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Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology

William & Mary

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

2011

Articles 1 - 12 of 12

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Basal Food Web Dynamics In A Natural Eelgrass (Zostera Marina) Community: Cage-Free Field Experimentation, Matthew A. Whalen Jan 2011

Basal Food Web Dynamics In A Natural Eelgrass (Zostera Marina) Community: Cage-Free Field Experimentation, Matthew A. Whalen

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The relative strength of bottom-up and top-down processes operating within food webs is a fundamental determinant of community structure and function. In marine systems, inconspicuous but often highly abundant invertebrate herbivores (mesograzers) are implicated as strong consumers of primary production and important prey for higher-order consumers. Because of their small size, however, mesograzer abundance is not easily manipulated in the field, which limits our ability to adequately assess their grazing impacts. Seagrass systems present a pressing need for the study of food web dynamics because anthropogenic nutrient and sediment inputs decrease the amount of light reaching seagrass leaves, which limits …


Deep-Pelagic (0-3000m) Fish Assemblage Structure Over The Mid-Atlantic Ridge In The Area Of The Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone, April B. Cook Jan 2011

Deep-Pelagic (0-3000m) Fish Assemblage Structure Over The Mid-Atlantic Ridge In The Area Of The Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone, April B. Cook

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Only a miniscule fraction of the world’s largest volume of living space, the ocean’s mid-water biome, has ever been sampled. As part of the International Census of Marine Life field project Mid-Atlantic Ridge Ecosystems (MAR-ECO), a discrete-depth trawling survey was conducted in 2009 aboard the NOAA ship Henry B. Bigelow to examine the pelagic faunal assemblage structure and distribution over the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone (CGFZ) of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This is the first MAR-ECO project aimed specifically at describing diel vertical migration as a distributional phenomenon. Discrete-depth sampling from 0-3000 m was conducted during both day and night in …


A Numerical Modeling Study Of Storm Surge And Inundation In The Chesapeake Bay During The November 2009 Mid-Atlantic Nor'easter, Jie Gao Jan 2011

A Numerical Modeling Study Of Storm Surge And Inundation In The Chesapeake Bay During The November 2009 Mid-Atlantic Nor'easter, Jie Gao

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Effects Of Seagrass Species And Trophic Interactions In Experimental Seagrass Communities, Althea F. P. Moore Jan 2011

The Effects Of Seagrass Species And Trophic Interactions In Experimental Seagrass Communities, Althea F. P. Moore

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Fine Sediment Dynamics In Dredge Plumes, Stanley Jarrell Smith Ii Jan 2011

Fine Sediment Dynamics In Dredge Plumes, Stanley Jarrell Smith Ii

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The research presented in this study is motivated by the need to improve predictions of transport and fate of cohesive sediments suspended during dredging operations. Two techniques are presented to quantify vertical sediment flux within dredge plumes. A mass-balance approach using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) is described and demonstrated to accurately estimate vertical mass flux and settling velocity for a suspension of fine sand from a dredged material placement operation. A new digital video settling column for simultaneous measurement of particle size and settling velocity is described and evaluated. The Particle Imaging Camera System (PICS) is a single-chambered, …


Evaluating The Use Of Flow-Through Larval Culture For The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, Stephanie L. Reiner Jan 2011

Evaluating The Use Of Flow-Through Larval Culture For The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, Stephanie L. Reiner

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

One system used for bivalve mollusc culture is flowthrough larval culture, which provides a continuous flow of food and seawater to the tank. Flowthrough culture enables larvae to be reared at stocking densities up to 100 larvae/mL, a characteristic that should recommend it as the culture system of choice for the East coast; however, Eastern oyster larvae have never been tested in flowthrough culture, discouraging implementation of the system. The thesis objectives are designed to address questions regarding the survival, growth, competent period, cell consumption, growth efficiency, and cell selection of oyster larvae reared in flowthrough culture. The objectives are: …


Dynamics And Composition Of The Extracellular Polymeric Substances Produced By Benthic Microalgae: An In Situ 13c And 15n Approach, Stephanie Kara Salisbury Jan 2011

Dynamics And Composition Of The Extracellular Polymeric Substances Produced By Benthic Microalgae: An In Situ 13c And 15n Approach, Stephanie Kara Salisbury

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The land-­‐ocean margin is characterized by a shallow water column, which allows light to reach the benthos and supports a diverse community of benthic autotrophs. One group of benthic autotrophs, consisting of benthic diatoms, cyanobacteria and other photosynthetic microorganisms living near the sediment surface (i.e., benthic microalgae) accounts for a substantial amount of this primary production. Benthic microalgae are also tightly coupled to carbon and nutrient cycling processes carried out by the sediment bacterial community. Benthic microalgae exude complex biopolymers, called extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which consist mainly of carbohydrates, but can contain proteins and nucleic acids. EPS serves multiple …


Ecological, Physiological, And Bio-Optical Characteristics Of Phaeocystis Globosa In Coastal Waters Of South Central Vietnam, Xiao Liu Jan 2011

Ecological, Physiological, And Bio-Optical Characteristics Of Phaeocystis Globosa In Coastal Waters Of South Central Vietnam, Xiao Liu

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Impacts Of Shoreline Development On Shallow-Water Benthic Communities In The Patuxent River, Md, Cassie D. Bradley Jan 2011

The Impacts Of Shoreline Development On Shallow-Water Benthic Communities In The Patuxent River, Md, Cassie D. Bradley

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Natural coastal habitats throughout Chesapeake Bay are increasingly threatened with shoreline modification due to population growth and rising rates of development. The replacement of these natural coastlines with hardened structures such as seawalls (bulkheads) and stone revetments (riprap) not only compromises vegetation at the land-water interface, but also can influence several elements of local aquatic food webs. Effects of these alterations have been well-studied with respect to fish assemblages and intertidal communities, particularly in conjunction with larger-scale watershed development, and recently, interest has shifted toward investigation of the effects of shoreline development on subtidal benthic infaunal communities.
This study evaluated …


Molecular Marker Development For The Discrimination Of Atlantic And Pacific Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans), Laurie Sorenson Jan 2011

Molecular Marker Development For The Discrimination Of Atlantic And Pacific Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans), Laurie Sorenson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Development Of A Method For Quantifying The Air-Sea Flux Of Volatile Organic Carbon, Emily A. Jayne Jan 2011

Development Of A Method For Quantifying The Air-Sea Flux Of Volatile Organic Carbon, Emily A. Jayne

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Abiotic Release Of Low Molecular Weight Nitrogen From Effluent Organic Nitrogen, Carolina P. Funkey Jan 2011

Abiotic Release Of Low Molecular Weight Nitrogen From Effluent Organic Nitrogen, Carolina P. Funkey

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.