-top entrainment. In this study, a framework for diagnosing local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) is presented using a coupled mesoscale model with a suite of PBL and land surface model (LSM) options along with observations during the summers of 200617 in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been coupled to NASA's Land Information System (LIS), which provides a flexible and high-resolution representation and initialization of land surface physics and states. A range of diagnostics exploring the links and feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation are examined for the dry/wet extremes of this region, along with the sensitivity of PBL-LSM coupling to perturbations in soil moisture. As such, this methodology provides a potential pathway to study factors controlling local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) using the LIS-WRF system, which is serving as a testbed for LoCo experiments to evaluate coupling diagnostics within the community.

AXAF: The Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

The Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) will be the X-ray astronomy component of U.S. space exploration via Great Observatories (mostly orbital) for the remainder of the century. AXAF and the research planned for it are discussed for a lay audience.

The Birth of a New Vocational-Technical Center. National Vocational-Technical Facility Planning Conference (Las Vegas, Nevada, May, 1967).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farnsworth, Clayton

The principal of the Southern Nevada Vocational-Technical Center at Las Vegas, Nevada, briefly outlines its development and function. The facility cost approximately 3 million dollars and was built on 390 acres of land purchased from the Federal government. The PERT method was used in planning. Instructional facilities, including those for auto…

Environmental justice and regional inequality in southern California: implications for future research.

PubMed Central

Morello-Frosch, Rachel; Pastor, Manuel; Porras, Carlos; Sadd, James

2002-01-01

Environmental justice offers researchers new insights into the juncture of social inequality and public health and provides a framework for policy discussions on the impact of discrimination on the environmental health of diverse communities in the United States. Yet, causally linking the presence of potentially hazardous facilities or environmental pollution with adverse health effects is difficult, particularly in situations in which diverse populations are exposed to complex chemical mixtures. A community-academic research collaborative in southern California sought to address some of these methodological challenges by conducting environmental justice research that makes use of recent advances in air emissions inventories and air exposure modeling data. Results from several of our studies indicate that communities of color bear a disproportionate burden in the location of treatment, storage, and disposal facilities and Toxic Release Inventory facilities. Longitudinal analysis further suggests that facility siting in communities of color, not market-based "minority move-in," accounts for these disparities. The collaborative also investigated the health risk implications of outdoor air toxics exposures from mobile and stationary sources and found that race plays an explanatory role in predicting cancer risk distributions among populations in the region, even after controlling for other socioeconomic and demographic indicators. Although it is unclear whether study results from southern California can be meaningfully generalized to other regions in the United States, they do have implications for approaching future research in the realm of environmental justice. The authors propose a political economy and social inequality framework to guide future research that could better elucidate the origins of environmental inequality and reasons for its persistence. PMID:11929723

Intersection of Southern Parkway and Southern Heights, looking toward the ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Intersection of Southern Parkway and Southern Heights, looking toward the Beechmont Historic District, showing changes in landscaping, northeast - Southern Heights-Beechmont District Landscapes, Louisville, Jefferson County, KY

Southern Nevada assisted living residents' perception of their oral health status and access to dental care.

PubMed

Dounis, Georgia; Ditmyer, Marcia M; McCants, Robert; Lee, Yoonah; Mobley, Connie

2012-06-01

Oral health is an integral component of general health, and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of oral health status and acces\\s to dental care by Southern Nevada Assisted Living Facilities Residents. A cross-sectional questionnaire study design was used to survey residents between 34 and 99 years old residing in Assisted Living Facilities. Seventy respondents (42 males and 28 females) completed a survey that included personal oral hygiene, access to care, and demographic information. Data analyses included descriptive statistics and chi-square. Mean age was 75.78 years, and the majority had a college education (n = 41). Four currently smoked cigarettes. Twenty-nine (males = 14; females = 15) reported having dental insurance. Eleven respondents had seen a dentist twice a year, while 33 reported a visit less than 6 months. Forty-one reported the facility did not provide oral health care with majority (n = 64) indicating that accessing oral health care was difficult. Self-rated response to oral hygiene, a majority (n = 64) reported their oral hygiene as fair and five reported their oral hygiene as poor. Assisted living residents in Southern Nevada reported difficulty accessing dental services within and outside of the facility. Oral care models to address this unique population should be explored. © 2010 The Gerodontology Society and John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Great Bend tornadoes of August 30, 1974

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Umenhofer, T. A.; Fujita, T. T.; Dundas, R.

1977-01-01

Photogrammetric analyses of movies and still pictures taken of the Great Bend, Kansas Tornado series have been used to develop design specifications for nuclear power plants and facilities. A maximum tangential velocity of 57 m/sec and a maximum vertical velocity of 27 m/sec are determined for one suction vortex having a translational velocity of 32 m/sec. Three suction vortices with radii in the 20 to 30 m range are noted in the flow field of one tornado; these suction vortices apparently form a local convergence of inflow air inside the outer portion of the tornado core.

An Aboriginal Australian Record of the Great Eruption of Eta Carinae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamacher, Duane W.; Frew, David J.

2010-11-01

We present evidence that the Boorong Aboriginal people of northwestern Victoria observed the Great Eruption of Eta Carinae in the nineteenth century and incorporated this event into their oral traditions. We identify this star, as well as others not specifically identified by name, using descriptive material presented in the 1858 paper by William Edward Stanbridge in conjunction with early southern star catalogues. This identification of a transient astronomical event supports the assertion that Aboriginal oral traditions are dynamic and evolving, and not static. This is the only definitive indigenous record of Eta Carinae's outburst identified in the literature to date.

Outreach on a National Scale: The Critical Role of Facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartel, B. A.; Charlevoix, D. J.

2015-12-01

Facilities provide infrastructure for science that would not be feasible at a single institution. Facilities are also a resource for development of outreach products and activities that reach a national audience of diverse stakeholders. UNAVCO manages the NSF geodetic facility GAGE (Geodesy Advancing Geosciences and Earthscope). Staff at UNAVCO with expertise in education, outreach, and communication translate the science and supporting infrastructure into materials consumable by a wide array of users including teachers, students, museum attendees, emergency managers, park interpreters, and members of the general public. UNAVCO has the ability to distribute materials to a national and international audience, thereby greatly increasing the impact of the science and increasing the value of the investment by the National Science Foundation. In 2014 and 2015, UNAVCO produced multiple print products focused on the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO), the geodetic component of EarthScope. Products include a deck of playing cards featuring PBO GPS stations, a poster featuring GPS velocities of the Western United States, and another poster focused on GPS velocities in Alaska. We are distributing these products to a broad audience, including teachers, station permit holders, and community members. The Tectonics of the Western United States poster was distributed this year in the American Geosciences Institute Earth Science Week kit for teachers, reaching 16,000 educators around the country. These posters and the PBO playing cards (PBO-52) were distributed to more than 100 teachers through workshops led by UNAVCO, the EarthScope National Office, the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), and more. Additionally, these cards serve as a way to engage landowners who host these scientific stations on their property. This presentation will address the strategies for creating nationally relevant materials and the tools used for dissemination of materials to a broad audience. We

Southern Hemisphere Upper Thermospheric Wind Climatology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhadly, M. S.; Emmert, J. T.; Drob, D. P.

2017-12-01

This study is focused on the poorly understood large-scale upper thermospheric wind dynamics in the southern polar cap, auroral, and mid latitudes. The gaps in our understanding of the dynamic high-latitude thermosphere are largely due to the sparseness of thermospheric wind measurements. Using data from current observational facilities, it is unfeasible to construct a synoptic picture of the Southern Hemisphere upper thermospheric winds. However, enough data with wide spatial and temporal coverage have accumulated to construct a meaningful statistical analysis of winds as function of season, magnetic latitude, and magnetic local time. We use long-term data from nine ground-based stations located at different southern high latitudes and three space-based instruments. These diverse data sets possess different geometries and different spatial and solar coverage. The major challenge of the effort is to combine these disparate sources of data into a coherent picture while overcoming the sampling limitations and biases among the datasets. Our preliminary analyses show mutual biases present among some of them. We first address the biases among various data sets and then combine them in a coherent way to construct maps of neutral winds for various seasons. We then validate the fitted climatology against the observational data and compare with corresponding fits of 25 years of simulated winds from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model. This study provides critical insight into magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere coupling and sets a necessary benchmark for validating new observations and tuning first-principles models.

Southern forest resource conditions and management practices from 1900-1950: Benefits of research

Treesearch

James P. Barnett

2004-01-01

The vast harvest of the native forests of the South in the 19th and early 20th centuries created a great need for reforestation and silvicultural knowledge. An emphasis on forestry research that changed the face of the South began with the establishment of the Southern and Appalachian Forest Experiment Stations in 1921. Working under primitive conditions, early...

On the "hidden" phytoplankton blooms on Australia's southern shelves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kämpf, Jochen; Kavi, Ankit

2017-02-01

Phytoplankton blooms on Australia's southern shelves are revisited using satellite-derived monthly data of chlorophyll a concentrations for the period 2003-2015. It is known that the region hosts a seasonal coastal upwelling system that develops in austral summer (January-March) with chlorophyll a concentrations of >2 mg/m3. While this summer upwelling is spatially limited to a few hot spots, here we show that widespread phytoplankton blooms of moderate ( 1 mg/m3) chlorophyll a concentrations develop during autumn and early winter on most of Australia's extensive southern shelves—from the vast shelves of the Great Australian Bight (GAB) in the west to Bass Strait in the east. This surprising finding disproves the widespread belief that shelf waters of the GAB are generally oligotrophic and may explain the relatively high abundance of both forage fish (sardines) and upper trophic-level predators (e.g., tuna and whales) in the region.

Potential impacts of global warming on water resources in southern California.

PubMed

Beuhler, M

2003-01-01

Global warming will have a significant impact on water resources within the 20 to 90-year planning period of many water projects. Arid and semi-arid regions such as Southern California are especially vulnerable to anticipated negative impacts of global warming on water resources. Long-range water facility planning must consider global climate change in the recommended mix of new facilities needed to meet future water requirements. The generally accepted impacts of global warming include temperature, rising sea levels, more frequent and severe floods and droughts, and a shift from snowfall to rain. Precipitation changes are more difficult to predict. For Southern California, these impacts will be especially severe on surface water supplies. Additionally, rising sea levels will exacerbate salt-water intrusion into freshwater and impact the quality of surface water supplies. Integrated water resources planning is emerging as a tool to develop water supplies and demand management strategies that are less vulnerable to the impacts of global warming. These tools include water conservation, conjunctive use of surface and groundwater and desalination of brackish water and possibly seawater. Additionally, planning for future water needs should include explicit consideration of the potential range of global warming impacts through techniques such as scenario planning.

Early emergence of anthropogenically forced heat waves in the western United States and Great Lakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez, Hosmay; West, Robert; Dong, Shenfu; Goni, Gustavo; Kirtman, Ben; Lee, Sang-Ki; Atlas, Robert

2018-05-01

Climate projections for the twenty-first century suggest an increase in the occurrence of heat waves. However, the time at which externally forced signals of anthropogenic climate change (ACC) emerge against background natural variability (time of emergence (ToE)) has been challenging to quantify, which makes future heat-wave projections uncertain. Here we combine observations and model simulations under present and future forcing to assess how internal variability and ACC modulate US heat waves. We show that ACC dominates heat-wave occurrence over the western United States and Great Lakes regions, with ToE that occurred as early as the 2020s and 2030s, respectively. In contrast, internal variability governs heat waves in the northern and southern Great Plains, where ToE occurs in the 2050s and 2070s; this later ToE is believed to be a result of a projected increase in circulation variability, namely the Great Plain low-level jet. Thus, greater mitigation and adaptation efforts are needed in the Great Lakes and western United States regions.

Long-term measurements of submicrometer aerosol chemistry at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) using an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM)

DOE PAGES

Parworth, Caroline; Tilp, Alison; Fast, Jerome; ...

2015-04-01

In this study the long-term trends of non-refractory submicrometer aerosol (NR-PM1) composition and mass concentration measured by an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program's Southern Great Plains (SGP) site are discussed. NR-PM1 data was recorded at ~30 min intervals over a period of 19 months between November 2010 and June 2012. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) was performed on the measured organic mass spectral matrix using a rolling window technique to derive factors associated with distinct sources, evolution processes, and physiochemical properties. The rolling window approach also allows us to capture the dynamic variations ofmore » the chemical properties in the organic aerosol (OA) factors over time. Three OA factors were obtained including two oxygenated OA (OOA) factors, differing in degrees of oxidation, and a biomass burning OA (BBOA) factor. Back trajectory analyses were performed to investigate possible sources of major NR-PM1 species at the SGP site. Organics dominated NR-PM1 mass concentration for the majority of the study with the exception of winter, when ammonium nitrate increases due to transport of precursor species from surrounding urban and agricultural areas and also due to cooler temperatures. Sulfate mass concentrations have little seasonal variation with mixed regional and local sources. In the spring BBOA emissions increase and are mainly associated with local fires. Isoprene and carbon monoxide emission rates were obtained by the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN) and the 2011 U.S. National Emissions Inventory to represent the spatial distribution of biogenic and anthropogenic sources, respectively. The combined spatial distribution of isoprene emissions and air mass trajectories suggest that biogenic emissions from the southeast contribute to SOA formation at the SGP site during the summer.« less

Climatic Implications of the Observed Temperature Dependence of the Liquid Water Path of Low Clouds in the Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DelGenio, Anthony

1999-01-01

Satellite observations of low-level clouds have challenged the assumption that adiabatic liquid water content combined with constant physical thickness will lead to a negative cloud optics feedback in a decadal climate change. We explore the reasons for the satellite results using four years of surface remote sensing data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Cloud and Radiation Testbed site in the Southern Great Plains of the United States. We find that low cloud liquid water path is approximately invariant with temperature in winter but decreases strongly with temperature in summer, consistent with the satellite inferences at this latitude. This behavior occurs because liquid water content shows no detectable temperature dependence while cloud physical thickness decreases with warming. Thinning of clouds with warming is observed on seasonal, synoptic, and diurnal time scales; it is most obvious in the warm sectors of baroclinic waves. Although cloud top is observed to slightly descend with warming, the primary cause of thinning, is the ascent of cloud base due to the reduction in surface relative humidity and the concomitant increase in the lifting condensation level of surface air. Low cloud liquid water path is not observed to be a continuous function of temperature. Rather, the behavior we observe is best explained as a transition in the frequency of occurrence of different boundary layer types. At cold temperatures, a mixture of stratified and convective boundary layers is observed, leading to a broad distribution of liquid water path values, while at warm temperatures, only convective boundary layers with small liquid water paths, some of them decoupled, are observed. Our results, combined with the earlier satellite inferences, imply that the commonly quoted 1.5C lower limit for the equilibrium global climate sensitivity to a doubling of CO2 which is based on models with near-adiabatic liquid water behavior and constant physical thickness

Climatic Implications of the Observed Temperature Dependence of the Liquid Water Path of Low Clouds in the Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DelGenio, Anthony D.; Wolf, Audrey B.

1999-01-01

Satellite observations of low-level clouds have challenged the assumption that adiabatic liquid water content combined with constant physical thickness will lead to a negative cloud optics feedback in a decadal climate change. We explore the reasons for the satellite results using four years of surface remote sensing data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Cloud and Radiation Testbed site in the Southern Great Plains of the United States. We find that low cloud liquid water path is approximately invariant with temperature in winter but decreases strongly with temperature in summer, consistent with the satellite inferences at this latitude. This behavior occurs because liquid water content shows no detectable temperature dependence while cloud physical thickness decreases with warming. Thinning of clouds with warming is observed on seasonal, synoptic, and diurnal time scales; it is most obvious in the warm sectors of baroclinic waves. Although cloud top is observed to slightly descend with warming, the primary cause of thinning is the ascent of cloud base due to the reduction in surface relative humidity and the concomitant increase in the lifting condensation level of surface air. Low cloud liquid water path is not observed to be a continuous function of temperature. Rather, the behavior we observe is best explained as a transition in the frequency of occurrence of different boundary layer types: At cold temperatures, a mixture of stratified and convective boundary layers is observed, leading to a broad distribution of liquid water path values, while at warm temperatures, only convective boundary layers with small liquid water paths, some of them decoupled, are observed. Our results, combined with the earlier satellite inferences, imply that the commonly quoted 1.50 C lower limit for the equilibrium global climate sensitivity to a doubling of CO2, which is based on models with near-adiabatic liquid water behavior and constant physical thickness

75 FR 7472 - Southern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-19

... Abandonment and Replacement Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues February 5, 2010. The... Replacement Project, involving the abandonment and replacement of facilities by Southern Natural Gas Company... process to determine whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity. This notice announces...

Short-Term Uplift Rates and the Mountain Building Process in Southern Alaska

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sauber, Jeanne; Herring, Thomas A.; Meigs, Andrew; Meigs, Andrew

1998-01-01

We have used GPS at 10 stations in southern Alaska with three epochs of measurements to estimate short-term uplift rates. A number of great earthquakes as well as recent large earthquakes characterize the seismicity of the region this century. To reliably estimate uplift rates from GPS data, numerical models that included both the slip distribution in recent large earthquakes and the general slab geometry were constructed.

Diagnosing the Nature of Land-Atmosphere Coupling: A Case Study of Dry/Wet Extremes in the U. S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A. Jr.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kennedy, Aaron; Kumar, Sujay V.

2012-01-01

Land-atmosphere (L-A) interactions play a critical role in determining the diurnal evolution of land surface and planetary boundary layer (PBL) temperature and moisture states and fluxes. In turn, these interactions regulate the strength of the connection between surface moisture and precipitation in a coupled system. To address model deficiencies, recent studies have focused on development of diagnostics to quantify the strength and accuracy of the land- PBL coupling at the process-level. In this paper, a diagnosis of the nature and impacts of local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) during dry and wet extreme conditions is presented using a combination of models and observations during the summers of 2006 and 2007 in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. A range of diagnostics exploring the links and feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation are applied to the dry/wet regimes exhibited in this region, and in the process a thorough evaluation of nine different land-PBL scheme couplings is conducted under the umbrella of a high-resolution regional modeling testbed. Results show that the sign and magnitude of errors in land surface energy balance components are sensitive to the choice of land surface model, regime type, and running mode. In addition, LoCo diagnostics show that the sensitivity of L-A coupling is stronger towards the land during dry conditions, while the PBL scheme coupling becomes more important during the wet regime. Results also demonstrate how LoCo diagnostics can be applied to any modeling system (e.g. reanalysis products) in the context of their integrated impacts on the process-chain connecting the land surface to the PBL and in support of hydrological anomalies.

Diagnosing the Nature of Land-Atmosphere Coupling: A Case Study of Dry/Wet Extremes in the U.S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A., Jr.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kennedy, Aaron; Kumar, Sujay V.

2012-01-01

Land-atmosphere (L-A) interactions play a critical role in determining the diurnal evolution of land surface and planetary boundary layer (PBL) temperature and moisture states and fluxes. In turn, these interactions regulate the strength of the connection between surface moisture and precipitation in a coupled system. To address model deficiencies, recent studies have focused on development of diagnostics to quantify the strength and accuracy of the land-PBL coupling at the process level. In this paper, a diagnosis of the nature and impacts of local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) during dry and wet extreme conditions is presented using a combination of models and observations during the summers of 2006 and 2007 in the U.S. southern Great Plains. A range of diagnostics exploring the links and feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation is applied to the dry/wet regimes exhibited in this region, and in the process, a thorough evaluation of nine different land-PBL scheme couplings is conducted under the umbrella of a high-resolution regional modeling test bed. Results show that the sign and magnitude of errors in land surface energy balance components are sensitive to the choice of land surface model, regime type, and running mode. In addition, LoCo diagnostics show that the sensitivity of L-A coupling is stronger toward the land during dry conditions, while the PBL scheme coupling becomes more important during the wet regime. Results also demonstrate how LoCo diagnostics can be applied to any modeling system (e.g., reanalysis products) in the context of their integrated impacts on the process chain connecting the land surface to the PBL and in support of hydrological anomalies.

The Feasibility of Establishing Operational Water Hyacinth-Based Systems at the Treatment Facilities of Existing Cities. [in Florida and Texas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The wastewater treatment facilities of three communities in southern Florida and two in southern Texas areas having populations of 20,000 or fewer persons were surveyed to determine: (1) their performance characteristics and the nature of their customers; (2) facility upgrading requirements needed to meet current and future EPA and State standards; (3) their adaptability to water hyacinth utilization and harvested plant disposal; and (4) the level of community support. Guidelines for site selection were established and applied to five cities in Texas and four in Florida. An evaluation of the prospective sites reveals that the Florida locations are generally unsuitable for implementation of water hyacinth based systems because of regulatory philosophy. All five Texas sites have excellent potential.

78 FR 22576 - Application and Amendment to Facility Operating License Involving Proposed No Significant Hazards...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-16

... Facility Operating License Involving Proposed No Significant Hazards Consideration Determination; San... Operating License No. NPF-10, issued to Southern California Edison (SCE, the licensee), for operation of the... operating conditions'' and ``normal steady state full power operation'' and restricts operation to 70...

Regional Assessment of Human Fecal Contamination in Southern California Coastal Drainages

PubMed Central

Cao, Yiping; Raith, Meredith R.; Smith, Paul D.; Griffith, John F.; Weisberg, Stephen B.; Schriewer, Alexander; Sheldon, Andrew; Crompton, Chris; Gregory, Jason; Guzman, Joe; Othman, Laila; Manasjan, Mayela; Choi, Samuel; Rapoport, Shana; Steele, Syreeta; Nguyen, Tommy; Yu, Xueyuan

2017-01-01

Host-associated genetic markers that allow for fecal source identification have been used extensively as a diagnostic tool to determine fecal sources within watersheds, but have not been used in routine monitoring to prioritize remediation actions among watersheds. Here, we present a regional assessment of human marker prevalence among drainages that discharge to the U.S. southern California coast. Approximately 50 samples were analyzed for the HF183 human marker from each of 22 southern California coastal drainages under summer dry weather conditions, and another 50 samples were targeted from each of 23 drainages during wet weather. The HF183 marker was ubiquitous, detected in all but two sites in dry weather and at all sites during wet weather. However, there was considerable difference in the extent of human fecal contamination among sites. Similar site ranking was produced regardless of whether the assessment was based on frequency of HF183 detection or site average HF183 concentration. However, site ranking differed greatly between dry and wet weather. Site ranking also differed greatly when based on enterococci, which do not distinguish between pollution sources, vs. HF183, which distinguishes higher risk human fecal sources from other sources, indicating the additional value of the human-associated marker as a routine monitoring tool. PMID:28777324

Regional Assessment of Human Fecal Contamination in Southern California Coastal Drainages.

PubMed

Cao, Yiping; Raith, Meredith R; Smith, Paul D; Griffith, John F; Weisberg, Stephen B; Schriewer, Alexander; Sheldon, Andrew; Crompton, Chris; Amenu, Geremew G; Gregory, Jason; Guzman, Joe; Goodwin, Kelly D; Othman, Laila; Manasjan, Mayela; Choi, Samuel; Rapoport, Shana; Steele, Syreeta; Nguyen, Tommy; Yu, Xueyuan

2017-08-04

Host-associated genetic markers that allow for fecal source identification have been used extensively as a diagnostic tool to determine fecal sources within watersheds, but have not been used in routine monitoring to prioritize remediation actions among watersheds. Here, we present a regional assessment of human marker prevalence among drainages that discharge to the U.S. southern California coast. Approximately 50 samples were analyzed for the HF183 human marker from each of 22 southern California coastal drainages under summer dry weather conditions, and another 50 samples were targeted from each of 23 drainages during wet weather. The HF183 marker was ubiquitous, detected in all but two sites in dry weather and at all sites during wet weather. However, there was considerable difference in the extent of human fecal contamination among sites. Similar site ranking was produced regardless of whether the assessment was based on frequency of HF183 detection or site average HF183 concentration. However, site ranking differed greatly between dry and wet weather. Site ranking also differed greatly when based on enterococci, which do not distinguish between pollution sources, vs. HF183, which distinguishes higher risk human fecal sources from other sources, indicating the additional value of the human-associated marker as a routine monitoring tool.

Low calcification in corals in the Great Barrier Reef

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharya, Atreyee

2012-10-01

Reef-building coral communities in the Great Barrier Reef—the world's largest coral reef—may now be calcifying at only about half the rate that they did during the 1970s, even though live coral cover may not have changed over the past 40 years, a new study finds. In recent decades, coral reefs around the world, home to large numbers of fish and other marine species, have been threatened by such human activities as pollution, overfishing, global warming, and ocean acidification; the latter affects ambient water chemistry and availability of calcium ions, which are critical for coral communities to calcify, build, and maintain reefs. Comparing data from reef surveys during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s with present-day (2009) measurements of calcification rates in One Tree Island, a coral reef covering 13 square kilometers in the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef, Silverman et al. show that the total calcification rates (the rate of calcification minus the rate of dissolution) in these coral communities have decreased by 44% over the past 40 years; the decrease appears to stem from a threefold reduction in calcification rates during nighttime.

Late Quaternary environmental change inferred from phytoliths and other soil-related proxies: Case studies from the central and southern Great Plains, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cordova, C.E.; Johnson, W.C.; Mandel, R.D.; Palmer, M.W.

2011-01-01

This study investigates stable carbon isotopes (??13C), opal phytolith assemblages, burnt phytoliths, microscopic charcoal and Sporormiella spores from modern soils and paleosols in Kansas and Oklahoma. Grass and dicot phytoliths in combination with ??13C are used as proxies for reconstructing the structure of grasslands and woodlands. Burnt grass phytoliths and microscopic charcoal are evaluated as proxies for reconstructing paleofire incidence. Concentrations of the fungal spore Sporormiella are used as a proxy for assessing large herbivore activity. These proxies were tested on various modern grassland communities of the central and southern Great Plains, including areas with bison, cattle, and small herbivores, and areas under different fire frequencies.Opal phytolith assemblages and ??13C values show that before cal 11ka, C3 grasses and woody plants predominated in areas that today are dominated by C4 grasses. The origin of the shortgrass prairie dates back to about cal 10ka. The origin of the tallgrass prairie, however, is not clear as phytolith data show variable assemblages throughout the Holocene (mixed-grass, tallgrass, and tallgrass-woodland mosaic). Different proxies (burnt phytoliths vs. charcoal) reveal different fire frequencies, but it is apparent that microfossil evidence for fire incidence is closely related to the abundance of woody plants in the landscape.Before cal 12. ka, soils show somewhat elevated concentration of Sporormiella, but lower concentrations than the modern high-density bison and cattle grazing areas. Throughout the Holocene, Sporormiella frequencies are low, which suggests lower large ungulate densities and perhaps high mobility. ?? 2010 Elsevier B.V.

Large-Eddy Simulation of Shallow Cumulus over Land: A Composite Case Based on ARM Long-Term Observations at Its Southern Great Plains Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Yunyan; Klein, Stephen A.; Fan, Jiwen

Based on long-term observations by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program at its Southern Great Plains site, a new composite case of continental shallow cumulus (ShCu) convection is constructed for large-eddy simulations (LES) and single-column models. The case represents a typical daytime nonprecipitating ShCu whose formation and dissipation are driven by the local atmospheric conditions and land surface forcing and are not influenced by synoptic weather events. The case includes early morning initial profiles of temperature and moisture with a residual layer; diurnally varying sensible and latent heat fluxes, which represent a domain average over different land surface types; simplified large-scalemore » horizontal advective tendencies and subsidence; and horizontal winds with prevailing direction and average speed. Observed composite cloud statistics are provided for model evaluation. The observed diurnal cycle is well reproduced by LES; however, the cloud amount, liquid water path, and shortwave radiative effect are generally underestimated. LES are compared between simulations with an all-or-nothing bulk microphysics and a spectral bin microphysics. The latter shows improved agreement with observations in the total cloud cover and the amount of clouds with depths greater than 300 m. When compared with radar retrievals of in-cloud air motion, LES produce comparable downdraft vertical velocities, but a larger updraft area, velocity, and updraft mass flux. Both observations and LES show a significantly larger in-cloud downdraft fraction and downdraft mass flux than marine ShCu.« less

Large-Eddy Simulation of Shallow Cumulus over Land: A Composite Case Based on ARM Long-Term Observations at Its Southern Great Plains Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Yunyan; Klein, Stephen A.; Fan, Jiwen

Based on long-term observations by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program at its Southern Great Plains site, a new composite case of continental shallow cumulus (ShCu) convection is constructed for large-eddy simulations (LES) and single-column models. The case represents a typical daytime non-precipitating ShCu whose formation and dissipation are driven by the local atmospheric conditions and land-surface forcing, and are not influenced by synoptic weather events. The case includes: early-morning initial profiles of temperature and moisture with a residual layer; diurnally-varying sensible and latent heat fluxes which represent a domain average over different land-surface types; simplified large-scale horizontal advective tendencies andmore » subsidence; and horizontal winds with prevailing direction and average speed. Observed composite cloud statistics are provided for model evaluation. The observed diurnal cycle is well-reproduced by LES, however the cloud amount, liquid water path, and shortwave radiative effect are generally underestimated. LES are compared between simulations with an all-or-nothing bulk microphysics and a spectral bin microphysics. The latter shows improved agreement with observations in the total cloud cover and the amount of clouds with depths greater than 300 meters. When compared with radar retrievals of in-cloud air motion, LES produce comparable downdraft vertical velocities, but a larger updraft area, velocity and updraft mass flux. Finally, both observation and LES show a significantly larger in-cloud downdraft fraction and downdraft mass flux than marine ShCu.« less

Large-Eddy Simulation of Shallow Cumulus over Land: A Composite Case Based on ARM Long-Term Observations at Its Southern Great Plains Site

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Yunyan; Klein, Stephen A.; Fan, Jiwen; ...

2017-09-19

Based on long-term observations by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program at its Southern Great Plains site, a new composite case of continental shallow cumulus (ShCu) convection is constructed for large-eddy simulations (LES) and single-column models. The case represents a typical daytime non-precipitating ShCu whose formation and dissipation are driven by the local atmospheric conditions and land-surface forcing, and are not influenced by synoptic weather events. The case includes: early-morning initial profiles of temperature and moisture with a residual layer; diurnally-varying sensible and latent heat fluxes which represent a domain average over different land-surface types; simplified large-scale horizontal advective tendencies andmore » subsidence; and horizontal winds with prevailing direction and average speed. Observed composite cloud statistics are provided for model evaluation. The observed diurnal cycle is well-reproduced by LES, however the cloud amount, liquid water path, and shortwave radiative effect are generally underestimated. LES are compared between simulations with an all-or-nothing bulk microphysics and a spectral bin microphysics. The latter shows improved agreement with observations in the total cloud cover and the amount of clouds with depths greater than 300 meters. When compared with radar retrievals of in-cloud air motion, LES produce comparable downdraft vertical velocities, but a larger updraft area, velocity and updraft mass flux. Finally, both observation and LES show a significantly larger in-cloud downdraft fraction and downdraft mass flux than marine ShCu.« less

Tower Temperature and Humidity Sensors (TWR) Handbook

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cook, DR

2010-02-01

Three tall towers are installed at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility: a 60-meter triangular tower at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) Central Facility (CF), a 21-meter walkup scaffolding tower at the SGP Okmulgee forest site (E21), and a 40-meter triangular tower at the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) Barrow site. The towers are used for meteorological, radiological, and other measurements.

Validating Innovative Renewable Energy Technologies: ESTCP Demonstrations at Two DoD Facilities

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-01

AND SUBTITLE Validating Innovative Renewable Energy Technologies: ESTCP Demonstrations at Two DoD Facilities 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER...Southern Research Institute,Advanced Energy Department,2000 Ninth Avenue South,Birmingham,AL,35205-5305 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER...AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES Presented at the NDIA Environment, Energy Security

[Potential vulnerability to flooding at public health facilities in four northern regions of Peru].

