Nicholas School of the Environment

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/52

Master's projects by Nicholas School of the Environment students, including the Duke Marine Laboratory.

The masters project is done in partial fulfillment of the degree requirements for the professional Master of Environmental Management or the Master of Forestry degree. While the MP may include original laboratory or field research, it may also take the form of management plans, handbooks, educational curricula, or other such products. Each student is advised by a faculty member who reviews and approves the project prior to completion.

A masters projects that is original research should not be as large as a masters thesis although it should be of publishable quality but not necessarily comprehensive enough to stand alone as a publication. A masters projects that does not follow the usual format for scientific research should follow a framework that is considered good practice in an appropriate field.

Duke migrated to an electronic-only system for masters projects between 2006 and 2010. As such, projects completed between 2006 and 2010 may not be part of this system, and those created before 2006 are not hosted here except for a small number that have been digitized.

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 2123

Open Access
Forests, Wildfires, and their Link with Weather and Landscape Variation: A spatial and temporal analysis within Zambian GMAs
(2024-04-29) Merritt, Melissa
Deforestation rates in Zambia have been on the rise in recent decades, accompanied by growing concerns about wildfires exacerbated by climate change and population growth. Because of these trends, understanding forest structure and wildfire intensity, as well as their underlying drivers, is imperative. In this project, the research was conducted within two game management areas, adjacent to Kafue National Park, a cornerstone of one of the world's largest protected regions. The fieldwork for this study involved surveying 30 forest plots to analyze above-ground biomass distributions and identify the spatial environmental factors affecting them. I evaluated the viability of estimating regional above-ground biomass distributions by integrating Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite data with plot-level above-ground biomass data. Additionally, burn severity was evaluated using satellite-derived dNBR vegetation indices, with comparisons made to temporal variations in weather patterns. These findings are anticipated to offer valuable insights for shaping future wildfire management strategies and carbon mitigation efforts.
Open Access
Intentional Technical Assistance: Using Network Model Analysis and Community Engagement Tools to Assess Fresh Food Availability and Accessibility in Knightdale, North Carolina
(2024-04-26) Orozco, Kamil; Soto, Deloris
Open Access
Environmental Impacts of Critical Minerals Used in the Renewable Technologies Supply Chain
(2024-04-26) Ren, Xingying(Caroline)
Renewable energy technologies are often deemed as clean or net-zero relative to their fossil fuel counterparts. However, the amount of critical minerals used in electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, and battery energy storage systems are often overlooked, but there is evidence that this may be a hot spot for environmental impacts. For example, published studies have found that a typical electric car requires six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car, while an onshore wind plant demands nine times more mineral resources than a gas-fired plant of the same capacity. The paper aims to assess the environmental impacts associated with critical minerals used in some renewable energy technologies. This is achieved by initially determining the future MW capacity of each renewable technology model. The analysis is then followed by a calculation of the quantity of different minerals needed for each model and an examination of the environmental implications associated with their mining and processing activities. The findings provide insights into the specific environmental impacts that arise from increasing demand of solar and wind energy technologies considering different adoption scenarios.
Open Access
Sowing the Seeds of Redemption: Supporting the formerly incarcerated population of Durham through agricultural education
(2024-04-26) Jackson, Roo
Situated south of the historic Stagville plantation in Durham, North Carolina, Urban Community AgriNomics (UCAN) operates as a community garden and non-profit organization that serves the surrounding urban community in a variety of ways. UCAN places a significant focus on preserving the intergenerational story of the land as well as fostering community resilience and rejuvenation. It accomplishes this by adhering to its core mission of enhancing the health and well-being of the Durham community through offering education and skill development in healthy living practices, seed-to-table food preparation and preservation, and practical learning experiences in STEAM and Agriculture. UCAN serves as a community gardening space, providing a learning environment for agricultural skills, and offering a tranquil setting for local Durham community members to immerse themselves in the narratives of the past while connecting with nature. Founded on the largest former plantation in the state, UCAN's objective is to transform land previously used to harm the community into a source of benefit. This report explores UCAN's latest initiative in pursuit of this transformative goal. In the upcoming years, UCAN is establishing a program to equip formerly incarcerated individuals with valuable skills in agriculture. This will be called the Returning Citizens Project (RCP). This initiative will provide housing and compensation over a three-year period. There, participants will foster connections within a local close-knit farming community, gain a stronger sense of community, and leave with the tools necessary to help prevent recidivism. While engaging in a variety of farm-related responsibilities, participants will primarily focus on managing a designated one-acre plot for agriculture and an additional acre dedicated to planting, learning about, and selling native North Carolina plants. As they cultivate a relationship with the plants and share their history, this endeavor will further UCAN's mission of not only supporting its community but also perpetuating the narrative of the land for generations to come.
