Exploring What We Can't See

In business, it's essential to understand the factors influencing your industry. The world's oceans drive multi-billion-dollar fishing and tourism economies, but we have explored only about three percent of the deep sea, according to Woods Senior Fellow Rob Dunbar (Environmental Earth System Science), who spoke at a recent Stanford+Connects event. A team led by Senior Fellow Stephen Monismith (Civil and Environmental Engineering) discovered that voluminous underwater waves known as "internal bores" can potentially have a dramatic impact on marine productivity, affecting the abundance and distribution of a variety of organisms such as crabs, abalone, clams and octopi. This research in California's Monterey Bay grew out of a 2009 Environmental Venture Project, and is part of ongoing work at Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station aimed at clarifying the impact that internal bores have on the ecosystem as a whole.

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"Stratified Turbulence in the Nearshore Coastal Ocean: Dynamics and Evolution in the Presence of Internal Bores," Journal of Geophysical Research, Oceans, Dec. 18, 2014

Read on to explore other insights and discoveries on environmental challenges and solutions published by Stanford Woods Institute fellows and affiliated researchers.

Aiding Adaptation to Snowpack Changes

Snowpack – vital for water storage, food, and energy supplies - is expected to decline by the end of the century. Yet some places could see snow increases over the next 50 years, complicating adaptation responses. A study co-authored by Justin Mankin, a graduate student in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment & Resources in the School of Earth Sciences and Woods Senior Fellow Noah Diffenbaugh (Environmental Earth System Science) shows that such uncertainty, when considered in predictive modeling, can affect expected changes in snow accumulation at local scales relevant to decision-making.

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"Influence of Temperature and Precipitation Variability on Near-Term Snow Trends," Climate Dynamics, Oct. 17, 2014

Other Climate Change Research

"Joint Bias Correction of Temperature and Precipitation in Climate Model Simulations," Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, Dec. 5, 2014, co-authored by Senior Fellow Noah Diffenbaugh (Environmental Earth System Science)

"Fungal Community Responses to Past and Future Atmospheric CO2 Differ by Soil Type," Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 2014, co-authored by Senior Fellow Robert Jackson (Environmental Earth System Science)

"The American Public's Preference for Preparation for the Possible Effects of Global Warming: Impact of Communication Strategies," Climatic Change, Nov. 12, 2014, co-authored by Woods-affiliated Professor of Communication and Political Science Jon Krosnick and Senior Lecturer Meg Caldwell (Law)

Using Science to Open Way to "Blue Economy"

Scientists at the Natural Capital Project recently shared new science and open source software that can calculate risk to coastal and marine ecosystems. These novel tools were used to design the first integrated coastal zone management plan for the Caribbean country of Belize.

Photo credit: Melanie McField

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"Assessing Habitat Risk from Human Activities to Inform Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning: A Demonstration in Belize," Environmental Research Letters, Nov. 18, 2014

Other Ecosystem Services and Conservation Research

"Embracing Thresholds for Better Environmental Management," Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society—Biological Science, February 2015, co-authored by Center for Ocean Solutions policy and education manager Ashley Erickson and Visiting Scholar Rod Fujita (Center for Ocean Solutions)

"Private Incentives for the Emergence of Co-Production of Offshore Wind Energy and Mussel Aquaculture," Aquaculture, Jan. 20, 2015, co-authored by Woods-affiliated postdoctoral scholar Robert Griffin (Natural Capital Project)

"Variation in Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Land Use Indicates Production and Population Peaks Prior to European Contact," PNAS, Jan. 5, 2015, co-authored by Senior Fellow Peter Vitousek (Biology)

"The Effectiveness of Marked-Based Instruments to Foster the Conservation of Extensive Land Use: The case of Geographical Indications in the French Alps," Land Use Policy, January 2015, co-authored by Senior Fellow Eric Lambin (Environmental Earth System Science)

"Sensitivity Analysis of a Sediment Dynamics Model Applied in a Mediterranean River Basin: Global Change and Management Implications," Science of the Total Environment, January 2015, co-authored by Woods-affiliated postdoctoral scholar Perrine Hamel (Natural Capital Project) and Research Associate Becky Chaplin-Kramer (Natural Capital Project)

"Experimental Defaunation of Terrestrial Mammalian Herbivores Alters Tropical Rainforest Understorey Diversity," Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Dec. 24, 2014, co-authored by Senior Fellow Rodolfo Dirzo (Biology)

"Strategic Actions to Value, Conserve, and Restore the Natural Capital of Megadiversity Countries: The Case of Mexico," BioScience, Dec. 17, 2014, co-authored by Senior Fellow Rodolfo Dirzo (Biology)

