A spatially explicit population model written in C++ programming language is used in
this study examining the population dynamics of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus
agassizii) in the California Mojave Desert. The model is constructed with hexagonal
divisions of space, and with one-year increments of time. Four thematic maps: vegetation,
soil...
present a unique modeling approach to investigate the
potential impacts of future land use alternatives on amphibian population
dynamics in two agricultural watersheds in central Iowa. An individual-based
spatially explicit population was used to predict the consequences of alternative
landscape design and management for populations of four amphibian species. The...
Geomorphic response to watershed disturbances commonly results in
alterations of landforms. Subsequent geomorphic recovery is dependent on the ability
of flows to entrain, transport, and organize inorganic and organic material on hillslopes
and in channels. This research analyzed changes in sediment production, channel
structure, and channel organization following disturbances in...
Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant (LAAP), located near Shreveport, Louisiana, is a
government-owned contractor-operated plant. Its purpose is to manufacture, load and
assemble ammunition items. Area P has been used over the past 40 years to dump
explosive-laden wastewater into 16 unlined lagoons. In 1989 LAAP was placed on the
National...
This study examined the question of whether a big island can be divided into many smaller
islands with the same pattern of area-species curve as that of the complete island. To address
this question, this study used data on the number and distribution of amphibians and
reptiles on Puerto Rico...
Two examples of Pacific rim plate boundary deformation are presented. In the first
part of the thesis crustal models are derived for the northwestern part of the Vizcaino
block in California using marine seismic and gravity data collected by the Mendocino
Triple Junction Seismic Experiment. A northwest-southeast trending kink in...
Water right marketing and transfers represent a resource reallocation
strategy that has received considerable attention in the American West owing to
nearly full appropriation of water in the region. Several western states permit
transfers between different uses and places of use thus allowing water to move to
higher-value economic activities....
Purpose
The purpose of this project is to aid the Umpqua Regional Council of Governments as
they try to identify buildable lands in Douglas County, Oregon particularly in the cities of
Reedsport and Sutherlin. This project will help Reedsport upgrade its recently completed
Buildable Lands Inventory and provide Sutherlin with...
The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is managed by the Siuslaw
Forest division of the United States Forest Service (USFS). This area has gradually been
overcome by vegetation since the 1950's, originating with the exotic European Beach
Grass (Ammophila arenaria). The invasion of this exotic vegetation has resulted in a...
Many diverse applications have begun to study processes and patterns at a global
scale. To aid in this research, discrete global grid systems (DGGSs) are data models
which enable environmental modeling, monitoring and sampling across the earth at a
variety of spatial scales. A DGGS can be evaluated on a...
The lower Columbia River (LCR) riparian zone is rich in habitat diversity. However, the natural beauty and species diversity along the river have increasingly become affected by human activity. This study quantifies the areal extent and degree of wetlands change and associated causes along the LCR over the past 44...
This thesis explores the genesis of the ecoregion concept,
examines the conceptual development of ecoregion classification
systems, investigates applications of ecoregion classification
systems for a broad range of purposes, and discusses the prospects
for the further evolution of this concept. An ecoregion is an area
that exhibits patterns of homogeneity...
Mean annual runoff to precipitation (R/P) ratios were generated for 966 watersheds within the contiguous United States. The watersheds were plotted using Arc View GIS and used as part of an overlay analysis with Level 1 U.S. ecoregions. The ratios were statistically evaluated to determine anomalous R/P conditions within the...
Bangladesh lies almost entirely on the delta of three major rivers: the Padma (the
Ganges), the Jamuna (the Brahmaputra), and the Meghna. A considerable portion of
Bangladesh has been repeatedly devastated by floods associated with cyclonic storm
surges along its coastal islands and riverine flooding along the rivers traversing the...
The Absaroka volcanic province is the largest of Eocene volcanic fields in the northern Cordillera of the western U.S., and consists of 25,000 km2 of lava flows, shallow intrusions, ash-flow tuffs and volcaniclastic deposits. It is aligned with northwest-trending Precambrian lineaments, and includes the remains of at least ten volcanic...
