Summit Institutional Repository @ PSU (Plymouth State University)
Not a member yet
411 research outputs found
Sort by
Coupling fast all-season soil strength land surface model with weather research and forecasting model to assess low-level icing in complex terrain.
Get PDFIcing poses as a severe hazard to aircraft safety with financial resources and even human lives hanging in the balance when the decision to ground a flight must be made. When analyzing the effects of ice on aviation, a chief cause for danger is the disruption of smooth airflow, which increases the drag force on the aircraft therefore decreasing its ability to create lift. The Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model Advanced Research WRF (WRF-ARW) is a collaboratively created, flexible model designed to run on distributed computing systems for a variety of applications including forecasting research, parameterization research, and real-time numerical weather prediction. Land-surface models, one of the physics options available in the WRF-ARW, output surface heat and moisture flux given radiation, precipitation, and surface properties such as soil type. They are a critical component of forecast models because they serve as a link between water sources and the atmosphere through surface and groundwater. The Fast All-Season Soil STrength (FASST) land-surface model was developed by the U.S. Army ERDC-CRREL in Hanover, New Hampshire. Originally, FASST was intended for the military purpose of providing information to mobility and sensor performance algorithms, but has since been utilized in civilian applications and research. Designed to use both meteorological and terrain data, the model calculates heat and moisture within the surface layer as well as the exchange of these parameters between the soil, surface elements (such as snow and vegetation), and atmosphere. Focusing on the Presidential Mountain Range of New Hampshire under the NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Icing Assessments in Cold and Alpine Environments project, one of the main goals is to create a customized, high resolution model to predict and assess ice accretion in complex terrain. The purpose of this research is to couple the FASST land-surface model with the WRF to improve icing forecasts in complex terrain. Coupling FASST with the WRF-ARW may improve icing forecasts because of its sophisticated approach to handling processes such as meltwater, freezing, thawing, and others that would affect the water and energy budget and in turn affect icing forecasts. Several transformations had to take place in order for the FASST land-surface model and WRF-ARW to work together as fully coupled models. Changes had to be made to the WRF-ARW build mechanisms (Chapter 1, section a) so that FASST would be recognized as a new option that could be chosen through the namelist and compiled with other modules. Similarly, FASST had to be altered to no longer read meteorological data from a file, but accept input from WRF-ARW at each time step in a way that did not alter the integrity or run-time processes of the model. Several icing events were available to test the newly coupled model as well as the performance of other available land-surface models from the WRF-ARW. A variation of event intensities and durations from these events were chosen to give a broader view of the land-surface models' abilities to accurately predict icing in complex terrain. Non-icing events were also used in testing to ensure the land-surface models were not predicting ice in the events where none occurred. Four locations were chosen across the modeled domain: Mount Washington (NH), Plymouth (NH), Waterville (ME), and Bennington (VT) to evaluate the 2m temperature results that the WRF-ARW produced using the FASST, Noah, RUC(Rapid Update Cycle), and Thermal Diffusion land-surface models. When compared to the other land-surface models and observations FASST showed a warm bias in several regions. As the forecasts progressed, FASST appeared to attempt to correct this bias and performed similarly to the other land-surface models and at times better than these land-surface models in areas of the domain not affected by this bias. To correct this warm bias, future investigation should be conducted into the reasoning behind this warm bias, including but not limited to: FASST operation and elevation modeling, WRF-ARW variables and forecasting methods, as well as allowing for spin-up prior to forecast times. Following the correction to the warm bias, FASST can be parallelized to allow for operational forecast performance and included in the WRF-ARW forecasting suite for future software releases.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Characterizing icing and non-icing events in cold and alpine environments using instrumentation and NASA Langley cloud products
Get PDFOne of the goals of the NASA EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) Icing Assessments in Cold and Alpine Environments Project is to study the environmental factors that lead to icing in mountainous terrain. One part of this research effort involved using instrumentation at mountainous locations in New England during the 2011-2012 winter season to provide icing information for validation of icing forecast models. This part of the project focused on analyzing the instrument data to characterize differences between icing and non-icing conditions. There were two prongs to this research. The first one examined the differences in the synoptic and surface environments between icing and non-icing events. Icing events were defined as periods where icing was reported at the summit of Mount Washington for at least 24 consecutive hours. With this definition, 34 icing events were found with a peak event lasting 93 hours. Synoptic and surface analyses were examined for these 34 events as well as 10 non-icing events (no icing reported in a 24 hour period) using raw METAR observations at Mount Washington and archived frontal analysis charts from the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. The second prong of this research project dealt with analyzing data retrieved from specialized instrumentation placed in the study area during this past winter. These instruments included radiometers, ceilometers, and ice detectors. Ice detector databases from 1 November 2011 to 30 April 2012 were created comparing liquid water content and daily ice accumulations at three mountain summits in New