Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Initial Estuarine Response To Inorganic Nutrient Inputs From A Legacy Mining Facility Adjacent To Tampa Bay, Florida, Marcus W. Beck, Andrew Altieri, Christine Angelini, Maya C. Burke, Jing Chen, Diana W. Chin, Jayne Gardiner, Chuanmin Hu, Katherine A. Hubbard, Yonggang Liu, Cary Lopez, Miles Medina, Elise Morrison, Edward J. Phlips, Gary E. Raulerson, Sheila Scolaro, Edward T. Sherwood, David Tomasko, Robert H. Weisberg, Joseph Whalen

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Legacy mining facilities pose significant risks to aquatic resources. From March 30th to April 9th, 2021, 814 million liters of phosphate mining wastewater and marine dredge water from the Piney Point facility were released into lower Tampa Bay (Florida, USA). This resulted in an estimated addition of 186 metric tons of total nitrogen, exceeding typical annual external nitrogen load estimates to lower Tampa Bay in a matter of days. An initial phytoplankton bloom (non-harmful diatoms) was first observed in April. Filamentous cyanobacteria blooms (Dapis spp.) peaked in June, followed by a bloom of the red tide organism Karenia brevis …

Riverine And Estuarine Co2-System Studies On The West Coast Of Florida, Christopher S. Moore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coastal and estuarine acidification impacts ecosystem health and economic resources and has both natural and anthropogenic components (Cai et al., 2021). Riverine input is one of several important factors that can influence acidification in coastal ecosystems. Rivers disgorging into coastal environments can create strong gradients, both spatial and temporal, that make accurate CO2-system characterization challenging. The work described in this thesis provides a baseline CO2-system study of four major rivers that flow into Tampa bay with an emphasis on seasonal change. As a second objective, this thesis examines the effects of HgII additions on CO2-system measurements in organic-rich estuarine waters. …

Shallow-Water Coral Communities Support The Separation Of Marine Ecoregions On The West-Central Florida Gulf Coast, Brian K. Walker, Shelby Eagan, Cory Ames, Sandra Brooke, Sean Keenan, Rene Baumstark

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Florida’s west coast is a 170,000 km² bedrock shelf (west Florida shelf, WFS) comprised of north-south discontinuous carbonate outcroppings extending more than 200 km from the intertidal zone to a depth of 200 m. These outcrops support diverse benthic communities, which contribute to a multi-billion dollar recreational and commercial fishing industry, yet only about 5% of their extent has been studied in detail. Benthic communities shift over a 6.5° geographic range, but the locations of these shifts are not well-defined. Previous studies have suggested a break in biogeographic regions at Tampa Bay, south at Cape Romano, and north at …

Shallow- Water Hardbottom Communities Support The Separation Of Biogeographic Provinces On The West- Central Florida Gulf Coast, Shelby Eagan

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Several studies have found separation of biogeographic provinces on the West Florida Shelf (WFS), but the location of this separation differs depending on different organisms with faunal boundaries proposed at Apalachicola, Cedar Key, Anclote Key. Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Cape Romano, or Cape Sable. Biogeographic boundaries can be gradual over a given space and are often species-specific. Analyses of marine benthic mapping and community characterization of Florida’s West-central coast shallow water (depth) hardbottom habitats indicate a major shift in the benthos across Tampa Bay. Quantitative benthic surveys of 29 sites yielded a total of 4,079 individuals of nine stony coral …

Reconstructing Historical Hurricane Tracks In The Atlantic Basin: Three Case Studies From The 1840s, Emily L. Cerrito

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Analyzing past tropical cyclone activity enables researchers to recognize patterns of hurricane variability, estimate hurricane return periods, and assess local risk to future storms. This paleotempestology study used original primary data to make the historical record as comprehensive and accurate as possible for three major hurricanes: October 1844, October 1846, and September 1848. This thesis presents the reconstructed storm tracks, assesses the societal impacts, and evaluates the storm intensity of these three major hurricanes for the eastern U.S. and Cuba. The data utilized in this study include ship logbooks, newspapers, diaries, and instrumental meteorological records. A geographic information system (GIS) …

Optical Detection And Classification Of Phytoplankton Taxa Through Spectral Analysis, Daniel Tyler Sensi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Phytoplankton serve as the bottom of the marine food web and therefore play an essential role in marine ecosystems. On the other hand, coastal phytoplankton communities can adversely affect the marine ecosystem and humans. A variety of techniques have been developed to measure and study phytoplankton, including in situ methods (e.g., flow cytometry) and laboratory methods (e.g., microscopic taxonomy). These provide accurate measurements of phytoplankton taxa and concentrations, yet they are limited in space and time, and synoptic information is difficult to obtain with these techniques.

