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Articles 1 - 9 of 9
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Re-Emergence Of The Harmful Algal Bloom Species Alexandrium Monilatum In The Chesapeake Bay: Assessing Bloom Dynamics And Potential Health Impacts, Sarah K.D. Pease, Kimberly S. Reece, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein
Re-Emergence Of The Harmful Algal Bloom Species Alexandrium Monilatum In The Chesapeake Bay: Assessing Bloom Dynamics And Potential Health Impacts, Sarah K.D. Pease, Kimberly S. Reece, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein
Presentations
Effective management of harmful algal blooms (HABs) within a region requires an understanding of species-specific HAB spatial and temporal distributions, bloom dynamics, as well as potential health impacts. In 2007, the southern Chesapeake Bay witnessed its first blooms of the HAB species Alexandrium monilatum. Since then, A. monilatum has bloomed in the region almost annually. A. monilatum produces the toxin ‘goniodomin A’ and is suspected in local mass mortalities of oyster larvae (Crassostrea virginica) grown for aquaculture and restoration projects. Representatives from Virginia’s multimillion dollar oyster aquaculture industry recently expressed great concern over A. monilatum impacts to their businesses; field …
Diel Vertical Distribution Patterns Of Zooplankton Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula, Patricia S. Thibodeau, John A. Conroy, Deborah K. Steinberg
Diel Vertical Distribution Patterns Of Zooplankton Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula, Patricia S. Thibodeau, John A. Conroy, Deborah K. Steinberg
Presentations
The Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a region that has undergone significant change over the past several decades due to unprecedented increases sea surface temperature and decreases in sea ice cover. The ongoing Palmer Antarctica Long-Term Ecological Research (PAL LTER) study shows that these environmental changes are significantly affecting the marine pelagic ecosystem along the WAP. The goal of this study was to analyze diel vertical distribution patterns of zooplankton along the WAP.
Efficacy Of Sediment Remediation Efforts On Pah Contaminant Flux Via Porewater Advection At The Sediment-Surface Water Interface, Julie L. Krask, Michael A. Unger, George G. Vadas, Michele A. Cochran, Aaron J. Beck
Efficacy Of Sediment Remediation Efforts On Pah Contaminant Flux Via Porewater Advection At The Sediment-Surface Water Interface, Julie L. Krask, Michael A. Unger, George G. Vadas, Michele A. Cochran, Aaron J. Beck
Presentations
Groundwater advection at the sediment-surface water interface is an important biogeochemical mechanism controlling the transport and bioavailability of contaminants in estuaries. At sites along the Elizabeth River (VA, USA) where the subterranean environment is heavily contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-rich dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL), consideration of groundwater-surface water dynamics and associated chemical exchange is critical for effective remediation. Preliminary data suggest that porewater advection in permeable sediments at this location is controlled by a host of physical forcing mechanisms that correspond with total flow estimates of up to 15,000 centimeters/year. Here, the efficacy of sediment remediation strategies, including …
Effects Of Commercial Clam Aquaculture On Biogeochemical Cycling In Shallow Coastal Ecosystems, Annie E. Murphy, Iris C. Anderson, Mark W. Luckenbach
Effects Of Commercial Clam Aquaculture On Biogeochemical Cycling In Shallow Coastal Ecosystems, Annie E. Murphy, Iris C. Anderson, Mark W. Luckenbach
Presentations
The bivalve aquaculture industry is expanding worldwide; sustainability requires improved understanding of its interactions with the environment. As suspension feeders, bivalves, such as clams, reduce primary production through feeding, and thus dampen eutrophication. Additionally, enhanced rates of denitrification, the microbial removal of reactive nitrogen, have been reported in bivalve sediments due to increased organic matter supply through biodeposition; another potential, yet indirect, control on eutrophication. Simultaneously, bivalves can influence local ‘bottom-up’ effects on production by enhancing nutrient regeneration through excretion and microbial mineralization of biodeposits. At clam aquaculture sediments, respiration and nutrient regeneration rates were significantly higher compared to uncultivated …
Informing Social Decision Making: Physical Vulnerability To Sea Level Rise, Alexander D. Renaud, Karinna Nunez, Molly Mitchell, Carl Hershner
Informing Social Decision Making: Physical Vulnerability To Sea Level Rise, Alexander D. Renaud, Karinna Nunez, Molly Mitchell, Carl Hershner
Presentations
Social indices on census tract and other geopolitical levels are increasingly being considered to inform decision making. In a flooding and sea level rise context, the likelihood of an area flooding is an important component of adaptation and the decision-making framework, however it is frequently modeled on a continuous scale. In our work, we have developed an index of physical vulnerability to flooding on a census tract scale, specifically designed to complement social vulnerability indices.
