Departments & Interdisciplinary Programs: Recent submissions
Now showing items 61-80 of 426
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Burning landfill in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan detected by VIIRS NightfirePayne Institute Earth Observation Group Director Christopher Elvidge writes about a landfill burning in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan as seen through the VIIRS Nightfire satellite imaging systems as part of their global monitoring program.
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PermafrostPermafrost, or perennially frozen ground, is defined as soil or rock having temperatures below 0oC over at least two consecutive winters and the intervening summer. Much of the permafrost has been frozen since the Pleistocene time. Permafrost occurs in the Arctic, Antarctic and high alpine regions. About one-fifth of the total land area of the world is underlain by permafrost (Burdick et al. 1978). The top layer of the ground in which the temperature fluctuates above or below 0oC during the year is defined as the active layer (Andersland and Ladanyi 1994). Other terms such as seasonally frozen ground, seasonal frost and annually thawed layer are synonyms for the active layer. The thickness of this layer varies spatially and temporally. The upper boundary of permafrost is defined as the permafrost table. In the discontinuous permafrost zone, taliks form between the active layer and the permafrost table. Taliks, or unfrozen ground, are layers of ground that remain unfrozen throughout the year (Andersland and Ladanyi 1994). In the continuous permafrost zone, taliks often occur underneath shallow thermokarst lakes or rivers, where the water below a certain depth may not freeze in winter and, thus, the soil underneath will not freeze either. Other terms, such as thaw lake or cave-in lake, have also been used for a thermokarst lake. Open talik is an area of unfrozen ground that is open to the ground surface but otherwise enclosed in permafrost. Through talik is unfrozen ground that is exposed to the ground surface and to a larger mass of unfrozen ground beneath. Unfrozen ground encased in permafrost is known as a closed talik.
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Aeromagnetic surveyAn aeromagnetic survey (AMS) is an air-borne geophysical survey performed using a magnetometer aboard or towed behind an aircraft. A magnetometer is an instrument used to measure the magnetic field. Aeromagnetic surveys are probably one of the most common types of air-borne geophysical surveys. The applications of AMS in engineering geology include, but are not limited to, near-surface geological mapping, structural geology mapping, aiding three-dimension (3D) geological subsurface model construction, groundwater study, environmental study, and geologic hazards assessment. In an aeromagnetic survey, an airplane, flying at a low altitude, carrying a magnetic sensor flies back and forth in a grid-like pattern over an area, recording disturbances in the magnetic field (Fig. 1). Height and gridline spacing determine the resolution of the data. Geologic processes often bring together rocks with slightly different magnetic properties, and these variations cause very small magnetic fields above the Earth’s surface. The differences in the magnetic field are called “anomalies.” (Blakely et al. 1999).
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GIS for natural resources (mineral, energy, and water)Natural resources embrace a broad array of categories, including agricultural, conservational, forestry, oceanic, water, energy, and mineral resources. This chapter only focuses on the latter three. Traditional methods for natural resource management include, but are not limited to, geophysical exploration, field geological mapping, geochemical analysis, and aero-photo interpretations. Natural resource related research is by nature a spatial problem. Integration of field survey data and other pertinent information can be a time-consuming task by traditional ways. With the help of GIS, most of the tasks can be conducted in ways that are nearly impossible in traditional methods. Three case studies of GIS application in natural resource analyses will be presented in this book chapter to demonstrate the GIS applications in compiling, integrating, analyzing and visualizing natural resource data.
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GIS for earth sciencesGeographic Information System (GIS) supports data collection, geospatial data analysis, visualization, scientific communication and research collaboration. GIS has implications for many fields of the Earth Sciences, which are about and beyond one’s imagination. Since the development of the first computerized GIS in the 1960s, the need by professionals for geospatial technology in fields that utilize geospatial data has never stopped expanding. As noted by a market analysis in August 2017: “The GIS Market was valued at USD 5.33 Billion in 2016 and is expected to reach USD 10.12 Billion by 2023, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9.6% between 2017 and 2023.” (marketsandmarkets.com, August 2017). Earth Sciences encompasses a broad and diverse array of technical areas, such as geology, geomorphology, geography, geophysics, hydrology, hydrogeology, environmental sciences, oceanography, meteorology, and atmospheric sciences. All of these fields are using geospatial data to solve complex problems related to the planet Earth. Some of these problems are nearly impossible to solve without the use of GIS. This article presents a brief introduction to GIS and examples of its applications to the Earth sciences. Three case studies highlight the utility of GIS applications in compiling, integrating, analyzing and visualizing geospatial data.
