Marine Biology Commons^™

Great Bay Estuary Restoration Compendium, Jay Odell, Alyson L. Eberhardt, David M. Burdick, Pete Ingraham

PREP Reports & Publications

Single species approaches to natural resource conservation and management are now viewed as antiquated and oversimplified for dealing with complex systems. Scientists and managers who work in estuaries and other marine systems have urged adoption of ecosystem based approaches to management for nearly a decade, yet practitioners are still struggling to translate the ideas into practice. Similarly, ecological restoration projects in coastal systems have typically addressed one species or habitat. In recent years, efforts to focus on multiple species and habitats have increased. Our project developed an integrated ecosystem approach to identify multi-habitat restoration opportunities in the Great Bay estuary, …

Documenting Decadal Spatial Changes In Seagrass And Acropora Palmata Cover By Aerial Photography Analysis In Vieques, Puerto Rico: 1937-2000, Luz Raquel Hernandez-Cruz, Samuel J. Purkis, Bernhard Riegl

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Aerial photographs from 1937–2000 of Bahía Salina del Sur on vieques, Puerto Rico were analyzed to detect and describe spatial changes in the areal cover of sea-grass beds in Bahía Salina del Sur. The images were pre-processed to minimize noise and unsupervised classification was used to detect areas colonized by seagrass. The number of individual seagrass patches, direction, and characteristic of growth were quantified and described. Seagrass coverage increased by 85.8% over the 64-yr period and this increase was best described by a 2nd order polynomial function (r² = 0.91). Between 1937 and 2000, the spatial expression of the …

Evaluation Of New Grace Time-Variable Gravity Data Over The Ocean, Don P. Chambers

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Monthly GRACE gravity field models from the three science processing centers (CSR, GFZ, and JPL) are analyzed for the period from February 2003 to April 2005 over the ocean. The data are used to estimate maps of the mass component of sea level at smoothing radii of 500 km and 750 km. In addition to using new gravity field models, a filter has been applied to estimate and remove systematic errors in the coefficients that cause erroneous patterns in the maps of equivalent water level. The filter is described and its effects are discussed. The GRACE maps have been evaluated …

Distribution, Morphology, And Genetic Affinities Of Dwarf Embedded Fucus Populations From The Northwest Atlantic Ocean, Arthur C. Mathieson, Clinton J. Dawes, Aaron L. Wallace, Anita S. Klein

New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Publications

Dwarf embedded Fucus populations in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean are restricted to the upper intertidal zone in sandy salt marsh environments; they lack holdfasts and are from attached parental populations of F. spiralis or F. spiralis x F. vesiculosus hybrids after breakage and entanglement with halophytic marsh grasses. Dwarf forms are dichotomously branched, flat, and have a mean overall length and width of 20.3 and 1.3 mm, respectively. Thus, they are longer than Irish (mean 9.3 mm) and Alaskan (mean 15.0 mm) populations identified as F cottonii. Reciprocal transplants of different Fucus taxa in a Maine salt marsh confirm that …

Eye On Estuaries: Nh Tourist, The Bluefish, Soon To Depart Bay, Dave Kellam

PREP Reports & Publications

No abstract provided.

Dissolved Gallium In The Northwest Pacific And The South And Central Atlantic Oceans: Implications For Aeolian Fe Input And A Reconsideration Of Profiles, Alan M. Shiller, Gautam Raj Bairamadgi

Faculty Publications

[1] The distribution of dissolved gallium, a less-reactive analogue of aluminum, has the potential to reveal information about the averaged dust input to the surface ocean and to complement studies using aluminum as a tracer. New data are presented here on the distribution of dissolved Ga, including six profiles in the south and central Atlantic as well as seven shallow and two deep profiles from the northwest Pacific. The Atlantic data allow for an estimate of Ga in Antarctic Bottom Water ( similar to 25 - 30 pmol kg(-1)) and show reasonably conservative behavior in deep waters. In the northwest …

Reef Structure Alternatives For Restoration Of Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) Populations In New Hampshire, Raymond E. Grizzle, David M. Burdick, Jennifer Greene, Holly Abeels, Mark Capone

PREP Reports & Publications

Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) populations in New Hampshire have experienced severe declines since the 1990s, and restoration of oyster populations has been a major goal for New Hampshire management agencies. The most widely used technique in recent years in New Hampshire has been "spat seeding" which involves setting larvae from disease-resistant and/or fast-growth broodstock onto cultch material in large shore-based tanks, then distributing the spat attached to cultch onto the bottom to initiate reef restoration. This approach has the dual potential of providing direct population enhancement as well as introduction to the local gene pool of disease-resistance and/or fast-growth potential. …

Some Preservation Techniques For (Deep Water) Coral Samples For Subsequent Molecular Studies: A Special Supplement From Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Jose V. Lopez

