Marine Biology Commons^™

2003 Great Bay Organic Nitrogen (Pon & Don) And Light Extinction (Par) Monitoring Program, Jonathan Pennock

PREP Reports & Publications

EPA is developing water qulaity criteria for estuaries that require knowledge of both total nitrogen and light availability (measured as photsynthetically active radiation, PAR). Through the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP), inorganic nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll-a concetration, and a number of hydrographic and water quality parameters are sampled on a monthly basis at 7 sites in the Great Bay system. In addition, these same parameters, as well as bacteria concentrations, are measured at a number of sites in Great Bay and Hampton Harbor through the National Coastal Assessment (NCA) funded through the EPA. This project takes advantage …

Dockside Shellfish Aquaculture Project, Smith, B, Jennifer Kennedy, Stanley Sinitski

PREP Reports & Publications

The intent of this project was to train private dock owners and marina personnel how to deploy and maintain “spat collectors” under their docks in an effort to capture commercially important shellfish larvae, scallops and oysters in particular, with a minimum amount of effort and cost. The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) provided major funding for this phase of the project, with addition funding from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) and the Gulf of Maine Council (GOMC). This year’s effort expands upon the pilot studies that were funded previously by the New Hampshire Coastal Program (NHCP) and …

Decadal Variability Of Circulation In The Arctic Ocean Retrieved From Climatological Data By A Variational Method, Dmitri A. Nechaev, Max Yaremchuk, Motoyoshi Ikeda

Faculty Publications

[1] An inverse 3D finite-element ocean circulation model has been designed and used to study variability of the Arctic Ocean circulation in the last 4 decades. We obtained stationary model solutions with the temperature and salinity fields close to the ones given by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) [1998] atlas. Transports at the open boundaries, wind forcing and hydrographic fields are treated as unknowns, which are varied to minimize a quadratic cost function subject to model constraints. The inverse problem is solved for 10 gridded hydrographic data sets that were obtained as winter and summer averages of EWG data over …

Eelgrass Distribution In The Great Bay Estuary 2002, Frederick T. Short

PREP Reports & Publications

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is an essential habitat for the Great Bay Estuary (GBE) because it provides food for wintering waterfowl and habitat for juvenile fish. Eelgrass is the basis of an estuarine food chain that supports many of the recreational, commercial and ecologically important species in the estuary. Additionally, eelgrass filters estuarine waters, removing both nutrients and suspended sediments from the water column. Eelgrass in the Great Bay Estuary is the largest monoculture in the State of New Hampshire and is considered a vital resource to the State’s marine environment. The UNH Seagrass Ecology Group has mapped the distribution of …

Ambient Rivers Monitoring In Nh Coastal Watersheds 2004, Natalie Landry

PREP Reports & Publications

The Department of Environmental Services (DES) received funding from the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) to conduct monitoring activities in 2004. The activities described in this report were led by the DES Watershed Assistance Section and involved water monitoring in tidal tributaries. These monitoring activities were completed with the overall purpose of improving the understanding of water quality trends. The Department of Environmental Services completed all tasks as planned. This report includes the sample collection information, field data, and laboratory data. Data summaries and interpretations will come at a later time in other DES and NHEP publications.

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 6 - Anglers Guide To Assessing Reproductive Stage In Fish, Kim Smith, Mike Mackie, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

What is a gonad?

"Gonad" is a general term for a reproductive organ, and is used to describe both ovaries and testes. In male and female fish, the gonad is an elongated organ lying along the upper wall of the gut cavity (i.e. running immediately under the vertebral column). The gonad gonad has 2 lobes. Both lobes are attached to the body near the anus and extend forward inside the gut cavity.

