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Core-Log-Seismic Integration As A Framework For Determining The Basin-Wide Significance Of Regional Reflectors In The Eastern Equatorial Pacific, Stephen F. Bloomer, Larry A. Mayer

Affiliate Scholarship

ODP Leg 138 in the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP) provided a unique opportunity to understand the paleoceanographic significance of seismic reflectors in this climatically sensitive region. Carefully offset multiple cores were spliced into a complete stratigraphic section for the upper 250 m at each site and accurate, astronomically tuned time scales were generated from these composites. Well log data provided a means to correct composite depths to true depths as well as density and velocity data for the generation of synthetic seismograms. These synthetic seismograms were used to determine the paleoceanographic significance of regionally traceable reflectors by linking variations in …

Announcements: February 1997

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Contents:

Local Authorities Confronting Disasters and Emergencies-Third International Conference

1997 National Conference on Delivering Health and Medical Services in Catastrophic Disasters

Book: Policy Making in an Era of Global Environmental Change

Drought In The United States: 1996 Summary And Historical Perspective, William O. Brown, Richard R. Heim Jr.

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Considerable variation in moisture conditions, on both a spatial and temporal basis, occurred in the contiguous United States during 1996. A tenth or more of the country experienced severe to extreme short-term (i.e., monthly) precipitation deficits during nearly half of the months, but in many months there were also large areas of excessive precipitation, which resulted in overall national conditions averaging near normal to wetter than normal. From a national perspective, long-term drought peaked at mid-year, when severe drought plagued the South and Southwest.

Famine And Drought: The Question Of Food Security In Zimbabwe, Joshua Chigodora

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

From the time that the London Missionary Society first took Zimbabwean rainfall records at Hope Fountain in 1888, the worst droughts on record are the consecutive dry spells from 1911 to 1914, the 1946–47 drought, the 1960 drought, and the 1972–73 rainy season, which was the driest period of colonial Zimbabwe. The country also had serious food shortages in 1903, 1916, 1922, 1933, and 1942. Although the people of precolonial Zimbabwe experienced recurrent droughts, they generally had well-developed coping mechanisms that prevented high death tolls (Iliffe, 1990).

Climatic Uncertainties And Recent Experiences In Medium-Range Weather Forecasting Over Kashmir, Badrul Hasan, Rehana Habib Kanth

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Successful crop management and production require a precise and thorough understanding of agroclimatic conditions of a region. A crop experiences a range of weather conditions during its vegetative and reproductive phases. Although the agronomic inputs at optimum levels decide satisfactory and stable crop yields, the range of weather and climatic optimum prevalent at important crop stages determine the ultimate yields. Thus, even with all inputs at our disposal, we cannot afford to ignore the environmental conditions experienced by the crop. Systematic and continuous measurements of weather elements provide basic data input for tuning any type of computer-based forecasting system. This …

Changing Climatic Scenarios And Strategies For Drought Management In The Indian Arid Region, A. S. Rao, J. P. Gupta, A. S. Faroda

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

Western Rajasthan constitutes 62% of the 0.32 million km² that make up the hot Indian arid region (Figure 1). The average annual rainfall of the area varies from less than 100 mm (coefficient of variation [CV] = 70%) in the western parts to just above 500 mm (CV = 40%) in the eastern parts of arid Rajasthan. During July and August, the eastern parts of the arid region have an assured crop growing period of 12–15 weeks, whereas the western parts mostly depend on the vagaries of the southwest monsoon. The annual potential evapotranspiration rates are 3–8 times higher …

From The Director: February 1997, Donald A. Wilhite

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

In the October issue of Drought Network News, I briefly discussed two policy initiatives that developed in response to the severe and widespread drought that affected the Southwest and southern Great Plains states in the United States during 1996. The first of these activities, a multistate workshop (and its subsequent report), was coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This report was submitted to President Clinton in late August; it contained a series of recommendations that focused on short- and long-term issues. The second initiative, under the leadership of the Western Governors’ Association (WGA), was not available in final …

