Environmental Studies Program Research Articles

Deep Water Renewal in Subarctic Fjord

As part of a comprehensive program of marine environmental studies in Port Valdez, Alaska, currents were measured in or near Valdez Narrows almost continuously for more than two years. The purpose of these measurements was to investigate the exchange of water between Port Valdez and Prince William Sound. Intensive profiling of temperature and salinity in Port Valdez and adjacent waters has enabled observation of water exchange processes that are effective on a seasonal basis. However, the current meter data have shown that these processes are occasionally overshadowed by short-term events that are of comparable effectiveness in promoting the exchange of water between Port Valdez and Prince William Sound. The latter events have typical durations of two to five days and their timing is apparently related to the passage of weather systems through the Gulf of Alaska. The random nature of these events, in conjunction with the generally predictable seasonal exchange processes, suggests that the notion of a unique residence time for Port Valdez and similar fjords is inappropriate.

Solar Sweden

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsThomas B. JohanssonThomas B. Johansson, a physicist, is in the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Lund (Sweden).Peter SteenPeter Steen, a system analyst, is with the Department of Long Range Planning and Operations Research at the Research Institute of National Defense in Stockholm.

The Westernport Bay Environmental Study

The Westernport Bay Environmental Study is a major multi-disciplinary program that began in 1973. The study was designed to obtain broad scientific knowledge of the bay and its catchment preceding major urban and industrial development. Initially, it comprised over 50 projects, including marine, land, and social and economic studies and has continued into its second phase. Funding was provided by state government and industry, and direction of the study was by representative committees, a Study Director and scientific and technical core groups. Co-operative investigations embraced government, university, industry and other scientific groups. The Westernport Bay Environmental Study has continued to evolve and has become the Westernport Regional Environmental Study, one of the three major parts of the Environmental Studies Program of the Ministry for Conservation.

Integrating a Professional Program in an Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies Program

Integrating a Professional Program in an Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies Program

Late Holocene Sedimentary Provinces, South Texas Outer Continental Shelf

The late Holocene sedimentologic framework of the South Texas outer continental shelf (OCS) from Matagorda Bay to the United States-Mexico border was studied as part of the national OCS environmental studies program associated with offshore petroleum lease sales. Late Quaternary sea-level fluctuations have resulted in the development of three genetically distinct sedimentary provinces based on textural-morphologic equilibrium criteria. Seafloor topography and surficial sediment patterns delineate a southern province dominated by relict topography of the Pleistocene and Holocene ancestral Rio Grande delta; the province is composed of a heterogeneous mixture of modern mud and relict muddy sands in textural disequilibrium with the present hydraulic regime. A northern provinc is dominated by relict topography along the southwestern flank of the ancestral Brazos-Colorado delta; it is composed of palimpsest sandy-mud deposits that have achieved partial equilibrium with present hydraulic conditions, and that appear to be undergoing some net-southward transport. A central interdelta province is characterized by a modern depositional surface; it contains an extensive modern mud blanket that appears to be encroaching southward over relict deposits of the ancestral Rio Grande delta. Surficial-sediment texture suggests a modern sediment-dispersal system characterized by net-offshore and net-southward transport components. Shallow subsurface sediments penetrated by gravity cores indicate that the modern dispersal pattern was established during earlier Holocene time b t has been modified during the later stages of the Holocene transgression. Relative to the sand facies, the mud facies has expanded and migrated shoreward with time, thus reflecting a transgressive overlap relation.

Sphagnotheca Boreali-americana: A New Exsiccata of North American Sphagna North of Mexico