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The regulation of CO₂ pipelines and ensuring public safetyThe 45Q tax credit is anticipated to play an important role in accelerating the expansion of the CO₂ pipeline network in the United States by providing a financial incentive for businesses to invest in carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies and supporting infrastructure. The Inflation Reduction Act's amplification of this credit has already increased the number of CCUS projects. This activity, in addition to continuing demand for CO₂ for oil and gas operations, will require an expansion of the US CO₂ pipeline network. This expansion has raised questions and concerns among landowners, project stakeholders and the public regarding the safety of these pipelines and to what extent regulations should be consistent with or more stringent than those for the more abundant natural gas pipelines.
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Securing mineral supply: backwards vertical integration for technology companiesThe demand for minerals has increased with the growing production of standard technologies, such as EV car batteries, wind turbines, and solar panels. However, major mining companies need help to satisfy the demand at the current rate, leading to inconsistent and expensive supply chains and environmental and geopolitical concerns. Technology companies should consider backward vertical integration strategies to mitigate against risks associated with supply chain issues, which would merge upstream processes essential to companies' value chains. By doing so, they can mitigate the mine's health, safety, and ecological impacts by employing the latest mining technologies.
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Addressing the need for accurate and comparable greenhouse gas data: the COMET frameworkThe Coalition on Materials Emissions Transparency (COMET) began as a collaboration between the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), RMI (formerly known as the Rocky Mountain Institute), and the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN Climate Change). Its objective is to advance accurate and transparent greenhouse gas accounting through a harmonized set of principles, standards, and reporting requirements.
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VIIRS day/night band power outage analysis for the February 6, 2023 earthquake in Turkey and SyriaOn February 6, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck at a depth of about 11 miles (17.9 km) in Gaziantep province in Turkey (https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2023-turkey-and-syria-earthquake-faqs). At least 120 aftershocks have been felt around the region, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). At least 41,000 people have lost their lives till date (February 15th, 2023) and the number continues to rise. The natural disaster has aggravated the preexisting humanitarian need in the region as many Syrian refugees are concentrated in the 10 affected provinces of southern Turkey, and Syria, and have been already suffering from over a decade of civil war.
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Turning wastes to rare valueThere remain considerable uncertainties surrounding critical mineral supply chains, and their relationship to energy transitions and energy security. There is clear evidence that they will play an increasing role, but the pathways to the future are unclear. As we strive for answers, one clear area to look is in recycling and circular economy concepts.
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Ukraine power outages viewed from the NASA/NOAA Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer suite at nightAs the Russia-Ukraine war approaches the 1 year mark the electrical grid in Ukraine has taken devastating damage. Russia has hit more than 200 targets in the electrical infrastructure. This has left millions of Ukrainian citizens without power in the cold winter months. In the early days of the war Russia captured the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Russia has now militarized the facility installing several Grad rocket launchers around the dry storage for spent nuclear fuel. Protective structures were erected to defend the launchers, but these structures violate international nuclear and radiation safety regulations.
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Policy guidelines for accelerating the energy transition in Sub-Saharan Africa: lessons from the mobile telecoms sectorSub-Saharan Africa faces immense challenges in its bid to attract capital to develop its energy resources and grow its economy. Relative to the pace of market penetration of cell phone services in the recent past, the growth in the share of the population with access to electricity has been rather dismal. The comparisons between both sectors are not new and have been made repeatedly over the years. This commentary recognizes that there are substantial differences between both sectors that make direct comparisons and a transfer of policy lessons difficult. It then identifies some key enablers of cellular telephony growth in Africa that can be applied to the electric power sector and refashions them into broad policy guidelines for boosting the pace of the energy transition on the subcontinent.
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U-Pb geochronology of monazite from a carbonatite dike and hydrothermally altered pegmatite dike in the Wet Mountains, ColoradoU-Pb Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) isotopic data were collected for igneous and hydrothermal monazite from a carbonatite dike and hydrothermally altered pegmatite dike, respectively, to determine the age of carbonatite emplacement and rare earth element (REE) mineralization in the Wet Mountains, Colorado. Fifty analyses from three monazite grains from each sample yielded reliable 206Pb/238U data. Sample locations were recording using a handheld Global Positioning System.
