When Roundup is used on plants and soils, Glyphosate has different effects on the solubility (LogKow) and degradation pathways of molecules based on soil factors. These soil factors have to do with the organic composition of the soil. Organic matter in soils comes from 1,2,4-Trihydroxybenzene, Ferulic Acid, and Vanillic Acid. Pesticides degrade these molecules and make daughter molecules. This can show the assessment on how glyphosate alters degradation by comparing parent–daughter product distributions and LogKow.

Coastal wetlands are critical ecosystems located at the dynamic interface between terrestrial and marine environments, shaped by the intricate interactions among sediment transport and deposition processes, geomorphology, hydrodynamics, and biogeochemical processes. They offer essential services, acting as a primary defense against storm surge flooding and reducing cyclone wind wave energy. However, the sustainability of coastal freshwater wetlands is increasingly threatened by natural and anthropogenic stressors, including sea level rise and land subsidence. The latter process alters coastal morphology and, in combination with saltwater intrusion, which is primarily driven by unsustainable groundwater pumping rates, contributes to the salinization of the soil, leading to a severe decline in freshwater wetlands' spatial extent and significantly reducing the ecosystem services they provide. Wetlands are particularly important in areas such as the Texas Gulf Coast, including regions extending from the Galveston to Beaumont County coasts, where there is a recurrence of cyclone events causing severe devastation, sprawling urbanization extending toward the coasts, and extreme use of groundwater resources to meet the demands of the growing population. This study utilizes an approach that incorporates remote sensing datasets and analysis techniques, including deep learning methods facilitated by GeoAI, and field-based geophysical methods to explore the following key objectives: (1) quantify spatial and temporal changes in coastal wetland extent and type from 2000 to 2024 in response to major stressors; (2) investigate the hydrogeological conditions of the critical zone in areas experiencing declining freshwater wetland coverage, assessing the impacts of environmental stressors on the wetland critical zone using key indicators such as subsurface erosion and other morphological indicators (3) evaluate how shifts in wetland dynamics influence their ability to mitigate cyclone-related hazards and examine corresponding spatiotemporal variations in methane emissions.

The Dockum Group is of palaeontologic and sedimentary significance due to the fossils and preserved sedimentary structures. The units contain a vast variety of Late Triassic vertebrates ranging from aquatic and amphibian to early mammals and dinosaurs, and in addition the Dockum Group contains preserved upper-flow-regime structures. Early result from initial samples collected from an outcrop of a preserved lake have yielded potential bone fragments and teeth. The opportunity to study how upper flow regimes and fossil assemblages are related to preservation makes the Dockum group a unique study area.

Our project will focus on the evaluation of how the introduction of invasive fire ant species has affected horned lizard populations. The fire ant species is not native to the greater Texas area and, when introduced, preyed on the Texas horned lizard’s primary food source, the harvester ant. This has greatly reduced the lizard’s range, as it consumes few other insects. Its status as the university mascot further highlights its vulnerability to the TCU community. This study examines the impact of invasive fire ants on horned lizard populations in Texas. We will accomplish this through two approaches in the ArcGIS environment: first, by comparing maps of the lizard’s historical and current ranges, and second, by analyzing the temporal distribution of fire ant populations to determine whether a correlation exists with changes in the lizard’s range.

Coastal aquifers around the Galveston Bay System, located along the Texas Gulf Coast, have been experiencing saltwater contamination for the past few decades. This is driven by extensive groundwater use, land subsidence as a result of groundwater pumping, and rising sea levels in both the short term (through storm surge from cyclones) and long-term (relative sea level rise). This study leverages multitemporal groundwater quality data from wells located proximal to the coast and further inland to assess the spatial distribution and propagation of key saltwater contamination indicators (TDS, Chloride, etc.). This is accomplished through cluster mapping to identify contaminant hotspots and their progression over time, as well as by assessing the extent of contamination through evaluating the relationship between distance from the coast and inland contamination. The key objective is to provide insights of the modes of aquifer contamination, identify susceptible areas, and determine key drivers that may contribute to this accelerating contamination.

The Fort Worth metropolitan area faces increasing roadway congestion, automobile dependency, and growing accessibility challenges for households with limited vehicle and physical access. Although Tarrant County contains several rail assets, much of the regions' transit network remains limited in coverage and connectivity compared to neighboring systems in Dallas. Rather than proposing new infrastructure, this study aims to evaluate the existing rail corridors within Tarrant County to identify where improvements could generate the greatest mobility, equity, and connectivity benefits.

Using ArcGIS Pro, a weighted multi-criteria analysis is applied to three existing corridors where freight lines are already present: a south-to-north line dubbed the “Green Line”, with termini in Burleson and Keller, a west-to-east line dubbed the “Blue Line”, with termini in Benbrook and Arlington, and a southwest-to-northeast line dubbed the “Purple Line”, with termini in Crowley and Euless/Grapevine. Each corridor meets at Fort Worth T&P / Central stations and stops in significant population/economic centers. Buffers surrounding each corridor are analyzed to evaluate demographic demand, transportation efficiency, connectivity, and physical feasibility. Key variables include the percentage of households without vehicles, median income, senior and disability populations, highway congestion proximity, risk factors, and major destinations served.

