Dissertations / Theses: 'Environmental geography'

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Mysak, Mark. "The Environmental is Political: Exploring the Geography of Environmental Justice." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2010. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc30497/.

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The dissertation is a philosophical approach to politicizing place and space, or environments broadly construed, that is motivated by three questions. How can geography be employed to analyze the spatialities of environmental justice? How do spatial concepts inform understandings of environmentalism? And, how can geography help overcome social/political philosophy's redistribution-recognition debate in a way that accounts for the multiscalar dimensions of environmental justice? Accordingly, the dissertation's objective is threefold. First, I develop a critical geography framework that explores the spatialities of environmental injustices as they pertain to economic marginalization across spaces of inequitable distribution, cultural subordination in places of misrecognition, and political exclusion from public places of deliberation and policy. Place and space are relationally constituted by intricate networks of social relations, cultural practices, socioecological flows, and political-economic processes, and I contend that urban and natural environments are best represented as "places-in-space." Second, I argue that spatial frameworks and environmental discourses interlock because conceptualizations of place and space affect how environments are perceived, serve as framing devices to identify environmental issues, and entail different solutions to problems. In the midst of demonstrating how the racialization of place upholds inequitable distributions of pollution burdens, I introduce notions of "social location" and "white privilege" to account for the conflicting agendas of the mainstream environmental movement and the environmental justice movement, and consequent accusations of discriminatory environmentalism. Third, I outline a bivalent environmental justice theory that deals with the spatialities of environmental injustices. The theory synergizes distributive justice and the politics of social equality with recognition justice and the politics of identity and difference, therefore connecting cultural issues to a broader materialist analysis concerned with economic issues that extend across space. In doing so, I provide a justice framework that assesses critically the particularities of place and concurrently identifies commonalities to diverse social struggles, thus spatializing the geography of place-based political praxis.

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Coe, Michelle Autumn. "Influential Environments: School Gardens Impacting Arizona Children's Environmental Perspectives." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/595817.

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Manzo Elementary is located in Barrio Hollywood, a low-income neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona. Despite the school's low testing scores and small enrollment, Manzo was recognized as the Best Green School in the nation for 2012 by the U.S. Green Building Council and continues to receive positive media attention. This is because Manzo is thriving in areas of experiential learning and ecological initiatives through the use of its school garden. The school has built sustainability into the core of its curriculum and physical environment, integrating chickens, composting piles, rainwater cisterns, and desert biomes within its courtyards, classrooms and playgrounds. Literature on school gardens suggests that gardens heighten children's sense of place, time spent in the environment, and perceptions of natural areas. However, there is a large gap in the literature which focuses on the use of school gardens as an environmental learning tool, and the ways in which it can appeal and connect children and community partnerships from the perspective of those children involved. The research presented here is an attempt to close that gap by bringing Manzo students into the conversation on school gardens and experiential learning. This study looks at how students perceive their environment, how they are learning and acquiring new environmental knowledge, how they share that knowledge, and the actions and behaviors—both individually and collaboratively—that ensue.

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Lewandowski, Albert J. "Environmental sensitivity : a case study of environmental learning through nature appreciation /." The Ohio State University, 2001. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1486572165276547.

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Corney, Graham John. "Geography student teachers' conceptions of teaching environmental topics." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2000. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10020350/.

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MARTINS, LEONARDO ALVES. "ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATIONS AND SUSTEINABILITIES: PERSPECTIVES ON THE GEOGRAPHY TEACHING." PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO, 2016. http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/Busca_etds.php?strSecao=resultado&nrSeq=27424@1.

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PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO
COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DO PESSOAL DE ENSINO SUPERIOR
PROGRAMA DE SUPORTE À PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO DE INSTS. DE ENSINO
A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo compreender a Educação Ambiental como eixo de articulação com o ensino de Geografia. Para isto, optou-se por dividir o trabalho em três capítulos, onde pudéssemos abordar, em um primeiro momento, os principais movimentos que ocorreram nas décadas de 1970 e 1980, que iniciaram a discussão sobre as condições de degradação ambiental e qualidade de vida da população mundial que, após o levantamento confeccionado pelo relatório de Brundtland, apresentou a insustentabilidade do modelo vigente. No segundo momento da pesquisa destacou-se a contextualização da E.A no currículo escolar, através da legislação vigente e dos órgãos relacionados à E.A e ao Meio Ambiente. Os Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais têm um papel importante neste contexto, tendo em vista que os Temas Transversais que compõem este documento apontam para a necessidade do diálogo entre as disciplinas e, notadamente, a importância de uma E.A trabalhada de forma plural, integrando o indivíduo, a natureza e a sociedade. Encerra-se a discussão estabelecendo-se uma avaliação de três obras didáticas, onde identificou-se algumas limitações e alguns avanços no que tange às perspectivas ambientais trabalhadas nas obras que dão suporte à formação do aluno.
The present research has as objective to comprehend the Environmental Education as an articulation axis with the Geography teaching. For this purpose, it was decided to divide the work into three chapters, in which we could in the first moment approach the main movements that in the lasts decades of 1970 and 1980 occurred, and had initiated a debate on the conditions of environmental degradation and quality of life of the global population that, after the evaluation made by the Brundtland report, presented the unsustainability of the current model. In the second movement of the research it was highlighted the contextualization of the E.E in the educational curriculum, through the current law and the related agencies to E.E and the environment. The National Curriculum Parameters have an important role on that context in view of that the cross-cutting themes which comprise this document point to the necessity of dialogue between the disciplines and, notably, the importance of an E.E worked in a plural way, integrating the individual, the nature and the society. The discussion is closed establishing an evaluation of three didactic works, where it was identified some limitations and some advances in relation to environmental perspectives worked in the literatures that support student education.

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Laituri, Melinda Jean. "Risk, equity and environment: A methodology for conducting an Environmental Equity Assessment." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/186147.

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This dissertation examines the relationship between risk and equity as manifested in the environment--in particular, what is the relationship of risk to social, political and economic processes. To accomplish this, I have developed a methodology, an Environmental Equity Assessment (EEA), by which to examine disproportionate impacts of environmental stress. This research acknowledges the fact that problems of environmental pollution are linked not only to business and industry practices but to issues of social justice. This dissertation is designed to contribute to a better understanding of the relationships between risk and equity, environmental philosophy and social justice, and to devise alternative methods to define and analyze risk, and help create equitable policy options and considerations. The methodology is applied to a case study related to water quality in Tucson, Arizona. The case study is primarily illustrative; it brings into focus the relationship between risk, equity and environment, providing a venue for the implementation of an Environmental Equity Assessment (EEA).

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Hodson, Cody Brian. "Vegetation in student environments and school-level academic achievement: associations at multiple extents and in various social and environmental contexts." Diss., University of Iowa, 2019. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/6764.

