Life Sciences Commons^™

The Ubiquitous Zonal Jets In The Atmospheres Of Giant Planets And Earth's Oceans, Boris Galperin, Hideyuki Nakano, Huei-Ping Huang, Semion Sukoriansky

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Recent eddy-permitting simulations of the North Pacific Ocean have revealed robust patterns of multiple zonal jets that visually resemble the zonal jets on giant planets. We argue that this resemblance is more than just visual because the energy spectrum of the oceanic jets obeys a power law that fits spectra of zonal flows on the outer planets. Remarkably, even the non-dimensional proportionality coefficient, CZ, determined by data under that spectral law, appears to be constant for all cases and approximately equal to 0.5. These results indicate that the multiple jet sets in the ocean and in the atmospheres of giant …

The Measurement And Interpretation Of Coastal Cliff And Bluff Retreat, Cheryl J. Hapke

Marine Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Hydrous Melting And Fractionation Model For Mid‐Ocean Ridge Basalts: Application To The Mid‐Atlantic Ridge Near The Azores, P. D. Asimow, Jacqueline E. Dixon, C. H. Langmuir

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The major element, trace element, and isotopic composition of mid‐ocean ridge basalt glasses affected by the Azores hotspot are strongly correlated with H₂O content of the glass. Distinguishing the relative importance of source chemistry and potential temperature in ridge‐hotspot interaction therefore requires a comprehensive model that accounts for the effect of H₂O in the source on melting behavior and for the effect of H₂O in primitive liquids on the fractionation path. We develop such a model by coupling the latest version of the MELTS algorithm to a model for partitioning of water among silicate …

Tectonic/Volcanic Segmentation And Controls On Hydrothermal Venting Along Earth's Fastest Seafloor Spreading System, Epr 27°–32°S, Richard Hey, Edward Baker, Delwayne Bohnenstiehl, Gary Massoth, Martin Kleinrock, Fernando Martinez, David Naar, Debra Pardee, John Lupton, Richard Feely, Jim Gharib, Joe Resing, Cristian Rodrigo, Francis Sansone, Sharon Walker

Marine Science Faculty Publications

We have collected 12 kHz SeaBeam bathymetry and 120 kHz DSL-120 side-scan sonar and bathymetry data to determine the tectonic and volcanic segmentation along the fastest spreading (∼150 km/Myr) part of the global mid-ocean ridge system, the southern East Pacific Rise between the Easter and Juan Fernandez microplates. This area is presently reorganizing by large-scale dueling rift propagation and possible protomicroplate tectonics. Fracture patterns observed in the side-scan data define structural segmentation scales along these ridge segments. These sometimes, but not always, correlate with linear volcanic systems defining segmentation in the SeaBeam data. Some of the subsegments behave cohesively, with …

Interannual Volume Variability In The Tropical Pacific, Christina L. Holland, Gary T. Mitchum

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The question of whether or not the volume of the tropical Pacific changes over the course of an El Niño event has potentially important consequences for our understanding of the dynamical mechanisms responsible for El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. In this study, we examine the volume variability of the tropical Pacific, defined as the areal integral of the sea surface height variability, using TOPEX/Poseidon altimetric sea surface heights and the output of a numerical model. We find that volume gradually builds up in the tropical Pacific prior to a typical ENSO event and rapidly decreases during the event due to …

Large Scale Ocean Circulation From The Grace Ggm01 Geoid, B. D. Tapley, D. Chambers, S. Bettadpur, J. C. Ries

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The GRACE Gravity Model 01 (GGM01), computed from 111 days of GRACE K-band ranging (KBR) data, is differenced from a global mean sea surface (MSS) computed from a decade of satellite altimetry to determine a mean dynamic ocean topography (DOT). As a test of the GGM01 gravity model, large-scale zonal and meridional surface geostrophic currents are computed from the topography and are compared with those derived from a mean hydrographic surface. Reduction in residual RMS between the two by 30–60% (and increased correlation) indicates that the GGM01 geoid represents a dramatic improvement over older geoid models, which were developed from …

Ocean Observer Study: A Proposed National Asset To Augment The Future U. S. Operational Satellite System, John D. Cunningham, Don P. Chambers, Curtiss O. Davis, Andrew Gerber, Rosalind Hetz, James P. Mcguire, William Pichel

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The next generation of U.S. polar orbiting environmental satellites, are now under development. These satellites, jointly developed by the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Commerce (DOC), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will be known as the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). It is expected that the first of these satellites will be launched in 2010. NPOESS has been designed to meet the operational needs of the U.S. civilian meteorological, environmental, climatic, and space environmental remote sensing programs, and the Global Military Space and Geophysical Environmental remote sensing programs. This system, however, did not …

