Research on Environmental Sustainability of Semi-Arid Coastal Areas Centers for Research Excellence in Science and Techn

1. Research on Environmental Sustainability of Semi-Arid Coastal Areas Centers for Research Excellence in Science and Technology National Science Foundation

2. Vision CREST-RESSACA serve as a center of national excellence of research on environmental sustainability, and address the significant under-representation of Hispanics at the MS and PhD levels in Environmental Engineering.

3. History of CREST-RESSACA • CREST-RESSACA was conceived in Fall of 2001 • CREST-RESSACA I was approved by NSF and initiated in September 2002 • Funded at $ 1 Million/Year + $0.3 Million/Year (match) • Reverse Site Visit in March 2005 • CREST-RESSACA II was approved by NSF and initiated in September 2007 • New proposal and review • Funded at $ 1 Million/Year (No NSF Match requirements) • CREST RESSACA will continue to function under the Institute of Sustainable Energy and Environment (ISEE)

4. Current CREST-RESSACA TEAM 8 Faculty + 4 Staff + 27 Students

5. CREST-RESSACA Research Overview Our Faculty study a wide range of issues pertinent to environmental sustainability of land, air and water systems at a variety of scales Nano-materials (10-9) Global Climate Change (107 m) Research Interests & Breadth of the 9 Faculty Spans 16 orders-of-magnitude

6. Faculty and Specializations Jennifer Ren Water Quality and Monitoring Lee Clapp Environmental Biotechnology Venkatesh Uddameri Environmental Modeling and Water Resources Kim Jones Ecological Engineering Hongbo Su Remote Sensing Technology and Hydrologic Evaluations Alvaro Martinez Air Quality and Emissions Control Kuo-Jen Liao Air Pollution Modeling and Climate Change David Ramirez Atmospheric Pollution and Nanoscience

7. Example Instrumentation GC-MS FE-SEM Flume Thermo Electron Series II ICP-MS High Performance Computing Cluster

8. CREST-RESSACA Research Organization • CREST-RESSACA research is divided into three sub-projects • Environmental Monitoring & Assessment (EMA) • Use monitoring to understand fundamental behavior of pollutants in air and water systems • Environmental Modeling and Informatics (EMI) • Develop decision support systems using state-of-the-art mathematical tools and techniques for fostering sustainable natural resource management • Sustainable Technologies for the Environment (STE) • Develop innovative products stressing reuse and processing of natural and recycled materials while reducing pollution in a variety of applications.

10. Books and Special Issue Journals: • Uddameri, V.; Ren, J., Ramirez, D. (2012) Environmental Sustainability in South Texas; Springer Verlag • Norwine, J. and John, K. eds. (2007) South Texas Climate 2100: Problems and Prospects, Impacts and Implications, BookMasters, Inc., Columbus, Ohio. ISBN 978-0-9798426-0-3 • V. Uddameri; guest editor (2007) Systems Analysis for Sustainable Aquifer Management in Semi-Arid South Texas; Special Issue - Environmental Geology, Vol. 51 (1) Disclosures of Invention • R. Rivas, K. Jones and P. Mills (2009); Process for Citrus waste Pretreatment & Conversion to Bioethanol and Value Added Products

11. What Does CREST-RESSACA Bring to CESAR RCN • A broad range of research activities and expertise related to climate change and its impact on environmental sustainability • Sustainable groundwater management • Air quality studies focused on shale gas development • Sustainable use of alternative and renewable energy

12. Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute Texas A&M University-Kingsville

13. CKWRI MissionTo produce scientifically sound, unbiased information • Research • One of the most prestigious research institutes in North America • Information • Scientific and popular publications • Education • Top graduate program in collaboration with TAMUK

14. CKWRI Mission Focuses on South Texas & Northern Mexico

15. A Region of Key Importance for Wildlife • Game species • Threatened & endangered species unique to South Texas • Primary funnel for migratory birds

16. Game Species

17. Sensitive Species

18. Song Birds

19. Wetland Birds

20. Birds of Prey

21. Diseases & Contaminants

22. Ecological Impacts of Exploration on Wildlife Habitat by Carter P. Smith, Executive Director Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Fred C. Bryant, Director Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute Texas A&M University-Kingsville Presenter: Mohamed Abdelrahman Texas A&M University-Kingsville

23. The Value of Habitats Examples

24. Oil and Gas Development Impact • Direct Impacts • Roads • Pads • Flow-lines • Pipelines • Pits

25. Oil and Gas Development Impact • Indirect Impacts • Habitat fragmentation • Loss of topsoil • Altered wildlife movements • Spread of invasive plants

26. The Impact • The Cascading Effects… Overabundance of Exotics Reduced Number of Flowering Plants and Native Grasses Lower Native Plant Diversity Reduced Number of Insect Numbers and Species

27. The Impact • More Cascading Effects… Reduced Populations of Species that Require Insects as Food 50% Decline in Bobwhite Quail Populations (affects landowner income and rural economics) May last forever without restoration

28. A Proposed CKWRI evaluation • Baseline site • Habitat/ecological assessment • Periodic ecological review • Mitigation strategies on impacts implemented • Review of location and habitats