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Contact with nature confers numerous benefits to mental and physical well-being, including enhanced recovery from stress and mental fatigue. Given that stress and mental fatigue likely interfere with performance in school, vegetation in student environments, an element of nature, could support academic achievement and greater educational attainment, a critical component of social mobility and therefore well-being. However, such benefits may be reduced for urban populations, as living in cities often entails reduced access to environments with vegetation, access which may be even lower for minority urban populations. The distribution of vegetation in urban areas therefore has serious implications for well-being and justice in the distribution of environmental amenities, particularly given the increasing majority of humans in cities. Several studies have identified positive relationships between vegetation and various indicators of school-level achievement. However, findings are inconsistent across studies, and in some cases suggest that vegetation may be detrimental to student progress. This research aimed to assess relationships between vegetation and school-level academic achievement and how they vary with vegetation type and social and environmental context, and in so doing, addressed inconsistencies in the literature. This dissertation consists of three studies. The first study identified positive relationships between tree canopy coverage and third-grade reading proficiency at a metropolitan extent. Spatial autoregressive models were applied to account for residual spatial autocorrelation when necessary. The second study examined relationships between vegetation and high school graduation and reading and mathematics rates using a sample of high schools from across the continental US. However, negative binomial mixed-effects models were unable to provide sufficient evidence to suggest academic benefits of vegetation at a national extent, although negative relationships between tree cover and graduation rate were observed for schools serving low-socioeconomic status (SES) attendance areas with greater proportions of African-American students. The third study applied a K-means statistical learning algorithm and mixed-effects beta regression models to a dataset covering the same sample of high schools from the second study to investigate the implications of social and environmental context for academic benefits of vegetation in more detail. Positive relationships between tree cover and agricultural vegetation and graduation rate were identified. The positive association with tree cover was stronger for high-SES populations and low-SES Latino/a populations. A negative association between non-forest vegetation and graduation rate was observed for low-SES, African-American populations. These findings suggest academic benefits of vegetation in student environments at both a metropolitan and national extent, and that those benefits vary according to social and environmental context. Thus, landscape design and management approaches that incorporate vegetation as a resource to support academic achievement should carefully consider the social characteristics of the populations such approaches intend to benefit, as well as the environmental contexts within which those populations live. This work has revealed several opportunities for future research. Those opportunities include investigating which age-groups might benefit most from urban greening with the intent of supporting academic achievement, and investigating the mechanisms behind social and environmental variation in the academic benefits of vegetation.

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Reid, Alan. "How does the geography teacher contribute to pupils environmental education?" Thesis, University of Bath, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.266469.

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Foster, Alec. "EVERYDAY IDENTITIES, EVERYDAY ENVIRONMENTS: URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL GEOGRAPHIES OF PHILADELPHIA." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2016. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/396150.

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Geography
Ph.D.
This study examines the environmental identity processes of Philadelphians involved in volunteer local everyday urban environmental stewardship through tree plantings and prunings, urban gardening, and neighborhood cleanups. A hybrid theoretical framework for environmental identities that simultaneously incorporates structural, discursive, and material concerns through the ground of everyday life was adapted from the political ecology of the body developed by Hayes-Conroy and Hayes-Conroy (2013). Three qualitative methodological techniques were performed: in depth interviews, participatory observation, and neighborhood walking tours. Results highlight the emotional and affective connections that participants held with their neighborhoods, neighbors and other participants, and trees and other nonhuman others.
Temple University--Theses

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Yeung, Pui-ming Stephen. "Geography teaching and environmental consciousness among Hong Kong secondary school students /." [Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong], 1993. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B13665698.

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Pearson, Zoe. "Environmental Security in the Ecuadorian Amazon: Waorani, Oil and Environment." The Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1276785206.

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Harris, Colin Malcolm. "Environmental management in Antarctica using Geographical Information Systems." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1993. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/268041.

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This dissertation examines terrestrial and near-shore marine environmental management problems in Antarctica, emphasising the potential application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Rules for environmental management in Antarctica have been agreed within the Antarctic Treaty system (ATS) and in the 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. However, barriers exist to the implementation of environmental policies: King George Island, South Shetland Islands, where currently 8 countries operate permanent scientific stations, exhibits practical examples of the resulting problems. Designation of Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) and Antarctic Specially Managed Areas (ASMAs) under the Protocol would improve management in this complex multinational context, but it is concluded these currently lack a standardised set of zones that can be applied to meet management needs. Five types of management zone are therefore proposed to define those areas with special qualities or management needs: Sensitive Areas, Scientific Areas, Tourist Areas, Facilities Areas and Historic Areas. Applying these zones within ASPAs and ASMAs could provide a local and regional planning framework to manage human activities, thus minimising potential environmental impacts and conflicts of interest. Geographical information is vital to ensuring measures are effective. Information required for management of ASP As and ASMAs could be collected, stored and coordinated at national and regional data centres, using GIS where appropriate to handle the spatial data. At an international level, an Antarctic Treaty Data Centre (ATDC) is proposed to receive and coordinate data and directories from participating national and regional centres, to establish a scientific and environmental data system, and to manage the information needed for the operation of the Treaty and its Protocol. This approach would allow environmental information to be held at the local, regional or international level at which it is most needed, and also assist the flow of information among programmes, nations and disciplines. GIS could be employed to assist development of common spatial frameworks, which facilitate the organisation and integration of spatial databases. The GIS-based Antarctic Digital Database appears to provide the coordinated framework needed at scales of 1:250,000 and smaller, but is of insufficient resolution, and does not contain the data required, to meet environmental management (and science) needs at local- regional levels - especially for -environmental assessments and monitoring. More detailed databases need to be constructed, but geographical data needs must be prioritised. The organisational aspects of GIS need to be addressed, such as international standards for spatial data quality and exchange. The ATDC, National and Regional Data Centres proposed could help meet these needs. Conflicting goals and uses in Antarctica need to be managed more deliberately than in the past, and in spite of the improvements in the Protocol, tools for practical implementation of policies at the local and regional levels, and in relation to environmental information management, are still lacking. The model reforms suggested - using GIS to handle environmental information - are designed to address these weaknesses and closely link environmental management and environmental information management and place them at the core of the ATS.

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Brink, Ester. "Geographical information systems for environmental impact assessment : a feasibility study." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/96143.