Open Access
Investing in Clean Hydrogen
(2024-04-26) Miteva, Petya
This paper lays out a framework and process for investors to build their investment theses in clean hydrogen innovation. This framework was developed based on conversations with industry experts and a literature review that informed an analysis of a range of investment opportunities in innovations within the hydrogen value chain. The framework functions in five steps: • Answer four key questions corresponding to various investment criteria categories; • Refine specific investment criteria based on these answers; • Rank investment criteria from highest to lowest priority; • Identify optimal investment niches by using this paper’s internally developed opportunities heatmap; • Build a clean hydrogen innovation investment thesis that targets the top-scoring niches. With plentiful opportunities for innovative solutions for the production, storage, transportation, transformation, and utilization of clean hydrogen, investors are showing an appetite for tapping into this space. These innovations hold the promise of revolutionizing a variety of activities within the hydrogen value chain to enable its use in traditionally Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) intensive sectors. Yet, identifying the right opportunities within an emerging space could be challenging. Clean hydrogen is an important lever in the decarbonization of the global economy, expected to account for roughly 10-12% of global annual energy use by 2050. To meet the levels envisioned by most global decarbonization scenarios, low-carbon hydrogen production and use in applications where it replaces a higher emitting fuel or energy source needs to grow 100 times from today’s levels by 2030. An estimated total investment of $1 trillion would be required to reach this target; yet there remains a $430 billion gap between current commitments and what’s needed. Stronger investment frameworks like the one put forth in this paper could help narrow this gap by enabling investors to deploy capital where it matters to usher in the ubiquitous use of clean hydrogen across the economy.
Open Access
Comparing the Proposed Benefits of Electricity Deregulation in South Carolina to the Electricity Deregulation Outcomes Experienced in Maryland: A Primer on Electricity Deregulation in South Carolina for Residential Ratepayers
(2024-04-26) Williams, Justin
This project provides a historical overview of regulated and deregulated electricity markets in the United States, South Carolina, and Maryland, along with a comparative analysis of the proposed benefits of electricity deregulation for ratepayers in South Carolina based on the findings and recommendations of the South Carolina Market Reform Measures Study Report (SCMRMSR) to the outcomes of electricity deregulation experienced by Maryland ratepayers. The historical overview of regulated and deregulated electricity markets and the results of the SCMRMSR provide the foundation necessary to appreciate a comparative analysis of the proposed benefits of electricity deregulation to South Carolina ratepayers as stated in the SCMRMSR to the actual outcomes of electricity deregulation experienced by Maryland ratepayers. This project intentionally refrains from making judgments or recommendations about electricity deregulation in South Carolina and Maryland, as this project aims to educate rather than persuade.
Open Access
Just Transition - Native Energy Sovereignty Through Solar Energy
(2024-04-26) Giaramito, Joey
Open Access
The Effects of Redlining on Residential Energy Efficiency and Resilience in Extreme Temperature Events
(2024-04-26) Clapper, Haley
Residential energy efficiency is a component of individual and community resilience during extreme temperature events, especially extreme heat. Historic and lower-quality homes are often less energy efficient, requiring more time to heat up during cold events or cool down during heat events due to gaps in building envelopes. In the 1930s, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC), a U.S. government-sponsored organization tasked with refinancing home mortgages, developed residential security maps of over 200 U.S. cities to appraise neighborhoods based on the perceived lending risk associated with demographics, a practice known as “redlining.” Over several decades, redlined neighborhoods predominantly populated by low-income and non-white residents received less investment than non-redlined neighborhoods predominantly populated by wealthier white residents. This study explores how historical redlining has left a legacy of disinvestment in housing, which may contribute to inequities in residential energy efficiency compared to non-redlined neighborhoods. Using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s ResStock tool, we modeled indoor temperature change in various building types over time under coincident extreme temperature and power outage scenarios. Additionally, we modeled energy efficiency upgrades to identify opportunities for enhancing building envelopes. We then examined performance differences for specific building types that are notably more or less prevalent in redlined and non-redlined neighborhoods in Durham, North Carolina. We identified several building types that were more prevalent in redlined areas and performed less efficiently on average compared to home types that were more prevalent in non-redlined areas. Lastly, we found that upgrades can enhance energy efficiency in homes, but further study is needed to elucidate potential differences in upgrade benefits between homes that are more prevalent in redlined areas compared to those more prevalent in non-redlined areas. Layered with other consequences of neighborhood disinvestment, such as urban heat island effects, these inequities can threaten human health, energy affordability, and overall resilience during extreme temperature events. Overall, this analysis provides insight into potential disparities underlying residential energy efficiency associated with redlining and spatial distributions of building characteristics, which could potentially inform policies and retrofit investments to build more equitable resilience in the face of future extreme temperature events.