The Influence Of The Wastewater Drainage From The Las Vegas Valley On The Limnology Of Boulder Basin, Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, James F. Labounty, Michael J. Horn, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Lake Mead, Colorado River, Arizona-Nevada, is one of the most heavily used reservoirs in the western United States, providing abundant recreational opportunities as well as downstream domestic and agricultural water for over 22 million users. Based on average nutrient levels and productivity, Lake Mead is classified as mildly mesotrophic. The interflow of the Colorado River dominates the limnology of much of the 106 km-long reservoir, and may still be identified at Hoover Dam under certain conditions. The lower basin of Lake Mead ending at Hoover Dam is known as Boulder Basin and is near the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Las …

Application Of A Flow-Through Absorption Tube For Remotely Estimating Water-Quality Parameters, Charles Bostater, Melissa Keller, Manuel Gimond

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

A flow through absorption tube is described and applied. The tube is similar in concept to a 50 cm pathlength cylindrical cuvette described previously by Bostater and Gimond.' The new absorption tube allows for continuous, underway measurements of water absorption signatures. Water is allowed to flow through the tube, and in this way the spectral change or track ofabsorption can be measured as a function oftime or space when operated from a stationary or moving platform. Data gathered from various environments ranging from very turbid to clear water is analyzed and described. Concentrations of chlorophyll-a, suspended matter, and dissolved organic …

Sea Turtle Conservation Program, Broward County, Fl 1997 Report, Curtis M. Burney, William E. Margolis

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Since 1978, the Broward County Environmental Protection Department (BCEPD) has provided for the conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtle species within its area of responsibility. Broward County is within the normal nesting areas of three species of sea turtles: the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). The loggerhead is listed as a threatened species, while the green and leatherback are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, 1973, and Chapter 370, F.S.

Since these statutes strictly forbid any disturbance …

Spatial Analysis Of The Cause Of Mercury Contamination Of Fish In Arkansas - A Report Submitted To The Arkansas Mercury Task Force, H. S. Lin, H. D. Scott

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

There have been concerns about mercury (Hg) contamination in fish in Arkansas since the discovery of the problem in the Ouachita River in 1992 (Armstrong et aI., 1995). Of the more than 170 lakes and streams sampled by the Mercury Task Force from 1992 through 1994, 23% had fish with Hg concentrations exceeding the FDA Action Level of 1 ppm (Armstrong et aI., 1995). Cause of the fish Hg contamination, however, is unknown. Given the economic, human-health and environmental costs associated with fish Hg contamination, it is critical that the cause of this widely-spread problem be identified. Determination of the …

Wetland Resources Of Eastern South Dakota, Rex R. Johnson, Kenneth F. Higgins

Natural Resource Management Faculty Books

The mere mention of the word "wetland" in coffee shops and other gathering places on the prairies today brings out emotions and opinions that run the gamut from saving them all to draining them all. To some people, what we do with wetlands has been, and still is, a personal choice, a matter of exercising individual rights on private property. To others, wetlands are community resources that provide values that touch all of society. They contend that what is done to and about wetlands is a community decision regardless of ownership. Herein lies the controversy we have experienced over wetlands …

Potential Regional Impacts Of Global Warming On Precipitation In The Western United States, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Meterology

Snow and melting of the snowpack provide the principal supply of water to much of the Western United States. Whether global warming threatens this water supply is the focus of this research. This study builds upon a previous Global Climate Change Response Program investigation. Charts were generated of four geopotential height parameters for a domain covering the eastern North Pacific Ocean and western North America. Out of 131 total winter months (from 1946-89), 35 were selected as analogues.