As fish gonads ripen, they become larger, heavier and change colour. Immature and undeveloped adult gonads are very small, strap-like in shape, pinkish in colour and translucent (i.e. …

Spring 2004, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Translocation As A Strategy To Rehabilitate The Queen Conch (Strombus Gigas) Population In The Florida Keys, Gabriel A. Delgado, Claudine T. Bartels, Robert A. Glazer, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson, Kevin J. Mccarthy

Faculty Publications

Queen conch (Strombus gigas) stocks in the Florida Keys once supported commercial and recreational fisheries, but overharvesting has decimated this once abundant snail. Despite a ban on harvesting this species since 1985, the local conch population has not recovered. In addition, previous work has reported that conch located in nearshore Keys waters are incapable of spawning because of poor gonadal condition, although reproduction does occur offshore. Queen conch in other areas undergo ontogenetic migrations from shallow, nearshore sites to offshore habitats, but conch in the Florida Keys are prevented from doing so by Hawk Channel. The present study was initiated …

A New Method For Estimation Of The Sensible Heat Flux Under Unstable Conditions Using Satellite Vector Winds, Jiayi Pan, Xiao-Hai Yan, Young-Heon Jo, Quanan Zheng, W. Timothy Liu

Faculty Publications

It has been difficult to estimate the sensible heat flux at the air - sea interface using satellite data because of the difficulty in remotely observing the sea level air temperature. In this study, a new method is developed for estimating the sensible heat flux using satellite observations under unstable conditions. The basic idea of the method is that the air - sea temperature difference is related to the atmospheric convergence. Employed data include the wind convergence, sea level humidity, and sea surface temperature. These parameters can be derived from the satellite wind vectors, Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) precipitable …

Relating Water And Otolith Chemistry In Chesapeake Bay, And Their Potential To Identify Essential Seagrass Habitats For Juveniles Of An Estuarine-Dependent Fish, Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion Nebulosus), Emmanis Dorval

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A quantitative understanding of habitat use of estuarine-dependent fishes is critical to the conservation of their most essential habitats. Because recruitment and fitness may be influenced by the quality of juvenile habitats, developing methods to quantify habitat-specific survivorship is pivotal to such understanding. An initial step to quantify survivorship is to validate the habitat-specific natural tags contained in otoliths. To this aim I investigated the variability in the chemistry of surface waters and otoliths of juvenile spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus, in five seagrass habitats of Chesapeake Bay, namely: Potomac, Rappahannock, York, Island, and Eastern Shore. I measured Mg, Ca, …

Granit Conservation Lands Data Layer Update, Fay A. Rubin, Christopher M. Phaneuf

PREP Reports & Publications

The Complex Systems Research Center (CSRC) at the University of New Hampshire has developed, implemented, and coordinated the GRANIT GIS clearinghouse since its inception in the mid 1980’s. One of the primary data sets maintained by CSRC and served through the clearinghouse is the GRANIT Conservation and Protected Lands Data Layer. This data set contains a digital record of parcels of land of two or more acres that are mostly undeveloped and are protected from future development. Smaller parcels that adjoin previously mapped parcels or represent unique features, such as a bog or state-owned boat ramp, may also be included …

Protecting Hampton Harbor Watershed Project, Degnan, T, Rockingham County Conservation District

PREP Reports & Publications

The purpose of this project was to provide significant educational efforts promoting land and water resource protection for two communities within the Hampton Harbor Watershed. The project was to include educational efforts aimed at promoting the NHEP Management Plan’s action items for protecting critical land and water resources, to provide sustained technical assistance that involved resource prioritization, support for public relations campaigns for open space bond campaigns, and the preparation of funding applications for important shoreland protection projects for the communities of Hampton and Hampton Falls. The project focus area was not defined, as much of the open undeveloped acreage …

Evaluation Of The Effects Of Stage Fluctuations On Overwinter Survial And Movement Of Young Colorado Pikeminnow In The Green River, Utah, 1999-2002, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Agriculture

Each component of the Flaming Gorge Winter study had specific objectives to address oncerning the effects of winter operations of Flaming Gorge Dam on the survival, distribution, and ursery habitats of age-O Colorado pileeminnow. n Table I, study objectives for each project are resented and the reader is directed to the relevant draft report. The Colorado River Fish Project-Vernal, tah, was responsible for conducting field investigations (i.e., population estimates, winter fish sampling, nd monitoring stage fluctuations) in the alluvial reach occupied by age-O Colorado pileeminnow. olorado State University was responsible for characterizing movement rates under simulated winter onditions; and developing …