Open Access
An Analysis of Optimal Agricultural Edge of Field Practices To Maximize Sustainability Efforts
(2024-04-26) Aletani, Salwa; Cheung, Yingchi
Agriculture is one of the biggest industries globally, with various impacts on ecosystems, climate change, biodiversity, and water conservation. Increasing the sustainability of farms is powered by innovative solutions provided to farmers to address agricultural challenges that impact the environment. This project focuses on sustainability practices that are implemented on the edges of fields, and how such practices can increase sustainable agricultural practices integration. A meta-analysis is performed to evaluate the viability of all the available edge of field practices, conduct a cost-benefit analysis to maximize opportunities for using edge of field practices, and craft a final recommendation of the practices that have the highest potential for farmers.
Open Access
Designing and Implementing Workshops: A Program Evaluation of an Agricultural and Chicken Husbandry Development Program in Madagascar
(2024-04-26) Nasir, Dania
Madagascar struggles with intensifying human pressure on natural resources threatening lemur habitat. This program evaluation looks at the short- and medium-term impacts of the Duke Lemur Center’s gardening and chicken husbandry workshops in the village of Ambodivoara. It answers the following questions: To what extent did the workshops achieve the desired outcomes? What worked well and how can they be improved? And what was the experience of participants in these workshops? Qualitative data was collected on-site through 16 interviews and 2 focus groups with workshop participants during the summer of 2023. Overall respondents reported a largely positive experience with varied outcome achievement. At the end of the project, recommendations were given to the DLC on methods to overcome barriers to their objectives and improve the effectiveness of their efforts. Recommendations range from increasing continued engagement and interactive sessions to topic-specific adjustments.
Open Access
A Comparative Analysis Between Biofuels and the Food & Agricultural Industries
(2024-04-26) Yao, Yao; Llonch, Madeleine; Mutha, Srishti
As of 2020, 35% of corn was grown for animal feed, 31% for biofuel, and less than 2% for human consumption. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), specifically Section 45Z, offers tax credits to farmers cultivating low-carbon intensity corn for clean transportation fuels, potentially reshaping corn allocation trends. For this Master’s Project, we collaborated with Rabobank to explore the implications of this policy shift, with a particular focus on corn allocation dynamics across human consumption, feedstock, and biofuel sectors. The potential for competition arises as farmers may prioritize selling to the fuel industry to capitalize on incentives, which could reshape traditional corn allocation trends. However, uncertainties about the adequacy of incentives from food companies to counteract this shift remain. This project aims to provide Rabobank with insights into how the IRA will influence farmers' crop allocation decisions and to understand the competitive landscape between the food and renewable fuel industries. The research finds that ethanol producers are incentivizing farmers to cultivate low-carbon intensity crops through sustainability initiatives. Nonetheless, uncertainties about the level of financial support and premium payments to farmers create barriers to adopting sustainable practices. In contrast, food companies seem to have a limited approach to incentivizing low carbon crop cultivation, mainly focusing on educational initiatives rather than offering substantial financial incentives. This highlights the comparative advantage of biofuel companies in encouraging agricultural practices. Despite potential competition concerns, the food industry's impact is expected to be minimal as the U.S. has a sufficient corn supply to meet domestic needs or import as necessary. Additionally, the renewable fuels landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, with new alternatives like renewable diesel poised to reshape the industry. If biodiesel becomes a dominant renewable fuel, it may reduce competition between the food and ethanol industries regarding corn sourcing, thereby offering a different avenue for renewable fuel production. To gain a deeper understanding of these dynamics, we conducted interviews with stakeholders from various sectors, including farmers and professionals from the food and agriculture industry. These interviews offered invaluable insights into considerations such as costs, transportation, and crop rotation. We also examined the intricacies of incentives for farmers, how they are informed about new opportunities, and the impact of trends. Discussions included topics such as regenerative agriculture, challenges presented by the IRA, and how the food industry could effectively compete with renewable fuels for sourcing low-carbon crops, informing future strategies and policies. In conclusion, this research project highlights the evolving landscape of agricultural production and renewable fuels, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies and collaborative efforts to navigate the transition towards a more sustainable future.
Open Access
Incorporating Participatory Planning Processes for Engaging with Smallholder Coffee Farmers in Climate Change Resiliency Planning in Latin America
(2024-04-26) Markowitz, Kristy
Coffee production in Latin America, accounting for 60% of the world’s coffee output, is vital for 25 million smallholder farmers many of whom live in the most biodiverse regions. The susceptibility of coffee crops to weather fluctuations makes them vulnerable to climate change. Participatory approaches are instrumental in identifying context-specific climate-resilient measures. This study focuses on integrating participatory approaches to an organization’s educational model providing capacity building to smallholder farmers. A participatory workshop was designed and implemented with a focus group of coffee farmers in Honduras to identify climate strategies for their coffee production and test participatory approaches. A pre-survey was deployed to gather perceptions on climate impacts and adaptations in Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Survey results helped inform the design of the workshop. In general, results show that coffee farmers are experiencing climate changes that impact their well-being and that of their families. Workshop results demonstrate that workshop participants have positive reactions to the participatory format. Findings suggest that the participatory approaches used in the workshop are effective at engaging coffee producers in climate-resilient planning and identifying strategies to adapt.
