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Approximation of ice phenology of Maine lakes using Aqua MODIS surface temperature data
Full text linkStudies of lake ice phenology have historically relied on limited in situ data. Relatively few observations exist for ice out and fewer still for ice in, both of which are necessary to determine the temporal extent of ice cover. Satellite data provide an opportunity to better document patterns of ice phenology across landscapes and relate them to the climatological drivers behind changing ice phenology. We developed a model, the Cumulative Sum Method (CSM), that uses daytime and nighttime surface temperature observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on board the Earth-observing Aqua satellite to approximate ice in (the onset of ice cover) and ice out from training datasets of 13 and 58 Maine lakes, respectively, during the 2002/2003 through 2017/2018 ice seasons. Ice in was signaled by reaching a threshold of cumulative negative degrees following the first day of the season below 0°C. Ice out was signaled by reaching a threshold of cumulative positive degrees following the first day of the year above 0°C. The comparison of observed and remotely sensed ice-in dates showed relative agreement with a correlation coefficient of 0.71 and a mean absolute error (MAE) of 9.8 days. Ice-out approximations had a correlation coefficient of 0.67 and an MAE of 8.8 days. Lakes smaller in surface area and nearer the Atlantic coast had the greatest error in approximation. Application of the CSM to 20 additional lakes in Maine produced a comparable ice-out MAE of 8.9 days. Ice-out model performance was weaker for the warmest years; there was a larger MAE of 12.0 days when the model was applied to the years 2019–2023 for the original 58 lakes. The development of this model, which utilizes daily satellite data, demonstrates the promise of remote sensing for quantifying ice phenology over short, temporal scales, and wider geographic regions than can be observed in situ, and allows exploration of the influence of surface temperature patterns on the process and timing of ice in and ice out
White NIMBYism and diversity close to home
No full textObjective: We use a survey experiment to study what explains white “not in my backyard” opposition (NIMBYism) to dense and affordable housing—racial threat, material self-interest, or both. Methods: In a survey experiment on white U.S. respondents, we vary the presence of a racial prime about black and Latinx community organizations and the proximity of the housing development to the subject\u27s home. We then measure levels of support for a proposed hypothetical housing development, willingness to take political action in support of or opposition to the development, and support for a number of housing-related and redistributive policies. Results: We find that a racial threat, a material self-interest threat, and a combined racial and material self-interest threat decrease support for a proposed housing development. These effects are moderated by racial resentment, ideology, and partisanship such that the effects of the treatments are primarily driven by Republicans, conservatives, and the highly racially resentful. These groups are more threatened than others by either Latinx and black people moving in, the development being in their own neighborhood, or both. Conclusion: These findings indicate that racial and material perceived threats play important and interlocking roles in white Americans’ resistance to multifamily housing being built. In a context where local political institutions empower an unrepresentative group of disproportionately white, economically privileged neighbors to mount opposition to dense housing, it is important to understand how white opposition to new dense housing is shaped by racial and financial concerns
A Health Assessment of Elkhorn Coral (Acropora palmata) Colonies in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
No full textCoral reefs, vital marine ecosystems, face unprecedented threats from anthropogenic activities and environmental stressors. Understanding the health dynamics of key reef-building organisms like Acropora palmata is crucial for effective conservation. This study assesses A. palmata populations in the Bocas archipelago, Panama, examining tissue abundances, colony structure, and species diversity across twelve sites to get a general understanding of the health of this species in this area. Variations in tissue abundances and colony structure between sites were found, highlighting localized impacts of environmental stressors. Factors such as depth and proximity to human development influence health status. Additionally, the presence of A. palmata correlates with reduced diversity and abundance of other hard coralline species. This study emphasizes the need for targeted conservation efforts to safeguard A. palmata populations and coral reef ecosystems in the Bocas archipelago. Understanding health dynamics and ecological interactions provides insights for informing conservation strategies and promoting resilience in the face of environmental challenges
The Nature of a Quartz Pebble Conglomerate Unit as Understood through Large-Scale Mapping and Thin Section Analysis
Full text linkThe Shelburne, New Hampshire 7.5’ quadrangle contains a relatively narrow but distinct quartz pebble conglomerate unit (Srqpc). This unit is located on the western face of Mt. Carlo and is constrained by numerous varying rock units including interbedded gray schist quartzite, granitic pegmatite, micaceous quartzite, biotite granofels, and two mica granite. Conglomerate rocks have complex formations because they contain both clasts and a matrix of two different ages and origins. This Srqpc unit has never been studied in thin sections. Moreover, the analysis of the composition of its clasts and matrix at a microscopic level provides valuable insights into its formational relationship with the surrounding interbedded units and original tectonic deposition. Through large-scale mapping of this area and thin section analysis of numerous rock sites, this study provides new interpretations of the unique marine sedimentary processes required to create a medium grained metasedimentary rock with quartz pebble inclusions. It also sheds light on its constraining relationship to the surrounding interbedded units and the tectonic history of the greater Mahoosuc Range.