England. Cloud products developed through GOES satellite imagery (icing potential, cloud-base height, and cloud-top height) were retrieved from the NASA Langley Research Center to determine its accuracy in locating icing and non-icing environments and were compared to ground based instrumentation. During the 2011-2012 winter season, the 34 icing events were divided into the following categories: Post Cold Front (PCF), Warm Front to South (WFS), Multiple Fronts and Cyclones (MFC), Cold Front to West (CFW), Nor'easter (NE), and Miscellaneous (MSC). The 10 non-icing events were divided into the following categories: East Coast Highs (ECH), Northeast/Quebec Highs (NQH), and Nova Scotia Lows (NSL). The ice detector databases showed that the heaviest icing occurred at Mount Washington with many occurrences of daily ice accumulations greater than 100 cm. The highest daily ice accumulation at Mount Mansfield was ~33 cm. However, higher liquid water content values were seen at Mount Mansfield than Mount Washington. These databases will be used for future numerical model verification. Of the three NASA Langley cloud products, icing potential performed the best but, further research should be done to test its performance. Cloud-base height and cloud-top height did a poor job in determining cloud heights as it had a < 50% success rate in determining cloud heights within ± 1.0 km.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Impacts of wind development on the abundance and distribution of high-elevation birds in northern New Hampshire, with a focus on Bicknell's thrush (Catharus bicknelli)
Get PDFIncreasing installations of wind turbines at high-elevations sites in New England have caused concern for potential impacts on sensitive species that inhabit these unique areas. The Bicknell's Thrush (Catharus bicknelli), a rare, Nearctic-Neotropic migrant, breeds exclusively in high elevation spruce-fir forests in the Northeastern US, and parts of Quebec and the Maritimes in Canada and mountaintop development within the breeding range is a possible threat to the persistence of the vulnerable global population. No study to date addresses the impacts of wind development on the species; therefore we initiated a 3 year, before and after study in 2010 to assess the Bicknell's Thrush population and general avian community response to the development and operation of a wind park in Northern New Hampshire. The total number of birds detected and species richness remained stable from 2010 to 2012 with 870, 942, 920 individuals and 43, 50, and 49 species, respectively across the three years. There was no significant difference between the number of birds recorded among years on Kelsey peak (F= 0.13, df= 2, p= 0.08) or Dixville Peak (F= 0.25, df= 2, p= 0.77). However, when only turbine stations were included in analysis, we found a significant reduction in total individuals detected and species richness in 2012while the turbines were operational (Kelsey individual/ species total 2011 vs. 2012 (t= 5.34, df= 7, p < 0.001, t= 2.05, df= 7, p < 0.04). Model estimates for Bicknell's Thrush abundances over the three years (47, 57, 33) reflect actual detections (21, 21, 13) showing a decline in 2012, although higher detections recorded at stations 70 m away from turbines (23) suggest the decline is due to detection probability or avoidance of cleared areas. Estimates of Blackpoll warbler (Dendroica striata) abundance (108, 181, 117) were robust and also reflect actual detections (98, 157, 154). The direct loss of forest within the study area likely has greater impacts for old forest habitat specialists and trends indicate the newly created edge habitat is causing a shift in the avian community along the ridge top. Biotic interactions such as interspecific competition, food availability, and changes in site fidelity will likely continue for several more years. Full implications of this shift remain unknown with only one year of data following treatment, therefore long-term monitoring with use of point counts should continue to detect future trends. Male Bicknell's Thrush exhibited a large variation in home range size with a mean of 6.29 ha ± 5.52 (S.E.), which did not differ between years, habitat, or distance from turbine but increased with turbine noise suggesting that noise altered movement behaviors. Bicknell's Thrush did not demonstrate avoidance of turbines and occupied areas immediately adjacent to turbine pads if preferred habitat structure was present, although site fidelity may be at least partly responsible for this lack of avoidance. Vegetation was similar between core home ranges within naturally disturbed habitats and regenerating spruce-fir stands harvested approximately 17 years earlier, which were the most selected habitat type on the landscape. This suggests the possibility of a management strategy involving patch harvests over multi-decade periods. Approaches including nest monitoring, testing cortisol level for stress, and capture-recapture should be employed to determine reproductive success and site fidelity which would be more effective methods to determine individual survival and effects on the local population. Greater resolution of forest structure (e.g., through LIDAR) will allow preferred habitats to be more accurately described to better gauge long-term impacts caused by the reduction in forest cover due to the windpark. Establishing partnerships with industry to design experiments testing impact of development on wildlife populations will not only guide management decisions in the future but may also be a cost effective approach if mitigation measures prevent species imperilment and prevent the need to list this species as part of the Endangered Species Act. Mitigation monies may be more effective in meeting long-term global population objectives if allocated through The Bicknell's Thrush Habitat Protection Fund so resources can be applied to highest conservation priorities for the species.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Linking watershed and sub-basin characteristics to in-lake TP concentrations in the Lake Winnipesaukee watershed
Get PDFAs a key natural and economic resource for the state and local communities, degradation of the water quality of Lake Winnipesaukee would have a major impact on the entire NH tourism economy. Efforts to protect the water quality of Lake Winnipesaukee and its surrounding land area have challenged planners and decision makers for several decades.
