Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The 2009-2010 El Nino: Hydrologic Relief To U.S. Regions, Glenn A. Tootle, Thomas C. Piechota, Oubeidillah Aziz, William Paul Miller, Venkat Lakshmi, John A. Dracup, Carly Jerla

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Current forecasts by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are that the Pacific Ocean will experience El Niño conditions in late 2009 and into 2010. These forecasts are similar to past El Niño events in 1972–1973, 1982–1983, 1986–1987, and 2002–2003.

Evaluating the hydrologic conditions for these past El Niño events reveals that during these times, surface water supply conditions improved in many parts of the United States, including the Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest. At the same time, the Pacific Northwest and other specific regions of the United States experienced below-average water supply conditions. This is consistent with the …

Salinity And Stratification In The Gulf Of Maine: 2001-2008, Heather E. Deese-Riordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The salinity and vertical density structure (stratification) of the Gulf of Maine strongly influence the physical and biological character of the region including: circulation and transport, vertical mixing, and primary productivity. Variability in salinity and stratification also provides insights into the character and timing of the oceanic waters entering the region, a key to predicting regional climate change. This thesis addresses outstanding questions related to variability in salinity and the relative role of salinity and temperature in creating stratification. Hourly observations from Ocean Observing System buoys throughout the Gulf provide the primary data source for this investigation. Analysis of estimated …

Investigating Saxitoxin Resistance In Softshell Clams (Mya Arenaria): Patterns Of Inheritance And Improvements On Methodology For Tracking And Identification, Scott A. Hamilton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Attempts to characterize and study the population dynamics of the softshell clam Mya arenaria in relation to a mutation which confers resistance to paralytic shellfish toxins are complicated by a lack of non-lethal genotyping techniques, reliable tagging methods and an understanding of the inheritance patterns of the marker. Presented here, is a straightforward and non-lethal technique for clam genotyping, a new method for the long term tagging of clams, and the offspring genotype frequencies from a number of pair matings between clams of known genotype. Hemolymph extracted from M. arenaria was used directly in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to …

Rainsford Island Shoreline Evolution Study (Rises), Christopher V. Maio

Graduate Masters Theses

RISES conducted a shoreline change study in order to accurately map, quantify, and predict trends in shoreline evolution on Rainsford Island occurring from 1890-2008. It employed geographic information systems (GIS) and analytical statistical techniques to identify coastal hazard zones vulnerable to coastal erosion, rising sea-levels, and storm surges. The 11-acre Rainsford Island, located in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, consists of two eroded drumlins connected by a low-lying spit. Settled by Europeans in 1636, the Island was later used as the Harbor’s main quarantine station. Previous archeological surveys have identified numerous historically sensitive sites dating to before the Revolutionary War period, including …

Terrain Constrained Stereo Correspondence, Gabrielle Inglis, Chris Roman

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

There is a persistent need in the oceanographic community for accurate three dimensional reconstructions of seafloor structures. To meet this need underwater mapping techniques have expanded to include the use of stereo vision and high frequency multibeam sonar for mapping scenes 10's to 100's of square meters in size. Both techniques have relative advantages and disadvantages that depend on the task at hand and the desired accuracy. In this paper, we develop a method to constrain the often problematic stereo correspondence search to small sections of the image that correspond to estimated ranges along the epipolar lines calculated from coregistered …

West Florida Shelf Mean Circulation Observed With Long-Term Moorings, Robert H. Weisberg, Yonggang Liu, Dennis A. Mayer

Yonggang Liu

The mean circulation on the West Florida Continental Shelf is described using long-term current measurements. Bounded by the Florida peninsula to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the west, the West Florida Continental Shelf mean flow is oriented approximately along-isobath and southward. The mean velocity vectors veer systematically with depth, shoreward over shallow water and seaward over deeper water. This polarization change implies that the mean flow is upwelling over shallow water and downwelling seaward from the inner shelf. Such a well-organized, three-dimensional coastal ocean circulation pattern, revealed by an unprecedented set of observations, and explained on the …

Doubt And The Values Of An Ignorance-Based World View For Restoration: Coastal Louisiana Wetlands, R. Eugene Turner

Faculty Publications

Embracing doubt, a signature strength of science, is an essential core component of an ignorance-based-world view (IBWV) that assumes the areas of certainty are small relative to the large field of ignorance. The contrasting knowledge-based world view (KBWV) assumes that small and mostly insignificant knowledge gaps exist. When the KBWV is combined with a sense of urgency to “do something,” then the intellectual landscape is flattened, the introduction of new ideas is impeded, monitoring and adaptive management is marginalized, risky behaviors continue, and social learning is restricted. The history of three coastal Louisiana land-uses (agricultural impoundment, marsh management, and dredging) …