By integrating demographic vulnerability indicators with transportation demand and physical constraints, this study identifies which existing retail corridors demonstrate greatest need and potential for targeted improvements. The results provide a GIS-based framework for prioritizing transit investments in automobile-dependent metropolitan regions and offer data-driven guidance for improving rail accessibility and connectivity across Tarrant County.

This project will study how rare earth elements (REEs) and other important critical materials can be released (leached) from coal and coal ash. Coal ash is produced in large amounts across the United States, and many studies show that it can contain valuable elements that are needed for electronics, renewable energy technology, and national defense. However, we still do not fully understand how easily these elements can be removed from the ash or what chemical conditions make them more or less available. Learning this will help determine whether coal ash can be used as a practical source of critical materials and how it should be safely managed.

The late Ediacaran to Cambrian Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen (SOA) records extensive bimodal magmatism associated with continental rifting during the opening of the southern Iapetus Ocean. Igneous rocks exposed in the Wichita and Arbuckle Mountains include the Carlton Rhyolite Group, Wichita Granite Group, gabbros, widespread diabase intrusions, and extensive subsurface basalt flows.
The Carlton Rhyolite Group forms the uppermost portion of the igneous rift fill and provides key constraints on the distribution and petrogenesis of felsic volcanism during early rifting. Diabase intrusions record information about mantle source regions and the evolution of mafic magmas during crustal extension. Petrographic observations show that rhyolites are characterized by felsic groundmasses containing quartz and feldspar phenocrysts with varying degrees of devitrification and alteration, whereas the diabases are dominated by plagioclase and clinopyroxene and commonly display ophitic to subophitic textures.
This study presents petrographic observations together with new major and trace element geochemical data for 30 rhyolite samples, a series of late diabase intrusions that occur throughout the aulacogen, and small gabbros that occur locally in association with diabases from the Wichita Mountains that have not been previously analyzed or for which trace element data were incomplete. On standard discrimination diagrams, most diabase samples fall within the compositional range of previously documented diabases in the SOA. Rare earth element (REE) patterns show moderate light REE enrichment and slight Eu anomalies similar to enriched MORB compositions. Two samples display higher total REE concentrations but similar overall E-MORB–type patterns, suggesting the presence of at least two related but distinct mafic magma sources.
Rhyolite samples exhibit strong LREE enrichment, pronounced negative Eu anomalies, and elevated high-field-strength element concentrations consistent with high-temperature A-type felsic magmatism. One rhyolite dike intruding the Wichita Granite shows trace element compositions similar to rhyolite flows that predate granite emplacement, indicating a shared petrogenetic origin. Another rhyolite dike located at the base of the thickest rhyolite flow in the Wichita Mountains displays strong geochemical similarity to the overlying flow, suggesting that the dike acted as a feeder conduit. This represents the only recognized example of a rhyolite feeder dike within the SOA.

We are looking to map sea-level rise along the California coast from 2000 to 2026. The sea level is currently rising approximately .25 inches per year. We are going to focus on how this is affecting California, and we are going to pair this information with properties in California that will be underwater by 2050. It is estimated that 10 billion dollars' worth of property will be underwater in the next 30 years. The part of California that is under the highest risk is Northern California, specifically the Bay Area. We will be mapping floodplains and low-lying areas in the Bay Area to show what areas are at the highest risk of water damage.

The Devonian Sierra Buttes Formation (SBF) occurs at the base of a thick succession of submarine Paleozoic island arc strata in the northern Sierra Nevada. Bulk eastward rotation of the succession has provided cross-sectional views of a variety of SBF sediments and volcaniclastics, arc deposits, and associated hypabyssal intrusions. The area of concern herein is centered on the prominent glaciated Sierra Buttes peaks, from which the formation takes its name. Coeval andesitic to rhyolitic volcanic deposits and subsequent intrusive bodies form a multistage complex assemblage making up much of the SBF in this area. To better understand this assemblage, detailed mapping of a small area was done in 2025.

Here we report results of detailed mapping of glaciated outcrops that occupy an area of ~ 245,000 m2 within the intrusive assemblage. A total of ten separate geologic units were identified within the field area. Sedimentary rocks, SBF, cap the sequence, and consist of black radiolarian chert and ash fall tuffs. A large unit of lapillistone, the result of seafloor fire fountaining, is at the base of the complex. Six separate intrusive units are identified, ranging from andesitic to dacitic in composition. Peperite, a rock that forms when magma quenches and mixes with unconsolidated wet sediment, is present along the contact with the SBF. Hyaloclastite, consists of glassy shards, which are the result of nonexplosive quench fragmentation, is the most abundant unit in the field area. Hosted within the hyaloclastite are disrupted fluidal feeder bodies, once part of an interconnected tubular network that fed the hyaloclastite and broke apart during continued intrusive activity.