Optical remote sensing may provide complementary information for its synoptic nature, as demonstrated by …

Sex And The Seas: Gene Transfer Agents, Elizabeth Young

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gene Transfer Agents (GTAs) are phage-like pthesiss that are produced by many alpha proteobacteria in late stationary growth phase and are capable of transferring chromosomal genes (termed "constitutive transduction"). Examination of alpha proteobacterial genomic sequences indicated widespread occurrence of GTA-like elements. The goal of this study was to investigate gene transfer potential of GTAs of marine alpha proteobacteria in culture as well as in natural marine environments. Another goal was to determine the potential of bacterial symbionts from zooxanthellae and coral to genetically transfer beneficial properties between symbionts. Ruegeria mobilis (ID 45A6) was isolated from cultures of the coral endosymbiotic …

Coastal Processes And Anthropogenic Factors Influencing The Geomorphic Evolution Of Weedon Island, Florida, Jeanne Lambert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Weedon Island, a peninsula located on the western inner shoreline of Tampa Bay, Florida, is the location of a collaborative geological and archaeological project that aims to relate the present day geomorphology to natural processes and human occupational activity during the middle to late Holocene. The area is known for extensive archaeological sites, which were originally investigated in the 1920s, although they have received relatively little scientific attention during most of the last century. We hypothesize that activities associated with pre-historic human occupation of Weedon Island at various times during the last ca. 5,000 years influenced the geomorphic evolution of …

The Rehabilitation Of The Tampa Bay Estuary, Florida, Usa, As An Example Of Successful Integrated Coastal Management, R. R. Lewis, P. A. Clark, W. K. Fehring, H. S. Greening, R. O. Johansson, R. T. Paul

Reports

The first suggestion that controls on eutrophication and dredging impacts were needed came in 1969. The federal Water Pollution Control Administration recommended a water quality management plan and waste abatement program to control odour and other pollution symptoms in Hillsborough Bay, and a master plan for dredging and filling the bay.

Recent Improvements Of Water Quality And Biological Indicators In Hillsborough Bay, A Highly Impacted Subdivision Of Tampa Bay, Florida, J.O. R. Johansson, R. R. Lewis Iii

Reports

Hillsborough Bay, the eastern uppermost section of the Tampa Bay system, is surrounded by a large metropolitan complex, supports extensive industrial activity, and serves as a major shipping port of fertilizer products. The Bay was determined to be highly eutrophic during the late 1960s. The City of Tampa's primary sewage treatment plant and runoff from fertilizer industry activities were considered as the major sources of excessive nutrient loading. Loadings form both these sources have been reduced during the last 10 years, which has probably been the leading cause of improved water quality parameters such as water clarity, dissolved oxygen, and …

Recent Areal Expansion Of Seagrass Meadows In Tampa Bay, Florida: Real Bay Improvement Or Drought-Induced?, R. R. Lewis Iii, K. D. Haddad, J.O. R. Johansson

Reports

Johansson and Lewis have documented improvements in water quality apparently associated with concurrent improvements to sewage treatment, particularly at the City of Tampa's Hookers Point Sewage Treatment Plant. These improvements are at least partially responsible for the significant decreases in chlorophyll a and increase in water clarity documented in Hillsborough Bay and Middle Tampa Bay.

Draft- Nitrogen Loading And Ambient Chlorophyll-A In Hillsborough Bay (Tampa Bay), Florida: An Eutrophication Management Strategy, J.O. R. Johansson

Reports

The present report examines the past and current relationship between nitrogen loadings and ambient chlorophyll-a eutrophic subdivision of Tampa Bay (Task 1). A management strategy for eutrophication abatement, involving the reduction of present nitrogen loadings to levels which will sustain the desirable chlorophyll-a concentration and support persistent seagrass growth in the near future, is also presented for Hillsborough Bay (Task 3). The urgent need for a comprehensive long-term water quality and loading source monitoring program, specifically for Hillsborough Bay, is also discussed (Task 4).

Recent Improvements Of Water Quality And Biological Indicators In Hillsborough Bay, The Northeastern Section Of Tampa Bay, Florida, J.O. R. Johansson

Reports

The City of Tampa was implicated as a major point source polluter of Hillsborough Bay based on its release since 1951 of primary treated wastewater effluent into the bay. To alleviate nutrient loads into Hillsborough Bay, the City of Tampa upgraded its Hooker's Point facility to advanced wastewater treatment (AWT) with a 60 MGD capacity. The transformation from primary treatment to advanced was successive.

Distribution Patterns And Accumulation Rates Of Fine-Grained Sediments In Upper Tampa Bay, Florida, Gregg R. Brooks

Reports

Tampa Bay, a drowned river valley, is the largest estuary on Florida's west coast.

Surface sediments consist of a mixture of carbonate and terrigenous clastic sands and muds.

The objectives of this study are to determine accumulation rates and processes controlling the distribution patterns of fine grain sediments.

Impact Of Dredging In Tampa Bay 1976, Roy R. Lewis Iii

Reports

During the last 100 years four major types of dredging have impacted the bay: channel deepening, maintenance dredging, shell dredging, and dredging for landfill construction. These landfills have resulted in the loss of 44% of the original marine wetlands bordering Tampa Bay. Recent environmental concerns have halted landfill dredging and severely restricted maintenance dredging.