"Perception, Acquisition and Use of Ecosystem Services: Human Behavior, and Ecosystem Management and Policy Implications," Ecosystem Services, December 2014, co-authored by Research Associate Anne Guerry (Natural Capital Project)

"Integrated Modeling Framework to Quantify the Coastal Protection Services Supplied by Vegetation," Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Nov. 14, 2014, co-authored by Research Associates Katie Arkema (Natural Capital Project), Greg Guannel (Natural Capital Project) and Anne Guerry (Natural Capital Project)

"Process Matters: A Framework for Conducting Decision-Relevant Assessments of Ecosystem Services," International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, Nov. 5, 2014, co-authored by Woods-affiliated postdoctoral scholars Leah Bremer (Natural Capital Project) and Adrian Vogl (Natural Capital Project) and Research Associate Katie Arkema (Natural Capital Project)

"An Agenda for Assessing and Improving Conservation Impacts of Sustainability Standards in Tropical Agriculture," Conservation Biology, Oct. 31, 2014, co-authored by Senior Fellow Eric Lambin (Environmental Earth System Science)

"A Protocol for Eliciting Nonmaterial Values Using a Cultural Services Frame," Conservation Biology, Oct. 29, 2014, co-authored by Center Fellow Nicole Ardoin (Education) and Senior Fellow Gretchen Daily (Biology)

"Molecular Diagnosis of Bird-Mediated Pest Consumption in Tropical Farmland," SpringerPlus, Oct. 24, 2014, co-authored by Senior Fellows Gretchen Daily (Biology) and Senior Fellow Elizabeth Hadly (Biology) and Woods-affiliated postdoctoral scholar Daniel Karp (Natural Capital Project)

"Uncertainty Analysis of a Spatially Explicit Annual Water-Balance Model: Case Study of the Cape Fear Catchment, NC," Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, October 2014, co-authored by Woods-affiliated postdoctoral scholar Perrine Hamel (Natural Capital Project)

"The Forest Has a Story: Cultural Ecosystem Services in Kona, Hawaii," Ecology and Society, September 2014, co-authored by Center Fellow Nicole Ardoin (Education) and Senior Fellow Gretchen Daily (Biology)

Urban Agriculture on the Rise

Food production globally is taking on an increasingly urban flavor, according to a new study that finds 456 million hectares—an area about the size of the European Union—is under cultivation in and around the world's cities. The paper, co-authored by Woods Senior Fellow Eric Lambin (Environmental Earth System Science), challenges the rural orientation of most agriculture research and development work.

Photo credit: Linda / Creative Commons

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"Global Assessment of Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture: Irrigated and Rainfed Croplands," Environmental Research Letters, Nov. 3, 2014

Other Food Security Research

"The Effect of China's Aquaculture on Global Fish Resources," Science, Jan 9, 2015, co-authored by William Wrigley Senior Fellow Rosamond Naylor (Environmental Earth System Science, Center on Food Security and the Environment)

"Historical Climate Trends, Deforestation and Maize and Bean Yields in Nicaragua," Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, January 2015, co-authored by Senior Fellow David Lobell (Environmental Earth System Science, Center on Food Security and the Environment)

"Rising Temperatures Reduce Global Wheat Production," Nature Climate Change, Dec. 22, 2014, co-authored by Senior Fellow David Lobell (Environmental Earth System Science, Center on Food Security and the Environment)

The Future of Water Vulnerability

In the years ahead, growing populations will strain large cities' ability to provide sufficient water. Among the findings of a global analysis of urban water supply vulnerability: reservoirs and other constructed water storage may provide only tenuous water security. The study, co-authored by Woods-affiliated postdoctoral scholar Julie Padowski (Global Freshwater Initiative) and Senior Fellow Steven Gorelick (Environmental Earth System Science), suggests solutions for some cities, including reallocating water by reducing environmental flows and transferring water from irrigated agriculture.

Photo credit: Animesh Buie

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"Global Analysis of Urban Surface Water Supply Vulnerability," Environmental Research Letters, Nov. 11, 2014

Other Freshwater Research

"Water Governance and Climate Change: Drought in California as a Lens on Our Climate Future" (Report), Dec. 9, 2014, co-authored by Visiting Scholar Jacqueline Peel (Water in the West) and Research Analyst Janny Choy (Water in the West)

"Storing Water in California: What Can $2.7 Billion Buy Us?," (Report), Oct. 31, 2014, co-authored by Woods-affiliated postdoctoral scholar Debra Perrone (Water in the West)

"An Analysis of Trends in Baseflow Recession and Low-flows in Rain-Dominated Coastal Streams of the Pacific Coast," Journal of Hydrology, Nov. 27, 2014, co-authored by Senior Fellow David Freyberg (Civil and Environmental Engineering)

