Environmental Science & Technology Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2748
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Item SUBAQUEOUS SOILS OF SOUTH RIVER, MARYLAND: SOIL-LANDSCAPE MODEL EVALUATION(2021) Park, Cedric Evan; Rabenhorst, Martin C; Environmental Science and Technology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The way soils form, their distribution on the landscape, and their interactions with their ecosystems must be understood if they are to be managed well. Our incipient understanding of subaqueous soils limits successful management, but recent research efforts have sought to address this problem. The goal of this study was to evaluate the protocols for describing, characterizing, classifying, and mapping subaqueous soils. To this end, a subaqueous soil-landscape model (Wessel, 2020) was used to predict the distribution of soils in South River, a western shore Chesapeake Bay subestuary. The soils of South River were surveyed, and the observed soils were compared to the predictions. The model provided significant positive guidance for mapping subaqueous soils, confirming that a pedological approach is useful in subaqueous settings. Pedological data were used to generate a subaqueous soils map for South River and make recommendations to refine the model. Protocols related to soil porewater halinity and mineralogy were also investigated.Item Stormwater Green Infrastructure Climate Resilience In Chesapeake Bay Urban Watersheds(2017) Giese, Emma; Pavao-Zuckerman, Mitchell A; Environmental Science and Technology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Stormwater green infrastructure (GI) practices (e.g. bioretention, green roofs) are implemented to reduce stormwater runoff and pollution in urban watersheds. However, current implementation and design is based on historic and current climate. As a result, current implementation may not be sufficient to meet runoff and water quality goals under future climate conditions. This study conducted 1) a review of previous assessments of stormwater GI climate resilience, and 2) a SWAT modeling study of two case study watersheds (one with stormwater GI and one with traditional stormwater management) in Clarksburg, Maryland. Results from both the literature review and modeling study indicate the stormwater GI can help adapt urban watersheds to climate change. Results from the modeling study indicate that stormwater GI is resilient to changes in climate, but that there may be seasonal increases in fall and winter runoff.Item Plant Biomass Allocation and Competitive Interactions in Coastal Wetlands of the Chesapeake Bay: Experimental and Observational Studies(2011) Clark, Jenna; Baldwin, Andrew H.; Environmental Science and Technology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Wetlands are diverse environments whose vegetation provides numerous natural services including flood and erosion control and excess nutrient absorption; however conditions created by sea level rise and nutrient pollution could lead to possible wetland loss. To assess the responses of vegetation in these conditions in the Chesapeake Bay tidal wetlands, an observational study and a competition greenhouse study were conducted. An aboveground to belowground biomass relationship assessment was done along a salinity gradient within a subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay. The competition study focused on the relationship between a native and a non-native species in the aforementioned conditions. These studies revealed Phragmites australis had more biomass and lower rooting depths than the native Spartina cynosuroides under varying conditions of salinity, competition, and fertilization. Growth of S. cynosuroides may facilitate the growth of P. australis through salinity uptake and root aeration, which could have important impacts on wetland management practices.