Summer/Fall 2009, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Mechanisms For Temporal Change In Phytoplankton Composition In San Luis Obispo Bay California, Marc T. Tognazzini

Master's Theses

Coastal topography and more specifically, the impact of local hydrography can significantly influence phytoplankton dynamics along the California coast. In San Luis Obispo Bay California, the local hydrography is influenced by the presence of a lee and proposed upwelling shadow in the northwest corner of the bay. These conditions allow for periods of unperturbed phytoplankton growth creating phytoplankton incubation areas. Phytoplankton dynamics including accumulation, advection, and composition were examined in San Luis Obispo Bay California from January to June 2004 using all the primary techniques of ocean monitoring encompassed in the coastal module of the Global Ocean Observing System. These …

Compatibility Determination: Considerations For Siting Coastal And Ocean Uses (Draft), Jack Wiggin, Kristin Uiterwyk, Steve Bliven, Dan Hellin, Fara Courtney, Rich Delaney, Pat Hughes, Tracey Morin Dalton, Stephanie Moura, Nicholas Napoli, Kim Starbuck

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This draft report is one of several prepared under contract to the Massachusetts Ocean Partnership (MOP) to support the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) in its development of the integrated coastal ocean management plan mandated by the MA Oceans Act of 2008. Among other requirements, the Oceans Act states that the plan shall “identify appropriate locations and performance standards for activities, uses and facilities allowed under sections 15 and 16 of chapter 132A.” To fulfill this requirement, the EOEEA planning team wanted to utilize compatibility determinations as a tool for considering the appropriate locations for activities, …

City Of Gloucester Harbor Plan & Designated Port Area Master Plan, July 2009, Sarah Buck, Greg Ketchen, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

A harbor plan is a waterfront land and water use plan intended to establish the community’s objectives, standards, and policies for guiding public and private utilization of land and of water within and adjacent to the commonwealth’s jurisdiction. The 1999 Gloucester Harbor Plan was chiefly focused on infrastructure improvements for both maritime and visitor oriented industries along the waterfront as a central means of recharging the harbor’s economic engine. Many of the improvements have been completed in the wake of this plan. However, it largely ignored the confusing web of land use regulations that has since emerged as the central …

Reactivity And Chemical Characterization Of Dissolved Organic Matter In An Estuary, Hussain A. Abdulla

OES Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹³C-NMR) data to quantify the changes of major chemical compound classes in high molecular weight (HMW, >1kDa) DOM isolated along a transect from Great Dismal Swamp through the Elizabeth River/Chesapeake Bay system to the coastal Atlantic Ocean off Virginia, USA. Results show that both carboxylic acids and aromatic compounds are lost along the transect, while amide, and carbohydrate moieties could have a mid-transect source.

Addressing the seasonal and spatial changes in the chemical composition of high molecular weight DOM using C/N ratio and δ^{13 …}

Changing Fecundity And Reproductive Output In Females Of A Chesapeake Bay Population Of Blue Crab, Callinectes Sapidus, Shannon L. Wells

OES Theses and Dissertations

The Chesapeake Bay blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, is an important species both ecologically and as a fishery. Fishery dependent and independent data indicate that the population declined abruptly in the mid-1990s and has remained low. Previous work prior to the decline in population abundance found a significant relationship between size and fecundity for mature females. As with many heavily fished populations, this population has experienced a reduction in the size at maturity. The objectives of this study were to reassess the fecundity of the population, determine the lipid and protein energy allocated for reproduction, and to examine the concentrations …

Nutrient Limitation On Phytoplankton Growth In The Upper Barataria Basin, Louisiana: Microcosm Bioassays, Ling Ren, Nancy N. Rabalais, R. Eugene Turner, Wendy Morrison, Warren Mendenhall

Faculty Publications

The Davis Pond Diversion (DPD) was constructed to divert Mississippi River (MR) water into the Barataria Basin to reduce the salinity in support of wetland restoration on the Louisiana coast. To assess the phytoplankton nutrient limitation in adjacent water systems and potential impacts of DPD, 12 seasonal nutrient-phytoplankton bioassay experiments were conducted from October 2003 to July 2004 using the natural phytoplankton assemblages from freshwater and brackish-water lakes, Cataouatche and Salvador, LA (USA), which receive Mississippi River water from the DPD, and from a nearby freshwater lake, Lac des Allemands, that does not. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and …

