Water Adsorption on Environmental Metal Oxides Determined by the Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) Technique

Chris Harmon, Chemistry Faculty

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Clouds are a critical component of the atmosphere, which predominantly cools the planet by scattering solar radiation back to space. Particulate matter (PM) are small solids suspended in the air that can initiate the seeding process for cloud formation, where environmental metal oxides (EMO) are one of the dominate types of PM. This process is directly related to the relative humidity (RH) above the PM surface and how much water it absorbs. PM collects sparingly small molecular layers of water before undergoing bulk scale water uptake. Details of water uptake at this level are still lacking in the literature, and we desire to quantify water uptake on atmospheric PM to enhance climate models.

Water Adsorption/Desorption on Environmental Metal Oxides Determined by the Diffuse Refractive Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) Technique

Cesar Fernandez, Chemistry Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Clouds affect terrestrial cooling by scattering solar radiation back to space. Particulate matter (PM) suspended in the air can initiate cloud seeding. This process is directly related to the relative humidity above the PM surface and water adsorption. In the initial stages of this process, PM collects sparingly small layers of water, known as monolayers. Details of water uptake at this level are still lacking in the literature and we desire to quantify water uptake on atmospheric PM to enhance literature values.

Water Bears in the Wild: Seeing the Unseen in Moss and Lichen

Marcus Barela, Biological Sciences Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Water bears—known to science as tardigrades—are found from polar ice caps to tropical jungles, yet only about 90 researchers study them. With so much ground to cover, there’s still so much to discover. Here in Humboldt’s temperate rainforest, you'd expect documentation, but there’s almost none. We set out to catalog the tardigrades of Cal Poly Humboldt, with plans to expand across the county. By studying their morphology, habitats, and behaviors, we hope to uncover new insights, and maybe even new species.

Water Temp. & Clarity Effects on Diving Duck Duration Under Water

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

My research project took place at the Arcata Marsh looking at two diving duck species (Greater Scaups and Buffle Heads) and determining whether water temperature or water clarity effect the the duck's duration underwater.

Wayfinding Pilot project

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Our research project focuses on encouraging HSU students to become more physically active, while immersing themselves in the Arcata community. Our Wayfinder project includes a map of trails that will be highlighted by semi-permanent signage, to increase walkability and integrate HSU students into the community. With the results from a previous survey, the trails in this project preview a variety of popular places in the Arcata community to promote Arcata-HSU relations and influence students to explore their new home. In our video, we will share the trails, how we created the trails, and our plans for future engagement.

Weather Impacts on Insect and Arthropod Diversity and Abundance

Megan Solimine, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This project examines the effects of weather on insect and arthropod diversity and abundance in Arcata, California. Data captured was keyed out to taxonomic family, then Jaccard's Index and beta diversity tests were used to identify differences between sites.

What Determines Field Use by Shorebirds?

Samantha Bacon, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

What determines field use by shorebirds? Assessing habitat characteristics of fields used as supratidal feeding habitat by shorebirds.

When the forest goes silent: Effects of human foot traffic on communication and diversity of passerine birds.

Ruby Andes, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This project looked at the effects of human foot traffic on the vocalization frequency of passerine birds throughout three popular trails in Arcata. Results suggest pets have a greater impact on bird vocalizations than humans and that there may be differences in predator presence between trails that birds are responding to.

White-crowned sparrow song adjustments to anthropogenic noise

Lucca Faccini, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

An undergraduate Wildlife senior research project about understanding the relationship between white-crowned sparrow songs and anthropogenic noise.

White-crowned sparrow songs not shown to respond to anthropogenic noise pollution in coastal Humboldt County

Keagan Trischman, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

White-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys) adjust their songs based on environmental factors. White-crowned sparrows have been observed altering their songs in response to loud anthropogenic background noise. This project sought to establish a link between ambient noise level and song variables such as minimum song frequency and frequency bandwidth.