Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

The Effects Of X-Irradiation On The Metamorphosis And Budding Of Aurelia Aurita, Michael John Prokopchak

OES Theses and Dissertations

With the aid of the Aurelia Metamorphosis Test System, the acute or subtle morphological and behavioral effects of irradiation on the Norfolk Aurelia aurita were described and the sensitivity to X-irradiation of those organisms receiving thyroxine and those not receiving thyroxine was compared. Levels of radiation were 0 (control), 5,000, 10,000, 15,000, 20,000 and 40,000 rads. Morphology of the ephyrae, statolith and rhopalia numbers were recorded using the light microscope, Developmental abnormalities of the scyphistomae and ephyrae were recorded with the scanning electron microscope and light microscope. Two major findings from this investigation were the absence of rhopalia and statoliths …

Numerical Experiments With The Quasigeostrophic Potential-Vorticity Equation, Peter L. Spence

OES Theses and Dissertations

A method is developed to model the circulation of a barotropic, 8-plane ocean under an imposed steady wind stress. The model includes the effect of both horizontal and vertical friction along with nonlinear advection of vorticity. Implementing the method involves solving the unsteady quasigeostrophic potential-vorticity equation using a compact finite difference scheme (Gatski, Grosch, and Rose, 1982).

Once developed, this model is used in four separate numerical experiments. In each experiment, a model ocean with an initial flow field is driven to a steady state solution. Vertical viscosity is held constant in the first three experiments while lateral viscosity is …

The Phillipine Extended Jurisdiction: Its Cost And Benefits To Fishery Industry, Ricardo R. Federizon

Theses and Major Papers

The Philippines is one of the countries that has its significant relations to fisheries economically and culturally. The coastal waters of the Philippines support over a million fishermen whose only source of income is fishing that does not go far off-shore. Due to population pressure and increased demand for fish as a basic food supply and as a source of foreign revenue income, more and more fishermen fish at the waters that carry a limited resource. As a result, overfishing persists that has a social and economic implication. Conflicts arise among the fishermen. Management measures are not implemented successfully because …

Legal Status Of Developed Tidelands In The Northeast: A Three-State Sampling, Anne F. Ackenhusen

Theses and Major Papers

The tidelands law of the United States has evolved sporadically. As the nation's population pressures have increased, and every conceivable type of development hasattempted to locate in the coastal zone (1), the regulationof tidelands has become increasingly stringent. No longer can a private party fill an acre of tidelands on whim. Inthe past, however, unauthorized tideland development was a frequent occurrence. Thus current state governments must deal with a legacy of improperly filled tidelands. This paper will examine some of the states' attempts to address the problem of illegally improved tidelands.

Orvs On The Cape Cod National Seashore, Karen G. Chaffee

Theses and Major Papers

With the creation of a National Seashore, we incur the responsibility of maintaining and preserving it. Since the establishment of the Cape Cod National Seashore in 1961, the use of off-road vehicles (ORV's) has increased dramatically. These vehicles damage the fragile ecosystems of the seashore. The National Park Service Cooperative Research Unit at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst was commissioned to undertake a five year study of the many facets of off-road vehicle impact on beach and dune as well as salt marsh and tidal flats.

Fourier Series Analysis Of The Relationship Of Morphologic Variations And Bathymetry In Recent Bolivina (Foraminiferida) From The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Anthony Cavedo Gary

OES Theses and Dissertations

Automated video digitization and closed-form Fourier series analysis were used to investigate the applicability of benthic foraminiferal test morphology for paleo-bathymetric/paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Sample relationships and harmonics with the greatest power for discriminating between samples were determined using canonical discriminant analysis. Samples were eleven short cores obtained from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Three species of Bolivina were analyzed, B. albatrossi, B. lowmani, and B. subspinescens.

Results show populations of Bolivina albatrossi from the upper bathyal and upper-middle bathyal zones to have more triangular tests and lobulate chambers than lower-middle and lower bathyal zone populations. Specimens of Bolivina subspinescens …

The Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of The Larvae Of Sympatric Pagurid Hermit Crabs (Decapoda, Anomura) In Virginian Estaurine And Coastal Waters, Philip Wesley Sadler

OES Theses and Dissertations

Thirteen stations were occupied at two - week intervals from May through September 1980 within the York River, lower Chesapeake Bay depths encompassing the entire water column.

Three species of pagurids were identified: Pagurus longicarpus, P. pollicaris, and P. annulipes. The larvae of P. annulipes had not been previously identified from Virginian waters. The shapes of the antennae of P. pollicaris and P. annulipes weredistinctive, allowing rapid identification of these larvae. The shapes of the uropods were found to be useful in distinguishingthe glaucothoe· of P. longicarpus from P. annulipes. The larvae of these species …

The Prospects Of The Kra Canal, Pannarai Chuapibul

Theses and Major Papers

The controversies over the prospects of the Kra Canal persuade me to write my major paper about it. Ever since the Thai government rejected the proposals for construction of the canal, the press has criticized that the actual reason why the government rejected the canal proposals was because of its fear of the irredentist movement with complete disregard of the enormous benefits of raising our balance of payments and standard of living. Nevertheless, there must be other important reasons. My opinions, which do not reflect those of the Thai government are based on problems of sources of capital, advantages and …

The Emerging Regime Of Islands As Archipelagic States, Frank Gable

Theses and Major Papers

This essay will discuss the significance of islands as archipelagos, i.e. any two or more islands identified politically as one entity. Within the body of this report will be references regarding the historical background to archipelagos and how they emerged into international topics of law. Further, the differences international law affords coastal archipelagos as opposed to outlying mid-ocean archipelagos will be interpreted. These differences include, for instance, the design of baselines used to enclose territorial waters. As the paper progresses, the reader will being to see how the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS (III) …

Coral Reef Islands And Their Problems, Peter C. Schroeder

Theses and Major Papers

Small islands and in particular those more or less dependent on their reefs as a resource were often self-contained units, maintaining a fragile equilibrium in which even small changes could and have wrought fatal disturbances. The pressures of the modern world have endangered these vulnerable units economically, socially, and biologically. In all instances the "'population factor has played an important role. Coral reef islands appear to be more susceptible to the side effects of rapidly growing modernization than other types of islands. No clear answer or solution to this problem can be given but recognition of the threats to them …

Ixtoc I: Case Study Of A Major Oil Spill, Peter G. Myer

Theses and Major Papers

The most disastrous oil spill the western hemisphere has ever witnessed occurred during the 10 months between June 1979 and March 1980, when the experimental well IXTOC I blew out off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The disaster's effects on South Texas virtually destroyed a year's earnings for the region's tourism industry and cut into the profits of many commercial fishermen. The activities at the well that caused the blowout and subsequent spill, the effects of the oil on Texas' Gulf Coast, and the legal attempts to recover against losses suffered as a result of the spill will be …

U. S. Arctic Oil: A Perspective, William T. Decamp

Theses and Major Papers

The United States Arctic, for the purposes of this study, encompasses the seabed and subsoil under the resource jurisdiction of the United States, including the Bering Sea offshore, and the Hope Basin, Chukchi (Barrow Arch) and Beaufort (Diapir Field) Seas, and land territory north of the Brooks Range onshore. Although U.S. credibility with its Arctic allies would be enhanced by its becoming a party to the Law of the Sea Convention, this remote possibility is not a prerequisite for a successful U.S. Arctic Policy. It is more important that U.S. policy goals are perceived among its Arctic allies as being …

Determinants For The Timing Of Escapement From The Sockeye Salmon Fishery Of The Copper River, Alaska: A Simulation Model, Howard A. Schaller

OES Theses and Dissertations

A model to estimate determinants for migratory timing of catch and escapement in a terminal salmon fishery is presented. A method was developed to estimate average seasonal migration rates of salmon through a harvest area from catch and escapement data. The time series for the total population of Copper River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) was reconstructed in the reference frame of the commercial harvest area from catch and escapement data.

The catchability coefficients (q), derived from the reconstructed populations were found to vary within season and between seasons. The relation between q and effort was attributed to a …

An Intraseason Forecasting System For Commercial Marine Fisheries, Erik J. Barth

OES Theses and Dissertations

The reliability of an intraseason yield estimation technique which is commonly used by Pacific salmon harvest managers is evaluated for applicability to a variety of commercial finfish and crustacean fisheries. The estimation technique is known as the average timing or the average performance model. The method is not easily related to standard statistical models, but does show some similarity to both a single parameter linear regression model and the ratio estimator of sampling theory. A comparison of these models, a two parameter linear model, and a regression estimator is made to determine if the precision of forecasts of performance can …

An Examination Of The Variability Of Migratory Timing Statistics Estimated From Catch And Effort Observations, Arthur J. Butt

OES Theses and Dissertations

The estimate of the mean arrival time based on catch or CPUE of fishes migrating into a fixed harvest area is a function of the number of days fished. Simulation studies using chinook salmon catch and effort data from the Yukon River delta, Alaska indicate that fishing effort concentrated at the tails of the migratory distribution which would tend to erroneously weigh the estimated mean arrival time in the direction of the sample, away from the true mean, is only a significant problem when the number of days open to fishing is small, covering less than 12% of the total …

A Description And Analysis Of The Timing Of Virginia's Weakfish Fishery, Bruce William Hill

OES Theses and Dissertations

The seasonality of Virginia's weakfish fishery is quantitatively defined by providing a mean time of catch and variance of catch for the years 1960 - 1981. On the average. the central half of the population is available for harvest from mid-May through September in all of Virginia's waters and the mean date of harvest is July 20th • The 22 year average variance of catch for Virginia's waters is 3.97. In Virginia's Chesapeake Bay tributaries the mean date of harvest is July 17th and the 22 year average variance of catch is 2.50. There is evidence for an inverse relationship …

A Method For Determining Creosote Contamination Of Sediment From The Elizabeth River, Norfolk, Va, Elizabeth G. Merrill

OES Theses and Dissertations

Hydrocarbon input sources to the Elizabeth River were investigated. Carbonized coal products (creosote, coal tar, and roof tar), petroleum products (Kuwait Crude Oil, No. 2 Fuel Oil, and a fuel oil spill sample) and soot (woodstove and diesel engine) have unique hydrocarbon distributions. Elizabeth River sediment hydrocarbon distributions indicate that they are contaminated with both carbonized coal and petroleum products. Using a simple two member mixing model, greater than 65 percent of Elizabeth River sediments' resolved aromatic compounds were determined to originate from carbonized coal products. These aromatic hydrocarbons include the EPA priority pollutant polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons which are known …

Analysis Of Central Equatorial Pacific Water Masses By Method Of Principal Components, Ross Tuxhorn

OES Theses and Dissertations

The distribution of Antarctic Intermediate Water at the extent of dispersion in the equatorial Pacific Ocean was investigated by means of multivariate analysis. Interrelationships among the upper intermediate water masses at this location are proposed.

Oceanographic data contained in seven cruise legs measured during the 1979-80 Hawaii to Tahiti Shuttle Experiment formed the basis of this study. Six parameters -- temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, phosphate, silicate and nitrate -- were used in the method of principal component analysis to classify water masses between the sea surface and 1000m. The derived water masses were compatible with previously described oceanographic features of …

Timing Of The Blue Crab Fisheries Of Virginia And Its Application To Harvest Management, J. Dale Shively

OES Theses and Dissertations

The timing of a fishery is a quantitative expression of the composite behaviors of harvesters, markets, animals and climatic events. A quantitative description of the timing of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) fisheries of Virginia was established using the time density model of Mundy (1979). Blue crab catch statistics supplied by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Virginia Marine Resource Commission were divided into two fisheries based on gear type; the summer and winter fisheries. Average performance curves were then constructed using average cumulative proportions of catch. Annual yield estimates were also made and timing in five …

Phytoplankton Ecology And Dynamics In The James River Estuary Virginia, U. S. A., Margaret J. Filardo

OES Theses and Dissertations

Autotrophic biomass and productivity as well as nutrient distributions and phytoplankton cell populations in the James River estuary, Virginia, from Newport News Shipyard to the 0 o/oo isohaline, were sampled on a monthly basis from August of 1981 to December of 1982. Particular emphasis was placed on the very low salinity region (defined as the location where surface salinity measured between 0.0 and 0.75 o/oo based on conductivity) in order to determine the fate of fresh water phytoplankters upon being advected into the estuary because of their suspected role in the biogeochemical cycling that occurs there.

Both chlorophyll a and …

Fission Track Dating Of Detrital Zircons From The Scotland Sandstones, Barbados, West Indies, Suzanne Louise Baldwin

Geology Theses and Dissertations

Results of fission track dating of detrital zircons from the Scotland sandstones, Barbados, yield a mixture of ages with several strong groupings from 20-80 Ma, 200-350 Ma, and greater than 500 Ma. Metamict grains were assumed to fall into the greater than 500 Ma population.
The youngest population indicates that the Scotland beds, previously dated by paleontologic methods as Eocene, may actually be as young as late Oligocene. These ages better constrain the timing of deposition for these sediments and support the proposal that the late middle Eocene - early Oligocene Oceanic Fm has overthrust the Scotland beds. This population …

The Influence Of Oceanic Transform Boundaries On The Generation And Evolution Of Oceanic Lithosphere, David G. Gallo

Geology Theses and Dissertations

The first-order geologic and morphologic relationships at, along and proximal to ridge-transform-ridge plate boundaries are used to construct an empirical and speculative tectonic model. The geometry of a ridge-transform intersection necessitates the juxtaposition of relatively cold, thick lithosphere against the truncated end of an accreting plate boundary. The cold face of lithosphere cools the adjacent wedge of asthenosphere rising beneath the axis of accretion and restricts the amount of partial melting thus attenuating the amount of basaltic melt segregated from the asthenosphere per unit time. The manifestation of this cold edge effect is a thinner oceanic crust. At depth, upper …

By-Catch: Over The Side Discards, An Assessment And An Alternative, Alan R. Bunn

Theses and Major Papers

The incidental capture and resultant mortality of numerous fin-fish and other species of marine organisms by non-selective types of fishing gear constitute a major waste of the various fishery resources. The magnitude of the discarded by-catch and its effects upon the major fisheries is examined. Specific gear types contributing to the problem will be identified. The Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery of the U.S., which annually catches over a billion pounds of unwanted fin-fish or “trash-fish” will be examined and an evaluation of the continuing development of selective shrimp trawling gear specifically designed to reduce the incidental capture of sea …

The National And International Legal Complications Of Subseabed Emplacement Of High-Level Nuclear Waste, Lynn Carlson

Theses and Major Papers

High-level radioactive waste produced by nuclear power generation, weapons production, and medical research has been accumulating in temporary storage pools in many countries. A permanent method of disposal will soon benecessary to ensure against contamination of man and the environment. Land-based geologic formations, such as salt domes, are the preferred sites for disposal at this time in the United States. Subseabed emplacement is one option under consideration and the technological aspects of this method are currently being studied. In order to resolve these issues, it is proposed that relevant laws be conditionally amended to legalize subseabed emplacement, but only after …

The Maritime Boundaries Of Venezuela, Jose L. Cedeno

Theses and Major Papers

Venezuela has maritime boundaries with the following neighbors: two adjacent coastal states, Colombia and Guyana, and six opposite coastal states Trinidad-Tobago, Grenada, San Vincent and the Grenadinas, Sain Lucia, Dominica and Dominican Republic, one United States commonwealth associates states (Puerto Rico) and with dependent islands of the United States (Virign Islands), United Kingdom (Nevis, St. Christopher and Montserrat), France (Guadeloupe and Martinique) and Netherland (Curacao, Aruba, Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius).

The paper discuss at length three recent Venezuelan agreements: a fishing agreement with Trinidad and Tobago (1977), plus two Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) delineation treaties concluded almost simultaneously in …

Marine Resources: The Presentation Of A Business Plan, K. Scott Colby

Theses and Major Papers

The once questionable technology of hatchery production has become routine and, with the recent development of up-welling techniques, is more effective and efficient. The supply of natural shellfish and fishery stocks is on the decline and this trend is expected to continue. Aquaculture has been the solution to this problem in many European countries and the United States is currently attempting to remove domestic obstacles through its National Aquaculture Plan. The proprietor has experience in the production of various marine invertebrates and has designed, built and operated a producing shellfish hatchery. By using a unique up-welling juvenile culture system a …

The Effects Of Regulation On Aquaculture Development, Derek S. Busby

Theses and Major Papers

A comparative study of the regulatory frameworks surrounding aquaculture in the states of Florida, Mississippi, and Rhode Island is conducted beginning with a generalized study of basic legal premises of aquaculture-related law common to each state. This is followed by a detailed study of the statutory authority for aquaculture regulation and the agencies which control aquaculture activities in each state. In conjunction with the law analysis an Index of Specialization (ISP) study is conducted for each state to determine a relative ranking of diversity of crop production relative to each state’s overall aquaculture production.

The Development Of Construction And Equipment Standards To Promote Tanker Safety And Pollution Prevention, Kathleen M. Daly

Theses and Major Papers

Upstaged by a dramatic series of tanker accidents in the winter of 1976-77, the Carter Administration responded by meeting drama with drama - the President proposed a bold set of recommendations that, if adopted, would surely improve tanker safety but would, at the same time, impose considerable economic hardship on an already faltering tanker industry. The purpose of this study is to examine the specific construction and equipment requirements put forth in the Presidential Initiatives, as they later became known, and trace the modifications made to them before they were incorporated into the tanker safety laws of the U.S. and …

Fishery Harbor Development: A Case Study Of A Connecticut Coastal Community, Stonington, Connecticut, James L. Wallace

Theses and Major Papers

This study was undertaken to investigate the problems and procedures encountered in the development of fishery harbors in Connecticut. Harbor facilities along the coast are in great disrepair or have been completely eliminated to allow for more profitable coastal uses. In addition, conflict between recreational and commercial fishermen for existing space has created a shortage of commercial harbor facilities. Because of this need, state and local officials have begun to investigate viable harbor development alternatives for Connecticut.

Chartering Recreational Boats In The United States: A Compilation And Analysis Of Applicable Federal Maritime Law, Mary Nathalie Peter

Theses and Major Papers

No single primary source exists to provide current and would-be participants in recreational charter boat operations in the United States with a basic legal understanding of their rights and obligations. The relevant federal maritime standards, laws, regulations, and judicial interpretations are scattered in isolated codebooks, reporters, and bulletins. Moreover, the governing body of law for boat chartering is admiralty law, which has been shaped throughout the centuries primarily by the traditions and dictates of the commercial shipping and shipbuilding industries. As a result, the logic behind the admiralty framework tends to be obscure when viewed in the context of a …