New Evidence For Enhanced Ocean Primary Production Triggered By Tropical Cyclone, I. Lin, W. Timothy Liu, Chun-Chieh Wu, George T. F. Wong, Chuanmin Hu, Zhiqiang Chen, Wen-Der Liang, Yih Yang, Kon-Kee Liu

Marine Science Faculty Publications

New evidence based on recent satellite data is presented to provide a rare opportunity in quantifying the long-speculated contribution of tropical cyclones to enhance ocean primary production. In July 2000, moderate cyclone Kai-Tak passed over the South China Sea (SCS). During its short 3-day stay, Kai-Tak triggered an average 30-fold increase in surface chlorophyll-a concentration. The estimated carbon fixation resulting from this event alone is 0.8 Mt, or 2–4% of SCS's annual new production. Given an average of 14 cyclones passing over the SCS annually, we suggest the long-neglected contribution of tropical cyclones to SCS's annual new production may be …

Phytoplankton Response To Intrusions Of Slope Water On The West Florida Shelf: Models And Observations, John J. Walsh, Robert H. Weisberg, Dwight A. Dieterle, Ruoying He, Brian P. Darrow, Jason K. Jolliff, Kristen M. Lester, Gabriel A. Vargo, Gary J. Kirkpatrick, Kent A. Fanning, Tracy T. Sutton, Ann E. Jochens, Douglas C. Biggs, Bisman Nababan, Chuanmin Hu, Frank E. Muller-Karger

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Previous hypotheses had suggested that upwelled intrusions of nutrient‐rich Gulf of Mexico slope water onto the West Florida Shelf (WFS) led to formation of red tides of Karenia brevis. However, coupled biophysical models of (1) wind‐ and buoyancy‐driven circulation, (2) three phytoplankton groups (diatoms, K. brevis, and microflagellates), (3) these slope water supplies of nitrate and silicate, and (4) selective grazing stress by copepods and protozoans found that diatoms won in one 1998 case of no light limitation by colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). The diatoms lost to K. brevis during another CDOM case of the models. In …

Local And Deep-Ocean Forcing Contributions To Anomalous Water Properties On The West Florida Shelf, Robert H. Weisberg, Ruoying He

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Material property distributions on continental shelves result from the mixing and modifications of estuarine and deep-ocean source waters. How this occurs depends on the momentum and buoyancy that are input either locally on the shelf or from the deep-ocean at the shelf break. We address this question of local versus deep-ocean forcing for the West Florida Shelf (WFS) using in situ data and a numerical circulation model. The spring and summer seasons of 1998 and 1999 show distinctively different water properties on the shelf and at the shelf break. We account for these differences by a combination of local forcing, …

Millennial- To Century-Scale Variability In Gulf Of Mexico Holocene Climate Records, R. Z. Poore, H. J. Dowsett, S. Verardo, Terrence M. Quinn

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Proxy records from two piston cores in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) provide a detailed (50–100 year resolution) record of climate variability over the last 14,000 years. Long‐term (millennial‐scale) trends and changes are related to the transition from glacial to interglacial conditions and movement of the average position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) related to orbital forcing. The δ¹⁸O of the surface‐dwelling planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber show negative excursions between 14 and 10.2 ka (radiocarbon years) that reflect influx of meltwater into the western GOM during melting of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The relative abundance of the …

Chlorophyll Dispersal By Eddy-Eddy Interactions In The Gulf Of Mexico, M. Toner, A. D. Kirwan, A. C. Poje, L. H. Kantha, Frank E. Muller-Karger, C. K. R. T. Jones

Marine Science Faculty Publications

A Lagrangian analysis of the transport and dispersal of plumes observed in satellite‐derived ocean color images was conducted using a data‐assimilating model of the Gulf of Mexico. The interaction between pervasive cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies in the Gulf generated advective paths that connect remote shelf regions. These paths aligned remarkably well with the plume events recorded with the chlorophyll‐a ocean color product from SeaWiFS. Two such events were studied. In one event material was transported in a thin strip between the northern wall of the Loop Current and an adjacent cyclone, connecting the eastern Campheche shelf (off the Yucatan Peninsula) …

Evaluation Of Automated Ribotyping As A Tool For Bacterial Source Tracking In Aquatic Environments, Tracy L. Idocks

