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

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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