SUSTAINABLE HOUSE-SCALE PASSIVE RAINWATER CAPTURE LANDSCAPE IN THE DESERT SOUTHWEST

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-129
Author(s):  
Abubaker Alamailes ◽  
John Walton ◽  
Priscilla Sandoval ◽  
Arturo Woocay ◽  
Osvaldo Broesicke
Keyword(s):  
Water Retention ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
El Paso ◽  
The United States ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Harvesting Technique ◽  
Desert Southwest ◽  
Southwest Region ◽  
Sustainable Landscape ◽  
Urban Water Budget

A passive rainwater harvesting technique was used to design a sustainable landscape for a residential lot located in the desert. The design was adapted to the Desert Southwest region of the United States based on thirty years of daily historical climate data including precipitation and reference evapotranspiration (ET0). Four cities including El Paso, TX, Albuquerque, NM, Phoenix, AZ, and Pahrump, NV, were selected to represent the area. The residential lot was broken up into micro-watersheds reflecting the runoff of water from each separate portion of the house roof, driveway, and lawn area. The paper explains in detail the design steps for one of the micro-watersheds where water retention and infiltration structures were distributed throughout the soil area to capture stormwater runoff close to its source. A passive rainwater capture landscape was obtained by using the stormwater captured in the infiltration structures and stored in the surrounding soil. Native vegetation (shrubs and trees) will use this water exclusively for growth. These plants will not require watering once their root establishment period has passed, except in extreme droughts. Meanwhile, stormwater discharge from the lot will decrease and the groundwater recharge will increase. Results indicate that the current urban water budget can be made sustainable by replacing watering of landscape by municipal water with harvested stormwater. This results in a relatively lush and shady environment even in desert climates. The success is an artifact of the tendency of urban watersheds to increase the volume of stormwater relative to pre-development conditions.

scholarly journals Growing climatic sensitivity of U.S. agriculture linked to technological change and regional specialization

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (12) ◽  
pp. eaat4343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariel Ortiz-Bobea ◽  
Erwin Knippenberg ◽  
Robert G. Chambers
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Specialty Crops ◽  
Regional Specialization ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
Climatic Sensitivity

A pressing question for climate change adaptation is whether ongoing transformations of the agricultural sector affect its ability to cope with climatic variations. We examine this question in the United States, where major increases in productivity have fueled most of agricultural production growth over the past half-century. To quantify the evolving climate sensitivity of the sector and identify its sources, we combine state-level measures of agricultural productivity with detailed climate data for 1960–2004. We find that agriculture is growing more sensitive to climate in Midwestern states for two distinct but compounding reasons: a rising climatic sensitivity of nonirrigated cereal and oilseed crops and a growing specialization in crop production. In contrast, other regions specialize in less climate-sensitive production such as irrigated specialty crops or livestock. Results suggest that reducing vulnerability to climate change should consider the role of policies in inducing regional specialization.

scholarly journals Editorial

2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (Supl.4) ◽  
pp. 447
Author(s):  
Xóchitl Castañeda
Keyword(s):  
El Paso ◽  
The United States ◽  
University Of California ◽  
National Council ◽  
Special Edition ◽  
Editorial Committee ◽  
University Of Texas ◽  
Health Initiative ◽  
The University ◽  
Migration And Health

On behalf of the editorial committee of this special edition of the Migration and Health Research Program (Programa de Investigación en Migración y Salud or PIMSA, for its Spanish acronym), the Mexico´s Ministry of Health (SSa), the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (Conacyt), the Health Initiative of the Americas (HIA) at the School of Public Health of the University of California at Berkeley, and The University of Texas at El Paso, we are pleased to introduce this special publication on migration and health between Mexico and the United States...

scholarly journals Invasion Pathways of Karnal Bunt of Wheat into the United States

Plant Disease ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 87 (8) ◽  
pp. 999-1003 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Marshall ◽  
Timothy T. Work ◽  
Joseph F. Cavey
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
El Paso ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Karnal Bunt ◽  
Border Crossings ◽  
Tilletia Indica ◽  
Invasion Pathways ◽  
Established Disease ◽  
Made In