PubMed

Hernández-Vásquez, Akram; Arroyo-Hernández, Hugo; Bendezú-Quispe, Guido; Díaz-Seijas, Deysi; Vilcarromero, Stalin; Rubilar-González, Juan; Gutierrez-Lagos, Edith

2016-03-01

In order to determine the potential vulnerability of public health facilities in four northern regions of Peru to the possible effects of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. An exploratory spatial analysis was performed using the geo-referenced points for at-risk areas based on the activation of gullies that were reported by the National Water Authority, and the location of the four regional public health facilities of the Ministry of Health. Concentric areas of influence were simulate from the points of risk towards the public health facilities using radii of 200, 1000 and 1500 meters. The Tumbes region would be the most affected with 37.2% of its health facilities being affected by floods and landslides. The I-2 and I-3 categories of health facilities appeared to be the most affected with 28.9% and 31.6% respectively. Therefore, public health facilities near the risk zones may be affected by the ENSO.

PDO and ENSO Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies Control Grassland Plant Production across the United States Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parton, W. J.; Del Grosso, S. J.; Smith, W. K.; Chen, M.

2017-12-01

The El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) are multi-annual to multi-decadal climate patterns defined by ocean temperature anomalies that can strongly modulate climate variability. Here we evaluated the impacts of PDO and ENSO sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies on observed grassland above ground plant production (ANPP; 1940 to 2015), spring (April to July) cumulative actual evapotranspiration (iAET; 1900 to 2015) , and satellite-derived growing season (April to October) cumulative normalized difference vegetation index (iNDVI 1982 to 2015) across the United States Great Plains. The results showed that grassland ANPP is well correlated to iAET (r2=0.69) and iNDVI (r2=0.50 to 0.70) for the Cheyenne Wyoming and Northeastern Colorado long-term ANPP sites. At the site scale, during the negative phase of the PDO, we find ANPP is much lower (25%) and that variability of iAET, iNDVI, and ANPP are much higher (2 to 3 times) compared to the warm phase PDO. Further, we find there is a high frequency of below normal iAET when PDO and ENSO SST's are both negative, while there is a high frequency of above normal iAET when PDO and ENSO values are positive. At the regional scale, iAET, iNDVI, and modeled ANPP data sets show that plant production and iAET values are high in the southern Great Plains and low in the northern Great Plains when spring PDO and ENSO are both in the positive phase, while the opposite pattern is observed when both PDO and ENSO are both in the negative phase. Variability of iAET, iNDVI, and modeled ANPP are much higher in the central Great Plains during the negative phase PDO. We demonstrate clearly that the PDO and ENSO SST anomalies have large impacts on mean and variability of grassland plant production across the Great Plains.

Investigation of the 2006 Drought and 2007 Flood Extremes at the Southern Great Plains Through an Integrative Analysis of Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dong, Xiquan; Xi, Baike; Kennedy, Aaron; Feng, Zhe; Entin, Jared K.; Houser, Paul R.; Schiffer, Robert A.; LEucyer, Tristan; Olson, William S.; Hsu, Kuo-lin;

A real-time web-based optimal Biomass Site Assessment Tool (BioSAT): Module 1. An economic assessment of mill residues for the southern U.S.

Treesearch

Timothy M. Young; James H. Perdue; Andy Hartsell; Robert C. Abt; Donald Hodges; Timothy G. Rials

2009-01-01

Optimal locations for biomass facilities that use mill residues are identified for 13 southern U.S. states. The Biomass Site Assessment Tool (BioSAT) model is used to identify the top 20 locations for 13 southern U.S. states. The trucking cost model of BioSAT is used with Timber Mart South 2009 price data to estimate the total cost, average cost, and marginal costs for...

Major role of microbes in carbon fluxes during Austral winter in the Southern Drake Passage.

PubMed

Manganelli, Maura; Malfatti, Francesca; Samo, Ty J; Mitchell, B Greg; Wang, Haili; Azam, Farooq

2009-09-14

Carbon cycling in Southern Ocean is a major issue in climate change, hence the need to understand the role of biota in the regulation of carbon fixation and cycling. Southern Ocean is a heterogeneous system, characterized by a strong seasonality, due to long dark winter. Yet, currently little is known about biogeochemical dynamics during this season, particularly in the deeper part of the ocean. We studied bacterial communities and processes in summer and winter cruises in the southern Drake Passage. Here we show that in winter, when the primary production is greatly reduced, Bacteria and Archaea become the major producers of biogenic particles, at the expense of dissolved organic carbon drawdown. Heterotrophic production and chemoautotrophic CO(2) fixation rates were substantial, also in deep water, and bacterial populations were controlled by protists and viruses. A dynamic food web is also consistent with the observed temporal and spatial variations in archaeal and bacterial communities that might exploit various niches. Thus, Southern Ocean microbial loop may substantially maintain a wintertime food web and system respiration at the expense of summer produced DOC as well as regenerate nutrients and iron. Our findings have important implications for Southern Ocean ecosystem functioning and carbon cycle and its manipulation by iron enrichment to achieve net sequestration of atmospheric CO(2).

Geology of the Southern Appalachian Mountains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, Sandra H.B.

2008-01-01

The Southern Appalachian Mountains includes the Blue Ridge province and parts of four other physiographic provinces. The Blue Ridge physiographic province is a high, mountainous area bounded by several named mountain ranges (including the Unaka Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains) to the northwest, and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the southeast. Metamorphic rocks of the mountains include (1) fragments of a billion-year-old supercontinent, (2) thick sequences of sedimentary rock that were deposited in subsiding (sinking) basins on the continent, (3) sedimentary and volcanic rocks that were deposited on the sea floor, and (4) fragments of oceanic crust. Most of the rocks formed as sediments or volcanic rocks on ocean floors, islands, and continental plates; igneous rocks formed when crustal plates collided, beginning about 450 million years ago. The collision between the ancestral North American and African continental plates ended about 270 million years ago. Then, the continents began to be stretched, which caused fractures to open in places throughout the crust; these fractures were later filled with sediment. This product (U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 2830) consists of a geologic map of the Southern Appalachian Mountains overlain on a shaded-relief background. The map area includes parts of southern Virginia, eastern West Virginia and Tennessee, western North and South Carolina, northern Georgia and northeastern Alabama. Photographs of localities where geologic features of interest can be seen accompany the map. Diagrams show how the movement of continental plates over many millions of years affected the landscapes seen today, show how folds and faults form, describe important mineral resources of the region, and illustrate geologic time. This two-sided map is folded into a convenient size (5x9.4 inches) for use in the field. The target audience is high school to college earth science and geology teachers and students; staffs of

Clinical pathology and assessment of pathogen exposure in southern and Alaskan sea otters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hanni, K.D.; Mazet, J.A.K.; Gulland, F.M.D.; Estes, James A.; Staedler, M.; Murray, M.J.; Miller, M.; Jessup, David A.

2003-01-01

The southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) population in California (USA) and the Alaskan sea otter (E. lutris kenyoni) population in the Aleutian Islands (USA) chain have recently declined. In order to evaluate disease as a contributing factor to the declines, health assessments of these two sea otter populations were conducted by evaluating hematologic and/or serum biochemical values and exposure to six marine and terrestrial pathogens using blood collected during ongoing studies from 1995 through 2000. Samples from 72 free-ranging Alaskan, 78 free-ranging southern, and (for pathogen exposure only) 41 debilitated southern sea otters in rehabilitation facilities were evaluated and compared to investigate regional differences. Serum chemistry and hematology values did not indicate a specific disease process as a cause for the declines. Statistically significant differences were found between free-ranging adult southern and Alaskan population mean serum levels of creatinine kinase, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, calcium, cholesterol, creatinine, glucose, phosphorous, total bilirubin, blood urea nitrogen, and sodium. These were likely due to varying parasite loads, contaminant exposures, and physiologic or nutrition statuses. No free-ranging sea otters had signs of disease at capture, and prevalences of exposure to calicivirus, Brucella spp., and Leptospira spp. were low. The high prevalence (35%) of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in free-ranging southern sea otters, lack of antibodies to this parasite in Alaskan sea otters, and the pathogen's propensity to cause mortality in southern sea otters suggests that this parasite may be important to sea otter population dynamics in California but not in Alaska. The evidence for exposure to pathogens of public health importance (e.g., Leptospira spp., T. gondii) in the southern sea otter population, and the naïveté of both populations to other pathogens (e.g., morbillivirus

Clinical pathology and assessment of pathogen exposure in southern and Alaskan sea otters.

PubMed

Hanni, Krista D; Mazet, Jonna A K; Gulland, Frances M D; Estes, James; Staedler, Michelle; Murray, Michael J; Miller, Melissa; Jessup, David A

2003-10-01

The southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) population in California (USA) and the Alaskan sea otter (E. lutris kenyoni) population in the Aleutian Islands (USA) chain have recently declined. In order to evaluate disease as a contributing factor to the declines, health assessments of these two sea otter populations were conducted by evaluating hematologic and/or serum biochemical values and exposure to six marine and terrestrial pathogens using blood collected during ongoing studies from 1995 through 2000. Samples from 72 free-ranging Alaskan, 78 free-ranging southern, and (for pathogen exposure only) 41 debilitated southern sea otters in rehabilitation facilities were evaluated and compared to investigate regional differences. Serum chemistry and hematology values did not indicate a specific disease process as a cause for the declines. Statistically significant differences were found between free-ranging adult southern and Alaskan population mean serum levels of creatinine kinase, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, calcium, cholesterol, creatinine, glucose, phosphorous, total bilirubin, blood urea nitrogen, and sodium. These were likely due to varying parasite loads, contaminant exposures, and physiologic or nutrition statuses. No free-ranging sea otters had signs of disease at capture, and prevalences of exposure to calicivirus, Brucella spp., and Leptospira spp. were low. The high prevalence (35%) of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in free-ranging southern sea otters, lack of antibodies to this parasite in Alaskan sea otters, and the pathogen's propensity to cause mortality in southern sea otters suggests that this parasite may be important to sea otter population dynamics in California but not in Alaska. The evidence for exposure to pathogens of public health importance (e.g., Leptospira spp., T. gondii) in the southern sea otter population, and the naïveté of both populations to other pathogens (e.g., morbillivirus

Southern Pine Beetle

Treesearch

Robert C. Thatcher; Patrick J. Barry

1982-01-01

The southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann) is one of pine's most destructive insect enemies in the Southern United States, Mexico, and Central America. Because populations build rapidly to outbreak proportions and large numbers of trees are killed, this insect generates considerable concern among managers of southern pine forests. The beetle...

Numerical tool for tsunami risk assessment in the southern coast of Dominican Republic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macias Sanchez, J.; Llorente Isidro, M.; Ortega, S.; Gonzalez Vida, J. M., Sr.; Castro, M. J.

2016-12-01

The southern coast of Dominican Republic is a very populated region, with several important cities including Santo Domingo, its capital. Important activities are rooted in the southern coast including tourism, industry, commercial ports, and, energy facilities, among others. According to historical reports, it has been impacted by big earthquakes accompanied by tsunamis as in Azua in 1751 and recently Pedernales in 2010, but their sources are not clearly identified. The aim of the present work is to develop a numerical tool to simulate the impact in the southern coast of the Dominican Republic of tsunamis generated in the Caribbean Sea. This tool, based on the Tsunami-HySEA model from EDANYA group (University of Malaga, Spain), could be used in the framework of a Tsunami Early Warning Systems due the very short computing times when only propagation is computed or it could be used to assess inundation impact, computing inundation with a initial 5 meter resolution. Numerical results corresponding to three theoretical sources are used to test the numerical tool.

Introduction to CAUSES: Description of Weather and Climate Models and Their Near-Surface Temperature Errors in 5 day Hindcasts Near the Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morcrette, C. J.; Van Weverberg, K.; Ma, H.-Y.; Ahlgrimm, M.; Bazile, E.; Berg, L. K.; Cheng, A.; Cheruy, F.; Cole, J.; Forbes, R.; Gustafson, W. I.; Huang, M.; Lee, W.-S.; Liu, Y.; Mellul, L.; Merryfield, W. J.; Qian, Y.; Roehrig, R.; Wang, Y.-C.; Xie, S.; Xu, K.-M.; Zhang, C.; Klein, S.; Petch, J.

2018-03-01

We introduce the Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface (CAUSES) project with its aim of better understanding the physical processes leading to warm screen temperature biases over the American Midwest in many numerical models. In this first of four companion papers, 11 different models, from nine institutes, perform a series of 5 day hindcasts, each initialized from reanalyses. After describing the common experimental protocol and detailing each model configuration, a gridded temperature data set is derived from observations and used to show that all the models have a warm bias over parts of the Midwest. Additionally, a strong diurnal cycle in the screen temperature bias is found in most models. In some models the bias is largest around midday, while in others it is largest during the night. At the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains (SGP) site, the model biases are shown to extend several kilometers into the atmosphere. Finally, to provide context for the companion papers, in which observations from the SGP site are used to evaluate the different processes contributing to errors there, it is shown that there are numerous locations across the Midwest where the diurnal cycle of the error is highly correlated with the diurnal cycle of the error at SGP. This suggests that conclusions drawn from detailed evaluation of models using instruments located at SGP will be representative of errors that are prevalent over a larger spatial scale.

The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey Spitzer Legacy Science Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dickinson, M.; GOODS Team

2005-12-01

The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) is a multiwavelength anthology of deep field programs using NASA's Great Observatories and the most powerful ground-based facilities to create a public data resource for studying the formation and evolution of galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGN) throughout cosmic history. GOODS incorporates a Spitzer Legacy Program, which has obtained the deepest observations with that telescope at 3.6 to 24 microns. The Spitzer/IRAC data detect the rest-frame near-infrared light from galaxies out to z ˜ 6, providing valuable information on their stellar populations and masses. The MIPS 24μ m data are a sensitive probe of re-emitted energy from dust-obscured star formation and AGN out to z ˜ 3. I will very briefly introduce the survey and summarize science highlights from the Spitzer data.

What was the population of Great Zimbabwe (CE1000 - 1800)?

PubMed

Chirikure, Shadreck; Moultrie, Thomas; Bandama, Foreman; Dandara, Collett; Manyanga, Munyaradzi

2017-01-01

The World Heritage Site of Great Zimbabwe is one of the most iconic and largest archaeological settlements in Africa. It was the hub of direct and indirect trade which internally connected various areas of southern Africa, and externally linked them with East Africa and the Near and Far East. Archaeologists believe that at its peak, Great Zimbabwe had a fully urban population of 20,000 people concentrated in approximately 2.9 square kilometres (40 percent of 720 ha). This translates to a population density of 6,897, which is comparable with that of some of the most populous regions of the world in the 21st century. Here, we combine archaeological, ethnographic and historical evidence with ecological and statistical modelling to demonstrate that the total population estimate for the site's nearly 800-year occupational duration (CE1000-1800), after factoring in generational succession, is unlikely to have exceeded 10,000 people. This conclusion is strongly firmed up by the absence of megamiddens at the site, the chronological differences between several key areas of the settlement traditionally assumed to be coeval, and the historically documented low populations recorded for the sub-continent between CE1600 and 1950.

Atmospheric Concentrations of Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Southern Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlahos, P.; Edson, J.; Cifuentes, A.; McGillis, W. R.; Zappa, C.

2008-12-01

Long-range transport of persistent organic pollutant (POPs) is a global concern. Remote regions such as the Southern Ocean are greatly under-sampled though critical components in understanding POPs cycling. Over 20 high-volume air samples were collected in the Southern Ocean aboard the RV Brown during the GASEX III experiment between Mar 05 to April 9 2008. The relatively stationary platform (51S,38W) enabled the collection of a unique atmospheric time series at this open ocean station. Air sampling was also conducted across transects from Punto Arenas, Chile and to Montevideo, Uruguay. Samples were collected using glass sleeves packed with poly-urethane foam plugs and C-18 resin in order to collect target organic pollutants (per-fluorinated compounds, currently and historically used pesticides) in this under-sampled region. Here we present POPs concentrations and trends over the sampled period and compare variations with air parcel back trajectories to establish potential origins of their long-range transport.

Impact of Facilities on Academic Performance of Students with Special Needs in Mainstreamed Public Schools in Southwestern Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fareo, Dorcas Oluremi; Ojo, Olakunbi Olubukola

2013-01-01

Facilities have a great impact on academic performances of students, and inadequate facilities translate to poor performance. The study examined the availability and convenience of the facilities that were provided to students with special educational needs in mainstreamed schools. It ascertained the qualifications of teachers teaching in…

Pathways of upwelling deep waters to the surface of the Southern Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamsitt, Veronica; Drake, Henri; Morrison, Adele; Talley, Lynne; Dufour, Carolina; Gray, Alison; Griffies, Stephen; Mazloff, Matthew; Sarmiento, Jorge; Wang, Jinbo; Weijer, Wilbert

2017-04-01

Upwelling of Atlantic, Indian and Pacific deep waters to the sea surface in the Southern Ocean closes the global overturning circulation and is fundamentally important for oceanic uptake of anthropogenic carbon and heat, nutrient resupply for sustaining oceanic biological production, and the melt rate of ice shelves. Here we go beyond the two-dimensional view of Southern Ocean upwelling, to show detailed Southern Ocean upwelling pathways in three dimensions, using hydrographic observations and particle tracking in high-resolution ocean and climate models. The northern deep waters enter the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) via narrow southward currents along the boundaries of the three ocean basins, before spiraling southeastward and upward through the ACC. Upwelling is greatly enhanced at five major topographic features, associated with vigorous mesoscale eddy activity. Deep water reaches the upper ocean predominantly south of the southern ACC boundary, with a spatially nonuniform distribution, regionalizing warm water supply to Antarctic ice shelves and the delivery of nutrient and carbon-rich water to the sea surface. The timescale for half of the deep water to upwell from 30°S to the mixed layer is on the order of 60-90 years, which has important implications for the timescale for signals to propagate through the deep ocean. In addition, we quantify the diabatic transformation along particle trajectories, to identify where diabatic processes are important along the upwelling pathways.

Road crossing designs and their impact on fish assemblages of Great Plains streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bouska, Wesley W.; Paukert, Craig P.

2010-01-01

A mark-recapture field study was conducted to determine fish passage at 5 concrete box culverts and 5 low-water crossings (concrete slabs vented by culverts) as well as 10 control sites (below a natural riffle) in Flint Hills streams of northeastern Kansas. Additionally, we tested the upstream passage of four fish species native to Great Plains streams (Topeka shiner Notropis topeka, green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus, red shiner Cyprinella lutrensis, and southern redbelly dace Phoxinus erythrogaster) through three simulated crossing designs (box culverts, round corrugated culverts, and natural rock riffles) at water velocities of 0.1 to 1.1 m/s in an experimental stream. The field study indicated that cyprinids were twice as likely to move upstream of box culverts than low-water crossings and 1.4 times as likely to move upstream of control reaches than any crossing type. The best models indicated that the proportion of cyprinids that moved upstream increased with decreased culvert slope and length, perching, and increased culvert width. Our controlled experiment indicated that fish can move through velocities up to 1.1 m/s in a 1.86-m simulated stream and that the proportion of fish that moved upstream did not differ among crossing designs for southern redbelly dace, green sunfish, or Topeka shiner; however, natural rock riffles had lower proportional movements (mean = 0.19) than the box (0.38) or corrugated culvert designs (0.43) for red shiners. Water velocity did not affect the proportional upstream movement of any species except that of Topeka shiners, which increased with water velocity. Crossing design alone may not determine fish passage, and water velocities up to 1.1 m/s may not affect the passage of many Great Plains fishes. Barriers to fish movement may be the result of other factors (e.g., perching, slope, and crossing length). The use of properly designed and installed crossings has promise in conserving Great Plains stream fishes.

Effects of State Policies on Facilities Planning and Construction in Rural Districts. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Barbara Kent

State policies greatly affect the decisions rural districts make about building or renovating school facilities. State, federal, and local mechanisms for funding school facilities are briefly described. Some states require a specific percentage of growth or decline in student population or a minimum number of students as a prerequisite for…

GPS tracking data of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls breeding at the southern North Sea coast.

PubMed

Stienen, Eric W M; Desmet, Peter; Aelterman, Bart; Courtens, Wouter; Feys, Simon; Vanermen, Nicolas; Verstraete, Hilbran; de Walle, Marc Van; Deneudt, Klaas; Hernandez, Francisco; Houthoofdt, Robin; Vanhoorne, Bart; Bouten, Willem; Buijs, Roland-Jan; Kavelaars, Marwa M; Müller, Wendt; Herman, David; Matheve, Hans; Sotillo, Alejandro; Lens, Luc

2016-01-01

In this data paper, Bird tracking - GPS tracking of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls breeding at the southern North Sea coast is described, a species occurrence dataset published by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO). The dataset (version 5.5) contains close to 2.5 million occurrences, recorded by 101 GPS trackers mounted on 75 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 26 Herring Gulls breeding at the Belgian and Dutch coast. The trackers were developed by the University of Amsterdam Bird Tracking System (UvA-BiTS, http://www.uva-bits.nl). These automatically record and transmit bird movements, which allows us and others to study their habitat use and migration behaviour in great detail. Our bird tracking network is operational since 2013. It is funded for LifeWatch by the Hercules Foundation and maintained in collaboration with UvA-BiTS and the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ). The recorded data are periodically released in bulk as open data (http://dataset.inbo.be/bird-tracking-gull-occurrences), and are also accessible through CartoDB and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

Medical Image Analysis Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

To improve the quality of photos sent to Earth by unmanned spacecraft. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) developed a computerized image enhancement process that brings out detail not visible in the basic photo. JPL is now applying this technology to biomedical research in its Medical lrnage Analysis Facility, which employs computer enhancement techniques to analyze x-ray films of internal organs, such as the heart and lung. A major objective is study of the effects of I stress on persons with heart disease. In animal tests, computerized image processing is being used to study coronary artery lesions and the degree to which they reduce arterial blood flow when stress is applied. The photos illustrate the enhancement process. The upper picture is an x-ray photo in which the artery (dotted line) is barely discernible; in the post-enhancement photo at right, the whole artery and the lesions along its wall are clearly visible. The Medical lrnage Analysis Facility offers a faster means of studying the effects of complex coronary lesions in humans, and the research now being conducted on animals is expected to have important application to diagnosis and treatment of human coronary disease. Other uses of the facility's image processing capability include analysis of muscle biopsy and pap smear specimens, and study of the microscopic structure of fibroprotein in the human lung. Working with JPL on experiments are NASA's Ames Research Center, the University of Southern California School of Medicine, and Rancho Los Amigos Hospital, Downey, California.

Biosecurity and bird movement practices in upland game bird facilities in the United States.

PubMed

Slota, Katharine E; Hill, Ashley E; Keefe, Thomas J; Bowen, Richard A; Pabilonia, Kristy L

2011-06-01

Since 1996, the emergence of Asian-origin highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype H5N1 has spurred great concern for the global poultry industry. In the United States, there is concern over the potential of a foreign avian disease incursion into the country. Noncommercial poultry operations, such as upland game bird facilities in the United States, may serve as a potential source of avian disease introduction to other bird populations including the commercial poultry industry, backyard flocks, or wildlife. In order to evaluate how to prevent disease transmission from these facilities to other populations, we examined biosecurity practices and bird movement within the upland game bird industry in the United States. Persons that held a current permit to keep, breed, or release upland game birds were surveyed for information on biosecurity practices, flock and release environments, and bird movement parameters. Biosecurity practices vary greatly among permit holders. Many facilities allow for interaction between wild birds and pen-reared birds, and there is regular long-distance movement of live adult birds among facilities. Results suggest that upland game bird facilities should be targeted for biosecurity education and disease surveillance efforts.

Neptune - Changes in Great Dark Spot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

These images show changes in the clouds around Neptune's Great Dark Spot (GDS) over a four and one-half-day period. From top to bottom the images show successive rotations of the planet an interval of about 18 hours. The GDS is at a mean latitude of 20 degrees south, and covers about 30 degrees of longitude. The violet filter of the Voyager narrow angle camera was used to produce these images at distances ranging from 17 million kilometers (10.5 million miles) at the top, to 10 million kilometers (6.2 million miles) at bottom. The images have been mapped on to a rectangular latitude longitude grid to remove the effects of changing viewing geometry and the changing distance to Neptune. The sequence shows a large change in the western end (left side) of the GDS, where a dark extension apparent in the earlier images converges into an extended string of small dark spots over the next five rotations. This 'string of beads' extends from the GDS at a surprisingly large angle relative to horizontal lines of constant latitude. The large bright cloud at the southern (bottom) border of the GDS is a more or less permanent companion of the GDS. The apparent motion of smaller clouds at the periphery of the GDS suggests a counterclockwise rotation of the GDS reminiscent of flow around the Great Red Spot in Jupiter's atmosphere. This activity of the GDS is surprising because the total energy flux from the sun and from Neptune's interior is only 5 percent as large as the total energy flux on Jupiter.

Life on the rocks: Multilocus phylogeography of rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) from southern Africa.

PubMed

Maswanganye, K Amanda; Cunningham, Michael J; Bennett, Nigel C; Chimimba, Christian T; Bloomer, Paulette

2017-09-01

Understanding the role of geography and climatic cycles in determining patterns of biodiversity is important in comparative and evolutionary biology and conservation. We studied the phylogeographic pattern and historical demography of a rock-dwelling small mammal species from southern Africa, the rock hyrax Procavia capensis capensis. Using a multilocus coalescent approach, we assessed the influence of strong habitat dependence and fluctuating regional climates on genetic diversity. We sequenced a mitochondrial gene (cytochrome b) and two nuclear introns (AP5, PRKC1) supplemented with microsatellite genotyping, in order to assess evolutionary processes over multiple temporal scales. In addition, distribution modelling was used to investigate the current and predicted distribution of the species under different climatic scenarios. Collectively, the data reveal a complex history of isolation followed by secondary contact shaping the current intraspecific diversity. The cyt b sequences confirmed the presence of two previously proposed geographically and genetically distinct lineages distributed across the southern African Great Escarpment and north-western mountain ranges. Molecular dating suggests Miocene divergence of the lineages, yet there are no discernible extrinsic barriers to gene flow. The nuclear markers reveal incomplete lineage sorting or ongoing mixing of the two lineages. Although the microsatellite data lend some support to the presence of two subpopulations, there is weak structuring within and between lineages. These data indicate the presence of gene flow from the northern into the southern parts of the southern African sub-region likely following the secondary contact. The distribution modelling predictably reveal the species' preference for rocky areas, with stable refugia through time in the northern mountain ranges, the Great Escarpment, as well as restricted areas of the Northern Cape Province and the Cape Fold Mountains of South Africa

BANR: A Program to Predict Biomass Yield and Nutrient Withdrawal by Harvest of Southern Hardwood Stands

Treesearch

John K. Francis

1986-01-01

Intensive harvest of southern hardwoods can yield biomass in a greatly varied mix. This causes variation in the withdrawal rates of nutrients. A need exists for a computer program to perform biomass and nutrient content calculations on diverse stands. such a program BANR (Biomass And Nutrient Removal) - is described in this paper. It was written for the Hewlett-Packard...

Crisis management and recovery from the damage to the laboratory animal production facility due to the Great East Japan Earthquake.

PubMed

Ikeda, Takuya

2012-01-01

Charles River Laboratories Japan produces laboratory animals, mainly mice and rats. In its history, we have experienced many crises such as mass food poisoning of staff and contamination of animals. However, we overcame these crises, accomplishing our corporate missions to secure steady supply of healthy animals. Under such circumstances, in 2008, we faced an unprecedented crisis involving a novel influenza possibly becoming pandemic. Therefore, we prepared a Crisis Management Plan (CMP) and Business Continuity Plan (BCP) to avoid the worst case scenario. Fortunately, the novel influenza did not develop into a pandemic and no major problems occurred in production of our laboratory animals. In March 2011, our Tsukuba Breeding Center was struck by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Many cages fell from racks, and consequently, 14,000 mice and rats were euthanized. Moreover, this animal production facility experienced not only blackouts and water outage but also various maintenance problems. After triage of the animals, almost half of the animals kept were eventually lost. However, we recovered and resumed shipment of animals two weeks after the disaster by utilizing the CMP and BCP we initially created as a countermeasure against novel influenza. After two months, our production volume returned to normal except for two strains. I sincerely hope this review, which highlights our experience and related issues, will be a useful resource in regard to crisis management for people who are engaged in laboratory animal care and use.

2017 Southern Delta Aquariids from Morocco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaarder, Kai

2017-04-01

The 2017 SDA campaign turned out to be a success due to good weather and observing conditions most of the time. It was a great experience to observe meteors in the Moroccan mountains, with all its sounds ranging from the bray of the mules calling each other over long distances, to the barking of the stray dogs and the flapping of the bats hunting insects around my sunbed! Every night around 03:30 the mosques started their calls for the morning prayer, creating a very special atmosphere during the late morning observations. The Southern Delta Aquariids was definitely a shower worth observing, and I hope I can return to a favorable latitude to observe them again in the future. Details of the observations can be found in the Visual Meteor Database on the IMO website.

Geochemical evolution of Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, B.F.; Naftz, D.L.; Spencer, R.J.; Oviatt, Charles G.

2009-01-01

The Great Salt Lake (GSL) of Utah, USA, is the largest saline lake in North America, and its brines are some of the most concentrated anywhere in the world. The lake occupies a closed basin system whose chemistry reflects solute inputs from the weathering of a diverse suite of rocks in its drainage basin. GSL is the remnant of a much larger lacustrine body, Lake Bonneville, and it has a long history of carbonate deposition. Inflow to the lake is from three major rivers that drain mountain ranges to the east and empty into the southern arm of the lake, from precipitation directly on the lake, and from minor groundwater inflow. Outflow is by evaporation. The greatest solute inputs are from calcium bicarbonate river waters mixed with sodium chloride-type springs and groundwaters. Prior to 1930 the lake concentration inversely tracked lake volume, which reflected climatic variation in the drainage, but since then salt precipitation and re-solution, primarily halite and mirabilite, have periodically modified lake-brine chemistry through density stratification and compositional differentiation. In addition, construction of a railway causeway has restricted circulation, nearly isolating the northern from the southern part of the lake, leading to halite precipitation in the north. These and other conditions have created brine differentiation, mixing, and fractional precipitation of salts as major factors in solute evolution. Pore fluids and diagenetic reactions have been identified as important sources and especially sinks for CaCO3, Mg, and K in the lake, depending on the concentration gradient and clays. ?? U.S. Geological Survey 2008.

Southern Living and Southern Voices: Models of Regional Magazine Success and Failure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

English, John W.

This paper examines the phenomenon of magazine success and failure as demonstrated by two regional magazines, "Southern Living" and "Southern Voices." The former, a combination of articles about food, travel, sports, and other positive aspects of southern life, was quickly accepted by its readers and advertisers and began…

Modernization of the Caltech/USGS Southern California Seismic Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhadha, R.; Devora, A.; Hauksson, E.; Johnson, D.; Thomas, V.; Watkins, M.; Yip, R.; Yu, E.; Given, D.; Cone, G.; Koesterer, C.

2009-12-01

The USGS/ANSS/ARRA program is providing Government Furnished Equipment (GFE), and two year funding for upgrading the Caltech/USGS Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN). The SCSN is the modern digital ground motion seismic network in southern California that monitors seismicity and provides real-time earthquake information products such as rapid notifications, moment tensors, and ShakeMap. The SCSN has evolved through the years and now consists of several well-integrated components such as Short-Period analog, TERRAscope, digital stations, and real-time strong motion stations, or about 300 stations. In addition, the SCSN records data from about 100 stations provided by partner networks. To strengthen the ability of SCSN to meet the ANSS performance standards, we will install GFE and carry out the following upgrades and improvements of the various components of the SCSN: 1) Upgrade of dataloggers at seven TERRAscope stations; 2) Upgrade of dataloggers at 131 digital stations and upgrade broadband sensors at 25 stations; 3) Upgrade of SCSN metadata capabilities; 4) Upgrade of telemetry capabilities for both seismic and GPS data; and 5) Upgrade balers at stations with existing Q330 dataloggers. These upgrades will enable the SCSN to meet the ANSS Performance Standards more consistently than before. The new equipment will improve station uptimes and reduce maintenance costs. The new equipment will also provide improved waveform data quality and consequently superior data products. The data gaps due to various outages will be minimized, and ‘late’ data will be readily available through retrieval from on-site storage. Compared to the outdated equipment, the new equipment will speed up data delivery by about 10 sec, which is fast enough for earthquake early warning applications. The new equipment also has about a factor of ten lower consumption of power. We will also upgrade the SCSN data acquisition and data center facilities, which will improve the SCSN

Decadal climate predictability in the southern Indian Ocean captured by SINTEX-F using a simple SST-nudging scheme.

