Geography & Atmospheric Science Dissertations and Theseshttps://hdl.handle.net/1808/141272024-03-29T06:56:08Z2024-03-29T06:56:08ZThe Geographies of Non-Lethal Weapons: Transformative Technologies and Political ViolenceHenkin, Samuelhttps://hdl.handle.net/1808/315042021-03-05T16:53:01Z2019-12-31T00:00:00ZThe Geographies of Non-Lethal Weapons: Transformative Technologies and Political Violence
Henkin, Samuel
Non-lethal weapons, like police batons, rubber bullets and tear gas, are increasingly deployed in interventions against a rising number of bodies in contested spaces. They are formed through notions of (in)security and an ethos of the use of force that makes such interventions appear to be ethical and humane. Yet, what is considered ethical or humane about weapons that are used with possible violent and injurious effects is bound to security discourses and practices in an interlocking globalized police-military-network. Transformations in security techniques and technologies engenders a subtle, yet vastly nefarious, “mission creep” where technologies of war are depoliticized as a sensationalization of (in)security drives a robust use of force continuum weaponizing the politics of non-lethality. Shifting articulations and practices of non-lethality in security underpins the increasing militarization and colonization of everyday life by security logics and norms broadening the social utility of disciplinary power. Geographic literature on the logics of security is vigorous, but less attention has been paid to the politics of non-lethality and its operation within contested spaces, contentious politics, and exercises of state disciplinary power. Acknowledgement and better understanding that non-lethality operates at different socio-spatial scales from orbital space right down to the individual body is crucial. Investigating non-lethal state interventionary power recognizes the reinvention of citizens as subjects, as potential sites of political violence and domination in contested spaces. Non-lethal weapons have transformative effects on spaces of governance within the growing international security environment as well as on bodies and the use of force. This project confronts wider programs of state security regarding the use of force, programs that connect violence to order, coercion to lethality and military power to civilian spaces.
2019-12-31T00:00:00ZTracking hydrologic response of tile outlet terraces in agricultural systems to storm eventsStops, Marvin Weshttps://hdl.handle.net/1808/314962021-03-05T16:54:48Z2019-12-31T00:00:00ZTracking hydrologic response of tile outlet terraces in agricultural systems to storm events
Stops, Marvin Wes
Title outlet terrace (TOT) systems have been employed for the last century as a best management practice (BMP) to control surface runoff and associated erosion in agricultural fields. By altering the topography (artificial subsurface drainage and terraces), the hydrology of the landscape is also altered which affects the transformation, transport, and fate of applied fertilizer (nitrogen and phosphorus compounds) and their effect on other solute behavior. The study of storm events in agricultural fields is useful in identifying mechanisms of nutrient transport and transformation during runoff events under varying antecedent soil moisture conditions (pre-event) and varying growing conditions. Here we aim to track the hydrologic response of agroecosystems to storm events in TOTs to elucidate the relationship between hydrology and fertilizer use on chemical weathering fluxes by: 1) separating runoff into matrix, intermediate, and conduit flow using karst hydrology analytical methods; and, 2) pairing these results with measurements of water chemistry to identify mechanisms of nutrient transport and transformation. We focus on TOT’s with constructed wetlands in the Upper Wakarusa watershed to characterize the water flux of storm events in agricultural fields. Stormwater samples were collected directly from tiles coming off three of these TOT agricultural fields and the receiving wetlands constructed to reduce nutrient runoff. Soil water samples were also collected from nested suction-cup lysimeters that are installed at 30, 60, and 90 cm at the ridge top and depression couplet of one terrace at each field site to quantify spatial variability in nutrient concentrations. All water samples were analyzed for total and dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus, total suspended solids, alkalinity, anions and cations. Storm resolved samples (every 30 mins during flow events) from tile outlets (influent storm water) and wetland outlets (effluent wetland water) were collected using automated water samplers. The digital recursive filter approach was used to separate quickflow and baseflow, as exponential fitting and master recession curves approaches failed to partition hydrographs into their components as the discharge did not behave linearly in log-space. Here the proportion of baseflow increased with the amount of incoming precipitation the week prior to the event. Mixing models derived from measured solutes show that Harvest Hills Middle (HHM, the smallest site) was closest to the atmospheric signature while Cain and Harvest Hills North (HHN) had signatures closer to nested lysimeters. This study suggests that higher tile densities led to lower hydrologic flashiness but greater chemodyanmic behavior, specifically addition behavior, and greater weathering fluxes. This was a surprising result as more chemostatic behavior (i.e., invariant solute concentrations with large variations in discharge) was expected. These results demonstrate that there is likely an interactive effect between tile densities and terraces that may lead to non-linear behavior in solute generation and transport compared to just the effect of tiling alone.
