Earth and Environmental Sciences – �鶹��Ƶ

Initiatives With the Potential to Help Residents Achieve a More Sustainable Way of Living and Increased Quality of Life

Ada Inman — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 19:02:19 +0000

San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition partnered with the students in Dr. Samantha Bova’s ENV S 302 Climate Change Solutions course on research projects related to sustainability and community support. Their goal was to gain student input on projects that, if implemented, could improve sustainability and the quality of life of residents in Southeast San Diego. The students in the class conducted literature reviews and, in some cases, prospective research, to identity issues that currently exist in the Southeast San Diego area concerning sustainability. They then developed solutions targeting these issues and created proposals in the form of posters, which were presented to representatives from the San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition. In Southeast San Diego, the main areas of need that the students discovered were an increase in green space, improved community knowledge as well as access to energy and water conservation tools, improvements in the efficiency of public transportation, additions of climate change education programs for youth, and resources for people experiencing homelessness. A few of the proposals for increasing the amount of green space and community access in Southeast San Diego included implementing more pocket parks, green-lining roads, and creating a community garden. To increase energy efficiency in Southeast San Diego, the students proposed implementing a mobile app to help residents find a clean energy plan within their budget, implementing programs to educate residents on free and reduced-cost water conservation tools, and making a few adjustments to the development of the San Diego Energy Equity Campus to make the facility more energy efficient. To improve the efficiency of public transportation, the students proposed creating a simpler timetable system as well as eliminating redundant stops. Finally, to support the community, the students proposed implementing climate change education into the curriculum of public schools in Southeast San Diego, starting as young as grade school, as well as implementing more space-efficient housing programs for those experiencing homelessness.

Satellite subsidence and sea-level data assimilation for mean high-water line assessment in the Bangkok area

Ada Inman — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 20:09:33 +0000

Develop a data-assimilation approach for evaluation of subsidence resulting from groundwater extraction in an area affected by sea-level change.-Monitoring subsidence through in-situ levelling, GPS observations and InSAR analyses-Monitor sea-level changes through tide gauges and satellite altimetry-Measure groundwater levels in observation wells-Combines number of numerical models with observations to evaluate expected changes of the Thai coastline-Ultimately, [...]

Documenting land use and environmental change in a Wisconsin watershed: Addressing local needs for adaptive management

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:40:51 +0000

We are a group of six master’s students in the Environmental Observation and Informatics program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In this project, we provide an overview of the expansion of the City of Sun Prairie, background on how climate change is projected to affect this area of Wisconsin, and an analysis of how land cover types have changed in the area bordering Koshkonong Creek.

We hope this project will provide a better understanding of the effect that Koshkonong Creek has on the neighboring land and help advocate for increased management of the creek to reduce flooding in this area.

UniverCity Year Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu

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Creating a conservation action plan to improve water quality and ecosystem conditions in the Koshkonong Creek Watershed

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:40:51 +0000

A group of graduate students from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison worked collaboratively with Friends of Koshkonong Creek to create a conservation action plan to improve water quality and ecosystem conditions in Koshkonong Creek.

Koshkonong Creek consists of lower and upper watersheds. Koshkonong Creek is listed under the Wisconsin DNR’s Impaired Waters list due to high levels of nutrients, mainly phosphorus, which affect its water quality. As a result, this plan focuses on restoring and preserving the ecosystems of the Koshkonong Creek Watershed. Additionally, this plan aims to promote a healthy creek community devoid of pollution and degradation, protect biodiversity and aquatic life, and encourage sustainability and long-term benefits for surrounding populations. Improving farmer welfare, health, recreational capacity, and resource security are vital components incorporated into the project’s long-term values

Road Salt Practices Across Wausau Metropolitan Area Municipalities

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:40:38 +0000

With the support of Andrew Lynch, AICP, Transportation Planner at the Wausau Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the UniverCity Alliance, students in the Nelson Institute Community Environmental Scholars Program researched road salt
practices in the Wausau Metropolitan Area during Spring Semester 2021. Four University of Wisconsin-Madison students participated in the project through their enrollment in Environmental Studies 317, the Community and Environmental Scholars Program Seminar course.

