Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Investigation Of Isolated Sand Shoals On The Inner Shelf Of Virginia Relative To The Potential For Aggregate Mining : Report On Task 4, Possible Physical Impact Of Dredging At Sandbridge Shoal Of The 1993-1995 U. S. Minerals Management Service - Commonwealth Of Virginia Cooperative Project, Jerome P.-Y. Maa

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science, together with other state agencies, has a continuing interest in preserving the coastline of Virginia, particularly, the Atlantic coastline in the vicinity of the resort city of Virginia Beach. Because a well maintained beach can serve several purposes, e.g., (1) providing public recreational areas, (2) protecting valuable properties that are located near coastline, and (3) reducing the rate of land loss, a great deal of efforts has been devoted to understand the processes that affect the change of shoreline. Among several erosion forces, waves are especially important elements as they can alter the shoreline …

The In Situ Passive Acoustic Measurement Of Shingle Movement Under Waves And Currents: Instrument (Tosca) Development And Preliminary Results, George Voulgaris, Michael Wilkin, Michael Collins

George Voulgaris

An instrumented platform (TOSCA) is described for monitoring coarse-grained sediment transport in high (wave and tidal) energy environments. The system consists of a number of sensors which measure: instantaneous current velocities at three levels; sea surface elevation; and self-generated noise (SGN) caused by intercollision of particles in transit. SGN is related to transport rates, on the basis of laboratory calibration; this, in turn, allows a correlation with simultaneous near-bed shear stress to be established. During the field measurements, PC-based real-time data transmission is realised through the use of a (buoyed) radio telemetry system.

TOSCA has been deployed in eastern Christchurch …

The Effect Of Arctic River Hydrological Cycles On Arctic Ocean Circulation, Peter Becker

OES Theses and Dissertations

Understanding Arctic Ocean circulation may be critical to fully understanding the global oceanic salt and heat cycles and their response to climate variability. This thesis examines how one important aspect of Arctic Ocean circulation, the effect of freshwater inflow, may contribute to the variability of these cycles. The multiple roles that freshwater runoff performs in the Arctic Ocean include: (1) the formation of shelf and basin scale density currents; (2) maintenance of the strong density stratification; (3) control of the thickness and strength of the ice pack; and (4) control of deep convection. Sources and sinks of freshwater in the …

On The Interpentadal Variability Of The North Atlantic Ocean: Model Simulated Changes In Transport, Meridional Heat Flux And Coastal Sea Level Between 1955-1959 And 1970-1974, Tal Ezer, George L. Mellor, Richard J. Greatbatch

CCPO Publications

Previous studies by Greatbatch et al. (1991) indicate significant changes in the North Atlantic thermohaline structure and circulation between the pentads 1955–1959 and 1970–1974, using data analyzed by Levitus (1989a,b,c) and a simple diagnostic model by Mellor et al. (1982). In this paper these changes are modeled using a three-dimensional, free surface, coastal ocean model. Diagnostic and short-term prognostic calculations are used to infer the dynamically adjusted fields corresponding to the observed hydrographic and wind stress climatology of each pentad. While the results agree with earlier studies indicating that the Gulf Stream was considerably weaker (by about 30 Sv) during …

Current Measurements In The York River Near The Coleman Bridge, John M. Brubaker

Reports

In support of Tidewater Construction Corporation's project to widen the George P. Coleman Bridge, current measurements were conducted in the York River between Gloucester Point and Yorktown, Virginia, along both sides of the bridge. The objective was to sample the currents at approximately 10 feet below the water surface during maximum ebb and flood flow, at enough locations to resolve cross-river variations in the flow field. This objective was well satisfied with multiple surveys conducted during ebb, slack, and flood phases of the tidal flow, each survey providing current data at multiple depths. Significant cross-river variability was documented.

