Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Coastal Lagoons And Climate Change: Ecological And Social Ramifications In The U.S. Atlantic And Gulf Coast Ecosystems, Abigail Anthony, Joshua Atwood, Peter V. August, Carrie Byron, Stanley Cobb, Cheryl Foster, Crystal Fry, Arthur Gold, Kifle Hagos, Leanna Heffner, D. Q. Kellogg, Kimberly Lellis-Dibble, James J. Opaluch, Candace A. Oviatt, Anna Pfeiffer-Herbert, Nicole Rohr, Leslie Smith, Tiffany Smythe, Judith Swift, Nathan Vinhateiro

Arthur Gold

Lagoons are highly productive coastal features that provide a range of natural services that society values. Their setting within the coastal landscape leaves them especially vulnerable to profound physical, ecological, and associated societal disturbance from global climate change. Expected shifts in physical and ecological characteristics range from changes in flushing regime, freshwater inputs, and water chemistry to complete inundation and loss and the concomitant loss of natural and human communities. Therefore, managing coastal lagoons in the context of global climate change is critical. Although management approaches will vary depending on local conditions and cultural norms, all management scenarios will need …

Survival Of Eastern Oysters Crassostrea Virginica From Three Lines Following Experimental Challenge With Bacterial Pathogens, Javier Gomez-Leon, Luisa Villamil, Scott A. Salger, Rachel Sallum, Antonio Remacha-Trivino, Dale F. Leavitt, Marta Gomez-Chiarri

Marta Gomez-Chiarri

Shellfish production is often affected by bacterial pathogens that cause high losses in hatcheries and nurseries. We evaluated the relative survival of larvae and juveniles of 3 Crassostrea virginica oyster lines: (1) GHP, a Rhode Island line; (2) NEHY, a line resistant to dermo and multinucleated sphere X diseases; and (3) FLOWERS, a line resistant to Roseovarius oyster disease, experimental challenge with Vibrio spp. isolates RE22 and RE101, causative agents of bacillary necrosis in Pacific oyster larvae, and the type strain of Roseovarius crassostreae, causative agent of Roseovarius oyster disease. All of the isolates were able to induce significant mortalities …

Information Content Of Seasonal Forecasts In A Changing Climate, Nir Krakauer, Michael D. Grossberg, Irina Gladkova, Hannah Aizenman

Publications and Research

We study the potential value to stakeholders of probabilistic long-term forecasts, as quantified by the mean information gain of the forecast compared to climatology. We use as a case study the USA Climate Prediction Center (CPC) forecasts of 3-month temperature and precipitation anomalies made at 0.5-month lead time since 1995. Mean information gain was positive but low (about 2% and 0.5% of the maximum possible for temperature and precipitation forecasts, resp.) and has not increased over time. Information-based skill scores showed similar patterns to other, non-information-based, skill scores commonly used for evaluating seasonal forecasts but tended to be smaller, suggesting …

Evaluating The Uncertainty Of The Population Growth Parameter Estimates Of Larval Anchovy In The Southwestern Waters Of Taiwan Using Monte Carlo Simulations, Sheng-Ping Wang, Ming-An Lee, Wen-Yu Chen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

To estimate the population growth parameter (maximum sustainable yield, carrying capacity, catchability, the ratio of initial biomass to carrying capacity and model shape parameter) of larval anchovy in the southwestern waters of Taiwan, a non-equilibrium production model was used to fit to historical catch data and standardized CPUE series. The results of standardized CPUE indicated that the sea surface temperature was the most effective variable for explaining the CPUE variation of larval anchovy abundance. This study also evaluated impact of the uncertainty associated with the catch and CPUE data on the model estimations using Monte Carlo simulations. Although the impacts …

Quantification Of Carbon Emission Reduction By U-Transportation Service Effect: A Case Study Of Dongtan U-City, Tae-Woong Jung, Mu-Wook Pyeon, Jee-Hee Koo

