Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Ecological And Oceanographic Influences On Leatherback Turtle Behavior And Scyphozoan Jellyfish Distributions In The Gulf Of Mexico, Katrina Aleksa

Dissertations

Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are a wide-ranging, oceanic species that feed exclusively on gelatinous zooplankton. Leatherback have been spotted in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) for several decades and consistently had a high level of interactions with longline fisheries. However, no quantitative studies have been performed to address the spatiotemporal distribution of these turtles in the GoM. This research determines 1) leatherback movements and high-use areas in the GoM, 2) their association with oceanographic features, 3) the distribution and density of two abundant medusae in the northern GoM and any association with biophysical parameters, and 4) the body …

Reef Fish Biodiversity In The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Megan E. Hepner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The biological diversity of reef-fish in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) from 1999 – 2016 was evaluated in terms of abundance, biomass, species richness, evenness, Shannon diversity, Simpson diversity, and functional diversity, using observations collected by multiple agencies and institutions under the Reef Visual Census (RVC) program. To compare the different diversity indices species richness, Shannon diversity, Simpson diversity, and functional diversity were converted into effective number of species. I examined the seven indices by no-take marine zones, in seven benthic habitat strata, and across the three-distinct geographic subregions in the Florida Keys domain (Upper, Middle, and Lower …

Tropical Cyclones Disrupt The Relationship Between Tree Height And Species Diversity: Comment, Teng-Chiu Lin, Lixin Wang, Chengyang Zheng, Ryan W. Mcewan, Chung-Te Chang, Jyh-Min Chiang, Chung-Hao Chi

Biology Faculty Publications

In a recent report on the patterns of tree species richness in eastern and western North America, Marks et al. (2016) claimed to have identified an operational indicator of environmental harshness (maximum tree height) and concluded that environmental stressors that limit tree height also act as ecological filters on species richness. Marks et al. (2017) attributed the positive association between species richness and maximum tree height to both the direct effects of environmental harshness on species richness and the indirect effects of environmental harshness on species richness as mediated by maximum tree height.

This finding overlooked the fact that many …

A Lab-On-Chip Phosphate Analyzer For Long-Term In Situ Monitoring At Fixed Observatories: Optimization And Performance Evaluation In Estuarine And Oligotrophic Coastal Waters, Maxime Grand, Geraldine Clinton-Bailey, Alexander Beaton, Allison Schaap, Thomas Johengen, Mario Tamburri, Douglas Connelly, Matthew Mowlem, Eric Achterberg

Faculty Publications

The development of phosphate sensors suitable for long-term in situdeployments in natural waters, is essential to improve our understanding of the distribution, fluxes, and biogeochemical role of this key nutrient in a changing ocean. Here, we describe the optimization of the molybdenum blue method for in situ work using a lab-on-chip (LOC) analyzer and evaluate its performance in the laboratory and at two contrasting field sites. The in situ performance of the LOC sensor is evaluated using hourly time-series data from a 56-day trial in Southampton Water (UK), as well as a month-long deployment in the subtropical oligotrophic waters of …

Synergistic Use Of Remote Sensing And Modeling To Assess An Anomalously High Chlorophyll-A Event During Summer 2015 In The South Central Red Sea, Wenzhao Li, Hesham El-Askary, K. P. Manikandan, Mohamed A. Qurban, Michael J. Garay, Olga V. Kalishnikova

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

An anomalously high chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) event (>2 mg/m3) during June 2015 in the South Central Red Sea (17.5° to 22°N, 37° to 42°E) was observed using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data from the Terra and Aqua satellite platforms. This differs from the low Chl-a values (<0.5 mg/m3) usually encountered over the same region during summertime. To assess this anomaly and possible causes, we used a wide range of oceanographical and meteorological datasets, including Chl-a concentrations, sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), mixed layer depth (MLD), ocean current velocity and aerosol optical depth (AOD) obtained from different sensors and models. Findings confirmed this anomalous behavior in the spatial domain using Hovmöller data analysis techniques, while a time series analysis addressed monthly and daily variability. Our analysis suggests that a combination of factors controlling nutrient supply contributed to the anomalous phytoplankton growth. These factors include horizontal transfer of upwelling water through eddy circulation and possible mineral fertilization from atmospheric dust deposition. Coral reefs might have provided extra nutrient supply, yet this is out of the scope of our analysis. We thought that dust deposition from a coastal dust jet event in late June, coinciding with the phytoplankton blooms in the area under investigation, might have also contributed as shown by our AOD findings. However, a lag cross correlation showed a two- month lag between strong dust outbreak and the high Chl-a anomaly. The high Chl-a concentration at the edge of the eddy emphasizes the importance of horizontal advection in fertilizing oligotrophic (nutrient poor) Red Sea waters.

Strong Linkages Between Surface And Deep-Water Dissolved Organic Matter In The East/Japan Sea, Tae-Hoon Kim, Guebuem Kim, Yuan Shen, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

Vertical and horizontal distributions of total dissolved amino acids (TDAAs), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) were measured in the East/Japan Sea (EJS). The euphotic zone of this sea is N-limited, and the N : P ratio is ∼ 13 below 200 m depth. Elevated TDAA concentrations (137 ± 34 nM) and DOC-normalized yields (0.8 ± 0.2 % of DOC) were observed in deep waters ( ≥  1000 m) of the EJS and compared with those in the deep North Pacific Ocean. Significantly high TDAA concentrations and yields were observed in a region of deep-water formation, indicating …

Growth Of Orbicella Faveolata In La Parguera, Puerto Rico, Darren B. Marshall

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Reef-building corals are subject to high amounts of stress, including pollution and rising sea surface temperatures due to climate change. These factors can affect the ability of corals to produce their calcium carbonate skeletons. Evaluation of the effects of climate change may be facilitated by evaluation of records of coral skeletal growth over a long period of time. The aim of this study was to evaluate skeletal growth of the coral Orbicella faveolata in La Parguera, Puerto Rico over a 32-year period. For this, 14 Orbicella faveolata core samples were collected from corals at two reefs (1.2 km apart) in …

Exploring The Potential For Artificial Reefs In Coral Reef Restoration: Responses And Interactions Of Associated Biota To Varying Experimental Treatments In The Mexican Caribbean, Audie Kirk Kilfoyle

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Coral reefs are being negatively impacted by various causes worldwide, and direct intervention is often warranted following disturbance to restore or replace lost ecosystem structure and function. An experimental coral reef restoration study involving standardized artificial reef modules (Reefballs^TM) was conducted in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula in the towns of Puerto Morelos and Akumal. The purpose was to explore the use of artificial structure for restoration and mitigation applications in a highly diverse and dynamic Caribbean coral reef environment by applying and evaluating the performance of select experimental treatments hypothesized to accelerate development of the associated biota. The first …

Climate Warming Can Accelerate Carbon Fluxes Without Changing Soil Carbon Stocks, Susan E. Ziegler, Ronald Benner, Sharon A. Billings, Kate A. Edwards, Michael Philben, Xinbiao Zhu, Jerome Laganière

Faculty Publications

Climate warming enhances multiple ecosystem C fluxes, but the net impact of changing C fluxes on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks over decadal to centennial time scales remains unclear. We investigated the effects of climate on C fluxes and soil C stocks using space-for-time substitution along a boreal forest climate gradient encompassing spatially replicated sites at each of three latitudes. All regions had similar SOC concentrations and stocks (5.6 to 6.7 kg C m−2). The three lowest latitude forests exhibited the highest productivity across the transect, with tree biomass:age ratios and litterfall rates 300 and 125% higher than those in …

Development Of An Age-Frequency Distribution For Ocean Quahogs Arctica Islandica On Georges Bank, Sara M. Pace, Eric N. Powell, Roger Mann, M. Chase Long, John M. Klinck

CCPO Publications

Ocean quahogs [Arctica islandica (Linnaeus, 1769)] are the longest-lived, noncolonial animal known today, with a maximum life span exceeding 500 y. Ocean quahogs are a commercially important bivalve, inhabiting the continental shelf of the North Atlantic Basin. Although considerable information exists on the growth and physiology of A. islandica, limited information is available regarding recruitment; accordingly, sustainably managing the fishery is a challenge. To investigate long-term recruitment trends, the age of ocean quahogs from Georges Bank which were fully recruited to the commercial fishery (>80 mm shell length) was determined by analysis of annual growth lines in …

Fit To Predict? Ecoinformatics For Predicting The Catchability Of A Pelagic Fish In Near Real-Time, Kylie L. Scales, Elliot L. Hazen, Sara M. Maxwell, Heidi Dewar, Suzanne Kohin, Michael G. Jacox, Christopher A. Edwards, Dana K. Briscoe, Larry B. Crowder, Rebecca L. Lewison, Steven J. Bograd

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The ocean is a dynamic environment inhabited by a diverse array of highly migratory species, many of which are under direct exploitation in targeted fisheries. The timescales of variability in the marine realm coupled with the extreme mobility of ocean-wandering species such as tuna and billfish complicates fisheries management. Developing ecoinformatics solutions that allow for near real-time prediction of the distributions of highly mobile marine species is an important step towards the maturation of dynamic ocean management and ecological forecasting. Using 25 years (1990-2014) of NOAA fisheries' observer data from the California drift gillnet fishery, we model relative probability of …

Phytoplankton Plastid Proteomics: Cracking Open Diatoms To Understand Plastid Biochemistry Under Iron Limitation, Skyler J. Nunn, Phoebe Dreux Chappell, Kristofer Gomes, Anasthasia Bonderenko, Bethany D. Jenkins, Brook L. Nunn

OES Faculty Publications

Diatoms, such as Thalassiosira pseudonana, are important oceanic primary producers, as they sequester carbon dioxide (CO₂) out of the atmosphere, die, and precipitate to the ocean floor. In many areas of the world’s oceans, phytoplankton, such as diatoms, are limited in growth by the availability of iron (Fe). Fe is an essential nutrient for phytoplankton, as it is central in the electron transport chain component of photosynthesis. Through this study, we examined if Fe-limitation makes a significant difference in the proteins expressed within the chloroplast, the power source for diatoms. Here, we utilized a new plastid isolation technique specific …

Influence Of Topography And Moisture And Nutrient Availability On Green Alder Function On The Low Arctic Tundra, Nt, Katherine Louise Black Ms., Jennifer Lynn Baltzer Dr.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Arctic has warmed by at least 3^°C over the past 50 years and this rapid warming is expected to continue. Climate warming is driving the proliferation of shrubs across the tundra biome with implications for energy balance, climate, hydrology, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity. Changes in tundra plant water use attributable to shrub expansion are predicted to increase evapotranspirative water loss which may amplify local warming and reduce run-off. However, little is known about the extent to which shrubs will enhance evapotranspirative water loss in these systems. Direct measures of shrub water use are needed to accurately predict …