Monthly mean precipitation values for areas in western Montana, northern Utah, and east central Arizona were compared with median values for the …

Investigation Of The Statistical And Spatial Distributions Of Mercury Contaminated Fish, Surface Waters And Soils In Arkansas, H. D. Scott, J. M. Mckimmey

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Mercury (Hg) contamination of fish is a widespread problem throughout much of the United States and the world (Louisiana WWW page, 1997). Levels ofHg in fish suffic1ent to exceed the FDA action level of 1 mg kg-1 have been found in many water bodies, including some in Arkansas and Louisiana. As a result of the serious public health ramifications for developing fetuses and for people that subsist on native fish, fish consumption advisories due to Hg contamination have been issued in 29 states. Contamination of surface water bodies by Hg results from deforestation, forest fires, fossil fuels, mining, natural emissions …

Climate Records In Coral Skeletons, Peter K. Swart, Richard E. Dodge

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

No abstract provided.

Barium Chronologies From South Florida Reef Corals - Environmental Implications, D. Anderegg, Richard E. Dodge, Peter K. Swart, L. Fisher

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Benthic algal blooms (e.g., Codium isthmocladum) have become increasingly common on reefs and hardgrounds of Southeast Florida. The contribution from possible responsible nutrient sources, including natural upwelling and local pollution, has not been quantified. In an attempt to differentiate each potential source, lattice-bound barium concentrations in the skeletons of two common Southeast Florida stony coral species (Montastraea faveolata and Solenastrea bournoni) were measured by isotope dilution inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP/MS). Specimens were collected offshore between 26˚01'-57'N at shallow (10m) and deep (20m) reefs. X-rays of skeletal slabs revealed annual density bands which guided annual and subannual …

Fall 1997, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Winter 1997, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Summer 1997, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of The Aquatic Ecology Of Side-Canyons And The Main Channel Of Lake Powell 1997, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Kirsten L. Gallo

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Physical characteristics of lakes are highly interrelated with biological characteristics. We measured and analyzed the physical characteristics of two side canyons in order to better understand differences in productivity between side canyons and the main channel and to provide general information on the characteristics of the lake.

Fresh-Water Aquifer In The Knox Group (Cambrian–Ordovician) Of Central Kentucky, James A. Kipp

Report of Investigations--KGS

Fresh water can be found in Cambrian and Ordovician carbonate rocks of the Knox Group in central Kentucky. The top of the aquifer is as much as 300 ft above mean sea level (m.s.l.) on the crest of the Cincinnati Arch, but descends off the flanks of the arch. Water is normally found in the upper 100 to 250 ft of the Knox, primarily in secondary porosity apparently associated with the unconformity at the top of the unit. Knox wells commonly exceed 750 ft in total depth, but because the aquifer is artesian, water rises to an elevation of about …

Spring 1997, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Ground Water, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

A geologic overview of the groundwater supply underlying Cheyenne County, Nebraska (1997).

Hydrogeological And Hydrochemical Connection Between The Decatur City Spring And Crystal Lake, Benton County, Arkansas, Demetra O. Salisbury, Ralph K. Davis

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Arkansas is ranked nationally in the production of broilers, laying hens, turkey, swine and beef cattle. These animals produce large volumes of waste, which are spread on pasture land as a method of disposal, as well as a source of fertilizer, resulting in nonpoint source contamination of surface water and ground water. One area of concern includes the Decatur City Spring, which provides municipal water for the city of Decatur. A total of eight sites in the surrounding area were monitored routinely for water quality parameters, including pH, specific conductance, and nitrate-nitrogen. Water temperature and spring and lake stage were …

Distribution Of Free Marine Viruses Of Lower Chesapeake Bay And Their Effects On Life-History Parameters Of The Estuarine Copepod Acartia Tonsa Dana, Lisa A. Drake

OES Theses and Dissertations

Naturally occurring viruses are very abundant in fresh, estuarine, and marine waters, with densities on the order of 10⁵-10⁸ viruses ml^-1. Research has focused on virus effects on bacteria, cyanobacteria, and phytoplankton, as well as mechanisms of virus production and decay. However, little is known about the distribution of viruses in benthic environments or virus effects on organisms in higher trophic levels.