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Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study acknowledges the status quo in South Africa as a country in transformation. Leaders concur that people live under the spell of the evil triplets of poverty, inequality and unemployment amidst the need for development and economic growth. In order to initiate positive change, the 1996 Constitution of South Africa supports integrated environmental management (IEM) and sustainability principles towards ecological, economic and social compromise. Furthermore, the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) was legislated in 1996 along with the mandatory environmental impact assessment (EIA) tool in 1998. Despite this legislation being of global standards, current discourse highlights the need for new strategies and tools to improve IEM. The constraint lies in the implementation of policy as the EIA process is limited by inconsistency and project specific focus. Fortuitously technology has developed to levels where web-based tools encourage spatial awareness and individual responsibility for the environment. Usage of participative GIS supported by best practice in governance has the potential to successfully drive IEM. This research builds on the integration of a policy instrument (EIA), spatial technology (GIS), development and human factors (people) as pillars of transdisciplinary methodology to collaborate and gather new information to expand knowledge and augment existing processes. The study objectives required rigorous research and involved a wide range of participants in a feasibility study to provide details of the viability of integrating GIS usage into EIA conduct in South Africa. Participants in the research were selected from the geographical scope of Cape Town and represent involved parties in EIA and potential users of GIS in EIA. The legislative scope is the Western Cape Province. Triangulation, a mixed method approach, was employed to collect and collate qualitative and quantitative information based on the opinions of involved parties in the IEM, EIA and GIS domains. Primary data collection methods included observation, fieldwork, informal, formal and focus group discussions as well as an e-mail questionnaire and a Likert scale e-survey. The knowledge gained was evaluated using SWOT and graphics. The findings indicated that the majority of participants agreed that technology and skills are available to design and develop a web-based application for GIS usage in EIA. However, from the outcome of the study the main challenge is not related to technical skills and capacity, but to align the EIA with IEM sustainability principles for effective decision making and self-regulation. It is therefore envisaged that web-based GIS usage in EIA based on IEM has the potential to reconnect the EIA process by uniting people in knowledge with easy access to information from a central data base repository to an on-line web-based platform that links time and space to inform decision making.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die uitgangspunt van hierdie studie is dat Suid-Afrika 'n land in transformasie is en die behoefte aan ontwikkeling en ekonomiese groei van kardinale belang is weens die armoede, ongelykheid en werkloosheid waaronder baie mense lei. Effektiewe omgewingsbestuur is uiters belangrik om omgewingsbesoedeling en agteruitgang te verhoed. Ten einde 'n positiewe verandering te inisieer, ondersteun die 1996 Grondwet van Suid-Afrika geïntegreerde omgewingsbestuur (GOB) en volhoubaarheidsbeginsels teenoor ekologiese, ekonomiese en sosiale kompromie. Die 1996 Nasionale Wet op Omgewingsbestuur (NEMA) het die omgewingsimpakstudie (OIS)-instrument in 1998 verpligtend verklaar. Die OIS wetgewing is gebaseer op hoë internasionale standaarde, maar ten spyte hiervan beklemtoon die huidige diskoers die behoefte aan nuwe strategieë om OIS in die praktyk effektief te belyn met die GOB beleid. Tans word die OIS proses beperk deur teenstrydigheid tussen gebruikers van die proses sowel as projekspesifieke fokus. Tegnologie het ontwikkel tot 'n vlak waar webgebaseerde GIS ruimtelike bewustheid aanmoedig en individuele verantwoordelikheid vir die omgewing aanbeveel en ondersteun word. Deelnemende GIS, ondersteun deur goeie regering, het die potensiaal om OIS en GOB suksesvol in die praktyk te implementer. Hierdie navorsing bou voort op die integrasie van 'n beleidsinstrument (OIS), ruimtelike tegnologie (GIS) asook ontwikkeling en menslike faktore (mense) en ondersteun die transdissiplinêre metodologie om nuwe inligtig te versamel en vryelik te deel. Die studiedoelwitte het streng navorsingsmetodologie vereis deur 'n wye verskeidenheid van deelnemers te betrek in 'n ondersoek na die haalbaarheid van die integrasie van GIS gebruik in OIS in Suid-Afrika. Deelnemers aan die navorsing is gekies uit die geografiese domein van Kaapstad en was betrokke partye in omgewingsbestuur en potensiële gebruikers van GIS in OIS. Die wetgewende domein is die Wes-Kaap. 'n Gemengde-metode benadering is gevolg om kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe inligting te versamel en was gebaseer op die menings van die betrokke partye in die IEM, OIE en GIS terreine. Die kennis is geëvalueer met behulp van SWOT analise en grafika. Die bevindinge dui aan dat die meerderheid van die deelnemers saamstem dat tegnologie en vaardigheid beskikbaar is om 'n program vir GIS-gebruik in OIS te ontwikkel. Die uitslag van die studie dui daarop dat die grootste uitdaging vir effektiewe besluitneming en self-regulering nie verband hou met tegniese vaardighede en kapasiteit nie, maar om die OIS te verenig met GOB-volhoubaarheid beginsels. Die vooruitsig is dus dat web-gebaseerde GIS gebruik in OIS gebaseer op GOB die potensiaal het om mense met kennis te verenig en omgewingsbestuur effektief in te lig.

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Carr, Douglas Alan. "ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATORY POLICY: POLITICAL ECONOMY, INDUSTRIAL GEOGRAPHY, AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL FISCAL EFFECTS." Lexington, Ky. : [University of Kentucky Libraries], 2007. http://lib.uky.edu/ETD/ukypuad2007d00621/carr_dissertation.pdf.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Kentucky, 2007.
Title from document title page (viewed on August 6, 2007). Document formatted into pages; contains: vii, 92 p. : ill., maps (some col.). Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-91).

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Yeung, Pui-ming Stephen, and 楊沛銘. "Geography teaching and environmental consciousness among Hong Kong secondary school students." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1993. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31212025.

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Barratt, Robert John. "Special needs children and the environment : exploring the home environmental experience of 7 year old children with emotional and behavioural difficulties." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.299952.

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Song, Ying. "Green Accessibility: Estimating the Environmental Costs of Space-time Prisms for Sustainable Transportation Planning." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1437344275.

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Wolf-Watz, Daniel. "On Environmental Grounds : Outdoor Recreation, Place Relations and Environmental Sustainability." Doctoral thesis, Karlstads universitet, Institutionen för geografi, medier och kommunikation, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-35900.

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This thesis examines the relationship between outdoor recreation and environmental concern as part of the wider issue of environmental sustainability in late-modern societies. It includes studies of environmentalists’ (that is environmentally committed individuals’) preferences and motivations with regard to outdoor recreation, and covers the inquiries of whether and how outdoor recreation can influence levels of environmental concern. The questions addressed are how environmentalists engage in outdoor recreation, with what motives, and whether participation in outdoor recreation can influence levels of environmental concern. Empirically, the thesis is based on a mixed methods approach, including analyses of data from a national survey on outdoor recreation and a qualitative case study of the organization Nature and Youth Sweden (Fältbiologerna). Theoretically, it is based on the concepts of place, habitus and field. Study results show that environmentally committed individuals favor participation in appreciative activities in areas perceived as pristine, preferably away from urban environments. Motivations refer to these preferences, but also to aspects of discursive context, social identity and social position. These aspects are also found to be crucial regarding the influence of outdoor recreation on environmental concern. Thus, study results also show a lack of support for environmental concern as an automatic outcome of outdoor recreation. It is rather a combination of interconnected conditions referred to as: favorable place relations, adequate outdoor experience and appropriate social context. The thesis contributes to new knowledge on the relationships and connections between outdoor recreation and environmental sustainability. While the results are of importance with regard to planning for outdoor recreation and development of nature-based tourism, they are of particular interest for environmental organizations, schools and other institutions working for a more sustainable society.
This thesis examines the relationship between outdoor recreation and environmental concern as part of the wider quest for environmental sustainability in late-modern societies. Generally, outdoor recreation contributes to an increased use of resources and a growing impact on the environment. At the same time, outdoor recreation is also part of a wider narrative of fostering environmental concern, where forms of nature encounter are seen as potential pathways to pro-environmental attitudes and behavior. Thus, the thesis addresses themes of recreational participation and preferences among environmentalists - and the inquiry into the ways outdoor recreation may influence levels of environmental concern.