Open Access
Distributed Solar Photovoltaics in South Carolina: A Techno-Economic Analysis for Red Ventures Fort Mill Campus
(2024-04-26) Karnei, Hanna; Liao, Ina Shih-Hsuan; Liao, Qiuying
This Master's Project assesses the economic, reliability, and environmental benefits that Red Ventures can obtain by installing a distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) system at its headquarters in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The analysis provides a comparison of a behind-the-meter PV system and net metering PV system based on the project financing type (levered and unlevered), taxpayer type (efficient and self-sheltered), and PV system location (rooftop, parking deck, and rooftop and parking deck). Our team strongly recommends proceeding with the installation of a 937 kW-DC behind-the-meter solar PV system across all available rooftops (RV1, RV2, RV3, and RV4) and the North and South parking decks with 53% debt and 47% equity. The financial indicators demonstrate the robust viability of this project, with anticipated expenses totaling $3.0 million and electricity savings of $4.5 to $4.6 million over a 25-year project's operation lifespan. A levered investment in the PV system would result in an internal rate of return ranging from 10.8% to 11.9%, a net present value of $0.17 million to $0.21 million at a 7% discount rate, and a short payback period of 3.2 to 3.6 years. Moreover, the environmental impact of this project would be significant. The solar system could meet 10% of the company's annual electricity demand with an estimated avoidance of 19,894 to 20,304 metric tons of CO2 emissions, an amount equivalent to removing 5,000 cars from the road for one year. A financial modeling tool is provided along with this report to allow the client to explore how changes in assumptions affect cost-benefit outcomes.
Open Access
GREENING YOUR HOME: MAKING HOME SUSTAINABILITY BUYER AND SELLER-FRIENDLY
(2024-04-26) Tesla, Suzana
For most, the purchase of a home is the single largest investment that an individual will make in his or her lifetime. While the purchase itself comes with a variety of strings, unexpected expenses and uncertainties, consumers have added an additional level of home sustainability into the mix. As consumers have become more environmentally conscious and educated, they have also started to demand the same from their agents and the industry. However, agents, buyers, and sellers continue to have minimal knowledge regarding residential home sustainability, especially for homes that are not newly built. Green certifications, which could provide various insights, apply primarily to newly built homes, and the green features on MLS are limited and create major gaps for understanding home sustainability. This leaves an opportunity for the development of a system that will provide greater insights on home sustainability to buyers while also being easy to develop and use by the agents and the sellers. This paper bridges this gap by assesses the current environment, green initiatives, and various stakeholder to create a set of guidelines to assist agents in developing a green score that buyers and sellers can use to easily and efficiently compare home sustainability. Six different areas are covered in the green score: indoor environment, external environment, energy efficiency, water efficiency, walkability, and landscaping. Each area is discussed in detail in terms of the components and the opportunities for improvement, and a set of questions is developed that would allow agents and sellers to assess the home’s green features and sustainability. The questions, like the property disclosures that sellers are required to fill out, are simple to answers with either a yes/no response, a percentage, a number, or a selection from the provided options. The questionnaire has a scoring criterion, which is then used to calculate the green score - first by averaging each area separately and then by averaging the average of each area. This prevents areas that have more questions from carrying more weight, and thus gives homes that do not score well in one area the opportunity to still score well overall. An initial prototype of the green score was designed and tested for feedback. Most notably, users were interested to know more about the score, its significance, and its impact on potential buyers. Others also mentioned wanting a more tangible aspect of the score, such as the financial savings associated with a particular score or the health impacts. Based on this feedback, a new design was created that presented the overall green score at the center, with the option to click on the six areas on the side and obtain more information about the scoring for that category and various resources related to the measures. This would help users further explore home sustainability beyond just the green score. This initial design of the green score is just the first step to making residential home sustainability easily accessible for agents, buyers, and sellers. From there, there are three improvements that can be made to the score: integration with outside data providers, addition of a financial savings components, and maintenance of historical data. By collaborating with other sources, such as Energy Star or the Air Quality Index, additional data can be merged to further add to the credibility of the green score. These other sources could also be used to calculate the financial savings more accurately, such as the information from the Energy Star product finder. From there, as more data is collected and the green score if filled out during each consecutive home sale, historical data can help identify trends and improvements in a home, while also making it easier for future agents to fill out the green score questionnaire by adjusting the previous one to include any changes since the last sale. Overall, the green score has the potential to bring greater transparency and information when it comes to home sustainability in the residential real estate brokerage industry. It is more agent, buyer, and seller friendly, with various improvements available down the line to allow for even greater applicability. With greater demands from buyers and increased environmental regulations, the green score can help buyers and sellers make a first, easy step toward understanding home sustainability and the potential changes that can be made. It sets the tone for future conversations and create a needed change in the brokerage industry.
