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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Inertial Oscillations In The Gulf Of Mexico During 2005 Hurricane Season, Fan Zhang Jan 2013

Inertial Oscillations In The Gulf Of Mexico During 2005 Hurricane Season, Fan Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

Near Inertial Oscillations (NIOs) are widely observed in ocean current data after severe weather. In this work, we analyzed the NIOs in the Central Gulf of Mexico (GoM) associated with 6 hurricanes/tropical storms in 2005, including Katrina and Rita, based on the deep ocean mooring from Coastal Studies Institute (CSI), LSU. The basic characteristics of the NIOs, such as phase speed, group speed, frequency, energy were discussed. The phase speed ranged from 0.56 cm/s to 2 cm/s above the thermocline for the NIOs during Hurricane Katrina and Rita, while the group velocity varied from 0.047 cm/s above the thermocline to …


Characterization Of Epibenthic And Demersal Megafauan At Mississippi Canyon 252 Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Marla Maxine Valentine Jan 2013

Characterization Of Epibenthic And Demersal Megafauan At Mississippi Canyon 252 Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Marla Maxine Valentine

LSU Master's Theses

Increased demand for new sources of oil and gas has resulted in an expansion of drilling into deeper waters. With this exploratory drilling come increased risks, which were realized on April 20, 2010 when the blow out preventer on the Macondo Well failed, resulting in the release of a large quantity of oil and gas into the Northern Gulf of Mexico from a bathypelagic source. This unprecedented environmental disaster was coined the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill by the popular news media. In the months that followed the spill, the lack of knowledge about the pre-spill condition of deep-sea communities in …


Impacts Of Artificial Reef Addition On The Nekton Community Of Louisiana Marsh Ponds: A Before-After-Control-Impact Analysis, Kari Elizabeth Klotzbach Jan 2013

Impacts Of Artificial Reef Addition On The Nekton Community Of Louisiana Marsh Ponds: A Before-After-Control-Impact Analysis, Kari Elizabeth Klotzbach

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana’s coastal estuaries are dynamic, highly variable environments that provide nursery areas for numerous recreationally and commercially important species. Louisiana’s coastline is constantly changing due to natural and anthropogenic processes, and it is important to know how nektonic species are impacted by such changes. This study sought to assess the effects of introducing a hard substrate artificial reef on the nekton community of a Louisiana estuary. A before-after-control-impact (BACI) design was used to assess the impacts of artificial reef addition on nektonic fishes and crustaceans in four shallow marsh ponds near Empire, Louisiana. Marsh ponds were sampled by purse seine …


Acoustic Biomass Of Fish Associated With An Oil And Gas Platform Before, During, And After "Reefing" It In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Grace Elizabeth Harwell Jan 2013

Acoustic Biomass Of Fish Associated With An Oil And Gas Platform Before, During, And After "Reefing" It In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Grace Elizabeth Harwell

LSU Master's Theses

With over ~2600 oil and gas platforms (platforms) remaining in the northern Gulf of Mexico (Gulf), the Gulf States have access to one of the most unique fisheries in the world. Because of high abundances of game fishes around platform legs and the popular belief that platforms enhance fish stocks, both Louisiana and Texas have created artificial reef programs based upon the decommissioning of platforms. As oil and gas fields continue to be retired, oil and gas companies may find that “reefing” or toppling a platform may be a more economically viable alternative to complete removal of material. Questions remain …


The Feasibility Of Using Vanadium And Nickel To Track Oil Spills In Coastal Environments, Sean Patrick Kenny Jan 2013

The Feasibility Of Using Vanadium And Nickel To Track Oil Spills In Coastal Environments, Sean Patrick Kenny

LSU Master's Theses

Crude oil has been increasing in world demand over the past century. It is known that oil is resistant to weathering processes and if spilled, can cause serious environmental damage to an area, on land or sea. A complementary approach to current methods of tracking oil and identifying spill-impacted sediments may be to measure trace metals associated with crude oil. Trace metals, such a vanadium (V) and nickel (Ni) are known to be elevated in concentration in some oil sources, but little work has been done on this topic. This research explored less expensive and time-consuming methods to track or …