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Ackerman, Joy Whiteley. "Walden: A Sacred Geography." Antioch University / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1268155007.

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Symmonds, Joanne. "Student-teachers' perspectives of the role of environmental education in geography education." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003661.

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The ideas contained in socially critical Environmental Education cannot be ignored given the current environmental crisis and the need to achieve democracy in South African society. In order to achieve this learners need to develop the skills to make informed decisions which will facilitate the achievement of a sustainable society. It is the contention of this research that a socially critical Environmental Education approach to education can facilitate the above. Teachers of formal secondary school Geography Education are in the position to implement socially critical Environmental Education into their teaching. This study therefore investigates the perspectives of student teachers regarding the role of Environmental Education in secondary school Geography Education. This was done within the Interpretative Paradigm using a case study which involved five Higher Diploma in Education Geography method students. The research has revealed that even though the Geography method students have been exposed to an Environmental Education course, in their teaching preparation and are motivated to use it, they have limited understanding of the theory underpinning Environmental Education and how to apply it to their Geography teaching. The problems of bridging theory and practice was apparent. Recommendations are made as how to best facilitate the gap between theory and practice.

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Becker, Olga Maria Schild. "Recent settlement in Brazilian Amazonia : labour mobility and environmental degradation." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2002. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2281/.

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The context of this thesis is Brazilian Amazonia and the subject is the discussion of labour force mobility and immobility as well as environmental degradation following current occupation process of this natural resource frontier. The overall aim is to identify the forms and mechanisms of the capitalist occupation process which has taken place in Amazonia in the 1960-1990 period. I consider the issues of increasing labour force mobility and environmental degradation as a question of changes in the relationship between people-nature. These changes in Brazilian Amazonia relate to an expansion of the territorial limits of capital and are a consequence of the occupation process encouraged by the Brazilian State. The central research question of this thesis is why and how does a regional development policy for Brazilian Amazonia, designed with the aim of promoting the occupation of the empty spaces of the frontier, lead to a progressive expulsion of the previous inhabitants of those areas. In the same way, why did government programmes not ensure a settling of the new colonists (landless migrants) on the land in these frontier areas where, by definition, we would suppose there are huge expanses of land available. The argument is that the Brazilian State, taking it for granted that the Northern frontier areas should be occupied, promoted a sort of occupation in which the frontier was to be expanded following a pattern of urbanised jungle, where the urban space was the support of this process. According to this strategy, the circulation (mobility) of the labour force was seen to be more relevant than the settlement of small landless producers. In this way, migration (as a mechanism in producing the labour force) played a crucial role in creating a regional labour market in frontier areas. Moreover, this thesis will discuss the Extractive Reserve model presented by the so-called traditional inhabitants as a proposal for rainforest productive conservation and counter-mobility of the labour force in Brazilian Amazonia. The present study analyses specific spaces in the Amazonia: the Pre- Amazonia Maranhense (Eastern Amazonia), considered an earlier frontier area from the 1960s, and the Acre River Valley (Western Amazonia), that represents a newer frontier area from the 1970s and 1980s.

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Higgs, Gary. "Environmental change and flood hazard in the upper River Severn." Thesis, Aberystwyth University, 1986. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.335385.

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Bitter, Christopher. "Geography, Housing Prices, and Interregional Migration." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/194749.

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This dissertation consists of three papers that explore the intersection between geography and housing markets. The research examines both how geographic context shapes housing prices and how house prices influence geography through household location decisions.The first paper explores the spatial structure of housing prices within Tucson, Arizona. Hedonic house-price studies typically assume that housing attribute prices are constant over space. The research tests this assumption and compares two methods of incorporating spatial-varying parameters into house-price models: geographically weighted regression and the spatial expansion method. The results provide evidence that housing attribute prices do indeed vary with geographic context and suggest that more reliable parameter estimates and better house-price estimation accuracy can be achieved through the use of these techniques.The second paper builds upon the first by examining how more realistic conceptions of housing market spatial structure influence the hedonic price estimates of location-specific externalities. The empirical analysis examines how two key spatial effects, spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity, impact the marginal price estimates for proximity to the Rillito River, within Tucson, Arizona. Both spatial effects are found to influence the resulting estimates, but spatial heterogeneity is of greater practical importance as the price estimates vary widely with geographic context. This research highlights the importance of considering both spatial effects in hedonic externality valuations.The final paper explores how housing prices influence interregional migration patterns, and more specifically, how their influence varies with both stage in the life course and educational attainment. The research models metropolitan migration within the United States during the period 1995 to 2000. The results indicate that housing prices play an important role in driving regional demographic change, as their influence varies with both demographic characteristics. High housing prices deter individuals in their late twenties and early thirties, but their influence wanes during middle age. House prices become more important as individuals near retirement. The results also provide evidence that college graduates respond more to house price differentials than do persons with lower levels of educational attainment.

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Chau, Yuk-lin. "A comparison of the environmental curricula in Guangzhou and Hong Kong as demonstrated in senior secondary geography textbooks." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1999. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B21190586.

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Rahman, Md Maksudur. "Urban environmental problems in Bangladesh : a case study of Chittagong City." Thesis, University of Hull, 2008. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:1617.

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Managing urban environmental problems is an immense challenge for cities in developing countries. Research on inter-urban environmental problems suggests that the dominant environmental problems in developing or low-income cities are localised, immediate and health threatening. Based on a broad spectrum household survey this thesis explores the residential environmental problems both at the household and neighbourhood levels in different residential areas of Chittagong, the second largest city in Bangladesh, which is associated with a range of environmental concerns not least due to its hilly and coastal setting. The qualitative survey adopted for this study reveals fresh insights into the nature, causes and consequences of residential environmental management problems. Intra-urban differences in environmental problems among households located in higher-, middle-, and lower-income residential areas are revealed in some details. The household survey shows that households in lower-income neighbourhoods were more likely to be susceptible to local environmental problems, compared with those in middle- and higher-income residential areas. Analysis of the gender relations and intra-household division of labour finds women and children, particularly in the households of lower-income neighbourhoods, are the major victims of residential environmental problems as they undertake home management responsibilities and spend most of the time in and around home and neighbourhood. The key factors, which contribute to the different environmental problems at household, neighbourhood plus citywide level, identified by both household and qualitative surveys are analysed to suggest steps towards a more effective local urban environmental management framework for Chittagong.

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Farrell, Michelle. "The environmental context of later prehistoric human activity in Orkney, Scotland." Thesis, University of Hull, 2009. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:2395.