PubMed

Morioka, Yushi; Doi, Takeshi; Behera, Swadhin K

2018-01-26

Decadal climate variability in the southern Indian Ocean has great influences on southern African climate through modulation of atmospheric circulation. Although many efforts have been made to understanding physical mechanisms, predictability of the decadal climate variability, in particular, the internally generated variability independent from external atmospheric forcing, remains poorly understood. This study investigates predictability of the decadal climate variability in the southern Indian Ocean using a coupled general circulation model, called SINTEX-F. The ensemble members of the decadal reforecast experiments were initialized with a simple sea surface temperature (SST) nudging scheme. The observed positive and negative peaks during late 1990s and late 2000s are well reproduced in the reforecast experiments initiated from 1994 and 1999, respectively. The experiments initiated from 1994 successfully capture warm SST and high sea level pressure anomalies propagating from the South Atlantic to the southern Indian Ocean. Also, the other experiments initiated from 1999 skillfully predict phase change from a positive to negative peak. These results suggest that the SST-nudging initialization has the essence to capture the predictability of the internally generated decadal climate variability in the southern Indian Ocean.

The USDA Southern Plains Climate Hub: Regional agricultural management in the context of weather and climate variability and change

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In the Southern Great Plains of the United States, extremes of weather and climate are the norm. Farmers, ranchers, and foresters rely upon timely and authoritative data and information when making management decisions that are weather- and climate-dependent. In response to the needs of these agricu...

{open_quotes}Airborne Research Australia (ARA){close_quotes} a new research aircraft facility on the southern hemisphere

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hacker, J.M.

1996-11-01

{open_quotes}Airborne Research Australia{close_quotes} (ARA) is a new research aircraft facility in Australia. It will serve the scientific community of Australia and will also make its aircraft and expertise available for commercial users. To cover the widest possible range of applications, the facility will operate up to five research aircraft, from a small, low-cost platform to medium-sized multi-purpose aircraft, as well as a unique high altitude aircraft capable of carrying scientific loads to altitudes of up to 15km. The aircraft will be equipped with basic instrumentation and data systems, as well as facilities to mount user-supplied instrumentation and systems internally andmore » externally on the aircraft. The ARA operations base consisting of a hangar, workshops, offices, laboratories, etc. is currently being constructed at Parafield Airport near Adelaide/South Australia. The following text reports about the current state of development of the facility. An update will be given in a presentation at the Conference. 6 figs.« less

Project Loon based augmentation for global ionospheric modeling over Southern Hemisphere.

PubMed

Wang, Cheng; Shi, Chuang; Zhang, Hongping

2017-04-06

Global ionospheric products of vertical total electron content (VTEC) derived from GNSS measurements may have low accuracy over oceans and southern latitudes where there are not rich observations. Project Loon provides a great opportunity to enhance the measurements over those areas. In this contribution, a simulation of Project Loon based augmentation for global ionospheric modeling is performed by using the international reference ionosphere (IRI) which could simulate VTEC measurements for the balloons. The performance of the enhanced method based on simulation of Project Loon is investigated by comparing with VTEC maps from Ionosphere Associate Analysis Centers (IAACs) as well as IGS final GIMs. The comparison indicates that there is a better consistency between the VTEC maps by the enhanced method and IGS final GIMs. Also, obvious improvements of RMS maps in GIMs for the middle latitudes and southern latitudes are enabled by the augmentation of Project Loon. Additionally, JASON data are used to validate the specific improvement of the VTEC maps. The results show that the performance of VTEC maps is improved slightly, especially in southern latitudes. It is possible that the VTEC maps could be improved significantly by using real GPS measurements from balloons of Project Loon in the near future.

Project Loon based augmentation for global ionospheric modeling over Southern Hemisphere

PubMed Central

Wang, Cheng; Shi, Chuang; Zhang, Hongping

2017-01-01

Global ionospheric products of vertical total electron content (VTEC) derived from GNSS measurements may have low accuracy over oceans and southern latitudes where there are not rich observations. Project Loon provides a great opportunity to enhance the measurements over those areas. In this contribution, a simulation of Project Loon based augmentation for global ionospheric modeling is performed by using the international reference ionosphere (IRI) which could simulate VTEC measurements for the balloons. The performance of the enhanced method based on simulation of Project Loon is investigated by comparing with VTEC maps from Ionosphere Associate Analysis Centers (IAACs) as well as IGS final GIMs. The comparison indicates that there is a better consistency between the VTEC maps by the enhanced method and IGS final GIMs. Also, obvious improvements of RMS maps in GIMs for the middle latitudes and southern latitudes are enabled by the augmentation of Project Loon. Additionally, JASON data are used to validate the specific improvement of the VTEC maps. The results show that the performance of VTEC maps is improved slightly, especially in southern latitudes. It is possible that the VTEC maps could be improved significantly by using real GPS measurements from balloons of Project Loon in the near future. PMID:28383058

Project Loon based augmentation for global ionospheric modeling over Southern Hemisphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Cheng; Shi, Chuang; Zhang, Hongping

2017-04-01

Global ionospheric products of vertical total electron content (VTEC) derived from GNSS measurements may have low accuracy over oceans and southern latitudes where there are not rich observations. Project Loon provides a great opportunity to enhance the measurements over those areas. In this contribution, a simulation of Project Loon based augmentation for global ionospheric modeling is performed by using the international reference ionosphere (IRI) which could simulate VTEC measurements for the balloons. The performance of the enhanced method based on simulation of Project Loon is investigated by comparing with VTEC maps from Ionosphere Associate Analysis Centers (IAACs) as well as IGS final GIMs. The comparison indicates that there is a better consistency between the VTEC maps by the enhanced method and IGS final GIMs. Also, obvious improvements of RMS maps in GIMs for the middle latitudes and southern latitudes are enabled by the augmentation of Project Loon. Additionally, JASON data are used to validate the specific improvement of the VTEC maps. The results show that the performance of VTEC maps is improved slightly, especially in southern latitudes. It is possible that the VTEC maps could be improved significantly by using real GPS measurements from balloons of Project Loon in the near future.

Introduction to CAUSES: Description of Weather and Climate Models and Their Near-Surface Temperature Errors in 5 day Hindcasts Near the Southern Great Plains

DOE PAGES

Morcrette, C. J.; Van Weverberg, K.; Ma, H. -Y.; ...

2018-02-16

We introduce the Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface (CAUSES) project with its aim of better understanding the physical processes leading to warm screen temperature biases over the American Midwest in many numerical models. In this first of four companion papers, 11 different models, from nine institutes, perform a series of 5 day hindcasts, each initialized from reanalyses. After describing the common experimental protocol and detailing each model configuration, a gridded temperature data set is derived from observations and used to show that all the models have a warm bias over parts of the Midwest. Additionally,more » a strong diurnal cycle in the screen temperature bias is found in most models. In some models the bias is largest around midday, while in others it is largest during the night. At the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains (SGP) site, the model biases are shown to extend several kilometers into the atmosphere. Finally, to provide context for the companion papers, in which observations from the SGP site are used to evaluate the different processes contributing to errors there, it is shown that there are numerous locations across the Midwest where the diurnal cycle of the error is highly correlated with the diurnal cycle of the error at SGP. This suggests that conclusions drawn from detailed evaluation of models using instruments located at SGP will be representative of errors that are prevalent over a larger spatial scale.« less

Introduction to CAUSES: Description of Weather and Climate Models and Their Near-Surface Temperature Errors in 5 day Hindcasts Near the Southern Great Plains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Morcrette, C. J.; Van Weverberg, K.; Ma, H. -Y.

We introduce the Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface (CAUSES) project with its aim of better understanding the physical processes leading to warm screen temperature biases over the American Midwest in many numerical models. In this first of four companion papers, 11 different models, from nine institutes, perform a series of 5 day hindcasts, each initialized from reanalyses. After describing the common experimental protocol and detailing each model configuration, a gridded temperature data set is derived from observations and used to show that all the models have a warm bias over parts of the Midwest. Additionally,more » a strong diurnal cycle in the screen temperature bias is found in most models. In some models the bias is largest around midday, while in others it is largest during the night. At the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains (SGP) site, the model biases are shown to extend several kilometers into the atmosphere. Finally, to provide context for the companion papers, in which observations from the SGP site are used to evaluate the different processes contributing to errors there, it is shown that there are numerous locations across the Midwest where the diurnal cycle of the error is highly correlated with the diurnal cycle of the error at SGP. This suggests that conclusions drawn from detailed evaluation of models using instruments located at SGP will be representative of errors that are prevalent over a larger spatial scale.« less

Validating Innovative Renewable Energy Technologies: ESTCP Demonstrations at Two DoD Facilities

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-01

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Validating Innovative Renewable Energy Technologies: ESTCP Demonstrations at Two DoD Facilities 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b...goals of 25% of energy consumed required to be from renewable energy by 2025, the DoD has set aggressive, yet achievable targets. With its array of land...holdings facilities, and environments, the potential for renewable energy generation on DoD lands is great. Reaching these goals will require

Some mean atmospheric characteristics for snowfall occurrences in southern Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mintegui, Jéssica Melo; Puhales, Franciano Scremin; Boiaski, Nathalie Tissot; Nascimento, Ernani de Lima; Anabor, Vagner

2018-01-01

Snowfall is considered a natural disaster in southern Brazil, where a little infrastructure exists up to prevent against the damage it induces, making snowfall forecast a matter of great interest in this region. The present article aims to describe the mean behavior of low, mid, and high atmospheric levels during snowfall occurrences in southern Brazil. Sea-level pressure (SLP), 1000-500 hPa atmospheric thickness, geopotential height at 500 hPa, and wind speed at 200 hPa have been analyzed. One hundred and ninety-six snowfall records from the conventional surface meteorological stations have been selected for the period from 1979 to 2015. The surface synoptic pattern associated with snowfall occurrences has been obtained from ERA-Interim reanalysis data with horizontal spatial resolution of 0.75° × 0.75° and temporal resolution of 12 h. SLP fields show a high-pressure transient system displacement from the Pacific Ocean to northeastern Argentina. In addition, it is possible to relate snowfall with displacement of a low-pressure system on the coast of southern Brazil. Thickness fields indicate shallow cold air mass intrusions one day before snowfall. Such a cold air continues moving towards low latitudes during consecutive snowfall days and it may be responsible for frost events in climatologically warm regions. Finally, mid and high atmospheric levels show an eastward propagating wave amplified by the Andes.

Diversity and Distribution Patterns in High Southern Latitude Sponges

PubMed Central

Downey, Rachel V.; Griffiths, Huw J.; Linse, Katrin; Janussen, Dorte

2012-01-01

Sponges play a key role in Antarctic marine benthic community structure and dynamics and are often a dominant component of many Southern Ocean benthic communities. Understanding the drivers of sponge distribution in Antarctica enables us to understand many of general benthic biodiversity patterns in the region. The sponges of the Antarctic and neighbouring oceanographic regions were assessed for species richness and biogeographic patterns using over 8,800 distribution records. Species-rich regions include the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands, South Georgia, Eastern Weddell Sea, Kerguelen Plateau, Falkland Islands and north New Zealand. Sampling intensity varied greatly within the study area, with sampling hotspots found at the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, north New Zealand and Tierra del Fuego, with limited sampling in the Bellingshausen and Amundsen seas in the Southern Ocean. In contrast to previous studies we found that eurybathy and circumpolar distributions are important but not dominant characteristics in Antarctic sponges. Overall Antarctic sponge species endemism is ∼43%, with a higher level for the class Hexactinellida (68%). Endemism levels are lower than previous estimates, but still indicate the importance of the Polar Front in isolating the Southern Ocean fauna. Nineteen distinct sponge distribution patterns were found, ranging from regional endemics to cosmopolitan species. A single, distinct Antarctic demosponge fauna is found to encompass all areas within the Polar Front, and the sub-Antarctic regions of the Kerguelen Plateau and Macquarie Island. Biogeographical analyses indicate stronger faunal links between Antarctica and South America, with little evidence of links between Antarctica and South Africa, Southern Australia or New Zealand. We conclude that the biogeographic and species distribution patterns observed are largely driven by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the timing of past continent connectivity. PMID

Interbasin flow in the Great Basin with special reference to the southern Funeral Mountains and the source of Furnace Creek springs, Death Valley, California, U.S.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Belcher, W.R.; Bedinger, M.S.; Back, J.T.; Sweetkind, D.S.

2009-01-01

Interbasin flow in the Great Basin has been established by scientific studies during the past century. While not occurring uniformly between all basins, its occurrence is common and is a function of the hydraulic gradient between basins and hydraulic conductivity of the intervening rocks. The Furnace Creek springs in Death Valley, California are an example of large volume springs that are widely accepted as being the discharge points of regional interbasin flow. The flow path has been interpreted historically to be through consolidated Paleozoic carbonate rocks in the southern Funeral Mountains. This work reviews the preponderance of evidence supporting the concept of interbasin flow in the Death Valley region and the Great Basin and addresses the conceptual model of pluvial and recent recharge [Nelson, S.T., Anderson, K., Mayo, A.L., 2004. Testing the interbasin flow hypothesis at Death Valley, California. EOS 85, 349; Anderson, K., Nelson, S., Mayo, A., Tingey, D., 2006. Interbasin flow revisited: the contribution of local recharge to high-discharge springs, Death Valley, California. Journal of Hydrology 323, 276-302] as the source of the Furnace Creek springs. We find that there is insufficient modern recharge and insufficient storage potential and permeability within the basin-fill units in the Furnace Creek basin for these to serve as a local aquifer. Further, the lack of high sulfate content in the spring waters argues against significant flow through basin-fill sediments and instead suggests flow through underlying consolidated carbonate rocks. The maximum temperature of the spring discharge appears to require deep circulation through consolidated rocks; the Tertiary basin fill is of insufficient thickness to generate such temperatures as a result of local fluid circulation. Finally, the stable isotope data and chemical mass balance modeling actually support the interbasin flow conceptual model rather than the alternative presented in Nelson et al. [Nelson

Evaluation of a Public Child Eye Health Tertiary Facility for Pediatric Cataract in Southern Nigeria I: Visual Acuity Outcome

PubMed Central

Duke, Roseline E.; Adio, Adedayo; Oparah, Sidney K.; Odey, Friday; Eyo, Okon A.

2016-01-01

Purpose: A retrospective study of the outcome of congenital and developmental cataract surgery was conducted in a public child eye health tertiary facility in children <16 years of age in Southern Nigeria, as part of an evaluation. Materials and Method: Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery with or without anterior vitrectomy was performed. The outcome measures were visual acuity (VA) and change (gain) in visual acuity. The age of the child at onset, duration of delay in presentation, ocular co-morbidity, non ocular co-morbidity, gender, and pre operative visual acuity were matched with postoperative visual acuity. A total of 66 children were studied for a period of six weeks following surgery. Results: Forty eight (72.7%) children had bilateral congenital cataracts and 18 (27.3%) children had bilateral developmental cataracts. There were 38(57.6%) males and 28 (42.4%) females in the study. Thirty Five (53%) children had good visual outcome (normal vision range 6/6/ -6/18) post-operatively. The number of children with blindness (vision <3/60) decreased from 61 (92.4%) pre-operatively to 4 (6.1%) post-operatively. Post operative complication occurred in 6.8% of cases six week after surgery. Delayed presentation had an inverse relationship with change (gain) in visual acuity (r = - 0.342; p-value = 0.005). Pre-operative visual acuity had a positive relationship with post operative change (gain) in visual acuity (r = 0.618; p-value = 0.000). Conclusion: Predictors of change in visual acuity in our study were; delayed presentation and pre-operative VA. Cataract surgery in children showed clinical benefit. PMID:27347247

Hospitalization and associated factors in people with Alzheimer's disease residing in a long-term care facility in southern Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Chu-Sheng; Lin, Shih-Yi; Chou, Ming-Yueh; Chen, Liang-Yu; Wang, Kuei-Yu; Chen, Liang-Kung; Lin, Yu-Te; Loh, Ching-Hui

2017-04-01

It has been reported that many people with dementia require hospitalizations. The objective of the present study was to determine predictive factors for hospitalizations in people with dementia. A total of 70 individuals with dementia living in a veterans' home in southern Taiwan were consecutively enrolled. During prospective follow up, all hospitalization events were recorded. The mean age of residents with dementia was 86.1 ± 4.0 years, and the mean follow-up time for this population was 2.2 ± 1.1 years. Among individuals, 62.9% suffered from malnutrition or were at risk of malnutrition (minimal nutritional assessment-short form score ≤11), and 8.6% of individuals had a body mass index of <18.5 Kg/m 2 . There were 52 (74.3%) individuals who had previously fallen. Overall, 51 of 70 residents were hospitalized during the follow-up period. In those individuals with previous falls, there was a significantly increased risk of hospitalization (odds ratio 5.61, 95% CI 1.18-26.7). Furthermore, three factors were significantly associated with the risk of fall, including handgrip strength, malnutrition and Mini-Mental State Examination score. The results of the present study showed that hospitalization was a frequent event in residents with dementia living in a long-term care facility. The major predictor for hospital admission was history of a previous fall. Screening those with dementia for history of injurious falls and associated risk factors for falling could help identify those at risk of hospitalization, thus necessitating a comprehensive intervention to reduce hospitalization. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17 (Suppl. 1): 50-56. © 2017 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Estimates of Radioxenon Released from Southern Hemisphere Medical isotope Production Facilities Using Measured Air Concentrations and Atmospheric Transport Modeling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eslinger, Paul W.; Friese, Judah I.; Lowrey, Justin D.

2014-09-01

Abstract The International Monitoring System (IMS) of the Comprehensive-Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty monitors the atmosphere for radioactive xenon leaking from underground nuclear explosions. Emissions from medical isotope production represent a challenging background signal when determining whether measured radioxenon in the atmosphere is associated with a nuclear explosion prohibited by the treaty. The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) operates a reactor and medical isotope production facility in Lucas Heights, Australia. This study uses two years of release data from the ANSTO medical isotope production facility and Xe-133 data from three IMS sampling locations to estimate the annual releases of Xe-133 from medicalmore » isotope production facilities in Argentina, South Africa, and Indonesia. Atmospheric dilution factors derived from a global atmospheric transport model were used in an optimization scheme to estimate annual release values by facility. The annual releases of about 6.8×1014 Bq from the ANSTO medical isotope production facility are in good agreement with the sampled concentrations at these three IMS sampling locations. Annual release estimates for the facility in South Africa vary from 1.2×1016 to 2.5×1016 Bq and estimates for the facility in Indonesia vary from 6.1×1013 to 3.6×1014 Bq. Although some releases from the facility in Argentina may reach these IMS sampling locations, the solution to the objective function is insensitive to the magnitude of those releases.« less

Leading Good Schools to Greatness: Mastering What Great Principals Do Well

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Susan Penny; Streshly, William A.

2010-01-01

Great leaders are made, not born. Written by the authors of "From Good Schools to Great Schools," this sequel shows how great school leaders can be developed and how leaders can acquire the powerful personal leadership characteristics that the best administrators use to lead their schools to greatness. Based on sound strategies and the work of Jim…

Potential Predictability and Prediction Skill for Southern Peru Summertime Rainfall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

WU, S.; Notaro, M.; Vavrus, S. J.; Mortensen, E.; Block, P. J.; Montgomery, R. J.; De Pierola, J. N.; Sanchez, C.

2016-12-01

The central Andes receive over 50% of annual climatological rainfall during the short period of January-March. This summertime rainfall exhibits strong interannual and decadal variability, including severe drought events that incur devastating societal impacts and cause agricultural communities and mining facilities to compete for limited water resources. An improved seasonal prediction skill of summertime rainfall would aid in water resource planning and allocation across the water-limited southern Peru. While various underlying mechanisms have been proposed by past studies for the drivers of interannual variability in summertime rainfall across southern Peru, such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO), and extratropical forcings, operational forecasts continue to be largely based on rudimentary ENSO-based indices, such as NINO3.4, justifying further exploration of predictive skill. In order to bridge this gap between the understanding of driving mechanisms and the operational forecast, we performed systematic studies on the predictability and prediction skill of southern Peru summertime rainfall by constructing statistical forecast models using best available weather station and reanalysis datasets. At first, by assuming the first two empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) of summertime rainfall are predictable, the potential predictability skill was evaluated for southern Peru. Then, we constructed a simple regression model, based on the time series of tropical Pacific sea-surface temperatures (SSTs), and a more advanced Linear Inverse Model (LIM), based on the EOFs of tropical ocean SSTs and large-scale atmosphere variables from reanalysis. Our results show that the LIM model consistently outperforms the more rudimentary regression models on the forecast skill of domain averaged precipitation index and individual station indices. The improvement of forecast correlation skill ranges from 10% to over 200% for different

Outer continental shelf oil and gas activities in the Pacific (Southern California) and their onshore impacts: a summary report, May 1980

USGS Publications Warehouse

Macpherson, George S.; Bernstein, Janis

1980-01-01

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas exploration and development have been under way in the Pacific (Southern California) Region since 1966. During that time, there have been four Federal lease sales: in 1966, 1968, 1975 (Sale 35), and 1979 (Sale 48). Oil and gas production from three leases has been going on since 1968. It peaked in 1971 and now averages around 31,400 barrels of oil and 15.4 million cubic feet of gas per day. Discoveries on areas leased in the 1968 and 1975 sales have led to plans for eight new platforms to begin production in the early 1980's. Five platforms are in the eastern end of Santa Barbara Channel, one is in the western Channel, and two are in San Pedro Bay, south of Long Beach. Three rigs are doing exploratory drilling in the Region. The most recent estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey of remaining reserves for all identified fields in the Southern California Region are 695 million barrels of oil and 1,575 billion cubic feet of gas (January 1979). The USGS has also made risked estimates of economically recoverable oil and gas resources for all the leased tracts in the Region (March 1980). These risked estimates of economically recoverable resources are 394 billion barrels of oil and 1,295 billion cubic feet of gas. The USGS estimates of undiscovered recoverable resources for the entire Southern California OCS Region (January 1980) are 3,200 million barrels of oil and 3,400 billion cubic feet of gas. Because of the long history of oil and gas production in Southern California from wells onshore and in State waters, there are many existing facilities for the transportation, processing, and refining of oil and gas. Some of the expected new OCS production can be accommodated in these facilities. Four new onshore projects will be required. Two of these are under construction: (1) a 9.6-km (6-mi) onshore oil pipeline (capacity: 60,000 bpd) between Carpinteria (Santa Barbara County) and the existing Mobil-Rincon separation and treatment

Atlas of Great Comets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoyan, Ronald; Dunlop, Storm

2015-01-01

Foreword; Using this book; Part I. Introduction: Cometary beliefs and fears; Comets in art; Comets in literature and poetry; Comets in science; Cometary science today; Great comets in antiquity; Great comets of the Middle Ages; Part II. The 30 Greatest Comets of Modern Times: The Great Comet of 1471; Comet Halley 1531; The Great Comet of 1556; The Great Comet of 1577; Comet Halley, 1607; The Great Comet of 1618; The Great Comet of 1664; Comet Kirch, 1680; Comet Halley, 1682; The Great Comet of 1744; Comet Halley, 1759; Comet Messier, 1769; Comet Flaugergues, 1811; Comet Halley, 1835; The Great March Comet of 1843; Comet Donati, 1858; Comet Tebbutt, 1861; The Great September Comet of 1882; The Great January Comet of 1910; Comet Halley, 1910; Comet Arend-Roland, 1956; Comet Ikeya-Seki, 1965; Comet Bennett, 1970; Comet Kohoutek, 1973-4; Comet West, 1976; Comet Halley, 1986; Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, 1994; Comet Hyakutake, 1996; Comet Hale-Bopp, 1997; Comet McNaught, 2007; Part III. Appendices; Table of comet data; Glossary; References; Photo credits; Index.

Great Minds? Great Lakes!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Environmental Protection Agency, Chicago, IL. Great Lakes National Program Office.

This booklet introduces an environmental curriculum for use in a variety of elementary subjects. The lesson plans provide an integrated approach to incorporating Great Lakes environmental issues into the subjects of history, social studies, and environmental sciences. Each of these sections contains background information, discussion points, and a…

Money for Research, Not for Energy Bills: Finding Energy and Cost Savings in High Performance Computer Facility Designs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Drewmark Communications; Sartor, Dale; Wilson, Mark

2010-07-01

High-performance computing facilities in the United States consume an enormous amount of electricity, cutting into research budgets and challenging public- and private-sector efforts to reduce energy consumption and meet environmental goals. However, these facilities can greatly reduce their energy demand through energy-efficient design of the facility itself. Using a case study of a facility under design, this article discusses strategies and technologies that can be used to help achieve energy reductions.

Variability and correlation of physical attributes of soils cultivated with cacao trees in two climate zones in southern Bahia, Brazil

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cacao (Theobroma cacao) is a very important crop in southern Bahia, Brazil, which needs good climate and soil conditions and management for great productivity. In this region, the culture is developed in a large variety of soils, which indicates differentiated products. The aim of this study was to ...

Great Apes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sleeman, Jonathan M.; Cerveny, Shannon

2014-01-01

Anesthesia of great apes is often necessary to conduct diagnostic analysis, provide therapeutics, facilitate surgical procedures, and enable transport and translocation for conservation purposes. Due to the stress of remote delivery injection of anesthetic agents, recent studies have focused on oral delivery and/or transmucosal absorption of preanesthetic and anesthetic agents. Maintenance of the airway and provision of oxygen is an important aspect of anesthesia in great ape species. The provision of analgesia is an important aspect of the anesthesia protocol for any procedure involving painful stimuli. Opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are often administered alone, or in combination to provide multi-modal analgesia. There is increasing conservation management of in situ great ape populations, which has resulted in the development of field anesthesia techniques for free-living great apes for the purposes of translocation, reintroduction into the wild, and clinical interventions.

The 2007 southern California wildfires: Lessons in complexity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keeley, J.E.; Safford, H.; Fotheringham, C.J.; Franklin, J.; Moritz, M.

2009-01-01

The 2007 wildfire season in southern California burned over 1,000,000 ac (400,000 ha) and included several megafires. We use the 2007 fires as a case study to draw three major lessons about wildfires and wildfire complexity in southern California. First, the great majority of large fires in southern California occur in the autumn under the influence of Santa Ana windstorms. These fires also cost the most to contain and cause the most damage to life and property, and the October 2007 fires were no exception because thousands of homes were lost and seven people were killed. Being pushed by wind gusts over 100 kph, young fuels presented little barrier to their spread as the 2007 fires reburned considerable portions of the area burned in the historic 2003 fire season. Adding to the size of these fires was the historic 2006-2007 drought that contributed to high dead fuel loads and long distance spotting. As in 2003, young chaparral stands and fuel treatments were not reliable barriers to fire in October 2007. Second, the Zaca Fire in July and August 2007 showed that other factors besides high winds can sometimes combine to create conditions for large fires in southern California. Spring and summer fires in southern California chaparral are usually easily contained because of higher fuel moisture and the general lack of high winds. However, the Zaca Fire burned in a remote wilderness area of rugged terrain that made access difficult. In addition, because of its remoteness, anthropogenic ignitions have been low and stand age and fuel loads were high. Coupled with this was severe drought that year that generated fuel moisture levels considerably below normal for early summer. A third lesson comes from 2007 conifer forest fires in the southern California mountains. In contrast to lower elevation chaparral, fire suppression has led to major increases in conifer forest fuels that can lead to unnaturally severe fires when ignitions escape control. The Slide and Grass Valley

Role of ground water in geomorphology, geology, and paleoclimate of the Southern High Plains, USA.

PubMed

Wood, Warren W

2002-01-01

Study of ground water in the Southern High Plains is central to an understanding of the geomorphology, deposition of economic minerals, and climate change record in the area. Ground water has controlled the course of the Canadian and Pecos rivers that isolated the Southern High Plains from the Great Plains and has contributed significantly to the continuing retreat of the westward escarpment. Evaporative and dissolution processes are responsible for current plateau topography and the development of the signature 20,000 small playa basins and 40 to 50 large saline lake basins in the area. In conjunction with eolian processes, ground water transport controls the mineralogy of commercially valuable mineral deposits and sets up the distribution of fine efflorescent salts that adversely affect water quality. As the water table rises and retreats, lunette and tufa formation provides valuable paleoclimate data for the Southern High Plains. In all these cases, an understanding of ground water processes contributes valuable information to a broad range of geological topics, well beyond traditional interest in water supply and environmental issues.

Survey and evaluation of contaminants in earthworms and in soils derived from dredged material at confined disposal facilities in the Great Lakes region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beyer, W.N.; Stafford, C.

1993-01-01

Soils derived from dredged material were collected, together with earthworms from nine confined disposal facilities located in the Great Lakes Region. These samples were analyzed for 18 elements, 11 organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, and 24 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The concentrations detected in earthworms were evaluated in terms of their potential hazard to wildlife, which for the sake of the evaluation were assumed to prey entirely either on earthworms or on other soil invertebrates having similar concentrations. The soil concentrations (dry wt.) of the contaminants of greatest concern were < 1.9 to 32 ppm Cd, < 0.053 to 0.94 ppm Hg, 4.6 to 550 ppm Pb, and < 0.1 to 1.0 ppm PCBs. The concentrations in earthworms (dry wt., ingested soil included) were as high as 91 ppm Cd, 1.6 ppm Hg, 200 ppm Pb, and 1.8 ppm PCBs. Based on laboratory toxicity studies of relatively sensitive species, and on concentration factors calculated from the earthworm and soil data, we estimated that lethal or serious sublethal effects on wildlife might be expected at concentrations of 10 ppm Cd, 3 ppm Hg, 670 ppm Pb, and 1.7 ppm PCBs in alkaline surface soils derived from dredged material. Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in earthworms were well below those in soil.

Aurora over the Southern Hemisphere

NASA Image and Video Library

1985-05-02

51B-116-005 (29 April - 6 May 1985) --- Astronaut Don L. Lind, mission specialist, termed this scene of an aurora in the Southern Hemisphere as "spectacular," during a TV down link featuring discussion of the auroral observations on the seven-day flight. This scene was captured by astronaut Robert F. Overmyer, crew commander, using a 35mm camera. Dr. Lind, monitoring activity in the magnetosphere at various points throughout the flight, pinpointed the spacecraft's location as being over a point halfway between Australia and the Antarctic continent. There are moonlit clouds on Earth. The blue-green band and the tall red rays are aurora. The brownish band parallel to the Earth's horizon is a luminescence of the atmosphere itself and is referred to as airglow. Dr. T. Hallinan of the Geophysical Institute of Fairbanks serves as principal investigator for the auroral observations experiment and spent a great deal of time with Dr. Lind in preparation for the flight. Photo credit: NASA

75 FR 45106 - Great River Hydropower, LLC; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-02

... Hydropower, LLC; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission and Soliciting Additional... License. b. Project No.: P-13637-001. c. Date filed: July 12, 2010. d. Applicant: Great River Hydropower.... 21, and would consist of the following facilities: (1) A new hydropower structure, located about 100...

76 FR 35508 - Alabama Southern Railroad, L.L.C.-Temporary Trackage Rights Exemption-Norfolk Southern Railway...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-17

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35510] Alabama Southern Railroad, L.L.C.--Temporary Trackage Rights Exemption--Norfolk Southern Railway Company Norfolk Southern... grant nonexclusive overhead temporary trackage rights to Alabama Southern Railroad, L.L.C. (ABS) over a...

Description of a New Temnocephala Species (Platyhelminthes) from the Southern Neotropical Region.

