Category: Earth and Environmental Science
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Validating the geochemistry from a lagoon-recovered Porites spp. coral from Kiritimati Island for paleoclimate reconstruction
By Sophia Pedroza Faculty Mentor: Pamela Grothe Abstract The geochemistry of the coral genus Porites is a robust proxy for reconstructing sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface salinity (SSS) in the central tropical Pacific (CTP), using oxygen isotope ratios (δ18O). Recent paleoclimate reconstructions from Kiritimati Island (1.8° N, 157.4° W) have relied on coral…
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Industrialization Imprint in Brick Chemistry: A PXRF Comparison of Pre-Industrial and Modern Bricks
By Madeline Binkley Faculty Mentor: Melanie Szulczewski Abstract Bricks preserve a geochemical record of the environments in which they were produced, reflecting source clay composition, manufacturing processes, firing temperature, and ambient contamination. Previous studies, including Rohit Shrivastav, demonstrate that bricks can incorporate heavy metals present in soils at the time of manufacture, while more recent…
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The Distribution of Mercury and other Trace Metals in South Fork Shenandoah River, VA.
By Katie Burbridge, Abi Baldwin Faculty Mentor: Ben Kisila Abstract The South Fork Shenandoah river flows north through the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. The river supports recreational activities, wildlife, and agriculture. Historically and in the modern day, the river has been the site of many industrial facilities, mines, and wastewater treatment plants which have polluted…
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Assessing Heavy Metal Concentration in Fresh Produce Across Local, Domestic and Imported Sources using the portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer
By Mariana Lira Faculty Mentor: Melanie Szulczewski Abstract Heavy metals analysis has become increasingly important in environmental science, food safety and public health. Exposure to heavy metals poses health risks due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic effects . Elements such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, chromium and mercury can accumulate in fruits and vegetables through multiple…
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Using Large Skeletal Architecture Fossil Coral Rubble to Reconstruct the Central Tropical Pacific Climate
By Ainsley Lord Faculty Mentor: Dr. Pamela Grothe Abstract The tropical Pacific is a major driver of global climate variability through the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). However, the impact of warming sea surface temperature (SST) and/or freshening sea surface salinity (SSS) on ENSO from anthropogenic climate change is poorly understood due to limited continuous…
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Assessing the Effects of Lead and Cadmium Contaminated Sediments on Viability and Locomotor Behavior in the Amphipod Hyallela azteca
By Garrett Driscoll Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tyler Frankel Abstract Trace metal contamination is a widespread issue due to its many natural and anthropogenic sources and known carcinogenic, teratogenic, and reproductive effects. Sediments enriched with trace metals have been shown to exert negative pressures on individual, population, and ecosystem health. While previous work examining the impacts…
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Development of the Strontium-Uranium Coral Thermometer
By Edmund Gable Faculty Mentor: Dr. Pamela Grothe Abstract The response of warming and freshening oceanic conditions in the CTP from rising greenhouse gas concentrations is unknown because instrumental SST and SSS measurements only date back to 1950 C.E. With such a short modern record, it is important to develop proxies for SST and SSS…
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Investigating the viability of coral species Dipsastraea speciosa and Hydnophora microconos as reliable archives of central tropical Pacific climate change using Sr/Ca and δ18O
By Calleigh Keeley Faculty Mentor: Dr. Pamela Grothe Abstract Sr/Ca and δ18O data from coral skeletal material provide historical records of climate where instrumental records are nonexistent. In the central tropical Pacific (CTP), paleoclimate records rely on Porites sp., due to their fast growth rate, dense skeletal structure, and concentric growth bands. However, the spatial…
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Initiation of a long-term study to track fecal coliform contamination in the Rappahannock River and share results with scientific community
By Hannah Reents Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tyler Frankel Abstract Total coliforms are a broad group of bacteria commonly found in vegetation, soil, and warm-blooded animal intestinal tracts that can be used as a water sanitary indicator. Fecal coliforms are a specific subgroup of coliform bacteria found solely in the intestinal tracts of warm-blooded organisms that…
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Investigating the Use of Two Modern Tridacna maxima from Kiritimati Island as ENSO Reconstruction Proxies
By Avery Duncan Faculty Mentor: Pamela Grothe Abstract One of the primary climate drivers of the central tropical Pacific (CTP) is the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a naturally occurring interannual ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that impacts global rainfall and temperature patterns. However, temporally limited instrumental climate records in the CPT prohibit the evaluation of long-term climate trends,…