Karnal bunt of wheat (caused by Tilletia indica) was first detected in the United States in Arizona in 1996. The seed lots of infected, spring-habit, durum wheat associated with the initial detection were traced to planted fields in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. However, in the summer of 1997, the disease appeared in unrelated, winter-habit, bread wheat located over 700 km from the nearest potentially contaminated wheat from 1996 (and destroyed prior to reinfection). Here, we examined potential invasion pathways of the fungus associated with the movement of wheat into the United States. We analyzed the USDA/APHIS Port Information Network (PIN) database from 1984 through 2000 to determine likely pathways of introduction based on where, when, and how the disease was intercepted coming into the United States. All interceptions were made on wheat transported from Mexico, with the majority (98.8%) being intercepted at land border crossings. Karnal bunt was not intercepted from any other country over the 17-year period analyzed. Most interceptions were on wheat found in automobiles, trucks, and railway cars. The majority of interceptions were made at Laredo, Brownsville, Eagle Pass, and El Paso, TX, and Nogales, AZ. Karnal bunt was intercepted in all 17 years; however, interceptions peaked in 1986 and 1987. Averaged over all years, more interceptions (19.2%) were made in the month of May than in any other month. Our results indicate that Karnal bunt has probably arrived in the United States on many occasions, at least since 1984. Because of the relatively unaggressive nature of the disease and its reliance on rather exacting weather conditions for infection, we surmised that it is possible this disease has a long period of latent survival between initial arrival and becoming a thriving, established disease.

GAMA-RainFilter: a modified rainwater harvesting technique to meet the demand of clean water in Indonesia

2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Agus Maryono ◽  
Sindu Nuranto ◽  
Pratama Tirza Surya Sembada ◽  
Himawan Tri Bayu Murti Petrus
Keyword(s):  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Clean Water ◽  
Harvesting Technique

Peer Leader Essays from the Desert Southwest: The Practice of Leading Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-91
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
El Paso ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Peer Leaders ◽  
Permian Basin ◽  
University Of Texas ◽  
Desert Southwest ◽  
The University ◽  
Personal Advice ◽  
Peer Leader

At semester’s end at the University of Texas at El Paso and at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, faculty members directing the PLTL Programs invite Peer Leaders to reflect on their experience, to describe their challenges, and to offer their personal advice. For the benefit of future Peer Leaders, here are their stories, reflections, observations, and advice about leadership and the practice of leading.

“Hunting for Chinamen”

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Lim
Keyword(s):  
Federal Government ◽  
El Paso ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
Chinese Immigrants ◽  
The United States ◽  
Turn Of The Century ◽  
Immigration Law ◽  
Ciudad Juarez ◽  
Railroad Workers ◽  
Chinese Exclusion

Through a close, on-the-ground reading of U.S. immigration records and newspaper accounts, this chapter shows how Chinese immigrants repeatedly improvised new cross-racial strategies to gain entry into the United States during the era of Chinese Exclusion. Their actions not only forced local immigration officials to continually adjust their own practices in response, but to focus increasing attention on racial differentiation. In the process of distinguishing Chinese from Mexican, and rooting out smuggling rings that depended upon the cooperation of Chinese sponsors and immigrants, Mexican guides, and black railroad workers, these street-level bureaucrats not only enforced U.S. immigration law, but did so through practices that rendered multiracial relations and identities suspect and illegitimate. Moreover, as immigration officials and the immigrants they sought to police drew the attention of the federal government to the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez border, they brought the American state into the borderlands. The chapter thus connects local enforcement practices at the border with the broader goals of federal immigration law and nation-building at the turn of the century.

Empires and Immigrants

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Lim
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Jim Crow ◽  
El Paso ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Identities ◽  
Ciudad Juarez ◽  
Political Rights ◽  
Demographic Shift ◽  
International Boundary ◽  
Diverse Groups

This chapter frames the nineteenth century borderlands as a theater of movement that had long been marked by imperial contestations and diverse migrations. Native American, colonial, Mexican, and American migrations shaped the region, keeping territorial boundaries porous, and racial and national identities blurred. Following the transformation of the indigenous borderlands to a capitalist borderlands, the chapter traces the seismic demographic shift that drove the region’s rapid industrialization; as the borderlands connected into national, transnational, and global circuits of migration, and oceanic lines fed back into railway connections, white, black, Mexican, and Chinese immigrants descended on the border from all directions. Focusing on the multiple boundaries that intersected at the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez border – namely, the international boundary as well as the limits of Jim Crow that ended where Texas met New Mexico – this chapter shows how and why the late 19th century borderlands looked so promising for these diverse groups. It begins to develop a transborder framework for understanding immigration, emphasizing how the narrowing of economic opportunities, political rights, and social freedoms in both the United States and Mexico contributed to such diverse men and women coming together in the borderlands.