Planning Framework Options For The Massachusetts Ocean Plan (Draft), Jack Wiggin, Kristin Uiterwyk, Steve Bliven, Dan Hellin, John Duff, David Terkla, Robert E. Bowen, Andrew A. Rosenberg, Jennie Harrington, Jill H. Swasey, Suzanne Iudicello, Robert O’Boyle, Porter Hoagland, Hauke L. Kite-Powell, Di Jin, Fara Courtney, Rich Delaney, Pat Hughes, Tracey Morin Dalton, Suzanne Goulet Orenstein, Charles N. Ehler, Fannie Douvere, Les Kaufman, Charles T. Mccaffrey Jr., Nicholas Napoli, Stephanie Moura, Kim Starbuck

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The Massachusetts Ocean Partnership (MOP) Planning Frameworks Team, in consultation with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), and based on collective experience and a review of ocean, coastal and resource management programs from the US and other countries, suggests that nine elements are essential components of the framework for the Massachusetts Ocean Plan and its implementation. While management plans and programs generally have these elements in common, there are a range of options for carrying out each program component. These options were presented to structure and inform the development of the Massachusetts Ocean Plan. For the …

Enhancing Ocean Literacy Using Real-Time Data, Lisa G. Adams, George Matsumoto

Faculty and Research Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of A Phytoplankton Maximum On The Trophic Food Chain Of The Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) In North Inlet, South Carolina., Lindsay Michael Stang

Honors Theses

Jones Creek, part of North Inlet-Winyah Bay, South Carolina, is known to have a chlorophyll a maximum that exists during low tide. The goal of this study was to determine if an increase in phytoplankton, demonstrated by chlorophyll a levels, would lead to an increase in zooplankton, fish, and bottlenose dolphins in the area. Sampling for chlorophyll a concentrations, zooplankton and dolphin densities occurred in fall of 2008. Based on the samples obtained, as chlorophyll a concentrations increased at low tide, zooplankton densities decreased. Dolphin density plots showed an increased density in Jones Creek during low tide for spring, summer, …

Effects Of A Spatially And Temporally Predictable Chlorophyll Maximum On Bottlenose Dolphin Distribution In A South Carolina Estuary, Steven W. Thornton

Honors Theses

Numerous studies have focused on the complex relationship between phytoplankton and zooplankton in estuarine environments, but few have scrutinized the effects of this connection on organisms in higher trophic levels. This study examined chlorophyll a concentrations and zooplankton densities in North Inlet, South Carolina, a site where a stable chlorophyll a maximum has been documented to exist at low tide, to determine if they influenced the distribution of resident bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). We hypothesized that patterns of estuarine circulation in the salt marsh serve to concentrate phytoplankton and zooplankton predictably in time and space, and that these patterns influence …

Anthropogenic Osmium In Rain And Snow Reveals Global-Scale Atmospheric Contamination, Cynthia Chen, Peter N. Sedwick, Mukul Sharma

Dartmouth Scholarship

Osmium is one of the rarer elements in seawater, with typical concentration of approximately 10 x 10(-15) g g(-1) (5.3 x 10(-14) mol kg(-1)). The osmium isotope composition ((187)Os/(188)Os ratio) of deep oceans is 1.05, reflecting a balance between inputs from continental crust (approximately 1.3) and mantle/cosmic dust (approximately 0.13). Here, we show that the (187)Os/(188)Os ratios measured in rain and snow collected around the world range from 0.16 to 0.48, much lower than expected (>1), but similar to the isotope composition of ores (approximately 0.2) that are processed to extract platinum and other metals to be used primarily …

Development Of A New Lagrangian Float For Studying Coastal Marine Ecosystems, Alex Schwithal, Chris Roman

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

This paper presents an overview and initial testing results for a shallow water Lagrangian float designed to operate in coastal settings. The presented effort addresses the two main characteristics of the shallow coastal environment that preclude the direct of use of many successfully deep water floats, namely the higher variation of water densities near the coast compared with the open ocean and the highly varied bathymetry. Our idea is to develop a high capacity dynamic auto-ballasting system that is able to compensate for the expected seawater density variation over a broad range of water temperatures and salinities while using measurements …

Nantucket & Madaket Harbors Action Plan, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The Nantucket and Madaket Harbors Action Plan presents the community’s goals, objectives and recommendations for guiding public and private use of the land and water of its harbor areas and establishes an implementation program to achieve the desired outcomes. The plan was prepared under the auspices of the Nantucket Board of Selectmen and guided by the Nantucket and Madaket Harbors Plan Review Committee.