The Columbia River system in the Pacific Northwest is currently comprised of a series of
reservoirs, resulting from regulation of river flow due to a series of hydroelectric dams.
A return to pre-dam conditions might improve salmon (Oncorhynchus sp.) survival rates
and increase migration efficiency. This study modeled both historic...
GIS technology has reached a point where it can be utilized by nonprofessionals in a desktop environment. This paper reviews the implementation of a pilot project for developing a localized-natural resource GIS. The resulting GIS was custom designed to answer questions posed by fish and wildlife biologists who need to...
For the Army aviator, Night Vision Goggle (NVG) flight in the tactical rotarywing
profile is a very demanding, task saturated environment. Map navigation is just one
of the many tasks that must be accomplished during flight. The dim, monochromatic
lighting required for NVG flight alters map colors, decreases image detail...
Understory vegetation in artificially created tree canopy gaps in the Pacific
Northwest was studied to determine 1) variation in understory vegetation cover
between gap edges and gap centers, as well as between control and treatment plots,
2) spatial patterns of biomass and difference in biomass patterns among plots, 3)
individual...
The process of land acquisition for the conservation of plants or wildlife habitat
can raise controversial issues, issues often perceived differently by the individuals and groups
involved. After the land acquisition process is completed, there is rarely an opportunity to
analyze the differing perceptions of the issues and their relative...
More efficient methods are needed for the in-situ evaluation of mass transfer parameters which describe the movement of solutes through aquifer material. The objective of this study was to develop a method for estimating diffusion rate and capacity coefficients using a single-well, "push-pull" tracer test. The method consists of the...
With the current pressure for increased growth, the affects of climatic forcing events
pose serious threats to Oregon's Coastal Communities. Mathematical methods have been
implemented to establish setback distances for development adjacent to littoral cells.
Using formulae developed by the Coastal Construction Setback Taskforce (CCST) under
the Oregon Coastal Management...
In this thesis, we present the first detailed, long-term seismotectonic studies of oceanic
ridge-transform systems. The proximity of the Juan de Fuca plate to a network of
broadband seismic stations in western North America provides a unique synergy of
interesting tectonic targets, high seismicity, and recording capabilities. Our main tools...
The Cascadia subduction zone has been characterized as a typical Chilean-type
subduction zone based on qualitative comparisons of plate age and convergence rate, with
simple forearc structure. However, the discovery of unusual structural styles of
deformation, variations in the morphology of the forearc, and its absence of seismic activity
suggest...
Satellite image interpretation, geologic mapping, and paleoseismic trenching are used to investigate the Trans-Yamuna active fault system in the northwestern Doon Valley of the Indian Himalayan foothills. This east-west fault system is subparallel to and crosses the Main Boundary thrust near the structural transition from the Nahan salient to the...
Much of the rich forestlands of Oregon are subject to frequent mass wasting
events, resulting in severe environmental and economic damages. Extensive research has
shown that this landslide hazard is often exacerbated by many management activities.
Following a severe storm event which triggered thousands of landslides, the Oregon
Department of...
This project explores the impact of land use decisions on dune processes at the
Oregon National Guard's Camp Rilea. located on the north coast of Oregon. It
used a combined analysis of historical and modern data sources to assess the
impact of land use practices. Historical sources including the journals...
The accurate simulation of snowpack deposition and ablation beneath forested areas is confounded by the fact that the vegetation canopy strongly affects the snow surface energy balance. The canopy alters the radiation balance of the snowcover, and reduces the wind speed at the snow surface. Data collected as part of...
The basement of the Tonga intraoceanic forearc comprises Eocene arc volcanic crust formed during the earliest phases of subduction. Volcanic rocks recovered from the forearc include boninites and arc tholeiites, apparently erupted into and upon older mid-oceanic ridge tholeiites. Rock assemblages suggest that the forearc basement is a likely analog...