2019-12-31T00:00:00ZUsing Numerical Simulations to Assess Urban Heat Island Mitigation by Converting Vacant Areas into Green SpacesCady, Timothy Johnhttps://hdl.handle.net/1808/314822024-01-16T16:44:30Z2019-12-31T00:00:00ZUsing Numerical Simulations to Assess Urban Heat Island Mitigation by Converting Vacant Areas into Green Spaces
Cady, Timothy John
Impervious surfaces and buildings in the urban environment alter the radiative balance and energy exchange in the boundary layer, increasing sensible heat flux and decreasing latent heat flux near the surface. This typically results in a positive temperature anomaly known as the urban heat island (UHI). The UHI has been attributed to increases in heat related-illness and mortality. Continued urbanization and anthropogenic warming will enhance the magnitude of UHIs worldwide in the coming decades, raising the need for viable mitigation strategies. Observational studies indicate that green spaces within urban areas can reduce local surface temperature by increasing evaporative cooling and latent heat flux, suggesting that implementing such spaces on a widespread scale may be a viable option to lessen the impacts of the UHI. This work explores the potential impact on the UHI if existing vacant lots are converted to green spaces. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was used to simulate the Kansas City, MO region with an inner domain grid spacing of 300 m that allows for block-level analysis. Within WRF, the Single Layer Urban Canopy Model (SLUCM) accounts for the combined radiative effects of natural land cover, vegetation, impervious cover, and building surfaces. Three simulations of summertime heat wave events between 2011 and 2013 are investigated, and model output was validated with surface observations. Using vacant property data and identifying places with a high fraction of impervious surfaces, the most suitable "focus area" for converting vacant lots to green spaces was determined. WRF geographic datasets were modified to simulate varying degrees of realistic conversion of urban to green spaces in these areas. The three control cases under each greening strategy were repeated with the modified geographic datasets, and the local cooling effect using each strategy was compared to each initial control run. Results show that under more aggressive greening strategies, a mean local cooling impact of 0.5 to 1.0 ◦C was present within the focus area itself during the nighttime hours following the development of the stable nocturnal boundary layer. Furthermore, additional cooling via the "park cool island" is of up to 1.0 ◦C possible up to 1 km downwind of the implemented green spaces. Quantifying the thermal impact of converting vacant lots with impervious surfaces to green spaces is an additional factor that can be taken into consideration by policy makers when considering the abatement of the UHI. It is hoped that the focus of this study will serve as guidance to both planners and atmospheric scientists alike as part of the effort to promote future sustainable cities.
2019-12-31T00:00:00ZTracking Multidecadal Lake Water Dynamics with Landsat Imagery and Topography/BathymetryWeekley, DavidLi, Xingonghttps://hdl.handle.net/1808/314762021-02-25T09:01:13Z2019-10-10T00:00:00ZTracking Multidecadal Lake Water Dynamics with Landsat Imagery and Topography/Bathymetry
Weekley, David; Li, Xingong
Water resource management is of critical importance due to its close relationship with nearly every industry, field, and lifeform on this planet. The success of future water management will rely upon having detailed data of current and historic water dynamics. This research leverages Google Earth Engine and uses Landsat 5 imagery in conjunction with bathymetry and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission digital elevation model data to analyze long‐term lake dynamics (water surface elevation, surface area, volume, volume change, and frequency) for Lake McConaughy in Nebraska, USA. Water surface elevation was estimated by extracting elevation values from underlying bathymetry and digital elevations models using 5,994 different combinations of water indices, water boundaries, and statistics for 100 time periods spanning 1985–2009. Surface elevation calculations were as accurate as 0.768 m root mean square error (CI95% [0.657, 0.885]). Water volume change calculations found a maximum change of 1.568 km3 and a minimum total volume of only 23.97% of the maximum reservoir volume. Seasonal and long‐term trends were identified, which have major affects regarding regional agriculture, local recreation, and lake water quality. This research fills an existing gap in optical remote sensing‐based monitoring of lakes and reservoirs, is more robust and outperforms other commonly used monitoring techniques, increases the number of water bodies available for long‐term studies, introduces a scalable framework deployable within Google Earth Engine, and enables data collection of both gauged and ungauged water bodies, which will substantially increase our knowledge and understanding of these critical ecosystems.
An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright 2019 American Geophysical Union.
2019-10-10T00:00:00Z