A Fossil Coral Perspective On Western Tropical Pacific Climate Similar To 350 Ka, K. H. Kilbourne, Terrence M. Quinn, F. W. Taylor

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The nature of tropical climate variability ∼350 ka is addressed using δ¹⁸O and Sr/Ca records from a modern and a fossil coral from Vanuatu (southwestern tropical Pacific Ocean). Modern El Niño events at Vanuatu produce positive coral δ¹⁸O and Sr/Ca anomalies; similar anomalies observed in the fossil coral records suggest that El Niño was operative 350 kyr ago. Seasonal variations in coral Sr/Ca, a sea surface temperature (SST) proxy, have the same amplitude in both corals, whereas seasonal δ¹⁸O variations are smaller in the fossil coral than in the modern coral. This is consistent …

Cultivation Of Wrack Collected Seagrasses, Irene Arpayoglou

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Macrogeographic Genetic Structure In Acanthephyra Curtirostris (Oplophoridae), John Russell Scarbrough

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The vast oceanic living space on our planet is occupied by zooplankton species long assumed to be widespread and genetically undifferentiated across their species range. Recently, however, data from sensitive DNA-based molecular markers has shown that many cryptic species exist in the sea and that marine zooplankton species may be more genetically structured than previously thought. In the oceanic environment, the deep-sea appears to be particularly homogeneous with few observable barriers to gene flow and it is also less studied. DNA-based investigations of genetic diversity in the deep-sea are needed to help determine the spatial scale over which species and …

Municipal Conservation Outreach And Technical Assistance, Taylor, J, Dorothy Tripp Taylor

PREP Reports & Publications

The New Hampshire Estuaries project awarded a grant of $24,700 to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests in May of 2002 for municipal conservation outreach and technical assistance in the area of municipal funds for permanent land conservation. SPNHF, working in close partnership with the Center for Land Conservation Assistance, conducted research into available mechanisms and funding sources for municipal conservation efforts. A publication summarizing the available options and providing information and case studies from a variety of New Hampshire towns was produced. Saving Special Places – Community Funding for Land Conservation, was distributed in December of …

Biopotentials Of Ulva Fasciata And Hypnea Musciformis Collected From The Peninsular Coast Of India, Joseph Selvin, Aaron Premnath Lipton

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The secondary metabolites of seaweeds Ulva fasciata and Hypnea musciformis, collected form southeast and southwest coast of India, were tested for biotoxicity potential. Both species showed potent activity in antibacterial, brine shrimp cytotoxicity, larvicidal, antifouling and ichthyotoxicity assays. The green alga U. fasciata exhibited broad-spectrum antibacterial activity whereas the red alga H. musciformis showed narrow spectrum antibacterial activity. The brine shrimp cytotoxicity profile indicated that the seaweeds were moderately toxic. The overall activity profile indicated that U. fasciata contained more biological potency than H. musciformis.

Cheloniidae (Marine Turtle) Nest Predation, John Woolard, Richard M. Engeman, Henry T. Smith, John Griner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

On 19 June 2003 at 0217 h, an opossum (Didelphis virginiana) was observed for 10 min while digging into a marine turtle nest and eating 4 eggs on the beach at St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park (SLIPSP) on Jupiter Island, Florida. The predation event was observed using night vision equipment as part of nightly patrols to protect turtle nests from raccoon (Procyon lotor) and armadillo (Dasypus noverncinctus) predation during the nesting season. After verification of an ongoing predation event, the opossum was euthanized and removed. Prior to implementing predator removal on this beach, …

New Species Of Eustomias (Teleostei: Stomiidae) From The Western North Atlantic, With A Review Of The Subgenus Neostomias, Tracey Sutton, Karsten E. Hartel

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

A new species of the deep-sea dragonfish genus Eustomias is described from 14 specimens from the western North Atlantic. This species belongs to the subgenus Neostomias, which is defined principally by the presence of a single pectoral ray, plus one small rudimentary ray. It is unique among members of the subgenus in having a combination of characters that includes a short mental barbel, multiple proximal bulbs on the barbel main stem, and a unique terminal bulb morphology. Analysis of similar species warrants resurrection of Eustomias monodactylus, previously placed in synonymy with Eustomias filifer. A revised key to …

