The Environmental Science and Design Symposium, formerly the Land and Water Symposium, is a multidisciplinary forum that promotes the exchange of ideas related to the resiliency of natural and built systems. This year’s theme, Complexity of Environmental Legacies, reflects the challenges of developing sustainable systems in landscapes transformed by decades of modification and contamination. Speakers from a wide range of disciplines (fashion, geology, geography, architecture, and ecology) will address topics related to urban, sustainability, restoration, and the integration of design with biological systems.
Browse the Environmental Science and Design Research Initiative 2019 Collections
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Landuse/Landcover (LULC) change modeling of Old Woman Creek (OWC)Watershed using Remote Sensing and GIS
03/21/2019This study employs Markov chain model and Cellular Automation analysis to analyze the land use/land cover change of Old Woman Creek watershed in Ohio from 1992 to 2018 and to predict same for 2022 and 2026. Supervised classification was carried out on preprocessed 1992, 2003, 2013 and 2018 Landsat images to produce four main LULC categories namely; Agriculture, Urban, Forest/wetland and Water. Different GIS layers needed as input for Markov chain were produced with the same scale and spatial resolution. Data analysis showed that road is a major driver of urbanization in OWC watershed with farthest distances from road being about 1470m. Change detection analysis was conducted between 2 different time period namely 1992-2003 and 2003- 2013 to study the rate and pattern of urban growth. Urban growth rate was found to be less than 1% of the watershed per annum in both time period. Transition probability matrix was generated to show the rate of conversion of one LULC class to another after a period. Initial simulation was validated with 2103 and 2018 LULC map with the accuracy ranging from 95% to 99% for all the LULC classes. LULC will be simulated for 2022 and 2026 and the projected area and percentage change in each of the LULC classes will be discussed with emphasis to loss and growth. This study provides a good strategy for LULC monitoring for management practices and assesses the efficacy of the modeling method.Large woody debris (LWD) as biomimetic inspiration for Lake Erie coastal infrastructure
03/21/2019The Ohio Lake Erie shoreline is 75% hardened with rock, steel and concrete and is the most modified shoreline of all the Great Lakes. While shoreline armoring effectively reduces erosion from wave action for coastal properties, this modification disrupts the land-water interface and diversity of nearshore habitat. Historically, natural LWD input from frequent, small-scale windthrows provided structural complexity in habitat and positively affected local hydrodynamic conditions in streams, rivers and lakes, among other ecological benefits. For this reason, large woody debris (LWD) is often used as a natural element for both stream stabilization and habitat creation in stream restoration projects. This project uses the biomimicry process to understand local context and mimic the LWD form of a rootwad for potential use as a structural element in freshwater coastal stabilization and restoration projects. Rootwad structures are 3D printed in ABS and PLA and tested in a recirculating wave flume simulating wave conditions on Lake Erie. Wave attenuation and downstream velocity reduction along the centerline are measured as well as downstream sediment deposition regions roughly characterized. The hope is to assist in the development of a resilient Lake Erie shoreline transformed by modification through coupled natural-built coastal protection structures using the biomimicry process.Living architecture: an anthropocentric and biocentric review
03/21/2019In the event of the environmental urgency, the necessity for ecologically friendly architecture was the driving impetus behind the emergence of living architecture. The perplexity overarching this notion bars architects from embracing and implementing it into their designs. This paper is an attempt to define living architecture; what are the similarities and differences with other trajectories of green architecture approaches, also, what it represents for both human and the environment, removing the ambiguity that overshadows it. Built on the philosophical and historical literature reflected on a range of world known case studies, it demonstrates what living architecture entails from an anthropocentric and biocentric approaches. It is believed that a clear understanding of the living architecture role and importance will result in proper implementation by designers whether we build for human or nature. Living architecture is a relatively new and thriving concept; yet, it lacks coherence due to the complexity of its components which mandates the architectural community for continuous research.Manganese dissolution kinetics and uptake rates by red maple trees in soils