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

With the emergence of the response to climate change as a global agenda, UNFCCC member countries must report their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and absorptions. With conventional carbon emission estimation methods such as the IPCC Guideline, however, it is impossible to measure reduction of carbon emissions by U-City services. Therefore, this study proposed estimating carbon emission reductions by using U-transportation services as a model because this service appears to be the most effective among U-City services in terms of carbon emission reduction. This approach which is unique in Korea has also attempted to quantify the reduction of carbon emissions by …

Cold Sea Surface Temperature Near Cheju Island Responding To Strong Cyclonic Wind And Positive Geopotential Tendency Behind A Typhoon Center Along Its Track, Hyo Choi, Mi-Sook Lee, Soo Min Choi

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

The response of sea surface temperature (SST) before and after the passage of Typhoon-18 Songda in the vicinity of Chjeu Island in the southern sea of Korea was investigated using satellite-derived GOES-MCSST (SST), GOES infrared cloud image and a three dimensional WRF-3.0 model with FNL initial meteorological data on September 5 to 8, 2004. On September 4, before the typhoon passed by Cheju Island, the SST extending southwards and eastwards of the island was 27°C. However, after the typhoon passed by the island at 2100 LST, September 7, the SST decreased by 2°C to 25°C. Asymmetrical-cyclonic surface wind generated by …

Open Source Remote Sensing:Introspect And Prospect, Sanggoo Kang, Hee Young Yoo, Kiwon Lee

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

It is noteworthy that open source applications have been developed and studied in various fields as well as remote sensing field. Open sources for GIS have long history related to open standards over three decades, but those of remote sensing do relatively short. Moreover, there are still no summary reports for open sources for remote sensing. In this study, we summarized characteristics of open source applications for remotely sensed image processing and discussed their strengths and weaknesses at first. Based on the summary, two open source applications for InSAR Processing and Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis are practically implemented to introspect …

The Tsunami Of March 11, 2011 As Observed By The Network Of Tide Gauges Of French Polynesia, Jean-Pierre Barriot, Jonathan Serafini, Lydie Sichoix, Dominique Reymond, Olivier Hyvernaud

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

We present here the network of tide gauges spanning French Polynesia, and the set of records made by this network of the tsunami wave of March 11, 2011 (Tōhoku earthquake). We also outline the least-squares procedure used to separate the tsunami signal from the oceanic tides signal.

An Object-Oriented Analysis For Characterizing The Rainfall-Induced Shallow Landslide, Kuan-Tsung Chang, Jin-King Liu, Chu-I Wang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Landslides are natural phenomena for the dynamic balance of the earth's surface. Because of frequent occurrences of typhoons and earthquakes in Taiwan, mass movements are common threats to people's lives. In this paper, the interpretation of knowledge is quantified as recognition criteria. Multisource high-resolution data, for example, a SPOT satellite image, 20 m × 20 m Digital Terrain Model (DTM) reduced from Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data, and aerial orthophotos were used to construct the feature space for landslide analysis. Landslides were recognized by an objectoriented method combining edge-based segmentation and a Supported Vector Machine (SVM) method. The classification …

Rainwater Utilization To Reduce Flooding In Low-Lying Areas Of Taipei City, Taiwan, Andrew Lo

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

She-Zih is a low-lying area in Taipei City where the Tanshui River and Keelung River meet. Average elevation is about 2.5 m. Perennial flood events occur very often. The only flood prevention facility is the 6 m levee built around the perimeter to overcome 20-yr flood events. The main cause of the flooding problem is the instantaneous extreme high rainfall events that often exceed the drainage capacity of She-Zih. Current solutions to relieve this water hazard, suggested by the Water Resources Agency, include channel widening and many water pumping installations. At present, all emergency facilities are insufficient to combat unexpected …

Assessment Of Disaster Losses In Rice Paddy Field And Yield After Tsunami Induced By The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, Yuei-An Liou, Hsueh-Chun Sha, Ting-Ming Chen, Tai-Sheng Wang, Yi-Ting Li, Yen-Cheng Lai, Min-Hsin Chiang, Li-The Lu

