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Item Open Access A Solar Farm in My Backyard? Resident Perspectives of Utility-Scale Solar In Eastern North Carolina(East Carolina University, 2018-07-24) Dickerson, Zachary; Hur, Misun; Geography, Planning and EnvironmentThe power of the sun is recognized throughout history as one of the significant natural resources we can use here on Earth. Only recently, however, have we as humans managed to convert this resource into usable electricity. The solar energy industry blossomed over the past half-century and continues to be a popular alternative to conventional energy sources in many parts of the world. Areas that receive abundant and consistent sunlight are most common for solar panel installation, and people who live in the regions that receive this sunlight can take advantage of rooftop solar panels. Larger companies invest in utility-scale solar energy production facilities, which often cover many acres and can produce many times the electricity that smaller, rooftop panels can. In this case, some companies may lease land in rural, sparsely populated areas to construct utility-scale solar facilities; these are known as solar farms. This solar farm development has taken hold in North Carolina, particularly in the Eastern part of the state which is historically rural and maintains low land costs. While sparsely populated in comparison with the rest of the state, solar farm development in eastern North Carolina results in some facilities constructed adjacent to homes and neighborhoods. This mixed methods study addresses the factors affecting the perspectives of the people who live next to solar farms, encompassing the following questions, "Are there different aspects that affect resident satisfaction regarding solar farms? If so, to what extent can these different aspects explain variations in satisfaction?", "Are there variations in satisfaction for residents among differing geographic settings, e.g. neighborhoods adjacent to the solar farms or distanced from the solar farms?" and "How can insight from both the utility and planning sectors, combined with knowledge gained from residents, fill gaps in communication and policy writing in regard to solar farms?" Door-to-door surveys and stakeholder interview methods collected responses from 82 individuals (70 from the questionnaire surveys and 12 from the interviews) in several study sites in Eastern North Carolina (four survey sites). These responses were analyzed: open-ended answer input, descriptive statistical analysis, factor analysis, and linear regression analysis. Data analysis involved both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Results showed that overall, residents felt positively regarding the solar farms near their neighborhoods, though there were some concerns. The most consistent and significant factor affecting opinions on the solar farms was Perceived benefits of the solar farm. In all regression models, the effect size of this factor was significant with regression coefficients ranging from .46 to .74. When residents highly value the benefits of solar farms, their satisfaction with living near a solar farm as a result would increase more than any other factors considered. For the neighborhoods that are farther away but still within a one-mile radius, Appeal of the solar farm turned out to be the most significant factor, followed by Income, Perceived benefits of the solar farm, and Education, all with standardized regression coefficients greater than .40. For the neighborhoods that are adjacent to the solar farm, Perceived benefits of the solar farm was the only significant factor. The strength of this factor was the greatest among all three models. Interestingly, Concerns in regard to the solar farm was not significant in any model, which indicates residents' satisfaction with the solar farm has no significant associaton with negative concerns. Interviews with 12 stakeholders in both utility and planning sectors gave understanding to the planning, incorporation and operation process in regard to the solar farms. These individuals noted that while solar energy is developing rapidly in North Carolina, there is not much information given about the farms themselves. This information is difficult to obtain by residents, who raised questions about where the generated electricity goes and who owns each solar farm, which in some cases is less than 200 feet from their home. With the data gained from these interviews, I was able to identify where the holes in information sharing exist and how the planning process may be bettered in the future. Findings from this study lend insight into what shapes opinions of these solar facilities in residential areas in eastern North Carolina. While there were some serious concerns expressed, they did not diminish the general satisfactory opinions of the solar farms. This study also revealed background planning processes and showed where there are gaps between the local governments, solar development companies and residents. Given the most consistent concern about information dissemination, rural planning policies may be drawn for more transparent communication and more readily available information about the solar farms between the private companies, local governments, and the general populace. Overall, the perceived benefits of the solar farms being the most significant factor is a good indicator that they are generally well-received in this area.Item Open Access Prisons and Pollutant Plumes: A Spatial Analysis of LULU Coexistence(East Carolina University, 2018-07-20) Vogel, Thomas J.; Montz, Burrell Elizabeth; Geography, Planning, and EnvironmentPrison facilities and other locally unwanted land uses (LULUs) lead to a number of health, environmental, and socio-economic impacts on the local community. Prison facilities and other LULUs tend to be sited in locations where less wealth and social capital are available to contest their installation. This causes an increased burden on the local population. The purpose of this study is to address the relationship between prisons, other LULUs, and the health impact on the surrounding community using interdisciplinary approaches including regression analysis, plume analysis, and geographic information science. Using a combination of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), a prison facilities