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's (ODFW) Ecological Analysis
Center (EAC) is in the process of creating, from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM)
imagery, a vegetation map of Oregon that will meet the latest standards set by the
National Gap Analysis Program. Since field verification is often expensive and by...
Sequential aerial photography was used to identify effects of hiking trails
on the spatial distribution of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) habitat at alpine treeline.
Vegetation change over a 46 year period was compared along trails relative to areas
without trails, at five study sites in the McDonald Creek drainage of...
The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is rapidly expanding in almost every field of inquiry. The field of Archaeology is also learning to use GIS to improve both initial data collection in the field and data analysis in the lab. This paper evaluates the usefulness of the GIS software...
Stratigraphic measurement of the 1,238-rn thick Cowlitz Formation in the
southwest Washington type section along Olequa and Stillwater creeks reveals complex
facies succession of wave- to tide-dominated deltaic sequences. The underlying, 625-rn
thick upper member of the McIntosh Formation (as mapped by Wells, 1981) is composed
of two units: a...
Benton County established the Jackson-Frazier Wetland as a park in 1992.
My project was undertaken to assist Benton County Parks in managing the wetland. The
project contains two elements: a GIS and a vegetation change analysis from 1936 to 1994.
GIS coverages created in ARC/INFO were: 1) the course of...
A new era for partnerships between the US land grant university community and the US Agency for International Development began when Title XII legislation was enacted by the US Congress in 1975. Collaborative Research Support Programs emerged as an institutional innovation for the Agency and participating universities. This study uses...
The Whittier fault forms the central part of a fault system extending
from the East Montebello fault at Whittier Narrows to the Elsinore fault,
which is traced as far as the Mexican border. The Whittier fault forms a
restraining bend in this fault system, resulting in uplift of the Puente...
Because of declines in salmon populations in recent years, the health of salmon habitat, in particular, is the focus of many resource agencies. The objective of this study is to use GIS to predict the location of suitable habitat. With data from an extensive set of stream surveys, GIS was...
Modern environmental monitoring and modeling requires a good global
grid system for survey sampling and accurate, spatially complete data
collection of relevant environmental phenomena. A prime requirement for the
global grid system is that the global sampling grids be regular and equal in area
and have minimal shape distortion. None...
Pre-flood (1995), and post-flood (1996) channel stability surveys were conducted on 22 reaches along Oak Creek, Benton County, Oregon in an effort to note if the flood of February 1996 altered the channel and if the channel stability survey that was being used accurately predicted the channels resistance to change...
A Geographic Information System (GIS) can be a powerful tool for solving land use planning
problems. The synthesis, analysis, and depiction of spatial data make it a valuable tool for land use
planners. A primary issue with GIS is the cost and time required to develop a functional system.
One...
Streamflow variability can provide valuable information for nonpoint source
pollution monitoring program planning. The research papers presented in this thesis
examine selected properties of streamflow variability in Oregon to advance its application
in regional planning of water quality monitoring programs. The products of this research
depict Oregon streams by their...
The effect of scale is an important concern in mapping of biodiversity. Scale issues include the grid cell size used for analysis and the effect of the extent and internal boundaries. Because biodiversity analysis involves combinatorial processes, determining the proper scale is data dependent and cannot be predicted from the...
The U.S. Forest Service has been actively using new information
technologies since the formation of the agency. Currently forests are using
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping, data storage, modeling,
and spatial analysis. The Siuslaw National Forest has an active GIS with many
data layers. A project to correct the...
Biodiversity has become an important focus of ecological and wildlife research.
However, the social aspects of biodiversity policy and regulations, specifically the public's
perspectives and values about biodiversity, have not been adequately considered. This study
examines the range of opinion about biodiversity of six groups that are potentially affected by...
The main theme of this research is the application of geographic techniques in a study involving environmental monitoring and analysis of the associations between landscape and in-stream characteristics in the Pacific Northwest. The geographic techniques used in this study include (1) geographic information systems (GIS) coupled with statistical analysis and...