Managing Risk in School Crisis Intervention

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Betty Denise Monzingo ◽  
Mario S. Torres
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
School Superintendents ◽  
Leadership Challenges ◽  
Legislative Policy ◽  
Southwest Region ◽  
Leader Perspectives ◽  
Managing Risk ◽  
Policy And Planning ◽  
Crisis Preparation

This chapter reports findings from a study of school leader perspectives on crisis preparedness. The context for the study is a sample of school superintendents in the southwest region of the United States. Interviews were conducted with four school superintendents to gather insights into mainly organizational norms, policy, and planning related to crisis preparation. This chapter seeks to add insight into what leaders perceive as preparation for potential crises and to critically assess the demands and obligations set forth through state legislative policy. Furthermore, the authors explore myriad leadership challenges to maintaining public confidence and maximizing the safety of children. Recommendations for leaders to engage in reframing of their positionality with respect to crises and a model for engaging parents and community in assessing risks and threats are offered.

scholarly journals Rainwater Harvesting for Agricultural Irrigation: An Analysis of Global Research

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Velasco-Muñoz ◽  
Aznar-Sánchez ◽  
Batlles-delaFuente ◽  
Fidelibus
Keyword(s):  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Agricultural Irrigation ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Harvesting Systems ◽  
Scarce Water ◽  
Global Research

Within a context of scarce water resources for agriculture, rainwater harvesting constitutes a promising alternative that has been studied by different disciplines in recent years. This article analyses the dynamics of global research on rainwater harvesting for agricultural irrigation over the last two decades. To do this, qualitative systematic analysis and quantitative bibliometric analysis have been carried out. The results reveal that this line of research is becoming increasingly important within research on irrigation. Environmental sciences and agricultural and biological sciences are the most relevant subject areas. Agricultural Water Management, Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, and Irrigation and Drainage are the journals that have published the most articles on the subject. India, China, the United States (USA), South Africa, and the Netherlands are the countries that lead this line of research. Although significant progress has been made in this subject area, it is necessary to increase the number of studies on the capacity of rainwater harvesting systems to cover irrigation needs in different farming contexts, the factors that determine their adoption by farmers, the economic and financial feasibility of their implementation, and their contribution to mitigating global climate change.

scholarly journals Biased hate crime perceptions can reveal supremacist sympathies

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (32) ◽  
pp. 19072-19079
Author(s):  
N. Pontus Leander ◽  
Jannis Kreienkamp ◽  
Maximilian Agostini ◽  
Wolfgang Stroebe ◽  
Ernestine H. Gordijn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Hate Crime ◽  
El Paso ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hate Crimes ◽  
Mass Shootings ◽  
Anti Semitism ◽  
Violent Extremism ◽  
Crime Perceptions ◽  
Prejudicial Attitudes

People may be sympathetic to violent extremism when it serves their own interests. Such support may manifest itself via biased recognition of hate crimes. Psychological surveys were conducted in the wakes of mass shootings in the United States, New Zealand, and the Netherlands (totaln= 2,332), to test whether factors that typically predict endorsement of violent extremism also predict biased hate crime perceptions. Path analyses indicated a consistent pattern of motivated judgment: hate crime perceptions were directly biased by prejudicial attitudes and indirectly biased by an aggrieved sense of disempowerment and White/Christian nationalism. After the shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, disempowerment-fueled anti-Semitism predicted lower perceptions that the gunman was motivated by hatred and prejudice (study 1). After the shootings that occurred at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, disempowerment-fueled Islamoprejudice similarly predicted lower hate crime perceptions (study 2a). Conversely, after the tram shooting in Utrecht, Netherlands (which was perpetrated by a Turkish-born immigrant), disempowerment-fueled Islamoprejudice predicted higher hate crime perceptions (study 2b). Finally, after the Walmart shooting in El Paso, Texas, hate crime perceptions were specifically biased by an ethnonationalist view of Hispanic immigrants as a symbolic (rather than realistic) threat to America; that is, disempowered individuals deemphasized likely hate crimes due to symbolic concerns about cultural supremacy rather than material concerns about jobs or crime (study 3). Altogether, biased hate crime perceptions can be purposive and reveal supremacist sympathies.

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