Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Engineering
FirnLearn: A Neural Network based approach to Firn Densification Modeling for Antarctica
Published: 2024-09-13
Subjects: Engineering
Understanding firn densification is essential for interpreting ice core records, predicting ice sheet mass balance, elevation changes, and future sea-level rise. Current models of firn densification on the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) are semi-empirical, complex, and rely on sparse climatic data and surface density observations. In this work, we introduce a deep learning technique to study firn [...]
ML-CASCADE: A Machine Learning and Cloud Computing-based Tool for Rapid and Automated Mapping of Landslides using Earth Observation Data
Published: 2024-09-12
Subjects: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Engineering
Landslides pose a significant threat to humans as well as the environment. Rapid and precise mapping of landslide extent is necessary for understanding their spatial distribution, assessing susceptibility, and developing early warning systems. Traditional landslide mapping methods rely on labor-intensive field studies and manual mapping using high-resolution imagery, which are both costly and [...]
Resilient foods for preventing global famine: a review of food supply interventions for global catastrophic food shocks including nuclear winter and infrastructure collapse
Published: 2024-09-12
Subjects: Agricultural Science, Agriculture, Animal Sciences, Aquaculture and Fisheries Life Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Engineering, Food Science, Life Sciences, Plant Sciences, Risk Analysis
Global catastrophic threats to the food system upon which human society depends are numerous. A nuclear war or volcanic eruption could collapse agricultural yields by inhibiting crop growth. Nuclear electromagnetic pulses or extreme pandemics could disrupt industry and mass-scale food supply by unprecedented levels. Global food storage is limited. What can be done? This article presents the state [...]
Deployment of Enhanced Geothermal System technology leads to rapid cost reductions and performance improvements
Published: 2024-09-10
Subjects: Engineering
Following successful production testing of the world’s first horizontal well enhanced geothermal system in 2023, continued deployment and optimization of the technology across two commercial projects has resulted in significant cost reductions and performance improvements. In this paper, we present field results and updates from Fervo Energy’s enhanced geothermal system projects in Nevada and [...]
Imperviousness in Hungary's Second Largest City Using Spatial Analytics
Published: 2024-08-29
Subjects: Engineering
Urbanization in Debrecen, Hungary, has rapidly developed buildings and infrastructure, replacing ecosystems like vegetation, forest, and farmland. This has created a high percentage of sealed-up land, which cannot absorb water leading to water quality impairment in nearby water bodies. This research aims to examine the degree of land imperviousness in Debrecen, Hungary, and its effect on [...]
Two-layer formulation for long-runout turbidity currents: theory and bypass flow case
Published: 2024-08-29
Subjects: Engineering, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Turbidity currents, which are stratified, sediment-laden bottom flows in the ocean or lakes, can run out for 100's to 1000's of kilometers in submarine channels without losing their stratified structure. Here we derive a layer-averaged, two-layer model for turbidity currents, specifically designed to capture long-runout. Previous models have captured runout only 10’s of kilometers, beyond which [...]
Uncertainty-aware sample mass determination for particle size analyses of gravel-dominated soil
Published: 2024-08-23
Subjects: Applied Statistics, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Monitoring, Geology, Geomorphology, Geotechnical Engineering, Hydraulic Engineering, Hydrology, Other Civil and Environmental Engineering, Other Earth Sciences, Probability, Sedimentology, Soil Science, Statistical Models, Statistics and Probability, Stratigraphy
Determining particle size distributions (PSD) of soils is a basic first step in many geotechnical analyses and guidance is given in different national standards. For ambiguous reasons, the recommended minimum sample mass (m_min) for the PSD-analyses of soils with a main component of gravel or greater is based on equations including the soil's maximum grain diameter (D_max). We claim that the [...]
End-to-End Deployment of the Educational AI Hub for Personalized Learning and Engagement: A Case Study on Environmental Science Education
Published: 2024-08-22
Subjects: Education, Engineering, Engineering Education
This study introduces an end-to-end framework for deploying conversational AI-enabled educational assistants, focusing on personalized support for students across diverse subject areas, including Business, Culture, Environmental Sciences, History, Politics, and Science, as outlined in our evaluation framework. The system leverages advanced conversational AI technologies to provide targeted, [...]
Numerical Investigation of Energy Dissipation and Hydraulic Performance of Slotted Roller Buckets with a Different Teeth Configuration
Published: 2024-08-22
Subjects: Engineering
MicroCrystalNet: An Efficient Convolutional Neural Network for Microcrystal Classification using Scanning Electron Microscope Petrography
Published: 2024-08-22
Subjects: Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Engineering, Other Engineering, Other Environmental Sciences
Morphological characterization of microcrystalline rock textures typically relies upon the visual interpretation and manual measurement of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imagery: a practice fraught with subjectivity, inefficiency, sampling bias, and data loss. We introduce a state-of-the-art computer vision pipeline, built on deep learning architectures, for segmenting and classifying [...]
Considerations for CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers in tectonically active regions with implications for the Lower Mainland British Columbia (LMBC)
Published: 2024-08-17
Subjects: Engineering
Underground geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) has emerged as one of the most viable solutions for mitigating global carbon emissions during the transition to a net-zero economy. Within subsurface geological strata, saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas reservoirs are the primary targets for CO2 storage. However, in regions with limited oil and gas production operations, underground [...]
3-DOF Simulation of Hypothetical Crew Vehicle Launch into Low Mars Orbit
Published: 2024-08-14
Subjects: Aerospace Engineering, Engineering, Navigation, Guidance, Control and Dynamics
A major challenge in space exploration has been the return of a vehicle from the surface of Mars to Earth. This problem has proven to be quite difficult, with current plans to return small rock samples turning out to be too expensive and time consuming[1]. If humans are ever to explore the surface of the red planet, a practical way to launch a crew from the surface of Mars into an orbit from [...]
GROUNDWATER POTENTIAL MAPPING OF THE CENTRAL REGION USING INTEGRATED GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL METHODS
Published: 2024-08-13
Subjects: Engineering
Surface waters are deteriorating due mainly to poor farming practices, illegal mining activities and also climate change. In the Central region this has led to a rise in the need for groundwater as potable water supply. However, the Central region is known to be characterized by unsuccessful rate of borehole drilling, which usually results in waste of time and resources. The need to delineate [...]
Rapid Fault Leakage Modeling for CO2 Storage in Saline Aquifers
Published: 2024-08-12
Subjects: Chemical Engineering, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Geology, Petroleum Engineering, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Risk Analysis
Simulating the fluid flow along fault zones at different scales is essential for predicting the CO2 leakage and containment during injection and storage. However, this can be challenging, especially in the early stages of a storage project when knowledge of the reservoir and caprock is limited and the cost of obtaining the relevant data is high. This study proposes a tool for fast screening of [...]
Be clever or be cold: repurposed ovens for space heating following global catastrophic infrastructure loss
Published: 2024-08-09
Subjects: Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Global catastrophic infrastructure loss (GCIL) would disrupt energy supply networks, prohibiting heating in houses reliant on electricity or piped natural gas. Cold climates would require alternative heating methods, as space heating is critical to survival. This work assesses the viability of converting household appliances to wood-burning stoves, and the scalability of such conversions. A [...]