The Klamath Basin of Oregon and California has been the scene of extensive ecosystem restoration activities in recent years. The need for restoration is based on changes in land use that have adversely affected water quality and wildlife habitat. Many different kinds of restoration projects are occurring at many different...
Few landscapes are immune to invasion by exotic plant species. The forested landscape in the western Cascade Range of Oregon appears to have some barriers to invasion, but the extensive road network provides a corridor and habitat for a suite of exotic species to enter and become established. This study...
Fire history and fire regime were interpreted from tree ring analysis of 4320 stumps at 178 sites in a 25 by 55 km area in the central Oregon Coast Range. A total of 27 fire episodes were identified in a 516 year period, with sizes estimated at 18 to 544...
This study addressed the effects of hilislope and fiuvial processes on spatial
patterns of stream bed particle size at the watershed, reach and within-reach scales.
The study was conducted in Lookout Creek watershed, a fifth-order, 64 km2 basin in
the Western Cascades mountains of Oregon. Stream bed particle size was...
This multidisciplinary study integrates remote sensing, stratigraphy, siliciclastic and carbonate sedimentology, tectonics, and petrography of the Nisai, Khojak and Sharankar Formations to reveal the Paleogene depositional, diagenetic and deformational history of the Katawaz Basin.
Study of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) digital data shows that maximum discrimination of different rocks is...
Hydroacoustic tertiary (T-) waves are seismically generated acoustic waves that propagate
over great distances in the ocean sound channel with little loss in signal strength.
Hydrophone recorded T-waves can provide a lower earthquake detection threshold and an
improved epicenter location accuracy for oceanic earthquakes than land-based seismic
networks. Thus detection...
The Mosquitia Region of Honduras is part of the largest wilderness area in Central
America. In terms of biodiversity the area is rich in ecosystems including pine savannas,
tropical rain forests, and wetlands. These ecosystems are rich in millions of species
including rare and endangered. Honduras faces an economic, social,...
The Queen Charlotte Fault system is a segment of the North America - Pacific
plate boundary. From 45 Ma - 5 Ma, plate motion has been primarily translational.
Since 5 Ma, transpression has been the dominant mode of interaction. The plate
boundary west of the Queen Charlotte Islands is characterized...
Although there has been extensive research on the geomorphic and ecologic role of
large woody debris (LWD) in streams, the dynamics of LWD in streams are poorly
known due to various measurement difficulties during floods. In this thesis I present the
results of two flume experiments on the dynamics of...
This dissertation details an experiment designed to identify gender differences in learning using three experimental treatments: animation, static graphics, and verbal instruction alone. Three learning presentations were used in testing of 332 university students. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA, binomial tests for differences of proportion, and descriptive statistics. Results...
The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and test methods for
quantifying the relative proportion of hardwood and conifer cover from Thematic Mapper
(TM) imagery. The research was focused on closed canopy forests in the Oregon Coast
Range, where hardwood, conifer, and mixed stand conditions are prevalent. Based...
The purpose of this project, therefore, is to develop a GIS for a small
geographical area that is currently of high priority to the GLT. The development of this GIS will be documented in a sequential fashion, so that it may serve as a
framework for future endeavors. This paper...
The World Wide Web is a promising new media for cartography. It allows the creation of interactive maps that can be accessed by the general public. There is a wide variety both in methods used and in the overall quality of current Web sites. This report reviews the state of...
Since 1979, over $114 million of natural gas has been produced at the Mist Gas Field, currently the only commercial gas field in the Pacific Northwest. In the Mist Gas Field, the sandstone-dominated Clark and Wilson member of the upper Eocene Cowlitz
Formation is the reservoir and the overlying upper...
Training high school students to conduct field mapping and data
collection of wildlife habitat on public lands produces important data for
local government geographic information systems and introduces students
to the field of geography. However, the positional accuracy of the spatial
data is important for use in a GIS, as...
Animated cartography is still a new field. It has been experimented with for years, but it
has not gained general usage except partially in use by the news media. Nevertheless, certain
subjects cry out for displaying the patterns of movement over time, such as historical patterns of
migration and settlement,...