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An Escherichia coli ribotype profile library was created for the Tampa Bay watershed for application to bacterial source tracking of human or non-human fecal contamination to the bay and surrounding rivers. Bacterial source tracking uses a variety of methods to identify the source of fecal contamination, not just the quantity of the indicator bacteria present, allowing implementation of effective management practices. The 700 confirmed E. coli isolate library was equally distributed among four sources: human, bird, dog and cow. The library was tested for applicability for source tracking within the Tampa Bay watershed. The DuPont Qualicon RiboPrinter® Microbial Characterization System, …

Assessment Of Current And New Methods For Investigating The Occurrence Of Enteric Pathogens In Ambient Waters And Water Sources For Rehydration Of A Floridan Wetland, Walter Quintero-Betancourt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water quality assessment is currently used for determining the risks from contamination with waterborne pathogenic microorganisms. The public health. significance of such microorganisms cannot be fully understood without the application of reliable environmental monitoring techniques that provide efficient recovery as well as information on the infectious potential of specific isolates. This research was carried out to assess the analytical performance of current and new methods for investigating the occurrence of waterborne Cryptosporidium oocysts in samples of surface water, groundwater and reclaimed water used for public access irrigation in the State of Florida.

Method 1623 of the U.S Environmental Protection Agency …

A Loop Current Intrusion Case Study On The West Florida Shelf, Ruoying He, Robert H. Weisberg

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The Gulf of Mexico Loop Current intruded upon the West Florida continental shelf in June 2000. In situ currents and hydrography along with satellite temperature and altimetry measurements are used to describe this event and its effects on the shelf. A strong southward current is observed to flow along the shelf slope seaward of the intruded water boundary. This current transported cold, nutrient-rich water from the north, thereby producing anomalous hydrographic features near the shelf break (80-m isobath). An array of moored velocity profilers reveals that the currents landward of the intruded water are independent of the Loop Current and …

New Topex Sea State Bias Models And Their Effect On Global Mean Sea Level, D. P. Chambers, S. A. Hayes, J. C. Ries, T. J. Urban

Marine Science Faculty Publications

[1] During the calibration of the Jason-1 altimeter, it was discovered that the Jason-TOPEX sea surface height (SSH) residuals contained a trend correlated with significant wave height (SWH), indicating an error in the sea state bias (SSB) model for one or both of the altimeters. After updating the SSB model for Jason the trend remained, which pointed to an error in the TOPEX model. Since two different TOPEX altimeters (TOPEX_A and TOPEX_B) have operated during the mission, we estimated new SSB models using data from each one. The estimated SSB model for TOPEX_B is significantly different than the model provided …

El Niño Tropical Pacific Ocean Surface Current And Temperature Evolution In 2002 And Outlook For Early 2003, Gary S. Lagerloef, Roger Lukas, Fabrice Bonjean, John T. Gunn, Gary T. Mitchum, Mark Bourassa, Antonio J. Busalacchi

Marine Science Faculty Publications

[1] The timing and magnitude of the 2002–2003 El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) warm episode has been monitored for the first time with near real time satellite-derived surface current (SC) fields in addition to the operational temperature, wind and sea level satellite and in situ measurements previously used. The record of the past decade shows that dominant SC anomalies generally lead ENSO sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies by 2.5–3 months, and that a rapid SC anomaly reversal has coincided with the peak SST of warm events. During September to December 2002, SST anomalies increased and spread eastward in conjunction with strong, …

Submarine Strombolian Eruptions On The Gorda Mid‐Ocean Ridge, David A. Clague, Alicé S. Davis, Jacqueline E. Dixon

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Compositionally variable limu o Pele occurs in widely distributed sediments collected during ROV Tiburon dives along the Gorda Ridge axis. The fragments formed deeper than the critical depth of seawater and are unlikely to be formed by supercritical expansion of seawater upon heating in contact with hot lava. Discharge of C02 through erupting lava is the most likely way to make such bub­bles at >298 bars pressure. The distribution and composition of limu o Pele frag­ments indicate that low-energy strombolian activity is a common, although minor, component of eruptions along mid-ocean ridges. Combined dissolved and exsolved volatile contents of N-MORB …

Surface And Deep Ocean Circulation In The Subpolar North Atlantic During The Mid-Pleistocene Revolution, Amy K. Wright, Benjamin P. Flower

Marine Science Faculty Publications

We investigated surface and deep ocean variability in the subpolar North Atlantic from 1000 to 500 thousand years ago (ka) based on two Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) sites, Feni drift site 980 (55°29′N, 14°42′W) and Bjorn drift site 984 (61°25′N, 24°04′W). Benthic foraminiferal stable isotope data, planktic foraminiferal faunas, ice‐rafted debris data, and faunally based sea‐surface temperature estimates help test the hypothesis that oceanographic changes in the North Atlantic region were associated with the onset of the 100‐kyr world during the mid‐Pleistocene revolution. Based on percentage of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (s) records from both sites, surface waters during interglacials and glacials …