database, and available census data, plume modeling and risk assessment were performed for North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The chemicals evaluated are benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), known respiratory irritants. The Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres (ALOHA) plume dispersion model was used in this analysis. Risk assessment was performed using an R coded regression analysis evaluating socio-demographic variables, health variables, and prison and TRI facilities to output an air quality value based on the EPA's Air Quality Index (AQI). Using the air quality index that accounts for both physical and socioeconomic characteristics allowed the results to be compared across states and minimized the risk of bias from urban-rural divides. Location analysis was completed using a combination of multinomial regression and probability analysis to assess the relationship between the location of prisons and the location of other LULUs. The results of this analysis were inconclusive however it provided insight into the relationship between income and placement of both prisons and TRI facilities. A Poisson distribution was performed to evaluate the likelihood of TRI facilities being placed in counties with and without prisons as well. This analysis indicated that counties with prisons have a higher probability of receiving TRI facilities. Counties in Texas, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania were selected using a linear regression analysis to assess the relationship between socioeconomic factors and the annual AQI for each county. Income, the percent of housing that is renter occupied, the percent of the population employed, and the percent of asthma related Medicare expenses are the socioeconomic factors most related to air quality. In Texas, the highest modeled AQI was present in the county with a prison facility while in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, the non-prison county yielded the highest modeled AQI. The difference between these modeled AQIs was small for both Pennsylvania and North Carolina; however, in Texas the difference between values was approximately 50 AQI points. Plume analysis was performed using the combined stack and fugitive air emissions for TRI facilities as the emissions source. The plume dispersion models indicated that the BTEX facilities considered are unlikely to pose a serious health risk to the populations in the surrounding area with few exceptions. Plumes were only able to be generated for facilities with the greatest emissions due to limitations in the model's short-range accuracy. This indicates that while the toxins being considered are respiratory irritants, they are unlikely to strongly influence the health of the local populations or prison inmates through direct emissions. The largest dispersion radius calculated was approximately 61 yards indicating that the probability of adverse exposure to toxins from target facilities is minimal.Item Open Access Dynamic and Thermodynamic Mechanisms for the Onset of the Southeastern United States Convective Season(East Carolina University, 2018-07-20) Wells, Hannah C; Rickenbach, Thomas M; Geography, Planning, and EnvironmentThe southeastern United States (SE US) receives ample precipitation year-round. In the winter, precipitation primarily comes from synoptic-scale baroclinic systems and cold fronts. Meanwhile, precipitation in the summer over the SE US is primarily the result of convection. With this shift from the winter to summertime precipitation regimes, spring is the transition period to the convective season, and this transition occurs rather abruptly. This shift can be described as a sudden increase in precipitation from isolated precipitation features (IPF) while precipitation from mesoscale precipitation features (MPF) stays relatively unchanged over the SE US. IPF is defined as small, short-lived, and spatially heterogeneous features while MPF is defined as larger, well-organized, and generally longer-lived precipitating features. To study the springtime transition to the convective season, the SE US was split into twenty-seven 2°x2° boxes. Precipitation data for March-August from the National Mosaic and Multi-Sensor Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) (NMQ) for the years 2009-2012 is used to determine onset using an objective method based on IPF precipitation in each of the twenty-seven boxes for each year and for the four-year average. Meteorological data from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) is analyzed to determine potential dynamic and thermodynamic mechanisms that cause onset of the convective season in the SE US. Thermodynamic variables analyzed include convective available potential energy (CAPE), surface temperature, and specific humidity. Dynamic variables analyzed include 500 hPa geopotential height, mean sea level pressure (MSLP), and 850 hPa wind speed and direction. Daily composites of NARR are generated for May and June, while pentad average composites are generated for April-July for each year. Pentad averages of IPF will be created using the NMQ dataset to determine the pentad of onset. Three different sensitivity tests are also conducted to determine how sensitive onset is to the threshold criteria used to determine onset. It was found that the timing of onset varies from year to year, and there is no regional progression of onset in the SE US. Along with that, IPF behavior varies quite greatly across the SE US. Despite this variation in onset timing within the four years and variation in IPF behavior across the SE US, there are similarities in meteorological conditions in the pentads immediately leading up to and during onset. The North Atlantic Subtropical High (NASH) becomes established over the SE US one to two pentads before onset, priming the atmosphere for onset by bringing warm air and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico into the SE US. As the NASH becomes established, CAPE and specific humidity increase over the SE US, providing instability and moisture for IPF precipitation to develop over the SE US. At 500 hPa, either a ridge or zonal flow is present over the SE US at the time of onset, which aids in the NASH staying established over the SE US. The results of this research have begun to provide a new framework to better understand precipitation