Trophic Ecology Of The Deep-Sea Fish Malacosteus Niger (Pisces: Stomiidae): An Enigmatic Feeding Ecology To Facilitate A Unique Visual System?, Tracey Sutton

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

The ‘dragonfishes’ and their relatives (family Stomiidae) are among the top predators of the mesopelagic zone of the open ocean. Based on feeding morphology (e.g., large gape, long fangs, and no gill-rakers or ethmoid membrane), the meso/bathypelagic fish Malacosteus niger would also be expected to be a large-item predator, as are the other members of its family. However, analysis of specimens from different ocean basins revealed that the most common prey items are calanoid copepods, despite an apparent inability to handle such small prey. Malacosteus niger is considered advanced within the Stomiidae, so this feeding mode represents a secondary reversion …

Predicting Biodiversity Patterns In Deep Water Coral Ecosystems: Lessons From Phylogenetic Studies Of Shallow Water Coral Reef Crustacea, James Darwin Thomas

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

Comprehensive studies of coral reef biodiversity suggest that diversity patterns may be more congruent with geotectonic events than with the reigning paradigms of dispersal, center of origin, and vicariance. Geotectonic processes slowly accumulate taxa in areas exemplified by the presence of composite or lineage-based evolutionary diversity. This process-pattern model can suggest additional areas where similar patterns are likely to occur. Information on types and levels of diversity should be a primary concern in emerging conservation efforts for deepwater coral ecosystems. Current marine conservation efforts in shallow reef systems rely primarily on identifying “hotspots” that reflect measures of species richness and …

Interactions Between Zooplankton And Karenia Brevis In The Gulf Of Mexico., Kristen M. Lester, Gabriel A. Vargo, John J. Walsh, Cynthia A. Heil, Mary B. Neely, Danylle N. Spence, Susan Murasko, Tracey Sutton, Scott E. Burghart, Andrew Remsen, T. L. Hopkins, Richard N. Bohrer

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

Blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate K. brevis are common in the Gulf of Mexico, yet no in situ studies of the interactions between zooplankton and K. brevis in the Gulf of Mexico have been conducted. Zooplankton numerical abundance, biomass and taxonomic composition of nonbloom and K. brevis bloom stations within the ECOHAB study area were compared. At nonbloom stations, the most important determinant species were Parvolcalanus crassirostris, Oithona colcarva and Paracalanus quasimodo at the 5-m isobath and P. quasimodo, O. colcarva and Oikopleura dioka at the 25-m isobath. There was considerable overlap between the 5 and 25-m isobaths, with …

Development Of Gis Maps For Southeast Florida Coral Reefs, Bernhard Riegl, Brian K. Walker, Ryan P. Moyer, Luz Hernandez-Cruz, Greg Foster, Christy Foster

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

The present report outlines the results of an integrated mapping project undertaken to provide a habitat map of the shallow Broward County seafloor between the 0m and 35m contour. The study area stretched from Golden Beach in northern Dade County to just north of the Palm Beach County line. To produce this map and assure its compatibility with other, in particular NOAA, mapping products, a series of data were integrated. Data types included Laser Airborne Depth Sounder (LADS) bathymetry, multi- and single-beam bathymetry, acoustic seafloor discrimination, ecological assessments, and groundtruthing. The method used for acoustic seafloor discrimination was based on …

Hydrogen Peroxide In Deep Waters Of The North Pacific Ocean, Jinchun Yuan, Alan M. Shiller

Faculty Publications

Hydrogen peroxide is a reactive oxygen intermediate that can play a role in a variety of redox cycles. In the ocean, it is generally considered to be dominantly photo-produced with negligible concentrations in deep waters. We have utilized a highly sensitive analytical method to investigate hydrogen peroxide in deep waters of the North Pacific Ocean. We present evidence that hydrogen peroxide exists in low nanomolar concentrations in these deep waters with an apparent minimum in the depth range of the oxygen minimum. A consideration of possible mechanisms and rates suggests both a short (similar to12 day) residence time as well …

Survival And Development Of Horseshoe Crab (Limulus Polyphemus) Embryos And Larvae In Hypersaline Conditions, Gretchen S. Ehlinger, Richard A. Tankersley

