2008 Proceedings - St. Cloud State University

Abstracts
Session A All Disciplines Ballroom
Rocky Mountain National Park
Mountain climbing, whitewater rafting, hiking, skiing are things that you think of when you think of Rocky Mountain National Park. Looking
at what we enjoy about the National Park today, one begins to wonder what the original purpose of the National Park was and whether that
is still the purpose today. Are we beginning to lose the benefits of the land that was set aside or was it set-aside just for recreational
purposes.
Presentation Index: A37
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Department: Geography
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Peters, Becky
John, Gareth
Monitoring and Modeling of Post-USSR Land Use Land Cover Change in Ryazan Oblast of European Russia Using Multi-
Temporal Satellite Data
After the breakdown of the USSR in 1991, Russia has undergone dramatic change in its social, economic and political systems, which has
provided enough anthropogenic activities to greatly change land use and land cover. For instance, in some areas of Russia more than half
of the farmland has been abandoned and is converting to scrublands and forests. Therefore, understanding the impacts of the new
socioeconomic, political and environmental conditions on land use land cover change (LULCC) is important to determine controls and
driving forces of LULCC to establish their relative importance and to predict future change. This research will utilize the collapse of the
former Soviet Union in 1991 to determine the controls and driving forces and their relative importance on LULCC within the Ryazan oblast
of European Russia, which is located on southern side of Moscow. About 30% land is covered with transitional forest steppe with average
agricultural productivity, population density; average to below average collective form productivity and huge problem areas with poor
ranking in commercial farming. The dynamics of the LULCC will be investigated by the combined use of satellite remote sensing and a
geographic information system (GIS). Time series Landsat Satellite scenes of 1989, 1994 and 1999 will be utilized for classification,
mapping and change detection. Change Vector Analysis change detection method will be employed in extracting LULCC for analyzing the
direction, rate, and spatial pattern of LULCC in the Ryazan oblast of European Russia. Mapping, detection of land cover changes and
establishment of their anthropogenic driving forces exhibit the past and present scenarios of LULCC. Modeling of LULCC using existing
land use land cover dynamics and socioeconomic driving forces will provide tools for understanding the causes and consequences of rapid
LULCC. LULCC modeling will also prove useful for disentangling the complex suit of socioeconomic and biophysical factors that influence
the rate and spatial pattern of land cover change and in estimating the impacts of changes in land cover in the future.
Presentation Index: A38
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Department: Geography
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Singh, Kunwar
Blinnikov, Mikhail; Richason, Benjamin
Geologic Trap of Cedar Valley, Nebraska
The Cedar Valley Field in Scottsbluff County, Nebraska has produced over 2 million barrels of oil. The Cedar Valley Field is located on the
northeast flank of the Denver Basin and the producing sedimentary rock has been termed the ―J‖ Sandstone. The ―J‖ Sandstone is located
approximately 5000 feet below the surface (1100 feet below sea level) in this area and was deposited about 100 million years ago during
the Lower Cretaceous. Wells were drilled in the area during the 1960s, first as wildcat wells and then as production wells. The average
porosity of the J Sandstone is 20% and the average permeability is about 260 millidarcys. In order for the production of oil, there must be
a geologic trap which would allow for the accumulation of oil and would prevent the oil from then dispersing. Through the analysis of well
logs, the J Sandstone can be correlated and mapped. The structure shows a constant 1-2 degree slope to the northeast in this area with
no discernable fold or fault. Therefore the structure of the J Sandstone does not provide a geologic trap for the oil to accumulate in. The
stratigraphy of the J Sandstone is the probable trap for the Cedar Valley Field and will be further analyzed in order to determine the trap.
Presentation Index: A39
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Department: Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Anderson, Adam
Pekarek, Alfred
A Limited Climatology of Capping Inversions in Nighttime Northern Plains Thunderstorms
Accurately forecasting convection is one of the most important issues facing meteorologists today. Capping inversions make forecasting
convective events very difficult in the northern plains of the United States. In this study, 12z soundings of ten Northern Plains stations were
looked at in June, July and August from 1998 to 2003. The events, having been categorized previously by Wieseler (2007) as convective
or non-convective, were looked at using the 12z sounding to determine a lid strength for that day. The goal of the study is to find a critical
lid strength to aid in the forecasting of convection in the northern plains.
Presentation Index: A40
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Department: Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Abel, Jon
Weisman, Robert
St. Cloud State University Student Research Colloquium 28
April 22, 2008