Embargo
Camera trap distance sampling in tropical forests: assessing drivers of terrestrial wildlife abundance in Ivindo National Park, Gabon
(2024-04-26) White, Elizabeth
The loss of wildlife species and populations, termed defaunation, significantly impacts biodiversity and vertebrate community structure. Terrestrial mammals are especially vulnerable to anthropogenic activities such as habitat destruction, overhunting, and exploitation. Extractive industries are increasing in scale in central African forests, thereby increasing human access to forests and leaving a potential for defaunation. Camera traps are reliable, effective, and non-intrusive technologies to monitor and assess wildlife populations. Using camera trap distance sampling, we estimated wildlife density, capture rates, and species richness to evaluate drivers of wildlife abundance and defaunation in Ivindo National Park, Gabon. We present one of the first uses of camera trap distance sampling to estimate the density of multiple species in a tropical forest. From these estimates, we have baseline population data for this region and can identify factors influencing their populations to inform collaborative conservation and wildlife management efforts.
Open Access
Hooked! An Analysis of Sea Turtle Bycatch in the Recreational Rod and Reel Pier Fishery of North Carolina
(2024-04-26) Sajewski, Amanda
Fisheries bycatch is a major threat to the five species of endangered and threatened sea turtles found in North Carolina’s waters. There are four main outcomes of a bycatch event:acute death, sub-acute death, delayed mortality, or survival. Survival may be accompanied by sub-lethal impacts affecting general fitness of the sea turtle, potentially decreasing reproductive success, the turtle’s ability to forage, and increasing the risk to threats (e.g., boat strike). Post Interaction Mortality (PIM) after interaction with hook and line gear is influenced by hook-type, the ease of removing the hook from the turtle, if hooks (or line) couldn't be removed, and a myriad of environmental factors. While the commercial fishery has measures in place to decrease and mitigate bycatch of sea turtles, there are no such measures for the recreational fisheries of North Carolina. Both commercial and recreational fishing contribute substantially to North Carolina’s coastal economy, and recreational fishing continues to grow, building on a long history of pier fishing on North Carolina’s coast. Taking lessons learned from bycatch mitigation in the commercial longline fishery presents a good starting point for similar studies in the recreational rod and reel fishery. To address a research gap, and in support of a NOAA initiative to better understand and consider how to reduce sea turtle bycatch at recreational fishing sites, I analyzed incidental sea turtle captures in North Carolina reported in the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) database over 15 years. My aim was to examine incidentally captured sea turtle demographics and any trends between reported captures and fishing methods. To complement my historical data analysis I conducted surveys with fishers (anglers) on three piers in Carteret County to investigate cofactors of fishing methods and sea turtle incidental captures in order to make recommendations to inform potential mitigation measures, such as voluntary gear modifications. Historical data were obtained from STSSN from 2008 to 2022. The survey was created by NOAA for their Reducing Sea Turtle Bycatch at Recreational Fishing Sites Project. We sought information about angler habits including fishing methods (hook type, bait type), and frequency of sea turtle interactions. Outreach on the importance of reporting bycaught sea turtles was done opportunistically, most often after the final question: “What would you do if you accidentally caught a sea turtle?”. I directed anglers to the STSSN signs that were posted at the entrance to the pier and discussed the importance of these data, even if the “turtle seems fine.” I conducted data analysis and testing for statistical significance in R, and performed spatial analysis and construction of a publicly available spatial GIS tool through arcGIS Pro. From 2008 to 2022 there were 427 reported interactions with sea turtles with recreational rod and reel fishers from piers in North Carolina. I examined relationships between species, geographical location (county), hook location, hook type, and season. Kemp’s ridley sea turtles represented 60% of reported interactions overall, and based on these reported interactions, are statistically more likely to be caught than any other sea turtle species. Overall the most reported captures occurred in May, though monthly numbers of incidental captures varied by county. Shrimp was the most commonly used bait type in incidental sea turtle captures and j-hooks were the most often reported hook type. Kemp’s ridleys had the highest number and proportion of captures by the mouth. Captures by the mouth comprised the largest percentage of each species' known hook locations; only greens and loggerheads had a nearly equivalent amount of captures by mouth and flipper. I conducted 77 angler surveys in the fall of 2023, capturing data for 150 anglers at three piers in Carteret County: Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier, Oceanana Pier, and Newport River Pier. The 1 first half of the survey covered general fishing habits and preferences. Most fishers interviewed preferred fishing in the spring and fall. Shrimp were statistically more likely to be chosen as bait, and j-hooks most likely to be chosen for hook-type. Twenty-seven percent of respondents spent at least 16 days fishing in at least one season (3 months), while 49% of respondents were only visiting North Carolina, spending 5 days or less at the pier per season. Angler surveys indicated there is likely significant under-reporting due to local fishers