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Around the time that the thirteen original Atlantic colonies were fighting for independence from Britain, there existed little agreement among naturalists as to the nature of corals. Were they inanimate (stones), plants, animals, or intermediate between the latter two (zoophytes)? This diversity of definition and opinions undoubtedly produced considerable confusion and disagreement among naturalists interested in such things. The symbiotic nature of algal cells in the tissues of some corals was also not well understood. It was not until the Darwinian period in the nineteenth century that little doubt remained, and therefore it was generally agreed, that corals were actually …

The Land Conservation Plan For New Hampshire's Coastal Watershed, M. Zankel, C. Copeland, P. Ingraham, J. Robinson, C. Sinnott, D. Sundquist, T. Walker, J. Alford

PREP Reports & Publications

Spanning 990 square miles and 46 towns, New Hampshire’s coastal watersheds harbor exceptional and irreplaceable natural, cultural, recreational and scenic resources (Figure 1). To advance the long-term protection of these resources, the State of New Hampshire, acting through the NH Coastal Program and the NH Estuaries Project, sought to develop a comprehensive, science-based land conservation plan for our coastal watersheds. The State engaged a partnership of The Nature Conservancy, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, Rockingham Planning Commission, and Strafford Regional Planning Commission to develop the plan. The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Piscataqua Region supported this effort as …

Nhep Data Management Plan, Phil Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

A goal of the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) and its monitoring program is to promote a cooperative effort by all agencies and organizations who participate in monitoring activities, in order to maximize the usefulness of current monitoring efforts and available data. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to effectively manage the large volume of existing information as well as new information that will be developed through the NHEP monitoring program. Data and information about NH’s estuaries now exists in multiple formats within a variety of organizations. Existing monitoring programs are designed to meet the missions of the various …

Summer 2006, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Stream Buffer Characterization Study, David G. Justice, Fay A. Rubin

PREP Reports & Publications

The Complex Systems Research Center at the University of New Hampshire conducted a characterization of 2nd order and higher streams within the Piscataqua/Coastal Basin of New Hampshire. GIS and remote sensing data archived in the NH GRANIT database were used to map a suite of anthropogenic factors, including land use, impervious surface coverage, and transportation infrastructure, within standard buffers around each stream segment. These factors were then analyzed to produce a categorical indicator representing the status of each stream.

Oyster Reef Restoration Project For The City Of Dover, Grizzle, Raymond E. Grizzle, Jennifer Greene, Holly Abeels

PREP Reports & Publications

This project was conducted as a contract between the City of Dover and the University of New Hampshire, with additional funding supplied by the New Hampshire Estuaries Project. The overall goal was to restore as much bottom area as possible (with available funds) of formerly productive oyster bottom in two areas, the Bellamy River and Pomeroy Cove (Piscataqua River). The restored areas were intended as a contribution to the long-term NHEP goal of restoring 20 acres of oyster bottom by 2010 (Trowbridge 2003). Five objectives were addressed: (1) site surveys, map production, and final restoration protocol development; (2) remote setting …

Development And Monitoring Of Revegetation Methods: Connecting Students With Restoration Activities At Awcomin Marsh, David M. Burdick, Christopher R. Peter, Kirsten A. Nelson

PREP Reports & Publications

Five classes in a local elementary school participated in an effort to grow and plant high marsh and upper border vegetation at a salt marsh restoration site in spring 2005. Seeds of six marsh upper edge species were successfully germinated and grown into seedlings by third graders. The seedlings were planted by the students in late spring 2005, but only switchgrass and quackgrass plants appeared to have established and survived after one year. Mature shoots of three high marsh species planted by the third graders (salt hay, salt grass and black grass) established successfully and continue to proliferate. In addition, …

Photoreductive Dissolution Of Ferrihydrite By Methanesulfinic Acid: Evidence Of A Direct Link Between Dimethylsulfide And Iron-Bioavailability, Anne M. Johansen, Jennifer M. Key

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Within open‐ocean regions where excess macronutrients are present, phytoplankton growth is limited by the bioavailability of iron supplied to these areas primarily within atmospheric aerosols of crustal origin. However, processes that control the abundance of biologically accessible iron in these aerosols are largely unknown. Here we show that dissolution of ferrihydrite, a surrogate iron(oxy)hydroxide phase found in atmospheric waters, is enhanced in the presence of methanesulfinic acid (MSIA, CH₃SO₂H, a dimethylsulfide (DMS) oxidation intermediate) in laboratory irradiation experiments with aqueous suspensions that simulate marine aerosol particles. The increased release of soluble Fe(II) is attributed to a …

Patterns Of Scleractinian Health In Broward County, Florida, Melody J. White

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

This study was survey of disease distribution and abundance relating to coral diseases present in Broward County. Data of the 1330 scleractinian coral individuals found, 88 showed signs of disease. 19 coral species, 3 diseases and bleaching were represented. Diseases affected 9 of the species. Bleaching was the most common disease noted in this survey, followed by dark spot, red band, and yellow band.