03/21/2019Manganese, an essential nutrient critical for photosynthesis and a toxic element in excess, impacts forest metabolism, carbon storage, and ecosystem productivity. Given the significant role Mn can play, it is important to understand how soil geochemistry controls Mn uptake. We conducted a greenhouse pot experiment to quantify Mn uptake by plants based on controlled geochemical constraints. Specifically, we investigated whether Mn uptake was limited by the supply of Mn to soil solution or by biological controls within the plants. Tree pots containing soil-only or soil and red maple saplings were supplied with either dissolved Mn, Mn-oxides, or crushed shale containing Mn-bearing pyrite. We predict that Mn uptake would be higher in systems with dissolved Mn because it is not limited by mineral weathering, and that Mn uptake would be higher when the system is supplied with fast-weathering substrates (pyrite in the shale) than slow-weathering substrates (Mn-oxides). We analyzed the chemical composition of leaf tissue to quantify Mn uptake and soil leachate to quantify Mn losses. Leaf chemistry varied on orders of magnitude, with Mn uptake being the highest in the dissolved Mn treatment and lower in the Mn-oxide and shale treatments. Conductivity data indicates major solute loss in leached water from the dissolved Mn and shale treatment groups. The leached water from the shale group was extremely acidic, suggesting rapid dissolution of pyrite. Leachate chemistry indicates that Mn loss in the dissolved Mn treatment groups was two to 10 times higher than the other treatment groups. We conclude that vegetation stored Mn and reduced leaching rates in all treatments, and that Mn dissolution rates influenced plant uptake. Ongoing analyses include constructing mass balance models to quantify Mn uptake and leaching, microscale imaging techniques to examine root-soil associations and mineral transformation, and community analysis of Mn-oxidizing or reducing microorganisms.Metal Speciation and Transport in a Stream Impacted by Coal Mine Drainage
03/21/2019Acid mine drainage (AMD) is acidic, metal-rich water produced from the oxidative dissolution of sulfide minerals exposed to air and water during mining. AMD can continue to contaminate water resources years after mining ends, damaging affected ecosystems and requiring costly reclamation. AMD-derived metals can be transported through water as dissolved ions, nanoparticles, and larger suspended particles. Although these species differ in toxicity and mobility, most AMD studies either do not include or do not differentiate between certain phases. The objectives of this study were to examine metal speciation and transform in an AMD-contaminated stream and determine the unique concentration-discharge behaviors (C-Q) of different metal species. Here, we examined metal speciation along the length of a stream that mixed with AMD contaminated groundwater and treated, alkaline water from an AMD-treatment system. Dissolved and nanoparticulate Fe concentrations spiked where AMD-contaminated groundwater upwelled into the stream, but decreased downstream as nanoparticulate aggregates of Fe-oxides and other Fe-containing minerals settled out of the water column. Streambed sediments contained high concentrations of Fe-oxides, pyrite, and Fe-sulfates. At the watershed outlet, nanoparticulate Fe concentrations decreased relative to dissolved Fe at times of higher discharge, indicating unique C-Q behaviors depending on metal speciation. Our results indicate that geochemical processes, such Fe-oxide precipitation, along the stream help sequester most contaminant Fe in the watershed. This work will help address a knowledge gap regarding the understanding of metal transport though streams and has implications for policy regarding the effectiveness of AMD treatment systems.More than One Way to Limit Algae: Trace Metal-Nutrient Colimitation of Algal Production
03/21/2019Algae use diverse mechanisms to acquire and sequester nutrients to support metabolism and growth. Some mechanisms include the use of trace metals as enzyme cofactors to support electron transfer proteins, for photosynthesis and respiration, or to produce enzymes that allow for use of less common organic nutrient sources. Much of what is understood about stream nutrient limitation focuses on just N and P, although trace metals support several underlying metabolic pathways that may also cause apparent nutrient limitation. We present data from streams in the Great Lakes basin that span a gradient of pristine to urban and low to high inorganic nutrient concentrations. We used trace metal nutrient diffusing substrates (tNDS) with different combinations of elements to identify trace metal-nutrient co-limitation of algae. Metal-nutrient co-limitation was observed in streams with low dissolved inorganic nutrients. Chlorophyll a concentrations showed that 80% of streams with low inorganic P were Zn-P co-limited. Net primary production estimates showed that streams with low inorganic N were Ni-N co-limited. We suggest that while a stream may appear N or P limited, the metabolic mechanism underlying this result may be due to trace metal co-limitation.