PubMed

de León, Rodrigo Ponce; Vera, Bárbara Berón; Volonterio, Odile

2015-08-01

The genus Temnocephala is endemic to the Neotropical region. Temnocephala mexicana and Temnocephala chilensis are the only 2 temnocephalans whose known distribution ranges extend to the south beyond Parallel 40°S. No Temnocephala species has ever been recorded from the extensive area between Parallel 43°S and the southern end of the South American continent, which makes the study of the southern limit of the distribution of the genus a topic of great interest. The southernmost report corresponds to T. chilensis from the Telsen River, Chubut Province, Argentina. In March 2000, several temnocephalans were found on the freshwater anomuran crustacean Aegla neuquensis from the same locality; the specimens were identified as belonging to a new species, which is described here. This species is characterized by possessing an unusually thin-walled, narrow zone that has the appearance of a deep groove connecting the introvert to the shaft of the penial stylet; an introvert with 36 longitudinal rows of spines, each bearing 6-8 spines that are progressively smaller towards the distal end; a distal end of the introvert with a very thin, sclerotized wall without spines; a seminal vesicle that opens sub-polarly into the contractile vesicle; a pair of paranephrocytes at the level of the pharynx and a second pair at the level of the anterior portion of the anterior testes, and eggs with very long stalks. On the basis of their overall morphology, host preference, and geographical distribution, T. chilensis and the new species are closely related, so a diagnostic key for the southern species of Temnocephala is also included. The type locality of the new species is in the southern limit of the known distribution area of T. chilensis, so after this work there are 2 known species marking the southern limit of the distribution of the genus.

On Great Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Tonia Hap

2015-01-01

In this article, the author lists key elements of greatness in a professor, and offers comments based on her experiences with great professors she has known. The first virtue mentioned is "he or she leaves students with valuable lessons they will remember throughout their careers." The "great" professor fosters broader lessons…

Bathymetric distribution patterns of Southern Ocean macrofaunal taxa: Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Isopoda and Polychaeta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandt, Angelika; Linse, Katrin; Schüller, Myriam

2009-11-01

The aim of this study is to compare the depth distributions of four major Southern Ocean macrobenthic epi- and infaunal taxa, the Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Isopoda, and Polychaeta, from subtidal to abyssal depth. All literature data up to summer 2008, as well as the unpublished data from the most recent ANDEEP I-III (Antarctic benthic deep-sea biodiversity: colonisation history and recent community patterns) expeditions to the Southern Ocean deep sea are included in the analysis. Benthic invertebrates in the Southern Ocean are known for their wide bathymetric ranges. We analysed the distributions of four of the most abundant and species-rich taxa from intertidal to abyssal (5200 m) depths in depth zones of 100 m. The depth distributions of three macrofaunal classes (Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Polychaeta) and one order (Isopoda) showed distinct differences. In the case of bivalves, gastropods and polychaetes, the number of species per depth zone decreased from the shelf to the slope at around 1000 m depth and then showed stable low numbers. The isopods showed the opposite trend; they were less species rich in the upper 1000 m but increased in species numbers from the slope to bathyal and abyssal depths. Depth ranges of families of the studied taxa (Bivalvia: 31 families, Gastropoda: 60, Isopoda: 32, and Polychaeta: 46 families) were compiled and illustrated. At present vast areas of the deep sea in the Southern Ocean remain unexplored and species accumulation curves showed that only a fraction of the species have been discovered to date. We anticipate that further investigations will greatly increase the number of species known in the Southern Ocean deep sea.

Southern Pine Beetle Information System (SPBIS)

Treesearch

Valli Peacher

2011-01-01

The southern pine beetle (SPB) is the most destructive forest insect in the South. The SPB attacks all species of southern pine, but loblolly and shortleaf are most susceptible. The Southern Pine Beetle Information System (SPBIS) is the computerized database used by the national forests in the Southern Region for tracking individual southern pine beetle infestations....

Southern Ocean coccolithophore biogeography - controlling factors and implications for global biogeochemical cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nissen, Cara; Vogt, Meike; Münnich, Matthias; Gruber, Nicolas

2017-04-01

Southern Ocean phytoplankton biogeography is important for the biogeochemical cycling of carbon, silicate, and the transport of macronutrients to lower latitudes. With the discovery of the "Great Calcite Belt" (GBC), revealing an unexpectedly high prevalence of calcifying phytoplankton in the subtropical frontal region between 40-55°S, the relative importance of Southern Ocean coccolithophores for phytoplankton biomass, net primary productivity and the carbon cycle need to be revisited. Using a regional high-resolution model with an embedded ecosystem module (ROMS-BEC) for the Southern Ocean (24-78°S) that has been extended to include an explicit representation of coccolithophores, we assess the environmental drivers of Southern Ocean coccolithophore biogeography over the course of the growing season. We thereby focus on biotic interactions and the relative importance of top-down (grazing) versus bottom-up factors (light, nutrient, temperature) controlling growth and abundance. In our simulation, coccolithophores are an important member of the Southern Ocean phytoplankton community, contributing 13% to annually integrated net primary productivity south of 30°S. We estimate the integrated annual calcification rate to account for 40% of the satellite derived global estimate. Modeled coccolithophore biomass is highest in February and March in a latitudinal band between 40-55°S, when diatoms become heavily silicate limited. This region is characterized by a number of divergent fronts with a low Si:Fe ratio of waters supplied to the mixed layer, supporting an increased growth of coccolithophores at the expense of diatoms. We find top down controls to be the major control on the relative abundance of diatoms and coccolithophores in the Southern Ocean. We perform iron and silicate fertilization experiments to assess the effects of changed nutrient availability on coccolithophore abundance in the GCB. We find that changes in nutrient stoichiometry significantly alter

Southern Pine Beetle Competitors

Treesearch

Fred M. Stephen

2011-01-01

When southern pine beetles mass attack a living pine tree, if colonization is successful the tree dies and its phloem becomes immediately available to a complex of other bark beetles and long-horned beetles, all of which, in order to reproduce, compete for the new resource. In southern pines the phloem-inhabiting guild is composed of the southern pine beetle...

Assessing the vegetation condition impacts of the 2011 drought across the U.S. southern Great Plains using the vegetation drought response index (VegDRI)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tadesse, Tsegaye; Wardlow, Brian D.; Brown, Jesslyn F.; Svoboda, Mark; Hayes, Michael; Fuchs, Brian; Gutzmer, Denise

2015-01-01

The vegetation drought response index (VegDRI), which combines traditional climate- and satellite-based approaches for assessing vegetation conditions, offers new insights into assessing the impacts of drought from local to regional scales. In 2011, the U.S. southern Great Plains, which includes Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, was plagued by moderate to extreme drought that was intensified by an extended period of record-breaking heat. The 2011 drought presented an ideal case study to evaluate the performance of VegDRI in characterizing developing drought conditions. Assessment of the spatiotemporal drought patterns represented in the VegDRI maps showed that the severity and patterns of the drought across the region corresponded well to the record warm temperatures and much-below-normal precipitation reported by the National Climatic Data Center and the sectoral drought impacts documented by the Drought Impact Reporter (DIR). VegDRI values and maps also showed the evolution of the drought signal before the Las Conchas Fire (the largest fire in New Mexico’s history). Reports in the DIR indicated that the 2011 drought had major adverse impacts on most rangeland and pastures in Texas and Oklahoma, resulting in total direct losses of more than $12 billion associated with crop, livestock, and timber production. These severe impacts on vegetation were depicted by the VegDRI at subcounty, state, and regional levels. This study indicates that the VegDRI maps can be used with traditional drought indicators and other in situ measures to help producers and government officials with various management decisions, such as justifying disaster assistance, assessing fire risk, and identifying locations to move livestock for grazing.

Ground-water hydrology of Dugway Proving Ground and adjoining area, Tooele and Juab counties, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Steiger, Judy I.; Freethey, Geoffrey W.

2001-01-01

Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) is a U.S. Department of Defense chemical, biological, and explosives testing facility in northwestern Utah.  The facility includes about 620 mi2 in Tooele County.  The town of Dugway, referred to as English Village, is the administrative headquarters for the military facility, the primary residential area, and community center.  The English Village area is located at the southern end of Skull Valley and is separated from the Fries area by a surface-water divide.  Most of the facility is located just to the west of Skull Valley in Government Creek Valley, Dugway Valley, and the Great Salt Lake Desert (fig. 1).

The Great Warming Brian Fagan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fagan, B. M.

2010-12-01

The Great Warming is a journey back to the world of a thousand years ago, to the Medieval Warm Period. Five centuries of irregular warming from 800 to 1250 had beneficial effects in Europe and the North Atlantic, but brought prolonged droughts to much of the Americas and lands affected by the South Asian monsoon. The book describes these impacts of warming on medieval European societies, as well as the Norse and the Inuit of the far north, then analyzes the impact of harsh, lengthy droughts on hunting societies in western North America and the Ancestral Pueblo farmers of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. These peoples reacted to drought by relocating entire communities. The Maya civilization was much more vulnerable that small-scale hunter-gatherer societies and subsistence farmers in North America. Maya rulers created huge water storage facilities, but their civilization partially collapsed under the stress of repeated multiyear droughts, while the Chimu lords of coastal Peru adapted with sophisticated irrigation works. The climatic villain was prolonged, cool La Niñalike conditions in the Pacific, which caused droughts from Venezuela to East Asia, and as far west as East Africa. The Great Warming argues that the warm centuries brought savage drought to much of humanity, from China to Peru. It also argues that drought is one of the most dangerous elements in today’s humanly created global warming, often ignored by preoccupied commentators, but with the potential to cause over a billion people to starve. Finally, I use the book to discuss the issues and problems of communicating multidisciplinary science to the general public.

Digital Data from the Great Sand Dunes and Poncha Springs Aeromagnetic Surveys, South-Central Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Drenth, B.J.; Grauch, V.J.S.; Bankey, Viki; New Sense Geophysics, Ltd.

2009-01-01

This report contains digital data, image files, and text files describing data formats and survey procedures for two high-resolution aeromagnetic surveys in south-central Colorado: one in the eastern San Luis Valley, Alamosa and Saguache Counties, and the other in the southern Upper Arkansas Valley, Chaffee County. In the San Luis Valley, the Great Sand Dunes survey covers a large part of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve and extends south along the mountain front to the foot of Mount Blanca. In the Upper Arkansas Valley, the Poncha Springs survey covers the town of Poncha Springs and vicinity. The digital files include grids, images, and flight-line data. Several derivative products from these data are also presented as grids and images, including two grids of reduced-to-pole aeromagnetic data and data continued to a reference surface. Images are presented in various formats and are intended to be used as input to geographic information systems, standard graphics software, or map plotting packages.

Facility Management as Part of an Integrated Design of Civil Engineering Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyben, Ivan; Podmanický, Peter

2014-11-01

The present article deals about facility management, as still relatively young component of an integrated planning and design of buildings. Attention is focused on the area of the proposal, which can greatly affect to amount of future operating costs. Operational efficiency has been divided into individual components and satisfaction with the solution of buildings already constructed was assessed by workers, who are actually dedicated facility management in these organizations. The results were then assessed and evaluated through regression analysis. The aim of this paper is to determine to what extent is desired update project documentation of new buildings from the perspective of facility management.

Costs of facility-based HIV testing in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe

PubMed Central

Mwenge, Lawrence; Sande, Linda; Mangenah, Collin; Ahmed, Nurilign; Kanema, Sarah; d’Elbée, Marc; Sibanda, Euphemia; Kalua, Thokozani; Ncube, Gertrude; Johnson, Cheryl C.; Hatzold, Karin; Cowan, Frances M.; Corbett, Elizabeth L.; Ayles, Helen; Maheswaran, Hendramoorthy

2017-01-01

Background Providing HIV testing at health facilities remains the most common approach to ensuring access to HIV treatment and prevention services for the millions of undiagnosed HIV-infected individuals in sub-Saharan Africa. We sought to explore the costs of providing these services across three southern African countries with high HIV burden. Methods Primary costing studies were undertaken in 54 health facilities providing HIV testing services (HTS) in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Routinely collected monitoring and evaluation data for the health facilities were extracted to estimate the costs per individual tested and costs per HIV-positive individual identified. Costs are presented in 2016 US dollars. Sensitivity analysis explored key drivers of costs. Results Health facilities were testing on average 2290 individuals annually, albeit with wide variations. The mean cost per individual tested was US$5.03.9 in Malawi, US$4.24 in Zambia and US$8.79 in Zimbabwe. The mean cost per HIV-positive individual identified was US$79.58, US$73.63 and US$178.92 in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe respectively. Both cost estimates were sensitive to scale of testing, facility staffing levels and the costs of HIV test kits. Conclusions Health facility based HIV testing remains an essential service to meet HIV universal access goals. The low costs and potential for economies of scale suggests an opportunity for further scale-up. However low uptake in many settings suggests that demand creation or alternative testing models may be needed to achieve economies of scale and reach populations less willing to attend facility based services. PMID:29036171

Vascular flora of saline lakes in the southern high plains of Texas and eastern New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosen, David J.; Conway, Warren C.; Haukos, David A.; Caskey, Amber D.

2013-01-01

Saline lakes and freshwater playas form the principal surface hydrological feature of the High Plains of the Southern Great Plains. Saline lakes number less than 50 and historically functioned as discharge wetlands with relatively consistent water availability due to the presence of one or more springs. Currently, less than ten saline lakes contain functional springs. A survey of vascular plants at six saline lakes in the Southern High Plains of northwest Texas and one in eastern New Mexico during May and September 2009 resulted in a checklist of 49 species representing 16 families and 40 genera. The four families with the most species were Asteraceae (12), Amaranthaceae (8), Cyperaceae (5), and Poaceae (12). Non-native species (Bromus catharticus, Poa compressa, Polypogon monspeliensis, Sonchus oleraceus, Kochia scoparia, and Tamarix ramosissima) accounted for 10% of the total species recorded. Whereas nearly 350 species of vascular plants have been identified in playas in the Southern High Plains, saline lakes contain a fraction of this species richness. The Southern High Plains saline lake flora is regionally unique, containing taxa not found in playas, with species composition that is more similar to temperate desert wetlands of the Intermountain Region and Gulf Coastal Plain of North America.

Treatment of great auricular neuralgia with real-time ultrasound-guided great auricular nerve block

PubMed Central

Jeon, Younghoon; Kim, Saeyoung

2017-01-01

Abstract Rationale: The great auricular nerve can be damaged by the neck surgery, tumor, and long-time pressure on the neck. But, great auricular neuralgia is very rare condition. It was managed by several medication and landmark-based great auricular nerve block with poor prognosis. Patient concerns: A 25-year-old man presented with a pain in the left lateral neck and auricle. Diagnosis: He was diagnosed with great auricular neuralgia. Interventions: His pain was not reduced by medication. Therefore, the great auricular nerve block with local anesthetics and steroid was performed under ultrasound guidance. Outcomes: Ultrasound guided great auricular nerve block alleviated great auricular neuralgia. Lessons: This medication-resistant great auricular neuralgia was treated by the ultrasound guided great auricular nerve block with local anesthetic agent and steroid. Therefore, great auricular nerve block can be a good treatment option of medication resistant great auricular neuralgia. PMID:28328811

Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on Tourism-Dependent Communities in the Great Lakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chin, N.; Day, J.; Sydnor, S.; Cherkauer, K. A.

2013-12-01

Tourism is an essential element of the Laurentian Great Lakes economy as well as one of the sectors expected to be affected most by climate change, particularly through extreme weather events. While studies looking at climate change impacts on the Great Lakes tourism, specifically, are limited, the results of other studies suggest that both summer tourism activities, such as beach-going, and winter tourism activities, such as skiing and snowboarding, could feel the effects of a changing climate. The purpose of this study was to determine how existing data and models might be used to predict the potential impacts of climate change on tourism-dependent communities at the local scale. Future climate projections and variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model simulations based on historical climate data were used to quantify trends in environmental metrics with a potential influence on tourism for several tourism-dependent Great Lakes communities. The results of this research show that the potential impacts of climate change vary at the local scale and could require different adaptation strategies for different communities and for different sectors of the tourism industry. For example, communities in the northern parts of the Great Lakes may find benefit in a greater diversification of their tourism industries, given that warming temperatures could be beneficial for summer tourism activities, while communities in the southern parts of the Great Lakes may have to find other ways to cope with climate conditions that are less conducive to summer tourism activities. Stakeholder input could also help inform the process of producing scientific information that is useful to policymakers when it comes to tourism sector-related decision making.

Does health facility service environment matter for the receipt of essential newborn care? Linking health facility and household survey data in Malawi.

PubMed

Carvajal-Aguirre, Liliana; Mehra, Vrinda; Amouzou, Agbessi; Khan, Shane M; Vaz, Lara; Guenther, Tanya; Kalino, Maggie; Zaka, Nabila

2017-12-01

Health facility service environment is an important factor for newborns survival and well-being in general and in particular in high mortality settings such as Malawi where despite high coverage of essential interventions, neonatal mortality remains high. The aim of this study is to assess whether the quality of the health service environment at birth is associated with quality of care received by the newborn. We used data from the Malawi Millennium Development Goals Endline household survey conducted as part of MICS survey program and Service Provision Assessment Survey carried out in 2014. The analysis is based on 6218 facility births that occurred during the past 2 years. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate random effect models are used to assess the association of health facility service readiness score for normal deliveries and newborn care with newborns receiving appropriate newborn care, defined for this analysis as receiving 5 out of 6 recommended interventions during the first 2 days after birth. Newborns in districts with top facility service readiness score have 1.5 higher odds of receiving appropriate newborn care (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.52, 95% confidence interval CI = 1.19-1.95, P  = 0.001), as compared to newborns in districts with a lower facility score after adjusting for potential confounders. Newborns in the Northern region were two times more likely to receive 5 newborn care interventions as compared to newborns in the Southern region (aOR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.50-2.83, P  < 0.001). Living in urban or rural areas did not have an impact on receiving appropriate newborn care. There is need to increase the level of service readiness across all facilities, so that all newborns irrespective of the health facility, district or region of delivery are able to receive all recommended essential interventions. Investments in health systems in Malawi should concentrate on increasing training and availability of

What was the population of Great Zimbabwe (CE1000 – 1800)?

PubMed Central

Moultrie, Thomas; Bandama, Foreman; Dandara, Collett; Manyanga, Munyaradzi

2017-01-01

The World Heritage Site of Great Zimbabwe is one of the most iconic and largest archaeological settlements in Africa. It was the hub of direct and indirect trade which internally connected various areas of southern Africa, and externally linked them with East Africa and the Near and Far East. Archaeologists believe that at its peak, Great Zimbabwe had a fully urban population of 20,000 people concentrated in approximately 2.9 square kilometres (40 percent of 720 ha). This translates to a population density of 6,897, which is comparable with that of some of the most populous regions of the world in the 21st century. Here, we combine archaeological, ethnographic and historical evidence with ecological and statistical modelling to demonstrate that the total population estimate for the site’s nearly 800-year occupational duration (CE1000–1800), after factoring in generational succession, is unlikely to have exceeded 10,000 people. This conclusion is strongly firmed up by the absence of megamiddens at the site, the chronological differences between several key areas of the settlement traditionally assumed to be coeval, and the historically documented low populations recorded for the sub-continent between CE1600 and 1950. PMID:28614397

Ecology of southern ocean pack ice.

PubMed

Brierley, Andrew S; Thomas, David N

2002-01-01

aggregating there. As a result, much of the Southern Ocean pelagic whaling was concentrated at the edge of the marginal ice zone. The extent and duration of sea ice fluctuate periodically under the influence of global climatic phenomena including the El Niño Southern Oscillation. Life cycles of some associated species may reflect this periodicity. With evidence for climatic warming in some regions of Antarctica, there is concern that ecosystem change may be induced by changes in sea-ice extent. The relative abundance of krill and salps appears to change interannually with sea-ice extent, and in warm years, when salps proliferate, krill are scarce and dependent predators suffer severely. Further research on the Southern Ocean sea-ice system is required, not only to further our basic understanding of the ecology, but also to provide ecosystem managers with the information necessary for the development of strategies in response to short- and medium-term environmental changes in Antarctica. Technological advances are delivering new sampling platforms such as autonomous underwater vehicles that are improving vastly our ability to sample the Antarctic under sea-ice environment. Data from such platforms will enhance greatly our understanding of the globally important Southern Ocean sea-ice ecosystem.

Monitoring amphibians in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dodd, C. Kenneth

2003-01-01

This report provides an overview of the Park’s amphibians, the factors affecting their distribution, a review of important areas of biodiversity, and a summary of amphibian life history in the Southern Appalachians. In addition, survey techniques are described as well as examples of how the techniques are set up, a critique of what the results tell the observer, and a discussion of the limitations of the techniques and the data. The report reviews considerations for site selection, outlines steps for biosecurity and for processing diseased or dying animals, and provides resource managers with a decision tree on how to monitor the Park’s amphibians based on different levels of available resources. It concludes with an extensive list of references for inventorying and monitoring amphibians. USGS and Great Smoky Mountains National Park biologists need to establish cooperative efforts and training to ensure that congressionally mandated amphibian surveys are performed in a statistically rigorous and biologically meaningful manner, and that amphibian populations on Federal lands are monitored to ensure their long-term survival. The research detailed in this report will aid these cooperative efforts.

Recent developments in understanding the tectonic evolution of the Southern California offshore area: Implications for earthquake-hazard analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fisher, M.A.; Langenheim, V.E.; Nicholson, C.; Ryan, H.F.; Sliter, R.W.

2009-01-01

During late Mesozoic and Cenozoic time, three main tectonic episodes affected the Southern California offshore area. Each episode imposed its unique structural imprint such that early-formed structures controlled or at least influenced the location and development of later ones. This cascaded structural inheritance greatly complicates analysis of the extent, orientation, and activity of modern faults. These fault attributes play key roles in estimates of earthquake magnitude and recurrence interval. Hence, understanding the earthquake hazard posed by offshore and coastal faults requires an understanding of the history of structural inheritance and modifi-cation. In this report we review recent (mainly since 1987) findings about the tectonic development of the Southern California offshore area and use analog models of fault deformation as guides to comprehend the bewildering variety of offshore structures that developed over time. This report also provides a background in regional tectonics for other chapters in this section that deal with the threat from offshore geologic hazards in Southern California. ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.

Aktywność geoturystyczna mieszkańców Niziny Południowopodlaskiej / The geotourist activity of inhabitants of the Southern Podlasie Lowland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zbucki, Łukasz

2012-12-01

Southern Podlasie Lowland seems to be poor in geoturistic facilities. The conducted research on the geoturistic activity of the lowland inhabitants has indicated that the education is the determining factor. The age and place of residence seem to affect the geoturistic activity to a lesser extent

Failure and Redemption of Multifilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR)/Normal Incidence Multifilter Radiometer (NIMFR) Cloud Screening: Contrasting Algorithm Performance at Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) North Slope of Alaska (NSA) and Southern Great Plains (SGP) Sites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kassianov, Evgueni I.; Flynn, Connor J.; Koontz, Annette S.

2013-09-11

Well-known cloud-screening algorithms, which are designed to remove cloud-contaminated aerosol optical depths (AOD) from AOD measurements, have shown great performance at many middle-to-low latitude sites around the world. However, they may occasionally fail under challenging observational conditions, such as when the sun is low (near the horizon) or when optically thin clouds with small spatial inhomogeneity occur. Such conditions have been observed quite frequently at the high-latitude Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) North Slope of Alaska (NSA) sites. A slightly modified cloud-screening version of the standard algorithm is proposed here with a focus on the ARM-supported Multifilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR)more » and Normal Incidence Multifilter Radiometer (NIMFR) data. The modified version uses approximately the same techniques as the standard algorithm, but it additionally examines the magnitude of the slant-path line of sight transmittance and eliminates points when the observed magnitude is below a specified threshold. Substantial improvement of the multi-year (1999-2012) aerosol product (AOD and its Angstrom exponent) is shown for the NSA sites when the modified version is applied. Moreover, this version reproduces the AOD product at the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) site, which was originally generated by the standard cloud-screening algorithms. The proposed minor modification is easy to implement and its application to existing and future cloud-screening algorithms can be particularly beneficial for challenging observational conditions.« less

Comparative riverscape genetics reveals reservoirs of genetic diversity for conservation and restoration of Great Plains fishes.

PubMed

Osborne, Megan J; Perkin, Joshuah S; Gido, Keith B; Turner, Thomas F

2014-12-01

We used comparative landscape genetics to examine the relative roles of historical events, intrinsic traits and landscape factors in determining the distribution of genetic diversity of river fishes across the North American Great Plains. Spatial patterns of diversity were overlaid on a patch-based graphical model and then compared within and among three species that co-occurred across five Great Plains watersheds. Species differing in reproductive strategy (benthic vs. pelagic-spawning) were hypothesized to have different patterns of genetic diversity, but the overriding factor shaping contemporary patterns of diversity was the signature of past climates and geological history. Allelic diversity was significantly higher at southern latitudes for Cyprinella lutrensis and Hybognathus placitus, consistent with northward expansion from southern Pleistocene refugia. Within the historical context, all species exhibited lowered occupancy and abundance in heavily fragmented and drier upstream reaches, particularly H. placitus; a pelagic-spawning species, suggesting rates of extirpation have outpaced losses of genetic diversity in this species. Within most tributary basins, genetically diverse populations of each species persisted. Hence, reconnecting genetically diverse populations with those characterized by reduced diversity (regardless of their position within the riverine network) would provide populations with greater genetic and demographic resilience. We discuss cases where cross-basin transfer may be appropriate to enhance genetic diversity and mitigate negative effects of climate change. Overall, striking similarities in genetic patterns and in response to fragmentation and dewatering suggest a common strategy for genetic resource management in this unique riverine fish assemblage. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Spiraling pathways of global deep waters to the surface of the Southern Ocean.

PubMed

Tamsitt, Veronica; Drake, Henri F; Morrison, Adele K; Talley, Lynne D; Dufour, Carolina O; Gray, Alison R; Griffies, Stephen M; Mazloff, Matthew R; Sarmiento, Jorge L; Wang, Jinbo; Weijer, Wilbert

2017-08-02

Upwelling of global deep waters to the sea surface in the Southern Ocean closes the global overturning circulation and is fundamentally important for oceanic uptake of carbon and heat, nutrient resupply for sustaining oceanic biological production, and the melt rate of ice shelves. However, the exact pathways and role of topography in Southern Ocean upwelling remain largely unknown. Here we show detailed upwelling pathways in three dimensions, using hydrographic observations and particle tracking in high-resolution models. The analysis reveals that the northern-sourced deep waters enter the Antarctic Circumpolar Current via southward flow along the boundaries of the three ocean basins, before spiraling southeastward and upward through the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Upwelling is greatly enhanced at five major topographic features, associated with vigorous mesoscale eddy activity. Deep water reaches the upper ocean predominantly south of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, with a spatially nonuniform distribution. The timescale for half of the deep water to upwell from 30° S to the mixed layer is ~60-90 years.Deep waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans upwell in the Southern Oceanbut the exact pathways are not fully characterized. Here the authors present a three dimensional view showing a spiralling southward path, with enhanced upwelling by eddy-transport at topographic hotspots.

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Climate Research Facility Operations Quarterly Report July 1 – September 30, 2008

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sisterson, DL

2008-09-30

Individual raw data streams from instrumentation at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program Climate Research Facility (ACRF) fixed and mobile sites are collected and sent to the Data Management Facility (DMF) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for processing in near real-time. Raw and processed data are then sent daily to the ACRF Archive, where they are made available to users. For each instrument, we calculate the ratio of the actual number of data records received daily at the Archive to the expected number of data records. The results are tabulated by (1) individual data stream, site, and month formore » the current year and (2) site and fiscal year (FY) dating back to 1998. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) requires national user facilities to report time-based operating data. The requirements concern the actual hours of operation (ACTUAL); the estimated maximum operation or uptime goal (OPSMAX), which accounts for planned downtime; and the VARIANCE [1 – (ACTUAL/OPSMAX)], which accounts for unplanned downtime. The OPSMAX time for the fourth quarter of FY 2008 for the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site is 2,097.60 hours (0.95 x 2,208 hours this quarter). The OPSMAX for the North Slope Alaska (NSA) locale is 1,987.20 hours (0.90 x 2,208), and for the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) locale is 1,876.80 hours (0.85 x 2,208). The OPSMAX time for the ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) is not reported this quarter because the data have not yet been released from China to the DMF for processing. The differences in OPSMAX performance reflect the complexity of local logistics and the frequency of extreme weather events. It is impractical to measure OPSMAX for each instrument or data stream. Data availability reported here refers to the average of the individual, continuous data streams that have been received by the Archive. Data not at the Archive are caused by downtime (scheduled or unplanned) of the individual instruments. Therefore, data

77 FR 17122 - Indiana Southern Railroad, LLC-Temporary Trackage Rights Exemption-Norfolk Southern Railway Company

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-23

... Railroad, LLC--Temporary Trackage Rights Exemption--Norfolk Southern Railway Company Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR), pursuant to a written trackage rights agreement (Agreement), has agreed to grant overhead temporary trackage rights to Indiana Southern Railroad, LLC (ISRR) over NSR's line of railroad...

Seabird guano enhances phytoplankton production in the Southern Ocean.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shatova, Olga; Wing, Stephen; Hoffmann, Linn; Jack, Lucy; Gault-Ringold, Melanie

2015-04-01

Great congregations of seabirds in sub-Antarctic and Antarctic coastal areas result in delivery of nutrient-rich guano to marine ecosystems that potentially enhances productivity and supports biodiversity in the region. Guano-derived bio-available micronutrients and macronutrients might be utilized by marine phytoplankton for photosynthetic production, however, mechanisms and significance of guano fertilization in the Southern Ocean are largely understudied. Over austral summers of 2012 and 2013 we performed a series of guano-enrichment phytoplankton incubation experiments with water samples collected from three different water masses in the Southern Ocean: Antarctic waters of the Ross sea and sub-Antarctic waters offshore the Otago Peninsula, both showing iron limitation of phytoplankton productivity in summer, and in the subtropical frontal zone offshore from the Snares Islands, which is generally micronutrient-repleted. Samples were enriched with known concentrations of guano-derived nutrients. Phytoplankton biomass increased significantly in guano-treated samples during all three incubation experiments (7-10 fold increase), while remained low in control samples. This response indicates that seabird guano provides nutrients that limit primary production in the Southern Ocean and that these nutrients are readily taken up by phytoplankton. Guano additions were compared to Fe and Macronutrient treatments (both added in quantities similar to those in the guano treatment). Phytoplankton biomass increased significantly in response to the Macronutrient treatment in the subtropical frontal zone, however, the response had a smaller magnitude compared to the guano treatment (2.8 µgL-1 vs 5.2 µgL-1) ; there was no significant effect of Fe on phytoplankton growth. This suggests the potential importance of synergistic effects of nutrients in guano. Incubation with sub-Antarctic waters showed that Fe and Macronutrients might be equally important for enhancement of

Dialysis Facility Transplant Philosophy and Access to Kidney Transplantation in the Southeast.

PubMed

Gander, Jennifer; Browne, Teri; Plantinga, Laura; Pastan, Stephen O; Sauls, Leighann; Krisher, Jenna; Patzer, Rachel E

2015-01-01

Little is known about the impact of dialysis facility treatment philosophy on access to transplant. The aim of our study was to determine the relationship between the dialysis facility transplant philosophy and facility-level access to kidney transplant waitlisting. A 25-item questionnaire administered to Southeastern dialysis facilities (n = 509) in 2012 captured the facility transplant philosophy (categorized as 'transplant is our first choice', 'transplant is a great option for some', and 'transplant is a good option, if the patient is interested'). Facility-level waitlisting and facility characteristics were obtained from the 2008-2011 Dialysis Facility Report. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between the dialysis facility transplant philosophy and facility waitlisting performance (dichotomized using the national median), where low performance was defined as fewer than 21.7% of dialysis patients waitlisted within a facility. Fewer than 25% (n = 124) of dialysis facilities reported 'transplant is our first option'. A total of 131 (31.4%) dialysis facilities in the Southeast were high-performing facilities with respect to waitlisting. Adjusted analysis showed that facilities who reported 'transplant is our first option' were twice (OR 2.0; 95% CI 1.0-3.9) as likely to have high waitlisting performance compared to facilities who reported that 'transplant is a good option, if the patient is interested'. Facilities with staff who had a more positive transplant philosophy were more likely to have better facility waitlisting performance. Future prospective studies are needed to further investigate if improving the kidney transplant philosophy in dialysis facilities improves access to transplantation.

Soil organic matter composition and quality across fire severity gradients in coniferous and deciduous forests of the southern boreal region

Treesearch

Jessica R. Miesel; William C. Hockaday; Randy Kolka; Philip A. Townsend

2015-01-01

Recent patterns of prolonged regional drought in southern boreal forests of the Great Lakes region, USA, suggest that the ecological effects of disturbance by wildfire may become increasingly severe. Losses of forest soil organic matter (SOM) during fire can limit soil nutrient availability and forest regeneration. These processes are also influenced by the composition...

