Geography electronic theses and dissertations (MU)
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The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the Department of Geography. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Columbia. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
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Item Long-term dynamics of forest phenology across the central hardwoods(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Tjepkes, Benjamin Wayne; Elliott, Grant P.[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/01/2026] Many forest communities across the central hardwoods region of the United States are experiencing shifts from oak dominance to later successional species after anthropogenic alterations to historical disturbance regimes. This transition, amidst unprecedented climatic variability, casts uncertainty about the future of wildlife depending on these forests for access to high-quality habitat. Land surface phenology, the timing of annual growth cycles measured from remote sensing platforms, offers a potential proxy for forest ecosystem response to changing bioclimatic conditions that can be used for landscape-based wildlife conservation planning. However, many prior assessments are restricted to recent satellite sensors and cannot reliably distinguish forested areas from mixed land cover due to their spatial resolution, limiting their ecological applicability. In this project, I used 40 years of Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) values from Landsat multispectral imagery to model spatially explicit estimates of phenological transition dates under a Bayesian hierarchical framework. From these estimates, I additionally measured long-term trends and used machine learning models to understand how these metrics were changing over time and what factors might be driving those responses. My analysis revealed spatially heterogeneous trends in phenology across the central hardwoods. Spring green-up has advanced and accelerated in many areas, especially in the eastern portion of the region. Patterns of autumn senescence were more variable, but most samples in the western portion of the region exhibited longer transitions from late spring until dormancy. Strong associations were found between phenological shifts and cumulative growing degree days, April temperatures, and topographic variability. Phenology in the central hardwoods is changing in complex, spatially distinct ways in response to climate variability and local landscape context. Altered phenological timing may disrupt ecological synchrony, particularly for migratory bird species whose breeding cycles are linked to vegetation development. These findings provide critical insight into where and how phenological mismatches may emerge, offering a foundation for proactive, climate-informed conservation planning.Item Integrating wine tourism and bike tourism in Mid-Missouri : a geographic perspective on regional tourism synergies(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Denysenko, Dmytro; Foulkes, MatthewThis thesis investigates the barriers and opportunities for integrating wine and bicycle tourism along Missouri's Katy Trail corridor. Using mixed methods, including spatial analysis and stakeholder interviews, the study reveals significant untapped potential. Despite the proximity of wineries to the trail, accessibility is limited by topography, safety concerns, and informational gaps. The research identifies a strategic disconnect: while wineries recognize trail users as a market, resource constraints prevent coordinated action. A historical analysis shows this integration revives a long-standing relationship between transportation and viticulture in the region. Recommendations include creating a “Bike-Friendly Winery” certification, improving wayfinding, and fostering regional collaboration to build a cohesive, sustainable tourism destination.Item Accessibility of level 1 stroke units for rural ischemia patients in Missouri within 4-hours of symptom onset(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Abu-Shanab, Alia; Guhlincozzi, AídaIn the United States, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of long-term disability. Ischemic strokes, the more common type of stroke, can successfully be intervened upon with thrombolytic therapy administration (tPA), but only if administered within the first four hours from onset of symptoms. There are multiple risk factors that raise an individual's risk of having a stroke, including hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and hyperlipidemia. This combination of comorbidities is formally identified as Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and has been increasingly associated with rural communities due to varying social determinants of health (SDOH). Research demonstrates that rural stroke patients experience higher mortality and incidence than urban patients, however, geographic methods have not been widely employed in understanding the spatial components of this healthcare issue. This project utilizes GIS to analyze and visualize the inequalities surrounding the ability of rural residents in Missouri to access Level 1 stroke units within the critical four-hour time frame for tPA administration as well as the spatial-temporal mismatch between rural communities and Level 1 stroke facilities. The results from this research will contribute a geographic perspective that is presently missing from literature on ischemic stroke and its impacts on rural populations.Item The recreational resources, facilities, and activities of Vermont(University of Missouri--Columbia, 1963) Thomas, Inge"Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to survey the major and associated outdoor recreational activities of Vermont and to present to the reader the immeasurable qualities inherent in the recreation industry. An attempt has been made throughout the study to show the importance of recreation to the state. This study was undertaken because of the lack of information on recreational geography and because of the importance of outdoor recreation to the economy of Vermont. A full explanation of all available resources and activities is not intended. Attention is instead focused on selected activities. This thesis presents some more insight into the entire topic of outdoor recreational geography as applied on a state-wide basis. It analyzes the recreational resource base of Vermont, the major and associated activities, the number of guests and their place of origin, the amount of money received from the recreation industry in Vermont, and the question of accessibility. Vermont was chosen as the area of study because of its recreational importance in all seasons of the year and because of the great part the tourist industry plays to the economy of Vermont. Vermont was also accessible to the author in the summers of 1959, 1960, and 1961. It is hoped that this study will help explain some of the major aspects of recreational geography on a state-wide basis and open the door to further studies."--Page 5.Item Deep learning for impervious surface segmentation from high resolution aerial imagery(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024) Batmunkh, Anar; Blodgett, ClaytonThe rapid urbanization of landscapes presents significant environmental and ecological challenges, which necessitates the precise mapping of impervious surfaces. This study aims to leverage the capabilities of deep learning, specifically U-Net architectures, for the semantic segmentation of impervious surfaces from high-resolution aerial imagery. Our approach enhances the conventional U-Net architecture to improve its efficiency and accuracy in handling the spatial complexity of urban landscapes. We utilized a dataset comprising aerial images from urban and suburban areas within the city limits of Columbia, Missouri. The datasets are annotated for training, validation, and testing. The models evaluated include U-Net, Residual U-Net, Attention U-Net, Attention Residual U-Net, scSE U-Net, and scSE Residual U-Net. The models were trained and validated under different conditions, with performance metrics calculated for the overall testing datasets. Our results from the 2017 (leaf-on conditions) and 2019 (leaf-off conditions) test sets indicate improvements. The scSE Residual U-Net model achieved the highest IoU of 88.0 percent, precision of 93.6 percent, recall of 93.6 percent, F1 score of 93.6 percent, and pixel accuracy of 94.6 percent. These results underscore the effectiveness of advanced U-Net models in delineating impervious surfaces with high precision and highlight their potential in remote sensing applications for urban planning and environmental monitoring.