Research Initiation Award - Spatial and Temporal Modeling of Mercury Fate and Dynamics in Tennessee Watersheds

研究启动奖为历史上黑人学院和大学的初级和中级职业教师提供支持，他们正在建立新的研究项目或重新定向和重建现有的研究项目。预计该奖项将有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和效率，改善其所在机构的研究和教学，并使本科生参与研究经验。德克萨斯南方大学的项目在许多领域具有潜在的更广泛的影响。该项目的目标是全面了解橡树岭保留地东田纳西流域的景观因素对汞负荷和分布的影响。该项目还将增强德克萨斯南方大学本科生和研究生的研究经验和培训。该项目的三个具体目标包括：确定流域汞生物累积的空间和时间趋势;确定和分析土地利用和土地覆盖变化对流域汞动态的影响;调查汞在整个景观中的归宿和迁移。第一个目标将通过获取、收集和解释橡树岭保留区流域所有样本介质的空间和长期分析数据来实现。将对数据进行空间和时间分析，以确定汞浓度和生物累积趋势。第二个目标将通过利用时间序列航空和卫星图像量化土地使用和土地覆盖变化来实现。将建立景观因素变化与汞生物累积之间的定量关系。第三个目标将通过叠加和分析水文流动路径与流域划定、土壤和沉积物侵蚀率、湿地和其他景观因素与现有的长期汞分析数据来实现。

Research Initiation Awards provide support for junior and mid-career faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are building new research programs or redirecting and rebuilding existing research programs. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, improves research and teaching at his home institution, and involves undergraduate students in research experiences. The project at Texas Southern University has potential broader impact in a number of areas. The goal of the project is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the landscape factors on mercury loading and distribution in the East Tennessee watersheds of the Oak Ridge Reservation. This project will also enhance the research experience and training of undergraduate and graduate students at Texas Southern University. The three specific objectives of the project include: characterizing the spatial and temporal trends of mercury bioaccumulation in watersheds; identifying and analyzing the influence of land use and land cover changes on the mercury dynamics in the watersheds; and investigating the fate and transport of mercury across the landscape. The first objective will be achieved by acquiring, assembling and interpreting both the spatial and long-term analytical data of all the sample media of the watersheds that drain the Oak Ridge reservation. Spatial and temporal analysis of the data will be conducted to identify the mercury concentration and bioaccumulation trends. The second objective will be achieved by quantifying the land use and land cover changes using time series aerial and satellite imagery. Quantitative relationships between the changes in landscape factors to mercury bioaccumulation will be established. The third objective will be achieved by superimposing and analyzing the hydrologic flow paths with watershed delineations, soil and sediment erosion rates, wetlands and other landscape factors with the available long term mercury analytical data.