Understanding the recent changes in the Southern Ocean carbon cycle: A multidisciplinary approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manizza, M.; Kahru, M.; Menemenlis, D.; Nevison, C. D.; Mitchell, B. G.; Keeling, R. F.

2016-12-01

The Southern Ocean represents a key area of the global ocean for the uptake of the CO2 originating from fossil fuels emissions. In these waters, cold temperatures combined with high rates of biological production drive the carbon uptake that accounts for about one-third of the global ocean uptake.Recent studies showed that changes in the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) index, mainly a proxy of the intensity of westerly winds, had a significant impact on the temporal variability of the CO2 uptake in the Southern Ocean. In order to shed light on this problem we propose to use both satellite-derived estimates of ocean productivity and carbon export in combinations of ocean physical and biogeochemical state estimates focusing on the 2006-2013 period. While the estimates of carbon fixation and export based on remote sensing will provide key information on the spatial and temporal variations of the biological carbon pump, the ocean state estimates will provide additional information on physical and carbon cycle processes, including the air-sea CO2 fluxes of the Southern Ocean in the 2006-2013 period where model solutions have been optimized.These physical estimates will be used to force an ocean biogeochemical model (ECCO2-Darwin) that will compute the CO2 uptake for each year. The physical model, forced with optimized atmospheric forcing, aims to realistically simulate interannual ocean climate variability that drives changes in both physical and biogeochemical processes ultimately impacting the carbon uptake of the Southern Ocean, and potentially responding to the SAM index variations.Although in this study great emphasis is given to the role of physical climate variations at driving the CO2 uptake of these polar waters, we will integrate model results with estimates from remote sensing techniques to better understand role of the biological carbon pump and its variability potentially responding to the SAM index changes.

Fertilizing Southern Hardwoods

Treesearch

W. M. Broadfoot; A. F. Ike

1967-01-01

If present trends continue, fertilizing may soon be economically feasible in southern hardwood stands. Demands for the wood are rising, and the acreage alloted for growing it is steadily shrinking. To supply anticipated requests for information, the U. S. Forest Service has established tree nutrition studies at the Southern Hardwoods Laboratory in Stoneville,...

Radioactivity near the sunken submarine "Kursk" in the Southern Barents Sea.

PubMed

Matishov, Genady G; Matishov, Dimitry G; Namiatov, Alexey E; Smith, John Norton; Carroll, Jolynn; Dahle, Salve

2002-05-01

Radioactivity measurements were conducted on seawater, sediment, and biota samples collected in the vicinity of the Russian submarine "Kursk" in September, 2000, within 1 month of the vessel's sinking in the Barents Sea to determine whether leakage of radioactivity from the vessel's two nuclear reactors had occurred and to assess the impact on one of the most productive fishing areas in the world. Levels of radioactivity in surface sediments and biota are within the range of values previously measured in the Barents Sea and can be ascribed to inputs from global fallout, European nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities, and the Chernobyl accident. However, levels of 1291 in seawater in the Southern Barents Sea increased by 500% between 1992 and 2000, and the 129I/137Cs ratio increased by more than an order of magnitude during this time, owing to long-range transport of releases from reprocessing facilities at Sellafield (U.K.) and La Hague (France). Although these results indicate that, at the time of sampling, leakage from the Kursk had a negligible impact on the environment, they also show that regional background levels of artificial radioactivity are varying rapidly on annual timescales and that Europe's nuclear reprocessing facilities are the leading contributor of anthropogenic radioactivity to the region.

Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF): An overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisskopf, M. C.; ODell, S. L.; Elsner, R. F.; VanSpeybroeck, L. P.

1995-01-01

The Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) is the x-ray component of NASA's Great Observatories. To be launched in late 1998, AXAF will provide unprecedented capabilities for high-resolution imaging, spectrometric imaging, and high-resolution disperse spectroscopy, over the x-ray band from about 0.1 keV to 10 keV. With these capabilities, AXAF observations will address many of the outstanding questions in astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology.

Beginning of foreland subsidence in the Columbian-Sevier belts, southern Canada and northwest Montana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillespie, Janice M.; Heller, Paul L.

1995-08-01

Subsidence analysis and geometry of Jurassic-Cretaceous foreland strata in northwestern Montana and southern Alberta and British Columbia suggest that loading by the fold-thrust belt in Canada began as much as 40 m.y. earlier than in Montana. In Canada, early foreland basin deposits are Late Jurassic age, thicken rapidly westward, and are restricted to a narrow belt within 30 km of the thrust belt. In western Montana, contemporaneous deposits are widespread and do not increase markedly in thickness toward the thrust belt. The unconformity overlying these deposits also changes from Canada, where it is angular, to a disconformity in western Montana near Great Falls. Between these two areas, foreland geometry is transitional over a distance of <250 km. Beyond the transition zone, early foreland basin geometries are broadly consistent, showing Late Jurassic foreland subsidence in southern Canada and Early Cretaceous initial subsidence in the United States.

Public water supplies in southern Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Broadhurst, W.L.; Sundstrom, R.W.; Rowley, J.H.

1950-01-01

This report gives a summarized description of the public water supplies in 42 counties of southern Texas, extending from the Rio Grande northward to the northern boundaries of Kinney, Uvalde, Bandera, Kendall, and Hays Counties and eastward to the eastern boundaries of Caldwell, Gonzales, DeWitt, Victoria, and Calhoun Counties. It gives the available data as follows for each of the 114 communities: Population of the community; name of the official from whom the information was obtained; ownership of water works, whether private or municipal; source of supply, whether ground or surface water; the amount of water consumed; the facilities for storage; the number of customers served; the character of the chemical and sanitary treatment, if any; and chemical analyses of the water. Where ground water is used, the following information also is given: Records of wells, including drillers' logs; character of the pumping equipment; yield of the wells and records of water levels, where they are available.

Design and operation of a pilot-plant for the processing of sugarcane juice into sugar at the Southern Regional Research Center in Louisiana

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A pilot-plant facility to process sugarcane juice into sugar and molasses has been developed under a limited budget at the Southern Regional Research Center of the United States Department of Agriculture in New Orleans, Louisiana. The batch plant (27.9 m2) includes juice heating, clarification, eva...

Prescription drug use during pregnancy in Southern Tigray region, North Ethiopia.

PubMed

Molla, Fantahun; Assen, Admassu; Abrha, Solomon; Masresha, Birhanetensay; Gashaw, Arega; Wondimu, Abrham; Belete, Yared; Melkam, Wondim

2017-06-05

Judicious utilization of drugs rescues the fetus from the harmful effects while treating the health problems of the pregnant women. This study aimed at evaluating drug utilization pattern and its associated factors among pregnant women in Southern Tigray, Ethiopia. Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted among 647 pregnant women who had been attending obstetrics-gynecology and antenatal care units in different health facilities of Southern Tigray region. The study participants were selected using multistage sampling technique. Data collection was done using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires and by reviewing antenatal follow-up cards. Descriptive and inferential statistics were analyzed, to assess drug utilization pattern and its associated factors among pregnant women, using SPSS version 20 software. Of 647 pregnant women, 87.5% were prescribed with at least one medication. As per the United States Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) risk classification system, 87.7, 7.9, 3.9, and 0.5% of the prescribed drug were from category A, B, C and D, respectively. Prescription drug use was more likely among gynecology ward visitors [AOR = 8.97, 95% Cl (2.69-29.88)] and among those who visited health facilities for the first time during their first [AOR =2.65, 95% Cl (1.44-4.84)] and second [AOR = 2.50, 95% Cl (1.36-4.61)] trimesters. Majority of the study population used safe and appropriate medications according to US-FDA risk classification system, with the exception of low proportion (0.5%) of medication with potential risk for the fetus. The average number of drug prescribed per pregnant women was in the recommended range of WHO drug use indicators guideline.

Evolution of Late Miocene to Contemporary Displacement Transfer Between the Northern Furnace Creek and Southern Fish Lake Valley Fault Zones and the Central Walker Lane, Western Great Basin, Nevada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oldow, J. S.; Geissman, J. W.

2013-12-01

Late Miocene to contemporary displacement transfer from the north Furnace Creek (FCF) and southern Fish Lake Valley (FLVF) faults to structures in the central Walker Lane was and continues to be accommodated by a belt of WNW-striking left-oblique fault zones in the northern part of the southern Walker Lane. The WNW fault zones are 2-9 km wide belts of anastomosing fault strands that intersect the NNW-striking FCF and southern FLVF in northern Death Valley and southern Fish Lake Valley, respectively. The WNW fault zones extend east for over 60 km where they merge with a 5-10 km wide belt of N10W striking faults that marks the eastern boundary of the southern Walker Lane. Left-oblique displacement on WNW faults progressively decreases to the east, as motion is successively transferred northeast on NNE-striking faults. NNE faults localize and internally deform extensional basins that each record cumulative net vertical displacements of between 3.0 and 5.2 km. The transcurrent faults and associated basins decrease in age from south to north. In the south, the WNW Sylvania Mountain fault system initiated left-oblique motion after 7 Ma but does not have evidence of contemporary displacement. Farther north, the left-oblique motion on the Palmetto Mountain fault system initiated after 6.0 to 4.0 Ma and has well-developed scarps in Quaternary deposits. Cumulative left-lateral displacement for the Sylvania Mountain fault system is 10-15 km, and is 8-12 km for the Palmetto fault system. The NNE-striking faults that emanate from the left-oblique faults merge with NNW transcurrent faults farther north in the eastern part of the Mina deflection, which links the Owens Valley fault of eastern California to the central Walker Lane. Left-oblique displacement on the Sylvania Mountain and Palmetto Mountain fault zones deformed the Furnace Creek and Fish Lake Valley faults. Left-oblique motion on Sylvania Mountain fault deflected the FCF into the 15 km wide Cucomungo Canyon restraining

Eddy Correlation Flux Measurement System (ECOR) Handbook

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cook, DR

2011-01-31

The eddy correlation (ECOR) flux measurement system provides in situ, half-hour measurements of the surface turbulent fluxes of momentum, sensible heat, latent heat, and carbon dioxide (CO2) (and methane at one Southern Great Plains extended facility (SGP EF) and the North Slope of Alaska Central Facility (NSA CF). The fluxes are obtained with the eddy covariance technique, which involves correlation of the vertical wind component with the horizontal wind component, the air temperature, the water vapor density, and the CO2 concentration.

A Great Moment for Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1998-05-01

VLT First Light Successfully Achieved The European Southern Observatory announces that First Light has been achieved with the first VLT 8.2-m Unit Telescope at the Paranal Observatory. Scientifically useful images have been obtained as scheduled, on May 25 - 26, 1998. A first analysis of these images convincingly demonstrates the exceptional potential of the ESO Very Large Telescope. Just one month after the installation and provisional adjustment of the optics, the performance of this giant telescope meets or surpasses the design goals, in particular as concerns the achievable image quality. Exposures lasting up to 10 minutes confirm that the tracking, crucial for following the diurnal rotation of the sky, is very accurate and stable. It appears that the concept developed by ESO for the construction of the VLT, namely an actively controlled, single thin mirror, yields a very superior performance. In fact, the angular resolution achieved even at this early stage is unequalled by any large ground-based telescope . The combination of large area and fine angular resolution will ultimately result in a sensitivity for point sources (e.g. stars), which is superior to any yet achieved by existing telescopes on Earth. The present series of images demonstrate these qualities and include some impressive first views with Europe's new giant telescope. After further optimization of the optical, mechanical and electronic systems, and with increasing operational streamlining, this telescope will be able to deliver unique astronomical data of the highest quality. The commissioning and science verification phases of the complex facility including instruments will last until April 1, 1999, at which time the first visiting astronomers will be received. The full significance of this achievement for astronomy will take time to assess. For Europe, this is a triumph of the collaboration between nations, institutions and industries. For the first time in almost a century, European

Dialysis Facility Transplant Philosophy and Access to Kidney Transplantation in the Southeast

PubMed Central

Gander, Jennifer; Browne, Teri; Plantinga, Laura; Pastan, Stephen O; Sauls, Leighann; Krisher, Jenna; Patzer, Rachel E

2015-01-01

Background Little is known about the impact of dialysis facility treatment philosophy on access to transplant. The aim of our study was to determine the relationship between dialysis facility transplant philosophy and facility-level access to kidney transplant waitlisting. Methods A 25-item questionnaire administered to Southeastern dialysis facilities (n=509) in 2012 captured facility transplant philosophy (categorized as “transplant is our first choice,” “transplant is a great option for some,” and “transplant is a good option, if the patient is interested”) .. Facility-level waitlisting and facility characteristics were obtained from the 2008-2011 Dialysis Facility Report. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examinethe association between dialysis facility transplant philosophy and facility waitlisting performance (dichotomized using the national median), where low performance was defined as less than 21.7% of dialysis patients waitlisted within a facility. Results Fewer than 25% (n=124) of dialysis facilities reported “transplant is our first option.” A total of 131 (31.4%) dialysis facilities in the Southeast were high-performing with respect to waitlisting. Adjusted analysis showed that facilities who reported “transplant is our first option” were twice (OR=2.0, 95% CI 1.0, 3.9) as likely to have high waitlisting performance compared to facilities who reported “transplant is a good option, if the patient is interested.” Conclusions Facilities with staff who had a more positive transplant philosophy were more likely to have better facility waitlisting performance. Future prospective studies are needed to further transplantation. PMID:26278585

Hydrogeology, distribution, and volume of saline groundwater in the southern midcontinent and adjacent areas of the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Osborn, Noël I.; Smith, S. Jerrod; Seger, Christian H.

2013-01-01

The hydrogeology, distribution, and volume of saline water in 22 aquifers in the southern midcontinent of the United States were evaluated to provide information about saline groundwater resources that may be used to reduce dependency on freshwater resources. Those aquifers underlie six States in the southern midcontinent—Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas—and adjacent areas including all or parts of Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wyoming and some offshore areas of the Gulf of Mexico. Saline waters of the aquifers were evaluated by defining salinity zones; digitizing data, primarily from the Regional Aquifer-System Analysis Program of the U.S. Geological Survey; and computing the volume of saline water in storage. The distribution of saline groundwater in the southern midcontinent is substantially affected by the hydrogeology and groundwater-flow systems of the aquifers. Many of the aquifers in the southern midcontinent are underlain by one or more aquifers, resulting in vertically stacked aquifers containing groundwaters of varying salinity. Saline groundwater is affected by past and present hydrogeologic conditions. Spatial variation of groundwater salinity in the southern midcontinent is controlled primarily by locations of recharge and discharge areas, groundwater-flow paths and residence time, mixing of freshwater and saline water, and interactions with aquifer rocks and sediments. The volume calculations made for the evaluated aquifers in the southern midcontinent indicate that about 39,900 million acre-feet (acre-ft) of saline water is in storage. About 21,600 million acre-ft of the water in storage is slightly to moderately saline (1,000–10,000 milligrams per liter [mg/L] dissolved solids), and about 18,300 million acre-ft is very saline (10,000–35,000 mg/L dissolved solids). The largest volumes of saline water are in the coastal lowlands (about

The Miocene Nullarbor Limestone, southern Australia; deposition on a vast subtropical epeiric platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Connell, Laura G.; James, Noel P.; Bone, Yvonne

2012-05-01

The early to middle Miocene Nullarbor Limestone forms the vast, karsted Nullarbor Plain in southern Australia, and may be the most extensive Miocene carbonate deposit described to date. These carbonates were deposited at southern paleolatitudes of ~ 40°S and are interpreted to be subtropical to warm-temperate in character because of the presence of certain genera of tropical coralline algae (rhodoliths and articulated types), large benthic foraminifera, tropical molluscs, zooxanthellate corals, and micrite envelopes. Facies are dominated by skeletal grainstones and floatstones that accumulated in three interpreted paleoenvironments: (1) seagrass banks (upper photic zone), (2) rhodolith pavements (lower photic zone), and (3) open seafloors (lower photic to subphotic zone). A decrease of tropical components from west to east across the platform implies that warm oceanic currents (possibly related to a proto-Leeuwin Current), as well as a period of warm climate (Miocene Climatic Optimum), resulted in subtropical deposition at southern latitudes. The Southern Ocean extended inboard ~ 450 km from the shelf edge during Nullarbor Limestone deposition, but interpreted paleodepths did not extend much below the base of the photic zone. A small slope angle (~ 0.02°) over a wide shelf (~ 300,000 km2) implies deposition on an epeiric platform or epeiric ramp. A Miocene barrier reef was likely coeval with Nullarbor Limestone deposition. Therefore, the inboard portion of the Nullarbor Limestone can be considered part of an extensive back-reef lagoon system on a rimmed epeiric platform, perhaps attaining a size similar to the modern Great Barrier Reef system.

Southern Pine Bark Beetle Guild

Treesearch

T. Evan Nebeker

2011-01-01

Dendroctonus frontalis (southern pine beetle), D. terebrans (black turpentine beetle), Ips avulsus (small southern pine engraver or four-spined engraver), I. grandicollis (five-spined engraver), and I. calligraphus (six-spined engraver) comprise the southern pine bark beetle guild. Often they are found sharing the same hosts in the Southeastern United States. They...

The Plate Boundary Observatory Student Field Assistant Program in Southern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seider, E. L.

2007-12-01

Each summer, UNAVCO hires students as part of the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) Student Field Assistant Program. PBO, the geodetic component of the NSF-funded EarthScope project, involves the reconnaissance, permitting, installation, documentation, and maintenance of 880 permanent GPS stations in five years. During the summer 2007, nine students from around the US and Puerto Rico were hired to assist PBO engineers during the busy summer field season. From June to September, students worked closely with PBO field engineers to install and maintain permanent GPS stations in all regions of PBO, including Alaska. The PBO Student Field Assistant Program provides students with professional hands-on field experience as well as continuing education in the geosciences. It also gives students a glimpse into the increasing technologies available to the science community, the scope of geophysical research utilizing these technologies, and the field techniques necessary to complete this research. Students in the PBO Field Assistant Program are involved in all aspects of GPS support, including in-warehouse preparation and in-field installations and maintenance. Students are taught practical skills such as drilling, wiring, welding, hardware configuration, documentation, and proper field safety procedures needed to construct permanent GPS stations. These real world experiences provide the students with technical and professional skills that are not always available to them in a classroom, and will benefit them greatly in their future studies and careers. The 2007 summer field season in Southern California consisted of over 35 GPS permanent station installations. To date, the Southern California region of PBO has installed over 190 GPS stations. This poster presentation will highlight the experiences gained by the Southern California student field assistants, while supporting PBO- Southern California GPS installations in the Mohave Desert and the Inyo National Forest.

Continuous micro-earthquake catalogue of the central Southern Alps, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michailos, Konstantinos; Townend, John; Savage, Martha; Chamberlain, Calum

2017-04-01

The Alpine Fault is one of the most prominent tectonic features in the South Island, New Zealand, and is inferred to be late in its seismic cycle of M 8 earthquakes based on paleoseismological evidence. Despite this, the Alpine Fault displays low levels of contemporary seismic activity, with little documented on-fault seismicity. This low magnitude seismicity, often below the completeness level of the GeoNet national seismic catalogue, may inform us of changes in fault character along-strike and might be used for rupture simulations and hazard planning. Thus, compiling a micro-earthquake catalogue for the Southern Alps prior to an expected major earthquake is of great interest. Areas of low seismic activity, like the central part of the Alpine Fault, require data recorded over a long duration to reveal temporal and spatial seismicity patterns and provide a better understanding for the processes controlling seismogenesis. The continuity and density of the Southern Alps Microearthquake Borehole Array (SAMBA; deployed in late 2008) allows us to study seismicity in the Southern Alps over a more extended time period than has ever been done previously. Furthermore, by using data from other temporary networks (e.g. WIZARD, ALFA08, DFDP-10) we are able to extend the region covered. To generate a spatially and temporally continuous catalogue of seismicity in New Zealand's central Southern Alps, we used automatic detection and phase-picking methods. We used an automatic phase-picking method for both P- and S- wave arrivals (kPick; Rawles and Thurber, 2015). Using almost 8 years of seismic data we calculated about 9,000 preliminary earthquake. The seismicity is clustered and scattered and a previously observed seismic gap between the Wanganui and Whataroa rivers is also identified.

CHALLENGES IN SETTING UP QUALITY CONTROL IN DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY FACILITIES IN NIGERIA.

PubMed

Inyang, S O; Egbe, N O; Ekpo, E

2015-01-01

The Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) was established to regulate and control the use of radioactive and radiation emitting sources in Nigeria. Quality control (QC) on diagnostic radiology equipment form part of the fundamental requirements for the authorization of diagnostic radiology facilities in the Country. Some quality control tests (output, exposure linearity and reproducibility) were measured on the x-ray machines in the facilities that took part in the study. Questionnaire was developed to evaluate the frequencies at which QC tests were conducted in the facilities and the challenges in setting up QC. Results show great variation in the values of the QC parameters measured. Inadequate cooperation by facilities management, lack of QC equipment and insufficient staff form the major challenges in setting up QC in the facilities under study. The responses on the frequencies at which QC tests should be conducted did not correspond to the recommended standards; indicating that personnel were not familiar with QC implementation and may require further training on QC.

Dechlorane plus, a chlorinated flame retardant, in the Great Lakes.

PubMed

Hoh, Eunha; Zhu, Lingyan; Hites, Ronald A

2006-02-15

A highly chlorinated flame retardant, Dechlorane Plus (DP), was detected and identified in ambient air, fish, and sediment samples from the Great Lakes region. The identity of this compound was confirmed by comparing its gas chromatographic retention times and mass spectra with those of authentic material. This compound exists as two gas chromatographically separable stereoisomers (syn and anti), the structures of which were characterized by one- and two-dimensional proton nuclear magnetic resonance. DP was detected in most air samples, even at remote sites. The atmospheric DP concentrations were higher at the eastern Great Lakes sites (Sturgeon Point, NY, and Cleveland, OH) than those at the western Great Lakes sites (Eagle Harbor, MI, Chicago, IL, and Sleeping Bear Dunes, MI). Atthe Sturgeon Point site, DP concentrations once reached 490 pg/m3. DP atmospheric concentrations were comparable to those of BDE-209 at the eastern Great Lakes sites. DP was also found in sediment cores from Lakes Michigan and Erie. The peak DP concentrations were comparable to BDE-209 concentrations in the sediment core from Lake Erie butwere about 30 times lower than BDE-209 concentrations in the core from Lake Michigan. In the sediment cores, the DP concentrations peaked around 1975-1980, and the surficial concentrations were 10-80% of peak concentrations. Higher DP concentrations in air samples from Sturgeon Point, NY, and in the sediment core from Lake Erie suggest that DP's manufacturing facility in Niagara Falls, NY, may be a source. DP was also detected in archived fish (walleye) from Lake Erie, suggesting that this compound is, at least partially, bioavailable.

Southern rim of Pacific Ocean basin: southern Andes to southern Alps

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dalziel, I.W.D.; Garrett, S.W.; Grunow, A.M.

1986-07-01

Between the southern Andes of Tierra del Fuego and the southern Alps of New Zealand lies the least accessible and geologically least explored part of the Pacific Ocean basin. A joint United Kingdom-United States project was initiated in 1983 to elucidate the geologic history and structure of the Pacific margin of Antarctica from the Antarctic Peninsula to Pine Island Bay at approximately lone. 105/sup 0/W. The first season (1983-1984) of this West Antarctic Tectonics Project was spent in the Ellsworth-Whitmore crustal block, and the second (1984-1985) in the Thurston Island crustal block. The project involves structural and general field geology,more » petrology, geochemistry, paleomagnetism, and airborne geophysics (magnetics and radar ice echo sounding). A final geologic season will be spent in the Pensacola Mountains of the Transantarctic Range in 1987-1988.« less

Change in failure stress on the southern San Andreas fault system caused by the 1992 magnitude = 7.4 Landers earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stein, R.S.; King, G.C.P.; Lin, J.

1992-01-01

The 28 June Landers earthquake brought the San Andreas fault significantly closer to failure near San Bernardino, a site that has not sustained a large shock since 1812. Stress also increased on the San Jacinto fault near San Bernardino and on the San Andreas fault southeast of Palm Springs. Unless creep or moderate earthquakes relieve these stress changes, the next great earthquake on the southern San Andreas fault is likely to be advanced by one to two decades. In contrast, stress on the San Andreas north of Los Angeles dropped, potentially delaying the next great earthquake there by 2 to 10 years.

Great Lakes Literacy Principles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fortner, Rosanne W.; Manzo, Lyndsey

2011-03-01

Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Erie together form North America's Great Lakes, a region that contains 20% of the world's fresh surface water and is home to roughly one quarter of the U.S. population (Figure 1). Supporting a $4 billion sport fishing industry, plus $16 billion annually in boating, 1.5 million U.S. jobs, and $62 billion in annual wages directly, the Great Lakes form the backbone of a regional economy that is vital to the United States as a whole (see http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/downloads/economy/11-708-Great-Lakes-Jobs.pdf). Yet the grandeur and importance of this freshwater resource are little understood, not only by people in the rest of the country but also by many in the region itself. To help address this lack of knowledge, the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Great Lakes, supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, developed literacy principles for the Great Lakes to serve as a guide for education of students and the public. These “Great Lakes Literacy Principles” represent an understanding of the Great Lakes' influences on society and society's influences on the Great Lakes.

Integrated Payment and Delivery Models Offer Opportunities and Challenges for Residential Care Facilities

PubMed Central

Grabowski, David C.; Caudry, Daryl J.; Dean, Katie M.; Stevenson, David G.

2016-01-01

Under health care reform, a series of new financing and delivery models are being piloted to integrate health and long-term care services for older adults. To date, these programs have not encompassed residential care facilities, with most programs focusing on long-term care recipients in the community or the nursing home. Our analyses indicate that individuals living in residential care facilities have similarly high rates of chronic illness and Medicare utilization when compared with similar populations in the community and nursing home. These results suggest the residential care facility population could benefit greatly from models that coordinate health and long-term care. However, few providers have invested in integrated delivery models. Several challenges exist toward greater integration including the private payment of residential care facility services and the fact that residential care facilities do not share in any Medicare savings due to improved coordination of care. PMID:26438740

Rhizo-lysimetry: facilities for the simultaneous study of root behaviour and resource use by agricultural crop and pasture systems

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Rhizo-lysimeters offer unique advantages for the study of plants and their interactions with soils. In this paper, an existing facility at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga Australia is described in detail and its potential to conduct both ecophysiological and ecohydrological research in the study of root interactions of agricultural crops and pastures is quantitatively assessed. This is of significance to future crop research efforts in southern Australia, in light of recent significant long-term drought events, as well as potential impacts of climate change as predicted for the region. The rhizo-lysimeter root research facility has recently been expanded to accommodate larger research projects over multiple years and cropping rotations. Results Lucerne, a widely-grown perennial pasture in southern Australia, developed an expansive root system to a depth of 0.9 m over a twelve month period. Its deeper roots particularly at 2.05 m continued to expand for the duration of the experiment. In succeeding experiments, canola, a commonly grown annual crop, developed a more extensive (approximately 300%) root system than wheat, but exhibited a slower rate of root elongation at rates of 7.47 x 10–3 m day–1 for canola and 1.04 x10–2 m day–1 for wheat. A time domain reflectometry (TDR) network was designed to accurately assess changes in soil water content, and could assess water content change to within 5% of the amount of water applied. Conclusions The rhizo-lysimetry system provided robust estimates of root growth and soil water change under conditions representative of a field setting. This is currently one of a very limited number of global research facilities able to perform experimentation under field conditions and is the largest root research experimental laboratory in the southern hemisphere. PMID:23363534

Attitudes of Nursing Facilities' Staff Toward Pharmacy Students' Interaction with its Residents.

PubMed

Adkins, Donna; Gavaza, Paul; Deel, Sharon

2017-06-01

All Appalachian College of Pharmacy second-year students undertake the longitudinal geriatric early pharmacy practice experiences (EPPE) 2 course, which involves interacting with geriatric residents in two nursing facilities over two semesters. The study investigated the nursing staff's perceptions about the rotation and the pharmacy students' interaction with nursing facility residents. Cross-sectional study. Academic setting. 63 nursing facility staff. A 10-item attitude survey administered to nursing staff. Nursing staff attitude toward pharmacy students' interaction with geriatric residents during the course. Sixty-three responses were received (84% response rate). Most respondents were female (95.2%), who occasionally interacted with pharmacy students (54.8%) and had worked at the facilities for an average of 6.8 years (standard deviation [SD] = 6.7) years. Staff reported that pharmacy students practiced interacting with geriatric residents and nursing facility staff, learned about different medications taken by residents as well as their life as a nursing facility resident. In addition, the student visits improved the mood of residents and staff's understanding of medicines, among others. Staff suggested that students spend more time with their residents in the facility as well as ask more questions of staff. The nursing facility staff generally had favorable attitudes about pharmacy students' visits in their nursing facility. Nursing facility staff noted that the geriatric rotation was a great learning experience for the pharmacy students.

Measuring the Moisture Content of Green Wood Using Time Domain Reflectometry

Treesearch

Laurence Schimleck; Kim Love-Myers; Joe Sanders; Heath Raybon; Richard Daniels; Jerry Mahon; Edward Andrews; Erik Schilling

2011-01-01

The responsible usage of water by facilities that rely on wet log storage in the southern United States has become an issue of great importance as restrictions on water usage have grown in recent years. In order to learn about the dynamics of moisture content in wet-stored logs over time, it is necessary to conduct continuous monitoring of log piles. Time domain...

The Great Lakes

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Great Lakes form the largest surface freshwater system on Earth. The U.S. and Canada work together to restore and protect the environment in the Great Lakes Basin. Top issues include contaminated sediments, water quality and invasive species.

Manure management and temperature impacts on gas concentrations in monoslope cattle facilities

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Roofed and confined cattle feeding facilities are increasingly popular in the Northern Great Plains, but little is known about the impact this housing system and associated manure management methods have on the air quality inside and outside the barn. The objective of this study was to determine ga...

Meteotsunamis in the Great Lakes and Investigation into the May 27, 2012 Event on Lake Erie

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, E. J.; Bechle, A.; Wu, C. H.; Schwab, D. J.; Mann, G.

2016-02-01

Meteotsunami events have been documented in several countries around the world in the coastal ocean, semi-enclosed basins, and in the Great Lakes. In particular, investigations in the Great Lakes have raised the issue of dangers posed by enclosed basins due to the reflection and interaction of meteotsunami waves, in which the destructive waves can arrive several hours after the atmospheric disturbance has passed. This disassociation in time and space between the atmospheric disturbance and resultant meteotsunami wave can pose a significant threat to the public. In a recent event on May 27, 2012, atmospheric conditions gave rise to two convective systems that generated a series of waves in the meteotsunami band on Lake Erie. The resulting waves swept three swimmers a half-mile offshore, inundated a marina, and may have led to a capsized boat along the southern shoreline. Examination of the observed conditions shows that these events occurred at a time between the arrivals of these two storm systems when atmospheric conditions were relatively calm but water level displacements were at their greatest. In this work, we attempt to explain the processes that led to these conditions through a combination of atmospheric and hydrodynamic modeling and an analysis of the observed radial velocities associated with the meteotsunami-inducing front. Results from a high-resolution atmospheric model and hydrodynamic model reveal that the formation of these destructive waves resulted from a combination of wave reflection, focusing, and edge waves that impacted the southern shore of Lake Erie. This event illustrates the unique danger posed by temporal lags between the inducing atmospheric conditions and resulting dangerous nearshore wave conditions.

Spatiotemporal Variability of Great Lakes Basin Snow Cover Ablation Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suriano, Z. J.; Leathers, D. J.