variability in the SE US.Item Open Access Future Flood Risk Perceptions Following Hurricane Matthew: A Study of Eastern North Carolinians(East Carolina University, 2018-07-20) Connolly, Samantha N; Montz, Burrell Elizabeth; Geography, Planning and EnvironmentFloods are one of the most dangerous weather-related hazard events in the world. A flood event can develop quickly and cause catastrophic damage to life and property. Residents adequately preparing for floods can help protect life and property during flood events, but not everyone prepares. This lack of preparation could be caused by many factors, but prior research has pointed to risk perception as a key factor in preparing for flood events. Past experiences with floods could also influence an individual's risk perception and motivation to prepare for future floods. Previous research has shown that perception of risk, prior experience with flooding, and resultant actions are related, but research on these relationships has not been widely undertaken in rural regions like Eastern North Carolina. This study examines factors affecting flood risk perceptions following Hurricane Matthew and how those perceptions impact future flood preparations. In order to examine these relationships, a survey of 103 Eastern North Carolina residents was undertaken. Analyses of these relationships show that prior experience with flooding is related to risk perceptions, concern for flooding, and future preparations. Additionally, respondents believe that the sources of information that they used to prepare for Hurricane Matthew were generally reliable, but also provided some suggestions about forecast accuracy and updated road closure information for future flood events. It is the hope that this research will better inform Eastern North Carolina meteorologists and emergency managers of their residents' needs, and motivate them to make necessary adjustments to better protect life and property for future flood events.Item Open Access Outer Banks Tourists' Preferences, Sensitivities, and Environmental Perceptions: A Case Study of Cape Hatteras National Seashore(East Carolina University, 2018-07-17) McSherry, Logan M.; Montz, Burrell Elizabeth; Geography, Planning, and EnvironmentTourism is the driving economic force for North Carolina's Outer Banks, attracting millions of visitors every year. However, through the combined effects of increased human activity and development, storms, sea level rise, and climate change, portions of the island chain are disappearing. This study seeks to better understand why visitors choose the Outer Banks, how aware and concerned they are about environmental changes occurring there, and how that may affect their beach destination choice in the future. To address these questions, a survey of 137 visitors at Cape Hatteras National Seashore was undertaken. The relative sensitivity to seven environmental variables is considered and differences in perception among local and non-local beachgoers are compared. Analyses of scores and responses to survey questions show that scenery and uncrowded beaches are the primary reasons for choosing the Outer Banks, followed closely by location and accessibility. Visitors appear to be generally conscious of the changing environment there, with a majority of respondents saying they were aware of environmental changes at the Outer Banks prior to being surveyed. However, only half of respondents indicate experiencing effects from these changes during their visit. As such, respondents expressed environmental changes as having little to no effect on their decision to return, with over 95% claiming they will still recommend the Outer Banks and revisit in the future. For many, the fact that the Outer Banks remains relatively undeveloped compared to other East Coast beaches constitutes enough reason to return in spite of other changes.Item Open Access Emotions, Subjectivity, and the Environment: A Study of Environmental Involvement in a Campus Community(East Carolina University, 2018-07-24) Kresz, Camille; Bee, Beth A.; Geography, Planning and EnvironmentAwareness of environmental issues and the necessity for more sustainable solutions are common topics, particularly in the academia and on university campuses. Researchers and public figures have stressed multiple times the importance of knowledge in encouraging more environmentally-friendly behaviors. Efforts to raise awareness about environmental issues are common all around the world. However, a gap remains between environmental concern and the apparent lack of overall engagement in environmentally-friendly behaviors, notably in the U.S. It appears that even though individual knowledge about the impact of human activities on the environment has increased and related information is more readily available than ever before, participation in environmental protection remains marginal. Since environmentally-friendly behaviors differ greatly from our current way of life, it is primordial to understand the complex interactions between the individual, knowledge, and the environment. Drawing on literature from feminist political ecology, masculinity studies, and emotional geography, this study aims to understand how young, educated white males in the South of the U.S. personally relate to nature and environmental discourse. Using insights from theories on emotions and affects, I argue that my participants’ emotions and experiences come together to discursively build nature as an emotional “sanctuary”. At the same time however, this strong emotional bond also detaches nature from the realm of the everyday, as nature is built in opposition to the rational culture of society. I further argue that this discursive divide between nature and the everyday is shaped by hegemonic masculine ideals such as emotional neutrality. In addition, I demonstrate how environmental discourse, by its focus on scientific values and its emphasis on global issues, becomes disconnected from the everyday and nature as a place of emotion. This research provides further insights on how subjectivity and emotions can be used as a way to promote environmental protection. Through this study, I strive to present how a better understanding of emotions and subjectivity can help uncover new ways to connect environmental concerns and the everyday in order to improve community participation in environmental protection.