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Spatial and temporal analysis of the Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE) intersections
No full textThe Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE) will use two 6U CubeSats to continuously measure spectral far-infrared (FIR) emissions for the first time in the modern satellite era. By strategically operating two CubeSats in separate sun-synchronous orbits, PREFIRE will achieve frequent orbit resampling, or intersections, that afford insights into the underlying polar processes that modulate FIR emissions. These orbit intersections are integral to PREFIRE science and will likely feature prominently in future CubeSat missions, motivating methods to characterize resampling distributions. Accordingly, this thesis develops new methods to locate orbit intersections and extract co-located pixels between crossovers. Such methods are then applied to simulated PREFIRE orbits to characterize the spatial and temporal distribution of hypothetical PREFIRE intersections and identify a subset with minimal revisit times that can be used for inter-calibration during the mission. This analysis confirms that hundreds of PREFIRE intersections are anticipated each day, with the majority (>75%) occurring poleward of 66.5° latitude. Notably, the addition of a second CubeSat nearly quadruples the number of sub-daily polar intersections. Spatial and temporal resampling coverage is clearly enhanced when more than one CubeSat is enlisted, securing greater latitudinal representation and more diverse time differences between crossovers compared to a scenario in which only a single CubeSat is deployed. Additionally, when two CubeSats are placed at different altitudes, we find that their intersections exhibit time-varying, cyclic coverage. This orbit configuration further yields simulated intersections between latitudes 72° and 78° with time differences sufficiently short for inter-calibration. Finally, we consider three conceptual cases that indicate PREFIRE intersections will be valuable for capturing processes like sea ice melt and high-latitude cloud cover change as well as for inter-calibrating the PREFIRE sensors
“LAND AS A COMMUNITY TO WHICH WE BELONG:” NATURE, INTEGRALISM, AND FINDING COMMON GROUND IN THE EASTERN SIERRA
No full textWhat makes it possible for people from vastly different political, racial, and economic orientations to find common ground on environmental issues? This ethnographic case study of the Eastern Sierra Nevada, a rural California community, examines how ranchers, environmentalists, climbers, and Indigenous peoples relate to nature and collaborate on the local socio-ecological challenges they collectively face. The basis for this collaboration is in a shared integralism, a perspective which understands humans as integral to land, with both a need to impact it and a simultaneous need to care for it. Integralism arises out of these communities’ relationship of mutual care with their environment, care which itself is a product of dual dependence on nature as a source of both everyday livelihoods but also identity and meaning. The sum of this relationship to the land is an understanding of nature as social – a part of the community itself. I conclude by discussing the practical implications of this orientation to nature
Fidelity Monitoring System Development and Preliminary Use in the Cultivating Resilience Intervention
No full textThis study sought to develop a fidelity monitoring system for Cultivating Resilience (Cultivando Fortaleza, in Spanish), a CBT-based skills group intervention designed to reduce acculturative stress among Latine immigrants and refugees. It aimed to contribute to the growing body of literature on the development and assessment of fidelity for complex (i.e., multi-component) interventions, particularly those implemented in culturally diverse and historically underserved communities. To this end, the present study outlines key considerations in developing a fidelity monitoring system, beginning with an examination of the importance of fidelity in intervention research and highlighting the value of multidimensional fidelity assessment to support both the development and equitable dissemination of effective interventions. This was a multi-phase study. In Phase 1, we developed a fidelity tool for the Cultivating Resilience intervention. In Phase 2, a rigorous process was used to assess the reliability and clarity of the tool through inter-rater reliability testing, alongside the creation of a behaviorally focused codebook to support standardization. In Phase 3, we report on the preliminary use of the tool to evaluate fidelity during pilot testing of the intervention. Findings provide guidance and recommendations for the creation and early-stage application of fidelity monitoring tools for similar interventions and discuss the role and utility of fidelity assessment across the research-to-practice continuum.2026-06-0
Annual Lake Policy Update: 2025-27 WI State (Part 1)
No full textAnnual Lake Policy Update: 2025-27 WI State (Part 1
ALL IS NOT LOST: COMPARING REMOTE SENSING METHODOLOGIES AND EMBRACING COMMUNITY ENGAGED RESEARCH PRACTICES TO SEARCH FOR UNMARKED GRAVES AT MAPLE GROVE CEMETERY (47BAS0012) IN MARENGO, WISCONSIN
No full textThe use of nonintrusive methods to identify unmarked graves within burial sites and the use of community engaged research practices are not novel pursuits within the field of anthropology. This thesis explores a synthesis of these practices to search for cultural value within burial sites at Maple Grove Cemetery, a Historic Euro-American burial site located in Marengo, Wisconsin. Today, rumors of unmarked graves in the northeast quadrant of the cemetery circle the town. These rumors originated due to notes from 1912 meeting minutes indicating this section was set aside as a pauper’s field, the uncovering human remains when digging seemingly empty plots, and operators of dowsing rods demonstrating presence of burials in unsold sections of the cemetery. This thesis compares remote sensing methods – Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR), and thermal imaging – to determine the best non-intrusive methods for identifying unmarked graves. It also follows a framework of working alongside community members in the Town of Marengo that provides space and opportunities for the descendant community to learn more about their cultural heritage while also answering archaeologically important questions
Deciphering the mysteries of hailstone formation: Linking satellite and physicochemical studies of hail in Argentina