The Evolution Of Density-Driven Circulation Over Sloping Bottom Topography, G. H. Wheless, J. M. Klinck

CCPO Publications

The short timescale temporal evolution of buoyancy-driven coastal flow over sloping bottom topography is examined using a two-dimensional, vertically averaged numerical model. Winter shelf circulation driven by a coastal ''point source'' buoyancy flux is modeled by initiating a coastal outflow with density anomaly epsilon into well-mixed shelf water. The nonlinear interaction between the time-varying velocity and density field is represented by an advection-diffusion equation. Three cases are discussed: that of a buoyant (epsilon < 0) outflow, a neutral (epsilon = 0) outflow, and a dense (epsilon > 0) outflow. Results are similar to observations from well-mixed shelf areas and show that density-topography interactions are capable of substantially influencing coastal circulation. A negative (buoyant) coastal …

Dynamics Of Dipoles In The Middle Atlantic Bight, Bruce L. Lipphardt Jr.

OES Theses and Dissertations

Beginning with the observations made by the Warm-Core Rings program in the early 1980's, several Gulf Stream warm-core rings (WCR's) in the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB) have been observed with one or more cyclones around their periphery. These ring systems are observed in the slope water between the Gulf Stream's western boundary and the shelf break. Observations of ring systems have motivated a reanalysis of existing satellite surface temperature imagery, which revealed that multipole structure is common for both warm and cold core rings. This suggests that rings are better characterized as one part of multipole systems rather than as …

Thermocline Circulation Driven At Surface Outcrops Of Isopycnal Surfaces, Gudavalli V. R. K. Vittal

OES Theses and Dissertations

Potential vorticity (PV) defined as: q = Δθ ^.(fk + Ω)

where θ is density anomaly, Ω (Δ x u) is relative vorticity, k is unit vertical vector and f the coriolis parameter, is used as a dynamical tracer to study the interior thermocline circulation. Using the generalized flux form of PV equation (Haynes and McIntyre, 1987), wind stress and buoyancy fluxes at surface outcrops of isopycnal surface are translated into PV fluxes. The PV flux condition so derived considers seasonal movement of the isopycnal outcrops and geostrophic turbulence.

A constant layer depth model, forced by the above flux …

A Feasibility Study Of Dynamical Assimilation Of Tide Gauge Data In The Chesapeake Bay, Yvette H. Spitz

OES Theses and Dissertations

The feasibility of dynamical assimilation of surface elevation from tide gauges is investigated to estimate the bottom drag coefficient and surface stress as a first step in improving modeled tidal and wind-driven circulation in the Chesapeake Bay. A two-dimensional shallow water model and an adjoint variational method with a limited memory quasi-Newton optimization algorithm are used to achieve this goal.

Assimilation of tide gauge observations from ten permanent stations in the Bay and use of a two-dimensional model adequately estimate the bottom drag coefficient, wind stress and surface elevation at the Bay mouth. Subsequent use of these estimates in the …

Growth Characteristics Downstream Of A Shallow Bump: Computation And Experiment, Ronald D. Joslin, Chester E. Grosch

CCPO Publications

Measurements of the velocity field created by a shallow bump on a wall revealed that an energy peak in the spanwise spectrum associated with the driver decays and an initially small-amplitude secondary mode rapidly grows with distance downstream of the bump. Linear theories could not provide an explanation for this growing mode. The present Navier-Stokes simulation replicates and confirms the experimental results. Insight into the structure of the flow was obtained from a study of the results of the calculations and is presented.

Description And Vorticity Analysis Of 50-Day Oscillations In The Western Tropical Region Of The Cme Model, Julie L. Mcclean, John M. Klinck

CCPO Publications

The WOCE Community Modeling Effort (CME) general circulation model of the North Atlantic was used to investigate the behavior, nature, and dynamics of 50-day oscillations seen in the meridional component of velocity between 5 degrees and 11 degrees N, 35 degrees and 55 degrees W. Oscillations of the meridional component of velocity, with a period of about 50 days, appear as the seasonal meander pattern of the North Equatorial Countercurrent starts to break down in December. They appear first near 35 degrees W and are advected westward. They have a westward phase velocity of about 0.1 m s(-1), wavelength of …

The Palmer Lter: A Long-Term Ecological Research Program At Palmer Station, Antarctica, Raymond C. Smith, Karen S. Baker, William R. Fraser, Eileen E. Hofmann, David M. Karl, John M. Klinck, Langdon B. Quetin, Barbara B. Prezelin, Robin M. Ross, Wayne Z. Trivelpiece, Maria Vernet

CCPO Publications

THE ANTARCTIC marine ecosystem-the assemblage of plants, animals, ocean, sea ice, and island components south of the Antarctic Convergence is among the largest readily defined ecosystems on Earth (36 X 106 km2 ) (Hedgpeth, 1977; Petit et al., 1991). This ecosystem is composed of an interconnected system of functionally distinct hydrographic and biogeochemical subdivisions (Treguer and Jacques, 1992) and includes open ocean, frontal regions, shelf-slope waters, sea ice, and marginal ice zones. Oceanic, atmospheric, and biogeochemical processes within this system are thought to be globally significant, have been infrequently studied, and are poorly understood relative to more accessible marine ecosystems …

Vorticity Balance Of Outcropping Isopycnals, G. T. Csanady, G. Vittal

CCPO Publications

The authors extend Marshall and Nurser's analysis of potential vorticity (PV) flux into outcropping isopycnic layers of the oceanic thermocline to the nonstationary case, allowing for the seasonal migration of isopycnal surfaces under surface heating and cooling. The most important new result is that the bulk of the surface PV flux arising from seasonal heating is used up in creating stratification as an isopycnal outcrop moves northward, extending the stratified layers of the thermocline. Residual PV transport (flux times the separation distance between adjacent isopycnals) reaching the interior thermocline is small in quiescent regions where only mean advection (connecting to …

Transport, Potential Vorticity, And Current/Temperature Structure Across Northwest Providence And Santaren Channels And The Florida Current Off Cay Sal Bank, Kevin D. Leaman, Peter S. Vertes, Larry P. Atkinson, Thomas N. Lee, Peter Hamilton, Evans Waddell

CCPO Publications

Currents and temperatures were measured using Pegasus current profilers across Northwest Providence and Santaren Channels and across the Florida Current off Cay Sal Bank during four cruises from November 1990 to September 1991. On average, Northwest Providence (1.2 Sv) and Santaren (1.8 Sv) contribute about 3 Sv to the total Florida Current transport farther north (e.g., 27°N). Partitioning of transport into temperature layers shows that about one-half of this transport is of ''18°C'' water (17°C-19.5°C); this can account for all of the ''excess'' 18°C water observed in previous experiments. This excess is thought to be injected into the 18°C layer …

Shellfish Culture Area Designation Protocol Development, Orelia Eleta Merchant

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Artificial Reef Associates On Macrobenthic Community Structure In Florida Bay, Heinz Michael Proft

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Crassostrea Virginica On Constructed Intertidal Oyster Reefs: The Effects Of Tidal Height And Substrate Level On Settlement, Growth, And Mortality, Ian K. Bartol

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Fisheries And Oceanography Off Galicia, Nw Spain: Mesoscale Spatial And Temporal Changes In Physical Processes And Resultant Patterns Of Biological Productivity, K. R. Tenore, M. Alonsonval, L. P. Atkinson, J. M. Cabanas, R. M. Cal, H. J. Campos, F. Castillejo, E. J, Chesney, N. Gonzalez, R. B. Hanson, C. R. Mcclain, A. Miranda, M. R. Roman, J. Sanchez, G. Santiago, L. Valdes, M. Varela, J. Yoder

CCPO Publications

The Galician shelf off NW Spain (43N degrees 9W degrees) exhibits mesoscale spatial and temporal changes in biological productivity associated with upwelling. Spatial heterogeneity results from local geomorphic and land-sea interactions superimposed on the large scale atmospheric processes that produce upwelling. Wind-induced upwelling events, commonly of short (i.e., week) duration, are more common in the summer than in the winter. A Series of cruises, including some time series sampling, and satellite imagery analysis showed that surface upwelling was more common and persistent on the northern coast compared with the western coast off the coastal embayments, the Rias Bajas. Nearshore off …

Ocean Biogeochemical Fluxes - New Production And Export Of Organic-Matter From The Upper Ocean, Hw Ducklow

VIMS Articles

Studies of ocean biogeochemical fluxes have been energized in this decade, by the urgency of our need to understand and predict the effects of continued CO₂accumulation in the atmosphere, by the global perspectives offered by satellite views of ocean color and related physical fields (McClain et al. 1991; Yoder et al. 1992; Mitchell 1994), and by the successful implementation of the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS; Bowles and Livingston, 1993). In this review, I focus on oceanic new production, originally defined as the fraction of primary production supported by inputs of ‘new’ nitrogen from outside the euphotic …

Effects Of Simulated Sediment Resuspension Events On The Abundance Of Water Column Bacteria Of Tomales Bay, California, Christopher J. Collumb

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Hook Type On The Hooking Mortality Of Two Size Classes Of Summer Flounder, Paralichthys Dentatus, Tracy D. Holton

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Genetic Relationships Among Geographically Isolated Populations Of Bluefish (Pomatamus Saltatrix), Catherine N. O'Neill

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Calcium Carbonate Sedimentation In The Global Ocean: Linkages Between The Neritic And Pelagic Environments, John D. Milliman, Andre W. Droxler

VIMS Articles

Other than fluvial sediment, calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is the greatest source of sediment in the present-day ocean. Interest in carbonate sedimentation extends beyond geologists because the carbonate system involves biologic and geochemical
processes. Carbonate production, for example, releases CO2 but its accumulation becomes a major sink for inorganic carbon.

Unlike fluvial sediments, modern carbonates accumulate more or less equally in the neritic and pelagic environments. Neritic carbonates (benthic) are characterized by rapid production of (mostly) metastable aragonite and magnesian calcite:pelagic production of (primarily) calcite in the open ocean occurs at much slower rates but overmuch larger areas than does neritic …

Resuspension Behavior In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, J.P. -Y Maa, C. -H. Lee

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

Using the VIMS Sea Carousel to conduct in-situ experiments in lower Chesapeake Bay, we found significant spatial a.nd temporal difference of the critical bed shear stress for sediment resuspension, tcr- At the Wolftrap site, tcr varied from 1.1 Pa in the summer to 1.9 Pa in the winter. At the Burwell Bay site, although the bed was too soft for anchoring our research vessel against the changing tide, we identified that tcr was 0.045 Pa. At the Old Plantation site, there was a small amount of fluffy material on top of the bed. At a winter deployment at the Cherrystone …

Spawning And Ecology Of Early Life Stages Of Black Drum, Pogonias Cormis, In Lower Chesapeake Bay, Louis Broaddus Daniel Iii

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

During spring 1990 and 1991, ichthyoplankton surveys were conducted in lower Chesapeake Bay to estimate seasonal egg production, population biomass and the impact of predation by gelatinous zooplankton on early life stages of black drum, Pogonias cromis. Rearing experiments indicated that at least three species of sciaenid (silver perch, Bairdiella chrysoura; weakfish, Cynoscion regalis and P. cromis) were spawning in the survey area during both years. Specific identification of eggs based on previously published ranges of outside egg diameter (OED) were not reliable due to considerable overlap in diameter distributions. Analysis of weekly OED frequency revealed the presence of three …

Nutrition And Feeding In Striped Bass Morone Saxatilis Larvae: Lipid And Fatty Acid Requirements And Microencapsulated Diets, Sureyya Ozkizilcik

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

There has been a growing interest in the commercial aquaculture of striped bass, Morone saxatilis. Little is known, however, about the nutritional requirements and feeding physiology of striped bass larvae. The objectives of this study were (a) to evaluate the efficiency of the live food enrichment techniques in studying the nutritional requirements for polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), phospholipids and free amino acids, (b) to determine the ontogenetic changes of lipolytic enzymes, and (c) to develop a microencapsulated diet for striped bass larvae as full or partial replacement of live food. Three enrichment techniques, namely, microencapsulated fish oil, yeast/fish oil emulsion …

Error Analysis In Tidal Wetland Inventory Change Detection: Comparison Of Historical Mapped Wetlands Of The Achilles Quadrangle Between 1976 To 1989, Stacy A. C. Nelson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

The Geomorphology And Shallow Structure Of The Northeastern New Jersey Continental Slope, Nicole D. Scott

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Filtration Of Oysters In Patches: Effects Of Water Flow And Seston Composition, Deborah Armitage Harsh

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

High-Resolution Seismic Stratigraphy Of The Ganges-Brahmaputra River System: Subaqueous Deltaic Progradation On The Bengal Shelf, Beth Michele Levy

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.