Browsing by Author "Floum, Jackson"

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Open Access
Assessing the Outcomes of a Long-term, Zero-emission Strategy for GoTriangle’s Transit Fleet
(2019-04-19) Floum, Jackson; Fu, Yingyu; Yoshizumi, Alexander; Zhang, Liyue
The goal of this project was to assess how GoTriangle might most effectively implement battery electric vehicle (BEV) buses by analyzing possible environmental and social factors and providing recommendations for BEV bus implementation to maximize operating efficiency and social good. The core questions that drove the analyses were (1) whether GoTriangle is a good candidate for BEV bus implementation and (2) how GoTriangle might best implement BEV buses. Four analytical components were chosen to address the goals of the project based on participatory feedback from project clients: (1) analysis of potential grid impacts of charging the electric fleet, (2) comparisons between BEV bus well-to-wheel emissions and conventional diesel bus well-to-wheel emissions, (3) suitability analysis of route legs – the most granular transportation planning units used by GoTriangle, and (4) spatial analysis of emissions to address environmental health and environmental justice concerns. This report found that GoTriangle is likely a good candidate for BEV bus implementation. Increased demand to the grid would likely be negligible from a transmission point-of-view. In maximum fuel-economy scenarios with an energy mix based upon Duke Energy’s integrated resource plan, it appeared that BEV buses would contribute less emissions in every category when compared to diesel buses. Though, it should be said that comparatively larger contributions of some air pollutants were observed in minimum fuel-economy scenarios. Many bus route legs – the smallest planning units used in route optimization – appeared to be good candidates for implementation based on physical characteristics known to be associated with energy consumption. Route legs located near and around Raleigh were found to be some of the most optimal options based on their physical properties and comparatively greater potential to mitigate human exposure to criteria pollutants.
Open Access
Exploration of sound disturbance from unmanned aircraft systems in a coastal marine environment
(2017-05-14) Floum, Jackson
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) provide a safer, cheaper and more efficient means of collecting and, with accompanying software, processing scientific data compared to conventional survey techniques. Marine Scientists are quickly discovering new applications for UAS that can not only allow them to replace survey tools such as manned aircraft and boats, but also to continue to open new avenues of research, providing the capabilities to answer previously challenging questions. Though assumed to be less intrusive than manned aircraft, there is extremely limited information on the potential for UAS acoustic and visual disruption caused by aircraft hovering or simply passing over animals and habitat. Anthropogenic sound in the marine environment can be highly disruptive and can alter animal behavior and vital life functions. In shallow coastal zones, boat noise has been shown to influence both vocalization rates and sound intensity of fish calls. No literature exists that has investigated UAS sound in any marine environment. The aim of this study was to provide preliminary data on UAS sound penetration characteristics into the water, as well as data on the effects of UAS engine sound on marine biophony. Using five separate UAS of various sizes and remote sensing capabilities, I flew at various heights over an autonomous acoustic recording system deployed in a coastal marine environment to learn how UAS sound penetrated the water and if it influenced vocalization rates of all nearby animals or call intensities of oyster toadfish. As hypothesized, lower altitudes and larger UAS had higher sound intensities, and the presence of UAS had no measurable impact on vocal production rate or intensity. I measured no acoustically-mediated disturbance from UAS missions in this developed coastal area. The observations of this study provide robust initial data and preliminary information on UAS acoustics in water and insight into their potential impacts on marine life.