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This thesis investigates concepts of marginality and the response of human populations to changing environmental conditions in prehistoric Orkney. Archaeological remains from the Orcadian Bronze Age are less visible than those from the Neolithic and Iron Age, leading to suggestions that the Neolithic-Bronze Age transition represents a cultural and/or economic 'decline'. This 'decline' has often been attributed to environmental deterioration, although there is little published evidence for post-Neolithic environmental conditions in the islands and that which does exist comes from areas that are considered agriculturally marginal today. Palaeoecological records from three small wetland basins situated within landscapes with differing degrees of marginality are presented here. Radiocarbon chronologies for these sequences show that events previously assumed to be synchronous across Orkney, such as woodland decline, are in fact highly variable. High-resolution analysis has been carried out between c. 3000 cal. BC and c. 600 cal. AD (late Neolithic to Iron Age), and records compared with the distribution of archaeological sites in order to reconstruct changes in land-use, farming practices and settlement patterns across this time period. The new records have been synthesised with existing palaeoecological and archaeological data in order to review the evidence for the hypothesised 'Bronze Age decline' in Orkney. These data indicate that during the Bronze Age a pastoral specialism developed in the more marginal parts of Orkney while elsewhere arable cultivation intensified. This seems to have occurred in response to the fragmentation of society and population which is argued to have begun during the late Neolithic. There are indications of a slight climatic deterioration and of the spread of heathland at some sites in the late Bronze Age, and it seems that farming practices were adapted in order to cope with changing environmental conditions. Although there are distinct cultural differences between the Neolithic and Bronze Age, there is now no reason to suggest that Orkney underwent a 'decline' shaped by environmental deterioration during the latter period. The changes seen in the archaeological record at this time are likely to result from a combination of environmental, social and cultural factors.

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Stocks, Christopher Eugene. "Environmental modelling with GIS : an assessment and a possible development strategy." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.301425.

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Venaut, Héloïse. "Environmental impacts of sustainable diets in Sweden: a systematic review." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för naturgeografi, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-157974.

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The production and consumption of food, throughout the whole supply chain, have negative and large impacts on the environment (Tukker et al., 2006). Environmental impacts could be reduced using sustainable diets, such as the vegetarian or the vegan diets (Baroni et al., 2006). In Sweden, in addition to these two diets, the New Nordic Diet and the Nordic Nutritional Recommendation are diets for Nordic countries that can be considered as sustainable (Saxe et al., 2012). Sustainable diets are seldom adopted by the Swedish population, even if they could considerably reduce negative impacts on the environment (Stehfest et al., 2009; Marlow et al., 2009). Depending on diets composition and type of products eaten, each diet might not reduce to the same degree environmental impacts compared to the others. The research will try to answer the question: How much environmental impacts can be reduced by different sustainable diets in Sweden?

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Wassermann, Johannes Michiel. "Secondary school geography teachers' perceptions of the role of environmental education in geography with particular reference to Natal Education Department teachers." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003646.

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Environmental Education (EE) as a development cannot be ignored by Geography or Geographers particularly since South Africa, as the rest of the world, is confronted by a looming environmental crisis. Geography is an environmental science concerned primarily with man-environment relationships using an environmental approach to develop the skills, knowledge, values and attitudes necessary for sustainable living. Geography has a vital role to play in addressing environmental issues. In formal education Geography teachers will be responsible for the implementation of such an approach. This study therefore investigates the perceptions of Natal Senior Secondary School Geography teachers regarding the role of EE in Geography. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to determine this. The study revealed that although these teachers are well qualified and motivated they had a limited grasp of the theory underpinning current EE and Geographical thinking. Recommendations are made for the development of an environmental approach in the teaching of Geography.

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Barat, Sourav K. "Some environmental implications of agricultural and agro-industrial development in rural India." Thesis, University of Salford, 1991. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.291729.

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O'Hara, Sarah L. "Late Holocene environmental change in the Basin of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, México." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1996. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:03490297-1dc7-4946-ab8c-8f9eaf03dcac.

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This thesis describes late Holocene environmental changes in the Basin of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico. Using palaeolimnological evidence it is possible to conclude that the Basin of Pátzcuaro has suffered at least three episodes of disturbance within the last 3,600 years. A minor episode of erosion began about 3,500 years ago and is believed to have been triggered by the onset of sedentary agriculture within the basin. A second, more severe phase of disturbance, occurred between about 2,500 and 1,200 years B.P. during which time there was extensive degradation in the northern part of the catchment; widespread gullying is believed to have occurred at this time. The recent, most intense period of erosion began about 850 years B.P., coinciding with the arrival of the Purépecha in the basin. There is no evidence to suggest that degradation within the catchment intensified after the arrival of the Spanish 470 years B.P. However, a change in the style of erosion from predominantly sheet-wash to gully erosion occurred at approximately 400-500 years B.P. and may reflect the introduction of new agricultural techniques by the Spanish. Fluctuations in the level of Lake Pátzcuaro have been used to infer late Holocene climatic change. Prior to 4,000 years B.P. dry conditions prevailed. An abrupt change to wetter conditions occurred between about 3,600 and 3,200 years B.P. before becoming more arid. Wetter conditions between 2,500 and 1,200 years B.P. can be inferred from the lake sediment record. The driest period in the record occurred between 1,200 and 850 B.P. Fluctuations in the level of the lake over the last 600 years have been determined from historical records. The lake rose between 600 and 470 years B.P. and remained high until approximately 300 years B.P. after which time the lake level fell once again.

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Ricker, Britta. "Barbadians on the Geoweb: visualizing environmental change with volunteered geographic information." Thesis, McGill University, 2010. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=86981.

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This study investigates the use of volunteered geographic information to visualize environmental changes in Barbados. The aim of this research is to identify the extent to which participation in the Geoweb allows Bajans to communicate their concerns and observations regarding environmental change. This is addressed through three research questions: (1) Can Bajans successfully manipulate the Geoweb to report environmental changes?, (2) How are Bajans currently using computers and the Internet?, and (3) How are Bajans sharing their environmental change concerns? These questions were answered using qualitative research methods: participant observation, semi-structured interviews, group interviews and participatory mapping sessions. Drawbacks to using the Geoweb that were identified include access to technology and language. Much like traditional forms of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), participation is limited by access to hardware and technical expertise, while differences in dialect can hinder the search for local place names and relevant content. The benefits of the Geoweb include the ability to host information for a wide Internet audience. Free software to generate maps and satellite imagery available on the Geoweb can stimulate discussion about local environmental change and provides a place to document this local knowledge. It is hoped that this study can guide other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and small communities towards an innovative use of geospatial technology.
Cette étude examine l'utilisation des informations géographiques offertes volontairement pour visualiser les changements environnementaux de la Barbade. L'objectif de cette recherche est de déterminer la mesure dans laquelle la participation au Géoweb permet aux Barbadiens de communiquer leurs préoccupations et leurs observations concernant les changements environnementaux.Cette problématique est abordée à travers trois questions de recherche: (1) Les Barbadiens peuvent-ils utiliser le Géoweb avec succès afin de signaler les changements environnementaux?, (2) Comment les Barbadiens utilisent-ils actuellement les ordinateurs et Internet, et (3) De quelle manière les Barbadiens partagent-ils leurs préoccupations liées aux changements environnementaux? Ces questions ont été traitées en utilisant des méthodes de recherche qualitative: observation participante, entretiens semi-structurés, entrevues de groupe et séances de cartographie participative. Les inconvénients à l'utilisation du Géoweb qui ont été identifiés comprennent l'accès à la technologie et à la langue. Tout comme les formes traditionnelles de Systèmes d'information géographique (SIG), la participation est limitée par l'accès aux ordinateurs et à l'expertise technique, tandis que les différences entre les dialectes peuvent poser des obstacles à la recherche des noms de lieux locaux. Les avantages du Géoweb incluent la capacité de rejoindre un grand auditoire par l'entremise du Web. Les logiciels offerts gratuitement pour produire des cartes, ainsi que les images satellites disponibles sur le Géoweb, peuvent stimuler un débat sur les changements environnementaux locaux et fournissent un endroit pour sauvegarder ces connaissances locales. Il est à espérer que cette étude puisse guider d'autres Petits États Insulaires en Développement (PEID) et petites communautés vers une utilisation novatrice de la technologie géospatiale.