The Central Western Cascades and southeast Zaire were selected to test the distance decay and deforestation models on forest environments. Distance gradients included away from cities, and away from highways/roads. Two forest definitions were used in each study site. The "extended-forest" definition included areas with at least 30 percent canopy...
River regulation imposes changes in the supply of sediment and the frequency of competent flows. As a result, impounded rivers often exhibit downstream changes in channel processes, particle size, and morphology. The magnitude of change in competent flow frequency and sediment load together can be used to predict the pattern...
Stream management and design recommendations related to the Salmon Habitat Recovery Program in the Pacific Northwest require area specific information concerning appropriate methods of stream classification, bankfull discharge recurrence intervals, and hydraulic geometry relationships. New region specific information, based on field measurements, is presented here. The Rosgen Classification of Natural...
A slope stability map is created for the Astoria Basin, northwestern Oregon. The stability analysis is based upon a topographically based model, TOPOG model. The model predicts the occurrence of subsurface water-logging which reduces the shear-strength of a slope-profile. Simply stated, subsurface saturated zones occur wherever the local drainage flux...
Magnetic and gravity modelling was completed along two E-W transects offshore central Oregon. These models indicate that the backstop-forming western edge of the Siletz terrane has a seaward dip of approximately 40° to 49° at 44°48'N, shallowing to ~28° at 44°1 1 'N. This is a well-determined result, given available...
The John Day Reservoir, a large reservoir between the John Day and the McNary Dams on the Columbia River, must be lowered several feet below design level during salmon migration season in order to preserve anadromous fish habitat. This research assessed the north shore of the John Day Reservoir for...
The Greenbelt Land Trust (GLT) (a grass-roots conservation group in
Oregon) is interested in a conservation plan for the Marys River Corridor. To
facilitate this effort, a resource inventory was required and a Geographic
Information System (GIS) data base used to compile the inventory (called the
Marys River Project (MRP))....
Legislated wilderness, first created in the United States with the Wilderness
Act of 1964, is being more widely established internationally. The Mavuradonha Wilderness
Area in Zimbabwe is the first wilderness set up to be managed by the local community.
Because of the importance of both conservation and rural development goals...
Field Automation is an evolving set of geographic information system
(GIS) technologies, including mobile computing and the global positioning system,
addressing operational and environmental applications in the field. This research
involves designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating an environmental and
facility application field automated GIS. The Camp Rilea National Guard base,...
Native freshwater fish biodiversily is imperiled in Oregon with 36 species
or sub-species listed by the State of Oregon as sensitive, threatened, or endangered, and
9 species or sub-species listed as endangered or threatened under the federal
Endangered Species Act. Understanding and managing biodiversity is critical to its
conservation. Using...
This thesis presents elastic finite difference simulations of two dimensional wavefield propagation for line-9, recorded during the 1993 part of the multi-institutional, multi-year Mendocino Triple Junction (MTJ) Seismic Experiment. Line-9 is a high-resolution, large-aperture seismic profile oriented in north-south direction, extending from the subduction regime north of the MTJ to...
Coastal wetlands provide basic linkages between productive estuarine and freshwater ecosystems. Throughout the Mexican coast, rates of wetland loss and change are unknown. This project developed wetland inventories for 1973 and 1991, including ecological functions and values, and human activities in and around the wetlands. Data was integrated by use...
Surface-geology, oil-well, seismic-reflection, and magnetostratigraphic data are
integrated to evaluate structural style and shortening rate at the Himalayan front (Sub-Himalaya) of northwest India. The Sub-Himalaya, between the Main Boundary thrust
and the Himalayan Frontal fault, is the actively deforming front of the Himalaya. At
certain locations, the Himalayan Frontal fault...
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) is developing a nationally standardized database on landcover and habitat change in the coastal regions of the United States. The Willapa Bay eelgrass mapping project was granted to the Columbia River Estuary Study Task force (CREST) of Astoria,...