No full textThis dissertation advances our understanding of hail formation processes and environments in Argentina, a global hail hotspot, through a multi-scale analysis spanning from individual particles to storm-scale characteristics. First, we introduce an innovative microscopy analysis methodology that preserves in-situ non-soluble particles within hailstones using a protective porous plastic coating. This method combines confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy to analyze particle characteristics while maintaining their spatial distribution within the hailstone structure. Applying this methodology to hailstones collected in central Argentina reveals how different storm modes access distinct particle populations. In supercell environments with strong upslope flow, particles originate primarily from local sources, while organized systems associated with the South American Low-Level Jet incorporate particles from more distant regions. Particle sizes reach 256 microns, with agglomerated mineral/organic particles dominating the composition, demonstrating how regional land use patterns influence potential ice nuclei availability. We then examine environmental conditions supporting hail production by combining GOES-East Overshooting Top detections with Global Precipitation Measurement Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (GPM-DPR) hail detection data (2014-2022). Larger and deeper OTs occur in environments characterized by higher moisture content and elevated wet bulb zero heights, particularly when combined with steeper mid-level lapse rates. The strong negative correlation between OT area and IR-tropopause temperature difference (r = -0.72) indicates that larger OTs consistently achieve deeper penetration. Environmental conditions show distinct diurnal patterns, supporting both afternoon discrete storms with peak MUCAPE (~3000 J/kg) and nocturnal organized systems with enhanced wind shear (median ~16 m/s in hail-matched cases). These patterns reveal how Argentina's hail-producing environments support a broader range of storm modes compared to U.S. storms. The diversity in storm modes and environmental conditions helps explain why Argentina experiences significant hail production across a wider variety of atmospheric conditions, particularly through the interaction between the South American Low-Level Jet and local terrain features.This research provides new insights into how particle characteristics and environmental conditions interact to support hail formation in Argentina while developing methodological approaches that can be applied to study severe storms in other traditionally under-observed regions globally
European Frog-bit Collaborative: A Community Approach to EFB Management
No full textEuropean Frog-bit Collaborative: A Community Approach to EFB Managemen
Collaborative Approach to Conservation: The Little Plover River Watershed Enhancement Project
No full textCollaborative Approach to Conservation: The Little Plover River Watershed Enhancement Projec
Studying the Electrochemical Activity of Methanol Dehydrogenase in Lanthanide-Modified Methylobacterium Extorquens : Using Bacteria to Conduct Electricity - Bioelectrocatalysis
No full textColor poster with text, images, charts, photographs, and graphs.Comparing the biochemical activity of Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 grown in separate medias with La3+ and Ca2+ as cofactors of methanol dehydrogenase (MDH). Recent studies have demonstrated that some enzymes in bacteria isolated from lanthanide-rich areas use lanthanides as metal cofactors in place of more common metals like calcium and that these lanthanide-enzymes have enhanced catalytic properties. The bioelectrocatalytic activity of MDH from M. extorquens grown in La3+ rich media is compared to MDH from M. extorquens grown in typical Ca2+ rich media. A coupled assay of phenazine methosulfate-dichlorophenolindophenol is performed to determine the enzyme activity. Different redox polymer films have been tested to determine the optimal film to immobilize the bacteria while still allowing bioelectrocatalysis to be performed. The bioelectrochemical activities from these bacteria have not previously been compared. If La3+ grown M. extorquens has higher bioelectrochemical activity than Ca2+ grown M. extorquens, then improved biofuel cells and sensors can be created.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program
AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF LINE-END VORTICES, GRAVITY WAVES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW TO MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM REAR INFLOW AND STRATIFORM REGION STRUCTURE IN NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS
No full textMesoscale convective systems (MCSs) are important contributors of weather in the central United States, including beneficial rainfall, but these systems can also produce damaging winds and flooding. There are several circulations and phenomena that can impact the structure, strength, and longevity of these systems. Low-frequency gravity waves, line-end vortices, and environmental flow are among the phenomena that can influence an MCS’s rear-to-front flow. Low-frequency gravity waves help to initiate the rear-to-front flow of MCSs and translate this flow rearward. These gravity waves are created by the atmosphere’s response to vertical variations in the diabatic heating in the convective and stratiform regions with longer horizontal propagation in the stratiform region due to the stable stratification. These circulations within MCSs, particularly in the stratiform region, are represented poorly in high-resolution, convection-permitting model forecasts due to model microphysics parameterizations in this region not accurately characterizing the latent heating responsible for initiating these circulations. However, there have been no studies to individually quantify the contributions of gravity waves, line-end vortices, and environmental flow to the MCS wind field and how these change over time.This study uses numerical simulations of MCSs that occurred during two United States Department of Energy/Atmospheric System Research sponsored field campaigns, Midlatitude Continental Convective Cloud Experiment (MC3E) and Plains Elevated Convection at Night (PECAN), to isolate the contributions of line-end vortices, gravity waves, and environmental flow to MCSs' rear-to-front flow. The cases examined occurred in the Central Plains on 20 May 2011 during MC3E and in Nebraska on 17 June 2015 during PECAN. These cases are simulated using the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-ARW) model at convection-allowing and large-eddy-resolving scales. These simulations are examined to determine how line-end vortices, gravity waves, and the environmental flow contribute to these MCSs’ rear-to-front flow in a novel framework that considers these contributors together. This study shows that gravity waves’ impact on the horizontal speeds of the rear-to-front flow is inconclusive, while line-end vortices’ non-divergent wind and environmental flow contributes more overall to the wind speed. However, there is evidence that gravity waves modify the structure of the rear-to-front flow by causing sharp descents of this flow are it progresses through the stratiform region