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Fido, Deborah R. E. "Teaching controversial environmental issues in 16-19 A level geography : possibilities and problems." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1999. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:7ff29bea-35bc-416d-ab76-9409fb09d8be.

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Environmental issues are often controversial and involve a range of possible viewpoints or attitudes. They are poorly understood hi the general population and, even amongst well respected scientists, there is often little consensus as to the causes and effects of environmental problems. Teachers are sometimes accused of exacerbating this situation by indoctrinating children with simplistic 'green slogans', rather than teaching a deeper understanding of the complexity of the issues. However, the advice provided for teachers is contradictory: much of the literature on teaching environmental issues encourages teachers to promote pro-environmental attitudes or behaviour, whilst simultaneously encouraging independence of thought amongst their students. Literature on teaching environmental and other controversial issues suggests several possible teaching strategies, but all are open to criticism on varying grounds and therefore provide little in the way of guidance for teachers. This study examines the beliefs and practices of three experienced geography teachers in relation to teaching about controversial environmental issues in the Schools' Council 16-19 A level course. This course was one of the first to embrace the teaching of controversial environmental issues, and provides explicit guidance for teachers on the development of students' environmental attitudes. Using unstructured observation, and informant-style interviews with the teachers and their sixth form students, the research investigates the similarities and differences between the teachers' beliefs and practices, and considers the educational problems and possibilities with teaching controversial environmental issues. The findings reveal a substantial divergence between the teachers' beliefs and the espoused aims of both the environmental education literature and the 16-19 syllabus. These teachers reject the aim of promoting pro-environmental attitudes in favour of a form of balanced learning. This involves the twin aims of providing access to a diversity of viewpoints, whilst maintaining a stance of non-intervention, by which they hope to encourage students to make independent decisions about appropriate environmental behaviour. A variety of imaginative teaching strategies are utilised in the pursuit of these aims. However, the findings of this study also illustrate the difficulties encountered by these teachers in trying to implement their beliefs, problems which can be explained by the influence of various constraints, such as the syllabus and examinations, the students' behaviour and characteristics, the subject matter being taught, and the teachers' own knowledge, pedagogical skills, and attitudes.

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Rickinson, Mark. "The teaching and learning of environmental issues through geography : a classroom-based investigation." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.312661.

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Sternberg, Troy. "Nomadic geography : pastoral environments in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2009. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:bc3b363d-5d7a-4b4c-896d-4296ba99cf43.

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Pastoralism on the Mongolian steppe encompasses limited physical resources and evolving anthropogenic influences. Little-studied, the Inner Asian region encounters changing climates, evolving land use practices, and socio-economic transition that impact the natural and human geography. This thesis investigates how bio-physical factors and herder action determine the pastoral environment in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. Research, focusing on drought, degradation and the extreme winter conditions that define pastoralism in Mongolia, examines pastoralists' perception of and interaction with their environment. This approach highlights steppe ecological and social processes within the global dryland debate. Fieldwork in Omnogovi and Ovorhangai Province established that drought is endemic in the region. However, drought events were independent of extreme winter conditions and did not exacerbate their impact. Degradation was not found at water points as vegetation cover decreased with distance from water. While remote sensing showed a decline in vegetation cover over time, it did not establish desertification on the steppe. Changing physical, socio-economic, and political conditions since 1990 continue to impact Mongolian pastoralism. Environmental conditions, particularly water resources and pasture quality, were paramount herder concerns. This research showed that pastoralists are economically motivated, differentiate on multiple dimensions, and value communal land stewardship. On the steppe, traditional mobile livestock practices improve livelihoods and remain an effective management approach. However, the future of pastoralism is uncertain as herders settle, the population ages, and children become educated. Thesis results emphasize the interaction of physical and social environments will define pastoralism's role in the Gobi Desert

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Wong, May-oi Esther. "A Study of the perceived teaching styles in environmental education through geography in Hong Kong /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1992. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B13890852.

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Rainis, Ruslan. "Linking land capability/suitability analysis with environmental models using geographic information systems : an iterative modeling approach /." The Ohio State University, 1991. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1487687485810661.

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Padilla, Ilianna. "From Rail Yard to Recreation| New Greenspace Governance for Achieving Environmental Justice in Los Angeles, California." Thesis, California State University, Long Beach, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10839371.

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The thesis focuses on the City of Los Angeles’ acquisition of land at Taylor Yard, a 247-acre site located along the Los Angeles River (LAR), and plans to develop new greenspace projects on this previously industrial site. The Taylor Yard case study provides an example of the opportunities and struggles that face communities as they advocate for the creation of more greenspace within dense, urban Los Angeles. Employing a qualitative mixed methods approach based on media analysis, participant observation at meetings, survey questionnaires, and semi- structured interviews, the study analyzes the historical context, contemporary political ecology, and the socioeconomics that have played a role in the reconfiguration of Taylor Yard. The study examines how community-based organizations are changing the ways people perceive and utilize urban nature, encouraging and embracing local community involvement, and working towards achieving greenspace equity as well as perceptions and utilization of urban greenspace. Results demonstrate that environmental restoration and greenspace projects provide a means to educate and empower the community, and an opportunity for them to reshape their environment in ways that can enhance their livelihoods.

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Metzger, Christopher. "Connecting Institutional Discourses and Everyday Understandings of Climate Change: Viewpoints from a Suburban Neighborhood in Tampa, Florida." Scholar Commons, 2014. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5274.