The main objective of the study was to identify potential groundwater problem areas in Western Marion County using a geographic information system (GIS) and the Oregon Water Resources Department's (OWRD's) well log database (see figure 1). Potential groundwater problem areas were identified based on their mean static water level. According...
Gathering empirical data on the factors and processes affecting bedload transport
in the field is difficult. This project conducted during the winter of 1996 field tested a new
passive method of positively tracking individual particle movement. The project was
conducted in Oak Creek, a gravel bedded stream, located in Corvallis,...
Lower and Middle Devonian strata crop out on the former
stable carbonate platform that existed in the Quinn Canyon Range,
through the carbonate shelf edge in the Pancake Range, to the
carbonate slope and outer-shelf basin in the Reveille Range.
The strata of the Reveille Range record a transition from...
Throughout the 20th century, windthrow has affected forests in the Bull Run watershed, a 26,500 ha basin that is the principal water source for the city of Portland, Oregon. Windthrow from storms in 1973 and 1983 was mapped into a geographic information system (GIS) and compared to a 1931 windthrow...
The northwest-trending Neogene Tualatin basin in northwestern Oregon is a pull-apart
basin with approximately 750 m of post-middle Miocene structural relief. Gently
tilted uplands capped by Columbia River Basalt Group surround the synclinal basin on all
sides. Integrated gravity, aeromagnetic, and seismic reflection data indicated that the
basin is underlain...
This thesis analyzes active geologic structures in densely populated areas in Japan and southern California based on geological, geophysical, and paleoseismological observations. Chapter 2 discusses segmentation and paleoseismology of the Median Tectonic Line, Japan. We identified 12 geometric segments along the Median Tectonic Line separated by discontinuities such as en...
The general objective of this project was to test a method to document
rates and pathways of early succession and investigate potential predictive
factors on a landscape to regional scale. The method incorporates remote
sensing, vector Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and raster GIS
modeling. Similar projects have been conducted elsewhere...
The practice of river and stream restoration has
increased with heightened environmental concerns and
awareness. Many of these projects use structural
modifications in an attempt to mimic natural landscapes.
These structural modifications represent an active approach
to river and stream restoration. Active restoration
projects are well funded and extensively constructed....
The present day vegetation pattern of the Willamette Valley is a result of a long past of human alteration of the landscape. Beginning with aboriginal burning of the grasslands to present day land uses, the vegetation of the valley has been affected by anthropogenic activity. Wet prairie is a vanishing...
Models that assess the risk to biodiversity from landscape change can help
communities prioritize planning decisions. Accurate representation of the ecology and
life history traits of species is necessary. This study introduces the use of habitat
quality in a biodiversity risk model to determine the significance of habitat quality when...
A survey was developed for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to collect information about non-regulatory fish and wildlife habitat programs in nine states (Alaska, California, Florida, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Pennsylvania, Texas and Vermont). Non-regulatory programs are voluntary and offer incentives to landowners who are interested in protecting or...
Research Questions:
1) What are the characteristics of storm location and
frequency that distinguish interannual forcing events, (ENSO
periods) for the northwest Pacific Coast?
2) Are there differences in the spatial and temporal
characteristics of storm events, (location and frequency),
between interannual forcing periods and annual average
periods?
3) Are...
Outdoor recreational activities on public lands have increased dramatically in the past few
decades. Americans are logging millions of recreational visitor days (RVD's) participating in
activities such as hiking, biking, wildlife viewing, photography and many others. This increased
participation though is having detrimental effects on these lands and the agencies...
Riparian areas contribute to numerous ecological-maintenance functions and so are
often the focus of protection efforts by land and resource management agencies. The riparian
land-use regulations of one jurisdiction, Lane County, Oregon, are assessed for effectiveness in
protecting ecological functions. Evaluation of the current condition of five elements of riparian...
The use of phenoxy herbicides is an established practice in industrial forestry,
particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Forestry herbicide use in this region has often been
controversial. To better understand the spatial patterns of herbicide use and the potential for
human health and environmental impacts, a landscape level perspective is...