"Impacts of Land-Use Change on Groundwater Supply: Ecosystem Services Assessment in Kona, Hawaii," Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, November 2014, co-authored by Senior Fellows Gretchen Daily (Biology) and David Freyberg (Civil and Environmental Engineering)

"New Tracers Identify Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids and Accidental Releases From Oil and Gas Operations," Environmental Science and Technology, Oct. 20, 2014 co-authored by Senior Fellow Robert Jackson (Environmental Earth System Science)

Falling Through The Cracks: Story of the Sawfish

To find a missing fish, you have to go back through time. Using statistics, historical documents, images and even museum specimens, scientists, including Senior Fellow Fiorenza Micheli (Hopkins Marine Station), recreated history in the Mediterranean to find ways to restore the region's populations of sawfish, a globally endangered shark-like ray characterized by a long, toothed snout. The study opens the possibility of sawfish restoration in new areas, and of using historical records to inform other conservation efforts.

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"Falling Through the Cracks: the Fading History of a Large Iconic Predator," Fish and Fisheries, Jan. 9, 2015

Other Oceans Research

"Dispersion Mechanisms of a Tidal River Junction in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California,"  San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science, December 2014, co-authored by Senior Fellow Stephen Monismith (Civil and Environmental Engineering) and Woods-affiliated Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Oliver Fringer

"On the Use of Refractive Index Matched Hydrogel for Fluid Velocity Measurement in and Around Geometrically Complex Solid Obstructions," Experiments in Fluids, Nov. 21, 2014, co-authored by Senior Fellows Stephen Monismith (Civil and Environmental Engineering) and Jeff Koseff (Civil and Environmental Engineering)

"Stable Isotope Analysis of Vertebrae Reveals Ontogenetic Changes in Habitat in an Endothermic Pelagic Shark," Proceedings of the Royal Academy of Sciences B, Dec. 10, 2014, co-authored by Senior Fellow Barbara Block (Biology)

Sunny With a Chance of Gastroenteritis

An analysis co-authored by Senior Fellow Alexandria Boehm (Civil and Environmental Engineering) shows that relatively easy-to-use predictive modeling systems offer a "vast improvement" over current coastal water monitoring methods. If implemented, these "nowcast" predictions could give beachgoers a better chance to avoid waterborne ailments such as gastroenteritis, respiratory illness, skin rashes and ear, nose and throat infections.

Photo credit: James Alamillo

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"Sunny with a Chance of Gastroenteritis: Predicting Swimmer Risk at California Beaches," Environmental Science & Technology, Dec. 9, 2014

Other Public Health Research

"Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of Escherichia Coli Isolated from Feces, Hands and Soils in Rural Bangladesh Using the Colilert Quanti-Tray System," Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Dec. 29, 2014, co-authored by Research Associate Amy Pickering (Water, Health and Development)

Toward More Sustainable Construction

Imagine a home construction project that replaces petroleum-based plastics, wood and engineered-wood materials with biodegradable materials. It's possible with naturally occurring biopolymers, used in wood–polymer composites (WPCs). These materials haven't gained widespread acceptance, however, because of long-term durability concerns. Researchers including Senior Fellow Sarah Billington (Civil and Environmental Engineering) and Woods-affiliated Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Mike Lepech developed a durability-based service-life model that simulates in-situ environmental exposure conditions, moisture diffusion, and mechanical degradation of conventional and fully biorenewable WPCs. They used the results to develop material comparison charts that simultaneously consider environmental impact and long-term, in-service performance.

Photo credit: Rishichhibber

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"Incorporating Spatiotemporal Effects and Moisture Diffusivity Into a Multi-Criteria Materials Selection Methodology for Wood-Polymer Composites," Construction and Building Materials, Nov. 30, 2014

Other Sustainable Development Research

"Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Infrastructure and Use in the Urban Region of Boston, Massachusetts," PNAS, Jan. 22, 2015, co-authored by Senior Fellow Robert Jackson (Environmental Earth System Science)

"Nonlinear Constitutive Model for Anisotropic Biobased Composite Materials," Journal of Engineering Mechanics, November 2014, co-authored by Senior Fellow Sarah Billington (Civil and Environmental Engineering)

"Renewable Biobased Composites for Civil Engineering Applications (book chapter)," Sustainable Composites: Fibers, Resins and Applications, co-authored by Senior Fellow Sarah Billington (Civil and Environmental Engineering)

"Measuring the Competitiveness Benefits of a Transmission Investment Policy: The Case of the Alberta Electricity Market" (Report) Revised, November 2014, co-authored by Woods-affiliated Professor of Economics Frank Wolak

The Stanford Woods Institute Research Digest is a quarterly report of findings by Woods fellows and affiliated faculty, as well as fellows with the Institute's Leopold Leadership Program. Current and past issues are online.

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