A primary concern for Lake Winnipesaukee is TP loading from the land into the lake and its impact on lake water quality. One of the difficulties in discerning problems with excessive TP loading for Lake Winnipesaukee is that, due to its size and volume, in-lake effects of TP loading like reduced clarity and algae blooms are slow to appear. The physical structure and shape of Lake Winnipesaukee has been described as more a system of interconnected bays rather than a single cohesive body of water.
Utilizing established TP loading and in-lake response models, the differing characteristics, land-based influences and in-lake response to nutrient inputs were determined for the 10 Lake Winnipesaukee sub-watersheds to evaluate whether Lake Winnipesaukee should remain classified as one assessment unit for water quality reporting purposes to the U.S. EPA. Key findings of the analysis indicate that while approximately 18% of the study sub-watershed area is developed, the TP loading has shown a 2.5 to four-fold increase over pre-development conditions with a corresponding estimated increase in in-lake TP concentrations; the water quality of Paugus Bay is currently positively impacted by Lake Winnipesaukee; and although preliminary findings indicate that the lake should remain classified as one assessment unit, target goals for in-lake TP should be set at the sub-watershed level.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Clear air turbulence: a numerical solution for trans-oceanic forecasting
Get PDFClear air turbulence forecasting has historically been a challenge. In recent years, many tools have been developed that have provided a measure of success. These tools can always be improved. This study focuses on one of these tools, Gary Ellrod's Turbulence Index (Ellrod Index), and attempts to determine if the index could be improved by the addition of other turbulence factors. The study began with the most recent version of the Ellrod Index and examined it in conjunction with Richardson Number, horizontal shear, stability gradient, and temperature gradient. The indices were then verified against 16pilot reports of turbulence over the north Pacific. None of the examined variables added significantly to the Ellrod Index, which performed at 75% accuracy. Four case studies were examined in additional detail to attempt to identify other potential turbulence drivers. It was ultimately determined that the Ellrod Index performs as well as can be determined by this study, the additional factors did not improve performance.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
The lived life in the writings of Maxine Greene
No full textFor a long time my ears were pricked whenever came across the term lived life in Maxine Greene's writings. In reviewing the works of Greene scholars I was unable to find any mention of this term. I was motivated to write this dissertation as a means of coming to understand the possible meaning of lived life though a review of Greene's books: Teacher as Stranger (1973), Landscapes of Learning (1978), The Dialectic of Freedom (1988), Releasing the Imagination (1995) and Variations on a Blue Guitar (2001). My inquiry uses a hybrid of qualitative methodologies (Alvesson & Skoldberg, 2000; Richardson & St. Pierre, in Denzin & Lincoln, 2005; Sinner, Leggo, Irwin, Gouzouasis & Grauer, 2006; Smith, 1992; Sullivan, 2010) that assembles autobiography, inquiry, and reflexive writing as a meta-analytic exhibition of possibility (Sullivan, 2010). My inquiry concludes that Greene's use of lived life is a further developed pre-reflective state whose antecedents include Husserl's (1954) life-world and Merleau-Ponty's (1945) primordial silence. Through my findings I determine that lived life is emblematic of Greene's distinction within the field of philosophy given the inter-subjective and human qualities of the term that catalyze an individual's choice in creating the existential project of change. I also conclude that lived life is characterized by its presence for the aesthetic encounter to occur. These findings have considerations for leadership in considering how opportunities can be made for students, colleagues, and citizens to engage their lived lives in constructing change in education, the workplace, and the community at large.time my ears were pricked whenever came across the term lived life in Maxine Greene's writings. In reviewing the works of Greene scholars I was unable to find any mention of this term. I was motivated to write this dissertation as a means of coming to understand the possible meaning of lived life though a review of Greene's books: Teacher as Stranger (1973), Landscapes of