2017-12-01

In the Great Lakes basin of North America, annual runoff is dominated by snowmelt. This snowmelt-induced runoff plays an important role within the hydrologic cycle of the basin, influencing soil moisture availability and driving the seasonal cycle of spring and summer Lake levels. Despite this, relatively little is understood about the patterns and trends of snow ablation event frequency and magnitude within the Great Lakes basin. This study uses a gridded dataset of Canadian and United States surface snow depth observations to develop a regional climatology of snow ablation events from 1960-2009. An ablation event is defined as an inter-diurnal snow depth decrease within an individual grid cell. A clear seasonal cycle in ablation event frequency exists within the basin and peak ablation event frequency is latitudinally dependent. Most of the basin experiences peak ablation frequency in March, while the northern and southern regions of the basin experience respective peaks in April and February. An investigation into the inter-annual frequency of ablation events reveals ablation events significantly decrease within the northeastern and northwestern Lake Superior drainage basins and significantly increase within the eastern Lake Huron and Georgian Bay drainage basins. In the eastern Lake Huron and Georgian Bay drainage basins, larger ablation events are occurring more frequently, and a larger impact to the hydrology can be expected. Trends in ablation events are attributed primarily to changes in snowfall and snow depth across the region.

Electronic Medical Record and Quality Ratings of Long Term Care Facilities Long-Term Care Facility Characteristics and Reasons and Barriers for Adoption of Electronic Medical Record

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniels, Cheryl Andrea

2013-01-01

With the growing elderly population, compounded by the retirement of the babyboomers, the need for long-term care (LTC) facilities is expected to grow. An area of great concern for those that are seeking a home for their family member is the quality of care provided by the nursing home to the residents. Electronic medical records (EMR) are often…

Electromagnetic Fields Associated with Commercial Solar Photovoltaic Electric Power Generating Facilities.

PubMed

Tell, R A; Hooper, H C; Sias, G G; Mezei, G; Hung, P; Kavet, R

2015-01-01

The southwest region of the United States is expected to experience an expansion of commercial solar photovoltaic generation facilities over the next 25 years. A solar facility converts direct current generated by the solar panels to three-phase 60-Hz power that is fed to the grid. This conversion involves sequential processing of the direct current through an inverter that produces low-voltage three-phase power, which is stepped up to distribution voltage (∼12 kV) through a transformer. This study characterized magnetic and electric fields between the frequencies of 0 Hz and 3 GHz at two facilities operated by the Southern California Edison Company in Porterville, CA and San Bernardino, CA. Static magnetic fields were very small compared to exposure limits established by IEEE and ICNIRP. The highest 60-Hz magnetic fields were measured adjacent to transformers and inverters, and radiofrequency fields from 5-100 kHz were associated with the inverters. The fields measured complied in every case with IEEE controlled and ICNIRP occupational exposure limits. In all cases, electric fields were negligible compared to IEEE and ICNIRP limits across the spectrum measured and when compared to the FCC limits (≥0.3 MHz).

Finite-fault slip model of the 2016 Mw 7.5 Chiloé earthquake, southern Chile, estimated from Sentinel-1 data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Wenbin

2017-05-01

Subduction earthquakes have been widely studied in the Chilean subduction zone, but earthquakes occurring in its southern part have attracted less research interest primarily due to its lower rate of seismic activity. Here I use Sentinel-1 interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data and range offset measurements to generate coseismic crustal deformation maps of the 2016 Mw 7.5 Chiloé earthquake in southern Chile. I find a concentrated crustal deformation with ground displacement of approximately 50 cm in the southern part of the Chiloé island. The best fitting fault model shows a pure thrust-fault motion on a shallow dipping plane orienting 4° NNE. The InSAR-determined moment is 2.4 × 1020 Nm with a shear modulus of 30 GPa, equivalent to Mw 7.56, which is slightly lower than the seismic moment. The model shows that the slip did not reach the trench, and it reruptured part of the fault that ruptured in the 1960 Mw 9.5 earthquake. The 2016 event has only released a small portion of the accumulated strain energy on the 1960 rupture zone, suggesting that the seismic hazard of future great earthquakes in southern Chile is high.

Great Lakes: Chemical Monitoring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delfino, Joseph J.

1976-01-01

The Tenth Great Lakes Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society met to assess current Chemical Research activity in the Great Lakes Basin, and addressed to the various aspects of the theme, Chemistry of the Great Lakes. Research areas reviewed included watershed studies, atmospheric and aquatic studies, and sediment studies. (BT)

Sunlight and health: attitudes of older people living in intermediate care facilities in southern Australia.

PubMed

Durvasula, Seeta; Kok, Cindy; Sambrook, Philip N; Cumming, Robert G; Lord, Stephen R; March, Lynette M; Mason, Rebecca S; Seibel, Markus J; Simpson, Judy M; Cameron, Ian D

2010-01-01

Older people have a high prevalence of falls and fractures, partly due to vitamin D deficiency. Sunlight is a major source of vitamin D, but many older people living in intermediate care facilities have inadequate sunlight exposure. The aim of this study was to determine the sun exposure practices and attitudes to sunlight in this population. Fifty-seven older residents of intermediate care facilities in Sydney, Australia were interviewed to determine their sun exposure practices, their views on sunlight and health and whether these have changed over their lives, factors affecting sunlight exposure and their knowledge of vitamin D. Sixty percent of the participants preferred to be outdoors, despite more than 92% believing that sunlight was healthy. In their youth however, almost 90% had preferred to be outdoors. Poor health, physical constraints and a sense of lack of ownership of outdoor spaces were barriers to sunlight exposure. Improved physical access, more outdoor leisure activities and promotion of greater autonomy may improve safe and appropriate sunlight exposure in this population. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient rehabilitation care for joint replacement patients: skilled nursing facility or inpatient rehabilitation facility?

PubMed

Tian, Wenqiang; DeJong, Gerben; Horn, Susan D; Putman, Koen; Hsieh, Ching-Hui; DaVanzo, Joan E

2012-01-01

There has been lengthy debate as to which setting, skilled nursing facility (SNF) or inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF), is more efficient in treating joint replacement patients. This study aims to determine the efficiency of rehabilitation care provided by SNF and IRF to joint replacement patients with respect to both payment and length of stay (LOS). This study used a prospective multisite observational cohort design. Tobit models were used to examine the association between setting of care and efficiency. The study enrolled 948 knee replacement patients and 618 hip replacement patients from 11 IRFs and 7 SNFs between February 2006 and February 2007. Output was measured by motor functional independence measure (FIM) score at discharge. Efficiency was measured in 3 ways: payment efficiency, LOS efficiency, and stochastic frontier analysis efficiency. IRF patients incurred higher expenditures per case but also achieved larger motor FIM gains in shorter LOS than did SNF patients. Setting of care was not a strong predictor of overall efficiency of rehabilitation care. Great variation in characteristics existed within IRFs or SNFs and severity groups. Medium-volume facilities among both SNFs and IRFs were most efficient. Early rehabilitation was consistently predictive of efficient treatment. The advantage of either setting is not clear-cut. Definition of efficiency depends in part on preference between cost and time. SNFs are more payment efficient; IRFs are more LOS efficient. Variation within SNFs and IRFs blurred setting differences; a simple comparison between SNF and IRF may not be appropriate.

Southern California Drosophila Conference: Irvine, CA - September 11, 2009.

PubMed

Rattner, Barbara P

2009-01-01

As has become tradition, this year's Southern California Drosophila Conference was hosted by the Developmental Biology Center (http://dbc.bio.uci.edu/) at the University of California, Irvine. On September 11, 2009, speakers from institutions in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties presented their latest results in an informal and friendly atmosphere and had the opportunity to learn about new resources and facilities, establish collaborations, and network about job openings and training opportunities. The talks presented covered the use of flies to study a variety of topics including the mechanisms of action of human pathogens, human diseases, and aging and lifespan extension. In addition, attendees heard about aspects of Drosophila neuronal development, olfactory behavior, transcriptional regulation, and signal transduction. Some of the highlights of the meeting are summarized in this brief report.

Enhanced Soundings for Local Coupling Studies: 2015 ARM Climate Research Facility Field Campaign

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ferguson, CR; Santanello, JA; Gentine, P

2015-11-01

Matching observed diurnal cycles is a fundamental yet extremely complex test for models. High temporal resolution measurements of surface turbulent heat fluxes and boundary layer properties are required to evaluate the daytime evolution of the boundary layer and its sensitivity to land-atmosphere coupling. To address this need, (12) one-day intensive observing periods (IOP) with enhanced radiosonding will be carried out at the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) Central Facility (CF) during summer 2015. Each IOP will comprise a single launch to correspond with the nighttime overpass of the A-Train of satellites (~0830 UTC) and hourly launches during daytime beginning frommore » 1130 UTC and ending at 2130 UTC. At 3-hourly intervals (i.e., 1140 UTC, 1440 UTC, 1740 UTC, and 2040 UTC) a duplicate second radiosonde will be launched 10 minutes subsequent to launch of the on-hour radiosonde for the purpose of assessing horizontal atmospheric variability. In summary, each IOP will have a 14-sounding supplement to the 6-hourly operational sounding schedule at the ARM-SGP CF. The IOP days will be decided before sunset on the preceding day, according to the judgment of the PI’s and taking into consideration daily weather forecasts and the operability of complimentary ARM-SGP CF instrumentation. An overarching goal of the project is to address how ARM could better observe land-atmosphere coupling to support the evaluation and refinement of coupled weather and climate models.« less

A Study of the Connection Among Basin-Fill Aquifers, Carbonate-Rock Aquifers, and Surface-Water Resources in Southern Snake Valley, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2008-01-01

The Secretary of the Interior through the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act approved funding for research to improve understanding of hydrologic systems that sustain numerous water-dependent ecosystems on Federal lands in Snake Valley, Nevada. Some of the streams and spring-discharge areas in and adjacent to Great Basin National Park have been identified as susceptible to ground-water withdrawals (Elliott and others, 2006) and research has shown a high potential for ground-water flow from southern Spring Valley into southern Snake Valley through carbonate rocks that outcrop along a low topographic divide known as the Limestone Hills (Welch and others, 2007). Comprehensive geologic, hydrologic, and chemical information will be collected and analyzed to assess the hydraulic connection between basin-fill aquifers and surface-water resources, water-dependent ecological features, and the regional carbonate-rock aquifer, the known source of many high-discharge springs. Understanding these connections is important because proposed projects to pump and export ground water from Spring and Snake Valleys in Nevada may result in unintended capture of water currently supplying springs, streams, wetlands, limestone caves, and other biologically sensitive areas (fig. 1). The methods that will be used in this study may be transferable to other areas in the Great Basin. The National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service submitted the proposal for funding this research to facilitate science-based land management. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources and Geologic Disciplines, and the University of Nevada, Reno, will accomplish four research elements through comprehensive data collection and analysis that are concentrated in two distinct areas on the eastern and southern flanks of the Snake Range (fig. 2). The projected time line for this research is from July 2008 through September 2011.

Southern pulpwood production, 1982

Treesearch

James F. Rosson

1982-01-01

The annual report of southern pulpwood production is based on a canvass of all pulpmills that fall within the 12 states of the Southern and Southeastern Forest Experiment Station regions. Neighboring experiment stations exchange information on mills located beyond the region but utilizing wood from the region.

The Influence of Infant Feeding Practices on Infant Mortality in Southern Africa.

PubMed

Motsa, Lungile F; Ibisomi, Latifat; Odimegwu, Clifford

2016-10-01

Objective To examine the adjusted and unadjusted effects of infant feeding practices on infant mortality in Southern Africa. Methods A merged dataset from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys for Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe was analysed using the Cox Proportional Hazard Model. A total number of 13,218 infants born in 5 years preceding all the surveys with information on infant feeding practices constituted the study population. Infant mortality was the outcome variable and infant feeding practices categorised into; no breastfeeding, partial breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding were the main explanatory variables. Maternal demographic and socio-economic characteristics and infants' bio-demographic characteristics were also studied. Results Although, exclusive breastfeeding was quite low (12 %), exclusively breastfed infants exhibited a 97 % lower risk of dying during infancy compared to infants not breastfed in the region. Variations existed by country in the levels and patterns of both infant mortality and infant feeding practices. Mother's country, highest level of education and marital status; child's sex, birth weight and preceding birth interval were the significant predictors of infant mortality in Southern Africa. Conclusions Any form of breastfeeding whether exclusive or partial breastfeeding greatly reduces the risk of infant mortality with the greatest mortality reduction effect observed among exclusively breastfed infants in Southern Africa. To reduce the upsurge of infant mortality, there is the need to step up the effectiveness of child nutrition programmes that promote breastfeeding and put emphasis on exclusive breastfeeding of infants in the region.

Interactions between zoo-housed great apes and local wildlife.

PubMed

Ross, S R; Holmes, A N; Lonsdorf, E V

2009-06-01

Although there are published reports of wild chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans hunting and consuming vertebrate prey, data pertaining to captive apes remain sparse. In this survey-based study, we evaluate the prevalence and nature of interactions between captive great apes and various indigenous wildlife species that range into their enclosures in North America. Our hypotheses were threefold: (a) facilities housing chimpanzees will report the most frequent and most aggressive interactions with local wildlife; (b) facilities housing orangutans and bonobos will report intermediate frequencies of these interactions with low levels of aggression and killing; and (c) facilities housing gorillas will report the lowest frequency of interactions and no reports of killing local wildlife. Chimpanzees and bonobos demonstrated the most aggressive behavior toward wildlife, which matched our predictions for chimpanzees, but not bonobos. This fits well with expectations for chimpanzees based on their natural history of hunting and consuming prey in wild settings, and also supports new field data on bonobos. Captive gorillas and orangutans were reported to be much less likely to chase, catch and kill wildlife than chimpanzees and bonobos. Gorillas were the least likely to engage in aggressive interactions with local wildlife, matching our predictions based on natural history. However unlike wild gorillas, captive gorillas were reported to kill (and in one case, eat) local wildlife. These results suggest that some behavioral patterns seen in captive groups of apes may be useful for modeling corresponding activities in the wild that may not be as easily observed and quantified. Furthermore, the data highlight the potential for disease transmission in some captive settings, and we outline the associated implications for ape health and safety.

Great Lakes in January

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

This image taken on January 13, 2015 from the Suomi NPP satellite's VIIRS instrument shows the Great Lakes and surrounding areas. The latest Great Lakes Surface Environmental Analysis (GLSEA) from the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory shows total ice cover of 29.3% as of January 13th. Credit: NOAA/NASA/NPP Via NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory

Communicating with Facility Leadership; Metrics for Successful Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (Asp) in Acute Care and Long-Term Care Facilities.

PubMed

Beganovic, Maya; LaPlante, Kerry L

2018-06-01

Up to 50% of hospital-administered and 70% of nursing home-administered antimicrobials are inappropriately prescribed. There is a great need to focus local, national and global efforts on appropriate antibiotic use. Formal programs dedicated to appropriate antibiotic use have been established in most US hospitals. These antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) exist to ensure that the correct drug, dose and duration of an antimicrobial is given, and only when there is a true bacterial infection (as opposed to bacterial colonization or a viral infection). These programs increase patient safety and reduce unintended consequences including Clostridium difficile infections, medication-related adverse effects, and antimicrobial resistance. Most of these programs are co-lead by an interdisciplinary team consisting of an infectious diseases (ID) pharmacist and an ID physician. However, consistent and meaningful metrics to study the impact of ASPs have not been elucidated. With the Joint Commission Standards for Acute Care facilities, and Centers for Medicare and Medicare (CMS) for long-term care facilities making antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) a condition of participation, both facilities will be scrambling to create appropriate quality care indicators to measure program success. One major theme across all healthcare settings is that ASPs must collaborate with facility leadership and key stakeholders at each institution in order to have an impactful benefit on patient quality of care, and safety. It is the purpose of this review to offer several economic, process, and patient-outcome measurements for ASP to optimally communicate with facility leadership. [Full article available at http://rimed.org/rimedicaljournal-2018-06.asp].

Comparison of the socioeconomic impacts of international fuel service centers versus dispersed nuclear facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Braid, Jr., R. B.

1979-01-01

The paper investigates a variety of community impacts including: public services, fiscal issues, economic matters, land and water use, political and social cohesion, and legal considerations. Comparisons of socioeconomic impacts of colocated versus dispersed sites are made on the basis of the size of the impacted communities, the size and type of nuclear facility, and the facility's construction time frame. The paper concludes that, under similar circumstances, most of the socioeconomic impacts of colocated nuclear facilities would be somewhat less than the sum of the impacts associated with equivalent dispersed sites. While empirical data is non-existent, the paper contends, however,more » that because the socioeconomic impacts of colocated facilities are so great and readily identifiable to a public unskilled in making comparisons with the dispersed alternative, the facilities will likely generate so much public opposition that IFSCs will probably prove infeasible.« less

Isolating active orogenic wedge deformation in the southern Subandes of Bolivia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, Jonathan R.; Brooks, Benjamin A.; Foster, James H.; Bevis, Michael; Echalar, Arturo; Caccamise, Dana; Heck, Jacob; Kendrick, Eric; Ahlgren, Kevin; Raleigh, David; Smalley, Robert; Vergani, Gustavo

2016-08-01

A new GPS-derived surface velocity field for the central Andean backarc permits an assessment of orogenic wedge deformation across the southern Subandes of Bolivia, where recent studies suggest that great earthquakes (>Mw 8) are possible. We find that the backarc is not isolated from the main plate boundary seismic cycle. Rather, signals from subduction zone earthquakes contaminate the velocity field at distances greater than 800 km from the Chile trench. Two new wedge-crossing velocity profiles, corrected for seasonal and earthquake affects, reveal distinct regions that reflect (1) locking of the main plate boundary across the high Andes, (2) the location of and loading rate at the back of orogenic wedge, and (3) an east flank velocity gradient indicative of décollement locking beneath the Subandes. Modeling of the Subandean portions of the profiles indicates along-strike variations in the décollement locked width (WL) and wedge loading rate; the northern wedge décollement has a WL of ~100 km while accumulating slip at a rate of ~14 mm/yr, whereas the southern wedge has a WL of ~61 km and a slip rate of ~7 mm/yr. When compared to Quaternary estimates of geologic shortening and evidence for Holocene internal wedge deformation, the new GPS-derived wedge loading rates may indicate that the southern wedge is experiencing a phase of thickening via reactivation of preexisting internal structures. In contrast, we suspect that the northern wedge is undergoing an accretion or widening phase primarily via slip on relatively young thrust-front faults.

The Recent Rise of Southern Magazines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hynds, Ernest C.

During the past decade states in the southern United States have produced an increasing percentage of the nation's "city" magazines. Three magazines illustrate what the southern metropolitan magazines are doing to serve their readers and their communities. "Southern Living" provides information about its readers' interests as…

SIRTF, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simmons, Larry L.

1999-01-01

The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) is the last of the NASA Great Observatories, and a cornerstone of the NASA Origins Missions. The Observatory will include an 85 cm telescope in a unique orbit around the sun. The telescope will be launched at ambient temperature and cooled to 5.5K in space. The science instruments will use large detector arrays that will be background limited, and capable of a broad range of astrophysical investigations. The SIRTF architecture will accommodate up to 5 years of cryogenic space operations. This talk will describe both the scientific and technical capabilities of SIRTF.

Southern pulpwood production, 1993

Treesearch

Michael Howell; Andrew J. Hartsell

1993-01-01

In 1993, Southern pulpwood production declined 2 percent to 66.3 million cords. Roundwood production decreased 2 percent to 46.3 million cords, and wood residue production fell 4 percent to 19.9 million cords. Pulping capacity of the 102 Southern pulpmills was 132,327 tons per day.

Flexural bending of southern Tibet in a retro foreland setting

PubMed Central

Wang, Erchie; Kamp, Peter J. J.; Xu, Ganqing; Hodges, Kip V.; Meng, Kai; Chen, Lin; Wang, Gang; Luo, Hui

2015-01-01

The highest elevation of the Tibetan Plateau, lying 5,700 m above sea level, occurs within the part of the Lhasa block immediately north of the India-Tibet suture zone (Yarlung Zangbo suture zone, YZSZ), being 700 m higher than the maximum elevation of more northern parts of the plateau. Various mechanisms have been proposed to explain this differentially higher topography and the rock uplift that led to it, invoking crustal compression or extension. Here we present the results of structural investigations along the length of the high elevation belt and suture zone, which rather indicate flexural bending of the southern margin of the Lhasa block (Gangdese magmatic belt) and occurrence of an adjacent foreland basin (Kailas Basin), both elements resulting from supra-crustal loading of the Lhasa block by the Zangbo Complex (Indian plate rocks) via the Great Counter Thrust. Hence we interpret the differential elevation of the southern margin of the plateau as due originally to uplift of a forebulge in a retro foreland setting modified by subsequent processes. Identification of this flexural deformation has implications for early evolution of the India-Tibet continental collision zone, implying an initial (Late Oligocene) symmetrical architecture that subsequently transitioned into the present asymmetrical wedge architecture. PMID:26174578

Southern pulpwood production, 1990

Treesearch

John S. Vissage; Patrick E. Miller

1992-01-01

In 1990, Southern pulpwood production exceeded 65 million cords, roundwood production increased 9 percent to 45.6 million cords, and wood residue production increased 2 percent to 19.4 million cords. The pulping capacity of the 103 Southern pulpmills was 129,290 tons per day. One pulpmill was under construction.

Message Drafted by General Eisenhower in Case the D-Day Invasion Failed and Photographs Taken on D-Day. The Constitution Community: The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Traill, David

Planning for "Operation Overlord" had been under way for about a year when General Dwight Eisenhower, commander of all the Allied forces in Europe, was ordered in February 1944 to invade the continent. Thousands of troops from the United States, Great Britain, France, Canada, and other nations were assembled in southern England and…

Heavy metal pollution in reservoirs in the hilly area of southern China: Distribution, source apportionment and health risk assessment.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaolong; Zhang, Lu; Zhao, Zhonghua; Cai, Yongjiu

2018-09-01

Reservoirs play more and more important role in providing potable water in many developing countries, including the China. In the present study, pollution characteristics, source and health risk of dissolved heavy metals in 19 representative reservoirs in the hilly area of southern China were investigated. The results presented great spatial heterogeneity in heavy metal concentrations among the studied reservoirs due to the disturbances by different anthropogenic activities. Several reservoirs had significantly higher concentrations of heavy metals compared with others, FengTan (FT) reservoir (0.34μg/L in dry season), Cr in reservoirs of HuangShi (HS) and ZheLin (ZL) with values of 4.16μg/L and 3.45μg/L in dry season respectively, and Al in reservoirs of JiaoKou (JK), GuTian (GT) and DouShui (DS) with values of 1011μg/L, 1036μg/L and 1001μg/L in wet season, respectively. Furthermore, there was a great difference in the seasonal variation of heavy metals, especially for Al and Pb in wet season characterized with relatively high values of 643μg/L and 0.67μg/L, respectively. Accordingly, Al was identified with a great health risk to living beings in view of its mean value in wet season, which greatly exceeded the criteria for drinking water of China, WHO and US EPA. Furthermore, As might be the greatest concern of health risk in this region considering its high carcinogenic risk to the local residents around the reservoirs of OuYangHai (OYH), DS, ZhiXi (ZX) and HS. Multivariate statistical analysis suggested that there was great heterogeneity in the sources of these heavy metals in the hilly area of southern China. Therefore, specific measures, such as controls on point source pollution control and tailings, should be taken for maintaining drinking water safety and aquatic ecosystem health. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Daytime Measurements of Aerosols and Water Vapor made by an Operational Raman Lidar over the Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferrare, Richard; Turner, David; Clayton, Marian; Schmid, Beat; Covert, David; Elleman, Robert; Orgren, John; Andrews, Elisabeth; Goldsmith, John E. M.; Jonsson, Hafidi

2006-01-01

Raman lidar water vapor and aerosol extinction profiles acquired during the daytime over the Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in northern Oklahoma (36.606 N, 97.50 W, 315 m) are evaluated using profiles measured by in situ and remote sensing instruments deployed during the May 2003 Aerosol Intensive Operations Period (IOP). The automated algorithms used to derive these profiles from the Raman lidar data were first modified to reduce the adverse effects associated with a general loss of sensitivity of the Raman lidar since early 2002. The Raman lidar water vapor measurements, which are calibrated to match precipitable water vapor (PWV) derived from coincident microwave radiometer (MWR) measurements were, on average, 5-10% (0.3-0.6 g/m(exp 3) higher than the other measurements. Some of this difference is due to out-of-date line parameters that were subsequently updated in the MWR PWV retrievals. The Raman lidar aerosol extinction measurements were, on average, about 0.03 km(exp -1) higher than aerosol measurements derived from airborne Sun photometer measurements of aerosol optical thickness and in situ measurements of aerosol scattering and absorption. This bias, which was about 50% of the mean aerosol extinction measured during this IOP, decreased to about 10% when aerosol extinction comparisons were restricted to aerosol extinction values larger than 0.15 km(exp -1). The lidar measurements of the aerosol extinction/backscatter ratio and airborne Sun photometer measurements of the aerosol optical thickness were used along with in situ measurements of the aerosol size distribution to retrieve estimates of the aerosol single scattering albedo (omega(sub o)) and the effective complex refractive index. Retrieved values of omega(sub o) ranged from (0.91-0.98) and were in generally good agreement with omega(sub o) derived from airborne in situ measurements of scattering and absorption. Elevated aerosol

The ShakeOut Earthquake Scenario - A Story That Southern Californians Are Writing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Perry, Suzanne; Cox, Dale; Jones, Lucile; Bernknopf, Richard; Goltz, James; Hudnut, Kenneth; Mileti, Dennis; Ponti, Daniel; Porter, Keith; Reichle, Michael; Seligson, Hope; Shoaf, Kimberley; Treiman, Jerry; Wein, Anne

2008-01-01

resulting losses are one realistic outcome, deliberately not a worst-case scenario, rather one worth preparing for and mitigating against. Decades of improving the life-safety requirements in building codes have greatly reduced the risk of death in earthquakes, yet southern California's economic and social systems are still vulnerable to large-scale disruptions. Because of this, the ShakeOut Scenario earthquake would dramatically alter the nature of the southern California community. Fortunately, steps can be taken now that can change that outcome and repay any costs many times over. The ShakeOut Scenario is the first public product of the USGS Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project, created to show how hazards science can increase a community's resiliency to natural disasters through improved planning, mitigation, and response.

Southern Pine Beetle II

Treesearch

R. N. Coulson; Kier Klepzig

2011-01-01

The knowledge base for the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has increased dramatically since the last comprehensive and interpretative summary (Thatcher and others 1980). This insect continues to be a significant pest affecting the forest environment of the Southern US and adjoining states and it is also the subject of...

Cooperative Program and Facilities Planning, Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute--University of Maine at Portland-Gorham. Final Report: Higher Education Facilities Planning Grant.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pressley, Warren H., Jr.

In response to the great need for less than baccalaureate degree programs in Maine, a grant was made to finance the development of the three programs described here. Offered are a AA degree program in Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management, a program of inservice education in Respiratory Therapy which should serve as a model for programs in other…

The Southern Annual Forest Inventory System

Treesearch

Gregory A. Reams; Paul C. van Deusen

1999-01-01

The Southern Annual Forest Inventory System (SAFIS) is in various stages of implementation in 7 of the 13 southern states serviced by the Southern Research Station. The SAFIS design is an interpenetrating design where the n units (1/6 acre plots) are divided into k = 5 panels, each panel containing m = n...

Early observations on an emerging Great Lakes invader Hemimysis anomala in Lake Ontario

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walsh, Maureen G.; Lantry, Brian F.; Boscarino, Brent; Bowen, Kelly; Gerlofsma, Jocelyn; Schaner, Ted; Back, Richard; Questel, Jennifer; Smythe, A. Garry; Cap, Roberta; Goehle, Michael; Young, Bryan; Chalupnicki, Marc A.; Johnson, James H.; McKenna, James E.

2010-01-01

Hemimysis anomala, a Ponto-Caspian littoral mysid, is an emerging Great Lakes invader that was discovered in Lakes Michigan and Ontario in 2006. Similar to the native mysid Mysis diluviana, Hemimysis exhibits a diel vertical migration pattern but generally inhabits shallower and warmer waters than M. diluviana. Because basic information on the distribution, habitat use, and biology of Hemimysis in the Great Lakes is scarce, the potential for food web disruption by Hemimysis cannot easily be predicted. Preliminary observations indicate widespread invasion of Hemimysis in Lake Ontario. In this study, we confirm the presence of Hemimysis at sites spanning the northern and southern shores of Lake Ontario and the presence of the individuals during winter months. In one horizontal tow in November 2007, over 26,000 individuals were collected with a length range of 4.4 to 9.0. mm and an average caloric density of 611. cal/g wet weight. The most effective methods for sampling Hemimysis were horizontal tows with either a zooplankton net in the water column or a benthic sled near the lake bottom. Although more quantitative data on the life history and distribution of this species is necessary, our preliminary observations support the prediction that the potential for Hemimysis to impact the nearshore food web in Lake Ontario appears high.

Progress and plans of a remote sensing program for the International Field Year for the Great Lakes (IFYGL)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polcyn, F. C.; Wagner, T. W. (Principal Investigator)

1972-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS-1 coverage of the 32,000 square mile Lake Ontario Basin is being used to study short term and seasonal changes which affect many aspects of water problems in the Great Lakes. As part of the International Field Year for the Great Lakes (IFYGL), a coordinated, synoptic study of the Lake Ontario Basin, processed ERTS-1 imagery will contribute to the data base of synchronized observations being made by investigators from many U.S. and Canadian government agencies and universities. The first set of ERTS data has been received and will be processed shortly for parameters of hydrological and limnological significance such as land use, terrain features, and water quality. When complete, nine ERTS-1 frames recorded during a substantially clear period will provide coverage of the entire Basin. Seven frames show all but a small portion of the southern and eastern end of the Basin. Many drainage basin characteristics are clearly identifiable on the imagery.

Southern pulpwood production, 1989

Treesearch

Cecil C. Hutchins

1991-01-01

This annual publication issued in alternate years by the Southeastern and Southern Forest Experiment stations, is based on 100-percent canvass of all pulpmills in the 12 Southern States from Virginia to Texas. The movement of raw material between regions is obtained by exchanging information with other regional Experiment Stations. Roundwood volumes are recorded in...

Meteor showers of the southern hemisphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molau, Sirko; Kerr, Steve

2014-04-01

We present the results of an exhaustive meteor shower search in the southern hemisphere. The underlying data set is a subset of the IMO Video Meteor Database comprising 50,000 single station meteors obtained by three Australian cameras between 2001 and 2012. The detection technique was similar to previous single station analysis. In the data set we find 4 major and 6 minor northern hemisphere meteor showers, and 12 segments of the Antihelion source (including the Northern and Southern Taurids and six streams from the MDC working list). We present details for 14 southern hemisphere showers plus the Centaurid and Puppid-Velid complex, with the η Aquariids and the Southern δ Aquariids being the strongest southern showers. Two of the showers (θ^2 Sagittariids and τ Cetids) were previously unknown and have received preliminary designations by the MDC. Overall we find that the fraction of southern meteor showers south of -30deg declination (roughly 25%) is clearly smaller than the fraction of northern meteor showers north of +30deg declination (more than 50%) obtained in our previous analysis.

Southern Ocean carbon-wind stress feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bronselaer, Ben; Zanna, Laure; Munday, David R.; Lowe, Jason

2018-02-01

The Southern Ocean is the largest sink of anthropogenic carbon in the present-day climate. Here, Southern Ocean pCO2 and its dependence on wind forcing are investigated using an equilibrium mixed layer carbon budget. This budget is used to derive an expression for Southern Ocean pCO2 sensitivity to wind stress. Southern Ocean pCO2 is found to vary as the square root of area-mean wind stress, arising from the dominance of vertical mixing over other processes such as lateral Ekman transport. The expression for pCO2 is validated using idealised coarse-resolution ocean numerical experiments. Additionally, we show that increased (decreased) stratification through surface warming reduces (increases) the sensitivity of the Southern Ocean pCO2 to wind stress. The scaling is then used to estimate the wind-stress induced changes of atmospheric pCO_2 in CMIP5 models using only a handful of parameters. The scaling is further used to model the anthropogenic carbon sink, showing a long-term reversal of the Southern Ocean sink for large wind stress strength.