Although its existence and location were first documented in 1975, this unit has never actually been published in a bedrock map because of its narrow shape and the scale at which those areas were mapped. This study aims to further detail the description of this unit and map its existence onto a 1:500 large-scale map. The large-scale detailed bedrock map comprehensively represents the complicated bedrock variation of the study area and is accompanied by an exposed bedrock outcrop map. Together, these maps give non-mappers a glimpse into the nature and methodology of bedrock mapping by showing what the physical features were and by providing surficial geologic data. Together, the maps of this study improve upon traditional mapping techniques by representing and communicating complex spatial information in a meaningful and accessible manner. Additionally, the large-scale bedrock maps of this study lend insights into the orogeny and formation of this unit, something small-scale maps do not have the resolution to provide
Use of high-frequency data to determine in-lake response to major tributary inputs under extreme storm events at Lake Auburn, Maine
No full textExtreme precipitation events are becoming more frequent in Maine as a result of climate change, and these events may be responsible for a large proportion of the total annual nutrient and sediment load to lakes. Identifying and quantifying these inputs is important for those managing lakes to preserve water quality, particularly lakes used for drinking water. However, routine manual sampling typically occurs in good-weather conditions and fails to quantify these events. To build a more detailed understanding of the impact of these events on Lake Auburn, the unfiltered drinking water supply for Lewiston and Auburn, Maine, we use in situ, high-frequency data to complement manual samples collected through a routine monitoring program. High-frequency data show changes in temperature, oxygen, conductivity, and water level over the course of precipitation events, revealing that the largest tributary to the lake (Basin Stream), has a larger impact on in-lake conductivity values than the second-largest (Townsend Brook). In addition to having substantial material influx from Basin Brook, the northwest arm of the lake is shallow and sheltered from the wider lake, so inputs from the watershed are hypothesized to have a large impact on productivity. The diurnal differences in dissolved oxygen were larger here than near the inlet of Townsend Brook, suggesting that this part of the lake had both more photosynthesis occurring during the day and more respiration and decomposition overnight. Lake transparency was inversely correlated with chlorophyll a, illustrating more broadly that biological activity is influencing lake transparency, and both these factors changed following large external inputs from precipitation events following a dry period in 2022. However, this relationship between precipitation and water transparency was only discernable with higher frequency data across the course of the year, as there was no relationship between total annual precipitation and in-lake transparency over the years between 2014 and 2023. While water transparency decreased rapidly in 2022 following a large storm that occurred following regional drought, in 2023, spring and early summer water clarity was worse, which was similarly attributed to material suspended from winter and spring precipitation events. The additional understanding of both spatial and temporal heterogeneity in inputs and in-lake responses that the high-frequency data provide underscores their importance as compliments to traditional monitoring programs
Beyond the Game: Assessing the IMPACT of a Collegiate Sports Mentorship Program on Psychosocial Development in Children With Disabilities and Serious Illnesses
Full text linkMentorship relationships may be particularly beneficial for children with disabilities and serious illnesses in building their positive youth development and self-determination. The present mixed-methods study aimed to explore the characteristics of mentorship matches between children with disabilities and serious illnesses and collegiate sports teams that fostered psychosocial development among child participants. The study focused on program evaluation surveys (N = 169) completed by the parents of participants in the Team IMPACT organization at one to two time points between August 2022 and October 2023. Across all participating children, (Mage = 12.25, SD = 2.97) at Time 1, 36% were female and at Time 2, 42% were female. Participants had a wide range of diagnoses. Using thematic qualitative analysis of the open-ended survey responses and anecdotal data from a parent focus group, I identified a three-phase process of empowerment by the mentoring sports team as a precursor for growth in a range of support factors, internal assets, and social skills that supported participants’ positive youth development and self-determination. I also identified challenges (e.g., logistical obstacles, difficulties connecting in a meaningful way with the team) associated with program participation that may have influenced the development of the aforementioned elements (i.e. internal assets, social skills, positive emotions). Exploratory follow-up quantitative analyses were conducted, but the results were inconclusive. Findings allow Team IMPACT and youth mentoring programs to more broadly understand the developmental outcomes and implications of mentorship matches, and to consider future longitudinal qualitative and quantitative analyses