To determine the distribution of virus-like particles (VLPs) and bacteria in the lower Chesapeake Bay, vertical profiles of VLPs and bacteria were determined through the water column and 15-25 cm into the sediment …

Modeling Plankton Community Structure Under Environmental Forcing On The Southeastern United States Continental Shelf, Andrew Glenn Edward Haskell

OES Theses and Dissertations

A system of coupled ordinary differential equations was developed to investigate the time-dependent behavior of phytoplankton, copepod, and doliolid populations associated with upwelling features on the outer southeastern U.S. continental shelf. Model equations describe the interactions of nitrate, ammonium, two phytoplankton size fractions, five copepod developmental stages, doliolids, and a detrital pool. Model dynamics are based primarily upon data obtained from field and laboratory experiments made for southeastern U.S. continental shelf plankton populations. Numerous simulations were performed to investigate the effects of environmental variability on the temporal distribution of the structure of resident plankton populations. Variations on a reference simulation, …

Correlation Of Late-Pleistocene Lake-Level Oscillations In Mono Lake, California, With North Atlantic Climate Events, Larry Benson, Steve P. Lund, James W. Burdett, Michaele Kashgarian, Timothy P. Rose, Joseph P. Smoot, Martha Schwartz

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Oxygen-18 (¹⁸O) values of sediment from the Wilson Creek Formation, Mono Basin, California, indicate three scales of temporal variation (Dansgaard-Oeschger, Heinrich, and Milankovitch) in the hydrologic balance of Mono Lake between 35,400 and 12,900 ¹⁴C yr B.P. During this interval, Mono Lake experienced four lowstands each lasting from 1000 to 2000 yr. The youngest low stand, which occurred between 15,500 and 14,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P., was nearly synchronous with a desiccation of Owens Lake, California. Paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) data indicate that three of four persistent low stands occurred at the same times as Heinrich events …

A Modeling Study Of The Effects Of Size- And Depth-Dependent Predation On Larval Survival, Margaret M. Dekshenieks, Eileen E. Hofmann, John M. Klinck, Eric N. Powell

CCPO Publications

The form of the predation pressure experienced by larval stages of marine invertebrates is largely unknown. However, it is believed that the type, timing and rate of larval predation are critical in determining recruitment to adult populations. In this study, a time and depth-dependent model of the growth and behavior of larvae of the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, was used to investigate the effects of different forms of size-and depth-dependent predation on larval survivorship. The simulated larval survival for a cohort experiencing size-dependent predation showed that the greatest percent of the cohort survived to competent settlement size when the …

Nearly Synchronous Climate Change In The Northern Hemisphere During The Last Glacial Termination, Larry V. Benson, James Burdett, Steve Lund, Michaele Kashgarian, Scott Mensing

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The climate of the North Atlantic region underwent a series of abrupt cold/warm oscillations when the ice sheets of the Northern Hemisphere retreated during the last glacial termination (17,700–11,500 years ago). Evidence for these oscillations, which are recorded in European terrestrial sediments as the Oldest Dryas/Bølling/ Older Dryas/Allerød/Younger Dryas vegetational sequence, has been found in Greenland ice cores. The geographical extent of many of these oscillations is not well known, but the last major cold event (the Younger Dryas) seems to have been global in extent. Here we present evidence of four major oscillations in the hydrological balance of the …

Factors Affecting The Recruitment Of Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobsters Dwelling In Macroalgae, Mark J. Butler Iv, William F. Herrnkind, John H. Hunt

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In south Florida, Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) settle and spend their first few months in macroalgae or seagrass. After a few months, these ''algal-phase'' juveniles emerge from vegetation and, as ''postalgal-phase'' juveniles, seek refuge in crevices, often dwelling in groups. The importance of crevice shelters in determining the abundance of postalgal-phase juvenile spiny lobsters has been studied but we know little about the processes affecting lobster distribution and survival during their cryptic algal-dwelling phase. We found that postlarval supply varied independently of changes in the structure of macroalgal settlement habitat. For this reason, postlarval supply alone can not reliably …