Over several months, we reached out to the cities of Wausau, Mosinee, and Schofield, the villages of Kronenwetter, Maine, Rothschild, and Weston, the towns of Weston, Rib Mountain, Stettin, and Wausau, and the Marathon County administration to gather information for this document. We do not have complete information for all the communities, but instead have gathered some initial data that may begin to offer a sense of the different municipalities practices, needs, and concerns around road salt use in Marathon County. Missing data may be our failure to collect that information and does not necessarily imply the municipality does not have/know the information. We were unable to contact the Village of Rothschild, the Village of Weston and the Town of Wausau.

UniverCity Year Contact Info
Gavin Luter
Managing Director
gavin@cows.org
608-261-1141

Assessing Marathon County riparian and wetland resources

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:40:38 +0000

Marathon Co. is located within the Central Wisconsin River Basin, which inevitably provides the county with an abundance of surface water sources such as streams, tributaries, and wetlands. This abundance of water sources can easily be polluted when agriculture or urban/developed landcover types are in close proximity to these areas. Landcover types located within a 60 meter buffer around a water body or wetland are going to have the greatest influence on the health of the system. Decreasing the presence of agriculture and urban/developed landcover within a 60 meter buffer around water systems will increase the health and quality of the system. which many people and wildlife depend on. Increasing or maintaining the amount of natural areas such
as wetlands or forests around water systems will provide the benefits of natural filtration of pollutants and sediment stagnation from plants’ roots. Limiting the occurrence of unnatural areas and promoting the growth of natural cover within a 60-meter buffer around water systems will improve habitat and water quality for both wildlife and people.

Through geospatial analysis, we will produce maps that display land cover percentages within a 60 meter buffer around Marathon County’s streams, tributaries, and wetlands. These maps will help prioritize and orient conservation and economic efforts to reduce levels of contaminants within Marathon Co.’s water systems.

UniverCity Year Contact Info
Gavin Luter
Managing Director
gavin@cows.org
608-261-1141

Exploring data for the Marathon County Groundwater Protection Plan

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:40:38 +0000

This report proposes a plan to address the minimal research surrounding water quality in the area and how to take new data to implement it better policies to protect water sources. UniverCity Year Contact Info Gavin Luter Managing Director gavin@cows.org 608-261-1141 [...]

Analyzing groundwater contamination and protection in Marathon County

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:40:38 +0000

Marathon County has encountered recent problems with groundwater contamination.UniverCity has been tasked with helping out Marathon County to research possible sources forthis pollution and provide solutions to ensure the problem is mitigated. Much research wasconducted on current regulations, contaminations levels and data that currently exist in thecommunity. With this research, an in depth analysis could be performed to be able to providesolutions and accurate maps of where the contamination was coming from and how to adequatelydecrease future contamination to the groundwater. Further research and suggestions were maderegarding education and public awareness for groundwater contamination in general.

UniverCity Year Contact Info
Gavin Luter
Managing Director
gavin@cows.org
608-261-1141

Community Engagement through Coral Reef Research Initiatives

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:40:07 +0000

Coral reefs are vital to healthy marine ecosystems but are in serious decline due to pollution, global warming, and other threats. This decline also has serious ecological consequences to communities that rely on tourism to coral reefs as a central source of income. In this presentation Dr. Stephanie Lockwood discusses the multinational, study abroad undergraduate research program designed to promote safe and sustainable means to preserve and rehabilitate the coral reefs of Honduras, allowing real world research opportunities for students.

Winner of the 2022 President’s Engaged Scholarship Award for Excellence in Engaged Research

Sullivan Trail Connector

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:11 +0000

The City of Sullivan has multiple plans for trail connectors throughout the city. ENVI460 students provided recommendations for a trail connector between the City of Sullivan and Sullivan County. This trail connector harnesses positives of both the city and county to increase use. Students also provided recommendations for multi-use options on the trail system. [...]