Degree Name
MS (Master of Science)
Program
Geosciences
Date of Award
5-2018
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
T Andrew Joyner, Ingrid Luffman
Committee Members
Arpita Nandi
Abstract
Sinkholes are a significant hazard for the southeastern United States. Although differences in climate are known to affect karst environments differently, quantitative analyses correlating sinkhole formation with climate variables is lacking. A temporal linear regression for Florida sinkholes and two modeled regressions for Tennessee sinkholes were produced: a general linearized logistic regression and a MaxEnt derived species distribution model. Temporal results showed highly significant correlations with precipitation, teleconnection patterns, temperature, and CO2, while spatial results showed highly significant correlations with precipitation, wind speed, solar radiation, and maximum temperature. Regression results indicated that some sinkhole formation variability could be explained by these climatological patterns and could possibly be used to help predict when/where sinkholes may form in the future.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Blazzard, Kimberly, "Geostatistical Analysis of Potential Sinkhole Risk: Examining Spatial and Temporal Climate Relationships in Tennessee and Florida" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3426. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3426
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.