The 2007 plan is an update of the first action plan, which was prepared in 1993, and as such is meant to complement the original plan. The 1993 plan contained extensive background material, much of which is …

Constraints On The Utility Of Mno2 Cartridge Method For The Extraction Of Radionuclides: A Case Study Using 234Th, M. Baskaran, P. W. Swarzenski, B. A. Biddanda

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Large volume (10²–10³ L) seawater samples are routinely processed to investigate the partitioning of particle reactive radionuclides and Ra between solution and size-fractionated suspended particulate matter. One of the most frequently used methods to preconcentrate these nuclides from such large volumes involves extraction onto three filter cartridges (a prefilter for particulate species and two MnO₂-coated filters for dissolved species) connected in series. This method assumes that the extraction efficiency is uniform for both MnO₂-coated cartridges, that no dissolved species are removed by the prefilter, and that any adsorbed radionuclides are not desorbed from …

Nutrient Enrichment Drives Gulf Of Mexico Hypoxia, Donald F. Boesch, Walter R. Boyton, Larry B. Crowder, Robert J. Diaz, Robert W. Howarth, Laurence D. Mee, Scott W. Nixon, Nancy N. Rabalais, Rutger Rosenberg, James G. Sanders, Donald Scavia, R. Eugene Turner

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Us-Globec Nep Phase Iiia-Ccs: Large-Scale Influences On Mesoscale Structure In The Ccs, A Synthesis Of Climate-Forced Variability In Coastal Ecosystems, Andrew C. Thomas

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

A variety of extreme climate events occurred during the period of the US GLOBEC NEP monitoring and process studies in the California Current System (CCS) (1997-2003). These provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine a wide range of climate variability experienced by the CCS and its ecosystems. By relating these climate events to regional physical and biological observations, using multiple and diverse data sources (GLOBEC and other recent observations, historical datasets, satellites, circulation and physical-biological models), the investigators will determine how these events affect mesoscale ocean variability and target populations in the CCS. The overarching goal of this project is to …

Spring 2009, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Diagnostique Sur La Santé Des Récifs Coralliens À Nosy Tanikely Et La Baie D’Ambanoro, Chelsea Nahill

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Pendant mon étude, les récifs coralliens à Nosy Tanikely et à la Baie d’Ambanoro étaient examinées avec le but de déterminer la condition de chaque récif et la biomasse des poissons. La durée de cette étude est de trois semaines et j’ai plongé en apnée quatre fois du 10 avril 2009 au 23 avril 2009, pour examiner les trois sites. Il y avait six stations au total, quatre pour examiner le premier site à Nosy Tanikely et deux dans la Baie d’Ambanoro, où sont le deuxième et troisième site. Utilisant les données collectées au long du transect de cent mètres, …

Factors Affecting Adult Foraging And Chick Growth Of Adélie Penguins (Pygoscelis Adeliae) Off The Western Antarctic Peninsula: A Modeling Study, Erik W. Chapman

OES Theses and Dissertations

Coupled individual-based models that simulate Adélie penguin ( Pygoscelis adeliae) chick growth and adult foraging behavior during the chick growth period were developed and used to explore factors that influence chick fledging mass and adult foraging energetics off the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Adélie penguin colonies in this region are undergoing changes in population size that have been correlated with climate-driven alteration of the marine and terrestrial environment. Simulations were selected to highlight possible mechanistic linkages between climate variability and chick growth and adult foraging processes. These processes were the focus of this study because chicks that fledge at …

Characterization Of Antibiotic Resistance In Vibrio Cholerae Isolated From Ships' Ballast And Other Environmental Sources, Frank Kornegay Thomson Iii

OES Theses and Dissertations

Ships' ballast has been implicated as a vector in the dispersal of invasive species into new environments. Numerous cases have been documented for the introduction of macroorganisms via ballasting operations, but what is less known is the role of ballast water and residuals in the spread of potentially harmful microbes, especially with reference to novel genotypes. Of particular interest are the genes encoding for various forms of antibiotic resistance, many of which are carried on mobile genetic elements. A four-year sampling effort has yielded over 300 putative isolates of Vibrio cholerae from ships' ballast tanks and various environmental sources, of …

A Bio-Optical Model For Syringodium Filiforme Canopies, Margaret A. Stoughton

OES Theses and Dissertations

Seagrasses are significant ecological and biogeochemical agents in shallow water ecosystems throughout the world. In many regions, seagrass meadows occupy a sufficient fraction of the coastal zone, and generate optical signatures that can be observed from space. Bio-optical models of light absorption and scattering by submerged plant canopies for certain species such as Thalassia testudinum and Zostera marina have successfully modeled the plane irradiance distribution and photosynthesis within the submerged canopies. Syringodium filiforme differs &om T. testudinttm and Z marina, in leaf morphology and canopy architecture. The objective of this study was to develop a radiative transfer model that …

York River Water Budget, Carl Hershner, Molly Mitchell, Donna Marie Bilkovic, Julie D. Herman, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

No abstract provided.