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Despite a general consensus regarding anthropogenic global climate change across the international scientific community, many of the major greenhouse gas producers in the world, especially the United States, are hesitant to implement strict emissions regulations. According to some prominent atmospheric scientists, such as James Hansen and Michael Mann, if industrialized countries continue to produce carbon emissions at current rates, an irreversible planetary tipping point of raising temperatures 2°C above pre-industrial levels could be reached in less than 40 years. Societies have a wealth of information from the natural sciences to understand the climate problem and currently possess the technological means to address it. But substantial regulatory policies have not been implemented, clean energy technologies have not been established as the primary energy source, and widespread behavioral changes needed to create sustainable societies have not been fostered. This dissertation seeks to understand why the preponderance of scientific evidence surrounding climate change has not produced a sea change of public perceptions of the climate change problem consistent with the dire projections of climate science. It is grounded in four interrelated questions: (1) What are the prevalent discourses of climate change and to which institutions can these be attached? (2) How do suburban residents understand climate change? (3) Since electricity is a major link between suburban lifestyles and climate change, how does knowledge of climate change compare with knowledge of electricity production and consumption? (4) In what ways do institutional discourses of climate change connect to the viewpoints of suburban consumers? These questions were explored through a case study carried out in a neighborhood in the city of Tampa, Florida. Forty-six semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted to understand perceptions related to climate change, suburban consumption, and environmental conservation. The interviews compiled information pertaining to personal knowledge and representations of socio-ecological relationships. The findings indicate that most relationships or connections to the natural world in general, and climate change in particular, are produced by the arrangements and processes of capital accumulation as experienced in everyday practices. Suburban residents seemed disconnected from or ignorant about how their everyday consumption is related to climate change. Based on ideological formations, as manifest in institutional discourses and material practices, suburban residents accept the social processes and spatial forms that they inhabit as being the only possible options for suburban living.

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Cumberland, Susan Alison. "Synthesis and environmental chemistry of silver and iron oxide nanoparticles." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2011. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/1736/.

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Engineered nanoparticles are defined as having a dimension that is between one and one hundred nanometres. With toxicology studies reporting various degrees of toxicity the need to investigate nanoparticle fate and behaviour is vital. Monodispersed engineered nanoparticles were synthesised in-house to produce suitable materials to examine such processes. Iron oxide nanoparticles (5 nm) and citrate coated silver nanoparticles (20 nm) were subjected to different conditions of pH, ionic strength and different types of commercially available natural organic matter. Changes in particle size and aggregation were examined using a multi-method approach. Results showed that the natural organic matter was able to absorb onto nanoparticle surfaces and improve their stability when subjected to changes in pH and ionic strength, where they would normally aggregate. The presence of higher concentrations of NOM in some cases promoted aggregation due to bridging. This work also concluded that silver nanoparticles could be produced in the presence of NOM without additional stabilisers and that they themselves were stable. This work has demonstrated that engineered nanoparticles could remain stable within a range of environmental conditions, and thus raise future pollution concerns.

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Suver, Michael. "Environmental Change and Place-Based Identities: Sponge Fishing in Tarpon Springs, Florida." Scholar Commons, 2012. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4410.

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Abstract As the environmental consequences of urbanization and climate change become apparent in coastal communities, it has become important to understand how residents of these communities experience and approach their changing environments. This becomes especially significant in places where nature-based livelihoods constitute a major part of the economy. This thesis focuses on the city of Tarpon Springs, located along the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, where sea sponge fishing is an important contributor to the local economy while also being central to place-based tourist and ethnic identities. It seeks to understand how environmental changes in the sea sponge economy will affect the coastal economy of Tarpon Springs. Based on interviews conducted with people closely connected with the sponge fishing economy, including sponge fishers and shops selling sponges, the thesis delves into (i) local perspectives on changing environmental conditions, (ii) how such changes will impact the future of sponge fishing and (iii) the extent to which local governmental support has been sought by sponge fishers and shops. Sponge fishing in Tarpon Springs is connected to its Greek identity so changes in the sponge economy could potentially affect whether tourist experiences which highlight Greek identity linked to sponge fishing continue to be connected to an actual Greek economic presence or reflect nostalgia for a Greek past. The interview responses showed concerns about declining sponge hauls which were connected to more immediate experiences of environmental change and pollution, including red tide events and phosphate runoff. Respondents also reflected on how climate change will exacerbate such environmental issues through rising water temperatures. Respondents viewed Tarpon Springs as a community with a strong Greek identity and sponge shop owners especially seemed to be dependent on links with an active sponge fishing economy to enhance the value of their sponges for tourists. In terms of government support, those involved in the sponge economy had very little interaction with city officials and did not seem keen to enhance such interactions. This thesis thus reveals that the economy of Tarpon Springs continues to be shaped by sponge fishing livelihoods that are directly dependent on nature. However, it seems that concerns related to environmental change remain within the local community and are not being voiced through more public forums, such as through active engagement with local government. The future of Tarpon Springs and its sponge fishing economy therefore remains uncertain, even as local participants in the sponge economy continue to work towards maintaining their unique identity.

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Mercer, Theresa. "An experimental study of the environmental impacts of CCA-treated wood waste land application." Thesis, University of Hull, 2010. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:2683.

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Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) has been the most commonly used wood preservative in the UK; up until its partial ban in 2004. The preservative prolongs the service life of wood by 20-50 years by making it resistant to biological attack. As such, in-service CCA treated wood is expected to be a major component of the UK wood waste stream in the future. Concerns over the impact of the chemical constituents of this treatment on both the environment and human health have prompted the introduction of legislation to ensure that such waste is disposed of safely in Hazardous Waste Landfills. Despite this, studies have shown that this waste can still enter into the landscape mulch market due to inadequate detection methods and increasing societal pressures to recycle. A series of laboratory and field-based simulations were used to quantify leaching of copper, chromium and arsenic from CCA-treated wood waste mulch and evaluate the factors involved in promoting leaching. The distribution and behaviour of the metals in the soil column and leachate were also assessed. The samples generated in the study were analysed for a range of physico-chemical measurements, elemental and speciation concentrations. Results show that arsenic, chromium and copper leaches from CCA waste wood; at times to levels exceeding regulatory thresholds by two to three orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the more toxic and mobile species of arsenic (As III) and chromium (Cr VI) were detected in both soil and leachate samples. A mass balance was produced which demonstrated that CCA wood tends to leach on initial exposure to a leachant and also during weathering of the wood. When in contact with soil, metal(loid) transport is reduced due to complexation reactions. With higher water application or where the adsorption capacity of the soil is exceeded, the metal(loid)s are transported through the soil column as leachate. Overall, there was a loss of metal(loid)s from the system that could be due to loss of water, volatilisation of arsenic and plant uptake. Due to the toxicity and concentration levels of the leached elements identified in the current study, it is apparent that adverse environmental and human health impacts may result from direct and indirect exposure to the environmental media.

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Hewlett, Roy. "Holocene environmental change and the response to sea-level in the inner Severn Estuary." Thesis, University of Bristol, 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.390338.

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Joels, Luiz Carlos de Miranda. "Sustainable El Dorado : appropriateness of environmental impact assessment in the state of Amazonas, Brazil." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 1994. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk/R?func=search-advanced-go&find_code1=WSN&request1=AAIU060613.