perceiving easily dehooked and healthy turtles as unnecessary to report. There are several key points to consider when interpreting the results of this study. First, relationships between co-factors and incidental captures are difficult to reliably determine because little baseline data exist to compare to. When conducted at a state-wide scale, the angler survey data will provide additional background data and therefore allow for better analysis of potential cofactors with incidental captures in the future. Self-reported data always presents challenges, as it is impossible to know whether increases in reports are due to a true increase in incidental takes or if they are due to increased reporting. While attempting to control for the background popularity of j-hooks and shrimp, use of these bait and hook types were not statistically significant, suggesting that those are the most common hook and bait types associated with incidental takes because they are also the most common hook and bait types used at the piers. There was no relationship between where sea turtles are hooked (mouth or flipper) based on hook type. This result is counter to what might be expected from the success of switching to circle hooks in the commercial long-line fishery. A possible explanation is that the circle hooks used by pier anglers weren’t large enough to prevent swallowing the hook. At the end of any good research study, there are more questions to be answered. I will incorporate habitat data into my sea turtle maps to obtain distances of piers to preferred sea turtle habitat. Will this help inform which sea turtle species are most often reported as caught at that pier or the level of incidental captures generally? After answering this question, I will publish the analysis of the historical data including the dashboard tool. I am hoping the dashboard tool can be used to suggest trends that can inform potential mitigation measures. A few potential voluntary measures that could decrease bycatch at the piers in North Carolina include temporary restrictions. One option is to implement temporary closures during the months of highest incidental captures at each pier, for example a temporary closure in May for Carteret and Pender Counties. The other option is to enforce bait restrictions, restrict bait use apart from lures or gotcha plugs during months of highest incidental captures. The finding the captures by the mouth were most common in all species indicates that this may reduce incidental captures of loggerheads, Kemp’s ridleys, and green sea turtles that are likely attracted to the bait as a food item.
Open Access
Loups Marin: Exploring Human Dimensions of Conflicts with Wildlife through Filmed Interviews about Gray Seals Returning to Cape Cod
(2024-04-26) Hillard, Ashley
When it comes to human-wildlife conflict, wildlife is often found at fault but in reality is it us or is it them? Through the story of the return of gray seals to Cape Cod, the complexities of modern species management is shared via a short documentary titled Loups Marin (sea wolves). Once abundant, gray seals were extirpated from the Gulf of Maine after years of bounty hunting. Protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, their numbers have steadily increased along with white sharks off the coast of Cape Cod. As the gray seal population rebounds, fish stocks have declined leading some to believe that the seals are eating too many fish along with drawing white sharks to popular beaches. Similar to misconceptions about wolves and their role in ecosystems, gray seals can be misunderstood and blamed for problems that are actually caused by people. As fisherman Doug Feeney shares, “it’s not the seal, but it's a great scapegoat.”
Open Access
Semi-decadal transformations in geomorphology and landcover of a mixed-energy barrier island complex in North Carolina
(2024-04-26) Benaka, Isaac
Barrier islands, which cover the majority of the Atlantic coastline in North America, are highly valued and dynamic coastal landforms. Serving as natural protective barriers, these islands shield inland areas and critical infrastructure from storms and wave energy while providing vital habitats for diverse ecosystems that deliver key ecosystem services. With increases in storm frequency and sea level rise caused by climate change, these islands are becoming increasingly susceptible to change, making the understanding of their dynamics crucial for their preservation and the protection of the ecosystems and human communities they support. Research on barrier islands has predominantly focused on those facing the open ocean, with less attention given to the fetch-limited barrier islands (FLBIs) located in lagoons or sounds behind these ocean-facing islands. FLBIs are generally associated with minimal geomorphological changes under predominant conditions due to their sheltered nature. However, they can be highly susceptible to erosion during high-energy storm events, with slow morphological recovery due to the reduced movement of sediment by low wave energy in quiescent conditions. The Rachel Carson Reserve (RCR), located within the Inner Banks of North Carolina, is a complex of inlet FLBIs that contains diverse ecosystems and acts as a barrier to storm impacts for the town of Beaufort, NC. Bird Shoal, one of three islands in the RCR, is situated directly landward of Beaufort Inlet and serves as a frontline of defense from storms. Recent scientific focus on Bird Shoal revealed significant geomorphological developments that indicate the island’s departure from FLBI status and challenge the FLBI model. Specifically, Bird Shoal exhibited dynamic morphological changes outside of a storm event, while FLBIs are typically expected to exhibit minimal changes under predominant wave conditions. These observations coincided with significant widening of the Beaufort Inlet, which indicates a shift in the wave dynamics affecting the RCR. We conducted