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus spawns in the mid- to upper intertidal zone where females deposit eggs in nests below the sediment surface. Although adult crabs generally inhabit subtidal regions of estuaries with salinities from 5 to 34 ppt, developing embryos and larvae within nests are often exposed to more extreme conditions of salinity and temperature during summer spawning periods. To test whether these conditions have a negative impact on early development and survival, we determined development time, survival, and molt cycle duration for L. polyphemus embryos and larvae raised at 20 combinations of salinity (range: 30-60 ppt) and temperature …

The Effect Of Loading On Disturbance Sounds Of The Atlantic Croaker Micropogonius Undulatus: Air Versus Water, Michael L. Fine, Justin Schrinel, Timothy M. Cameron

Biology Publications

Physiological work on fish sound production may require exposure of the swimbladder to air, which will change its loading (radiation mass and resistance) and could affect parameters of emitted sounds. This issue was examined in Atlantic croaker Micropogonius chromis by recording sounds from the same individuals in air and water. Although sonograms appear relatively similar in both cases, pulse duration is longer because of decreased damping, and sharpness of tuning (Q factor) is higher in water. However, pulse repetition rate and dominant frequency are unaffected. With appropriate caution it is suggested that sounds recorded in air can provide a useful …

Biozonation On Deep-Water Carbonate Mounds And Associated Hardgrounds Along The Western Margin Of Little Bahama Bank, With Notes On The Caicos Platform Island Slope, Charles G. Messing

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

Carbonate mounds found in a broad band from about 325 to 700 m along the western margin of Little Bahama Bank exhibit consistent faunal zonations characterized by assemblages of attached, suspension-feeding macroinvertebrates dominated by sponges, octocorals, crinoids and stylasterid and scleractinian corals. Biozonation on hard substrates appears chiefly dependent on depth (and associated parameters, e.g., temperature) and current flow. Mounds in 325-435 m with up to 30 m vertical relief reveal dense assemblages on gentler up current slopes and flanks, and an almost complete lack of macrofauna on steep downcurrent slopes. Macrofauna include stalked crinoids on upcurrent slopes and crest, …

Spatial And Temporal Recruitment Patterns Of Juvenile Grunts (Haemulon Spp.) In South Florida, L. K. B. Jordan, David S. Gilliam, Robin L. Sherman, Paul T. Arena, Fleur M. Harttung, Robert M. Baron, Richard E. Spieler

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

Grunts (Haemulidae) are important fisheries species and represent a major component of reef fish communities in the Greater Caribbean region. To date, little is known about their recruitment pattems. Data from more than 2,000 visual fish counts from multiple natural and artificial reef studies in Broward County, Florida, over a seven-year period, were examined to identify both spatial and temporal trends in recruitment of juvenile (i.e., < 5cm TL) grunts of the genus Haemulon. In general, data from these studies indicate that juvenile Haemulon spp. recruitment increases in the spring and peaks in the early summer months (i.e., June and July). Data from natural reef surveys revealed a predominantly nearshore preference for recruitment in water depths less than 8 m. However, on artificial reefs, recruitment commoniy occurred at 20 m depths. The biotic and abiotic factors determining the settlement of grunts are not clear and will be examined in future studies.

Presence Of Juvenile Blackfin Snapper, Lutjanus Buccanella, And Snowy Grouper, Epinephelus Niveatus, On Shallow-Water Artificial Reefs, Paul T. Arena, Patrick Quinn, Lance K. B. Jordan, Robin L. Sherman, Fleur M. Harttung, Richard E. Spieler

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

The inshore environment of Broward County, Florida consists of three reef tracts, each separated by sand substrate, running parallel to the coastline in sequentially deeper water. A wide variety of artificial reef designs have been deployed in Broward County, many lying in sand flats between the reeftracts. From 1995 through 2002, over 1,100 visual fish censuses (predominantly point-counts) were completed on the three natural reeftracts in water depths from 3 m to 30 m and over 1,100 censuses were done on artificial reefs at depths of 7 m to 23 m. Curiously, the juvenile stages of two deeper-water species of …