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This thesis examines the appropriateness and effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to help achieve more sustainable forms of development by mitigating the negative impacts of development in Amazonia. Initially, the appropriateness of EIA is tested as to its theoretical applicability to Amazonian enviromental issues. It is concluded that EIA is appropriate to mitigate the negative impacts of certain types of development in Amazonia. In the second part, the effectiveness of EIA is tested by determining whether EIA has contributed to improved environmental quality in the first years of its implementation in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. First, the policy, legal and institutional frameworks in Brazil and in Amazonas are discussed. Although policies are designed to promote sustainable development and environmental protection, it is determined that existing legislation restricts the application of EIA to only a few types of projects and institutions are not prepared to conduct the EIA process. Second, three case studies are analysed using an especially designed methodology. The three case studies concern oil production, the expansion of a hydroelectric plant in a mining complex and an oil palm plantation in an agricultural district. It is concluded that EIA is not effective in ensuring sound environmental management to the projects to which it is applied as it has no influence on project design and little influence on post-implementation environmental strategies. A number of constraints on the effectiveness of EIA as a tool and as a process are identified. It is also established, however, that EIA has a significant influence on the development of environmental management systems and structures. This reveals that the EIA process is open to change and actually evolving and that greater effectiveness can be achieved if the identified constraints are overcome. The thesis concludes with a number of recommendations as to how to overcome these constraints and therefore help to achieve sustainable development in Amazonia.

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Solís, Sánchez Cristina. "Geography of pesticide exposure in the Lower Valley (El Paso County, Texas)." To access this resource online via ProQuest Dissertations and Theses @ UTEP, 2009. http://0-proquest.umi.com.lib.utep.edu/login?COPT=REJTPTU0YmImSU5UPTAmVkVSPTI=&clientId=2515.

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Young, Richard. "Dealing with uncertainty in environmental decision making." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 1999. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/1567/.

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Reidy, Liam Michael. "Lake Sediments as Evidence of Natural and Human-Induced Environmental Change from California and Nevada." Thesis, University of California, Berkeley, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3616388.

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This study focuses on the history of natural and human-induced environmental change as recorded in the sediments of two lakes: Mountain Lake in the Presidio National Park, San Francisco, California and Big Soda Lake, near Fallon, Churchill County, Nevada. The records of these lakes examined in this study cover approximately the last 2,000 years. Sediment cores from the lakes were dated with radiocarbon, lead-210, plutonium 240/239, tephrachronology, and the first appearance of non-native pollen types. The cores were analyzed to determine changes in stable isotopes (carbon and oxygen), sediment chemistry, fossil pollen, magnetic susceptibility, organic content, and brine shrimp cyst concentrations.

Big Soda Lake has been the subject of scientific investigation since the 19th Century and two famous scientists have previously worked at the site. First, the geologist, Israel Russell explored the lake in 1882 as part of his work on Pleistocene Lake Lahontan and provided the first scientific report on the lake. Later in 1933, Evelyn Hutchinson, the famous Yale limnologist, provided the first detailed limnological report for the lake. More recently in the 1980's, the lake has been studied by scientists from the United States Geological Survey. However, prior to the research reported on here, very little was known of the history of the lake or to what extent its sediments contained a useful record of environmental change.

The sediments of Big Soda Lake provide clear evidence for both natural and human-induced environmental change during the past 1600 years. The climate record developed from the analyses of stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon, sediment chemistry, and the concentrations of brine shrimp cysts show several significant shifts in climate. The early part of the record from A.D. 400-850 is period marked by a fluctuating climate, with alternating wet/dry phases each lasting several decades each (40-60 years). During the period known as the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA)(A.D. 850-1400), we observe at least two relatively dry periods from A.D. 850-1150 and A.D. 1260-1400. Between the two dry phases, there is a pronounced wet period from A.D. 1150-1260. This wet period matches fairly well with evidence presented in other paleoenvironmental studies in the western Great Basin. During the Little Ice Age (LIA), the evidence indicates that the Big Soda Lake area was not always colder and/or wetter, but that it was in fact drier and perhaps warmer from A.D. 1400-1700 than it had been in the previous millennium. Pronounced dry phases were observed around A.D. 1400, A.D. 1500 and A.D. 1650. The wettest period during the LIA came between A.D. 1750-1800.

The human impact record at Big Soda Lake developed from the analyses of stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon, sediment chemistry, and the concentrations of brine shrimp cysts show several dramatic changes in and around the lake since Anglo American settlement of the area began, in the 1850's. Several human impacts have been identified, including regional mining activity, soda salt extraction from the lake, and irrigation induced rising groundwater levels in the last century. Two of these events have dramatically impacted the lake in that time. Firstly, the development of a commercial soda manufacturing and processing facility at the lake beginning in 1875 until the early 20th century; and secondly, the development of irrigation agriculture which led to an 18 m rise in lake level in the first few decades of the twentieth century. The sediments at Mountain Lake provide evidence of unprecedented heavy metal contamination at the San Francisco Presidio during the past 60 years. The lake evidence is consistent with local land-use changes initiated by the arrival of Europeans in the area after 1776 and the construction of California State Highway 1 adjacent to the lake in the late 1930's. The study shows how small water bodies alongside roads can concentrate heavy metals and demonstrates the need for careful scientific investigation of sediments earmarked for dredging to determine what if any contaminants are present.

A key outcome of the Mountain Lake research carried out as part of this dissertation was that in the Fall of 2011 a Federal judge ordered the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to pay 13.5 million dollars to the Presidio Trust so that the contaminated sediments could be removed and further run-off from the road be prevented from entering the lake.

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Sun, Wenjie. "A GIS-based integrated approach to explore land-use/cover change dynamics in south-central Indiana." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2006. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3240036.

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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Geography, 2006.
"Title from dissertation home page (viewed July 16, 2007)." Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-10, Section: A, page: 3933. Adviser: Tom Evans.

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Suggs, Jessica Marie. "Long-term Changes in Synoptic-Scale Air Mass Persistence Across the United States." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/78705.

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From a climate dynamics perspective, air mass persistence reflects variability in the dynamic nature of the atmosphere. In this study, a historical analysis of synoptic air mass persistence across the continental United States is presented to portray spatial and temporal variability and trends in air mass residence times. Historical daily air mass calendars for 140 locations across the United States for the 60-year period 1955 through 2015 were extracted from the Spatial Synoptic Classification database. The data were stratified by season, and a historical climatology of seasonal air mass occurrence was created for each location. The historical daily air mass data were then translated into a record of residence time, or the length of consecutive days that a synoptic air mass type was in place at a location. Each historical record of seasonal air mass residence times, or persistence, was then analyzed for spatial variability across the United States and for temporal variability and trends. Results reveal a statistically significant increase in air mass persistence for many areas of the country during three seasons, but most commonly across the southern United States during the summer season (June-August). However, this pattern was reversed for the winter season (December-February), the analyses revealed a general pattern of decreasing cool-season air mass persistence across the continental United States. The seasonally-dependent change in air mass persistence across the United States may be indicative of changed or changing mid-latitude atmospheric dynamics in the form of a previously suggested northward migration of the polar jet stream.
Master of Science

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Widner, David E. "BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN TRADITIONAL CULTURE AND MAINSTREAM SOCIETY: DEVELOPING AN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND STREAM HEALTH MONITORING PLAN TO PROMOTE THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE SUGAR CREEK WATERSHED AND THE PRESERVATION OF SWARTZENTRUBER AMISH CULTURE." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1416446669.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Environmental geography'

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