Downgrading Nuclear Facilities to Radiological Facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jarry, Jeffrey F.; Farr, Jesse Oscar; Duran, Leroy

2015-08-01

Based on inventory reductions and the use of alternate storage facilities, the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) downgraded 4 SNL Hazard Category 3 (HC-3) nuclear facilities to less-than-HC-3 radiological facilities. SNL’s Waste Management and Pollution Prevention Department (WMPPD) managed the HC-3 nuclear facilities and implemented the downgrade. This paper will examine the downgrade process,

Modeling the effects of fire on the long-term dynamics and restoration of yellow pine and oak forests in the Southern Appalachian Mountains

Treesearch

Charles W. Lafon; John D. Waldron; David M. Cairns; Maria D. Tchakerian; Robert N. Coulson; Kier D. Klepzig

2007-01-01

We used LANDIS, a model of forest disturbance and succession, to simulate successional dynamics of forests in the southern Appalachian Mountains. The simulated environments are based on the Great Smoky Mountains landscapes studied by Whittaker. We focused on the consequences of two contrasting disturbance regimes—fire exclusion versus frequent burning—for the Yellow...

Southern pulpwood production, 1991

Treesearch

Michael Howell

1993-01-01

In 1991, Southern pulpwood production climbed 1 percent, to 65.08 million cords. Roundwood production increased 2 percent to 46.6 million cords, and wood residue production fell 5 percent to 18.4 million cords. One new pulpmill began operating in the region. Pulping capacity of the 104 southern pulpmill was 133.331 tons per day.

Southern pulpwood production, 1984

Treesearch

Dennis M. May

1986-01-01

This publication presents the findings of 100-percent canvass of all wood-using pulpmills drawing roundwood or wood residues from the 12 southern states (fig. 1). Canvass data are compiled annually and analyzed on an alternating basis by personnel of the Forest Inventory and Analysis Units of the Southern and southeastern Forest Experiment Stations. All production...

Southern Clusters for Standardizing CCD Photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, T. T.

2017-06-01

Standardizing photometric measurements typically involves undertaking all-sky photometry. This can be laborious and time-consuming and, for CCD photometry, particularly challenging. Transforming photometry to a standard system is, however, a crucial step when routinely measuring variable stars, as it allows photoelectric measurements from different observers to be combined. For observers in the northern hemisphere, standardized UBVRI values of stars in open clusters such as M67 and NGC 7790 have been established, greatly facilitating quick and accurate transformation of CCD measurements. Recently the AAVSO added the cluster NGC 3532 for southern hemisphere observers to similarly standardize their photometry. The availability of NGC 3532 standards was announced on the AAVSO Variable Star Observing, Photometry forum on 27 October 2016. Published photometry, along with some new measurements by the author, provide a means of checking these NGC 3532 standards which were determined through the AAVSO's Bright Star Monitor (BSM) program (see: https://www.aavso.org/aavsonet-epoch-photometry-database). New measurements of selected stars in the open clusters M25 and NGC 6067 are also included.

Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) project: progress and status after 2 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meiring, Jacobus G.; Buckley, David A. H.; Lomberg, Michael C.; Stobie, Robert S.

2003-02-01

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is a 10-m class optical/IR segmented mirror telescope based on the groundbreaking, low cost, Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) design. Approval to construct and operate SALT, which will be the largest single optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, was given by the South African Government in November 1999, after sufficient guarantees of matching funding from international partners were secured. Facility construction started in January 2001, and SALT is due to start operations by December 2004. SALT will enable a quantum leap in astronomical research capability in Southern Africa, and indeed the continent, where currently the largest telescope is a modest 1.9-m, dating to the 1940s. A substantial amount of design work for SALT has been completed, sourced from multiple suppliers, with ~60% South African content. South African industry is well equipped to handle the construction of most of the telescope, the exceptions being the glass ceramic mirror blanks (from LZOS in Russia), the polishing and ion figuring of these (Eastman Kodak in the USA), and fabrication of the four-element spherical aberration corrector (SAGEM in France). This paper will present (1) the scientific requirements, (2) the specified performance of SALT, (3) the basic design, with emphasis on the innovative modifications to the HET design that enable significantly improved performance, (4) the progress and status of the project, currently in its construction phase, (5) the first generation instrument suite, (6) the management and organisation of the project and (7) the international partnership in SALT.

Southern Annular Mode drives multicentury wildfire activity in southern South America.

PubMed

Holz, Andrés; Paritsis, Juan; Mundo, Ignacio A; Veblen, Thomas T; Kitzberger, Thomas; Williamson, Grant J; Aráoz, Ezequiel; Bustos-Schindler, Carlos; González, Mauro E; Grau, H Ricardo; Quezada, Juan M

2017-09-05

The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is the main driver of climate variability at mid to high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, affecting wildfire activity, which in turn pollutes the air and contributes to human health problems and mortality, and potentially provides strong feedback to the climate system through emissions and land cover changes. Here we report the largest Southern Hemisphere network of annually resolved tree ring fire histories, consisting of 1,767 fire-scarred trees from 97 sites (from 22 °S to 54 °S) in southern South America (SAS), to quantify the coupling of SAM and regional wildfire variability using recently created multicentury proxy indices of SAM for the years 1531-2010 AD. We show that at interannual time scales, as well as at multidecadal time scales across 37-54 °S, latitudinal gradient elevated wildfire activity is synchronous with positive phases of the SAM over the years 1665-1995. Positive phases of the SAM are associated primarily with warm conditions in these biomass-rich forests, in which widespread fire activity depends on fuel desiccation. Climate modeling studies indicate that greenhouse gases will force SAM into its positive phase even if stratospheric ozone returns to normal levels, so that climate conditions conducive to widespread fire activity in SAS will continue throughout the 21st century.

Southern Annular Mode drives multicentury wildfire activity in southern South America

PubMed Central

Paritsis, Juan; Mundo, Ignacio A.; Veblen, Thomas T.; Kitzberger, Thomas; Williamson, Grant J.; Aráoz, Ezequiel; Bustos-Schindler, Carlos; González, Mauro E.; Grau, H. Ricardo; Quezada, Juan M.

2017-01-01

The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is the main driver of climate variability at mid to high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, affecting wildfire activity, which in turn pollutes the air and contributes to human health problems and mortality, and potentially provides strong feedback to the climate system through emissions and land cover changes. Here we report the largest Southern Hemisphere network of annually resolved tree ring fire histories, consisting of 1,767 fire-scarred trees from 97 sites (from 22 °S to 54 °S) in southern South America (SAS), to quantify the coupling of SAM and regional wildfire variability using recently created multicentury proxy indices of SAM for the years 1531–2010 AD. We show that at interannual time scales, as well as at multidecadal time scales across 37–54 °S, latitudinal gradient elevated wildfire activity is synchronous with positive phases of the SAM over the years 1665–1995. Positive phases of the SAM are associated primarily with warm conditions in these biomass-rich forests, in which widespread fire activity depends on fuel desiccation. Climate modeling studies indicate that greenhouse gases will force SAM into its positive phase even if stratospheric ozone returns to normal levels, so that climate conditions conducive to widespread fire activity in SAS will continue throughout the 21st century. PMID:28827329

Southern Identity in "Southern Living" Magazine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lauder, Tracy

2012-01-01

A fantasy-theme analysis of the editors' letters in "Southern Living" magazine shows an editorial vision of valuing the past and showcasing unique regional qualities. In addition, a content analysis of the visual representation of race in the magazine's formative years and recent past validates that inhabitants of the region were portrayed…

US-Canada Great Lakes Regional Specimen Bank Feasibility Study.

PubMed

Kerry, A; Edmonds, C J; Landon, L; Yonker, T L

1993-11-01

A study to examine the feasibility of establishing a Regional Specimen Bank in the Great Lakes area of the United States and Canada has recently been initiated by the Michigan Audubon Society. There are several existing formal and informal specimen banking facilities active in the region but their combined adequacy has not been evaluated. This feasibility study will establish the need and use of a regional bank and the institution(s) necessary to satisfy this need will be recommended. The study will address the scope required to meet present and future needs including the types of specimens to be represented in the bank, geographic coverage and protocols for collection, shipping, processing, analysis and storage. A management policy of the bank will be developed encompassing business operation, costs, governing structure and personnel requirements. The legal requirements of the bank will be determined with regards to the acquisition of samples, transport across national boundaries, access to specimens and information, and liability during operation. An effective information dissemination network will be recommended that is compatible with national and international partners, will facilitate technology and information transfer and support the quality and status of the bank. Determination of secure, long-term funding sources will be one of the key elements to ensuring a safe repository. This feasibility study is funded by the Great Lakes Protection Fund.

Southern pulpwood production, 1973

Treesearch

Thomas R. Bellamy

1973-01-01

Southern pulpwood production in 1973 increased 6 percent to over 47.1 million cords--over 66 percent of the Nation's total. Plant byproducts used for pulping made the largest volume gain in history and now account for 27 percent of the total pulpwood production Southern pulpwood was processed at 126 mills, of which 111 are in the South. Pulping capacity in the 12...

Southern pulpwood production, 1992

Treesearch

Patrick E. Miller

1994-01-01

In 1992, southern pulpwood production increased 4 percent to 67.9 million cords. Roundwood production increased 1 percent to 47.3 million cords, and wood residue production increased 12 percent to 20.7 million cords. One pulpmill changed processes, reducing the number to 103. The pulping capacity of the 103 southern pulpmills was 133,400 tons per day. No new...

Southern pulpwood production, 1970

Treesearch

Roy C. Beltz

1971-01-01

Southern pulpwood production climbed to 42,152,410 cords in 1970, exceeding last year’s record by 3 percent. This increase is smaller than those of recent years. Pulping capacity also rose 3 percent to 83,316 tons per day, and four mills are currently under construction. Of the 119 mills processing southern pulpwood, 107 were located within the region.

Surficial Geologic Map of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Region, Tennessee and North Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Southworth, Scott; Schultz, Art; Denenny, Danielle; Triplett, James

2004-01-01

The Surficial Geology of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Region, Tennessee and North Carolina was mapped from 1993 to 2003 under a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service (NPS). This 1:100,000-scale digital geologic map was compiled from 2002 to 2003 from unpublished field investigations maps at 1:24,000-scale. The preliminary surficial geologic data and map support cooperative investigations with NPS, the U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (http://www.dlia.org/) (Southworth, 2001). Although the focus of our work was within the Park, the geology of the surrounding area is provided for regional context. Surficial deposits document the most recent part of the geologic history of this part of the western Blue Ridge and eastern Tennessee Valley of the Valley and Ridge of the Southern Appalachians. Additionally, there is great variety of surficial materials, which directly affect the different types of soil and associated flora and fauna. The surficial deposits accumulated over tens of millions of years under varied climatic conditions during the Cenozoic era and resulted from a composite of geologic processes.

Assessment of primary health care facilities' service readiness in Nigeria.

PubMed

Oyekale, Abayomi Samuel

2017-03-01

Effective delivery of healthcare services requires availability of adequate infrastructure, diagnostic medical equipment, drugs and well-trained medical personnel. In Nigeria, poor funding and mismanagement often characterize healthcare service delivery thereby affecting coverage and quality of healthcare services. Therefore, the state of service delivery in Nigeria's health sector has come under some persistent criticisms. This paper analyzed service readiness of Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities in Nigeria with focus on availability of some essential drugs and medical equipment. Service Delivery Indicator (SDI) data for PHC in Nigeria were used. The data were collected from 2480 healthcare facilities from 12 states in the Nigeria's 6 geopolitical zones between 2013 and 2014. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Ordinary Least Square regression. Medical disposables such as hand gloves and male condoms were reported to be available in 77.18 and 44.03% of all the healthcare facilities respectively, while immunization services were provided by 86.57%. Functional stethoscopes were reported by 77.22% of the healthcare facilities, while only 68.10% had sphygmomanometers. In the combined healthcare facilities, availability of some basic drugs such as Azithromycin, Nifedipine, Dexamethasone and Misoprostol was low with 10.48, 25.20, 21.94 and 17.06%, respectively, while paracetamol and folic acid both had high availability with 74.31%. Regression results showed that indices of drug and medical equipment availability increased significantly (p < 0.05) among states in southern Nigeria and with presence of some power sources (electricity, generators, batteries and solar), but decreased among dispensaries/health posts. Travel time to headquarters and rural facilities significantly reduced indices of equipment availability (p < 0.05). It was concluded that for Nigeria to ensure better equity in access to healthcare

The Southern Nevada Agency Partnership Science and Research Synthesis: Science to support land management in Southern Nevada

Treesearch

Jeanne C. Chambers; Matthew L. Brooks; Burton K. Pendleton; Carol B. Raish

2013-01-01

This synthesis provides information related to the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP) Science and Research Strategy Goal 1 - to restore, sustain and enhance southern Nevada’s ecosystems - and Goal 2 - to provide for responsible use of southern Nevada’s lands in a manner that preserves heritage resources and promotes an understanding of human interaction with the...

Gemini Observatory base facility operations: systems engineering process and lessons learned

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serio, Andrew; Cordova, Martin; Arriagada, Gustavo; Adamson, Andy; Close, Madeline; Coulson, Dolores; Nitta, Atsuko; Nunez, Arturo

2016-08-01

Gemini North Observatory successfully began nighttime remote operations from the Hilo Base Facility control room in November 2015. The implementation of the Gemini North Base Facility Operations (BFO) products was a great learning experience for many of our employees, including the author of this paper, the BFO Systems Engineer. In this paper we focus on the tailored Systems Engineering processes used for the project, the various software tools used in project support, and finally discuss the lessons learned from the Gemini North implementation. This experience and the lessons learned will be used both to aid our implementation of the Gemini South BFO in 2016, and in future technical projects at Gemini Observatory.

Taking apart the Big Pine fault: Redefining a major structural feature in southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Onderdonk, N.W.; Minor, S.A.; Kellogg, K.S.

2005-01-01

New mapping along the Big Pine fault trend in southern California indicates that this structural alignment is actually three separate faults, which exhibit different geometries, slip histories, and senses of offset since Miocene time. The easternmost fault, along the north side of Lockwood Valley, exhibits left-lateral reverse Quaternary displacement but was a north dipping normal fault in late Oligocene to early Miocene time. The eastern Big Pine fault that bounds the southern edge of the Cuyama Badlands is a south dipping reverse fault that is continuous with the San Guillermo fault. The western segment of the Big Pine fault trend is a north dipping thrust fault continuous with the Pine Mountain fault and delineates the northern boundary of the rotated western Transverse Ranges terrane. This redefinition of the Big Pine fault differs greatly from the previous interpretation and significantly alters regional tectonic models and seismic risk estimates. The outcome of this study also demonstrates that basic geologic mapping is still needed to support the development of geologic models. Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.

Challenges and Opportunities for Biological Mass Spectrometry Core Facilities in the Developing World.

PubMed

Bell, Liam; Calder, Bridget; Hiller, Reinhard; Klein, Ashwil; Soares, Nelson C; Stoychev, Stoyan H; Vorster, Barend C; Tabb, David L

2018-04-01

The developing world is seeing rapid growth in the availability of biological mass spectrometry (MS), particularly through core facilities. As proteomics and metabolomics becomes locally feasible for investigators in these nations, application areas associated with high burden in these nations, such as infectious disease, will see greatly increased research output. This article evaluates the rapid growth of MS in South Africa (currently approaching 20 laboratories) as a model for establishing MS core facilities in other nations of the developing world. Facilities should emphasize new services rather than new instruments. The reduction of the delays associated with reagent and other supply acquisition would benefit both facilities and the users who make use of their services. Instrument maintenance and repair, often mediated by an in-country business for an international vendor, is also likely to operate on a slower schedule than in the wealthiest nations. A key challenge to facilities in the developing world is educating potential facility users in how best to design experiments for proteomics and metabolomics, what reagents are most likely to introduce problematic artifacts, and how to interpret results from the facility. Here, we summarize the experience of 6 different institutions to raise the level of biological MS available to researchers in South Africa.

Great Lakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Edsall, Thomas A.; Mac, Michael J.; Opler, Paul A.; Puckett Haecker, Catherine E.; Doran, Peter D.

1998-01-01

The Great Lakes region, as defined here, includes the Great Lakes and their drainage basins in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. The region also includes the portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the 21 northernmost counties of Illinois that lie in the Mississippi River drainage basin, outside the floodplain of the river. The region spans about 9º of latitude and 20º of longitude and lies roughly halfway between the equator and the North Pole in a lowland corridor that extends from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean.The Great Lakes are the most prominent natural feature of the region (Fig. 1). They have a combined surface area of about 245,000 square kilometers and are among the largest, deepest lakes in the world. They are the largest single aggregation of fresh water on the planet (excluding the polar ice caps) and are the only glacial feature on Earth visible from the surface of the moon (The Nature Conservancy 1994a).The Great Lakes moderate the region’s climate, which presently ranges from subarctic in the north to humid continental warm in the south (Fig. 2), reflecting the movement of major weather masses from the north and south (U.S. Department of the Interior 1970; Eichenlaub 1979). The lakes act as heat sinks in summer and heat sources in winter and are major reservoirs that help humidify much of the region. They also create local precipitation belts in areas where air masses are pushed across the lakes by prevailing winds, pick up moisture from the lake surface, and then drop that moisture over land on the other side of the lake. The mean annual frost-free period—a general measure of the growing-season length for plants and some cold-blooded animals—varies from 60 days at higher elevations in the north to 160 days in lakeshore areas in the south. The climate influences the general distribution of wild plants and animals in the region and also influences the activities and distribution of the human

El Niño–Southern Oscillation diversity and Southern Africa teleconnections during Austral Summer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoell, Andrew; Funk, Christopher C.; Magadzire, Tamuka; Zinke, Jens; Husak, Gregory J.

2014-01-01

A wide range of sea surface temperature (SST) expressions have been observed during the El Niño–Southern Oscillation events of 1950–2010, which have occurred simultaneously with different global atmospheric circulations. This study examines the atmospheric circulation and precipitation during December–March 1950–2010 over the African Continent south of 15∘S, a region hereafter known as Southern Africa, associated with eight tropical Pacific SST expressions characteristic of El Niño and La Niña events. The self-organizing map method along with a statistical distinguishability test was used to isolate the SST expressions of El Niño and La Niña. The seasonal precipitation forcing over Southern Africa associated with the eight SST expressions was investigated in terms of the horizontal winds, moisture budget and vertical motion. El Niño events, with warm SST across the east and central Pacific Ocean and warmer than average SST over the Indian Ocean, are associated with precipitation reductions over Southern Africa. The regional precipitation reductions are forced primarily by large-scale mid-tropospheric subsidence associated with anticyclonic circulation in the upper troposphere. El Niño events with cooler than average SST over the Indian Ocean are associated with precipitation increases over Southern Africa associated with lower tropospheric cyclonic circulation and mid-tropospheric ascent. La Niña events, with cool SST anomalies over the central Pacific and warm SST over the west Pacific and Indian Ocean, are associated with precipitation increases over Southern Africa. The regional precipitation increases are forced primarily by lower tropospheric cyclonic circulation, resulting in mid-tropospheric ascent and an increased flux of moisture into the region.

TAM 304 wheat – Adapted to the adequate rainfall or high-input irrigation production system in the Southern Great Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

TAM 304 wheat is a medium-early hard red winter wheat. It is a great dryland or semi-irrigated wheat. TAM 304 performs best under adequate rainfall, limited irrigation, or irrigation, but does not perform as well under extended drought. TAM 304 performs exceptionally well under foliar disease pressu...

Mercury and cause of death in great white herons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Spalding, M.G.; Sundlof, S.F.; Djork, R.D.

1994-10-01

Mercury contamination is suspected to adversely affect wading birds in southern Florida. To determine the magnitude of contamination associated with cause of death we followed 3 adult and 19 juvenile radio-tagged great white herons (Ardea herodias occidentalis), recovered them soon after death, and determined liver mercury content and cause of death. Birds that died from acute causes had less (P < 0.001) mercury in their livers (geometric [bar x] [GM] = 1.77 ppm wet mass [wm], range 0.6-4.0 ppm, n = 9) than did those that died of chronic, often multiple, diseases (GM = 9.76 ppm, range 2.9-59.4 ppm, nmore » = 13). Juvenile herons that migrated to mainland Florida accumulated more (P = 0.009) mercury in their livers than those that did not migrate. Kidney disease and gout were present in birds that died with >25 ppm wm liver mercury. Although detrimental to the health of wading birds, mercury contamination is presumably more detrimental to their reproductive efforts; therefore, an understanding of its ill effects is important in the management of these birds. 29 refs., 1 fig.« less

Magnetostratigraphy of displaced Upper Cretaceous strata in southern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fry, J. Gilbert; Bottjer, David J.; Lund, Steve P.

1985-09-01

A magnetostratigraphic study of Upper Cretaceous marine strata from the Santa Ana Mountains in southern California has identified a Campanian reversed magnetozone. This reversed interval, corresponding to marine magnetic anomaly 33 34 (Chron 33r) of Campanian age, can be correlated with a Campanian reversed magnetozone that has been reported from strata of the Great Valley Sequence in central California. The Late Cretaceous paleolatitude of the Santa Ana Mountains is estimated from this study to be 26.6°N. This is significantly different from the region's expected Cretaceous paleolatitude of 43.8°N as part of the North American stable craton, and indicates that this region (part of the Peninsular Ranges terrane) was 1900 km farther south in Cretaceous time relative to the stable craton. *Present address: Mobil Oil Corp., P.O. Box 900, Dallas, Texas 75221

Land and federal mineral ownership coverage for southern Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Biewick, L.H.; Mercier, T.J.; Saber, T.T.; Urbanowski, S.R.; Neasloney, Larry

1999-01-01

This Arc/Info coverage contains land status and Federal mineral ownership for approximately 37,800 square miles in southern Wyoming. The polygon coverage (which is also provided here as a shapefile) contains two attributes of ownership information for each polygon. One attribute indicates where the surface is State owned, privately owned, or, if Federally owned, which Federal agency manages the land surface. The other attribute indicates which minerals, if any, are owned by the Federal govenment. This coverage is based on land status and Federal mineral ownership data compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Wyoming State Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at a scale of 1:24,000. This coverage was compiled primarily to serve the USGS National Oil and Gas Resource Assessment and National Coal Resource Assessment Projects in the Northern Rocky Mountains/Great Plains Region.

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program climate research facility operations quarterly report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sisterson, D. L.; Decision and Information Sciences

2006-09-06

Individual raw data streams from instrumentation at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program Climate Research Facility (ACRF) fixed and mobile sites are collected and sent to the Data Management Facility (DMF) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for processing in near real time. Raw and processed data are then sent daily to the ACRF Archive, where they are made available to users. For each instrument, we calculate the ratio of the actual number of data records received daily at the Archive to the expected number of data records. The results are tabulated by (1) individual data stream, site, and monthmore » for the current year and (2) site and fiscal year dating back to 1998. The U.S. Department of Energy requires national user facilities to report time-based operating data. The requirements concern the actual hours of operation (ACTUAL); the estimated maximum operation or uptime goal (OPSMAX), which accounts for planned downtime; and the VARIANCE [1-(ACTUAL/OPSMAX)], which accounts for unplanned downtime. The OPSMAX time for the third quarter for the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site is 2,074.80 hours (0.95 x 2,184 hours this quarter). The OPSMAX for the North Slope Alaska (NSA) locale is 1,965.60 hours (0.90 x 2,184), and that for the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) locale is 1,856.40 hours (0.85 x 2,184). The OPSMAX time for the ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) is 2,074.80 hours (0.95 x 2,184). The differences in OPSMAX performance reflect the complexity of local logistics and the frequency of extreme weather events. It is impractical to measure OPSMAX for each instrument or data stream. Data availability reported here refers to the average of the individual, continuous data streams that have been received by the Archive. Data not at the Archive are caused by downtime (scheduled or unplanned) of the individual instruments. Therefore, data availability is directly related to individual instrument uptime. Thus, the average percent of data in the

The Great Migration and African-American Genomic Diversity

PubMed Central

Barakatt, Maxime; Gignoux, Christopher R.; Errington, Jacob; Blot, William J.; Bustamante, Carlos D.; Kenny, Eimear E.; Williams, Scott M.; Aldrich, Melinda C.; Gravel, Simon

2016-01-01

We present a comprehensive assessment of genomic diversity in the African-American population by studying three genotyped cohorts comprising 3,726 African-Americans from across the United States that provide a representative description of the population across all US states and socioeconomic status. An estimated 82.1% of ancestors to African-Americans lived in Africa prior to the advent of transatlantic travel, 16.7% in Europe, and 1.2% in the Americas, with increased African ancestry in the southern United States compared to the North and West. Combining demographic models of ancestry and those of relatedness suggests that admixture occurred predominantly in the South prior to the Civil War and that ancestry-biased migration is responsible for regional differences in ancestry. We find that recent migrations also caused a strong increase in genetic relatedness among geographically distant African-Americans. Long-range relatedness among African-Americans and between African-Americans and European-Americans thus track north- and west-bound migration routes followed during the Great Migration of the twentieth century. By contrast, short-range relatedness patterns suggest comparable mobility of ∼15–16km per generation for African-Americans and European-Americans, as estimated using a novel analytical model of isolation-by-distance. PMID:27232753

Core characterization of the new CABRI Water Loop Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ritter, G.; Rodiac, F.; Beretz, D.

2011-07-01

The CABRI experimental reactor is located at the Cadarache nuclear research center, southern France. It is operated by the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and devoted to IRSN (Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire) safety programmes. It has been successfully operated during the last 30 years, enlightening the knowledge of FBR and LWR fuel behaviour during Reactivity Insertion Accident (RIA) and Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA) transients in the frame of IPSN (Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire) and now IRSN programmes devoted to reactor safety. This operation was interrupted in 2003 to allow for a whole facility renewalmore » programme for the need of the CABRI International Programme (CIP) carried out by IRSN under the OECD umbrella. The principle of operation of the facility is based on the control of {sup 3}He, a major gaseous neutron absorber, in the core geometry. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how several dosimetric devices have been set up to better characterize the core during the upcoming commissioning campaign. It presents the schemes and tools dedicated to core characterization. (authors)« less

Survey of heavy metals in internal tissues of Great cormorant collected from southern wetlands of Caspian Sea, Iran.

PubMed

Aazami, Jaber; KianiMehr, Naser

2017-12-29

The level of mercury, iron, copper, and zinc was measured in 18 Great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) collected from Anzali and Gomishan wetlands in the south of the Caspian Sea. The mean level of metals in dried tissues of the muscle, liver, and kidney was 2.26, 5.71, 3.79-Hg; 943.54, 379.97, 348.05-Fe; 42.64, 14.78, 60.79-Cu, and 71.97, 134.63, 77.82-Zn, respectively (mg/kg). There was no significant different between genders in terms of accumulation of metals, except for copper in the kidney. The results of Pearson correlation showed a positive and strong relationship between the fat in the liver and mercury (r = 0.95, R 2  = 0.90). Also, there was a significant difference between the values of all metals with the allowable limits presented in EPA, WHO, and CCME, where all of values were above standard levels. Thus, as the muscles of the bird are sometimes eaten by humans, this result is a serious warning. Nevertheless, the relatively high levels of heavy metals accumulated in different tissues of Great cormorant at that time are a result of their high weight and nourishment they have at the terminal days of their migration due to lack of natural physical activity. Regarding to the importance of heavy metals in birds, we suggest the same study to be conducted on the species in other seasons and wetlands.

Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) Handbook

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cook, DR

2011-02-14

A Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) has been installed collocated with each deployed ECOR system at the Southern Great Plains (SGP), North Slope of Alaska (NSA), Tropical Western Pacific (TWP), ARM Mobile Facility 1 (AMF1), and ARM Mobile Facility 2 (AMF2). The surface energy balance system consists of upwelling and downwelling solar and infrared radiometers within one net radiometer, a wetness sensor, and soil measurements. The SEBS measurements allow the comparison of ECOR sensible and latent heat fluxes with the energy balance determined from the SEBS and provide information on wetting of the sensors for data quality purposes.

Heterogeneous rupture in the great Cascadia earthquake of 1700 inferred from coastal subsidence estimates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wang, Pei-Ling; Engelhart, Simon E.; Wang, Kelin; Hawkes, Andrea D.; Horton, Benjamin P.; Nelson, Alan R.; Witter, Robert C.

2013-01-01

Past earthquake rupture models used to explain paleoseismic estimates of coastal subsidence during the great A.D. 1700 Cascadia earthquake have assumed a uniform slip distribution along the megathrust. Here we infer heterogeneous slip for the Cascadia margin in A.D. 1700 that is analogous to slip distributions during instrumentally recorded great subduction earthquakes worldwide. The assumption of uniform distribution in previous rupture models was due partly to the large uncertainties of then available paleoseismic data used to constrain the models. In this work, we use more precise estimates of subsidence in 1700 from detailed tidal microfossil studies. We develop a 3-D elastic dislocation model that allows the slip to vary both along strike and in the dip direction. Despite uncertainties in the updip and downdip slip extensions, the more precise subsidence estimates are best explained by a model with along-strike slip heterogeneity, with multiple patches of high-moment release separated by areas of low-moment release. For example, in A.D. 1700, there was very little slip near Alsea Bay, Oregon (~44.4°N), an area that coincides with a segment boundary previously suggested on the basis of gravity anomalies. A probable subducting seamount in this area may be responsible for impeding rupture during great earthquakes. Our results highlight the need for more precise, high-quality estimates of subsidence or uplift during prehistoric earthquakes from the coasts of southern British Columbia, northern Washington (north of 47°N), southernmost Oregon, and northern California (south of 43°N), where slip distributions of prehistoric earthquakes are poorly constrained.

Evaluation of Patient Satisfaction with Tuberculosis Services in Southern Nigeria

PubMed Central

Onyeonoro, Ugochukwu U; Chukwu, Joseph N; Nwafor, Charles C; Meka, Anthony O; Omotowo, Babatunde I; Madichie, Nelson O; Ogbudebe, Chidubem; Ikebudu, Joy N; Oshi, Daniel C; Ekeke, Ngozi; Paul, Nsirimobu I; Duru, Chukwuma B

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE Knowing tuberculosis (TB) patients’ satisfaction enables TB program managers to identify gaps in service delivery and institute measures to address them. This study is aimed at evaluating patients’ satisfaction with TB services in southern Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 378 patients accessing TB care were studied using a validated Patient Satisfaction (PS-38) questionnaire on various aspects of TB services. Factor analysis was used to identify eight factors related to TB patient satisfaction. Test of association was used to study the relation between patient satisfaction scores and patient and health facility characteristics, while multilinear regression analysis was used to identify predictors of patient satisfaction. RESULTS Highest satisfaction was reported for adherence counseling and access to care. Patient characteristics were associated with overall satisfaction, registration, adherence counseling, access to care, amenities, and staff attitude, while health system factors were associated with staff attitude, amenities, and health education. Predictors of satisfaction with TB services included gender, educational status, if tested for HIV, distance, payment for TB services, and level and type of health-care facility. CONCLUSION Patient- and health system–related factors were found to influence patient satisfaction and, hence, should be taken into consideration in TB service programing. PMID:26508872

Jalal A. Aliyev (1928-2016): a great scientist, a great teacher and a great human being.

PubMed

Huseynova, Irada M; Allakhverdiev, Suleyman I; Govindjee

2016-06-01

Jalal A. Aliyev was a distinguished and respected plant biologist of our time, a great teacher, and great human being. He was a pioneer of photosynthesis research in Azerbaijan. Almost up to the end of his life, he was deeply engaged in research. His work on the productivity of wheat, and biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology of gram (chick pea) are some of his important legacies. He left us on February 1, 2016, but many around the world remember him as he was engaged in international dialog on solving global issues, and in supporting international conferences on ''Photosynthesis Research for Sustainability" in 2011 and 2013.

Radiological medical data preservation in the Southern Urals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Melamed, E.

2000-07-01

Information is being microfilmed and scanned in the Southern Urals to ensure the archival preservation of the unique, important and irreplaceable records documenting chromic low-level radiation exposure to workers and neighboring populations of the Mayak Production Association (MAYAK), as well as health effects. The records include dosimetric and epidemiologic information maintained on workers and neighboring populations located at facilities in Ozyorsk and Chelyabinsk. Microfilming is being done in Ozyorsk, and on a more limited basis in Chelyabinsk, where a scanning project has also recently been initiated. Over 1,800 rolls of film have been produced as of the fall of 1999.more » This article describes the background and results of this data preservation effort and includes brief summary tables describing the types of records being preserved. Researchers interested in access to these records should contact Paul Seligman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Health Studies at the Department of Energy (DOE) for more information.« less

The role of C3 and C4 grasses to interannual variability in remotely sensed ecosystem performance over the US Great Plains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ricotta, C.; Reed, B.C.; Tieszen, L.T.