Disease distribution appears to be scattered on the reef system. No apparent patterns were found when grouped by reef or corridor locations. MDS cluster analysis revealed a clumping of disease, but this was not correlated with …

Testing Of Great Bay Oysters For Two Protozoan Pathogens, John I. Nelson

PREP Reports & Publications

Two protozoan pathogens, Haplosporidium nelsoni (MSX) and Perkinsus marinus(Dermo) are known to be present in Great Bay oysters. With funds provided by the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP), the Marine Fisheries Division of New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, (NHF&G) continues to assess the presence and intensity of both disease conditions in oysters from the major beds, some open for harvest, within the Great Bay estuarine system. Histological examination of Great Bay oysters has also revealed other endoparasites.

Spatial Patterns Of Marine Larvae As Indicators Of Incipient Invasions In Great Bay, James E. Byers, Blaine Griffen

PREP Reports & Publications

Understanding the dynamics of coastal marine communities represents a substantial challenge, and one that is actively pursued globally. Within the United States, several sites have been designated as National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERR) with the idea that concentrated research at these sites will lead to greater understanding of the ecosystem. The Great Bay Estuary of New Hampshire is one of these sites. A wide spectrum of research is conducted within the Great Bay, and substantial financial support is committed to that research on an annual basis. To facilitate the success of these research efforts, it is particularly important to develop …

Bathypelagic Fish Association With The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Tracey Sutton, F. Uiblein, I. Byrkjedal, A. Dolgov, M. Heino, J. Horne, N. King, Tone Falkenhaug, O. R. Godo, Odd Aksel Bergstad

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

The bathypelagic zone, Earth’s largest living space, is essentially boundless in three dimensions for most of its extent, structured only by fluid features (e.g., salinity, temperature) of the seawater itself. However, near certain topographic features this zone intersects the seafloor. The mid-ocean ridge system is by far the largest of these features. Unlike the ecosystems of the continental margins, the mid-ocean ridge systems do not receive terrigenous nutrient inputs. Thus, the deep-water fauna associated with mid-ocean ridges ultimately depend on the generally limited local surface production. Despite this limited surface production, there is evidence that near-ridge demersal fish biomass is …

Survival Of White Marlin (Tetrapturus Albidus) Released From Commercial Pelagic Longline Gear In The Western North Atlantic, David W. Kerstetter, John E. Graves

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

To estimate postrelease survival of white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) caught incidentally in regular commercial pelagic longline fishing operations targeting swordfish and tunas, short-duration popup satellite archival tags (PSATs) were deployed on captured animals for periods of 5-43 days. Twenty (71.4%) of 28 tags transmitted data at the preprogrammed time, including one tag that separated from the fish shortly after release and was omitted from subsequent analyses. Transmitted data from 17 of 19 tags were consistent with survival of those animals for the duration of the tag deployment. Postrelease survival estimates ranged from 63.0% (assuming all nontransmitting tags were …

Stewardship Plan For Four Conservation Easements Held By The Town Of Newfields, Jeffrey H. Taylor & Associates, Inc.

PREP Reports & Publications

In 2005 the Town of Newfields, NH was awarded a grant by the New Hampshire Estuaries Project. The Eligible Activity applied for, under the category of Land Conservation and Natural Resource Protection was “Development of monitoring plans for town-held easements on conservation lands”. The Town identified four properties on which the they hold conservation easements as the focus of the project. Newfields’ goal in applying for the grant were to have each property visited by the contractor and a local volunteer, conduct an interview with the landowner and a conduct a ground monitoring of the property. Following the visits, baseline …

Reserve And Habitat Effects On The Distribution, Abundance And Feeding Ecology Of Goosefish, Lophius Americanus (Valenciennes 1837) In The Western Gulf Of Maine, Melissa Dawn Smith

All Theses And Dissertations

Over two-thirds of the world’s harvested fish stocks are considered to be either reduced or threatened because of overexploitation, which suggest that one of the central challenges facing coastal managers is the recovery and sustainable harvesting of these species. One promising fishery management strategy is the use of marine reserves, or conservation areas where fishing is prohibited, to rebuild depleted populations. In the Gulf of Maine (GoM), several closed areas have been established to restrict fishing activities such as gillnetting, scallop dredging, and mid-water and bottom trawling. These closures in the GoM not only protect diminished fish stocks, but also …

Negative Effect Of Zebra Mussels On Foraging And Habitat Use By Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens), D. J. Mccabe, Mark Beekey, A. Mazloff, I. E. Marsden