Learning (1978), The Dialectic of Freedom (1988), Releasing the Imagination (1995) and Variations on a Blue Guitar (2001). My inquiry uses a hybrid of qualitative methodologies (Alvesson & Skoldberg, 2000; Richardson & St. Pierre, in Denzin & Lincoln, 2005; Sinner, Leggo, Irwin, Gouzouasis & Grauer, 2006; Smith, 1992; Sullivan, 2010) that assembles autobiography, inquiry, and reflexive writing as a meta-analytic exhibition of possibility (Sullivan, 2010). My inquiry concludes that Greene's use of lived life is a further developed pre-reflective state whose antecedents include Husserl's (1954) life-world and Merleau-Ponty's (1945) primordial silence. Through my findings I determine that lived life is emblematic of Greene's distinction within the field of philosophy given the inter-subjective and human qualities of the term that catalyze an individual's choice in creating the existential project of change. I also conclude that lived life is characterized by its presence for the aesthetic encounter to occur. These findings have considerations for leadership in considering how opportunities can be made for students, colleagues, and citizens to engage their lived lives in constructing change in education, the workplace, and the community at large.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
How climate affects the fall phenology of the northern hardwood forest
No full textPhenological phases are strongly correlated with their environment in attempts to maximize their potential nutrient growth and efficiency. Because of this adaptation changes in the environment can been seen through phenological observations of predetermined events. If these events or phenophases are recorded annually we may be able to infer changes in climate if these phenophases occur later or earlier than expected. This is especially important with the recent attention given to climate change scenarios attributable to global warming. Meteorological conditions such as light, temperature, and light intensity are influential in determining the timing of phenophases during both the Fall and Spring seasons.
Fall phenological phases such as leaf senescence and abscission were recorded on Mt. Tecumseh, Waterville valley, New Hampshire and Mt. Starr King, Jefferson, New Hampshire. Twenty canopy trees were monitored for fall phenophases on each research site comprised of five common northern hardwood species: yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), paper birch (Betula papyrifera), mt. paper birch (Betula cordifolia), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), and American beech (Fagus grandifolia). Along with phenological observations, ambient air and soil temperatures were recorded for the development of an environmental lapse rate and thermal time estimation.
Nonlinear and linear mixed effects models were used to detect species preferences of environmental factors in the mediation of fall phenophases. The factors considered were photoperiod, incoming solar radiation, accumulated degree days, day of year, elevation, and species type. It was hypothesized that the influence of light was greater than temperature on fall phenology.
The influence of solar radiation and photoperiod were strong for leaf senescence phenophases for sugar maple and both leaf senescence and abscission phenophases for American beech. Temperature was a strong indication of both leaf senescence and abscission phenophases for paper birch, and leaf abscission phenophases for yellow birch and sugar maple. The day of year in which fall phenophases occurred were strongly affected by elevation with evidence suggesting the effect of species type on phenological progression as well.
Hardwood species subjected to variable climates at high elevations such as mt. paper birch would reduce their chances of poor phenological timing by tracking temperature. However, climate warming is gradually extending the autumn season which may falsely lead this species to extend their fall phenophases later into the season. This response can lead to an increased chance of late autumn frosts and therefore canopy dieback. Under this scenario, this species would increase its survival by tracking light cues such as photoperiod or perceived incoming solar radiation. In contrast, species such sugar maple, American beech, and possibly yellow birch preferably track light when regulating their plant development phases. These species which on average occupy lower elevation sites than mt. paper birch would benefit by tracking temperature which could extend their growing season. Lower elevation sites do not experience the large environmental fluctuations as mid-high elevation sites do.
