Browsing FAS Theses and Dissertations by FAS Department "Earth and Planetary Sciences"
Now showing items 21-40 of 79
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Emissions of Nitrous Oxide and Methane in North America
(2015-05-13)Methane (CH_4) and nitrous oxide (N_2O) are the second- and third-most important long-lived greenhouse gas species after carbon dioxide (CO_2) in terms of radiative forcing. This thesis describes the magnitude, spatial ... -
Estimates of Land Ice Changes from Sea Level and Gravity Observations
(2014-06-06)Understanding how global ice volume on the Earth has changed is of significant importance to improving our understanding of the climate system. Fortunately, the geographically unique perturbations in sea level that result ... -
Evolution of Silica Biomineralizing Plankton
(2013-09-18)The post-Paleozoic history of the silica cycle involves just two groups of marine plankton, radiolarians and diatoms. I apply paleobiological methods to better understand the Cenozoic evolution of both groups. The Cenozoic ... -
Exploring the Climate Impacts of Solar Geoengineering on Land-Atmosphere Interactions
(2017-08-24)We are already on our way to a much warmer world. As humans continue to emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, avoiding the worst increases in surface temperature will likely require climate mitigation or even climate ... -
Exploring the Wide Net of Human Energy Systems: From Carbon Dioxide Emissions in China to Hydraulic Fracturing Chemicals Usage in the United States
(2017-08-24)Human energy systems have profound and far-reaching impacts, from global to regional levels. This thesis examines two seemingly distinct issues that are intrinsically united by the growing human appetite for energy and ... -
Fluxes of Atmospheric Methane Using Novel Instruments, Field Measurements, and Inverse Modeling
(2013-09-24)The atmospheric concentration of methane \((CH_4)\) - the most significant non-\(CO_2\) anthropogenic long-lived greenhouse gas - stabilized between 1999 and 2006 and then began to rise again. Explanations for this behavior ... -
Geodetic Imaging of Fault System Activity
(2014-06-06)Geodetic observations provide kinematic constraints on the behavior of tectonically active fault systems. Estimates of earthquake cycle activity derived from these constraints may depend on modeling assumptions and/or ... -
Geometrically Accurate Earthquake Modeling
(2019-05-13)Earthquakes are one of the great natural hazards. However, only a small portion of the earthquake cycle is captured in the modern observational record. Hence, understanding the physics and statistics of earthquakes requires ... -
Geostationary satellite observations of ozone air quality
(2013-10-14)Ozone in surface air is the primary cause of polluted air in the United States. The current ozone observing network is insufficient either to assess air quality or to fully inform our understanding of the factors controlling ... -
Ice Stream Variability and Links to Climate
(2015-09-22)This dissertation explores the variability and climatic importance of ice streams, regions of fast flow in ice sheets. Observations indicate that ice stream variability plays an important role in the current mass balance ... -
Imprints of Geodynamic Processes on the Paleoclimate Record
(2016-05-18)In this thesis I investigate how solid Earth deformation associated with glacial isostatic adjustment and mantle convection impacted ice age climate. In particular, I discard approximations that treat the Earth's internal ... -
Insights From Past Sea Level and Landscapes Through the Lens of Solid Earth Ice-Sheet Interactions
(2019-05-21)Bridging geophysics, paleoclimate, and landscape studies, this interdisciplinary thesis examines critical moments during the last ice age, employing geophysical simulations of glacial isostatic adjustment and non-traditional ... -
Insights into Contractional Fault-Related Folding Processes Based on Mechanical, Kinematic, and Empirical Studies
(2012-09-17)This dissertation investigates contractional fault-related folding, an important mechanism of deformation in the brittle crust, using a range of kinematic and mechanical models and data from natural structures. Fault-related ... -
Interactions Between Long-Term Mantle Dynamics and the Evolution of Earth’s Surface Volatiles and Climate
(2020-04-29)Elucidating the interactions between Earth's surface and interior is crucial for understanding Earth's long-term climate cycles and surface geochemical processes. In this thesis, I investigate the feedbacks between Earth's ... -
Investigating Climate-Chemistry Interactions on Multiple Spatiotemporal Scales
(2018-02-02)Our ability to assess the impacts of human-caused climate change relies in part on our understanding of the interactions between the climate system and atmospheric composition. In this thesis, I investigate the coupling ... -
Investigating the Chemical and Climatic Mechanisms Driving Extreme Air Pollution Episodes
(2020-05-14)Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a significant cause of global mortality and an important component of anthropogenic interference with the climate. Also called aerosols, PM2.5 can affect climate by reflecting or absorbing ... -
Investigations of Three Dominant Patterns of Large-Scale Circulation Variability in the Atmosphere
(2016-09-12)This work covers the investigations of three dominant patterns of large-scale circulation variability in the atmosphere, namely the South Asian summer monsoon, the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and the annular mode. The ... -
Large-Scale Mantle Structure Observed Through the Lens of Geodynamical Processes
(2017-04-24)This thesis aims to further our understanding of mantle dynamics by investigating two fundamental parameters that govern such motion: density and viscosity. The variation of mantle density and viscosity dictates the ... -
Layer Formation in Stably and Unstably Stratified Flows
(2018-09-25)This thesis investigates the dynamics of layered velocity and buoyancy structures in stably and unstably stratified flows. Geophysical examples of layers in stably stratified turbulence include the ocean's equatorial deep ... -
Lipidomic and Genomic Investigation of Mahoney Lake, B.C.
(2014-02-25)Photic-zone euxinia (PZE) is associated with several times in Earth's history including Phanerozoic extinction events and long parts of the Proterozoic. One of the best modern analogues for extreme PZE is Mahoney Lake in ...