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

The Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011 triggered an extremely destructive tsunami that hit the Tohoku region of Japan severely. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishes of Japan, Tohoku accounted for 27.59% of Japan’s rice yield in 2010. It is an impact to a country that relies on rice as its main food source. This paper utilizes remote sensing techniques to estimate the disaster losses in rice field and yield in Fukushima and Miyagi, the most severely damaged coastal prefectures of the Tohoku region, by using a developed Rice field Identification and riCe …

Quantataive Analysis Of Relationship Between Alos Palsar Backscatter And Forest Stand Volume, Choen Kim

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

To estimate forest stand volume, topographic effects should be considered in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data processing, because most forests are located on mountainous areas in Korea. This paper shows how the effects on the ALOS Phased-Array L-Band SAR (PALSAR) backscatter in Kwangneung Experiment Forest can be reduced by gammanought γ 0 . Regardless of coniferous and deciduous forests, the gammanought γ 0 values are always lower compared to the sigmanought σ0 values at HH and HV polarization for 58 standwise tree volume of the fore-slope (here, the west-facing slope) and are always higher in case of far-slope (here, east-facing …

Early-Summer Ichthyoplankton Biodiversity Associated With Oceanic Factors On The Continental Shelf Of The Southern East China Sea, Wen-Yu Chen, Yi-Chen Wang, Ming-An Lee

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Ichthyoplankton communities associated with oceanic factors on the continental shelf of the southern East China Sea were studied in early summer 2009. Temperature and salinity of the stations in this survey respectively varied 13.78~ 27.86°C and 33.14~34.77 psu. In total, 1204 fish larval individuals belonging to 62 families and 120 taxa were identified. Using a cluster analysis, the spatial distributions of larval fish were classified into 3 groups: a coastal group, a shelf group, and an offshore group. The offshore group was further divided into 2 subgroups: a mixed shelf group and a Kuroshio group. The coastal group consisted of …

Interannual Variability Of Wintertime Sea Surface Temperatures In The Eastern Taiwan Strait, Mu-Tun Tzeng, Kuo-Wei Lan, Jui-Wen Chan

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sea surface temperatures (SSTs) at a 1.1-km spatial resolution, we investigated the long-term SST variability in winter in the eastern Taiwan Strait (TS) in 1995~2008. We performed an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of spatial and time series variances for 15-day mean images. The first three modes in the EOF analysis respectively accounted for 25.9%, 16.61% and 4.59% of variances. In the first mode, the spatial amplitude showed positive values in the northeastern TS and negative values south of Chang-Yuen Rise (CYR). This suggests that warmer water occurred south of the CYR and …

A Geomorphological Model For Landslide Detection Using Airborne Lidar Data, Jin-King Liu, Kuo-Hsin Hsiao, Peter Tian-Yuan Shih

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

This study analyzes multi-temporal LiDAR data of high accuracy and high resolution by installing a geomorphometric model for extracting landslides. First, two sets of LiDAR data were acquired for before and after a heavy rainfall event. The landslides which took place from 2005 to 2009 were classified automatically by satellite images, and subsequently the landslides were interpreted and edited manually. Geomorphometric parameters including slope, curvature, OHM, OHM roughness, and topographic wetness index were then extracted using stencils of landslide polygons overlaid on respective thematic maps derived from LiDAR, DEM and DSM. The ranges of every parameter were derived from the …

Super Long Conductive Channel Production By Impulsar, Victor Victor Apollonov, Nikolay Vlad Pletnev

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

The attempts to create a super long conductive channels were taken in order to study the upper atmosphere and to settle special tasks, related to solar energy transmission, accumulated by orbital solar stations. There upon the program of creation of “Impulsar” represents a great interest, as this program in a combination with high-voltage high repetition rate electrical source can be useful to solve the above mentioned problems. The principle of conductive channel production can be shortly described as follows. The “Impulsar”- laser jet engine vehicle - propulsion take place under the influence of powerful high repetition rate pulse-periodic laser radiation. …

Seasonal Prediction Of Climate Extremes For The Pacific: Tropical Cyclones And Extreme Ocean Temperatures, Yuriy Kuleshov, Claire Spillman, Yan Wang, Andrew Charles, Roald De Wit, Kay Shelton, David Jones, Harry Hendon, Catherine Ganter, Andrew Watkins, Jemishabye Apajee, Aurel Griesser

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Climate change and climate extremes have a major impact on Australia and Pacific Island countries. Of particular concern are tropical cyclones and extreme ocean temperatures. As a practical response to climate change, through the Pacific Australia Climate Change Science and Adaptation planning Program (PACCSAP), enhanced web-based information tools to provide seasonal forecasts for climatic extremes in the Western Pacific have been developed. Using the dynamical seasonal prediction model POAMA (Predictive Ocean Atmosphere Model for Australia), we aim to improve accuracy of seasonal forecasts of tropical cyclone activity and extreme sea surface temperatures for the Western Pacific. Since the PACCSAP has …

Stream-Associated Amphibian Habitat Assessment In The Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan Region, Andrew Evans Dietrich

Dissertations and Theses

This study assessed the influence of landscape development on stream-associated amphibians in forested riparian areas within the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region. Human alteration of landscapes may dramatically affect the ecology of neighboring aquatic systems. It was hypothesized that lotic amphibians would be negatively associated with greater amounts of landscape development and positively associated with forested area within the surrounding watershed. Thirty-seven 1st-3rd order streams were sampled between June 21st and September 21st in 2011. Streams potentially providing adequate habitat for stream-obligate amphibians were randomly selected. Amphibians were surveyed along 30-meter stream transects using an active-cover search (ACS). Environmental variables associated with …

Lake Padden Monitoring Project 2012 Final Report, Robin A. Matthews, Joan Vandersypen, Laura Junge

Lake Padden

The Lake Padden monitoring project was initiated in 2011 by the citizens group, People for Lake Padden (P4LP), to provide an intensive water quality study of Lake Padden. Water samples were collected between June and December 2011 by AndrewMajeske, a student intern working with the Institute forWatershed Studies (IWS) and the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA). The results from this project were summarized by Majeske et al. (2012). The water quality monitoring was funded for a second year by P4LP, which provided funding for IWS student intern Laura Junge. Additional funding was provided by the City of Bellingham to identify …

Water Use In Las Vegas, Gram Bazylinski

COLA 100: Feast and Famine In a Global World Poster Assignment

How Much Water Does Las Vegas Use?

Water Use Per Capita

The average household in Southern Nevada uses about 222 gallons of water per day. This has recently dropped from using 314 gallons of water per day. The southern Nevada Water Authority hopes that by the year 2035, water use will have dropped down to 199 gallons per day for each household.

The majority of Southern Nevada’s water goes to residential use, both indoor and outdoor. Because of this, restrictions have been placed on certain aspects of water use such as the amount of lawn a household can own. Aside …

Water Consumption In Southern Nevada, Paul Conyers

COLA 100: Feast and Famine In a Global World Poster Assignment

With its massive hotels, casinos, restaurants, and dramatic architecture it can be easy to forget that Las Vegas resides in the middle of a desert receiving just 4.5 inches of rain per year. Its population has grown immensely to nearly 2 million as of 2012 and that is without including the more than 30 million tourists visiting every year. With this growth more and more water is needed to keep yards and golf courses green, to keep the fountains of Bellagio flowing, to support the habitats of Mandalay Bay and the Flamingo, and to allow Las Vegas to maintain its …

Tap Water Treatment And Testing, Matt Oswalt

COLA 100: Feast and Famine In a Global World Poster Assignment

My research is focused on how the water we drink is cleaned and filtered and whether or not it is safe to drink the water from the tap.

Moving Forward: Preventing Water Shortage For Nevada, Sandra Blandon, Brianna Lyon

COLA 100: Feast and Famine In a Global World Poster Assignment

Southern Nevada is located in the arid Mojave Desert, which averages about 4 inches of rain each year. Southern Nevada gets about 90% of its water supply from the Colorado River. Seven western states and Mexico share the river. This means that The Colorado River provides water to 25 million people.

The Use Of Tree Rings To Study The Impacts Of Stream Flow And Climate Variability On Native And Invasive Woody Species Along A Semi-Arid Riparian Ecosystem In The Great Plains, Usa., Kristen M. Skolaut

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Forested riparian areas of the Northern Great Plains have historically been dominated by the native Populus deltoides L. vegetation type. Changes in climate, stream flow, groundwater, and management practices in the past few decades have promoted the expansion of the upland native woody species Juniperus virginiana L. and the invasion of the non-native Elaeagnus angustifolia L. into these riparian ecosystems. This study aims at using dendrochronology, or the study of tree rings, to assess the impacts of intra- and inter- annual climatic variability and stream flow over the past decades, on the annual tree ring growth, oxygen and carbon isotopic …

Scientific Basis For Safely Shutting In The Macondo Well After The April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon Blowout, Stephen H. Hickman, Paul A. Hsieh, Walter D. Mooney, Catherine B. Enomoto, Philip H. Nelson, Larry A. Mayer, Thomas C. Weber, Kathryn Moran, P. B. Flemings, Marcia Mcnutt

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

As part of the government response to the Deepwater Horizon blowout, a Well Integrity Team evaluated the geologic hazards of shutting in the Macondo Well at the seafloor and determined the conditions under which it could safely be undertaken. Of particular concern was the possibility that, under the anticipated high shut-in pressures, oil could leak out of the well casing below the seafloor. Such a leak could lead to new geologic pathways for hydrocarbon release to the Gulf of Mexico. Evaluating this hazard required analyses of 2D and 3D seismic surveys, seafloor bathymetry, sediment properties, geophysical well logs, and drilling …

Autumn Migration Of Mississippi Flyway Mallards As Determined By Satellite Telemetry, David George G. Krementz, Kwasi Asante, Luke W. Naylor

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We used satellite telemetry to study autumn migration timing, routes, stopover duration, and final destinations of mallards Anas platyrhynchos captured the previous spring in Arkansas from 2004 to 2007. Of those mallards that still had functioning transmitters on September 15 (n = 55), the average date when autumn migration began was October 23 (SE = 2.62 d; range = September 17–December 7). For those mallards that stopped for .1 d during migration, the average stopover length was 15.4 d (SE = 1.47 d). Ten mallards migrated nonstop to wintering sites. The eastern Dakotas were a heavily utilized stopover area. The …

A Watershed Scale Evaluation Of Selected Second Generation Biofeedstocks On Water Quality, Gurdeep Singh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study compares a novel simulation approach to the conventional Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) modeler's approach for targeting biofuel crop production on marginal lands. In conventional SWAT modeling approach, non-spatial definition of hydrological response units (HRUs) results in the simulation of biofuel crops on both marginal and non-marginal land. This study provides an alternative approach in which a marginal-land raster was integrated into the land use and land cover (LULC) raster in such a way that the land uses were divided into marginal and non-marginal components. This modified LULC was used for model setup which resulted in marginal …

An Estimate Of Groundwater Recharge In The Nabogo River Basin, Ghana Using Water Table Fluctuation Method And Chloride Mass Balance, Melanie Lynn Krautstrunk

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Cambrian-Precambrian fractured sandstone aquifer in the Nabogo River Basin in the Sahelian Northern Region in Ghana is one of the most important sources for fresh water supply for the local rural communities there. Recent population growth and commercial agricultural interests in this region could have an impact on this critical water resource. Groundwater recharge estimates are determined in this study using the Water Table Fluctuation Method and Chloride Mass Balance and can be applied to future sustainability studies of the region's water resources. Recharge estimates of the Water Table Fluctuation Method are in a range of 10-143 mm/yr or …

Nitrogen Flow Pathways Through An Alpine Lake, David Epstein, Wayne Wurtsbaugh

David Epstein

No abstract provided.

Nutrient Transport Through Lakes In A Sub-Alpine Watershed In The Sawtooth Mountains Of Idaho, David Epstein

David Epstein

No abstract provided.