Organically Grown: The Sprouting Eco-Kashrut Movement
Full text linkFood-related practices embodying foundational Jewish values/commandments (mitzvot) such as bal tashchit (not ruining the earth), shmitah (the rhythms of allowing the earth to rest), tzar’ar ba’alei chai’im (respect for animals), kavod habriot (respect for all living beings), sh’mirat haguf (protection of one’s own body), and tikkun olam (repairing the world) are becoming widespread among environmentally concerned Jews, both on the individual and community level. The umbrella term “eco-kashrut,” coined in 1979 by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi – an Orthodox Rabbi and founder of the Jewish Renewal movement – is one way of referring to this collection of deeply Jewish theories and practices as applied to food production and eating. This thesis draws on a variety of data - including scholarly and popular articles, organizational websites, and one-on-one interviews with practitioners and experts - in order to demonstrate that “eco-kashrut” is a collection of sacred food practices that grows organically out of Jewish tradition and is fueled by deep commitments to living a Jewish life that honors our world
Probability Assignments Under Deep Uncertainty
Full text linkWe assign probabilities to represent our epistemic states about future events. We do this for tomorrow’s weather prediction and timelines of Superintelligent A.I. systems. We may hold the same probability assignment for different events, but yet something feels different about these probabilities. The second case is oftentimes labeled as a case of deep uncertainty. This paper will offer an epistemic account of deep uncertainty with an appeal to higher-order uncertainty. It aims to be theoretical rather than prescriptive. I first defend the Higher-Order Uncertainty Thesis (HOU): S has deep uncertainty towards P(A)=q, S’s probability assignment q for some proposition A, iff S has not responsibly integrated higher-order uncertainty q*, which is below some threshold some threshold q**, towards our probability assignment. I then defend two thesis about the upshots of my argument: Belief Thesis: If we have deep uncertainty towards P(A)=q, then we should not believe that q represents the rational probability of A given higher-order uncertainty. Assertion Thesis: If we have deep uncertainty towards P(A)=q, then we should not assert P(A)=q
The Makings of a Racial Vanguard : Black American Transnational Engagement 1848 – 1922
Full text linkDespite the seemingly evident nature of the connection between Black Americans and Africans, their relationship developed from radically different contexts. Centuries of virulent, systemic racism soldered the Black diaspora living in the Americas into a structural link to a continent they knew little about. Through a complex interplay between marginalization and membership to Western society, the Black Diaspora asserted their agency in growing transnational intellectual networks. My thesis explores the disconnections between African and the Black diaspora, two groups whose kinship is rarely questioned. I build upon the rich scholarship on transnational relationships and Black American diasporic studies. Using a comparative approach to my research, I analytically assemble secondary and primary sources uncovering trends underpinning this relationship. Doing so, traces the construction of this transnational African connection to the emergence of assertive class black intellectuals in the Americas in the second half of the nineteenth century. The Western intellectual tradition to which they belong instructs the ways they constructed, perceived and engaged with their claimed ancestral continent. The emergence of the biblically inspired Ethiopianist movement sets the basis for a transatlantic alliance between Black Americans and Africans carrying with it Euro-American legacies. This fed later iterations of transnational engagement reacting to shifting cultural and political landscapes. I explore the dialogues underpinning Black diasporic engagement with African and their effects on African American status in the Western ideological and cultural spheres
Political Polarization and the Dynamics between Actual Income and Perceived Income Inequality in the United States, 1987 to 2021
Full text linkThe rich often perceive lower levels of inequality than the poor. In recent decades, however, notions regarding the equality or inequality of our society have progressively taken on a more political nature. Consequently, people’s perceptions of income inequality may be less associated with their actual income status and more with their political ideology. The authors visualize this “political turn” using data from the U.S. General Social Survey (1987–2021). The analysis shows that historically actual income and perceived inequality had an inverse relationship, independent of political alignment. Yet since 2000, this has changed: whereas Republicans show a deepening inverse correlation after some attenuation in prior years, Democrats reverse it. With this said, we see an increase in overall concern about inequality among those who identify strongly with either Democratic or Republican ideologies, but importantly the biggest increase is among those in the Democratic group. This invites reflections on the nature of the “political turn.