The Role Of Oyster In Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Oyster Reefs, Anne Arfkin, Ashley Smyth, Bongkeun Song
The Role Of Oyster In Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Oyster Reefs, Anne Arfkin, Ashley Smyth, Bongkeun Song
Presentations
Oyster microbiomes may play a significant role in the biogeochemical N cycle and N2O emissions in estuarine and coastal ecosystems. Rates of denitrification and N2O production were measured from live oysters and oyster shells collected at a coastal lagoon and a tidal estuary in the Chesapeake Bay. Live oysters had the highest rates of denitrification and N2O production in both study sites. This indicates that oysters are an import N remover and a N2O source in coastal ecosystems.
Quantifying Finfish And Blue Crab Use Of Created Oyster Reefs In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Bruce W. Pfirrmann, Rochelle D. Seitz
Quantifying Finfish And Blue Crab Use Of Created Oyster Reefs In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Bruce W. Pfirrmann, Rochelle D. Seitz
Presentations
Structurally complex reefs created by the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica provide a host of ecosystem services yet have experienced significant declines, prompting extensive restoration efforts. We investigate the use of created oyster reefs in the lower Bay by mobile finfish and blue crabs with field surveys and diet analysis. The results of this study provide insight into how restoration activities influence estuarine community dynamics and the provision of ecosystem services.
Structural Complexity And Location Affect The Habitat Value Of Restored Oyster Reefs, Melissa Karp, Rochelle Seitz
Structural Complexity And Location Affect The Habitat Value Of Restored Oyster Reefs, Melissa Karp, Rochelle Seitz
Presentations
Oyster reefs provide a suite of valuable ecosystem services, such as water filtration, nitrogen sequestration, and provision of habitat and foraging grounds. The global decline of these habitats has had negative economic and ecological impacts to coastal waters worldwide. In the Chesapeake Bay, < 1% of the historic oyster population remains and efforts to restore oyster populations and the services they provide have been increasing. Building reefs that successfully provide specific ecosystem services may require different techniques then previously used, and success may depend on reef morphology, location, and environmental conditions. Settling trays were embedded into previously restored oyster reefs that varied in their structural complexity (rugosity) in multiple rivers in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Trays were collected after 7-weeks, sorted, and species identified and weighed (ash-free dry weight) to obtain species diversity, abundance, and biomass. Species composition data was analyzed using nMDS plots, which showed that salinity was an important driver of differences in species composition. Results of an ANOVA analysis found that species diversity was significantly greater on reefs in the high-salinity rivers compared to reefs in low-salinity rivers. Total organism abundance and biomass were positively correlated with reef structural complexity measures, such as rugosity, oyster clump volume, and oyster biomass. These results suggest that more complex oyster reefs in higher salinity locations may support more diverse and productive benthic communities. This study provides insight into the driving factors that structure oyster reef communities and has important implications for oyster reef restoration design and management.
The Relationship Between Reproduction And Mortality In Triploid Crassostrea Virginica: A Matter Of Economic Importance, Joseph L. Matt, Standish K. Allen
The Relationship Between Reproduction And Mortality In Triploid Crassostrea Virginica: A Matter Of Economic Importance, Joseph L. Matt, Standish K. Allen
Presentations
The goal of this project is to maximize survival for commercially produced triploid Crassostrea virginica oysters in Virginia. Over the last few years, commercial oyster growers in Virginia have reported significant mortality events of triploid oysters during the spring and summer months. The summer of 2014 was the worst yet, as growers across the state reported summer mortality, most severe on the Eastern shore and in some cases as high as 85% of the crop (Karen Hudson, personal communication). Surviving oysters from some of these mortality events were sent to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and several of the …