a mapping survey of the RCR using small unoccupied aircraft systems (sUAS) and compared the data with other remotely-sensed datasets to measure how the topography and shorelines of the Reserve changed from 2017 to 2023, with a specific focus on Bird Shoal. Our synoptic analysis demonstrated both erosion and accretion to Bird Shoal from 2018 to 2023. While Bird Shoal grew in area and volume, the majority of its shoreline experienced landward migration. The dynamic morphology of Bird Shoal may be caused by altered wave dynamics influenced by the widening of the Beaufort Inlet. Our study’s observed morphological changes to Bird Shoal and the potential wave dynamics at play suggest that the island deviates from the FLBI model. Additionally, the impacts of observed morphological changes were visible in a habitat change analysis, which indicated patterns of ecological succession within the RCR as a whole. For example, overwash from the migration of Bird Shoal appeared to provide a suitable platform for marsh growth. The observed morphological and habitat changes provide crucial insights into the future evolution of the RCR and inform strategic management approaches. Continued sea level rise will likely drive increased overwash and landward migration of Bird Shoal, reshaping the Reserve’s intertidal areas. The growth in dune width and elevation on Bird Shoal suggest increased sediment trapping capabilities, potentially strengthening the island’s role as a coastal barrier. However, the vulnerability of the dunes to overwash remains a concern. Implementing management strategies such as planting dune-stabilizing vegetation could mitigate this risk. Continued monitoring of both morphological and habitat changes is essential to understand the evolving dynamics of inlet barrier islands and support the effective management of the Rachel Carson Reserve.
Open Access
Semi-decadal transformations in geomorphology and landcover of a mixed-energy barrier island complex in North Carolina
(2024-04-26) Benaka, Isaac
Barrier islands, which cover the majority of the Atlantic coastline in North America, are highly valued and dynamic coastal landforms. Serving as natural protective barriers, these islands shield inland areas and critical infrastructure from storms and wave energy while providing vital habitats for diverse ecosystems that deliver key ecosystem services. With increases in storm frequency and sea level rise caused by climate change, these islands are becoming increasingly susceptible to change, making the understanding of their dynamics crucial for their preservation and the protection of the ecosystems and human communities they support. Research on barrier islands has predominantly focused on those facing the open ocean, with less attention given to the fetch-limited barrier islands (FLBIs) located in lagoons or sounds behind these ocean-facing islands. FLBIs are generally associated with minimal geomorphological changes under predominant conditions due to their sheltered nature. However, they can be highly susceptible to erosion during high-energy storm events, with slow morphological recovery due to the reduced movement of sediment by low wave energy in quiescent conditions. The Rachel Carson Reserve (RCR), located within the Inner Banks of North Carolina, is a complex of inlet FLBIs that contains diverse ecosystems and acts as a barrier to storm impacts for the town of Beaufort, NC. Bird Shoal, one of three islands in the RCR, is situated directly landward of Beaufort Inlet and serves as a frontline of defense from storms. Recent scientific focus on Bird Shoal revealed significant geomorphological developments that indicate the island’s departure from FLBI status and challenge the FLBI model. Specifically, Bird Shoal exhibited dynamic morphological changes outside of a storm event, while FLBIs are typically expected to exhibit minimal changes under predominant wave conditions. These observations coincided with significant widening of the Beaufort Inlet, which indicates a shift in the wave dynamics affecting the RCR. We conducted a mapping survey of the RCR using small unoccupied aircraft systems (sUAS) and compared the data with other remotely-sensed datasets to measure how the topography and shorelines of the Reserve changed from 2017 to 2023, with a specific focus on Bird Shoal. Our synoptic analysis demonstrated both erosion and accretion to Bird Shoal from 2018 to 2023. While Bird Shoal grew in area and volume, the majority of its shoreline experienced landward migration. The dynamic morphology of Bird Shoal may be caused by altered wave dynamics influenced by the widening of the Beaufort Inlet. Our study’s observed morphological changes to Bird Shoal and the potential wave dynamics at play suggest that the island deviates from the FLBI model. Additionally, the impacts of observed morphological changes were visible in a habitat change analysis, which indicated patterns of ecological succession within the RCR as a whole. For example, overwash from the migration of Bird Shoal appeared to provide a suitable platform for marsh growth. The observed morphological and habitat changes provide crucial insights into the future evolution of the RCR and inform strategic management approaches. Continued sea level rise will likely drive increased overwash and landward migration of Bird Shoal, reshaping the Reserve’s intertidal areas. The growth in dune width and elevation on Bird Shoal suggest increased sediment trapping capabilities, potentially strengthening the island’s role as a coastal barrier. However, the vulnerability of the dunes to overwash remains a concern. Implementing management strategies such as planting dune-stabilizing vegetation could mitigate this risk. Continued monitoring of both morphological and habitat changes is essential to understand the evolving dynamics of inlet barrier islands and support the effective management of the Rachel Carson Reserve.