Biology Faculty Publications

1. Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) are threatened or endangered throughout much of their range. Juvenile sturgeon utilize sandy and silty habitats extensively during their growth. Invasive zebra mussels change the nature of sandy and silty habitats because they settle on and coat the habitat with the shells of living and dead individuals. The potential impacts of this increased habitat complexity on lake sturgeon is unknown. 2. Juvenile lake sturgeon habitat choice was assessed in laboratory experiments, and zebra mussel impact on the foraging success of juvenile lake sturgeon on three different prey species was measured. 3. Sturgeon foraging on chironomids …

2006 Exeter River Alewife Festival, Theresa Walker

PREP Reports & Publications

On June 4, 2006, the Exeter River Local Advisory Committee (ERLAC) held the 6th Annual Exeter River Alewife Festival along the banks of the Squamscott River in downtown Exeter. Three dozen organizations exhibited at the Festival and event organizers estimate approximately 300 people attended the event despite the inclement weather. The purpose of the Festival was to increase awareness of the Exeter River watershed and the role it plays in the Great Bay ecosystem, as well as its role in providing drinking water, wildlife habitat, and scenic, historic and recreational resources for residents in the ten watershed towns. Funding provided …

Eelgrass Distribution In The Great Bay Estuary 2004, 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 and shellfish. Eelgrass is the basis of an estuarine food chain that supports many of the recreationally, commercially 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 …

Cold Event In The South Atlantic Bight During Summer Of 2003: Anomalous Hydrographic And Atmospheric Conditions, Alfredo Aretxabaleta, James R. Nelson, Jack O. Blanton, Harvey E. Seim, Francisco E. Werner, John M. Bane, Robert H. Weisberg

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Unusually cold seawater temperatures were observed along much of the U.S. eastern seaboard during the summer of 2003. In this study, hydrographic and atmospheric observations from spring through summer were analyzed to track the evolution of the cold water event in the South Atlantic Bight (SAB) and investigate links to various forcing mechanisms. The hydrographic observations included 13 cross‐shelf transects over the central region of the SAB, surface temperature time series from several NDBC stations, and bottom temperatures from a mid shelf mooring. Atmospheric data were obtained from NDBC stations. Additional data included water level from NOS stations and river …

Nhep Year 11 Work Plan, Jennifer Hunter

PREP Reports & Publications

The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program which is a joint local/state/federal program established under the Clean Water Act with the goal of protecting and enhancing nationally significant estuarine resources. The NHEP’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (Management Plan)for New Hampshire’s estuaries was completed in 2000 and updated in 2005. The Management Plan outlines key issues related to management of New Hampshire’s estuaries and proposes strategies (Action Plans) to protect, enhance, and monitor the state’s estuarine resources. Local stakeholders established the NHEP’s priorities, which include water quality improvements, shellfish resource …

Water Reuse Feasibility Study, City Of Portsmouth

PREP Reports & Publications

The use of reclaimed water in the southern and western parts of the United States has been common practice for over 40 years. These water short areas have realized the value of utilizing highly treated wastewater (reclaimed water) and consider it a resource rather than a disposal problem. Growth impacts on drinking water supplies in New England, and specifically in Portsmouth, have now brought this concept to New Hampshire. Currently the Pease Golf Course is using approximately 200,000 to 300,000 gallons per day (gpd) of potable water for irrigation in the summer months. The City of Portsmouth supplies this potable …

Greenland Conservation And Land Stewardship Plan, Ellen J. Snyder

PREP Reports & Publications

The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) Technical Assistance Program provides financial assistance to communities for land conservation planning and protection, wetlands protection, and stormwater management in coastal New Hampshire. The Greenland Planning Board applied for and received support to develop stewardship plans for town-owned lands (see proposal in Appendix A). The Town is working on a Master Plan update, as well as considering the expenditure of a $2 million bond for land acquisition. This project enables the Town to assess existing town lands for natural resource values and stewardship needs and identify other areas within Town as conservation priorities. The …

Source And Transport Of Terrigenous Organic Matter In The Upper Yukon River: Evidence From Isotope (��C-13, Δc-14, And ��N-15) Composition Of Dissolved, Colloidal, And Particulate Phases, Laodong Guo, Robie W. Macdonald

Faculty Publications

Natural organic matter was collected from the upper Yukon River and size fractionated into the (LMW-DOC), colloidal (COC, 1 kDa to 0.45 mu m) and particulate organic carbon (POC, > 0.45 mu m) phases for characterization of elemental (C and N) and isotopic (C-13, C-14 and N-15) composition to examine their sources and transport. Concentrations of total organic carbon (TOC) decreased from 3010 mu M in mid-May to 608 mu M in September, accompanying an increase in river water delta O-18 from the snowmelt to summer and early fall. COC was the predominant OC species, comprising, on average, 63 +/- 8% …