A Multiproxy Approach To Reconstructing Sea Surface Conditions Using Coral Skeleton Geochemistry, Terrence M. Quinn, Daniel E. Sampson

Marine Science Faculty Publications

[1] We use elemental ratio (Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, U/Ca and Ba/Ca) and oxygen isotope data from a Porites lutea coral head collected from offshore Amedee Island, New Caledonia (22degrees29'S, 166degrees28'E) to assess the degree to which changes in these geochemical variables reflect variations in sea surface conditions. We have assessed the robustness of each geochemical proxy by comparing 25 years (1992-1968) of monthly geochemical variations with a local record of sea surface temperature (SST) and with the appropriate 1degrees by 1degrees grid box from a global gridded SST data set. We conclude from our comparison that the most consistent proxies of …

Volatiles In Basaltic Glasses From The Easter‐Salas Y Gomez Seamount Chain And Easter Microplate: Implications For Geochemical Cycling Of Volatile Elements, Kyla Simons, Jacqueline Dixon, Jean‐Guy Schilling, Richard Kingsley, Robert Poreda

Marine Science Faculty Publications

We present H₂O, CO₂, and Cl concentrations in 66 basaltic glasses from the Easter Microplate (EMP) and Easter‐Salas y Gomez Seamount Chain (ESC) system in the southeastern Pacific. The EMP‐ESC system is characterized by binary mixing between a depleted mid‐ocean ridge basalt (MORB) mantle source (DMM) and an incompatible element and radiogenic isotope enriched source, the Salas y Gomez mantle plume (SyG). Plume material is channeled toward the ridge crest centered at ∼27°S on the east rift of the microplate. Water concentrations on the EMP are highest on the east rift at ∼27°S and become progressively …

Satellite Images Track “Black Water” Event Off Florida Coast, South-West Florida Dark-Water Observations Group (Swfdog), Robert H. Weisberg, Chuanmin Hu

Marine Science Faculty Publications

A mass of dark water, at times exceeding 60 km in diameter and spinning slowly in a clockwise eddy, occupied most of the Florida Bight between January and March 2002, capturing the attention of fishermen, the public, and government agencies. The “black water,” as it was dubbed in the national and international press (for example, see http://www.naplesnews.com), was first reported by fishery pilots in the Florida Bight in January 2002. Fishermen reported that fish were not to be found in the black water and there were dead sponges in the vicinity, suggesting that the area could be a “dead zone” …

Drilling Reveals Climatic Consequences Of Tasmanian Gateway Opening, Neville Exon, Jim Kennett, Mitch Malone, Henk Brinkhuis, George Chaproniere, Atsuhito Ennyu, Patrick Fothergill, Michael Fuller, Marianne Grauert, Peter Hill, Amelia E. Shevenell

Marine Science Faculty Publications

One of the great stories of geoscience is how Gondwana broke up and the other southern continents drifted northward from Antarctica, which led to major changes in global climate.

The recent drilling of Ocean Drilling Project (ODP) Leg 189 addressed in detail what happened as Australia drifted away from Antarctica and the Tasmanian Gateway opened. The drifting contributed to the change in global climate, from relatively warm early Cenozoic “greenhouse” conditions to late Cenozoic “icehouse” conditions. It isolated Antarctica from warm gyral surface currents from the north and provided the critical deepwater conduits that eventually led to ocean conveyor circulation …

Antarctic Holocene Climate Change: A Benthic Foraminiferal Stable Isotope Record From Palmer Deep, Amelia E. Shevenell, James P. Kennett

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The first moderate‐ to high‐resolution Holocene marine stable isotope record from the nearshore Antarctic continental shelf (Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Hole 1098B) suggests sensitivity of the western Antarctic Peninsula hydrography to westerly wind strength and El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO)‐like climate variability. Despite proximity to corrosive Antarctic water masses, sufficient CaCO₃ in Palmer Deep sediments exists to provide a high‐quality stable isotopic record (especially in the late Holocene). Coherence of benthic foraminifer δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C, sedimentologic, and CaCO₃ fluctuations suggests that rapid (years) Palmer Deep bottom water temperature fluctuations of 1°–1.5°C are associated with competitive interactions …

D/H Ratios In Basalt Glasses From The Salas Y Gomez Mantle Plume Interacting With The East Pacific Rise: Water From Old D‐Rich Recycled Crust Or Primordial Water From The Lower Mantle?, Richard Kingsley, Jean-Guy Schilling, Jacqueline E. Dixon, Peter Swart, Robert Poreda, Kyla Simons