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Impact analysis and development patterns for the oil shale region Mesa, Garfield and Rio Blanco counties, ColoradoThis report is part of the Colorado Oil Shale Environmental Program, a major complex of studies and activities begun in 1971 to provide information and guidance for oil shale development in Colorado. This final report "Impact Analysis and Development Patterns Related to an Oil Shale Industry: Regional Development and Land Use Study" was prepared for the Colorado West Area Council of Governments, the Oil Shale Regional Planning Commission, and the Regional Development and Land Use Planning Steering and Monitoring Committee by THK Associates, in cooperation with the Denver Research Institute and Bickert, Browne and Coddington. The major objective of this study of community impacts was to provide decision-makers the necessary information on which to base planning in order to mitigate the potentially great impacts of an oil shale industry. As study of impacts, it deals more with the hardware requirements of communities—schools, housing, sewers, land use, water—than the people impacts. It provides valuable regional timetables and quantification of the necessary growth hardware. As such, this report should be invaluable to the region in planning.
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Regional oil shale study environmental inventory, analysis, and impact study, Piceance Creek Basin, Rio Blanco and Garfield counties, ColoradoThe major objective of this study of community impacts was to provide decision-makers the necessary information on which to base planning in order to mitigate the potentially great impacts of an oil shale industry. As study of impacts, it deals more with the hardware requirements of communities—schools, housing, sewers, land use, water—than the people impacts. It provides valuable regional timetables and quantification of the necessary growth hardware. As such, this report should be invaluable to the region in planning. The objectives of the Environmental Inventory Analysis and Impact Study were (1) to examine a number of the more sensitive components of the ecosystem and to establish baselines from which changes in the environment due to oil shale development could be evaluated and (2) to evaluate the effects of a series of alternatives and the long-range consequences for all interrelated aspects of physical and human environments.
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Colorado oil shale: the current statusThis overview of the status of oil shale was prepared by the State of Colorado, at the request of Mr. Paul Petzrick, Director of Shale Resource Applications for the U.S. Department of Energy. The Executive Director's Office, Department of Natural Resources, accomplished this task with the help of the Colorado Energy Research Institute. (Note that the Colorado Geological Society assisted along with other Federal and State agencies.) The material in this briefing book provides a general background to oil shale and the potential impacts of its development. It is not meant as a technical discussion of all the issues and problems associated with the development of this energy resource. Rather, it is intended as an overview for those people not intimately knowledgeable concerning Colorado and its oil shale resource.
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Tax lead time study for the oil shale region: fiscal alternatives for rapidly growing communities in ColoradoBased on currently used revenue sources, public revenues are likely to be insufficient in the oil shale region for the first five to eight years after development is initiated. The basic problem is timing and distribution of tax revenues to support new development when and where needed. This problem primarily affects cities, towns, and school districts. The basic purpose of this study is to review alternative revenue sources for local governments and potential techniques for handling revenue timing and distribution problems created by rapid population growth. The discussion of the oil shale industry and what is likely to happen or not to happen is under constant speculation and revision. Information and projections contained in this report are furnished to provide a context for problem solving by local governments in the oil shale region.
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Surface rehabilitation of land disturbances resulting from oil shale development: final report, phase IThe Phase I report is organized into the following chapters: Chapter 1. Geomorphology of Piceance Creek Basin; Chapter 2. The natural vegetation in the landscape pf the Colorado oil shale region; Chapter 3. Ecosystems and their natural and artificial rehabilitation; Chapter 4. Evaluation of mining techniques; Chapter 5. Physical and chemical characteristics of overburden, spoils, and soils; Chapter 6. Characteristics of spent shale which influence water quality, sedimentation and plant growth medium; and Chapter 7. Water requirement for stabilizing and vegetating spent shale in the Piceance Basin. The Phase II report is organized into Phase II-A Vegetative stabilization of spent oil shales and Phase II-B Revegetation of disturbed surface soils in various vegetation ecosystems in the Piceance Basin.
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Report on economics of environmental protection for a federal oil shale leasing programThis report was prepared at the request of Thomas W. Ten Eyck, Director of Natural Resources of the State of Colorado, by a subcommittee of Governor John A. Love's Oil Shale Advisory Committee, known as the "Special Committee on Economics of Environmental Protection" (SCEEP). It examines the impact of commercial oil shale operations on the natural resources of the Piceance Creek Basin and the related socio-economic consequences to determine whether or not a federal leasing program can be initiated with adequate environmental safeguards.