Publication of a new North American Sphagnum exsiccata is announced. Fascicle 1, consisting of 50 numbers, is published concurrently with this publication. Recent upsurge of interest in Sphagnum in North America has created a definite need for a new set of carefully collected and verified duplicate specimens embodying the most recent taxonomic thinking. Under the title Sphagnotheca Boreali-americana, such a set will be issued in several fascicles, the first fascicle is published concurrently with this paper. Several previous exsiccatae covering a similar geographic area have concentrated partially or solely on Sphagnum. Sullivant's (1845) Musci Alleghaniensis contained 10 numbers of Sphagnum, among them the types of S. strictum Sull., S. molle Sull., and S. tabulare Sull. Sullivant and Lesquereux's (1856) Musci Boreali-americana, Edition One, contained 19 collections of Sphagnum including the types of S. lescurii Sull., S. cyclophyllum Sull. & Lesq. and S. tenerum Sull. & Lesq. while Edition Two (Sullivant & Lesquereux, 1865) had 23 numbers of Sphagnum. Geographically, these exsiccatae were limited mostly to eastern United States, and in some cases, collections for the same number were gathered from several locations (Sayre, 1971). Because of this, in several instances, more than one taxon may be found under the same number. In the early 1890's, Faxon distributed a number of collections under the title North American Sphagna. However, these were often collected at different times and places, thus they cannot be considered as true duplicates (Sayre, 1971). Soon after distribution of these collections, Faxon collaborated with Eaton to produce the Sphagna Borealiamericana Exsiccata (Eaton & Faxon, 1896), which consisted of 172 numbers issued in 60 sets. Only three of these, however, came from western North America. The usefulness of the Eaton and Faxon exsiccata is further impeded by currently outmoded species concepts, the limited number of species, and several mixed collections. Thirty-nine species were listed by Eaton and Faxon, but the species concepts employed by us, would expand this to 45; substantially less than the 60+ species actually present in North America. Nearly all of the missing species are ecologically important in some portion of their North American distribution. 1 We thank Stanley J. Smith and Norton G. Miller for their contribution of one number to Fascicle 1. The exsiccata has been funded in part by grants from the National Defense Education Act, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Department of Botany, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 2 Environmental Studies Program, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, New York, U.S.A. 3 Department of Botany, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.58 on Sun, 11 Dec 2016 04:31:30 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 1975] ANDRUS & VITT: SPHAGNOTHECA BOREALI-AMERICANA 65 Between 1893 and 1900, Waghorne also distributed a number of Sphagnum duplicates from Newfoundland and Labrador. Although the collections, due to the variable nature of partially handwritten labels, may not be uniform and therefore cannot be considered as portions of a true exsiccata, they remain historically important because of the inclusion of the types of S. waghornei Warnst. and S. tenuifolium Warnst. Sphagnotheca Boreali-americana will be issued in fascicles of 50 numbers with a total of 50 sets distributed as follows: AAS (BIRM), ABLS, ALA, ALTA, B, BA, BM, BP, BR, C, CANM, CHR, CINC, COLO, DUKE, F, FH, FLAS, G, GL, H, HERB-HOE, HIRO, JE, L, LD, LE, MEL, MICH, MIN, MO, MSC, NFLD, NICH, NY, O, PAC, PC, PR, S, SASK, S.U.N.Y. at Syracuse, TENN, TNS, U, UAC, UBC, US, WIS, WTU. All collections have been verified by the authors and carefully checked over to avoid mixed collections. For many species several numbers have been included to show the range of morphological variation encountered in different geographic and ecologic situations. Although Fascicle 1 contains collections primarily from Alberta and New York, careful attention has been given to broad geographic representation, and the complete set will contain substantial input from southeastern United States and other portions of western Canada, as well as numbers from other areas. Publication date for Fascicle 1 is concurrent with issuance of this number of The Bryologist, the date of accession into the University of Alberta herbarium. The following list itemizes the numbers in Fascicle 1.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IMPLEMENT PUBLIC POLICY RURAL COMMUNITY ACTION WITH A WATER DEVELOPMENT PROJECT1

ABSTRACT: This report summarizes the findings of a ten week study made by the eight member Urban and Environmental Studies Program student staff of the Rock Creek Area Community Projects Board to assist the Village in its search for funds to improve its inadequate water and sewage systems. The ten year history of the Village of Rock Creek in its previous attempts to secure funding from outside sources is summarized. An analysis of federal funding programs’criteria is developed. Recommendations and a step by step analysis of how to precure these funds by the Village Council is presented. This report highlights the ten week activity which successfully produced earmarked federal funds for the Village's water project.

A New California Environmental Studies Program

A New California Environmental Studies Program

Geography and Environmental Studies: The Fifth Tradition?

Abstract The recent emergence of the “environmental crisis” has accentuated the inadequacies of the disciplinary structure of American universities to deal with environmental problems. Various goal or problem oriented environmental studies programs are emerging. Because these programs are interdisciplinary, they lack methodology and are dependent upon the strengths of a strong disciplinary structure within the university. Although geography is well suited to an interdisciplinary framework in an evironmental studies program, its strength lies in its methodology rather than in the object of study. The common emphasis in geography on what is studied as opposed to how it is studied may induce a rush of geographers to forsake the discipline in order to become environmentalists. Such reactions are counterproductive. To relinquish autonomy and individuality inevitably leads to stagnation and erosion. Environmental studies can best be served by a contributing program in geography as part of broadly based support among all academic disciplines.