2003-01-01

Time integrated normalized difference vegetation index (??NDVI) derived from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) multi-temporal imagery over a 10-year period (1989-1998) was used as a surrogate for primary production to investigate the impact of interannual climate variability on grassland performance for central and northern US Great Plains. First, the contribution of C3 and C4 species abundance to the major grassland ecosystems of the US Great Plains is described. Next, the relation between mean ??NDVI and the ??NDVI coefficient of variation (CV ??NDVI) used as a proxy for interranual climate variability is analysed. Results suggest that the differences in the long-term climate control over ecosystem performance approximately coincide with changes between C3- and C4-dominant grassland classes. Variation in remotely sensed net primary production over time is higher for the southern and western plains grasslands (primary C4 grasslands), whereas the C3-dominated classes in the northern and eastern portion of the US Great Plains, generally show lower CV ??NDVI values.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bartholomew, Mary Jane

To improve the quantitative description of precipitation processes in climate models, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility deploys several types of rain gauges (MET, RAIN, and optical rain gauge [ORG] datastreams) as well as disdrometers (DISD and VDIS datastreams) at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) Site. This handbook deals specifically with the independent analog ORG (i.e., the ORG datastream).

The Southern Hemisphere VLBI experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Preston, R.A.; Meier, D.L.; Louie, A.P.

1989-07-01

Six radio telescopes were operated as the first Southern Hemisphere VLBI array in April and May 1982. Observations were made at 2.3 and 8.4 GHz. This array provided VLBI modeling and hybrid imaging of celestial radio sources in the Southern Hemisphere, high-accuracy VLBI geodesy between Southern Hemisphere sites, and subarcsecond radio astrometry of celestial sources south of declination -45 deg. The goals and implementation of the array are discussed, the methods of modeling and hybrid image production are explained, and the VLBI structure of the sources that were observed is summarized. 36 refs.

Large-scale bleaching of corals on the Great Barrier Reef.

PubMed

Hughes, T P; Kerry, J T; Simpson, T

2018-02-01

In 2015-2016, record temperatures triggered a pan-tropical episode of coral bleaching. In the southern hemisphere summer of March-April 2016, we used aerial surveys to measure the level of bleaching on 1,156 individual reefs throughout the 2,300 km length of the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef system. The accuracy of the aerial scores was ground-truthed with detailed underwater surveys of bleaching at 260 sites (104 reefs), allowing us to compare aerial and underwater bleaching data with satellite-derived temperatures and with associated model predictions of bleaching. The severity of bleaching on individual reefs in 2016 was tightly correlated with the level of local heat exposure: the southernmost region of the Great Barrier Reef escaped with only minor bleaching because summer temperatures there were close to average. Gradients in nutrients and turbidity from inshore to offshore across the Great Barrier Reef had minimal effect on the severity of bleaching. Similarly, bleaching was equally severe on reefs that are open or closed to fishing, once the level of satellite-derived heat exposure was accounted for. The level of post-bleaching mortality, measured underwater after 7-8 months, was tightly correlated with the aerial scores measured at the peak of bleaching. Similarly, reefs with a high aerial bleaching score also experienced major shifts in species composition due to extensive mortality of heat-sensitive species. Reefs with low bleaching scores did not change in composition, and some showed minor increases in coral cover. Two earlier mass bleaching events occurred on the Great Barrier Reef in 1998 and 2002, that were less severe than 2016. In 2016, <9% of scored reefs had no bleaching, compared to 42% in 2002 and 44% in 1998. Conversely, the proportion of reefs that were severely bleached (>60% of corals affected) was four times higher in 2016. The geographic footprint of each of the three events is distinctive, and matches satellite

Clinical findings, lesions, and viral antigen distribution in great gray owls (Strix nebulosa) and barred owls (Strix varia) with spontaneous West Nile virus infection.

PubMed

Lopes, Hugo; Redig, Pat; Glaser, Amy; Armien, Anibal; Wünschmann, Arno

2007-03-01

West Nile Virus (WNV) infection manifests itself clinically a nd pathologically differently in various species of birds. The clinicopathologic findings and WNV antigen tissue distribution of six great gray owls (Strix nebulosa) and two barred owls (Strix varia) with WNV infection are described in this report. Great gray owls usually live in northern Canada, whereas the phylogenetically related barred owls are native to the midwestern and eastern United States and southern Canada. Naturally acquired WNV infection caused death essentially without previous signs of disease in the six great gray owls during a mortality event. Lesions of WNV infection we re dominated by hepatic and splenic necrosis, with evidence o f disseminatedintravascular coagulation in the great gray owls. WNV antigen was widely distributed in th e organs of the great gray owls and appeared totarget endothelial cells, macrophages, and hepatocytes. The barred owls represented two sporadic cases. They had neurologic disease with mental dullness that led to euthanasia. These birds had mild to moderate lymphoplasmacytic encephalitis with glial nodules and lymphoplasmacytic pectenitis. WNV antigen was sparse in barred owls and only present in a few brain neurons and renaltubular epithelial cells. The cause of the different manifestations of WNV disease in these fairly closely related owl species is uncertain.

Local extirpations and regional declines of endemic upper beach invertebrates in southern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubbard, D. M.; Dugan, J. E.; Schooler, N. K.; Viola, S. M.

2014-10-01

Along the world's highly valued and populous coastlines, the upper intertidal zones of sandy beach ecosystems and the biodiversity that these zones support are increasingly threatened by impacts of human activities, coastal development, erosion, and climate change. The upper zones of beaches typically support invertebrates with restricted distributions and dispersal, making them particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation. We hypothesized that disproportionate loss or degradation of these zones in the last century has resulted in declines of upper shore macroinvertebrates in southern California. We identified a suite of potentially vulnerable endemic upper beach invertebrates with direct development, low dispersal and late reproduction. Based on the availability of printed sources and museum specimens, we investigated historical changes in distribution and abundance of two intertidal isopod species (Tylos punctatus, Alloniscus perconvexus) in southern California. Populations of these isopods have been extirpated at numerous historically occupied sites: T. punctatus from 16 sites (57% decrease), and A. perconvexus from 14 sites (64% decrease). During the same period, we found evidence of only five colonization events. In addition, the northern range limit of the southern species, T. punctatus, moved south by 31 km (8% of range on California mainland) since 1971. Abundances of T. punctatus have declined on the mainland coast; only three recently sampled populations had abundances >7000 individuals m-1. For A. perconvexus populations, abundances >100 individuals m-1 now appear to be limited to the northern part of the study area. Our results show that numerous local extirpations of isopod populations have resulted in regional declines and in greatly reduced population connectivity in several major littoral cells of southern California. Two of the six major littoral cells (Santa Barbara and Zuma) in the area currently support 74% of the remaining isopod

Platinum-group elements in southern Africa: mineral inventory and an assessment of undiscovered mineral resources: Chapter Q in Global mineral resource assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zientek, Michael L.; Causey, J. Douglas; Parks, Heather L.; Miller, Robert J.

2014-01-01

The large layered intrusions in southern Africa—the Bushveld Complex and the Great Dyke—are now and will continue to be a major source of the world’s supply of PGE. Mining will not deplete the identified mineral resources and reserves or potential undiscovered mineral resources for many decades; however, in the near-term, PGE supply could be affected by social, environmental, political, and economic factors.

An empirical study of the influence of demographic variable on the choice criteria for assisted living facilities.

PubMed

O'Bryan, D; Clow, K E; O'Bryan, J; Kurtz, D

1996-01-01

Despite the growth and prevalence of assisted-living facilities, empirical marketing research for these facilities is scarce. The objectives of this study were to determine the relative importance of three sets of evaluation criteria in the initial selection of an assisted-living facility, and determine whether the relative importance of these three sets of criteria differed by gender, marital status, level of household, age, or income of the consumer. Survey responses from 279 households indicates that primary service criteria are relatively more important than facilities amenities or organized social activities in the initial selection of an assisted-living facility. The relative importance of the choice criteria differed markedly by gender of the consumer, but marital status, level of household income, and age of the consumer did not have as great an impact on consumers' choice criteria.

Influence of Season and Geography on Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli Subtypes in Housed Broiler Flocks Reared in Great Britain▿

PubMed Central

Jorgensen, F.; Ellis-Iversen, J.; Rushton, S.; Bull, S. A.; Harris, S. A.; Bryan, S. J.; Gonzalez, A.; Humphrey, T. J.

2011-01-01

Geographical and seasonal variation in the incidence and prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli in housed broiler flocks reared in Great Britain in 2004 to 2006 was investigated in this study. Ceca (30) from 797 flocks, not subject to prior partial depopulation and reared on 211 farms, were examined individually for the presence of Campylobacter spp. The best-fitting climatic factors explained approximately 46% of the prevalence of Campylobacter-colonized flocks at slaughter and consisted of a combination of temperature at slaughter, number of sunshine hours in placement month, and millimeters of rainfall in placement month. Positive flocks were more likely to be slaughtered between June and November than during the rest of the year and to be reared in northern Great Britain than in central or southern Great Britain. C. jejuni was identified in approximately 90% of flocks, and C. coli was present in 10% of flocks. The most common clonal complexes identified in 226 isolates typed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were ST-45, ST-21, ST-574, ST-443, and ST-828. Flocks slaughtered at the same time were more likely to have similar complexes, and ST-45 had a seasonal pattern, with the highest prevalence in June, and was also more likely to be present in flocks reared in northern Great Britain. PMID:21460110

Great Basin insect outbreaks

Treesearch

Barbara Bentz; Diane Alston; Ted Evans

2008-01-01

Outbreaks of native and exotic insects are important drivers of ecosystem dynamics in the Great Basin. The following provides an overview of range, forest, ornamental, and agricultural insect outbreaks occurring in the Great Basin and the associated management issues and research needs.

Great Basin aspen ecosystems

Treesearch

Dale L. Bartos

2008-01-01

The health of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) in the Great Basin is of growing concern. The following provides an overview of aspen decline and die-off in areas within and adjacent to the Great Basin and suggests possible directions for research and management.

Environmentally relevant chemical mixtures of concern in waters of United States tributaries to the Great Lakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Elliott, Sarah M.; Brigham, Mark E.; Kiesling, Richard L.; Schoenfuss, Heiko L.; Jorgenson, Zachary G.

2018-01-01

The North American Great Lakes are a vital natural resource that provide fish and wildlife habitat, as well as drinking water and waste assimilation services for millions of people. Tributaries to the Great Lakes receive chemical inputs from various point and nonpoint sources, and thus are expected to have complex mixtures of chemicals. However, our understanding of the co‐occurrence of specific chemicals in complex mixtures is limited. To better understand the occurrence of specific chemical mixtures in the US Great Lakes Basin, surface water from 24 US tributaries to the Laurentian Great Lakes was collected and analyzed for diverse suites of organic chemicals, primarily focused on chemicals of concern (e.g., pharmaceuticals, personal care products, fragrances). A total of 181 samples and 21 chemical classes were assessed for mixture compositions. Basin wide, 1664 mixtures occurred in at least 25% of sites. The most complex mixtures identified comprised 9 chemical classes and occurred in 58% of sampled tributaries. Pharmaceuticals typically occurred in complex mixtures, reflecting pharmaceutical‐use patterns and wastewater facility outfall influences. Fewer mixtures were identified at lake or lake‐influenced sites than at riverine sites. As mixture complexity increased, the probability of a specific mixture occurring more often than by chance greatly increased, highlighting the importance of understanding source contributions to the environment. This empirically based analysis of mixture composition and occurrence may be used to focus future sampling efforts or mixture toxicity assessments. 

Silvicultural Considerations in Managing Southern Pine Stands in the Context of Southern Pine Beetle

Treesearch

James M. Guldin

2011-01-01

Roughly 30 percent of the 200 million acres of forest land in the South supports stands dominated by southern pines. These are among the most productive forests in the nation. Adapted to disturbance, southern pines are relatively easy to manage with even-aged methods such as clearcutting and planting, or the seed tree and shelterwood methods with natural regeneration....

Triton Southern Hemisphere

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-06-08

This polar projection from NASA Voyager 2 of Triton southern hemisphere provides a view of the southern polar cap and bright equatorial fringe. The margin of the cap is scalloped and ranges in latitude from +10 degrees to -30 degrees. The bright fringe is closely associated with the cap's margin; from it, diffuse bright rays extend north-northeast for hundreds of kilometers. The bright fringe probably consists of very fresh nitrogen frost or snow, and the rays consist of bright-fringe materials that were redistributed by north-moving Coriolis-deflected winds. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00423

Southern Ocean Iron Experiment (SOFex)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Coale, Kenneth H.

The Southern Ocean Iron Experiment (SOFeX) was an experiment decades in the planning. It's implementation was among the most complex ship operations that SIO has been involved in. The SOFeX field expedition was successful in creating and tracking two experimentally enriched areas of the Southern Ocean, one characterized by low silicic acid, one characterized by high silicic acid. Both experimental sites were replete with abundant nitrate. About 100 scientists were involved overall. The major findings of this study were significant in several ways: (1) The productivity of the southern ocean is limited by iron availability. (2) Carbon uptake and fluxmore » is therefore controlled by iron availability (3) In spite of low silicic acid, iron promotes non-silicious phytoplankton growth and the uptake of carbon dioxide. (4) The transport of fixed carbon from the surface layers proceeds with a C:N ratio that would indicate differential remineralization of nitrogen at shallow depths. (5) These finding have major implications for modeling of carbon export based on nitrate utilization. (6) The general results of the experiment indicate that, beyond other southern ocean enrichment experiments, iron inputs have a much wider impact of productivity and carbon cycling than previously demonstrated. Scientific presentations: Coale, K., Johnson, K, Buesseler, K., 2002. The SOFeX Group. Eos. Trans. AGU 83(47) OS11A-0199. Coale, K., Johnson, K. Buesseler, K., 2002. SOFeX: Southern Ocean Iron Experiments. Overview and Experimental Design. Eos. Trans. AGU 83 (47) OS22D-01. Buesseler, K.,et al. 2002. Does Iron Fertilization Enhance Carbon Sequestration? Particle flux results from the Southern Ocean Iron Experiment. Eos. Trans. AGU 83 (47), OS22D-09. Johnson, K. et al. 2002. Open Ocean Iron Fertilization Experiments From IronEx-I through SOFeX: What We Know and What We Still Need to Understand. Eos. Trans. AGU 83 (47), OS22D-12. Coale, K. H., 2003. Carbon and Nutrient Cycling During the

Great earthquakes of variable magnitude at the Cascadia subduction zone

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, A.R.; Kelsey, H.M.; Witter, R.C.

2006-01-01

Comparison of histories of great earthquakes and accompanying tsunamis at eight coastal sites suggests plate-boundary ruptures of varying length, implying great earthquakes of variable magnitude at the Cascadia subduction zone. Inference of rupture length relies on degree of overlap on radiocarbon age ranges for earthquakes and tsunamis, and relative amounts of coseismic subsidence and heights of tsunamis. Written records of a tsunami in Japan provide the most conclusive evidence for rupture of much of the plate boundary during the earthquake of 26 January 1700. Cascadia stratigraphic evidence dating from about 1600??cal yr B.P., similar to that for the 1700 earthquake, implies a similarly long rupture with substantial subsidence and a high tsunami. Correlations are consistent with other long ruptures about 1350??cal yr B.P., 2500??cal yr B.P., 3400??cal yr B.P., 3800??cal yr B.P., 4400??cal yr B.P., and 4900??cal yr B.P. A rupture about 700-1100??cal yr B.P. was limited to the northern and central parts of the subduction zone, and a northern rupture about 2900??cal yr B.P. may have been similarly limited. Times of probable short ruptures in southern Cascadia include about 1100??cal yr B.P., 1700??cal yr B.P., 3200??cal yr B.P., 4200??cal yr B.P., 4600??cal yr B.P., and 4700??cal yr B.P. Rupture patterns suggest that the plate boundary in northern Cascadia usually breaks in long ruptures during the greatest earthquakes. Ruptures in southernmost Cascadia vary in length and recurrence intervals more than ruptures in northern Cascadia.

Analyzing the threat of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to nuclear facilities

DOE PAGES

Solodov, Alexander; Williams, Adam; Al Hanaei, Sara; ...

2017-04-18

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are among the major growing technologies that have many beneficial applications, yet they can also pose a significant threat. Recently, several incidents occurred with UAVs violating privacy of the public and security of sensitive facilities, including several nuclear power plants in France. The threat of UAVs to the security of nuclear facilities is of great importance and is the focus of this work. This paper presents an overview of UAV technology and classification, as well as its applications and potential threats. We show several examples of recent security incidents involving UAVs in France, USA, and Unitedmore » Arab Emirates. Further, the potential threats to nuclear facilities and measures to prevent them are evaluated. The importance of measures for detection, delay, and response (neutralization) of UAVs at nuclear facilities are discussed. An overview of existing technologies along with their strength and weaknesses are shown. Finally, the results of a gap analysis in existing approaches and technologies is presented in the form of potential technological and procedural areas for research and development. Furthermore based on this analysis, directions for future work in the field can be devised and prioritized.« less

Reliable Facility Location Problem with Facility Protection

PubMed Central

Tang, Luohao; Zhu, Cheng; Lin, Zaili; Shi, Jianmai; Zhang, Weiming

2016-01-01

This paper studies a reliable facility location problem with facility protection that aims to hedge against random facility disruptions by both strategically protecting some facilities and using backup facilities for the demands. An Integer Programming model is proposed for this problem, in which the failure probabilities of facilities are site-specific. A solution approach combining Lagrangian Relaxation and local search is proposed and is demonstrated to be both effective and efficient based on computational experiments on random numerical examples with 49, 88, 150 and 263 nodes in the network. A real case study for a 100-city network in Hunan province, China, is presented, based on which the properties of the model are discussed and some managerial insights are analyzed. PMID:27583542

Gravity drives Great Earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lister, Gordon; Forster, Marnie

2010-05-01

The most violent of Great Earthquakes are driven by ruptures on giant megathrusts adjacent to actively forming mountain belts. Current theory suggests that the seismic rupture harvests (and thus releases) elastic energy that has been previously stored in locked segments of the megathrust. The general belief, however, is that this energy was accumulated as the result of relative motion of the adjacent stiff elastic tectonic plates. This mechanism fails to explain many first order aspects of large earthquakes, however. The energy source for strain accumulation must also include gravitational collapse of orogenic crust and/or in the foundering (or roll-back) of an adjacent subducting lithospheric slab. Therefore we have conducted an analysis of the geometry of aftershocks, and report that this allows distinction of two types of failure on giant megathrusts. Mode I failure involves horizontal shortening, and is consistent with the classic view that megathrusts fail in compression, with motion analogous to that expected if accretion takes place against a rigid (or elastic) backstop. Mode II failure involves horizontal extension, and requires the over-riding plate to stretch during an earthquake. This process is likely to continue during the subsequent period of afterslip, and therefore will again be evident in aftershock patterns. Mode I behaviour may well have applied to the southern segment of the Sumatran megathrust, from whence emanated the rupture that drove the 2004 Great Earthquake. Mode II behaviour appears to apply to the northern segment of the same rupture, however. The geometry of aftershocks beneath the Andaman Sea suggest that the crust above the initial rupture failed in an extensional mode. The edge of the Indian plate is foundering, with slab-hinge roll-back in a direction orthogonal to its motion vector. The only possible cause for this extension therefore is westward roll-back of the subducting Indian plate, and the consequent gravity-driven movement

The influence of the Great Lakes on MCS formation and development in the warm season

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srock, Alan F.

This study focuses on how near-surface thermal boundaries that form near the Great Lakes during the warm season can contribute to the formation of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). Differential heating across land-water interfaces can create a cold dome of air over the lake; convection may develop when the relatively-cold dome of air becomes deep enough to enable air parcels that intersect these boundaries to reach their level of free convection. A radar-based climatology of MCS events surrounding the Great Lakes for 2002-2005 showed that MCSs frequently form in the vicinity of the Great Lakes. Composites of MCS events over the Great Lakes and in sub-regions defined by proximity to a Great Lake showed that the most important synoptic-scale precursor for MCS initiation is the presence of a low-level moisture plume, which is often (but not always) provided by a low-level jet (LLJ). Case studies of two MCSs that formed along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan showed how differential heating across the land-lake interface enabled the development of a near-surface mesoscale thermal boundary along which forced ascent was able to trigger convection. A third case study of an MCS that formed along the southern shore of Lake Superior showed that a strong land-lake thermal boundary provided a focus for long-lived MCS development beneath a plume of warm, moist air along the LLJ. High-resolution WRF-modeling studies were used to test the effect of the presence of a Great Lake on land-lake thermal boundary development and MCS generation. In one pair of simulations, differential heating in the control run created an over-lake cold dome that grew stronger and deeper during the day. Removing the lake removed the differential heating, so the no-lake run became comparatively warmer and moister in the lowest 1000 m over the "lake". Convection focused and organized along the near-lake mesoscale boundary in the control run, but was less organized and forced by larger-scale processes

PROPOSAL FOR IMPROVEMENT OF BUINESS CONTINUITY PLAN (BCP) BASED ON THE LESSONS OF THE GREAT EAST JAPAN EARTHQUAKE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maruya, Hiroaki

For most Japanese companies and organizations, the enormous damage of the Great East Japan Earthquake was more than expected. In addition to great tsunami and earthquake motion, the lack of electricity and fuel disturbed to business activities seriously, and they should be considered important constraint factors in future earthquakes. Furthermore, disruption of supply chains also led considerable decline of production in many industries across Japan and foreign countries. Therefore it becomes urgent need for Japanese government and industries to utilize the lessons of the Great Earthquake and execute effective countermeasures, considering great earthquakes such as Tonankai & Nankai earthquakes and Tokyo Inland Earthquakes. Obviously most basic step is improving earthquake-resistant ability of buildings and facilities. In addition the spread of BCP and BCM to enterprises and organizations is indispensable. Based on the lessons, the BCM should include the point of view of the supply chain management more clearly, and emphasize "substitute strategy" more explicitly because a company should survive even if it completely loses its present production base. The central and local governments are requested, in addition to develop their own BCP, to improve related systematic conditions for BCM of the private sectors.

Thermal-hydraulic analysis of the coil test facility for CFETR.

PubMed

Ren, Yong; Liu, Xiaogang; Li, Junjun; Wang, Zhaoliang; Qiu, Lilong; Du, Shijun; Li, Guoqiang; Gao, Xiang

2016-01-01

Performance test of the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) central solenoid (CS) and toroidal field (TF) insert coils is of great importance to evaluate the CFETR magnet performance in relevant operation conditions. The superconducting magnet of the coil test facility for CFETR is being designed with the aim of providing a background magnetic field to test the CFETR CS insert and TF insert coils. The superconducting magnet consists of the inner module with Nb 3 Sn coil and the outer module with NbTi coil. The superconducting magnet is designed to have a maximum magnetic field of 12.59 T and a stored energy of 436.6 MJ. An active quench protection circuit and the positive temperature coefficient dump resistor were adopted to transfer the stored magnetic energy. The temperature margin behavior of the test facility for CFETR satisfies the design criteria. The quench analysis of the test facility shows that the cable temperature and the helium pressure inside the jacket are within the design criteria.

SIRTF Finally Aloft: NASA s Final Great Observatory to Peer Deeply into the Infrared Universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Covault, Craig

2003-01-01

The last of NASA's Great Observations, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), is undergoing checkout 15,000 mi. from Earth this week following launch of the $1.2-billion mission here on board a Boeing Delta II Heavy booster Aug. 25. The SIRTF mission has been 25 years in the making. By using innovative technology and a unique "Earth-trailing" orbit, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Lockheed-Martin were able to reduce mission cost by about $800 million with no loss in expected science or mission life-time.

Guidelines for regenerating southern pine beetle spots

Treesearch

J.C.G. Goelz; B.L. Strom; J.P. Barnett; M.A. Sword Sayer

2012-01-01

Southern pine forests are of exceptional commercial and ecological importance to the United States, and the southern pine beetle is their most serious insect pest. The southern pine beetle generally kills overstory pines, causing spots of tree mortality that are unpredictable in time and space and frequently disruptive to management activities and goals. The canopy...

Woody encroachment in northern Great Plains grasslands: Perceptions, actions, and needs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Symstad, Amy J.; Leis, Sherry A.

2017-01-01

The United States Northern Great Plains (NGP) has a high potential for landscape-scale conservation, but this grassland landscape is threatened by encroachment of woody species. We surveyed NGP land managers to identify patterns in, and illustrate a broad range of, individual managers' perceptions on (1) the threat of woody encroachment to grasslands they manage, and (2) what management practices they use that may influence woody encroachment in this region. In the 34 surveys returned, which came from predominantly public lands in the study area, 79% of responses reported moderate or substantial woody encroachment. Eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) and Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) were the most problematic encroachers. Thirty-one survey respondents said that prescribed fire was used on the lands they manage, and 64% of these responses reported that controlling woody encroachment was a fire management objective. However, only 18% of survey respondents using prescribed fire were achieving their desired fire return interval. Most respondents reported using mechanical and/or chemical methods to control woody species. In contrast to evidence from the central and southern Great Plains, few survey respondents viewed grazing as affecting encroachment. Although the NGP public land managers we surveyed clearly recognize woody encroachment as a problem and are taking steps to address it, many feel that the rate of their management is not keeping pace with the rate of encroachment. Developing strategies for effective woody plant control in a variety of NGP management contexts requires filling ecological science gaps and overcoming societal barriers to using prescribed fire.

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program climate research facility operations quarterly report October 1 - December 31, 2008.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sisterson, D. L.

2009-01-15

Individual raw data streams from instrumentation at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program Climate Research Facility (ACRF) fixed and mobile sites are collected and sent to the Data Management Facility (DMF) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for processing in near real-time. Raw and processed data are then sent daily to the ACRF Archive, where they are made available to users. For each instrument, they calculate the ratio of the actual number of data records received daily at the Archive to the expected number of data records. The results are tabulated by (1) individual data stream, site, and month formore » the current year and (2) site and fiscal year (FY) dating back to 1998. The US Department of Energy (DOE) requires national user facilities to report time-based operating data. The requirements concern the actual hours of operation (ACTUAL); the estimated maximum operation or uptime goal (OPSMAX), which accounts for planned downtime; and the VARIANCE [1-(ACTUAL/OPSMAX)], which accounts for unplanned downtime. The OPSMAX time for the first quarter of FY 2009 for the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site is 2,097.60 hours (0.95 x 2,208 hours this quarter). The OPSMAX for the North Slope Alaska (NSA) locale is 1,987.20 hours (0.90 x 2,208), and for the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) locale is 1,876.80 hours (0.85 x 2,208). The OPSMAX time for the ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) is not reported this quarter because the data have not yet been released from China to the DMF for processing. The differences in OPSMAX performance reflect the complexity of local logistics and the frequency of extreme weather events. It is impractical to measure OPSMAX for each instrument or data stream. Data availability reported here refers to the average of the individual, continuous data streams that have been received by the Archive. Data not at the Archive are caused by downtime (scheduled or unplanned) of the individual instruments. Therefore, data availability is

Geologic Evidence of Tsunamigenic Earthquakes from the Southern Part of the Japan Trench

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilarczyk, J.; Sawai, Y.; Namegaya, Y.; Tamura, T.; Tanigawa, K.; Matsumoto, D.; Shinozaki, T.; Fujiwara, O.; Shishikura, M.; Shimada, Y.; Dura, T.; Horton, B.

2017-12-01

The northern and southern parts of the Japan Trench have generated earthquakes with moment magnitudes up to 8.0. Similarly, the middle part of the Japan Trench has historically generated tsunamigenic-earthquakes up to M 7.0. However, in 2011, the Tohoku-oki (M 9.0) event ruptured 500 km along the middle part of the Japan Trench and generated the largest known tsunami to have originated from this part of the subduction zone. Seismic models indicate that the Tohoku-oki earthquake may have transferred stress southwards down the fault to the potentially locked southern part of the Japan Trench. It is unknown if this transfer of stress could produce an earthquake and tsunami that would impact the metropolitan areas of east-central Japan in the near future that may be comparable in magnitude to the Tohoku-oki event. Here, we reconstruct the history of individual great earthquakes and accompanying tsunamis using geological records from the coastal zone adjacent to the southern part of the Japan Trench, providing an assessment of the seismic hazard for metropolitan areas in east-central Japan. In the Kujukuri strand plain, we found three anomalous marine sand layers intercalated within muddy peat, which can be traced 3.8 km inland and 50 km along the present Kujukuri coastline. Each sand layer has features consistent with tsunami deposits, such as a distinct erosional base, rip-up clasts, normal grading, and a mud drape. Preliminary radiocarbon dating suggests three tsunamis inundated the Kujukuri coastline over the last millennium.

The Climatology and Impacts of Atmospheric Rivers near the Coast of Southern Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nardi, K.; Barnes, E. A.; Mundhenk, B. D.

2015-12-01

Atmospheric rivers, narrow plumes of anomalously high tropospheric water vapor transport, frequently appear over the Pacific Ocean. Popularized by colloquialisms such as the "Pineapple Express," atmospheric rivers often interact with synoptic-scale disturbances to produce significant precipitation events over land masses. Previous research has focused extensively on the impacts of this phenomenon with respect to high-precipitation storms, namely during boreal winter, on the western coast of the contiguous United States. These events generate great scientific, political, and economic concerns for nearby cities, farms, and tourist destinations. Recently, researchers have investigated similar high-precipitation events along the southern coast of Alaska. Specifically, previous work has discussed several major events occurring during the September-November timeframe. One particular event, in October 2006, produced an all-time record for water levels at several river observation sites. This study examines the climatology of atmospheric rivers in the vicinity of southern Alaska. Data (1979-2014) from the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) is used to detect atmospheric rivers approaching, and making landfall on, the southern Alaskan coast from the Kenai Peninsula to the Gulf of Alaska region. A seasonal cycle in the strength and frequency of atmospheric rivers over Alaska is shown. Furthermore, the study assesses the synoptic conditions coincident with atmospheric rivers and examines several instances of particularly strong precipitation events. For example, wintertime atmospheric river events tend to occur when a blocking high exists over southeastern Alaska. These results have the potential to help forecasters and emergency managers predict high-precipitation events and lessen potential negative impacts.

Kinematic analysis of fractures in the Great Rift, Idaho: Implications for subsurface dike geometry, crustal extension, and magma dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holmes, Adrian A. J.; Rodgers, David W.; Hughes, Scott S.

2008-04-01

Extension across the southern Great Rift of the Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP), Idaho, was measured to calculate the dimensions of underlying dikes and interpret magmatic and extensional processes. Cumulative rift-perpendicular extension ranges from 0.64 to 4.50 m along the 14 km long Kings Bowl segment, from 1.33 to 4.41 m along the 14 km long New Butte segment, and from 0.74 to 1.57 m along the 4 km long Minidoka segment. Along strike of each segment, extension increases toward coeval vents. Each rift segment is interpreted to be underlain by a subsurface dike, whose dimensions are calculated using buoyancy equilibrium and boundary element models. Dikes are calculated to have tops that are 950-530 m deep, bottoms that are 23-31 km deep, and widths that taper to zero from a maximum of 2-21 m. Modeling suggests that the Kings Bowl dike has a maximum probable width of ˜8 m and a volume of ˜2 km3, about 400 times the volume of its coeval lava flow. Dike widths and ages at the southern Great Rift provide evidence for a Holocene ESRP strain rate of about 1 to 3 × 10-16 s-1, which is as much as an order of magnitude slower than strain rates in the adjacent, seismically active Basin and Range province. Eruptive fissures are present where rift width is <1650 m. This corresponds to a depth to dike top of <700 m, which we propose was the depth where vesiculation initiated, thus increasing magma pressure and inducing eruption.

Southern Coal Corporation Clean Water Settlement

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Southern Coal Corporation is a coal mining and processing company headquartered in Roanoke, VA. Southern Coal Corporation and the following 26 affiliated entities are located in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia