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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Dinoflagellate Cysts Track Eutrophication In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Andrea M. Price, Melissa M. Baustian, R. Eugene Turner, Nancy N. Rabalais, Gail L. Chmura Dec 2017

Dinoflagellate Cysts Track Eutrophication In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Andrea M. Price, Melissa M. Baustian, R. Eugene Turner, Nancy N. Rabalais, Gail L. Chmura

Faculty Publications

We examined organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts from one 210Pb-dated sediment core and 39 surface sediment samples from the northern Gulf of Mexico to determine the relationship between nutrient enrichment and cyst assemblages in this region characterized by oxygen deficiency. The core spans from 1962 to 1997 and its sampling location is directly influenced by the Mississippi River plume. Surface sediments were collected in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2014 and represent approximately 1 to 4 years of accumulation. A total of 57 cyst taxa were recorded, and four heterotrophic taxa in particular were found to increase in the top section (1986–1997) of …


Catchment-Scale Alder Cover Controls Nitrogen Fixation In Boreal Headwater Streams, Daniel L. Hiatt, Caleb J. Robbins, Jeffrey A. Back, Pamela K. Kostka, Robert D. Doyle, Coowe M. Walker, Mark C. Rains, Dennis F. Whigham, Ryan S. King Sep 2017

Catchment-Scale Alder Cover Controls Nitrogen Fixation In Boreal Headwater Streams, Daniel L. Hiatt, Caleb J. Robbins, Jeffrey A. Back, Pamela K. Kostka, Robert D. Doyle, Coowe M. Walker, Mark C. Rains, Dennis F. Whigham, Ryan S. King

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Alder (Alnus spp.) is a woody plant with bacterial symbionts that fix atmospheric N2into bioavailable N. We studied 12 North American boreal headwater streams spanning a steep gradient of catchment alder cover (0–27%) to test the hypothesis that increasing inputs of inorganic N associated with increasing alder cover would reduce or eliminate in-stream benthic N2 fixation. We measured N2 fixation rates, chlorophyll a, and ash-free dry mass (AFDM) of periphyton in early (May) and late (August) summer 2011. Dissolved inorganic N (DIN) concentrations, composed almost entirely of NO3/NO2-N, ranged from below detection limits to nearly 2 mg/L and …


Numerical Simulations Of The Biogeochemical Impact Of Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition On Surface Waters Of The Western North Atlantic, Pierre St-Laurent, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs Sep 2017

Numerical Simulations Of The Biogeochemical Impact Of Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition On Surface Waters Of The Western North Atlantic, Pierre St-Laurent, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs

Data

The impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on the chlorophyll and nitrogen dynamics of surface waters in the western North Atlantic (25-45N, 65-80W) were examined with a biogeochemical ocean model forced with a regional atmospheric chemistry model. The model simulations cover the period 2004 to 2008 and are fully described in the following reference: St-Laurent, P., et al., Impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on surface waters of the western North Atlantic mitigated by multiple feedbacks, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, vol.122, doi:10.1002/2017jc013072.


Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus) As A Functional Link Between Marine And Freshwater Ecosystems, Daniel M. Weaver Aug 2017

Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus) As A Functional Link Between Marine And Freshwater Ecosystems, Daniel M. Weaver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anadromous sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus are native to Atlantic coastal systems and serve as a functional link between marine and freshwater ecosystems. Sea lamprey spend 1–2 years in the ocean parasitizing marine vertebrates before migrating into freshwaters during the spring to spawn. There they construct nests, spawn, then die shortly afterwards. Larvae hatch, bury into fine sediments and reside in streams for generally 6–8 years, but up to 14. Larvae then undergo metamorphosis, a non-feeding period characterized by a series of physical and physiological changes. The juveniles (macropthalmia) then migrate to the ocean to begin the parasitic juvenile phase.

Historically, …


Combined And Synergistic Effects Of Climate Change And Urbanization On Water Quality In The Wolf Bay Watershed, Southern Alabama, Ruoyu Wang Jan 2017

Combined And Synergistic Effects Of Climate Change And Urbanization On Water Quality In The Wolf Bay Watershed, Southern Alabama, Ruoyu Wang

Ruoyu Wang

This study investigated potential changes in flow, total suspended solid (TSS) and nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorous) loadings under future climate change, land use/cover (LULC) change and combined change scenarios in the Wolf Bay watershed, southern Alabama, USA. Four Global Circulation Models (GCMs) under three Special Report Emission Scenarios (SRES) of greenhouse gas were used to assess the future climate change (2016–2040). Three projected LULC maps (2030) were employed to reflect different extents of urbanization in future. The individual, combined and synergistic impacts of LULC and climate change on water quantity/quality were analyzed by the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). …


Effects Of Biochar Treatment Of Municipal Biosolids And Horse Manure On Quality Of Runoff From Fescue Plots, Rachel Williams, Dwayne R. Edwards Jan 2017

Effects Of Biochar Treatment Of Municipal Biosolids And Horse Manure On Quality Of Runoff From Fescue Plots, Rachel Williams, Dwayne R. Edwards

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Land-applied horse manure and municipal biosolids can increase nutrient and bacteria concentrations in runoff. Biochar has been demonstrated to have beneficial impacts on nutrient retention and runoff quality when used to treat other land-applied organic soil amendments (e.g., poultry manure). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of biochar addition to horse manure and municipal biosolids on runoff concentrations of nutrients and fecal coliforms. Biochar was added at 5% to 8% (wet basis) to horse manure and biosolids that were applied to 2.4 m x 6.1 m fescue plots followed by application of simulated rainfall (102 mm …


Agricultural Land Use, Watershed Characteristics, And Hydrological Forces Contributing To The Impairment Of A Shallow Lake In The Western Corn Belt Ecoregion, Lynn Schultz Jan 2017

Agricultural Land Use, Watershed Characteristics, And Hydrological Forces Contributing To The Impairment Of A Shallow Lake In The Western Corn Belt Ecoregion, Lynn Schultz

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The Lake Titlow watershed (approximately 35,000 acres) in south-central Minnesota is part of the Minnesota River Basin. The lake is listed in the draft 2010 Clean Water Act Section 303d for nutrient pollution, eutrophication, and biological indicators for impairment of aquatic life and recreational use. Over 90 percent of pre-settlement wetlands are currently drained for agricultural land use. The Lake Titlow watershed is over 80 percent row crops and land use is implicated as a primary cause of impairment in the lake.

Water samples were collected from the Lake Titlow tributaries McLeod-Sibley Judicial Ditch Number 18 (JD18), Sibley County Ditch …


Spatiotemporal Distribution Of Eutrophication In Lake Tai As Affected By Wind, Wenhui Zhang, Qiujin Xu, Xixi Wang, Xiaozhen Hu, Cheng Wang, Yan Pang, Yanbin Hu, Yang Zhao, Xiao Zhao Jan 2017

Spatiotemporal Distribution Of Eutrophication In Lake Tai As Affected By Wind, Wenhui Zhang, Qiujin Xu, Xixi Wang, Xiaozhen Hu, Cheng Wang, Yan Pang, Yanbin Hu, Yang Zhao, Xiao Zhao

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

One common hypothesis is that wind can affect concentrations of nutrients (i.e., nitrogen and phosphorus) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) in shallow lakes. However, the tests of this hypothesis have yet to be conclusive in existing literature. The objective of this study was to use long-term data to examine how wind direction and wind speed affect the spatiotemporal variations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and Chl-a in Lake Tai, a typical shallow lake located in east China. The results indicated that the concentrations of nutrients and Chl-a tended to decrease from the northwest to the southeast of Lake Tai, with …


Antibiotics And Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria In Coastal Plain Streams, Jason Duff Jan 2017

Antibiotics And Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria In Coastal Plain Streams, Jason Duff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Streams across the United States and globally are influenced by environmental contamination, including antibiotics, which enter streams due to widespread use and multiple pathways into the environment. Antibiotics are also likely to enter streams in mixture with other contaminants that alter the effects on aquatic organisms. Furthermore, antibiotic-resistant bacteria enter streams through similar pathways as antibiotics with implications for natural microbial communities. Therefore, understanding the presence and effects of antibiotic-contaminant mixtures and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in streams is important for resource management.

Chapter one describes an experiment that tested the hypothesis that the antibiotic tetracycline (TC) alone influences phytoplankton communities differently …