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Deuterium/Hydrogen isotope ratios were measured in 22 fresh basalt glasses dredged from young seamounts along the Easter‐Salas y Gomez seamount chain (ESC) and from the spreading centers of the Easter Microplate (EMP). The δD values decrease regularly from −36‰ near Salas y Gomez to −63‰, 800 km west on the East Pacific Rise (EPR) and the west rift of the EMP. Similar gradients are observed in H₂O, Pb and Sr radiogenic isotope ratios, trace element concentrations, and in the ratios of incompatible to moderately incompatible trace elements. Fractionation of the D/H ratios by recent low‐temperature near surface processes …

Correlated Geophysical, Geochemical, And Volcanological Manifestations Of Plume‐Ridge Interaction Along The Galápagos Spreading Center, R. S. Detrick, J. M. Sinton, G. Ito, J. P. Canales, M. Behn, T. Balcic, B. Cushman, Jacqueline E. Dixon, D. W. Graham, J. J. Mahoney

Marine Science Faculty Publications

As the Galápagos hot spot is approached from the west along the Galápagos Spreading Center there are systematic increases in crustal thickness and in the K/Ti, Nb/Zr, ³He/⁴He, H₂O, and Na₂O content of lavas recovered from the spreading axis. These increases correlate with progressive transitions from rift valley to axial high morphology along with decreases in average swell depth, residual mantle Bouguer gravity anomaly, magma chamber depth, average lava Mg #, Ca/Al ratio, and the frequency of point‐fed versus fissure‐fed volcanism. Magma chamber depth and axial morphology display a “threshold” effect in which …

Low-Frequency Variations In Global Mean Sea Level: 1950–2000, D. P. Chambers, C. A. Mehlhaff, T. J. Urban, D. Fujii, R. S. Nerem

Marine Science Faculty Publications

[1] Low-frequency variability in global mean sea level (GMSL) is studied for the period 1950–2000 by interpolating sparse tide gauge data to a global grid using empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) of sea level variability determined from TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) altimeter data. Results are based on data with long-term trends removed. The fact that the results do not have secular trends is an artifact of the analysis and should not be interpreted as an indication that sea level is not rising. The EOF reconstruction technique is discussed, and the resulting GMSL time series is compared to GMSL time series from Geosat and …

Estimates Of Vertical Crustal Motion Derived From Differences Of Topex/Poseidon And Tide Gauge Sea Level Measurements, R. S. Nerem, G. T. Mitchum

Marine Science Faculty Publications

[1] We have computed estimates of the rate of vertical crustal motion from differences of sea level measurements made by the TOPEX/POSEIDON radar altimeter and a globally distributed network of 114 tide gauges. A rigorous error analysis was performed which suggests the accuracy of the estimated vertical rates is approximately 1–2 mm/year for roughly half of the tide gauges, which is sufficiently accurate to detect a variety of geophysical phenomena. While only a cursory analysis of the estimated crustal motion rates was performed, we observed many interesting phenomena including significant uplift at volcanic islands in the Pacific and uplift of …

Intra-Annual Variation In The Stable Oxygen And Carbon And Trace Element Composition Of Sclerosponges, P. K. Swart, S. Thorrold, B. Rosenheim, A. Eisenhauer, C. G. A. Harrison, M. Grammer, C. Latkoczy

Marine Science Faculty Publications

[1] This paper presents data to support the presence of (1) intra-annual signals in the chemical composition (δ18O and Sr/Ca) of the skeletons of sclerosponges from the Bahamas and (2) variable rates of skeletal accretion. These conclusions are based on data obtained by using a microsampling method for the stable oxygen and carbon isotopes in which material was extracted at a resolution of one sample every 34 μm and a laser microprobe which obtained trace element data every 20 μm (Sr, Mg, and Pb). An age model was established using a combination of changes in the concentration of Pb, the …

U.S. Southern Ocean Global Ecosystems Dynamics Program, Eileen E. Hofmann, John M. Klinck, Dan P. Costa, Kendra L. Daly, Joseph J. Torres, William R. Fraser

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The first scientific exploration of the Antarctic dates to the end of the seventeenth century, when Sir Edmund Halley ventured just south of the Polar Front (about 60°S). During the following century, many scientific expeditions were undertaken to explore and describe the vast oceans surrounding the Antarctic continent. One of these expeditions, aboard the Belgian vessel, Belgica, provided the first winter scientific observations when it became beset in sea ice and spent the winter of 1898 drifting off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. About fifteen years later, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew overwintered on Elephant Island, …