Open Access
Distribution of Natural Capital Financing in Markets
(2024-04-26) Zepecki, Caroline; Go, Li Jia; Graybill, Bryan
Natural capital finance is an emerging space wherein natural resources are conceptualized as assets that contribute to economic productivity through the provision of ecosystem services. Natural capital, also referred to as natural assets, stocks fall into four main categories: (1) Agriculture, (2) Biodiversity, (3) Fisheries & Aquaculture, and (4) Ecosystems & Forests including soil, minerals, and animals, and significantly impact the sustainability and economic well-being of businesses and nations. It is essential to understand the role that natural capital stocks play in providing various necessary ecosystem services, which in turn reduce climate change-related investment risks. Additionally, building investment and conservation cases around the existence value of natural capital by measuring ecosystem services provides a mechanism to drive investment into ecosystem restoration and conservation. This project is an exploration of various ecosystem services, methods for quantifying their value in target ecosystem types, and investment frameworks for natural capital as an asset class. We conducted this project in collaboration with Ortec Finance, a leading global provider of technology and solutions for risk and return management, to better understand the value of natural capital and the potential for reducing climate change-related risks through the implementation of conservation and restoration projects. Our team's objective was to contribute to Ortec’s knowledge base of how various natural capital stock types influence global economic activity, considering ecosystem service quantification, climate-related risks to ecosystem service provision, and any corresponding investment risks. Chapter 1 provided a first-pass valuation of the carbon sequestration potential of terrestrial forests in South Carolina, with the results highlighting the feasibility of using open-source models and data to assess the environmental and economic value of terrestrial forest ecosystems, presenting a proof of concept for potential future applications in the client’s target regions. Chapter 2 highlights the critical ecosystem services provided by mangroves, such as coastal flood protection and corresponding asset protection, categorizes various climate-related risks and environmental thresholds impacting mangrove populations, and examines investment frameworks for mangrove natural capital investment. Chapter 3 highlights the value created by the agricultural sector in Brazil, how the agricultural expansion is destroying globally significant natural capital underpinning regional climate regulation and ecosystem services that enable agricultural productivity in the region, identifies countries and actors relevant to the client’s interests driving deforestation through agricultural demand, discusses the risks and costs associated with the collapse of these ecosystem services, and the potential costs of mitigating these risks. All chapters investigate quantification methodologies for a specific ecosystem service, and how that can be used to assign value to specific natural capital stocks. This analysis provides a proof of concept for natural capital stock valuations based on a single ecosystem service— a complete stock valuation, encompassing all ecosystem services provided at a site, is necessary for investors looking to leverage quantifiable “returns” from proper stock management. Key findings- • As natural capital develops and matures as an asset class, frameworks to comprehensively quantify stock values should encompass all ecosystem services provided to avoid “cheapening” nature by oversimplifying valuation methods. • For natural capital asset managers, purchasing stocks of depleted terrestrial forest/mangrove forest/farmland presents a vast opportunity to generate stable, meaningful returns by improving natural resource management practices to maximize ecosystem service outputs. • For each ecosystem type outlined, the ecosystem service valuation framework can be used to justify conservation and restoration measures. • The most appropriate investment mechanisms will vary between natural capital types, depending on the stakeholders who rely most on specific ecosystem services. • Beyond just natural capital asset management, insurance instruments designed for ecosystems, impact investment, and nature-based Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) companies all have a role to play in the growing global conservation finance landscape. Furthermore, this project holds significant relevance to Ortec, as each chapter systematically outlines potential climate risks that threaten the prosperity of the ecosystems discussed. It is crucial to comprehend how ecosystem services, rendered by various forms of natural capital, might fluctuate in the forthcoming decades as climate change impacts intensify. For businesses whose supply chains depend on the ecosystem services provided by the highlighted ecosystem types, grasping the potential variations in ecosystem service provision—and understanding how these changes might influence operational risks—is imperative. This work is highly pertinent in the wake of the release of the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, put forth by the UN Environment Programme in late 2023, which introduces a framework to “assess, disclose, and manage nature-related risks and impacts by businesses and financial institutions worldwide” (UNEP FI). Nature risk is investment risk; understanding the breadth and magnitude of socioeconomic contributions from ecosystem service contributions is integral to responsible investment management.

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