Papers by Reginald Archer
Geospatial Modeling of Watershed Quality as an Indicator for Environmental Health
AGUFM, Dec 1, 2016
Increasing Diversity in the Geosciences Through Community Projects: Harmful Algal Blooms in Urban Environments
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs
Impacts of urbanization: diversity and the symbiotic relationships of rural, urban, and spaces in-between
International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 2017
ABSTRACT This Impacts article proposes strategies for mitigating negative impacts of urbanization... more ABSTRACT This Impacts article proposes strategies for mitigating negative impacts of urbanization in rural locations in the United States. Issues addressed include impacts of population growth and development, loss of agricultural lands, and impacts of climate change on agriculture and rural communities. Conclusions are supported by stakeholder survey data, geographic information systems-based data, and desktop reviews of research journal publications. We propose a sustainable, diversified approach that supports mitigation of issues, including increasing demand on food production and decline of rural communities. A key issue that we address is where we will find suitable landscapes to reduce enough food for 9.6 billion people living in 2050. Urban and rural development planners are grappling with solutions to escalating impacts global populations, stresses on food production, and effects of climate change. Solutions are identified, including strengthening rural and urban contexts by establishing connected and interdependent links that support diversification of rural and urban contexts as viable solutions to these issues. Diversified rural-to-urban sustainable agriculture production is a promising approach to addressing climate change impacts. Organic agriculture principles exhibit strong diversity and are accredited by United States Department of Agriculture as the only federally certified sustainable agriculture practice in the United States. Sustainable agriculture practices are evolving into profitable diversified alternative food sources. We offer substantiated alternative solutions for remediating impacts of urbanization on rural agriculture and communities. Collectively, these solutions can strengthen symbiotic relationships between sustainable agriculture and rural communities, addressing our growing population issues and preserving our dwindling farmlands and rural communities.
Worker Size, Geographical Distribution, and Introgressive Hybridization of Invasive Solenopsis invicta and Solenopsis richteri (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Tennessee
Environmental Entomology, 2019
Abstract Worker size and geographical distribution of red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta ... more Abstract Worker size and geographical distribution of red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren), black imported fire ants (Solenopsis richteri Forel), and their hybrid (S. invicta × S. richteri) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were evaluated from colonies sampled across Tennessee. The fire ant species and hybrid status were determined using cuticular hydrocarbon and venom alkaloid indices obtained from gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Hybrids were the most common fire ant throughout Tennessee. With the exception of a few isolated S. invicta samples, only hybrids were found in east Tennessee, and hybrids predominated in middle Tennessee. In west Tennessee, mixed populations of S. richteri and hybrids were found. Hybrids were more common in west Tennessee than a survey performed a decade earlier. No statistical differences were detected in the average inter-colonial worker size of S. richteri and hybrids. Likewise, average worker size was not related to geographic location in Tennessee. The similarity in average worker size among hybrid colonies with a wide range of cuticular hydrocarbon and venom alkaloid values suggests introgression was not impacting ant size in colonies sampled throughout Tennessee.
Preventive Medicine Reports, 2019
Los Angeles County (LAC) low-income communities of color experience uneven asthma rates, evidence... more Los Angeles County (LAC) low-income communities of color experience uneven asthma rates, evidenced by asthma emergency department visits (AEDV). This has partly been attributed to inequitable exposure to diesel particulate matter (DPM). Promisingly, public parks and open space (PPOS) contribute to DPM mitigation. However, low-income communities of color with limited access to PPOS may be deprived of associated public health benefits. Therefore, this novel study investigates the AEDV, DPM, PPOS nexus to address this public health dilemma and inform public policy in at-risk communities. Optimized Hotspot Analysis was used to examine geographic clustering of AEDVs, DPM, and PPOS at the census tract unit of analysis in LAC. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analysis was used to examine the extent to which DPM and PPOS predict AEDVs. Finally, Geographic Weighted Regression (GWR) was employed to account for spatial dependence in the global OLS model. Optimized Hotspot Analysis confirmed significant clustering of elevated AEDVs and DPM in census tracts with reduced PPOS. After controlling for pertinent demographic characteristics (poverty, children, race/ ethnicity), regression analysis confirmed that DPM was significantly positively associated with AEDVs, whereas PPOS was significantly negatively associated with AEDVs. Furthermore, GWR revealed that 71.5% of LACs census tracts would benefit from DPM reductions and 79.4% would benefit from PPOS increases toward redressing AEDVs. This is the first study to identify AEDV reductions in census tracts with higher concentrations of PPOS. Thus, reducing DPM and increasing PPOS may serve to improve asthma outcomes, particularly in lowincome communities of color.
Interdisciplinary Teaching About Earth and the Environment for a Sustainable Future, 2018
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) play a unique role in addressing the low num... more Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) play a unique role in addressing the low numbers of African Americans entering and persisting through undergraduate and graduate geoscience programs. In a strategic effort to increase HBCU participation in geoscience curriculum and faculty development opportunities, InTeGrate conducted targeted outreach to HBCU faculty to facilitate through the establishment of the HBCU Geosciences Working Group (GWG). The overarching goal of the HBCU GWG is to increase Earth Science literacy among Black students. The GWG successfully developed and executed three HBCU geoscience workshops for a growing network of educators and researchers at HBCUs. These workshops addressed (1) the gap between K-12 educators and Earth Science education, (2) culturally relevant pedagogy, and (3) environmental sustainability. The HBCU GWG advocates for culturally relevant content and the use of Pan-African pedagogy to significantly alter the current educational para...
