Confluence Volume 2, Spring 2023

Volume Two The sun’s warmth was kept at bay by a slight yet no ticeable breeze, typical for southern Chile. As we meandered along the trail towards our destination, our group of students accordioned along the path, some peeling off to take photos, inspect flowers, typ ical for geography students...

For this project I “interviewed” nine different individuals regarding the topic question, how colonialism and capitalism affect your environment and nature surrounding you? Every individual had different experiences, but I related their experiences to topics and readings discussed throughout the course, GEO 5990 Special Topics: Environment & Development instructed by...

National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/141216-colorado-river... Executive Summary Although once a thriving habitat, the Colorado River Delta (Delta) has been reduced to a fraction of its original size. Nearly nonexistent water flows from upstream have caused much of the Delta to dry, removing habitat depended on by multiple species endemic to the area...

Abstract The Ogallala Aquifer is a vital water source that has been sustaining agriculture, drinking water, and other human needs for many years. However, over the past few decades, the depletion and pollution of the Ogallala Aquifer has become a pressing concern. The Ogallala Aquifer located beneath the Great Plains...

Unprecedented Monsoon Rains and Floods Unprecedented torrential rains taking place in Pakistan between June and August, 2022, led to the worst floods ever experienced in the country. Large-scale floods resulted in river-overflows and landslides which ravaged large parts of the country's provinces and districts. About 94 districts had been declared...

Preserving the ecological integrity of Colorado’s headwater streams is a challenge well-recognized for the pressures acting against it. At the forefront of issues threatening alpine aquatic ecosystems are degradation to water quality associated with acid rock drainage and shifting hydrologic regimes due to climate change. While concerns surrounding natural and...

Since the development of agriculture, thousands of years ago, humanity’s production and consumption of food has increasingly altered environmental processes, for better and for worse. With colonialism, industrialization, and globalization, those environmental impacts have compounded into a veritable crisis. The planet’s climate is changing irrevocably, freshwater resources are dwindling, and...

Introduction The benefits of bike commuting are plentiful, including lower risk of heart disease and cancer, reducing polluting carbon emissions, and lessening of traffic and wear and tear on roads (Brown, 2019; Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, 2017). Additionally, with ever-increasing fuel and vehicle costs, bike commuting remains a...

As a new resident of the beautiful and troubled city of Denver, Colorado, one of the first questions I found myself asking was, “Why does a city with an abundance of nature lovers have such an abysmal composting program?” Composting food waste helps divert mass from landfi lls and contributes...

Introduction The increased demand for renewable energy as the global population continues to increase over time and as society works towards fighting climate change has sparked creative ways to meet demands while reducing fossil fuel emissions. Agrivoltaics, the practice of using land to simultaneously house solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and...