Hardwood trees are highly sensitive to their environment, which is necessary to increasing their potential growth and therefore survival. Because of this, microclimatic differences between sites and within sites influence the progression of fall phenophases. Therefore, light and temperature are not the only factors which control fall phenology. Factors such as nitrogen, water availability, soil fertility, and CO2concentrations would be useful components to explain the variability in fall phenology trends.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Monitoring interactions between cloud base and the subalpine-alpine environments of the Presidential Range
Get PDFThe exposure to clouds has both positive and negative implications to subalpine and alpine ecosystems. In a negative perspective, clouds deposit pollutants considered harmful to montane environments (Schlesinger and Reiners 1974; Kimball et al. 1988). They also contribute to ice loading and mechanical degradation of the forest, a major determinant of where the treeline-alpine ectone boundary exists in the northeastern United States (Kimball and Weihrauch 2000). The purpose of this research was to determine the frequency of cloud base occurrence near the treeline-alpine ectone boundary of the Presidential Range. Different mathematical procedures were performed to acknowledge height characteristics of cloud bases within the Presidential Range. Statistical comparisons were generated for cloud data on the east and west side of Mt. Washington. It was found that Mt. Washington's western slope was subjected to more cloud base interaction than the eastern slope. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) of cloud heights was produced to determine how the heights varied with each other within a seventy-kilometer radius (mesoscale) of the Presidential Range. This analysis revealed that cloud base heights fluctuated differently at each site, and more importantly, on the two sides of Mt. Washington. PCA of relative humidity was generated for the eastern slope of Mt. Washington (microscale). This analysis exhibited that the eastern slope had three distinct modes of relative humidity. Cloud base height data from nearby ASOS/AWOS ceilometers proved to be inaccurate representations of cloud heights at Mt. Washington. Therefore, cloud base heights from surrounding areas should neither be extrapolated nor interpolated to account for cloud heights within areas of complex terrain. The use of in-situ hygrometers provide an inexpensive solution to the extrapolation / interpolation problem of ceilometer data. However, the high degree of topographic heterogeneity and the lack of a high-density sampling network, particularly hygrometers, limit the ability to accurately extrapolate or interpolate cloud base heights within the Presidential Range. Therefore, hundreds of hygrometers should be deployed throughout the Presidential Range in order to account for topographic effects.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
A quantitative determination of air-water heat fluxes in Hermit Lake, New Hampshire under varying meteorological conditions, time of day, and time of year
Get PDFAn extensive heat flux study is performed at Hermit Lake, New Hampshire from May 26, 2010 till November 7, 2010 to determine the effects of the five individual heat fluxes on Hermit Lake and the surrounding amphibian community. Hermit Lake was chosen due to the relatively long meteorological observations record within the White Mountains of New Hampshire, a new lakeside meteorological station, and ongoing phenology studies of the surrounding eco-system. Utilizing meteorological data from the lakeside weather station and moored water temperature sensors, the incident (Qi), blackbody (Qbnet), latent (Qe), sensible (Qs), and net (Qn) heat fluxes are calculated. The incident heat flux is the dominate term in the net flux, accounting for 93% of the variance found in and producing a heat gain of ~ 19x108J m-2 throughout the period of study. This large gain produces a net gain of heat in the lake until October 1, 2010, where gains by Qn are offset by the large combined losses of Qbnet, Qs, and Qe thereby producing a gradual decline of heat within the lake. The latent and blackbody heat fluxes produce the largest losses of heat in the net heat flux with a total losses of ~ -8x108J m-2and ~ -7x108 J m-2, respectively. The sensible heat flux is negligible, producing a total minimal loss of ~ -1x108J m-2. Overall the net heat produces a net gain of heat of 2x108J m-2 throughout the study period. Frog calls indicative of breeding are recorded from May 26, 2010 until August 16, 2010. The spring peeper, American toad, and green frog each produced enough actively calling days to be compared to air temperature, surface water temperature, and wind speed data, as well as data from the five heat fluxes. Linear regression analysis reveals that certain water temperature thresholds affect the calling activities of the spring peeper and green frog, while higher wind speeds have a dramatic effect on the calling activities of both the green frog and American toad. All three frog species phenological activities are also affected by certain thresholds in the incident, blackbody, latent, sensible, and net heat fluxes.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Tenth grader's perceived academic self-efficacy in a one-to-one laptop program
Get PDFThis qualitative study examined tenth graders' perceptions of the connections between their academic self-efficacy and the one-to-one laptop program in a small New Hampshire high school. The author interviewed 16 students, analyzed self-efficacy questionnaires, and reviewed student work. Using a program theory exploration, these students reported high self-efficacy in relation to academic achievement, self-regulatory learning, and computer use. The author found a connection between students' self-efficacy beliefs and their use of laptops, in the area of self-regulatory learning.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio