Other Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Spatial And Temporal Variations In The Air-Sea Carbon Dioxide Fluxes Of Florida Bay, Christopher Michael Dufore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The flux of CO2 between the ocean and the atmosphere is an important measure in determining local, global, and regional, as well as short term and long term carbon budgets. In this study, air-sea CO2 fluxes measured using a floating chamber were used to examine the spatial and temporal variability of CO2 fluxes in Florida Bay. Measurements of dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity obtained concurrently with chamber measurements of CO2 flux allowed calculation of ΔpCO2 from flux measurements obtained at zero wind velocity. Floating chamber measurements of ΔpCO2 were subsequently coupled with wind speed data to provide a simple …

Do Wind Turbines Affect Weather Conditions?: A Case Study In Indiana, Meghan F. Henschen, Brittany Herrholtz, Lacey Rhudy, Kathryn Demchak, Brian Doogs, Joshua Holland, Erik Larson, Johnny Martin, Matthew Rudkin

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Wind turbines are becoming increasingly widespread in the United States as the world looks for cleaner sources of energy. Scientists, policymakers, and citizens have strong opinions regarding the positive and negative effects of wind energy projects, and there is a great deal of misinformation about wind energy circulating on the Web and other media sources. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of how the rotation of hundreds of turbines can influence local weather conditions within a wind farm and in the surrounding areas. This experiment measures temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, …

Identifying Changes In Climatic Trends And The Fingerprints Of Landuse And Landcover Changes In The High Plains Of The Usa, Denis Mutiibwa

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Human activities such as conversion of natural ecosystem to croplands and urban-centers, deforestation and afforestation impact biophysical properties of land surface such as albedo, energy balance, and surface roughness. Alterations in these properties affect the heat and moisture exchanges between the land surface and atmospheric boundary layer. The objectives of this research were; (i) to quantitatively identify the High plains’ regional climate change in temperatures over the period 1895 to 2006, (ii) detect the signatures of anthropogenic forcing of LULC changes on the regional climate change of the High Plains, and (iii) examine the trends in evolving regional latent heat …

Systems Ideas For The Scientific And Societal Imperatives Of The Coastal Ocean: Case Of The Bp Oil Gusher In The Gulf Of Mexico, Spring & Summer 2010, Christopher Mooers

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

In recent decades, great progress has been made in advancing the scientific understanding of the coastal ocean (i.e., the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)) across a broad set of disciplines. Simultaneously, the societal use of the coastal ocean has skyrocketed through, for example, increased shipping & boating, sports & commercial fishing, and exploitation of non-living resources, such as, oil & gas extraction and sand & gravel mining. International law and national policy assign coastal nations the responsibility for stewardship (i.e., wise management) of their respective EEZs. The scope of the stewardship and applications can be summarized as (1) …

Spatial Patterns Of Drought Triggers And Indicators, Joseph P. Robine

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Drought is a reoccurring phenomenon with widespread economic, social, and environmental impacts. Unlike other disasters, a drought cannot be easily detected. In addition, droughts are widespread and develop slowly over time making it difficult to detect its onset and monitor its severity and impacts. To assist in monitoring the severity and spatial extent of droughts, drought managers frequently use indicators and triggers. Drought indicators are meteorological or hydrological variables or indices that quantify or describe the level of drought severity. A drought trigger is a value of an indicator that initiates management and response actions. Despite the clear importance of …

Trends Of Wind And Wind Power Over The Coterminous United States, Eric M. Holt

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The trends of wind and wind power at a typical wind turbine hub height (80 m) are analyzed using the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) dataset for 1979-2009. Based upon the wind speeds at NARR’s vertical layers right above and below the 80 m level, the wind speeds at 80 m are estimated using two methods assuming the wind profile respectively as linear and power-law distribution with respect to the altitude in the lower boundary layer. Furthermore, we calculate the following variables at 80 m that are needed for the estimation and interpretation of wind power: the air density, zonal …

In Situ Checks Of Sonic Anemometer Temperature Calibration, David Cook, Michael Negale

Physics Student Research

The temperature calibration of the Gill Instruments WindMaster Pro sonic anemometer used in the ARM SGP ECOR systems is actually a curve, but is approximated with a linear fit for field use. The original calibrations were performed in a temperature-controlled chamber. The linear fit slope is only applied to the calculation of sensible heat flux and not to the reported temperature. The linear fit results in an underestimate of sensible heat flux during cold ambient temperatures and an overestimate during hot ambient temperatures. In situ calibrations performed using five years of ARM SGP data reveal how poorly the temperature is …

Climate Modeling: From Global Climate Models To Regional Climate Applications, John F. Mejia, Darko Koracin

Climate Change Seminar Series (NNE)

- Establish a sustainable Global/Regional Climate Modeling team that is capable of simulating regional climate and predicting future hydrological resources - Develop a necessary computer facility for regional climate modeling and links to model and measurements data bases - Educate future scientists in this area of climate research

Tracking The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Modeling Perspective, Yonggang Liu, Robert H. Weisberg, Chuanmin Hu, Lianyuan Zheng

Yonggang Liu

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was caused by a drilling rig explosion on 20 April 2010 that killed 11 people. It was the largest oil spill in U.S. history and presented an unprecedented threat to Gulf of Mexico marine resources. Although oil gushing to the surface diminished after the well was capped, on 15 July 2010, much remains to be known about the oil and the dispersants beneath the surface, including their trajectories and effects on marine life. A system for tracking the oil, both at the surface and at depth, was needed for mitigation efforts and ship survey guidance. …

Evaluation Of Trajectory Modeling In Different Dynamic Regions Using Normalized Cumulative Lagrangian Separation, Yonggang Liu, Robert H. Weisberg

Yonggang Liu

The Lagrangian separation distance between the endpoints of simulated and observed drifter trajectories is often used to assess the performance of numerical particle trajectory models. However, the separation distance fails to indicate relative model performance in weak and strong current regions, such as a continental shelf and its adjacent deep ocean. A new skill score is proposed based on the cumulative Lagrangian separation distances normalized by the associated cumulative trajectory lengths. This skill score is used to evaluate surface trajectories implied by Global HYCOM hindcast surface currents as gauged against actual satellite-tracked drifter trajectories in the eastern Gulf of Mexico …

Evolution Of The Loop Current System During The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Event As Observed With Drifters And Satellites, Yonggang Liu, Robert H. Weisberg, Charles Kovach, Rolf Riethmüller

Yonggang Liu

The ocean circulation patterns of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Loop Current (LC) system and their effects on the advection of the oil discharged during the Deepwater Horizon incident are described using in situ surface drifter trajectories and satellite observations from May to August 2010. These observations include altimetry-derived surface geostrophic velocities, sea surface temperature, ocean color, and surface oil locations. The elongated, northwestward penetrating LC retreated back from its northernmost position in late April 2010 and stayed farther away from the surface oil in the north during May 2010. Although the main body of the surface oil slick remained …

Nonlinear Behaviour Of Sea Surface Waves Based On Low-Gradient Phase-Only Scattering Effects, Jonathan Blackledge, Eugene Coyle, Derek Kearney

Conference papers

Nonlinear sea waves generated by the wind, including freak waves, are considered to be phenomena that can be modelled using the nonlinear (cubic) Schrodinger equation, for example. However, there is a problem with this approach which is that sea surface waves, driven by wind speeds of varying strength, must be considered to be composed of two distinct types, namely, linear waves and nonlinear waves. In this paper, we consider a different approach to modelling ‘nonlinear’ waves that is based on a solution to the linear wave equation under a low-gradient, phase-only condition. This approach is entirely compatible with the fluid …

State Of The Climate In 2010, Jessica Blunden, Derek S. Arndt, Molly O. Baringer

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Several large-scale climate patterns influenced climate conditions and weather patterns across the globe during 2010. The transition from a warm El Niño phase at the beginning of the year to a cool La Niña phase by July contributed to many notable events, ranging from record wetness across much of Australia to historically low Eastern Pacific basin and near-record high North Atlantic basin hurricane activity. The remaining five main hurricane basins experienced below- to well-below-normal tropical cyclone activity. The negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation was a major driver of Northern Hemisphere temperature patterns during 2009/10 winter and again in late …

Cataloguing Diseases And Pests In Captive Corals, Adrienne George

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stony corals (Order Scleractinia) are susceptible to a variety of diseases, which can occur from abiotic or biotic factors, or a combination of both. Public aquaria provide opportunities to study coral disease. Because coral mucus is the first line of defense against disease, the Biolog EcoplateTM is a useful tool to detect differences in microbial assemblages in the surface mucopolysaccharide (mucus) layer when comparing healthy and diseased corals. Histological examination is essential to document structural changes in coral tissue in response to diseases. This study identifies and characterizes diseases in captive corals through visual recognition, characterization of carbon utilization by …

From Source To Sink: An Isotopic Perspective On The Biogeochemical Relationship Between The Everglades And Florida Bay, Ana Maria Hoare

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing human populations and activities in coastal areas have led to high nutrient loading and estuarine ecosystem decline. Natural hydrological patterns in South Florida have been drastically altered by changes in water management and land use practices. As a result Florida Bay has experienced a series of negative ecosystem effects including hypersalinity events, degradation of water quality, and harmful algal blooms and declines in upper trophic level populations. To remediate ecosystem decline in Florida's coastal ecosystems, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan proposes to restore a more natural hydrologic flow in the Everglades. It is expected hydrologic restoration efforts will change …

A Comparative Study Of Eucalanoid Copepods Residing In Different Oxygen Environments In The Eastern Tropical North Pacific: An Emphasis On Physiology And Biochemistry, Christine J. Cass

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The eastern tropical north Pacific (ETNP) is characterized by one of the ocean's most severe midwater oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), where oxygen levels are often less than 5 µM. The copepod family Eucalanidae is a numerically abundant and diverse zooplankton group in the ETNP, and displays a wide range of vertical distributions related to environmental oxygen concentrations. The goal of this dissertation was to develop a better understanding of the ecology, physiology, and biochemistry of closely related copepod species (family Eucalanidae) that inhabit the ETNP OMZ system. This was accomplished through examining different parameters relating to (1) metabolic rates, (2) …

Microbial Landscapes Of Corals And Ctenophores, Camille Arian Daniels

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As technology and engineering allow mankind to survey nature at finer scales, the importance of bacteria has been elucidated in their metabolic diversity, ability to transfer genetic information, involvement in biogeochemical cycling, and sheer abundance. With an individual domain of life unto themselves, this diverse group of microorganisms plays an integral role in facilitating life on land and in the oceans, and is second only to viruses in abundance on Earth. They carve niches in a wide range of environments, including those inhospitable to other life forms, and reside in concert or to the detriment of other microbes and/or hosts …

Sex And The Seas: Gene Transfer Agents, Elizabeth Young

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gene Transfer Agents (GTAs) are phage-like pthesiss that are produced by many alpha proteobacteria in late stationary growth phase and are capable of transferring chromosomal genes (termed "constitutive transduction"). Examination of alpha proteobacterial genomic sequences indicated widespread occurrence of GTA-like elements. The goal of this study was to investigate gene transfer potential of GTAs of marine alpha proteobacteria in culture as well as in natural marine environments. Another goal was to determine the potential of bacterial symbionts from zooxanthellae and coral to genetically transfer beneficial properties between symbionts. Ruegeria mobilis (ID 45A6) was isolated from cultures of the coral endosymbiotic …

Foraminiferal Assemblages On Sediment And Reef Rubble At Conch Reef, Florida Usa, Christy Michelle Stephenson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages are widely used to interpret responses of the benthic communities to environmental stresses. This study compares epibiotic foraminiferal assemblages, collected from reef rubble, with those from reef sediments. The study site, Conch Reef, is the site of the Aquarius Underwater Habitat research facility and includes protected areas used only for scientific studies. Although a number of studies have enumerated foraminiferal taxa from the Florida reef tract, no projects have focused on the assemblages that occur at Conch Reef.

Sediment and reef rubbles samples were collected via SCUBA from a depth range of 13 to 26 m during …

Assessment Of Fertility Potential In Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus): An Elisa-Based Biomarker Analysis, Leslie Schwierzke Wade

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As apex predators in coastal systems, bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are susceptible to persistent organic pollutant (POP) accumulation and retention over time, which has prompted continued interest in understanding the extent to which contaminant body burdens or other stressors are sufficient to cause adverse sublethal effects on energetic fitness, immune function, or reproduction. Increasing our knowledge of reproductive endocrinology in bottlenose dolphins may provide insight into changes in reproductive rates, thereby expanding the capacity to assess conservation status. This study used the Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) technique to examine peptide fertility hormones [inhibin A, inhibin B and anti-Müllerian …

Dynamics Of Stony Coral Assemblages On Patch Reefs Of The Upper Florida Reef Tract, Including Biscayne National Park, Amy Wallace

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The patch reefs located in Biscayne National Park (BNP) are some of the most northern reefs of the Florida reef system. The focus of my study is seven patch reefs that were first surveyed annually between 1977 and 1981, revealing 8% - 28% cover by scleractinian corals. An assessment of BNP patch reefs completed in 2000 reported that coral cover had decreased to approximately 0.4% - 10%. The once dominant species in the Florida reef tract, Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis, have rapidly declined over time and were not found in any transects during the 2000 survey.

This study is …

Potential Habitat Of Acropora Spp. On Florida Reefs, Katherine Wirt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Elkhorn and Staghorn corals (Acropora palmata, A. cervicornis) were listed as threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2005. The threatened status of these species is unprecedented given the vital role they historically played as major constructors of western Atlantic and Caribbean coral reefs. The goal of my study was to evaluate the current extent of habitat of the two species using a database of reported in situ observations. From these observations, potential habitat maps were produced based on benthic substrata and depth parameters throughout the Florida reef tract using GIS software. Locations of 99% of …

Underwater Hearing In The Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta Caretta): A Comparison Of Behavioral And Auditory Evoked Potential Audiograms, Kelly Martin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Methods for collecting behavioral audiograms are often time consuming and require trained, captive subjects. It is more practical to measure hearing sensitivity using electrophysiological methods, such as auditory evoked potential (AEP) testing, in which electrodes measure action potentials in response to acoustic stimuli. These data can be collected in a matter of hours. However, results should be verified through behavioral testing. Current knowledge of marine turtle auditory abilities is based on a few electrophysiological tests. The purpose of this study was to collect and compare behavioral and auditory evoked potential audiograms in a captive adult loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta …

In Situ Checks Of Sonic Anemometer Temperature Calibration, David Cook, Michael Negale

Michael Negale

The temperature calibration of the Gill Instruments WindMasterPro sonic anemometer used in the SGP ACRF ECOR systems is a curve, but is approximated as a linear fit for field use. The linear fit is only applied to the calculation of sensible heat flux and not to the reported temperature, and results in an underestimate of sensible heat flux during cold ambient temperatures and an overestimate during hot ambient temperatures. In situ calibrations performed using five years of ARM SGP ACRF data reveal how poorly the temperature is measured by the ECOR using the linear fit. Linear and non-linear in situ …