Measuring and Monitoring Long Term Disaster Recovery Using Remote Sensing: A Case Study of Post Katrina New Orleans
The understanding of inland wetlands’ distribution and their level of vulnerability is important ... more The understanding of inland wetlands’ distribution and their level of vulnerability is important to enhance management and conservation efforts. The aim of the study was to map inland wetlands and assess their distribution pattern and vulnerability to natural and human disturbances such as climate change (temperature increase) and human activities by the year 2080. Inland wetland types i.e. forested/shrub, emergent and open water bodies were classified and mapped using maximum likelihood standard algorithm. The spatial distribution pattern of inland wetlands was examined using average nearest neighbor analysis. A weighted geospatial vulnerability analysis was developed using variables such as roads, land cover/ land use (developed and agricultural areas) and climate data (temperature) to predict potentially vulnerable inland wetland types. Inland wetlands were successfully classified and mapped with overall accuracy of about 73 percent. Clustered spatial distribution pattern was fou...
Public Parks and Open Spaces vs Greenspaces as Indicators of Health Promoting Environments
Relationship of imported fire ant species and hybrid status with worker size in colonies within Tennessee
Making a Broader Impact by Engaging the Geoscience in Geoscience Education for Reaching Underrepresented Minorities
Using Remote Sensing and Progress Detection to Measure and Monitor Long Term Disaster Recovery in Post Katrina New Orleans, LA
Remote sensing has frequently been used for emergency response and damage assessment after natura... more Remote sensing has frequently been used for emergency response and damage assessment after natural disasters. However, techniques for analysis of long term disaster recovery using remote sensing have not been widely explored. With increased availability and lower costs, remote sensing offers an objective perspective, systematic and repeatable analysis, and provides a substitute to multiple site visits. In addition, remote sensing allows access to large geographical areas and areas where ground access may be disrupted, restricted or denied. This research will focus on the long term recovery of the impacts of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans, LA and investigate change detection techniques to adequately measure and monitor long term disaster recovery indicators. Change detection will be used with multi-temporal aerial images to quantitatively measure the progress of recovery. This work seeks to examine the use of change detection techniques and high resolution aerial images to identify...
New baseline environmental assessment of mosquito ecology in northern Haiti during increased urbanization
Journal of Vector Ecology, 2015
The catastrophic 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, led to the large-scale displacement of... more The catastrophic 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, led to the large-scale displacement of over 2.3 million people, resulting in rapid and unplanned urbanization in northern Haiti. This study evaluated the impact of this unplanned urbanization on mosquito ecology and vector-borne diseases by assessing land use and change patterns. Land-use classification and change detection were carried out on remotely sensed images of the area for 2010 and 2013. Change detection identified areas that went from agricultural, forest, or bare-land pre-earthquake to newly developed and urbanized areas post-earthquake. Areas to be sampled for mosquito larvae were subsequently identified. Mosquito collections comprised five genera and ten species, with the most abundant species being Culex quinquefasciatus 35% (304/876), Aedes albopictus 27% (238/876), and Aedes aegypti 20% (174/876). All three species were more prevalent in urbanized and newly urbanized areas. Anopheles albimanus, the predominate malaria vector, accounted for less than 1% (8/876) of the collection. A set of spectral indices derived from the recently launched Landsat 8 satellite was used as covariates in a species distribution model. The indices were used to produce probability surfaces maps depicting the likelihood of presence of the three most abundant species within 30 m pixels. Our findings suggest that the rapid urbanization following the 2010 earthquake has increased the amount of area with suitable habitats for urban mosquitoes, likely influencing mosquito ecology and posing a major risk of introducing and establishing emerging vector-borne diseases.
Acta Tropica, 2015
The distribution expansion of important human visceral leishmaniasis (HVL) and sporadic cutaneous... more The distribution expansion of important human visceral leishmaniasis (HVL) and sporadic cutaneous leishmaniasis (SCL) vector species, Phlebotomus perfiliewi and P. perniciosus, throughout central Tunisia is a major public health concern. This study was designed to investigate if the expansion of irrigation influences the abundance of sand fly species potentially involved in the transmission of HVL and SCL located in arid bioclimatic regions. Geographic and remote sensing approaches were used to predict the density of visceral leishmaniasis vectors in Tunisia. Entomological investigations were performed in the governorate of Sidi Bouzid, located in the arid bioclimatic region of Tunisia. In 2012, sand flies were collected by CDC light traps located at nine irrigated and nine non-irrigated sites to determine species abundance. Eight species in two genera were collected. Among sand flies of the subgenus Larroussius, P. perfiliewi was the only species collected significantly more in irrigated areas. Trap data were then used to develop Poisson regression models to map the apparent density of important sand fly species as a function of different environmental covariates including climate and vegetation density. The density of P. perfiliewi is predicted to be moderately high in the arid regions. These results highlight that the abundance of P. perfiliewi is associated with the development of irrigated areas and suggests that the expansion of this species will continue to more arid areas of the country as irrigation sites continue to be developed in the region. The continued increase in irrigated areas in the Middle East and North Africa region deserves attention, as it is associated with the spread of L. infantum vector P. perfiliewi. Integrated vector management strategies targeting irrigation structures to reduce sand fly vector populations should be evaluated in light of these findings.
The Use of Remote Sensing & GIS for Monitoring the Long Term Disaster Recovery In Post-Katrina New Orleans, LA
Papers from the Annual Meeting of the Association of …, Jan 1, 2009
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Papers by Reginald Archer